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West Bromwich Albion have received a transfer offer for Albion winger Matheus Pereira.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Ekrem Konur, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Al-Hilal Riyadh have entered into talks with the West Brom hierarchy regarding a deal for the 25-year-old, with the Saudi Arabian Professional League side believed to have tabled an opening offer of €7m (£6m).

However, with it being previously reported that Albion would be looking for a fee of at least £24m in order to part with the Brazilain this summer, it would seem as if Al-Hilal will have to considerably improve their offer if they are to get a deal over the line for the forward ahead of next season.

Fans will be worried

Considering just how highly Pereira impressed for West Brom last season, the fact that the club have received such a low offer for the winger is sure to have left fans of the club worried.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances for Sam Allardyce’s side last term, the £13.5m-rated man scored 11 goals, provided six assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the man Noel Whelan dubbed a “fantastic” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as West Brom’s best performer in the top flight of English football, something that is no mean feat considering Albion were battling at the wrong end of the table last season.

As such, it would indeed appear as if the £39k-per-week winger is worth a great deal more than Al-Hilal’s £6m bid for the Brazilian, as well as it very much seeming as if Pereira is simply too good of a player to be moving to Saudi Arabia at this point in his career.

However, money does talk in football, and, if the Professional League side are offering the 25-year-old an extremely lucrative contract, perhaps he could be swayed into making a switch to Al-Hilal this summer – something that could easily cause an issue for Valerien Ismael, if Pereira were to begin to push for the club to accept an offer lower than their asking price in order to secure an exit from The Hawthorns, and that should come as a worry for Albion fans who will either want to keep the player or see thier club receive big money for him.

In other news: Get it done: West Brom plotting swoop for “quality” £5m machine, Ismael would love him

Ian Bell has rejected the criticism of England batsmen’s apparent “cosiness”, or lounging in their comfort zone, insisting that the weather has been as much as to blame in the first Test-and-a-half against New Zealand

Cricinfo staff25-May-2008
Ian Bell fell for 16 at Lord’s © Getty Images
Ian Bell has rejected the criticism of England batsmen’s apparent “cosiness”, or lounging in their comfort zone, insisting that the weather has been as much as to blame in the first Test-and-a-half against New Zealand.”It astonishes me to think that there is any question of England players being in a comfort zone,” Bell wrote in his column at the . “Nothing could be further from the truth. Every single member of this team practises hard and trains hard, every single one of them knows that there is tremendous pressure on places, that there are squad players and others out in the counties desperate to play.”Of course we’re looking over our shoulders. Central contracts have been a good thing, I think all would agree. They have lent more of a team element to the England team but nobody thinks they are here by right, I can assure you, and I am disappointed that anybody thinks otherwise.”Michael Vaughan also defended his England side before this second Test, insisting there was no such thing as “cosiness”. But as New Zealand took three late wickets on Saturday evening, leaving England trailing by 229, the detractors’ concern of England’s middle-order failings appear more than justified.”We really do try to get two players to a hundred in the first innings,” Vaughan said before the second Test. “More often than not one has gone on to get a hundred, but then we have fallen short of our 400 to 450 target. It’s certainly not because of any cosiness.”Bell, who is not-out on 4 going into the third day, maintains England are working doubly hard, but the weather – which ruined the Lord’s Test last week – has not helped matters.”All goals are difficult to achieve at the moment because of the weather,” he wrote. “Loads of time was lost at Lord’s and the same thing is happening here. This is the only cricketing country where bad light seems to come into play during the day. It’s a vexed question, as we have witnessed, and it’s annoying for everybody. The spectators are not alone in feeling frustrated.”Now I would agree there are occasions when we could play in worse light than has been the case, and if that happened I guess there would be moves afoot to play in worse light still. At Lord’s I would say there was little chance of putting any player in extremis as a result of the light, but the umpires were merely following regulations.”

Kevin Pietersen’s magnificent 110 led England to a convincing 114-run-win over New Zealand in the first ODI at Chester-le-Street

The Bulletin by Will Luke15-Jun-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
Kevin Pietersen lays into the first of his two extraordinary reverse-switch shots © PA Sports
Kevin Pietersen’s magnificent 110 led England to a convincing 114-run-win over New Zealand in the first ODI at Chester-le-Street. With a disciplined allround display in the field, they never let New Zealand have a sniff of reaching 308 – a target made all the more challenging for the visitors after the early wicket of Brendon McCullum for 36. If this wasn’t a complete one-day performance by England, it was something close to it. For New Zealand, it was sadly much of the same.Led by Stuart Broad, England’s bowlers were tight, disciplined and indebted to Pietersen’s remarkable hundred from 112 balls. For too long Pietersen has been in hibernation; this was his first one-day hundred since the 2007 World Cup, and once he passed fifty, he appeared to regress back into that creative, dominant batsman who had all of England purring two years ago. England had lost Luke Wright for a stodgy 11, while Bell struggled to replicate his silky timing of two days ago, falling for 46. When Ravi Bopara departed, rather timidly handing Scott Styris a caught-and-bowled, England limped to 95 for 3 with the halfway point fast approaching.That they reached the lofty heights of 307 was largely Pietersen’s doing, but Collingwood returned to form brilliantly with a run-a-ball 64, as the pair put on 136 for the fourth wicket. Pietersen initially struggled, pottering – as much he ever potters – to 30 but unfurled thrillingly. Styris, who was later to be dumbfounded by Pietersen’s touch of genius, was clattered through the covers; Daniel Vettori, who mostly outbowled all his colleagues, was flat-driven over the top for six and after reaching a run-a-ball fifty, he took on Michael Mason with fours over midwicket. How desperately New Zealand miss Jacob Oram and the balance he offers the side.For all Collingwood’s impressive personal recovery, bulldozing his way into form through sheer bloody mindedness, all eyes were firmly fixed on Pietersen who, by now, was shifting through the gears in style. Each of his trademark shots were ticked off: the blazing cover drive, fierce pull in front of square, but the reverse-switch six hasn’t been on view since he took on Muttiah Muralitharan in 2006. Here, he succeeded twice in four overs off an understandably perplexed Styris. Changing his grip and stance to that of a left-hander, Pietersen crashed him over cover (or midwicket, depending on your view) for one of the day’s longest sixes. Four overs later he bettered it with another, straighter and crisper blow which sailed into the stand at long-on. This wasn’t just audacious batting, but creative entertainment by a peerless showman. Surprising, then, that this was his first one-day hundred on home soil.Collingwood was bowled by a frustrated Vettori, but England continued to pile on the pressure, with Owais Shah taking over the mantle of entertainer from Pietersen. In 25 balls, he carved, cracked and crashed 49. He went inside out to Mason over extra cover; Mills was hoisted over deep midwicket for another six, while Southee’s debut went from bad to worse when Shah cracked him straight back over his head. It was breathless hitting.Whereas England were consistently good, New Zealand were quite the opposite – though they were given hope of reaching their target through McCullum. Ryan Sidebottom, recalled after being rested for Friday’s Twenty20 at Old Trafford, was fast but inaccurate, while James Anderson was back to his mercurial mediocre. McCullum capitalised, picking up Sidebottom for a huge six over midwicket, followed by a firm cut off Anderson two balls later.With Anderson and Sidebottom leaking runs, it was to the youngster that Collingwood turned. Broad may look 14, but for someone still so inexperienced he showed remarkable control – helped, no doubt, by removing the biggest wicket of them all with his first ball. It wasn’t the greatest of deliveries, truth be told: a short long-hop outside off which McCullum wellied straight to cover.James Marshall’s forgettable tour continued when he set off for a single to Collingwood in the gully, whose dead-eye throw knocked out the stumps to leave New Zealand stumbling on 61 for 2 after 14 overs. After McCullum, only Ross Taylor had the audacity to take on such a daunting total, and once he fell for 20 New Zealand had little hope. With the wickets came a resurgent England fielding display, Anderson excelling in the deep with two excellent saves, and only the most gnarly of nitpickers could fault them in the field.Collingwood capped off a fine allround day with four wickets, drowning New Zealand’s resolve. There may be no dollars or gold pots to chase in this form of the game at the moment, but England’s eyes were firmly fixed on winning from the outset.

Newcastle United target Joe Willock ‘wants regular first team football’, according to Arsenal correspondent Chris Wheatley.

The lowdown

Newcastle are ‘confident’ of striking a season-long loan deal for Willock, who spent the latter half of the 2020/21 campaign on Tyneside.

Willock thrived for the Magpies, scoring in their final seven Premier League matches to equal a record set by Alan Shearer (via BBC Sport).

After the Englishman scored on his debut against Southampton in February, Shearer himself dubbed him ‘magnificent’.

Arsenal want to sign two central midfielders this summer, with the first set to be Anderlecht’s Albert Sambi Lokonga (via The Athletic). As a result, Willock’s path into the team may narrow further.

He earns a modest £20,000 per week at The Emirates, having signed his last contract extension in 2019.

The latest

Wheatley reports that Willock is ‘certainly keen’ on a return to St James’ Park if it ‘benefits his development’.

The 21-year-old apparently ‘really enjoyed’ his recent stint with the Magpies and ‘particularly liked’ living near Northumberland’s beaches.

He shared on Twitter: “Willock wants regular first team football and is assessing his options of the new campaign.”

The verdict

This move simply makes infinite sense. Despite his scintillating form at Newcastle, Willock’s prospects at Arsenal are limited.

The Gunners’ failure to qualify for the Europa League or Europa Conference League has taken away starting opportunities that existed for fringe players last season.

You’d now expect them to predominantly line-up with Thomas Partey, Emile Smith-Rowe and one of their new signings in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, Willock has already proven he is a perfect fit for Steve Bruce’s side, and his value would only increase if he continued to flourish on another loan, helping the Gunners as well.

In other news, this defender has been tipped to leave Newcastle.

Michael Vaughan has given England cause for concern ahead of the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s on July 10

Cricinfo staff02-Jul-2008Michael Vaughan has given England cause for concern ahead of the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s on July 10, after he was forced to sit out the final session of Yorkshire’s eight-wicket defeat against Durham at Headingley because of soreness in his right knee – the same one that has required four bouts of surgery and which forced him out of the game for the whole of 2006.According to The Yorkshire Post, Vaughan was seen flexing his knee while fielding on Monday afternoon, but the problem did not seem to hinder him during a fluent 72 in Yorkshire’s second innings. He was later seen clutching an ice-pack to the joint, but according to the county’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, there is no question that Vaughan will have to miss the Lord’s Test.”It’s difficult to say too much,” said Moxon. “Michael has a [pre-arranged] press conference on Friday, and he’ll outline his position then, but he has one or two body issues. His knee is a bit sore, but there’s no danger of him missing the Test match. He’s got a few niggles and I just think he needs a bit of time to let those niggles settle.”Vaughan has been withdrawn from Yorkshire’s squad for the Friends Provident semi-final against Essex on Saturday, but according to his team-mate, Darren Gough, who also underwent career-saving knee surgery in 2002, soreness was only to be expected. “His knee is stiff, but that’s what happens when you’ve had four or five operations,” he told The Guardian. “He’ll be fine.”

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have flocked to an announcement by the club as they continue with pre-season preparations.

David Moyes is set to oversee an interesting 2021/22 season at the London Stadium, with the Irons set to compete in the Europa League group stage.

West Ham arguably overachieved last term and their exploits garnered praise from football critics throughout the country.

Moyes will be looking to build upon those fantastic heights, and their pre-season preparations may be a key factor in doing so, with it arguably being crucial that every player is up to speed both mentally and physically.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-updates/” title=”West Ham updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As such, West Ham have now announced that they will take on Atalanta in the Betway Cup on Saturday 7 August at the London Stadium.

The Serie A outfit have emerged as one of the most exciting teams in Europe over recent years, with manager Gian Piero Gasperini leading them to another season in the Champions League.

Facing these prestigious opponents has excited many West Ham supporters on Twitter, as well as the fact that tens of thousands of Irons fans will be able to attend the match following the lifting of pandemic restrictions this Monday.

Check out a flavour of their best reactions to the announcement of the “exciting” pre-season clash.

West Ham fans flock to Atalanta announcement…

“I am salivating.”

Credit: @TylerLingwood

“This is class, great practice for Europa”

Credit: @dtmason15

“So excited for this game! Atalanta are arguably the most exciting team in Europe right now. Bring it on!”

Credit: @RobPritchard78

“Blimey, this will be a very tough game.”

Credit: @TheRikMoran

“What a great game btw”

Credit: @DNXN90

“Massive game!”

Credit: @indianhammers

“Huge game, wow”

Credit: @camwestham

“Omg I can’t wait to go”

Credit: @nicola678910

“Lets gooooo”

Credit: @kai_gunner

“Oooh exciting, we love the Italians”

Credit: @ZaynafamilyMary

In other news: West Ham favourites to sign ‘huge’ 29-goal striker amid talks, exit written in the stars – find out more here.

Brentford and Swansea City are reportedly interested in signing Sheffield Wednesday star Barry Bannan this summer, acting as a blow to the Owls.

The Lowdown: Bannan stars for Sheff Wed

Wednesday may be facing up to life in League One next season, but one player who cannot be blamed for their struggles is Bannan.

The midfielder has been an exceptional performer for the Owls over a sustained period, making 258 appearances for the club along the way.

Given Bannan’s quality, it could be difficult to keep hold of him this summer, especially as he is allowed to leave if a £1million offer arrives.

The Latest: Two clubs linked with move

According to Sky Sports [via The 72], Brentford and Swansea have emerged as the front-runners to sign the 31-year-old in the summer transfer window.

Banna’s current Owls contract expires at the end of the 2022/23 season.

The Verdict: Potential big blow for Owls

Bannan has arguably been Wednesday’s best player over the past five years or so, producing quality on the ball – he registered five Championship assists last season – but also an admirable work ethic.

With Darren Moore’s side now in the third tier of English football, however, it could be difficult to keep hold of someone with 27 Scotland caps to his name.

Brentford could be an especially appealing proposition for Bannan, following their promotion to the Premier League, and it would be hard to begrudge him leaving if the Bees follow up their interest with a concrete offer.

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly keen on signing one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

The ICC and Cricket Australia have confirmed the fixtures and venues for the 2009 Women’s World Cup in Australia

Cricinfo staff17-Jul-2008Women’s World Cup 2009 Group A: Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa
Group B: India, England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
Venues: Sydney, Bankstown, Bowral, Canberra, Newcastle, Drummoyne
Opening games: India v Pakistan (Bowral), England v Sri Lanka (Canberra)
Format: The top three sides in each group go forward to the Super Six stage where each side plays the teams to have qualified from the other group. The top two sides from the Super Six proceed to the final.Six venues in New South Wales, Australia, will host the 2009 Women’s World Cup between March 7 and 22, the ICC and Cricket Australia confirmed today. Just like the women’s World Twenty20 next year, traditional rivals – India-Pakistan and Australia-New Zealand have been drawn in the same groups. The most significant development in this edition is that for the first time since 1973, the tournament comes under the umbrella of the ICC, following its merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) in 2005.”It is a best-of-the-best event that happens once every four years. It showcases all that is great about women’s cricket, and the ICC is delighted to have it under its umbrella for the first time,” David Morgan, the ICC president said.”The profile allows us to grow women’s cricket in the same way we have with the men’s game over several years, and we are already starting to see the benefit of the merger with the IWCC through ever-increasing coverage and the financial benefits for the top players that flow from that.”Significantly, coverage of the tournament is set to get a tremendous boost with ESPN Star Sports, the ICC’s television partners, set to cover at least six of the 25 games live. All six will take place at the North Sydney Oval, also the venue for the final.Leading women cricketers have welcomed the ICC’s initiative in uplifting the profile of the game, thanks to the television deal.”Events like these will enable women’s cricket to promote the game at the highest level,” Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar said. “The reason for this is that with at least six matches televised it will make the game more accessible to a wider audience. Thanks to this exposure it is only a matter of time before cricket will be competing with other high-profile women’s sports.”Charlotte Edwards, the England captain, said she was looking forward to her fourth World Cup.”It’s any captain’s dream to win a World Cup and the way we have played over the last twelve months puts us in a good position going into this one,” Edwards said. “A lot of the team has been playing together over the last four years or so, so we’re really gelling as a unit and it’s something that’s in the back of our minds as we go into these Natwest Women’s Series against South Africa and India.”Playing the tournament in Australia makes it even more special, particularly the fact that it’s in Sydney, a city we all love. We honestly can’t wait to get out there and test ourselves against the best in the world.”

Rikki Clarke has left Derbyshire after a turbulent and unsuccessful 12 months at the club, and has immediately signed a new three-year contract with Warwickshire

Cricinfo staff02-Sep-2008
A rare moment of joy for Rikki Clarke in Derbyshire colours © Getty Images
Rikki Clarke has left Derbyshire after a turbulent and unsuccessful 12 months at the club, and has immediately signed a new three-year contract with Warwickshire.Clarke began his career with Surrey, but struggled to cement his place in 2007 and promptly joined Derbyshire for the start of this season. Immediately installed as captain, expectations for Clarke and Derbyshire were high. However, following a dismal run of form – he even dropped himself at one point – he resigned as captain last month.Clarke has averaged 21 with the bat in the Championship and 38 with the ball from eight matches with just a single half-century. When he arrived over the winter, in a high-profile move with the promise of the captaincy, he spoke of being excited by the challenge of building a young group of players and even pushing for an England recall. His misery at Derbyshire this season has put paid to continuing his England career, for the time being at least.Warwickshire have long since courted Clarke, and their director of cricket, Ashley Giles, told the reasons why. “I played with Rikki for England in Bangladesh and have always regarded him as a talented and exciting cricketer. That talent is unfulfilled at present but I am sure there is more to come from him.”He has bags of raw ability and it’s up to me and the rest of the coaching team to mould that ability into the top-class cricketer that he is capable of being.”Clarke told the Birmingham Post that he was delighted to be moving to Edgbaston. “Warwickshire was always my first choice, even last season, but by the time I spoke to them I had already given my word to Derbyshire that I would join them,” he said. “It’s a big club with great facilities and I have people like Ashley and Allan Donald around to learn from.”Derbyshire threw the captaincy at me and, looking back now, going there was a mistake,” he said. “But I just want to come Warwickshire, play some cricket, put the last year behind me and give it a red-hot go.”

Many Everton fans have been left delighted following an update on their proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, a web camera is set to be installed at the site so that supporters of the Merseyside club can see live images of what is happening during the construction process.The Toffees will also be launching a new project website which will share all of the latest news to do with the stadium, and give an opportunity for Blues to ask any questions they may have.These are certainly exciting times for Evertonians, as now that permission has been granted to build on the site, construction for the new ground can get under way as soon as possible, and they will be able to see it happening in front of their very eyes once the web cam is installed. Everton fans on Bramley-Moore Dock update

These EFC fans lauded the update was it was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it is ‘excellent news’:

“This is excellent news”Credit: @otrochris”Loving every bit of this.”Credit: @djmikepeters”Massive day.”Credit: @seanarundel”Brilliant Blues!!!”Credit: @camoefc84″Love it”Credit: @matt1878″Yeeeessss”Credit: @Howardm37030595In other news, find out what transfer update has Toffees talking here!