Após uma janela agitada no mercado do bola, o Botafogo continua trazendo reforços para o fora de campo. O Alvinegro contratou, nesta semana, Diego Mello. O executivo chega para ser Chief Project Officer (CPO) – em tradução livre, um responsável por organizar projetos e operações – da SAF.
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Diego estava no Atlético-MG, clube que ficou nos últimos 11 meses. Antes, passou pelo Flamengo, onde ficou quase três anos.
O executivo chega para somar na organização da SAF e vai trabalhar “ao lado” de Jorge Braga na equipe que toma conta da parte fora de campo do clube-empresa do Glorioso.
Ele será responsável por organizar e cuidar dos recursos dos projetos envolvidos do clube.
ESPNcricinfo’s experts were divided between Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh for the third seamer’s spot
Sidharth Monga15-May-2022India should pick their T20I seam attack from the quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh, ESPNcricinfo experts Daniel Vettori and Piyush Chawla have said. They were full of praise for Shami on ESPNcricinfo’s analaysis show T20 Time:Out after his figures of 4-0-19-2 helped Gujarat Titans keep Chennai Super Kings down to 133 on Sunday.Related
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Shami now has the joint-most wickets in the powerplay in IPL 2022, and he even bowled a boundary-less 20th over in which he got the wicket of MS Dhoni. Shami is joint-fourth on the wicket-takers’ list, with 11 of his 18 wickets having come inside the powerplay. However, it is his maturity at the death that has impressed the experts.”This is one of the best seasons for Shami,” Chawla said. “Because we have seen him previously that he generally bowls well with the new ball and by the time he comes to bowl in the death overs he goes for a lot of runs. But this season he has worked on it, and he has bowled well in the death overs as well. We all know he can bowl really well with the new ball. The only problem was in the death overs. But this year he has shown that he has those clear plans for death overs, and he has executed those plans beautifully.”Vettori would have Shami even without that death-bowling improvement. “It shows that Test-match bowling works for the first sort of 16 overs of a T20 game,” Vettori said. “He normally relies on heavy lengths, and a little bit of seam movement. We talked about how [Mohammed] Siraj has lost the ability of seam movement because of his seam position. Shami’s seam position is impeccable.”It is what all young fast bowlers should look at. His release and his ability to hit a consistent area and then letting the ball do the work. He is not asking too much of the ball. He is not trying to swing it too far. He just hits such lengths. And the improvement and maturity that we are talking about in the death bowling. Whereas in the past Shami could be hit or miss like Umesh Yadav. But now he actually has strong plans and backs himself to hit that yorker.”Arshdeep Singh has the best death-overs economy rate of any bowler who has delivered at least eight overs in that phase this season•BCCIBoth Chawla and Vettori had Shami in their first India XI, but disagreed on the third quick.”If you talk about his [Shami’s] current form, he definitely looks like one of them [three picks for an India pace attack],” Chawla said. “He has got pace, he has got that seam movement, the seam position and the wrist position is so amazing that even when there is nothing on the pitch he gets something out of it. Definitely, the way he is bowling, he should be one of the picks.”Vettori wouldn’t even bowl Shami at the death, but would have Bumrah and Harshal do the job. “I think Bumrah and Harshal Patel have to be in the team because of their death bowling,” Vettori said. “What they bring to the table. Harshal can bowl through those middle stages. The third seamer is tough to pick but Shami is potentially clearing out because of his ability to take wickets in the powerplay, bowl aggressively through the middle stages and with the back end taken care of by Bumrah and Harshal.”For Chawla the difficult choice is between Harshal and Arshdeep. He was full of praise for the Punjab Kings left-arm quick. “For me I think I still pick between Harshal and Arshdeep,” Chawla said. “The way Arshdeep has bowled this tournament. He has just been outstanding at the death. He is somebody who doesn’t use new ball much. There would be a pick between Harshal and Arshdeep, and Bumrah and Shami for sure. The powerplay is really important, and it is important to pick up wickets. Gujarat Titans have picked wickets in the powerplay, and that shows in the points table.”Among the 23 bowlers who have bowled a minimum of eight overs at the death during this IPL, Arshdeep has the best economy rate of 7.14, over 14 overs. Bumrah is second with 7.46 in 14.2 overs. Harshal has gone at 9.46 an over but has picked up more wickets than Arshdeep and Bumrah.
Ronaldinho attended stadium groundbreaking and witnessed dominant Greenville Triumph's 3-0 victory over defending champions
Ronaldinho participates in BridgeWay Station stadium groundbreaking ceremonyGreenville Triumph secures impressive win against Union OmahaBrazilian icon's presence highlights growing ambitions of USL League One clubWHAT HAPPENED
Brazilian soccer icon Ronaldinho made a surprise appearance at Greenville Triumph's match against Union Omaha on March 12, capping off a historic day for the USL League One club. The 2002 World Cup winner first attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the team's new stadium at BridgeWay Station in Mauldin, before witnessing Greenville's emphatic 3-0 victory over the defending league champions.
Greenville Triumph head coach Rick Wright expressed his excitement about the day's events: "The day was definitely one of the highlights of this club's history. You could feel the excitement in the air today, and it translated to a great performance on the field. The players rose to the occasion and we had a great team performance on both ends of the field."
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Ronaldinho joined the club's ownership group through his brother and business partner, Roberto Assis, as well as his Grupo Ronaldinho business management firm in October 2024, bringing his global star power to the third tier of American soccer. The Brazilian star has expressed his desire to support soccer's growth at all ages and levels in the Upstate community.
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WHAT’S NEXT?
Greenville Triumph will look to build on this momentum as they prepare for their next match, an away fixture against Asheville City SC in the opening round of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup on March 19. The club will aim to continue their impressive form and make a deep run in the tournament.
Leeds United have made the perfect start to their Championship campaign this time around, sitting top of the table after the first 17 outings in 2024/25.
Daniel Farke’s side appear to have put last season’s play-off final heartbreak behind them, looking a step above the vast majority of sides in the division.
The Whites have only tasted defeat twice, against Burnley and Millwall, winning ten matches in the process, which includes a six-game run of consecutive victories at Elland Road.
Last night was no different, with goals from Joel Piroe, Sam Byram and Dan James securing yet another three points, strengthening their grip on top spot at the summit of the table.
However, their recent success has been even more impressive after their transfer window in the summer following their failure to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
Leeds’ transfer window in the summer of 2024
Crysencio Summerville played a vital role in Leeds’ success last season, setting the Championship alive week in and week out with his mesmerising performances.
The 23-year-old scored 20 times whilst registering nine assists in the process, leading the club to a play-off place before their eventual defeat to Southampton at Wembley.
Leeds winger Crysencio Summerville
Given their failure to return to the top flight, coupled with his Championship Player of the Year award, it was highly unlikely he would remain in Yorkshire, joining West Ham United for a fee in the region of £25m.
He wasn’t the only star to depart Farke’s side, with fellow attacker Georginio Rutter departing to join Brighton and Hove Albion for £40m after his own run of seven goals and 15 assists – with the latter the highest of any player in the division.
Youngster Archie Gray was the third major sale that window, joining Tottenham Hotspur for around £30m after his breakthrough year, which saw him feature in a variety of roles, such as central midfielder and even right-back.
Whilst the three departures saw the club bank over £100m – a staggering figure for a second-tier side – it left huge holes all over the pitch and cast doubt over their promotion aspirations for the current campaign.
Crysencio Summerville in action for Leeds United in the Championship.
However, a portion of the money was reinvested back into the playing squad, with one of the new additions setting the Championship alight after his summer transfer.
The player who has become a bargain for Leeds
Before his summer move, very few Leeds supporters would have heard of the name Ao Tanaka, but it’s safe to say a couple of months into his spell in Yorkshire that he’s slowly becoming a fan-favourite.
The 26-year-old Japanese star joined in a £3m deal from German side Fortuna Düsseldorf over the off-season in an attempt to provide added squad depth in the midfield department.
However, injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Illia Gruev have catapulted him into the limelight, giving him the opportunity to demonstrate his skill set.
Tanaka has been one of the stars of the side so far this campaign, with analyst Ben Mattinson dubbing the talent as “one of the best signings in the Championship” this summer, with his display last night evidence of why he’s been so impressive.
During his 90-minute display in the win over Luton, he completed 114 passes – the most of any player in the division to date, and the most of any Leeds player since 2013/14, according to Opta.
He also achieved a tally of 133 touches, winning four duels and two tackles as he helped Farke’s side extend their current winning run on home soil.
Minutes played
90
Touches
133
Passes completed
114/119
Duels won
4/8
Tackles won
2
Interceptions
2
Fouls won
2
The boss was full of praise for his midfielder after the final whistle, dubbing him an “unbelievable signing” – a statement hard to disagree with given his impact in the absence of two crucial first-team members.
Given his recent form for the Whites, the likes of Ampadu and Gruev will massively struggle to dislodge Tanaka from his current role, potentially holding the key to any potential success come the end of the campaign.
However, his form will undoubtedly attract major interest over the coming months, with the Japanese ace potentially becoming the next star to depart Elland Road for a mammoth fee should they fail to win promotion once more this year.
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The Leeds United star has been an excellent addition to Daniel Farke’s squad.
Pep Guardiola’s is set to enter a second decade as Manchester City manager.
The Spaniard is already one of the most successful managers that the Premier League has ever seen, with his six top-flight trophies (including an unprecedented fourth on the trot) the second-most of any manager since the division took shape in 1992.
In 2024, he penned a deal that will see him remain at the Etihad until at least 2027, despite his side in a bad run of form that continued throughout a season that ended trophyless.
Guardiola is, unsurprisingly, the most successful manager in City’s history, and lays claim to records across the globe thanks to his managerial prowess at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before taking up the post in Manchester.
And now, with his time at the Etihad seemingly carrying on every time it appears close to an end, he is creeping up the list of the longest-serving managers in Premier League history. Here, we take a look at the company he is keeping in England’s top division.
The top 10 longest-serving Premier League managers
Rank
Manager
Club
Time in charge
1
Arsene Wenger
Arsenal
22 years, 225 days
2
Sir Alex Ferguson
Man Utd
20 years, 336 days
3
David Moyes
Everton
11 years, 79 days
4
Pep Guardiola
Man City
9 years
5
Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool
8 years, 225 days
6
Joe Kinnear
Wimbledon
6 years, 344 days
7
Harry Redknapp
West Ham
6 years, 273 days
8
Mikel Arteta
Arsenal
6 years
9
Rafael Benitez
Liverpool
5 years, 353 days
10
Alan Curbishley
Charlton
5 years, 312 days
Data correct as of December 2025
10 Alan Curbishley (Charlton) 5 years, 312 days
Perhaps the most surprising name on this list, Alan Curbishley, is fondly remembered at Charlton Athletic for his excellent work keeping them in the Premier League.
Curbishley was actually in charge at the Valley Stadium for 15 years and enjoyed two spells in the Premier League, but it is his second that makes it onto this list.
Promoted at the end of the 1999/00 season, the English boss helped Charlton avoid the relegation zone, finishing 9th on their return to the top flight.
A series of mid-table finishes followed as Charlton established themselves as a mainstay in the Premier League, even finishing 7th in the 2003/04 season.
However, after a contract renewal dispute, it was announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the 2005/06 season. Having never finished lower than 14th since Curbishley’s second promotion, Charlton were relegated the following season.
9 Rafael Benitez (Liverpool) 5 years, 353 days
Rafa Benitez
Rafa Benitez has had four spells in the Premier League, but spent the majority of his top-flight career at Liverpool.
Joining the Reds in 2004 in place of Gerard Houllier, he oversaw 228 Premier League games in charge of the club, winning 126 of those, and managing the club’s highest points tally in 2008/09 when they finished second to Manchester United, until Jurgen Klopp smashed that record during his time on Merseyside.
They were consistently in and around the top four under Benitez in his first four seasons at the club (finishing 5th, 3rd, 3rd and 4th) before finishing as runners-up to Manchester United in 2008/09, while he was also in charge for the famous comeback win over Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.
However, it quickly soured, with Benitez finishing 7th amid club turmoil in the 2009/10 season, and he left by mutual consent almost exactly six years after his arrival.
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ByPatric Ridge May 30, 2025 8 Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) 6 years as of December 2025
Mikel Arteta may have only won the FA Cup during his time in charge of Arsenal but his team have been threatening for some time and he has firmly cemented himself as one of the best coaches and managers on the globe.
The Gunners have come mightily close to winning the Premier League in each of the last three seasons, pipped to the post by Manchester and Liverpool.
Arteta has built a monstrous squad, however, and it won’t be too long before the north Londoners are holding more illustrious honours above their head.
The Spaniard is one of the best in the business. Expect him to eclipse a fair few names on this list.
7 Harry Redknapp (West Ham) 6 years, 273 days
Once the assistant manager at West Ham United, Harry Redknapp took over from Billy Bonds in 1994 and helped turn the east Londoners into a regular Premier League side after their promotion in 1992/93.
Perhaps best known for his time at Portsmouth, Redknapp played a key role at Upton Park, bringing through a succession of young talent including the likes of Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand, while the arrival of Paolo Di Canio helped them secure their Premier League status.
After a series of impressive campaigns, during which the Hammers finished in the top half of the Premier League, Redknapp was sacked after a downturn in form saw them only narrowly avoid relegation in 2001 – a fate that they suffered two years later.
6 Joe Kinnear (Wimbledon) 6 years, 344 days
Appointed Wimbledon manager just six months before the inaugural Premier League season, Joe Kinnear is a legend with the club. The Englishman guided them to a 12th-place finish in the first top-flight season, before excelling the following campaign and finishing an impressive sixth in the division.
He backed that up by helping Wimbledon to 9th the following season as they became a stalwart of the Premier League, and though a fallow period in mid-table followed, they were still competitive in the cup competitions, reaching the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and League Cup.
Surviving international interest and a club takeover, Kinnear’s time in charge of Wimbledon was only stopped when a heart attack persuaded him to step down at the end of the 1999/00 season. A year later, his side had been relegated.
5 Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool) 8 years, 225 days
A modern-day titan of Premier League football and Guardiola’s most recent nemesis, Jurgen Klopp called time on an illustrious Liverpool career just last summer.
Arriving with his side 8th in the Premier League (though they had finished as runners-up just a couple of seasons prior), the ex-Mainz boss set to work turning Liverpool into a footballing powerhouse once more.
Backed with big-money additions like Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, and uncovering gems like Andy Robertson, the German lifted the Champions League and the Premier League during his tenure, finishing second to Manchester City on multiple occasions despite record-high points tallies.
He left having won 209 of his 334 Premier League games – and as a legend of Anfield.
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ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 2, 2024 4 Pep Guardiola (Man City) Over 9 years as of December 2025
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
The only manager still active on this list, Premier League great Guardiola still has time to climb this list through the remainder of his Manchester City career.
Arriving as the world’s best manager in 2015, he endured an uncharacteristically difficult first season in charge, but quickly found his groove in the English top flight. Six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups have since followed as he and Manchester City have dominated the landscape of English football, turning the Etihad side into a European powerhouse.
3 David Moyes (Everton) 11 years, 79 days
David Moyes as Everton manager
A Premier League ever-present from the early 2000s, David Moyes remains Everton’s most successful manager of the Premier League era. Though he never won a trophy at Goodison Park, his 11-year stint turned the club into competitors in the top half of the division, with the Toffees regularly finishing in the top 8 under the Scot.
Appointed in 2002, Moyes saw his side finish as high as 4th during the 2004/05 campaign, while he also led his side to an FA Cup final, only to fall to Chelsea at Wembley.
Responsible for helping the careers of Tim Cahill, Marouane Fellaini, Leighton Baines and more, Moyes finally got his big move to Manchester United in 2013, only for that to prove a poisoned chalice at Old Trafford.
2 Sir Alex Ferguson (Man Utd) 20 years, 336 days
The only man to have won more Premier League titles than Pep Guardiola, Sir Alex Ferguson may soon be looking over his shoulder at that record – but will be safe in the knowledge the Spaniard won’t catch him here.
Serving as Manchester United boss for almost 27 years (21 of those in the Premier League), the Scotsman ushered in a golden generation at the football club, to the point where managers remain judged on his successes – something that has proved too much for a series of good coaches since his departure.
The Red Devils haven’t won the Premier League since he departed in 2013, when he clinched his 13th title in his final season in charge ahead of Manchester City.
It brought to an end a reign that saw him crowned Manager of the Year 11 times and take charge of over 800 Premier League games, winning two Champions League trophies in that time, too. By sheer circumstance, however, he is not top of this list.
1 Arsène Wenger (Arsenal) 21 years, 255 days
That honour goes to his long-time adversary Arsène Wenger, who spent less time in charge of Arsenal than Ferguson did in Manchester, but crucially, spent the entirety of his Gunners tenure in the Premier League.
Arriving as a largely unknown manager from Japan in 1996, Wenger built the only side capable of wrestling the Premier League title out of Manchester United’s hands in the years to come.
Across his first eight years in the top flight, Manchester United (5) and his Arsenal side (3) had a duopoly on the Premier League title, while he remains the only manager to coach a side to an invincible campaign, which he did in 2003/04.
His later career in north London was marred by financial constraints and increased competition at the top, but he kept the Gunners in the top 4 of the Premier League for 21 successive seasons until eventually finishing fifth and sixth in his final two seasons, with the 2017/18 campaign being his last.
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Speculation is building that Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds could keep adding to his football portfolio by buying into the Vancouver Whitecaps.
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Reynolds tipped to pursue MLS dealVancouver Whitecaps his home-town teamWould cost vastly more than WrexhamFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
A new report from the links Reynolds with a £300 million ($372m) purchase of the Vancouver Whitecaps, his hometown soccer club. The current owners are open to offers and fans, having seen the impact the actor has had at Wrexham alongside Rob McElhenney, are keen for him to lead a consortium to take over the team.
There is no suggestion of a concrete approach at this stage, playing only to Reynolds being bitten by the football bug since McElhenney first propositioned him over a deal to buy Wrexham in 2020. The pair have since also joined a celebrity group that owns a minority stake in Mexican club Necaxa, while Reynold has explored, but since shelved, getting into the NHL with the Ottawa Senators. But links with Vancouver are already kind of established, given that Wrexham faced them in pre-season last summer.
DID YOU KNOW?
Through his Hollywood acting career, but also significantly inflated through numerous successful business ventures – including Wrexham sponsor Aviation American Gin – Reynolds has an estimated net worth of €350m. But he still wouldn't be buying the Whitecaps outright with cash, with a deal valued at 150 times what was paid for Wrexham, and would have to appeal to investors.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
A takeover woudn't be a quick thing, especially with considerably more money now involved, but the football on the pitch continues apace. Wrexham look good for at least a League One play-off place but are still just about nipping at the heels of division heavyweights Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers in the hunt for automatic promotion. The long-term goal for Reynolds and McElhenney is ultimately still to reach the Premier League. Meanwhile, Vancouver are preparing to imminently start the 2025 MLS season.
Virat Kohli will miss the first Test, meanwhile, and return to lead the side in the second
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2021
Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah will not be part of the Test series against New Zealand•Getty Images
India will be without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami when they take the field for the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur from November 25 to 29. All five have presumably been rested, though the BCCI release that announced the squad on Friday gave no reasons for their exclusion.Kohli, however, will return for the second Test in Mumbai, which will be played from December 3 to 7, and lead the side. Ajinkya Rahane will captain India in Kanpur, with Cheteshwar Pujara named his deputy.Also out of the squad is the fast bowler Shardul Thakur, who has been left out of the squad for the T20I series preceding the Tests as well.Related
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It is expected that KL Rahul will open the batting with Mayank Agarwal in Rohit’s absence, while Kohli’s middle-order slot in the first Test could be contested between Shubman Gill and the uncapped Shreyas Iyer, who has been part of the red-ball squad in the past but is yet to make his Test debut. Hanuma Vihari, who was understood to be next in line for a middle-order berth, has been left out of the squad. Vihari’s last involvement in a Test match was to help save the Sydney Test in January while batting through injury.While the BCCI release did not elaborate on Vihari’s absence, ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Hyderabad batter is heading to South Africa as part of the India A squad for three four-day matches starting November 23. Vihari is currently playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20s for Hyderabad, and though he wasn’t initially part of the India A squad, it is understood he has been added to it.The BCCI later confirmed Vihari’s selection for the A tour on Twitter.With Pant absent, the experienced Wriddhiman Saha is in line to play his first Test since India’s defeat in Adelaide in December 2020.The Andhra wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat, however, is also part of the squad. Bharat has a solid first-class record behind him: 4283 runs from 78 matches at the average of 37.24, with nine hundreds including a top score of 308 against Goa in February 2015. It was the first triple-ton by a wicketkeeper-batter in the Ranji Trophy. More recently, he enjoyed a breakthrough season in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore, batting mostly at No. 3 and scoring 191 runs at a strike rate of 122.43, including a match-winning 78 not-out against Delhi Capitals capped off with a last-ball six.The uncapped Prasidh Krishna – who was a late addition to the Test squad in England recently, having initially been part of the tour as a reserve player – joins Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj in the pace attack.R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will lead the spin attack as usual, with Axar Patel – who made an outstanding debut during the home series against England earlier this year – and the offspinning allrounder Jayant Yadav in support. Jayant has played four Tests so far – all during the 2016-17 home season – and his return covers for the absence of Washington Sundar, who is yet to fully recover from a finger injury sustained in July, during the early part of the England tour.India squad for New Zealand Test series: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-capt), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna; GMT 1215 This piece was updated after the BCCI confirmed Vihari’s selection for the India A tour of South Africa.
Como boss Cesc Fabregas has provided an update on Dele Alli after signing the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder as a free agent this January.
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Como signed Dele as free agent last month
Dele still working on returning to full fitness
Fabregas provides major update on Dele
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Dele's career has taken a fresh twist in 2025 as he's joined Cesc Fabregas in Italy at Como. The former Tottenham man has moved on after spending time with Everton where he struggled with injuries and hasn't played competitively since February 2023.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
After spending the first half of the current season as a free agent, Dele joined Serie A newcomers Como but is yet to feature for the Fabregas-led club due to fitness issues. The former Barcelona and Arsenal star has now opened up on Dele's recovery and announced that he will soon join the team in training but did not reveal when the former Tottenham star would be returning to action.
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WHAT FABREGAS SAID
Speaking to the media, Fabregas said: “We know his history and he knows that he has to take four months to be able to readjust to professional football, with training, day after day. Now he trains separately, in about ten days he will be added to the group.
"I can’t give a date, we are here to help him. If we feel he is ready, we will manage him. Maybe it will be just 20 minutes, maybe 8 games. He has to believe he can return to being the great player he was and he has that strength.
"He has a goal in mind and he believes in it. He is fired up and hungry, let’s see if his body will support him”.
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WHAT NEXT FOR DELE?
Fabregas' response suggests Dele is still some way off a potential debut for Como. However, if he can impress in full training with the team shortly, he will give himself of chance of making his first appearance in Serie A.
The two had come together with Pakistan reduced to 2 for 3, and both hit fifties from there
Danyal Rasool20-Aug-2021
Babar Azam and Fawad Alam put on a massive stand for Pakistan after early losses•AFP/Getty Images
The first four overs set Pakistan back significantly, but the day was defined by a behemoth of a partnership between Babar Azam and Fawad Alam. Under blisteringly hostile conditions for at least the first two sessions that saw no fewer than three players forced off the field, the duo put together a 158-run stand to drag Pakistan from the depths into a position of clear dominance.They were forced together after Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales scythed through Pakistan’s embattled top order to leave them three wickets down for two runs, but the attritional rebuild means it has been Pakistan’s day. Alam is still unbeaten, but cramps forced him off to bring his stand with Azam to an end and while the Pakistan captain fell soon after, those were the only four wickets West Indies managed as Pakistan put on 212 on the day.Winning the toss, Kraigg Brathwaite had little hesitation putting Pakistan in to bat, and inside ten minutes, it became apparent why. Abid Ali lasted just three deliveries, pushing – without real footwork and with disappointing familiarity – at one from Roach around the fourth stump line, edging to Jermaine Blackwood in the slips. Azhar Ali became Roach’s next victim, falling for a duck in similar style, with the ball kissing the outside edge and leaving the secure Joshua Da Silva to do the rest.Seales piled on the misery for Pakistan, inducing the hapless Imran Butt into a forward defensive prod that, on review, was shown to have tickled the outside edge. Aside from Irfan Pathan’s famous first-over hat-trick at Karachi, this would be Pakistan’s joint-worst Test match start in history.If that represented rock bottom, Azam and Alam used it as a solid enough foundation to begin the rebuild. Both looked vulnerable against an irrepressible seam bowling display from Seales and Roach early on, but the Pakistan captain looked to break out of it through aggression. A mistimed slash over point brought him his first runs, and from there, batting looked to have become easier for Pakistan’s premier batter.It was initially less straightforward for Alam. He looked particularly vulnerable around his off stump, Jason Holder and Roach in particular beating his outside edge a number of times, while three of his four boundaries came off thick edges to the slips. However, survival was the primary goal, and on that count, it was mission accomplished.Azam looked just as comfortable in the middle session but much more sedate, especially once he brought up his half-century with a regal late cut behind backward point off Roach, a bowler he targeted in particular early on in the session. He was particular strong square of the wicket, as you might expect, and the slightest infraction when it came to line was a candidate for a put-away boundary.Alam was significantly improved throughout the session, far more assured with his shot selection and more progressive in his approach. A struggling Alzarri Joseph, who came off on the stroke of tea, came in for particular punishment, with Alam bringing up his own half-century with a boundary off the 24-year old. Those fidgety outside edges that kept the slips interested were kept to a minimum, but Alam, too, would find himself suffering through the elements as the sun beat down. The weather seemed to be indiscriminate in the toll it was taking, and Da Silva was forced off the field for a spot of rehydration before the session was out.The one-dimensional nature of West Indies attack – they don’t have any left-arm pacers or full-time spinners – arguably saw their woes exacerbated as the Pakistan pair batted themselves into a nice rhythm. Brathwaite turned to Roston Chase for a short spell, only to see Pakistan targeting him, and on a sizzling day, the home side had to turn to their quicks once more.By this point, it was hard to see who might bring West Indies a breakthrough, but Alam was beginning to cramp pretty much every delivery. The game’s momentum took a beating, too, and there was a touch of the farcical cricket seems to produce more often than just about any other sport on the stroke of tea. Da Silva needed to be taken off with one ball to go in the session, but the regulations stipulated the over had to be completed before the players broke for tea. It meant there was a lengthy pause while his replacement got himself ready, all to send down a delivery before another 20-minute break.Alam’s woes continued post-tea, and it soon became apparent carrying on was impossible. The Jamaican sun had done what Brathwaite’s men hadn’t looked like achieving for nigh on five hours, and with life injected into the home side, Azam, the epitome of solidity, suddenly began to look susceptible.Two balls after Roach whooshed past his outside edge with prodigious late swing, he found a juicy chunk of it which went to Holder at second slip. West Indies roared with excitement, sensing a swing in momentum; one way or another, they had removed both Azam and Alam. By now, the clouds were blocking out the sun, and with Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashraf new at the crease, there was opportunity to wrestle back the momentum the hosts had lost through the afternoon.It wouldn’t quite happen that way. Ashraf is a genuine middle-order batsman since his return to the Test side in December; he averages over 40 with the bat, while Rizwan’s versatility has seen him enjoy a meteoric rise of his own. The over rate was poor, and stoppages for one reason or another became commonplace; at one point, the emergence of swarms of flies at the ground resulted in a lengthy pause as Rizwan tried to prise one out of Joseph’s eyes. The intensity had begun to bleed out of the contest, and as the light began to worsen, West Indies were forced into bowling spin from both ends.Nkrumah Bonner, who Brathwaite turned to, is no Sonny Ramadhin; in truth, he was no Roston Chase either. Sending down three no-balls in the only over he bowled, it appeared everyone had had enough, and a day that began explosively ended – after just 74 overs – with a bit of a whimper.
Nottinghamshire stride into top flight as young swing bowler stars
David Hopps13-Jul-2021Nottinghamshire 328 (Patterson-White 73, Slater 60, Clarke 48, Rushworth 4-75, Raine 3-63) and 125 for 5 (Hameed 58) lead Durham 165 (Evison 5-21, Broad 3-36) by 288 runsNottinghamshire brushed aside Durham’s attempt to manufacture a place in Division One of the Championship with artificially short boundaries as they took a stranglehold on the match at Emirates Riverside and, in the process, assured themselves of their own qualification for the September culmination to the season.It is quite a transformation for a county that had to wait until early May before ending a 1,043-day run without a victory.Those short boundaries were intended to propel Durham to maximum batting points, only for them to be dismissed for 165, not manage a single batting point, and concede a first-innings lead of 163. Notts extended that to a lead of 288 with five wickets remaining by the close as every ball resisted by Haseeb Hameed , before Scott Borthwick spun one past his defence, for 58, shortly before the close, communicated that he was in no mood to relax even though promotion was assured.Nottinghamshire now join Yorkshire, Lancashire and Somerset as claimants to Division One places in the end-of-season climax. Warwickshire are now strong favourites to join them, with Durham having to hope for an extraordinary victory plus a Warwickshire defeat on Wednesday to pull off a miracle.That leaves Gloucestershire desperately trying to stave off defeat against Hampshire at Cheltenham. A forecast of unbroken sunshine suggests only an overnight Covid alert, and immediate cancellation, can save them. Not that deliberately getting your phone to ‘ping’ would be a particularly moral way to pass the evening.Joey Evison, a 19-year-old medium pacer, England U-19 via Stamford School, destroyed Durham’s first innings with a post-lunch spell of 5 for 21 in eight overs. If Durham could fiddle the boundaries, they could do nothing about the weather and leaden skies hung over Emirates Riverside, as if in meteorological denunciation, until minutes before their innings was complete.Evison, who swings the ball, predominantly away from the right-hander, accepted his opportunity with growing excitement. It was a decent spell of swing bowling, a career-best that he can take pride in, but he will not find many batting line-ups as accommodating in the future.At close of play, he excitedly announced Notts’ qualification before the country’s cricket websites had worked out what was happening. And people fear that we are about to surrender to an automated society.”We’re going into that top conference of the County Championship,” he said. “That’s where we wanted to be looking at our targets for the season. We’re looking to push for that win tomorrow. Getting the five-wicket haul is one of those things I can tick off early in my career. I didn’t know what was going on. Getting four wickets in four overs has not happened to me before. It’s one of those moments that you have to embrace.”Two of his wickets, David Bedingham and Borthwick, required decent deliveries to remove batsmen of proven ability; Bedingham remains on course to be first to 1,000 runs, even if we did once imagine he might pull it off by the end of May, and it’s now July 13. Borthwick’s batting form has been much patchier but he carried a captain’s desire for success in his first season in the role. The other three wickets were gifts, inadequate responses to a high-pressure day.Durham’s openers fell to Stuart Broad – the presence of an England player, limbering up for the India Test series, being quite a bonus in mid-July. Both Cameron Bancroft and Rob Jones fell to big breakbacks. Notts’ loyalists would have watched the replays and judged them stone dead. Durham supporters would have been aghast. Both were probably umpire’s call.Related
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Even so, at 77 for 2 with the afternoon session an over old, Durham might have imagined that 400 – and maximum batting points – was still possible. Bedingham, who now plays as an overseas player since his ancestry visa became an irrelevance, once again looking a player of understated class, and Borthwick was purposefully scrapping away.Then Evison, the fifth seamer to be used, was thrown the ball for the first over of the afternoon. His fifth ball was one of the best of the day, swinging back from around leg stump and tempting Bedingham to hunt out the legside. That was the first of four wickets to fall for nine runs in 37 balls; the management plotting about the boundaries had taken longer than the time it took to make it a pointless exercise.Evison, whose opportunities last season were limited because of a foot injury, removed Sean Dickson for a 13-ball duck, a horrible sliced pull shot which flew skywards and into the hands of the stand-in wicketkeeper Joe Clarke.The left-handed Borthwick was beaten by outswing twice in the next over. The first fell on the half-volley to the diving Brett Hutton at second slip, but it proved to be a useful warm-up exercise as he held another low catch, this time between his legs, later in the same over. Ned Eckersley fell for a second-ball duck, Evison this time appealing while sat on his bottom after falling over in his delivery stride. It was another marginal leg before decision, but if you stand in front of your stumps, as is the in-vogue method, and you find an umpire in ‘out’ mood then you have brought it upon yourself.By now, the short boundaries had been forgotten []. When Ben Raine tried to clear them, he fell at deep* square (*the word deep is used advisably). Lyndon James, who even then was in from the rope, took a routine catch.Hameed took advantage of clear skies after tea, as did some of the crowd who went into somnolent mode, enjoying the sun on their face and presuming Division Two was now a certainty. The next time they watch Championship cricket, autumn will be creeping nearer.Hameed clipped Rushworth to the boundary to reach his fifth half-century of the season from his 100th delivery. Durham did not give up the ghost, with Matt Salisbury and Matty Potts taking two wickets each, and who knows, if they wrap up Notts’ innings in the first hour tomorrow and then slog for all they are worth, those short boundaries might yet turn out to be a masterstroke. The clever money, though, is elsewhere.