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Kevin Campbell has been giving his thoughts to Celtic’s reported swoop for Kawasaki Frontale star Reo Hatate, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Hatate move edges closer…

It seems as if Ange Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson are making progress when it comes to potential January additions.

Celtic are thought to have agreed on deals for both Yosuke Ideguchi and Hatate, with previous reports claiming that the latter could arrive before the club’s 2022 winter training camp.

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Hatate’s contract with his J1 League employers expires at the end of January, but with an agreement seemingly in place, it appears as if Celtic could pay a cut-price fee to sign him as soon as the winter window opens.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Campbell, who regularly features on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding the agreement with Kawasaki Frontale for Hatate.

He backed the Hoops to make a ‘big profit’ on the versatile midfielder in the future, labelling a move now as ‘smart’, saying:

“It’s smart management.

“Looking at Japan, they have made some moves there and they have already paid off.

“There is talent there, just like there is talent everywhere. The key is, can you tap into it?

“It’s a market Celtic are pretty comfortable with right now. It’s affordable too, which is also key.

“They can only enhance their playing staff by recruiting from there. When the time does come to sell them on, I expect they will sell them on at a big profit.”

The Verdict: Postecoglou playing the market perfectly

Postecoglou didn’t go all-in when it came to the Japanese market in his first transfer window with Celtic.

His only addition from the Far East was Kyogo Furuhashi, though his £4.86m switch to Parkhead has proven to be an inspired one, with the forward contributing to 19 goals already this season.

You’d expect that the Hoops could easily make a huge profit on Furuhashi if any clubs came calling, and after reaping the rewards, it makes sense to dip into the market again with cut-price moves for Ideguchi and Hatate in a league that Postecoglou knows well.

Daizen Maeda could also be another reported Celtic target to swap Japan for Scotland, so it could be a busy start to the New Year for the Hoops.

In other news: Devlin claims ‘special’ Celtic ace may have broken bone amid ‘conflicting’ info. 

Liverpool will take on Porto at Anfield this evening, and the side is expected to rest players due to an early qualification to the last sixteen thanks to going unbeaten in Europe this season so far.

The reds have taken maximum points from their first four games in their group, currently seven points ahead of their opponents on Wednesday evening.

Klopp has hinted in his press conference that he will be resting players in the fixture that has no effect on the side’s qualification in the tournament whether they win, lose or draw.

The German coach told the press;

“We always respect the competition but we have to think about ourselves, our schedule and the situation of our players first.”

With Liverpool’s injury crisis in mind – they are missing Curtis Jones and Naby Keita – there is one player that has been a hot favourite with fans for a start tonight in the European fixture. At just 19 years old, Tyler Morton is predicted to make his Champions League debut for the side ahead of the likes of Thiago and Fabinho.

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Hailing him as “brilliant”, Klopp heaped praise on the teenager a few weeks ago and talked about getting him ready for first-team football;

“You can see Tyler Morton, I told him now we pretty much have to send him directly to the gym now. Because if he gets a body, he’s a brilliant footballer.

“There’s obviously some things to come physique-wise, but the football brain is outstanding.”

Morton is no stranger to the first team this season, putting in a confident performance against Norwich in the Carabao Cup when he came on in the second half, and more recently made his Premier League debut, when he was subbed on for Thiago Alcantara in the final six minutes of the game against Arsenal in which the side ran away with a 4-0 win.

The youngster is set to get his first opportunity in the starting line up against Porto tonight and will be hoping to prove to Klopp that he made the right choice in introducing him into the first team, which he can achieve with a measured display

Liverpool will be hoping to remain unbeaten in Europe with a win over Porto tonight, where the Portuguese side will be hoping to steal a win at Anfield to widen the gap in second place holding back AC Milan and Atletico Madrid from qualification.

In other news: Liverpool predicted Champions League XI vs Porto

A number of Liverpool supporters are hugely excited after the Reds were linked with a January move for in-form Porto attacker Luis Diaz.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are in superb form at the moment, responding brilliantly to the defeat at West Ham by picking up consecutive wins against Arsenal, Porto and Southampton.

Liverpool seem to have clicked into gear at just the right time, with a fascinating Premier League title race with Chelsea and Manchester City starting to take shape.

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The Reds will almost certainly have to make do without star attackers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a chunk of January, though, due to their participation in the Africa Cup of Nations.

It means that a new forward could be brought in during the next transfer window, and according to Record [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Klopp has given his ‘approval’ over the signing of Diaz.

The 24-year-old has scored 10 times in 12 Primeira Liga appearances this season and has come up against Liverpool in the Champions League. He gave a decent account of himself at Anfield last week, with two key passes and three successful dribbles in his team’s 2-0 defeat.

The Colombian has struck 10 goals in 12 league games for Porto in the current campaign, also netting twice in Europe (Transfermarkt), and he is the team’s highest-ranking performer according to WhoScored.

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Liverpool fans love Diaz claim

These Reds fans on Twitter reacted positively to the links with Diaz, with one Kopite proclaiming him as a “baller”.

“Please!”

Credit: @obg_21

“Yesss”

Credit: @amirullahR

“I beg for him to sign”

Credit: @LFC_Colman

“If this is true this would be great. He’s a class player and would be good to have during AFCON when Mo and Mane are gone, he’ll definitely put in a shift and will keep us on winning ways surely”

Credit: @vvd_era

“Don’t do that… don’t give me hope”

Credit: @ben_lfc__

“Please please. Baller”

Credit: @my_sum

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted after another transfer rumour emerged. Read more here.

Leeds United’s poor form in 2021/22 continued on Sunday afternoon as they were narrowly beaten by Tottenham Hotspur.

It means Marcelo Bielsa’s side still occupy the one spot above the relegation zone and are just two points adrift after another disappointing result amid their worrying injury problems.

The Whites largely dominated the first half and by full-time, they still led the possession and attempts on goal statistics but they just couldn’t get going again in the final 45 minutes.

Jack Harrison found his wide companion Daniel James one minute before the break with a low-driven cross after beating home defender Emerson Royal all ends up with a nutmeg.

However, it was Kalvin Phillips, who surprisingly dropped into the backline that was Bielsa’s one silver lining down in north London.

As per SofaScore, he recorded the most touches of anyone on the pitch (113) and that goes to show his influence on the side, as well as the game – everything ran through him as he was like an American quarterback – that’ll please the 49ers’ group if they were watching.

Similarly, no player managed more passes either (76), in which a whopping seven were successful long balls as he sprayed it all over the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Elsewhere, he was an absolute rock in his unfamiliar central defensive role, recording four tackles, three interceptions and three blocks, on top of winning six ground duels, via SofaScore.

The Daily Star’s Paul Brown was left impressed by the England international, too, having described him as an “absolute Rolls-Royce” before suggesting that he “ran the show” in north London.

Meanwhile, LeedsLive’s Beren Cross also spoke glowingly about the £36m-rated powerhouse in his post-game ratings column.

‘Immense in the first half when he was given a man-marking job on Harry Kane. Took the match by the scruff of the neck. Not as central after the break when he went into midfield. Cut a frustrated figure at times,’ he wrote.

Phillips was absolutely class against Spurs and arguably deserved something from the game as a result of his performance. If there are any small positives for Bielsa to take, then he’s certainly one.

AND in other news, Forget Firpo: £60k-p/w Leeds lightweight who lost possession 24x badly let Bielsa down…

Mohammad Sami has been added to Pakistan’s 16-man Test squad against Australia following the team management’s request for an extra fast bowler

Cricinfo staff15-Dec-2009Mohammad Sami’s international career has been revived after he was added to Pakistan’s 16-man Test squad against Australia following the team management’s request for an extra fast bowler. According to the Pakistan Cricket Board, Sami was recalled after the need for additional support to a fast-bowling contingent comprising Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Abdur Rauf was raised.Gul, Asif and Aamer played in all three matches of the tied Test series and have little time off ahead of the series in Australia, which begins with a three-day tour match against Hobart from December 19. The first Test starts on Boxing Day at the MCG.”I am very happy and am confident of making the most of this chance to resurrect my career,” said Sami, who returned to Pakistan’s domestic fold after cutting ties with the now defunct ICL.Sami, 28, played the last of his 33, largely unfulfilling Tests in December 2007 against India after he had drifted to the sidelines of Pakistan’s Test attack. Those three Tests in India yielded just four wickets and he was again discarded to return to the domestic circuit. But he has picked up 30 wickets so far this season while captaining Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Group B toppers Karachi Whites, with three five-wicket bags.There are other fast bowlers with better returns for the current first-class season, such as young Mohammad Talha, and those who have played limited-overs cricket for Pakistan this year, like Sohail Khan, but Sami’s experience of playing international cricket, and two Tests in Australia, appeared to have worked in his favour.Sami has taken 81 wickets in 33 Tests, and 118 in 83 ODIs.Apart from three Tests, Pakistan will play five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 on the tour.

Newcastle United have their eye on Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, according to journalist Ekrem Konur. 

The lowdown

According to The Athletic last month, the writing is seemingly on the wall for the 30-year-old at Arsenal as he approaches the end of his contract in June. He could be available on a cut-price deal in January if the Gunners want to avoid losing him for free.

Lacazette has only started three Premier League games so far this season, his solitary goal rescuing a point against Crystal Palace, although Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher applauded him for an ‘outstanding’ performance in that game.

The latest

According to Konur on Twitter, Newcastle are ‘closely monitoring the situation’ of Lacazette at the Emirates Stadium.

They aren’t the only club keeping tabs, though, with his former employers Lyon also lurking as the Ligue 1 outfit have plans to bring him back when the January transfer window rolls around.

The verdict

Lacazette has proven himself to be a reliable Premier League goalscorer by netting 51 times in 134 appearances in the division.

Newly-installed Newcastle manager Eddie Howe already has a proven marksman at his disposal in the form of Callum Wilson, but according to Transfermarkt, the 43-year-old’s preferred formation is a 4-4-2. That would mark a change from the setups employed by Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones in recent weeks as both often went with just one central striker.

If Howe wants to implement a 4-4-2 at St James’ Park, he may need an upgrade on Joelinton and Dwight Gayle, who between them have scored just 11 Premier League goals since the start of the 2019/20 season. Lacazette, who has more than double that tally on his own in the same timeframe, would give Howe a much more potent option to partner with Wilson, and he could come relatively cheap if Arsenal want to make some money on him before letting him walk away as a free agent next summer.

In other news, the price for this PIF target has been revealed 

Rain forced the final one-day international at Durban to be abandoned and handed England their first limited-overs series victory in South Africa

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Strauss gets his hands on the one-day series trophy after rain washed out the final match•Getty ImagesIt’s not how Andrew Strauss would have wanted to lead England to a bit of history, but he’ll gladly take it after rain forced the final one-day international at Durban to be abandoned and handed the tourists their first limited-overs series victory in South Africa.There was never a realistic chance of any action at Kingsmead. Hopes were briefly raised when the covers were removed at around 2.30pm, but the forecast rain soon returned to blanket the city in the dank, grey atmosphere that has been in place for most of the past week.As well as their first one-day success in the country, England have also become just the second team to beat South Africa on home soil in a bilateral one-day series after Australia managed it twice. That is a notable achievement for Strauss and Andy Flower considering that a little over two months ago they were turned over 6-1 by Australia.”It’s a big step forward for the group,” Strauss said. “To be only the second team to win out here is an achievement to be proud of. The players had to buy into trying to play a slightly more attacking brand of cricket and at the same time to up our fielding and to be more consistent with the ball.”I think the guys have enjoyed having the shackles taken off them to a certain extent. A lot of our one-day cricket over the last few years has been played like men under a lot of pressure. A lot of the players were under pressure, playing for their places and because the results weren’t very good.”It’s encouraging to know we are going in the right direction but I’d be the last person to say we’re the finished article.”The turnaround began at the Champions Trophy and has continued over the last three weeks. Playing in South Africa suits England’s new brand of one-day cricket and their next challenge in that format be to adapt to different conditions in Bangladesh in February. They are unlikely to find pitches with pace and bounce at the World Cup in 2011 so the next phase of their development is to show they can combat spin attacks of sluggish, turning pitches.Even though only three matches were actually played, this series success can still go down as one of England’s finest one-day performances in recent times, on a par with beating Sri Lanka in their backyard in 2008. At Cape Town they showed they still have the capability to pull out a shocker, but to cancel out that 112-run defeat, both their victories were by convincing seven-wicket margins – a run-chase of 251 that would previously have been beyond them at Centurion, and a victory set up by James Anderson’s bowling at Port Elizabeth.England’s 4-0 victory against South Africa at home last year is often pulled out when talking about impressive performances, but that was against a visiting side that had achieved their main target of a Test series victory and were ready to go home. This time there were early points to be scored – that’s the advantage of holding the one-dayers first – and England have done more than enough to quieten the hosts who were quite happy to make some bombastic statements in the build-up. The hosts certainly haven’t lived up to the hype.”Our next one-day series is in India where the [2011] World Cup is going to be played,” Graeme Smith said. “Hopefully by then we will have a fully-fit squad and a squad which has developed from here.”There’s a break now and there will be a few new faces in our [Test] squad,” he added. “The last two years have been really terrific for us in Test cricket and we want to carry it on. England have an Ashes-winning squad so it bodes well for a good series.”Attention now turns to preparation for the Test campaign. England head to East London for two two-day matches against a South African Invitational XI, where they will be joined by the Test-squad members who have been with the Performance Squad in Pretoria. South Africa, meanwhile, will reconvene in Potchefstroom on December 11 for a three-day camp before heading to Johannesburg ahead of the opening Test at Centurion. The battle is just hotting up.

Surrey have released Pedro Collins and Alex Tudor and handed out eight new contracts

Cricinfo staff29-Oct-2009Surrey have released Pedro Collins and Alex Tudor and handed out eight new contracts.”Both Alex and Pedro are fine players in their own right but the time had come for them to take on a new challenge,” Surrey’s professional cricket manager Chris Adams told the county’s website. “I wish them both the best of luck with their future plans and thank them for their contribution to Surrey County Cricket Club.”Surrey signed Collins, the former West Indies fast bowler, on a two-year Kolpak deal. Collins, 33, played 32 Tests and 30 ODIs, but as a Kolpak signing is unable to play for West Indies again without immediately becoming an overseas player.Tudor is famed for his 99 not out for England, batting as a nightwatchman against New Zealand in the 1999 Test at Edgbaston. He began his career at The Oval and was there between 1995 and 2004 before being released after several seasons where he was more often injured than available. He moved to Essex, initially on a pay-as-you-play basis, before establishing himself as a regular in the first team, although he did not regain the form which saw him win ten Test caps as well as the 1999 Young Cricketer of the Year award. He returned to Surrey in August 2008.Players to have signed new deals until the end of the 2011 season are the batsmen Stewart Walters, Matthew Spriegel, Arun Harinath and Michael Brown; bowlers Stuart Meaker and Simon King; and wicket keeper Gary Wilson. The seam bowler Tim Linley has signed a one-year deal.”When I first joined Surrey I knew it would not be possible to provide immediate solutions to the club’s problems,” said Adams. “With this in mind, we have developed a long term structure to return to the position of the leading side in the English game. One of the key factors I have identified to help us do that is continuity. No sports team has ever benefitted from a constantly high turnover of players and I am very happy the vast majority of our squad are now able to plan for two or more solid years at Surrey.”All the players that have recently agreed new deals have yet to reach their potential for this club and I look forward to exciting times ahead when they are all consistently performing at the height of their ability.”

Allrounder Steven Mullaney has signed for Nottinghamshire after turning down a new two-year deal with Lancashire

Cricinfo staff05-Oct-2009Allrounder Steven Mullaney has signed for Nottinghamshire after turning down a new two-year deal with Lancashire.Mullaney, 22, signed his first professional deal with the club in 2006 but his opportunities were limited to a handful of matches. In four seasons he has played four first-class matches, eight one-day games and made three Twenty20 appearances.”The main principle of our recruitment has been to find talented young cricketers who are ready to play in the first team and Steven fits that billing,” Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said. “He was impressive when he played against us in the Twenty20 Cup this season and he is able to bat at six or seven and offers a good medium-pace bowling option.”I see him fitting into our one day side but he’ll be keen to show that he can play a part in the four-day game as well. He hasn’t played as much cricket at Lancashire as he would have liked but they were keen to keep him which shows the regard in which he was held at Old Trafford.”His one first-class century, an unbeaten 165, came against Durham UCCE in 2007 but it was a notable innings which included 17 fours and 10 sixes off 118 balls.

News of Andrew Flintoff’s knee injury has been met with little sympathy from the Australian camp

Alex Brown13-Jul-2009News of Andrew Flintoff’s knee injury has been met with little sympathy from the Australian camp. Michael Hussey spoke of the team’s delight in grinding the injury-prone allrounder into the Cardiff dust throughout the first Test, while Simon Katich highlighted the disturbance Flintoff’s absence could create within the England team for the Lord’s Test.Having dealt with numerous injury concerns of their own in recent months, the Australians appeared happy to indulge in a touch of schadenfreude upon learning of Flintoff’s knee complaint on Tuesday. “It’s obviously a big loss for them if he’s out,” Katich told Cricinfo. “It’s not just his bowling, you have to throw in his batting as well, and he did bat well in both innings of the first Test, so they lose a bit of their flexibility if he’s out injured, definitely.”Hussey was even less sentimental when discussing Flintoff’s injury and its potential impact on the England team. “It would be a huge blow for England because he’s such a key player,” Hussey said. “He adds a lot of balance to the team with his batting and his overs. It would be a big blow. It was nice to make him do a lot of work in the first Test and it would be nice in the coming Test matches, if he’s fit, to make him work pretty hard again.”Both Katich and Hussey were wary of making bold statements in relation to Steve Harmison’s call-up to England’s expanded 14-man squad for Lord’s. Acutely aware of the danger his height and bounce represent, the senior Australian batsmen spoke reverentially of Durham’s in-form fast bowler.”If you’re bringing someone like Harmison in, who has been bowling very well for Durham and also against us at Worcester the other day, he presents probably just as many problems [as Flintoff],” Katich said.Stuart Broad was similarly confident Harmison could fill the bowling void created by Flintoff’s absence. “It would be very disappointing; I think every side in the world would want him in their team,” Broad told Cricinfo. “But we’ve got the players who can come in for him. Obviously Harmison’s been bowling well for Durham and Ian Bell’s been scoring really good runs for Warwichshire. We’d have to look at the positives if Fred wasn’t available. Hopefully he’ll come up and fine and be walking out with us at Lord’s on Thursday.”