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A round-up of the games played in third week of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge, in which Cape Cobras got on to the points table, while Dolphins were hampered by the weather again

Firdose Moonda27-Nov-2017

Results Summary Cape Cobras got their first points when they beat Lions in a nail-biter in Paarl, though they may not have fancied their chances when they posted only 145 for 7. JP Duminy scored his second half-century in three matches to anchor the innings and the only other score of substance came from Hashim Amla, who made 42 off 35 balls. Kagiso Rabada was Lions’ best bowler, with 2 for 20 in his four overs. Despite a 51 from Lions’ opener Rassie van der Dussen, they were always behind the required run rate and needed 50 runs from the final five overs. Rory Kleinveldt took two wickets in three balls in the penultimate over and Lions could not muster the runs to crawl over the line.Lions’ weekend on the West Coast got worse when they also lost to Warriors at Newlands on Sunday, giving the Eastern-Cape side their first win of the campaign with a record chase. Lions posted 182 for 3, with Reeza Hendricks continuing to lead the line-up. After his century last week, Hendricks smashed 81 off 63 balls, and Lions may have considered themselves safe. However, Colin Ingram’s 89 off 48 balls, after being dropped on 13 by Rabada, meant that Warriors recovered from 13 for 2 to dominate Lions’ bowling. Beuran Hendricks and Wiaan Mulder conceded 89 runs between them in seven overs and Warriors won with six balls to spare to complete the highest successful chase in South Africa’s franchise twenty-over competition history.Later on Sunday, local team Cobras ended off a solid Sunday with a three-wicket win over Knights, thanks to strong performances from their veterans. Kleinveldt took 3 for 19 to stall Knights and remove their two internationals. Kleinveldt had Theunis de Bruyn caught behind, close to the halfway stage of Knights’ innings, after he scored 40 off 22 balls. They were 71 for 3 before David Miller plundered 50 off 37 balls but was dismissed in the penultimate over. Cobras’ chase started shakily. They were 54 for 3, with Richard Levi, Temba Bavuma and Amla all out.Duminy’s 67 off 44 balls, however, ensured that even a mid-innings wobble meant Cobras won with an over to spare.After a wash-out against Knights in Durban, rain prevented Dolphins from playing against Warriors at home on Wednesday. Their fortunes did not change when they moved upcountry. On Friday night, in Benoni, their match against the Titans was abandoned without even the toss, leaving them with only two completed games in the first half of the competition.International IncidentsAfter struggling for form through the year, being dropped and then retiring from Tests, Duminy appears to have found his rhythm. He struck a third half-century in the competition and is second on the top run-getters’ list, which can only bode well for South Africa’s limited-overs engagements later in the summer.Rabada picked up 3 for 25 against Warriors to leapfrog Lungi Ngidi on the wicket-charts. Rabada’s economy of 6.70 runs is only a fraction above Eddie Leie’s 6.68 among the top-ten wicket-takers in the competition so far and, impressively, the work Rabada is doing on his cutters seems to be paying off.Meanwhile, Bavuma appears to have hit a lean patch. He has three single-figure scores and nothing over 30 in his five matches so far.Domestic DreamersThough Lions did not have much to celebrate, Hendricks added another impressive score and has broken clear at the top of the batting charts, with more than 100 runs between him and his nearest competitor, Duminy. Hendricks has scored 319 runs from five matches and averages 106.33 with a strike-rate of 137.50 and is making a strong case to be considered as Ottis Gibson trials World Cup hopefuls.Beyond the BoundaryAn update from the Titans’ camp around the availability of their internationals grabbed headlines. Dale Steyn was rested and returned to Cape Town to continue with his rehabilitation, with a focus on bowling Test match spells, while there is good news from both Chris Morris and Morne Morkel. Morris’ return from a back injury is imminent while Morkel is said to be bowling at 80% after suffering a side strain against Bangladesh.

Tottenham have made contact over the possibility of signing Juventus left-back Andrea Cambiaso in the wake of Ryan Sessegnon’s latest injury.

Which players are Tottenham signing in 2023?

The Lilywhites have been very active in the transfer window since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival, immediately securing the permanent deals of loan stars Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski.

Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison and Manor Solomon have also joined, taking the total spend well over £100million if you include the loan to buy deals, but Daniel Levy is showing no signs of slowing down just yet.

That is because attention has now turned to providing his new manager with reinforcements in defence, where Spurs were nothing short of abysmal last season, conceding the most goals of any Premier League side who finished higher than Bournemouth in 15th place.

Clement Lenglet looks to be a likely addition – like Porro and Kulusevski he’s already spent a temporary spell in north London – as rumours are swirling about a deal with Barcelona to bring the France international back.

Left-back is now also an area of concern though, as the club confirmed this week that Sessegnon has undergone surgery on his left hamstring after picking up an issue in pre-season training. It’s now hard to envisage a world where Spurs can rely on the former Fulham starlet long-term, such are the extent of his unfortunate injury issues.

And according to Sky Sports Italy, via Sport Witness, Spurs chiefs have submitted an enquiry for an unfamiliar name for most fans in the shape of Cambiaso, presumably to his agents rather than Juventus. A 23 year-old defender who made the move to Turin last summer, he spent the season on loan with Bologna.

The Old Lady have placed a €25m (£21m) price tag on the youngster as they need to recoup some cash to offset Financial Fair Play difficulties, while AC Milan are also interested. Both suitors apparently see that as quite a large sum for a somewhat inexperienced player, but it is “something to keep an eye on” moving forward.

Is Cambiaso a good signing for Spurs?

With Destiny Udogie still an unknown quantity and Ben Davies now into his thirties – and also an option at centre-back – it’s no surprise to see Ange and Levy go shopping for a new option on that flank, and Cambiaso looks like an astute addition at around the £20m mark.

He more than proved he can hold his own in a top European league during his loan spell at Bologna, starting 25 Serie A games with an additional seven substitute appearances, recording three assists.

Cambiaso ranked particularly highly in a number of areas which are sure to appeal to the new Spurs boss – namely shot-creating actions, successful take-ons and tackles, painting the picture of a player who is on the front foot, aggressive and looking to get stuck in and get his team moving forward.

He played a key part in Bologna finishing an impressive ninth in Serie A, ranking in the top ten in his squad for pass completion, tackles per game, interceptions per game and key passes per game, and is also capable of filling a role further forward on the left side of midfield, so could be the perfect option as a wing-back if Ange opts to go that route.

All in all, while neither Spurs or Milan seem happy to pay Juve’s asking price, a deal around £20m for a versatile young player with an impressive season under his belt in a tough league looks a decent a bit of business.

Arsenal have “held talks” to sign Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia, reports 90min journalist Graeme Bailey.

Which players are Arsenal signing in 2023?

The Gunners have been on fire in the transfer market so far this summer, splashing the cash to ensure their incredible 2022/23 season under Mikel Arteta is no flash in the pan.

The north Londoners have already announced the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea – a sure sign of the power shift in the capital – and deals for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are thought to be all but done.

Arteta and Edu’s work won’t finish there however, due to the fact that they are also set to lose some key players from the team that performed so well last term. Granit Xhaka has left the club to join Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen while Thomas Partey is also thought to be likely to leave, so the addition of Rice may need to be accompanied by another new arrival in the centre of the park.

And that’s where Lavia could come in, with the Southampton youngster expected to depart after the Saints’ relegation from the Premier League. The 19 year-old is one of several midfield targets to be linked – the likes of Moises Caicedo and even Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni have been mentioned – but the Belgium international appears to be the most advanced.

Are Arsenal signing Romeo Lavia?

Indeed, the Gunners have actually “held talks” to sign the former Manchester City starlet, reports Bailey, but they aren’t alone as Chelsea and Liverpool have also made the same steps.

Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle are also keeping an eye on the situation, with the teenager “emerging as one of this summer's most in-demand players”. Saints apparently expect to recoup £50m to sell their prized asset.

It’s hard to imagine Lavia coming in and starting week in week out for the Gunners – he is outperformed by Rice in all but three of FBRef’s key metrics for defensive midfielders – but he would be an excellent option to have in the building depending on the opposition, especially with tricky European ties on the way.

The three areas he actually betters Rice in are tackles, blocks and successful take-ons, painting the picture of a player who is excellent at shielding the back four, breaking up play and then weaving out of tight situations to retain possession once he has taken it.

With Rice sure to be striding forward and aiding the more attack-minded players in the XI, having a pure number six behind the England international in certain games would allow him to focus more on those attacking phases of play, and Lavia looks the perfect candidate.

You don’t need to look far to find plaudits for the tough-tackling ace either, with Pep Guardiola saying this earlier this year: “We had, and we have, an incredible opinion about him. We thought to keep him, but maybe he would not (get) enough minutes like he has in Southampton.”

Many pundits and fans alike have pointed out the similarities between the way Arteta’s team operates and Pep’s City, so it is no surprise to see the boss looking to recruit a player valued so highly by his former mentor, and the interest from various big six rivals shows exactly how Lavia is seen by those around the game.

Mahela Jayawardene has effectively ended his playing career in Bangladesh after being signed for two seasons as head coach of BPL franchise Khulna Titans

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2017

Mahela Jayawardene has effectively ended his playing career in Bangladesh after being signed for two seasons as head coach of BPL franchise Khulna Titans. Jayawardene featured in two games for Dhaka Dynamites alongside his former Sri Lankan team-mate Kumar Sangakkara in 2016.Jayawardene’s signing comes a week after he coached Mumbai Indians to an IPL crown in his first season with the franchise. The former Sri Lankan captain takes over the mantle from Stuart Law, the former Australia batsman who recently took over as head coach of West Indies.”I enjoyed playing in the BPL last year and that has given me a great insight into what will be required to be successful in the 2017 tournament,” Jayawardene said in a statement. “BPL is an exciting tournament for Bangladesh, as well the region as a whole, and I am excited to be partnering with one of the most respected and forward-thinking franchises.”Kazi Inam Ahmed, Khulna’s managing director, said that the franchise can only benefit from the expertise of a cricketer of Jayawardene’s stature. “We are excited to have Mahela Jayawardane join the Titans as head coach for next two editions of BPL,” Ahmed said. “He has always been a great leader on the field and has won big tournaments for Sri Lanka.”We were thrilled to see him win the IPL recently as the coach of the Mumbai Indians. I am sure all of us Titans will learn a lot from him and the tournament will be enriched by his presence.”The 2017 edition is slated to start on November 4, with Sylhet likely to join the ranks and make it an eight-team event. The players’ draft is likely to be held on September 16 in Dhaka.

Manchester United are keen to bring Juventus defender Gleison Bremer to the Premier League, according to reports.

Is Gleison Bremer leaving Juventus?

The Brazilian international only arrived at the Allianz Stadium from Torino last summer and he impressed during his debut season, establishing himself as Massimiliano Allegri’s overall third best-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 6.92.

However, even though the 26-year-old still has another four years remaining on his contract, the Serie A outfit are in need of funds and will therefore be looking to raise cash by selling some of their most prized assets during the upcoming window, the centre-back being one of them.

Back in 2021, Fantacalcio credited the Red Devils with an interest in the 6 foot 2 colossus when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge, and if the following update is to be believed, Erik Ten Hag is allegedly preparing to make a second attempt at securing his services.

Are Man United signing Bremer?

According to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), Man United are “looking at” a potential summer swoop for Bremer. The Old Trafford side are “thinking about” the defender and are “particularly interested” in wrapping up a deal in the weeks and months ahead.

Juventus will demand an offer of at least €60m (£51m) in order to “carefully” consider a sale, and whilst a switch “doesn’t seem obvious at this stage”, Old Trafford chiefs did watch him live in action last season.

Where could Bremer fit in under Ten Hag?

Man United’s captain Harry Maguire has been heavily linked with a summer exit so Ten Hag will need a replacement in central defence should he depart, and having been dubbed an “animal” by Torino’s Mergim Vojvoda, Bremer could be the perfect candidate.

The World Cup participant was averaging 3.8 clearances and 2.6 aerial wins per Serie A game during the previous term, via WhoScored, so was a real solid option in the heart of the backline, but he also posed a threat in the final third with five goal contributions (four goals and one assist) to his name.

Bremer, who has the versatility to operate at right-back, also shares the same agent, CAA Base Ltd, as Raphael Varane, so his representative will already hold an existing connection to the club from when his other client joined, and this is a relationship that could give the Red Devils an advantage in trying to get a deal over the line this summer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly eyeing a Serie A ace this summer, as Julen Lopetegui confirms his place in the front seat ahead of the transfer window.

Ongoing speculation regarding the Spaniard’s future at Wolves was ended this week as the Telegraph confirmed his choice to stay at Molineux amidst Financial Fair Play (FFP) woes.

Regardless of having to remain on a budget, the Old Gold must introduce reinforcements to improve on this season's mishaps, which they could do in signing the latest talent linked to the club.

What’s the latest on Antonio Sanabria to Wolves?

As reported by Italian outlet Torino Granata – relayed by Sport Witness – Wolves are interested in Torino striker Antonio Sanabria.

The report claims that Wolves are ‘chasing’ the forward, along with fellow Premier League competition in Everton and Crystal Palace.

It’s added that club chairman Urbano Cairo has set the 27-year-old’s price tag at €25m (£21m) however ‘will sell’ the Paraguayan for €20m (£17m) if a suitable offer is made.

What could Antonio Sanabria bring to Wolves?

In a season lacking inspiration in all areas, Wolves’ requirement to obtain a goalscorer is critical this summer having scored just 31 goals in 38 games.

Such perished form in the final third ranked the Midlands side as the lowest scorers in the Premier League, averaging just 0.82 goals per match in a campaign that highlighted what the club needs to return to its former heights.

The drop in form of Raul Jimenez following his devastating head injury is a subject damning to both player and club, with the Mexican ending the term with no goals in 15 appearances.

Across the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, Jimenez contributed 44 goals and assists in the Premier League in a streak of form that is greatly missed at Molineux, via Transfermarkt.

The 32-year-old has enjoyed a memorable career at Wolves, however could now see his place taken by fellow forward Sanabria.

As per Sofascore in 33 appearances for Torino in Serie A this campaign, the Paraguayan contributed to 16 goals, scoring 12 himself and assisting four in a strong personal year of football.

Hailed as “brilliant” by Serie A and Roma legend Francesco Totti, the 27-year-old could be exactly what is required to kickstart Lopetegui’s side into producing in the final third again.

Averaging 2.1 shots per game in the league, the San Lorenzo-born ace is a live wire in front of goal as well as being a playmaking outlet for those around him as highlighted by his seven big chances created, via Sofascore.

Lopetegui must identify what is required to get his side firing after a testing Premier League season, in signing Sanabria the Spaniard could inspire his attack with the essence of the striking flair that once ascended on Molineux through Jimenez.

Ajay Shirke, who was removed as BCCI secretary by the Supreme Court of India, had expressed “concerns” to ECB president Giles Clarke over the BCCI’s ability to host the limited-overs series against England, despite no longer holding office in the Indian board. That was the claim made by Clarke in an email to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, in an email seen by ESPNcricinfo.On January 6, four days after the court ordered Shirke and BCCI president Anurag Thakur to give up their posts with immediate effect, Clarke wrote to Johri about a conversation he had with Shirke. In the email Clarke did not indicate when he received the calls from Shirke, but he refers to him as not being secretary any longer. Both Clarke and Shirke, when contacted, chose not to comment on any communication.Johri, in reply, has offered the ECB assurances of the limited-overs series against India going ahead as planned.”I have received calls from Mr Shirke who I understand is no longer the Honorary Secretary of BCCI,” Clarke wrote. “Can you please confirm to me that the England team will continue to be looked after by the BCCI in the usual fashion, with proper security, player daily allowance payments, hotel bills covered and the like, with transport organised at all times.”Obviously it is entirely a matter for BCCI where matches are played, but please advise soonest that the schedule will be adhered to, or any changes.”Johri replied the same day and assured the ECB that the series would go ahead as planned and that the England squad had “arrived and settled well”.”The BCCI has announced the teams for the warm-up matches, the ODIs and the T20 matches, the ticket sales for which have kicked off with the first game sold out, as of last week,” Johri wrote.The venue of the first ODI between India and England on January 15 is incidentally Pune, where Shirke was president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) for more than nine years. Apart from losing his post as BCCI secretary, Shirke was also unable to continue as MCA president after the court order on January 2 because his term had exceeded the Lodha Committee’s nine-year cap on tenure for BCCI and state office bearers.MCA officials confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that tickets had been sold out nearly three weeks before the match.Johri also told Clarke that the remaining five venues had confirmed hosting the matches. His email stated the BCCI was in control of the situation and that he would oversee the process.”The other venues have shown similar uptake in anticipation of an exciting contest between our teams. As you must have followed, the Supreme Court has delivered their verdict early this week, and we are expected to work with the court-appointed administrators, who will be appointed by the 19th of this month and till such time, we are making every effort to ensure that the matches live up to the expectations of all our stakeholders, including ECB.”We have been in touch with all the hosting centres and they have expressed confidence that the games will be managed successfully, just like always, and as on date, we do not anticipate any form of disruption to the series. Rest assured, I will personally monitor the series as it unfolds and will keep you posted on the progress.”In another email on January 7, Johri asked Clarke to divulge what Shirke had “communicated” in his “calls” in order for BCCI to “assuage any other concerns” the ECB may have.Clarke replied: “His concern was the BCCI and relevant association having funds and expertise to manage security and safety of our players, and transport, allowances, all usual issues for a tour.”In the email chain, ECB chairman Colin Graves also acknowledged Johri’s assurances.Clarke declined to comment on the exchange when contacted. “I am not going to make any comment,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t even know what this is.”Shirke would not confirm whether he had made the call to Clarke and did not comment on the email exchange either. “I have no comments to offer,” he told ESPNcricinfo. Shirke said that people with “obvious malicious and vested” interests were trying to suggest that he was trying to scupper the Pune ODI.”I have got messages from some people in the media that we are obstructing the match [from taking place],” he said. “This is a record opportunity for MCA: my gate collection is INR 6.2 crore and my in-stadia sales is INR 2.2 [crore]. So we have got a total collection of about INR 8.5 crore.”With regard to funds for the associations hosting the matches, on December 7 the court had approved a maximum of INR 25 lakh for each state hosting the three ODIs and three T20Is. The court had rejected the BCCI’s request to release INR 3.79 crore as advance for the limited-overs series.On January 7, Shirke along with other longstanding office bearers of the BCCI and state associations who were removed by the court order on January 2, had an informal meeting in Bangalore to discuss their next step. That meeting had been called by former BCCI president N Srinivasan and included about 24 state associations.The Lodha Committee was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court of India approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board did not cooperate because it said that its state associations objected to the recommendations. This impasse eventually led to the Supreme Court removing Thakur and Shirke from office on January 2, 2017.

Meg Lanning’s 134 off 122 balls and Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 95 sank South Africa in a rain-hit game in Canberra as Australia marched to a 2-0 series lead

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMeg Lanning brought up her century off 94 balls•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Meg Lanning equalled Charlotte Edwards’ record of nine ODI hundreds, the most by a woman, with a quickfire 134 to script Australia’s win against South Africa in the second ODI by 66 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis Method in a rain-hit encounter in Canberra. Lanning and Ellyse Perry, who scored a career-best 95*, put on 224 for the third wicket as Australia put on a competitive 278. A rain break in the chase revised South Africa’s target to 241 from 38 overs and they eventually fell short when rain ended the match with their score on 5 for 119, when they should have been 186.Lanning found herself out in the middle early after electing to bat. Opener Elyse Villani fell in the sixth over, and her partner Nicole Bolton followed in the next over as Mignon du Preez took a stunning one-handed catch while leaping to her right at backward point. Australia were reduced to 2 for 27 and it brought Lanning and Perry together.Lanning dominated the partnership, bringing up her century off 94 balls, while Perry ambled to her fifty off 90 balls. The duo pushed the score past 250 during their 236-ball partnership before medium-pacer Ayabonga Khaka (3-55) took a return catch to dismiss Lanning for a 122-ball 134 that included 20 fours. Perry scored her last 45 runs off 39 balls to overtake her previous best of 93* that she had scored in the previous game on Friday. Her 95* off 129 with seven fours helped Australia to 4 for 278 in their 50 overs.Australia kept things tight at the start of South Africa’s chase, opening with left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen in combination with Perry, and then throwing legspinner Kristen Beams into the mix after 11 overs. Perry broke the opening stand in the second over, Jonassen struck in the fifth over and Beams trapped du Preez lbw for 9 to reduce them to 3 for 45. Opener Suné Luus was still at the crease, but the slow start and the interference of rain in the 19th over meant that South Africa were well behind the revised target when play resumed.Luus scored an unbeaten 60, her personal best and second straight fifty, but two more wickets fell and a second spell of rain in the 32nd over ended the game with South Africa well short of the par score.

Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat has declared his board’s support for the introduction of two divisions in Test cricket, as debate intensifies about the future of the game.”Test cricket is already fading and will die if nothing is done,” Lorgat said. “South Africa would support a two-tier Test system in order to create meaningful context for Test match cricket. Currently there is little or no meaning when countries play against each other in bilateral Test matches, save for the Ashes.”The model of two division Test cricket devised by the ICC would feature seven teams in division one and five in division two, with each team playing a series either home or away against the others in their divisions over a two-year cycle. The standings would then be used to determine the overall winner of the Test league, and promotion and relegation between the two divisions. The winners of the Intercontinental Cup, the first-class competition for Associate nations, would also be able to win promotion to division two.”A two-tier system with promotion and relegation will allow for a much better narrative plus two more teams will have the opportunity to play Test match cricket,” Lorgat said. “The Test league can also link down to the Intercontinental Cup where again promotion and relegation will create context and opportunity for other countries.”The news that South Africa endorse the two division plan follows officials from Australia, England and New Zealand supporting the proposals, which are favoured by ICC chief executive David Richardson.Although Anurag Thakur, the president of the BCCI, recently voiced his opposition to two divisions, some other Full Members remain hopeful that the plans could yet pass. Any change would need the vote of seven of the ten Full Members on the ICC board, and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have also expressed their opposition to two divisions. One insider said that they believed that Pakistan lean towards supporting two divisions, but Zimbabwe are believed to be reluctant.West Indies have still not decided on their stance. “At this point in time the West Indies Cricket Board does not have enough information to make an informed decision,” Dave Cameron, the president of the WICB, said. “However in world football there are no divisions with over 200 nations participation, and so off the bat we cannot see the need for divisions if we have 12 teams participating in Test cricket.”While Thakur said that the BCCI was worried that “the smaller countries will lose out” under the proposals, Lorgat does not think this would be the case. As well as Associate nations benefiting from the introduction of promotion and relegation, he also said that lower-ranked Full Members, like Bangladesh, could stand to gain from the reforms. “In the proposed system they will have certainty of Test fixtures compared to now when they are at the mercy of countries playing against them.” Sides in division two would also be free to organise extra matches against division one teams.The ICC is due to meet in Dubai next month for a special meeting to discuss comprehensive reforms to the structure of cricket, including the introduction of two divisions in Tests, a 13-team ODI league and ratifying bringing the World T20 back to a once-in-two-years event.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, throughout their rollercoaster of a season, have drastically struggled to find the back of the net.

Julen Lopetegui’s men have only scored 29 times in 33 games, which is the 17th lowest in the division, to highlight their painfully abject form in front of goal.

Morgan Gibbs-White was sold to Nottingham Forest for £25m, with possible add-ons of up to £17m, and has emerged as one of the Reds’ most influential and skilful players.

It was a premature decision to sell this coveted talent at such a young age, who could have reversed Wolves' goal-scoring fortunes.

What is Morgan Gibbs-White up to now?

The playmaker joined Wolves at the age of eight and rose through the youth ranks, before making his Premier League debut in the opening home match of the 2018/19 season against Everton as a late substitute.

The midfielder then provided an assist in his first top-flight start against Chelsea in December 2018. He would subsequently net his first Premier League goal against Brighton in May 2021.

However, it was his loan spell at Sheffield United last season that alerted the country to the unrelenting quality of Gibbs-White. The maestro registered 20 goal contributions in 35 Championship appearances for the Blades, excelling tremendously just behind the striker.

During this time, former Barnsley manager Poya Asbaghi showered the starlet with praise.

He said: "I think Sheffield United have a lot of good players, but he is the most outstanding one. He's good like he showed for the goal, scoring and running in behind, but he is so good when he drops in-between the centre-backs and the midfield to receive the ball to attack the spaces from there.”

Gibbs-White was subsequently named Sheffield United's Player of the Year for his series of excellent performances.

Therefore, it was a controversial surprise when the £22m-rated man moved across the Midlands, but many understood due to the size of the fee and his lack of top-flight experience.

Nevertheless, the prodigy has risen to the occasion and has been the shining light of Steve Cooper’s struggling side.

The former Wolves man has recorded nine goal contributions in 29 league outings and is the club’s highest provider, with six assists. He is the primary orchestrator of attacks for Forest, which is demonstrated by his 1.9 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per 90, the highest rank for these metrics within the team, as per WhoScored.

The £80k-per-week man has established himself as an indispensable component of a side grappling for survival and if his side does get relegated, then Gibbs-White has surely proved himself to be Premier League quality and warrants another top-flight transfer.