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Roelof van der Merwe, the hero of the Titans’ victory in the first leg of the semi-final, starred with the ball in the second, taking five wickets to secure his team’s berth in the MTN40 final

The Bulletin by Firdose Moonda02-Dec-2010
Scorecard
Roelof van der Merwe, the hero of the Titans’ victory in the first leg of the semi-final, starred with the ball in the second, taking five wickets to secure his team’s berth in the MTN40 final with a 11-run victory against regional rivals, the Lions, at the Wanderers. The Lions, at 116 for 1 in the 13th over, were on track to chase 288 but a roller-coaster innings, containing dramatic collapse and nail-biting revival, ended their hopes of reaching the final.Jonathan Vandiar, the Lions opener, appeared as though he had pressed pause on last week’s innings – 130 in the first leg – and play on this week’s. It didn’t seem as though he had put his bat down between the two. Vandiar’s fifty came in a frenetic over in which he hit, in succession, a four, two sixes and another four. Together with Alviro Petersen, he put on a rapid first-wicket partnership of 116 inside 13 overs.The Titans’ needed van der Merwe to halt the Lions. He removed Vandiar and Richard Cameron off successive balls. Four boundary-less overs followed, and then Neil McKenzie, desperate to rotate strike, attempted a quick single. Henry Davids pounced on the ball at extra cover and a direct hit had McKenzie short. Zander de Bruyn got a faint edge off Albie Morkel and van der Merwe claimed his third wicket when Petersen nicked to Heino Kuhn. The Lions lost five wickets for 24 runs.Jean Symes and Thami Tsolekile accumulated quietly for the most part, except for an over from Faf du Plessis, whom they took for 19 runs to put the Lions back on course. van der Merwe returned for a third spell, though, and removed Tsolekile. With him went almost all of the Lions’ chances of a great escape.Symes’ valiant half-century almost stole the win for the Lions and he brought them within 14 runs of the target before van der Merwe had him caught on the rope. With 13 runs needed off the final over, Friedel de Wet attempted a big heave and was caught on the cover boundary, ending the game.During their innings, the Titans had looked set to score over 300 but ended on 287 for 8. Ethan O’Reilly had a forgettable outing that started with an over containing four wides, after which he watched Davids hit three boundaries in his second over. de Wet and Robbie Frylinck reined in the early charge from Davids and Gulam Bodi. Davids mistimed a pull shot to Richard Cameron at mid-on but the allrounder couldn’t get to it.The opening partnership was broken three balls later when Paul Harris took a diving catch at midwicket to dismiss Bodi. Davids wasn’t put off by Bodi’s departure and he and Jacques Rudolph surged on. Rudolph showed aggression, hitting two fours off the first three balls he faced and punishing Werner Coetsee on the leg side. It was up to Harris to break through again, this time with an arm ball which Davids missed.The Titans were hoping for van der Merwe to repeat his Friday night heroics with the bat and sent him in at No. 3, ahead of the in-form du Plessis. The move didn’t pay off, though, and in the 20th over a nervy van der Merwe top edged Harris, who raced to mid-on and attempted to take what should have been Coetsee’s catch. Embarrassingly, both fielders failed to take it. Harris had his man in his next over, when van der Merwe skied the ball to Frylinck at backward square leg.Rudolph’s assault continued with a classy display of dominance against spin and he reached his half-century with a pull off Harris. But during a rare lapse of concentration, Rudolph fed the ball straight to his opposite number, Petersen, at deep extra cover. That sparked a mini collapse as du Plessis and Morkel were also dismissed in the next two overs.The Lions did an impressive damage-control job and conceded only 40 between the 30th and 36th over. Former South Africa under-19 player Mangaliso Mosehle took the Titans closer to the 300 with three monstrous sixes in the final over.

Wolves defender Nelson Semedo won’t play again this season because of a hamstring injury, according to expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Semedo’s injury-plagued season

The right-back joined Wanderers from Barcelona back in 2020 but his second season at the club has been negatively affected by fitness issues.

Semedo has been limited to 25 Premier League starts, which while still a healthy amount, would be comfortably higher if he had remained injury-free.

The Portuguese ace suffered a second hamstring problem in last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton and a key update has now emerged regarding the situation.

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The Latest: Defender’s campaign over

Taking to Twitter, Dinnery confirmed that Semedo’s season is over, meaning he will miss Wolves’ remaining Premier League fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City, Norwich City and Liverpool:

“Having already lost Max Kilman for the remaining fixtures. Nelson Semedo quickly follows suit… after he was forced off against Brighton with a hamstring injury.”

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The Verdict: Season fizzling out

This is another blow to add to Max Kilman’s season-ending injury of his own – Semedo has been described as ‘unbelievable’ by journalist Tim Spiers – as Wolves’ season threatens to peter out after such a promising campaign overall.

Bruno Lage’s men have a tough-looking final four matches, especially without two key defenders fit, and the aforementioned defeat to Brighton was worryingly lethargic.

There is still the lure of European football, however, which has to act as inspiration – they are three points behind seventh-placed West Ham with a game in hand -and the hope is that Wolves can re-capture their previous good form in the next few weeks.

In other news, Wolves have been handed a transfer setback. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur could land the next Kevin De Bruyne this month, according to recent reports.

Belgian outlet Voetbal Nieuws claim the north London outfit are one of several teams interested in Club Brugge sensation Charles De Ketelaere, with manager Antonio Conte said to be keen on the 20-year-old attacking midfielder.

However, Premier League rivals Leicester City have now entered the equation, though it is thought that it would cost around €40m (£34m) to secure him this month.

De Ketelaere has enjoyed a breakthrough year at the Jupiler Pro League champions and that has been epitomised by his performance on the international stage too.

It was De Bruyne who supplied the young gem with his first goal for Roberto Martinez’s Red Devils back in October, scoring past Euro 2020 holders Italy.

The two are very similar players in terms of style and potential, and that’s something De Krant van West-Vlaanderen journalist Frans Buyse told BBC Sport earlier this season.

“De Ketelaere’s style is reminiscent of De Bruyne. He is intelligent and possesses great vision and a superb passing range. His dribbling is similar to De Bruyne’s too. Eventually, he should take his place for Belgium,” he said.

Meanwhile, legendary Club Brugge midfielder Gert Verheyen told Het Nieuwsblad (via Goal): “His versatility is a huge asset. He is complete, with a mix of physical and technical qualities.”

Valued at £24.3m by Transfermarkt, the Brugge beast has provided 12 goals and eight assists across the Belgian top-flight and the Champions League, too, where he put in a ‘Man of the Match’ display against Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain.

‘In the second half, his vision created opportunities for Jack Hendry and Noah Lang that could have easily seen Brugge take all three points. Many would be overawed coming up against three of the best forwards in the world but he and Lang revelled in the shop window such a high profile game provided them with,’ wrote Eurosport.

With Spurs still lacking that creative no.10, one who can not only provide the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son with killer balls but also be a lethal threat inside the penalty box. They have long lacked that presence since Christian Eriksen’s departure.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici would be wise to win the race to sign the coveted Belgian wonderkid this month.  On the above evidence, the Lilywhites could well discover their very own De Bruyne in De Ketelaere.

AND in other news, Levy U-turn: Spurs keen on £18m-rated “monster”, he’d be Conte’s dream January signing…

Newcastle United are reportedly now eyeing up a move for Marco Asensio in the summer.

The Lowdown: Madrid frustration

Asensio has been struggling with a lack of game time at Real Madrid this season, as he has only managed to complete the full 90 minutes in five matches.

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He was limited to just a 2023, his long-term future at the Bernabeu is now under question.

The Latest: Newcastle contact

As per Spanish news outlet Cuatro, the St. James’ Park faithful, as well as Juventus, have ‘already asked’ about Asensio ahead of a potential move this summer, but AC Milan seem to be the favourites for his signature.

The Italian giants are set to join the Tynesiders ‘soon’ in terms of having new owners from the Middle East, and so it looks as if they will face tough competition to land him.

The Verdict: Risky

Given Asensio’s lack of playing time, a big-money move for him this summer does seem risky – his rather remarkable £442million release clause would have to be whittled down exponentially.

Once hailed as ‘world-class’ by former Madrid and Spain international manager Vincente del Bosque and likened to Lionel Messi by Zinedine Zidane, the winger has had an illustrious career already, with two Champions League titles the standout in his trophy cabinet.

Despite his titles with Los Blancos though, Asensio has arguably fallen behind in the shadows of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, with just 71 goal contributions over six seasons, and often shuffled around in a number of different positions across the pitch (Transfermarkt).

At 26 years of age, he still has a lot to offer, but this feels like a signing that would have to pay off straight away for the Magpies to be worth the money.

In other news, find out which ‘special’ Mbappe-like star NUFC could now sign this summer here!

West Ham United cruised to a 4-0 victory against already relegated Norwich City to provide a huge boost to their hopes of finishing the Premier League season in a European spot.

They remain seventh but increase the gap to Wolverhampton Wanderers in eighth who have a game in hand to play on Wednesday. The win also means they can put the Europa League woes behind them after they crashed out of the competition at the semi-final stage on Thursday.

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The Hammers dominated the game with Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen grabbing the headlines with their two goals and two assists respectively. However, it was defender Craig Dawson who we think stole the show against the Canaries.

The veteran defender has been a key part to West Ham’s successes, and whilst he might get the appreciation from the supporters, he is often overlooked by those outside of the club.

He impressed greatly against Norwich winning 100% of his duels which was vital in ensuring that West Ham kept a clean sheet. He also received a SofaScore rating of 7.5 which was only beaten by his teammates mentioned above and Declan Rice.

The 32-year old made the move across London permanent at the start of the campaign joining from Watford after impressing on loan last season.

It’s been an unexpected rise for a player who has spent the majority of his career playing for a club either in a Premier League relegation battle or in the Championship.

Now he’s at the heart of the West Ham defence fighting for a European finish. He’s been described as “outstanding” by journalist Matt Law with manager Moyes praising his performances in Europe this season.

He also didn’t put a foot wrong when it came to his passing against Norwich. Dawson recorded a pass accuracy percentage of 95% during the game, proving that he is just as good in possession as he is battling one on one with an opponent.

For a player who rarely gets talked about, he produces performances that without, West Ham would find themselves struggling at the back. Luckily he has hardly missed a game for them this season with 48 appearances in all competitions.

IN other news: Imagine him & Said: West Ham set to move for 22 y/o “hurricane”, he won’t cost a penny…

Tottenham must swoop for Roma winger Nicolo Zaniolo this summer as manager Antonio Conte looks to bolster his squad in his first summer transfer window in charge of the north London club.

What’s the talk?

Reports from Italy have suggested that Spurs are following the 22-year-old closely, with Corriere della Sella (via Sport Witness) suggesting that the Italian knows that ‘decision time is approaching.’

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The Roma star’s contract expires in 2024 and is yet to renew, meaning that the Serie A outfit may have to sell this summer, with a fee being quoted at around €80m (£66m).

Manager Antonio Conte is believed to be a big fan of the 22-year-old, having assessed the winger during his time as Inter Milan manager, as is Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici.

Tottenham must sign Zaniolo

Despite a season that has seen a managerial change, an early exit from the Europa Conference League and yet another campaign without silverware, Tottenham’s season could end with success with the Lilywhites still firmly in contention for a top-four spot.

Conte’s side are fourth with six games to go in the Premier League and will undoubtedly be a more attractive proposition for Zaniolo and other potential targets if they can offer Champions League football.

The 22-year-old has netted seven goals and assisted another eight in 35 appearances across all competitions this term whilst averaging a 7.31 match rating in the Europa Conference League.

In Serie A, the Italian’s rating is lower at 6.7, with the winger averaging a 78% passing accuracy whilst completing just under half of his dribbles at 49%. Moreover, Zaniolo likes to get forward, producing 2.6 shots a game.

Moreover, the 22-year-old has been integrated into the senior Italy set-up, earning nine caps and scoring two goals for the Azzuri.

There is plenty of excitement in Italy regarding the Roma starlet, with club legend Francesco Totti praising the winger back in 2018 by saying: “Zaniolo is explosive and he plays with an unusual ease. If he continues this way he could become a great player.”

With the Italian a right-sided winger, Zaniolo could complement the left-sided Heung-Min Son perfectly.

The South Korean has netted a whopping 17 Premier League goals this term as well as registering seven assists in the top-flight, numbers that Spurs will hope the 22-year-old can one day reach should he swap Rome for London.

Granted, £66m will be a significant fee for Spurs to pay to secure Zaniolo’s services, however, with Conte a big fan, the deal could prove to be well worth it in the long run.

AND in other news: Lost the ball every 2.6 touches: “Quiet” 9-pass THFC passenger let Conte down vs BHAFC

Tasmanian cricket’s chairman Tony Harrison has scoffed at the suggestion that Hobart might be in any danger of losing its share of Australia’s home Test matches

Daniel Brettig at Bellerive Oval16-Dec-2012Tasmanian cricket’s chairman Tony Harrison has scoffed at the suggestion that Hobart might be in any danger of losing its share of Australia’s home Test matches. He also proffered a slogan in response to media criticism that seems likely to end up on a bumper sticker: “If you don’t like Tasmania, don’t come here.”Granted the opening match of the series in mid-December before the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, Bellerive Oval has been host to attendances of just 6221 on day one, 3810 on day two and 4388 on day three. This is against Cricket Tasmania’s budget estimates of around 9000 on the first day and about 7000 on each of Saturday and Sunday.Harrison admitted that 23 years after hosting its first Test, also against Sri Lanka in 1989, Tasmania was still to develop a strong “Test match culture”, something not helped by the five-day game only making periodic visits to the island state’s capital.Among various mitigating circumstances for the slim turnouts, Harrison cited the fixture’s close proximity to Christmas, ticket prices that outstripped those on offer for popular Twenty20 BBL matches at the ground, and Hobart’s changeable weather, which was overcast on day one and caused rain breaks on each of days two and three. By way of a concession, Harrison said general admission tickets for Monday’s fourth day would allow the bearer to sit in the southern stand, rather than simply to stand on the hill.However he flatly rejected any potential for the state losing its share of Australia’s home Test matches, typically receiving the sixth match of the summer when two touring teams make the journey down under.”I think that’s a ridiculous suggestion quite frankly,” Harrison said. “I’ve heard that said, and that is nonsense. We are one of the owners of Cricket Australia and CA has a philosophy in its programming to spread the game around the country, and Test matches [in Hobart] are not in question, not in doubt.”There are no guarantees, we don’t know what the programme will look like in three, four, five years’ time. But at the moment our philosophy is to share the game around the country, to give people around the country the opportunity to see Test cricket. Our job as Cricket Tasmania with CA is to promote the game and get more people to come along to it. That’s problematic when you get a fixture so close to Christmas and the weather interferes.”Another issue for Tasmania and Western Australia in particular is the lack of a set position in the calendar for their Test matches. While residents of Melbourne and Sydney know instinctively when to clear room in their calendar for the annual Test, other states have less certainty, something commonly reflected in oscillating crowds depending on the time of year and the touring team.”We can’t always be certain when teams will come and play, but one year we’ve got a Test match in the second week in November, and the next week it’s the third week in December,” he said. “So it’s not like Sydney and Melbourne where on Boxing Day you know its the Test, doesn’t matter who plays, and it’s an event. Similarly in Sydney you have the New Year’s Test.”Adelaide doesn’t have it always, Perth doesn’t have it, Brisbane gets the first Test of the summer but dates vary … so that’s an issue too. We need to develop a Test match culture.”As for some unkind depictions of Tasmania on the ABC radio broadcast beamed live around Australia, Harrison was pugnacious. Happy with how the local media had promoted the fixture, he more or less raised the drawbridge to those not expressing great enthusiasm for being in Hobart.”I should pay tribute to the local media because I don’t think the promotion could have done anymore,” Harrison said. “But I’m a bit disappointed at some of the comments I’ve heard on the radio in the last two days, not only critical of the crowds, but they’re critical of Tasmania. What I’d say to the commentators who do that, if you don’t like Tasmania, don’t come here.”Unless Tasmania can find a way of developing a greater affinity for Test matches, there remains a chance that in future years they won’t have to.

Marcus Trescothick led Somerset to a crushing 95-run win in a spicy encounter with Essex at Taunton to book a place in the Clydesdale Bank 40 final next Saturday.

The Bulletin by Sahil Dutta11-Sep-2010
ScorecardMarcus Trescothick treated the Taunton crowd to an array of attacking strokes as he booked his side a Lord’s final•Getty ImagesMarcus Trescothick led Somerset to a crushing 95-run win in a spicy encounter with Essex at Taunton to book his side a place in the Clydesdale Bank 40 final next Saturday at Lord’s.Batting first in front of a passionate and packed home crowd, Trescothick launched the innings with a Man-of-the-Match winning 79 from 62 deliveries and was supported by a muscular 55 from Nick Compton and three bright performances from James Hildreth, Jos Buttler and Arul Suppiah as Somerset’s imposing 312 for 6 proved too much for Essex, despite a brave half-century from captain James Foster.Somerset were clear favourites coming into the game and did not disappoint. While their young and talented line up has challenged for silverware in all three domestic competitions, Essex have been relegated from the First Division of the County Championship and lacked the class to really challenge the home side on the day.The gulf between the sides was all too apparent after David Masters and Tony Palladrino’s first three overs of the day disappeared for 29. The new-ball pair were both trundling in below 80mph and, with the fielding restrictions in place, Trescothick simply helped himself. He unleashed an array of trademark clunking off-drives and displayed some deft class with a couple of fours glided past short third man off the hapless Palladrino.Having raced to 50 from 32 balls he looked set to make plenty more but was undone when a gentle off-cutter from Chris Wright snuck past the outside edge to rattle off stump. The glee on the face of the Essex fielders was surpassed only by their surprise as they hoped to stage a fightback.It proved not to be, however, as from that point on Somerset’s progress was relentless. Hildreth’s prolific season continued with him running Essex ragged in partnership with Compton. He picked off five classy boundaries before spooning Danish Kaneria tamely to cover but the dismissal only heightened the visitor’s pain by bringing Buttler to the crease.Just 20 years old and in his first full season at Somerset, Buttler has saved his most impressive performances for the TV cameras this summer and once again was immediately into his audacious stride. Mirroring his captain’s stillness and clarity at the crease he launched 36 from 21 balls, including a straight six off Ryan ten Doeschate that ended up on the roof of the stand behind the bowler’s head. Somerset looked already to have too many before Arul Suppiah bludgeoned 42 from 23 balls in an innings that included two more enormous sixes off ten Deoschate. The late charge carried Somerset beyond 300 and out of sight.Facing such an imposing total Essex needed a bright start to give them any semblance of hope. Instead they lost Mark Pettini to the first delivery of the innings, chipping a tame leading edge to mid-off off Alfonso Thomas. The innings went from bad to a lot worse in the sixth over as, in the space of two deliveries, Somerset demonstrated the well-honed professionalism that has underlined their whole season.First Trescothick pulled off a blinding, one-handed catch diving to his left at short cover to remove Cook before ten Doeschate was run out next ball, risking a sharp single to Hildreth who swooped low and threw down the stumps in a flash to catch the speedy ten Doeschate short. Essex were reeling three down for 33 and the game looked in danger of slipping away quickly.Grant Flower, in his last appearance for Essex after six seasons at the club tried his best to go out with a bang, smiting five boundaries before becoming the second of three run outs in the innings. Attempting a sharp second to Buttler on the square-leg boundary a rifle throw came in and caught him just short of his ground.A brief revival came in the shape of the bulky Matt Walker and Foster. Suppiah was treated to some of the savage hitting he earlier dished out as Walker thumped a full toss out of the ground over deep square and deposited a length ball miles down the ground as Essex upped the rate. The bowler almost got his own back immediately but the catch Walker offered on the long-on boundary was spilled by Thomas.Thomas then put down another, much tougher chance next ball, diving one-handed to his right at short third man off a top-edged cut from Foster, as the fifth-wicket pair brought up a 50 partnership off 32 deliveries and carried Essex to level par with Somerset by the 20th over. It became third time lucky for Thomas soon after, however, when he snaffled Walker’s powerful sweep off Murali Kartik on the deep square-leg boundary and, tottering at 139 for 5, the game looked up.Foster, though, had other ideas. He thrashed 12 off Kartik in the first over of the batting Powerplay before his adrenalin-fuelled charge was interrupted by a Thomas beamer in the next over. Though the bowler apologised immediately, Foster was furious and ended in up in a bug-eyed exchange with both Thomas and Trescothick.Visibly riding on the drama of the occasion he brought up his fifty, off just 35 balls, by rocketing a drive through cover and when he struck another powerful boundary down the ground off Thomas, Essex might just have dared to dream of pulling off an incredible heist.Instead Thomas had his final revenge as Foster tried one shot too many, trying to clear long-on only to offer Buttler a simple catch on the boundary. Thomas stood triumphant with his arms aloft but he even would concede it was a brilliant innings from Foster. The dismissal signalled the end of Essex’s fight and they crumpled in a heap thereafter.Somerset are still in the Championship title race and as the form side must go into the final at Lord’s against Warwickshire as strong favourites.

Frank Lampard has made the best first impression he possibly could at Goodison Park on Saturday leading his Everton side out in a convincing 4-1 win, in the team’s highest-scoring victory of the season so far.

If we take one thing away from Lampard’s approach to setting up his first Everton side, it’s the higher pressing 3-4-3 formation and overwhelmingly offensive play that made the difference in the players, and with that being said, it would be no surprise if the ex-Chelsea boss will want to further strengthen that strategy by adding players in the summer who understand his philosophy.

One player who has been linked to a move to the Toffees in the coming months is Armando Broja, with the Chelsea loanee becoming a hot prospect thanks to his performances for Southampton this season, scoring five top-flight goals.

However, Lampard could have the upper hand on any other club looking to sign the £8.1m-rated star who was hailed “dangerous” by current manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, thanks to their relationship at Chelsea.

Ironically, the 43-year-old Toffees manager gave Broja his senior debut in the Premier League in 2020 against Everton, and with the advantage of working together before, the former midfielder’s appointment has now potentially strengthened the Toffees’ chances of securing his signature in the summer.

Transfer insider, Dean Jones, has also weighed in on the potential move for Broja to work with the midfielder turned manager again, telling GIVEMESPORT:

“Broja, there’s no way Lampard doesn’t come into that conversation straight away. He knows him, think he gave him his debut. If he was genuinely available, Lampard would look in his direction.”

Imagine him & Alli

Despite Everton already having a strong attacking force with the likes of Richarlison, Demarai Gray and Dominic Calvert-Lewin having a huge presence in the team, the potential signing of Broja could be something explored if the club did decide to cash in on Calvert-Lewin this summer, as the 29-year-old forward has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal for months.

Lampard wasted no time strengthening the creative attributes of the team by signing Dele Alli on Deadline Day, and will surely be hoping to find the perfect match to work with the attacking midfielder in the long term, and Broja could be the answer.

The Saints loanee also offers much more than just goal involvement, with the 6 foot 2 beast using every inch of his stature to impose himself on defenders, winning 47 aerial duels in the opponents half which is the seventh highest in the Premier League this season according to One Versus One.

His height and hunger for goals make him not only the perfect partner for Alli to serve up chances for, but also the perfect young replacement for 6 foot 1 forward, Calvert-Lewin, should he move on in the summer.

In other news: Yerry Mina proves Lampard wrong with outstanding performance

Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update on Everton’s pursuit of a new manager, with Vitor Pereira “still in England” amid his potential appointment at Goodison Park.

What’s the story?

The Toffees and Farhad Moshiri finally brought an end to Rafa Benitez’s disappointing time on Merseyside earlier this month, and Romano has now revealed that Pereira is keen on taking over from the Spaniard.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Portuguese manager Vitor Pereira is still in England together with his staff members. He hopes to join Everton as new head coach – but still waiting for club final decision. #EFC Pereira would be prepared to accept 6 month deal with option for one more season – time to wait.”

Fans will be fuming

Currently lying in 16th in the Premier League table and only four points above the drop, Everton are firmly in the battle to avoid relegation this season from the top-flight.

The Toffees’ disastrous run under Benitez has seen them free-fall down the table, to the point where they are now seriously having to look behind their shoulders at some of the teams below them – not least a cash-rich Newcastle United, and a Burnley side who have a number of games in hand on their nearest rivals.

What they certainly don’t need now is an appointment fraught with risk, and that’s exactly what Pereira is.

The Portuguese boss has had the journeyman’s equivalent of a managerial career, going through seven different clubs across the entire world in the span of just ten years.

None of those of course have seen him lead a side in England, and given the perilous position Everton currently find themselves in, doesn’t exactly provide reassurances to Toffees fans that he has the know-how to dig them out of trouble.

Moshiri has already blundered several times when it comes to appointing a new boss, with his latest gaffe being Benitez. Handing the reins to a completely new face in Pereira, mid-way through the season where he has no pre-season to work with the players, and the pressure is already ramped up cause of the league table, seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Everton fans will surely be fuming with Romano’s managerial update.

Meanwhile, Moshiri should look to hire this man…