James McClean has been a West Bromwich Albion player since his 2015 move from Wigan Athletic.

The winger, who has earned 60 caps for the Republic of Ireland, made 34 appearances for The Hawthorns last season.

It was a doomed campaign for the Baggies, though, as they ended up dropping into the Championship after finishing at the bottom of the Premier League table.

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Despite playing on the left wing or left side of a midfield pack, McClean struggled to make an impact in front of goal.

In fact, the Irishman found the back of the net on only one occasion in 30 league outings during the 2017-18 campaign.

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On Tuesday, the Express & Star reported that McClean is closing in on a move to Stoke City.

The publication claims that the Baggies initially rejected a £4m bid from the Potters, who were also relegated from the top flight last season.

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However, it seems that the pair are close to agreeing a fee, and judging by the reaction on Twitter, West Brom fans will not be sad to see him go.

After winning the Championship last season and gaining promotion to the Premier League, Wolves have been linked with an array of top talent this summer.

So far, Wolves have signed the impressive Portugal number one Rui Patricio on a free transfer from Sporting Lisbon and have made the loan deals of Willy Boly and Diogo Jota permanent.

In terms of strikers, Portuguese boss Nuno Espírito Santo has signed Raúl Jiménez on loan from Benfica and completed a £12.5m deal for Benik Afobe, before sending the Congolese man on loan to Stoke just 11 days later.

Recently however, Sky Sports Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that super-agent Jorge Mendes has enquired about the availability of Juventus striker Andrea Favilli for the West Midlands side.

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Any deal for the 23-year-old striker would bear a resemblance to the Afobe situation as Favilli doesn’t officially join Juve until July 1 after his €7.5m move from Ascoli. Despite this, Di Marzio suggests that a €20m deal with Wolves is a possibility.

The Italian U21 international started last season on fire, scoring eight goals in 14 matches for his Serie B side, before a cruciate ligament injury ended his season in November.

Check out some of the best reactions from Wolves fans to the rumour below…

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Lucas Torreira had plenty of Arsenal fans excited this weekend after his excellent midfield performance for Uruguay against Portugal at the World Cup on Saturday night.

Reported by The Daily Mail to be on the verge of a move to the Emirates Stadium this week, he’s been one of the break-out stars at this summer’s tournament in Russia.

The paper say he will cost the Gunners £25m, which could be a potential bargain given the level of his display against the reigning European champions Portugal.

His tenacious midfield play was crucial to their 2-1 win against Cristiano Ronaldo’s outfit, demonstrating he is the kind of player that Arsenal have been really lacking in the middle of the park in recent seasons.

Still just 22 years of age, he has the potential to be a mainstay at the Emirates for years to come after learning his trade in Italy with Pescara and Sampdoria.

These Arsenal fans took to Twitter to share their excitement about his potential signing…

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The Victoria paceman Clint McKay has been called into the Australian squad for the second Test against West Indies

Alex Brown30-Nov-2009The Victoria paceman Clint McKay has been called into the Australian squad for the second Test against West Indies after Ben Hilfenhaus was ruled out with knee soreness. The team’s medical staff had originally hoped Hilfenhaus would recover in time to make the trip to Adelaide for Friday’s game, but have now advised him to rest ahead of the third and final Test in Perth.Hilfenhaus claimed the Man-of-the-Match honours at the Gabba last week with match figures of 5 for 70. He took the first three West Indian wickets to fall in the second innings in Brisbane, and received praise from his captain, Ricky Ponting, for his evolution from a swing specialist to an all-conditions bowler.”Ben has had a widely-reported knee tendon injury that was sore during the recent ODI series in India and the first Test at the Gabba,” Alex Kountouris, the Australian team physiotherapist, said. “The demands of Test cricket and the subsequent increased workload have made it harder to manage Ben’s injury, so it’s been decided that the best course of action is for him to miss the Adelaide Test. He will undergo an intense period of rehabilitation over the next two weeks with a view to him being available for selection for the third Test in Perth.”McKay was called into the Australian ODI squad on the recent tour of India, claiming three wickets at 34.33 from two matches. His elevation into the Test squad serves as a further blow to the Test hopes of Stuart Clark who, despite playing a leading role in Australia’s Ashes triumph at Headingley in August, has now been overlooked for the first two Tests of the summer.Hilfenhaus’ withdrawal will likely pave the way for Doug Bollinger to play his first Test since debuting against South Africa at the SCG in January. He claimed eight wickets in New South Wales’ crushing Sheffield Shield defeat of Western Australia over the past week, and troubled India’s batsmen during Australia’s recent ODI series.”The injury to Ben is very disappointing following his outstanding Ashes and his Man-of-the-Match performance in Brisbane, but hopefully with treatment he will be fit to be considered for selection for the third Test in Perth,” Andrew Hilditch, Australia’s chairman of selectors, said.”Clint impressed all with his performances in India with the one-day squad and with his bowling for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield this year. We also feel his style of bowling will be well-suited to the conditions in Adelaide should he be selected in the starting XI.”Australia squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Clint McKay.

Kabir Ali, the Worcestershire paceman, has failed to report for pre-season training with the club

Cricinfo staff08-Jan-2010Kabir Ali, the Worcestershire paceman, has failed to report for pre-season training with the club. Kabir, who has played one Test and 14 ODIs for England, has one year of his contract remaining but wants to quit New Road to join Hampshire on a three-year deal.Worcestershire endured a torrid season in 2009, finishing last in Division One of the Championship, where they failed to win a single game. Since then there has been a glut of players leaving the club with Steven Moore, the opening batsman, leaving for Lancashire and spinner Gareth Batty and wicketkeeper Steven Davies, who is currently in South Africa with England, going to Surrey.Kabir was Worcestershire’s leading wicket-taker in 2008 with 59 victims, but was restricted to four first-class appearances last season with hamstring and back problems. He wanted to leave the club at the end of the season but Worcestershire demanded that any county signing him would have to pay £60,000 in compensation.Kabir could now face disciplinary action after failing to turn up with the rest of his teammates this week to start preparations for the 2010 campaign. Steve Rhodes, Worcester’s director of cricket, confirmed: “Kabir has not reported back for pre-season training this week. He is still in dispute with the club. It is a contract dispute. That is all I can say. Hopefully it can be sorted out as soon as possible because he is a top player.”

Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s bowling coach, said it was a treat to watch his side’s pacemen Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Asif bowl on the first day of the Sydney Test.

Osman Samiuddin at the SCG04-Jan-2010Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s bowling coach, said it was “a treat” to watch his side’s bowling on the first day of the Sydney Test. Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Sami combined for nine wickets on a grassy SCG pitch to bowl out Australia for 127, allowing Pakistan to take control of the Test by the end of the second day with a lead of over 200 runs.”We were hungry and disciplined yesterday with the ball and it was a treat to watch,” Waqar said. “Sami was on his comeback and when he went out, he looked at things and took responsibility so well to be leader of the attack. The Mohammad Aamer injury was unfortunate but it was a blessing in a way as well.”After Sami had ripped through the top three, Asif picked his way through the rest of the batting, ending with a career-best 6 for 41. The display prompted comparisons with Glenn McGrath in sections of the Australian press, though Waqar was quick to play that down. “Whenever he gets a wicket like this, he will take wickets. The McGrath comparisons are too much because he took over 500 wickets and Asif is still new. The style of bowling is maybe similar but he is a very good bowler.”There were concerns over the third paceman Umar Gul, who had been dropped for the first Test in Melbourne because of poor form. Gul only took one wicket – the last one of Doug Bollinger – and still looked short of form. “He is different to the others. He often has problems with his run-up and rhythm,” Waqar said. “He may be lacking a little confidence and didn’t get the wickets but I thought he bowled well and was unlucky actually to not get more wickets.”Though Pakistan are in a strong position, Waqar believes they will have to work very hard to win the Test, which would be their first in 15 years against Australia. “We are in a strong position, we have a grip on the match and we could have been stronger. But in Australia you have to work hard to win a Test. They will not just give it to you. We haven’t lost a session yet in this Test and I am happy with that. Danish might now become more important.”This is Waqar’s second stint as bowling coach with the side. Though his first ended in an acrimonious break-up with the previous board administration, it was a popular and successful tenure; a number of bowlers were happy with his role. He has currently been employed only for this series and said he would only decide at its conclusion whether or not to take it further.Pakistan are meanwhile confident that Aamer will be available for the third Test, due to begin in Hobart from January 14. Aamer was ruled out of the second Test with a groin complaint but it has required nothing more than regular icing. Members of the team management do not suspect a pull or a tear and his missing out here was more a precaution, especially given that there is a week-long gap between the end of this Test and the start of the third.

Members of Pakistan’s parliamentary committee on sports panel have asked for a meeting with Pakistan president Asif Zardari as pressure mounts on Ijaz Butt’s board administration

Cricinfo staff05-Feb-2010Members of Pakistan’s parliamentary committee on sports panel have asked for a meeting with Pakistan president Asif Zardari, who is also patron of the PCB, as pressure mounts on Ijaz Butt’s board administration after two days of development in Islamabad.First, the National Assembly’s Standing committee on sports, headed by the increasingly vocal Jamshed Dasti, met in the capital on Wednesday and again grilled Butt over a range of issues. Then on Thursday the upper house of parliament, the senate, called its own committee meeting though Butt didn’t turn up for this one.Dasti has repeatedly called for Butt’s sacking, criticised the PCB’s handling of the aftermath of the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan team bus last year, as well as levelling match-fixing allegations after Pakistan lost a close league game to Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy last year. “We want to brief the president, who is also the patron of the Board, regarding all prevailing ills in the PCB,” Dasti said. “We have already forwarded recommendations to the president.”Butt was scheduled to attend the senate meeting but didn’t, and PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari explained that Butt had been summoned to the president’s office. That sparked speculation that Butt was going to be sacked, and reports did emerge that he had been asked to resign, though they were officially denied. Confusion still prevails over whether Butt actually went to the presidency and which official he met there.When Butt didn’t turn up, the committee hit out at his attitude towards parliament, and later urged the Sports Minister Aijaz Jakhrani to get its recommendations approved. “I have already taken up the matter with the president during my meeting last Thursday and hopefully something positive would come up in a few days times,” Jakhrani said. “It is entirely up to the president to decide on the issue and I cannot give any deadline for changes.”Meanwhile, Waqar Younis who was the bowling and fielding coach of the Pakistan team during the Australia series has claimed that there were non-cricketing reasons behind the teams shoddy show on tour.”The performance of players was not the only reason behind the poor showing. I will only spell out these reasons before the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports. I want the committee to call me as I want to tell the people the reasons for the team’s poor performances,” Waqar was quoted in the.

The winners of the bid for the two new IPL franchises will be announced on March 8, according to Lali Modi, the tournament’s commissioner

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010The IPL’s two new franchises will be announced on March 7( initially set as March 8), Lalit Modi, the tournament commissioner, has said. Twelve cities – including four that will host games in IPL 2010 – are in the running, with the criteria for the bidding to be revealed on February 21.The cities in the fray are: Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kanpur, Dharamsala, Indore, Cuttack, Gwalior, Visakapatnam (all eight have stadiums for hosting games), Rajkot, Pune, Vadodara and Kochi (the last four have new stadia under construction).The IPL had already announced that the bidding for a new franchise would start from a base price of US$225m, more than four times the US$50m base price that the original eight franchises were auctioned for in 2008. The league’s expansion will see a much longer fixture list – 94 games as opposed to 59 in the first two seasons if the format remains the same.Modi said on his Twitter page that the IPL wanted to ensure the new owners were identified before this year’s IPL starts on March 12, so that the new owners and management will get a feel of how franchises work during the season to prepare them for their debut in 2011.”The addition of two new franchises to IPL 2011 is perhaps the most interesting development for the league from an operational perspective,” Modi said in a press release. “We have scheduled the ITT (invitation to tender) process at this juncture to give the two new team owners enough time to set up their organizations and also participate in the player’s auction process post IPL 2010 for new squads. “The announcement comes amid speculation that existing franchise owners are looking to divest all or some of their stake. Modi said those interested in buying part of or an entire franchise include a top English football club, with the MCC also keen on getting involved with the league.

As they search for their first win after two close defeats in IPL 2010, Punjab can draw heart from the fact that Deccan Chargers, their next opponents, have never beaten them in four attempts

The Preview by Sidharth Monga18-Mar-2010

Match facts

Deccan v Punjab in Cuttack
Friday, March 19
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)

Big picture

Yuvraj Singh’s form could be crucial to Punjab’s cause as they search for their first win in IPL 2010 (file photo)•Associated Press

The final step is proving one too many for Kings XI Punjab. In both their matches so far, they worked themselves into positions from where they could win. Defending just 141, their bowlers managed to give Delhi Daredevils a scare. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, their batsmen gave them 203 runs, a target defended more often than not. Yet, when the batsmen fired, the bowlers failed to turn up. In their third match, still waiting to open their account, Punjab will need a synchronised effort from both their wings. Punjab can draw heart from the fact that Deccan Chargers, their next opponents, have never beaten them.Deccan will want to point out history doesn’t much matter in Twenty20. The defending champions may have slipped up after a great start in the first match against Kolkata Knight Riders, but in their second they ran through Chennai Super Kings with a powerful show. Their batting, with Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma looks intimidating. The bowlers, who use swing well, are suspect at the death, but will be bolstered by the arrival of Kemar Roach and his mean yorker.

Team talk

Kumar Sangakkara backed the same batting unit that failed against Delhi, and they repaid his faith and came good in the second match. It will be interesting to see how he goes with the bowlers. Deccan have two questions to answer. Do they continue with VVS Laxman at the top of the order? And if they want Roach in, who out of Gibbs, Symonds and Vaas do they drop to make room for an extra foreigner?

Previously…

The head-to-head record is 4-0 in Punjab’s favour. They won by three wickets off the penultimate ball in the first game last season, and by one run thanks to a Yuvraj Singh hat-trick in the second. In 2008, they won by seven wickets in Hyderabad and by six wickets in Mohali.

In the spotlight

Yuvraj Singh has yet to get going in this season. He has lasted just 11 deliveries in two matches, failing to arrest a slide in the first, and to capitalise on a good start in the second.Rohit Sharma hasn’t quite set the competition alight either. In the first match he became part of a choke, in the second he showed positive signs and scored an unbeaten 19 off the 10 balls he got. A big innings from either of the batsmen could be just around the corner.

Prime numbers

• Deccan are yet to win a home game in any season of the IPL. In the first season, they lost all seven of the games in Hyderabad, and started the third season by losing at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. Cuttak is their third home venue, will it be lucky for them?
• With one win and one loss so far this season, Deccan have usurped Kolkata Knight Riders as the team with the worst overall success-rate. They have won 12 and lost 20 for a 37.50% success-rate, Kolkata have won 11 and lost 17 for 39.65.

The chatter

“It’s sad to lose after making a good score but credit goes to RCB, they played really well… 12 more games to go.”
“This is a fantastic all-round performance and a really big win to get the momentum going and get some points on the board.”

Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistan fast bowler, has renewed his contract with Tasmania after representing them in the Twenty20 Big Bash during the Australian domestic season

Cricinfo staff15-Mar-2010Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistan fast bowler, has renewed his contract with Tasmania, whom he represented in the Twenty20 Big Bash during the Australian domestic season. Naved was banned for one year by the PCB due to disciplinary reasons, but was eligible to play domestic cricket and in foreign leagues. He is also negotiating a contract with Sussex to participate in the English domestic season later in the year.”I have this new contract with Tasmania and I am also negotiating another contract with Sussex to play for them this summer,” Naved said. “When I am not banned from playing in foreign leagues obviously I am looking for opportunities to play regularly and this contract by Tasmania is a good development for me.”I am hopeful of the Sussex contract as it will mean I can continue my cricket in England in the coming summer.”Naved was among seven Pakistan players penalised by the PCB in the aftermath of a disastrous tour of Australia. Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf were banned indefinitely, Shoaib Malik was banned for one year along with Naved while the Akmals – Kamran and Umar – and Shahid Afridi were fined and placed on probation.