The decision will allow the batter to play tournaments like the Road Safety Series and overseas T20 leagues
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2022Suresh Raina, the former India and Uttar Pradesh batter, has announced his retirement from “all formats of cricket,” confirming the end of his IPL and India domestic career. Raina, 35, had already retired from international cricket, announcing that decision on August 15, 2020 shortly after MS Dhoni had retired.”It has been an absolute honour to represent my country & state UP. I would like to announce my retirement from all formats of cricket,” Raina posted on Twitter on Tuesday.The decision will allow Raina to play tournaments like the Road Safety Series, for which he has already been confirmed, as well as overseas T20 leagues. “I want to continue playing cricket for two or three years,” he was quoted as saying by . “There are some exciting youngsters who are coming through the ranks of Uttar Pradesh cricket. I have already taken my No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA). I have informed BCCI secretary Jay Shah and vice-president Rajiv Shukla about my decision.”I will play in the Road Safety Series. T20 franchises from South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE have contacted me but I am yet to take any decision.”Raina had not played any first-class or list A cricket since 2018, and his last IPL game was in October 2021. Raina was a key figure for the Chennai Super Kings, whom he represented for 11 seasons between 2008 and 2021. He won four titles with CSK in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 and still remains their top-scorer with 4687 runs from 176 matches. He was released by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2022 player auction, where he was not bought by any of the ten franchises.Raina retires having scored 6871 runs in 109 first-class games, 8078 runs in 302 list A games, and 8654 runs in 336 T20 matches. He began his senior domestic career for UP back in 2002-03, and made his international debut in 2005. Raina played 226 ODIs, 78 T20Is and 18 Tests for India, and was part of the squad that won the ODI World Cup in 2011. He was the first Indian batter to score a century in all three international formats.
كشف هشام آيت منا رئيس نادي الوداد المغربي، حقيقة المفاوضات لضم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو لاعب نادي النصر، للمشاركة مع الفريق المغربي في كأس العالم للأندية.
وسيشارك نادي الوداد المغربي في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية التي تقام في منتصف الشهر المقبل، بالولايات المتحدة الإمريكية، ممثلاً عن القارة الإفريقية بجانب أندية الأهلي والترجي التونسي وصن داونز الجنوب إفريقي.
ويوجد الوداد المغربي في المجموعة السابعة بكأس العالم للأندية 2025، مع أندية مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي ويوفنتوس الإيطالي والعين الإماراتي.
طالع | تقارير: الوداد يتعاقد مع صفقة جديدة لتدعيم صفوفه قبل كأس العالم للأندية
وقال هشام آيت منا خلال تصريحات عبر صحيفة “الاقتصادية السعودية: “النادي على استعداد لفتح أبوابه أمام كريستيانو رونالدو لاعب نادي النصر، للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025، بشرط ترجيب النجم البرتغالي بالانضمام إلينا، دون شروط مالية ضخمة”.
وأضاف: “من المستحيل تحمل نفس قيمة راتب رونالدو الحالي مع النصر (نحو 16 مليون يورو شهريا)، لكن أهلًا به إذا أراد الانضمام إلينا في كأس العالم للأندية لأننا نعرف أنه نجم ليس هدفه حصد الأموال فقط”.
وأكمل: “إذا كانت لدينا فرصة 1 بالمليار للتعاقد مع رونالدو لخوض مونديال الأندية، فسنتحرك من أجلها”.
يذكر، أن عقد رونالدو ينتهي مع النصر بنهاية الموسم الجاري، ويتقاضى اللاعب 200 مليون يورو سنويًا كأغلى راتب في تاريخ كرة القدم.
da betway： Celtic moved back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table on Sunday with a convincing 3-0 win over Motherwell away from Parkhead at Fir Park.
da luck： The Hoops had temporarily dropped down to second in the division after Aberdeen had won their eighth match of the season on Sunday, but they have returned to the top on goal difference.
Goals from Luke McCowan, Alistair Johnston, and Adam Idah were enough to secure all three points for the Scottish giants against Motherwell, as they kept yet another clean sheet.
Kasper Schmeichel has now kept seven clean sheets in nine Premiership games for the Hoops since his move to the club on a free transfer from Anderlecht in the summer transfer window.
He was relatively untroubled against Motherwell, making just two saves in total to keep a clean sheet, and did not have to do all that much to preserve the shut-out.
Kasper Schmeichel
This meant that the Denmark international was not one of the top performers on the day for Brendan Rodgers, as a number of other players took centre stage for the Bhoys.
Celtic's top performers against Motherwell
McCowan was handed a big opportunity to shine from the start after an injury to Callum McGregor opened up a space for him in the middle of the park.
The Scottish dynamo, signed from Dundee in the summer, certainly grasped his chance – scoring a brilliant goal to open the scoring for Celtic, weaving inside and out of challenges before finding the bottom corner.
He also completed 100% (2/2) of his attempted dribbles and created one chance for his teammates in the rest of his 75 minutes on the pitch.
The other star of the show for Celtic was the captain for the day – Johnston. The Canada international did score, with a header, in the second half but it was his defensive showing that really caught the eye.
Vs Motherwell
Alistair Johnston
Sofascore rating
9.0
Duels won
8/10
Tackles won
4
Interceptions
1
Dribbled past
1x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the right-back was dominant in his defensive duels, winning 80% of his physical contests, and was only dribbled past once.
The former MLS star also created one ‘big chance’ for his teammates, that they failed to take, and could have come away from the match with an assist to go along with his goal.
Whilst Johnston and McCowan were the stars of the show for Rodgers, there was at least one Celtic player who did not show the best of his abilities – Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kyogo Furuhashi's performance against Motherwell in numbers
The Japan international was selected to lead the line on Sunday and struggled to make an impact at the top end of the pitch, whilst also offering very little in the build-up.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
It is no secret that Kyogo is not a traditional centre-forward who is going to hold the ball up and win flick-ons, or battle defenders to link play for his teammates.
This means that his final actions at the top end of the pitch need to be telling when he does get involved to make up for that. Unfortunately, that was not the case against Motherwell.
Vs Motherwell
Kyogo Furuhashi
Minutes played
75
Passes made
1/3
Shots
4
Assists
0
Big chances created
0
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Kyogo only completed one pass in 75 minutes on the pitch, failing with his other two attempts, and took four shots without scoring.
The Japanese attacker managed one shot on target and saw the other three blocked, whilst he also had fewer touches (ten) than goalkeeper Schmeichel (37), which illustrates his lack of impact.
These statistics show that the 29-year-old striker had a difficult day at the office, as his decision-making and quality in the final third left a bit to be desired and he failed to get involved in the build-up, with his one pass.
The experienced forward was then upstaged by the man who replaced him for the final 15 minutes of the match, as Adam Idah caught the eye off the bench.
Signed from Norwich in the summer, the Irish marksman scored, with a composed close-range finish, completed all four of his attempted passes and created a ‘big chance’ in those 15 minutes.
Rodgers must now consider brutally ditching Kyogo from the starting XI after a few underwhelming displays from the attacker in recent weeks.
Why Celtic should drop Kyogo Furuhashi
The right-footed striker should be taken out of the line-up when the Hoops face Dundee at Parkhead in the Premiership on Wednesday night.
He has produced one goal and one assist, both of which came in the first half against Aberdeen, in his last five appearances in all competitions for the Hoops.
Kyogo Furuhashi
Kyogo completed 12 passes in those five outings and this shows that the attacker has not offered much outside of his work in the final third, which has also been lacking aside from the opening 45 against the Dons at Parkhead.
Therefore, Rodgers must ruthlessly ditch the striker from the starting XI and offer an opportunity to Idah to lead the line in the Premiership on Wednesday night, hopefully motivating Kyogo to fight hard to win his place back for the game against Dundee United at the weekend.
24/25 Premiership
Adam Idah
Appearances
7
Starts
2
Goals
2
Big chances created
1
Passes made per game
4.7
Aerial duels won
60%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Idah has shown promise in his limited minutes on the pitch this season, with two goals in two starts in the Premiership.
He has also averaged more passes completed per game (4.7) than Kyogo (4.4) has managed in seven starts out of nine games, which suggests that the Irishman offers more to the team in build-play play.
His aerial duel success rate also shows that Idah is a valuable asset to Celtic when they need to play longer passes under pressure, as he has the physical qualities to win headers and hold the ball up.
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Therefore, Rodgers must now ditch Kyogo from the starting XI to give his number nine a chance to stake a claim for his place in the team moving forward against Dundee.
The UAE’s excitement over hosting the IPL has been well documented, but the fuss expected on the eve of the opening match was rather muffled
Karthik Krishnaswamy in Abu Dhabi15-Apr-2014It’s hard to tell if it’s one hoarding or two. They are the same size, they sit next to each other, and they share the instantly identifiable colour scheme of the same soft drink brand. Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Robin van Persie, Jack Wilshere, Sergio Ramos and David Luiz strike menacing poses in one of them, while Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Shane Watson and Rohit Sharma smile out of the other.All the above names are, in their own way, superstars. But the difference between the two groups of faces can be summed up very simply. The cricketers probably know all there is to know about the footballers, and follow their careers closely. The footballers are unlikely to have heard of the cricketers.What does it say, though, that the two worlds have collided on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road? How big, and how visible, is the IPL in its new, temporary home?The eve of the tournament provided conflicting answers to that question. It had taken over Gulf News’ sports supplement, filling up its centre-spread and the pages either side of it. There was no mention of it, though, in the evening sports bulletin on , which instead focused on the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, and news of Red Bull Racing’s failed appeal against the disqualification of one of its drivers at the Australian Grand Prix.One plausible explanation is the difference in target audience. And understandably so in a society as massively multicultural as the UAE’s.On Tuesday evening at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, players, backroom staff and a special list of invitees waited to board coaches that would whisk them away to an undisclosed location where, rumour had it, they would be entertained by Bollywood’s most famous names at a private dinner.In India, on days such as this, reasonably large crowds of fans mill around hotels to catch a glimpse of the players. Here, only a scattering of Indian expatriates hung around, despite the fact that the papers had been full of news about this tournament-eve party. It seemed that attending the matches – most of the early games are sold out – and watching the cricket would be more than enough IPL for Abu Dhabi’s cricket fans.At one point, Virat Kohli (carrying his suit on a hanger), MS Dhoni, Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir walked out of the hotel entrance and strolled down towards its lawns to catch a glimpse of the skyscrapers, backlit by the setting sun, on the opposite side of the road. They went more or less unmolested, and the handful of camera-toting enthusiasts who followed them quickly gave way when a security guard gestured with a hefty arm.A group of Russian tourists sat on the steps as the cricketers walked past, completely oblivious to who they might have been. It must have been refreshing, but also a touch unsettling, for the players. It certainly wouldn’t have happened to Messi, Aguero and van Persie.Asked what the evening promised, a former India player said Shah Rukh Khan was expected perform. Turning to a friend by his side, the cricketer added: “I hope it gets over soon.”
Arsenal are big admirers of a man who could finally fill the gap in Mikel Arteta’s squad that he intended Mohammed Kudus to occupy, it has been claimed.
Arsenal missed out on Kudus
In 2023, West Ham announced the signing of Kudus from Ajax, but it could have been very different. Arsenal and Chelsea were both interested in signing the Ghanaian, Kudus later confirmed, as they looked to bolster their attacking ranks ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
“It’s true they were in contact”, Kudus explained. “But when West Ham came it moved fast and I made my decision based on speaking to people around the club, their project and how they see me as a player.
“I made the decision based on my gut feeling. That’s how I make my decisions. Whatever the ramifications are, I take it upon myself.”
Mohammed Kudus for West Ham
One of the major draws for Mikel Arteta was Kudus’s versatility, with the 24-year-old able to play in central midfield, on the wing or even as a lone striker, all of which he did to good effect at Ajax and which attracted the attention on Mikel Arteta as well as David Moyes.
He has enjoyed a strong start to his Premier League career too, grabbing ten goals and six assists in 41 outings for the Hammers and attracting attention from clubs across Europe.
However, he will not come cheap, with a release clause believed to be around £85m in his contract at the Hammers, suggesting that perhaps for Arsenal that particular ship has sailed. Now, they could have found a younger alternative.
Arsenal big admirers of "difference maker"
That comes as Caught Offside claim that Arsenal are one of two sides chasing impressive Juventus talent Kenan Yildiz.
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The Turkish international penned a new £59,000 a week deal in Turin in August, and has enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign under Thiago Motta.
He came off the bench to score twice and rescue a draw in their most recent outing against Inter Milan, a cameo that led Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig to hail the 19-year-old a “difference maker” on X.
His form has caught the attention of both Liverpool and Arsenal, and the report claims the Gunners are “big admirers of Yildiz and would be keen to sign someone of his profile to take the burden off Bukayo Saka”.
Still just 19-years-old, the Turkish international would be an expensive addition but would offer a decade of potentially top level football to whoever managed to lure him away from Juventus. He would also likely be cheaper than Kudus, and, listed among “similar players” to the Ghanaian on stat-site FBref, it is easy to see why.
Also capable of playing in midfield or on the left-wing, both have started the season in similar fashion.
Mohammed Kudus vs Kenan Yildiz 24/25
Mohammed Kudus
Kenan Yildiz
Appearances
8
9
Pass Accuracy
81.9%
82.5%
Shots on target per 90
1.36
0.71
Progressive carries per 90
5
5.29
Carries into the penalty area per 90
2.3
2.29
Shot creating actions per 90
3.4
3
Successful take on %
50%
48%
Having missed out on Kudus, would Yildiz be the perfect piece for Mikel Arteta’s side in the seasons to come?
A Chelsea director says Enzo Maresca's position is "100 per cent" safe this season despite the club's poor run of form.
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Chelsea's form nosedivesDirector backs MarescaSays he's doing a "great job"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Chelsea have gone from Premier League title contenders to sitting sixth in the division and winning just two of their last nine league fixtures in a few short months. Despite that, Blues director Jonathan Goldstein says head coach Maresca is "doing a great job" and his job is secure for the foreseeable future.
AdvertisementAFPWHAT THE CHELSEA DIRECTOR SAID
Goldstein said on : "He's doing a great job. Chelsea started the season very well. The past six weeks have been, you know, finding their feet a little bit more. But Enzo has clearly done a great job in bringing the team together; bringing the talent through."
When asked if Maresca would stay for the rest of the season, he replied: "100 per cent."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Chelsea are just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City with 13 games of the season to go, have a great chance of qualifying for the Champions League next term and are one of the favourites to win the 2024-25 Europa Conference League crown. If they fail to achieve any of those goals, Maresca's position may not be so secure this summer.
Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT?
Chelsea will hope to return to winning ways, after a 3-0 drubbing at Brighton last time out, when they visit Aston Villa on Saturday in the Premier League.
A new primetime free-to-air slot on Thursday evenings and avoiding clashes with Australia’s fixtures in the men’s T20 World Cup are two of the main features in the WBBL08 schedule, while the final is set to be played the same weekend that the AFLW comes to a conclusion.The tournament, which begins on October 13, will return to all states for the first time in three years following the Covid-disruption that forced the entire competition to be staged in a Sydney bubble in 2020-21 and then navigate border closures last season.It means that Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will get to play at home for the first time since WBBL05. Perth Scorchers will begin their title defence against Sydney Thunder in Blacktown on October 16.The shift of the AFLW season to an August-November window means that the two competitions will now go head-to-head. While the overlap has not had a direct impact on the WBBL schedule, the fact both competitions are broadcast by Seven, avoiding Australia’s World Cup matches, and the desire to get more games at peak hours has led to the Thursday slot with overall 17 matches now in primetime.”Our first priority is to get more WBBL matches into primetime…which is where the WBBL belongs as the best cricket league in the world for women,” Alistair Dobson, the general manager of Big Bash leagues, told ESPNcricinfo.”Factoring in the men’s T20 World Cup has been one of the considerations, albeit we’ve managed to work pretty well around it and it hasn’t compromised the WBBL schedule much at all given the venues are generally different.”The finals of both the WBBL and AFLW are set to be played on the weekend of November 26-27 with the date for the WBBL decider yet to be locked in. The WBBL finals week will follow the same structure as last season with the team who finishes first in the table getting a direct route to the decider with the Eliminator and Challenger to confirm the other team.”Our starting point is whatever is right for the WBBL is the schedule we’ll put out, but equally there is a pretty interesting opportunity there about a great festival of sport that weekend,” Dobson said. “So if there are opportunities for each competition to leverage each other that’s something we would explore, but our starting point is that the WBBL, as the biggest sporting league for women in Australia, we’ll schedule what is right for the competition.”The festival concept, where a number of teams are based at one venue, has been retained but these are now more concentrated on weekends. There are also matches spread more throughout the week than has previously been the case.”I think that’s the balance that we are looking for, which is big weekends of action in one spot interspersed with primetime games through the week,” Dobson said.Regional venues will also be used; the tournament will begin in Mackay, Moe and Ballarat in Victoria will stage matches as will Nuriootpa in South Australia.Free-to-air broadcaster Seven, which has recently escalated its legal dispute with Cricket Australia largely centered on the BBL, will again show 24 matches live while all 59 games will be available on Foxtel and its streaming platform Kayo.
WBBL08 2022-23 fixtures
October 13: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers, Great Barrier Reef Arena October 14: Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes, Blacktown October 15: Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Sixers, Great Barrier Reef Arena October 15: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars, Great Barrier Reef Arena October 16: Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers, Great Barrier Reef Arena October 16: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars, Great Barrier Reef Arena October 16: Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers, Blacktown October 17: Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers, Blacktown October 18: Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades, Great Barrier Reef Arena October 18: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder, Blacktown October 20: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars, WACA Ground October 21: Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat, Karen Rolton Oval October 21: Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers, Karen Rolton Oval October 22: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder, WACA Ground October 23: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars, WACA Ground October 23: Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes, WACA Ground October 24: Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades, Karen Rolton Oval October 25: Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder, Allan Border Field October 27: Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers, Allan Border Field October 28: Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers, Allan Border Field October 29: Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers, Eastern Oval October 29: Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars, Eastern Oval October 29: Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers, Allan Border Field October 30: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers, Eastern Oval October 31: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder, Eastern Oval November 2: Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars, Blacktown November 2: Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers, Blacktown November 3: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades, Blundstone Arena November 4: Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat,Blundstone Arena November 5: Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers, Lilac Hill November 5: Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers, Lilac Hill November 6: Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat, Blundstone Arena November 6: Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder, Blundstone Arena November 6: Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers, Lilac Hill November 7: Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes, Blundstone Arena November 9: Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat,Lilac Hill November 10: Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades, CitiPower Centre November 11: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, Karen Rolton Oval November 12: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, CitiPower Centre November 12: Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers, CitiPower Centre November 12: Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes, Karen Rolton Oval November 13: Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers, CitiPower Centre November 13: Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades, CitiPower Centre November 13: Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder, Centennial Park Oval November 14: Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat, Karen Rolton Oval November 15: Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars, Latrobe Recreation Ground November 15: Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades, Manuka Oval November 16: Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes, Latrobe Recreation Ground November 16: Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat, North Sydney Oval November 18: Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes, North Sydney Oval November 18: Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder, North Sydney Oval November 19: Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers, Ted Summerton Reserve November 20: Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades, Ted Summerton Reserve November 20: Sydney Sixers vs Hobart Hurricanes, North Sydney Oval November 20: Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat, Ted Summerton Reserve November 20: Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers, North Sydney Oval Final series: TBC
West Ham United have struggled to make a huge impact in the Premier League so far this season, winning just three of their opening ten meetings in 2024/25.
Julen Lopetegui’s suffered yet another defeat on Saturday afternoon, losing 3-0 to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground after Edson Alvarez saw red for the second time in just a few weeks after a second bookable offence.
As a result, the Hammers currently sit 14th in the table, just six points clear of the relegation zone, with the Spaniard struggling to make the immediate impact many fans would’ve hoped for.
Only three sides have shipped more goals since the beginning of the season, with their tally of 19 goals conceded making it difficult to come away from any matches with any tangible reward – often needing multiple goals to secure just a point.
Given their recent struggles, many must wish they had the calibre of one former player who caught the eye during his stint as a player in East London.
Dimitri Payet’s stats at West Ham
French midfielder Dimitri Payet arrived in the summer of 2015 for their final season at the Boleyn Ground, looking to make a huge impact on the club’s first team.
However, no one could have envisaged his impact with the Hammers, taking everyone by surprise during his 18-month stint in the Premier League.
Former West Ham star Dimitri Payet
His debut year at the club saw him notch 12 goals and 14 assists in all competitions – which included a memorable free-kick in the meeting with Crystal Palace.
However, after registering nine goal contributions during the first few months of the 2016/17 campaign, Payet’s time in England would come to an abrupt end after the Frenchman submitted a transfer request and ended up rejoining former side Marseille.
No fan can begrudge the midfielder for wanting to return to his homeland, but there’s no denying his impact has been hugely missed – with his ability to create a moment of magic out of nothing something which Lopetegui’s side desperately lack.
However, at one point, many people thought that the Hammers had secured a deal for one talent who could’ve followed in the footsteps of Payet and been the perfect replacement for the attacking midfielder.
First Impressions
What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.
The man who was meant to be the next Payet
The summer of 2018 gave West Ham the opportunity to strengthen their squad and finally replace Payet nearly 18 months after his return to Ligue 1.
As a result, the hierarchy turned their attention to Brazilian winger Felipe Anderson, securing a £36m deal to sign him from Italian side Lazio – breaking the club’s record transfer in the process.
Felipe Anderson celebrates scoring for West Ham United.
However, the excitement over the deal would be short-lived given his lack of impact at the London Stadium, making just a total of 73 appearances over a three-year spell in the Premier League, scoring just 12 times with ten of his goals coming in his debut campaign.
He would receive praise from teammate Aaron Cresswell, with the left-back stating:
Anderson would rapidly fall down the pecking order in the 2020/21 season, featuring just five times under David Moyes, resulting in a loan move to join Portuguese side Porto.
The move would fail to catapult him back into the Scotsman’s plans at West Ham, subsequently re-joining former side Lazio in the summer of 2021, three years after leaving, for a fee in the region of just £2.5m.
2018/19
40
10
5
2019/20
28
1
6
2020/21
5
1
2
Total:
73
12
13
Such a transfer saw the club losing £33.5m in just three years, a shocking deal all-round, with the club still yet to find the perfect replacement for Payet in 2024.
Given the fee and hype around such a transfer, it’s such a shame that the move never lived up to expectations – setting the club back millions and delaying their ambitions of filling the void left by the Frenchman.
Felipe Anderson for West Ham
Unfortunately for both parties, Anderson simply wasn’t cut out for the demands of the Premier League, as demonstrated by his rapid decline which now sees him feature for Palmeiras back in his homeland.
He's like Rice: West Ham should brutally ditch Alvarez & sign £17m star
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Stats highlights from the Group A match between Australia and Sri Lanka in Sydney
Shiva Jayaraman08-Mar-20153:26
Insights: Best World Cup for No. 5 batsmen
51 Balls taken by Glenn Maxwell for his hundred – the second-fastest in World Cups after Kevin O’Brien’s 50-ball hundred against England in 2011. Maxwell took one ball less than AB de Villiers, who hit a 52-ball hundred against West Indies earlier in this World Cup. This is the fastest ODI hundred by an Australia batsman beating James Faulkner’s 57-ball century against India in 2013.2 Number of hundreds by Australia’s No. 5 in World Cups before Maxwell’s. Brad Hodge was the last one to hit a century at that position for Australia, against Netherlands in 2007. The first such hundred was the famous Steve Waugh century against South Africa in 1999.5 Centuries by No. 5 batsmen in this World Cup – the most, by far in any World Cup. Along with Maxwell , there have been centuries by David Miller, Mahela Jayawardene, AB de Villiers and Brendan Taylor batting at No. 5. The 1996 World Cup saw two such hundreds – by Vinod Kambli and Chris Harris. The other World Cups have had only one such hundred each at most.195.12 Strike rate of the partnership between Maxwell and Shane Watson – the second highest in a century partnership by an Australian pair in ODIs. Mitchell Marsh and Maxwell had added 109 runs at a strike rate of 201.85 against Zimbabwe last year, which is the highest. Overall, this is the third-highest strike rate in a stand of 150 or more in ODIs. De Villiers and Hashim Amla had added 192 runs at a strike rate of 286.56 against West Indies in this World Cup which is the highest.1 Batsmen to complete 14000 ODI runs before Kumar Sangakkara; Sangakkara has taken 378 innings to Sachin Tendulkar’s 350 to pass the landmark. Like Sangakkar, Tendulkar had also passed the milestone with a century, against Pakistan in 2006.0 Number of batsmen to have scored three consecutive centuries in a World Cup. Kumar Sangakkara is the first batsman to do so. Only three other batsmen have scored three hundreds in a World Cup before him – Mark Waugh in 1996, Sourav Ganguly in 2003 and Matthew Hayden in 2007. Overall, six other batsmen have hit three consecutive centuries in ODIs.24 Runs plundered off Mitchell Johnson’s third over by Tillakaratne Dilshan. This was just two runs short of the most conceded by an Australia bowler in an ODI. Three Australian bowlers – Simon Davis, Craig McDermott and Xavier Doherty have each conceded 26 runs off one over.0 Number of hundreds Sangakkara had in his first-25 innings in the World Cup. He had scored 778 runs at an average of 40.94 with six fifties. His last-eight World Cup innings have produced four centuries and one fifty and he has scored 585 runs at 97.50.160 Runs added by Maxwell and Watson – the second-highest fifth-wicket partnership in World Cups. The highest had also come in this World Cup – an unbeaten 256-run stand between JP Duminy and Miller against Zimbabwe. This was also Australia’s third-highest fifth-wicket partnership in ODIs.92.30 Maxwell’s strike rate against Lasith Malinga, who took 2 for 59 from his 10 overs. Malinga bowled 13 deliveries to Maxwell and conceded only 12 runs, while the other Sri Lanka bowlers collectively conceded 90 off 40 balls. While Maxwell hit only one four off Malinga, the other bowlers were hit for nine fours and four sixes in 40 balls.
Glenn Maxwell v Sri Lanka bowlers
4s 6s Dismissal Runs Balls SRLasith Malinga 1 0 0 12 13 92.30v other SL bowlers 9 4 1 90 40 225.0022 Balls taken by Dinesh Chandimal to hit his fifty in this match – Sri Lanka’s second fastest in ODIs. Sanath Jayasuriya’s 17-ball fifty against Pakistan in 1996 is their fastest. The fastest Chandimal had completed his fifty before this match in international cricket was off 40 balls, against Pakistan in a T20 international.1 Number of times a team had scored 300 chasing in a losing cause in the World Cup before Sri Lanka in this match. Zimbabwe had scored 326 all out against Ireland just two matches earlier.376 Total conceded by Sri Lanka in this match – the highest conceded by them in World Cups, beating the 373 for 6 scored by India in Taunton in 1999. This was also the third-highest total scored against Sri Lanka in ODIs. This was also Australia’s fourth-highest total in ODIs, but only their third highest in World Cups.* An erroneous stat on Mitchell Starc’s economy was removed from the piece
Arsenal employees have been dispatched to Europe this week, as the Gunners and sporting director Edu Gaspar eye up a potential forward signing.
Arsenal show Havertz faith after summer striker decision
Mikel Arteta ultimately chose to stick with on-fire centre-forward Kai Havertz after deciding not to bring in a striker before summer transfer deadline day, with the German repaying that show of faith.
£200k-per-week Arsenal star "almost certain" to go and wanted by Barcelona
He’s started every league game this season.
By
Emilio Galantini
Oct 3, 2024
Havertz’s latest heroics in a 2-0 win against PSG – opening the score with a towering header beyond the on-looking Gianluigi Donnarumma – add to his tally of five goals and an assist across nine appearances in all competitions so far.
Since signing from Chelsea last summer, the versatile 25-year-old has gone on to become a key Arsenal player despite early criticism. However, Edu and Arteta did attempt to bring in an alternative to Havertz and Gabriel Jesus over the summer.
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games
Date
Southampton (home)
October 5
Bournemouth (away)
October 19
Liverpool (home)
October 27
Newcastle United (away)
November 2
Chelsea (away)
November 10
Arsenal made an offer to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, and were involved in a high-profile Premier League race against Chelsea and Man United for the Slovenian’s signature. However, Sesko decided instead to remain at Leipzig – penning a contract extension with the condition of a “gentleman’s agreement” that he could leave in 2025 or 2026.
Arsenal are believed to be weighing up the possibility of bringing in a new striker next year instead, and Sesko remains on their list alongside a host of other star names.
Reports claim Edu is looking at Marcus Thuram of Inter Milan, with Sporting Lisbon sensation Viktor Gyokeres on Arsenal’s radar as well. The stellar form of Aston Villa star Jhon Duran has led to Arsenal chiefs believing he’d be an even better capture than Gyokeres, according to Football Transfers, but Sesko remains at the forefront of their thinking.
Arsenal send scouts to run rule over Sesko at Leipzig this week
According to The Boot Room, Arsenal scouts were at Leipzig this week to run the rule over Sesko, with the 21-year-old seemingly impressing as he bagged a brace against Juventus in the Champions League.
While the 21-year-old was ultimately on the losing side, Sesko showcased his proficiency yet again – picking up where he left off from last season. The former Salzburg starlet has chalked up six goals and three assists in eight total appearances so far this term, following a 2023/2024 campaign where he netted 18 in all competitions.
“Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player,” said Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell.
“He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”
Sesko’s new deal is rumoured to include a £63 million release clause, a mark-up from his previous one in the summer, but it could still represent good value for money.