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Crystal Palace have been in contact to sign a “fantastic” Premier League striker, with his club now willing to cash-in for the right fee this month.

Palace stepping up pursuit of new striker amid interest in Mateta

Jean-Philippe Mateta didn’t exactly put himself in the shop window with his performance against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 5.8, after winning just two of the nine duels he contested in the disappointing 2-0 defeat.

However, as the Frenchman’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and fresh terms are yet to be agreed, interest from some rival Premier League clubs is now starting to grow.

With that in mind, Palace have now set out to bring in a potential replacement, and it was recently revealed that Strasbourg star Joaquin Panichelli has been identified as their top target.

However, another option has also entered the frame, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states the Eagles have been in contact over a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers star Jorgen Strand Larsen, but they are not alone in their pursuit.

Indeed, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham are also in the race for the striker, with his current employers willing to cash-in for £40m this month, given that they are almost certain to be relegated from the Premier League.

With Wolves keen to protect the Norwegian’s value, they are now open to a sale, but the Eagles should have some reservations about pursuing a move for the former Celta Vigo man…

Strand Larsen would be risky signing for Palace

Crystal Palace have already broken their transfer record once this month, shelling out £35m to sign Brennan Johnson from Tottenham Hotspur, and they may need to do so again if they are to win the race for the Wolves centre-forward.

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However, the Halden-born striker’s performances this season leave a lot to be desired, having been relegated to the bench for the past three Premier League matches, as a result of scoring just one goal this term.

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There are some indications the Norway international could be a success at Selhurst Park, given that he scored 14 top-flight goals last season, during which time the Wolves ace was lauded as “fantastic” by former manager Vitor Pereira.

The Eagles’ main priority, however, should be to keep hold of Mateta, as despite struggling against Newcastle last time out, the 28-year-old has been reliable in front of goal this season, netting eight goals in 20 Premier League outings.

Arsenal delivered a devastating statement of intent in the Premier League title race with a commanding 4-1 demolition of third-placed Aston Villa to stretch their advantage at the top to five points heading into 2026.

Manager Mikel Arteta described the emphatic victory as a “beautiful evening” after his side exacted revenge for their stoppage-time defeat at Villa Park 24 days earlier.

Goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Zubimendi, Leandro Trossard and a first from Gabriel Jesus since New Year’s Day had the Gunners four goals to the good at one point of the rout before Ollie Watkins bagged a consolation on his birthday.

Arsenal have now scored 22 set-piece goals, excluding penalties, in consecutive years, becoming only the second team to achieve this feat after AFC Wimbledon between 1993 and 1996.

Gabriel’s 19th Premier League goal also represents the most scored by any defender since his September 2020 debut in the competition.

Villa now sit six points adrift of the leaders with their title challenge potentially extinguished by the scale of this defeat.

Manager Unai Emery had played down championship talk in his pre-match comments, insisting such discussions did “not make sense” for his team, and this chastening experience vindicated his caution.

Second-placed Man City can reduce the gap to two points when they visit Sunderland on New Year’s Day, though Pep Guardiola’s side find themselves under mounting pressure following Arsenal’s most convincing performance in several weeks.

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The Gunners now travel to Bournemouth on Saturday seeking to maintain momentum in what promises to be a grueling title race over the campaign’s second half.

Off the field, sporting director Andrea Berta is working on ways to strengthen Arteta’s squad in any way possible, whether that be in January or next summer.

Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal could be active next month, and a report from CaughtOffside has claimed that Real Madrid sensation Arda Güler is on their radar.

Arsenal view Arda Güler as "Odegaard-style" signing on loan-to-buy

The Turkey international, according to their information, is viewed by Arsenal as a potential “Odegaard-style” project signing via a loan-to-buy deal, even if Xabi Alonso is very reluctant to let him leave.

Right now, Berta and Arsenal are admirers of Guler as they continue montioring his development at the Bernabeu.

The talented playmaker has transformed into a regular starter under Alonso following the Spaniard’s appointment as Real boss last summer.

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Guler has established himself as a genuine mainstay in Los Blancos’ midfield after limited action last term, contributing three goals and seven assists across 25 appearances in all competitions.

The transformation represents vindication for Real’s decision to snub reported loan approaches from multiple clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad and AC Milan, over recent windows.

Alonso’s determination to retain Guler could prove decisive in any potential negotiations.

The manager has deployed him primarily as a left-sided attacking midfielder, mirroring the role Florian Wirtz occupied during Alonso’s successful spell at Leverkusen, and Real’s boss has even compared him to the Liverpool star.

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Daniel Vettori will be in charge of a new-look team in September © AFP

Daniel Vettori has got his wish of more responsibility after being named captain of the New Zealand squad for the Twenty20 World Championship. Vettori also wants the one-day job after Stephen Fleming stepped down following the World Cup, and the former leader was not included in the 15-man outfit for the tournament in South Africa in September.John Bracewell, the coach, said Fleming had been omitted to allow Vettori the freedom to run the side. “This is the first opportunity for Daniel to captain the team abroad and we wanted to ensure that Daniel and the team were not looking to Stephen for leadership,” he said. “We also thought it would be a good opportunity for Stephen to remain with Nottinghamshire to build towards the longer forms of the game.”The leadership switch was not the only change as the wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins, Nathan McCullum and Bradley Scott were included after strong tours of Australia with New Zealand A. “Gareth gets under the ball and hits it a long way,” Bracewell said. “With their complementary skills, we are not going to lose anything if both Brendon McCullum and Gareth play in the same match.”Nathan McCullum is another aggressive lower-order batsman who performed well as a bowler on the A tour and Bracewell has been impressed with his all-round skills. Scott comes into the side instead of James Franklin, who the team management wants to focus on the one-day and Test scenes.”Chris Martin has been included in the squad as our second strike bowler in support of Shane Bond,” Bracewell said. “Batting at the end of the order, it is unlikely that his batting will be exposed in Twenty20 cricket.” Scott Styris has been picked subject to fitness after having back, knee and calf problems during his off-season stint with Durham.On left-arm seamer James Franklin’s omission, Bracewell said that he needed to rectify his action, given his tendency to fall away to the leg side on his delivery stride.”I think we’ve all noticed that there are things in Franky’s action that are not right, so we have decided this is the time to do it,” he told the . “It is tough on him because no one wants to miss out on cricket.”New Zealand squad Daniel Vettori (capt), Shane Bond, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Chris Martin, Craig McMillan, Brendon McCullum (wk), Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Bradley Scott, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Lou Vincent.

Murali has taken 82 wickets against South Africa from just 13 Tests © Getty Images

Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s stand-in captain, has singled out Muttiah Muralitharan as the biggest threat to his team as they prepare for their two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Of his 635 Test wickets, Muralitharan has taken 82 against South Africa from 13 Tests at an average of 23.34. More than half of them (47) have been taken in Sri Lanka from seven Tests.”The way Sri Lanka has been playing recently shows that they are in pretty good form. Their captain [Mahela Jayawardene], Kumar Sangakkara, Murali, and Sanath Jayasuriya coming back into the side make them a strong unit. But our main worry will be Murali,” Prince told reporters. “These days everyone can analyse the players and we’ve got a lot of footage of the key players. We will be studying them before the series. We are missing some key players in our team and playing away from home makes us the underdogs in the series.”A lot of them [critics] say that experience counts a lot but one of the guys who will be replacing one of them is Jacques Rudolph, the only batsmen to score a Test hundred the last time we toured here,” Prince continued. “One of the other guys coming back is Herschelle Gibbs. Both are experienced Test players.”Despite the escalation of violence in Sri Lanka with the peace process between the government and the rebel Tamil Tigers virtually broken, Prince said that South Africa were quite happy with the security situation: “By all accounts there was someone who came out to check out on the security situation and we’ve been assured that everything is fine.”Mahela Jayawardene, his opposite number, felt that playing at home only heightened the expectations of his team. “With the amount of cricket that is being played today any country experiences a couple of major players who are forced to miss out because of injuries,” he said. “But once you put on your jersey to play for your country it doesn’t matter against whom you are playing against. We came across England in that manner. There are things that we can control and some we can’t control. We just want to be focused on what we can control on the team South Africa is going to put out on July 27.”Tom Moody, Sri Lanka’s coach, added that South Africa were always a tough opponent home or away. “We are determined to continue to keep our form and maintain the consistency as a team and the high standards we had in England in preparation for the matches,” he said. “The pleasing thing is we have a got a nice balance in the side with a blend of youth and experience.”South Africa open their tour with a three-day warm up match against a Sri Lanka Cricket President’s XI starting Saturday before going into the Test series on July 27.

Leicestershire could now be playing more Twenty20 cricket this summer © Getty Images

The first 20 over-a-side international club tournament is set to go ahead at Grace Road, the home ground of Leicestershire, after the ECB gave clearance for the event. Despite being knocked out in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 on Saturday, Leicestershire are expected to be one of the sides taking part. has reported that one other English county will take part along with a South African side, a World XI as well as Indian and Pakistani teams. The Professional Cricketer’s Association would also produce a Master’s XI.An ECB spokesman told BBC Sport: “It’s not an official ECB competition but we have no objection at all to it going ahead.” The ECB hold the rights to the “Twenty20” branding so a small change of title will be required for this new tournament.The venture is being organised by Investors in Cricket (IIC), the consortium which is now in charge of running Leicestershire. They are keen to tap into the huge Asian market in the area and also aim to take this club version of the game to other countries in the near future.

Essex 400 for 9 (Middlebrook 115, Caddick 6-80) and 52 for 2 lead Somerset 339 (Cox 86) by 113 runs
ScorecardThe view from the old pavilion at Taunton – proudly misspelled as “The Old Pavillion” (with two Ls) on a new banner – is one of the county circuit’s lovelier vistas. When the air is clear, as it was this glorious afternoon, the Quantock Hills seem to lie in Arlottesque splendour just yards behind the (new) pavilion.Somerset have recently announced a £20million plan to redevelop the ground, but when the cricket on offer is as compelling as this, with the initiative batted back and forth, you wouldn’t complain if you sat on a broken bench with a backdrop of slagheaps and motorway flyovers.For the second day on the trot it was the unfashionable that shone. And that was just as well for Essex, since the celebrities are thin on the ground in the bowling department just now. Darren Gough, after just 88 overs for Essex (two Championship games and two one-day games) is being rested and Danish Kaneria, on the celebrity B-list after picking up bucketloads of Test wickets for Pakistan against Bangladesh, has a sore finger. Essex’s other overseas player, Scott Brant, was off-colour, so it was down to Andy Clarke, who a couple of seasons ago was playing most of his cricket for Hutton CC in Essex’s Shepherd Neame League.In a mature post-lunch spell he showed great control to return figures of 2 for 29 from 12 overs, bowled off the reel. He consistently beat the bat of Jamie Cox, the one Somerset batsman who really dug in. Cox’s gritty 86, made largely under the morning’s louring grey clouds, kept Somerset in a match they seemed to be crashing out of at 147 for 5. Things got worse as the lower-middle order chucked away promising starts. And when Cox at last fell, Somerset had sagged to a sorry 198 for 8 – still 53 from escaping the follow-on.But yesterday, Essex had recovered from an unhealthy 210 for 6, and now there was another Lazarus-like recuperation. The sun was smiling, and the home bowlers decided to have fun with the bat. Over the next 16 overs, the three Somerset Test players – batting nine, ten and jack – produced the most joyous cricket of the match so far.This is what Championship fare should be like: Richard Johnson seemed to middle everything, even conjuring two glorious Caribbean swivel-pulls. His carefree fifty came off only 34 balls, and when he went, two balls later, he had larruped 58, with four huge sixes and six fours. Twenty-two came from one Adrian McCoubrey over – though Clarke might have held on to a skyer as the boundaries rained from Johnson’s bat.Andrew Caddick put aside his inhibitions too, and with full-blooded assistance from Nixon McLean – sixes clattered into the sightscreens at either end – those last 16 overs of the Somerset innings tossed in a cracking 141. Far from following on, they cut Essex’s lead to 61: useful, but not dominant.McLean then produced a couple of beauties to sweep away the Essex openers on an evening suffused with golden light, and with the lead extended to 113, this match remains intriguingly poised. It could go all the way. Let’s hope it does.Hugh Chevallier is deputy editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

Covers tell the tale

Rain had the final say at Cardiff, on the last day of the Glamorgan v Hampshire Frizzell County Championship match. Both sides taking 11 points for their efforts.Glamorgan started the day three wickets down and a deficit of 243, but on the bland pitch had no trouble in gaining enough runs to avoid the follow on, the only real chance Hampshire had of forcing a victory.The sun shone when play began on time, but as the morning progressed the clouds built up. Play was suspended shortly after lunch, and the final word came from umpires Willey and Cowley at 3:30pm.Matthew Maynard and Michael Powell took their fourth wicket partnership to 166, before Wasim Akram forced Powell into playing on with the first delivery of the second new ball.Chris Tremlett who had received a mauling from Maynard the day before gained some revenge by having him well caught at mid-wicket. He followed this by trapping young wicket-keeper Wallace lbw.

* Kumble bowls, says he is not feeling any discomfortAfter a ninth-month lay-off from cricket, Indian spin ace Anil Kumblebowled for the first time at a full-fledged competitive level onThursday and said he did not feel any discomfort, indicating that hewoul be totally fit in about two months.Kumble, who is leading the Karnataka State Cricket Association team,sent down ten overs at a stretch against Andhra in a three-day matchof the KSCA Diamond Jubilee All India tournament in Bangalore. “I didnot feel discomfort at all. I got my line and length alright.Hopefully, I will get a wicket tomorrow, ” Kumble, who had figures of10-1-26-0, said.Kumble had already said he was hoping to return to the Indian side forthe tour to South Africa in October. Having already taken 276 wicketsin 61 Tests, the leg-spinner is also looking forward to cross the 300mark. He has returned to competitive cricket after withdrawing midwaythrough a one-day series in Sharjah in October last year and thenundergoing shoulder surgery in Johannesburg in January.* Double delight for Venkatesh PrasadIt was a day of double delight for Karnataka medium pacer VenkateshPrasad. He was recalled for the three Test series in Sri Lankastarting later this month, and won the Arjuna award. First came thenews that he has been included in the 16-member team, and hours laterit was known that he was among the 16 Arjuna awardees announced for2000-01.”I am very happy to be back….I am eager to bowl,” Prasad toldreporters in Bangalore on getting the news. “I have been working on myfitness.”News of his inclusion in the team came in the midst of a match in theKSCA Diamond Jubilee All India tournament for the Coromandel CementCup. Prasad is a member of the KSCA XI, which is playing againstAndhra in a three-day match of the tournament.”The wickets in Sri Lanka are not very helpful for fast bowlers. But Iwill bowl a steady line and length and wait for the batsmen to makemistakes,” he said.* Four East Zone Academy players for NCAFour players from the East Zone Academy have been selected for theNational Cricket Academy. They are Mihir Diwakar of Bihar, SubitBiswal and Rakesh Mohanty of Orissa and Ritesh Jaiswal of Bengal.Mihir Diwakar represented the Under-19 Indian team in the World Cupwhile Rakesh Mohanty represented the Under-17 Indian team which wonthe Asian Championship at Dhaka last year. Ritesh Jaiswal has beenselected for the Bengal Ranji probables for the coming season.

Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq has expressed his disappointment with the selectors over not having another spinner in the squad to cover for the injured Yasir Shah in the opening Test in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan prefer to play two fast bowlers and at least two specialist spinners but were forced to bring in Imran Khan as part of a three-man seam attack after a back spasm ruled out Yasir.Pakistan initially named a 15-man squad, with another spinner – either Zafar Gohar or Mohammad Asghar – expected to come in as a 16th player but instead Shoaib Malik was selected having not played a Test in five years. Less than 24 hours before the first Test, Yasir collapsed during a training session and he was unable to prove his fitness on Tuesday morning. It was a major setback for Pakistan, with their plans centred on Yasir.The flaw in their selection was immediately apparent, with no spinner sitting on the bench as a cover. Misbah made his feelings clear before the start of the match, saying: “I think it’s a mismanagement and we’re really disappointed by this.”The team’s management had attempted to bring back Gohar but the uncapped left-arm spinner had already returned to Pakistan after playing in two warm-up matches against England and had to apply for another visa.The PCB made every effort to fly Gohar overnight to Abu Dhabi from Lahore and make him available for selection but time was against them. He did not make it and Pakistan had to play three seamers against their will, leading to Misbah voicing his disapproval publically.It was, however, with the consent of Misbah that team management preferred Malik to either Gohar or Asghar. Both were to be judged while playing for Pakistan A against England in Sharjah last week, with Gohar emerging as the standout performer with figures of 2 for 47 and 3 for 72.It is understood that Misbah was not happy with the selections in the first place, with four seamers and two spinners included, but he did not resist and the squad was ultimately named with his consent. With Mohammad Hafeez currently banned from bowling, Zulfiqar Babar will therefore carry the spin burden, although Malik – who has 21 Test wickets at 61.47 – is also likely to contribute.

Worcestershire ruined their chances of getting to the top of NationalLeague Division One by losing to Kent by 44 runs at Canterbury. Thiswin enabled Kent to avoid relegation.Worcestershire chasing a target of 229, were all out for 184 in 41overs. They were 81 no loss in 11 overs at one stage. Jamie Pipescored 45 in 24 balls and was first out at 81. Then Greame Hick andVikaram Solanki were both out for ducks. David Leatherdale (6) andElliot Wilson (0) were dismissed in quick succession. Philip Weston(47), Steve Rhodes (40) and Richard Illingworth (21) fought hard butcould only delay the Kent victory. Martin McCague took 3 for 29 whiledebutant Darren Scott finished with 3 for 21.Earlier, Kent batted first to score 228 for 8 in 45 overs with RahulDravid (104) and Hockley (64) being the chief contributors. The twoadded 99 runs in 24 overs for the third wicket. Worcestershire droppedDravid twice when he was on 1 and 67 and paid a big price for thosemissed chances.