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Liverpool extended their winning run to three matches in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Saturday.

The Reds, however, are still ten points behind league leaders Arsenal in their defence of their Premier League crown, which means that there is still a lot of work to be done for them to retain the title.

One of Arsenal’s top performers this season has, of course, been England international Declan Rice, who has scored two goals and provided three assists, per Sofascore, whilst also winning 55% of his duels.

The 26-year-old star’s consistent performances in the middle of the park, with his play in and out of possession, have helped the Gunners to their place at the top of the table.

Liverpool submit bid to sign new midfielder

Now, the Reds are reportedly looking to bring in a new midfielder who could be Arne Slot’s own version of the former West Ham United talent.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to a report from Spain, Liverpool are pursuing a deal to sign Eduardo Camavinga from Real Madrid ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Premier League champions have already submitted an offer of £61m in an attempt to land the France international to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

However, it adds that Real Madrid do not want to lose the left-footed star ahead of the second half of the season, which makes it an incredibly difficult deal for Liverpool to complete in January.

The Spanish giants view Camavinga as a key player and are not actively looking to cash in on the Frenchman, so the Reds may need to significantly up their offer to secure his services.

Why Liverpool should push to sign Eduardo Camavinga

Slot should push the club to keep trying to sign the Real Madrid star, despite the Spanish team’s current stance, because the midfielder could be his own version of Declan Rice.

Camavinga, like the English superstar, is an incredibly well-rounded central midfielder who has the potential to dominate matches in and out of possession.

Based on their statistics over the past 365 days, as shown in the chart above, both Camavinga and Rice excel in several areas of the game, which shows that they can impact matches in multiple ways, rather than being specialist one-trick ponies.

The France international, who was hailed as a “duel monster” by analyst Raj Chohan, is brilliant in his individual duels, winning 70% of his ground duels in LaLiga so far this season, per Sofascore.

However, per FBref, Camavinga also ranks within the top 20% of midfielders for progressive passes (6.33) per 90 and the top 4% for successful take-ons (1.93) per 90, which shows that he is also exceptional in possession to go along with his defensive qualities.

Like Rice, the Real Madrid star has won 50% or more of his duels on the ground and in the air, per Sofascore, which could make him an upgrade on Alexis Mac Allister in the middle of the park for Liverpool.

25/26 season

Camavinga (LaLiga)

Mac Allister (Premier League)

Appearances

12

17

Goals

1

0

xA

0.89

0.82

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.2

1.6

Dribbled past per game

0.6x

0.9x

Ground duel success rate

70%

47%

Aerial duel success rate

56%

42%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Argentine midfielder has been a lightweight in the Premier League so far this season, losing the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air.

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The former Brighton star has not made up for that with quality on the ball, with no goals and less xA than Camavinga, which suggests that the Frenchman would arrive at Anfield as a much better option in a box-to-box midfield role.

These statistics suggest that the Real Madrid midfielder could improve Slot’s team by adding more quality in and out of possession in the middle of the park, as a replacement for Mac Allister.

That is why Liverpool should be pushing hard to strike an agreement with Real Madrid for the former Rennes midfielder, because he could be Slot’s own Rice and an upgrade on Mac Allister, based on his impressive performances for the Spaniards.

Related Saved by Wirtz: Slot must finally sell Liverpool flop who lost 100% duels

Liverpool secured another shaky win in the Premier League against bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Posts 4 ByAngus Sinclair

It is now down to the club to improve their offer and present the LaLiga giants with a bid that is too good for them to turn down in the January transfer window.

ScorecardAll-round heroics from captain Suhrawadi Shuvo and Dolar Mahmud saw Bangladesh Under-19 edge their Pakistani counterparts by two wickets in Karachi and clinch the five-ODI series 3-2, one that Pakistan were leading 2-0.After choosing to bat, Pakistan were rocked by some early blows from the Bangladesh opening bowlers. Mahmud removed the dangerous Ahmed Shehzad for 10 and also took the wicket of Umar Amin, who struggled throughout this series. Rubel Hossain chipped in with two more and when Ali Asad fell to Subashis Roy, Pakistan were tottering at 54 for 5.Umair Mir and Usman Salahuddin added 63 for the sixth wicket but three strikes from Shuvo, Bangladesh’s most effective bowler in the series, saw the Pakistan innings fold for 187. Even that modest total was reached courtesy of a whirlwind cameo from Mohammad Rameez, who made 34 off 21, including two boundaries and a six.Bangladesh stumbled in what seemed a straightforward chase, losing their first three wickets for only 33. Nadimuddin and Nasir Hossain did the rebuilding job, which was quickly undone as Bangladesh lost four wickets in a heap to slump to 125 for 7.It was left to Shuvo and Mahmud to salvage the situation as they added 59 runs to take their side to the brink of victory. Though Shuvo perished on 36, Mahmud stayed unbeaten on 31 to ensure Bangladesh completed a thrilling comeback after being 2-0 down in the series.

For the second time in his short career Ross Taylor was laid low by cramps © Getty Images

Ross Taylor and James Franklin have been cleared to play in New Zealand’s second match of the CB Series against England at Hobart tomorrow after recovering from their respective ailments. Taylor suffered from cramps during his innings of 84 against Australia, requiring a runner midway through his innings, while Franklin bowled four overs before leaving the field due to migraine.Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, had earlier expressed concern over the Taylor’s health, given that Taylor had a similar experience after scoring his maiden ODI hundred against Sri Lanka at Napier last month. He had to be taken to hospital, where he was put on an intravenous drip. Fleming said something needed to be done to prevent the problem from recurring and Taylor accordingly took blood tests.After the 105-run loss to Australia, Fleming said his team had to sort out their batting woes quickly. Taylor and Peter Fulton made a push for the target of 291 with a fourth-wicket stand of 81, but New Zealand lost their last seven wickets for 23.”There is some residue from that Sri Lankan series, there’s got to be because we batted poorly,” Fleming told NZPA. “At least we got a base there where we could have pushed on but it wasn’t to be. We’ll get into this tournament in the sense that the wickets are better, the conditions are more batter-friendly, and work our way in.”Both New Zealand and England go into Tuesday’s game searching for their first win, and Fleming said they could expect some tough competition from England. England were whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes and are still seeking their first win on a tour that started in November.”I’m sure England will be looking forward to our match very positively just to see some new faces and put things into play that they haven’t been able to do against Australia,” Fleming said. “They’ll want to prove to everyone else that they’ve been up against a good side, so if they can beat us it’ll go some way to easing a bit of the pain.”

The Bermuda coach Gus Logie believes his team won’t disgrace themselves when they make their World Cup debut in the Caribbean. Logie said he is pleased with the way the rank outsiders are approaching the tournament.Bermuda are about to visit the United Arab Emirates for a nine-day trip as they start their build-up to the event. Apart from captain Clay Smith, whose troublesome knee needs surgery, and new-boy David Hemp who is in the middle of the 100-day residency qualification process, all of the national squad have made themselves available for the trip to the Middle East which begins on January 28.”Morale is good and I’ve been very happy with the guys commitment and attendance at training,” Logie told the . “We are obviously coming up to what is going to be a very busy year and although the guys have enjoyed the success they’ve had and crickets new-found status, I think they have a sense of the responsibility they are under to achieve and to perform.”Mental toughness is crucial at the higher level at which they are going to be playing and there is no room for complacency. It is important that we look at every option we have. We need to get in a position where we have looked at everybody and given them a chance to impress. We haven’t got a Michael Holding or a Joel Garner so we need to maximise resources.”

The ongoing controversy over telecast rights between the Indian board and the television channels means that there will be no live coverage of the Challenger Series, which starts in Mumbai on February 7. The tournament has normally been telecast on Doordarshan, the state-owned channel, but this year, the only way to watch the matches will be by going to the venue.”Last year we had TVS which had come in a big way to sponsor the tournament and there was a live telecast for four days," Ratnakar Shetty, the joint secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), told NDTV, a national news channel. “This year both the things are not happening which is a big loss to the game.” In 2003, the tournament was held in Bangalore and sponsored by TVS, a motor company, which contributed almost Rs 25,000,000 (approx US$555,000), much of which went to the Karnataka State Cricket Association.This year, however, the MCA will get no such benefit, thanks to the telecast imbroglio. “I think domestic cricket has suffered this season because of the television right matter which is pending in the courts,” Shetty complained. “I feel that it is important that these matches are telecast live because it would have helped us to gain some form of revenue.”

Mumbai 15 for 0 trail Delhi 199 (Gambhir 96, Bahutule 5-45, Kulkarni 4-62) by 184 runs
With the return of Ashish Nehra and Akash Chopra, Delhi began their match against Mumbai in an upbeat mood. But they frittered away the advantage of batting first by crumbling to a modest 199 all out. Gautam Gambhir’s sparkling 96 off just 115 balls was the lone star on a day when Sairaj Bahutule and Nilesh Kulkarni snared nine wickets between them. Gambhir’s knock included 11 fours and one six, but Ajay Jadeja and Akash Chopra were disappointments. Mumbai’s other hero of the day was Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, who collected five dismissals on a turning track. On a wearing pitch the spinners may dictate terms for the rest of the match and Sarandeep Singh will be called upon to restrict the much vaunted Mumbai batting lineup.
Scorecard Uttar Pradesh 233 for 3 (Prakash 134*, Yadav 72) v Punjab
The Uttar Pradesh openers sent Punjab on a leather hunt with R.Prakash stroking an unbeaten century and Jyoti Yadav, the captain, supporting him with a fine 72. Prakash smashed 13 fours and one six and the 197 runs opening stand ensured a solid base which UP could build on. The Punjab bowlers were given some rough treatment and if not for the spinners’ economical spells, UP would have rattled up a bigger total. Three wickets fell towards the close of play and the Punjab spinners ensured that the game did not run away.
ScorecardTamil Nadu 115 for 5 lead Rajasthan 97 (Ramkumar 4-41) by 18 runs
For Somasetty Suresh – captain of Tamil Nadu – it was a day of extremes. He won the toss and gave his bowlers first use of a hard pitch that had a smattering of green and was later out for a first-ball duck. But his bowlers put Tamil Nadu in a commanding position when Rajasthan were skittled out for a meagre 97. L. Balaji had a splendid day (3 for 26) and Ramkumar (4 for 41) continued where he had left off against Karnataka – 10 for 104 in the match. The runs were completely dried up by some accurate bowling and Rajasthan may have to play catch-up cricket from now on. The Tamil Nadu batsmen also found the going tough with only S.Badrinath leading the way with a gritty 43. On a bowler-friendly pitch where a fifty will be priceless, Tamil Nadu finished the first day with the loss of only five wickets.
Scorecard Railways 243 for 8 (Ananthapadmanabhan 4-34) v Kerala
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the top three Railways batsmen failed to capitalise on good starts. All three gave it away in the forties and Ananthapadmanabhan’s wiles were too hot for the middle order to handle. Sanjay Bangar spent nearly four hours in the middle for his 45 while Tejindar Pal Singh lightened up the proceedings with a quickfire 40. Shreyas Khandolkar remained unbeaten with a patient 42 and Railways will hope the tail wags as long as it can tomorrow. After the flogging they received against the Punjab batsmen, the Kerala bowlers had a very good day and will hope their batsmen take the advantage.
ScorecardKarnataka 126 for 0 (Rowland 57*, Arunkumar 50*) v Bengal
Heavy overnight rain delayed the start of play and only 46 overs were bowled on the first day of the second round match at Mandya. Both the Karnataka openers, J. Arunkumar and Barrington Rowland, notched up half-centuries and set the platform for a big first-innings total. Bengal, who had lost their previous match against Rajasthan, found the going very tough and none of the six bowlers that were used tasted any success. Karnataka too suffered a loss in their first match, but the bright start augurs well for a fruitful campaign.
ScorecardGujarat 32 for 2 trail Assam 180 (Saravanan 58, Majumdar 5-47) by 148 runs
Bowling his right-arm medium-pace with great control, Hitesh Majumdar ripped through Assam’s middle and lower order to help bowl them out for just 180 in 65.5 overs on the first day at Guwahati. Assam’s batsmen just could not get a partnership going, and the only two batsmen to cross 50 – Subhrajit Saikia with 56 and Vasant Saravanan with 58 – stayed together for just 39 runs. After Saikia’s dismissal – the fourth wicket with the score on 103 – batsmen proceeded regularly to and from the pavilion. Their bowlers, however, succeeded to some extent to getting their side back into the game. As many as six of them turned their arm over before stumps, and Gautam Dutta snapped up two of them. What Assam really needed on the day, however, was the type of batting resilience that Gujarat’s Akash Christian, who made an unbeaten 15 off 83 balls, displayed.
ScorecardAndhra 13 for 1 trail Baroda 216 (Gaekwad 68, Verma 3-38) by 203 runs
The Baroda batsmen enacted a script similar to the first day against Mumbai last week. They were dismissed for 216 with only S.Gaekwad sticking around for a patient 68. Nayan Mongia too contributed but gave it away once he had made 31. Andhra were rewarded for some disciplined bowling with Kalyan Krishna and Vikram Verma picking up three wickets each. Baroda can ill afford losing two matches on the trot, but their batsmen surendered the initiative on the very first day.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is on the staff of Wisden Cricinfo.

The Semi Finals of the Champions Trophy Limited Over Tournament will be held on Saturday, the 19th of January 2002, with Lankan CC meeting Moratuwa SC at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, and Badureliya CC playing Police SC at Bloomfield. Play is scheduled to commence at 10 a.m.The winners will meet in the Final the next day, Sunday, the 20th of January, at the SSC.The Match Referee for the semi final at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium will be S. Illangaratnam, with Umpires being K.M. Kottachchi, G. Hallalarachchi, and M.R.A. Fernando (Standby).A.C.M. Lafir will be the Match Referee for the match at Bloomfield with Umpires being S.P. Chandakumar, Lalith Kapugedera, and K.C. Fernando (Standby).The champions will be awarded the Championship Limited Overs Tournament Challenge Cup and a cash prize of Rs. 100,000/=, with the runners-up receiving Rs. 75,000/=. The Man-Of-The-Final, Best Batsman and Best Bowler will each be awarded Rs. 10,000/=. The Match Referee and Adjudicator will be former Sri Lanka player Mahesh Gunetilleke. The awards would be presented after the final.Umpires for the final will be M.S.K. Nandiweera, B.K.D.K. Sumanasekera, and A.S. Hettiarachchi (Standby).

Kuwait inningsThe match was played at National Stadium Karachi, one of the best cricket venues in the world. Kuwait won the toss and elected to bat. Apparently weighing too heavy against an in-experienced Bahrain, Kuwait played an innings in which every batsman contributed his share of runs.In 39 overs Kuwait had reached 236 for the loss of 5 wickets. The rate of scoring that they maintained indicated that they were really out for an adventure. Opener Zeeshan Sabri smashed 6 fours in his 36 runs scored in 43 balls. Similarly Ajesh Mathew had 5 fours in his score of 51. Hasan Arif’s 63 in 40 balls with 5 fours and a grand six was a classical exhibition of hurricane hitting.Except for Taimur Ashraf who remained not out with a marvelous innings of 66 in 45 balls with 4 fours and a six, the batsmen who followed were out cheaply. Kuwait ended its innings with a gigantic total of 294 for 8, the highest score of the tournament so far. The wickets having been evenly shared no bowler emerged with distinction.Bahrain inningsFacing a gigantic target of 295 Bahrain was all out for 140 runs in 27 overs. Opening with Haroon Naseer (35) and Rizwan Abdul Ghani (24) Bahrain took a reasonably good start losing the 1st wicket at 39 and the 2nd at 76. The subsequent wickets fell after short intervals. The 16 fours and a mighty six hit by the batsmen will indicate that they were pretty rash in their approach. The huge target in front of them prompted them to do so. They wanted to go down fighting.The other batsmen to reach double figures were Asif Siddiqui (15) Roshan Cherian (16) and Ali Iftikhar (19 not out). With a tremendous haul of 5 wickets for 45 runs in 8 overs, Dilesh Thurairatnam was responsible for making the short work of Bahrain, who lost by 154 runs.

As per reports out of Spain, Manchester City and by extension sporting director Txiki Begiristain are now preparing an offer to sign a brand new target in Villarreal sensation Yeremy Pino.

The Lowdown: Haaland the main man…

Reports over this last week suggest that Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland is the Sky Blues’ main summer transfer target.

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Indeed, German news source Bild (via Sport Witness) even claim that Pep Guardiola’s side can ‘easily pay’ the Norway striker’s huge wages and release clause – all the while offering Haaland exactly what he wants.

This comes after David Ornstein of The Athletic revealed that he is City’s top target as the club plan meetings with his agent Mino Raiola ahead of the summer.

The Latest: City now eyeing Pino move…

Now, as per Spanish sources, the Citizens and title rivals Liverpool are preparing their ‘respective offers’ to sign Villarreal’s bright young attacker Pino this summer.

Indeed, the report adds that City and the Reds are ‘most interested’ in La Liga’s latest sensation – coming after he scored four goals in one game against Espanyol at the weekend.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Going by his brilliant form over 2021/2022, the Spaniard certainly has what it takes to thrive under Guardiola even amid the serious competition for places in City’s line up.

The English champions are blessed with an array of attacking talent, especially in midfield, but Pino’s electric performances have already seen him earn caps for Spain at just 19-years-old.

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Called a ‘special talent’ by journalist Fabrizio Romano, Villarreal saw fit to insert a mammoth €80 million (roughly £67m) release clause when recently agreeing an extension on his deal until 2027.

This could be an indicator of Pino’s high ceiling and exactly why Guardiola’s side now want him.

In other news: Man City have also turned their attention to signing ‘special’ star with the same agent as Balotelli, find out more here.

Yuvraj Singh’s past record of never having appeared in a Code of Conduct hearing worked in his favour © AFP

Yuvraj Singh has been fined 20% of his match fee for “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision” during the final ODI between India and Pakistan in Jaipur.Yuvraj was given out by umpire Suresh Shastri during India’s chase, after he miscued a pull off Umar Gul to the keeper. However, instead of walking, an upset Yuvraj stood his ground, and indicated the ball had hit his shoulder and not his bat or glove. Replays suggested that the ball had hit his shoulder.Though Yuvraj had been charged with “showing serious dissent at an umpire’s decision”, Roshan Mahanama, the ICC match referee, downgraded the charge to “showing dissent” after taking in to account the fact that Yuvraj, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, had apologised for any offence he may have caused and that it was his first appearance at a Code of Conduct hearing in eight years at the international level.”I took into account several factors in downgrading the charge, including the player’s previous excellent conduct, his apology at the hearing, the fact it was a spontaneous act out of character with his normal behaviour and that he did not appear to use foul or offensive language,” Mahanama said.”However, the fact remains that when the umpire raises his finger a player must leave the crease immediately and without question no matter what he may think of the decision.”That is one of cricket’s most fundamental principles and Yuvraj’s failure to adhere to that principle, especially given the message his action sends out to the millions of people watching at the ground and on television, merited some form of action.”