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Callum Parkinson has testing first day as Leicestershire’s new red-ball captain

ECB Reporters Network19-May-2022Worcestershire 159 for 2 (Ali 60*, Haynes 42*) lead Leicestershire 148 (Barnard 3-45) by 11 runsCallum Parkinson experienced a testing first day as Leicestershire’s new red-ball captain after his decision to bat first backfired in the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Worcestershire at New Road.The Running Foxes were dismissed for 148 in 52.2 overs with Worcestershire’s loan signing, Matthew Waite, picking up two wickets.They struggled to deal with a disciplined attack who had secured maximum bowling points by the 42nd over.Jack Haynes and Azhar Ali, with his fourth successive half-century, pressed home Worcestershire’s advantage with an unbroken stand of 106.Parkinson, has stepped up from vice-captain to lead the County Championship side for the rest of the season, replacing Colin Ackermann, who will remain as T20 skipper, with Lewis Hill continuing to captain the club’s 50-over side.Related

• Callum Parkinson replaces Colin Ackermann as Leicestershire four-day captain

Waite has joined Worcestershire on a short-term loan move from Yorkshire as a replacement for Joe Leach, who has a back injury.Waite has not played for Yorkshire since featuring in the Vitality Blast quarter-final against Sussex at the Emirates Riverside last August.Parkinson won the toss and elected to bat but his side were soon on the back foot against the probing Worcestershire attack.Leicestershire would have been reasonably content to lose only one wicket in the first hour – Hassan Azad lbw to Pennington – on a slowish wicket with some up and down bounce.But then Charlie Morris and Ed Barnard turned the game in Worcestershire’s favour with four wickets between them for just three runs in the space of 32 balls.Rishi Patel was undone by a delivery from Morris which stopped on him and popped up a catch to short mid wicket.His dismissal brought Ackermann to the crease in need of runs after only 24 in the previous six innings, including a pair against Middlesex. But his poor run of form continued as he made only a single before nicking Barnard to first slip.Lewis Hill went leg before to a Morris delivery swinging into him and Wiaan Mulder departed after a brilliant catch by Josh Baker at third slip off Barnard.Rehan Ahmed became the 500th player to play first-class cricket for Leicestershire but it was not a day he will remember fondly. He went to pull Pennington and top edged to Pollock at first slip without troubling the scorers.Ben Mike and Harry Swindells decided attack was the best form of defence before Waite was rewarded with two wickets in two overs.Swindells got in a tangle and ballooned the ball onto the offside where Jack Haynes, running across from second slip, took the catch and Mike (16) played down the wrong line and was bowled.When Ed Barnes chopped on to Josh Baker, Leicestershire were still two runs shy of a hundred but resistance came from the last-wicket pair of Parkinson (22) and Chris Wright (27 not out) who added 50.Barnard claimed his third scalp when Parkinson presented Pollock with his third catch of the innings.Pollock was in typically aggressive form with a series of boundaries when Worcestershire launched their reply.Jake Libby, a century-maker against Derbyshire, also looked in good nick as the pair put on 48 in 9.3 overs.Mulder checked their progress when trapping Libby lbw for 17 and he followed it up with the wicket of Pollock (32), who picked out Ed Barnes at deep backward square leg.But Azhar and Haynes featured in a century partnership for the third successive match. The duo had shared in stands of 195 versus Durham and 187 against Derbyshire.Azhar produced some delightful drives and cut shots and brought up his half-century from 71 balls with six fours. Haynes also continued the form which had brought centuries in the previous two games.

Cole Palmer equalled an Eden Hazard record with Chelsea's first goal against Bournemouth on Tuesday – with Joe Cole comparing him to Lionel Messi.

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• Palmer been a revelation for Chelsea
• Blues ace scores against Bournemouth
• Equals incredible Hazard record

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer gave Chelsea the lead against Bournemouth on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge with a delicious goal in the 12th minute. As a result, he became the first Blues player since Eden Hazard (2013-14 and 2014-15) to be directly involved in at least 20 goals in back-to-back Premier League seasons.

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  WHAT JOE COLE SAID

  At half-time, TNT Sports pundit and Chelsea legend Cole said of Palmer: "He reminds me of Messi…I wouldn't want to put that pressure on him!"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Chelsea paid £42.5 million to sign Palmer from Manchester City in the summer of 2023 but now he makes that fee look like a bargain. The 22-year-old has scored 14 goals and bagged four assists in the Premier League this season and last term he notched 40 goal contributions in all competitions.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Palmer played 41 times for City and scored just six goals and created two assists. However, just 13 of those appearances were in a starting role.

Near-strangers six months ago, Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton have a big role to play in driving New Zealand in England

Nagraj Gollapudi15-May-2013The contrast is obvious. Peter Fulton, 34, who stands at 1.98 metres, is bald and broad-shouldered, like a bouncer. Hamish Rutherford is nearly a foot shorter, sports a stylish crop of hair, and is every bit the youthful 24-year-old. Fulton loves baseball, a game Rutherford does not – and would not like to – understand. Fulton is quiet both in person and with a bat in hand. Rutherford is direct on both fronts.Yet, when brought together at the top of the order, during New Zealand’s home series against England earlier this year, the two batsmen – who had done little more than exchange casual greetings during domestic matches over the years – combined more effectively than expected.Rutherford’s memorable century on debut in Dunedin, his home ground, set the tone. His 171, the seventh-highest by a Test debutant, was the second-best start by a New Zealander after Mathew Sinclair’s 214 against West Indies in 1999.Fulton, who was recalled after a four-year hiatus, made news of his own when he struck two gritty centuries in the final Test in Auckland, becoming only the fourth New Zealander with twin hundreds in the same match. Unlike in his first stint of ten Tests, when he played mainly as a middle-order batsman who occasionally stepped in as an opener, Fulton was asked to fill in for the injured Martin Guptill at the top of the order. And he didn’t disappoint.Near-strangers before this year, the pair ended the series as important cogs in New Zealand’s wheel. Both started the series with a similar goal – of cementing their place in the team – and that helped them egg each other on and remain competitive. “I suppose we were running on adrenalin, both of us, with him making a comeback and me starting,” said Rutherford, sitting in the team hotel in Derbyshire.When Rutherford scored his century on debut, few were happier for him than his senior opening partner. “I was delighted for him to come in and score that century,” Fulton said. “When I look back at my career, if I had had the same start, things might have been different. I am sure he will have some ups and downs but to get that hundred is like getting the monkey off his back straightaway. It will make a massive difference to his career because he is always going to have that belief that he has done it right from the outset.”One of the unique aspects of their relationship is the ten-year age difference, uncommon among successful opening pairs across history.”I guess I have grown up around older people,” Rutherford said. “And while you are playing cricket you are generally among older players. So age is irrelevant once you leave school. You just mingle with whoever.” He added that he did not know if Fulton was the oldest player he has played with.

The numbers

• Fulton and Rutherford added 158 in their first partnership against England, in Dunedin in March. The last time New Zealand had a 150-plus opening stand before that was in June 2004, when Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson added 163 at Trent Bridge. Between those two matches, New Zealand’s openers went through 122 innings over nine years with a highest partnership of 125.

• There were only three century stands in those 122 innings. Fulton and Rutherford’s 158-run partnership lasted 305 balls, the sixth-longest for New Zealand’s opening wicket in terms of balls faced (for all games for which balls-faced data is available). In terms of runs it’s the tenth-highest for the first wicket for NZ.

• It took Ken Rutherford ten Tests – 16 innings and nearly two years – to reach 171-plus Test runs, a score his son Hamish managed in a day. Rutherford senior averaged 1.71 in his first series (12 runs in seven innings in the West Indies) compared to Hamish, who ended the three-Test series against England with an average of 49.20.

Fulton saw his younger partner was “laidback” about everything both on and off the field, and that helped him relax too. “Test cricket is pretty stressful at times,” he said. “I am reasonably nervous to begin with. [So] it is nice to bat with someone who doesn’t get too carried away or get caught up emotionally.”Fulton was a makeshift opener during his first ten Tests, when he had Hamish Marshall and Michael Papps for partners. A long-term combination helps each batsman understand the little things about his partner, he said, which come of use in match situations.”We probably are different personalities in terms of the way we bat,” Fulton said. “Hamish [Rutherford] is pretty aggressive and plays a lot of shots, hits the ball in different areas and puts the bowlers off their line and length. I like to occupy the crease and wear the bowlers down. After seeing him get that hundred it motivated me a little bit more. In that third Test it made me bat that much more stronger.”Rutherford too has fed off Fulton. “He’s been there, done that. So that took a little bit of pressure off me, having no experience in international cricket. Because opening the batting is a daunting task. Bowling attacks like England are very good and they come quite hard. So if you can stay calm, have a joke now and then, it comes handy during the hard times.”Although his Test recall did not come as a surprise, Fulton admitted he was beginning to wonder if he was going to miss the bus. “I was getting to a stage when you are bit older and you might not get another chance.”Five years ago, he was consumed by the fear of failure. He walked out to bat thinking he would be dropped if he didn’t score. He has approached his second stint with more freedom. “I am looking at what I can achieve if I do well rather than worrying about what’ll happen if things go wrong,” he said.Fulton said he has more clarity now, especially since his marriage. “It does help if you have stability off the field. Then hopefully that can mean you don’t have too many ups and downs on the cricket field. The last 18 months, things have gone really well cricket-wise.”The results speak for themselves: he finished the home series against England at the top of the run charts. “Self-belief is the difference between a good player and great Test player – the self-belief that no matter what the situation of the game, no matter what you are feeling at the crease, you know you can score the runs,” said Fulton, whose role model is Steve Waugh. “He did not always look the most attractive, but he found a way to score runs. He was pretty hard-nosed, had great concentration, and never gave his wicket away.”Rutherford, on the other hand, who often uses the word “fun” in conversation, looks up to Matthew Hayden, who he calls an ideal opener. “He could not only dominate the bowlers but could also see through the tough periods,” he said. “My game plan is, see the ball and play as best as I can. The traditional openers like to leave the ball outside off stump a lot. I like to play those balls. That is my strength.”Rutherford’s debut century was followed by relatively meagre returns: the next four innings brought 75 runs, including a duck in the second dig in Auckland. He isn’t perturbed, though. Having weathered the first hour of the Auckland Test, the pair, he said, was moving in the right direction. His England tour began on a positive note: a week after our meeting he reeled off 126 against England Lions in Leicester.Fulton and Rutherford are aware they face competition in the form of Martin Guptill, an injury to whom brought them together in the first place. Guptill, who has since regained fitness, might fancy his chances in the swinging conditions in England, but he’ll need to wait: the New Zealand coach Mike Hesson revealed plans to give Fulton and Rutherford a long rope.The looming threat of Guptill, Fulton said, is a positive. “It is a good sign for our team that we have the depth. Everyone would like to know that their place is secure in the team for a long time, but sometimes it is a good thing and sometimes it can create complacency.”Rutherford agreed. “We have to do our job as openers: to bat for long periods, see the shine off the new ball, which is the main thing.”

Afghanistan cricketers have found a way to channel their aggression which has helped them focus, but the challenges have just begun, says the coach

Rachna Shetty04-Oct-2013In October 2011, four months into their World Cricket League Championship campaign, Afghanistan were a little wobbly. They had beaten Canada easily but were struggling in the lower half of the group after losing both matches to UAE, a team coached by a man who, until a few months ago, had coached Afghanistan.Former Pakistan fast bowler and current Afghanistan coach, Kabir Khan, can laugh about that memory now. But he is also quick to admit that the losses put Afghanistan under a lot of pressure. And he would know a few things about that.Khan had coached the Afghanistan side through a near-fairytale season, when they went from playing division five of the World Cricket League to a place in the qualifiers for the 2009 World Cup. He coached the team when they beat Ireland to qualify for their first T20 World Cup. And after his stint with UAE ended in 2011, Khan returned to Afghanistan, taking over at a time when the side were under pressure to stay in contention for a top-of-the-table finish.It was that pressure that the Afghanistan team absorbed and thrived on, according to Khan. Speaking after his side’s win against Kenya, which took them to the 2015 World Cup, Khan said that the team had learnt to be unafraid.”The boys have faced a lot of pressure and they are getting used to it, and they are starting to enjoy it,” Khan says. “I think for them, pressure is now something that they want to enjoy and grow into, as opposed to other amateur players who sometimes want to get out of it.”That ability showed in the way their spinners set up the win on Friday, first stifling and then dismissing the Kenyan top-order in a must-win game. It also showed in Mohammad Nabi’s resilient knock of 46, which brushed aside the loss of early wickets and bring the ebullience of win.Khan points out how that maturity and ability were a direct result of the World Cup qualifier in 2009. Afghanistan had a dream run until the qualifier, progressing from division five – the lowest in the tournament – to three and eventually to the qualifying tournament for the 2011 World Cup. The side finished sixth in a group of eight – it wasn’t enough to enter the World Cup, but good enough to get them ODI status for four years.”It [the season] was a huge difference of gain and the team was achieving its targets quickly. They were performing well, but the maturity was not there, to play against the big boys at the top,” Khan says. “And at that stage, if we had qualified for the World Cup and faced losses, it would have meant this team was not good enough at that level.

As a team, you need the support of your nation and that would only come when they know cricket. Now, if the team loses to Australia, people understand that Australia is a big team; if we lose to India, they understand. Now, the whole nation is ready for it.Kabir Khan, the Afghanistan coach

“The game was new in the country, and for them [the fans], they didn’t know the difference between the quality of Pakistan, India, Australia and Afghanistan. These four years, when we didn’t qualify but we still had our ODI status, we played two T20 matches against India and international matches and the people who started following cricket, began understanding the rules and the laws of cricket as well. As a team, you need the support of your nation and that would only come when they know cricket. Now, if the team loses to Australia, people understand that Australia is a big team; if we lose to India, they understand. Now, the whole nation is ready for it. The boys have matured in the last four years and they know what international cricket is all about and how to perform there.”Even as the cricket board is strengthening its own domestic season with limited-overs and first-class tournaments at different levels, the trend of playing in other countries is something that Khan encourages, for entirely practical purposes. Mohammad Nabi and pace bowler Hamid Hassan have played for the MCC alongside players like Sourav Ganguly and Brian Lara. Nabi plays in the Dhaka Premier Division, while fast bowler Shapoor Zadran has played for Badureliya Sports Club in Sri Lanka.”We want them to be busy,” Khan says. “The developed cricketing countries, like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Australia have cricketing seasons, where boys are busy playing domestic cricket, keeping fit and they always have a professional coach and a professional staff. The problem with our players was, and is, that they are not always with professionals. We always encourage them to go to other domestic leagues; they will play with the top players and with top coaches there, they will learn something there.”The team doesn’t have too much time to celebrate, though. The World T20 qualifiers are scheduled to take place in the UAE between November 15 and 30 and that is the immediate goal. Given the format of the tournament, Afghanistan will be aiming to top their group and secure a place in the World T20 next year.The 50-over World Cup is a long-term goal and Khan stresses that training his batsmen to understand and adapt to Australian conditions will be one of the biggest challenges. Time, he believes, is on his side.”Asian batsmen struggle in Australia, so we have to create an environment for our batsmen, where they get a taste of what sort of wickets there are and how to play on wickets that are going to be bouncy, seaming,” he says. “We might take them on a tour to Australia, two or three months before the start of the World Cup and then come back and work on our weaknesses. At the Global Academy in Dubai, they have prepared some Australian-type pitches as well, so we can practise on them. Those are the things that you can work on. It’s going to be helpful to our fast bowling. And we have enough time on our hands, which is very good for us.”One of the things Khan is proud of is the transformation of the players from aggressive, hard-hitting batsmen to focused individuals, who have still retained their attitude.”By nature, they [the team] are aggressive, which goes against them because if you’re always trying to hit sixes, you’re going to get out. So as a coach, it’s about channelising their aggression and trying to control it at a time when it’s not needed. Now, after four years, I can say the fielding and bowling is around 80 percent controlled, while in the batting, they’ve controlled around 60 percent and 40 percent still remains to be controlled. But that’s their nature and that’s why they make good fast bowlers and fielders. They don’t want to lose to anyone. I have seen them play against the big teams and they always want to win; they talk about how it would feel to beat such a big team. Other teams are happy when they qualify, but this team when it qualifies, it wants to win.”

In which, the Achilles heel of Bangladesh cricket is ruthlessly exposed

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013

England has reaffirmed its status as the greatest nation in the history of the world with its third consecutive intermittently-unconvincing-but-ultimately-comfortable victory over Bangladesh. It was a good, competitive Test match. Whilst Bangladesh were batting. When they were bowling, it was another pointless exercise in zero-intensity average-inflating net practice for England’s batsmen, although only Jonathan Trott and Andrew Strauss took full advantage.Trott took the opportunity to bump his Test average up from 37 to 53, mutating from a Neil McKenzie to a Virender Sehwag over five days of ruthless accumulation. It would take six consecutive ducks for Trott to re-McKenzify his average. Ian Bell’s average remains 2.5 runs better off five years after helping himself to 227 unbeaten runs in the two-Test series of 2005. Word is he still sends Tapash Baisya and Anwar Hossain Monir a box of chocolates every Christmas.Bangladesh’s bowling “attack” currently poses the offensive threat of a broken toy zebra in a lion enclosure. They average over 60 runs per wicket this year, and it is traditionally difficult to win Tests when you are conceding 600-plus per innings. Not impossible, admittedly, but reliant on the presence in your dressing room of a high-quality hypnotist to hoodwink the opposition captain into two rogue declarations.The Tigers, for all their recent improvement, continue to lack both penetrative bowlers and, more importantly, top-notch hypnotists. Until one or both of these understandable problems is resolved, they will continue to strive for draws rather than victories.Nevertheless, their excellent top-order batting confirmed that they have now improved sufficiently to officially become a team that is not ritually humiliated in every Test it plays. Progress towards becoming a team that has an ice-lolly’s chance in a volcano-surfing competition of actually winning a Test remains negligible, however: Bangladesh’s bowlers remained as incisive as baguette. And, just as you can’t perform an appendectomy with a stick of French bread, so you cannot win a Test without taking wickets.Their batsmen, however, provided another good examination for England’s bowlers, which only Steven Finn passed. Bangladesh extended their record run without an innings defeat to 10 Tests, and have now scored over 200 in 16 consecutive Test innings since January 2009. They had been skittled for less than 200 in 15 of their previous 25 innings, and 61 of their first 116 since an elevation to Test status that was not so much premature as before conception.To maintain these sequences at Old Trafford on a potentially bouncy pitch, they will need more from their middle order, which failed to support Tamim, Imrul and Junaid’s respectively dazzling, determined, and also determined efforts.Tamim Iqbal again showed himself to be a rampant entertainer of rare brilliance, whose willingness to intersperse his vibrant strokeplay with failed attempted smears over midwicket gladdens the heart of all village players, who can aspire to match at least the latter part of his repertoire. How appropriate that Tamim should have illuminated the old ground so close to the 20th anniversary of another immortal Lord’s innings by a visiting player, back in 1990 – I refer of course to New Zealand opener Trevor Franklin’s almost-equally iridescent 101, which Tamim eclipsed by two runs from 210 fewer balls over four and a half fewer hours.The MCC announced yesterday that, as part of their planned expansion of Lord’s, a 30-metre high bronze statue of Franklin will be erected at the Nursery End, its base adorned with sculptured reliefs of the Auckland Awkwardian playing a series of obdurate forward-defensives, whilst spectators are resuscitated in the background.Lord’s has long inspired foreign batsmen. Tamim joins Franklin on an illustrious list that now includes, amongst others, Don Bradman, Martin Donnelly, Mohsin Khan, Gordon Greenidge and Jonathan Trott.Sadly, the great old ground failed to exert a similarly motivational effect on Mohammad Ashraful, who clocked up his 48th single-figure dismissal in just 54 Tests. He remains some way behind the record for most single-figure scores by a top-order batsman, held by Alec Stewart – the top six in this list make a useful batting order:Stewart (66 scores below 10), Atherton (65), Border (64), Tendulkar (64), Lara (62) and Steve Waugh (61). Serial failers to a man.One suspects Tendulkar will extend his career until he has claimed top spot from Stewart. A record is a record. Expect the little master to deal only in centuries and singe-figure failures from now until retirement – he will want to leave a legacy of records that no one will ever match.Ashraful, aged just 25, has plenty of time to break into this elusive club and claim his place amongst the all-time elite, and to do so he will be hoping Bangladesh play all their Test matches away from Asia – his average in his 18 Tests elsewhere in the world is 12.7, which puts him on a par for non-Asian Tests with batting legends such as Curtly Ambrose, Joel Garner, Colin Croft and Ian Bishop.The statistics suggest unarguably that Ashraful is a 6’6”-plus West Indian paceman trapped in the body of an underachieving 5’6”-minus Bangladeshi batsman. Perhaps he could be the answer to the Tigers’ new-ball troubles. If only the aforementioned hypnotist was on hand to swing his pocket watch to and fro, and bring out the lethal Caribbean quickie that is the real Mohammad Ashraful. “You are getting sleepy. You are getting sleeeeepy. And… gone. Right. When I click my fingers, you will charge in from a 30-yard run, bang it in short of a length at over 90mph, follow through to within an inch of the batsman’s still-twitching nose, and glare at him like he’s just stolen your mother. And… click.”Despite the promise of Finn, England should be concerned by their failure to take wickets when the sun, unpatriotically, shone. Four late-summer Tests against Pakistan and an Ashes tour in Australia are looming, and if the solar system’s number-one-ranked heat-and-light source betrays England consistently, their four-prong bowling attack may regret its lack of fifth prong, especially if the key prong, Swann, remains as uncharacteristically unprongy as he was at Lord’s.Tamim became the 150th batsman to score a Test century at Lord’s, and celebrated with a joyful if bizarre piece of physical theatre and/or modern ballet, which experts interpreted as a demand to have his name rapidly inked onto the pavilion honours board. Many greats of the game are absent from the board at the Home Of Cricket. And some certifiable non-greats of the game have carved their names indelibly into Lord’s eternity.I have compiled a couple of similarly structured XIs for you. Tell me who you think would win. Bearing in mind that the match will be played at Lord’s.Not on the Lord’s Honours Board XI
MA Atherton, SM Gavaskar, SR Tendulkar, ER Dexter, CH Lloyd, Imran Khan, APE Knott (wk), Wasim Akram, SK Warne, DK Lillee, CEL Ambrose.On the Lord’s Honours Board XI
CWJ Athey, TJ Franklin, MJ Horne, MH Richardson, AB Agarkar, Nasim-ul-Ghani, SAR Silva (wk), DR Pringle, RG Holland, ESH Giddins, Mudassar Nazar.(Note that I have selected Ajit Agarkar as a specialist batsman for his mind-bending 2002 century, and Mudassar as a specialist bowler for his low-pace 1982 blitztrundle, arguably the most devastating display of dibbly-dobbling in cricket history. His tail-end runs could prove crucial – you would back him to chip in with a few more than Ambrose. And this contest could prove once and for all who is the greatest Australian legspinner of all-time – Shane Warne, or Bob Holland.)

Ipswich Town have reportedly agreed a deal to sign a former Liverpool player ahead of their Premier League opener next weekend.

Ipswich Town’s summer business

The Tractor Boys managed to keep hold of manager Kieran McKenna earlier in the summer and have made a number of new signings during the transfer market. The club have spent more than £60m and have also moved on a number of players from last season with weeks remaining of the window.

McKenna is currently preparing his side for the first game of the season at home to Liverpool, however, behind the scenes, work is still ongoing in regards to further additions.

Recently, the club have been linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp, however, fellow promoted sides Leicester City and Southampton are also showing an interest.

Imagine him & Morsy: Ipswich targeting £13m PL ace in Hutchinson repeat

Ipswich Town could repeat the success story of their Omari Hutchinson deal with this summer purchase.

By
Kelan Sarson

Aug 9, 2024

Elsewhere, Ipswich have made contact over the potential signing of Napoli midfielder Jean Cajuste, although reports do not state whether the approach has been made with the player, the Serie A club or both parties.

However, Ipswich appear to be making progress over another deal with a club abroad, with a fee now agreed.

Ipswich Town agree fee to sign Ryan Kent

According to reports in Turkey, Ipswich have had an offer worth €3m (£2.5m) accepted to sign Fenerbahce winger Ryan Kent. Jose Mourinho has given the green light for Kent to leave, and it is claimed that the club have handed Kent permission to speak with Ipswich.

Should personal terms be agreed, the winger will head to England in the coming days, with Ipswich on course to beat Leeds United to a deal after the Whites were linked with a move of their own in recent weeks.

Kent, previously of Liverpool and Rangers, has been with Fenerbahce for just over 12 months but during his first season in Turkey, only made 19 appearances, scoring once and providing two assists.

Speaking back in 2022, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O'Hara wanted Kent plying his trade in north London. "I don't want to pull him away from Rangers but I really like him, what a player he is. I would have him at Spurs. He should be in the Premier League, he is a top player."

Kent was also praised by former boss Steven Gerrard during their time in Glasgow, who said back in 2020: "He is so sharp and he has added a different dimension to his game. He is a pleasure to watch and coach and we just need to enjoy him. He has got the hunger and the desire and he is putting in the application to improve his numbers.”

Now, a return to England could be on the cards at Portman Road, making this one to watch.

Barcelona are reportedly prepared to sell Frenkie de Jong at a discounted rate after falling out of favour under Hansi Flick.

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• De Jong has a contract until 2026
• Midfielder no longer features in Flick's plans
• Barca ready to offload him at a throwaway price

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Catalan club sought to extend his contract, which runs until June 30, 2026, during the previous season, but according to reports from, the renewal efforts have since been shelved due to a lack of response from the player. This has left his position within the team increasingly precarious. Once a fan favourite, he no longer commands the same admiration or sense of indispensability he did upon joining the club.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barcelona's midfield is now stacked with young talent, leaving De Jong struggling for consistent game time. The emergence of players like Marc Casadó, Pedri, Gavi, Fermín López, and Dani Olmo has pushed the Dutchman further down the pecking order. Even Marc Bernal, currently sidelined with an injury, is regarded as a key player and could be well ahead of De Jong in the hierarchy. While De Jong's technical abilities are not in question, his inability to consistently deliver high-intensity performances demanded by Flick has raised concerns, which has prompted the club to consider selling him to avoid losing the player for free in 2026.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Barcelona believe they could secure a transfer fee of at least €20 million for the midfielder, despite his recent struggles. However, should De Jong resist a transfer, Barcelona might impose harsh measures, including reducing him to a bench-warmer. This could significantly impact his preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as he remains a regular for the Dutch national team.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DE JONG?

  Despite his current predicament at Barcelona, De Jong is likely to attract interest from clubs across Europe or in Saudi Arabia. His age, combined with his proven quality at the international level, makes him an appealing option for teams seeking midfield reinforcements. However, Barcelona’s evolving priorities suggest a changing tide for the Dutch midfielder’s career at the club.

Fast bowler hopes Windies can defend proud home record against England for ‘100 years’

Andrew Miller05-Mar-2022Kemar Roach, West Indies’ veteran attack leader, believes that the “quite surprising” omissions of James Anderson and Stuart Broad from England’s Test plans give his side a slight advantage going into Tuesday’s first Test, but says that the wickets of Joe Root and Ben Stokes are his team’s truest route to victory in the coming weeks.Roach, 33, was instrumental in West Indies’ triumph in their previous home campaign in 2019, when his five-wicket haul in the first Test in Barbados contributed to England’s catastrophic 77 all out. And given that England have just emerged from a 4-0 Ashes loss in which they failed to pass 300 in ten attempts, he recognises the frailties are once again there to be exploited.Asked if it was simply a case of dismissing Root to win the series, given that he made 1708 Test runs at 66.00 in 2021 when no other batter picked for this tour passed 500, Roach replied: “Joe Root and Ben Stokes. If we can put immense pressure on those both, I think we’re in for quite a good chance.”Stokes, who struggled for form during the Ashes after missing most of the 2021 season with a finger injury, has conceded that he “just wasn’t me” as he struggled to 236 runs at 23.60 in the five Tests. However, West Indies witnessed Stokes at his very best on their tour of England in 2020, particularly in the second Test at Old Trafford when he made 254 runs for once out.As for Roach, he is now closing in on 250 Test wickets – a mark that only five all-time great West Indians have previously surpassed – and he admits that the challenge of extending his side’s proud record of one home series loss to England since 1968 will spur him on in the course of these three Tests.”We take the English coming to the Caribbean very seriously,” he said. “Only losing once at home in 50 years is a long time. So the onus is on us as players to have that in the back of our minds, and play the best we can on the day to keep that record intact.”I don’t want to lose that record, so it would be great to win the series, and take that tradition and that record further and further forward. Hopefully we can hold it for 100 years. That’d be fantastic. But this is a stepping stone as we go ahead.”I always put my best foot forward for the West Indies,” Roach added. “For me, playing against England is definitely one of the hallmarks of your career, so it’s all about expressing yourself, being positive and taking it to the English.”At the age of 33, and having been a part of the West Indies Test set-up for 13 years, Roach recognises that he is entering the latter years of his career. Having proved insightful analysis during his commentary stints in the T20I series in January, he is keen to further his opportunities in the media.However, having signed a new deal last week to play Surrey for the start of the 2022 season, he’s in no mood to think about winding up just yet, and said that he would not have taken kindly to the sort of phone-call that Anderson and Broad received from Andrew Strauss last month, informing them that they were being omitted to give younger players a chance.”I definitely would not have taken it too well,” Roach said. “There may have been some breaking news coming for you guys, for sure.Related

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“It’s quite surprising,” he added. “I thought that both of them would still be involved, but the decisions have been made from that end, and I think it’s a slight advantage for us.”England’s seamers toiled for penetration on a flat deck at Coolidge this week, claiming a solitary first-innings wicket between them, and though they produced a sparkier display on the final day, a back spasm for Ollie Robinson, and concerns about Mark Wood’s health, meant that there’s some uncertainty in the ranks going into the first Test.”Obviously, those experienced players missing leaves a little bit a hole for England,” Roach said. “Robinson, Wood and [Chris] Woakes are still fantastic bowlers, we will still take them seriously, but once we get our plans right, we should be pretty good going into the series.”They have been good battles over the years, even before myself, so it’s all about continuing that tradition and obviously keep playing good cricket against the English cricketers. Just keep putting your name out there, to be that person to win a series, or be the defining player who takes West Indies over the line.”Following his stint at the Kia Oval last year, Roach may come up against some familiar faces in the coming weeks, most particularly Surrey’s wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who is in line for a recall. Ollie Pope is set to miss out in the first Test but may feature at a later date, and while there has been much criticism of county cricket since the Ashes loss, Roach believes the competition still offers plenty of vital experience.”I love playing for Surrey, I enjoyed a really fantastic stint last year,” Roach said, after making a lasting impression with 22 wickets at 20.54 in his five Championship appearances. “Hopefully I can use some of those great memories in this series.”I rate county cricket very highly,” he added. “It’s quick changeovers in different conditions. Sometimes it’s sunny, sometimes it’s cold, so it can be very challenging on your body as a fast bowler.”It’s pretty surprising to hear the comments coming in about the standard of cricket there, but I still rate it as probably one of the better first-class seasons going on around the world. It’s on the players to show the world their quality, but I have no issues with the county cricket season.”

GOAL takes a look at the managerial changes across MLS in 2024, and how remaining vacancies may be filled

Nick Cushing, John Herdman and Vanni Sartini are the latest managers to get caught up in the MLS coaching carousel. They were the 10th, 11th and 12th managers to be removed from their positions this MLS season, as it's been a challenging campaign for individuals on the touchline.

Regardless of success in previous seasons, or even impressive playoff runs in 2024, clubs seem to have very little margin for error. In fact, more than a third of the league’s teams have changed managers in 2024.

Shocked? You shouldn’t be.

When 2023 MLS Coach of the Year finalist Bradley Carnell was fired by St. Louis CITY in July, it showed the nature of the business. Now, as the 2024 MLS season nears completion, five sides – Atlanta United, Philadelphia Union, NYCFC, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps – all still have openings.

So what's happened in 2024 to provoke so much change? The introduction of Lionel Messi in Miami in 2023 put eyes on MLS from all over the world, for one, and there seems to be little space on the touchline for underperforming. The margins are more important than ever, and for the five teams still with vacancies, they cannot afford to get their next hire wrong.

GOAL explores where Toronto, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Vancouver and New York should go next.

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  The carousel begins

  Gary Smith of Nashville SC was the first manager to be fired this season, with the Englishman getting the sack on May 16, and three more firings followed in June – FC Dallas, Atlanta United and San Jose. The first shocker came on July 1, though, when CITY fired Carnell.

  That was the tipping point for the league. Seven of the eventual 12 vacancies have since been filled, some immediately, and some over time.

  Club	Outgoing coach	Interim coach	Incoming coach
  Inter Miami	Tata Martino	N/A	Javier Mascherano
  Vancouver Whitecaps	Vanni Sartini	N/A	TBD
  Austin FC	Josh Wolff	N/A	Nico Estevez
  FC Dallas	Nico Estevez	Peter Luccin	Eric Quill
  Atlanta United	Gonzalo Pineda	Rob Valentino	TBD
  Philadelphia Union	Jim Curtin	N/A	TBD
  Chicago Fire	Frank Klopas	N/A	Gregg Berhalter
  St. Louis CITY SC	Bradley Carnell	John Hackworth	Olof Mellberg
  San Jose Earthquakes	Luchi Gonzalez	Ian Russell	Bruce Arena
  Nashville SC	Gary Smith	Rumba Munthali	B.J. Callaghan
  NYCFC	Nick Cushing	N/A	TBD
  Toronto FC	John Herdman	N/A	TBD

  There are still five vacancies, with each presenting its own unique opportunity. How do those teams capitalize?

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  Philadelphia Union

  Who's out?

  Jim Curtin was removed from his position after missing the 2024 postseason. It was a shocking dismissal, considering he is widely-viewed as one of the best coaches in the league. However, ownership and Curtin apparently "were not aligned" with the club's mission.

  Pros and cons of the job

  The obvious strength for the job is you have access to the best academy in MLS, and, you are being put on the touchline to mentor perhaps the most exciting prospect in American soccer in Cavan Sullivan. The Union's youth has always propelled them to success, and Sullivan is arguably the best player in his age group across North America – and one of the best in the world.

  In terms of weaknesses, though, you won't have a large transfer budget, nor will you have access to big-name players that other teams are signing. The Union have always worked with little and found success, so it's hard to see them pivoting from that.

  Where do they go from here?

  It's evident the Union aren't going to pursue a flashy hire, nor are they going to spend big on one. Somebody such as Rob Valentino, who impressed in his debut stint on the touchline in MLS as Atlanta United's interim manager in 2024, would make sense. Looking at former Austin FC manager, Josh Wolff, would be sensible, too. He's a former U.S. international who knows the league well, and would potentially be a good mentor for their young core – including the Sullivan brothers, Cavan and Quinn.

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  Atlanta United

  Who's out?

  Gonzalo Pineda was removed his position on June 3 after a rough start to the season. After being brought into the club in 2021, he missed the postseason in 2022, and in 2023, they were knocked out in the opening round of the postseason. The final string was losing five consecutive home matches at the start of 2024.

  Pros and cons of the job

  Atlanta have the most exciting opening of any MLS team this offseason. They have the finances and roster spots to completely revamp their roster. Potentially, we they could have two U22 initiative signings, two new DP's and a new GM – and they just re-signed 2024 MLS Playoff hero Brad Guzan after upsetting Inter Miami in the playoffs. It's more than an enticing job, it's a competitive one that many coaches will be vying for.

  Where do they go from here?

  Valentino seemed likely to be in the mix after his brilliant takeover in 2024, but he announced his departure last week. Now, club president Garth Lagerway and the are set to undergo an in-depth hiring process. The obvious move, though, is Jim Curtin. The ex-Union boss is one of MLS' most successful managers, and he's achieved so much with so little over the years. If you give him money to spend to build an elite roster, it could be a great fit.

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  Vancouver Whitecaps

  Who's out?

  Vanni Sartini was dismissed after Vancouver was eliminated after a closely-contested Round One playoff series against LAFC. The Whitecaps smashed the Portland Timbers 5-0 in the Eastern Conference Wildcard match, but fell to the No. 1 seed in the opening round.

  Sartini didn't excel with Vancouver, but he didn't underperform either. Notably, though, he was outspoken on a number of topics. In 2023, he was initially suspended for six matches for comments aimed at a referee following a postseason exit, though that was later reduced to four games. After their 2024 season came to an end, it seemed as though it was just the right time for both parties to move on.

  Pros and cons of the job

  The Whitecaps have an important offseason ahead. They have Ryan Gauld in his prime years, Brian White playing excellent, and a terrific defensive pairing with centerbacks in Tristan Blackmon and Ranko Veselinovic, with Scottish veteran Stuart Armstrong in the midfield. Elsewhere, though, a lot of their roster feels replaceable.

  Notably, though, they don't have a ton of room regarding high-profile player. They have maxed out their DP and U22 slots at the moment, so any additional upgrades will come in the form of TAM or GAM signings.

  Where do they go from here?

  They need to target a coach who can get the most out of the current group, while using the transfer market to elevate the team. The ambitious answer is Pellegrino Matarazzo, a German-American coach who has lived in Europe since 2000 – and has constantly been talked about as a potential MLS coach. He was sacked from his role as Hoffenheim manager after a poor start to the season, and is available. It would be a flashy hire, and potentially one that could draw talent to the club.

Tottenham Hotspur concluded their pre-season tour in Japan with a 2-1 defeat against Bayern Munich, with 20-year-old midfielder Gabriel Vidovic opening the scoring before Ange Postecoglou's side ran out of steam and succumbed to pressure.

The general theme emanating from the game circles around the lack of a centre-forward, with Postecoglou admitting before the contest that bolstering the striking position will be his outfit's "focus" across the final month of the transfer window.

Having finished fifth in the Premier League last season, suffering a nosedive after an incredible early run of form, issues were presented down at N17, and while there's an underlying sense that things are moving in the right direction, leaving the No. 9 spot short next season might hinder the Australian manager's ambitious vision.

Indeed, having yet to sign a direct replacement for Harry Kane, who joined Bayern one year ago, the Lilywhites are pushing to sign Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth – with a dynamic partner already lined up.

Spurs transfer news

Solanke could be the perfect focal point up front to charge Postecoglou's attack, but perhaps more excitingly, Spurs are looking to add winger Pedro Neto to the ranks.

According to Caught Offside, Postecoglou is eager to sign the Wolverhampton Wanderers winger and has even sent club representatives to discuss a deal with Neto's inner circle.

Neto is valued at about £60m despite his injury troubles, but he's an immense talent and is also attracting interest from Arsenal, so Tottenham must move quickly to prevent their London rivals from scoring a damaging blow before the campaign has even started.

What Pedro Neto would bring to Spurs

Neto would be a significant addition, offering completely the kind of multi-skilled qualities to add a new dimension to the Tottenham attack, not just improving it but opening up new ways to implement Postecoglou's attacking approach.

The Portugal international's fitness record does leave plenty to be desired but there's no denying his high-level ability, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

The £50k-per-week ace only completed 1,519 minutes in the English top flight last season but he certainly made good use of his time, scoring two goals and supplying nine assists.

Manchester City's playmaking monster, Kevin De Bruyne, was the only player to record more assists per 90 (0.73) than Neto last term (0.53), pointing toward an impact that could markedly improve the glaring issue in Postecoglou's squad.

His 1.9 key passes and dribbles per game, as per Sofascore, only expand that argument, capable of driving down the wings and supplying the centre-forward with constant support.

That centre-forward may well be Solanke, with the respective styles exactly what Tottenham need.

Perfect for Dominic Solanke

Before his efforts across the 2023/24 campaign, few would have considered Solanke to be anything more than a decent striker situated below the upper echelon of the Premier League.

He'd joined the South Coast club from Liverpool in a £19m deal in January 2019 after failing to make the grade at Anfield, bagging just one goal across 27 outings under Jurgen Klopp, and despite flashes of excellence, never really sustained a degree of prolificness to match those at the forefront of the Premier League striking order.

However, the 6 foot 2 sharpshooter has now grown into his skin and realised his athletic qualities, with The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell praising him as a "top, multi-faceted forward" after sharpening his skills across 2021 to 2023 (in the Championship with The Cherries).

He might have only posted six goals across 33 top-flight matches during the 2022/23 season, principally under Gary O'Neil's management, but his brutish presence and effectiveness in the box saw him succeed, also notching seven assists.

Last year, though, he went from strength to strength under the fluid football of Andoni Iraola, seemingly tailor-made for the style of football that mirrors the attack-focused brand of Postecoglou in a sense, making a telling comment on his chances of success in north London.

It's exciting to think about the next step in the one-cap England international's development, where he could raise his ceiling considerably with Spurs, bolstered by the likes of Heung-min Son and James Maddison and, perhaps, Neto.

Harking back to that earlier point, Neto was one of the Premier League's most impressive playmakers last season and given that he plied his trade primarily from the right flank, this could be a winning combination to allow the aforementioned Tottenham stalwarts to forge a deadly and rounded attacking line.

Tottenham, at their best last year, were fluent in possession and ferocious out of it, seeking to overpower and outwork opponents and feed the ball toward the final third.

Hailed as a "pace monster" by analyst Ben Mattinson, Neto might just be the final piece of the puzzle in enhancing the flow, but he will of course reach his apex down N17 with a worthy focal frontman to leather the slick moves into the back of the net. Step forward, Solanke – a world of opportunity awaits.

Strong interest: Spurs move for £40m "monster" Gallagher alternative

The talented midfielder would be an interesting addition to Postecoglou’s system.

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By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 2, 2024