It's been an interesting summer for Arsenal so far this year, as with some impressive preseason wins against the likes of Manchester United, Lyon and Bayer Leverkusen, there is much to be cheerful and hopeful about heading into a campaign with so much on the line.

However, as things stand, the only signing made that has changed the first team remains Riccardo Calafiori, and while he looks to be a quality addition, it doesn't feel enough in the face of the unstoppable Manchester City.

Moreover, while the club managed to get an impressive fee for Emile Smith Rowe earlier in the window, they have struggled to sell several other players who, if they stay, are set to remain on the periphery this year.

One of those players is Eddie Nketiah, and while he's a good striker, the Gunners have already been linked with another centre-forward this summer who'd be an ideal upgrade.

The latest on Eddie Nketiah

Nketiah only made 37 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions last season, amounting to 1393 minutes, and so it was always quite clear that the plan this summer was going to be to sell him.

It appeared that would happen late last month when French giants Marseille made a concerted effort to bring him to the French Riviera, although the potential fee was a significant sticking point for both teams.

The Gunners demanded a fee of up to €30m, which is about £26m, while the Ligue 1 side wanted to pay closer to €20m, which is just £17m.

It looked like a deal had been reached late last week for a loan with an obligation to buy closer to Arsenal's valuation. However, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed yesterday afternoon that the deal was dead.

This situation suits neither the player nor the club, but Arteta and Co could still bring in a dream replacement for the Englishman this summer, which may see him banished from the squad altogether.

Why Jonathan David could banish Nketiah from the team

Yes, the player in question is LOSC Lille ace Jonathan David, who was touted for a move to the Emirates earlier this summer, and for a fee as low as £20m.

This reasonable fee, primarily due to his contract expiring next summer, is one of the key reasons that the Gunners could still sign him despite missing out on the money that the sale Nketiah would've brought in, which could be bad news for the Englishman.

The Canadian international would be an instant upgrade on the North Londoners' number 14, and his output over the last four years is a testament to that.

Appearances

48

48

40

47

Goals

13

19

26

26

Assists

5

0

4

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.37

0.39

0.75

0.74

For example, since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, the Brooklyn-born marksman, whom journalist Tony Marinaro described as "one of the best strikers in the world," has scored 84 goals and provided 18 assists in 183 appearances. This means he's averaged a goal involvement every 1.79 games – a level of consistency that should excite fans.

In this same period, the striker he could replace in Arteta's squad has scored 31 goals and provided seven assists in 132 appearances, which equates to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every 3.47 games.

Appearances

29

27

39

37

Goals

6

10

9

6

Assists

1

1

2

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.24

0.40

0.28

0.24

Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and the Europa League, the 54-capped international sits in the top 14% of strikers for non-penalty expected goals and actual non-penalty goals, suggesting he's excellent at getting himself into goalscoring positions and just as good at finishing them off.

Ultimately, if failing to sell Nketiah impacts Arsenal's plans to sign more expensive targets this summer, bringing David to replace him in the squad wouldn't be a bad idea. In fact, even if he is sold, the Canadian's impressive goal record would make him a brilliant addition to Arteta's squad.

He'd revive Martinelli: Arsenal in the race to sign world-class £109m star

The incredible goal scorer would be a game-changer for the Gunners.

6 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 12, 2024

The Punjab Kings innings never really took off after they were asked to bat first in Ahmedabad

Hemant Brar26-Apr-20214:55

Chopra: Kings lacked intent at the start and kept losing wickets

Eoin Morgan’s 47 not out off 40 balls steered the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory with five wickets and 20 balls to spare after his bowlers restricted the Punjab Kings to 123 for 9 in the first game of IPL 2021 in Ahmedabad.It wasn’t a smooth ride though. At one stage, the Knight Riders were 17 for 3 but a 66-run stand between Morgan and Rahul Tripathi shut the door on the Kings. During his innings, Morgan also completed 7000 runs in T20 cricket and helped his side climb from the bottom of the points table to the fifth spot.Eoin Morgan believes IPL can go on

With India experiencing a significant second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan was posed a question at the post-match press conference about whether he thinks the IPL should go on. He responded: “When we came out of our first lockdown period, I remember the first sport was probably in New Zealand and then in Australia, the rugby union and the rugby league. Then slowly the Bundesliga started and the premier league started and that almost displayed you can play a sport when the country is almost in full lockdown. So if there is a template to make that happen, it has happened but also as long as it doesn’t disturb what’s happening in the public eye.”

Earlier, the Kings innings never really took off after they were asked to bat first. The Knight Riders’ seamers restricted them to 37 for 1 in the powerplay and 56 for 3 after ten overs.Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy then proved too good for the Kings’ middle order. Despite the dew setting in the second half of the innings, the spin duo finished with combined figures of 3 for 46 from eight overs. A cameo from Chris Jordan proved too little, too late.Knight Riders seamers strike at top
The Ahmedabad pitches were conducive to seamers during the recent India-England T20I series, and it was no different on Monday.Shivam Mavi, bowling at a brisk pace, hit the good length consistently and kept the scoring rate down. KL Rahul tried to cut loose against Pat Cummins. He managed a six over third man but fell on the very next ball while going for another big shot, giving Cummins his first powerplay wicket in the tournament.From the other end, Mavi dismissed Chris Gayle for a first-ball duck. Pushing away from his body, Gayle ended up bottom-edging to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps.Mavi was done by the seventh over, finishing with figures of 4-0-13-1, but there was no relief for the Kings. In the next over, Prasidh Krishna removed Deepak Hooda for 1, Morgan holding on to a low catch at backward point to leave the Kings 42 for 3.Eoin Morgan steered his side to victory•BCCI/IPL

Narine, Chakravarthy’s mystery engulfs middle order
After three wickets in 13 balls, the onus was on Mayank Agarwal to bail the Kings out. He launched Krishna for a six over deep midwicket to take the side past 50 in the tenth over. In order to push the run rate, Agarwal tried to take on Narine too but Tripathi’s tumbling catch sent him back for a 34-ball 31.Soon after, Narine bowled Moises Henriques through the gate to make it 75 for 5.Nicholas Pooran had three ducks in four innings coming into this match. Here he hit Chakravarthy for a six and a four on successive balls but the spinner had the last laugh when he uprooted Pooran’s off stump as the batter failed to connect a slog.It was only because of Jordan’s 18-ball 30, which included three sixes and a four, that the Kings could cross 120.Knight Riders stutter at the start
Given the small target, the Knight Riders’ openers had the opportunity to get their eye in and find some form. They failed to made use of that though. Nitish Rana got a full toss from Henriques in the first over that he hit straight to short extra cover. In the next over, Shubman Gill ended up playing across the line to Mohammed Shami and was lbw for 9.Narine was peppered with the short ball right from the start. He managed to connect one well against Arshdeep Singh but Ravi Bishnoi sprinted to his right from deep midwicket before putting in the dive to complete a stunning catch. Suddenly, it looked like the Kings could pull off a surprise.Morgan, Tripathi dash Kings’ hopes
Morgan and Tripathi had other plans. The two didn’t hesitate coming down the pitch to fast bowlers and found boundaries regularly to keep the Kings on the back foot. That Bishnoi let a couple of fours slip in the field didn’t help either. The Knight Riders’ finished the powerplay on 42 for 3.The flow of runs didn’t stop even after the field restrictions were lifted. Jordan’s first over, the eighth over of the innings, went for 13. Hooda finally broke the stand when Tripathi holed out to long-on for a 32-ball 41. Andre Russell tried to smash almost every ball he faced but found either an under edge or a fielder. He was run-out for 10 off nine balls but by then the Knight Riders needed just 24 from 35 balls. Morgan and Dinesh Karthik hit a flurry of boundaries to take knock them off.

Hollywood megastar Channing Tatum has donned Wrexham gear as he prepares to attend the club's clash with Cambridge United.

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Tatum reveals he is in WalesSet to watch Wrexham playStarred with Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & WolverineFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

On Instagram, Tatum uploaded a picture to his story revealing that he is in Wales, as he donned a Wrexham snood. Having attended a local pub with Reynolds on Friday night, he is now poised to attend as the Welsh club face Cambridge United at the StoK Cae Ras on Saturday.

AdvertisementWHAT TATUM SAID

Tatum wrote: "And just like that I'm in Wales bout to see a Wrexham match! Let's goooo."

@channingtatum InstagramTHE GOSSIP

Tatum has been in multiple films with Reynolds, starring with him in Free Guy in 2021, making a cameo in Bullet Train in 2022, and also featuring in this year's biggest summer blockbuster, Deadpool & Wolverine. He is also poised to star alongside him in an upcoming buddy cop movie titled Calamity Hustle.

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Wrexham are currently second in League One, level on points with leaders Wycombe Wanderers having played one game more. Cambridge are 22nd.

“You’re literally going to the ground and coming back to the room, and you don’t have a space where you can just disconnect from the game”

Varun Shetty02-Jun-20214:53

Kohli: Mental health a huge factor that shouldn’t be neglected

Virat Kohli believes that mental health management will become “a norm of the future” alongside the physical workload management that is already prevalent in cricket. The India captain said he doesn’t want a situation where his players fall away for a lack of space to express their issues.The resumption of cricket, after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, starting with the English summer last year, has come with additional mental stress, especially for touring players. As the team that – alongside England – has played the most amount of cricket during this period, while also having the additional load of the IPL, India’s top cricketers have had to deal with the challenge of going from one biosecure bubble to another with little break in between. Now they are scheduled to play the World Test Championship final and a five-match Test series in England, followed by the remainder of IPL 2021 and the T20 World Cup in the next four months. All that apart from the second-string team that will be playing in Sri Lanka through July.”The kind of structure we’re competing inside, for a long period of time it’s difficult for players to stay motivated and find the right kind of mental space in one area and just do this stuff day in and day out, and [then] dealing with high-pressure situations,” Kohli said. “So this will definitely become a norm of the future, where apart from the workloads, the mental health side of things will also come into the picture big time.”You don’t have an outlet at all in today’s day and age. You’re literally going to the ground and coming back to the room, and you don’t have a space where you can just disconnect from the game and go out for a walk or a meal and a coffee and say, ‘Let me refresh myself. Let me just get away from the game a little bit.’ I think this is a huge factor, which should not be neglected. Because as much hard work as we’ve done to create this team, you don’t want players falling out because of mental pressures and not having the capacity or space to express themselves.”Kohli has often endorsed this view on mental health. Using his own mental troubles on the 2014 England tour as an example, he has spoken of a “strong need” for professional help in Indian cricket. As things stand, there has been no official move in that regard on the part of the BCCI but seated alongside India coach Ravi Shastri, Kohli said he believed it could become a priority.”And you’ll see it during the Test series,” Shastri said. “I’m not talking of the WTC, but if you add that as well – when you have to play five Test matches in this environment, in six weeks, it’s no joke. Even the fittest will need a break. More than the physical part, it’s the mental part. You can be destroyed mentally, being asked to do the same things day in, day out, and then go out and perform. And it’s not easy to recover, especially if you’ve had a bad day. So it’s important that you shuffle the guys around, and keep them mentally fresh. It’s not the physical part. You keep them mentally fresh – because of the circumstances.”Coincidentally, the structure of the England tour will allow Kohli and Co some time off•Getty ImagesCoincidentally, the structure of this tour will allow India players time off and perhaps a lot more freedom of movement than the confines of the recently suspended IPL. While India was in the middle of an aggressive second wave when the tournament was called off, England recently recorded its first day without a Covid-related death in over a year, and vaccination has hit a steady pace. The WTC final ends on June 22, and the England series won’t begin until August 4.Kohli welcomed this break and said it wouldn’t affect any momentum they could pick up from the WTC final. The lack of cricket in the interim is not something they’re fazed by, he said, adding that preparation is “all in the head” if you’ve played in the conditions before, like most of the Indian team has – either at senior level or for India A.”I think it’s a great opportunity to refresh, restructure,” Kohli said. “Hopefully, if things are okay out in England, we would have finished our quarantine periods – [would be nice] just for the guys to be normal for a few days and just disconnect again, understanding the pressure of a five-match series. Like in Australia, if we had to compete inside a [biosecure] bubble for that long a period of time, the whole tour would have been very tough.”The fact that we had a little bit of freedom to go out and access the kind of things that the locals were, gave us a bit of space and time to reset and refresh. So I think it’s absolutely fine. It’ll give us time to regroup as a side and prepare again for a long series. That kind of setup is very important before you go into a lengthy series. We know that playing five Tests in England can be very challenging and daunting. So we want to have the most time before that series to set up for that series and be in the zone.”

أصدر السويسري مارسيل كولر، المدير الفني للنادي الأهلي، بيانًا رسميًا  لتوضيح الجدل الذي أثير مؤخرًا حول تصريحاته في مقابلة إعلامية، والتي قال إنها تعرضت لترجمة غير دقيقة، مما أدى إلى سوء فهمها وإثارة نقاش واسع بين الجماهير. 

وأكد كولر في بيانه عبر حسابه على موقع فيس بوك، أنه يكن احترامًا كبيرًا للإسلام ومعتقدات لاعبيه والجماهير المصرية، مشددًا على أن حديثه عن جدول التدريبات كان يتعلق فقط بالجوانب التنظيمية، دون أي نية للتقليل من أهمية الممارسات الدينية.

وكان كولر قد أدلى بتصريحات جاء بها: “ليس كل شيء منظمًا كما هو الحال في أوروبا، وأحيانًا يجب أن تتصرف وفقًا للحدس، على سبيل المثال، يتعلق الأمر بالدين، حيث يتعين على اللاعبين أداء الصلاة خمس مرات يوميًا، مما يؤثر بطبيعة الحال على مواعيد التدريبات”.

طالع | كولر: اللاعبون في مصر أكثر أنانية.. وشراء قميص مرموش أمر صعب على الجماهير

كما أوضح أن ما قاله بخصوص الجماهير لم يكن انتقادًا، بل كان إشارة إلى أن بعض المشجعين لديهم أولويات مالية قد تمنعهم من حضور المباريات أو شراء التذاكر، لكنه يقدر شغفهم الكبير بالنادي.

وأشار المدرب السويسري إلى أنه فخور بتدريب الأهلي، ويحرص على العمل بجد مع فريقه لتحقيق النجاحات، مؤكدًا أنه لم يكن يرغب في أن يُساء تفسير كلماته بأي شكل من الأشكال، واختتم بيانه بتوجيه الشكر لجماهير الأهلي على دعمهم المستمر للفريق. بيان مارسيل كولر

بيان حول الترجمة الخاطئة لمقابلتي

في الأيام الأخيرة، كان هناك نقاش حول مقابلة أجريتها والتي للأسف لم تُترجم بشكل صحيح، مما أدى إلى بعض التفسيرات الخاطئة لتصريحاتي. أود توضيح ما يلي:

حترام الدين: لدي أقصى درجات الاحترام للإيمان الإسلامي للاعبي فريقي ولكل الشعب المصري. كان تعليقي حول جدول التدريبات متعلقًا فقط بالتخطيط التنظيمي ولم يكن بأي حال من الأحوال حُكمًا على الممارسات الدينية.

جماهير الأهلي والوضع الاقتصادي: أنا معجب بشدة بالشغف والدعم المذهلين اللذين يقدمهما مشجعو الأهلي لناديهم. كان هدفي من التصريح فقط تسليط الضوء على أن بعض الأشخاص قد تكون لديهم أولويات مالية – لكن هذا لا يقلل بأي شكل من الأشكال من حبهم للنادي الأهلي أو لكرة القدم.

من المهم بالنسبة لي أن لا يُساء فهم كلماتي. أنا فخور بكوني جزءًا من هذا النادي العظيم وسأواصل العمل بجد مع لاعبي فريقي.

شكرًا لكم على دعمكم!

Arsenal have agreed a deadline day deal to sign a £50,000-per-week player for manager Mikel Arteta, and he is set to travel for a medical so he can finalise his move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal set for busy deadline day in late window flurry

The Gunners are set for a busy 11 hours of the summer window, with some reports claiming that Arsenal are looking at last minute opportunities to bring in a new winger who can compete with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Arsenal hold talks with £60 million striker as Edu plots deadline day bid

The north Londoners could be active today.

3 ByEmilio Galantini Aug 30, 2024

This potential outfielder would follow Mikel Merino to north London after the Spaniard sealed his £32 million switch to Arsenal at long last following weeks of speculation and talks over his future in La Liga.

Merino is a fine addition to Arsenal's squad, given he scored eight goals and registered five assists in 45 appearances for Sociedad last season, and sporting director Edu Gaspar expressed his delight at the 28-year-old's arrival earlier this week.

“We are so happy to have completed the transfer of Mikel Merino," said Edu to Arsenal's official website.

Appearances

247

Goals

27

Assists

30

Yellow cards

56

Red cards

2

Minutes played

19,449

via Transfermarkt

"This has been another great team effort from many people at the club to finalise the transfer of a player who attracted interest from a number of clubs over the summer.

“Mikel was a key target for us this summer, and we identified him as a player who can fit perfectly into our squad and profile to improve us, as we aim to build on our strong performances of last season. With Mikel’s arrival, he brings us an added high quality of experience, physicality and athleticism as we look forward to this season ahead. We welcome Mikel and his family to the club, and look forward to seeing him play in the Arsenal shirt.”

There is also the matter of replacing Aaron Ramsdale after his £25 million move to Southampton, with Arteta in need of a new second-choice keeper who can provide strength in depth behind David Raya.

Arsenal had approached Espanyol over a deal for Joan Garcia, submitting a bid, but the Spaniard's want his full £25 million release clause paid if he is to leave this late in the window (Fabrizio Romano).

Arsenal agree deadline day deal to sign Neto from Bournemouth

Now, it appears Edu and co have landed on an alternative to Garcia.

Indeed, after opening talks with Bournemouth, Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam has shared that Arsenal have agreed a season-long loan deal to sign Neto – who will travel to the English capital for his medical and to finalise the move.

The £50,000-per-week ace joined Bournemouth on a free transfer in 2022, going on to make 63 appearances for the Cherries in all competitions.

Hosts reel in target as Lancashire manage only one wicket on third day for first defeat of season

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2021

Marnus Labuschagne reached fifty to help Glamorgan over the line•PA Images via Getty Images

Lancashire suffered their first defeat of the 2021 LV=Insurance County Championship season as Glamorgan wrapped up a six-wicket victory on the third morning in Cardiff.While wickets had tumbled on the first two days of this match just one fell on the third as an undefeated fifty from Marnus Labuschagne guided Glamorgan to what ended up being a straightforward win.Despite this loss, Lancashire remain top of Group 3 but Yorkshire have the chance to close that gap in their ongoing game against Sussex. Meanwhile, the win takes Glamorgan to 99 points to move above Northamptonshire into third place, albeit temporarily.Kiran Carlson was the only wicket to fall when he attempted a pull shot off Luke Wood that he top edged high in the air. Any number of fielders could have claimed the catch but it was Dane Vilas who took the chance.Having struggled in his first four matches of this season, Labuschagne finished on 63 not out. Having made 44 in the first innings he was the highest-scoring batsman in the match and Glamorgan will be pleased to see their high-profile overseas player finding form.At the close on the second day, Alex Davies, the Lancashire opener, had branded the pitch as “substandard” after 15 wickets fell for the day and 19 on the first.It wasn’t easy going for Glamorgan in the opening overs of the third day. The Lancashire bowlers regularly found the edge of the bat but with such a small total to defend there was rarely a catching fielder to take advantage and when there was the ball didn’t carry.Lancashire continued to search for wickets, even trying Tom Bailey’s off-spin in the hope finding a breakthrough which would not come. Labuschagne hit the winning runs as Glamorgan needed just 68 minutes to knock off the required target on the third day.”This morning it was key for us not to lose back-to-back wickets,” Labuschagne said. “Losing one was alright, but we needed to make sure that we consolidated and built a partnership. We were only two 20-to-30-run partnerships away from winning.”We felt like we probably underperformed in that first innings, we had a few soft dismissals and I think on the back of that they just got back-to-back wickets and I felt like we probably should have got around 200.”But to do it the fourth innings when the ball has gone reverse, which is exciting to play against because it is something we don’t get much of in Australia in domestic cricket, to get through that period and to build a partnership [worth 42] with Chris Cooke to get to the end was very satisfying.”Glen Chapple, Lancashire head coach, described the game as “difficult”.”We lost the toss which meant for a difficult first session, I think that had a bearing on the game, it was a tough toss to lose,” Chapple said. “The pitch was difficult to play on. It was difficult for the batsman to get in on and ultimately we have come up short.”From our perspective we move on now. We’ve had a really good start to the year. Glamorgan are a good side, they have made two fantastic overseas signings which has really strengthened them and they are difficult side to play against. So they take the credit for this and they take the win.”We know we could do things differently but that’s experience. We don’t often play on difficult pitches like this at Old Trafford so it is one of those challenges.”

Conditions at the T20 World Cup in the UAE will be similar to what South Africa experienced in Grenada, according to coach Mark Boucher, who expects the tournament to be tough for batters but successful for spinners. Although it was always expected that the event, initially scheduled to be played in India but moved to the Emirates because of Covid-19 concerns, would present unfamiliar and challenging territory to South Africa, their 3-2 series-win in the West Indies has showed them what they need to do to be competitive.Related

• BCCI confirms 2021 T20 World Cup switch to UAE

• 'West Indies success is the spark to reignite South Africa'

• Markram, Mulder star in South Africa's series win

“We are probably going to be playing in conditions like this in the UAE. The wickets after the IPL are going to be a bit dry. It’s not the same as we’re used to back in South Africa where you can go out and bash your way to 180 to 200 runs. You’ve got to be skillful here; you’ve got to be smart,” Boucher said.Scores at St George’s were between 160 and 170 for each of the five T20Is, and the team batting first won four of them. Run-scoring became noticeably more difficult as the day went on, and even as each innings developed as a result of a softer ball on a drier pitch and heavier outfield, and thanks to bowlers who were able to take pace off the ball. Obed McCoy, Dwayne Bravo and Fabian Allen kept South Africa’s finishers to under seven runs an over in the last five overs across the series, while Tabraiz Shamsi and George Linde frustrated West Indies’ middle-order. Boucher expects that trend to continue into the T20 World Cup.”If anything, it’s going to go even further into subcontinent conditions, on the extreme side. They are playing the IPL there, there’s not a lot of grounds and those wickets are going to be worn so scores will probably go even further down,” he said. “It’s going to be tough to bat on especially at the back end, like we saw here. We will have an idea of what scores are going to be by watching the IPL and then taking a look and assess how the wickets are playing during the beginning part of the World Cup. I suspect spinners will play a massive role.”That could mean South Africa approach the T20 World Cup with a team that looks more like the one that won the final match – which had five specialist batters, two allrounders, two quicks and two specialist spinners – than the one that won the second, which had only five bowling options and one allrounder. Whichever option they go for, Boucher recognised that they need to get the lower middle-order firing even if they won’t be able to score at the same rate as they do at home.David Miller, in particular, is out of form and scored just 52 runs in five innings. Though Boucher did not single him out, he indicated that he hopes the upcoming contest against Ireland will help to get Miller, and others, back to their best. “There are a couple of guys out of form but if you are winning series against a strong team with a couple of guys out of form, you must be doing something right,” Boucher said. “We need to get some guys in form. Maybe there is an opportunity for us to get those guys in form so we can finish off innings better.”If South Africa can get that right, Boucher sees them being able to post slightly higher totals, which could be the key to success in the UAE. “If we can get all the guys firing on all cylinders, we’ve got an idea of what could be our strongest line-up and once that happens, then you end up finding an extra 15-20 runs which, in these conditions it becomes a very difficult total to face, especially when it’s so dry,” he said.On the other hand, Boucher was largely satisfied with the way South Africa’s attack adapted to the conditions and with new captain Temba Bavuma’s use of his bowlers. “We’ve got to get guys playing a lot smarter and we saw that in our bowling,” he said. “Our bowling throughout the whole series was fantastic and Temba has had a fantastic series managing the bowlers apart from one or two gambles that didn’t pay off.”One that immediately comes to mind was using Aiden Markram to open the bowling in the fourth T20I for an over that cost 20 runs, but apart from that, Bavuma managed his attack well in mostly one-over spells throughout the series. He also inspired a revival in South Africa’s fielding, where standards had slipped in the last few months.Still, South Africa’s series win was not what they may call a complete performance. There are still strategic questions for them to answer, especially if they are going to commit to an XI which could include as many as three frontline spinners. That would be a big, but ultimately necessary, departure from the norm for South Africa and this tour of West Indies showed them they can do it, successfully.

As the transfer window approaches the deadline, Manchester United are still looking to round off an excellent summer and have reportedly tabled an offer worth over £40m to sign a Europa League winner.

Man Utd transfer news

Welcoming Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, the Red Devils, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Dan Ashworth have so far enjoyed a solid transfer window, bolstering Erik ten Hag's backline and offensive options. Those at Old Trafford were instantly rewarded for their business on the opening day of their Premier League campaign too, when Zirkzee scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Fulham.

Yet, even after welcoming such reinforcements, Manchester United remain without a potential long-term replacement for Casemiro, who struggled to keep up with the pace of the Premier League last season.

Of course, the main name mentioned on that front has been Manuel Ugarte. The Red Devils are reportedly advancing with talks to sign the midfielder, having already agreed personal terms. But whilst they remain without an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain, those at Old Trafford have reportedly explored another option.

According to reports, which have been relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester United submitted an offer worth €50m (£43m) to sign Ederson from Atalanta after talks, however, the Serie A side instantly turned the bid down.

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The offer came Atalanta's way during a meeting with Manchester United chiefs in Italy, which was initially meant to be about sorting paperwork regarding Rasmus Hoijlund's move to Old Trafford last summer before the subject and subsequent bid for Ederson was reportedly brought up.

A recent Europa League winner, the Brazilian could certainly solve Ten Hag's Casemiro problem, but as things stand, he remains an Atalanta player.

"Machine" Ederson is arguably better than Casemiro and Ugarte

If Manchester United saw their chase to sign Ugarte fall apart and leave them with no choice but to go all out for Ederson, then it could arguably be a blessing in disguise. The Brazilian played a pivotal part in Atalanta's Europa League campaign, including in impressive victories over Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, as the Italians became the only side to defeat Xabi Alonso's side last season.

Progressive Carries

32

16

12

Progressive Passes

214

87

112

Tackles Won

49

57

56

Ball Recoveries

188

181

133

What instantly stands out is Ederson's ability to progress play, with an impressive 214 progressive passes to his name last season, over 100 more than both Ugarte and Casemiro managed. As United look to step on the front foot every week, that ability would quickly prove to be vital.

Dubbed a "machine" by Football Transfers' Carlo Garganese following his display against Leverkusen in the Europa League final, Ederson could slot straight into Ten Hag's side. Alas, with just over a week left until the transfer window slams shut for the summer, he is currently on course to remain an Atalanta player.

England batter doubtful for Sri Lanka T20Is after leaving ground in moon boot with coach fearing ligament damage

George Dobell16-Jun-2021The saying used to be ‘beware a limping Gordon Greenidge’, but on this evidence, it should be updated to warn about the dangers of a lame Jonny Bairstow.When Bairstow collapsed with a scream of pain in completing his 56th run, it seemed for all the world as if his evening was over. But, after a delay of around 10 minutes for treatment on his right ankle, he was able to continue with Adam Lyth as his runner.That was a surprise. Not only had Bairstow’s original collapse looked ominous, but he is expected to report for England duty at the weekend. Fitness permitting, he would be certain to play in the first T20I against Sri Lanka a week today.He was subsequently unable to keep wicket with the gloves instead taken by Tom Kohler-Cadmore. Bairstow is due to undergo a scan which will reveal if he is likely to be fit next week but the fact that he left the ground in a moon boot was not especially promising. “His ankle has blown up,” Andrew Gale, Yorkshire’s coach, said. “Hopefully it’s not ligament damage.”But the injury didn’t appear to inhibit Bairstow’s strokemaking. After the injury, he struck 56 more runs from his next 17 deliveries, reaching his third T20 century (two for Yorkshire and one for Sunrisers Hyderabad) from 48 balls. His stand of 146 in 12 overs with Kohler-Cadmore was Yorkshire’s second highest stand in the history of T20 cricket.It sustained Bairstow’s outstanding form in the Vitality Blast season. He has top-scored in all four of the games in which he has played, is the top-scorer in the competition, and looks in the finest of form. He is currently averaging 73.75 in the Blast this season at a strike-rate of 175.59.

Jonny Bairstow was in the mood – 112 off 51 balls against Worcestershire! #Blast21 pic.twitter.com/fTKj90a480

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 16, 2021