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Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi has been reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth ODI against Ireland on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2016Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi has been reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth ODI against Ireland on Sunday.Nabi violated Level 1 Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.”The incident occurred in the sixth over of Ireland’s chase of 230. Opener Ed Joyce had hit the ball to the extra-cover boundary and Nabi had claimed that he kept the ball in play. Joyce did not complete the third run, assuming it was a boundary, and was adjudged run-out once the ball was thrown back in. However, an ICC release said: “photographic evidence later confirmed that Nabi was in contact with the ball whilst outside the boundary when he had flicked the ball for Rashid Khan to help run-out Joyce.”Joyce, who led Ireland to a six-wicket win with an unbeaten 105 in the third ODI, was dismissed for 12 and Ireland lost by 79 runs.Nabi admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee David Jukes, and there was no need for a formal hearing. The charge had been laid by Alan Neill and C Shamshuddin, the on-field umpires, as well as reserve umpire Royl Black.”After speaking to my colleague, I spoke to the fielder and asked him had he prevented the four,” Neill later told the . “He said ‘yes’. I then asked ‘were you in control of the ball when you were outside the rope?’ He said ‘no sir’. I went over to my colleague and said ‘we have a problem here’.”He said ‘ask him again’, so I repeated the same two questions and got the same two answers. He was adamant he had not touched the ball while he was outside the rope. So we had to take his word and had to give Ed Joyce out.”

Liam Plunkett thrashed a six from the final ball of an incredible game to secure a tie between England and Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the Royal London series at Trent Bridge

The Report by George Dobell at Trent Bridge21-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:21

By the Numbers – Key stats from the cracker at Trent Bridge

Liam Plunkett thrashed a six from the final ball of an incredible game to secure a tie between England and Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the Royal London series at Trent Bridge.When Plunkett, England’s No. 10, came to the crease, his side still required 52 to win from the last 26 balls. And, in the face of some impressive death bowling, it seemed the equation had become overwhelming when the asking rate rose to 30 from the final two overs.But Plunkett and Chris Woakes both scooped boundaries in a penultimate over that realised 16 and, after the pair scampered seven from the first five balls of the last over, it left England requiring six from the final ball to secure the tie.Nuwan Pradeep, until then impressively consistent in his ability to nail his yorkers, dropped a few inches short only to see Plunkett open his shoulders and unleash a fierce drive back over the bowler’s head and into the pavilion.It may be little consolation right now for a Sri Lanka team that appeared to have this game in their grasp on several occasions but perhaps, in time, they will reflect with joy on their part in a wonderful match and a superb advert for the 50-over format. And maybe they will, in time, smile at this reminder of the endearing absurdities of this great game: hours of unstinting effort and copious heroic performances by both sides resulted in the same conclusion as if the rain that has afflicted these parts had never relented.The dramatic finale was set-up by a record-breaking stand between Woakes and Jos Buttler. Coming together with England reeling at 82 for 6, Buttler and Woakes added 138 – the highest seventh-wicket stand conceded by Sri Lanka in ODI cricket and second-highest overall – from 149 balls to give their side realistic hopes of a victory that looked impossible an hour or two earlier.This was not the flamboyant Buttler to which we have begun to become accustomed. Instead of counter-attacking from the start, instead of premeditating or attempting to unleash the full array of his strokes, he came to the crease with his side struggling at 30 for 4 and played himself in while ensuring the run rate remained just about within reach.His first boundary – a drive that flew agonisingly close to Farveez Maharoof at mid-off – did not come until his 17th delivery and his final strike rate of 93.93 was some way under his career rate of 117.23. Instead this was a more mature Buttler who combined his large repertoire of strokes with swift running and astute shot selection.But when Buttler was brilliantly caught on the long-on boundary by Dasun Shanaka – timing his leap perfectly and somehow managing to keep himself from toppling over the rope – for a well-paced 93, England still required 67 from 7.3 overs and it appeared their charge had lost impetus.David Willey, who had swung wildly and made contact rarely, was unable to sustain the momentum and when he went – a wicket only confirmed after numerous reviews by the TV umpire concluded that Maharoof had not over-stepped – it appeared England’s final chance had, too.But Woakes, with a maiden half-century at either List A or ODI level, sustained the charge. While there were only two boundaries in his first 50 runs – and only four in his entire innings – he ran with such speed and made contact so often that England just about kept themselves in the hunt. After Woakes was joined by Plunkett, the pair took nine from the 47th over, 10 from the 48th and 16 from the 49th to leave 14 required from the last.For a man who may not have played had Ben Stokes been fit, it was a fine effort. Woakes not only gained the Man-of-the-Match award, but also set a new record for the highest score by a No. 8 or lower in the history of ODI cricket. Unruffled by the demands of the chase or, apparently, the fuss made of him afterwards, he demonstrated the composure and softly-spoken steel that have long been recognised by the England management as the sort of qualities they want in the side. We may look back on this performance – completed, as it was, by two wickets and a mature spell of bowling – as Woakes’ coming-of-age moment.Until Woakes and Buttler intervened, it seemed that Angelo Mathews’ experience would prove the difference between the sides. Mathews followed his calm innings of 73 with the wickets of Jason Roy and Joe Root in the opening six overs of the England innings.While conventional wisdom has it that aggressive batting and fast bowling hold the key to success in modern limited-overs cricket, here it was Mathews’ almost risk-free accumulation and wicket-to-wicket medium-pace that proved valuable.Coming to the crease with his side three down within the first nine overs of the match, Mathews reasoned that his side would be better served by a period of consolidation instead of attack. Dinesh Chandimal and Mathews added 64 for Sri Lanka’s fourth wicket but, with Adil Rashid’s nicely controlled spell costing just 36 runs, it took them 16.5 overs. When Chandimal fell top-edging a sweep, it seemed Sri Lanka may struggle to set a competitive score.Sri Lanka were, therefore, grateful for the impetus provided by Seekkuge Prasanna. He contributed 59 of a 68-run fifth-wicket stand with Mathews, thrashing a 24-ball half-century containing 48 runs in boundaries in the process. At one stage he thumped 44 from 12 deliveries, including four sixes in five deliveries from Moeen Ali and Plunkett, as Sri Lanka plundered 49 in three overs. Eoin Morgan, having chosen to go into the game with the extra batsman in Jonny Bairstow, must have wished he had an extra bowler to call upon.Their final total still looked a little under par on a good batting surface – remarkably good bearing in mind the awful weather that had afflicted the region over the last 10 days – and with a short boundary on one side but, with England four down within the first nine overs of their reply, it seemed it would be more than enough.But with Mathews forced to leave the pitch in the early stages of England’s reply with a recurrence of a hamstring strain, Sri Lanka were forced to make up not only his overs but, perhaps, some of the calm his experience might have provided to his team-mates. Their fielding wilted under pressure and, as England grew in belief, so Sri Lanka started to look rattled.In the end Plunkett provided the memorable finish this fine match deserved. This England side – with its apparently fragile top order and somewhat thin bowling attack – is flawed, certainly. But they don’t know when they are beaten and they seem to be playing with more belief and conviction by the month. The next few years promise a great deal more entertainment.

Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali produced impressive spells to subdue Kane Williamson and set England up for a six-wicket victory in Mumbai

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai12-Mar-2016
ScorecardAdil Rashid finished with 3 for 15 to help tie down New Zealand•Getty Images

After seven overs New Zealand were 78 for 1, steadily marching towards another 200-plus target like they had posted two evenings ago against Sri Lanka. Kane Williamson, New Zealand’s captain, was knocking runs effortlessly as the England fast bowlers struggled to find the right length in the early overs.Eoin Morgan, the England captain, had already tried all his quicks: Chris Jordan, Reece Topley, Liam Plunkett and Ben Stokes. Against each of them, Williamson had waited till the last minute before reacting to the ball.Williamson, always easy on the eye, looted 19 runs from the third over, delivered by Plunkett. He started with two sucessive fours: the first went over Plunkett’s head, followed by a deft flick to the right of Adil Rashid at short fine leg. A double that sailed over the outstretched hands of Alex Hales at midwicket and was then followed by a fluent cover-driven four. Plunkett continued to err and pitched full again, allowing Willimson to drive over midwicket for another four.When the left-armer Topley pitched short and wide outside off stump, the New Zealand captain, up on his toes, cut bluntly for a sweetly timed four. Stokes replaced Plunkett but Williamson first stroked him over cover to bring up New Zealand’s 50 and then moved outside the line of the ball to hit over mid-off for another easy four.Moving inside the line of the ball, Willamson then hit Stokes into the Sachin Tendulkar Stand at deep midwicket for his first, and only, six. It brought up his 50 off just 26 balls and comprised ten boundaries.Morgan did not wait any further before introducing his spin twins: Moeen Ali and Rashid to stem the flow. Moeen struck immediately when he removed Henry Nichols, who went for the sweep shot, top-edged and was caught at short fine leg by Rashid. The legspinner, too, got into the groove when he had Luke Ronchi drive into the hands of Morgan at point.Still Williamson was lurking at the other end but England need not have worried. Rashid reserved his best for the best batsmen, a perfect legbreak that caught Williamson out of the crease and gave Jos Butler enough time to whip off the bails. Surprisingly, and disappointingly for Willamson, New Zealand stagnated thereafter.If England were wondering how their two best spinners would fare on Indian wickets they will have been heartened by the first audition. Both Moeen and Rashid kept a tight line, utilised the spin of the pitch and made use of the drift wisely to expose the weakness of the New Zealand batsmen against slow bowlers.After 10 overs New Zealand were 101 for 2. After 15 overs they were 123 for 5. England’s spinners had nicely washed away all the gains scored Williamson in the first ten overs. Only 45 runs came in the middle segment of the New Zealand innings, comprising eight overs bowled by Moeen and Rashid. It was there England snatched the match out of New Zealand’s hands.”It was pretty important for us, we look to win every game whether it’s a warm-up or not,” Rashid said. “We always want to play at 100% and this was a good workout,” he said. “If you’ve got a spinning wicket you’ve still got to execute your skills and bowl your variations.”These are different conditions that we’ve got to adapt to. In India you’ve got to adjust your lines and lengths and field placings.”A target of 170 did not prove to too difficult for England, who bat deep. The opening combination of Jason Roy and Alex Hales did not disappoint as they gave England the aggressive start they were looking for: after the Powerplay they were 53 for 0. At the halfway stage England needed a further 81 runs with nine wickets in hand. Roy had departed having hit a robust 55 off 36 balls, which included two massive sixes, one of which went out of the ground in the passage separating the Vijay Merchant and Sachin Tendulkar stands behind deep midwicket.The match did get exciting towards the end, however, with England needing 42 runs from the final four overs. Eoin Morgan took charge and looked like taking his team home till he went for one shot too many. Having reverse swept Nathan McCullum for a four Morgan attempted a slog sweep the very next ball but was caught on the ropes by Williamson: 22 runs from 16 was now the target. It became 20 from the final two overs.Jos Buttler picked Trent Boult’s slower delivery to hit it flat over deep midwicket for a six. Then Stokes punched a low full toss for a one-bounce four that beat Mitchell Santner at wide long-on. With the target down to six from six, Buttler wrapped up the issue with a straight four against a low, slow full toss from Tim Southee.

Will Luke talks to the West Indian fast bowler, Daren Powell

Will Luke in Dublin12-Jul-2007

Daren Powell: putting a spring back into West Indies’ step © Getty Images
Watching West Indies celebrate their win over England in the one-day series was special, and marked a remarkable transformation in fortunes for such a brittle side. And for Daren Powell, their fast bowler who suffered during the preceding Tests, the win was a relief as much as anything else. For once, his team could walk tall on this tour.”It was a big relief because we’d been losing, and we didn’t want to be going home with our heads down,” Powell told Cricinfo after West Indies’ thumping win over Netherlands in Dublin on Monday, “For the past year or so, I’ve been saying that I really want to come home from a series with my head up, smiling – and it’s so good that we beat England, you know, it was a real good one.”When we travelled down on the bus to London, I spent some time looking at everyone on the bus…and it was just completely changed, a different bunch of players. Happy, joking, laughing and having a nice time. It’s good to see everyone smiling, happy about what we did, and how we felt.”For a team whose decline in the past 10 years has been as stark as it has been depressing, the victory was a timely fillip, especially as they now have to pit their wits against some of the lesser teams of the world. The squad has decamped to Ireland for a Quadrangular tournament that also involves Netherlands and Scotland, and the onus is on them to maintain the same intensity they showed against England.”It’s pretty hard when you’re playing a team that’s less competitive,” said Powell. “But we haven’t been winning much cricket, and then had a really good series in the one-dayers against England. And after those one-dayers, we just forget everything that happened in the [preceding] Tests.”It just showed that it’s good to win,” he said. “And whatever happens here, we just have to remember how good it is to win. Winning gives you confidence, and then you know how to carry on in other games, when you reach tougher opposition. [In the past] West Indies haven’t pulled off the victory when we should.”Why has it been a tour of two halves, though? West Indies were so dismal during the Test series that few gave them much hope of even challenging England in the one-dayers. Yet they lifted themselves to a new, thrilling level – and, crucially for them, they were clearly enjoying it all so much. Powell, too, was a man reborn, consistently bowling in excess of 90mph and showing excellent control, picking up six wickets at 21.83. Could it have had anything to do with the identity of his captain, Chris Gayle?

Chris Gayle: ‘The whole team has changed since the day he took over’ © Getty Images
“Chris really is tremendous you know,” Powell, a good friend of Gayle’s, said. “Maybe people will take this the wrong way, because we’re from the same country [Jamaica], but really, I’ve played under so many other captains in the past. He doesn’t say much, but he knows how to gel the team together – to spark off your plugs and stuff – and it’s very pleasing to see someone like him generating this team spirit.”He’s a funny guy – always jovial around the team, not like what you see on TV when he probably has a serious face. He’s a jovial kind of guy and often in team meetings, he’ll just say ‘believe in yourself’. He just has a way with people. To me, the whole team has changed since the day he took over.”That’s quite some statement. Who, honestly, would have thought Gayle – as laid back as a flattened deckchair – could inspire so much from his troops? Gayle himself has been very quick to maintain that he’s keeping the seat warm for Ramnaresh Sarwan, who left their tour of England through injury. But inspiration, fortune and success can manifest themselves from the most unlikely of sources and people.Gayle to captain the Test side, then? A broad smile and a revealingly guffawing laugh from Powell suggests he’s already given it some thought. But why the laugh? “Well, because of the name Sarwan! [cue even more laughter].”Sarwan is also good, but it’s up to what the selectors want to do now,” said Powell. “To me, if they want to have different captains for the one-day side and the Test side, that would be nice. And if they pick Sarwan again, that too would be tremendous, you know, as long as the guys can keep up the same momentum as with Chris.”And the impression you get from Powell – a character almost as hynotically relaxed as Gayle – is that West Indies are in no mood to let up the pressure on Ireland, Scotland – or anyone else. Maybe Gayle is the man for the job, after all.

After Arsenal well and truly demolished PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday evening it looked as though the Gunners were back in the silky groove that had seen them dominate so much last season.

Indeed, that looked true during the opening half an hour of the north London derby on Sunday afternoon too.

Mikel Arteta's men came flying at Spurs who were forced to play through a rampant pressing unit. To their credit, Ange Postecoglou's men did well to navigate proceedings in that regard.

It wasn't enough to prevent them from going a goal down, however, with Bukayo Saka finding the net via wicket deflection off Cristian Romero.

That went down as an own goal before Saka would score in his own right from the penalty spot in the second half. That, however, wasn't enough for a win as Heung-min Son scored twice to ensure proceedings ended 2-2.

Arsenal were far from their free-flowing best. Skipper Martin Odegaard, fresh from a majestic performance in the Champions League a few days ago only recorded 18 passes at a woeful 64% success rate, while Jorginho, a half-time substitute for the injured Declan Rice, was robbed of possession in shambolic circumstances by James Maddison for Tottenham's second.

That said, the usually tireless Eddie Nketiah was perhaps one of the biggest party poopers on Sunday.

How did Nketiah play against Spurs?

The young striker has been an astute deputy for Gabriel Jesus throughout 2023.

The Brazilian sustained an injury at the World Cup last winter, a problem that ultimately saw him miss a few months. At the time, it was a worry for the Gunners, but upstepped Nketiah who scored against West Ham and Brighton immediately after the break before bagging twice, including a late winner against Manchester United in late January.

He started the new campaign vibrantly too, netting versus Nottingham Forest and Fulham, but with Jesus now fit and firing again, his performances have dwindled.

Against Everton eight days ago he was hauled off just after the hour mark and probably shouldn't have been given much more time than that yesterday.

Whether he'd have played but for Leandro Trossard's training injury is an interesting trail of thought, as Jesus was moved to the left-hand side after his European exploits, with Nketiah leading the line again.

However, after a timid showing, it was Jesus who was taken off in the second half, with the academy graduate somehow lasting the whole 100 minutes that were played.

Perhaps the most frustrating moment of Nketiah's afternoon was in the first half. Destiny Udogie's backpass flew past Micky van de Ven which left the Arsenal number 14 with a tight chance to score from.

He ignored Fabio Vieira who was racing towards the penalty spot and instead stuck an effort straight at Guglielmo Vicaro in the Tottenham net.

The £100k-per-week earner is usually accustomed to doing the dirty work but was largely anonymous throughout, making a mere six passes in 100 minutes on the field, and also registering just 23 touches of the ball. For context, even the Gunners' stopper, David Raya, had more say with the ball at his feet, taking 42 touches in total.

Described as "average" by Man United personality Mark Goldbridge, this was certainly a game to forget for Nketiah who was decidedly toothless and inept in the final third.

Usually such a vibrant poacher, he lacked the instinct to be in the right place at the right time, with his small influence on the game summed up by Arsenal's apparent lack of desire to put the ball into the area throughout injury time.

To make matters worse, the 24-year-old was perhaps lucky not to be sent off for a late challenge on Vicario as he flew through the Spurs 'keeper when the ball had already gone.

It's not often in the last 12 months that you could say Arsenal need to sign a new striker. Jesus was so promising in the early stages of term but if they are to persist with Nketiah, trouble will only brew in the final third.

Whether or not Trossard and Martinelli are fit for this week's fixtures, Nketiah must be ditched from the starting XI. His position is surely now Jesus' for the taking.

Harry Kane and Thomas Tuchel gave their thoughts on Bayern Munich loanee Josip Stanisic scoring for Bayern Leverkusen against his parent club.

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• Kane and Tuchel reacted to Stanisic scoring
• Bayern loanee scored against his ex-club
• Stanisic went out on loan in the summer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Stanisic opened the scoring for Bayer Leverkusen in the 18th minute before Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong added to Bayern Munich's misery. After the harrowing 3-0 defeat against the league leaders, Harry Kane reacted to Stanisic's goal against his parent club while Thomas Tuchel lamented about Germany not having the "English rule".

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking to , Kane said, "The club made a decision at the start of the season and it is what it is. He’s a good player and I trained a few times with him. That wasn’t the reason we lost the game. We lost because we weren’t good enough on the ball."

  Tuchel, on the other hand, told reporters post the game, "In England, there's a nice rule where when you loan a player out, they can't play against you. For me that makes more sense. I experienced it often in my career, that a player comes back to haunt the team – the rule unfortunately doesn't exist in Germany. Today we were the ones to suffer from this. I saw Stani earlier and congratulated him, but he's a Bayer Leverkusen player now. That's all I can say."

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In England, on-loan players are forbidden to play against their parent club in the Premier League, although they can play in cup competitions. The 23-year-old was sent out on loan by The Bavarians at the start of the season. For Leverkusen, he has appeared in 19 games in the ongoing season. His maiden goal for Xabi Alonso's side came against Bayern on Saturday.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

  Tuchel's side, who are now trailing Bayer Leverkusen by five points, will be next seen in action in the Champions League as they take on Lazio in the first leg of their round of 16 clash on Wednesday.

Joe Root, England’s Test captain, has said he blames the system, not the individuals, for the growing trend towards white-ball specialisation

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2018

Joe Root, England’s Test captain, has said he blames the system, not the individuals, for the growing trend towards specialisation that has tempted the likes of Alex Hales and Adil Rashid to accept white-ball-only county contracts.But, Root added, there could still be a future for such players to help reinvigorate the fortunes of England’s Test team, so long as the game’s authorities can find a way to restructure the international schedule to enable all three formats to co-exist more easily.Hales and Rashid both confirmed earlier this month that they would not be turning out for Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire respectively in this year’s County Championship, effectively putting their Test careers on indefinite hold. Rashid, who was overlooked for the Ashes squad despite being England’s leading wicket-taker in India and Bangladesh last winter, admitted this week that he had lost the “buzz” for playing red-ball cricket.However, Root – who has himself had to sit out of England’s T20 side in recent months in a bid to balance his own priorities in Test and 50-over cricket – believes that the current trends in international cricket suggest that players who stand out in the shorter formats should not be discounted from making an impact in the five-day game.”Players like Alex and Rash, who get pigeon-holed as white-ball specialists, I think there’s a future for them in Test cricket,” Root told Sky Sports. “You look at how the game has changed in the last five years – with scoring rates and the things you now need to do with the ball – the skills you have to have, a lot of them have come from white-ball cricket.”That cross-over, I think, can be there if guys have the attitude and determination to play Test cricket. There’s no reason, if you are suited to the white ball, you can’t tailor yourself into a red-ball cricketer. It’s just about having that want and drive, and to have enough opportunity to play red-ball cricket in the county system and around the world for that to develop.”At present, however, there is very little opportunity for any elite cricketer to excel in all three formats concurrently, with India’s Virat Kohli perhaps the exception that proves the rule. Australia’s Steve Smith, for instance, joined Root in missing the recent T20 tri-series in the wake of a busy winter in which his Test form invited comparison to the great Donald Bradman. He now faces a struggle to regain his place among a team of specialists who took that competition by storm.”It’s very difficult to stop guys doing it,” Root said of the temptation to specialise in white-ball cricket. “You can’t place blame on individuals, there’s an issue higher up than that, and I think schedules will have to be tampered [with] and changed slightly.”If you’re playing all three formats, somewhere down the line you’re going to have to miss some cricket. Personally, mine’s been in T20 series – I’m obviously not going to miss any Test cricket now and, with a 50-over World Cup next year, there’s a big focus on playing that.”So it can feel like a long time until you play that next format, and guys want to be playing everything as much as possible. Maybe there is something that needs to be looked at there. Give guys a chance to play all three formats and not have to make that decision.”As for the long-term viability of Test cricket, Root remained optimistic about its future – even if Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, believes that the time to save the format may already have been and gone.”I really hope [it will still be played], it’s called Test cricket for a reason,” said Root. “It challenges you, you find yourself in every scenario you can do in cricket. It would be a real shame if it was not there.”I think the challenge is to make sure you keep it current, and make sure people want to turn on the telly, come to grounds, and watch it. Day-night Tests are great ideas, not necessarily in England but around the world, because you’ve seen the impact it’s had. If we can find ways to keep people interested and excited, we need to do it.”

Botafogo star Guilherme Madruga has won the Puskas Award for the most beautiful goal in 2023.

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• Madruga goal dubbed the best of 2023
• Scored sensational overhead kick
• Beat competition from Enciso & Nuno Santos

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Botafogo star was given the prize for his strike against Novorizontino in the Brazilian Serie B. The Brazilian scored an incredible overhead kick from distance. It was the winning goal and his first for the club.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  His goal beat competition from Julio Enciso, nominated for his wonderstrike for Brighton against Manchester City in the Premier League in May, and Sporting star Nuno Santos, who made the final three with his goal against Boavista in March.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Madruga follows the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, James Rodriguez, Olivier Giroud, Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min in winning the award for the best goal of the year.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Madruga and Botafogo finished 12th in Serie B last season, resulting in the Sao Paulo club missing out on promotion. They will hope the 23-year-old midfielder can add more goals to his record and help them get promoted in 2024.

Former Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit has called out Blues ownership for considering the sale of Conor Gallagher to Tottenham Hotspur.

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• Chelsea considering Gallagher sale
• Petit slams club for considering sale
• Spurs interested in the midfielder

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Gallagher has recently been linked with a move to Ange Postecoglou's side who are looking to sign a final-third midfielder to secure their hopes of fighting for the title. For Chelsea, Gallagher has been a standout in what has been a very disappointing season so far, therefore, Petit has criticized Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital for even considering the sale of the 23-year-old.

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• WHAT PETIT SAID

  Talking to DAZN Bet, Petit said: "I understand Chelsea’s frustration with Gallagher potentially going to Tottenham. And you know what, I was surprised to read that in the newspapers, I thought to myself, 'Is it a joke? What's the point, after asking him to come back from Crystal Palace?'

  "He was enjoying his life over there, his game over there, he was becoming a different player, and they asked him to come back to the club. They bought thousands of players and now because they need money, they're going to sell probably one of their best players, and an English player on top of it," he continued.

  "I think they don't learn from their mistakes because it happened with Mason Mount. So what is the point? I mean, it's very important for the supporters to get some English players in the team. For me, identity is very important.

  "If you want to sell Gallagher because you spent more than £1billion on transfers in one year, then you have no idea what you are doing in the club. But on top of it, you are going to sell to Tottenham, your neighbours, one of the biggest rivals in the Premier League? Come on guys!" he added.

  "Is anyone advising Boehly sometimes because I don't know what's going on in this club? They should keep Gallagher. Obviously, they want to sell players, they have a lot of players to sell in the dressing room."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gianluca DiMarzio claimed that Chelsea have set a price tag of £35 million ($45 million) for Gallagher if he is to move to north London in the winter. During the previous summer transfer window, Tottenham had indicated that they were interested in signing the England international. Even though Chelsea was amenable to the arrangement, it had not been completed.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR GALLAGHER?

  It is still unlikely that the deal for Gallagher's move to north London will materialize due to Chelsea's high asking price for the former Crystal Palace star. He will next be in action for the Blues when they take on Preston North End in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, January 7 at Stamford Bridge.

Crystal Palace have made a verbal offer to sign Montpellier striker Elye Wahi and these next few days could be "decisive", according to reports.

Who will Crystal Palace sign?

It was a mixed 2022/2023 Premier League campaign for the Eagles, with relegation comfortably avoided but little progress made in terms of mixing it with England's elite.

Palace also sacked former manager Patrick Vieira with the Frenchman leading them into dangerous territory at the time, leaving them to turn to fan and club favourite Roy Hodgson.

After he guided them to safety, the Eagles saw fit to award Hodgson with the permanent job for next season, and a top half finish is now being targeted.

"I know what a fantastic squad we have here," Hodgson said a fortnight ago (via the BBC).

"It's a great blend of youth and potential, alongside experienced players with Premier League and international pedigree.

"As such, we have set ourselves the target of a top-half finish, which we believe is eminently achievable with such a fabulous group of players and the most magnificent supporters who get behind the team, week in, week out."

To strengthen further this summer will be imperative to that ambitious goal, with Jefferson Lerma already making the move to Selhurst Park on a free transfer.

Palace have been linked with a succession of more signings, including Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun, AC Milan's Charles De Ketelaere, Netherlands international Donny va de Beek and Torino defender Perr Schurrs recently (footballtransfers).

However, after the departure of star forward Wilfried Zaha, it's perhaps most important they add quality to their attacking ranks.

As such, the south Londoners have been linked with red-hot Ligue 1 striker Wahi, with reliable French newspaper L'Equipe (via Sport Witness) revealing as much.

According to the paper, Palace have made a verbal offer for the 20-year-old, with Hodgson's side having "invited themselves to the talks".

As well as them, it is believed La Liga giants Atletico Madrid have done the same, and these next few days could be "decisive" in determining Wahi's future.

The forward remains on holiday at this moment in time, but according to L'Equipe, he hopes to return and start training with his "new club" – whoever that may be.

How good is Elye Wahi?

Montpellier's star player bagged a brilliant 19 goals and five assists in the league alone last season, ranking as one of their best-performers per 90 in the process according to WhoScored.

Wahi was a consistent threat in the final third and that is exactly what Palace need if they're to achieve their goal of a top half finish next season.

The young attacker has also been praised by members of the media for his displays across the channel.

"If he manages to polish the definition, we are facing a striker who is going to exceed ten goals per season," said journalist Andrés Onrubia Ramos on Twitter.

"A real beast in space that, in addition, associatively also leaves interesting things. It should definitely explode."