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Matt Hague, the Jersey captain whose side were recently relegated to Division 5 of the World Cricket League, has announced his retirement.”I just feel I’m not quite enjoying it quite as much as I always have and I feel the time’s right to step down,” he told the BBC. “We’ve come a fair way since I’ve been captain so i think maybe it’s time to hand over the reigns.”Hague moved to Jersey having played grade cricket in Australia, where he was born, and led the side during a period of relative success in which Jersey were promoted from Affiliate to Associate ranking by the ICC. However, they were only victorious in one out of their five matches in the recent World Cricket League Division 4 in Tanzania.”Tanzania was an unbelievable experience, not on the result front, but fantastic to play cricket against better players in a different country.We came along a way with Peter [Kirsten] and enjoyed a lot of success. We did so well in World Division 5 and the European tournament in Guernsey and we had a lot of success.”Hague’s announcement is the second blow to hit Jersey cricket in a week, following Peter Kirsten’s move from Jersey to Kenya, where he will join up with his brother, Andy, as part of the coaching team. The decision came as a surprise to many, not least Hague.”All was happy when we were winning, but when we lost a couple of games [in Tanzania] we saw a different side and I was just disappointed that he almost gave up on the team,” Hague said.”After two-and-a-half games that was all we had of Peter, so for the last few games we were pretty much doing it all ourselves. It was disappointing after doing so much together that to give up was quite sad really.”

Aston Villa are “determined” to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie and ready to put down a big-money offer for him.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are keen on luring the USA international to Villa Park this summer, and it now appears that Johan Lange and co are desperate to make that happen.

According to Italian publication Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), there is a long line of suitors for McKennie with Juventus fully aware that he could bring in some good money.

The report adds that while Spurs are in the running too, both Villa and Crystal Palace are “determined to invest cash” to sign him ahead of the competition.

Fans will be buzzing

Hailed as a “leader” by David Wagner, McKennie has already built up top-level experience by playing in the Champions League with Juventus, and also appearing on the international stage a number of times for the USA.

His former boss at Juventus, Andrea Pirlo, hailed him as a “rock” and added: “He’s young and can improve a lot. In my opinion, he’s a midfielder who can play as a No 8 in a three in midfield, right or left. He gets in the box and scores goals but he’s also very good at winning the ball back.

“His role is in a three in midfield as one of the two players on either side of the regista. Last year we played in a different system, so he had to adapt.”

As per CIES, McKennie’s value stands at an eye-watering £60m, not least due to him playing for a big club like Juventus now, but also because of his considerable ability and experience already at just 22 years of age.

Given the kind of impressive signings Villa have already made this summer – not least the likes of Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings – one area that they haven’t actually addressed is central midfield.

In McKennie, they would be getting someone as Pirlo says, who can play in a number of different roles in the engine room, and also have the ability and dynamism to break into the box and score goals too.

Whether it’s winning the ball back, or making late runs into the area, McKennie appears to be the kind of do-it-all midfielder that would surely get fans excited. So, news that they club are “determined” to land him this summer should have them absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped a late night Aston Villa claim…

Noel Whelan has saluted Glasgow Rangers’ recent signing of Juninho Bacuna.

The Lowdown: Bacuna confirmed

On Thursday, the Ibrox club confirmed that they have signed the Curacao international from Huddersfield Town.

He only had one year left on his deal at the Terriers, so Steven Gerrard saw the chance to pounce on his signature.

The Latest: Whelan on Bacuna

Speaking to Football Insider, former Aberdeen striker Whelan has been lauding the Gers’ signing of Bacuna after being asked if he had seen him play much in the English Championship. He said:

“I have. He’s a very talented player.

“Likes to produce a few different hair colours as well but you don’t mind that if the player has got some ability. He definitely has got the ability and I think that’s been seen by Steven Gerrard.

“Very quick, good on the ball, technically wise. He has got an eye for a goal as well. One of these players I feel, in time to come – he’s not even in his best years of football – will probably produce for Rangers.

“I think no better than having a man like Steven Gerrard, a midfield superstar in that position over years and years and years, to give him that guidance. To progress him to the player that, potentially, he really could be.

“I mean, wow, we saw some brilliant stuff from him at Huddersfield during the time he was there. I guess it was just finding that consistency. Plus he was in a team that was getting weaker and weaker by the season.

“He was still a standout there. I think Steven Gerrard has done some really good business there. If he can get the best out of Bacuna, he’s got a really talented midfield player on his hands.”

The Verdict: Smart signing

As Whelan says, it was certainly smart from the Light Blues to bring Bacuna to Ibrox, as he will give Gerrard another handy option in his squad for the rest of the 2021/22 season.

The Curacao international has experience of playing at the highest level in the Premier League, and overall has shown that he has an eye for both a goal and an assist despite mainly operating in midfield. He scored 12 times and supplied a further nine assists in 107 games in total for Huddersfield over the last three seasons (Transfermarkt).

His added versatility is certainly a bonus for Gerrard, and at 24 years of age, Bacuna has not even hit his peak yet.

In other news, find out what Ryan Kent news has had one pundit talking

Victor Orta could land Marcelo Bielsa’s dream player in Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing up a summer move for the 25-year-old, with Italian publication La Nuova Sardegna even claiming that the Whites were ready to pay the €36m (£31m) release clause in order to bring him to Elland Road.

Fabrizio Romano then appeared to dash Leeds’ hopes by suggesting that Serie A giants Inter had opened talks over landing Nandez themselves.

And now, speaking exclusively to FFC, Connor Clancy, editor-in-chief at Forza Italian Football, said: “If Leeds could get him, that would be one of the signings of the summer in the Premier League. But I do see it as increasingly unlikely that the deal will be done now.”

He’s Bielsa’s dream player

Reports first emerged last year that Leeds were keen on signing the Uruguay international, and it’s clear that the midfielder is a long-term target of Bielsa’s and would also offer a lot at Elland Road were he to join.

Speaking to This Is Futbol, Clancy said: “Anywhere Bielsa wants to play him, he’d do a job. I like him a lot. I think he’s only about five foot seven, but you wouldn’t know it if you just watched clips of him, he is a little bit of a machine. He’s so powerful but at the same time, has really, really good ball control.”

According to Sofascore, he averaged 1.8 tackles and won an impressive 6.1 duels per game in Serie A last season, which favours well compared to Leeds talisman Kalvin Phillips – the Whites ace averaged 2.6 tackles and won 5.3 duels per match in the Premier League last season.

His performances for Cagliari even led journalist Mina Rzouki to say: “Cagliari’s Nandez is one of the most underrated players. God he’s been so amazing, especially in Cagliari’s last 3 games. He scored the equaliser against Napoli. Man of the match in the win against Udinese. Against Roma – just wow. Unstoppable.”

With that tireless work-rate and ability to cover the ground so effortlessly, the £19.8m-rated Nandez appears to be the dream midfield player for Bielsa-ball at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Radrizzani is now willing to sanction this Leeds swoop…

Carlton Palmer reckons that Josh Windass’ injury could see him remain at Sheffield Wednesday.

Following the Owls’ relegation to League One last season, it looked for all the world that the influential attacker would move away from Hillsborough this summer.

According to the Sheffield Star, Millwall saw at least one bid rejected for Windass, whilst several other Championship outfits were keen on signing the 27-year-old, who’s entered the final 12 months of his deal.

Despite speculation surrounding his future, Windass reported back for pre-season, and scored against both Celtic and Chester in Wednesday’s opening two friendlies.

However, he sustained a hamstring problem against West Brom last month, which is likely to see him miss the start of the League One campaign and seemingly prevent a move away from Hillsborough, with the timescale currently unknown.

Prior to the Owls’ Carabao Cup first-round defeat to Huddersfield on Sunday, Darren Moore told Yorkshire Live that he was waiting for scans and therefore unable to provide an update.

With that in mind, Palmer reckons he’s likely to remain a Wednesday player past the deadline.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Well, it’s a hamstring injury, so any muscular injury, there’s no time frame on it.

“So, with the season around the corner, from the noises I’m hearing it’s a severe one, so I would think that it’s unlikely that Josh will move this summer, so that would work in Sheffield Wednesday’s favour.”

Crystal Palace are set to offer Joel Ward a new contract after his previous deal expired at the end of last month.

What’s the story?

According to the Evening Standard, the 31-year-old had been expected to remain at the club alongside fellow experienced duo Christian Benteke – who has penned a new two-year deal – and Gary Cahill – who is yet to be offered fresh terms.

The report claims that Ward was informed of Palace’s intention to offer him fresh terms towards the backend of last season, but the Eagles’ hierarchy were waiting until a new manager was appointed before completing the majority of new deals. With Patrick Vieira now in charge, he’s seemingly signed off on the deal to keep Ward at the club.

Fans will be elated

Ward had been on the books of the capital club since arriving from Portsmouth back in 2012 and was a reliable and consistent performer under Roy Hodgson throughout the recently concluded campaign.

The 6 ft 1 right-back made 26 Premier League appearances for Palace last term, keeping former Liverpool ace Nathanial Clyne on the bench and started the last 14 top-flight fixtures in a row.

His honest, full-blooded displays over the years have seen Ward turn into a fan’s favourite at Selhurst Park, meaning the club’s supporters will be elated at this latest revelation.

Several first-team figures departed Palace earlier in the summer following the expiration of their contracts, but news that Ward is set to put pen to paper on a new deal will be comforting to large sections of the fanbase.

His departure – along with Clyne’s – had left Martin Kelly as the only recognised right-back within the current setup, leaving nVieira desperately short of options.

The former Nice boss faces a tough task in overseeing a major squad overhaul on a shoestring budget, although that prospect would be significantly easier if Ward returns to his old stomping ground.

Many exciting names have been linked with a move to Palace in recent weeks, such as Kasper Dolberg, Victor Nelsson and Ismaila Sarr, but retaining their experienced players with bags of Premier League experience could be just as important in their battle to beat the drop next season.

Palace fans will be very, very happy about this news.

And, in other news…Crystal Palace announce transfer update that’ll surely leave fans buzzing 

An update has emerged on Tottenham centre-back Joe Rodon, regarding Brighton’s interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, Brighton have identified Tottenham centre-back Joe Rodon as a potential replacement for Ben White this summer. Graham Potter will need to bring in a defender if one of his current stars walks out of the AMEX and it seems as though he would like to reunite with his former Swansea colleague Rodon.

The report claims that the Seagulls are ready to pursue a permanent deal for the Welsh international. However, they would also be open to signing him on loan if Spurs are unwilling to part ways with him permanently.

Fans would be gutted

Fabio Paratici must avoid making a grave error following this update. The newly-appointed chief must keep hold of Rodon and refuse to allow him to join Brighton, especially on a permanent deal. With Nuno Santo coming through the door this summer, Rodon could have a chance to stake a claim for his place in the side and the Portuguese boss’ preferred formation could increase his chances of becoming a regular.

Santo lined up with three centre-backs, either in a three or a five, in 24 of Wolves’ 38 Premier League matches last season and all 38 of the games in the 2019/20 campaign. This suggests that he could look to employ a similar system in North London this year, which could open the door for Rodon play as one of the three central defenders in the team.

Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld all played more minutes in the Premier League for Spurs last season, but The Sun recently claimed that the club are open to selling any of those three this summer. Therefore, Rodon could become one of the three first-choice options in that area of the park.

Earlier this year, Jose Mourinho lavished praise on “brave” Rodon and refused to blame him for making a mistake in a Premier League clash with Liverpool as his overall performance was excellent.

He told the Evening Standard:

“He showed good personality, good concentration, was good on the ball. First half building well and going for duels. Not a coward for not to assume the duels, a brave boy to go for every duel, even against difficult opponents like they are.

Mourinho seemingly rated the £24k-per-week beast and saw potential in him at Tottenham. He did hand the centre-back 12 Premier League appearances, but opted to go with experience for the most part with a back four the most used formation for the club. This means that he was competing with Dier, Alderweireld and Sanchez for two spots in the team.

The fans would now be gutted if a promising young player is not offered the opportunity to show what he can do as part of a back three for Santo, given that the likes of Sanchez and Dier have hardly set the world alight.

Therefore, Paratici must reject any offers from Brighton – loan or permanent – for Rodon and keep him this summer. If it gets to January and he has not been able to force his way into the XI then they could reconsider their stance but for now, Rodon should stay.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Kane: Spurs must swoop for Nuno-approved beast compared to Haaland…

Hampshire’s James Adams is set to make his first-class debut in the vital relegation scrap against neighbours Sussex at Hove tommorrow. They also welcome back Nic Pothas and Alan Mullally both who have been sidelined due to injury recently.Adams who made his first-class debut earlier this season for British Universities v Sri Lankans will hope to bring the form that has seen him score an abundance of runs for the 2ndXI.Hampshire 12: Jason Laney, Neil Johnson, James Adams, Robin Smith (captain), John Francis, Will Kendall, Nic Pothas (wicket-keeper), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Shaun Udal, Alan Mullally, James Tomlinson, James Hamblin.

There is so much time left in this Test match and that is the key factor for both sides from here on

Anand Vasu19-Oct-2002There is so much time left in this Test match and that is the key factor for both sides from here on. At the end of the third day’s play, West Indies reached 186/4 and secured a slender lead of 37, but lost the vital wickets of Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the process. With two days left to play, India will now be keen to get into the West Indian tail soon and keep the target down to a minimum as batting last on this wicket will be difficult, even in the face of a modest target.It was a bit of a see-saw day for the Indians. Beginning the day on 190/5, they managed to reach 316 thanks to some positive batting from tail-enders Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath. Once again, the West Indies had a poor session in the field, grassing as many as five catches. This was one of the major factors in ensuring that the home team gained a first innings lead of 149.In the morning, the fall of VVS Laxman’s wicket, caught and bowled by Gareth Breese for 24 did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of India’s lower-order batsmen.Harbhajan, in particular, was effective with his unorthodox strokes. Helped by the fact that the West Indies took the second new ball and sent down several short deliveries, the offie swished, swatted and swiped his way to 37 off just 43 balls, with the help of five boundaries and a six. By the time Merv Dillon put one delivery in the right slot and knocked over Harbhajan’s stumps, India had reached 255.Parthiv Patel, stroking the ball well but failing to find the gaps, made a laboured 23 before charging down the wicket and being stumped off the bowling of Breese.Srinath, who had prospered in Patel’s company, though, ensured that the visitors’ gained little heart from the dismissal, continuing to clatter the ball to all parts. When the bowling was full, the bat came neatly down the line and sent the ball sailing over the off side field. Anything short wascross-batted through midwicket. Scoring a crucial 39, Srinath made his primary job as a bowler much easier.Little did he know how easy though. In just the fourth ball of the West Indies second innings, Chris Gayle slashed a Javagal Srinath delivery down Anil Kumble’s throat at third man. The opener was dismissed for a duck even before his team’s innings could kick off.But with Wavell Hinds, Gayle’s opening partner, and Ramnaresh Sarwan forging a 96-run partnership for the second wicket, his loss was soon forgotten. Hinds was aggressive for 61 but it was that trait that eventually brought about his downfall. Attempting to hit Harbhajan Singh over the top, against the spin, Hinds only managed to top edge the ball for Ganguly to complete an easy catch.For once Chanderpaul, who replaced him, fell early. Flicking on the up to a delivery that was full and on his pads, Chanderpaul (3) only managed to hit a Srinath delivery straight to Harbhajan at midwicket.Hooper, in majestic touch, though, did not allow the West Indies innings to stutter, hitting three boundaries and two spectacular sixes in an innings of 46, but fell in the 52nd over of the innings when he attempted to push Kumble through the off-side. The googly came back in a touch, kissed the glove and went to Parthiv Patel behind the stumps.Ramnaresh Sarwan, criticised so many times for getting good starts and not going on, has batted well to reach 62. He will, however, have to do a lot more work tomorrow. The elegant middle-order batsman has showed that he clearly had class. Yet that alone is hardly going to be enough for the visitors.Ryan Hinds is at the wicket with Sarwan, with Ridley Jacobs and Gareth Breese to follow. The trio of all-rounders have done little to show that they can stay at the wicket for extended periods. Ganguly will bank on this when he sets his bowlers on the West Indians early on the penultimate day. A confident Virender Sehwag said earlier in an interview, "”We should be able to force a result on the fourth day itself.” The trail-blazing opening batsman also said, “There is lot of bounce and turn in the wicket and in the first innings our spinners got eight wickets. A lead of 150 should be enough for us to win.”India missed a lead of 150 by a whisker but should still have enough firepower to wrap this game up on the fourth day.

أعلن الجهاز الإداري للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، غياب لاعبه عن مباراة إيسترن كومباني المقبلة في بطولة الدوري المصري.

وحقق الزمالك فوزًا غاليًا على المصري بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما باستاد الجيش ببرج العرب في إطار مباريات الجولة السادسة عشرة للمسابقة المحلية.

طالع أيضًا.. موعد مباراة الزمالك القادمة أمام إيسترن كومباني في الدوري

وأوضح الجهاز الإداري أن اللاعب يوسف إبراهيم أوباما سيغيب عن مباراة إيسترن كومباني في الدوري للإيقاف، بسبب تراكم البطاقات الصفراء.

وحصل أوباما على البطاقة الصفراء الثالثة في مباراة المصري التي أقيمت مساء الخميس.

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك يتصدر جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 38 نقطة.