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Everton defender Ashley Williams has claimed that he did not realise just how big of a club he was joining when he made the move to Goodison Park last summer.

The Welshman spent eight years with Swansea City between 2008 and 2016 – making more than 350 appearances – before moving to Everton ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.

The 32-year-old started 35 of Everton’s 38 Premier League matches last season, and he has revealed his delight at being able to represent “such a massive club”.

Williams told Everton’s official website:

“It’s the history of the club and the tradition. When you come into the city it’s either red or blue and on a matchday you know that the Everton fans are crazy for football and really live for the team.

“Once you become part of the club you realise how big football is to them and what the club has achieved before so you’re always trying to live up to the standards that have been set.

“I’ve enjoyed it. Coming to such a massive club like Everton, everyone welcomed me straight away and for us it’s been a decent season. The top six is difficult to break into; we gave it a good go and got European football in the end so it’s been a good season.”

Williams, who has earned 70 caps for Wales, helped Everton to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League table last season, but the Toffees were eight points behind sixth-place Manchester United.

The Merseyside outfit have also had a turbulent start to the summer as rumours surrounding Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley continue to gather pace, with the attacking duo both expected to depart Goodison Park before the start of the new campaign.

Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin have been linked with departures from Manchester United in recent weeks, and that speculation has been growing as the January transfer window approaches.

Suggestions that manager Jose Mourinho is ready to get rid of the pair were fuelled when both were left out of the 19-man squad travelling to Ukraine for tonight’s Europa League group clash against Zorya Luhansk.

As far as we know, neither Depay nor Schneiderlin are suffering with injuries, which indicates that Mourinho simply does not deem them part of his plans.

Of course, we must stress that there is no official word regarding the pair’s futures, but according to ESPN, Everton have already spoken to the Red Devils regarding a double swoop when the transfer window reopens next month.

Both players were bought by former United manager Louis van Gaal in 2015, but neither have been fancied by Mourinho this season, with Depay starting just once so far, and Schneiderlin being named in the first XI three times.

Many fans believe that snubbing the duo from the recent Europa League squad is the nail in the coffin.

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When it comes to carelessly spending large amounts of cash with almost every passing transfer window, Manchester City have certainly become a club well versed in such a notion.

Since the convenient injection of wealth behind the scenes at the Etihad not so long ago, Manuel Pellegrini’s side seemingly never fail to get the cheque-book out whenever the chance arises, culminating most recently in their staggering £49million investment in former Liverpool youngster Raheem Sterling.

However, even though the advent of financial fair-play is supposed to be keeping tabs on any crazy spending within the English Premier League this summer, Manchester City nevertheless look set to complete yet another marquee signing – this time in the form of Valencia’s £28.5million rated Nicolas Otamendi.

The dominant Argentinean centre-back has been the subject of a vast amount of interest this window thanks to his impressive form in La Liga across the 2014/15 campaign. So then, will this simply prove yet another expensive gamble for Man City in the transfer market, or does Nicolas Otamendi actually represent the perfect signing for Pellegrini ahead of the new season?

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Well, in beginning such an important discussion for the Citizens this term, it really is no surprise that a club such as Manchester City have displayed serious intent in landing Otamendi this summer. The former Porto star was in absolutely fine form last season, proving one of the standout centre-backs across the entire European footballing scene.

Whilst the apparent deal to bring the 27-year-old defender to the Etihad could potentially involve some of the backlogged compensation for Alvaro Negredo’s previous move to Valencia – as well as the likely loan switch of Eliaquim Mangala moving in the other direction – Nicolas Otamendi still represents a major transfer for City.

When it comes to making sure his side have a resolute last line of defence, the Argentinean international has rarely disappointed in recent outings. Valencia’s in-form centre-back has proven more than adept at reading the game effectively, his prowess in the air really is something to be admired – and when it comes to making last minute blocks as well as match-saving interceptions – Manchester City’s latest defensive target seems to be the real deal to say the very least.

Yes, valid question marks can still admittedly be raised regarding Otamendi’s ability to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, but considering the fact that Manuel Pellegrini currently relies upon the likes of Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis at the back – such concerns ultimately shouldn’t worry the Etihad faithful too much this summer.

The aforementioned defensive stars aren’t the quickest centre-backs by any measure. They have each cost their side valuable points across the previous 2014/15 season, with 24-year-old Mangala acting as a particularly unpredictable asset for his manager with all things considered. How the so far calamitous Frenchman ever managed to cost City a grand total of £32 million last summer remains anyone’s guess at this current stage…

In light of Mangala’s recent struggles to make it in the Premier League, Otamendi should represent a much more reliable head for Pellegrini to count upon during the upcoming campaign. The promising South American defender should give Vincent Kompany that extra bit of breathing room at the Etihad to focus on his own individual game, and not have to worry about overseeing his defensive partner throughout each of his respective matches.

That has been something that has distinctly held Kompany back in recent outings, so Otamendi’s likely arrival at the Etihad should definitely signal a great deal of improvement out on the pitch for Manchester City.

Therefore, even though the Citizens are completely failing to produce their own up and coming stars from their once profitable academy nowadays, the signing of Valencia’s first choice centre-back nonetheless presents a great prospect for Manuel Pellegrini this season.

There may be other defensive names out there worthy of capturing the attention of Manchester City going into the new campaign, but seeing as Nicolas Otamendi was also reportedly targeted by rivals Manchester United this summer, that alone should be enough the put some smiles on the faces of the Etihad faithful.

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The star striker had a bit of an off night, but the French champions had enough quality to secure the win anyway

Paris Saint-Germain recovered from their Champions League humbling in midweek by securing a comfortable 3-1 win against Rennes in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi and substitute Randal Kolo Muani were among the goals for the visitors to ensure they returned to winning ways and get within two points of leaders Monaco.

Vitinha, Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele were lively throughout as PSG dominated from the off, but came up against a tricky opponent who caused some problems with their quick movements and runs. The home team managed to capitalise on the capital club's dodgy defence and snatch a goal back through Amine Gouiri, but were eventually overpowered.

The quality available to Luis Enrique saw them get PSG job done despite a quiet night by Kylian Mbappe, who had a slow start to the match. His performance was summed up late on by an incredible miss as he charged forward, rounded the goalkeeper to face an open goal and ended up missing the target completely.

GOAL rates PSG's players from Roazhon Park…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Gianluigi Donnarumma (7/10):

  Dominated his penalty area and pulled off a few saves to keep Rennes out.

  Achraf Hakimi (8/10):

  His goal had a hint of controversy as the ball hit his arm on the way down, but he made some excellent runs and was dangerous on the ball.

  Milan Skriniar (5/10):

  A bit slow to close down and just stood there gawking at Blas to cross in for Rennes' goal.

  Marquinhos (6/10):

  Struggled to catch up when Rennes moved into the final third at speed but was sound on the ball.

  Lucas Hernandez (6/10):

  His touch is a bit heavy at times and defensively a bit weak – Assignon got beyond him far too easily to have a shot on goal.

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  Midfield

  Warren Zaire-Emery (7/10):

  A gorgeous diagonal ball into the box to find Hakimi for the second goal.

  Manuel Ugarte (6/10):

  Always stable on the ball with some good control and accurate, sensible passes.

  Vitinha (8/10):

  Opened the scoring with a superb curling effort. Did well to drive forward and up the tempo of PSG's attacks.

• Attack

  Ousmane Dembele (7/10):

  PSG's most involved attacker. Has a good balance with Hakimi and cut inside a lot, leading to Vitinha's lovely opener.

  Goncalo Ramos (4/10):

  A couple of sloppy touches and was unable to get clear to be a proper threat.

  Kylian Mbappe (6/10):

  A muted performance. Often kept things simple instead of using his explosiveness to be a direct threat. Went on a great, late run and rounded Mandanda to be faced with an open goal, but sent it well over.

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  Subs & Manager

  Randal Kolo Muani (7/10):

  An immediate improvement on Ramos as he scored just a minute after replacing him. Thought he had a second but denied by the flag.

  Fabian Ruiz (6/10):

  Did not get a chance to impact the game after settling into the midfield for the last 15 minutes.

  Bradley Barcola (5/10):

  Had a chance to kill things off when Mbappe sent him through on goal but goalkeeper Mandanda got the better of him in the one-on-one.

  Carlos Soler (N/A):

  A late replacement for Vitinha.

  Luis Enrique (7/10):

  His team were on top for the most part, with Hakimi, Vitinha and Dembele looking sharp, but he has some problems to figure out as the defence had some sloppy moments.

Everything you need to know about the Belgian superstar!

Kevin De Bruyne was born in Ghent, Belgium on June 28, 1991. He grew up in Ghent and began playing football at a young age. He started his youth career at KVV Drongen and later moved to Gent. He then moved to Genk in 2005, where he spent six years developing as a player before moving on to the senior team.

De Bruyne made his professional debut for Genk in 2008 and played for Chelsea, Werder Bremen, and Wolfsburg before joining Manchester City in 2015.

De Bruyne is known for his technical ability, vision, and creativity. He has excellent passing accuracy and is a skilled dribbler, able to create chances for his teammates and score goals himself.

The Manchester City star has won numerous individual awards throughout his career, including the PFA Players' Player of the Year and Premier League Playmaker of the Season. He has also helped his teams win multiple league titles and domestic cups.

But what are the 13 things you absolutely need to know about the midfielder?

• Was eligible to play for Burundi

  De Bruyne was eligible to represent both Belgium and the Burundi national team. His mother Anna was born in the African nation before moving to Europe. He ultimately made his international debut for Belgium in 2010 in an international friendly against Finland.

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• ‘Keep it simple’

  The Belgian's autobiography, named 'Keep it simple' was published by Borgerhoff & Lamberigts in October 2014. He himself had co-written the book.

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  A punishment turned boon!

  De Bruyne is widely regarded as a highly-skilled two-footed player. He can use both his left and right foot effectively and has been known to take shots, make passes, and cross the ball with either foot, making him more unpredictable and difficult to defend against.

  But it would not have been possible had his parents not forced him to use his weaker foot while playing in the backyard of their house. It so happened that De Bruyne used to practice and kick the ball so hard with his right foot that he regularly damaged his parents' plant pots, forcing the couple to make a rule for him that he could only use his weaker foot to take shots.

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• A successful businessman

  In 2014, De Bruyne started his own clothing line called 'KDB' in partnership with the clothing label Cult Eleven. A portion of the profits from the line is donated to the Special Olympics – an organisation he has spent a lot of time working with throughout his career.

The contenders for the title of best U21 player on the continent have been confirmed

The full list of Kopa Trophy 2022 nominees has been officially revealed by after Barcelona midfielder Pedri became the third winner of the accolade in 2021, following in the footsteps of Kylian Mbappe and Matthijs de Ligt.

Pedri's 2021-22 campaign was disrupted by injury, however, and after Barca exited the Champions League at the group stage and struggled in La Liga, he misses out on a nomination this time around.

The Kopa Trophy will now go to a new face in October, with Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham among the favourites after another season of impressive progress in Germany.

The final nominees have been listed below, with familiar names included alongside a few up and coming prospects:

Getty ImagesKarim Adeyemi – Borussia Dortmund

Adeyemi enjoyed a breakout season at Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 23 goals in all competitions, before earning a summer move to Dortmund.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesJude Bellingham – Borussia Dortmund

Bellingham grew into a leader at Dortmund over the course of the 2021-22 season, as the NXGN 2022 winner cemented his status as one of the world's best young midfielders.

(C)Getty ImagesEduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid

Having joined Madrid late in the summer transfer window, Camavinga took some time to get up to speed in Spain, but put in a number of game-changing performances off the bench in the latter stages of the Champions League.

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(C)Getty imagesGavi – Barcelona

Gavi went from not having played a professional game to starting for Spain in the space of around six weeks, and the Barca midfielder never looked back in an impressive debut campaign.

Joe Root is set to stay at No. 4 in England’s Test line-up for the series against Sri Lanka, but Alastair Cook admitted there were some “tough decisions” to be made about other batting positions.Three of England’s top five slots are under scrutiny going into the international season – which begins with the first Test at Headingley on May 19 – and the selectors will meet next week after one more round of Championship matches.Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, returns from Australia to take in the next round of four-day games while Cook, who does not have an official vote on selection, will attend the meeting as England shape their squad for a resumption of Test action following their series win in South Africa.One enforced change will have to be made following the retirement of James Taylor which opens up a place at No. 5, but there will also be debate – again – about Cook’s opening partner and who bats at No. 3.It could be that both Alex Hales and Nick Compton – who filled those positions in South Africa – will be given another chance; the early suggestions are that Hales is the more secure of the two even though Compton had better numbers in the South Africa series.Root, the No.2-ranked Test batsman, has made it clear that he would prefer to remain at No. 4 – where he is averaging 54.62 – and while Cook confirmed that discussions had been about a move to three, the status quo is likely to be maintained.”Joe has made it perfectly clear where he wants to bat,” Cook said. “He’s been outstanding for us and probably at this time he’ll stick at four. I know Trevor has spoken about him going to three but maybe that will see that a bit later on. But when you’re scoring like him and averaging 60 from No. 4, I think it’s probably quite good to stick there.”Gary Ballance, who was the reserve batsman in South Africa, Ian Bell and James Vince appear to be jostling for a position in the side although there could yet be room for two of them if the selectors decide to make a change at No. 3 as well. Ballance has been the least convincing of that trio in the early weeks of the season, while both Bell – who was dropped for the South Africa tour – and Vince, uncapped at Test level, have centuries to their name.”The selectors have tough decisions to make,” Cook said at a Chance to Shine event. “The guys went to South Africa and won and that gives the guys a lot of credit in the bank, but then again we did not score the runs at the top order we would have liked. Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Ben Stokes scored a lot of our runs so the selectors have got big decisions to make.”‘It’s not as clear as I hoped it would be by this stage. But that’s probably because we could go two or three ways. It will be an interesting meeting. There might be some tough calls to make or it might be about giving the guys who went to South Africa another chance. I don’t know which way it is going to go.”Whatever decisions are made, though, Cook conceded England need a more consistent return from the top order as they aim to secure further Test success. “For this side to step forward, challenge India away, Australia away, get back up to No. 1 ranking, we need to score runs in the top three, more than we have done in the last couple of years. It’s an opportunity, whether it’s Alex, or someone else, to grab hold of.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A Cervejaria Brahma e a Rappi criaram uma ação que poderá fazer com que Marcos, ídolo do Palmeiras, participe de duas peladas em São Paulo (SP). O pentacampeão mundial vai invadir o aplicativo e ser o “Goleiro Brahma” por um dia, atuando em dois jogos na cidade de São Paulo.

Já com diversos serviços e produtos em sua plataforma, a Rappi oferece a função Goleiro Brahma, onde é possível que os usuários solicitem um jogador para defender o gol e completar o time.

Para solicitar um goleiro, é preciso entrar na Rappi, selecionar a funcionalidade e escolher a hora e o local da partida. Marcos já até começou a convocar as equipes nas suas redes sociais para saber quem vai “contratá-lo”. Um dos maiores atletas da história do Verdão, ele está aposentado desde 2012.

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The ICC Event Technical Committee has approved legspinning-allrounder Seekkuge Prasanna as a replacement for injured batsman Dimuth Karunaratne

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Mar-2015

The ICC Event Technical Committee has approved legspinning-allrounder Seekkuge Prasanna as a replacement for injured batsman Dimuth Karunaratne. Prasanna was already in Australia as cover for Rangana Herath, who is himself carrying a finger injury. Prasanna now stands a chance of playing against Australia on Sunday, less than 48 hours after he was admitted to the squad.Karunaratne’s World Cup ended when he sustained a jarring blow on his right hand during fielding practice on Thursday, which displaced and fractured bones in that hand. On Friday, Karunaratne underwent surgery, which included the insertion of a metal plate into that hand. His expected recovery time is three to five weeks.Prasanna had played in Sri Lanka’s World T20 campaign last year, and was on the cusp of being selected for the original World Cup squad, but was pipped by Jeevan Mendis, who was seen to offer more with the bat. The drafting in of a bowling allrounder in place of a batsman reflects the nature of Sri Lanka’s campaign, which has seen impressive batting performances, but mediocre returns from the attack. Sri Lanka have used Prasanna as a pinch-hitter in the past, and his inclusion suggests they view him as a player who can bolster the bowling, without compromising substantially on the batting front.Prasanna is the third official replacement to the original Sri Lanka squad. Dushmantha Chameera was named in place of Dhammika Prasad during the tournament, and Upul Tharanga replaced the injured Jeevan Mendis last week. Sri Lanka will also fly opener Kusal Perera in to Australia, as cover for their batting stock, which has now thinned to seven men.Herath’s chances of playing the next match remain slim, however. The cut to Herath’s spinning finger appears to be healing well, but the stitches he received there will not be removed until early next week.

ScorecardVeerasammy Permaul had figures of 10-5-12-4•WICB Media/Ashley Allen

Veerasammy Permaul’s excellent form from the WICB Professional Cricket League carried over into the Nagico Super50 as his spell of 4 for 12 decimated Windward Islands in a 142-run win for Guyana at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. Windwards had started confidently in reply to Guyana’s 227 for 6 but slid from 34 for 0 to 49 for 5 in the space of seven overs thanks in large part to Permaul’s left-arm spin.The slide initially began when Devon Smith was stumped off the bowling of Steven Jacobs, who darted in a quicker delivery to counter Smith’s premeditated charge to have the opener out for 13 two balls into the eighth over. Permaul was brought on to start the ninth over and burrowed into the breach immediately, exploiting the poor footwork of Johnson Charles to have him pinned on the crease for 21. Four balls later, Keddy Lesporis was beaten by a brilliant delivery which turned past his forward prod to clip the top of off stump as part of a double-wicket maiden for Permaul.An indecisive swish from Miles Bascombe produced another leg before decision in favour of Permaul to end the 11th and his carnage culminated in the wicket of Craig Emmanuel in the 15th, who fell after a loose flick to midwicket, to give Permaul four wickets in his first four overs. Sunil Ambris fought a lonely battle after entering at number five and finished unbeaten on 26 but Christopher Barnwell and Devendra Bishoo cleaned up the tail with two wickets each as Windwards were eventually bowled out for 85 in 33.4 overs.Guyana had grafted their way to a defendable total after losing the toss and being asked to bat first. They were in trouble early on after Mervin Matthew and Delorn Johnson dismissed Trevon Griffith and Shiv Chanderpaul respectively inside the first five overs to make it 15 for 2. Rajindra Chandrika dug Guyana out of the early hole to bring up a half-century off 64 deliveries but was run out two balls later to end a 50-run stand. Miscommunication with his partner Vishaul Singh left Chandrika stranded halfway down the wicket, giving plenty of time for Smith fielding at midwicket to throw the ball to Alston Bobb standing over the stumps at the non-striker’s end to make it 75 for 3.Singh made amends by constructing a 75-run fourth-wicket partnership with Barnwell but threw away a solid start to be dismissed on 49. Singh started the 39th over attempting two straight reverse sweeps off Shane Shillingford, neither of which connected cleanly, before another try on the third ball resulted in a top edge to cover. Barnwell slogged Shillingford to deep midwicket to start the 41st for 34 and Jacobs was run out three balls in to the 43rd to make it 156 for 6 after Johnson got fingertips to the ball in his followthrough off a straight drive from Raymon Reifer to redirect the ball onto the stumps.Reifer and Anthony Bramble took back the initiative for Guyana with a superb 71-run stand in the last 7.3 overs to finish the innings. Bramble slogged three sixes over cow corner as part of his 43 not out in just 23 balls to give Guyana more than enough to defend.The match at Couva between Combined Campuses & Colleges and Barbados was abandoned without a ball bowled after heavy rain from the previous several days rendered the field unplayable.