The IPL franchises are set to release several high-profile players ahead of the 2013 season, to meet the October 31 deadline for finalising the players they would like to retain ahead of the trading window and player auction. Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh and Kings XI Punjab’s Stuart Broad could be on that list. Johan Botha, the South African offspinner who was bought by Rajasthan Royals for $950,000 in 2011, was one of the big names released.The trading window, when the names of the released players will have to be made public opens on November 19, but they can only be bought during the auction in 2013.Harbhajan had led Mumbai Indians during the 2012 IPL and two Champions League Twenty20 editions – including their victorious campaign in 2011 – and though the franchise officially denied the news, a source told ESPNcricinfo that Harbhajan could be “released first and then bid for during the player auction”.Apart from Botha, Royals also let go of former England captain Paul Collingwood ($250,000), Sri Lanka batsman Dinesh Chandimal ($50,000) and the young Australian fast bowler Alister McDermott, who had joined the franchise as a replacement player last season. In all, the Royals released 15 names and the strength of their present squad is 16.According to the franchise, a big reason for Botha’s release was that he did not feature consistently in the fifth IPL. “We had to rationalise the costs,” a Royals official said. “A lot is going to change after the 2013 season so we are gearing up for that and are having a re-look at the structure and the composition of the team.”Royals decided to retain two other replacement players they had recruited last season: West Indies leg spinner Sameul Badree and England batsman Owais Shah.England’s Twenty20 captain, Broad, has not yet played an IPL game and that wait could be extended. Broad was bought by Kings XI ahead of IPL 2011 but missed both subsequent seasons. A franchise official said the decision to offload Broad was primarily because he would be on England duty for most of IPL 2013.Besides Broad, Kings XI released six more cricketers, including Abhishek Nayar and Ramesh Powar. Nayar, who was bought for $800,000 at the 2011 auction, was considered “overpriced”. Australia’s Nathan Rimmington and James Faulkner and the Himachal Pradesh duo of Paras Dogra and Vikramjeet Malik were also let go by Kings XI.Kings XI will now have nine slots vacant ahead of the trading window and player auction, since Abhinav Bali and Shalabh Srivastava were suspended till May 15 due to their alleged misdeeds during a TV sting operation.Pune Warriors, whose captain in 2011, Sourav Ganguly, announced his decision to withdraw from the next IPL, is set to release five more cricketers, with New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder being the most prominent. Though all the names could not be confirmed, it was learnt that Warriors will release three overseas players, including Ryder, and two domestic players, including Sachin Rana.Kolkata Knight Riders, who had one of the smallest squads with 26 players in 2012, released four players. Jayadev Unadkat, the left-arm seamer from Saurashtra, was left out because the team management thought they were under utilising him. “We have three Indian medium-pacers in L Balaji, Pradeep Sangwan and Shami Ahmed. Last year Jaydev did not get a game and we felt he might get a chance somewhere else,” a Knight Riders official said.Chiraj Jaani (Saurashtra), Iresh Saxena (Bengal) and Sanju Samson (Kerala) were the three other domestic players released by Knight Riders.Some of the franchises questioned the timing of the October 31 deadline. “If you are asking to me take a decision, this should have happened after the trading window because then the franchises could have had the chance of trading them instead of releasing them,” a franchise official said.Another official from a different franchise agreed with the view, saying he had told his bosses that it was better to wait for the window to open. “I feel I can retain the players now and trade when the window opens. This deadline only offers some franchises whose squad strength is a little too big and an opportunity to have a re-look. I think all the franchises would look at reducing a certain amount (of players) and then look forward to the trading window.”However, all the franchises were not on the same page. “It’s a double-edged sword and we would prefer such a deadline before the trading window since it allows to get rid of a player if we just do not want him,” an official said. “No franchise can be sure whether they would be able to trade a player whom they wish to, and if they cannot they will have to retain him. This deadline helps us in avoiding it.”

Marko Arnautovic is expected to stay at West Ham United after it was reported on Sunday that the interested clubs from the Chinese Super League failed to match his asking price for a move away from English football.

According to Sky Sports the striker will remain at the Hammers for time being unless Guangzhou Evergrande or Shanghai SIPG manage to meet the £50m fee for the 29-year-old.

The ‘return’ of Arnautovic to the West Ham starting lineup should, however, be a no brainer for manager Manuel Pellegrini and Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Bournemouth should emphasise the need to get him back into the team as soon as possible.

Although Arnautovic never actually left the East London club, he wasn’t named in the squad that travelled to the Vitality Stadium with the expectation of the manager that a deal to China would be agreed soon.

Now, the former Stoke City player could still be of high value for Pellegrini, at least for next two games.

With only ten days of the transfer window remaining, it does seem unlikely that Arnautovic would leave and this could be a massive boost for West Ham as they face AFC Wimbledon and Wolverhampton Wanderers before the end of the month.

The expected fear of fitting Arnautovic back into the team should only be a temporary issue as he is still a very big part of the team and the club’s best goal-scoring threat.

West Ham lacked direction up-front against the Cherries and never really looked threatening. They failed to apply real pressure on the defenders and with Andy Carroll up-front, Pellegrini didn’t have the ruthlessness of Arnautovic.

The encounter, however, did see the manager opt for a lone striker for the first time this season as he normally plays with two wide centre-forwards.

It is a tactic that has worked brilliantly in the matches before the Bournemouth trip, most notably the 1-0 win over Arsenal last weekend.

Pellegrini should therefore replace his trust and faith in Arnautovic, no matter what formation he uses, and let the striker lead the line of attack again. It is the best chance West Ham have of making a real push for the Europa League.

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There was a recent all-too-brief trend on Twitter that saw fans compile their perfect Premier League table and this is brought up now, after the event, because presently the Championship is topped by Leeds United and Norwich City, two clubs who featured prominently in these fantasy top flights and duked out a thrilling clash on Saturday.

Three more popular choices – Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, and QPR – are also currently in contention to return to the promised land which means that come August we might be three closer to having our dream twenty, a list that varies from person to person but really not to any great extent.

We pretty much all want Leeds back for example and this despite the club retaining a hated status across rival fan-bases even in extended exile. Forest too was included virtually across the board on Twitter and they are hardly the darlings of the over-forties nor a ‘big club’ in 2019.

Breaking down the reasoning behind these selections reveals four overriding factors shared by one and all. Firstly there is a club’s fan-base to consider; the bigger the better. Then its stature is important with history playing a big part too. Lastly – and perhaps most obviously – the popularity or unpopularity of the club in question is key and interestingly either extreme works. Clubs that prompt mild apathy have no place here. This is a dream Premier League remember.

You may have noticed that only three reasons have so far been given. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the fourth very soon but before we do let’s stay with Leeds United and compare them to, say, Huddersfield Town to illustrate how the other factors come to the fore.

The Terriers are undoubtedly a popular club, with a large number of us admiring how they’ve managed to established themselves among the elite in recent seasons. Alas, in this instance unpopularity trumps popularity and their Yorkshire rivals massively win out. This can best be explained by the posing of a simple question: Who would you rather your club face this weekend? Huddersfield or Leeds? Which fixture would elicit the most enthusiasm?

Most would surely plump for the Elland Road giants and not only for the passionate antagonism implied. Stature comes into it also, with Leeds possessing a greater standing than Huddersfield even if the latter boasts an illustrious and proud history of its own.

Rightly or wrongly, Leeds are regarded as being a ‘proper’ club with ‘proper’ fans. Huddersfield are too, only less so. So a fan-base scores highly and history does too but pales in importance to stature. Being widely disliked meanwhile only helps a club’s cause.

Yet all of this is nothing to nostalgia, the fourth and most meaningful criterion when compiling a perfect Premier League. Let’s be honest, that’s why Norwich are so prominent and I really do mean prominent: having ploughed through so many of these lists I can safely say that the Canaries featured in every single one.

Is their widespread inclusion due to their fan-base? Of course not: Norwich have a mainly localised set of supporters who are perfectly harmless and keep themselves to themselves when not barracking Ipswich. Is it their stature then? Again, that’s a definitive no. With all due respect the East Anglia club cede to most in this regard and the same goes for their historic achievements that amount to two League Cups.

What Norwich does have going for it however, crucially, is that they were one of the founding members of the new, shiny Premier League and what’s more they have yo-yoed up and down since 1992. This means they were likely involved at the highest echelon when the person who compiled each list was a child; when they would stay up to watch Match of the Day in their pyjamas and it would be a magical world. When, in short, football was so very special.

A vote for Norwich City then is a vote for pure nostalgia.

That certainly explains their presence below, in my own personal top twenty; an assortment of clubs so utopian I would happily scrap relegation and see them fight among themselves forever more.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham

The top six is sacrosanct and rightly so, with their huge supporter base and inherent grudges. Take away any of this sextet and the Premier League would be a little more rational and reasonable. Who wants that?

Everton 

Unlucky not to be grouped with the automatic six, the Toffees are top flight mainstays with a fan-base as chippy as they are loyal. A credit to the division.

Newcastle United

Never less than a soap opera Newcastle’s bestowment of entertainment doesn’t begin and end with their off-the-pitch travails. On it few clubs have given more classic games and unforgettable moments. Throw in their legion of fans too and it’s a no-brainer.

Portsmouth

A toss-up between Pompey and Southampton as sadly there’s no room for them both. The inhabitants of Fratton Park win out because – in the best possible sense – they are tremendously mad.

Aston Villa

The Holte End. Three or four captivating – and at times underachieving – sides since the early nineties. A central location that makes it manageable to get to no matter where you live. Villa are wasted in the Championship.

Norwich City

Third place finishers in the inaugural Premier League campaign the Canaries soon after mined the leagues below, only surfacing a handful of occasions since. Who can’t be enamoured however by their unerring ability to get thrashed out of sight by the big guns only to then show resilience the following week. Then there’s the kits which oscillate between gorgeous and minging.

In fact the only consistent thing about them is a stoic insistence on playing decent football regardless of manager. That will do for me.

Fulham

One of the most beautiful grounds in the world and a strong contender for the most likeable London club.

West Ham United

Entrenched in local pride the Hammers are the very definition of a ‘proper’ club. Also score bonus points for so often taking great delight in bloodying the nose of the establishment.

Brighton and Hove Albion

You can’t have a vibrant and absorbing Premier League without a south coast derby and once again the Saints narrowly miss out. This time it’s by virtue of location, with an away day – or more accurately an away weekend – to Brighton always a highlight on the calendar.

Leeds United

On spying *cough* my rival colours a supporter outside Elland Road recently drenched me in expletives despite being old enough to be my great-great-granddad. Never change Leeds, and hurry back. We’ve missed you.

Coventry City

Residents of the top division for 35 consecutive years the Sky Blues deserve to be here on merit. That’s before we get to the fans and the despicable treatment they’ve endured courtesy of owners you wouldn’t wish on a worst enemy. The Coventry faithful warrant inclusion. They’ve earned it the hard way.

Nottingham Forest

The traditionalists’ choice and let’s face it there is always room for sentiment when it involves a two-time European Cup winner.

Bristol City

Admittedly a left-field pick but why waste the unique opportunity of creating a brand new Premier league model without finally giving the south-west the big club it justifies?

QPR

A compact, electrifying ground that evokes an elaborate Subbuteo set-up plus a compendium of flawed but occasionally brilliant sides. That equals full membership. Additionally, any side supported by Nick Cave and Pete Doherty is hard to omit.

Sheffield Wednesday

Ace fans who turn up en masse no matter the division. The Owls have also graced us with some fantastic ballers, particularly in the Chris Waddle era. A welcome addition.

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Sun revealed that Gary Cahill is being considered as a late loan target for the Eagles, as Fulham eye a centre-back of their own in Scott Dann.

Dann has made just one appearance this season, playing 90 minutes in the FA Cup against Grimsby having made a full recovery from a serious knee injury suffered against Manchester City last season, although he is now struggling to dislodge James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho from the starting lineup.

Fulham were keen on a deal for Cahill originally, as the 33-year-old is seemingly surplus to requirements at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri, but the England international was not keen on a move to Craven Cottage.

No one is safe from the Playmaker FC’s American Soccer Fan. Check out what happened when he watched West Ham v Crystal Palace on Saturday in the video below…

Roy Hodgson’s Palace are supposedly eyeing a loan move with the potential to make the deal permanent in the summer, however eyebrows have been raised at the news of their interest as they are still in desperate need of a striker.

The south London-based side have seen just three goals scored between their senior striking options this season in Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham – the former has two, Benteke none, and Wickham one.

Understandably, Palace fans aren’t too happy about the club’s reported interest in Cahill…

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Ben Davies has not featured for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League since the team’s 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United on January 13.

The Wales international has had a lot of criticism this season, but the Tottenham fans are pleased to see that the left-back has returned to the training field.

Indeed, after missing the games against Watford, Newcastle United and Leicester City, the Spurs supporters are now asking if Davies might be available to face Burnley this weekend.

Tottenham have won their last four games in all competitions, including a 3-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie on February 13.

Jan Vertonghen has been playing left wing-back in the absence of Davies, but head coach Mauricio Pochettino now has another option in a key area of the field.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Davies’ form this season has not always been terrific, but Tottenham need a strong squad at this stage as they are fighting on two fronts.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Spurs supporters can be seen below:

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Chelsea host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Monday night in an FA Cup fifth round clash.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will be looking to bounce back with a win, with the Norwegian coach having suffered his first defeat as Red Devils boss against PSG in the Champions League last time out. However, the loss of Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial to injury will come as a real blow to the visitors.

Maurizio Sarri needs a positive result too. The Blues have lost three of their last four Premier League games. The Italian manager now finds himself under pressure in west London, but the boost of cup progression could spark his ailing side back into form.

Monday night promises an exciting encounter between two of the heavyweights of English football. Ahead of the game, Football FanCast have taken a look at the key tactical factors that could decide the outcome of the match…

The Key Battle – David Luiz vs Marcus Rashford

Solskjaer has made it plain that he prefers Marcus Rashford to Romelu Lukaku, so it will almost certainly be the 21-year-old Englishman leading the line against Chelsea. The striker has been in fine form in recent weeks and will fancy his chances against the Blues’ unconvincing backline.

With his pace, Rashford can offer a constant threat by running in behind the Chelsea defence and his athleticism and intelligent movement will surely test David Luiz in the heart of the home side’s backline.

The Brazilian defender is more than capable of losing focus and committing a costly error, and Rashford will be alert to that fact.

However, Luiz also has the capacity to hurt United. The 31-year-old has great creativity and vision and the ability to play accurate long balls over the top of the opposition defence with regularity. Rashford must be diligent in harrying, pressing and closing down Luiz to ensure that he isn’t given the time and space to pick out these potentially killer passes.

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

The Deciding Factor – Removing Chelsea’s Lynchpin

Sarri’s team have a very defined style that the manager trusts. This system is heavily dependent upon midfielder Jorginho. The 27-year-old sits at the base of the Blues’ midfield, where he can see a lot of the ball, dictate the pace of the game, and orchestrate play.

If allowed to perform this role unchallenged, the 13-cap Italy international can pull the Red Devils apart. However, when Jorginho has been targeted by opponents this season, Chelsea have often come unstuck.

As Arsenal recently demonstrated, tasking a man with the duty of constantly marking Jorginho and putting the midfielder off his rhythm has a devastating effect on Chelsea. With Jorginho’s limited mobility and physicality exposed, Chelsea lose their lynchpin and then begin to look listless and bereft of fresh ideas.

Solskjaer must appropriate this tactic himself and set one of his men on Jorginho. Ander Herrera would be the perfect candidate for this task, as he possesses the requisite pace, agility, stamina and work rate to unsettle Jorginho for 90 minutes.

The Impact Subs – Olivier Giroud vs Alexis Sanchez

Olivier Giroud’s reputation as an impact substitute is as stellar as they come. The Frenchman has a knack of coming off the bench and reinvigorating his team by bringing a new dimension to their attack.

Giroud is an extremely effective target man, able to hold up the ball and bring his teammates into play in the final third. The likes of Eden Hazard and Willian can then thrive off linking up with the former Arsenal striker.

United’s injury worries mean that Alexis Sanchez and Lukaku are both now likely to feature in the starting XI, the Belgium international reprising his role on the right. This will of course mean a weakened bench for Solskjaer to be able to call upon, but Juan Mata still offers a lot of quality if he is needed.

The former Chelsea midfielder lacks pace, so won’t offer the Red Devils a great deal of threat on the counter-attack. However, if Chelsea begin to sit deep, then the Spaniard’s vision and creativity could prove key to breaking down the Blues’ lines of defence.

The introduction of Mata may change the pace of game, but that could play into Solskjaer’s hands. The addition of Mata’s guile and invention offers the United manager a plan B he could decide to turn to – a decision which could turn the tide of the battle on the pitch.

أفادت تقارير صحفية إيطالية، أن نادي باريس سان جيرمان يقترب من خطف صفقة مانشستر سيتي المنتظرة، خاليدو كوليبالي مدافع نابولي الإيطالي.

كوليبالي كان قريبًا للغاية من مانشستر سيتي، ولكن النادي الإنجليزي لم يستطع أن ينفق أكثر من 70 مليون يورو للنادي الإيطالي.

صحيفة “توتو سبورت” الإيطالية، أفادت أن باريس سان جيرمان عرض 52 مليون يورو للمدافع السنغالي، بالإضافة إلى 7 مليون يورو إضافية في شكل مكافآت.

عرض باريس سان جيرمان أقل من الذي قدمه مانشستر سيتي، لكن النادي الإنجليزي كان انسحب من السباق للتعاقد مع اللاعب بسبب مطالب النادي الإيطالي.

وشددت الصحيفة على أن نابولي قد يقبل بعرض باريس سان جيرمان، لعلاقة الناديين ببعضهما، على عكس ما بين دي لورينتيس رئيس البارتينوبي ومانشستر سيتي..

يتمسك الأوروجوياني لويس سواريز مهاجم برشلونة الإسباني، بحقوقه كاملة من أجل الرحيل عن صفوف فريقه.

سواريز خارج حسابات رونالد كومان مدرب الفريق، وكان قريبًا من الانتقال لـ يوفنتوس، بعدما تم عرضه على السيدة العجوز.

وخرج سواريز من حسابات يوفنتوس الآن، بحسب ما أوضح فابيو باراتيتشي المدير الرياضي (طالع تصريحاته).

وبحسب إذاعة “كادينا سير” الإسبانية، برشلونة أوضح لـ سواريز أنه سيدفع نصف راتبه 7 ملايين يورو مُقابل فسخ العقد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ميسي يودع فيدال: فاجأتني وسنلتقي مرة أخرى!

وأوضح التقرير أن سواريز رفض وطلب المبلغ كاملا (14 مليون يورو) قيمة راتبه آخر عام.

من جانبه، ينتظر أتلتيكو مدريد فسخ عقد سواريز ليتحرك لضمه مجانًا، بحسب ما أوضح الصحفي “فابريزيو رومانو”.

…and Atlético Madrid are working and trying to sign Luis Suarez as a free agent if he’ll find an agreement to part ways with Barça. Work in progress. 🚨 #FCB #atleti https://t.co/9iSMVSXIuG

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 20, 2020

Chelsea got back to winning ways in emphatic fashion this weekend as they saw off Huddersfield with ease to run away 5-0 winners.

The Blues were in fine form, as new signing Gonzalo Higuain got himself on the scoresheet with two goals, while Eden Hazard got back to his best with a couple of efforts.

It was the performance of the Belgian midfielder which caught the eye thought in particular, and it once again showed just how much the Chelsea man means to the Blues, and what a worry it will be if he does indeed make a move to Real Madrid in the summer as has been mentioned.

Hazard is simply the man who makes everything tick for Mauro Sarri’s men, and if he is sold on to Madrid, then Chelsea have quite the hole to fill in the attacking third of the field.

The Belgian has developed in his time in England into one of the finest attacking midfielders on the planet, and talent like he possesses does not come along too often.

Madrid are of course a massive lure, but Chelsea have to be doing all they can to convince Hazard he has a future with Chelsea, and to do so, they might just need to splash some cash in the summer months.

Regardless of if he goes or stays though, Hazard will go down as a Chelsea legend, and his performance this weekend was a further reminder of the talent we get to see on offer from the Belgian on a weekly basis over here in the Premier League.

Blues fans, what do you think? How good was Hazard? Let us know in the comments!

Arsenal’s season has been an up and down one as has been the usual in the last few years.

Some big wins have been overshadowed by the same sort of problems we have become accustomed to seeing, much of which was evidenced during last weekend’s loss to Manchester City, where the Gunners were simply too easy to sweep aside.

However, there is cause for some optimism for manager Unai Emery, who will be pleased with some of his work and will no doubt be looking forward to the summer where he will be hoping to have some cash to spend on the first team squad.

And one man we feel the club and Emery would be wise to make a move for is 25-year-old France and Lyon winger, Nabil Fekir.

The former Liverpool target has once again been in fine form over in Ligue 1, and looks all set and ready to made to make an impact in the Premier League if given the chance.

Fekir possesses brilliant skill on the ball, and his ability to beat defenders with ease and at pace makes him a dangerous and welcome addition to any squad.

A regular in the French national squad, Fekir would add an element to Arsenal which they currently lack in wide areas, and would allow the likes of Aubameyang to operate in favoured roles in the middle of the attacking third.

Gunners fans, what do you think? Would this be a good signing? Let us know in the comments!