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A 143-run stand between Ameen and Maroof earned Pakistan a victory with 49 balls to spare

Danyal Rasool01-Jun-2022Half-centuries from Sidra Ameen and Bismah Maroof helped Pakistan seal a crushing eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first of three ODIs at Karachi. After Sri Lanka were bowled out for 169, thanks to a sensational spell from Ghulam Fatima, who took four wickets for 21, the batters made light work of the chase, getting to the target with 8.1 overs to spare. It included a 143-run stand between Ameen and Maroof, with Ameen dismissed for 76 just two runs from victory, while Maroof finished undefeated on 62.As with the T20I series, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat once more, but immediately ran into problems owing to a slow start and the early fall of Hasini Perera to a run-out, the malaise that had gripped Sri Lanka in the final T20 showing no signs of easing. Chamari Athapaththu and Hansima Karunaratne rebuilt, but saw their gritty work undone when both fell within an over off each other.It was a theme that would repeat itself throughout the innings. Prasadani Weerakkody and Nilakshi de Silva would combine for a 50-run partnership, finding regular boundaries and pushing up the scoring rate. But just when it appeared as if Sri Lanka were building a platform, Ghulam and Iqbal struck again, getting rid of the settled pair within three balls of each other. Ghulam followed up by knocking back Oshadi Ranasinghe’s stumps the very next ball, the batter leaving a straight one to leave Sri Lanka reeling at 96 for six.It might have ended a lot sooner than it ultimately did but for Kavisha Dilhari, whose breezy, languid strokeplay helped her side pick up valuable runs, giving herself and her bowling partners a semblance of a competitive total to bowl at. Two fours off Iqbal set the tone, before Maroof and Diana Baig were each shown the long handle. Nida Dar was smashed for six as Dilhari fats approached a half-century she richly deserved, only for her to run out of partners as Fatima Sana wrapped up the tail at the other end, leaving Dilhari stranded on an unbeaten 50-ball 49.The defence from Sri Lanka began inauspiciously as Kumari started with five wides before the first legal delivery was dispatched away for four. It might have heralded a quick finish, but Sri Lanka responded with their best passage of play, keeping Pakistan on a leash throughout the Powerplay and picking up the wicket of Muneeba Ali when she top-edged a sweep off Achini Kulasuriya.That might have intensified the pressure on Pakistan, not that Ameen or Maroof let it show. Ameen timed a couple of exquisite consecutive covers drives for four in the 10th over, and that appeared to break the shackles for Pakistan once and for all. Maroof got into the act with two boundaries in the 13th over, and by now even the asking rate was trending downwards.Sri Lanka tried both seam and spin, but couldn’t quite muster the discipline of those early overs. The lines were errant, the lengths failed to penetrate and the intensity simply couldn’t be cranked up. With each run, a below-par total began to look less intimidating, and for much of the last hour, it was more of a procession than a chase. Maroof’s 16th ODI half-century, as well as Ameen’s fourth, served to rubberstamp Pakistan’s dominance, suggesting the upper hand Pakistan enjoyed in the T20Is has very much carried over into the ODI series.

Annie Kilner has seen the funny side of a “poisoning men” post after being caught up in drama involving Lauryn Goodman and her husband Kyle Walker.

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Experienced defender fighting to save marriageMove to Italy was intended to aid that processWife's family delivering thinly-veiled jibesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite becoming a mother of four with England international Walker, Kilner has seen her partner father two children with former Love Island contestant Goodman. That affair has placed considerable strain on a long-term relationship.

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There was talk of Kilner filing for divorce towards the end of 2024, but Walker’s loan move from Manchester City to AC Milan was intended to offer the couple a fresh start and clean slate. More unfortunate headlines have been made since the 34-year-old defender headed to Italy.

Getty/InstagramDID YOU KNOW?

Kilner is reportedly willing to give her marriage another go, having made trips to Milan and welcomed Walker back to their family home in Cheshire, but continues to be spotted in public without her wedding ring.

THE GOSSIP

A veiled dig now appears to have been aimed at Walker, courtesy of her sister. Annie has shared a post from Sian Kilner which includes the message: “I've cooked for men I should have poisoned. So yeah I do have self control.”

Newcastle United won for the first time in five matches in the Premier League with a thumping 4-0 victory over Leicester City at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

It was a big day for English forward Jacob Murphy as he scored his first two goals of the season in the win, taking his tally to two goals and four assists in 13 appearances.

The former Norwich winger has only scored five goals in the Premier League since the start of last season, and should be hoping that his performance against the Foxes helps him to kick on.

Eddie Howe, though, could land a huge upgrade on Murphy when the January transfer window opens for business, amid interest in a star from one of their rivals.

Newcastle plotting bid for West Ham star

According to the Mirror, the Newcastle United head coach is plotting a bid to sign Mohammed Kudus from Premier League rivals West Ham United.

Transfer Focus

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

The report claims that Arsenal and Liverpool are also in the race to land the Ghana international next month, which means that there is plenty of competition for his services.

It states that the Hammers have placed a whopping £90m price tag on the attacking midfielder’s head, and that means that the Magpies would have to splash out a club-record fee to bring him to St. James’ Park.

The outlet adds that Newcastle would need to sell players in order to afford a swoop for the West Ham star, with Miguel Almiron said to be a prime candidate to be moved on.

Howe must push for the Magpies to bring in enough funds to facilitate a move for Kudus because he could come in as a huge upgrade on Murphy on the right flank.

Why Newcastle should sign Kudus

The Hammers signed the forward from Dutch giants Ajax in the summer of 2023 and he has proven himself to be a fantastic performer at Premier League level, and in Europe.

Kudus scored five goals and created three ‘big chances’ in nine appearances in the Europa League last term, whilst Murphy managed zero goals and one assist in three Champions League outings.

The left-footed wizard, who was described as “unbelievable” by teammate Michail Antonio, also caught the eye with his performances in the English top-flight.

Appearances

33

21

Goals

8

3

xA

3.67

3.42

Assists

6

7

Dribbles completed per game

3.8

0.6

Pass accuracy

84%

74%

As you can see in the table above, Kudus made a greater impact than Murphy at the top end of the pitch, with more goals, more xA, and far more completed dribbles.

The West Ham magician has the quality to consistently drive past opposition defenders, whilst being reliable with his passes and effective in the final third, and this is why he could come in as a huge upgrade for Newcastle.

Howe could improve his team by signing a proven Premier League star who could win matches for the club more frequently with his superb qualities in possession, which is why he should work to secure his services in January.

Ed Sheeran, who is a minority stakeholder at Ipswich, has blamed his awkward stand-off with Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim on "10 pints".

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Pop star owns a stake in the Tractor BoysBoasts his own box at Portman RoadInterrupted Portuguese coach's interviewFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Singer-songwriter Sheeran owns 1.4 per cent of the Tractor Boys, having grown up supporting the club after seeing his family relocate to Suffolk. He is the front of shirt sponsor on Ipswich’s kit and has been treated to his own VIP suite at Portman Road.

AdvertisementGetty Images/GOALTHE GOSSIP

Sheeran likes to make the most of that hospitality when attending Premier League games. He can, however, take things too far occasionally – such as when he drunkenly interrupted Sky Sports’ post-match discussion with Amorim following a 1-1 draw at Ipswich in the Portuguese coach’s first game as United boss.

WHAT ED SHEERAN SAID

Discussing that incident on the podcast, Sheeran said of why his alcohol-filled executive box was to blame: "I had it gutted and turned into a pub, you don't need to go for pre-drinks anywhere else. And it's definitely got me in trouble sometimes.

"Like that United game where I didn't realise Amorim was getting interviewed. I honestly didn't. Jamie [Redknapp] said come and see me afterwards and I was wandering out afterwards. I'd had about 10 pints, saw Jamie, so I was like ‘Oh, I'll go up and say hi to Jamie’. It was the wrong time – very clearly the wrong time – but I have learned my lesson and it won't happen again."

Getty/IpswichDID YOU KNOW?

Sheeran has also urged supporters to come up with better songs when poking fun at him during top-flight fixtures. The Brit Award winner added: "The chants haven't been funny enough. I need better chants when we go away. I see so much thought and preparation go into some of the rude chants, and I just feel like I haven’t got the humour.

"We were at Wolves and there was a chant saying ‘Ed Sheeran’s a c***’, and I was like ‘at least have a bit of imagination’. You go to Spurs and they’re singing ‘gimme, gimme, gimme a ginger from Sweden’ (to the tune of Abba’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! for their midfielder Dejan Kulusevski), and you’re like, someone has put some thought into that, someone has really taken their time, I want that.

"I want someone in the home fans’ pub beforehand being like, ‘lads, we’ve got it, we’ve got something to rip Sheeran apart and it’s this’. I want time spent on it."

Jurgen Klopp’s shock exit created unavoidable anxiety during the off-season, sneaking slippery tendrils through Merseyside doors as this unknown coach alighted in Liverpool from Holland.

We can all chuckle ruefully now, ay? Arne Slot has been a revelation, surely power-ranked as the standout manager of the 2024/25 campaign as Liverpool push toward the Premier League title and top the Champions League group stage too.

To be sure, the Reds could have done more in the transfer market, only signing Federico Chiesa, who was pushed out of Juventus and listed for a bargain £12.5m fee.

But FSG kept their finger off the trigger and instead doubled down on their watchword: prudence. In fairness, it’s all gone rather swimmingly thus far, but Anfield does need to see some first-team investment in 2025, lest this wonderful knitting of players fizzle out and allow rivals to catch up.

Liverpool interested in elite-level forward

It’s important to differentiate prudence from precaution, and Liverpool will at some stage need to fork out a significant sum for a talented footballer capable of elevating Slot’s system to a new level.

Well, according to Caught Offside, Liverpool still hold an interest in Bayern Munich superstar Jamal Musiala, but recent developments suggest that curiosity must be willed into something more concrete.

Indeed, Manchester City are also fixed admirers of the German playmaker, and given that Kevin De Bruyne’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, it makes sense for Pep Guardiola to target Musiala as the centrepiece of his much-needed rebuild.

Moreover, Bayern are hoping to tie the 21-year-old down to a bumper new deal and are optimistic about their chances. Were they to let Musiala leave, the German giants would be fielding offers worth roughly €180m (£149m).

Imagine Jamal Musiala at Slot's Liverpool

Musiala has built himself up to elite-level merit over the past few years at the Allianz Arena, becoming a key part of Bayern’s first team and dazzling on numerous occasions with the German national team.

Attacking midfield

125

36

25

Left winger

44

16

8

Central midfield

29

3

5

Right winger

10

4

2

Centre-forward

5

5

0

In terms of positioning, Musiala is something of a jack-of-all-trades, invariably deadly through goalscoring or creating and conjuring up moments of wizardry.

It’s no surprise that he’s been hailed for his “magical” ball-playing qualities by presenter Gary Lineker after lighting it up at Euro 2024, scoring three goals across five matches and averaging 2.6 dribbles and 6.6 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

Chelsea’s one-time youth prospect has made startling progress since Bayern snapped him up, aged 16, for a nominal fee, amassing 185 appearances in total and notching 94 goal contributions.

Were Liverpool to sign him – ahead of rivals Man City – it’s likely that Musiala’s crackling pace and power would be used on the left flank, especially with Luis Diaz reaching a contractual impasse and potentially being sold in the next year or two.

In any case, Musiala would likely need to jockey with the currently in-form Cody Gakpo, but given his completeness and flair, the Bavarian sensation might actually prove to be an upgrade.

Goals scored

0.80

0.42

Assists

0.18

0.21

Shots taken

3.93

2.97

Shot-creating actions

5.45

3.82

Progressive passes

6.17

2.65

Progressive carries

3.58

2.65

Successful take-ons

3.31

1.91

Tackles

1.88

1.70

No disrespect to Gakpo, who is a fantastic footballer, but Musiala outstrips him across almost every noteworthy metric, endowed as he is with supreme athleticism and balletic poise.

Musiala has a doe’s grace, a lion’s ferocity and a fox’s cunning, the various facets sort of wrapping together to create something marvellous. Something elite.

Further to the point, Musiala’s feints and off-the-ball movements set him apart from your run-of-the-mill trickster. In fact, the 6 foot star would assume the role that Gakpo forfeited last season in playing across the field.

Gakpo did this without complaint under Klopp’s leadership but is clearly at his best when situated on the left flank. Musiala, however, maintains a clinical output regardless of his role, as evidenced by his positional table above.

Regarding Gakpo, Slot’s hardly going to be displeased with his options on the left flank. The 25-year-old has scored ten goals and supplied four assists across all competitions this term, and that’s while registering just 15 starts.

The £120k-per-week ace, however, has been streamlined into a goalscoring force under Slot’s wing, which has served him well in his fight to enter the ascendency.

That said, when considering his skillset against Musiala’s, it’s clear that the German brings the more expansive and stylish style of play, something that could give Liverpool the most incredible of dynamic injections on the left, pumping more creativity and energy into a frontline already established as one of Europe’s finest.

Liverpool would hit the biggest of jackpots if they were to seal this deal, taking Slot’s project to the next level and confirming to the footballing world that Anfield is here to stay as a powerhouse.

Man City would love to sign him themselves to help phase out De Bruyne, and if we’re being honest, the most likely scenario does seem to be a renewal in Germany.

Transfer Focus

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

But if Liverpool were to succeed in their bid, they’d land one of the best forwards in the world. He’s better than Gakpo, and that’s certainly not to the Dutchman’s detriment. That says it all, really.

Dream Diaz replacement: Liverpool may have Mane 2.0 in "frightening" teen

Liverpool’s academy has risen to elite status in recent years – and this teen might be the pick of the bunch.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 28, 2024

Bracewell has five wickets from two Tests but has conceded an eye-watering 5.67 runs per over

Matt Roller26-Jun-2022It was an over which turned the series. England were 136 for 4 in pursuit of 279 at Lord’s when Kane Williamson threw the ball to Ajaz Patel for his second over, hoping to break a partnership worth 67 between Joe Root and Ben Stokes.Stokes had slog-swept Patel’s second ball of the match for six into the Grandstand and Williamson was clearly reluctant to bring him back on. But with Colin de Grandhomme off the field with an injury which would end his series, he had little choice: even with Stokes on strike, Patel was back in the firing line.Stokes lined Patel up, monstering him over midwicket twice more in the first four balls of the over. He was nearly bowled by the fifth, missing another slog-sweep to a ball which bounced just past the top of his off stump and past Tom Blundell’s gloves for four byes, but with figures of 2-0-22-0, Patel did not return to bowl again.This was the first clear sign of England’s ultra-positive approach with the bat. They had scored at 2.83 an over in their run chase up until the start of that over and went at 4.64 thereafter, liberated by Stokes’ decision to take down his match-up with the ball spinning into his arc.”He saw that match-up with the left-arm spinner… it was a really important over,” Root said. “With Colin going off injured it meant that they were going to have to keep bringing their seamers back, keep them tired.” Kyle Jamieson, who picked up much of the slack, suffered a stress reaction in the next Test which ruled him out of the series.Williamson’s faith in Patel evaporated. He had taken 10 wickets in an innings and 14 in the match in his most recent Test, and 4 for 59 in New Zealand’s win at Edgbaston last summer, but was deemed surplus to requirements on two good batting pitches at Trent Bridge and Headingley.His replacement, Michael Bracewell, has been eviscerated: he has taken five wickets in his two Tests but has conceded an eye-watering 5.67 runs per over. He has the highest economy rate by a New Zealand bowler in a series anywhere, by any bowler in a series in England and the third-highest by any bowler in any series (min. 40 overs bowled).He has been a strangely negative selection: a 31-year-old allrounder, picked primarily for his bowling despite a career record of 27 wickets at 47.51 in first-class cricket before this tour, having only switched to offspin in the 2019-20 season. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, England have attacked 17.7% of the balls he has bowled, compared to an overall figure of 13.2% across the series: Bracewell’s team-mates call him ‘the Beast’ but he has been beasted on this tour.Related

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On Sunday, he removed Zak Crawley with his seventh ball, slapped straight to extra cover, but by the end of the day he had resorted to firing the ball down the leg side from around the wicket – and even then, Root swept him for consecutive fours. There were chances, with both Root and Ollie Pope edging past Daryl Mitchell at slip, but he conceded one boundary per over.”We’re backing him all the way,” Tom Blundell said in his defence, “but if you look at it, you’ve got two quality guys out there who play spin really well. If you look at the opportunities we created at times with Beast, if one of those goes to hand, it could be a different story.”Williamson was crying out for a bowler who could restrict England’s scoring but couldn’t find one. New Zealand packed their batting by picking Bracewell at No. 8 and effectively only fielded three frontline bowlers, two of whom have played all three games in this series and arrived straight from the IPL. His runs – 96 in four innings – have been handy, but nothing more.And so Bracewell had to plug away, finishing the day with 1 for 70 from his 11 overs on a pitch that had started to turn sharply. Jack Leach, his opposite number, bowled more than 70 overs, took the new ball in the second innings and took five wickets in each innings; Williamson posted a sweeper either side of square leg and watched Root nail the ball into the gap between them.Patel, meanwhile, looked on from the dressing room. Perhaps he would have suffered the same fate as Bracewell, but he was hardly given a chance. New Zealand will not play their next Test until the far side of the T20 World Cup by which time he will be a 34-year-old with only a dozen caps to his name.That his career record compares favourably to Leach’s is a reflection of the fact that New Zealand only pick him when conditions suit, but even on a dry, hard Leeds surface, he has had to carry the drinks. He must wonder how this series might have panned out if his penultimate ball of the tour had kissed the top of Stokes’ off stump, rather than bouncing over it.

The MLS icons admit o being concern for DC United and call for immediate action from the club's ownership

Howard and Donovan discuss DC United's decline on their "Unfiltered Soccer" podcastUSMNT legends question the club's direction and competitivenessDonovan hosts urge DC United ownership to take actionGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

Former U.S. international and MLS stars Tim Howard and Landon Donovan believe D.C. United's ownership have to step in and make changes to fix the club's current malaise – which has been punctuated by the 6-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes over the weekend.

“This is the time when we need to hammer D.C. a little bit. Because we’ve been hammering New England and just down the East Coast there, D.C. is a disaster. They need to figure out, and it starts with ownership to be sure, ‘Do you really care about this? And if not then take your profit and get out because the league is too mature now to have teams like this,” Donovan said on the Unfiltered Podcast.

D.C. United, one of the most storied franchises in MLS history with four league titles, haven't made the playoffs since 2019. The club's lengthy struggles are one of the reasons why the club doesn't have the same traction it did in the early days of MLS.

“They are just a mess man, there’s few people in the stands, and people don’t care the way they used to. I used to hate going to D.C. to play dude, it was a nightmare. The teams were good and now it’s like they’re just a shadow of themselves, they’re cheap and they don’t spend money," Donovan said. "They’re just a mess, a lack of leadership there and they’re a total mess and they’ve been mired in this for years and years now. And those of us that love the league and know the league from the early days, we wanna see D.C. get back to prominence.”

AdvertisementWHAT TIM HOWARD SAID

Howard, Donovan’s co-host on the podcast, believes the team's current situation is fixable, but United need to find strong leaders to fix its issues.

“I think the, you go back to Southampton and hiring Russell Martin and Ivan Juric and the mess that gets created, it’s so interesting because you always hear me say, there’s not one way to win a football match," Howard said. "Doesn’t have to be super ultra-progressive and you just need winners to win. Hire a manager, give him autonomy of the squad, and let him go. And that’s what San Jose is doing with Bruce and like duh!”

He added, "I oftentimes think that when it comes to these sports franchises who just kind are wallow away in the muck, in the bottom, it shouldn’t be that hard. It’s OK to have a couple of bad years, three down years totally, you’re just human. But it shouldn’t be that hard to figure it out, get yourself out of there like you shouldn’t be in this run for this long.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

DC United's struggles are part of a broader conversation about competitiveness and investment in MLS. As the league continues to grow and attract high-profile players and coaches, the pressure on historically successful clubs to maintain their status has intensified. The Black-and-Red Eagles sit 12th on the Eastern Conference table and have won just one out of their seven league games so far this term.

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WHAT’S NEXT?

Following the 6-1 loss to San Jose Earthquakes, DC United will be hoping to bounce back when they host FC Cincinnati at home on April 12 in the league. They’ll follow that up with an away game against New York Red Bulls at the Red Bull Arena on April 19.

Prabath Jayasuriya picked up four wickets but found little support from Sri Lanka’s other bowlers

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jul-2022A tense final morning, in which Pakistan had 120 to get with seven wickets in hand, began with the closest call. Mohammad Rizwan, coming forward to a Prabath Jayasuriya delivery, saw the ball slip between bat and pad before passing within a couple of centimetres of the off bail.There were plenty of other moments to fray Pakistani nerves. In the third over, Abdullah Shafique was hit on the back leg by Jayasuriya, raising a voracious lbw appeal. Sri Lanka reviewed the not-out decision, but the ball was shown to be climbing over the stumps. Several overs later, once Pakistan had whittled the requirement down to double figures, another Jayasuriya ball that passed Rizwan’s outside edge prompted another big appeal, and another burned review.When he was on 128, Shafique thought a ball that erupted from a length and beat the keeper had gone towards the boundary, and began to take off for a run, before hastily turning back. Had Dhananjaya de Silva, who had caught that ball at slip, connected with his shy at the stumps, Shafique would have been out.And then there was the rain. A large black cloud parked itself over the stadium when Pakistan had about 25 to get. Not willing to let his almost 400-ball innings end in a rain-affected draw, Shafique came down the pitch and tried to launch Dhananjaya de Silva over deep midwicket, and only ended up skying it to Kasun Rajitha, who came in a few metres off the boundary and dropped it.But through all this, though three wickets fell, and though Pakistan had to scrap for the last 40 runs, Shafique’s continued presence meant that they always had the chase in hand. He largely batted on day five much like he had the previous day – watchfully, strategically, and with a staunch refusal to give away his wicket.In the early parts of the day, he had let Rizwan spur Pakistan forward with his sweeps, and a couple of breezy cover drives. During their partnership of 71, which put Pakistan within 65 runs of victory, Shafique made only 23 runs, and struck just the solitary boundary. Rizwan made 40, and was eventually out lbw to a Jayasuriya slider.With the lower-middle-order batters, Shafique was no different, sticking with the strategy of waiting out the good balls, and creating single options, occasionally by coming down the track, or by going deep into his crease.When debutant Agha Salman and Hasan Ali – who had been promoted to hit some big shots – were out in quick succession with 41 still to get, Shafique was still resolute. Only in that final stand with Mohammad Nawaz (of the ones he was involved in, on day five), did Shafique outscore his partner, passing 150 for the first time in his career, with 25 still to get.The final obstacle in Pakistan’s way was the rain. With 11 required, the dark cloud that had forced a hurried shot out of Shafique unleashed a torrent. But the heavy rain lasted only minutes, and it soon became clear that play would resume, which it did following a delay of about 90 minutes. Shafique fittingly hit the winning runs, a slap through the covers to take him to 160 not out off 406.Of Sri Lanka’s attack, Jayasuriya seemed for large parts of the day to be the only bowler capable of taking wickets, with Ramesh Mendis unable to exert consistent pressure, while Maheesh Theekshana was milked for runs as well. Dhananjaya de Silva assisted Jayasuriya the best with some quiet overs.If last week’s innings win against Australia had made Sri Lanka confident in their spin attack, this chastening defeat has been a reality check. This remains an inexperienced group. Jayasuriya was the best of them again, taking 4 for 135 from 56.2 overs. Ramesh Mendis and Dhananjaya claimed a wicket apiece.

With Manchester City currently sixth in the Premier League, a whopping 12 points adrift run-away league-leaders Liverpool, Pep Guardiola will surely look to dip into the transfer market this January, especially considering the Sky Blues potentially have scop to spend big this month.

Last summer, Savinho was brought in from within the City Football Group for a reported £30m, but the club actually made a profit of around £126m in players sales, following the departures of Julián Álvarez (£81.5m), João Cancelo (£21m), Liam Delap (£20m) and Taylor Harwood-Bellis (£20m).

Potentially partially due to Álvarez’s sale, goal-scoring has been an issue for the Citizens this season so far; they’re currently on course to score only 68 goals, having bagged, on average, 96 league goals per season across the last seven campaigns.

So could the return of a former Man City wide-man help get the goals flowing again?

Man City looking to re-sign former winger

According to a report by Pete O’Rourke for Football Insider, Manchester City are preparing a “shock swoop” to bring Leroy Sané back to the club, five years after he departed.

Manuel Veth of Forbes adds that Sané is out of contract with current club Bayern Munich at the end of the season, stating that the winger, who’s now able to agree a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club, is highly likely to depart, given that “no negotiations to renew his deal” have taken place.

Sané joined Man City from Schalke in 2016, the same summer Guardiola arrived, for a reported £37m, scoring 39 goals and providing 43 assists during 135 appearances in sky blue, winning back-to-back Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three EFL Cups.

During this period, Gary Neville described the German as “electric”, adding “as a right-back… I would not want to play against” him.

However, after he rejected the offer of a new contract in the summer of 2020, Sané was sold to Bayern Munich for around £45m, racking up 53 goals and 51 assists in 194 appearances for the Bavarian giants to date.

How Leroy Sané would slot into Man City's team

The 28-year-old has seen opportunities limited under Vincent Kompany, starting only eight matches across all competitions, albeit he did score during Bayern’s final two Bundesliga fixtures prior to the winterpause, on target in defeat at Mainz and then during the 5-1 drubbing of RB Leipzig just before Christmas.

Transfer Focus

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

So, with Sané set to be on the move in 2025, could a return to Man City suit both the player and the Citizens?

Of course, given that Erling Braut Haaland now has 21 goals to his name already this season, one would assume goals are not an issue for the four-in-a-row Premier League champions.

However, after the Norwegian, their next-highest scorers are Phil Foden on five and defender Joško Gvardiol with four, due to the fact the Sky Blues’ wide-players are simply not offering enough end-product, Jack Grealish in particular coming under scrutiny, given that it’s now 389-days, and counting, since his most-recent club goal.

At the weekend, Guardiola admitted Savinho got the nod over Grealish because the Brazilian “is in better shape”, so just how do Sané and Grealish compare, and would the German be an upgrade?

Appearances

69

62

Minutes

4,502

3,362

Goals

16

5

Assists

14

6

Shots

151

66

Shots on target %

41.7%

33.3%

Progress carries

206

215

Shot-creating actions

227

144

Attempted take-ons

283

91

Take-on success %

53.7%

40.7%

Touches

2,572

1,628

The table above clearly outlines, since the start of last season, Sané has been an exponentially more dangerous attacker than Grealish, scoring over three times as many goals, registering over double the number of assists and accumulating significantly more shot-creating actions.

On top of this, Sané has attempted over three times more take-ons, with a significantly higher take-on success %, underlining, as noted by Richard Jolly of the Independent, Grealish is no longer “one of the most exciting attacking players in world football” as he was at Aston Villa, with Richie Mills of Goal arguing Guardiola is responsible for “sucking the football” out of him.

Thus, in summary, re-signing Sané would be a no-brainer, especially considering he’s available for free.

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is facing the largest amount of pressure since he joined the club from Celtic in 2023, with Spurs sliding to 15th in the Premier League table after their 3-2 loss at Everton last weekend.

Ange Postecoglou criticised amid torrid Tottenham form

The Lilywhites showed real spirit to come back from 3-0 down at half-time on Merseyside, clawing back the deficit to just one, but the defeat was Postecoglou’s fifth in Spurs’ last six top flight matches and their 12th of the season overall.

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Until now, Tottenham hadn’t lost that number of games by this stage of a season for decades, and Postecoglou has been criticised for his one-note approach to matches in that time, whilst also failing to address his side’s leaky defence with a needed tactical tweak.

It simply must be said that Postecoglou has been dealt a plethora of injuries to key first-team players, including star striker Dominic Solanke just before their loss to Everton, and this has left the under-fire Spurs boss with precious few options.

Leicester City (home)

January 26

Brentford (away)

February 2

Man United (home)

February 16

Ipswich Town (home)

February 22

Man City (home)

February 26

Brennan Johnson is also set to be sidelined for weeks after he picked up an injury in their North London Derby loss to Arsenal last week, but Sky Sports pundit Jamie O’Hara says Postecoglou should be given his P45 regardless.

Reports suggest that Postecoglou is under no immediate threat of the Tottenham sack, but the 59-year-old faces a crucial week and this could well change if results continue in this manner.

Tottenham could sound out ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic if they decide to part company with Postecoglou, according to some reports, while another media source has now linked them with Brentford manager Thomas Frank.

Tottenham identify Thomas Frank as a "top" managerial target

According to TEAMtalk, the Bees boss is greatly admired by Tottenham’s hierarchy, following a productive few years at the Gtech Community Stadium where he has worked wonders on a shoestring budget.

The £4.5 million-per-year coach guided Brentford to promotion back in 2021, and they’ve never really been under any real threat of relegation since. Their highest league finish of ninth in 2022/2023 is impressive given the lack of resources available to Frank, and this has caught eyes at N17.

It is believed Frank would be a “top” target for Tottenham if they decide to sack Postecoglou. TEAMtalk add that chairman Daniel Levy and co even considered the 51-year-old as an option to succeed Antonio Conte, before they eventually landed on Postecoglou, and Frank has been praised as a “class act” by members of the media (Adam Keys).

The Dane is also expected to leave Brentford at the end of the season, meaning he could be attainable.