Real Madrid are reportedly keeping tabs on Jude Bellingham's younger brother Jobe off the back of his impressive start to life at Sunderland.

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Jude Bellingham shining at MadridLos Blancos keeping tabs on JobeProgress at Sunderland not going unnoticedWHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Madrid are closely monitoring Jobe, who has scored four goals in 21 games for Sunderland this season. The report states the 18-year-old's rapid growth has not gone unnoticed and there are similarities between his and Jude's playing style. Moreover, the younger brother, who is 5cm taller than the England international, is seen as more versatile than his more illustrious sibling.

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Older brother Jude has proven to be a remarkably successful signing for Madrid since swapping Borussia Dortmund for the Spanish giants in a £88 million ($110m) move, scoring 16 goals in 19 games. The 20-year-old is one of the best players in the world right now and Madrid will, perhaps, hope Jobe will follow in his brother's footsteps and secure his services along the way.

DID YOU KNOW?

Both Bellingham's came through Birmingham City's academy before moving on to pastures new. The Blues retired Jude's No. 22 shirt in appreciation for his contribution to the club when he signed for Dortmund in 2020.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR THE BELLINGHAMS?

Jude's Madrid side will take on Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday, whereas Jobe's Sunderland travel to Bristol City in the Championship on Saturday.

Andy Hurry has been rushed back to Taunton as Somerset’s director of cricket after the removal of Matthew Maynard

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2017

Somerset have confirmed that Andy Hurry will return to the club as director of cricket following the departure of Matthew Maynard.The news, which was first signalled in ESPNcricinfo, also sees Jason Kerr promoted from assistant and bowling coach to become Somerset’s new head coach.Hurry’s return offers Somerset a sense of stability and unity after a difficult season in which they only avoided relegation on the final day of the season and released a clutch of players including the limited-overs captain Jim Allenby.Indeed, even now they cannot entirely rest easy: Middlesex, who were relegated instead, have lodged an official protest with the ECB about an overrate sanction during a match at The Oval which ended prematurely for safety reasons when a crossbow bolt was fired onto the outfield.ECB clear ‘below average’ pitch

Somerset have avoided any further action over the pitch produced for the final Championship match of the season against Middlesex which was rated “below average”.
The judgement, by Cricket Liaison Officer Wayne Noon, prompted further investigation by the ECB but the surface was cleared on Monday.
Somerset saved their Division One status with victory in the match which was dominated by spin.
However, the club will remain under notice and further action could be taken if another surface is rated “below average” next season. And they are not 100% secure of their position until the outcome of Middlesex’s appeal against their slow over-rate is decided for the match ended by the crossbow incident at The Oval.

Hurry spent 13 years at Somerset before he left in 2014 to become head coach of the ECB’s Player Development Programme.He originally joined Somerset in 2001 and went on to become head coach before taking the position of director of high performance for a brief period at the end of the 2013 season.In his time as head coach he oversaw Somerset’s most successful period since the Glory Years in the late 1970s and early 80s, as he led them to within a whisker of the County Championship and to several white-ball finals.Somerset CEO Lee Cooper, who has undertaken a comprehensive review of the club’s structure since his appointment during the summer, said: “Andy Hurry enjoyed considerable success during his time with Somerset and since then he has gone on to gain extensive and valuable experience working with the ECB and the Young Lions Programme. He is held in extremely high regard by both the ECB and our playing staff.”Jason Kerr has fulfilled a number of roles since a shoulder injury brought his seam-bowling career to a premature end in 2002 and has been actively involved with the First XI for over a decade.Andy Hurry•Getty Images

Cooper said: “Jason’s knowledge of the club and the unique culture that surrounds it is second to none. He has also played a major role in the development of our exciting young players who are now breaking in to the first XI.”Hurry has been unable to resist the lure of a return to the south-west. He said: “Somerset will always hold a very special place in my heart,” he said. “We came so close to winning silverware when I was here before and there is therefore some unfinished business. It is one of the most respected clubs in the world and it feels very much like I’m coming home.”I have relished my three years with the ECB and Young Lions and through the opportunities the programme has provided me, I have grown my experience and knowledge significantly”

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer said his team was “quite happy with a draw” in the second Test match against West Indies in Bulawayo, and any thoughts of a sporting declaration were shelved after Sikandar Raza was bowled by Jason Holder for 89 shortly after lunch on the fifth afternoon.”It’s disappointing to lose a Test series, but we were behind for a lot of this Test match, so credit to the guys for fighting,” Cremer said. “We were quite happy with a draw in the end, and we didn’t feel we had quite enough runs to declare. And it’s probably not a wicket where you can bowl a side out in 30 overs.”There were thoughts of a declaration, but we know it’s quite hard to take 10 wickets in 50 overs, let alone 30, so after Raza got out we almost had to shut up shop there and just take overs out of the game to make sure we couldn’t lose the Test match.”Zimbabwe might have been more tempted to bowl a second time on the final day if the pitch had dusted up and deteriorated as much as expected. As it turned out, there seemed to be more turn on the first two days than the last three, and though there was some inconsistent bounce the pitch became more and more placid.”The pitch definitely held together more than we thought it would,” Cremer said. “It started keeping a bit low, but it didn’t do as much as we thought it might on day five.”Despite losing the series 1-0, both Cremer and Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak were pleased with the individual performances and the improvement shown to draw the second Test.”The more you play, the more you realize how much time there is in a Test match,” Cremer said. “In the first Test, we were a little too aggressive, and didn’t back our defence against spin. But we got better, as we saw in this Test match. It is a learning curve, hopefully we’ll take this experience into the [Boxing Day] South Africa Test match.”All in all, lots of positives,” Streak added. “Raza did well, Chakabva came through today. Hamilton Masakadza got a big hundred. Kyle Jarvis was outstanding in the first Test. Chris Mpofu with the ball, and with the bat.”Regis Chakabva spilled a couple of chances with the gloves but came back with the bat to help Zimbabwe battle to a draw. “It was a tough wicket to keep on, and especially Graeme and (Tendai) Chisoro have a lot of variations,” Streak said. “TC bowls quickly, Graeme’s got googlies and stuff. With the wicket being up and down and turning so much, it’s tough to sustain [wicketkeeping] over a lengthy period.”The grit he showed today, and the composure and determination to stick it out was exemplary. Hopefully we can build on that. Lance Klusener spoke to him about trusting his game, trusting his defence, trusting his attacking shots and not trying to play in fast forward. He had a really good game and hopefully he can continue to build on that.”Zimbabwe missed Kyle Jarvis in the second match to ankle injury, and chose an attack heavily weighted towards spin. However, Streak was confident he would have more fast bowling options to choose from for Zimbabwe’s next Test engagement, against South Africa on Boxing Day.”We’ll hopefully have a few more guys available to us,” Streak said. “Carl Mumba has been out, I’m not sure where he’ll be by then. We’ve got guys performing well, like Richard Ngarava. Tendai Chatara was injured so he wasn’t really in consideration here, but hopefully he’ll be back in consideration for that Test series. We know what he’s capable of. Brian Vitori is also due to do his re-test [of his bowling action]. So we should have more options at that time.”

Jordan Henderson is desperate to return to the Premier League from Al-Ettifaq amid the Saudi Arabian club's dismal form.

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• Henderson wants return to England
• Ettifaq in woeful form
• Would cost Henderson a huge sum

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Henderson is already angling for a potential return to England, reports, having only played 19 times for Al-Ettifaq. He has struggled to settle in Saudi Arabia and the report states that he will seriously consider any offers that are tabled for him in the January transfer window. However, any move would come with serious strings.

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  The England midfielder earns £700,000-per-week tax-free in Saudi Arabia but, per the report, the tax-free element only kicks in if he sees out the first two years of his contract. Turning his back on Al-Ettifaq, as a result, would cost the 33-year-old around £7 million ($9m).

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Al-Ettifaq have been in dismal form under the management of Steven Gerrard and with Henderson in the team, winning just five of their 17 league matches. The club are currently eighth in the Saudi Pro League and Gerrard recently lost his assistant manager, Ian Foster, who headed back to England to join Plymouth Argyle.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR HENDERSON?

  It remains to be seen if there will be expressions of interest in his signature now he has seemingly made it clear that he is open to a departure. One has to think that he might be waiting by the phone if Ettifaq's form continues.

James Foster has committed himself to another year behind the stumps for county champions Essex

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-20171:26

‘Maybe it’s time to recreate Essex’s glory days’ – Bopara

While the county game lost one of its great glovemen this summer, James Foster will not be following Chris Read into retirement just yet. Foster has been mulling a new contract offer from Essex since the club claimed the Championship title in September and has now committed himself to another year behind the stumps.Foster will turn 38 in April but, having fought to regain his place from Adam Wheater during the 2017 season as Essex surprised onlookers by winning Division One the year after being promoted, he still retains the appetite for competition.”I am delighted to be signing a new contract with Essex,” Foster said. “The 2017 Championship campaign was such an exciting and emotional season, and to see the happiness on so many people’s faces was incredible.”A real highlight for me was when the team walked out to field during the last game of the season to a standing ovation from the Chelmsford crowd. The Championship win was also a huge credit to the work put in by all the backroom team, coaches and staff at the Club and it has been a pleasure working with Chris Silverwood and I wish him every success for the future in his new role with England.”The departure of Silverwood to oversee England’s bowlers role has left Essex without a head coach but the dressing room will still have its most senior figure in place next season, after Foster’s decision to carry on.Read and Foster were held up as the premier wicketkeepers of English cricket during the 2000s and 2010s, though both only won a handful of caps for England as the selectors gave weight to batting prowess. Like Read, who has gone into teaching after retirement, Foster has begun to plan for his post-playing career; he is the cricket professional at Forest School in Walthamstow and has coached with MCC Young Cricketers and Scotland.He will add to that experience over the coming weeks, having flown on Friday to join up with Khulna Titans at the Bangladesh Premier League.”Since the end of the season I have been busy coaching and now have an exciting month coming up as an assistant coach with the Khulna Titans, working alongside head coach Mahela Jayawardene,” he said. “I am looking forward to tapping into his knowledge, as well as the other coaches, and passing on what I learn to both Essex and Forest School when I return.”

Both players have had stints in the middle order before, but India’s team management does not want to resume those experiments

Vishal Dikshit at the Wankhede21-Oct-20171:42

‘Don’t want to force Rahul into middle-order role’ – Kohli

KL Rahul is missing from India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series because the hosts are looking at him purely as an opener and don’t want to forecefully make him another middle-order option. Captain Virat Kohli explained on the eve of the first ODI in Mumbai that India were already carrying three openers – Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane – so it was decided to give Rahul more time in the first-class circuit.

Kohli wary of India’s ‘hectic’ schedule

Virat Kohli is concerned about the lack of rest Indian players have been getting because of the “hectic” schedule they are made to play in. Kohli emphasised the importance of getting adequate rest as it could be the difference between good and bad performances, and said every player needed a break irrespective of the high fitness levels they maintain these days.
“It’s become quite hectic, that’s something we definitely have to sit and discuss in the future,” he said. “Look at New Zealand, they haven’t played any cricket after Champions Trophy, there’s been such a good layoff and it can be the difference between doing well in a big tournament and not doing well. We are expected to perform on a consistent basis but I think the rest and the time to prepare should be adequate for athletes as well.
“This shouldn’t be an area where players are just chipped and changed according to form. You need to look at all the aspects, in terms of how many games you are playing, how much rest you are getting, whether you are able to maintain that consistency for 12 months given the number of matches that we play. Physically, are you able to keep up with it.
“How much ever fitness you do, but everyone needs rest. Everyone needs time to come back from training, especially the fast bowlers. We are doing that now with Umesh and Shami, we want them fresh for the Test season coming up. We don’t want to overtire players. Even some of the key batsmen will definitely get some rest in the future weeks because of the importance of the away tours that are coming up.”

For the middle order, India opted for Dinesh Karthik, who has amassed runs across formats in recent times. Even though Rahul was in the squad for the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia, he was dropped without being given a single chance.”This series, Dinesh Karthik has come in for KL. We felt KL, because he opens mostly, we don’t want to have a situation like Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) was going through in between – having to play in the middle order forcefully because of what the top order was doing,” Kohli said. “We thought it’s better that he (Rahul) gets some game time in the first-class level so we got in Dinesh who has always played in the middle order. He is more comfortable and more aware of how to bat in the middle order. We need to strike that good balance, bring in guys who have the ability, who have done well in domestic cricket, who have done well for India A, you know track their performances and give them chances accordingly.”It’s not a situation where you just start giving chances to people so much that you compromise on winning the series because of lack of experience. We need to strike that good balance regularly.”Soon after being dropped for the ODIs, Rahul got a chance to open when he was drafted in for the warm-up matches against New Zealand. In the first match , he scored 68 off 75 balls in an opening stand of 147 with Prithvi Shaw but was only made to carry the drinks in the second match, for which Karun Nair moved up from No. 3.Rahul had started his ODI career in impressive fashion when he became the first Indian to score a century on ODI debut, against Zimbabwe in June 2016. He got to open against England too, earlier this year, when Rohit was injured but only managed low scores of 8, 5 and 11, falling to early swing two out of the three times. Rohit opened in the Champions Trophy once he recovered, and now the only way to slot Rahul in the XI was somewhere in the middle order.When India toured Sri Lanka in August, Rahul got opportunities at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 in the ODIs but the runs still didn’t come as he scored 4, 17 and 7, perishing to offspinner Akila Dananjaya all three times. Time was running out for Rahul because of the fierce competition in the Indian batting line-up. There could have been another chance to open for him when Australia arrived for five ODIs and Dhawan opted out of the series, but Rahane had been sitting on the sidelines for so long that he was given a go and he shone with four consecutive half-centuries. Coincidentally, he may also sit out of some of the New Zealand ODIs as the Dhawan-Rohit combo is set to reunite.”He’s definitely grabbed his opportunities as the third opener,” Kohli said of Rahane. “As I mentioned, there was KL as well competing for the spot for a bit, but Jinks has really performed well, he stood up and taken his chances. That’s how the dynamics of the team work, when you have four guys who play in a similar position, then obviously one of them will have to miss out. Even in the three, only two can play in the XI. Again, as I mentioned, we don’t want to confuse him too much making him play in the middle order.”You need to find your game in ODI cricket, you need to understand how to go about things in ODI cricket and he’s always been very solid at the top order because of his technique. And he likes playing there as well, it gives him freedom to go after the bowlers. We don’t want to confuse him, he’s in a happy space, he knows whenever someone is not going through a good phase or there is an injury coming up, he’s there, he is right at the doorstep waiting to play a game whenever the team requires him to. He’s pretty happy with his batting at the moment.”Since Dhawan and Rohit have collected nearly 3000 runs while opening together, at an average of over 48, it only means Rahane is going to be the back-up opener. And Rahul, will be the back-up’s back-up.

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2017Kyle Hope drives through the off side•Getty ImagesKieran Powell (77) and Kyle Hope (61) completed half-centuries in West Indies’ second innings as the visitors had a useful outing in their tour match against Zimbabwe A. After their 126-run second-wicket partnership, West Indies’ middle order notched up useful contributions before allowing their bowlers to have a go at the Zimbabwe A batsmen. In 27 overs bowled by West Indies in the closing stages of the match, they managed to snuff out four top-order wickets before the game ended in a draw.Powell and Hope began the final day on an overnight score of 74 for 1 and both brought up their respective fifties soon after. The Zimbabwe A bowlers failed to dismiss either set batsmen, and both of them chose to retire out instead. That allowed the West Indies middle order to have another bat, and Jermaine Blackwood (25), Shane Dowrich (37) and Shimron Hetmyer (48) took their total to 263 before they chose to declare.Shannon Gabriel then quickly removed the hosts’ opener Brian Chari, before a brief resistance between Chamu Chibhabha (24) and Tarisai Musakanda followed. But Raymon Riefer then removed Musakanda, after which Chibhabha and Ryan Burl returned to the pavilion as well in quick succession. The game ended with Peter Moor (10*) and Richmond Mutumbami (1*) at the crease.

An update has emerged on Southampton and their plans to bolster their playing squad ahead of the 2023/24 Championship campaign…

What's the latest Southampton transfer news?

According to talkSPORT, the Saints are the favourites to secure a deal to sign Norwich City right-back Max Aarons before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the club are 'lining' up a swoop for the England U21 international to potentially replace Tino Livramento at St. Mary's.

This comes amid The Northern Echo stating that Newcastle United are set to make a renewed effort to land the former Chelsea academy prodigy from Southampton. His exit would leave a vacant spot in the squad for Aarons to potentially come in and fill.

How good is Max Aarons?

The Canaries starlet is an experienced defender in spite of the fact that he is only 23.

Aarons has made 213 first-team appearances for Norwich throughout his career to date, which includes 70 Premier League matches, and has been capped a whopping 27 times by England at U21 level.

Bringing the full-back in would be a masterclass of a move by Russell Martin as the Saints head coach could use his connections with his former club to secure a fantastic signing.

Martin, who once played alongside Aarons in a U23 match for Norwich, spent nine years at Carrow Road and Southampton could now benefit from his relationship with the Yellows.

Signing the former Luton Town academy prospect could ease the possible blow of losing Livramento as he has proven himself to be capable of excelling in a promotion-winning team at this level.

Aarons has been promoted as a title-winner in the Championship twice in his career and caught the eye with his displays during their 2020/21 success.

The £29k-per-week full-back averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.97 across 45 appearances as he created 1.4 chances per game, which would have placed him second within the Saints squad last term, as he helped his team to keep 17 clean sheets.

Livramento, who has never played at Championship level, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 across 28 top-flight matches during the 2021/22 campaign and created just 0.7 chances per match from right-back to illuminate just how creative Aarons was in comparison.

This suggests that the potential is there for the young right-back to come in as an upgrade on the 20-year-old talent.

Livramento has also missed 47 competitive matches through injury since January 2022 and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to steer clear of further issues with his knee after a cruciate ligament rupture.

Whereas, Aarons, who was once hailed as "outstanding" by former England U21 boss Aidy Boothroyd, has only been absent for two games throughout his entire professional career with Norwich to date, which came due to an ankle injury in 2019.

The Saints target is an ultra-reliable player who has played in the Premier League and knows how to get out of the Championship, whilst still having room to develop and grow.

Therefore, Martin could pull off a blinder by using his connections to seal a deal for the young defender, who has the ability and pedigree to be a phenomenal signing.

Manchester United are believed to be nearing the signing of Rasmus Hojlund, and now a fresh update has emerged on another potential target who could join the striker at Old Trafford.

What's the latest on Man United's interest in Mohammed Kudus?

According to Dutch football journalist Marcel van der Kraan, Ajax star Mohammed Kudus is on Man United's list of targets this summer.

Speaking on Football Daily, van der Kraan revealed:

"He [Kudus] is very keen on a move to the Premier League whether that be a top club in London or Manchester."

"But I think as soon as Ten Hag would knock on his door, he will go."

"He is on their list, he might not be the number one yet but if the players mentioned fail to come or talks break down, Kudus could be an ideal option."

How good is Mohammed Kudus?

It is no secret that Erik ten Hag has continued to have a huge admiration for his former Ajax squad, with a number of the Eredivisie club's players being linked with a move to Old Trafford since the manager was appointed last summer.

Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana are all players that have followed their former Ajax coach to the north west of England, whilst the likes of Jurrien Timber and Frenkie de Jong have been previously linked too.

Now Kudus – who reportedly has a £40m price tag – could be the next Ajax ace to join Ten Hag's rebuild project at the Theatre of Dreams this summer, and would provide strong competition for the players deployed in the attacking threat, especially Antony who hasn't had the explosive impact desired so far.

Over 25 Premier League appearances last season, the Brazilian delivered just four goals and two assists, as well as missing four big chances in front of goal and failing to complete 54% of his dribble attempts, as per SofaScore.

When comparing Kudus' output to the Man United winger's last season, the Ghana international comfortably outperformed his positional competitor in a number of attributes including goal contributions (14 v 9), shots on target rate (39.1% v 32.1%), pass completion (85.5% v 79.1%), successful take-ons (62.3% v 42.7%) and shots on target per 90 (1.36 v 1.18), as per FBref.

Not only that, Dutch legend Marco van Basten spoke out on the former Ajax teammates upon Antony's big-money move to Man United, claiming that Kudus is a much better player:

"Kudus has much better technique, and he knows what he is doing. Antony may be faster, but Kudus is smarter and more technical.

"He is much more of a footballer, you can place him anywhere on the pitch, an all-rounder for the team.

"In fact, I like him much better than Antony. He's more fun to watch play."

Indeed, Kudus' great versatility in positioning means that the pair could play alongside each other for the Red Devils, with the 22-year-old experienced in playing central midfield, attacking midfield, in the centre-forward role, as well as on the right wing too.

However, providing competition for Antony on that right flank could ultimately unlock his true potential and push the winger to improve his performances, something that would put Ten Hag in a great position by having two young and hungry prospects vying to prove themselves next season, with Hojlund spearheading the attack through the middle.

With that being said, the signing of Kudus would be a great piece of business for Man United; adding depth to a number of key areas on the pitch and delivering Ten Hag another huge talent that can impact the attacking threat.

Glasgow Rangers appear to have finally closed a deal for long-term Ibrox Jose Cifuentes this summer, with Football Insider reporting that they are set to confirm his signing in the early stages of next week.

How many games has Jose Cifuentes played?

The midfielder has played 19 times for his current club Los Angeles FC in the MLS this year and has already picked up where he left off last time around, with one goal and three assists to boot. It's helped to drag his side up to sixth in the standings, with the club finishing in second last year as well.

It was 2022 that proved to be his real standout year in the league, with the 24-year-old seemingly getting better as each campaign passes. Last year, he produced his best-ever goal contribution numbers, as he managed 13 in just 26 starts (seven goals, six assists). It meant that he ended the season with a rate of 0.50 goal contributions per 90 – one every other game.

He broke into double-digit figures in 2020 too, showing that it certainly wasn't just a one-off or a campaign where everything went right. His numbers have grown every year since he made his debut in 2016 at the tender age of just 16, and he has shown no signs of slowing down.

It's led to Rangers eagerly trying to sign him up for most of this summer, with the Gers trying desperately to sort out a deal that will bring him to the Scottish Premiership. Most recently, it seemed like a transfer was close and would be potentially completed this week.

Have Rangers signed Jose Cifuentes?

Now, according to Football Insider, things have advanced even more for Cifuentes. It now seems as though a full agreement have been reached and he will officially sign for Michael Beale's side – and be announced as a Rangers player – at the very beginning of next week.

It states that visas have been sorted and that a deal is now finally ready to go ahead – and it means that, come this time next week, he could be in Gers colours after a summer of long discussions over a deal for the midfielder.

It could be an excellent bit of business for the club too. LAFC general manager John Thorrington has spoken very highly of Cifuentes during his time with the club too, insisting that if he isn't "the most talented midfielder in the league" then he's certainly cutting it up there amongst them.

It shows that he is viewed as arguably one of the best in his area in the entire division – which is high praise considering just how many other central players there are in the MLS. Considering that he is only 24 years of age, it shows that he is already playing at the peak of his abilities with a career-high €12m Transfermarkt valuation – and you'd like to think there is room to get even better. If he can seal this move to Rangers and keep getting game time, then he could perhaps achieve the same feat in the Scottish Premiership.