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Carlton Palmer is adamant Rafa Benitez could persuade Euro 2020 star Lorenzo Insigne to join Everton before the transfer window closes.

Benitez was appointed as the Toffees’ new boss in June and has made three signings – in the form of Andros Townsend, Asmir Begovic and Demarai Gray – since taking charge.

But Benitez is now looking to make a marquee signing to satisfy the Everton supporters and the Merseyside club are being heavily linked with Napoli talisman Insigne.

The creative midfielder is regarded as a legend at the Serie A club, having made 397 appearances and notched 109 goals.

He also shone at Euro 2020, starting six clashes and claiming two goals as Italy broke England hearts to be crowned European champions last month.

Benitez worked closely with the 30-year-old during his time in charge of Napoli and former Premier League midfielder Palmer insists Insigne would be interested in a move to Goodison Park despite the close ties to his current employers.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Palmer said: “The Premier League is the biggest and best league in the world, so of course he would leave for Everton.

“Working with a manager that you’ve had success under is always an attraction for a player.

“Everton are a massive club which is fantastically well supported.”

Wagging tails are a good sign for dog owners but not for bowling sides. There are few things more frustrating for a fielding captain than failing to rattle through the lower order after the batsmen have been silenced, and it is a trend that has left the S

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG27-Dec-2008
Michael Clarke, who made an unbeaten 88, added 117 with the tail to help Australia reach 394 © AFP (file photo)
Wagging tails are a good sign for dog owners but not for bowling sides. There are few things more frustrating for a fielding captain than failing to rattle through the lower order after the batsmen have been silenced, and it is a trend that has left the South Africans annoyed several times this series.At 6 for 280 at stumps on the first day South Africa were certain they were on top; at the close of day two Australia were so clearly in charge that South Africa’s coach Mickey Arthur had several potential answers to the question of what had gone wrong. Their 196-run deficitwith three wickets in hand was largely caused by the penetration of Australia’s attack but it was the inability of their own bowlers to skittle Australia’s lower order that had set up the trend for the day.With Michael Clarke guiding the effort, the last four pairs added 117 before lunch and it was a flashback to both innings in Perth. The second innings at the WACA was especially frustrating for South Africa as Australia’s last three partnerships added up to 157, and Arthur said his bowlers would need to change their approach.”We haven’t really bowled to them as it’s been a tail,” Arthur said. “They’ve always had a batter with them so your mindset then does change a little bit. It’s easier then for the tail because all they’re doing is defending for another batter to attack. They’ve all got good techniques.”We need to probably treat them as batters and bowl batters’ lines rather than looking for too many glory balls as you do against tailenders. You perhaps look to bowl them out instead of building that pressure as you do if you’re bowling to Nos. 5 and 6.”The captain Graeme Smith set the field back when Clarke was on strike, hoping to entice singles that would allow his fast men to target the less capable batsmen. There were two problems with the plan: Clarke was often quick enough to get back for twos to retain the strike; and even when he took the singles his partners were up to the task.Brett Lee made 21, Nathan Hauritz 12 and Peter Siddle 19, and they were runs South Africa could ill afford to give up. They let Australia reach 394, well past the 350 Arthur wanted as an upper limit. Having struggled at the WACA, Dale Steyn was the one shining light with 5 for87, which was a rare positive Arthur could take out of the day.”I thought he was very good, I thought he was back to where he needed to be,” Arthur said. “There was a hint of swing. He had some movement, he was getting back to the Dale Steyn that we knew. I was pretty happy and if he keeps improving it will be pretty exciting for us.”But Steyn will need to emulate his fellow wicket-taker Siddle and contribute with the bat on the third day for South Africa to have their best chance of staying in the match. Like Australia with Clarke, South Africa have a specialist batsman at the crease and they want JP Duminy to build significantly on his 34.”If we can maybe try and add another 70 that’s going to take us around to lunch time, not only does that get us closer it also takes time out of the game,” Arthur said. “We’ve got it all to do, really. We’ve got to find a way to get ourselves out of this situation.”Siddle, who picked up 3 for 24, will be searching for his first five-wicket haul and as a tail-wagger himself he knows the importance of wrapping up the innings rapidly. “Those 10 or 20 extra overs that [South Africa were] out in the field is just a little bit more tired legs and little bit more frustrated they get,” Siddle said. “It can put the pressure on the top-order batsmen that do have to come in.”

Anwar El-Ghazi has come under fire from some Aston Villa fans for his performance in the first half of their Premier League meeting with Newcastle United.

Villa were looking to get off the mark for the new season after falling to a 3-2 defeat away to newly-promoted Watford on the opening day.

El-Ghazi started on the left-hand side of the Villa frontline, with summer signing Leon Bailey sidelined after picking up a minor hamstring injury in training.

Two new arrivals completed the attacking trio, Danny Ings lining-up through the middle and Emiliano Buendia starting on the right-hand side.

El-Ghazi’s first-half performance in numbers

He touched the ball only 11 times over the 45 minutes – fewer than the home side’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (13).

The Dutchman completed only five passes, lost possession three times and was also caught offside once.

It was a quiet first half for the hosts generally, with Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman largely a spectator as he watched four attempts fly off target.

Villa fans tear into El-Ghazi

“JJ Ramsey the only one trying here. Buendia and El Ghazi (especially) ghosting this game”

Credit: @Villa4life1990

“Hi @ASRomaEN you still interested in el ghazi?”

Credit: @AVFC_Aston

“El Ghazi is such a championship winger. His production is so average”

Credit: @chrishutton7

“El Ghazi, kills the attack everytime”

Credit: @JordAVFCx

“El ghazi starting has really done my head in”

Credit: @Jasonmoss1995

“Same old El Ghazi, not a brain cell in sight”

Credit: @JaskiMat

In other news, a journalist has predicted this man will leave on loan.

A round-up of day two of the Regional Four Day competition

Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2009
Devon Smith scored an unbeaten 201 to put Windward Islands in the hunt for an innings win against Guyana © Getty Images
An unbeaten 201 by opener Devon Smith – it’s his highest first-class score – put Windward Islands in a commanding position against Guyana in Grenada, as they finished the day on 377 for 7, gaining a massive lead of 205. After bowling out Guyana for 172 on the first day, the Windward batsmen helped strengthen their team’s dominance by staying at the crease long enough to provide enough support to Smith who anchored the innings.Guyana picked up an early wicket, that of Miles Bascombe for 16, but failed through the day to dismantle Smith, who was involved in three successive half-century stands – 50 for the third wicket with Liam Sebastien, 95 with Darren Sammy and 86 with captain Rawl Lewis – to put the game out of Guyana’s reach. His fourth fifty-plus stand, an unbeaten 67 for the eighth wicket, came with Shane Shillingford as Windwards strengthened their advantage. Legspinner Davendra Bishoo was Guyana’s only notable performer, taking 3 for 89.Left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds took four wickets to help Barbados restrict Trinidad and Tobago to 264 in Weymouth, but a below-par batting display by his team’s batsmen saw the two sides end the day on even terms. Barbados opener Dale Richards scored an unbeaten 60 and will be the key to his team’s progress tomorrow, but he was deprived of support from his fellow batsmen as T&T managed to keep them to 108 for 4.T&T began the day on 182 for 5 and their overnight batsman Darren Bravo missed his century by three runs as he was caught at square leg while attempting a flick off Kemar Roach, who finished with 3 for 59 .However, he kept losing partners at the other end as none of the partnerships for the last five wickets exceeded 32. T&T were helped by some indisciplined bowling: Barbados conceded 40 extras, including 25 no-balls, but failed to build partnerships as Hinds ran through the tail to dismiss them for an unsatisfactory score.The Barbados reply, though, was disappointing, and painfully slow. Their score of 108 took 60 overs to get, with just Richards holding an end firmly. Following a wicketless opening spell by fast bowlers Rayad Emrit and Richard Kelly, the captain Darren Ganga turned to his brother Sherwin who delivered immediately, having Jason Haynes, the Barbados captain, caught at slip for 6. He then had Hinds caught at mid-on for 10 before spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Dave Mohammed took a wicket apiece to keep Barbados in check.A five-wicket haul by legspinner Anthony Martin helped Leeward Islands fight back on the second day in St Kitts to limit Jamaica to 201 for 7 after being bowled out for 298. Odean Brown, the Jamaican legspinner, like his counterpart Martin, starred for his team, taking 5 for 82, as Leeward managed to add just 63 more to an overnight score of 235 for 6. Omari Banks, who was unbeaten on 75 yesterday, reached his second first-class century, but barring a 62-run stand with the other overnight batsman Wilden Cornwall, who made 39, the lower-order failed to resist as the last three pairs only managed 25 between them. In a day dominated by legspinners, Gavin Wallace dismissed both Banks – the last out as he top-edged a reverse sweep – and Cornwall to bring an early end to the Leewards innings.In reply, Jamaica began poorly, losing opener Brenton Parchment for a duck. But a 72-run stand between Danza Hyatt and Donovan Pagon helped them recover. Hyatt then was bowled by Cornwall and Pagon followed soon after – he looked fluent in his knock of 62, hitting nine boundaries – trying to clear the boundary but only finding Gavin Tonge at long-off to give Martin his first wicket. Jamaica’s captain Tamar Lambert and Wavell Hinds, though, threatened to take away the game from Leewards, adding 60 for the fourth wicket, but Martin accounted for both to trigger a collapse. Hinds was caught behind for 31 with the score on 156 and Lambert followed soon after, misreading a googly to be bowled for 38. Martin continued to make inroads, trapping David Bernard in front for a duck and dismissing Andre Russell for 4 as Jamaica lost four wickets for 13 runs to slip from 156 for 3 to 169 for 7. A defiant 32-run stand between wicketkeeper Keith Hibbert and Brown prevented any further damage as Jamaica looked to overhaul the Leewards score and muster a lead.

Southampton have missed out on one of their long-term transfer targets, with Brandon Williams joining Norwich City on loan from Manchester United.

What’s the word?

Southampton were first linked with the young full-back in the January transfer window last season, with Hasenhuttl clearly keen on bringing him to St Mary’s, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s late decision to keep him at Old Trafford seemingly the only reason why he didn’t complete a loan switch.

Unsurprisingly, Southampton continued to be linked with the 21-year-old this summer, increasingly after Ryan Bertrand left the club, as it left the Saints very short on full-back options.

Would Williams have been a good signing?

Romain Perraud and Tino Livramento have joined the club as left-back and right-back options, but it seems as if Hasenhuttl is considering Moussa Djenepo as his main back-up to the Frenchman on the left-hand side, which is a far from ideal situation for the Saints to be in.

Therefore, signing someone such as Williams, who has played on either side during his time at Manchester United, would have still made a lot of sense for Southampton this summer, especially as he would’ve been a cheap option as a loan deal.

However, with Southampton links to the 20-year-old having died down in recent weeks, Norwich have finally won the race to sign Williams, with Norwich confirming that he is joining Daniel Farke’s squad for the season.

Reports suggested that Southampton pulled out of the potential loan switch due to the fee that United were demanding but if Southampton find themselves in another situation similar to last season, where they were without both of their first-choice full-backs and forced to rely on youngsters, then the Saints may well regret not bringing Williams in.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

The defender, who was dubbed an “exciting young English talent” by Gary Lineker in 2020, could’ve improved the depth at Southampton, and Saints fans may well be disappointed to see him join the Canaries instead.

And, in other news… Southampton should reignite interest in “powerful” former target

JustJoe Football Show host Joe Wainman believes Leeds United have found their Conor Gallagher alternative in Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill.

Leeds had been interested in signing Gallagher on loan from Chelsea but were beaten to the punch by Crystal Palace.

It leaves manager Marcelo Bielsa needing to look elsewhere if he still wants to bring in a new midfielder before the transfer window closes.

And according to TEAMtalk, that elsewhere could be Burnley and Brownhill, with the outlet recently claiming that Leeds have made an enquiry about the player.

On the Yorkshire club’s reported interest in Brownhill, Wainman told TT:

“I think he’s very much in the mould of someone who can get up and down the pitch, box to box, a bit like Conor Gallagher, a bit like Lewis O’Brien.

“When I initially saw the Brownhill link, I thought maybe it was a bit of a ploy to push through the Lewis O’Brien deal at Huddersfield, but we’re still no further along with that. But it’s clear that Leeds are looking at that type of midfielder.”

Certainly, with links to Gallagher, O’Brien and now Brownhill, it does look like Bielsa is keen to add another midfielder to his squad.

Brownhill, though, is such an important player for Burnley, featuring in just over 35 appearances in all competitions for them last season. Will they be willing to sell him so late in the window?

Lord Marland has withdrawn his challenge for the ECB chairmanship within the next 24 hours after it became clear he did not have the levels of support to make continuing worthwhile

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2009Lord Marland has withdrawn his challenge for the ECB chairmanship within the next 24 hours after it became clear he did not have the levels of support to make continuing worthwhile.The final straw appears to have been when he learned last week that not one of the MCC committee was prepared to back his bid and they were solidly behind Giles Clarke. He had also been counting on support from Derbyshire but that was not forthcoming.”It’s now clear to me that I will on this occasion be unable to obtain a majority of the votes required and, faced with the continued refusal of several counties even to meet with me, it is with disappointment that I am announcing my withdrawal from the election for the chairmanship of the ECB,” Marland said.Needing ten votes to oust Clarke, it had become increasingly apparent that he was well short of the required number, even allowing for those counties who had not declared which way they would vote. He was due to meet with representatives of Kent at Canterbury today but failed to appear.While publicly wishing Clarke well, Marland said that he hoped his candidacy had “helped to throw light on issues that need to be urgently addressed in English cricket, not least the absence of a structure which enables our excellent national players and team to flourish. The fractures within our domestic game, our standing with our traditional overseas partners and the finances of the sport have all combined to create a toxicity in our game.”All English cricket supporters will watch with interest how the ECB moves forward and demonstrates improvements to its governance and financial accountability, as befits a national game, and also to the future of Twenty20 cricket in England in relation to the much-trumpeted Stanford package.”The news makes the election on February 9 a formality as there are no other candidates other than Clarke remaining.

A journalist has dropped why Newcastle United were unable to sign Hamza Choudhury on Transfer Deadline Day.

The Lowdown: Choudhury linked

There were a number of reports throughout the window of Choudhury being linked with a move to St. James’ Park, as Liam Kennedy claimed that a deal could go down to the wire (Newcastle World).

Writing in a piece for The Chronicle, Mark Douglas claimed that Choudhury was ‘keen’ on a loan move to the North East, and that there was a ‘willingness’ from both teams to try and sort out a deal.

The Latest: Why move failed

Writing for The Chronicle, Ciaran Kelly has now shared why a move for Choudhury to the Tyneside club never materialised in the end.

According to the journalist, Leicester City ultimately decided against letting the central midfield player go because Brendan Rodgers could not sign his ‘favoured replacement’.

Choudhury was reportedly ‘hoping’ that he could sign for Steve Bruce’s side, and the Foxes were ‘open’ to doing a deal, but not being able to bring in the replacement meant that he had to stay put.

The Verdict: Shame

It is certainly a shame that the Magpies did not end up signing Choudhury, especially given that they only managed to bring in one first-team player in the shape of Joe Willock from Arsenal.

The Englishman has plenty of experience of playing in the Premier League, and would have offered Bruce another handy option in midfield.

Nonetheless, the Toon may now have to wait until the January window to try again for Choudhury – if their form continues the way it is, it could be too late by then.

In other news, find out why NUFC’s Deadline Day move for this 22-year-old failed here!

Andrew McGlashan presents the plays from the second day in Trinidad

Andrew McGlashan in Trinidad07-Mar-2009
Another sweetly-struck drive from Matt Prior © Getty Images
Bravo, Dwayne
West Indies really do miss Dwayne Bravo, not only for his batting and bowling but also his electric fielding. He is currently recovering from ankle surgery and his progress has been good enough that he has been able to help out as a substitute in this Test. What a difference he makes. Early on the second morning he swooped in from midwicket to run out Owais Shah with a direct hit from midwicket. West Indies have dropped catches and missed run outs all through this series. Bravo’s full return is eagerly awaited.Picking the gaps
England were threatening to lose their grip on the match after the loss of two early wickets and with the extra bowler in the team the tail was longer than usual. However, Matt Prior settled any nerves with a fine counter-attacking display and proved expert and just missed the fielders. Twice he edged balls through the vacant third slip away, but while those benefited from an element of luck his well-placed late and square cuts were out of the top draw.Tiffin gets tonked
Umpires sometimes need eyes in the back of their heads – or at least in the side of them. Russell Tiffin was minding his own business between deliveries when he got a nasty shock as Chris Gayle tried to toss the ball back to his bowler and only succeeded in finding Tiffin’s head. There were giggles all around but Tiffin remained fairly emotionless through it all. Gayle may have been advised to check Tiffin was okay as he could hold the fate of Gayle’s innings. As it was, when Graeme Swann had a huge appeal for lbw Tiffin correctly turned it down. So there were clearly no hard feelings.Shiv’s slip
Shivnarine Chanderpaul looked as though he needed a walking frame as he limped around with his dodgy groin. Gayle tried to hide him in the field, but that only added to the problems because when he found himself at slip one of the few chances to be offered – an edge off Prior – was shelled. Chanderpaul isn’t a regular slip fielder and it showed as he moved late and slowly to the catch.Splitting the men
There were rarely many close catchers to bother England throughout the day, but out of the blue Gayle then decided to bring in two very short midwickets against Paul Collingwood, who had spent most of his innings nudging into that area off the spinners. But as soon as the men had been positioned Collingwood decided to make them feel a little too close as he swatted a delivery right between the middle of them and away for a boundary.Rock the baby
Prior’s celebration on reaching his hundred was about as predictable as they come. When he picked up the two through the off side that registered his second Test ton he saluted the dressing room then rocked the bat in his arms, a single of his new-born son who he flew home to see last week and missed the Barbados Test. He has shown no ill-effects of his round trip to Sussex, using his promotion to No. 6 to show that he is more than capable of holding down that position. Between nappy changes, of course.Monty’s back?
In the dying moments of the day England were given a late boost when Monty Panesar struck in his first over back in the side. Before play he spoke of the “foundations” and “learning” but it was just good to see that leaping celebration back in action as he beat Devon Smith’s outside edge and bowled him. England will need a few more celebrations from him if they are to level the series.

In perhaps one of the stranger moves of transfer deadline day, Sheffield Wednesday secured the signing of Saido Berahino, with the 28-year-old linking up with Darren Moore’s side on a 12-month deal.

Following largely unsuccessful spells at Stoke City, SV Zulte Waregem and RSC Charleroi, English football fans would perhaps have been forgiven for forgetting that the centre-forward existed, however, the Burundi international’s move to Hillsborough could well be the transfer which finally gets his career back on track.

Moore could be Berahino’s key

The Sheffield Wednesday manager and Berahino have actually worked together before, with the 47-year-old having been the West Bromwich Albion club captain when the striker joined the club’s academy as an 11-year-old.

Berahino himself also revealed that Moore played a key role in his development as a player while part of the Baggies youth setup, something which could explain why the Owls boss decided to take a chance on the 28-year-old this summer, as he is more aware than most of the raw ability the forward possesses.

While his talent may have not been on display all that much in recent seasons, it is undeniable that an on-form Berahino is a centre-forward who knows how to find the back of the net, something the £1.35m-rated man demonstrated while playing for West Brom.

Indeed, over his 32 Premier League appearances back in 2013/14, the young striker bagged five goals and registered two assists, as well as scoring a further four goals over two EFL Cup fixtures.

However, it was the following season in which Berahino really burst onto the scene, scoring a rather astonishing 14 goals and providing one assist over his 38 Premier League appearances in 2014/15, in addition to five goals and five assists over four FA Cup matches and one goal in three EFL Cup games – taking his total to 20 goals and six assists for the season.

As such, while it will not be an easy task, if Moore can be the manager to finally help the player Liam Ridgewell once dubbed a “huge” talent refind this form – something which, considering their history, Moore is better placed than anyone else to achieve – the 28-year-old could well prove to be one of the signings of the season, as a fit and firing Berahino easily has the ability to catapult Wednesday to promotion.

In other news: “Very, very good”: Carlton Palmer makes claim on key Sheff Wed ace, it’ll excite fans