All posts by n8rngtd.top

After a rare window without any major incomings, Chelsea look set to spend big once more in the summer, as they look to finally find the formula to ensure their return to the Premier League's top four, which could see one European star arrive.

Chelsea transfer news

Despite signing several fresh faces in a major summer overhaul last summer, the Blues have failed to improve on their results and currently sit as low as 10th in the Premier League – just two places above where they finished in the previous campaign. It's so far been a case of new stars, new manager but same Chelsea under Todd Boehly's ownership. From Champions League winners in 2021, the Blues, under Mauricio Pochettino, now find themselves a world away from Europe's elite.

One problem that those in London have consistently faced since the days of Diego Costa, however, is a player to lead the line and find the back of the net week in, week out. Alvaro Morata once tried, before failing. So too did academy graduate Tammy Abraham, before finding the exit door. And now the responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, with the former struggling with injuries and the latter remaining unconvincing in front of goal.

Chelsea made huge mistake releasing 6ft1 ace now worth more than Caicedo

The former Chelsea gem has been unreal since leaving.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Feb 16, 2024

So the attention turns to the summer once again and a player who could finally fill the golden boots of Costa. According to Rudy Galetti, Chelsea are prepared to trigger main target Victor Osimhen's €130m (£111m) release clause this summer and are set to speed up their plan to secure the Napoli forward over fears that Paris Saint-Germain could make their move.

The French giants will be on high alert when it comes to top strikers this summer with reports indicating that Kylian Mbappe is set to leave the club as a free agent at the end of the season. If they come in for Osimhen, Chelsea may face a tough battle.

"Fantastic" Osimhen could solve Chelsea problem

The deal would cost a hefty fee, but it is one worth paying for a player of Osimhen's calibre. The Napoli man has become the star man in Italy, helping his side to win the famous Scudetto last season, whilst also earning the praise of former AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho. The former Blues man still couldn't help but aim some criticism at the forward, however, saying:

"I told him that he scored a wonderful goal and needs to stop diving so much. His goal was fantastic, he did the same thing when we met earlier this season, so he’s a fantastic player. But he mustn’t dive."

Osimhen's stats, meanwhile, show just how much of an upgrade he'd be on Jackson at Stamford Bridge:

As Chelsea look to get back to their best, Osimhen could quickly prove to be the key if the Blues complete a deal to welcome the forward to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Arsenal are a club on the rise, and while they might not necessarily win the Premier League this season, they are very much in the title race.

There are several factors behind the Gunners' resurgence over the last few years, but one of the most important has been their effectiveness in the transfer market.

While the jury is certainly still out on Kai Havertz, the majority of Mikel Arteta's recent signings have come good, including Declan Rice, the club's most expensive transfer ever.

However, it wasn't always this good for the north Londoners, as they have endured some dreadful transfer failures in the past and while former winger Gervinho might spring to mind for many of you, there is one player who is undoubtedly the club's worst signing ever.

Gervinho's time at Arsenal

The Gunners announced the £11m signing of Ivorian international Gervinho in July 2011, and at the time, as with most signings, there was some genuine excitement among the fans.

After all, here was a tricky forward who had just played an instrumental role in helping LOSC Lille win the league and cup double in France by scoring 18 goals and providing 11 assists in 50 appearances.

However, for whatever reason, his form fell off a cliff in England, and in his first season with Arsenal, he scored four goals and provided seven assists in 37 appearances, and in his second season he managed seven goals and five assists in 26 appearances.

Unsurprisingly, the misfiring forward wasn't given a third season to try and turn things around, as he was sold to AS Roma for £8m in August 2013, with Arsène Wenger later explaining, "I made that decision [to sell Gervinho] because he looked to play with a lack of confidence, especially at the Emirates."

Now, for as poor as Gervinho was during his time in the red and white of Arsenal, there was another uber-talented Ivorian winger who would join the club for a lot more money and end up being much more of a disappointment, Nicolas Pepe.

Arsenal's record-breaker

Arsenal signed the then highly-rated Pepe from Ligue 1 side Lille for a club record fee of £72m, and while there were some raised eyebrows at the time, there was an equal amount of excitement due to his performance in France the season prior, with talent scout Jacek Kulig claiming he "destroyed Ligue 1."

In his 38 league appearances for Les Dogues, the Ivorian international scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.15 games, and some of his highlights were genuinely spectacular to watch.

However, unfortunately for the Arsenal faithful, they never really got to see any of those highlights in real life.

As he failed to adjust to life in the Premier League, his price tag – and wages – soon became the only topic of conversation related to him.

In his first two seasons at the club, he was on a weekly wage of £100k, before then getting £140k-per-week in his third season.

Three weeks into his fourth season as an Arsenal player, he went on loan to Nice, where he took a 25% pay cut, the Gunners paid 25% – £35k a week – and the French side paid the other 50%.

Once he returned to north London, he was back on his full £140k-a-week wage for the six weeks before his contract was terminated, and he finally joined Turkish side Trabzonspor for free.

In total, his wage packet for the four years he was an Arsenal player ultimately came to around £21m, which, combined with his £72m transfer fee, means he cost the Gunners a grand total of £93m for a return of just 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances.

Essentially, the club paid £3.4m per goal or £1.9m per goal involvement – talk about value for money.

Arsenal must regret selling £4m star who outscored Saka last season

The 28-year-old is one of the best attackers in Europe.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Feb 8, 2024

Ultimately, while there were the odd glimpses of brilliance here and there, the fact that he cost the club such an astronomical amount of money and did very little to leave a lasting impression, he has to be considered the worst transfer in Arsenal history.

Earlier, Lasith Embuldeniya picked up 4 for 182 as the hosts could add only 54 to their overnight total of 352 for 6

The Report by Madushka Balasuriya28-Jan-2020A disciplined performance from Zimbabwe’s bowlers ensured that Sri Lanka didn’t run away with the advantage, the visitors remaining 284 behind with eight wickets in hand as bad light brought a premature end to the second day’s play in Harare. At the crease were Angelo Mathews, the double-centurion from the first Test, and Kusal Mendis, on 4 and 19 respectively.Of the Zimbabwe bowlers, the obvious standouts were Sikandar Raza and Donald Tiripano, the pair accounting for the two Sri Lankan wickets to fall on the day, though they will count themselves unlucky not to have had more.After an uneventful post-lunch session, the action picked up after the tea break, with Raza providing the breakthrough. Dimuth Karunaratne, who had been selective with his shot-making up until that point, picked the wrong delivery to utilise the sweep, getting trapped lbw by a fuller delivery.That wicket brought Zimbabwe’s first real threatening period of play in the field. While Tiripano probed from one end, Raza nearly got another, with Mendis edging to short leg only for Prince Masvaure to spill the chance.Later on, Raza could have had Mendis caught at square leg after the batsman swept in the air, but Tiripano on the square leg boundary failed to track the flight of the ball.Tiripano, though, could be granted a little leeway, having accounted for Oshada Fernando a few overs earlier. The Sri Lanka opener had been kept quiet in the preceding overs – much of it owing to Tiripano’s discipline – and, as such, was a little too eager to dispatch a rare pitched up delivery. However, with the ball shaping away late, Fernando’s hard attempt at a drive only managed to slice the ball through to Regis Chakabva behind the stumps.The rest of the session was Mathews and Mendis attempting to consolidate as Sri Lanka were mindful of the importance of not losing another wicket before stumps. Sri Lanka though will be aware of the need to up their scoring rate – currently standing at a touch over two runs an over – on day three, if they are to force a result. Of the nine boundaries scored by Sri Lanka, only one – when Mendis danced down the track to loft a boundary to long-on – was not a result of increasingly rare profligacy on the part of the Zimbabwe bowlers.The day had started better for the visitors when left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya picked up three of the last four Zimbabwe wickets on his way to figures of 4 for 182. While Zimbabwe’s tail had done well to stick around for most of the morning, they would have been disappointed at not having added more than 54 to their overnight total.However, with runs on the board, and still three-and-a-half days’ of cricket remaining, the Zimbabwe bowlers looked patience. Tiripano, in particular, was impressive as he rarely veered from his line outside off and constantly bowled on a probing good length.While the lateral movement was limited, there was enough to keep the Sri Lanka batsmen cautious – at least early on, when keeping wickets intact was more of priority.All this meant the post-lunch session was the least eventful of the day as Sri Lanka’s batsmen took minimal risks, and the bowlers simply waited for a mistake that wasn’t forthcoming. It resulted in the only wicketless session of the match so far.Things, however, picked up after tea, before a brief rain interval and then bad light brought play to a close.

Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior have generated ‘BMV’ talk at Real Madrid, but a club colleague wants to “add the R of Rodrygo”.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Another collection of 'Galacticos' at the Bernabeu
• French, English & Brazilian stars making headlines
• Team-mate wants his efforts to get same recognition

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Blancos have assembled another star-studded attacking unit, with World Cup winner Mbappe the latest ‘Galactico’ to join the ranks at Santiago Bernabeu. There has been plenty of discussion regarding what the France international can achieve in a partnership to rival fabled ‘BBC’ and ‘MSN’ frontlines that once featured Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Madrid’s ‘BMV’ drew a blank in a 2024-25 La Liga opener against Mallorca, with Brazilian forward Rodrygo netting their goal in a 1-1 draw. The 23-year-old has sparked controversy with a WhatsApp post that suggests he is deserving of greater recognition.

• WHAT RODRYGO SAID

  The message in question read: “Hi guys, yesterday the result was not what we wanted. In La Liga every point makes the difference in the end. I'm happy with the goal and with the growth of the team. Last week they talked about the trio of Bellingham, Mbappe and Vini, but they are going to have to add the R of Rodrygo to that acronym. We have a quartet of attackers and the rest of the team. They all have their importance in the games and will show their value in the different competitions in which we participate. The week will be full of hard work until our next match at the Bernabeu.”

  WhatsApp

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT?

  Said post has since been deleted, with it not receiving the response that Rodrygo had hoped for. are among those to confirm that the message was real, with the South American’s representative advising that it be taken down as they are eager to avoid upsetting squad harmony in the Spanish capital.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Erik ten Hag was "doing too much" as Manchester United boss, while explaining why the club had "lost its way" over the years.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ratcliffe says Ten Hag was "doing too much" as manager
• Man Utd minority owner explains how club "lost its way"
• INEOS owner sets out goals to be successful once again

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United's minority owner Ratcliffe has spoken about how "good guy" Ten Hag was concerning himself with too many things, as the Dutchman just about held onto his job earlier this summer. The INEOS owner also said the high turnover of managers since the departure of Alex Ferguson in 2013 suggests the club's problems also lay at a senior level. Moreover, the Scot's exit, along with former managing director David Gill, left a "vacuum" underneath the Glazer family.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT SIR JIM RATCLIFFE SAID

  He told : “Erik is a good guy and had been doing his best, but doing too much. He was trying to sort out the squad and fix leaks in the roof at the same time.”

  On the club's downfall, he said: “What happened is that Alex Ferguson and David Gill left at the same time, 11 years ago. Up until that point, those two had been managing the sports side of the club and the Glazer family had managed the commercial side very well. And then all of a sudden there’s this vacuum.”

  He added the club had "Clearly lost its way. I mean, the results speak for themselves. In the last ten or eleven years, it should have been a contender for the Premier League and Champions League [trophies] every year and it hasn’t at all. It is a big responsibility to return the club to where it should be. It should be performing at least in the top eight in Europe. Now if we can’t do that then we won’t have been successful.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ratcliffe certainly seems intent on restoring United to their former glory but there is a long way to go before achieving that goal. They have tried to be aggressive in the transfer market, while not paying above what they want for players such as Joao Neves and Manuel Ugarte. Red Devils fans will certainly be happy there is a more active figurehead in place, rather than the somewhat aloof and distant Glazer family owners.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Next up for United – who lost on penalties to Manchester City in the Community Shield on Saturday – is the start of the Premier League season, with Ten Hag's side taking on Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday night.

Glasgow Rangers managed to sign three new players during the January transfer window, as Fabio Silva, Mohammed Diomande and Oscar Cortes all arrived in Glasgow.

The main talking point was the failure to bring in another centre-forward on deadline day, yet it appears as though Philippe Clement is comfortable with the players he currently has until the end of the season.

The Ibrox faithful will continue to place their trust in the Belgian, especially after his wonderful start to life at the Light Blues. Not only has he guided the club to their first League Cup trophy since 2011, but also to the last 16 of the Europa League, along with dragging the Gers back into the title fight.

His three signings will all offer something different, and they may even prove to be the difference between finishing the season with one trophy or ending it with three.

Diomande is the obvious standout, as the young Ivorian joined from Danish club FC Nordsjaelland on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy and his future looks extraordinarily bright.

Mohammed Diomande has a big future at Rangers

The midfielder is set to cost the Ibrox side a fee in the region of £4.3m, indicating that Clement is clearly confidence the player will be a success at Rangers.

During his spell in Denmark, the 22-year-old made 111 appearances for Nordsjaelland, scoring 13 goals, and grabbing 14 assists in the process, demonstrating his forward-thinking abilities.

With an average pass success rate of 89% in the Danish top flight during the 2023/24 campaign, Diomande is also excellent at dictating the play, while he ranked fifth among the squad for tackles per game (1.4) and fourth for interceptions per game (0.8), suggesting that he does not shirk away from his defensive responsibilities either.

It looks as though the Gers have managed to sign a midfielder who can not only contribute going forward but is also able to provide a defensive barrier when Rangers don’t have the ball and these skills could be vital over the next few months.

He was not the only midfielder that the Light Blues were interested in, however, as Clement was reportedly keen on making a move for Croatian gem Marko Bulat last month, and he may indeed have been a more attractive option than Diomande to feature in the midfield.

Rangers were showing interest in Marko Bulat

According to Football Scotland, the Gers ‘checked on the conditions’ of Bulat during the winter window as they looked to bolster their midfield area.

The report stated that the 22-year-old was keen on a move away from Dinamo Zagreb, yet the Croatian side were valuing him at around the £5m mark and this was perhaps the only stumbling block for the Light Blues.

His profile certainly fitted the bill with regard to what Clement was hoping to build in the future; a young and hungry midfield with plenty of passion and the potential to make the club a big profit over the next few years.

The Belgian manager faces the prospect of six players leaving for nothing at the end of the season due to their contracts expiring.

Ryan Jack and John Lundstram are among those six and while the Englishman deserves another year at least, the Scot has suffered from too many injury issues recently and should be thanked for his services and moved on this summer.

Bulat, then, would have made an ideal Jack heir should he have joined Rangers last month.

The stats that show why Marko Bulat would have been a good signing for Rangers

Since joining the club, Jack has made over 200 appearances for the Gers, winning every major honour in Scotland over the previous seven years.

The 31-year-old has also missed a grand total of 118 matches through injury since 2017 and these niggles are unlikely to stop as he ages.

While Diomande is a more forward-thinking central midfielder, Bulat prefers to operate in a slightly deeper role, similar to that of Jack, and this suggests he would have been an ideal replacement for the former Aberdeen starlet.

The youngster was even compared to Croatian midfield icon Ivan Rakitic by Rangers Journal founder Kai Watson, who said:

“From watching Bulat and looking at the numbers, he reminds me of a young Ivan Rakitić. He’s a box-to-box midfielder who is a very capable defender and a goal scoring threat. Technically gifted and intelligent in and out of possession, hence the Rakitić comparison.”

Bulat has already played 173 senior matches since making his professional debut in the 2017/18 season, which demonstrates how much experience he has already racked up in such a short space of time.

For Zagreb this season, Bulat ranks highly across a range of metrics, including third for shots per game (2.2), sixth for key passes per game (1.4) and for goals and assists (five), made even more impressive due to the fact he has missed a few matches due to injury.

There was no way Clement could have splashed out £5m on Bulat alongside signing Diomande and, while the Ivorian may be an excellent option to call upon in the middle of the pitch, might the 49-year-old manager have missed a trick by missing out on the Croatian?

Only time will tell in that regard, but the statistics certainly suggest that the 22-year-old could have been the ideal long-term replacement for Jack, who looks certain to leave Ibrox this summer.

Rangers may have a bigger talent than Jefte in 20y/o "surprise"

Rangers may have a bigger talent than Jefte with a talented academy gem in their system.

By
Ross Kilvington

Feb 2, 2024

With a busy few months ahead, Diomande will need to hit the ground running if he looks to impress the Ibrox faithful and, considering his past performances, there is no doubt he is capable of shining in Scotland.

Like any transfer window, there are always players that clubs miss out on and eventually go on to play at a higher level. Bulat could perhaps be one such name who will star at a level above the Scottish Premiership in the next few years.

If Clement does have the budget in the summer, and Bulat is keen, a concrete move should be made for the midfielder, who is set to enjoy a wonderful career.

Allrounder reported pain in left knee during second Test against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2019Ben Stokes will be fit to bowl in England’s Test series against South Africa, after undergoing MRI scans in which “nothing really showed up”, following his return from New Zealand.Stokes reported pain in his left knee after completing his second over on the first day of the second Test at Hamilton, and did not bowl again that day. But he was cleared to bowl after resting overnight, and bowled a further 25 overs in the Test.ALSO READ: Knee injury casts doubts over Stokes bowling again in second Test“It’s alright,” Stokes told TalkSport. “I got some scans when we got back [to] England and there’s nothing really showing up on the MRI scans, which is good news.”I just need to toughen up I guess but it’s alright and it’s just treatment now. I will be fine to bowl [in South Africa].”Stokes underwent surgery on his left knee in May 2016 after tearing cartilage while bowling against Sri Lanka and has had to manage the injury ever since. Ahead of the first Test of the New Zealand series, he admitted he was managing his workload because of it, and he was used somewhat sparingly in that game.Joe Root admitted after the second Test that it can be hard to take the ball out of Stokes’ hand, even when he has a niggle.Joe Root and Ben Stokes contemplate their options•Getty Images

“With Ben, you’re always trying to make sure he’s being honest with you,” Root said. “He’ll continue to keep bowling unless you pull him off.”You don’t want him to hurt himself and he’s managing that very well, he’s being a lot smarter with it and making sure that if he is sore he’s not going to rule himself out of any games.”Stokes also warned against expecting too much from Jofra Archer, who endured a difficult series against New Zealand in his first overseas tour as an England player.”When you achieve what he achieved in such a short space of time, you’re expected to do it day in, day out, but that’s just impossible,” Stokes said.”He’s 24 years old: he doesn’t have that much experience, he’s still learning how to bowl properly, he’s still learning how to bowl in Test cricket.”I saw he got a bit of stick in New Zealand but he’s never bowled with a Kookaburra ball before, so he’s still learning and understanding how to bowl in different conditions. So you’ve got to give him a bit of leeway, understand that he’s still learning the game and still maturing as a player, and not expect him to go out and take 4 for 50 every innings.”

It's well known that Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is hoping to add another player to his ranks this winter, and after welcoming centre-back Radu Dragusin and versatile forward Timo Werner, this will likely be a midfielder.

Indeed, recent reports confirm this, with Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher seemingly the top target for transfer before the close of the January transfer window; Wolverhampton Wanderers' Joao Gomes has also been touted.

But Spurs definitely don't have a myopic attitude toward their spending, with chairman Daniel Levy seemingly earmarking several exciting players for a summer transfer, when the money flows more freely.

Despite the capture of Werner and the deals struck last summer, Harry Kane was sold to Bayern Munich in August and there is still room for another forward-placed player, which could be a key theme upon the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign.

Spurs transfer targets – forwards

While Spurs have been sniffing around for an out-and-out centre-forward – Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke and Dutch Eredivisie champion Santiago Gimenez are both on the radar – the search for summer reinforcements is not exclusive to one position.

Tottenham now eyeing £34m Brazilian as well as Conor Gallagher – Sky Sports

He’s having a very good season.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 18, 2024

For this reason, there may well be truth behind a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey claiming that Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is "set to leave" Selhurst Park in the summer, with all of the Premier League's top outfits interested and Tottenham understood to have made an enquiry.

Chelsea fought and failed to sign the Frenchman last summer but Steve Parish is expected to allow his star to leave this year, though he does now have a rumoured £60m release clause in his contract.

Michael Olise's season in numbers

Olise has been regarded as an exciting talent for several years now, earning the 2020/21 Championship's Young Player of the Season award before completing an £8m transfer to south London in July 2021.

Last season, he showcased his creative brilliance and racked up 11 assists from 31 starting appearances in the Premier League, leading talent scout Jacek Kulig to name him as “one of the best wide playmakers in Europe."

Since the summer, however, the 22-year-old has flipped the switch and started heaping emphasis on his shooting skills, which, it has to be said, has proved to be an undisputed success during his time on the pitch.

As per Sofascore, he has posted five goals and one assist across just seven starts and complemented this prolific return with 2.2 key passes and 3.8 ball recoveries per game, completing 81% of his passes, succeeding with 77% of his dribbles and winning 60% of his contested ground duels.

Olise only made his seasonal debut in November after an extended period of convalescence following a hamstring injury, and his resounding return to action was then paused earlier this month, with Roy Hodgson confirming that he is likely to miss the remainder of January action with another muscular issue.

Nonetheless, the £100k-per-week star – who can play across the frontline but is finding a permanent home on the right flank – has demonstrated by so many outfits are eager to add him to the ranks, with Postecoglou's project only reaching new heights with his deployment.

How Michael Olise compares to Heung-min Son

Given Olise's newfound ability to wreak havoc on opposing defences with his own striking, the early signs are there that he could be the successor to Heung-min Son's spot at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Once dubbed "world-class" by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Son has scored 157 goals and provided 85 assists across 393 appearances for Tottenham since signing from Bayer Leverkusen for £22m way back in 2015.

He's considered one of the finest Premier League forwards of his generation and replacing him is certainly not an easy task, but should Olise make the cross-London move, the club could indeed land the dream heir.

It is… astounding. Looking at the table above, the sublime form Olise has been in this season really is illuminated, trumping Tottenham's talisman across nearly every single facet.

Now, the respective players have played a vastly differing amount of football this term, Son playing just over 1000 minutes more in the English top-flight, but this does not diminish the incredible feats achieved by Olise during his time on the pitch.

Moreover, the fact that he has featured so irregularly as he battles against injuries only enhances the argument that he has been performing at a level to rival any star this season.

For example, Son has plundered 12 goals and five assists across 20 Premier League fixtures so far and has looked equally devastating across both centre-forward and wide roles, also creating 11 big chances for his teammates – a tally bettered only by Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The South Korean star might be trumped across the lion's share of metrics but he is easily one of the finest forwards in the Premier League and his prowess may actually be the gold standard for a rising phenom such as Olise to mould his game to.

Indeed, Olise has unearthed a rich vein of goalscoring form recently but Son's consistency throughout many years of service in north London is more than admirable, with the £190k-per-week machine actually ranking among the top 4% of positional peers for goals scored per 90, underpinning his prolific might.

Olise, too, only scored twice across 40 appearances in all competitions last campaign and there is not yet enough evidence to suggest that he can maintain his shooting success and rival the cutting edge of a player like Son.

But, from the snippet received over the past few months, there is an undoubted level of talent to propel Olise right to the forefront of the European game, with his recent feats the first times of latent world-class talent stirring.

Son is now 31 years old and there are still years in the tank for the Spurs skipper, but his influence will not last forever and for this reason, Olise's signature must be prioritised to ensure Tottenham's offensive fluency is preserved over the coming years.

In 2019, Pant has scored just one half-century across 21 appearances for India in white-ball games

Sruthi Ravindranath09-Nov-20190:56

Kumar Sangakkara analyses Rishabh Pant’s keeping technique

Rishabh Pant has been the topic of a lot of debate in recent times and Rohit Sharma, for one, feels the young wicketkeeper-batsman must be “allowed to do what he wants to do on the field” and be left alone.After criticism about his shot selection, Pant the wicketkeeper came under scrutiny after he fluffed a chance to stump Liton Das in the second T20I when he collected the ball marginally in front of the stumps, which resulted in the delivery being called a no-ball.”There’s a lot of talk happening about Rishabh Pant, every day, every minute,” Rohit said on the eve of the third T20I in Nagpur. “I just feel that he needs to be allowed to do what he wants to do on the field. And I would request everyone to just keep your eyes away from Rishabh Pant for a while.He is a young guy, probably 21-22 now, trying to make his mark in international cricket, every move he makes on the field, people start talking about it.”While that might be Rohit’s position on Pant, other senior members of the Indian team set-up haven’t shied away from speaking about the youngster in the recent past. Ravi Shastri had called for a “rap on the knuckles” for Pant for his reckless batting, Vikram Rathour had spoken about the importance of being fearless without being careless, and captain Virat Kohli had called on him to read situations better.”I think it’s not fair, I think we should just allow him to play his cricket, which he also actually wants. And yes, focus on him a lot more when he is doing good things also, not just the bad things,” Rohit said. “He has kept well, he is learning every game, and yes, he is just doing whatever the team management wants him (to do). He is a very fearless cricketer, and we want him to have that freedom. And if you guys just keep your eyes a little bit away from him, it will allow him to perform even better.”Since the start of the year, Pant has scored just one half-century across limited-overs internationals, making 195 runs in 12 matches at an average of 21.66 in T20Is and 188 runs in nine games at 23.50 in ODIs. He played all three formats in the West Indies in August, but though he was retained in the T20Is against South Africa, he was replaced by Wriddhiman Saha for the Tests.While former players including Yuvraj Singh have backed Pant, India’s selectors have also made it clear that they want to persist with him across formats.On being asked what would be his piece of advice to youngsters like Pant – and Shreyas Iyer – Rohit said: “Both of them (are) very talented, have great abilities in whatever they do, and yes, definitely the future of Indian cricket, for sure. And they have proved it whenever they have played for their franchise, domestic cricket. They are just trying to make their mark in international cricket.Rishabh Pant exchanges notes with Rohit Sharma in the nets•Getty Images

“All I would tell them is (to) just understand their game, which is very, very important in whatever format you play, and feeling confident about yourself is very important. I think they are working hard towards their game, and I don’t see any reason why they can’t get the results on the ground. They have everything that is required to be successful at the international level. They work really hard on their games and yes, at the same time they are learning also. They are very new to this set-up. They are learning every game and with experience in a year or two, you will see them batting differently.”All we want them to do is to just go out there and enjoy, and be fearless. That would be the message from my side. Because as a young player when you are coming into the side, that is what you look forward to, having that freedom from the management. That is what we are here to assure them, that ‘you have all the backing that you need, you have all the freedom that you need, so just go out there and express yourself’. That is when players like these give you the best performance.”Over to the bowling unit, and while India have been attempting to give more and more players a chance in the lead up to the T20 World Cup next year, not all of them have grabbed their chances yet. Khaleel Ahmed, for one.”This is the time for youngsters to learn. We always say that playing domestic cricket is important and learn more. Till you don’t play international cricket you won’t know where you stand as a bowler,” Rohit said. “I think this is a good challenge for our bowling group because you’re playing against an international team. They will always challenge you, batsmen will play shots and challenge you. You won’t know where is your bowling until you’re put under pressure. I think for these bowlers it’s a good time to know where they stand.”

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou admits Harry Kane is impossible to replace, as striker Dominic Solanke is set to complete a near club record transfer.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Postecoglou discusses impossible Kane task
• Spurs signing Solanke in £60m transfer
• Striker not viewed as direct replacement

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Postecoglou suggested that Spurs aren't trying to replace Kane by spending a reported £60 million ($76.6m) to sign Solanke from Bournemouth, because the club's all-time top scorer is a "generational" talent. But they are making attempts to strenghten in attack ahead of the new 2024-25 campaign.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane scored 280 goals in 435 Tottenham appearances prior to his 2023 exit to Bayern Munich. That included nine consecutive seasons with at minimum of 24 goals in all competitions. He then scored 44 times in 45 games off the bat for Bayern in 2023-24. Without him, Son Heung-min became Spurs top scorer with 17 goals across all competitions. By comparison, Solanke scored 21 goals in 42 appearances for Bournemouth during the 23/24 campaign.

• WHAT ANGE POSTECOGLOU SAID

  Postecoglou said: "I don't think we have been looking to replace Harry. You can't really replace a generational player. It's fair to say that's an area of the park, the front third, that we are looking to reinforce. We are trying hard to get the right kind of players into that area."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

  Tottenham are on course to seal Solanke's transfer, although it remains to be seen whether he will be registered before the weekend deadline to feature in the opening game of the new Premier League season against Leicester City on Monday night.