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Michael Bridge has told Football FanCast that Steven Bergwijn’s omission from the Dutch squad for Euro 2020 was extremely worrying.

Bergwijn had been a regular for his national team prior to his arrival in north London but has won just three caps in more than 18 months since he made the switch from PSV in January 2020.

The wide man has initially made a blistering start to his career at Tottenham, scoring three times in his first six Premier League appearances, including fine strikes against both Manchester clubs.

However, since firing past David De Gea in the first post-lockdown game, Bergwijn has found the net just once in 45 outings across all competitions for Spurs.

Such was Bergwijn’s underwhelming form, he didn’t even make Frank de Boer’s squad for Netherlands’ disappointing European Championships campaign, which ended abruptly in the first knockout round.

Despite missing a golden opportunity against Manchester City last Sunday, the 23-year-old has made an encouraging start to the season – and claimed the assist for Heung-min Son’s winner against the champions.

But Bridge told FFC that being overlooked in what he describes as an “average” Holland side, speaks volumes:

“To not get in a very, very average Dutch squad is very concerning. They are a bang average national team, and to not be in their squad was, although in his defence you can’t impress from the bench.”

Pakistan have named Shoaib Akhtar in a 15-man squad for this week’s four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada but there was no room for Mohammad Yousuf

Cricinfo staff07-Oct-2008Pakistan Twenty20 squadShoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Shoaib Khan, Khalid Latif, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Fawad Alam, Anwar Ali, Sohail Khan, Abdur RaufPakistan have named Shoaib Akhtar in the 15-man squad for the four-nation Twenty20 tournament in Canada, but there was no room for Mohammad Yousuf following problems over his Canadian visa.”We have included Akhtar after clearance from the PCB and hope that he delivers the goods in the tournament,” chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said. Akhtar, 33, was selected after the board softened its stance on a demand he pay an outstanding fine of Rs 7 million (approx US$105,000) for his criticism of not being awarded a central contract. He was initially banned by the PCB for five years, but the sentence had been reduced to 18 months by an appellate tribunal in June.Yousuf, who was not part of Pakistan’s squad for the ICC World Twenty20 last year, was a late inclusion among the probables for the Toronto tournament. He was unimpressive in his first two games in Pakistan’s ongoing domestic Twenty20 tournament, scoring 15 runs, but Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, said he would have been included if not for the problems over his visa.The squad includes allrounders Shahid Afridi, whose form has been woeful of late, and Fawad Alam, who performed well on the Academy tour to Zimbabwe and Kenya. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal returns after being dropped for the Asia Cup in June-July, replacing Sarfraz Ahmed. Rookie fast bowler Anwar Ali, 23, and opener Shoaib Khan have also earned maiden call-ups. Khalid Latif, an opener who played one ODI against Zimbabwe in the home series in January, gets a look-in.

The Nottinghamshire seamer, Charlie Shreck, was crowned Player of the Season at the club’s annual awards dinner at Trent Bridge on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff01-Oct-2008The Nottinghamshire seamer, Charlie Shreck, was crowned Player of the Season at the club’s annual awards dinner at Trent Bridge on Tuesday. Shreck was the club’s leading wicket-taker in 2008, taking 76 wickets in all competitions, 58 of them in the County Championship.”It’s an honour and a surprise to win the award because a few of my team mates would have been considered worthy winners,” said Shreck. “Mark Wagh scored 1,000 runs, Samit has been exceptional, Darren Pattinson has done very well and Chris Read has proved to be an excellent captain.”It has been a good season for the club and although we were disappointed to miss out on the LV County Championship in the final game of the season, we have finished second which is a great achievement.”The Notts squad travel to Guernsey today to take part in benefit events for AJ Harris and Shreck believes that the club can mount a serious challenge for silverware in 2009.”We’ve had a good experience this year and we know what we’ve got to do to win it in 2009,” said Shreck. “Durham came second in 2007 and won it this year. We’ll have broadly the same squad and we’ll all be more even determined because we came so close.”We’ve got a couple of dinners, a golf day and some cricket lined up in Guernsey and it will be a good chance to relax after a long season.”Test Match Special broadcaster Jonathan Agnew was the guest speaker at the awards dinner with speeches from Notts Chairman Peter Wright, Chief Executive Derek Brewer and Director of Cricket Mick Newell.Alex Hales was named Second XI Player of The Season for the second successive year and Sam Kelsall picked up the Academy Player of the Year Award.

According to journalist Ekrem Konur, West Ham United have made a cut-price offer to sign West Bromwich Albion ace Matheus Pereira this summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Lingard alternative…

A permanent deal for Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard was on the cards at the start of this window but recent reports indicate that is now unlikely.

As such, West Ham have turned their attention to alternatives in the attacking midfield area and a move for Pereira has been touted in recent weeks.

ExWHUemployee lifted the lid on an enquiry last week with Konur now bringing an update.

The Latest: West Ham make Pereira offer…

As explained by the journalist on Twitter, West Ham have now tabled a bid for Pereira with West Brom’s stance also detailed.

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The Baggies have apparently received a €15m (£12.7m) offer from West Ham for the Brazilian but it is thought that they want around €25 million (£21.2m) if they are let to consider letting him go.

West Ham aren’t the only club chasing a deal for the 25-year-old, either, with Leicester City also firmly on Pereira’s track.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Lauded as a ‘devastating’ player and a potentially ‘huge coup’ for anyone by pundit Kevin Campbell (Football Insider), a move for Pereira could certainly tick many boxes for West Ham.

He may even be worth the £21.2m asking price, especially considering he stood out as key player in a poor West Brom side last season.

Pereira, finishing the 2020/2021 Premier League season as the Baggies’ top scorer (11) and top assist-maker (6), also averaged the most shots on goal per 90 (2) and highest amount of key passes (1.8) out of any West Brom player (WhoScored).

We believe he should be a top, top priority for Moyes this summer.

In other news: ‘Beyond a joke’…West Ham fans fume in response to official club post, find out more here.

Speaking on live TV (via Football Daily), Sky Sports reporter Gary Cotterill has backed an update on Harry Kane live from their training ground following the England captain’s hiatus from Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season preparations. 

The Lowdown: Kane rebels…

On Monday, news first emerged of Kane not showing up for pre-season training as he eyes a move to Premier League champions Manchester City.

The England superstar is also facing a hefty fine for his actions but that didn’t stop him from not showing up at Hotspur Way again on Tuesday.

As a result, plenty of unrest remains over his future in north London, but Fabrizio Romano believes that Kane is ‘planning to return to training’ later this week with club discussions expected (Twitter).

The Latest: Sky Sports back Kane development…

Speaking on live TV from Hotspur Way (via Football Daily), Sky Sports reporter Cotterill has backed Romano’s update and insists that Kane is planning to return to training.

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“We’re now hearing that he probably won’t turn up for training either on Thursday,” he explained.

“He won’t be here, we understand, on Thursday or Friday, but is planning to return to training with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

“He doesn’t want it to go on and on, we understand he just wants to make a protest, just wants to make his feelings felt, just wants to vent his frustration, about the fact that he says, in good faith, he understood that verbally he was going to be allowed to leave Tottenham this summer if the right offer came in.”

The Verdict: Crunch time ahead for Spurs…

Manchester City have started to make serious moves for their prime targets over the last few days, with Aston Villa star Jack Grealish reliably believed to be on the verge of a stunning £100m move to Eastlands (John Percy).

It is no secret that City are the main contenders for Kane as they hunt for a star striker to replace club legend Sergio Aguero, and with Grealish nearing completion, their attention could turn to Spurs’ most important player.

Reports have even suggested that the 28-year-old could be willing to hand in an official transfer request to grant his wish to leave.

It’s safe to say that these next few weeks could be huge for Nuno Espirito Santo and Fabio Paratici as they both plan for an enormous 2021/22 season in N17.

In other news: ‘Excited’, ‘Huge coup’…Sky Sports pundit in awe of announcement out of Tottenham, find out more here.

Liverpool have had their fair share of younger players make their mark on the club’s first-team over the years, and it seems fans suspect they may have another gem in their midst.

A number of players have been given a chance by Jurgen Klopp in recent seasons at Anfield, with the most notable example of course being Trent Alexander-Arnold.

One of those who may now fancy his chances of pushing for a spot in the first-team picture moving forwards is Kaide Gordon, who recently featured in the 1-1 draw against Wacker Innsbruck during pre-season.

The 16-year-old only signed for the club in February from Championship side Derby County. It was reported that the initial fee for the deal was £1million, although that fee could rise up to £3million with add-ons.

He was awarded an 8/10 match rating from the Liverpool Echo for his efforts in Tuesday’s draw, and clearly made a good impression on a number of the club’s supporters.

Liverpool are set to take on newly-promoted Norwich City in their first league match of the 2021/22 season, and perhaps Gordon could feature on the bench if these fan verdicts are anything to go by.

Plenty of the Anfield faithful took to social media to issue their thoughts on Gordon’s performance, and you can take a look at the best of the reaction from Twitter below, where one fan hailed the starlet as a ‘revelation’….

“Can’t believe he’s 16.”

Credit: @TemnoLFC

“Definitely the most impressive out there good on him! Was excited every time he got the ball!”

Credit: @Reefnot99

“Remember the name.”

Credit: @tylerallen114

“So much better than Origi.”

Credit: @TMLFC19

“Massive talent.”

Credit: @24_billings

“A pleasant revelation tbh.”

Credit: @npryce28

Graham Roberts has been told that Tottenham have agreed terms with Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, meaning Nuno Espirito Santo is close to making his first signing as manager.

Tomiyasu, who’s made 60 Serie A appearances for Bologna since making the switch from Belgian, will bolster a Spurs defensive department that conceded 45 times in the Premier League last season.

The 22-year-old has already been capped 22 times by Japan and has been named in their squad for the upcoming Olympics.

However, depending on Japan’s progression, should Tomiyasu complete his imminent move to Tottenham, he could miss the opening few weeks of the Premier League campaign – with the Olympic final taking place just eight days before Santo’s side open their season against Man City.

Tomiyasu played at both right-back and centre-back in Serie A last term, and even the occasional appearance at left-back, which means he’ll bring a great deal of versatility to north London.

Roberts exclusively told Football FanCast just how close the deal is to being confirmed:

“I’ve been told through the grapevine that he’s agreed terms with Tottenham, and it’s just the fee now, but that could take up to the end of August the way we deal with things. But that could be one of the centre-halves in.”

A promising update has emerged regarding Aston Villa star Jack Grealish… 

What’s the talk?

According to talkSPORT, Aston Villa star Jack Grealish is having doubts over a potential move to Premier League champions Manchester City amid mounting speculation that he could be on his way to The Etihad this summer.

The report claims that the attacking midfielder could now opt to sign a contract extension to reaffirm his loyalty to his hometown club. Pep Guardiola is desperate to land the England international in the coming weeks, but the mercurial talent is seemingly doubtful that it would be the right move for his career.

Fans will be buzzing

Villa fans will be over the moon with this update as it appears to increase the chances of Grealish playing in claret and blue next season.

It would be a massive statement of intent from the Villans to be able to keep the midfielder and pin him down to a new contract if City come in with a big-money offer as it would show that they have the financial muscle and pulling power to turn down interest from the top clubs.

City are the current champions and have been prolific in terms of picking up trophies under Guardiola, which means that they would be able to offer Grealish the chance to win major silverware next season. Whereas, Villa’s last major trophy came when they won the League Cup in 1996.

Therefore, fans would be ecstatic if he decided to remain at the club as it would show immense loyalty to reject such an opportunity.

Ex-Villa midfielder Kieran Richardson once heaped praise on the English attacker, labelling him as a phenomenal talent and lauding his ability to beat players with the ball.

He said: “Jack Grealish, he’s a phenomenal talent. When I was there (Villa) playing he was coming through and you could see from the get-go he was a top, top player. The way he can just ghost past players, he’s so strong, he rides challenges. Even if you knock him down he’ll get back up and keep going, he won’t shy away from anything.

“He’s very confident on the ball, he’ll take the ball whenever he can. He’s a top player and the way he’s built as well, he’s massive, his legs are absolutely massive. Even when I first saw him I was like ‘This guy’s a unit’.”

Harry Kane and Kevin de Bruyne were the only two players who achieved higher WhoScored ratings than Grealish in the Premier League last season.

This suggests that the Villa star was one of the best players in the division, with his score of 7.56, and that is why keeping him would be a massive achievement for the club and fans would be delighted that they would be able to watch him play again next season.

AND in other news, “As I understand it”: Ashley Preece makes new Aston Villa claim that’ll delight fans…

Liverpool are plotting a move for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie as the club continue to search for Gini Wijnaldum’s replacement.

What’s the story?

The Reds will reportedly offer the 24-year-old a deal worth £7m-a-year in an attempt to lure the box-to-box midfielder away from San Siro, according to Italian outlet Sports Mediaset (as reported by the Daily Mirror).

However, the report claims that Jurgen Klopp and co. face a tough battle to secure Kessie’s signature, with Milan set to offer a £5m salary in order to try and keep the Ivory Coast international in Serie A.

Kessie has just one year remaining on his current contract with the Rossoneri, and talks over an extension are thought to be at an impasse.

Jurgen Klopp will love him

Following the departure of Wijnaldum, several well-known stars have been linked with a move to Anfield as Klopp attempts to adequately replace the Netherlands international.

And bringing in Kessie is a deal that makes sense for multiple reasons. The stocky dynamo has cultivated an enviable reputation during his time in Italian football, and his playing style appears to naturally suit Liverpool’s preferred approach.

The Milan ace’s mix of pace, energy, technical ability and eye for goal make him the ideal fit for Klopp’s preferred gegenpressing setup, meaning a move to English shores could be on the cards.

His impressive performances for Milan in recent years have earned several plaudits, including ex-striker Antonio Cassano, who even compared him to a previous Premier League great.

“I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he is intelligent. I’m watching him carefully, against Roma, he was devastating,” he said (via MilanLive).

“He reminds me of the Yaya Touré of the best times. He is a different player, but in terms of impact, he is holding Milan’s midfield alone.”

Kessie really caught the eye last season, bagging 13 goals and providing six assists in 37 top-flight appearances, achieving a highly respectable 7.15 WhoScored rating along the way.

Whether the combative midfielder can be tempted to join Liverpool remains to be seen, but the £49.5m-rated maestro has the assets required to slot straight into Klopp’s system, and could help propel the Anfield outfit back to the summit of English football.

And, in other news…Time’s up: Klopp must ruthlessly axe £10m LFC flop this summer, he’s not good enough 

Aggressive top order batsman Chris Gaffaney will lead the Otago A side at next month’s provincial series at Lincoln University

Steve Davie20-Dec-2002Aggressive top order batsman Chris Gaffaney will lead the Otago A side at next month’s provincial series at Lincoln University.Gaffaney, the veteran of 49 first-class matches, lost his place in the State Otago Volts after poor form in the first two games but has a chance to fight back into contention with a good second XI series.He will be joined by several other players with first-class experience, that number including David Sewell, Nathan McCullum, Jordan Sheed, Simon Beare and Daryll Reddington.The A competition, starting on January 2, comprises six two-day games with the six major association teams being joined by the New Zealand Under-19 selection.The Otago A side is: Chris Gaffaney (captain), Robert King, Simon Beare, Jordan Sheed, Darin Smith, Jarrod Waldron, Grant Bilcliff, Tim Weston, Nathan McCullum, Hayden Finch, David Sewell, Daryl Reddington.