Allrounder Pooja Vastrakar has become the latest India women’s player to commit to the WBBL, signing with Brisbane Heat.Vastrakar caught the attention of WBBL clubs with her outstanding performances on India’s tour of Australia late last year and followed that up with some excellent performances with both bat and ball in the women’s 50-over World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.Poonam Yadav played for Heat last season and Smriti Mandhana has also previously played in Brisbane but played for Sydney Thunder last season. India’s women have had a lot of success in the WBBL with Harmanpreet Kaur named player of the tournament last season.Heat coach Ashley Noffke was delighted to have signed Vastrakar.”Pooja is an outstanding athlete,” Noffke said. “She bowls with sharp pace, can find the boundary with the bat down the order and is an absolute jet in the field.”We’re very pleased to welcome her to the WBBL and are excited about the experience we can offer her. She’s certainly a player of the future for India and one that we expect can make a difference for the Heat this summer.”Vastrakar is in India’s Commonwealth Games squad but will miss their opening clash with Australia on Friday after contracting Covid-19 before leaving India.Vastrakar joins New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr as Heat’s second overseas player for the coming season.Brisbane Heat WBBL squad: Jess Jonassen (capt), Amelia Kerr (NZ), Pooja Vastrakar (Ind), Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Ellie Johnston, Charli Knott, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll
Plays of the Day from the Qualifier match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians
Arun Venugopal19-May-2015The failed chargeLendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel were shackled by some disciplined bowling from R Ashwin and Ashish Nehra. Simmons, wanting to assert himself, charged Nehra in the fourth over. The bowler spotted it early and sent down a quick, steepling bouncer. Having come down nearly half way, Simmons had to get his head out of the way in a jerky motion.Nehra continued on his follow-through, and, fiddling with his nose, stared long and hard at Simmons. Three balls later, Simmons sprang out of his crease again, and edged a high-full toss. MS Dhoni, putting in a rare dive, couldn’t hold on to the catch. It was anyway called a no-ball for height.Many a slipEveryone loves a good Nehra blooper on the field, and there was duly one on the night. Allowing Dwayne Bravo’s delivery to pass him, Simmons dabbed it to short third man where Nehra was stationed and set off for a single.As Nehra neared the ball, it bounced a tad awkwardly and he tried to clutch it around his waist. The ball, though, popped out, and while he looked around to see where it had gone, he ended up booting it away inadvertently. The single was completed without much sweat and Nehra was seen animatedly explaining to his team-mates what had happened.Dhoni’s rewind modeWhen both these teams met in the final five years ago, Kieron Pollard was threatening to take the game away from Chennai Super Kings with some late hitting. Dhoni, spotting his tendency to hit straight, posted an ultra-straight mid-off, where Pollard eventually hit a catch to.Pollard was blazing away again, and Dhoni pulled the 2010 field out of his memory file. Only that he assigned Michael Hussey to a straightish mid-on instead of mid-off. But Pollard didn’t fall for the ploy this time.Mixed bag for MalingaLasith Malinga got an lbw decision in his favour in the first over of Super Kings’ innings when a swiftly descending full toss struck Dwayne Smith well outside leg stump. It was a real gift and Malinga probably was in no mood for guilty pleasures. Three overs later he found himself in prime position at third man for a regulation catch offered by Faf du Plessis. But the ball went through his hands and thudded on to this thigh. You win some, you lose some.Rhodes’ chest-thumping momentJonty Rhodes, the Mumbai Indians fielding coach, said during a dug-out interview with Matthew Hayden that he had to keep a straight face while watching the game from the sidelines. Even before he could complete his statement, Vinay Kumar sprinted forward from long-on to snaffle du Plessis’ catch. Rhodes couldn’t stop hollering in excitement. “I am the fielding coach. Yeah, it’s me,” he screamed in delight. He jested for good measure: “If they drop them it’s not my fault, if they take them, it’s all me, all me.”
da poker： Após um período conturbado com a falta de resultados, o Grêmio conseguiu emplacar vitórias e chegou ao G4 da Série B.
– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B
Agora, o time de Roger Machado aparece na quarta colocação e tem a possibilidade de abrir uma vantagem na zona de acesso.
Com 22 pontos, o Tricolor tem um a mais que o Sport, primeiro time fora do G4 e que não venceu nas últimas rodadas.
Caso o cenário permaneça o mesmo e o Tricolor vença o Londrina nesta terça-feira, em Porto Alegre,, o time de Roger Machado pode ficar com quatro pontos de vantagem para o quinto colocado. Para isso acontecer, precisa secar os rivais mais próximos: Sport, Tombense e Criciúma. Os três atuarão fora de casa na rodada.
Jogos que interessam ao Grêmio
Grêmio x Londrina
Cruzeiro x Sport
Náutico x Criciúma
CBR x Tombense
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Left-armers, spinners run through SA after Livingstone, Curran cameos
Firdose Moonda22-Jul-2022
Adil Rashid ran through the lower order•Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Rain shortened match? Sure. 72 for 5 in the 12th over? No problem. Series on the line? That’s okay.After middling white-ball form at home this summer, England stormed back with a big win over a stunned South Africa, who were left on 6 for 4 in chase of 202. On a surface that promised runs but proved tricky to bat on in damp conditions, and even took some turn, South Africa were bowled out for their joint-lowest total against England and joint-second-lowest score overall, just three days after recording their highest score against England in the series-opener.In a match that was reduced to 29 overs-a-side after a two-hour and 45 minute delay, neither side’s batters found fluency but their bowlers could make use of variations and the spinners shone. They took eight wickets between them, with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali’s five for 51 in 10.4 overs trumping Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi’s 3 for 68 in 12 overs. But it was England’s all left-arm pace attack that did the damage from which South Africa could not recover.Janneman Malan, whose strike rate of under 90 has put him under some scrutiny, tried to get off the mark off the sixth ball he faced – a full, straight delivery from Reece Topley that he tried to flick off his pads. He mistimed it to Sam Curran at mid-on instead. Four balls later, Rassie van der Dussen attempted a similar shot, off a ball that was angling down leg and feathered it through to Jos Buttler.David Willey beat Quinton de Kock’s edge in his first over, with a ball that just passed over off-stump and with pressure building, returned to remove de Kock with the first delivery of his second. Buttler deserves the credit for England’s field placement as he put Liam Livingstone at short cover and de Kock got a leading edge to him, as he tried to work Willey into the leg side.It was also their groundwork that removed the next batter – Aiden Markram – without facing a ball. Heinrich Klaasen hit Willey towards short fine leg and set off a single but Buttler gave chase and flicked the ball at the stumps to catch Markram short of his ground. At 6 for 4 after four overs, South Africa were all but spent but may have hoped David Miller could maximise his time at the crease to keep them in it. He hit back-to-back boundaries off Topley but that was as good as it got. Miller was bowled by a Curran cutter that crashed into his off-stump to leave South Africa 27 for 5.Klaasen and Dwaine Pretorius put on 39 for the sixth wicket but when Klaasen was stumped off Moeen, England were into the lower order and in sight of victory. They bowled South Africa out in the 21st over.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
England’s effort in the field more than made up for what-seemed a haphazard performance with the bat. They were bowled out with five balls remaining against a crafty South African attack after their top-order went too hard too early in an innings that was not ODI-length but not quite T20. In the end, they relied on cameos by Livingstone and Curran, who hit all but one of their team’s seven sixes, to set them up to top 200.Jason Roy was determined to swing his way through his innings and got three fours away before Anrich Nortje cramped him for room and he sent the ball to Pretorius at mid-wicket. Roy has gone five innings without fifty, since his century against Netherlands exactly a month ago.Roy dismissal brought Phil Salt to the crease, in his seventh ODI and in the absence of the now-retired Ben Strokes and he rubbed it in Lungi Ngidi’s wounds when he whipped Ngidi through fine leg, then edged him short of de Kock and then over a vacant slip area for four. Ngidi’s first spell cost 28 runs and revealed nothing about the questions he asked the England line-up with his slower ball. Instead, it’s Pretorius who got the answers.In his first over, Pretorius had Salt caught at mid-wicket by a diving Miller, a wicket which was confirmed on umpire’s review, and then struck twice in his second to leave England reeling. Joe Root skipped down the track and swiped at a Pretorius delivery, which he top-edged in front of and to the left of de Kock and, two balls later, Bairstow was bowled by a ball that pitched on off and wobbled back in to beat his flick and hit middle stump.Pretorius had three wickets for nine runs in his first two overs and almost claimed a fourth when Moeen edged him wide of a diving de Kock. With no slip in place, Moeen survived but not for too much longer. In the next over, he picked out Nortje on the deep square boundary off Maharaj to leave England on 72 for 5 before the final specialist, Shamsi, had got in on the action.For the second match in succession, Buttler tried to take Shamsi on and for the second time, he failed. Buttler advanced down the track and tried to hit Shamsi down the ground for six but got an outside edge to Pretorius at short third. And then England found their oomph. Curran first sent Maharaj and then Shamsi over their heads for six and Livingstone plundered 22 runs off the first four balls of Nortje’s third over. Livingstone sent 90mph deliveries off Nortje over square leg, mid-wicket and fine leg and then nicked him through third for four.When Livingstone hit Nortje to mid-wicket, England still had Curran, who had one more burst against Shamsi. In a display of power-hitting, Curran sent Shamsi down the ground for successive fours and a six before holing out to long-off to end an 18-ball 35.Pretorius finally picked up his fourth when Willey swung him to deep mid-wicket, the ball after hitting him over long-off for six. At the innings break, many may have thought that would be the best performance on the day. How wrong they were.
The Bangladesh captain is certain about “bouncing back” from the collapse in Durban
Mohammad Isam05-Apr-2022Surrendering to spin in overseas conditions didn’t sit well with Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque, who has taken the responsibility of the team to bounce back in the Port Elizabeth Test which begins on Friday. Chasing 274 on the last day in Durban, the visitors were bowled out for just 53, their second-lowest Test score, with Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer sharing all ten wickets.Bangladesh lost three wickets late on the fourth evening but there was hope that Mushfiqur Rahim could lead some sort of recovery on the last day. But that was not to be. Mushfiqur was the first to go on the fifth morning, when he was trapped lbw by Maharaj, and the collapse followed.”I think it was a big crime on our part to give wickets to spinners on foreign soil,” Mominul said. “You simply cannot give wickets to spinners when you are on tour. You have to score runs against spinners. I think it is my fault. I couldn’t score in either innings. It is nothing but a total batting failure. I think we just couldn’t handle the pressure.”Related
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Stats – A rare triumph for spin in South Africa
At one stage, Bangladesh were threatening to break their record of lowest Test score of 43, but for a couple of big hits from Najmul Hossain Shanto and Taskin Ahmed. South Africa’s spin duo bowled accurately, preying on the defensive mindset of the Bangladesh batters. It was a surprise to see a batting unit bred on spinning tracks to succumb to spin so easily on a good pitch.Mominul himself had an inauspicious 50th Test match, making only 0 and 2. He has scored just one fifty in the last ten innings, a rare downturn in his Test career. He wasn’t worried, though, and was already looking to turn the corner.”I don’t think the captaincy is weighing down my batting form. I am not worried about it. I don’t think I am in bad form. I will be back on track after a good innings. I am not too worried,” he said.Mominul was more concerned about convincing his team that they had only one bad day in Durban, and that shouldn’t bother them for the second Test.”We can certainly bounce back from this defeat,” he said. “We played well in four out of the five days. We batted poorly in the last few overs yesterday and on the fifth day. There are enough positives to take from this Test match, to suggest to me that we can bounce back easily in the next game.”[Mahmudul Hasan] Joy’s 137 was a really good innings. Litton [Das], Rabbi (Yasir Ali) and [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz also batted well. The fast bowlers did really well. Miraz was outstanding. We didn’t play badly for all five days. We just had a bad fifth day, but as everyone knows, it is difficult to get back from a Test after you slip once. I think we can come back into the series by being mentally strong.”
كشف مصطفى شلة، أمين صندوق نادي الإسماعيلي، تفاصيل بيان الدراويش للمطالبة بإعادة مباراة سموحة، التي أقيمت أمس الجمعة ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري، كما تحدث عن أزمة وقف القيد.
وكانت مباراة الإسماعيلي وسموحة، انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لكل فريق، في الدوري المصري، وشهد اللقاء حالة طرد لأحد لاعبي الدراويش، يراه مسؤولو النادي غير صحيح وخطأ تحكيمي واضح.
وقال مصطفى شلة في تصريحات عبر قناة “دي إم سي”: “تولينا المسؤولية وكنا نعرف أن لدينا مشاكل مع فيفا حوالي 13 قضية، وتقريبًا انتهينا من 9 قضايا، وتتبقى 4 قضايا، نحاول دفع الغرامات بالأقساط لرفع إيقاف القيد”.
طالع أيضاً.. رسميًا | الإسماعيلي يُطالب اتحاد الكرة بإعادة مباراة سموحة في الدوري
وتابع: “هناك قضايا بـ7.5 ملايين دولار، بسبب لاعبين أجانب تعاقد معهم المجلس السابق، نحن نبذل مجهودًا كبيرًا من أجل رفع إيقاف القيد”.
وأكد: “لم يعطينا أحد دعمًا، نحن نعمل خلال سنتين ونُسدد كل الالتزامات، وليس علينا مستحقات لأي لاعب، ونُسدد غرامات فيفا، دفعنا 35 مليون جنيه فقط لفيفا كرسوم قضايا”.
وبسؤاله ماذا عن طلب إعادة مباراة سموحة؟ أجاب: “خلال 22 دقيقة تعرضنا لأربع إنذارات، في المقابل هناك مواقف على الخصم لم يشهر فيها الحكم بطاقات صفراء، وهناك الواقعة الكبرى، كان اعتداء لاعب سموحة على لاعب الإسماعيلي، والحكم كان قريبًا من الكرة، ومع ذلك الحكم احتسب بطاقة صفراء ضد لاعب الإسماعيلي، ثم استدعاه حكم الفار واللعبة ليس بها أي خطورة ليتدخل الفار، من أجل طرد اللاعب”.
وأفاد: “أرسلنا خطابًا نطلب فيه إعادة المباراة، ورابطة الأندية تواصلت معنا وأكدت أنها حولت الشكوى لاتحاد الكرة للبت فيها”.
وأتم: “خلال الموسم الحالي حدثت أخطاء تحكيمية كارثية في مجموعة من المباريات، في مباراة الأهلي ركلتي جزاء من وحي الخيال، وفي مباراة الزمالك طرد أحد اللاعبين، وفي مباراة الجونة طرد، وفي مباراة الاتحاد السكندري هدف مُلغى، وفي مباراة بيراميدز لاعب الأخير كان يستحق طرد ولم يتم استدعاء الحكم، أنا لم اقل أن الإسماعيلي مستهدف، ولكن نُعاني من الأخطاء ونريد أن نأخذ حقنا بما يُرضي الله”.
A look at the intensity of competition in the IPL across seasons
Shiva Jayaraman30-Apr-2013Halfway into IPL 2013, we have had a fair share of close matches, but how does this season compare, in terms of the quality of contests between teams (closeness of games), and in terms of competition for top spots, to the earlier ones? The following analysis attempts to answer these questions. All the seasons are evaluated at the halfway stage of the league matches.Stats indicate this season has had the highest number of close finishes (wins with less than 6 balls to spare or margin less than 9). As many as 14 of the 36 matches have been nail-biting affairs. Two of these matches ended in a tie and were settled in the Super Over. Before this, there have only been two ties in the previous five seasons of the IPL. The number of matches that finished close this year has doubled from the inaugural IPL season. Notwithstanding the fact that the number of games played in the inaugural season was less, there is a significant jump in percentage of close finishes – from 25 to 39.
Close matches played across seasons
Year
Close matches
Matches played
% Close matches
2013
14
36
39%
2009
10
28
36%
2012
12
36
33%
2010
8
28
29%
2011
9
35
26%
2008
7
28
25%
In 2013, there have been ten low-scoring matches (target of 130 or less) – most for any season – and seven high-scoring ones (target of 180 or more) – the least for any season, barring the one played in South Africa in 2009 (which had four). Of the low-scoring matches in the current season, three ended in a tight finish. And these do not include the tie between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, which just evaded a ‘low-score’ classification: the target set in that match was 131. Compare this to the previous five seasons – there were only two such low-scoring thrillers, in all, in the first half of the league stages. High-scoring thrillers, though, have happened more frequently in the previous years – 13 in the past five seasons put together. In this season, however, there have been only two high-scoring close finishes in 36 matches.
Target-wise distribution of close matches
Year
Close matches
Target <= 130
Target >= 180
131 <= Target <= 179
2013
14
3
2
9
2012
12
0
3
9
2011
9
1
3
5
2010
8
0
3
5
2009
10
1
1
8
2008
7
0
2
5
The high number of close encounters though does not translate to a similar competitiveness on the points table. The top-four teams have won as many as 22 of the 36 league matches (61%). Teams in the top four have won 5.5 matches on an average, compared to only 2.8 matches by the bottom-placed teams. This season ranks second-last in terms of the percentage wins by the bottom-placed teams, which suggests that they have a lot of catching up to do to qualify at the end of the league stage. The year that was most fiercely contested on the points table at the halfway stage was 2011. The top-four teams had only 17 wins (49%). Four of the ten teams that played in that season were jostling with each other with four wins at the halfway stage.
Points table – Top four teams v rest
Year
Teams
Wins – Top-four teams
Matches
% Wins
Avg. wins (Top-four)
Avg. wins (rest)
Close wins (Top-four v rest)
2011
10
17
35
49%
4.25
3.00
4
2012
9
18
36
50%
4.50
3.60
5
2009
8
16
28
57%
4.00
3.00
2
2013
9
22
36
61%
5.50
2.80
6
2010
8
18
28
64%
4.50
2.50
2
2008
8
19
28
68%
4.75
2.25
5
The inaugural season, as indicated by its last place in the table above, was not the worst (68% wins by the top-four teams) once we take in to account the close matches played between the top four and the rest. Of the 19 wins by the top four in 2008, five were close affairs against the bottom-placed teams. The 2010 season fares the worst in this regard; not only did the top four win 64% of the matches, but also won these comfortably. Only two of the 18 wins were close affairs between the top four and rest of the teams.The current season, as is evident from its position in the above table, has not been the best in terms of the competition for the top-four spot. However, out of the 22 wins by the top four, six were close affairs against the bottom-placed teams – results that could have gone either way – which suggests that this season has been a lot closer than the points table reflects.
Journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed what left Ange Postecoglou fuming on the sidelines as Tottenham fell to a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday.
Spurs suffer first defeat of the season
A late goal from Alexander Isak ensured that Tottenham suffered their first Premier League loss of the season as they were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United at St James' Park.
The winning goal for the home side came after a sustained spell of pressure from Tottenham, who dominated much of the ball after equalising and looked certain to find a winner. It was a tough loss for Spurs and Postecoglou to swallow, as he made clear in the aftermath of the game.
A game of missed chances for Tottenham?
Newcastle
Tottenham
Possession
34%
66%
Shots
9
20
Shots on target
3
6
Big chances
2
2
Big chances missed
0
2
xG (via Fotmob)
1.83
1.26
"Another one that got away from us. We played well enough, certainly had the chances to win the game comfortably but you walk away with nothing, so [it's a] bitter pill to swallow but it is what it is," the Spurs head coach explained.
"We created chances and if you don't get the second goal when you have the momentum…
"I thought we were in control of the game, we were playing in their half. The 'keeper's pulled off a couple of really good saves. We had the opportunities to test him even further but we didn't.
"The amount of chances we have, we really should be getting more than what we're getting as a return at the moment."
The result leaves Tottenham 10th in the Premier League heading into the international break, while their next game pits them up against north London rivals Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But there was one moment that Postecoglou particularly disliked during their trip to St James' Park.
Postecoglou left fuming by booking
That came late in the second half, with his side chasing the game and susceptible to the counter-attack. As Anthony Gordon raced away down the left touchline, he was met by a firm sliding challenge by Rodrigo Bentancur, with the Uruguayan appearing to make strong contact with the ball.
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The referee thought otherwise, penalising the Tottenham substitute and dishing out a yellow card for good measure.
The decision, dubbed "woeful" by Tottenham journalist Alasdair Gold, left Postecoglou perplexed and irate, and Gold added that the Spurs boss "made his feelings known" to both the referee and fourth official.
Though an improvement on the 4-0 thrashing that Spurs suffered last season at St James' Park, the defeat raises many of the same questions about Postecoglou's side, chiefly their inefficiency in both penalty areas, which is sure to cost them throughout the season unless they can find a fix, sharpish.
After the departure of midfielder Amadou Onana to Aston Villa earlier this window, Everton have been on the hunt for a new midfielder to fill the void ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
The Belgian was a key first-team member under Sean Dyche last season, featuring 30 times for the Toffees as they survived a relegation scare after being deducted eight points for breaching the league’s PSR rules.
With the transfer window closing in less than two weeks time, the club will have to work tirelessly to sign a replacement for Onana, especially after missing out on a deal on Manchester City man Kalvin Phillips.
The one-time England international completed a season-long loan deal to join newly promoted Ipswich Town earlier this week, ending Dyche’s hopes of landing the midfielder after previously registering interest in the 28-year-old.
As a result, the Toffees could reignite interest in one talent who, like Phillips, has previously been linked with a move to Goodison Park this summer.
Everton could land £105k-p/w sensation
After missing out on the Englishman, Everton could look to reignite interest and complete a deal to sign Juventus want away Arthur Melo before the transfer deadline.
Arthur Melo for Fiorentina.
The Brazilian ace has been told he’s free to leave the Serie A side after the appointment of Thiago Motta, with Dyche’s side battling Newcastle United for his signature.
Arthur, who earns a reported £105k-per-week as per Capology, enjoyed a successful loan spell at Fiorentina last season, featuring 33 times in the league, registering five goal contributions as he looked to get his career back on track.
The former Liverpool loanee would be a superb addition to Dyche’s ranks, softening the blow of missing out on Phillips after the club’s long-standing interest in the Englishman.
Why Arthur could allow Everton fans to forget about Phillips
After failing to make an impact under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad following his £45m move back in the summer of 2022, Phillips was sent on loan to West Ham United for the second half of last season – in another disastrous spell for the midfielder.
He only made ten appearances for the Hammers, which included a terrible mistake on his debut against Bournemouth, before being sent off in the defeat against Nottingham Forest.
West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips
Despite his unsuccessful stint in London, the club tried to secure a move for Phillips, but to no avail, with Arthur undoubtedly a better addition when delving into the pair’s respective stats from 2023/24.
The “outstanding” Juventus ace, as described by former teammate Jordan Henderson, completed 92% of the passes he attempted last season compared to Phillips’ tally of 83% – showcasing his ability at retaining the ball and finding a teammate.
Arthur also dominated when it comes to dribbles completed, achieving a completion rate of 73% compared to the former West Ham loanee who could only muster a measly 25%.
Games played
33
12
Minutes played
1993
396
Pass accuracy
92%
83%
Passes completed per 90
61
46
Dribble success
73%
25%
Tackles won
67%
64%
Duels won
65%
48%
However, despite his excellent figures in possession, Melo was also just as impressive at regaining the ball for his side, winning three percent more of the tackles that he entered – making him an excellent box-to-box option for Dyche’s side should he make the move to Merseyside.
It’s imperative that the club are able to sign a new midfielder before the closure of the window to give Dyche the best chance possible of securing a mid-table finish after numerous near misses with relegation.
Arthur-melo-juventus-wolves-target
The hierarchy have invested well so far this summer, making five new first-team additions, but to complete the transfer business for another window it’s crucial that the Toffees sign a player such as Melo who can produce that added quality in midfield.
It may have been a disappointment to miss out on a signing like Phillips, but Melo has proven that he would be a better addition, taking Everton’s midfield to the next level in 2024/25.
While Arsenal enjoyed a brilliant summer on the pitch and have kickstarted their Premier League campaign with back-to-back wins this season, there remains some discontent among portions of the fanbase due to a lack of activity in the transfer market.
So far, the only new faces added to Mikel Arteta's first team have been Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, and Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino, which doesn't feel like enough in the face of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City juggernaut.
If you asked fans at the start of the summer about the one area they thought the team needed to strengthen, most would have answered striker. While the likes of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Leandro Trossard have started the season in good form, that need for an out-and-out goalscoring nine still feels acute.
Leandro Trossard scores for Arsenal
Fortunately, recent reports have touted one of the best poachers around for a move to the Emirates before the window closes, and he'd surely supercharge Trossard.
Arsenal's striker search
According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal have once again entered the race for £110m Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
The report claims that following 'perceived disrespect' during negotiations, the Saudi Pro League sides interested in signing the Nigerian international this summer have now walked away from any potential deal, and while Chelsea are still a possible destination, so are the Gunners.
Interestingly, the report has revealed that in the last few days, the North Londoners have once again 'asked for information' on the striker, suggesting that there is a chance Edu Gaspar could come in with a late bid to try and secure the player's services for a cut-price fee.
Victor Osimhen
Whatever that final price ends up being, Osimhen would almost certainly be worth it, as he'd bring a mountain of goals with him to N5 and, in the process, help make Trossard even more unplayable.
Why Osimhen would make Trossard unplayable
So, to get straight to the point, there is one fundamental reason why Osimhen would help get even more out of Arsenal's incredible Belgian: his output.
The Nigerian "monster", as dubbed by analyst Raj Chohan, has proven over the last few seasons that when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, there are few better than him, and while Trossard was incredible at doing the same himself last season, he did see his assist tally fall to just two, which feels related to the fact that until Havertz moved up top, Arteta was struggling to find a consistent goalscorer who could play down the middle.
If we compare the former LOSC Lille star's tally over the last two full seasons to that of the Gunners' main striking options, Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, we can see just how much more of a goal threat he really is.
Appearances
39
47
33
Goals
31
9
11
Assists
5
1
7
Goal Involvements per Match
0.92
0.21
0.54
Appearances
32
51
36
Goals
17
14
8
Assists
4
7
8
Goal Involvements per Match
0.65
0.38
0.44
For example, across the 22/23 and 23/24 campaigns, the "world-class" marksman, as dubbed by José Mourinho, scored 48 goals and provided nine assists in just 71 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.24 games for two years, and he also led the Partenopei to their first league title in over three decades.
In contrast, Jesus scored 19 goals and provided 15 assists in 69 games, while the German scored 23 goals and provided eight assists in 98 appearances, meaning the two stars averaged a goal involvement once every 2.02 and 3.16 games, respectively.
Just imagine how much more effective the former Brighton & Hove Albion winger would be playing alongside such a clinical number nine; he'd probably still score plenty of goals himself, but he'd also see his assist tally explode, as he'd have someone there he could rely on to finish the chances he created.
Therefore, while the fee might still be significant and his £210k-per-week wages are a slight concern, Edu and Co should do what they can to bring Osimhen to the Emirates this summer.
He'd solve their Saka problem: Arsenal want to secure late £59m signing
The incredible attacker would add so much quality to the Gunners’ squad.