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Fitness, preparation and wickets in abundance as death-overs specialist finds peak form

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Aug-2023Half an hour after ticking off a must-win game with Southern Brave against Manchester Originals to reach Saturday’s men’s Hundred Eliminator at The Oval against the same opponents, Tymal Mills reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. “I’ve got a little cheat sheet,” he says with a smile.On the sheet are three columns. The first contains a list of all Originals’ batters in order. The second, headed “SCOOP” is followed by ticks and crosses. The third – “PACE”- has “ON” and “OFF” alternating all the way down.You don’t need to know of this “cheat sheet” to appreciate how diligently Mills prepares for every match (his handwriting, by the way, is immaculate). Doing your homework is part of the job for fast bowlers like Mills who operate primarily at the death. But carrying notes onto the field is a recent development for a cricketer eight shy of 200 T20 appearances.”I started doing it in the Blast this year [playing for Sussex Sharks] because there were more guys playing that I don’t know,” he explains. “There were a few times batters would come out towards the back end and I didn’t really know them. So I’d be shouting to our analyst or those on the bench: ‘Does he ramp or not?’ That’s all I really want to know – if a guy ramps, do I need fine-leg back, or should I keep him up?”Since then, I’ve adopted it. I know Mark Watt did it during the T20 World Cup last year [for Scotland]. I don’t know what he had written on his, but that’s just for me; whether they scoop and whether pace on or pace off is a better option for that person, just so I am not going into things blind.””Cheating” works, kids. Mills bowled balls 76 to 80 and 91 to 95 against Originals, removing Jamie Overton and Tom Hartley in the latter set to finish with 3 for 27. Their opponents were restricted to 130, which Brave knocked off with five balls to spare. According to CricViz, Mills’ 10 dismissals at the death (categorised as the final 25 deliveries) are the most in the competition, four clear of second-placed Daniel Sams. He takes a wicket every 7.5 balls in that phase, with a dot-ball percentage of 30.6. His 15 wickets overall are the most in the competition.Mills has been in form and at full fitness all competition•ECB via Getty ImagesThose impressive numbers are nothing out of the ordinary for Mills. You only need to look at the last three seasons of the Blast – 30 wickets at an average of 13.50 between overs 16 and 20 – to see this is merely a continuation of his excellence at the business end. Similarly, his deliveries at this stage of an innings – 62.9 percent are slower balls – are nothing new. The surprise is that, although batters now set themselves for change-ups, his are still effective.”I haven’t changed an awful lot,” he says. “I bowl a legcutter more now than I did back then, just to have a third variation as such. The legcutter is a bit quicker than the back-of-the-hand-er, so I’m using that as a bit of a middle ball.”We’ve played on some wickets which have been decent to bowl on. And by that I mean pretty slow. I prefer slower wickets to faster wickets. My pace often travels for runs on quick decks so I don’t mind bowling on tough wickets in terms of used wickets.”Towards the back end, it’s just trying to predict what the batter is going to do as much as I can, and mixing it up between back-of-the-hand slower balls, legcutters and pace-on deliveries. Just trying to outfox the batter and so far it’s been pretty successful.”All being well, Mills should double the eight dismissals he managed when Brave won the inaugural men’s Hundred back in 2021, which followed a winter in which he spent three months in a back brace following a stress fracture. It was a stint that earned him a call-up to England’s 2021 T20 World Cup squad. He played four matches, taking seven wickets, which was the team’s joint-highest, before suffering a thigh strain against Sri Lanka.Mills was disappointed to miss out on the T20Is against New Zealand, but says he ‘gets it’•Francois Nel/Getty ImagesHe missed 2022’s edition of the Hundred but found himself on the other side of the ledger as an injury alternate for 2022’s T20 World Cup. Reece Topley, Mills’ replacement in 2021, suffered an unfortunate ankle injury when he tripped over an advertising cushion during a fielding drill. Mills replaced him in the squad but did not play a game as England triumphed.A stint in the Big Bash League with Perth Scorchers last winter was cancelled in harrowing circumstances when Mills’ two-year-old daughter Delphi suffered a stroke at the airport before the flight to Australia. Thankfully, after 11 days in hospital following the incident, she has made a rapid recovery. Mills has entered this season’s BBL draft and is expected to be listed at the Platinum band (AUD$420,000).He should be in demand given form and fitness. Wednesday’s final Hundred group game was Mills’ 26th short-form match in the space of 90 days. The first 12 came in the Blast (22 wickets at 21.11) then a six-game stint for Bulawayo Braves in the Zimbabwe Afro T10 (six at 20.50) ahead of the Hundred.”I hate saying it out loud, but I’ve been fit all summer,” says Mills. “I played a full Blast campaign, went to Zimbabwe and played the T10 and now here. It’s just nice not worrying about my body, going about my business and having a nice routine.”I don’t believe in the gods and stuff, but I’m reticent to say yes,” he answers, when asked if he is operating at 100 percent. “But I haven’t missed a game through injury all year, which has been great. I struggled with a bit of a freak injury with my big toe, the skin and a bad laceration that kept reopening. I got that sorted and played 12 out of 14 Blast games for Sussex, and the two I didn’t play was just rest and rotation.”Related

• How Charlotte Edwards steered Southern Brave to a third straight Hundred final

• Tymal Mills comes full circle in his remarkable England comeback

• Tymal Mills takes hat-trick in crushing Southern Brave win

• Rehan Ahmed, Tymal Mills set up emphatic victory for Southern Brave

• Devon Conway sees Brave home after Tymal Mills keeps lid on Originals

All this makes the timing of England’s T20I series against New Zealand, which begins next Wednesday, and Mills’ omission from the squad frustrating. Ahead of the 50-over World Cup in October, limited-overs coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler are opting to use those four matches, and four ODIs that follow, as a tuning-up period ahead of India. As such, T20 staples like Mills and Brave team-mate Chris Jordan were not selected.Mills gets it. Conversations with Mott and men’s selector Luke Wright, a former Sussex team-mate, have been upfront and honest. Nevertheless, Mills rues being unable to add to 13 international caps before the summer is out.”It was disappointing because, as I say, I’m bowling well, feeling great and there are England games coming up and I haven’t been selected. You feel like they’ve come at a perfect time and you want to play.”Luke Wright and Motty were clear with CJ (Jordan) and myself. We both had separate conversations and they’re using these T20 games as part of the whole month to prepare for the 50-over World Cup. With CJ and myself not featuring in the 50-over World Cup, they weren’t going to consider us for the T20 games.”It’s still disappointing and frustrating. I want to play for England as much as I can. But they said I’ll come back into consideration for the games in the Caribbean in December.”Mills emphasised that final point – loyalty to the national team – to Mott and Wright. The global franchise circuit may offer greater remunerations, but Mills has eyes for the T20 World Cup next June in the Caribbean and United States.”That was one of the reasons I was a bit disappointed. I understand, if everyone’s fit, I’m not guaranteed to be in that 15. So I want to try and get opportunities to get on there. I want to do what I can to try and be in the mix for World Cup selection next summer.”

The Southern Brave coach talks about working out the new format, dealing with injuries, and taking a punt on Jake Lintott

Interview by Matt Roller10-Aug-2021Your side lost their first two games in the Hundred, but have won three and had a no-result since and are well-placed to qualify for the knockout stages. How do you assess your season to date?
I think in the first few games we weren’t good enough. We were behind the pace of the game and made quite a few mistakes. In terms of getting the group together and trying to get role clarity and execution, I think we were slightly behind everyone else, but we managed to get into a good groove after a slow start. The rained-off game [against Manchester Originals] was frustrating. We had good momentum in that game, but most teams have been affected by rain. Overall, I can’t complain. The guys have been working really hard and it’s been good fun so far.This sort of season has become your trademark. Mumbai Indians’ first-game curse is well documented and you seem to have a habit of starting slowly and then clicking a few games into a tournament. Why is that?
I actually told the guys that they’ve kept my thing going about not winning the first game of a tournament – I don’t think I’ve done that ever. I congratulated this group on it (laughs).No, it’s not ideal. You don’t want to start the tournament by losing matches, but if it does happen, you need to find out why. Especially in a new tournament like this, everyone took time to get used to the pace of the game and how to do things tactically.In the first game we didn’t bat well, so we were always behind, but in the Welsh Fire game, we were in it until we made a few mistakes and they got away from us. We realised that the margin for error is minimal and that we needed to tighten things up.We’ve had a few injuries and needed to cover for that, and the guys have responded well. The important thing is that you play your best cricket at the back end, getting into the playoffs and finishing off properly.Related

Sam Billings: Youngsters 'far better off' from playing in Hundred ahead of Blast quarter-finals

Early takeaways from the Hundred bash

Lintott: 'Being unpredictable is a big thing in T20'

Mills times his rise as Archer injury leaves hole in England's World Cup plans

You were the bookies’ favourites. You’re used to scrutiny at the IPL, but did you feel some pressure after losing the first two games?
It’s easy to put teams down as favourites, but if you look at all of them on paper, they have certain strengths and weaknesses. I think with injuries and replacements, every team has had to change tactically. From the time we did the draft up until now, we’ve probably had eight or nine changes. That’s something we all had to get used to. It’s one thing to be strong on paper, but going out to execute is another and I’ve explained that to the boys as well. I don’t think we felt much pressure. We just wanted to go out and play some good cricket.You’ve been successful with Mumbai thanks to a core of strong Indian players, supplemented by overseas players filling certain specific roles. Are you looking to do the same with Brave, having signed a strong group of English players here – James Vince, Chris Jordan, Liam Dawson and Tymal Mills – in the initial draft?
That’s absolutely right. That is our main group which we will evolve around. That group has been structured in two different ways. Firstly, they are quality players who have either represented England or are on the doorstep of getting a call. Once we’d recruited that group, we could build around that. It’s not just a one-year tournament, so building that core unit is important for us and those local players are the most valuable. Then our overseas players have to add value to that. The second thing is that we’ve recruited quite a bit from our two main counties, Hampshire and Sussex, to give that element of a local feel and to build that connection with our fan base and create an identity.You’ve lost a number of overseas players at various stages – David Warner, Marcus Stoinis, Andre Russell, Devon Conway and Shadab Khan – but still have one of the best in the competition in Quinton de Kock. Did your relationship with him through Mumbai help get that deal over the line?
Definitely. Initially Quinny wasn’t available due to international commitments, but when he got freed up and Warner was withdrawing, I had a chat with him and said if he was available, he should join us. Everything fell into place. He’s a through-and-through allrounder at the moment because it’s difficult to find a keeper-batsman who bats in the top three. That gives teams much more flexibility with their combinations. He’s been a great asset and has been great around the group.Left-arm wristspinner Jake Lintott has taken five wickets and conceded 1.22 runs per ball in five Hundred games this season•Getty ImagesTymal Mills has been a key performer in your recent wins. What are his strengths?
I think Millsy has been brilliant. I’ve known him since I was playing for Sussex and he had a stint in the IPL. He’s had a few setbacks with injuries but he looks healthy and has been bowling really well. He’s got a lot of experience now, playing the shorter formats. He’s got good focus, good clarity in execution, and he’s one of the leaders in our set-up, giving that experience to the rest of the group. He’s not one-dimensional. He brings that element of being an attacking bowler in the powerplay. He can come back in the middle and pick up wickets, and obviously the back-end execution – so that gives a lot of options with his pace and his variations.With Jofra Archer injured, Mills looks like he’s in contention for England’s T20 World Cup squad. Do you think the pitches in the UAE will suit him?
I think on any surface, Millsy will give you that variation, whether it’s a slow wicket or a good, hard surface. In Dubai, the surfaces are usually quite true, and in Abu Dhabi as well. I think you will get good surfaces there, maybe slightly on the slower side with the weather conditions, but he is able to adapt.You signed 28-year-old Jake Lintott, the left-arm wristspinner who only became a professional player this year, as your wild-card pick after this year’s re-draft. Did you know much about him?
When we lost our overseas wristspinner in Shadab, who was unavailable this year, we were looking around to replace him, but most of the international players were not around. We then looked at local wristspinners and went through the domestic season to look at guys who had come through in the last couple of years. Most of the options had been picked already. Jake’s name came up and we had footage of him. Graeme [Welch, one of Brave’s assistant coaches], who works with him at Edgbaston, knew him pretty well, so we had a good chat about him. We wanted to know about his character as well. Obviously it’s a big stepping stone for him, handling the pressure of playing in front of big crowds. In the first few sessions he bowled really well and looked confident, so we gave him some simple plans. We didn’t pick him for the first game but realised with our bowling unit that we needed the wristspin option. From the second game onwards, he’s been brilliant. There’s still a lot to improve but he’s bowled well and he’s going to get better and better in this environment.”Initially Quinny [de Kock] wasn’t available due to international commitments, but when he got freed up, I had a chat with him and said if he was available, he should join us”•Arjun Singh/BCCIWhat have you made of George Garton? He had only played 12 T20s when you took a punt on him in the initial draft in 2019.
With franchise cricket, that is the key. We did a lot of scouting before the initial draft and identified guys we wanted. We wanted to invest in young talent as well and develop them – that’s part of our role, and that’s the balance we tried to create. George was in the seconds coming through when I was at Sussex, so I knew the skills he had, and he’s had a couple of good seasons in T10 as well. Sometimes you need to invest in talents at that time and see how they progress, and George has come a long way since we picked him in the draft. It’s brilliant that we’ve been able to give him the new ball and make him a key part of our set-up. He’s a good package: brilliant in the field, and bats in that middle lower order, with him and CJ [Jordan] giving us a bit of batting depth.Liam Dawson broke his finger against Manchester Originals. Is he out for the rest of the season?
We’re getting some experts to look at it, but most likely he won’t be available. Danny [Briggs] in our squad is an ideal replacement. We’ve had a few injury issues. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have Jof, and Craig [Overton] was picked for the Test squad. Our bowling department was really hit, but we’ve been managing so far. Hopefully the guys will be healthy for the rest of the competition. We haven’t decided about signing a replacement, but we do have that option.Have you used the Hundred to look at possible Mumbai Indians recruits for future seasons?
Definitely. It’s good to see the talent in person and in games. And it works with getting overseas players for the Hundred, or getting English players for franchises in the IPL. When I picked Jofra in Bangladesh [for Khulna Titans in the BPL], it was purely because I’d played against him in county cricket here. It’s about seeing and understanding that natural talent and giving them an opportunity. It’s similar to how football works, or maybe how it worked ten to 15 years ago, with the scouting system and getting talent into your academies. I think franchise cricket is pretty much heading towards that direction.”Tymal Mills [left] brings that element of being an attacking bowler in the powerplay. He can come back in the middle and pick up wickets, and obviously the back-end execution”•Steven Paston/PA Photos/Getty ImagesWhat have you made of the Hundred’s format? Do you see it as just a slightly shorter version of T20?
It is quite similar, but with the option of two overs in a row for a bowler, it’s tactically quite different. It’s quite interesting with the new batsman always coming in to strike, which allows you to look at things differently, especially at the back end. Bowling from certain ends has been important, because at some venues you have a smaller boundary, so you need to look at things differently as well. Otherwise, it’s pretty much a T20 – but the tempo is different, and batting in different slabs of the game has been slightly different.We’ve seen a few batters get stuck at the non-striker’s end during a block of ten balls. Does strike rotation become more important with these rules?
Yeah, if you have a guy who is off strike for even eight to nine balls – that’s something we’ve managed to avoid pretty well, but in certain situations, you don’t have control of that. I think in the last game Quinny went without strike for seven or eight balls because we lost a couple of wickets and he was stuck at the wrong end. It’s something to manage and guys have to be aware of those situations.Are there any regulations in the Hundred that you’d like to see carried over into all T20 cricket?
I definitely like the fact that the new batter has to come in to strike at the fall of a wicket, even if it’s a catch and the guys have crossed. That’s a very interesting rule. In some situations in T20 cricket, in a two-over slab at the back end, it becomes almost a free hit for a tailender off the last ball of the first over. But in this scenario – and it happened in our last game – you don’t have that free hit for a tailender. He still has to rotate the strike or not get out.Even the two overs in a row for a bowler makes it tactically quite fascinating. You have to plan a lot with your strike bowlers and where you can use them.On the Southern Brave women’s side: “They’ve been playing some brilliant cricket too. That top order is very powerful and their bowling unit has quite a bit of young talent coming through as well”•Getty ImagesThere is a strict cut-off time in the Hundred, and fielding teams have to bring an extra man into the 30-yard circle if they miss it. Would you like to see that in the IPL, where some games now extend into the middle of the night?
The IPL is a domestic tournament too, so if they are happy to have that extra airtime, that’s their decision. What might happen if you shorten it too much is that the quality of the game might reduce because the bowlers don’t have time to think through certain things. It’s a fine line. I like the fact we’re being pushed here and that you get penalised during the game rather than a fine or a warning afterwards. It’s good for this competition as a domestic tournament, but it’s tough to compare it with the IPL – the viewership and the content and requirements are quite different. If a product requires that quality and needs bowlers to take their time, then tactically that might be better for the viewers rather than rushing through. I see the two quite differently.Southern Brave are top of the table in the women’s competition, and the platform the Hundred has given to the women’s game has been one of its major positives. Has there been much interaction between the two squads?
Definitely. We’ve made sure we’ve spent time with the girls. We’ve had a couple of get-togethers and had good cricket conversations with them. We made a point of being one unit, because we play on the same days and support each other, and have conversations on tactics and various other things. We use the same facilities, the hotel is the same, so we spend a lot of time around each other. It’s been brilliant to have them with us. They’ve been playing some brilliant cricket too. That top order is very powerful. I don’t know how Lottie [Charlotte Edwards, the women’s coach] managed to get that together, but tactically it looks perfect, and their bowling unit has quite a bit of young talent coming through as well.Have you been talking tactics and swapping notes with Edwards?
Initially we had a couple of chats when we came over about how to use the new tactics. The way the two teams play is obviously a bit different, but the more games we’ve played, we’ve realised how to use certain things. When the girls are playing before us, we get a bit of an idea about how the surface plays, and some information off them, which is quite valuable. Both teams are enjoying each other’s success.You have two group games left, starting on Wednesday against Welsh Fire. What will your message to the group be before then?
We just need to concentrate on our strengths and keep doing what we’re doing. We can’t control what’s going to happen in other matches. The message is to control what’s in our hands. The message has been to treat every game like a qualifier or a playoff and go with that attitude and to enjoy that challenge. That’s the most important thing.

Bo Bichette is having a phenomenal season and is heading into free agency, but one MLB insider is skeptical of his future position.

's Ken Rosenthal explained that the Blue Jays All-Star isn't viewed as a long-term shortstop by many in baseball. That will be a huge hit to his potential value moving forward.

"The shortstop market this winter is very thin. You've got Bo Bichette out there. But Bo Bichette in the eyes of many in the industry, should not be at shortstop, or at least not for much longer," Rosenthal said.

Bichette is currently slashing .310/.354/.478, with 17 home runs, 88 RBIs and 74 runs scored. He has an OPS of .832 with a wRC+ of 130, which would be a career-high for a full season. His xwOBA of .363 is also a career-best mark.

The issue for the 27-year-old is that he currently ranks 34th among MLB shortstops with -13 outs above average defensively. That's dead last among qualifiers at the position, and the next worst is Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe at -8.

It's like Bichette moves to second base in the future, which will significantly reduce his value. The one thing he has going for him is, as Rosenthal mentioned, the incredible weakness of the shortstop crop this coming offseason. Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story can opt out, as can new Braves addition Ha-Seong Kim, while bargain options like Miguel Rojas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Amed Rosario will also be available.

We'll see how that impacts Bichette, but Rosenthal clearly thinks he won't get the kind of money he's looking for.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo derrotou o Cruzeiro por 2 a 0 neste domingo (2), no Morumbis, pela sétima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Os gols da partida foram marcados por Lucas, na primeira etapa, e Calleri, no segundo tempo.

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As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance! Betting! Abra já a sua conta!

Com a vitória, o Tricolor chega aos 13 pontos e salta para a quarta posição na tabela de classificação. A Raposa, por sua vez, permanece com 10 pontos e estaciona na nona colocação.

O São Paulo abriu o placar aos cinco minutos de partida com Lucas. O meia arrancou pelo meio de campo, driblou dois defensores e chutou com a perna direita, a bola ainda desviou em um jogador do Cruzeiro antes de estufar as redes.

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Aos três minutos do segundo tempo, Calleri aproveitou bela jogada coletiva da equipe comandada pro Zubeldía, se antecipou ao zagueiro e cabeceou com força para vencer o goleiro Anderson.

➡️ QUAL É O PRÓXIMO JOGO?

O São Paulo volta a campo apenas no dia 13 de junho, contra o Internacional, fora de casa. No mesmo dia, o Cruzeiro recebe o lanterna Cuiabá, no Mineirão.

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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
São Paulo 2 x 0 Cruzeiro
Brasileirão – 7ª rodada

🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 2 de junho de 2024, às 18h30 (de Brasília)
📍 Local: Estádio do Morumbis, em São Paulo (SP)
📺 Onde assistir: Premiere
🟨 Árbitro: Lucas Paulo Torezin
🚩 Assistentes: Fabricio Vilarinho da Silva e Victor Hugo Imazu dos Santos
🖥️ VAR: Wagner Reway

⚽ESCALAÇÕES

SÃO PAULO (Técnico: LUIS ZUBELDÍA)
Rafael; João Moreira, Arboleda, Alan Franco e Welington; Bobadilla, Alisson, Rodrigo Nestor, Lucas Moura, Luciano e Juan.

CRUZEIRO (Técnico: FERNANDO SEABRA)
Anderson; William, Zé Ivaldo, João Marcelo e Marlon; Lucas Silva e Lucas Romero; Gabriel Veron, Matheus Pereira e Álvaro Barreal; Rafa Silva.

Tudo sobre

BrasileirãoCruzeiroFutebol NacionalSão Paulo

Not every transfer has panned out the way they planned, but Chelsea have built themselves a brilliant squad over the last few years.

The likes of Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro wouldn’t look out of place in any other Premier League side.

Moreover, while it’s still early days, it looks like Enzo Maresca and Co have a genuine world-class superstar in the making with Estêvão.

The Brazilian has been incredible so far this season, so Chelsea fans should be delighted about reports linking them to someone who could end up being another Estêvão.

Chelsea target their next Estêvão

There has long been a lot of hype around Estêvão, so much so, in fact, that respected analyst Ben Mattinson labelled him a “future Ballon d’Or winner” a few months before Chelsea even signed him.

Transfer Focus

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

Now, there is still a long way to go until the teenager reaches that level, but he has already been sensational for the Blues this season.

For example, in 17 appearances, totalling 740 minutes, he has provided one assist and scored five goals, including a stunner against Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise that the club are now interested in another young star, Assan Ouédraogo, who could potentially emulate the Brazilian.

Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany, Chelsea are one of a few clubs keen on signing the RB Leipzig gem.

Alongside the West Londoners, Manchester United have been credited with an interest in the 19-year-old, whose contract runs until 2029.

Unfortunately, there is no release clause in that deal, so the fee needed to sign the German could end up being rather significant, as much as £50m according to further reports out of Germany in the last few months.

Even so, given Ouédraogo’s ability and potential, this is a transfer Chelsea should pursue, especially as he could be another Estêvão.

Why Ouédraogo could be another Estêvão for Chelsea

So, the first thing to point out is that, yes, the two youngsters primarily play in different positions.

Ouédraogo has spent this season playing as a central and attacking midfielder, while Estêvão has spent most of this year on the right.

However, while the pair do not necessarily operate in the same areas of the pitch, both are highly rated youngsters who seem destined to reach the top of the game.

For example, while Chelsea fans are more than familiar with the Brazilian’s exploits so far this season, they likely don’t know that the German has been even more productive.

In 12 first-team appearances, totalling 561 minutes, the Leipzig gem has scored three goals and provided four assists, which comes out to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.71 games, or every 80.14 minutes.

Moreover, the Mülheim an der Ruhr-born prospect has already made quite the impression at the international level.

After blitzing his way up through the various youth levels, he was handed his first senior cap for Germany earlier this month, and instead of just coming on and focusing on not making a mistake, he scored.

Finally, on top of already producing goal involvements for fun, the £22k-per-week gem has some unreal underlying numbers to back up exactly why content creator Neal Gardner has described him as a “powerhouse.”

Goals

0.48

Top 1%

Assists

0.48

Top 1%

Goals + Assists

0.97

Top 1%

Yellow Cards

0.00

Top 1%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.31

Top 1%

Shots Total

2.90

Top 1%

Shots on Target

1.45

Top 1%

Goal-Creating Actions

1.13

Top 1%

Touches (Att Pen)

4.83

Top 1%

Successful Take-Ons

1.77

Top 1%

Carries into Penalty Area

0.97

Top 1%

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for goals, assists, shots on target, goal-creating actions, successful take-ons, carries into the penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it’s still early in his career, it’s hard to disagree with Mattinson’s assessment that Ouédraogo is a “beast ready to be unleashed” and therefore capable of being another Estêvão for Chelsea.

Chelsea have already signed another exciting star who's "just like Estevao"

Chelsea have already signed another youngster who could become another Estevao for Enzo Maresca.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 26, 2025