Performance in Ireland tri-series has given everyone a lot of confidence, says chief selector Minhajul Abedin

Mohammad Isam21-May-2019

Mosaddek Hossain scored a 27-ball 52* in the tri-series final•Getty Images

There will be no changes to the 15-man provisional World Cup squad Bangladesh had announced over a month ago, with Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector, saying that the performances in the Ireland tri-series, which Bangladesh won, had convinced the selectors that the squad was the right one.”There is much confidence on and within the 15-member squad currently in England,” Abedin, who was also the team manager during the tri-series, told ESPNcricinfo. “Everyone in the squad has shown that they are capable of performing at the highest stage, which is why we selected them in the first place.”The question marks were mainly over Abu Jayed and Mosaddek Hossain, but both passed with flying colours. Mosaddek’s quickfire half-century against West Indies in the final helped Bangladesh clinch their first multi-team ODI trophy, while Jayed took 5 for 58 against Ireland in an earlier game.Liton Das and Rubel Hossain, also not considered automatic starters at the World Cup, also did enough in their limited opportunities during the tri-series to stay in the squad. Liton hit a 67-ball 76 against Ireland in his only outing, while Rubel picked up 1 for 41 in the same game.Four reserve players – Taskin Ahmed, Farhad Reza, Nayeem Hasan and Yasir Ali – had travelled to Ireland for the tri-series, but will now continue training in Dhaka along with the two other standby players – Imrul Kayes and Taijul Islam – in preparation for the July series against Afghanistan A, who will play two four-day and five one-day games.Most of Bangladesh’s World Cup squad is now training in Leicester before the squad – including captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal, who were given a break – head to Cardiff for their two warm-up games against Pakistan and India on May 26 and 28 respectively.Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain

Alisha Lehmann’s summer holidays are over for now, with the Aston Villa star leaving sun-soaked Brazil to join up with the Switzerland national team.

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Enjoyed post-season break in South AmericaHeaded to homeland of boyfriend Douglas LuizReturns to her roots for Euro 2025 qualifiersWHAT HAPPENED?

The 25-year-old forward has been enjoying a post-season break in the homeland of her Brazilian partner, Douglas Luiz. The pair have been relaxing on the beach and by the pool, while ensuring that a football is never far from their thoughts.

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They have also been mingling with some familiar faces, with Luiz being joined in South America by fellow countrymen Matheus Cunha – who now plays his club football in the Premier League at Wolves – and former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho – who is a team-mate at Villa despite spending much of last season out on loan in Qatar.

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Lehmann was keen to keep the holiday vibes going, as she reported for duty at the Swiss camp wearing sunglasses, but she was greeted back to Europe by grey skies and showers. The Switzerland squad were, however, in high spirits after being reunited.

West Brom are reportedly showing an interest in signing an exciting talent who has "got everything", with Newcastle United and Brighton also in the mix to snap him up.

West Brom transfer news

The Baggies are unlikely to be busy in the January transfer window, but at the same time, it would be a surprise if no new faces arrived to strengthen their Championship promotion hopes. One player who has emerged as a strong transfer target is Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt, with the Hawthorns seen as a good destination for the young Englishman. He is struggling for minutes under Daniel Farke this season, although it remains to be seen if the Whites would want to send him to a direct rival.

Hertha Berlin's Derry Scherhant is another option for West Brom, with the 21-year-old primarily playing in the 2.Bundesliga this season, and Bournemouth and Wales striker Kieffer Moore could also be brought in, giving him a chance to enjoy more regular minutes than he is getting at the Vitality Stadium.

While the Baggies need to be looking at players who can make an impact from the off, planning for the future is also hugely important, and it looks as though they are eyeing the signing of someone with a massive ceiling.

West Brom want Jordan James

According to Corriere Della Sera [via Sport Witness], West Brom are interested in signing Birmingham City youngster Jordan James, with the 19-year-old a highly-rated prospect.

The midfielder is wanted by a host of top clubs, however, with Premier League sides Newcastle, Brighton and Brentford all mentioned as potential suitors, as well as Serie A team Fiorentina. The list of clubs keen on acquiring his signature is thought to be getting "longer by the hour", with Birmingham demanding a €10m (£8.5m) fee.

Admittedly, it does look as though West Brom are the outsiders to get their man, but it is encouraging to see them showing such ambition in targeting a player of enormous long-term potential. Wales manager Rob Page has heaped praise on James, saying:

"He reads the game well, he’s athletic, he likes a tackle, he can pass the ball, he can head it. He ticks a lot of boxes; he has got everything. He is a great lad and he wants to work hard. He has got potential and we’re going to help him achieve that."

At 19, James already has 79 appearances to his name in the Championship, showing that is more than capable of being a reliable squad immediately for West Brom, while eight caps for Wales while still in his teens is arguably even more impressive.

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It feels more likely that the teenage midfielder will head to the Premier League if Birmingham sanction his exit, but if he sees the Baggies as a team that could go up this season, as well as give him regular playing time, there is still a chance that they could sign him.

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The England allrounder says the two are “probably really good people” deep down

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2019Moeen Ali has called on fans who will attend the 2019 World Cup to refrain from heckling the duo of Steven Smith and David Warner with personal barbs. Both men will be turning out for Australia for the first time since they were banned for a year each in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, but Moeen said he didn’t want fans to go after them too much because of that.”I really hope they don’t get too much stick. I want them to enjoy the series,” Moeen told the . “If you have to, keep it funny, not personal. We all make mistakes. We are human beings and we have feelings. I know deep down they are probably really good people. I just hope they get treated decently. I just want the cricket to be spoken about.”Moeen’s comments come two days after Australia coach Justin Langer had said both Smith and Warner would require sensitive monitoring and handling over the coming months.”There’s not too many I’ve met in my life who like being booed or heckled or disliked so… they’re human beings,” Langer had said. “We’re going to have to care for them, we’re going to have to put an arm around them and make sure they’re going okay. But what people say, whether it’s in the crowd or social media or wherever, there’s nothing they can do about that, they can’t control it, but what we can do is keep an eye on them and make sure they’re going okay as people as much as cricketers.”Smith and Warner were part of Australia’s pre-World Cup camp, which included three practice matches against a New Zealand XI. Smith made 22, 89* and 91* in those games, while Warner scored 39, 0 and 2. Both men played key parts in the recently concluded IPL 2019 for their respective franchises, though they had to leave the tournament early to join the Australia camp.Warner was the leading run-scorer in the competition, amassing 692 runs in 12 innings for Sunrisers Hyderabad at an average of 69.20 and a strike rate of 143.86. Smith started slowly for Rajasthan Royals but upped his run-scoring significantly once he was made captain, ending with 319 runs in ten innings at an average of 39.87 and a strike rate of 116.00.

Just like last season, Arsenal are once again involved in the Premier League title race, although this time, they are up against Liverpool as well as Manchester City, and instead of simply outscoring their opposition, they are winning games through their stern midfield and rock solid defence.

While this is probably somewhat down to Mikel Arteta wanting to make his side harder to play against, it's also clearly linked to their struggles in front of goal, with star striker Gabriel Jesus particularly guilty of wasting chance after chance this year.

In his 16 league appearances this campaign, the Brazilian has found the back of the net just three times, and he looks a million miles away from matching his 11 goals in 26 appearances last season.

With this in mind, it comes as no surprise to anyone that the Gunners have been linked with a plethora of talented strikers this month, so let's take a look at three of them.

1 Ivan Toney – Brentford

It only makes sense to start with Brentford's Ivan Toney, who has perhaps been touted for a move to the Emirates more than any other striker this month.

The gifted "monster", as described by Brentford writer Billy Grant (via Chronicle Live), has only just returned from an eight-month footballing ban for betting offences. Still, with a goal against Nottingham Forest, he looks as good as ever.

It was his performances for the Bees last season that really caught the eye of the footballing public, as in 33 league appearances, he scored an incredibly impressive 20 goals and provided four assists to boot.

The "unplayable" number nine, as Premier League legend Alan Shearer described him, ended the season as the third-highest goalscorer behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

He would undoubtedly improve Arteta's attack, but he might cost a pretty penny, even though CIES Football Observatory value him at just €20m (£17m).

Toney

Jesus

0.40

0.44

0.43

0.27

1.01

1.24

0.42

0.21

2 Santiago Gimenez – Feyenoord

Another name that has been seen mentioned alongside Arsenal a fair few times this month is Feyenoord's "Mexican Machine", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Santiago Gimenez.

The 22-year-old has been like a man possessed in the Netherlands, scoring 15 goals and providing two assists to help Feyenoord lift the league title last season before scoring 19 goals and providing four assists in just 18 league appearances this season.

As things stand, he is the current joint top goalscorer in the Eredivisie but has more assists to his name and a considerably better minutes-per-goal ratio.

You'd be forgiven for assuming that a player as prolific as this would cost the Gunners an arm and a leg in the transfer market, but a report from Football Insider earlier this month revealed that the Mexican international could be available for as little as £30m, which would look like a bargain in today's market.

Player

Goals

Assists

Club

Minutes per goal

Santiago Giménez

19

4

Feyenoord

78

Vangelis Pavlidis

19

1

AZ Alkmaar

83

Luuk de Jong

15

7

PSV Eindhoven

94

3 Evanilson – FC Porto

One of the latest strikers touted for a move to N5 this month is FC Porto's Evanilson, as on Monday of this week, Football Transfers revealed that the club have 'set their sights' on the 24-year-old Brazilian forward and that he could be available for €75m – £64m.

Now, he might not be a household name in the UK at the moment, but his goalscoring exploits speak for themselves, and once you've seen them, it's hard to see how this deal wouldn't make the Gunners a demonstrably more threatening team.

The former Fluminense man has scored 14 goals in just 19 appearances across all competitions for the Dragões this season, and his underlying numbers look a lot more impressive than Jesus'.

The "serious talent", as described by Kulig, might have a lower expected goal and a lower expected assist number than the Arsenal man, but his realised goals and assists are significantly higher, demonstrating just how clinical he is in front of goal, which is precisely what the Gunners need at the moment.

He also requires fewer than half the number of shots on target to score than Jesus, further cementing his elite finishing abilities.

Evanilson

Jesus

0.39

0.44

0.63

0.27

0.15

0.22

0.21

0.18

0.50

0.21

Leeds United have the opportunity to bolster their playing squad this month as the January transfer window officially opened for business last week.

It is not easy to get deals over the line at this time of the year as teams may not want to part ways with their top talent midway through a campaign.

This means that the Whites could find it difficult to improve their team immediately with permanent signings, which opens the door to the loan route.

Chief executive Angus Kinnear revealed back in October that the club had deliberately left two loan spots free ahead of the January window to do business this month.

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Two has since become three as Leeds decided to exercise a break clause in Djed Spence's loan from Tottenham Hotspur, which sent the defender on his way back to the Premier League side.

Leeds could, in theory, bring in three more players on loan to add to the group and one star who could arrive in such a move is Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.

Leeds transfer news – Andrey Santos

The Whites have recently been touted with a possible swoop to sign the Brazilian prospect on loan until the end of the season from the top-flight outfit.

Speaking on CaughtOffside's YouTube channel earlier this month, journalist Ben Jacobs claimed that Leeds could be in the race to land his signature before the end of the window.

The reporter stated that Premier League side Crystal Palace are also interested in a deal to land the former Vasco da Gama star this month.

Jacobs also named Ipswich Town, who are currently second in the Championship and ahead of Daniel Farke's men, as a team to watch out for in regard to Santos' immediate future.

The central midfielder looks set to be available after Chelsea decided to recall him from his loan with Nottingham Forest during the first half of the campaign.

Santos was one of 14 first-team signings for the Tricky Trees last summer and found game time difficult to come by in Steve Cooper's bloated squad.

The young talent played 12 minutes off the bench against Liverpool in October 2023 and that was his only Premier League appearance for Forest in his short time there.

His failure to establish himself as a regular in the top-flight suggests that a loan down to the Championship would be a logical next step for him in his development.

Playing week-in-week-out in the second tier could help Santos to push on and then be ready to make the step up to top level football next season.

Farke must now push for the club to secure a deal for the talented youngster, who showcased his potential in Brazil, as he could be a dream partner for Ethan Ampadu in the middle of the park as an alternative option to Glen Kamara for the German head coach.

Ethan Ampadu's season in numbers

The Whites splashed out an initial fee of £7m to sign the Wales international from Chelsea on a permanent deal last summer and he has been a terrific addition to the squad.

Farke has relied on the defensive midfielder week-in-week-out in the Championship as he has selected the impressive ace in every single match so far this season.

Ampadu has started all 26 of the club's league matches and averaged 90 minutes played per match, which illustrates how important he has been to the side.

The 23-year-old enforcer was not given a rest against Peterborough in the FA Cup and proved his worth to the team once again with two goals and one assist in a 3-0 win.

It has been the other side of his game, however, that has caught the eye this season. Ampadu has been a superb defensive screen in front of the back four for Farke.

Ampadu vs Championship midfielders this season (via FBref)
Statistic (per 90)	Percentile rank
Tackles (1.85)	Top 43%
Interceptions (1.54)	Top 14%
Blocks (1.69)	Top 12%
Clearances (1.85)	Top 11%
Aerial duels won (0.85)	Top 48%

As you can see in the table above, the former Chelsea starlet has been an above-average performer in the Championship in terms of the defensive actions he makes per 90.

His 1.5 interceptions per game in the league also tops the Leeds squad and this highlights how important the gem has been to the defensive structure with his ability to cut out opposition attacks on a regular basis.

The statistics that show why Leeds should sign Andrey Santos

Farke could now land a dream partner for Ampadu by striking a deal to sign Santos as the Chelsea youngster can provide combative performances alongside him whilst also being able to carry an attacking threat.

Glen Kamara has been an impressive performer in midfield for Leeds but has never scored more than three goals in a league season and is yet to get off the mark for the club.

Santos, who talent scout Jacek Kulig once hailed as a "pressing machine", has the potential to offer more at the top end of the pitch to provide the Whites with a boost in the final third.

The 19-year-old whiz produced two goals and one assist in five matches at the U20 World Cup for Brazil last year and caught the eye with eight goals and four 'big chances' created in 33 Serie B games for Vasco da Gama in 2022.

These statistics suggest that the teenage dynamo could chip in with goals, whilst also being able to create chances for his teammates, from a defensive or central midfield position, which is something Kamara and Ampadu – with zero league goals this term – do not offer.

2022 Serie B	Andrey Santos (via Sofascore)
Appearances	33
Sofascore rating	7.13
Goals	Eight
Tackles per game	2.9
Duels won per game	8.4
Duel success rate	60%

As you can see from the table above, Santos, who was once described as "wonderful" by Kulig, also has defensive quality and could provide steel in the middle of the park to go along with his attacking prowess.

No Leeds player has made more than 2.4 tackles per match in the Championship this season, which suggests that the 5 foot 11 gem could be an outstanding performer at both ends of the pitch for Leeds if he can recapture that form from 2022.

He could, therefore, be a dream partner for Ampadu by being able to break forward from midfield to make an impact in attack whilst also having the defensive quality to sit in alongside the Welsh ace to shut out opposition teams.

تمكن الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالزمالك، من الفوز على الشرطة الكيني بهدفين مقابل هدف، خلال المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم ببطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

والتقى الزمالك مع الشرطة الكيني، على استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات جولة الإياب بدور الـ32 ببطولة الكونفدرالية، لتصبح النتيجة 3-1 في مباراتي الذهاب والإياب.

وسجل أحمد سيد زيزو الهدف الأول للزمالك في الدقيقة 56، بعد عرضية من عمر جابر قابلها زيزو بتسديدة داخل الشباك.

طالع أيضاً.. 

وفي الدقيقة 60 تمكن ناصر ماهر من إحراز الهدف الثاني للزمالك، بعد خطأ من لاعبي الشرطة الكيني استغله ناصر ماهر بتسديدة سكنت الشباك.

وقلص فريق الشرطة الكيني الفارق في الدقيقة 66 عن طريق جيسي ويري بعد ركلة حرة من على حدود منطقة الجزاء تم تنفيذها بعرضية قابلها ويري برأسية سكنت شباك الزمالك.

بهذا الفوز، تمكن الزمالك من التأهل إلى دور الـ 16 من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية (دور المجموعات). أهداف مباراة الزمالك والشرطة الكيني اليوم في كأس الكونفدرالية

The January transfer window has just over a week left to run and Celtic already have their eyes on a target to bring to Parkhead in the summer.

Celtic's search for a new number one

According to Football Insider, the Hoops have made signing a new number one a priority for the summer transfer window as they look for a new long-term option in that position.

Current first-choice Joe Hart is out of contract at the end of the current season and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be offered an extension.

The report claims that the Scottish giants have identified Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher as one of their top targets to take over from the former England international.

It states that the Ireland international, who is valued at £20m by the Premier League side, is ready to move on from Anfield in search of regular game time, which has opened the door for Celtic to swoop in for him.

Brendan Rodgers could now avenge the blunder that was made with the signing of Nat Phillips from the Reds by landing a fantastic signing from Jurgen Klopp's side.

Nat Phillips' struggles in Scotland

The English centre-back spent the first half of the season on loan at Celtic from Liverpool and failed to nail down a regular place in the starting XI.

He only made six appearances in the Scottish Premiership and started three matches for Rodgers. One of those starts produced a calamitous performance as the 26-year-old flop scored an own goal in a 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock.

23/24 Premiership

Nat Phillips (via Sofascore)

Appearances

Six

Tackles per game

0.2

Interceptions per game

0.3

Ground duel success rate

30%

Phillips also featured in two Champions League games for the Hoops and lost a staggering 67% of his aerial duels and 100% of his battles on the ground, as opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him.

These statistics show that the Liverpool loanee struggled domestically and in Europe before being allowed to return to England at the start of this month.

The stats that show why Kelleher could avenge Phillips' failure

Celtic could now avenge the blunder they made with the signing of Phillips by securing a deal for Kelleher at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Irish colossus, firstly, is 25 and could be the long-term number one at Parkhead. He is 11 years younger than Hart, who is out of contract this summer, and could be Rodgers' number one for many, many, years to come.

This means that there is long-term value to be had with the Reds youngster if the Hoops snap him up on a permanent deal, whereas Phillips was only short-term loan that did not work out on the pitch.

Kelleher, who was once hailed as "exceptional" by Klopp, could also arrive as an upgrade on Hart in terms of their respective shot-stopping abilities.

The 25-year-old ace has been Liverpool's first-choice in the EFL Cup in recent seasons and recorded a save success rate of 73% or higher in two of the last three campaigns.

Meanwhile, Hart has saved 67% of the shots on his goal in the Premiership this season and saved 65% of the shots against him during the 2022/23 campaign.

Kelleher has also stopped 9.1% of crosses into his box over the last 365 days in European competitions, in comparison to the Celtic stopper's 1.2% of crosses during the same period of time.

Therefore, the Hoops could avenge their Phillips blunder by signing a superb Liverpool talent who could be a key player for the club for many years to come.

War of words erupts – wicketkeeper-batsman says he is fit, board officials claim otherwise

Umar Farooq10-Jun-2019

Mohammad Shahzad was out for a three-ball duck against Australia•Getty Images

Afghanistan have been plunged into controversy with wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad claiming that he was incorrectly declared unfit and omitted from the World Cup squad. However, the Afghanistan Cricket Board insists that Shahzad was indeed unfit, which is why he has been replaced by Ikram Alikhil.Shahzad, 32, retired hurt during Afghanistan’s warm-up game against Pakistan on May 24, but subsequently played the team’s first two World Cup matches.He underwent a knee scan during the warm-up match against Pakistan. In the two matches that he did play, he was out for a three-ball duck against Australia, and made 7 off 12 against Sri Lanka. Afghanistan lost both matches.But while Shahzad has reportedly insisted that he was fit, the ACB chief executive, Asadullah Khan, was adamant that there had been no foulplay in dropping the wicketkeeper-batsman.”It’s absolutely wrong to say that he was unfairly dropped,” Asadullah told ESPNcricinfo. “We have given a medical report to the ICC to prove that he is unfit, and after thorough deliberation they allowed us to replace him. He is our main batsman, who can make a big difference with the bat, and it was a really difficult decision to drop one of our key players.”Shahzad’s medical report, a copy of which has been accessed by ESPNcricinfo, does confirm that he has a mild ACL strain on his left knee.Asadullah explained that since attaining full membership, Afghanistan had increased their focus on fitness. “Now that we are full members, our priority will be on fitness, in international and domestic cricket,” he said. “We can’t carry unfit players. We understand Shahzad was not fully fit when he still went on to play two games and this is not acceptable anymore.”Shahzad, after returning to Afghanistan, launched a broadside against his ouster while speaking with local media, accusing the ACB higher management for the move. “I went to a doctor in London and he drained my knee of some fluids, gave me a pill and said that I could play after resting for two-three days,” Shahzad told media in Kabul.”I had a practice session, bowled, batted, and had a keeping session… had lunch with my team-mates, and then sat down in the team bus (to return to the hotel) only to see the ICC press release on my phone saying I am out of the World Cup,” he explained. “That was the moment when I found out that I was unfit.”I asked the manager, who asked me to put the phone in my pocket and talk to the doctor. The doctor looked at me helplessly and said he couldn’t do anything. I don’t know what is the problem. If they have a problem, they should let me know. If they don’t want me to play, I will quit cricket.”I don’t see myself playing anymore. It’s a dream to play the World Cup. I was removed from the 2015 World Cup [he wasn’t selected for fitness reasons] and now this one as well. I am going to consult with friends and family. My heart isn’t in cricket anymore.”Shahzad is no stranger to controversy, despite having been a pivotal figure in Afghanistan’s extraordinary journey through the ranks to Test status. He missed out on playing during a large chunk of 2017 following an ICC suspension over a doping violation. Last year, he was found to be in breach of the ACB’s code of conduct when he played in a local Peshawar tournament, and was asked to reside permanently in Afghanistan or risk having his contract terminated.Shahzad is Afghanistan’s highest ODI run-getter, with 2727 runs at an average of 33.66 in 84 games.