Big Picture

Before the series began, you suspected these were well-matched sides. Both have been blown away in Australia this year. They live in the same neighbourhood on the Test rankings: Sri Lanka sitting sixth, Pakistan at eighth. Both have captains appointed this year, new coaches, and a reputation for failing to develop the blinding talents that enter the team. The Rawalpindi Test – what little of it was played at least – was further indication that there is not much to separate them. Sri Lanka had tough conditions to bat in, but fought their way to a competitive total. Pakistan had good batting conditions, and made ample use of them on the final day.Where Pakistan can perhaps impose themselves in Karachi is on the bowling front. They have the quicker attack overall, and if the Karachi track turns out to be stereotypically flat, that could amount to a substantial advantage. Yasir Shah may be suffering a crisis of confidence – his average up at over 120 from three overseas Tests this year – but if there is one side he has excelled against through his career, it is Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka’s attack, meanwhile has been doubly depleted. They had fielded an inexperienced pace attack in Rawalpindi, with Suranga Lakmal unavailable for the tour and the selectors unwilling to pick Nuwan Pradeep due to his frequent injuries. With Kasun Rajitha now out of the Karachi Test, an even less experienced bowler is set to slot in. Where in their last two series – in South Africa and Sri Lanka – the attack had bowler-friendly tracks to work with, they may have to work harder for their wickets in Karachi. A major test awaits, not only of the attack itself, but of Dimuth Karunaratne’s ability to marshal it.The visitors, though, have at least won Tests this year. Pakistan last won in November 2018, before losing five consecutive Tests, to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. It seems unlikely that Sri Lanka will blow Pakistan away in Karachi, but they will at least hope they can scrape together a flawed performance that lurches them haphazardly to victory, which has been their blueprint for victory under Karunaratne.

Form guide

Pakistan DLLLL (last five Tests, most recent first)
Sri Lanka DLWWW

In the spotlight

Some of the buzz before Rawalpindi was how Fawad Alam had finally forced himself into a Test squad after years of domestic achievement, but it was Abid Ali whose long wait for a Test spot coalesced into a vindication of his selection. Abid appeared confident for the majority of his innings, a brief short-ball barrage by Lahiru Kumara the only passage of play in which he appeared even slightly uncomfortable. He’s clearly in excellent touch now, and another good outing in Karachi will help keep Imam-ul-Haq (a contender for the opening spot) at bay.Dilruwan Perera‘s year has been almost as bad as Yasir Shah’s. In four Tests – in Australia, Sri Lanka, and in Rawalpindi – he has only five wickets and averages 89.40 in 2019. What has been especially disappointing about his performance is that in the first year without Rangana Herath, Dilruwan was expected to lead the spin attack. Instead, he has been outperformed even by the likes of Dhananjaya de Silva. The only man in the attack with more than 20 Tests to his name, he needs wickets in Karachi to retain his position as Sri Lanka’s senior spinner.

Team news

Usman Shinwari is out of the Test with typhoid. Yasir Shah is likely to enter the XI.Pakistan (possible): 1 Shan Masood, 2 Abid Ali, 3 Azhar Ali (capt) , 4 Babar Azam, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Mohammad Abbas, 10 Naseem Shah, 11 Shaheen AfridiSri Lanka may field two spinners, with left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya likeliest to come into the XI in place of Kasun Rajitha.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Oshada Fernando, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Lasith Embuldeniya, 10 Vishwa Fernando, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Pitch and conditions

Unless the Sri Lanka team lives up to its reputation of taking their island’s rains with them wherever they travel, there should be more cricket in Karachi than the 167 overs seen in Rawalpindi. Clear skies and temperatures in the mid 20s are forecast for the duration of the match.The surface in Karachi is reputed to be a batting fantasy, but it is difficult to predict now, with Tests not having been played here for 10 years.

Stats and trivia

• Yasir Shah has 40 Test wickets from five Tests against Sri Lanka. His average of 21.65 is his best against any opposition.
• Sri Lanka haven’t lost a bilateral Test series in Pakistan since 1991. They have won two series here since, in 1995 and 2000.
• If Pakistan lose this Test, this will be the first calendar year in which they have gone winless since 1991 (a year in which they only played two Tests).
• Dilruwan Perera averages 51.35 away from home, but his average against Pakistan in the UAE was slightly better, sitting at 29.15 after three Tests.

The newly appointed Kings XI coach and director wants the team to show greater consistency

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2019

Anil Kumble’s coaching career will resume with Kings XI Punjab•Getty Images

Anil Kumble, former India coach and newly-appointed Kings XI coach and director of cricket, said that he has learnt to “back off” and not focus on the result.Kumble, who has also mentored Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in the IPL in the past, believed that building a relaxed team environment would result in improved performances on the field. He coached the Indian team from mid-2016 to mid-2017, resigning after the Champions Trophy 2017 after his partnership with captain Virat Kohli became “untenable”.ALSO READ: Kumble appointed Kings XI Punjab head coach”It is all about a game of cricket at the end of it,” Kumble told at a Kings XI event in Delhi. “If you simplify like that, the job becomes a lot easier. The moment you start putting importance to result, wins, trophies then it puts more pressure on the players. So the learning is just to back off and help the players relax, and when they are relaxed they tend to perform better.”Kumble, the only Indian coach in the IPL, drew confidence from his previous IPL stints, including winning the league with Mumbai Indians as their mentor in 2013 and 2015. He had also captained Royal Challengers Bangalore to the IPL final in 2009, and to a third-place finish in 2010, before being appointed as mentor by the same team in 2011.”With RCB we did not win the title but we came close a couple of times,” he said. “With Mumbai, we had wonderful success those three years I was there. It is nice to have the experience of crossing the line. It certainly helps (you as a coach).”In September, ESPNcricinfo had reported that Ashwin was on the verge of moving out of Kings XI and joining Delhi Capitals, but the deal hasn’t been sealed yet. Kumble was coy about the trade, saying: “Ashwin had a wonderful two years but of course we did not get the right results but we have not made any decision who the captain will be.”Kings XI had started strongly in their previous two IPL seasons, when Ashwin was in charge, but their form tailed off in the second half and they eventually missed out on making the knockouts in both 2018 and 2019. Kumble called for a greater consistency if the team was to make the final four.”The team has not won an IPL title as of yet, so that is our main goal,” he told the Kings XI Punjab website. “In terms of the biggest challenge, we have seen in the recent past that the start has been good for Kings XI but after a couple of losses, the momentum shifts. We have been close to qualifying but we miss out by small margins. So it’s important to keep the momentum over 14 games and have a sustained performance for the team to make it to the last four, where it’s anybody’s game.”

Raphael Varane shared a message on social media after officially completing his move to Serie A side Como on Sunday.

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• Varane joined Como on a free transfer
• Shared a message on social media
• Como will face Al-Nassr on Monday

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The French defender left Manchester United earlier this summer after spending three years at Old Trafford. He was initially linked with a move to Inter Miami and clubs in the Saudi Pro League, but eventually decided to play under Cesc Fabregas at Como as he penned a two-year deal.

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• WHAT RAPHAEL VARANE SAID

  After the official confirmation came from the Serie A side, Varane took to X as he quoted the club's post and wrote: "I’m super excited, incredibly proud and can’t wait to get started!!"

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Real Madrid defender experienced an injury-hit campaign in his final season with United as he remained sidelined for over a month with a muscle injury. He eventually appeared in 32 matches across all competitions, including the FA Cup final as they beat rivals Manchester City to lift the FA Cup.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Fabregas' side will be next seen in action Monday as they take on reigning Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal in a pre-season friendly. Varane, however, could appear for the Italians for the first time on Saturday as they next face Wolfsburg in a second friendly clash.

India’s captain Virat Kohli has said that having a strong pool of “game-ready” players has set the scene for their T20 World Cup campaign in Australia later this year.India will be without seamers Deepak Chahar (injured), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (injured) and Mohammed Shami (rested) for their upcoming three-match T20I series at home against Sri Lanka, but they have able back-up options in Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur. In addition, their premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to return to international action for the first time September 2019.On the batting front, they will be without the rested Rohit Sharma, but they still look in fine shape, with Shikhar Dhawan returning from injury to partner the in-form KL Rahul at the top of the order.”T20 is something we don’t have any problems in picking players,” Kohli said of India’s bench strength on the eve of the series opener in Guwahati. “Because you have the IPL. At a very competitive level, the guys have been performing season after season.”And all the players you see are probably the most important Indian players in their team in the IPL. So, from that point of view, it’s about figuring out which player can fit in at what time and what’s the strongest combination you can take to the World Cup.”And everyone’s game-ready, which is the most important thing and the biggest plus of having a squad like this with guys who have played a lot of T20 cricket, as I said, at a very competitive level.BCCI

“So, yeah the next few series will be very exciting to see [as to] who stands up under pressure situations and how they react to pressure when maybe Rohit or maybe myself, or KL or Shikhar at the top haven’t fired.”In Dhawan’s absence, Rahul had enjoyed a longer stint at the top during the limited-overs series against West Indies and embodied India’s new, attack-at-all costs approach in T20Is. Now, with Rohit rested, Dhawan will have an opportunity to regain his touch after recovering from injury.Dhawan didn’t quite have the weight of T20I runs behind him in 2019, and suffered two major injuries that year. However, he was the top scorer in T20Is in 2018, with 689 runs in 17 innings at an average of 40.52 and strike rate of 147.22.Kohli discussed the possible toss-up between Rahul and Dhawan for the second opener’s slot while keeping all the cards close to his chest.”Rahul has done really well for himself and it’s good for the team as well that he’s coming into his own,” Kohli said. “We know how good a player he is and what he can do with the bat. We are happy that he’s got runs so consistently.”Look, these things happen in cricket that some guy gets injured and another guy comes in and grabs that opportunity. I think it all boils down to who is batting [well] at that moment.  You want to go into a tournament with the strongest XI you can compile. Shikhar has been unfortunate in terms of injury but he’s an experienced player. That’s the dynamic of the squad.”When Rohit comes back, it’s going to be a difficult thing to address because Shikhar is an experienced player but KL is playing so well. We have to decide the best combination to go with and what’s the best eleven we can go with.”Kohli was also particularly enthused with the progress made by both Saini and Thakur – both of whom were not part of India’s T20I squad for the West Indies series. Saini has cracked T20 cricket after bowling lengthy spells in the Ranji Trophy while Thakur has been drafted back on his back of his impressive performances in the IPL and more recently in the ODI series decider against West Indies in Cuttack.BCCI

Kohli believed that having all bases covered on the bowling front will benefit India on the larger grounds in Australia during the T20 World Cup.”Saini is a different case because he has come from the domestic set-up into the IPL and into the Indian team,” Kohli said. “So, he has bowled quite a bit and has good understanding of lines and lengths and he’s obviously got pace. Thakur, again, has played a lot of T20 cricket and has been playing the IPL for a while. And, he’s quite experienced in that regard.”Bhuvi, Bumrah, we really don’t have to discuss [about them]. Shami is again someone who will always stay in the mix. And Deepak Chahar has bowled really well for the number of games he has played.”Because the tournament is in Australia, you will need these many options and back-ups to be able to take firstly your strongest squad and have those back-ups in place who also can come in and do the job.”It’s good that we’ve identified five or six guys and it will be priority based on who goes and back-ups will be in place for fast bowlers. Small niggles can happen now and then, so we’re pretty sorted in that regard. So, not a worry at all.”India finished 2019 unbeaten in Tests, shed their conservative approach in T20Is, and were also on a roll in ODIs until New Zealand stopped them in their tracks in the 50-over World Cup semi-final. Another World Cup year has dawned, and Kohli set India’s focus towards the ICC tournament, challenging them to build on the gains from the past year.”We want to keep the standard as high as we can because it’s very important to understand that there’s a young influence that’s coming into the team now,” he said. And they need to be able to take the same culture and same mindset forward. Little transitions keep happening and we want to make sure that the guys who are coming in are on the same page and get up to speed as soon as possible.”We need to keep growing these younger guys into guys who will take the team forward. I think the main focus is on that and the ICC tournaments that are coming along, that’s something we are going to target.”

Tensions boiled over during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Ecuador as Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister clashed with new Arsenal signing Piero Hincapie. The pair exchanged heated words after a late incident in stoppage time, sparking headlines both in South America and the Premier League. After the fiery exchange, Mac Allister later sent a message to his rival.

Mac Allister clashed with Arsenal’s Hincapie in fiery duelEcuador beat Argentina for their first home win since 2009Mac Allister claps back at Hincapie with Instagram postFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The drama unfolded when McAllister confronted Hincapie after a heavy late challenge involving Franco Mastantuono. The Liverpool midfielder pushed the Ecuadorian defender, and the two exchanged words before being separated by teammates. Hincapie had the last laugh on the field, as Ecuador sealed a famous win over Argentina.

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Mac Allister later clapped back at Hincapie on Instagram as he posted an edit of him pushing the Arsenal star with the caption: "YOU ARE NOT LIKE THAT!"

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The spat adds intrigue to what could become one of the Premier League’s most interesting new rivalries. Hincapie has joined Arsenal from Bayer Leverkusen in a £45 million deal, while Mac Allister has been an important figure for Liverpool since his arrival. With both players central to their clubs’ midfield battles, this fiery international clash may carry over to England in the league title race.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAC ALLISTER AND HINCAPIE?

The pair will not be able to face off on the field in the Premier League until January, when Arsenal host Liverpool at the Emirates. In the meantime, Mac Allister will be back in action with Liverpool against Burnley on Sunday, while Arsenal face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Since Nottingham Forest's play-off final victory against Huddersfield Town on 29th May 2022, they haven't been shy of splashing the cash.

After a 23-year absence from the Premier League, the East Midlanders have displayed their intent to retain their top-flight status by backing manager Steve Cooper in the transfer market.

They've spent in excess of £200m across 34 signings and Football FanCast has compiled a list which details all of those additions.

Serge Aurier – Free transfer

Former Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier was brought into the City Ground on a free transfer in September 2022.

Considering Forest didn't have to outlay a single penny to land the 85-cap Ivory Coast international, other than his wages of course, this move was pretty risk-free.

Aurier made 24 Premier League appearances last term, and was a key member of their survival campaign.

A success by all accounts, then.

Loïc Badé – Loan

Quite a bizarre deal, this one.

Loïc Bade, a France Under-21 international, had just come off the back of his first season at Rennes, where he made 21 appearances across all competitions, helping his side achieve a fourth-placed finish.

Newly-promoted Forest signed the young centre-back on a season-long loan deal, with an option to buy, but he failed to make a single appearance at the East Midlands side, before being shunned back to his parent club in the January transfer window.

Now, the 23-year-old is at Sevilla, where he has already won the Europa League with the Spanish outfit, starting and playing all 120 minutes of the final in Budapest against Jose Mourinho's Roma.

Dean Henderson – Loan

Forest signed Dean Henderson on a season-long loan from Manchester United in the summer of 2022.

He appeared 18 times in the league before having his season cut short due to a thigh injury. Nevertheless, it will certainly go down as a solid signing.

If reports are to be believed, Forest appear eager to resign the United goalkeeper on a loan deal with an obligation to buy, but Crystal Palace are also in the race to land the 26-year-old.

Adnan Kanurić – Free transfer

Bosnian Goalkeeper Adnan Kanurić joined the club from FK Sarajevo last summer.

The young shot-stopper didn't make a senior appearance for Forest but he did appear twice for the Under-21s.

He was shipped out on loan in February to National League South side Oxford City, where he started 13 games, helping the club gain promotion to the National League.

He was released by Forest in July and is now without a club.

Wayne Hennessey – Free transfer

Veteran keeper Wayne Hennessey was signed, like Kanurić, to facilitate the number one, at the time, Henderson.

He's an experienced international and a safe pair of hands, a sensible addition to the ranks.

Hennessey still has one year remaining on his contract at the club, and is expected to predominantly feature in the cup competitions, barring any injuries.

Cheikhou Kouyaté – Free transfer

Like many of the transfers so far, they've all been pretty risk-free given no fee has been paid and Cheikhou Kouyaté's transfer is no different.

Kouyaté joined the club upon the expiry of his contract at Crystal Palace last summer and has been a valuable member of Cooper's side since.

A sensible signing.

Jesse Lingard – Free transfer

Jesse Lingard is in a slightly different boat from a lot of the other free transfers on the list. The former Manchester United forward joined the club on big wages, on a one-year deal.

His short stint in the East Midlands was underwhelming, particularly given the excitement around the deal when he first arrived.

Many fans had high expectations for the 32-cap England international, but he failed to live up to those. The 30-year-old didn't register a single-goal return in his 17 league outings.

A miss.

Brandon Aguilera – £812k

Forest signed the 2003-born attacking midfielder Brandon Aguilera last summer on a four-year contract from Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense.

He was immediately loaned back to his home nation with AD Guanacasteca, before joining Estoril Praia Under-23s setup in Portugal for the remainder of last season.

The Costa Rica international is now back at the City Ground and has made two appearances in the Premier League 2 (Reserve League), scoring one and providing as many assists in two outings.

Time will tell how successful this signing will be.

Josh Bowler – £2m

Josh Bowler became The Tricky Trees' 28th signing of the summer last year when he joined from Blackpool for a reported £2m.

Like Aguilera, he was immediately shipped out on loan. Firstly to sister club Olympiacos before rejoining Blackpool in January for the final four months of the campaign.

The winger was again sent out on loan this summer, this time joining Cardiff City.

Bowler doesn't appear to be in Forest's plans at all, so this transfer was another strange one.

Maybe they could profit on his sale further down the line should his spell at the Bluebirds be successful.

Harry Toffolo & Lewis O'Brien – £10m

Forest completed the signings of Huddersfield Town duo Harry Toffolo and Lewis O'Brien last summer in a reported £10m deal.

It's fair to say neither of the pair have really worked out. Toffolo was limited to just nine league starts last term whilst O'Brien made six before being loaned out to D.C. United in March.

They are both yet to feature in any of Forest's opening two games this season.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and fiancee Perrie Edwards have revealed they are expecting a second child. The Little Mix favourite posted a beautifully shot black-and-white clip to Instagram, where the pop star, Oxlade-Chamberlain and their four-year-old son Axel joined her in a moving family moment.

• Edwards expecting second child joy
• Singer bravely opened up on miscarriages
• Oxlade-Chamberlain faces uncertain football future

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The video showed Perrie turning to the camera in a white T-shirt emblazoned with the lyrics from her new single If He Wanted To, He Would. Beaming with joy, she revealed her growing bump before Alex wrapped his arms around her. Little Axel then added the sweetest touch, kissing his mum’s stomach before the trio embraced in a tender family hug. Her caption? A simple, cheeky line: “Guess what hunnies…” – enough to send fans into a frenzy of congratulations.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The announcement comes after a painful journey for Perrie and Alex, who have suffered not one but two devastating miscarriages. The singer bravely opened up earlier this year on Paul C Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, admitting that her first pregnancy ended almost as soon as it began.

  “So I had a miscarriage very early on with my first ever pregnancy, and it was so early,” she said. “I remember finding out I was pregnant. Obviously, I started bleeding not long after, and I went to the hospital and I had the scan and they were like, ‘There’s no baby.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve made this up. Maybe I got a false positive or something.’ And I remember being on my own at the appointments because nobody was there.”

  When she later carried Axel, born in August 2021, Perrie admitted she was constantly fearful of history repeating itself. She confessed to feeling “on edge” throughout the pregnancy, longing just to make it past the 12-week scan. That fear became reality again during Little Mix’s farewell tour in 2022, when Perrie miscarried at 20 weeks. 

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN?

  While Perrie celebrates, her fiancee Oxlade-Chamberlain faces uncertainty in his professional world. The former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder recently had his contract with Besiktaş terminated on 27 August 2025, with the Turkish side paying him €1.75 million in severance. The 32-year-old remains a free agent and is now weighing up his next move. Reports suggest Leeds United are monitoring his situation, while Birmingham City are also believed to be interested in bringing him back to English football.

Bravo backed Pooran following his ball-tampering ban, saying the youngster is “far from that type of player”

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2019

Nicholas Pooran sweeps for four•Getty Images

Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has called Nicholas Pooran’s attempts at altering the condition of the ball during West Indies’ third ODI against Afghanistan a “silly mistake”.”I know Pooran since he was 17 years old and he is not that type of player,” Bravo said on Thursday in Abu Dhabi where he will be playing in the T10 tournament as Maratha Arabians’ captain. “Yes, that (ball-tampering) happened, the evidence is there. But deep down inside he doesn’t mean anything [bad] to cheat or anything.”ALSO READ: Dwayne Bravo hints at international comebackPooran was banned for four T20Is after video footage showed him scratching the surface of the ball with his thumbnail. He admitted to the offence, a breach of level 3 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad.In his defence, the young batsman said it was an “isolated” incident, which would not be repeated as it was an “extreme error in judgment” on his part.Pooran will now miss the ongoing three-match T20I series against Afghanistan and the opening match of the subsequent exchanges against India.Bravo said Pooran needed to be given time to understand his mistake. “It is just a silly mistake on his part,” Bravo said. “He accepted it. But I know the individual personally, and that is not something he will ever do or encourage anyone to do. It is just a simple mistake, he gets caught, he accepts it, but he is far from that type of player.”

Since securing promotion back to the Premier League in 2019, Aston Villa have spent millions in order to maintain their status as a top-flight team.

Under Unai Emery, this spending has taken on new heights, and with it, potentially bigger rewards. During the summer transfer window, the Spaniard splashed out £51.9m to sign Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, while another £31.5m was spent in order to secure the services of defender Pau Torres from Villarreal.

With the Midlands side currently in touching distance of the top four in the Premier League table, while also through to the last 16 of the Europa Conference League, it's safe to say that the money has been well spent.

Might some of their recent success be down to a player who was bought before Emery joined the club, however, as John McGinn has emerged as one of their prized assets during their recent ascent up the league table.

The Scot has seen his value rise steadily over the years, and he is now worth more than some of his more esteemed teammates, with Leon Bailey being a notable example.

Leon Bailey’s market value

The Jamaican winger joined from Leverkusen in the summer of 2021, yet this has been his most productive season as a Villa player, and he could owe this success to Emery, who has given him plenty of freedom to express his attacking qualities.

Indeed, since the start of the campaign, Bailey has scored ten goals and registered nine assists in all competitions and has established himself as Emery’s first choice on the right side of the midfield, despite the presence of Diaby.

The Frenchman has often been pushed further forward into a more advanced role to make way for Bailey, such is his impressive form of late.

While his displays have been excellent, Bailey is valued at just €16.5m (£14m) according to Football Transfers.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Of course, this could certainly increase should he maintain his current form in front of goal, but at this moment in time, McGinn is worth a lot more than his 26-year-old teammate.

John McGinn’s market value at Hibs

The Scot began his career with St Mirren before sealing a move to Hibernian in the summer of 2015, and he became an immediate hit by helping the Easter Road outfit win the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1902 with a 3-2 win over Rangers in 2016.

Just before he left Edinburgh to move to the Midlands, his market value was a modest €2.7m (£2.3m) according to Football Transfers, and Villa managed to sign him for just under this, spending only £2m to bring him to the club in the summer of 2018.

Following two years in the Championship, Steve Bruce needed someone to help bolster Villa’s chances of making a return to the top flight, and McGinn proved to be the catalyst as they defeated Derby County in the 2019 Play-off final to reach the promised land after a three-year absence.

Bruce even went as far as lauding him as one of his finest ever signings, saying: "A club like Villa – we didn't have £2m, but in the end we got him.

"How we got him out of Celtic I don't know because his grandfather was the chairman. It took a couple of games of golf at the Belfry with his dad until we could muster the money together!

"I am delighted for the kid because he is a smashing lad. He has to be one of my best ever signings because he has a determination to do well.”

John McGinn’s market value at Aston Villa

The 29-year-old thrived during his first few years in the Premier League as Villa maintained their status, but his displays since Emery arrived have hit a new level and this has seen his value skyrocket recently.

Indeed, the midfielder is now currently worth €39.5m (£33.7m) as per Football Transfers and this is over double that of what Bailey is worth, showing how vital he is to the club.

There is no doubt this value could continue to rise if he leads the club to the Champions League group stages next season, or even helps them win the Europa Conference League.

Steven Gerrard even made him captain in the summer of 2022 and this is a role he continues to hold under Emery, signifying just how impressive a job he is doing.

Why John McGinn is valued so high

Hailed as a “relentless creature” by journalist Mat Kendrick during his first season at the club, McGinn has embodied those qualities during the 2023/24 campaign.

In the Premier League this season, McGinn has recovered 4.7 balls per game while winning 5.3 total duels per game as he continues to show dogged resilience in one-on-one battles.

€51.3m (£43.8m)

€48.2m (£41.1m)

€47.4m (£40.4m)

€45m (£38.4m)

€39.5m (£33.7m)

It is his attacking qualities which are shining through, however, and in the Villa squad, the 5 foot 10 gem currently ranks fourth for goals and assists in the top flight (eight), while also ranking third for shots on target per game (0.7), third for big chances created (eight) and fourth for key passes per game (1.4), certainly showcasing his talents going forward.

With eight goals and four assists in all competitions, his desire to find a way into the opposition penalty area on a regular basis has been an added bonus for Emery, and it proves he is one of his most important players.

Having cost the club just £2m nearly six years ago, McGinn has certainly repaid this fee many times over and Villa have hit the jackpot on the Scotland sensation, who could still get even better.

While the likes of Diaby, Douglas Luiz and even Ollie Watkins are perhaps more established names, no one can underestimate just how crucial the former Hibs talent is to the club and their future ambitions.

The next few months could see the Midlands side qualify for the Champions League and secure a first major trophy in 28 years, and McGinn could be the captain to lead them to such important achievements.

da pixbet： A worrying new update regarding Everton's points deduction in the Premier League has emerged, courtesy of journalist Pete O'Rourke.

Everton's ten-point deduction

da dobrowin： The Blues have suffered so many disappointments this season, with off-field issues threatening to completely derail Sean Dyche's side's campaign as they desperately fight for survival between now and May.

While results have been adequate for much of the season, the ten-point penalty that has come Everton's way has rocked the club, throwing them into the relegation zone in the process. The Merseysiders have never dropped into the Championship since its former Second Division days, but there is now a genuine threat of that happening.

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Posts ByStephan Georgiou Apr 16, 2024

Some reports have even suggested that further punishments could come Everton's way due to their financial breaches, and another deduction would surely be too much to come back from in the relegation battle.

There has also been the ongoing issue surrounding the takeover of the Blues, with 777 Partners still not getting a deal over the line to replace Farhad Moshiri as owner, so it's fair to say that Goodison Park is a tense place to be at the moment.

Worrying new Everton update

According to a new update from Football Insider's O'Rourke, Everton may not be successful in appealing their points deduction, with a decision expected very soon.

"Everton are not likely to receive good news when the results of their appeal against the 10-point deduction for Financial Fair Play breaches is announced, sources have told Football Insider.

"The verdict is set to be announced in the middle of February. That means news on Everton’s potential fate for the 2023-24 campaign may be just days away."

This is another blow in what feels like a constant stream of negative updates this season, although it may not come as a huge surprise that an appeal is unlikely to be successful.

It is a hugely frustrating situation for Dyche and his players, whose performances this season don't warrant being in the relegation zone at all, with a mid-table spot coming their way currently without the 10-point penalty. It can't be easy to remain focused on on-pitch matters, but Everton have to do all they can to get themselves away from danger, preserving their Premier League status for another year.

The idea of dropping into the Championship doesn't bear thinking about, considering the impact it could have on the potential takeover and their finances in general, while the move to Bramley-Moore Dock next year needs to happen with the Blues playing in the top flight, not the second tier.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 17, 2023

The hope is that the appeal does end up being successful, but the manner of this season suggests that good news won't come Everton's way, making for what could be a stressful next few months in the league, with big matches arriving every week.