Queens Park Rangers almost sent their fans into meltdown earlier this week when they posted a picture of Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann on their official Twitter page.
Griezmann is being strongly linked with a move away from Atletico this summer, with Barcelona the favourites to sign the Frenchman.
And the attacker, who is valued at £90m by transfermarkt.co.uk, again revealed to disclose his future plans at a France press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
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Griezmann actually liked a tweet from QPR where the Championship club’s players discussed who could take home the World Cup Golden Boot this summer.
QPR pointed out what had occurred on their official Twitter page, and that led to a host of the club’s supporters commenting on the future of Griezmann.
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There is more chance of Panama winning the World Cup than Griezmann making the move to QPR this summer, but the R’s supporters can still dream of the impossible.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
The 2018 FIFA World Cup features plenty of strong teams with a chance to take home the golden trophy from Russia, but if the first week of games have revealed anything, it’s that there’s no clear favourite.
Germany lost their opener 1-0 to Mexico, and Brazil drew with Switzerland 1-1 after a frustrating performance from Neymar. Only so much can be drawn from the first batch of games, but countries like Russia and Belgium have put themselves in prime position to advance with high goal differentials.
With that, Football FanCast was lucky enough to be joined by former England and Liverpool left winger John Barnes to discuss his thoughts on the summer of football on behalf of Just Eat. Barnes shared on his expectations on whom he expects to have a fruitful few weeks in Russia…
FootballFanCast.com: What country do you have confidence in to make its way to the final?
John Barnes: “I think Brazil will. But they didn’t play particularly well against Switzerland as they had issues with Neymar. I think Neymar was trying too hard and trying to do too much. He wants to be the star.
“Spain will be strong once again even though they lost their manager. But they’ve got lots of experienced players who are able to cope with that. And France – I think France are a very strong team with plenty of attacking players.
“An outside guess for me is Belgium because, player-for-player, they probably have the strongest team in the World Cup. They haven’t played as a team, but if you look at the individual players they have, if they can get some kind of team spirit and team passion rather than just being individuals, they could be a surprise.”
FFC: Do you think a few of the results of these early games might have potential consequences on who makes it to the knockout stage? Is there an actual chance that Germany or Brazil don’t make it?
JB: “I believe so, yes. Brazil drew the first game, but Germany losing their first game could have consequence. But they’re experienced. They can come through in the next two matches.
“What you will find is that you may have one or two upsets, but generally speaking because of the way the seeding is done, the top two seeds will normally go through to the last 16 and to the quarter-finals. And I think when the quarter-finals come, you’ll see seven of the top teams there.”
FFC: If you had to pick a lower tier nation to surprise everybody and go far into the knockout stage, who would you pick?
JB: : “Croatia. I think Croatia are very good. They’re very experienced. They’ve got good players. They’ve got a good understanding and a good coach. So, yeah, that would be my dark horse.”
FFC: You’ve said before you believe Diego Maradona to be the best footballer ever. He was on that Argentina team that beat England on their way to winning the World Cup in 1986. Do you see Messi having a chance of pulling off a similar feat for this Argentina, even though they had a lacklustre performance in game one?
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JB: Absolutely. Argentina are a decent side. He’s a fantastic player and still the best player in the world for me. Of course, Argentina are a team who, when it comes to the World Cup finals in the past, haven’t won.
“But it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for Argentina to win the World Cup. They’ve also got Sergio Aguero. They’ve got decent players, as much as they didn’t play particularly well in the first game. So, yeah, absolutely.
“But, Maradona for me is still is the best.”
Just Eat is offering hungry football fans who order on the Just Eat app between the 14th June and 15th July the chance to get their hands on limited edition 2018 Football Plates. There are four plates to collect and hundreds will be given away to celebrate the summer of football.
West Bromwich Albion should consider making a move for Newcastle United forward Aleksandar Mitrovic.
What’s the word?
Darren Moore could do with a fresh face in attack as he tries to steer the Baggies to Premier League promotion.
Salomon Rondon and Jay Rodriguez have been linked with moves away from The Hawthorns.
Mitrovic could be available this summer given that Newcastle allowed him to leave on loan to Fulham for the second half of last season.
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On Monday, TEAMtalk reported that the Magpies want £30m for the forward, who has informed the club that he wants to leave.
The publication claims that the hitman wants to join Fulham on a permanent basis, but the Cottagers are unwilling to exceed £20m.
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Why should West Brom get involved?
If Mitrovic is insistent on joining Fulham, then it may be difficult to prise him away from his desired choice.
However, it is worth the Baggies trying their luck considering how well the striker performed in the Championship last season.
The Serbian international, who is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, scored 14 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions.
A major sticking point could be the price, though, if the Magpies are determined to pocket around £30m.
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To sweeten the deal, the Baggies could offer a player, such as Rondon, in a swap arrangement.
Tottenham fans are trying not to get carried away about the latest transfer story, as Gareth Bale’s agent emphasised the Welshman’s desire to play regular football.
Shortly after setting the world alight with a truly remarkable Champions League final goal, Bale got the transfer rumour mill going at full speed with his post match comments.
Tottenham and Manchester United have both been linked with moves for the electric Welshman, but most fans believed Spurs wouldn’t offer the transfer fee or wages required to get a deal done.
Jonathan Barnett, Bale’s agent, has renewed fans’ hopes of a shock return to North London though, as he told Sky Sports the 28 year-old has still not decided on his future.
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“I think we have to have a chat with Real Madrid and see where we’re going,” he said.
“He wants a better year than he had last year. He wants to play more, and that’s paramount to him. I think he’s one of the top three or four players on earth. For somebody like him, he has to play. It’s not about money.”
Barnett went on to say Bale wants to win the Ballon d’Or, but it’s his comments on wanting playing time over money that has really got Spurs fans talking.
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Bale may be suffering with plenty of injury problems, but he still managed 16 la Liga goals last season, and is the type of superstar signing that would really make the new stadium something special.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Liverpool have been linked to a string of midfielders over the last couple of months, and another one has entered the fray.
According to French publication Le Progres, the Reds are keeping tabs on Lyon’s Tanguy NDombele, who joined the French outfit from Amiens on loan last season but is expected to sign a permanent deal.
If other clubs come in for the midfielder, Lyon could end up making a quick sale, and according to these latest reports, Liverpool have joined Tottenham Hotspur in a race for the 21-year-old.
NDombele impressed in his 47 appearances in all competitions for Lyon, and he contributed with seven assists and one goal.
Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.
The France Under-21 international is also believed to have attracted the attention of Arsenal, Juventus, Manchester City and Roma.
There could be a major scramble for the midfielder’s signature, but some Liverpool fans would rather their club were not part of it and instead try to revive a deal for Nabil Fekir.
Heath Mills has said New Zealand cricket will soon be “on the cusp” of a player drain unless the board takes measures to improve remuneration
Cricinfo staff13-Dec-2009Heath Mills, the New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief, has said New Zealand cricket will soon be “on the cusp” of a player drain unless the board takes measures to improve remuneration and player contracts in the changing environment, where commercial leagues are competing with international cricket.”The biggest issue for all of us in the game in New Zealand is the ability to attract and retain our best players,” Mills told the . “We’re struggling to retain our best players now; guys are retiring before their time, for whatever reasons, and we may have a situation where our best players may opt to play casually for New Zealand so they can play in the IPL.”Several New Zealand players, including Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey, opted to join the unofficial ICL in India and they were banned from playing for New Zealand until recently, when their exile ended. And Iain O’Brien retired unexpectedly during the ongoing Test series against Pakistan in order to move to England to be with his wife.The NZCPA and NZC will meet around the New Year to discuss the collective bargaining agreement for the next four years, “the most significant negotiation we’ve had to date given the changing landscape of cricket,” Mills said. He is of the opinion that unless improvements are made, players could refuse central contracts and choose to play for clubs and franchises in competitions around the world instead. “Cricket is changing from having a commercial base solely focused around international cricket to a commercial base built around a combination of international cricket and club or franchise competitions like the Indian Premier League.”If we don’t have a contract system and playing environment that retains our best players then we are at risk. As we start negotiations with NZC we will find out what the numbers look like in the next four year period – hopefully they are good but if things remain the same we will end up like a lot of other sports in New Zealand where the best players end up playing overseas.”
Steven Smith, the Australian legspinner, is eager to make a mark if given an opportunity to play on Boxing Day against Pakistan
Osman Samiuddin at the MCG25-Dec-2009Eleven first-class wickets at over 75 isn’t the best impression a young
legspinner can leave in the land of Warne, and they aren’t the most
promising credentials to possibly make a Test debut with. But precisely
that prospect awaits Steven Smith on Boxing Day at the MCG against
Pakistan.The 20-year old was drafted into the squad as cover for Nathan Hauritz,
whose long-standing groin complaint may yet rule him out on Saturday
morning. Mohammad Yousuf, predictably, was clueless when asked about him:
“Steven Smith? Is he Australian?” But he can be forgiven, for few
Australians will have heard much about him. Ricky Ponting, who might be captaining him tomorrow, hasn’t faced a single ball from Smith, but is excited by the potential of the young NSW legspinner.”Sometimes it can be an exciting thing when you see these young guys
giving it a really good crack and seeing how they go,” Ponting said. “I
must admit I haven’t faced a ball against him yet and probably a few guys
[in the team] haven’t faced him in state cricket. But he’s impressed
everybody with what he has done in all forms of the game over the last few
months and that is exciting. We haven’t really had young guys coming over
the last few years into the Australian side and show what they’ve got.
Quite often it’s a good thing for young guys to get in and learn about
themselves and learn about their game. If he gets an opportunity, there’ll
be no fear there from him. He’ll really relish it.”A few full tosses in training betrayed nerves perhaps, but given
Pakistan’s poor track record against spin – of all kinds, shades and
qualities – betting against some success if Smith does play would be
foolish, even if he is just happy to be around the squad. “While I am very
confident and hopeful Nathan Hauritz will be OK, if I was given the
opportunity it would mean the world to me to play for Australia,” Smith
said. “Just to be noticed by the selectors is an unbelievable feeling and
to spend some time around the squad before the Perth Test and now here in
Melbourne has been absolutely brilliant.”When I got the phone call last night from Michael Brown that they wanted
me to come down as a standby player it was a huge surprise and really an
early Christmas present. My family is very excited and if Nathan doesn’t
recover in time and I do get an opportunity to play they will certainly be
coming down to watch. I know I will be doing everything I can to grab that
opportunity with both hands.”Hauritz bowled in training on Friday and looked solid, according to
Ponting; but his inclusion will depend on how he feels in the morning.
“With Nathan it is a bit the same as me,” said Ponting. “He is a whole lot
better today in training than he was yesterday. He had a good solid bowl
and put a lot more work on the ball and that is a good sign. But as we
know with his injury over the last few weeks, it’s been a day to day sort
of thing with him, one day he feels great, next day he doesn’t feel so
good. Tomorrow morning will be an important time for him. We’ll wait and
see how he wakes up.”Australia have struggled to come to terms with the departure of Shane
Warne in 2007, though no side in the world would replace him easily. They
went through a number of different spinners in the last two years, before
coming to an unspectacular, steady equilibrium of sorts with Hauritz. The
prospect of Smith remains more exciting than the actuality currently, but
Ponting believes in the fresh element of surprise he might bring.”It’s always nice to have young guys around the squad, particularly young
spinners,” Ponting said. “There is definitely a surprise element to him but with his
batting, he is overall a very good package and we have seen him develop
well in state cricket over the last 12 months. I’m sure he’d like [his
first-class average] to be a lot less, and liked to have taken a lot more
wickets. But he’s an exciting young legspinner and that’s where it lies
with him. He hasn’t played a lot of cricket but hopefully if he gets an
opportunity to play for us, his Test record will be better than his first
class at the end of the series.”
Cameron White, the Australian allrounder, will rejoin his old county Somerset for the 2010 Twenty20 Cup
Cricinfo staff08-Jan-2010Cameron White, the Australian allrounder, will rejoin his old county Somerset for the 2010 Twenty20 Cup.White was last at Taunton in 2006 and was Somerset’s leading run-scorer in the Championship, scoring 1190 runs at 59.50 in Division Two. Remarkably his strike-rate was 81.45 through the season and it is his big-hitting ability that Somerset will want for the Twenty20 Cup.White, 26, has now become a regular member of Australia’s one-day team, which means he will be not be available for the entire season as Australia are playing five ODIs against England in June and July.Nevertheless, Somerset are thrilled to welcome back a player who once hit 141 not out in a Twenty20 Cup match against Worcestershire. “With his status as one of the world’s best one-day players, it’s an exciting prospect,” said Brian Rose, Somerset’s director of cricket.”He may only be able to make some limited appearances because of his commitments to Australia. We think he can play in the first six or seven games and certainly from the quarter-finals to the finals if we get that far.”I think the Somerset cricketing public remember Cameron playing some fantastic innings in one-day cricket, but he also played some of the best first-class knocks I’ve ever seen.”
Mohammad Yousuf has cranked up the tension with Pakistan’s selection
committee
Osman Samiuddin16-Jan-2010Mohammad Yousuf has cranked up the tension with Pakistan’s selection
committee by questioning its refusal to allow Younis Khan to
come and bolster Pakistan’s Test squad in Australia. Yousuf and the on-tour team management had made repeated requests from as early as the first Test in Melbourne to send Younis
over, because they were concerned over the flimsiness of their batting
line.After much dithering the request was eventually turned down, with the
selectors asking Younis to recapture some form in domestic cricket
instead. Yousuf, having already overseen a series of batting collapses through New
Zealand and Australia, was particularly incensed after Pakistan stumbled
to 94 for 4 at the end of the second day on a pristine surface at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.”He is a good player for the team and country,” Yousuf said. “You can ask
the selectors about why they didn’t send him earlier. We don’t need to
check him in first-class cricket. He has a 50 average and has been
doing it for 10 years. We have to see him here, not there. Will someone
also take my test [to prove my form] from now on?”Younis has been selected for Pakistan’s ODI squad and will be here for the
five-match series beginning on Friday. That is the format he
has struggled in most over the years and it was a string of failures in the
Champions Trophy and against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi that formed part
of the reason he stepped down from the captaincy and the game. And Younis
is still struggling to score runs domestically, prompting doubt about the
selectors’ initial prerequisite that he show some form before being picked.Yousuf also lashed out at calls that the senior members of Pakistan’s
squad be dropped now. “In Pakistan there is all this noise about
youngsters needing to come in,” Yousuf said. “If he is good then sure,
like Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer. They are good – can they be dropped?
But if you force it then what is the point? Why the rush to kick out older
players? Is there anyone to replace them? Bring someone new then replace
the old one.”The relationship between Yousuf and the selection committee, headed by
Iqbal Qasim, has been tense over the course of this long tour. He had
Misbah-ul-Haq sent over to New Zealand after the player had been dropped
from all three formats of the game just a month before.And as well as the Younis affair, there has been considerable discord over
the matter of vice-captain and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal in the run-up to
the third Test. Yousuf was keen on retaining Akmal for the final Test
despite his error-strewn Sydney display, but the board and selectors had
already sent Sarfraz Ahmed as a replacement and insisted that he would
replace Akmal. Sarfraz eventually came into the side after days of Akmal insisting – with
Yousuf silent – that he would play.
Yorkshire have announced a record pre-tax profit of almost £700,000 for the financial year
Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2010Yorkshire have announced a record pre-tax profit of almost £700,000 for the financial year.At a time of uncertainty in both English domestic cricket, with the Champions League Twenty20 threatening to clash with the end of next season, and the wider UK economy, it marks the fourth consecutive year that Yorkshire have made a profit.The fourth Ashes Test in 2009, held at Headingley, delivered the bulk of the profits but Yorkshire did achieve growth in other income areas such as a 13% increase in commercial revenue and a 22% rise in subscriptions.It amounted to a record turnover of £8.4 million and a 90% increase in surplus on the same period last year. Stewart Regan, the Yorkshire chief executive, said: “The last 12 months have seen the busiest period of activity since I joined the club some four years ago.”We have held two major international cricket events, including the fourth Ashes Test, we have commenced construction of the Carnegie Pavilion in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University, we have completely relaid the outfield and installed new drainage and irrigation systems, as well as installing the largest replay screen in professional sport.”This has meant some very long working hours for all of the staff here at the club and I am very proud of each and every one of them for their contribution to another fantastic trading performance.”Yorkshire won’t host an England Test match in 2010 but will instead see Pakistan play a ‘home’ game against Australia at Headingley. It promises to be a lively and lucrative affair for the club as they seek to shield themselves from financial difficulty that has hit other counties.