Derby County secured their Championship status in dramatic fashion and could now strike in the market to land a talented defender, according to reports.
Derby County look forward after great Championship escape
John Eustace pulled off something of a minor miracle after arriving at Pride Park, taking Derby from seven points behind at one point to eventual safety on the final day of the Championship season.
Plenty of controversy came to light when the 45-year-old swapped Blackburn Rovers for a side in a dogfight to avoid being relegated to the third-tier of English football, but it all seems to have worked out in the end.
Derby County managerJohnEustaceand Jerry Yates
There has been plenty of speculation over what may come next as Eustace bids to provide an element of stability at the Rams, and he has now taken a major step in shaping the future of his squad following the release of Derby’s retained list for 2025/26.
Jeff Hendrick, Kemar Roofe and Conor Washington are among senior members of his group who won’t be offered new deals, paving the way for potential transfer activity over the coming weeks.
Derby County’s retained list – who still has a future at Pride Park?
Players released (not offered new deals upon expiry)
Tom Barkhuizen, Sonny Bradley, Tyrese Fornah, Jeff Hendrick, Rohan Luthra, Erik Pieters, Kemar Roofe, Conor Washington.
Players out of contract with discussions ongoing over futures
Craig Forsyth, Liam Thompson.
Loanees returning to parent clubs
Harrison Armstrong, Marcus Harness, David Ozoh, Nat Phillips, Jerry Yates.
Lincoln City midfielder Ethan Erhahon has emerged as a target for Eustace amid competition from Blackburn for his signature. Make no mistake, there will be mass changes at Derby and plenty of movement is set to take place.
Speaking of which, Derby have made an offer to bring a talented star to Pride Park this summer and have now received a reply.
O'Rourke: Derby receive reply to Cody Drameh offer
Taking to social media platform X, journalist Pete O’Rourke has confirmed that Derby have been knocked back in their attempts to land Hull City full-back Cody Drameh on loan after making an initial offer for the 23-year-old.
Eustace previously worked with the former Leeds United man at Birmingham City, calling the defender “top” in 2023 and is keen to be reunited with a familiar face, though he is also being targeted by Stade de Reims and Toulouse.
Labelled “fantastic” by Rob Edwards, Drameh registered a goal and an assist in 29 appearances this campaign as Hull narrowly staved off relegation in similar fashion to Derby.
Winning 49 tackles on league duty, the London-born man is a sought-after talent that still has room for development, though it remains to be seen whether the Tigers will be willing to let him go during the off-season.
Manchester United were left frustrated once again in the Premier League on Sunday when they had to fight to scrape a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
It took a 96th-minute goal from Rasmus Hojlund, who deflected an effort from Manuel Ugarte into the bottom corner, to secure a point against the Cherries, after Antoine Semenyo rifled the home team in front in the first half.
Ruben Amorim’s side created more than enough chances to win the match, though, as they racked up 2.52 xG and failed to make the most of their opportunities.
Bruno Fernandes, in particular, must have been particularly frustrated by the team’s wasteful finishing. The Portugal international created seven chances, including one ‘big chance’, and came off the pitch without an assist to show for his efforts.
Manchester United’s captain has been a shining light in a dim season for the Red Devils, once again, with the quality that he has provided in the middle of the park on a regular basis.
It is now down to the club and Amorim to ensure that they bring in the right players to complement his play in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Why Manchester United have let Bruno Fernandes down
The owners, the previous owners, the manager, and the previous manager, or managers, have all failed to build a squad that is equipped to make the most of Fernandes’ talent in the final third.
Manchester United’s captain has now created 14 ‘big chances’ in the Premier League this season and has only been rewarded with nine assists for his creative brilliance, which shows that his teammates have not done enough with the opportunities that he has created.
Bruno Fernandes
That is the story of Fernandes’ career at Old Trafford, particularly recently, as he has been an exceptional creative talent for the club throughout his time in the English top-flight.
The 30-year-old superstar, who has also scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, needs teammates who can make the most of the ‘big chances’ that he consistently creates.
24/25
14
9.24
9
23/24
21
13.16
8
22/23
32
17.27
8
21/22
15
8.81
6
20/21
20
11.47
12
19/20
4
2.75
7
Total
106
62.7
50
As you can see in the table above, Fernandes’ teammates have only scored 50 goals from 62.7 xA created by the former Sporting star, which shows that they have significantly underperformed in front of goal.
These statistics show that Manchester United have not been able to recruit the quality of centre-forward that the attacking midfielder needs to finish the chances that he creates on a weekly basis for the Reds.
Manchester United are now, reportedly, eyeing up a deal to sign a player who would love to play alongside Fernandes, and who has the quality to thrive alongside him.
Manchester United close in on Premier League star
According to reports in Spain, Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Matheus Cunha ahead of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Brazilian forward is ‘very close’ to joining the Red Devils from the Premier League side, as Amorim looks to bolster his options at the top end of the pitch.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' MatheusCunhacelebrates scoring their first goal
Revelo adds that the Brazil international has a release clause, worth £53m, in his current contract with the Old Gold, and that United are ready to pay it to bring him to Manchester in the ‘coming weeks’.
It claims that there is already a verbal agreement in place between Cunha and Manchester United to join the club, which suggests that personal terms have already been agreed between the two parties.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
INEOS must, now, pay the release clause to wrap a deal up as early as possible in the summer transfer window, to avoid any other clubs swooping in ahead of them, as the attacker could be a dream signing for Fernandes next season.
Why Matheus Cunha would be a dream signing for Bruno Fernandes
The former Atletico Madrid attacker could be an ideal addition to the squad because he is a proven Premier League performer who could hit the ground running at Old Trafford, in theory.
This is Cunha’s second full season in the top-flight, having also been on loan at Wolves in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, and he has shown himself to be a classy operator at the top end of the pitch for the Old Gold.
The 25-year-old star, who was directly involved in 22 goals as shown in the video above, could come in to provide Amorim’s side with a boost as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
His finishing qualities, in particular, will be of interest to Fernandes because his record in the Premier League since the start of last season suggests that the United captain would love him.
Appearances
32
29
xG
9.49
7.86
Goals
12
15
Big chances missed
6
2
Big chances created
7
12
Assists
7
6
As you can see in the table above, the Wolves superstar has vastly outperformed his xG, scoring 27 goals from 17.35 xG, and delivered 13 assists.
Cunha, dubbed a “special” player by his manager Vitor Pereira, has the quality to take high-quality chances when they come his way, outperforming how many goals the average player would be expected to score from the shots that he takes.
This is why Fernandes, who has consistently been let down by his teammates in that respect, would love the Brazilian ace at Old Trafford, because the forward could provide the finishing quality to make the most of his creativity.
Cunha and Fernandes could be a lethal pairing in the Premier League for United next season because the Portuguese ace could consistently create chances for the ex-Atletico Madrid ace to find the back of the net week-in-week-out, improving Manchester United’s attack.
Man Utd preparing £40m bid to sign full-back who is also wanted by Arsenal
Man Utd face a battle with Arsenal to sign an experienced defender.
ByBrett Worthington Apr 28, 2025
This is why INEOS must get a deal done for the Wolves star as quickly as possible because he could be a fantastic signing to bolster Amorim’s squad, improving the team’s chances of success next term.
For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers bowled poorer lengths than England’s. But they regrouped quickly to script a turnaround
Sidharth Monga01-Aug-2025
Prasidh Krishna returned his best figures in Test cricket•Getty Images
“Have you ever felt nothing good was ever gonna happen to you?”At lunch on day two at The Oval, some of the younger players in the India team would have felt the way Chris Moltisanti did when he uttered this immortal line in . Chris is easily frustrated by circumstances, impatient to move up in the North Jersey mafia hierarchy, and even tries his hand at writing a movie script.This Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been an incredible learning curve for this young India team, a tour where they have had reason to believe that they haven’t been rewarded proportionately for their efforts. The situation at lunch on day two was India 2-1 behind in the series, 224 plays 109 for 1 in 16 overs, and yet another selection looking to blow in their face with just three fast bowlers in the side.Related
'That was the plan' – Prasidh on verbal duel with Root
Siraj, Jaiswal and Prasidh put India in front on 15-wicket day
Stats – The breathtaking Crawley-Duckett opening salvo
For the first time in the series, India’s fast bowlers had bowled poorer lengths than England’s, hit off the good areas by the sensational and skilful opening pair of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. One more session of it, and the series would have been gone. India badly needed a Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri to say, as he did in response to the aforementioned question: “Yeah. So what?”Paulie is one of the most ruthless and trusted henchmen of the mob boss Tony Soprano. He is as psychopathic as the other wise guys but he is not given to feeling pity for himself. He is one of the more stoic wise guys. At The Oval, it had to be one or all of the India fast bowlers to step up and say “so what”. We will get up again and do the work. We will do the right things again. So what if the results haven’t gone our way?Mohammed Siraj is a good fit as Paulie. Never to be Tony Soprano, not even of the fast-bowling group, but happy to do the hard work and step up when needed. Sometimes Siraj even reckons he is proud of being given the responsibility and does better when he is, but he knows he is not quite his “Jassi “. He didn’t start off well, bowling ordinary lines with the new ball, conceding 31 in his first four overs, which is why he had to watch Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna start off this crucial session.3:42
‘A workhorse, a man to have in the team’
Akash Deep had not had a great start himself. He had troubled Duckett, was all over him, hit him in the box, and nearly had him three times in his second over, but a reverse-pull for a six from Duckett completely rattled him. The next time Duckett charged at him, Akash Deep lost his length completely and was dismissively cut away. Duckett was almost telling him – twice in one over – that he was not quick enough. That he could leave the crease early and still have time to cut him if he changed the length.This was Bazball at its best, and India were on the back foot. The height difference between Crawley and Duckett meant India were getting cut and driven from the same lengths, which weren’t necessarily big errors. Prasidh looked the best of the three, but never forget that he was coming off the ignominy of having to sit out at Old Trafford for a bowler straight off the flight.It was this beleaguered trio that needed to say “so what” and get on with it. A session of 6 for 106 was as emphatic a “so what” as any. Being the wise guys, they needed to wise up a little first, which they did among themselves. Take your pick on who Silvio and Bobby – two of Soprano’s other lieutenants – are but this was a chat they needed to have to lift each other up. Prasidh said the three got into a corner and decided what had happened had happened. He said they needed to reassure each other, help each other when they veered off lines and lengths, and also “show some body language”.Mohammed Siraj celebrates after dismissing Ollie Pope•Getty ImagesThey knew they had – as a human reaction – started to bowl hard lengths as if in the middle overs of an ODI, but that was not going to help them. Immediately, they started bowling better lengths for this pitch: one with appreciable seam movement available. India have generally stayed on 6-8m for most of the series, but here they started hitting 5-6m more often: 13.4% of the times as opposed to 7.2% in the first session. So even when they pulled it back in reaction to aggression, they were still on the good length.As a result, they not only kept the edges and the stumps in play – thanks to the seam movement – but also gave the ball a chance to swing. Even though high-seam deliveries went down, their average swing went up, which created the combination India needed. Results were not instant, Crawley resumed just as merrily, but even though he didn’t start bowling, Siraj at mid-on was always reassuring his bowlers they were on the right track.Prasidh said it was challenging to keep bowling good balls when the batters played as well as Duckett and Crawley did, but they needed reassurance from each other that if they bowled well, “it was a matter of time”.1:45
Prasidh: I’ve been picked to do a job
Time, though, was not on their side. There were just three of them on a pitch that needed fast bowling the most. Bringing spin on would ease all the pressure. This is where Akash Deep, who took just one wicket, played a big role. He started the session with a five-over spell, had time off for just three overs, and then pitched in with a six-over spell from the other end. All the while clutching his shoulder and stretching it because of a niggle. These were not just any spells; they were 5-0-16-0 and 6-0-18-0 with plenty of questions asked.At the other end, the only fast bowler left standing after playing all Tests, Siraj pulled in a shift: 8-0-35-3. He pulled out the lethal combination of outswing and wobble-seam. He dragged Joe Root across with outswing before bowling the lbw ball with the wobble seam. As a true disciple of Jasprit Bumrah, in his first 12 overs, Siraj bowled only one ball fuller than 5m: the near-yorker to get Jacob Bethell out.It was then time for Prasidh to take over from Akash Deep and show off his wobble-seam ball. He has been bowling it for a while now, increasing the frequency of it as his trust in it had grown, but he also perhaps produced his first wicket with the way the wobble-seam ball is intended: to nip back in and trap the batter in front, Jamie Overton in this case.Good things now started to happen to the wise guys. The rain break came at just the right time to allow them to stay fresh and limit the damage Harry Brook could cause in the company of the tail. If you are just watching from the outside and thought the series was over at lunch, you are probably reacting like Silvio, a nod to if ever there was one: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
This is the format they are least strong in and it is because they haven’t adapted to its run-scoring needs as much as the best teams
Sidharth Monga07-Dec-2023If, as expected, Rohit Sharma joins Rahul Dravid as the leader of the Indian cricket team until the T20 World Cup in June, there will be an element of personal pursuit to it: a final attempt at a world title perhaps, both for captain and coach. They could have walked away with heads held high, even if not on the ultimate high, after winning 10 straight matches en route to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, but there must have been that temptation to try to complete the story once the offer was made.To be fair to Rohit and Dravid, this is not exactly an easy assignment, which is probably why they have been asked to continue in the first place. It points to a lack of planning from the decision-makers who had neither thought of a succession plan nor asked the current leaders if they wanted to continue until four days after the World Cup final.They had put everything in the ODI World Cup basket, then realised they had to start gearing up for a T20 World Cup. By the time they would have advertised for coaching candidates, interviewed them and then got someone on board, India wouldn’t have any matches left to try and build a combination. And this is not just any format, but the one India are least strong in.Surely Dravid and Rohit know what a risk this is to their legacy? India are not laggards but they are nowhere close to dominating the T20 format as they do Tests and ODIs. At full strength, they are the team to beat in ODIs as we saw in the World Cup. In Tests, it still looks like it will be a while before any side can threaten to take a home series off India while they themselves continue to be competitive wherever they tour. In T20Is, even at full strength, they are, well, on the top end of the mid card.There are a couple of structural issues with the composition of the XI. Despite being home to the biggest T20 league, despite being the biggest cricket country, India doesn’t produce enough allrounders to give them the kind of depth that allows them to play freely. One of their two allrounders is injury prone, the other one easy to contain when he bats against spin. They ideally need more batting power, which can leave the bowling thin, a risk they have not been prepared to take even though the quality of bowling has less incremental advantage in T20 cricket than in longer formats.The other issue is that in T20s, India is largely a country of top-order batters who set up to bat through an innings. There is not enough reward internally, not enough recognition externally, and thus not enough cushion to fail, for batters who hit out selflessly in the middle order.Accumulation is perhaps too ingrained in the DNA of batters, who have had to show volume and averages to get selected right from a young age through every level before they reach the IPL or international cricket. All of India’s previous three knockout defeats in T20 World Cups can be, and should be, put down to conservative batting, but what is remembered? The no-ball from R Ashwin and the dropped catch in the 2016 semi-final, and captain Rohit’s words that India should have bowled better in the 2022 semi-final.Can Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid take India to glory in the T20 World Cup?•AFP/Getty ImagesWith Rohit’s likely replacement as captain, Hardik Pandya, being injury-prone, the move to ask Rohit to continue seems to have as much to do with his captaincy as his newfound form in the ODI World Cup, which finally matched the exemplary intent he has been showing over the last two years. That, then, creates another issue: if India decide they need a more dynamic No. 3 than Virat Kohli, do they have it in them to make an unpopular decision, which becomes even more unpopular if they retain one and drop the other?Also what’s best for the Indian team is not always best for the IPL team, which is the only non-international T20 cricket for most of India’s players. Take Liam Livingstone’s example. He was too good to not be playing for England, but there was no room at the top of the order, where he used to bat. So Livingstone made sure he batted in the middle order in every league he played, bowled a lot of legspin and offspin in the nets, and he presented himself as a middle-order option capable of bowling an over or three when required.A similar scenario for India is KL Rahul, who is a good enough wicketkeeper-batter in the middle order as he showed for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016, but he can’t be asked to play an IPL season in that role for Lucknow Super Giants just because that will help India in the T20 World Cup. Forget co-ordinating priorities with an IPL team, there wasn’t enough continuity in India’s interim team management who took four matches to give Jitesh Sharma a go when it is clear that India need a wicketkeeper in the middle order and not in the top three, where Ishan Kishan kept batting.Hardly has an India player emerged and added as much to his game as Livingstone or New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips to make himself a better fit in a team combination. They are all near perfectionists at their core skill and obviously work hard on their fielding, but you rarely see a batter bowl in India’s nets, for example. Phillips spends close to an hour bowling alone before a New Zealand net session.It is still a testament to the strong basics of India’s cricketers that they are dominant in two formats and there or thereabouts in the third. Starting this Sunday in Durban, India have six internationals – three of them against Afghanistan – and possibly half the IPL to see what they want to see before they select their squad for the T20 World Cup.That the conditions for the tournament, to be played in the USA and West Indies, are largely an unknown will probably make it a slightly more level playing field for India. Also the beauty of T20 cricket is that form and momentum matter less in it than in other formats. You can outsmart or upset any team on a given day.Dravid and Rohit, or whoever the captain is, don’t really have time to bring about a culture change in India’s T20 cricket, but if they manage to make a bold move or two and manage to succeed, they could create a blueprint for the future.
England have lost nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia, but with Root in form and a promising pace attack, they will hope to change the narrative
S Rajesh06-Dec-2021Since their 3-1 series triumph in Australia in 2010-11, England have lost nine out of 10 Tests in the country, averaged 25 with the bat, and nearly 46 with the ball. That is the sort of recent history England will be up against over the next few weeks, as they try to regain the Ashes.
Australia have been battling problems of their own recently, and lost their last home series, against India. However, their overall win-loss record in the last 10 years is still an impressive 36-8, with 11 series wins out of 16; they have lost twice each to India and South Africa, and drew a series against New Zealand in 2011-12. In fact, South Africa and India have been the two teams which have competed strongly in Australia. South Africa have a 3-1 win-loss record and are the only overseas team to score more runs per wicket than they concede in Australia in this period, while India’s record is marred by their hopeless 4-0 drubbing in 2011-12.Smith, Warner vs Anderson, BroadJames Anderson will play his fifth Test series in Australia, and Stuart Broad his fourth. How they go against Australia’s line-up in their home conditions could be a key component of which way the series pans out. Of particular interest will be their battles against Steven Smith and David Warner, the two giants of Australia’s batting.Broad was dominant against Warner in the 2019 Ashes series in England, dismissing him seven times while conceding just 35 runs, an average of five runs per dismissal. However, the last time they played in Australia, Warner scored 73 off 175 deliveries from Broad without being dismissed.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Overall, both Anderson and Broad have dominated Warner in England, but Warner averages more than 50 against each of them in home conditions. Smith’s numbers against them have a remarkable symmetry – his average against Anderson in England is his average against Broad in Australia, and vice-versa. In Australia, Anderson has had more success against him, though Smith still averages a healthy 45.2.Red-hot Root’s century missionJoe Root’s average in Australia is a modest 38 from nine Tests, but the last time he toured there – in 2017-18 – he did much better, averaging 47.25, and scoring five fifties from nine innings. A century eluded him, though, which means his highest score from 17 Test innings in Australia is 87. It is the only country where he has played at least 10 innings without a hundred. Australia will be happy if those stats still hold true at the end of this series.
However, Root and Test centuries have had a strong bonding in 2021 – he has scored six of them, which is twice his previous best in any calendar year. That suggests he should end his century drought in Australia this time around, and also lift his overall Test average in the country to beyond 40.Going by his numbers against Australia’s current bowlers, his biggest threat will be his opposite number, the newly appointed captain Pat Cummins. Cummins has had the better of Root both in England and Australia. Against Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, Root averages more than 45 in Australia.
However, apart from Root, England will also need the rest of the top order to score big runs. Among the batters who have played in Australia, only Dawid Malan averages over 40. Malan was impressive on the tour in 2017-18, scoring a century and three fifties in nine innings.
Australia’s pace advantageOn the last two tours, England’s fast bowlers have struggled in Australia: they have averaged 38.56 runs per wicket, compared to the home fast bowlers’ average of 25.73 in the period since November 2011. The only country where they have a poorer average in these 10 years is in India (41.85).
The Kookaburra hasn’t been a friend for England’s pace bowlers: Anderson (35.43) and Broad (37.17) both average over 35 here, while Chris Woakes’ 10 wickets have cost him 49.50 each. Ben Stokes has done better, averaging 32.80, but England will want more from their frontline fast bowlers this time around. They’ll hope that Mark Wood’s pace, and Ollie Robinson’s accuracy and ability to extract bounce, will change the narrative this time around.Spin problems in AustraliaIf England’s fast bowlers have underwhelming records in Australia, then the spinners have been an embarrassment in the last two series, taking 22 wickets in 10 Tests at an average of 87. Except for Scott Borthwick, who picked up 4 for 82 in the last Test of the 2013-14 series, no England spinner averages less than 80 in Australia during this period. That underlines the challenge before Jack Leach and Dom Bess – should they play – as England try to emulate their achievement of 2010-11.
O Vasco publicou uma nota oficial na tarde desta quarta-feira (13) repudiando o fato de não poder atuar no Maracanã, contra o Nova Iguaçu, pala partida de volta da semifinal do Campeonato Carioca.
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➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Vasco
Na publicação, a diretoria do cruz-maltino manda um recado direto à Flamengo e Fluminense, dupla que administra o consórcio do Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho.
– Esses poucos nobres, encastelados, não percebem o dano que causam ao campeonato e ao espetáculo, afastando o torcedor de um dos maiores palcos do esporte – diz trecho do comunicado.
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Mandante da partida, o Nova Iguaçu solicitou à administradora para que a partida fosse disputada no Maracanã, mas não recebeu uma resposta – positiva ou negativa. Em razão de questões operacionais, a FERJ (Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro) definiu a sede do confronto e anunciou que a partida será disputada no Raulino de Oliveira.
CONFIRA O COMUNICADO DO VASCO
“Um Maracanã de poucos faz mal ao futebol. É, no mínimo, lamentável a dificuldade em se jogar no estádio.
Esses poucos nobres, encastelados, não percebem o dano que causam ao campeonato e ao espetáculo, afastando o torcedor de um dos maiores palcos do esporte.
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Por que não, então, uma gestão compartilhada? Por que não? Estamos dispostos a administrar com todos e para todos.
كشفت تقارير صحفية، ترشح النجم الدولي المصري محمد صلاح، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، لجائزة جديدة هذا العام.
وخرج صلاح بعد انتهاء مباراة ليدز يونايتد وتحدث لوسائل الإعلام وفتح النار على الجميع، وعلى رأسهم مدربه آرني سلوت، بسبب جلوسه على دكة البدلاء لثلاث مباريات متتالية، (للمطالعة على التفاصيل اضغط هنا).
كان ليفربول قد تعادل أمام ليدز يونايتد بثلاثة أهداف لمثلها، بعدما كان الريدز متقدمًا بنتيجة 2/0 في المباراة وكل الأمور كانت تسير بشكل إيجابي.
واتخذ ليفربول قرارًا تجاه تصريحات صلاح وتمت معاقبته باستبعاده من مباراة إنتر ميلان المقرر إقامتها اليوم، الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.
بعد تلك التصريحات، انهالت على صلاح تعليقات اللاعبين القدامى والمحللين الإنجليز وانتقدوا حديثه بشدة وعلى رأسهم جيمي كاراجر.
وبعد تلك التصريحات النارية التي أطلقها محمد صلاح، نجم ليفربول، أصبح مرشحًا لجائزة بي بي سي لـ أفضل شخصية رياضية عالمية لهذا العام، بحسب ما أفادت صحيفة “ميرور”.
يجد صلاح البالغ من العمر 33 عامًا نفسه بين نخبة من النجوم، إلى جانب نجم الملاكمة تيرينس كروفورد، ومع ذلك يأتي ترشيحه على خلفية الجدل الكبير بعد تصريحاته الأخيرة التي ادعى فيها أنه أصبح كبش فداء لنتائج الفريق السيئة.
صلاح هو أحد لاعبي كرة القدم الموجودين في القائمة، إلى جانب نجمة منتخب إسبانيا للسيدات ماريونا كالدينتي، التي تألقت في تأهل منتخب بلادها إلى نهائي يورو 2025. أما كراوفورد، فهو الملاكم الوحيدة في القائمة.
The final international break of the year came at the worst time possible for West Ham United.
After months of dire football and worse results, Nuno Espírito Santo looked to have finally got a tune out of the East Londoner, beating Newcastle United and Burnley in back-to-back Premier League games.
Fortunately, the break has come to an end and the Hammers finally get the chance to continue their good form with a challenging game away to Bournemouth, albeit without the talismanic Lucas Paqueta, who is suspended.
However, while the loss of the Brazilian is a big one, Nuno can minimise its impact by letting Mateus Fernandes pick up the attacking slack and starting someone with shades of Declan Rice alongside Freddie Potts.
Why Fernandes should start in Paqueta's place
Now, in the last two games, Nuno has opted for a midfield three of Paqueta, Potts and Fernandes, with the Brazilian obviously playing as the more attacking midfielder of the three.
With him out of contention, it makes sense for the responsibility of being more forward-thinking to fall on the Portuguese star’s shoulders, as the Englishman is far better suited to being an all-action box-to-box type.
While this change might worry some fans, it shouldn’t, as while he’s not reached the level of the former Lyon ace just yet, he is more than capable of doing so.
For example, while he’s spent plenty of time in the central midfield role, he spent more time playing as an attacking midfielder during his time at Southampton.
Moreover, during his time in Portugal, respected analyst Ben Mattinson highlighted the fact that he could play “those KDB-type passes” with relative ease.
Furthermore, despite playing for a team that, for some time, looked in danger of breaking Derby County’s most unwanted record last season, the 21-year-old still produced six goal involvements in 36 league games.
Finally, FBref ranked him in the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the league last season for attempted and completed long passes as well as the top 14% for passes into the final third, all per 90.
Overall, Fernandes is more than good enough to pick up the creative slack in Paqueta’s absence, and Nuno has someone in the squad who can come in as a partner to Potts to help with the less glamorous side of the game.
The Rice-like midfielder Nuno should start
While Nuno might be tempted to bring someone like Tomáš Souček back into the side for this game, he really shouldn’t, as Bournemouth will make it an intense and frenetic encounter.
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Therefore, the manager should turn to someone capable of dealing with that, if not thriving in it, someone like £17m summer signing, Soungoutou Magassa.
The Frenchman is still relatively young and certainly needs to develop some areas of his game, but he has all the ingredients to be a monstrous all-action midfielder.
Described as a “a forward-thinking” talent by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, who is blessed with “pure athleticism” and can “spray passes wide out to the wings,” the 22-year-old would be excellent alongside Potts.
Moreover, his profile, combined with his ability to play centre-back, makes comparisons to a young Rice impossible to ignore.
With that said, if you are still unconvinced, you only need to look at his underlying numbers to see how promising a player he is.
For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for tackles and blocks, the top 2% for ball recoveries, the top 4% for interceptions, the top 12% for switches, and more, all per 90.
Tackles
3.78
Top 1%
Tackles (Def 3rd)
1.72
Top 1%
Dribblers Tackled
2.05
Top 1%
Dribbles Challenged
3.86
Top 1%
Blocks
2.22
Top 1%
Tkl+Int
5.42
Top 1%
Ball Recoveries
7.31
Top 2%
Tackles (Att 3rd)
0.57
Top 4%
Shots Blocked
0.66
Top 4%
Passes Blocked
1.56
Top 4%
Interceptions
1.64
Top 4%
Tackles (Mid 3rd)
1.48
Top 8%
Shots on Target %
42.9%
Top 9%
Successful Take-On %
61.9%
Top 10%
Switches
0.66
Top 12%
Through Balls
0.41
Top 13%
Tackles Won
1.64
Top 13%
Successful Take-Ons
1.07
Top 13%
In other words, the “composed” midfielder, as dubbed by Mattinson, is superb when it comes to the defensive side of the game, but is also more than capable of kick-starting an attack from deep.
Ultimately, while it’s not ideal, Nuno should start a midfield three of Fernandes, Potts and Magassa against Bournemouth, as that should be the best way to deal with Paqueta’s absence and pick up three points.
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Jessica Mendoza, the former softball star and current Los Angeles Dodgers analyst for SportsNet LA, has a heartwarming plan for the World Series ring she received for the franchise's 2024 title.
She outlined those plans during a recent appearance on the podcast.
"I honestly will probably give it to my Dad," Mendoza said to host Buster Olney. "… Being Mexican-American, we grew up with Fernando Valenzuela, and all my memories as a kid, a lot of them are at Dodger Stadium. That, and our family tied in to the Mexican culture that was so prominent in the '80s there. I love my dad so much; I'm so grateful for him. I think giving him that ring will bring some tears. It's definitely something I want him to have."
Mendoza grew up in the Los Angeles Area and was named the Softball Player of the Year in 1998 at Adolfo Camarillo High School. She went on to play college ball at Stanford from 1999 to 2002 and won two Olympic medals with Team USA softball—a gold in 2004 and a silver in '08.
So, yes, she has plenty of hardware in that trophy case. It's only right her father gets a fun piece of history too.
The Dodgers are off to a great start in 2025 as they try to defend their '24 title, going 14–6 over their first 20 games. Los Angeles begins a three-game series at the Texas Rangers on Friday night at Globe Life Field.
If Leeds United are to collect a much-needed win on their travels next up in the Premier League away at Nottingham Forest, they will need to make sure they have packed their shooting boots.
Indeed, away from scoring three at Molineux back in September, Daniel Farke’s goal-shy Whites have regularly fired blanks on the road this season, with the 3-0 defeat handed to him last time out away at Brighton and Hove Albion only seeing the West Yorkshire outfit register a weak two shots on target.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has definitely frustrated a large volume of his new supporters, already, by regularly spurning opportunities, with five big chances missed in the Premier League this season coming courtesy of the wasteful ex-Everton marksman.
With both Lukas Nmecha and Joel Piroe not exactly banging the door down to take Calvert-Lewin’s starting spot off him, either, Farke could soon be tempted to throw Harry Gray into the senior mix more regularly, as the teenage sensation continues to frighten Premier League 2 defences in West Yorkshire.
Why Harry Gray should be in the first team
Despite only being 17 years of age, Gray has already received some first-team chances here and there, to begin to live up to his well-known family name, which has also seen Archie Gray go on to be a £40m sale to Tottenham Hotspur.
Leeds will hope they can hold on to the blistering number 45 for far longer than they managed with his Premier League-bound brother, though, with Gray perhaps the long-term fix to all their goalscoring woes.
From only 25 games lining up for both the U18s and U21s, Gray has a ridiculous 15 goals next to his name, leading to the England U17 international already being dubbed as “one of England’s best young prospects” by analyst Ben Mattinson.
Of course, he does still have a very long way to go before he’s smashing goals home in the senior picture, with only one senior match under his belt to date.
But, do not be surprised if he’s handed more first-team chances very soon, having also recently penned a new long-term deal to stay put at his boyhood club, particularly if Calvert-Lewin continues to fluff his lines.
Amazingly, Gray isn’t the only goal machine being worked on at Thorp Arch at the moment, as another raw version of the 17-year-old is being brewed behind the scenes to excite Farke.
18-year-old Leeds star can rival Harry Gray
Leeds always seem to have a future talent ready on their conveyor belt, with the likes of Kalvin Phillips also homegrown, before he moved on to Manchester City.
The next starlet set for a big break at Elland Road could well be Lewis Pirie, with the 18-year-old situated in West Yorkshire ever since leaving former boyhood employers Aberdeen behind in 2023 for £200k, which is a wild fee to fork out for a rising star, especially one that was just 16 years of age at the time.
But, much like Gray, Pirie has been turning heads since a very tender age with his unbelievable goalscoring prowess to demand such an investment, with an insane 51 goals managed for club and country during the 2022/23 season, even seeing journalist James Marshment label the Scotsman as “one of the most in-demand young strikers around” when a move was clinched.
He has since slotted into the Leeds academy scene well, too, with his goalscoring promise for the U18s backing up his previous manager Jim Goodwin’s comments that he is a very “exciting” prospect.
Games played
33
Goals scored
7
Assists
1
Already, the five-time Scotland U17 international has fired home seven goals on the youth pitches in West Yorkshire, with three of those seven efforts coming during his first five breakneck outings for the U18s.
He is yet to get off the mark for the U21s, from just four appearances, but his continued rise up the ranks does bear similarities to Gray’s goal-laden ascent.
All this fresh blood excelling in attack away from the senior set-up will surely worry Calvert-Lewin when it comes to his long-term security, as the 28-year-old prays a purple patch comes his way soon, starting with a decisive strike against Forest on Saturday.
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