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North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are about to go head-to-head for the signature of Roma defender, Kostas Manolas, as reported in The Mirror.

The 24-year-old Greek has been in impressive form and has appeared in every league and European match so far this season. The Italian side currently sit second in Serie A and it’s clear he’s seen as a cornerstone of any future success.

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Before joining Roma for €15m in August 2014 he had enjoyed spells at AEK Athens and Olympiakos, during which time he enhanced his reputation and caught the eye of scouts across Europe. But as if a tug-of-war between The Gunners and Spurs wouldn’t be complicated enough, Manolas has a history of colourful transfer sagas.

In January 2012 the BBC reported his club at the time, AEK Athens, agreed a fee of £500,000 with Everton. The player refused the move, claiming he didn’t wish to leave Athens without cover at the back, at that point the club’s only other defensive options were a 36-year-old and two youth players.

However, in July 2012 he joined Olympiakos on a free transfer as AEK Athens struggled with crippling debts. His first season at the club saw him make 24 league appearances and he played in the Greek Cup final that saw his side clinch a domestic double.

During the 2013/14 season he was linked with multiple Premier League clubs, including Tottenham, Fulham, Sunderland and was rumoured to be the man Moyes would replace Vidic with at Manchester United. The player told The Express back in October 2014 he had rejected Arsenal and Juventus before joining Roma.

If it’s true Arsenal have already attempted to sign him once at least they have an idea of where to start negotiations. It’s believed Wenger views his current centre-back pairing as a problem and may meet the demands the second time of asking.

Spurs will have their work cut-out trying to lure a player away from a Champions League outfit until they secure a top four finish under Mauricio Pochettino.

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Karim Benzema clarified that he is happy in the Saudi Pro League and did not want to return to Europe in January.

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Benzema called out 'liars' over Europe transfer linksWas linked with a move back to Real MadridReturned to action for Al-Ittihad in AFC Champions LeagueWHAT HAPPENED?

During the January transfer window, several reports claimed that the French striker was unhappy in the Saudi Pro League just six months after moving to Al-Ittihad and wanted to return to Europe. Benzema was linked with moves to Real Madrid and Manchester United, although neither eventually materialised.

The former Ballon d'Or winner recently returned to action with his club in the AFC Champions League and has now clarified he never actually wanted to leave the Saudi Pro League while insisting the speculation regarding his willingness to return to Europe was false.

AdvertisementWHAT KARIM BENZEMA SAID

Speaking to reporters, Benzema said: "I am back and now I am better. The story of my departure is not true and I am happy in Saudi Arabia. I have no problems with Gallardo, all those who say I want to return to Europe are liars. I am very happy at Al-Ittihad. For my part, I have no problems with anyone. Ask the coach about my absence, I was ready for the internship in Dubai."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

There has also been plenty of scrutiny on the France international due to his alleged spat with manager Marcelo Gallardo, although the player has now denied having a fallout with the Argentine coach.

Since moving to Al-Ittihad in the summer, 36-year-old Benzema has enjoyed a good run of form having scored 12 times in 22 matches across all competitions. He has also provided six assists.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR KARIM BENZEMA?

The former Real Madrid star will be next seen in action on Monday as his club face Al-Wehda in the Saudi Pro League.

MatériaMais Notícias

A bola finalmente rolou pelo Campeonato Potiguar. Na Arena das Dunas, o América-RN encarou o Globo e venceu por 2 a 0. Com o resultado, o Mecão assumiu a liderança, com 10 pontos. O Globo é o terceiro, com um ponto a menos.

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O jogo

A bola só chacoalhou a rede na etapa final. Augusto disparou, deixou a zaga na saudade e tocou na saída do goleiro, 1 a 0.

O gol colocou o Mecão confortável dentro de campo e o segundo foi questão de tempo. Na casa dos 19 minutos, Edimar subiu mais que a zaga e testou firme para o fundo da rede.

Com um a menos, o Globo-RN até tentou reagir, mas quando balançou a rede, Jacaré estava impedido e o tento foi anulado.

GOAL counts down the top talents born on or after January 1, 2003 from all around the world

• GOAL
  

  20Paulina Gramaglia

  One of the most intriguing moves of the NWSL off-season was that which saw the Houston Dash complete the loan signing of Paulina Gramaglia, one of the most promising young stars coming through in Argentina. 

  Previously the captain of her country’s Under-17s, Gramaglia is a hard-working forward with plenty of positivity and confidence in her play.

  The 19-year-old scored nine goals in seven games in the top-flight for UAI Urquiza in 2021, and made her senior international debut in November, too.

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• GOAL
  

  19Juliet Nalukenge

  A star at home in Uganda for her exploits with the youth and senior national teams, Juliet Nalukenge has long had dreams of playing professionally. Last summer, she achieved that big move, joining Apollon in Cyprus on a two-year deal.

   The 18-year-old then joined AMOK Chrysomolia on loan in a move that should help her settle into life in Europe – and she is making an impact there, scoring her first professional hat-trick in December.

   A young player who is already so important for her country, her experience abroad will only make her a more valuable asset for the Crested Cranes.

• GOAL
  

  18Maya Hijikata

  A quick, technically gifted forward with a fantastic first touch, Maya Hijikata is one of Japan’s most exciting young stars. 

  Part of Nippon TV Beleza’s Under-18s side that defeated two WE League sides in the Empress’s Cup, scoring six times in five games, Hijikata has also been a fixture throughout the youth national teams in Japan.

  A creative goal-scoring talent, the 17-year-old has everything it takes to be at the very forefront of Japan’s next generation of stars.

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• GOAL
  

  17Aemu Oyama

  Another top talent coming through Nippon TV Beleza, Aemu Oyama is the youngest goal-scorer in the short history of the WE League.

  She is still only 17 years old, but is generating a lot of excitement in her home country about what her future could hold. 

  A talented midfielder who has a wonderful balance of power and technique, she was part of the Japan team that won the AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship in 2019, and has been thriving for her club in Tokyo, both with the U18s and in the WE League.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta quinta-feira, o Avaí oficializou a contratação do atacante Kelvin. Aos 26 anos, o jogador estava sem clube desde o começo do ano e assinou com o Leão por uma temporada.

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Apesar de não ter sido confirmado por problemas burocráticos, o atleta já trabalhava com o grupo nos últimos dias para acelerar o seu processo de adaptação.

No Avaí, Kelvin vai tentar reencontrar o seu futebol, que ficou conhecido na época de Porto-POR. Desde então, ele vestiu as camisas do Palmeiras, São Paulo, Vasco, Fluminense e Coritiba, mas sem muito brilho.

No Leão, além do Campeonato Catarinense, Kelvin chega para ajudar o time na Série B, principal competição do clube em 2020.

‘Feliz por estar aqui e ansioso por ajudar os novos companheiros. O Avaí tem uma boa estrutura para que a gente possa alcançar os objetivos’, declarou o centroavante.

The standard of the County Championship may be higher than ever, but Yorkshire will continue to back their own as they bid for a third successive title.While Surrey and Somerset have recently signed experienced international players – Ravi Rampaul and Yasir Arafat respectively – on Kolpak registrations, Andrew Gale insists Yorkshire have no need for such “panic” despite facing “the hardest year we’ve had”.And Gale, the Yorkshire captain, believes the policy of backing homegrown players breeds confidence in the squad and helps build a team spirit that can prove crucial over the course of a draining season.Yorkshire were without six first-choice players at the start of the 2015 season – all were part of the England squad in the Caribbean – but, over recent seasons, they have made a habit of providing opportunities to young players. Matt Fisher, who made his first-class debut as a 17-year-old, is tipped by Gale to be the breakthrough player of the season, while Alex Lees, aged only 22, is now established as the club’s captain in white ball cricket.”It just says panic stations, really, at this time of the year to go out and sign players,” Gale told ESPNcricinfo.

Andrew Gale on…

David Willey: “His expectations were spelled out to him when he joined the club. He’s not going to be like he was at Northants, the guy we throw the ball to in red-ball cricket whenever we need a wicket. He’s going to have to work hard to get into the side to start with. You need seven, eight or nine front-line seamers to win the Championship. We struggled on flatter wickets last year but I think Willey will give us a different dimension on flatter wickets: he gets reverse swing and bowls the odd bouncer.”
Gary Ballance: “He looks a million dollars. He’s back to the old Gary. He’s got that selfish hunger for runs and that stubbornness about his batting. He was a little bit bruised after he was dropped by England. Any player that comes back to county cricket after being dropped is bruised for a certain amount of time. His movement looks good. He’s getting his weight back into the ball and hitting it back down the pitch and driving it through extra cover. You know when Gary’s doing that, he’s in a good place. He probably admits himself that he probably got pushed back a bit too far. He’s cleared that technical flaw up. You forget that he’s still pretty young in the scheme of being a Test cricket erand yet he averages close to 50. People wrote him off pretty quickly after that Ashes, but he’ll be back.”

“It’s not something we want to do at Yorkshire. We back our own players. We put a lot of time and effort into our academy and we have a history of bringing players right though from grassroots to Test cricket and that’s the route we will continue to go down.”We missed six players at the start of last season but we don’t see that as a negative. We embrace that. It creates an opportunity for someone else to come in to the side. Lads see that opportunity and want to grasp it.”We think the togetherness of the team and going out with as many Yorkshire men as we can gives us an edge. There is a massive togetherness in that dressing room when players see the likes of Matthew Fisher and Will Rhodes grasp that opportunity. It creates a confidence in the young players that they could be the next cab off the rank. We want to continue to do that.”Winning a third successive title – now named the Specsavers County Championship after a change of sponsor – will not prove easy. Not only is it inevitable that Yorkshire will continue to be hit by more England call-ups, but it appears the standard of the opposition may have improved.For the first time, there are eight Test-hosting grounds in the top division, meaning, as Gale reasons, that each of them has the financial resources to mount a sustained challenge on the title.”I believe it’s the strongest division that I’ve seen for a long time,” Gale said. “You usually get a team who has scraped up. No disrespect to Derbyshire or Worcester, but their aim coming into the season is probably to stay in the first division.”With Surrey and Lancashire coming up, they are probably aiming to win the County Championship. And there is no reason why not: they have the resources compared to a club that’s running on a shoestring.”We believe it’s going to be the hardest year that we’ve had. The division looks as strong as it’s ever been.”Warwickshire will be strong. They’ve as strong a squad as I’ve seen. They have always been strong with their bowling, but have struggled for runs at times. Now they have got Bell and Trott, possibly for most of the season, they will be a good side.”Andrew Gale reasserted Yorkshire’s commitment to player development as they chase a third straight title•Getty Images

But Gale remains positive. With most of their England players back for the opening weeks of the campaign – although Joe Root is likely to be rested for at least the first two rounds of games and Tim Bresnan has an Achilles injury that could keep him out for a month – and David Willey joining to add depth to the bowling, he knows his team have the chance to write themselves into Yorkshire folklore if they pull off a third successive triumph.”We’re confident and positive,” Gale said. “But we can take nothing for granted. We’ve won two championships, but that counts for nothing at the start of the season. But if we win three championships in a row, we’ll go down with the legends of Yorkshire cricket.”

Adil Amin’s unbeaten 53 and Iftikhar Ahmed’s 23-ball 32 helped Peshawar Panthers to a seven-wicket win over Rawalpindi Rams at Faisalabad

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2015Adil Amin’s unbeaten 53 and Iftikhar Ahmed’s 23-ball 32 helped Peshawar Panthers to a seven-wicket win over Rawalpindi Rams at Faisalabad.Chasing 146, Panthers lost Rafatullah Mohamand for 13 in the fourth over but Israrullah and Iftikhar partnered Amin in two 30-plus stands to put the team on course. Mohammad Rizwan and Amin then guided Panthers home with four balls to spare. Sohail Tanvir was the most expensive Rams bowler, being carted for 37 runs inside four overs.Naved Malik and Khurram Shehzad had given Rams a blazing start, getting to 50 in five overs but left-arm fast bowler Imran Khan dismissed Khurram for 16 after which the run-rate reduced considerably. Malik struck two sixes and seven fours for his 40-ball 57 before being dismissed in the 14th over.Panthers’ seamers applied the squeeze through the middle overs. The other Imran Khan in Panthers’ ranks, a right-arm fast bowler, collected 2 for 19, while the left-armer picked up 3 for 13. It meant Rams could only muster 145 for 6 from their 20 overs.Bilal Asif’s 48-ball 114 on T20 debut set up Sialkot Stallions’ 87-run win over Abbottabad Falcons in Faisalabad.Put into bat, Stallions got off to a brisk start, with openers Mukhtar Ahmed and Nauman Anwar putting on 38 runs in 2.5 overs. But the most substantive partnership of the match – 105 runs in 9.4 overs – came between Asif and captain Shoaib Malik, who scored an unbeaten 56 off 37 balls. Three of Falcons’ bowlers finished with economy rates in excess of 13 as Stallions galloped to 240 for 4.Despite losing Sajjad Ali in the first over, Falcons managed to score at a fair clip. However, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals, leg-spinner Usama Mir claiming four scalps to add to his three in his last match. Captain Junaid Khan clubbed three sixes in his 17-ball 36, but it merely reduced the margin of defeat as Falcons were bowled out for 153 by the 18th over.

The game-changing 267-run stand that sent records tumbling was born of enjoyment and good vibes, protagonists Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott said, after the pair was instrumental in earning New Zealand a 3-1 lead in the series against Sri Lanka. The team was on track for a mediocre score, at 93 for 5, when the pair came together, but they both scored quickly, then began to launch a sustained attack that transformed the outlook of the innings.Ronchi hit his maiden international ton and finished on 170 not out from 99 balls, while Elliott scored his second ODI ton, to remain unbeaten on 104 from 96.”It was really fun to be out there with Ronchs. I was sitting at the non-striker’s trying to get the strike off him, but I couldn’t – he kept hitting fours and sixes all the time,” Elliott said. “I really enjoyed watching his innings, and it was great to have a fellow Wellingtonian there to celebrate the hundred with me, and also to celebrate his first hundred.”Ronchi said the pair did not put pressure on themselves, despite the dire match situation when they came together. That manifested in a faster scoring rate than is common in such a situation, and an eventual total that was highly unlikely to be reeled in.”When we first started the innings we thought we’d just bat for a while and get through that little period when the ball was still doing a bit,” Ronchi said. “After that we were pretty relaxed about the whole situation and enjoyed the position we were in. Both of us were scoring quite freely and getting what we wanted out of the bowlers.”You start playing shots and things happen without you even thinking of it, and then you know you’re flowing nicely and in the zone. We were both definitely in that zone at some stage and continued on. It was a lot of fun in the whole situation. There was a lot of joy in getting the hundred and pushing on and winning.”Elliott was the more measured of the two batsmen, often choosing to rotate the strike, rather than match Ronchi stroke for stroke. He has played in a similar vein for New Zealand in the past, and suggested he would continue to shelve his more aggressive domestic avatar away in national colours, at least until the last few overs of the innings.”I think I was very fortunate with the way Ronchs was playing. I could just stay on my end and push ones and get us into a good position. That’s my role – to build a foundation from where we can strike. We were fortunate enough to get into a position when we could say: ‘Let’s both have a go now.’ Ronchs was having a go from ball one anyway.”I’ve been playing a different sort of role for Wellington, where I come in at the end and give it a whack. It seems like whenever I play for the Black Caps, my role is to come in and rotate the strike and strike as close to a 100 as I can, especially if we’ve lost three quick ones. In Nelson I probably gave it away, but I was there for the fun bit today with Ronchs at the end, and that’s where you want to be. Hitting a few boundaries was satisfying.”The unbeaten stand was a world record for the sixth wicket, and second highest for any wicket for New Zealand. Elliott said it was precisely the collective focus on the needs of the team, rather than personal milestones, that has allowed New Zealand to make such major strides in their cricket.”We didn’t even know what the world record is,” he said. “I thought I was on 98 when Luke came to me and told me I only needed a single to get a hundred. I think that that’s an indication of what the team environment is like. It’s not about the milestones for individuals out there. It’s about getting as many runs as we can get as a team. At the end of it, we’ve got some accolades which is great. We’ll share some beers tonight and look at the world record – whatever it may be, and be pretty proud that it’s contributed to a win.”

The Sussex seamer Jon Lewis has announced his retirement to take up the position of bowling coach at the county.Lewis, 39, who played one Test for England in 2006, joined Sussex last year after a brief spell in a player-coach capacity at Surrey following a successful career with Gloucestershire, but he played only eight Championship matches in 2014 due to injury and has now decided to move permanently into an off-field role”I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people that have been a part of my life as a professional cricketer. Especially those at Gloucestershire and England,” he said. “I feel very privileged that I was able to have fulfilled a career as a professional player for over twenty years and able to gain my coaching qualifications and experience alongside.”I am now very excited to make the seamless transition from a player into a coach, at a very welcoming and successful club”I am looking forward to becoming part of and complimenting the already successful existing coaching team. It gives me great pleasure to be given the opportunity of developing and maximising the success of the existing bowling attack and the next crop of exciting young bowlers at Sussex. I will be grabbing the challenge wholeheartedly.”Lewis took 849 first-class wickets in 249 matches with a career-best of 8 for 95 and also bagged 302 List A scalps in 232 games. Alongside his lone Test against Sri Lanka, he also played 13 ODIs and two T20s.Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manager, said, “Firstly we would like to congratulate Jon on what has been a fantastic playing career. He has been consistently one of the stand out bowlers in the County Championship and played a leading role in winning many a one-day trophy with Gloucestershire. He represented his country with distinction and was a fierce competitor that you had to respect.”When Jon was with us last year it became very apparent he was born to coach and instantly gained the respect of all the players within the squad. Jon’s role is to oversee and develop the current bowlers that we have and also nurture the younger bowlers in our youth system so in time we will constantly have a depth of seamers at the disposal of the first team.”

علق محمد أبو الوفا عضو مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة المصري، على الشكوى المقدمة من قبل نادي إنبي، بشأن أحقية مشاركة الفريق البترولي في بطولة السوبر المصري بنظامها الجديد. 

وكان أيمن الشريعي رئيس نادي إنبي اتهم لجنة المسابقات برئاسة عامر حسين، بالتعنت ضد الفريق البترولي في كثير من الأمور، آخرها عدم مشاركته في كأس السوبر بنظامه الجديد.

وقال محمد أبو الوفا لقناة “النهار” الفضائية: “شكوى إنبي وطلب مشاركته في كأس السوبر المصري، دون النظر إلى مصيره في كأس مصر، لا جدال فيه خاصةً أن اللائحة تحسم الأمر وسوف يتم الرد على الشكوى في خطاب رسمي”.

إقرأ أيضا..خاص | اتحاد الكرة يرد بالأرقام على رئيس إنبي: لماذا تتعمد الهجوم على الأندية الأخرى

وأكمل: “البطولة سيكون لها لائحة خاصة وسوف يتم اعتمادها، وحال تأهل الأهلي على حساب إنبي في نصف نهائي كأس مصر، سيكون فيوتشر هو المتأهل”.

وزاد: “نثق تمامًا في لجنة الحكام برئاسة البرتغالي بيريرا، وأخطاء الحكام واردة في اللعبة، ولا توجد أي تغييرات في لجنة الحكام، والخبير البرتغالي يقدم مقترحات رائعة خاصةً على مستوى تصنيف الحكام”.

وواصل حديثه: “روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر، سعيد في منصبه ولا يوجد أي استقرار حول رحيله ولديه رغبة في الاستمرار”.

وأضاف: “الوضع المالي داخل الاتحاد المصري صعب للغاية، والمصروفات أكبر من الدخل الوارد، والشركة الراعية تساهم بشكل كبير، ونبحث عن رعاة لزيادة الموارد المادية”.

وفسر عدم التقدم لاستضافة كأس الأمم الإفريقية بقوله: “عدم التقدم لاستضافة بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية 2027، جاء بسبب عدم طرح الأمر ولم ننوي الترشح لاستضافة البطولة”.

وختم: “لم نتوقف لحظة عن طلب زيادة الحضور الجماهيري، ونستهدف حضور الجماهير بالسعة الكاملة في الدور الثاني من الدوري المصري الممتاز”.