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They have come forward to support the claim made by Stokes in the wake of his arrest, namely that he was acting in defence of two companions following a homophobic attack

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2017

Two men have reportedly come forward to support the claim made by Ben Stokes in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of actual bodily harm last month, namely that he was acting in defence of two companions following a homophobic attack.According to a report in The Sun, two gay men, Kai Barry, 26, and Billy O’Connell, 20, have praised Stokes for his actions, having met the England allrounder on a night out in Bristol in the wake of England’s ODI victory over West Indies on September 24.The development followed two appeals from Avon and Somerset Police following the incident outside Mbargo nightclub, the second of which went into detail about the build and hair colour of the two witnesses, who were seen leaving the scene shortly before Stokes’ arrest at 2.35am.O’Connell told the newspaper: “We were so grateful to Ben for stepping in to help. He was a real hero.”Kai feared he could be attacked. If Ben hadn’t intervened it could have been a lot worse for us.”Barry added: “I’m not a fighter and we didn’t want a fight. We could’ve been in real trouble. Ben was a real gentleman.”Barry and O’Connell claimed they met Stokes and Hales in a nightclub on the evening in question and Stokes bought them drinks. They said they had no idea they were cricketers.It was reported that Stokes and Hales were later walking along the road near the pair, after leaving the nightclub, when Barry and O’Connell were subjected to homophobic abuse.Stokes has been unavailable for England selection since the incident, along with his team-mate Alex Hales, who was also present at the scene but was not arrested. He remains under investigation by Avon and Somerset Police.Stokes was initially named as England vice-captain for the upcoming Ashes, but was withdrawn from the squad earlier this month, pending further investigation. At the team’s departure press conference at Lord’s, captain Joe Root said England were preparing to be without Stokes for the entirety of the Ashes.

Aston Villa are reportedly looking to bolster their attacking options even further this summer, after already signing Moussa Diaby earlier in the window.

Unai Emery has so far welcomed three reinforcements, but could yet welcome one more, as the Midlands club look to potentially target negotiations with Manchester United.

What's the latest on Jadon Sancho to Aston Villa?

With that said, The Villans are among the clubs considering a move for Jadon Sancho this summer, according to Caught Offside, potentially ending the England international's nightmare spell at Manchester United.

It may take a hefty fee for United to allow the winger to leave, however, given that they paid a reported £73m back in 2021. But, with Erik ten Hag reportedly open to his exit, the right offer could see Sancho on the move this summer.

It remains to be seen just how much the Red Devils will demand for the sale of Sancho, though Transfermark currently value the former Borussia Dortmund man at €45m (£39m).

Of course, Sancho's wages may prove to be an issue, too, as his current wage reportedly sits at £350k a week, which would instantly make him Aston Villa's highest earner, going above Boubacar Kamara, who earns a reported £175k per-week.

As the end of the transfer window edges closer and closer, Sancho is certainly a player to keep an eye on.

Should Aston Villa sign Jadon Sancho?

If Villa can get Sancho for the right price, then it would represent solid business. But they must avoid overpaying for a player who, ultimately, has struggled since making the move to the Premier League.

At his best, he is a player capable of 16 goals and 20 assists in a season. At his worst, though, he is a player who fails to make any impact at all, culminating in just ten goal involvements in all competitions. Whether Villa want to take the risk of pursuing the current version of Sancho, remains to be seen.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

It is at his best that Sancho attracted so much praise, with England teammate, Eric Dier saying after the winger's international debut, via Sky Sports: "I think he was fantastic when he came on.

"He was direct and technically he's very gifted. Hopefully he can be a big part of England in the future if he keeps working hard."

Jamie Carragher echoed that praise, also saying: "There wasn't too much attacking excitement but it did seem to liven up a bit when Jadon came on. He provided that bit of trickery out wide, that freshness."

After news emerged that Emiliano Buendia is set to be sidelined with an ACL injury, too, Emery may yet target an attacking reinforcement before the window slams shut.

Of course, if Sancho did make the move to Villa Park this summer, he wouldn't be without competition for places after former Bayer Leverkusen winger Diaby made the move earlier in the window.

A fresh start could be exactly what the 23-year-old needs, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will come at Aston Villa this summer.

Crystal Palace are in pole position to sign Getafe goalkeeper David Soria this summer, according to fresh reports.

Who is David Soria?

Soria is a goalkeeper who has played his football at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez since joining from Sevilla back in 2018, and despite not being Jose Bordalas’s official number one, he last season established himself as first-choice between the sticks having started all 38 matches in La Liga.

The Spaniard’s contract length is unknown which is extremely unusual, but either way, having emerged as his homeland outfit’s overall second-best-performing player during the previous campaign with a WhoScored match rating of 6.84, he’s grabbed the attention of Roy Hodgson in the Premier League.

Football Insider recently reported that Vicente Guaita is ready to quit this summer as a result of not wanting to be a back-up option behind Sam Johnstone, who the same outlet state is expected to remain the preferred choice from the start of the new campaign onwards, and is therefore exploring his options.

Should the current shot-stopper depart, the Eagles boss will need to enter the market to find a suitable replacement to bolster his ranks in the net, and if the following update is to be believed, the 30-year-old appears to be the player that chiefs are going after in the hope of bringing him to Selhurst Park.

Are Crystal Palace signing David Soria?

According to Spanish outlet AS (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace are the “most interested” club in signing Soria ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Getafe’s goalkeeper has “several proposals” on the table, in particular from the top-flight and indeed the blue and reds.

The La Liga outfit’s president Angel Torres is “aware” of the attention and has made it clear that his €12m (£10m) release clause will have to be paid to sanction his sale, and whilst it’s unknown whether the board would be willing to cash out, they are certainly “at the front of the queue” at things stand.

Guaita is believed to be looking to return to his former club and a deal for Soria could depend on the formerly mentioned player going the other way.

How good is David Soria?

Crystal Palace may view Soria as a second-choice goalkeeper to Johnstone considering that he’s 30 years of age and not getting any younger, but having been previously hailed a “key performer” by journalist Josh Bunting, he could be a solid player for Hodgson to have in the building looking at his record.

The Madrid native last season kept 13 clean sheets from 38 La Liga games, form which saw him receive six man-of-the-match awards, as per WhoScored, but there was a lot of excellent work that he did to keep the ball out of the back of the net in the build-up.

The 6 foot 3 colossus recorded 119 saves from 166 shots on target against, giving him a success rate of 75.3% which was higher than Guaita’s 72.4%, showing that he could be an upgrade on the option that the boss already has available to him, not to mention he made four out of eight penalty saves over the course of the campaign, so this may well be a deal to watch.

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in Ligue 1 ace Habib Diallo, as Eddie Howe looks to prepare his squad for the Champions League.

The Magpies are hitting new levels with the backing of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), and after a fast transition, are expected to have a busy summer to get their side up to scratch.

Could Newcastle United sign Habib Diallo?

According to journalist Ignazio Genuardi, Newcastle have emerged as one of the sides interested in Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo.

Genuardi tweeted this week that the northeast giants are joined by top-flight rivals West Ham United and Brentford in their pursuit of the prolific forward, who is contracted to the French side until 2025.

"Targeted by several PL formations (West Ham, Newcastle, Brentford), Strasbourg H. #Diallo also has a track in Serie A, in particular. Linked until 2025 with Racing, the ex-Messin is on the shortlist of a Roma in search of a new edge," he tweeted.

It's thought that Diallo is valued at around £20m by the French outfit.

How good is Habib Diallo?

Across 37 Ligue 1 appearances, the Senegalese gem scored 20 goals for Strasbourg, asserting himself as one of the most potent scorers in a league packed with star names.

Ending the campaign as the sixth-highest scorer in the French top-flight, it comes as no surprise that clubs in the Premier League are swarming around his availability this summer.

For Newcastle, the potential of signing Diallo is an exciting one, with the 28-year-old showing glimpses of being a suitable heir to Callum Wilson, who at 31 is not getting any younger.

Despite theoretically nearing a less lucrative milestone in his playing career, the Englishman has shown no signs of slowing down, as highlighted by his 23 goal contributions in the Premier League last term.

Across 31 league appearances, the former AFC Bournemouth talisman found the net 18 times, whilst he also registered five assists in a celebrated individual campaign leading the line at St James’ Park.

Howe’s reported target could be the perfect man to one day succeed Wilson, with the two having similar strengths playing as a typical no.9.

The Senegal international, who stands at 6 foot 1, has shown over the years in France that he is a natural goalscorer, netting 53 goals in 150 appearances in Ligue 1 representing both Strasbourg and FC Metz, who have both fluttered on the fence between the first and second division.

In a side as skilled in the final third as Newcastle, the 28-year-old titan could thrive in the northeast, in ways similar to Wilson since making the step from the south coast.

Just like the Strasbourg sensation, the England international has found the net every campaign, showing his innate threat in front of goal.

Having been hailed as “reliable” by his manager Frederic Antonetti, Diallo could bring a mirrored level of consistency leading the line, as highlighted by his 0.53 non-penalty goals per 90 last term, via FBref.

Averaging 1.13 shots on target per 90 in Ligue 1, the Thies-born gem recorded a presence in front of goal for the 15th-place side similar to Wilson in the Magpies’ fourth-place finishing campaign, who averaged 1.49 shots on target per 90.

Howe could add a goal-scoring talent to his side this summer, in a figure that could provide St James’ Park with a talent in the calibre of Wilson and could potentially one day take the reins from the 31-year-old in the northeast.

Chelsea are still pushing to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo and have a free run at him this summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Caicedo signing for Chelsea?

The Blues are desperately in need of bolstering their midfield ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season, especially with experienced pair N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic moving on this season.

Enzo Fernandez has proven to be an excellent signing, having arrived in the January transfer window and been one of the few positives from a dreadful season at Stamford Bridge, but more reinforcements are now required.

It looks as though Caicedo is Chelsea's primary transfer target in the coming weeks, with the 21-year-old standing out as one of Brighton's best players in 2022/23, averaging 2.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the league, as well as 1.2 key pass per match.

While the Seagulls star is clearly a highly-rated young football with a potentially huge career ahead of him, it does look as though the race to sign him has narrowed down recently, acting as a significant boost to the Blues.

What's the latest on Caicedo to Chelsea?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Jacobs gave a positive update regarding Chelsea's pursuit of Caicedo this summer, suggesting they are the front-runners to snap him up:

"Chelsea are pushing, there is not necessarily a direct rival yet, but there could still be a twist and it will be interesting to see what the price is.

"We’re hearing at the Brighton end £100m+ but from my understanding, there is a verbal agreement between Caicedo and De Zerbi that says he can go for a fair offer and the Caicedo camp made it clear before he signed a new deal after January – that fair deal is basically the Tchouameni package and that is about £70m plus add-ons.

"I think Chelsea or another suitor might be able to get a deal there. Arsenal are not looking at Caicedo at this point but that could change if Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey go and Manchester United were never realistically going to be able to come in for Caicedo."

This is an exciting update from a Chelsea perspective, with Caicedo surely looking highly likely to be plying his trade at Stamford Bridge from next season onwards.

Granted, the Ecuador international is going to cost a lot of money, but the funds are seemingly there to make new signings this summer, especially if the club manager to dispose of some of the dead wood, easing the wage bill in the process.

Caicedo has been lauded by former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter in the past, which further highlights what an exciting addition he would be, with the Englishman saying of him last August:

"It doesn’t surprise me that people are looking at him because he is playing at a fantastic level. As soon as you do research on him you realise he is a top kid, great person, young, playing in the Premier League, has all the attributes to play at the very, very highest level."

A sixth half-century in the series from KL Rahul and a touch of aggression from Ajinkya Rahane finally snuffed out the last of Australia’s fight, sealing the series 2-1 for India

The Report by Daniel Brettig28-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:03

Chappell: Rahane was aggressive in his own quiet way

Ajinkya Rahane sent a 146kph bouncer from Pat Cummins flying into the crowd at midwicket and, next ball, slapped another short one over the cover fence while backing away. These were the blows that finally snuffed out the last of Australia’s fight, and sealed once and for all India’s victory in this most bewitching of Border-Gavaskar series.Australia entered the fourth morning with only the scantest of hopes, defending a mere 87 runs and needing 10 wickets. This did not mean that contest was over, as Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins fired the ball down with pace and venom after a night’s refreshment. The loss of M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara – the latter run out by a brilliant throw from Glenn Maxwell – kept Australia hoping. But KL Rahul and Rahane responded with bold blows to settle the matter.The win in Dharamsala ended India’s marathon home Test season with four series victories out of four, and also means that the team presently holds series honours over every other nation in the five-day game. Rahane’s stand-in captaincy, in the absence of the injured Virat Kohli, had been vital to this achievement, so too the runs of Rahul, the pace of Umesh Yadav and the all-round contribution of Ravindra Jadeja. There will be great satisfaction derived also from the fact that Dharamsala offered conditions more familiar to the tourists.For that reason, among others, Steven Smith’s team were left to ponder a string of missed opportunities after their vast opening win in Pune. There have been times in all three Tests since that the Australians have looked very much in control of proceedings, but they have been unable to stay on the mountaintop under pressure from an Indian side roused into action by the shock of that first-up hiding.As the ball continued to bounce and swerve when India resumed their pursuit of a modest target today, Australia’s fielders must have wondered what might have been with another 100 or so runs to defend. Josh Hazlewood went up for a pair of vociferous lbw appeals against Vijay in the opening over, but on both occasions the opener got the merest of bat to ball before it struck the pad.At the other end Cummins sent a bouncer down the leg side that may have touched Vijay’s gloves before being taken on the juggle by Matthew Wade. Certainly Ultra Edge indicated as much, but only Wade raised the most half-hearted of appeals. More straightforward was another edge in Cummins’ next over, near enough to an action replay of Vijay’s first-innings dismissal, which offered a glimmer of light for Australia.Genuine excitement followed when Pujara and Rahul hesitated fatally in taking a quick single to the right arm of Maxwell, who threw down middle stump to send Pujara on his way with 60 still needed. In those moments the Australians wondered briefly what might be possible, and the Indian viewing area tensed up like with so many teams chasing a pesky small target in the past.But Rahane and Rahul barely put a foot out of place in the overs that followed, accumulating steadily until Cummins elected to go around the wicket for the tourists’ final effort. Rahane’s riposte, the first impressively orthodox, the second more redolent of the forthcoming IPL, said much about India’s admirable resilience in the face of a most unexpected challenge.

West Ham United have “enquired” about a deal to sign Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi this summer, according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.

Is Callum Hudson-Odoi leaving Chelsea?

The Blues academy graduate was sent out on a season-long loan to Bayer Leverkusen last term in the hope of finding him some regular game time, but having only started seven games out of 34 in the Bundesliga, the left-sided winger had an underwhelming spell on the road.

With the Premier League starlet’s contract at his parent club expiring at the end of the next campaign, Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly set to hold crunch talks with the 22-year-old this week regarding his future in SW6, and should he depart, he seemingly won’t be short of potential suitors.

Back in August 2022, 90min credited the Irons with an interest in signing England’s former international before he made the temporary move to Germany, and despite a deal failing to materialise at the time, David Moyes is looking to take a second bite of the cherry.

Are West Ham signing Hudson-Odoi?

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Jacobs name-checked West Ham as potential suitors for Hudson-Odoi but admitted that the Chelsea attacker is yet to make a full decision as to where his next destination will be. He said:

“As has been reported, a move to Saudi Arabia is certainly an option for Callum Hudson-Odoi this summer. But nothing has been decided just yet. Hudson-Odoi is assessing his future and may prefer to stay in Europe. Despite a relatively underwhelming loan at Bayer Leverkusen last season, there is no shortage of interest in the 22-year-old.

“Keep an eye on Brentford and Fulham. Crystal Palace and West Ham have also enquired. Newcastle are a historic suitor, but not currently considering a move. There is also some initial interest from Atalanta.”

Should Moyes take a chance on Hudson-Odoi?

West Ham will know that Hudson-Odoi wasn’t handed as many minutes as he would have hoped at Bayer Leverkusen hence why he only recorded one goal and assist during his time there, but he still has the potential to pose a threat in the final third.

Last season, the Adidas-sponsored gem, who pockets £120k-per-week, ranked in the 87th percentile for progressive carries so loves to take on his marker and push his team up the pitch, but he also recorded 3.86 shot-creating actions per league game which was the third-highest total throughout Xabi Alonso’s squad, via FBRef.

Chelsea’s “monster of a talent”, as dubbed by journalist Nizaar Kinsella, would further add excellent versatility to the manager’s ranks with his ability to operate all across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, so with the game time that he’d receive in E20, it’s well worth bringing him to the London Stadium.

Joe Root feels a session batting on a road inside the Chepauk stadium had helped him rediscover his fluency ahead of the fifth Test in Chennai

George Dobell in Chennai16-Dec-2016Joe Root feels a session batting on a road inside the Chepauk stadium had helped him rediscover his fluency ahead of the fifth Test in Chennai.Keen to gain some practice time after feeling his footwork was “all over the place” in the previous Test in Mumbai, Root turned up the day before the match to find that the net facilities at the ground were not fit for use following the cyclone that hit the city in recent days.When the contingency plan – a session on the hard tennis courts at the stadium – also had to be abandoned due to the storm damage, Root decided that the road was the next best option.So while the conditions for his 30 minutes of throwdowns from batting coach Mark Ramprakash were not ideal, he felt the experience – one that was reminiscent to his youth playing in parks and garden and on roads – helped relax him and remind him of the simple pleasures of the game.”My feet were all over the place against the seamers in Mumbai,” Root said, “so I wanted to iron a few things out.”We tried to do it away from the cameras just in case it went pear-shaped. We were kindly helped by a few of the local guys and managed to get a few things sorted.”It was nice to have that peace of mind going into the game, having worked on it. Something just clicked into place.”To go back to being a kid again and remember what it’s like to play on a street with your mates, and get those reasons why you love playing and why you first got into cricket, to park all the pressure and think about the game … that was nice.”It did just relax me, and maybe that’s all it needed.”Root didn’t look especially relaxed when he was given out, though. He kicked a water bottle and gave the foam boundary rope a whack with his bat after he was adjudged to have been caught behind after a review by India.Root was not only under the impression that he did not hit the ball – he later admitted that technology proved him wrong – but was frustrated at missing out on a century. It was the 13th time he has reached fifty in Test cricket in 2016, but only on three occasions has he gone on to make a century. Despite becoming the highest Test run-scorer in the world this year during the innings, his dismissal left him 11 runs short of the England record for most runs in a calendar year held by his boyhood hero, Michael Vaughan.”I probably was a bit childish with my reaction as I walked off. But playing international cricket, you’re going to be disappointed when you feel you’ve been hard done by – even if you haven’t.”I was convinced I didn’t hit it. Obviously the technology suggests otherwise, but it is bitterly disappointing when you’re convinced out there that there’s nothing.”If you look at the wicketkeeper’s reaction, he’s not interested either. I must have got a fine edge on it, but I didn’t hear a noise and didn’t feel anything on the bat.”I think initially [my reaction] was from feeling like I didn’t hit it. It went upstairs and I went up to Mo and said ‘I’ll be fine, I’ve not got anywhere near it’. Then you see the spike (on DRS) … it was more disbelief than anything else, I suppose.”But you sort of just have to suck it up, and put faith in the rest of the guys. I hope we can make that 500 score and put India under pressure.”I’d be lying if I was to say I wasn’t frustrated about missing out on a century. But I feel my game’s in good order and I don’t think I’d have done anything differently if I had my time again.”I’d have still played the same shot. I’m not going to change the way I’m playing. It’s just about being better at it.”

Group B round-up: Saurashtra’s remarkable collapse and Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant’s blistering knocks highlights on second day in the fifth round

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2016Ishan Kishan moved to a career-best 273 on day two in Thumba, propelling Jharkand to 493, before Delhi captain Unmukt Chand (89*) and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant (107*) revived the side from 74 for 3 to 225 for 3 by stumps.Kishan added 111 to his overnight total, taking charge of the run-scoring while Shahbaz Nadeem and Vikash Singh kept him company. Vikash scored just 2 in the pair’s 85-run ninth-wicket stand. Kishan was the last wicket to fall, having scored well over half his side’s runs, despite coming in at No. 6.Delhi then subsided to 74 for 3, before Chand and Pant put on an unbroken 151-run stand by the close of play. Pant was the more aggressive of the two, hitting eight sixes and seven fours, and striking at 127.38. Delhi still required a further 69 to avoid the follow-on.In a 13-wicket day in Vadodara, Karnataka bowled out Vidarbha for 176 to take a 91-run first-innings lead, before scoring 108 for 3 by stumps.Resuming at 10 without loss, Vidarbha moved to 151 for 4, but collapsed to lose their last six wickets for 25 runs. The collapse was orchestrated by Shreyas Gopal, who took 3 for 22, and Vinay Kumar, who took two of the remaining lower-order wickets. Jitesh Sharma top-scored with 61. In their second innings, Karnataka lost Mayank Agarwal, Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey, but opener R Samarth was unbeaten on 45.Debutant SF Khan scored 110 to help Rajasthan up to 323, before left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary’s 4 for 34 left Odisha languishing at 143 for 8 by the end of the second day in Patiala.With Rajasthan resuming at 249 for 5, Khan added 45 to his overnight score before falling to Odisha captain Govinda Poddar, whose 3 for 59 were the best bowling figures for his side. In reply to Rajasthan’s effort, Odisha slid to 66 for 6, before Deepak Behera’s unbeaten 49 restored a measure of respectability to their score.Right-arm pacer Arup Das took 7 for 39 to leave Saurashtra at 121 for 9 against Assam at Eden Gardens.After no play was possible on the first day, Das ran through Saurashtra’s batting order with seven wickets in the 43 overs of play on day two. The other two wickets were taken by his new-ball partner Krishna Das. Saurashtra had suffered a horrendous start, stumbling to 39 for 6, before lower-order contributions from Jaydev Unadkat (31*), Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (22) and Deepak Punia (16) afforded them some relief.

أكد محمود فتح الله، المدرب العام السابق لفريق بيراميدز، أن عبد الله السعيد كان يرغب في الانتقال لصفوف نادي الزمالك منذ الموسم الماضي.

وكان الزمالك قد أعلن التعاقد مع عبد الله السعيد خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الماضية لمدة موسم ونصف الموسم.

تشكيل الزمالك أمام الإسماعيلي في الدوري المصري.. موقف عبد الله السعيد

وقال فتح الله في تصريحات إذاعية عبر أثير “نجوم إف إم”: “عبد الله السعيد لم يتحدث معي شخصيًا عن انتقاله لنادي الزمالك”.

وأضاف: “ولكن منذ الموسم الماضي كان يريد السعيد الانضمام للقلعة البيضاء، ولكن كان نادي بيراميدز متمسكا به”.

وأردف: “لم أتفاجأ بانتقاله إلى الزمالك وهو إضافة للفريق والزمالك إضافة له”.

وتابع: “زيارة النادي الأهلي إلى الزمالك شيء محترم وتاريخي، وتوقيتها مهم جدًا واتمنى أن يكون لها تأثير على الجمهور والإعلام”.

وأتم: “زيارة بين أكبر ناديين في مصر، والعلاقة بها ود وإحترام ورقي، وأتمنى أن نسير على نفس النهج في الفترة المقبلة”.