Arsenal fans are eager for the club to make a move for Hirving Lozano after watching him in action for Mexico against South Korea on Saturday night.
After his wonderful goal against Germany in their opening group match, Lozano was again central to a Mexico win against the Koreans, providing the assist for Javier Hernandez to score the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory.
The 22-year-old is also coming off the back of a superb season in Eredivisie for PSV, scoring 17 goals and assisting 8 more in league action.
It’s a fantastic return and his potential to become a big player at the elite level seems strong, making him a very attractive prospect for Arsenal and Unai Emery this summer.
Fans would certainly like to see him signed, believing he can offer the attacking spark the Gunners have been looking for over the last 12 months.
They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on signing him after his Saturday performance…
Liverpool should not be considering a move for ex-Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere.
What’s the word?
The 26-year-old would have alerted many clubs when he announced earlier this month that he will be leaving the North London club.
The midfielder has been at Arsenal for his entire career, but injury problems hampered his progress.
Last season, Wilshere returned to the Gunners for the 2017-18 season after spending the previous campaign on loan at Bournemouth.
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However, he was unable to hold down a regular starting spot, and after having talks with new manager Unai Emery, the 26-year-old decided to seek pastures new.
A handful of clubs have been linked to Wilshere, but he is yet to sign a deal with anyone.
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Why should Liverpool avoid him?
There is no doubt that the midfielder has the skills to thrive in a decent team, but his injuries have taken its toll.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side have plenty of energy and work at a million miles a minute.
The Reds manager likes his players to press with intensity, but due to Wilshere’s problems he may not be able to cope with the demand.
Liverpool have shown progress under Klopp, but in order to continue the trajectory, they require proven stars that can deliver on a consistent basis.
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That is not something that Wilshere can guarantee.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Celtic have been left sweating on the fitness of winger Jonny Hayes, having just recently returned to the first team squad after breaking his leg in his debut season at the Hoops.
What’s the story?
Hayes suffered a season ending injury back in December against Dundee after a clash with Josh Meekings and made his first appearance in a friendly match just days ago.
Now though he’s potentially facing another spell on the sidelines after coming off in the Hoops’ latest friendly against Bohemians Prague this weekend.
The Scottish Sun now say he is facing a fight to be fit for the side’s UEFA Champions League qualifier against Alashkert later this month.
Brendan Rodgers confirmed it was a thigh strain, telling the paper:
Jonny’s thigh is a bit tight and we’ll just have to see how he is. It’s a shame for him as he started the game quite well combining with Scott Sinclair down the left.
Hopefully, we have just been a wee bit cautious but he felt his thigh when he had the shot that just went wide.
Unfortunately, it can happen when a player comes back after a long time out.
Jonny is very dynamic but hopefully it was just a twinge and it will be nothing too serious.
Many were surprised to begin with when Jonny Hayes signed for the Hoops from Aberdeen last summer, despite undoubtedly being one of the division’s best players outside of the Hoops squad, shining for the Dons for a number of seasons.
He struggled to make an impact in the first half of the season and was obviously then ruled out of action in 2018.
With Patrick Roberts leaving the club this summer and Scott Sinclair losing form, the upcoming qualifiers could have been huge for him in trying to cement a place in Brendan Rodgers’ first team plans.
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This latest setback could be costly when it comes to ever making it as an established Hoops star.
Kumar Sangakkara has called on his spinners to raise their game in the final Test in Mumbai
Sa'adi Thawfeeq27-Nov-2009It hasn’t been a great tour for Muttiah Muralitharan so far•AFP
Sri Lanka came into the series intending to secure their maiden Test victory on Indian soil but were left with a lot of soul searching to do after they were thrashed by an innings-and-144-runs in the second Test in Kanpur.Though India ran up 642, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara defended the selection of three spinners. “If we had won the toss and batted first on the wicket and got a decent amount of runs on the board our spinners would have been quite a threat on this track,” he said. “It would have been very hard to score runs off them as well. The chances that we did create were not taken by us, allowing the Indian batsmen to get away on a really flat track. 400 runs on the first day was a little too much.”The main concern for Sri Lanka was the inability of the world’s leading wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan to provide the breakthroughs for his team as he had done till the recent past. Murali went for over hundred runs for the second time in two Tests; so far in the series his returns are five wickets for 396 runs, average 79.20. “It does become a concern when your star strike bowler is not really picking up the wickets you know he can, but he is still the best bowler that’s played the game,” Sangakkara said. “You still have to have faith in him and trust him and back him 100% to do the job because he is going to do it at one point, hopefully in the next Test.”The Kanpur defeat was the largest in terms of runs to India but Sangakkara remained optimistic that he had the bowlers to win in Mumbai. “We have the potential to pick 20 wickets with the bowlers that we have,” he said. “Potential is one thing really doing the job is another. We would like a bit more penetration with the spin.”With our fast bowlers we always created opportunities, the disappointing thing is we haven’t really taken those chances twice in the first over in two Test matches, especially this one on a track that was one of the flattest we’ve played on.”We’ve still got a lot to achieve in Mumbai. We can still equal the series and finish one-all. That’s a great motivation for us. Disappointed with today’s defeat, but that’s the way cricket goes. If you don’t play well enough you lose and you’ve got to accept that responsibility but still move on. You have no one else to blame. You got to look at the 16 players in the dressing room and say that we were just not good enough. We were outplayed by India who were a better team in this Test match.”It was a good toss to win for Dhoni the first day the wicket was going to be the flattest and it got slower and slower as the game progressed. If we probably had kept India down to about 450 in the first innings it would have been a chance for us to come back, but 600 runs on we were always chasing. Bad batting in our first innings put us into trouble.”
Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has predicted a “great future” in international cricket for debutant Umar Akmal
Cricinfo staff26-Nov-2009Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has predicted a “great future” in international cricket for debutant Umar Akmal, who rescued his team with a brazen century after the top order had collapsed on the third day in Dunedin. Umar began his innings after Shane Bond and Chris Martin had reduced Pakistan to 85 for 5, trailing by 344 runs in the first innings. He dominated a 176-run partnership with his older brother Kamran and helped Pakistan avoid the follow-on.Umar has acquired a reputation of being a dasher with a cool head in the limited-overs formats and he began his Test career by cutting Bond for four off his first ball. He raced to his century with three consecutive boundaries off Iain O’Brien, eroding New Zealand’s advantage with aggression: Umar hit 21 fours and two sixes in his innings of 129.”He is something very special and a very exciting player,” Intikhab said after Pakistan’s recovery. “He is a very hard working, dedicated young person [and] a very exciting cricketer. We are lucky to have him in the side and I think he’s got a great future for Pakistan.”The good thing is that he never gets under pressure. He played his own natural game [today]. His mother said she would be praying for him and she hoped he would score some runs. She told him to just relax and take it easy but he didn’t listen to her.”While 19-year-old Umar was making his first splash in Test cricket, 34-year old Shane Bond was making his comeback after two years of ICL exile and just how much his team missed him was immediately evident. Bowling with the wind, Bond gradually cranked up his pace from 140 kmh to close to 150 and accounted for three top-order batsmen. He ended the day with figures of 4 for 93 and was “pretty happy to come through” after bowling 24 overs in a day.”My body felt pretty good the whole day and it’s always nice to get wickets. I really enjoyed it,” Bond said after his performance. “I was pretty keen to try and get that tonight. I’ll want the ball first up tomorrow morning to try and finish that off.”Despite his success, Bond was surprised at how flat the University Oval wicket was. “We just had to make a conscious effort to run in hard and bowl aggressively on that wicket. Sometimes you leak a few runs doing that but I think you give yourself the best chance of taking wickets.”New Zealand are ahead by 122 runs with two days to go and Pakistan have only a couple of wickets in hand, a position Bond was happy with. “I think it’s important we clean up those wickets tomorrow morning then we’ve got a good lead hopefully. Then the game is ours to set up. We could still lose the game if we bat poorly but if we play well then we can set the game up and hopefully be the only team that can win it.”
For a long time it appeared that the five overs Graeme Swann bowled in a one-day international against South Africa, at Bloemfontein, on the 1999-2000 tour might be the sum total of his England career
Andrew McGlashan in Durban30-Dec-2009For a long time it appeared that the five overs Graeme Swann bowled in a one-day international against South Africa, at Bloemfontein, on the 1999-2000 tour might be the sum total of his England career. Another player picked too young, discarded back to county cricket and never picked again. But a second chance eventually came, firstly in ODIs in 2007 and then, finally, late last year in Test cricket. He hasn’t looked back.When he trapped Dale Steyn lbw to seal a crushing innings-and-98-run victory over South Africa, at Durban, it was his 54th wicket for the year, putting him second behind Australia’s Mitchell Johnson. That scalp also completed career-best match figures of 9 for 164 and sealed consecutive Man-of-the-Match awards.To think Swann was left out of England’s side at the start of the West Indies tour in February. He didn’t play in Jamaica and was again omitted for the abandoned Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Perhaps he’d impressed Andrew Strauss with his sandcastles in the underprepared outfield, because two days later at the ARG he was back in the fold, took 5 for 57, and hasn’t stopped taking wickets since.”Two man-of-the-match awards in two games, I’ll take that to finish off the year quite nicely,” he said. “Straussy left me out in Jamaica, so I thought ‘right, I’ve got to show him what a mistake he’s made here’.”It’s been magnificent for me. It started in the West Indies where, although we didn’t end up winning the series, personally for me it was a breakthrough series. Then there was the Ashes which is seven weeks that I’ll never forget. I’m certainly going to look back on 2009 with a fair bit of fondness.”Swann is one of the chirpiest cricketers around even after a tough day the field – which is why he is often wheeled out to discuss England’s less-flattering efforts – so it was no surprise that he wore a permanent smile as he sat beside Strauss. When Strauss was asked about Swann’s efforts this year he said it was difficult to discuss them with his team-mate sat beside him. Swann just put his hand on Strauss’s shoulder as if to say ‘it’s okay skip, I can take.'”He’s had a massive impact on our side in the last 12 months,” Strauss said. “He’s always been a very attacking spinner, never one that settles at going for two an over; he’s always given it a rip and bowled an attacking line. In Test cricket, with the extra pressure that batsmen are under, that can be invaluable. On the field, he’s been exceptional and he has off the field as well.”Graeme Swann collected career-best figures of 9 for 164 in the game and his second successive man-of-the-match award•PA Photos
Swann was just 21 when he was first thrown into international cricket by Duncan Fletcher and has long-since become the only member of the team still playing for England. Only two others from the XI – Vikram Solanki and Chris Read – still play first-class cricket and are unlikely to get another chance.”I don’t think he’s changed a huge amount in that time,” Strauss said. “That was very early in his career, and he was picked probably before he knew his game 100%. Now, he knows how to bowl people out and he’s a very clever spin bowler and his batting has been a massive plus for us as well.”As an opposition captain, there’s nothing worse than a guy who really has no fear of getting out and plays outrageous shots. It’s hard to stop that. He’s more mature, but he still hasn’t lost that sense of enthusiasm and fun which is important.”Swann’s form has been the key reason why England’s four-man attack policy has worked because he has been able to wheel away at one end, while also playing an attacking role. His latest success, which follows 5 for 110 in the first innings at Centurion, came on a day where Test cricket showed offspin is still very much alive.Over in Melbourne, a few hours before Swann finished off South Africa, Nathan Hauritz claimed his maiden first-class five-for as he took 5 for 101 to help Australia to victory against Pakistan. Despite the development of the doosra and carom-ball, Swann was confident the conventional style of his art still had a future.”Deep down, yes I did,” he said. “But I’m quite shy and retiring, never one to voice my opinions. The game goes in circles. In three or four years’ time, we’ll be completely out of vogue again so I’ll just enjoy the fairground ride while I can. It will come back round, sooner or later, that a brilliant mystery spinner will arrive and I’ll be defunct.”Swann doesn’t have to worry about becoming defunct any time soon. Shane Warne often says spinners only start coming into their prime at 30, and Swann is now that age, so there should be many years ahead. It was a long wait, but well worth it.
Afghanistan pulled off their second win in the Intercontinental Cup, defeating defending champions Ireland by seven wickets to propel the tournament newcomers to the top of the table
Cricinfo staff24-Jan-2010.
Scorecard Afghanistan pulled off their second win in the Intercontinental Cup, defeating defending champions Ireland by seven wickets to propel themselves to the top of the table.Both teams had talked before the game about the respect they had for each other and in a fluctuating contest, Afghanistan grabbed the initiative to drive home a victory that would have seemed unlikely when Ireland began the final day 39 runs behind with all their second-innings wickets intact.Paceman Dawlat Ahmadzai proved the difference as he burst through the top order on his way to his maiden five-wicket haul. He struck in the third over of the day to remove a becalmed William Porterfield caught behind for 14 before castling Andrew Cusack in his next over for 4. By the time he bowled Gary Wilson for 27, Ireland were tottering on 57 for three.Offspinner Mohammad Nabi (4 for 33) then stepped into the action, taking three quick wickets with probing, accurate bowling to reduce Ireland to 101 for seven. Some lust hitting from Trent Johnson and diligent blocking John Mooney, who made 18 from 76 balls, carried the score up to 141 before a final wicket stand of 59 between Johnson and Peter Connell took the score to 202. Johnson ended up unbeaten on 63 to leave Afghanistan with 137 to get.An early wicket for Johnson gave Ireland a sliver but a half century from Noor Ali and a 36-run partnership from wickkeeper Mohammad Shahzad and captain Nowroz Mengal guided Afghanistan home. It’s a remarkable result for Afghanistan who’s continued progress in international cricket has been one of the most cheering aspects of the game in recent months.
Charl Langeveldt has been added to South Africa’s ODI squad for the three-match series in India
Cricinfo staff07-Feb-2010Fast bowler Charl Langeveldt has been added to South Africa’s ODI squad for the three-match series in India. Langeveldt’s inclusion adds further strength to a pace attack comprising four specialists – Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell – and two allrounders – Jacques Kallis and Albie Morkel.”We do not believe that we have all our bases covered at the moment in the bowling department,” Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa’s chief executive and convenor of the national selection panel, said. “We have two major ICC tournaments coming up – first the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies and then next year’s ICC World Cup on the subcontinent – and it is important that we explore all our options.”Charl also brings much needed experience to our attack. He has played 64 matches while Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell have played only 67 matches between them. Johan Botha is the only other specialist bowler in the squad with 50 ODI appearances.”Langeveldt, who was part of the team that played England, had initially been omitted from the 15-man squad chosen by the selection panel headed by Mike Procter.ODI squad: Graeme Smith, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Alviro Petersen, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe.
Deccan Chargers survived a late Irfan Pathan assault to seal their first win against Kings XI Punjab in IPL history
The Bulletin by Sriram Veera19-Mar-2010<brScorecard and ball-by-ball details Andrew Symonds scored 53, took one wicket and three catches to help Deccan Chargers to a first home win•Indian Premier League
The match was hurtling towards a dull climax when Irfan Pathan tried to pull off the improbable with an audacious innings, but eventually Deccan Chargers prevailed and sealed their first win against Kings XI Punjab in IPL history. Set 171 to win, Punjab were dawdling along at 104 for 7 in the 17th over when Irfan exploded to create some excitement.Irfan hit two sixes and two fours in that 17th over bowled by an errant RP Singh, and suddenly the equation read 46 from 18 balls. RP returned in the 19th over to give away 14 runs, which included a six over long-on and a cover-driven four from Irfan, and the equation came to 19 from the final over. Jaskaran Singh, who was unused until then, pleaded with Adam Gilchrist that he be given a bowl and he struck with his first ball, getting Irfan to hole out to deep midwicket. Game over.Irfan might have succeeded in reducing the margin, but it couldn’t mask an otherwise lacklustre performance from Punjab. They are yet to click together as a unit in this IPL, and nothing changed tonight. Their bowling was good in the first game, their batting better in the second, and tonight it was only the bowlers who turned up. All Deccan had to do today to register their first home win was to ensure they reached a competitive total, and they managed it courtesy a fiery cameo from Gilchrist and a responsible hand from Andrew Symonds.When Deccan batted, it was as if there were two games out there: Deccan against pace and Deccan against spin. They looted runs against the seamers and struggled against the spinners to reach a competitive score.Whenever Deccan required some quick runs to get some momentum going, Sreesanth seemed ready to gift them some easy runs. His first largesse came in the second over when he went for 24 runs with Adam Gilchrist plundering two fours and two sixes. A stunning six hit on the up to straight boundary was the highlight.Gilchrist’s 17-minute manic knock charged Deccan to 43 in 3 overs. Although they lost VVS Laxman almost immediately – he was forced to retire hurt after being hit on his wrist by a wayward throw from Shalabh Srivastava – Gilchrist’s effort allowed them to reach 84 for 1 in nine overs. This is where Sreesanth entered the picture to give his second offering to Deccan. This time around he leaked 16 runs, with Symonds hitting a typically muscled six over long-on, and two fours.At this point things could have gone horribly wrong for Punjab, but Yuvraj Singh slipped in a tidy spell that read 4-0-21-2 to peg back Deccan. It was the typical bag of tricks from him – variation in pace and the alteration in trajectory – but it was enough to slow down proceedings on this slow track. In the 11th over, he removed Herschelle Gibbs with an arm-ball and saw a slow-off-the-blocks Rohit Sharma run himself out. Bipul Sharma and Piyush Chawla slipped in a couple of relatively quiet overs, and when Yuvraj induced Symonds to hole out to long-on, Deccan had reached 144 for 5 in 17 overs.If Gilchrist’s was an adrenalin-charged innings, Symonds’, barring that explosion against Sreesanth, was more measured. He played the spinners with relative caution, often checking his drives, and making sure he didn’t throw his wicket away.Punjab didn’t find either a Gilchrist or a Symonds when they chased. Only Ravi Bopara offered some fight with a 32-ball 38, but the rest succumbed meekly. The seniors were the main culprits – none of Kumar Sangakkara, Yuvraj and Mahela Jayawardene could get going. Chaminda Vaas took care of Sangakkara with a slower one and induced Yuvraj to slice an intended big drive to cover. When Symonds bowled Jayawardene, who went for a fatal paddle sweep, the game was all but over. Or so one thought. Irfan threatened to pull off an improbable heist but it proved too much for him in the end.
MS Dhoni and S Badrinath added a quick, unbroken 109-run stand to push Chennai to a competitive total before their bowlers turned in an inspired performance to bowl them to a surprisingly facile win at the Eden Gardens
The Bulletin by Sriram Veera16-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out MS Dhoni led from the front with a 33-ball 66 (file photo)•Associated Press
MS Dhoni and S Badrinath added an unbroken 109-run stand from 65 deliveries to push Chennai Super Kings to a competitive total before their bowlers turned in an inspired performance to bowl them to a surprisingly facile win at the Eden Gardens. It was Chennai who had ended Kolkata’s winning streak after the first two games in 2008 and history played out yet again.Chennai were wobbling at 55 for 3 in the 10th over when Dhoni joined Badrinath to slowly change things around on a track with slightly variable bounce. It wasn’t the traditional hit-everything-in-sight Twenty20 innings from them as they first strived to settle in with dabs and nudges before freeing their arms at the end.It was off the final delivery of the 15th over that Dhoni managed his first big hit – a six over long-on. And it wasn’t till the 18th over that he really went berserk, hitting Laxmi Ratan Shukla for two fours and another six over long-on as he started to work his bottom hand over time.In the next over, bowled by Shane Bond, he looted three boundaries that included a scorching flatly-pulled six. Badrinath too got in the act, pulling Ishant Sharma for a six in the final over.Until the final assault from the Chennai duo, nearly everything went according to Plan A for Kolkata. Bond got to swing it at pace, Ishant probed with his seam movement, Murali Kartik was at his canny best, Angelo Matthews was at his nagging self and Shukla kept it really tight as well.
But Dhoni’s knock proved the difference between a below-par total and a defendable one.Kolkata needed a similar partnership but with wickets falling at regular intervals, the chase lacked any momentum and fizzled out very quickly. Within nine deliveries, their heroes from last game, Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary, were dismissed – Hodge pulled Albie Morkel to square-leg and Tiwary was bowled, going for an expansive on-the-up drive against Manpreet
Gony. And when L Balaji produced the delivery of the game – it kicked up from short of length even as it straightened outside off stump – to catch the edge of Owais Shah, Kolkata were struggling at 46 for 4.It required someone to seize the game but there weren’t any inspired bursts lower down. Sourav Ganguly dawdled along for a while, unable to break free against a relentless attack of short deliveries into his rib cage, and he fell, swinging Justin Kemp to deep mid-wicket. Much depended on Matthews if Kolkata were to effect a jail break, but he was trapped in front trying to paddle sweep a straight delivery from Kemp. The tail couldn’t produce any miracle and
Chennai wrapped up the win with five balls to spare.