O Botafogo confirmou a força do seu futebol e, em decisão acirrada com o Fluminense na manhã deste sábado (11), saiu do Estádio das Laranjeiras com a conquista do Campeonato Carioca Sub-15. Coube a Luiz Otávio deixar o Alvinegro ainda mais em vantagem. Nos últimos minutos, Fábio chegou a decretar o empate em 1 a 1 para os tricolores, mas não foi suficiente para mudar o título de mãos.
Como os botafoguenses venceram 2 a 0 na primeira partida, no Nilton Santos, a equipe iniciou o jogo atuando nos contra-ataques. O Fluminense tentava investidas, mas era pouco incisivo, o que tornava a etapa inicial morna. O Alvinegro aos poucos foi aproveitando espaços e marcou em uma falta bem cobrada por Luiz Otávio.
Na etapa final, o Tricolor das Laranjeiras continuou a controlar os ânimos da partida. Na reta final, o Botafogo viu Luiz Otávio ser expulso. Minutos depois, o time da casa chegou ao empate, em gol de pênalti cobrado por Fábio.
Manchester United and Tottenham are reportedly exploring a January loan deal for out-of-favour Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani.
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Kolo Muani struggling for PSG minutes
Tottenham & Man Utd explore loan move
Face competition from Juventus
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WHAT HAPPENED?
According to The Athletic, Spurs and United want to sign the PSG forward in January but Juventus have also expressed an interest in the 26-year-old. The report adds Kolo Muani's representatives have been made aware of the admiration, with the France international viewed as one of the best versatile attackers currently on the market.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Kolo Muani swapped Eintracht Frankfurt for PSG in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth up to €90 million (£74.5m) but it seems his future may lie away from the Ligue 1 outfit. The Frenchman is thought to be eager to leave the Parc des Princes as his game time has been limited.
DID YOU KNOW?
Since joining PSG 18 months ago, he has scored a paltry 11 goals and bagged seven assists in 54 appearances. And just 23 of those have been in a starting role as he has fallen out of favour under Luis Enrique.
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WHAT NEXT?
Amid this transfer speculation, Kolo Muani's PSG side host St-Etienne in Ligue 1 action on Sunday night in a battle between first and 15th in the division.
Hoping to finally bolster their defensive options, Newcastle United chiefs reportedly believe that a new centre-back target with no weaker foot can replace the ageing Fabian Schar.
Newcastle transfer news
Of course, Newcastle’s need for a central defender is no secret. The Magpies spent their summer in pursuit of Marc Guehi, only to miss out on the Crystal Palace defender and fail to turn towards an alternative option.
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
Now without Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles due to injury, Eddie Howe has been left with Dan Burn and Emil Krafth to turn into makeshift centre-backs alongside Schar. Whilst it didn’t look as though that would catch up to the Newcastle boss just yet, Newcastle’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Fulham exposed their problems for all to see in the Premier League.
Results such as the one at Craven Cottage make the January transfer window and next summer even more important. Those at St James’ Park endured a disastrous summer to forget last time out, but could now use 2025 to make up for lost time, starting with the addition of a central defender.
According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, Newcastle now believe that Richard King can replace Fabian Schar in the long-term, with his two-footed ability allowing him to slot in on both the left and right side of Howe’s backline. King currently plays for Jamaican outfit Cavalier, but is expected to be plying his trade in one of Europe’s top leagues very soon.
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However, it seems as though the Magpies aren’t the only side interested, with West Ham United reportedly leading the race for the 18-cap Jamaican’s signature and Aston Villa also eyeing a move.
Standing at 6 foot 1, King can also play as a defensive midfielder and as a full-back in what would instantly ease Howe’s squad depth woes. That said, Newcastle will have to act fast if they are to secure the centre-back against plenty of interested parties.
"Composed" King would add much-needed depth for Newcastle
Just 22 years old and yet to test himself at the elite level, King wouldn’t necessarily start for Howe’s side right away, especially when Botman returns, but what he would crucially add is depth within the Magpies’ backline – depth that they’ve otherwise lacked for over a year. By signing the Jamaican, Newcastle would be able to finally bring an end to Burn’s centre-back run, allowing him to return to his favoured full-back role in the process.
What’s more, given that Schar is now 32 years old, there’s a high chance that King would be the man to replace the Swiss international if he did complete a move to St James’ Park in 2025.
Jamaican football expert Rayon Nelson certainly believes that King is capable of performing at a higher level, saying via HITC: “You can see there is a talent He doesn’t look like a player who will slide in and be reckless, but he’s a talent. Richard King plays football in a composed manner.
“Richard King, who has won titles at the age of 22, looks like he can hit a different level. Ball control, making the simple passes, getting out of some tight spots, I think he has the potential to do so.
“Yes, there are some areas of his game that need to be developed. Let’s say, confidence and so forth. But I don’t see him as a player who can always be average. I see him as a player who can hit a different level.”
It perhaps comes as no surprise that Unai Emery has led Aston Villa to a wonderful start to the new season.
Across seven matches in all competitions, the Midlands outfit have won six games, only suffering defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League.
Much of this has to do with his excellent ability to move players on for decent fees, while also bringing in the best possible talent.
This summer, Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby departed the club, yet the supporters clearly aren’t missing them, especially given how impressive the new arrivals have been.
Amadou Onana looks like a player who will only get better under Emery, while Ian Maatsen has shone in his brief appearances for the club.
Emery isn’t perfect, however, as not all of his signings have demonstrated their true qualities. Nicolo Zaniolo is a prime example of this. Last summer, he arrived on a season-long loan deal from Galatasaray in the hopes of adding some quality to the Villa midfield.
The reality was very different, as the Italian failed to nail down a regular berth in the starting XI.
Nicolo Zaniolo’s Aston Villa’s statistics
Emery spent big during his first summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Diaby and Pau Torres, which worked wonders for the Spaniard as he led Villa to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, thus, securing Champions League qualification in the process.
While big money was spent, Zaniolo was a largely cost-effective signing, yet it didn’t quite work out as well as the fans wanted.
Goals
2
Assists
0
Key passes per game
0.4
Big chances created
0
Shots per game
1.1
Total duels won per game
2.4
Across the entire 2023/24 campaign, the Italian midfielder made 39 appearances for Villa, yet only 13 of them were from the starting XI. He only managed three goals all term, highlighting how little an impact the 25-year-old made in England.
In the top flight, Zaniolo ranked in a lowly 13th position for goals and assists (two), while also ranking eighth for big chances missed (three), 14th for key passes per game (0.4) and 12th for successful dribbles per game (0.4).
It is clearly evident that he was underwhelming during his temporary spell. Thankfully, Emery could call upon other players, which meant his ineffectiveness wasn’t a deterrent in the squad.
Before the Spaniard secured his signature, Villa were linked with a young talent who would eventually move to the Premier League…
Aston Villa missed out on Jeremy Doku
According to reports at the time, Villa were reportedly keen on securing a move for Jeremy Doku, having submitted a bid of around €30m (£25m), which was rejected by French side Stade Rennais.
Belgium forward Jeremy Doku.
During the 2022/23 campaign, Doku starred for Rennes. Across 35 games in all competitions, the winger scored seven times while chipping in with five assists, clearly capturing the attention of Villa in the process.
When it was clear the Midlands side were out of the running for the talented Belgian, Manchester City swooped in, signing him for a fee in the region of £55.5m, which would have been a club-record transfer for Villa – who ultimately ended up landing Zaniolo.
It is clear given his performances in Manchester that Emery missed a huge opportunity in failing to bring the Belgian international last summer.
Jeremy Doku’s Man City stats
While City may have won ‘just’ one trophy last term, retaining their Premier League title, Doku was one of their star performers, fitting into Pep Guardiola’s side with apparent ease.
Not only did he score six goals for City, but he also registered 11 assists, showcasing his prodigious talents in the process.
michael-olise-jeremy-doku-liverpool-opinion
The winger was previously hailed as “frightening” by former Premier League defender Anton Ferdinand in 2022 and certainly displayed qualities which had defences terrorised up and down the country.
When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Doku ranked in the top 1% for progressive carries, successful take-ons and touches in the opposition penalty area per 90.
Combine this with the fact he ranked in the top 2% for shot-creating actions and in the top 5% for assists in the previous 365 days, underlining how impressive he was in the final third.
So far this term, Doku has scored once in seven games, but given he is only 22, the winger can only get better and better.
Jeremy Doku’s market valuation
His performances for City last season saw his market value rise. According to Transfermarkt, Doku is now currently valued at €65m (£54m), which will only continue to rise should he keep delivering wonderful displays on the pitch.
Not only that, but the winger is the 26th highest-valued player in the Premier League. Considering he has only been in England for just over a year, it is quite an achievement.
While Villa did qualify for the Champions League last term, could they have perhaps gone further in the Conference League or won a domestic trophy if they had Doku at their disposal?
It will go down as a major case of what if for Emery, with his success at City rubbing salt into the wounds, no doubt about that.
Reaching the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition will give the manager plenty of leeway to secure some of the finest talent on the continent.
Doku clearly fits into that bracket. Villa won’t want to miss out on talents of this calibre in the future, that’s for sure.
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.
The main thing for Emery now is to keep doing what he is doing in the transfer market, bringing the best talent to the club in the hope they can end their 30-year major trophy drought.
Missing out on the Belgian has proven to be a big blow, but he won’t be the only talented attacker Emery has his eye on.
Aston Villa thought they may have the next Messi, then he left for just £7m
رد البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور، مهاجم ريال مدريد على استفزازات جماهير مانشستر سيتي له، بعدما حسم فريقه التأهل لدور الستة عشر في دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وشارك فينيسيوس أساسيًا في فوز ريال مدريد على مانشستر سيتي بثلاثية لهدف على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” ليلة الأربعاء.
كانت جماهير مانشستر سيتي رفعت لافتة في مباراة الذهاب بملعب “الاتحاد” يظهر عليها صورة لرودري لاعب الفريق وهو يقبل الكرة الذهبية، مع عبارة “توقف عن البكاء من قلبك”.
ويأتي ذلك في إشارة لمقاطعة ريال مدريد وفينيسيوس لحفل الكرة الذهبية بعد التأكد من أن البرازيلي لن يفوز بالجائزة التي ظفر بها رودري.
اقرأ أيضًا | بسبب عمر مرموش.. فينيسيوس يوبخ كامافينجا في مباراة ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي
جماهير السيتي رفعت نفس اللافتة في مباراة الإياب مع إضافة صورة لفينيسيوس وهو يبكي.
وبعد مباراة الإياب، غرد فينيسيوس قائلا “حسنا، حسنا، حسنا!!!!!!!” مصحوبًا بوجه يبكي، وهو ما اعتبره كثيرون إشارة إلى لافتة جماهير السيتي.
وسيواجه ريال مدريد إما أتلتيكو مدريد أو باير ليفركوزن في دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، وتجرى القرعة غدًا الجمعة.
Contrary to local reports, ESPNcricinfo understands Boucher has not taken legal action against those who mentioned him in their testimonies
Firdose Moonda30-Jul-2021Mark Boucher, South Africa’s men’s national coach, will make a submission to Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) project in response to allegations in which he has been implicated. Although CSA as an organisation will not comment on the SJN proceedings while they are ongoing, Boucher in his personal capacity confirmed his intention to co-operate with and support the SJN.”I have been asked by the SJN to submit a written reply to the various allegations made during the hearings that have taken place. The documents that I have been furnished with, as well as the various reports in the media require my full attention and consideration, which I will be giving to them over the course of the next week,” Boucher said. “My intentions are to cooperate fully with all requests made by the Ombudsman, so that the objectives of the SJN can be achieved.”Related
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Boucher’s name has cropped up in a few statements by former players at the SJN hearings on racial discrimination in the game, leading to questions asked about him by the ombudsman Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza. Some testimonies imply the involvement of Boucher, usually as part of a group of players, in some of the incidents that have come out. The culture of the national team, particularly in the 1990s and 2000s and specifically at the 2007 World Cup, has come under scrutiny through stories from former players Paul Adams, Roger Telemachus and Loots Bosman.While it is not clear how many of the members of those teams will present to the SJN it is expected that those with current involvement in South African cricket are likely to exercise the right of reply afforded to anyone who has been named in the proceedings.Boucher was first asked for a reaction to the SJN testimony following South Africa’s 3-0 victory over Ireland in the T20I series last week, when his name was mentioned at the hearings. Then, he said: “I fully respect the sensitivity around this. I am not going to give a knee-jerk response. I will go back home, assess the information that’s on the table, that’s available to me and I will reply respectfully and appropriately to all of the allegations. And at the right time as well. I need to get home and have a look at what’s been said and then I will come through with a response.”Contrary to local reports, ESPNcricinfo understands Boucher has not taken legal action against those who mentioned him in their testimonies. He called accusations of seeking the legal way out “hurtful, factually incorrect and do not serve the greater good of our country or the intentions of the SJN in mending past hurts and building relations.”As things stand, a date and time for Boucher’s submission at the SJN has yet to be confirmed.
Manchester Originals 89 for 4 (Buttler 30) beat Birmingham Phoenix 87 (Parkinson 4-9) by six wicketsMatt Parkinson was the star of the show on his home ground as the Manchester Originals brushed aside Birmingham Phoenix to register their first victory of the Hundred. Parkinson’s 4 for 9 helped bamboozle the visitors on a used surface at Emirates Old Trafford as Phoenix became the first team in the competition to be bowled out inside their 100-ball allocation.Having won the toss and chosen to bat, no one in the Phoenix line-up scored more than Moeen Ali’s 15 from 18 balls, and they eventually succumbed for 87 with 16 deliveries unused. Set a target that required them to score at less than a run a ball, the Originals went about their business with only a modicum of fuss while a decent crowd supped pints in the evening sunshine.Phil Salt cracked four fours in 22 from 11 balls and Jos Buttler, the Originals captain making his second and final appearance in the group stage before reporting for Test duty with England, set himself to do the heavy lifting in chiselling out 30 from 31. Buttler was bowled by Liam Livingstone – another Old Trafford favourite but on this occasion wearing the orange and red of Phoenix – with three runs needed, but so promptly did the Originals dispatch the visitors that the floodlights had barely begun to take effect.Lancashire infighting The shifting sands of new teams transposed over existing county affiliations should make for a number of intriguing match-ups during the Hundred, none more so than here. The Originals were captained by Buttler, a Lancashire player albeit one who has only played two Blast games on the ground in the last three years, and included the spin savvy of Parkinson and Tom Hartley, while the opposition featured Livingstone and Finn Allen, the New Zealand opener who last week was making use of the home dressing room.Given their respective statuses with Lancashire and England – and some of the banter flying back and forth in the build-up – Parkinson’s duel with Livingstone almost fitted the bill of appointment to view. Little more than a week ago, Livingstone recorded the fastest white-ball hundred by an Englishman in the Trent Bridge T20I against Pakistan. A few days later he cleared the Football Stand at Headingley (“he claims he’s hit two bigger” – Parkinson; “that was Matt telling lies” – Livingstone), then smashed a first-ball six at Old Trafford to ease England nerves in the third T20I. Parkinson, meanwhile, had been quietly successful on his recall to international colours, taking six wickets across five ODI and T20I appearances.In the event, though, their contest was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it. Parkinson’s first ball was a tossed-up legbreak that Livingstone tried to hit the cover off, only to skew an edge to short third. “He has been saying he’s going to bat halfway down the wicket to me, so to get him out first ball was great,” Parkinson said with a smile at the interval.Parkinson rips the contest apart No team had been bowled out in the Hundred to this point, but it was going to happen sooner or later (Phoenix’s women nearly managed it on the same pitch a few hours earlier). Sure enough, after battling through treacle for three-quarters of their innings, Phoenix duly went down in flames – sliding from 80 for 5 to 87 all out in the space of 11 deliveries. The Originals attack were all adept at fulfilling their roles, with the spinners setting the tone and Carlos Brathwaite effective in bowling his cutters into the pitch.Parkinson had already picked up the key wicket of Livingstone and he returned late in the innings to execute the legspinner’s brief of cleaning up the tail to perfection. The first ball of his final set was a Hollywood legbreak that pitched outside leg stump and left Chris Cooke gawping as it turned past the bat to hit off – a Ball of the Century candidate, if only Parkinson hadn’t already bowled a better one this season to Adam Rossington in a Championship match. The last two batters, Tom Helm and Imran Tahir, proved easy fodder as Parkinson claimed three in four balls to finish with impeccable figures of 4 for 9 – including 13 dots out of 19.Pitch imperfect This was the third short-format game on the same surface in six days, and anyone who saw the afternoon women’s fixture, in which Phoenix managed to comfortably defend 113, would have got a steer about what to expect. The low-scoring struggle has a hallowed place in the game, of course, but in the end this contest was largely devoid of both boundaries and tension as Phoenix stumbled so badly with the bat that the Originals were never under pressure in their chase.Following on from a run-laden evening at Headingley on Saturday, when the stands were regularly peppered as the Northern Supercharges and Welsh Fire racked up 341 runs over the course of 200 balls, this game highlighted just how important the surfaces provided for the Hundred will be – certainly in terms of entertainment. Both Ben Stokes and Jimmy Neesham, who were involved in the tonk-fest at Leeds, tweeted their criticisms of the pitch, which had originally been prepared for Tuesday’s T20I between England and Pakistan, and even then was far more receptive to spin than most English surfaces.There is clearly a tension here between tactically astute cricket and the freewheeling fare that gets the turnstiles clicking. “They’re not usually like that, they’re usually really good wickets here,” Buttler said afterwards. And “good”, from the competition organisers’ perspective, surely means fours and sixes. may have run successfully for a decade on Channel 4 but that probably wasn’t the free-to-air inspiration the ECB had in mind when designing a format to bring in new fans.
Look, Mohamed Salah has scored at Vicarage Road. It’s 3-2.
It was August 2017. On his Liverpool debut, a former Chelsea flop took the first steps of an odyssey that continues to this day. Of course, Liverpool didn’t manage to hold on that day, plugged back by Miguel Britos’ controversial 96th-minute equaliser, but that doesn’t matter anymore.
It was, in many ways, the real genesis of Liverpool’s glory days, with Jurgen Klopp assembling a world-class strikeforce in its infant stage, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino also scoring for a side that had no clue what lay ahead.
Mane and Firmino’s ships have sailed but Salah still reigns supreme in the Premier League, remaining after Klopp left in the summer and starting life under Arne Slot with aplomb, posting three goals and three assists across just three opening fixtures.
1.
Mohamed Salah
44
25
0.56
2.
Darwin Nunez
54
18
0.33
3.
Cody Gakpo
53
16
0.30
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Diogo Jota
32
15
0.47
5.
Luis Diaz
51
13
0.25
32 years young. The athletic phenomenon looks as good as he ever has, and he’s not the only long-serving Liverpool stalwart making a positive impression.
Indeed, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool’s vice-captain, continues to thrive for club and – in a newfound capacity – country. He’s one of football’s finest technicians. He’s world-class. He’s only 25, but his valuation, as recorded by Transfermarkt, has skyrocketed over the years.
1 Trent's market value in 17/18
Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Hoffenheim
The year that started it all. Liverpool’s 2017/18 season would end in dejection in a Gareth Bale-fuelled Real Madrid victory in the Champions League final, not helped by Loris Karius, but Alexander-Arnold took steps onto the senior stage, and Liverpool knew they had a new star.
The 17-year-old’s expertly dispatched free-kick against Hoffenheim was just the beginning, and at that same time, when Salah scored his debut goal, this young lad was valued at a paltry £1m.
2 Trent's market value in 18/19
Liverpool Champions of Europe
Transfermarkt’s lowly £1m valuation one year before lifted to €25m (£21m), but his efforts across the campaign let Liverpool fans know they had a special player in their midst.
Up until the end of the 2018/19 season, Klopp’s Liverpool were a talented and exciting bunch, but not the stuff of champions; having fallen against Los Blancos in last year’s Champions League final, few envisaged the Reds would return and vanquish their demons.
‘Corner taken quickly.’ We all know it. Alexander-Arnold went from strength to strength, showcasing his prodigious playmaking powers and earning acclaim.
3 Trent's market value in 19/20
Trent 2019/20
Trent’s efforts in winning Europe’s elite club competition were nice and all that, but Klopp’s boys had developed a hankering for silverware and were bothered by missing out on the Premier League title by a single point, to Manchester City.
Alexander-Arnold posted four goals and 13 assists in the division that year, which was instrumental in clinching the highest place on the podium. His efforts the year before had sent his value soaring toward the elite level, with Transfermarkt indeed valuing him at €80m (£69m) in the summer of 2019. Spoiler alert: it rose higher still.
4 Trent's market value in 20/21
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold with Jurgen Klopp
Klopp’s dynasty did have its peaks and valleys, and the 2020/21 campaign was one of frustration as the Premier League champions were ravaged by injuries, though they did pull off a great escape in their own right to claim a top-four spot against all the odds.
In a COVID-affected world, Alexander-Arnold endured some hardship, though he did begin the campaign with a frankly absurd market value of €110m (£93m), which really does underscore just how special he is.
5 Trent's market value in 21/22
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Bounce back. Liverpool restored their position as behemoths of the European game and returned to the ascendancy. Two trophies were won this year and Alexander-Arnold was on fire, the right-back clinching 21 goal contributions across 47 matches.
Defensive frailties and Liverpool’s overall poor performances the year before pulled the 25-year-old’s value back down to earth, however, still, it stood at a commendable €75m (£63m).
6 Trent's market value in 22/23
Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold
This was a low point. Alexander-Arnold was among the most rebuked Liverpool players during the nadir of Klopp’s tenure. Liverpool capitulated and missed out on Champions League football after finishing fifth.
Patchy form and shoddy defending characterised the term, with the Reds possibly burned out after the agonising near misses of the year before.
Much of the criticism headed Alexander-Arnold’s way was undue, for he still popped up with some magical moments, offered world-class creativity and was hailed as a “genius” by Reds reporter Neil Jones.
His market value stood at €80m (£69m) at the start of the campaign but hit its lowest ebb after the off-season.
7 Trent's market value in 23/24
Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates for Liverpool
Klopp revamped Liverpool’s midfield, a realm that Alexander-Arnold started to step into with greater regularity, flaunting his glittering range of passing.
Liverpool’s resurgent side weren’t always treated to the maestro’s performances, for he missed a chunk due to injury, but Klopp praised him for his “world-class” quality, and rightly so.
The woes of the season before meant that he started the season with a market worth of ‘just’ €65m (£55m), which is still a considerable valuation, but he resided in the penultimate year of his £180k-per-week contract and only renewal would see him return to the summit of football’s priciest players.
8 Trent's market value in 24/25
Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Man United
At the time of writing, it’s September 2023. Where’s that contract, Mr. Hughes? Apologies for the levity but do try not to fret. The aforementioned Salah is the first of Liverpool’s central trio to receive contractual attention, and there’s tentative promise with that one, but let’s just wait and see, ay?
Back to Trent, who is finally getting the Three Lions recognition he deserves, performing with audacious gusto for club and country. The city-born superstar’s situation is probably the most concerning of the lot, not least because Real Madrid lurk, interested in snapping up another elite talent on a free transfer.
It simply cannot happen. Alexander-Arnold, despite his present situation, has a market value of €70m (£59m), but just imagine what would happen if Liverpool got him to scribble that nib and spell his signature.
To put it another way, just imagine what would happen if Liverpool can’t get him to do exactly that.
Klopp sold Liverpool star for £6.5m, he's now outscored Chiesa since 2021
The club may regret allowing the talent to depart Anfield.
Rodrigo Bentancur will not be involved in Tottenham's training until he gets the green light from the club's medical staff following his collapse.
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Bentancur collapsed during Liverpool winStrectchered off and taken to hospitalClub will continue to monitor his conditionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Bentancur is under close medical supervision after a frightening collapse during Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. The 27-year-old will not be permitted to return to Tottenham’s training facilities until he receives full medical clearance, according to
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Bentancur collapsed suddenly during the first half of the match, despite no contact with any other player. The alarming nature of the incident led to a lengthy nine-minute delay as he received medical attention on the field. He was eventually stretchered off to a standing ovation from both Tottenham and Liverpool fans.
WHAT BENTANCUR SAID
The midfielder was immediately taken to hospital for a series of medical examinations. After being discharged later that evening, Bentancur reassured fans with a social media post. Sharing a photo alongside his fiancée, Melany La Banca, he wrote, “All good, guys! Thank you for the messages!!! Congratulations for the victory boys!!!”
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DID YOU KNOW?
While the immediate health scare seems to have passed, Bentancur could be sidelined for an extended period. The Uruguayan international has already missed significant time this season due to disciplinary issues and suspensions. Earlier this year, Bentancur served a seven-match suspension following allegations of a racial slur against team-mate and club captain Son Heung-min during an interview in Uruguay. After serving the ban, he missed last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle after picking up a one-match ban for yellow card accumulation.
In the words of Ron Burgundy, today is kind of a big deal
Alan Gardner21-Jul-2021So, I was watching the football the other night on the BBC, and they started advertising this thing called “the Hundred”. It looked kind of like cricket, so here I am… Yes ma’am, you’ve come to the right place. The Hundred is the rootin’-est tootin’-est thing to happen to the game since they added a third stump. Or at least since T20 started in 2003.Why does it feel like this is something that’s been buzzing away in the back of my head for some time? Well, the Hundred is coming in off one of the longest runs imaginable. It was first announced in 2018, to the sound of loud guffaws, and was supposed to be launched last year – only for Covid-19 to force a postponement. Now we’re hours away from the start of the competition, and nobody is laughing any more.What’s it all about then? It is the Alpha and Omega of the English game. It is the ECB betting the farm and crossing its fingers. It’s about inspiring generations and making up for all those lost years behind the paywall on Sk…[Glazing over] Sorry, you’re losing me Dang, got to keep this simple. In the words of Ron Burgundy, it’s kind of a big deal.Well that much I had worked out. It’s cricket with pop music and jazzy kits. But how does it differ from, say, T20? Well, it’s shorter, for a start – 100 balls (hence the name, geddit?) compared to 120. And to speed things up they will bowl 10 balls in a row from each end, meaning a game should take less than two-and-a-half hours.That doesn’t seem significantly shorter than T20… We live in an entertainment-rich, time-poor era. And being able to squeeze in a televised game between 6.30-9pm – primetime on the BBC – was supposedly one of the big selling points. It’s also SHINY and NEW, which might help when being dangled in front of the flighty young channel-surfers the ECB is hoping to attract to the sport.The Hundred is here, and it is going to be a load of fun. Or else…•Getty Images
The ECB thinks kids still watch linear TV? Look there’ll also be clips on Twitter. Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.[Returns to scrolling on smartphone] Okay, you’ve got my attention. Give me the hard sell For the next four weeks, over the course of 34 men’s and 34 women’s games, the cream of English cricket – plus a generous dollop of overseas talent – will be bouncing around on a nightly basis in front of (hopefully) packed stands. All of the games will be broadcast on Sky’s cricket channel, with a selection also showing on the BBC (if you’re following in India, it will be on FanCode). There will be in-house DJs to add to the atmosphere in the grounds, and rule tweaks to try to makes things simpler for casual followers. As in T20, fours and sixes will be the order of the day; unlike T20, it won’t drag on until beyond the kids’ bedtime (probably, depending on when your kids go to bed). In short, every ball matters.Doesn’t every ball matter in the other formats then? Very good, clever clogs. But they actually matter more in the Hundred, since they are now the unit of bowling currency – rather than dowdy old “overs”. Plus, if you’ve invested several million quid into getting this off the ground, as the ECB has, then it all matters a great deal.So it’s a load of balls, got it. What have they spent all the moolah on? Well, creating eight teams from scratch, for a start. And paying the players extra wedge, particularly the overseas ones – even if a lot of them have pulled out at the last minute due to Covid-related restrictions on travel. Despite all that, the ECB still hopes that the tournament can be profitable (if you discount the annual payments of £1.3m to each of the counties in order to get the whole thing signed off – but we won’t bore you further with that here).As always, it’s about bums on seats, eyeballs on screens and selling as much Butterkist as you can… The usual globalised capitalist schtick. The revolution will be televised – and the opening night will actually be quite revolutionary, with a standalone women’s fixture between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals at the Kia Oval to kick off the whole shebang. The men’s and women’s teams share the same branding and are promoted in the same way, while the two competitions will also share equal prize money.Breaking down gender barriers, eh? I like the sound of that! Yes, although it’s probably also worth noting that the highest salary band for the women is £15,000, compared to £100,000 for the men; the lowest-paid male players will receive £24,000. There has also been a bit of a row on the eve of the tournament about extending financial support to some of the part-time female players who have had to give up work in order to satisfy biosecurity requirements.Ugh, more bio-bubble life for the players to contend with? Not exactly – the ECB has opted against putting in place too many restrictions, with most of the rest of society in the UK opening up. But given contact tracing and the requirements to self-isolate have led to a number of cancellations in domestic cricket over recent weeks, there is a chance the Hundred could fall foul of the pandemic once again.I’ll keep my fingers crossed (and my mask on). If there’s one thing we need after the last 18 months, it’s a bit of joy in our lives again… Yep, the ECB is banking on that. Probably while hoping the good weather holds. With restrictions on crowd capacity in England ending this week, it could potentially be a feel-good moment for the game, helping to finally neutralise some of the rancour around the concept.Related
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You mean not everyone’s pleased with developments? That would be putting it mildly. Traditional fans don’t see it as cricket, established formats have been marginalised (including the successful women’s T20 Super League), and some fear it could be the beginning of the end of the county game. But whatever your view, it’s here and it’s happening. And they do say there’s no such thing as bad publicity.Go on then, I’m sold. Give me a quick rundown of the rule changes and things I should look out for Balls will be delivered in sets of five, with an option for captains to keep a bowler on for ten balls in a row if they’re feeling in the groove (and they can bowl their quota of 20 balls in two sets of ten each, but not consecutive sets). There will be a 25-ball Powerplay, with fielding restrictions in place, and the fielding side can call a two-minute strategic timeout thereafter. Unlike other forms of the game, if a catch is taken after the batters have crossed, the next batter in will still be on strike. For one, ahem, lucky player per side, fans will get to vote for their walk-on music. There’ll probably be a fair bit of working it all out on the hoof, but the spectacle by and large should look recognisably crickety.Sounds like something the mums and kids should be able to follow. And is it too much to ask about the musical acts involved? Yes. Yes, it is. But you’ll give it a try?How does that song go? “I don’t like the Hundred, no…” You love it?Steady on. I was thinking, “…but I’m not implacably opposed.” It’s a start. We’ll take it.