ScorecardFor the second time in his career, Marcus Harris scored a century in a Sheffield Shield final•Getty Images
Openers Marcus Harris and Travis Dean gave Victoria the perfect start in their push to complete a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles, setting up a strong first day with the bat for the Bushrangers. Harris scored his second century of the Shield season and Dean fell just short of doing the same, but their 224-run opening stand put Victoria on the path to a hefty total against South Australia.At stumps on the first day in Alice Springs, Victoria had moved along to 3 for 322, with Rob Quiney on 44 and Cameron White on 7. It brought an end to a tough day in the field for the Redbacks, who are searching for their first Shield title in more than two decades. However, they had brought some of the misery on themselves through a lacklustre fielding display, with both Harris and Dean given lives.Harris was first dropped on 54 when he edged Joe Mennie to first slip, where Daniel Worrall put down a sitter; Harris had another let-off on 59 when a drive off Chadd Sayers skewed to backward point, where Jake Lehmann dropped a harder opportunity. In between those two misses, Callum Ferguson at gully also grassed a chance to give Dean a reprieve.South Australia also missed a couple of run-out opportunities, and the Victorians made the Redbacks pay for their sloppy work, raising the second-highest opening stand of this Sheffield Shield summer. Harris brought up his hundred and in his first season for Victoria continued to build his reputation as a big-game player: in the 2014-15 final he had made 81 and 158* for Western Australia to be Man of the Match.The partnership ended only when Dean was bowled by a well-flighted delivery from Adam Zampa for 94, and Harris fell in the next over for 120 when he drove at Sayers and was caught by Mennie at gully, but Rob Quiney and Aaron Finch continued to frustrate the Redbacks with a 72-run stand that came to an end when Finch was lbw to Sayers for 38. But at stumps, Victoria remained firmly in control of the contest.
اعترف الدولي البرازيلي ريتشارليسون، مهاجم فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي توتنهام الإنجليزي، أنه لجأ إلى طبيب نفسي للتغلب على أفكاره المظلمة بعد مونديال 2022.
ريتشارليسون سجل ثلاثة أهداف مع البرازيل في مونديال قطر 2022، من بينها هدفه الأفضل في البطولة بمقصية رائعة ضد صربيا، لكنه لم يكن كافيًا لبلوغ نصف النهائي، بعد الخروج بركلات الترجيح أمام كرواتيا.
طالع أيضًا.. بوستيكوجلو يصدم جمهور توتنهام بخبر سيء عن ريتشارليسون
وكشف اللاعب صاحب الـ26 عامًا، أنه كان يعاني من الاكتئاب بعد أن انهار كل شيء حسب وصفه، مع خروج السيليساو من المونديال أمام كرواتيا.
وفي تصريحات لشبكة “ESPN” البرازيلية، قال ريتشارليسون: “لقد لعبت بطولة كأس العالم وكنت في ذروة مستواي، وصلت إلى الحد الأقصى، لكنني وصلت بعدها لحالة اكتئاب كبيرة”.
وأضاف: “لا أعرف ماذا حدث، لن أتحدث عن قتل نفسي، لكنني كنت في حالة اكتئاب وأردت الاستسلام وأخبرت والدي بذلك، رغم أنني أظهر للبعض قوي ذهنيًا، لكن بعد كأس العالم، بدا الأمر وكأن كل شيء قد انهار”.
وأكمل: “أعتقد أن الطبيب النفسي، سواء شئنا ام أبينا، أنقذني وأنقذ حياتي، لم أفكر إلا في الهراء، بحثت على جوجل عن هذا الهراء، أردت رؤية أي شيء عن الموت، وكنت أفكر في الانتحار”.
تأثر ريتشارليسون بعد ذلك بالفعل بعد بطولة كأس العالم مع توتنهام، رغم انضمامه من إيفرتون مقابل 60 مليون جنيه إسترليني، لكنه سجل هدفًا واحدًا فقط طوال الموسم، وبدا أنه يفتقر إلى اللياقة البدنية، قبل أن يعلن أنه يتعالج نفسيًا.
وواصل: “الطبيب النفسي أنقذني من الانتحار، عندما ذهبت له كنت أفكر في الانتحار، ولكن مع الوقت تمكنت من التغلب على الصعوبات التي واجهتها”.
ريتشارليسون هذا الموسم سجل 10 أهداف في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وحصل على دعم كبير من المشجعين وهو يبكي على مقاعد البدلاء بعد استبداله خلال فوز البرازيل على بوليفيا 5-1.
واستكمل: “اليوم جاء طبيبي النفسي ليشكرني على نقل هذا إلى عالم كرة القدم، سواء أحببنا الفكرة أم لا، فهو ينقذ الأرواح حقًا، في عائلتي يرون أن أي شخص يذهب لطبيب نفسي فهو مجنون”.
واختتم: “اكتشفت بعد ذلك أن العلاج عند طبيب نفسي كان أفضل شيء فعلته في حياتي، اليوم أستطيع أن أقول إن الطبيب النفسي هو صديق جيد، وعلى الجميع أن يبحث عنه”.
An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their attempts to bolster their attacking options ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…
What's the latest on Abdallah Sima to Rangers?
According to the Scottish edition of the Daily Mail, Michael Beale is closing in on a deal to sign winger Abdallah Sima on loan.
The report claims that the Scottish giants are currently leading the race to secure the Brighton youngster's services on a temporary basis for next season and that the switch could be wrapped up in the coming week.
It states that Feyenoord's Danilo and Beni Traore of Hacken are alternative options that the Gers could turn if a swoop falls through at the last hour.
Where would Abdallah Sima fit in at Rangers?
Sima, who was once described as a "complete" player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has spent the majority of his club career as a right winger, meaning that his arrival would spell bad news for Scott Wright at Ibrox, who could now be on his way out of the club.
Since making the move to Rangers from Aberdeen in 2021, the 25-year-old has failed to nail down a regular place in the team and has been unable to make a significant impact in the final third.
Rangers forward Scott Wright.
Wright played 23 Premiership matches, including five starts, in 22/23 and contributed with one assist and zero goals, whilst the dud also featured in four Champions League games without being directly involved in a single goal.
His dreadful form came after the Scottish winger scored four goals and provided one assist in 19 league outings for the Light Blues in the previous campaign, which shows that he has offered very little in the final third over the last two years in Glasgow.
Sima, on the other hand, is coming off the back of five goals and two assists in 19 Ligue 1 starts on loan at Angers in 22/23 and previously showcased his attacking quality with Slavia Prague before his move to Brighton.
The £8.5k-per-week earner plundered 16 goals and seven assists in 38 outings for the Czech side, which included four goals in ten Europa League clashes in 20/21.
These numbers suggest that Sima, who the aforementioned Kulig once hailed as a "fantastic prospect", has the potential to offer far more than Wright at the top end of the pitch.
The current Gers forward has been touted with an exit this summer and the arrival of the 22-year-old from Brighton could be the final nail in the coffin for the ex-Dons dynamo.
Aston Villa could use the upcoming summer transfer to improve their squad as they prepare for European football in the 2023/24 campaign.
Unai Emery led the club to Europa Conference League football by finishing seventh in the Premier League and the Spaniard will now need to add more quality to his team in the coming months.
One player who could be moved on from in order to make way for new signings is Burkina Faso international Bertrand Traore, who returned to Villa in January after a spell on loan at Istanbul Basaksehir.
The £63k-per-week forward only made eight appearances and started one game in the Premier League in the second half of the campaign, suggesting that Emery does not value him as a key member of the team.
Who could replace Bertrand Traore at Aston Villa?
Villa's head coach could ruthlessly ditch the 27-year-old winger by signing another left-footed wizard who plays out wide in English talent Jack Harrison.
talkSPORT recently reported that Villa and West Ham United are among the clubs interested in a deal to sign the Leeds United attacker.
The report claimed that he has a relegation release clause in his contract with the Yorkshire-based side, although it remains to be seen how much the £90k-per-week gem would cost exactly, and that a team could snap him up for a 'cut-price' fee.
Harrison's form in the Premier League in recent seasons suggests that the former New York City ace could be an excellent pick-up for the Villans and an upgrade on Traore.
The ex-Manchester City man plundered five goals and seven assists in 37 top-flight appearances in 22/23 in a struggling Whites team, who were eventually relegated from the division.
That came after the magician conjured 16 goals and created 13 'big chances' for his teammates in his first two years in the Premier League combined.
Former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch once heaped praise on the attacker's style of play, saying: "He can run all day, he is explosive, he's effective in 1-v-1s, he's dangerous, he's smart."
This comment from the American coach is backed up by Harrison's excellent aforementioned statistics as the Englishman has proven himself capable of providing a regular threat in the final third with his ability to score and create goals from a wide position.
Comparatively, Traore managed two goals and created zero 'big chances' in eight matches for Villa this term after he scored twice and provided just one 'big chance' in 12 Super Lig outings in the first half of the campaign.
Therefore, Emery could brutally ditch the ex-Chelsea man by signing Harrison to take his place in the squad, which could either lead to a reduced role or a departure from Villa Park for the 27-year-old.
Ange Postecoglou may have only just been named as the permanent successor to Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur, although there are already reports that the 57-year-old could be set to spark something of a mass clearout at N17.
As per The Telegraph, one of the most high-profile figures who is set for the axe is long-serving captain, Hugo Lloris, despite the veteran Frenchman still having a year left to run on his existing deal.
The 36-year-old – who missed much of the 2022/23 campaign due to injury – looks almost certain to be usurped as the new number one in north London, with 90min reporting that Postecoglou and co are interested in a move for Brentford's David Raya.
As pundit Graeme Souness stated earlier this year, the World Cup winner looks to be "past his sell-by date" following what was a rather dismal campaign, with the former Nice man having made the most errors leading goals of any player in the Premier League (4).
Tottenham's Hugo Lloris
If it is any consolation to Lloris, the 145-cap stopper won't be the only figure to be axed under the new regime, with The Telegraph report also stating that on-loan defender, Clement Lenglet, could be set for a return to parent club Barcelona.
Football Insider has also corroborated those claims, with that recent report suggesting that the Lilywhites are not looking to make the centre-back a permanent fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the 27-year-old set to be the 'first to go' as part of this impending summer exodus.
Should Tottenham sign Lenglet permanently?
Described as an "imposter" by ex-Spurs man, Jamie O'Hara, it is fair to say that Lenglet's year on loan in north London has not gone particularly smoothly, with the Frenchman forming part of a defence that shipped 63 league goals – the sixth-worst record in the division.
Notably criticised by commentator Jim Belgin for his "awful mistake" in the 4-2 defeat to Manchester City back in January, the one-time Sevilla man failed to have the desired impact at the heart of the defence, with his average match rating of 6.65, as per Sofascore, seeing him only ranking 20th in the Tottenham squad.
Remarkably, the struggling outfit only kept one Premier League clean sheet with the 15-cap dud in the side, with the club seemingly "paying the price" for opting to make that cheap, temporary move, according to respected insider, John Wenham.
As such, there will no doubt be a sense of relief that Postecoglou is looking to shift the centre-back in the coming weeks, with chairman Daniel Levy likely keen to free up some funds by getting Lenglet's £145k-per-week salary off the books – with that figure equating to around 7% of the entire wage bill.
With the Lilywhites having had little return on that investment this season, it appears to be a no-brainer for the new boss to quickly ditch the defender and send him packing back to Catalonia.
The PCB has revamped Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 Cup into a format that features eight teams instead of 18
Umar Farooq30-Jul-2016
Misbah-ul-Haq, who used to captain Faisalabad Wolves, will play for Karachi Whites under the leadership of Akbar-ur-Rehman•Pakistan Cricket Board
The PCB has revamped Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 Cup into a format that features eight teams instead of 18. The old format, which had been in place for 11 years, was city-based; the new format will feature the top seven grade one regional teams from last season, and the top regional team from grade two.Squads for Twenty20 Cup
Lahore Blues: Ahmed Shehzad (c), Saad Nasim, Nasir Jamshed, Salman Ali Agha, Faheem Ashraf, Zafar Gohar, Hassan Ali, Naveed Yasin, Rahat Ali, Nauman Anwar, Mohammad Akhlaq, Ahmed Bashir, Farhan Khan, Asif Raza, Raza Ali Dar Lahore Whites: Kamran Akmal (c), Umar Akmal, Salman Butt, Hussain Talat, Kashif Bhatti, Shahid Yousuf, Zia ul Haq, Ehsan Adil, Kamran Ghulam, Imran Khan, Qaisar Ashraf, Arsal Sheikh, Ayaz Tasawar, Ammad Butt, Imran Butt Fata: Fawad Khan (c), Muhammad Usman, Mohammad Irfan, Asif Ali, Amir Yamin, Umar Siddique, Bilal Asif, Yasir Hameed, Muhammad Imran, Khushdil Shah, Adnan Raees, Asif Afridi, Irfanullah Shah, Sameen Gul, Sohrab Khan Islamabad: Umar Gul (c), Imad Wasim, Sarmad Bhatti, Naeem Anjum, Shahid Afridi, Junaid Khan, Sami Aslam, Abdur Rehman, Adil Amin, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Zohaib Ahmed, Raheel Majeed, Ali Sarfraz, Shehzad Azam Karachi Blues: Khalid Latif (c), Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Asghar, Ruman Raees, Bilawal Bhatti, Shahzaib Hasan, Usama Mir, Fawad Alam, Saifullah Bangash, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Waqas, Ali Khan, Zohaib Shera, Fazal Subhan Karachi Whites: Akbar ur Rehman (c), Tariq Haroon, Mir Hamza, Azam Hussain, Asif Zakir,Sohail Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Ahsan Ali, Ramiz Raja Jr, Tabish Khan, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Hasan, Danish Aziz, Faraz Ahmed Khan, Zain Abbas Peshawar: Rifatullah Mohmand (c), Musadiq Ahmed, Imran Khan Jr, Zohaib Khan, Anwar Ali, Sohaib Maqsood, Fakhar Zaman, Imran Khalid, Israrullah, Waqas Maqsood, Gauhar Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ghulam Mudassir, Shah Faisal, Akbar Badshah Rawalpindi: Sohail Tanvir (c), Yasir Arafat, Umar Amin, Mohammad Nawaz, Zulfiqar Babar, Awais Zia, Asif Ali, Aizaz Cheema, Mukhtar Ahmed, Hammad Azam, Zahid Mansoor, Zeeshan Malik, Shahdab Khan, Jamal Anwar, Naveed Malik
The city-based feature was a defining one of the competition, with Sialkot Stallions being a major feeder of T20 players to the national set-up, along with Faisalabad Wolves. Also, the city-based format sparked rivalries and interest in the tournament without any major marketing. “The main idea is to make it more competitive and this model is more commercially viable,” head of domestic cricket committee Shakeel Sheikh told ESPNcricinfo.”We were playing with too many teams earlier and quality was suffering. But now with having lesser teams we can enhance the quality and this new model is attracting more sponsorship and is much stronger to sustain for long.”In the coming season, the tournament will be held at two venues with the group stage in Rawalpindi from August 25 and the latter stages in Multan. The final will take place on September 16. The timing of the tournament stands odd as Pakistan’s limited-overs team will be in England and all the top cricketers will be away. “We have allowed the teams to select their national cricketers once they return and they will be added in the later stage of the tournament,” Sheikh said. “We are actually struggling to find a window for the T20 Cup and this available window is the only one we can utilise.”The PCB has also done away with the traditional selection system for the tournament, introducing a draft process instead. The teams’ regional heads, the head coaches of the regions, and the respective captains were involved in various rounds to pick their 15-man squads. A second draft will happen before the semi-final stage as, according to the PCB, the top limited-overs players will return by then and can be picked by the top four teams.”This draft is temporary as we are just assessing the impact of it,” Sheikh said. “This selection process is vital for a marketing point of view as sponsors want to have competitive teams and with the draft we can make well-balanced teams. I don’t think we have left out any good cricketers and even every region has its own local captain. We have also selected at least four local cricketers per team as a compulsion so that the cycle of new players coming for the respective regions can benefit the regions.”In their 15-man squads, from the completed draft, Islamabad named Umar Gul as their captain, while Ahmed Shahzad and Kamran Akmal are to lead Lahore regions. Misbah-ul-Haq, who used to captain Faisalabad Wolves, will play for Karachi Whites under the leadership of Akbar-ur-Rehman, while Saeed Ajmal will play for Karachi Blues, and Shahid Afridi will represent Islamabad.
Liverpool could be poised to fortify the defensive fold with the steely addition of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who has been flourishing at Selhurst Park.
What's the latest on Marc Guehi to Liverpool?
Such claims enter the whirring rumour mill courtesy of the Daily Mail, which states that Jurgen Klopp's Reds and Manchester United have added Guehi to their list of summer transfer targets.
London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both have deeper-rooted interest in the impressive 22-year-old, who has been touted at £50m ahead of a potential departure from south London.
Anfield's priority will be the centre of the park, considering the forthcoming midfield clear-out, but Joel Matip and Joe Gomez have been underwhelming this term and recruitment is required across multiple departments if Liverpool are truly to craft a renaissance next year.
Why should Liverpool sign Marc Guehi?
Guehi is contracted with the Eagles for another three years and will be a difficult gem to procure this summer, however, Palace has something of an exodus forthcoming themselves this summer, with a score of first-team players set to depart at the end of their contracts.
Funds claimed from Guehi's exit could be used to reinvest in the squad, and Klopp and co will be eager to take advantage of such a situation and in turn, unleash a robust new presence at the plinth of the Anfield set-up.
Signing from Chelsea for £18m in 2021, the "magnificent" – as hailed by journalist Andy Sixsmith – 6 foot monster has completed 81 matches and scored five goals, playing 39 times this season and captaining his outfit on eight occasions.
The three-cap England international has been in fine fettle this year, missing just one top-flight encounter and recording a dependable average rating of 6.94, as per Sofascore, keeping eight clean sheets, boasting an 85% pass success rate, making 3.6 clearances, 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per outing, also succeeding with 82% of his dribbles and winning 69% of his ground duels.
Marc-Guehi
As per FBref, the £50k-per-week titan ranks among the top 18% of central defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons per 90, and combining this metric with his aforementioned tenacity and physicality in dribbles and duels suggests he could be a driving force to be reckoned with from the back.
He is listed by FBref as a comparable player to Manchester United phenom Raphael Varane, who has only started 21 times in the Premier League this term due to injury issues, still boasting an 86% pass completion rate and an average of 3.8 clearances and a duel win rate of 63%.
Hailed as a "top talent" by John Terry after completing his £41m transfer from Real Madrid in 2021, the illustrious Frenchman boasts an average career pass completion rate of 88.3%, also exhibiting his sweeping prowess by making 4.3 clearances per game, as per WhoScored.
With remarkable semblance between his skill set and Guehi's, who has been lauded as an "absolute tank" by England U21 teammate Joe Bursik, Liverpool could utilise his rebuffing aptitude against enemy onslaughts and provide Merseyside with the perfect new addition to complement the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
A superb unbeaten 126 by Tasamul Haque lifted Kalabagan Krira Chakra out of the relegation zone and into contention for the Super League, guiding the team to a six-wicket win over Mohammedan Sporting Club.Kalabagan climbed to eighth place with ten points, level with three other teams, while Mohammedan went down one place to third after their fourth defeat in the competition.In a high-scoring encounter at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, Kalabagan lost Jashimuddin off the the second ball of their innings while chasing 291. But Tasamul and opener Hasanuzzaman added 140 for the second wicket in under 18 overs to bring them back into the contest. Hasanuzzaman blazed to 95 off 53 balls with eight sixes and four fours.Paras Dogra, their new Indian recruit, and Mehrab Hossain jnr fell cheaply but Tasamul and Tanveer Haider sped from the 24th over, adding an unbroken 129 for the fourth wicket. Tanveer finished not out on 52 while Tasamul, who struck eight fours and two sixes, ended on 126 off 129 balls. Tasamul struck his second six to take Kalabagan home, the win coming with 6.5 overs to spare.Mohammedan virtually had no reply with the ball, with most of their in-form bowlers like Subashis Roy, Naeem Islam jnr and Habibur Rahman going for plenty.They had a better time with the bat. Bipul Sharma, who played for the IPL-winning Sunrisers Hyderabad side, struck his maiden List A hundred as Mohammedan piled up 290 for 6 in 50 overs. Dewan Sabbir bowled Bipul after he had made exactly 100, with six boundaries and eight sixes.He came to the crease with Mohammedan in trouble at 69 for 3, and went on to add 171 for the fourth wicket with captain Mushfiqur Rahim, who chipped in with a 71-ball 75.Victoria Sporting Club crushed Brothers Union by 112 runs in Mirpur, after Abdul Mazid’s first century of the competition lifted them to a formidable 302 for 9. Mazid dominated the 170-run opening stand with Fazle Mahmud, which lasted 33.3 overs. Mazid cracked eleven boundaries and four sixes in his 118 off 117 balls, his highest List-A score.Though they lost Mazid and Mominul Haque in the space of three balls, and Mahmud – for 71 – in the 39th over, Victoria didn’t lose much momentum, taking 84 runs off the last ten overs with Al-Amin, Chaturanga de Silva and Dhiman Ghosh making rapid contributions. Left-arm spinners Nabil Samad and Asif Hasan took four and two wickets respectively, while offspinner Iftekhar Sajjad bagged two.Brothers Union collapsed in their chase, with only their captain Tushar Imran standing firm, scoring his fifth half-century of the season. The other five members of their top six, however, fell single-figure scores as Brothers Union slipped to 92 for 8 in the 27th over.Tushar and Asif then added 97 for the ninth wicket, but it only delayed the inevitable. Brothers Union were eventually bowled out for 190 in 45.3 overs. Tushar made 93 off 126 balls with eleven fours. Pace bowler Mahbubul Alam took three wickets while there were two each for offspinner Al-Amin and paceman Kamrul Islam Rabbi.Legends of Rupganj trounced Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by seven wickets at the BKSP-3 ground. It was a fine effort for a side that was without their captain Mosharraf Hossain and their in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun, both serving one-match bans.Nahidul Islam made 92 and Junaid Siddique was unbeaten on 53 as Rupganj completed a chase of 185 with 17.1 overs to spare. Nahidul, who earlier took 2 for 38 with his offspin, struck nine fours and three sixes during his 99-ball innings. He came to the crease after Jahurul Islam was given leg-before off the first ball of the innings.He added 46 for the second wicket with Soumya Sarkar, who was also out leg-before, and another 125 for the third wicket with Junaid. Nahidul’s end also came through a leg-before decision, though by then the win was only 13 runs away.Sent in to bat, Dhanmondi lost wickets regularly. Left-arm spinners Murad Khan and Taijul Islam took three wickets each after seamer Alauddin Babu struck twice in the fourth over to remove the big-hitting Mahbubul Karim and the steady Marshall Ayub. Abdullah Al Mamun (24), Mahmudullah (35) and Nazmus Sadat (41) steadied Dhanmondi’s innings, but they collapsed thereafter, losing their last six wickets for just 28 runs to slump from 156 for four in the 36th over to 184 all out in 45.
Newcastle United may well have claimed victory against Southampton yesterday, but it was far from a convincing result as they came back from 1-0 down at half time to win 3-1.
Inarguably though, it was a result that should have been put beyond all doubt even before the scoring was opened, as the Magpies cruised through the first half without any kind of cutting edge.
It became abundantly clear what difference a true finisher would make when Callum Wilson came on for the second half, as it was his brace that proved to be the difference. The casualty from that change was the profligate Anthony Gordon, who continues his miserable start to life in Tyneside.
Having joined for a mouth-watering £45m fee in January, PIF had been bold in their commitment towards acquiring the next generation of top English talent. However, with 11 appearances in the league for the £60k-per-week youngster, he is still yet to score or assist.
Yesterday marked yet another woeful display from a "shambolic" character – as per Ryan Taylor – outlined in his 6.3 rating. This was a figure upheld due to the fact he missed one big chance, striking the woodwork, whilst maintaining a disappointing 71% pass accuracy amidst 41 touches, via Sofascore.
Journalist Chris Waugh even singled him out on Twitter, writing: "Gordon has wasted a few chances."
Therefore, it draws questions as to whether this deal is worse than one of their big-money moves from that same window the year prior, when they signed Chris Wood from relegation rivals Burnley in a £25m move.
How did Chris Wood play for Newcastle?
As poor and often wasteful as the 31-year-old was in a black and white shirt, tempting him from the Clarets marked a huge tactical transfer that severely weakened another side battling for survival.
He would aid just two goals towards the cause, but it was his physical presence up front that actually did make him a useful asset to have in Callum Wilson's absence.
Many might rush to ridicule such a big fee for a player with just five goals across 39 appearances under Eddie Howe, yet they are already set to recoup £15m on him this summer as Nottingham Forest agreed to make his loan permanent.
Therefore, boasting a much smaller outlay and having had more impact on the team, Gordon stands out as a far worse deal than Wood at the time of writing.
The future remains bright with the 21-year-old; that much remains true. But with each passing game, that ridiculous fee PIF spent becomes more and more questionable. No matter his age, the wide man has to start performing sooner rather than later to avoid further scrutiny.
Everton now talking with MSP Sports Capital again after recent off-field issues, according to a key update from journalist Paul Brown.
What's happening off the field at Everton?
It's fair to say that this has been another season of struggle for Blues, having stayed in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth in 2021/22. Once again, they find themselves in a relegation scrap towards the bottom of the table, as Sean Dyche is tasked with steering them clear of the drop.
Away from the pitch, it has also been a turbulent time of things at Everton, with the Premier League recently releasing a statement claiming that the Blues have allegedly breached Profitability and Sustainability rules. The matter is now being passed over to an independent commission.
This has been a big blow when it comes to potential investment, as talks with MSP Sports Capital appear to have cooled since the news broke. Now, a more positive update has emerged, though.
Goodison Park awaits a Premier League game for Everton amid their financial issues.
Are new investors likely to arrive?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown said that the situation has changed again, with investors now once again interested in talking to Everton:
"Something has changed over the last week or so, yes. It had gone very quiet with MSP and talks had basically completely stopped for nearly a month. There had been no contact between the two parties. That was for a number of reasons.
"I don't believe it has anything to do with the Premier League investigation but there are other problems in the background too, with the clubs finances that I think were scaring off potential investors.
"But yes, it sounds now like MSP are talking to the club again and still willing to invest. Whether that deal will actually happen, we don't know yet, but it's certainly much more positive than it was about a week ago."
This is certainly encouraging news from an Everton perspective, at a time when so much of the club's future feels like it depends on these next six weeks or so.
The importance of the Blues' remaining fixtures cannot be underestimated, with relegation to the Championship likely to put off investors, not to mention act as a huge all-round financial hit. With the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock is also being built, this would be a terrible time for Everton to suffer relegation from the Premier League for the first time.
Should they stay up, however, the future could look bright, with a shiny new home to look forward to in the near future, as well as more money likely coming in from investors, allowing the club to thrive.