Arsenal are interested in signing Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the summer transfer window, according to an update from journalist Dean Jones.

Is Calvert-Lewin struggling this season?

Back in the 2020/21 season, the Englishman was on fire for the Blues, scoring 16 goals in 32 Premier League starts and standing out as one of the best attacking players in the division. Since then, however, he has been plagued by injury problems and is currently still out – with his 2022/23 campaign being horribly stunted.

This season, Calvert-Lewin has made just nine league starts and 11 appearances overall, scoring only once in that time and struggling to make any kind of positive impact. The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer of 2025 and he has been linked with a move to Arsenal numerous times in recent months.

It is a rumour that is refusing to go away, as the Gunners look to add more attacking quality to their ranks ahead of next season.

Could striker join Arsenal in the summer?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, transfer expert Jones claimed that Arsenal remain keen on acquiring Calvert-Lewin's signature at the end of the season:

"Calvert Lewin genuinely has been looked at; it's one that they've had on their radar for a couple of years now.

"But, because they've got Gabriel Jesus now, because they've had Nketiah playing in that role, they've also used Trossard in that role, they've got Balogun to come back into the fold in the summer, it's difficult to see why they would go and spend reasonably big money on Calvert-Lewin."

Losing Calvert-Lewin would clearly be a blow for Everton, given his pedigree as a footballer – Carlo Ancelotti once hailed him as "fantastic" during his time as manager – although his injury problems are now becoming a big issue, which would make losing slightly easier to accept.

On one hand, seeing such a talented striker move on would be a big setback, given his match-winning potential and the fact that he has won 11 caps and scored four goals for England. On the flip side, however, if Arsenal were to come in with a huge offer this summer, the funds could to used to sign a few new players – individuals who are less injury-prone and who can strengthen the Blues in a couple of areas.

It could simply be a case of waiting to see how much Arsenal are willing to spend on Calvert-Lewin, before weighing up his future, assuming Everton stay in the Premier League, with relegation to the Championship almost certain to lead to an exit.

Matt Quinn finally broke a monumental record eighth-wicket stand of 222 between Sam Northeast and James Tredwell to set up Essex for their third Championship win of the season

ECB Reporters Network06-Jul-2016Essex 569 (Bopara 94, ten Doeschate 91, Westley 88, Lawrence 82, Rabada 4-118) and 9 for 0 (Browne 8*, Cook 1*) beat Kent 207 (Blake 89*, Porter 3-51) and 370 (Northeast 166*, Tredwell 124, Quinn 4-60) by ten wickets
ScorecardSam Northeast remained unbeaten on 166•Getty Images

Matt Quinn finally broke a monumental record eighth-wicket stand of 222 between Sam Northeast and James Tredwell to set up Essex for their third Championship win of the season and a return to the top of the Specsavers County Championship.The Kent pair had come together seven overs before tea on the third day and were finally separated 80 overs and just over five hours later in mid-afternoon on the final day.Once Tredwell had gone for a career-best 124, Essex had an extra spring in their step and they wrapped up the Kent second innings in four more overs before knocking off the nine runs required for victory in 10 balls to claim a maximum 24 points. That took them back above Kent at the top of Division Two by 18 points.Northeast, with his third century of the season, and second in four innings, remained 166 not out and had the pleasure of rocking on to the back foot to hit Graham Napier for the four that meant Essex had to bat again. He faced 320 balls and hit 23 fours.Northeast said: “I think we can look back at it now with a sense of pride. It still doesn’t make me feel any better at the moment. We nearly dared to believe that we were going to do it. We just kept ticking it over, and it’s a shame it had to end like that in a collapse.”But it was great character from Tredders. It sums him up as a person really. In those tricky situations he comes out fighting. It is huge credit to him.”As a batting unit we would admit we should have got more runs in the first innings, and even in the second here on a pitch that got flatter as it went on. We have put some great totals on the board this year and hopefully Tredders, too, can kick on from this.”Kent had been asked to score 362 to avoid an innings defeat and took up 122 overs, and three-and-a-half sessions, in doing so. After being 138 for 7 when Tredwell joined his captain, and after nearly five sessions in the field when Essex amassed 569 runs, it was a truly Herculean effort.A weary Tredwell finally went on 124 – one better than the unbeaten 123 he scored against the New Zealanders in 2008. He pulled Quinn to mid-on where Ryan ten Doeschate pouched the catch. He had batted for 269 balls and hit 20 fours.The last two wickets offered little support for Northeast. Kagiso Rabada had already shown a tendency to try and hook every ball. So when Quinn dropped one short he skied almost vertically and James Foster moved round in front of the stumps to take.Mitch Claydon then gave Quinn his deserved fourth wicket when he lofted to Ravi Bopara at deep square leg.Essex spent a frustrating day in the field. Not even the introduction of the new ball in the third over of the morning brought about any change in the obdurate, but serene batting of the Kent eighth-wicket pair.Tredwell survived a loud and long appeal for lbw to the first ball of the day from Tom Westley, but in truth his front leg was thrust well forward. Quinn then produced a peach of a ball that Northeast just,managed to avoid.Indeed, Quinn was the pick of the Essex bowlers. He almost had Tredwell twice in one over, first when he slashed, but slashed hard at a ball that cleared the slip cordon, and when the batsman got an inside-edge that just missed off stump and raced away to fine leg for another four.Otherwise it was plain sailing on a sunny pre-lunch session. The only interruptions to a fine example in concentration came when batting records when announced. The first was when they beat the 157 of Alan Hilder and Charlie Wright for Kent versus Essex, which dated back to a match at Gravesend in 1924.When Tredwell cut Bopara for his 19th four to backward point to reach his century, it also set a Kent eighth-wicket stand against all-comers. They went on to eclipse the 177 that stood to Geraint Jones and Yasir Arafat since 2007 when they thrashed Warwickshire all around Canterbury.Northeast, who was dropped on 30 on the third night, survived another chance 115 runs later. Quinn was the unfortunate bowler on the first occasion, and straight after lunch he had the Kent captain hitting firmly but uppishly to midwicket where Dan Lawrence dived to his left but spilled the catch.Northeast scored only 29 runs in the morning session, but he came alive with a powerful square-cut off Quinn that brought up his 150 off 299 balls, with 20 fours.As records continued to fall, Tredwell went past his highest Championship score of 116 not out nine years ago against Yorkshire – and then beat his career best.

West Indies have made an unpromising start to their preparations for the tri-series with Australia and South Africa, as they were beaten twice in the space of three days by Barbados Select in a pair of practice matches

Daniel Brettig28-May-2016West Indies have made an unpromising start to their preparations for the tri-series against Australia and South Africa, as they were beaten twice in the space of three days by a Barbados Select XI in a pair of practice matches.Thrashed by 50 runs in a day-night encounter at the Kensington Oval on Wednesday, West Indies lost again by four wickets in Cave Hill on Friday. These were the first fixtures for the team since their World T20 victory in India, with the squad comprising of some T20 players mixed with younger names.While the main priority for the team was to gain match practice in a variety of conditions ahead of the tri-series, the fact that they were unable to defeat a side composed of some players with limited international experience and Barbados’ fringe players does not bode well for harder assignments ahead.In the first match, half-centuries from Shai Hope and Omar Phillips led the way for Barbados Select in compiling a tally of 290 for 8 from 50 overs. Offspinner Hayden Walsh (3 for 17) and seamers Kevin Stoute (2 for 28), Tarik Shorey (2 for 33) and Dario Seale (2 for 50) then rounded West Indies up for 250 in 47.1 overs.Conditions were lower and slower in Cave Hill, and West Indies scrapped their way to 200 for 9 from 45 overs after choosing to bat. No player was able to make a half-century, while medium-pacer Kyle Mayers scooped 4 for 47.In reply, Barbados Select cruised to the target with seven overs to spare, helped by 49 from Aaron Jones and 48 from Hope. West Indies’ opening match of the tournament is against South Africa in Guyana on June 3.

Leicestershire’s bowlers were at their best as the Foxes completed their second T20 victory of the season, beating Durham by six wickets

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2016
ScorecardBen Raine picked up three wickets as Durham’s batsmen struggled (file photo)•Getty Images

Leicestershire’s bowlers were at their best as the Foxes completed their second T20 victory of the season, beating Durham by six wickets.Asked to bat after losing the toss, Durham made a bad start when the in-form Phil Mustard edged Clint McKay’s first delivery to wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien, the ball leaving the left-hander off the pitch.In the next over Mark Stoneman missed a full toss from Ben Raine and was bowled, and Durham did not help themselves when Michael Richardson played a McKay delivery straight to Raine at short extra cover and called Graham Clark for an unlikely single. Raine’s direct hit left the unfortunate Clark well short of his ground.Richardson’s short innings came to an end when he lifted Kevin O’Brien gently to Leicestershire captain Mark Pettini at mid-off, and when Ryan Pringle was bowled by Raine, missing an airy drive at a delivery which went on to hit the off stump, the Jets were 26 for 5.In the circumstances Keaton Jennings and Callum MacLeod could not afford to take risks as they looked to rebuild the innings, and though they added 58 runs for the sixth wicket, they did not increase the run rate to more than six an over.MacLeod, feeling the pressure, tried to switch hit the medium pace of Neil Dexter and top edged an easy catch to McKay at short fine leg, and Kevin O’Brien calmly held two catches on the boundary to see the end of Scott Borthwick and Barry McCarthy, in between those two dismissals running out Jennings with a direct hit as the batsman tried to regain his ground after being sent back.Required to defend a total of just 120, Durham needed early wickets, and Chris Rushworth picked up two to give them hope, first ripping out Mark Cosworth’s off stump with the ball of the match, and then squaring up Pettini and inducing the opener to offer a simple caught-and-bowled opportunity.Kevin O’Brien pulled a short ball from Borthwick high to Richardson on the midwicket boundary, the delivery staying a little low, and when the left-handed Raine pulled another Borthwick short ball straight to MacLeod at short midwicket, the visitors were still in the game.The pitch was essentially good, however, and without the pressure of needing to score quickly, Umar Akmal (26 not out) and Niall O’Brien (33 not out) calmly steered their side to victory.

Tottenham Hotspur winger Dejan Kulusevski has shared his liking towards the young coach currently at the north London club, Ryan Mason.

What did Kulusevski say?

The issues at Spurs are there for all to see as their pursuit of a spot in next season's Champions League has begun to fall away over recent weeks.

After parting ways with Antonio Conte during the international break, the Lilywhites have only gone on to win one of their three Premier League games.

And even that victory came in controversial fashion with VAR issuing an apology to Brighton & Hove Albion for the decisions made in that game.

The search for their next permanent manager goes on with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique believed to be on the radar of Daniel Levy.

In the meantime, Conte's assistant, Cristian Stellini, has been handed the keys in north London with Mason acting as his assistant coach.

However, the 31-year-old was one of the names who was tipped to potentially take over from the Italian with his coaching staff expected to have left alongside him.

And speaking about Mason, Kulusevski has waxed lyrical about the young coach who has taken on a big role at his boyhood club:

"I like him a lot, because you know he was a player there just a couple of years ago. He knows how it is to be in our shoes. Like today, I spoke to him after the training, he was seeing something when I was shooting and trying to correct it, ask me about what I think when I shoot like that.

"It's good when you can speak with someone who knows what they're talking about because he was in your shoes a couple of years ago. He's a fantastic guy honestly."

Should Mason have been handed the job?

Stellini's promotion to manager has seen very little change in north London with the 48-year-old simply carrying over Conte's style of play and formation.

Spurs have now named an unchanged team for the last three games (all of Stellini's games in charge) and the performances have left a lot to be desired.

Saturday's game against Bournemouth was perhaps the biggest example of this as he ended up playing Harry Kane in midfield as Spurs chased the game following another poor display which saw them fall behind to the Cherries in the second half.

Perhaps replacing Conte and his team altogether would have been the best option for Daniel Levy with Mason potentially bringing some fresh ideas to the table.

The Spurs defence has been nothing short of abysmal this season with only six other sides having conceded more goals than their 45 this season.

Yet nothing has changed systematically since Conte's exit and Spurs have conceded five goals in their three games under Stellini.

Even further up the field, Kulusevski has not been the same player this season as he was last term, yet Arnaut Danjuma still awaits his first start in the league.

Unless changes are made, the next seven games for Spurs could prove tough watches for their fans.

Crystal Palace are keen on a deal to bring Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman back to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Lookman's future?

The Eagles have Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew out of contract at the end of the season so reinforcements will be needed should one or both of the pair depart, and with his versatility to play out wide on both flanks and at centre-forward, the 25-year-old has been highlighted as a potential ideal candidate.

The Nigeria international only arrived at the Gewiss Stadium last summer so is still in his debut season, but having worked his socks off to become Gian Piero Gasperini’s top-performing attacking player with a match rating of 6.95, has caught the eye of Roy Hodgson and Dougie Freedman.

The Serie A attacker will already be used to playing in England having previously had a spell at Everton before later carrying out two loans with Fulham and Leicester City, as per Transfermarkt, and if the following update is anything to go by, he could be set to stage his comeback later in the summer.

According to 90min, Lookman is “of interest” to Crystal Palace, alongside newly-promoted Burnley, who have returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking following an outstanding season under Vincent Kompany. Atalanta could be set to lose a “number of players” during the upcoming window as a result of them looking likely to miss out on securing a place in the Champions League, something that the SE25 outfit could capitalise on should a cut-price deal for their target become available.

Should Crystal Palace make an offer for Lookman?

Crystal Palace will love the fact that Lookman has already made 96 appearances in the Premier League so would easily be able to adapt to the style of play, and having been hailed “lively” during his time at Leicester by journalist Josh Bunting, the board should certainly consider tabling a bid in the summer.

The Nike-sponsored ace has posted 20 goal contributions (15 goals and five assists) in 30 Atalanta outings and has been a real standout performer in the final third. The £39k-per-week winger has recorded 47 shots since the start of the season, which is higher than any of his teammates, alongside 82 shot-creating actions, ranking him second in the squad, via FBRef.

Interestingly, Lookman shares the same agent as Nathaniel Clyne so this existing representative connection could potentially give the Eagles an advantage over their competitors in the race to secure his services ahead of the 2023/24 term.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons has credited the side’s top order for driving their four-wicket win over Australia in the ODI tri-series match in Basseterre. Marlon Samuels led the 266-run chase with an aggressive 92, after West Indies benefited from a brisk opening stand of 74 between Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, and Darren Bravo’s 39 at No. 3.Charles and Fletcher took advantage of the short boundaries at Warner Park to collect six fours and three sixes in the first seven overs. Their swift partnership also allowed Samuels and Bravo to settle and forge an 82-run stand for the third wicket. Once Bravo was dismissed in the 31st over, Samuels opened up to attack the Australian bowlers and helped ensure a comfortable victory for West Indies.”The pressure has been put on the top four to make sure that they set up whatever we have to do at the bottom,” Simmons said. “We know how devastating we can be at the end of an innings with the players we have, so the top four have been asked to put their dancing shoes on and make sure that we are in a position where the latter part of the batting can do what they do, and they’ve done that today and they’ve seen us through.”The 87-ball 92 was Samuels’ second fifty across formats in 2016, after his match-winning 85 not out in the World T20 final against England in April. He had a poor tour of Australia in December-January – scoring only 35 runs in five innings of the three-Test series – and copped heavy criticism, and one of his critics was former Australia legspinner Shane Warne, with whom he had an infamous run-in during the Big Bash in 2013. After his Man-of-the-Match winning knock in the World T20 final, Samuels made a reference to those comments and dedicated his award to Warne. Simmons, however, believed Samuels had left those feelings at the World T20.”I think the fact that he has taken us to victory in the game will be enough for him. I don’t think he’s still worrying about what some people in Australia said,” he said. “I think he answered that in the World T20 final. I think he’s left that there. He’s just happy to score the runs and help the team win.”The West Indies coach stressed the importance of the experience that Samuels and Kieron Pollard brought to the their line-up. Charles and Fletcher have opened in only six ODIs so far and with a young captain in Jason Holder, Simmons believed Samuels and Pollard were important to the side.”In every team you can see there’s experience. You have to have experience all through the team,” he said. “Most of the teams in the world, you have young guys coming in, but only one or two [youngsters] and the rest of the team is experienced veterans, you would call them; after five years, you are a veteran. It’s great to have him, it’s great to have Pollard back because he’s experienced in limited-overs cricket, young Bravo is getting there. So it’s great to have that sort of experience especially where Jason is a young captain and Carlos [Brathwaite] is young.”Despite the victory, Simmons had an area of concern he wanted the side to address, specifically the importance of set batsmen carrying on and finishing the game.”Marlon and Bravo finishing off the game rather than somebody getting out. It’s a case where we have two guys who have put us in a position and they need to carry on. I think there can be a little bit of improvement,” he said. “We are always looking to improve our fielding, which I think today was as good as it has been. And I think we are looking to improve on where we bowl in the first 10 overs and things like that.”

Leeds United look set to reach a verbal agreement with top scorer Rodrigo which would allow him to leave Elland Road if the club are relegated from the Premier League, Football Insider report.

What’s the latest Leeds news on Rodrigo?

Rodrigo has been a key performer for the Whites this season, with current head coach Javi Gracia labelling the forward as a “very important” player.

Gracia said this on him after a recent 2-2 draw with Brighton:

“Rodrigo is a very important player for us, he needs to recover his best condition because he helped the team but he can only play around 30 minutes."

The 32-year-old has scored eight more goals than any Leeds player during the current campaign, with 11 of his 13 strikes coming in the Premier League.

He looks set to play a crucial role in the club’s battle to avoid the drop over the coming weeks, but if it doesn’t go to plan on the pitch, it looks as if he could be on the way out in the summer.

Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke provided an update he’s heard from Leeds on Rodrigo in the last 48 hours. He revealed that the Whites are set to reach a verbal agreement with the Spaniard which would see the player sold if they are relegated.

Rodrigo was previously looking to quit if Leeds dropped down to the Championship, so it looks as if Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises have will allow him to do just that in a worst-case scenario.

Could he stay if Leeds remain in the Premier League?

The player’s current deal is set to expire in 2024, so there could be a possibility he remains in Yorkshire if the club avoid the drop. However, previous speculation claimed that Rodrigo would need to take a pay cut to renew his contract, with his current salary worth £100,000-a-week.

He has found some form on a personal note this season, though, so if he helps the club stay up, there could be reasons for new contract talks to be discussed between all parties. Rodrigo scored 13 times in the Premier League during his first two seasons, so could surpass that tally this season in the run-in.

Patrick Bamford and club record signing Georginio Rutter have also struggled in front of goal, with the latter of. the two yet to get off the mark in Yorkshire, showing how important Rodrigo could be once more next season.

Australia had announced that their A side and National Performance Squad would play a quadrangular one-day series against South Africa A and another international team at the start of May, which has now been confirmed as India A

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2016At the start of May, Australia had announced that their A side and National Performance Squad would play a quadrangular one-day series against South Africa A and another international team. Cricket Australia has now confirmed that the fourth team would be India A. Townsville will host the first six matches of the series; the remaining six and the two finals will be played in Mackay.One-day quadrangular schedule

August 13 South Africa A v NPS
August 14 Australia A v India A
August 16 Australia A v NPS
August 17 South Africa A v India A
August 20 Australia A v South Africa A
August 21 India A v NPS
August 24 NPS v Australia A
August 25 South Africa A v India A
August 27 NPS v India A
August 28 Australia A v South Africa A
August 30 Australia A v India A
August 31 South Africa A v NPS
September 3 Final 3 v 4
September 4 Final 1 v 2

India A are also set to play two four-day matches against the hosts in Brisbane in September. Australia A and South Africa A play a couple of four-day matches as well in July-August.”This is an important series for developing and growing the depth of talent in our pathways,” Australia’s team performance manager Pat Howard said. “Players in the Australia A and National Performance Squad have been identified as having the potential to play for their country and the national selectors will be watching this series with interest.”Pat Cummins is expected to make a comeback to competitive cricket after injury, during the limited-overs leg, while several emerging batsmen like Matt Renshaw, Sam Heazlett, Alex Ross, Travis Dean, Kurtis Patterson and Jake Lehmann, the son of national coach Darren Lehmann, have also been called up to the 24-man squad.The A sides from Australia and South Africa A had been in India to play two unofficial Tests each and a 50-over triangular series in July-August 2015. Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns produced standout performances on that tour and have since had success in international cricket as well.Australia A won one of the four-day matches while the other was drawn. They made the final of the one-day tri-series but lost to India A. The South African side was unable to win any of their six matches on the tour. Several of their squad members had been affected by food poisoning, which had contributed to the slump.Four-day matches schedule
July 30 to August 2: Australia A v South Africa A, Brisbane
August 6 to 9: Australia A v South Africa A, Townsville
September 8 to 11: Australia A v India A, Brisbane
September 15 to 18: Australia A v India A, Brisbane

Opener Ademola Onikoyi’s unbeaten 68 propelled Nigeria past Tanzania for a six-wicket win at St Martin. In a match reduced to 28 overs a side, Tanzania chose to bat first but struggled to reach 115 for 8. Sesan Adedeji was the main source of disruption with the ball, taking 3 for 14 in five overs.Kassim Nassoro top-scored with 30 for Tanzania and struck twice with the ball during the Nigeria chase but couldn’t remove Onekoyi. The right-hander brought up his 50 in 61 balls on the way to victory achieved with 19 balls to spare.Guernsey claimed victory by five runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method after their 26-over chase of Vanuatu’s 127 for 6 was halted by rain at 105 for 6 after 21 overs at St Clement. Opener Matthew Stokes top-scored in the Jersey chase with 34 after having taken 2 for 23 in the field. Vanuatu captain Andrew Mansale followed up his 27 by taking 4 for 19 to put Guernsey in trouble at 81 for 6 in the 16th over, but a steady 24-run stand between Ben Ferbrache and Thomas Kirk ensured Guernsey were ahead of the par score when the players came off.Vanuatu had been sent in and opener Jonathon Dunn anchored a methodical innings, making 42 off 57 before being dismissed in the 23rd over with the score on 103 for 4. David Hooper and Thomas Kirk also took two wickets apiece for Guernsey.The feature game of the day at St Saviour between hosts Jersey and World T20 qualifiers Oman ended with no result after just nine overs of the Jersey chase could be completed due to persistent rain. The two sides will restart the game from scratch on Monday’s reserve day.The match began after a five-hour rain delay and was reduced to 23 overs a side with Jersey sending in Oman and restricting them to 132 for 9. Oman initially raced out to a superb start behind Zeeshan Maqsood, who made a streaky 29 off 14 balls before one too many top-edged pulls finally found Cornelis Bodenstein at deep square leg off Charles Perchard.Oman were looking good at 71 for 2 in the 12th over before offspinner Rhys Palmer disrupted the innings with the first of three wickets on the day. To the last ball of his first over, he induced a mistimed drive from Vaibhav Wategaonkar which was taken at mid-on by Anthony Hawkins-Kay for 26. Jatinder Singh was Palmer’s second victim, driving to Jonty Jenner at mid-off for 24 in the 18th before Mehran Khan’s brief assault on Palmer ended with a skied slog taken by a diving Ben Stevens charging in from point for 14 to make it 114 for 6 after 20.Brought back at the death, Perchard struck two more times to finish with 3 for 17. He claimed Rajesh Ranpura to a diving Peter Gough at midwicket for 3 before Aamir Kaleem was stumped for 10 by Jake Dunford standing up to Perchard’s medium pace.In reply, Jersey got off to a confident start behind Gough and Jenner, who added 46 for the first wicket. Jenner made 25 off 23 balls before he was trapped prodding forward against left-arm spinner Aamir Kaleem to end the eighth over. The rain became progressively heavier over the course of the next over before the umpires took the players off. It means both Jersey and Oman now face the prospect of playing five times in five days due to the scheduled rest day on Monday being used as a reserve day to replay the original encounter as a fresh 50-over game under WCL rules.