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• In it to win it: Reggae Boyz defender Amari'i Bell eyes Concacaf Nations League glory on return from injury

  After a challenging spell on the sidelines, England-born Reggae Boyz defender Amari’i Bell is back with the national team and is already setting his sights on greater success.

  Bell, a seasoned fullback who has been a key figure for Jamaica, is thrilled to rejoin his teammates and play under new head coach Steve McClaren, with their first assignment being the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League.

  The Reggae Boyz are set to host Cuba at the National Stadium on Friday before travelling to face Honduras four days later.

  Bell, who missed significant time for both club and country due to a torn hamstring for which he had to do a repair surgery, expressed his excitement about returning to the Jamaican squad.

  “It feels amazing to be back; it's been a long time now, but, you know, I'm happy to be here. It’s been tough being away from the pitch, and it was a big injury, one of my first of my career, so mentally it was hard to get back in a good place. But I went through the rough patch, and I'm now feeling good. I'm in good spirits and ready to go,” Bell shared.

  “Like I said, it was a long time out and I had my ups and downs through the rehab process, but towards the end of it, I started to see the light a lot more and, yeah, mentally, my head is in a much better place,” he added.

  

  Bell’s return comes at a crucial time for Jamaica, as they aim to build on their third-place finish in the last edition of the Concacaf Nations League.

  The team’s performance was commendable, but Bell believes they have the potential to go all the way this time around, particularly with the guidance of McClaren, who brings a wealth of experience to the team.

  McClaren, who has managed clubs in England’s Premier League and served as an assistant coach for the England national team, is known for his tactical acumen and ability to get the best out of his players.

  “Yeah, for sure, for sure. Finishing third was a strong result, but we know we have the ability to do even better, so the plan is to go one step better this time and win it. That's the plan, and there's no reason why we can't do it. Everybody believes in ourselves and what we can do. So, yeah, we're going to go for it,” Bell said.

  With his presence, Bell, who has 17 international caps since making his debut in 2021, adds depth and experience to Jamaica’s defensive line, a critical component as they aim to stifle the opposition in what promises to be a highly competitive tournament.

  

  The 30-year-old’s ability to balance defensive duties with attacking support makes him a vital asset to the team’s ambitions.

  “We’ve been building something special with this group. The chemistry is there, and the belief is growing. We know that winning the Nations League is a realistic goal, and we’re all committed to making it happen. We didn't do well in the Copa America as we thought we could have, but it's stepping stones,” Bell, who has two Concacaf Gold Cup and a Copa America appearance, noted.

  For Bell, the opportunity to lift the Concacaf Nations League trophy would be a career-defining moment, much like it was when his club Luton Town earned promotion to the English Premier League (EPL).

  Though his EPL experience was cut short due to the injury, Bell is eager to relive the experience.

  “Yeah, man, that (Premier League experience) was amazing. It is something that everyone aspires to do in their career, and, you know, thankfully I got there. Unfortunately, it was cut short by the injury, so I still feel like I've got unfinished business there, and the aim with Luton is to get back promoted,” Bell declared.

• Parish 'astounded' by lack of interest in Palace's Eze

  Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish was left scratching his head by the lack of interest in midfielder Eberechi Eze during the transfer window. 

  Eze, who joined Crystal Palace from Queens Park Rangers in 2020, has attracted plenty of interest for his performances with the Eagles over the years.

  The 26-year-old got his tally up and running for the new Premier League season on Sunday, netting the equaliser in Palace's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 

  Last season, Eze completed more dribbles (69) and created more chances (54) than anyone else in the Eagles squad, also scoring 11 goals in 27 league appearances. 

  But another one of Palace's top performers, Michael Olise, secured a move to Bayern Munich in a £50million switch, with Parish relieved they were able to keep at least one of their prized assets for the start of the current campaign.

  "I was really worried from a club point of view of losing Michael and Ebbs in the same window," Parish told Sky Sports News.

  "We didn't have in Ebbs the interest that I thought we would have.

  "I was astounded. Genuinely astounded. I mean, the guy's just an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person."

  Palace did have plenty of interest in defender Marc Guehi and rejected multiple bids from Newcastle, the latest of which reached £65m.

  Guehi impressed for England at Euro 2024 in the absence of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, starting every game on their way to the final. 

  Parish was expecting Guehi to leave Selhurst Park during the transfer window, but with Joachim Andersen returning to Fulham on a permanent transfer and an injury to new arrival Chadi Riad, forced him to alter his plans.

  "I don't think the window worked out exactly the same format that we thought it would," Parish added.

  "Maybe we thought at the beginning it'd be more likely that Marc Guehi went and we kept Joachim Andersen.

  "We accepted that bid [for Andersen] which then made it very difficult really to sell both of our starting centre-backs in one window."

  The Magpies' attempts to sign Guehi rolled on for most of the window, with the Eagles standing firm on their valuation having earned sizeable fees for Olise and Andersen.

  Parish was able to welcome eight new faces to Selhurst Park, including the permanent arrival of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and the loan transfer for Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah on the final day of the window. 

  But the Eagles chairman is all too aware that he will not be able to hold on to Guehi, and his other star players, for too long amid the financial powers from the clubs in the division and across Europe.

  "We're proud of the fact that Michael Olise's gone to Bayern Munich," said Parish.

  "We want to be selling to the top clubs, or to clubs like Newcastle who've got great aspirations and have recently been in the Champions League.

  "So we have to manage all of those things. We won't get really great young talent to come to us if they think they're going to be stuck."

  "We want to be playing in the Champions League. The reality is we don't right now.

  "That's what players want to achieve in their career and we respect that and we respect the fact that sometimes we're going to be a pathway to that."

• Teams begin hunt for promotion as League B, League C action to kick off fourth Concacaf Nations League

  The much-anticipated fourth edition of the Concacaf Nations League gets underway on Wednesday, when 16 League B teams begin their hunt for promotion to taste League A action in the tournament’s next edition.

  Split into four groups, the countries will face each other twice during the FIFA Match Windows in September, October, and November. However, unlike previous editions, matches will now be played at a centralized venue per group to help alleviate some of the travel challenges in the region.

  Group winners will be promoted to League A, while fourth-place finishes are relegated to League C. Additionally, the tournament will help to decide berths for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

  Group A

  El Salvador, Montserrat, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Bonaire comprise the first group. El Salvador returns to League B after being relegated in last year’s tournament, while Bonaire makes its debut after earning a promotion from League C.

  Montserrat and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will try to build on their 2023/24 Nations League campaign, in which they both finished with nine points.

  Group B

  Curaçao, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Saint Martin are the teams drawn into Group B.

  Saint Martin was promoted to League B, coming off an undefeated run in last year’s Nations League, while Curaçao is back in League B for the first time in three years after being relegated from League A. Grenada is also back after being relegated for the first time in four years.

  Meanwhile, Saint Lucia, which tallied 10 points last year, will be hoping to ascend to League A for the first time.

  

  Group C

  Haiti, Puerto Rico, Aruba, and Sint Maarten round out Group C.

  Aruba returns to League B for the first time since 2019/20 via promotion. Haiti also is back after being relegated.

  Sint Maarten and Puerto Rico will rely on top scorers Gerwin Lake and Ricardo Rivera to lead the way.

  Group D

  The four teams in Group D are the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica.

  Dominica arrives via promotion from League C to rub shoulders with Dominican Republic, and Antigua and Barbuda, who are on the hunt for a first-ever League A promotion, while Bermuda aims to improve after going 2-2-2 in last year’s edition.

  At the conclusion of the group stage in November, the four group winners will qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Group Stage, and the two best second-place finishers will advance to the 2025 Gold Cup Prelims.

  The Gold Cup Prelims are scheduled for March 2025.

  Meanwhile, League C action is also scheduled for Wednesday, with Bahamas and US Virgin Islands to open their Group A accounts. Barbados is the other team in the group.

  Anguilla and Turks and Caicos Islands are set to cross swords in Group B, which also includes Belize, while British Virgin Islands will visit Cayman Islands in Group C, which also has St Kitts and Nevis.

  At the end of the Group Stage in October, the three group winners and the best second-place finishers will advance to the 2024 Concacaf Nations League Play-In. The Play-In will take place in November 2024.