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Only a handful of teams have managed to string together something approaching sustained success in the 17-year history of English domestic T20: Leicestershire (2004 and 2006), Hampshire (2010 and 2012), and Northamptonshire (2013 and 2016) are the only teams to have won multiple titles within a short period.But Nottinghamshire are well-placed to add their name to those that have gone before. After charging to the title in 2017, they have regenerated over the course of the next two years, losing the experience of Riki Wessels, Chris Read and Michael Lumb while bringing through Matt Carter, Ben Duckett and Luke Wood.On Saturday, they go into Finals Day as firm favourites. And while personnel has changed considerably since 2017, several constants remain. Dan Christian remains in situ as captain and overseas player; Alex Hales will hope to use the day as a platform to stake his claim for England re-integration; and Harry Gurney remains among the competition’s premier death bowlers.”It’s difficult to compare it to the 2017 white-ball teams,” Gurney tells ESPNcricinfo. “We probably had a little bit more experience then, with Brendan Taylor, Read, Lumb, those kind of guys. But this is certainly a very exciting group.”Never has a squad had as much depth as Nottinghamshire’s in the history of English domestic T20 cricket, and that much was evident in their quarter-final against Middlesex.They thrashed a side containing Eoin Morgan and AB de Villiers by ten wickets, with Steven Mullaney injured and Joe Clarke, Zak Chappell, Jake Ball, Luke Fletcher, Paul Coughlin and Ben Slater all left out. Even with Imad Wasim absent on Saturday due to a Pakistan training camp, they will still have a level of bench strength that only IPL sides can rival.”In our quarter-final we were back to batting how I’ve become accustomed to seeing Nottinghamshire bat over the years,” says Gurney. “We were so fortunate for a number of years to have so many destructive players, but with Nashy [Chris Nash] going in and hitting his first ball for four and really setting the tone – it felt sat on the balcony watching – a lot more like those years.””That depth is so important. To have someone like Nashy, who is in the top three run-scorers in the history of the competition, coming into the team and having the impact that he did is amazing.”And then having bowlers of the calibre of Luke Fletcher, Jake Ball sat on the bench, and Coggers [Coughlin] who was captain of Durham a couple of years ago – all of those guys would play in most teams around the country. It’s so valuable.”Dan [Christian] made a point about it in the changing room after the game – the way those guys have behaved despite not being in the starting XI has been really world-class, and that’s part of the reason that we’ve come together so well as a team and as a squad.”In that quarter-final, Gurney’s return of 2 for 44 from his four overs was unspectacular, but by dismissing Morgan in his penultimate over, he may well have saved his side 15 runs.”I’ve been slightly more expensive than I’d have liked this year,” he says, “but I’ve been picking up quite a lot of wickets. That is the key to reducing an opposition score, really – and that wicket was a good example of it.”He remains one of the more sought-after death bowlers on the T20 circuit, and it was no surprise to see him re-sign with the analytics-driven Melbourne Renegades for the 2019-20 Big Bash.Another similarity with the 2017 vintage is the presence in the side of a moving, living insurance policy. That year, Billy Root played ten games as a batsman, but only got to the crease four times; this season, Jake Libby has been picked nine times, but batted in only three of those matches.The logic is simple: with Christian and Samit Patel offering genuine all-round options, the presence of an extra batsman means that the explosive players in the side have less to fear about getting out, safe in the knowledge that there is a proper player behind them.”He’s been a massively underrated T20 cricketer in my view,” says Gurney of Libby. “If you look at his numbers, his average [33.54 over his career] and strike-rate [134.18] are very impressive. He bowls handy offspin, he’s a hell of a fielder, and his versatility with the bat is invaluable to a T20 team.””If you’re 10 for 3, having someone like Libbs to go in and knock it around and rebuild is incredibly useful, and at the same time he can also go in down the order and clear the ropes, or play spin very well.”Jake Libby plays a more important role for Notts than his one innings suggests•Getty Images

Libby’s role in the side is almost unique across sports; he is a player whose failure to exert any influence on a game demonstrates that his team-mates have been at their best.”He’s very versatile, a very handy cricketer,” says Gurney. “It’s frustrating for him fulfilling that role at times, because when things are going well he gets shoved down the order, but I’m sure he won’t complain if he’s got a medal round his neck on Saturday night.”On Finals Day, Nottinghamshire will play in the first semi-final against Worcestershire, who turned them over at Trent Bridge both this year and last, but Gurney is convinced that will count for little. “It can work the other way,” he says. “If you play against a team who you’ve had the wood over, you can start to overthink it, and wonder if they’re due to beat you. From a psychological perspective they might feel like it gives them a little bit of confidence, but I don’t think we’ll be short of that.”The other consideration for Gurney is that he has a poor record against two Worcestershire batsmen. In the past three seasons, he has bowled 16 balls at both Ross Whiteley and Ed Barnard; they have hit him for 39 and 34 runs respectively.”I’ll definitely trust my method against them,” Gurney says, “and the positive to take from a match-up like that is that you don’t go into a game taking anyone lightly. Maybe sometimes if you’ve got a good record against someone you can become complacent – there are games where you haven’t done your homework and think ‘I probably should have done’. That won’t be the case on Saturday.”And while the young players have caught the eye at times this year, Notts will rely on the experienced heads on Saturday. “There’s a bit of an adage that goes around in cricket: young players win you games, but experience wins you titles,” Gurney notes.If he is somewhere near his best at Edgbaston, that adage will be rooted in reality.

Pakistan are currently touring South Africa while Zimbabwe last played an international match in May 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2021

Zimbabwe women are set to return to the field for the first time since May 2019 when they host Pakistan for three one-dayers and two T20Is at the Harare Sports Club next month.According to a Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) release, the proposed tour, “which is subject to approval from the government of Zimbabwe due to the COVID-19 restrictions currently in place,” will comprise three one-dayers, on February 11, 13, and 15, and two T20Is, on February 18 and 20. The tour will be conducted in a bio-secure bubble with no spectators allowed at the match venue.Pakistan’s ongoing six-match tour of South Africa ends on February 3 with the third and final T20I.Both teams will look to use the tour as part of their preparations for the Women’s ODI World Cup Qualifier 2021, a 10-team tournament that will be held in June and July. The top three teams from that event will progress to the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand in March-April next year.”The Pakistan senior women’s team are currently touring South Africa and agreed to stop over in Harare after Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) engaged the Pakistan Cricket Board prior to the latest COVID-19 lockdown restrictions imposed by the government,” the statement read. “But ZC, having already successfully hosted domestic competitions in a controlled environment, will host the Pakistan women series in a bio-securebubble in order to greatly minimise the risk of the coronavirus spreading.”Stringent protocols for the proposed tour are already in place, with the ZC COVID-19 Committee, which includes the organisation’s chief medical officer Dr Solomon Madzogo, meeting twice a week to ensure all is in place for a safe series.”Zimbabwe, who do not hold ODI status, last played an international match on May 12, 2019: a T20I fixture against Namibia in Harare.

Gloucestershire wrapped up a nine-wicket victory inside eight overs, chasing just 35 runs to win on the final day and hand Glamorgan a sixth consecutive defeat

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2018
ScorecardGlamorgan suffered a sixth consecutive defeat in Division Two of the Specsavers County Championship as Gloucestershire wrapped up a nine-wicket victory inside eight overs, chasing just 35 runs to win on the final day.Despite their position rooted to the bottom of the table, Glamorgan’s head coach Robert Croft said a young squad had to remain positive about their ability to improve results.”These boys are working their butts off, they honestly are,” Croft said. “We’ve got to continue doing that. Two games left to put massive technical changes in would be a big challenge. We’re continually examining them and working with them on how they’re playing and quite clearly, we haven’t quite got the hang of it as far as performances on the field.”A disappointing performance, but we are continually working hard. There’s some players who have been asked a hell of a lot of this season. Every player on our staff, at some stage or another, has been in our first team through injuries and form, etc. What we’ve got to do is keep talking about the belief, about when they have played well and reinforcing that because it’s very easy to slip into that negative mindset.”At 150 for 8 in their second innings, it was a match which Glamorgan should have lost on the third day, only for Timm van der Gugten and Kieran Bull to help them into a slender lead. They began the final day 18 runs ahead, with van der Gugten on a career-best 58 not out.The Australian-born Dutchman looked on as his captain Michael Hogan showed attacking intent from the outset, doubling his tally of runs in the first over of the day as he dispatched Matt Taylor for two well-struck boundaries. However, he was eventually bowled by the left-arm seamer, who claimed his fifth wicket of the innings and his seventh of the match as Glamorgan were dismissed for 251.Exchanging bat for ball, van der Gugten’s resistance continued in the first over of the visitors’ second innings when he trapped Miles Hammond lbw for nought to claim his fifth wicket of the match.However, Gloucestershire’s chase got going when skipper Chris Dent guided a Hogan delivery down to the third man boundary and then in the following over, drove van der Gugten through backward point for four before James Bracey flicked off his pads to add a boundary of his own. Victory came when Dent struck Hogan back over his head.”It’s pretty hard to sugarcoat it, to be honest with you,” Hogan said. “I think the second innings, eight, nine, ten showed the top order what can be done if you invest some time and effort into your innings. To say the least, very disappointed.”I think it’s a confidence issue at the moment. We’ve played a lot of second eleven cricket against that exact Gloucestershire attack and there’s six or seven boys in there that scored hundreds against them on tough wickets. Whether it’s the case of playing in the first team and putting pressure on themselves, I don’t know. They’ve done it as individuals before in tougher conditions.”We’ve been crying out for a decent wicket like that, finally got one and still couldn’t put a decent score on the board.”

It would be fair to say that this season has not gone even remotely to plan for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lilywhites have endured a mountain of injuries, an abysmal Premier League campaign, and following their thrashing on Thursday night, they’ve only got the Europa League and FA Cup to save their season.

However, with all that said, there have been reasons to be positive in recent weeks, such as their late but nonetheless impressive business in the transfer market.

Ange Postecoglou now has three more players to choose from than he did before the window opened, with Mathys Tel undoubtedly the most exciting, although the Frenchman is still worth millions less than one of his new teammates.

Tottenham's January business

In somewhat unusual fashion, Tottenham kicked off their winter transfer business early this year, signing Czech goalkeeper Antonín Kinský from Slavia Prague for £12.5m on January 5th.

The 21-year-old shot-stopper was excellent on his debut, keeping a clean sheet against Liverpool, and while he has been a little shaky of late, there is every chance he could develop into the club’s future number one.

The next transfer wasn’t completed until early this month when Daniel Levy and Co finally addressed the team’s dire need for a centre-back by agreeing to a short-term loan with an obligation to buy at £20.9m for RC Lens star Kevin Danso.

The 24-capped Austrian international has been a key figure for the French side who made it into the Champions League last season by finishing runners-up in Ligue 1 the campaign prior.

Moreover, while the scoreline would perhaps suggest otherwise, his individual performance against Liverpool wasn’t too bad.

Last but certainly not least, Spurs finally secured a loan deal with an option to buy at £45m for the exceptionally gifted Tel, despite him initially turning them down last Friday.

The French teenager wasn’t getting much game time for Bayern Munich this season, but last year, under Thomas Tuchel, he was spectacular, racking up a tally of ten goals and six assists in just 1406 minutes of first-team football, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 87.87 minutes.

There can be no doubt that, in the Sarcelles-born dynamo, Spurs have one of the most exciting talents in world football, but even so, there is already a player in the squad, signed by Antonio Conte, who is currently worth millions more.

The Spurs star worth millions more than Tel

Conte’s tenure in North London might not have been particularly successful or positive, but he was responsible for bringing several talented first-teamers to the club, such as Desiny Udogie, Djed Spence and Pedro Porro.

However, the player we are talking about is none other than Dejan Kulusevski, who joined the Lilywhites on a loan deal under the Italian manager, which was then made permanent under Postecoglou for around £25m.

Just a year and a half later, and according to Football Transfers, the Swedish superstar is now worth up to a whopping €65.5m, which is about £55m, or £10m more than the fee Spurs could pay for Tel come the end of the season.

While that is undoubtedly a lofty valuation, we’d argue that, at least this season, the Stockholm-born dynamo has more than justified it.

For example, in 38 appearances for the Australian manager this season, which has seen him play in central midfield, attacking midfield and off the right of a front three, the “world-class” international, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored nine goals and provided nine assists.

Appearances

38

Minutes

2760′

Goals

9

Assists

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.47

Minutes per Goal Involvement

153.33

That means the 24-year-old is currently averaging a goal involvement every 2.11 games, which is seriously impressive for a team languishing where they are in the league table.

Ultimately, Spurs have got themselves a truly sensational prospect in Tel, but if he is to join the club on a permanent deal in the summer, he’ll have to seriously impress to see his valuation reach Kulusevski’s.

Alongside Kinsky: Spurs ace who lost 10/12 duels ruined their trophy hopes

Spurs were thumped at Anfield as their dreams of Wembley faded away.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 7, 2025

The Champions Trophy has produced some captivating moments and storylines over the years. How many of these do you recall?

Andrew McGlashan29-May-2017When Sachin and Glenn sledged
These two titans of the game had many great encounters. This one, in the 2000 Champions Trophy, was a feisty little affair. Sachin Tendulkar’s final tally was 38 off 37 balls – useful but not in itself defining – but it was an enthralling battle while it lasted. In later years Tendulkar recalled how, in a rare example of him having a few words to a bowler, he told Glenn McGrath he would “hit him out of the ground”. McGrath responded with a chirp, then Tendulkar launched a thrilling attack. After skewing an edge over third man in the third over, he then twice waltzed down the pitch in the fifth – sending McGrath for a straight six and then a four. More was to follow in the seventh, when McGrath dropped a touch short and was dispatched over deep square leg. A trademark back-foot square drive completed the collection before Tendulkar fell to Brett Lee, but he wasn’t done. Tendulkar’s subsequent dismissal of Ricky Ponting would prove instrumental in a 20-run victory, as Australia, the reigning world champions, were eliminated in the quarter-finals.Yuvraj Singh made his debut in the 2000 Champions Trophy, and 17 years later is back again•AFPYuvraj’s beginning
It was a match with more than a few subplots. After the McGrath-Tendulkar joust, India slipped to 90 for 3 and the game was in the balance. Up stepped 18-year-old Yuvraj Singh, playing his second ODI but batting for the first time, having not been needed on debut against Kenya. He would go on to plunder 12 boundaries in a thrilling 80-ball 84. There was a chance offered when he edged through Mark Waugh at slip, but he went to his half-century with arguably the shot of his innings – a pristine on-drive off McGrath. Such was his dominance that he had been at the crease less than 20 overs and a century was beckoning when he fell to Shane Lee. However, Yuvraj’s day wasn’t done. In the 32nd over of Australia’s chase he pulled off a direct hit run-out to remove Michael Bevan. Seventeen years later, he is the only player from the 2000 event who will take part in 2017.Cairns downs India
The 2000 tournament – still called the ICC Knockout – provided New Zealand with their one piece of global silverware. The side that had competed strongly at the 1999 World Cup remained together, but victory in the final over against India was largely down to one man. Chris Cairns, who had missed the semi-final against Pakistan with a knee injury, came in at 82 for 3 chasing 265 and New Zealand were soon 132 for 5. Cairns and Chris Harris then added 122, skilfully keeping the required rate in sight while knowing they couldn’t afford further slips. Cairns struck two sixes, one a glorious straight drive off Anil Kumble, before reaching his hundred in the penultimate over. Although Harris fell next ball, victory was within New Zealand’s grasp and Cairns swung a full toss through square leg to seal it.The first victim of the early DRS
The review system is now an accepted part of international cricket – when money allows – so much so that even India have come around to it. These days, there is a multitude of technology (not all of which works perfectly) available to the umpire, but in the early days of expanding TV’s decision-making role, it was rather more rudimentary. The first tentative steps were taken at the 2002 Champions Trophy when on-field umpires – not the players – were given the opportunity to check lbws with the third umpire. A little bit of history befell Shoaib Malik when he was given out against Sri Lanka. Chaminda Vaas struck him on the pads and Daryl Harper went upstairs to ask Rudi Koertzen whether it pitched outside leg: only that and height were within the third umpire’s remit; there was no predictive element. After about 30 seconds, Malik was given out, when Koertzen relayed his decision back to Harper. The system took a while – and numerous trials – to evolve but the technological tide had turned.The scoreboard did not make pretty reading for USA against New Zealand in 2004•AFPAmerica come a cropper
Once a great hope for the game, USA are now more fragmented than ever, and seem on the verge of expulsion from the ICC. In 2004, they had their one moment in the global spotlight, having qualified by winning the ICC Six Nations Challenge on net run rate. The two matches at the Champions Trophy remain their only one-day internationals. Not unexpectedly, they were a sobering experience. USA opened against New Zealand, who piled up 347 for 4 – the fifth-wicket stand of 136 between Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan coming off 46 balls. An opening partnership of 52 in nine overs showed some gumption, but USA then collapsed to 137, with former West Indies opener Clayton Lambert top-scoring on 37. That, though, wasn’t a patch on three days later against Australia: USA 65 all out, and the runs were knocked off with 253 balls remaining. At 191 balls in total, it remains the shortest completed ODI in England or Wales.Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne wrested the Champions Trophy away from England in 2004•AFP / Getty ImagesWest Indies dance in the dark
The most famous day (and almost night) in Champions Trophy history. It had been a largely triumphant season for England, who won all seven of their Tests, and in the damp and chill of a autumn, they had shown enough nous to reach the final of this tournament. Although they could only muster 217 – Marcus Trescothick made 104 – Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood reduced West Indies to 147 for 8. A first global trophy was within England’s grasp, only for Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw to play the innings of their lives. As the evening closed in, a partnership that began as an irritant then turned the game on its head. Darren Gough struggled to revive his glory days, and with Michael Vaughan having thrown his lot in with Harmison and Flintoff earlier, only Collingwood and Alex Wharf (or the unbowled Ashley Giles) remained for the conclusion. By then, the West Indies pair were in and defying the conditions. Off the penultimate ball of the 49th over, Bradshaw flayed Wharf to spark wild celebrations.Thanks, Sharad, it’s time for us to celebrate•AFPAustralia get pushy
Australia had lost their opening match of the 2006 tournament against West Indies, but pulled themselves together – including an impressive victory over India – and gained revenge with a thumping victory in the final. As is often the case for events such as these, the presentation was not a swift affair. Australia wanted nothing more than to just celebrate, and when they were eventually handed the trophy, Damien Martyn proceeded to give Sharad Pawar, the president of the BCCI, a little nudge to urge him off stage. It didn’t go unnoticed. “They are supposed to be aggressive, even rude on the field. On Sunday, Australia showed they are not exactly polite off it too,” said the . Even Sachin Tendulkar had his say: “I was not watching the proceedings, but from what I heard, it was unpleasant and uncalled for.” Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, tried to calm tensions. “I’ll be doing the best I can to get my point across to the concerned people in India and let them know we were not trying to embarrass them or anything like that.”Run out: Graeme Smith was not impressed when he was denied a runner in 2009•Getty ImagesCramped up
England had flayed their way to 323 on the Highveld – their innings included 12 sixes, with Owais Shah making 98 off 89 balls and Eoin Morgan 67 off 34 – but in reply Graeme Smith forged a magnificent century that kept South Africa firmly in the hunt of a demanding chase. His hundred came off 104 balls and they began the last ten overs needing 94; steep, but certainly chaseable in the conditions. Then Smith started to struggle with cramp, and at the end of the 44th over – with him on 124 – he called for a runner. However, England captain Andrew Strauss refused, arguing cramp was a conditioning issue rather than one of fitness. This did not go down well with Smith, who eventually carved into the deep for 141. England won, and the ICC came out in support of Strauss’ stance, banning runners full stop from international cricket a couple of years later.West Indies were sent out of the 2013 tournament by the narrowest possible margin•Getty ImagesThe rain falls in South Africa’s favour
Rain has followed South Africa around global tournaments: they were stuffed by the weather at the 1992 World Cup, had only themselves to blame in 2003, when they misread the Duckworth-Lewis sheet and crashed out of their own event, and cursed the heavy shower in Auckland that interrupted their charge in the 2015 semi-final. In 2013, though, the calculations smiled on them. Kieron Pollard had taken West Indies to the brink of victory – which would have knocked South Africa out – when he fell to Ryan McLaren. The wicket meant that the teams were tied in the DL reckoning (like it had been for South Africa in Durban ten years previously). There was no chance for Darren Sammy to face before the players left the field. The two teams got a point apiece, and so South Africa progressed by virtue of their better net run rate.That’s done it: Ishant Sharma turned the tables at Edgbaston•AFPIshant Sharma’s trophy-winning double whammy
The Champions Trophy final was reduced to 20 overs a side due to rain. With Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara together, England appeared on track to chase 130, having been struggling on 46 for 4. The early damage was caused by spin, but then pace changed the game for India. With consecutive deliveries, Ishant Sharma had Morgan caught at midwicket, then Bopara was snaffled at square: c Ashwin b Sharma had derailed England. When Jos Buttler was bowled first ball by Ravi Jadeja in the penultimate over, there was too much left to do for the lower order. India, under MS Dhoni, had added the title to their wins in the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup.

The transfer window slams shut in under a week, and Arsenal are still yet to make their first signing.

Within the context of their goals heading into the season, it would be fair to say that Mikel Arteta’s side are not in a great spot in the Premier League at the moment, so their lack of activity in the market is more than a little surprising.

Now, just because they haven’t pulled the trigger on anyone yet doesn’t mean the board isn’t working to bring players in, as the North Londoners have been linked with a plethora of talented forwards this month, from Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha.

However, the name that has perhaps been touted for a move to the Emirates more than any other this month has been RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško, although recent reports have now linked another centre-forward from the continent, a forward who could be an even better signing than the Slovenian.

Arsenal target free-scoring forward

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Arsenal are interested in LOSC Lille star Jonathan David.

Transfer Focus

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

In fact, the report has revealed that the club have already held internal discussions about the Canadian sharpshooter, although they are not the only ones, with Newcastle United reportedly having done the same.

A potential transfer fee is not mentioned in the story, but as the 25-year-old’s £31k-per-week contract is set to expire in the summer, he’d either be available for a reasonable fee, of far more likely the North Londoners would try to sign him on a pre-contract agreement this month, to get him on a free at the end of the season.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line should Arsenal go after David, but given his ability and sensational record, it’s one well worth pursuing, and he could even be a better signing than Šeško.

How David compares to Šeško

So, let’s say it ends up being a decision between David and Šeško for Arsenal this month or in the summer; which player should they go for?

Aside from the fact that the Canadian would either cost tens of millions of pounds less or nothing at all, he looks like he’d be the better option, at least from a pure output perspective, which ultimately matters most for a centre-forward.

For example, in just 31 appearances for Lille this season, the “superstar” striker – as he was described by international teammate Jonathan Osario – has found the back of the net on 18 occasions and provided seven assists. That comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.24 games.

In contrast, the Leipzig star has scored 14 goals and provided three assists in 27 games for the German outfit, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.58 games.

However, it’s not just this season that the Canadian phenom has been scoring for fun; he’s been in sensational form for years now.

Appearances

48

40

47

31

Goals

19

26

26

18

Assists

0

4

9

7

Goal Involvements*

0.39

0.75

0.74

0.80

Since the start of the 21/22 campaign, the 59-capped goal machine, whom journalist Tony Marinaro dubbed “one of the best strikers in the world,” has scored 89 goals and provided 20 assists in just 166 club appearances.

That means he has been averaging a goal involvement every 1.52 games for almost four entire seasons, which has to make him one of the most consistently dangerous centre-forwards in world football.

Moreover, the ambipedal dynamo has been just as effective on the international stage, racking up a brilliant haul of 31 goals and 18 assists in his 59 senior caps, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.20 games for Les Rouges.

Now, due to Šeško being just 21 years old, there is certainly an argument to be made that he could have the higher ceiling of the pair.

Nevertheless, with Arsenal desperate to win a Premier League title by next year at the latest, it might be wiser to invest in the striker who has already proven that he can consistently score goals at the highest level.

Therefore, while he might not be the biggest name around, the Gunners should do what they can to bring David to the Emirates, either this month or for free in the summer.

He could revive Odegaard: Arsenal pushing to sign £120m "nightmare"

The unreal goalscorer would supercharge Arsenal’s attack.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 28, 2025

da betcris： Manchester City are continuing to push to complete the signing of a “wonderful” new forward player, with Txiki Begiristain leading the pursuit, according to a reliable journalist.

Man City transfer news

da heads bet： The Blues’ woes in the Premier League continued on Tuesday evening, as they surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Brentford. Pep Guardiola’s side have a lot of work to do if they are to get not only near the top of the table but also into the top four; therefore, it isn’t a surprise to see City enter the transfer market to strengthen their squad.

Related Man City must finally sell £50m star who has been "irreplaceable" to Pep

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Posts ByBen Gray Jan 15, 2025

One player City are close to signing is defender Vitor Reis from Brazilian side Palmeiras. Fabrizio Romano reported that City have reached a verbal agreement for a package under £33 million to sign the player. The Blues want Reis to join them straight away, and all that is left for the deal to be completed is for the player to complete his medical and sign his contract.

Reis is not the only defender that is close to arriving at the Etihad, as City have also agreed to a deal to sign Lens’ Abdukodir Khusanov. The Premier League champions have agreed to a £33.5 million fee with the French side, and Khusanov is now set to undergo a medical and again complete the necessary paperwork before becoming a City player.

Txiki personally leading Man City chase for new attacker

Guardiola doesn’t want to stop there, as according to Sky Sports German reporter Florian Plettenberg, City and Begiristain are pushing to find an agreement to sign Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, hoping to agree to a deal worth £59 million plus add-ons.

Marmoush, who has been dubbed “wonderful” in the past, has become a top target for City in this transfer window. The 25-year-old, who joined Frankfurt on a free transfer in 2023, has been an impressive performer for the Bundesliga side, with 15 goals to his name in 17 league games this season. The forward was in action on Tuesday evening and scored one goal and registered two assists as Frankfurt beat Freiburg 4-1.

His performances have placed him on City’s list of targets, with it being reported that Marmoush and City have already agreed personal terms. However, a transfer fee is yet to be agreed upon, but that is not expected to be an issue, as Plettenberg states that the two clubs are not that far apart now and could even bridge their gap in the next two days.

Omar Marmoush’s Eintracht Frankfurt stats

Apps

67

Goals

37

Assists

20

The Bundesliga side wants €80 million (£67m) for Marmoush, but City’s offer for the forward is below that. The Blues believe they can get their man for a fee in the region of €70 million (£59m) plus €5-10 million add-ons. Begiristain is pushing to find an agreement in the next 48 hours, and at this stage, it is unlikely that Marmoush will play for Frankfurt in their game against Borussia Dortmund on Friday.

India’s emerging fast-bowling depth and Zimbabwe’s lack of fight in the 50-over format were among the most striking features of the short, sharp tour

Alagappan Muthu and Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Jun-2016Lack of 50-over fight a worry for Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe won the first T20I and came within one hit of winning the third T20I. But they didn’t come anywhere near winning anything in the ODI series, and were bowled out for 168, 126 and 123 in the three matches. It showed that it takes a far wider range of qualities, technical and mental, to compete over 100 overs and that Zimbabwe, in this series at least, lacked those qualities. It was a little perplexing to watch, because this was more or less the same set of players that had given India a scare during the ODI series last year.Most of the issues stemmed from what seemed like a soft-centred batting line-up. A series of poor decisions from the batsmen led to a reasonably promising 106 for 3 turning into 126 all out in the second ODI, and a similar collapse in the third ODI saw Zimbabwe lose their last seven wickets for 19 runs.Zimbabwe’s batting leaders need to step up
Elton Chigumbura has played 202 ODIs, Hamilton Masakadza 168, Vusi Sibanda 127, Chamu Chibhabha 96, Sikandar Raza and Malcolm Waller 57 each. Throw in Sean Williams (96) and Craig Ervine (48), who missed a bulk of the series with injuries, and Zimbabwe have an experienced batting line-up. But through the ODI series, they failed to make use of that experience, and kept throwing their wickets away. Masakadza fell to a couple of soft dismissals, Sibanda and Raza played daft shots after putting on a promising partnership in the second ODI, and Chigumbura seemed to be batting at least one slot too low. For Zimbabwe to turn their ODI fortunes around, they will have to start by batting through 50 overs consistently, and that will need their best batsmen to re-learn the art of building innings.Ntini has raw material to work with
It is not known how long Makhaya Ntini’s stint as head coach will last, but he is likely to remain in charge of Zimbabwe’s bowlers for a fairly long time. He has a decent group of fast bowlers to work with: Donald Tiripano and Neville Madziva showed promise in the T20I series, Tendai Chatara seems to be gradually returning to his pre-injury best, while Tinashe Panyangara should return in due course from his back injury. The spin group doesn’t look bad either: Graeme Cremer is now a firmly established, international-class legspinner, Wellington Masakadza showed a lot of promise during the World T20, and Tendai Chisoro has shown his left-arm spin can hold up to the pressure of bowling with the new ball. Lots of promise, then, but Zimbabwe will need two or three of these names to go one step beyond promise and become fully-rounded operators at the top level. Can Ntini help them take that step?India’s fast-bowling depth
Jasprit Bumrah’s stock delivery comes into the right-hander. But in Harare, he was able to straighten the ball too. His style of bowling – hitting the deck – minimises swing through the air, so being able to move it both ways off the pitch is an impressive development.Barinder Sran’s success in Harare was old-fashioned. He pitched the ball up and made it swing. A left-arm fast bowler almost always threatens the outside edge of a right-hander from over the wicket. Sran’s inswinger added to that threat, although some of his wickets may have been the result of bowler-friendly conditions.Dhawal Kulkarni had a fine IPL – 14 of his 18 wickets came in the Powerplay, and he reprised that threat in Zimbabwe. The wicket-to-wicket lines and back-of-a-length preference makes him hard to hit when there is help on offer.All of that meant India’s limited-overs captain MS Dhoni was quite happy. “We can proudly say we have 10-12 bowlers who can play for the country,” he said.Takeaways, with a pinch of salt
Nine Indians were introduced to international cricket on this tour. KL Rahul became the first of his countrymen to hit a century on ODI debut; he got to the milestone with a six over long-on. His free-flowing strokeplay bolstered his argument that he wasn’t just a Test match specialist. But how much weight should be put on performances against a Zimbabwe side that kept self-destructing?Ordinarily, an emerging player with 196 runs in three ODIs would think he has a strong chance to continue playing for his country. And Rahul has already been pushing Shikhar Dhawan hard in Test cricket, but has his work of chasing down tiny totals and playing with very little pressure exerted by the opposition good enough to put him into a full-strength Indian XI?Faiz Fazal was handed an ODI debut at the age of 30 and he made a half-century to mark the occasion but it is difficult to see him getting further chances. Kedar Jadhav hit his maiden ODI hundred on the last Zimbabwe tour, had to wait for this one to resume his 50-over career and is still waiting to face his first ball in the format since July 2015.India went to Zimbabwe looking, among other things, to find batsmen who could take charge in the slog overs. They lost one match – the first T20 – where the middle order needed to step up and returned home with Nos. 4 through 11 facing only one ball in the entire ODI series.

Clubs could now try to poach a “rising” Arsenal figurehead who is absolutely “key” for manager Mikel Arteta, according to reliable Gunners journalist Charles Watts.

Arsenal bury West Ham 5-2 for second straight Premier League win by three goals

The north Londoners, still hopeful of their first Premier League title in 21 years, have certainly rediscovered their best form since returning from the international break.

Arsenal could eclipse Declan Rice fee with £112m bid for "superb" forward

It would be their most expensive ever transfer.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 3, 2024

Their 5-2 win over West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday put one more nail in the coffin of manager Julen Lopetegui, who is under increasing pressure, all the while making it their second straight league win by a three-goal margin.

Arsenal also thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the Champions League this time last week, with Arsenal finding their mojo in front of goal once again and proving to everybody that they’re not out of this season’s title race.

Defender Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring against West Ham with a header from a set-piece, and his threat from dead-ball situations is becoming quite the reoccurring theme of his season at N5.

It was the 26-year-old’s third headed goal in the league this season – putting him level with Chris Wood and Ollie Watkins – with Arsenal set-piece coach Nicola Jover in the spotlight as a result.

Arteta was asked whether Jover should have a goal bonus, due to his contribution in making Arsenal such a threat from set plays, and reporter Watts believes that elite clubs could even come knocking on the 43-year-old’s door.

Clubs could try to poach Nicola Jover from Arsenal

Jover is a crucial figure behind the scenes at Arsenal, with Watts telling CaughtOffside that sides will be taking notice of him.

“I did laugh when Mikel Arteta was asked in his press conference after the West Ham game about whether Nicolas Jover should be getting a goal bonus,” said Watts.

“That would certainly be eating into Arsenal’s profits should that be the case, given the number of goals they have been scoring from set pieces over the past couple of seasons. Jover’s star is certainly rising at the moment and his reputation grows stronger with every goal Arsenal score from one of his carefully constructed routines.

“I’m sure other managers or clubs would love to lure him away to take advantage of his expertise, but I can’t imagine he would be looking to go elsewhere at the moment. He is such a key figure in Arteta’s coaching staff and you can see how much work he puts into making the team such a threat from dead ball situations.

“I loved the one against West Ham for Gabriel’s goal. It was just a bit different to the one that had worked so well against Sporting a few days earlier, but that made all the difference.

“Gabriel started just a bit deeper than he usually does. This time his starting point was from within the pack that always gathers beyond the far post, whereas against Sporting he started his run from a more central area and attacked the back post.

“It caught West Ham out and that allowed the Brazilian the space he needed to meet Bukayo Saka’s corner. It’s just such a potent weapon for Arsenal that works time and time again.”

Their 232-run stand helped Saurashtra recover from 92 for 3 and go into day four trailing by just 43 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2023

A fourth-wicket partnership of 232 between centurions Sheldon Jackson (160) and captain Arpit Vasavada (112*) spearheaded Saurashtra’s charge in their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Karnataka in Bengaluru.After scoring 407, achieved mainly due to Mayank Agarwal’s marathon 248, Karnataka had Saurashtra wobbling at 92 for 3 half hour into play on the third day. Then, they ran into Jackson and Vasavada, who battled for a better part of the day to run them ragged. Saurashtra ended day three on 364 for 4, trailing by just 43 runs.Vasavada has Chirag Jani (19*) for company in their quest to take the lead. With just two days remaining, Saurashtra will fancy their chances of entering their second final in three seasons given they bat till No. 10. The pitch hasn’t deteriorated as much as Karnataka’s bowlers would’ve liked, and the swing and seam movement that was on offer for much of the first day has given way to easier batting conditions since.Harvik Desai fell in the fifth over of play when he was struck plumb in front by V Koushik for 33. That was the only bit of joy for Karnataka in the first two sessions as Jackson counterattacked at every available opportunity. At the other end, Vasavada, who was hit on the helmet on nought and then had to be cleared for concussion, took his time to get his eye in before opening up to play some wonderful shots, especially against spin.Particularly impressive was his ability to step out and hit against the turn off Gowtham. Jackson fell for 160 with an hour to go for stumps when he played back to a sharp-turner from Gowtham that kept low to strike him in front of middle.By then, he’d defied Karnataka’s attack, scoreboard pressure, serious sledging, a bump-catch appeal that the hosts celebrated and some cramps on a moderately hot day to put Saurashtra in a commanding position.