A stunning onslaught from captain Leus du Plooy lifted Derbyshire Falcons to a thrilling six-wicket Vitality Blast win over Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.After the Bears piled up 203 for 7, du Plooy smashed an unbeaten 66 from 25 balls to see his side to 207 for 4 with three balls to spare.Sam Hain’s unbeaten 79 from 36 balls in the Bears innings contained some breathtaking hitting but was trumped by du Plooy’s masterclass.After openers Luis Reece (57) and Haider Ali (48) added 96 in ten overs to set the perfect foundation for the big run chase, du Plooy built a memorable victory on it with an exhilarating display of hitting which brought him five sixes and four fours.England all-rounder Chris Woakes was socked for 51 in his four overs as the Falcons side completed a quickfire double over the Bears and handed them their third successive defeat.The first half of the Bears innings did not go to their plan after they chose to bat. Rob Yates made a perky 21 but leg-spinner Mattie McKiernan bowled potential big-hitters Moeen Ali and Glenn Maxwell through indeterminate shots before they could inflict any damage and also castled Alex Davies for a sketchy 26.Hain batted beautifully but needed support and found it from Dan Mousley and, after Mousley was bowled through a lap by Zak Chappell, from Woakes, who transformed the innings with 23 from 11 balls in a dazzling stand of 48 in 18 balls with Hain.Woakes was yorked by Zaman Khan but Hain was at his most destructive in the closing overs, thumping 36 from his last eight balls faced.The Falcons faced a testing target but, after riding their luck early on, Reece and Haider Ali played sweetly to raise 50 from 33 balls. They set down the perfect platform before being parted in scruffy fashion when Haider Ali charged and missed at Danny Briggs. Davies missed the stumping at the first attempt but, with the batter down the track, had time to complete it second time round.Moeen, playing his penultimate game for the Bears before he departs on Ashes duty, applied a brake with an astute spell which brought the wicket of Reece, bowled through a slog sweep. As the required rate escalated, and Wayne Madsen suffered a rare failure when he holed out to Mousley, the pressure increased on the Falcons.Du Plooy went to the crease with that pressure at its height. He needed to hit brilliantly from his first ball – and did so to take his side to a victory which tightens the North Group table right up.

Discussing a possible managerial fight, Ricky Hatton says Jose Mourinho is the "equivalent of Floyd Mayweather" and Pep Guardiola is a "nuisance".

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• Ex-Real Madrid & Barca bosses have clashed before
• Both are passionate characters & born winners
• A battle inside the boxing ring would be intriguing

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former world champion and passionate Manchester City fan Hatton is not convinced that current boss Guardiola would want to lace up a pair of gloves and step into the ring with outspoken Portuguese Mourinho, despite previous differences between the pair.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Both men have never backed down from a challenge and continue to talk a good game, with Mourinho famously billing himself as ‘The Special One’ during his memorable first stint at Chelsea while Guardiola has shattered records with Barcelona and City.

• WHAT RICKY HATTON SAID

  Hatton told when asked for his take on a potential clash between two born winners: "Pep Guardiola looks very passionate on the touchline flying in there, here and everywhere and in the changing rooms talking to the boys, he’s also passionate so Pep may be a bit of a dark horse. Pep can be a nuisance. I’ve never met Pep, so I don’t know him personally. But it’s like Eubank vs Benn with Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

  "I remember the one time Jose was sat on the bench talking to his assistant coach and somebody pointed that a Man City player should have a yellow card, so he sprints over to the referee and puts his hands in the air demanding a card. He hadn’t even seen it but what a character he is. I don’t look at Jose as someone who could have a fight though, I think of Sam Allardyce or Sean Dyche, you think they could have it but not with Jose Mourinho scaring anyone. But he is passionate, like Pep."

• AFP
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Hatton added on why Mourinho, despite not being a fighter, remains box office in sporting circles: "Jose Mourinho is the equivalent of Floyd Mayweather, very confident, very arrogant, and says he is the best and the Special One while Floyd calls himself ‘Money’ Mayweather.

  "They would get on well having a meal together. It would be interesting. You need characters and that’s what makes sport. We’d be lost without characters in boxing and football, it would not be very entertaining would it."

Pat Brown claims three wickets to close out 33-run victory

ECB Reporters Network29-May-2023Worcestershire 183 for 7 (Kashif 69) beat Leicestershire 150 for 9 (Patel 42, Brown 3-25) by 33 runsKashif Ali’s maiden half-century in Vitality Blast cricket and the stranglehold of three spinners enabled Worcestershire to maintain their 100 per cent record with a 33-run success over Leicestershire Foxes at New Road.Kashif, the first product of the South Asian Cricket Association to sign a pro contract with a first-class county, again demonstrated his potential with a sparkling 69 as Worcestershire recovered from 30 for 3.Leicestershire reached 70 for 1 in the 10th over and looked to have laid the foundations for a worthy pursuit of a 184 target.But Rapids Captain, Brett D’Oliveira, Michael Bracewell and Usama Mir all picked up two wickets apiece and bowled tightly with combined figures of 11-0-72-6.It means the Rapids have won their opening three games while in contrast the Foxes have been beaten in their opening trio of fixtures.Mir has ended his brief and successful spell at New Road and will return to playing league cricket for Colwyn Bay, but will be replaced by Mitchell Santner who flies in tomorrow after being part of the Chennai Super Kings IPL squad.The Rapids got off to a shaky start after captain D’Oliveira opted to bat.Bracewell lasted only three balls before he was trapped lbw by a full-length ball from Naseem Shah when working to leg.D’Oliveira took a stride down the wicket in the next over from Wiaan Mulder and only succeeded in nicking through to keeper Harry SwindellsJack Haynes immediately went on the offensive with four boundaries in Shah’s second over before was lbw deep in his crease to Mulder.Kashif mixed some wristy strokes with sheer power as he and in-form Adam Hose set about rebuilding the innings.They added 45 when Hose, who had top-scored in the wins over Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Yorkshire Vikings, tried to slice Callum Parkinson over the off side and fell to Colin Ackermann’s catch running back from cover.A pull for six and a delightful cut to the ropes in the same over from Reehan Ahmed enabled Kashif to complete a 33-ball half century.Shah’s return to the attack brought about Kashif’s downfall when he found the hands of deep backward square.In the same over, Ed Pollock was run out first ball by Ackermann’s direct hit from mid on.But Mir profited from being dropped being he had scored to plunder an unbeaten 32 from 15 balls and Ben Cox struck a typically breezy 28 as Worcestershire recovered from their early troubles.When Leicestershire batted, Bracewell struck an early blow when Sol Budinger clubbed a delivery straight to Hose at deep mid wicket.But Nick Welch scored freely and crucially Leicestershire kept wickets in hand, losing only one in the powerplay.D’Oliveira brought himself into the attack and made a double breakthrough in the space of four balls.Welch was pouched at long on by Haynes and Ackermann was bowled via an inside edge and his pad.Rishi Patel hurried to 42 but, having hit the previous two deliveries from Mir for four, he gave his wicket away when charging down the pitch and being stumped.The Pakistan leg-spinner’s final over of his current spell at New Road also yielded a wicket when Arron Lilley was leg before aiming a blow over mid wicket.Mulder and Rehan Ahmed fell cheaply to end Leicestershire’s last hopes and then Pat Brown wrapped up the tail as he showed more encouraging signs of returning to his best form.

MatériaMais Notícias

da supremo： O Internacional encerra o ano com destaque e sucesso também fora das quatro linhas ao receber o prêmio mais importante da publicidade brasileira. Na noite da última quinta-feira, o case da camisa preta lançado pelo clube no mês da Consciência Negra, em novembro de 2021, foi escolhido o melhor no Profissionais do Ano 2022, realizado pela Rede Globo.

Pioneiro em causas sociais, o Colorado foi a única ‘marca’ gaúcha a ganhar a premiação na categoria nacional, e também o primeiro clube de futebol do país a receber um troféu respectivo aos Profissionais do Ano 2022, em parceria com a agência Hoc – House Of Creativity, que foi quem promoveu a ação.

Ao chamar para compor seu quadro de colaboradores os publicitários Liana Bazanela, também diretora de marketing e comunicação do Internacional, e Ubirajara Sagaz Júnior, o clube apostou na diversidade para ocupar posições de liderança no marketing. Liana é a primeira mulher em um cargo de direção, e Ubirajara está à frente da coordenação de marca do departamento.

– Estamos falando de algo inédito no futebol ao receber esse troféu. Fico muito feliz em fazer parte de um presente que continua lutando e quebrando paradigmas. Sou a primeira mulher diretora de marketing de clubes do Brasil, e essa campanha foi idealizada por um publicitário, negro, integrante da nossa equipe – Ubirajara Sagaz. E é pra ele – e cada um dos negros e negras colorados que dedico este prêmio. Agradeço tb a agência HOC, e a Mythago Produtora nossas parceiras que compartilham das mesmas crenças que o Inter: diversidade gera resultados -, afirmou Liana Bazanela.

Dessa forma, a campanha amplificou o pensamento que o Colorado tem sobre a causa. A campanha começou com lançamento do patch contra o racismo, criado pelo artista Gonza Rodriguez, onde os jogadores entraram em campo em um Gre-Nal utilizando a peça na manga da camisa.

O patch, segundo Rodriguez, traduzia a força contra o preconceito. – A ideia que quis colocar neste selo foi a de mostrar o punho apertado, símbolo de luta e de resistência, nascendo da parte central do monograma, fazendo parte dele e elevando-se para representar o forte vínculo que o Inter sempre teve o contra o racismo no futebol -, disse.

O passo seguinte da campanha foi o uso da camisa preta contra o Cuiabá, lançada pela parceira adidas. O uniforme foi inspirado no manifesto “Excelência Negra”, produzido por Marcelo Carvalho, um dos criadores do projeto Observatório Racial de Futebol, e homenageou homens e mulheres negros do futebol brasileiro e todas as suas conquistas. Pela primeira vez em sua história o Inter atuou com um uniforme totalmente nessa cor.

Além da cor predominantemente preta, a camisa trazia detalhes do manifesto aplicados nos números, com frases como “o negro no futebol brasileiro é a marca do Brasil”, “jogadores negros ganharam o mundo”, entre outras. No peito, há um patch de um cabelo Black Power com a frase “É a Coroa” estampada por todo o desenho.

– O Inter sempre foi o Clube do Povo e a história mostra isso. Fomos reconhecidos pelo prêmio mais importante da publicidade brasileira com o case que trata de algo marcante para a historia do povo brasileiro, a luta contra o racismo. É a origem do clube do povo presente no futuro do futebol -, enalteceu o presidente Alessandro Barcellos.

O Prêmio Profissionais do Ano, que chegou à sua 44ª edição, é uma iniciativa da Globo que, há mais de 40 anos, reconhece e celebra talentos da publicidade brasileira. O mote desta edição, “do break ao click”, faz referência ao posicionamento da Globo, “do plim ao play”.

Ao todo, foram mais de 600 trabalhos inscritos em todas as categorias do prêmio. São elas: Integrada, Ações em Conteúdo, Valor Social, Filme de até 15″, 30″ e 30″+ e Campanha na Classe Nacional, e Filme e Campanha na Classe Regional.

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Wyatt half-century, Bell and Moore three-fors as Superchargers fall well short

Matt Roller27-Aug-2023Anya Shrubsole signed off from professional cricket by lifting the Hundred trophy at Lord’s, captaining Southern Brave to their first title in their third final. After successive defeats to Oval Invincibles, they comprehensively outplayed Northern Superchargers in front of a record 21,636 crowd at Lord’s.Brave’s batting let them down in their first two finals and they were 8 for 2 after nine balls on Sunday, Smriti Mandhana and Maia Bouchier falling cheaply after Superchargers opted to bowl first. But they recovered to set a target of 140, Danni Wyatt making 59 off 38 and Freya Kemp contributing an invaluable 31 off 17 from No. 5.Lauren Bell struck twice in her first eight balls in Brave’s defence, including removing Superchargers’ leading run-scorer Phoebe Litchfield who was well caught by Kemp at deep cover-point, and Superchargers were always behind the game.Rhianna Southby, Brave’s 22-year-old wicketkeeper, has played a crucial role for them despite not facing a ball this season: she effected three stumpings in the chase, and finished the Hundred with a tournament-high 11 dismissals.Jemimah Rodrigues opened the batting for Superchargers and was starved of the strike: when she was caught at extra cover for 24, she had faced just 14 of the first 73 balls bowled. Bell and Kalea Moore took three wickets each, and the winning moment came when Bell whipped off the bails to run No. 11 Grace Ballinger out after a mix-up.Shrubsole had been due to bowl the final five balls but Superchargers were bowled out with six to spare. Having left international cricket after last year’s World Cup, she opted to play on as Brave captain this year and her impending retirement has been a source of motivation for the squad throughout the season, who were determined to send her off with a trophy.Shrubsole looked uncharacteristically emotional in the aftermath of the final wicket, and admitted her overwhelming emotion was one of relief. “We feel like we’ve played some brilliant cricket,” she said, “coming into this we’d won 20 out of 25 games which is an unbelievable record. Not to have won the trophy was tough to take so it felt like this was just deserts.”For Charlotte Edwards, their coach, this was a third short-form trophy this year, after success in the Women’s Premier League with Mumbai Indians and with Southern Vipers in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Brave have been the best team across the three seasons of the Hundred, and lifted an overdue trophy as the fireworks were set off at Lord’s.Danni Wyatt notched the first half-century in a Women’s Hundred final•ECB via Getty Images

After walking around the boundary from the stage in the Compton Stand, Shrubsole was given a guard of honour by both teams as she walked back towards the pavilion, holding the H-shaped trophy aloft as she did so. It was a fitting send-off for a great of England women’s cricket.Mandhana hit the first ball of the final for four through point but slashed the second to gully, and when Bouchier skied Kate Cross to extra cover, they were forced to rebuild through Wyatt and Georgia Adams.They had 45 off the first 43 balls of the final before Wyatt cut loose with back-to-back boundaries off Lucy Higham, at which point Superchargers became ragged in the field. Wyatt, who finished the tournament as leading run-scorer, swept Higham for four to bring up a 35-ball 50 and lofted Georgia Wareham for the first six of the game.She was primed to accelerate at the death when she was on the wrong end of a freak dismissal: Adams drove the ball straight back at her at the non-striker’s end as she started to take a run, and Cross executed a simple run-out as it popped up into her hands. When Adams holed out to midwicket after a chancy 27 off 28, Superchargers had an opening.But Kemp added 31 with a streaky cameo, hitting five boundaries to keep Brave on track. She eventually chopped Cross’ cutter onto her stumps; while Cross fumbled both a catch and a run-out chance off the penultimate ball, she was the pick of Superchargers’ attack with 3 for 21 off her 20.Bell thought she had struck with the first ball of the chase, trapping Marie Kelly on the pad only for her to successfully review the on-field decision. It hardly mattered: Kelly was dismissed by the next delivery she faced, with the ball ricocheting off her pad and onto the base of the stumps.When Litchfield lofted into the deep, Brave had two early wickets and were in control of the game. Southby’s sharp work gave Moore a wicket with her first ball, stumping Hollie Armitage, and her fast hands accounted for Bess Heath soon after, Chloe Tryon making amends for a drop on the square-leg boundary by beating her on the outside edge.Shrubsole had Alice Davidson-Richards lbw to leave Superchargers five down, and a brilliant catch by Bouchier – running in off the long-on boundary, then diving forwards at full stretch – meant Rodrigues was their last hope. Having tried and failed to build partnerships by knocking singles, she looked to loft Moore over extra cover but picked Adams out.Southby pulled off her third stumping as Leah Dobson charged Moore and missed, and Bell administered the last rites, having Higham caught at short fine leg then completing a straightforward run-out at the bowler’s end to cue the celebrations.

Saqlain Mushtaq and James Foster to also be part of the set-up as New Zealand plan to rotate their support staff over the next four months

Deivarayan Muthu22-Aug-2023

New Zealand have spruced up their support staff in the lead-up to the 2023 ODI World Cup, with Stephen Fleming and James Foster set to join the set-up. Ian Bell and Saqlain Mushtaq will also be among a rotating cast of New Zealand’s coaching staff over the next four months away from home.The appointments of Fleming and Foster are particularly significant as both bring with them IPL experience. Fleming comes on board with a decorated IPL CV – he has coached Chennai Super Kings to five titles in the league. Fleming had previously worked with New Zealand in the lead-up to the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. He is currently coaching Southern Brave in the men’s Hundred and will then link up with the New Zealand team for the ODI series against England, which begins on September 8, three days after the end of the T20I series.”I think Flem will be great for players on that side of it and also good for the staff as well,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “He’s got [an] immense amount of knowledge in that part of the world [India] and has coached in the IPL right from the start of the competition [from 2009], so he’s coached in all those areas where we’re going to play in. So, it might just be the little one-two percenters you can get from that information that could tip the results on your side as well. If things go well you can pick up on some of those small things.”NZ coaching staff for away tours

England T20Is (Aug 30- 5 Sept) – Gary Stead, Luke Ronchi, Shane Jurgensen, Ian Bell
England ODIs (Sept 8-15) – Gary Stead, Shane Jurgensen, Ian Bell, James Foster/Stephen Fleming
Bangladesh ODIs (Sept 21-26) – Luke Ronchi, Shane Jurgensen, Ian Bell
ODI World Cup (Oct-Nov) – Gary Stead, Luke Ronchi, Shane Jurgensen, James Foster
Bangladesh Tests (Nov 28 – 10 Dec) – Luke Ronchi, Saqlain Mushtaq, bowling coach TBC

As for Foster, he has worked with Kolkata Knight Riders as a fielding coach and assistant coach in the IPL. He is also a well-traveled coach, having had stints in the PSL, CPL, BPL, BBL and ILT20. He had previously assisted New Zealand in the Emirates in 2018. Foster will be New Zealand’s assistant coach for the England ODI series and will also be part of their coaching staff for the ODI World Cup in India.”James spent a week with us in the UAE, think about four or five years ago when he was over there,” Stead said. “He might have even been playing at the time. But it’s great that he has come back. He will come to the World Cup; he’s got a lot of experience in the IPL with the KKR side and in an assistant coach role there he’s worked with video analysts, so will give us a lot of, I think, information and knowledge for us to consider when we approach all the different venues in the World Cup.”Ian Bell to fill in for Luke RonchiFormer England batter Bell has been appointed as New Zealand’s assistant coach for the upcoming T20I series against England. He will then fill in for Luke Ronchi as the batting coach for the following ODI series against England. Ronchi will then return to take charge of the side for the three-match ODI series in Bangladesh in September – New Zealand’s last ODI assignment before the World Cup – allowing Stead a short break. Bell will assist Ronchi and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen during the ODIs in Bangladesh. Bell is currently an assistant coach at Birmingham Phoenix in the men’s Hundred.”The well-being of our players and staff is of vital importance with the sheer amount of cricket being played these days,” New Zealand manager Simon Insley said.”Following the T20 team’s departure to the UAE (Aug 12), the team will be on the road right through until December 16 when the Test team returns, ahead of a busy home summer.”Saqlain to rejoin NZ support staffStead will also take a break for the Test leg of the Bangladesh tour, which begins on November 23, with a two-day practice game, just four days after the World Cup final on November 19. Former Pakistan spinner Saqlain will rejoin the side for that Test tour, having previously worked with the white-ball sides during the Pakistan tour in April. He has been appointed as spin coach. The Test tour of Bangladesh will likely be the first task for the new bowling coach, with Jurgensen taking up the role as head coach at Wellington after the World Cup. He is set to work with Wellington from November 22, 2023 to April 2027.”Saqi is a great human being,” Stead said. “He has had experience with our guys in Pakistan and knows about spin-bowling stocks and has certainly added to that area of the game. He’s just got great knowledge. As a player himself, he was superb; he was a Test player. And going to Bangladesh, he will certainly add some skills and add some expertise in the spin-bowling area, which isn’t always an area that we cover all the time.”

Smeed, Kohler-Cadmore fifties down Glamorgan after Brooks and Overton share six wickets

ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2023Somerset went clear at the top of the South Group thanks to a comprehensive win in their Vitality Blast fixture against Glamorgan in Cardiff.Despite career best batting performances from Kiran Carlson and Timm van der Gugten, Glamorgan’s total of 171 all was not enough as Somerset won by eight wickets with 17 balls to spare.Three wickets each for Craig Overton and Jack Brooks pegged back Glamorgan’s batting efforts before fifties from Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Will Smeed took the visiting team to victory.This win puts Somerset clear of Surrey at the top of the Blast table with 18 points. Glamorgan currently sit outside the quarter-final qualification spots and will most likely need to win all three of their remaining fixtures to make the knockout stages.It was a lacklustre start from Glamorgan who struggled in the opening overs having been put into bat. The early wickets of Will Smale, Billy Root and Sam Northeast reduced them to 14 for 3 with Brooks claiming two wickets and Overton one.There was a 40-run stand between Carlson and Chris Cooke that took the home team past the 50 mark, but it was Carlson who was doing all the scoring. Cooke had made seven runs when he attempted to carve Overton over the extra cover boundary for six. The ball looked as it was going to clear the rope before a superb one-handed grab at full stretch from Kasey Aldridge sent Glamorgan’s leading run-scorer in this competition back to the dugout.When recently arrived overseas signing Cam Fletcher was out for a duck two balls later when he pulled a ball to Sean Dickson at midwicket Glamorgan were 53 for 5 and in danger of crumbling.What followed was a record stand for the sixth wicket between these two teams as Carlson and van der Gugten put on 91 runs to give the home side some hope.Carlson’s 71 took him past 300 runs for the first time in a Blast season and was his first innings over over fifty in the format since 2018. Van der Gugten made 48, his fourth important contribution with the bat in his six Blast matches this season as he continues to show off his all-round ability.The Somerset chase got off to a roaring start thanks to Smeed, but he should have been dimissed in the second over when he was on just 17. He pulled a ball from van der Gugten straight to Billy Root on the deep square leg boundary but the chance wasn’t taken. It was parried over the rope for six and Smeed took full advantage of the life he was given.Tom Banton was the one wicket to fall inside the Somerset powerplay when he was caught at fine leg by Andy Gorvin when he tried to scoop Ruaidhri Smith but that was the only success for Glamorgan until the 13th over as Smeed and Kohler-Cadmore took the game away from them. Smeed crashed eight fours and three sixes in an innings of 66 that lasted just 36 balls. By the time he was dismissed by Smith the required rate was down to less than a run a ball.Smeed’s dismissal slowed things down a little bit with the support of Tom Abell, Kohler-Cadmore guided Somerset home with 62 not out. The only moment of further alarm for the visitors came when Gorvin had Kohler-Cadmore caught on the midwicket boundary but it was off a no ball.This comprehensive victory is the ninth of Somerset’s Blast campaign and they are closing in on a home quarter-final.

da blaze casino： It’s been a brutal season for Tottenham Hotspur that only seems to get more so by the week.

da cassino： Ange Postecoglou’s side have been utterly ravaged by a seemingly endless string of injuries to key players all over the pitch, and it has understandably affected their campaign.

In the Premier League, the North Londoners have lost more games than they’ve won, and over the last seven days, they have been knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup.

With all that said, there are at least a few players who can come out of this horror season with their heads held high, including one who is worth millions more than he was when Spurs signed him.

The Spurs stars who can hold their heads high

Now, while the aforementioned injuries haven’t helped in the slightest, the team has been underwhelming at best this season, although a few players have stood out for the right reasons, such as Dominic Solanke.

The £65m man is the club’s record signing, and while he did get off to a somewhat slow start, he eventually found his feet and showed the fans that his fee was entirely justified.

For example, prior to his injury, the former Bournemouth star scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 29 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.70 games.

From the frontline to the back, someone who has been a surprise hit this year has been Djed Spence.

We say surprise as it looked like he was on his way out of the club in the summer and wasn’t even included in the first Europa League squad.

However, as the defence started falling like flies, Postecoglou was forced to call upon the Englishman, and it was a good thing he did, as the 22-year-old is now arguably their best full-back.

He might not quite be able to whip a ball as well as Pedro Porro, but he’s no slouch going forward, and unlike some of his teammates, he’s imposing when it comes to the defensive side of the game.

With that said, neither he nor Solanke has been Spurs’ best player this season; that title goes to someone else, someone whose valuation has exploded since joining the North Londoners.

The Spurs star whose valuation has exploded

Despite their position in the table, there are several incredibly valuable players in the Spurs squad, like Solanke, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

In this instance, though, the player in question is none other than Dejan Kulusevski, who made his move to N17 permanent in 2023 for a fee said to be in the region of £25m.

However, he’s worth a lot more than that today, with the CIES Football Observatory valuing him at around €70m, which converts to about £58m, representing a 132% increase on the fee paid by the Lilywhites.

Now, that is undoubtedly a lot of money, and it’s probably fair to say the last few weeks have not seen him at his very best, but when we take a look at the season as a whole, it’s clear that he’s been the club’s best player and more than deserves such a valuation.

For example, in just 39 appearances, which have seen him play in midfield and out wide, the “world-class” international, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored nine goals and provided ten assists.

Kulusevski’s 24/25

Appearances

39

Minutes

2850′

Goals

9

Assists

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.48

Minutes per Goal Involvement

150′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

That means the 24-year-old game-changer is averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 for a team struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table – talk about impressive.

Ultimately, this season has been nothing short of a disaster for Tottenham, but even in such a campaign, players like Spence, Solanke and even Kulusevski have shown that they have what it takes to be a part of the next great Spurs side.

Related Tel will love him: Levy looking at "incredible" Ange upgrade for Spurs

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 12, 2025

Australia A were hit by an injury to Joel Paris while the visitors were able to claim a late wicket

Andrew McGlashan30-Aug-2023

Scott Kuggeleijn struck a rollicking 85-ball century at No. 8 to leave Australia A an imposing target of 353 in the first four-day game at Allan Border Field.Kuggeleijn’s hundred, his fourth in first-class cricket, included 12 fours and four sixes – one a crunching lofted straight drive off Jordan Buckingham with what resembled a golf swing – and it was the last of them, pulled over deep midwicket off Mitchell Swepson, which took him to three figures after No. 11 Jacob Duffy had survived to give him the chance.New Zealand A’s lead had been 185 when he walked in with the home side hoping to keep the chase within far lower proportions than it eventually became. Kuggeleijn dominated the scoring, adding 91 for the eighth wicket with Brett Randell.Related

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Australia A lost Tim Ward, edging a cut shot to the keeper, before bad light brought an early close with Cameron Bancroft and Caleb Jewell having weathered some testing bowling.The hosts’ fast bowling resources had been depleted early in the day when Joel Paris left the field with a hamstring strain and was unable to return. It meant extra work for the three remaining quicks with Mark Steketee and Mitch Perrysharing eight wickets between them.It was a tough innings for Swepson who finished with 0 for 119 from 27 overs while Buckingham, who had been impressive over the first two days, came in for some tap when Kuggeleijn got going.Earlier, opener Sean Solia had fallen nine runs short of his century having maneuvered the visitors into a strong position. He was dropped off the first ball of the day when Bancroft missed the chance at second slip but feathered behind against Perry to the final ball of the morning session.Captain Tom Bruce had brought up a robust half-century before he edged to slip, this time Bancroft taking the catch, while Muhammad Abbas overcame his first-innings duck with a neat fifty which ended when he pulled to deep square leg.When Perry removed Josh Clarkson and Cam Fletcher in quick succession the contest was very evening poised but the visitors then took charge.

Roman Abramovich has opened up on the forced sale of Chelsea in 2022 in a book that is set to be released.

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• Abramovich opens up on Chelsea sale
• Book to be published this summer
• Sold club after Russia's invasion of Ukraine

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Abramovich, who purchased Chelsea in 2003, sold the club to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022 after the Russian oligarch was sanctioned following Russia's invasion of Ukraine due to his ties with president Vladimir Putin.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 58-year-old has not spoken publicly since before the sale, but reports that a new two-part interview is to be published in the upcoming book titled 'Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC'. Abramovich gave the first part of the interview in Istanbul last year, followed by another in Abu Dhabi in January.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Chelsea won five Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns under Abramovich's ownership, but they have struggled in the years following the takeover by the American consortium. The previous owner has not received any of the £2.5 billion ($3.3bn) Boehly and Co. agreed to pay for the club, with the funds remaining in a frozen bank account despite the assertion they would be used for humanitarian causes related to Ukraine.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  Details of Chelsea's 2022 sale will be revealed when the book comes out this summer, while Enzo Maresca's Blues will attempt to boost their hopes of a return to next season's Champions League when they host Everton in the Premier League this weekend.