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Reliable Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin has had his say on the Hoops’ reported move for Kawakasi Frontale left-back Reo Hatate.

The Lowdown: More Japanese talent?

Celtic have reaped the rewards this season after signing Kyogo Furuhashi for £4.86m over the summer, with the forward comfortably into double figures in front of goal in his first campaign in Glasgow.

Reports last month suggested that the Hoops are confident of bringing forward Daizen Maeda to the club in the New Year, and it seems as if Hatate could also now be moving to Scotland during the winter window.

According to Stephen McGowan of The Scottish Daily Mail (via 67 Hail Hail), Celtic are closing in on a move for Hatate, who can play in midfield or at left-back.

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The Latest: Devlin’s reaction

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic ahead of Celtic’s game with Aberdeen on Sunday.

Here at The Transfer Tavern, we asked Devlin if he has heard anything regarding the Hatate rumours. This is what he had to say in reply:

“Not heard anything myself, but the reports in Japan and here are both from credible people so I imagine they’re true. Will put something together on him either this upcoming week or week after depending on how work on features go.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move…

It appears as if the links are solid, and from the outside looking in, a swoop for Hatate appears to be an extremely clever one.

He is out of contract at the end of January, so if Celtic pay a fee for the versatile 24-year-old, you’d expect that it would be a minimal one. Hatate is also used to winning trophies with his current employers, picking up four honours over the last two years.

Celtic could do with another left-back with Greg Taylor out injured, and Hatate also be able to provide competition in midfield, with Ange Postecoglou relying on Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic when fit.

In other news: Celtic handed transfer message as ‘quick’ £20k-p/w beast admits he’s ‘open’ to Parkhead move

Mickey Arthur’s resignation as South Africa’s coach came in the wake of increasing pressure from administrators over what they saw as the under-performance of the national team

Telford Vice and Firdose Moonda26-Jan-2010Mickey Arthur’sresignation as South Africa’s coach came in the wake of increasing pressure from administrators over what they saw as the under-performance of the national team.Arthur quit in dramatic circumstances on Monday, reportedly following an “irreparable breakdown” in his relationship with Graeme Smith. But a source close to Cricket South Africa denied that a rift had developed between coach and captain.”This is not a Graeme issue,” the source told Cricinfo. “Graeme is not that powerful. It looks ugly because he has been through three coaches (Eric Simons, Ray Jennings and Arthur) and three convenors of selectors, but he is still a young captain.”Arthur also said his resignation had nothing to do with Smith. “This is not about Graeme,” he told the .”I have absolutely no issues with Graeme. We had and have a very sound relationship. It will all come out in the press conference tomorrow, as he’s flying down to keep me company.”Instead, it seems official reaction to South Africa’s comparative lack of recent success forced Arthur’s hand. The team won just one of the six Tests they played in 2009, and drew their home series against England this month.”Arthur doesn’t handle pressure well at all, and he is facing pressure from a few different sources on a few different issues,” the source said. “The board is questioning him on the team’s non-performance and on issues like transformation. Even though he has been getting frustrated with these questions, the timing of his resignation is strange.”However, Smith’s vice-captain, Ashwell Prince, disagreed that South Africa had performed poorly with Arthur at the helm. “He’s had five years in the job, and he’s taken the team to the top in both the Test and one-day rankings,” Prince told Cricinfo. “I wouldn’t have thought he would be under pressure to resign.”Despite their consistently high one-day ranking, South Africa have failed to win ICC events and have instead earned a reputation as the most reliable chokers in the game. Prince took a different view. “South Africa haven’t done as well as they would have liked in one-day and Twenty20 tournaments, but those events are tough to win,” he said.Whatever the reasons behind Arthur’s resignation, a selection dispute doesn’t seem to be among them. “I was very surprised,” South Africa’s selection chief and a former national coach himself, Mike Procter, told Cricinfo. “We had meetings last Tuesday, and there was no hint of anything like this. I didn’t have a clue.”South Africa’s Test and one-day squads for their imminent tour to India were announced last Monday. Neither squad contained the kind of shock selection that could force a resignation, and Procter said conflicts with Arthur were rare: “He was very good to work with from a selector’s point of view. Obviously, we had the odd disagreement over selection, but that’s normal.”Prince was equally bemused by Arthur’s decision. “For me, it’s quite a surprise,” he said. “I will miss him, because the team operates like a family. Just the other day we all had Christmas lunch together, along with our wives and children.”Corrie van Zyl, a former South African assistant coach, will take the team to India in a caretaker capacity. The source denied that Vincent Barnes had, as has been reported, been sacked or had resigned as bowling coach.Kepler Wessels, the former South African captain and Northamptonshire coach, is one of the contenders to replace Arthur in the long-term, as is the former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, who has served the team as a batting consultant in recent seasons. Arthur is reportedly hoping to further his career with an English county.

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Hannes Wolf to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by German publication Bild, who claim that Celtic, as well as Trabzonspor and Rapid Vienna, are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Borussia Monchengladbach attacking midfielder ahead of a potential swoop in the winter market.

The report goes on to state that the 22-year-old is not currently used by Adi Hutter, as well as claiming that, despite having splashed €9.5m (£8m) in order to sign the Austrian from RB Leipzig this summer, the Bundesliga side are willing to sanction his departure in the January transfer window.

Postecoglou must move

While it is true that Wolf has not enjoyed the best of campaigns with Gladbach this season, the youngster nevertheless proved during his time with Red Bull Salzburg that he would make a fantastic addition to Ange Postecoglou’s options in attacking midfield ahead of the second half of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his 22 Austrian Bundesliga appearances – only 15 of which came as starts – back in 2018/19, the £13m-rated man scored a highly impressive eight goals, registered seven assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.1 key passes and taking 1.9 shots per game.

These returns saw the Austrian earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, efforts which, alongside the likes of Erling Braut Haaland and Takumi Minamino, saw his side clinch their league title at a canter.

The £27k-per-week forward also impressed in the Europa League that year, scoring one goal, providing three assists and creating four big chances over his 10 appearances in the competition, playing a crucial role in his side’s run to the round of 16.

As such, it is easy to see why Ralf Rangnick made a move to sign the 22-year-old for RB Leipzig, with the now-Manchester United manager stating of Wolf: “Hannes caught our attention due to his prominent development, which is reflected in his numerous national and international outings, in spite of his young age. His strengths make him a versatile option across the attacking midfield. He stole the show with [Amadou] Haidara in the Europa League [in 2018/19].”

As such, with winning the league title and going deep into European competition undoubtedly being two of the biggest objectives of Postecoglou’s tenure at Parkhead, something which Wolf is clearly capable of helping his side achieve, it would indeed appear highly advisable for the 56-year-old Hoops boss to do all he can to land the attacker in January – as he could be one of the final pieces to Postecoglou’s first-team puzzle in Glasgow.

In other news: Big blow: Celtic dealt huge injury setback ahead of Dundee Utd, Ange will be gutted

The England Women’s selectors today named a provisional 20-strong squad for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean which start in May

Cricinfo staff01-Mar-2010The England women’s selectors today named a provisional 20-strong squad for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean which start in May.England are currently on tour in India, where they have been beaten 3-2 in the ODI series which precedes a three-match Twenty20 series. Yet they will go to the Caribbean as defending champions and much is expected of the side.The squad announced includes two uncapped players – Lauren Griffith and Susie Rowe – and will be cut to 14 on March 19, following a final meeting of the selection panel.Clare Connor, head of England women’s cricket, said: “There is real strength in depth to this squad and this is testament to the development of players at county level and within the England women’s academy set-up.”The 14 players eventually chosen will be faced with the exciting challenge of retaining the World Twenty20 following our victory in last year’s tournament in England. The women’s game continues to grow in popularity and we are delighted that the men’s and women’s semi-finals and finals will be played as double-headers in the Caribbean, just as they were in England in 2009.”Full Squad 1 Charlotte Edwards, 2 Caroline Atkins, 3 Tammy Beaumont, 4 Katherine Brunt, 5 Holly Colvin, 6 Lydia Greenway, 7 Lauren Griffith, 8 Isa Guha, 9 Jenny Gunn, 10 Danielle Hazell, 11 Heather Knight, 12 Laura Marsh, 13 Beth Morgan, 14 Ebony Rainford-Brent, 15 Susie Rowe, 16 Nicky Shaw, 17 Anya Shrubsole, 18 Claire Taylor, 19 Sarah Taylor, 20 Danielle Wyatt.

Brett Lee could be set to follow in the footsteps of Andrew Flintoff, Jacob Oram and a number of other high-profile cricketers by retiring from Test cricket in a bid to prolong his one-day and Twenty20 career

Cricinfo staff22-Feb-2010Brett Lee could be set to follow in the footsteps of Andrew Flintoff, Jacob Oram and a number of other high-profile cricketers by retiring from Test cricket in a bid to prolong his one-day and Twenty20 career. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Lee is expected to confirm his decision this week and Cricket Australia has announced it will hold a press conference regarding Lee at the SCG on Wednesday morning.At the age of 33, he currently lies fourth on the list of Australia’s all-time Test wicket-takers, with 310 victims in 76 Tests dating back to his debut in 1999. However, he has not played a Test since suffering a stress fracture of the foot during Australia’s home series defeat against South Africa at Melbourne in December 2008.He was forced to sit out of the subsequent 2-1 victory in South Africa, before a side strain ruled him out of the entire Ashes campaign. An elbow injury then sidelined him for Australia’s 2009-10 home series wins against West Indies and Pakistan.In between injuries, he has featured prominently in Australia’s one-day campaigns, including a 6-1 post-Ashes trouncing of England and a successful defence of their Champions Trophy title in South Africa. He was also Man of the Match as New South Wales beat Trinidad & Tobago to claim the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 title in Hyderabad.According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Lee’s decision to retire from Tests was influenced by a discussion with Flintoff, leading to speculation that he too could seek to pursue a freelance career to maximise his earnings in the final years of his career. On announcing his own Test retirement back in August, Flintoff stated that his ambition was to become the best one-day and Twenty20 player in the world.His manager Chubby Chandler added that he would have received lucrative offers from at least four Twenty20 teams across the world this year, had he not been recuperating from knee surgery. Like Flintoff, Lee has a wide global appeal, with Bollywood connections adding to his marketability in India, and Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, recently stated on Twitter that Lee had committed to his 2010 contract with King’s XI Punjab.

Celtic youngster Owen Moffat is being lined up for a temporary January move away from Parkhead, Kieran Devlin reports.

The Lowdown: Attacking injuries

Ange Postecoglou currently has a number of attacking players out injured, with James Forrest the latest to pick up a knock in the 1-0 win over Motherwell.

He joins Albian Ajeti, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota and Karamoko Dembele on the injury table.

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Moffat is still awaiting his competitive Celtic debut, however, he caught the eye of Callum McGregor in pre-season after the teenager scored against Sheffield Wednesday, with the club captain labelling Moffat as ‘first class’.

The Latest: Devlin’s claim

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic on Wednesday prior to the Hoops’ Scottish Premiership meeting with Ross County.

One supporter asked Devlin how far away Moffat is from first-team action, to which he said:

“Source suggests they might try and get him a loan in January, potentially a Scottish Championship side.”

The Verdict: The right call?

Celtic’s injured attackers will eventually return, so if Moffat was going to feature in a matchday squad under Postecoglou this season, you’d expect he would’ve already had the chance.

On that basis, moving the 19-year-old out on loan for the second half of the season could be a wise move in the long run.

It’ll give him the chance to play regular senior football in the next stage of his career, and an impressive spell in the second tier could lead to first-team involvement at Parkhead in 2021/22.

In other news: Ange now eyes ‘really important’ 4th January target; movement ‘over the next few days’.

Ross Taylor raced to New Zealand’s fastest Test century but the hosts failed to support their red-hot team-mate and the sides finished almost level

The Bulletin by Peter English28-Mar-2010Australia 231 & 35 for 0 lead New Zealand 264 (Taylor 138, Johnson 4-59) by 2 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ross Taylor takes in the applause after scoring New Zealand’s quickest Test hundred•Getty ImagesRoss Taylor raced to New Zealand’s fastest Test century but the hosts failed to support their red-hot team-mate and the sides finished almost level after two days. New Zealand earned a slender 33-run advantage after Taylor’s 138 off 104 balls took them towards 264, a first-innings total which could have been so much stronger.Shane Watson, who survived a reviewed lbw appeal from Brent Arnel, drove well to be 28 while Simon Katich was 6 as Australia went to stumps at 35 for 0. Bad light ended play 24 overs early and the visitors will begin day three two runs ahead.While Taylor exploded in a jaw-dropping display, Australia were able to pick up regular breakthroughs, often through Mitchell Johnson, even though they gave Taylor three lives. Taylor reached his century in 81 deliveries, beating the 82-ball effort of Daniel Vettori against Zimbabwe, and blasted four sixes and 19 fours. He wanted to show his side would not be intimidated by Australia and he wasn’t, but not many of his team-mates shared the belief.In the first session Taylor received help from the opener BJ Watling, who worked hard over his 46, but that was the second highest score as the rest were unable to contribute more than Tim Southee’s late 22. When Taylor was around boundaries rained and his fireworks were more suited to a one-day or Twenty20 instead of a lazy Test Sunday in Hamilton.Having been missed on 7, 53 and 92, he knew it was his day so he kept on swinging, majestically at times and wildly at others. A fierce cut through point took him to 99 and the century came with a slice over the slips cordon.He mixed some memorable boundaries – his driving between mid-on and cover off the fast bowlers was delightful – with streaky shots, but the combination made it an exceptional performance. Following his third reprieve, when Watson missed a regulation edge at first slip, Taylor quickly brought up his century and things really got ugly for the visitors.Nathan Hauritz, the offspinner, was pounded for 25 in an over as Taylor launched three sixes in a row over midwicket, the sightscreen and midwicket again. It would have been worse if Watson hadn’t taken a catch on the boundary edge and thrown it back into the field athletically before he crossed the boundary, saving five runs. New Zealand hadn’t passed Australia’s total at that stage and were six down, but the Australian shoulders were slumping during the onslaught. By the end of the day their outlook was much brighter than the conditions.The first miss came when Taylor edged Ryan Harris between Watson and Ricky Ponting, with neither man going for the ball. He followed up by driving Johnson for four through the offside twice in two balls in a brutal response to a costly fielding error.Taylor continued to leap forward and pulled Watson to midwicket before bringing up his half-century with a six to midwicket. The milestone arrived in an astonishing 34 balls and he didn’t slow much on the way to his fifth Test hundred.Hauritz came on in the first session to goad Taylor, who swiped at his third ball, and Johnson missed a relatively simple chance above his head at mid-on. The second life led Taylor to add to Australia’s misery by slashing three offside boundaries off Doug Bollinger’s next over. Ponting was starting to scowl and chew his finger nails, but a strong second innings on the third day can eliminate his concerns.Lumped with the tail, Taylor was responsible for scrapping as many runs as possible but the task eventually became too risky. His innings ended when he attempted to pull Bollinger and collected an under-edge that was taken by Brad Haddin. Originally given not out, his decision was referred to the third umpire and Hot Spot showed the fine nick. It was so fine Taylor didn’t think he’d touched it and he shook his head as he departed.Taylor walked out in the morning with New Zealand 30 for 2 after Mathew Sinclair (11) was bowled by Johnson’s searing yorker. He put on 84 with Watling at more than a run a ball and there were 124 runs and three wickets in 26 overs during an eventful session. The pace continued with another 121 before the innings ended to signal the tea break.Watling played a handful of memorable shots through the off side off the back foot, and was a useful partner for Taylor until he played-on to Bollinger. Martin Guptill (4) and Vettori (15) fell to Harris either side of lunch while Brendon McCullum (5) and Jeetan Patel (7) both edged Johnson to Ponting.The tail delayed the hosts for a short time, with Southee hooking Johnson for six behind square before running out of partners. Johnson led the attack with 4 for 59 while Bollinger and Harris chipped in with three each. It was an innings to forget for Hauritz, who gave up 68 in 13 overs, but there was damage delivered by both sides on the second day.

West Ham United make the short trip across London to face Arsenal in the Premier League this evening and manager David Moyes has plenty to think about in terms of team selection.

The Irons drew 0-0 to Burnley on Sunday and they struggled to create much in attack, managing just three shots on target all game.

It could mean that the Scotsman shakes things up in the attack but it remains to be seen just how much he can do after alluding to potential injury problems during his pre-game press conference.

He is also having to deal with a defensive injury crisis, too.

So what sort of line-up could we see at the Emirates Stadium this evening? Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting…

There could be just two changes from Sunday’s stalemate at Turf Moor as Moyes opts for a different formation.

His backline should remain largely unchanged due to the lack of options available, with the likes of Ben Johnson, Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna all injured.

However, we could finally see a return for Aaron Cresswell, who must be facing a late fitness test before kick-off after Moyes hinted that he was trying to get him back for this game. He has been missing since the defeat to Man City, where he picked up a back injury after colliding with the post.

The 31-year-old may then start in a back three alongside Craig Dawson and Issa Diop, in front of usual no.1 Lukasz Fabianski, which means Arthur Masuaku and Vladimir Coufal are deployed as wing-backs.

In midfield, the ever-present duo of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek should remain.

The final change comes in the attack as £18m-rated dynamo Pablo Fornals returns to the starting XI after being dropped from it two games ago. He is likely to replace an out-of-sorts Said Benrahma, with Manuel Lanzini also making way for the aforementioned switch in tactics.

He will join Jarrod Bowen just behind striker Michail Antonio.

AND in other news, Moyes must axe £22.5m-rated West Ham passenger vs Arsenal, he’s now holding them back…

New Zealand’s captain Daniel Vettori knows he will need to play a key role on the slow, low Caribbean pitches for his side to break its habit of falling just short of success in major tournaments

Cricinfo staff27-Apr-2010New Zealand’s captain Daniel Vettori knows he will need to play a key role on the slow, low Caribbean pitches for his side to break its habit of falling just short of success in major tournaments. Spin is expected to be an important weapon at most of the venues for the ICC World Twenty20 and New Zealand have chosen a squad with several slow-bowling options.Vettori will lead the attack for the two pool games against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Guyana, while Nathan McCullum is expected to be his major backup in the spin department. The allrounder Rob Nicol is another slow-bowling option for New Zealand, who will rely on Shane Bond to spearhead a pace group that also includes the allrounder Jacob Oram.”We’re very confident,” Vettori said. “You throw in Kyle Mills, who’s come back and has been a very successful bowler for us, Tim Southee has done a good job, Ian Butler has come back from injury as well and at times has done a good job for us, so between the five of them from the seam bowling department I think they’ll be very adequate.”But I think spin bowling is going to play a big part, particularly on the slower grounds in the Caribbean. We’re expecting myself and Nathan McCullum to play a big role.”New Zealand have been regular semi-finalists in major tournaments over the past few years, reaching the final four at the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa, the World Cup in the West Indies earlier that year, and the 2006 Champions Trophy. They went one better by reaching the decider of last year’s Champions Trophy but the batsman Scott Styris said nothing short of securing silverware will satisfy the squad this time.”We keep making it to the semi-finals and not going any further, although the Champions Trophy we did make the final,” Styris said. “What it shows is that we do play well in these big tournaments. We have a history of doing pretty well right back for the last ten years or so.”If we play well we’re a chance, and we’re not just looking for a semi-final spot or a Super Eights, it’s a real chance to win. We go in to this tournament with the view that we have to win this tournament. We’re good enough to win it, and if we don’t win it then it has to be disappointing.”Although an attack fronted by Vettori and Bond is threatening, their chances of success will rest heavily on how the top order performs. Brendon McCullum is fresh from blasting the second century in Twenty20 international history, against Australia, while Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor are also potential match-winners.The squad features several allrounders, with Southee and Bond the only real tailenders in the touring party, and the long batting line-up is an added bonus. New Zealand will look to Oram, who is returning from a torn patella tendon, as the big-hitter in the lower middle order and he is confident the group features enough strikepower to challenge any attack.”I think we’ve got a very explosive top order,” Oram said. “Our batting line-up to me is very, very strong and right down to No. 8, 9 and even 10 sometimes, we’ve got guys who can come in and hit the ball a long way. I think that’s our main strength.”New Zealand have two warm-up games, against Ireland on Tuesday and West Indies on Wednesday, to fine-tune their side before the real competition begins. Vettori’s men walk out for the series opener against Sri Lanka at Providence Stadium on Friday.

Many Everton fans have been left flocking to some transfer news on Lucas Digne, Fabian Delph and Cenk Tosun.

As per football journalist and transfer expert Santi Aouna, the Goodison Park faithful would ‘like to get rid’ of all three players in the January transfer window.

The latter two are no surprise really, given that Delph is 32 years of age and has struggled with injury problems at the Merseyside club, while Tosun has simply not scored enough goals for the Toffees, and being 30, now is the optimum time to sell.

A lot of Blues supporters seem happy for them to leave, but it is different with Digne. After a reported row with Rafa Benitez, he has missed their last three games in the Premier League, and so could now be sold.

However, he still remains the only senior left-back in the squad, and so selling him over a row that can be patched seems silly business.

Everton fans on transfer news

These EFC fans flocked to the exit rumour as it was shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian even going as far as to claim that it was ‘shocking’:

“Absolutely shocking news if true.”

Credit: @benzoscifo

“Disgrace what Rafa’s done with Digne”

Credit: @Patrickcuthber3

“Digne should be nowhere near leaving the club. We have players who should be moved on first before him”

Credit: @EFCJosh7

“Please do”

Credit: @1986samc

“There’s fuel in the car there just give us the nod”

Credit: @Ledger89

“Couple of seasons too late on those two but Digne didn’t need to happen. #RafaOut”

Credit: @KingMantisBand

In other news, find out who Everton are ‘very close’ to signing here!