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Nine-day tournament starts in Edgbaston on July 29 2022 with the gold medal match scheduled for August 7

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2021Women’s cricket will debut at next year’s Commonwealth Games with a re-match of the 2020 T20 World Cup final. Australia and India are set to lock horns again on July 29 as a nine-day tournament kicks off in Edgbaston with the gold medal match scheduled for August 7.Seven of the eight teams in this competition were confirmed in April earlier this year. The final one will be determined through a qualifying tournament that will be taking place in January 2022. Their first match of the Games will be against England on July 30. The next day will feature a match that brings the entire cricket world to a standstill. India vs Pakistan.The teams have been split into two groups of four and the top two from each group will qualify for the semi-finals which take place on August 6.Save the date: It’s Australia vs India at the Commonwealth games on July 29 2022•Getty Images

England were an automatic pick into the Games as a result of their being the hosts. The other six teams were chosen based on their place in the ICC T20 rankings as of April 1 last year. Barbados became the West Indian representative on the basis that they won the domestic title in 2020. The 2021 competition had to be postponed.”We have seen tremendous growth of the women’s game over the past few years and the Commonwealth Games will undoubtedly be another major moment on that journey,” ICC acting chief executive Geoff Allardice said.This is only the second time that cricket finds a place in the Commonwealth Games, and it will be kicking off the 22nd edition of the event along with Netball.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been told that their "Hollywood story" means "other football clubs hate Wrexham".

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• Stunning takeover completed in 2021
• Meteoric rise enjoyed since then
• Have been able to outspend many rivals

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Two famous faces arrived in the Racecourse boardroom back in 2021, much to the surprise of many. They have enjoyed quite the journey since then, with the Red Dragons now flying high in League One. Big money has been invested over the course of a meteoric rise.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham’s deep pockets have made them an easy target for jealous rivals, with the Welsh outfit often accused of spending their way out of the National League and fourth tier of English football. They have seen Birmingham eclipse them in that department this season, with the Blues shattering records in 2024-25.

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  WHAT BENT SAID

  Both clubs are setting lofty targets, even if that means ruffling a few feathers along the way. Ex-England international and EFL striker Darren Bent has told : “I still think Birmingham and Wrexham are the two strongest teams in the division. But do you know what? Birmingham a little bit, but I do think other football clubs hate Wrexham. Because of the money and the whole Hollywood story, people just want to beat them."

• WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Not too many have managed to achieve that over the course of the last three years, with Phil Parkinson’s side suffering just two defeats through 14 League One fixtures this season. They are sat third in the table and remain very much in the hunt for back-to-back-to-back promotions.

England’s Twenty20 captain gave a practised response to questions about the absent Kevin Pietersen before offering praise for his young side

David Hopps in Colombo14-Sep-2012American presidents like to set the tone of their presidency in the first 100 days, but they have it lucky. In roughly the same timespan since Kevin Pietersen retired from England’s one-day side and set in motion a chain of events that have reverberated ever since, Stuart Broad has had little chance to do anything except await his return to high office.Now he has his chance. Broad, England’s Twenty20 captain, arrives in Sri Lanka with his England team for World Twenty20 confident in the knowledge that he has left the KP affair, and the politics that surround it, to others. Now he can concentrate exclusively on the cricket. Or at least he thought he could until the words “Kevin Pietersen” were mentioned in the very first sentence of his very first question in his very first press conference. From that point, if only to avoid repetition, Pietersen questions were abruptly stilled.There was simply no escape – not until the ECB’s media officer decided enough was enough at any rate, which judging by this evidence at least was the time that somebody remarked meaningfully, as if we didn’t know, that Pietersen was player of the tournament when England, against expectations, won World Twenty20 under Paul Collingwood’s stewardship in the Caribbean two years ago.Collingwood has since loyally tipped England to defend their title–“we would be a better team skill-wise with KP but would it be a happier team?” he asked – and Broad has got his responses off pat. If he cannot entirely stop the questions he can at least parrot the same answers.”I think it was 2nd of June when KP retired from the one-day and Twenty20 format so we have had a bit of time to plan without him,” Broad reminded everyone, adding that England could still field eight of the players who had won the tournament. It was actually May 31, but he can be forgiven a spot of jetlag so soon after England’s flight touched down in Colombo. It probably also explained his assertion, quickly corrected, that their “only focus was on getting that flight to South Africa”. Even now he is probably pacing the streets in an unrewarding search for biltong.But back to the moral of Broad’s story: an innings of 99 made at Trent Bridge by one of his Nottinghamshire team-mates. “Alex Hales came in for the game against the West Indies and got the highest score by an England player in this format,” Broad said. “The 15 guys who are here are really excited to be here and represent England in a World Cup and that is what you want when you get on the plane.”Jos Buttler’s 32 from ten balls against South Africa on a rain-affected night at Edgbaston has also been adopted as proof that England’s less celebrated middle-order batsmen can succeed, even if the likes of Buttler himself, Jonny Bairstow and Craig Kieswetter are unproven on the subcontinent.”Unproven is probably the right word,” Broad conceded, “but that doesn’t mean they are not good enough. The likes of Buttler, Bairstow and Kieswetter toured with the Lions here earlier this year and when we went to the Caribbean and won we had two debutants walk out and open the batting for us in Michael Lumb and Kieswetter.”Experience is a strange thing in T20 cricket. If you have played Test cricket for the last few years you don’t actually get to play a lot of Twenty20 cricket. The likes of Jos Buttler have played a lot more Twenty20 cricket than say Graeme Swann or myself.”The England perspective on T20 is a strange one. India come here with confidence bolstered from the annual emphasis on the IPL. The more successful England players become, the less they play T20 as their opportunities in the IPL are rare and they infrequently play in the domestic FLt20 tournament because it is submerged by England’s international programme.As for the captain, Broad has been in the job for 18 months. He finds his team top of the rankings even though he has never skippered them for more than a week at a time. No wonder he says that, although he is proud of England’s No. 1 status, rankings don’t mean a great deal. But if England must defend their title in Sri Lanka then September, which may be more favourable than some months for the quicks, is not a bad time to do it.”This is a great opportunity to have a month in charge and devote my skills as a captain and see what the guys are like in a longer format,” he said. He meant a shorter format. His part-time job has yet to give him worry lines, but the jetlag was clearly messing with his mind. It was time to go and have a lie down.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have three players representing them at Euro 2024 who will all be hoping to perform to as high of a level as what they managed to hit in the 2023/24 season with their club side. Gary O’Neil’s side finished 14th in the Premier League last campaign, an impressive placement in his first season in charge.

The trio of his players at the Euros are representatives of Portugal; namely, they are Jose Sa, Pedro Neto and Nelson Semedo. Only two of those three have featured so far, with Jose Sa yet to make an appearance. It seems unlikely the goalkeeper will displace Diogo Costa from the starting lineup after his penalty heroics, barring injury.

Neto has featured in three out of Portugal’s four games so far, missing the round of 16 win over Slovenia. He started their final group game against Georgia, playing 75 minutes, and had 45 minutes off the bench in the second game. Semedo has yet to start but has played in all of his country’s games so far.

However, come the end of summer, the Midlands side may well be able to boast a fourth player in their squad who played at Euro 2024, following links to one of the tournament’s breakout stars.

Wolves target Euros sensation

The player in question here is Fenerbache and Turkey left-back Ferdi Kadioglu. The 24-year-old has impressed as his country reached the quarter-finals in Germany, where they will face the Netherlands, and he is now linked with a move away from the club this summer.

According to a report from Turkish news outlet Milat Gazetesi, Wolves are one club who are interested in signing the exciting left-back over the summer transfer window. The article explains that Wolves are one of the sides who are 'closely following' Kadioglu, and could look to sign him this summer.

However, they will face major competition from elsewhere in the Premier League and the rest of Europe. The report states that London trio Arsenal, Fulham and West Ham are interested in signing the left-back, with competition coming from Germany in the form of Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen, and Spain with Atletico Madrid and Valencia also interested.

In terms of a price, Fenerbache will not accept any offers below £35m, after previously asking Dortmund for such a fee previously. The German giants bid £25m, but that was an offer turned down by the Turkish club.

Why Kadioglu would be a good signing

There is no doubt that Kadioglu has been a standout player in Turkey’s impressive Euro 2024 run so far. He has played 90 minutes in each of their four games, playing as a flying left-wing back who has impressed defensively and in the final third.

Against Austria in his side’s round of 16 victory, he was given a 7/10 for his performance by GIVEMESPORT. He was given plenty of praise, with one analyst – Ben Mattinson – hailing him as a "total footballer" for his display against Ralf Rangnick's team.

Should Wolves sign Kadioglu, he could be the ideal replacement for Rayan Ait-Nouri, who seems set to leave Wolves this summer. According to reports, Liverpool are thought to be keen admirers of the left-back.

In terms of pure goals and assists numbers, Kadioglu scored three times and registered five assists in 51 games, respectable numbers from left-back. Ait-Nouri played fewer games, just 38, and only scored one goal and registered two assists.

The Turkey international also puts up better creative numbers as per FBref, averaging 8.83 progressive passes per 90 minutes which ranks him in the top 1% of positional peers in leagues similar to the Turkish top-flight. He also averages 1.38 key passes, which ranks him in the top 17%. In contrast, as per Fbref, Ait-Nouri averages just 3.83 progressive passes and 0.97 key passes.

The Fenerbahce defender is also a wonderful ball-carrier, as he has shown in Euro 2024. Kadioglu averages 5.19 progressive carries and 3.98 carries into the final third, both of which place him in the top 1%. In contrast, the Algerian averages just 2.59 progressive carries and 1.85 carries into the final third per 90.

Both players are of a very similar profile; that is to say, fast, flying wingbacks who are able to contribute in the final third whilst also being excellent defensively. Kadiolgu’s 7.44 ball recoveries are slightly better than the 5.26 ball recoveries per 90 of Ait-Nouri.

It certainly seems like a deal Wolves should pursue if they sell their star man. They would be able to add a like-for-like replacement to their squad, whilst keeping a profile that O’Neil would be able to effectively utilise in his system. For a fee of around £35m, it could be a superb investment for Wolves.

Wolves want £30m Neto replacement who "looks like a PL star"

He was one of the best players in his division last season

By
Joe Nuttall

Jun 28, 2024

When it comes to the atmosphere, the Kotla is far better than the Sawai Man Singh Stadium

Madhav Narayan21-May-2012Choice Of game
I’m not a resident of Rajasthan, but since I had literally nothing to do, I decided to take a trip to Jaipur – to get away from the Delhi heat. Well, let’s just say I got lucky. I had tickets to Rajasthan Royals’ game against Mumbai Indians. I didn’t feel like going (having been to five games already), but since it was the last league game of the IPL 2012, I decided not to skip it.Team supported

Born and raised in New Delhi, my loyalties lie naturally with Delhi Daredevils. So going for this non-Daredevils game, I didn’t have a clue who to support. The result of this game was inconsequential – Mumbai Indians had already secured a spot in the playoffs and Royals had missed out on the race after they lost to Deccan Chargers a few days earlier.I had enjoyed watching Royals play in Delhi, and on television, and liked how they played all their games with diligence and humility. I am also fond of their strong batting line-up (Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Owais Shah, Ashok Menaria). So I went to this match hoping Royals would win, and Dravid, whose prospects of playing next year are slim, would finish on a good note.Key performer
Dwayne Smith. He usually doesn’t open, and his highest score in seven innings for Mumbai Indians before this match was 24. But Sunday was different. He made 87 off 58 balls, scoring 58 of the runs in boundaries. It was great to watch him work his magic live and these kinds of things have made the IPL fun to watch in stadiums.Shot of the day
Smith swept Ajit Chandila for two consecutive sixes that went long – 92 and 103 metres. The first one was blasted over midwicket without any fuss and the second was powered over the long-on boundary. Even though the majority of the spectators in the stadium supported Royals, they seemed to switch sides each time Tendulkar or Smith cracked a boundary.Entertainment
The DJ at the stadium did his best to entertain the crowd with the latest numbers and the IPL trumpet. Be it English or Hindi, the ’60s or ’90s, the crowd greeted each tune with excitement. There were also the team songs of Royals and Mumbai Indians, and of course the IPL theme song which echoed during the strategic timeouts. However, local rules state that music can’t be played at such public venues after 10pm. By the time the Mumbai Indians innings started, the DJ’s job was done and the crowd went quiet.Close encounter
Sachin Tendulkar fielded below my seat for the majority of the Royals’ innings, and his stature was acknowledged widely with fans screaming “SACCCCHIIIIIIIINNNNN” and waving towards him each time he turned his head even by a degree. He responded to their greetings, by turning back, and smiling and waving at the spectators, making their day.Nothing like home
I have been fortunate to watch five of Daredevils’ eight home games this season. Watching a game at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium does not, by any standards, match up to the Kotla. The lights, the atmosphere, the music, the crowd, the flags, the enthusiastic MC, the crazy DJ, the loudspeakers, the catchy chants, the homely stadium, all bring the Kotla to life. And I saw none of that in Jaipur yesterday.Crowd meter
Surprisingly low. The weather was good and it was a relaxed Sunday evening. I expected the crowd to make a lot of noise and see off Royals’ team with loads of enthusiasm. Those expectations weren’t met.Overall
The game became one-sided the moment Mumbai Indians got Dravid, Rahane, Watson and Binny. I expected Royals to take the total past 170, but their slow batting didn’t allow that. The game had its highlights, though – Smith’s 87, his 13 boundaries, Dhawal Kulkarni’s bowling and the Tendulkar-Smith partnership.Marks out of 10
Seven. I deduct one for the slow, and almost boring, batting. Another, for the relatively dull atmosphere. And one more since I didn’t get the exciting finish I wanted in the final game of the league stage.

The fast bowler did not feel he would be able to get himself up to Test level

Alex Malcolm20-Oct-2021Australia fast bowler James Pattinson has retired from international cricket after deciding he would not be in a position to push for an Ashes berth.Pattinson, 31, had begun the pre-season hoping to be part of the England series but his start to the domestic summer had been delayed by the Covid-19 lockdowns with both Victoria and New South Wales unable to play in the early part of the summer.On the day it was announced the two sides would play in back-to-back Sheffield Shield fixtures starting next week in Sydney, Pattinson made the decision to retire from international cricket after an injury ruled him out of the opening Shield fixture. He will, however, continue to play domestic cricket in Australia and hinted at a return to the county game.”Leading into pre-season I really wanted to give the Ashes a crack but in the end I haven’t had the preparation I would have liked heading into the coming season,” Pattinson said. “If I was to be part of the Ashes I would need to do myself and my team-mates justice. I didn’t want to be in a position of battling with my body when you need to be 100 per cent fit and ready to go at any time. That would not be fair to myself or the team.”It was then I felt that instead of trying to play at the very highest level, knowing I have only got three or four years of cricket left, I would focus more on Victoria, helping the young guys develop, perhaps some cricket in England and spending more time with my family.”Pattinson had not played a Test match since January 2020 against New Zealand. He was expected to play a part in last summer’s series against India but fractured his ribs after slipping at home and was unavailable to play.His decision to retire ahead of the Ashes took the Australia team hierarchy by surprise but he was comfortable it was the right time for him to step away from the international scene.”Now I have made the decision I am hoping to really enjoy the last three or four years of cricket,” Pattinson said. “I have had a great time over the years and thank Cricket Australia for the opportunities, the faith they have put in me, and of course all of my team-mates through the journey.”They have instilled a lot of trust in me especially at times when I have been injured and helped me through those times. For that, I am very grateful.”Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey paid tribute to a career that was limited to 21 Tests across 10 years.”Everyone who has played with Patto has thrived on his competitive nature and the sheer pride he takes in playing for his country,” Bailey said. “James epitomises what it means to play for Australia, the sacrifices you make and the hurdles you have to overcome on the journey.”But his record speaks for itself, he has been a wonderful player. We would have loved to have seen a lot more of him over the years.”Pattinson made his debut in 2011, taking five-wicket hauls in his first two matches against New Zealand, but his career was ravaged by injury with multiple stress fractures in his back leading to serious spinal surgery in 2017. He fought his way back to play in the 2019 Ashes and overall took 81 wickets at 26.33, with an impressive strike-rate of 48.90.He also played 15 ODIs and four T20Is but had not played white-ball cricket for Australia since 2015.

The out-of-sorts midfielder has been dropped from the Blues' starting line-up and faces a significant battle to regain his place

When Chelsea take to the field against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, Enzo Fernandez will almost certainly not be in the starting line-up. The strange thing is, that won't really come as a surprise.

A blockbuster £107 million ($132m at the time) signing from Benfica in January 2023, the midfielder is no longer a guaranteed starter under Enzo Maresca despite being made vice-captain in the summer, as the team seemingly evolves and progresses without him.

Consistently inconsistent, the Argentine finds himself in a funk and risks being left behind if he cannot find his place in the Italian's plans by rediscovering some his best form and, crucially, maintaining it.

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  Worst possible start

  Of course, Fernandez was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons before a ball had been kicked this season; amid Argentina's wild Copa America victory celebrations in July, Enzo was the man holding the camera and bizarrely live-streaming as he and his compatriots belted out a racist and transphobic chant at the expense of France's national team.

  The song included the words "they play in France, but they are all from Angola" and "their mum is Nigerian, their dad is Cameroonian, but on the passport it says: French".

  A deserved backlash arrived quickly, as a number of his Chelsea colleagues – many of whom are of Afro-French descent – turned on Fernandez and unfollowed him on Instagram. Centre-back Wesley Fofana labelled the incident "unabashed racism".

  Fernandez inevitably apologised, claiming he "stands against discrimination in all forms" and apologised for "getting caught up in the euphoria". "That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my character or beliefs. I am truly sorry," he wrote.

  However, his actions still resulted in disciplinary action from Chelsea and a FIFA investigation. Although there were reports of a rift, his club-mates, including Fofana, eventually forgave him – but it would be remiss to say the debacle hasn't had some effect on him this season.

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  Midfield misfit

  On the pitch, Fernandez's performances this season haven't all been bad, but he certainly hasn't shown the level of consistency many would expect of a £107m player. Indeed, ahead of the trip to Man Utd he has lost his place in Maresca's so-called 'A team'.

  Fernandez had been a starter in the early part of the season, aided by Romeo Lavia's five-week absence as a result of a hamstring injury suffered after an impressive showing on the opening day of the Premier League season against Manchester City. However, now Lavia is back to full fitness, Fernandez has been dropped.

  The Belgian started the previous two league games against Liverpool and Newcastle, with Maresca tweaking his tactics in favour of more defensive solidity and in-form Moises Caicedo playing the role of the shuttling midfielder in the manager's preferred 4-3-3 shape, while Cole Palmer has, of course, been starring as a No.10. At present, it's hard to see how Fernandez fits.

  He certainly hasn't been the creative force Chelsea would have hoped in 2024-25, and arguably since he signed; a deep-lying playmaker, Fernandez is yet to register a league goal or assist this campaign, and his pass completion percentage in the league is concerningly low at 80.7. Meanwhile, there are question marks over whether he has the stamina and physicality to be effective as a defensive midfielder.

  The vast majority of Blues followers have backed Fernandez to the hilt in the belief that he will come good and become one of the best midfielders on the planet, with a damning recent statistical comparison of Chelsea's win rate with and without him (35% with, 81% without) swiftly rubbished. Patience, though, may soon run thin.

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  'It's a matter of balance'

  For his part, Maresca insists that he maintains faith in the midfielder and that his decision-making has been purely tactical. "I still trust Enzo," the head coach said in his press conference before the trip to Old Trafford.

  "There is not any reason in the world I can lose confidence in him. The reason why he is not playing in the Premier League is because at this moment I take a different decision. My confidence is 100% with Enzo.

  "In this moment, I know you are looking for some different reasons for Enzo [not starting], but it’s very simple. He’s not playing in this moment, we have so many games, he’s going to play for sure in the future. And it doesn’t mean Romeo and Moi are always going to play. At the moment one of them drops [their levels], probably we will change it."

  He added: "It’s a matter of balance. Romeo and Moi give us physicality and strength in the middle. This is why we found the option of Malo [Gusto] in the pocket. Otherwise, when we play with Enzo it has to be with one of Moi or Romeo, and Enzo moves forward we struggle in the middle for physicality."

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  Weight of expectation

  Maresca has previously stated that he believes Fernandez and, previously, Caicedo have both been suffering under the weight of the eye-watering £100m+ transfer fees Chelsea paid for their respective services in 2023, as the former arrived from Benfica in January and the latter was signed from Brighton in the summer.

  The head coach has openly admitted he feels the club made a mistake by paying that much and putting that expectation on the pair's shoulders.

  "The price does not have to be a problem for them, it’s something that the players can do nothing about," the Italian said recently. "Sometimes players feel under pressure because the club pay too much, but this is a big problem and is a weight on the shoulders which does not help the players."

  There is certainly some truth in that. Fernandez has always been fighting a losing battle in trying to live up to that price tag, and it's more likely than not that he never will with few players truly worth that astronomical sum. All Chelsea can hope for in the short-term is some consistency, with the 23-year-old more than capable of turning things around.

Arsenal have managed to get their transfer business fairly spot on over the last few years, whether buying or selling.

Mikel Arteta has welcomed Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus into his team, but perhaps the most high-profile arrival has been Declan Rice.

The £105m man was one of the biggest transfer stories of 2023, and his move to the Gunners has been a success so far.

So, fans should be excited that one of the latest players touted for a move to N5 this summer could be the perfect man to unlock the former West Ham United captain and get even more out of him.

Arsenal transfer news

Speaking on the latest episode of Football Insider's Inside Football podcast, Keith Wyness, the former CEO of Everton, revealed that Arsenal are still interested in the Toffees' star midfielder Amadou Onana and that he's heard "negotiations are ongoing" between the two clubs.

While that sounds like good news for the Gunners, it doesn't mean a deal will come cheap.

A recent report from the Mail Online revealed that while the Merseysiders are willing to sell the Belgian, they will still demand a fee in the region of £50m.

That said, even for that amount of money, this seems like a transfer well worth pursuing, especially as it could help Arteta get even more out of Rice going forward.

How Onana could unlock Rice

So, there are two ways in which Onana could help Arsenal get more out of Rice. The first is that he could start as the team's left eight, thus allowing the Englishman to become the club's starting six – a role he admitted was his "best position" on the pitch.

However, the other way the Everton ace could get more out of the former Hammer is by starting at the base of midfield himself and allowing the Arsenal man to maraud forward as the left-eight, a role he claimed leaves him "excited."

This may well be the best use of the pair in midfield, as last season, the 25-year-old started 19 of 51 games in central midfield for the North Londoners and racked up an impressive ten goals and assists in the process, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.9 games.

In contrast, the Dakar-born star scored just two goals from 17 starts in a central area, which equates to a goal involvement every 8.5 games, suggesting that he wouldn't be able to match the Englishman's offensive output in that role.

Moreover, when comparing the pair's defensive-midfield relevant underlying numbers, the Merseysider's 6 foot 4 "monster", as dubbed by data analyst Ben Mattinson, actually comes out on top.

For example, while he has slightly worse passing accuracy, blocks fewer shots, and makes fewer clearances, he makes more blocks overall, miscontrols the ball less often, makes far more ball recoveries, wins more aerial duels, makes and wins more tackles, and is dispossessed less frequently as well, all per 90.

Ultimately, the beauty of signing Onana is that Arteta would have the freedom to play him either as a six or left-eight, but to get the absolute most out of Rice, he should stick with playing him as the former. Therefore, Edu and Co should do all they can to bring the Belgian ace to N5 this summer.

Arsenal keen on £50m Euro 2024 star who's looked better than Saliba

The “versatile” ace could help the Gunners reach the next level.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 19, 2024

Manchester United have been hit with another injury blow as it has emerged Luke Shaw has suffered a setback in his recovery from a calf problem.

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• Shaw yet to feature for Man Utd this season
• Currently out with a calf injury
• Has now suffered fresh setback

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Shaw has endured a nightmare 2024 on the injury front and has not played for Manchester United since February. The left-back did play three times for England at Euro 2024 but was then subsequently ruled out of the start of the Premier League season with a calf injury. Shaw had been expected back in October but it has now emerged that the England defender is still some way off a comeback after suffering another setback in his recovery. Erik ten Hag offered a bleak update on the defender before he was sacked by Manchester United after defeat to West Ham.

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Ten Hag said: "The process is not going as we expected. That's the truth. The setback, if you want to call it like this, we want also to do it very careful. When he is now dropping again, we want to be very careful. We know his past, we have to do this right, because we want him to be available, because he will have a big impact on our performances and also on our levels. We can't have him playing for some games and then drop out again. So, we will do it very carefully."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Shaw's injury problems have already angered fans who called for United to rip up his contract back in August. Club legend Peter Schmeichel has also been critical of Shaw for "not prioritising" his club side after seeing him play at the Euros and then be sidelined once more. Manchester United have been plagued by injury issues throughout Ten Hag's time in charge, with the Dutchman having complained such problems were "holding back" his team after another disappointing start to the season.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD

  Manchester United will have to continue without Shaw for the foreseeable future with Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui and Lisandro Martinez having all filled in at left-back this season. Yet the England star will be eager to return to action soon and try to impress United's next manager. Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken interim charge after Ten Hag's departure, while Sporting boss Ruben Amorim is the current favourite to be appointed the next permanent Manchester United boss.

The transfer window has been open for over a week now, and while there has been some movement, Tottenham Hotspur have kept their powder dry thus far.

However, recent reports suggest that could be about to change – much to the delight of Ange Postecoglou.

Daniel Levy and Co look to have their sights set on an incredibly exciting youngster from the continent who could form a fantastic partnership with Dejan Kulusevski and help the team climb back up the Premier League table.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are incredibly keen on Feyenoord's star right-back, Lutsharel Geertruida, so much so that they have already offered him a contract.

The report claims that the offer is a long-term deal that runs to either 2029 or 2030 and that to tempt the Eredivisie side to sell, the Lilywhites may have to pay a fee of around €25m, which converts to £21m.

Alongside the North Londoners, the story has claims that Liverpool are also interested in the player, but nothing has been said about how advanced they are in their pursuit.

In all, it could be a tricky transfer to get over the line with the outside interest, but considering his performances last season and the reasonable price, one well worth pursuing – especially as his combination with Kulusevski could be unreal.

Why Geertruida would be a great teammate for Kulusevski

In the 2022/23 season, Kulusevski managed to rack up a haul of two goals and eight assists in 37 games, while last season, he did slightly better and returned eight goals and three assists in 39 games, but he has yet to match or surpass his 2021/22 tally of seven goals and 11 assists.

It would be fair to say, then, that considering how talented the Swede is, he has yet to hit his potential in North London, which is where Geertruida could potentially come in to help.

Able to play across the backline, U23 scout Antonio Mango claims the Dutchman possesses a great deal of "tactical nous and football IQ," which helps him excel defensively. However, he's also a fantastic attacking full-back, which could really help the Lilywhites winger.

In his 47 games for Feyenoord last season, the "impeccable" 23-year-old, as dubbed by Mango, scored nine goals and provided five assists, which is one more goal involvement than Pedro Porro managed last term, suggesting that this signing could also be a great way of getting even more out of the Spaniard at the same time.

According to WhoScored, two of the Rotterdam-born star's most significant strengths are his passing and ability to hold on to the ball, which marries up well with Mango's description of him possessing "monumental composure" and FBref's genuinely impressive scout report, which comes from looking at players in similar positions across the next best 14 competitions and ranking players on specific metrics.

For example, they have placed the 6 foot 1 titan in the top 1% for non-penalty goals, non-penalty expected goals, non-penalty goals plus expected assists, pass completion and progressive passes, the top 5% for passes attempted, the top 10% for shots total and the top 15% for shot-creating actions, all per 90.

Ultimately, Geertruida is both a competent defender and an incredible attack-minded full-back who might be able to help Kulusevski reach his true potential by forming a deadly partnership with him on the Lilywhites' right-flank under Postecoglou's progressive management.

Crucial hours: Spurs close in on signing £42m star who Maddison will love

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jun 25, 2024