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Liverpool are now reportedly racing to sign a £100m star who’s already been the subject of several enquiries in the January transfer window.

Slot admits Liverpool's attacking struggles "obvious"

After breaking their transfer record twice to welcome Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s attacking problems are now “obvious” for all to see, according to Arne Slot.

The Reds have gone from free-flowing but extremely vulnerable to defensively compact, yet incredibly slow going the other way. They’re simply yet to find the perfect middle ground which saw them lift the Premier League title last season.

Having his say on his side’s current form, which has seen them go seven games unbeaten, Slot told reporters: “Yeah, although the margins are small so that could have influenced us having three, four, five, six more points maybe.

“But from open play, from where we are, when I look at Arsenal, I look at City and I look at us, it’s fair that we are not above them.

“That we are so many points behind them, there are reasons for that but it wouldn’t be fair if we were above them for the way we have played.

“I think it is clear and obvious that we hardly concede chances any more… but for me it is also clear and obvious that we find it quite hard to generate enough chances for all the ball possession we have and that is not new for us this season.”

The truth of Liverpool’s recent run was exposed against Leeds United last time out, when they struggled to create and settled for a 0-0 draw at Anfield. It was a contrast of the days of old in Merseyside and Slot must find a solution, be it internally or through the transfer market.

Liverpool racing to sign Baleba with Brighton response given

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion this month.

The midfield star has already been the subject of several enquiries this month, but it seems as though the Seagulls are ready to turn down any potential approaches midway through the campaign.

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He’s a wanted man.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

Reportedly valued at around £100m by those in Sussex, Liverpool would have to splash out another hefty fee if they were to step up their chase to sign Baleba. The question, therefore, is whether the 21-year-old would be worth what could be a hectic chase.

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After Alan Shearer dubbed him “wonderful” last season, it would be easy to assume that Liverpool should go all out for Baleba. But his form has complicated things this season.

Baleba in the Premier League per 90

24/25

25/26

Minutes

2,661

896

Progressive Passes

3.99

2.4

Tackles Won

1.55

1

Ball Recoveries

6.66

5.10

Whilst there’s still a long season ahead, Baleba’s numbers have plummeted in every department in the current campaign and that’s something Liverpool should be wary of. The last thing they need is for another big-money signing to struggle.

	Ishant Sharma: set for a return in Kanpur? © Getty Images

Ishant Sharma is set to undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Sunday in order to determine his availability for the third Test against South Africa in Kanpur, which starts on April 11. The team for the final match is expected to be selected at the end of the Ahmedabad Test.Ishant, who starred in the Tests and the ODIs on the Australia tour, was advised complete rest for three weeks by the then physio, John Gloster. He had a problem in the big toe of his landing foot as well as an inflammation in the right forefinger.He underwent some tests at the NCA before the start of the South Africa series but had not attained full fitness. He was with the team at both Chennai and Ahmedabad, and has been monitored by Paul Close, the physio. Anil Kumble hoped Ishant would be fully fit for the Ahmedabad Test but the team decided to give him a bit more time.Murali Kartik, the left-arm spinner, is also expected to be tested in Bangalore on Sunday. Kartik was included in the squad for the first two Tests but an ankle sprain sustained on the day of the selection ruled him out for three weeks.Joginder Sharma, VRV Singh and Sudeep Tyagi are the others currently undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA.

Chris Gayle is in charge of West Indies’ one-day hopes in England and Ireland © Getty Images

Chris Gayle has been handed the captaincy of West Indies for their limited-overs series in England and Ireland. He will lead a 14-man squad that does not include the fast bowlers Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor, who played at the World Cup in the Caribbean.Austin Richards has received his first international call-up and along with Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Smith, he will join the squad after the fourth Test. Richards, 23, is a left-hand batsman from Antigua who has a modest domestic one-day record but impressed in his two first-class outings in 2006-07, making 183 for Leeward Islands against Windward Islands.Daren Ganga, West Indies’ stand-in Test captain, was not included in the one-day outfit and will depart after the Chester-le-Street Test, along with Sylvester Joseph. The appointment of Gayle as the limited-overs leader came after reports that the West Indies Cricket Board executive committee wanted Ganga to take the helm of the one-day side, even though he had played only seven ODIs in nearly five years. The committee did not want Gayle in charge on the grounds of indiscipline.However, the board has ignored the committee’s request and Gayle will lead the squad, supported by Shivnarine Chanderpaul as his vice-captain. Gayle has captained West Indies once before, in a 20-run loss to India at Cuttack in January.The squad’s first challenge is two Twenty20 games against England at The Oval, followed by three one-day matches between the two sides in the first week of July. West Indies then depart for Ireland, where they will take part in a four-nation tournament that also features Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland.West Indies squad Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle (capt), Runako Morton, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Austin Richards, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith.

Zimbabwe 258 and 353 for 8 (Masakadza 131, Mufambisi 45, Matsikenyeri 41) drew with Bangladesh 380 and 356 for 6 dec
ScorecardThe second A-team Test at Mutare between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh ended in a nail-biting draw when bad light prevented what was set to be a gripping finale. When the players trooped from the field, Zimbabwe needed 28 more to win with two wickets in hand and three overs remaining.That they had got so close to their target was thanks to a six-hour hundred from Hamilton Masakadza, Zimbabwe’s captain, who struck 131 to provide the platform for the chase. Tafadzwa Mufambisi (45) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (41) then took Zimbabwe within sight of victory before the weather intervened.Givemore Makoni, the Zimbabwe A manager, was delighted with the team’s performance. “The guys played good cricket this time around and it was a marked improvement in batting compared to the first game,” he told The Herald. “We scored about 600 runs in total and a number of the top-order and middle-order batsmen like Masakadza and Matsikenyeri are showing signs of improving.”We could have won this game but the performance and the result leaves us in a stronger position ahead of the decider in Bulawayo and we are now looking forward to a competitive match at Queens.”The third and final match starts at Bulawayo on Friday before the teams meet in a five-match one-day series in Bulawayo and Kwekwe.

Lameck Onyango: first-day hero© Getty Images

There has been little good news where Kenyan cricket is concerned since the World Cup in March 2003. The national side has hardly been seen, and when it finally emerged from hibernation last month it was humbled in the Champions Trophy; in July, Maurice Odumbe was banned for five years for his association with bookmakers; at home, the dispute between the Kenyan board on the one side, and most players and officials on the other has grown increasingly bitter, and last week 13 leading players went on strike.So, when one or two remaining experienced players, supplemented by raw recruits, took to the field for the Intercontinental Cup tie against Namibia at the Aga Khan Sports Club last weekend, there was little reason to think that they would earn the draw necessary for Kenya to reach November’s semi-finals in Sharjah. Shortly before lunch on the second day, when Kenya were 24 for 4 in reply to Namibia’s 357 for 6, the writing seemed on the wall.But this time it was different. As one insider explained, the team spirit in the young side was remarkable, and they refused to roll over. They battled back to reduce the first-innings deficit to under 100, and then on the third day would have pulled off a remarkable victory had Namibia not thrown in the towel with 10 overs remaining and only 43 runs needed.The players and coaching staff were clearly delighted, and justifiably so. Less pleased were the striking players.Until the end of last week, there was considerable sympathy for them. They had been treated in a shabby manner by the KCA, were owed money, had seen their salaries cut as cash ran out, and to cap it all had been offered new contracts which had every appearance of being designed to suit the board and not the players.But that sympathy evaporated when some of them turned up at the Aga Khan. It seemed unlikely they were there to support the side, but more to watch over what was expected to be their humiliation. While they silently scowled, a few former players and a couple of dozen vocal supporters turned on their replacements. The chanting and insulting comments did the cause of the strikers no good, nor did it enhance the image of Kenyan cricket. The reaction of the players on the field was admirable, and as Ravindu Shah batted Kenya towards the semi-finals with his last-day hundred, the dissenters slowly disappeared.What was also shameful were the racist undertones of the protests at the ground. With all the strikers black, and all but one of the side playing Asian, the taunting centred on the ethnic background of the team. There were many chants that the side was actually “Kenyan Asians” or “Kenya Indians”. Some comments were even less palatable. It was, therefore, satisfying that the man who rescued Kenya’s first innings was Lameck Onyango with a gutsy 67. Onyango was the only black in the side.The KCA should not really take any credit for Kenya’s success at the Aga Khan and it continues to be at loggerheads with most of the people it should be representing. But it should now encourage the selectors to stick with the side that got them to Sharjah. They might not be as talented man-for-man as many of those they replaced, but they showed a heart and determination which has been missing from the Kenya side for a long time.

Thilina Kandamby, the 21-year-old Bloomfield left-hander, has been named as Naveed Nawaz’s vice-captain in the 16-member Sri Lanka A team which will tour New Zealand next month.Kandamby is looked upon as future captaincy material, and has proved to be a thinking man during matches for his club in the Premier Trophy tournament.Nawaz will lead a team which includes five fast bowlers, an allrounder and a solitary spinner on the five-week tour, in which Sri Lanka A will play a series of three five-day unofficial Tests, and three one-day matches against New Zealand’s A team.The fast bnowlers are Lasith Malinga, Mario Villavarayen, Tharanga Lakshitha, Charitha Buddhika and Dinusha Fernando, with Hasantha Fernando as the fast-bowling allrounder. Dinuk Hettiarachchi, the slow left-armer, is the only recognised spinner.Prasanna Jayawardene is the only wicketkeeper in the side: in anemergency Chamara Silva may be asked to don the gloves.The squad, which is awaiting ratification from the Sports Ministry, is:Naveed Nawaz (capt), Thilina Kandamby (vice-capt), Ian Daniel, Shantha Kalavitigoda, Pradeep Hewage, Jehan Mubarak, Bathiya Perera, Chamara Silva, Hasantha Fernando, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Dinuk Hettiarachchi, Lasith Malinga, Mario Villavarayen, Tharanga Lakshitha, Charitha Buddhika, Dinusha Fernando.Tour itinerary:
March 3 – Arrival
March 5-7 – v Otago at Alexandra
March 11-15 – 1st “Test” at Queenstown
March 19-23 – 2nd “Test” at Lincoln
March 27-31 – 3rd “Test” at Christchurch
April 3 – 1st ODI at Lincoln
April 5 – 2nd ODI at Lincoln
April 7 – 3rd ODI at Lincoln
April 8 – Departure

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 has noted with distress recent media reports claiming that the Umsobomvu Youth Fund (UYF) funded the opening ceremony of the cricket spectacle to the tune of R3-million.Earlier this week, the IFP Youth Brigade, and later the PAC and the UDM, were reported to have criticised the UYF for granting the ICC CWC 2003 the money, saying the funds should have been used to benefit the youth of this country.”It is extremely unfortunate that the media actually ran with the story without familiarising themselves with the true facts,” said the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 Volunteers 2003 programme manager Herman Beetge.”The fact is that the youth fund pledged R2-million to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, but this money is envisaged to cover various costs of the Volunteers 2003 programme. At no stage was the money earmarked for the opening ceremony as that event had its own budget and separately organised volunteers,” said Beetge.”We are currently running a huge Volunteers 2003 programme at the stadiums where World Cup matches are being played, and so far we have received nothing but praise from members of the public for the role played by these purple-shirted volunteers. The success of this programme is based among others on contributions like those made by the UYF and we commend for this. It is unfortunate that instead of running a positive story about the volunteers, we are having to deal with false claims about the opening ceremony which was a huge success in its own right.”Beetge said the breakdown for the UYF grant was expected to be used as follows

Training Materials 389,676Trainer & Co-ordinator workshop 29,089Costs associated with processing of applications 103,000Initial contact with trainees 37,597Trainers’ costs 153,154Pilot projects 271,811Meals & refreshments during training process(shared 50/50 with ICC CWC 2003) 514,039Contribution towards transportation of trainees duringtraining programme (shared 50/50 with ICC CWC 2003) 514,039Total 2,012,405

“As can be seen from these figures, this was a highly involved programme and those who have been attending the matches can attest to the quality of our volunteers. They received high quality training and it is important that we look after them well with decent refreshments, transports and uniform to allow them to perform their duties with dignity and with their morale high.”Also, the training the Volunteers 2003 received will benefit the youth who make up 90% of all volunteers and in all 35% of our volunteers are unemployed.”We hope this puts the whole issue into perspective and that misperception created are corrected.”

Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya considers New Zealand to be histeam’s main rivals in the triangular one-day Coca Cola Cup seriesstarting in Colombo on Wednesday.The hosts will meet New Zealand in the opening match of thetournament, also featuring India. The teams will play each other threetimes in the league phase, with the top two qualifying for the August5 final.”They (India) are not really our main rivals, but they have beenplaying well,” Jayasuriya told a website last week.The Sri Lankan skipper has good reason to be optimistic aboutdefeating India: his men beat the team three times when they last metat Sharjah in October, including in the final.India are also without their star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who isnursing a foot injury.Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has conceded that the Sri Lankans willbe a tough unit at home, especially in one-dayers. “We will have toplay really well to beat them,” he has said.Forgetting the past, however, will put India in a better frame of mindfor the upcoming series. Last year they were on the verge ofcelebrating their resurgence after the match-fixing scandal when theywere thwarted by New Zealand and Sri Lanka.New Zealand were the first to ruin India’s party with a remarkablefour-wicket victory in the International Cricket Council knock-outfinal in Nairobi last October. Sri Lanka rubbed it in a few weekslater in a triangular series at Sharjah when they dismissed India fortheir lowest-ever total of 54 to run out comfortable winners.But India would not like to remember these defeats and are treatingthis tournament as a stepping stone to the 2003 World Cup in SouthAfrica.For this series, India has made three changes to the team that was inZimbabwe last month. Left-handed batsman Amay Khurasiya replacesTendulkar and middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh and left-arm spinnerRahul Sanghvi have been recalled.Sri Lanka has dropped several players from the team which had clincheda tri-series at Sharjah in April in a bid to find the right men forthe World Cup.Batsmen Avishka Gunawardene and Chamara Silva have been recalled alongwith fast-bowling all-rounders Suresh Perera and Dulip Liyanage.Fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa was ruled out of the series because of anankle injury and will be replaced by Dinusha Fernando, the chiefselector announced today.Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore has welcomed the importance given tomedium-paced all-rounders.”To be successful in South Africa, we need to have considerable fastbowling resources and some of those bowlers must be able to bat,” hehas said.New Zealand have also effected a few changes in the team which hadfailed to qualify for the Sharjah final in April.All-rounder Dion Nash and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori havereturned to the squad after passing fitness tests. There are sevenall-rounders in the team, described by chairman of selectors RichardHadlee as “strong and experienced” and “selected with Sri Lankanconditions in mind”.New Zealand manager Jeff Crowe said his team’s chances of winning thetournament here were pretty good.”We have come here fresh, without too much cricket and from our winterwith the batteries recharged,” he said. “The last time they (SriLanka) came to New Zealand they beat us in one-dayers. I think wewould like to return the favour this time.”

Aston Villa are plotting a swoop for a “very athletic” Premier League player, and they have now emerged as frontrunners in the race for his signature.

Villa leading contenders to sign new defender

There have been doubts over the future of Lucas Digne since the summer, at which point the left-back engaged in talks over a move to Atletico Madrid, and he has fallen down the pecking order over the past few weeks, being benched for the last four league games.

Although the Frenchman remains under contract until 2028, he could now be in the latter stages of his career, at 32-years-old, which means Unai Emery may need to start thinking about bringing in a long-term replacement.

Ian Maatsen has impressed since displacing Digne in the starting XI, picking up an assist in the 4-3 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month, but the Villans remain keen on strengthening at left-back.

That is according to a report from Football Insider, which states Aston Villa are planning to bring in a new left-back, amid concerns about Digne’s long-term future at Villa Park.

Wolverhampton Wanderers defender David Moller Wolfe has now emerged as a target, with Villa plotting a swoop for the full-back, who has been one of the Old Gold’s only players to have put in some impressive performances this season.

The Villans are now among the frontrunners in the race for Wolfe’s signature, and there is a feeling he would jump at a move to Villa Park, considering his current club find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.

With Wolves now 16 points from safety, having collected just two points this season, they are expected to lose several important players, and the former AZ Alkmaar man could be among them.

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Posts ByDominic Lund "Very athletic" Wolfe impressing for Wolves and Norway

The £30k-a-week defender has put in some eye-catching displays for both Wolves and Norway over the past six weeks or so, assisting in his national side’s 4-1 victory against Estonia, before going on to set up Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s goal in a 4-1 loss against Manchester United.

Subscribe for deeper transfer insight on Villa links Curious about Villa’s left-back chase? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis, scouting notes, and context on this and other club moves — smarter coverage to deepen your understanding of the transfer market. Subscribe Subscribe for deeper transfer insight on Villa links Curious about Villa’s left-back chase? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis, scouting notes, and context on this and other club moves — smarter coverage to deepen your understanding of the transfer market.

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Digne is also impressive from an attacking point of view, registering three assists in the Premier League this season, which indicates the Wolves ace could be a like-for-like replacement for the 55-time France international.

Scout Ben Mattinson has praised the 23-year-old too, describing him as “very athletic”, while also adding that he likes to “drive down the line” on the overlap.

However, it is still very early days for Wolfe in the Premier League, having only joined Wolves in the summer, and it may be a little early to start thinking about replacements for Digne, given that he has impressed for club and country at times this season.

	Dale Steyn reckoned his delivery to Rahul Dravid was probably the best ball of the day © Getty Images

While the entire Indian team may look back at the first session of this Test – during which they were bowled out for 76 – and cough up excuses, one man isn’t surprised by their capitulation. Dale Steyn, whose 5 for 23 played a pivotal role in an astonishing 109 minutes of mayhem in Ahmedabad, felt they had no game plan whatsoever.”That’s the vibe they’ve given off to us. Once one or two wickets fall and things kind of go wrong, they are pretty weak and the batsmen to follow didn’t look they knew what they wanted to do,” he said. “They didn’t have a strategy. They were bowled out for 76 and I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have a game-plan.”It’s tough for any team to settle when Steyn is in a certain groove, hostile and mixing up deliveries, but this was something else. It took him just 48 deliveries to help send the home side packing and he credited the surface for some assistance.”There was a little bit of movement which probably scared the Indians a bit once one or two wickets fell … it just looked like it sent a couple of shivers down the Indian line-up,” he said. “It looked like the guy that came in next didn’t really know how to approach it and how to play the game. We’re used to playing on wickets like this back in South Africa and knew what we had to do.”When you get a wicket like this, if you don’t bowl full you’re not going to find the edge of the bat so you’ve got to make a decision as to exactly where you’re going to bowl.”Bowling short is one thing, taking the batsmen’s feet away, but it’s that follow-up ball that always gets you a wicket. I think from reading in the papers they [India] weren’t going to come forward before the ball was bowled so maybe that helped us. Then we were able to bowl good-length balls. The ball hit the stumps a lot and there were a lot of inside-edges because nobody was really committed on the front foot.”Planned or not, it worked against a trigger-happy line-up, especially the follow-up balls. And it was Steyn’s first wicket that vindicated much of South Africa’s pre-game talk. Having just nearly dragged one onto his off stump via a cramped cut, Virender Sehwag attempted the same two deliveries later and succeeded – in dislodging the bails. “Sehwag tends to play skywards towards the slips or leave hit bat hanging out towards the slips so there’s always the possibility of an inside-edge,” he said. “His wicket was pretty decent as was that of [Rahul] Dravid. They are two good batsmen and that’s two wickets you definitely want to be getting before the game.”The ball to dismiss Dravid was excellent, breaching a master technician’s defence after he misread the movement. “That was probably the best ball of the day. Hopefully I can deliver a few more of those in the second innings.”Steyn, who now has three five-wicket hauls in the subcontinent, rated this the best and was quick to point out that had his second-last over not gone for 11 the figures would’ve been better. His tally, in his 22nd Test, reads 114 wickets with eight five-wicket hauls.India hit back with four wickets after South Africa’s openers took the lead but thanks to a fluent 106-run stand between Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers, the visitors lead by 147. Steyn termed each run after wiping out the deficit as “gold” and was confident Kallis and de Villiers would come out on day two further South Africa’s advantage. “We saw the ball moving around so we thought if we get through the day without losing any more. We needed two nice partnerships,” he said. “On a pitch like this, especially against a team that just got bowled out for 76, you aim to get ahead of them and it hurts a lot.”Maybe we can play with a bit of freedom tomorrow and up that lead toquite a big total. Then the pressure’s all on them. They have to dosomething. You can’t go into the last Test match losing this game. I don’t think drawing the series at home it what India wants to do.”