Pep Guardiola has revealed that Kyle Walker has asked to leave Manchester City in order to finish his career abroad.

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Defender asks to leave CityLeft out of squad for Salford gameOut-of-form veteran wants to end career abroadFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The manager made the shock revelation after leaving Walker out of the squad for City's 8-0 thrashing of Salford City in the FA Cup. Walker has been one of City's worst performers this season but still has a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2026.

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"Well it's not easy for me to say it because he should say it but he's not here so two days ago Kyle asked to explore the options to play abroad at the end his career," Guardiola told a press conference. "He asked two years ago after the Treble, Bayern Munich wanted him but the offer was not good enough and the club asked how important he was. We cannot understand the success we have had these years without Kyle, it's impossible. He gave us something we didn't have he has been amazing but now in his mind he would like to explore going to another country to play the last few years for many reasons. For that reason I prefer to play other players whose minds are here."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Walker looked to be on the verge of leaving City two years ago when he was left out of the team for several matches and Guardiola questioned his ability to fit into his new vision for the team's defence. He staged a stunning comeback, playing a crucial role as City won the treble including shutting down Vinicius Jr. in a rampant 4-0 win in the Champions League semi-final second leg. He was strongly linked with a move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 but instead signed a new City contract after holding showdown talks with Guardiola in a Japanese restaurant in Manchester. Walker was named captain at the start of last season and was a regular as City won a record fourth consecutive Premier League title but his form has fallen off a cliff this campaign and he has been the main culprit for Guardiola's side's miserable title defence. He has lacked the physical sharpness which made him so hard to beat and has displayed numerous lapses of concentration. And in the background there have been countless stories about his chaotic private life.

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DID YOU KNOW

Walker did not directly consult Guardiola about leaving City but the manager respected his decision to look for a move, while also explaining it would not be right to play him while his mind is elsewhere. The coach said: "He went to the club, he went to Txiki [Begiristain, sporting director], he didn't speak with me. I'm pretty convinced that there is not one person who can perform exactly as they want if they don't want to be where they are. I respect [him] a lot because I'm more than grateful for what he has done in these many years with us, we started to win win win, he has been important with the national team, important with our team but he said he wants to explore his mind, his heart, be at another [club] and explore it but I don't know what's going to happen."

Tottenham Hotspur are a club with a proud tradition of promoting talented youngsters into the first team before they become international superstars.

For example, the likes of Ledley King, Harry Kane and he who must not be named all played in the club’s youth set-up before getting their chance in the first team and grabbing it with both hands.

That said, it has been a good few years since an academy product has successfully made the jump to first team star, but that could soon change.

While the media’s attention has been transfixed on Arsenal’s young Ethan Nwaneri, the Lilywhites may have an even more talented youngster on their hands.

Why fans are excited about Nwaneri

Okay, so before we move on to Spurs’ dazzling young talent, let’s examine why there is so much excitement around Nwaneri.

The Hale End prospect first caught the attention of the wider footballing world when, at just 15 years old, he became the youngest Premier League player of all time in September 2022.

However, he wouldn’t play another minute of competitive first-team football until the club’s 6-0 win over West Ham United last season.

Then, he finally made his full debut in the League Cup against Bolton Wanderers last week, in which he scored a brace and generally looked ready to contribute going forward.

Now, his development this season is exciting in and of itself, but it is also his impressive youth record that has led to such hype.

In 52 appearances for the Gunners’ various junior sides, the Enfield-born gem has racked up 27 goals and ten assists, which equates to an average of a goal involvement every 1.40 games.

While it might not be what Spurs fans want to hear, Arsenal have a star on their hands with Nwaneri, but the good news is that the Lilywhites have their own sensational youngster who could be even better.

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Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Spurs' very own Ethan Nwaneri

Yes, it shouldn’t surprise some of you, but Spurs’ tremendously promising academy gem is 17-year-old Mikey Moore.

Like the Gunners’ young prospect, the “outstanding” Lilywhites ace, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has now made five first-team appearances.

However, unlike his potential future rival, he has not been given the opportunity to start, but given how impressive his form has been for the junior sides, his first start is more a matter of when and not if.

For example, in just 33 games for Tottenham’s various junior sides, the “magnificent talent”, as Kulig describes him, has scored 20 goals and provided 15 assists.

This means he’s been averaging a goal involvement once every 0.94 games in the academy, which is a noticeably better average than Nwaneri’s.

Appearances

33

52

Goals

20

27

Assists

15

10

Goal Involvements per Match

1.06

0.70

Moreover, while the pair have now moved up to England’s U19 squad, they really established themselves as future internationals in the U17 side, and in this age range, once again, Tottenham’s young prospect had the better numbers.

In his 12 games for the team, the Southwark gem scored ten goals and provided four assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 0.85 games, while the young Gunner scored 15 goals and provided two assists in 28 games, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every 1.64 games.

Ultimately, both clubs have extraordinarily gifted academy products in Nwaneri and Moore, but if their youth records are anything to go by, then Postecoglou and Spurs fans can rejoice in the fact that they may well have the more talented prospect.

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MatériaMais Notícias

A montagem do elenco de Aspirantes do Athletico-PR que disputará o Campeonato Paranaense bem como o time principal, responsável por jogar em torneios como Copa do Brasil, Libertadores, Recopa e o Campeonato Brasileiro, passa também pela volta de jogadores que estavam emprestados e terão (ou tiveram) vínculos encerrados no fim do ano.

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Dentro do grupo de 14 jogadores, ao menos quatro deles devem integrar o grupo de Aspirantes, treinado por James Freitas: o goleiro Anderson (que estava no Náutico), o lateral-esquerdo Raimar (atuou no Remo na última temporada) e os atacantes Jajá (estava no CRB) e Reinaldo, que atuou também no futebol alagoano, porém no CSA.

Outras figuras desse tipo podem acabar sendo aproveitadas da mesma forma, mas somente enquanto não surgem propostas de empréstimo atrativas, casos de Edu, Léo Gomes, Jorginho, Denner e Fabinho.

Já em relação as situações do zagueiro Walber (Novorizontino), dos meio-campistas Matheus Anjos (sem clube) e Jadson (Avaí) bem como do atacante Paulo Victor (Brasil de Pelotas), todos já tiveram suas situações definidas.

Por fim, o atacante Elias Carioca se machucou gravemente no joelho em setembro desse ano, durante sua passagem pelo Santa Cruz, e está de volta a cidade de Curitiba para o tratamento. Ainda não há previsão de retorno fixada.

The Blaugrana punished Blancos' defending in an embarrassing defeat for Carlo Ancelotti's side

Real Madrid were thrashed in a second straight Clasico, continuous woeful defending letting them down in a 5-2 battering at the hands of Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final. Los Blancos were consistently beaten on the counter attack, and conceded five goals within 50 minutes to make a truly horrible Clasico loss.

This was not a calm game. Nor was it cagey. Instead, from minute one, chaos unfolded. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring, leading a well-orchestrated counter-attack before shifting the ball out of his feet and smashing it home. And that was as good as it got.

Lamine Yamal offered the Barca response, strolling into the right channel, cutting onto his stronger foot and finding the bottom corner. They added a second after 36 minutes, when Robert Lewandowski converted from the penalty spot. The Blaugrana's third came on the back of some tepid Madrid defending, Raphinha floating into acres of space and converting a free header. Balde made it four after another sloppy piece of play, an underhit pass from a corner giving Barca a clean break down the pitch, which ended with a calm side-footed finish into the bottom corner. Raphinha turned it into a drubbing early in the second half, twisting Aurelien Tchouameni inside out and wrong-footing Thibaut Courtois.

Things seemed poised to turn after an hour. Wojciech Szczesny was shown a straight red for scything Mbappe down outside the box. Rodrygo curled the ensuing free-kick into the top corner. But that was about it. Madrid couldn't create against a dogged 10-man Barca, and suffered a second straight forgettable derby defeat – while watching their arch-rivals lift a trophy at the end of it all.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from King Abdullah Sports City…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Thiabut Courtois (4/10):

  Made a nice save early. Could do nothing about any of the goals, really.

  Lucas Vazquez (3/10):

  Targeted from the first minute. Didn't track his man half of the time, and was torn apart by Raphinha for his 50 minutes on the pitch.

  Aurelien Tchouameni (4/10):

  Absolutely nowhere on the Barca third. Subbed after an hour.

  Antonio Rudiger (5/10):

  Uncharacteristically out of position as Yamal strolled in to equalise. Improved slightly but not particularly good.

  Ferland Mendy (5/10):

  Failed to contain Yamal – not that it's particularly easy. Didn't do much, if anything, going forward.

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• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Federico Valverde (5/10):

  Poor for stretches. Overhit a few passes. A blunder led to the Barca fourth. Moved to right back, where he did mostly ok.

  Eduardo Camavinga (4/10):

  Should have been booked twice within the first 45 minutes, but got away with it. Hooked at the break – and smartly so.

  Jude Bellingham (4/10):

  Marked out of the game in the first half. Not much better in the second. Disappeared on the biggest stage, for once.

• AFP
  

  Attack

  Rodrygo (5/10):

  Dangerous on the ball, buried a lovely free kick, lacking in impact otherwise.

  Kylian Mbappe (6/10):

  Scored an outrageous goal, picked up a knock, got Szczesny sent off. The best of the attacking trio.

  Vinicius Jr (4/10):

  Barely involved before being subbed after 75 minutes. Could have easily been shown a second yellow.

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• AFP
  

  Subs & Manager

  Dani Ceballos (6/10):

  Rarely misplaced a pass, but didn't offer much in the way of attacking inspiration.

  Raul Asencio (5/10):

  Replaced Vazquez, and couldn't do much worse.

  Luka Modric (5/10):

  Floated around, created some cute angles. Couldn't do it single-handedly though.

  Fran Garcia (6/10):

  Scampered up and down the left in a lively 15 minutes.

  Brahim Diaz (N/A):

  Barely touched the ball.

  Carlo Ancelotti (4/10):

  What a miserable evening. His Madrid side was taken apart for 50 minutes, and then looked void of ideas against 10 men. At least it came in a competition that doesn't matter much.

ألمح المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، آرني سلوت، بتغيير في أحد مراكز الفريق خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وتعاقد ليفربول مع مامارداشفيلي في الصيف الماضي من فالنسيا قبل إعارته مرة أخرى إلى الخفافيش حتى نهاية الموسم الحالي، لأن سلوت يعتمد على أليسون أساسيًا.

ولكن هناك عروض من جانب الدوري السعودي للحارس البرازيلي، وسبق واعترف أليسون بأن كانت هناك إغراءات في الصيف الماضي لكنه نجح في مقاومتها.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ليفربول يحدد بديلًا جديدًا لـ محمد صلاح من الدوري الإيطالي

وتحدث سلوت في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “ليفربول إيكو”، وقال: “لم أكن أعرف أن هناك اهتمامًا من جانب الدوري السعودي لضم أليسون، أعتقد أنه أكد رغبته في البقاء معنا خلال تصريحاته؟”.

وتابع: “سنرى ما سيحدث في الموسم المقبل، لقد اشترينا حارس مرمى وتمت إعارته وفي الموسم المقبل سيكون لدينا أليسون، كاومين كيليهير، فيتيسلاف ياروش وأخيرًا مامارداشفيلي”.

وأضاف: “أربعة حراس جيدون للغاية، سيستمرون في العمل وسنرى كيف ستسير الأمور، في هذه اللحظة لا نركز إلا في مباراة مانشستر سيتي”.

وانتقل سلوت للحديث عن الانتقادات التي تلقاها المهاجم، داروين نونيز، وقال: “نحن لا نتحدث عن كيفية إدارة مثل هذه الأمور علنًا أمام الإعلام، لأنه نفس اللاعب الذي سجل هدفين مهمين لنا أمام برينتفورد”.

واستمر: “لكن هذه هي الحياة وما يعاني منه المهاجم في مركز 9، مثل حياة المدافع أو حارس المرمى، في بعض الأحيان ترتكب خطأ ولكن الشيء الجيد في كونك رقم 9 هو أنك بطل في الكثير من الأحيان”.

وواصل تصريحاته: “من حين لآخر، تهدر فرصة يتحدث عنها الجميع، هذه ليست مشكلة بالنسبة لي، لكن كان يجب أن يكون رد فعله أفضل منذ ذلك”.

وأتم: “لقد شعر بخيبة أمل لأنه شعر بأهمية تلك الفرصة الضائعة، لأنه إنسان ولكن يتعين علينا أن نتعلم كيفية تطوير أنفسنا وآمل في المرة القادمة أن يتصرف بشكل مختلف عما كان عليه أمام أستون فيلا”.

Openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul then saw their side safely through to stumps

Sidharth Monga04-Aug-20212:53

Laxman: India bowlers rectified their mistakes from WTC final

India took the last seven England wickets for 45 runs to bowl the hosts out for 183 after they won the toss and batted in tough batting conditions. India’s openers knocked off 21 of those without being separated. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, the two senior bowlers in the absence of Ishant Sharma and R Ashwin, took seven wickets between them in 37.4 overs. Once again, Joe Root looked like a level above his batting team-mates, scoring 64 assured runs off 108 balls in an innings that went at 2.78 an over.England will need to look at five or six wickets that they didn’t make India work hard enough for. It started early as Rory Burns fell for Bumrah’s two-card trick in the first over in a hectic start.India the country did not even have time to properly debate the exclusion of Ashwin – who’s in the form of his life – from the XI, to find a combination that fit the conditions and addressed India’s long tail. Ishant had failed a fitness test in the morning.Bumrah took five balls to change the talking point. Four of them moved gently away from the left-hand opener Rory Burns before the fourth one swung back in. In 2018, when Bumrah got Keaton Jennings in the same fashion, it might have been a surprise, but by now, experts argue, you have to be expecting that delivery as a left-hand batter and not get beaten as comprehensively as Burns did.Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley saw off the new ball with a hard-fought 42-run stand in nearly 21 overs, but Rishabh Pant managed to convince his captain to take a second review in the same Mohammed Siraj over to get the wicket of the fluent Crawley. Three balls after an enthusiastic review for a catch off the inside edge and pad cost India, Pant implored Kohli to take another, similar review. This time the inside edge was taken.This was minutes before lunch, but in the intervening overs, Root got away with three boundaries in an over – one of them streaky – and also looked to attack Bumrah in the final over before the break.India were a pleased bunch as Mohammed Siraj had a not-out caught-behind appeal against Zak Crawley overturned on review•AFP/Getty Images

After lunch, India operated with Bumrah and Shami, but the line of attack shifted a bit, almost like they decided the ball wasn’t doing much and they needed to get back to the leg trap they had set for Australia in Australia. Soon enough, Sibley got a leading edge to a ball sliding down leg from Shami, offering short midwicket a catch. A “nothing wicket” on the surface, but India did have a field for straight lines: a short-forward square leg to go with the short midwicket.From 66 for 3, England found their most assured batting period with Root and Jonny Bairstow batting together for 22.5 overs. Root showed more attacking intent than any other specialist batter, scored faster than all of them and was more in control than any of them. Bairstow got comfortable as time wore on, but in one over split by the tea break, England were rocked back significantly.Shami and Bumrah have had to work the hardest for their wickets in England among their contemporaries. As of lunch on day one, they had needed to induce 19 false responses apiece for a wicket in England, the highest among fast bowlers since 2014. James Anderson and Stuart Broad, by comparison, take about 10 false responses each.It is part luck, part lengths, but their luck was about to change. It had already begun to turn for Shami with that leg-side delivery to get Sibley, but now even reviews were going to fall in place. In the last over before tea, Shami bowled that perfect seaming delivery to trap Bairstow in front, but two sounds probably influenced umpire Richard Kettleborough to rule it in the batter’s favour. Kohli couldn’t get affirmation from anyone in front of the wicket that the ball had missed the bat, but went with the review nonetheless.Related

Stats – England's second worst start to a home series since 1950

It was the perfect length, seaming in enough to beat the inside edge but not the leg stump. India went to tea buoyant, England on 138 for 4. Four balls into the final session, the final delivery of that Shami over, Dan Lawrence tickled one fine down the leg side. Unlucky Shami? Not today. Shami and Bumrah proceeded to toy around with Jos Buttler for 17 balls before Bumrah took the outside edge through to Pant. It didn’t cost India a run.The pressure created by these two, the low economy rate, meant Shardul Thakur could bowl attacking lines and lengths. He is an incredibly optimistic bowler. His strength is swing, and he continues to bowl full lengths and continues to look to swing it from the stumps. Kohli gave him a man at cover and midwicket to allow that mode of attack. He started his new spell with a really full outswinger to Root, who played for the swing, but the ball pitched and seamed the other way. Any shorter, and it would have seamed down the leg side. This one trapped him plumb.Three balls later, Ollie Robinson gifted mid-on some catching practice. Soon Bumrah decided it was “toes day” for nose-or-toes Stuart Broad, trapping him lbw with a full one. At 160 for 9, Sam Curran found time to squeeze in his usual cameo, hitting 27 before a perfect yorker from Bumrah ended the innings with Anderson’s wicket.It wasn’t an easy 55 minutes for India’s new opening combination of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. England drew 17 false responses from them in the 13 overs possible before stumps, but no edge went towards a fielder and they never got trapped in front. India took their 10 wickets in 93 false responses.

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.

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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.

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2 ByEthan Lamb Sep 27, 2024

Nottinghamshire 282 for 6 (Clarke 59) vs SomersetSomerset were ecstatic on this Taunton ground a few days ago as they secured a place in Finals Day in the Vitality Blast, but what has become an annual tilt at securing their first Championship title has become a more troubled affair with the news that Lewis Gregory, their key allrounder, will not bowl again this summer because of an injury suffered in the Hundred playing for Trent Rockets. Somerset fans, not exactly enamoured by the competition, will not be placated by the news, conveyed by the county’s head coach Jason Kerr, that “the severity of Lewis’s injury means his next bowling will either be in the winter or next summer”.But the Championship is back, if a little put-upon, and a competitive September awaits for six of the counties who will now contest the title in a top division assembled after results in the initial three-conference phase. As for the other 12, they will largely be left to their own devices, which is how some of them like it. Sussex are fielding a side with an average age of 19.6 years – perhaps the youngest side in Championship history – which is so developmental it is only one step away from having a coach behind the stumps rather than an umpire to remind them to “play the line” or “hit top of off”.Then there is Surrey, who reported a positive Covid test, duly identified a long list of close contacts and got permission not to travel to Chester-le-Street at all. It would be interesting to know whether such an approach would have been sanctioned if they were in Division One. In Premier League football, matches routinely go ahead despite positive Covid tests and hardly anybody appears to be identified as a close contact, even though footballers don’t noticeably stay two metres apart at all times. Covid protocol is not easy, but while it sticks around cricket appears to have much to discuss.A conference system that had much to commend it in the first stage of the season – providing the illusion, if not the actuality that all 18 teams could win the Championship – could look much less convincing in the next month and it is possible that a season rushing to a climax, with lots at stake, will instead turn out to be largely futile for all but a handful of sides. This in a Championship that is habitually regarded these days by those in authority as a feeder system for England rather than an intrinsically important competition.Because there is only time to play four rounds in the final stages, a strange solution has been devised whereupon teams don’t play the county who were in their own qualifying group, but instead carry forward half the points from their previous two meetings, so pretending that the contest between them has already taken place. This possesses a convenient but dubious logic that suggests those who agreed it need to spend less time in meetings and more time in the fresh air.In the Hundred, nobody is allowed to know what an over is, in case the intellectual challenge leaves them rushing for the exits, but any committee-room complexity can be heaped upon the Championship watcher from one season to the next. It suited Somerset, who accrued 18.5 points without hitting a ball, not so much Nottinghamshire, who inherited five, even though both counties topped their group.Such contortions call for a despairing smack of the head – and why ever not because it certainly seemed to work for Liam Patterson-White, whose helmet was clanked by a short ball from Marchant de Lange and who – once he had selected a replacement helmet from a huge kit bag wheeled onto the outfield by Peter Trego, in a mask – produced a counter-attacking knock of great elan. At one stage, the Notts physio popped out to check that he was okay, and he would not have been surprised to learn that Patterson-White thought he was Brian Lara.Apart from Patterson-White’s unbeaten 46 from 38 balls, this was rather a laborious day, fought out in unrelenting gloom – although “laborious” is defined more by the immense effort required on a surface that did not do as much as Somerset anticipated, rather than a sense of it being inordinately dull. “No man ever was glorious who was not laborious,” said Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, so as onlookers we could take comfort in that, even if it is now accepted that Franklin did over-egg things a bit.Much is written about the difficulties for players of transitioning from one format to the other, but the same is true for the spectator, especially the spectator who is quite content to cross formats. A couple of dot balls and it is hard to resist the urge to watch someone cow the ball over the leg-side. Notts had 282 for 6 in 88.4 overs by the close, and after losing the toss, they could commend themselves upon having a good day. Everybody but Ben Duckett, who was a little frisky, tried to adopt a respectable approach, no more strikingly than Tom Moores, who stuck around for 26 not out while he and Patterson-White added an unbroken 74 for the seventh wicket.Nottinghamshire’s innings fizzed initially. Ben Slater cut Jack Brooks’ long hop straight to backward point and, after Duckett had then played the shot with more success, he tried instead to pull a ball of similar qualities, by way of variety, and top-edged a catch into the off side.Sam Northeast is on loan at Notts until the end of the season after his career at Hampshire ended with no T20 cricket and a frank exchange of views. His time at Kent also ended unhappily when he lost the captaincy and, at 31, and with ambitions of England honours rapidly receding, it would be a shame if he did not get five happy, run-scoring years at another county. Notts, not averse to the odd gamble, might be that county and Northeast approached his task diligently until he played across his front pad against Josh Davey.Joe Clarke’s elegant half-century suggested he could expose Somerset’s shortcomings, only to be caught at the wicket as he bottom-edged a pull at Tom Abell. The pattern of batsmen getting a start and not going on to a big score continued when Lyndon James edged a decent delivery from Abell, that left him, and Steven Mullaney, on 42, became an lbw victim aiming to work a straight ball to leg. At 208 for 6, with the new ball imminent, Somerset had a chance to wrest control, but Patterson-White took three fours off de Lange to win that personal battle and give Nottinghamshire a slight edge by the close.

Nine-wicket match haul leaves Scarborough faithful with a midweek to kill

David Hopps06-Sep-2021Yorkshire 308 (Brook 118, Thompson 57, Davey 4-72, de Lange 4-55) beat Somerset 134 (Fisher 5-41) and 141 (Fisher 4-23, Thompson 3-32) by an innings and 33 runsYorkshire are top of the Championship, albeit only briefly, Somerset dispensed with in two days at Scarborough. Victory was secured with the penultimate ball of the day with the pavilion clock showing five to seven after Yorkshire had claimed the extra half hour. The final blow was landed by Jordan Thompson, a slower ball which defeated Marchant de Lange’s leg-side smite on the full toss and spread-eagled the stumps. De Lange is not a batter who plays for the morning.It was the Festival Dinner in the Scarborough marquee immediately afterwards and the MC for the evening had been stricken by sciatica and feared that he might have to do his duties sitting down. That at least was an improvement on Somerset, who have spent the entire week in a state of collapse.To scores of 107 and 181 against Nottinghamshire, can now be added 134 and 141 against Yorkshire, an innings-and-160-run defeat followed by an innings and 33. Title challengers a week ago, the task of their captain, Tom Abell, is now to rally spirits so the canker does not spread to Finals Day in the Vitality Blast. “Our skill levels aren’t up to it at the moment,” said Abell. “The manner of the defeat is unpleasant. But this is where it’s important to stick together.”Yorkshire’s stand-out bowler was Matt Fisher, who returned a career-best 9 for 64 in the match, and their slip catching was exemplary: eight caught, none spilled. The premature win might disappoint the Festival crowd with two days of glorious sunshine forecast and no cricket to watch, but they should be placated by further proof that in Harry Brook, Yorkshire possess one of the best young batters in the country. And, if that doesn’t do the trick, well, there is always the crazy golf at Peasholm Park.The game was as good as up for Somerset when they resumed their second innings 174 behind, but with 44 overs to bat on a sunny evening (plus at least eight more in the extra half-hour) but they should have had the wherewithal to take the game into a third day.Instead, after 10.1 overs, they were 18 for 5. Fisher wreaked havoc in a new-ball burst of 4 for 2 in six overs and, if he swung the ball away appreciably at a little above 80mph (around 130kph), and was again backed by sharp-as-a-tack Yorkshire slip fielding, Somerset were enervated.Tom Lammonby determinedly rehearsed shots of grim defence at the non-striker’s end, but then fell for nought, undone at third slip by David Willey’s outswinger. The rest fell to Fisher. Azhar Ali was plucked at second slip in his third over; James Hildreth and George Bartlett, both lbw, bookended his fifth. Abell attempted a streetwise leave-alone and lost his off stump.It looked as if the match would slide into a third morning when Somerset finally fashioned resistance from their eighth-wicket pair of Jack Leach and Ben Green, but offspinner Dom Bess had Leach caught at slip in the penultimate over and Yorkshire claimed the extra half hour. Thompson yorked Green and then fell de Lange – although not before he had hit Bess out of the ground.The match won, a man who had climbed out of a first-floor window of a time-worn boarding house behind the arm to sit on a flat roof, picked up his chair and clambered back through the window again, presumably content with the outcome.At 159 for 5 overnight, Yorkshire’s lead was a paltry 24 runs and there was a sepulchral feel to the morning. Somerset’s head coach, Jason Kerr, had given it the speech about the big first hour, and that the ball would swing felt inevitable, but the envisaged recovery never materialised – Brook was just too good.Related

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James Vince rearguard frustrates Yorkshire in absorbing finish

Somerset scattered like seagulls at Scarborough before Harry Brook books in

Brook’s rich vein of form, across all formats, has come too late for Ashes consideration, but when it comes to Lions squads, or young player of the year awards, he surely has few equals. He appears to be a much calmer player than he was in April, and is all the better for it and has modified his trigger movement which had previously seen him lurch back and across onto off stump. He has said his improvement in white-ball cricket came from studying Joe Root’s method, and there is a touch of Root, too, about his tempo in four-day cricket where he seeks positivity without undue risk.If Brook’s first-day 79 from 86 balls had been impressive for its enterprise – a flood of impeccable drives and cuts – his continuation to 118 was just as notable for a different reason. In challenging conditions, he hunkered down and also left the ball impressively on a Scarborough surface with an occasionally steep bounce that many found disconcerting. It was the 13th over of the morning before he reached his century with successive fours against Abell, the first driven through the legs of de Lange at mid off, the second a wide half-volley which he drilled square to the popular banking.He departed with the second new ball just one ball away, a splendid catch low to his right by Abell when he cut at Green, but even then, with the lead 96, Somerset found nourishment hard to come by. Thompson, too, dubbed The Man Who Makes Things Happen in these parts, made very little happen for much of the morning before he made good his time at the crease by taking toll of the second new ball with some lantern-jawed aggression.Somerset’s batting travails of late have been well documented and there is no doubt that the highly-talented crop of young batters coming out of the Taunton schools do appear to better designed for T20. This might well be the way of the world, although the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, could easily be persuaded to address it with the rigours of Latin and the reapplication of the cane.But a lack of pace bowling resources is Somerset’s most glaring weakness. The loss of Craig Overton to England and Lewis Gregory to injury has exposed their slender resources. Jamie Overton left for Surrey and Jack Brooks’ future, at 37, is uncertain. They took the second new ball with Josh Davey, a consistent performer who at that point had 4 for 58 but who had a right to be weary after 23 overs, and Lammonby, who did not find the swing his captain had hoped for and who – like the other options, Abell and Green – is a fourth seamer at best. That is where a reinforcement is sorely needed.

Over the last couple of years, Tottenham Hotspur have shifted their focus to recruiting younger talent to improve the first-team squad rather than signing players for an immediate upgrade but providing no sell-on fee.

The summer window of 2021/22 saw the arrival of new boss Nuno Espírito Santo, with the former Wolves Head Coach tasked with taking the club to the next level.

He was backed in the transfer market, with owner Daniel Levy splashing upwards of £80m on new talent to try and establish the Lilywhites as a consistent top-four Premier League side.

However, the Portuguese boss would only last four months at the helm, taking charge of just 17 games before leaving Spurs – achieving a win percentage of 53%.

Whilst his appointment was a disaster, he made the right call by bringing one player to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – especially considering the impact he’s made since his transfer.

Pape Sarr’s time at Tottenham Hotspur

Midfielder Pape Matar Sarr joined Tottenham in a roughly £15m deal from Ligue 1 side Metz back in August 2021, before moving back to the French side on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

However, he returned to the club ahead of the 2022/23 season, mainly operating as a squad player, making 14 appearances in all competitions – with 11 coming in the Premier League.

The arrival of Postecoglou at the start of 2023/24 saw a huge increase in first-team minutes for the Senegalese youngster, featuring in 34 league matches for a combined 2085 minutes – a near 10x increase from the season prior.

The “frightening” 21-year-old, as dubbed by talent scout Antonio Mango, has featured in all three league outings so far this campaign, starting against Newcastle United and Leicester City before coming on in the second half against Everton.

As a result of his excellent performances for the Aussie in the last two seasons, Sarr has seen his market value skyrocket – demonstrating the impact of the club’s new recruitment model.

Pape Sarr’s stats for Tottenham Hotspur since joining
Season	Games	Goals	Assists	Minutes
2022/23	14	0	1	367′
2023/24	35	3	3	2,103′
2024/25	3	0	0	146′
Total:	52	3	4	2,616′
Stats via Transfermarkt

Pape Sarr’s market value in 2024

Three years after his £15m move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Sarr has seen his value jump massively, with the midfielder having the potential to improve further given his tender age.

As per Transfermarkt, the Senegalese international is now valued at £38m – an increase of around 150% on the fee they paid for him three years ago.

His subsequent value is higher than that of Richarlison, who is now valued at £32m just a couple of years after his £60m move to North London.

His huge jump in value is a demonstration as to how successful the club’s recruitment can be, potentially handing them an edge in the hunt to once again secure Champions League football, as they look to develop talented prospects.

Postecoglou is a fantastic manager who can extract the best out of young talents, with Sarr one of the beneficiaries of his ability to work with up-and-coming stars, as evidenced by his soaring value.

This season is another great opportunity for the former Metz ace to build on his impressive season last time around, allowing him to gain more experience whilst also further increasing his market value.