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As we discussed earlier, Joe Hart is being linked with a summer move to Liverpool after his loan at Torino ends.

The Mirror reckon Jurgen Klopp is targeting the Man City man to solve his long-term goalkeeping worries, with neither Loris Karius nor Simon Mignolet looking particularly assured between the sticks at Anfield.

Such a move would be one of the transfers of the summer. The England goalkeeper seems to provoke headlines no matter what he does, but a series of high profile mistakes over the last 18 months means the scrutiny of his performances is greater than ever before.

The fact he’s England’s number one only amplifies that chatter.

This is a rumour that has provoked a fair bit of reaction from Liverpool fans, Man City fans and neutral parties. Everyone has an opinion on Joe Hart and they’re not afraid to give it.

They took to Twitter to give their thoughts on this propose transfer move…

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England legend Gary Lineker believes that Manchester United will not be able to win the Champions League this season, according to reports from the Mirror.

United were out of Europe’s top tier competition last term for the first time in decades, but Louis van Gaal’s men secured a fourth place finish and beat Club Brugge to qualify for the Champions League group stages.

However, Lineker does not think that the Red Devils will be challenging for the European title as the team are currently in a transitional period.

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Prompted on the chances of Man United captain Wayne Rooney winning the Champions League to add to his 50 England goals, Lineker replied: “Not great, I wouldn’t have thought!

“Manchester United are in a big transition period. I think their fans might have to be patient for a while.”

The former Tottenham Hotspur striker also added that it is United’s noisy neighbours Manchester City that have the biggest shot of an English side winning the Champions League this term, as their manager Manuel Pellegrini has figured out the best system for his squad.

“City have got to prove themselves in Europe because so far they have struggled. But they have started really well, and Manuel Pellegrini seems to have worked out the best way for them to play.

“Most of us have been screaming that you can’t play with two wingers, and two up top, against the good teams. He seems to have worked that out and they look a much better team for it.

“And don’t rule Chelsea out just yet. They have obviously made a very slow start, but I’m sure they will recover.

“Arsenal? I think they will finish in the top three in the Premier League, and they are not far off in Europe, are they?

“They are probably just a great goalscorer short and a little bit more strength defensively.

“They keep qualifying, and I’ve no doubt they will get to the last 16 again – then we’ll see how they go.”

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Antonio Conte revealed that he wanted to bring in Romelu Lukaku and Virgil van Dijk at Chelsea during his time with the club.

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• Conte wanted Lukaku and Van Dijk at Chelsea
• Led Chelsea to Premier League title in debut season
• Currently on sabbatical

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Italian manager, who guided Chelsea to a Premier League and an FA Cup title during his two-year stint at Stamford Bridge, has revealed he spoke to Romelu Lukaku and Virgil van Dijk about signing for the Blues.

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• WHAT ANTONIO CONTE SAID

  In an exclusive interview with , Conte said, "Guardiola is the best coach in the world. And then when you can match the best coach in the world with a club that can back you and can invest to bring in important players to improve the team every season because they want to stay at the top of the world, then it is very, very difficult to compete at the same level.

  "My history says that I always arrived at my clubs in a difficult situation with problems. I always build. After my first season at Chelsea, when we won the title, we could have become dominant in England. We spoke with (Romelu) Lukaku and (Virgil) van Dijk, and with those two important players we could have changed the situation."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In his maiden season in England, the 54-year-old competed against managers like Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola – whom the Italian considers as the best manager in the world – to win the Premier League. The Blues' performance, though, dropped drastically in the subsequent season as they finished fifth in the league and missed out on a Champions League slot which led to the coach's sacking.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONIO CONTE?

  The manager has been on a sabbatical after being sacked by Tottenham in March 2023. He was reportedly approached by a Saudi Pro League club, although he turned them down. He is currently being linked with three Serie A clubs, AC Milan, Juventus and Napoli but the manager has yet to make a final decision.

The Gunners are riding high at the top of the Premier League but not everyone is excelling at the Emirates right now…

What a season it’s been so far from Arsenal!

Mikel Arteta’s young side have surprised everyone with a Premier League title charge that shows no sign of slowing up yet.

They currently sit eight points clear at the top of the table, although second-placed Manchester City do have a game in hand as they look to retain their title.

So, who have been the stand out performers so far for Arsenal and who needs to step up at the business end of the season?

GOAL takes a look below, rating each and every member of Arteta's table-topping squad…

Getty Images23Jakub Kiwior – 4/10

The £20 million ($25m) signing from Spezia has made just one start for Arsenal since arriving in January and that was a far from convincing display against Sporting in the Europa League.

But given his lack of game time, it’s no real surprise that the centre-back looked rusty during that outing in Portugal.

He did make a late substitute appearance in the win against Palace before the international break and could still come in useful during the run-in.

AdvertisementGetty22Emile Smith Rowe – 4/10

Another player who has seen his season decimated by injury.

Smith Rowe has at least now returned following a four-month absence and is fully fit.

The playmaker has had limited opportunities, however, since returning to the squad and will be hoping to get a chance to make his mark over the final 10 games.

Getty.21Mohamed Elneny – 5/10

It’s been a difficult campaign for Elneny.

The experienced midfielder only made eight appearances in all competitions before suffering a nasty knee injury in training in January.

He has since undergone an operation and will be out for the remainder of the season.

Elneny has been handed a new one-year contract, however, and that shows how much he is still valued by the club.

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Getty Images20Matt Turner – 5/10

The United States international has only made two appearances since the World Cup and neither of them have been in the league.

He looked nervous on both occasions, particularly in the away game at Sporting CP, where he really struggled with the ball at his feet and was at fault for the hosts' opening goal.

Turner was left out for the second leg, with Arteta instead starting Aaaron Ramsdale, which must have been a major blow to the American.

ScorecardGraham Napier counter-attacked to get Essex back into the match•Getty Images

Essex launched a fine recovery to leave themselves slight favourites to beat Kent in their County Championship Division Two duel at Chelmsford. After being left a target of 193, they reached the close on 66 for 3, a position of promise that seemed highly unlikely after they had resumed the second day on 67 for 6 in reply to their opponents first innings total of 193.When Essex lost another wicket with only two runs added, it seemed they would finish well adrift. But they were revived by Graham Napier’s contribution of 57 from 40 deliveries. All those runs came during a stand of 80 in 12 overs before he sliced a shot to third man where Sam Northeast took a fine diving catch.Napier struck seven fours and a six and keeping him company was Jaik Mickleburgh who was to make 46 before he was ninth out. Darren Stevens and Matt Coles finished with four wickets each as Essex closed 29 runs adrift of their opponents on 163.On a pitch which again favoured swing and seam, Kent lost both openers within the first five overs of their second innings. Joe Denly fell without a run on the board, to Jamie Porter, before Daniel-Bell Drummond gave James Foster the first of his four catches in the innings.The visitors were indebted to Northeast for their second-innings effort of 163. While wickets fell around him at regular intervals, he produced some punishing drives to anchor the innings. He struck ten boundaries before Greg Smith trapped him lbw on the stroke of tea. Northeast’s main support came from Darren Stevens whose 36 from as many deliveries came during a fifth-wicket half-century partnership after the pair had started their liaison with their side 49 for 4.David Masters, who was responsible for Kent’s early troubles, finished with 4 for 45 while Smith returned 3 for 22.When they set off in pursuit of victory, Essex quickly lost Tom Westley for a duck, bowled by Ivan Thomas, before Nick Browne and Mickleburgh raised the 50. Having added 57 in 13 overs for the second wicket, both were to depart shortly before the close. A magnificent catch by Sam Billings accounted for Browne after he had made 25 while a slip catch by Matt Coles saw off Mickleburgh for 23 to end his hour’s stay at the crease.Mitch Claydon was the successful bowler on both occasions but Essex were to steer clear of further trouble in the remaining four overs to leave a tense third day in prospect.”Those two wicket towards the close has put us right back in it and the game is very evenly poised,” Claydon said. “It’s up to us to put the ball in the right areas more consistently to go on and win the match and I think we can do that if we nick a couple of early wickets in the morning. One thing is for certain and that is that batsmen will have to battle hard for every run – it’s that sort of pitch.”Napier said: “We have ended the day with our noses in front and that’s a position we would have settled for considering how we started the day. It’s a pitch where runs are not easy to come by but I decided to adopt a positive approach and it worked to help us get near their total. But we still face plenty of hard work ahead if we are to get a victory.”

يعود الحكم المثير للجدل، أنتوني تايلور، إلى الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مرة أخرى خلال الجولة الثانية عشر من البطولة.

وحسبما ذكرت شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية، فإن أنتوني تايلور سيكون مسؤولًا عن إدارة مباراة تشيلسي ومانشستر سيتي المرتقبة.

اقرأ أيضًا | بوتشيتينو يحذر مانشستر سيتي بعد رباعية تشيلسي.. ويؤكد: أجبرنا توتنهام على ارتكاب الأخطاء

ويستضيف ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” مباراة الفريقين، يوم الأحد المقبل، في قمة منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي.

ولم يدر أنتوني تايلور أي مباراة في الجولة الماضية من البطولة، حيث تم إرساله إلى تشامبيونشيب لأول مرة منذ 4 سنوات، كجزء من معاقبته بعد ما حدث في مباراة ولفرهامبتون ونيوكاسل.

ومنح أنتوني تايلور ركلة جزاء مثيرة للجدل لصالح نيوكاسل، بداعِ وجود تدخل من هوانج هي تشان ضد فابيان شار، رغم أن الإعادة أظهرت وجود درجة بسيطة من التلاحم.

Younis Khan, the Pakistan batsman, has said he chose the more difficult path by deciding to play the Tests against Australia, after being dropped for the ODIs, and the decision has paid off.Younis had lashed out at the PCB and selectors for dropping him for the one-day series, and challenged them to build a team without him in the mix. However, he was picked for the Tests, and in Dubai he broke the record for the most Test hundreds for Pakistan, and became the first player in 40 years to score two hundreds in a Test against Australia.He said he was happy he decided to play in the series. “There was a lot of talk about me, that I might not be picked in any team as I made myself unavailable,” Younis said after the fourth day’s play. “But when I saw Pakistan losing the T20 and ODI series comprehensively, I reconsidered my decision and thought a lot. I could have chosen an easy option, to shun playing against the top-ranked Australia, but I chose to put myself in a difficult situation instead of going away choosing the easy one – to quit.”Whole of my career I have chosen the same path. Before coming here I had no hundred against Australia and now suddenly I have two in one Test, which is great. So it’s all about how you think and I am positive and always wanted to make my country and myself proud. I never ever thought that I will achieve the record and go past Inzamam but after my 20th hundred I made myself believe that if I keep myself fit I can make 30-35 hundreds.”When asked if his second hundred against Australia was the result of the perfect execution of a plan, or whether he just went with the flow, Younis said: “I didn’t even think about a hundred today, but I thought about the heat and that the Australia bowlers are not used to it, so I have stand firm and runs will come automatically.”At the same time, both the youngsters Ahmed Shehzad and Azhar Ali have made it very easy for me to excel from the other end. The way Ahmed hit their fast bowlers today, it was amazing and it’s always good when these youngsters perform. All these factors pushed me to make it to the end of the day.”Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, was all praise for Younis: “He’s a very good player and has been for a long time. I found out yesterday this is only his 93rd Test match, I thought he’d played a lot more than that. He’s one of the gentlemen of our game, a class player. I was really impressed with the way he swept, especially left-arm orthodox bowling. It takes a class player to be able to sweep against the spin in those conditions. I’d like to see him not make as many runs, especially against Australia, but I like watching Younis bat.”In response, Younis said he respected the game and his opponents, and so got respect in return. “Main thing is I respect the game, I respect the bowler and I respect [opposition] teams. Whoever performs anywhere in the world, I am happy for them all the time. When they meet with me, I just go and shake hands with them, congratulate them. In the field they might go hard at me, but they know me off the field too. I respect people and in return I do get respect.”That Pakistan have done so well with the bat in this game, and are in the great position they find themselves in going into the final day, is also due to the way their other second-innings centurion, Ahmed Shehzad, played. Shehzad said his only plan was to ‘go for the kill’.”Playing here is always difficult but I had to open and used all my skills – played sweep shots, used my feet, as the idea was to not let their spinners settle,” Shehzad said. “Because I know if I play six balls standing in the crease, one of the balls might hit a patch and undo me, so I had to go at things hard rather than be dominated. It was obviously a test of fitness as well, but it was the team requirement not to give them the control. We had the lead and the plan was to go for the kill.”My motivation was when Younis told me that it took him 12 [14] years to score a hundred against Australia, ‘so make sure you don’t have to take that long’. So I was determined, and it worked well.”

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has been dissolved by the Nepal government on grounds of incompetence

Bishen Jeswant06-Nov-2014The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has been dissolved by the Nepal government on grounds of incompetence. The order for dissolution was passed on Thursday by the Cabinet, which appointed an ad hoc committee with Binaya Raj Pandey as its interim president.Purushottam Poudel, the minister of sports, told ESPNcricinfo that the board, under Tarini Bikram Shah, was not competent enough to take Nepal cricket forward and address the needs of the national team and players. Shah had been appointed on an interim basis after the board headed by Tanka Angbuhang Limbu had been suspended pending investigations into corruption allegations by the Commission for Investigation into Abuse of Authority.”We were unhappy with the lack of a stable leadership,” Poudel said. “Shah was not available at all times and such indecisiveness was not earning the confidence of the fans and cricket loving public, who were in turn putting pressure on the government to appoint an able leader. Binaya Raj Pandey is one of the founders of Nepal cricket, has previously been the president of CAN and is an able administrator, apart from also being an accomplished cricketer. Therefore, we felt that he is the right person to take Nepal cricket forward. “Poudel said he’d been in discussions with ICC and ACC leaders who, he said, had told him that they were dissatisfied with the leadership and management of Nepal cricket. “The ICC and ACC are also keen to see Nepal cricket governed more competently and professionally.”Pandey told ESPNcricinfo that he was yet to receive a mandate on his duties but said his plan was to spread cricket throughout the country. “CAN is currently Kathmandu oriented, but the game has grown a lot in the last couple of years and gained popularity in other parts of Nepal as well. CAN needs to be decentralised with power being distributed to regional associations as well. It needs to be run less like an association and more like a board.”According to him, this move has been long overdue. “There were 31 board members, of whom around 15 had no prior experience in cricket and had never been involved with the sport. In such an atmosphere, there were numerous governance issues with CAN being unable to do justice to the development of cricket in the country.”Only the members of the board have been ousted, with those employed in the management and administration continuing to hold their posts, including the recently appointed CEO and finance manager. It is believed that the board members will seek a judicial stay on the decision.”Everything has happened very quickly”, Bhawana Ghimire, the CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. “We are hearing of certain matters from news channels. We will have to wait to till tomorrow to have a clearer picture of things.”

A pair of 40s by Harshad Khadiwale and Vijay Zol helped Maharashtra beat state rivals Mumbai by 30 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. The match was reduced to 18 overs due to two floodlight failures the first innings, after the 11th over. Khadiwale and Zol made a solid opening stand of 90 in 12.2 overs after Maharashtra opted to bat. Zol made 48 off 41 balls before he was caught and bowled by Zaheer Khan. Zaheer struck again in his following over when he had Khadiwale caught for 47. Kedar Jadhav and Rahul Tripathi had nearly four overs remaining to score as many as possible in the curtailed innings and took the score to 139 after 18 overs. The target was then adjusted to 144 from 18 overs by the VJD method.The Mumbai top order failed to contribute, save for Aditya Tare who made 26. Tare departed in the seventh over and Suryakumar Yadav battled with 38 off 31 balls. When Yadav departed in the 16th over, Mumbai needed an improbable 46 off 17 balls. Shrikant Mundhe was the most effective bowler for Maharashtra with 3 for 25. Maharashtra picked up their second win of the tournament.A half-century by Yusuf Pathan set up Baroda‘s 26-run victory over Saurashtra in Mumbai, making it their third win on the trot. After Baroda were put in to bat, Yusuf walked in with the score at 57 for 3. He then added a quick 53 off five overs with Rakesh Solanki, who made 29. Yusuf smashed four sixes and three fours in his 28-ball knock before he was dismissed by Abhishek Bhat in the final over. Chasing 143, Saurashtra failed to put on partnerships of note and were struggling at 35 for 3. Munaf Patel, Hardik Pandya and Lukman Meriwala took two wickets apiece to bundle out Saurashtra for 116. Cheteshwar Pujara failed with the bat, scoring 8 before he was out lbw to Irfan Pathan.

After taking four wickets to consign India to defeat in Napier, Mitchell McClenaghan has carried on with the same aggressive form off the field. Not only was McClenaghan at India with the ball, he was also in Rohit Sharma’s face just before he hooked McClenaghan straight to long leg. McClenaghan said there wasn’t going to be a let-up.”These guys are good players but at no point are we going to back away from a fight,” McClenaghan told . “We’re not going to be nice to them, we’re going to get in their face and let them know that we’re here and we’re going to put our mark on the build-up to the World Cup.”McClenaghan’s most crucial strike was when he came back to dismiss MS Dhoni with a sharp bouncer to trigger a collapse that brought New Zealand back into a match that was fast slipping out of their hands. He said the short ball was an important part of his plan against India.”When they [India] go to Aussie they get bombed,” McClenaghan said. “It’s something we’ve got with our attack, we’ve got guys who can bowl good bouncers. We know there’s a few of their guys who like to hook compulsively. It’s about picking and choosing the times that we use it and the grounds we use it on because they all have different dimensions. We’ll just have to be really smart about the lines we use it on.”Dhoni has spoken about the need to play the shots to the short balls because you can’t keep leaving alone two balls per over. Virat Kohli, who negotiated the bouncer well in South Africa and in Napier, has said that it is important to at least get into positions to play the bouncer so that you watch the ball more closely, and leave them better should the need be. However, the bouncer always becomes an issue when India go out of Asia because some of the others are not as good at facing them.McClenaghan said this series against India is massively important for them, not just because India are the No. 1 side in the world, but also because this is the World Cup year. “It’s a huge series against one of the best sides in the world,” McClenaghan said. “Leading into a World Cup in our backyard we want to have consistency. This is our best team that we can put out on the park. Hopefully we can let everyone know around the world that in our own backyard on our grounds and our decks, we’re not to be taken lightly come 2015.”