And with that, Arsenal’s title bid may well be done. Mikel Arteta’s men are unbeaten across the last ten league outings but there have been too many laboured dis[lays with not much creativity.

Arsenal went into the break against Brighton leading 1-0 through the incredible Ethan Nwaneri who despite being 17 years of age, has the world at his feet with two Premier League goals already this term.

However, the Seagulls fought back and secured a 1-1 draw after Joao Pedro’s controversial penalty.

It was a bizarre one, truth be told. William Saliba and Pedro challenged for the ball, grazed heads and Anthony Taylor after a period of deliberation eventually pointed to the penalty spot.

Arteta and his team may well rue that moment but they just didn’t do enough in the final third themselves. A telling stat was the fact that Arsenal only had one shot on target in the second half.

With Tottenham Hotspur to come next week, it’s a huge north London derby. They do, at least, have Nwaneri at their disposal but they cannot rely on a teenager to keep them in the title race.

More players need to step up…

Arsenal's best players against Brighton

With Martin Odegaard on the bench because of an illness and Kai Havertz missing from the squad entirely due to the same reasoning, Arteta needed to find a creative or goalscoring spark from somewhere.

Gabriel Jesus has been the go-to man in recent months, scoring twice against Crystal Palace in the league and then bagging another against Brentford just a few days ago.

Nwaneri has been another surprise inclusion over the last two matches and boy has he delivered.

When Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury was confirmed to be a lengthy one there were plenty of question marks surrounding that area of the pitch.

Gabriel Martinelli was tried down the right against Ipswich but that didn’t amount to much so Nwaneri came in to start on the right-hand side versus Brentford.

Arsenal immediately looked more fluid in attacking areas with the spritely teenager able to manoeuvre in 360 degrees with remarkable comfort and ease.

Well, Nwaneri made the biggest impact of all against Brighton on Saturday by scoring his second Premier League goal.

He raced onto the ball on the right-hand side, got away from the defence, into the penalty area and then buried an opportunity beyond Seagulls stopper Bart Verbruggen. It was a lovely goal and it was a moment that said to the rest of the Premier League that this boy is a special one.

Truth be told, it wasn’t the most complete of performances from the youngster who took a succession of poor corners and gave away the ball in tight spaces. That said, they needed a difference maker and without Odegaard or Saka on the pitch, he was it.

Minutes played

45

Touches

22

Accurate passes

8/8

Key passes

0

Shots

1

Crosses completed

0/4

Dribbles completed

1/3

Duels won

3/7

Tackles

1

So, where did it go wrong and who were the worst performers on the away team?

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

Arsenal's worst performers against Brighton

It’s fair to say this was not Arsenal’s day for a number of reasons.

Not only did the Brighton equaliser come about as a result of some bizarre officiating but they failed to create much in the second half either.

Whether the turning point was Martinelli being brought on for Nwaneri at the break is tricky to know but they lacked much fluidity after that moment with the likes of Jesus and former Brighton man Leandro Trossard isolated. As a result, they did not see much of the ball at all.

That said, it was in the deepest of midfield slots where the Gunners struggled the most.

With Odegaard only on the bench and Jurrien Timber suspended, it meant that Declan Rice was required further forward and Thomas Partey at right-back. As such, it was up to Jorginho to marshal the midfield in front of the backline.

Unfortunately, he didn’t do enough and was often overrun in midfield by the monstrous Carlos Baleba who seemed to have Jorginho’s number

The Italian is often a dependable figure, someone who evades the press well and breaks up play before passing the ball to more creative figures.

On this occasion, he wasn’t great at that. Jorginho was dribbled past twice and failed to make a single interception on the night. Unsurprisingly, he did little in the final third either, failing to have a shot and making just the one key pass.

Minutes played

64

Touches

46

Accurate passes

30/35 (86%)

Key passes

1

Crosses

0

Long balls

0

Shots

0

Dribbles

0

Possession lost

7x

Clearances

1

Interceptions

0

Tackles

2

Dribbled past

2

That part of his play doesn’t matter hugely considering the role he was playing in but the very fact that Arteta chose to take him off after just 64 minutes having had fewer touches than goalkeeper David Raya (58) said a lot.

Handed a 5/10 match rating by Football.London’s Tom Canton, he wrote of the former Chelsea midfielder’s display that there were ‘a couple of errors in the first half that nearly proved very costly’.

That rather summed it up for the Gunners who were left to rue what might well be the final nail in the coffin for their title charge this term.

They are now five points behind Liverpool who play tomorrow but they could extend their lead to eight with a game in hand.

Arsenal have had injuries this season, they’ve had bad luck with penalty decisions and red card but the biggest problem of all is that they simply haven’t been good enough to string together a really promising sequence of wins.

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1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 2, 2025

The party is over. After two months of high-octane cricket thanks to the SA20 and the Women’s T20 World Cup, South African cricket now has to get on with the serious business of a Test series and you can expect it to be heavy going.Although the series takes place following sell-out crowds around the country, the Tests start on Tuesday this week and Wednesday next week, leaving little room for big weekend crowds and there’s no buzz to speak of.That’s understandable for a contest whose context was ripped away when South Africa were confirmed to be out of contention for the World Test Championship final and against an opposition that have not properly competed here since their Test win at St George’s Park in 2007. Since then, West Indies have only toured South Africa once in 2014 and have not won a Test.Temba Bavuma made his debut in that series and though it was unremarkable, it marked a full circle moment for someone who saw cricketers from the Caribbean as role-models. “Growing up, West Indies was the team that I supported,” Bavuma said ahead of the first Test. “They were always on the TV at home and my uncles supported them. I guess there’s always been that [special] sentiment when it comes to West Indies. When I made my debut, I got 10 runs, so that wasn’t a thing to make a big noise about. Hopefully this can go better.”As far as leadership debuts go, Bavuma probably could not have wished for a lower-profile assignment. At the same time as his Test captaincy reign begins, Australia play India, England are in New Zealand and the Women’s Premier League is beginning. It’s safe to say the majority of cricket fans’ eyeballs will be occupied, especially as the outcome of this series has no bearing on the current WTC cycle.Related

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• Brathwaite: 'Important that we take control of every hour'

• New-look South Africa gear up for old Test grind

For South Africa it is simply an opportunity to begin again, though their next Test will be in December. By then, it’s likely that former captain Dean Elgar will have retired. He was planning this series as a swansong in both captaincy and playing terms and after he had no choice in the former, he will want to make sure he controls the latter. Elgar’s tenure lasted less than two years and began a brief revival for the Test side, but he was replaced with Bavuma by new coach Shukri Conrad, who has been tasked with turning around a team that was completely outplayed in their last five Tests.South Africa lost series in both England and Australia and were bowled out for under 200 runs in seven out of 11 Test innings. That has necessitated a shake-up of the top six which has seen Sarel Erwee, Rassie van der Dussen, Khaya Zondo and Kyle Verreynne dropped and Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton recalled. Also included are Keegan Petersen, who is back from a torn hamstring, and Heinrich Klaasen, who has been picked as first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. The overall make-up of the line-up suggests that South Africa are looking for a more proactive, Bazball-style approach, but with their usual amount of caution. Bavball maybe?”In my experience, the last two series, we know are always tough tours,” Bavuma said. “They separate the good guys from the really good guys and [it] comes with challenges. We didn’t meet up to those challenges. We know we need to score runs to give the bowlers to do what they need to do. We shouldn’t forget the fact we have guys here who played against India last summer when people didn’t back us to do it and we won. And there was no guy who scored 150 or something like that. Hopefully [the series against] West Indies will be another showing of guys going out and doing what they need to do from a team point of view.”To that end, South Africa are also hoping for slightly less hostile pitches than usual, even though the series will be played entirely on the Highveld and there has been heavy rain for several weeks in that area. While Bavuma and Conrad have not specifically requested a particular kind of surface, pitches have been more batter-friendly across the country on the domestic four-day circuit and that is set to continue into the internationals. Whether that will make for more exciting cricket remains to be seen but Bavuma certainly wasn’t selling it that way.Bavuma on South Africa’s Women’s T20 World Cup campaign: ‘We always look for areas everywhere to draw inspiration and energy from and we will be using that in our game’•ICC via Getty Images

Asked what he thought of West Indies, he said, “They play old-fashioned cricket. Batters grind it out. Bowlers are looking to hit their areas outside offstump.” And he’s not wrong. Over the last year, West Indies have the lowest run-rate in Tests among all teams – 2.71. South Africa have the second-lowest – 2.95. Both of them are well behind the format leaders, England, who score at 4.36 to the over and have the best win-loss record in Tests over the last 12 months. For teams like South Africa and West Indies, who are playing catch up, England’s high-risk, high-reward strategy could be an inspiration but its seems Bavuma and co are getting their motivation elsewhere.”All the guys were watching the T20 World Cup final and supporting the ladies. We always look for areas everywhere to draw inspiration and energy from and we will be using that in our game,” Bavuma said, referring to the the South African Women’s team who made history by becoming the country’s first senior side to qualify for a World Cup final.Given that the men were booted out of the last two T20 World Cups in the group stage and are yet to qualify for this year’s 50-over World Cup, it’s fitting that they were taking notes on how their counterparts have exceeded expectation and even echoed the call for more money to be spent on the women’s game.”It’s been big – what the women’s team has been able to achieve over the last while, with the limited resources they have,” Bavuma said. “With performances like this, I hope there will be a lot more support, a lot more care and a lot more invested into the women’s team.”

Fair to say, Everton really need to strengthen their attacking options in January.

Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth means the Toffees have not failed to score in eight of their last ten Premier League matches, leaving them just one point and two places above the relegation zone.

Also, as noted during Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, since the start of last season, Everton have scored just 26 goals from open play; for context, that’s a ginormous 30 fewer than the team second-bottom of this list, namely West Ham.

Under Sean Dyche, spending has been very minimal but, following the Friedkin Group’s takeover, confirmed in mid-December, there’s likely to be scope for the Blues to bring in much-needed reinforcements this month.

Premier League player wanted by Everton

As reported by Fabrizio Romano on Twitter earlier this week, Everton had “opened talks” with Aston Villa, as they attempt to sign Jaden Philogene.

However, in a big twist, the player is now on his way to Ipswich Town with Fabrizio Romano having revealed on Wednesday night that he’s due to travel to Portman Road for a medical.

Despite being just 22-years-old, Philogene has already played for Stoke City, Cardiff City, Hull City and now Aston Villa twice.

It was last season, when he was with the Tigers, he really burst onto the scene, scoring an astonishing rabona against Rotherham in February 2024, that was nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award.

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This led to journalist Lewis Railton describing him as a “skilful, yet direct winger”, labelling him a “real talent”.

Transfer Focus

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

How Jaden Philogene would have improved Everton's attack

Well, since moving back to the Midlands, the winger has been given limited opportunities, starting just four matches across all competitions, totalling 535 minutes overall, yet to register a goal or an assist during his second spell in claret and blue.

Thus, a move away from Villa Park in January could be best for Philogene’s development.

As mentioned earlier, Everton really find goals hard to come by; they’re the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season with just 15 goals, while they’re also bottom of the xG standings, accumulating a miserly 18.1 to date.

Their joint-top scorers are Dwight McNeil and Iliman Ndiaye, both with a miserly three goals, so how does Philogene compare to the Toffees’ current wide-attackers?

Appearances

48

56

54

67

Minutes

3,353

4,732

3,720

4,116

Goals

12

7

4

8

Assists

6

10

3

3

Progressive carries

163

111

89

137

Shots

125

90

60

73

Shots on target %

32%

27.4%

21.7%

31.5%

Goals – xG

+3.3

+1.7

-2.8

-1.3

Shot-creating actions

133

190

87

130

Take-on success %

44.7%

48.5%

36.4%

50.7%

As outlined, since the start of last season, Philogene compares favourably to Everton’s existing winger options.

He’s scored more goals, registered more progressive carries and attempted more shots than all of the trio, most crucially of all, Philogene has overperformced his xG, while Jack Harrison and Ndiaye have both underperformed theirs.

McNeil, the most impressive of the Toffees’ trio, has missed the last six games due to a knee injury, with Dyche describing this issue as “a bit trickier than we thought”, but even when he was playing regularly, Philogene was outperforming his numbers.

Thus, put succinctly, this is a deal Everton should be gutted about failing to complete.

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da bet7k： If there is one thing Wolverhampton Wanderers need for their ongoing relegation battle, it is a sense of commitment to their fight for survival within their squad. That seems like something Vitor Pereira has looked to maintain during his short time at the club so far, and it was something former boss Gary O’Neil instilled.

da wazamba： In his first six games across all competitions, the Old Gold boss has overseen three wins, one draw and two losses. They were back-to-back defeats in the Premier League against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. It has been a solid start to his tenure at Molineux.

Almost all of the squad seems to be on board and ready to fight for survival. However, former club captain Mario Lemina seems destined to leave the West Midlands.

Lemina’s 2024/25 season

It has been a very strange season for Gabon international midfielder Lemina. He began the campaign as a key player for the Old Gold and has played 19 times across all competitions. At the beginning of the season, he was also club captain, although was stripped of that title.

During mid-December, O’Neil confirmed that the captaincy had been passed from Lemina to experienced full-back Nelson Semedo.

That came after a fight with West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen after their game at the London Stadium. O’Neil confirmed that “sparked the conversation” for a change in the captaincy.

Now, the West Midlands outfit might lose the midfielder altogether, in a situation that has escalated fairly quickly. After their 3-0 defeat away to Newcastle United, which Lemina was not part of, Pereira confirmed he “wants to leave” Molineux this month.

The new man in the hot seat at Wolves explained “with this energy and this mentality, I don’t need him”. It seems certain that the former captain will leave Molineux just one month after being relieved of his duties as skipper.

Indeed, the Old Gold may well have their replacement in mind already and could make a move before the end of the January transfer window.

Wolves’ dream Lemina replacement

The player in question here is Chelsea youngster Renato Veiga, with reports earlier in the window suggesting that Wolves had enquired about a potential loan move, which was rebuffed by the Blues. Perhaps, however, going in for another approach would be a wise choice for the Old Gold.

The 21-year-old has been impressive for Enzo Maresca’s side so far this term, having made 18 appearances across all competitions for the Blues.

He has scored twice and grabbed one assist, registering a goal and assist against Gent in the Conference League.

He has clearly made a lasting impression on Blues fans so far, with Alex Goldberg full of praise for the Portuguese star. He explained that “anything he touches turns to gold”, a metaphor of course, but still something that shows just how well he has played.

One of the biggest advantages of signing Veiga would be the fact Wolves have something of a utility man in their squad. Described as a “Swiss army knife” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he can play in multiple positions in defence and midfield.

Indeed, this certainly rings true when looking at the positions he played for former club Basel, and, of course, Chelsea. The Portuguese starlet has been trusted across the defence, at full-back and centre-back, and in the midfield.

Veiga games per position for Basel & Chelsea (min 45 mins played)

Position

Basel

Chelsea

Centre-back

4

2

Left-back

0

13

Defensive midfield

14

2

Centre midfield

6

2

Left midfield

0

1

Stats from Transfermarkt

This must be an appealing factor for Wolves, and one reason why Pereira might want to sign his countryman. Not only would they be bringing in a Lemina replacement in midfield, but also someone who can play at left centre-back in his back three system.

This certainly seems like the perfect deal for Wolves. It might be tough to convince Chelsea to part ways with their versatile star, but if it is possible, then it could be a fantastic piece of business for the Old Gold.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Jan 15, 2025

تتواصل فصول الأزمة بين الحارس مارك أندريه تير شتيجن وإدارة نادي برشلونة، في ظل تمسك اللاعب بالبقاء داخل صفوف الفريق، رغم استبعاده من حسابات المدرب هانز فليك للموسم الجديد.

ورغم نية برشلونة الواضحة في الاستغناء عن تير شتيجن وعدم الاعتماد عليه إلا في حال تعرض خوان جارسيا وفويتشيك تشيزني للإصابة أو الإيقاف، فإن الحارس الألماني قرر خوض معركته حتى النهاية، رافضًا التخلي عن عقده الممتد حتى 2028.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لامين يامال يختار أعظم لاعب في تاريخ كرة القدم

وبحسب الصحف الكتالونية وعلى رأسها “موندو ديبورتيفو” و”سبورت”، فإن تير شتيجن يرفض فكرة الرحيل مجانًا أو على سبيل الإعارة ما لم يحصل على مستحقاته كاملة عن السنوات الثلاث المتبقية، على غرار ما فعله النادي سابقًا مع نجم السلة نيكولا ميورتيتش.

اللاعب الذي عاد مبكرًا من عطلته في اليونان ومايوركا، سيخضع للفحوصات الطبية مع الفريق، مؤكدًا رغبته في القتال على مركزه الأساسي، ومقتنعًا بأنه قادر على التفوق بدنيًا وفنيًا على باقي حراس الفريق.

وتشير تقارير إلى أن العلاقة بين الطرفين توترت بسبب ما وصفه تير شتيجن بتسريبات داخلية تهدف لتشويه صورته والضغط عليه لمغادرة الفريق، خاصة بعد التعاقد مع حارس شاب واعتباره مشروعًا طويل المدى.

ورغم اهتمام أندية مثل جالطة سراي وموناكو وإنتر ميلان ومانشستر يونايتد بخدماته، رفض تير شتيجن الدخول في أي مفاوضات، متمسكًا بمكانه في برشلونة إلى حين اتضاح الرؤية في يناير.

الحارس الألماني يدرك أن مشاركته بانتظام خلال الأشهر المقبلة ستكون حاسمة لحفاظه على مكانه كحارس أول في منتخب ألمانيا بقيادة يوليان ناجلسمان، مع اقتراب كأس العالم 2026.

وفي حال استمر التهميش الرياضي له، قد يفكر تير شتيجن لاحقًا في الإعارة أو الانتقال الحر، بشرط إيجاد نادٍ يمنحه ضمانات المشاركة، وهو ما سيُعيده إلى الواجهة تمهيدًا لتحقيق هدفه الدولي الأكبر.

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2015Amit Mishra kept things tight with his his loopy leg spin and drift, and bowled Dinesh Chandimal around his legs•AFPR Ashwin continued to trouble the batsmen with his variations and forced Lahiru Thirimanne to come forward, having him caught at silly point for 11. Sri Lanka were now 106 for 5•AFPIt was not just the spinners, Ishant Sharma chipped in too, with the wicket of Jehan Mubarak, who fell for a golden duck to expose the tail•AFPBut the day belonged to Ashwin, who dismissed Dhammika Prasad and Dimuth Karunaratne too, to register his 12th five-for in Tests and wrapped up a massive 278-run win for India•AFPIt was not the farewell Kumar Sangakkara would have asked for, but the series was level 1-1 and the Sri Lankan batsman bid goodbye to international cricket•Associated Press

MatériaMais Notícias

da 888： Com a vitória sobre o Operário-PR, por 3 a 2, no Germano Kruger, o
Vascoencerrou dois tabus incômodos. O primeiro, o mais evidente, foi voltar a ganhar fora de casa, já que o Cruz-Maltino vinha de oito derrotas consecutivas atuando como visitante. A última longe de São Januário foi contra o Criciúma, no Heriberto Hülse, no dia 9 de julho, pela 17ª rodada da Série B.

RelacionadasVídeoVÍDEO: os melhores momentos da vitória de virada do Vasco sobre o Operário pela Série BVídeo04/10/2022VascoBruno Tubarão agradece torcida do Vasco e comemora primeiro gol: ‘Feliz de poder entrar e ajudar’Vasco04/10/2022Fora de CampoTorcedores vão à loucura nas redes após virada: ‘Como é bom ser Vasco!’Fora de Campo04/10/2022

da pinup bet： O segundo tabu foi vencer de virada, situação que ocorreu depois de 84 jogos. A última foi na vitória sobre o Brasil de Pelotas, no Bento de Freitas, no dia 12 de junho, pela 3ª rodada da Série B de 2021. Na ocasião, Daniel Amorim e Morato marcaram para o Vasco. Os heróis desta terça-feira foram Bruno Tubarão e Alex Teixeira, que marcou duas vezes.

O resultado mantém o Vasco no G4 da Série B, com 52 pontos, três de vantagem para o Sport. Vale lembrar que a diferença pode cair para dois pontos, já que o Ituano, que tem 47, enfrenta o Cruzeiro, nesta quarta-feira, no Mineirão.

Since Chelsea’s new owners took over in 2022, one thing that has been at the forefront of their business is bringing down the wage bill and applying a much more structured approach within that department. This has been done to great effect in their few years in charge.

In the 2022/23 season, the Blues had seven earners making over £200k- per-week, not including players out on loan such as Romelu Lukaku, who also had huge wages. Their total gross wages per week were at around £4.3m at that point in time.

Reece James

£250,000

Ben Chilwell

£200,000

Wesley Fofana

£200,000

Christopher Nkunku

£195,000

Enzo Fernández

£180,000

Marc Cucurella

£175,000

Raheem Sterling

£162,500

Pedro Neto

£160,000

Moises Caicedo

£150,000

Cole Palmer

£130,000

Fast-forward to the 2024/25 season, Chelsea have managed to slash that to £3,297,500 per week, taking over £1m off of their weekly wage bill. This is whilst taking into consideration that players like Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling (out on loan) are still at the club, despite the directors’ efforts to move them on in the summer.

Whilst some of the clubs’ top players such as Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer are earning £150k and below per week, the Chelsea directors will be looking to ship out the last few high earners that do not start for the club, and that could continue with some exits this month.

Players who could leave Chelsea this month

Two main players who are high earners at the club but need to be moved on are Sterling and Chilwell. Whilst Sterling is currently on loan with Arsenal, he is unlikely to be recalled, therefore his future will be assessed and dealt with in the summer.

However, Chilwell is one who could leave the club this month, having only played once this season for the Blues, coming from the bench against Barrow in the EFL Cup for a 45-minute cameo. The 28-year-old still has plenty of suitors, such as West Ham United but his high wages could prove to be a stumbling block.

Another Chelsea star who could be on their way out this month is Axel Disasi, who was only signed in the summer 2023 window, joining the club from Monaco for a fee of around £38.8m. Since arriving, the 26-year-old has made 60 appearances for the club, scoring five times, providing two assists and totalling 4,961 minutes played.

The Frenchman was a regular starter for Mauricio Pochettino but has found himself on the bench under new manager, Enzo Maresca, with a difference in style not really suiting the defender. Last campaign, Chelsea would defend their own box more often and the centre-backs had less on-ball responsibility when building out from the back.

Under Maresca, Chelsea shape up in a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3, shifting into a 3-2-5 on the ball, with the back three having the responsibility to circulate possession and find line-breaking passes into the midfield and forward players. They are also expected to defend higher up in a man-to-man fashion, further away from their own box, which doesn’t suit Disasi’s playing style.

One last player that could leave this month is Carney Chukwuemeka, who was also signed under the new ownership in their first window in charge, joining from Aston Villa for a fee of around £20m. The 21-year-old has only managed only five appearances so far this season.

The talent levels of Chukwuemeka are clear, which is why a loan could be the best move in order for him to show that with consistent minutes before Chelsea make their final decision on whether to sell him permanently or give him more of a chance in the first-team.

But, there’s one more who simply needs to leave Stamford Bridge for the good of his own career…

Why Christopher Nkunku should leave Chelsea

One of the main links that has been emerging in the past week is around Nkunku’s future at the club, who is now being linked with a move to Bayern Munich. The player is said to be keen on a move to Germany, as he is looking to play more minutes.

The 27-year-old has been slammed for “moaning” by Jamie O’Hara this season, being left out of the starting XI in the place of Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer. Despite Nkunku’s impressive goal record, scoring 13 goals already this campaign in 28 appearances, many of his contributions have come in the UEFA Conference League, largely seen as weaker opposition, which has inflated his output.

Goals

0.87

0.53

Assists

0.29

0.23

xG

0.95

0.63

xAG

0.26

0.15

Progressive Carries

2.18

2.22

Progressive Passes

3.45

1.40

Shots Total

3.19

3.33

Goals/Shot

0.23

0.16

Key Passes

1.61

1.11

Shot-Creating Actions

4.14

3.16

Aerial Duels Won

1.03

0.58

The £52m forward has found himself playing as a back-up striker in Maresca’s system, being kept out of his favoured attacking midfield position by Palmer and Joao Felix. When comparing Nkunku (as a striker to Jackson, you can see both want to contribute in build-up, dropping deep to link play.

This has often meant that when Maresca feels the need to change the rhythm of the game with substitutions, he is unable to do so as both of his striker options offer similar attributes to the team. With Nkunku being a back-up in both areas, it would be considered smart business to move him on and replace him with another striker, one that offers something different to the squad personnel.

One player that has been mentioned in the Nkunku to Bayern Munich deal is Mathys Tel, but much like Jackson, he offers similar traits in regards to contributing in all phases. One other name that could offer slightly more box presence and more of a bully profile, is Liam Delap, but moving Nkunku on will be a big part of any business Chelsea can do at the top end of the pitch this window.

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India captain also added his voice to calls for the final to be played as a best-of-three series

Osman Samiuddin11-Jun-20232:12

What’s ailing India’s batters?

After a second successive loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, India captain Rohit Sharma has said future finals should be played outside England, and not necessarily be scheduled for June.Asked whether a WTC final will always be trickier to handle because it takes place after the IPL, Rohit said it didn’t have to be that way.”Why after the IPL final? Why cannot it be March? June is not the only month we should play the final,” Rohit said. “It can be played any time of the year and anywhere in the world, not just in England, it can be played anywhere in the world.”Rohit was speaking after his side lost the final at The Oval to Australia by 209 runs. Two years ago, in June 2021, they were beaten by New Zealand by eight wickets in a rain-hit final played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. The 2025 final is also scheduled to be played at Lord’s.Related

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India had little time to acclimatise in England this time round, having arrived straight off the IPL – and in talking about his bowlers, Rohit spoke specifically of needing greater time to prepare, to transition from T20 to Test cricket. In 2021 they arrived earlier and fresher, but only because the IPL that year was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, stopping in early May before resuming in the UAE in September.Rohit even linked the kind of team that he would like to build for the next cycle at least in part to where the final might be played. Responding to an earlier question, he said, “I want to see where the next WTC final is being played as well. That depends where we play, based on that we will decide what sort of players we want to get ready and what kind of cricket we want to play.”Rohit Sharma also added his voice to calls for the final to be played as a best-of-three series•Getty Images

The question of where and when the WTC final is held if not England is, of course, trickier in a calendar that is stretched to breaking point at the moment. The addition of three new domestic T20 leagues in the UAE, South Africa and – next month – in the US means international cricket is facing a squeeze like never before.A move away from June would require not only finding another window, but also, potentially, a rejig of the international cycle as agreed upon in the Future Tours Programme (FTP) last year.The next eight-year cycle of international cricket sees four WTC finals, in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031. The venues for the finals – barring the 2025 WTC final – have not been decided yet and though England is not locked in as a venue, it has thus far been seen among full members and the ICC as a natural choice of location. The northern hemisphere summer offers an ideal endpoint to a two-year cycle and in England there is the guarantee of strong crowds.”The way the cycle is set up we are always going to be playing it in the northern hemisphere summer,” ICC’s general manager Wasim Khan had said, speaking before the final.”Southampton initially, then we looked at everything from making sure we provide diverse venues as it stands within England. Lord’s was considered but the decision was made on The Oval for this. In terms of where they get played, in terms of the final right now, the UK suits the set-up of the tournament itself. It falls in line with northern hemisphere.”Rohit also added his voice to calls for the final to be played as a best-of-three series, echoing the view of Virat Kohli, the defeated India captain in the last final as well, more recently, as David Warner.”I would love that [a three-match final],” Rohit said. “But is there a time? That’s the big question. Honestly, in a big event like this you need to have fair opportunities for both the teams.”A three-match series would be nice but it’s about finding that window, where it can fit in. An event like this you work hard for two years and then you only have one shot at it. It’s not really – you cannot get into that momentum that you need in Test cricket. Test cricket is all about finding that rhythm, finding that momentum as well. I think yeah, if in the next cycle if it is possible, three-match series would be ideal.”Unsurprisingly, the winning captain was happy with the concept as it stands.”I think it’s fine,” Pat Cummins said. “No qualms. I think ideally you’d have 50-match series but the Olympics have come down to one race to win a gold medal. AFL, NRL seasons have finals. That’s sport.”

Leeds United are potentially closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window after reaching the asking price for a 21-year-old defensive midfielder.

Leeds United transfer news

It’s been a quiet transfer window so far for the Whites, but that might not be a major surprise given the fact that the Yorkshire side sits top of the Championship table and are one of the stronger performing teams in the division. Daniel Farke has made it clear that he isn’t a fan of this transfer window, but that doesn’t mean the club are not going to conduct some sort of business, as they continue to be linked with new arrivals.

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A report emerged earlier in the week that Leeds scouts watched Bali Mumba in action on Saturday in Plymouth’s game against Brentford in the FA Cup. The defender is well known to Farke, as he gave him his Premier League debut for Norwich City a few years ago, and the German may now be keen on reuniting with the defender. Potential exits are also on the cards for the Whites this month, with striker Patrick Bamford’s future very much up in the air.

Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace has now confirmed that Bamford is on a list of transfer targets for his side this month: “Patrick is a very good player. I played with him at Derby a long time ago when he started out.

“He’s a consistent performer at this level; he plays for a huge club in Leeds. But there will be lots of names thrown towards me, and I’ll just say they’re good players. You’d have to ask the club. He’s a player on a long list that we have looked at, and we’ll have to see.”

Leeds reach £3m asking price for 21 y/o midfielder

The Championship side now have a new player on their radar, as according to Portuguese journalist Sebastiao Sousa Pinto, Leeds have made a €4 million offer to sign Djé D’avilla, which is the fee Leiria wanted for the player.

The 21-year-old, who is a ‘number six’ by trade, currently plays for Liga Portugal 2 side Leiria and has done so since July 2022. D’avilla started his career in the Ivory Coast before moving to the Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal United in 2021, a year before his move to Portugal.

The midfielder has only recently broken into the team at Leiria, after a loan spell away from the club, and he looks as though, during 30-plus appearances for the club, he has done enough to emerge on Leeds’ radar. Sousa Pinto reports that the Whites have made an offer which is roughly £3 million, and that is the amount that the Portuguese side is happy with.

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However, a transfer still looks quite difficult to complete, due to the work permit he would need to get. Leeds are also not the only side interested in signing the player, as several teams have reportedly shown an interest in signing the young midfielder.