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Fulham set to sign Ghana's Boateng
Dragons target Superleague shock
Brown proud of Saints comeback
Jersey to face Leicester in friendly
Bell and Swann fit for second Test
• Batsman and spin bowler recover from bouts of illness
• Yorkshire seamer Tim Bresnan in line for Headingley Test
Ian Bell and Graeme Swann have both recovered from illness in time to be named in England's unchanged squad this morning for the second Investec Test against New Zealand at Headingley.
Both were expected to be included again after England's first-Test victory.
Bell, who was suffering with a bout of flu, was the biggest doubt. He spent substantial time off the field at Lord's and had to come in down at No8 in the second innings.
Swann, meanwhile, felt nauseous on the fourth morning at Lord's. The off-spinner was left out of the England team on their last Test trip to Leeds, where they drew with South Africa last August. But he remains in the reckoning this time, in a 12 which also again includes Yorkshire seamer Tim Bresnan for his home Test.
Bresnan, hoping to play his first Test since undergoing elbow surgery last winter, is one of three Yorkshire players in the squad.
National selector Geoff Miller is encouraged by the Lord's victory, but again expects a tough match against opponents who had drawn their previous three Tests against England in New Zealand two months ago.
"It was pleasing to start the international summer with a win, and I thought the team showed a lot of fighting spirit when under pressure to set up the victory," he said.
"We are aware there are still areas that we need to improve on, and the players and coaches will be working hard before the second Test to ensure we continue to get better as a side.
"New Zealand showed again that they are a dangerous side, and we know we will need to produce another strong performance this week to secure a series victory."
Batsmen Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow are the other Yorkshiremen in the squad, in line to play their first Headingley Test.
Root, in particular, will begin the match in top form - having made 756 first-class runs in just six innings so far this season.
England squad for second Investec Test against New Zealand at Headingley, starting on 24 May: AN Cook (capt), JM Anderson, JM Bairstow, IR Bell, TT Bresnan, SCJ Broad, NRD Compton, ST Finn, MJ Prior (wkt), JE Root, GP Swann, IJL Trott
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Premier League 2012-13: the best pictures
A retrospective view of the best images from a season that saw Sir Alex Ferguson retire, Frank Lampard break records as well as a host of other stories
Tom JenkinsMoyes move is big boost - Allardyce
Jose Reina happy to resist Barcelona and remain at Liverpool
• 31-year-old goalkeeper says he wants to stay at Anfield
• 'I'm satisfied, comfortable and my family are very happy'
Jose Reina admits he is flattered to be linked with a return to former club Barcelona but has again insisted he is happy at Liverpool, with whom he is under contract until 2016.
Reina is one of the names being touted as a possible replacement for long-serving Barça goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who has told the Catalan club he intends to leave and could sever ties this summer.
The 31-year-old Reina, who came up through the youth ranks at Barça before joining Villarreal over a decade ago, said of the speculation: "I have three more years with Liverpool. I'm satisfied, comfortable and my family are very happy. Rumours are difficult to control but it's flattering when a club like Barça are interested in you."
The Spain international added to radio station Cadena Ser: "I don't know if there has been contact between the clubs or with my agent. At the moment I don't think there's anything serious."
Reina hopes to finish his career back in his homeland, but the Liverpool goakeeper added: "I don't know how long I've got left in football, what I do know is I want to enjoy what remains and feel appreciated and at Liverpool I have that."
Reina, son of former Barça goalkeeper Miguel Reina, played several first-team matches while still a teenager at Camp Nou but left the club in 2002 without winning any major silverware.
In the last half-a-dozen years Barça have emerged as the dominant force in both Spain and Europe, winning trophy after trophy, but Reina is not dwelling on what might have been.
"The years I was in Barcelona were very good, I don't have any bad feelings about not succeeding there. I played more than 50 games, when I was less than 20, it helped me grow a lot," he said.
"I would've liked to have played there more, of course, but there's no need to over-dramatise things."
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Griffiths & Watt in Scotland squad
Brighton apologise after vandalism
Football transfer rumours: Edinson Cavani to join Mourinho at Chelsea?
Today's rumours were up all night
He might be a little bit paunchier, greyer and fonder of wearing a tracksuit on the touchline but none of that really matters, for this is a glorious day: daddy's coming home! Yes, try to contain your surprise at the news that Real Madrid have let José Mourinho go after three fairly underwhelming and tempestuous years, freeing him up for a return to Chelsea. Their supporters are understandably delighted at the news although there are some onlookers claiming you should never go back, a theory which is given credence by Mourinho wanting to bring in Steve Kean as a coach.
Careful, José, the Mill can see it now: two years of success, then a fall-out with Roman Abramovich over which Spiderman film was the best, and before you know it Kean will be the new Chelsea manager.
The first thing on Mourinho's to-do list is to sign Edinson Cavani and he'll have an added incentive on that front if his old chum Rafa Benítez accepts Napoli's offer to become their new manager. Indeed the managerial merry-go-round is whirring into action following these latest developments. Carlo Ancelotti wants to leave PSG and go to Madrid and the French club are eyeing up Laurent Blanc and Benítez to replace the Italian. That's actually the end of the merry-go-round. An ultimately disappointing and overly familiar ride but you still owe the Mill £5 for going on it. Don't make the Mill fetch its shotgun.
Barcelona have decided they could do with some defenders and will chuck £20m at Manchester City for their captain and philosopher-in-chief Vincent Kompany, although they'll probably try to shrink him and convert him into a tippy-tappy midfielder once he arrives at Camp Nou. Honestly, you can do anything with science these days.
Apart from turning Kolo Touré into a reliable defender, of course, not that Liverpool are too bothered by that. They want to sign the part-time car salesman and occasional City goofball as a replacement for Jamie Carragher.
With Madrid lining up a £50m bid, Gareth Bale has told Tottenham he wants a whopping £200,000 a week to stay after their failure to qualify for the Champions League. Luckily Spurs are going to free up some cash by selling Emmanuel Adebayor, Jermain Defoe and Clint Dempsey, with Christian Benteke, Lisandro López and David Villa all catching André Villas-Boas's roving eye.
Hull are also in the market for some strikers, with Steve Bruce targeting Blackburn's Jordan Rhodes and Burnley's Charlie Austin, while Stoke are set for crisis talks with Tony Pulis and want Phil Neville to join them as a first-team coach.
Jacob Steinbergguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds







