شهد الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك استقالة أحد أعضاء الطاقم المعاون للمدير الفني البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا خلال الساعات الماضية، في خطوة مفاجئة جاءت بالتزامن مع استعداد الفريق للمرحلة المقبلة من الموسم.
وقدّم حازم إمام، مدرب الفريق، استقالته رسميًا إلى الكابتن عبد الناصر محمد مدير الكرة بالنادي، قبل أن يتم مناقشة الأمر بين المدير الرياضي جون إدوارد والمدير الفني يانيك فيريرا، حيث تم قبول الاستقالة بشكل رسمي.
ووجّهت إدارة الكرة في نادي الزمالك الشكر للمدرب على جهوده خلال الفترة الماضية ودوره مع الجهاز الفني، مؤكدة تقديرها لما قدّمه للفريق.
طالع أيضًا | وكيل بنتايج: أهدرت وقتي مع الزمالك.. وسأتقدم بشكوى جديدة لـ فيفا وكاس
ومن المنتظر أن يعقد رئيس النادي الكابتن حسين لبيب جلسة مع جون إدوارد خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة لحسم هوية المدرب الجديد الذي سينضم للجهاز المعاون لفيريرا بعد التشاور مع المدير الفني البلجيكي.
يذكر، أن الزمالك سيواجه نظيره فريق ديكاداها في إياب دور الـ32 من بطولة الكونفدرالية، يوم الجمعة الموافق 24 من شهر أكتوبر الجاري، بعد أن حسم لقاء الذهاب بسداسية نظيفة.
You can teleport two bowlers from 2020 into a 1998 ODI on a dry Chepauk pitch to have a go at those two in a low-scoring game. Whom do you pick?
ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2020 Hot SeatScenario It’s 1998, and we’ve got ourselves a low-scoring ODI on a cracked up Chepauk pitch in Chennai that is offering turn and uneven bounce. Your Rest of the World XI has scrabbled to 190 against the hosts, India. In the chase, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have the game seemingly locked up at 70 for 0 after 20 overs when you are given a wild card. A portal has been opened to the future, allowing any two bowlers (Indians included) from 2020 to be shipped in for an over each, one to bowl at Tendulkar and one to Ganguly. Whom do you teleport in to break open the game?Sharda Ugra: You have to get them now. Five more overs and the game is gone. So a gamble is called for. Against a set Tendulkar, you need a left-arm bowler, either a fast bowler or left-arm wristspinner, but not someone of a known pedigree – that puts T on high alert. What we need now is to feed his ego some juicy carrots in the form of an under-the-radar type. Make him look for gimme runs and mistime one into the air. Step up Tabraiz Shamsi, lurking in the shadows of the Imran Tahir spotlight. Against Ganguly, even if this is a breaking Chepauk, no spinners. He knows how to handle that stuff. In the mood, he can extract gimmes from everyone, throw them off their lengths. You need fast, you need fierce, you need both accuracy and variety. Mitchell Starc is the man.Alan Gardner: In what may seem a counterintuitive move, I’m going to eschew slow-bowling options – despite the turning pitch – on the ground that both batsmen had far better records against spin. It wasn’t such a well-established fact back in 1998, but Ganguly’s weakness against the short ball has to be targeted (even if the young Ganguly might be better able to get himself out of trouble). Who has the meanest bouncer in the game currently? Let’s not look any further than Jofra Archer, who spent the 2019 World Cup pinging helmets for fun. As for Tendulkar, I have a hunch the left-armer’s angle might help unsettle him. With his range of cutters and slower balls that should be perfectly suited to a dry Chepauk, I’m going to bank on Mustafizur Rahman to make the all-important pop for my ROW XI.Karthik Krishnaswamy: My pick to bowl at Ganguly is a no-brainer: R Ashwin is from Chennai and is lethal against left-hand batsmen. Against Tendulkar, I’d go out of the box and bring on Colin de Grandhomme. He’d be a great option anyway on a pitch with uneven bounce, looking to bowl stump-to-stump, dry up the runs, and force an error, but I’m calling him from the future specifically because Tendulkar disliked facing medium-pacers such as Hansie Cronje, and often got out to them while trying to force the pace when the ball didn’t quite come on.Getty ImagesAndrew Fidel Fernando: The ball has started to misbehave, jumping at the throat from short of a length at times and shooting into the shins if pitched an inch fuller. Although Ashwin knows Ganguly is uncomfortable against offspin, his eyes are set on Tendulkar. With only 120 runs to defend, World XI have no option but to attack. Slip, point, cover, mid-off and short leg wait in anticipation. Ashwin is sticking to the middle-and-leg line, turning the ball into Tendulkar’s pads. The wicked bounce is troubling Tendulkar, who is also wary of Ashwin’s carom ball. With runs drying up, Tendulkar, who usually likes to dominate, is restless. He is trying to play inside out. Ashwin has gained the upper hand. At the other end, Archer knows what makes Ganguly cringe: the rib-ticklers that dart from short-of-a-good length. Already, Ganguly has had to fold up a few times trying to fend off the short deliveries. Archer has added two slips to show who is dominating. It is a duel of four grandmasters on a checkered pitch. The Chepauk faithful are all eyes.Danyal Rasool: In seven combined ODI innings that Tendulkar and Ganguly played at Chepuak Stadium, neither ever gave their wicket to a spinner. But since this is a dust bowl, for Tendulkar, I’d throw Kuldeep Yadav the ball. Yadav has begun to hone the wrong’un, and on a turning pitch, the batsman must play at every ball. If Tendulkar feels he could leave a couple alone, just remember the ball Yadav bowled to Babar Azam at the 2019 World Cup. Ganguly is, famously, brilliant against spin, but who could withstand Rashid Khan on such a pitch? Averaging under 19 from 71 ODIs, Khan has raised the bar for legspinners worldwide. A bit of flight, and Ganguly may not be able to resist dancing down the pitch. Should he succumb to that temptation, trouble awaits.
When he stepped down from his Liverpool post, almost nine years into his tenure, the iconic manager’s decision was met with dismay from the fanbase, whose success over the past decade had been engineered by the German’s brilliance.
But Klopp was right. He was tired, you see, and knew that without that burning ball of energy within, his infectious personality wouldn’t feed into his team, into his tactics, into the club’s far-reaching community.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp bows out
It was hard to accept – some, perhaps, still haven’t – but Klopp was right, because Arne Slot has taken his place and has taken Liverpool to a higher level, winning the Premier League in his maiden term at a canter.
Such has been the Reds’ dominance that they are currently lapping up the Gulf sunshine, on holiday in Dubai to celebrate triumphs and say farewell to Trent Alexander-Arnold as his expected transfer to Real Madrid looms large.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
In his place, Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes seem set on signing Jeremie Frimpong to replace the vice-captain, strengthening the firm Dutch contingent.
Liverpool's growing Dutch contingent
Liverpool are fortunate to have welcomed Conor Bradley to the first team over the past two seasons, thus easing the onerous task of finding a Trent replacement.
Still, Bradley’s young and injury-prone besides. Frimpong would be a brilliant addition to shore up the right flank and add a new taste of attacking flair. Correspondents have clearly been briefed by the dozen, with numerous reports emerging that Liverpool are in advanced talks to seal the Dutchman’s signature.
Frimpong certainly wouldn’t be short of pals on Merseyside. Slot is a big admirer of the versatile right-sider, a compatriot who has played a defining role in Xabi Alonso’s trophy-filled Leverkusen era.
The boss’ compatriot would find plenty of teammates in the ranks, of course, with Virgil van Dijk both Liverpool and Netherlands captain and Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo good friends with the speedy flanker on the international scene.
The cohesion at Anfield has been a strong thing this term, Liverpool going from strength to strength under Slot’s wing. Gravenberch, especially, has bloomed into a high-class midfielder this season after sitting largely on the periphery last year.
He perhaps doesn’t get the same credit, but Gakpo has also taken bounding strides in his development, with Slot truly having hit the jackpot on his prolific left winger.
Slot has hit the jackpot on Cody Gakpo
When Gakpo reached the end of his first season at Liverpool, having joined at the midpoint, he probably felt a fair measure of frustration that he hadn’t reached the heights surely anticipated when FSG came calling.
Liverpool's Cody Gakpo wins the Premier League
The Netherlands international had just put his name on the map at the Qatar World Cup and was terrorising Eredivisie defences with PSV Eindhoven, so when Liverpool moved to hijack Manchester United’s deal and bring Gakpo to Anfield for a £35m base fee in late December 2022, there was plenty of excitement.
He certainly wasn’t poor, but Gakpo entered Liverpool with Klopp’s side in the throes of a collapse, the midfield malfunctioning and experienced heads looking at a dizzying loss.
He still managed to record ten goal involvements across 26 matches, but Gakpo looks a different player at this stage of his career, dovetailing perfectly into Slot’s system. Pundits Joe Cole and Peter Crouch agreed that he has “gone up a level” under new management this year.
24/25
47 (30)
18
6
0.51
23/24
53 (32)
16
7
0.43
22/23
26 (22)
7
3
0.38
The secret in the sauce hasn’t been anything complex, at least on the surface level. Gakpo was ferried about the starting line-up to no end, with Klopp determined to make good use of his player’s obvious technical ability.
Gakpo’s dynamism lent itself to multi-positionality, but this frustrated his prolific senses and left him itching for a more structured role. To be sure, this was a fundamental part of Gakpo’s development, something he stressed himself during Liverpool’s title celebrations, but it’s hard to argue against his new role being one of greater reward for club and player.
That’s why Slot has left him on the left flank, with 40 of his 47 outings this season coming from the wide channel.
That £35m fee now looks to be an absolute bargain. Indeed, as per Transfermarkt, the Dutch forward has seen his market value shoot up to £59m after his exploits across the season, marking an increase of £24m on the investment made just two-and-a-half years ago. Frimpong, for instance, is said to be worth £42m.
Journalist Jacob Schneider claimed Gakpo was “downright ridiculous” before making the move to Liverpool, and that’s now been corroborated and then some.
This is quite the feat for a player who was brushed off by many rival fans after his stop-start beginning on Merseyside. While Gravenberch has taken most of the plaudits for his stunning season, Gakpo has been every bit as brilliant, and it would take quite a feat to eclipse the player.
Liverpool Dream XI
That is to say, Frimpong might be joining Liverpool with the confidence from Slot and the powers that be that he can make a marked effect on the project, but he’s not going to knock Gakpo off his high perch without some special and sustained performances in red next year.
In any case, it hardly matters for those of a Liverpool persuasion. What matters is that Slot knows what he’s doing and has already showcased his ability to get the very best out of his countrymen.
Market Movers
Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?
There’s no doubt the coach has hit the jackpot on Gakpo and Gravenberch, but he might just have the same impact on Frimpong too next season.
A Salah-esque signing: Liverpool agree personal terms with "insane" target
Liverpool are ready to begin their summer shopping spree.
Northamptonshire 337 for 6 (Gay 88, Bartlett 71*, Procter 64) vs LeicestershireHalf-centuries from Emilio Gay, George Bartlett and skipper Luke Procter enabled Northamptonshire to shade the opening day of their Vitality County Championship match against Leicestershire, where they finished on 337 for 6.Gay’s 88 from 110 balls was the day’s most eye-catching batting performance but Bartlett’s unbeaten 71 and Procter’s 64 from 164 had much to commend them for grittiness as the home side’s bowlers, while expensive in the morning, did eventually make them work hard for their gains.Scott Currie and Tom Scriven finished with two wickets each but on-loan seamer Ben Green was unlucky not to have any success, while England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, returning to county duty for his second appearance of the season, was impressively difficult to score against.Gay was the dominant figure in a morning session in which Northamptonshire were the clear winners. Leicestershire, who also recalled Matt Salisbury for the injured Ben Mike, made only one breakthrough after skipper Lewis Hill had won the toss.The home attack struggled with length and line at times and both Gay and opening partner Ricardo Vasconcelos, both of whom have started the season well, hungrily took advantage. If there was something for the bowlers in a green-tinged pitch it largely proved elusive. Northamptonshire were 60 without loss inside the first hour.By lunch they had 128 on the board but had surrendered one wicket, Vasconcelos losing his off stump to an inswinging ball from Scriven but Gay, though a little streaky on two or three occasions, particularly against Scriven, had looked in serious trouble only when Currie backed up a brilliant stop at third slip with a shy at the stumps that would have run him out for 41 had it hit.The 24-year-old left-hander cashed in two matches ago with a career-best 261 against a Middlesex attack struggling with the Kookaburra. He reached 52 from 61 balls and looked good for a sixth career hundred here. However, after increasing his boundary count to 16, he fell on 88 soon after lunch when Currie pushed one through with some extra pace and bowled him off an inside edge.The visitors suffered another blow when their Indian Test batter Karun Nair, who also has a double-hundred under his belt this season, was dismissed for 18, Salisbury finding a thin outside edge to have him caught at first slip, via the gloves of ‘keeper Ben Cox.Leicestershire bowled with better control in the middle session than they had before lunch, with Currie in particular bowling some impressive spells that deserved more success. Yet they found themselves up against two solid adversaries in Procter and winter signing Bartlett, who had added 66 in a little under 20 overs when tea arrived at 242 for 3, Procter having posted his fourth fifty-plus score in five innings.With Ahmed growing to his task as a foil, giving little away from the pavilion end, and Currie continuing to bend his back at the Bennett End, pressure continued to build on the fourth-wicket pair after tea and it was Ahmed who eventually split them, bowling Procter with a ball the left-hander shaped to cut but did not sit up for the shot.Leicestershire made the visitors work hard for their runs but not once in the day did a breakthrough prompt a flurry of quick wickets. Bartlett now had James Sales for company, and another 46 runs were chipped out before the new ball brought a second wicket for Scriven, who found the edge with a beauty, Louis Kimber taking a good, low catch at first slip. Bartlett, meanwhile, had completed his first half-century for his new county from 114 balls, but Northamptonshire lost Saif Zaib before the close, well taken by Cox off Currie.
Around USD 39m was spent on overseas players at this year’s IPL auction. Which international team has produced the most and least impactful players so far?
Sruthi Ravindranath21-May-2018What’s in a ranking?The eighth-ranked T20I side leads the way in bowling this IPL season. Afghanistan have had only three players in the tournament, out of which just two have been regulars, but both their young spinners have lit up IPL 2018 with their bags of tricks. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have been the lynchpins of their respective sides this season, with a combined total of 30 wickets this season so far.Going by Smart Stats – ESPNcricinfo’s new metrics to understand T20 cricket – they have been the most frugal bowlers, with a combined Smart Economy Rate of 6.59, while bowlers from teams standing above them in the ICC rankings have conceded over 8.4. While Rashid has saved more runs than he has conceded, Mujeeb’s absence from the Kings XI Punjab side following an injury has gone as far as making their bowling unit look far less threatening.Afghanistan leads the way•ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland join the partyWhen it comes to England players in the IPL, you might be conditioned to immediately think of Ben Stokes, who took centre-stage at the auctions. However, he did not live up to the INR 12.5 crore (USD 1.95 million approx) price tag this time around, with just 196 runs and eight wickets in 13 games, after a Player of the Series-winning debut season in 2017. That’s roughly INR 6.3 lakh (or comfortably over USD 9000) for every run he has scored – runs, which largely did not add much value for Royals.While English players’ participation in the IPL rose significantly this year, and there were one-match wonders like Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Moeen Ali and Liam Plunkett, it was Jos Buttler who easily had the most fun. While Rajasthan Royals failed to capitalise on his performances, Buttler had a breakout season, scoring the most runs by an English player in an IPL edition. His sublime form also earned him a Test call-up, which prematurely cut his IPL season short.He hit form after being deployed as an opener, with his Smart Strike Rate rising to 200 from 114.72 as a middle-order batsman. He has also contributed nearly 44% of the total runs scored by England players in this IPL season (as of May 18, 2018).Lest we forget, the second-best player from England has been someone who is serving his qualification period to earn a national call-up in 2022. Jofra Archer earned his Royals cap in their sixth game of the season and bagged the Man-of-the-Match award right away. A number of middling performances followed, but he’d look to be more effective in the coming seasons.The undisputed kings of T20Do the West Indies need to prove why they are the masters of the format? Even the numbers agree this year. Their Smart Strike Rate has climbed from 148.55 in the last three years to 175.57 this season, putting them top of the tree by a distance. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo turned back the clock in their first few games, while Sunil Narine and Andre Russell made the most of their retention by Kolkata Knight Riders. For Mumbai Indians, Evin Lewis made a couple of noteworthy performances while the retained Kieron Pollard didn’t quite live up to reputation, following a bad run of form and a spell out of the side to score in a crucial game towards the end of the league phase.West Indies on top•ESPNcricinfo LtdWilliamson fills in Warner’s boots (and de Villiers does his thing)Finding a like-for-like replacement for David Warner may have sounded like a daunting task, but Sunrisers seem to have done it with ease. These bowling giants did lack batting depth, but there was captain Kane Williamson who carried them on his shoulders to take them to the top of points table. Williamson had only played five games in the past three seasons for Sunrisers, averaging around 31 and usually playing second fiddle, but his average of 60.09 this year could possibly see him beat his ex-captain Warner as the highest run-scorer for Sunrisers in a single season. While the other popular batting choices from New Zealand – namely Brendon McCullum and Colin Munro – could not make an impact, bowlers like Trent Boult and Mitchell McClenaghan are in the top ten on the wicket-takers’ charts this season.While we are running out of superlatives for AB de Villiers, who has been as impressive as ever, the other South Africans in the tournament like Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy have not been at their best. De Kock has struggled to find the hitting form which has made him one of the most exciting young batsmen going around.Their bowlers haven’t fared too better either. The likes of Imran Tahir and Lungi Ngidi have been unpredictable and have not featured regularly for Chennai Super Kings, while an injured Chris Morris returned home after a lean patch in a directionless Delhi Daredevils team. Would Kagiso Rabada have made the difference for them? Maybe we’ll know next season.How have the overseas imports fared?•ESPNcricinfo LtdAustralia’s 36-year-old lone warriorWith three trophy-winning captains, four Man-of-the-Series awardees and five orange cap winners over the seasons, Australians have been IPL’s hottest property over the years. In this season, however, there are just two names worth mentioning: the current purple cap holder Andrew Tye, and a surprise in the form of Shane Watson. With six 30-plus scores, Watson is second on the list of most runs for Chennai Super Kings this year.Clearly, Watson has been the only one contributing to the Australians’ Smart Strike Rate, which has fallen from 143.72 in the last three seasons to second worst 126.46 (just above Bangladesh) this season.Steven Smith and Warner’s absence and injuries to a number of fast bowlers can be blamed, but big buys like Glenn Maxwell, Chris Lynn and Aaron Finch haven’t quite been themselves. And the bowling? Apart from Tye, Watson and Maxwell, all the others who have bowled in five matches or more have an economy rate of over 9.7. They also have the worst Smart Economy Rate this season, finishing as the only team conceding at 9.
da bet sport： Após uma vitória e um empate na Copa Sul-Americana, o Santos realizará o seu terceiro jogo pela Copa Sul-Americana. O adversário da vez será o Newell’s Old Boys, da Argentina. O confronto acontecerá na noite desta terça-feira (2), no estádio Marcelo Bielsa, a partir das 21h30 (de Brasília).
+ Guia Santos: veja a análise dos adversários, onde assistir e tudo sobre o Peixe na Sul-Americana
Baseado nesta partida, o LANCE!preparou um material para você conhecer algumas particularidades do desafiante do Peixe. Confira!
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSantosNewell’s Old Boys x Santos: onde assistir, escalações e desfalques do jogo pela Sul-AmericanaSantos01/05/2023SantosSantos e Argentinos Juniors homenageiam Pelé e MaradonaSantos01/05/2023SantosSoteldo tem lesão na coxa constatada e vai desfalcar o SantosSantos01/05/2023
da leao： +Joia de 15 anos estreia pelo Barcelona: lembre jogadores que começaram cedo no profissional
BREVE HISTÓRIA
O clube começa dentro de um colégio, na Argentina, fundado pelo inglês Isaac Newell. Anos após a criação da instituição de ensino, em 1903, Claudio Newell, filho do fundador, decide montar um time de futebol com alunos e ex-alunos. Para marcar o acontecimento, aproveita e registra o clube com o sobrenome da família. Desse jeito, inicia a jornada do “Clube Atlético Newell’s Old Boys” (ou Meninos do Newell na tradução direta).
Apesar de não ter grandes conquistas internacionais, o time detém uma fama eterna por ser o primeiro clube da carreira de Lionel Messi.
ATUAL MOMENTO
Na disputa da Sul-Americana, o clube argentino registra um bom começo. Triunfou sobre o Audax Italiano, fora de casa, por 1 a 0, na primeira rodada. No segundo jogo, venceu com autoridade, por 3 a 0, o Blooming. Por conta dos resultados, o time é líder do Grupo E.
O desempenho no Campeonato Argentino não é o mesmo. Ainda na primeira fase do torneio, o clube está na 12ª colocação, uma posição mediana na tabela que possui 28 equipes. Nos últimos cinco jogos da competição, o time venceu uma vez, empatou em duas ocasiões e perdeu em outras duas oportunidades.
HISTÓRICO
Santos e Newell’s Old Boys se enfrentaram quatro vezes na história. Em 4 jogos disputados, o Peixe venceu três vezes e o duelo terminou empatado em uma ocasião. Contudo, vale ressaltar que os clubes não se encaram há anos. A última vez que jogaram uma partida juntos foi em 1977.
Jobe Bellingham sent a message to the Borussia Dortmund fans after making his debut for his new team at the Club World Cup on Tuesday.
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Bellingham made his BVB debut on TuesdayCame on a substitute on the hour markFelt 'very proud' about the occasionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Dortmund's latest signing Bellingham followed in the footsteps of his elder brother, Jude, and made his debut for the German giants in the side's opening game of the Club World Cup on Tuesday. While the game against Brazilian side Fluminense ended in a 0-0 draw, the ex-Sunderland starboy sent a message to his fans and expressed how proud he was to represent Dortmund.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The 19-year-old completed his record-breaking move from Sunderland for a fee of €33 million (£28m/$38m) and joined his new team-mates for training in the United States to prepare for the ongoing Club World Cup. Bellingham, as expected, came on as a substitute in the 59th-minute, after head coach Niko Kovac had explained why the English midfielder will not be starting games right off the bat.
WHAT JOBE BELLINGHAM SAID
Taking to Instagram, Bellingham posted a number of photos from his Dortmund debut and wrote: "Very proud to have my debut in black & yellow. Big games coming up.. Just the beginning."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR JOBE BELLINGHAM?
Bellingham will be expected to play a similar role off the bench in Dortmund's next game, in which they take on South African heavyweights Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, June 21.
The allrounder had an impressive tour of Bangladesh having returned from lengthy injury layoffs earlier in the year
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2024Sophie Molineux has returned to Cricket Australia’s central contract list following her successful comeback across formats.Molineux, who was dropped from the list two years ago, has played Tests, ODIs and T20Is over the last two months after an extended period on the sidelines due to a variety of injuries, most recently an ACL. Those appearances had been enough for her to earn an upgrade to a contract before confirmation of the 17 names in 2024-25 group.Related
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Molineux made her comeback in the Test against South Africa in Perth. She was named Player of the Series in the T20Is against Bangladesh which concluded last week having taken six wickets at 8.33. Earlier in the tour she took 3 for 10 on her return to the ODI side.She has recently forced the experienced Jess Jonassen out of the squad but Jonassen, who has not featured since the tour of India last December, has retained her contract.The retired Meg Lanning is the only player to drop off the list from last year. The MoU between CA and the Australia Cricketers’ Association allows for between 15 and 18 contracts.”We’re really pleased to be able to offer Soph a contract after her successful return to the side this summer,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “She’s shown a great deal of resilience to get back to full fitness and she’ll play an important role next summer.”Players not awarded contracts as part of the initial squad can earn upgrades throughout the year by accruing 12 upgrade points. Players receive five points for a Test match, two for an ODI and two for a T20I.Australia face another busy season of action in 2024-25 including the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the multiformat Ashes next January. They will host New Zealand for T20Is before the World Cup followed by a return series in December while they also host India for three ODIs.
Sri Lanka have called up Asitha Fernando as replacement
Madushka Balasuriya11-Feb-2024
Dushmantha Chameera hurt his quadriceps during the first ODI•AFP/Getty Images
Dushmantha Chameera will miss Sri Lanka’s second ODI against Afghanistan, with Asitha Fernando drafted into the squad as his replacement.Chameera had limped off midway through his eighth over during Sri Lanka’s 42-run victory in the first ODI. He had picked up two wickets at the time but could not continue after that. It has now been confirmed that he injured his left quadriceps.It is understood the injury is not related to any of his previous injuries; last year he had missed a chunk of Sri Lanka’s games with a torn pectoral muscle, and prior to that he had undergone surgery for an ankle injury.The extent of the current injury is unknown. The 32-year-old fast bowler underwent a scan following Friday’s game, the results of which have been sent to a specialist in the UK for consultation.”He’s feeling better now, but we won’t know for sure the exact nature of his injury until we hear back from the specialist,” Sri Lanka’s team manager Mahinda Halangoda told ESPNcricinfo.Fernando, his replacement in the squad, last played an ODI in November 2022, also against Afghanistan. He has played five ODIs in all, picking up the solitary wicket.However, he has impressed in Tests, most recently against Afghanistan when he picked up six wickets in the match to help Sri Lanka on their way to victory.
Mikel Arteta will no doubt plead caution surrounding the signing of any new centre-forward this summer, with it not a guarantee that such a move will instantly propel Arsenal to long-awaited Premier League glory.
Indeed, it is not only through the middle where reinforcements are required, with an upgrade on the left flank also seemingly needed with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scoring just ten top-flight goals between them this term.
That said, fans and pundits alike are craving a statement acquisition of a new striker after what looks set to be another second-place finish in the league, with the Gunners having also come up short in the previous two campaigns.
Not since the summer of 2022 have the club forked out for a new number nine, albeit with even Gabriel Jesus not exactly an out-and-out centre-forward, particularly considering much of his work came on the right flank during his prior stint at Manchester City.
With the Brazilian having since been ravaged by injury – with Kai Havertz also currently sidelined – there is a real dearth of reliable options at the Emirates, a fact epitomised by Mikel Merino’s recent shift into a makeshaft target man.
Whether it is the difference between winning the league or not, the Gunners simply must sign a striker. If recent reports are anything to go by, the search has already started.
Latest on Arsenal's striker search
The leading target for the north London side remains that of Alexander Isak, although question marks remain over just how feasible a deal would be for the in-form Swede, considering Newcastle United’s £150m asking price.
Alexander Isak
With that in mind, the Gunners appear to be looking elsewhere in their extensive search, with Football Transfers naming Bologna’s Santiago Castro as a potential summer option.
As per the report, it is Arteta who is said to be ‘personally pushing’ to seal the signing of the young Argentine, with the Arsenal boss believed to be a ‘huge admirer’ of the promising forward.
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While the piece does mainly focus in on Arsenal’s parallel interest in Atletico Madrid starlet, Adrian Nino, the Spaniard appears more of a project signing, considering he only made his first-team debut for the LaLiga side in January.
Castro, meanwhile, may only be 20 himself, although amid a promising campaign in Serie A, he has seemingly caught the attention of Arteta as someone who could come in and make an instant impact at the Emirates.
Perhaps, he could well follow in the footsteps of a certain Alexis Sanchez in an Arsenal shirt…
Why Castro would be a good signing for Arsenal
While the Gunners did actually pluck Sanchez from Barcelona back in 2014, the Chilean did mirror his fellow South American by initially plying his trade in his homeland with Cobreloa, before then making his name in Italy at Udinese.
The now veteran forward – who has ended up back at the Italian outfit in the twilight of his career – notably scored 12 goals and provided a further ten assists in the 2010/11 Serie A season, before being poached by Barca, having typically operated as a centre-forward or second striker.
Castro, meanwhile, has followed a similar path after starting out in his native Argentina with Velez Sarsfield – for whom he scored nine goals in 64 games – prior to making the switch to Bologna last year, going on to score eight times and register four assists in Italy’s top flight in 2024/25.
Games (starts)
29 (25)
Goals
8
Assists
4
Goal frequency
266 mins
Big chances missed
6
Big chances created
3
Key passes*
0.9
Touches*
27.1
Now valued at around €30m (£26m), according to reports in January, Castro is well on course to emulating Sanchez’s final season at Udinese, with now perhaps the chance for Arsenal to pounce – rather than signing him later down the line, like they did with Sanchez.
Having been described as the “complete forward” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the 6 foot machine does mirror the ex-Arsenal man in also being able to feature on the flanks, ensuring he could also rival the likes of Martinelli and Trossard in that left-wing berth.
Bologna'sSantiagoCastrocelebrates after the match
Not just an “instinctive finisher”, in the words of Mattinson, the Buenos Aires native may also prove a valuable addition due to his innate link-up play, as shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 10% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion.
A composed presence both in possession and in front of goal, Castro could certainly be worth taking a punt on. With Arsenal having seen the success of signing Sanchez, amid his return of 124 goals and assists in just 166 games for the club, the capture of a potential successor will hopefully prove just as fruitful.
With 20 goals and assists in 46 games for Bologna since signing back in January 2024, the 20-year-old could well be a wildcard solution.
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