All posts by h716a5.icu

It’s almost as if managers have forgotten to give their defenders the pre-season talk about avoiding reckless challenges, because, after all, it is only a friendly game.We’ve seen Lisandro Martinez go flying into poor challenges twice now. The first time was at Bukayo Saka’s expense, who was lucky to avoid injury as Arsenal were defeated 2-0 by Manchester United. The second time then came against Real Madrid, as Jude Bellingham was recklessly taken out, sparking the midfielder’s fume.Now, it seems as though Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has caught the recklessness bug, leaving no prisoners against Arsenal, as he wiped out Gabriel Jesus in a needless challenge.The forward fortunately managed to avoid injury, but there’s no doubt that he was left unpleased, with nothing really riding on the game to warrant such aggression from the Barca man.

Gabriel Jesus wiped out by Ronald Araujo

In Araujo’s defence, the ball was there to be won. It just didn’t need to be won with a dangerously high sliding challenge, which Jesus upwards in a way we didn’t even know was possible.

Jesus immediately looked towards the referee, feeling rightly aggrieved by the challenge, as Araujo strolled off as if he had just committed the tackle of the season.

The challenge summed up a frantic affair, as Arsenal ran out 5-3 winners. And after the match, Xavi ironically complained (via Tribuna) “Arsenal’s intensity wasn’t normal. Too many fouls for a friendly game.”

The Gunners initially found themselves a goal down, courtesy of Robert Lewandowski, before Bukayo Saka equalised.

It was then the turn of Raphinha Kai Havertz to get on the scoresheet, making it 2-2.

Arsenal ran away with it in the second half, however, with a Leandro Trossard brace handing them a 4-2 lead. Mikel Arteta’s side were forced to refocus by Ferran Torres’ late goal, but Fabio Vieira soon sealed the 5-3 victory.

How have Arsenal performed in pre-season?

Arsenal have impressed at times during pre-season, enjoying victories over MLS All-Stars and Barcelona, whilst also drawing against FC Nurnberg in their first pre-season game.

Arteta will be disappointed with his side’s 2-0 defeat against Premier League rivals Manchester United, but is unlikely to look too much into what was ultimately a pre-season game, and only that.

Summer signing Havertz has shown glimpses of what he is capable of this summer, too, scoring twice, including most recently against Barcelona.

Speaking after scoring his first Arsenal goal, against MLS All-Stars, Havertz told Sky Sports, via The Metro: “I think he was giving me this message [of support] from the first second when I spoke to him.

“The first time, I felt the support straight away. And I think this is very important for me as a player. He just gives the trust to me and I hopefully can give it back.”

The summer switch to North London could finally get the German going in the Premier League, after struggling to ever make a consistent impact at Chelsea.

The Gunners are certainly primed and ready to mount yet another title challenge in England’s top flight, perhaps going one better than last season by sealing the silverware in the coming year.

Leeds United are one of three English clubs interested in making a move for West Bromwich Albion winger Grady Diangana this summer, according to reports.

The 25-year-old is valued at £7m by the Midlands club amid interest from a number of teams in the current transfer window.

Is Grady Diangana going to Leeds?

The Yorkshire club are interested in making a move for Diangana this summer, but face competition for the winger's signature from Burnley, Leicester City, and mega rich clubs in Saudi Arabia, according to the Express and Star, meaning they may have to move quickly should they decide to pursue a deal in the coming weeks.

The Express and Star also report that West Brom have placed a £7m asking price on Diangana just three years after signing the winger from West Ham United for a reported £18m. Looking to raise funds for reinforcements this summer, the Baggies could be set to accept a cut-price deal for the 25-year-old.

As Leeds look to strengthen their own squad ahead of a potential promotion bid, the winger could yet find himself at Elland Road at the start of the forthcoming Championship campaign. It's certainly one to keep an eye on.

Should Leeds sign Grady Diangana?

Diangana would be a risk, and one that Leeds may not be willing to take fresh from Premier League relegation.

The former West Ham man has struggled to ever pay back the reported £18m fee that West Brom paid for him back in 2020, with an inconsistent spell in England's second tier.

In a total of 102 appearances in the Championship, Diangana has scored just 14 goals, and recorded a further 11 assists. For the hefty fee that West Brom paid, they would have expected more from the 25-year-old.

If Leeds lose Wilfried Gnonto this summer, then they will have to find a replacement, and that is when Diangana – a cheap option – could be considered by those in charge at Elland Road.

If they got the best out of the winger, then the Yorkshire club would have themselves an £18m player in the Championship, but it remains a risky move.

The winger did attract plenty of praise in the early stages of his career, with Darren Bent telling Football Insider, whilst Diangana was on loan at West Brom: "They’ve got the guy on loan at West Brom – Diangana – he’s another top, top player, he’s been brilliant for West Brom this season.

“It really surprised me in January that they didn’t take him back. He’s a top player and if that’s the route they’re going down – they bring him back."

So, there is a player with the potential to reach another level there, it's just about whether those at Elland Road are the ones to finally unlock that potential.

Amid the chaos of attempting to gain promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, if Leeds make what is quite an expensive move in the second tier, it looks like a boom or bust gamble.

India’s ODI vice-captain said that while rotation kept the players fully fit, he would not like to take a break since he has only recently returned from an injury layoff

Arun Venugopal in Chennai14-Sep-2017India vice-captain Rohit Sharma believes the policy of rotating personnel has been introduced to ensure that players remain “more than 100% fit” during the course of a cramped calendar. The players’ workload remains an ongoing conversation given the quantum of cricket India are playing in the immediate future: from September to December, they play 23 internationals – three Tests, 11 ODIs and nine T20Is – against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.Soon after the Sri Lanka series winds down, India are scheduled to tour South Africa for four Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is in January and February 2018. There are then two demanding tours to England and Australia later in 2018. Rohit acknowledged such hectic schedules were an intrinsic part of the modern game, and that it was down to the player to service himself.”We all are used to tight schedules and so much cricket being played. It is not happening now, it has been happening for a while,” Rohit said during a promotional event in Chennai. “We understand how to take care of our body. We have specific people like doctor, physio, trainer… all of those who will take care of it and give us the right schedule.”Which is why there is lots of rotation happening. We have to make sure we need guys who are more than 100% fit. Which is why we have the rotation policy going on, keeping in mind the tight schedule. To me, cricketers have limited career. So we have to make the most of the time we have. So no excuses of burnout or being on tight schedule. We have to play as much we may have to.”R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had been rested for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka and the first three ODIs against Australia in accordance with the new policy. Ashwin has been allowed to play county cricket for Worcestershire during the period, to get him acclimatised to English conditions ahead of India’s tour next year.While Rohit said that it was up to the individual to find the right way to manage his schedule, he was personally not for taking a break from playing. Rohit had missed the bulk of India’s home season last year, including the Test series against England and Australia, with a thigh injury. He said he wanted to get as much game time under his belt as possible.”It is up to each individual how he wants to do it,” Rohit said. “I like to follow the schedule being given to us starting from the diet. If we follow that, I am sure we would be fine. It has helped us. I am coming from an injury layoff so I don’t see myself doing that [resting]. I want to play as many games as possible. Whenever there is an opportunity I want to be on the field.”

The Cricket Australia chairman said it was unreasonable to expect the chief executive to get involved in the negotiations any earlier than he had

Daniel Brettig24-Oct-20174:48

Lemon: CA dead-batting questions on pay dispute

David Peever, the Cricket Australia (CA) chairman, has explained that the chief executive James Sutherland was not permitted to get directly involved in this year’s pay dispute between CA and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) until the players were unemployed because the Board felt he was too busy with other work.The dispute this year ran more than a month beyond the expiry of the previous MoU, leaving the majority of the nation’s male and female cricketers to train out of contract and forcing the cancellation of the Australia A tour of South Africa. Threats to the tours of Bangladesh and India and pressure from commercial partners and the federal government contributed to CA’s ultimate compromise, permitting the retention of a fixed revenue percentage share for players.Sutherland was central to these final, fruitful talks after the ACA expressed a preference to deal with him rather than the Board’s chief negotiator Kevin Roberts, who had been widely touted as a future chief executive. However Peever, who had not spoken publicly at any stage of the dispute other than to pen a newspaper column attacking the ACA and the media, said it was unreasonable to expect Sutherland to get involved in negotiations any earlier than he had.’Pleased to see Ten have some stability’

Australian cricket’s sigh of relief at the CBS deal to re-finance the Ten Network, current rights holder of the Big Bash League and WBBL, was expressed by the chief executive James Sutherland after Cricket Australia’s AGM on Tuesday. Ten went into administration in June, but in late August the American broadcasting giant CBS announced its intent to purchase the network, a matter of months before CA sought to begin talks for new deals around international cricket and domestic T20 from 2018 onwards.
“We’re obviously pleased to see Ten have some stability now, there was a bit of an uncertain period there, where they went into administration,” Sutherland said. “I don’t know all the gory details behind that, but the most important thing is that Ten, who’ve been a great partner for us with the BBL, would appear now to have some stability, and we look forward to talking to them as an incumbent partner.
“We are talking to current and prospective partners now. It’s something we’ll work on over summer, this is the last year of our television deals so at some stage during the next four to six months we’d like to have it finalised.
“I don’t know how things will unfold in terms of bids. Certainly the level of interest is very high. We’ve got great content with international cricket and the Big Bash League growing as it is now, and the WBBL as well being as popular as it is.”

“This is a process issue. You have to bear in mind James runs a very large organisation, a large, complex organisation, and he’s time-poor,” Peever said following CA’s AGM in Brisbane. “It was important that at some stage we felt James needed to move into the process directly, but not at the beginning. We had an extremely competent person in Kevin Roberts leading from our side.”We were disappointed about the way the dispute played out in the public arena, and we certainly believe it went on too long. But it’s also true that reform is very difficult and change is very difficult. What we needed to do for the good of cricket was to change the model that had been in existence for 20 years, that’s what we sought to do.”I think it’s also important to keep context around it, and while it was played out publicly in quite an acrimonious way, that apart from the performance [in the] tour of South Africa, and I don’t want to diminish that in any way, no cricket was lost. In addition to that, no player has gone without payment as a consequence of this dispute. So that’s the context.”Peever, the former Rio Tinto executive who has been CA chairman since 2015, conceded there had been considerable uncertainty generated among CA’s sponsors and broadcasters by the dispute, but also claimed that CA “didn’t ever” put the players in the middle of the conflict between the Board and the players association. He also stated that the Board was satisfied with the final outcome despite the new MoU falling a long way short of its initial proposal, which replaced revenue sharing with set wages for players, save for a capped bonus system for the top international players.”We have very good relationships with our sponsors and partners, and James and his team work very hard on those relationships, so they were very well informed as we went through the process, but it would be less than truthful to say there wasn’t uncertainty around that,” Peever said. “But my point is we have all moved on. This is a deal that was done three months ago. another important part of the deal is we’ve finalised the long-form, which last time took most of the period to get done. But we’ve moved on and we’re into cricket.”We made a very deliberate decision we were not going to play this out in the public arena, and there’s a very good reason for that. We didn’t want to put the players in the middle of the dispute. We hold our heads high that we didn’t ever do that. So yes, it was acrimonious. This is significant change that comes about through negotiation every five years, so it’s not surprising that there would be tension around it.”We have reached an acceptable outcome even bearing in mind what our objective was. It’s not inconsistent with our objectives we had in the beginning, but in all of these things compromise is necessary, and both parties compromised.”Though Peever trumpeted the inclusion of women in the MoU for the first time, the need to remunerate female players better had always been one of few issues that CA and the ACA agreed on. The primary battleground was over domestic players, whom, CA’s proposal described, as leaning on the international players who contributed to the financial health of the game. It was a position the ACA and the players bitterly disputed. The dispute is currently subject to an internal CA review.ICC/Getty Images”We will do as we do; with every MoU negotiation there’s been an internal review,” Peever said. “We’ll be doing the same this time around, so we analyse all of those things, understand what could be done better, what we did well and what we didn’t do as well, so all those questions will come up during that process, so we’ve got some work to do. No it will not [be public]; an internal review. We do this as part of business as usual for many things. The MoU negotiation, while it was a big issue obviously, it is not unique, so we do it in the natural course of business.”Sutherland’s long-term role as chief executive has been the subject of some discussion, including the question of whether or not he should become an executive director with a formal seat on the Board. This change was recommended by the sports governance experts David Crawford and Colin Carter in their report that led to Peever’s arrival as an independent director, but he dismissed the concept as “not a material issue” for CA.”It’s a complete non-issue in terms of the running of the organisation,” Peever said. “James has the authority and the accountability designated by the Board, to run the organisation. He’s also the face of Cricket Australia. We have a high integrity, transparent relationship between the Board and James, one we also enjoy immensely, and so I don’t recall in five years being on the Board it ever being raised, and therefore it’s not a material issue for us.”In addition to the re-election of the directors Jacquie Hey, Mark Taylor and Tony Harrison, CA’s financial situation was outlined at the AGM, highlighting a deficit of A$50.8 million for the 2016-17 financial year that was offset by strong returns over the four-year cycle on which the Board’s finances are based. Having started the cycle with cash reserves of around A$45 million, CA have now grown that figure to A$113 million, ahead of a six-month period in which it will pursue the new domestic television rights deals that provide the majority of the game’s cashflow.Over the four-year period ending in 2017, the greatest spike to CA’s coffers came in 2014-15, a summer that contained a tour of India and also the ODI World Cup. That event’s success, alongside the emergence of the women’s game, has encouraged CA to schedule separate men’s and women’s World Twenty20 events in 2020, the women in February-March, and the men in October-November. That change will be mirrored in another strategic goal over the next five years, to move the Women’s Big Bash League to a standalone spot in the calendar at the start of the Australian summer.”I think so, and it runs alongside what we are doing with the World T20, for that women’s event in 2020 to shine, the women should play on their own platform, away from the shadow of the men’s competition,” Sutherland said. “We actually believe there’s great merit in every season of the WBBL playing in its own discreet window, and opportunity for the women to shine. We’ve got to work through how that will be, there’s a growing respect and higher profile for women’s sport in this country.”Our aspiration is to see the WBBL as a regular feature on television, pay television, free-to-air television, wherever it can be, we’d love to see a much greater profile and focus for the WBBL. Channel Ten have been great supporters of it, but most of the time those matches they’ve televised have been part of double-headers with the men. They’re things we’re working through, there are some things that are changing to the structure of international cricket, and domestic cricket are parts of the jigsaw puzzle.”

Newcastle United are interested in signing Joachim Andersen from Crystal Palace this summer and have now received a boost in their pursuit, if reports are to believed.

What's the latest on Joachim Andersen to Newcastle?

That's according to FootballTransfers, who claim that the Eagles might be willing to reduce their initial £40m asking price for the Danish defender with the south London club in pursuit of reinforcements themselves.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that United have been in constant discussion with the 27-year-old's agents and have made it be known that he is a player they have appreciated for a long time.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

FootballTransfers also reported Newcastle's initial interest back in June, and technical director Dan Ashworth now needs to decide whether a deal is feasible given the club's outlay already this summer.

How good is Joachim Andersen?

The 2023/24 Premier League campaign is but a whisker away, with the 20 teams at contrasting stages of their summer transfer business.

Eddie Howe will be one of the more satisfied bosses, having bolstered the first-team ranks with Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento after finishing fourth last season and qualifying for the Champions League.

St. James' Park is headed for further success this season, subjectively of course, and while Howe's transfer appetite is largely sated, there is room for a ball-playing centre-half such as Andersen, who could replace Fabian Schar.

Schar was pivotal to the Magpies' impressive season and started 36 matches in the English top-flight, earning an average Sofascore rating of 7.13, completing 78% of his passes, averaging a key pass every two matches, keeping 12 clean sheets, making 1.4 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 3.8 clearances per game and succeeding with 65% of his total duels.

He was hailed for being "important at both ends" by analyst Statman Dave and this is evidenced through his FBref statistics, where the Swiss ranks among the top 5% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for total shots taken and the top 10% for aerials won per 90.

However, the £40k-per-week titan is out of contract at the end of the season and at 31 years of age, Newcastle might feel that it is time to sign a replacement.

Andersen could be the "leader" – as he was described by his former coach Svend Graversen – to bolster the squad as they look to cement their newfound stature among Europe's elite, with full belief in the transfer of his skills to Tyneside.

The Eagles colossus recorded an average rating of 6.96 last term, completing 80% of his passes, averaging 0.4 key passes per game, making 1.3 tackles and a whopping 5.8 clearances per match and winning 64% of his total duels.

Meanwhile, the 22-cap international also ranks among the top 16% of positional peers for total shots, the top 2% for clearances and the top 17% for aerials won per 90.

By joining the fold at Newcastle, Andersen's performances would only improve and if Ashworth can indeed strike an astute deal for the £80k-per-week gem, Schar's possible departure could leave not so much as a bent in the St. James' Park armour.

Everton are looking at concluding two transfers in the coming days with Sean Dyche, Farhad Moshiri and co seemingly busy as the market nears its conclusion in a few weeks' time.

Who do Everton want to sign?

Reports on Sunday afternoon suggest that Everton's interest in Leeds winger Jack Harrison is now 'very advanced'. That said, he is not the only forward on Dyche's radar after the season kicked off this weekend.

Indeed, according to Football Insider on Saturday, they are working on securing Portuguese attacker Beto on a loan deal with an obligation to buy, with talks advancing over the past few days.

The Toffees have been monitoring his situation all summer but were reluctant to meet his €30m (£26m) price tag, though an initial short-term contract could work in their favour.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

Everton's Premier League campaign began with a 1-0 home defeat to Fulham this weekend, accentuating the need for offensive reinforcements despite the signings of Arnaut Danjuma and Youssef Chermiti.

Everton could repeat the signing of Richarlison by luring Beto to Goodison Park, with the Brazilian leaving the club for Tottenham Hotspur in a £60m deal last year but departing as one of the club's most distinguishable stars of recent memory.

How many goals did Richarlison score for Everton?

Arriving from Premier League rivals Watford in 2018 for £50m, the 26-year-old scored twice on his competitive debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers to kickstart a 53-goal haul across 152 outings while plying his trade on Merseyside, with former manager Carlo Ancelotti claiming he is "among the best forwards".

Standing at 6 foot, the 44-cap star – with 20 goals for Brazil – is not the tallest of forwards but utilises his aerial dominance superlatively, ranking among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for aerial wins per 90, as per FBref.

Hailed as a "warrior" by former Spurs boss Antonio Conte, the £90k-per-week gem brings an imposing element to his game and this is something that Beto could replicate under Dyche's wing on Merseyside, with the 52-year-old's management style focussing heavily on aerial dominance and dogged determination.

How good is Beto?

Standing at 6 foot 4, Beto is a taller figure and has averaged 1.8 shots and 2.2 aerial wins across the duration of his career, as per WhoScored, but has hit double-digits across all four league campaigns of his career, including 22 goals across his two years in Serie A.

The 25-year-old also ranks among the top 20% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons, the top 10% for clearances and the top 25% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref, illustrating his Richarlison-like tenacity and relentlessness that could slot into Everton's system seamlessly.

He has been lauded for his "quality" and intelligence by journalist Josh Bunting, and his ten league goals and 1.8 shots per match last term, as per Sofascore, were not bettered by Everton forwards Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Neal Maupay and Demarai Gray.

With journalist Sam Tighe also waxing lyrical over the ace's ability to "spook defenders", claiming that makes the opposition panic with his brutish presence and physicality, he could emulate Richarlison in his imperious former role at Goodison Park, and could perhaps finally restore some offensive verve to the Toffees' frontline.

A devastating new-ball spell from Pakistan’s latest left-arm sensation sent Sri Lanka spiralling to 103 all out and the ignominy of their third 5-0 ODI whitewash of the year

The Report by Danyal Rasool23-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated PressIn a year in which Sri Lanka have continued to sink further into the depths of ODI ineptitude, they surely hit rock bottom today. In a performance that put an exclamation mark on their run of 12 straight ODI losses, they illustrated why they have struggled so badly in the format.They couldn’t bat, dismissed for 103 in 26 overs. They couldn’t bowl all that well, taking only one wicket as Pakistan cruised home with over 30 overs to spare. It is another whitewash for Sri Lanka, the third they have suffered this year alone. South Africa and India were the othertormentors.The prospect of a damning defeat was writ large over the contest after the very first over, in which Usman Khan took the first two wickets of astaggering opening spell. He had come to prominence with a scintillating performance in a domestic T20 final in 2013, but after today, thatdomestic admiration can turn to international acclaim. It tends to happen once you complete a five-for in 3.3 overs.Maybe there’s a peculiar curse Sharjah has cast on Sri Lanka – they’ve been bowled out below 100 four times at this ground. It could have been five; they were 85 for 9 at one point, before Dushmantha Chameera and VishwaFernando put together an 18-run partnership and rescued their side from that ignominy.For the third straight game, Upul Tharanga won the toss and chose to bat. But Sri Lanka’s luck has remained confined to the toss this tour. One over into the innings, it was clear that wasn’t going to change today.The dismissals themselves were something to behold; it was Pakistani fast bowling at its most exhilarating. Sadeera Samarawickmara failed to adjust to the moving ball and inside-edged onto his middle stump. Dinesh Chandimal was utterly helpless against one that swung away, edging to Sarfraz Ahmed.In Usman’s second over, Tharanga – just like the previous game – was unable to prevent one from sneaking in between his bat and pad. Niroshan Dickwella fell lbw to another prodigious inswinger. Siriwardana tamely scooped to cover point, and in under 7 overs Sri Lanka were 20 for 5.Thoroughly dispirited and broken all series, Sri Lanka had dug themselves into a hole in the first half hour of the game, and were already reduced to respectability restoration. Then Thirimanne edged Hasan Ali to the wicketkeeper and Seekkuge Prasanna ran himself out in a horribly amateur way, failing to ground his bat in a bid to avoid a throw in his direction. Pakistan didn’t need that sort of charity, but it was welcome.Thisara Perera struck a few boundaries en route to 25, the top score for his side. But in an innings where wickets were the currency of choice, that sort of resistance was merely pennies on the dollar. Hasan and Shadab Khan cleaned up the tail, and Pakistan were left with 104 to get to sweep the series.There was no drama to be had, with Sri Lanka coming out looking like a boxer for whom the knockout punch would be a blissful release. The second innings was a case of two teams going through the motions. But while Fakhar Zaman fell short of a half-century, reasons for joy were in short supply for the visitors. Pakistan looked almost embarrassed to complete the whitewash, so wide was the chasm between the two sides.However, the major discomfort all belongs to the visitors, who will be left pondering how on earth to salvage some pride in the upcoming T20series.

The narrative of Liverpool’s transfer window has been one of an observing nature, as Jurgen Klopp eyes reinforcements to strengthen his squad for what’s to come in the season ahead.

Having made three signings so far this window, with Alexis Mac Allister arriving in June and Dominik Szoboszlai following a few weeks later, the only recent capture has been that of Wataru Endo.

While others have been making sufficient signings and progress through the market period, the Reds seemed to have been stalling, though recent reports have identified a potential new target for Klopp to eye.

Who could Liverpool sign this summer?

A host of players have been linked to Anfield throughout the course of the window, none more of a sucker punch than the rejection of Moises Caicedo after a bid worth £111m was accepted by Brighton.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

However, another wave of worry has hit Merseyside, with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad eyeing star man Mohamed Salah, as relayed by The Athletic.

It’s not expected that anything will come of the links to the Egyptian, but reports in Italy have identified a player that could be targeted by Liverpool amid rumours of Salah’s future.

As reported by CalcioMercato, it’s believed that the Reds are keen to ‘return to the market’ in the bid to sign players to bolster their attack, with one name listed being Karim Adeyemi.

The Borussia Dortmund whiz is said to be a fan of Klopp and could be an exciting acquisition for the German to target, with his market value sitting around the €37m (£31m) mark, as per Football Transfers.

What is Karim Adeyemi’s style of play?

Identified earlier this year as the quickest player in Bundesliga history, the 21-year-old clocked a top speed of 36.7km/h, telling a lot of the type of threat he can bring to a side from the flank.

Deployable across the front line, the speedster is most comfortable on the left flank, where he can exploit his pace and cause havoc with his direct approach to play.

Hailed as “special” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the young German could be a huge upgrade in attack at Anfield as a player with the versatility to usurp the position of Diogo Jota.

Having scored 42 goals since arriving at Liverpool from Wolves, the Portuguese gem has been a reliable source in attack as a backup to those above him in the pecking order. However, there is a sense that the 26-year-old could exert higher levels at times.

A talent as bright as Adeyemi, who has also been dubbed a “wonderkid” by Mango, could bring competition to the former Molineux ace, who has undergone spells of droughts in front of goal.

The German contributed to 12 goals last season in the Bundesliga in 24 appearances, scoring six and assisting six in his debut campaign at the club.

Prior to joining the Yellows, the youngster had a phenomenal 2021/22 campaign, in which he netted 23 goals and produced nine assists for former club RB Salzburg, highlighting just how much of a menace he can be.

For Klopp, Adeyemi could prove to be a brighter spark in his setup to Jota, with his numbers last season suggesting that he could offer more to the manager’s setup to the Portuguese.

As per FBref, the direct forward averaged 2.21 successful take-ons and 1.82 key passes per 90 for Dortmund in the Bundesliga, numbers exceeding the averages of Jota in the Premier League, who totalled 1.11 successful take-ons and 1.35 key passes per 90.

Adding depth and competition to the squad could be the missing ingredient to getting the Reds performing to the levels they were over the past few years, with change welcomed to keep the progress rolling on Merseyside.

David Warner, Steven Smith, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are some of the other players retained by their IPL franchises

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Jan-20184:20

Dasgupta: Surprised KKR didn’t retain Gambhir

Virat Kohli is the only player to be retained by an IPL franchise for an amount greater than that set by the IPL (INR 15 crore) for the first player retained: Kohli will be paid INR 17 crore (US $2.67 million) by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 2018 season. RCB batsman Sarfaraz Khan was the only uncapped player to be retained at the player-retention event in Mumbai on January 4.The following players were retained by the teams. The figures next to the names are the amounts they will be paid by the teams.Chennai Super Kings
Players retained: MS Dhoni (INR 15 crore/US $2.36m), Suresh Raina (INR 11 crore/US $1.73m), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 7 crore/US $1.1m)Deduction from salary cap: INR 33 crore (US $5.2m)Salary cap remaining for player auction: INR 47 crore (US $7.4m)Right-to-match cards left at auction: 2Mumbai Indians
Players retained: Rohit Sharma (INR 15 crore), Hardik Pandya (INR 11 crore), Jasprit Bumrah (INR 7 crore)Deduction from salary cap: INR 33 croreSalary cap remaining for player auction: INR 47 croreRight-to-match cards left at auction: 2Royal Challengers Bangalore
Players retained: Virat Kohli (INR 17 crore), AB de Villiers (INR 11 crore), Sarfaraz Khan (INR 1.75 crore/US $268,000)Deduction from salary cap: INR 31 crore (US $4.8m)Salary cap remaining for player auction: INR 49 crore (US $7.7m)Right-to-match cards left at auction: 2Kolkata Knight Riders
Players retained: Sunil Narine (INR 8.5 crore/US $1.3m), Andre Russell (INR 7 crore)Deduction from salary cap: INR 21 crore (US $3.3m)Salary cap remaining for player auction: INR 59 crore (US $9.2m)Right-to-match cards left at auction: 3Delhi Daredevils
Players retained: Rishabh Pant (INR 8 crore/Us $1.26m), Chris Morris (INR 7.1 crore), Shreyas Iyer (INR 7 crore)Deduction from salary cap: INR 33 croreSalary cap remaining for player auction: INR 47 croreRight-to-match cards left at auction: 2Kings XI Punjab
Players retained: Axar Patel (INR 6.75 crore/US $1.05m)Deduction from salary cap: INR 12.5 crore (US $1.97m)Salary cap remaining for player auction: INR 67.5 crore (US $10.6m)Right-to-match cards left at auction: 3Sunrisers Hyderabad
Players retained: David Warner (INR 12 crore/US $1.89m), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (INR 8.5 crore)Deduction from salary cap: INR 21 croreSalary cap remaining for player auction: INR 59 croreRight-to-match cards left at auction: 3Rajasthan Royals
Players retained: Steven Smith (INR 12 crore)Deduction from salary cap: INR 12.5 croreSalary cap remaining for player auction: INR 67.5 croreRight-to-match cards left at auction: 3The player retention is the first step towards the franchises reforming their squads ahead of the 2018 IPL player auction. After the 2017 IPL, the tenth year of the tournament, the existing squads were disbanded, apart from the players retained by the teams.The IPL set the salary cap to form a squad for 2018 at INR 80 crore (approx $12.4 million). A franchise is allowed to pick up to five of their existing players through a combination of retention ahead of the auction and the right-to-match card during the auction.A team could retain up to three players ahead of the auction, and they can use a maximum of three right-to-match cards during the auction.Franchises that retained the maximum of three players before the auction have lost from their salary cap INR 15 crore for the first player, INR 11 crore for the second, and INR 7 crore for the third. The exception here was RCB, who lost INR 17 crore on Kohli – the rules say the franchises lose the pre-defined amount or the actual amount paid to the player, whichever is more. So where franchises negotiated with the player to pay an amount lower that what was pre-defined, it was the amount specified by the IPL that was deducted from the salary cap.Franchises that retained only two players lost INR 12.5 crore from their salary cap for the first player retained, and INR 8.5 crore for the second. Where only one player was retained, the franchises lost INR 12.5 crore from the salary cap.The IPL also imposed a salary cap of INR 3 crore for uncapped players retained.Each franchise was allowed to retain a maximum of three capped India players, two overseas players and two uncapped Indian players.

New Zealand took a 2-0 lead in the series after hunting down their DLS target of 151 with seven balls to spare

The Report by Danyal Rasool08-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
For the second time this series, rain intervened before the match was finished with New Zealand in front. This time, it subsided early enough for further play to be possible, and for Martin Guptill to storm back to form. An explosive innings from the opener – who scored 86 off 71 balls – ensured New Zealand carried a 2-0 lead into into the third ODI at Dunedin with an eight-wicket win.After a two-hour delay, New Zealand’s target was revised from 247 to 151 in 25 overs, with a further 87 required in 11 overs after the resumption. Guptill made it look supremely straightforward, smashing Hasan Ali for consecutive sixes in his first over back. The sixes were hit at will for Guptill – five of them in total – while Ross Taylor provided suitable support. Pakistan fell apart spectacularly in the field, and New Zealand completed the chase with seven balls to spare.AFPBefore the interruption, New Zealand spent much of the game enjoying the upper hand, and barring the salvo of a 49-ball 70 run partnership between Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan, Pakistan couldn’t quite lay claim on any passage of play.Sarfraz Ahmed might have made a different decision at the toss, but that didn’t change how the innings panned out. Pakistan, batting first, turned in another limp batting performance. All five regular bowlers chipped in with wickets, and it was left to Pakistan’s lower order to respond with a magnificent rearguard action as half-centuries from Hasan and Shadab took Pakistan – once tottering at 141 for 7 – to a more presentable 246.De Grandhomme back in ODI squad

Colin de Grandhomme has been added to New Zealand’s squad ahead of the third ODI against Pakistan. De Grandhomme had missed the series against West Indies, and the first two ODIs against Pakistan following the death of his father. George Worker has been excluded from the squad.
“It’s been a difficult time for Colin and I know the group are excited to catch up with him,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “Everyone has been thinking of him while he’s been away, He’ll play for Auckland on Wednesday and, all going well, will join the team in Dunedin on Thursday.”

The surface in Nelson looked dry, and even Kane Williamson admitted he would have much preferred to bat first, but his opening bowlers didn’t leave him wistful for too long. Tim Southee and Trent Boult were at the openers straightaway, Azhar Ali and Imam-ul-Haq – in for the injured Fakhar Zaman – struggling against generous early swing. At the same time, Boult was dangerous with the short ball, with Azhar survived a caught behind after a review showed it was in fact his helmet that had grazed the ball on the way through to the keeper.Boult wasn’t to be denied in his next over, though. It was the short ball that brought the breakthrough, as Imam was unable to get on top of the bounce, and the pull shot went straight to Colin Munro at square leg.Azhar followed him in the next over. Tim Southee got the wicket in almost identical fashion to the first ODI, Azhar falling over to off stump and missing a straight one that thudded into his pads.Babar Azam played a loose shot unbecoming of the reputation and class to leave Pakistan wobbling at 39 for 3, and it was up to old hands Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez to regroup. A 45-run partnership provided some hope of a Pakistan revival, as the pair began to rotate the strike regularly and use their feet to the spinners. But just as the momentum was shifting, Malik danced down the wicket and hit one straight to long-on.Sarfraz and Hafeez were Pakistan’s last recognised batsmen, but both fell to indifferent shots. Sarfraz’s was shocking, coming down the wicket to a short ball from Todd Astle and getting himself stumped. A few overs later, Hafeez, after compiling 60 classy runs, charged Mitchell Santner in similarly unseemly fashion, only succeeding in chipping to short cover.The innings looked to be petering out well under 200, and it took a whirlwind partnership between Shadab and No. 9 Hasan to restore some competitiveness to the contest. Hasan took charge in their stand, striking four boundaries and four sixes, beginning his assault with successive sixes off Mitchell Santner. Ferguson struck him with a vicious bouncer around the neck, but he wasn’t dissuaded, taking the attack to the quicks as well as New Zealand lost their discipline. Astle went for 21 runs in an over, while Boult bowled two full tosses around waist height – only one of which was called – as the runs began to flow freely.Southee was smashed for 12 in three balls to bring up a 30-ball fifty, but the bowler dismissed Hasan off the next ball. Shadab continued to attack, as Pakistan took 13 off Southee’s final over. Boult wasn’t spared either as a gorgeous cover drive off the left-armer brought up Shadab’s half-century.New Zealand started their chase shakily, Mohammad Amir – looking near his fearsome best – forcing a false shot from Munro to send him back for a duck. Williamson and Guptill restored some order, before a superb diving catch at point from Shadab left New Zealand at 47 for 2.Pakistan may have felt they were right back in the game, before the rain break. By the time the rain subsided, Guptill appeared to be a different batsman, one against whom a lackadaisical Pakistan stood no chance.