Jamal Musiala has been rubbing shoulders with other footballing Giants, with the Bayern Munich star enjoying the NFL experience at Allianz Arena.
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After two sessions of hard work from the bowlers West Indies ended on the verge of defeat after a batting collapse
Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge27-May-2012Kirk Edwards, the West Indies vice-captain came to Trent Bridge in the morning, reported sick, and returned to the team hotel once the doctor had diagnosed he was suffering from flu. Nobody, including Edwards himself, would have been overly concerned by his absence as everyone expected England to build a substantial lead on a flat pitch under bright and blue skies.But the expected script does not always come to pass. The persistence of Ravi Rampaul and an explosive spell of fast bowling from Kemar Roach in the first session spoilt England’s lunch and forced them back on the field much earlier than expected with a slender lead.Facing a deficit of only 58, and with seven sessions remaining, Darren Sammy would have told his batsmen to see out the 34 overs left in the day and lay a platform. Resolute centuries from Sammy and Marlon Samuels in the first innings and comfortable knocks from England’s pair of Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen had made it clear that the pitch was still full of runs.Yet to the horror of the motley crew of West Indies fans gathered in the New Stand, not to mention Sammy and Ottis Gibson in the dressing room, England’s fast men broke the spine of the opposition batting effortlessly. Two wickets fell in three balls during the penultimate over of the day with Edwards the second of those. As things turned out, he had to drag himself out of his bed having received an SOS call from the team management once the West Indies openers had failed to survive even half an hour. But Edwards only lasted two deliveries and became the joke of the day.It would be unwise to share that joke with Rampaul, who did not mask his annoyance at the end of the day, blaming his batsmen for offering such weak resistance. He was right to vent his fury and the same would have been true of his bowling colleagues Roach and Sammy, all of whom, having copped some body blows at various points in their bowling spells, had bounced back to deny England gaining the upper hand.Even at Lord’s last week, West Indies’ bowlers had revealed their heart for the fight despite the failure of batsmen in the first innings. On that occasion England were 259 for 3 at stumps on the second day but were restricted to 398. Here in Nottingham, Strauss and Pietersen had put England in a dominant position by Saturday evening.That the England juggernaut did not flatten the visitors’ spirits on Sunday morning was only because Rampaul showed what a smart bowler he is. Rampaul is only deceptive because people wonder how a man of his heavy girth and round hips can even hurl the ball at 80-85 mph. A quick arm takes care of the velocity while a thinking brain helps Rampaul utilise both the new and old balls smartly. His biggest asset is he will not stop coming back at you.Pietersen was beaten by a ball that ducked into him due to the reverse swing Rampaul managed to generate early in the morning. With his stifling wicket-to-wicket line, Rampaul continued to strangle the batsmen for runs. In the process, he also managed to build the confidence of Roach, who had returned after the horrific Saturday where he became the no-ball king.Roach started the new day fresh. All those doubts about over-stepping seemed in the distant past (although he would bowl three later) as he came up with an aggressive first spell, which exposed the technical deficiencies of the inexperienced Jonny Bairstow.At the other end Sammy was all perseverance despite going at four an over in his first 20-overs, which again questioned his ability to fulfil the third seamer’s role. But he rallied, tempting Strauss to chase a wide delivery, and be caught at the wicket.It was a frustrating day for West Indies; their bowlers had learned from their mistakes the previous evening, but the batsmen continued to repeat the same errors.”It is tough watching six batsmen get out especially after the bowlers worked so hard in the first two sessions,” Rampaul said. “It isn’t easy to bowl 120-odd overs, to bowl out a team and then looking at your batsmen not applying themselves and losing their wickets. I don’t fault any one of them. I just give them confidence and ask them to focus more; apply themselves more.”Rampaul admitted England were in control now but urged Samuels and Sammy, the two centurions for West Indies in this series, still to believe. “It is quite hard to set a target after being six down,” he said. “Tomorrow our batsmen need to go out there and apply themselves. The early damage has already been done.”
Micky van de Ven shared a cryptic injury update on Instagram after he limped out of Tottenham's Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City.
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Dinesh Chandimal’s poor form might prompt Sri Lanka to bring in Charith Asalanka
Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Oct-2021
Of all the matches in this qualifying round, this one seems to most have the feel of a dead rubber. Not only do Netherlands have no chance of making the Super 12s, but Sri Lanka are also highly likely to finish top of Group A thanks to their superior net run rate.For Netherlands, this is a chance to make a mark in a tournament in which they will feel they have underperformed. In the first match, their batting was blown away by Ireland’s seam bowlers, while in the second, their bowlers could not withstand David Wiese’s assault for Namibia.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have earned themselves an opportunity to find a solution to their top-order issues. Dinesh Chandimal had another failure against Ireland on Wednesday, thus finding his position at No. 3 in serious peril. The likeliest replacement may be Charith Asalanka, but Dhananjaya de Silva is also in the squad.Related
Arthur: SL bowling attack 'almost ideal' for T20 World Cup
Their fast bowlers, meanwhile, might get a rest. Lahiru Kumara has had a particularly taxing workload over the past few weeks, although it may be Dushmantha Chameera that Sri Lanka would prefer had a night off to recharge for the Super 12s.
One of the few bright spots for Netherlands has been the batting of opener Max O’Dowd. He hit 51 off 47 balls against Ireland while the rest of the top order blew up around him, before making a 56-ball 70 that was the backbone of Netherlands’ innings against Namibia. He has got arguably the best attack of the qualifying stage to contend with in this match, though. Can he maintain his output?Pathum Nissanka has promised a lot more in Tests than he has in the shortest format, but in hitting his first half-century against Ireland, he suggested he could find success in this World Cup yet. He was unambitious in the early overs while wickets fell around him, but never seemed bogged down either, finding a way to keep his score moving until the boundaries eventually came. After all, Sri Lanka desperately need a reliable run-scorer in their top three.
This will be both teams’ first match in Sharjah. During the IPL, the Sharjah tracks were slow, turned a bit and had variable bounce. Temperatures are expected to hover around the low 30s Celsius range again. If the conditions in Abu Dhabi are anything to go by, dew could be an issue too.
Although No. 5 is a more familiar position for Asalanka, he may slot in at No.3, leaving Bhanuka Rajapaksa at No. 5.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Charith Asalanka, 4 Avishka Fernando, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Chamika Karunaratne, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Binura Fernando, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Lahiru KumaraNetherlands may bring in Brandon Glover in place of Timm van der Gugten.Netherlands (possible): 1 Max O’Dowd, 2 Stephan Myburgh, 3 Roelof van der Merwe, 4 Colin Ackerman, 5 Ryan ten Doeschate, 6 Scott Edwards (wk), 7 Bas de Leede, 8 Pieter Seelar, 9 Logan van Beek, 10 Fred Klaassen, 11 Timm van der Gugten/Brandon Glover
Sri Lanka don’t have a great record in tri-series finals in Australia, but the form of their top order could make a vital difference this time
S Rajesh03-Mar-2012In the end, the two teams that deserved to the most made it to the CB Series finals. For a long time during the last league match between Australia and Sri Lanka, India would have harboured chances of sneaking through, but it would have been just that – sneaking through, at the expense of a team that had been more consistent through the tournament.In the first half of the competition, Sri Lanka lost tight matches to Australia and India, and tied one against India, but in the second half they turned it around with convincing victories against both teams. The shock defeat against India in Hobart was a bolt from the blue, but they were good enough to bounce back from that result despite being a couple of bowlers short against Australia at the MCG.The overall stats for the three teams indicate how the tournament has gone for them. Sri Lanka have easily been the best batting side, thanks to the consistency of their top order. Dinesh Chandimal has been a revelation, slotting in at second* on the tournment’s run charts after the league stage with 383 runs at an average of almost 64, while Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews have all played their part. Overall, their top five have a combined average of 42.25 in the CB Series so far, which is their third-highest ever in a series of five or more matches outside Asia. The corresponding averages for the top five are 30.26 for India and 29.27 for Australia.Overall, Sri Lanka have five batsmen averaging more than 35 in the tournament, compared to three each for Australia and India. For a team that has generally relied on Sangakkara and Jayawardene for most of their runs, this is a huge plus. In fact, India’s numbers went up significantly because of that stunning chase in their last match of the tournament in Hobart. Exclude that, and India’s runs per wicket falls to 24.13, at a run rate of 4.83 per over.As a bowling unit, Australia were the best, while India were the poorest in that aspect as well. The Australians took 65 wickets at 25.58 each, and they were also the only side to concede less than five runs per over. Sri Lanka took 64 wickets, but their average touched 30. Both teams have bowlers who have taken more than ten wickets – Lasith Malinga leads the tally with 14, while Daniel Christian has 13 and Clint McKay 10. For India, though, the highest wicket-taker was Vinay Kumar with nine; in all the Indians took only 54 wickets in their eight games, at an average touching 39 and a run rate of 5.50.
| Team | W/L/T | Bat ave | Run rate | Bowl ave | Econ rate |
| Sri Lanka | 4/3/1 | 35.30 | 5.29 | 30.10 | 5.24 |
| Australia | 4/4/0 | 30.52 | 5.18 | 25.58 | 4.95 |
| India | 3/4/1 | 28.01 | 5.26 | 38.94 | 5.50 |
India had a better start to the tournament compared to Sri Lanka, but as the competition progressed Sri Lanka upped their game and were the more consistent side. The records of these two sides against Australia indicate how much better Sri Lanka played against the hosts. They won three of four matches against Australia, who averaged less than 25 runs per wicket against Sri Lanka with the bat, and conceded 31 per wicket with the ball. Australia also managed to score at just 4.74 runs per over, and conceded almost 5.20.Against India, Australia were dominant. They scored almost 38 runs per wicket at 5.63 runs per over, and allowed the hapless Indian batsmen only 21 runs per wicket. Given a choice, it’s clear whom the Australians would have preferred to face in the finals.
| Versus | W/L | Bat ave | Run rate | Bowl ave | Econ rate |
| India | 3/ 1 | 37.96 | 5.63 | 21.22 | 4.70 |
| Sri Lanka | 1/ 3 | 24.94 | 4.74 | 31.00 | 5.18 |
Now that they are in the finals, Sri Lanka will have to banish memories from the two previous seasons when they reached this stage of the tri-series in Australia. The most recent instance was in 2005-06, when South Africa were the third side. Sri Lanka won the first of three finals that time, beating Australia by 22 runs in Adelaide. In the second final in Sydney, they had Australia reeling at 10 for 3. From there, though, Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds launched an astonishing counterattack, adding 237 for the fourth wicket at better than a run a ball. Sri Lanka were shell-shocked and capitulated meekly, and in the next match ran into a genius called Adam Gilchrist, who made a target of 267 look anything but challenging.Sri Lanka don’t have a great win-loss record against Australia at the two venues that will host the finals: it’s 0-3 in Brisbane and 1-6 at the Adelaide Oval. Along with Perth, they’re the worst venues for Sri Lanka in Australia. On the other hand, at the MCG and in Sydney, they have a much better 10-15 win-loss record against Australia. However, they can take much comfort from their recent record against Australia in Australia: since February 29, 2008, they’ve won six and lost only two of eight matches. No other team has won more ODIs against Australia in Australia during this period. That should give them confidence before the best-of-three finals.*13:42 GMT, March 3: The article had stated that Dinesh Chandimal was the tournament’s leading run-scorer so far. This has been corrected.
So far so good for Glasgow Rangers this summer. Not only has Philippe Clement recruited a few players prior to pre-season, but he has recruited well at Ibrox.
Jefte, Connor Barron and Oscar Cortes are all aged 22 or under, and it looks like there will be more to come for Rangers in the next few weeks.
Striker Hamza Igamane appears to be close to a move, while players such as Callum O’Hare and Reuell Walters are other talented individuals who have been linked with a move north of the border to join Clement’s revolution.
This transfer strategy – one which sees the Gers manager forming the bulk of his squad with promising youngsters – may be a gamble, but it is one the 50-year-old has to take, otherwise he could end up like his predecessors.
Michael Beale and Giovanni van Bronckhorst both spent lavish sums of money on a host of players who failed to light up Ibrox. Both were sacked as a result after just ten and 12 months respectively.
Thankfully, the Belgian has taken a different route and there is a new name being linked with a move to the Scottish side…
The Light Blues are hardly blessed with a transfer war chest, which suggests Clement has to be smart about the signings he wishes to make ahead of the new season.
While some funds will be spent – depending on how much is raised via sales – plenty of his business will be loans or free transfers.
One name to have cropped up recently is Ryan Sessegnon, with Rangers reportedly looking at bringing the former Tottenham Hotspur gem to Scotland this summer.
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, West Ham United have made contact with the player in a bid to keep him in England next season.
They aren’t the only ones who wish to sign Sessegnon, however, as Rangers are also mentioned as a club who have made an enquiry about whether he'd like to join.
Indeed, other sides such as Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Real Betis, Monza and Atalanta are showing plenty of interest, which suggests Clement will have plenty of competition to fend off.
|
Players to have joined Rangers for free since the summer of 2021 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Previous club |
Year |
|
Dujon Sterling |
Chelsea |
2023 |
|
Leon Balogun |
QPR |
2023 |
|
Kieran Dowell |
Norwich City |
2023 |
|
Jack Butland |
Crystal Palace |
2023 |
|
John Souttar |
Hearts |
2022 |
|
Tom Lawrence |
Derby County |
2022 |
|
Fashion Sakala |
KV Oostende |
2021 |
|
John Lundstram |
Sheffield United |
2021 |
|
Nnamdi Ofoborh |
Bournemouth |
2021 |
|
Via Transfermarkt |
||
There is no doubting his talent, but the Englishman hasn’t exactly enjoyed the best of times recently due to suffering from a succession of injuries.
Ordinarily, Clement should avoid moves like this, especially as it seems to sum up the club’s transfer market over the previous few years.
In Sessegnon, however, Clement could potentially get the best out of him should he decide to move to the Gers.
The 24-year-old burst onto the scene with Fulham during the 2016/17 campaign when he was just 16, making a total of 30 appearances, scoring seven times and grabbing four assists in the process.
After a couple of years in the Fulham first team, Sessegnon’s displays were certainly going a long way to helping him reach the very top of the game.
In 2018, he was even compared to Gareth Bale after his ability to burst down the left flank in order to cause havoc in the final third.
After 120 games for the Cottagers across just three seasons, which featured 25 goals and 18 assists, Spurs signed him for £25m, which was looked upon as somewhat of a bargain considering how much they could potentially sell him for down the line.
Slavisa Jokanovic, his former manager at Fulham, once dubbed Sessegnon as “special” but his spell in North London was anything but.
Indeed, over five years, he made only 57 appearances, scoring just three goals as injuries hit him hard.
If Clement can get him back to the sort of form he displayed for Fulham between 2016 and 2019, then he could be a wonderful signing, but it is a big if.
Not only that, but he could form a stunning partnership with Oscar Cortes down the left wing.
The young Colombian signed on a six-month loan back in January from RC Lens in a bid to gain some regular game time after a tough start to life in France.
He made just four appearances for the Ligue 1 side, yet managed to score and grab an assist, showing massive potential.
During the early stages of his Ibrox spell, Cortes shone when called upon on the left flank, scoring once and chipping in with two assists before an injury against Kilmarnock in February ruled him out for the season.
In just six games, the 20-year-old created a big chance, averaged 1.2 key passes and 1.7 shots on goal per game, showing his attacking intent.
Now, imagine if a player like Sessegnon was playing just behind him, linking up with the Colombian winger down the left side of the pitch. The duo could cause havoc.
During his final season in the Championship for Fulham, Sessegnon registered six assists, created 11 big chances and averaged 1.2 key passes per game.
Adding in the fact he succeeded with 1.2 dribbles, it becomes clear that if Clement can bring him back to his best, the Englishman could be a superb signing.
It won't be easy, especially considering the problems the former Fulham gem has endured recently, but managing to secure his signature on a free transfer would allow the manager to keep his precious transfer funds for other targets.
There is no doubt he will demand a decent wage to swap England for Scotland, yet for the chance to win trophies and play in Europe, it could be a move that breathes new life into a career which has gone from promising to stagnant in a blink of an eye.
Much will depend on how much of a gamble Clement is preparing to take on Sessegnon. Plenty of players from down south have arrived at the club and struggled, failing to make much of an impact.
The 24-year-old could be different. That is if he can stay fit and healthy.
Imagine him & Barron: Rangers ready to move for "irreplaceble" star
The Light Blues are reportedly keen on a deal to sign the Scotland international.
By
Dan Emery
Jun 25, 2024
Avoidance of innings defeat provides crumb of comfort for Taunton faithful
Paul Edwards14-Sep-2021
The statisticians from cricket’s black museum were out in good numbers at Taunton today. “When did it last happen,” they asked, “that a side won three successive tosses and yet lost all three games by an innings?” You probably needed to support Somerset to risk such enquiries at the County Ground, especially on a morning when the floodlights were on and the gloomy skies matched the mood of a few locals. Autumn advances.Lancashire advanced, too, although not quite so quickly as to have us searching through the records of successive innings defeats. Nevertheless, the umpires took advantage of the regulation that allows them to delay the luncheon interval by four overs if a result is in prospect and by 12.35 Alex Davies and George Balderson had completed the ten-wicket victory that will leave their side with, at the very least, a mathematical chance of winning the title when they play Hampshire at Liverpool next week. Whether Lancashire’s position is even healthier will depend mainly on the result at Southampton but also on the outcome at Headingley.For the moment Dane Vilas can be heartened by the skilful, confident cricket his side played over seven sessions at the County Ground. However the season ends this Lancashire team loses nothing by comparison with the one that won the title at Taunton a decade ago although Vilas hears and honours the echoes of those four distant days. “The team that won the title played a lot of their cricket at Liverpool and I hope we can replicate what they achieved,” he said. “We know we have to get a victory next week but the Championship is the hardest competition and all the players want to win it.”That desire was evident again this morning as Lancashire’s seamers took Somerset’s last six wickets for the addition of 88 runs, thereby leaving only the formalities to be completed by their opening batsmen. Any serious hopes that the home side might set a testing target disappeared in the first eight overs of the day, first when James Hildreth tried to pull a shortish ball from Tom Bailey but only skied a catch to point and then when Lewis Goldsworthy was skewered on the back foot by the same bowler with a ball that nipped back. The cheery blows that followed may have heartened the remarkably large crowd but they did nothing to affect the going rate for fresh haddock.
Jack Blatherwick completed a memorable match for him by taking two further wickets and Balderson picked up a couple more. However, by far the biggest cheer of the day came from the Somerset supporters when the innings defeat was avoided. Any tokens of misery were purely coincidental. The scoreboard in the corner by Gimblett’s Hill went completely black although that was caused by mechanical malfunction rather than contagious mourning.Related
Lyndon James, Tom Moores rough up Lancashire's bowlers
Luke Wells century helps Lancashire cut a swathe against ill-disciplined hosts
Jack Blatherwick has a day out before Tom Lammonby's century buoys Somerset
Somerset, of course, have played some pretty dreadful cricket over the last fortnight and one was therefore pleased that they managed a better showing in the second innings of this match. Andy Hurry, the county’s director of cricket, faced some fairly searching questions after it all but he took his bottom hand away when quietly defending his players and such occasions should always be placed in context. Hurry is a former Royal Marine and has therefore been trained to kill enemies of the Crown. An inquisition from a gaggle of hacks is unlikely to chill his blood.In any case Somerset have the Vitality Blast Finals Day ahead of them and spectators leaving the County Ground late this afternoon will have been encouraged to see Craig Overton bowling a few overs in preparation for Saturday. But there will be no more first-class cricket on this famous field until next April and it is the four-day stuff that matters most to the vast majority of players on the circuit. One could be sad at the sight of the almost deserted ground until one recalls that only a year ago cricket was being played before equally empty stands. The game came through those horrors and it will come through another winter. The good folk on Gimblett’s Hill will settle for nothing less.
The USWNT beat Iceland 3-1, and proved once again how lethal this team can be, displaying depth even when it isn't at full strength
This is a message to the rest of the world: good luck. When facing the U.S. women's national team, it's always going to be a long night. Their attack is too deep. Their forwards are too talented. Even when the now-famous Triple Espresso is down a shot, there's essentially nothing you can really do.
That was the big story of Thursday's U.S. women's national team win over Iceland, a 3-1 triumph in Austin, Texas. It wasn't one individual player. It wasn't even one individual nicknamed trio. No, this was about depth, about the USWNT sending wave after wave at a team until they finally broke under an onslaught of unmatched quality.
Some of that quality came from Sophia Smith, who ultimately scored a stunning exclamation point of a goal in the game's final moments to build on her Olympic breakout. Some came from Jaedyn Shaw, who, like Smith, came off the bench to dribble through multiple Iceland defenders to rebound from her lack of Olympic breakout and help erase a 1-1 score. And then there was Alyssa Thompson, back in the USWNT after missing out this summer, striking a stunner of her own by curling a shot to the far post to open the scoring early on – her first international goal.
"We have so much young talent coming in," Smith said, "and for Jaedyn and Alyssa to score … for them to have the confidence to play their game and put the ball in the back of the net, it shows a lot about who they are as players. I think we have a very bright future."
You never know who the star will be. It changes from night to night. Even with Trinity Rodman absent, there's no dropoff. There are too many superstars – or superstars in the making – on this team, so many options for Emma Hayes to experiment with. It seems like she can't go wrong with any of them, and that competition between them will only make them stronger. Shaw, who missed the USWNT Olympic gold medal run because of injury, summarized the moment.
“It was a really tough month for me, but it was also the best month of my life," she said, looking back the Paris Games, "and I really learned a lot from it. It made me hungrier to come back and produce the same, if not more.”
Production is what the USWNT was all about Thursday night, keeping Hayes unbeaten in 11 games with the USWNT. How's that for a start to a job?
So, again, good luck to everyone else. Thursday night was a reminder of what we learned this summer: this USWNT is a freight train, no matter who leads the way on any given night.
GOAL rates the USWNT's players from Q2 Stadium..
ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the third day of the second Test between Pakistan and England in Abu Dhabi
George Dobell in Abu Dhabi27-Jan-2012Shot of the day
Azhar Ali’s cover drive off James Anderson just four overs before the close of play was not only timed as sweetly as anything we have seen on this somewhat truculent surface but it spoke volumes about the class and assurance of the next generation of Pakistan batting. Azhar and Shafiq came together with their side still trailing by 16 and the experienced batsmen already dismissed but if the pair were in any way overawed they didn’t show it. They batted with discipline and composure. The shot, and the stand, bore the hallmark of real class.Drama of the day
Pakistan have enjoyed little luck with umpiring decisions in this match. Yes, they have not helped themselves with poor judgement using DRS but they could also claim, with some justification, that a few marginal decisions have not gone their way. So it was when Stuart Broad survived a run-out appeal on 33. Broad, committed to an optimistic single, threw himself into a dive with outstretched bat in an attempt to beat Azhar Ali’s direct hit from cover. Replays were not absolutely clear: in one frame, just before the stumps were broken, it appeared that Broad’s bat had bounced and was in the air. In the next, the stumps were broken and Broad’s bat was grounded. With no frame in between, the third umpire, Billy Bowden, decided – quite reasonably – to give the benefit of the doubt to the batsman. Broad survived and scored another 25 to help England add another 59.Ball of the day
The word “unplayable” tends to be overused but may be the best description of the delivery that dismissed Younis Khan. Drawn well forward, he was beaten first by the flight and then by the turn as Monty Panesar produced the perfect ball that pitched middle and clipped the top of off stump. It was almost an action replay of Leeds in 2006, when Monty dismissed the same batsman with the same delivery.Let-off of the day
A strong contender was Junaid Khan’s dropping of Matt Prior – a simple chance at this level – but Prior’s dismissal for the addition of just one more run ensured Pakistan escaped punishment. It might remind Khan that unless he improves his fielding, he risks his international future: Pakistan have several good, young bowlers and fielding ability could well be the decisive criteria. But the let-off on the third day came when Kevin Pietersen, running in from cover, missed with his underarm throw from little more than ten feet. Had he hit, Asad Shafiq would have been run out for 26 and Pakistan would have been 93 for five. Pietersen had three stumps to aim at and has endured a very poor series to date. Shafiq went on to help Pakistan to stumps with Azhar Ali and sustained Pakistan’s hopes of another win.Sight of the day
Watching spectators streaming into the ground was an immensely heartening sight. Many people took advantage of the free entry and at one stage there were queues outside and a sizeable Pakistan contingent within; this after the lack of spectators for the first five days of this series. So why the low attendances on other days? Several reasons: unlike the UK, there are few retired people interested in the game – Pakistani workers tend to return to Pakistan when they retire – and most working people here say they cannot afford to take the time off during the working week (Friday and Saturday constitute the weekend in the UAE). Locals still show little interest in the game. Still, the ground authorities deserve credit for the free entry idea and it did show that interest in the game – if not in attendance – remains high.
The transfer window doesn't officially open until Friday, but that hasn't stopped clubs from getting to work on deals beforehand, and Tottenham Hotspur are no different.
Daniel Levy and Co clearly recognise the need to provide Ange Postecoglou with a new clinical number nine if the team are to climb back into the Champions League places next season, and based on recent reports, it looks like they might have found just the player.
However, while it's good news for the Australian and fans, it may well spell the end of the road for Richarlison in N17.
According to a recent report from Spain (via TEAMtalk), Tottenham Hotspur are incredibly interested in signing Sevilla's star striker Youssef En-Nesyri this summer, and have already made an offer the player is 'ready to say yes to.'
Alongside the Lilywhites, the report claims there is interest from the Saudi Pro League and Manchester United are preparing an offer of their own in the coming days.
The Spanish giants are said to want at least €20m – £17m – for their reliable marksman, which, if true, could make him one of the best value-for-money signings this summer.
While the interest from other sides is far from ideal, the low asking price and revelation that En-Nesyri is eager to join Spurs means Levy and Co need to dot the i's and cross the t's as soon as possible on this deal, even if his arrival sees Richarlison's gametime dramatically shrink.
So, with En-Nesyri potentially moving to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in the coming weeks, how does he stack up to Richarlison? Does his record in Spain suggest he'd waltz into the lineup and relegate the Brazilian to the bench?
In short, yes, yes, it does.
For example, over the last two seasons, the "pure goalscorer," as talent scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed him, has scored 38 goals and provided four assists in 89 games, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.11 games for two years straight.
|
En-Nesyri vs Richarlison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
2022/23 |
En-Nesyri |
Richarlison |
|
Appearances |
48 |
35 |
|
Goals |
18 |
3 |
|
Assists |
1 |
4 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.39 |
0.20 |
|
2023/24 |
En-Nesyri |
Richarlison |
|
Appearances |
41 |
31 |
|
Goals |
20 |
12 |
|
Assists |
3 |
4 |
|
Goal Involvements per Match |
0.56 |
0.51 |
|
All Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
In comparison, the former Toffees ace has scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in 66 games across the same period, which equates to a goal involvement on average every 2.8 games.
However, it's not just his goalscoring that would make the Fès-born marksman the ideal upgrade; it's also his availability, which is, of course, the best ability.
Over the last two seasons, he has missed just three games through injury. Even if you go back to the start of the 2018/19 campaign, he's still missed just 27 games, and 16 of those were due to one muscle injury.
On the other hand, the Nova Venécia-born forward has missed 21 games through injury in the previous two campaigns alone and a whopping 41 matches since the start of the 18/19 season.
Spurs keen on signing "monumental" £27m Porro upgrade
The incredible right-back could be a game-changer for Postecoglou.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
Jun 12, 2024
Ultimately, while Richarlison has been better this year, he's still not been overly convincing during his time in North London and if Postecoglou is going to take the team back to the very top, then he's going to need a reliable goalscorer, which is exactly what En-Nesyri is.