Category Uncategorized

How the game played out
Featuring in their first playoff game, the Lahore Qalandars hunted down 171 and knocked out former champions Peshawar Zalmi in Karachi. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) resumed on Saturday after a pandemic-induced break of eight months, but it was business as usual for the Qalandars as they notched up their sixth victory in their last eight matches. Ben Dunk, who had led the batting earlier this year, holed out for 20 off 19 balls, but Mohammad Hafeez stepped up, his 34-ball half-century putting Qalandars in the second Eliminator.The Qalandars were also helped in their quest by Zalmi’s attack that didn’t have a specialist spinner. The Zalmi seamers tried to hit the pitch, and while it worked for the them in the powerplay, the ball skidded onto the bat later in dewy conditions.When Samit Patel holed out for 20, the game was evenly poised, with the Qalandars needing 41 off four overs. But Hafeez, who turned 40 last month, reminded the world of his power and calmness, finishing it off with an unbeaten 74 off 46 balls.After being inserted, the Zalmi rode on thirties from their new recruit Faf du Plessis (31), his brother-in-law Hardus Viljoen (37), and Shoaib Malik (39), but it wasn’t enough in the end. Shaheen Afridi swung the ball, Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussain provided extra pace, while David Wiese smartly bowled cutters into the pitch for the Qalandars.Star(s) of the day
Who else? The Qalandars didn’t need Hafeez with the ball, but they desperately needed him to take charge of the middle order after Lancashire quick Saqib Mahmood blasted out the top three within five overs. Hafeez used the pace of the Zalmi’s bowlers to his advantage, regularly tapping them behind the wicket. 22 of his 74 runs came in the third-man region. Then, even after Dunk and Patel were dismissed, Hafeez didn’t panic and saw off his former side.Afridi also did his bit, first yorking Haider Ali for a duck and then returning at the death to fool Carlos Brathwaite with a slower cutter.Turning point
The 18th over of the chase, bowled by Mahmood. Hafeez sized up the first ball, which was in his slot, and crunched it over extra-cover. Three balls later, he backed away and mowed a short delivery over wide long-on for six. When Mahmood went full again, Hafeez carved him over point for another four to cap a 16-run over. Those blows narrowed the equation to 20 off 12 balls. Hafeez and Wiese needed only six balls to secure victory.The big miss
Hafeez was on 12 when he threw his bat at a wide delivery from left-arm seamer Rahat Ali in the eighth over. Seemingly there was a noise as the ball passed the bat, but none of the Zalmi players appealed, with UltraEdge later detecting a spike. Hafeez got another reprieve when he was 33 in the 13th over. After he top-edged a pull, Ali ran around, got into an awkward side-on position and dropped the catch.Where the teams stand
Zalmi will go home while Qalandars will face the Multan Sultans on Sunday for a crack at Karachi Kings in the final. With previous winners Zalmi, Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators all eliminated, the PSL will have a new champion in 2020.

da realbet： Leeds United will be going into this coming weekend's final game of the regular Championship season overwhelmed with nerves and excitement, hoping that it can be the day where an immediate return to Premier League football is secured.

da betobet： Daniel Farke's men have certainly shown signs that the obvious stress that comes about with being deep in a promotion race has been getting to them in recent matches, with the 4-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers last time out weighing heavy on their minds.

Still, the German boss in the Elland Road hot-seat will pray that his troops can get over the line against Southampton regardless, with hopefully most of his first-teamers available to him to put in a promotion-winning performance in front of the expectant Whites masses at home.

Farke thankfully hasn't had to deal with a whole host of injury-prone individuals this season, with this constantly sidelined past Leeds face draining the club dry by the end of his stop-start five years at the club.

Adam Forshaw's transfer to Leeds

Adam Forshaw would come into the building at Elland Road for a bumper £4.5m fee from Middlesbrough in 2018, having impressed the Whites across his four-season stay at the Riverside Stadium before sealing a move to nearby West Yorkshire.

Forshaw would accumulate 103 appearances for Boro before leaving for pastures new in Leeds, garnering a reputation for being a solid central midfielder in the EFL as was also seen in a more impactful spell at Brentford prior with 11 goals and 12 assists tallied up from 100 games for the Bees.

Poached by Leeds in January of the 2017-18 season, the new Whites recruit would initially settle in well with 12 appearances under his belt during his first few months acclimatising to his fresh surroundings.

Yet, his Whites career would soon start to unravel as his injury issues became a more and more persistent issue with everything coming to a head during the 2019-20 campaign under Marcelo Bielsa.

Forshaw would manage to make just seven appearances that season, during what should have been a joyful promotion campaign for the then-Leeds man.

But, a serious hip injury would end up sidelining him for 18 months instead.

Adam Forshaw's major injuries across his career

Club playing for

Injury

Time out with injury

Leeds

Broken kneecap

69 days

Leeds

Hip injury

560 days

Brentford

Ankle injury

132 days

Sourced by Transfermarkt

The horrific hip issue would result in the 32-year-old being absent from action for a staggering 560 days in total, before a broken kneecap would do more damage when he was back during the 2021-22 season to keep up his wretched luck with injuries and maintain his reputation of being a permanent fixture in the Elland Road treatment room.

During Jesse Marsch's poor Whites reign, there was even a point where doctors close to the football club were left confused by what Forshaw's injuries actually were with medical expert Ben Dinnery stating that this was a major "red flag" when speaking to Football Insider at the time.

For a Leeds career that started with so much promise, with 31 appearances notched up during Bielsa's debut season on the scene in West Yorkshire, there must have been a feeling of 'what could have been' for Forshaw on the end of the Whites when he was released from his contract just last year.

But, with his recurring injury demons one major factor as to why this decision to cut ties was the best and most logical outcome, the former Middlesbrough man's excessive wage was also not justifiable any longer considering all the lengthy patches he found himself out of action for.

Adam Forshaw's wage at Leeds

On top of the £4.5m fee originally forked out to land Forshaw feeling like a steep fee with the context of these injuries coming into view, the £20k-per-week the ex-Boro midfielder earned whilst on the books at Leeds must have burned a considerable hole in the West Yorkshire side's pocket.

When adding up all the money that was unfortunately wasted on the injury-prone Leeds number four, the Whites were drained of £10.7m in total when that cash could have been ultimately put to better use.

When examining the current wage bill at Elland Road under Farke today, Crysencio Summerville amazingly earns £5k-per-week less than the 5 foot 9 dud now even with his heroics for the Whites in recent matches managing to put a smile on the anxiety-ridden Leeds supporters even when full-time results haven't all gone in their favour.

The electric Dutchman's two strikes away at Forshaw's former employers in Middlesbrough in the middle of April took his goal contributions total for the campaign to a very impressive 30 overall, dazzling Championship defences for fun even whilst earning a lesser wage than the injury-prone Forshaw.

Moreover, the likes of Archie Gray and Ilia Gruev also both earn a lesser pay packet than the former Whites face despite amassing 80 appearances between themselves as key parts of the Farke jigsaw this campaign – earning £5k-per-week and £15k-per-week respectively.

The 32-year-old hasn't yet fallen victim to another serious injury like he managed at Leeds moving onto fellow Championship sides Norwich City and Plymouth Argyle after being released, but he still is finding his minutes to be limited and infrequent to see out his playing days.

Still, he won't complain at the millions he managed to rake in whilst playing in West Yorkshire when compared to his lesser Pilgrims wage now even if it came at the expense of his ex-employers.

Adam Forshaw's continued issues

The experienced midfielder has only managed to make 20 appearances for both the Canaries and Argyle since leaving Leeds behind, finding his contract at Carrow Road prematurely ripped up just a matter of months into his free transfer down to Norfolk.

At Home Park now, Forshaw isn't quite burning a similar hole in Leeds' pocket when it comes to wage costs to the relief of the Devon-based club – earning £5k less in salary costs in his new location at £15k-per-week.

Leeds will just be thankful that Forshaw is no longer a problem for them to try and fix, with the midfielder's fitness a constant source of worry for past Whites managers such as Marsch and Bielsa.

Farke doesn't have to put up with this anxiety going into his side's pivotal final day clash with Southampton to his relief, hoping just one more second-tier victory will be enough to seal an instant return up to the Premier League for Leeds.

Related Leeds could have their next Gnonto in academy star who Man City wanted

Leeds United have very high hopes for this youngster.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Apr 23, 2024

Liverpool weren't at their best against Sheffield United but prevailed in the second half at Anfield after Alexis Mac Allister inspired his title-chasing side to victory.

Now, Jurgen Klopp's side face a challenge of a different nature as they travel to Old Trafford to face an injury-hit Manchester United team to stay ahead in the Premier League title race.

The Reds were defeated against United in the FA Cup quarter-finals several weeks back but will be determined to avenge their loss and stay ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City in an enthralling three-horse title race.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Diogo Jota and Stefan Bajcetic are approaching returns from injury but remain sidelined for this one. Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are still long-term absentees.

Klopp fielded a stronger starting XI than many expected against the Blades on Thursday and, as such, might only make the two changes at the Theatre of Dreams.

1 GK – Caoimhin Kelleher

It won't be long until Alisson is fit once again and ready to reclaim his starting spot between the sticks for Liverpool. While the Brazilian is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, Caoimhin Kelleher hasn't done a half-bad job in his absence.

The Republic of Ireland international will make his eighth successive Premier League appearance against the Red Devils and he will be expected to impress as per.

2 RB – Joe Gomez

Conor Bradley has been unbelievable since properly bursting onto the scene in January but the 20-year-old was caught out on the break a few times against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend and Joe Gomez might just be the better option.

The recently-recalled England international is the complete package and has been so impressive this season, with his experience and composure arguably what is needed to subdue Erik ten Hag's side.

3 CB – Ibrahima Konate

Fears of another injury for Ibrahima Konate, shortly after Bradley's own goal, have been allayed and the France international should retain his place ahead of Jarell Quansah.

4 CB – Virgil van Dijk

The performance of Virgil van Dijk will be imperative to Liverpool's chances of success against Manchester United, but he knows the drill.

Imperious in the air, steely on the ground and commanding over his troops, the skipper will be confident of beating down the hosts' attacking advances.

5 LB – Andy Robertson

Andy Robertson lofted in from the touchline to meet Cody Gakpo's head and confirm victory against Chris Wilder's men. He's had his problems this season but the Scotland captain is one of the finest left-backs in Premier League history and will be desperate to bring the Reds one step closer to the title.

6 DM – Wataru Endo

Wataru Endo picked up a knock against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend and missed out against Wilder's struggling side on Thursday, but he will return this weekend to anchor the midfield.

Industrious and clever, the Japan international will happily put in a shift to allow his forward-placed teammates to break down the United backline.

7 CM – Dominik Szoboszlai

Maybe Dominik Szoboszlai isn't quite at the early level of performance that arrested the awe of Liverpool supporters worldwide, but he's still a darn good midfielder and has injected so much quality, style and swagger into a midfield that had sunk into the abyss.

Matches played

25

Matches started

23

Goals

3

Assists

2

Pass completion

88%

Shots per game

2.0

Key passes per game

1.8

Tackles per game

1.2

Ball recoveries per game

6.2

Curtis Jones will be itching for a start after returning off the bench from injury several days ago, but he will be introduced in the later phase, with his slick, intelligent passing controlling and calming what will hopefully be a winning Liverpool side.

8 CM – Alexis Mac Allister

Mac Allister is quite good at football. His goal against the Blades was rather nice. Signed for just £35m last summer, he's proved to be one of the most impactful, influential acquisitions under Klopp's guidance.

With Endo back, the 2022 World Cup winner will shift back into a No. 8 position, knocking Ryan Gravenberch – who was handed a 5/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle on Thursday – to the bench.

Gravenberch is a talented player but his perceived lack of workrate in defensive and outside phases needs work. He has previously been described as a "passenger out of possession" by journalist Danny Corcoran.

9 RW – Mohamed Salah

A disgruntled Mohamed Salah trudged off the pitch after the hour mark with Liverpool drawing against the bottom-placed Premier League club, but Klopp was merely resting his talisman ahead of an almighty clash against Manchester United.

The thing about Salah is it doesn't matter if he plays well, if he drifts outside the passage of play. He is a deadly attacking force and has 22 goals and 13 assists from 34 matches in all competitions this term.

The 31-year-old also has a remarkable record against tomorrow's opposition, with 13 goals and four assists from 14 fixtures.

10 LW – Luis Diaz

Luis Diaz grabbed a fortuitous assist as a clearance ricochetted off his person following a clearance, landing at the runway ahead of Mac Allister, who launched a cannon-fired strike into the back of the net.

Still, the Colombian has been terrific after overcoming a slow start to the season and is so influential on the left flank, electric and effective.

West Ham United have a chequered history in the transfer market but at least, under David Moyes, recruitment has been streamlined, with the progress on the pitch over the past several seasons evidencing this.

Last season's Europa Conference League triumph was clinched when Moyes signing Jarrod Bowen latched onto Moyes signing Lucas Paqueta's delightful threaded pass to score a late winner in the final against Fiorentina, with Said Benrahma (signed by Moyes again) netting an earlier penalty.

The club haven't got it right on every occasion however, and while there is still plenty of time for a player like Flynn Downes to enjoy a prosperous career, it doesn't look like this will happen at the London Stadium.

Why West Ham signed Flynn Downes

West Ham signed Downes from Championship side Swansea City for a £12m fee back in July 2022, with the lifelong Hammers fan impressing in the second tier and earning praise for his “incredible” performances by then Swans manager Russell Martin.

Martin seemingly never forgot such dynamic displays, with the manager, now leading Southampton, swooping for the player last summer and bringing him to the south coast on a one-year loan deal.

But how did it get to that point, one year on from a joyous arrival at his boyhood club? The London club had tracked Downes since 2020 and saw him as the perfect replacement for the retiring Mark Noble and a progressive move for a multi-faceted midfielder, a typifier of the modern game and the direction West Ham was headed.

“He is the perfect athlete now for football: he’s tall, strong, wiry, quick and exceptionally fit. He fits the profile of what you probably see in top midfielders in the Premier League," said former Ipswich Under-18s coach Alan Lee, speaking to The Athletic.

Last season, however, Downes only started seven times in the Premier League, and while he played a prominent role in the triumphant European conquest, his failure to cement a starting spot pushed him away last summer, in need of game time and with no assurances that he would receive that under Moyes at West Ham.

Flynn Downes' market value in 2024

Now 25 years old, Downes is thriving at Southampton – Martin has hailed him once again as an "aggressive" and "brilliant athlete" – but he wasn't robust or proactive enough in the Premier League, crisp in his distribution with an 89% success rate but averaging only 0.1 key passes, 0.8 tackles, 0.3 interceptions and 1.8 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

Sure, he was far more impressive in the Conference League, averaging two tackles per game and succeeding with 60% of his contested duels, but a lack of consistency in the English top-flight precludes hopes of success under a manager like Moyes, who is a proven winner.

Because of this, the £25k-per-week ace is now worth just £3m, according to Football Transfers' valuation model, which takes him below even West Ham utility man Ben Johnson, who is valued at just £3.7m.

Angelo Ogbonna

35

£340,000

Aaron Cresswell

34

£940,000

Lukasz Fabianski

38

£2.7m

Ben Johnson

24

£3.7m

Divin Mubama

19

£3.8m

After an exciting spurt of progress in 2021/22, starting 16 Premier League matches, Johnson has fallen by the wayside somewhat and plays second fiddle to Vladimir Coufal, making just four Premier League starts this season.

Moreover, he has failed to make a single key pass in the league yet and has won 45% of his duels, with his dismal displays leading West Ham to push for his permanent exit, intent on cashing in rather than loaning the 23-year-old out, as has been the case with Downes.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

How Downes is playing at Southampton

In fairness, if Downes' loan move was granted in order to rekindle this form and fluency, it's worked a treat, having started 24 Championship matches so far this season for Southampton's promotion push, completing 94% of his passes, averaging 0.9 key passes, 1.9 tackles, 4.9 successful duels and 5.1 ball recoveries per game – this is a massive difference from his Premier League statistics.

He also ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across divisions similar to the Championship for pass completion, the top 3% for passes attempted and the top 13% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref, highlighting his crispness at the heart of the midfield, with elite technicality allowing him to dictate the flow, control the passages.

But this wasn't realised in the Premier League and it's not the first time a talented player has made the leap from the second tier to find game time and form hard to come by.

That said, the aforementioned Johnson has entered the final few months of his contract but Downes has indeed suffered a depreciation purely because he failed to cement a top spot in the Hammers first-team, also played across different positions (including right wing) in what was bound to disrupt the harmony of his performance.

Downes will hope to have a future at West Ham but there is a sense that he could have played his last for the east London outfit already, with The Athletic's Roshane Thomas of the opinion that Saints could fight to keep a hold of the centre-midfielder beyond the 2023/24 campaign.

One thing West Ham will be desperate to avoid is making a big loss on the player, and since he is currently marked at a transfer value 75% lower than the fee paid to secure his services less than two years ago, it might take some fierce negotiating skills to convince Southampton to place an offer totalling in the ballpark of £12m.

Both Downes and Johnson have plenty of years left on the clock and much mileage in the tank, but neither look like achieving their best years in a West Ham shirt.

Leeds United may have just been handed a major boost on the personnel front with one man ready to commit his future to Elland Road, as per the latest reports, and lilywhites boss Daniel Farke has to take plenty of the credit.

Leeds keep up winning ways

Another Championship win on Friday night, this time a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, kept Leeds in the hunt for automatic promotion in their first season out of the Premier League.

Goals from Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto ensured that Leeds leapfrogged Ipswich Town into second place, with the Tractor Boys then falling to a dramatic 2-1 deafeat at Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon.

Leeds United top goalscorers 23/24

Crysencio Summerville

16

Dan James

11

Joel Piroe

11

Patrick Bamford

8

Georginio Rutter

7

Wilfried Gnonto

7

Sat on 79 points with nine games still to play, it is looking likely that a record points tally will be required to ensure automatic promotion from the English second tier this season, with 93 points the previous record to make it into the Premier League in second place.

Leeds' fortunes in the coming months will have a major effect on their transfer business, but there is one man that they may well be picking up regardless of which division they begin 2024/25 in.

Rodon makes decision on Leeds future

TeamTalk report that Joe Rodon has been 'advised' by Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou that he has no future in north London. Valued by the Lilywhites at around £15m, they add that Leeds are seemingly ready to make a move for the Welshman irrespective of whether or not they manage to secure a return to the English top flight come the end of the campaign.

Rodon is out of contract in 2025, which will only further Leeds' hopes of landing their star defender on a permanent basis at a cut-price fee. Most importantly, the player himself is said to be very happy in Yorkshire and keen to sign a long-term deal, regardless of what division they are in, due largely to how much he is loving life under Farke.

Arriving at Elland Road for the 2023/24 campaign, Rodon has been a star for Leeds United. Appearing 34 times already this season, he has been a major part of a Leeds side that boasts the meanest defence in the division, conceding just 28 goals all season. He played another 90 minutes in their impressive 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night and is a firm favourite in west Yorkshire.

Earlier in the campaign, ex-Leeds man Jon Newsome hailed Rodon as 'outstanding' following a 3-0 win over Millwall.

"Outstanding. Absolutely outstanding. Joe Rodon was man of the match for me. He got his head on everything. He was a different class, he really, really was", he eulogised of the Welshman.

Leeds chasing last-gasp move to sign Joe Rodon 2.0

The Whites are reportedly battling it out to sign the Premier League defender.

ByDan Emery Jan 31, 2024

Despite his impressive campaign, however, Rodon's future appears to lie away from parent club Tottenham. In the months since Postecoglou has arrived at the club, he has already signed two new central defenders (Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin) and Rodon is now further down the pecking order than ever in north London, opening the door for a long-term switch to Leeds.

ردت الحكومة الإسبانية على تصريحات جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، فينيسيوس جونيور، والتي هاجم فيها وجود العنصرية قبل كأس العالم 2030.

وتستضيف إسبانيا النسخة بعد القادمة من المونديال رفقة البرتغال والمغرب، ولكن مشاكل العنصرية التي يواجها فينيسيوس جعلته يهاجم الجميع في تصريحات تلفزيونية.

وطالب فينيسيوس خلال تصريحاته التلفزيونية بسحب تنظيم كأس العالم من إسبانيا إذا استمرت العنصرية في الملاعب تجاه أصحاب البشرة السمراء.

اقرأ أيضًا.. عمدة مدريد يطالب فينيسيوس بالاعتذار: ما قاله غير مقبول

ورد وزير الداخلية على تصريحات فينيسيوس في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الكتالونية، وقال: “الشيء الوحيد الذي علي قوله هو أن بلدنا تحترم التنوع”.

وتابع: “هذا جزء من حمضنا النووي في إسبانيا، وبالتالي، فإن معركتنا الفعالة والمباشرة ضد كل السلوكيات التمييزية”.

واستمر: “مهمتنا هي مكافحة جرائم الكراهية ونعمل على زيادة الوعي بين الجميع بشأن العنصرية، لأننا نشعر بالقلق خاصة في مجال الرياضة ولدينا تعليمات جديدة دائمًا نسير على خطاها”.

The left-arm spinner made his first-class debut before any of his India team-mates in the Ranchi Test, but the wait has been worth it for the man from Jharkhand

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Ranchi21-Oct-20191:24

‘Watched cricket for too long on TV, wanted to be on it’ – Nadeem

The ball is dangled up, above the batsman’s eyeline. He leaves his crease, almost involuntarily, to try and reach it. He ends up getting nowhere near it.The ball does two devious things. It drifts in first, and that causes the batsman to open up, again almost involuntarily. Then it spins far more than the batsman expects, and he’s left groping for it as it rips past his outside edge.T Bavuma st Saha b Nadeem 32.It’s a classic left-arm spinner’s dismissal, and it’s quite a way to get your first wicket in Test cricket. For Shahbaz Nadeem, it also happened to be his 425th in first-class cricket.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

India v South Africa is available in the US on Hotstar and ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the Ranchi Test.

Nadeem has been playing first-class cricket since December 2004. Every other member of this India XI made their first-class debut after him. It’s quite a story: he began playing for Jharkhand at 15, and was nearly twice as old when he made his Test debut.He has learned plenty in the intervening years. He began as a purveyor of flat and quickish left-arm spin, and gradually evolved into the kind of bowler he’s now become.”When I began, I was really young, and our team was mostly built around fast bowling,” he said at the end of the third day’s play. “We didn’t really have spinners. Basically, we would mostly play on green wickets, and when I used to bowl fast on green wickets the ball used to skid onto the bat quickly.”So I realised that if I have to play on green wickets, I’ll have to start flighting the ball, and I’ll have to change my bowling so that I can get whatever little purchase I can off the pitch, which I won’t get with a flatter trajectory. The changes began there, after 2-3 years, and I began learning flight variations in order to get wickets even on those pitches. You can say that it helped me to not get helpful wickets at that early stage.”It was an interesting exercise to watch Nadeem bowl in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja, who is among the quickest spinners in world cricket.It isn’t that Jadeja doesn’t vary his pace or trajectory. There was an over, for instance, where he bowled two flighted deliveries wide of off stump that Temba Bavuma drove towards the two fielders in the covers. Jadeja followed this with a quicker, flatter one on a similar length that gave Bavuma no time to get forward to. It ripped off the pitch with extra bounce and beat the outside edge by a big margin.Nadeem’s variations are a little subtler, and there is a bit of Rangana Herath about him, in the sense that he looks to create different angles by varying his release points and wrist positions, while still trying to get most of his deliveries to end up within the line of the stumps.That wicket-to-wicket line kept the right-hand batsmen on a tight leash: in the first innings, they faced 42 balls from him but only managed two scoring shots. Before he was stumped off that hypnotically flighted ball, Bavuma had faced seven balls from Nadem and scored no runs.There is obvious quality in Nadeem’s bowling, but he’s still only fourth-choice among India’s Test spinners, behind Jadeja, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav, whose troublesome shoulder paved the way for his inclusion here in Ranchi. Nadeem is realistic about where he stands, but he knows he’ll be in and around the squad if he maintains his levels of performance.”This was the motivation, the chance I got here,” Nadeem said. “The motivation came from knowing that I might get a chance if something happened to someone. Whichever spinners we have, they’re all doing well. As a cricketer, you have to realise that the slot you’re fighting for, it has to be empty in the first place. If it isn’t empty, you just wait for your chance.”The wait has lasted many years, some of which have brought bucketloads of first-class wickets. There were 51 Ranji Trophy wickets in the 2015-16 season, and 56 the season after that. To many watching from outside, it can seem like a difficult wait, but first-class cricketers enjoy first-class cricket for its own sake too. Even when he’s away playing for, say, India A, Nadeem says Jharkhand, his first-class team, always remains on his mind.”We enjoy [playing first-class cricket] a lot,” Nadeem said. “Playing for Jharkhand is a motivation too, because whoever my team-mates are at Jharkhand, I’ve known them for a long time, some of them for close to 15 years. I’ve played with some of them since childhood, at junior level, so it’s always fun when I play for Jharkhand, and it’s a different sort of feeling.”Wherever I might be playing, if there’s a Jharkhand match, my heart says I need to go play that match too, because apart from the match, there’s friendships and laughter as well.”If he keeps bowling the way he did on Monday, Nadeem might have to make room in his life for an entirely new set of friendships.

Do Arsenal need a striker? Probably. However, their 6-0 drubbing of West Ham United last Sunday proved that they can indeed score a bucket load of goals without that typical no.9 in their system.

Leandro Trossard was a menace to the Irons backline, scoring the fourth goal after picking up a lovely little pocket of space inside the area.

A week prior Kai Havertz had also flourished in that false 9 role, proving to be a "handful" – in the words of Ray Parlour – to the Liverpool defenders in that 3-1 win at the Emirates.

So, where do the Gunners go from here? Well, after a run of three games around the New Year period where they scored just once across three games, a new forward will likely still arrive in the summer.

Who is that man? Well, there's one name on the lips of plenty at the moment; Ivan Toney.

The latest on Arsenal's hunt for Ivan Toney

With the threat of exceeding financial fair play guidelines in January Arsenal decided against signing anyone.

Even if they had the money, trying to get any deal over the line would have been a difficult task. After all, Toney had been touted in some circles as an £80m transfer waiting to happen while another target in Victor Osimhen is set to cost over £100m.

Arsenal reportedly 'want' the Brentford striker and Bees manager Thomas Frank has already admitted it's likely he'll be moved on in the summer.

Frank recently stated: "It is relatively obvious that Ivan Toney will probably be sold this summer. "We also know what he is worth. I don't think there are many strikers in the world who are better than him right now."

Toney's response was rather damning, suggesting the Dane no longer wanted him in west London. This feels like a marriage reaching breaking point as the next transfer window fast approaches.

Mikel Arteta and Co seemingly have the perfect opportunity to acquire the striker, then, but agreeing on a fee for a man with three goals in four outings since his return from a betting ban will be the major stumbling block.

Therefore, are there other options? Well, turning to the academy, something Arteta hasn't favoured too much, could be a solution.

Arsenal's academy solution

The Arsenal boss has overseen the development of Bukayo Saka during his tenure in north London but as this Arsenal squad gets better and the demands become greater, he's not favoured the usage of the Hale End academy.

Considering Saka's breakthrough it's rather disappointing. It meant the end for the free-scoring Folarin Balogun in London and it's also seen Omari Hutchinson bite the dust too, moving to Chelsea.

Lino Sousa has now departed for Aston Villa but thankfully, some of the club's brightest young talents remain. One of those is Ethan Nwaneri.

The 16-year-old became the youngest ever player to feature in the Premier League when he was a substitute against none other than Toney's Brentford, and was used again for the first time since that debut outing versus West Ham last weekend.

In time another 16-year-old could become Arsenal's striking solution. Toney may well be signed but if the club are priced out in a few months time and thus, opt to stick with their current options in the summer, we could well see a blossoming academy talent unleashed sparingly.

That happens to be Chido Obi-Martin. You may well know the name. He went viral earlier this season for scoring ten goals in one game against Liverpool. Yes, ten. 10. It's a staggering accomplishment.

Talk about putting pressure on yourself too. In an official capacity, the vibrant attacker has found the net three times in six outings for Jack Wilshere's U18s this term and has already made his debut for the U21 side, featuring twice in Premier League 2 to date.

The teenager seems to have a habit of scoring goals by the bucketload, netting a hat-trick versus Southampton this term and also scoring four goals in one game for Denmark's U16s back in August.

Having trained with the first team too, it's clear that Obi-Martin is on the radar of Arteta and if Nwaneri's fleeting appearances are anything to go by, he could be seen in the first-team before too long.

Described as a "very special" talent by Arsenal pundit Adrian Clarke, it would be unrealistic to suggest Obi-Martin could get anywhere near Toney at this moment in time.

That said, should the Gunners fail to get a move over the line this summer then diving into the academy could be a serious consideration for Arteta and his coaching staff. The teenager will not become an overnight hit but if they invest in his development, they could unearth a prospect capable of becoming a real star in a few years time.

Tottenham Hotspur were dumped out of the FA Cup by Manchester City on Friday night as Nathan Ake's controversial late goal secured the win for the visitors.

Ruben Dias blocks on Guglielmo Vicario went unpunished and that allowed the Dutch central defender to prod the ball into the back of the net from close range.

There were positives to come out of the match for Ange Postecoglou, though, and one of them was the return of James Maddison, who came off the bench during the second half, from injury.

The England international made his first competitive appearance for Spurs since the 6th of November, against Chelsea in the Premier League.

He has been a terrific addition since his summer switch from Leicester City as an outstanding creative force in the middle of the park for Tottenham.

Daniel Levy and Postecoglou could provide the English wizard with another quality operator to create chances for if they are able to land another striker to the squad before the deadline passes on Thursday this week.

Tottenham's search for a striker

One exciting marksman who has been linked with a possible move to North London is Besiktas and Turkey U19 number nine Semih Kilicsoy

Turkish outlet Fanatik reported earlier this month that Spurs are one of a number of clubs keeping tabs on the talented young centre-forward.

The outlet stated that Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund, and Napoli are also monitoring the 18-year-old attacker as they eye up a possible swoop for his services.

They claimed that scouts from several European sides came to watch the promising talent in action in January, with the teenage whiz breaking into the first-team squad with the Turkish giants this season.

According to Milliyet, via TurkishNewsWorld, Besiktas will demand a fee of at least €25m (£21m) from any of the interested parties to part ways with Kilicsoy this month.

This would be a club-record departure for the Super Lig side as it would be €2.5m more than the €22.5m they received from Premier League side Everton back in the summer of 2018.

The report suggests that their staggering valuation of the teenage starlet speaks to how highly they rate him and his potential to improve over the years to come.

It, however, remains to be seen whether Spurs are prepared to go in with an offer for his services during the current window or if they will wait until the summer to make a move. There is also no mention in either of the reports if any sides are willing to meet Besiktas' £21m valuation of the young finisher.

If Levy can secure a deal for Kilicsoy, though, then Tottenham could bring in a lethal partner for Maddison in the final third, based on his impressive form for Besiktas at youth and senior level.

Maddison's immense creativity for Spurs

The 27-year-old magician is a striker's dream because he has the quality and vision to consistently create high-quality chances for his teammates at the top end of the pitch.

A centre-forward playing with Maddison behind them does not have to worry about a lack of service as the attacking midfielder is almost guaranteed to produce an excellent opportunity for them week-in-week-out.

Over the last 365 days, the former Foxes star ranks within the top 2% of his positional peers across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions for shot-creating actions (6.43) per 90, and the top 4% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.37) per 90.

This shows that he has been one of the best creative threats in Europe over the past year, for Spurs and Leicester, with his defence-splitting passes to create shooting opportunities for his teammates.

His form in the Premier League for Tottenham this season has been particularly impressive as he ranks within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers within the division for shot-creating actions (8.17) and progressive passes (9.91) per 90 respectively.

This shows that he has been an outstanding creator for Postecoglou in the English top-flight, which is why he is a dream for strikers to play with.

Appearances

11

Sofascore rating

7.91

Goals

Three

Assists

Five

Big chances created

Six

As you can see from the table above, Maddison offers goals and assists from a number ten position and Kilicsoy, if Spurs win the race for his signature, could love to play alongside him.

Kilicsoy's impressive goal record

The 18-year-old marksman is in the early stages of his career and it would be a gamble for Tottenham to bring him to England as he is yet to prove himself out of his home country.

However, his impressive goal record for Besiktas and Turkey at youth and senior level suggests that he has the potential to be a lethal partner for Maddison, who has the ability to create plenty of chances for the young number nine.

The teenage dynamo, who analyst Ben Mattinson hailed as a "powerful" player, caught the eye for his club's U19 side with a phenomenal return of 42 goals and six assists in 64 appearances from the 2020/21 campaign through to the end of last season.

He has also excelled for Turkey's youth teams with 21 strikes in 27 outings throughout the U14, U15, U17, and U19 age groups for his country.

That staggering form for the academy team earned him a first-team chance with Besiktas and he has grasped that opportunity with both hands this season.

Appearances

Ten

Sofascore rating

7.36

Expected Goals

2.85

Goals

Five

Assists

Two

As you can see from the table above, Kilicsoy, who was described as a "hidden gem" by the aforementioned Mattinson, is a lethal finisher who has more than made the most of the xG that has been created for him.

This suggests that he has the quality to outperform his xG, which is a sign of a clinical goalscorer, and that is why he could be a fantastic partner for Maddison in the final third.

The current Spurs whiz excels at creating high-quality chances – providing his teammates with big xG opportunities – and Kilicsoy could turn those key passes into assists for the England international with his superb finishing, if he can translate his form over to England.

Therefore, they could form a lethal partnership at the top end of the pitch for Spurs and Levy should push to secure a deal for his services either this month or in the summer.

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has offered some insight into the battle between Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton to be England's No.1 ahead of Euro 2025.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Earps has been England No.1 for Wiegman
• But Hampton got the nod in big match on Friday
• Lionesses' boss offers insight into battle

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Earps has been England's first-choice goalkeeper since Wiegman took over the team in September 2021 and she has justified that place with her performances on the very biggest stages. The 31-year-old was outstanding when the Lionesses won the Euros in 2022 and she claimed the Golden Glove when they reached the 2023 Women's World Cup final, too.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, competition for her place has grown in recent months in particular, with Hampton pushing to take it. The 23-year-old was struggling for game time following a switch to Chelsea last summer but that all changed in December, with her form for the Blues helping to earn her more England chances, including one on Friday night when the Lionesses faced Ireland in a must-win match in qualifying for Euro 2025.

• WHAT WIEGMAN SAID

  Wiegman has another big decision to make with the two goalkeepers on Tuesday, when her team play Sweden knowing that they need at least a point to qualify for next summer's tournament. Given the importance of the match, the coach was asked if whichever goalkeeper is picked to start would therefore be the one that has the advantage in the battle to be England's No.1.

  "I think that's a little bit too early," she replied. "There's a lot of competitiveness going on in the goalkeeper group, but also in the team and the outfield players. There's a decision to make for tomorrow and then we don't see each other for three months, so then we'll see the players go back to club and they have to keep performing there, and then we'll take it from there."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Earps, who has recovered from a hip injury to be involved in this international break, will be tasked with settling into a new environment when she does return to club level, as she recently joined Paris Saint-Germain after her contract with Manchester United expired.