All posts by h716a5.icu

Graham Onions, the Durham fast bowler, has extended his contract with the club until 2011, joining his two team-mates, Mark Davies (end of 2009) and Liam Plunkett (until 2010), who have also committed themselves to the Riverside

Cricinfo staff07-Aug-2008Graham Onions, the Durham fast bowler, has extended his contract with the club until 2011, joining his two team-mates, Mark Davies (end of 2009) and Liam Plunkett (until 2010), who have also committed themselves to the Riverside.”We are really pleased that Graham has chosen to stay with us especially after a lot of interest from other counties,” Geoff Cook, the head coach, told the club’s website. “He is one of the most promising young bowlers in the country and I’m sure he will continue to be a great asset to our team. To be able to boast an effective bowling attack made up of local lads, which include Liam Plunkett and Mark Davies, reflects well on the area.””I’m delighted to be staying at Durham, I love playing for the club and the decision to stay was an easy one to make,” Onions said. ” It’s been a great environment for me to develop my game and the set up here has been great for me over the years. The team is definitely going in the right direction and I want to be able to play a major part in the club’s continued success.”

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has backed recent transfer claims involving Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Vlahovic?

Numerous reports have detailed Tottenham’s interest in the Serbian powerhouse since the start of July, with managing director Fabio Paratici seemingly searching for a Harry Kane striking partner.

The Times revealed that Spurs have already held talks over signing him, with Italian news outlet Fantacalcio then going one step further and lifting the lid on an offer.

More recently, The Telegraph have become adamant that Vlahovic is Spurs’ number one striking priority this summer.

The Latest: Gold backs reports…

While he doesn’t mention anything too advance, Gold has now backed these reports of an interest in Vlahovic from Spurs.

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When asked if Tottenham are genuinely eyeing a move for the exciting 21-year-old, football.london’s reliable correspondent confirmed there is in fact real weight behind it.

“Yes it is,” Gold explained in regards to whether the interest is real.

“My feeling is it would be a potential deal they look at more closely later in the window once they get some money in through sales.

“If they can get Romero through the door then he’s going to cost a fair whack and they will need to offset that.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

While Spurs fans may have to wait slightly to see this possible move go through, this claim backing all of the previous Vlahovic rumours should come as a real bit of encouragement for supporters.

Out of all Tottenham’s linked striking options, which includes Southampton star Danny Ings, Fiorentina’s young striker arguably stands out as a cut above.

He managed 21 goals and three assists over 34 Serie A starts last season (WhoScored), all while averaging more shots on goal per 90 (2.3) than any Spurs player bar Harry Kane.

Vlahovic has also been called ‘ really crazy’ by ex-Partizan Belgrade team-mate Valeri Bojinov, who detailed the player’s confidence in comparing himself to Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Planet Football).

Valued at around £36 million by Transfermarkt, a figure in and around this range would undoubtedly be worth the investment.

In other news: Talks underway: Nuno green lights yet another Spurs exit as news emerges, find out more here.

Surrey were all set to finish a disastrous season on a fittingly flat note, but for Nottinghamshire a glorious finale could yet arrive against Hampshire at Trent Bridge next week

Andrew Miller at The Oval19-Sep-2008Nottinghamshire 532 (Patel 141, Wagh 135) beat Surrey 267 and 122 (Spriegel 42, Swann 3-51) by an innings and 143 runs
Scorecard
Championship gallery
Scott Newman remonstrates with Darren Pattinson after being bowled for 12 © Getty Images
Surrey finished a disastrous season on a fittingly flat note, but for Nottinghamshire a glorious finale could yet arrive against Hampshire at Trent Bridge next week, as they stormed to the summit of the Championship with victory by an innings and 143 runs inside three days at The Oval. After securing a first-innings advantage of 265 thanks to a quickfire 82 in the morning session from Graeme Swann, Nottinghamshire’s bowlers needed 39.1 overs to bundle Surrey out for a pitiful 122, with only Matthew Spriegel’s 42 offering any real resistance.Nottinghamshire were already in total command of this contest when they resumed on their overnight 420 for 5, and though Pedro Collins bagged two quick wickets inside the first hour – the second, Chris Read, to an excellent diving catch from the fourth wicketkeeper of the innings, Gary Wilson – Surrey were put back under the cosh by Swann, whose 82 from 88 balls included 11 fours and a six and propelled them towards a towering total of 532, Nottinghamshire’s third-highest of all time against these opponents.Swann’s innings was timely in more ways than one – never mind the current contest, he hopes to be selected as England’s spinning allrounder for the Stanford Super Series, but had been left with ground to make up after Samit Patel’s emphatic century on the second day. This innings, however, lacked nothing in terms of aggression. He laid into another half-baked four-over spell from Shoaib Akhtar, whom he flogged majestically on the up and over the covers, before uppercutting for a one-bounce four over third man. Having reached his fifty courtesy of four overthrows from Lee Hodgson, he was eventually bowled round his legs by Murtaza Hussain, who was one of three bowlers to finish with three wickets.Stuart Meaker, on his Championship debut, was one of those three, and when he dismissed Andre Adams 12 minutes before lunch, Surrey were left with a tricky six balls to face before the break. Chris Murtagh managed that much, as Charlie Shreck tormented his outside edge, but upon the resumption, he was unable to escape his pair. Shreck probed outside off once again, and Read claimed a simple catch behind the stumps.Surrey’s goose was already cooked to perfection, but the carving got underway once the captain, Mark Ramprakash, had been prised from the crease for 5. Darren Pattinson, demonstrating the form that earned him a surprise call-up for the Headingley Test in July, found some extra lift outside off stump, and Will Jefferson, stooping low to his right, pulled off an exceptional catch at the second attempt.Pattinson proved virtually unplayable to Surrey’s dispirited batsmen. Scott Newman did cut a rare loose ball for four, but then fell to the very next delivery, a perfect yorker that crashed into middle stump. Some sharp words were exchanged after that as Pattinson raced through the crease in his followthrough, and Newman was still remonstrating as he traipsed furiously back to the pavilion. Amid all the excitement, Spriegel was given a first-ball reprieve as Swann couldn’t cling on to a low edge to second slip, and Usman Afzaal might also have gone for a duck, caught at gully by Mark Ealham, had Pattinson not overstepped.The procession showed no signs of abating, however. Afzaal had made only 10 when he drove loosely at Adams and lost his off stump (46 for 4), and Hodgson was unable to repeat his first-innings performance when he prodded stiffly at Swann for Bilal Shafayat to claim a simple chance under the helmet at short leg (57 for 5). Meaker resisted for a while before being caught on the crease and bowled by Ealham for 6 from 28 balls (70 for 6), and Jefferson then claimed his second low catch of the innings as Murtaza poked Swann to silly point (79 for 7).By tea only Spriegel, with a cultured 38 not out, had shown any willingness to hang around, but he added just four more runs after the break before missing a sweep against Swann and being sent on his way lbw. That left Shoaib to provide an entertaining finish to Surrey’s season, as he swished and walloped his way to 32 from 22 balls, with five fours and a six. It was left to Patel, with his first and only ball of the innings, to bring his fun to an end, as Ashwell Prince raced in from the boundary to claim a well-judged catch at long off.

West Ham United have been dealt another crushing transfer blow…

What’s the word?

The Irons had been linked with a move for Chelsea centre-back Kurt Zouma. Sky Sports reported last week that they held talks over a potential deal and that the Frenchman would even welcome a switch to the London Stadium.

However, that does not appear to be the case anymore as an ever-reliable source provided a devastating update on their pursuit.

According to ExWHUemployee, Zouma has rejected the chance to join the Hammers and at the moment, that move is off. He tweeted:

“He turned us down today. What a few people on a popular forum don’t understand is that things can change almost hourly. It’s off at the moment.”

Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano then provided some further information, claiming: “West Ham already focusing on other centre backs…”

Another setback

This will come as a major blow to David Moyes, who must be desperate to bolster his playing squad ahead of the new season, which gets underway in just over a week’s time.

The Scotsman did the unthinkable last season by transforming the East London outfit from relegation candidates into European contenders and their sixth-place finish has earned them a spot in the Europa League.

That means two matches per week and the potential of a 50-plus game campaign is a real possibility but right now, the Irons do not have the strength in depth to remain competitive across all competitions.

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Leaving their business this late has certainly come back to haunt them, although it’s not as if players are very keen to join the London Stadium.

Zouma is merely the latest name to turn down the club.

It’s thought that neither of Moyes’ top summer targets, Jesse Lingard and Tammy Abraham, want to sign for West Ham, whilst fellow striker target Danny Ings has recently joined Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Similarly, it seems as if West Brom playmaker Matheus Pereira will join Saudi side Al-Hilal instead.

The Hammers have made just one senior signing, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain, which is among the lowest in the division so far and with kick-off against Newcastle United approaching, this is a massive cause for concern.

Of course, they have the remainder of the month to sign players but as the season begins, it leaves any new addition with little time to adapt and learn Moyes’ tactics.

Furthermore, much of the Irons faithful were excited by the prospect of sealing the 26-year-old defender, so this fresh development will not only leave them gutted but perhaps fuming too.

AND in other news, PAI Capital drop exciting claim amid West Ham takeover talks…

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, believes the pressure on India’s “Fab Four” batsmen will hand Australia an advantage when the Test series begins on Thursday

Cricinfo staff08-Oct-2008
“There weren’t too many people around the country who I spoke to who thought he was going to get named,” Ricky Ponting said of Sourav Ganguly © Getty Images
Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, believes the pressure on India’s ‘Fab Four’ batsmen will hand Australia an advantage when the Test series begins on Thursday. Sourav Ganguly has already announced he will retire after this series, while Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are also in the twilight of their careers.”There’s no doubt about that,” Ponting told the when asked if the extra pressure on the four men would help Australia. “There’s speculation about whether Ganguly should be in the team in the first place. He probably feels a little bit lucky that he was included in the squad because there weren’t too many people around the country who I spoke to who thought he was going to get named.”Some of the older players are probably looking at this as their last Test series. There are all sorts of things going around in the media at the moment, with claims that some of them will be forced out and told they have to retire at a certain time. Guys like Laxman and Dravid. And who knows when Sachin is going to call it quits.”He’s probably going to be the only one who is going to have the luxury of deciding when he is going to retire by the sound of it. I’m sure they’ll be reminded of that on a daily basis, and not just by us. Their media will be all over them if we start the first Test well and put pressure on them in lots of different ways. “In the past couple of years it has been the Australians who have most often been likened to a “Dad’s Army” of older veterans. However, the visitors have a relatively youthful squad on this tour and Ponting said his men would be aiming to expose India’s ageing line-up in the field.”If we can make their fielding look as bad as it is by some good running between wickets and good hustling and good pressure,” Ponting said, “then you know straight away all the old stuff about the old bodies and ‘Ganguly can’t field’ and ‘Dravid looks a bit slow’, all of that stuff will come out.”But there is also significant pressure on Australia, who hold the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and have lost only one Test series – the 2005 Ashes – since they last went down to India in 2000-01. Australia also have an unusually unpredictable line-up and have several important selection decisions to make before the first Test starts in Bangalore.

With Lee Johnson having seen his Sunderland side get their League One campaign off to the best of starts on Saturday, the 40-year-old’s attention will now be on the Black Cats’ EFL Cup fixture on Tuesday evening.

And, with the Mackems set to face League Two side Port Vale in the cup competition, Johnson may well use the opportunity to afford a number of the club’s peripheral first-team players and up-and-coming youth talents some valuable game time.

One such player the 40-year-old simply must consider starting, who just so happens to fit into both of the categories mentioned above, is Josh Hawkes.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has been tipped to make a big impact within the Sunderland side this season by Johnson himself, with the manager stating his belief that the left-midfielder is an “exciting” prospect, as well as claiming the youngster has the “ability to turn a game on its head.”

However, with Hawkes being an unused substitute in the victory over Wigan Athletic last weekend, the Mackems manager has been presented with something of the perfect opportunity to allow the midfielder to demonstrate his ability at professional level against Port Vale.

And, if the £510-per-week man can reach anywhere near the level he hit for the Black Cats U23 side last season, we would not bet against him lighting up the fixture on Tuesday evening.

Indeed, over his 22 Premier League 2 appearances last time out, the 22-year-old scored 14 goals and registered seven assists, firing his team all the way to the promotion play-off final – in which they narrowly lost out to Crystal Palace U23s 1-0.

As such, it is evident that Hawkes is a player with a significant amount of potential, in addition to already being an extremely accomplished player.

However, the next step is clearly establishing himself within the Sunderland first-team, something that it is obvious the youngster has the ability to do, all that is required is Johnson’s faith, trust and patience.

In other news: Get it done: KLD must sanction SAFC summer swoop for “brilliant” £360k-rated dynamo

India regained the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy, their first series win over Australia in eight years, after they bowled Australia out for 209 to win by 172 runs

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter10-Nov-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball-details
How they were out

Amit Mishra followed up a stunning run out with three wickets in India’s 172-run triumph over Australia © AFP
That it happened in the same city where Australia famously conquered the final frontier four years ago was poignant. India regained the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy, their first series win over Australia in eight years, after they bowled Australia out for 209 to win by 172 runs. It was a dramatic day, with an energetic India following up three early wickets with dropped catches to allow Matthew Hayden score a pugnacious 77 and give Australia a whiff of victory. India’s spinners held their nerve, however, and relentlessly plugged away with precision and hostility to snuff out the seven wickets required to regain the trophy squandered in 2004. India confidently stepped into a new era with their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, winning his third Test in a row.India began the day well. Simon Katich had played the horizontal shot a couple times, once connecting with a swing to the deep square-leg boundary, but trying to work a short ball across to the on side once too often, he skied Ishant Sharma into orbit. Dhoni didn’t for a second take his eyes off the swirling ball – 29 for 1.Zaheer Khan produced an edge from the first delivery bowled to Ponting, squared up on the back foot, but the ball didn’t carry to Rahul Dravid at first slip. One classy on-drive later, Ponting was wastefully run out for 4. He dabbed and set off for an extremely ambitious single and Amit Mishra, screaming in from mid-off, threw down the stumps with a brilliant underarm pick-up and fling – 37 for 2.Ishant couldn’t believe Michael Clarke wasn’t given lbw by the umpire Billy Bowden in the next over when the ball incriminatingly thudded into his left pad – replays showed it would have clipped leg stump – and Zaheer had to grit his teeth when the batsman twice edged wide of second slip in three balls. Hayden also chopped through the slips, looking to score off almost every delivery against the new ball. India missed a big opportunity when he was on 30. Harbhajan Singh came in after 12 overs and cursed under his breath when Dhoni dropped a regulation edge as Hayden tried to cut the second ball for four.Smart StatsThe last time Australia failed to win a Test in a series was against New Zealand in 2001-02, when all three Tests were drawn.Australia lost by a difference of two Tests for the first time since their 3-1 defeat against West Indies in the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1988-89.Sachin Tendulkar became the 27th player (apart from wicketkeepers) to take 100 catches in Tests.Ishant Sharma, who took 15 wickets in the series, became the first Indian fast bowler to top the wickets tally for India in a Test series at home since Javagal Srinath’s tally of 12 in the two-Test series against Zimbabwe in 2000-01.Australia’s aggressive intent today marked a turnaround from their performance on the third day, when they managed 166 runs. Their batsmen were constantly on the look out for runs leaving alone only 35 deliveries in over 48.5 overs, as opposed to 65 in a single session on the third day.The Australians scored 27 runs off 20 balls with the sweep shot, and 27 off 25 with the cut.. With the leg glance, they scored 47 off 41.The dismissal of Clarke for 22, nibbling at a lovely delivery as Ishant plugged away on an exemplary length, seemed to have nailed it decisively India’s way at 82 for 3. Then Dravid, at slip, dropped Hayden on 36 when the batsman went for another powerful reverse-sweep. To add to the mess, needless overthrows and misfields in the circle allowed Australia easy runs as they set about chasing a big score.It was evident that Hayden had victory on his mind. Swatting away almost everything the spinners tossed him, Hayden rediscovered the rhythm that had eluded him for much of this series. He continued to pick his spots with powerful sweeps – the shot with which he made his name in 2001 – and some deft reverse-sweeps. Harbhajan was swept for consecutive boundaries, both shots bisecting two men in the deep, and a six off Virender Sehwag over mid-on set the pulses racing. The run-rate had now gone well past five an over.Then Mishra struck with a superb piece of wrist spin to dismiss Michael Hussey. Mishra fizzed up a topspinner on nearly a perfect length and extracted bounce, which drew an edge to Dravid at slip. This time he held it cleanly and Mishra erupted.The worst came four deliveries later for Australia. Harbhajan floated down an airy, turning delivery and Hayden, having just smashed a four through midwicket, shuffled across and was struck beneath the knee roll, plumb in front. A flatfooted Brad Haddin then scooped Mishra to mid-off, feeding Sachin Tendulkar his 100th catch in Test cricket, and the end was nigh. Shane Watson nibbled a cut off Harbhajan into Dhoni’s gloves for 9, Jason Krejza was stumped when two-thirds down the track to Mishra, and Brett Lee edged Harbhajan to short leg.In a touching tribute to Sourav Ganguly, who signed off in this Test, Dhoni let him captain the side as the final rites were being administered. When the last wicket fell just before tea, Mitchell Johnson trapped lbw by a Harbhajan doosra, Ganguly and Dhoni embraced at the centre of India’s raucous celebrations. Ganguly had played a key role in shaping cricket’s most enthralling current rivalry back in 2001, and he can leave the game knowing that it has been passed on into worthy hands. Dhoni led his team off in style, while people made room for Ganguly to say his final goodbyes. There was no overly emotional reaction from Ganguly; bar one fling at Lord’s, his touch had always been too nuanced for that.For Indian fans this win may not be as emotional or emphatic as Rawalpindi in 2004 or Jamaica in in 2006 – where India broke elusive and painstaking barriers – but there’s no denying the significance of this Indian autumn.

A round-up of the fourth round of the SuperSport series, in which Paul Harris’ twelve wickets for Titans helped them to victory against the Eagles and took them on top of the table

Cricinfo staff03-Nov-2008The Titans moved to top spot with a a 139-run win over the Eagles in Benoni, in the only outright win of the fourth week of the SuperSport Series. There were three centurions in the match, but in the end the brilliance of Paul Harris on the fourth day proved decisive. He picked up 7 for 94 during the Eagles’ chase to follow up his five wickets in the first innings. Pierre Joubert, the Titans captain, didn’t get the start he wanted after electing to bat. They were in trouble at 149 for 5 but were bailed out by Farhaan Behardien and Joubert’s 143-run sixth-wicket stand. Behardien brought up his maiden first-class century on the second day and went on to 150 before the Titans declared at 423.The Eagles needed a maiden centurion of their own to rescue them after they slumped to 140 for 6. Rilee Rossouw made 106 but, with little support from the lower order, they finished 169 runs behind. Aggressive batting from the openers, Blake Snijman (52) and Heino Kuhn (43), along with a 59-ball 49 from Martin van Jaarsveld, helped Titans reach 214. The chase of 383 was made harder as the Titans’ spinners were in top form. Dean Elgar made a defiant 155 but, with only one other batsman going past 15, the Eagles slumped to defeat. Harris took seven of the first eight wickets to bag his first ten-wicket match haul.Bottom-placed Cape Cobras were still searching for their first win after drawing with the Lions in Paarl. Alistair Gray’s 256-ball 71 typified the Cobras’ approach on the first day after they chose to bat as they laboured to 233 for 3 on a good batting pitch. The Lions were in no hurry themselves after bowling the Cobras out for 348 on the second day. Stephen Cook took nearly eight hours for his 132 though Vaughn van Jaarsveld was a bit more adventurous, hitting two sixes in his 98. The Lions were poised for a big lead but a hat-trick by legspinner Alistair Gray limited the advantage to 47 runs. Andrew Puttick’s 74 was the highlight of the Cobra’s second innings as they sportingly declared 188 ahead, leaving the Lions with 40 overs for a win. Van Jaarsveld’s 42-ball 38 wasn’t quite enough and the captains called off the match six overs early after a stalemate was guaranteed with the score on 107 for 4.Bad light affected the Warriors’ chances of a win over the Dolphins in Kingsmead, with play stopped early on all four days. Put in to bat, the Warriors were in a spot of bother at 48 for 3 but useful contributions from opener JJ Smuts (50) and the middle and lower orders pushed them to a formidable 375. Wicketkeeper Davey Jacobs and Justin Kreusch fell in the 70s, before a 87-run ninth-wicket stand between Juan Theron (58) and Makhaya Ntini (31). The Dolphins were reduced to 22 for 3 before captain Ahmed Amla (97) and Dave Miller (70) did the rescue act. Ntini’s 6 for 85 ensured the Warriors gained a 98-run lead, who then declared on 175 on the fourth day, leaving the Dolphins with an improbable target of 274. Ntini and Tsotsobe’s initial burst had the hosts reeling at 35 for 5 at lunch, but a 102-run stand partnership between Imraan Khan and Daryn Smit kept the Dolphins afloat. Imraan was dismissed was 66 but No. 9 Quinton Friend played out 48 deliveries until play was called off early.Player of the weekPaul Harris was largely responsible for taking the Titans to the No. 1 spot in the table with his 12-wicket haul against the Eagles. So dominant was spin on the fourth day that it wasn’t until the 81st over that the Titans made use of a fast bowler. He looks all set to repeat his haul of 49 wickets in the 2005-06 SuperSport Series. And turning out for the Dolphins will keep him primed for the busy international schedule ahead.

Titans 4 2 00 2 0 47.32 Eagles 4 2 2 0 0 043.26 Warriors 4 1 20 1 0 37.98 Lions 4 1 1 0 2 031.92 Dolphins 4 0 00 4 0 26.04 Cape Cobras 4 0 1 0 3 022.16

West Ham United are keen on signing Luka Jovic this month…

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, the Irons are considering turning their attention to the Real Madrid striker, who is said to be a long-term target.

It’s claimed that Jovic is not in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for the new season, so the La Liga giants are prepared to let him leave before the transfer deadline on August 31st.

David Moyes and co have struggled to find a new forward and are desperate to find competition for the injury-prone Michail Antonio.

However, the Hammers face competition for the 23-year-old from at least three Bundesliga sides. It remains to be seen just how much Jovic will command, with both Transfermarkt and CIES Football Observatory valuing him at £18m.

 A statement signing

Whilst the 6-foot Serbian has struggled to make much of an impact at the Bernabeu since a €60m (£50m) move in the summer of 2019, even returning to his former club Frankfurt for a loan spell last season, he would still be quite the coup for the East Londoners.

During the 2018/19 season, Jovic bagged a whopping 27 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt, also striking up quite the partnership with Sebastien Haller, whose own exploits saw him make the switch to the London Stadium.

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His form, particularly that year, earned glowing acclaim from teammate Filip Kostic, who described the talisman as “just unbelievable” to Bundesliga.com.

Furthermore, Jovic has been likened to Radamel Falcao, largely due to his ability to use either foot, as well as his head, to find the net. It’s perhaps why another former teammate, Kevin-Prince Boateng dubbed him a complete striker.

“He has everything to become [a world-class striker]. You see that in training. He has football in his genes, he’s a street footballer, and he has a nose for goal,” Boateng said. “He scores with his head, right or left foot. He is technically good and can shoot well with both feet. He just has everything a striker needs.”

Also lauded as “fast, robust and technically savvy” by Haller, it’s easy to see why Madrid splashed the cash on the 14-cap Serbia international and you could forgive him for not living up to the expectations and pressure that comes with playing for Los Galacticos.

Hammers boss Moyes should absolutely consider a move for Jovic before the end of the month. Given his impressive goalscoring record and experience across Europe, he could be exactly the sort of signing that takes the club.

The self-proclaimed “fox in the box” is well worth a late punt to solve the Scot’s striker nightmare.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Antonio: West Ham must seal move for “special” £31.5m-rated goal machine…

Southampton striker Michael Obafemi has been linked with a move away from St Mary’s recently and Ralph Hasenhuttl should seize this opportunity to sell him.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, Southampton are keen to get a deal done with Blackburn Rovers to sell the 21-year-old forward, although Fulham and AFC Bournemouth are also reportedly showing an interest.

Crook also claims that the Saints value him at around £5m, so it would not be a surprise to see him depart St Mary’s on a permanent deal should any side match that valuation, and after the Saints poached Adam Armstrong from Rovers, the Lancashire side might well look towards Obafemi as his replacement.

Should Southampton sell Obafemi?

Although he produced some impressive performances in pre-season, the additions of Armstrong and Armando Broja, as well as the excitement surrounding fellow youngster Nathan Tella, suggests that Obafemi is unlikely to be a regular in Hasenhuttl’s first-team this season.

The Republic of Ireland U’21 international has managed five goals and four assists in 38 appearances for Southampton but managed just 57 minutes of Premier League action last season, whilst his contract is also set to expire at the end of this season, so it would make a lot of sense to sell him.

Hasenhuttl has criticised Obafemi’s attitude in the past, saying:

“He still has a lack of professionalism in his whole life. This is a young guy who must learn quickly.

“If he does this and gets more physical, fit and can make this workload for a longer time, then he has a big future. There is still a long way to go for him.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

This, as well as a lack of first-team appearances and an injury last season, has significantly decreased the excitement from Saints fans surrounding the young striker, so it seems as if selling him permanently would benefit all parties, so Hasenhuttl should take advantage of the interest being shown in him and ensure he leaves St Mary’s this summer.

And, in other news… Semmens should seal Saints deal for centre-back tipped to “explode”