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Graham Napier has signed a two-year deal with Essex which will keep him with the county side until the end of the 2011 season. The news comes on the same day Napier was named in England’s provisional 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20.”I am delighted to be with Essex now until the end of the 2011 season,” Napier said on his website. “It is a great honour for me to play for Essex. This new contract will bring my time at Essex up to nearly 14 years.”Napier made the headlines during the English summer with a breathtaking 152 off 58 balls in the Twenty20 Cup against Sussex, and has now cemented his place after a number of seasons dogged by injury. “Going into last season I would have been doubtful that Essex would have offered me a new contract,” he said. “It is a real pleasure to be involved with the club for a further three seasons.”Napier’s Twenty20 heroics last season prompted talk of him being handed an England call-up. He became a very marketable property and even drew the attention of the IPL franchises.The 29-year-old, who returned to England after a winter in New Zealand with the Wellington state side and the England Lions, had agreed to join the Mumbai Indians but the franchise and Essex are still to agree on the period of time he will remain in South Africa. Napier is close to finalising a contract with Mumbai but as an uncapped player was outside the auction process.”For me it is going to be a new experience, playing with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar,” he said. “The team is full of stars at the top of their game, to be playing with them is a great learning experience.”With the IPL set to run during April and May, Napier would miss an early chunk of the county season if he signed a long-term deal with a franchise.

The extra motivation of playing against his former team brings the best out of Jamie Dalrymple

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's25-Apr-2009ScorecardThe extra motivation of playing against his former team brings the best out of Jamie Dalrymple. His second hundred for Glamorgan was the second he’d scored against Middlesex since his departure, and it buried any thoughts the home side had of an afternoon run chase after the visitors’ middle-order wobble.Dalrymple, not wanting to give his old team-mates a chance of victory, eventually left them 369 in 44 overs, but may have wished he’d been a little more attacking when they slipped to 31 for 3 shortly after tea. The fear of what Phillip Hughes could do was probably a reason why he didn’t. In the end Middlesex survived comfortably enough as Hughes produced some powerful strokeplay to follow his hundred with an unbeaten 65, but they were the ones who’d started the day with serious thoughts of victory.When Danny Evans removed Mark Wallace the lead was 245 with 76 overs remaining. On a pitch still full of runs and a top order including Hughes, Middlesex were right in with a chance of a favourable pursuit, but Dalrymple’s determined century put paid to that. He reached his hundred off 184 balls to a gentle applause from some of the opposition.Middlesex’s early advances with halted by a stubborn effort from nightwatchman Adam Shantry before he edged a back-foot drive off Shaun Udal to slip. This was when the home side gave themselves a chance to press the issue as Evans produced his best spell of the match.First he trapped Tom Maynard for a duck, although it was another decision from umpire Steve Garratt that left a batsman far from amused. Evans didn’t care and still seemed to have plenty of pent up frustration remaining from the previous evening when he had been told to calm down by Ian Gould after some verbals to Dalrymple. The best way for a bowler to make his presence felt is with wickets and Evans struck another blow when he knocked back Mark Wallace’s off stump from round the wicket.Another quick blow and the victory chance was certainly on, but Dalrymple shut the door with a staunch innings. He kept the runs flowing, too, and was able to increase his strokeplay as Middlesex sensed their main chance had passed. Robert Croft, under pressure to justify his place, played an important role as well with a nuggety half-century. The pair added 124 for the eighth wicket to beat the Glamorgan record against Middlesex that was all of two days old, surpassing the 118 added by Wallace and David Harrison in the first innings.Croft’s dismissal brought the declaration and Harrison struck with the final ball before tea when he drew Billy Godleman into a loose drive outside off. Straight after the interval Neil Dexter was taken at second slip and when Shantry clipped Eoin Morgan’s off stump the game was entirely safe.Hughes, though, took advantage of some attacking fields to pepper the off side with his ridiculously strong cut shot to reach fifty off 53 balls. At one point Glamorgan tried to plug the game with two normal points and two in the deep, yet Hughes still threaded it to the boundary. If England’s bowlers want to know where not to bowl at him, get a DVD of this match and stick it on repeat.

Leicester City have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah.

What’s the story?

The highly-rated 25-year-old was linked with a move to the Foxes over the summer as manager Brendan Rodgers searched for extra reinforcements at centre-back, but he ultimately ended up staying put.

And now, well-known journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tah put pen to paper on a new contract with Leverkusen, extending his stay with the German outfit until 2025 and ending any potential lingering hopes Leicester’s hierarchy had of resurrecting a deal.

He tweeted: “Jonathan Tah has officially signed his contract extension with Bayer Leverkusen until June 2025. The centre back was in Leicester City list months ago.”

Brendan Rodgers will be gutted

Although the Midlands outfit successfully brought in former Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard in the previous window, Rodgers is still likely to be gutted to see Tah commit his future to Die Werkself.

With Jonny Evans set to turn 34 in January, Caglar Soyuncu struggling for form and Wesley Fofana not set to return from a potentially career-changing injury for many months, further additions at the heart of defence may be required either in January or the summer.

Since arriving at Leverkusen back in 2015, Tah has established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top centre-backs, making 223 appearances for the BayArena outfit in all competitions.

His impressive performances have earned the German 13 senior caps at international level, highlighting the top-level quality he possesses.

After bursting onto the scene six years ago, Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Völler was quick to praise his new wondered, saying: “Jonathan is quick, technically gifted but still robust. And he can still improve in all areas of his game.”

Tah has indeed improved his game since Völler’s complimentary assessment, and his composure on the ball combined with his natural speed and strength would have made him an ideal fit for the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the 6ft 3 gem will now remain in his homeland for the foreseeable future, meaning Leicester will have to move on to alternative targets.

And, in other news…Rodgers could re-sign £40.5m-rated gem likened to Coutinho, LCFC fans will be buzzing 

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa were open to selling Douglas Luiz in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Serie A giants AS Roma were interested in signing the Brazil international, but a move failed to materialise.

Now, Evans has delivered an update on what went on behind-the-scenes at Villa Park.

He said: “They expected more interest in Douglas Luiz, too. Strong messages that Manchester City were ready to activate a buy-back clause found their way to members of the Villa hierarchy, and for some time they were preparing for such an outcome.

“Villa were also open to moving Luiz on elsewhere and at the right price, but there wasn’t enough interest. Roma continue to be linked with Luiz and if they come in strong during the January window, Villa will be in a good position to get a higher transfer fee should his form remain at this high level.”

Then, in response to a question from a fan, Evans added: “Multiple sources confirmed that Villa would have listened to offers for Luiz at the right price. They would have had to move on a midfielder if Ward-Prowse arrived.”

Villa fans will be worried

While last season was a bit of a difficult one for Luiz – as per Whoscored, his average match rating of 6.67 was only good enough to rank him 15th in the entire Villa squad – his start to the current campaign has been outstanding.

In fact, his average rating of 7.08 is the best of any Villa player, and he continues to be a cornerstone of Dean Smith’s midfield. – last year saw him play 33 out of the possible 38 Premier League games last term, as the Midlands club finished just outside the top ten.

As Evans himself suggests, given the kind of “high level” his form is at right now, it would surely be ludicrous from Villa to be selling him in the January transfer window, even if his market value would be at its highest.

In fact, in a recent poll done by FFC, 73% of Villa fans who answered said that they would not sell Luiz this summer (1180 votes to 66) – an indication of just how concerning it would be were the Brazilian to make the move to Roma or somewhere else.

Evans’ latest update is sure to have Villa fans worried about Luiz potentially making an exit in January.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered an Aston Villa update on Emi Martinez…

Match facts

November 28 to December 2, 2008
Start time 10.30am (00.00GMT)

Big Picture

Australia won the first Test in Brisbane, though it was not as one-sided as they might have expected. But a win is a win and after they had not triumphed in any of the four Tests in India the result was welcome. The success became slightly overshadowed in the days that followed after news emerged of Andrew Symonds’ latest bar-room incident. Symonds had only just made his comeback and some of his team-mates were frustrated at seeing him involved in more off-field drama but Cricket Australia decided he had done nothing wrong and he kept his place for the Adelaide match.It is the final Test of the series and following the game several of the Australian players will rush to India for the Champions League Twenty20 – if it goes ahead following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai – while their team-mates can enjoy a two-week break ahead of the first Test against South Africa in Perth. New Zealand head home after this game to host a series against West Indies.The stakes are high for the tourists. They cannot win the Trans-Tasman Trophy and the best they can do is draw the series. However, should they lose the match they will fall to eighth in the ICC’s Test rankings, behind West Indies. It would leave them ahead of only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and would increase their reputation as a challenging one-day side that struggles to adapt to the longer format.

Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)

Australia WLDLD
New Zealand LDWLL

Watch out for

Matthew Hayden – The match should be a celebration for Hayden, who is playing his 100th Test. But in the past couple of weeks as much ink has been dedicated to speculation over his future as to reflecting on his achievements. Hayden has not made a Test century since he last played at this venue, when he posted 103 against India in January. A lingering achilles tendon injury stopped him from playing in the West Indies and since then he has averaged 26.88 from five Tests. A series-ending Test on a batting-friendly surface against a middling attack could be precisely what he needs to get back inform.Ross Taylor – In a batting line-up that struggled severely in Brisbane, Taylor was the one man who threatened to get on top of Australia’s bowlers. He top scored in both innings and his 75 in the second might have helped them save the game, had he had any help from his colleagues. Not a man whose score will trickle along with too many singles, Taylor has had his temperament questioned at Test level but his talent is without doubt. He likes playing Australia. In his first ODI against them he made 84 at better than a run a ball in Hobart and his 117 in a Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match set up a superb chase of 340 at Eden Park.

Team news

Australia’ horses-for-courses selection policy has cost Shane Watson his position as the selectors were keen to include a specialist spinner on a surface where fast bowling is not always the most rewarding occupation. Things became more complicated when Jason Krejza hurt his right ankle at training and Nathan Hauritz was rushed into the squad. If Hauritz plays, he will be the sixth specialist spinner Australia have used in Tests this year following Brad Hogg, Stuart MacGill, Beau Casson, Cameron White and Krejza. The inclusion of Peter Siddle in the 12 has also meant Stuart Clark has been asked about his position this week, which is a strange scenario after Clark took six wickets in the first Test, but Siddle will be carrying the drinks.Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Jason Krejza/Nathan Hauritz, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Stuart Clark.New Zealand added the offspinner Jeetan Patel to their squad and released the fast bowler Kyle Mills, who did not play in Brisbane. But Patel is not guaranteed of a spot and New Zealand would need to cut a fast bowler to accommodate him. The batting has also been boosted with the addition of Peter Fulton as a replacement for the allrounder Grant Elliott, who had little impact at the Gabba. Their top order was disappointing in the first Test, where they were four down for less than 80 in both innings, but they have few other options and Adelaide should provide a more comfortable experience for the batsmen.New Zealand (probable) 1 Aaron Redmond, 2 Jamie How, 3 Jesse Ryder, 4 Ross Taylor, 6 Peter Fulton, 6 Daniel Flynn, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Iain O’Brien, 11 Chris Martin.

Pitch and conditions

A green-tinged Gabba pitch could hardly be more different from the expected surface at the Adelaide Oval, where scoring big totals has never been a problem. Only once in the past five Tests at the venue has the side batting first failed to post more than 500. West Indies could only manage 405 in 2005-06. It is a ground where spin generally has an effect and there have been plenty of long and fruitless days for seamers over the years. If ever there was a venue where win the toss automatically means batting first it is the Adelaide Oval; Mohammad Azharuddin in 1992 is the only Test captain to have sent the opposition in here in the past 25 years.

Stats and Trivia

• Hayden becomes the 11th Australian to reach 100 Tests.
• Australia have lost one Test at Adelaide Oval in the past 13 years – against India in 2003-04
• Last time the teams met in a Test in Adelaide Australia won by 213 runs but much has changed since then. Only three men from each team during that 2004-05 game will be turning out this week: Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori and Chris Martin.
• Vettori needs 90 runs to move into the top 10 all-time Test run scorersfor New Zealand.

Quotes

“Generally 95 times out of 100 we want to play a specialist spinner. We felt that Nathan was probably the best skilled and probably the most experienced of the spinners playing around Australia at the moment.”
“When you come to Adelaide it probably brings a bit more of a sense of calm about everything because you know how good the wicket is and the expectations to score runs.”

Aston Villa right-back Frederic Guilbert sealed a loan move to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on deadline day.

And a number of Villa fans were quick to hit out at the transfer on social media.

Guilbert, who spent the second half of the 2020/21 campaign with Strasbourg, has re-joined, this time on a season-long loan.

The 26-year-old scored and provided an assist in his only Villa appearance this season but has now returned to his native country.

Villa’s decision to allow Guilbert to depart late in the window leaves Dean Smith with just one natural right-back option in Matty Cash.

Summer signings Ashley Young and Axel Tuanzebe will be able to cover in that area if required, with Ezri Konsa also having experience of playing as a right-back.

Villa fans react

Villa confirmed Guilbert’s Strasbourg switch on their official Twitter page. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with one describing it as ‘stupid’.

“one right back for the rest of the season, are you mad?”

Credit: @AVFC_Jano

“pain”

Credit: @rebeccadmcnamee

“So we have one natural right back? Stupid decision seeing as we are not replacing!”

Credit: @villayamyam

“Not happy with this. Good luck freddie”

Credit: @steve_2387

“This is bad business IMO”

Credit: @TheTomNash

“Am I the only one who just don’t get it.”

Credit: @designs_HR

In other news: ‘Big mistake’ – Lots of AVFC fans react to another late exit.

Everton remain interested in Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff, according to Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder. 

The lowdown

It was Rafael Benitez, now Everton boss of course, who handed Longstaff his first-team breakthrough at St James’ Park in 2018/19.

Longstaff, an academy graduate, is now into the final 12 months of his contract at the club after a two-year pause in negotiations. He’s valued at £13.5million by Transfermarkt, but it’s unclear how high a fee Newcastle could extract.

The 23-year-old has featured in all four of Newcastle’s matches so far in 2021/22, starting in the 2-2 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

The latest

Ryder reports that Benitez is still keen on the possibility of a reunion with Longstaff, and that he’s ‘acutely aware’ of his contract situation.

Steve Bruce knows that he must move a player on to pave the way for a loan signing, and Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury is in Newcastle’s sights.

The verdict

Everton have an excellent midfield partnership already in the form of Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Tom Davies and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, provided he can finally overcome his persistent injury problems, offer good cover.

And so Everton’s priorities should probably lie elsewhere on Deadline Day. A back-up right-back and a deputy for Dominic Calvert-Lewin following Moise Kean’s departure should be top of their shopping list.

In other news, fans have called for the Toffees to make this signing.

A major update has emerged in PAI Capital’s potential takeover of West Ham and it’s not good news for fans…

What’s the word?

Irons insiders Claret and Hugh have revealed that the East London outfit is not for sale after a £400m bid was rejected by majority shareholder David Sullivan.

It’s claimed that Sullivan and co-owner David Gold have no intention of selling their shares to the interested consortium ‘under any circumstances’ as they believe it would have a negative impact on the club.

Sources close to the Hammers’ hierarchy have suggested that no proof of funds have been provided, but even if they were, Gold and Sullivan do not want to sell up.

False hope

Given the relationship the West Ham board have had with the London Stadium faithful over the last few years, this latest development will come as devastating news to many.

There have been plenty of protests against Sullivan, Gold and Karen Brady over the past 18 months alone.

Back in February 2020, when the Irons were staring down the barrel of a likely relegation to the Championship, around 2,500 supporters marched to the stadium amid growing unrest at their situation on the pitch.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-more” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

It came after banners were unveiled against both Everton and Liverpool which read: “Run like a circus – Owned by clowns” and “GSB out – Sold a dream, delivered a nightmare.”

Things went from bad to worse off the pitch, even despite David Moyes’ heroics of saving the club.

The sale of promising academy gem Grady Diangana to West Brom for a total of £18m went down like a lead balloon, leading to further protests outside the ground – even club captain Mark Noble tweeted his anger at the decision.

News that PAI Capital had launched a bid for the Hammers would’ve gotten the hopes up of many who want to see GSB finally leave, but it seems like it’s more of a dream than a reality as Claret and Hugh believe they are here to stay.

Supporter group Hammers United have announced that another protest is due on September 19th  ahead of West Ham’s clash with Manchester United. “GSBOUT is our number one priority,” a Hammers United spokesman said. “Trust in Gold, Sullivan and Brady is lost.”

That clearly highlights the mood at present around East London.

Therefore, this fresh development will come as a gutting blow which will only leave fans even angrier.

AND in other news, Moyes could land West Ham’s next Ferdinand by signing “fearless” £22.5m-rated “beast”…

After a long summer dominated by Euro 2020, Leeds United fans finally get to see their team back in Premier League action when they take on Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side make the trip to Old Trafford to get their second season back in the top-flight underway, and the Whites boss has a number of big calls to make as he decides on his first starting line-up of the new campaign.

Much of Leeds’ team selection will depend on the call Bielsa makes on talisman Kalvin Phillips, with the midfielder’s potential absence prompting a number of reshuffles were it to happen.

Here is a look at how Leeds could line up when they visit the Red Devils.

In goal, Illan Meslier will be hoping to round off what has been a superb week for him on a personal level, having signed a bumper new contract to stay at Elland Road on the eve of the game.

The back four should see summer signing Junior Firpo handed his competitive Leeds debut following his arrival from Barcelona, with the likes of Luke Ayling, Robin Koch and Liam Cooper joining him – Diego Llorente has been ruled out with injury.

In midfield, despite only playing 45 minutes against Villareal last weekend in pre-season, Bielsa may opt to throw Phillips straight into the starting line-up against Manchester United.

Stuart Dallas and Mateusz Klich should play alongside each other in the middle of the park, with Raphinha and Jack Harrison renewing their wide partnership from last season.

Up front, 2020/21 top scorer Patrick Bamford will once again be tasked with leading the line, so there is no place in the starting XI for £100k-a-week earner Rodrigo.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Firpo; Phillips, Klich, Dallas, Raphinha, Harrison; Bamford.

Meanwhile, Leeds could form an exciting partnership by signing this ace…

Zaheer Khan and Chamara Silva, two players pressing for places in their national teams shone on the opening day of India’s three-day warm up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI

Sa'adi Thawfeeq18-Jul-2008
Zaheer Khan picked up two wickets in an inspired first spell © AFP
Two players pressing for places in their national teams for the first Test starting on Wednesday shone on the opening day of India’s three-day warm up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI.Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan, returning to competitive cricket after a lay off due to an ankle injury, bowled with his usual pace, not holding back anything, and was rewarded with two wickets for 35 runs off 12 overs.His inspired first spell saw him pick up the wickets of Upul Tharanga for 6 and Chamara Kapugedera for 1. It was a bowling performance that gave him immense satisfaction. “The way I look at it, it is going to get better from here. I definitely set a platform coming into this series and I’m looking forward to playing in it,” Zaheer said at the end of the day.”It was good to bowl on a fresh wicket. The conditions weren’t that bad. There was a nice cloud cover and it was a bit breezy right throughout so it worked in our favour,” Zaheer said. “It was definitely humid that’s one thing that we should be prepared for on the tour. To get them all out on the first day was a big positive for us. We have started this tour on a good note.”Zaheer said he enjoyed bowling with 19-year-old Ishant Sharma. “Ishant provided that extra pace and bounce from the other end. It was good to bowl in tandem with him because I could stick to my line and length and movement and he adding that extra pace element,” Zaheer, the most experienced in the Indian fast bowling unit, said. “At this level, you have more responsibilities on your shoulders, of helping younger bowlers. This responsibility has helped me to think more about the game.”Chamara Silva, who like Zaheer is fighting for a place in the national team, was disappointed on being dismissed after making 68. “It was a good knock but if I could have extended it, I would have been happy. It was four down when I went into bat. At that time, [Thilina] Kandamby was in full flow. My role was to support him. It worked well for both of us and we found run making easy,” he said.Silva’s place in the Sri Lankan middle order is threatened by the return of Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan. He said it was left to the national selectors to decide on who should play but added that he was more than happy the way he batted against a strong Indian bowling, which he said was their possible Test line-up. Supporting Zaheer and Ishant were the two experienced spinners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.