Norwich City return to Championship action this afternoon as they host struggling Preston North End at Carrow Road looking for their fourth win in five matches.

Their opponents come into the game off the back of three straight defeats and David Wagner's side have the chance to add further misery to Ryan Lowe and his men.

The Canaries have averaged 39% possession or less in each of their last three league matches, which yielded two wins and a defeat, and could seek more control in order to put in a convincing performance.

To do this, Wagner could make some changes to the starting XI that featured in their most recent win against Bristol City away from home last Sunday.

With this in mind, here is the possible Norwich line-up that could be selected to take on Preston on home soil today…

1 Angus Gunn

Starting off between the sticks, Angus Gunn should retain his position in the side after a strong performance on his return against the Robins.

The Scotland international made two crucial saves during the first half to keep his team in the match and earn himself a Sofascore rating of 7.7.

2 Jack Stacey

At right-back, Jack Stacey could make his 18th start of the Championship campaign since his move from Premier League side Bournemouth on a free transfer, ahead of the inexperienced Kellen Fisher.

Appearances

19

Four

Sofascore rating

6.93

6.75

Duel success rate

52%

58%

Key passes per game

1.1

0.8

Tackles per game

2.2

1.3

3 Shane Duffy

Shane Duffy could keep his place at the heart of the defence after a commanding performance at the back against Bristol City on Sunday.

The Republic of Ireland international won seven of his nine duels throughout the 90 minutes, which included six of his seven aerial contests, and made six clearances.

4 Kenny McLean

Kenny McLean started in an unfamiliar centre-back position last weekend but it was one that he adapted to with ease as the Scotland international produced an impressive display.

He was brought in to replace Danny Batth in order to provide a left-footed balance and quality ball-playing out from the back, which eventually paid dividends in stoppage time with his assist for Adam Idah's winner.

5 Dimitrios Giannoulis

The Greek international should start at left-back ahead of Sam McCallum after shaking off an injury scare against Bristol City on Sunday.

Dimitrios Giannoulis hobbled off after a rough challenge during the second half last time out and Wagner has since confirmed that the full-back will be available for selection against Preston.

6 Marcelino Nunez

McLean's new role at centre-back and Adam Forshaw's continued absence has provided central midfielder Marcelino Nunez with a big opportunity to nail down his place in the team.

The Chile international has only started four Championship matches so far this season and a strong performance against Preston could allow Wagner to trust him more moving forward.

7 Gabriel Sara

Possibly the easiest decision Wagner has to make is the selection of Gabriel Sara in midfield next to Nunez as the Brazilian magician has been in fantastic form this season.

He has racked up five goals, eight assists, and eight 'big chances' created in 19 league starts for the Canaries throughout the 2023/24 campaign to date.

8 Christian Fassnacht

The first change that could be made to the XI is Christian Fassnacht coming back into the starting XI in place of Onel Hernandez, who started on the left on Sunday.

Norwich's summer signing could return and start on the right, which would then allow Jonathan Rowe to move over to the left, after a disappointing run of form from Hernandez.

The Cuba international has gone seven games without a goal or an assist and his last strike at Carrow Road came against Manchester United in a 3-1 defeat in October 2019.

Fassnacht has scored three goals in 11 league starts this season, including one in his last three starts, and could, therefore, provide a greater threat on the flank.

9 Borja Sainz

The second change that could be made to the XI is Spanish forward Borja Sainz coming in for Liam Gibbs as part of the dynamic front two in Wagner's system.

Interestingly, the summer signing came off the bench against Bristol City in that position and it could get the best out of his knack for finding the back of the net.

Sainz, who scored against Fulham in the League Cup earlier this season, scored nine goals in 32 Super Lig starts for Giresunspor last term.

Gibbs, on the other hand, has managed one goal and zero assists in 43 Championship games for Norwich since the start of last season, which does not suggest that he is likely to have a telling impact on the match in a forward position.

10 Jonathan Rowe

Another simple selection for Wagner is to start Rowe out wide. The England U21 international is a constant threat to defenders with his direct running and pace, which has been backed up with seven goals and one assist in the league.

It was classic Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool bathed in the ineffable beauty of football's finest moments when resurrecting their attacking verve in the late stage of their Anfield encounter against Fulham on Sunday afternoon, turning the game on its head in the closing moments.

The 4-3 scoreline was probably apt, with Liverpool scoring some of the sumptuous strikes in the Premier League this season; that being said, the hosts' glaring defensive discrepancies were on full show, muddying the advance to second place after Manchester City's 3-3 draw to Tottenham Hotspur.

Related Liverpool star who lost possession 18x almost cost them alongside Kelleher

The attacker produced a disappointing performance against Fulham on Sunday.

Posts ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2023

Frankly, Liverpool haven't been at their best for several weeks now but keep on churning out results, underscoring the never-say-die mentality that has restored the title challenge after a testing 2022/23 campaign.

The midfield summer signings have been spectacular, and while Dominik Szoboszlai has started every Premier League match since his £60m arrival from RB Leipzig, he has possibly plateaued of late.

Dominik Szoboszlai's performance vs Fulham

Szoboszlai has been a mainstay for Liverpool this term, scoring two goals and assists apiece from 19 appearances; in the English top-flight, he has been a whirlwind of creativity and composure, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 2.1 key passes and 6.9 ball recoveries per game.

But, might it be fair to say that the imperious swagger on display at the start of the campaign has lost a bit of its fizz? Of course, the Hungary captain has now settled into the system and charges the club's exploits in the engine room, but against Fulham, he suffered one of his more ineffective games.

Of course, that's not to say that he was objectively poor, winning 3/4 ground duels, completing 85% of his passes and making one key pass, as per Sofascore – also stinging Bernd Leno's palms with two rasping strikes.

But he was hooked just after the hour mark with the affair poised at 2-2, replaced by midweek hero Cody Gakpo as Klopp sought to maintain the chase on table-topping Arsenal.

Writing in his post-match ratings, GOAL's Peter McVitie branded the 23-year-old with a 5/10 score, writing: 'Another quiet performance from the summer signing, he didn't play with the same imagination and effectiveness as we saw earlier in the season.'

With a clash against Sheffield United forthcoming on Wednesday night, perhaps the Reds should think about dropping their "magician" – as he has been called by talent scout Jacek Kulig – who is destined for stardom but could benefit from a reset, especially with Harvey Elliott waiting in the wings…

Harvey Elliott's season so far

In contrast to Szoboszlai, Elliott has featured prominently across cup competitions this season but has only started once in the Premier League.

Despite this, the 20-year-old has impressed and is among the finest youngsters that English football has to offer, having now amassed 86 showings for the Merseyside outfit, posting six goals and assists apiece.

Having now entered December, Elliott deserves the opportunity to strut his stuff in the league, especially when considering that he ranks among the top 10% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive passes, the top 4% for progressive carries and the top 21% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.

The stats-led site has coincidentally highlighted Szoboszlai as a comparable player to the "special" talent, as dubbed by Jamie Carragher, which only strengthens the argument that he deserves a shot.

With Sheffield United in disarray; bottom of the Premier League and having just sacked manager Paul Heckingbottom, Klopp will expect his free-scoring squad to heap further misery on the bottom club.

With a relentless period of football awaiting, it might be prudent to rotate Szoboszlai for Elliott, providing the dynamic Redman with the chance to prove himself.

In November 2023, Everton were handed a record-breaking ten-point Premier League deduction after an independent commission found them to have breached the league’s profit and sustainability rules.

Three weeks prior, The Telegraph reported that the club were awaiting a decision from the commission, and while ten points is a significant blow, it could have been much worse, with a deduction of 12 points being floated around at the time.

Everton released a strong statement at the time condemning the decision. The Toffees joined a long – and infamous – list of professional football clubs to have received point deductions, and with that in mind, we have created a list of 11 clubs that have suffered the same fate.

Everton 2023/24 (8 points) Toffes break new ground

Everton were given a 10-point deduction by the Premier League and dropped from 14th to 19th, from midtable safety to relegation-threatened.

The first murmurings of a points deduction came in March 2023, when the Premier League announced that they had referred the club to an independent commission over ‘an alleged breach of financial fair play rules.’

The crux of the accusation focuses on the league’s profit and loss rules, which stipulate that no club in the top flight can record losses of more than £105m over a three-year period.

Unfortunately for the Toffees, they lost £371.8m over the last three years, which is £266.8m more than they are allowed.

These massive losses are mainly down to player transfers and an inability to sell unwanted players for enough money to cover costs.

In the end, their deduction was reduced to six after an appeal, before being docked two more for further PSR breaches. However, they managed to survive and are now thriving again under David Moyes.

Nottingham Forest 2023/24 (4 points) Reds follow Everton into hot water

Nottingham Forest were docked four points for PSR breaches in March 2024, which saw them drop into the relegation zone.

This punishment was upheld at its appeal, though Forest were still able to survive at Luton Town’s expense.

In the end, Forest secured their safety on the final day and went on to qualify for Europe a year later.

Juventus 2022/23 (10 points) Turin giants miss out on Europe

Not for the first time, Juventus had found themselves at odds with the powers that be in Italian football in 2022/23.

The Old Lady found themselves in hot water over potential wrongdoings linked to their transfer activity. Prosecutors had actually asked for a more significant punishment, but it was deemed that ten points was a sufficient penalty for the team.

The deduction meant that they finished in seventh place and qualified for the Conference League instead of the Champions League, though they were booted out of the competition by UEFA.

Leeds United 2007/08 (15 points) Whites drop to bottom of League One

Following relegation from the Championship the season before, Leeds United were knocked for six when they were deducted 15 points before their 2007/08 League One campaign began.

The reason for the deduction was that the club had exited administration ‘incorrectly’ in the summer. Despite appeals from the club and its fans, the deduction was ultimately upheld when chairmen from the wider Football League voted 64 to 5 in favour of the punishment.

However, the team responded brilliantly to the setback, and the deficit had been entirely eliminated after just seven games. In fact, Leeds made it all the way to the play-off final that season, where they lost to Doncaster Rovers.

Bournemouth 2008/09 (17 points) Cherries begin rise from depths of League Two

In the week leading up to the 2008/09 League Two season, Bournemouth learned that they were to start the campaign on -17 points after the club had been declared insolvent for the second time in as many years.

Things were not looking good for the Cherries, and it only got worse when manager Jimmy Quinn left the side on New Year’s Eve, with them sitting second from bottom and looking all but gone.

In the immediate aftermath of Quinn’s exit, a young Eddie Howe took temporary charge of the club, and seemed to get something out of the players that his predecessor couldn’t in the process. In what was undeniably a huge gamble, the club decided to give Howe, then only 31, the job on a permanent basis.

Somehow, against all the odds, this unknown quantity in the world of management guided Bournemouth from the relegation zone up the league and to safety, ultimately finishing in 21st and on 46 points.

Crystal Palace 2009/10 (10 points) Eagles enter administration trouble

In January 2010, Championship side Crystal Palace were handed a ten-point deduction from the total they had already picked up that season, which meant they went from comfortably mid-table straight into a relegation battle.

The deduction was due to the club going into administration after chairman Simon Jordan failed to find new investment, and to make matters worse, manager Neil Warnock would walk away from the club shortly after the punishment was dished out.

To say things were looking bleak in south London would have been something of an understatement. However, with caretaker manager Paul Hart at the helm, there was still a chance to turn things around, and after some positive momentum towards the back end of the season, the Eagles managed to stave off relegation by the skin of their teeth thanks to a final-day draw away to Sheffield Wednesday.

Arminia Bielefeld 1971/72 (19 points) Bundesliga rocked by match-fixing scandal

The one and only German inclusion on the list, but it’s a good one.

Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld were at the centre of a massive match-fixing scandal in 1971 after it had been revealed that some of the league games had been fixed.

While several players were immediately banned from playing football, Arminia were allowed to play out the rest of the season on the condition that every point they earned would then be deducted at the conclusion of the campaign.

We can’t imagine morale was particularly high in the dressing room.

Luton Town 2008/09 (30 points) Hatters doomed by hefty penalty

Luton Town’s rise to the Premier League was something akin to a footballing miracle.

Back in 2008, the Hatters were about to kick off a miserable season in League Two following back-to-back relegations from the Championship and League One when they were hit with a deduction of 10 points.

This initial deduction was from the FA for financial misconduct, and while this was certainly bad, it would have been manageable. However, just after receiving that ten-point deduction, the club were subject to another 20-point deduction for failing to reach an insolvency agreement ‘that satisfied HMRC’.

Ultimately, the club had to start the season with a massive deficit of 30 points to their name, and while they did succumb to relegation, they picked up 13 wins and 56 points along the way, which should have been good enough for 15th place.

So, when people describe their rise up to the Premier League as a miracle or a fairytale, we reckon they are correct.

Middlesbrough 1996/97 (3 points) Forfeit decision costs Boro dearly

Now, this is a bit of an odd one, but it turned out to have a massive impact on the league table.

In December 1996, Middlesbrough were set to play a Premier League game against Blackburn Rovers, but there was one problem: they didn’t have a fit team.

Manager Bryan Robson decided to call the game off, and even though he thought he had the blessing of the FA to do so, Boro were docked three points.

You might not think three points are all that meaningful in the grand scheme of things, but in this case, they really were.

Come the end of the season, Boro found themselves down in 19th place and on 39 points. Had they picked up just three more, they would have finished in 14th.

Lazio 2005/06 (30 points) Biancocelesti survive amid Calciopoli chaos

We couldn’t make a list of famous point deductions and not bring up the Calciopoli scandal, arguably the most prominent footballing scandal since the turn of the millennium and the biggest round of points deductions we can think of.

While the whole situation was quite complex, the gist of it was that several high-profile clubs in Italian football were accused of attempting to get favourable decisions from the referees ahead of their games.

The four most prominent offenders were Juventus, Lazio, Milan and Fiorentina. We haven’t included Juventus’ punishment on this list as they were simply relegated from the league, still on 91 points, so it’s not really a good example of points deductions; the other three sides, however, faced severe points penalties.

Lazio, for example, were stripped of 30 points and saw their sixth-placed finish turn into a 16th-placed finish, in which they only avoided relegation by three points and a good goal difference.

The Rome-based outfit also saw their qualification for the UEFA Cup removed, and their place was taken by Livorno, who are now in Serie D.

Newcastle United's hearts were left broken on Tuesday night as they came perilously close to recording a historic victory at the Parc des Princes until referee Szymon Marciniak had other ideas.

He awarded Paris Saint Germain a controversial penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time as Tino Livramento's outstretched arm made contact with the ball. Kylian Mbappe, unsurprisingly, converted the resulting spot kick to prevent the visitors from completing a double over the French giants and leave Eddie Howe's side on the brink of elimination

In the final group stage game, Newcastle must record all three points at home to AC Milan and hope Borussia Dortmund can topple PSG to qualify for the knockout stages.

Alexander Isak opened the scoring for the second game running on the night as the Swedish superstar, giving the visitors a lead to defend from the 24th minute onwards.

Despite stepping up for the Magpies when it mattered, it was all about the team performance as a whole and whilst they can feel hard done by to have three points snatched away, a draw somewhat flattered Howe's side on the balance of play.

Newcastle's game in numbers

With the scintillating Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele on either flank, it is hardly surprising to see that Newcastle had to face a siege of PSG attacks on their goal.

Whilst Les Parisiens dominated 78% of the ball, compared to the Toon's 28%, the most damning statistic was the amount of chances the home side created and xG they racked up.

According to Sofascore, PSG created an xG of 4.54 from a staggering 31 shots on the night whilst Newcastle garnered 1.29 from a mere five shots on goal – 1.23 of which came from Isak alone.

That said, xG is just the barometer for how many chances a side creates and whilst it suggests the English side were dominated, PSG struggled to put the ball in the back of the net and had to rely on a dubious penalty to snatch a point.

The Magpies ultimately had Nick Pope to thank for his heroic display, as he prevented a whopping 2.56 goals in total, as per FotMob, however, there was another hero in black and white who had a night to remember, despite conceding the dubious penalty.

Tino Livramento's game in numbers

On a night when Newcastle had to throw caution to the wind, Livramento was dubbed "fearless" for his performance against PSG by writer Henry Winter and deservedly so, as the game-defining moment was unable to take the gloss off what was a sensational display.

He was up against one of the most dangerous wingers on the planet in Dembele but stood his ground like all top defenders and was only dribbled past once.

Clearances

4

Ground duels (won)

6 (5)

Touches

51

Accurate passes

24/29 (83%)

Key passes

1

Dribble attempts (succ.)

1 (1)

All stats via Sofascore

Whilst he was near faultless defensively, making three tackles, four clearances and winning five of his six ground duels, it was his excellent solo run that created the opening for Isak's goal.

Livramento slalomed past multiple PSG players with his searing pace and fleet-footed dribbling before sliding a pass into Miguel Almiron, whose curled effort was spilt by Gianluigi Donnarumma and tapped in by Isak.

Following an excellent shift against the French giants, the 21-year-old's performance was hailed as "absolutely superb" by journalist Cameron Smith, whilst Dominic Scurr of the Shields Gazette handed him an 8/10 match rating, underscoring how incredible he was on the night- with goalscorer Isak, for instance, awarded just a 7/10 for his overall display.

There was a bizarre 5/10 rating from French outlet L'Equipe for Livramento, but that was seemingly an unfair reflection of his performance, while perhaps influenced by the youngster's late 'handball'.

If he continues to deliver the above performance on a regular basis, Dan Burn will have no chance of dislodging him from the starting eleven once he returns.

أوضح المدير الفني لفريق مانشستر سيتي، بيب جوارديولا، موقفه من التوقيع مع صفقات جديدة خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

ووقع نادي  مانشستر سيتي هذا الصيف مع البرازيلي سافيو لاعب تروا الفرنسي، عقب انتهاء إعارته مع نادي جيرونا الإسباني.

اقرأ ايضاً.. جوارديولا يرد على تدريب إنجلترا ويؤكد رحيل لاعب مانشستر سيتي

وأكد بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي أن فريقه يستهدف التوقيع مع لاعبين اثنين، لاعب وسط ومهاجم لتعزيز تشكيلة الفريق.

وقال بيب جوارديولا في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ذا جارديان”: “إذا كانت لدي أي مخاوف، فسأتحدث إلى تشيكي بيجيريستين (مدير كرة القدم)، سنرى، لكننا لا نريد إنفاق الكثير من المال على لاعبين لن يشاركوا كثيرًا، إذا كنا بحاجة إلى لاعب، فيجب أن يكون السعر مناسبًا”.

وعن عدم وجود مهاجم ثاني بالفريق مع اقتراب رحيل ألفاريز أوضح جوارديولا: “ربما يوجد رجال يعتقدون أنهم قادرون على منافسة هالاند وسيأتون، سنرى في نهاية السوق ما إذا كان النادي بحاجة إلى بيع أكثر مما هو عليه الآن”.

وتابع جوارديولا: “إنه لأمر رائع أن يبقى إيديرسون وستيفان معنا، إن استبدال حارس المرمى أمر صعب دائمًا، لذا أنا سعيد حقًا ببقائه وأهنئ ستيفان على استحقاقه لعقد ممتد بعد الأداء الرائع الذي قدمه خلال العامين الماضيين”.

وحول الاستعداد للموسم الجديد أفاد جوارديولا: “في الصيف أكون منهكًا، لكن عندما أصل إلى بداية جلسات التدريب وألعب بعض المباريات قبل الموسم وأرى ما يمكننا فعله بشكل مختلف أو ما يناسب لاعبًا أفضل من الآخرين، فلنبدأ”.

وواصل: “لست مضطرًا للركض حتى أتمكن من الحفاظ على الوضع، كل عام يصبح الأمر أكثر صعوبة، الجميع يريد التاج الذي ارتديناه لمدة أربع سنوات، أنا أفهم ذلك، إنها الطريقة التي ندافع بها عن اللقب”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Breno Lopes reconheceu que o Palmeiras jogou bem contra o Grêmio no empate por 1 a 1 desta sexta-feira (15), porém lamentou a grande quantidade de oportunidades claras desperdiçadas no primeiro tempo:

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– A gente teve um volume grande no primeiro tempo, mas não soubemos aproveitar as oportunidades. Eu mesmo tive e não consegui fazer. Infelizmente a gente tomou o empate e saiu com o gosto amargo – lamentou o jogador.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasCom a mudança no confronto diante do Vasco, veja como fica a maratona do Palmeiras em janeiroPalmeiras15/01/2021DAZNAssista aos gols do empate entre Palmeiras e Grêmio pelo BrasileirãoDAZN15/01/2021PalmeirasATUAÇÕES: Weverton e Veiga são os nomes do Palmeiras em empatePalmeiras15/01/2021

O camisa 39 também respondeu se a equipe comandada por Abel Ferreira vai “jogar a toalha” da briga pelo título do Brasileirão após se distanciar dos primeiros colocados da competição:

– A gente entra em todas as competições querendo vencer, e no Brasileiro não é diferente. Tem muitas rodadas ainda. A gente estava bem, mas faltou matar o jogo – finalizou.

O Verdão volta a campo na próxima segunda-feira (18), também no Allianz Parque, para enfrentar seu rival Corinthians, em rodada atrasada do Campeonato Brasileiro de 2020.

The batsman left Australia on Sunday to attend to his wife and newborn daughter in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2018Rohit Sharma will miss the New Year’s Test in Sydney to attend to his wife, who gave birth to a baby daughter on Sunday. Rohit left for Mumbai on Sunday, and will only return to Australia on January 8 to join the ODI squad. The Sydney Test is scheduled to run from January 3 to 7.The selectors have not named a replacement for Rohit in the Test squad. Rohit, who missed the second Test in Perth with a lower-back injury, played the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, scoring an unbeaten 63 in the first innings.His return to the side at No. 6 pushed Hanuma Vihari up the order to open alongside debutant Mayank Agarwal, with India dropping both their openers from the Perth Test, M Vijay and KL Rahul.In Rohit’s absence, India have a number of options for the Sydney Test. Vihari could return to the middle order with either Vijay or Rahul coming back into the side, or the seam-bowling allrounder Hardik Pandya could directly replace Rohit at No. 6. If the Sydney pitch looks conducive to spin, another option, if the offspinner R Ashwin has regained full fitness after missing the last two Tests with a side strain, could be to go in with two spinners, Ravindra Jadeja being the other, and three fast bowlers.

Tottenham have reportedly made an out-of-window "offer" to sign a defender after Micky van de Ven's injury blow, and his club have already replied.

Van de Ven out until 2024

The Dutch defender limped off clutching his hamstring during Spurs' 4-1 defeat to Chelsea last Monday, dealing an almighty blow to manager Ange Postecoglou who will also be without Cristian Romero for another two league games through suspension.

Eric Dier and Ben Davies started the game against Wolves today, with Pedro Porro and Emerson Royal either side of them as the inverted full-backs. Dier, before this afternoon and Chelsea, didn't play a single Premier League minute under Postecoglou who was seriously out of favour.

The Australian's glaring lack of depth at centre-half was exposed late on at Molineux, and Postecoglou will be without van de Ven until January at the earliest.

Spurs eye new centre-back options

This has resulted in reports that Spurs are set to accelerate their plans to sign a centre-back mid-season, with Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly and Everton's Ben Godfrey among the names attracting their interest.

Tottenham have also been linked with a move for Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, who looks very likely to leave Chelsea in January. Uruguay and Club America defender Sebastian Caceres is another name to have been mentioned in parts.

The 24-year-old has impressed for Uruguay under Marcelo Bielsa lately, most recently putting in an excellent shift during their 2-0 win over Brazil in the last round of internationals.

Tottenham make Caceres "offer"

According to Mexican journalist Fernando Esquivel, writing on X, the north Londoners have wasted absolutely no time in moving forward with their plans to sign a centre-half. Indeed, Spurs have already lodged an "offer" for Caceres after van de Ven's injury blow, which amounts to around £3 million.

However, this apparently wasn't enough to tempt Club America into selling, who swiftly replied with a polite no. The Liga MX side are asking for around $5-7 million in total.

The matter isn't entirely closed, though, as Tottenham maintain contact with Caceres' club and another development on this could be expected pretty soon.

"EXCL. América REJECTS Tottenham's offer for Sebastián Cáceres," wrote Esquivel.

"It can be known that the offer was around £3,000,000 for a % of the letter, while America asks at least €5,000,000 for a high % of the letter. The Mexican Club values ​​Cáceres at close to €7,000,000 for his total record. The English maintain interest and contacts. A new update is expected in the near future."

Sebastian Caceres – fact file
Date of birth – August 18, 1999
Hometown – Montevideo, Uruguay
Age – 24
Height – 1.80m
Position – defender, centre-back
Foot – right

Caceres is now a regular for his country alongside Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo at the heart of Bielsa's defence, and for under £10 million, we believe he could in fact be quite the snip.

Tottenham are in desperate need of cover in that area of the squad, so if chairman Daniel Levy and new sporting director Johan Lange are serious about backing Postecoglou, that is one signing they seriously need to make in January.

Cole Palmer says his argument with his team-mates over a second-half penalty was "over the top" after beating Everton 6-0.

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Chelsea smash six past EvertonPalmer stars with four goalsBut clashed with his team-mates over penaltyWHAT HAPPENED?

Palmer put in a stunning performance against Everton, scoring four times in a 6-0 victory for the Blues at Stamford Bridge. His fourth goal came from the penalty spot after an argument with his Chelsea team-mates. Palmer eventually prevailed and took the kick but it was a poor moment from the players on an otherwise superb night for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Palmer's comments suggest that Pochettino was quick to discuss the issue with his players after the game and nominate a designated penalty taker. Pochettino will surely have made it clear that Palmer is the team's first choice as he has been the standout player for the Blues this season and has now joined Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts with 20 goals.

WHAT PALMER SAID

He told Sky Sports: "Other players wanted to take it which was understandable, the game was 4-0. But I’m the penalty taker and I wanted to take it so I took it. But I think we are just trying to show that everyone wants to take responsibility and stuff like that. Maybe it was a bit of an over the top the argument, but everyone wants to win and help. But it was nothing major and we were laughing and joking about it. But the gaffer has told us now."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Palmer has converted all nine penalties he has taken in the Premier League with only Yaya Touré (11/11) posting a better 100% conversion rate from the spot in the competition's history.

They had a night’s sleep, but Pakistan and New Zealand might well have just carried on unbroken by stumps last night, so similar was the tempo today

The Report by Danyal Rasool25-Nov-2018

Haris Sohail punches with a high elbow•AFP

They had a night’s sleep, but Pakistan and New Zealand might well have just carried on unbroken by stumps last night, so similar was the tempo today.Haris Sohail and Babar Azam’s 70-over behemoth of a partnership sought to grind New Zealand into the dirt, amassing 186 runs. Both reached Test hundreds, Babar belatedly his maiden one in the format, before a surprise declaration with the score at 418 – the lowest ever for a first innings declaration in the UAE – saw New Zealand have to keep their wits about them. That they did successfully enough, going in at stumps without having lost a wicket but still trailing by almost 400 runs.Curiously, Pakistan didn’t quite pick up the pace even as the pressure lifted. Heaps of credit must go to New Zealand’s bowlers for that, whose large-hearted efforts ensured they were never – not once in 167 overs – simply going through the motions awaiting a declaration. The lines were kept tight, the plans were still being hatched, and attempts to take wickets never wavered even as it seemed the toil of a treacherously unhelpful wicket would finally take its toll.That Pakistan only managed 418 might prove crucial over the next three days; only once before has a team declared at a score under 500 in this country. That was Sri Lanka in 2014, and they ended up losing with mere overs to spare.Pakistan, however, went back to what served them best during the halcyon days of Misbah-ul-Haq. They won the toss, and they set about batting for two days, shutting everything and everyone else out. It was the sort of steel that had been absent from their soft capitulation in Abu Dhabi, and they were eager to wipe it clean from everyone’s memories. Because of that, day two was almost a cut and paste of day one, Babar replacing Azhar Ali in a monstrously energy-sapping partnership with the indefatigable Sohail.Only 67 runs had come off a morning session where Kane Williamson called upon all of his five bowlers – as well as himself – at various times in an attempt to break through with no success. Perhaps surprisingly, Ajaz Patel bowled the first over instead of Trent Boult, but once he was taken out of the attack, he wouldn’t return all session. Boult wasn’t exactly subdued, but never quite possessed the penetrative threat he had carried this time around yesterday. Sodhi continues to struggle with the considerable challenge of bowling a consistent line in Test cricket, and found himself punished whenever he wavered, particularly by Babar in an over that went for 12, accounting for almost a fifth of all the runs this morning.Despite some eyebrows raised at the particularly snail-paced nature of the scoring yesterday, Haris and Babar made it clear they would not be changing their ways. Beginning today at 207, Pakistan were still not out of the woods, and a batting collapse would have seen all the grind of yesterday count for nothing.Haris looked slightly jittery when one run from completing a deserved hundred, charging down the wicket to Sodhi to several balls without ever getting to the pitch. It was only a rushed single that got him there before he was able to revert to type, and once more looking like the player who had bet his life upon his wicket.It wasn’t that Babar went unnoticed, but so effortless was the manner of his first Test century, you forgot this was a player who barely averaged 30 in this format. Batting for the first time since being agonisingly dismissed for 99 against Australia last month, he was determined to set the record straight against their trans-Tasman neighbours. And while Sohail toiled, Babar was, relative to the pace of the game, free-flowing. He, too, stuttered upon reaching his 90s and spent the entirety of the tea break stranded on 99, but there was never any question he would be denied once again. Where much was expected of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq in the most Misbah era, Pakistan will be heartened to see a younger duo stepping up.Sohail’s vigil did end in a lively hour after tea when he was three runs short of 150, Boult finally claiming a wicket he was due about five sessions ago. Babar and Sarfraz Ahmed picked up the pace somewhat, but never to the extent that suggested a declaration tonight was imminent. The pair added 62 runs in 18 overs, and when Babar lofted a long hop from a wicketless Sodhi for six, it looked as if a Pakistan charge was on the cards. They turned out to be the last runs Pakistan would score, however, with the Pakistan captain pulling the plug after 167 to give his bowlers a crack at a tiring New Zealand.Tests like these in this part of the world have a reputation of bursting into life over the latter half. That bodes well for any viewers who sat through the first two days; they might feel they’ve earned a bit of excitement. The challenge for New Zealand will be to gear themselves up mentally to produce the sort of patience and determination Pakistan showed after toiling in the field for nearly two days.Pakistan, meanwhile, have consciously, forcefully and successfully dredged up the formula that Misbah imparted upon them, and as things stand right now, all the equations seem to match.