Aston Villa are now in talks with Barcelona over a permanent deal for Philippe Coutinho, according to 90Min’s Graeme Bailey.
The lowdown
In January, Coutinho moved from Catalonia to the Midlands on a short-term loan. Under the agreement, Villa reportedly have the option to buy the Brazilian for £33million at the end of the season.
Coutinho has scored four goals and provided three assists in his first ten appearances in claret and blue.
Only two players – Danny Ings (ten) and Ollie Watkins (eight) – have recorded more goal involvements over the entire season for Villa.
The latest
Bailey wrote on Twitter that ‘Aston Villa [are] in talks’ with Barcelona as they bid to sign Coutinho long-term.
In his attached story, he writes that the player’s form has caught the eye of ‘rival Premier League clubs’ but Villa are ‘optimistic’ that they can overcome any hurdles and win the race.
Those hurdles include Coutinho’s near £500,000-per-week salary (including bonuses) – the 29-year-old apparently knows he’ll have to take a pay cut if he’s to secure a move to Villa Park.
Villa are looking to wrap up a deal in advance of the summer so they can move on to other priorities.
The verdict
Gerrard called Coutinho ‘magical’ during their time together at Liverpool, which lasted two and a half years.
His 54 goals for the Reds included one against Villa in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley, though Tim Sherwood’s side did go on to win the game 2-1.
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To this day, Gerrard continues to fawn over the attacking midfielder, recently describing him as both a ‘quality footballer’ and ‘a great human being’, so you’d imagine that he’s pushing the club very hard to clinch the deal and see off any competitors.
The 41-year-old will also be well aware that Villa will be an even more attractive proposition for future targets if they have the former Ballon D’Or nominee on their books – players may relish the chance to link up with him.
In other news, Villa have been linked with this audacious free agent swoop.
Sachin Tendulkar could have a stake in the ownership of the Mumbai team that will be part of the Indian Premier League (IPL), according to reports in the media.The Kishore Biyani-owned Future Group, which has expressed an interest in becoming a franchisee of the IPL, is in talks with Tendulkar to jointly bid for the Mumbai side, a report in the said.The Future Group and the Manipal Group, the report said, have already entered into a joint venture with Tendulkar for their new sports initiative; the launch of a variety of products in the health supplement, sports goods, fitness equipment and lifestyle accessories categories.The products are set to be marketed under names S Drive and Sach, which would be retailed across the multiple Future Group formats like Big Bazaar, Central, Planet Sports and Manipal Cure & Care.A stake in the Mumbai team would ensure Tendulkar a fixed fee on an annual basis and a variable component depending on the team’s profits. It would also mean that the team could use Tendulkar’s presence to attract other cricketers.However, Future Group and Tendulkar’s management team have both brushed aside these suggestions.Rajiv Shukla, BCCI vice-president and a member of the IPL’s governing council, also ruled out the possibility of Tendulkar owning a team. “He [Tendulkar] is playing, so where does the question of buying a team comes from? When someone is playing, how can he buy a team?” Shukla told Times Now, a news channel. MP Pandove, the BCCI’s joint secretary, expressed similar views: “Any player contracted with the board can’t have stakes in participating teams.”The IPL is scheduled to be held next April and the sale of its television rights in the near future is expected to see stiff competition. The IPL governing council has invited three broadcasters – ESPN-Star, Nimbus Sports and Sony Entertainment Television – for a presentation concerning the rights on November 17.
Are you planning to travel to the Caribbean? Tell us what you think about this issueLast week we ran two articles highlighting that under new rules, visitors to the Caribbean from a number of countries participating in the World Cup – in particular India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand – will need to obtain a new US$100 visa. The authorities maintain this will allow for easier travel between islands and also help to increase security, although critics are unimpressed with a scheme they regard as expensive and unlikely to be implemented in time.On Sunday, Mike Agostini, who had been Trinidad and Tobago’s honorary consul in Australia since 1981 until his resignation earlier this month, spoke of the farce regarding the issue of the visas in Australia, highlighting that the assurances of speedy and efficient processing are just not real and that those hoping to watch games in the Caribbean face some major difficulties. Here is a selection of your feedback. If you want to add to the debate, click here
This visa scheme is a racket invented by conniving politicians to earn fuss-free money. As a Trinidadian and a member of the Caribbean community, I am often ashamed at the shenanigans of the authorities. This one is among the lowest scams and if I were a foreigner visiting to see the World Cup, I would combine with other countries to remove the visa requirement. NickMates and I plan to follow the Australian team through the entire tournament, and have managed to secure tickets and transport without any hassle at all, but this visa, which has been implemented seemingly at the last minute, is proving a nightmare. As an Australian based in the UK I can’t even get an answer whether I can apply here or have to send my passport to the non-existent Sydney office. Shambolic. I just hope it’s not a sign of things to come during the tournament. It certainly isn’t boding well. Dave MiddletonThe CARICOM visa thing is an absolute shambles and a farce. I travel internationally for work and I cannot hand my passport over for three weeks to another authority to get it stamped, which means I am completely at the mercy of the Sydney office being set up and operational. And even then, I cannot confirm on the CARICOM website whether or not they will need to hold my passport for processing or whether they only need to see it once before stamping it after processing. To make matters worse for me, my partner and I are getting married afterwards in the Caribbean so any failings here will not only stuff up our Cricket World Cup plans, but possibly some very expensive wedding and honeymoon plans. Chris RiedigerThe new visa system is so confusing. I really do not know whether we can even make it – especially for us who are in US but hold Indian passports. Looks like we can not visit the usual spots in Caribbean. It is so frustrating we – a group of four – plan to cancel the whole trip and watch it on TV. VenkyI plan on attending two games in Trinidad during the World Cup. The visitor visa charge to visit Trinidad is $8 and why should I play $100 when I do not intend to visit other islands? RamaThis Visa issue in the Caribbean is an absolute joke. Whilst I can understand the need for security, I think it is just a huge revenue raising ploy. Ewan J DixonI do not understand the visa requirement. Generally Caribbean is very lenient on visa requirements due to their tourism industry and now all of a sudden they are charging $100 for a visa. I believe the process of getting the visa is worse. I made hotel arrangements and tickets for two super eight games, I have not applied for visa, specially after hearing of all the problems. Simple solution is pay $50-100 fee and get the visa at the airport. I hope they sort it out soon. Ahmed
Information on the issuing sites, visa application form and the Instruction Sheet are available on IMPACS website at: www.caricomimpacs.org.
The annual central contracts for Indian cricketers were announced today, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India announcing a three-tier structure for 15 players.As expected Irfan Pathan was the only addition to the premier Group A category while Zaheer Khan, selected for the Pakistan tour, was demoted from Group B to Group C. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was given a central contract and was slotted in Group B while Parthiv Patel’s contract was not renewed. Ashish Nehra and Lakshmipathy Balaji, the former contracted players, were also ignored while Murali Kartik, who was not picked for the Pakistan tour, was retained in Group C. Gautam Gambhir was included in Group C, replacing Aakash Chopra from last year’s contract.At the moment the BCCI has allocated 26% of total profits towards payment of players’ salaries. Of this, 13% goes towards payments to the national team, while 13% goes to payments of domestic cricketers, cricketers who go on A-tours etc. It is expected that the premier slab A will fetch Rs 80 lakh to 1 crore (previously Rs 50 lakh), the second slab Rs 60-70 lakh (previously 35 lakh) and the last slab Rs 30-40 lakh (previously 20 lakh).Player contract detailsGroup A:Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan PathanGroup B:Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ajit AgarkarGroup C:Murali Kartik, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer khanLast season’s contractsGroup A:Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh.Group B:Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Lakshmipathy Balaji.Group C:Parthiv Patel, Aakash Chopra, Murali Kartik.
Most of the Indian cricketers have a high level of motivation and mental strength, but the inability of the set-up to allow players to make mistakes and learn from them is the biggest roadblock to their progress – these were some of the revelations of a report by Sandy Gordon, a sports psychologist at the University of Western Australia.Gordon spoke to The Times of India about the findings of a study he conducted with current and former Indian cricketers over an 18-month period from July 2003. “Every player that I interviewed has a very high level of motivation and commitment which goes a long way in being mentally tough. Though they are different individuals, there were more similarities than dissimilarities that came up during my discussions.” The report mentioned the names of 14 players who Gordon spoke to, including Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and former players like Bishan Bedi, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar.Talking about the biggest flaw in the Indian cricketing system, Gordon said: “Indians are far too intolerant of mistakes. Players should be allowed to make mistakes. They need to try and fail and then try again. This gives them motivation and resilience. Right now, if a player performs poorly – doesn’t take too many wickets or scores a couple of ducks – the Indian selectors are most likely to drop him. The player knows this too. That shouldn’t be the case. If India want mentally tough players, they need to learn to be patient and give the players a chance.”Gordon also talked about the Australian system to highlight his point: “There are plenty of examples in Australian cricket where players made mistakes but bounced back because the selectors stuck with them.”In his interviews with the Indian players, Gordon asked them their views on how mental resilience could be developed. “Most players thought that mental toughness cannot be taught. You can’t teach it in a classroom, and neither are you born with it. It’s something that you develop, and we have to develop that environment for them to become resilient.”Gordon was involved with the Indian players during the 2003 World Cup and on their tour to Australia in 2003-04, and was instrumental in introducing the celebratory huddle in the field every time the Indians took a wicket. Many players admitted that Gordon’s technique of having the cricketers stay positive had a huge role to play in India’s journey to the finals of the World Cup. With a view to having the upcoming players pick up these techniques at an early age, the board also had Gordon work out a specific programme for the National Cricket Academy, highlighting the ways in which the players training there can work on the mental aspect of their games.Gordon also revealed that he was doing a similar study for the Australian board as well. “The Aussies don’t lack in mental toughness. Cricket Australia’s reason for doing this study is to see how the bar can be raised. I’ve already interviewed four of the 21 players – Steve Waugh, Trevor Hohns, David Boon and Greg Chappell – and I must say the results are very interesting.”
CloseAuckland 317-8 (T McIntosh 96, S Singe 57, C Pryor 57*, J Ryder 4-14, M Orchard 2-65, W Cornelius 2-72) met New Zealand Academy Selection.Auckland gave another demonstration of its latent batting depth on the opening day of their two-day match with the New Zealand Academy Selection at Lincoln Green at the High Performance Centre yesterday. Despite the fact their regular openers Matt Horne (injured) and Mark Richardson (playing for the Selection XI) were not playing, Tim McIntosh and Shane Singe put on 165 for the first wicket.Auckland ended the day on 317-8 with McIntosh, who scored 820 runs in first-class cricket last summer, falling four short of a century. The stand was an impressive one, built on well-run singles before the more free-flowing batting started to emerge. The Academy attack of Shane Bond, Wade Cornelius and Mark Orchard could make no early impression and Aaron Redmond’s leg-spin was brought into action for the 25th over.But nothing could stop the batsmen. McIntosh’s 50 came off 100 balls and the century partnership off 172 balls. Singe had a life just before the lunch break when Auckland had 116 without loss. Singe’s half-century was scored of 122 balls. On 96 McIntosh latched onto a short ball from Cornelius but was taken at square-leg. He had faced 161 balls. A double breakthrough occurred when Singe was caught behind by Bevan Griggs off Cornelius for 57.Cornelius had taken 2 for 15 off five overs in his post-lunch spell while Orchard took 2 for 15 off nine overs to further stem the run flow from Auckland. While Bond and Cornelius took the new ball they had no more luck and it was left to Jesse Ryder to come in and pick up three quick wickets, and nearly a fourth, before the day ended.
Karnataka pulled off a three-wicket win against Delhi in the finals of the HSBC National Cricket Tournament for the Blind at the SPIC-YMCA ground in Chennai. The final was the obverse of the last league match between the same two teams yesterday at the Southern Railway Ground, a match that was won by Delhi. Shekar Nayak was the chief architect of today’s victory with a majestic ton.Delhi won the toss and decided to bat first, echoing yesterday’s decision. They scored 291 for the loss of nine wickets in the allotted 40 overs. Delhi openers Ram Karan and Pratap Bisht batted splendidly and added a mammoth 177 for the first wicket before the former fell to a direct hit from Manjunath after making 65 (74 balls, 3×4). Bisht made 39 (110 balls, 1×4), but his effort contributed 78 runs to the team score as he was completely blind.Barring Sunil Kadyan, the rest of Delhi’s batsmen failed to impress; Kadyan remained unbeaten on 40 off just 36 deliveries with two hits to the ropes. The Karnataka bowlers continued with their habit of gifting extras, with 53 wides and 25 no-balls featuring in the 86 extras. Manjunath was the pick of the Karnataka bowlers with three for 33 from his eight overs. Mahesh had a good day in the field, picking up two wickets and also effecting two stumpings.Chasing 292, Karnataka reached the target with just 11 balls to spare. Shekar Nayak was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match for his mammoth 161 off 138 balls with 13 fours. He won the match singlehandedly for Karnataka today, with the extras (62) being the next highest individual score.Nethraj gave good company to Nayak and scored 20 runs and contributing 40 to the team total. Like the Delhi middle order, the Karnataka middle order too failed to score runs. In fact, towards the end, Karnataka lost wickets in a hurry. When even Nayak was dismissed, Ravikumar held his nerve and made an important run-a-ball 17 not out. For Delhi, Gaur, Ram Karan and Ramesh Kumar picked a wicket each.Nayak also won the Man of the Series award in the partially sighted category for his consistent performances through the four days of the tournament. Bisht was the Man of the Series in the totally blind category and Mahesh in the partially blind category.The awards ceremony after the match was presided over by Ashok Kumbhat, Honorary Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Prakash Kuruvilla, Senior Manager – South India, HSBC, was the chief guest, and he handed over the trophies and prizes. Badri Seshadri, MD, CricInfo India Pvt. Ltd., offered a speech of thanks at the end of the ceremony, bringing to an end a tournament that should go a long way in promoting the worthwhile cause of blind cricket.
Chris Nevin and James Franklin make an odd couple – the former short, stocky and with a batting approach which mixes urgency and pugnacity; the other tall, more languid and more fluent, an easy shot-maker.Again, the former keeps wicket, bats left-handed and has added to his rounded first-class experience which affords local seniority a number of one-day appearances for New Zealand.The other is right-handed, bowls probing medium pace and is in the infancy of a career which holds great promise. He has opened the bowling and the batting for New Zealand Under-19s but is still finding his way in the domestic first-class game.However, the two found much in common today when, as comrades in arms – partners in defiance – they achieved complementary though dissimilar half centuries for Wellington against New South Wales on the second day of a two-day match at the Basin Reserve.Nevin was Wellington’s top-scorer with 83, Franklin made 63 and in company they added 141 for the fifth wicket in a stubborn partnership which spanned lunch and tea and made Wellington’s total broad-shouldered after it had slumped.There was little swagger in their batting, more cold purpose and application but with their added impetus Wellington reached 337-6 in their first innings, replying to New South Wales’ first-day total of 387. Both teams batted into the 100th over.Wellington found themselves unable to overhaul New South Wales’ total today – could neither keep continuous pace with the demands of that target nor replicate the late onslaught which so much enlarged the visitors’ innings in the last hour yesterday. The result could be counted in New South Wales’ favour on the first innings.But in Nevin’s effort and in Franklins’, in Matthew Bell’s solid 46 and Richard Jones’ quickly-compiled 40, in Matthew Walker’s accomplished 53 late in the innings and Mark Jefferson’s 37, Wellington found some solace and some satisfaction.The match was designed to give them a leg up into the Shell Trophy series which begins next week and there was enough in the batting form of the middle order, the bowling performances of Mark Gillespie and Jeetan Patel, to make it a success in that regard.Nevin and Franklin came together in the 32nd over today, shortly before lunch and at the termination of Bell’s fine innings when Wellington were 100-4. They saw them through lunch at 119-4, to 173 by the afternoon drinks break and to 225 at tea when Nevin was 77 and Franklin 52.Then, as so often happens with long partnerships in which two players become almost co-dependent, Franklin was out and Nevin followed shortly afterwards.Franklin was caught by spinner Matthew Higgs from his own bowling when Wellington were 241 and Nevin fell to the same bowler two overs and eight runs later, caught by Shane Lee at first slip.Franklin had batted 192 minutes and faced 168 balls, hitting nine fours and Nevin had batted 170 minutes, received 146 balls and peppered the boundary rope with 13 fours. The partnership had occupied a total of 162 minutes.Nevin was quicker to his half century. He reached that mark in 98 minutes from 88 balls while Franklin laboured 182 minutes and took 157 balls. Both 50s included eight boundaries.The combination provided, throughout the day, a study in differing styles. Franklin, uses his height well, gets over the ball in his preferred cut shot and uses his long legs in controlling his front foot shots to the off side.Nevin has the short man’s habit of jumping to counter bounce and his shots are arguably more deliberate and more brutal.Before their partnership Bell and Jones had added 74 for Wellington’s second wicket after Michael Blackmore had been out without scoring to the fifth ball of the day. There were hazards in the early part of Jones’ innings but he showed nerve, eventually commanding the bowling to take 40 runs from 56 balls with six fours.Bell applied himself for almost two hours before lunch, taking 46 from 90 balls before being stumped by Greg Mail from Higgs.Later, Walker and Jefferson joined in an unbeaten partnership of 88 runs for the seventh wicket – a stand occupying little more than an hour. Walker finished 53 not out and had to his name, from 77 balls, a total of 10 fours and one six. Jefferson hit four fours in his supportive role.Higgs was the most successful of the New South Wales bowlers, taking 3-69 from 20 overs.The teams meet again tomorrow in a day-night match at the WestpacTrust Stadium. Play begins at 2pm.
West Ham are still interested in signing Benfica forward Darwin Nunez this summer according to reports.
What’s the news?
Popular journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted that the Hammers could be back in for the striker in the next transfer window, saying: “Darwin Núñez will be another big name to watch in the summer.
“West Ham made an official bid for him on Deadline Day in Jan: €48m [£40.4m] turned down by Benfica. Hammers alongside other clubs will be back in the summer for Núñez, this time with good chances.”
Potential gem of a signing
West Ham could find themselves in a European competition again next season, which will most likely result in a summer transfer window full of investment from Co-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold.
Currently with just Michail Antonio the only natural striker in the first team squad, that position is one area that is likely to be strengthened at the end of the season – particularly if the club is to endure midweek ventures deep into the continent once again next campaign. Therefore, should a new face arrive to bolster their ranks, it will surely leave supporters delighted, especially if it’s a player of Nunez’s capabilities.
One man that could sign to not only give Antonio support, but also competition to try and take his place in the first team is Nunez, who scored for his club yesterday to knock out Ajax in the Champions League.
Nunez has been one of the best up and coming strikers in Europe this season, scoring 20 goals in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, making him the top goalscorer in the division, despite having made just 19 starts.
The 22-year-old’s positional intelligence, technical ability and work ethic has helped him to earn plenty of goalscoring chances, and despite having improved on his finishing massively, the forward has also missed 14 big chances in league football – suggesting there is still plenty more improvement to be made.
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However, that will be viewed as a positive by manager David Moyes, as despite the former Almeria youngster not yet being a polished product, he would already improve West Ham greatly, and with plenty of game-time in the English top-flight, he could realise his potential and become one of the top strikers in the world while playing at the London Stadium.
In other news: Signed for £15m, now worth 170% more: WHU struck gold on “superb” £47k-p/w “master”