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While Arsenal’s pursuit of the Premier League is currently rather uncertain, one thing is for certain; the Gunners must strengthen their squad this January.

If Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury wasn’t enough, then more dropped points against Brighton and Ethan Nwaneri’s muscular problem that will keep him out for ‘a few weeks’ should be.

That said, supporters will have to remain patient as the winter window is a notoriously difficult one to do business in.

Clubs don’t want to lose their star players due to the limited amount of time they have to replace them and as a result, it’s likely you have to pay way over the odds if you want your man and they aren’t available.

Despite that, not bringing in any new players would be inexcusable given Arsenal are six points behind league leaders Liverpool having played one more game.

Arsenal's January transfer window plans

We are now a week into the January window and haven’t seen much activity on Arsenal’s end.

A potential move for Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha has been touted but the latest on that is the Brazilian could be set to put pen to paper on a new deal at Molineux.

Arsenal may have to get creative therefore and reports suggest they have had a bid rejected for Botafogo striker Igor Jesus.

So, who else have they been linked with? Well, they could prise away Jude Bellingham’s brother, Jobe Bellingham.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

That’s according to Football Transfers who report this week that ‘Arsenal have set their sights’ on the 19-year-old

The club’s scouts are monitoring his progress closely and it’s thought that Bellingham is now a ‘top priority for manager Mikel Arteta’.

According to talkSPORT, the midfielder is expected to cost around £20m. Any move could well see a repeat of a deal to bring Aaron Ramsey to the Emirates Stadium back in 2008.

How Jobe Bellingham compares to Aaron Ramsey

In the summer of 2008, a young Welshman was capturing the imagination of plenty in English football.

Ramsey was making waves with Cardiff City in the Championship and it wasn’t long before Manchester United came calling. Infamously they even announced they had agreed a deal on their official club website.

Luckily for those of an Arsenal persuasion, he rejected the Red Devils and ended up signing for the Gunners in a £5m deal.

262 Premier League appearances and two FA Cup final goals later and the midfielder had cemented himself as a firm fan favourite at the Emirates. It’s just a shame the way he left.

Well, as a young star also shining in England’s second tier, a deal to bring Bellingham to north London would certainly evoke memories of Ramsey’s arrival.

They’re not too dissimilar either with the Sunderland ace not too far behind when it comes to goal and assist rate in the EFL during the embryonic stages of his career to date.

Ramsey joined Arsenal as an exciting attacking midfielder and Bellingham is certainly similar in that regard. Described as a “game-breaking midfielder” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, he highlights the teenager’s ‘powerful ball carrying’ and notes that he ‘loves to make runs into the box off the ball and arrive to finish cutbacks.’

That trait was something the Welshman certainly perfected during his time in red and white, notoriously scoring as many as 16 goals in the 2013/14 campaign when Arsenal won the FA Cup.

Bellingham has four league goals and three assists this term so he’s not quite in that ballpark yet but his ability to create magic in the final third is not going unnoticed.

A further look at the stats, however, tells us why we should all be excited about the Englishman’s potential.

Goals

86%

Assists

80%

Progressive carries

52%

Progressive passes

61%

Key passes

75%

Ball recoveries

90%

Aerial duels won

96%

Compared to positionally similar players in the Championship this term, he ranks among the top 9% of players for combined goals and assists while sitting in the best 10% for ball recoveries, rubber-stamping the Ramsey-like qualities at his disposal.

Indeed, the Wales international wasn’t just competent in attacking areas but like Bellingham, he worked hard to win the ball back and made sure he did his job from a defensive standpoint.

The Sunderland sensation is far from the finished article but as project signings go, you’d find few better than the talented teen.

Fabrizio Romano: Arsenal chasing Martinelli upgrade who's a £29m "threat"

The exciting winger would add some much-needed dynamism to Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 7, 2025

A solid defensive game, rotation of strike and adding boundary options – Aakash Chopra analyses what the Australian opener needs to do to succeed against the offspinner

Aakash Chopra08-Mar-2017Australia’s batting currently stands on two strong pillars – Steven Smith and David Warner. Even though the pitches for the first two Tests were not batting-friendly, Smith has already managed to leave an indelible impression on the series. Warner, on the other hand, has looked good only in parts. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that his opening partner Matt Renshaw is a more valuable wicket if there is a lot in the pitch for the spinners. In these conditions, R Ashwin has had a wood on Warner, who has managed only 116 runs at an average of 23.20 against him and has already been dismissed five times. The stats for this series are even worse – 37 runs for three dismissals. The worrying bit is not Ashwin’s domination over Warner, but the modes of dismissals as there is a clear pattern developing of him getting either bowled or lbw.To harbour thoughts of succeeding against Ashwin on Indian pitches, one needs to have a fairly solid defensive game, a couple of shots to rotate the strike and a couple of go-to shots to collect boundaries. It is worth examining what Ashwin has tried to do and how Warner has responded.Cramp him for roomIf you were to look at the pitch maps and the beehives for Ashwin’s deliveries to Warner in this series, you will find that, barring the first innings in Pune – the only one in the series in which Warner was not dismissed by Ashwin – there was nothing that pitched away from the off stump and offered any width. Since that first innings, Ashwin’s plan against Warner has been quite evident. Whenever he went around the stumps, he pitched it either within the stumps or slightly outside off, but made sure that every ball finished no wider than the fourth stump. The moment he went over the stumps, he pitched everything outside leg. While the lines have changed a little, the length has been consistent – never short enough to allow Warner to play off the back foot.R Ashwin to David Warner in the first innings in Bengaluru•ESPNcricinfoWarner’s short stature does not allow him to go forward enough to smother the spin, and his tendency to play besides the pad brings about his downfall often. That is why, after getting dismissed lbw in Pune, Warner started standing on the off stump to plant his front-foot outside the line of off, which worked to a certain extent. When Ashwin chose to bowl over the stumps, however, into the rough outside Warner’s leg stump in the first innings, the batsman did not have a clue. Ideally, if the ball has pitched outside leg, one should avoid playing any defensive shot off the front-foot, as kicking is the best defensive option. But it was evident that Warner has not been exposed to that line too often, for he kept planting his front-foot outside leg to open up and defend with the bat. It was only a matter of time before he missed the line, which he did and was castled. Warner’s defensive game has been susceptible against the ball turning away from him, and that allowed Ashwin to explore multiple options to dismiss him.R Ashwin to David Warner in the second innings in Bengaluru•ESPNcricinfoRotation of strikeIf you do not have enough faith in your defence, you must have at least a couple of single-taking shots that keep taking you to the other end. Warner has a fairly short front-foot stride, and the tendency to play inside the line to free up the arms (an asset in short-form cricket) does not allow him to reach the pitch of even the fuller deliveries. Ideally, he should be able to push the ball towards mid-off or mid-on/midwicket quite regularly because of the straight lines bowled at him, but since he is rarely on top of the ball, he fails to do that. The other option to rotate strike against Ashwin could be to play a range of sweeps (fine and square), not necessarily for boundaries but for singles. Unfortunately, he does not sweep with a lot of authority either. If you keep facing six balls of every over of Ashwin without complete command over the defensive shots, it is a matter of when, and not if, you will get out.David Warner’s use of the cut and pull shots against spinners in Asia and Australia•ESPNcricinfo LtdBoundary StrokesLast but not the least, to put pressure back on Ashwin, it is imperative to hit boundaries. Smith has a canny plan against Ashwin: he either sweeps or goes down the ground to 70% of the Ashwin deliveries he faces. But that is not the case with Warner. His boundary shots are either cuts or pulls, which work all right on hard and bouncy Australian pitches. But it is not easy to play horizontal bat shots on low and slow Indian pitches. Moreover, Ashwin has rarely bowled short enough for him to exercise these options. The other boundary option for Warner is using the feet to take the aerial route down the ground. But to go aerial, one must stay away from the pitch of the ball, and that is quite an improbable task against a ball turning away from you on a turning pitch. He does like to reverse-sweep and switch-hit, but it will take a lot of courage to use it as a regular scoring option before reaching small personal milestones.If the pitches for the remaining two games behave similarly to the ones in Pune and Bengaluru, it will take some radical changes in Warner’s approach to get the better of his nemesis.

Liverpool are now likely to pursue a summer move for an “unbelievable” player, at which point his £75m asking price is set to drop, according to a report.

Reds eyeing a centre-back

The Reds had a quiet January transfer window, with Arne Slot perhaps not wanting to rock the boat, given that his side are faring well in their pursuit of the Premier League title.

Having been unable to bring in a new central midfielder last summer, it has been quiet on the transfer front for quite some time at Anfield, but they may be forced into action at the end of the season.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk still yet to sign new deals, Slot may be forced to rebuild his squad this summer, while he is also looking for a partner for his captain.

Liverpool are gearing up for a marquee signing in the summer, and they have reportedly identified Nottingham Forest’s Murillo as a concrete target, although the centre-back will not come cheap, with the Tricky Trees looking to hold out for £80m.

Liverpool now closely monitoring summer transfer for £41.5m "joy to watch"

A summer move to Anfield could be on the cards.

ByHenry Jackson Feb 4, 2025

The Brazilian is not the only Premier League defender the Reds are keen on, however, with Football Insider reporting Liverpool are likely to join the race for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi in the summer.

The Eagles were holding out for a fee of £75m in the January transfer window, which was enough to dissuade potential suitors, but Guehi’s price tag is expected to drop at the end of the season, at which point he will have just one year left on his contract.

Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League fixtures

Date

Everton (a)

February 12th

Wolverhampton Wanderers (h)

February 16th

Manchester City (a)

February 23rd

Newcastle United (h)

February 26th

Southampton (h)

March 8th

Most of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ are set to fight it out for the Crystal Palace star in the summer, with Tottenham Hotspur seeing a £70m bid rejected in the latter stages of the winter window.

Guehi has been "unbelievable" for Crystal Palace

It is no wonder the England international is attracting so much attention from the country’s top clubs, given that he has been extremely impressive in a Palace shirt for quite some time.

The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam provides an overview of the 24-year-old’s key strengths, while also relaying a quote from former manager Patrick Vieira.

The only concern over signing the former Chelsea man is the fact he struggles somewhat aerially, given that he is just 6 foot, as pointed out by the BBC’s Alex Howell, but he makes up for that slight weakness with his positional awareness.

Liverpool’s priority should be to keep hold of Van Dijk, but if Slot decides a new centre-back is necessary, Guehi could be an excellent addition.

Geoff Clements, who has been on the job behind the camera for half a century, talks about his career

Firdose Moonda12-Mar-2017The 2017 Dunedin Test was probably a success for only one man, and he was not even playing the match.Cameraman Geoff Clements, from Canterbury, celebrated a half-century behind the lens and then signed off on a career that began in the early years of television in New Zealand, when sports coverage was rudimentary.Clements was 18 years old and an occasional cricketer at St Albans Cricket Club when he began work as a cameraman in his home town. His first match was between Canterbury and the touring Australians in 1967. He was part of a simple three-man team who broadcast in black and white to a 50km radius around Christchurch. There were two main cameras trained on the pitch, and Clements, on the grass bank, manned the third.Given that the game took place 50 years ago, it’s understandable he doesn’t remember too much about it, except that his friend, Canterbury bowler Ken Ferries, played in the match, that they drank a beer in the club rooms afterwards, and that, at some point over the course of the three days, Clements fell in love with covering the game with a camera. “It’s like gardening on speed,” he says.

“To do any sport, you’ve got to be able to know the game. If you’ve played the game at any level, you get to understand the parabola of the situation and how a batsman shapes to play the ball and where it’s going to go”

He was soon employed by Television New Zealand, where he did a range of jobs, including studio work and administration, and covered other sports, but he remained a cricket specialist at heart. In particular, he attached himself to the toughest job, working the ball-follow camera – a role that is self-explanatory and a lot more difficult than it sounds.When hit, a cricket ball often moves even faster than when it is bowled, and you have to have both good reaction time and good anticipation if you’re tracking it with a camera. That is why Clements thinks it is essential for a cricket cameraperson to have played the game at some level. “To do any sport, you’ve got to be able to know the game. If you’ve played the game at any level, you get to understand the parabola of the situation and how a batsman shapes to play the ball and where it’s going to go,” he says. “If you’ve played and you have good hand-eye co-ordination, then you must be more capable of doing the job.”His best example of that is also his most memorable match, at his home ground in 2002. Although New Zealand lost that Test at Lancaster Park, Nathan Astle blazed 222 , which remains the fastest double-century in Test cricket. Astle struck 11 sixes in the innings, which was challenging for Clements. “He hit so many balls in the air, and on the ball-follow camera, I lost some of them. Some went on top of the roof and a couple went right over.”Having now retired, Clements hopes to catch up on his gardening and his bowlsLong before Clements was awed by Astle, he was charmed by another cricketer, who he names as the player who impressed him most. “The Nawab of Pataudi. He was a wonderful batsman with a superb cover drive,” Clements, who covered India’s 1968 series to New Zealand, remembers. “I said to one of the guys afterwards, ‘How the hell can that joker see everything so well and still play like a two-eyed human?’ He was wonderful.”Clements also counts Greg Chappell as a favourite. He says he probably has a “hundred other names which I could mention but won’t” when it comes to cricketers he admires. Instead, he concentrates on the nuances of his job, which apart from steady hands, concentration and the wearing of a lot of layers of clothes, especially in Dunedin last week, where he donned five, is based on storytelling.”It’s about not being too tight with your shots,” he says. “A ball going across the ground says nothing. A ball with someone running after it says something. A ball with someone reverse cup underneath it says something; a ball that suddenly two seconds later is caught means nothing.”Clements says the advancements in technology have aided that cause, especially the replay and the increased number of cameras. “Although sometimes we have more replays than are necessary, it really helps you to create a narrative,” Clements said. “Typically we have more than 25 cameras at the match. At this match, we have 28, and I am told that in Wellington next week there will be 30.”

“It’s about not being too tight with your shots. A ball going across the ground says nothing. A ball with someone running after it says something”

He still finds it hard to believe that the pictures he is shooting travel such a great distance in such a short time. “I still can’t understand how it happens,” Clements says. “Well, I know how it happens, but I can’t conceive of the fact that we can portray this beautiful game – this is the beautiful game, not the big round-ball thing – how we can transmit this and 500 million people somewhere can see that three seconds later. It eludes me. But I am only a television cameraman, I am not an engineer.”Soon he will be a retiree. The decision to stop now, at the age of 69, is his own. “As George Harrison, the great Beatle, wrote, all things must pass, and I think that’s a fair thing,” he says. He has been mentoring colleague Karla Underwood for “the last three or four years” to take over from him.In his time, Clements has only covered cricket outside New Zealand twice, in 1997 during the Pepsi Independence Cup in India, and a version of Cricket Sixes in Kuala Lumpur some years later. He has never been hit by a cricket ball, though he had a near miss once at Eden Park No. 2.In his retirement, he hopes to “play a lot more bowls, try and coach the Canterbury women’s bowls team again, if they will let me, dig more gardens and watch a lot more cricket on the telly”.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has revealed that Marcus Rashford may yet play again this season despite suffering a hamstring injury.

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Rashford suffers hamstring injuryFears his season was overEmery issues positive updateFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Manchester United loanee sustained the injury late last month, with manager Emery stating the 27-year-old would be out for a "few weeks". Now, however, the Spaniard has revealed that the England international could play one or two more games this season.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT EMERY SAID

He told reporters on Friday: “For tomorrow, he’s not available. He’s working on his comeback as soon as possible, but there’s still weeks to be available or not with us for the rest of the season. Of course, there’s four weeks and hopefully he will play with us one or two matches.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Rashford, who has reportedly flown to Dubai to aid his rehab, faces an uncertain period as it is not yet known if his time at United is over, whether Villa will exercise their £40 million ($53m/€47m) buy option, or if he will head to pastures new. But if he can return before the season finishes, with their last two games against Tottenham and United, he could aid Villa's bid to qualify for the Champions League.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

While Rashford continues his rehab, Villa host Fulham on Saturday lunchtime in a crunch Premier League clash as both teams try to qualify for European football next season.

At face value, David Moyes’ tactical vision doesn’t strain too far from the blueprint that prompted Farhad Moshiri, two years ago, to bring Sean Dyche to the Everton helm.

Frank Lampard had been dismissed, Everton needed greater steel-backed resistance, Dyche fit the bill. It worked, for a time, but the Toffees could only stretch so far under the pragmatic boss’ wing. Thus he departed several weeks ago after reportedly informing the new owners, The Friedkin Group, that he felt he had taken the project as far as he could.

At face value, Moyes also employs a drilled and defence-heavy style, but just ask Spurs about the Scot’s attacking credentials, and they’d be sure to concede that the Blues tore them to shreds with startling bite.

It was hardly the look of a side previously scoring only 15 Premier League goals, the second-lowest tally in the division. Nor was it the feel of a side that had just welcomed a manager with a reticence toward attacking play.

Admittedly, though, 16th-placed Everton need to dip into the January transfer window to maintain enough firepower over the business months of the term.

Everton pushing for January signing

As per The Daily Telegraph, Everton have added Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil to their shortlist of transfer targets, though snapping him up this month may prove difficult.

Moyes, who used to manage the Black Cats, is a big admirer of the 23-year-old and is believed to have tracked his career ever since.

While Everton scouts have been keeping a close eye on Neil, Sunderland are certain to play hardball at the season’s midpoint, especially as they are fourth in the Championship, pushing for promotion.

He’s been priced in excess of £15m, which is big money for an up-and-coming talent in the second tier but a marker of Neil’s quality, and why Everton should pull no punches in getting the deal done.

Why Everton are interested in Dan Neil

Everton clicked together against Tottenham; play like that every single week, and Goodison Park would be throwing down with the best that the Premier League has to offer.

Consistency is key, though, and players like Neil work wonders in knitting fluency into a squad’s fabric to create a ripple effect for players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who snapped a 16-match goalless run in the top flight on Sunday.

Having risen through the Sunderland youth ranks, Neil has chalked up 177 senior appearances for the club, notching 11 goals and 20 assists during his journey so far.

Neil recently dominated for his side as they defeated Derby in the league, keeping their foot on the pedal as they chase automatic promotion.

Reporter Ethan Todd was among those to have been coloured impressed, saying that Nail: “Has absolutely controlled and dictated the whole game, with great forward passing and drives whilst keeping things tight in midfield. Constantly instructing the team, proper captain’s performance.”

It goes to show that Everton would not only be signing a player capable of injecting some dynamic quality into the middle of the park but a leader too, someone who could galvanise and inspire, berate and demand. It’s what Everton need.

Here is a team that has proved its attacking flair has not been negligible under Dyche’s wing, merely latent, languishing in the subterranean part of Goodison Park. The Merseysiders blew Tottenham away; we keep coming back to it but it was such a marvel, such a spectacle, that it revealed the true capacity of this team.

Neil may well be the architect, hailed as a “brilliant footballer” and a “real leader on and off the pitch” by his teammate Patrick Roberts. As you are about to see from his match metrics in the Championship this term, there are few who play a more complete role in the engine room, balancing his product and covering so much ground across the field.

Matches (starts)

27 (27)

Goals

1

Assists

3

Touches*

57.9

Pass completion

84%

Key passes*

0.8

Dribble (success)*

0.8 (51%)

Ball recoveries*

5.7

Tackles + interceptions*

3.2

Total duels (won)*

4.5 (51%)

Moyes might even be able to sign his next version of Mikel Arteta by bringing Neil to the fold, such is the rounded nature of his skill set.

Everton signed Arsenal’s manager during his playing days, bringing him in from Real Sociedad for a £3m fee in August 2005, proving to be one of the finest signings of his distinguished Toffees tenure.

He eventually joined the Gunners in a £10m deal, six years on, but Arteta had already featured 209 times for the Merseyside unit, scoring 35 goals and supplying 36 assists, contributing centrally to the most prosperous era in their modern history.

But hang on a moment, how does this pertain to present interest in Sunderland’s Neil? Well, aside from Moyes repeating his trick by bringing the player to Goodison – as he did with Arteta way back when – Neil has sharp playmaking skills while also excelling across the gamut of midfield duties.

The Spaniard was typically deployed in midfield alongside an anchor, allowing his creativity and ability on the ball to be properly showcased. He would dictate play and control the pace of the game, acting as a metronome of sorts.

Arteta added something different to the Everton midfield, a different dimension that Neil could replicate, sitting alongside players such as Idrissa Gueye, Orel Mangala and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Moyes once claimed that his former midfielder was “head and shoulders” above his peers, and you just get the sense that Neil could be too, 15 years later, Moyes back in the Everton dugout.

Talk about circularity.

A better signing than Nuamah: Everton make enquiry to sign English talent

Everton are looking at a “Messi-like” star who would be even better than Nuamah

ByConnor Holden Jan 22, 2025

Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 84 was the only positive for Mumbai as RCB romped home with 22 balls to spare

Hemant Brar02-Apr-20232:05

Dasgupta: Kohli’s break has helped him re-ignite the fire

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis hit scintillating half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore marked their homecoming with a dominating eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians.The win was set up by Royal Challengers’ bowlers. After inserting Mumbai in, du Plessis used seven of them; except Glenn Maxwell who bowled just one over, everyone else picked up at least one wicket.That Mumbai could post 171 for 7 in itself was an achievement. After 15 overs, they were 102 for 5 but Tilak Varma’s magnificent 84 not out off 46 balls gave them something to fight with.Du Plessis and Kohli, though, showed how much under par Mumbai were. The pair added 148 in 14.5 overs for the opening stand, du Plessis hitting a 43-ball 73 and Kohli an unbeaten 82 off 49. Between them, they hit 11 fours and as many sixes. When Kohli hit the winning six, 22 balls were still left in the game.Impact Player – Behrendorff in for SuryakumarMumbai, who had started the game with three overseas players, brought in Jason Behrendorff in the second innings. He replaced Suryakumar Yadav, but it made little difference as Behrendorff went for 37 in three wicketless overs. Royal Challengers were in such a comfortable position throughout that they didn’t even use an Impact Player.A powerless powerplayM Chinnaswamy Stadium is infamous for being the bowlers’ graveyard. However, that wasn’t the case in the first innings, with the ball coming slightly slower off the surface. Mohammed Siraj bowled three overs in the powerplay for just five runs and Ishan Kishan’s wicket. Kishan had hit two fours off Reece Topley in the second over but Siraj created the pressure with dot balls. When Kishan tried to break away, he ended up miscuing one to deep third.Batting at No. 3, Cameron Green lasted only four balls and was castled by a Topley yorker. Siraj could have had Rohit Sharma too in the next over. After bowling three dots in a row to Rohit, Siraj went for a bouncer. Rohit countered it with a pull, only to top-edge it straight up. But Siraj couldn’t hear Dinesh Karthik’s call – blame it on the deafening noise by the spectators – and ended up colliding with the wicketkeeper, and the chance went down. It didn’t prove costly, though, as Akash Deep had Rohit caught behind three balls later. Rohit made 1 off ten balls; Mumbai ended the powerplay on 29 for 3.Tilak Varma raises his bat after reaching a well-deserved half-century•BCCIVarma plays a lone handComing in at 19 for 3, Varma opened his account with a second-ball six. Suryakumar’s wicket in the ninth over left Mumbai at 48 for 4 but Varma kept playing his shots. He hit Maxwell for a six and four off successive balls before scooping Deep four a boundary in the next over.He found some support from debutant Nehal Wadhera who hit Karn Sharma for back-to-back sixes, the second one going landing on the roof over long-on. When he tried it for the third time, he holed out. In his next over, Karn dealt a much bigger blow by bowling Tim David.Varma appeared immune to all that and brought up his fifty in 32 balls. His knock had steered Mumbai to 133 for 7 after 18 overs. Then, Siraj lost his radar and sent down five off-side wides – four of them in a row. To make it worse, Varma picked up two fours as well in the over.Harshal Patel had conceded only 21 from his first three overs but he too bore the brunt now, going for 22 in the last over of the innings. Arshad Khan, the other debutant on the night, smashed the second ball of the over for a six. Varma followed it with a pulled four before wrapping up the innings with a helicoptered six.Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli started strongly for Royal Challengers Bangalore•BCCIThe du Plessis-Kohli showMumbai’s left-arm seamers Behrendorff and Arshad found swing with the new ball, but du Plessis defused that threat by using his feet. He went down the track three times in Behrendorff’s second over, hitting one four and two successive sixes.Jofra Archer failed to latch on to a tough return catch from Kohli off his first ball for Mumbai. On the next, Kohli steered him for four, and then went down the track to launch a slower one over long-off.Du Plessis too enjoyed his luck when Kishan dropped him off Piyush Chawla in the fifth over, and took the side to 53 for no loss at the end of the powerplay. A couple of overs later, he welcomed Green into the attack with two fours and a six.Du Plessis brought up his fifty – off 29 balls – with a six off Hrithik Shokeen and celebrated it with another six on the spinner’s next ball. Kohli, despite hitting some eye-catching shots, was playing second fiddle to du Plessis. He took 38 balls for his half-century but by the time du Plessis got out, he had almost caught up with him.Karthik was promoted to No. 3. He fetched a three-ball duck but Maxwell smashed two sixes in three balls to take Royal Challengers to the brink of victory.

The Catalan club has been home to a whole host of iconic Samba stars down the years – but who stands out as the best?

Barcelona have signed a grand total of 29 Brazilian players over the last 35 years, with Vitor Roque the latest through the door in January 2024. The former Athletico Paranaense youngster only lasted one year in Catalunya, though, making just 14 La Liga appearances before the Blaugrana accepted a €25 million (£21m/$26m) offer for his services from Palmeiras in the winter transfer window.

Just like compatriots Philippe Coutinho, Malcom and Arthur Melo before him, Roque was unable to live up to expectations at one of the world's biggest clubs. Sonny Anderson, Fabio Rochemback and Geovanni also endured the same struggles at Barcelona, who have a mixed record when it comes to investment in Samba stars.

As such, it was relatively easy for GOAL to settle on the top 10 Brazilian's in the club's history. Ranking those players, however, was a far more daunting task, because most of them can be categorised as Barcelona legends.

In fact, the only man on the list who hasn't earned that status yet is Raphinha. That could change for the former Leeds United man by the end of May, though, because he is spearheading Barca's latest treble charge under Hansi Flick, and is currently the favourite to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or. The question is: who is Raphinha bidding to overtake in the Blaugrana history books?Check out our rankings below…

AFP10Adriano

Signed from Sevilla for just €9.5m in the summer of 2010, Adriano would prove to be one of the bargain buys of the century in his trophy-laden six-year stint at Camp Nou. He never really nailed down a starting role, but was an invaluable utility player who could operate as a full-back or winger on both sides of the pitch, in central midfield and even in the heart of defence when required. Adriano also had a penchant for popping up with important goals, including a brace in Barca's 4-0 Club World Cup final win over Sadd Sports Club in 2011.

World Cup winner Edmilson was also a contender for this No.10 slot, but we've given Adriano the nod because of his incredible versatility and superior honours list, with the former Sevilla man ending his time at Catalunya with four La Liga titles, two Champions League crowns and three Copas del Rey.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport9Sylvinho

All-action left-back Sylvinho made 128 appearances for Barca between 2004 and 2009 after being snapped up from Celta Vigo, racking up 17 goal contributions along the way. The former Arsenal star had a wand of a left foot and was a master at making overlapping runs, which made him a constant threat going forward, and his tactical awareness was second to none.

Sylvinho fell down the pecking order after Eric Abidal's arrival at Camp Nou, but he continued to give everything when called upon, and produced an outstanding performance to help keep Cristiano Ronaldo at bay in Barcelona's 2-0 Champions League final victory over Manchester United in 2009. That proved to be Sylvinho's final game for the La Liga giants, but he left with five major trophies to his name – a fine return from a player who cost just €2m.

Getty Images8Juliano Belletti

Juliano Belletti replaced Michael Reiziger as Barcelona's first-choice right-back after joining from Villarreal in May 2004, and quickly became a fan favourite because of his passion and forward-thinking style of play. Frank Rijkaard was rewarded for putting his faith in Belletti right from the off; he gave Barca natural width in attack and worked tirelessly out of possession as they stormed to back-to-back league titles.

Belletti is, however, most fondly remembered for scoring Barcelona's winning goal in the 2006 Champions League final against Arsenal. With just nine minutes left on the clock, he somehow managed to fire the ball through Manuel Almunia's legs from a tight angle after latching onto a pass from Henrik Larsson in the box. Remarkably, that was the only goal of Belletti's entire Barca career, but it forever cemented him a place in the club's Hall of Fame.

Getty Images7Raphinha

Raphinha scored two goals in his latest La Liga outing for Barca, including a stoppage-time penalty that gave Flick's side a vital 4-3 win against Celta Vigo. That took the 28-year-old past the half-century mark for goal contributions this term, a feat that has only been accomplished by three other Barcelona players – Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

No one would have backed Raphinha to reach those heights after his underwhelming first two years at Barca, but Flick has unlocked his full potential since replacing Xavi as head coach last summer. Raphinha's quality in the final third has given Barca an edge in the most important matches, and he's also led by example with his efforts off the ball.

We may well have to push Raphinha into the top five if Barca complete a clean sweep of silverware; he's the best player in Europe right now, plain and simple.

Stats highlights from the third day of the first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Port Elizabeth

Gaurav Sundararaman28-Dec-20161929 The previous instance when the same opening pair shared a 100-plus partnership for South Africa in both innings of a Test. Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar added 104 in the first innings and 116 in the second in Port Elizabeth. Bob Catteral and Bruce Mitchell added 119 and 171 respectively against England at Birmingham in 1929. Overall, eight other opening pairs have shared century stands in both innings of a Test.2012 The last instance of a century stand for the opening wicket in both innings of a Test match for South Africa, against England in 2012 at Leeds. However, this was achieved by two different pairs: Graeme Smith added 120 runs each with Alviro Petersen and Jacques Rudolph respectively.1970 The last instance of two fifty-plus partnerships by the opening pair for South Africa in a Test in Port Elizabeth. Barry Richards and Eddie Barlow added 157 and 73 against Australia in 1970.70 Innings taken by Vernon Philander to reach 11 five-fors in Tests. He is the third-quickest bowler from South Africa to reach this mark after Hugh Tayfield (43 innings) and Dale Steyn (54 innings). Philander now has three five-fors each against Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand.3 Centuries scored by Stephen Cook in 2016, the most by a South Africa batsman in 2016. Hashim Amla, Faf Du Plessis and Quinton de Kock have two hundreds each. Cook has three hundreds from 12 innings and also made his top score of 117 today.84 Dean Elgar’s average at St Georges Park, Port Elizabeth, the second-best across all venues he has played in after Durban, where he averages 88.5. He has scored 420 runs with two hundreds and two fifties in Port Elizabeth.49.90 Hashim Amla’s current average. This is the first time his average has dropped below 50 since November 2012.

Although the Liverpool machine continues to power on, as seen in Arne Slot’s side picking up a straightforward 4-0 win in the FA Cup over Accrington Stanley, this month could still prove to be a sticky time for the Reds.

After all, the futures of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain up in the air, with some nerves at least quelled in this department when reading that Virgil Van Dijk reportedly looks set to pen a new Anfield deal shortly.

Alongside all this contract talk, there is another surprise player who could be set to leave Merseyside behind very soon, even as his current deal remains in play until 2028.

Liverpool star could be heading for Saudi

As per a report by Anfield Watch, Darwin Nunez could now be on the move this January as new suitors eye up the hot-and-cold Uruguayan.

One of those fresh outfits preparing to try and snap up the 25-year-old is money-rich Al-Hilal, with the Saudi side wanting to offload former £200m man Neymar for some new star power.

After all, Al-Hilal are currently under the managerial guidance of ex-Benfica boss Jorge Jesus, who managed to turn Nunez into a revered goal machine in Portugal.

Moreover, with Nunez sliding further and further down the pecking order under Slot – with ex-Reds great Robbie Fowler stating prior to his Accrington duck that he’s “not a Liverpool player” calibre-wise – this might well be a move that suits all parties, especially if Al-Hilal cough up some mega bucks similar to the £85m once forked out for the forward.

Liverpool have been here before in terms of losing an attacker who had left his mark on proceedings at Anfield, only for the Reds to recover easily from this departure with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and more now lighting up the Premier League.

A Sadio Mane-like exit for Liverpool

Whilst it’s clear that Nunez won’t go down in the same legend’s bracket as Sadio Mane when he does exit, it would still be a knock to lose the Uruguayan, especially when you consider the amount of cash that was splashed to land him.

Additionally, he has shown his class in spurts for the Reds, with 37 strikes picked up in total for the Merseyside giants resulting in Jurgen Klopp labelling the 6 foot 2 attacker as “outstanding” when he still steered the Liverpool ship.

But, after his goalless showing against League Two opposition on Saturday, patience will be wearing thin on Slot’s end who might sense a departure is the most logical next step, with the Reds having to give in regarding a sale of Mane too after the Senegalese ace rejected a new contract.

Whilst that development was initially demoralising – considering Mane bowed out of Liverpool with a stunning 120 goals next to his name – the Reds have more than bounced back with Salah ageing like a fine wine, alongside the heroics of other stars up top.

Cody Gakpo

75

21

10

Diogo Jota

55

21

9

Luis Diaz

72

20

9

Mohamed Salah

89

55

35

As can be seen above, Slot has a whole host of exciting players in attack he can choose from, with Salah chipping in with an outrageous 90 goals and assists since Mane’s exit, with the ex-Reds forward now forgotten about playing in Saudi Arabia.

The same could soon happen to Nunez if he makes an Al-Hilal move a reality, with Liverpool no doubt using the millions they would recoup to add another frightening attacker to their already star-studded arsenal.

Forget Kvaratskhelia: Liverpool could land star with 'Mane at Saints vibes'

Liverpool are looking to strengthen their frontline this year.

ByAngus Sinclair Jan 10, 2025