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Na vitória por 2 a 0 contra o Puerto Cabello, na Copa Sul-Americana, Dorival Júnior não só se aproximou de uma classificação para a próxima etapa, como atingiu a marca de três anos sem sofrer derrotas em competições continentais – seja Copa Libertadores ou Sul-Americana.

RelacionadasSão PauloVÍDEO: Os melhores lances da vitória do São Paulo sobre o Puerto Cabello na Sul-AmericanaSão Paulo24/05/2023São PauloAstro da noite, Wellington Rato destaca vitória do São Paulo mesmo com viagem difícil: ‘Podemos decretar a classificação em casa’São Paulo23/05/2023São PauloATUAÇÕES: Tropa do Supermouse! Wellington Rato se destaca com gol de falta e comanda vitória do São PauloSão Paulo23/05/2023

A última derrota do treinador em partidas pertencentes a algumas dessas competições foi em 2020, na fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores naquele ano. Na época, Dorival estava sob o comando Athletico-PR e perdeu por 1 a 0 para o Colo-Colo. A vitória contra o Puerto Cabello, pelo São Paulo, foi garantida graças aos gols de Wellington Rato e Alisson.

ATUAÇÕES: Tropa do Supermouse! Wellington Rato se destaca com gol de falta e comanda vitória do São Paulo

Desde esta derrota, em março de 2020, o treinador segurou 14 vitórias e um empate nestas copas. Seis vitórias aconteceram comandando o Ceará, pela Copa Sul-Americana de 2022, sete com o Flamengo pela Copa Libertadores em 2022 – quando foi campeão, um empate e uma vitória com o São Paulo neste ano.

Com o resultado positivo, o Tricolor disparou na liderança do grupo D, com 10 pontos. No dia 8 de junho, pode garantir a classificação em casa, contra o Tolima.

+ Confira os jogos, tabela e a classificação da Copa Sul-Americana-23

Dorival Júnior está perto de entrar na história do São Paulo

Invicto há dez partidas, Dorival Júnior está perto de atingir uma marca histórica pelo clube do Morumbi – e que não acontece há nove décadas.

Com a vitória contra o Puerto Cabello, caso vença os duelos contra o Goiás, Sport, Grêmio e Tolima – sendo este último importantíssimo para a classificação na Sul-Americana e o contra o Sport decisivo para classificação na Copa do Brasil -, ele se torna o primeiro treinador em 90 anos a alcançar 14 partidas seguidas sem perder nenhuma vez desde quando assumiu a equipe.

E ainda pode ir além: caso Dorival Júnior consiga manter essa invencibilidade até o primeiro compromisso de julho – destacando que ainda haverá jogos contra Palmeiras, Athletico-PR, Cruzeiro, Tigre e Fluminense, além dos citados anteriormente -, atinge algo inédito na história do São Paulo. Aí sim, rompe recordes de invencibilidade, porque chegará a 19 jogos sem perder e ultrapassa Ramón Platero, primeiro treinador da história do clube e que atingiu a marca de 18 jogos sem derrotas desde o dia que assumiu.

Unai Emery will be praying that his Aston Villa team puts their slow Premier League start behind them when Crystal Palace comes to town.

After all, much like the Villans this summer, Crystal Palace have had to grow accustomed to the prospect of their top assets being poached by sides higher up the top-flight food chain, with Eberechi Eze now donning Arsenal red and white.

Thankfully, the West Midlands outfit still has Morgan Rogers available for selection – despite new interest in his services coming from Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur – with a hope he can kickstart his own individual season against the Eagles to steer Villa to a win.

Away from speculation about those who could exit Villa Park between now and September’s looming deadline, there is also a long list of faces that might well relocate to the claret and blue half of Birmingham shortly.

Aston Villa lodge bid for new midfielder

However, it does now look increasingly unlikely that Nicolas Jackson will be one of those faces pulling on a Villa strip.

Indeed, reports from Germany indicate that Bayern Munich has agreed a loan deal for the hit-and-miss Chelsea forward to move to Bundesliga giants, over sealing a return to work under his ex-Villarreal boss in Emery.

The early Premier League underperformers might well feel lady luck could be on their side more by trying to land Christopher Nkunku instead from the West London outfit, but there will also be competition from the German top-flight here as well, with Nkunku’s former side RB Leipzig keen on a reunion.

Villa have also been gifted the opportunity to land Adrien Rabiot to enhance their midfield personnel, with French outlet L’Equipe revealing that Emery and Co. have sent an offer for the wantaway Marseille ace, who is on thin ice at the Ligue 1 side owing to a bust-up.

Other sides, such as West Ham United, Galatasaray, and Inter Milan, are also among those to have lodged a proposal, with Villa hopeful they can get a statement deal over the line that is a far better late foray into the market than snapping up Nkunku or Jackson.

Why signing Rabiot is a better buy than Nkunku & Jackson

The argument in favour of both Nkunku and Jackson will be that they’ve at least been exposed to the intense pressures of the Premier League, with the Frenchman only ever plying his trade on faraway European shores, in contrast.

Yet, it’s been well-documented at this point how tricky both the ex-Leipzig attacker and his Senegalese counterpart have found it to be consistent in the English top-flight, with Nkunku only finding the back of the net a sheepish six times in league action from limited starts.

Jackson does have more credit in the bank, arguably, with the 24-year-old boasting a promising 24 goals in the Premier League to date, but it’s his staggering 43 big chances missed across his two top-flight seasons that will seriously worry Emery.

After all, if Rogers or Watkins were to both leave at the death, the Spaniard would certainly want instantly successful replacements, not unpolished projects who have struggled to regularly make an impact in the testing division.

Rabiot’s club career

Club

Games

Goals + Assists

PSG

227

24 + 17

Juventus

212

22 + 16

Marseille

32

10 + 6

Toulouse

13

1 + 3

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Whereas, despite Rabiot never setting foot onto English soil, his consistent excellence in both Ligue 1 and Serie A should stand him in good stead to be an instant success story at Villa Park, with an outrageous collection of 23 trophies coming his way in Paris and Turin when being an important cog in the middle of the park.

He has even been dubbed “world-class” by French great David Trezeguet, with his efforts for Marseille last season – before his time at the club publicly unravelled – also showing off a star still performing at the peak of his powers, away from both Nkunku and Jackson flopping at Chelsea.

Nine goals and four assists would fall into Rabiot’s lap last campaign in Ligue 1 action, with his manager in Roberto De Zerbi, going as far as to herald the number 25 as an asset who “gives everything” for the cause.

With Boubacar Kamara now out of the Villa side owing to injury, adding in a composed midfielder such as Rabiot into the group could prove to be a very smart next buy.

It certainly does feel as if it would be a better investment than gambling on Nkunku or Jackson to come good, that’s for sure.

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Posts BySean Markus Clifford Aug 25, 2025

West Indies makes two changes to the squad that won the ODI series against England early last month

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2024Wicketkeeper-batter Amir Jangoo has earned a maiden call-up to the West Indies ODI squad for the three-match series against Bangladesh. Allrounder Justin Greaves also makes a return to the ODI setup after being left out of the home series against England early last month.Both Jangoo and Greaves have been rewarded for their consistent form in the domestic Super50 ODI tournament which concluded late last month in extraordinary circumstances where the two finalists, Barbados Pride and Jamaica Scorpions, decided not to turn up for the toss and forfeit the final.Jangoo, who plays for Trinidad & Tobago, finished the tournament as the highest run-getter with 446 runs in seven innings at 89.20 with three fifties and a century. Greaves, meanwhile, was second on the run-scoring list with 401 runs in five innings at 133.66 which included three back-back centuries. He also scored his maiden Test century last week against Bangladesh in the opening game which West Indies won by 201 runs.Related

No Super50 Cup winners after finalists forfeit rain-affected title contest

“Greaves is capable of batting anywhere in the top six and brings that genuine all-round ability to the squad, which is welcomed at this stage,” West Indies head coach Daren Sammy was quoted via a press release. “Jangoo’s prowess in the CG United Super50 shows his flexibility to bring another dimension to our batting unit.”West Indies have left out Hayden Walsh and Jewel Andrew from the squad that won the three-match ODI series against England 2-1. The release further stated that Andrew will join a “cohort of emerging regional batters” that will travel to India to attend a batting camp at the Chennai Academy with the main focus being on batting in spinning conditions.”We continue to build towards the main target of the Men’s 50-over World Cup where we are looking to broaden the pool of players even with the short-term objectives of winning series, especially at home and building momentum on the recent win against England,” Sammy said.The rest of the squad remains on expected lines. Captain Shai Hope and his deputy Brandon King will headline the batting unit, which includes Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Keacy Carty and Roston Chase. Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph will lead the fast bowling unit along with Jayden Seales and Matthew Forde. Gudakesh Motie will head the spin bowling department.All three ODIs against Bangladesh will be played in Basseterre on December 8, 10 and 12 respectively. The series will be followed by a three-T20I series from December 16 in Kingstown.West Indies squad for ODIs against BangladeshShai Hope (capt), Brandon King (vice-capt), Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Shimron Hetmyer, Amir Jangoo (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd

She welcomes stiff competition ahead of captaincy debut at a World Cup

Shashank Kishore02-Oct-2024Since losing the T20 World Cup crown to West Indies in India in 2016, Australia have gone on a bull run to win three titles back-to-back. As they return to Asia to try to hunt down a fourth straight title, questions have been raised about their invincibility.They whitewashed New Zealand 3-0 in the T20I series at home last month, razed down Bangladesh on some tough wickets in Mirpur in April and overturned a ten-wicket hammering to beat India 2-1 at the start of the year. Upon arrival in Dubai for the T20 World Cup, they beat West Indies and England in the warm-ups.But there have been occasional blips too, like the T20I series loss to England, a defeat each against South Africa and West Indies on away tours on either side of the women’s Ashes.Related

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On Wednesday, at the captains’ pre-tournament media session, Alyssa Healy, the Australia captain, wasn’t going to understate their achievements but also gave a peek into the way the players have trained themselves to think.”You don’t come here to defend the title, that’s not what the World Cup is about, you come here to win it,” she said. “So we are here with that approach. Our pool [Group A with India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka] is quite a tricky one. We’ve got to get past these teams to have a chance of lifting the trophy. So it’s a challenge I’m very excited for.”This will be Alyssa Healy’s first World Cup as a full-time captain•Getty ImagesThat no team has played a lot of cricket in the UAE – they will all be playing in Dubai for the first time – adds to the allure of what could be the closest-ever women’s T20 World Cup.Healy stressed adaptability, even though it has not all been about training and matches. While Healy had to accommodate media commitments, the rest of the Australian team spent a day at the water park to cool off in conditions that would test the players’ fitness.”The whole tournament, in general, is about adapting the quickest,” Healy said. “That seems to be the way. If you look at the warm-up games, [it showed] you’ve got to adapt pretty quickly to what you’re given. Probably the team that does the best throughout the tournament will get the job done. We feel like we’re well placed to do that and hopefully, we can do it.”This will be Healy’s first T20 World Cup as full-time captain; she was given the role last December after Meg Lanning announced her international retirement. This was preceded by a small period where Healy had filled in for Lanning, including at last year’s Ashes, without fully knowing if Lanning would return.Did that make her feel like she didn’t have full control as captain?”I wouldn’t say I still have full control,” she said, tongue-in-cheek. “I think I approached it like I do every day in life. You take each day as it comes. Obviously, when she [Lanning] decided to step away from the game officially, there was a process in place. I put up my hand for it and got the job, and it’s been really enjoyable so far.”

“We know what the other nine are going to throw at us given the opportunity. We see it as a challenge and an opportunity to showcase a brand of cricket we like playing”

“I’m very grateful at this point in my career to have an opportunity to learn more about myself and probably more my team-mates, and as a squad on the whole as well, So it’s been good.”Healy also addressed quite candidly the challenges of matching Lanning’s legacy as a leader. She admitted it wouldn’t be easy to fill the “pretty big shoes” but it was also a matter of not overcomplicating it.”Everyone in this room knows the legacy of Meg Lanning, so there’s pretty big shoes to fill,” Healy said. “But I’m not Meg, I’m Alyssa Healy and I’ve brought that approach into this Australian team.”I’m going to do the job the way that I know how to do it and to the best of my ability and hopefully that does the job for Australia. At the moment, I’m just really enjoying the challenge of that.”In saying she has embraced the challenges of the job, Healy also welcomed stiff competition from the rest of the pack.”It feels like, without being disrespectful, we have been hunted for a long period of time,” she said. “We’re constantly being asked about that, and we’re used to it now. Teams are coming really hard at us to put us under the pump which we love.”This World Cup is going to be no different. We know what the other nine are going to throw at us given the opportunity. We see it as a challenge and an opportunity to showcase a brand of cricket we like playing.”Australia open their campaign on October 6 with an afternoon game against Sri Lanka in Sharjah. They next play New Zealand before meeting Pakistan in Dubai. They round off their league engagements with a high-voltage clash against India in Sharjah on October 13.

كشف مصدر مسؤول داخل النادي الأهلي، عن قرار مفاجئ للكابتن محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي بشأن الاستمرار في منصبه، كما أوضح موقفه من الترشح لفترة انتخابية جديدة.

ويمر النادي الأهلي، في الوقت الحالي بمرحلة صعبة وذلك بعد إقالة الجهاز الفني بقيادة الإسباني خوسيه ريبيرو، عقب سلسلة من النتائج السلبية وكان آخرها الخسارة من بيراميدز في الدوري.

وقال المصدر في تصريحات لـ بطولات: “الخطيب اعتذر عن عدم الاستمرار في منصبه بالإضافة إلى عدم الترشح في الانتخابات المقبلة لأسباب صحية”.

طالع أيضاً.. فائض في كرة القدم.. الأهلي يعتمد ميزانية العام المالي الحالي

وأضاف: “قرار الخطيب بشأن الاستمرار في منصبه غير نهائي”.

وكان الخطيب قد حضر مران الفريق الخميس، وحرص على توجيه رسالة إلى اللاعبين أكد خلالها ثقته الكاملة في قدراتهم، وطالبهم بإغلاق صفحة الفترة الماضية والتركيز فيما هو قادم.

يذكر أن محمود الخطيب قد تولى رئاسة النادي الأهلي فترتين متتاليتين بداية من عام 2018 حتى 2025.

They might be lagging behind their rivals in the market at the moment, but it feels like things are finally starting to pick up for Arsenal.

The Premier League runners-up look set to secure the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga for just £5m in the coming days, and more exciting than that, Martin Zubimendi’s move is finally almost wrapped up.

Moreover, Mikel Arteta’s side continue to see themselves linked with the utterly superb Rodrygo, who could be a serious needle-mover in attack.

And now, if recent reports are to be believed, the club are linked with a Premier League star who would be a dream teammate for the Real Madrid winger.

Arsenal plotting attack overhaul

The sagas around Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres might be what’s being talked about most regarding Arsenal this summer, but just behind them, the links to Rodrygo have been exciting fans.

Transfer Focus

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

While the first links to the Brazilian winger originated last year, the more substantive stories started to spring up early last month, with some claiming that approaches had been made and fees of around £85m being banded about.

In recent days, the supposed fee needed to secure the former Santos gem has dropped ever so slightly to anywhere from £70m in some cases to £77m in others, and for a Champions League winner who’s racked up 25 goal involvements in 52 games this season, that doesn’t seem too bad.

In short, it’s hard to imagine Rodrygo joining Arteta’s side this summer and not making a massive difference next season, especially if the North Londoners are also keen on Eberechi Eze.

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, the Crystal Palace star is eager to leave the South London outfit, and his camp has been in discussions with several teams, including Arsenal.

However, there are two potential obstacles to this deal, the first being his £68m release clause and the second being the fact that the player supposedly wants to join Tottenham Hotspur.

With that said, the Gunners have shown a willingness to spend big in the past, and if they went all out for the Englishman and showed him where he’d fit in, we don’t doubt they could hijack the Lilywhites’ potential deal. After all, they will be challenging on all fronts again next year.

It will be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but it’s one Arsenal should be fighting to get done, as Eze would be an excellent addition to the squad and a dream teammate for Rodrygo.

Why Eze would be an excellent teammate for Rodrygo

Fundamentally, the primary reason Eze would be a dream teammate for Rodrygo is the same reason why Bukayo Saka and whoever leads the line for Arsenal next season will also love playing with him: his output.

In 43 appearances for Palace this season, totalling 3303 minutes, the Englishman was able to amass a brilliant haul of 14 goals and 11 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

Just imagine how dangerous the Real Madrid star could be with someone as adept at scoring and creating chances behind him in the number ten position.

It would surely send his own goal and assist numbers soaring.

Additionally, the Greenwich-born “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, would be a serious upgrade on Martin Odegaard, who was only able to score six goals and provide 12 assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3447 minutes, which comes out to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.5 games, or every 191.5 minutes.

Appearances

43

45

Minutes

3303′

3447′

Goals

14

6

Assists

11

12

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

0.4

Minutes per Goal Involvement

132.12′

191.5′

Furthermore, on top of being a reliable source of goals and assists, the former QPR star is also a player who tends to favour the left-hand side of midfield – as we can see in his heatmap for this season – so he’d be playing reasonably close to the Brazilian and therefore could form an even closer partnership with him – to the benefit of both.

Ultimately, Rodrygo would be a game-changing signing for Arsenal this summer, but if Arteta and Co want to help extract even more out of him – and the rest of the attack, for that matter – they should be looking to bring in Eze as well.

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Burnley are preparing for life back in the Premier League and could now be in the lead to sign a proven international defender, according to a report.

Burnley ready to break cycle of newly-promoted clubs in Premier League

Many newly promoted sides of the past have found it difficult to transition to life in the Premier League after claiming promotion, which is something the Clarets are desperate to change at Turf Moor.

Speaking ahead of their return to top-flight action, Nedum Onuoha believes Burnley should use Brentford as an example of how to survive and grow among the elite of the English pyramid over the next few years.

He explained: “It sounds a bit dull if you are a Burnley fan, but stick with the process. Clubs that manage to maintain their identity, can end up doing well. Brentford, for example. They never really deviated away from the model that they have, and now they’re an established Premier League side.”

Nevertheless, signings are necessary for the EFL Championship runners-up to build a squad that can live up to that feat. CJ Egan-Riley could be set for the exit door, and Burnley are now plotting an ambitious swoop for Liverpool’s Joe Gomez that could total £25 million.

Rennes midfielder Jordan James is also on Scott Parker’s radar. This development may become an ideal trade-off between youth and experience if Josh Brownhill leaves Turf Moor, signalling that there is plenty of work going on behind the scenes in Lancashire.

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The revolving door of transfer speculation never stops and Burnley are now reportedly in the lead to win the race to sign a talented defender with top-flight experience.

Burnley could win the race to sign Chris Mepham

According to Graeme Bailey in conversation with EFL Analysis, Burnley could trump Sheffield United and Sunderland to sign Chris Mepham, potentially on a free transfer with his contract at Bournemouth set to expire at the end of this month.

The Wales international earns £35,000 per week and spent the campaign on loan at the Black Cats, scoring once in 40 appearances as they also claimed promotion via the playoffs.

Chris Mepham’s campaign for Sunderland in numbers – EFL Championship (Fotmob)

Tackles won

31

Aerial duels won

109

Interceptions

34

Recoveries

138

Blocks

3

Dubbed “superb” by Dan Ballard, Bournemouth also have an option to extend his deal for a further 12 months despite his contract being set to run out, though Bailey anticipates that Burnley could skip to the front of the queue in any case.

He stated: “It could be one of those promoted teams. Do we see Burnley coming in for him? They may have to lose Maxime Esteve, and they’ve lost CJ Egan-Riley already. I wouldn’t rule Burnley out of the running on that one.”

Whether Bournemouth do activate his extension clause or not, the Clarets appear to be well in the race to bring Mepham to Turf Moor and he would be an ideal fit given he has made over 60 Premier League appearances across his career.

When it comes to world-class players, Tottenham Hotspur have had their fair share in the Premier League era.

For example, while they never managed to get over the final hurdle, the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Mousa Dembélé were unreal under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, go back just that little bit further, and you get to Gareth Bale, who for quite some time was arguably one of the best wingers in world football.

So, fans should be ecstatic about recent reports that have linked the club with another sensational wideman who could be their best winger since the Welshman.

Tottenham transfer news

With just how terribly this season has gone for Tottenham, it’s unsurprising to see the club linked with a host of talented players in recent weeks, such as Marcus Rashford.

The Englishman could be available for around £40m in the summer, which might prove to be a reasonable price for the Manchester United product, as across his time with the Red Devils and Aston Villa this term, he’s produced 20 goal involvements in 41 appearances.

A slightly cheaper and far younger option is Tyler Dibling.

Transfer Focus

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

The Southampton gem has been one of the few bright sparks for the Saints this season, could be available for about £35m and would fit in with the club’s current crop of young talents.

However, as promising as the Exeter-born prospect is, he’s not going to come in and make an instant impact, unlike Jarrod Bowen.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Spurs are keen to land the West Ham United star from their London rivals this summer.

Alongside the Lilywhites, Liverpool have also been credited with interest in the Englishman, and while the Hammers do not want to sell, the two parties could make an offer of up to €60m for the 28-year-old, which is about £51m.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Bowen’s immense ability, it’d be one worth fighting for.

Why Bowen would be Spurs' best winger

So, should Spurs get their way and leapfrog Liverpool to sign Bowen this summer, why would he instantly become their best winger in a long time?

Well, there are a couple of reasons, but perhaps the most important is that he’s a reliable source of goals and assists.

For example, in just 32 appearances this term, he’s scored ten goals and provided nine assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.68 games.

In contrast, Son has scored 11 goals and produced 12 assists in 43 appearances, which comes out to one every 1.86 games.

Brennan Johnson has scored 16 goals and produced seven assists in 46 appearances, which comes out to a goal involvement every other game.

Appearances

32

43

46

17

Goals

10

11

16

3

Assists

9

12

7

0

Goal Involvements*

0.59

0.53

0.50

0.17

And finally, Wilson Odobert has scored just three goals in 17 appearances this season, which comes out at one every 5.66 games.

On top of the number of goals and assists he produces, the Irons’ “game-changer,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, has also proven that he can handle the most significant occasions, as he scored the winning goal in the 2023 Conference League Final.

Last but not least, while he thrives out on the right, the Englishman is incredibly versatile and can play up top and as a second striker as well as off the left at times, which would allow whoever’s in the Lilywhites’ dugout far more tactical flexibility.

Ultimately, while he might not reach the same levels as peak Bale did, Bowen has the ability and application to be Spurs’ best winger since the Welshman left.

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A player dubbed one of the fastest men in his league is keen on a move to Arsenal this summer, with work already done by the Gunners ahead of what would be an excellent deal for sporting director Andrea Berta.

Andrea Berta wants new forward at Arsenal

Berta has reportedly shortlisted numerous attacking targets, both out wide and further up the field in the striker position.

Arsenal set for talks to sign "underrated" star after Berta decision this week

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According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Berta is targeting Mohamed Kudus (West Ham), Matheus Cunha (Wolves), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Yeremy Pino (Villarreal) and Arda Güler (Real Madrid), but one name is currently in pole position to reinforce Mikel Arteta’s wide options.

Berta held a widely reported meeting with Nico Williams’ camp this week, as the Italian looks to win the highly competitive race for his signature.

Brentford (home)

April 12th

Ipswich Town (away)

April 20th

Crystal Palace (home)

April 23rd

Bournemouth (home)

May 3rd

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

As per The Guardian’s Ed Aarons, Williams is also being chased by Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, so Arsenal face a battle to sign one of Europe’s most exciting direct wingers.

In terms of centre-forward targets, three names stand out – Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Newcastle United star Alexander Isak.

The latter is set to be priced out of the market as Eddie Howe appears determined to keep the Swede, with a starting valuation of around £150 million mooted by various sections of the press.

Isak is Arteta’s dream signing, but it is believed that Gyokeres and Sesko are viewed as far more realistic striking options at this point.

Arsenal are apparently set to hold talks over Gyokeres, who could be allowed to leave for £70 million, lower than his £83m release clause, while Sesko will cost even less.

The Slovenia international, who’s already bettered his 2023/24 tally for goals and assists combined in all competitions this season, rejected a proposal to join Arsenal last year, in favour of remaining at Leipzig to further his development.

However, Arsenal could have a better chance of striking a deal this year.

Benjamin Sesko keen to join Arsenal with groundwork laid

According to GiveMeSport, Sesko is keen on joining Arsenal this summer, and groundwork on a deal has already been laid for Berta if he wishes to move forward with a potential transfer for the 21-year-old.

He’ll apparently command a price tag of around £60 million, which is the value of his release clause, and this could be an absolute steal considering both Sesko’s form and physical prowess.

The ex-RB Salzburg sensation, standing at around 6 foot 5, has been recorded as one of the fastest players in the Bundesliga with a top speed of 35.47 kilometres per hour (Sky Sports).

These attributes highlight him as tailor-made for the Premier League, and given Berta can bypass any negotiations with Leipzig via the release clause, this move could be seen as a no-brainer.

The ace spinner needs to respond to the rule change where third umpires are catching the marginal no-balls he used to get away with

Sidharth Monga04-Mar-2024Ravindra Jadeja has bowled 52 front-foot no-balls in Test cricket since December 2020. Of the 18 overall no-balls he had bowled before that, four had bounced more than once, and seven were detected by the third umpire because they had either resulted in dismissals or were reviewed under DRS. We don’t have records that confirm all of the remaining seven were indeed front-foot no-balls. Be that as it may, you get the gist: Jadeja has been bowling an extraordinarily high number of no-balls since late 2020.In a way, this increase in no-balls has nothing to do with Jadeja. In mid-2020, the ICC handed over calling of all foot-fault no-balls to the third umpire. Before that turning point in cricket, the third umpires used to check for no-balls only if the ball had resulted in a dismissal or if a non-dismissal had been reviewed by the fielding side.Now Jadeja is the perfect illustration for why you need a third umpire, for why it is so difficult to call no-balls on the field. He pushes the line anyway, but to add to that, he doesn’t land flat. His front foot goes well over the line in the air, then he drags it back while still in the air, and the toe makes the landing first. The umpire has to quickly draw an imaginary straight line from his heel to the ground and calculate in their head if it falls on the popping crease or just behind.Related

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That most of Jadeja’s no-balls are only caught on replay means he hasn’t started overstepping in 2020. Just that, he has started getting called for overstepping in 2020. Just imagine how many no-balls were missed before the third umpires started to check every ball for a foot fault. Not just from Jadeja, but especially Jadeja, because his landing is so difficult to work out.In another way, the increase in no-balls has everything to do with Jadeja. Since the third umpires took over calling all foot-fault no-balls, starting with the Test series between England and West Indies in July 2020, Kagiso Rabada and Ben Stokes have sent down the most foot-fault no-balls: 77. They are fast bowlers, and their increase from before third-umpires is not huge – 50s to 77. No spinner, however, comes even close to Jadeja’s 52 no-balls, and he has gone from seven foot-fault no-balls to 52. At No. 5, he is the only spinner among the top 14 bowlers of no-balls since the third umpire started checking every ball.Jadeja is one of the all-time great spinners and allrounders. He is such a gifted athlete that everything on the cricket field seems to come naturally to him. He is like a well-oiled machine on the road: smooth and seemingly effortless. This is not to say he doesn’t work hard, but he does give the impression that he does things the way he knows, and most of the times it just turns out to be too good for most other cricketers.With these no-balls, though, Jadeja needs to put in the extra effort. And it is not a big effort. Most of these are extremely marginal no-balls, and avoiding them requires only a small adjustment. A Test cricketer shouldn’t take so long to respond to a rule change.Known for his glib, funny one-liners on the field, India’s Test captain Rohit Sharma shouted during the ongoing Test series: “This Jadeja doesn’t bowl no-balls in the IPL, man. Jaddu, just imagine it’s T20.”In T20s, with the threat of the free hit around, Jadeja has overstepped just twice since 2020. In ODIs, he has done so only six times. The same should be easy to apply in Tests. In this series alone, Jadeja has bowled 11 no-balls, nearly twice what anybody else has. Luckily none of those has impacted his 17 wicket-taking balls, but it shouldn’t take a no-ball to cost him a wicket to make that adjustment.