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It has been a frustrating season for Brandon Williams who has had to deal with injury problems as well as the sensational resurgence of Luke Shaw so to stop his career from stagnating, Norwich legend Jon Newsome believes that the Canaries could be the perfect club for him to move to.

Williams, who was hailed as “exciting” by Gary Lineker last year, has only been handed two starts in the Premier League this season and with Shaw and Alex Telles ahead of him in the pecking order, links have emerged suggesting that the Canaries could be in line to swoop in for him on a season-long loan deal.

The Manchester United academy graduate was close to sealing a move away in January for the second half of the season as Newcastle United wanted him but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to let him leave because of a lack of cover.

The 20-year old made a name for himself last season making 38 appearances in all competitions but this season has proved to be a stumbling block, something that Norwich could help him get over, something Newsome spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern about:

“I think Brandon Williams going out and playing some regular football elsewhere is exactly what both himself and Man United would want. So, it could be a very good fit.”

During their title-winning season, Norwich had three recognised left-backs on their books but Jacob Lungi Sörensen is the only one that will certainly be there next season as both Dimitrios Giannoulis and Xavi Quintilla will return to their parent clubs this summer.

Sörensen made 32 appearances for the Canaries but it is likely that Daniel Farke would find it difficult to turn down the opportunity of bringing in Williams, even if it was temporary if it meant Norwich stayed in the Premier League.

John Crawley today confirmed that he has signed a five-year contract with Hampshire, and that he is looking forward to joining his new colleagues on Monday.

Stephen Lamb22-Mar-2002
JohnCrawley talks to press
Photo Vic Isaacs
John Crawley today confirmed that he has signed a five-year contract with Hampshire, and that he is looking forward to joining his new colleagues on Monday.It ends a difficult winter for the 30-year-old, who requested an early release from his Lansashire contract when he was replaced as captain by Warren Hegg after a disappointing 2001 season. The county narrowly avoided relegation in the CricInfo Championship and failed to win promotion in the National League.”It’s been a very long winter, and it’s fantastic that it’s finally sorted out,” Crawley told reporters at Hampshire’s headquarters, the Rose Bowl. “It’s all in the past now. I’m looking forward to the season, probably more than any other in my career.”Hampshire have agreed to contribute towards the buy-out costs of Crawley’s contract. He would not comment on the Lancashire situation, stating that under his new contract he wasn’t allowed to. However he does believe that there should be a system of arbitration for complex situations of this kind.As to his reasons for joining Hampshire: “I was impressed with the facilities when I came down last year, and the people, and the whole development at Hampshire.”This whole saga has been going on since before Christmas – it’s been a strain on me and my family. Hampshire showing great ambition was one of the main reasons for coming here, because I’m more used to a conservative club with old-fashioned methods.”I still have a burning desire to play for England, and I’m still learning at 30.”
JohnCrawley at Rose Bowl
Photo Vic Isaacs
Expressing his delight at the signing, Hampshire coach Jimmy Cook said: “It’s not my policy to go out and recruit players, but when players of Crawley’s calibre become available you’d be foolish not to look at them.”He brings a lot of experience and stability to our squad, and he will also help the young players with their development. With his signing and that of Nic Pothas, there’ll be huge competition for batting places this season.”A statement released by Lancashire earlier today read: “Following a period of protracted negotiation, the club has agreed to release John from his contract upon the payment to the club by him and Hampshire Cricket of a suitable five-figure compensation payment.”The exact terms agreed between the parties are subject to a formal writtenagreement which is the subject of a confidentiality obligation.”The club wish to place on record their thanks to John for his 12 years ofservice to the county.”Crawley scored more than 15,000 runs in his 11 seasons at Old Trafford, winning 29 Test caps. He succeeded Wasim Akram as captain in 1999, leading Lancashire to a National League title. They were also twice runners-up in the Championship.

A record and enthusiastic home crowd turned up at the Wanderers in Windhoek on Sunday to see Namibia play against a strong Sri Lanka ‘A’ team in the opening match of the ICC Six Nations Challenge

Keith Lane08-Apr-2002A record and enthusiastic home crowd turned up at the Wanderers in Windhoek on Sunday to see Namibia play against a strong Sri Lanka ‘A’ team in the opening match of the ICC Six Nations Challenge.Batting first Namibia saw opening batsman Sarel Burger carried off the field in the first over after being struck on the helmet by a lifter from Ruchira Perrra. A partnership of 76 between Danie Keulder (41) and Riaan Walters (48) set the Namibians up for a good total. Wickets however feel quickly and apart from Burger who returned to the crease for 27 runs the side was bowled out for 182.Sri Lanka ‘A’ made short work of the Namibian attack reaching the target in the 35 th over with only three wickets down. Avishka Gunawardena was the destroyer in chief cracking 83 off 66 balls.Kenya playing against a very popular Zimbabwe ‘A’ came away with a 16 run win after reaching 262/7 in their allotted 50 overs.The Kenyans had the Zimbabweans in serious trouble at 79/5 but they recovered to be taken to the brink of a victory by Guy Whittal and Douglas Marillier putting on a 142 run partnership, before being bowled out for 246.Canada nearly caused the upset of the tournament when they raced through the top of the Netherlands batting reducing them to 87/8. Edgar Schiferli (89*) coming in at number 10 to join captain Roland Levebvre (13) put on 91 for the ninth wicket leaving the Netherlands all out on 211.A steady loss of wickets never helped the Canadians cause with only Nicholas de Groot (54) and Joseph Harris (63) troubling the bowlers. In the end Canada were bowled out for 195 losing by 16 runs.

The main reason for not recommending the renewal of Aravinda De Silva’s contract was the comparatively small number of Test Matches involving Sri Lankathis season, one of the members of the selection committee has revealed

Rex Clementine Fernando07-Jun-2001The main reason for not recommending the renewal of Aravinda De Silva’s contract was the comparatively small number of Test Matches involving Sri Lankathis season, one of the members of the selection committee has revealed.Sri Lanka’s contracted players’ names were published recently but SriLanka’s 1996 World Cup hero’s name was not among them.Sri Lanka will play only six Tests in the next six months and onlythe series against England has been confirmed until May next year but in that time there are many One-Day Internationals. Aravinda, the highestrun-getter for Sri Lanka in both forms of the game, has not been a regularmember of Sri Lanka’s one-day squad since Sri Lanka’s dismal performance inthe 1999 World Cup in England.Though he has not been contracted, Aravinda is among the pool ofplayers training for the Indian tour. That means if he plays in any of thegames, a payment will be made to him according to the number of his appearances.It is believed that Aravinda’s attitude has also counted against him. Last year when Aravinda was called to join the tour party in South Africa in place of the injured Upul Chandana halfway through the tour, he said he was not prepared to go due to lack of match practice. However, later he agreed to go and played in the last two ODIs and the the last Test in South Africa.This season he has played in just four Premier League games for his club NCC, scoring 197 runs at an aveage of 39.40.

Steven Gerrard has suffered a huge injury blow ahead of Rangers’ final game of the season against Aberdeen on Saturday, with Borna Barisic seemingly ruled out of the Ibrox fixture after it was previously hoped that he would be fit.

The Croatia international was forced off in the 4-1 Old Firm derby win recently but it was previously suggested that he could make his return for the final game of the season.

However, Gerrard admitted in his pre-match conference that Barisic is now unlikely to feature, which suggests that Joe Aribo will continue to deputise at left-back.

Whilst the former Charlton Athletic man did a stellar job filling in there against Livingston in midweek in the absence of both Barisic and Calvin Bassey, who is suspended, it is not an ideal situation for Gerrard to have to deal with on the final day.

If Rangers avoid defeat against Stephen Glass’ side, then they will finish on at least 100 points and secure invincible league status, so there is plenty on the line for the Gers ahead of the final day.

The 40-year-old manager would have been desperate to have the “magic” Barisic back, therefore, as the left-back has been one of the key performers in his side so far this season.

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In 30 Premiership appearances, the 28-year-old has contributed one goal and five assists, averaging a superb 7.35 average rating from WhoScored.

This ranks him as the fifth-best performer in Gerrard’s side this season, which emphasises just how important he has become at Ibrox, so they will definitely miss him on Saturday afternoon.

No player in Rangers’ side has played more key passes (2.2) per game than Barisic this season, which suggests that they could well lack a creative edge without him, although playing the attack-minded Aribo in his position on Wednesday did the trick for Gerrard’s side.

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Hopefully the Nigerian international isn’t exposed from a defensive point of view and Rangers are able to get the job done without the influential Barisic, to allow them to end a fantastic domestic campaign unbeaten.

And, in other news… Gerrard handed huge boost in race for “frightening” £1.8m-rated beast, Wilson must deliver

Incoming chief executive for New Zealand Cricket Martin Snedden admitted today that cricket had coursed through the blood of the Snedden family for most of the 20th Century and would continue in a more practical fashion in the 21st Century

Lynn McConnell04-May-2001Incoming chief executive for New Zealand Cricket Martin Snedden admitted today that cricket had coursed through the blood of the Snedden family for most of the 20th Century and would continue in a more practical fashion in the 21st Century.His appointment allowed him to work in something that had been a passion for most of his life and he couldn’t imagine anything better than leading a major business in the sport he liked so much.While the basic workings of New Zealand Cricket are known to him as a board member, the day to day operation, and the need to report to the board in future, would be a new experience for him.He would focus strongly on the business side of the game but his real interest was the cricket side.”That’s the reason I’m here,” he said.”I am out of my comfort zone as I have been in the legal industry for 25 years but there are skills that crossover,” he said.In the near future he would have the opportunity to deal with some great cricketing issues and he was looking forward to that.He’s already set himself an initial objective of putting in place the resources to enable grass roots cricket to improve what it has to offer young people, their parents and their coaches, whether through clubs, schools or district associations.The game was in a healthy state but couldn’t afford to rest on its laurels.”I want to drive cricket forward to make it better,” he said.The CLEAR Black Caps were in an interesting situation at the moment and while injury had denied the team its top players it had allowed a broadening of the base of the game.Some of the results achieved by the Black Caps recently, most notably the ICC KnockOut win in Kenya, had been better than those achieved by the great New Zealand team of his own era.But what was of concern was the inconsistency of the side.”I’ll be raising the bar for the CLEAR Black Caps and requiring them to perform much more consistently,” he said.Among the cricket issues he is looking to address is ensuring the momentum of the CricInfo Women’s World Cup-winning CLEAR White Ferns is maintained. That success had been great for the women’s game and he wants to see women more involved in cricket because women were now just as involved as men in deciding what games their children should play.He wants participation numbers to increase and that meant ensuring resources were available, across the board, to develop the game.Domestic and provincial cricket needed to be very carefully watched in order to ensure first-class cricket of genuine quality was available to develop players but to also be competitive. He would like to think international cricketers could be available more often for first-class play, and that first-class players could equally be more available for club play.”That might be a pipedream with the schedule over the next two years but it is part of the filtering process which allows competition and experience to be passed down to the lower levels,” he said.Crowd numbers were down at international matches this year but that was a reflection on the disappointments of the New Zealand team in South Africa.While he is to take up his position at the end of July, he will attend the ICC meeting scheduled for mid-June where the report of Sir Paul Condon’s investigation on match-fixing allegations is expected to be discussed.Snedden said he felt it was important that he put himself in front of his fellow CEOs and that he start on building a relationship with them.He paid tribute to the work of his predecessor Christopher Doig.”Chris had an enormously successful term as CEO. He came in at a very difficult time and achieved a lot. He put New Zealand Cricket on a very sound basis.”I’d like to thank the staff of NZC for the same reasons and I am looking forward to establishing a strong working relationship with them.”He also thanked NZC chairman Sir John Anderson for the opportunity to take the position and said he was extremely excited about the job and couldn’t wait to get started.”At some stage in my working life I wanted to get heavily involved in cricket. It was three or four weeks after Chris resigned that the idea started to work at me. And it has come at exactly the right time in my life,” he said.

After impressing from the bench in Charlton Athletic’s recent fixtures, Nigel Adkins must include Chuks Aneke in his starting XI this Sunday.

Having joined Charlton on a free transfer back in 2019, Aneke is yet to cement a regular place in the Addicks’ first team, with the £5,400-per-week forward starting just 11 times in League One this season, while making a further 26 appearances from the bench.

However, despite only featuring for an average of 41 minutes per game, the 27-year-old has impressed for the Addicks, bagging 15 goals and registering two assists in the league.

Aneke once again put in a show-stopping performance from the bench against Lincoln City last time out, scoring a goal and providing an assist in the 3-1 win – with his SofaScore match rating of 8.4 ranking him as the best player from either side on the day, despite only being on the pitch for 44 minutes.

Not only is he Charlton’s top league goalscorer, the timing of his strikes have often been game-changing – as was seen with his last-minute equaliser against Accrington Stanley, a result which kept Charlton’s play-off hopes alive.

As such, considering that Adkins’ side must get a win against Hull City today if they are to have any hope of securing a place in the play-offs, it would seem most advisable to allow Aneke as much time on the pitch as possible, considering just how influential he has been for the club this season.

With Ian Maatsen having been struggling for form of late, it would seem the logical move to replace the 19-year-old with Aneke for Sunday’s clash, as the player Lee Bowyer dubbed “immense” has proven so many times this season that he is the man for the big occasion.

In other news: Lost possession 15x: Charlton passenger who committed six fouls let Adkins down against Lincoln – opinion

Liverpool are ready to reignite their interest in Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir this summer, according to a report from Turkey.

The Reds have been linked with the 25-year-old in the past, with a move to Anfield mooted this time last year. Cakir ended up staying put at Trabzonspor, though, where he has made 35 Turkish Super Lig appearances this season, helping them sit fourth in the table currently.

Leicester City’s head of recruitment Lee Congerton once described him as “one of the best goalkeepers [Cakir] I have seen in my life”, highlighting his pedigree.

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Liverpool keen on signing Cakir

According to Fanatik [via Inside Futbol], Liverpool are keen on acquiring Cakir’s services in the summer transfer window, viewing him as a superior backup option to Adrian.

The Reds will reportedly have to pay approximately €20m-25m (£17.4m-£21.7m) if they want to sign the seven-cap Turkey international.

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Transfer Tavern take

The key to a potential move happening could be whether or not Cakir will be willing to be second-choice at Anfield, with Alisson one of the most important players at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal.

If he is, then he would arguably be an upgrade on Adrian, who started well at Liverpool but has fallen away, producing a terrible performance in last season’s Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Inside Futbol reported of ‘lingering doubts regarding the Spaniard’s ability to be a proper backup for Alisson’, hence the Reds’ renewed interest in Cakir.

With Adrian’s contract expiring in the summer, it makes perfect sense to move him on and bring in a younger, more suitable option such as the highly-rated Turkish stopper.

In other news, a reliable journalist has provided a key update on Ibrahima Konate. Read more here.

The future of Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace remains shrouded in mystery.

His current Selhurst Park contract expires at the end of the 2020/21 season, and a few names who could serve as his replacement have already come into the public eye.

However, having never suggested that a decision upon has been made, instead preferring to deflect attention around his future, the 73-year-old recently implied that an agreement had been reached, albeit not revealing what the final result will be.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Leicester on Monday, Hodgson said that he will keep specific news about his decision “until a later date”.

Either way, whether that be the former England boss departing after three-and-a-half-years or indeed penning a new deal, it now allows Palace to get their planning for next season underway in what will be a big boost to their chances of success.

Should Hodgson indeed remain in charge, it will allow Steve Parish to now start compiling a list of transfer targets that could fit into his style of play.

Meanwhile, should he stay, it will also be big positive considering that he is a manager that has kept Palace comfortably away from relegation to the Championship since arriving at Selhurst Park.

However, if Hodgson is departing at the end of this season, this allows a smooth transition to begin immediately from the current Palace boss to whoever the club choose to appoint as his successor.

Put simply, it allows the Londoners to escape from the current limbo that they find themselves in and would certainly trigger more extensive planning ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

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So, whilst Hodgson’s decision may yet be a secret from supporters, the fact that a potential agreement has been made is a huge boost for Palace’s future plans. It should go down as good news for Simon Parish and the fans too heading into the new season.

AND in more news, read about even more positives that the club have received ahead of their trip to Leicester…

Many Liverpool fans have been left loving a transfer update from Fabrizio Romano on Ibrahima Konate.

As per a tweet from the Italian football journalist and transfer guru, the Anfield faithful are indeed interested in signing the RB Leipzig central defender, as he is one of the targets on their list.

Talks are ongoing between the two clubs on personal terms, which would be a deal at the Merseyside club until June 2026, although nothing is done or signed yet.

Konate has a release clause €40m (£34.1m), and the Bundesliga team would want Jurgen Klopp’s side to pay it in full if they were to sell the France U21 international.

Nonetheless, it is exciting times for several members of the Reds faithful as it looks very possible that they could sign a potential long-term partner for Virgil Van Dijk come the summer transfer window.

Liverpool fan reaction to Romano’s Konate update

These Kopites lauded the update from Romano on the 21-year-old on Twitter, with one LFC supporter calling it ‘good news’:

“Fabrizioooooooooooo”

Credit: @ScouseCxfu

“Yessssss. Thank you Fab been waiting for you to say this all of the afternoon”

Credit: @LfcLad

“Let’s go”

Credit: @_anakinnn

“Here we gooooo”

Credit: @LiammClark

“That’s good news”

Credit: @yusdin_Anfield

“Perfect news from Fab looks close”

Credit: @DarraghMcdonog1

In other news, find out who Liverpool fans do not want to sign after a transfer update here!