Gossip: Saints chase Forest midfielder and Scotland full-back
Birmingham have joined the likes of Hull, Preston, Swansea and Southampton in the hunt for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien, 26. (Alan Nixon - requires subscription)
After Kyle Walker-Peters' departure, Southampton have stepped up their interest in Scotland right-back Max Johnston who currently plays for Sturm Graz. (Pete O'Rourke)
Want more EFL transfer rumours? Check out Thursday's full gossip column
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dryburgh and Porter grab lead at LPGA pairs event
Cassie Porter of Australia and Gemma Dryburgh a Porter putt on the way to the first-round lead in the LPGA Dow Championship pairs event in Michigan (David Berding) Gemma Dryburgh and Cassie Porter combined for five birdies in a four-under-par 66 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Dow Championship pairs event in Michigan. Scotland's Dryburgh and Australian rookie Porter teed off on 10 at Midland Country Club and grabbed four birdies in their first nine holes. Advertisement They answered their lone bogey of the day at the second with a birdie at the par-five third to finish the day one stroke clear atop a crowded leaderboard on which six duos shared second place on three-under 67. The pair had picked up their first birdie of the day at the 12th, and their three birdies in a row at 14, 15 and 16 included a chip-in for Porter. "We just rolled really well together," Porter said, Dryburgh adding that their games complemented each other well in the alternate-shot format used for the first and third rounds, with best-ball rounds to come on Friday and Sunday. "Tomorrow is about birdies and today was kind of more steady," Dryburgh said. "Obviously we made a few birdies today, but we can make even more tomorrow." Advertisement Among the teams on 67, the Japanese duo of Saki Baba and Yuri Yoshida had reached five-under with five birdies in their first 14 holes but dropped back with two late bogeys. They were tied with China's Liu Yan and Zhang Yahui, England's Jodi Ewart Shadff and Taiwan's Heather Lin, South Koreans Im Jin-hee and Lee So-mi, Americans Megan Khang and Lexi Thompson, and American Jennifer Kupcho and Ireland's Leona Maguire. Defending champions Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand and Yin Ruoning of China shook off an early bogey and nabbed three birdies in a two-under 68 that left them in a seven-way tie for eighth. "We did not wake up yet, it's too early," Jeeno said. bb/rcw
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Forest stadium expansion given green light
The plans will increase the City Ground's capacity to 35,000 [PA Media] A major revamp of Nottingham Forest's stadium has been approved. The plans will see the existing Peter Taylor Stand demolished and replaced with a 10,000-seater stand, increasing the City Ground's overall capacity to 35,000. Advertisement Full planning permission was granted unanimously by Rushcliffe Borough Council's planning committee on Thursday evening, subject to a range of conditions. In a statement, the club said it was "delighted" at the decision. "We look forward to working closely with our partners on the next steps and will provide a further update in due course," it said. The Peter Taylor Stand is set to be demolished and replaced [Reuters] Plans for an expansion were first unveiled in 2019, and outline planning permission was initially granted in 2022, but the project has since encountered a number of complications. Council documents published last week said the "extended passage of time" meant the application required "fresh consideration". Advertisement Construction was originally expected to cost about £94m, but an estimate from January 2025 indicates this has risen to £130m. The latest report, however, states the development is expected to boost the local economy by an extra £13m a year and create hundreds of jobs. As a condition of the planning permission, Forest will be required to make contributions to local infrastructure - what is known as a section 106 agreement. These include paying just over £1m to improve local bus services, £150,000 to upgrade the A60/Cattle Market Road junction, and £200,000 for cycle improvements along Lady Bay Bridge. Advertisement The club is also set to enter into a legal agreement with Nottingham Rowing Club to replace its Britannia boathouse, which is set to be demolished as part of the plans. Replacement facilities will have to be in place before any demolition work takes place, but it was stated during the committee meeting that a location for the new boathouse has not yet been identified. The club has also been given outline planning permission to build up to 170 flats next to the stadium, but this element will need further consideration at a later date. The plans for the new stand and the flats were "de-coupled" earlier this year, so that the two do not depend on one another to get planning consent. Advertisement Taking into account the structural roof trusses, the new stand will be approximately 38m (124ft) high, making it the tallest stand at the City Ground. Neil Clarke, leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, said: "Forest play such an important role in the community. "We are proud they call Rushcliffe home. It's heartening we can support them with their aspirations." A number of objections to the development were raised by local councillors and residents, including increased congestion in the area on matchdays and a lack of parking provision. Councillor Penny Gowland told the meeting the area "grinds to a halt" when Forest play in midweek. Advertisement "Bus services collapse, so a 45-minute commute takes two hours. Bus routes are diverted as they can't get along roads due to appalling parking. People in wheelchairs are stuck at home," she said. The committee report states 2,538 letters of support from the general public were received, along with 116 letters of objection. The approval paves the way for the club to buy the freehold of the land which the City Ground sits upon. Last year, Forest's then-chairman said the club could relocate away from the ground because of a dispute with Nottingham City Council over the rent the club pays. Advertisement The local authority has since agreed to sell the land, but the club previously said any decision to buy the freehold would be "entirely conditional" on it being granted planning permission for the stadium expansion. No date has been set for construction to start, but planning rules mean it will have to begin within three years of a final decision being signed. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has previously said he eventually hopes to increase the ground's capacity to 50,000. [BBC] Analysis By Hugh Casswell, BBC Nottingham political reporter If you're a Forest fan, you may be asking yourself two things - why has this taken so long, and why have they had to go through it all twice? Advertisement It's worth noting there is a big difference between the outline planning permission the scheme had before and the full planning permission it has now. It's also an incredibly complex project which has needed all sorts of technical adjustments as well a lot of haggling over those section 106 agreements. But in a funny sort of way, part of the answer may also lie in Forest's success on the pitch. Having spent three years in the Premier League and secured European football since the plans were first considered, the club clearly now has even bigger ambitions. Those ambitions prompted the question - why pump hundreds of millions of pounds into redeveloping a site where the lease will run out in the coming years? Advertisement That triggered the very public row with the City Council last year, and while that row now seems to have been resolved, it was just one factor of many which combined to slow everything down. [BBC] Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. More on this story Related internet links
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Atalanta reach agreement with Southampton for Kamaldeen Sulemana signing
Atalanta have reached an agreement with Southampton for the signing of Kamaldeen Sulemana. A deal consisting of €17.5million in five annual instalments, plus €4million in add ons has been reached. Team performance bonuses and a 15 per cent sell-on will also be included as part of the arrangement. Personal terms in place on four-year contract that will run to 2029, plus a club option to extend by a further 12 months. Sulemana, 23, is cutting his holiday short to travel from Accra, Ghana to Bergamo tomorrow (Friday) for a medical. Separately, Southampton have also agreed a deal with Trabzonspor for the sale of Paul Onuachu. A deal is expected to be announced on Friday.
