da bet7： They might only be nine Premier League games in, but this season has been brutal for Arsenal.

da prosport bet： Mikel Arteta’s side came into the campaign as Manchester City’s biggest title rivals, and while that is probably still true, injuries and suspensions are starting to take their toll.

For example, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber had to come off in the second half against Liverpool last night, and while the latter may have been suffering from a cramp, the former certainly looked hurt.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as Arteta has a plethora of incredibly talented youngsters at his disposal, and for Wednesday night’s game against Preston North End, he should hand one of them a first competitive start, alongside the more well-known Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Why Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri should start

Okay, so before we get to why the lesser-known prospect should start on Wednesday, let’s take a look at why his fellow academy stars should play as well, beginning with Nwaneri.

Of all the Gunners’ promising youngsters, the 17-year-old midfielder probably receives the most coverage from fans and pundits alike, and for good reason, as when he’s played for the first team this season, he has impressed, and Martin Odegaard’s absence has left a hole in the team he could fill.

For example, while he might not be as technically astute as Leandro Trossard at present, the Enfield-born dynamo has shown that he can add some much-needed directness and energy to the team’s midfield when he comes off the bench, as he did against Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.

Moreover, in his only start of the campaign, against Bolton Wanderers, the 5 foot 9 prodigy scored a brace and generally looked like the best player on the pitch, so with the club captain still out and the level of opposition being what it is, he must start against Preston.

Likewise, Lewis-Skelly, who also started and starred in that game, will likely start on Wednesday, as he’s seemingly become Arteta’s go-to substitute for the starting left-back in recent weeks, ahead of both Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and it’s easy to see why.

The Islington-born gem is brilliant on the ball, as demonstrated by the defence-splitting pass he played against Bolton and the numerous passes he played against Liverpool; he’s reasonably secure and, perhaps most importantly, has shown a maturity far beyond his years, coming on in crunch moments against Manchester City last month, the Reds on Sunday and playing 18 minutes in the Champions League last week.

Lastly, if Timber did pick up a slight knock at the Emirates, it would be mad to play him in the League Cup, so there is a perfect opportunity to hand the Hale End ace another start.

However, as Arsenal fans will be all too aware, Gabriel is also likely to be unfit for Wednesday at the very least, and while it’s yet another gut punch for the title-chasing team, his absence presents another opportunity for a lesser-known youngster to pick up his first competitive start for the club.

Why Ayden Heaven should start

Yes, the academy gem in question is 18-year-old Ayden Heaven, who may be known to Arsenal fans but remains a relative unknown to the broader footballing community – at least for now, anyway.

Now, the first thing to say is that, unlike the two young stars mentioned above, the 6 foot 2 ace has yet to make a competitive appearance for the first team and will therefore be making a big step-up if he does start on Wednesday, but Arteta will never know if he’s ready to make the jump unless he gives him the chance.

Fortunately, it would appear that the manager rates the young “beast”, as dubbed by podcaster WIll Balsam, as he gave him plenty of game time during the club’s pre-season tour against some big teams like Manchester United and Liverpool. On top of that, the Spaniard also named the promising gem on the bench for the North London derby and the game against Bolton earlier this season.

Heaven’s U21 record

Position

Appearances

Centre-Back

16

Left-Back

5

Left Midfield

1

All Stats via Transfermarkt

However, away from first-team action, the young Englishman has also impressed for the U21 side, where he’s made 23 appearances, playing mainly as a centre-back but also making appearances at left-back in left midfield, where he has been able to show off his “insane” passing range, as Balsam described it.

Ultimately, it’s a lot to ask of Heaven to make his first start for the club on Wednesday, but with Gabriel likely out of action for some time and the opposition being what it is, he could really help Arteta navigate the current injury crisis, and who knows, if he plays well enough, he could find himself making more first team appearances in the coming months, alongside Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.

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Glasgow Rangers head into the final international break of the year on a relative high after three positive results across three different competitions for the Ibrox side.

The Light Blues came from 1-0 down to beat Motherwell 2-1 in the semi-final of the League Cup at Hampden Park, which has set up a final against Celtic next month.

Philippe Clement’s side then battled it out in Greece to secure a 1-1 draw with Olympiacos in the Europa League, to keep them in the fight to secure automatic qualification for the last 16.

The Scottish giants then won 1-0 against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, thanks to an early goal from centre-forward Cyriel Dessers.

Rangers had to play the bulk of those three games without attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence, though, as he went off injured in the first half against Motherwell.

The Wales international faces up to six weeks out injured with a thigh issue and the Belgian head coach has had to find solutions to his absence, with Mohamed Diomande moving up into a number ten position instead of his usual role in the double pivot.

Tom Lawrence's form this season

Lawrence has suffered from injuries throughout his time at Ibrox and these persistent issues could play a part in the club’s thinking when it comes to renewing his contract.

His current deal at Ibrox is due to expire at the end of May next year and it remains to be seen whether or not the Scottish giants are willing to extend it.

Since his move to Glasgow on a free transfer from Derby County in the summer of 2022, Lawrence missed 56 matches for club and country in his first two seasons in Scotland, and is projected to miss ten games with his current injury – taking the total to 66.

His fitness problems are frustrating because his form on the pitch for the Light Blues this season has been, largely, impressive, both in the Premiership and in the Europa League.

On the European stage, the 30-year-old playmaker has scored two goals and created one ‘big chance’ for the team in just three appearances – scoring against FCSB and Lyon.

Appearances

8

Starts

7

Goals

3

Big chances created

3

Assists

2

As you can see in the table above, Lawrence has provided a big threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from an attacking midfield position in the top-flight.

However, his quality on the pitch is not useful to Rangers when he is consistently unavailable for selection, which is why Clement and Nils Koppen may be looking at potential signings to come in and take his place long-term, with his contract coming to an end next summer.

Rangers eyeing up Romanian star

At the end of last month, the Daily Mail reported that Rangers are interested in FCSB attacking midfielder Darius Olaru ahead of the January transfer window.

The outlet stated that Clement and his recruitment staff are big fans of the Romania international and that they could make a move for him ahead of the second half of the season.

It added that his current contract with the club is not due to expire until the summer of 2028, which means that Rangers will have to splash out a significant sum of money to convince FCSB to part ways with him.

The 26-year-old magician is valued at €7m (£5.8m) by Transfermarkt but it remains to be seen how much exactly the Romanian giants will demand for his signature if any clubs come in with offers in January.

This is not the first time that the Gers have been linked with an interest in the player. He was reportedly a target for former Rangers boss Michael Beale in the summer of 2023.

FCSB owner Gigi Becali also named Rangers as one of the clubs that could be in the market to sign the attacking midfielder from his side back in the summer of 2022, when Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in charge, with Ross Wilson as the sporting director.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Despite a whole new recruitment set-up, with Clement and head of recruitment Koppen, Olaru appears to still be a target more than two years on from that initial interest, and he could come in as a brilliant replacement for Lawrence.

Why Rangers should sign Darius Olaru

The Scottish giants should swoop to sign the 26-year-old whiz because he is physically and technically reliable, having avoided serious injuries and produced regular quality on the pitch in recent seasons.

Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, Olaru has only missed six games through injury, 60 fewer than Lawrence in the same period, and this suggests that he is more likely to be available week-in-week-out for Clement.

So far this season, the Romanian wizard has already contributed with ten goals and five assists across 21 appearances in all competitions for FCSB, which shows that he has made a big impact at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

The Rangers target has also averaged 2.2 key passes per game across ten matches in the Super Liga this term, whilst no midfielder or forward has averaged more than 1.6 per match in the Premiership for the Light Blues.

FCSB chief Mihai Stoica once claimed that Olaru is “like” Manchester City magician Kevin de Bruyne, due to their creative quality, and that was evident on his form last season.

Appearances

36

Goals

15

Big chances created

19

Key passes per game

2.1

Assists

5

As you can see in the table above, the Romania international created a whopping 19 ‘big chances’ in 36 league games for his teammates, to go along with 15 goals.

These statistics show that Olaru has de Bruyne-like creativity, as the Manchester City star has provided 171 assists in 390 matches for his club, but has not been rewarded enough by his teammates, whose wasteful finishing meant that his assist tally did not fairly reflect his creativity.

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Overall, the FCSB sensation could brilliantly replace Lawrence by coming in to provide reliability in his availability as well as being an attacking midfielder who can consistently contribute with goals and assists.

Glasgow Rangers find themselves in a similar rut that occurred after a few weeks of the 2023/24 campaign.

Having enjoyed a new manager bounce under Michael Beale, poor recruitment in the summer of 2023 led to a disjointed start to the season, with the Light Blues failing to qualify for the Champions League, while slipping eight points behind Celtic.

Philippe Clement replaced the Englishman in October last year, winning the League Cup just two months into his Ibrox reign. However, it has been far from plain sailing since.

Having clawed back the deficit in the league last term, the Gers lost to Motherwell, Ross County and Celtic to finish second, while being defeated 1-0 in the Scottish Cup final by their Old Firm rivals.

Following a busy summer transfer window, hopes were high that Clement could lead the Light Blues to the title this term, but that already looks unlikely as they currently occupy third place in the table.

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ByCharlie Smith Jan 4, 2025

Competition

Opponent

Score

Premiership

Kilmarnock

1-0 loss

Premiership

St Johnstone

2-0 win

Europa League

Lyon

4-1 loss

Premiership

Hibernian

1-0 win

Europa League

Malmö

2-0 win

League Cup

Dundee

3-0 win

Premiership

Dundee United

1-0 win

Premiership

Celtic

3-0 loss

Premiership

Ross County

6-0 win

League Cup

St Johnstone

2-0 win

Champions League qualification

Dynamo Kyiv

2-0 loss

Premiership

Motherwell

2-1 win

Champions League qualification

Dynamo Kyiv

1-1

Premiership

Hearts

0-0

It isn’t just the results which are poor, but the performances have been dismal at times. The Gers had sacked their manager before Christmas in the previous two seasons and Clement is a man under serious pressure, so will it happen again in 2024?

With the rumour mill circling regarding his future, we have taken a look at potential candidates who could take the reins at the Light Blues should Clement lose his job in the next few weeks.

1 Kevin Muscat Shanghai Port

Australian Kevin Muscat spent the 2002/03 season at the Gers during his playing career, helping the club win the domestic treble, and he has since forged an impressive managerial career.

He led Melbourne Victory to the A-League championship in 2014/15 and 2017/18 before going on to achieve success in Japan with Yokohama F. Marinos, replacing Ange Postecoglou. In the land of the rising sun, Muscat led the club to the J1 League title in 2022, finishing runners-up twice, while claiming the Japanese Super Cup last year.

Before Clement was unveiled, Muscat revealed that he spoke to Rangers concerning the vacant role. Could it be different this time?

2 Derek McInnes Kilmarnock

Like Muscat, McInnes also played for the club during his career, spending five years at Ibrox between 1995 and 2000.

His longest managerial spell was with Aberdeen, taking charge of the club for eight years and leading them to the 2014 League Cup, their first trophy in 20 years.

His spell at Kilmarnock has been an overriding success, and he has won two matches against Rangers since the start of last term. The Gers made an approach for the Scot in December 2017, but McInnes turned them down.

3 Ole Gunnar Solskjær Free agent (last job: Manchester United)

Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently without a club, and despite not leading the Old Trafford side to any silverware during his spell as boss, experience managing at that level could be an advantage for the Gers.

It ended poorly for the Norwegian, but he won 91 of his 168 games at United, finishing Premier League runners-up in the 2020/21 campaign and coming close to winning the Europa League in the same year before losing to Villarreal on penalties.

4 Graham Potter Free agent (last job: Chelsea)

Graham Potter has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, but he has turned down a few jobs since, including the chance to manage French side Lyon.

It appears as though he is waiting for the right opportunity to get back into management. Would Rangers suit him? That he is more of a project manager rather than instant success indicates this may not be the case, but if given time, the Englishman would surely build a solid team at Ibrox.

Unfortunately, time is something the club simply does not have right now, especially with how far behind they are in the Scottish Premiership.

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ByCharlie Smith Oct 21, 2025 5 Frank Lampard Free agent (last job: Everton)

When Beale was sacked last year, it emerged that Lampard was keen on taking over the reins at Rangers. A while later, news broke that Lampard wasn’t even in the running, and he will almost certainly be an outsider if Clement receives his marching orders.

Sacked from both Chelsea and Everton, his next appointment must be a success, but it would be a massive gamble for Rangers to appoint him. Of course, the same was said about Steven Gerrard, yet he ended up returning the club to the summit of Scottish football by winning the league title in 2021. Stranger things have happened.

6 Kjetil Knutsen Bodo/Glimt

Kjetil Knutsen’s spell in charge of Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt has been incredible. Since 2018, he has led the club to three league titles (in 2019, 2020 and 2023) with his style being easy on the eye.

He became the first coach to see his team score six goals against one managed by José Mourinho, displaying evidence of how his attack-minded philosophy can glide through even the toughest defences – and this is something which would be advantageous for Rangers.

His success in Norway may see bigger teams than the Ibrox side emerge as possible destinations, but if Clement does leave, Knutsen could be an inspired choice.

7 Oliver Glasner Crystal Palace

Current Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner registered an interest in the vacant role following Beale’s sacking last year, but nothing materialised.

Glasner was the man in charge of Eintracht Frankfurt when the German side won the Europa League final against Rangers in 2022. After a positive start to life as the Eagles manager, his side have struggled this term.

Indeed, they currently occupy 18th place in the Premier League table, failing to win a single league match all season. While his job may not be under fire just now, if things persist, could he find his position untenable?

Especially considering his success elsewhere, Glasner could also be another suitable candidate to take over at Ibrox, even if he is out of a job himself in the coming weeks.

Rangers had a starlet who was like "Wayne Rooney", then he left for £0

Rangers thought they had a Wayne Rooney-like talent on their hands, then he was released.

ByDan Emery Oct 23, 2024

Chelsea-linked Mathys Tel reportedly wants to leave Bayern Munich before the January transfer window shuts.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Tel wants Bayern exit
• Struggled for game time
• Chelsea interested in transfer

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  As first reported by , the 19-year-old has decided to leave Bayern before the winter transfer window shuts on February 3. He adds the Blues enquired about the French forward but multiple clubs are interested in signing him.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tel made 41 appearances for Bayern last season, scoring 10 goals and bagging six assists along the way. This term, the teenager has just 13 appearances to his name and a meagre three of those have been starts under new manager Vincent Kompany. It seems an exit beckons but he won't go on the cheap.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Although the former Rennes ace, whose contract runs until 2029 at Bayern, racked up the appearances for the German giants last season, he still only made 10 starts in all competitions.

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  It remains to be seen if Tel – who is behind the likes of Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Leroy Sane, and Kingsley Coman in Bayern's attack – will secure an exit from the Bundesliga team over the coming days.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betsul： O Botafogo não conseguiu impor seu jogo diante do América-MG e viu o adversário ser mais competitivo e construir um resultado expressivo no jogo de ida das oitavas da Copa do Brasil. Na coletiva de imprensa, Luís Castro disse que a equipe cometeu ‘uma sucessão de erros’ e pediu reforços para a sequência da temporada.

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da betobet： – Eu acho que todos nós estamos de acordo de que precisamos nos reforçar. Nem que seja com os jogadores que estão fora por lesão. Hoje jogamos com equipe do ano passado, da Série B, com Sampaio e Patrick de Paula.Claro que para uma Série A normalmente não se joga só com os atletas do campeonato anterior. Claro que reforços têm que vir. Se olharmos, também nos faltam o Erison, o Lucas Fernandes, o Piazon, o Victor Cuesta, para sermos mais fortes – disse o treinador.

+ Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Na análise de Luís Castro, o Botafogo não foi competitivo em momento algum do jogo e a bola aérea o colocou em dificuldade em diversos momentos. Com isso, o comandante explicou o que o time terá que mudar para conseguir reverter o resultado no jogo de volta, no Rio de Janeiro.

– Aquilo que vinha acontecendo com a equipe em termos defensivos sobre a bola aérea se ruiu por completo. O adversário cada vez que cruzava, nos colocava em sérias dificuldades. Nunca fomos uma equipe estável e competitiva dentro do jogo. A equipe começou mal o jogo, logo na primeira saída de bola cometemos logo um erro. A partir dali foram uma sucessão de erros que levou a um resultado volumoso e como diz o que fazer no jogo de volta – explicou, e em seguida emendou:

– A equipe terá que mudar a sua forma competitiva para reverter um resultado desses. Hoje não fomos competitivos, principalmente no primeiro tempo. O adversário foi muito mais competitivo que nós. Nós quando começamos o jogo e deixamos o América ficar por cima como ficou, normalmente uma equipe não consegue virar o jogo. Pode virar em termos táticos e estratégicos, mas em competitividade. Nós não conseguimos, e o América foi melhor que nós durante todo jogo – acrescentou.

+ATUAÇÕES: Defesa tem fraco desempenho em noite desastrosa do Botafogo pela Copa do Brasil
​
O jogo de volta contra o Coelho está marcado para o dia 14 de julho, às 20h, no Nilton Santos. Antes disso, o time da estrela solitária voltará suas atenções ao Campeonato Brasileiro, e na segunda-feira encara o RB Bragantino, às 20h, no Nabi Abi Chedid. O jogo será válido pela 15ª rodada da competição nacional.

Staggering acceleration after tea was fuelled by a ‘cheese and ham toastie and a cup of coffee’

Andrew Miller14-Jun-2022A “cheese and ham toastie and a cup of coffee” proved the rocket fuel that Jonny Bairstow needed to launch a sensational post-tea onslaught on the final day of the second LV= Insurance Test at Trent Bridge, and power England to a thrilling five-wicket victory that, he says, shows the “sky is the limit” for what this team’s new-found positive attitude can achieve.Bairstow’s 136 from 92 balls included a century from 77 balls – one ball shy of Gilbert Jessop’s record set at The Oval way back in 1902 – as he and England’s captain, Ben Stokes, destroyed a delicately balanced match situation with 102 runs in the first nine overs after the interval.Their 179-run stand spanned just 20.1 overs, and meant that England romped to their 299-run target in exactly 50 of their allotted 72 – a fitting tribute to a chase that Bairstow said had been treated exactly like one of their World-Cup-winning ODI performances.”It was great fun,” Bairstow said during the post-match presentations. “When you get in that mood, you’ve got to just go with it. The plan that [New Zealand] set out with after tea was do or die, so you’ve got to do.”That plan involved a consistent short-ball approach from a seam attack lacking the services of Kyle Jamieson to a back injury, and already weary after spending 128.2 overs in the field during England’s first-innings 539.”Ben at the other end said ‘don’t even think about hitting one down [the ground], hit it into the stands,” Bairstow said. “That was the catalyst. Today was our day, and what a day it’s been.”What happened next was simply extraordinary. From a well-set 43 from 48 balls, Bairstow reeled off 10 fours and seven sixes from his next 44, the majority of them slammed into the short leg-side boundary at the Bridgford Road side of the ground.”I’m not sure about ‘picking the right ball’,” he said. “Strip it back, it’s only you and the bowler there. That’s the bit that sometimes gets complicated. If you strip it back, and just watch the ball, that’s the zone right there, and you have to get in it.”A staggering 1675 runs were scored across the five days of the Test – second only to the 1948 Ashes Test at Headingley – and Bairstow said that England took extra confidence in the fourth innings from the exploits that had preceded it.”When there’s been so many runs scored in the game, you don’t look at it as a record run-chase, you look at it as an opportunity to chase down a total,” he said. “We saw it as a one-day game.”The pitch was very good, outfield was fast, and that’s how you have to look at it. If you take a negative mentality, then all of sudden you’re apprehensive. We have a positive approach, and the players who can play that brand of cricket, and that never-say-die attitude, and the ever-evolving confidence that people have got in that dressing room, allowed people to go and flourish.”And I tell you what, days like this are very exciting,” he added. “If this is happening now, let’s see what’s going to happen in the next few weeks and next few months, because it’s going to be a journey.”England’s chase was made all the more special thanks to the decision by Nottinghamshire to allow free entry for this final day, and Bairstow paid tribute to that decision while acknowledging that – of all his nine Test hundreds – this one clearly stood out the most.”This is No.1 for me, it’d be tricky not to be,” he said. “There’s been a lot of chatter around England’s Test cricket over a few years, some of it’s been harsh, but I’m hugely proud about how we’ve gone about it in the last few years [of Covid etc]. It has enabled us to get closer as a group, and if we can keep that momentum, the sky is the limit.”Stokes, England’s captain, now has two wins from two – and England’s first series victory since January 2021 – after inheriting a team from Joe Root that had won just one in its previous 17. And afterwards he paid tribute to his entire team, not least the bowling unit that had rattled New Zealand in the third innings, and enabled England to hunt down a sub-300 target.”I’ve got to give credit to the boys for all five days, with the ball, and the bat, and in the field. It was a phenomenal performance,” he said. “Today was set up absolutely perfectly for how we want to go about it. Run into the danger, rather than back away or stand still.”That’s what we did today. Not just myself and Jonny there. Credit to Leesy [Alex Lees] at the top again, two really important knocks for the team again, everyone at some stage has put their hand up and contributed.”Test cricket isn’t necessarily about what you’ve seen there, but you’ve still got to execute your skills, and we wanted to put pressure back on their attack. And once Jonny gets his ‘Jonny eyes’, there’s no stopping him.”One concern for England came when Stokes appeared to jar his troublesome left knee while coming down the wicket, but he insisted afterwards that it was “fine”.Stokes also thanked Nottinghamshire for opening the gates to the public – “don’t under-estimate the power of a home crowd,” he said – and when asked what’s next, he replied: “Headingley … We’re going to come harder.”

كشف تقرير لصحيفة “ذا أثليتك” أن لاعب وسط نادي ريال مدريد، جود بيلينجهام، قد حسم قراره بالفعل بشأن العملية الجراحية التي يحتاجها في الكتف.

وأوضح التقرير أن بيلينجهام كان يعاني من ألم شديد في كتفه على مدار عدة أشهر، مما أثر على أدائه وقدرته على المشاركة الكاملة في التدريبات والمباريات.

وعلى الرغم من ذلك، قرر بيلينجهام تأجيل إجراء الجراحة حتى انتهاء مشوار فريقه في كأس العالم للأندية، حرصًا منه على تقديم أفضل ما لديه في البطولة الكبرى.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رياض محرز يكشف موقفه مع اللعب مع الهلال في كأس العالم للأندية

وأشار التقرير إلى أن الجراحة ستتم بعد انتهاء كأس العالم للأندية، من أجل معالجة الإصابة المزمنة التي تؤثر على كتف بيلينجهام، والتي تعيق تحركاته وقدرته على التسديد والتمرير بدقة.

ومن المتوقع أن تكون هذه الخطوة ضرورية لضمان استعادة اللاعب كامل جاهزيته البدنية والفنية قبل انطلاق الموسم الجديد، خاصة بعد الأداء المتذبذب الذي قدمه بيلينجهام مع فريقه في الموسم الحالي.

وكان بيلينجهام قد تحمل الألم والصعوبات طيلة الفترة الماضية، مما يعكس احترافيته العالية ورغبته في دعم فريقه حتى آخر لحظة في البطولة الدولية.

Looking to compete with some of Europe’s best both on and off the pitch, Monchi now reportedly wants Aston Villa to sign a player who’s been compared to John Obi Mikel ahead of Chelsea.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans proved in the summer that they’re here to stay when it comes to competing for a European place in the Premier League and they’ve since backed that up in the form of results. Losing just once in their opening seven league games – sitting fifth as a result – and even defeating European giants Bayern Munich in between in the Champions League, things can’t get much better for those at Villa Park.

They won’t want to stop there under Unai Emery, however. Whilst they’ve got the chance, there’s no doubt that Aston Villa will want to put their Champions League status to good use by adding further reinforcements to their side in 2025.

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According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Monchi now wants Aston Villa to sign Mario Dorgeles ahead of Chelsea after scouts compared the Nordsjaelland midfielder to former Premier League star John Obi Mikel. It’s not just Chelsea that the Villans will be competing against, however, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Brentford also reportedly keeping tabs on the 20-year-old in a busy battle for his signature.

Having won the race to sign Amadou Onana from Everton a few months ago, Aston Villa should be confident in their pursuit of yet another reinforcement and perhaps one that will complete Emery’s midfield once and for all. When 2025 arrives, Dorgeles will be one to watch.

Why Dorgeles is a man in-demand

After making an excellent start to the campaign at Danish side Nordsjaelland, Dorgeles has become a man in-demand around European football. At just 20 years old, his best is still to come in what is an exciting thought given that only four midfielders in world football managed better ball retention than the Ivorian in the 2023/24 season.

What’s more, if he is to follow in Obi Mikel’s footsteps, then swapping Scandinavia for the Premier League certainly makes sense with Villa left hoping that he decides to add a fresh twist by moving to the Midlands instead of Stamford Bridge.

It’s in the Midlands that Dorgeles could form an impressive partnership with current Villa star Onana. The Belgian has got off to the perfect start at Villa Park, quickly becoming one of Emery’s most important players, and could now receive a boost in the form of a midfield partner when 2025 arrives.

With so many of Europe’s top clubs keeping tabs on his progress, Dorgeles has the ultimate decision to make next year. Whether that ends in another vital addition to Emery’s ever-advancing Aston Villa project remains to be seen, however, as they continue to take strides on and off the pitch.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the Group 1 match between England and Sri Lanka

Andrew McGlashan27-Mar-2014The reprieveEngland had made an encouraging start, removing Kusal Perera to a dubious glove down the leg side, and Jade Dernbach was finding some movement in the heavy atmosphere. His first ball to Mahela Jayawardene was a perfect length, squared up the batsman and flew towards point where Michael Lumb held a fine, low catch. Or so it seemed. That wasn’t how the third umpire viewed the pictures after Jayawardene stood his ground. Steve Davis ruled there was doubt, as is so often the case with TV pictures, but on this occasion few who viewed the images could quite fathom the decision.The first boundaryIt was not a classic innings from Tillakaratne Dilshan, who continues to battle for form, but there was the odd classic shot. None more so than his first boundary, a perfectly executed scoop – which, of course, carries his name – when he went down on one knee against Tim Bresnan. He later played another off Dernbach and there was even the odd smile of appreciation from an England player or two.The first dropJayawardene had just top-edged a six off Tim Bresnan and attempting another pull a top edge this time looped towards mid-on where Dernbach found himself. He had oodles of time to steady himself under the ball and prepare for the test of catching a slippery ball. It was one he failed as the ball burst through his hands.The second dropIt was then Dilshan’s turn for a life. This time it was a short ball from Broad which he pulled towards deep square-leg and he could barely have picked out Bresnan better. Perhaps, to Bresnan, it looked like a bar of soap coming his way as it slipped through his grasp.Yes, the third dropBresnan. Again. Jayawardene carved a full toss from Dernbach towards deep cover. This time Bresnan did have to run to his right but should still should have held on. Dernbach, perhaps remembering his earlier error, barely showed a flicker of emotion.The overUnder lights, on a humid evening with dew around, Nuwan Kulasekara was always likely to be a handful and he proved so straight away. After keeping Michael Lumb scoreless for four balls the left-hander charged and missed before Kulasekara took Moeen Ali’s outside edge first ball with a perfect length delivery which nipped away and went to second slip.The over IIAlex Hales and Eoin Morgan had given England’s chase some stability with an excellent century stand, but they still needed some big overs if they were to chase down 190. Hales duly delivered in the 15th of the innings as Ajantha Mendis, who has not had the hold over England of other unorthodox spinners, was taken for 25, which included three sixes. By the end of the over, England really believed.The flutterYet, with such a step chase there was always the risk one over could sway the game. For a moment that appeared to have come for Sri Lanka when Kulasekera returned for the 17th, claiming Morgan and Jos Buttler while conceding just five runs. It left England needing 34 off 18 balls and Lasith Malinga had an over left, but they did not let the game slip away.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly believes Virat Kohli “has got to find his way” to score runs again, while former India quick Ashish Nehra, who worked with Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore, says there is no harm in him taking a break to come back fresh later.Kohli has already been rested for the ODIs and T20Is in West Indies, which means he will be out of action for nearly a month.”Yes, he has had a tough time and he knows that,” Ganguly told ANI. “He himself knows by his own standards it has not been good and I see him coming back and doing well. But he has got to find his way and become successful, which he has been for the last 12-13 years or more and only Virat Kohli can do that.Related

• Gavaskar on Kohli: 'There is this anxiety to play at every delivery'

• Kohli, Bumrah, Chahal rested for T20Is in West Indies; Kuldeep, Ashwin return

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“These things will happen in sport. It has happened to everybody. It has happened to Sachin [Tendulkar], it has happened to Rahul [Dravid], it has happened to me, it has happened to Kohli. It is going to happen to future players. That’s part and parcel of sport and I think as a sportsman you just need to listen, be aware of what it is, and just go and play your game.”Kohli has been in a lean patch across formats in the last few years, with his last international century coming in November 2019. After a below-par run in IPL 2022, he scored 11 and 20 in the Edgbaston Test earlier this month, followed by 1 and 11 in the second and third T20Is against England. A minor groin strain ruled him out of the first ODI and it’s unclear whether he will play the second match on Thursday.Recently, former India captain Kapil Dev added to the growing chorus questioning Kohli’s place in India’s T20I XI, especially with a number of in-form players fighting for a place in the squad. Nehra said Kohli should keep such discussions out of his head and only focus on his game.”When you are not performing, there will be discussions even if you’re not a player of Kohli’s calibre,” Nehra said in a virtual interaction for Sony Sports Network. “When you are doing broadcasting, newspaper, it is being printed every day and when you are playing, you try to focus on your game and not listen to so-called outside voices from people outside the dressing room. It is important how you are in the dressing room and how your team-mates, management and selectors are backing you. We are talking about a guy like Virat. Yes, it is not written anywhere that Virat Kohli will keep playing for India even if he doesn’t score runs. That will not happen, but when you have done so much in the past, you will always get extra chances.”While many former players, including former India coach Ravi Shastri, suggested Kohli needed a break from cricket, Kohli said he could take some time off to rejuvenate himself. He was rested for the first T20I against England following the Edgbaston Test and will not be part of the limited-overs series in West Indies from July 22.Nehra agreed a break was much needed and hoped to see a “different Virat Kohli” turning up for the Asia Cup.”Everybody knows what you have done and the talent you have. At the age of 33-34, fitness isn’t a problem for him. Everybody is hopeful that Virat Kohli will come good, the quicker the better. Let’s hope we see a different Virat after the West Indies series. If he rests for a month or five weeks, it will be helpful for him and any player will be under pressure if you do not score runs, especially the kind of player Virat has been. It has not been just 1-2 series, it has been, you can say 12 months.”Rest is not a bad thing, you just played the IPL and then you played the Test, white-ball cricket, so it is good to see that Virat is getting a break. A break does not mean one week break or a three-day break. When you come back to Asia Cup, you come back fresh.”From closer quarters, India offspinner R Ashwin said Kohli has been “batting beautifully” in the last few years despite what the numbers say, calling his energy on the field “infectious”.”The more he is in the game and the more and more charged up he is, he bats so much more better,” Ashwin said on podcast. “And I believe even for the last two and a half or whatever considerable period of time, even though he might not have got the hundreds, I still believe he’s batting beautifully. The way he’s batting it looks like he’s probably got a double-hundred in the last one. It sometimes can happen, as a batter or as a cricketer you might be bowling well but the wickets are taken by somebody else.”His energy is very infectious. Sometimes bowling in India – like recently we had a couple of Test matches I can’t remember exactly – he wasn’t playing those games and I actually missed him on the field. The kind of energy that he brings to the table. The man standing at short midwicket, stopping those singles, looking for those catches … that’s exactly what makes him. He loves that, and when he does that he definitely bats better as well, and that’s my view of him.”