All posts by h716a5.icu

Over the past few years, Crystal Palace have arguably been one of the most successful Premier League clubs in the transfer market.

Their recruitment strategy has seemingly kept them in the league for a sustained period, but they will hope their latest acquisition, Oliver Glasner, can take them one step further.

Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, and Joachim Andersen are all examples of absolute bargains, but the Eagles also have had some misses among the hits.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at one player who’s costing the club millions via his wage, even earning more than Guehi.

Marc Guehi’s Salary

The summer of 2021 saw a young, promising centre-half leave Chelsea to join Palace in a deal worth £18m, which looks like an absolute steal today.

Since moving to Selhurst Park, the 23-year-old has developed into one of the most reliable defenders in the division, with his performances earning him the captain’s armband and an international call-up for England.

Unfortunately, the number six is out injured at the moment after being forced off early against Brighton & Hove Albion last month, but he’s still started 22 matches in the league this campaign.

Nonetheless, considering he’s such a vital player for Palace, his wage being at just £50k-per-week seems like an astute piece of business, especially when you consider the impact of one individual who’s earning more.

One of Roy Hodgson's worst signings is burning a wage at Crystal Palace

One of the signings which Roy Hodgson made has been burning a wage since joining Crystal Palace.

ByZak Anderton Mar 3, 2024 Jairo Riedewald’s wage at Palace

In 2017, 20-year-old Jairo Riedewald moved to Palace for a fee of £7.9m, which saw him play under his former boss Frank de Boer in England.

However, it wasn’t exactly the perfect start to life in England for the Netherlands ace, who started just 11 Premier League games over his first three seasons at the club.

That said, the former Ajax prospect did feature far more heavily in the 2020/21 campaign, where he played 33 top-flight matches at the heart of the Eagles midfield.

Fast forward to this season, and he’s started just twice, which is his best run of starts in three years, with his total tally in the Premier League being just three starts in the last three seasons.

But the biggest concern surrounding Riedewald is his wage, which sees him earn £55k per week, which is higher than Guehi, equating to £2.9m per season.

Olise, Henderson, Eze

£100k

Edouard

£90k

Clyne, Andersen

£80k

Lerma, Doucoure

£70k

Riedewald, Richards

£55k

As can be seen in the table above, this puts him not far off the top earners in the Palace squad, and considering his lack of minutes, it’s fair to say that he’s simply rinsing the club.

Having said that, with the number 44’s contract set to expire in June this year, it seems that Riedewald will be on his way out of the club for good, with Glasner expected to let him walk for free.

Nevertheless, it’s clear that the signing of the versatile Dutch player has been nothing short of a disaster, with him failing to impress under any manager since 2017.

Lionel Messi’s iconic celebration from 2017 has been recreated at Santiago Bernabeu, with streamer flaunting a Barcelona No.10 shirt.

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Argentine scored legendary Clasico goalCelebrated in front of the home supportFellow countryman has now done the sameWHAT HAPPENED?

During a Clasico clash between Barca and Real Madrid, Argentine superstar Messi snatched a dramatic stoppage-time winner that sealed a 3-2 victory for the visitors. As emotion spilled out of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, he whipped off his jersey.

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Messi proceeded to stand in front of the home support with his shirt outstretched – allowing his name and number to be highlighted to those that needed no reminder as to who had found the target. Images of that celebration have gone down in football folklore.

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GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Argentine streamer 'La Cobra' has emulated the efforts of his fellow countryman during a boxing exhibition in the Spanish capital put together by Ibai Llanos. He was awarded the win in his meeting with Guanyar, allowing him to grab a Barcelona jersey and remind Madridistas of a day that they would rather forget.

Warwickshire director of sport says it’s “only human nature” for players and staff to worry about jobs

Matt Roller12-May-2020Everyone working in cricket is “in the firing line” as the English game comes to terms with the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting financial fallout, according to Warwickshire’s sport director, Paul Farbrace.No professional cricket will be played in the UK until July 1 at the earliest as things stand, and while the ECB’s plans to host internationals behind closed doors were boosted on Monday as the government’s latest strategy indicated provisional support, the prospects of counties playing in front of fans this summer appear to be slim.Farbrace, who joined Warwickshire last year after five years as England’s assistant coach, told ESPNcricinfo that “there are going to be some tough decisions to make” over the coming months, as counties face up to the possibility of a full season without cricket.ALSO READ: Cautious PCB open to possibility of touring England”There’s no doubt that cricket is going to have to look very carefully and closely at itself and work out what the best way forward it,” he said. “Every single one of us is in the firing line – it doesn’t matter what position you’re in, every single club will look at its financial situation and work out what the best thing is to do.”The game is really in a tough place. The ECB have been fantastic, very consistent in their communication to clubs, and the support they’ve given financially across the board has been excellent.”But we all know that the ECB doesn’t have endless pots of money, and we all know that the game is taking a massive hit. All the time England aren’t playing, and Sky aren’t getting what they want, which is live cricket to show, there is going to be a knock-on effect across the board.”There will be 134 male players out of contract at the end of this season, while female players who were expecting to become professional this summer with one of the ECB’s 40 new contracts, supplemented by their Hundred deals, have been left without the anticipated source of income.While discussions between the PCA and various stakeholders are ongoing, it seems inevitable that counties will have to cut costs over the winter, and with opportunities to prove themselves likely to be scarce, many players could face unemployment at the end of the season. “Normally it’s black and white: you’re judged on performance, runs and wickets are your currency,” Sussex opener Luke Wells said last month. “But if we play no red-ball cricket whatsoever, what happens?”Farbrace said that it was “only human nature” for players and staff to look ahead to the prospect of end-of-year appraisals fearing the worst.”It has crossed my mind, and it’ll have crossed the mind of every director of cricket and coach in the game,” he said. “It’s a big thing. We know that they are player in the last year of their contracts who are not getting the opportunity to earn another one at this stage.”And with every passing week, and every pound that’s being lost from the game because of no cricket [being played], everybody knows more clearly that there are going to be some tough decisions to make. There’s a lot of us within the game that earn our living and pay our bills from cricket, and there could be a lot of changes going forward.”Ultimately, what we want is to come out of it with 18 first-class counties, and as many people as possible to still be in their jobs. Nobody has a crystal ball. There’s been a bit of encouragement in the last few days but we have to understand that 300 people [in the UK] still lost their lives yesterday – that’s the sobering fact.”Farbrace also fears that the game may have missed the opportunity to make the most of a watershed 2019 summer which featured a World Cup win and a dramatic Ashes series, and is desperate for sport to return even if it has to be behind closed doors.”I genuinely worry about the state of the game, and whether we can build on what was a fantastic year for English cricket. We’ve had the women and now the men with the World Cup – there was going to be a lot of money spent this year across the game. It’s important that we get that momentum going again, and we get people really feeling part of the game.”There had never been a better time to cash in and keep interest in the game going on the back of last summer. Even if England have to play behind closed doors, I don’t really mind – I think at the moment quite a few of us would watch a five-a-side game of cricket in a car park, we’re that desperate.”It’s brilliant that Sky have been showing stuff like the 2005 Ashes, but I know the result. You can only watch it for 20 minutes. The whole beauty of sport is not knowing what’s going to happen, the World Cup final, the Stokes innings at Headingley last year, the Buttler innings at Old Trafford in 2018, the narrative of Leachy in the Ashes. The sooner we have something that we don’t know the result of, the better.”We need to think about wellbeing, and sport does give you a lift – it’s the most important of the unimportant things. If it has to be behind closed doors on TV, so be it. If a few hundred people can watch it at the ground, even better. But we have to be sensible, and we’re not going to do anything that will put people in jeopardy: if we can see that it’s safe, then we obviously want to see sport played again.”

Kyle Jamieson keeps spot after impressive Test series, Scott Kuggeleijn and Hamish Bennett omitted

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2020New Zealand have welcomed the pace attack that took them to within a hair’s breadth of a maiden World Cup triumph back into their ODI squad.After beating India 3-0 in the ODIs at home, New Zealand travel to Australia this month, where they have never won a one-day series before.And having missed that convincing series win against India, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry have all been declared fit for the series in Australia. Kyle Jamieson retains his spot, following an impressive display in the Test series against India, with Hamish Bennett and Scott Kuggeleijn the men to miss out.All three returning seamers were injured for, or during, New Zealand’s Test series defeat in Australia, but have resumed playing since. Ferguson and Henry have both played one first-class game and two 50-over fixtures since their returns, while Boult starred in the Test series win against India.Ferguson told New Zealand media that he was determined not to rush back into top-flight cricket, but now he’s fully good to go.* “With my role and the style of cricket I play, trying to bowl quick for long periods of time, it’s hard to rush back. Early on in my career I rushed back a couple of times, wanting to play for Auckland, and potentially came back too early. But now I know my body really well and I know if I get good game time under my belt, then I’ll have confidence and I can just focus on the game and my overs.”I was sort of not bowling much month and a half ago, two months ago, but now back to fully playing and you sort of forget the times you were sitting on the couch – it’s just great to be out playing and I’m excited to get out amongst the Black Caps group again.”With Jamieson coming through so spectacularly in the India Test series, the competition for places in the New Zealand XI has gone up a notch. Ferguson welcomed the challenge, and credited a strong domestic-cricket structure for putting New Zealand in this enviable position. “I think it’s great – I’m a huge believer in competition within a squad, I think it drives the team to be better. It speaks to the depth we have in domestic cricket, which doesn’t get talked about as much as it should – our domestic game is actually extremely good. We play on good tracks and it’s tough cricket, and that’s now showing through with the Black Caps.”I think that kind of competition within the squad is only going to make us grow stronger. Sure, it makes us who have played think ‘Oh gosh, I’ve got to work harder’, but that’s surely the best thing possible – if we’re all working harder and trying to get better, then the team’s going to be better for it.”Head coach Gary Stead was equally pleased to have such a strong bowling line-up – and in-form squad – at his disposal. “Playing Australia in Australia is one of the great challenges in world cricket and you know you will be severely tested in all aspects of the game. Our one-day unit is a pretty settled one with plenty of experience and I think that showed in the recent series against India.”It’s great to welcome back the class of Trent, Matt and Lockie who spearheaded our run to the World Cup final last year. Kyle’s made every post a winner since his international debut this season and he’ll be a handy asset to have in Australia.”New Zealand ODI squad: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor*

Mikel Arteta dropped a massive hint on his Arsenal future and warned that the Gunners will be "very aggressive" in summer transfer market.

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Arteta's current contract runs until 2025Believes that a new deal "will happen"Currently focused on getting the right signings WHAT HAPPENED?

The 42-year-old’s current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2025 and although initial expectations were for renewal discussions to commence at the end of last season, the focus has shifted. Nonetheless, Arteta believes that everything will fall into place at the right time and "it will happen".

AdvertisementGettyWHAT ARTETA SAID

Speaking to , Arteta revealed: "There is no update [on his contract] at the moment. The thing that hasn't changed is how happy I am and how valued I feel here and how much I love representing this club. Things happen in a natural way and our relationship is that good that I don't predict any issues happening. But things have to develop in the right way and it will happen."

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Arteta has also outlined Arsenal's ambitions for the summer transfer window, indicating that the club will adopt an aggressive approach. The manager revealed that the Gunners are looking to strengthen various departments and not just their attack.

"We are looking to improve in every possible department," he said. "With the new regulations, there are certain things we have to respect and be conscious of and then obviously the Euros and Copa América are slowing everything down. Hopefully, now it is going to pick up a little bit because we have things to go and we will try to provide that. [How active do we expect to be?] I think both ways. There are things that we have to improve, that's for sure and we are going to try to do. But the market is tricky. We have been very aggressive, we are very determined and we have a clear idea obviously of what we want to do. It will come down to finding the right agreements at the right time."

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(C)GettyImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Arteta has assembled a squad of nine players not involved in Euro 2024 or the Copa América for a training camp in Marbella. Arsenal’s preseason will kick off against Bournemouth on July 24 before they fly across the Atlantic to Los Angeles to face Manchester United at SoFi Stadium on July 27 and Liverpool in Philadelphia on July 31.

Leeds United will go into Friday night's big clash away at Sheffield Wednesday pumped up to collect another victory in the Championship, with Daniel James' sublime solo strike enough for the Whites to beat a resilient Stoke City side 1-0 last match.

James' spot in the XI looks secure off the back of this vital goal, battling back from injury issues to remind everyone at Elland Road that he's the main starter down the right wing.

This could be bad news for Wilfried Gnonto, who had started to breathe life back into his up-and-down Whites career with James sidelined – the Italian attacker helping himself to four goals in February playing in the spot freed up by the Welshman being out.

Gnonto could even push to leave Elland Road once again if he tumbles down the pecking order, with Daniel Farke keeping an open mind to the possibility of reintroducing this fringe talent into the first-team set-up when he returns from his loan move if the 20-year-old does decide enough is enough.

The player to ease Leeds' Gnonto concerns

Ian Poveda has become an instant fan favourite since making the switch from West Yorkshire to South Yorkshire in January, joining Sheffield Wednesday amid a gargantuan attempt to stave off the Championship relegation zone.

Poveda might well only have one assist next to his name from seven Owls games so far, but he's got the hardened masses at Hillsborough purring nonetheless over his technical brilliance.

The skilful 24-year-old winger successfully completed three dribble attempts last match against Plymouth Argyle, twisting and turning defenders for fun with his side winning this big basement battle clash 1-0 courtesy of their new Colombian loanee's unpredictability on the ball.

Minutes played

76

Touches

50

Successful dribbles

3/6

Shots on goal

3

Duels won

7/14

Big chances created

1

Even having a goal dubiously ruled out in that clash due to a potential offside, Poveda could well fancy sticking it out permanently in his new surroundings when the loan stint is over.

The South American attacker's contract is up with Leeds at the climax of t he campaign with a high number of potential suitors – alongside the Owls – no doubt wanting to sign Poveda on a free transfer off the back of his bright spell with Wednesday to date.

Still, the door might well not shut completely on Poveda returning to Leeds and dazzling the Elland Road faithful if a new deal can be secured at the final hour. It must be said, however, that one final chance for the winger feels far likelier should the Yorkshire side not secure Premier League promotion.

What Farke thinks about Ian Poveda

Farke has admired Poveda's trickery when commenting on the 24-year-old winger before he made the short journey to South Yorkshire on loan, stating that 5 foot 6 forward possesses a "touch of magic."

Therefore, the German manager could still see him as a useful figure to have in and around his Whites camp to unlock opposition defences with a moment of sublime skill.

Leeds would also be able to breathe easier over the prospect of Gnonto finally upping and leaving the building, freeing up a space for Poveda to come back and feel wanted after being left on the Whites fringes for the majority of his Leeds career to date.

Poveda has shone in spurts for the Championship promotion chasers in the past – helping himself to an assist on just his fourth-ever Leeds appearance back in 2020 – but has never been given the time and patience to truly blossom as a dynamic talent at Elland Road.

For the time being, however, Leeds will just be overjoyed that Poveda is showing off his excellence at Hillsborough after feeling unwanted in Whites quarters.

Back in West Yorkshire, Gnonto will hope he can still have moments in the spotlight to shine himself away from James' reintroduction into Farke's XI.

Gio Reyna has been slammed for his shirt swap with Luis Suarez, as the USMNT stand accused of focusing on the “wrong stuff”.

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U.S. crashed out at the group stageHad opened tournament with a winQuestions asked of players & coachWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States saw their 2024 Copa America campaign brought to a disappointing conclusion when facing Uruguay at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. A 1-0 defeat, which featured some questionable refereeing decisions, condemned Gregg Berhalter’s side to an early group stage exit.

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Reyna, who is heading back to Borussia Dortmund following a forgettable Premier League loan spell at Nottingham Forest, played the full 90 minutes against Uruguay without making a telling contribution. While frustrated at the final whistle, the 21-year-old still made a point of chasing down an iconic rival.

WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT REYNA?

Former Barcelona star Suarez, who now plays alongside Lionel Messi at MLS side Inter Miami, stepped off the bench for Uruguay in the 89th minute. Sports journalist Andy Larsen posted on social media of seeing Reyna make a beeline for the 37-year-old striker: “Gio Reyna going over to ask Luis Suarez for his jersey after that loss is so inexcusable. What used to make the USMNT overachievers was that every guy on the team gave his all… I think a few guys are much more concerned about the wrong stuff.”

He added: “For years players have been criticized for shirt swapping after particularly bad or important losses. I don't want Reyna to be wishing Suarez a good game after his 9 minutes on the pitch.”

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The USMNT are facing plenty of difficult questions after fluffing collective lines on home soil. Their Copa campaign got off to a bright start when opening with a comfortable win over Bolivia, but poor performances against Panama and Uruguay have cost them a place in the quarter-finals.

Over the last few years, Manchester City have had a policy of inserting buy-back clauses when they sell some of their more promising young players. For instance, City insisted on the right to re-sign Pedro Porro for €20m (about £17m) when he joined Sporting, though they ultimately decided not to challenge Spurs for his signature in 2023.

Likewise, had Romeo Lavia stayed at Southampton for a second campaign after leaving the Etihad, City would have been able to bring him back for £40m this summer. Instead, he wound up signing for Premier League rivals Chelsea within 12 months.

Then there's Douglas Luiz, who joined City from Brazilian club Vasco de Gama in 2017 but never kicked a competitive ball for the club. He was immediately sent to City Football Group side Girona on a two-year loan, and when that concluded, he was sold to Aston Villa for just under €17m (£15m). City's option to re-sign him for £25m expired in the summer of 2021, but they appear to have kept tabs on his progress ever since.

Guardiola performs Luiz u-turn

According to Football Insider, Manchester City want Douglas Luiz to return to the Etihad. Pep Guardiola specifically is a "huge fan" of the Brazilian after noticing a "significant" improvement over the past couple of years.

As such, the reigning champions are now "stepping up their interest" ahead of the summer transfer window, when they could go toe-to-toe with Arsenal for his signature.

Luiz may have made City regret sale

Labelled "fantastic" by pundit Clinton Morrison, Luiz has arguably been one of the best midfielders in the league this season, doing a bit of everything for Unai Emery's side. First and foremost, he's been directly involved in 13 goals, four of them penalties, which is second only to Brighton's Pascal Gross among players in his position.

Rank

Player

Club

G+A

1

Pascal Gross

Brighton and Hove Albion

14

2

Douglas Luiz

Aston Villa

13

3

Martin Odegaard

Arsenal

11

=4

James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur

9

=4

John McGinn

Aston Villa

9

=4

Declan Rice

Arsenal

9

=4

Rodri

Manchester City

9

8

Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United

8

9

Scott McTominay

Manchester United

8

10

Morgan Gibbs-White

Nottingham Forest

7

Luiz is nearing double figures for this season after netting twice in Villa's 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend, but he's also been the team's chief playmaker, ranking first for chances created (40) and shot-creating actions (90, 24 from set-pieces). He's often been the man playing the final ball but he can also fashion dangerous situations from deeper areas, having recorded the second most passes into the final third (108) and progressive passes (139) in the squad.

Man City now "preparing to steal" Golden Boy nominee from Man Utd wishlist

United have already been in touch over a potential move.

ByDavid Comerford Feb 26, 2024

On top of that, he also leads the way for tackles won (37) and blocked passes (22), so he's highly active out of possession too. Nominated for the league's player of the month award in October, he's looking more complete than ever, and some would say that City made a mistake letting him go in the first place.

Left-arm spinner was called during February’s ODI against Oman in Kathmandu

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2020Nisarg Patel, the USA allrounder, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found his action to be illegal.Patel, a left-arm spinner, was reported after his side’s ODI against Oman on February 11 in Kathmandu. He bowled seven overs in the game, returning figures of 0 for 37.An assessment was then carried out by an expert panel, as per clause 4.7 of the ICC’s illegal bowling regulations, which concluded that Patel’s bowling action was above the permitted 15-degree level. His suspension will remain in place until he undertakes a review of his action by the ICC’s expert panel, or is cleared by an ICC testing centre.It is possible that Patel will continue to be picked as a batsman alone. While he averages just 20.28 in ODIs, he made a maiden half-century in the game against Oman earlier in the month from only 32 balls, USA’s fastest ODI fifty.

Captain believes back-to-back wins has cemented authority in squad brimming with young talent

Andrew Miller20-Jan-2020Joe Root believes there is now a greater “outside” impression that he is the right leader to take the Test team’s fortunes forward into a new era, after overseeing England’s second away win in consecutive matches in their innings-and-53-run win over South Africa at Port Elizabeth.Though Root himself starred with the ball with four second-innings wickets in the third Test, he turned the praise onto two of his new-look team’s youngest players, Ollie Pope and Dom Bess, who, at the age of 22, played crucial roles with bat, ball and in the field to deliver a 2-1 series lead with only Friday’s fourth Test at the Wanderers to come.The pair’s efforts followed the maiden Test century that Dom Sibley recorded in England’s second-Test win at Cape Town two weeks ago, and with the injured Jofra Archer also chipping in with a five-wicket haul in defeat at Centurion in December, England have now had four players aged 24 or under with a significant milestone on this tour.And with England now on the verge of their first series win since Chris Silverwood took over as head coach in October, Root believes that the quality and range of the performances augurs well for the rapid development of his squad.”That is a really strong effort,” Root told Sky Sports, “and a strong message to the rest of the guys that that anyone’s capable of doing something special out here. And that breeds confidence within the whole group.”England’s victory was founded on their first-innings total of 499 for 9, in which Pope’s maiden Test century came for the most part in a 193-run stand for the fifth wicket with Ben Stokes, before Bess’s five first-innings wickets pushed South Africa towards the follow-on.”I think this game has been a brilliant template for us moving forward,” said Root. “Big first-innings runs, a big partnership in there, and then really driving the game. I couldn’t be more proud of the group, and for the young lads to be stepping up yet again, and showing that they’re more than capable to perform at this level.”Asked if he felt as if this was “his team”, Root replied: “It absolutely does, and it has done for a while. I think the fact that we’re starting to see results now might make it look like that from the outside, but I very much feel like the guys are listening to my message, the way we want to play the game. And now, because we’re starting to see results, it’s really feeding through the group and long may that continue.”Ollie Pope was player of the match•Stu Forster/Getty ImagesAt the age of 29, and with more than 7400 runs in his 91-Test career, Root is living proof of the rewards that are on offer to England’s young players if they seize their opportunities in the Test team, just as he himself did with a fifty on debut in Nagpur at the age of 21. And as a consequence, Root believes that the squad newcomers are particularly eager to absorb the message from the team’s leadership.”More than anything, they’re very willing to listen and very willing to learn,” Root said. “Not that the other guys aren’t, but they haven’t seen any other way, if you like, and we’ve got a really clear direction of how I want to take the team forward. The guys that have come in have responded really well to that, and when you start seeing results that starts really hammering home the message.”But it’s not just the youngsters,” he added. “It’s the senior guys that are still learning as well. Broady, yesterday and this morning, was finding different deliveries and being open-minded enough to not just run and bowl seam-up, but legcutters and cross-seam balls, and trying different things. At his age, to still now be finding ways to take wickets on flat ones, is really impressive.”One of the more memorable off-field moments of the Test came when the cameras panned to Root in the dressing room when Pope, on 74, was reprieved via DRS after an on-field lbw. The captain’s desire to see his young player push on to his maiden hundred was tangible, and Root admitted it was an important achievement for the team that he went on to do so.”I think everyone’s been in that position where you desperately want something,” he said. “You could see how he’s a wonderful talent, you know he’s got such a brilliant game on him, and when you see someone with that ability, once they believe it themselves then I suppose the sky’s the limit for them.”You don’t want to get to that position where other players have been, with five, six, seven fifties, and the feeling that it’s never going to come. But for Ollie to do that this week was a massive marker for himself and for Test cricket in general really, seeing a very talented young player show that he’s ready for this. He wants to be very hungry for runs and make it count when he gets in.”ALSO READ: ‘Wanderers Test could be my last’ – du PlessisBess’s achievement was, in its own way, even more remarkable, given that he hadn’t been part of England’s original squad, as well as his lack of consistent opportunities at county level since making his Test debut against Pakistan in 2018. He claimed each of the first five wickets to fall in South Africa’s first innings – a remarkable feat for any bowler let alone an offspinner – before adding Anrich Nortje on the final morning for match figures of 6 for 87.”He’s had a remarkable journey but he works incredibly hard at his game,” said Root. “He’s gone and played on loan [from Somerset to Yorkshire] at different times to make sure he’s getting the cricket that he needs, and he probably could do with more if we’re being brutally honest, as could a lot of spinners around in the English game. But he’s been given an opportunity to go away and work at his game with guys like [Rangana] Herath, and he’s come back with a lot of different deliveries that he didn’t have last time he played for England.”He’s come back into this team, worked very well with Jeetan [Patel, spin-bowling coach], and he thinks very well about the game. He’s very smart for a youngster.”Looking ahead to the Wanderers on Friday, Root admitted it was hard to say whether Archer would be fit after missing the third Test with an elbow injury, but said that the squad was fully focused on finishing the job they have started, and signing off from the Test series on a high.”It’d be a great achievement for this group of players [to win the series] and I think more than anything it would be a massive step in the right direction,” he said. “I think we’re nowhere near the finished article, we’re very aware that we’ve got a lot of learning to do, but we’ve got a lot of youngsters that are willing to do that. And we’ve just got to keep looking to get better.”