Tag Futebol

West Bromwich Albion's squad situation at this point in time is less than ideal, with injuries mounting up, a number of first-team players leaving for the African Cup of Nations soon and now the development of Jeremy Sarmiento being recalled hitting the Baggies square in the face.

The news of Sarmiento returning to Brighton would have stung even more knowing that the Seagulls were just preparing to offload their South American winger out again to Ipswich Town, the Tractor Boys benefiting from West Brom's dire predicament.

Carlos Corberan won't move away from utilising the loan market completely this January however, with the West Midlands side interested in securing another loan move according to reports to attempt to soften the blow of Sarmiento exiting.

West Brom transfer latest – another loan deal

TEAMtalk have recently reported that the promotion-chasing Baggies are going after Dexter Lembikisa in January, the current Rotherham United man excelling with the Millers away from parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan.

Yet, West Brom could come in this month and offer Lembikisa a better loan move where he could help Corberan's men clinch promotion to the Premier League instead of playing his part in Rotherham staving off relegation.

The Championship playoff hopefuls aren't the only interested party though, with TEAMTalk further elaborating that Middlesbrough and Ipswich are also keen whilst the Tractor Boys' arch nemesis Norwich City have joined the queue too for his services.

EFL Championship done deals: Every January 2024 transfer

As the January transfer window closes, FFC has you covered for every in and out involving your club in the EFL Championship.

ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

West Brom will hope they can land Lembikisa to get a tetchy Baggies fanbase back on side, the masses at the Hawthorns growing increasingly worried at the threadbare nature of the squad before them.

Dexter Lembikisa's style of play

Lembikisa would push the likes of Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend all the way on his arrival to the West Midlands to stake a claim for a first-team spot, equally adept at playing down both flanks as an adaptable full-back presence.

The current Millers man is also more than capable of venturing forward and playing further up the field if needed, scoring once so far this campaign for Rotherham under the previous tenure of Matt Taylor by confidently firing home on the volley against Norwich City.

Lembikisa's form has taken somewhat of a nosedive in recent weeks, as his Rotherham side continue to struggle to beat the drop, but Taylor showered the explosive 20-year-old with praise after that stunning strike – the ex-Millers boss describing Lembikisa as 'outstanding' when speaking to BirminghamLive.

Wolves pathways manager Steve Davis also described the Jamaican full-back as a 'confident boy' via the Premier League club's website when Lembikisa joined the Millers, the young defender hoping he can excel with a team higher up the Championship if rumours are correct and justify the confidence he possesses in his own ability too.

West Brom need all the bodies they can get into the building at this moment in time – and in Lembikisa – the Baggies would get a raw, exciting talent that could see the second-tier side go from being passive in games to suddenly upping the tempo and terrifying teams.

Losing Sarmiento will hurt those at the Hawthorns for the time being, but by signing this exciting 20-year-old defender this month, could get the ball rolling with many more purchases coming in after to breathe life back into a depleted West Brom group.

Arsenal are once again seeking the ultimate silverware in the form of the Premier League title. The Gunners came ever so close throughout the last campaign, but were eventually denied by the winning machine of Manchester City on their way to picking up an historic treble. This time around, those in North London will hope that their victory over the champions at The Emirates will go a long way in their claim for top spot come May. Meanwhile, the January transfer window could also play a part.

If Arsenal can add some final reinforcements to Mikel Arteta's side, then they may well become a force strong enough to outperform Pep Guardiola's outfit. Arteta is seemingly well aware of that too, having reportedly requested one particular January signing.

Arsenal transfer news

After sealing their return to Champions League action last season, Arsenal could have easily sat back and settled for European qualification once more. Instead, however, they made a statement in the summer by beating City to the signature of Declan Rice, whilst also welcoming Kai Havertz from Chelsea. Rice has particularly slotted straight in and became a vital player under Arteta, who has reportedly requested a repeat of Arsenal's midfield recruitment for the January transfer window.

According to Sport in Spain, Arteta has asked Arsenal to sign Ruben Neves from Al-Hilal in January in a new wish. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder left the Midlands club in favour of a move to Saudi Arabia during the summer, but could now get an instant return to England's top flight. The Gunners could reportedly welcome Neves as a replacement for Thomas Partey, who has struggled with injuries and a lack of game time this season, with Arteta insisting on a move. Arsenal know all about his quality too, given that two of Neves' Premier League goals came against the Gunners.

They will reportedly have to fend off interest from Newcastle United in pursuit of the midfielder's signature, though the Premier League could vote to block players moving between associated clubs on loan, which could rule out a move to the Magpies for Neves in January.

Arteta wants to sign "complete" Neves

It's easy to forget just how talented Neves is after he swapped the Premier League for the Saudi Pro League during the summer, but this is still a player who appears to be able to compete at the highest level. For a side in Arsenal's position, adding the Portugal international to their side could make all the difference in their hunt for silverware. Neves' stats in the Premier League certainly show that he is ready to replace Partey.

Player

Goals

Assists

Tackles Won

Interceptions

Ruben Neves

6

1

43

50

Thomas Partey

3

0

40

28

Former manager Julen Lopetegui was also full of praise for the midfielder last season, saying:

"All of my decisions are difficult for me, but I prefer to always have all the players ready. It’s very good news for us that Ruben is coming. Of course, Ruben is a very important player for us and now he is ready to play. It is good news for us, for sure. He is a very good player, a very complete player and important for the dressing room and on the pitch.”

Glasgow Rangers made the decision to part ways with manager Michael Beale earlier this month after the English tactician endured a difficult start to the season.

The Light Blues lost three of their opening seven Scottish Premiership matches and were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV during the play-off round, which meant that the club moved into the group stages of the Europa League.

This came after the former Chelsea youth coach was allowed to oversee an overhaul of the playing squad over the course of the summer transfer window.

Jack Butland

Free

Dujon Sterling

Free

Leon Balogun

Free

Kieran Dowell

Free

Jose Cifuentes

Permanent

Sam Lammers

Permanent

Cyriel Dessers

Permanent

Danilo

Permanent

Abdallah Sima

Loan

As shown in the table above, the former Rangers chief was able to snap nine new recruits to bolster the team after the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield, Antonio Colak, Fashion Sakala, and Ianis Hagi moved on, either on loan or permanently.

The results on the pitch did not justify the mass changes and the board made the decision to ditch the English tactician, who has since been replaced by Belgian boss Philippe Clement.

However, not all of Beale's deals were to the detriment of the club as one player who has been a standout performer on the pitch since his arrival is goalkeeper Jack Butland.

How much did Rangers pay for Butland?

Rangers did not pay a penny for the former England international as they agreed a pre-contract deal for the shot-stopper back in June, ahead of his contract with Crystal Palace expiring at the end of the month.

At the time of the move, Beale claimed that the club had signed an "excellent" goalkeeper who is now in the prime years of his career at the age of 30.

His performances so far this season have backed up that claim but there may have been some doubts over how it would pan out at the time due to his difficulties in England in recent years.

How many Premier League appearances did Butland make?

He racked up 87 Premier League appearances throughout his time down south with various clubs but none of those came during a loan spell with Manchester United last season.

Butland spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Old Trafford but Erik ten Hag did not feature him in a single competitive match before his return to Palace, and eventual move to Ibrox.

That came after the 30-year-old ace only played ten top-flight games in two-and-a-half seasons with the Eagles as he failed to displace Spanish titan Vicente Guaita to earn a regular spot in the starting XI.

He did play nine times during the 2021/22 campaign. However, the Englishman was unable to catch the eye as 43% of the shots on his goal found the back of the net and his side only kept one clean sheet, as per Sofascore.

His troubles at Palace, and United, came after an impressive start to his senior career with Birmingham and Stoke in his younger days. He racked up 214 competitive appearances for those two clubs combined and kept 60 clean sheets in total.

Butland became the youngest goalkeeper in England history when he made his debut against Italy in 2012 at the age of 19 and has earned nine caps for his country to date.

The 6 foot 5 colossus enjoyed a fantastic spell with Stoke after coming through the academy system at Birmingham as he won their Player of the Year award for the 2015/16 and 2018/19 campaigns.

He kept 18 clean sheets and saved 71% of the shots on his goal across 45 Championship starts during the latter season but failed to build on his form for the Potters as his career fell by the wayside at Palace after a move to Selhurst Park in 2020.

How has Butland performed for Rangers?

Rangers now appear to have benefitted from Butland's declining career as they swooped in to sign him for £0 and the towering gem has been a revelation this season.

The former England international has hit the ground running at Ibrox and already established himself as a star and key player for the club with his fantastic performances between the sticks.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.11 across nine Scottish Premiership starts and kept an eye-catching six clean sheets to date, with an impressive 77% save percentage.

Whereas, Allan McGregor only saved 57% of the shots on his goal and kept eight shutouts in 24 top-flight appearances for the Light Blues last season.

This suggests that Rangers have secured a huge upgrade in goal by replacing the veteran Scotsman with Butland, who was hailed for his "outstanding" goalkeeping by journalist Josh Bunting in August, over the summer transfer window.

The former Stoke star has also enjoyed a strong start to life in Europe with an average Sofascore rating of 7.35 and a save percentage of 75% across two Europa League group stage outings.

How much is Butland worth now?

Football Insider recently reported that the Light Blues value the 30-year-old colossus at a fee of at least £5m amid interest from Championship side Birmingham.

The outlet claimed that his former club are keen on a deal for the Gers star, just months on from his move to the Scottish giants, but also add that the Ibrox side will not entertain any offers for his services during the upcoming January transfer window.

They have also stated that his internal valuation at Rangers will only increase further beyond £5m if his impressive performances on the pitch continue throughout the rest of the 2023/24 campaign.

The interest from Birmingham highlights how much of an impact Butland has made for the club this season as he has done enough to attract attention from elsewhere after three months of competitive football.

His valuation has quickly soared from £0 to £5m since Beale snapped him up for nothing from Palace and the former Gers boss, therefore, deserves credit.

The ex-QPR head coach hit the jackpot for the club with his move to sign the giant stopper, who now looks set to play a key role for Clement moving forward.

ECB’s standards of corporate governance ‘fall well short of what’s acceptable’, says former Somerset chairman

George Dobell07-Mar-2018A county chief executive has called for an independent inquiry into the ECB’s decision to make payments to Test-hosting grounds, in the wake of the resignation from the ECB Board of Andy Nash, the former Somerset chairman, who cited standards of corporate governance which “fall well short of what’s acceptable”.Nash, once tipped as a potential successor to Colin Graves as ECB chairman, was responding to revelations – published by The Times in recent days – that several Test-hosting counties will receive large payments (understood to be GBP500,000 a year) in years they do not host Tests. These payments, Nash alleges, were agreed without the ECB board’s approval or even knowledge.As a former Somerset chairman, Nash was alarmed that the payments would marginalise the 10 non-Test hosting clubs and “clearly signals to many a move to promote eight counties as the first among equals”.It is not hard to understand Nash’s concerns. In recent days Hampshire – a club who will benefit significantly from the arrangement – have announced the signing of Sam Northeast in the face of substantial opposition from other counties. Kent, Northeast’s club since his schooldays, will not benefit from the payments. Is it fair, Nash asks, for such counties to be disadvantaged in these situations? Equally, is it fair that a club such as Glamorgan – that has seen loans of public money written off and has a modest record of producing England players – is rewarded with extra funds?It is also understood that Nash’s attempts to raise his concerns in recent days have been most unwelcome to members of the ECB executive – especially Graves – and he therefore came to the conclusion that he could serve no further purpose on the board.”I hereby resign with immediate effect from the ECB Board,” Nash wrote in a letter to Graves.”I’ve recently become concerned that the standards of Corporate Governance at ECB are falling well short of what’s acceptable and in all conscience I can’t allow myself to continue to be associated with it.”I would be failing in my duty as a director if I didn’t bring these to the Board’s attention and this I’ve tried to do. The current fiasco over the actual / alleged / planned payments to TMGs is an exemplar. Whether intentional or not it clearly signals to many a move to promote 8 Counties as the first among equals. As an ardent supporter of the 18 FCCs this is not a direction of travel I can live with.”It’s also come to my attention in the last 24 hours that my actions as a listening and conscientious NXD are sadly misunderstood and misinterpreted by yourself. I sincerely regret that because all I want is the best for the game and for good governance of the ECB.”I wish English cricket every future success: it’s been an enormous privilege to serve this great game as a County Chairman and ECB Board Director since 2004.”At this stage, the resignation is only an embarrassment to an ECB executive that have talked a good game about corporate governance – Tom Harrison, the chief executive, even used it as mitigation for Ashes defeat. But it has the potential to become much more serious.In the event of an independent inquiry, one obvious area of interest would be the on-going situation whereby Yorkshire, who fared well both in major match allocations and in terms of being awarded the right to host one of the new T20 teams, owe family trusts set up by Graves over GBP20 million. Those Grave trusts also retain a right of veto over who joins or leaves the Yorkshire board.Graves, it might be remembered, left the room when the ECB Board approved the recent major match allocations, as he accepted there was the possibility of a perception of conflict of interest. But did he leave the room when Durham were stripped of their Test status, or when the chairman’s meeting rejected the ECB’s own working-party recommendation into a future T20 competition featuring promotion and relegation rather than the new-team version?There may also be scrutiny of a letter, signed by Graves and sent to Somerset, at a time when the club was faltering in their support of the new-team competition. In the letter, Graves seems to imply that Somerset would be well placed as a future host of one of the new teams, though they subsequently missed out on that opportunity. ESPNcricinfo understands that Somerset did briefly consider a legal challenge to that decision but have been assured they will be better served, in the long term, if they accept their fate.And that may be considered the nub of the problem. For too long, deals have been conducted out of sight and scrutiny. For too long, counties have been forced into acquiescence by offers of patronage or fears of retribution. The ECB, who insisted on non-disclosure agreements during the debate over the future direction of domestic T20, has now reacted to recent negative publicity by threatening to report anyone suspected of ‘leaking’ information to the media to their new regulatory committee designed to uphold standards of integrity. Does that sound like an organisation that welcomes scrutiny and openness?Nash had served as a board member and county chairman for more than a decade but this act, bringing to light the high-handed management of the game, may prove to be his most influential moment.

Joe Davis is calling the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The heated matchup has resulted in some interesting comments both on and off the field, but it's the way that Davis is calling the action that has some fans crying foul.

Davis, who has been the full-time voice of the Dodgers since 2017, has been accused of homerism, the same way that Bob Costas has been during the Yankees-Royals ALDS for Turner. The only difference is, fans screaming favoritism with Davis seem to be mostly grasping at straws.

For instance, here's a post showing Davis apparently forcing himself to smile through an interview with Fernando Tatis Jr. after Game 3.

And here are some reactions to the post:

"It’s ridiculous to put Joe Davis on a Dodgers series."
"Joe wanted the Dodgers to win it all again 😭 "
"I swear they don’t wanna see us shine"
"He is crying on the inside"
"That man is HURTING"
"Cope Joe"

The thing is, Davis doesn't seem uncomfortable at all during the actual interview with Tatis. It looks more like an announcer making the same faces anyone would make during a player interview.

Not to mention Davis's call of Tatis's second inning home run that broke the game open for the Padres.

That's an announcer caught up in the postseason drama who sure sounds like he's enjoying one of the best players in baseball doing something awesome. If this is how well Davis is disguising his bias, he's doing a great job faking it.

Chelsea were keen to reach an agreement for a new striker last year, and a reliable journalist has revealed that chiefs held a meeting with his family to discuss a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's summer arrivals

Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino recruited 12 fresh faces over the summer all on a permanent basis, with some of the biggest names to walk through the doors being the likes of Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson just to name a few.

The Blues may have had a complete squad transformation, but that hasn’t stopped them from making a disappointing start to the new season having won four, drawn four and lost four of their opening 12 games, meaning that they currently find themselves 10th in the Premier League table.

The Stamford Bridge outfit will no doubt have had targets who they failed to secure during previous transfer windows, and one of those appears to be Palmeiras striker Endrick who has established himself as Abel Ferreira’s best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Palmeiras stats).

The Brazil international has already agreed to join Real Madrid next summer with Carlo Ancelott’s side acting fast to get a deal over the line, but if the following update is to be believed, the 17-year-old could well have been on his way to SW6 had things have turned out differently.

Chelsea held talks over deal for Endrick

Taking to X, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Chelsea held a meeting with Endrick's family regarding a move, but in the end, his heart was set on a switch to the Bernabeu Stadium.

He wrote: “Endrick deal background story… PSG had €93m [£81m] package bid rejected for both Estevao and Endrick. Chelsea invited Endrick’s family to London to present their project. Real Madrid’s Juni Calafat, key to make it happen.”

Boehly could have landed "phenomenon" in Endrick

Whilst Chelsea have missed out on Endrick, Pochettino will know that he could have had an extraordinary talent on his hands in the capital, with the centre-forward having posted 26 contributions, 24 goals and two assists, in 70 appearances since the start of his career (Transfermarkt – Endrick stats).

The Taguatinga native also currently ranks in the 97th percentile for successful take-ons (FBRef – Endrick statistics), highlighting his ability to use his pace, dribble past his marker and create as many chances as possible for himself and his teammates in the final third.

Indirect set-piece threat

Likes to dribble

Gets fouled often

Sponsored by Nike, the left-footed teenager is additionally a versatile operator having been utilised in four various positions over the pitch following his arrival on the professional scene, including three across the frontline and one in the midfield.

According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Endrick is a “phenomenon” for his age and he has an extremely bright future ahead of him, so it may prove to be a real shame that the Blues failed to secure the signature of their target who is a real up-and-coming prospect.

Kent beat Somerset for the 11th successive time in a high-scoring affair at Canterbury – a remarkable sequence which put them alongside Somerset in the knockout stages

ECB Reporters Network16-Aug-2018
ScorecardKent Spitfires downed South Group leaders Somerset by five runs in a high-scoring thriller at Canterbury to book their place in the last eight of this year’s Vitality Blast T20.Kent’s seventh south group win inflicted Somerset’s fourth defeat in their final game of the campaign and extended the West Country county’s woeful, winless T20 run against Kent to 11 matches dating back to 2011.Batting first, Kent posted their highest short-form score against Somerset and equalled their best ever T20 total, matching their 231 for 7 scored against Surrey at The Oval in 2015.Somerset chased manfully throughout, and needed a six off the last ball to tie only for Mitch Claydon to send down a near perfect yorker to seal the triumph.Talking T20 podcast

Dan Norcross is joined by editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, Phil Walker, to discuss the latest Blast happenings, including Durham’s rise from the ashes and the golden touch of Kieran Noema-Barnett
ESPN Radio: Listen here

Kent captain Sam Billings led the run spree with an unbeaten 57 from 35 balls, but Sean Dickson’s cameo 20 from nine balls and a belligerent 42 from 22 deliveries by Alex Blake after a sloppy display in the field by the south group leaders.With their place in the last eight already assured, Somerset elected to bowl after winning the toss, but Jerome Taylor’s second over conceded a brace of boundaries to Daniel Bell-Drummond and 14 in total.Joe Denly, Kent’s leading T20 run-getter, plundered a straight six in Jamie Overton’s first over that ended with a deft late cut for four, as the hosts, aided by six Somerset wides within five overs, raced to 50 after only 4.3 overs.Taylor had Denly caught at short third man for 26 from the penultimate delivery of the powerplay to make it 67 for one then, with 37 off 21 balls to his name, Bell-Drummond pushed inside the line of a Max Waller legspinner that clipped off stump.Waller and Roelof van der Merwe, the slow left-armer, stemmed the flow of Spitfires’ boundaries until Heino Kuhn broke the stranglehold with a reverse sweep for six against Johann Myburgh as Kent reached the mid-point on 99 for 2.Kuhn perished attempting to repeat the shot against a Waller full toss, picking out Corey Anderson at point, but Blake opened his boundary account with a straight six off Waller and greeted Overton’s return with another maximum into the retirement complex adjacent to the ground.Waller finished his stint with 2 for 29 as Kent reached 150 in their 16th over with Blake and Billings posting a 50 stand in 4.4 overs.Billings unfurled his ramps, paddles and pulls to collect three successive boundaries in a Taylor over that cost 25 in total, but the partnership ended for 82 when Blake was superbly caught overhead by Overton at long-off for 42.Kent’s skipper reached his third 50 of the campaign from 31 balls, Taylor was taken out of the attack for his second beamer and the visitors conceded six penalty runs for failing to bowl their overs in the alloted time.Chasing 232 at 11.55 an over, Somerset lost Myburgh after 15 balls to a stunning over-the-shoulder catch by Imran Qayyum that gave T20 debutant Grant Stewart his maiden wicket.Steve Davies and Peter Trego, the former Kent allrounder, clattered a quickfire 59 in five overs before Trego holed out to deep square leg then Davies blotted his copybook by chipping Qayyum’s second ball of the night straight to extra cover.Qayyum conceded a huge leg-side six to James Hildreth as Somerset reached 102 for 3after 10 overs but, with the required rate rising to almost 13, Corey Anderson heaved against Calum Haggett to see Billings cling onto a skier running back towards third man.With 82 needed from 30 balls, James Hildreth hooked a Mitch Claydon bouncer to long leg and despite late clubbing from Gregory and Tom Abell Somerset just fell short.

To win a game of Twenty20, teams need to win the big moments. Since humbling Rajasthan Royals on the opening day of the tournament, Bangalore have developed a habit of losing them

Victor Brown26-Apr-2009One year on, Bangalore Royal Challengers have spent a lot of money treading water. Now, as then, they have lost four of their first five IPL matches. Now, as then, the correlation between spending and success has been badly skewed. The extra ingredient of Kevin Pietersen’s increasingly tricky return to top-level captaincy after he lost the England job earlier in the year has added an irresistible subplot. But Pietersen will play just one more game before flying home, leaving Bangalore a further eight group matches to avoid humiliation. On this evidence, it will be tricky.To win a game of Twenty20, teams need to win the big moments. Since humbling Rajasthan Royals on the opening day of the tournament, Bangalore have developed a habit of losing them. Today’s match summed the tendency up, and no moment was bigger than the 17th over of the Delhi reply, which began with the Daredevils needing 43 off 24 balls with seven wickets in hand.Undeterred by the pull for six with which Dinesh Karthik had greeted Jacques Kallis’ return to the attack two overs earlier, Pietersen asked Kallis to try again. This was questionable at the very least. Kallis’ career Twenty20 economy-rate is almost 10. In last year’s IPL he reduced that to 9, but was still the costliest of Bangalore’s regular bowlers. His stock ball in Tests, the widish away-swinger, is eminently hittable in Twenty20. Even so, Pietersen asked him to try again.The first two balls yielded three runs, which was fine. The third was well outside off-stump, but swung just inside the mark umpires use to determine wides. To Kallis’s horror, Sudhir Asnani disagreed and signalled a wide, at which point it all went horribly wrong. Tillakaratne Dilshan, surely one of the world’s most under-rated batsmen, whacked the next ball over wide long-on and out of the ground, before Mithun Manhas lifted Kallis over the head of Robin Uthappa at long-off and away for four.Uthappa should have been standing on the boundary, but worse was to come as Manhas drove Kallis’s next ball wide of mid-on, only for KP Appanna, the left-arm spinner who had earlier done well to concede only 24 off his four overs, to turn a single into a boundary with a mis-field. From then on in, Delhi couldn’t lose. In fact, they’ve now won three out of three. (Kallis, incidentally, has figures in this tournament of 11-0-135-1, which is even worse than Andrew Flintoff.)”The plans that we wanted to do, we executed,” said Pietersen afterwards. “We just let ourselves down with the [Uthappa] catch that went for four, and another one went down to the boundary that went for four. Some of those don’t help you in situations like this. Fielding definitely cost us today.”Bangalore had blown it with the bat too. Pietersen has not played as well as he did today all tournament and together with Ross Taylor was busy dragging Bangalore back from the rubble of 10 for 2. Twice Pietersen advanced down the track to loft a six over long-on – once off Ashish Nehra, once off Daniel Vettori – and when he swept Vettori for four, an imposing total looked on the cards.Next ball, though, he tried the switch-hit and was bowled – just as Vettori bowled him during a World Twenty20 match in Durban in September 2007. Taylor went in the next over, the first after the time-out, and Bangalore had to settle for a gettable 149. “It might have been the wrong option, but that’s how I play,” said Pietersen after his otherwise sparkling 25-ball 37. “I’ve played like that for five years in international cricket and I ain’t changing now.”Pietersen flies home on Wednesday after the game in Durban against Kolkata Knight Riders. Defeat then, and his contention today that he has found the IPL to be “absolutely fantastic” may be tested to the full.

Stats highlights from the second Test between New Zealand and India, which ended in a high-scoring draw in Napier

S Rajesh30-Mar-2009Gautam Gambhir’s 643-minute innings is the seventh-longest by an Indian batsman•Associated Press India batted 180 overs in their second innings, which is the eighth-highest number of deliveries they’ve batted in the second try. The first six of those instances had all been before 1980, which indicates how the nature of the game has changed. The last time they batted more overs was also against New Zealand, in 1999 in Mohali, when they scored 505 for 3 in their second innings after being bundled out for 83 in their first. Surprisingly, seven of the top nine such efforts have happened overseas. It’s also the second-highest number of overs they’ve played when following on – the only occasion they batted longer was at Leeds in 1967 against England, when they faced 209.2 overs to score 510 in a match they ultimately lost by six wickets. Of the 30 games when India have been asked to follow on, they’ve saved eight, lost 21 and won one.India managed to draw a Test after conceding a lead of over 200 in the first innings for the tenth time. Overall, such a feat has been achieved on 78 occasions. For New Zealand, it was the first instance of not winning a Test after enforcing the follow-on at home. Before this match, they had a perfect 7-0 record in games in which the opposition followed on. Overall, of the 14 occasions they’ve asked teams to follow on, New Zealand have won ten and drawn four. Gautam Gambhir’s 436-ball 137 was easily the slowest of his 15 fifty-plus scores in Tests. His innings spanned 643 minutes, which is the seventh-longest by an Indian. (Click here for the entire list of longest Test innings in terms of minutes.) Gambhir’s knock is the slowest by an Indian, in terms of balls faced, for an innings of less than 150. His strike rate of 31.42 is still better than Sanjay Manjrekar’s strike rate of 24.64, when he scored 104 off 422 balls against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1992. There were 12 scores of 50 or more in this Test, which equals the record in New Zealand for most number of 50-plus scores in a match. The only previous occasion when this happened in New Zealand was also in a Test against India, in 1999 in Hamilton. This is the ninth drawn game among the last 25 when captains have enforced the follow-on. Eight of those games involved Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, all of which the minnows lost. Exclude them from the equation, and there have been nine draws out of the last 17 Tests which have involved the follow-on. VVS Laxman’s unbeaten 124 contained 25 fours, which is the highest by any batsman in an innings of 125 or less. Extend the filter to 150 runs, and still only six batsmen rank above him. Laxman’s century was also his first in New Zealand, and his second against them in six Tests.

Manchester United are a club who have been known to develop numerous world-class talents over the years, many of which have had a huge impact on the first-team.

The Red Devils have their wonderful academy setup to thank for their success, which produced the Class of 92’ – arguably the most iconic group of academy graduates in football history.

The group racked up over 3000 combined appearances for the club, helping Sir Alex Ferguson make the club the most successful side in Premier League history.

However, in 2025, Ruben Amorim is the manager tasked with developing the prospects who emerge out of the youth system and restoring the glory days at Old Trafford.

He currently has numerous top-level talents within his ranks, but it appears as though he’s massively mismanaging one player, which could lead to an extremely unpopular departure.

The decline of Kobbie Mainoo at Man Utd

Back in the 2023/24 campaign, United appeared to have unearthed yet another top-level talent from their academy in the form of central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.

At the tender age of just 18, he burst onto the scene and racked up 32 first-team appearances and scored on five separate occasions, with many of which coming in key moments.

The teenager’s most important goal no doubt came in the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City, subsequently helping Erik ten Hag claim his second trophy with the Red Devils.

However, in the last 12 months, Mainoo has endured a steep decline in minutes under Amorim’s guidance, with the 40-year-old evidently not seeing him as part of his plans.

The Englishman has only made 39 appearances since his arrival last November, but only six of which have come from a starting position – with the rest being off the substitutes bench.

In 2025/26 alone, the now 20-year-old has continued to struggle further, subsequently making 10 league appearances, but none of which have been from the start.

He’s only racked up a total of 183 minutes of league action, which works out to just 18.3 minutes of football every time he’s brought off the bench to make an impact.

As a result, the midfielder has been strongly touted with a winter move to join Napoli, which could lead to an unpopular move away from his boyhood club in the months ahead.

The United star who could become the next Mainoo

Ahead of the new year, Amorim could face numerous selection issues as numerous members of his first-team squad look set to join up with their nations ahead of the African Cup of Nations.

Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui look all set to feature for their respective countries at the tournament, which could leave the Red Devils short in numerous key areas.

The forward department could become somewhat depleted, given that the former duo of the trio have often operated alongside one another in the Premier League this campaign.

Dipping into the transfer market could well prove to be an option for the manager, but that would involve splashing the cash after already spending £200m in the summer window.

As a result, the academy could once again provide a reliable source of talent, with Chido Obi one player who deserves an opportunity to thrive in the senior ranks.

The Dane joined the club from Arsenal in the summer of 2024, originally linking up with the youth squad, subsequently scoring just 17 times in 21 games across various levels.

His subsequent form led to a senior call-up under Amorim last season, with the 18-year-old making eight first-team appearances, but was unable to find the back of the net.

Obi, who’s been tipped to be “one of the world’s best” by Leny Yoro, has since dropped back into the U21 ranks this campaign, making 13 appearances to date, and scoring five times whilst laying on two assists for his teammates.

Benjamin Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee are the two senior centre-forward options currently available, but the duo have only scored a combined two goals in the Premier League this season.

Games played

8

Games started

3

Goals scored

3

Mins per goal

100

Shots on target

2.2

Dribbles completed

68%

Touches in opposition box

6.6

Fouls won

1.7

Such a lack of quality should open the door for the youngster to stake his claim for a regular starting position once again, but it appears as though Amorim isn’t keen on the centre-forward.

It could lead to yet another Mainoo situation unfolding ahead of the supporters’ very eyes, which could result in the Red Devils losing yet another one of their most promising talents.

His goalscoring record at youth level is evidence of the quality he possesses in the final third, but it’s crucial the manager backs Obi to provide the goods at Old Trafford.

Mainoo is an example of the quality of player available when putting faith into the club’s academy, but ultimately, Amorim is showcasing his ignorance, given the lack of minutes.

As a result, Mainoo could well depart the club, with Obi too potentially getting frustrated with his lack of first-team action if the manager continues to look past each of the talents.

Upgrade on Sesko: Man Utd pursuing "one of Europe's most in-form STs"

Manchester United’s need for a new centre-forward continues, even after the signing of Benjamin Sesko.

ByRobbie Walls 3 days ago