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Lahiru Gamage claimed a second five-wicket haul in as many four-day matches, as the rain-affected second round of the Super Fours Provincial Tournament produced two further draws

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Apr-2018

Lahiru Gamage screams in celebration•Getty Images

Lahiru Gamage claimed a second five-wicket haul in as many four-day matches, as the rain-affected second round of the Super Fours Provincial Tournament produced two further draws. The matches at Hambantota and Dambullla were played under lights with the pink ball – SLC’s attempt to prepare the Test players for their forthcoming day-night Test in Barbados, in June. Although the rain ate up too much time for a result to be possible, the bowlers nevertheless returned good figures in this round, with Kandy seamers Kasun Rajitha and Isuru Udana taking four wickets apiece in the first innings against Colombo, and legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga claiming 4 for 40 for Colombo, in the same match.It was Gamage’s figures of 5 for 78 against Galle, however, that stood out from the round, and that his good form will put the national selectors at ease. With Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep and Shehan Madushanka all in doubt for the Tests against West Indies in June, Gamage will likely feature in Sri Lanka’s seam attack there. This performance – during which he took the wickets of Roshen Silva and Galle captain Dasun Shanaka – followed his 5 for 71 against Kandy last week. Led by Gamage, the seamers have continued to outperform the spinners in this tournament – a welcome trend in Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket, which is often overwhelmingly dominated by spinners.On the batting front, the Dambulla team’s Sachithra Serasinghe was the only one to make triple figures in this round, hitting 112 from 208 balls to help set Galle 315 to win. Elsewhere in that match, Kusal Mendis made 89, Chaturanga de Silva hit 54 and Ashan Priyanjan followed his century from the first round with a 95 in the second, putting on a 141-run stand with Serasinghe in the process.In the other match, former Under-19 captain Charith Asalanka, and Priyamal Perera hit half-centuries for Kandy. And, although, thanks to Rajitha and Udana’s four-wicket hauls, they reduced the Colombo side to 138 for 9 dec (in response to their own 270), the extended rain delays had long made a result impossible.

4:25

Manjrekar: RCB left the final overs to limited bowlers

Chennai Super Kings picked up their fifth victory through thunderous performances from two heroes – Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni – in an explosive performance. They made nearly half of the 206 target with the 17 sixes they hit at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Kohli fined for slow over rate

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli has been fined INR 12 lakh (USD 18,000 approx) after his team maintained a slow over rate on Wednesday night against Chennai Super Kings. Kohli’s penalty was decided keeping in mind it was his team’s first over-rate offence of the season.

Super Kings survived an AB de Villiers onslaught to recover and chase just a little over 200 – it could’ve been much more. Then they slipped to 74 for 4 in nine overs, before coming back with blazing 101-run stand between Dhoni and Rayudu. Dwayne Bravo, then set it up for Dhoni to complete a win in his signature style – a six over long-on, thereabouts – to take them back to the top of the table.The sub-plot was a familiar one for Royal Challengers: they didn’t have the bowling to defend, again. They had seven bowling options on the night and their two best bowlers – Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav – bowled out their overs for a combined 3 for 49. The two other spinners were given a combined four overs, the better bowler of their two allrounders – Colin de Grandhomme – didn’t have a bowl, and, yet again, a glaring lack of a death-overs plan resulted in an embarrassing collapse.The top does it again for RCBBy the time CSK had got into the third over after electing to bowl, Virat Kohli had figured out his method against the opening bowlers: short strides against Deepak Chahar’s swing and a few steps down at Shardul Thakur. He also exchanged notes with Quinton de Kock who aggressively kept gesturing about how Thakur’s knuckle ball was coming out.Thakur managed to pull it back momentarily with a quite remarkable feat – a wicket maiden off a T20 over faced by Kohli and de Villiers – but the bleeding wouldn’t stop. De Kock and de Villiers, together, put up 103 for the second wicket from there in under nine overs, starting with a 16-run punishment off three balls that took Harbhajan out for the rest of the innings.When the ball lost its shine, there did appear to be grip from the surface. But the South African duo weren’t averse to using their feet – de Villiers made 45 off his 68 runs against 17 balls of spin – to move laterally in the crease or down the pitch to open up the field. With their abilities to clear the ground in tow, that proved vital, because the spinners were forced into bowling faster than they should have been.Mighty fallThe next breakthrough, the wicket of de Kock in the 14th, also came in a maiden over. It might even have been a double-wicket maiden had CSK reviewed an lbw decision where Bravo got Corey Anderson on the back leg off a full toss. It didn’t do too much damage though as Imran Tahir claimed two: de Villiers – 68 off 30 – and Anderson, off consecutive deliveries.Suddenly, it was turning big. CSK could’ve had Mandeep Singh, but Dhoni failed to anticipate a spitting turner from Ravindra Jadeja and couldn’t get his hand on a stumping opportunity. What followed was a six over midwicket and a reverse-swept four to get Mandeep going. A missed opportunity and Royal Challengers looked like they would capitalise.But another collapse came. RCB lost seven wickets in the last five overs and played out two maiden overs in the innings. They didn’t have the bowling to afford such mishaps.How to lose a matchRCB had made the perfect start with the ball. Shane Watson, Suresh Raina and Sam Billings, who have all made winning contributions this season, were out inside seven overs and the pitch was allowing big turn. CSK seemed to have given them some help too, when they sent Jadeja ahead of Dhoni at No. 5. That move brought a 15-run fourth-wicket stand that consumed 16 balls.Umesh had bowled out his overs in a testing opening spell, though, and Chahal would be done in the 13th. The brutal effect of that reality in simple, numerical terms: CSK hit 12 sixes in 64 balls after Dhoni walked in.Rayudu didn’t exactly fly under the radar. Like he had against Sunrisers in Super Kings’ previous match, he dealt mainly in flat-batted shots. He was severe on Hyderabad Ranji team-mate Mohammed Siraj, and did not allow Washington Sundar a chance to settle.At the other end, Dhoni smashed the confidence out of Pawan Negi. Shortly after coming in to bat, he swatted the left-arm spinner over midwicket, and upon his return in the 14th, a visibly nervous Negi fired full ones flat into Dhoni’s arc. Two of RCB’s spinners had been neutralised on a spin-friendly surface.That was the beginning of an inevitable death-overs meltdown. With 70 required off 28 balls, Umesh put down a simple chance at extra cover that would have ended Rayudu’s innings. It was perhaps the only time Anderson’s plan of sliding cross-seam length balls across came close to working. By the end of that over, he was truly found out – Rayudu hit balls from the same line outside off over extra cover and then over midwicket.At 21 required off seven balls, even if Mohammed Siraj had completed the penultimate over without needing four attempts at the last ball, Anderson didn’t look like he would have defended the runs. The allrounder, had gone for 16 and 15 in his two overs before the last one, and conceded 17 runs off four balls to finish with figures of 3.4-0-58-0.De Grandhomme, brought into the XI on the night, did not feature in Kohli’s bowling plans. This meant that Royal Challengers would bowl their last six overs with two bowlers: a strategy scarcely seen in ODI cricket even, which shouldn’t have a place in T20 cricket. But it did have a place on the night. And it summed up why RCB’s economy in the death-overs this season – 13.29 – is the worst by any team in any edition of the IPL.

Gayle b Sidebottom, and impromptu entertainment courtesy a pitch invader

Jon Guard16-Jun-2009Why I picked this match
I chose this fixture because I thought England had a good chance of making it to the Super Eights. I also expected, as the organisers probably did, that Australia would be the opposition. That they were not did not matter. West Indies are a formidable Twenty20 team. The result was difficult to predict – England’s resilience under pressure against Chris Gayle’s attacking batsmen. My money was on England to squeeze through.Key performer
Ramnaresh Sarwan – rarely will a batsman score such a crucial 19 not out. He came in at 45 for 5 with 35 needed off 22 balls and with England on a roll. He responded with three fours and calmly led his team to victory.One thing I’d have changed about the match
The weather. Games subjected to Duckworth-Lewis always lose some lustre. Sustaining eight runs per over across 20 overs rather than nine across nine might have been too much for West Indies.Face-off you relished
Gayle against any England bowler. The nonchalant West Indies captain has an aura of power. If Gayle gets going, no total is safe.Wow moment
Gayle had calmly dispatched three boundaries, but the final ball of the second over, bowled by Ryan Sidebottom, was full, fast and splayed his stumps. England must have sensed possible victory.Player watch
Andre Fletcher fielded at square leg when West Indies bowled from the Pavilion End. He took a fine mid-air catch above his head to get rid of Owais Shah. Luke Wright fielded there for England and made a fumble late on to give away a second, vital run – not appreciated by the crowd.Shot of the day
Kevin Pietersen’s first ball, bowled by Kieron Pollard, was pulled to the midwicket boundary. No messing around, straight into his stride.Crowd meter
The game was watched by a full house, cheering every England run, wicket and dot ball. There were a good number of West Indies supporters, as well as Pakistanis who had watched the earlier game, with flags for the various countries being waved all round the ground. As the game reached its climax, the noise lessened as the bowlers ran in, the atmosphere very tense, before rising in cheers or groans depending upon the outcome.Entertainment
As the crowd awaited the start of West Indies’ reply, the mood was lightened by a man in just his pants running onto the pitch and sliding on his belly across the covers. Not the right thing to do, of course, but he made an impressive slide and got a huge cheer before being escorted away.Overall
England’s innings got off to an aggressive start, although they lost momentum towards the end, before the rain prevented a genuine, full-length contest. Nevertheless, West Indies’ nine-over reply had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The game came down to the wire, as Twenty20 matches should.Marks out of 10
7. Tense finish, but England slightly unlucky to go out in shortened match.

أشاد أيمن يونس، نجم الزمالك السابق، بقرار مارسيل كولر المدير الفني للنادي الأهلي، بالدفع بـ محمد الشناوي حار مرمى الفريق أساسيًا في مباراة سموحة اليوم، ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وكان الشناوي قد تعرض لانتقادات واسعة عقب هزيمة الأهلي أمام شباب بلوزداد الجزائري، بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، وحمله البعض نتيجة الخسارة بسبب تعامله غير الجيد مع الهدف الذي سكن شباكه.

وقرر كولر الدفع بالشناوي أساسيًا في مباراة اليوم أمام سموحة، المؤجلة من الجولة الخامسة، كرسالة دعم من المدير الفني للحارس في ظل موجة الانتقادات ضده.

وقال أيمن يونس في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورت”: “لا أحب شخصية (خيل الحكومة) التي تتعاملون بها مع الشناوي في الفترة الأخيرة، لاعب كبر وأخطأ نعدمه؟، هذا شيء غير مقبول في وسطنا وجديد علينا”.

طالع أيضًا | عصام الحضري: ما يحدث مع الشناوي مُتعمد.. و”يا جبل ما يهزك ريح”

وتابع: “الشناوي بطل من أبطال تاريخ النادي الأهلي، ونجم من نجوم منتخب مصر، طريقة التعامل معه لم تكن تصح بهذا الشكل، كانت غير لائقة تمامًا”.

وأضاف: “أنا مُعجب بـ قرار كولر، أن الشناوي يلعب أساسيًا في مباراة اليوم، لأن اللاعب الكبير صاحب التاريخ والإنجازات، لا يجب أن نقف عند خطأ وقع فيه أيًا كان هو، هذا القرار موفق من كولر”.

واختتم: “مباراة كانت مهمة لعلاقة الشناوي بجمهور الأهلي، ليس من المعقول أن يكون اللاعب قد خدم النادي واجتهد وحصد ألقاباً وصنع إنجازات، ويُخطئ خطأ والناس تتعامل معه بهذا الشكل”.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola now wants to sign an “ice cool” player, amid concerns over the performances of a current starter, according to a report.

On paper, Man City should have been no match for Al-Hilal, and they certainly had the better of their opponents, creating more chances and having over double the amount of shots on target throughout the match.

However, the Blues ultimately ended up crashing out of the Club World Cup after a shock 4-3 defeat, with Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou putting in a phenomenal performance, making eight saves from inside the box to keep Guardiola’s side at bay.

Man City: Pep wants to sign £162,000-a-week "best goalkeeper in the world"

Pep Guardiola has personally requested the signing of a goalkeeper, amid doubts over Ederson’s future.

ByDominic Lund Jul 3, 2025

The City boss refused to be too critical of his players in the wake of the result, while also singling out Bounou for praise, saying:“It is a pity. We have been on incredible journey together and were in a good place. The vibe was really good. I cannot thank the players enough for training and playing how they have been.

“But it was a difficult game. The margins were minimal. We created a lot and (Yassine) Bounou made incredible saves but we were so open.”

However, behind-the-scenes, Guardiola is still planning to make some changes to his squad, with a report from Spain revealing the Man City manager has made it clear that he wants to sign Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

With Ederson not the player he once was, having lost consistency in his performances, there is a desire to bring in a new goalkeeper, and Guardiola believes Ter Stegen could be an ideal fit, believing that he has the qualities to succeed in the Premier League.

Barca would be willing to sanction a departure if a good offer comes their way, as the La Liga side are looking to reduce their wage bill, and the German rakes in a sizeable £105k-a-week.

"Ice cool" Ter Stegen has track record of success

The 33-year-old has won 20 major honours throughout a glittering career, having been an important player for Barcelona over a number of years, making a total of 422 appearances for the Spanish side.

That experience at the top level could be very useful for a Man City side which needs to start winning again, having endured a rare trophyless season during the 2024-25 campaign.

The “ice cool” goalkeeper is also comfortable in possession of the ball, which could make him a good fit in a Guardiola system, with counterpart Thibaut Courtois describing the Barca shot-stopper as the “best in the game” with his feet.

Ter Stegen could be a fantastic signing for Man City, but there may be some concerns over the fact the goalkeeper is already 33-years-old, making him two years older than Ederson, which indicates he is unlikely to be a long-term replacement for the Brazilian.

Everton could now allow a "really good" player to leave the club during the January transfer window in order to keep the same suitor away from Jarrad Branthwaite, according to a new update from Goodison Park.

Everton's January transfer plans

It isn't long until the Blues will once again be able to enter the transfer market, with the opening of the January window just three weeks away. Sean Dyche and his side have enjoyed a superb week or so in the Premier League, winning three matches in a row without conceding a goal, including against Newcastle United and Chelsea, and jumping out of the relegation zone in the process.

That's not to say that new signings aren't needed, however, and Everton have been linked with a move for Lyon centre-back Jake O'Brien, with the 22-year-old Irishman impressing France. Meanwhile, the Blues have also been backed to complete the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker, seeing him as someone who could add depth in the middle of the park.

It does look as though one Goodison player could be set to head the other way, however, in an effort to keep Branthwaite on the books.

Everton to offer up Godfrey to stave off Branthwaite interest

According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, Everton are willing to allow Ben Godfrey to leave in January, with Tottenham potentially snapping him up as an alternative to Branthwaite, who they are also interested in but the Toffees will refuse to sell.

"Everton are prepared to sell Ben Godfrey to Tottenham in January if a bid is submitted, sources have told Football Insider. Spurs are in the market for a new centre-back in January after losing both Eric Dier and Micky van de Ven to injury in recent weeks.

"The North London side have shown an interest in Toffees duo Jarrad Branthwaite and Godfrey in recent weeks as they look to bolster their defensive options."

This does feel like the natural time to allow Godfrey to leave, even though the 25-year-old is someone who legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti was a big fan of, describing him as a "really good" talent during his time in charge at Goodison. The Englishman is simply not in the current boss' plans however – he has featured for just one minute of Premier League action in total this season, as well as starting one solitary game in the EFL Cup.

James Tarkowski and Branthwaite have become Everton's undisputed first-choice centre-back pairing, and it is hard to see that changing any time soon, so this feels like the right moment for Godfrey to enjoy a fresh challenge.

European giants eyeing "exciting" Everton star who only joined last summer

This would be a huge blow for Sean Dyche…

ByTom Cunningham Dec 9, 2023

He could even flourish under Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, should he be given the chance to prove himself, and he is a powerful player who can enjoy a big influence on his day, whether that be at centre-back or right-back.

Everton could receive good money for him, ahead of his Blues contract expiring in the summer of 2025, and the longer they keep hold of him, the cheaper he will become, further highlighting why January is the best time to move him on.

Fulham are in pole position to bring an exciting overseas player to the Premier League, with a fresh report revealing that he’s viewed as a replacement for Joao Palhinha.

Bayern Munich's pursuit of Joao Palhinha

Over the summer, Bayern Munich held a strong interest in Palhinha and came close to completing a deal when the player even flew over to Germany to finalise his move on deadline day, but because Fulham couldn’t find a successor, the move fell through at the last minute.

However, Thomas Tuchel’s side are now considering another swoop for the talisman at the start of next year, so with Marco Silva now having a bit more time to assess his options in the market, he’s set his sights on a potential candidate who he wants to bring to England.

Fluminense’s defensive midfielder Andre has worked his way up through his club’s various academy ranks to get promoted to their first team where he’s so far made a total of 163 appearances across all age levels (Transfermarkt – Andre stats).

The Brazil international has made an outstanding start to the new season having firmly established himself as Fernando Diniz’s best-performing defensive player (WhoScored – Fluminense stats), and it’s this impressive form which has brought the 22-year-old onto the radar at Craven Cottage.

Fulham leading race to sign Andre

According to The Sunday Mirror (via The Boot Room), Fulham are at the front of the queue for Andre in January. Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool have also been scouting the central talisman this season, but it’s Silva’s side who are currently in pole position to secure his services.

Fluminense’s starlet is viewed as an ideal replacement for Palhinha should he depart, and it’s stated that he could cost approximately £30m to sign.

Craven Cottage could welcome "leader" in Andre

Naturally being a defensive midfielder, Andre’s best quality is getting stuck into challenges and trying to win back possession for his team which he’s excelled in this season, winning 36 out of his 50 tackles made, more than any other of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Fluminense stats).

The Ibirataia native is also calm and composed on the ball where he’s currently recording a 94.7% pass success rate (WhoScored – Andre stats), which is higher than any of Silva’s squad have managed to achieve since the start of the campaign (WhoScored – Fulham stats), showing he'd be an upgrade on the boss' current options.

Sponsored by Nike, the in-demand star is even a versatile operator having been deployed in five different positions over the grass since the start of his career, including four roles in the midfield and even at centre-back, highlighting his ability to provide cover in areas outside of his own should any unexpected injuries occur.

Finally, Andre has recently had a taste of what it’s like to be successful having been crowned the 2022/23 Copa Libertadores winner, and with his organisational skills having seen him described as a “leader” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he could be the ideal replacement for Palhinha.

One normal weekend of Barclays, that’s all Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team were left asking for on Saturday evening.

This season has seen an unparalleled amount of attention on the PGMOL and Howard Webb’s merry band of referees.

The standard of officiating in this country has seemingly plummeted to an all time low. Apologies have made, statements have been shared left, right and centre, and yet still decisions are being made incorrectly.

Arteta may well need to look closer to home for why they lost 1-0 to Newcastle at a raucous St James’ Park this weekend, but the officiating for both sides left a lot to be desired.

A ridiculous and untimely challenge from Kai Havertz in the first half could have warranted a red card on another day while Bruno Guimaraes could have been sent for an early bath too after deliberately using his forearm to hit Jorginho in the back of the head.

The biggest moment of controversy, however, came when Newcastle took the lead.

How Arsenal lost to Newcastle

Truth be told, the Gunners didn’t play too badly in the north east on Saturday night.

A rigid and organised defence that had kept a clean sheet against Manchester City was on display again while Declan Rice’s powerhouse nature ensured Arteta’s men won the midfield battle.

However, it was in attack where they were lacking. A 0-0 draw would have been a fair result until a moment of chaos ensued just after the hour mark.

A stray shot from Jacob Murphy almost went out for a goal kick down by the corner flag but Joe WIllock, once of Arsenal himself, didn’t give it up. On the angle we were given during the TV coverage, it looked as though the ball was out. Alas, that was one of three VAR decisions that was seen as fine after Anthony Gordon had scored from close range.

A flighted ball in was missed by David Raya and couldn’t be dealt with by Gabriel who was seemingly shoved to the ground by Joelinton. No foul was adjudged to have been made. The next decision was assessing whether Gordon was onside.

The VAR claimed he was, although Arteta wasn’t happy, launching an aggressive series of vocal attacks towards the officials in his post-match press conference.

Indeed, he could blame the officiating all he likes, but the fact of the matter is that a number of players in red and white let him down.

Arsenal’s worst player vs Newcastle

After a £65m move from Chelsea in the summer much has been expected of Havertz but it was his ludicrous tackle in the first half that nearly put Arsenal down a man.

It was a big evening for the German who was given more of a creative role with Martin Odegaard missing through injury. Create he did not. In fact, he only served to frustrate more as the Gunners failed to score.

A large part of their failings in offensive areas was also down to the average performance of Eddie Nketiah.

A week ago the club’s number 14 was in inspired from against Sheffield United, netting his first Premier League hat-trick.

It was a display that saw him become the club’s joint top goal scorer this season alongside Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. That fact doesn’t tell the full story though.

At home, Nketiah offers the ability to hold the ball up and run the channels. He doesn’t set the world alight but his performance levels are generally sufficient.

Away from home, however, the English striker has been the definition of mediocre. In 52 league outings on the road, he’s only found the net five times. For a team chasing a Premier League title that simply isn’t good enough.

It was feels harsh to criticise someone who’s scored three only a week ago but barring that, Arsenal need to see a lot more from Nketiah while Gabriel Jesus is out injured.

On Saturday, he struggled for any real service and was starved of the ball. That said, he very rarely made himself available.

As per FotMob, Nketiah only registered 33 touches of the ball, just one more than Raya and completed 16 passes, the worst of any starter for Arsenal, including the enigmatic Havertz. Even substitute Oleksandr Zinchenko made more with 30. Only two of those passes, meanwhile, were in the final third. Worrying for your focal point in attack.

Shots

1

Pass Accuracy

14/16

Expected Goals (xG)

0.15

Touches

33

Touches in opposition box

5

Successful Dribbles

0/2

Duels Won

5

Duels Lost

9

Fouls Committed

2

Stats via FotMob.

To make matters worse, the forward managed one shot, which was off target, and failed to complete either of his two attempted dribbles.

On top of that, the 24-year-old won 33% of his ground duels and 40% of his aerial duels as the Newcastle defenders well and truly bullied him. It was hardly a surprise to see his display get labelled as "anonymous" by some, including Arseblog's Andrew Allen.

This was not a night to savour for Nketiah who offered very little in attack. With the academy graduate largely underwhelming and Jesus’ fitness record inconsistent, the purchase of a new striker could well be looming in January. Such an eventuality may well determine whether Arteta’s men have what it takes to win the title.

Chelsea's most successful manager in recent times has been Thomas Tuchel.

The German tactician, who led the Blues to Champions League glory over Manchester City in 2021, was the last manager to deliver any sort of silverware to Stamford Bridge.

He recorded 63 wins in 100 matches and only tasted defeat 18 times in 20 months while reaching both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals in the 2021/22 season.

Despite this success, Todd Boehly and co ultimately decided that Tuchel wasn't the right man to take the club forward and according to his ex-wife, he was dismissed in September 2022 due to "off-field reasons and because the players lost respect for him".

While Tuchel's spell in charge ended on a sour note, so too did Chelsea's business during his time at the club, with the 50-year-old misfiring across all fronts in the transfer window.

He brought in the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Saul Niguez and Marcus Bettinelli – who all failed in the blue shirt – and also sold a whole host of talented stars, including Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Olivier Giroud, the latter of which has gone on to make the Blues regret selling him in 2021.

How did Olivier Giroud perform for Chelsea?

Throughout his career, Giroud has become such a likeable figure everywhere's been. During his six-year stint at Arsenal, the Frenchman earned plaudits for his consistent goal-scoring and his ability to produce the spectacular, scoring 105 times and assisting a further 41 in 253 appearances for the Gunners.

So it came as no surprise to see many Arsenal fans frustrated at the club's decision to sell him to their rivals for £18m in 2018, with Arsene Wenger claiming a year earlier that the striker was performing at the pinnacle of his powers.

He said: "I know how important he is not only as a player – he’s a fantastic player – but also in the group he has a big weight. It was a relief for me he decided to stay. Giroud in his prime is at the top of his game."

After moving to west London, Giroud would become a pivotal figure in the club's quest for European dominance and the "top level" forward – as formerly claimed by Wenger – would perform exceptionally in Europe's top two competitions.

In 2018/19, his eye-watering 11 goals and five assists in 14 appearances helped the Blues win the Europa League, ironically scoring the winner against his former club in the final.

Then in the 2020/21 campaign, the 6 foot 4 phenom would play an integral role in the Blues' run to the Champions League final, having scored a sensational six times in eight appearances, including all four goals in their 4-0 victory over Sevilla.

Given those standout performances on the big stage, it begs the question as to why Tuchel sold him to AC Milan for a measly £1m in the summer of 2021.

How many goals has Giroud scored since leaving Chelsea?

While supporters have been made to sit through the transfer saga involving Romelu Lukaku, the toothless Kai Havertz and the struggling displays of Nicolas Jackson since Giroud's departure, the Frenchman has been a revelation for AC Milan.

At the remarkable age of 37, the sublime finisher has showcased his final-third expertise at the Rossoneri and left Chelsea fans frustrated with the form he's producing.

In 95 appearances for Milan, he's scored 36 goals and supplied 14 assists, a total that has seen him outscore every Chelsea player since his departure.

The 126-cap international also outperformed the majority of his positional peers in the Serie A last season, ranking in the top 16% for non-penalty goals, top 4% for aerials won, top 18% for assists and top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty box, as per FBref.

Giroud's powers in front of goal have also shown no signs of slowing down in this campaign either with four goals and three assists in eight appearances in the Serie A.

The talented Frenchman may be approaching the twilight years of his career, but if anything, he's aged like a fine wine and he continues to make Chelsea regret selling him for such a nominal fee.

Leeds United are open to selling one of their regular first-team players in January alongside Marc Roca, and a new report has revealed the price that the club have valued him at should he leave Elland Road.

Who have Leeds United just signed?

Over the summer, Daniel Farke brought nine new players to the club in the form of Joel Piroe, Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, Glen Kamara and Karl Darlow on a permanent basis, whilst recruiting Djed Spence, Jaidon Anthony and Joe Rodon on loan, alongside Sam Byram on a free transfer.

At Elland Road, Tyler Adams and Rodrigo were the only two to depart for good, with the likes of Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra and Marc Roca being sent out temporarily, the latter sealing a switch to Real Betis, as per Transfermarkt, and it’s been reported that his move is likely to become permanent.

Despite the deadline having passed, Illan Meslier is another player that could be heading for the exit door in the new year having attracted significant interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid over the course of the past few months.

Chief executive Angus Kinnear recently confirmed that the French goalkeeper did have opportunities to leave, but the 23-year-old has himself admitted that he wanted to stay at the club because he felt responsible following relegation to the Championship.

Is Illan Meslier leaving Leeds?

According to Football Insider, Leeds are "relaxed about the prospect" of selling Meslier in January because they signed Darlow from Newcastle United over the summer with the view of him being their first-choice between the sticks.

The LS11 outfit had a "willingness" to move on the former before the September 1st deadline, but they failed to receive a suitable offer.

Previously, the shot-stopper had a £40m price tag placed on his head, though it's unknown whether this is the fee that would be demanded at the start of the new year.

How many clean sheets has Illan Meslier kept?

During his time at Leeds, Meslier has kept 31 clean sheets from 131 appearances which doesn’t sound like a lot, but having previously been praised for making some “unreal” saves by journalist Graham Smyth, there’s so much more that he brings to the side.

The Lorient native, who is naturally left-footed, ranks in the 98th percentile for most defensive actions outside of his penalty area, showing that he’s not afraid to come out of his net and clear the danger away, but he’s also impressive with the ball at his feet.

The YPFC client has a 100% pass success rate for both his short and medium dispatches since the start of the current season, via FBRef, which highlights his calmness and composure when playing out from the back to his outfield teammates.

Furthermore, Meslier helped the club to achieve promotion to the Premier League back in 2019/20 so he knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the required level, therefore, it would be a huge blow to lose him in January.