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There’s been plenty of talk regarding Liverpool’s search for a new midfielder and forward player over the summer, with Jurgen Klopp desperate to put a hugely disappointing 2020/21 campaign behind him.

Several star names have been linked with plugging a Gini Wijnaldum-shaped hole in the engine room or coming in to add competition for a misfiring Sadio Mane, but the answer to the club’s conundrums could already be within Anfield.

On the chalkboard

Harvey Elliott rose to prominence after becoming the Premier League’s youngest-ever player at 16 years and 30 days, coming on as an 88th-minute substitute for Fulham against Wolves back in 2019.

Since then, the now 18-year-old has gone from strength to strength. After completing his transfer to Liverpool, the youngster made eight senior appearances for Klopp’s charges throughout 2019/20, adding to his top-flight experience.

A season-long loan move to Championship side Blackburn Rovers followed, and it was at Ewood Park where Elliott truly turned from a teenage prodigy to a potential wonderkid.

In 43 outings for the Lancashire outfit, the England Under-17 international bagged seven goals, providing a further 12 assists for his teammates.

His standout performances led to former teammate Elliott Bennett labeling Elliott a “special player” on Twitter and has seen Klopp reintegrate him into his first-team plans during pre-season.

“We have a new midfielder in our squad in Harvey Elliott,” the German tactician announced (as relayed by James Pearce). “We have players who can make a big step. We are not blind. We see what others are doing. We just have to be able to beat them. We will try to do that.”

“Harvey can play different positions. In pre-season, we wanted to see him in a deeper role. He’s made a big step in the pre-season. If he stays fit then the football world can be really excited about that. I really liked his performance and attitude in pre-season.”

With the financial impact of the ongoing pandemic severely restricting Liverpool’s spending power this summer, FSG, the club’s owners, may not have the spending power to buy both a midfielder and an attacker.

And that’s where Elliott comes in. With Jordan Henderson and Thiago only recently returning to training and Curtis Jones ruled out through injury, the diminutive gem is in contention to start the Reds’ curtain-raiser against Norwich at the weekend.

After becoming renowned for his technical ability, eye for a pass and ability to cooly slot the ball into the corner of the net, Elliott has showcased his truly world-class potential, the prospect of him linking up with Mohamed Salah is a mouth-watering concept.

His development could save the club millions, but more importantly than that, he has the ability to spark a new wave of Liverpool success, taking over the baton from Salah, the last player to fire the 19-time English champions to domestic and European glory.

And, in other news…Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Liverpool transfer update that’ll have the fans buzzing 

A round-up of the first day’s play of the second round matches of the Ranji Plate League

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2008
Scorecard
Haryana enjoyed their opening day against Jharkhand at Rohtak, where maiden century from Nitin Saini and a fourth from Sunny Singh piled up an imposing 331 for 3 by stumps. Saini and Rahul Dewan (45) put on 87 for the first wicket before Kuldeep Sharma struck twice. Then it was over to the two centurions, who put on 201. Saini, 20, had a previous best of 35 but went past that significantly, in just his fourth match, making 125. Sunny was unbeaten on 126 from 156 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes.
Scorecard
Goa’s captain, Swapnil Asnodkar, carried on his early-season Ranji form with 93 on day one at Margao, but it was primarily a one-man show against Jammu & Kashmir. Asnodkar’s 179-ball effort, with the help of 13 boundaries, was the top score in an innings of 260 for 8 by stumps. Goa’s middle order failed to fire and if not for Saurabh Bandekar (30), Robin D’Souza (30*) and Ryan Ninan (21*) it would have been an even more disappointing outing. Runs came at a trickle, and Pranav Mahajan’s 3 for 48 were the best figures for J&K.
Scorecard
Himachal Pradesh made good progress on the opening day of their match against Kerala at Dharamsala, reaching 317 for 7 by stumps. There were no centuries, but innings of 78 not out from Mukesh Sharma, 72 from opener Sangram Singh, and two scores in the forties from Paras Dogra and Ajay Mannu ensured a good day’s play. As many as eight bowlers were used by Kerala, with Tinu Yohannan, the former India fast bowler, taking the first and last two wickets to fall.
Scorecard
Eleven wickets fell at Indore. The hosts, Madhya Pradesh, fielded first and did well to dismiss Bengal for 210 in 80.4 overs, but then lost Himalaya Sagar for a second-ball duck by stumps. Sanjay Pandey and Shantanu Pitre did early damage with the new ball, restricting Bengal to 80 for 5. Contributions from wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (38) and Ritam Kundu (66) added a semblance of respectability to Bengal’s score, before legspinner Yogesh Golwalkar – who has played for Middlesex – cut them off en route to 3 for 29. Ashok Dinda gave Bengal some hope with the wicket of Sagar in his only over. Bengal fielded four debutants: Iaresh Saxena, Arindam Ghosh, Avik Chowdhury and Srivats Goswami, the Under-19 wicketkeeper.
Scorecard
The trend of wickets taking precedent over runs continued at Palam, where Vidarbha overcame a poor batting performance by leaving Services floundering at 43 for 5. Services, who chose to field first, knocked over Vidarbha for 151 in 58.4 overs. Left-arm medium opening bowler Rakesh Kumar, in his fourth first-class game, picked up a career-best 5 for 45. Rakesh took five of the first six wickets to fall with the score 86 and was ably supported by Pankaj Kumar (2 for 36) and Shuvra Karmakar (3 for 38). Shalabh Shrivastava’s unbeaten 42 was the best score. In reply, Services batted as poorly, losing two wickets with the score at 4. It went downhill from there, with Yashpal Singh’s 24 the only double-digit score so far.
Scorecard
Assam, having dismissed Tripura for 215, lost to wickets for 45 by stumps at Agartala. R Malli started well with the new ball, taking two quick wickets, but it was offspinner Arnald Konwar’s 5 for 59 which did the real damage. Konwar took two in the middle order and three down the way, helping Tripura justify their decision to field. Only Rajesh Banik (48) and wicketkeeper Rajib Dutta (54) made anything substantial. Vineet Jain nipped out Assam’s openers to finish the first day with 2 for 25.

There is still a lot of doubt surrounding Alfredo Morelos’ future at Rangers as we enter the final month of the transfer window, with Porto reportedly keen on adding to the Colombian to their squad, and it would be a huge blow for Steven Gerrard if he were to leave Ibrox.

What’s the word?

The Portuguese side have regularly been linked with the 25-year-old forward throughout the transfer window and following the signing of Fashion Sakala, it seems as if Gerrard already has his replacement ready should he depart.

In a recent interview with The Transfer Tavern, Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge claimed that:

“I think Porto are the club that still want him.”

Rumours have died down in recent weeks, perhaps due to Morelos’ involvement in the Copa America earlier in the summer but from what Bridges suggests, Rangers should be expecting another bid from Porto for their star striker in the near future.

Would it be a blow if Morelos were to leave Rangers?

Since joining Rangers in 2017, Morelos has gone on to make 182 appearances for the Gers, contributing an impressive 94 goals and 43 assists in that time, whilst he also played a key part in their title success last season.

The Colombia international also became Rangers’ top scorer in European competitions when he broke Ally McCoist’s record last year, so Gerrard will surely want to keep him around as they prepare to feature in the Champions League, with their qualifying campaign beginning against Malmo tomorrow evening.

Morelos has regularly been dubbed “outstanding” by Gerrard during his tenure at Ibrox and he is much more than just a goalscorer in this Rangers side, so it would be a huge blow to lose a player of his quality.

However, he has less than two years left on his contract at Ibrox and is currently valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, so this summer might be the best time to sell him from a financial perspective, although Rangers are pretty much guaranteed to make a significant profit on the £1m they reportedly paid to sign him from HJK Helsinki.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Rangers’ attack would look considerably weaker if he were to leave, so Gers fans will surely be worried that Porto reportedly retain an interest in signing Morelos this summer.

If they do come in for him, given his contract situation, Rangers may decide that the time is right, from a business perspective, to cash in.

From a financial viewpoint, that makes sense, but it would still be a blow for Gerrard to lose the club’s best-ever European goalscorer in a season where he wants his side to compete in Europe’s elite club competition.

And, in other news… Wilson should seal Rangers swoop for “exceptionally good” beast

Celtic look set to sign Joe Hart from Tottenham, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano labelling it a ‘done deal’.

The Lowdown: Hart to Celtic links

Romano was the man to break the news of the Hoops’ interest last week.

Reports since have suggested that Celtic were ready to make Hart their top earner on £35,000-a-week and wanted a deal tied up by Friday.

The 34-year-old’s Spurs deal is thought to be worth £30,000-a-week, but Romano’s late-night post on Monday put to bed the rumours regarding Hart becoming Celtic’s highest earner.

A deal for Hart, along with former Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy, has now been officially confirmed by Celtic.

The Latest: Romano’s three magic words

Romano, who was also on the ball when it came to Carl Starfelt’s move to Celtic last month, revealed that Hart is set to be on £15,000-a-week at Parkhead.

The expert stamped his famous ‘here we go’ in his post. Romano also added a line on right-back Aurelio Buta, admitting Celtic are still working on a potential deal.

“Done deal and here-we-go. Joe Hart joins Celtic on a permanent deal from Tottenham, £15k per week as salary. Medical and official announcement this week. Confirmed as advanced one week ago… and Celtic are still working on Buta as new fullback option.”

The Verdict: What now for Barkas, Bain and Hazard?

With Hart now a Hoops player, Ange Postecoglou may well have to ship out one of Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain or Conor Hazard.

Journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos claimed ‘everything is on the table’ when it comes to Barkas, with the Hoops set to demand a loan fee for the 27-year-old, should they allow him to leave on a temporary basis.

Hazard has also been linked with a loan exit this summer with Dundee, so it may well be Barkas or Hazard making way following Hart’s arrival.

In other news: Stephen McGowan drops damning three-word update on Celtic’s pursuit of Buta.

Ray Jennings has been overseeing Karnataka’s camp ahead of the domestic season starting on November 3

Cricinfo staff01-Nov-2008
Ray Jennings is putting the Karnataka players through new fielding drills © Getty Images
Ray Jennings, the new coach of Bangalore franchise in the IPL, has been working with the Karnataka Ranji team for a week ahead of the domestic season starting on November 3. According to the players, the training sessions have been innovative and focused on developing skills and strengthening the mind.”Wake up! Why are you guys sleeping? When you drove to the ground, you didn’t have any accidents right? Then why make mistakes now? Always stand on the button, ready to perform at your best,” Jennings would urge the team.Jennings was surprised by the low intensity levels of a few players at the beginning of the camp, a senior member of the team said. “He was surprised that even a few young players were a bit lazy in their movements. He has pushed them hard and they are responding well. A week is not enough but he will be coming in on and off during the season.”The fielding drills have been different: Catch with one hand has been Jennings’ mantra during the week. “If you have to catch one-handed, you have to get into the correct position, and quickly at that, or else you will definitely drop the catch,” C Raghu, the vice-captain, said. “It was difficult but now everyone is taking them. And we all are automatically moving quickly to get into the right positions.”Jennings theory is if you catch one-handed in the practice sessions, you are more alert and focussed, and watch the ball that much better and it enables you to move a split second earlier in match situations to take with both hands. “This team will become the best fielding team in the domestic circuit in six months if they continue practising like this,” Jennings said at the end of another 150-minute session on November 1.The slip fielders, the wicketkeeper and the outfield fielders have all been doing the one-hand catching routine for the last seven days. Thilak Naidu, the wicketkeeper, said he could already see the benefits. “It’s amazingly simple but very effective. Your eyes and hands move quicker. And he is a hard taskmaster,” Naidu said.Another favourite topic of the week has been the clichéd “body language”. “He talked about the importance of it. How you walk into the ground when you go out to bat, or you are about to bowl your first ball,” Raghu said. “It was about drilling back the basics.”Jennings is known to be a tough taskmaster but the players have enjoyed the approach. “He is simple, straightforward and pushes you really hard,” Sunil Joshi said. “It’s only going to help the team.”

Lots of Everton fans have been left fuming as news emerged involving Fabian Delph.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the central midfield player will not travel with the squad to play in the Florida Cup in Orlando as a precautionary measure, after he came into contact with someone who has since tested positive for coronavirus.

Delph will resume his own pre-season training as soon as his period of self-isolation is over.

Even though it is only a pre-season tournament, it seems as if his absence has angered many supporters of the Merseyside club, who are simply fed up with how many games he misses for them.

Delph has had a torrid time with injuries while at the Toffees, and at 31 years of age, Rafa Benitez has a big decision to make in terms of whether he would like to keep him on for next season.

Everton fans on Delph news

These Blues fumed as the news was shared on Twitter:

“What a waste of space this fella is”

Credit: @Ian_efc81

“Let the guy find a new club to fund his massive free salary”

Credit: @jmckenna1980

“He tests positive to not working. End of”

Credit: @AlwaysBlue7

“Always an excuse for him not to play footy. Why’s he still on our books. Get rid”

Credit: @L91EFC

“Can the club just do everyone a favour and just rip up his contract? He does not contribute anything to this club at all.”

Credit: @ryaneddyedwards

“The worst decision making signing him for us. Has done absolutely nothing, stealing a living. Just terminate the contract.”

Credit: @Callister9Sam

In other news, find out which Champions League club has joined EFC in the race to sign this winger here!

Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move to bring Antoine Griezmann to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish outlet ABC (via Sport Witness), who claim that, with Harry Kane being very close to joining Manchester City this summer, Spurs are on the lookout for a replacement for the 27-year-old ahead of next season.

The report then goes on to state that Griezmann would meet all the criteria Fabio Paratici is looking for in the England captain’s successor at Tottenham, while Barcelona are also thought to believe that the north London side are a club who meet all of their expectations regarding a buyer for the France international.

An earlier report by French publication L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) went as far as to claim that the LaLiga side have contacted Spurs over a deal for the 30-year-old, with Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus also thought to have received a proposal from the Catalans.

Griezmann could be Kane’s heir

While it is undeniable that things have not worked out exactly as planned for Griezmann at Barcelona, it would be difficult to argue that, should the Frenchman be able to refind his Atletico form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there would not be too many better replacements for Kane.

Indeed, over his 37 LaLiga appearances for Atleti in his final campaign with the club, the £54m-rated man scored 15 goals, registered nine assists and created 13 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.1 shots and making two key passes per games.

These returns saw the man Didier Deschamps dubbed a “remarkable” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.38, ranking him as Diego Simeone’s best performer in the top flight of Spanish football.

And, while it is true that the forward has not quite lived up to his £107m transfer fee at the Camp Nou, he has nevertheless scored 35 goals and provided 17 assists over 99 appearances in all competitions for the club – averaging a goal involvement a little under every two fixtures.

As such, should Kane indeed move onto pastures new this summer – an outcome, it should be stated, we do not believe likely – Paratici could certainly do worse than a player who has scored a total of 220 goals over 558 appearances in club football.

In other news: Paratici can land Nuno a serious Winks upgrade with THFC swoop for “really clever” ace

Celtic have opened talks over a shock loan move for Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster as their summer recruitment drive continues [The Scottish Sun].

The Lowdown: Postecoglou begins to restructure the Celtic squad

Looking towards the new campaign, Ange Postecoglou faces a sizeable challenge on his hands in regard to reviving a Hoops squad which faltered badly in 2020/21.

Making some real progress in the transfer window, the Aussie has acquired four summer signings in the form of Liam Shaw, Osaze Urhoghide, Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada [Transfermarkt].

As the Champions League qualifying tie against FC Midtjylland approaches, could the Celts now be set for their most high-profile addition of the summer in the form of 33-year-old Forster?

The Latest: Celtic line up surprise loan swoop for Fraser Forster

Celtic have begun discussions over a surprise move for the Saints stopper [The Scottish Sun].

Forster spent 2019/20 at Parkhead on a temporary basis, although the Hoops will need to pay up to half of his £130,000-per-week wage in order to lure the England international back to Glasgow, which is considerably more than what they paid during his previous stint [The Scottish Sun].

Spending five years in total across four different spells at the Bhoys, the veteran stopper cemented himself as a fans’ favourite at the Scottish giants due to his show-stopping performances.

The Verdict: Forster would be a very popular piece of business

This move would be an enormous shot in the arm for the Celtic hierarchy should they pull a deal off for the Englishman. During his time at the club, Forster contributed to four Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup triumph [Transfermarkt].

In 2020/21, the Hexham native made 13 appearances for his current employers, keeping six clean sheets [Transfermarkt]. Impressing in his fairly limited pitch time last year, the Southampton man registered a save percentage rate of 67.9% [FBRef].

Once labelled as ‘unbelievable’ by former Hoops teammate Scott Bain [Celtic View Podcast], he would offer Celtic a presence between the sticks which was not regularly prominent in the bygone season as they chopped and changed between Bain, Vasilis Barkas and Conor Hazard.

In other news, this journalist has made an exciting Celtic claim.

A cricket pavilion has been burnt to the ground following a confrontation between members of Hatch End Cricket Club and a mob of teenagers

Cricinfo staff19-Jun-2008A cricket pavilion has been burnt to the ground following a confrontation between members of Hatch End Cricket Club and a mob of teenagers. The incident took place on Saturday at Shaftesbury Playing Fields near Harrow in North West London, and caused the match against Old Camdenians CC to be abandoned.”There were lots of youngsters hanging around the park,” a Hatch End player told The Harrow Observer. “They were really young – 14 or 15 – and they were drunk. They started to nick the boundary flags and we went over to them because of the disruption. It just escalated. It wasn’t a brawl, just pushing and shoving. No-one got hurt.”According to the newspaper, the incident escalated after the match had been abandoned midway through the afternoon. As the players returned to the pavilion, the youths gathered friends and even parents for a tense showdown.”Lots of people came down – 50 of them – and they came with lots of weapons: poles, sticks, logs and bricks. They came into the clubhouse causing aggravation and threw a couple of cricket balls, but didn’t hit anyone because they knew the police were coming.”It took four police officers to separate the two groups, but according to Hatch End officials, the police escorted the cricketers off the site by 7pm, but chose not to move the teenagers. Within an hour, the pavilion was on fire.”It’s the same kids because they didn’t leave the park,” said the player. “The firemen are saying the fire started from the inside so the youths must have broken in.”Graham Wild, a Hatch End CC committee member, told the newspaper: “There was a group of cricketers trying to defend the clubhouse – it was a siege mentality.”

Darren Gough’s hopes of extending his career in cricket have been boosted by the news that he will not need a fourth operation on his right knee.

CricInfo28-Nov-2002Darren Gough’s hopes of extending his career in cricket have been boosted by the news that he will not need a fourth operation on his right knee.The 32-year-old Yorkshire and England fast bowler has returned from the United States, where he had a consultation with specialist Richard Steadman.”It is great news – I am really pleased,” Gough said on his return. “I thought I would have to have surgery, but the doctor said I didn’t need it – just rehab.”Gough flew home from England’s Ashes tour earlier this month after failing to recover from the injury, which has prevented him from bowling more than a handful of overs this year. But he is now daring to hope he might start next season, if rehabilitation exercises are successful.Gough told Teletext: “I am not sure where I am going to go to do the work. Ican’t run yet – but obviously I’m pleased.”Gough also had words of support for England’s beleaguered captain, Nasser Hussain, ahead of the drucial third Test match which starts at the WACA tomorrow.”I think he is an excellent captain,” Gough enthused. “He always has been. I have so much faith in that guy and I owe him so much. He is the best captain I have played under – by a long way,” Gough told Sky Sports News.”He will not quit. England need him, and the players need him. There is nobody in England who could be as good a captain. He is far better tactically than anybody who has captained England in the last 30 years.”