يواجه هانز فليك مدرب برشلونة، مهمة صعبة هذا الموسم، في ظل وجود عدة خيارات في جميع مراكز اللعب، مما يعقد موقفه في اختيار تشكيلته الأساسية خلال المباريات.
وكان هانز فليك قد اعتمد على ثلاثية في خط الوسط أمام ريال مايوركا، تتكون من فرانك دي يونج وبيدري وفيرمين لوبيز، والذي حصل على مكانه على حساب داني اولمو الذي كان لاعبًا أساسيًا الموسم الماضي.
اقرأ أيضاً.. خطوة تحسم مصير لاعب برشلونة ومواجهة ليفانتي قد تشهد ظهوره الأخير
ونشرت صحيفة “سبورت” الكتالونية أنه باستثناء هذا الثلاثي، هناك أيضًا داني أولمو وجافي ومارك كاسادو وبيرنال، ويمكن للرباعي أن يلعب بشكل أساسي في أي فريق تقريباً في القارة الأوروبية.
وتشتعل المنافسة بين الجميع خاصة لاعبي مركز خط الوسط في برشلونة، ومع ذلك فإن الفريق ينتظره جدول مباريات مزدحم للغاية وستكون هناك غيابات ولا يوجد دائماً عدد كاف من اللاعبين.
وحصل جافي وداني اولمو على وقت للعب في الشوط الثاني ضد ريال مايوركا، بينما لم يلعب كاسادو لدقيقة واحدة، على الرغم من أنه كان لا يستهان به خلال النصف الأول من الموسم الماضي في ظل إصابة بيرنال الخطيرة.
وعلى الرغم من افتقار كاسادو للخبرة، إلا أنه قدم فترة رائعة مع برشلونة وقد سيطر على خط وسط الفريق في عدة مباريات، خاصة أول شهرين أو ثلاثة أشهر الموسم الماضي.
وقد ترددت شائعات في وقت سابق عن رحيل كاسادو بعد تلقي برشلونة عروض وكذلك ممثلي اللاعب، وقد كانت هناك اتجاه لصعوبة حصول اللاعب على وقت للعب في برشلونة.
وقد أبلغ هانز فليك لاعب خط وسط برشلونة أن المنافسة في خط الوسط هذا الموسم ستكون نارية، ولن تمنح الدقائق بسهولة لأي لاعب.
ومع ذلك فإن مارك كاسادو يشعر بالانتماء لبرشلونة، وسيبذل قصارى جهده، وكان دائمًا ينصح ممثليه بعدم الالتفات للعروض خاصة من الدوري الإنجليزي حيث أبدت عدة أندية مثل تشيلسي اهتمامها به.
It has been a tough start to life at Manchester United for new manager Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese manager replaced Erik ten Hag midway through the season, but it has been a baptism of fire for the former Sporting CP boss.
So far, Amorim has managed 20 games at the helm of the Old Trafford club. In that time, the Red Devils have won ten, drawn two and lost eight. Having a positive record is something, but losses such as a 2-0 away defeat to Wolves and Crystal Palace springing a surprise by winning 2-0 at Old Trafford have been frustrating.
There has been much conversation about Amorim’s back three system, but it seems like he will not be switching things up. One of the most crucial parts of his system is at wing-back, which has been a struggle at times for United.
Why wing-backs are important for Amorim’s system
Amorim sets up his side in a 3-4-2-1 system, with two number 10s in behind the striker and wing-backs responsible for creating width in the absence of wingers, looking to get crosses into the box.
This season, it is a role that has been occupied by full-backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, and wingers such as Amad, and, at times Alejandro Garnacho. New signing Patrick Dorgu has also been signed to play as a wing-back.
Nick Wright, an analyst for Sky Sports, explained the use of Amoirm’s wing-backs in an article shortly after his appointment. He explained that they “are primarily attacking weapons, responsible for providing width and contributing goals and assists”.
This has not necessarily been the case throughout Amorim’s tenure. We have seen his wing-backs either struggle to contribute to goals, or underlap the number 10s rather than always hold width, although the latter is clearly an instruction from Amorim. Amad has been a success story in this position, managing to score a hat-trick there against Southampton in a 3-1 win.
There is one player who could have excelled in this role, but he has struggled for fitness this season and has barely had any involvement under Amorim.
INEOS must sell one of Amorim's wing-backs
It has been a really tough campaign for the experienced Luke Shaw. He has been sidelined with several injuries for the majority of 2024/25 and has currently missed 53 games with three separate fitness issues.
Luke Shaw
In total, the England international has managed just three appearances all season. He has not played since the 1st December against Everton when he made a 34-minute substitute cameo in a 4-0 win.
Despite his injury problems, the 29-year-old has been a stalwart at Old Trafford in the 11 years he has played for the club. He has played 278 games in the famous red shirt in total, scoring four goals and grabbing 28 assists in that time.
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw.
At one point during his Red Devils career, Shaw was incredibly highly thought of by many people. Gary Neville, who knows what it takes to succeed as a full-back at Old Trafford, once called him “the best left back in the country”.
However, perhaps it is time for the Red Devils to cut their losses in their number 23. Shaw is a fantastic player, but his injury issues are such a big roadblock to him playing regular football. Given he earns £150k per week, the joint sixth-highest earner at the club, United could save themselves a fortune and reinvest the money.
£350k
£18.2m
Casemiro
£300k
£15.6m
Bruno Fernandes
£250k
£13m
Mason Mount
£195k
£10.4m
Matthijs de Ligt
£190k
£10.14m
Harry Maguire
£150k
£7.8m
Shaw, Eriksen
It is frustrating that United fans are yet to see the England ace play as a wing-back under Amorim. Whilst his body may not be able to handle to demand of getting up and down the flank, he is technically a perfect option to slot into the role. Of course, he also scored one of the most famous goals in England’s history from that very position, the opener in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
It is a real shame that Shaw’s injuries have hampered his career at Old Trafford. Had he not been so affected by fitness issues over the decade he has spent as a United player, he could have consistently been the “best”, as Neville rated him.
Perhaps he can get back to full fitness and over his injury issues once and for all, but it would certainly be hard to blame United if they decided to cut their losses in Shaw sooner or later.
Cost £19m, now worth more than Dorgu: Man Utd struck gold on amazing star
This was a rare strong investment from Manchester United
Gary Neville admitted that the thought of the Europa League final gives him a "sickly feeling" as Manchester United prepare to face Tottenham.
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United set for the biggest clash of the seasonRed Devils could earn £100m if they triumphNeville is "confident" in Amorim's troopsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
With both United & Tottenham eager to salvage disappointing domestic campaigns, the final offers more than just silverware; it carries the crucial incentive of Champions League qualification and an estimated financial windfall of £100 million ($133m).
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Despite United’s struggles this season, Neville remains optimistic about the team’s ability to rise to the occasion. However, the former right-back also admitted that the sheer importance of the match fills him with anxiety.
WHAT NEVILLE SAID
Neville, speaking as a lifelong supporter and former player, described the prospect of the final as unsettling.
"It is a huge game. The consequences are massive. I have a sickly feeling in my stomach about this game as a United fan purely because of what is at stake," he said, per BBC Sport.
While fellow pundit and ex-captain Roy Keane called it an exciting fixture, Neville took a more cautious view.
"Roy Keane called it a great game the other day," he said. "That is what Roy would think. My mentality is different. I was a right-back. You know the only thing you can do is lose your team the game. Unless you are Trent Alexander-Arnold, you are unlikely to win your team a game as a right-back. But I am confident. Manchester United have an uncanny knack, even in difficult times and bad times – and this has been a really bad season – of picking up trophies."
DID YOU KNOW?
Under Erik ten Hag, United won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, and Neville believes Amorim will also deliver a silverware despite their awful league form.
"That is not a bad habit to have as a football club," he added. "They still get to finals and do things even though the league form has been awful – and it has been a terrible season."
Warwickshire seven down after following on as defending champions show ruthless streak
Matt Roller04-Sep-2023Surrey are closing in. They took 17 Warwickshire wickets at the Kia Oval on Monday and, with Essex unlikely to reach a third batting bonus point against Middlesex, will go at least 18 points clear at the top of the Championship table when the dust settles on this round.That will mean, depending on Essex’s ongoing fixture against Middlesex and the visit of Hampshire to Chelmsford in two weeks’ time (neither of the top two play next week), Surrey can hope to clinch their second successive title when they play their final home game of the summer against Northamptonshire from September 19. It would be difficult to argue that they have not earned it.Warwickshire’s side for this fixture always looked a batter light, despite the arrival of Kraigg Brathwaite for the final month of the season. They are without two first-choice top-order batters in Rob Yates (illness) and Alex Davies (back), while Jacob Bethell and Liam Norwell are also sidelined. The promotion of Ed Barnard to No. 3 was as optimistic as his first-innings leave, and his two innings brought five runs between them.Barnard’s day had started brightly: he took three wickets, including two in three balls, to finish with 5 for 66, his first Championship five-for since 2019. Surrey let their overnight 339 for 4 turn into 396 all out; they needed four runs off three balls to secure a fourth batting point when Ben Foakes dragged Danny Briggs to deep midwicket for 125.But this is not the Oval pitch of old, where runs flowed freely all season. Only once this summer has a team reached 400 in a red-ball match: Australia’s 463 all out in the first innings of the World Test Championship final, back in June. Surrey have generally played on pitches with a covering of live grass, keeping their seamers interested at all stages.And throughout a baking-hot South London afternoon, Surrey were utterly ruthless. Their five-man seam attack might lack in variety, but makes up for it in quality: Dan Worrall took six wickets in the day, Kemar Roach five, Jordan Clark four and Tom Lawes two, with Jamie Overton wicketless in his 10 overs.”We thought it was a good batting wicket: there’s a bit there for the bowlers, but once you get yourself in, you can get a big score like Foakesy did,” Roach said. “As a bowling unit, we were outstanding. We’re a very skilful group and once we put the ball in the right areas, we got the results. Happy for the 17 wickets, and it makes it pretty easy for tomorrow.”Surrey are missing a swathe of players on England duty yet could afford to leave out their new overseas signing this week. Sai Sudharsan, the 21-year-old India A batter who hit 96 in the IPL final earlier this year, was left to run the drinks, with Ryan Patel preferred at No. 3. Their squad will get even stronger next season, when Dan Lawrence joins from the likely runners-up.Worrall removed both openers before lunch, hooping one back into Will Rhodes’ off stump and having Brathwaite caught in the slips fencing at a short, wide outswinger. Roach, like Brathwaite deemed surplus to requirements by all six Caribbean Premier League franchises, bowled Barnard as he shouldered arms, then struck with successive balls in his first over after lunch to have Dan Mousley chopping on and Chris Benjamin caught at slip.Sam Hain and Michael Burgess stuck around for 12 overs, adding 40 runs and a veneer of respectability, before Hain was trapped lbw by Clark, and Burgess edged Worrall behind after a battling 54, Warwickshire’s only first-innings score above 30. Briggs played on against Roach, before Lawes accounted for the tail.Surrey enforced the follow-on after tea and Warwickshire struggled again, sliding from 19 for 0 to 20 for 4 in 15 balls. Clark bowled Brathwaite and had Hain edging behind, while Worrall did for Rhodes, edging behind, and Barnard, nailing a drive straight to cover.Warwickshire looked set for defeat inside two days when Clark trapped Benjamin on the back pad to leave them 35 for 5, still 200 behind. It took a 75-run stand between Burgess and the counter-attacking Mousley, who ended the day unbeaten on a stylish 60, to avoid that ignominy.But shortly before the close, Roach knocked out Burgess’ off stump and Worrall had Briggs pouched at second slip to leave Surrey three wickets away, and Warwickshire facing a journey home up the M40 tomorrow with their mid-table status confirmed.
With the IPL set to resume, we look back at five defining moments from the first chunk of the season
Hemant Brar14-Sep-2021Samson refuses a single
Chasing 222 against Punjab Kings, Sanju Samson scored 119 scintillating runs but it was the single he did not take that remains the abiding memory of his innings. With Rajasthan Royals needing 13 from the last over, Arshdeep Singh conceded only two singles from the first three balls. Samson hit the fourth ball for a six to make it five required from two balls, and then drilled the penultimate ball towards long-off. Non-striker Chris Morris, no slouch with bat, charged halfway down the pitch before realising Samson wasn’t interested in the run.That meant Royals needed five off the final ball. Arshdeep bowled it full outside off, almost in the slot but Samson could only slice it into the hands of deep cover.Related
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Jadeja is already changing games – in 3D
Jadeja tears apart Harshal
In his first four games in IPL 2021, Harshal Patel had bowled seven overs at the death at an economy rate of 5.85 while picking up nine wickets. Then came the game against Chennai Super Kings. Harshal bowled the 18th over of the innings, conceded only five runs and dismissed Ambati Rayudu. His figures at that stage were 3-0-14-3. Giving him the 20th over was a no-brainer.Ravindra Jadeja, though, had other plans. Harshal tried offcutters, yorkers and a slower bouncer but nothing came out right as Jadeja stood deep in his crease, cleared the front leg and launched everything over midwicket. The first four balls, including a no-ball, were all hit for sixes. The next produced a brace before Jadeja finished it off with another six and a four, making it the joint-most expensive over (37 runs) in the IPL.Shaw’s six fours in an over
While Jadeja’s onslaught against Harshal came in the last over of the innings with the batter well set, Prithvi Shaw did something similar to Shivam Mavi in the first over itself.Kolkata Knight Riders had set Capitals a target of 155. Not a daunting task but Shaw reduced it to a cakewalk just after one over. Mavi’s first ball was a wide down the leg side; each of the next six was dispatched for a four via an array of shots – loft, flick, punch, drive and cut. Shaw didn’t premeditate. All he did was reacted to the ball and hit it either in the gaps or over the infield. He and Dhawan added 132 for the first wicket as Capitals cruised home with seven wickets and 21 balls to spare.Kieron Pollard hammered a 17-ball half-century to pull off an improbable heist against Chennai Super Kings•BCCI/IPLBrar gets Kohli, Maxwell and de Villiers
Halfway into his third IPL season, Harpreet Brar had no wicket to his name. And then, in a single match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he dismissed Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. All in a span of seven balls. Without conceding a run.In Brar’s earlier overs, Kohli had hit his first balls for a six and a four. At the start of his third over, Kohli once again stepped out but this time Brar shortened his length and castled him. On the next ball, he beat Maxwell’s outside edge to hit the off stump. de Villiers prevented the hat-trick but with the first ball of his next over, Brar snared him as well, caught at extra cover by KL Rahul. That all but sealed Kings’ victory.Pollard stuns Chennai Super Kings
Set a target of 219, Mumbai Indians were 81 for 3 in the tenth over when Kieron Pollard came to the crease. The asking rate was already above 13 and soon crossed 15. That’s when Pollard started the boundary-fest. He bludgeoned Jadeja for three sixes in an over and Lungi Ngidi for two before meting out similar treatment to Shardul Thakur.Still, Mumbai needed 16 from the last over, bowled by Ngidi. With Dhawal Kulkarni at the other end, Pollard decided to face all six deliveries. He refused singles on the first and fourth balls while squeezing out two fours in between. With eight needed from two, Ngidi bowled a juicy full toss that Pollard pulled for six. Then he dug out the final ball towards wide mid-on and sprinted back for the second to seal the match and finish unbeaten on 87 off 34 balls.
In what could see them finally land a long-term target, Newcastle United are now reportedly accelerating their move to sign a £30m star with talks now advancing.
Newcastle's summer plans set to heat up
With the PSR deadline approaching as well as the start of pre-season, Newcastle insiders reportedly believe that the transfer window is set to heat up in the next week or two. And that Magpies could yet play a large part in that. The Champions League awaits Eddie Howe’s side next season and, for the first time in over a year, PIF seemingly have money to spend.
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Unlike the last time that they were forced to balance European football with domestic commitments, Newcastle could put together a squad capable of competing on all fronts this summer. Just who comes in is the big question.
If reports are anything to go by, then the likes of Anthony Elanga will be a name to watch. The Nottingham Forest star was the subject of Newcastle’s interest late on last summer and is now seemingly back on their radar one year later.
Signing a right-winger is reportedly among Newcastle’s priorities this summer and with Bryan Mbeumo likely on his way to Manchester United rather than St James’ Park, a move to sign Elanga would certainly make sense.
That’s not Newcastle’s only priority, however. With Nick Pope now 33 years old and coming off the back of an injury-hit campaign, those in Tyneside have also set their sights on signing a new shot-stopper in the coming months.
Newcastle advance talks to sign James Trafford
To that end, the most prominent name mentioned over the last year has been James Trafford, and it now looks as though the Magpies could get their man.
According to TeamTalk, Newcastle are now in advanced talks to sign Trafford and are accelerating their £30m move to sign the Burnley star, which could be finalized as early as this week, with the goalkeeper reaffirming his desire to join Newcastle.
England's Jarell Quansah,JamesTraffordand Taylor Harwood-Bellis line up before the match
For all involved at St James’ Park, Trafford’s arrival would be seen as the ultimate success. He’s been a top target since early last summer and has since enjoyed a standout season as Burnley earned promotion back to the Premier League. At just 22 years old, he is one of the best young goalkeepers around.
Praised for an “incredible season” by scout Jacek Kulig back in February, £30m could quickly look like a bargain price for Trafford if he brings his Burnley form into Howe’s side next season.
With Antonio Cordero secured and Trafford reportedly on his way, the Magpies are off to a solid start on the transfer front this summer.
تعرض أحد لاعبي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، للإصابة خلال المباراة الجارية الآن أمام طلائع الجيش.
ويلتقي الزمالك أمام طلائع الجيش على أرضية استاد القاهرة، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الـ13 من الدوري المصري.
طالع.. فيديو | ناصر ماهر يسجل هدف الزمالك الأول أمام طلائع الجيش في الدوري
وأصيب خوان بيزيرا، لاعب الزمالك بعد تدخل قوي من لاعب طلائع الجيش، حيث غادر الملعب باكيًا من الإصابة، وحل عدي الدباغ بدلًا منه.
ودخل الزمالك المباراة وهو يحتل المركز الرابع في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 19 نقطة من 11 مباراة، بعدما حقق الفوز في خمس مواجهات وتعادل في أربع وخسر مرتين.
ويبحث الزمالك عن استعادة نغمة الانتصارات بعد 3 تعادلات وخسارة في آخر 4 مباريات بمسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز. إصابة خوان بيزيرا
Unbroken partnership with Nat Sciver underlines current gulf between 2017 World Cup finalists
Valkerie Baynes27-Jun-2021″You have a choice.” It’s a mantra that has served Tammy Beaumont well this year and the benefits were there for all to see again as she guided England to an emphatic eight-wicket victory in the first of three ODIs against India in Bristol.Beaumont scored 87 runs off as many balls, having shared an unbroken partnership worth 119 for the third wicket with Nat Sciver, whose run-a-ball 74 was as brutal as Beaumont’s was clinical.It was the fourth consecutive ODI innings in which Beaumont had passed fifty after scores of 71, 72 not out and 88 not out on England’s winter tour of New Zealand and followed her 66 in England’s only innings of the drawn Test between these two sides at the same ground just over a week ago.Related
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Beaumont has also scored two centuries in her past 10 ODI innings, against Pakistan in December 2019 and during the Ashes series the previous English summer, but she said her work with Phoebe Sanders, the team’s sports psychologist, earlier this year proved a turning point.”The day before the first game in New Zealand she said to me, ‘you know you have a choice how you go about it’,” Beaumont said on Sunday. “Ever since then her voice has been in my head as I’m walking out, ‘you know you have a choice how you approach it, you can kind of go with the flow and see what happens or you can go out and try to dominate and try to be relentless’.”And it’s not about dominating like how other people might do it, my dominating is making sure that I put away every bad ball I get and make them really work hard to get me out and it seems to be working so hopefully it’ll continue.”There was a period during her latest innings when it seemed like Beaumont only dealt in fours.She survived almost being run out on nought when she set off for a run after being struck on the pad and Ekta Bisht’s throw to the non-striker’s end from cover point was wayward, then an India review when she was given not out lbw on the same ball – the DRS showing Shikha Pandey’s in-ducker was sliding down the leg side.After Lauren Winfield-Hill’s campaign to cement a place as opener ahead of next year’s World Cup was off to a fleeting but entertaining start when Jhulan Goswami had her edging behind, Beaumont seemed to continually find the boundary.She struck back-to-back fours off Pandey, through point and driven in front of square, and then off Pooja Vastrakar with a wonderful straight hit back over bowler’s head followed by a precision cut through point as she and Heather Knight took 13 off the over.Beaumont then hit twin sweeps to the boundary off Bisht so that at the end of the first Powerplay, England were 61 for 1 compared to India’s 27 for 2. By the time Beaumont had racked up 39 runs off 30 deliveries, she had eight fours to her name.Even with spin stemming the flow of runs somewhat, and Bisht ending a 59-run partnership with Knight with a beautiful delivery that took the top of off stump, Beaumont’s strokeplay was all class. She brought up a 48-ball fifty with a four swept off Deepti Sharma and struck Vastrakar to the point boundary with perfect poise and timing.”The main thing is I’ve stopped believing in form,” Beaumont said. “Once you get to a certain age you’ve worked on your technique, you know what works and it’s just a case of sticking to it and doing the tinkering with it if something’s going wrong.”But if it’s going right then for me it’s all about your mindset… that’s what I’ve really been working on, being ruthless and relentless as much as possible and it seems to be working at the moment.”Nat Sciver pulls one away•PA Photos/Getty ImagesSciver settled in with a couple of fours off Bisht before being dropped on 12, off Harmanpreet Kaur, and beaten four times in succession by Pandey.Appointed permanent vice-captain ahead of this multi-format series after standing in for the injured Anja Shrubsole on the tour of New Zealand, Sciver scored a valuable 42 in the Test and the runs came in abundance on Sunday as she punished bad balls and good in powerful fashion.With the rain that had been threatening to arrive all day starting to fall in a sparse drizzle, Sciver struck the tenth four of her innings off Kaur followed two balls later with a thumping six down the ground as it looked like she might overtake Beaumont.”Once Nat starts to unleash there’s no stopping her and at one point I thought I wasn’t going to get to face another ball,” Beaumont said. “But she was very kind to me in the end. For me, today was all about getting the job done and being not out at the end. If I tried to keep up with Nat there’s no chance, she’s just an unbelievable talent.”After pulling Goswami for four, the petite Beaumont, who stands about a foot shorter than Sciver, weighed in with a six of her own, launching Kaur over long-on to level the scores. Kaur’s next ball was a wide to seal the result in something of an anti-climax, given the batting display by England to that point.The margin of defeat was also something of a let-down for India, who had lost a thrilling World Cup final by just nine runs the last time these two sides met in an ODI on English soil, in 2017. And as preparations for the next World Cup begin in earnest, this match gave both teams plenty to ponder.
Sunderland are back by popular demand and could now look to make a statement signing to kick off their latest Premier League era in style, according to a report.
Sunderland look to establish themselves in the Premier League
The Black Cats are a recognisable force in the top-flight, albeit their lengthy absence from competing against the elite may mean consolidation will be needed before thoughts of further progress under Regis Le Bris.
Unfortunately, Jobe Bellingham’s move to Borussia Dortmund has created a sizeable void in midfield, something that has left ex-Sunderland man Darren Williams feeling a tinge of regret.
He stated: “We brought him in at a low cost and two years later we’re making a good amount on him – I’d have love to see him play for us in the Premier League and test himself.”
Later, he added: “I wish him all the best. It’s fantastic money. The club has made good money from the last four players sold.”
It can’t be disputed, an initial £27 million sale is good business for Sunderland, but who do they bring in to replicate his impact? Reports suggest Strasbourg’s Habib Diarra could be on his way to the Black Cats to strengthen their engine room.
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On the same token, Sunderland want to complete a transfer for Tommy Doyle from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Cherry-picking targets from familiar environnments will be important to ensure the North East giants are ready for the top-flight, though they will want to balance that with finding value for money on the market.
Speaking of which, the newly-promoted side have now put their hat in the ring for a defender who has won four back-to-back titles and featured in the Champions League.
Sunderland looking to sign Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers
According to journalist Graeme Bailey in conversation with 67 Hail Hail, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is a target for Sunderland and could be on the move for a fee between £25 million to £30 million this summer.
He explained: “As we know, every player has his price in this Celtic squad. And I think there’s a real danger that Carter-Vickers leaves.
“That won’t go down well, but Celtic could probably get good money for him. What would he cost, £25-30m to sell him?
Cameron Carter-Vickers for Celtic in 2024/25 – Scottish Premiership (Fotmob)
Duels won
170
Aerial duels won
125
Tackles won
20
Recoveries
131
Accurate long balls
62
“That’s a lot of money for a centre-half at the moment. And I think there’s a real chance that he’s not at Celtic come the start of September. Leeds like him a lot, and Sunderland. I know that he was on West Ham’s radar as well. To be fair, he’s got three, four, even five (clubs interested).”
Lauded for his ‘exceptional’ few years by Bailey, Carter-Vickers is Celtic’s joint-highest earner on £37,000 per week and definitely wouldn’t come cheap given he has four years left on his deal at Parkhead.
Nevertheless, Sunderland, alongside Leeds United, have faith that they can land him, so it remains to be seen how this one plays out.
ECB player identification lead David Court discusses an unusual first summer in his job
Matt Roller23-Nov-2020On the surface, Zak Crawley’s case for selection at the time of his first call-up to England’s Test squad was weak. County Championship batting average? 30.55. First-class hundreds? Only three. Appearances for England-19s? Zero.But beneath that, the selectors had seen plenty that they liked. They had noted Crawley’s ability against the short ball, the rate at which he was improving, and his character, while recognising that playing half of his county fixtures at Canterbury – a low-scoring ground – meant his headline figures looked less impressive than they might have done for another player.”When we say ‘data’, we don’t just mean the numbers you’d get from ball-tracking or Opta,” says David Court, the ECB’s player identification lead. “That can involve holistic data: the aggregation of scouting reports, and that rich insight that you can get from counties and coaches.” The signal from the less quantifiable data was that Crawley was a player of high potential; 11 months later, his 267 against Pakistan rammed the point home.ALSO READ: ‘County cricket alone won’t produce international cricketers’ (2019)Court re-joined the ECB in March after four years working at the FA, filling his current role following Mo Bobat’s promotion to performance director. He had previously worked as a performance manager, and oversaw the regional Super Fours team at Under-17 level at the time Crawley was passing through.”Zak was involved in that regional tournament, so he was clearly a good player, but he didn’t play for England Under-19s. He’s obviously really progressed. One of our continued challenges is to keep looking at that potential, and asking: what are the attributes required to be successful in international cricket?”Current performance is not necessarily the best predictor of future success – that’s something I harp on about a lot. We have to be really conscious that we’re identifying potential, and not just current performance. Players’ progress is not linear, and we have to be aware of that.”
Having a young player perform like Tom Lammonby did is really positive – you want to see young players performing when the heat is onDavid Court on the opportunities afforded to young players in the Bob Willis Trophy
Crawley’s elevation to the Test side exemplified the fact that more data goes into selection meetings than a batting average modified by an algorithm, but it also added to a trend that is less celebrated at the ECB. A product of Tonbridge School, Crawley was one of nine players in England’s side for the second Test against Pakistan this summer to have attended private school, reported by the to be a record figure.It is a statistic that Court is aware of, but not one that leads him to believe there is any overwhelming bias towards people from a certain background in England’s selection process. “There are loads of factors at play,” he says. “My role is focused on international selection, so that’s not necessarily something we would discuss. It’s something we’d be aware of, but it’s definitely a wider issue around the decline of cricket in state schools.”I’m a state school boy, and even when I was at school a long time ago there were fewer opportunities to play, fewer pitches to play on than there once were. It’s multi-faceted. The other thing to say is that a lot of private school do run really good cricket programmes – they have high-quality coaching and some of the best facilities. And I guess some of the data is skewed by some schools recruiting and offering scholarships to the best young players. There are so many different factors.”Perhaps more pressing is the lack of black players within the English game. At the launch of Surrey’s ACE programme as a standalone charity, chair Ebony Rainford-Brent described talent ID among black communities as “non-existent”, but Court suggests that it is part of a societal problem, rather than an indication of unconscious biases among decision-makers.David Court joined the ECB earlier this year•ECB”It isn’t just a cricket problem,” he says. “Ebony is right: I’ve worked with her previously when I was at Surrey, and we’ve exchanged emails about where we [the ECB] might be able to help in terms of identification of players. The opportunity to play and develop is crucial: everyone working in player identification wants a wider talent pool to select from so that we can select the best players for England.”We used the idea of ‘multiple eyes, multiple times’ to address bias: we use different people from different backgrounds to look at players and use that to aggregate information before presenting it. The wider and more diverse that talent pool is, the better. Ultimately our role is to select to best players to win games for England; it would be great if – like in last year’s World Cup – we can represent modern Britain with a diverse team at the same time.”If Court’s first summer in the job was not quite as he anticipated – he joined immediately before lockdown was imposed – then he is still confident that he has managed to gain some value from it. In particular, he notes the opportunities that young players were afforded in the Bob Willis Trophy on account of the absence of overseas signings, several Kolpaks and with more players than usual on England duty as “really exciting”.”The number of England-qualified players went from 83% [in the 2019 County Championship] to 90%, alongside an increase of a few percent in the number of Under-19s. The challenge from a player ID perspective is then benchmarking that against previous performances, and working out the value of a performance in the Bob Willis Trophy compared to a normal season.Tom Lammonby works to leg•Getty Images”I managed to watch a bit of the final at Lord’s with Ed [Smith] and James [Taylor], and having a young player perform like Tom Lammonby did is really positive – you want to see young players performing when the heat is on. Even in the penultimate game, he got second-innings runs at Worcester to ensure they got to that final. Our job is to then make sense of those performances, understand which players are developing, and whether they have the long-term potential to go on and represent England.”Court’s time in football, in which he worked with clubs “right the way through from Champions League to League Two level” to have them develop their talent ID strategies, invites a comparison: which sport has a better infrastructure for the identification and development of players?”I’m still trying to establish the similarities and differences,” he says, “but one of cricket’s key strengths is the strong relationship between coaches and counties. Long may that continue as an open dialogue between county and country: it’s really healthy, and it ultimately helps the players transition into international level because we know more about them as a person as well as what’s they’re like as cricketers.”Speaking to Alec Stewart [Surrey’s director of cricket], who is one of our scouts, he sees that as a key part of counties’ role: to develop players to play for England. In all the conversations I’ve had with counties, they’ve been really open and willing to talk about which players they feel should be making a case for England and who is likely to be involved in the future from their side.”