يواصل نجم فريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، تسطير اسمه بحروف من ذهب بعدما سجل هدفًا في مباراة الأمس ضد ليل، في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، وحقق أرقامًا جديدة.

وتلاقى الفريقان على ملعب “الأنفيلد” في الجولة السابعة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري، حيث فاز ليفربول بهدفين لهدف.

وتمكن محمد صلاح من تسجيل هدف ليفربول الأول في شباك بنفيكا، في الشوط الأول.

وأصبح محمد صلاح ثالث أكثر اللاعبين تسجيلًا للأهداف في دوري أبطال أوروبا لفريق إنجليزي في ملعب واحد، بواقع 20 هدفًا في “الأنفيلد”.

وتمكن رود فان نيستلروي من تسجيل 23 هدفًا لصالح مانشستر يونايتد في تلك البطولة على “الأولد ترافورد”، مقابل العدد نفسه لنجم مانشستر سيتي السابق سيرجيو أجويرو في “الاتحاد”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | ماذا قدم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وليل بـ دوري أبطال أوروبا؟

كما أصبح محمد صلاح مساهمًا في الأهداف بشكل أكثر من أي لاعب آخر، في الدوريات الخمس الكبرى في أوروبا، في مختلف المسابقات هذا الموسم.

وساهم محمد صلاح في 39 هدفًا في مختلف المسابقات هذا الموسم، حيث سجل 22 هدفًا وصنع 17 في 31 مباراة.

كما ارتفع رصيد محمد صلاح من الأهداف في مسيرته في دوري أبطال أوروبا، إلى 51 هدفًا، ليعادل رقم تييري هنري، حيث يتواجد في المركز التاسع في قائمة اللاعبين الأكثر تسجيلًا في المنافسة.

وسجل محمد صلاح 47 هدفًا في دوري أبطال أوروبا، مع الأندية التي مثلها في مسيرته، إلى جانب 4 أهداف في التصفيات المؤهلة للبطولة، والتي تؤخذ في الحُسبان.

وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن محمد صلاح وصل إلى هدفه رقم 50 بقميص ليفربول على الصعيد الأوروبي، بواقع 44 هدفًا في دوري أبطال أوروبا، 5 أهداف في الدوري الأوروبي، وهدفًا في التصفيات.

وأصبح أول لاعب في تاريخ ليفربول يحقق ذلك الإنجاز، ليواصل تخليد اسمه ضمن أساطير النادي.

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.

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  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."

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  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.

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.”

أعلن نادي الاتحاد السكندري، عن التعاقد مع لاعب من الدوري الإمريكي لتدعيم صفقة فريق كرة السلة خلال منافسات البطولة العربية القادمة.

ويستضيف نادي الاتحاد السكندري، منافسات البطولة العربية لكرة السلة، التي تقام خلال الفترة من 1 إلى 12 أكتوبر 2024.

وأتم مجلس إدارة نادي الاتحاد السكندري برئاسة محمد مصيلحي إجراءات التعاقد مع اللاعب الأمريكي الجنسية جوردان ماكراي للانضمام لصفوف الفريق الأول لكرة السلة لخوض منافسات البطولة العربية.

ويعد فريق الاتحاد السكندري هو الممثل الوحيد لمصر في البطولة العربية لكرة السلة، بعد اعتذار الأهلي عن عدم المشاركة.

طالع.. خاص | الأهلي يعتذر عن عدم المشاركة في البطولة العربية لـ كرة السلة

وأوضح نادي الاتحاد عبر موقعه الرسمي أن اللاعب جوردان ماكراي سيصل الإسكندرية منتصف شهر سبتمبر القادم للانضمام لتدريبات الفريق استعدادًا للمشاركة في البطولة العربية.

وكشف نادي الاتحاد عبر الموقع الرسمي عن بعض المعلومات عن اللاعب الأمريكي جوردان ماكراي، حيث لعب في الدوري الأمريكي بفريق كليفلاند كافالييرز وحصد معهم بطولة الـNBA موسم 2016-2017.

وفي الموسم الماضي كان ضمن فريق أيك أثينا اليوناني، كذلك لعب بالدوري الصيني والدوري الفرنسي ويعتبر اللاعب إضافة قوية وكبيرة للفريق لخبرته الفنية العالية، حيث يُجيد اللعب في مركزي 2-3.

Southee and Boult pick up two wickets apiece as India fold for 242

The Report by Sidharth Monga28-Feb-2020
The depth in New Zealand’s five-man seam attack pulled India back from positions of strength on two occasions to leave them bowled out for 242; their openers knocked 63 off that total by stumps. While Kyle Jamieson starred on the scoreboard with a maiden five-for, the other three frontline quicks played their part: Trent Boult took the first wicket, Tim Southee took out Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, and Neil Wagner’s short-pitched bowling broke India’s biggest stand of the series.At 63 overs, India’s innings was shorter than either of their digs in Wellington but, thanks to more positive intent and a quicker pitch, they ended up with a bigger score. And yet they will be disappointed that despite three fifties from their specialist batsmen, despite lives through dropped catches, they ended up with the third-lowest Test total in an innings that featured three or more scores of 50-plus from the top-seven batsmen.On an individual level, there was improvement as all three half-centurions made technical or mindset adjustments after Wellington. Out of sorts with lack of footwork and struggling against the short ball, Prithvi Shaw got his front foot moving and scored a 64-ball 54 to give India a rollicking start. Two men in the spotlight for their slow going in Wellington and their captain’s subsequent remarks about intent, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari batted with urgency and purpose in their half-centuries, but aggression got the better of both of them with the team score in the 190s as India lost their last six wickets for 48 runs.Asked to bat once again, India had a tough job in the morning after a delayed start because of an early-morning drizzle. Shaw, though, went on to show that conditions in New Zealand can look tougher than they are. His forward movement allowed him to track the swing, and his instinctive positive batting remained intact. As a result, Southee in particular couldn’t bowl the really full swinging ball, and Shaw made merry every time Southee pitched even slightly short of a good length. There was a gorgeous on-drive off the full ball too.Boult, though, brought New Zealand some cheer by setting up Mayank Agarwal by moving the first four balls of the sixth over out, in, out and in. Pujara showed he was mindful of his attitude to loose deliveries after he was guilty of not always taking advantage of them in Wellington. To the 13th ball he faced, a full wide one, he threw his hands, ending up slicing it over point. Shaw at the other end made sure Colin de Grandhomme, first-change bowler, couldn’t achieve a repeat of Wellington where he bowled at under two an over.As early as the 19th over, New Zealand went to Wagner and his short-pitched bowling, which nearly brought immediate benefit. Shaw hooked the second ball from Wagner, top-edging it just over the tallest man on the field, Jamieson, at fine leg. That brought up his fifty, a credit to him and the support staff that they could figure a way out of his Wellington issues in one net session between the Tests. Minutes before lunch, though, Shaw had a drive at a full wide one from Jamieson, falling to an acrobatic catch by Tom Latham at second slip. New Zealand would struggle to maintain that catching form.Kohli had tense few minutes to survive before lunch, and Williamson immediately went to Southee. Before lunch, Southee kept dragging Kohli across with outswing outside off before bowling the perfect delivery immediately after lunch. These are not always bowled by design, but you reap the benefits only if you are accurate. This was an outswinger just outside off, but it seamed back in upon pitching and hit him in front, leaving Kohli no chance. A more defensive batsman might have perhaps got an inside edge, it was that good a delivery.While Pujara had now begun driving well, and timing them instead of punching them, Rahane committed a mental error in Southee’s fifth over after lunch. Just visually, Rahane has looked the most comfortable of India’s batsmen on tour, defending late and playing under his head, but this time he was drawn to defend in front of his body, and the outswinger took the edge. When Jamieson pushed Vihari back, hit him on the finger, and then drew an edge to a full one, 80 for 1 was all set to become 134 for 5. Except that BJ Watling dived in front of first slip, and managed to get only fingertips to it.Pujara and Vihari then batted freely, especially against Boult, which meant New Zealand went to plan B in the afternoon. Wagner kept the batsmen honest with a seven-over spell for just eight runs, mixing the bouncers and knuckle balls, nearly getting Pujara with one. But India didn’t allow de Grandhomme to settle, which meant the run rate remained healthy. However, just before tea, Wagner did his job. Having had enough of his bouncers, Vihari decided to take Wagner on in a fresh spell. He kept a pull down, upper-cut him for a four, drove a knuckle ball, but to what turned out to be the last ball before tea he managed only a glove through to Watling. Time and again, it has been seen that there is only one winner when you start taking Wagner’s bouncers on, which will make Vihari question his approach moments before tea.If Vihari’s dismissal was disappointing, Pujara’s was near inexplicable. Just after tea, Pujara went to hook the tallest bowler in the opposition, managing only a top edge to a ball not that short. At the other end, de Grandhomme and Watling reprieved Rishabh Pant in successive deliveries, but the uncertainty that Jamieson’s height brings got the better of him in the next over. Pant pushed at a length ball outside off, but his feet remain rooted, thus producing a played-on dismissal.Umesh Yadav was no match to Jamieson, and Ravindra Jadeja – selected ahead of R Ashwin for his batting – top-edged another short ball to give Jamieson the five-for. A 26-run roulette for the last wicket took India to 242, but the bowlers sans Ishant Sharma had a big task.In the 23 overs before stumps, India kept the batsmen honest, but couldn’t produce an opportunity that would go to hand. Tom Blundell and Latham batted watchfully, respecting the good balls and then cashing on the odd loose ones. They will hope the loose ones will increase in number if they can keep India on the field for a long time on day two.

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.

da pixbet： Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways in the Premier League last weekend after dispatching impressive Crystal Palace at home, scoring three late goals to turn the game on its head.

da bwin： Ange Postecoglou will feel that there is plenty of work to be done as the crucial closing stage of the campaign draws near, five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with 12 matches to play (albeit with a game in hand), but there has been much improvement after last year's struggle.

Despite Harry Kane's sale to Bayern Munich back in August, Tottenham have made steady progress this season and now look like a team with promise and potential after such dismal hopes in the late stage of the 2022/23 campaign, the club's regression utterly bewildering after Mauricio Pochettino created a talented team.

Shrewd recruitment has been integral in building the club back up over the past months, with Postecoglou's vision matched by the suitability of the additions, players such as Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison all flourishing in the capital.

The latter has been the elite creative conduit needed to revive the togetherness and fluidity, with Tottenham now, at their best, an outfit of great panache.

James Maddison's season in numbers

Maddison had been courted by Newcastle United for several years and while the Magpies might have enjoyed an unexpected top-four finish last season, it was Tottenham – no European football to offer – who prevailed in the race for the playmaker, signing him for £40m in June.

While Maddison had been at the heart of a Leicester City side that suffered relegation from the Premier League last season, he can be apportioned blame after an excellent individual effort, scoring ten goals and adding nine assists from 28 matches.

Tottenham welcomed him to the fold and did so with the knowledge that they had secured a shrewd deal for one of the division's best.

As per FBref, the England international ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions, the top 12% for passes attempted and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90.

That's a roundabout way of saying that he is an elite creative midfielder, with his pre-injury performances for Tottenham simply breathtaking, winning August's Premier League Player of the Month award to underline his influence.

Since returning to competitive action in January, Maddison has not quite reached the same level of synergy with his Lilywhites teammates but that's certainly not to say that he hasn't been impressive.

As per Sofascore, the 27-year-old has posted three goals and seven assists across 16 outings in the top flight this season, completing 86% of his passes and averaging 2.7 key passes, 5.9 successful duels and 1.5 tackles per game.

Maddison, among other recent signings, marks a new wave of talent and promise in north London and bespeaks Postecoglou's strength in the dugout, shaping the squad ahead of a desired pursuit of silverware in the seasons to come.

Indeed, with chairman Daniel Levy seemingly conducting transfer activity more astutely, moves such as the deal to land Ivan Perisic in 2022 can be learned from, with the veteran Croatia international, unfortunately, going down as a poor piece of business.

Why Spurs signed Ivan Perisic

Tottenham signed Perisic on a free transfer in June 2022 after the dynamic ace's contract with Inter Milan came to an end, with Perisic reuniting with his former manager Antonio Conte at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

33 years old at the time, Perisic had a wealth of experience and offered a skill set fit for purpose in London, an immense playmaker and set-piece specialist with a glittering trophy cabinet including Serie A triumph with Inter, Bundesliga success with both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich and a part in Die Roten's Champions League-winning campaign of 2019/20.

And in fairness, while his signature ended up bleeding Tottenham more than its value on the pitch, Perisic did manage to chalk up 14 assists from 50 appearances for the Lilywhites, notably earning eight assists from 23 starting appearances in the Premier League last season and creating 11 big chances for his teammates, as per Sofascore.

However, chipping in with just 1.2 tackles and clearances and 2.9 successful duels per game added to the defensive woes that knocked Tottenham's campaign off-kilter.

Moreover, reporters such as George Sessions were of the belief that while he was endowed with innate creativity, it was not harnessed properly, with the journalist saying: "Perisic has offered very little from the left and his delivery has again been poor, in keeping with recent weeks."

Tottenham: 2023 Player Wages

Player

Salary

Heung-min Son

£197k-per-week

Ivan Perisic

£180k-per-week

Cristian Romero

£175k-per-week

Richarlison

£175k-per-week

James Maddison

£170k-per-week

Stats via Salary Sport

Couple that with the staggering salary that the Croatian was on and it can only go down as an unsuccessful deal for a player who, ultimately, was caught in the centre of a seasonal crisis.

Ivan Perisic earned more than Maddison does

Technically, Perisic is still on Tottenham's books but he is out of contract in the summer and has re-joined his homeland side Hadjuk Split on loan until the end of the season.

It's unclear if Tottenham are continuing to pay Perisic's wages until the end of the campaign, or whether his €1m wage in Croatia has been agreed upon to facilitate the move, but even if Spurs severed Perisic from their wage bill in January he would have cost them £15m in total salary.

This is a large outlay for a player midway into their thirties across just 50 appearances – working out to £300,000 per fixture – and given that he actually started the 2023/24 campaign with higher earnings than Maddison it's pretty difficult to put forth a case that securing his services was worth the hassle.

Ultimately, with Perisic now gone and Tottenham continuing to shape their side with genuine quality, Postecoglou's project only strengthens in its bid for prominence on the continent.

West Ham United are plotting to appoint the “next Unai Emery” to replace David Moyes at the London Stadium, according to a new update.

David Moyes under West Ham pressure

The Hammers are still yet to win a game in 2024 after suffering another Premier League defeat on the weekend, this time to strugglers Nottingham Forest.

It was yet another afternoon to forget, losing 2-0 and seeing new signing Kalvin Phillips sent off. Plenty of West Ham supporters in the away end at The City Ground made their feelings known at the end of the game, unveiling a ‘Moyes Out’ banner.

West Ham make decision on future of David Moyes amid Forest defeat

The Hammers appear to have changed their mind on the future of the Scottish manager.

ByBen Browning Feb 17, 2024

However, Moyes came out and defended his position after the defeat at The City Ground, saying on fans’ discontent:

“I’m pretty long in the tooth, it happens and I don’t think you can please everybody. I think it would be hard to say there have been many better times at West Ham. Maybe they want something different but if they’re honest I think they probably have to say it’s been as good a time as they’ve had at the club, winning a trophy and the league positions.

"Maybe they’ve had managers who excite them more, possibly, but the one who’s sitting here wins more.”

It is believed that Moyes is still under no immediate pressure in regards to getting the sack, but it looks as if club officials are looking at their options.

West Ham manager update

According to Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke in the last 48 hours, West Ham are plotting to appoint the “next Unai Emery”, looking at bosses who are serial trophy winners and have a CV littered with top clubs. Those at the London Stadium have been ‘impressed with Aston Villa’s capture of Emery in 2022 and would consider the potential to lure a top-calibre manager of their own’.

The Hammers want Moyes to stay but now have a shortlist of potential managers to replace the Scot, should they feel a change is needed.

It looks as if the club could well have a new man in the dugout during 2024, but when that will be remains to be seen. Moyes’ current contract expires at the end of the season, with talks over an extension thought to be on hold for now.

So far this year, things have gone from bad to worse, falling down the Premier League table and exiting the FA Cup to Championship side Bristol City.

In regards to who could take over in the Emery mould, former Wolves, Sevilla and Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has been mentioned and is open to the idea of replacing Moyes.

He‘s won three honours as a manager and has taken charge of a number of top clubs, so perhaps Lopetegui could be a target, making this one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks and months.

Says she wants to get the best combination ready for the T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2020

India women’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur is all for experimenting with the side by giving chances to youngsters in the ongoing tri-series against England and Australia, in order to get the “best combination” ready for the upcoming T20 World Cup, starting February 21.”We went out to Australia earlier than a lot of teams and are in the midst of a tri-series with England and Australia, which will be a perfect platform for us,” she wrote in her column for the ICC. “We’ll also be able to experiment with selection and we’ll look to find our best combination during that series. One thing is for sure – we won’t be afraid to give chances to newcomers.”While 16-year old batter Richa Ghosh was rewarded for her good run in the Women’s Challenger Trophy by earning a call-up for the tri-series as well as the T20 World Cup, Shafali Verma, the 15-year old opener who has been impressive for India since her debut last year, will also be playing her first big tournament.”We have brought Richa Ghosh into our squad recently on the back of her great performances in the Women’s Senior T20 Challenger Trophy. We have to find out what our best team is and those games will give us a chance to decide that before the World Cup,” Kaur wrote.India, who have won just one out of the three games so far in the tri-series, will be facing hosts Australia on Saturday, where a loss will put them out of contention for the final. They’re yet to find a solution for their long-standing middle-order issues, which has affected them in this series as well. They’ve been impacted by the form of Veda Krishnamurthy and Taniya Bhatia, who average 18.75 (10 innings) and 6.66 (eight innings) in T20Is respectively since last year. Even in the ongoing series, they’ve made just 17 and 19 runs respectively in three games.Following the tri-series, India would be playing the warm-ups ahead of the big tournament, and with middle-order options in Harleen Deol and Ghosh, India could make some changes in the line-up.”If I look back two years, India’s 50-over side was doing well and our T20 was struggling. But in the past two years, we have transformed as a T20 team and are very positive going to Australia. We haven’t always managed to deliver on our potential as a team and winning games is always about how well you’re able to execute your skills.”While Kaur has been a lynchpin for India in the ODIs with her big-match temperament, she has not shone through as much in T20Is, registering only three 40-plus scores in her last 17 innings. She smashed her career-best 103 in the format in November 2018 after which her form has not been as impressive, but she hopes to “step up” soon and win some games for her team.”Each and every member of the squad has a part to play and we need to give our all to win any game,” she said. “I’m just hoping I can step up and win some games for my team when they need me.”

Well, that was probably a bit tougher than it should've been.

Nevertheless, Chelsea beat bitter rivals Leeds United in the FA Cup last night, are through to the quarter-finals and have bounced back from their disappointing trip to Wembley.

Mauricio Pochettino's side were undoubtedly up against it at points during the 90 minutes, but the result feels like a fair reflection of the match.

While several players in Blue putting in lacklustre performances, a certain few can be pleased with their showing, including match-winner Conor Gallagher.

Conor Gallagher's performance in numbers

The Blues' hardworking all-action midfielder was named on the bench going into last night's clash, and following his multiple missed chances against Liverpool on Sunday, it was a position some players might've welcomed.

However, with the game locked at 2-2 and Leeds looking dangerous, Pochettino turned to the Englishman and brought him on in place of the underwhelming Noni Madueke in the 61st minute.

The 24-year-old didn't have the luxury of time to bed into the game, but while he misplaced a few passes and through balls early on, it took little time for him to get up to speed with the action.

It was 29 minutes into his cameo, in the 90th minute of the game, that he made the single most important contribution – he scored the winner.

This impact led to the Standard's Dan Kilpatrick awarding the Epsom-born dynamo an 8/10 on the night and claiming that he spared 'Chelsea another 30 minutes of extra-time and potentially their blushes.'

While his strike was undeniably his most tangible impact on the game, Gallagher also came off the pitch with some impressive personal statistics.

Minutes

29'

Goal

1

Shots on Target

1

Touches

17

Accurate Passes

13/14 (93%)

Long Balls (Accurate)

2 (1)

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (1)

Fouls

1

Lost Possession

1

For example, he maintained a passing accuracy of 93%, succeeded in his one dribble, committed a single foul and lost possession just once.

Ultimately, the Blue's "heart", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, won the game for his side, but there was another midfield ace who was arguably just as, if not more impressive last night.

Enzo Fernández's performance in numbers

Yes, Argentinian World Cup winner Enzo Fernández was arguably the best Chelsea player on the pitch against Leeds.

The 23-year-old started the game in the middle of the park alongside Moises Caicedo and played the full 94 minutes, contributing in the attacking and defensive phases of play.

It was his driving run and brilliantly placed pass that allowed Gallagher to score the winner in the first place, and while the Standard's Kilpatrick was impressed with his performance, crediting him for being 'tidy in possession', his rating of just 7/10 feels harsh given his influence on proceedings.

That said, he also criticised Fernández for getting 'carelessly booked', meaning he'll miss the quarter-final, which is a fair complaint.

However, the young "phenomenon", as Kulig dubbed him, put up some seriously impressive individual numbers on the night, numbers that make the case for him being the man of the match.

For example, in his 94 minutes, he took 67 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 94%, played two key passes, was successful in four of his five long balls, had one shot on target, won nine of his 14 duels, lost possession just six times, made two clearances, two interceptions, and five tackles.

Ultimately, Gallagher deserves a lot of credit for his match-winning contribution.

Mykhailo Mudryk to Arsenal takes twist as Chelsea stance revealed

The Ukrainian was subject to intense interest from the Gunners last year.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 28, 2024

However, he might not have even been in the position to win the game were it not for Fernández's tireless efforts throughout the 90.