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The summer transfer window officially opens for business this week and Aston Villa could be in the market to bolster their squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Unai Emery was able to add Jhon Duran and Alex Moreno to his roster in January and now has multiple months to work with the club to add more quality across the pitch.

The Spanish head coach is set to lead the Villans into European football next term after qualifying for the Europa Conference League and the prospect of playing in that competition could tempt the manager to improve his options in the coming weeks.

One player who could come in as an upgrade on what Villa already have at their disposal is Barcelona winger Ansu Fati, who could be put forward to the club by agent Jorge Mendes this summer.

How did Ansu Fati perform his season?

The 20-year-old winger found it difficult to nail down a regular starting spot with the Spanish giants but his performances in LaLiga suggest that he would offer far more than Leon Bailey in the final third.

Fati started 12 games in the league for Barcelona and contributed with seven goals and three assists from out wide, whilst he also produced three goals in seven domestic cup appearances.

The forward, who has racked up 22 goals and four assists in 32 LaLiga starts since the start of 2019/20, has shown plenty of promise in his limited game time with Xavi's side, whereas Bailey has struggled to be a consistent performer in the Premier League for the Villans.

In 22/23, the Jamaica international scored four goals and provided four assists in 26 starts with that coming after the 25-year-old scored one goal and assisted two in seven starts in the previous campaign in the top-flight.

Therefore, the Villa dud has averaged a direct goal contribution every three starts in the Premier League. Whereas, Fati has only needed 1.23 starts on average to register a goal or an assist in LaLiga for Barcelona.

These statistics suggest that the Spain international, who is also five years younger than Bailey, has the potential to make a bigger impact on matches for Emery next season.

The £230k-per-week wizard, who was described as a "generational" talent by Xavi, ranks in the top 1% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues over the last 365 days for non-penalty xG per 90, meaning that the forward is excellent at putting himself in good positions to generate goalscoring opportunities.

Bailey, on the other hand, is not in the top 35% in the same group of players, suggesting that the Villa winger is not as intelligent at creating chances for himself with his movement in the box, something that is also reflected in their respective goalscoring records.

Therefore, Emery could land a big upgrade on the former Bayer Leverkusen ace by securing a deal to sign Fati from Barcelona this summer.

A wrap of day two of the eighth round of Ranji Trophy Group C matches

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2016Andhra lost three early wickets, but steadied to reach 99 for 3 in their chase of 233 at stumps against Goa in Dhanbad.Goa had overturned their 34-run deficit early in the day, but found themselves 60 for 3 in the 16th over. An 88-run stand between Snehal Kauthankar (65) and Darshan Misal (32) steadied Goa’s innings, before Kauthankar’s wicket brought three more in a short span as Goa fell from 148 for 3 to 156 for 7. This was before allrounder Saurabh Bandekar and medium-pacer Rituraj Singh (33) counter-attacked with an eighth-wicket stand of 71 that came off just 9.4 overs. Bandekar then dominated a 49-run stand for the ninth wicket that took 9.1 overs, before eventually falling for 75 to the part-time offspin of Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari (3-17). Goa folded for 276.Andhra lost three wickets for 36, before they put on a counter-attack of their own through an unbroken 63-run stand for the fourth wicket between DB Ravi Teja (35 off 46) and Ricky Bhui (32 off 44).Tripura captain Manisankar Murasingh and part-time medium-pacer Sanjay Majumder took four wickets each as Kerala folded for 193 to concede the first-innings lead in Cuttack.Kerala lost Bhavin Thakkar and Rohan Prem in the first two overs of the day. Mohammed Azharuddeen (41) and Jalaj Saxena (18) put on 50 for the third wicket, and Salman Nizar (25) put on 54 for the fifth with Sachin Baby (29), but the rest of the partnerships barely contributed and Kerala were soon reduced to 131 for 6. Murasingh, who had batted with his last three batsmen to add 89 on the first day, took Kerala’s last three wickets to secure a 20-run lead for Tripura. Tripura then reached 17 for no loss at stumps.Haryana made an improvement to their overnight run rate of 2.66 as they added 165 in 43 overs on day two, to finish with 402 in their first innings in Valsad. They then took three Himachal Pradesh wickets before stumps.Overnight batsman Guntashveer Singh’s maiden-century knock was cut short early in the day, when he was dismissed by Rishi Dhawan (3-138) for 120. Contributions from Rohit Sharma (50) and opener Shubham Rohilla (64) – who had retired hurt the previous day – added to useful knocks from the lower order to take Haryana past 400. Medium-pacer Kanwar Abhinay finished with career-best figures of 6 for 84.Himachal Pradesh lost 3 for 54 after an opening stand of 41, as they went into stumps on 101 for 3. Robin Bist (12*) and Sumeet Varma (3*) were at the crease.The second day at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai started poorly for Chhattisgarh, who lost Abhimanyu Chauhan for a duck before they had added to their overnight score of 8 for 0. But half-centuries from Manoj Singh (67) and Amandeep Khare (51) took them to 281, and a 56-run first-innings lead over Services.But it wasn’t straightforward. Right-arm fast bowler Diwesh Pathania struck regularly, causing Chhattisgarh to slip to 199 for 8, still 26 adrift of Services’ total. A 66-run ninth-wicket partnership between Manoj and Kant Singh took Chhattisgarh well into the lead. Pathania finished with 6 for 78.After limiting Hyderabad to 328, Jammu & Kashmir slumped to 156 for 7 by stumps on day two in Vadodara.Resuming on 234 for 3, Hyderabad lost both overnight batsmen, including centurion Tanmay Agarwal, for the addition of just 30 runs to the score. Kolla Sumanth and Mehdi Hasan then departed for ducks to leave Hyderabad at 266 for 7. The tail added some handy runs, though, to take Hyderabad past 300. Jammu & Kashmir captain Parvez Rasool finished with 4 for 63.But Jammu & Kashmir quickly slipped to 31 for 4. They closed on 156 for 7, with Ravi Kiran taking 4 for 31 to deliver a telling blow to their chances of taking a first-innings lead.

Shaun Marsh has been forced home from the tour of Sri Lanka after breaking his finger while fielding in Australia’s win in the third ODI in Dambulla on Sunday.”Shaun suffered an injury to his left little finger whilst fielding in the match yesterday,” Australia’s physio David Beakley said. “An x-ray after the match confirmed a fracture and Shaun will now return to Perth to allow time for this to heal.”As a result of Marsh’s injury, Usman Khawaja will stay on with the squad in Sri Lanka for the two Twenty20s that follow the remaining two one-day internationals. Khawaja is yet to play in the limited-overs portion of the tour, but will likely step into the No.3 position for Wednesday’s fourth match in Dambulla in the absence of Marsh.Australia’s ODI squad has undergone several changes since the original 15-man group was announced a month ago. First, the batsman Travis Head was added as a 16th player, and then allrounder Mitchell Marsh was sent home ahead of the series to rest up ahead of a busy summer.Captain Steven Smith has also flown home for a break, and fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile was ruled out mid-series with a stress fracture of the back. Fast bowlers John Hastings and Scott Boland, who were named in the squad for the two T20s, arrived in Sri Lanka early and have effectively acted as ODI cover as well, with Hastings playing in the third game in Dambulla.

Manchester United have reportedly been in contact with RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo over a potential summer swoop.

What’s the latest Man United news on Olmo?

Olmo, primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play on the wing, has been on the books with the Bundesliga side since 2020 after arriving from Dinamo Zagreb. He has gone on to make 115 appearances for his current employers, contributing to 44 goals in all competitions.

The 24-year-old is out of contract in just over 12 months' time and was linked with a move to Manchester earlier in the year, with journalist Bundesliga insider Christian Falk claiming that the Red Devils were watching the Spaniard.

Described as an 'outstanding footballer' by former coach Julian Nagelsmann and a player who 'can produce magic' by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Olmo has continued to feature heavily for Leipzig during the current campaign, but an exit could soon be on the cards going off a decent update.

Sport Witness relayed news from SportBild regarding Olmo, where the Red Devils were mentioned. They claimed that a contract renewal appears to be improbable with Leipzig and the report mentions talk of a possible exit worth around €40m (£35m).

The player himself along with his father, who is his agent, are considering a possible move to the Premier League, with Old Trafford a potential destination. The report adds that United have been in contact with the player to learn of his future plans.

Where would Olmo fit in at Old Trafford?

As mentioned, Olmo is an attacking midfielder, so he could provide competition to Bruno Fernandes, who is Erik ten Hag's only option in that area heading into his second season in charge.

Olmo, on £68,000 a week in Germany, has been a solid performer for Leipzig this season, and if he was to replicate his current form at Old Trafford, he would be United's sixth-best performer this season, as per WhoScored. Olmo has even averaged more dribbles per 90 than Fernandes and is fouled more than the Portugal international, so he could bring something different to Old Trafford in the final third while also providing cover out wide.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also once described Olmo as having an 'incredible work ethic', so he could fit into Ten Hag's counter-pressing style, and it looks as if the midfielder could be keen on heading to England over the coming months, making this one to watch over the coming months after initial contact was made.

ICC head of global development Tim Anderson has said the USA Cricket Association, which was suspended at last June’s ICC Annual Conference, has until December 15 to ratify a new constitution

Peter Della Penna09-Jun-2016ICC head of global development Tim Anderson has said the USA Cricket Association, which was suspended at last June’s ICC annual conference, has until December 15 to ratify a constitution that gives representation to the entire US cricket community and is compliant with US Olympic Committee statutory requirements.The December deadline is an indication that USACA has been given every opportunity to have its suspension lifted before the end of the year rather than facing expulsion at the ICC annual conference later this month in Edinburgh.A new constitution is one of 39 terms and conditions laid out by the ICC for USACA to satisfy in order to be reinstated. Establishing a revised governance structure was former USACA chief executive Darren Beazley’s primary task when he took over the role in February 2013, but he could not gain enough support at the USACA AGM that November and resigned in March 2014. USACA has failed to ratify a constitution at three subsequent AGMs, including the most recent one on April 9 in Florida.In an email sent to USA cricket’s stakeholders on Thursday, Anderson said there was progress in framing the new constitution during meetings with the a 10-person advisory group in Colorado Springs on June 4 and 5. ICC chief executive David Richardson and ICC chief counsel Iain Higgins were also in attendance along with Anderson and ICC Americas regional development manager Ben Kavenagh.”Many different governance structures were considered during the two-day workshop, and significant progress was made towards reaching agreement for a number of fundamental principles which will best serve the primary objective of unifying the USA cricket community,” Anderson wrote in the email. “Further work will be required in order to complete this exercise over the coming weeks/months, and further updates will be provided as the proposed model and supporting documents are prepared.”The ICC delegation was also given a welcome reception by local dignitaries in Colorado Springs to celebrate the relocation of the ICC Americas office from Toronto. Among those in attendance were current USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun and former USOC president Bill Hybl. The reception was held by the El Pomar Foundation at Penrose House.Interviews were also held for several staff positions at the new Colorado Springs office, which is set to open next month. According to Anderson, ten candidates were shortlisted for in-person interviews from over 100 applications received for the positions of USA project manager and USA project officer.

A number of Leeds United supporters have been reacting to an injury update involving midfielder Tyler Adams.

The Lowdown: Hamstring injury

The Whites are gearing up for a crucial Premier League trip to Wolves this weekend but will be without Adams for just the third time during the current campaign.

The club officially confirmed on Wednesday that the USA midfielder has suffered a hamstring injury in training and will miss the match at Molineux and also won’t be available to represent his country during the international break.

Adams has been a regular since joining from RB Leipzig in the summer, making 26 appearances in all competitions, 24 of which have come in the Premier League.

The Latest: Fans fume

Leeds shared the news regarding Adams on their official Twitter page on Wednesday afternoon, and, as to be expected, a number of supporters were quick to react. These fans weren’t happy, with some even suggesting relegation could be on the cards as a result.

“That’s the final nail in the coffin that” – @Niall_LUFC

“Happy relegation season” – @bethgabriel_

“We are doomed aren’t we” – @ROI_LUFC

“That seals it then. Hello again Stoke away” – @FelixLUFC

“That’s us totally done now” – @lufc75kb

“relegation whites” – @georgeedgee

“Just end the season now” – @DannyAdams22

“Tyler Adams out is a big blow. We don’t need that and it would be a worry it’s going to be longer than simply the Wolves and USMNT games.” – @billywigwam13

“At this point I’m just numb to it all. We all know what’s coming at the end of the season.” – @L33dsLondoner

“Let’s be honest here we aren’t losing any creativity but defensively this leaves massive whole in an already leaky defensive setup” – @richnutting

The Verdict: Big miss

Adams has made a big impact since arriving at Elland Road, helping fill the void left by Kalvin Phillips following his move to Manchester City.

As per WhoScored, the 24-year-old ranks in the top five performers for Leeds this season, with a match average rating of 6.73/10. He has averaged an impressive 3.7 tackles per game while also ranking highly in the squad when it comes to interceptions and key passes made per 90. No player has averaged more passes per game than Adams either, so Javi Gracia may find it difficult to replace the midfielder this weekend, with the obvious solution being Marc Roca and Weston McKennie in a two-man midfield.

Adam Forshaw hasn’t been seen in a squad since New Year’s Eve either, so youngster Darko Gyabi could be the defensive midfield option from the bench this weekend.

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire will be put up for sale by the club during the summer transfer window, according to a fresh rumour.

The Lowdown: Maguire down the pecking order

The 30-year-old has suffered a sobering campaign to date, with Erik ten Hag suggesting that Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez is his preferred centre-back pairing.

Maguire has only started five matches in the Premier League all season long, ahead of this afternoon’s trip to Liverpool.

The Englishman has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, and a new update does little to dampen the chances of an exit happening.

The Latest: Summer exit expected

According to Football Insider, United ‘have decided to’ allow Maguire to leave United this summer, as Ten Hag looks to raise some transfer funds.

The defender is thought to be ‘surplus to requirements’ at the club, with the manager not seeing him as an important part of his ‘long-term project’.

The Verdict: Right time to move on

Maguire has certainly had some good times at United, making 165 appearances and winning the EFL Cup last weekend, being called ‘magnificent’ by Ten Hag.

The 53-time capped England international has been heavily criticised for some of his recent performances however, and has subsequently lost his place in the starting line-up.

United could still be able to get good money for Maguire this summer, though, with lower-ranked Premier League sides sure to be eyeing him up, such as Aston Villa.

Under Ten Hag, the Red Devils are heading to heights without the skipper, so a summer move makes sense for all parties.

Sunderland fans had waited a decade for this moment, as their beloved Black Cats finally faced off against their arch-rivals Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League.

The match didn’t disappoint, either, from a Sunderland perspective, as Regis Le Bris’ men secured the bragging rights when Nick Woltemade unexpectedly headed back Aaron Ramsdale, just as the second half got underway.

A real sickener for the Toon proved to be the fortuitous match-winner for the hosts, as the lofty German striker wanted the ground to swallow him up, after his connection from an inviting Sunderland delivery beat the ex-Arsenal goalkeeper.

While the ex-Stuttgart forward’s embarrassing lapse of judgment stole the headlines come the full-time whistle, many of Le Bris’ first teamers also stood out throughout, as Granit Xhaka cut an assured figure again, all across the 1-0 win.

Xhaka's performance in numbers

Come the end of the match, Sky Sports’ Micah Richards would rightly hail the Black Cats captain as an “absolute warrior”, as the ever-present midfield battler barely put a foot wrong again.

He did give away possession 16 times, but the Swiss would constantly recover and retrieve the ball, with all 100% of his tackles successfully won.

Le Bris would have known it was vital that Sunderland won the midfield battle to get the better of Eddie Howe’s visitors, as the likes of Sandro Tonali won no tackles, up against a far stronger Xhaka.

Moreover, the tenacious number 34 has the know-how of how to win these sorts of crunch affairs, having become well accustomed to the North London Derby at the Emirates, with Xhaka subsequently standing out from minute one. He would amass the most touches of any player in the first half at 50 touches, alongside calmly spraying the ball about at 43 passes.

Visibly cut at the full-time whistle, too, having given his all, it must be hard for Sunderland fans not to just constantly wax lyrical about their Swiss warrior. Yet, he wasn’t the only star showered with praise at the end.

Sunderland star was the "standout player"

Sunderland looked in control of the game from the minute Woltemade placed an effort past his own ‘keeper, as the rock-solid Black Cats defence stood firm once more this season, against a tired Magpies attack.

In particular, Reinildo shone down the left flank for Le Bris all match long, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley hailing him as Sunderland’s “standout player” in a lively first 45 minutes. Fellow journalist Andy Sixsmith also went out of his way to praise the ex-Atletico Madrid full-back by stating that he didn’t give a ropey Anthony Elanga a “sniff” when he was on the Stadium of Light turf.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

48

Accurate passes

27/32 (84%)

Successful dribbles

1/1

Tackles won

2/2

Interceptions

1

Clearances

4

Blocked shots

1

Ball recoveries

7

Total duels won

6/8

Away from completely nullifying the former Nottingham Forest attacker, Reinildo would also play with the same energy and determination that Xhaka displayed in spades, with the Brazilian even coming off at the end with the same amount of tackles won as the high-octane number 34.

He would even better Xhaka in terms of duels won, having won six compared to the ex-Arsenal man’s five, while also managing to complete all 100% of his dribbles as a force willing to push his side up the pitch, away from thwarting Newcastle forwards throughout.

Having arrived on a free transfer in the summer, Reinildo will surely now be seen as an unbelievable diamond that has been unearthed, with all 100% of his duels won against Liverpool, too, away at Anfield.

The celebrations at the end of the 1-0 victory will live long in the memory at Sunderland, as both Reinildo and Xhaka rightly jumped for joy, as their combined efforts ensured a tight three points were clinched.

Now sitting even prettier in seventh spot, five spots above their sworn enemy from Tyneside, it really was an all-round perfect day for Le Bris’ hosts, as Reinildo rubber-stamped why he should be the Frenchman’s starting left-back week in week out.

Not O’Nien: Sunderland have their new Kevin Ball in £110k-per-week star

Regis Le Bris now has Sunderland’s new Kevin Ball at his disposal ahead of the feisty Tyne-Wear Derby.

ByKelan Sarson 3 days ago

West Ham United could dip into the transfer market come January after a recent twist emerged surrounding one of their reported targets.

West Ham updates: Zouma contract, Paqueta exit, Soucek form

According to a contract update on Kurt Zouma from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing, talks are set to open between the club and the France international over a potential new deal at the London Stadium.

Romano wrote: "West Ham have contract talks scheduled with Kurt Zouma, so discussions will take place in the next weeks or months and we will see how it goes. He is the club captain and an important player for the Hammers, and guys at the moment honestly, there are no concrete negotiations with other clubs."

In other news, a transfer update on West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta claims that the Brazil international is keen to move to Manchester City amid rumours that he has a release clause worth £85 million that will activate in the summer of 2024, as per The Sun on Sunday (print edition October 15th, page 75), via Hammers News.

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek meanwhile managed to get himself on the scoresheet on international duty as the Czechs defeated the Faroe Islands 1-0 at the Doosan Arena in Plzen on Sunday evening.

Edson Álvarez and Mohammed Kudus faced off as Mexico defeated Ghana 2-0 in the United States, while Michail Antonio played 88 minutes for Jamaica as they saw off Haiti in the CONCACAF Nations League.

West Ham United's upcoming fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Premier League

Aston Villa (A)

Villa Park

Europa League

Olympiacos (A)

Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium

Premier League

Everton (H)

London Stadium

EFL Cup

Arsenal (H)

London Stadium

Premier League

Brentford (A)

Gtech Community Stadium

West Ham transfer update – Kalvin Phillips

According to a West Ham transfer update on Kalvin Phillips, the England international would be open to joining the Hammers – or their Premier League rivals Newcastle United – due to the fact both sides are involved in European competition.

The outlet claim that Manchester City would seek to accumulate around £45 million for Phillips' services, which is around the fee that he was brought to the Etihad Stadium for from Leeds United in the summer of 2022.

Since his arrival, Phillips has failed to establish himself as a regular contributor for the Blues and is behind the likes of Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic, Rodri in Pep Guardiola's pecking order.

Phillips, who was labelled "excellent" by Breaking The Lines in 2021, has featured just 26 times in all competitions for Manchester City over the course of his time at the Etihad Stadium and he is yet to register a single goal or assist (Phillips statistics – Transfermarkt).

Nevertheless, he is a regular pick in the England squad and featured as a substitute in their 1-0 victory over Australia last week, coming off the bench to replace Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher on 62 minutes.

Moyes isn't shy about giving homegrown players an opportunity to play their part for West Ham and Phillips would add further composure and solidity to their already talented engine room.

Stumps
Scorecard
Moises Henriques whips one to the leg side•Getty Images

An unbeaten century from Moises Henriques helped New South Wales put Tasmania to the sword on day one at the Sydney Cricket Ground.Henriques punished a tired Tigers attack in the second half of the day, having entered in the 50th over after the top four had laid a strong platform. Nick Larkin and Ed Cowan put together a 115-run stand for the second wicket. Larkin made 85 and Cowan 68. The latter fell to 17-year-old off-spinner Jarrod Freeman who was on debut.Henriques then joined Kurtis Patterson and the pair made 156 runs in less than 35 overs before Patterson was bowled by Tom Rogers for 72. Rogers picked up his third scalp, Nic Maddinson, shortly after, to finish with three wickets. Henriques and Peter Nevill will look to continue the carnage on day two.