FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 12 Arsenal midfielder Willock signs new Messi wanted long-term deal AFP | London Burnley and a 3-1 defeat against title-challenging Liv- Neymar to return oe Willock has signed a erpool - before dropping to the Jnew long-term deal with bench for the North London four seasons for the Catalans. boyhood club Arsenal, the club Derby draw with Tottenham. Lionel Messi admits he ‘would have “I don’t know what happened have announced. It is invaluable experience • with the directors, I know they It is understood that the deal for a young player who got loved’ Neymar to return to Barcelona were speaking with Neymar, he will keep Willock at the Emir- his first real taste of senior told me how things were going. ates Stadium until the end of football last season, playing in Lionel Messi says Neymar was He was really looking forward the 2022-23 season following three Europa League games, also• desperate for Camp Nou return to coming back,” Messi, who an impressive start to the cam- twice in the Premier League has been unable to play this paign. and once in the FA Cup, start- season due to a calf injury, Reuters | Barcelona The 20-year-old midfielder ing four of those six games. said. has broken into the first-team Willock has been at Arsenal “I understand it’s diffi- set-up this term, having im- since the age of four and has ionel Messi says he wanted Neymar to re- cult to negotiate with PSG pressed towards the back end now committed his long-term turn to Barcelona this year as the Brazilian and with Neymar because of last season and in pre-sea- future to the club, with fresh Lwould have helped the club take a leap for- he’s one of the best. These son with his energy and driv- terms offered to the youngster ward, adding that his former team mate was look- negotiations are never ing runs from midfield. as a reward for his mature per- ing forward to rejoining the La Liga champions. easy.” His performances in the formances. Barca spent the bulk of the close season nego- Barca’s all-time top summer against Bayern Mu- The midfielder is one of tiating with Paris St Germain to bring Neymar scorer also said he had nich and Real a crop of back to the Camp Nou two years after he left for no plans to quit the Cat- Madrid in young a world record 222 million euros ($245 million) alans any time soon after particular players but the Catalans failed to strike a deal with the it was confirmed by the caught that have Ligue 1 champions. club that his contract the made “The truth is I would have loved him to come contains a clause that e y e Joe Willock the back to us,” Barca captain Messi told Spanish allows him to decide Lionel Messi and step newspaper Sport yesterday. at the end of each sea- and Neymar led to u p “I understand some people were against it and son whether he wants him be- from that’s normal considering everything that hap- to leave for free. ing included the Gun- pened and how he left us, but thinking about it “I can say that I in the start- ners’ famed on a sporting level, for me Neymar is one of the want to be at Barcelo- ing line-up for Hale End acade - best players in the world. na for as long as I can the first game of my into a first-team “Obviously he would have increased our chanc- and end my career the new Premier role over the past 12 es of getting the results that we all want. The here because this is League campaign months, along with club would have taken a leap forward, in terms of my home,” he said. - a 1-0 win against Reiss Nelson, Emile sponsors, our image, our growth, but in the end “I want to stay Newcastle. Smith Rowe and Ed- it didn’t happen.” here if I can stay He went onto die Nketiah - who has Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu said last in good shape, start the next joined Leeds United week that the club did everything possible to sign play well, feel impor- two fixtures - on a season-long loan Neymar, but admitted they could not meet PSG’s tant and if I see we have a 2-1 win over this term. asking price for the forward, who hit 105 goals in a winning project.” Late penalty lifts Root dropped twice as England make steady start Rapids over Galaxy AFP | London At the lunch break, Burns was AFP | New York 42 not out, with Root unbeaten oe Root was dropped twice as on 28. icolas Mezquida con- JEngland made a steady start Australia won at Old Trafford Nverted a penalty in the on the opening day of the final last week to take a 2-1 lead in the 85th minute to lift the Col- Ashes Test at the Oval yesterday, KNOW WHAT five-match series, meaning they orado Rapids to a wild 2-1 reaching 86-1 at lunch. will retain the urn regardless of Major League Soccer vic- Visiting captain Tim Paine the result at the Oval. tory over the Los Angeles asked the home side to bat, For England, Ben Stokes But Paine said his side were Galaxy on Wednesday. hoping his bowlers could take is playing as a specialist “very hungry” to complete the A furious finish at Dick’s advantage of early overcast con- batsman due to a shoul- job and win their first Test series Sporting Goods Park in sub- ditions in south London but will der injury in England since 2001. urban Denver saw Rapids rue the two bad fumbles. To stand any chance of level- midfielder Cole Bassett Joe Denly and Rory Burns had But the skipper had an aston- ling the series, World Cup win- break a 0-0 deadlock in 79th to dig deep to keep lively Aus- ishing let-off when, on 24, he ners England will have to find minute, nodding in a header tralian pace pair Pat Cummins top-edged a pull off Cummins a way to solve the riddle of the off Jack Price’s cross. and Josh Hazlewood at bay in to deep fine leg, only for the immovable Steve Smith, who Three minutes later, Gi- the testing opening overs. Peter Siddle of Australia reacts after Joe Root (R) of England is dropped recalled Peter Siddle to drop a has scored 671 runs in just five ancarlo Gonzalez soared to England had an early scare straightforward catch, much to innings at an astonishing aver- head in a corner and make when Burns was given out lbw wait long for a breakthrough, Smith held on to complete a jug- the delight of the nearby crowd. age of more than 134. it 1-1. But the Rapids gained with the score on just seven but with Cummins removing Denly gling catch at second slip. In Cummins’ next over Root All-rounder Mitchell Marsh a chance from the spot for successfully reviewed the deci- in the ninth over to leave Eng- That brought captain Root again had a huge let-off when and seamer Siddle were brought Mezquida after first-year sion, with the ball tracker show- land 27-1. to the crease, with the England wicketkeeper Paine failed to in for the tourists, with bats - forward Andre Shinyashiki ing it was going over the stumps. The batsman pushed unnec- captain keen to make amends cling on to a one-handed chance man Travis Head and paceman was brought down in the But Australia did not have to essarily at a wide one and Steve after an inconsistent series. high to his right. Mitchell Starc missing out. box. ‘Not much interest’ - Bangladesh Test skipper dislikes Tests, says board chief (cricket). You have seen that sides with the defeat, which fol- AFP | Dhaka when we were touring foreign lowed a lacklustre World Cup countries, he wanted to have a and 0-3 one-day whitewash by angladesh cricket chief Naz- break during the Tests,” Naz- Naturally he might Sri Lanka in July. Bmul Hassan said Shakib Al mul told reporters in Dhaka late have less interest. But Shakib, who shone at the Hasan will remain as Test cap- Wednesday. World Cup with 606 runs and tain despite disliking the format “Naturally he might have less we never heard that 11 wickets but was skipper for and expressing his reluctance to interest. But we never heard that he has less interest the Sri Lanka tour, said his per- stay on following this week’s em- he has less interest in captaincy. in captaincy. If he is formances might improve if he barrassing defeat to Afghanistan. If he is skipper, then he has to skipper, then he has relinquished the captaincy. Nazmul admitted the play. If you are not skipper, then to play. If you are not “It will be best if I didn’t have all-rounder had shown little in- you can skip,” he said. skipper, then you can to lead,” Shakib told reporters terest or enthusiasm for the five- Hassan’s comments came skip after the Afghanistan loss. “I day game -- an attitude which after Shakib said he no longer personally believe it will be good would not have been helped by wanted to lead the side in Tests NAZMUL HASSAN for my game.