After watching on as the last six promoted sides suffered instant relegation, Sunderland have entered this transfer window ready to put an end to that trend and are now reportedly set to welcome yet another impressive signing.
Sunderland continuing summer overhaul
To say the Black Cats are ensuring that they’re Premier League-ready would be an understatement. Those in Wearside have shown no hesitation when it comes to spending this summer, breaking their club record to sign Habib Diarra and following that up by welcoming Noah Sadiki, Reinildo Mandava, Enzo Le Fee on a permanent deal and Chemsdine Talbi.
After becoming the latest to arrive, Talbi told Sunderland’s official website: “I’m really excited to be here and grateful for the opportunity to play for this Club. I made the decision because it’s a great project with a talented, exciting team full of young players – and that really motivated me.
“The Premier League is the biggest and best league in the world, so I’m looking forward to getting started. I know the fans will get behind me from the start, and I can’t wait to see them at the stadium.”
Those at the Stadium of Light have every reason to be excited by the winger’s arrival after he scored seven goals and created another five in all competitions at Club Brugge last season. At just 20 years old, the new arrival is a player full of potential and one who could realise that potential in full under Regis Le Bris.
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Even after Talbi, however, Sunderland are still not done in the transfer window. Reports have now emerged that the Black Cats have agreed a deal to sign yet another reinforcement and arguably one of their most impressive yet.
Sunderland agree £18m deal to sign Simon Adingra
According to Fabrizio Romano, Sunderland have agreed a deal to sign Simon Adingra from Brighton & Hove Albion with a Thursday medical set to be completed for the winger to finalise a move worth an initial €21m (£18m).
Whilst Adingra struggled to keep hold of a starting place under Fabian Hurzeler last season – starting just 12 Premier League games – he remains a player full of potential at just 23 years old. For just £19m, Sunderland have arguably landed an absolute bargain.
After drawing with Liverpool in 2023, former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi sung the praises of Adingra alongside his Brighton teammate Carlos Baleba, saying: “We played with a lot of very young players. I have to congratulate my club because they found another two great players – Adingra and [Carlos] Baleba.”
So, although his momentum was halted by Hurzeler last season, Adingra now has the perfect opportunity to get back on track and hand Sunderland a quick, tricky new winger.
Sussex duo lead recovery from 14 for 2 on hard-fought first day
ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2024Yorkshire enjoyed the better of a hard-fought opening day of their Vitality County Championship promotion battle with Division Two leaders Sussex at Scarborough, though potentially not by much.Sussex came into this 10th-round Division Two affair top of the table with six wins and Yorkshire third with two. The gap between the two sides was 27 points, and both have high hopes of playing top-flight cricket next season.Sussex, invited to bat in challenging conditions, battled hard to reach close at 187 for nine from 72 overs, including half-centuries for left-handers Daniel Hughes and Tom Alsop, who top-scored with 84 not out off 184 balls.They had to recover from 14 for 2 during the early stages of the afternoon after rain had limited the morning session to only four overs. Matthew Revis’s seam accounted for three wickets.Although the day was shortened by 24 overs due to rain at the start and bad light at the end, the play was intriguing, and it would be absolutely no surprise if Sussex’s total turns out to be a competitive one.They batted under grey skies and on a pitch showing signs of uneven bounce.Hughes, who made 53, and Alsop, the latter dropped in the slips on nine during the afternoon, both drove nicely.Australian overseas opener Hughes has enjoyed an excellent start to life with the South Coast county during the second half of the summer, mainly in the Vitality Blast. And he has just signed on to return for the majority of 2025.He drove the first ball of the match, from Ben Coad, through the covers after Jonny Tattersall had elected to bowl.Another memorable one came almost arrow straight off George Hill midway through the afternoon to move him into the forties. But, largely, he was forced to battle hard.Unfortunately, having done the hard work and got set – he reached his fifty off 85 balls – he drove Coad to cover two balls later, falling to leave Sussex at 75 for 3 in the 30th over.Either side of the morning rain, from 11.20pm to 1.10pm, including lunch, Coad had trapped Tom Haines lbw with a full ball with the last delivery of the contest’s opening over before Tom Clark was caught at point having aimed a lazy drive at Thompson.Hughes and Alsop then shared 61 for the third wicket to ease Sussex nerves.Like Hughes, Alsop has this week committed his future to the South Coast county, signing a long-term contract.He was also strong on the drive but was far more obdurate than Hughes, seemingly determined to make the most of his life on nine when Fin Bean shelled a head-high chance at third slip off the bowling of Matthew Revis.After the Hughes dismissal, Thompson trapped James Coles lbw – 85 for 4 in the 36th over.Alsop and captain John Simpson shared 40 into the evening, but the latter pulled George Hill’s seam to midwicket. When Fynn Hudson-Prentice edged Revis to first slip shortly afterwards, Sussex were 134 for six in the 55th.Shortly afterwards, Alsop reached his half-century off 142 balls.Jack Carson and Indian seamer Jaydev Unadkat then offered catches to third and fourth slip as they drove at Revis. Sandwiched in between, Ollie Robinson edged Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin to slip as the score slipped to 172 for 9 in the 69th over.Jonny Bairstow took the wicketkeeping gloves for Yorkshire in his first county appearance of the season and was neat and tidy, while Sussex’s new ball seamer Robinson was only called upon late on with the bat and made two.Both men are hoping to rekindle their England Test careers.Shortly before bad light was called at 6.15pm, the excellent Alsop hit two boundaries – one reverse swept and the other swept – off Moriarty as he ran out of partners.
Ryan Mason has already won himself one standout signing since entering the pressurised West Bromwich Albion hot-seat.
Indeed, the Baggies forked out £3m on the services of Nathaniel Phillips to strengthen at the back, with Phillips just fresh off a relegation-saving season at Derby County in the Championship on loan from Liverpool. Now, he’s West Brom’s first major foray into the market.
Coventry City’s Tatsuhiro Sakamoto in action with Derby County’s Ebou Adams andNathanielPhillips
Transfers at the Hawthorns are unlikely to halt there, though, as West Brom aim to bolster all over the pitch in the wake of Baggies stalwarts Grady Diangana, John Swift, and Semi Ajayi all leaving for nothing.
West Brom interested in another centre-back
A big chunk of West Brom’s long-standing servants are now nowhere to be seen in the West Midlands, as Mason prepares to leave his mark on proceedings.
It’s been heavily commented on, but the 33-year-old does have his past Tottenham Hotspur connections he can fall back on when targeting some sensational summer acquisitions, with both Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear reportedly in their sights when assessing the cream of Spurs’ young crop.
Away from treading down this familiar North London path, however, West Brom could be about to win a much-talked-about 22-year-old prospect from the EFL.
West Brom-based X account DOOD has speculated that Mason and Co. are interested in the possibility of acquiring Stockport County powerhouse Ethan Pye this summer, although nothing is in motion as of yet.
It’s clear when looking at his sublime 2024/25 season – which ended with him winning every personal Hatters accolade possible – why West Brom are hunting him down as a possible partner for Phillips in the heart of defence.
After all, many of West Brom’s star performers once plied their trade in the lower depths of the EFL, as the promotion hopefuls now hope that Pye can be another to burst into life up a division, much like Tom Fellows managed after an early lower league education.
How Pye can be Fellows 2.0
Looking at the final West Brom lineup fielded at the close of the 24/25 campaign is enough to validate how many of the Baggies’ seasoned first-teamers have the third tier to thank for an initial boost in confidence, with Darnell Furlong once loaned out to Swindon Town in League One, before his big Hawthorns break.
Two goals and five assists would come the experienced right-back’s way during his formative County Ground switch, which is amazingly five more goal contributions than Fellows would register on the books of Crawley Town prior to his moment in the spotlight.
The rest is history now for the Solihull-born ace, however, with the homegrown product one of the first names on the Baggies’ teamsheet last season when collecting a blistering 14 assists in Championship action.
Pye will hope he can be as much of a standout figure for the second tier side down the line if a move is finalised, considering the Manchester-born defender has also had to endure many a lower league loan, before developing into one of Dave Challinor’s integral pieces of the jigsaw last season at Edgeley Park.
Pye’s league numbers for Stockport (24/25)
Stat (* = per game)
Pye
Games played
35
Goals scored
1
Assists
1
Touches*
73.7
Accurate passes*
44.4 (79%)
Ball recoveries*
4.5
Total duels won*
7.3
Clean sheets
11
Stats by Sofascore
Only two years prior to his breakout 24/25 offering Pye was plying his trade in the National League with Gateshead. Now, much like Fellows back at the Hawthorns, the Hatters’ success largely depended on the 22-year-old last season, with a mighty 7.3 duels won per game by Pye as Stockport dared to dream about promotion up to the Championship.
Hailed as “outstanding” by West Brom-based journalist Chris Hall, this could be a buy that sees West Brom repeat their unbelievable Fellows magic, with Pye more than ready to make a splash up a level.
It does appear to be only faint murmurs at this point, but West Brom will surely want to make more moves soon as the new season edges closer, with Pye perhaps the next figure to join the intriguing Mason project.
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Marcus Trescothick will act as England’s interim head coach in their T20I and ODI series against Australia next month, but has not yet decided whether he wants to be considered as a long-term option for the white-ball role.Trescothick, one of England’s assistant coaches, is working with the Test team during their series against Sri Lanka and will leave the team during the third Test at The Oval. He will then link up with the white-ball squads – which are due to be announced next week – at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton ahead of the first T20I on September 11.”It’s not something I’d ever thought about before, until I got this opportunity now,” Trescothick said. “I’m not necessarily thinking any further ahead than the end of the Australia series. I’ve been very much focused on the job we’re doing here [with the Test team].Related
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“You plan your winter: we’re off to Pakistan, then New Zealand. I’m so ingrained in that at the moment, I’ve not really sat down and said, ‘right, this is where I’ll try to go, this is what I’ll try to do’. I’m looking forward to the opportunity, for sure. I’m really excited about doing the job. We’ll work it out a little bit more from there.”Trescothick has never previously worked as a head coach but has expressed an interest in graduating to that role. He spent 18 months as an assistant coach at Somerset after his retirement as a player in late 2019, and has been involved in England’s staff since early 2021.He will be involved in selection and has a close relationship with Jos Buttler – who has retained the white-ball captaincy – from their time at Somerset together. Buttler returned to full training this week after a calf injury ruled him out of the Hundred, and could feature for Lancashire in their T20 Blast quarter-final against Sussex on September 4.England’s T20I series against Australia starts 24 hours after the scheduled close of play on the fifth day of their third and final Test against Sri Lanka, necessitating separate squads – though Jordan Cox may be included in the T20I squad if he is not required at The Oval. “They have a busy schedule,” Trescothick said. “The two series very closely overlap.”The ECB has yet to formally advertise the white-ball role vacated by Matthew Mott’s sacking at the start of this month, but Trescothick could become a strong contender if England perform well against Australia. Kumar Sangakkara is considered the early favourite but has not confirmed – or denied – whether he will apply.Andrew Flintoff, whose Northern Superchargers team missed out on the Hundred’s knockout stages on net run rate in his first role as head coach, could also be a contender. But he will not reprise his recent role in England’s coaching staff against Australia, with the reporting on Thursday that he has not “gelled” with Buttler.
Celtic are in need of a new option on the left flank ahead of the 2025/26 campaign to cover for the time that Portuguese winger Jota is going to be out for.
Brendan Rodgers’ side clinched the Scottish Premiership title in style with a 5-0 win away at Dundee United, but the left-sided forward hobbled off with a worrying injury in the first half.
It was then revealed after the game that Jota would be out for between six and nine months, setting a potential return date as late as February of next year.
The 26-year-old speedster returned to Parkhead in the January transfer window, from French side Rennes, and produced four goals and two assists in seven league starts in the Scottish top-flight before his injury.
This means that the Hoops need another option on the left wing because they are unlikely to have Jota available for a large portion of next season, hence why they are keen on Royal Antwerp’s Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
Celtic are reportedly in talks with the Belgian Pro League club in an attempt to secure a deal to sign the left winger, who is valued at £5m, this summer.
What Balikwisha could bring to Celtic
The 24-year-old forward is a right-footed left winger, like Jota, which means that he could play a similar role within Rodgers’ tactical set-up next season.
Balikwisha’s form in the Pro League, when available, over the last two seasons also suggests that he has the potential to deliver both goals and assists from the left flank at a respectable rate.
Starts
27
12
xG
6.46
2.65
Goals
7
4
Big chances created
6
7
Key passes per game
1.5
1.6
Assists
5
3
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian talent has scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in his last 39 appearances in the Pro League, which suggests that he could offer a decent threat at the top end of the pitch from a wide position.
This means that the potential is there for him to replace the goals and assists that they have lost through Jota’s injury, which is why he could be a solid signing for Celtic this summer.
However, Balikwisha’s own injury record over the years is a cause for concern because he has suffered a lot of injuries that have kept him out for significant lengths of time each season during his time with Royal Antwerp.
In the last four seasons, the 24-year-old wing wizard has missed a whopping 63 games through injury, and at least ten matches in all four campaigns, suffering eight separate injury issues in that time.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha for Royal Antwerp.
This suggests that Celtic would be gambling on his fitness by bringing him to Parkhead to replace their currently injured player, which is why it could make more sense to look in a different direction if another target becomes available.
Celtic's interest in Premier League winger
Earlier this summer, Football Insider reported that the Premiership champions were interested in a potential deal to sign Aston Villa forward Louie Barry to bolster their squad.
The outlet claimed that the Scottish giants were willing to explore either a loan or a permanent deal for the former Barcelona academy starlet this summer.
Transfer Focus
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They looked set to miss out on a deal for the 22-year-old talent when Hull City agreed a £3.5m fee to sign him permanently, only for the transfer to fall through after the Tigers were hit with a three-window embargo.
That transfer ban for the Championship side has put Barry back out on the open market and presented teams with an opportunity to snap him up, which means that he could still be an option for Celtic.
It remains to be seen, though, whether or not the Hoops are still interested in the English sensation, or if they would be willing to go in with an offer to sign him permanently at this point in the window.
Why Celtic should sign Louie Barry
Rodgers should seriously consider a swoop to sign Barry from the Premier League outfit before the end of the summer transfer window, though, because he has the potential to be an even better winger signing than Balikwisha.
Whilst his injury history is far from spotless, the English forward has missed fewer games (34) through injury in his career than Balikwisha (63), which suggests that he may be more reliable from an availability perspective.
The 22-year-old star’s form during his time on loan with Stockport County in League Two and in League One in the last two seasons also suggests that the potential is there for him to offer even more than Balikwisha at the top end of the pitch.
Barry produced nine goals and four assists in 20 League Two games in the 2023/24 season, before plundering 15 goals and two assists in 23 League One outings in the first half of last season.
xG
0.47
Top 5%
Goals
0.75
Top 3%
Shots on target
1.80
Top 2%
xA
0.21
Top 11%
Assists
0.11
Top 47%
Successful dribbles
2.70
Top 2%
As you can see in the table above, the Villa youngster was one of the best players in the English third tier last season at scoring and creating goals from a wide position, and was unfortunate not to have more assists to show for the xA that he created.
Barry, who was hailed as “electric” by reporter Sam Byrne, scored 24 goals, assisted six goals, and created 12 ‘big chances’ in his 43 appearances on loan at Stockport, which suggests that he has even more to offer in front of goal, particularly as a scorer, than Balikwisha.
The Belgian forward, as aforementioned, has scored 11 goals in his last 39 Pro League outings, which is not as impressive as Barry’s return in England is, whilst playing in the same position.
Therefore, Celtic and Rodgers could land an even better winger than Balikwisha by signing the Villa gem, who is two years younger, less injury-prone, and has more potential to explode as a goalscorer on the left flank.
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Since taking charge of Arsenal back in December 2019, Mikel Arteta has done an awful lot to bring the club back to the top.
One of the areas he has had the most influence over has been transfers, and while he has overseen some poor signings, he’s overseen just as many, if not more, brilliant ones.
The likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, David Raya and Gabriel Magehelese have all joined the club under the Spaniard’s tutelage and are now some of the first names on the teamsheet today.
Arsenal manager MikelArtetaduring a lap of appreciation after the match
However, arguably one of the most crucial cogs in the Arsenal machine and one of the best defenders in the world, William Saliba, was signed by Unai Emery, although if recent reports are to be believed, Arteta might be about to welcome in someone who could be the next version of the incredible Frenchman.
Arsenal's search for young talent
Arsenal might be on the hunt for their first Premier League title in two decades next season, but that hasn’t stopped the club from looking for more talented youngsters in recent weeks and months.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
For example, just a few weeks ago, the club was linked with a £38m move for Greek wonderkid Konstantinos Karetsas, who is just 17 years old and managed to produce seven goal involvements in 39 games for Genk this season.
After that, reports began appearing linking the club with a £85m move for Juventus gem Kenan Yıldız, who only turned 20 last month but has been able to score 12 goals and provide eight assists in 50 games this season.
Juventus' KenanYildizcelebrates
However, while both prospects are incredibly exciting and look set for bright careers, it would be hard to describe either one as being the next Saliba, unlike Jorrel Hato.
Yes, according to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the Ajax star.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners are now ‘accelerating their move’ for the Dutchman and that ‘talks are scheduled for this week’ with the player’s camp.
In terms of the price of a potential deal, the report claims that the youngster is valued at around €50m, which comes out to about £43m.
It might sound like a lot of money for a young defender, but with how well he’s played in the Netherlands and the potential so many believe him to have, it might be a fee worth paying, especially as he could be the next Saliba.
Why Hato could be Saliba 2.0
So, the first thing to point out here is that, over the last season and a bit, Hato has progressed from a centre-back who can play at left-back into someone who is now more of a left-back than anything else.
Ajax Amsterdam's JorrelHatocelebrates after the match
However, just because he’s no longer playing in the exact same position as Saliba does not mean he couldn’t emulate the Frenchman’s move, career and eventual importance, as there are more than a few similarities between the pair.
The first of which is the hype and expectation around the young Dutchman and the resulting line of teams who are seemingly interested in signing him.
Hato’s senior record
Appearances
111
Starts
102
Minutes
9121′
Goals
4
Assists
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.11
Minutes per Goal Involvement
701.61′
Points per Game
1.86
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For example, even though he’s still just 19 years old, the Rotterdam-born gem has not only made 111 senior appearances for Ajax but also captained them on a few occasions.
Such a rapid ascent to senior football only lends credence to respected analyst Ben Mattinson’s claim that he has the “potential to be an elite lockdown FB.”
This has, unsurprisingly, led to massive teams like Chelsea and Premier League champions Liverpool being heavily linked with the superb prospect.
This isn’t too dissimilar to the situation in 2019 when, before the Gunners secured the services of Sailba, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United were also interested in signing him thanks to a brilliant 18/19 with Saint-Étienne.
Moreover, just as the Frenchman was included in UEFA’s ’50 for the future’ list in July 2019, Ajax’s “exceptional” gem, as dubbed by Mattinson, was named in GOAL’s 2025 NXGN list, which highlights the 50 best teenage talents in the game.
Finally, if this deal werewere to happen, the six-capped international would be joining the North Londoners at 19 years old, just a year younger than the Frenchman when he completed his move in 2019.
Ultimately, while a comparison to someone as talented as Saliba invites an immense amount of pressure, Hato looks like he really could go on to be as good a defender for Arsenal as the world-class centre-back.
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Pakistan captain also pointed out that second new ball “as well as the way we didn’t manage to hold our nerve with the ball cost us”
Danyal Rasool25-Aug-20243:24
Masood: ‘Bangladesh’s discipline was commendable’
A first loss against Bangladesh left Pakistan with a lot to rue, and captain Shan Masood admitted his side had made “a lot of mistakes” over the Test. After four fairly attritional days where just 17 wickets fell, Bangladesh, spearheaded by spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, rolled Pakistan over for 146, setting up a 30-run target and sealing a dramatic ten-wicket victory on the final day.”As a team, we made a lot of mistakes over the four days and Bangladesh were worthy winners,” Masood said. “They were very disciplined in their batting. We gave them a few chances as well when Mehidy and Mushfiqur [Rahim] were playing. As a bowling unit where we lost the game was the second new ball. That’s where we could have imposed ourselves on the game and let ourselves down.”It was that passage of play that assistant coach Azhar Mahmood also referenced after the third day. At the 82-over mark, Bangladesh had scored 239 having lost half their side, but in the final ten overs of the day, when Pakistan took the new ball, they pounced on some errant bowling, totting up 67 runs in that passage of play to swing momentum their way.Related
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As the pitch continued to flatten out over the third and fourth day, Bangladesh reached, and then surpassed, Pakistan’s first innings total. The home side had called Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in when they were 448 for 6, allowing Bangladesh, who batted to the last man, to take a 117-run lead. It became just the third time in Test history a side declared a first innings with six or fewer wickets down and went on to lose the game.”If you asked me now, we would have liked another 50-100 runs,” Masood said. “That would have kept us in the game. The forecast also indicated the weather would be disruptive during the game. Those were our thoughts behind the declaration as well. We only lost six wickets in the first innings. We could have easily scored 550-600 if we’d carried on batting. But we also let ourselves down with the bat today.”Masood, too, maintained the united front Pakistan have put out with respect to an all-pace attack. Despite the absence of a specialist spinner being an anomaly with respect to Pakistan’s historic squad selection – only once in the past 28 years have they played an all-pace attack at home – Masood pointed to workload and the nature of the surface they expected.”I don’t want to be commenting on day five because we didn’t expect the game to hold up for four or five days,” Masood said. “When you play three fast bowlers in this weather that’s a lot of workload on the fast bowlers. If you play a spinner, the spinner’s probably bowling 30 overs.” He did, however, appear to contradict himself, acknowledging later that Pakistan’s belief there would be disruptive weather over the game may have prompted them to hasten their declaration. At the same time, Pakistan’s part-time spinners sent down 50 overs in Bangladesh’s first innings, workload that a specialist spinner may well have been able to pick up to a similar extent.Pakistan’s fast bowlers bowled 117.3 overs in the first Test•AFP/Getty Images
“The fast bowler was played looking at the extreme weather conditions where we could help each other share the load. Naseem and Shaheen hadn’t played Test cricket for a while and Pakistan haven’t played Test cricket for ten months. If we played three fast bowlers and lost one through injury, we could have been like ‘why didn’t we play that fourth fast bowler?'”The all-pace attack, and the belief it would prove the quickest route to 20 wickets, though, did not pan out. Pakistan’s quicks ended up bowling 117.3 overs, the second-highest collective total for a Pakistan fast bowling unit in the last two decades. Masood did bemoan the injury to Aamer Jamal, whose all-round ability may have freed up an extra position for a spin bowler. “Hindsight,” as Masood said, “is always 20/20; you can always fit the spinner in, but you have to look at the full balance of the side. You need seven people that can bat properly and four frontline bowlers with a little help here or there.”He accepted Bangladesh’s spinners were useful on the final day, though he believed his side should never have let the game come to that. “Even their spinners were only useful on the fifth day,” he said. “We had many opportunities as a side with bat and ball to take spin out of the game as a factor. We had time to apply pressure on them when we had a 200-run lead, and half their side was out. If you look at the way we bowled the third new ball, we got their last four out very quickly because we utilised that well. That second new ball, as well as the way we didn’t manage to hold our nerve with the ball cost us.”As Masood pointed out, Pakistan never took two wickets in quick succession to place real pressure on Bangladesh, and their first innings straddled three days and three new balls before Pakistan finally prised them out. He pointed to key passages of play within the innings that made a difference, while heaping praise on Bangladesh’s discipline.”At the end of the day, it was how the first two innings went that decided it all. I thought there were plenty of opportunities we could have taken, and then we could have had a little bit of a lead and we could have been the side putting pressure on Bangladesh instead of the other way round. We were slightly unlucky in certain aspects, too. Some of our players inside-edged the ball onto the stumps, while a lot of Bangladesh’s inside edges ran away for four. Those are the sort of margins you can’t control.”On the first four days, we were the ones that were very proactive, we were trying to take decisions, we declared quite early, we scored at a quicker rate. Those things don’t count at the end of the day when you lose the game. But their discipline was commendable, and you have to give credit to them. Every team plays their own way. That doesn’t mean either is wrong or right, you have to find one that brings you results and be consistent with it. Everyone has their own way of playing and Bangladesh certainly brought their own A game, and we found it hard to deal with.”Masood has been around Pakistan cricket to understand the damage this defeat will cause to this Test side. “We’re all upset. The whole nation is upset. As a leader of this team, we apologise to the nation for failing to give people the result they wanted. We accept our mistakes as a team.”There is no sign any panic buttons will be hit, though. Masood appeared comfortable with the decision to field an all-pace attack, while he left the door open for the return of Abrar Ahmed for the second Test, saying it would depend on the pitch and weather conditions.”Even if you lose, it doesn’t mean you’ve done everything wrong,” he said. “On the first four days, we were the ones that were very proactive, we were trying to take decisions, we declared quite early, we scored at a quicker rate, at around four runs an over.”But, as he noted dryly, “those things don’t count at the end of the day when you lose the game.”
أعلن أحد الأندية اليونانية تعاقده بشكل رسمي مع المصري عمرو وردة، حسبما جاء في بيان صادر عبر موقعه الرسمي، وذلك في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي لعام 2025.
وحسبما جاء في بيانه، فإن نادي لاريسا أعلن تعاقده مع عمرو وردة، حيث وقع الأخير على عقد مع الفريق اليوناني لمدة موسم واحد فقط، في صفقة انتقال حر.
وسبق أن لعب عمرو وردة في صفوف لاريسا، خلال موسم 2019/20، حيث سجل 7 أهداف وصنع 6.
اقرأ أيضًا | “يريدون إنهاء مسيرتي”.. عمرو وردة يحسم الجدل بشأن فسخ التعاقد مع بانسيرايكوس وسبب رفض الأهلي
ويُعد الدوري اليوناني معروفًا بالنسبة لـ عمر وردة، حيث سبق له اللعب مع فريق بانيتوليكوس في الفترة بين 2015 و2017، باوك بين 2018 و2021، لاريسا موسم 2017/18، 2019/20 و2024/25.
كما لعب عمرو وردة في صفوف فولوس في موسم 2020/21، بخلاف بانسيرايكوس في عام 2024.
Khurram Shahzad missed the best part of the last day of the Test series against Bangladesh because of pain and stiffness on the left side
Danyal Rasool07-Sep-2024Pakistan have been handed a much-needed fitness boost, with Khurram Shahzad looking like he has avoided another serious injury.The Pakistan quick was off the field for the best part of the final day of the recent Test series, when Bangladesh eased to a six-wicket victory to inflict a 2-0 defeat upon Pakistan in Rawalpindi.Shahzad, 24, who was the second highest wicket-taker in the series, was earlier instrumental in triggering a first-innings collapse that saw Bangladesh reduced to 26 for 6. He took career-best figures of 6 for 90 in the innings, but was significantly less effective in the second innings, taking 1 for 40 in the seven overs he bowled.Related
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He was sent for scans after the game with what was explained as pain and stiffness on the left side of his body. ESPNcricinfo understands that results have ruled out a fracture, and doctors have advised him a brief period of rest. That means, on his current diagnosis, Shahzad will be fit for the Test series against England next month.The side niggle was a huge concern for Shahzad given his recent injury history. On his debut in Perth last December, he picked up an injury that later turned out to be a stress fracture of the rib, ruling him out for several months. He only returned to the fray for the two Tests against Bangladesh last month, having not bowled a single ball in first-class cricket since the injury in Perth.Resultantly, he will not take part in the Champions One-Day Cup set to start next week as Pakistan look to nurse him back to full fitness before the first Test against England, from October 7 in Multan. He will have another MRI scan conducted next week as his progress is monitored.Pakistan will be loath to lose another fast bowler to injury keeping in mind their recent track record.Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali and Ihsanullah have all suffered long-term injuries of late, and the PCB’s medical department has come under great scrutiny. Earlier this year, an internal review was blisteringly critical about the management of Ihsanullah’s injury and the quality of his treatment, with chief medical officer Dr Sohail Saleem’s resignation announced on the same day.
This summer has to be one of Chelsea’s best in a very long time.
On the pitch, Enzo Maresca has led his men to Club World Cup glory, and off the pitch, they’ve been incredibly active in the transfer market.
The likes of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens have all joined and improved the side, and yet the Blues continue to be linked with some of the most exciting players in the world, like Hugo Ekitiké.
Hugo Ekitike for Frankfurt.
In fact, one of the West Londoners’ current players is being linked with an exit, an exit that could free up space to sign the £85m Frenchman, although with Newcastle United and Liverpool both reportedly keen, they will have to move quickly.
Why so many teams want Ekitike
It was earlier this week that news of Newcastle’s interest in Ekitike began to gather pace, and then yesterday afternoon, more reports emerged claiming Liverpool were also looking at him as an alternative to an even more ambitious deal for Alexander Isak.
So are three of the biggest clubs in the Premier League all interested in signing the Eintracht Frankfurt forward this summer?
Well, simply put, he proved himself to be a lean, mean output machine in Germany last season and the sort of player who could help all three sides achieve their goals next season.
For example, in 48 appearances last season, totalling 3644 minutes, the prolific Reims-born forward scored a whopping 22 goals and provided 12 assists to boot.
That means the former Paris Saint-Germain prospect averaged a goal involvement every 1.41 games, or every 107.17 minutes – talk about world-class.
Moreover, that level of output would be incredible for a striker at the very peak of his career, but the Frenchman is nowhere near the peak, as he is still just 23 years old, and according to research carried out by The Athletic, he has another four years before he reaches it.
In other words, with the right coaching and the right team, we can expect his numbers to continue improving for some time, which is a scary yet exciting thought.
Hugo Ekitike.
With all that said, due to his massive price tag and the hefty wages he’d probably demand, Chelsea would likely need to sell a player before moving for him, which, based on reports, they could do, and to a Premier League rival no less.
The star Chelsea could sell
With Delap and Pedro joining the side this summer and already impressing at the Club World Cup, it would make sense for Chelsea to consider selling a striker to facilitate room for Ekitike.
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Therefore, the player in question who could well depart Stamford Bridge this summer is none other than Nicolas Jackson, who, according to Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth, is being monitored by several top sides, including Manchester United and Aston Villa.
In terms of the potential fee the Senegalese star could generate for the Blues, reports vary.
Nicolas Jackson
On Saturday morning, the Sun revealed that the club had placed a whopping £100m price tag on his head, but then later that same day, French journalist Nabil Djellit claimed that the West Londoners would be willing to let the player leave for around €70m, which converts to £61m.
Whatever the final price ends up being, it appears that Chelsea will make a sizable profit on the £32m they paid for the “unbelievable” forward, as dubbed by Peter Crouch, two years ago.
Moreover, it’d free up more funds to sign Ekitike, who would be a massive upgrade.
Jackson scored 13 goals and provided six assists in 37 appearances, totalling 2535 minutes last season, which comes out to an average of 1.94 goal involvements per match or one every 133.42 minutes.
Ekitiké vs Jackson 24/25
Players
Ekitike
Jackson
Appearances
48
37
Minutes
3644′
2535′
Goals
22
13
Assists
12
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.70
0.51
Minutes per Goal Involvement
107.17
133.42′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
That is not a bad rate of return by any means, but it does pale in comparison to what the Frankfurt star was able to produce last season.
Ultimately, Jackson is a good player, but if selling him this summer allows the club to sign Ekitike, then Chelsea should be doing all they can to drum up even more interest, even if the fee ends up closer to £60m than £100m.
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