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Fabrizio Romano has dropped an exciting Arsenal transfer claim which will leave fans buzzing.

What’s the story?

Mikel Arteta’s side endured a nightmare start to the Premier League season on Friday night as they lost 2-0 to newly-promoted Brentford.

However, Romano has now delivered a transfer update which should raise optimism levels at the Emirates Stadium.

Writing on Twitter, the journalist revealed: “Arsenal are prepared to make a bid to sign Martin Ødegaard on a permanent deal. He’s always been Edu and Arteta’s priority as number 10. #AFC Once Real Madrid gives the green light, Arsenal will submit the proposal. Aouar, also in the list. Maddison, never been close.”

In a follow-up tweet, he added: “Martin Ødegaard would love to re-join Arsenal. He was really happy during his loan spell last season and he’s waiting for Arsenal bid to be accepted by Real Madrid, once the green light arrives. #AFC Ødegaard has a great relationship with Arteta and board members too.”

Fans will be buzzing

While some Arsenal fans may have been enamoured by potentially signing Leicester City star James Maddison, bringing in Odegaard would be a significant step to ensuring they strengthen their creative options in the number ten position.

As per WhoScored, despite only coming in on loan in the January transfer window from Real Madrid, Odegaard averaged 1.4 key passes per game in the Premier League, which was the joint-highest of any Arsenal player.

Emile Smith Rowe was left to carry the Gunners on his back against the Bees on Friday night, and it was all too clear that the young starlet desperately needs support.

It’s exactly why Romano’s claim that Arsenal are now prepared to make an official bid to sign Odegaard, and that crucially, the Norway international is very much keen on a move to the Emirates, will likely leave the club’s fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, David Ornstein dropped an Arsenal update on Lautaro Martinez…

Herschelle Gibbs has received a vote of confidence from Glamorgan only weeks after he was dropped from the South Africa team

Cricinfo staff19-Nov-2008
Herschelle Gibbs: a vote of confidence from Glamorgan © Getty Images
Herschelle Gibbs has received a vote of confidence from Glamorgan only weeks after he was dropped from the South Africa team for breaking a curfew, after being signed up as their overseas player for July, August and September 2009.Gibbs, 34, played for the county in the Twenty20 Cup last summer, and replaces their outgoing overseas player, Jason Gillespie. “I’m really excited about returning to Glamorgan, joining the team for the Twenty20 Cup last season was a great experience,” he said. “I am looking forward to having more time to play with Glamorgan.”He has an option to extend his stay at the county, although with an IPL contract for May and the prospect of a recall to the international side for the World Twenty20 in June, he faces a busy few months. Nevertheless, having recently split from his wife and undergone a alcohol rehabilitation course, he’ll be reassured to know he is still in demand. He is currently playing for his club side, Cape Cobras, in South Africa’s SuperSport Series.Glamorgan’s cricket manager, Matthew Maynard, is convinced that his club have made an astute signing. “I am absolutely delighted about Herschelle returning to the club,” he told the BBC. “He made a great impression on the team in 2008 and he is an inspirational player to add to the squad.”Herschelle is a typical example of the cricketing experience that we are looking to sign to the club and I’m thrilled that he is joining us next season.”

16-Dec-2008It is not too difficult to see why, if Sanath Jayasuriya had notbeen a cricketer, he would have been an accomplished fencer, sal-lying forth towards his opponent, as he does when he dances downthe wicket, with nimbleness of foot and alertness of eye. You canvisualise the epee twirling dexterously in his quick hands andsense the swordsman`s acceptance of having his life hang by astring. The qualities of skill and daring form a rare combina-tion, perhaps suited more to a gambler than a top order batsmanand yet, to see Jayasuriya bat is to see a finely crafted gamblerat work, sensing an opportunity and thriving on it.Over the last 16 months, Jayasuriya has made the leap that somany cricketers aspire to but rarely can; from being an excitingscene-stealer to playing the lead role. You could sense somethingwas going to happen when he walked out but you could be surethere would be just a few flashes of lightning. The promise ofa storm without the dense cloud to back it.Though he was talked about as a one-day specialist then, he onlyhad a batting average of about 13 and certainly didn`t haveenough wickets to justify his presence as a bowler even though heheld the best bowling figures by a Sri Lankan in one-day cricket.It was tempting to label Jayasuriya as someone who could neitherbat nor bowl well enough. Or at any rate, consistently enough.Unlike men of destiny who make their future, Jayasuriya seemed towait for fortune to stop by. As any sportsman will tell you, itonly happens rarely, and crucial years of youth passed by, takingaway opportunity and a fair chunk of hair. Then suddenly, thewheel of fortune stopped alongside him. At Bloemfontein, theheart of rightwing Afrikaner territory, Jayasuriya first rode thecrest of a new revolution. Opening the batting against New Zea-land, he scored 140, his first limited overs century. It alsomade him the record-holder for the highest individual score inone-day internationals by a Sri Lankan and while that didn`t makehim a great batsman overnight, it meant that he was up above suchoutstanding talents as Roy Dias and Aravinda de Silva. A wandererin search of home had found it; at the top of the order.In the next few months, Jayasuriya waded into opposition attacksnot with the fluency of the swordsman but with the bluntness of abattle tank. The guns boomed for a while but he was also an easytarget and the opposition waited for him to shoot himself. In-variably he did. Until the tour of Australia late last year. Onthe bouncy tracks that had exposed so many before him. Jayasuriyadiscovered that he loved the ball coming onto him. Better still,he relished the challenge of aggressive cricketers and hostileofficials and his century in the last Test at Perth was a wonder-ful innings studded with bold shots and marked by a refreshingabsence of orthodoxy.Too often, batsmen tend to be predictable, playing a ball as themanual suggests. Bowlers don`t mind bowling to such batsmen be-cause they can work out the best way to attack them. But herewas a batsman who believed strokes were meant to be playedeven in the Test match theatre and who was just as much at homedriving through cover on the rise as he was pulling in front ofsquare. He had begun to like fast bowlers and they had starteddiscover- ing a distaste for him. Subtly, quite unlike themanner in which he plays his cricket, the balance was tilting.And then came the World Cup. And Delhi. Jayasuriya made 79 from76 balls, a pedestrian pace by recent standards but his partner-ship with Kaluwitharna had redefined the way the early overswould be played in one-day cricket. Ironically, their battingaverages only added up to around 35, the figure you would want agood top order batsman to have.With batting records falling like rain in a Bombay monsoon,Jayasuriya took on England, a side whose defeats bring a totallyinexplicable but perverse joy to most cricket-playing countries.His 82 from 43 balls brought him instant international attentionfor he was now playing innings that were long enough to winmatches on their own. And then came the crucial spell in Calcuttathat destroyed India and showed up the Eden Gardens as justanother fair weather crowd. That was one of the outstandingbowl- ing performances of the tournament because he bowled theperfect line on a helpful wicket: the sign of a shrewd, think-ing crick- eter.The World Cup made him a star but there were many including me,who remained a bit sceptical of the Player of the Tournamentaward. Did he have the substance, one wondered, to win it aheadof Tendulkar or Waugh ? Did he have the statesmanship to play thekind of innings Mark Waugh played at Madras: surely one of thegreat innings of limited overs cricket ? Did he evoke the sameawe as those two ?If the end of the World Cup, a stunning success for him, stillevoked an uncertain response, the picturesque Padang in Singaporeprovided convincing proof. A century from 48 balls against one ofthe best attacks in the world had to be something special, ir-respective of the length of the boundary. The world recordhad gone by 14 balls; a bit like a young upstart coming up anddoing seven metres against Sergei Bubka.Jayasuriya is now writing a new chapter in the short history ofthe one-day game because he is perfecting a style that is radi-cally different from anything that has come before; a lot morerevolutionary than Martin Crowe`s use of Dipak Patel with the newball in the 1992 World Cup. There is now a new grammar to cricketfor underneath this carnage lies a definite pattern.Even as the fastest 50 appears in the record books what is mostawesome is not the power behind the shots but the sense of pred-ictability around the obvious danger of his approach. That is be-cause he picks his spot to hit, sees the ball very early and hasthe divine ability to find spaces rather than fielders.As he drives his Audi down past Galle on the road to Matara,Jayasuriya will be aware, being a shrewd cricketer, that cricket-ing brains around the world will be working on how to stop him.At 26, that is a great reputation to have.If I was Jayasuriya, I`d turn the music on and watch the beauti-ful palms of Sri Lanka.Source :: Daily News (http.//www.lanka.net)

Noel Whelan has given his reaction to the latest Newcastle United exit rumour involving Sean Longstaff.

The Lowdown: Longstaff exit?

According to The Daily Mail, the St James’ Park club are asking for a transfer fee of £10m in order to sell the 23-year-old before the summer window closes, with both Everton and Southampton reportedly interested in his signature.

Rafa Benitez is interested in taking Longstaff to Goodison Park, while the Saints are also keen on him, although Ralph Hasenhuttl reportedly wants to prioritise other areas of his squad first of all.

The Latest: Whelan on Longstaff

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds and Coventry player Whelan said that he can understand why Newcastle would be willing to sell Longstaff, although he claimed that it would not be a sale which would please the Toon Army. He stated:

“I think this comes down to where the club’s at in terms of ownership and how they do business now.

“I think that’s one thing that frustrates Newcastle fans. These players they want to buy and bring into the club, they can’t.

“With a new consortium, they could go out there and have the pickings of players and keep their homegrown talent.

“Also, develop a huge squad that needs to compete in the Premier League. We know how big a squad you need these days.

“It’s a level of frustration but, then again, it’ll be one of understanding, I would expect, on the player’s part that he feels he needs to move.

“Things aren’t in great shape at Newcastle in terms of ownership and money spending. I think Bruce knows that. That £10million that comes is going to be well needed.

“It certainly won’t go down well with the fans that they’re selling an up and coming, promising young homegrown player to another club. I don’t know any clubs that would enjoy that.”

The Verdict: Sell

Even though some Newcastle fans may not be happy with selling a local boy in Longstaff, to get £10m for a player who only has a year left on his current contract would be good business.

With Joe Willock arriving on a permanent deal from Arsenal earlier this month, the 23-year-old may find his game-time more limited under Steve Bruce, so he should look for a move away if this is the case. Longstaff started just 15 league games last season and didn’t get into the first XI for their opening two games of the current campaign (WhoScored).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-updates-5/” title=”Newcastle updates! (5)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Selling to a direct rival in the Premier League would not be ideal, but the money acquired from his sale could then be used to reinvest in other areas of the squad at St James’ Park.

In other news, find out which Newcastle player’s performance against Aston Villa was criticised by a prominent journalist

Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, believes an knee problem will not prevent him from leading the attack against Australia

Cricinfo staff24-Jan-2009
Kyle Mills: “I’ve been around this side for a number of years now and as one of the leaders I need to help take responsibility for my team-mates” © Getty Images
Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, will test his knee during Auckland’s State Shield game against Central Districts on January 25 before leaving for Australia two days later for the five-match Chappell-Hadlee Series. Mills decided to skip domestic games in the past two weeks to rest his right knee, but believes the niggle will not prevent him from leading the attack against Australia.”The knee’s pretty good. It’s just something that’s been hanging around now for the last year or so,” Mills told . He had missed the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies after undergoing surgery on a tendon on his left knee, and is facing a similar problem with his right knee at present.”It’s not a major or anything like that but we decided I should have a few days off because we’ve got a pretty intense schedule once the one-dayers against Australia start. I’ve had a rest now and will be playing again on Sunday against Central Districts. I’m feeling very comfortable with where I’m at right now.”He said he was pleased with they way he bowled against West Indies on their recent visit, and was ready to take charge in Australia. “Dan Vettori and I need to lead the bowling attack,” Mills said. “We are the most experienced bowlers within the side, so it’s no surprise the responsibility to take wickets falls on us.” New Zealand’s 14-man squad includes two uncapped players in 19-year-old fast bowler Trent Boult and allrounder Brendon Diamanti, while the likes of Tim Southee and Iain O’Brien do not have a lot of ODI experience.Mills has also been called up in the past to take on leadership roles off the field, among them being mentoring Jesse Ryder during the Test tour of Australia last year after Jacob Oram had been ruled out of the series. “I was just giving Jesse a helping hand throughout the tour and just keeping the lines of communication open with his support group back in New Zealand,” he said. “I was a link between the two really. That was all my role was.”I’ve been around this side for a number of years now and as one of the leaders I need to help take responsibility for my team-mates. Jacob Oram is the main guy who has been helping Jesse through everything and the fact that Jacob didn’t tour Australia due to injury meant I put my hand up to fill that role in his absence.”It was only a temporary situation because Jacob knew Jesse through Central Districts. I stood in his shoes while we were over there. It wasn’t a major thing or anything like that.”Ryder has fallen into trouble since the tour; the batsman was fined for missing a team meeting and a training session after a late night of drinking, and was omitted for the fourth ODI against West Indies in Wellington. Mills, though, is unsure if there will be a mentor on the upcoming tour as well, with Oram out due to injury.”Nothing like that has been set in stone for this upcoming trip,” he said. “All of us support each other when we are on tour.”We all know Jesse has been going through a pretty tough time and hopefully he’s coming out the back-end of it. As team-mates of his, we all support him. I’m not the only one. There are quite a few guys in this side who are helping him through his issues.”

The final week of the transfer window is set to be a lively and vibrant one for Celtic.Odsonne Edouard’s future still needs to be sorted out and if he takes his leave from Parkhead, a shiny new striker could sign on the dotted line and don the famous Hoops shirt.

What’s the word?

Celtic have been busy targeting new forwards in the last few weeks with Thomas Henry thought to be on their shortlist.

However, they have now turned their attention to VVV-Venlo striker Giorgos Giakoumakis in a bid to strengthen their offensive options.

It’s understood a bid of £3m might be required in order to prise him away from Dutch football.

That being said, Werder Bremen have also been in the race to sign him.

Freelance reporter Kostas Lianos provided Celtic with a huge boost on Monday afternoon, though. He took to Twitter to report the following piece of information:

Title hopes boosted

The biggest concern with Giakoumakis undoubtedly has to be his goal record before last season.

The Greek had a mesmerising period throughout the 2020/21 campaign, scoring 29 goals on his way to being crowned the league’s top scorer.

Yet, before that, he’d never found the net on more than 11 occasions in a single term; more often than not he scored around three or four goals a season.

However, at the age of 26, Giakoumakis is now approaching his prime and will be full of confidence after a career-best year.

Described as a “very special†player by Dutch reporter Rik Elfrink the forward could be the perfect replacement for Edouard in a central role.

Consequently, it would be a huge help to their title bid if they can get a deal across the line. Kyogo Furuhashi has hit the ground running with a Paradise hat-trick to his name already but if Edouard departs, he cannot take the responsibility on himself.

Albian Ajeti scored in pre-season but his renaissance under Postecoglou didn’t last long. He hasn’t started a game since the campaign got underway for instance.

Leigh Griffiths is not a reliable option either. The Scot bizarrely penned new terms in Glasgow but could be used in a swap deal with Hibernian for Kevin Nisbet. Sunderland have also had the attacker on their radar this summer.

As a consequence, finding more reliable figures in front of goal certainly makes sense. If Furuhashi was to get injured, it would be disastrous unless they had Giakoumakis in their ranks.

He scored a bucket load of goals in 2021/22 and his potential arrival would only aid their hopes of reclaiming the title. For that reason, supporters should be delighted that they’re so close to signing him.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Kyogo: Ange must seal Celtic swoop for “dazzling” 27-goal weapon…

Luke Ronchi is keen to repay the faith of the Australian selectors after they confirmed he would replace Brad Haddin in the two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa

Cricinfo staff09-Jan-2009
Luke Ronchi will get another chance at national duties on Sunday © Getty Images
Luke Ronchi is keen to repay the faith of the Australian selectors after they confirmed he would replace Brad Haddin in the two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa. Haddin is being rested following his busy schedule over the past few months, which has included consecutive Test series against India, New Zealand and South Africa.The decision has opened the door for Ronchi, who impressed with his batting and his excellent glovework in the Twenty20 and ODIs in the West Indies this year when Haddin flew home with a broken finger. However, Ronchi fell into a batting slump with Western Australia this season – he has made only one half-century in any format – and he said it was reassuring to be confirmed as the No. 2 gloveman in the country.”You think about it sometimes,” Ronchi said on Saturday. “Obviously after the West Indies I thought about it a bit and sometimes not performing the way you want to and you doubt yourself. For this to come up is a nice reassuring feeling and puts my mind in a good place.”Haddin is expected to return for the one-day internationals, which begin at the MCG on Friday. For now, he will enjoy a rare few days at home in Sydney with his wife and baby son Zac.”I talked to him about it a little bit, see how he was going,” Ronchi said. “I think more than anything he was quite tired and sore from the Test series. So I don’t think he was overly disappointed not playing because he knew he’d have a little bit of a break and then he’d be into the ODIs.”I don’t think he’s too worried about it. He obviously knows that he’s number one. I’m his backup at the moment and whenever he’s raring to go I’ll get flicked, time to go home again.”Haddin, who became Australia’s keeper following Adam Gilchrist’s retirement last year, struggled with niggles during the tours of the Caribbean and India. Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said Haddin would benefit from a short break.”Brad arrived in Melbourne yesterday feeling the effects of his heavy workload over the past three months,” Hilditch said on Saturday. “In accordance with our policy of managing the workloads of players involved in all three forms of the game, it was decided that he would benefit from not playing in the two Twenty20 internationals.”Despite being initially selected in the squad, we wanted to assess Brad once he had arrived in Melbourne. It is the same process we employ for all players in that we assess them after they have had a chance to rest and recover immediately following a match, especially if they have been involved in a lot of cricket as Brad has been.”Haddin was not the only player being watched closely in the lead-up to Sunday’s match. Michael Hussey missed practice in Melbourne on Friday because of a stomach bug but is expected to play.

West Bromwich Albion are seeking to move striker Kenneth Zohore on before tonight’s deadline, as reported by The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Zohore struggles to make an impact at the Hawthorns

Simply put, the 6 foot 3 Zohore has not enjoyed the greatest time of things since moving to the Hawthorns in 2019 from Cardiff City for an undisclosed fee [BBC].

Failing to pin down a regular starting berth at the Baggies, the Danish forward has mustered just five goals from 23 appearances [Transfermarkt], whilst spent last campaign on loan at Millwall in the Sky Bet Championship [BBC].

The Latest: West Brom make Zohore available

The 27-year-old has now been made available by West Brom after failing to impress recently appointed manager Valerien Ismael [The Athletic].

He is unlikely to complete a move this window, with a lack of suitors waiting in the wings to snap up his services.

No further incomings are set to link up with the Baggies between now and the transfer deadline.

The Verdict: Getting Zohore off the wage bill would make business sense for WBA

If West Brom can drum up any interest between now and the end of the night, shifting Zohore on may be the most beneficial scenario for both parties.

Drawing a blank in the three fixtures he has featured in for his current employers in 2021/22, he may need a change of scenery to get his career back on track [Transfermarkt].

Unsurprisingly, the arrival of Norwich City hitman Jordan Hugill on loan will diminish Zohore’s playing chances even further at the Hawthorns this campaign [West Bromwich Albion FC Official].

Despite this, the Baggies may need to keep a hold of the Denmark Olympic team ace for the time being if no clubs signal their intention to acquire the striker.

In other news, West Brom have been tipped to turn a temporary move into a permanent move for a loan signing by a journalist. Find out more here.

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Wolves journalist Luke Hatfield believes Sven Botman would be a big signing for the club.

Wolves are in the market for a central defender before the transfer window closes and Botman is thought to be high on their list.

According to Sky Sports, the Midlands outfit are interested in signing the Lille youngster but face strong competition for Sevilla.

Wolves have already been able to strengthen that central defensive position this summer by bringing in Yerson Mosquera from Atletico Nacional. However, Hatfield is convinced they would like another addition, suggesting Botman could be perfect.

“It would be a big signing for Wolves, Sven Botman,” the Express & Star journalist said. “He’s been linked with plenty of clubs, clearly a talented player.

“It’s a position that Wolves probably want to strengthen in as well. He’d be a really good signing; I think Wolves fans would get really excited about that one.”

As for centre-backs currently at the club, Conor Coady had been linked with a move away from Molineux earlier in the transfer window.

According to Football Insider at the start of August, Tottenham had opened preliminary talks to sign the Wolves captain as former manager Nuno Espirito Santo eyed up a reunion.

The IPL has released the final list of 43 players who will be up for auction in Goa on February 6 with Kevin Pietersen commanding the highest base price at $1.35 million

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2009
JP Duminy’s outstanding performance in Australia has fetched him a base price of $300,000 at the IPL auction © Getty Images
South African batsman JP Duminy’s rising stature in international cricket was reflected in the final IPL auction list of 43 cricketers. Duminy’s base price has been pegged at US$300,000, the most expensive after those of Kevin Pietersen, Michael Clarke and Andrew Flintoff.The new list has only 43 players – the original had 111 – and includes 15 from Australia, four from Bangladesh, seven from England, three from New Zealand, five from South Africa, four from Sri Lanka, and five from the West Indies.Each franchise has a maximum of US$2m to spend on their overseas signings in the auction. The bidding for Pietersen will start at $1.35m, while that for Clarke and Flintoff will begin at $1m and $950,000 respectively.Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said the franchises with Pakistan players on their roster would be allowed to use money equal to the cost of the player to make purchases after the auction. Pakistan players have not been allowed by their government to participate in the league this season.”The Pakistan players have a three-year contract with the franchises and the only reason of their unavailability could be injuries. But since that is not the case here, we will have to look at the legal aspect of the issue,” Modi said. “The spots for Pakistan players will be freed up and the money they invested on these players last year would be made automatically available post auction, so that the teams can buy new replacement players.”Modi told Cricinfo that if franchises buy replacements for Pakistan players from the auction – as they are entitled to – they would have to stay within the US$ 2 million cap. “After the auction, they will be allowed to spend the equivalent of what they would have paid the Pakistan player for this year on a replacement,” Modi said. “However, this replacement will have to be from our original list of players that was released last week.”The new group also includes ten players who were not on the original one: Aaron Bird, Brett Geeves, Daniel Harris, Dominic Thornley, Jon Moss, Phil Jaques, Steven Smith, Samit Patel, Chamara Kapugedera and Jerome Taylor. Geeves was with the Delhi Daredevils for the IPL’s inaugural season, while Kapugedera and Thornley played for the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians respectively.Final list of players for auction (all figures in US$)
Australia: Aaron Bird (45,000), Brett Geeves (45,000), Bryce McGain (50,000), Daniel Harris (50,000), Dominic Thornley (50,000), George Bailey (50,000), Jon Moss (50,000), Michael Clarke (1,000,000), Michael Dighton (85,000), Michael Hill (50,000), Phil Jaques (100,000), Shane Harwood (75,000), Shaun Tait (250,000), Steven Smith (75,000), Stuart Clark (250,000).England: Kevin Pietersen (1,350,000), Andrew Flintoff (950,000), Luke Wright (150,000), Owais Shah (150,000), Paul Collingwood (250,000), Ravi Bopara (150,000), Samit Patel (100,000).Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (75,000), Mohammad Ashraful (75,000), Mashrafe Mortaza (50,000), Tamim Iqbal (50,000).New Zealand: James Franklin (50,000), Jesse Ryder (100,000), Kyle Mills (150,000).South Africa: Gulam Bodi (100,000), JP Duminy (300,000), Morne van Wyk (100,000), Tyron Henderson (100,000), Yusuf Abdullah (25,000).Sri Lanka: Thilan Thushara (100,000), Nuwan Kulasekara (100,000), Kaushalya Weeraratne (50,000), Chamara Kapugedera (150,000).West Indies: Kieron Pollard (60,000), Fidel Edwards (150,000), Dwayne Smith (tbc), Kemar Roach (50,000), Jerome Taylor (tbc).