Ange Postecoglou appeared to exchange angry words with a Tottenham fan during his side's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City.
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England academy batting allrounder becomes first woman to move teams ahead of 2021 launch
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2020Northern Superchargers have retained Katie Levick, Adil Rashid, David Willey ahead of the Hundred’s belated launch in 2021, while England academy batting allrounder Hollie Armitage has become the first player to move teams in the women’s competition.The eight men’s teams in the ECB’s new 100-ball competition have until January to negotiate with players they wish to retain from the squad they selected in October 2019, while in the women’s tournament, players can opt to roll their contracts over to 2021 or negotiate with other teams if they wish to do so.ALSO READ: Bairstow seeks Hundred payday as Pope joins Welsh FireArmitage, who was contracted to the Oval Invincibles for the 2020 season before its postponement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was born in Huddersfield and played for the Leeds-based Diamonds side in the inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She joins Lauren Winfield-Hill and legspinner Levick in the women’s squad.”I love being up North – there’s no better place to be playing cricket and I can’t wait to get started,” Armitage said. “There’s been a lot of publicity around the Hundred, and I think it will be great – both on and off the field. I expect the competition to be central to women’s cricket really taking off in this country.”Rashid and Willey were picked as the Superchargers’ local icon players in the men’s competition before the draft last year, and will join Ben Stokes in the squad.”With myself, Ben and David already confirmed we’re looking to build a really strong side for 2021 and hopefully we can have a successful first season,” Rashid said.
Trey Yesavage made history during the Blue Jays’ win in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers. The rookie, who only made his first MLB start in September and started the year at Single-A, dominated on the road in Los Angeles, striking out 12 batters across a seven-inning outing.
No one was more fired up for the 22-year-old than veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer. After a big double play got Toronto out of the seventh inning, Scherzer could be seen on the bench going ballistic. The 41-year-old was smacking the railing inside the dugout and proceeded to throw his sunflower seeds in excitement.
Have a look:
Scherzer could then be seen speaking to Yesavage in the dugout, clearly still amped by his impressive performance.
When you have a three-time Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champion acting like that in the dugout, you know you’re putting on a show. And that’s exactly what Yesavage did on the mound Wednesday night.
The rookie had all three of his signature pitches working to perfection. His combination of his fastball, slider and splitter, mixed with his unique release point, was a puzzle the Dodgers’ lineup was simply unable to solve.
Scherzer was loving every minute of it from his viewing point in the dugout, and he couldn’t contain his excitement after the inning-ending double play.
Newcastle United are reportedly now preparing a club-record ‘offer’ for Darwin Nunez this summer.
Nunez really has broken onto the world stage this season, with no fewer than 34 goals and a further four assists in 41 games in total over all competitions so far (Transfermarkt).
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Dubbed an ‘absolute beast‘ by Liverpool podcaster Hari Sethi after an impressive performance in the UEFA Champions League against the now finalists, the Uruguay international seems destined for the big stage, and so it would not be a surprise if he ends up leaving Benfica in the summer.
Taking to Twitter, journalist Bruno Andrade has revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful are now preparing an ‘offer’ of €70m (£59.6m) for Nunez, after scout Steve Nickson made an ‘approach’ back in December:
“Newcastle prepares offer of 70 million euros for Darwin Nunez. English club was one of the first to specifically approach Benfica, still in December, when Rui Costa received Steve Nickson, responsible for the Magpies scout. There are others interested in the Uruguayan in Europe.”
The newly-rich Magpies are expected to be busy this summer after securing their Premier League status, and Nunez could be the statement signing that they need in order to move them onto the next level of their project.
The price would comfortably surpass the club-record fee that they paid for Joelinton back in 2019, and show the rest of the top flight that they mean business.
Nonetheless, at just 22 years of age, Nunez has the potential to become one of the best in the world in his position, and so this is a deal worth keeping an eye out for.
In other news, find out who NUFC will now ‘listen to offers’ for here!
Glasgow Rangers return to Premiership action tonight, three weeks following their last game in the top flight due to the winter break.
They travel to Easter Road to face Hibernian, and they were the opposition for Philippe Clement’s first game in charge of the Ibrox side back in October, which they went on to win 4-0.
A repeat of that scoreline tonight would be a perfect way for the club to resume their domestic campaign and really push Celtic over the coming months.
While the fixtures will be coming thick and fast, Clement still has eight days left to bring in another player or two to bolster his squad and this will be at the forefront of his mind.
The Ibrox side secured a loan deal for Fabio Silva at the end of December and this move filled the supporters with plenty of anticipation that several more players would arrive in Glasgow.
The previous few weeks have been barren with regard to signings, yet the Gers made a breakthrough at the beginning of this week, and it now looks as though midfielder Mohamed Diomande is close to joining.
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According to Rangers Review journalist Chris Jack, the FC Nordsjaelland gem is expected to arrive in Scotland today in order to finalise his £4.5m move from the Danish club and this is a big statement of intent by Clement, especially in January.
The manager has stated that he would not be “content or confident” for the second half of the campaign if he does not add to his squad before next Thursday. Could this suggest more signings are close?
One area that desperately needs to be addressed is the left side of defence, especially with Ridvan Yilmaz being linked with a move away and Borna Barisic’s contract expiring in the summer.
This suggests Clement will be looking to bring in another left-back before the window slams shut next week, and it looks as though he may have made a breakthrough.
According to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, the Gers have made an approach to sign FC Twente defender Gijs Smal this month.
|
Players out of contract at the end of 2023/24 |
Year they joined Rangers |
Appearances |
|---|---|---|
|
John Lundstram |
2021 |
131 |
|
Ryan Jack |
2017 |
205 |
|
Kemar Roofe |
2020 |
93 |
|
Borna Barisic |
2018 |
225 |
|
Leon Balogun |
2023 (second spell) |
12 (second spell) |
|
Jon McLaughlin |
2020 |
46 |
|
Via Transfermarkt |
||
The Dutchman, like Barisic, has entered into the final few months of his current deal and, according to the report from the Netherlands, it does not look like he is about to sign an extension to stay at the club.
This may tempt Clement into luring Smal to Glasgow for a knockdown fee this month as he continues to build his squad for the challenges ahead, and it could turn out to be a solid signing, especially with his impressive performances for the Eredivisie clubs.
Not only that, but he could link up well with Rabbi Matondo down the left flank during the second half of the season and this could benefit Clement greatly.
Normally, Abdallah Sima would be the first-choice left-winger, yet the on-loan Brighton and Hove Albion gem returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with an injury and is expected to be out for the foreseeable future.
This means Matondo will be called upon more often by Clement, and he has finally settled into life at Rangers following a difficult debut season.
Across 17 matches in all competitions, the Welsh winger has scored twice and registered three assists. Considering he has started just seven matches, this is a more than decent return and if given regular game time now due to Sima’s injury, he could thrive.
Smal has displayed his attacking qualities throughout his professional career, registering 47 goal contributions – 13 goals and 34 assists – in just 177 senior matches.
This works out as a goal involvement once every 3.7 matches, which is a wonderful ratio for a left-back.
During the 2022/23 campaign, Smal excelled from an attacking perspective, averaging 1.6 key passes per game while creating 16 big chances, and it certainly indicates that he is a major threat on the left flank.
His bursting runs into the attacking third could benefit Matondo and the duo would create a formidable partnership that would surely cause chaos to defences all over the country.
These performances last season proved that he is an attack-minded full-back who is no stranger to bombing up and down the left flank and this could fit in well with Clement’s philosophy.
The 6 foot gem has missed 12 games due to a calf injury this term, but when he has played, the 26-year-old has been impressive.
Indeed, he currently ranks fifth among the squad for successful dribbles per game (0.7) along with ranking seventh for key passes per game (1.2), and while these stats are not as impressive as those from the 2022/23 season, it is clear his injury has disrupted any momentum.
Having started the previous nine league matches for Twente, it looks as though he is back fit and healthy and this will be good news for Clement.
Rangers Journal founder Kai Watson has praised the defender amid his recent links to the Glasgow side, paying particular attention to his qualities going forward.
He said: “Smal would provide quality deliveries from the left hand side while also being willing to actually run to the by line. He’s 5 years younger than Barisic and offers a bit more pace and aggression on that side.”
It looks as though the Dutchman is capable of replacing Barisic from an attacking perspective and this is certainly what Clement is after in his fullbacks.
A move for Smal makes perfect sense, especially being able to potentially bring him to the club for a minimal fee this month, giving him plenty of time to adapt.
Adding another signing or two alongside that of Diomande could give the Light Blues a big boost in their chances of securing another trophy or two during the second half of the season.
Will it be enough to see them reel in Celtic and be crowned champions? Only time will tell.
David Moyes may not have been everyone’s cup of tea at West Ham United, but no one can deny how much he transformed them during his spell, notably steering the club to European glory in 2023.
With Julen Lopetegui under some pressure, was moving Moyes on perhaps a tad hasty? Of course, feelings are mixed regarding the former manager, especially with some of his final few signings in charge.
James Ward-Prowse cost the club £30m last summer from Southampton but failed to live up to this fee at the London Stadium and was loaned to Nottingham Forest ahead of the current campaign.
Kalvin Phillips joined in January 2024 on a loan deal from Manchester City, with the Irons paying a loan fee and covering his wages during this temporary spell. The Englishman made just ten appearances for the club in what was a disastrous signing by Moyes.
One of his worst pieces of transfer business, especially in terms of value for money, was spending £15m to sign Danny Ings from Aston Villa.
Ings was fairly critical of his time at Villa Park, dubbing his maiden season in the Midlands as “underwhelming” after scoring just seven goals in 30 appearances for the club.
Although Moyes needed some more attacking reinforcements when he signed Ings nearly two years ago, the English striker was hardly going to be prolific under him.
|
Danny Ings’ stats in the Premier League for West Ham – 2024/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Minutes |
55 |
|
Total shots per game |
0.8 |
|
Total duels won per game |
2.8 |
|
Possession lost per game |
1.5 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.3 |
|
Via Sofascore |
|
Indeed, during his first six months, the former Liverpool centre-forward managed to score just two Premier League goals across 17 matches.
The 2023/24 campaign – his first full season at West Ham – was somehow even worse. Ings started only three times in the top flight, scoring a solitary goal against Burnley, a team who would be relegated.
It is clear that his time in London has been dismal. Ings was arguably one of Moyes’ worst-ever signings for the Irons, especially over his final 18 months in charge.
The Englishman’s market value has, unsurprisingly, dropped drastically since he moved to the club in January 2023.
Paying £15m for a striker who was clearly past their best was a terrible error of judgement by Moyes and the club are now paying for this move.
Indeed, according to Football Transfers, Ings is currently worth just €1.8m (£1.5m), which represents a major dip from the fee the club shelled out for him a little over 18 months ago.
His contract expires at the end of the season, but will West Ham be able to sell him in January? Especially considering how low his value is at this moment in time.
If not, he will likely be released next summer, with the club wasting money on paying his wages even though he is failing to contribute.
Market Movers
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The 33-year-old has scored just once this term from six appearances, starting only one of those games as Lopetegui prefers the likes of Michail Antonio to be unleashed in the starting XI.
There is no doubt Ings has been one of the worst signings the club has made recently, costing them a fortune in the process.
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Jhye Richardson faces a fitness race but Sydney Sixers will have Steven Smith available
Tristan Lavalette23-Jan-2023Spinner Ashton Agar will not be available for the BBL finals series as he prepares for Australia’s upcoming Test tour of India, while injured quick Jhye Richardson remains in doubt for the blockbuster qualifying final between arch-rivals Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers.Defending champions Scorchers locked up top spot on the BBL ladder with a dramatic 10-run victory over Melbourne Renegades at Optus Stadium.The result secured Scorchers a home qualifying final against Sixers on Saturday with a bumper crowd of around 45,000 expected. The winner will host the grand final on February 4.Sixers will have Steven Smith available for the qualifier with CA releasing 11 of the tour squad for the first week of the finals.Frontline spinner Agar was a curious omission from Scorchers’ line-up against Renegades in such a high stakes contest, but his unavailability for the finals series swayed the team’s hierarchy to select 19-year-old spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly. Agar is required to attend a pre-tour camp in Sydney before the squad flies to India.Related
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Connolly, a former Australia Under-19 captain, did not bowl against a surging Renegades, who almost mowed down a huge target of 213, with captain Ashton Turner shouldering the bulk of the spin bowling load. Peter Hatzoglou was later a concussion replacement for Matthew Kelly.”Once we got confirmation that Ash wasn’t going to be available for our final here on Saturday, we felt now was the opportunity for him to start his prep for the Test tour,” Scorchers coach Adam Voges said.”We’ve talked a lot with Ash through the back half of this campaign about how we can help keep preparing him for what’s coming up as well as what’s in front of him at the moment.We wouldn’t have done that without his blessing. I fully understand how important this upcoming tour of India is for him and him wanting to get the best possible preparation. It wasn’t really an issue at all.”
David Warner: Eliminator and Knockout
Usman Khawaja: Eliminator and Knockout
Marnus Labuschagne: Eliminator and Knockout
Steven Smith: Qualifier
Travis Head: Eliminator and Knockout
Matt Renshaw: Eliminator and Knockout
Peter Handscomb: Eliminator (Knockout only if hosted by Thunder)
Alex Carey: Eliminator and Knockout
Ashton Agar: Unavailable
Nathan Lyon: Qualifier
Todd Murphy: Unavailable
Mitchell Swepson: Eliminator (Knockout only if hosted by Thunder)
Lance Morris: Qualifier
Richardson had been earmarked to return from a hamstring injury in time for the finals series, but will need to prove his fitness.Prior to his latest setback suffered against Sydney Thunder on January 4, Richardson had been in hot form with 15 wickets in seven games marked by rapid bowling nudging 150kph.A nagging heel injury consigned him to the sidelines for an extended period ahead of the BBL season.”He hasn’t got the final tick off yet,” Voges said. “We’re all really hopeful he’ll be available for Saturday. Once he is declared fit then I”ve got no issues with bringing him back in. But he’s still got a bit to do.”Speedster Lance Morris could also bolster Scorchers’ attack after missing the Renegades clash due to illness. Unlike Agar, Morris is available for selection against Sixers before he departs for Australia’s tour of India.A spot in Scorchers’ attack might open up after Kelly suffered a nasty blow to his face in a bizarre fielding mishap and he had to be substituted out of the match under concussion rules.”I’m sure he’ll go through those [concussion] protocols,” Voges said. “Hopefully he’ll be available for Saturday, but we’ll just wait and see.”Scorchers will give Jhye Richardson every chance to prove his fitness•Getty Images
It’s been a season of resilience for a ravaged Scorchers, who finished on top of the ladder with 11 wins despite instability.English recruits Tymal Mills, Phil Salt and Laurie Evans did not play a single match for various reasons, and so too star allrounders Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green due to injuries.Having memorably clinched last season’s title after playing just one home match due to strict Covid-19 border controls in Western Australia, Scorchers are eyeing another triumph under adversity.”Proud is a really good word,” said Voges, who described how he felt about his team. “You lose your three international players that you pick up in the draft, you lose Mitch Marsh on the eve of the tournament. To be honest, going in, I wasn’t entirely sure how we were going to go.”He paid tribute to the team’s remarkable depth and identified the emergence of top-order batters Aaron Hardie and Cameron Bancroft, who were fringe players in previous seasons, as key to Scorchers maintaining their status as a competition powerhouse alongside Sixers.”We’ve had guys step up, we’ve had guys contribute in different games,” Voges said. “We’ve always prided ourselves on our depth within our squad and we’ve certainly had to utilise it within this tournament. It’s great to get over the line and earn a home final.”
Footage from Barcelona’s Camp Nou construction site shows that stadium renovation plans remain way behind schedule.
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The Men’s IPL, meanwhile, is likely to begin on April 1
Nagraj Gollapudi09-Dec-2022IPL 2023 is likely to begin on April 1, while the inaugural season of the Women’s IPL is likely to be played from March 3 to 26 with both tournaments to be played in India. While the BCCI is yet to formalise the dates, it has earmarked a window for the WIPL with the tournament set to start a week after the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup final, which is scheduled to be played on February 26 in Cape Town.As for the IPL, ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI is working out the availability of overseas players before it finalises the end date for the 10-team tournament, which will return to the home-and-away format that was shelved due to constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is likely that the BCCI would want to wrap up the IPL by the end of May since England are scheduled to play Ireland in a one-off Test at Lord’s from June 1 to 4. A few days later, The Oval will host the second ICC World Test Championship final – which India have a chance of contesting – while the Ashes begin from June 16.Related
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BCCI set to launch five-team women's IPL in March 2023
On Friday the BCCI announced the media-rights tender for the first five seasons of the WIPL, 2023 to 2027. While the last date for picking up the tender is December 31, 2022, it is learned that the bids will be opened around January 8. The BCCI has decided to adopt the closed-bid process instead of an e-auction. While further details will emerge once the bidders pick up the tender document it is learned the BCCI has not set any base price for each of the three categories for which rights will be sold: television, digital, and a combination of the two.In October this year the BCCI shared with its members – the state associations – a plan for the WIPL, which was ratified at the board’s Annual General Meeting.According to the plan, the league will be contested by five franchise teams playing a total of 22 matches. Each squad can have up to 18 players, with a maximum of six overseas players, and each playing XI can include five overseas players (four from Full Member countries and one from an Associate nation).In the league phase of the WIPL, each team will play the other twice (a total of 20 matches), and the table topper will progress straight to the final. The teams that finish second and third in the league will play an Eliminator to determine the second finalist.According to the BCCI’s timelines, the next step would be inviting bids for the five franchises. Unlike the men’s IPL, where franchises bid for teams in a particular city, the BCCI had drafted two initial plans for the WIPL. The first one was to sell teams across six zones spanning the country. A set of cities in each zone has been shortlisted and comprises: Dharamsala/Jammu (North zone), Pune/Rajkot (West), Indore/Nagpur/Raipur (Central), Ranchi/Cuttack (East), Kochi/Visakhapatnam (South) and Guwahati (North-East).The second plan involves teams being sold but without a solid home base, with matches to be played at six shortlisted IPL venues: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.The final leg of the process involves the assembling of squads and the BCCI is yet to finalise whether this will be done via an auction or a draft. Player availability will remain a concern considering the WIPL could clash with the inaugural season of the Women’s Pakistan Super League (WPSL). While the PCB is yet to release a final plan for the tournament, March 18 has been earmarked as the date of the WPSL final.
Everton had to sell a few players during the summer transfer window in order to comply with the Premier League’s financial fair play regulations.
This saw the likes of Amadou Onana, Lewis Dobbin and Ben Godfrey all leave Goodison Park, allowing Sean Dyche to balance the books.
Onana in particular has been a big miss, particularly with the Belgian beginning to showcase his talents for Aston Villa over the first few months of the season.
The Belgian has played 14 games for his new club, scoring three goals already, becoming a key member of Unai Emery’s starting XI.
Onana has notably been a shining light in the Champions League, starring on the biggest continental stage of all. As well as scoring once, he has averaged a pass success rate of 95%, winning 65% of his total duels per game and completing 100% of his dribble attempts.
His transition from the Premier League to Europe has been seamless and, despite securing a fee of around £50m, Dyche will regret letting him leave.
|
Onana league stats at Aston Villa |
|
|---|---|
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Pass success rate per game |
90% |
|
Total duels won per game |
5.4 |
|
Touches per game |
44.1 |
|
Possession lost per game |
4.8 |
|
Via Sofascore |
|
That said, he isn’t the only former Toffee at Villa Park who the Merseyside outfit should regret seeing leave through the exit door.
The club must also rue selling a defender under Rafa Benitez who is now undergoing a resurgence in recent months – Lucas Digne.
The Frenchman joined the Toffees in 2018, arriving from Barcelona, and over the next three and half seasons, he would go on to make 127 appearances for the club in the process.
In January 2022, however, Benitez was looking to raise some funds for future signings, which meant a player or two had to be sold.
Just days before the manager was sacked, Villa duly spent £25m to sign the French defender nearly three years ago, rescuing him from Benitez. Now, this season, the former Barcelona star has undergone somewhat of a resurgence.
In the Premier League this term for the Midlands side, Digne has not only scored twice but has also created eight big chances, averaging 1.3 key passes per game and averaged 0.5 shots per game, proving his worth going forward.
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Having a left-back Emery can trust has made a huge difference to the Frenchman’s confidence, which has seen his performances improve from those of last term.
He was even called up to the France squad for the latest Nations League matches, playing a starring role against Italy.
The former Everton defender played the entire 90 minutes as he registered two assists, made four tackles, made two key passes and even hit the woodwork during the 3-1 victory over the Italians.
This led to praise from Villa journalist John Townley, who said: “When Unai Emery joined Aston Villa two years ago, he wanted “more in everything” from Digne. Now he’s probably in the form of his life.”
While £25m at the time was a reasonable fee for Digne, Everton must now rue selling the defender who has been excellent for club and country this season.
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