da realsbet： There are deep-rooted issues at Sheffield Wednesday that have contributed towards their demise this season.
da heads bet： The ownership of Dejphon Chansiri has been the biggest factor, insisting against putting any more money into the club which has left the Owls with a cash-strapped squad that isn't good enough to compete in the Championship.
On top of that, the decision to hire Xisco Munoz has proven to be a terrible one, although he wasn't helped with the tools provided, he led Wednesday to the worst start in the club's history with no wins after 10 matches.
Following that horrendous start to the campaign, the Spaniard was sacked and replaced with former German assistant manager, Danny Rohl, who will take charge of his first game on Saturday against Watford.
Former Bayern Munich assistant Danny Rohl.
While it seems unthinkable for him to pull Wednesday out of this mess and guide them to safety, it isn't the only time that the club have attempted to pull off something remarkable, and their attempts to sign striker Jamie Vardy in 2015 certainly aligned to that narrative.
Did Sheffield Wednesday almost sign Jamie Vardy?
According to Football Insider, a £5m deal was in place for Wednesday to sign Jamie Vardy in the summer of 2015 with the ex-Leicester boss, Nigel Pearson, sanctioning a deal for the Premier League sensation.
Leicester striker Jamie Vardy.
During his time at the club, Chansiri has wound up Owls supporters on several occasions with his reckless decision-making, but deciding to pull out of a deal to sign Vardy at the last minute is arguably his worst piece of misjudgement.
Despite chalking up 15 goal contributions in his debut season in the top flight, the Thai owner was reportedly unconvinced by the former Fleetwood man.
To make matters worse, Vardy is a lifelong Wednesdayite and was reportedly interested in moving back to the area, only to find out that a deal had been called off and he would remain at the King Power stadium.
What unfolded next was the most remarkable story in Premier League history. From pulling off the "great escape" in the 2014/15 season to miraculously winning the Premier League title a year later, Vardy would etch his name into Foxes folklore by plundering 24 goals and eight assists in 36 appearances.
It is astonishing to think that the Premier League could have been denied one of its greatest-ever goal-getters if Chansiri hadn't pulled the plug on a deal to sign him in 2015, instead splashing the cash on Gary Hooper and Fernando Forestieri.
How many Premier League goals has Vardy scored?
Vardy's well-documented rise from non-league striker to Premier League title winner has become a tool of inspiration for talented players plying their trade lower down the pyramid.
The Englishman has built a career from being a predatory number nine who is always looking to burst into spaces in behind utilising his lightening pace to free him away from opposition defenders.
While his incisive movement and pace put him in the position to score, his calmness in front of goal and exceptional finishing has seen him become one of the top flight's most prolific strikers, setting the record for scoring a goal in 11 consecutive matches that still stands today.
With the range of finishing techniques stashed in his locker, Vardy showed he was capable of scoring all types of goals, including the long-range screamer against Liverpool and the deft lob that saw him set the above record against Manchester United.
The 36-year-old's legacy as a lethal finisher is backed up by his relentless consistency in front of goal, racking up 136 goals in 309 Premier League appearances, a total that puts him in 15th position in the all-time charts.
Vardy's exploits have even been used as an example for the next generation of strikers with goal machine Erling Haaland revealing the inspiration he took from the Englishman for one type of goal he scored previously.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I’ve been watching a lot of players, let’s take for example the run in behind the centre-back when the No 10 has the ball, You have maybe the best in the world at that, Jamie Vardy."
Lauded by Pep Guardiola for his "exceptional" qualities, the predatory striker has reined in the plaudits across his illustrious career and if he manages to fire Leicester back to the top flight, at the age of 36, the Foxes legend will have another remarkable achievement to add to the list.
In a tournament of several stats highlights, the team with the best numbers deservedly lifted the cup
S Rajesh29-May-2012In the end, the best team won IPL 2012. It doesn’t always happen that way in such a long tournament which has knockout matches at the end, but in this case Kolkata Knight Riders were the deserving winners despite some stunning performances from Chennai Super Kings in the last week. Knight Riders weren’t the best batting side – three teams scored more runs than they did in the tournament, five teams had better run-rates, and they were also one of four sides to finish without a centurion. However, as a bowling unit, they were clearly the best: they finished as the joint-highest wicket-takers with 107, while their bowling average and economy rate was better than any other side in the tournament. Out of 102 fifty-plus scores in the tournament, only seven were scored against Knight Riders, which indicates how tough it was to score against them. (There were 15 such scores against Super Kings, and 13 against Delhi Daredevils.)As the table below shows, the difference between the batting and bowling averages, and the run-rates with bat and ball, were both the highest for Knight Riders, who also had by far the best win-loss ratio of 2.40 – Daredevils were next at 1.57. Super Kings, on the other hand, were fourth in terms of win-loss ratio, at 1.25. While all other teams lost at least seven matches in the tournament, Knight Riders lost only five. The only team to have lost fewer matches in an entire IPL campaign is Rajasthan Royals – they lost only three in their title-winning effort in 2008.Daredevils finished on top of the table after the round-robin matches, but let themselves down with two poor games in the knockouts, which pulled down their overall numbers considerably: their batting averages and strike rates were only slightly higher than their corresponding bowling ones.
How the top 4 teams fared in IPL 2012
TeamsW/LRuns scoredAve/ RRWkts takenAve/ ERAve diffRR diffKolkata Knight Riders12/ 5250426.63/ 7.7010722.11/ 7.164.520.54Chennai Super Kings10/ 8283128.02/ 8.0110724.49/ 7.723.530.29Delhi Daredevils11/ 7264528.13/ 8.2410127.17/ 7.940.960.30Mumbai Indians10/ 7246223.22/ 7.4310623.86/ 7.65-0.64-0.22Knight Riders’ bowling firepower Though it was the batting that really turned it on in the final, soaking up the pressure and chasing an above-par score, Knight Riders’ bowling was their stronger suit, and it stayed consistent through all stages of the 20 overs that they spent on the field. In the Powerplay overs Jacques Kallis was among the best for them, bowling 19 overs and taking 7 for 114. Sunil Narine was obviously outstanding, with figures of 3 for 74 in 16 overs, while L Balaji, who missed out on the final, had 3 for 51 from 10 overs. The disappointment was Brett Lee: he went for 169 runs in 22 overs, and took just two wickets. Overall in the Powerplay overs, only one team – Mumbai Indians – had a better economy rate than Knight Riders.In the middle and final overs, though, Knight Riders were easily the best bowling side, taking wickets and maintaining an excellent economy rate. In the middle overs (6.1 to 15), they had a couple of unlikely heroes. Rajat Bhatia took nine wickets at an economy rate of 7.17, while Balaji was terrific again, taking 6 for 81 in 14 overs, an economy rate of 5.78. In the slog overs Narine was their go-to bowler, and he rarely let them down, taking 21 wickets for 185 runs in 157 balls – an economy rate of 7.07 and an average of 8.80. Those were the best slog-over bowling stats of the tournament, marginally better than Lasith Malinga’s 18 wickets at 10.27 and an economy rate of 7.55.(Click here for the batting and bowling stats for Knight Riders, and here for the overall IPL 2012 stats.)
Bowling performances of each team in IPL 2012
TeamPowerplay – wktsAve/ ER6.1-15 – wktsAve/ ER15.1-20 – wktsAve/ ERKolkata Knght Riders2231.90/ 6.693727.29/ 6.774813.62/ 8.26Chennai Super Kings2139.57/ 7.334128.80/ 7.364513.53/ 8.57Delhi Daredevils2728.81/ 6.983931.41/ 7.703521.20/ 9.47Mumbai Indians2428.12/ 6.383730.45/ 7.374516.17/ 9.62Royal Challengers Bangalore1739.64/ 7.243529.82/ 7.733721.27/ 10.56Kings XI Punjab2329.47/ 6.833332.72/ 7.503718.83/ 9.65Rajasthan Royals2330.30/ 6.923727.59/ 7.093221.37/ 9.86Deccan Chargers2132.19/ 7.263429.85/ 7.512825.50/ 10.73Pune Warriors1838.94/ 7.082937.37/ 7.523219.96/ 9.12Close finishes One of the highlights of IPL season 5 was the number of games that were decided in the last over. There were seven games in which the team chasing won off the last ball – Super Kings achieved it three times, and Mumbai Indians twice. Twelve more matches were won in the last over by the team batting second, while in six more games, the team batting first won by less than ten runs. Thus, in the 74 games in which there were results – two were washed out – there were 25 where either the team batting first won by less than ten runs, or the team chasing won in the last over. As a percentage of total matches, that’s only bettered by the 2009 edition in South Africa, when 20 out of 56 matches had these results.However, compared to the last two years, many more games have produced close results. In 2011, there were only two instances when the team chasing won off the last ball, while in 2010 there were no such results.
Close games in each season of the IPL
YearMatches<10 runs*Last over#Percentage20127461933.7820117241120.8320105931123.7320095671335.7120085871131.03More matches, more runs, more sixes Overall, IPL 2012 had more of pretty much everything – matches, runs, wickets, sixes and fifty-plus scores. (They had more than their share of controversies too, but that’s beyond the scope of this piece.) There were two fewer fours struck this year than in 2011, but that was more than compensated by the number of sixes – 731 this year, compared to 639 in 2011. There were six centuries too, which equalled the mark set in two previous seasons.In terms of overall averages and run-rates, though, IPL 2012 was very similar to its previous edition: the average and run-rate was only very marginally higher. The run-rate, though, was lower than that in 2008 and 2010.
The IPL numbers, by season
YearMatchesRunsWktsAverageRPO100s/ 50s4s/ 6s20127522,45385726.197.826/ 961911/ 73120117321,15481326.017.726/ 891913/ 63920106018,86472026.208.124/ 881709/ 58520095716,32069723.417.482/ 681316/ 50620085817,93768926.038.306/ 831702/ 622Pace v spin Despite the outstanding performance of Narine and Muttiah Muralitharan, spinners overall didn’t have such a great time – among the top eight wicket-takers, there was only one spinner. In fact, the average for spinners slipped past 30 for the first time since the opening IPL season, and 31.35 is the highest that spinners have collectively averaged in an IPL season.Like in the 2011 edition, spinners bowled a fair bit during the Powerplay, but didn’t get the rewards they had last year. In 2011, they had bowled 23% of the total deliveries bowled in the Powerplay overs, and taken 24% of the wickets (average 27.02, economy rate 6.62). This time, they bowled 24% of the deliveries, but got only 17% of the wickets (average 46.22, economy rate 6.79). They were still more economical than the faster bowlers, who went at 7.13 in the Powerplay overs, but they lacked the ability to take wickets.
Kings XI Punjab’s leading wicket-taker’s summer really took off only after it was almost over
Firdose Moonda30-Apr-2009As the sun began to set on the South African summer this year, Yusuf Abdulla was preparing to play his last cricket of the season. His schedule would see him compete in three more matches – all of them first-class four-day domestic fixtures for his franchise, the Dolphins. Thereafter, he could look forward to a mild Durban winter of rest and recovery. Little did Abdulla know that his summer would stretch on for a few weeks longer.His fine domestic Pro20 form, which saw him claim 10 wickets at an average of 17.10, earned him a call-up to the South African Twenty20 squad to face Australia. He was given just a single bite at the cherry, and only featured in one of the two matches against the Aussies, but he made sure he bit hard. His figures of 1 for 16 in three overs included the prize scalp of Ricky Ponting. That was enough to get him noticed by the people who matter.”I thought my season was going to end, but Tom Moody saw me in that game and the next day he called me up asked if I would be interested in playing for Punjab in the Indian Premier League”, Abdulla recalls. The speed at which he had gone from being just another domestic player to a part of cricket’spremier 20-over tournament still shocks him. “I still can’t believe how quickly it all happened. By that stage I knew the tournament was going to be held in South Africa, and it couldn’t have worked out any better”.The IPL has given many little-known Indian players their 15 minutes of fame but how did South Africa’s stocky swing bowler get in the frame?Abdulla is from a Muslim family and grew up in Lenasia, a largely Indian suburb in the south of Johannesburg. He spent some of his high-school career in Gauteng, before his family moved to the coal-mining town of Dundee in KwaZulu Natal (KZN). At 18 he was selected for the KZN academy and taken under the coach Yashin Ebrahim’s wing.”I always knew he had potential because of his natural ability to swing the ball,” Ebrahim says. Abdulla spent his time with the Dolphins priming himself for the big time. After a solid 2006-07 season, in which he took nine wickets at an average of 12.00 in the Pro20, Abdulla was picked as one of 20 amateur players to attend the national academy based at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. While the academy’s only competitive cricket was against Zimbabwe A, Abdulla saw it as an opportunity to learn everything he could. “I had already been coached by Graham Ford and Phil Russel, so I had a lot of good mentorship. I still wanted to work on my weaknesses and the academy gave me the room to do that”.His performance in the season that followed was testament to his hard work. In the 2007-08 season he took 10 wickets at an average of 13.40 in the Pro20. Besides being the Dolphins’ main strike bowler in the shorter form of the game, Abdulla also refined his Twenty20 technique. He learnt to disguise his slower ball well, and to fire it in fast from a low and wide angle outside the off stump.Ebrahim says that apart from the minor adjustments to his technique, Abdulla’s success can be largely attributed to his strong will. “When he started to back himself, it came together. He worked hard on his mindset even more than his technique. It was no surprise when he was selected for the national side.”Despite his sterling performances in the shorter version of the game, he has only managed to record one five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. His fitness has also often come under question because of his rotund build. “Ideally we would want him to lose some weight, but he has passed all our tests,” says Ebrahim.While Abdulla is looking to improve his form in the longer version of the game, he has one eye on being selected for the World Twenty20 in June and has emerged as one of the few Twenty20 specialists in South African cricket. “He is immensely competitive and seems to thrive on limited-overs cricket. In that form of the game, he is the go-to man for wickets and is as good an opening bowler as anyone in the country,” says AhmedAmla, the Dolphins captain.Ultimately it was these factors and local knowledge that swung him into favour with Punjab. With the team playing six out of their 14 matches in Durban, and Jerome Taylor ruled out injured, they opted for a South African bowler to assist in leading the attack.Their first two games were rain affected, and Abdulla’s performance could hardly be judged on those lines. He was flogged for 19 runs in the solitary over he bowled to the Delhi Daredevils. That baptism of fire exposed him to batsman he rates most highly. “Even though I only bowled the one over, I can tell you that Virender Sehwag is one of the most difficult batsmen to bowl to in the world”. Punjab lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in their second match, with Abdulla being clobbered for 20 runs in two overs.A change in the Kings XI’s fortunes has been followed up with a change in fortunes for Abdulla as well. He’s notched up figures of 4 for 31 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, among them the wickets of Kevin Pietersen and Jacques Kallis. His return of 3 for 21 against the Rajasthan Royals catapulted him into the top five leading wicket-takers in the tournament. And he went to joint second with a stellar last over in Punjab’s victory against the Mumbai Indians last night.Eager student: Abdulla is keen to learn from his more experienced Punjab team-mates•AFPMany credit his success to the softer wickets of the coast, which tend to favour swing bowlers, and say the real test will come when the IPL moves inland. Abdulla himself says it hasn’t been that easy. “Everybody says the wickets in Durban and Cape Town will suit me, but it has been tough. These wickets are being played on for anything like three matches in a row and by then they are behaving differently to what I am used to. It all depends on what happens on the day and how well I bowl.”Abdulla is still overwhelmed by the leap from provincial cricket into the IPL. He says the immense quality of players in the IPL still mesmerises him. “The main difference between the IPL and domestic cricket is that, for example, when I play against the Lions I am bowling to an opening combination of Alviro Petersen and Jean Symes, but in theIPL it’s to Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum. So even though I am not saying domestic cricket isn’t challenging, the IPL is a step higher and there’s one quality player after the next”.That exposure to players of the highest calibre is also affording Abdulla the opportunity to absorb advice from international players. “I believe in learning wherever I go. The best thing about the IPL is that I am learning from more than one guy all the time. I get advice from players like Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and IrfanPathan.”At 26 he is not ashamed of seeking guidance. “I am quite close to Hashim Amla, not just in cricketing matters. I talk to him about all sorts of things, and I’d say we are the best of friends”.Abdullah says he couldn’t be happier about his extended summer. “There has been absolutely no strain on my body at all and I am really happy to be a part of this. I am just really enjoying it.”
يستعد المصري عمر مرموش للانضمام إلى فريق مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي في انتقالات شهر يناير الجاري.
وتؤكد تقارير الصحف العالمية أن مانشستر سيتي دخل في مفاوضات جادة مع فرانكفورت لضم مرموش.
وأوضح الصحفي فابريزو رومانو عبر حسابه على منصة “إكس” أن مانشستر سيتي توصل إلى اتفاق مع آينتراخت من أجل عمر مرموش، بعد مفاوضات طويلة.
وأشار في تغريدته عبر “إكس” إلى أن مرموش سيوقع عقدًا لمدة خمس سنوات مع مانشستر سيتي (طالع التفاصيل من خلال الرابط).
وبعد إتمام الصفقة قريبًا سيخوض مرموش مباريات حاسمة مع مانشستر سيتي، وتنتظره أيضًا مواجهة مصرية في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
طالع | فرانكفورت يصدر بيانًا رسميًا بشأن عمر مرموش مباريات مانشستر سيتي القادمةمباراة مانشستر سيتي وإيبسويتش تاون
سيخوض مانشستر سيتي مباراة أمام إيبسويتش تاون في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.
وحينها سيتلقي عمر مرموش مع مواطنه سام مرسي قائد فريق إيبسويتش تاون، وتقام مباراة مانشستر سيتي وإيبسويتش تاون يوم الأحد 19 يناير الجاري. مباراة مانشستر سيتي وباريس سان جيرمان
سيلتقي مانشستر سيتي مع باريس سان جيرمان في مباراة حاسمة بدوري أبطال أوروبا يوم الأربعاء الموافق 22 يناير الجاري.
وتأتي هذه المباراة في الجولة السابعة من مرحلة الدوري بدوري أبطال أوروبا، ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز 22 في الترتيب، أما باريس سان جيرمان في المركز 25.
ويمكنك متابعة مواعيد مباريات مانشستر سيتي القادمة لحظة بلحظة من هنا.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to add quality to the ranks at Parkhead in January and his side are now reportedly advancing in negotiations for a known target.
Celtic gearing up for busy January window
Despite a comfortable 3-0 victory over Dundee at Dens Park on Boxing Day, Celtic will be keen to strengthen in January and Rodgers has made his intent to bolster his squad known over the last few weeks.
Speaking earlier this month cited via Sky Sports, the Irishman signalled his intention to add a high calibre of player mid-season, as he stated: "There's no doubt now that, one, the squad will come down in numbers and obviously we need to add quality. There is no dressing it up, the group lost real quality players in the summer. That's something that over the coming windows we will look to improve on."
Boost for Rodgers as Celtic make aggressive January call on Matt O'Riley
He’s been one of Celtic’s key players this season…
BySean Markus Clifford Dec 26, 2023
Bringing in a striker has become a priority for the Hoops and their need is exacerbated by the fact that Kyogo Furuhashi, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Daizen Maeda could all head off to represent their respective nations on Asian Cup duty. Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Fabio Silva is believed to have been offered on loan as a potential short-term solution to the Scottish Premiership champions' conceivable shortage of frontmen and it remains to be seen whether the Portugal Under-21 international will move to Parkhead.
Hacken midfielder Romeo Amane, Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski and Brondby talent Mathias Kvistgaarden are all other names who have been mentioned in connection with Celtic in previous weeks. Now, comments from the manager of a known Hoops target have come to light suggesting that Celtic may be moving closer to completing a signing, as cited by a report.
Celtic "advance" in Jung negotiations
As per reports from South Korea, cited by The Daily Record, Celtic have managed to "advance" in negotiations with Gwangju midfielder Jung Ho-Yeon, who was scouted by Hoops' chiefs in the summer transfer window.
The Hoops have previously dipped into the South Korean market to recruit Yang Hyun-jun and Oh and could now be set to return to familiar territory for the 23-year-old midfielder.
Jung key statistics – K League 1 2023 (Sofascore)
Balls recovered per game
5.4
Tackles per game
2.0
Accurate passes per game
41.3 (90%)
Team of the week inclusions
5
Average match rating
6.99/10
Speaking to local media, Gwangju manager Lee Jung-Hyo detailed the latest on the situation, stating: "Jung Ho-Yeon is currently in talks to advance to Europe from Gwangju, but still have a long way to go. If you go to Europe now, you are bound to end up in a clumsy situation. It is wise to prepare well like Cho Gue-sung (who signed for Midtjylland last summer) and choose the team and league well."
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.
Labelled a"prospect" by Asian football expert Dario Focardi, the South Korea Under-23 international has gone on to make 34 appearances in 2023, registering two goals and three assists (Jung statistics – Transfermarkt).
Celtic will need to attract quality reinforcements if they are to retain their Scottish Premiership title and Jung looks like a midfielder who could add a different dimension to Rodgers' engine room.
Everton boasted the second-best defence in the bottom half of the Premier League heading into Sunday's clash against Manchester United at Goodison Park. However, as a result of three goals flying past Jordan Pickford, the Toffees have now fallen below Brentford's ranking and moved into third.
While Everton created a lot of chances during the game, ending the proceedings with an xG of 2.5, Sean Dyche's side gave the visitors plenty of opportunities to punish them on the break, conceding an xG of 2.07, according to Understat.
Everton manager Sean Dyche.
Two of United's three goals came from the wide areas, with one defender in particular struggling to keep up with the youthful vibrancy of the opposition's forward line.
Ashley Young's stats this season
Ashley Young has proven himself to be a reliable fullback under Dyche ever since making the move from Aston Villa during the summer transfer window for free. This season, the former Man United wide-man has made 12 appearances in the Premier League in a blue shirt, starting in 92% of Everton's games so far.
Nevertheless, the 38-year-old had a disastrous game against his old side on Sunday and played a helping hand in United's first two goals.
While Alejandro Garnacho stunned the Gwladys Street End with a stunning bicycle kick to open the scoring, the Argentine wonderkid was Young's man at the back-post but could only stand and watch in horror and awe as the ball sailed past Pickford and into the net. Later in the game, Young conceded a penalty which was smashed home by Marcus Rashford, all but putting the tie to bed.
Young lost five of his eight defensive duels throughout the match, lost possession of the ball nine times, committed three fouls in total and was lucky to stay on the park after tripping Anthony Martial in the box to concede a spot-kick, having been booked in the first half for a reckless challenge on Garnacho. The Liverpool Echo ranked Young's performance as a dismal 3/10, calling his display "awful".
With just over 15 minutes remaining, the veteran was replaced by the man who should be given the nod in the future.
Nathan Patterson's stats this season
Nathan Patterson moved to Goodison Park in 2022 during Rafa Benitez's time at the club for £16m having won a Scottish Premiership title with Rangers the year prior.
However, since becoming a Toffee, the young defender has appeared just 37 times in all competitions, including 15 this season. Despite making 12 Premier League appearances this term, the 22-year-old has only been in Dyche's starting lineup in 38% of Everton's games.
Regardless, the manager still believes that Patterson is an excellent player, calling him "tremendous" after Everton smashed Brighton and Hove Albion 5-1 away from home at the end of last season.
Patterson will be champing at the bit to make the right-back berth his own and, after Young's display on Sunday, he may just get the nod from the boss at Nottingham Forest this weekend. The Scotland international has even been outperforming Young in a number of key metrics for a fullback.
Assists
0.13
0
Expected Assists
0.11
0.07
Progressive Passes
3.77
3.73
Progressive Carries
2.13
1.73
Progressive Passes Received
3.77
1.18
Key Passes
0.82
1
Passes To Final 1/3
3.61
3
Crosses To Penalty Area
0.66
0.45
Tackles
3.11
1.55
Tackles Won %
73.7%
64.7%
Stats via FBref & FotMob.
Statistically, Patterson is an improvement on Young offensively and defensively and while he may not have the experience of his counterpart, the Scot should be given a run of games by Sean Dyche to prove his long-term worth to the team.
Chelsea have made a decision on one of their more expensive players at Stamford Bridge as Mauricio Pochettino continues to shape his squad, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Jackson injury, Hazard retires, Chelsea target Osimhen…
Cited by Football London, a Chelsea injury update on striker Nicolas Jackson has indicated that the Senegalese striker has withdrawn from international duty with the Lions of Teranga in order to undergo a minor operation on his wrist after he wore a splint for the Blues' last two fixtures.
Rangers forward Abdallah Sima has replaced Jackson in the Senegal squad as he recovers from the procedure over the international break ahead of Chelsea's trip to Arsenal upon the resumption of the Premier League campaign.
Chelsea icon Eden Hazard has announced his retirement from football and has taken to social media platform Instagram to thank everyone involved in his career, stating via The Guardian: "You must listen to yourself and say stop at the right time. After 16 years and more than 700 matches played, I have decided to end my career as a professional footballer. I was able to realise my dream, I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world. Thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all."
Former Belgium international Hazard endeared himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful as a hero over the course of his seven years at Chelsea, registering 110 goals and 92 assists in 352 appearances across all competitions (Hazard statistics)
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on his Substack "Si Phillips Talks Chelsea" that Pochettino sees Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as a "dream" Chelsea transfer target, while Brentford's Ivan Toney is also said to be on the radar at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea summer signings
Axel Disasi (Monaco)
£38.5m
Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal)
£30.1m
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
£52m
Kendry Paez (Independiente del Valle)
£17.27m (joins 2025/26)
Robert Sanchez (Brighton)
£25m
Moises Caicedo (Brighton)
£115m
Lesley Ugochukwu (Rennes)
£23.5m
Angelo Gabriel (Santos)
Undisclosed
Alex Matos (Norwich)
Undisclosed
Diego Moreira (Benfica)
Undisclosed
Ishe Samuels-Smith (Everton)
Undisclosed
Dujuan Richards (Phoenix All Stars Academy)
Undisclosed
Romeo Lavia (Southampton)
£58m
Deivid Washington (Santos)
£17.1m
Djordje Petrovic (New England Revolution)
£14m
Cole Palmer (Manchester City)
£42.5m
All fees courtesy of Sky Sports
Chelsea transfer news – Romelu Lukaku
Transfer expert Romano has delivered another Chelsea transfer update on social media platform X regarding forgotten Blues striker Romelu Lukaku, who has rediscovered his best form out on loan at Jose Mourinho's Roma.
Romano stated: "Understand Chelsea have already fixed an exit fee for Romelu Lukaku in summer 2024 — and it’s around £37m. There’s an agreement to make Romelu available for that fee next year. Lukaku, doing great on loan to Roma as he scored 7 goals."
Labelled a "beast" by former Inter Milan striker Christian Vieri, Lukaku has managed to average 2.5 shots on goal per fixture this term in the Italian top-flight, alongside gaining an average match rating of 7.31/10, as per WhoScored.
Nevertheless, he could now be set to depart Stamford Bridge for a relatively cheap fee of £37 million, which looks almost microscopic compared to the £97.5 million fee the Blues paid for Lukaku in 2021.
New Zealand women amassed 491 for 4 – the highest total in all ODI cricket – to smash records and Ireland women at YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2018 New Zealand women amassed 491 for 4 – the highest total in all ODI cricket – to smash records and Ireland women at the YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin. They threatened to break the 500-run barrier when they were 471 for 4 in 49 overs. Seventeen-year-old Amelia Kerr – the fourth New Zealand batsman to cross 50 – drove the first two balls of the last over through extra cover for fours. She followed it with another four to the long-on boundary, but could manage only seven off the last three balls.In response, Ireland folded for 144 in 35.3 overs as New Zealand secured the fourth-biggest win in women’s ODIs – by 346 runs. They achieved the biggest win – by 408 runs – when they ran up 455 for 5, the previous highest total in ODIs, in Christchurch in 1997.Ireland will also be concerned about Isobel Joyce, who did not bat in the chase after bumping her head on the ground while fielding. She had bowled just one over in the first innings.It was captain Suzie Bates and No. 3 Maddy Green who set the tone for New Zealand’s mammoth score with quickfire centuries – 151 off 94 balls and 121 off 77 balls respectively. Bates and debutant Jess Watkin started with a blistering 172-run opening partnership off 18.5 overs at a run rate of 9.13. The stand ended when Rachel Delaney, a substitute fielder, pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at deep square leg to dismiss Watkin for 62 off 59 balls.Bates, who was on 89 off 59 balls then, went on to score her 10th ODI hundred, off only 71 balls. Only Australia captain Meg Lanning (11) has more ODI centuries than Bates. She reached the landmark when she tucked legspinner Gaby Lewis to the leg side for a single and got a hug from team-mate Green in the middle.In the next over, Bates was reprieved on 113 when Louise Little dropped a return catch that went high. Bates further added 38 to her tally before 17-year-old legspinner Cara Murray, also making her ODI debut, drew Bates out of her crease and had her stumped in the 30th over, and New Zealand were 288 for 2. Murray also dismissed Amy Satterthwaite, but ended up conceding 119 runs – the worst figures in all ODIs.Three other bowlers – Lewis, Little, and Lara Maritz – gave away 92 runs each while new-ball bowler Amy Kenealy went for 81 in nine overs.The loss of Bates did not slow down New Zealand. Green, whose previous best ODI score was 46, smoked her maiden international century off 62 balls, while Kerr scored an unbeaten 81 off 45 balls, including nine fours and three sixes. Kerr added 76 for the fifth wicket in 38 balls to bring her side to within 10 runs of 500.Notably, this match was played on the same pitch where New Zealand had chased down 137 in 11 overs without losing a wicket on Wednesday.Seamer Hannah Rowe made light work of Ireland’s openers before offspinner Leigh Kasperek ran through the middle and lower order with career-best figures of 4 for 17. She had dismissed captain Laura Delany (37) and Jennifer Gray (35) – the only two Ireland batsmen to pass 20. The entire Ireland side managed only 18 boundaries while Bates alone hit 26.
da realbet： Sunderland had been outside of the Premier League for some time, but the Black Cats are now back and ready to leave their mark on one of world football’s most entertaining and exciting divisions.
da fazobetai： Indeed, before achieving promotion in stunning fashion against Sheffield United at Wembley back in late May, Sunderland had been missing from the top-flight picture for a mammoth eight campaigns, with a miserable four-season stay in League One even coming their way, which further hammered home how the mighty had fallen.
Now, Wearside is back on the footballing map courtesy of Regis Le Bris being the heroic manager to finally break their promotion hoodoo, with plenty of near-misses over the last few years piling on the pain, before the sweet ecstasy of promotion could be fully lapped up.
However, the task at the Frenchman’s door now – alongside the other powers that be at the Stadium of Light – is to build a squad of players that’s worthy of staying put in the Premier League, to make all that hard graft worthwhile.
Already, the big bucks are being splashed to try and gift the Black Cats the best fighting chance at survival and beyond, with a lavish £50m forked out to snap up both Enzo Le Fee permanently, on top of Habib Diarra further bulking up the midfield spots for a club-record £30m.
Noah Sadiki has also cost Le Bris and Co. a sizeable £17.75m, while confirmation for the signing of Club Brugge’s Chemsedine Talbi also appears to be imminent, after a £20m agreement was struck.
More signings will be clearly required, and with that in mind, here is what Sunderland’s dream squad could look like if everything goes smoothly the rest of the summer.
The goalkeepers Brand new number one at the Stadium of Light
Kicking off Sunderland’s dream squad is the goalkeeper position, and there could well be a new number one on Wearside this coming season.
Whilst Anthony Patterson was able to tally up 14 clean sheets in league action on the way to the Black Cats triumphantly reaching the big time, he could soon be demoted to a number two spot in the side, particularly if Sunderland do end up signing Djorde Petrovic.
It’s been widely reported that the Black Cats might be able to win the reserve Chelsea ‘keeper for around the £21.5m mark this summer, with that perhaps signifying a steal down the line, considering the agile Serbian is just fresh off a ten-clean-sheet season in between the sticks for Strasbourg.
Patterson would no doubt offer a safe pair of gloves as backup, but with Petrovic also flexing 31 games in the Premier League in the past – with seven clean sheets heading his way at Stamford Bridge – he might well be what Le Bris now desires as a first-team option.
Alongside the Englishman and the £21.5m buy, Le Bris would also have Simon Moore as an emergency option, with the 35-year-old keeping three clean sheets across his minimal Sunderland game-time to date.
Full list of goalkeepers: Djorde Petrovic, Anthony Patterson, Simon Moore
The defenders Four new signings join Petrovic
Petrovic is unlikely to be the only first-team altering addition to Sunderland’s defence, as four more potential new signings join this bumper Black Cats squad.
However, irrespective of all this activity, Trai Hume should remain out in front as Sunderland’s main right-back – even as the challenge of the Premier League has the potential to eat players whole – with the Northern Irishman a blistering performer for Le Bris’ men last season when notching up nine goal contributions.
Daniel Ballard should also fancy his chances at being a starter in the heart of defence just based on this last-gasp header alone, but he did also win an imperious 4.6 duels on average per second-tier clash last season when fit.
This is where it gets interesting as Charlie Cresswell and Deja Caleta-Car are added into the mix in the centre-back areas to challenge both the aforementioned Ballard and Luke O’Nien.
Cresswell would cost around the £18m ballpark to obtain, which doesn’t feel like too steep of amount to splash on a top-flight-distinguished defender, considering the England U21 international is just fresh off collecting nine clean sheets in Ligue 1 action for Toulouse.
Alongside the ex-Leeds United centre-back, his £8.5m-rated Croatian counterpart would also provide some more tough competition to the likes of O’Nien – who isn’t getting any younger at 30 years of age – having shown off his top division qualities too with Lyon when averaging a 91% pass accuracy per league game last season.
Sunderland's Dennis Cirkin in action against Leeds United's Daniel James.
The left-back spot should also be claimed by Black Cats regular Dennis Cirkin, who is the full package with 11 clean sheets and five goal contributions tallied up last campaign, but he would be pushed by two fresh faces in the form of Reinildo and Ishe Samuels-Smith.
Reinildo has 25 Champions League games under his belt and would be arriving on a free transfer, whilst Samuels-Smith would be joining on loan from Chelsea as a diamond tipped for big things, and he will be eager to kick on at a club renowned for polishing young gems.
Full list of right backs: Trai Hume, Timothee Pembele, Niall Huggins
Full list of centre backs: Daniel Ballard, Charlie Cresswell, Luke O’Nien, Duje Caleta-Car
Full list of left backs: Dennis Cirkin, Reinildo, Ishe Samuels-Smith
The midfielders £43m star breaks Diarra's record fee
All the glitz and glamour of Sunderland’s busy window so far has centred on the midfield department, but Dan Neil will still fancy his chances at a concrete first-team spot in the Premier League.
After all, the homegrown Black Cats midfielder will be working his socks off if any basement battle arrives on Wearside, knowing how passionate the Stadium of Light masses can be, with two goals and three assists also under his belt on the way to promotion being sealed.
He will be joined potentially by a midfielder that cost even more than Diarra’s whopping £30m, with it being speculated that ex-Arsenal warrior Matteo Guendouzi could soon join the ranks for a colossal £43m to beef up the Black Cats centrally.
Guendouzi was an ever-present member of Lazio’s midfield last season, and for good reason, with one goal and three assists coming his way in the demanding Serie A. Whilst his price tag does seem steep, he also has 57 Premier League games already on his side with the Gunners.
Joining him in the middle of the park is Habib Diarra, who will be keen to be another gem unearthed from Ligue 1 by Le Bris, after creating a hefty nine big chances in the French top-flight across his 24/25 season, on top of his standout output of four goals and five assists.
He is likely to take up a central spot alongside either Neil or the expensive Guendouzi, whilst Noah Sadiki will offer up his services to Sunderland as a versatile figure – away from solely being a midfield spark – having even lined up as a full-back on occasion last campaign for Union Saint-Gillois.
Full list of midfielders: Dan Neil, Matteo Guendouzi, Habib Diarra, Noah Sadiki
The forwards
“Living legend” adds competition for Wilson Isidor
Last, but by no means least, we have arrived at the integral forward positions in Sunderland’s dream squad, with the Black Cats wanting to expose plenty of porous Premier League defences on the way to clinching survival.
Patrick Roberts might not be a spring chicken anymore on Wearside, but he has the ability on his day to cause defences distress, with a glowing collection of nine goals and 18 assists across his 145-game back catalogue.
Eliezer Mayenda’s flexible presence in Le Bris’ camp could be put to good use here in offering the Black Cats another body down their right flank, with five of his Sunderland career appearances coming here.
That said, the Frenchman will likely find himself behind 20-year-old Talbi, with the young winger registering 12 goals and assists last season for Brugge.
In the number ten spot, Chris Rigg’s moment to shine in the Premier League is finally here. Crazily, despite being only 18 years of age, Rigg is a household fixture of Sunderland’s starting lineups, with seven strikes next to his name from 72 clashes and counting. Adil Aouchiche could offer competition here, but this feels like Rigg’s position to master now.
As for the left flank, Sunderland already look extremely strong, with both Enzo Le Fee and Romaine Mundle at Le Bris’ disposal.
Le Fee delivered the goods last season when it mattered with two assists registered in the crunch playoff semi-final contests, whilst ex-Tottenham Hotspur sensation Mundle showed real glimpses of quality in the second tier, too, even as injuries took their toll, as seen in him collecting five goals from just 25 league outings.
Isidor’s numbers (24/25) vs Mikautadze’s (24/25)
Stat
Isidor
Mikautadze
Games played
52
47
Goals scored
13
17
Assists
2
9
Big chances missed (in the league)
20
11
Big chances created (in the league)
9
9
Stats by Sofascore
Sunderland’s firepower will be enhanced for sure in the striker slot, however, with Lyon star Georges Mikautadze now reportedly on their ever-growing summer shopping list. Valued at £21m, he could bring the Black Cats’ spending to almost £112m on these seven additional signings, even without factoring in the confirmed deals for Diarra and Sadiki, alongside Talbi’s impending arrival.
It’s clear to see why he’s the desired centre-forward target when assessing his far heftier goal tally across the 24/25 campaign when weighed up next to 13-goal hero Wilson Isidor, and with football talent scout Jacek Kulig even going as far as to label him a “living legend”, he could be a real fan’s favourite at the Stadium of Light to come.
Full list of left-wingers: Enzo Le Fee, Romaine Mundle
Full list of right-wingers: Chemsedine Talbi, Patrick Roberts, Eliezer Mayenda
Full list of number tens: Chris Rigg, Adil Aouchiche
Full list of strikers: Wilson Isidor, Georges Mikautadze
Shades of Cresswell: Sunderland now in advanced talks to sign £4m star
Sunderland will be looking to the future if they successfully snap up this £4m gem.
da imperador bet： Leeds United went through a summer of huge change as they were relegated from the Premier League and allowed a number of players to depart.
da realsbet： The likes of Jack Harrison, Max Wober, Robin Koch, Tyler Adams, and Rodrigo are just a few of the many first-team stars who were moved on, either permanently or on loan.
German manager Daniel Farke was then allowed to to snap up nine new additions to bolster his squad; including Joel Piroe, Jaidon Anthony, Joe Rodon, Ilia Gruev, Ethan Ampadu, Djed Spence, Karl Darlow, Sam Byram, and Glen Kamara.
The January transfer window is now just over a month away from opening for business and there is a chance that the ex-Norwich tactician could need to react to another first-team departure, as speculation continues to surround Wilfried Gnonto's future in Yorkshire.
TEAMtalk reported at the end of last month that Roma, Lazio, and Everton are all weighing up a possible swoop to sign the Italy international at the turn of the year, with a price tag of £25m placed on the talented dynamo.
The outlet claimed that 'sources close to the player' believe that a January exit from Elland Road is a possibility for the 20-year-old dynamo, after he failed to secure a move away in the summer.
Gnonto reportedly handed in a transfer request after Leeds declined multiple offers from the Toffees, which led to the ex-Zurich star being absent for three first-team matches before being reintegrated into the team.
The talented youngster has managed one goal and one assist in ten Championship outings this term and it remains to be seen whether or not his lack of consistent production at the top end of the pitch will convince the club to cash in on him in January amid interest from Roma, Lazio and Everton.
If they do decide to sell Gnonto for £25m, though, a replacement would be needed to bolster Farke's wide options. With this in mind, here are three former targets who could be dream heirs to his position within the squad…
1 Jonathan Paintsil
Ghana international Joseph Paintsil.
During the summer window, Leeds attempted to sign the Genk winger but the player later revealed that he turned down the opportunity as his dream is to play in the Premier League, or another major European league.
The Whites are currently third in the Championship and eight points off the top of the table as it stands. If Farke can lead the team to an automatic promotion place by January then he could possibly convince the talented forward to make the switch with the allure of a realistic chance of playing top-flight football next season.
Paintsil could be a fantastic replacement for Gnonto as his form for Genk last term was described as "sensational" by Scott Coyne of the Belgian Football Podcast, as the 25-year-old whiz racked up 17 goals and 11 assists in 36 league outings.
The Ghana international has also started this season with an excellent return of three goals and three assists in 12 Pro League appearances. He has also produced one goal and one assist in three Europa Conference League clashes for his side in recent months.
These goal contributions show that the winger has the ability to chip in with goals and assists with impressive regularity, which is something that Gnonto has not been able to do this term, and that is why the exciting hotshot could be a dream addition to the roster.
2 Grady Diangana
West Brom winger Grady Diangana.
It was reported during the summer that Leeds were one of a number of interested clubs eyeing up West Bromwich Albion forward Grady Diangana.
If the ex-West Ham United prospect is available in January then he could be a sensible replacement for Gnonto as a player who is currently playing in the Championship and knows exactly what it takes to perform at that level.
Diangana's Championship record (via Transfermarkt)
Statistic
Performance
Appearances
113
Goals
16
Assists
14
Promotions
One
The 25-year-old whiz has racked up two goals and three assists in 11 league appearances for the Baggies this term, which also shows that the gem has outperformed the current Leeds ace as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a wide position.
Diangana, who scored four goals and assisted three in 21 second-tier starts last season, would not need any time to adapt to the division and would arrive with the experience of winning promotion, having done so in the 2019/20 campaign with West Brom.
This suggests that the Baggies star could be a quality and experienced addition to Farke's group of attacking options to bolster their hopes of making an instant return to the top-flight.
3 Ben Brereton Diaz
Villarreal forward Ben Brereton Diaz.
The Chile international could be an attainable target for the Whites come the turn of the year and the former Championship star, who has scored 53 EFL goals at that level throughout his career, would be an ideal signing to hit the ground running in the second half of the campaign.
It was reported in 2022 that Leeds were one of the clubs, alongside Villarreal, eyeing up a swoop to sign the forward on a free transfer at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. However, they were relegated from the Premier League and the Spanish top-flight outfit were able to secure his services.
The move to Spain has not worked out for Brereton Diaz, though, as TEAMtalk recently reported that the LaLiga side are prepared to send him out on loan in January, with a host of English teams – from the top two tiers – said to be keen on a deal.
Leeds should now target a swoop to land him on a temporary basis if they are in the market to find a replacement for Gnonto in the winter window.
His final two seasons with Blackburn Rovers showcased his ability to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch at Championship level.
The English-born sensation fired in an eye-catching 36 goals and assisted his teammates on seven occasions across 80 appearances between the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns combined.
This included a phenomenal return of 22 goals and three assists in 34 Championship starts for Blackburn throughout the 2021/22 season, which illustrates the immense level of production that he can provide in the second tier of English football.
It will be interesting to see what direction Leeds go for if they do decide to cash in on Gnonto in January as these three former targets all have their merits and could be dream replacements for the Italian whiz.