Rangers fans can’t wait for the new season and to see Alfredo Morelos in action under Steven Gerrard after the new Light Blues boss stated his desire to keep the Colombian at Ibrox this summer.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Gerrard sees Morelos as having a big role to play at the club next term, despite speculation that clubs from France, Turkey and China are all interested in his services.

Morelos scored 18 goals in his debut season after Pedro Caixinha signed him from HJK Helsinki last summer, but drew criticism towards the end of the campaign for a perceived bad attitude and a couple of bad misses in big matches against Celtic.

Fans believe he has what it takes to shine under Gerrard though, believing that the Liverpool legend can inspire the best of his form with his latest confidence boosting comments.

Still just 22 years of age, there’s no doubt that Morelos has plenty of potential and it’ll be interesting to see if he can become more clinical in front of goal next term.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Gerrard’s latest comments…

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Tottenham fans have been debating moves for a Toby Alderweireld replacement, and it seems they’d much rather do their shopping abroad.

Although recent reports suggest Manchester United’s interest in Alderweireld has died down, it seems like only a matter of time before the big Belgian departs North London.

Alderweireld is ageing and injury prone, so while a fully fit version of the defender is a huge figure to lose, Spurs could turn his probable exit into a good thing if they replace him quickly and smartly.

One name that has been mentioned a lot as a replacement is Matthijs de Ligt, who was superb for Ajax last season.

The young centre back is sensational with the ball at his feet, and is expected to form a dominant partnership for the Netherlands alongside Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk in the coming years.

While the links to de Ligt have gone quiet in recent weeks, Jamaal Lascelles has come to the forefront as a possible target.

The Newcastle captain had an incredible season up north, and will consider himself very unlucky not to be at the World Cup.

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Fans would clearly much prefer a move for de Ligt though, who is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, as over two thirds voted for the Dutchman.

You can find the full poll results down below…

New manager and a new start. Sunderland fans in the Transfer Tavern will be hoping that Jack Ross push the Black Cats back up the league next year.

Sunderland’s defence last season was among the worst in the Championship. The Black Cats must strengthen at the back if they are to secure promotion from League One. One player the club have been linked with recently is Shrewsbury’s Aristote Nsiala.

The Breakdown

The Sunderland Echo (h/t Chronicle Live) reports that Nsiala is on Sunderland’s radar. New boss, Jack Ross is keen to strengthen his defence following Paddy McNair’s departure and probable sale of Lamine Kone. Sunderland have been linked with Peterborough defender Jack Baldwin to help out at the back. A centre-back pairing of Nsiala and Baldwin would certainly improve the backline.

Nsiala was an integral part of the Shrewsbury side that defied the early season odds to go from relegation contenders to a side that only lost out in the League One play-off final. The 26-year-old has been a physically imposing defender at the back for the Shrews and has helped the club to two play-off finals which resulted in a promotion to League Two in 2016.

Due to his solid performances in the league last season, the defender has attracted interest from Championship sides. However, if Sunderland can bring the former Everton academy man on board, he may go some way in helping the Black Cats seal up their porous defence and finally reach the Championship after last year’s heartbreak.

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Are you happy about this Sunderland fans? 

Spurs will be hoping for an impressive summer this year in the transfer market as they look to add a few players to the squad to make them real contenders for the title.

With the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Christian Eriksen pulling the strings and already in the top echelon of player in world football, Mauricio Pochettino will know he isn’t far away from bringing some silverware to the club.

Our landlord here in the Tavern has been keeping a close eye on the World Cup this summer and one man who has caught his eye is Mexico midfielder Hector Herrera, who has put in some superb displays for his country have they have impressed on their route to the knockouts.

Valued at £20m, the Porto midfielder has been one of the key men for the Mexicans, and he would no doubt relish the chance of playing in the Premier League after five years in Porto.

Herrera is a tenacious midfielder, but that does not take away from the fact he is a quality operator with the ball.

Still only 28 despite seemingly being around for years, Herrera would add something new to the Spurs midfield with the departure of Moussa Dembele. His attitude, style of play, and general love for football would no doubt endear him to the Spurs fans in their new stadium next term.

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Spurs fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Marlon Samuels is adamant he is the man to revive West Indies’ embattled batting line-up when he returns from a two-year suspension for links to an Indian gambler

Alex Brown02-Dec-2009Marlon Samuels is adamant he is the man to revive West Indies’ embattled batting line-up when he returns from a two-year suspension for links to an Indian gambler. Samuels, who was banned by a West Indies Cricket Board disciplinary committee for discussing team information with Mukesh Kochar and later approaching him to pay a hotel bill, will be eligible to return to cricket on May 9 next year and is confident of being promptly reinstated to the regional team.Samuels has consistently maintained his innocence over the charges, and his belief that the WICB disciplinary committee were pressured into delivering a guilty verdict by both the board and the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. He told the hearing last year that phone taps in which he was recorded discussing bowling and personnel changes were never intended to assist in gambling, and that the $1,238 paid by Kochar for a hotel room in Mumbai was intended as a loan after his own credit card was declined.A four-man panel consisting of Richie Richardson, Justice Adrian Saunders, Lloyd Barnett and Aubrey Bishop voted 3-1 that Samuels had violated the ICC’s code of conduct, but stated the Jamaican batsman had not acted “dishonestly or in a corrupt manner” and that he “is an honest cricketer … [who] has never betted on cricket matches”. Richardson, one of the three panel members to rule against Samuels, later said he regretted his decision and argued that the minimum two-year sentence set down by the ICC was “unfair”.Samuels has maintained a low profile during his suspension, having abandoned his original plan to conduct a judicial review of the verdict through the Antiguan courts. He has spent much of the last 18 months in the gymnasium preparing for his re-entry to cricket – which coincides with the second week of the World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean – where he hopes to revitalise West Indies’ misfiring top- and middle-orders.”It’s always hard to see your team lose,” Samuels told Cricinfo. “I’m a West Indian and that will always be my team. I hope Chris Gayle will pick up his troops and take them to bigger and better things. I watch a lot of games and a lot of tapes. It has been very frustrating sitting and watching cricket all this time, but I am hoping to come back better than before. I will definitely come back with a stronger frame of mind.”Most definitely my intention is to return to the West Indies team. I have trained very hard and been very disciplined while I have been out of the game. The two years will be over soon. I want to bat No. 4 for West Indies. That is where I always wanted to bat, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get that opportunity. I am very much looking forward to batting again with guys like Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan. I think I could have a positive impact.”Samuels is not alone in making that assessment. Clyde Butts, West Indies’ chairman of selectors, is buoyant about the exiled batsman’s international prospects for a year that will include Test series against South Africa and Sri Lanka.”Once Marlon’s suspension is over and he’s playing cricket again he will be considered,” Butts told Cricinfo. “Of course, the performances have to be there. When Marlon was suspended he was just starting to score a lot of runs and look the part. He’s someone who could strengthen the middle order and he also offers part-time off-spin.”Samuels insists he has no regrets over his dealings with Kochar, whom he befriended during a limited-overs series in Sharjah in 2002. He claims his tapped telephone conversation with the Indian gambler before a one-day international against India in Nagpur two years ago did not amount to corruption, and Kochar’s settling of the hotel bill in Mumbai two weeks later was the result of Samuels being short of cash when a paid television appearance was cancelled at short notice.”I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it has really been one man against the world,” he said. “An appeal would not have worked. I had a lot of telephone conversations with all kinds of people, and they told me an appeal would be a waste of time. Why would I do anything different? Anyone in that situation would have done the same thing. There have been past players come out and say things about me when they have done the same things themselves. The entire world has seen my case and know that I am innocent.”It is nine years ago to the month that Samuels, then 19, made his Test debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, the same venue where West Indies will attempt to improve their Frank Worrell Trophy prospects this week. Memories of confrontations with the Glenn McGrath-led Australian attack evoke in him both pleasant memories and sadness. He had hoped to make a third tour of Australia.Samuels achieved notoriety at the conclusion of the 2000 series when he asked Steve Waugh, the then-Australian captain, for a piece of his famous red rag. Waugh obliged, and Samuels to this day counts the tattered piece of cloth among his most treasured items. “To me, he is one of the greatest players I have seen,” he said. “That red rag is very special to me. It will die with me. I have it in a glass case inside my house so when my career is over I will have something to show the world. He is a great Australian icon.”I would have loved to be making my third tour of Australia and giving Ricky Ponting a good run for his money. I have great memories of being there as a 19-year-old making my debut. It was good to see (Adrian Barath) scoring a century also as a 19-year-old and I wish him all the best. I wanted to go there as a fearless cricketer and approach the Test matches as if they were club games for Melbourne in Jamaica. I was just trying to play the ball, not the name that was Glenn McGrath.”Just how Caribbean and international audiences will greet the return of a player linked to gambling remains to be seen, but Samuels is hopeful of a positive response. He is spending the last few months of his suspension in the company of family, whom he expects to see less of from May 9, and mentally preparing himself to return to cricket’s elite competitions. “I know that when cricket starts again I will be away more often, so I am using this time now to do the things I want to,” he said. “When the time comes to play again, I know I will be ready.”

Plays of the day from the second day of the Brisbane Test between Australia and West Indies

Peter English at the Gabba27-Nov-2009Not for keeps

Brad Haddin’s wicketkeeping is often criticised but there was nothing wrong with his leap to intercept Adrian Barath’s edge from Peter Siddle before tea. It was a great take, the sort that would even impress retired wicketkeepers in the commentary box. The only problem was that Siddle had bowled a no-ball.Backing the Bulls

There are four ex-Queenslanders on display in this game and a good way to win the crowd back is to go after the bowling. Nathan Hauritz hasn’t been back here for five years after leaving for New South Wales, but he entertained his old fans during an aggressive innings that resulted in his maiden Test half-century. Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson and Brendan Nash are the other former Bulls on show this week.No longer Nashville

Team Nash is sitting in the lower northern stand providing support for Brendan Nash, the former Queensland batsman who enters at No. 6 for West Inides. When he came to the wicket with his side at 4 for 63 Nash received some loud cheers from his family, friends and most of the crowd, but there were also some boos. He was expecting them as well as the first-up bouncer from Mitchell Johnson, his former flat-mate. Next ball he cut Johnson for four through point.Another review, another not out

The Australians want their top order to have the first say on the umpire reviews, but they had two spare when Johnson, the No. 8, didn’t think he had edged Sulieman Benn to Denesh Ramdin. Play was stopped for a couple of minutes while replays from all available angles were viewed to determine whether Ian Gould’s decision was correct. None could prove either that he did or didn’t touch it. Under the new system’s regulations if there is no conclusive evidence that the judgment is wrong, the on-field official’s ruling stands and Johnson walked off.Wasted calls

Gould was supported by the technology again when Gayle tested his lbw decision in a strange choice by the batsman. Gayle was hit on the back leg, right in front, but after standing at the crease and starting to step off the ground he changed his mind. When the call came back from upstairs Gould walked back behind the stumps and raised his finger for a second time. The second unsuccessful review came in similar circumstances when Shivnarine Chanderpaul moved across his stumps and was caught in front by Siddle. Both challenges were gone by the 17th over.Opening exchanges

Barath was fortunate to grab his first Test run when he could have been run-out for zero. He pushed a single to the offside and was short when the throw narrowly missed the stumps at the bowler’s end. An off-drive off Siddle helped settle his nerves, but he was soon in discomfort again, first with the edge to Haddin and then another to Watson off Johnson.

An all-round performance by captain Ashok Menaria ensured India Under-19 sailed through to their second consecutive win in the tri-series at the King Edward VII School Ground in Johannesburg

Cricinfo staff30-Dec-2009
ScorecardAn all-round performance by captain Ashok Menaria ensured India sailed through to their second consecutive win in the Tri-Nation Under-19s Tournament at the King Edward VII School Ground in Johannesburg. Meenaria top scored with 69 to take India to 237 and later chipped in with three late wickets to keep Sri Lanka to 192.After opting to bowl, Sri Lanka’s Kasun Madushanka removed the openers before they could settle in and the Indians soon found themselves at 51 for 3, in need of a solid stand. That came in the form of a 100-run partnership between Meenaria and Harpreet Singh, who made his U-19 debut. The pair batted for nearly 21 overs and managed a respectable run-rate of 4.72 during their stand. They were separated when Menaria was dismissed by offspinner Rumesh Buddika. Harpreet added another 40 with Manan Sharma before he was stumped for 67. The Indians just managed to bat out their 50 overs, losing nine wickets in the process.The Sri Lankans failed to mount that target because they couldn’t stitch together substantial partnerships. The top order made starts but failed to carry on, save for the only half-century stand in the innings – the 51 for the fourth wicket between Kithuruwan Vithanage and Buddika. The Sri Lankans couldn’t recover after they lost half their side at 137 in the 37th over. Meenaria then took three lower-order wickets to top a very satisfying day in the field.

The squads for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament in Dubai and Abu Dubai between February 9 and 15 have been announced

Cricinfo staff29-Jan-2010The squads for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament in Dubai and Abu Dubai between February 9 and 15 have been announced.The tournament will see 17 matches take place in the five days, played Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium and the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at Dubai Sports City, where the final will be staged.At stake are two places in the World Twenty20 which takes places in the West Indies from April 30 to May16. The winner of the UAE event will join South Africa and India in Group C while the losing finalist will join Group D which includes the West Indies and England.All eyes will be on Afghanistan, who’s stellar performances over the last ten months have reverberated around the cricketing world and beyond. While they narrowly missed qualification for the 50-over World Cup 2011 in April, they have been in good form at the Intercontinental Cup. Most recently they displayed flair and resilience to defeat defending champions Ireland, and also recorded a come-from-behind, one-wicket victory over the Netherlands in August 2009.Ireland, who have been pushing for full-member status, remain one of the strongest associate sides and their squad includes 13 players from the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, where they defeated Bangladesh by six wickets and qualified for the Super Eights.The Netherlands, who caused the major upset of the 2009 tournament when they defeated England in the opening match, will be without captain Jeroen Smith’s this time round but will still be looking to impress.Afghanistan Dawlat Ahmadzai, Hameed Hasan, Karim Khan Sadiq, Mohammad Asghar Stanikzai, Mohamamd Shahzad Mohammadi, Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil, Merwais Ashraf, Nawroz Khan Mangal, Noor Ali Noori, Obaidullah Konary, Raees Ahmadzai, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shahpoor Zardan and Samiullah Shinwari.Canada Harvir Baidwan, Ashish Bagai, Geoff Barnett, Umar Bhatti, Ian Billcliff, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, John Davison, Sunil Dhaniram, Shaheed Keshvani, Usman Limbada, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad and Saad Bin Zafar.Ireland Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Peter Connell, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Paul Striling, Andrew White and Gary Wilson.Kenya James Kamande, Lameck Ngoche, Nehemiah Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, David Obuya, Nelson Odhiambo, Otieno Ondik, Elijah Otieno, Maurice Ouma, Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo and Hiren Varaiya.Netherlands Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Muhammad Kashif, Alexei Kervezee, Atse Buurman, Timothy Gruijters, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Eric Szwarczynski and Bas Zuiderent.Scotland Richie Berrington,, Kyle Coezter, Gordon Drummond, Gordon Goudie, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Navdeep Poonia, Simon Smith, Jan Stander, Ryan Watson and Fraser Watts.UAE Fayyaz Ahmed, Saqib Ali, Arfan Haider, Mohamed Iqbal, Amjad Javed, Khurram Khan, Mois Shahid Malik, Naeemuddin, Qadar Nawaz, Ahmed Raza, Abdul Rehman, Shoaib Sarwar, Mohammad Tauqir and Qassim Zubair.USA Timroy Allen, Imran Awan, Orlando Baker, Lennox Cush, Kevin Darlington, Sudesh Dhaniram, Glenmore Hall, Rashard Marshall, Steve Massiah, Sushil Nadkarni, Usman Shuja, Aditya Thyagarajan and Saurabh Verma Carl Wright.

The Australian Cricketers’ Association will help formulate a list of security demands for IPL organisers

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2010The Australian Cricketers’ Association will help formulate a list of security demands for IPL organisers following a meeting attended by the majority of Australian cricketers due to play in next month’s tournament. Paul Marsh, the ACA’s chief executive, said the players want to be involved in the event, but there are safety fears following a threat from the 313 Brigade, Al-Qaeda’s operational arm in Pakistan.”The independent report has identified some serious concerns with aspects of the current security process,” Marsh said after the meeting in Sydney. “Specifically these concerns relate to the reported direct threat against the event and the status and implementation of the IPL’s security plan.”The process from here is for all players associated to meet with their player groups and for all of us to feed back the concerns raised from these meetings to the IPL. This will be coordinated through our peak body the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. From here we will await a response from the IPL.”Heath Mills, the New Zealand Players’ Association chief, also outlined the security concerns at a press conference in Christchurch. “There have been threats against cities in India, and clearly a direct threat against the event,” Mills said. “A combination of those and our lack of confidence in security management plans have led us to having to ask some questions of the IPL and see whether they can alleviate those concerns.”It’s one thing to have a security management plan, it’s a much different thing to see it delivered and delivered well. It’s quite complex when you consider the IPL is played across 12 cities, 12 police jurisdictions throughout India. There are some real concerns around that aspect.”So far the IPL has rejected dealing with players’ associations, a move which forced unions from Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa to commission their own safety report on the situation in India. Reg Dickason, who has worked as a security advisor for the England and Australia teams, delivered his findings to the associations at the weekend and Marsh outlined the details to most of the 22 Australian players signed up for the tournament.

Brendon McCullum will spend New Zealand’s off-season pondering his future as a Test wicketkeeper after the successful emergence of Gareth Hopkins in the shorter formats

Brydon Coverdale in Wellington24-Mar-2010Brendon McCullum will spend New Zealand’s off-season pondering his future as a Test wicketkeeper after the successful emergence of Gareth Hopkins in the shorter formats. McCullum opens in one-day and Twenty20 internationals but bats at No. 7 in the Test team and made his fifth century against Australia in Wellington this week, an innings he described as his best Test hundred.Although McCullum has for many years been considered the best wicketkeeper-batsman in New Zealand, he has expressed a desire to hang up the gloves and focus on his batting. During the Twenty20s and ODIs against Australia, Hopkins kept wicket and proved a very handy lower-order batsman and New Zealand will discuss whether that could work at Test level as well.The main problem is that McCullum’s run scoring in Test cricket has been less consistent than in the shorter formats, although in the past year he has lifted his output and has made three centuries and averaged 48.60. It appears likely that Hopkins will retain the gloves for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20, but New Zealand have no Tests scheduled in the next few months, so McCullum has time to consider his five-day future.”We’ve got a few months coming up that we’ve got off, so it’s something that we’ve got to try and weigh up during that downtime,” McCullum said. “At the moment I’m very much fixed on making sure that I can make a contribution in this next Test match as a wicketkeeper-batsman. I have to continuously score runs to warrant a place in the top six.”The captain Daniel Vettori said it was a matter of team balance in each format as to whether McCullum could play purely as a batsman. The two men have spoken about the issue but have not yet come to a resolution as to what is best for the Test outfit.”It’s a tough one,” Vettori said. “Brendon and I have had a number of discussions on it. The emergence of Gareth Hopkins in the limited overs has probably made the decision a little bit easier if it does go that way. But I still think Brendon is one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world.”If we can get him for all forms of the game that would be great, but we also understand that probably in one-dayers and Twenty20, his runs are the most important thing to us. If that’s the best thing for the team then I support it.”