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Craig Hope has revealed the latest on Newcastle United’s reported pursuit of Diego Carlos in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Carlos ‘keen’

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern last week, Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie revealed that Carlos is now personally ‘keen’ on a move to St. James’ Park, but claimed that Sevilla ‘hold the aces’ when it comes to a potential deal this month.

Nonetheless, it is a story that looks set to develop further in the coming days, with another big game at the bottom of the Premier League table against Leeds United coming up on Saturday afternoon.

The Latest: Transfer request

As per The Daily Mail journalist Hope, the Magpies have still not had an offer accepted for Carlos, but he has now handed in a transfer request at Sevilla.

The Toon are hoping that they can do a deal with the La Liga side in the region of £30m:

“I’m told NUFC have not yet had an offer accepted for Diego Carlos but, as per reports, he has submitted a transfer request to Sevilla.

“Hope is for a deal in region of £30m.”

The Verdict: Get it done

After the disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Watford last weekend, the North East club cannot afford for the days to go by before they bring in a new central defender.

Carlos seems to be the strongest link, and if a deal for £30m can be done, it is well worth doing – the six-foot-one Brazilian is currently rated at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, and so could present a real bargain.

Nicknamed ‘The Beast‘, Carlos is exactly the kind of character needed to shore up the backline, and at 28 years of age, the Tyneside outfit will be buying a player in his prime.

La Liga expert Kevin Campbell claims Carlos is ‘amazing’ and ‘right up Newcastle’s street’ (Football Insider), while European football expert Andy Brassell says Carlos is a ‘real leader at the back’ (Express).

Nonetheless, this is a deal the Magpies cannot allow to slip through their fingers.

In other news, find out which ‘tenacious’ Carlos alternative NUFC are now in talks to sign here!

Baroda Cricket Association XI handed Kenya their third successive defeat in the tri-series as the hosts fell short by 32 runs in their chase of 257 in Nairobi

Cricinfo staff03-Aug-2010
ScorecardBaroda Cricket Association XI handed Kenya their third successive defeat in the tri-series as the hosts fell short by 32 runs in their chase of 257 in Nairobi.Pinal Shah, the captain, and Yusuf Pathan put on 98 runs for the fourth wicket after Baroda were in trouble at 90 for 3. Both batsmen hit aggressive sixties before Shah fell to offspinner James Ngoche. At 227 for 4, with Pathan at the crease, Baroda were poised to score 300. However, Pathan’s dismissal to Ngoche triggered a collapse and Baroda lost their last six wickets for 29 runs. Ngoche took three of those six wickets, finishing with 4 for 59 off eight overs, as Baroda were dismissed with 26 balls remaining.Kenya had been reduced to 33 for 3 in their chase when Collins Obuya and Jimmy Kamande came together. The duo added 125 runs with Kamande being particularly watchful, taking 99 balls for his 68. Once Obuya fell for 86, however, the target of 257 proved beyond the other batsmen, and Kenya finished on 224 for 8 off 50 overs.

A round-up of matches from the sixth day of the ICC World Cricket League Division Four

Cricinfo staff19-Aug-2010USA bounced back from their defeat against Italy with a sound performance to put it past Nepal in Pianoro. Sushil Nadkarni, the stand-out batsman in the tournament, held USA’s indifferent innings together with an unbeaten 64, and in the process marched to his third Man-of-the-Match performance in four games. Nepal’s bowlers struck at regular intervals but Nadkarni coaxed enough support from his partners to take the score past 200.Nepal’s chase ran into rough weather early and from 31 for 4 in the 14th over, it was a long road back. Paras Khadka and Gyanendra Malla kept trying during a 69-run stand, but USA’s bowlers shut out the challenge in clinical fashion, Muhammad Ghous and Usman Shuja finishing with three wickets each before Nepal were bowled out 55 runs short.Massiah was happy with the win, but was keen on maintaining the momentum. “I’m obviously very happy with today performance but we can’t rest on our laurels, it’s important that we win tomorrow against Argentina and continue our winning momentum into the final,” he said.Italy continued their impressive run, surging to their third win in four games when they trumped Cayman Islands by 47 runs in Medicina. Italy lost an early wicket after electing to bat but Andy and Nic Northcote retrieved the situation with a 77-run stand in 13.5 overs. When Andy fell for a 57-ball 54, the platform had been laid for a big score. Given the start, the rest of the cast under-achieved and it was left to Nic’s boundary-less 70 off 120 balls to lead the score to 233.Cayman Islands were in trouble once they lost their openers for a combined contribution of one run to Gayashan Munasinghe’s seamers. Pearson Best played impressively for an 103-ball 85 and he got reasonable support from Saheed Mohammad and Ronald Ebanks, but the lower middle-order did not quite come to the party. Munasinghe added two tail-end wickets to his tally and finished with 4 for 20 as Cayman Islands folded for 186.Man of the match Andy admitted that his side was nervous in the middle stages of the chase. “I definitely thought at one point that the Cayman Islanders still had a massive chance to beat us when they were 100 or so for three especially with Pearson Best’s 85 which was a great knock but our fielding was on target which meant we struck the run outs just when we needed them to regain the upper hand,” he said.Tanzania had to work hard but eventually prevailed by three wickets in Navile to hand Argentina their fourth succesive defeat and consequently relegation from Division Four. Argentina began reasonably well before running into a red-hot Kassim Nassoro who scythed through their line-up to finish with six wickets. Matias Paterlini and Grant Dugmore were dismissed after getting starts but the rest of the cast floundered against Nassoro, and Riziki Kiseto who picked two wickets.Chasing 198, Tanzania were quickly in the dumps losing Enjo Kiongozi and Shaheed Dhanani for ducks. Seif Khalifa went after the bowling in a withering assault that in the end analysis made the difference between victory and defeat. With wickets tumbling at the other end, Khalife chanced his arm, smacking three sixes and nine fours in a 41-ball 73 before he was the fourth man out with the score 97. Argentina’s bowlers, led by Diego Lord, rallied well and at 126 for 7, Tanzania were staring defeat. However, Benson Mwita and Khalil Rehmtullah had other ideas, and put together an unbroken 72-run stand in 14.2 overs to seal the game.Tanzania captain Hamisi Abdullah savoured his side’s victory. “Today was a great win for us and I feel we’re continuing to improve as a side. When we first came in to this tournament I think we were a little nervous, especially looking back at our first defeat to USA but once we beat Nepal and realised what we are capable of as a team it’s given us the impetus to keep getting better,” he said.The results have opened a four-way tussle between USA, Tanzania, Nepal and Italy for qualification to Division Three.

Craig Hope has now revealed some worrying Newcastle United transfer news involving Mitchel Bakker.

The Lowdown: Ongoing saga

Bakker has been linked with a move to St. James’ Park throughout the January transfer window so far, with Hope recently reporting himself that there is still hope that a deal can be done for £16m, so long as Bayer Leverkusen can find a replacement.

The Magpies have conceded the second-most goals in the league this season (43 in 21 games), so they could certainly do with making more additions in defence after the capture of Kieran Trippier.

However, with the clock ticking quickly, and Transfer Deadline Day on Monday, the North East club may now have to look at other targets.

The Latest: Bakker update

Hope has given an update on the Tyneside outfit’s hopes of signing Bakker, claiming that a deal is now ‘unlikely’:

“I’m told Leverkusen left-back Mitchel Bakker is now probably unlikely.”

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying that a deal for Bakker now looks unlikely with so little of the window remaining.

A player who is equally as comfortable as a central defender as well as left-back, the Magpies could have killed two birds with one stone by signing him, and after Diego Carlos fell through, the search for defensive reinforcements is now getting desperate.

This one is a real shame too, as at 21 years of age, Bakker has so much potential, and he has all of the qualities needed for a modern day full-back. Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller describes him as someone who has ‘pace and strength’ as well as ‘footballing ability’ (via The Chronicle).

In other news, find out who NUFC are now moving to sign here!

Sussex have won promotion back to Division One of the County Championship at the first time of asking after securing four batting points on the second day of their clash against Northamptonshire at Hove

08-Sep-2010
ScorecardSussex have won promotion back to Division One of the County Championship at the first time of asking after securing four batting points on the second day of their clash against Northamptonshire at Hove.Replying to their visitors’ 125 all out, Sussex made 381 with opener Chris Nash top-scoring with 164. They then reduced Northants to 48 for 2 in their second innings before bad light and rain ended play early. Northants still need to score a further 209 runs just to make Sussex bat again.Earlier the hosts had sealed promotion when Ollie Rayner’s single took them to 350, although Gloucestershire’s subsequent failure to take any batting points at Grace Road against Leicestershire meant they were already assured of a top-two finish.After the start was delayed for an hour because of rain Nash and Ben Brown took advantage of some wayward bowling as they put on 92 in 20 overs for the third wicket before lunch, with Nash setting the tone by pulling the fourth ball of the day for six off Lee Daggett. Nash completed 1,000 first-class runs for the second successive year when he reached 140 and then passed 150 for the third time in the last five games.But Sussex collapsed dramatically after lunch, losing eight wickets for 58 runs in 24 overs, three of them in four balls from seamer David Lucas. Nash’s 164 included 20 fours and six sixes from 193 balls, but his innings ended tamely when he gave an easy catch to backward point. Murray Goodwin fell in identical fashion to the next ball and although Matt Prior averted the hat-trick he steered the next ball tamely to second slip.Sussex lost their fourth wicket of the session when Brown picked out mid-on to give James Middlebrook the first of two wickets and when Andrew Hodd edged the offspinner to slip his side had lost five for 11 in 7.4 overs.Yasir Arafat was dropped at long leg by Daggett but he and Rayner safely secured the fourth batting point before Jack Brooks returned with the new ball to take three of the last four wickets to fall to finish with four for 88. In a lop-sided innings eight batsman had contributed just 55 runs between them but Sussex still took a first-innings lead of 256.They soon made inroads when Northants batted again. Arafat bowled opener Stephen Peters for the second time in the match via an inside edge and then trapped Alex Wakely leg before, although Wakely was well forward.Rain returned shortly afterwards but Sussex are well placed to wrap up victory tomorrow, which would almost certainly clinch the Division Two title.

Everton could be set to bring as many as four players to Goodison Park on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by David Maddock, with The Mirror journalist revealing on Twitter that, following Frank Lampard’s appointment as the new Everton manager, Farhad Moshiri could be set to sanction last-minute moves for as many as four of the 43-year-old’s transfer targets on Monday.

In his post, Maddock said: “Some complicated negotiations [are] at [an] advanced stage, [Lampard] will have [the] final decision on at least two, possibly three-four new signings on Monday.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how poor Everton have been this season, with the Toffees sitting a mere four points above the relegation zone at present, it is clear that the current playing squad at Goodison Park is in need of much improvement.

One position that undoubtedly looks as if it could do with improving on is that of centre-back, as although Lampard can call upon the likes of Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite in the heart of his defence, there is no real standout star amongst this quintet – something that will be required if the former Chelsea boss is to improve a Toffees backline that has already shipped 35 goals this season.

Another position in which Lampard is lacking any real strength in depth is attacking midfield, something which has led to the club being linked with late moves for Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek, Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli and Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Should the three or four players who Maddock suggests could be on their way to Goodison be in either of these two positions, they will undoubtedly be signings that will have Everton fans buzzing – as, not only would strengthening in the aforementioned areas help to steer the Toffees clear of the drop, they could well be enough to fire the club back to the top half of the Premier League table come May.

In other news – Forget Iwobi: Lamps may save Everton’s season by signing “intelligent” £18m-rated ace

Wellington have signed the Australian fast bowler Brett Lee for New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament this summer, but he will miss half their matches due to his commitments for New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2010Wellington have signed the Australian fast bowler Brett Lee for New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament this summer, but he will miss half their matches due to his commitments for New South Wales. Lee has joined the England allrounder Luke Wright as Wellington’s overseas players for the HRV Cup, which begins in early December.He is expected to be available for five of Wellington’s ten matches, jetting across the Tasman Sea regularly so New South Wales do not lose him for any games. After an injury-plagued year, Lee made his state comeback in Sydney on Sunday and is hoping to be part of Australia’s limited-overs side to take on Sri Lanka starting on October 31.”It’s tremendous to have secured the services of Brett and his record speaks for itself,” Gavin Larsen, the CEO of Cricket Wellington, said. There will be at least one familiar face for Lee in the change-rooms – his former New South Wales fast-bowling colleague and now Wellington coach Anthony Stuart.”Not only will Brett run in hard and provide a cutting edge to our attack, he will also offer us extra batting power in the middle to lower order and he is a top fielder,” Stuart said. Lee is expected to make his debut for Wellington in their home match against Auckland on December 14.There will be several big names from around the world in the HRV Cup this summer, after Northern Districts signed Herschelle Gibbs, Brad Hodge and David Warner. There were also reports that Canterbury were chasing the Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait, although he will now be out of action until at least early December with an elbow injury.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now eyeing up a stunning move to sign Gareth Bale in the summer.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Bale is out of contract at Real Madrid in the summer, with no current signs of Los Blancos offering him a new one.

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With only seven matches played this season in total over all competitions, he will want more game time leading up to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, assuming that Wales can qualify from the play-offs.

The Latest: Rangers lurking

As per top Spanish outlet Sport, the Ibrox faithful are just one of a number of clubs thought to be interested in his signature this summer, in addition to Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Cardiff City, AC Milan and some teams in the MLS.

His boyhood club Cardiff are thought to be the favourites at the moment, but Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have not been ruled out.

The Verdict: Stunning

If the Teddy Bears were able to attract a player of Bale’s quality and calibre to Ibrox, then it would be nothing short of amazing for the club and supporters.

They already managed to sign his international teammate Aaron Ramsey on loan in the January transfer window, and should the Light Blues seek a permanent deal for him, the prospect of them playing at the same club together as well as for their country is truly mouth-watering.

Fellow Welshman Joe Allen believes that they are both ‘world-class’, and for what Bale has managed to achieve in the game, including winning four UEFA Champions League titles at Madrid, it is hard to argue against him.

With the calibre of teams in the race, as well as his astronomical wages, this would be a very difficult deal for the Gers to do, but what a deal it would be if they manage to pull it off.

In other news, find out who RFC’s three worst performers were against Braga here!

Sunil Gavaskar, who has reportedly been assisting the Kochi IPL franchise in an advisory capacity, has cleared the air over his association with the troubled consortium

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2010Sunil Gavaskar, who is reportedly assisting the Kochi franchise in an advisory capacity, has denied helping the consortium make their successful bid in the IPL team auction in March. He also said that since there was no written agreement over his association with the franchise, “there is no question of [holding] any stake” in it.”The consortium was the second-highest bidder after the Sahara Group, and so they won the Kochi franchise,” Gavaskar told . “I had nothing to do with the decision to put the bid amount, so it is a bit of an exaggeration to suggest that I helped them pull off a stunning coup. How could I do so if I was in the dark about how much the bid amount was going to be?”The Kochi franchise has run into problems over its ownership pattern, which have led the BCCI to issue the consortium a 30-day deadline to explain why it should not be scrapped. There have also been suggestions that Gavaskar was open to joining the franchise as a cricketing expert, but only if it could resolve all its issues.Gavaskar had earlier turned down his role in the IPL governing council after the BCCI announced that there would be no financial remuneration for the cricketers sitting on the panel. He said he was not pleased with the media conjecture in the days leading to his decision. “What irked me most about the controversy was the totally misleading headlines and information about the composition of the new governing council. I mean, how could I be dumped or dropped if the BCCI contacts me the next day to ask if I am available.”This jumping to conclusions just for a headline is a sad part of the media today and even sadder is the inability to accept that they got it wrong and offer a correction after that.”

Sky Sports have dropped a live TV update on new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

The Lowdown: Official announcement

The Red Devils first spoke to the Dutchman last month and have now confirmed the 52-year-old as their new manager.

Ten Hag will replace Ralf Rangnick in the summer and has penned a deal through to June 2025 at Old Trafford, with United having the option to extend that by a further 12 months.

The club pointed out that a move is subject to work visa requirements, and Sky Sports have been speaking to ‘people close to Ten Hag’ following the announcement.

The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol was speaking live on Wednesday, relayed by Football Daily, after talking to those close to Ten Hag ‘in the past few minutes’.

Solhekol revealed that Ten Hag has been told the first things he needs to do by United – ‘stop the rot’ and to ‘get Manchester United to play the way United are supposed to play’.

The Verdict: Summer rebuild required

Ten Hag is going to have an extremely busy first summer at Old Trafford, both on and off the training pitch looking for immediate results.

Up to 12 players could reportedly leave over the coming months and the new boss may have £200m to spend on new players, with Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Darwin Nunez and Ruben Neves four targets for Ten Hag.

He’ll be looking to get key incomings and outgoings finalised as soon as possible, which will allow him to work with a fresh squad for pre-season, looking for instant results when it comes to a playing style at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign.

In other news: ‘Revolution begins’: Fabrizio Romano now shares key Man Utd exit news emerging from Old Trafford.