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Wolves could be heading for a major disaster over Ruben Neves, as the midfielder appeared to make a tearful goodbye to the supporters following yesterday’s 1-1 draw against Norwich.

The club have excelled since achieving promotion from the Championship in 2018, with Nuno Espirito Santo leading them to consecutive seventh-place finishes before a disappointing 13th place spot last year.

Nuno joined Tottenham Hotspur last season and Bruno Lage has responded well, securing a top-half Premier League spot with a match left to play.

Next season could see the manager having to undertake a rebuild of sorts. Replacing Neves will be key if the Portuguese midfielder does leave.

The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Molineux, with Barcelona being one of the teams to state their interest in the player ahead of the summer transfer window.

Journalist Dean Jones explained to GIVEMESPORT: “I think £70million is unrealistic for Ruben Neves and Wolves will know that, but I can see it settling out at £40million to £50million.”

That’s a vast sum of money and a fee that could allow Lage to invest in signing another top-class midfielder to replace him.

Having had “sensational” praise lavished on him in the past by Tim Spiers and Lage won’t want to see one of his finest players leave the club, but if a big-money bid comes in, he would be hard-pressed to turn it down.

With a WhoScored rating of 6.86, Neves currently ranks fifth out of the Wolves squad this season, showing his importance to the team. He has also chipped in with four goals and two assists in the Premier League this season.

That tally of goal involvements is only bettered by Raul Jimenez this term so losing such a high percentage of their creativity and goal-scoring ability would be disastrous.

Neves has clearly been influential in the club’s resurgence into a top-flight mainstay over the previous four years and his departure would almost signal the end of an era.

Whatever happens, the player has made his mark on the club and hopefully, Lage can persuade him to stay for another season. If he can’t, then he will understandably be rather upset.

AND in other news, Mendes links: Wolves now plot bid for “exciting” 20y/o wonderkid, Lage will love him

Stevens, 43, joined Kent from Leicestershire in 2005 and has enjoyed an outstanding career with bat and ball

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2019Darren Stevens will leave Kent at the end of the current season after 15 years with the club but has no intention of retiring from the professional game.Stevens, 43, joined Kent from Leicestershire in 2005 and has enjoyed an outstanding career with bat and ball, scoring 11,718 first-class runs and claiming 487 wickets for his second county.He is currently on loan to Derbyshire for the T20 Blast, but had continued to be impressive with the ball in the County Championship with 28 wickets at 24.21 in eight matches although runs had been harder to come by with an average of 20.36.”It’s been an amazing 15 years,” Stevens said. “So many wonderful memories both on and off the pitch and many strong friendships made along the way. This is not retirement for me as I think I still have a lot to offer on the pitch, both as a player and a coach and am excited by the next stage in my career.”I believe I can still do it at the top level, as my recent form shows, and I am looking forward to the remainder of the T20 season with Derbyshire and finishing the season successfully with Kent. I will look back at my time with Kent with nothing but happiness and pride but must now look forward to the next challenge.”Kent have an eye on the future and want to invest in their younger players while also hoping to bring in an overseas fast bowler next season.”When you look at his record, it is a travesty that Darren Stevens did not receive the international call-up he so richly deserved whilst in his prime,” Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, said. “It’s now time for a new chapter at Kent with a number of young bowlers, and hopefully an overseas fast bowler next year, all demanding the new ball as the club seeks to keep raising standards and compete for the Division One Championship title.”

An ugly fight broke out during West Brom's pre-season friendly against Mallorca after Jayson Molumby punched an opposition player.

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• Fight broke out during West Brom and Mallorca's friendly
• Molumby punched opponent player
• The duo was sent off by the referee

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  West Brom midfielder Molumby was brought down with a rough challenge by Mallorca's Samu Costa after which the two players confronted each other as they went head to head. Costa tried to shove Molumby with his hand before the Republic of Ireland international landed a right-hand punch into the opponent's face. The duo then grappled each other and went down to the ground and it took some time before they could be separated. The referee eventually decided to send off the players with direct red cards.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Earlier this week, a similar fight broke out during the friendly match between League One side Wrexham and Premier League giants Chelsea in the United States as Levi Colwill and James McClean clashed, grabbing each other by their collars.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WEST BROM?

  The Championship side will play two more friendly matches against Cambridge United and Birmingham before beginning their season against QPR on August 10.

Seamer Lahiru Madushanka also did not a find a place in Sri Lanka’s finalised 18-man squad

Madushka Balasuriya24-Jul-2019Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Lakshan Sandakan, Lahiru Madushanka and Amila Aponso have missed the cut, as Sri Lanka announced their finalised squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh which starts on July 26.As such there will be five changes to the squad that travelled to England for the World Cup, with Shehan Jayasuriya, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya and Lahiru Kumara all coming in. Dasun Shanaka, meanwhile, is set to play from the second ODI onwards as a replacement for the retiring Lasith Malinga.ALSO READ: Malinga to retire from ODIs after first match of Bangladesh seriesOf the newcomers, Jayasuriya, Kumara and Hasaranga all stand a good chance of being included in the side for the first ODI. Jayasuriya, who is also a part-time offspinner, impressed in the warm-up game with a gritty fifty, legspin-bowling-allrounder Hasaranga had a wicket to go with an impressive 28-run cameo, and pacer Lahiru Kumara was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers in largely unhelpful bowling conditions.Dananjaya, being the only specialist spinner in the squad, will almost certainly feature.Among those who missed out, Dickwella, who was out for three-ball duck in the warm-up, and Gunathilaka, who squandered an impressive start, will rue a missed opportunity to get back into the first-team fold. Slow left-armer Aponso meanwhile had gone wicketless in the warm up game.Both Sandakan and Madushanka, though, can count themselves a touch more unfortunate. Despite being named in the original 22-man squad, Sandakan wasn’t even named in warm-up side, while Madushanka, who has impressed with the emerging team and was name-checked by captain Dimuth Karunaratne earlier this week, was available to play but featured neither as a bowler nor batsman.Sri Lanka’s finalised squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana.

Premier League and Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has reportedly been placed on the USMNT's shortlist as a successor to Gregg Berhalter.

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• USMNT looking for Berhalter successor
• Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira on shortlist
• Henry the prefered candidate for USMNT

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Following a rather poor Copa America at home, US Soccer finally made the long-awaited call to fire Berhalter due to the USMNT's dwindling quality. As such, they are now on the hunt for a new head coach who will lead them in the World Cup in 2026, and as per Fabrizio Romano, US Soccer believes that Henry might be the man for the job.

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  WHAT ROMANO SAID

  "One more name they discussed is Thierry Henry," Romano said on The Here We Go podcast. "Thierry Henry is now busy with the Olympics with the French national team so nothing is going to happen in the next days obviously, but after that, keep an eye on Thierry Henry because he's another name they discussed internally."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Henry was recently approached by the French national women's team over the potential of taking over the reins from Herve Renard who left the job earlier this summer. Henry, however, wants to remain open for the USMNT job and turned down the aforementioned job.

• WHAT NEXT FOR HENRY?

  The 46-year-old has been plying his trade with the French youth squads and is currently acting coach for the French delegation for the Olympics in Paris. It is likely that if he does decide to make the shift to the USMNT, it will only be possible after the conclusion of the Olympics.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is ‘hard at work’ eyeing up new signings for the Hoops in the summer transfer window, according to Frank McAvennie.

The Lowdown: Memorable season for Celtic

It has been a memorable season for Celtic, with Postecoglou’s men sealing Scottish Premiership title glory in midweek after an initially stuttering campaign turned into a dominant one.

The Hoops have wrestled back their crown from Rangers and been deserving champions, also winning the Scottish League Cup for good measure.

With Champions League football sealed next season, the money will be available for Postecoglou to add to his squad in the summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-6/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Ange not waiting around

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie claimed Ange will already be working hard to bring in reinforcements, believing a deal for Mohanad Jeahze is all but done:

“Ange is already hard at work on getting new players in. It looks like this defender (Jeahze) is going to come in, from reading around it looks like that is almost done.

“Let’s get some of these deals done as soon as possible. There is no point in waiting around. We are back in the Champions League and that is just a magnificent achievement, we need more bodies.

“If we get this guy in then we have Ralston, Taylor, Juranovic and Jeazhe who can play left-back. That’s the kind of depth we need if we are to be a bit better in Europe next season.

“Hopefully we can get this one over the line and a few more after that.”

The Verdict: Big summer ahead

This feels like a particularly pivotal summer for Celtic, in terms of Postecoglou building a truly formidable squad that can battle on all fronts.

The manager already has a strong group of players at his disposal, as proven by their title triumph, but a sprinkling of magic is still required in certain areas to battle against Europe’s elite next term while maintaining domestic dominance.

Tying down Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota to permanent moves would be an ideal place to start, while even more firepower in attack may be required, with no one player scoring more than ten league goals this season.

In other news, a pundit has predicted an imminent Celtic signing. Read more here.

Celtic could still potentially appoint Ange Postecoglou as their new manager for a second time, but it may be dependent on what Martin O’Neill does.

The Hoops are continuing their search for their next boss, with O’Neill coming in as interim boss for the time being, looking to steady the ship and get their Scottish Premiership title challenge back on track.

While many are expecting the Irishman to be in charge for a short amount of time, a new report has suggested that he could remain in the role for the remainder of the 2025/26 season.

Celtic supporters are no doubt divided about who they want to see as their next permanent manager, and how long they want to see O’Neill at the club for that matter, with a host of names being mentioned since Brendan Rodgers departed last week.

Club Brugge boss Nicky Hayen is seen as one of the favourites to come in, having enjoyed league and cup glory in Belgium in the past couple of years. He is far from the only option, with Lee Carsley, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane among those in the mix, too.

How Postecoglou could still make Celtic return

Speaking to Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke claimed that Postecoglou could still make a shock return to Celtic at the end of the season when the timing is better for the Australian, meaning O’Neill may need to remain in temporary charge until then.

Postecoglou may not be rushing into a decision right now, as O’Rourke alludes to, but if he knows the Celtic job will become available next summer instead of right now, it may appeal to him.

The 60-year-old enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Parkhead in his first stint as manager, winning two Scottish Premiership titles and Scottish League Cups apiece, as well as one Scottish Cup.

Granted, his stock has fallen after disappointing spells at Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, despite winning the Europa League with the former, but he knows Celtic inside out and would bring an attacking brand of football that went down well with the fans first time around.

Celtic chiefs readying drastic action in Nicky Hayen pursuit with huge wages on offer

He is reportedly keen on taking charge at Parkhead.

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 1, 2025

If O’Neill is only in interim charge for a short time, a different option feels best, though, with Postecoglou potentially mentally tired after a tough year.

Celtic have reached out to hire a "tactically unbeatable" manager – it's not Ange

Fans stormed the gates of Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the Copa America final, leading to arrests and congestion outside the grounds.

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• Fans storm Hard Rock Stadium gates without tickets
• Arrests made by local police
• Kickoff delayed more than an hour as a result

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Fans without tickets for the match stormed past gates, climbing fences and forcing their way past turnstyle ahead of the Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium Sunday night. The incidents and resulting congestion prompted a kickoff delay from the original 8 pm EST to 9:15 pm EST.

  Multiple reports said that an estimated 7,000 people without tickets gained entry to the stadium, and prior to kickoff, fans were crowding the aisles and walkways. Security personnel tried to clear those areas once the game started, and then were checking to see if fans without seats had tickets.

  USA Today reported Miami-Dade police have made "10-15 arrests" ahead of kickoff. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue arrived to provide supports on the scene, but not before tensions rose.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gates for the match opened more than two hours after they were supposed to, and it left some fans baking in temperatures of 90+ degrees fahrenheit.

  Congestion in and around the stadium led to fans being forced into uncomfortable conditions, and a slow-moving attendance ahead of kickoff. The Athletic reported that a fan wearing a Colombia jersey was "revived" on the scene by medical personnel, after stating she appeared to be unconscious.

  Miami-Dade Police released a statement sharing that "unruly behavior" from fans led to the match delay.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Colombia are riding a 28-match unbeaten streak heading into the match. Argentina, meanwhile, are looking to repeat as champions.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Kickoff was pushed back first by 30 minutes, and then 45 minutes, and then again to 9:15 pm ET local time in Miami. During warmups, CONMEBOL officials asked players from both teams to exit the pitch and return to the lockerroom.

  FOX Sports reported that the stadium was temporarily in "lockdown" and that all the gates to the stadium opened at 8:20 pm.

Both teams have struggled for batting consistency this season while the Heat have been smart with the X-Factor

Alex Malcolm29-Jan-2021Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers have to win four games in a row if they want to take out the BBL title and it starts with Friday night’s Eliminator at the Gabba.Both sides scraped into the Eliminator with the Heat winning their last two matches to qualify while the Strikers had to sweat on both Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars losing on the final day to book a ticket to Brisbane to face the Heat.After a 14-game regular season there is plenty of evidence as to how the two teams are likely to line up, but these are three key areas that could decide the contest with views from the BBL’s player acquisition and cricket consultant Trent Woodhill.Batting-order challengesBoth sides have struggled with the bat throughout the season and both teams have consistently tinkered with their batting orders. The Heat have finally settled on Chris Lynn and Max Bryant as the opening combination with Marnus Labuschagne at No.3 after Bryant was made an X-Factor sub and batted at No. 6 in the Heat’s 82-run loss to the Strikers in Adelaide.The Strikers have also returned to the trusted opening combination of Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey that won them BBL 07, with both men finding form late in the tournament which means overseas batsman Phil Salt is out of position in the middle order.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Balance of the bowling attackXavier Bartlett bowled well in the two previous meetings against the Strikers. He was the only bowler to escape unscathed during Carey’s scintillating century at Adelaide Oval taking 1 for 30 from four overs, while he took a career-best 3 for 24 in the other meeting with the Strikers at the Gabba.The Strikers face a similar dilemma with Daniel Worrall. With the new ball often swinging at the Gabba, he seems a good option to include in the XI. The Strikers opted for him instead of left-arm spinner Danny Briggs in their last match against the Thunder and he knocked over Usman Khawaja with the new ball.”I think they’re just working through getting their bowling right,” Woodhill told ESPNcricinfo. “Is it an extra spinner or is it an extra quick? I think that’s the first one.”From the Heat’s point of view it probably then goes to, are they looking to utilize a [Matt] Kuhnemann, but if not, are they looking to utilise a Bartlett or a [James] Bazley. I think it’s then working out which way they want to go, what are their X-Factors and where they need support.”Related

• Carey's 101 vaults Strikers back into finals contention

• Brisbane Heat survive Mitchell Marsh scare to book finals berth

• BBL finals week fixtures to navigate Covid-19 border restrictions

• BBL finalists: route to the title and how the squads stack up

An important X-Factor?</bThe Heat have been the most adventurous side in the BBL with the use of the X-Factor.Bartlett was subbed out of the last win over the Scorchers without bowling a ball as the Heat opted for an all-round option in Jack Wildermuth to give extra batting after batting first. He has also previously been subbed out for Morne Morkel after bowling just one over upfront with Morkel bowl four overs in the last 10."It's not just about picking your XI," Woodhill said. "It's about how do we cover our bases if things go pear-shaped or we lose the toss or if we don't read the wicket right. That's a great match-up straight away with [Jason] Gillespie and [Darren] Lehmann."Briggs bowled four overs in each of the wins over the Heat taking 3 for 20 and 1 for 28. The Heat have not used a single left-hander in their top order in their last eight games with the left-arm orthodox of Briggs and the right-arm legspin of Liam O'Connor looking like an excellent option for captain Travis Head to turn to despite the absence of Khan."Obviously having no Rashid Khan brings them back to the pack," Woodhill said. "Do you play Worrall with a view that if bowl first you bowl him one upfront? If you bat first, you'll see if there's any movement. Do you bring in another spinner or another batter?"That's the beauty, they'll lob up on matchday with a plan but that may change once they look at the wicket which I'm guessing is going to be flat."