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Aston Villa handed Marcus Rashford update as Man Utd hatch transfer plan

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

An Aston Villa update has surfaced on the possibility of Marcus Rashford joining Unai Emery beyond this campaign, with Manchester United hatching an intriguing plan for the £300,000-per-week winger.

Marcus Rashford earns Aston Villa praise after promising start

After falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford, with Ruben Amorim even criticising Rashford’s commitment, the big-name Englishman has so far displayed flashes of his best form since joining the club on loan in January.

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ByDominic Lund Feb 20, 2025

Rashford made his debut for Villa in a centre-forward role in the FA Cup against Tottenham, and impressed after coming off the bench during Villa’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich in the Premier League. The 27-year-old was then handed his first start in their 2-2 draw against Liverpool earlier this week, standing out as their best performer on the night by virtue of his average match rating, according to WhoScored.

While he is yet to register his first goal or assist under Emery, his direct and exciting displays indicate that it is only a matter of time.

“Marcus Rashford and Asensio, we watched their skill and how they helped us and will help us again in the next months in the different competitions we will face,” said Emery on Rashford.

“We are in a new way after the changes we did. We are demanding because we still need to improve due to some tactical issues and how we want to compete in the Premier League.”

Meanwhile, his teammate Morgan Rogers has also explained what a joy it is to have Rashford at Villa.

“It pushes us along, we want to take what we can from the experienced players in the squad,” said Rogers on Rashford.

“It’s massive to have people like that in the building, and hopefully we can just push each other. The second goal was important, we played well, but we hadn’t killed the game off.”

Aston Villa handed update on Marcus Rashford signing permanently

Villa have a £40m option-to-buy Rashford at the end of his loan deal, but according to reporter Jacque Talbot, the prospects of NSWE triggering it are slim amid United’s own summer transfer plans.

Marcus Rashford

It is thought that Villa’s financial issues mean there is uncertainty surrounding Rashford’s long-term future, and as things stand, it is more likely that he returns to Manchester.

That is because United are hatching their own transfer plan for the forward, with Talbot claiming Amorim’s side are planning to use Rashford as a makeweight in potential swap deal talks to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović.

Villa take on Chelsea today in the Premier League, and it is likely that Emery will utilise the attacker at some point as he looks to get the very best out of his new arrival during his brief stay in Birmingham.

Jamie Porter hands Middlesex a repeat dose as Essex stay alive in title race

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Seamer’s six-for echoes opening-round rout as Cook builds on 125-run lead at Chelmsford

Andrew Miller05-Sep-2023

Jamie Porter made the early inroads for Essex•Getty Images

Essex 304 (Browne 59, Cook 58, De Caires 8-106) and 104 for 1 (A Cook 44*) lead Middlesex 179 (Porter 6-34) by 229 runsThe harder that Essex toil to keep pace in this title race, the further adrift of Surrey’s rampant frontrunners they seem to end up being. Barely 15 minutes were on the clock at Chelmsford when word drifted up the A12 that Warwickshire had lost their third wicket of the morning to slump to a dismal innings defeat at the Kia Oval – by which stage Essex too were back in the pavilion, courtesy of Josh De Caires’ eighth wicket of their first innings – leaving them all out for 304, and with a net loss of one batting point on their South London rivals.And yet, to Essex’s credit – and Jamie Porter’s in particular – they were still in there fighting for this title by the close of the second day. After a day of harder graft than might have been envisaged after Porter – not for the first time this season – had overseen the obliteration of Middlesex’s top four in the space of his first four overs, Essex strolled through to the close with a lead of 229 and nine wickets intact, courtesy of Alastair Cook’s unbeaten 44, his second substantial knock of the match.With the sun set to blaze for two more days and this used pitch likely to get dustier even if it has eased out for now, there’s no reason to believe that Essex won’t be leaving this contest with a 21-point haul under their belts, to keep their challenge mathematically alive – at least until Surrey have seen off the relegation-bound Northamptonshire in their next home fixture in a fortnight’s time. More’s the pity that the lop-sided scheduling in the top flight has denied us a return clash of the top two, after Surrey were forced to cling on for a feisty draw on this ground back in May.Still, Essex aren’t done with the scrapping just yet. There’s so much residual excellence within this red-ball set-up that, on a rare off-day for Simon Harmer – their most obvious weapon in light of De Caires’ impact, but restricted on this occasion to a solitary wicket in the deep – their standards were maintained instead by their other pair of Old Faithfuls, Porter and Sam Cook, with a combined analysis of 9 for 80 in 22.5 overs.Porter emerged with the lion’s share of that haul – 6 for 34 in 12.5, his best figures of the season … by one run, after his 6 for 35 had routed Middlesex in their previous meeting at Lord’s in April’s season opener. On that occasion, the top four had contributed not a single run to a ghastly scoreline of 4 for 4, and so today’s collapse to 25 for 4 was comparative riches.The division of labour, however, was all too familiar for a put-upon batting line-up – three for Porter, one for Cook, and scarcely a moment’s let-up between them. Mark Stoneman was the first to go, driving loosely on the up to pick out Paul Walter in the covers, whereupon Joe Cracknell – playing his second Championship fixture and his first in two years – was followed by a fourth-ball inducker that Harmer scooped up at second slip.Sam Robson was bowled by Jamie Porter as Middlesex collapsed at Chelmsford•Andrew Miller/ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Three overs later, Porter had his and Essex’s third – and the best of the innings – as Sam Robson played down the wrong line of a perfect seaming delivery that straightened around his outside edge to flatten his off stump. And three balls after that, Cook – aiming full and threatening from round the wicket – pinned a tentative Jack Davies on the shin as he failed to commit fully on the front foot, and the innings was in freefall.The stage was set for Harmer, entering from the River End with licence to rip his offies and invite a catatonic line-up to implode. With India’s Test seamer Umesh Yadav hitting a hard length in his first spell as an Essex cricketer, Middlesex ground out a total of three runs in ten overs, including 35 consecutive dot-balls, until Max Holden denied Harmer a fifth consecutive maiden with a firm sweep through square leg.With Holden and John Simpson just beginning to creep out of their foxholes, back came Porter from the Hayes Close End, and down went Middlesex’s fifth wicket, as Simpson was pinned on the crease for 16, albeit the impact was on the high side of leg-sided. Porter didn’t care how they came, and before his 12th over was done, he’d bagged his own fifth, as Holden’s fighting knock ended with a tame clip back to the bowler for 30. Though Ryan Higgins and De Caires displayed some panache in their respective rearguards – the latter with a ramp for four off Porter than his old man certainly didn’t teach him – Essex would not be denied in their push for a substantive125-run lead.Porter duly delivered it by pinning Ethan Bamber lbw for 0, and in the wake of his back-to-back five-fors against Hampshire in Essex’s last Championship outing in July, he’d rushed past 50 wickets for the season too – quite the bounce-back after a fallow summer in 2022, in which his injury-plagued haul of 19 at 30.89 had left him contemplating his future as he approached his 30th birthday.Instead, after a renewed fitness drive – aided in no small part by a winter in Melbourne alongside Essex’s Australian bowling coach Mick Lewis – Porter’s now racked up 53 at 16.92, by a distance his best season since his annus mirablis in 2017, when he powered Essex’s title charge with 85 wickets at 16.74, and earned himself a 12th-man berth in England’s Test plans against India the following summer.Those England hopes, even Porter might accept, are long gone now – while Cook’s seem destined never to arrive in the first place, even though, at the age of 26 and with a first-class average below 20, his credentials could scarcely be more presentable. But all’s the more reason why this Essex era is of such enduring importance to this squad of players. Given all that they’ve achieved in the past six years and more, they are not quite ready to accept that their mantle of red-ball trendsetters has slipped away to the South-West.

Newcastle’s new “best player” is becoming a better signing than Bruno & Thiaw

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

There’s been a bit of upheaval in the directorial department at Newcastle United over the past year, but Ross Wilson has forged a neat working relationship with Eddie Howe, and the pair are looking to make improvements at St. James’ Park.

Last year, Howe and his squad defied many odds to lift the Carabao Cup and restore a place in the Champions League. It all came together, and while the sale of talisman Alexander Isak this summer threatened to knock things out of kilter, United have made progress in recent weeks, with new heroes emerging.

Bruno Guimaraes remains the Magpies’ all-inspiring leader, but Malick Thiaw has risen to the occasion since arriving in the Premier League this year, becoming a different kind of driving force for the Tynesiders.

Howe's new leaders at Newcastle

Isak was never a vocal talisman in Howe’s Newcastle squad, but, before the summer transfer window, he led by example on the field, scoring 27 goals across all competitions last season and notching in the Carabao Cup final.

However, Newcastle banked a record fee for his signature, and Guimaraes has only raised his game this term, both from a technical and leadership standpoint.

Though a new forward focal point has yet to properly establish himself, Thiaw has taken to life in the Premier League seamlessly, and Bruno has actually remarked that the imperious German defender is “the future of this club”.

It says something of his character and technical quality that he has arrived from AC Milan for around £35m and swiftly stepped higher than Sven Botman. As per Sofascore, Thiaw, 24, has won 74% of his aerial duels in the Premier League, completing 88% of his passes and yet to make an error.

He’s some player, and Bruno is too, but United may actually have a younger member of their squad who is shooting through the form rankings in the English game, starting to prove he could be the pick of the bunch.

Newcastle made a better signing than Bruno & Thiaw

When Newcastle signed Lewis Hall from Chelsea for £28m (after a season-long loan move throughout the 2023/24 campaign), they knew they had struck a bargain for a young full-back with a wealth of potential.

However, injuries have damaged the 21-year-old’s chances of establishing fluency since that move became permanent, and so it’s interesting to see him playing so well in recent weeks, finally building toward the elite player he could, should, become.

Described as “the best player on the field” by reporter Andy Sixsmith after his monstrous display against Tottenham, Hall has overcome his injury problems and is now reminding the Premier League that he is one of the best in the business. Indeed, with more performances like these, it won’t just be those of a Toon persuasion advocating for him to be on the Three Lions plane across the pond next summer.

Minutes played

90′

Touches

75

Shots (on target)

3 (0)

Accurate passes

36/43 (84%)

Chances created

0

Dribbles

2/2

Recoveries

6

Tackles won

4/4

Interceptions

2

Clearances

4

Duels won

8/15

As per FBref, Hall actually ranks among the top 7% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 11% for progressive passes, and the top 5% for through balls and tackles won per 90.

This is a frighteningly rounded player, his formative career as a centre-midfielder fostering a dynamic skillset that is charging his journey to the top. If the England international can keep fitness levels on his side, then he will only get better and better on Tyneside, potentially even becoming Howe’s main man.

In this, he might become one of the best signings of the PIF era. Already, it is clear that his name belongs in such a conversation, but Hall needs consistency now. Who knows, maybe he could climb up to loftier ground than the likes of Bruno and Thiaw stand on.

There’s also the matter of him arriving from Chelsea after being awarded the Cobham side’s Academy Player of the Year award. Pinched from a direct rival, Hall is developing into a player who will rival the likes of Marc Cucurella for the left-back crown down the line.

With so much room still for growth, there’s every chance that Hall could be Howe’s main man in the not-too-distant future.

Bigger waste of money than Wissa & Elanga: Howe must drop Newcastle dud

Eddie Howe must now axe this big Newcastle United waste of money ahead of the tense Tyne-Wear Derby.

ByKelan Sarson 2 days ago

Dazed Australia search for answers after first-round knockout

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Australia thought they could not be faulted for preparation, but it seemed to make no difference to the outcome

Alex Malcolm11-Feb-20233:17

Chopra: ‘Australia just couldn’t play against spin’

What now for Australia? They came here with a plan. A plan to pick horses-for-courses at the cost of the in-form Travis Head. A plan to be proactive with the bat and stick to their individual methods. A plan to bowl dry and control the tempo of the game and attack with two spinners and reverse swing.In the end, nothing went to plan. As Mike Tyson famously said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Australia got punched in the mouth not once, not twice but three times with India throwing a 1-2-3 combination from Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin to knock Australia down and score the first points in this heavyweight Border-Gavaskar fight.It leaves Australia staggered and wondering what to do next. Australia have had a habit of making fast starts on tours to India. They won the opening Test in 2001, 2004, and 2017 and went close in 2010. But in Nagpur in 2023 they have been annihilated in two days and two sessions.Related

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Stats – Australia hit record low, Ashwin at par with Kumble

For all the pre-match worry about a made-to-order pitch that would rag square from specifically curated rough patches outside the left-hander’s off stump, Australia’s batters were beaten on the good part of the pitch. The same pitch where Rohit compiled a sublime 120. The same pitch where India’s No.9 Axar Patel made his highest Test score of 84. The same pitch where India’s No.10 Mohammed Shami made 37. Australia’s only score higher in the Test match was Marnus Labuschagne’s 49 in the first innings.”I think everyone came with pretty clear plans,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said in the aftermath. “I think the challenge is under the furnace to be brave enough to be proactive at the time. They will be the conversations over the next couple of days. We faced some pretty tough bowlers at times.”Each player had prepared their own individual method. But the plans simply didn’t work. For all the preparation against spin, Usman Khawaja and David Warner both fell to pace against the new ball in the first innings.In the second, Khawaja edged a very full delivery trying to drive Ashwin out of the rough while Warner went completely into his shell. He defended for his life for 41 balls and it yielded just 10 runs. His crease-bound defence meant he was a sitting duck to Ashwin. He was dropped at slip by Virat Kohli off the outside edge by one that gripped, before being beaten on the inside edge by one that skidded and pinned lbw. He now has just three half-centuries in 18 innings in India, averaging 22.16, and had the look of a defeated man as he trudged off.2:53

Can Warner overcome the Ashwin challenge?

Labuschagne was beaten trying to play forward and trying to play back. His 49 in the first innings was Australia’s best innings of the match. He played some glorious shots, including driving Ashwin inside-out through cover against the turn and clipping Jadeja wide of mid-on against the turn. But after looking near flawless in two hours of batting he was lured out to drive Jadeja and was beaten by flight and spin to be stumped. It wasn’t dissimilar to his dismissal to Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya in Galle in Australia’s innings defeat last year. Having been burnt using his feet in the first innings, he was trapped on the back foot in the second to Jadeja and pinned lbw to a fuller length.Steve Smith looked outstanding in both innings. He played some sublime lofted drives off the left-arm spinners. But having worked so diligently not to be beaten on the inside edge by left-arm orthodox in India in 2017 to great reward, he was beaten on the inside by Jadeja in both innings. He was bowled twice through the gate by balls that skidded on. He was only reprieved in the second thanks to a no-ball.Matt Renshaw was preferred over Head as the better horse for the course against spin, yet he was pinned on the crease lbw in both innings trying to defend for 0 and 2. He did not unfurl any of the sweeps, reverse sweeps, or powerful drives he possesses.Peter Handscomb defended as well as any Australian in the first innings and looked impressive for his 31. But he too was pinned twice lbw while trying to defend from the crease.Alex Carey’s plan to sweep and reverse sweep everything was clear for all to see and he was prepared to do it from ball one. He found the boundary with a reverse sweep first ball in the first innings and a conventional sweep in the second. His proactivity caused India’s bowlers to rethink their fields in both innings and he looked as free-flowing as any Australia batter in the game. But he lived by the sword and died by the sword, out attempting premeditated reverse sweeps from the line of stumps in both innings.Alex Carey’s positive knock in the first innings was ended when he dragged on a reverse sweep•Getty ImagesAustralia’s bowlers contributed 18 runs across two innings of the Test match, while India’s last four batters compiled 130 between them in one innings.Cummins believes that both Smith and Carey’s proactivity was still the way to go despite their limited success in the Test match.”You saw Smithy and Alex Carey at times put the pressure back on the bowlers,” Cummins said. “I think it takes a bit of bravery, it’s easier said than done. If you’re just facing ball after ball and the bowler’s pretty good, you’re going to get one with your name on it. Again, that will be the conversation this week. If we get the same conditions, the same bowlers, what are we going to do differently? I think at times probably being more proactive.”Do Australia’s batters now stick or twist? Do the selectors stick or twist? All the advice coming to India was for Australia’s batters to find a method and stick to it. But as Cummins notes, that is easy to say and harder to do. How do you stick to a plan when you’ve been punched in the mouth?

Pressure mounts on ICC amid Afghanistan women's fundraising drive

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Afghanistan’s exiled players launch plea for donations as MCC, ECB show their support

Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda31-Jan-20252:03

Mel Jones: This group of Afghanistan women are trying to rebuild their lives

Pressure is mounting on the ICC to act amid the announcement of fundraising efforts to support Afghanistan’s exiled women’s cricketers, who played their first match together this week.The Pitch Our Future campaign, led by former Australia cricketer turned commentator Mel Jones, launched on Friday aimed at attracting online donations to support the players’ sporting, physical and mental needs so that they can continue to compete regularly as a team.Meanwhile, the MCC and MCC Foundation have set up the Global Refugee Cricket Fund to support refugees worldwide, backed by a £100,000 donation from the ECB and with an initial focus to raise money for Pitch Our Future.Related

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  • Powerplay: How cricket helped Afghanistan women escape

  • World Cricketers Association calls out 'random and inconsistent' support for Afghanistan women

In announcing the fund and the establishment of an advisory board, the MCC “invited” the ICC’s participation, while Clare Connor, the ECB’s deputy chief executive, hoped the fund’s launch would “inspire other cricketing organisations” to lend their support.The announcements follow pleas to the ICC to ring-fence funding for the players on the basis that Afghanistan remain full ICC members despite no longer being able to fulfil the requirement to field a women’s team under its Taliban government.The players wrote to the ICC last July asking for help in establishing themselves as a refugee team. In lieu of a response, they formed an Afghanistan Women’s XI with the help of Jones and a team of dedicated volunteers, and played their first game on Thursday.As told to ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast, Jones was instrumental in helping 19 players formerly contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board and their families escape to Australia after the Taliban took over in 2021 and banned women’s sport in their country. Since then, women have been subjected to increasingly restrictive laws in Afghanistan which have effectively excluded them from public life.Jones was helped by Emma Staples, Cricket Victoria’s Head of Diversity and Community, and Dr Catherine Ordway from the University of Canberra among others, whose efforts resulted in Thursday’s T20 exhibition against a Cricket Without Borders XI.

Cricket Without Borders won the fixture by seven wickets but the match represented a significant step for the Afghan players, not only in their development as cricketers but in raising awareness of their plight.Jones said that for their first couple of years in exile, the Afghan players feared for their safety if it became known that they were in Australia playing cricket for various club and community sides.”Now, we want to build a really strong community and high-performance programme around these young women, so they can develop not only as players, but also as coaches and administrators, so that they can stay within the sport and progress,” Jones said.The exiled Afghanistan women’s team played their first game at Junction Oval in Melbourne•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch Our future aims to raise A$1.5 million for an initial three-year program which will also include education and life-skill support for the players, some of them not even 18 years old when they escaped and many of whom couldn’t speak English when they arrived in Australia.Meanwhile, the MCC and MCC Foundation have launched the Global Refugee Cricket Fund to support refugees worldwide and with an initial focus to raise money for Pitch Our Future.The Global Refugee Cricket Fund aims to provide access to facilities, offer education and mentorship, promote advocacy and awareness and build high-performance and community programs for players, coaches and administrators.Announcing the fund in a press release on Friday, MCC said an advisory board would be set up including representatives from the MCC
Foundation, MCC, ECB, Pitch Our Future, refugee organisations, and community leaders such as Afghan women’s advocates. “The ICC is also invited to participate in this effort,” the statement added.Aiming to raise £1 million initially, the fund was boosted by the ECB’s donation.Connor said: “The cricket community must take action, to support the brave Afghan women, and to give hope that cricket can be a sport for any woman or girl. We hope the launch of the Fund will inspire other cricketing organisations to support this cause, and to unlock cricket’s power to unite communities around the globe.”Dr Sarah Fane, Director of the MCC Foundation, said: “With Pitch Our Future leading the way in Australia, we hope to amplify their efforts and inspire the global cricketing community to join us in making a difference.” Donations to Pitch Our Future from Australia can be made here and from outside Australia via Global Refugee Fund here.

Spurs have struck on "frightening" star who's worth way more than Mbeumo

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

da luck： It’s all going on at Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

da cassino online： The North Londoners moved quickly to fire Ange Postecoglou earlier this month and then, in a relatively quick fashion, appointed Thomas Frank to lead the club into the next season.

However, that’s only the start of the business the North Londoners will be doing this season, as recent weeks have seen them linked to a plethora of talented players, from Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo to RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons.

Brentford's BryanMbeumoreacts

Yet, perhaps the most interesting and exciting link has been to Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo, even though his valuation is currently lower than that of a current Spurs star.

Why Spurs want Mbeumo

As things stand, it would appear as if Spurs and Manchester United are the two teams most interested in signing Mbeumo this summer, and while the fee required to do so is still in the air, Football Transfers has valued the Cameroon international at around €58m, which comes out to £49m.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Now, that is still a lot of money, but it would be hard to make a genuine argument against him being worth that and more.

For example, in 42 appearances for the Bees this season, totalling 3577 minutes, the former Troyes gem scored 20 goals and provided nine assists.

That means the 25-year-old phenomenon managed to maintain an average of a goal involvement every 1.44 games, or every 123.34 minutes, which is undeniably sensational and the sort of output that would seriously help the North Londoners next year.

Furthermore, the Avallon-born monster is reasonably versatile, as while his primary and best position is off the right, he has spent a not-insignificant period playing up top and as a second striker during his time in the capital.

Brentford's BryanMbeumoin action with Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Magalhaes

Finally, while there might be cheaper and more exciting options elsewhere in Europe, the 22-capped international is Premier League-proven and, therefore, should easily slot into the Tottenham squad next season.

However, he will have to hit the ground running to see his valuation surpass one of his potential new teammates.

The Spurs star worth more than Mbeumo

So, even though Spurs endured a diabolically poor domestic campaign this season, the club is still blessed with an abundance of talented players, like James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Micky Van de Ven.

However, in this context, the player in question is fellow right-winger Brennan Johnson, who, according to Football Transfers, is currently worth €66.5m, which converts to about £57m, or £8m more than Mbeumo’s valuation.

Now, that might sound like a lot to some of you, but the Welshman actually enjoyed a pretty impressive season with the North Londoners this year.

For example, he ended the campaign as the club’s top scorer, with 18 goals and seven assists in 51 appearances, totalling 3316 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.04 games, or every 132.64 minutes, which isn’t much worse than the Brentford star.

Moreover, he scored arguably the most important Tottenham goal in a generation in the Europa League Final last month.

On top of that, he stacks up reasonably well against the Cameroonian superstar when we take a look at their underlying numbers from this season.

For example, the 25-year-old comes out ahead in some metrics, such as progressive passes and carries, shots on target and shot and goal-creating actions per 90.

Johnson vs Mbeumo

Statistics per 90

Johnson

Mbeumo

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.51

0.42

Non-Penalty G+As

0.61

0.58

Progressive Passes

2.69

3.72

Progressive Carries

2.21

3.43

Shots

2.13

2.08

Goals per Shot

0.23

0.18

Shots on Target

0.84

0.94

Goals per Shot on Target

0.58

0.41

Passing Accuracy

69.2%

66.1%

Shot-Creating Actions

1.72

3.80

Goal-Creating Actions

0.27

0.53

Tackles

1.42

1.29

Tackles Won

0.90

0.85

Blocks

0.97

0.69

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Season

However, the “frightening” former Nottingham Forest gem, as dubbed by content creator HLTCO, comes out ahead in just as many other areas, including expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots, goals per shot and shot on target, tackles and tackles won, blocks and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, Mbeumo might be the more exciting player at the moment, but Johnson fully deserves the valuation he has, and should the North Londoners get their hands on the Brentford star, there could be a fierce battle for that right-wing position next season.

He's like Isak: Spurs make contact to sign £47m Premier League "monster"

The reliable goalscorer would make Spurs far more dangerous.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 20, 2025

Stats – Lyon trumps Kumble, and India's rare batting slump

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Also, India’s poor partnership numbers and their issues with bowled and LBW dismissals

Sampath Bandarupalli02-Mar-2023272 Runs scored by India across their two innings in Indore. It is the joint-third lowest aggregate for India in a home Test when all out twice. India’s lowest aggregate is 212 against Australia in 2017 in Pune, followed by 247 in Chennai against England in 1977.8 for 64 Nathan Lyon’s bowling figures in India’s second innings, the second best for Australia in Tests against India, behind his 8 for 50 in Bengaluru during the 2017 tour. His Indore figures also puts him second best overall in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, behind his Bengaluru performance.113 Test wickets for Lyon against India. He is now the leading wicket-taker in Border-Gavaskar Trophy history, surpassing Anil Kumble’s tally of 111 wickets.Related

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53 Test wickets for Lyon in India, the second highest among visiting bowlers behind Derek Underwood’s 54. Lyon’s five five-wicket hauls in India are the joint most for a visiting bowler along with Richie Benaud.35 India’s highest partnership in this Test, between Cheteshwar Pujara and Shreyas Iyer for the fifth wicket in the second innings. Only twice have India had a smaller top partnership in a Test where they lost all 20 wickets: 20 runs against South Africa in Durban in 1997 and 31 against Australia in Brisbane in 1947.18 Wickets for Australia’s spinners in Indore, the joint most by them in a Test match in Asia. The Australian spinners also took 18 wickets against Sri Lanka during the last year’s Galle Test. It is the joint most for Australian spinners in a Test since they took 19 against England in Nottingham in 1934.12 Number of bowled or LBW dismissals for India in Indore, their their most in a Test since 13 such dismissals against England at Lord’s in 1959.76 The target set by India in Indore. The lowest target any team has failed to chase is 85 . The dubious distinction belongs to England against Australia in 1882, the game that gave rise to the Ashes.

Thomas Tuchel shares warm embrace with old adversary Pep Guardiola as England boss pays visit to Man City training ground

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

England head coach Thomas Tuchel was spotted at Manchester City's training centre as he shared a warm embrace with old adversary Pep Guardiola and was also seen sharing a chat with City and Three Lions defender John Stones. Tuchel is keeping an eye on the Premier League matches ahead of the September international break, where England will play two of World Cup qualifying matches.

Tuchel visited Man City training groundShared warm embrace with GuardiolaEngland to play two World Cup qualifiers in SeptemberFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Tuchel caught up with the England players in the City squad, including John Stones, as he visited the club's training on Sunday. He also shared a warm embrace with Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola.

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England are set to compete in the World Cup qualifiers during the international break next month as they are scheduled to face Andorra and Serbia on September 6 and 9, respectively. Tuchel attended the Premier League games in its opening weekend and will watch the remaining two gameweeks to monitor the English stars, before picking his best possible squad. 

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City were off to a flying start in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign as they demolished Wolves 4-0, riding on Erling Haaland's brace, while Tijjani Reijnders scored on his league debut.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

Guardiola's men will next face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at home on August 23.

He's like Yamal: Arsenal in talks to sign "superstar" Trossard upgrade

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Ask an Arsenal fan what the team needs this summer, and we reckon the vast majority will say a striker.

It’s undoubtedly true that Mikel Arteta’s side need more help up top to either replace or challenge Kai Havertz next season, but arguably just as important is a new left-winger.

Compared to Bukayo Saka on the right – who missed over three months of football – the Gunners’ options on the left weren’t able to have the same sort of impact on games.

Fortunately, reports have now linked the club with a renowned international who’s been compared to the incredible Lamine Yamal and would be a perfect upgrade on Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal seem to recognise their need for wide reinforcements this summer, as over the last few weeks and months, they’ve been linked with a host of sensational talents, like Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former has been unreal for Paris Saint-Germain this season, scoring 21 goals and providing 19 assists in 58 games, but such a rate of return has seen the Parisian value him at a whopping £101m.

Fellow Ligue 1 superstar Cherki, on the other hand, could be available for around £30m this summer, and should Manchester City not get their man, then that’d be a bargain fee, as in 44 appearances, he’s scored 12 goals and provided 20 assists.

Rayan Cherki

However, while both wingers would be brilliant additions to the squad, Arteta and Co may want someone more experienced to come in and replace Trossard, someone like Leroy Sané.

Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal are one of several English sides interested in the Bayern Munich star this summer.

The report has revealed that ‘senior figures at the club have held talks with 29-year-old’ and that should he not decide to renew his contract with the German giants, the Gunners are a real option for him ahead of next season.

It might not be the most exciting transfer imaginable, but Sané is a proven winner, who’d not only be free but an upgrade on Trossard and someone who’s won comparisons to the phenomenal Yamal.

How Sané compares to Trossard and Yamal

Before looking at how Sané stacks up against Trossard, it’s worth examining this comparison to Yamal and where it has come from.

Well, in this case, it stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, and in this instance, has come to the conclusion that the Barcelona gem is the eighth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Bayern ace across the last 365 days.

The best way to understand how this conclusion was reached is by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, expected assists, key passes, live passes, switches, tackles and tackles won, blocks and more, all per 90.

Sané & Yamal

Statistic per 90

Sané

Yamal

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.87

0.75

Expected Assists

0.34

0.37

Key Passes

1.98

2.02

Live Passes

47.5

47.2

Switches

0.11

0.13

Tackles

1.26

1.32

Tackles Won

0.82

0.88

Blocks

0.44

0.38

Carries

43.2

46.9

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

However, while a comparison to one of the most exciting players in the world is certainly encouraging, how does the former Manchester City star compare to the Gunners’ Belgian wideman, as he’d be one of his main competitors for game time next year?

Well, when it comes to their raw output from this season, it’s the German “superstar,” as dubbed by football scout Antonio Mango, who has the better record, as in just 2377 minutes across 45 appearances, he’s scored 13 goals and provided six assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.36 games, or far more crucially, every 125.10 minutes, which is nothing to sniff at.

In contrast, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star has scored ten goals and provided ten assists in 56 appearances, totalling 3455 minutes this season.

Sané’s vs Trossard 24/25

Players

Sané’s

Trossard

Appearances

45

56

Minutes

2377′

3455′

Goals

13

10

Assists

6

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.42

0.35

Minutes per Goal Involvement

125.10′

172.75′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

That comes out to an okay but far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games, or every 172.75 minutes, which is not what you want in a title-chasing team.

Speaking of titles, the Essen-born dynamo would also bring with him a real know-how when it comes to winning them, as across his time with City and FC Hollywood, he’s won six league titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups and a handful of other trophies.

Ultimately, picking up Sané for nothing this summer would be an excellent decision by Arsenal, as he’d be an ideal upgrade on Trossard, he’d bring a winning mentality, and then there is the added bonus of his similarities to Yamal – it feels like a no-brainer.

Berta's answer to Mbeumo: Arsenal now favourites to sign £59m "powerhouse"

Arsenal could sign their answer to Bryan Mbeumo this summer.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 3, 2025

Shastri, empathy and glory: How India rose out of lockdown

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

India’s head coach explains the secrets behind a high-performing unit that beat Australia in Australia and then humbled England

Karthik Krishnaswamy07-Mar-20218:06

Ravi Shastri on India qualifying for the WTC final from a bio-bubble: ‘I cannot say enough how proud I am of my team’

It’s hard to fully understand what life in a bio-secure bubble is like if you haven’t been in one, but for India’s cricketers, it must feel like swimming in a fishbowl, an exhausting combination of confinement and hyper-visibility.It’s the only life they’ve known for many months now – it began as early as August 2020 for those involved in IPL 2020 in the UAE – and through it they’ve pulled off two outstanding Test-series victories and reached the final of the World Test Championship. Ravi Shastri, their coach, couldn’t be a prouder man, and through this journey he’s also discovered some of the positives that a team can accrue from being in a bubble.He says, for one, that it’s brought the players closer together.”They have no choice,” Shastri said a day after India had completed their 3-1 series win over England. “There are restricted areas, there are team areas, so you can’t go out anywhere, you can’t meet anyone. If you want to get out of your room, go into a team area, where you’ll meet other players.5:09

R Ashwin praises India’s dressing room environment

“So what it’s done is, it’s made players meet each other more often after playing hours. And when you meet more often, somewhere down the line there will be conversations regarding the game, which used to happen in our time. When you finished the game, you’d still be sitting in the dressing room a good hour after the game, talking cricket. So I think the best thing that’s happened is talking cricket, amongst the team members.”And they had no choice, they were forced to do it, and that’s been a big help. They’ve got to understand each other better. They’ve got to understand each other’s backgrounds, mental state, where they come from, where they are in life – settled, unsettled. It allowed them to open themselves to their colleagues a lot more, discuss personal issues more freely. Win more trust from the team members. A lot of positives came out because of this bubble.”It must have helped India that they were winning, of course, but they won each time from positions of adversity. India began their tour of Australia with back-to-back defeats in the first two ODIs, and began the Test series by getting bowled out for 36 in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. They began their home Test series against England with a resounding defeat in Chennai.You can imagine the impact such defeats may have on players who can’t step into the outside world to distract themselves. Many of these players, moreover, came back to cricket after months of being in strict lockdown as India struggled to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, so they were perhaps rusty and not necessarily in the best physical shape either. All this, therefore, led Shastri to approach these two bubble tours with an understanding that he and the rest of the team management had to be more empathetic towards the players.Ravi Shastri decided not to be hard on the India players when their cricket resumed after lockdown and he says that has been key to their success•Getty Images”You had to be patient, more than anything else,” Shastri said. “See, we started [the tour of] Australia with two losses in the one-day games. In normal circumstances, you can be a little aggressive, you can be more straight to the point with the individual and tell him, pull up your socks. But I’d made up my mind with my team management very early that we’re going to show empathy, because for six months a lot of the guys had not got out of their flats.”No one lives in farms and houses in India. Some do, some don’t. Luckily I have a place outside Bombay so I could stay there and roam freely. But a lot of the other boys were in flats, and they’re professional sportsmen. So when you can’t get out and do the job you have to do for six months, which you’ve done all your life, it’s not easy. Whereas in Australia, New Zealand, the rules were relaxed. People would go out, train. Australia even went out and played in England.”So I knew very clearly that it will take time. Now how much time do I be patient? That was my call. And it didn’t take long. We were in quarantine for two weeks, and [suffered] two losses in another week, so three weeks [in total]. By that time the boys had trained a bit, and I knew we needed one result our way for things to turn around very quickly, because of the work we had done over the last 4-5 years as an Indian cricket team.”We had realised that this team takes pride in winning. This team doesn’t mind losing as long as they throw punches. So it was a matter of just being patient for that one switch of results. And it happened in the third game, the one-day game, through some brilliance from Hardik [Pandya] and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja). And then you didn’t look back. From that day, once we won that game, we matched Australia day for day. We lost the one-day series, we won the T20 series, and we won the Test series. You can’t have a tour like that. Unreal.”From lockdown, to get unlocked and then pull off something special was very special. So that’s where the empathy came in, where instead of being hard on the guys, you said, let’s be patient, understand the mindset where they’ve come from, six months of lockdown, what they’ve gone through, what the rules are in this place you’ve gone to.”And it was hard, because things were being shifted. Things that were promised weren’t happening. Let me be straight here. Because of one case here, one case there, they could bend the rules.”India found a host of new young players ready for Test cricket this season•BCCIWhat Shastri calls bending of rules – relating to quarantine regulations in Australia, particularly in the lead-up to the fourth Test in Brisbane – others might term as caution in the face of a global pandemic. Whichever way you look at it, the global impact of Covid-19 on cricketers also extended to the way the World Test Championship finalists were identified. With a number of series getting cancelled, a simple ranking on the basis of points totals gave way to one based on the percentage of points earned from series contested.India were one of only two teams to not have any of their series cancelled, so they had to play more, and win more, to seal their place in the final. This rankled with their captain Virat Kohli, and it rankled with Shastri too.”Please don’t shift the goalposts mid-stream,” he said. “I’m sitting at home in Covid [lockdown] in the month of November, or October. You have got more points than any other team in the world, 360 at that time. Suddenly, a week later, without playing cricket, there’s some rule that comes that they’re going to go on percentage system, where you go from number one to number three in a week.”Fine, that’s because of countries not wanting to travel, to countries that are in the red zone or whatever. All acceptable, fine. Now I want to understand the logic behind this because what is the way forward for me? I have two tours left. Sitting on top of the table, comfortably, leading by 60-70 points as opposed to any other team. They say, no, you have to go to Australia. I say, okay, what have you to do in Australia? You have to beat Australia.Ravi Shastri says India became a more close-knit team as a consequence of living in bio-secure bubbles•AFP via Getty Images”Now how many teams in 100 years or last 10 years have gone to Australia and you can guarantee will beat Australia? Now the reason I’m saying this is, you’re sitting on top of the table, 360 [points], percentage system, you have to go to Australia to beat Australia. You don’t beat Australia, you come back home and beat England 4-0, you get close to 500 points, you still don’t qualify.”So we have had to dig deep, we have had to go down every hole that’s needed to find water. We’ve found it, and we’ve earned our stripes to be in the final of the World Test Championship, the biggest trophy in the world, with 520 points.”Along the way, they experienced a freakish injury crisis too, which led them to play their last Test in Australia with their bowling attack consisting of two debutants, two fast bowlers who had played just one Test apiece, and one who had played two. India couldn’t field all of their first-choice players against England either. But by being forced to try so many of their reserves, India discovered a number of players with the skills to succeed in Test cricket.”That’s the most positive thing to come out of the bubble,” Shastri said. “Because of the bubble, you had to go with enlarged squads. Normally you would go with 17-18 [players], but because of the bubble and because of the quarantine laws that exist, you had to go with 25, 30, 35 in certain cases, as a result of which you had to dig deep and pick your best 30 players, and as luck would have it, we were left with no choice but to play each 30 of them, and you found out who’s good and who’s not good.”So it’s a good headache to have, it’s something that worked well. You would have never imagined the number of players that would have played for India, six months ago. If you think [T] Natarajan would have played a Test match, no way you’d have said he would have played a Test match. Will Washington Sundar play a Test match? No way. These are things you would not imagine, but circumstances make it happen, and I’m glad the youngsters who got the opportunity have grabbed it with both hands.”

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