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Noel Whelan has given his reaction to what he calls a ‘huge development’ in the Newcastle United takeover saga.

The Lowdown: Premier League under pressure

Speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Amanda Staveley, who is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium looking to buy the Magpies, has insisted that she would not be deterred in her bid, and also called for the UK Government to intervene.

This comes after the St. James’ Park faithful released a statement calling for transparency in their upcoming arbitration case against the top flight, wanting them to agree to make the process public.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, a pundit and former Leeds United and Coventry City striker, has claimed that both Staveley and Mike Ashley are trying to put pressure on the division, and suggested that they should have nothing to hide:

“Oh absolutely, no doubt about it.

“They are forcing the Premier League’s hand, as you would say in cards.

“Ashley and Staveley know exactly what they are doing. Everyone wants the Premier League to stand up and be honest.

“Again, like cards, they have been told, ‘fold’ or ‘show your hand’.

“Ashley and whoever are all saying ‘show us what you’ve got’ to the Premier League. It’s a huge development.”

The Verdict: Premier League must cooperate

The Premier League must cooperate if a decision on whether the takeover can go through can be made as soon as possible.

If they were confident of winning the forthcoming arbitration case, then they should be calling to make the process public as well, as they should have nothing to hide with regards to their handling of the deal.

Whatever result comes out of the hearing, the North East club will be relying on them for cooperation, whether that would be how the process can be sped up or whether there is a chance of restarting the bid again if all else fails.

Nonetheless, both Staveley and Ashley seem to be losing some patience now, and just want things to be moving quicker.

In other news, find out what important update Lee Ryder has shared on the CAT case here!

There was a time when it looked as if England would break their duck and register the first win of their ill-fated Australian tour by beating Australia A under the Sydney lights

Ralph Dellor08-Dec-2002There was a time when it looked as if England would break their duck and register the first win of their ill-fated Australian tour by beating Australia A under the Sydney lights. However, the fall of their last six wickets for 32 runs in 14 overs scuppered any chance they might have had of a morale-boosting victory.Australia A’s total of 205 for nine in their fifty overs was within England’s sights when their reply stood at 110 for three with 23 overs left, but the worrying collapse left them 24 runs short of the target. After losing five wickets for 18 against New South Wales on Friday, these are worrying times for the tourists’ management with only one match to go before the international triangular tournament begins next Friday.Some encouragement was to be seen in the field, where England did well to restrict the home side to a modest total. Captain Justin Langer showed his class and experience to top score with 62 from 103 balls, and the prolific Mike Hussey weighed in with a valuable 44 not out from 47 balls at the end of the innings, without once reaching the boundary.Langer was on only 12 when he was dropped by Robert Key at slip off Andrew Flintoff, and this after James Kirtley had dismissed his opening partner, Jimmy Maher, with his seventh ball. An inside edge ballooned up off Maher’s pad to be well-caught by Craig White diving forward in the gully.Several of the home batsmen got a start before they fell to a combination of good fielding and tight, disciplined bowling. Greg Blewett fell for 23 to a stunning catch by Nick Knight at backward point high above his head. That was off Kabir Ali, who then suffered as Michael Clarke took a liking to his bowling and he was withdrawn from the attack after two over had cost 25.Clarke was out for 25, bowled by the excellent Ronnie Irani who finished with three for 30 from his ten overs, including another screamer held by Knight at slip to dismiss Andrew Symonds. Ian Blackwell again impressed with one for 24 from his ten overs of left-arm spin.Ryan Campbell chipped in with 21 at the end of the innings, but England would have been more than satisfied with what was probably their best display in the field on the tour so far. However, they could not match that standard with the bat.White was promoted to open the innings in the place of resting Marcus Trescothick, but he was involved in a running mix-up with Knight and England were three for one after two overs.Irani led the fight back with 33 from 22 balls as he and Knight put on 56 in nine overs for the second wicket. Irani was lbw to the first ball bowled by Ashley Noffke and, in his next over, Noffke struck again when Knight was caught behind cutting.Nasser Hussain and Owais Shah got the innings back on course with a 38-run partnership that was progressing well until the captain was out leg before when sweeping the left-arm spin of Brad Hogg for 33.Despite a fighting 25 from Shah who was caught behind pulling Brad Williams, the rest of the order simply melted away. Blackwell was run out, Key caught in the deep and Flintoff edged an intended drive to the wicket-keeper.Kabir Ali featured in a ninth wicket partnership with Alec Stewart, scoring 16 from the 20 balls he faced, but Kirtley could only prolong the innings by one over before he was bowled by Hogg to leave Stewart stranded on six from 27 balls after going in at number nine.Australia A captain Langer commented on England’s plight after the match. “They’re obviously under pressure,” he said. “I always think that winning or making runs or taking wickets or losing is a habit and they’ve gotten out of the habit of winning.”It’s all about momentum and England don’t seem to be able to get that momentum, which is great for Australian cricket.”I’ve always maintained they’ve got some very good players, experienced players and they’re playing well in patches so what they need to find is the habit of winning and doing the basics right.”It’s not rocket science. One-day cricket is a funny game, they only need to win a couple of games and the momentum might start building.”England’s Knight summed it all up from the tourists’ point of view. “No getting away from it – that’s a game we should have won.”There are 16 blokes in that dressing room desperate to win and tonight was a missed opportunity. “It’s not fun when you keep losing.”

Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals’ captain, has said that his side will seek to extend their four-match winning streak, despite having already booked their berth in the semi-finals of the IPL

Cricinfo staff21-May-2008
Shane Warne wants the ‘Rajasthan Express’ to keep rolling © Getty Images
Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals’ captain, has said his side are keen to extend their four-match winning streak after a six-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders made them the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the IPL.”We hope the Rajasthan Express keeps rolling. The strength of our team is that every member is good enough to contribute and pull off a win,” Warne said. Talking about his side’s latest victory, he said: “We wanted to send a message to the rest of our competitors that we are not taking our foot off the pedal.”Warne, whose captaincy in the IPL has received widespread praise, said his team’s strategy was to target Kolkata’s part-time bowlers. “[Umar] Gul has been one of their best bowlers in the competition, so we had to plan our batting order accordingly. We knew that [Sourav] Ganguly and [David] Hussey would have to bowl some overs in the middle. That’s why we sent Yusuf Pathan down the order.”Pathan, whose unbeaten 18-ball 48 took Rajasthan to victory after they had been struggling at 69 for 4, came in for praise from Kolkata coach John Buchanan. “He took the game away from us, didn’t he? He hit the ball very well, and is a very strong on side player. If we had got one more wicket after they were four down, who knows?”Buchanan blamed his side’s batting and several missed run-out opportunities for the loss. “Another 20-25 runs would have done the trick,” he said, referring to Kolkata’s modest total of 148. “We certainly failed to hit the stumps when we needed to.”With Kolkata’s semi-final hopes almost extinguished, Buchanan said that the lesser-known players in the squad could get a look-in for their remaining two games. “We want to give the younger guys more experience in handling tough match situations. It’s also about learning to play together as a group.”

Crystal Palace announced the signing of Reading midfielder Michael Olise on Thursday, and a number of Eagles supporters were quick to share their delight at the transfer confirmation on social media.

The 19-year-old was wanted by Palace back in January and has now become Patrick Vieira’s first signing as the Eagles’ manager.

Primarily an attacking midfielder, Olise has signed a five-year deal at Selhurst Park and will wear the number seven shirt.

He has already made 73 senior appearances after making his senior debut as a 17-year-old. Olise starred for the Royals last season, scoring seven goals and registering 12 assists in 46 games.

The youngster has been on the books of Chelsea and Manchester City previously but now looks set to get his chance in the top flight with Palace.

Palace fans react

The Eagles confirmed the move on their official Twitter page on Thursday afternoon. Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with one labelling the deal as ‘brilliant’ and another dreaming of Europe now that the teenage talent is on board.

“AHHHHHHHH OMG”Credit: @Adam_Palace”EUROPEEEEE SOOON”Credit: @localpla6tic”Yes lads”Credit: @dougCPFC”Brilliant signing, welcome to Palace”Credit: @mandyswagsta”Announce 2021/22 title bus parade already”Credit: @s_cpfc”Welcome Olise, brilliant signing”Credit: @joe_cpfc_01

In other news: ‘Is there anything worse?’ – Many Crystal Palace fans react as ‘awful’ news is confirmed, find out more here. 

A round-up from the latest Twenty20 Cup matches

Cricinfo staff19-Jun-2008Mid/West/Wales division
Graeme Hick watches a streak during his innings of 63 © PA Sports
Graeme Hick may continue to roll back the years in world-record breaking fashion but in an appearance that meant he had played more matches than anyone else, although he made a fifty he was not destined for the fairytale finish everyone yearned for. Somerset may have beaten Worcestershire by ten runs at Worcester – only their second win of the term – but the focus was on the 42-year-old Hick in his 1196th senior match, which took him past Graham Gooch’s record. His 63 came from 47 balls with five fours and two sixes but the dream was dashed when he was caught by Arul Suppiah off Alfonso Thomas. The bowler Thomas ended with 4 for 27 which proved the ultimate difference as Worcestershire made a good fist of attempting to hunt down their target of 177. Peter Trego and Ian Blackwell were the architects-in-chief, the pair hitting their forties in style.Warwickshire put paid to Northamptonshire’s unbeaten record in fine style, with an emphatic nine-wicket win with 18 balls to spare at Northampton. They drew level with them on points with a game in hand in the process. Northamptonshire’s first loss in five matches was looking inevitable when they slumped to 67 for 9 after Chris Martin’s two early wickets put them on the back foot from the off. Johann Louw and Jason Brown added respectability with an unbroken last-ditch stand of 35 but their surgery was more cosmetic than lifesaving. Neil Carter’s 28-ball 52, with five fours and four sixes, set Warwickshire well on their way, he making the lion’s share of a 62-run opening stand with Jonathan Trott. Jim Troughton finished things off with Trott.North DivisionClick here for John Ward’s take on how Nottinghamshire squeezed out the win against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge.South DivisionClick here for a report on how Middlesex made it five wins in five by beating bottom-placed Sussex at Lord’s.

Midlands/West/Wales Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Northamptonshire 5 4 1 0 0 8 +0.625 818/98.2 736/95.4 Warwickshire 5 3 0 1 1 8 +0.664 540/73.5 532/80.0 Glamorgan 5 1 1 0 3 5 -0.025 340/40.0 341/40.0 Somerset 5 2 3 0 0 4 -0.164 824/100.0 839/99.5 Worcestershire 5 1 3 0 1 3 -0.540 625/78.0 670/78.2 Gloucestershire 5 0 3 1 1 2 -0.759 631/80.0 660/76.2

North Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Nottinghamshire 5 3 1 0 1 7 +0.402 603/74.0 581/75.0 Durham 5 3 1 0 1 7 +0.145 519/63.5 535/67.0 Lancashire 5 3 2 0 0 6 +1.077 766/96.0 681/98.4 Yorkshire 5 3 2 0 0 6 -0.346 756/94.4 786/94.2 Derbyshire 5 2 3 0 0 4 +0.086 645/87.0 607/82.5 Leicestershire 5 0 5 0 0 0 -1.176 680/100.0 779/97.4

South Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Middlesex 5 5 0 0 0 10 +1.421 760/92.0 684/100.0 Hampshire 5 3 2 0 0 6 +0.191 898/99.0 888/100.0 Essex 5 3 2 0 0 6 +0.099 667/92.0 665/93.0 Kent 5 3 2 0 0 6 -0.237 786/99.5 811/100.0 Surrey 5 1 4 0 0 2 -0.606 752/98.0 770/93.0 Sussex 5 0 5 0 0 0 -0.891 765/100.0 810/94.5

An exciting transfer claim surrounding Arsenal’s plans has emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners will push ahead to complete a move for Ben White following the loan departure of William Saliba.

“Paperworks signed for William Saliba to OM from Arsenal on loan until June 2022, done and confirmed. Arsenal priority now will be working to complete Ben White deal with Brighton after personal terms agreed,” he tweeted. “And Lokonga official announcement, expected soon.”

The North London giants have already had two bids knocked back for the Brighton and Hove Albion defender and as per the Daily Star, the club have since returned with a third offer of £48m plus £6m in add-ons.

It’s thought the South Coast outfit want £50m upfront.

Exciting update?

Having already completed one transfer this window, bringing in Nuno Tavares from Benfica for just £6.8m to provide valuable competition to Kieran Tierney at left-back, it appears that Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta’s business is far from complete.

Now that Euro 2020 is over, Arsenal can look to get a deal for White over the line as the 23-year-old was part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad, even though he did not feature at the tournament.

Plenty of the Gunners faithful have been rather excited over the prospect of securing the Seagulls centre-back.

As relayed by football.london, one supporter claimed he would look good in an Arsenal kit amongst other responses, whilst many went wild in response to one of White’s tweets.

This latest claim from Romano will only ramp up expectations and excitement a little more. He even goes as far as suggesting that the club are close to sealing a second summer signing too, which is further encouraging news.

If Brighton want £50m, then Edu must convince KSE to stump up the funds, it’ll certainly create a positive atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium heading into the new season, where the Gunners will have to improve on their failings last term.

AND in other news, Edu could sign Arsenal’s next Fabregas in “special” £26m-rated star…

Cricinfo staff09-Jun-2008
Sean Ervine’s efforts with both ball and bat assisted Hampshire (file photo) © Getty Images
The confirmation of the Champions League – and its US$5million (A$5.27million) cashpot – threatened to overshadow first-class cricket in England this week. Yet a timely reminder of the magic of first-class cricket came in two matches, both involving Australians. Sean Ervine helped Hampshire to a nail-biting four-run win against Durham at Chester-le-Street as he contributed a fifty and 49 and his bowling contribution ought not to be overlooked.He didn’t bowl in the first innings, but second time around his nine overs went for 14 runs, including an important wicket. Ervine is now left to hope Hampshire can make it to the Twenty20 final after Western Australia dumped him at the end of their season.His former Western Australia team-mate Justin Langer was involved in a close tussle at Taunton where Somerset finally subsided to a 40-run defeat against Yorkshire. Langer had a poor match with 4 and 10.Even so, it can’t be denied that the Champions’ League buzz came just in time to warm up England’s domestic Twenty20 season which kicks off this Wednesday. Adam Voges, for example, is in line for some extra practice. When Western Australia reached the Australia domestic final, along with Victoria in January, there had been plenty of excitement that they’d qualified for a dart at the cash, then things went quiet until Saturday’s announcement.Voges played his part in helping Nottinghamshire secure a draw against Lancashire at Old Trafford, who had been in the better position throughout the match. He hit 55 in the first innings and, although he received a blow on the left hand when batting in the first innings, he returned to the field the next day and had teased out an unbeaten 19. He should be fine for Twenty20, while his team-mate Darren Pattinson went wicketless in both innings.Dirk Nannes – who qualified for the Champions League with Victoria – came back superbly for Middlesex in Essex’s second innings, perhaps lifted by the news, after going for 25 from five wicketless overs in the first innings at Lord’s. Marcus North’s match went from good to bad as he hit 96 in the first innings for Gloucestershire, then bagged a duck as they slid away to a six-wicket defeat at the hands of a Kolpak-heavy Northamptonshire at Northampton.Chris Rogers and Steve Magoffin – whose sides are both in the Champions League – did little to alter the final result at Chesterfield. While Magoffin topscored in Worcestershire’s first innings, with 33 out of their 151, he couldn’t help them second time around, with 6, and when Jonathan Clare dismissed him that was the end. Rogers had made 14 and didn’t need to bat a second time. Jason Gillespie was on the losing end for Glamorgan against Warwickshire. He was economical but wicketless in the first innings, and in the second went at 4.80 per over snaring two victims as Glamorgan lost by five wickets at Cardiff.In the one-day tournament there were plenty of Australian fallers in the quarter-finals of the FP Trophy. Only Michael Di Venuto made it through to the last four with Durham in a tight one-wicket win at Chester-le-Street against Nottinghamshire. Di Venuto watched his side nearly throw it away after he had made 70. He fell with the score 129 for 3, but although there were plenty of slip-ups, they scraped home. Voges made 13 and Pattinson took 2 for 46 for the visitors.North’s Gloucestershire ducked out at the quarter-final stage as they subsided to Yorkshire at Bristol, North caught behind off Matthew Hoggard for 1. Langer was also a loser as Somerset subsided to Kent, going down by 37 runs at Beckenham.

Speaking to Football Insider, a Tottenham Hotspur source has dropped an exciting two-word message involving Lilywhites superstar Son Heung-min, which must come as a big boost for new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Son contract talks…

Reports from as far back as last year have detailed Tottenham’s attempts to tie down Son with a new deal at N17. News emerged in October 2020 that they were close to sealing a new deal for the 29-year-old, but no sign of an announcement or confirmed done deal has come around since that point.

The financial implications of the pandemic did cause a delay, though, with the Evening Standard reporting that all non-urgent contract talks had been put on hold at the beginning of the year.

The Latest: Source drops exciting two-word contract claim…

However, speaking to Football Insider, a Spurs source has now dropped an exciting two-word message on Son and his new deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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The Lilywhites insider simply stated ‘it’s done’, with the South Korea star apparently set to earn more than £200,000 per week on a blockbuster fresh contract.

Indeed, he is ‘staying at Tottenham’ after agreeing the new deal, committing his future to the north Londoners and new manager Nuno ‘irrespective’ of Harry Kane’s future.

Indeed, after talks with the Spurs boss, Son has now ‘finalised’ his contract according to the source, with Nuno seemingly set for a big boost ahead of his debut season at the helm.

The Verdict: Big boost for Nuno…

The 48-year-old is up against tough odds for his first full season as Tottenham head coach. Financial uncertainty has placed the club into a sell-to-buy hole for this summer and they must first offload players before Spurs can bring in fresh additions.

Furthermore, superstar Kane’s exit saga will dominate discussion and he could well leave this summer depending on developments, so this news on Son comes as a timely boost.

Lauded as an ‘unbelievable’ player by former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny (Football Insider), he registered 17 goals and 10 assists in the top flight last season (WhoScored).

Only Kane managed better numbers in terms of goals and assists combined, with Nuno likely to be overjoyed that he doesn’t have to worry about losing his other PFA Premier League Team of the Year member.

In other news: Bid made – Paratici swoops with fresh offer to sign ‘absolute beast’ for Spurs, find out more here.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has claimed that Leeds United have Celtic starlet Leo Hjelde on their radar.

What’s the story?

Having recently sealed deals for Amari Miller and Lewis Bate, Marcelo Bielsa’s side look keen on reinforcing their academy side even further this summer.

According to Hay, the Whites have their eye on a pair of Celtic starlets, with centre-back Hjelde, and left-back Matthew Anderson on their radar.

Hay adds that “Leeds are persisting in forming a junior pool who, in a number of positions, might realistically succeed members of Bielsa’s current starting line-up.”

Fans will be excited

The 17-year-old joined fellow Scottish side Ross County on loan, and the club’s boss, John Hughes, has admitted that he could have linked up with Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League instead.

He said: “Leo is going to be the next Van Dijk – trust me on that. The quality he has shown, the physical challenge, playing real men’s football and standing up to it – it’s been a wonderful experience for Leo.

“Before he came, Leeds United were after him. I think he had to sign an extension to his contract for the loan to go through.”

While he may only be 17, Hjelde is clearly someone with a lot of potential, and Hughes has placed a lot of faith in him by using him in multiple positions, including at left-back and further forward in left-midfield.

And, after seeing him score his first professional goal against Kilmarnock earlier last season, the manager was quick to shower him with praise.

He said: “He found himself out of the team a little bit, then came on there and got his goal. He’s destined for big, big, big things. He won’t be far away from the Celtic first-team when he goes back, but this is what he needs to be doing.”

Given Leeds’ recent signings of Bate and Miller, and that follows on from the business last summer that saw the likes of Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood arrive, fans will no doubt be excited about the future of their club.

Whether Bielsa is still the manager when these players eventually make a name for themselves in the first-team in the years to come remains to be seen, but these long-term based signings ensure that the club is in good hands.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay claims there’s a “decent chance” of Leeds making this signing…

Chris Gayle says he’s in dialogue with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) following his resignation from captaincy

Cricinfo staff31-Jul-2008
Reconsidering resignation? Chris Gayle is in talks with the West Indian board © AFP
Chris Gayle has confirmed that he handed in his resignation as captain last week but says he is currently in discussions with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).”We are currently in discussions with a view at arriving at a mutually beneficial agreement,” Gayle told the at a sponsor’s event. “Until then, I cannot say much. In fact, whether or not I am captain, my focus now is on the upcoming Canada and Pakistan tours, where I hope to perform well and help the team to victory.”Gayle had reportedly sent his resignation letter to Donald Peters, the WICB chief executive, in the past few days. He had recently expressed his dissatisfaction with the selection committee. “Based on the selection committee, there are some things I don’t have much control over at this point in time, regardless [of whether] I’m the captain or not,” Gayle had said.Gayle has had strained relations with the WICB. In June last year he criticised the board over its arrangements for the ODI series in England and its initial decision to veto his appointment as one-day captain.Gayle’s had mixed results as captain, winning two Tests out of five and seven ODIs out of 17. He led West Indies to two ODI series wins, including an away victory against England last year, and against the touring Sri Lankans recently.He presided over a surprise win in the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg but his side went on to lose the next two games and the series. His other Test win came against Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain to level the two-match series. However, injuries have interrupted his tenure and he has struggled to stay fit for an entire tour.Peters, meanwhile, has been put on administrative leave by the WICB.