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Allardyce Hints Man City WILL Beat Arsenal To Declan Rice Signing

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Sam Allardyce has hinted West Ham captain Declan Rice will join Manchester City this summer and Kalvin Phillips will be included in the deal.

 

Arsenal are leading the race to sign Rice after having an opening bid worth £90million turned down by the Hammers.

 

 

However, Manchester City have emerged as shock rivals to compete for the signature of the England International.

 

 

And Allardyce believes Rice will head to the Etihad this summer, with Phillips heading in the opposite direction after just one year at City.

 

 

Asked where Rice will go alongside Tim Sherwood, the 68-year-old, who recently departed Leeds, told William Hill’s podcast: ‘Man CIty. Somebody will go back the other way.’

 

 

Former Tottenham and Aston Villa boss Sherwood then replied: ‘(It) won’t be Rodri.

 

 

‘Pep will give him (Phillips) a chance’, with Allardyce giving a nod when asked if the former Leeds midfielder could head to the London Stadium.

 

 

Mail Sport reported on Friday Arsenal will make an improved offer of £100m for Rice, a bid closer to West Ham’s valuation.

 

 

The new offer is expected to guarantee West Ham in the region of £90million plus extra payments that will take the total deal to £100million.

 

 

However, sources were indicting on Thursday that the total value of the bid isn’t the only remaining issue that requires ironing out before Rice can complete his move to the Emirates.

 

 

While Arsenal remain confident they will complete a deal for No 1 target Rice, their urgency to strike a deal has accelerated as it emerged Manchester City have an interest in the England midfielder and are considering a bid.

 

 

Sources have indicted that City’s interest is not as advanced as Arsenal’s. Manchester United and Chelsea also have an interest in Rice.

 

 

The mounting interest in the midfielder will suit West Ham chairman David Sullivan, who wants to trigger a bidding war for his prized assets. But Arsenal believe the 24-year-old’s preference is to join them.

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Iraola: My Fight With Isak Has Never Been About Goals

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Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola says Alexander Isak is a “massive” player for him – but adds he “fights” with the player about needing to do more for the “collective”.

 

Isak scored twice in the opening nine minutes in the 2-0 win over Ipswich to take his tally to three for the season – but Iraola hinted the player needs to do more off the ball for the team.

“He’s a massive player for us,” he told Sky Sports. “My demands will not be about the goals: he’s fit, in a good shape and he will produce the numbers.

“But my fights with him are more about other stuff, how to help the team in other situations. But it’s good he has played two full games and today a good amount of minutes, scoring the goals.”

Iraola did not reveal which specific areas Isak needs to improve, but it could be interpreted that Iraola wants his striker to do more in the pressing.

“I will demand other things so we can play well,” he said in his post-match press conference about those demands to Isak. “And if we play well, we are in good positions, the goals will come.

“He has to contribute to the collective and when everyone helps, after the goals and results will come.”

Iraola also said to Sky: “Today we were much, much better in our press. We were recovering very high and then we can contact him in good positions.

“If we recover the ball lower, it will be more difficult to find him to have less spaces. So we need more quality effort to put our No 9 in situations like he had today.”

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‘It’s So Strong’ – Sabalenka Halts Play Over Cannabis Smell

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Aryna Sabalenka briefly halted her US Open match against Kamilla Rakhimova because of a strong smell of cannabis before cruising into the fourth round in New York.

 

Top seed Sabalenka raised the issue after going 3-0 up in the first set against Uzbekistan’s Rakhimova, telling umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore that “someone is smoking weed”.

The Belarusian asked the umpire to intervene “because it’s so strong”.

Asderaki-Moore spoke to an official on her radio and made a smoking gesture to someone behind her, before play continued.

Two-time defending champion Sabalenka went on to secure a confident 6-3 6-4 victory on Louis Armstrong Stadium as she chases a fifth Grand Slam singles title.

Sabalenka said afterwards she was not sure where the smell of cannabis was coming from but asked fans to be more mindful.

Smoking is not permitted on site at Flushing Meadows but the smell of cannabis sometimes wafts on to court from the nearby Corona Park.

It is legal to smoke it in New York for adults aged 21 and over.

“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best,” Sabalenka said.

“I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.

“I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff.”

Sabalenka is not the first player at this year’s US Open to complain about the smell of cannabis at Flushing Meadows.

Britain’s Katie Boulter previously said it was distracting, while Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones also noticed the smell.

In past years players including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have also complained.

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Onana Gets Twins As Salah Welcomes First Son Weeks After Joining Turkish Team

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Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah has welcomed his third child and first son, named Lail, Trabzonspor President Ertuğrul Doğan said after the Turkish club’s third-round league match against Amedspor.

 

Doğan said Salah and his Cameroonian teammate André Onana travelled outside Turkey following the match as their wives were due to give birth.

“After the Amed match, we travelled abroad with Onana and Salah. Onana welcomed twins, while Salah welcomed a baby boy. I congratulate their families and wives,” Doğan was quoted as telling Turkish media.

Salah’s sister, Rabab Salah, later revealed the baby’s name on Instagram, posting a photograph of a baby hat and congratulating her brother on the birth of Lail.

The child is Salah’s first son. The Egyptian star and his wife, Magi, already have two daughters, Makka and Kayan.

Doğan’s comments came after a photograph of Salah and Onana aboard a private jet circulated online, prompting questions among Trabzonspor supporters and local media about the reason for their trip.

The club president said both players had travelled for family reasons following the match.

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