Category Uncategorized

Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the Test leg of India’s tour of South Africa with an injury to his left hamstring. The Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal has been drafted into the squad as his replacement.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Rohit suffered the injury during a net session before the India squad entered quarantine in Mumbai, from where they are scheduled to travel to South Africa this week.For Rohit, this is the second major tour affected by injury in the last 12 months. He only featured in the third and fourth Tests of India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia, missing the first two Tests due to a hamstring injury picked up during IPL 2020.Related

• Ganguly on Kohli's captaincy comments: 'Leave it to BCCI'

• Kohli: Was told I wouldn't be ODI captain hour-and-a-half before SA Test squad was announced

• Rohit replaces Kohli as ODI captain, takes over from Rahane as Test vice-captain

• Rohit Sharma's ascent to ODI captaincy predictable and sensible

• Quinton de Kock set to miss part of India Test series on paternity leave

Rohit’s absence will be a blow to India’s preparations given he has been their highest Test run-getter in 2021, and one of only two batters – Rishabh Pant being the other – with a 40-plus average from 10 or more innings. Since moving to the top of the order during the home series against South Africa in 2019, Rohit has scored 1462 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 58.48, with five centuries including, most recently, a Player-of-the-Match-winning 127 in India’s win at The Oval in September.KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are the other openers in India’s Test squad apart from the uncapped Panchal.Rohit had also been named vice-captain of the Test squad, apart from taking over as full-time captain in the white-ball formats.It remains to be seen if India will hand the vice-captaincy back to the out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane, or name a new deputy to Virat Kohli. It is learned that the selectors are deliberating over Rohit’s availability for the three ODIs that follow the Test series. A decision is likely to be taken this week.Priyank Panchal captained India A in two of their three recent four-day games in South Africa•Cricket South Africa

This isn’t Panchal’s maiden call-up to the Test squad. Earlier this year he was part of an extended India squad that took on England in four Tests at home. Panchal, who is 31 and leads Gujarat in domestic cricket, was among the reserve openers for that series alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran.While Panchal is a relative unknown to the wider public, he has been one of the regulars for India A over the last few years. A veteran of 100 first-class matches, Panchal was most-recently part of India A’s shadow tour of South Africa, where he captained the team in two of the three four-day games in Bloemfontein. He made scores of 96, 24 and 0 in his three innings on tour.Panchal’s stocks rose significantly since his breakout Ranji Trophy season in 2016-17, where he topped the run charts with 1310 runs in 17 innings at an average of 87.33. His first-class highest, an unbeaten 314, came against Punjab that season. Those runs were part of a historic run for Gujarat, who clinched their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Following Parthiv Patel’s retirement last year, Panchal took over the Gujarat captaincy.

Tottenham Hotspur showed why, under Ange Postecoglou, that at their best they are a force to be reckoned with on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs have flattered to deceive at points this term, notably losing to a winless Crystal Palace a week ago, but since then have shown why teams should be scared of them, beating Manchester City in the cup and then smacking four past Aston Villa in a 4-1 victory.

No team in the Premier League up to this point have scored more than their 22 goals. They are full of life and can outscore pretty much any team they face.

Dominic Solanke – who scored twice at the weekend – will no doubt take the plaudits but another face was just as good, if not better, than the striker. It was a display that had shades of a certain Mousa Dembele.

Why Mousa Dembele was so loved at Spurs

“Dembele was probably the best player I’ve ever seen play football,” remarked Kyle Walker many moons ago. He was “a freak of nature” in the words of Eric Dier.

Gain such fine praise from your pears and it’s hardly a surprise that he was so loved at White Hart Lane.

Dembele had the poise and grace of the finest footballers in the game but he combined that with a steely physical nature. In essence, he had it all. He could score goals, he could tackle ruthlessly and he could pick a pass.

One of his finest campaigns on English shores came in 2015/16 and to give credence to the claims we’ve just offered, he was involved in four goals, registered 2.9 successful dribbles per game and won 3.6 tackles per match. Yeah, he was everywhere, he did it all.

So, when the Belgian decided to leave for China in 2019, it was a sad day for Spurs supporters. Arguably since that day, they have struggled to find a player with similar qualities. That’s perhaps until the win over Aston Villa.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse Tottenham's new Mousa Dembele

There were a number of key performers in that win over Unai Emery’s team on Sunday, not least Solanke who was the scorer of two goals.

However, Pape Matar Sarr deserves an equal amount of praise for a display that Football.London felt obliged to hand a 9/10 rating.

In the words of GOAL’s Mitch Fretton, the Senegalese was a “monster” in the middle of the park and although he perhaps didn’t show the same level of drive with the ball, failing to attempt a single dribble, he was very much Dembele-esque in a lot of the work he got through.

Sarr vs Aston Villa

Minutes played

90

Touches

80

Accurate passes

59/64 (92%)

Key passes

1

Shots

4

Ground duels won

2/7

Aerial duels won

1/2

Possession lost

7x

Clearances

3

Interceptions

2

Tackles

0

Stats via Sofascore.

In the process of winning three duels, completing a supremely impressive 92% of his passes and boasting more touches (80) than anyone on the field, his finest action came when helping Spurs score their third goal of the game.

If the fact he had more touches than anyone else didn’t give you Dembele vibes then the way he broke up the play for Solanke’s second of the day should.

Sarr pounced on Pau Torres’ loose ball before darting forward with his great lengthy strides and sending it through to Richarlison who laid it on a plate for the £65m signing to score from. It was one of two interceptions from the young 22-year-old who should now be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

He drives his team forward, breaks up the play brilliantly and covers so much ground for his team. All of a sudden he is vital to the way Postecoglou wants his team to play.

Related Spurs thought they'd signed the new Mousa Dembele, then he left for free

The promising star couldn’t make it work at Spurs.

Posts 2 ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 2, 2024

حقق تشيلسي فوزًا هامًا للغاية على نظيره ليستر سيتي ضمن منافسات الجولة 28 من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز على ملعب ستامفورد بريدج.

وبعدما أهدر كول بالمر ركلة جزاء في الشوط الأول أمام الثعالب، واصل من خلالها الغياب عن التسجيل أو الصناعة آخر 6 مباريات، جاء الحسم في الشوط الثاني.

طالع أيضًا.. هارفي إليوت: محمد صلاح ليس حقيقيًا ويثبت خطأ العالم كل موسم

الهدف جاء عن طريق الإسباني مارك كوكوريلا بطريقة رائعة في شباك الحارس مادس هيرمانسن في الدقيقة 60.

هذه النتيجة رفعت رصيد تشيلسي إلى 49 نقطة، وللمركز الرابع مستغلًا خسارة مانشستر سيتي أمس، بينما واصل ليستر سيتي المعاناة ظل في المركز التاسع عشر برصيد 17 نقطة.

ولإطار نفس الجولة انتهت مواجهة توتنهام وبورنموث بالتعادل على ملعب توتنهام الجديد في لندن.

تقدم بورنموث عن طريق ماركوس تافيرنير بعد عرضية ممتازة كن كيركز في الدقيقة 42.

في الشوط الثاني عزز إيفانيلسون النتيجة لحبات الكريز في الدقيقة 65، قبل أن يقلص الفارق في الدقيقة 67 بابي ماتار سار لـ توتنهام.

في الدقيقة 84 ومن ركلة جزاء، تمكن هيونج مين سون من معادلة النتيجة بركلة جزاء في شباك كيبا أريزابلاجا، ليخطف نقطة هامة لسبيرز.

هذه النتيجة جعلت بورنموث في المركز الثامن برصيد 44 نقطة، بينما توتنهام واصل المعاناة في المركز الثالث عشر برصيد 34 نقطة.

This summer could go down in history for West Ham United. Well, at least that’s what many fans thought, no doubt praising Tim Steidten’s strategic window which brought Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Füllkrug to the club, among others.

West Ham’s summer spending came to around £123m, bringing ten players through the door, with eight players leaving the club on a permanent transfer, and five going out on loan, to free up space and funds for the squad.

But their summer window could have been even better, had they managed to get a few fringe players out the door, especially those earning more than their squad role would suggest.

Kudus & Summerville's start to the season

Mohammed Kudus has had a slower start to the campaign in regard to his goal involvements, providing just one single assist in his seven matches played so far this season. However, his importance in games is still extremely prevalent, often looking like the Hammers’ most dangerous player on the pitch.

Summerville, who joined West Ham this summer from Leeds United, is yet to get off the mark with any goals or assists for the Hammers, making six appearances for the club so far, and totalling 284 minutes played.

Stats (per 90 mins)

Kudus

Summerville

Goals + Assists

0.19

0.00

xG

0.10

0.08

xAG

0.14

0.23

Progressive Carries

5.60

3.85

Progressive Passes

2.00

0.00

Shots Total

2.45

1.56

Key Passes

0.80

1.54

Passes into Pen Area

0.60

1.54

Shot-Creating Actions

3.00

4.62

Successful Take-Ons

4.20

0.77

Summerville has only just joined the club, and is settling in, getting to know his new teammates and building relationships on the pitch. He is already averaging 0.23 xAG, playing 1.54 key passes per 90, and 1.54 passes into the penalty area, showing his creativity in the final third, just without the final touches so far.

Kudus, on the other hand, everyone knows what he can do. He is a goal threat from anywhere on the pitch, can carry the ball progressively upfield with his bursting pace, and isn’t afraid to get a shot away (2.45 shots per 90). Once that first goal goes in, expect more to follow.

That youthful duo look to be the present and future of the Irons, although one man who likely should have been resigned to the past is Danny Ings…

Danny Ings' West Ham wage

Remarkably, the former Southampton striker is earning more than Kudus (£90k-per-week) and Summerville (£30k-per-week) combined, as he reportedly rakes in around £125k-per-week at present.

His performances on the pitch, and role in the squad do not warrant this wage outlay though, as he is technically the third-choice striker (even fourth-choice if you include Bowen upfront as an option).

Despite coming from the bench and scoring a late equaliser against Fulham a few weeks ago, it is tough to justify the wages of the 32-year-old striker, after he made 30 appearances last season, totalling just 766 minutes, and scoring once.

Year

Goals

Assists

13/14

26

8

14/15

11

4

15/16

3

0

16/17

4

0

17/18

2

2

18/19

8

3

19/20

25

3

20/21

13

4

21/22

7

6

22/23

10

4

23/24

1

0

Ings has always scored goals wherever he has been, notably earning himself a move to Liverpool in 2015 due to his excellent 2013/14 campaign with Burnley in the Championship, and his 11-goal Premier League season the year after.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

However, with the striker now 32, earning £125k-per-week, and rarely managing to get on the pitch, it is time West Ham moved the forward on, in order to reinvest those wages elsewhere in the squad more effectively.

Lopetegui even admitted that an exit was on the cards for Ings over the summer, with it yet to be seen whether a January departure will arise in the New Year.

Perfect for Bowen: West Ham could replace Lopetegui with 3-4-3 "genius"

The Spaniard is already under fire at the London Stadium.

2 ByEthan Lamb Sep 27, 2024

Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has been taken to a hospital for precautionary scans on his knee following India’s defeat in the third Test at Headingley. Clarity on the seriousness of the injury as well as which knee is affected will be known on Saturday after results from the hospital come in.The news of Jadeja’s hospital visit surfaced after he posted a story on his Instagram profile with the caption “not a good place to be at.” A four-day finish to the Headingley Test means Jadeja has four whole days to recover from the injury with the upcoming Test beginning at The Oval on September 2.Jadeja suffered the injury on the second day after a fielding effort on the boundary. He was then out of the field for a brief period after clutching his right leg. However, he returned soon after and continued to bowl.Earlier in the year, Jadeja had also suffered a finger injury during the Sydney Test against Australia in January. That time, Jadeja was padded up to bat despite the injury, but was saved the anguish by a rearguard effort from Hanuma Vihari and R Ashwin to take India to a draw. The injury forced him to miss the Test series against England that India hosted in February-March.

Manchester United are reportedly inviting offers for out-of-favour winger Antony, with clubs in Greece and Spain said to be interested.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Antony been a big Man Utd flopUnited try to offload £86m signingTeams in Greece & Spain interestedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth, teams from La Liga and the Greek Super League have made contact with United about a loan for Antony. He adds the Red Devils will also consider offers for the winger.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Antony may prove to be one of United's worst-ever signings at £86 million ($107m). The Red Devils are keen to cut ties with the Brazilian but they will likely have to take a big loss on their 2022 purchase.

DID YOU KNOW?

Former Ajax star Antony has scored just 12 goals and bagged five assists in 94 appearances for United to date. He is yet to make a start in the Premier League this season.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Amid all this transfer speculation, Antony will hope to get game time for United this weekend when they travel to Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.

Marcus Rashford reacted to Manchester United's derby triumph on social media after being left out of the matchday squad.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Rashford left out of matchday squad for Manchester derby
• Shared a short message on social media
• Man Utd beat City 2-1

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The English forward watched the Manchester derby at his home after being left out of Ruben Amorim's 19-member squad that took on the reigning Premier League champions on Sunday at Etihad Stadium. After his team's remarkable comeback victory in the away fixture, Rashford shared a four-word reaction on Instagram.

Advertisement

• WHAT MARCUS RASHFORD SAID

  On his Instagram handle, the striker posted an image of his television set which the match was on and Amad Diallo could be seen celebrating his winning goal. In the caption, Rashford wrote: "Yesssssssss! Love it lads."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After the game, United boss Amorim explained his decision to drop Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the squad as he claimed he wanted to try "something different". He also urged the axed players to keep working hard in training to win back their places in the starting lineup.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MARCUS RASHFORD?

  The 27-year-old will have to sweat it out on the training field if he wants to be included in Amorim's team for their upcoming Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Tottenham on Thursday.

West Brom have tabled an offer for an "excellent" £5,400-a-week player and have already received a reply, according to a new transfer update from Sky Sports.

West Brom transfer news

Carlos Corberan's side fell short in their quest to leap from the Championship to the Premier League last season, losing to Southampton in the playoff semi-finals. There is renewed hope that the Baggies will again be one of the promotion front-runners in 2024/25, however, summer transfer business is vital to ensure they have the best possible chance of going up.

Torbjorn Heggem has already arrived at West Brom from Brommapojkarna, along with free signings such as Devante Cole and Ousmane Diakite, while Paddy McNair has joined on loan from San Diego FC. More signings could be needed, though, and other players continue to be linked with summer moves.

Standard Liege and Northern Ireland midfielder Isaac Price is one such figure, with the Baggies attempting to lure him back to English football, having moved to Belgium from Everton in 2023. They have bid for his services, hoping to boost Corberan's depth in the middle of the park in the process.

Meanwhile, young Leicester City striker Tom Cannon has also been backed to secure a summer move to West Brom, with a loan move feeling most likely, should they manage to strike a deal. The 21-year-old was limited to just three starts in the Championship last season and could feel that a move elsewhere is best for his development.

West Brom table bid for "excellent" ace

According to Sky Sports, West Brom have made a move for Barnsley midfielder Callum Styles, tabling a bid, but have seen their offer rejected by the League One side.

The update goes on to claim that the Baggies "remain interested along with others from the Championship and MLS", suggesting that they are far from done with trying to snap up the Hungarian.

Styles is an impressive footballer who surely feels like he should at least be playing Championship football at this stage in his career, considering he is a 23-time capped Hungary international. The midfielder did enjoy a loan period at Sunderland in the second half of last season, but a permanent move to a second-tier club could make sense.

The 24-year-old appeared once for his country at Euro 2024, further showcasing his ability, and former Barnsley manager Neill Collins has lauded him, saying:

"Callum's talent is undoubted and again for me, he has been excellent in pre-season. As long as I have got players like that, I will be delighted. I hope I can just help him continue to improve and become the player he has got the potential to be. He's definitely enjoyable for everyone to watch."

The £5,400-a-week Styles possesses the quality and experience to be a great signing for West Brom, while also remaining relatively young, combining technical ability and defensive nous.

The next Fellows: West Brom lodge new bid for “terrific” ace

West Bromwich Albion look to be shopping for more young gems.

1

By
Kelan Sarson

Aug 1, 2024

A tally of 22 goal contributions (13 goals and nine assists) in 151 appearances for Barnsley shows that he is capable of chipping in with end product, while an average of 1.8 tackles per game at Sunderland in the league last term highlights his off-the-ball impact.

Arsenal are now actively looking at signing a striker called "the best" in his whole division, as sporting director Edu Gaspar and co scour the market for a new target man.

Arsenal linked with new centre-forward despite Havertz heroics

Last season, one of the real positives for Mikel Arteta was Kai Havertz and his impressive performances in a makeshift centre-forward role, with Gabriel Jesus even finding himself behind the German in Arsenal's pecking order at times.

Related Arsenal have looked into signing £205,000-per-week Real Madrid star

He’s very highly thought of.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Aug 16, 2024

Havertz finished 2023/2024 with 14 goals and seven assists across 51 appearances in all competitions, and he looks set to play another big role under Arteta this season, even if Arsenal do manage to sign a new number nine.

It has been reported this summer that Arteta is keen to bring in a striking partner for Havertz, with Arsenal attempting to sign Benjamin Sesko for the role earlier this window. While the Slovenian has a proposal from the Gunners, and other interested sides like Man United and Chelsea, he instead remained at RB Leipzig to better his development.

After missing out on Sesko, Arsenal have been linked with an array of marquee star new forward options, including the likes of Victor Osimhen (Napoli) and Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting CP), but there are a few others they could turn to.

Ivan Toney is still being loosely mentioned in tandem with Arsenal, as the England international is still no closer to leaving Brentford, despite constant reports in the build up to this summer which suggested he was very likely to leave.

Arsenal's top scorers in all competitions last season

Goals

Bukayo Saka

20

Leandro Trossard

17

Kai Havertz

14

Martin Odegaard

11

Gabriel Jesus

8

Another who hasn't been floated that much by the press for a while is Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez. The Mexico international racked up a total of 26 goals for the Dutch giants last term, and has started this campaign in rip-roaring fashion with two goals and two assists in as many games.

Arsenal looking into signing Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord

According to journalist Ben Jacobs of GiveMeSport, Arsenal are looking into signing Gimenez from Feyenoord as an option, alongside the likes of Gyokeres and Brighton starlet Evan Ferguson.

The 23-year-old is Feyenoord's star frontman, and as a result, the Eredivisie side won't let him go on the cheap. Reports earlier this year claimed Gimenez commands a price tag of around £85 million, which would be the most Arsenal have ever spent on an out-and-out striker.

"He’s back here in the middle of the defenders and he’s really fast," said former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt on one of the striker's performances. "Watching the keeper before he shoots, the rest. In my opinion, he is currently the best striker in the Eredivisie."

Manchester City could now reportedly look to sign a player Pep Guardiola thinks is "incredible", changing their stance on him in the process.

Man City transfer news

The Premier League champions continue to be linked with elite-level players in the summer transfer window, as they look to make their squad even more formidable. Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is one such figure, with the Brazilian potentially eyeing an exit from St James' Park, coming in as a great midfield option.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is also reportedly wanted by City ahead of the 2024/25 season, being looked at as a possible upgrade on Jack Grealish, who endured a disappointing campaign last time around, failing to make England's Euro 2024 squad. The Eagles ace scored 11 goals in the league last term, also bagging four assists.

The Cityzens are believed to have made concrete moves to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte, too, with the Uruguayan a wanted man this summer. Manchester United are also in the mix, but Guardiola would no doubt like to think a switch to the Etihad would appeal more.

Then there's Anthony Gordon, who is another Newcastle player who could be looking for a fresh challenge, with City eyeing up the England international as they look to strengthen their wide options. The boyhood Liverpool supporter is also wanted by the Reds, though.

Man City could sign player Pep thinks is "incredible"

According to a fresh claim from Give Me Sport, Manchester City could look to sign Dani Olmo this summer, making a U-turn in the process.

It is stated that the reigning Premier League winners "could be sparked into life and reignite their interest in Olmo if Manchester United lodge a bid", despite them "deciding to rule themselves out of the running for the Leipzig talisman's signature at this stage".

Olmo's stock has risen greatly in recent weeks, following an excellent Euro 2024 campaign with Spain, with the 26-year-old proving to be one of the standout players of the tournament. He has scored three times in Germany, meaning he shares the Golden Boot heading into Sunday's final against England, and he has also assisted twice for good measure.

There is also the small matter of Guardiola speaking of his admiration for the attacking midfielder back in 2019, with City's legendary boss saying: "He's a top player – he has a bright future, of course. His performance today shows it. He is an incredible player and I am pretty sure he is able to play in the strong leagues in Europe."

Man City believe they can sign PL star who's better than Nunes for £80m

The Cityzens are reportedly interested in a swoop for the “special” midfielder.

By
Dan Emery

Jul 12, 2024

The £152,000-a-week Olmo may feel that this summer is the perfect time to leave RB Leipzig, considering he has arguably never been rated more highly in his career, and his quality, end product and work ethic could make him a brilliant addition at the Etihad for a number of years.