Aston Villa are still eyeing up a couple of deals which could see their transfer window go from solid to spectacular.
Trevoh Chalobah is being eyed as a potential replacement for Diego Carlos should he be sold before the end of the window.
Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah
Unai Emery is also tracking a La Liga sensation too, and signing him could prove to be a bigger coup than Amadou Onana…
Aston Villa transfer news
As reported earlier this week, Aston Villa have been offered the chance to sign Atlético Madrid striker Samu Omorodion.
The belief is that the club have not made an offer for the youngster, yet this could see Emery lose out on him to a host of clubs who appear keen on securing his services this summer.
It looked as though he was closing in on a move to Chelsea, yet that deal fell through. If Villa did want to make a concrete offer, then it could see them shell out around £34m.
The attacker recently won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics with Spain, defeating France 5-3 in an enthralling final, but it seems as though he is destined to leave his homeland this summer.
Given his talent and hype surrounding the player of late, he could be one of the biggest signings Emery makes this summer.
Samu Omorodion’s season in numbers
The youngster spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Deportivo Alaves from Madrid, and he took the chance to enjoy a breakout season for the club.
Goals
9
Assists
1
Shots on target per game
1.9
Key passes per game
0.5
Successful dribbles per game
0.6
Total duels won per game
3.5
Indeed, across 36 matches in all competitions, he scored nine times while grabbing an assist, showing flashes of his prodigious talent.
Among his teammates, the Spaniard ranked first for goals and assists (ten) in La Liga, while also ranking first for goal frequency (a goal every 223 minutes), first for shots per game (1.9) and second for shots on target per game (0.8), evidence that his loan spell was a success.
This set him up nicely for the Olympic football tournament, and he featured for Spain, who won gold for the first time since 1992.
While he may have only started one game, the striker netted once while averaging 0.8 shots per match, highlighting his desire to add to his goal tally.
U23 scout Antonio Mango lauded him as a “beast” during his spell on loan last term, as Emery could certainly land a major coup in bringing him to Villa.
Onana has proven he can shine in the Premier League and will be important for the Midlands side as they look to build on last term, but Omorodion’s potential is frightening.
Belgium's Amadou Onana
If they lure him to the club, Emery will have a sublime talent on his hands, one that will need to be developed carefully if he wishes to fulfil his potential.
£34m on the surface seems like a lot, but if he can turn into the world-class attacker he is destined to be, it could turn into a bargain.
Dream Duran replacement: Aston Villa submit bid for £15m "monster"
Unai Emery is targetting another centre-forward this summer…
Manchester United have reportedly secured the first signing of the Ruben Amorim era with the 2025 arrival of Paraguayan starlet Diego Leon.
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Man Utd complete first Amorim signingSign Diego Leon from Cerro PortenoTeenager will join from July 2025Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to Fabrizio Romano, the 17-year-old has agreed to join United from July 2025 when he turns 18. The highly-rated teenager is set to join the Red Devils for an initial $4 million (£3m), with up to $4m in add-ons.
AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE
United have been on the lookout for a new left-back due to the injury issues of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia over the past 18 months. And now they are bringing in a talented full-back who could solve those issues in the future. Amorim has been linked with a reunion with some of his old Sporting CP players at Old Trafford but Leon may be the first to arrive at the club during the Portuguese's tenure.
DID YOU KNOW?
Leon was born in Colonia Yguazu, Paraguay, on April 3, 2007. He is primarily a left-back but can also play as a left wing-back. The youngster has made 21 appearances for Porteno this season, scoring two goals in the process.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Aside from this reported transfer news, Amorim will be focusing on securing United a victory at Old Trafford when Bournemouth visit them on Sunday in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola's side threw away a three-goal lead to fall deeper into crisis as their run without a win stretched to six games
Manchester City thought they were out of their crisis when they went 3-0 up against Feyenoord on Tuesday, but their own dismal defending pulled them right back in as they were left wondering how on earth they managed to draw 3-3 in the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola's side were cruising thanks to a double from Erling Haaland and an Ilkay Gundogan strike, but they capitulated in a dreadful final 15 minutes.
A horrendous Josko Gvardiol back-pass allowed Anis Hadj Moussa to pull Feyenoord back into contention before Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko scored to round off the most unlikely of comebacks from the visitors, who are fourth in the Eredivisie, eight points off the pace.
GOAL rates City's players from the Etihad Stadium…
Getty Images Sport
Goalkeeper & Defence
Ederson (4/10):
Stood tall to trap Paixao's effort but appeared to take his eye off the ball late in the game. A tad slow when he tried to halt Hadj-Moussa and didn't guard his post properly in the build-up to the second before being at fault for the equaliser.
Rico Lewis (5/10):
Was having a more comfortable evening than in recent weeks, shuttling between defence and midfield with ease, but he was overwhelmed at the end.
Manuel Akanji (5/10):
Crossed when Haaland's header hit the post. Part of the general defensive shoddiness towards the end.
Nathan Ake (6/10):
City missed his physical presence when he was taken off with 21 minutes to go
Josko Gvardiol (4/10):
Made a couple of good recovery runs but one weak ball to Foden that was intercepted was a sign he was lacking concentration, and he made his worst blunder of a bad week to gift Feyenoord a way back in to the game.
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Getty Images Sport
Midfield
Bernardo Silva (5/10):
Couldn't impose himself on the game.
Ilkay Gundogan (5/10):
Still looks uncomfortable as the main holding midfielder, but at least he scored.
Matheus Nunes (7/10):
Had a lively game, making an important block in the first half and setting up Haaland's second goal. Created another chance which Grealish should have done better with.
AFP
Attack
Phil Foden (5/10):
Uninspiring once more. Blocked Grealish's shot and saw his own strike tipped around the post.
Erling Haaland (8/10):
A handful: hit the post, won the penalty and scored twice. Deserved much better.
Jack Grealish (5/10):
Not an encouraging return at all. Wasted a great chance to make it 4-0 and then had a shot deflected onto the bar at the end.
Getty Images Sport
Subs & Manager
Kevin De Bruyne (5/10):
Offered some flair but not enough intensity.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (5/10):
Too inexperienced to see the game out.
James McAtee (5/10):
Couldn't link up properly with his team-mates and scuffed his one chance.
Pep Guardiola (4/10):
Looked furious at the end, but it was partly his fault for making so many substitutions, which indicated he thought the game was over. Instead, the disease has spread even further.
Bangladesh’s traditional surfeit of slow left-armers has had a negative effect on other kinds of spin bowling in the country
Mohammad Isam06-Sep-2012That there are just two specialist legspinners in the 105-man list of BCB-contracted first-class cricketers doesn’t offend anyone in Bangladesh cricket. That the grand total stands at five, including two who are slowly drifting into batting allrounder roles and another who is considered a batsman despite his 148 first-class wickets, is hardly greeted with outrage.Chittagong division has both specialist leggies – Noor Hossain and Raihanuddin Arafat. Sabbir Rahman (Rajshahi) and Tanveer Haider (Rangpur) are the ones who began their careers as legspinners but are now mostly picked for their batting. Alok Kapali is the most successful legspinner in the country but he never really established himself as a top-level bowler, despite having a Test hat-trick to his name.It is a similarly dire outlook in terms of specialist offspinners, who are under threat of being driven out of business by the selectors’ proclivity for promoting batsmen who can provide offspin support. For the record, there are just two specialist offspinners – Sohag Gazi and Yasin Arafat – as against 21 recognised left-arm spinners, 15 of whom play as specialists in the eight regional teams.The numbers are a fair reflection of the general approach of decision-makers in Dhaka club cricket, which is the main source of income for cricketers in the country. Since the four-tiered structure (Premier League and first, second and third divisions) has a ruthless league format of one-day matches, officials are not willing to invest in bowling options they consider risky. There is a lot of love for “safe cricket”, and left-arm spin, which provides thrift if not wickets, fits the bill. Three, and even four, left-armers are often picked in playing XIs in the Dhaka First Division League, the only competition outside the Dhaka Premier League that is played on natural wickets.This lack of imagination among officials, perceptible over the last decade, has had an effect all along the food chain. The low demand for leggies and offies means that feeders such as academies and age-group teams across the country have no option but to nurture left-arm spinners, and so the supply of left-arm spinners outweighs those of the other varieties.”One has to understand that the young generation follows whoever is playing at the top level,” Habibul Bashar, now a national selector, tells ESPNcricinfo. “Imran Khan inspired so many kids to become fast bowlers in Pakistan. It is quite the same here; kids want to bowl left-arm spin because this is all they have in front of them.”There is a tradition of left-arm spinners in Bangladesh, and it is our forte. But I would have been happier if there were six or seven legspinners, at least, along with the large number of left-armers. We have told age-group coaches to find legspinners, keep an eye on them and let us know,” he said.The former Bangladesh captain said he used to be frustrated by the one-dimensional nature of bowling attacks at his disposal at every level. “I felt a little helpless when I had to put together a bowling combination. There were no offspinners, only left-arm spin.”He thinks the lack has also to do with the fact that it takes years to master legspin. “Legspin is a difficult art, compared to left-arm spin or offspin. I don’t know if there’s a mentality thing, where people don’t want to work hard.”A leg-spinner has a lot of advantages. He can get into the team quite easily, because I think winning games is easier with a good legspinner. But I’m not sure whether the new generation is interested in bowling legspin.”
Just as one-dimensional, left-arm-heavy bowling is hurting budding bowlers, it is also having an adverse effect on batsmen who are picked in the representative sides. They now take years to properly read offspin and legspin
The deficit has been hard on the existing legspinners. Hossain has been worn thin, shunted between representative teams like the Under-19s (in the recent World Cup) or Bangladesh A. The constant shifting about has not afforded him the opportunity to bowl lots of overs in matches in the NCL. The new contracts system, under which players will be pinned to a team for a year, could help in theory, but there is no guarantee that Hossain won’t be pulled out at short notice to play for the A team.Arafat’s stop-start career too says a lot about attitudes towards legspin. After taking 11 wickets in four games in his debut season (2003-04), he played two first-class games in 2005-06, one in 2006-07, three each in 2008-09 and 2009-10, two in 2010-11, and bowled just nine overs in the 2011-12 season. He was the token legspinner before Hossain, and toured South Africa with the National Cricket Academy in 2008.There is also a thin pack of offspinners – most of them batsmen who are part-time spinners than specialists. Gazi, the Barisal youngster, has played consistently for the last two seasons, mainly due to the bowling combination used by his team, as well as his ability with the bat (BCB lists him as an allrounder). “I really think that without the Barisal team, I wouldn’t get this far. They gave me enough opportunities to bowl and use as many variations as I please. I got the wickets too, which helped the team,” he said.The BCB contracts list is a fair reflection of the current status of offspin in the country – a far cry from the 1990s, when the skill was much used.Just as one-dimensional, left-arm-heavy bowling is hurting budding bowlers, it is also having an adverse effect on batsmen who are picked in the representative sides. Even those playing international cricket now take years to properly read offspin and legspin, and with the proliferation of left-hand batsmen in Bangladesh, at a time when the stocks of offspin are rising in several international teams, these problems are set to remain for the next few years.The Bangladesh selectors’ quest for legspinners or offspinners will be futile unless there is a change in the attitudes of those who are in charge of competitive cricket in the country. Not too many seem keen on the need for balancing the three formats in the domestic calendar. Introducing two-day or three-day tournaments in age-group cricket would seem to be the most viable option at this stage.
How batting has progressed from the times of CB Fry to modern-day power-hitters like Chris Gayle
MV Swaroop25-Feb-2013CB Fry was an unusual man. He scored over 30,000 first-class runs at the turn of the 20th century including 94 hundreds at an average of over 50 on uncovered pitches, with primitive bats and almost no protective equipment.His sporting achievements didn’t stop there. He played football for England and Southampton. He also equalled the world record for long jump in 1893, and his jump remained a University record for a small matter of 21 years. His batting, we are told, was rooted in the purest technique. Not one to invent shots or bother with entertaining a crowd, Fry is known to have been an almost self-absorbed batsman, putting patience and safety ahead of everything else. He was the yin to Ranji’s yang. But the two of them together are said to have put in place the golden rule of batting, from which all the traditional responses to a ball could be derived – when facing a ball, drive or play back. It is almost fitting, then, that Fry should write a monumental meditative monograph grandly, yet simply, titled (1912).Fry’s writing is marked by the power of his analysis and an ultra-scientific approach to batting. If you wanted to find a response to CLR James’ claim that batsmanship was an art, you couldn’t do much better than to point him to this book. Sir Neville Cardus wrote that “might conceivably have come from the pen of Aristotle, had Aristotle lived nowadays and played cricket”. Fry’s prose is so sparklingly clean that you could see your reflection in it. His vision is crystal clear, his scholarship almost unequalled. covers every aspect of its subject, from the foundational principles to specific strokes to batting in various conditions to plotting an innings. He even has a section devoted to conserving energy.Fry writes, in an early chapter, that “mechanism” and “timing” are the two pillars on which all batting stands. Mechanism is the way you make a shot – the position of your feet, your hands, your arms, your elbow, your head, the way you transfer your weight, the force you apply, your backlift, your placement, your follow through. Timing is connecting the middle of the bat to the ball at the optimal time. You might get every aspect of your mechanism right, he writes, but if you don’t time it well, it is of no use. On the other hand, he says, your bat might come down all wrong, your feet might be in no position, your balance may be completely off, and you might execute the ugliest of hoicks, but if you time it correctly, it might still sail over the ropes. He scoffs at this. He reminds the reader that while this might occasionally work, more often than not, without the right mechanism, you are going to be found out.Funnily enough, I read this book when the World T20 was on. Every few pages, I would wonder what Fry would make of T20 batting – the reverse sweeps, the dilscoops, switch-hits, and then less egregious but still unpardonable shots like the pick-up over midwicket, the dab past the keeper, and the paddle-sweep. This book, written in 1912, exactly a century ago, is obviously dated. One can’t expect batting to have stagnated for so long – even the classical arts don’t. Better pitches, better bats, and better protection allow batsmen to do things unthinkable in Fry’s time. Still, the pace at which the science of batting evolves today is surprising – even two decades ago, significantly more of would be relevant. In the early 90s, the reverse sweep was almost unheard of. Today, there is almost no top-order batsman who cannot play it. When the switch-hit was conceived, it was decried as illegal before the bigwigs confirmed that the shot was legitimate. The variety of high-risk shots through fine-leg that batsmen play – the scoops, the shovels, the flicks, the sweeps off fast-bowlers – have all garnered serious attention only post-T20. Ten years ago, when Dougie Marillier shocked Zaheer Khan in an ODI by lifting him over the keeper repeatedly and snatching an unlikely win, people thought of him as a one-off freak.But the World T20 has also shown us how much of Fry’s thesis holds good even today. The best T20 players are not those who blindly throw their bats at the ball, hoping to overcome technical deficiencies with power and timing. They are those who combine power with technique – in other words, those who combine “timing” and “mechanism”. The West Indies’ best batsmen are Samuels and Gayle, not Pollard and Sammy. Sri Lanka’s best are Jayawardene and Sangakkara, Australia’s are Watson, Warner and Hussey, India’s is Kohli, England’s is (I hope, one can never be sure) Pietersen, South Africa’s are Kallis and de Villiers, and New Zealand’s best are McCullum and Taylor. All these players walk in to their respective Test sides as well. When the first T20 international was played five years ago, the New Zealand team landed up like it was a party, in outrageous hairdos and retro beige outfits. Billy Bowden* showed McGrath a red card for bowling underarm. Amid all this, Ricky Ponting smacked a sublime 98 before declaring he couldn’t take this sort of game seriously. In the first two or three years, batsmen approached the game like they were doing something frivolous. The game is a lottery, they said.Today, a muscle over midwicket might connect and find itself in the stands. Tomorrow, the same shot might just take the top edge and find a fielder on the ropes. But that attitude is being wiped out by the top T20 batsmen, who are discovering the ideal mechanism for this variety of the game. The late cut, Jayawardene has realised, is a more effective shot in a game where there are hardly any slip fielders than the full-bodied cut. Virat Kohli shows with every innings that you can score as fast as the most brutal hitters by minimising the dot balls, pushing singles and finding relatively risk-free boundaries every now and then. Gayle has discovered that it is more fruitful to stay as still as possible at the crease, cut out any trigger movements, watch the ball, make one decisive movement and tonk. The best T20 batsmen have done just what Fry and his peers, Grace and Ranji, and Hobbs after them, did as pioneers of long-form batting – approach batting like a science, understand the risks, know what is effective and what is not, and maximise results. They have changed their mechanism faster than the generation or two before them because they have been confronted with a game so different from its predecessors that it has required them to. If Fry were playing today, I’m sure he wouldn’t approve of the mindless slog over midwicket. He would argue that there is a scientific way to do it. He would write, in his book, 50 carefully crafted pages about the exact mechanism of the slog-sweep and remind you to time it perfectly.*3:06pm, October 27: The piece had initially stated that it was Simon Taufel who had shown Glenn McGrath a red card. This has been corrected.
Australia captain Matthew Wade called his side’s capitulation in the final T20I against Bangladesh “not good enough for an Australian cricket team” and said it was down to the batters to find ways to score runs in tough conditions.The series concluded with Australia bowled out for 62, their lowest T20I total, having made a high score of 121 across the five matches.While echoing Dan Christian’s remarks that the surfaces were unlike any he had played T20 cricket on, and did not expect them to be replicated at the T20 World Cup, Wade noted how Bangladesh had been able to wrangle their way to enough runs in four out of the five matches and that spin had also caused problems in the West Indies where Australia also lost 4-1.Related
Dismal show leaves Australia with several problems to ponder on ahead of T20 World Cup
Christian: Conditions 'don't get more difficult' than Bangladesh series
“There’s not a lot of positives to take out of it, to get beaten in the fashion we did, especially tonight, was not good enough from an Australian cricket team regardless of the personnel we’ve got here,” Wade said. “The reality is we need to get better at spin, myself included. There’s a lot of players in this team who need to find a way to score runs in these conditions.”[Bangladesh] are a terrific team in their own conditions, their spinners bowled really well, and they still found a way to find the extra runs and that’s something we can definitely get better at doing. Whether they came a little harder at the front and that is something we maybe needed to do earlier.”Wade was confident the less experienced batters among the group would not carry baggage away from this tour and laid the blame for the run-scoring woes to the more senior figures.”I do not blame the young players one bit,” he said. “Myself, Moises [Henriques], Dan Christian, we are all experienced players and we needed to do better. Those [younger] guys got the opportunity to experience these conditions and if they take it as a learning opportunity to become better players, as we all should, then at least we’ve learnt something.”I’ve played a lot of cricket and they are certainly the most challenging T20 international pitches I’ve ever played on. What they’ve seen out here will be very valuable going forward but it’s on the senior batting group, we needed to get more runs. If the batters can go back and find a way to get those extra runs in challenging conditions that will hold us in good stead.”The final lead-in to the World Cup for Australia remains to be confirmed with talk of a potential series against Afghanistan and West Indies in Sri Lanka which would overlap with the resumption of the IPL. Wade said he expected all the players who opted out of this tour due to bubble fatigue to be available for selection. Steven Smith was kept out with an elbow injury and how someone of his skill was missed in Bangladesh.
One of the common occurrences at Manchester United since Erik ten Hag has been in charge of the club is to sign players directly from, or with a connection to his former club Ajax. This has happened on multiple occasions, with the Dutchman regularly turning to his former club in order to bring in some familiar faces.
In total, Ten Hag has made 16 signings across four windows as United boss, with four of them having direct links to Ajax, and a further four having some kind of connection to Dutch football; Mason Mount had a loan spell at Vitesse, Tyrell Malacia came through the academy at Feyenoord, Sofyan Amrabat his former player at Utrecht and Wout Weghorst playing for several Dutch clubs.
Then, there are those with direct links to Ajax. Christian Eriksen played for Ajax earlier in his career before moving to Tottenham. Both Lisandro Martinez and Antony played under Ten Hag during his final seasons at the Dutch giants, and Andre Onana was a part of the hugely successful 2018/19 Champions League run where they made the semi-finals.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag speaks toAntony
Now, Ten Hag is once again linked with a former Ajax player, who was a teammate of Onana’s during their remarkable Champions League campaign in 2018/19.
Man Utd target Dutch defender
The player in question here is Bayern Munich and Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt. After leaving Ajax in 2019 to join Juventus, the Dutchman now finds himself at the German giants but could depart the club this summer.
Indeed, that is according to journalist Florian Plettenberg, who reports that the Red Devils “have started internal discussions” over the potential signing of De Ligt. As per the report, this is “primarily” to do with De Ligt’s former boss, Ten Hag, showing interest in adding his former captain to the United squad.
De Ligt
The report from Plettenberg does not include any other interested parties, meaning United could have a clear and unopposed run at the 24-year-old Netherlands international. However, he does specify that there have not been “any concrete moves” as of yet and that United are merely “in the process of gathering more information” about a transfer.
Plettenberg reports that a fee of around €50m (£42m) could be enough to sign De Ligt this summer, which is perhaps a surprising amount, given it would see Bayern make a loss. They paid £65.6m back in 2022 to acquire his services from Italian giants Juventus.
Why De Ligt would be a good signing
There is no doubt that United need to make at least one addition at centre-back this summer. Legendary Frenchman Raphael Varane has departed the club upon the expiration of his contract, with Red Devils icon Jonny Evans’ deal also up in a few weeks.
United have had an offer for one centre-back rejected already this summer. Everton turned down a bid for Jarrad Branthwaite, worth £35m, with the BBC reporting that they want closer to £80m. Thus, for half of the price, De Ligt could be a perfect alternative or rival.
Looking on a pure statistical front, De Ligt’s in-possession numbers stack up very well against the England international, as per FBref. The Dutchman averages 6.36 progressive passes per 90 minutes, compared to Branthwaite’s 2.14, and has a far better pass completion rate of 93.9% compared to Branthwaite’s 79.8%.
The 24-year-old’s ball-carrying stats are also slightly better than Branthwaite's. Whilst it is not necessarily a key feature of his game, De Ligt averages 1.04 progressive carries per 90, with Branthwaite’s just 0.06.
However, defensively the Everton man trumps De Ligt. Branthwaite averages a higher aerial win rate of 68.6% compared to De Ligt’s 59.4%, more ball recoveries per 90, specifically 5.23 compared to the Dutchman’s 4.74 and more tackles and interceptions made, with 3.35, with De Ligt slightly lower at 2.21 per 90.
In signing De Ligt, United would still be adding a quality defender to their squad, who is a more than capable box defender. Whilst not as mobile or adept at defending wide areas as Branthwaite, the former Ajax man is still a great defender.
The 24-year-old struggled with injuries all too often last season. He played just 30 times in all competitions, missing 20 games for both club and country with various injuries, notably a knee ligament issue. He worked hard to get himself in favour with outgoing Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel, however, and became an integral player at the end of the season.
De Ligt's record under Ten Hag
With that being said, perhaps a move to United is a smart idea to help his career get back on the right track. De Ligt first made a name for himself playing under Ten Hag, and he is the manager he has played under the most in his career.
De Ligt record under Ten Hag
Competition
Games
Minutes
Clean Sheets
Eredivisie
48
4320
21
Champions League Qualifiers
6
540
3
Champions League
11
990
3
Dutch Cup
5
378
3
Total
70
6228
30
Stats from Transfermarkt
The United boss clearly thinks highly of him, having resigned to a sale of De Ligt in 2019, explaining that there was “zero chance” of him staying at Ajax, to which he was later proved right when he moved to Juventus. He attributed Ajax’s ability to play courageous and creative football “because De Ligt is our captain”, very high praise from your manager aged just 19. Not only that, Ten Hag noted his former captain’s love for the “art of defending” as a real strong point in his game.
Matthijs de Ligt
Indeed, De Ligt’s leadership that he could bring to United to help fill the void of the soon-to-depart Varane. In the past, the World Cup winner’s leadership has been highlighted by several notable figures in French football. His captain in that successful 2018 tournament, Hugo Lloris, explained that Varane is a “leader in our team”, and former Real Madrid boss and one of France’s all-time greats, Zinedine Zidane, noted that on many occasions Varane has the “ability to be a leader”.
Manchester United's Raphael Varane.
Bringing in a player who Ten Hag both views and values so much as a leader would go a long way to helping United fill the Varane void. Not only that, he helps save money on the Branthwaite deal, which are funds that can be reinvested elsewhere into the squad. On the face of things, it seems like a deal United should strongly consider, especially for the rumoured £42m fee.
Ratcliffe must axe Man Utd ace who earns 4x more than Branthwaite
The Man Utd man only made 12 starts last season in the Premier League.
BJ Watling has announced he will retire from all cricket at the end of New Zealand’s upcoming Test tour of England. This will mean that form and fitness permitting, he will end his career with two Tests against England at Lord’s (June 2-6) and Edgbaston (June 10-14), followed by the World Test Championship final against India, which is scheduled to be played from June 18 to 22 in Southampton.”It’s the right time,” an NZC release quoted Watling as saying. “It’s been a huge honour to represent New Zealand and in particular wear the Test baggy. Test cricket really is the pinnacle of the game and I’ve loved every minute of being out there in the whites with the boys.”Sitting in the changing rooms having a beer with the team after five days’ toil is what I’ll miss the most. I’ve played with some great players and made many good mates. I’ve also had plenty of help along the way for which I’ll always be grateful.”Related
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Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell offered their first New Zealand central contracts
The 35-year-old Watling will end his career as arguably New Zealand’s greatest-ever wicketkeeper-batsman in Test cricket. He has scored more runs (3381) than any other wicketkeeper from his country, and at a better average (39.77) than any New Zealander to have kept wicket in at least ten Test matches. He also has more dismissals (257) than any other New Zealand keeper, apart from ten catches as an outfielder.”My wife Jess has been a constant source of stability and support and I’m certainly looking forward to being able to spend more time with her and the kids,” Watling added. “I also owe a big thanks to my mum for steering me in the right direction early on and always being there for me.”Although I’ve had to make this announcement ahead of the tour to England, my focus is very much on the three Tests ahead and preparing to perform in them. This tour will be a challenge on a few levels and we know as a team we will need to be at the very top of our game if we want to succeed.”Overall, including his eight Tests as a specialist batsman, Watling has played 73 Tests and scored 3773 runs at an average of 38.11, with eight hundreds, including a highest score of 205 against England at Mount Maunganui in November 2019.BJ Watling has 257 dismissals behind the stumps in Tests, a New Zealand record•Getty Images
Known for his nuggety, hard-to-dislodge style with the bat, Watling was involved in two of Test cricket’s three highest partnerships for the sixth wicket, both coming at the Basin Reserve in Wellington: 352 alongside Brendon McCullum against India in January 2014 and an unbroken 365 with Kane Williamson against Sri Lanka a year later. Both stands turned their respective Test matches around, earning New Zealand a series-clinching draw and a win, respectively.”BJ turned games around,” NZC chief executive David White said. “I can’t think of another player who reacted so positively, and who was successful in the face of adversity. His ability to wring every possible run out of the tail was unmatched; his work behind the stumps tireless and efficient. He has a quiet, unassuming and undemonstrative manner that belies the huge appetite he has for the contest and the challenge.”BJ’s been a huge part of the success of the current Black Caps team and on behalf of NZC, I want to wish him well for the upcoming Tests in England and life after cricket.”New Zealand coach Gary Stead was effusive in his praise for Watling too.”BJ is a wonderful player and a great bloke,” Stead said. “He works really hard on his game to get improvements and always puts the team first. You just have to look at the respect he’s held in by his teammates and the opposition to appreciate his standing in the game.”The records speak for themselves and he’s been such a crucial cog in the Test team’s rise over the past decade. That double hundred he scored at the Mount in 2019 was one of the best innings I’ve ever seen and epitomised BJ Watling as a player, really.”The attitude and fight he brings to every day and every session of a Test is what has made him such a valued member of the Black Caps. He is without a doubt one of our best ever wicketkeeper batsmen.”
With the series in the bag, the only dampener for the hosts in the third and final T20I in Auckland could be rain
Mohammad Isam31-Mar-2021Big PictureNew Zealand are about to end their all-win home summer that has stretched seven series. They have hosted 21 international matches, the most by any country since the Covid-19 pandemic. It is regarded as an administrative success, particularly given their country’s stringent quarantine protocols. The only dampener is likely to be the rain in the forecast in Auckland for the season finale, the third T20I against Bangladesh.A major strength for New Zealand has been their newcomers turning in superb contributions even after they have been put under pressure. In the second T20I in Napier, it was Glenn Phillips whose unbeaten half-century got them out of trouble and into a total that proved too much for Bangladesh amid confusion over the DLS-determined target. Daryl Mitchell helped Phillips in an unbroken 62-run sixth-wicket stand that came off just 27 balls.In the first match, it was Devon Conway and debutant Will Young who got them into a position of strength. New Zealand will also be pleased with how Ish Sodhi has continued his good form throughout the summer despite playing only T20Is. During the ongoing T20I series in particular, Tim Southee’s captaincy has also stood out.Come the third and final T20I on Thursday, they wouldn’t mind Martin Guptill getting a big score as he has been in threatening form since the ODI series against Bangladesh with his quick starts. Finn Allen, too, would be eyeing a sizeable score having made just 17 across two innings so far in this series. There’s going to be an opportunity to see who among Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson and Hamish Bennett get to pair up in Auckland.Related
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Bangladesh have had a few positives during this tour but their players have been somewhat inconsistent. Nasum Ahmed bowled well in both T20Is, particularly opening the bowling, although he has only two wickets to show for so far. Soumya Sarkar’s half-century in the second T20I should help him get out of a trough.Mohammad Naim has shown glimpses of his impressive strokeplay in both games, albeit without a big score. Afif Hossain made 45 in a losing cause in the first game, in Hamilton, while Shoriful bounced back with an economical spell in Napier after a disastrous debut in the series opener.Mohammad Saifuddin has been expensive with the ball in both games, Liton Das has scored only 50 runs on this tour while Mohammad Mithun and Mahedi Hasan haven’t converted their promise from the ODI series.Form guide(last five completed matches) New Zealand WWWLL Bangladesh LLWWLIn the spotlightGlenn Phillips has been unbeaten in his last three international matches, with all three being pivotal to New Zealand wins. In the second T20I, his 58 came off 31 balls, his big-hitting prowess on show as much as his diligence in building partnerships during a tricky passage of play.It’s hard to predict which Soumya Sarkar might turn up in Auckland. He averaged 9.5 on the tour until his quickfire 51 in Napier. It contained an array of special shots but his dismissal sparked a batting collapse. Perhaps getting back to form is important but for a batsman with 129 international matches under his belt getting the team to winning positions is his main job.Team newsOnly Todd Astle is yet to get a game in this series while the pace combination of Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne may also come to fruition.New Zealand (probable) 1 Finn Allen, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Devon Conway (wk), 4 Will Young, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 Mark Chapman, 7 Daryl Mitchell, 8 Tim Southee (capt), 9 Ish Sodhi, 10, Adam Milne, 11 Hamish BennettBangladesh may not want to tweak the starting XI that to some degree tested New Zealand in the previous game unless Mushfiqur Rahim is fit.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Liton Das (wk), 2 Mohammad Naim, 3 Soumya Sarkar, 4 Mohammad Mithun, 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Afif Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Mohammad Saifuddin, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Nasum Ahmed, 11 Taskin AhmedPitch and conditionsThe series-ender will be the first day-night T20I at the Eden Park in five years. Short boundaries and an expected flat pitch hint at a high-scoring game in the offing. There’s rain in the forecast, though.Stats and trivia Martin Guptil’s 582 runs at Eden Park makes him the only player to score 500-plus T20I runs in a single venue. Mahmudullah is set to play his 55th consecutive T20I for Bangladesh, currently the fourth longest in the all-time list. Essentially, he hasn’t missed a T20I since November 2015.Quotes”I have been ridden with injuries in the last three years, so I want to be injury-free, firstly. I am just going to try to keep my body in the park and play consistent cricket.””We haven’t done well in all three departments in one particular game. We have bowled well and batted well in separate matches. We need to bring it all together to win a game.”
India struck a familiar, unavoidable chaos fueled by jangling nerves to lose from a winning position
Shashank Kishore14-Oct-20244:18
Takeaways: Australia block out the noise, India’s fielding in focus again
Long before the pall of gloom set in, it felt like a dream you hoped would last longer. The fans – nearly 15,000 of them in Sharjah – came rushing in through the turnstiles as the sun went down, boisterous and full of joy, chanting, singing, waving and doing just about anything to get the attention of Jemi, Harry or Smriti.The days of packing a stand with school kids handed out free sandwiches, it seemed, were long gone. With all that indifference and systemic apathy (only somewhat) behind us, it felt like the start of a new era. All it needed now was that fuel to propel the rocket into orbit.India needed that push to go from being contenders to champions. And for that, they needed to play like one, against the real ones, who know how to close out games from impossible situations, even if their captain happens to be hobbling on crutches and moonwalkers. India couldn’t have asked for a more grander stage.Related
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The noise, buzz, colour, madness – it was mayhem, but it was glorious. Never before had security guards used to seeing four administrators and five ground staff guffaw over endless cups of Irani chai been put to this kind of last-minute riff-raff, where every pre-match drill, including elaborate security mechanisms, needed rehearsing.This was India vs Australia, billed as the match of the tournament, not without reason. The grandness of it all deserved a thriller. And we got one. Inevitably though, it felt like the rockstars who everyone was here to watch, were leaving their performance midway. Unless Pakistan play the match of their lives on Monday night.Australia clinically disarranged India’s jigsaw, leaving them with several questions and fewer answers, a heartbroken captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, who looked spent, physically and emotionally, gasping for breath in unforgiving October humidity.For all the dropped catches and missed run-out chance and the chaos surrounding Asha Sobhana’s one-leg hobble just prior to the start, which no one seemed to think was serious enough initially, India had Australia on the ropes, like they’ve had them on a few occasions. Think back to last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town or more recently last December’s T20I series in Navi Mumbai.Despite India’s top-order wobble, with Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues all gone, Australia briefly wobbled. Harmanpreet and Deepti Sharma – a contrasting pair – brought India within 53 runs of victory. With two set batters at the crease and 30 balls to play and with six wickets in hand, this was India’s chance to nail it. But they struck a familiar, unavoidable chaos – the story of their evening – fueled by jangling nerves.In the space of four balls, they lost two wickets. Deepti holed out to the 59-metre pocket at deep midwicket, and Richa Ghosh, their biggest six-hitter who has seemingly been batting a position lower than ideal, run out stealing a non-existent single to cover. All that might and muscle that had gone into preparation reduced to zilch thanks to a split-second’s indecision. Halfway through the run, Richa was hoping against hope Phoebe Litchfield would miss. She hit bull’s eye to send the hugely partisan Indian crowd into a state of shock.Phoebe Litchfield’s direct hit ran Richa Ghosh out•ICC/Getty ImagesAs the LED bails lit up, Renuka Singh’s jaws dropped, hands on head. Shreyanka Patil was in disbelief, glaring at the replays on the giant screen, Mandhana was staring aimlessly into the distance and Rodrigues glum. The shock told you a story. The unraveling was rather swift, but not too unfamiliar. Especially in crunch moments.You only have to go back to Cape Town last year, or maybe the Commonwealth Games. India have lost from winning junctures. The deep wounds of the past even had them engage a sports psychologist for moments like these. And when it didn’t come off, the sense of shock was palpable.All said, this was peak Australia, doing Australia things. A team that knows how to conjure magic when pushed to a corner. Like Megan Schutt bowling a 17th over that went for just one run with India needing 41 off 24. Or Litchfield hitting a crucial last-ball six in her cameo 15. Or Annabel Sutherland killing the game by picking up two wickets off her first three balls in the final over.All of which is incredible, but perhaps not more than Australia completing their spectacular defence without needing to bowl Ellyse Perry or Grace Harris, even Tahlia McGrath. Or having to play without their chirpy, intimidating captain and gun opener Healy, who knows what it is to deflate India in a world final with 86,000 people watching live. It was simply a testimony of Australia’s depth and resolve.The end was so utterly predictable that fans who couldn’t wait to get in made a quick beeline for the exit, long before the final ball was bowled. From Mexican waves and wild cheering to every Bollywood chartbuster until half an hour earlier, there was momentary silence that reflected the glum in India’s change rooms.Monday may or may not throw up surprises. But long after the dust settles, India must do some soul-searching. With a 50-over World Cup to look forward to within a year, India need to “learn from the disappointment and experience” – head coach Amol Muzumdar’s assessment – to go from being contenders to becoming champions.