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Amid reported negotiations with both Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak, Paul Mitchell now reportedly wants to step up contract talks with yet another Newcastle United star.

Newcastle contract news

The Magpies have reportedly agreed a new deal with star man Anthony Gordon in a big-money contract that represents his rise to the top at St James’ Park. A new deal should secure his future at the club amid links with a move back to Merseyside and former rivals Liverpool in what should be seen as a crucial development for all involved.

Howe must drop Newcastle star who lost the ball 16x vs Wimbledon

It wasn’t the smoothest of nights for the Magpies…

1 ByAngus Sinclair Oct 2, 2024

Those at St James’ Park certainly admire their winger too, having put together quite the display to celebrate the rumours that Gordon has put pen to paper prior to last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City. Meanwhile, the former Everton man instantly paid back that gratitude, scoring from the spot to earn his side a deserved point against the Premier League champions.

Gordon’s not the only one that the Magpies want to reward with a new contract either, with reports indicating that Isak is also on the list amid concerns over his long-term future in Tyneside. Whilst the Swede’s current deal doesn’t expire until 2028, offering him new and improved terms is far from a bad idea if Newcastle want to secure his services for years to come.

What’s more, according to Mark Douglas, Mitchell now wants to step up contract talks with Sean Longstaff after Isak and Gordon, with the midfielder’s current deal set to come to an end next summer.

"Excellent" Longstaff still important despite Tonali return

Whilst it would be easy to write Longstaff off following the return of Sandro Tonali, the 26-year-old is more than a proven Premier League midfielder these days and has offered Eddie Howe quite the selection headache in the middle of the park.

Of course, the prospect of Tonali combining with Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton is a mouth-watering one, but whether that trio maintains the balance that the £50,000-a-week Longstaff can provide in the middle of the park remains to be seen.

Progressive Carries

24

65

29

Progressive Passes

145

283

56

Tackles Won

30

53

27

Ball Recoveries

120

237

85

Howe will certainly be among those hoping to see his midfielder put pen to paper on a new deal, having previously been full of praise for Longstaff, telling reporters via Chronicle Live: “Sean’s been excellent. He does a lot of work, tireless work, for the team in every phase.

“We ask a lot of our midfield players, physically, and especially the wide ones. Sean has played that role on the right-hand side very intelligently and he’s physically very good, tireless with his energy and defensively very good, improving all aspects of his game.”

Australia’s Test captain believes he made the right decision to go under the knife

AAP17-Sep-2021

Tim Paine hopes to get a Sheffield Shield match in before the Ashes•Getty Images

Australia captain Tim Paine is “extremely confident” of being fit for the first Ashes Test despite undergoing invasive neck surgery.A bulging disc had been causing the wicketkeeper pain in his neck and left arm, leading Paine to have an operation this week. Surgeons had to cut a hole in his throat to fix the issue.The 36-year-old will rest for two weeks before commencing rehabilitation to ensure he is fit to lead Australia against England at the Gabba on December 8.”Basically they’ve cut a big hole in my throat, moved my voice box over to the side, and gone in that way. It’s a less invasive way,” he told his SEN radio show.Related

Paine to head into Ashes without a first-class match

Paine back keeping and hopes to play Shield and Marsh Cup games ahead of the Ashes

Paine vows players will work with Langer following emergency talks

Tim Paine to undergo neck surgery to repair pinched nerve

England could field under-strength Ashes squad as ECB resist postponement

Paine admitted he is “pretty sore” but is optimistic about his playing future after speaking to other athletes who have had similar operations.Former NRL and Wallabies star Matt Rogers and recently retired Melbourne AFL captain Nathan Jones were back up and running within eight weeks.”It was sort of getting to that touch and go stage where I either don’t get it done and take the risk that I’d be right through the Ashes, or get it fixed now,” Paine said. “Pretty happy with the decision after the surgeon had a look in there.”December 8 is the first Test and I’m extremely confident I’d be right to go before then.”I’ll hopefully get a Shield game in for Tassie before then and hopefully be on the winning end of a third winning Ashes would be something really special. I want to keep playing for Tasmania after my international career. To have it fixed and out of the way was the correct decision long term.”I’ve had plenty of doubters my whole career so it’s something that I’m used to; that’s alright, I’ll use it as motivation to get back out.”England have expressed serious concerns about the conditions the team will be forced to live under during the Ashes, creating doubt about the series going ahead as planned. But Paine believes the conditions will be nowhere near as bad as what the tourists are fearing.”The main stuff with the English guys is around the protocols with quarantine but we’re not asking them to do anything that we won’t be doing,” Paine said.”I think if we can get them out here they’ll realise the conditions during Australia’s Covid hubs are pretty good and nothing to worry about.”

Man United are said to be planning a “big bid” for a superstar at Crystal Palace, in what could be seen as a worry for manager Oliver Glasner given the temptation of a high-profile move away from Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace stay winless after defeat at Everton

The Eagles’ 2-1 defeat at Everton made it six Premier League games without a single victory, and reports have even since emerged casting doubt over Glasner’s future as Palace manager.

Why Crystal Palace board are angry as Parish makes Glasner sack decision

The Eagles are yet to win a single top flight game this season.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Oct 1, 2024

However, it is still very early days, and the south Londoners have a much-changed squad from last season, with star winger Michael Olise making a multi-million pound move to Bayern Munich.

The consensus is that Palace chairman Steve Parish will hand their boss the benefit of the doubt with Glasner given more time to turn things around at the club, but the Austrian will be desperate to get that first win on the board quickly.

Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace 0-0 Man United

Crystal Palace 2-2 Leicester City

Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace 0-2 West Ham

Brentford 2-1 Crystal Palace

In-demand star Marc Guehi actually gave Palace an early lead against Everton, but a quick-fire brace from Dwight McNeil in the second half ended their hopes of coming away from Merseyside with a much-needed victory.

“Over 70-75 minutes we controlled the game but you must be focused all game,” said Glasner after Palace’s defeat to Everton, bemoaning his side’s costly errors.

“It is a big strength of Everton’s in set-plays. They do it well and we defended it most of the time really well. It was always the second phase. It is important to always keep your focus high.”

Guehi is set to attract interest from the likes of Tottenham at the turn of the year after Newcastle failed with multiple widely-reported offers to sign him in the summer window.

The England international isn’t the only player who Glasner could have a concern over losing either, with rising star Adam Wharton in that bracket as well.

Man United planning "big bid" for Adam Wharton

The midfielder, who earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, has seriously impressed since joining Palace from Blackburn Rovers and is widely regarded as one of the country’s rising stars.

According to TEAMtalk, this hasn’t gone unnoticed at Old Trafford, with Man United planning a “big bid” to sign Wharton from Palace in 2025. The 20-year-old has started all six of their league games this season, and it is believed the Red Devils are preparing to ship out Christian Eriksen to make room for Wharton in their squad.

It is unclear just how much Parish will want for the player, but he’s at least shown that Palace are no pushovers by rejecting constant approaches for Guehi.

“He’s an incredible player to play with,” said fellow exit-linked star Eberechi Eze.

“Playing with him at Palace, I’ve got used to seeing the way he plays and understanding him. He’s very calm, composed, and a joy to play with. For someone so young, he’s very mature and very wise. When you speak to him, it feels like you’re speaking to someone older than you, that’s the type of person he is. He’s an incredible player.”

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.

Discussions to be held on IPL bio-bubble norms, crowds, and hosting of the ICC event among other things

Nagraj Gollapudi31-May-2021

BCCI’s top brass are currently in the UAE•Getty Images

The BCCI’s top brass, led by board secretary Jay Shah, reached Dubai via a charter flight on Monday to finalise plans for the remainder of IPL 2021 as well as discuss the probability of the UAE hosting the men’s T20 World Cup this October-November. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will reach Dubai on Wednesday to join talks with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).Shah’s contingent comprises Arun Dhumal (board treasurer), Brijesh Patel (IPL governing council chairman), Jayesh George (board joint-secretary), Hemang Amin (BCCI’s interim chief executive officer) and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI’ general manager of operations and tournament director for T20 World Cup).On Saturday, the BCCI was authorised by its members – the state associations – to shift the second half of the IPL to the UAE in September-October after the tournament was abruptly and indefinitely suspended in the first week of May. The BCCI had been forced to pull the plug at the halfway stage due to the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the bubble during the Ahmedabad and Delhi leg of the tournament. A total of 31 matches, including four playoffs, remain to be played.In its talks with the ECB, the BCCI is expected to firstly get the approval of the UAE government to host the IPL there. The discussions are also likely to go into the preparedness of the three UAE venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – and the mandatory requirements for creating the tournament bubble for the eight IPL teams.With players arriving from different parts of the world, and not just India, both boards would need to look at the quarantine requirements that need to be satisfied before the BCCI finalises the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the IPL.One other significant point likely to be discussed is around the vaccination for all those that would be part of the IPL bubble. Recently, the Abu Dhabi government approved the hosting of the remainder of PSL 2021 in the emirate on the condition that all six teams and rest of the stakeholders that will be part of the tournament bubble are vaccinated.Sourav Ganguly is expected to reach Dubai on Wednesday for meetings with the Emirates Cricket Board•International Cricket Council

T20 World Cup moving to the UAE?
The presence of the entire top wing of the BCCI in Dubai can be seen as a first move by the BCCI to shift the T20 World Cup to the UAE, which had been named as a cover for India. The ICC has not yet announced the final itinerary for the the 16-team World Cup.While India are currently slated as hosts for the event, the state of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country and the suspension of the IPL has triggered strong doubts over the country’s readiness.At the BCCI’s SGM on Saturday, Ganguly told the members that the BCCI would seek another month’s time to finalise whether India could host the T20 World Cup.One key point the BCCI team is likely to discuss with the ECB would concern the revenue-sharing arrangement for the tournament should it be hosted in the UAE. Recently Malhotra had said on a BBC podcast that while moving the T20 World Cup to the UAE will be the “worst-case scenario”, the BCCI will still want to retain the hosting rights.The main reason for that is the lucrative sum involved: every match in an ICC global event is worth about USD 250,000-300,000 for the hosting board. With 45 matches, that is a massive amount of money.The other point for discussion would be, if the UAE ends up hosting both the IPL and T20 World Cup, can the venues handle two back-to-back marquee events and the fitness of the pitches in such a scenario. A total of 76 matches will be lined up for the venues if both the IPL and the T20 World Cup are played there, excluding the warm-up matches for the latter.Both boards will also want to consider the prospect of opening up the IPL to crowds. In 2020, when the entire IPL was hosted in the UAE, the BCCI had opted not to allow crowds in. The upcoming PSL in Abu Dhabi, it has been confirmed, will also be played out behind closed doors.

The Premier League is finally back, and after a lacklustre campaign last year, Manchester United got off to a perfect start this season with a 1-0 home win over Fulham.

Erik ten Hag's side weren't perfect, but they looked good, and there are undoubtedly positive signs on and off the pitch at the moment, which should leave fans feeling excited about the next ten months.

Moreover, the transfer window is still open for another week and, based on recent reports, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co are making moves to bring in even more talent before it closes.

One of the stars touted for a move to Old Trafford has won the Champions League within the last four seasons and has even won comparisons to Matthijs de Ligt.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a recent report from Spanish publication Sport, United are one of several clubs interested in Barcelona star Andreas Christensen.

Alongside the Red Devils, the report claims that Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are also keen on the Danish international, although the Magpies are supposedly struggling with financial issues, per the story.

The report claims that while Barça manager Hansi Flick wants to keep the talented defender in Spain this summer, an offer in the region of €25m, which converts to about £21m, would tempt the club into selling him.

It wouldn't be a cheap deal, but given Christensen's quality and experience, it might be one worth pursuing, especially as he's been compared to De Ligt.

How Christensen compares to De Ligt

Okay, so the first thing to address is this comparison to De Ligt and where it comes from, for that matter.

It primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, over the last 365 days, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for everyone, and from there, they have concluded that the Dutchman is the number one most similar centre-back to the Dane.

To get a better understanding of how they came to this conclusion, you can look at the various underlying numbers in which the pair rank very closely, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, expected assists, progressive carries, passing accuracy, passes into the penalty area, tackles won, successful take-ons, ball recoveries and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.10

0.12

Expected Assists

0.04

0.04

Progressive Carries

1.09

1.04

Passing Accuracy

94.3%

93.9%

Passes into the Penalty Area

0.05

0.06

Tackles Won

0.64

0.78

Successful Take-Ons

0.14

0.13

Ball Recoveries

4.86

4.74

Aerial Duels Won

2.45

2.66

However, it's not just his statistical similarity to the Red Devils' impressive new centre-back that would make the Barça ace an appealing signing; he'd also bring a lot of experience and know-how to a team that is going to see more youngsters involved as the INEOS revolution continues.

Despite still being just 28 years old, the "extraordinary" defender, as dubbed by former manager Xavi, has an incredible amount of experience. He's made 93 appearances in the Premier League, 62 in the Bundesliga, 54 in La Liga, 44 in the Champions League and 20 in the Europa League.

His trophy cabinet is also seriously impressive; he's won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona, the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Europa League, and Club World Cup with Chelsea.

Ultimately, while Christensen might not be the most exciting name on the market, he won't cost an arm and a leg, has won comparisons to De Ligt and has bags of experience to boot. Therefore, United should look to bring him to Old Trafford this summer, as he'd surely help shore up their defence, even if only for a couple of years.

Man Utd won the lottery with "genius" star worth 12x more than Eriksen

The incredible talent is one of the club’s best signings in years.

2 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 22, 2024

Glasgow Rangers have it all to play for when they travel to Hampden Park to play the second leg of their Champions League qualifying clash next week.

The Ibrox giants, who are set to play away from their home stadium in the early weeks of the season, picked up a 1-1 draw away at Dynamo Kyiv in the first leg on Tuesday night.

Cyriel Dessers stepped up to score in the 94th minute to secure a draw for the Light Blues, converting from close range from Vaclav Cerny's sublime inswinging cross from the right flank.

There were a few concerning performances from Gers players on the night, though, and one dud who should be dropped from the starting XI is John Souttar.

John Souttar's struggles in Kyiv

The Scotland international was selected to play alongside veteran Leon Balogun from the start in Kyiv and endured a difficult evening at the heart of the defence.

Souttar let himself down twice in a matter of seconds for the opening goal from Andriy Yarmalenko in the first half, which gave the hosts a 1-0 lead at half-time.

Firstly, the 27-year-old flop dropped deeper than the rest of the defence, which played Vladyslav Vanat onside. Vanat then whipped a cross straight past Souttar, who had allowed Yarmalenko to sneak in behind him for an unmarked tap-in in the middle of the goal.

Glasgow World journalist Lewis Anderson awarded the centre-back a match rating of 2/10 for his display, citing his error for the goal and his loose passes in possession as the reasons for his low score.

Philippe Clement could react to this performance by finally ditching him and unleashing new signing Robin Propper from the start in the second leg next week.

Why Rangers should unleash Robin Propper

The Belgian boss must bring the £1.5m signing from FC Twente into the side as he could provide experience and quality at the heart of the defence.

At the age of 30, Propper has been around the block and racked up the best part of 400 appearances in his club career, including 223 outings in the Eredivisie.

This suggests that he would be unfazed by playing in such an important fixture as Rangers look to make it to the play-off round of qualifiers for the Champions League, due to his experience in top-level football.

Appearances

33

Pass accuracy

85%

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.4

Ball recoveries per game

5.2

Duel success rate

60%

As you can see in the table above, Propper has arrived at Ibrox (Hampden) off the back of an impressive campaign in the Eredivisie last term.

The Dutch colossus, who was described as a "powerful" player by Clement, is a reliable passer, as shown by his high pass accuracy, and has the physical qualities to dominate opposition forwards.

He can win the majority of his battles, on the deck and in the air, and could, therefore, be a commanding presence at the back for the Light Blues, which is why the manager must now unleash him ahead of the struggling Souttar.

As bad as Souttar: Clement must bin 2/10 Rangers man after Kyiv no-show

The Light Blues attacker endured a frustrating evening in the Champions League.

ByDan Emery Aug 7, 2024

Manchester United reportedly have a potential deal in place to sign a star who Edwin van de Sar once compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Man Utd and Ratcliffe making transfer moves

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS officially secured their first signing as co-owners of the Red Devils, with forward Joshua Zirkzee arriving from Bologna.

Their second addition of the window looks set to be Leny Yoro, who is on course to join in a €50m+ deal, meaning Yoro and Zirkzee look set to replace the departed Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial.

The 18-year-old only had 12 months remaining on his contract, but United are willing to splash the cash on his services with Real Madrid waiting in the wings to sign him for free next year.

Another centre-back who has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford is Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt. Talks were reportedly advanced and the Red Devils were ready to pay the £42m asking price, and a new update has emerged after the development on Yoro.

Man Utd have potential deal in place to sign Matthijs de Ligt

The Faithful MUFC relayed an update from Thursday’s print edition of The Telegraph, reporting Man Utd’s move for Yoro. They claim that the Red Devils remain in the market for another central defender after Yoro and "have a potential deal in place" to sign De Ligt from Bayern.

De Ligt, who was included in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024 alongside Zirkzee, has been with Bayern since 2022 after previous stints with Juventus and Ajax. Under contract until 2027, it appears as if Bayern Munich and new manager Vincent Kompany are happy to cash in on the defender, who has been hailed for his mentality in recent years.

Man Utd hit gold with "monster" star who's worth more than Mainoo & Wharton

He is wanted by two clubs this summer and could leave.

By
Joe Nuttall

Jul 17, 2024

Talking back in 2019, former Ajax chief executive and ex-Man Utd ’keeper Van de Sar compared De Ligt to Ronaldo, saying about the centre-back after he signed for Juventus “He had been all his life at Ajax. So to step away, move with your girlfriend and the family to a different city, a different language. But his mentality and the way he wants to improve. He wants to be the best defender in the world. And I've seen that with a few players. One of them is playing in the same team, Cristiano Ronaldo.

“When I played at Man United with him, he had the same desire and attitude to work hard, to become better every training. And that's the same mentality and hunger as Matthijs de Ligt.”

Whisper it quietly, but things are starting to fall into place at Goodison Park. Everton are far from out of the woods concerning their ownership situation and the fears surrounding breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability (PSR) rules have not faded away entirely.

Still, with Lewis Dobbin and Ben Godfrey recently sold, focus has been turned to bringing in fresh faces, with reports suggesting that the Toffees are among the Premier League clubs interested in signing Hull City winger Jaden Philogene.

Jaden Philogene: Championship Stats 23/24
Stats	#
Matches played	32
Goals	12
Assists	6
Pass completion	83%
Big chances created	7
Shots per game	3.6
Key passes per game	1.6
Dribbles per game	2.7
Ball recoveries per game	4.2
Tackles per game	2.4
Duels won per game	7.6
Stats via Sofascore

The 22-year-old Philogene has been praised for his "unbelievable" performances by The Second Tier podcast host Justin Peach, and for the mooted £16m price tag, it could be a steal for the Merseysiders as they look to build a team tailored for success.

Indeed, last term the tricky winger found the net on 12 occasions, further registering six assists. Simply, this would be a superb signing for the Toffees.

However, while Everton are hoping to bring in talented targets such as Philogene, retaining the services of the top talents in the current crop is arguably way more important.

There's even one, who like the Hull star, had an earlier education in the EFL.

Jarrad Branthwaite's transfer situation

You never know, Jarrad Branthwaite might still be plying his trade on Merseyside's blue half next season, with Everton's shrewd transfer dealings over the past several weeks mitigating PSR concerns.

The Toffees know all too well the dangers of breaching the Premier League's financial boundaries, having being hit with an eight-point deduction last season. Despite this, the dreaded dotted line remained safely in the distance and the Toffees avoided the depths of the division.

Fans hope to see some greater attacking intent but know that sustaining Dyche's steely base is imperative to any success, and retaining Branthwaite's services would go a long way toward achieving this.

Financial Fair Play: What is PSR, how does it work and who's in trouble?

PSR has been a hot topic of debate this summer but what does it all mean?

By
Stephan Georgiou

Apr 16, 2024

Manchester United failed with a lowball £35m offer earlier this summer but recent developments suggest that a £160k-per-week contract has been agreed between the Red Devils and the player.

However, Everton are holding out for much, much more, serving as a glowing representation of Branthwaite's rise to the forefront of the defensive game.

Jarrad Branthwaite's market value in 2024

A veritable wall at 6 foot 5, Branthwaite played an instrumental role in Everton's successful 2023/24 campaign, forging a rock-sold partnership with James Tarkowski and keeping 12 clean sheets across 35 Premier League matches.

Most clean sheets in the Premier League (2023/24)
Player	# of clean sheets
1. William Saliba	18
2. David Raya	16
3. Gabriel	15
4. Jordan Pickford	14
4= James Tarkowski	14
4= Ben White	14
4= Martin Odegaard	14
8. Jarrad Branthwaite	12
9. Manuel Akanji	11
9= James Garner	11
9= Rodri	11
Stats via Premier League website.

He also ranked among the top 20% of centre-backs in the English top flight last season for tackles, the top 15% for interceptions and the top 18% for aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref, backing up the claim of talent scout Jacek Kulig that he is an "absolute monster".

If that's not enough, the England international also came out on top in 68% of his contested duels, making 5.9 ball recoveries per game to emphasise his robust athleticism.

This all comes together to form the archetype for a pretty brilliant defender, and it's hardly a surprise that Manchester United have a vested interest in his signature after observing such skills over the past year.

For that reason, Everton are probably justified in demanding that they are presented with an £80m proposal if they are to part with their talent. That's quite the fee for a player who arrived from Carlisle United in 2020.

That lofty valuation actually marks Branthwaite as five times more valuable than the earlier-mentioned Philogene, who is a highly sought-over talent in the Premier League right now.

This shows just how good Everton's prized defender really is. The outfit's record sale still stands as Man United's £75m signing of Romelu Lukaku in 2017, and there's a good chance that Branthwaite could pip the Belgium to top spot with a move to Old Trafford.

Everton won't want to sell their jewel, but regardless, Branthwaite is truly one of the glittering gems on the Premier League scene – his club have hit the jackpot and then some, whatever happens next.

Everton have already hit gold on a star who's now worth more than Gnonto

He’s been exceptional since his move to Goodison Park.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jul 7, 2024

England have announced that the two suspected cases of Covid-19 within their touring party were false positives, following independent ratification of the tests.The ECB revealed on Sunday that a full round of tests had returned “unconfirmed positive” results for two members of the touring group, understood to be a player and a member of support staff.Neither displayed any symptoms, raising the possibility that they had received false positives, and after further analysis of the results in both Cape Town and London, Professor Nick Peirce, the ECB’s chief medical officer, issued a statement to say that neither individual was Covid-positive.ALSO READ: England blame ‘unacceptable’ nets after claims of Covid protocols breach“Following the independent ratification of the two unconfirmed positive Covid-19 tests from the England camp in South Africa, the England and Wales Cricket Board can confirm that, following further testing and analysis, in the opinion of the independent virologists based in Cape Town and London, the two individuals are not infected, and do not pose any risk of passing on the infection to the rest of the party,” the statement said.”As such, the advice is they are now free to join the rest of the group and are no longer self-isolating.”Ashley Giles, the ECB director of men’s cricket, and medical staff would have been among those to stay behind in South Africa until December 15 if the individuals had been confirmed as positive. Instead, they will be free to fly home on Thursday on the team’s chartered flight.Sam Billings, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy will all travel to Australia to begin a 14-day quarantine period ahead of the Big Bash League, while it is understood that Jake Ball may join them after being sounded out as a possible replacement for Tom Curran at the Sydney Sixers.The Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, where England and South Africa’s squads have been staying•Getty Images

Meanwhile, the South African player who tested positive before the ODI series – understood to be Heinrich Klaasen, who also missed the third T20I – has returned home to Johannesburg after returning a negative test on Monday.Confirmation that the players were not infected with Covid-19 came less than 24 hours after the tour’s abandonment, with the chief executives of both CSA and ECB citing player welfare in the decision to postpone the three-match ODI series indefinitely.Giles told British newspapers in Cape Town last night that the call had been taken in recognition of the fact that the squad felt distracted and had been unsettled by news of the initial positive results.”These guys have been living in bubbles for long periods of time and their mental health and wellbeing is the absolute priority for us,” he said. “I think we felt ultimately focusing on a game of cricket, and trying to squeeze two games into two days when this had been going on in the background, was going to be particularly difficult and we were better off calling it and looking to re-arrange these fixtures at a better time.”Giles had also confirmed the England camp’s doubts about the efficacy of CSA’s Covid protocols, though news that nobody in the touring party was infected with the virus will be reassuring for the home board ahead of scheduled series against Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan later this season.”I think the thing that really raised the levels of anxiety and nervousness were that we were coming into a biosecure environment and from very early on it appeared that it wasn’t biosecure,” Giles said. “I think the South African [team] doctor has said he could understand our nervousness because of that.”In future, perhaps we can never guarantee a place is biosecure. Maybe we have to adapt but that is the environment we expected when we came here.”