Celtic are searching for a new manager following the departure of Ange Postecoglou, and former Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola is set to apply for the job, according to a recent report.

Who is Andoni Iraola?

After spending the vast majority of his playing career with Athletic Bilbao, Iraola took his first job in management in 2018, being appointed by AEK Larnaca, however he spent just 29 games in charge of the Cypriot side, before being sacked.

The Spaniard went nearly two months without a win in his first managerial role, however CD Mirandes took a chance on him in 2019, and he proved his worth, leading the club to the Copa del Rey semi-finals for just the second time in their 92-year history.

After spending 49 games at the helm of Mirandes, the 40-year-old has since been with Rayo Vallecano, after having an approach from Leeds United blocked last season.

However, The Mail + now report the young manager has rejected a contract offer from Vallecano, and he will throw his hat into the ring for the Celtic job, but he is not the only candidate in the running.

It is also detailed that Graham Potter, Jesse Marsch, and Kjetil Knutsen are all under consideration, with the Celtic hierarchy recently drawing up a list of candidates to replace Postecoglou.

The board are in no rush to make a swift appointment, as they would rather prioritise making sure they get the right man for the job.

Should Celtic appoint Iraola?

Not only did Iraola make history with Mirandes, the Spaniard did a fantastic job in charge of Rayo Vallecano, leading them to an unlikely promotion to La Liga, against the backdrop of COVID disruptions, injury issues and the club's failure to pay the players.

After regaining their place in the Spanish top flight, Vallecano had a very solid season, eventually finishing in 11th place, having never looked like they in any real danger of being relegated.

Journalist Nick Emms has branded the former Rayo Vallecano boss a "Bielsa disciple", making reference to his "high-tempo, high-pressing style", which can be compared to the system Marcelo Bielsa adopted to great effect in charge of Leeds United.

Given that Postecoglou was also known for his attacking style of play, it may be important for Celtic to appoint a successor who implements a similar system, and Iraola could end up being a perfect replacement.

Tottenham Hotspur managerial target Ange Postecoglou "may be tempted" to accept the job in the Premier League, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

What's the latest news on Ange Postecoglou to Spurs?

The Greek-Australian has reportedly “always” been one of the main candidates on Daniel Levy’s shortlist to replace interim coach Ryan Mason heading into the new season and his future north of the border is uncertain as a result of him being on a 12-month rolling contract, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the campaign due to him not yet signing an extension.

Football Insider claim that Celtic are preparing to table the 57-year-old a record-breaking offer that would make him the club’s best ever paid manager in their history to try and fend off interest from N17, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped the chairman from wanting to take a bite at the cherry.

The Daily Record state that the Lilywhites are readying an official approach for the Parkhead boss, with Levy holding a “concrete” interest in his target, and he’s now been backed to successfully secure his services in the weeks ahead.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Crook claimed that Postecoglou could listen to any offers that come his way from Tottenham as a result of already achieving pretty much everything possible at Celtic. He said:

“Yeah, I’ve been down their list, and I think Postecoglou may be tempted. He would be giving up Champions League football at Celtic, but he might just feel he’s done all he can.”

Is Postecoglou the right candidate for Spurs?

Since Celtic appointed Postecoglou back in 2021, he’s completely transformed the squad and has even been dubbed “mental” for his front-foot approach by compatriot Jackson Irvine, so should Tottenham be able to secure his services in the dugout, it would be a massive coup for Levy and the rest of the hierarchy.

The Hoops coach, whose preferred formation is a 4-3-3 attacking, has so far taken charge of 112 games with the green and whites, winning 82, drawing 12 and losing just 18 of those fixtures whilst averaging 2.30 points per match, via Transfermarkt.

The Champions League manager has seen this form turn into silverware having secured four titles in Glasgow which are part of the 17 trophies that he’s collected at both club and international level since the beginning of his career on the sidelines.

Finally, Postecoglou shares the same agent, CAA Base Ltd, as Son Heung-Min, Pedro Porro and Richarlison, so this existing connection his representative has to the club could potentially give them a small advantage when it comes to the two parties trying to reach an agreement.

Amit Mishra is one of three men over 30 in India’s squad for the ODIs against New Zealand. He is the leader of the spin attack, yet he has played only 33 matches, six more than the second spinner Axar Patel. He came into the series having not played any ODI cricket since October 2015, and may well go out once the resting R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja return.But with six wickets in two games, including that of Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s century-maker in Delhi, Mishra has done his prospects no harm. He is on top of the bowling charts, and is in demand for bowling tips.”Whenever youngsters come and ask me, I give them advice,” Mishra said. “It happens during the games too, and in meetings if I feel I can share something. I don’t add any unnecessary pressure, but whenever I have felt the need to offer small tips, I do. I am really enjoying this duty of supporting youngsters.”Mishra is enjoying a dynamic where he shares his knowledge with the side and learns from coach Anil Kumble at the same time.”Anil is very helpful. When I didn’t play in a Test match, he would still tell me how to bowl, what pace I need to bowl for a wicket, what field I should bowl to and what are the strengths of the batsman. His experience has been helpful not just for me, but for everyone. Despite being a bowler himself, he shares batting tips to the tailenders which will be helpful in crucial matches, as to how to bat when you have a proper batsman around you.”When asked if his patchy batting form could be a reason for him not finding a permanent place in the limited-overs side, Mishra smiled and suggested he had no clue. He did concede that he played a “bad shot” in the Delhi ODI which India lost by six runs. Needing 60 to win off 55 balls and only two wickets in hand, Mishra went for a slog sweep against part-time bowler Martin Guptill and was caught off a top-edge.”It was the requirement of the match,” he said. “At that time, if I’d played positively against the spinner maybe it would have helped the team but if he hadn’t caught we could have finished the game maybe even with two overs to spare. Next time, I will look to take my time before trying to finish the game.”Mishra, though, was pleased with the way a young bowling attack has been able to have plans at the ready to combat various situations. “Whenever we need to put pressure, we try and apply it or take wickets,” he said. “Maybe sometimes all the strategies don’t work, but our second line of defence has always been good and it works.”As spinners we always talk about going for wickets irrespective of situation. Sometimes the situation is such that we have to take a step back, like during the last game. We have two plans all the time, sometimes we go back, reassess and go to Plan B. This time also we will always head into the game with two or three plans. So even if the second doesn’t work, the third will.”

South Africa Women’s ordeal of collapses continued into the fourth ODI against New Zealand Women as they were bowled out for 194 to lose by eight wickets in Paarl and trail the the seven-match series 3-1

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2016
ScorecardRachel Priest and Amy Satterthwaite’s 139-run partnership studded New Zealand’s dominance as they took a 3-1 lead•Getty ImagesSouth Africa Women’s ordeal of collapses continued into the fourth ODI against New Zealand Women as they were bowled out for 194 to lose by eight wickets in Paarl and trail the the seven-match series 3-1. Amy Satterthwaite led the charge for New Zealand by first taking three wickets and then scoring an unbeaten 81 in a partnership of 139 with opener Rachel Priest, who scored an attacking 86 off 67. New Zealand cruised to the target in 28.2 overs, leaving South Africa to win all three remaining matches to win the series.Asked to bat, South Africa were reduced to 13 for 2 in the third over, before Mignon du Preez (27) and Dinesha Devnarain (42) lifted them with a 51-run stand. Once Hannah Rowe broke that stand, South Africa suffered their first collapse, stuttering from 64 for 2 to 99 for 5. Captain Dane van Niekerk, who top-scored with 48, and Sune Luus (29) stitched together 66 for the seventh wicket, before the hosts collapsed again, losing their last four wickets for the addition of just two runs. They lost their last three batsmen for no runs, similar to the first ODI of the series when they lost five wickets without scoring a run.Satterthwaite finished with 3 for 33 after taking three of the last five wickets, while the other two were run-out. Rowe took two wickets and an in-form left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen, who opened the bowling, returned parsimonious figures of 1 for 20 in 10 overs.New Zealand made a change in their opening combination as Natalie Dodd opened with Priest but the move did not work as Dodd was bowled by Marizanne Kapp for 1 in the second over. Priest and Satterthwaite let loose after that to flatten South Africa. Priest scored her half-century off 36 balls and slammed 13 fours and a six before being caught off Ayabonga Khaka, but the visitors were going at nearly seven an over and had only 52 runs left. Satterthwaite, who struck her second unbeaten fifty, saw them through with 81 off 71 balls, studded with 10 fours and a six.The fifth ODI takes place at the same venue on Wednesday.

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is happy to take a pay cut and join AC Milan this summer, according to an update from talkSPORT's Alex Crook.

Is Loftus-Cheek set to leave Chelsea?

The £120,000-a-week Englishman struggled to be a regular starter for the Blues throughout the 2022/23 season, often having to make do with playing a big-part role. He started exactly half of his side's Premier League matches – 19 out of 38 – and appeared seven times in the Champions League, but only two assists have come his way, with no goals scored.

Loftus-Cheek has reached a point in his career where he surely wants to be considered a key man, considering he is now 27 years of age and around his peak, but it doesn't look like that will happen at Chelsea for the foreseeable future, unless Mauricio Pochettino suddenly views him as an influential figure when he comes in as manager.

He has been linked with a move to Milan in recent days, and a new update seemingly increases the chances of him joining the Serie A giants in the summer transfer window.

Could Loftus-Cheek take pay cut?

According to talkSPORT's Crook, Loftus-Cheek is even willing to earn less money in Italy, in order to ensure he gets his summer move:

"Loftus-Cheek is already in advanced negotiations with Italian giants AC Milan and willing to take a pay cut to seal the move."

Loftus-Cheek leaving Chelsea does make sense for all parties, in fairness, with it clear that he is never really going to be much more than a squad player in west London, despite some good performances over the years and being hailed as "very important" by Cesar Azpilicueta.

With the England international's current Blues deal expiring in 2024, this is the last opportunity for the club to receive a healthy amount of money for his signature, rather than losing him for a free next year. The player himself will also no doubt love to test himself abroad, following in the footsteps of former Chelsea man Fikayo Tomori, so the idea of him staying on at Stamford Bridge makes little sense.

He should be remembered as a solid servant for the club, though, registering 31 goal contributions (13 goals and 18 assists) in 155 appearances, as well as winning two Premier titles and one Europa League crown, as well as a number of other trophies along the way.

India coach Anil Kumble has said he was heartened by Hardik Pandya’s performance with the new ball on his ODI debut, and that the team management would give the allrounder the freedom to bat and bowl without specific instructions

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2016

India coach Anil Kumble has said he was heartened by Hardik Pandya’s performance with the new ball on his ODI debut, and that the team management would give the allrounder the freedom to bat and bowl without specific instructions. Pandya opened the bowling along with Umesh Yadav in Dharamsala and was responsible for New Zealand’s batting meltdown. His figures of 3 for 31 from seven overs earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.”[Pandya] is someone who obviously gives us the right balance,” Kumble said on the eve of the second ODI in Delhi. “He can not only bowl but also bowl at a pretty decent pace as well. [Bowling with the new ball] was certainly the strategy MS [Dhoni] wanted Hardik to try. He certainly has the potential and he showed his potential in the limited opportunities that he has got, whether it be the T20s or in the ODI. With him giving us those seven-eight overs, sometimes even 10, certainly gives us a better balance in the team.”When asked if Pandya’s ball-striking ability gave India lower-order insurance, especially with MS Dhoni moving up the order, Kumble said the team backed Pandya to play the way he wanted to. “For someone who is just starting his international career, we don’t want to put pressure on him by giving him definite plans as to this is what is expected of him,” he said. “He is someone who likes the freedom and that’s exactly what we have given someone like a Hardik. Even with regard to his bowling, we have told him to bowl with freedom and not worry about getting hit.”The moment you start putting pressure saying we want you to bowl six deliveries in one spot… it doesn’t work like that in international cricket especially if someone is just starting his international career. So even with his batting, he has all the freedom; it doesn’t matter what the situation is when he walks in. I’m sure he’ll play the way he wants to play rather than how you want him to play.”Kumble backed Manish Pandey to continue batting at No.4, but said the batting order remained fluid and would change according to the situation. “In one-day cricket it is not necessary that you need to have certain positions fixed as far as batting goes. It all depends on the situation,” he said. “So, you could see someone else walking in at No. 4 [depending upon] if we bat first or we bat second. We have a couple of options [for No.4]. Obviously Manish is someone who has done really well in the recent past and he started off well even in Dharamsala.”He comes into international cricket with solid domestic performance over the years. So that certainly gives him the additional advantage of knowing exactly what to do in different situations. Yes, he is certainly your No.4, but it depends on the situation, you could see someone else walking in at No. 4 as well.”Kumble, however, said Ajinkya Rahane would continue opening the batting through the series, and that it was premature to pencil in a permanent opening combination. “At the moment I think Rahane certainly fits in at the top of the order and that’s something that we will persist with,” he said. “Yes, it does give us an option once Shikhar [Dhawan] and [KL] Rahul are fit.”But we will only look at that probably post the England Test series, when England come for one-dayers. Looking at the Champions Trophy, we will then decide as to who will be our opening batting combination and then who will bat at 4, 5, I think all that will come in much later.”

تعرف على موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وميدياما اليوم في دوري أبطال إفريقيا والمعلق

يستعد فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي لاستكمال مشواره في بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وذلك بمواجهة ميدياما الغاني.

وتقام المباراة على أرضية استاد TNA بارك بمدينة كوماسي الغانية في خضم منافسات الجولة الخامسة من دور المجموعات.

ويخوض الأهلي مباراته محتلًا صدارة ترتيب المجموعة الرابعة برصيد 6 نقاط من 4 مباريات فاز في واحدة وتعادل في 3 مباريات، وسجل 4 أهداف، واستقبل هدفًا.

طالع أيضاً.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الأهلي وميدياما الغاني في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

فيما خاض فريق ميدياما 4 مباريات فاز في واحدة وتعادل في أخرى، فيما خسر مباراتين٫ وسجل لاعبوه 3 أهداف واستقبلوا 8 أهداف، ويتذيل مجموعته. موعد مباراة الأهلي وميدياما اليوم في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

تلعب المباراة مساء اليوم الجمعة، في تمام الساعة السادسة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، السابعة بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وميدياما اليوم

تنقل المباراة عبر قناة beIN Sports HD 6. معلق مباراة الأهلي وميدياما الغاني اليوم

يتولى مهمة التعليق على المباراة علي محمد علي.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا

Glasgow Rangers face a crucial summer transfer window if they aim to become the dominant force in Scottish football yet again, with plenty of ins and outs looking likely.

In truth, the exodus has already begun, with Michael Beale not offering Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor, or Filip Helander extended contracts, freeing up a good chunk of the wage budget.

There could be more to go, with Scott Wright and Jon McLaughlin also set to be departing the Ibrox side this summer, while Glen Kamara has been recently linked with newly promoted Sheffield United, and it appears as though Beale is displaying a ruthless nature when it comes to moving out the deadwood in order to strengthen.

Another player who should be making an exit at the Light Blues is defender Ben Davies, who hasn’t quite settled since arriving from Liverpool last summer for a fee of £4m.

Does Ben Davies have a future at Rangers?

With Filip Helander leaving the club, Beale has Connor Goldson, John Souttar, Leon King and Davies as his centre-back options, however, with Souttar’s improved performances come the end of the season, averaging a stellar Sofascore rating of 7.45/10 from his final four games, it appears he and Goldson could form the main partnership at the heart of defence.

Davies made 38 appearances in all competitions for the Gers, yet missed chunks at the beginning and the end of the season due to injury issues, averaging a rating of 6.94/10 as per Sofascore.

The £27k-per-week defender ranked 16th in the squad for tackles made, seventh for interceptions per game and 14th for overall rating, suggesting his league performances weren’t exactly up to scratch.

Against Celtic in a decisive league encounter back in April, Davies endured probably his worst performance in a Gers shirt, failing to clear a simple ball in the box which eventually resulted in the Parkhead outfit scoring the second goal of the match, and he was criticised after the game by former Rangers' striker Kenny Miller.

He said: “It’s a wonderful finish. Again he’s alert, alive, ruthless when the chance drops.

“But it’s so poor from Ben Davies. He should be heading that out.”

The club appears to be open to offers for the 27-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window and with the poor season he has had, it might be time for the Gers to cut their losses and move him on ahead of 2023/24.

England will play their first day-night Test match at home next year, the ECB has confirmed. The first Test of West Indies’ tour, at Edgbaston on August 17-21, will be contested under lights with a pink ball in a move designed to try and increase attendances and drive interest in the oldest form of the game.Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, said it was worth experimenting in order to try and “make cricket more accessible to new audiences”. So far, the only Test played under lights with a pink ball was between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide last November, although a second, between Pakistan and West Indies in the UAE, will take place this month. Another two are scheduled for the forthcoming Australian summer.”It’s a great opportunity to build on a lot of the thinking and the strategy that has been going on for the last 12 months,” Harrison said. “It’s been all about new audiences and doing all we could to make the game more accessible at every level, and this gives us an opportunity to find out if Test cricket played at a different time of day, under certain conditions, in a city centre at a time of year where people possibly don’t get to go to the all day game – we’ll see if that has a dramatic impact on attendance.”It’s also outside London, so there’s more opportunity to see an impact of day-night cricket. England historically love playing at Edgbaston, it’s a great venue. We are taking an open and hopeful view and are expectant that it will have an impact on our market as we look to make cricket more accessible to new audiences.”Harrison added it was important to “embrace opportunities when they come”. Warwickshire held a trial in a 2nd XI game in August, which was deemed a success despite some issues with the deterioration of the pink ball (both Dukes and Kookaburra varieties). The club were unable to hold further tests in a first-class match but, with tickets due to go on sale next week, they have agreed to take the plunge for next summer.”Bringing day-night Test cricket to England is an innovative and very exciting development for the game, and we’re thrilled that Edgbaston will be the first venue to host a match played in this format,” Neil Snowball, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said.”Edgbaston staged the UK’s first day-night domestic match in 1997 and has a great history of hosting and selling out some of the biggest fixtures in the game. In turn, the Edgbaston atmosphere and match-day experience has become iconic, with England having a fantastic record of victories here.”Playing hours for the Test have been provisionally scheduled from 2pm until 9pm, with the final session set to take place under floodlights as the sun goes down. Dukes will continue to supply the ball; those used in the 2nd XI match at Edgbaston, in contrast to the Kookaburra version, featured a dark seam.”I’m sure it will drive some new thinking in the way that tickets are sold and I’m sure it will have an impact on the ability of families to come and watch cricket,” Harrison said. “It’s a sincere drive and strategy to make cricket as accessible as possible, particularly for young people. To create a Test cricket audience among young people.”Cricket Australia has been the board most enthusiastic about day-night Tests and it is likely that the 2017-18 Ashes could feature a pink-ball game – although the current captains, Alastair Cook and Steven Smith, have expressed reservations. “It’s useful to have one before we go to Australia,” Harrison said. “Giving guys the chance to play with a pink ball under lights, before an Ashes Test in similar conditions. It’s a good opportunity to stick a stake in the ground to say we are keen to innovate.”Player concerns about the conditions required to keep the pink ball from deteriorating were a feature of the Adelaide Test, where an unusually grassy surface was prepared and the match was over inside three days. Harrison said the ECB was “comfortable with the development of the ball”, which has been tested extensively by the MCC – who first proposed the idea – notably in the Champion County match at the start of the English season.He added that the England and West Indies players had been assured they will be given opportunities to prepare for playing under lights. West Indies’ third three-day tour match, which takes place in Derby the week before the first Test, will be played as a day-night match.”Players have taken some time to get around this,” Harrison said. “It’s not a new concept in terms of global international cricket and many boards are looking at ways to introduce this and as they have gone down this journey they have looked at all the things that need to come together, like lux levels at grounds, local council approval, public transport. They are all different in the day-night scenario. There is a bit more work to do, but we can start to get excited.”I’m sure we will convert those who are less than convinced about it. We will work hard to make sure we are not treading on traditions here. In London we put a Test match on and it sells out. Outside London it’s not as simple as that. Maybe this helps bring in some of those new communities that haven’t been to Edgbaston before. There will be a lot of marketing about, in a very busy summer for us across all formats.”

تمكن نادي الزمالك من حل أزمة لاعب الوسط الجديد محمد شحاتة ليسافر مع الفريق إلى الجزائر استعدادًا لمواجهة أبوسليم الليبي.

ويواجه الزمالك نظيره أبو سليم في الجولة الخامسة لمباريات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية، يوم 25 فبراير الجاري باستاد “19 مايو 1956” بمدينة عنابة الجزائرية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أحمد سليمان: ثنائي الزمالك يتقاضى راتبًا غير طبيعي.. وفتوح قد يشارك أمام الأهلي

وعلم “بطولات” أن أحمد سليمان عضو مجلس إدارة الزمالك ورئيس بعثة النادي نجح في حل أزمة اللاعب محمد شحاتة مع التجنيد ليسافر مع الفريق إلى الجزائر.

ويلتقي الزمالك بقيادة البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز وأبو سليم الليبي يوم، الأحد المقبل 25 فبراير، ولكن ليس في ليبيا وإنما في الجزائر على ملعب “19 مايو 1956 بمدينة عنابة.

وتم نقل المباراة نظرًا لعدم امتلاك نادي أبو سليم أي ملاعب جاهزة يمكن أن تستضيف المواجهة بشروط الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم.