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Former Australia seamer will be available for Championship and Blast fixtures until end of July

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2023Peter Siddle will return to Somerset for another county stint in 2023.Siddle, the 38-year-old Australian fast bowler, will be available from the start of the LV= Insurance County Championship season in early April through to the end of July. During that time he will also be available for Somerset’s Vitality Blast campaign.Last year, Siddle claimed 27 first-class wickets for Somerset at an average 23.92 with a best of 6 for 51 against Surrey. He also impressed with the white ball, taking 17 wickets in the Blast at an average of 17.88, including a best of 3 for 10.A vastly experienced former Australian international who claimed 221 wickets in 67 Tests, Siddle also played a mentoring role to Somerset’s young bowlers last season.”I loved my time at Somerset last summer and when the opportunity to go back came about there was never any doubt that I would take it,” Siddle said. “It’s a great club with great people and the members and supporters are outstanding.Related

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“I was made to feel like a part of the family as soon as I arrived and I’m looking forward to joining up with the boys again in a few months’ time. Hopefully, I can contribute to Somerset having a big summer in 2023.”Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, described Siddle as “phenomenal for us on and off the field last year”.”His contributions on the pitch and in the dressing room were of the very highest order,” Hurry added. “He is a proven winner who will contribute significantly on the field, and with his vast experience will also play a huge role in the development of our aspiring bowlers.”During his time with us previously, he established an excellent rapport with his team-mates, the coaches, our staff and our members. He will be a valuable addition to our squad this summer and we look forward to welcoming him back to do what he does best in a Somerset shirt in 2023.”Somerset became Siddle’s fourth county team when he joined them as an all-format overseas player last year following previous spells with Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Essex.

Eyeing Championship promotion at the second time of asking, the 49ers have reportedly joined the race to sign a defensive reinforcement that Leeds United chiefs have been keeping tabs on.

Leeds transfer news

The Whites took full advantage of Sunderland’s slip this weekend to close the gap on the Black Cats to just two points in pursuit of automatic promotion. Goals from Jayden Bogle and substitute Joel Piroe ensured that the Yorkshire club eased to a fairly comfortable victory over Queens Park Rangers in the end to return to winning ways following mid-week defeat against Millwall.

That victory comes at a much-needed time following a reported reshuffle behind the scenes at Elland Road, leading to the departures of both technical director Gretar Steinsson and Jordan Miles in the last few days. Eyeing promotion, Leeds will hope that change away from the action doesn’t have an impact on the form of Daniel Farke’s side.

With a place in the Premier League in mind, meanwhile, the Yorkshire club have seemingly set their sights on an in-demand defender. According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, the Leeds are in the race to sign Archie Brown, who club chiefs have been keeping tabs on in recent months.

The Whites aren’t alone in their interest in the KAA Gent defender, however, with Chelsea big admirers of the former Derby County man and West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Brentford all watching Brown this season.

Saved by Bogle & Piroe: Farke has to ditch 5/10 Leeds man who's 'not sharp'

Leeds United march on in their pursuit of automatic promotion

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By
Robbie Walls

Nov 9, 2024

What Leeds could offer over the Premier League sides is crucial game time for Brown, who won’t want to settle for a place on the bench after earning such interest whilst at Gent. In a busy race to sign the defender, Leeds may well emerge to welcome Brown back to English football for the first time since 2020.

"Complete" Brown has crucial versatility

Whether Leeds find themselves in the Premier League this time next season or, indeed, fighting for promotion once again in the Championship, depth will be the key to any success. And Brown’s versatility would add exactly that. Naturally a left-back, the 22-year-old can also play left-midfield and centre-back to potentially offer Farke cover for Junior Firpo over Sam Byram as well as a back-up for Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk.

Impressive at Gent, Brown instantly earned the praise of the Belgium club’s former head of scouting Samuel Cardenas, who told their official website following the defender’s arrival: “Archie is a player we followed last season in the Swiss 2nd division. He first played as a central defender and then quickly switched to the left-back position. For us, he is an option in both positions.

“Archie has all the qualities to succeed here: he is a complete player, fast, athletic, a solid defender and technically very strong with dynamism and attacking impulses.”

Still just 22 years old, the former Derby defender could yet come back to haunt his former club by joining fellow Championship side Leeds in 2025.

Chelsea's 22-year-old sensation has taken the Premier League by storm. But how much does he earn? Let's find out!

Cole Palmer has easily been one of the best players in the Premier League since his move to the Blue side of London from the Blue side of Manchester.

Surely he must be one of the top earners in the squad then considering his terrific form, right? The answer is rather surprising as the English midfielder barely breaks into the top ten earners list at Stamford Bridge.

Just how much does the 22-year-old earn at Chelsea, though?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

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• Cole Palmer’s wages at Chelsea in numbers

  Palmer signed a nine-year contract with Chelsea back in 2024, keeping him at the club until 2033.

  The creative attacker currently draws a salary of £130,000 ($164,208) on a weekly basis, making it a total of close to £7 million ($8.5m) annually.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Cole Palmer	English	£130,000	$164,208	£6,760,000	$8,538,793

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  Top earners at Chelsea

  Club captain Reece James stands as the highest-earning player in the squad by quite some distance, while French stars Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku join the full-back at second and third position respectively.

  Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez follows at fourth, earning slightly more than fifth placed Marc Cucurella.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual wages USD
  Reece James	English	£250,000	$315,784	£13,000,000	$16,420,755
  Wesley Fofana	French	£200,000	$252,627	£10,400,000	$13,136,604
  Christopher Nkunku	French	£195,000	$246,311	£10,140,000	$12,808,189
  Enzo Fernandez	Argentine	£180,000	$227,364	£9,360,000	$11,822,944
  Marc Cucurella	Spanish	£175,000	$221,049	£9,100,000	$11,494,528

• Top 5 earners in the Premier League

  Manchester City’s Erling Haaland sits at the top of the chart as the highest-paid player in the Premier League having recently signed a nine-year contract with the club, keeping him at the Etihad until 2034.

  City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne follows him at second, while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah acquires the third spot.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in GBP	Weekly wages in USD	Annual wages in GBP	Annual wages in USD
  Erling Haaland	Norwegian	£525,000	$663,164	£27,300,000	$34,483,586
  Kevin De Bruyne	Belgian	£400,000	$505,254	£20,800,000	$26,273,206
  Mohamed Salah	Egyptian	£350,000	$442,097	£18,200,000	$22,989,057
  Casemiro	Brazilian	£350,000	$442,097	£18,200,000	$22,989,057
  Jack Grealish	English	£300,000	$378,941	£17,169,698	$19,704,906

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  Highest paid players in the world

  Palmer's salary numbers almost appear child-like when compared to the highest paid players in the world. The list is majorly dominated by former stars of Europe who have flocked to the Saudi Premier League.

  One of the greatest forwards to ever grace the sport, Cristiano Ronaldo sits at the top of the list as the top-earner across the world, playing for SPL side Al Nassr.

  Following him on the list is his former Real Madrid compatriot in Karim Benzema who plays for Al Ittihad.

  Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez comes in at third, followed by Senegalese internationals Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly at fourth and fifth spot.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages GBP	Weekly wages USD	Annual wages GBP	Annual wages USD
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	£3,846,154	$4,027,872	£200,000,000	$209,449,340
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	£1,923,077	$2,013,936	£100,000,000	$104,724,670
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	£1,003,846	$1,051,275	£52,200,000	$54,666,278
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	£769,231	$805,574	£40,000,000	$41,889,868
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	£667,308	$698,836	£34,000,000	$36,339,460

Chelsea have built a team full of brilliant game-changers over the last few years, but it’s still clear who their most important player is: Cole Palmer.

The Englishman joined the club from Manchester City just two years ago and is already considered by many to be one of the best players in the Premier League, and it’s not hard to see why.

In 98 appearances, the 23-year-old has scored 43 goals and provided 29 assists, resulting in a goal involvement every 1.36 games.

However, as with every club, Chelsea have also let a number of sensational talents leave too early, including one who’s even better than Palmer.

Chelsea's biggest transfer regrets

It would be fair to say that Chelsea have made their fair share of regrettable sales over the years, with Kevin De Bruyne being one of the most notable examples.

The Belgian joined the club in January 2012 for a fee of around £7m, but remained with Genk for the rest of that season and then joined Werder Bremen on loan the following year.

Unfortunately for the Blues, then manager José Mourinho didn’t take to the future icon, and after just nine competitive appearances for the club, he was sold to Wolfsburg for £18m in January 2014, where he would go on to produce 57 goal involvements in 73 games, win the DFB Pokal and secure a big money move to Manchester City in August 2015.

We all know what happened next, as the world-class midfielder went on to make 422 appearances for the Sky Blues, scoring 108 goals, providing 177 assists, and winning everything there was to win, including six league titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and the Champions League.

While not as successful, another player the Blues surely wish they never sold is the man of the moment, Marc Guehi.

The combative centre-back left the West Londoners for Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021, and did so for only £18m.

Since then, he’s made 161 appearances for the South Londoners, in which he’s scored nine goals, provided four assists and most crucially, led them to a historic FA Cup triumph.

His impressive development at Selhurst Park has also seen him brought into the national team setup and now, with 24 caps to his name, is arguably England’s best centre-back.

Yet, while Chelsea surely regret selling both of these players, there is another international superstar, someone who is better than Palmer, that may be their biggest regret.

The former Chelsea star better than Palmer

With Palmer being one of the best attackers in the Premier League, the player in question has to be truly exceptional to be in with a shout of being better than him, and Mohamed Salah is undoubtedly that.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

The Egyptian legend joined the West Londoners in a £11m move from Basel in January 2014, going on to make his debut for the club in a game against Newcastle United the following month.

However, after just 19 appearances over the following year, he moved to Fiorentina on loan in January 2015, where he produced 13 goal involvements in 26 games and caught the eye of AS Roma.

The Italian giants signed the future legend on a season-long loan with an option to buy that summer, an option that was activated for just £12m the following year.

During his time in Rome, the Nagrig-born game-changer racked up a brilliant tally of 34 goals and 21 assists in 83 appearances, totalling 6588, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.50 games, or every 119.78 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, such an incredible run of form started to turn heads back in the Premier League, and in June 2017, two and a half years after he left England, Liverpool spent around £34m to bring him back to these shores.

To say he’s been worth that outlay would be a monstrous understatement.

In the seven years since, he has racked up an astronomical haul of 246 goals and 114 assists in 405 games and played a pivotal role in two Premier League winning campaigns, a Champions League triumph, and the winning of several domestic cups.

How did he stack up to Palmer last season, though?

Well, the Englishman scored 18 goals and provided 14 assists in 52 appearances, totalling 4247 minutes, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.62 games, or every 132.71 minutes.

In contrast, the “world-class” Reds star, as dubbed by Roy Keane, scored 34 goals and provided 23 assists in 52 appearances, totalling 4501 minutes.

In other words, he averaged 1.09 goal involvements per match, or one every 78.96 minutes – a mind-blowing rate of return.

Ultimately, Chelsea have a brilliant squad and in Palmer a genuine world-beater, but it would be fair to say selling Salah was one of the club’s biggest mistakes.

The Chelsea academy star turning Maresca's head after Nicolas Jackson praise

Chelsea’s manager is keeping a close eye on him.

By
Emilio Galantini

Sep 11, 2025

Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner’s opening partnerships had propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad all season long, but with a play-off spot on the line the pair failed when it mattered most in one of five takeaways from the IPL 2015 regular season finale

Amol Karhadkar in Hyderabad18-May-2015C-syndrome hits SunrisersSunrisers Hyderabad had just one South African in their ranks, but barring him, the others in the team choked. Even before the game began, both teams knew jolly well that the winner would not only make it to the play-offs but finish second in the group stage, thus getting an additional opportunity to make it to the final.While the Mumbai Indians came out all guns blazing, the Sunrisers just didn’t turn up. When your No. 11 batsman, Dale Steyn, ends up being the second-highest individual scorer, it speaks volumes about your batting effort. When you end up getting bowled out for 113 in 20 overs, that too after electing to bat, you cannot put the blame on the bowling unit for having failed to defend it. Steyn came out in the field all fired up, and had Parthiv Patel clueless against his trademark full-length bowling. Even if Parthiv had managed to nick one of those, the total was too hard to defend anyway.David-Dhawan flop showJust like the popular Hindi film director David Dhawan’s blockbuster hits in the 1990s, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan had fired for the entire tournament. In fact, till Moises Henriques and Eoin Morgan came to the party late into the tournament, Sunrisers’ was considered to be a two-man batting unit. But when it mattered the most, the duo faltered.All those fifty-plus opening partnerships, including 130 against Kolkata Knight Riders, came to nought as both the left-handers perished off successive balls, courtesy a trademark Lasith Malinga toecrusher and a Mitchell McClenaghan short ball. It was only the second time the Sunrisers’ opening partnership didn’t reach double-digits this year. Moreover, it was the first time in the tournament that both Warner and Dhawan, with a combined tally of 10 fifties in IPL 2015, were dismissed in single digits. Once the reliable pair flopped, the Sunrisers never recovered.Mumbai new-ball duo rises to the occasionJagadeesha Suchith may have took the zip off the Sunrisers’ middle order with wickets off successive deliveries, but it was the unusual two-in-two up front by Mumbai Indians’ reliable new-ball pair that set the tone for the match.Malinga and McClenaghan saw the backs of Dhawan and Warner off the sixth and seventh balls of the match, respectively. The pair continued their charge, cleaning up half of Sunrisers’ batsmen cheaply. While the Sunrisers’ star pair failed, it was the Mumbai Indians’ best bowlers, who came into the match with a combined series haul of 28 wickets, that raised the bar when it mattered the most. Once the two Ms rose to the occasion, Sunrisers’ sunset was imminent.Mumbai hits a sixEven when the home team was reeling at 93 for 9 to start the penultimate over, the emcee at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, in an attempt to get the crowd involved, yelled “We want….” The obvious response of a sellout crowd was “sixer”. Well, the whole match saw just four sixes being hit, including a solitary hit by Ashish Reddy for the home team, but the Mumbai Indians completed a unique six.Once Parthiv and Lendl Simmons had ensured their bowling unit’s exceptional work was not going to waste by getting off to a quickfire start, it was clear that Mumbai Indians would enter the last four for the sixth consecutive time. The feat is bettered only by Chennai Super Kings, their opponents in Tuesday’s qualifier, who have made the cut in each of the eight IPL editions.Not much to cheer for the crowdFor the second time in three nights, the stadium was chock-a-block minutes into the first innings. This was a first in Hyderabad, which seldom sees full houses for IPL games. More than their home team’s stupendous form, it was their opponents who were the crowd pullers. While the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s famous triumvirate of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers meant Friday’s game was a sellout a fortnight before the game, Sunday’s match had the attraction of having a glimpse of Sachin Tendulkar. So what if he was going to be present only in the visitors’ dugout.While the crowd got plenty of sighters of Tendulkar, they couldn’t really get anything more that they had wished. Forget about a close finish, they didn’t even see enough fours and sixes. Once the game that was billed as the last and the best of the group stage turned out to be a lop-sided affair, the spectators started leaving as early as the fifth over into the Mumbai Indians chase.

Thomas Frank has been warned his relationship with Tottenham fans will continue to be a "slow burner" if their hopes of seeing attacking football are not met. The Dane has led Spurs to third in the Premier League but his brand of football has received a lukewarm reception from supporters, who have been labelled as being "obsessed" with how their team play.

• Frank handed Tottenham reins after stellar Brentford spell

  Frank was appointed as Tottenham head coach in June following the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou. Earning plenty of plaudits for his excellent work at Brentford, having turned the Bees into an established top-flight side following their promotion from the Championship in 2021, the 52-year-old was rewarded for his efforts by being given the chance to manage one of England’s biggest clubs.

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  Spurs have made strong start results-wise under the Dane

  Frank has since presided over a strong run of results which has seen Spurs rise to third in the league table and just five points behind leaders Arsenal. Under the former Brondby manager’s stewardship, Tottenham are the league’s joint-top goalscorers alongside Manchester City and Chelsea, while only Arsenal boast a better defensive record than Frank’s side. Whereas Spurs have conceded seven times in just nine games, north London rivals Arsenal have only let in three.

• Carragher weighs in on reception to Frank's style of play

  However, while the numbers prove to be great reading, Frank’s brand of football is yet to win over the Tottenham faithful. And while praising his "transformative and positive" impact since replacing Postecoglou, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher predicts it will take a little while longer for the fanbase to warm to Frank, unless he can get his team playing on the front foot more.

  Citing how previous Spurs managers Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo struggled to win over fans with their pragmatic styles of play, Carragher wrote in "Spurs fans like what they are seeing with the team’s improved results. For the time being, Frank’s pragmatic approach is probably more tolerated than adored.

  "My instincts are that the relationship between Frank and his new fanbase will be a slow burner.

  "For the past two years it felt as though many Spurs supporters were being blinded by the idea of what they were trying to be rather than what they actually were – a team far too easy to expose.

  "During my lifetime, the Spurs fanbase have been one of the most obsessed about insisting their team play in a certain way. They never took to Jose Mourinho or Nuno Espirito Santo for that reason.

  "The desire to play beautiful football is hardly exclusive to Spurs. Every top club in the world wants to play a technically brilliant style, although, for the majority, trophy-winning football trumps being regarded as one of the most attractive teams."

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  Liverpool icon urges Spurs fans to 'dream big' under Frank

  While Wednesday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat against holders Newcastle represented a setback for Tottenham, Carragher still believes the club should "dream big" about what they could achieve under Frank this season.

  "Spurs are in third place, and Frank will have done an amazing job if he keeps them there," Carragher continued. "This is the season to dream big given the problems at other clubs. If England continue to have five Champions League spots, Spurs are well placed to take one of them through their league position.

  "Spurs were style over substance for too long under Postecoglou. He never beat Chelsea as Spurs manager. Now a period of substance over style gives them a great chance of making a statement against a top-four rival.

  "Longer-term, and in a vastly different way, seeing how Frank goes about trying to give Spurs the best of both worlds will be as captivating as Postecoglou’s gung-ho approach."

George Hill steers hosts on shortened day with both dressing rooms eyeing Hampshire result

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Sep-2025Yorkshire 465 for 9 (Hill 88, Raine 4-79, Ghafari 4-114) lead Durham 346 (Raine 101, White 5-69) by 119 runsYorkshire are closing in on Division One survival in the Rothesay County Championship, but Durham are not quite sure of the size of their task heading into day four at Headingley.Should Hampshire – 148 for 9 chasing 181 to beat Surrey at the Utilita Bowl – lose, seventh-placed Yorkshire would be safe no matter the result here in this season finale. Second-bottom Durham would need a draw to be safe.Should Hampshire win – they are eighth in the table – Yorkshire would need to draw here, which they are very well placed to do. But Durham would need a miracle victory to get out of trouble.Yorkshire, replying to a first-innings 346 all out, started a weather-affected day on 314 for 5 and advanced to 465 for 9 in the 51 overs possible, with George Hill compiling a skilful season’s best 88.It’s difficult to see how Durham can win, so they desperately need Surrey to do so down on the south coast.Bad light interrupted play on three occasions at Headingley, with the bulk of the evening lost. No play was possible beyond 3.25pm.Hill impressively supplemented Indian batter Mayank Agarwal’s superb 175 on day two with his fourth fifty of a season which has seen him excel with the ball. His seamers have accounted for 47 Championship wickets.He shared in half-century stands with fellow allrounders Matthew Revis and Jordan Thompson, the latter contributing an unbeaten 44.The morning session was a relatively quiet affair, with Yorkshire advancing to 365 for 7. Ben Raine, who has been excellent with 4 for 71 from 33 overs added to his first-innings century, and Matthew Potts struck for Durham.Raine broke a sixth-wicket stand of 50 between Revis, 38, and Hill. Revis, crowned Yorkshire’s members’ player of the year at the end of day two here, was trapped lbw by an in-ducker before Dom Bess pulled Potts to deep backward square-leg.Hill was a calming presence for Yorkshire as they stretched their lead. In all, he hit 14 fours in 175 balls. Thompson was more expansive, whipping Will Rhodes over deep midwicket for six.Hill moved to a fifty off 105 balls shortly before the hosts reached 400 for 7 in the early stages of the afternoon. By this stage, Yorkshire led by 54 and Durham’s need for wickets was becoming more desperate.Hill did fall short of what would have been his season’s first century when bowled trying to attack the legspin of Afghanistan’s Shafiqullah Ghafari. But Yorkshire’s lead was 97 at 443 for 8.Hill and Thompson had shared an eighth-wicket 86, the latter allrounder playing his last match before a winter move to Warwickshire.Matt Milnes edged to slip to hand Ghafari a fourth wicket before the third bad light stoppage at 3.25pm was the last. With the players off the field at that stage, Durham’s dressing room would have been buoyed by news from Southampton.Yorkshire will head into day four in a much more relaxed state given their strong performance here. Durham, on the other hand, will be on tenterhooks not quite knowing the size or shape of their task in hand.

Aston Villa are yet to pick up a win in the Premier League this season as Unai Emery’s men continue to draw blanks.

A 0-0 draw against Newcastle United on the opening weekend could have been excused, as Ezri Konsa’s second-half dismissal saw the Villans fight for a point, but following up that battling display with a dire 1-0 defeat on the road to Brentford would have undoubtedly irked the claret and blue masses watching on in West London.

The Spaniard will hope his team can finally kick into gear this campaign when they face Crystal Palace at home to round off a choppy month.

He will be all too aware of how vital the coming days could also be as Villa hunt down some last-minute signings, with the West Midlands outfit in desperate need of an injection of positivity, after losing homegrown Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United recently.

Aston Villa plot £26m move for new attacker

Losing the Birmingham-born midfielder to St James’ Park will sting temporarily.

However, the Villans’ PSR situation dictated that this £40m switch must take place, with the early Premier League underachievers now hoping to use that hefty amount to improve their own personnel.

Transfer Focus

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

It has long been reported that Villa are eyeing up Chelsea outcast Nicolas Jackson as a striker target this summer, with a recent report even revealing that the £65m striker is one of their main targets.

However, there are other promising talents on their radar, perhaps most notably in the form of Sporting attacker Geny Catamo.

Portuguese outlet A Bola speculate that Villa have offered £17m to the Liga Portugal giants for the services of their rapid winger.

Unfortunately for Emery and Co., only a fee in the region of £26m will suffice.

How Catamo can be Emery's next Ramsey

It could well be a lump sum worth coughing up if the Mozambique international does go on to be as impactful as Ramsey was in flashes for his boyhood side.

Despite largely being used as a substitute option at Villa Park – with 43 of his Premier League appearances for Emery’s men seeing him come off the bench – Ramsey still left a lasting impression on those watching on.

A healthy haul of 14 goals and 12 assists came his way from 136 appearances in the West Midlands, with ex-Liverpool midfielder Gary McAllister once even declaring that Ramsey could “go right to the top” despite his impact substitute presence.

Catamo has been showered with equal levels of praise for his gung-ho approach for Sporting, having once been lauded as being “incisive” by former boss Ruben Amorim, before he swapped Lisbon for Manchester.

He could soon be competing against his ex-manager, donning Villa claret and blue, with the quick-thinking 24-year-old only three goal contributions shy of Ramsey’s Villa total, strutting his stuff in the Portuguese top division.

But, much like his English counterpart, Catamo has often had to make do with limited opportunities in the Portuguese capital, having started just 44 of his overall 80 league contests for Sporting.

Yet, that hasn’t stopped him from consistently seizing his opportunity, with Emery hopeful he can find another bright spark – who is similar to the relentless energy of Ramsey – that he can rely on if Catamo were to walk through the door shortly.

With the 24-year-old also capable of playing down the left wing, where Ramsey usually resided for Villa, on top of being another potential face down the opposing right flank, or even through the middle as a number ten, this feels as if it would be a smart next signing to make.

Emery would at least then know that the millions injected into the bank from the Birmingham-born attacker’s exit had been put to good use.

He's like Duran & Benteke: Aston Villa make £65m star their top target

Aston Villa are eyeing up a new striker who is a mix of Jhon Durán and Christian Benteke.

By
Will Miller

Aug 23, 2025

Home side make a game of it having been 55 for 8 but Bouchier, Devine steer successful chase

ECB Media16-Aug-2025Southern Brave 109 for 4 (Bouchier 42, Devine 41*) beat Trent Rockets 106 (Gordon 32, Corteen-Coleman 4-13) by six wicketsA dominant bowling performance followed by a measured if not nervy run chase saw the Southern Brave to a six-wicket win over Trent Rockets in The Hundred women’s competition at Trent Bridge.Electing to bowl first, Georgia Adams’ decision was justified almost immediately when 17-year-old Tilly Corteen-Coleman struck two huge blows in her opening set, removing Bryony Smith caught off a leading-edge and Nat Sciver-Brunt brilliantly stumped by Rhianna Southby.Despite a 16-ball 25 from captain Ash Gardner, the Rockets top order faltered miserably. From 36 for 2 at the conclusion of the powerplay, it was complete Brave dominance as Rockets collapsed to 55 for 8.Left-arm spinner Corteen-Coleman bowled brilliantly, also dismissing Heather Graham and Emma Jones – the former another stumping by the impressive Southby – on the way to brilliant figures of 4 for 13. Lauren Bell returned to strike twice in three balls, becoming the first woman to take 50 wickets in the Hundred in the process, finishing her 20 balls with 3 for 16.Alana King and Kirstie Gordon then staged a recovery to keep their side in the game. They shared a record tenth-wicket stand of 50 from 44 deliveries to help the Rockets to 106 and give them something to bowl at.In the run chase, Rockets struck early – Danni Wyatt-Hodge run out by King after a miscommunication with Maia Bouchier. Laura Wolvaardt was then caught by Sciver-Brunt off Gordon to see the score 10 for 2 with two in-form batters back in the shed.Bouchier and Sophie Devine played cautiously against probing bowling from King and Gardner, steadily chipping away at the target as the Brave reached 52 for 2 at halfway with 55 runs still required.Bouchier began to open her shoulders as Brave approached their target, but she targeted King one time too many, running past a wide one to be stumped for 43.Devine was joined by Freya Kemp who, after cracking a huge six off Gordon, went caught on the boundary with eight still required from seven balls. But Devine stayed calm, striking a crucial boundary off Graham as the Brave got home with two balls to spare.Meerkat Match Hero, Corteen-Coleman, said: “It’s been fantastic, such a great team performance. Good to get another win on the board. There’s a bit of a track record of Trent Bridge being a bit slow and having a bit of turn so I thought I might be in the game.”I can’t complain, it’s been a great day. We’re a great group. We’ve been working really hard and obviously off the back of last year I feel like we’ve got a lot to prove and we’re on our way to doing that.”

The home defeat by Aston Villa and a dire performance away at Monaco means the clash with Everton has taken on significant importance for Tottenham. And the Spurs boss Thomas Frank has identified the player who is most likely to pull the strings for the hosts as the visitors look for their first win at Everton since back in 2018.

• Mersey showdown awaits Spurs

  In-form Everton, unbeaten at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, host Spurs who are looking to regain momentum this Sunday. The Toffees, bolstered by the return of loan star Jack Grealish, pose a significant threat, especially given Spurs' current injury concerns and inconsistent form. Frank is feeling the heat after a Champions League draw against Monaco and a home league defeat by Aston Villa, despite having the league's best away record. The north Londoners have injuries to key players like captain Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie along with long-term absentees James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

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  Reborn midfielder tipped to shine

  Spurs' Danish boss is wary of Jack Grealish, who is excelling on a season-long loan at Everton after falling out of favour at Manchester City. He’s scored one goal and registered four assists in his first seven league matches, going some way to replicating the form he showed at Aston Villa. His impressive start earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.

• High praise from Spurs boss Frank

  Frank said: "He (Grealish) is their main creator, no doubt about that. He’s so dangerous, he can create something out of nothing in every game. So, of course, we need to be aware of him. Beto has been good up front and (Illiman) Ndiaye has been very good. I think (Kiernan) Dewsbury-Hall has been good after maybe not being on top at Chelsea. And then a good colleague and friend of mine, David Moyes, is in charge and his team as a whole is very, very competitive. He’s a manager that I admire and a person I respect massively in the game."

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  Injury woes continue for Spurs

  On the mounting injury list, Frank said: "Cuti just walked out on the grass running, some of the performance guys, so positive, progressing, no time frame, but I don't expect it to be a longer one. Destiny is not on the grass yet, but still progressing, so again, not a longer one. With Dominic, it's positive, he's taking steps in the right direction every day, was on the grass again today on his own, but has now a sustainable amount of pitch sessions in him on his own, so it's progressing forward.

  "Every head coach, manager wants all the players fit, and we get that, then we complain about the squad being too big, and then you need to disappoint players, but anyway, I rather want that, of course. It is what it is, you're right, I very, very rarely say anything about injuries, because it is what it is, I need to deal with it, and it's my job to put the best possible available team on the pitch and get it hopefully clicking. Of course there's some of these, especially Kulusevski and Maddison, proven players that prove in this club for goals and assists and creating things, so they would have been lovely to be able to use, but I think we have some very talented players who are growing.

  "Wilson, Xavi, I think Mo has been very good for us as well and I think Richie had a good start to the season, he tried to get up to pace, but the reality is that we are working very hard on getting the flow with the front four, and hopefully it will be better bit by bit. I think it's fair to say, I can't remember the amount of games we played, but there have definitely been some good games and good spells where we have been looking very good, so we'll keep working on it."