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Middlesex pushed on to a second declaration after Steven Finn’s four-wicket haul and set Essex 452 or a day to survive at Lord’s

Tim Wigmore at Lord's23-Apr-2017
ScorecardIf it is the start of the English season, it must be time to talk about Steven Finn. Every summer it is a source of fascination whether Finn can channel his palpable gifts – pace, bounce from his 6ft 7in frame and the outswing that he has honed in recent years – and become the bowler England supporters have long seen in their mind’s eye. A man not flitting between squads but one who is, instead, a persistent menace in international cricket.It remains far too soon to tell whether this is the summer when Finn makes that transition, rather than just tantalisingly hinting at it, but on a docile Lord’s pitch, he produced a performance of hostility and great skill. It was not so much the four wickets he took – a quick, short ball that Simon Harmer pulled to midwicket; Dan Lawrence deceived with a ball that held its line, rather than swinging away; and a ball that slanted into Neil Wagner and uprooted off stump, to add to the wicket of Tom Westley on the second evening – as his parsimony and immaculate control.Even when bowling loosely, he has always been able to produce brilliant deliveries. But seldom can he have bowled so few poor balls. In 22.1 overs, he conceded just 51 runs; yielding 2.30 an over, Finn was the most frugal of Middlesex’s bowling quintet.”It’s as good as I’ve felt for a while,” Finn said. “Across my career it’s the one side of my game that has not been my best, my economy rate. It’s about keeping it simple, it doesn’t just happen. Without chasing wickets you get your rewards later in the day.”I felt in good rhythm at Hampshire without getting too many rewards and yesterday as well. Today I bowled two long spells and then came back to get wickets at the end.”Few cricketers are aware of the vagaries of professional sport like Finn. The 46 Test wickets at 26.23 apiece he took in 2010, his first year of international cricket, remains his best annual haul for England; last year, he took just 17 Test wickets at 46.64 apiece. Yet his talents are so seductive that England’s interest has never gone away, and here he produced a performance to gladden the selectors’ hearts. If he does it again on the final day, Middlesex will record their first Championship victory of the season, and the case for including Finn in the Champions Trophy squad will become even stronger.”There’s enough eyes around, and people in the know realise when you’re in good rhythm and bowling well,” he said, with the sense of a man who has been here before. “I don’t think everything depends on tomorrow but if you have another good day it furthers your claims even more.”The rest of Middlesex’s bowlers were impressive, too, as they needed to be to restrict Essex to 295 on a picturesque Lord’s day. Toby Roland-Jones generated persistent swing, Ollie Rayner showed his nous, James Franklin embraced bowling with the older ball and Tim Murtagh bowled an expert spell up the slope with the second new ball to account for Ryan ten Doeschate.Against such a well-balanced attack, Lawrence and Adam Wheater needed to summon all of their resolve after Ravi Bopara’s early dismissal, driving indolently at Roland-Jones.Lawrence has won rightful acclaim as one of English cricket’s most promising talents. Perhaps his defining quality is how quickly he judges length, as revealed by a sumptuous push through midwicket for four when Franklin slightly overpitched; a shot to savour. And, just as in a match-saving 141 not out against Lancashire a fortnight ago, Lawrence married such strokeplay with technical fortitude and equanimity rarely spotted in a 19-year-old.Wheater’s contribution was particularly welcome. Having helped to end the career of the brilliant wicketkeeper Michael Bates at Hampshire, his return to Essex has dislodged James Foster, widely acclaimed as the finest of his generation. And Wheater was not even able to score the runs needed to justify the decision, mustering only six in his first three innings of the season.His jittery start betrayed a man woefully short of form, and one badly in need of fortune. That he got, and in bountiful quantity, when he was dropped three times over three consecutive overs off Roland-Jones – by Rayner at second slip, by John Simpson, diving to his right in front of first slip, and by Sam Robson at third slip. In between times Wheater drove with class and swept dexterously, as befitting a man with a first-class average not far shy of 40.Yet Wheater’s dismissal, rather irresponsibly caught at square leg sweeping Ollie Rayner just before the second new ball, triggered the loss of Essex’s last five wickets for 42 runs. A lead of 212, though, was not enough to entice James Franklin to make Essex follow on. It was a “50-50 decision,” Finn said, and cautious, especially with the threat of rain on the final afternoon. Still, Middlesex ought to have claimed the first of the ten wickets needed, only for Nick Browne to be reprieved by Rayner when he edged Roland-Jones to second slip.After Middlesex decided to bat again, what came next was utterly predictable. With the intensity seeping out of the game, their top three all made breezy half-centuries; all squandered the chance to score twin hundreds in the match, Sam Robson coming closest with 77. The only puzzle was why they felt the need to bat on past a target of 420, which Essex’s openers doubtless appreciated.Only one passage of play is worth recalling. In the 33rd over, Stevie Eskinazi scooped Jamie Porter for six, then went down on his front knee to launch him over midwicket, just as Mal Loye once did to Glenn McGrath, before clipping the next delivery over square leg for another six. After launching Harmer over midwicket next ball, Eskinazi was then caught on the extra cover boundary attempting a fifth six in five deliveries. Most remarkable of all was the notion that Eskinazi is normally regarded as relatively sedate, so much so that he has only played a single white-ball game for Middlesex. That will surely change soon.

Dave Cameron has been re-elected as WICB president for the third successive term, after being the sole nomination for the post

Nagraj Gollapudi30-Mar-2017Dave Cameron has been re-elected for a third consecutive two-year term as WICB president. Cameron was the lone nominee for the position, and received 12 votes at the WICB Annual General Meeting on March 26 in Barbados. Emmanuel Nanthan, WICB’s vice-president for the last four years, was also set to be re-elected for a third consecutive stint in the position.Despite being an imposing figure within the WICB, Cameron has not been a popular administrator in the West Indies. Throughout his tenure, Cameron’s policies and decisions have been criticised by many former cricketers as well as by fans. The absence of any opposition on the WICB board has been the main reason Cameron has managed to continue as the head of the WICB.Nonetheless some on the WICB board remain sceptical of Cameron. One director, who has been part of the WICB board and observed Cameron closely, felt the Jamaican takes things “personally”, which does allow for constructive discussion.According to this director Cameron needs to focus on improving his relations with WICB board going forward. “He needs to temper himself. It seems to me he still does not have confidence in some directors. The trust is not there. It is also because if some people speak out at meetings, he will feel that those people are against him. But all those people want is the best of West Indies cricket. He takes everything personal, as if they are attacking him.”The director, who wished to remain anonymous, also felt that Cameron “favours” some territorial boards more than others. Asked why the board would elect him for a third successive term, the director said that those who oppose him “prefer to remain silent and go with the status quo”.With West Indies having already missed out on the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, the priority now is to make sure they receive direct entry for the 2019 ODI World Cup, instead of having to go through the qualifier. To achieve that goal, the WICB recently made fresh appointments, hiring former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams and former Australia batsman Stuart Law in important roles. Adams took over as director of cricket from Richard Pybus, while Law was named as West Indies’ coach after the sacking of Phil Simmons last September.It is also understood that Cameron, along with new WICB chief executive officer Johnny Grave, will travel to India to finalise the schedule for the limited-overs series scheduled in July.

Celtic forward Jota has “already spoken” to Al Ittihad manager Nuno Espirito Santo regarding a move to Saudi Arabia, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

When did Jota join Celtic?

The Hoops’ left-sided winger permanently arrived in the Scottish Premiership last summer following a successful loan spell the season before from Benfica, as per Transfermarkt, and across both periods north of the border he’s clocked up a total of 83 appearances to date.

During the 2022/23 campaign, the Portuguese starlet firmly established himself as Ange Postecoglou’s overall top-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 7.48 which highlights the significance he has, but with the boss now having left and Brendan Rodgers back in charge, his future is up in the air.

Sky Sports reported just days ago that the 24-year-old had entered advanced talks with Saudi Arabian outfit Al Ittihad, with discussions ongoing in regard to the initial fee and structure of payments – where it was stated that personal terms shouldn’t be an issue – and it sounds like all parties are now confident that a deal will go through.

Is Jota leaving Celtic?

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Romano revealed that Jota is expected to leave Celtic and has even personally chatted to his prospective new manager about the move. He wrote:

“Understand Al Ittihad coach Nuno has already spoken to Jota about his transfer considered imminent and set to be completed next week. Fee gonna be around €30m (£25m), discussions ongoing.”

Whilst Rodgers hasn’t personally worked with Jota, he will have seen the positive impact he’s made since joining from afar – the type of impact which has seen him hailed a “revelation” by Alex McLeish – so trying to retain his services is a no-brainer of a decision.

The Gestifute client posted a remarkable 21 goal contributions (11 goals and ten assists) in 29 Scottish Premiership outings last season which saw him receive five man-of-the-match awards, not to mention that he recorded 80 shots over the campaign which was the second-highest total in Glasgow, as per FBRef.

The Lisbon native also adds wonderful versatility to the manager’s ranks with his ability to operate in six different positions across the pitch, including all across the frontline and even two roles in the midfield, which is yet another great attribute to have at your disposal.

Finally, Celtic have won five trophies following Jota’s arrival which is no coincidence and he’s certainly helped to play his part in the club’s success, so there’s no doubt that this number would only continue to increase should he stay beyond the summer.

With both the Test and the ODI series ending with a 1-1 scoreline, both teams have one last chance to prove who is better

The Preview by Mohammad Isam03-Apr-2017Match FactsTuesday, April 4, 2017
Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)Bangladesh have lost their last seven T20Is•Associated PressBig PictureBilateral T20Is can become meaningless when fitted towards the end of tours. Teams use these games to prepare for future endeavours and to give the players who had been confined to the bench some game time. As a result, not many of these matches are memorable. But the series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh has gained importance after stalemates in both the Tests and ODIs.The hosts would consider themselves favourites. They beat both South Africa and Australia away from home and have been bolstered by the return of Lasith Malinga. Additionally, the competition at the top of the order also bodes well for them. They have four openers to choose from: Kusal Perera, who has recovered from a hamstring strain, captain Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka and Dilshan Munaweera.Bangladesh would regard the tour as a lost opportunity if they end up not winning any trophies. They struggled in New Zealand and their count of successive T20I losses reached seven, but in subcontinent conditions, they pose a stronger threat.There is very little difference between their ODI and T20I batting line-ups, and this continuity has helped the players feel more secure. On the bowling front, captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Taskin Ahmed have been among the wickets recently, while Mehedi Hasan has taken to limited-overs cricket as well as he did to Tests.Lasith Malinga made a triumphant return to international cricket in Australia last month•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesForm guideSri Lanka LWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLLIn the spotlightAsela Gunaratnewas the most talked-about batsman during Sri Lanka’s last T20I series, and was so with good reason. Having struck back-to-back fifties to help beat Australia in their own backyard, the focus will be on him to repeat the feat at home.Twenty20 is Sabbir Rahman’s favourite format. So far on tour, he has hit two decent forties in the Colombo Test and a fifty in the Dambulla ODI. His fans will be expecting a big one from him now.Team newsKusal has passed his fitness test, and as such, is available for this match. But Sri Lanka were reluctant to say where he would bat, or if he would slot back into the XI. They might have to choose between fast bowlers Vikum Sanjaya and Nuwan Kulasekara. Apart from that, most of the line-up will be similar to the one that played against Australia in February. Left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, who missed the latter part of the ODI series against Bangladesh, is expected to regain his T20 place.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Dilshan Munaweera, 3 Upul Tharanga (capt), 4 Chamara Kapugedera, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Kusal Perera/ Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Lakshan Sandakan, 10 Vikum Sanjaya/ Nuwan Kulasekara 11 Lasith MalingaBangladesh are unlikely to tinker with their batting line-up, but they might perhaps mull over Mohammad Saifuddin. The uncapped fast-bowling allrounder could be used to give one of the frontline quicks a break. Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam is another option available to the visitors.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt.), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin AhmedPitch and conditionsAn unusually hard surface might afford some help to the fast bowlers early on. The average score batting first in the last five T20Is at the R Premadasa Stadium is 150. Overall, teams that have batted first have won 14 out of 23 completed matches at this venue. There is a slight chance of rain in the evening.Stats and trivia The only two batsmen, out of both squads, to have more than 1,000 T20I runs are Tamim Iqbal (1202) and Shakib Al Hasan (1159). Sri Lanka have won just one T20I at the Premadasa in 11 outings. They have better records in Pallekelle – seven wins out of 11 games – and Hambantota – three wins out of six games. Sri Lanka is one of five countries where Bangladesh have never won a T20I. Sabbir has the most Player-of-the-Match awards (3) for Bangladesh in T20Is.Quotes”We’ve got to be consistent in getting those runs as well, and that has to carry over to the T20 format. In Australia we’ve chased 170-odd as well. Even here, if we can get and chase 180 – scores like that – that would be the best thing.”
“When we played the decider against England in Chittagong [last October], we lost despite having a good record there. So these things don’t really matter much.”

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Juventus star Federico Chiesa, as Unai Emery prepares to add big names to his plans at Villa Park.

The Spaniard, along with Monchi, has already signed Youri Tielemans from Leicester City, and with his former player Pau Torres with one foot in the door, it’s set to be an exciting summer in the Midlands.

Are Aston Villa signing Federico Chiesa?

Things could get all the more thrilling, with GIVEMESPORT adding substance to the rumours that the Villans hold an interest in Italian sensation Federico Chiesa.

Corriere dello Sport mentioned, via Sport Witness, the Midlands club as one of the Premier League representatives interested in the £53m winger, who is contracted to Juve until 2025.

Journalist Dean Jones has since revealed via GIVEMESPORT that Villa are “interested” and are one of the clubs expected to “explore” a potential deal for the 25-year-old:

“Aston Villa are interested. But the most interesting thing about this is that Juventus are willing to listen to anything people have got to say about making an offer for him.

"There's a bit of an exodus in Serie A at the moment, and I think that Villa are one of the clubs looking to explore how they can exploit that.”

Where could Federico Chiesa play at Aston Villa?

A player that’s versatile across the front line of attack, Chiesa is primarily deployed on the left wing, using his favoured right foot to cut in and cause havoc out wide.

Hailed as “dangerous" by scout Antonio Mango, the Italian has produced some glorious moments in Serie A, representing both Juventus and Fiorentina, in which he has contributed to 77 goals throughout his league career.

It could, however, be time for the Genova-born ace to take up a new challenge, after seeing a slight dip in performance since making the switch to Turin, in three seasons that have been tainted by injury.

Time on the sidelines has subsequently seen the 25-year-old slip up and down the pecking order, however, his talent has never gone unnoticed.

For Villa, signing a player of the calibre of Chiesa would be monumental, especially in introducing him into the positive environment that Emery has created at the club.

The youngster has shown certain attributes that suggest he could operate effectively for the Spaniard in his system, with his numbers likening him to a certain Premier League ace.

As per FBref comparisons, Chiesa shares similar statistical averages to treble-winner Riyad Mahrez, who has been a stellar member of Pep Guardiola’s squad over the years.

In signing the Italian, Emery could have his own answer to the five-time Premier League-winning Algerian, as highlighted by their in-game strengths on the flank.

Over the past year, the 25-year-old Italian has excelled in areas typical of a dynamic winger, averaging 2.26 successful take-ons and 4.52 progressive carries per 90, highlighting his strengths in possession, via FBref.

Similar numbers were recorded by Mahrez, who averaged 3.82 progressive carries and 1.37 successful take-ons over the past year, showing exactly how much of a threat Chiesa could add to Emery’s side in relation to the danger of the Manchester City star.

With an audacious price tag, it’s a decision for Monchi to make as to how strong Villa opt to be in their pursuit of the Italian, however, the winger could be the big-name signing that fires the side to new highs next term.

Manchester United have not accepted "a more flexible offer" from Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS, and any potential deal that sees the Glazer maintain their position at United would need the board's support, claims journalist Ben Jacobs.

Manchester takeover news – What's the latest?

Another week passes, and yet the potential sale of one of the biggest sports teams in the world still seems no closer than it did a few weeks ago.

It has been seven months since the Glazers first announced they were looking for outside investment for the club, news that was celebrated almost like a title win by many fans of the club who have long opposed the American families' ownership of their football club.

Yet, over half a year later, they are still firmly in control.

There have been three rounds of bidding for the Red Devils, which have left Ratcliffe's INEOS-supported bid and the Qatari bid fronted by Sheikh Jassim as the two most serious parties.

While it is hard to genuinely gauge the feelings of such a massive and international fan base, Ratcliffe's offer to buy just 51% of the club and allow the Glazers to keep a stake of around 20% is unlikely to sit well with much of the support.

What has journalist Ben Jacobs said about the Manchester United takeover?

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "INEOS, with a more flexible offer for control of the football club, have never at the point we're recording this anyway been put in exclusivity, nor have they obviously completed a deal for the football club.

"And the reason for that is because even if the Glazers like the offer on the table that could allow Joel and Avram to stay, it's still got to get board approval."

What other sports teams does Jim Ratcliffe own?

Should Ratcliffe and INEOS get their way this summer and become the majority owners of United, it'll be the British Billionaires' fifth sports organisation and his third football club for which he will be the majority owner.

The first football team he purchased was the Swiss super league outfit FC Lausanne-Sport. He bought the team back in 2017, and things immediately went wrong, with the side being relegated in his first year of ownership, coming back up the following year.

The second side in his stable of European football teams is the slightly more prestigious Ligue 1 side, Nice.

INEOS took control of the French club in 2019, and since then, things have gone okay for the club, finishing fifth in 2020, ninth in 2021, fifth again in 2022 and finally ninth again last year.

The 70-year-old businessman also owns the sailing team Ineos Britannia and the cycling team Ineos Grenadiers which has competed in the Tour de France.

If the lifelong United fan really wants to add the historic club to that list and win the fans onside, he might want to reconsider the offer to keep the Glazers onboard.

The Islamabad United coach believes his team can bounce back after a win and a loss in their first two matches of the 2017 PSL

Umar Farooq in Dubai11-Feb-20171:03

WATCH – Misbah-ul-Haq smashes 61 off 36 balls

Islamabad United coach Dean Jones said his side has “been through hell” over the last few days after two of their players, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, were provisionally suspended by the PCB as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged attempts to corrupt the 2017 Pakistan Super League. Three other players – Mohammad Irfan, who also plays for Islamabad, Zulfiqar Babar and Shahzaib Hasan – were questioned by the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Unit as part of the investigation.Sharjeel and Latif were suspended a day after the defending champions won the opening match of the 2017 edition, beating Peshawar Zalmi by seven wickets (D/L method). They lost their second match, however, on Saturday, going down by six wickets against Lahore Qalandars.”Emotionally and physically the team has been through hell,” Jones said after the match on Saturday. “All in all, we’re trying to prepare these guys coming into the match and it’s not been the best preparation, I’ll be honest with that. The boys came here, they wanted to get out here and have some fun and play. Unfortunately it hasn’t worked that way.”Irfan made way for Rumman Raees in the XI for the second match, while Asif Ali took Sharjeel’s place. Put in to bat, Islamabad made a solid start with a 73-run opening stand between Dwayne Smith and Sam Billings. They went on to score 158 for 7, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq hitting 61 not out off 36 balls.Islamabad United could not check Lahore Qalandars’ chase led by a confident Jason Roy half-century•PCBQalandars, however, chased down the target with 10 balls to spare. “When you lose, it’s always difficult,” Jones said. “It’s our first loss in seven games if you want to look back from last year to now. It was a big game for us in a lot of ways but it’s one and one [a victory and a loss in 2017], and we are in a position a lot of teams would want to be in.”The good thing is we’ve got a four-day spell now before our next game, when we go down to Sharjah. We’ll regroup, go out and enjoy each other’s company like we always do. It’s my job as a coach to remind them that we failed a bit today but we’re in a pretty good position.”Jones said that Misbah had been a calming influence on the side.”Misbah’s always calm, cool and collected,” he said. “He doesn’t give a lot of emotion away, that’s the good thing about him as not many people see the humorous side of him, but we’ve seen a bit of that over the past 24 hours to loosen things up. From our owners to Wasim and our senior players, it’s been a bit of a tough time but now we’ll regroup and we’ll get together and move on.”Can I just say well done to the PCB? I think they have handled everything over the past 48 hours really well. We’re here to keep this great game clean and we’ll do everything we can to do that.”

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has roped in former West Indies coach Phil Simmons as consultant for the next three series, against Zimbabwe, Ireland and West Indies

Umar Farooq03-Feb-2017The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has roped in former West Indies coach Phil Simmons as consultant for the next three series, against Zimbabwe, Ireland and West Indies. According to the ACB, he will assist head coach Lalchand Rajput on technical issues.Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe starts on February 16 in Harare and includes five ODIs, before they host Ireland in Greater Noida, India, in March. Afghanistan are scheduled to visit the Caribbean in June.”He will be working with the team as a consulting coach,” ACB chief executive officer Shafiq Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo. “His expertise will greatly favour us, as he has coached all three teams we are playing against. His appointment is a valuable step in our players’ road to development.”Simmons, 53, was removed last September by the WICB, just six months after coaching West Indies to the World T20 title, due to “differences in culture and strategic approach”. He had a successful stint with Ireland before that; in his eight years in charge of the team, they won 11 trophies and qualified for every major ICC event. In the mid-2000s, he had worked with Zimbabwe. An allrounder, Simmons had played 26 Tests and 143 ODIs for West Indies between 1987 and 1999.After he was relieved of the West Indies coaching job, Simmons was appointed head coach of St Kitts & Nevis Patriots for the 2017 edition of the Caribbean Premier League. He was recently in the UAE for the duration of the Desert T20 Challenge, which Afghanistan won after defeating Ireland by 10 wickets in the final. It is understood that Simmons was attending the tournament on behalf of the ICC Development Programme, offering his services as a coaching consultant to each of the eight Associate teams present.

Newcastle United are interested in bringing a new centre-back to the club this summer, with rumours circulating over a £50m transfer.

Are Newcastle going to sign a centre-back?

Given their newfound wealth, the Magpies are expected to spend big again this summer, bolstering a squad that finished in the Champions League positions last season and reached the Carabao Cup final.

According to journalist Dean Jones, Newcastle are keen to sign a central defender and are already looking at a host of names at different price points.

Speaking on The Football Terrace YouTube Channel, Jones claimed: "The profile of the centre-back is going to be interesting to see who they actually go for. I'm hearing some of the centre-backs they're linked with and were briefed about are like £10m-£15m. Then I'm suddenly told about another centre-back that's like £50m. So I don't know where they're going to land on that one."

Despite stating that Newcastle are in the hunt for a new defender, and a potentially expensive one at that, Jones didn't give the name of the mystery £50m centre-back.

However, the fact that Eddie Howe wants to strengthen his defensive unit is unsurprising given that Ciaran Clark has already left the club and Jamaal Lascelles is on the radar of Premier League newcomers Luton Town.

Newcastle did boast the equal-best defensive record (level with champions Manchester City) in the league last season, conceding just 33 goals in 38 games, but the extra workload that comes with European football means that regulars Fabian Schar and Sven Botman will need support.

Which defenders might Newcastle sign?

One defender that is set to make a move this summer is Napoli star Kim Min-jae and Newcastle have been linked with the South Korea international in recent weeks. The reported price of a transfer is roughly £42m which would approximately correspond with Jones's £50m statement.

However, it is thought that Bayern Munich are streets ahead in the race for the 26-year-old and have almost snapped up the defender's signature.

Manchester United's Harry Maguire has been touted with a move away from Old Trafford this summer, with the Magpies keen on making a move for the England international according to some sources. Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have also been linked with the 30-year-old who remains the most expensive defender in world football.

Someone who will help out the defence next season is holding midfielder Sandro Tonali. The Italian is set to sign from AC Milan after talks have quickly accelerated over recent days.

Watch more of The Football Terrace HERE!

With it now seemingly a matter of when and not if Brendan Rodgers will be named as the successor to Ange Postecoglou at Celtic, attention can begin to turn to just how the returning boss will alter the current Hoops squad this summer.

The ex-Leicester City boss – who had been out of work since being sacked by the Foxes back in April – will likely be hoping to keep hold of the Old Firm outfit's key men ahead of mounting another domestic and European charge next summer, with midfield maestro Reo Hatate, in particular, having been mooted for a reunion with Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur.

As well as attempting to persuade the likes of Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi – who has been linked with a move to Spurs – to stay in Glasgow, the Northern Irishman may also have a plan to ditch those who he deems surplus to requirements among the first-team ranks, with Stephen Welsh perhaps among those who could well face the axe.

A recent report from Football Insider claimed that the Scottish champions are open to offers for the 23-year-old this summer, with the former Scotland youth international seemingly also keen to secure increased game time elsewhere.

While the young centre-back may be hoping that his standing could be improved with Rodgers in the dugout instead of Postecoglou, the one-time Liverpool boss could pull off the first blinder of his second spell in charge by showing the 6 foot 3 dud the door.

Will Stephen Welsh leave Celtic this summer?

It is seemingly not the first time that Welsh has been linked with a move away from Celtic Park in recent times, with reports back in January 2022 revealing that the club had rejected a loan approach from Serie A side Udinese, while Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse also made an enquiry last summer.

That was followed by further speculation heading into the winter window that the Coatbridge-born brute could be on his way, albeit with Postecoglou and co ultimately opting against sanctioning an exit following the abrupt end of Moritz Jenz' loan spell.

The latter man's exit did not aid Welsh's bid for increased game time, however, as he ultimately ended last season with just four Premiership appearances to his name – all of which came prior to the World Cup break.

The £4.6k-per-week asset notably underwhelmed when he was handed an opportunity to impress, however, having been branded "weak" by pundit Michael Stewart following the shock 2-0 defeat away to St Mirren back in September, while journalist Josh Bunting suggested that both Welsh and Jenz were "all over the place" on the day after getting "bullied" by the likes of Curtis Main and Jonah Ayunga.

That lack of physicality has been a theme of the criticism that has fallen the Scotsman's way of late, with pundit Frank McAvennie also stating that the academy graduate needs a loan move to "toughen him up", while also labelling him as someone who "ball watches".

With Rodgers set to inherit a squad that includes the likes of Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers and January arrival Yuki Kobayashi – all of whom have been above Welsh in the pecking order of late – the 50-year-old can then make the decision to send the one-time Greenock Morton loanee packing, either on a temporary basis or permanently.