Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are facing competition from a number of clubs to sign one of the greatest young talents in European football.
Tottenham and Liverpool set for busy January window
Both sides are expected to be busy in the January transfer window after sluggish starts to the season, with Thomas Frank confirming as much from Tottenham’s perspective this week.
“More or less after the window shut in September we had the first formal meeting and it is an ongoing process that,” Frank explained ahead of Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest.
“I, of course, also get to know more and more the squad and players, so one thing is the daily interaction and also I have seen a lot of games live. Watched them back and you see all the small good habits and bad habits from the players.
“What can you affect? Or that will be tricky? Or how the relationship is? So, that knowledge gets us closer and closer to knowing what we want.
“We will definitely be in the market, no doubt about that. We want them as early as possible, like every other time and let’s see if we can have them before the 31st of January.”
Arne Slot meanwhile will certainly be on the lookout for reinforcements after admitting he is glad his Liverpool side are out of the Carabao Cup due to injuries within the squad.
While both sides are expected to consider defensive reinforcements – with Marc Guehi still top of Liverpool’s list – they are also strongly linked with a potential superstar up front in the shape of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande.
Liverpool are said to be in talks over a move while Spurs’ negotiations are believed to be advanced, but Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg has shared an updated on the 19 year-old this week.
The two clubs will meet in North London on Saturday December 20, and given Liverpool’s history of lining up swift winter deals in the final days of the year, there could be more clarity on the forward’s future by then.
Their new Son: Spurs have held advanced talks to sign a future £100m player
Tottenham are looking to add fresh quality to their attacking flanks in 2026.
Following his release from the Baltimore Orioles, veteran righty Kyle Gibson is signing with the Tampa Bay Rays, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the
Gibson was designated for assignment on May 18 by the struggling Baltimore Orioles. In four starts this season, the 37-year-old has given up 23 runs across 12.1 innings of work, amassing an 0-3 record and a 16.78 ERA.
The Rays are hoping that Gibson can return to form and provide depth to the team's rotation. As a staff, the Rays have posted a 3.65 ERA thus far this season in their 27-27 start.
“When you don’t play, it is very easy to blame someone. To take it constructively and improve is tough”
Shashank Kishore18-Sep-20253:59
Kuldeep: Had a good time in England working on myself
For Kuldeep Yadav, rhythm is everything. It’s what aids his drift, helps develop a loop to deceive batters in the air, and gives him confidence to sequence his deliveries better.However, he says, rhythm only comes with time in the middle, something he didn’t have a lot of through the course of an entire Test series in England, because the team opted for batting depth.”In England, obviously, looking at the conditions and the combination of the team, I didn’t get a place in the XI,” he said ahead of India’s final group match against Oman in Abu Dhabi in the Asia Cup. “But it was a very good time for me to work on myself, to improve my fitness and to give more volume to bowling, because it is very important.”Instead of sitting and sulking, Kuldeep developed his own pattern to training, and analysed his game, and picked out certain markers for when his time would come.Related
Kuldeep makes it worth the wait
How Kuldeep and Axar slammed the door shut on Pakistan
“As a player, you learn a lot when you don’t play,” he said. “When the team reacts to certain situations, you can judge from the outside. You have a lot of ideas when you are in this situation, as to how to react and how you can bowl. I got a lot of ideas from there.”The communication [when he didn’t play] from Gauti [head coach Gautam Gambhir] was very clear. He was very straightforward. When you don’t play, it is very easy to blame someone. To take it constructively and improve is tough. There are two ways and players choose according to themselves.”But it is very important that you keep working hard. The game is such that you have good and bad days. If you are not playing, you have time to improve on your own and become a better player when you get the chance.”Kuldeep Yadav did not get to play in England•Getty ImagesKuldeep’s opportunity came soon after, in the form of a Duleep Trophy game in August. The scorecard will show no wickets next to his name, but for Kuldeep, those 32 overs meant so much more.”It was very important for me to bowl there,” he said. “Bowling in nets and bowling in a match are very different. Obviously, you want to play after a long time. You want to perform well. But I didn’t have that much in my mind. I focused on my strength and tried to bowl in good areas.”Now, he feels that sense of rhythm has returned fully at the Asia Cup, where he has picked up seven wickets in two games, against UAE and Pakistan, across 37 deliveries.”Actually, my rhythm is set now,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with that. I think it is important to use small angles for bowlers. As a wristspinner, I always think about my release point, my finish, whether the body is transferring [weight forward] or not.
“Between me, Varun and Axar, we are very experienced in the T20 format and understand our roles very well”
“When you don’t play, these things run in your mind. But obviously, with the help of video analysis, you get an idea of how you are bowling. I think my rhythm is good now. In the beginning, when I changed [in 2022, he worked on a straighter run-up and went through the crease faster], it took time. But now I am used to it.”The rhythm and confidence tie in nicely to his spin chemistry with Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel in India’s T20I set-up, with all three having different roles.”Everyone knows their job and my job is to take wickets in the middle overs,” Kuldeep said. “Axar, obviously, we have seen him bowling in the powerplay and he did the controlling job for us. Between me, Varun and Axar, we are very experienced in the T20 format and understand our roles very well.”Giving a lot of inputs really helped me, or anyone who is bowling in the middle. Whether it is Axar or Varun or me, whoever bowls first assesses the conditions and then suggests something. So it’s a good combination and we are very happy with that.”Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav ran through Pakistan’s middle order•AFP/Getty ImagesWhile Kuldeep’s rhythm has given him a fresh verve on the field, he also consciously tries to find a balance off the field, something he believes helps him find a release, especially when he is not playing. That balance has come through football.”If you follow other sports, you get to know how it feels when a team is performing really well,” he said. “You see the bench strength of their team. They have some unbeatable bench strength and when you focus on them, they are not getting enough time -15 minutes, 20 minutes – but they are so good, they can start in any game.”You see other teams, especially the big ones, and how they play against smaller teams – the communication, the decision-making, how quickly it all happens. You hardly have enough time to react.”Obviously, I play cricket on the field, that’s my job. After that, I enjoy football. There are so many games, you just watch and enjoy. In any sport, you admire how they play, especially in team games. The communication, the connection between players, how they lift each other – that’s the most important thing.”
O Corinthians venceu o Grêmio por 1 a 0, em Porto Alegre, em partida válida pela 34ª rodada do Brasileirão. O zagueiro Bruno Méndez foi expulso aos dez minuto do primeiro tempo, e ainda na primeira etapa Romero fez o gol da vitória do Timão. Após o resultado, o técnico Mano Menezes concede entrevista coletiva. Acompanhe!.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBrasileirãoEm jogo com duas expulsões, Corinthians vence o Grêmio e fica próximo de evitar o rebaixamento no BrasileirãoBrasileirão12/11/2023Fora de CampoVÍDEO: Dirigente do Corinthians tenta invadir a sala do VAR, em partida contra o GrêmioFora de Campo12/11/2023CorinthiansAs Brabas do Corinthians massacram o Palmeiras por 8 a 0 e avançam à final do Paulistão femininoCorinthians12/11/2023
+ Tudo sobre o Timão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Corinthians
+ COMO FOI O JOGO
+ Veja tabela e simule os jogos do Timão no Brasileirão
PRÓXIMOS JOGOS DO CORINTHIANS
> Corinthians x Bahia – 25/11, às 19h30 (de Brasília) – Neo Química Arena – Brasileirão
> Vasco x Corinthians – 29/11, horário a definir – São Januário – Brasileirão
> Corinthians x Internacional – 03/12, horário a definir – Neo Química Arena – Brasileirão
After last night’s disaster, West Ham United fans probably wish the international break had never come to an end.
Nuno Espírito Santo took charge of his first home Premier League match against Brentford, and to say the Hammers let him down would be a colossal understatement.
It was one of the most disappointing, lethargic and worrying performances from the East Londoners for some time, one worthy of a side heading for the drop.
There were shocking displays all over the pitch from the hosts, with Lucas Paqueta and another starter now becoming a genuine concern.
West Ham's growing Paqueta problem
So it should almost go without saying that, when he’s on song, Paqueta has the ability to be one of the best creative midfielders in the Premier League.
After all, there was a point in time when he looked set for a move to Manchester City, and then over the summer, fans were delighted when a potential move to Aston Villa didn’t happen.
However, the unfortunate reality is that the Irons faithful have not seen the mercurial Brazilian anywhere near his best for quite some time now.
For example, in 36 appearances across all competitions last season, totalling 2536 minutes, the former Lyon star scored just five goals, which is an average of one every 7.2 games, or every 507.2 minutes.
There were signs of him potentially recovering his form earlier this season when he had three goals to his name by transfer deadline day. Still, since then, he has failed to score or assist a goal, and his overall performances have taken a nosedive.
Monday night was probably his worst display so far, and while he was played out of position to replace the injured Niclas Füllkrug, he still needed to offer more than he did.
For example, in 94 minutes of inaction, he amassed a combined expected goal and assist figure of just 0.12, took a single shot, which wasn’t on target, took 61 touches but failed to complete a single dribble, lost the ball 23 times, misplaced 100% of his crosses and more.
Minutes
94′
Expected Goals
0.04
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.08
Shots on Target
0
Shots Off Target
1
Touches
61
Lost Possession
23
Dribbles (Completed)
1 (0)
Key Passes
0
Crosses (Accurate)
2 (0)
Duels (Won)
20 (7)
In short, it was a total horror show of a performance from Paqueta and yet more reason for fans to worry about his form, which could be said about another starter.
The West Ham star becoming a problem under Nuno
The unfortunate reality of the matter is that, at this point in time, you could make the case for a handful of West Ham players being a problem for Nuno.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Scarles, for example, had to come off at half-time on Monday, and Guido Rodriguez looked lost when he came on.
However, a player who is even more of a concern than they are at this moment is Max Kilman.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers star joined the Hammers for around £40m last summer, and while there have been moments in which he has justified that price, there have not been any this season.
Moreover, in the three games since the new manager has come in, the Englishman has been a hindrance to the side, and it’s hard to see when that might stop being the case.
For example, against the Bees, he looked a mess, unsure of when to close down on players and then, for the opener, he just sort of sticks a leg out in an attempt to get the ball off Kevin Schade.
He also fails to intercept the cutback for the second one, lending credence to one content creator who described his performance as “diabolical.”
Finally, Nuno can’t even really take him out of the team for the next game, as Konstantinos Mavropanos went off with an injury late on.
Ultimately, while almost every West Ham player was poor on Monday night, Kilman’s form is starting to become a big issue.
Nuno suggests West Ham could be about to rely on "very aggressive" young star
Florian Wirtz's big-money move to Liverpool has hit early turbulence, with Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand claiming the German midfielder may already be questioning whether he made the right choice. The £116 million ($155m) signing, who turned down Bayern Munich and Manchester City, has endured a mixed start to life under Arne Slot at Anfield.
Wirtz under huge pressure following slow start
Wirtz is under pressure after a subdued start to his Premier League career. The 22-year-old joined the Reds from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer but has struggled for consistency in his first months at Anfield. While he started brightly with an assist in the Community Shield, Wirtz has been in and out of Arne Slot’s starting lineup since and has found himself benched for key league fixtures against Everton, Chelsea, and Manchester United.
The former Leverkusen playmaker, who was expected to take up a central role as Liverpool’s new No.10, has instead been deployed out wide or in a deeper midfield position in several matches. His creative spark was reignited on his return to Germany for Liverpool’s Champions League 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, where he produced two assists to end a 10-game goal contribution drought. However, questions persist about whether Wirtz’s adaptation period is being complicated by tactical adjustments and Premier League physicality.
Liverpool had initially made Wirtz the most expensive signing in British football history before breaking their own record weeks later with the £125m arrival of Alexander Isak. The Reds continue to back the Germany international, but Ferdinand has now highlighted the intense scrutiny surrounding Wirtz’s adaptation to English football.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportFerdinand questions German's state of mind
Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast before the Frankfurt game, the former Manchester United defender admitted that Wirtz’s current situation would leave any player second-guessing themselves. "It’s a huge call – you’re a £100m player," Ferdinand said. "I was a record signing a couple of times in my career, and if at any point in those first two or three months, if a manager dropped me for a game of that importance and significance, there would have been huge doubts in my mind."
Ferdinand added: "Doubts would creep in, it would be impossible that you don’t start thinking ‘have I made the right decision?’ I was with a player, I can’t mention his name, he was a big signing for a team, and he said he started slow at one of the teams he signed for, and he was going: ‘Oh my god, have I made the right decision?‘ There is no doubt in my mind right now that when Wirtz saw his name not on that team sheet that he was going on his way home, in the warm-up, in his bed that night: ‘Is this the right decision?’"
Ferdinand concluded by insisting that his remarks were not a criticism but a reality of life as a high-priced transfer. "I’m not saying it’s the wrong decision, but I’d have a big amount of money if I was a gambling man that there would have been a thought in his mind that said that and went along those lines."
Wirtz still backed to succeed at Anfield
Wirtz’s move to Liverpool in the summer of 2025 was one of the most talked-about transfers in Europe. Signed from Bayer Leverkusen after guiding the German side to a domestic double one season earlier, the 22-year-old was expected to become the creative hub of Slot’s new-look team. The nine-figure deal reflected Liverpool’s determination to secure one of Europe’s brightest young talents and build for the future following the departures of several midfield mainstays.
However, Wirtz’s transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League has not been seamless. Used in several different attacking roles, his early numbers have been modest by his usual standards – though his underlying data paints a more promising picture. Wirtz ranks among Liverpool’s top creators for chances and progressive passes, suggesting that his influence may soon translate into more goals and assists as the team gels under Slot’s new tactical setup.
Within the club, patience remains the watchword. Team-mates and coaching staff reportedly view Wirtz as a "generational player" who simply needs time to adapt to the pace and physicality of English football. With the Champions League and domestic fixtures piling up, there is belief at Anfield that his recent upturn in form could mark the start of a more productive spell in red.
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Getty Images SportFirst goal contribution sets playmaker up for more glory
Wirtz is expected to retain a key role in Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures, especially with Slot looking to settle on a consistent midfield shape. His next test comes in the Premier League, where the Reds are set to face Brentford before hosting Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Anfield.
For the player himself, the challenge is now mental as much as physical. Ferdinand’s comments underline the weight of expectation that comes with being a nine-figure signing, but Wirtz’s composure and maturity have been widely praised by those around him. The German playmaker’s assists in Frankfurt could prove a vital turning point in silencing doubts about his form and reaffirming his status as one of Europe’s most exciting young stars.
Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya are not in the top five on the IPL 2025 Orange Cap leaderboard yet, but are closing in on the top run-scorers of the season
ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2025
Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya dazzled at the top once again•Associated Press
Orange Cap tablePriyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh, who have formed such a potent opening combination for PBKS, were the only batters in action on Thursday, putting together a 122-run stand before Arya fell. The game ended immediately after that. But Prabhsimran’s unbeaten 50 from 28 balls took him up to No. 6, while Arya’s 70 in 34 balls lifted him to No. 8.Not much changed around them, with Suryakumar Yadav (MI, 510 runs), B Sai Sudharsan (GT, 509 runs), Shubman Gill (GT, 508 runs), Virat Kohli (RCB, 505 runs) and Jos Buttler (GT, 500 runs) making up the top five. Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR, 473 runs) is between the two PBKS openers at No. 7.Noor Ahmad now has two four-wicket hauls in IPL 2025•BCCI
Purple Cap tableT Natarajan, playing his second match of the season for DC – both abandoned; the first, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), for rain – picked up the only wicket to fall, that of Arya.Obviously no change on the Purple Cap list then.CSK’s left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad, who picked up hos second four-wicket haul on Wednesday, is level with GT’s Prasidh Krishna at the top of the Purple Cap table. Both have 20 wickets, but Prasidh retains the Purple Cap thanks to his better economy rate – (7.65 vs 8.02) and average (16.45 vs 17.25).RCB’s Josh Hazlewood is third with 18 wickets, the same as MI’s Trent Boult. Again, Hazlewood has a better economy rate and average.KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy has jumped to fifth place after his 2 for 18 against CSK. He now has 17 wickets from 12 matches now.You can also take a look at what the ESPNcricinfo MVP table looks like at this stage.Here are some other IPL 2025 tables. Highest batting strike rates Best bowling economy rates Most sixes Best bowling figures in a match
Rallying after a frustrating 2023/24 campaign, Newcastle United and Eddie Howe marched toward the Carabao Cup title last season, and they qualified for the Champions League too.
The new term is well underway, but the Magpies are still finding their footing after a stormy transfer window.
There is no need to panic. Newcastle have carved out a new future over the past several years, and the shift in ownership and impetus runs deeper than merely the first team. Indeed, the club’s academy is working at a faster and more efficient pace than during the Mike Ashley era, and indeed the years preceding that interminable stretch.
It would be handy to have a homegrown forward burst onto the scene, helping Anthony Gordon and co adapt to this new Alexander Isak-less world.
But that can hardly be a given, and Gordon needs to step back up to the fore.
Anthony Gordon needs to step up
Now that Isak has left for pastures new, it is time for Gordon to set things straight and rekindle the verve that led him to being named Newcastle’s Player of the Year for 2023/24, having hit double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League.
Last season yielded less fruitful returns for the England international, who only scored six times in the Premier League and lacked his previous confidence and authority, but he remains an immensely talented Premier League star, coveted by Liverpool last year and priced at £100m.
While that early-season defeat against the Reds in August put a dampener on Gordon’s resurgence, he bounced back with a consolation strike against Barcelona last week, and the 24-year-old will now look to build himself back to his former level.
Anthony Gordon – Premier League Comparison
Stats (* per game)
23/24
24/25
Matches (starts)
35 (34)
26 (25)
Goals
11
6
Assists
10
5
Shots (on target)*
2.3 (0.9)
2.1 (0.7)
Big chances missed
9
10
Pass completion
82%
80%
Big chances created
16
6
Key passes*
1.6
1.9
Dribble (success)*
1.5 (49%)
1.3 (45%)
Ball recoveries*
3.6
3.4
Tackles + interceptions*
1.8
1.3
Total duels (won)*
5.3 (49%)
4.8 (51%)
Stats via Sofascore
Gordon is a high-class winger, and he’s bolstered by a range of talented Newcastle stars. However, Howe is sure to hope that one of the club’s most promising youngsters quickly breaks the surface, having already been compared with one Lamine Yamal.
Newcastle's own Lamine Yamal
Newcastle can expect academy stars to emulate the likes of Elliot Anderson and Lewis Miley in wedging their way into the Toon first team, but they need the first-teamers to maintain a high level so as to ease them into the fray.
That’s why the understated addition of Vakhtang Salia could prove such an excellent piece of business for the Toon, with the Georgia U21 international having completed his move from Dinamo Tbilisi to Newcastle at the end of August, a year after a deal was agreed to sign the teenager.
Said to be “one of the best teenage prospects in the world” by journalist Graeme Bailey, Salia is powerful and agile and endowed with sharp pace when on the ball. His tactical dynamism lends itself to a range of different attacking berths.
Sadly, Howe and co will have to wait to see how the prospect settles into life in England since he has picked up a small hamstring injury before making his bow for the U21s.
It’s frustrating, but those in the know claim that it will be worth the wait, with Salia boasting a skillset that could see him rival the most talented youngsters in the Premier League.
Newcastle United manager EddieHowebefore the match
There’s even a sense that Salia might have a bit of Yamal about him; only a few weeks ahead of his 18th birthday, the tricky forward is settling into his new life on Tyneside and brings a potent attacking threat, having scored eight goals and supplied four assists for Dinamo’s senior side.
Yamal will be dejected and perhaps even a touch aggrieved that his name was not etched onto the plaque, but Ousmane Dembele was a worthy winner after leading Paris Saint-Germain to a historic quadruple, winning their maiden Champions League title.
It is probably worth stressing that we are not advocating Salia’s talent to lie at the same level as Yamal’s, but there are undeniable similarities in the versatile forwards’ respective styles of play.
Salia, silky and dangerous when advancing, has quite naturally been likened to his world-class countryman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but one Barcelona analyst actually believes it is indeed Yamal who is more aptly comparable, remarking that the Georgian is “of a similar profile” to the prodigious Spaniard.
Ballon d’Or runner-up Yamal is one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents since Lionel Messi broke onto the scene way back when. He is that good.
A relentless, oft-unstoppable dribbler with an eye for flair and a natural clinical edge, Yamal has been described as “the best player in the world” by Chelsea’s Cole Palmer earlier in 2025.
To expect Salia to emulate him at St. James’ Park would be foolish indeed, but if Howe can manufacture a player of comparable athleticism and energy and approach play, it would be quite something.
This may feel like overblown praise, but United battled tooth and nail against some of Europe’s biggest hitters to sign this rising star, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich both registering interest of their own before Newcastle secured his signature.
Hailed as an “elite talent” by Hungarian journalist Bence Bocsak, Salia has so much potential, and he’s in the right place to realise those natural qualities. However, for now, we must wait.
Everything suggests it will be worth it for those of a Newcastle persuasion, though.
Howe must axe "one of the best" at Newcastle – he's already got a successor
Star’s shot-stopping vs new signing’s distribution fuels Newcastle latest debate
RR’s head coach has also praised Parag’s calmness and decision-making as stand-in captain
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2025
The match against CSK is Riyan Parag’s final opportunity this season to play in front of his home crowd in Guwahati•Associated Press
After being assigned the finisher’s role in his first five seasons, Riyan Parag enjoyed a breakthrough tournament in IPL 2024, batting at No. 4 and topping the run chart for Rajasthan Royals (RR) during their run to the playoffs.This year, Parag has earned another promotion, up to No. 3, as RR look to maximise the ability of someone that head coach Rahul Dravid has called “one of our best batters”. Parag has scores of 4 and 25 in RR’s first two games of IPL 2025. On Sunday, against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he’ll have one last opportunity to get a big score on his home ground – it’s Guwahati’s final match of the season.”That’s the right word to use, that he’s promoted,” Dravid said. “Look, Riyan is one of our best batters, let’s be honest. And we want to give him as many balls as we possibly can. Twenty overs is a very short time and the more balls Riyan Parag bats for us, the better it is for us as a team.”Related
RR seek first win in Guwahati's last game against struggling CSK
Dravid, however, didn’t rule out the prospect of RR being flexible if they need to be. “But of course, these things we’ll keep looking at, we’ll keep assessing, we’ll keep seeing how it goes. And yeah, we know that Riyan has done really well at No. 4, so it gives us an option.”But honestly, the move to No. 3 was a positive move to try and give him more time to bat. And we know how destructive a player he is and if he gets more time, then he can score more runs and that can benefit the team. So that was the thinking, but we can always assess that, and we can always see how it’s going. And I think he’s quite comfortable, he’s more than capable of batting at any position.”Apart from being a key batter, Parag is also standing in for regular captain Sanju Samson, who is yet to fully recover from a finger injury. That has meant Samson’s participation has been limited to batting as an impact sub, with Parag taking over the captaincy. The start has been challenging, with RR losing their first two games, but Dravid only has words of encouragement for 23-year-old Parag, whom he had coached at the India Under-19s when Parag was just 16, in 2017.”I think he’s adapted really well,” Dravid said. “It’s not easy to captain when the team [Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)] is scoring 280 runs on a flat wicket. The first game is probably a tough game to be a captain. But I think the calmness that he showed and the fact that it didn’t seem like our team was panicking was really good.”Even in the game against KKR [Kolkata Knight Riders], his brave decision to bring himself on [with the ball], realising that the wicket was turning, with two left-handers batting, to bowl the fifth over in the powerplay, was a brave decision and a correct decision. So I think he’s been very impressive. As a captain, it’s nice for him to get this opportunity till Sanju is able to field again. And he’s sharing his thoughts and his ideas. Very clear. He’s very solid in that sense.”So, yeah, very impressive early days. And it’s very nice for us as, again, a team that’s looking to develop people and players. Of course, it’s unfortunate that Sanju was not able to captain and play for us. But I think in a way it’s nice that we were able to give Riyan, our vice-captain, a chance to captain in a few games and give him that exposure and experience as well.”Rahul Dravid isn’t worried about RR’s batting depth, with Jofra Archer batting at No. 9•BCCI
RR have looked slightly undercooked with the bat so far. They have adopted the unique approach – which brought them moderate success last year too – of picking only six genuine batters even while batting first, unlike most teams who tend to play an extra batter. One of the reasons for this could be that RR don’t have an out-and-out frontline allrounder. But Dravid doesn’t believe that is a concern.”A lot of it in these situations now, with the Impact Player, you actually do get your bowling and batting options with the 12 players,” he said. “To be honest, if you look at our last game, we were able to play seven bowling options. We actually had seven bowling options in the playing XI, so we covered in that department.”With the batting as well, I think we were able to extend our batting using [Wanindu] Hasaranga right up to No. 8, Shimron [Hetmyer] came at eight and then we had Jofra [Archer] bat at No. 9. So, I think there’s enough depth. The role with the Impact Players, I think the role of the allrounder now is really diminished.”Of course, if you have one, it’s great, but I don’t think it’s as much a necessity as it probably used to be in the past. And that is reflected in the way a lot of teams set up their combinations as well.”
كشف ستيف باريش، رئيس نادي كريستال بالاس، سبب تمسكه بمدافع الفريق مارك جويهي هذا الصيف، بعد فشل انتقاله إلى ليفربول في اللحظات الأخيرة.
وكان المدافع الإنجليزي الدولي على وشك التوقيع مع ليفربول في اليوم الأخير من سوق الانتقالات، قبل أن يتم إلغاء العرض.
ويتبقى لجويهي مدافع كريستال بالاس، عام واحد في عقده في ملعب سيلهرست بارك، ومن المتوقع أن يغادر صفوف النادي عند النهائي.
اقرأ أيضاً.. ليفربول يقتحم سباق التعاقد مع صفقة مميزة من يوفنتوس
وذكر باريش رئيس كريستال بالاس لشبكة “talkSPORT” سبب الإبقاء على جويهي في موسمه الأخير، ورفض الحصول على مبلغ مالي قبل عام من انتهاء عقده.
وقال باريش: “إنه قرار صعب، الأمور ليست واضحة المعالم، لقد تلقيت نصائح وما اعتقدته في النهاية أننا سنقدم موسمًا أفضل إذا احتفظنا بجويهي”.
وأضاف: “لا نعتمد على التخمين في هذه الأمور، إذا نظرنا للأمر بعقلانية، وإذا نظرنا لقيمة المركز الذي نحتله في الدوري الإنجليزي، وحقيقة مشاركتنا في دوري المؤتمرات لأول مرة في تاريخنا، فهذه ظروف غير عادية للاحتفاظ باللاعب”.
وواصل: “لو كنا ننافس على المركز العاشر والرابع عشر ولو كان هذا هو الفارق بين الاحتفاظ بجويهي والتخلي عنه، لربما قلنا يجب أن نأخذ المال”.