يظل المصري محمد صلاح، جناح فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، محور حديث الصحافة العالمية، والإنجليزية خاصة، ويستمر الجدل حول مستقبله.
وتراجع مستوى محمد صلاح عن الأداء المعهود للمحترف المصري، وتواجد بديلاً خلال مباراة ليفربول الماضية أمام وست هام بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، والتي شهدت فوز فريقه بثنائية.
وتستمر التكهنات حول وضع محمد صلاح في ليفربول تحت قيادة المدير الفني آرني سلوت، ويترقب الجميع ما سيحدث خلال مباراة الغد أمام سندرلاند وإمكانية استمرار تواجده كبديل.
وفي ظل تلك التكهنات، فتح الباب مجددًا عن إمكانية انضمام محمد صلاح لأحد أندية الدوري السعودي، ورحيله عن صفوف ليفربول.
اقرأ أيضًا | المباريات التي سيغيبها محمد صلاح عن ليفربول بسبب كأس أمم إفريقيا
وذكرت شبكة “talk sport”، أن محمد صلاح لا يزال محط أنظار أندية الدوري السعودي، ويعد الهلال أبرز المهتمين بالتعاقد معه، وظهر نادي القادسية في الصورة أيضًا.
ورفض صلاح عرضًا ضخمًا من الدوري السعودي في الموسم الماضي، واستمر في صفوف ليفربول وجدد عقده مع الريدز لتستمر إقامته في “آنفيلد”.
وأتم التقرير موضحًا أن الدوري السعودي يراقب وضع محمد صلاح مع ليفربول، ويستعد لتحرك في الصيف ليجدد عرضه للنجم المصري.
England captain Ben Stokes told his players “pain is just an emotion”, as they toiled through 143 overs in India’s second innings at Old Trafford. But he has hinted that England would freshen up their bowling attack for the fifth and final Test at The Oval.Stokes bowled 11 overs – including eight in a row – on Sunday, but grimaced throughout and repeatedly clutched his right shoulder. He revealed after the teams shook hands on a draw that he had a sore biceps tendon. He said he had “been better” physically, but considered it “very unlikely” that he would not be fit enough to play in the fifth Test on Thursday.After taking his first five-wicket haul in eight years in India’s first innings, Stokes retired hurt while batting on Friday but re-emerged that evening and went on to score his first Test hundred in two years the following day. He did not bowl at all on Saturday, but after his spells on Sunday has bowled 140 in this series, a personal record.Related
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“It’s been a pretty big workload so far in the series,” he said. “I had a big week last week at Lord’s, with time spent out in the middle with bat in hand and obviously overs bowled, and then same again this week. I said it a few times to the guys out there: ‘pain is just an emotion.’ It’s just one of those things.”It is actually my bicep tendon. It obviously had quite a lot of workload through it, just been creeping around. But yeah, [I spent] a lot of time out in the middle doing my job as an allrounder this week and [it] just got a little bit flared up… It didn’t get any worse throughout the day, just stayed the same, so that’s why I kept on going.”England do not play another Test after this series until the Ashes in November, and Stokes has not played a white-ball international for nearly two years. He therefore expects to play at The Oval: “Hopefully, it settles down and we’ll be good as gold for the last game… I don’t want to eat my words, but the likelihood that I won’t play is very unlikely.”4:53
Stokes: ‘Too many loopholes’ in injury replacements idea
However, Stokes implied that England would need “fresh legs” for the fifth Test after nearly 900 overs in the field across the first four. Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes have played all four Tests, while Jofra Archer has played two in a row after a four-year absence from Test cricket. Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook, Jamie Overton and Josh Tongue are the other available options.”If you look at how long we’ve been out in the field and the overs that we bowled as a bowling unit, everyone is going to be pretty sore and pretty tired going into the last game of the series,” he said. “There’ll be an assessment of everyone, and hopefully we can use these next two or three days’ rest period wisely and then have to make a decision.”These recovery days are going to be pretty important and we might have to make a few decisions to get some fresh legs in. But that won’t be decided until we get closer to the last game.Chris Woakes has played all four Tests so far in the series•Getty Images
“We generally like to get our team out a couple of days before but we might have to just take a little bit longer going into this last game, because we want to give everyone as long as we possibly can to be able to recover.”Stokes was named Player of the Match for the second Test in a row after his all-round efforts at Lord’s. He has now won 12 of those in his Test career, the joint-second-most (with Ian Botham) for England, behind Joe Root (13), but told the BBC’s that it meant very little to him after the game petered out into a draw.”When you put in good performances for the team, your enjoyment of those is dictated by how you feel at the end of the Test match with the result,” he said. “I would obviously give the bottle of champagne and the medal back in a heartbeat if we ended up being on the right side of the result that we wanted.”He also refused to criticise the Old Trafford pitch, despite only 24 wickets falling across five days – including only two in the final five sessions. “I think ‘unacceptable’ is probably a bit too much,” he said. “It was a lot easier for the left-handers throughout this Test match… It certainly seemed a little more dead bowling to left-handers than it did to right-handers.”
Manchester City have now moved into pole position in the race for a “superstar”, and they are now ready to make a bid of over £65m.
Pep eyeing long-term additions to his defence
Pep Guardiola has made it clear he is a huge admirer of Matheus Nunes this season, saying: “He can be an incredible right-back,”
“Matheus is a holding midfielder with incredible physicality and as much as he is focused, he can become one of the best [right-backs].
“He has special attributions to play in the sides, and in the last two or three games he has played unbelievable.”
Nunes has remained a key player for Man City in recent weeks, starting the last three games, with Abdukhodir Khusanov also capable of slotting in at right-back, doing so in the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen back in November, while also impressing against Arsenal.
Despite Pep being blessed with a number of options in defence, the City boss remains keen on making long-term additions to his backline, according to a new report from TEAMtalk, which states he views Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento as the complete package.
The Blues have now moved into pole position in the race for Livramento’s signature, despite interest from a number of Premier League clubs, and they are ready to make a bid of more than £65m, which could include add-ons, while summer signing James Trafford may also be used as part of a swap deal.
"Superstar" Livramento may find it difficult to dislodge Nunes
Lauded as a “superstar” by Newcastle content creator Kendall Rowan, there are signs the right-back could be a good fit in a Guardiola system, with his passing ability particularly impressive over the course of the past year.
Statistic
Average per 90 (past year)
Pass completion %
85.9% (90th percentile)
Progressive passes
5.17 (87th percentile)
Pep has been keen on signing the full-back for quite some time, and he is now vastly experienced in the Premier League, having made 103 appearances in the competition, while he has also tested himself in the Champions League for the second time this season.
The 23-year-old could be able to push for Nunes’ place in the starting XI before too long, but it will be difficult to dislodge the Portugal international, given that the City star is arguably a more well-rounded right-back at the moment.
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The 27-year-old has displayed a keen eye for creating chances this season, chipping in with one goal and three assists in the Premier League, while Livramento has just four goal contributions in 93 games for Newcastle.
As such, the Engand international may have to improve the attacking side of his game if he is going to take Nunes’ shirt.
علّق الإعلامي أحمد شوبير على تطوّرات أزمة نادي الزمالك المتعلقة بفسخ التعاقدات، وفي مقدمتها أزمة اللاعب عمر فرج، مشيرًا إلى أن النادي يعيش حالة من التخبط الإداري والمالي انعكست بشكل مباشر على أوضاع اللاعبين ومستحقاتهم.
وقال شوبير في تصريحات عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الإثنين: “نحن نتحدث عن موجة فسخ التعاقدات داخل نادي الزمالك، لأن هذا الموضوع مهم جدًا، عمر فرج قام بفسخ عقده بالفعل وقدّم شكوى للحصول على مستحقاته”.
وواصل: “عمر فرج لا يتدرّب مع الفريق الأول، أي أنه غير مندمج مع المجموعة، وأصبح مُجمدًا، لقد حاول اللاعب مرة واثنتين وثلاث مرات، ولكن الأمر لم يكن مناسبًا، أنهى الإجراءات وغادر القاهرة فعلًا، كما قدّم شكوى للحصول على المستحقات، ومن ضمن تفاصيل الشكوى أن النادي رفض السماح له بالتدرّب مع الفريق الأول وأنه لم يحصل على أمواله”.
وتابع: “يا جماعة اللاعب لا يتدرّب ولا يحصل على أموال، واللاعب مغترب، فمع من سيقيم؟ وكيف سيصرف؟ هذه قصة غريبة، أنا تحدثت عنها سابقًا، فهي قصة غريبة منذ بداية التعاقد، لقد ضموه فقط لأن بعض الوكلاء روجوا أن الأهلي أنهى اتفاقه مع عمر فرج، فهرع البعض في الزمالك وقالوا لنأخذه وتصبح (ضربة وخبطة)، وأنتم تعرفون السيناريو الذي نعيشه في الأيام الأخيرة، قالوا تعاقدنا مع عمر فرج، وأنه صفقة العمر”.
وأضاف: “جيد، لكن عمر فرج لم يلعب، لعب مباراة واحدة وسجل هدفًا، لكنه لم يحصل على وقت كاف، ثم تمت إعارته إلى السويد، وبعد انتهاء الإعارة عاد إلى الزمالك، لماذا لم تحاول الإدارة تسويقه طالما أنها تعلم أنه لن يشارك؟ لماذا لم يتم منحه إعارة جديدة منذ البداية؟ أو عندما كان في السويد، لماذا لم يُترك هناك؟ لماذا عاد؟ ثم تدخل الرسائل والوسطاء والاتفاقات، من البداية كان واضحًا أنه لن يشارك”.
طالع أيضًا | اتحاد طنجة عن عبد الحميد معالي بعد فسخ عقده مع الزمالك: حالته النفسية ممتازة
وأردف: “أنا عندما أتحدث يغضب البعض، لكن الحقيقة أن إدارة الأزمات داخل الزمالك سيئة جدًا جدًا، لا يعرفون بيع لاعب، ولا شراء لاعب، ولا إجراء تسوية، ولا اتفاق ودي، ووصل الأمر إلى أن اللاعبين يقدّمون شكاوى ضد النادي، اللاعب فسخ تعاقده بالقانون، وبالتالي النادي لا يستطيع فعل أي شيء الآن، ويمكنه اللعب غدًا في أي نادٍ، لأن اللاعبين بدون نادٍ يحق لهم الانتقال في أي وقت وفقًا للوائح الفيفا”.
واستكمل: “سيذهب الآن إلى الفيفا، وإذا ذهب إلى المحكمة الرياضية فإن كل الأوراق التي بحوزته تثبت أنه لم يحصل على أمواله أو مستحقاته، وبالتالي كل الأوراق تثبت أنه صاحب حق، هذا ما حدث مع فرجاني ساسي، الذي حصل على حكم نهائي، انظروا إلى الإسماعيلي الآن، الأمر لم يعد مجرد ديون وإيقاف قيد، بل وصل إلى تهديد بخصم النقاط إذا لم يتم سداد مستحقات كارميلو، وفي النهاية قد يصل الأمر إلى الهبوط للدرجات الأدنى”.
واستمر: “نادي الزمالك بقيمته وجماهيره الكبيرة، والله لولا الجماهير لحدث له ما هو أسوأ مرات عديدة، الخسارة الفنية والمادية كبيرة، اللاعب أصلًا لم يكن مناسبًا للزمالك، لم تتم متابعته جيدًا، وتم التعاقد معه فقط لأن هناك شائعة بأن الأهلي يريد ضمه، فتم التعاقد معه كرد فعل.. هل هذا مقبول؟”.
وأضاف: “هناك مصادر داخل النادي تقول إن عمر فرج اقترب من أحد الأندية السعودية، وأنه عندما غادر كان قد أنهى اتفاقه مع نادٍ هناك، وأنه مستمر في شكواه، وبعد رحيله بدأت إدارة الزمالك تحاول إجراء اتصالات لتجنب أزمة كبيرة مع اللاعب ومنع تصعيد شكواه، لكنه سيصعّدها إذا لم يحصل على أمواله، إذًا ادفعوا له لتُنهي هذه الأزمة”.
وتابع: “بهذا يصبح عمر فرج ثالث لاعب يفسخ عقده، بعد صلاح مصدق وعبد الحميد معالي، وكلهم فسخوا من طرف واحد، هناك حالة رعب داخل النادي، البعض قال إنهم دفعوا لخوان بيزيرا مبلغ 50 ألفًا أو 75 ألف دولار، لأن كل اللاعبين الأجانب بدأوا يستفسرون، محمود بنتايج لم يفسخ عقده كما قلت أمس، لكنه يستفسر رسميًا، وبيزيرا بدأ يسأل أيضًا ما الذي يحدث”.
وأوضح: “الإدارة الآن تحاول جاهدة توفير سيولة مالية لاحتواء الأزمة، وتسعى لأن يكون موقف النادي سليمًا قانونيًا، يحاولون إغلاق الأزمات المتتالية، ولكن ما زالت الأموال غير متوفرة، ولذلك قد يتم دفع مستحقات بعض اللاعبين بشكل فردي، وليس للجميع، أي أن بعض اللاعبين سيحصلون على أموالهم، مثل بنتايج وبيزيرا وشيكو بانزا وآدم كايد وعدي الدباغ، ونتخطى الأزمة. ولكن هذا لن يحل الأزمة بالكامل”.
واختتم: “أنا أطالب لاعبي الزمالك المصريين بالصبر، فالنادي في أزمة، جماهير الزمالك صنعت هاشتاج على السوشيال ميديا لدعم رئيس الجمهورية والمطالبة بإنقاذ الزمالك، الجماهير تشعر بالقلق والخوف والأزمات، نتمنى أن تنتهي هذه الأزمات قريبًا”.
The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will play in front of a record-setting crowd Saturday as they meet for Major League Baseball's new Speedway Classic event at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Bristol Motor got a makeover for the occasion with a fully constructed MLB field in the middle of the track. With such a large venue, which has a capacity of just below 150,000, the event is bound to set a single-game MLB attendance record.
On Monday, the league announced that the Speedway Classic sold more than 85,000 tickets to date, which will break the previous attendance record of 84,587 that was set at Cleveland Stadium back in 1954.
Even though Bristol Motor has a larger capacity than Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park and Atlanta's Truist Park combined, the Speedway Classic is shaping up to cost more to get in compared to your average baseball game. Outside of the attendance record the game will break, the contest is the first MLB game played on a race track and the first in the state of Tennessee. The league brought out all the stops for the occasion, planning a pregame concert and giving both squads custom NASCAR-themed uniforms. And fans are coming from all over to witness the unique game.
Here's how much it would run you to catch the first ever regular season MLB game in the state of Tennessee:
Cheapest Tickets for the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic
The get-in price for the Speedway Classic between the Braves and Reds is $67 on TickPick and $75 on SeatGeek as of Friday evening. Of course, fans won't be able to call balls and strikes from those seats at Bristol Motor Speedway which has a capacity of just under 150,000.
As of Thursday, TickPick reported the average purchase price for the game was $99 which is 106% more expensive than a typical Reds home game at the Great American Ball Park, which has an average purchase price of $48 for Reds home games.
Most Expensive Tickets for the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic
To get closer to the action, fans can sit in the constructed stands just off the field inside the race track. That option will cost a pretty penny, though. On SeatGeek, there are a pair of seats available three rows behind the Reds dugout for a whopping $1,273 apiece. To shift a section over to sit right on top of the action just beside the Reds dugout, that will cost a pricey $1,528 a seat. TickPick has some seats behind home plate just aside from the Braves' dugout, but that top-notch experience is going for $1,850 a seat. To pay a bit less but stay on the floor, SeatGeek has two seats for $985 each. Those are in the ninth row on the third-base line.
Every West Bromwich Albion manager who has taken on the reins since Carlos Corberan’s exit in late 2024 is undoubtedly trying to achieve success with the Spaniard’s legacy weighing heavily on them.
Corberan would turn the Baggies into regular promotion contenders in the Championship, which made his departure to Valencia last year very much sting.
To make matters worse, the wheels would come off West Brom’s 2024/25 season at a worryingly quick pace after he moved on to La Liga, with his successor in Tony Mowbray only managing to collect a paltry five victories from 17 matches before being dismissed.
Now, the pressure is on Ryan Mason’s shoulders to deliver, and the strain is already beginning to show, with two recent Championship defeats on the spin for the perpetual promotion nearly-men even seeing some Baggies natives begin to grow restless with their new 34-year-old boss.
It hasn’t been completely bleak since Corberan returned to Spain, however, with a lot of star quality still on display from some new signings.
West Brom's mixed recruitment since Corberan left
In the direct aftermath of Corberan leaving, though, there were some underwhelming flops to stomach.
Namely, Adam Armstrong would relocate to the Hawthorns on loan and fail to live up to this well-known image of him being a prolific performer in the EFL’s top league, with just a forgettable three goals falling into his lap from 16 outings in the West Midlands.
Tammer Bany, who was purchased this January for a whopping £3.3m, has also failed to get up and running in England as a post-Corberan purchase.
But, there have been some success stories to hold onto.
Isaac Price is very much the first name that springs to mind in this regard, having signed for the Championship outfit a matter of days after Mowbray was unveiled.
While he was a Mowbray capture, he has very much come into his own this season under the fresh methods of Mason, with a stunning five goals and two assists next to his name in all competitions.
Other members of Mason’s first team are also in with a shout to be the best buy since Corberan moved on, with Chris Mepham one worthy candidate, as the Welsh centre-back has become an everpresent member of his new manager’s defence to soften the blow of Torbjørn Heggem exiting for Bologna.
But, it’s a different defensive monster who could be well handed the honour…
West Brom's best signing post-Corberan
While Price has dominated a lot of West Brom conversations this campaign with his goal and assist output, he has also been prone to a quiet day at the office, frustratingly.
Indeed, the Northern Ireland international would go the entirety of September without collecting a single goal or assist.
During this same month, it could be argued that Nathaniel Phillips was very much settling into his new Hawthorns environment, on the contrary, with the decision to bring in the Premier League-experienced defender for just £3m already looking to be an ingenious move.
The 28-year-old is yet to miss a Championship game this season, and for good reason, with the 6-foot-3 colossus very much living up to his billing as a “lion”, as he was lauded by his former Anfield coach in Pepijn Lijnders.
Indeed, in West Brom blue and white so far, Phillips has won a commanding 5.5 duels on average across his 12 league clashes to date.
Phillips’ league numbers for West Brom
Stat – per 90 mins*
Phillips
Games played
12
Goals scored
1
Assists
0
Touches*
81.9
Accurate passes*
56.6 (86%)
Ball recoveries*
4.3
Clearances*
7.4
Total duels won*
5.5
Clean sheets
3
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the table above in greater detail only further reinforces how much of a sterling purchase Phillips has already been, with his brute strength when rising up for duels also gifting him one goal at his new club, already, away from also cutting an assured presence on the ball with 56.6 accurate passes averaged per tense match.
EFL pundit Sam Parkin would likely agree with Phillips being one of West Brom’s best signings in recent memory, with him labelling the former Derby County loanee as “absolutely sensational” after he collected a clean sheet versus promotion rivals Stoke City.
Mason will need both Price and Phillips performing to their maximum to try and get his side out of their current sticky patch of form.
But, while the first of those named has shone in spurts and looks a top talent for the future, Phillips has been the real deal from minute one of his West Brom journey, with 19 Premier League appearances also under his belt, standing the Baggies in good stead if they can finally break their second-tier hoodoo.
West Brom have signed "explosive" star who is a bigger talent than Fellows
West Bromwich Albion have signed a new explosive star who is an even bigger talent than Tom Fellows.
A Seleção Brasileira iniciou na última quinta-feira (30) a preparação para a disputa da Copa América. Com a presença de 17 dos 26 convocados, Dorival Júnior comandou a primeira atividade da equipe, que terá um longo período em Orlando para ajustar todos os detalhes antes do início da competição.
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O Lance! Betting tem apostas a longo prazo para a Seleção Brasileira em 2024! Vem conferir!
Ao todo, o elenco da Amarelinha vai permanecer mais de 40 dias treinando nos Estados Unidos. Esse será o maior período de convivência do grupo até a Copa do Mundo de 2026. A ideia da comissão técnica é criar entrosamento entre os jogadores selecionados e observar os atletas com menor experiência na Seleção, como Evanílson, Éderson e Savinho.
Diferente de sua primeira Data Fifa, em que teve apenas sete treinos antes dos duelos contra Inglaterra e Espanha, Dorival terá tempo para conviver com o grupo e construir laços com o grupo, que sofreu fortes críticas após a última Copa do Mundo.
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Toda a preparação do Brasil para a Copa América será realizada nos Estados Unidos. A base de treinamentos da equipe comandada por Dorival será a cidade de Orlando, na Flórida. No dia 5 de junho, a delegação viaja até o Texas, onde encara o México. Depois do amistoso, o time retorna a Orlando, onde realiza seu último teste, contra os Estados Unidos, antes do torneio continental.
Na fase de grupos da Copa América, a Seleção Brasileira encara a Costa Rica, a Colômbia e o Paraguai. A estreia acontece no dia 24 de junho, contra a Costa Rica, em Los Angeles.
Despite flying high in the Premier League and Champions League, it feels like Arsenal can’t catch a break this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side have played far better football than they did last year, but have been just as unlucky, if not more so, when it comes to injuries.
For example, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, and Noni Madueke are just some of their stars who have been forced to sit on the sidelines, or still are.
And then, if things couldn’t get any worse, the Gunners are now going to be without Gabriel Magalhães for up to two months, although Arteta might just have a surprising replacement in mind for the Brazilian.
Arsenal's record when Gabriel does not play
It’s no secret that, thanks to his impact in both penalty areas, Gabriel has become one of Arsenal’s most important players in recent years.
In fact, it’s this ability that led Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher to suggest he could “be seen as the most influential player in the Premier League” only last month.
However, how essential is the big Brazilian to Arteta’s side? While that’s a pretty tricky question to answer, a decent way of approaching it would be to look at how the team have fared when he’s not been in the side over the last two and a bit years.
Starting with the 23/24 season, then, and across all competitions that year, the former LOSC Lille star made 50 appearances, 48 of which were starts, in which he scored four goals, provided one assist and averaged 2.16 points per game.
There were only two matches in which he didn’t appear: a draw against Fulham and a win over Sheffield United, meaning the team averaged just 2 points per game without him.
However, a two-game sample size is rather paltry, unlike last season, when he was absent for 16 games, of which the club won just eight, drew five and lost three, meaning the Gunners averaged just 1.81 points per game without the Brazilian in the team.
How did they fare when he was playing? Well, across all competitions, the Sao Paulo-born titan made 42 appearances, in which he scored five goals, provided three assists and averaged 1.98 points per game.
Arsenal with & without Gabriel
23/24
With
Without
Games
50
2
Wins
34
1
Draws
6
1
Losses
10
0
Points per Game
2.16
2
24/25
With
Without
Games
42
16
Wins
24
8
Draws
11
5
Losses
7
3
Points per Game
1.98
1.81
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Therefore, while there is not a massive drop in points per game for Arsenal without Gabriel in the side, there is still a noticeable one, and with games against Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Chelsea coming up, that is a worry.
However, Arteta has more than enough replacements for his monster centre-back, including one who could come as a bit of a surprise.
Arsenal's surprise Gabriel replacement
The consensus among most Arsenal fans at the moment seems to be that either Riccardo Calafiori or Cristhian Mosquera would be the ideal replacements for Gabriel this weekend.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The former has been in fine form all season, and the latter has shown glimpses of real talent when he’s stepped in.
However, while either player would make total sense, another, more surprising option Arteta could go with is Ben White.
Yes, the former Brighton & Hove Albion man does feel like something of a forgotten man at the moment, and has spent most of his time at the club playing right-back, but the £50m signing could come in and do a job on Sunday.
After all, while he hasn’t played there consistently for some time – his last start in the middle was back in October 2024 – the Englishman was signed as a centre-back and spent the entirety of the 21/22 season playing there, and playing well.
In fact, the only reason he was moved to the right was because William Saliba was finally given a go, and Gabriel was not at all suited to playing at full-back.
Moreover, by playing the Poole-born ace there, Calafiori won’t have to vacate a position he has been incredible in all year, a young Mosquera won’t be thrown into one of the most tense games of the season, and the same could be said for Piero Hincapie.
Finally, and this is particularly pertinent for the game against Spurs, the 28-year-old is, in the words of journalist Charles Watts, a “master of the dark arts.”
In other words, he could be the perfect player to get under the skin of the Spurs players and either throw them off their game or even get them sent off.
Furthermore, he has a track record of making life particularly difficult for Guglielmo Vicario.
Ultimately, it would be a surprise and something of a risk, but even so, Arteta should look to start White at centre-back for Arsenal while Gabriel is out.
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The incredibly exciting prospect could be another Zubimendi for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.
Sunderland are believed to have contacted Real Madrid over the potential signing of one Spanish ace, as they look to seal an audacious piece of business.
It has been a dream start to life back in the Premier League for the Black Cats, with Regis Le Bris defying all expectations and silencing those who predicted them to be relegated straight back to the Championship this season.
New signings have excelled for Sunderland, helping them sit fourth in the table, but Le Bris will know that his side cannot afford to rest on their laurels, potentially even eyeing further new additions in the January transfer window.
They have been linked with plenty of players of late, with Barcelona star Fermin Lopez emerging as a stunning option, in a possible transfer record move to the Stadium of Light. Talks are believed to have opened regarding a mammoth £70m transfer.
It looks as though Lopez isn’t the only big-name target for Sunderland in La Liga, however, with another hugely gifted Spanish player now being mentioned as a target, too.
Sunderland make contact over Gonzalo Garcia signing
According to a report from Spain, Sunderland are in the mix to sign Gonzalo Garcia from Madrid, having made contact with the Spanish giants over a move to the Stadium of Light.
Fellow Premier League sides Aston Villa and Wolves are also mentioned in the update, with all three clubs willing to offer £17.6m for his services.
The fact that Garcia is a rumoured target for Sunderland sums up the incredible strides they have made under Le Bris, with the idea of signing a Real Madrid player unthinkable in the past.
The Black Cats are a genuinely enticing project currently, though, and the 21-year-old may well love the idea of a move there, having only managed one league start this season.
Garcia has scored five goals for Madrid, though, which is no mean feat in a team littered with world-class players, and scout Jacek Kulig has called him “incredible” in the recent past.
He has also represented Spain across three age groups, including the Under-21s, so there is so much for Sunderland to admire about him, not least the fact that most of his career is still ahead of him.
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Garcia’s versatility could also appeal to Le Bris, with the Spaniard a centre forward by trade, but also capable of excelling on either the left or right flank.
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India needed a big win to keep their World Cup campaign on track, and their captain delivered a blockbuster like old times
Shashank Kishore10-Oct-20242:59
‘The timing of Harmanpreet’s knock makes it special’
As the buzzer hooted to signal drinks during the India-Sri Lanka clash in Dubai, Harmanpreet Kaur, who had been slouching on her chair and gently massaging her neck, suddenly picked up two bats and galloped down the steps from the gallery to a wider space around the boundary edge.One bat tucked behind the other, Harmanpreet went through the full range of motions of the kind she would practice at the driving range, focusing on her neck position and movements while completing her swing. Once happy with where she was at, Harmanpreet quickly jogged back up and pulled up a chair next to coach Amol Muzumdar.The head coach had just returned after having a chat with openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma at the drinks interval. India had set themselves a strong base at 78 without loss; now it was time to inject momentum. After a quick chat with Muzumdar, Harmanpreet was ready to rumble having selected her weapon of destruction.Related
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When Mandhana rocked back to pull Chamari Athapaththu to the deep-square-leg fence in the 13th over to bring up her half-century, Harmanpreet was fully charged, slapping the bat with her gloves. And when Mandhana was run out in the 13th over, Harmanpreet pranced to the middle and took guard at No. 3.It’s a spot that had become such a massive talking point in the lead-up to this tournament – India have tried as many as five options since Muzumdar became coach in December 2023 – that she put her hand up and decided to embrace the challenge head-on. It was now time for her to walk the talk with almost everything on the line.India needed not just a win but a big one to steer clear of the net run rate conversations, at least momentarily. And the India captain served up a blockbuster, of the kind you knew she could play, but hadn’t as often as she would’ve liked.A part of the allure in watching Harmanpreet bat without scoreboard pressure is to see her induce fear in the bowlers. The quick trigger movement to off, where she sets herself to sweep, is followed by quickly getting into position with a crouched back knee that forms her base. The bat swing then comes into sync as she generates immense power. By now, the bat seems like a sledgehammer in her hands.The ability to sweep anywhere between the arc from fine leg to wide-ish long-on can often have the bowlers contend with a lot of pressure even before they have delivered the ball. And when she executed on Wednesday, it felt like the coming together of a proper rediscovery and not reinvention. She made this possibly by simply reverting to her “in the zone” avatar where anything in her arc simply gets swept or slogged.Harmanpreet Kaur’s 52 lifted India to 172•ICC via Getty ImagesIt can’t be denied that Harmanpreet has been a victim of her own lofty standards. Derby 2017 made us believe she can be a miracle woman who can conjure magic out of nothing. And when it didn’t come as often as Harmanpreet, and India, would’ve liked, it made you wonder if her best years were behind her.All said, Wednesday’s innings wasn’t flawless. She attempted to paddle her first two deliveries and quickly realised with the bowlers giving her little pace to work with, it was more prudent trying to force the pace herself. When she premeditated a sweep, she survived a close lbw shout with a thin edge saving her through UltraEdge.With five overs left, Harmanpreet was on 4 off 7, struggling for timing, not fully tuned to the pace and grip of the pitch that made it hard to score off spinners. And then a full toss from Sugandika Kumari unshackled her. As she stepped out to drill it over the infield, it was as if a weight had lifted off her shoulders; she has flicked on ‘in the zone’ mode.Two balls later, this couldn’t have been more evident when she unleashed her slog sweep for her first six. This shot truly got her into the elements, and because the bowlers weren’t sure if she would slog or sweep, they attempted to take pace off. Harmanpreet showed her full range by bringing out a powerful, fine paddle, reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar’s off Shane Warne from the rough outside leg.Harmanpreet should have been out in the 17th over when she hit a full toss straight to Inoka Ranaweera at cover. Had it been taken, it may have elicited chatter around how she flattered to deceive yet again. But like quality players do, she made Sri Lanka pay.On 22 off 16 at the time, she went on to make 30 off the next 11 balls, during which she made a mockery of the fields, boldly accepting the challenge of clearing mid-off, not once, but twice, with bullet-like straight hits with razor-sharp precision, fueled by forearm strength and immense bottom-handed power to raise her half-century.The knock laid the foundation for a massive win that India hope will have reinvigorated their T20 World Cup campaign. Everything about her innings from that dropped chance rolled back time to memories from over a decade ago, when she first made the world sit up and take note with a seminal century in a World Cup game against England at Brabourne Stadium, long before playing that epochal knock against Australia.It may have only been a half-century, but in it was a Harmanpreet classic of old, where she was energised, outrightly dominant and in the zone.