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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe could be set to raid former club Bournemouth this summer, amid reports that the Magpies are interested in signing defender Jordan Zemura from the Vitality Stadium.

What's the latest on Zemura to Newcastle?

According to 90min, the Tynesiders are among a number of Premier League clubs who are said to be 'admirers' of the 23-year-old, with the Zimbabwe international facing an uncertain future with his current side with just a matter of months remaining on his existing deal.

As per the report, the 5 foot 8 gem was recently dropped by manager Gary O'Neil due to his ongoing contract dispute, with that situation having seemingly alerted clubs across the division to his potential availability.

The St James' Park hierarchy – including sporting director Dan Ashworth – may have a battle on their hands if they are to make a concrete approach any time soon, however, with West Ham United said to be currently leading the race for the player's signature.

Would Zemura be a good signing for Newcastle?

There will likely be a sense of Deja vu among Newcastle supporters regarding this potential interest in Zemura, with the northeast side having previously snapped up Ryan Fraser from Bournemouth on a free transfer back in the summer of 2020.

Much like Zemura, the Scotland international had endured a turbulent and somewhat toxic end to his time on the south coast having decided against signing a brief, short-term extension on his deal in order to continue playing in that Covid-impacted 2019/20 campaign, with Howe – who was in charge at the time – taking the decision not to call upon the diminutive speedster for the remainder of that season.

That "disgraceful" exit – as per Dorset Live's Daniel Davis – undoubtedly left a bad taste in the mouth among those of a Cherries persuasion, with Fraser having since been dealt a dose of Karma after struggling to make his mark at St James' Park, scoring just three goals and providing only six assists in 59 games in all competitions.

Those woes have been compounded by the fact that the 29-year-old has now been banished from the first-team squad by Howe, with it looking as if a summer exit is now an inevitability – bringing to an end a rather failed deal for all concerned.

With Newcastle still paying the price for that signing, there may be concern among Ashworth and co in enduring a repeat scenario by snapping up another contract rebel in the form of Zemura, particularly with the London-born ace rather inexperienced at the top level.

The one-time Charlton Athletic academy graduate has made 19 top-flight appearances so far this season and has averaged 2.1 tackles per game in that time, albeit while contributing just a solitary assist and recording an average match rating of only 6.57, as per Sofascore – the 18th worst rating among his teammates.

The promising talent did enjoy a positive campaign in the Championship last term – with former boss Scott Parker stating that he has a "lovely forward drive about him" – after scoring three goals and providing one assist, although has since racked up just a solitary goal involvement this time around.

Considering that the highly-coveted asset has hardly pulled up any trees this season – and bearing in mind the comparison to the Fraser deal – Newcastle may well be wise to refrain from pursuing a summer swoop.

تحدث مدرب أتلتيكو مدريد دييجو سيميوني بعد الفوز أمام خيتافي، وقبل مواجهة برشلونة بمنافسات الدوري الإسباني، وإمكانية منافسته على اللقب هذا الموسم.

وفاز أتلتيكو مدريد بهدف نظيف، ويحتل الفريق المركز الثاني بـ 38 نقطة متساويًا مع برشلونة المتصدر والذي يواجه ليجانيس مساء اليوم.

ويلتقي برشلونة وأتلتيكو مدريد في الجولة القادمة للدوري الإسباني وذلك يوم السبت المقبل.

وقال سيميوني في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “قبل المباراة كنت أتحدث مع اللاعبين عن الامتنان والاعتراف لأولئك الذين لم يبدأوا المباراة، هناك لاعبون مهمون جدًا يتنافسون بطريقة استثنائية، كما يظهر عندما يشاركون كبدلاء”.

وأضاف: “هذه هي قوتنا، من أجل المنافسة كما نريد، نحتاج أن يكون الجميع مشاركًا كما هم الآن، هذه هي أقوى نقطة لدينا”.

ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بعد هزيمة برشلونة أمام ليجانيس

وأشار لمركزه بالترتيب: “يجب أن نستمر مباراة بمباراة، لا توجد طريقة لرؤية وضعنا الحالي إلا من خلال العمل ومحاولة التحسن دائمًا، دعونا نرتاح قبل مواجهة برشلونة”.

وعن إدارة الفريق، أفاد: “أمثل نفسي بما أشعر به، وليس لدي التزام تجاه أي شخص، وهذا يظهر في كوكا، الذي كان لاعبًا مهمًا جدًا في مسيرتنا ويعرف أنه إذا كنا بحاجة إليه لمدة 20 دقيقة، سيدخل ويقوم بالعمل”.

وبشأن تعزيز الخطة أمام برشلونة في المواجهة القادمة، علّق: “لا أعرف كيف تعتقد أننا سنخطط لذلك، لكن إن كان جيدًا أم لا، فإن ذلك سيعتمد على النتيجة، التي هي ما ستحدد ذلك”.

وعن رؤيته كبطل، استطرد: “أنا مكرر، وممل، ولن أتغير، حتى آخر يوم سيكون مباراة بمباراة، إذا لم ننظر إليها من هذا المنظور، لن يكون هناك ضوء”.

وبشأن التغيير في الالتزام من الموسم الماضي إلى هذا الموسم، أوضح: “سؤال معقد تبحث فيه إذا كان الذين كانوا في السابق لم يقدموا كما يقدمون اليوم، أحيانًا يظهر ذلك وأحيانًا لا، لكن النتائج تظهر الآن”.

وحول الفوز بنتيجة 1-0، أتم: “دائمًا أقول إن أفضل نتيجة هي 1-0 لأنك تعمل جيدًا في الدفاع وتكون حاسمًا في الهجوم، إذا فزت 4-3 فهناك أشياء يجب مراجعتها، بالطبع أنا أحب النتائج الأفضل كما يحبها الجميع”.

Nottingham Forest have enjoyed an impressive start to the season, sitting in 9th place on six points from the first four games and being only merely beaten in visits to Arsenal and Manchester United.

Another busy summer saw the Reds make 13 new signings, including seven on deadline day, where they announced the signing of Ivorian midfielder, Ibrahim Sangare for £30 million – a new club record.

Perhaps a more underrated piece of business, however, was the signing of Anthony Elanga, who joined from Manchester United for a fee of around £15m.

What did Rio Ferdinand say about Antony Elanga?

Speaking on his YouTube channel FIVE, Ferdinand was full of praise for the former United dynamo.

He said:

“[Chelsea] got smoked by Elanga, one of the players [United] let go.

“Elanga has looked red-hot by the way, did you see what he did to Mudryk?

"He’s done well man, every game he’s had an impact since he’s been at Forest. He came on against [Arsenal] and set up the goal, then he scored against Chelsea and got the winner.

"This kid looks electric.”

Seemingly disagreeing with United’s decision to let the winger leave the club, Ferdinand has no doubt about Elanga’s “application and desire” to succeed in his new endeavours.

How did Elanga sign for Forest?

The Swedish whiz made his first-team debut for Manchester United in May 2021 and would score his first senior goal less than two weeks later against Wolves in the Premier League.

Elanga became a regular for United under Ralf Rangnick for the second half of the 2021/22 season, making 27 appearances and scoring three goals, including an unforgettable equaliser against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League knockout stages.

When Erik Ten Hag took over ahead of the 2022/23 season, Elanga lost his position in the starting eleven and made only five league starts over the season.

With his place in the national team at risk, the 21-year-old decided he needed to leave for a club that could offer him more game time, with the Daily Mail reporting in May that over 12 clubs around Europe were interested.

Eventually, Nottingham Forest announced the signing of Elanga in July, becoming their second signing of the summer.

How has Elanga performed for Forest so far?

Without having started in the league yet, the 21-year-old dynamo's impact has been instant.

He got his first assist after only two minutes of coming off the bench against Arsenal on the opening day.

This past weekend when Forest faced Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Elanga was introduced ahead of the second half with the scores level.

Within three minutes, he found space in behind the defence and placed the ball past Robert Sanchez, which would be the winning goal in a huge 1-0 win.

Just as Ferdinand said, he gave Mudryk – who cost a whopping £89m – a torrid afternoon in west London, as seen by the following clip that shows the Ukraine star getting beaten all ends up by an exceptional piece of skill.

Meanwhile, as per Sofascore, the Sweden international registered the second-highest rating in the match (7.7), having contributed three shots on target, three successful dribbles and a total of four duels won in just 45 minutes on the pitch.

Tricky Trees boss Steve Cooper will be looking for more of the same after the international break when his Forest outfit return to action with a clash to basement boys Burnley at the City Ground on September 18th.

Sunderland are running out of time to do some late transfer business, but they could still sign a Premier League player, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

Will Sunderland make late signings?

The Black Cats have made a fairly disappointing start to their Championship season, having come so close to finishing the playoff places last term. They have only picked up four points from as many matches, with just one win coming their way.

That came at home to Rotherham United earlier in the month, but they have suffered defeats to Ipswich Town and Preston North End, with their only draw a goalless stalemate at Coventry City last weekend. They have also been knocked out of the EFL Cup at the expense of Crewe Alexandra, so there isn't a huge amount of positivity at the club, with Tony Mowbray's job perhaps even under threat.

It could be that a host of players leave Sunderland before the summer transfer window reaches its conclusion on Friday night, with the likes of Ross Stewart, Patrick Roberts, Lynden Gooch, Alex Pritchard and Dan Neil all potentially moving on.

On the flip side, the hope is that some late incoming business is also in the pipeline, in order to improve the Black Cats' squad up until the January transfer, at the very least. Now, a new update has emerged that suggests they are pushing hard to do just that.

Who are Sunderland signing?

According to journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon [via Football League World], Sunderland are looking to complete the signing of Crystal Palace gem Jesurun Rak-Sakyi on Friday. They have reportedly expressed an interest in snapping him up in the recent past.

A loan move for the 20-year-old attacker is in the offing, although the Eagles are hesitant to sell him if they don't believe they have the required squad depth comes the deadline.

Rak-Sakyi would be a brilliant signing by Sunderland if they do manage to get a deal over the line on Friday, with a host of Championship clubs keen on him. Granted, he is still a very young player learning his trade, but he has made four first team appearances for Palace already, with three of those coming in the Premier League. He is also a five-time capped England Under-20 international, scoring once for his country along the way.

Rak-Sakyi has been described as "wonderful" by former Charlton Athletic manager Dean Holden this year, having spent an excellent season on loan at The Valley in 2022/23, scoring 15 goals and registering nine assists in 49 appearances.

That proves what an impact he can make in the Football League, and with regular starts unlikely to come his way in a Palace shirt over the next 12 month or so, it could be most beneficial for his development to move elsewhere for a temporary spell.

Sunderland would be acquiring the services of a special young talent who could produce attacking brilliance at the Stadium of Light, so the hope is that Palace's stance softens in the remaining hours of the transfer window, allowing the Black Cats to complete a significant piece of business.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will be aiming to end the transfer window on a high by adding another couple of players to a squad which is brimming with talent.

The Spaniard has lured Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans to Villa Park, despite the demand from much bigger teams and with Europa Conference League football to look forward to, it’s an exciting time for the supporters.

Emery isn’t resting on his laurels however as he could potentially make a swoop for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho before the window closes.

Could Aston Villa sign Jadon Sancho?

According to Caught Offside, Villa are considering a late approach to capture the Englishman in the last few weeks of the transfer window.

There are other Premier League teams interested in the former Borussia Dortmund starlet however, including teams from abroad and this could give Emery some food for thought regarding a potential move.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

Sancho cost United a staggering £73m in 2021 after shining in the Bundesliga for Dortmund, yet he has struggled to replicate that form for the Old Trafford side.

Erik ten Hag is reportedly open to letting him go, so long as a realistic offer is made and this could tempt Emery into testing the water with a bid.

What has happened to Jadon Sancho?

The 23-year-old emerged as one of the finest talents on the continent during his stint in Germany, registering an impressive 114 goal contributions – 50 goals and 64 assists – across just 137 games and upon moving to the Red Devils, it looked as though he would just get better.

The move hasn’t worked out as he scored just five goals during his first season and last term was plagued with a variety of issues. He missed the 2022 World Cup due to fitness and form concerns before missing a large chunk of club football.

Sancho didn’t make an appearance for United between October and January and it looks as though his days are numbered.

Emery could reignite the winger however, bringing him to an environment where there is considerably less pressure, forming a dangerous attacking duo alongside Diaby.

Like Sancho, the Frenchman saw the Bundesliga as his playground, scoring and grabbing assists for fun during his spell at Bayer Leverkusen, and he could take the Premier League by storm.

The former Paris Saint-Germain starlet ranked second across the squad for overall Sofascore rating while finishing top of the pile for goals and assists (17), big chances created (14) and third for successful dribbles per game (1.5).

These are impressive figures and the onus will be on him to shine in England. Sancho – lauded as a “phenomenon” by talent scout Jacek Kulig in 2021 – did rank fifth across the United squad for big chances created (six) and second for key passes per game (1.7), suggesting that even though he missed large chunks of action, he still contributed well.

The £350k-per-week dynamo may not have endured the greatest of times at Old Trafford, yet a change of scenery may just be the catalyst for him to return to his spellbinding best.

With Diaby prowling on the right wing, Sancho could add goals and assists from the left flank and Emery could have two genuinely world-class players supporting Ollie Watkins should he get his way in the next few weeks.

Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, says there will be no curfews imposed on his players in the wake of Ben Stokes’ arrest

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-20171:45

Getting drunk is the best form of team bonding – KP

Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, has confirmed that there will be no curfews imposed on his players during the forthcoming Ashes, but added that “sensible” guidelines have been drawn up in the wake of Ben Stokes’ arrest outside a Bristol nightclub last month.Speaking in Perth during England’s first nets session since arriving in Australia, Bayliss reiterated his long-held belief that personal responsibility is a key aspect of being a professional cricketer, and added that England’s players themselves had decided when is and isn’t acceptable to have a drink and enjoy the experience of being on tour.”Not drinking between matches is just sensible,” Bayliss told the BBC. “There’s been no set curfews. I think they’re just sensible rulings.”To me, they’re what we should be sticking to anyway as a player or someone around a professional set-up. The players have sat down and had a chat and they’re the ones that’ve come up with it.”With Stokes withdrawn from the tour pending further investigation into the incident outside Mbargo nightclub on September 25, and following the disciplining of three other players who had been out that night – Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball and Liam Plunkett -England’s captain, Joe Root, was forced to deny last week that the England team is beset by a drinking culture.But Bayliss believes that instilling a siege mentality in the wake of the Stokes incident would undermine England’s hopes of success in the Ashes.”We certainly don’t want to put too many curfews on them that keep them in their rooms,” he said. “It’s a long tour, you’ve got to get out and experience the country that you’re touring.”His comments echo the views of Kevin Pietersen, a three-times Ashes tourist, who last week told ESPNcricinfo that nights out on long tours were a vital factor in team bonding.”When we had the great tour Down Under in 2010-11, we had the most incredible couple of nights out at the start of that tour, which brought the team so close together,” Pietersen said. “I know that it sounds so stupid, but if you go and get hammered as a team on a night out – as senior and junior players – the bonds you can create there are better than any ridiculous sessions you can do in the forest in Germany.”Bayliss admitted that the aftermath of the Stokes arrest had been a “difficult time” for the team, but that their arrival in Australia had helped to focus their minds on the task at hand.”It’s a month ago now, and certainly the guys here in Australia have gone about their business and there hasn’t really been chat about it all,” he said. “Everyone’s been concentrating on what we need to do to win this series.”He conceded that Stokes’ absence was less than ideal but echoed Joe Root’s pre-departure statement that the team were preparing to be without the allrounder.”It’s something you’d much rather do without,” Bayliss said. “The Australian media will hammer away and try to put the pressure on in other areas as well. We have to try to deal with that and keep it separate from what we are doing on the practice field and in matches.”Root said the other day himself. They are concentrating on playing without him. If we worry too much about whether he is or he isn’t, that takes the focus off what we are doing. If we see that creeping in with the players, we will stop it as soon as we can. They are getting on with it well.”He also gave an indication of England’s thinking about how they would rebalance the side, with Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes set to move up the order in order to accommodate another bowler.”Having to replace Ben and the combination that we come up with requires doing a bit of both,” Bayliss said. “Personally I think we have to play a bowler in his place which makes our batting not quite as long but when you have Chris Woakes at No. 8, that’s probably the combination I’ve been after for a while.”Mooen Ali batting as low as No. 8 for the last couple of years I think that’s a waste. I think it’s something that as the team develops over the coming years, that’s a combination that we will get to. We have had problems at the top of the order so having Mo at eight and Woakes nine suited us. It’s been successful, so no problems there. Eventually Bairstow and Ali at six and seven and Woakes at eight is a combination England will end up with.”

Newcastle United are reportedly considering a move for Monaco centre-back Axel Disasi this summer as they prepare for a return to the Champions League.

After enjoying a remarkable 22/23 campaign, finishing fourth in the Premier League and reaching the Carabao Cup final, Eddie Howe's side are strengthening the various sections of the field to consolidate their return to European competition.

Midfielder Sandro Tonali has already been signed from AC Milan for £55m, but further work must be forged across the defensive and attacking thirds.

Could Newcastle sign Axel Disasi?

According to Caught Offside, Disasi's name remains on the list at St. James's Park after reports of the club's interest have surfaced over the past several weeks, with Manchester United also eyeing a deal.

The Ligue 1 giants would reportedly want around €40m (£34m), for the 25-year-old defender, which could be an affordable price for a talented ace – who is also out of contract in just two years' time.

Speaking to Caught Offside in a separate report, French football expert Jonathan Johnson has confirmed that the Frenchman is "strongly linked" to the Toon side, saying that he would "boost their Champions League aspirations."

How good is Axel Disasi?

While Newcastle did complete the 22/23 Premier League campaign with a joint-division strongest defence – alongside Manchester City (both 33 goals conceded) – Howe will know of the importance of bolstering the ranks to ensure the commendable progress made over the past several years does not stagnate.

And Disasi could be viewed as the perfect titan to enter the fray and cement a starting berth, having played an instrumental role for the Rouges et blancs over the past few seasons, forging 129 displays and being hailed as "complete & dominant" and a "hidden gem" by scout Jacek Kulig.

The four-cap France international – who made his debut at the 2022 World Cup – certainly seems to fit the mould of a top-class modern defender, with FBref ranking him among the top 7% of centre-backs for goals, the top 5% for assists, the top 4% for progressive passes and progressive carries, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 14% for interceptions per 90.

Effectively, what this suggests is that the £12k-per-week gem can contribute with a direct goal threat and can provide superlative support from deep with his ball-playing skills.

Intriguingly, Marseille's Chancel Mbemba is considered the 6 foot 3 mountain's most comparable player on FBref, which could tee Howe up to expunge the demons of the Magpies' failed signing of the Congolese star, who signed for £8m from Belgian team Anderlecht in 2015 and made 59 appearances on Tyneside before departing for Porto in 2018 for £7m.

The lion's share of Mbemba's outings in black and white came in the first of his three terms on English shores, where he played 33 league matches but failed to prevent United from suffering relegation from the top-flight – from that point on, a peripheral role was all the 28-year-old could muster.

The 69-cap international now ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for goals, the top 13% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for both progressive passes and progressive carries per 90, indeed cut from the cloth as Disasi.

While Mbemba's Newcastle career concluded long before Howe's arrival as manager, he could finally avenge the wayward signing by signing a new and improved version of what once seemed an astute buy for a prodigious talent.

Man United and Liverpool will not compete at the revamped Club World Cup in 2025 after the FIFA Council made a huge decision on Sunday.

Article continues below

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• United and Liverpool absent from 2025 CWC
• Arsenal have slim hope
• City and Chelsea already qualified

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  At a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the FIFA Council decided that no more than two clubs from the same nation can take part in the tournament. The revamped Club World Cup will take place in the United States, starting on June 15 and concluding on July 13.

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  THE EXPLANATION

  12 European clubs will qualify for the competition, including the winners of the UEFA Champions League from 2021 to 2024. Chelsea and Manchester City were crowned European champions in 2021 and 2023 respectively, meaning they have already secured the two English spots. The only way three English teams can take part is if Arsenal win this season's Champions League. Therefore, United and Liverpool are guaranteed to miss out.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Along with City and Chelsea, Real Madrid will feature in the US thanks to winning the Champions League in 2022. Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto and Benfica are guaranteed to be five of the other eight European sides that qualify through UEFA rankings based on historic performances in the Champions League.

  The 2025 CWC will feature eight groups of four teams, with two sides from each group progressing to the last-16. United and Liverpool will now miss out on a potential prize fund of up to £50 million ($63m).

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  WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED AND LIVERPOOL?

  The two Premier League giants will hope to be involved in the following edition of the expanded Club World Cup in 2029. In the meantime, Liverpool will focus on trying to topple City's Premier League dynasty while United attempt to keep pace with European football's elite.

The BCCI has done a u-turn on the appointments of Zaheer Khan as bowling consultant and Rahul Dravid as overseas Test batting consultant

Sidharth Monga15-Jul-20171:39

‘It was a recommendation, not an appointment’ – Vinod Rai

The BCCI has done a u-turn on the appointments of Zaheer Khan as bowling consultant and Rahul Dravid as overseas Test batting consultant; the appointments were announced on July 11.Now, the chairman of the committee of administrators (CoA) has said those were mere recommendations that needed action from the CoA “in consultation with the head coach”. Ravi Shastri, India’s new head coach, meanwhile, is set to get his own support staff as that has been decided “in consultation with the head coach already”.As for Dravid and Zaheer, yet another committee has been formed to decide if they are needed at all, and terms of engagement if they are. The committee, comprising acting BCCI president CK Khanna, secretary Amitabh Choudhary and CoA member Diana Edulji, will have a meeting with Shastri. The meeting will be convened by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri.This is yet another process after a month-long farcical drama finally ended with a definitive BCCI release on July 11. It said, “The BCCI announces the appointment of Mr. Ravi Shastri as the Head Coach, Mr. Zaheer Khan as the Bowling Consultant and Mr. Rahul Dravid who will be the Overseas Batting Consultant (Test cricket) for the Indian Cricket Team.” It was followed by praise for the appointees and gratitude for the cricket advisory committee (CAC) comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, who had been tasked with identifying the new coach. The release was signed by Choudhary.

Other decisions made on Saturday

• Advertisement to be released inviting applications for the jobs of administrative managers of the India, India A and India Under-19. The deadline for applications for the senior team is July 21, and the manager’s term will be one year. The manager will be a college graduate, and will preferably be a first-class or international cricketer who has preferably “successfully” managed a state team in India or an international team. Alternatively the candidate could hold at least 10 years of work experience in public or private sector. “Sound knowledge of cricket and playing conditions” will be non-negotiable.

• The committee of Khanna, Choudhary, Edulji and Johri will decide on the India manager on July 22 in Delhi. Before that it will meet Shastri in July 18 and finalise coaching requirements and appointments, and also the financial terms of the coaches’ contracts.

• To ensure proper co-ordination and implementation, the CoA has now decided to invite the BCCI office bearers to its meetings.

On July 13, an unnamed source from the CoA – which was about to be reduced from three to two members – was quoted as saying that the CAC had exceeded its brief in appointing the two consultants. On the same day, the CAC wrote an email to the CoA expressing its displeasure, and saying it had appointed Dravid and Zaheer after discussions with Shastri.On July 15, the CoA met some BCCI officials in Delhi, and then its head Vinod Rai confirmed the u-turn. “There is no such thing as a contract yet,” Rai said, when asked if the appointments of Zaheer and Dravid had been put on hold. “It is not an appointment. The recommendation has been made. And the CoA has to act on the recommendation. That recommendation will be acted upon in consultation with the head coach.”When asked if Shastri had demanded his own support staff, Rai said: “The support staff has been decided in consultation with the head coach already. There is going to be a core support staff, which will be fielding, batting and bowling, which has been decided. Any other ancillary etc, he [Shastri] will be coming back tomorrow [from England] and we will decide.”It has been widely reported that Shastri wants B Arun back as the bowling coach. Arun, Shastri’s team-mate from Under-19 and India days, was India’s bowling coach during Shastri’s previous stint as team director too.Rai’s latest assertions, though, go against yet another BCCI release, titled “COA hails CAC coach recommendation”, sent on July 12. The email was not signed by any person, but it said, “The Cricket Advisory Committee has made its recommendation regarding the coach. It is a comprehensive recommendation covering all aspects of the coaching requirement of any team. They have applied themselves to the cause at hand with dedication and commitment. This is exactly what we had expected from a committee of such distinguished cricketers. On behalf of all interested in ‘Cricket India’, BCCI and the COA, I thank them for the service so willingly rendered by them. We accept their recommendation in totality.”The release went on to use the term “new combination”. “Now that they have made the choice, we sincerely feel that the new combination will steward the team to number 1 position in the World Cup,” the release said. “We need to put the immediate past events to rest and wish the team, the Captain, coach and support staff a very ‘happy Innings’ in the run up to the World Cup.”The BCCI’s tweets on July 11:

The CoA’s role in the coach-appointment saga has been curious to say the least. On July 10, the day the candidates were interviewed, the CAC had announced in a press conference that it needed more time and more consultation with captain Virat Kohli before it could decide on the coach. The following morning, though, various BCCI officials confirmed that they were asked by the CoA to announce the name of the new coach “as soon as possible”. The name of Shastri as new coach was then announced late on July 11.”I don’t know what exactly happened because I was not in the country at that time,” Rai said about the sudden change in timelines. “The CAC decided to decide the next day; they made the announcement.”When asked if the CoA had given any instructions, Rai said, “We need not go into the details of any of those things. There was a process, that process was followed, and the announcement was made well in time.”Explaining the CoA’s role in the whole matter following the announcement of the appointments, Rai insisted on calling them “recommendations”.”Recommendations have come to the CoA, it will be discussed with the office bearers, and it is only courtesy that we discuss with the head coach as to who the other coaches should be,” he said.When told of the CAC’s displeasure with the new turn of events, especially because, according to the CAC, it had consulted Shastri before making its choices, Rai confirmed Shastri had indeed been consulted, but only by the CAC.”It is a fact that he was consulted,” Rai said. “There was some conversation that took place. I can’t clarify on that because I was not a part of it. We didn’t know. We had left it entirely to the CAC to decide, we were told that he was consulted, but since we were not privy to it…”When asked about the CAC’s letter to the CoA, which expressed severe disappointment with the media reports attributed to the CoA, Rai neither denied nor confirmed receiving such correspondence. “CAC members have corresponded a lot with the CEO, and me also,” he said. “Some of the emails have come to me, some have been copied to me. We reacted to each one of those things.”Rai went on to add that they needed to check if Dravid and Zaheer were in conflict of interest if given these roles. “The fact of the matter is they have made a recommendation,” Rai said. “Before we put that recommendation into fact, we have to find out conflict-of-interest issues, their willingness issues, their availability issues. We have to do that.”When asked if the CAC hadn’t already spoken to the two, Rai said, “They may have spoken; we haven’t. Rahul, I am sure, is engaged elsewhere. Zaheer is also engaged elsewhere. So we have to ascertain their availability.”

Chelsea "really, really like" AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan and are interested in bringing the player to the Premier League, but the deal itself is "really tough" to get done, claims journalist Ben Jacobs.

Chelsea transfer news – what's the latest on Mike Maignan?

The Blues have been having something of a fire sale in recent weeks, with players like N'Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly joining the Saudi Pro League, whilst Mason Mount and Kai Havertz have moved to Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively.

Among the players bidding farewell to Stamford Bridge is Champions League-winning goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who has also opted to join the Middle East's burgeoning super league, joining Al-Ahli.

That move has left Kepa Arrizablaga as the club's undisputed number one, but based on recent reports, it appears that the club does not have the most faith in the Spaniard.

According to the Telegraph, Chelsea are 'considering a move' for the French international, despite manager Mauricio Pochettino's 'willingness to start the season with Kepa.'

If the Blues are serious about securing the keeper's signature, they will have to stump up some serious cash, as transfers expert Fabrizio Romano revealed earlier this month that Milan have priced their player at over €55m.

What has journalist Ben Jacobs said about Mike Maignan to Chelsea?

Jacobs explained that the interest and admiration from the West London club is genuine.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "Mike Maignan is someone that Chelsea really, really like, but it's a really tough deal to do with Milan."

Would Mike Maignan be a good signing for Chelsea?

While Kepa has certainly improved for Chelsea over the last 18 months, Maigan would be a brilliant signing for the Blues and a real step up in terms of quality.

According to WhoScored, Milan's shot-stopping extraordinaire had a brilliant season in Serie A last year, averaging a rating of 6.64 across his 22 games.

The Cayenne-born "monster" – as described by journalist Robin Bairner – looks even more impressive when you look at his underlying numbers.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the Frenchman is in the top 8% for saved penalty kicks, the top 11% for goals against, and the top 22% for clean.

If that wasn't enough FBref also considers both Alisson and Ederson to be within the five most similar goalkeepers to Maignan, hardly bad company to keep.

If Chelsea can, they certainly should get this deal done, even if AC Milan want a king's ransom.