WICB chief executive officer Michael Muirhead has said there was no one specific reason for the termination of coach Phil Simmons’ contract, nor was it a sudden development

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Sep-20160:56

Simmons’ tumultuous tenure

WICB chief executive officer Michael Muirhead has said there was no one specific reason for the termination of coach Phil Simmons’ contract, nor was it a sudden development. In a nutshell, Muirhead said, Simmons’ vision did not “align” with the strategic approach of the WICB and the divide widened over the past few months, reaching a point where a final decision had to be made.The decision to relieve Simmons of the job was taken by the board of directors at the quarterly WICB meeting last weekend in Dominica. It is understood the directors were asked to vote on the matter, but Muirhead would not reveal whether it was a unanimous decision to terminate Simmons’ contract. “It was the board’s decision. Let us leave it at that,” Muirhead told ESPNcricinfo.Asked whether it was his appraisal that eventually led to the decision, Muirhead did not reveal much. “I hired him, so therefore I have to release him but that is on the recommendation of the board,” he said. He did point out though that the WICB and Simmons had been deliberating on quite a few contentious issues behind the scenes. “The coach has an opinion and the board collectively had another opinion, and that had happened on more than one occasion.”It is a whole number of things over a period of time. I can’t say it was really one thing. There is no one thing that defines what may have taken place. I think things came to a climax when a decision needed to be made.”Simmons’ track record as West Indies coach was mixed. Appointed after last year’s World Cup, the high points of his tenure were West Indies’ draw at home against England last summer, and the World T20 win in India in April. Importantly, the players seemed to be on the same wavelength as Simmons. But Muirhead and the board of directors remained unconvinced. “Ultimately it is performance of the team, and we want the team to perform the best it can do,” Muirhead said. “Was it [doing so] is a question that is still unanswered.”Technically, Muirhead was not Simmons’ boss. That was Richard Pybus, the WICB director of cricket. Simmons had mentioned in an interview that he and Pybus were not on the same page. “Relationship is a difficult word,” he had said of Pybus, soon after the World T20 triumph. “He communicates via emails but he has not spoken to me since the suspension. It’s sad because this is not about him or me, this is about West Indies cricket.”At last weekend’s meetings, the board discussed several reports including the “Cricket Report” submitted by Pybus and the CEO’s report prepared by Muirhead. Pybus’ report was an overall review of cricket across the Caribbean, not limited to the West Indies teams and coaching staff.Reiterating the lack of alignment in strategies, Muirhead said: “It has been an ongoing thing where I think Phil, in all that he has said and done, he has not aligned… the relationships were breaking down. I think he himself had ideas for a different strategic approach, notwithstanding one already having been approved and adopted by the board. I don’t think he was aligned with that.”In a media release sent out on Tuesday, the WICB had pointed out it had identified “differences in culture” as one reason behind the friction between both parties. Muirhead elaborated: “The other thing was the work culture was a little different. It was how we do business, how we execute things. It was an organisational culture. It was not the difference in ethnic culture as has been pointed out elsewhere.”Muirhead said he had had conversations with Simmons, and he had to intervene on quite few occasions to resolve issues. The last time they had met was about two months ago, he said. When he called Simmons on Tuesday to reveal the board’s decision, he said the chat was “cordial” and not “hostile” in any way.Muirhead pointed out it was a “matter of coincidence” that the Simmons’ termination was announced the day the West Indies limited-overs squad left for the UAE to play Pakistan. “The sanctions and other things could not be discussed without the board meeting. We have board meetings every three months, where we discuss everything including the performance of the teams and the coaching staff.”

كشفت تقارير صحفية أن كيليان مبابي، نجم فريق باريس سان جيرمان، لم يتخذ قرارًا حتى الآن بشأن مستقبله، مع اقتراب عقده الحالي من النهاية.

وسينتهي العقد الحالي للنجم الفرنسي مع باريس سان جيرمان في صيف 2024، أي نهاية الموسم الحالي.

وظهرت تقارير صحفية في الفترة الأخيرة تفيد بأن مبابي ينوي الانتقال إلى صفوف ريال مدريد في صفقة مجانية، في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي المقبل.

وأفادت تقارير فرنسية، في الساعات الأولى من صباح اليوم، بأن مغامرة مبابي مع باريس سان جيرمان قد انتهت بالفعل (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

ولكن شبكة “ذا أثلتيك” العالمية ذكرت منذ قليل أن كيليان مبابي لم يتخذ قرارًا بعد بشأن ما إذا كان سيظل مع باريس سان جيرمان أو ينضم إلى ريال مدريد في الصيف القادم.

وأوضحت أنه وفقًا لمصادر مطلعة على الوضع، فإن مبابي يميل نحو الانضمام إلى ريال مدريد، ولكن الأعضاء المؤثرين في حاشيته لم يقتنعوا بعرض النادي الملكي، وهو ما يؤخر تلك الخطوة.

ونشرت الشبكة تفاصيل ما يحدث، على جميع الأصعدة، حيث أكدت أن مبابي كان علم بتفاصيل عرض ريال مدريد في يناير الماضي، حيث كانت لديه حرية الدخول في مفاوضات مع أي نادِ آخر طالما أن عقده سينتهي بعد 6 أشهر.

وكان عرض ريال مدريد أقل مما تم توفيره له خلال مفاوضات سابقة في مايو 2022، لكنه سيظل يجعل مبابي اللاعب الأعلى أجرًا في الفريق الإسباني.

وعُرض على مبابي من قِبل ريال مدريد، قبل عامين، مكافأة توقيع بقيمة 130 مليون يورو، وراتب قدره 26 مليون يورو سنويًا في عام 2022، ولكن العرض الحالي أقل من ذلك.

في حين قدم باريس سان جيرمان، قبل عدة أشهر، للاعب البالغ من العمر 25 عامًا مجموعة من الخيارات للبقاء، بعقود تتراوح مدتها من قصيرة الأجل إلى طويلة الأجل، والتي تظل نشطة وستشهد بقاء مبابي بالقرب من راتبه الحالي في النادي الفرنسي، الذي يبلغ 75 مليون يورو بعد الضرائب، قبل أي مكافآت.

وكان رئيس نادي ريال مدريد، فلورنتينو بيريز، على اتصال مباشر مع مبابي وكان القوة الدافعة الرئيسية وراء العرض الذي رُفض قبل عامين، على الرغم من شعورهم في وقت ما بأن اللاعب وافق على الانتقال.

ووفقًا للشبكة نفسها، فإن ريال مدريد غير قادر على مطابقة عرض باريس سان جيرمان، لكن مصادر مطلعة على القضية تقول إن بيريز يشعر أنه بذل كل ما في وسعه مرة أخرى للتعاقد مع مبابي وما زال يأمل ويعتقد أنه سيقبل.

وحاول رئيس ريال مدريد إقناع مبابي بأن التوقيع مع النادي سينقل ملفه الشخصي إلى مستوى رياضي وتسويقي آخر.

وقال أحد المصادر إن بيريز شارك بشكل غير عادي في المفاوضات، ولكن في هذه الحالة لا يمكن أن تكون هناك ضمانات، حيث سبق وقد أثبتت مثل هذه الجهود عدم جدواها في الماضي.

وأبلغ ريال مدريد ممثلي مبابي، في أوائل يناير الماضي، أنهم يريدون حل هذا الفصل الأخير من ملحمة الانتقالات الطويلة الأمد بحلول منتصف الشهر نفسه، لتجنب ما حدث في مايو 2022.

لكن هذا الموعد النهائي لم يكن موضع ترحيب من قبل حاشية مبابي، حيث شعروا أنهم بحاجة إلى مزيد من الوقت، في حين لا يزال ريال مدريد ينتظر الإجابة النهائية المتوقع معرفتها قريبًا.

واستطردت الشبكة بأن مبابي أعطى في البداية مؤشرات إيجابية للنادي الملكي، وكانت الحالة المزاجية بشأن الاتفاق الذي تم التوصل إليه أخيرًا إيجابية في الأسابيع الأخيرة.

وكان التفاؤل كبيرًا لدرجة أنه تم نقل ذلك إلى المدير الفني كارلو أنشيلوتي بأن كل شيء يشير إلى أن الفرنسي سيكون تحت تصرفه اعتبارًا من الصيف المقبل.

وعلى الرغم من ذلك، تقول المصادر نفسها إن حاشية اللاعب منقسمة حول الأمر، مع العلم أن الأصوات المهمة في معسكر مبابي تشير إلى أن عرض ريال مدريد أقل مما يتقاضاه مبابي في باريس سان جيرمان، أو يمكن أن يكسبه من نادِ محتمل آخر.

من جهة أخرى، شعرت الشخصيات الرئيسية في باريس سان جيرمان في الأسابيع الأخيرة بمزيد من التشاؤم بشأن تأمين تجديد مبابي، حيث ذكرت مصادر في النادي أن اللاعب قرر الصيف الماضي عدم قبول خيار البقاء لمدة عام إضافي، وهم يدركون أنه أعرب مرارًا وتكرارًا عن إعجابه بريال مدريد.

كما تقول مصادر في باريس سان جيرمان إن النادي يشعر بالارتياح بشأن الوضع، لأنهم يشعرون بالحماية الاقتصادية من خلال حقيقة أن مبابي أضاع فرصة الحصول على المكافأة التي كان سيحظى بها الصيف الماضي، بقيمة لا تقل عن 80 مليون يورو، حال التمديد.

وعلى الصعيد الرياضي، يصر النادي الفرنسي على التزامه ببناء مشروع متوازن لا يعتمد على الأفراد بل يضع الجماعة في الاعتبار قبل كل شيء.

Tottenham Hotspur manager candidate Ange Postecoglou is a 'concrete option' for the Lilywhites in their hunt for a permanent successor to Antonio Conte, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest news involving Ange Postecoglou?

As per The Sun, Tottenham look likely to announce Postecoglou as their new manager and could do so by early next week, bringing their long search for a new boss to an end.

The report states that Celtic are 'resigned' to losing the 57-year-old and have already started to look at potential replacements, with West Ham United coach David Moyes said to be 'a likely front-runner' for the position.

talkSPORT have also chimed in and offered an update on the future of the former Australia boss, detailing that Celtic are 'bracing themselves' for Postecoglou to take up the vacant role at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Talks are set to ramp up following the Hoops' Scottish Cup final clash with Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday where Postecoglou could lead his side to a domestic clean sweep of trophies in 2022/23.

Sky Sports revealed on Wednesday that Postecoglou was now Spurs' 'preferred candidate' for the job after they failed in their pursuit of Feyenoord's Arne Slot.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Romano has detailed that Postecoglou is a 'concrete option' to step in as manager in N17.

Romano said: "Postecoglou is a concrete option, for sure. He's on the list, but he is not the only one.

"After what happened with Arne Slot, Tottenham want to be careful and also have different options."

What has Ange Postecoglou achieved in his managerial career?

Interestingly, the Celtic boss, whose side play some "beautiful" football, recently broke a record at Parkhead as his side recently netted an 114th goal, which is the highest total seen from the club since the 1937/38 season.

A shed load of trophies, to put it bluntly. Postecoglou is an experienced figure in football management and has achieved remarkable success at both club and international level, making it no surprise that a club like Tottenham would be interested in his services.

In his time at Celtic, the 57-year-old has won consecutive Scottish Premiership titles and two Viaplay Cup trophies. At the same time, he will have the chance to add the Scottish Cup trophy to his lengthy list of honours if Celtic can defeat Inverness at Hampden Park on Saturday evening.

Before crossing into Europe, Postecoglou raked in trophies in both Asia and Oceania, racking up four A-League titles, One J-League triumph, one OFC Champions League and winning the Asian Cup with the Australia international side, among other impressive achievements, as per Transfermarkt.

His distinctive brand of high-intensity attacking football has caught the attention of Premier League and other English clubs and Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United have all tracked his progress across the last year.

Postecoglou is a man in demand and it looks as if fans of both Celtic and Tottenham won't have to wait too long to find out where his future lies.

Manchester City youngster Rico Lewis is set to sign a new contract at the Etihad, according to a fresh update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

How has Lewis fared this season?

The 18-year-old has enjoyed something of a breakthrough season for City, playing his part in them winning yet another Premier League title. The £5,000-a-week youngster has started eight league games in 2022/23 to date, and made a further four substitutes appearances, as well as two in the Champions League and seven in the FA Cup and EFL Cup combined.

Lewis has not looked out of place, even though he has featured less during the business end of the campaign, and the hope is that his long-term future belongs at City. His current deal expires in the summer of 2024, so it is important that the club tie him down to a new contract, in order to avoid the risk of losing him to another club.

Could Lewis sign new Man City deal?

Taking to Twitter, Romano provided a positive update over Lewis' future, saying an extension is now close to being completed:

"Understand Manchester City are closing in on new long term deal for Rico Lewis — agreement set to be completed. Talks had already been advanced for months and now it’s about final details. Pep, big fan of Rico and his potential. He’s staying at City. Here we go."

This is great news for City, with Lewis someone who should very much be viewed as part of the club's future, having been described as "contagious" by Pep Guardiola, and his team's "little Philipp Lahm". At just 18, he is already such a mature footballer for his age, already making 21 first-team appearances.

Granted, he may have to bide his time to eventually become a regular, given the incredible depth at Guardiola's disposal – a loan move next season could be great for his development – but if he continues to develop, he could eventually make the right-back spot his own.

The three-cap England Under-19 international has displayed his ability to drift into a midfield role in that position, as well as shine in midfield in general full-time, and he could have such a massive future. The thought of losing him so early in his career doesn't bear thinking about, but it looks as though the Premier League champions have got their wish and tied down Lewis for many more years to come.

ScorecardSuccessful overseas batsmen in India have often been successful by lofting the ball over the infield. Even in the days of in-and-out fields, when Alastair Cook scored 562 runs including three hundreds in 2012-13, the most runs by a visiting batsman in a four-Test series in India, he relied on the lofted shots both for runs and also to get rid of the close-in fielders. On their first day of play on the Indian tour, New Zealand batsmen used the loft liberally to suggest it will be the shot they will go to often in the Tests.Albeit on a non-threatening track against a non-threatening attack, New Zealanders made their intent clear as everybody apart from Martin Guptill got a hit in in their score of 324 for 7 declared. There was no hanging about either as they gave Mumbai 13 overs to play before stumps, and took a wicket during that period. The declaration gave them a good chance of having a proper second innings.Two of the wickets were retirements to allow others a chance to bat. Incidentally, the two who gave up their batting, Tom Latham and BJ Watling, were the ones who batted at a more sedate pace. Apart from the two, and Henry Nicholls, everybody struck at more than 70. Apart from Guptill, who scored 15, everybody crossed 20, including fifties from Kane Williamson and Latham. Targets in particular were the spinners, whose 49 overs were taken for 230 runs. Two of these spinners were part-timers, and two others yet to make their first-class debuts.Another heartening news for New Zealand will be that their lower order and lower-middle order – crucial on raging turners – was among the runs. Watling looked comfortable in his 21, Mitchell Santner and Mark Craig ran away to 45 and 33 not out, and Ish Sodhi scored a slightly streakier 29.Every batsman that faced spin played the lofted shot early in the innings. That leaves out Guptill, who got out even before spin came on, but he had started the day with a hooked six in the first over of the match. A Mumbai attack missing its spearhead Shardul Thakur and with left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar – average of 31 – as its best spinner was then punished. Williamson stepped out repeatedly to loft Dabholkar over mid-on. He went back to taking singles once the fielder was pushed to long-on, but went aerial again as soon as Dabholkar called the fielder back up. Latham once swept Dabholkar for four from way outside the off stump. The intent – on a friendly surface against friendly bowlers – was clear.Balwinder Sandhu, with healthy swing but at a gentle pace, was the only shining light for Mumbai. He got the wickets of Guptill and Williamson in the first session with outswingers. As the day wore on, though, Mumbai made more and more use of spinners. Ross Taylor made use of the cut shot before lofting legspinner Parikshit Valsangkar into the sightscreen. Facing his first over of spin, Nicholls came down the wicket to loft left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil for two fours. Santner did the same to Gohil as soon as he came out to bat. Craig reserved the same treatment for Dabholkar.New Zealand had just one three-day warm-up game to get used to the conditions before going into the first Test in Kanpur. As has become the norm world over, the hosts did them no favours by giving them a pitch that looks nothing like the raging turners that teams expect in India nowadays. Also they had a second-string Mumbai side to face with their best players playing for India A in Australia. New Zealanders’ success with their ploy of using their feet and the lofted shots needs to be seen in that light, but one thing was clear: they showed enough signs they are not here to play passive cricket, which South Africa, at times, might have been accused of in India’s last home season.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered yet another blow on Sunday afternoon amid what has already been a turbulent season at N17, with the Lilywhites missing out on European qualification despite their thumping, final day triumph over Leeds United.

That convincing, 4-1 victory at Elland Road – which secured the hosts' return to the Championship – has brought to an end a campaign that many Spurs supporters will wish to forget, having seen both Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini dismissed from the dugout, as well as slipping to limp exits in both the FA Cup and Champions League, in particular.

Following that dismal 2022/23 campaign, the aim for chairman Daniel Levy will be to find a suitable candidate to fill the current managerial vacancy, albeit with the Englishman having thus far had little success in that regard – most recently seeing leading target Arne Slot opt to remain at Feyenoord.

The failure to tempt the Dutchman into moving to north London has seemingly plunged the Premier League outfit back to square one, albeit with recent reports suggesting that Levy and co are now 'strongly considering' Celtic boss, Ange Postecoglou for the role.

While there have also been claims made that out-of-work coach, Brendan Rodgers has already been offered the position, Tottenham would likely be foolish not to look to Postecoglou instead…

Should Tottenham appoint Postecoglou?

As football author Hamish Carton noted earlier this month, Postecoglou is seemingly a "better manager" than the former Leicester City boss, with the 57-year-old now thriving in Glasgow despite the competition being "much better" than when Rodgers was at the helm at Parkhead.

The latter man – who has also managed the likes of Reading, Swansea City and Liverpool – enjoyed great success during his two-and-a-half-year stint with the Hoops after securing seven major honours in that time, notably going unbeaten in his debut season in 2016/17 in all three domestic competitions.

As Carton alluded to, however, Rodgers was up against a Rangers side who had only just returned to the Scottish Premiership in 2016 after working their way up the lower divisions, with it arguably not quite as strong of a test as what Postecoglou has had to face.

That was evident as when the Greek-Aussie took charge at Celtic Park in the summer of 2021, the Bhoys had just finished 25 points behind the Ibrox outfit, with it looking as if a new dominant force had emerged in Scotland.

Since then, however, Postecoglou has already led the club to two league titles and two League Cups – with the potential to add to that collection in the Scottish Cup final next week – while also implementing "beautiful, attacking football" in that time – as per BT Sport pundit, Owen Hargreaves.

Now the 'king" at Celtic – as described by former Australia international, Robbie Slater – the 4-3-3 tactician is a figure who is certainly on the up, having made the most of what is his first managerial adventure in European football.

By contrast, for all Rodgers' merits – having been described as a "great fit" for Spurs by club legend Clive Allen – the Northern Irishman is at something of a low point after only recently receiving the sack at Leicester after steering the Foxes toward relegation.

That should indicate that it is Postecoglou who could prove the better option for Levy and co, with the hope being that the title-winning coach can be tempted to leave his current home this summer.

Manchester United are reportedly keen to add to Leeds United's recent relegation woes, amid reports that the Red Devils are hoping to poach one of their rivals' star players this summer…

What are the latest Man United transfer rumours?

According to Italian outlet, TuttoMercatoWeb, the Red Devils are said to be one of the 'illustrious suitors' who are eyeing a move for midfield maestro, Tyler Adams, with the report suggesting that Erik ten Hag would 'gladly' bring the American to Old Trafford.

This follows a previous report from Football Insider which suggested that United are among the teams who are interested in signing the 24-year-old ahead of next term, with the 36-cap ace looking destined for an exit after just a solitary season at Elland Road.

The piece adds that the former RB Leipzig man – who made the £20m move to Yorkshire last summer – would cost the Carabao Cup winners roughly £35m if a deal was to be agreed.

Who could Adams replace at Man United?

With Ten Hag evidently searching for a 'younger' midfield recruit – such as Adams – it could well spell the end for one of the club's more experienced figures, with Brazilian enigma, Fred, potentially set to be on his way this summer.

That's according to Manchester Evening News, who reported that the 30-year-old is a target for recent opponents, Fulham, with Cottagers' boss Marco Silva having been seen talking to the playmaker following Sunday's Old Trafford encounter.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk man has spent five years on the books at the Theatre of Dreams, although the £52m addition has fallen down the midfield pecking order of late, having started just two of the last 13 Premier League games since the 7-0 drubbing away to Liverpool.

That grim defeat at Anfield laid bare the £120k-per-week asset's woes as he was merely a 'non-entity', according to 90min's Jack Gallagher, with it perhaps no surprise that Ten Hag is believed to be keen to move him on this summer.

The addition of Adams, therefore, could well represent something of an upgrade on the diminutive menace, with the Leeds star having been hailed as "one of the best defensive midfielders in the league" by pundit, Noel Whelan.

Despite missing the last few months of the season through injury, the "aggressive" ace – as hailed by Whelan – still finished in joint-fourth in the division alongside Casemiro for tackles made (89), with that a marker of his ball-winning prowess.

Unsurprisingly, Adams ranks in the top 1% among those in his position across Europe's top five leagues for tackles made, with Fred slightly behind as he ranks in just the top 3% in that regard.

That superior defensive quality is also showcased by the fact that while the latter man won just 48% of his ground duels and 50% of his aerial duels in the 2022/23 campaign, the New York native averaged 55% and 64% for those same two metrics, respectively.

In an attacking sense, despite failing to register an assist this term, Adams did notably average one key pass per game as a marker of his creative ability in his deep-lying berth, with that superior to the current United man, who averaged just 0.9 key passes per game.

That brilliance both in and out of possession appears to suggest that Ten Hag would be wise to replace the 5 foot 7 midfielder with the Leeds sensation for next season.

Burnley may have sauntered their way to promotion to the Premier League under the watch of impressive managerial rookie Vincent Kompany, but that is not to say some areas of the squad are not in need of addressing this summer.

According to LancsLive, one of the positions being looked at is right-back, with Leeds United's versatile Cody Drameh said to be of interest to the Clarets.

Who is Leeds United defender Cody Drameh?

Drameh has yet to make a name for himself at Leeds, being restricted to just four appearances across their three seasons back in the top flight, but he has impressed away from Elland Road.

Still aged just 21, Drameh did well during his half-season spell on loan with Cardiff City in 2021-22 and returned to the Championship in the second half of last season with Luton Town.

The former Fulham youth player was brought in during the January window and started 19 times for the Hatters as they earned a stunning promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

While predominantly a right-back, Drameh was asked to fill in on the right-hand side of midfield for the majority of his time at Kenilworth Road and chipped in with a couple of assists.

One of those came against Bristol City in March when setting up Carlton Morris for the only goal of the game. Luton boss Rob Edwards praised Drameh at the time for the way he quickly adapted to life at another new club, while also issuing the youngster a new challenge to develop his game further.

"Cody’s been really good since he's come in, but we encouraged him to be really brave and we wanted him to take some risks," Edwards said, as per LeedsLive. "I thought he was really on the front foot and he showed a lot of quality."

Where would Cody Drameh fit in at Burnley?

On the face of it, Burnley are not exactly desperate for a new right-back. That is a position, after all, that Wales international Connor Roberts thrived in last season.

However, Roberts played in a team-high 43 of Burnley's games last season, and Kompany could do with having another adequate back-up option ready to fill in.

Vitinho took up that role last season, featuring seven times at right-back, while also being used down the wing and on the opposite flank. That versatile nature is a big positive, and is something Drameh showed last season he can also provide.

There was little between Vitinho and Drameh last season in terms of creativity, with respective goals and assists combined per 90 minutes returns of 0.17 and 0.13, while they completed an almost identical number of passes per game (32.7 and 33.2).

However, Drameh outperformed Vitinha in terms of metrics such as shot-creating actions (3.50 per 90 compared to 2.53), tackles won (2.38 and 1.20) and aerial duels (1.13 compared to 0.90), suggesting he'd be a more solid asset on the right-hand side of the defence.

Vitinho has won the hearts of supporters at Turf Moor, and he may have a part to play in the Premier League, but it is clear to see why Drameh – valued as little as £4m by Football Observatory and with plenty of years of top-flight football ahead of him – is on the radar of Clarets boss Kompany.

Manchester United have received one final bid from Sheikh Jassim and the Qatari group before they decide to walk away from a potential deal.

What's the latest with Man United's potential takeover?

On the back of the weekend, United's 2022/23 campaign came to a close with their defeat in the FA Cup final marking their final game of the season.

Despite it being an encouraging first campaign under Erik ten Hag, defeat at Wembley Stadium will leave a sour taste to end the campaign on.

But matters off the pitch continue to bubble away in the background with the potential sale of the Red Devils still not resolved ahead of the summer transfer window.

Indeed, the Glazer family put the club on the market back in November and now it seems as they could be willing to take it back off and keep their stakes in the club.

It is now believed the Qatari party have lodged one final bid to get their hands on the Premier League giants in a 'take it or leave it' proposal to the Glazers.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has provided the latest on where the Middle Eastern party stands on the potential takeover of United:

"Crucial hours because we know there is this final bid from Sheikh Jassim – the Qatari group – for Man United till Friday. It's take it or leave it.

"The bid has been made while INEOS group with Sir Jim Ratcliffe is still negotiating to buy Manchester United. From Sheikh Jassim there is a deadline for the next hours, I would say, waiting on Manchester United owners, the Glazers, to decide as soon as possible."

How much have the Qatari's bid for Man United?

It has been reported that a number of bids have been submitted for the Premier League club over recent months with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim believed to be the main two parties.

Indeed, it had even been suggested that the English businessman was the leading candidate to potentially take over at Old Trafford last month.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's offer is believed to keep the Glazer family involved at the club, whereas, Sheikh Jassim's proposal for a 100% takeover of the club.

However, the money involved in the proposed Qatari bid is reportedly world-record-beating figures with suggestions in April claiming the valuation to be in the region of £5bn.

Now over a month on from this reported bid, Sheikh Jassim is believed to have proposed his final offer for the club which will surely have United fans nervous over the future of the club.

Should the Glazers bat away this latest proposal from Qatar, it would appear as if they will be sticking around Old Trafford in some capacity for the foreseeable future.

There is the belief that they would be open to keeping ahold of the club to increase their return on investment, but if the Qatari bi is rejected then the only other offer on the table will be that of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

A round-up of the final day of Group A matches in the second round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2016

Railways collapsed dramatically on the final day in Bilaspur as Tamil Nadu won by 174 runs – their first win of the season. Railways had picked up a 52-run first-innings lead. Tamil Nadu made up for their abject first-innings performance with 452 for 8 declared, courtesy centuries from captain Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik. Set 401, Railways had ended the third day on 108 for no loss, but crumbled for 226 in 57.2 overs on the final day. Railways lost Shivakant Shukla on his overnight score of 52 off the fourth ball of the day, and from there on, it was a continuous slide. Saurabh Wakaskar, who resumed on 54, struck 120 for his sixth first-class century, but the rest could not deliver and Railways lost their last five wickets for four runs. Offspinner Malolan Rangarajan led the wreckage, finishing with 4 for 37.At the CH Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Lahli, Madhya Pradesh folded for 180 in their second innings to give Punjab a 126-run win. Punjab had declared on 175 for 9, having taken a first-innings lead of 131. Set a target of 307, MP had lost Mukul Raghav off the last ball of the previous day. Resuming on 26 for 1, they soon found themselves 74 for 4. Devendra Bundela (32), the captain, and Shubham Sharma, who top-scored with 37, got together for a 50-run stand, but that was about as much resistance as MP could offer. Manpreet Gony (4 for 41) and Siddarth Kaul (3 for 42), Punjab’s new-ball bowlers, did the bulk of the damage.The match between Baroda and Mumbai at the Palam Grounds in New Delhi was a draw. Mumbai had eked out a lead of 18 runs in a thrilling end to their first innings, responding to Baroda’s 305 with 323, thanks to Akhil Herwadkar’s century.The final day began with Baroda on 321 for 5 in their second innings, and Deepak Hooda, batting on 66, and Swapnil Singh, unbeaten on 5, at the crease. Baroda added 62 more and declared on 383 for 5, after Hooda raised his fifth first-class century.Mumbai began strongly through their top three, with Herwadkar and Jay Bista (49) putting on 68 for the opening wicket, and Shreyas Iyer scoring 46 at No. 3. Suryakumar Yadav and Armaan Jaffer fell early, but Aditya Tare, the captain, saw off the remaining overs in the company of Abhishek Nayar. Tare was not out on 63 and Mumbai were 224 for 5 when stumps were drawn.Bengal collected first-innings points against Uttar Pradesh after playing out a draw at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Bengal had put up 466 in the first innings, courtesy centuries from Abhimanyu Easwaran and Manoj Tiwary. UP narrowly missed the first-innings lead, getting bowled out for 410, after which Bengal ended the third day on 30 for no loss. Easwaran struck his second century of the match and stayed not out on 110, while Shreevats Goswami also scored a century of his own. After Goswami’s dismissal, for an even 100, Bengal declared on 274 for 6. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with 4 for 107.Tanmay Shrivastava and Almas Saukat, the UP openers, batted out 20 overs before UP went to stumps on 70 for no loss.