Vernon Philander was suffering from a toothache last night but he was incisive with the ball, before shoring up a South Africa collapse with a defiant innings

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg19-Dec-20130:00

‘Philander ran in with purpose today’

Close to midnight after the first day of the Test, something was bothering Vernon Philander. “Toothache … you are starting to annoy the shit out of me now,” he tweeted as the hour approached. “24 hour dentist, where are you? Sandton.”By the morning, Philander was ready to take his irritation out on someone. It showed in the first ball he delivered: short, outside off, seaming in a touch and drawing a careful push from Ajinkya Rahane. It showed even more the next delivery, which reared up and jagged away, forcing Rahane to play. It set the tone – as Allan Donald had asked his quicks to do – for the morning.With a covering of cloud, moisture heavy in the air and a pain in his tooth, Philander beat MS Dhoni’s bat, squared him up, and attacked the stumps more than any of the South African bowlers had on the first day. Although he was not the man who claimed the Indian captain’s wicket, his rewards rolled in after that.Rahane was dismissed in typical Philander fashion – poking at one outside off stump that nipped away at the last second. Zaheer Khan was comically caught on the back foot as he tried to do something that resembled playing at one that wobbled in the densely damp air. Ishant Sharma’s defences were breached by a ball that was perfectly directed at the top of off stump.Vernon Philander attacked India with ball and bat•AFPAll three dismissals paid homage to the consistency of Philander’s bowling, the subtlety of movement he produces and the uncertainty he creates in batsmen’s minds. After dismissing Ishant, Philander stood one wicket away from collecting his 100th Test scalp. But for a Morne Morkel no-ball in the over that followed, he would have had a chance to reach the landmark, but the extra delivery Morkel bowled accounted for India’s last batsman.Philander still has the second innings and the smart money will be on him to claim his 100th. If he gets there, he will become the fastest South African to the landmark, reaching it in 19 Tests, one fewer than Dale Steyn.Philander is already the joint second-fastest to 50 Test wickets. The rate at which he has racked up those numbers could easily conjure up an image of a snarling speedster who juggles the ball as he delivers it. Philander is not that. He succeeds through consistency. The first day of this Test aside, he rarely offers width or bowls what batsmen may call a ‘hit-me’ delivery. He is tireless in his ability to maintain a line on or just outside off and a good length. He may sometimes have a few things to say but nothing as hostile as his opening partner Steyn.His success has literally been achieved through hard work and the 100th wicket will be another illustration of that. Before he gets there, Philander will concentrate on batting South Africa towards safety, which he has already set about doing. He regards himself as a genuine allrounder, and with two first-class hundreds and two Test fifties to his name, few will argue with that. This is another opportunity to show it.Philander has batted with the maturity of a senior batsman, despite not being the specialist at the crease. He walked out with his team on 146 for 6 and needing consolidation. Faf du Plessis, who has not scored a half-century in seven Test innings, was with him.Philander was greeted with an outswinger, one that came back in and a short ball, and negotiated all three with ease. While du Plessis spent time trying to get in, Philander kept the score moving to avoid a build up of pressure. He took risks – an expansive drive off Ishant that he inside-edged for four – and he showed off his prowess when he pulled Mohammad Shami, punched Ishant through point and flicked Zaheer Khan.Because of Philander, du Plessis had the time to gain his confidence and South Africa remained alive in the match. Philander got the balance between caution and aggression right, treated the bowling with respect but punished it when he had the chance. “Having Faf and Vernon there has been a major help for us,” Hashim Amla said. “If you think back to Lord’s, Vernon batted really well and he did so here again on a wicket that has done a bit.”Against England last August, Philander had joined JP Duminy at the crease with South Africa on 163 for 6. Both batsmen scored 61 and their partnership gave South Africa a decent total. Philander’s last day five-for also played a major part in South Africa winning the Test, the series and the coveted mace. “He has proven his worth as a bowler and batsman for us,” Amla said.His team-mates seemed to know little about the discomfort Philander was in today, with Amla saying he wasn’t aware of the toothache. “I didn’t know but he did pretty well. I don’t think it’s affected him too badly,” he said. Philander was only due to see the dentist at the end of play today. Given the way he performed with the pain so far, Amla hinted his team-mates may not be too unhappy if he wasn’t cured completely by the morning.

Kings’ forgettable season came to an end as Quetta finished with a win though they are unlikely to progress

S Sudarshanan20-Feb-2022The first match of Sunday’s double-header in the PSL in Lahore was an odd one; neither the winning team nor the losing one would have been happy at the end of it. Quetta Gladiators needed to win their final match of the league stage by a huge margin in order to keep their hopes of qualification alive, mathematically. Kings, who held the upper hand for most parts, skittled away a strong start with the bat to go down by 23 runs.It was a case of old habits dying hard for Kings as a forgettable PSL season came to an end with their ninth defeat in ten matches. Kings lost seven wickets for just 37 runs with Gladiators’ Khurram Shahzad picking four on T20 debut, turning the chase on its head. It meant Kings were restricted to 143 for 8 in their chase of the 167-run target.Gladiators chose to bat first and their openers struggled to get going. Will Smeed fell early while Jason Roy made use of the powerplay to get off to a fast start. However, Roy was far from his belligerent self, bringing the edges of his blade into play more often.Imad Wasim and Umaid Asif snuck in some economical overs as Kings captain Babar Azam rotated his bowlers quite regularly. That did not deter Roy and James Vince, who added 90 for the second wicket. Vince’s attempt at upping the scoring rate resulted in his dismissal, as he was bowled by fellow Englishman Lewis Gregory while trying to play a big shot across the line.Roy soon brought up his third half-century in the season but then fell in the final over, holing out to Mir Hamza. Thanks to Roy and Iftikhar Ahmed, Gladiators collected 41 off the last four overs to post 166.Kings were on course for overhauling the target and registering their second successive win when Babar and Joe Clarke, who had a forgettable outing with the gloves, were in the middle. The duo blazed through the powerplay, finishing 51 for none – Kings’ best this season – and added 87 for the opening wicket. Legspinner Ashir Qureshi was taken for 15 in his second over, which signalled the openers’ intent.Player-of-the-Match Shahzad, first got through Azam’s defense before castling Sharjeel Khan, who hit 16 off just seven balls. Clarke then completed his first fifty of the season before missing an attempted heave off Mohammad Irfan to be bowled.Kings never recovered from those setbacks as Gladiators tightened the noose to shut the game. Shahzad’s blows ensured a winning end to Gladiators’ campaign, even though they are likely to be knocked out.

Robin Uthappa not in Kerala squad due to injury, Sanju Samson expected to join once fit

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2022

Indian Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha has opted out of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy squad for “personal reasons”. A Cricket Association of Bengal official confirmed this development to ESPNcricinfo but did not elaborate on what the exact reason might be.It could not be verified whether the Indian selectors or team management have had a word with Saha recently about his future and whether that prompted the 37-year old to skip the league phase of Ranji.With Rishabh Pant firmly in place as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, Saha has been the back-up in India’s Test squads. However, given his age, and KS Bharat exhibiting excellent glove-work when he came on as a substitute during India’s home Test series against New Zealand in November-December 2021, the selectors have two keepers in their 20s to call on. Bharat, who is 28, has been a regular with India A for the past few years.Related

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In Saha’s absence, Bengal have picked Sakir Habib Gandhi and Abishek Porel as their wicketkeeping options.Meanwhile, there was another senior player missing from his team for the Ranji Trophy, with Robin Uthappa not part of the Kerala squad. It is understood that Uthappa is recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered during the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s in December. He is expected be back to full fitness soon, but is likely to miss the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, which ends before IPL 2022 starts in late March.Uthappa, who hit match-turning knocks in the semi-final and final of IPL 2021 for defending champions Chennai Super Kings, has listed his base price at the maximum – INR 2 crore – for the IPL 2022 auction that will take place on February 12 and 13.Sanju Samson was also not named in the Kerala squad, but that is because he is undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The Kerala Cricket Association said in a statement that Samson was expected to join the team once his fitness was cleared.Bengal are in Elite Group B of the Ranji Trophy, with Baroda, Hyderabad and Chandigarh. They will play their matches in Cuttack.Kerala are in Elite Group A, alongside Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya. Their matches will take place in Rajkot.The Ranji Trophy was not played last season because of the Covid-19 pandemic and will be held in two phases this time, before and after the IPL. It was originally scheduled to begin on January 13 but was postponed because of the third wave of infections across the country due to the covid-19 pandemic.Bengal squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Manoj Tiwary, Sudip Chatterjee, Anustup Majumdar, Abhishek Kumar Raman, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Abishek Das, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Abishek Porel (wk), Shahbaz Ahamed, Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Akash Deep, Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Sakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Pradipta Pramanik, Geet Puri, Nilkantha Das, Karan Lal, Ravi KumarKerela squad: Sachin Baby (capt), Vishnu Vinod (vice-capt, wk), Anand Krishnan, Rohan Kunnumel, Vatsal Govind, Rahul P, Salman Nizar, Jalaj Saxena, Sijomon Jopseph, Akshay K C, Mithun S, Basil N P, Nideesh M D, Manu Krishnan, Basil Thampi, Fanoos F, S Sreeshanth, Varun Nayanar (wk), Vinoop Manoharan, Eden Apple Tom.

Shahid Afridi and James Vince have been traded by Multan Sultans to Quetta Gladiators in exchange for a Diamond and Silver pick in the upcoming PSL draft. In another deal, Gladiators traded wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan to Islamabad United and have received Iftikhar Ahmed’s services instead.After moving to his fourth PSL franchise, Afridi said: “I am excited to join Quetta Gladiators, a side that has had a roller-coaster ride in the past few events despite winning the title in 2019. In my final PSL event, it will be my dream and wish to sign off with another PSL trophy after tasting success with Peshawar Zalmi in 2017. PSL is an event that encourages and inspires a player to give his very best. I will use the same motivation to help my team and put up performances that can help us achieve our event objectives.”For the upcoming edition, the PSL management has also rejigged categories for some players ahead of the draft, notably moving Mohammad Rizwan – who captained Sultans to the title last year – up from Silver, the third-most valuable category, to Platinum, the most valuable. United batter Asif Ali and Lahore Qalandars bowler Haris Rauf also take their places in the Platinum category. This year, the categories were decided by the PCB. In previous editions, the six franchises would classify players into categories.Leaving Iftikhar was a tricky decision for United as they were allowed to have up to two local players in each of the Platinum and Diamond categories. Since they now have Shadab Khan and Asif in platinum, they had to leave one of Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Iftikhar out. They added Azam in the Gold category instead.”It has been a difficult decision to move from Islamabad United, but looking ahead at my future in T20 cricket that is linked to the Pakistan team, I thought this was the best move,” Iftikhar said.”I am grateful to the Islamabad United management for their support and understanding, as they have continued to stand behind me in all my decisions. I am thrilled to be rejoining Shahid Afridi at Quetta Gladiators after 2017, when we last played together in HBL PSL. Quetta Gladiators include a number of my contemporaries with whom I have played lot of cricket.”The seventh PSL season will be beginning on January 27 next year, with a pre-tournament draft on December 12. The league, which begins about a month earlier than usual to make room for Australia’s upcoming tour of Pakistan in March-April, will be ending on February 27.Every franchise is allowed to retain up to eight players from their previous roster and pick another eight in the draft. Players who were picked up as replacements for the Abu Dhabi leg in PSL 6 have not been considered in the original roster. Each team is also allowed to pick two additional players in the supplementary round.Only two venues will be hosting the PSL: Karachi’s National Stadium will be staging the first 15 matches, while all other games – including the final – will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.The deadline for PSL trades closed on Thursday with only United, Gladiators and Sultans utilising the option to trade. Teams now must decide their retentions – maximum of eight – by 4pm Pakistan time on Friday.

Birmingham City have already shown that money is no issue this summer, but with the free agent market still open after the transfer window closed, Football FanCast have looked into three possible free signings to further boost their squad after an impressive start to the campaign.

Birmingham see massive overhaul

Chris Davies and Birmingham are not messing around as they look to ensure instant promotion back to the Championship this season. After breaking the League One transfer record twice, they obliterated it on transfer deadline day to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham in a deal worth £10m plus bonuses.

He was the last of 17 new faces at St Andrews over the summer, but that upheaval hasn't had a knock-on effect on their performances, with the Blues currently sitting third after four games with three wins and a draw, level on points with the two sides above them.

But despite their lavish spending, there are still a couple of holes in the squad that could do with plugging as they look to sustain their form across a gruelling 46 game season, and we have identified three potential cheap additions that could well make the difference.

Jack Cork

Birmingham already boast several midfielders in their squad, but the majority have much of their careers ahead of them, while there is a lack of experience in Davies' engine room.

That is an issue that Jack Cork would easily fix, with the now 35-year-old a free agent after being released by Burnley. Unlikely to be able to play twice a week all season given his age, the midfield man would bring plenty of experience at the top level, having represented the Clarets in both the Premier League and the Championship, totting up over 250 appearances for them in the process.

He drew high praise from Sean Dyche back during his time at Burnley, who revealed he thought Cork was a "very good player".

“I looked at him and thought, ‘Well if they don’t want him I certainly think he’s a very, very good player’. Corky wasn’t form related. I’ve always thought he was a very good player down many, many years", the now Everton boss explained.

Available for nothing, he could help guide Davies' young stars back into England's second tier.

Sheyi Ojo

Still just 27-years-old, Sheyi Ojo has not yet delivered on the talent promised during his time at Liverpool, and now finds himself without a club.

The right-winger was released by Cardiff City over the summer, but could be useful squad player for the Blues, with Scott Wright their only recognised right-winger as things stand.

Sheyi Ojo's Championship career

Appearances

145

Goals

12

Assists

14

Minutes per goal contribution

299

Ojo has made almost 150 Championship appearances during his career to date, alongside spells in Belgium and France, while he also spent a season playing Europa League football. Still in his prime, he could be a savvy pickup for a side in League One.

Brandon Williams

Perhaps something of a longshot, a move to sign former Manchester United academy star Brandon Williams would certainly be in line with Birmingham's recent audacious transfer policy, and could be a low-risk move with plenty of upside.

Comfortable playing at either left-back or right-back, the 24-year-old was released by the Red Devils this summer after failing to impress at either Ipswich Town or Norwich during loan spells.

During his time at Manchester United, he was highlighted for praise by manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, who dubbed him "brave as a lion".

"For me, Brandon was man of the match. He's been fantastic the few games he's played. The boy has no fear, he is as brave as a lion and he got us the win", he explained.

Now a free agent, a move to League One Birmingham could be the perfect place from which to relaunch his stalling career, though having played no lower than the Championship during his career to date it may be a difficult deal to complete.

Brandon King is hoping to make the most of his recall to West Indies’ T20I side after a year away and has his sights set on October’s T20 World Cup in Australia.King, 27, made an irrepressible case for international selection in the 2019 CPL, when he was the tournament’s leading run-scorer with a strike rate of 148.94 to boot for Guyana Amazon Warriors, but initially struggled to make the step up.His first 10 T20I innings for West Indies – all away from home – brought just 153 runs and he lost his place after the tour to New Zealand in November 2020, with the selectors returning to the experience of Lendl Simmons and Andre Fletcher ahead of last year’s World Cup in the UAE.But West Indies’ disastrous performance in that tournament – the defending champions were knocked out in the Super 12s after losing four games out of five – prompted a recall for King ahead of the tour to Pakistan, where he made his maiden international half-century.King said that he felt more “mentally prepared” for international cricket after taking the time to analyse his own game during his absence from the team, and revealed that he has set himself the goal of leading the run-scoring charts in the five-match T20I series against England in Barbados, which starts on Saturday.”I was obviously very happy to be back in West Indies colours,” King said. “There’s always been technical aspects that I’ve been working on over the year but I play my best cricket when I keep things simple out there while I’m batting and try to play the situation as it is. That has really helped me to do better out there – just to remain calm in general.”Over that period of time, I had ample time to reflect on my game and what works for me and what doesn’t, and to try and improve my weaknesses. That was done over time. I feel I was more mentally prepared this second time around, I knew my game better, and I know how to get the best out of myself.”My long-term goal would obviously be to make the World Cup squad at the end of the year – that’s always in the back of my mind, but I do like to stay in the present. My immediate goal would be to try and do my best in this series here: [in the] last series I played in Pakistan, I finished with the second-most runs so it would be nice to finish with the most runs in this series… that’s my big goal that I’ve set out for myself.”I try to focus on the things that I can control. Selection and those other aspects, I don’t have any control over, but I’ll always try and put myself in a position to be in the conversation. This year is set up in a way that we have some series leading up to the World Cup and I would love to put myself in a position to be part of a team that starts to turn around the fortunes for West Indies cricket.”King also confirmed his intentions to play for West Indies across formats, having shown promise in the regional four-day championships before his breakthrough as a white-ball player. While his opportunities to play in the competition this season will be limited by West Indies’ white-ball series, King described Test cricket as “the ultimate goal”.”I’m definitely willing to play Test cricket,” he said. “When I grew up, I grew up watching Test cricket, so that was what I dreamed of. For me, it’s the ultimate goal. The way my career was going at first was leading towards that, the first West Indies team for me was the ‘A’ team, four-day team after I had a decent four-day championship.”After I had a good year in 2019 CPL, my white-ball game kind of took over, but I’ll be ready anytime. Any chance I get to play four-day cricket again, I’d love to play to try and put my name in the hat for Test cricket. I’d love to play all formats.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his Saudi Pro League "dream", with the Portuguese superstar sparking a transfer trend in the Middle East.

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Moved to the Middle East in 2023Joined by other household namesContract set to expire in the summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After seeing his contract at Manchester United torn up in acrimonious circumstances, CR7 took the decision to step out of his comfort zone and leave European football. A record-breaking contract was signed at Al-Nassr, with that deal set to expire in the summer of 2025.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

There has been talk of Ronaldo taking on another new challenge, as he prepares to turn 40, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has often spoken of his happiness in Riyadh. He committed to a long-term project in Saudi Arabia and intends to see that through.

WHAT RONALDO SAID

Ronaldo has told the , having been joined in that division by a number of other household names: "For me, it is an honour that the league is growing and many star players are coming to make the league even better and more competitive. To be the first one – let’s say a star – to come here is an honour, but what I’m looking forward to is the next five to 10 years of the league still improving, not only the first teams but also the academies.

"Not just for the future of the Saudi [players] and the league, but for the country and to compete with other leagues – this is my dream. And this is what I will try to help the country and league reach and be there at that level."

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Ronaldo has no plans to walk away from his contract at Al-Nassr, with more silverware in his sights. He has savoured just one trophy triumph in the Middle East and said when asked to pick out his favourite memory: "Probably when we won the first title [the 2023 King Salman Arab Clubs Cup, in which he scored both goals in the 2-1 victory against Al Hilal that captured the crown]. The final against Al-Hilal was probably the most intense one that we lived.

"You know, when you win titles, things come easier, and to have the privilege to win in my first year here my first trophy was amazing. But I want more. I will continue to push and help my team Al-Nassr to win titles. I believe that this year will be a good year for Al-Nassr."

Leeds United dipped into the market during the recent summer transfer window to bolster their squad with a host of new additions for Daniel Farke.

Largie Ramazani, Manor Solomon, Isaac Schmidt, Joe Rothwell, Joe Rodon, Jayden Bogle, Alex Cairns, and Ao Tanaka were all snapped up by the Whites.

The West Yorkshire side, who lost Georginio Rutter, Glen Kamara, Archie Gray, and Crysencio Summerville, have made those moves in the hope that they will contribute to a promotion-winning season this term.

Leeds last won promotion from the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign and one of Victor Orta's signings that year – Jean-Kevin Augustin – turned out to be a significant flop.

Jean-Kevin Augustin's Leeds career

The Whites got to the January transfer window of that season and decided that they wanted to add more firepower to the group to ensure that they finished the job and secured a place in the Premier League.

Orta eventually finalised an expensive deal to sign Jean-Kevin Augustin from RB Leipzig on loan until the end of the season, with an obligation to make it permanent for £18m in the summer if they were promoted.

The Championship side, who went on to win the title, also had to cover his wages during that loan spell, which were reportedly in excess of £75k-per-week.

Unfortunately, though, Augustin fell out of favour under Marcelo Bielsa fairly quickly and only made three league appearances, totalling 48 minutes of action.

Despite the team winning the division and earning promotion to the Premier League, Leeds pulled out of their £18m 'obligation' to sign him permanently.

Fifa, having been contacted by Leipzig, then ordered them to pay £24.5m for the striker, due to the £18m fee and his proposed five-year contract on £93k-per-week, which would make him the current top earner at Elland Road.

Patrick Bamford

£70k

Junior Firpo

£60k

Pascal Struijk

£50k

Dan James

£50k

Brenden Aaronson

£45k

The Whites had attempted to appeal the decision but eventually opted to withdraw their protestations earlier this year, meaning that they had to spend £24.5m on a loan player they did not sign permanently.

Where Jean-Kevin Augustin is now

Augustin, who turned 27 this summer, is currently a free agent after being released by Swiss Super League giants Basel at the end of last season.

The French attacker played 11 times for Nantes after his nightmare spell in England before completing a move to Basel for the 2022/23 campaign.

He scored eight goals in 51 appearances for the Swiss outfit and missed a whopping 26 matches through injury across his two seasons in Switzerland, which may be why it has been a struggle for him to find a new club.

Augustin, who had scored 20 goals in 67 games for Leipzig before his loan move to Leeds, was a big nightmare for Orta and the Whites for a multitude of reasons.

Not only did they end up paying a lot of money for a player they did not sign permanently but he was also not good enough for Bielsa to utilise him regularly in the Championship.

Leeds messed up selling "unplayable" ace who's now worth more than Ramazani

The Whites even tried to re-sign the exciting attacker this summer.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 4, 2024

This suggests that Orta did not pick the right player to sign to suit what the Argentine boss needed in the second half of the 2019/20 campaign, and that ended up being an incredibly costly error by the Spanish sporting director.

da bet7： Mikel Arteta personally "dreams" of bringing a £68 million forward to Arsenal, and it is believed the Spaniard is plotting a unique bid to sign him.

Arteta agrees new Arsenal contract as transfer plans continue

da doce： It's been a hectic week at London Colney, as Arteta and his coaching staff prepare for their all-important North London Derby clash away to Tottenham on Sunday.

Related Arsenal hold extensive internal talks over signing £86m starlet for Arteta

He’s very highly regarded in north London.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Sep 12, 2024

Arsenal look set to be without Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard for their trip to Spurs, giving the Gunners a real selection headache.

Arsenal's next five Premier League games

Date

Tottenham (away)

September 15

Man City (away)

September 22

Leicester City (home)

September 28

Southampton (home)

October 5

Bournemouth (away)

October 19

It is believed Arteta is planning to use Raheem Sterling as a false-nine against Tottenham, dropping Kai Havertz back into midfield, as they also sweat on Riccardo Calafiori's fitness after the defender picked up a calf injury on international duty.

While supporters anxiously wait for official injury updates ahead of Spurs, some very good news has at least come out of the club today. Indeed, widespread reports claim Arteta has just agreed a new three-year contract with Arsenal, which will keep him at the club until 2027.

The Spaniard's current deal was set to expire at the end of this season, prompting some concern over Arteta's long-term future, but Arsenal no longer have to worry about retaining their manager as they continue to work together for the foreseeable.

Arteta is rumoured to have a big say on Arsenal transfers and regularly holds internal discussions with sporting director Edu Gaspar over whom to bring in. Now that the 42-year-old has committed his future to the club, it is believed there is one player in particular very high on his wishlist.

Arteta "dreams" of signing Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram

According to Inter Live, Nerazzurri striker Marcus Thuram is seriously wanted by Arteta. The Frenchman has started 2024/2025 in fine form, scoring four goals over his opening three Serie A starts of the new season, following up a 23/24 campaign where he bagged 13 goals and seven assists in Serie A alone.

This form has not gone unnoticed in London, as it is claimed Arteta "dreams" of signing Thuram for Arsenal, and he is even prepared to offer striker Gabriel Jesus plus a substantial amount of money in a player-plus-cash bid.

It is unclear whether the Serie A champions would entertain such an offer, but other reports have stated that Inter value Thuram at no less than £68 million. The former Borussia Monchengladbach forward has averaged an impressive 3.7 shots at goal per 90 so far this season, and a very high match rating of 8.27 according to WhoScored.

Southampton dramatically progressed to the next round of the EFL Cup after beating Everton in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out last night, handing Russell Martin’s men their first win of the season in what has been a tricky early patch of games.

The Saints would get back into the game during normal time owing to a Taylor Harwood-Bellis equaliser, after Abdoulaye Doucoure – who was captaining the Toffees for the night – had opened the scoring at Goodison Park.

Harwood-Bellis was also donning the armband for the visitors and put in an imposing performance himself, with the ex-Manchester City man standing out at the back for his South Coast side.

Harwood-Bellis' performance vs Everton

Missing from the starting line-up during Southampton’s last Premier League loss to Manchester United, the 22-year-old will now be banging the door down for more first-team opportunities moving forward, after a calm and controlled display against Sean Dyche’s hosts.

Away from helping his team get back into the contest by heading home an effort past stand-in Toffees goalkeeper Joao Virginia in the first half, Harwood-Bellis also notched up a ridiculous 172 touches in the game, as per Sofascore, as Martin’s men dominated the possession at a hefty 74%.

On top of that, the impressive Saints number six also tallied up a staggering 150 accurate passes as a stylish operator on the ball, alongside managing 14 accurate long balls to clear away the danger when Everton looked dangerous.

The towering 22-year-old also held his own in the physical battles that came his way up against the likes of Beto for the home side – who comes in at a frightening 6 foot 4 frame – with four duels won from five in the Tuesday night clash.

That defensive prowess was also showcased as he managed to block two shots and make three interceptions to further keep the Toffees at arm’s length away from Doucoure’s opening strike.

Harwood-Bellis also confidently tucked away his penalty in the lottery of the shoot-out, with Martin now tempted to throw the young defender into the deep-end next in Premier League action, owing to the fact Jack Stephens will also be suspended for his side’s next test in the top-flight.

That might well not be the only change to the defence that Martin will consider, with Charlie Taylor also standing out as a top performer at the back at Goodison Park, who has only been given one cameo in the top league this season to date, after signing for his new South Coast employers in the summer.

Taylor's performance vs Everton

That lone appearance so far for Southampton in the league came at home versus Nottingham Forest, when the Saints boss decided to give the experienced defender a run-out late on in that disappointing 1-0 loss.

Now, he could be clamouring for a starting spot moving forward, even if that means Kyle Walker-Peters would have to be shuffled back out to the right flank temporarily, in order to accommodate for the former Burnley man slotting in.

Stat

Taylor

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

1

Touches

100

Accurate passes

76/81 (94%)

Key passes

2

Accurate long balls

2/4

Accurate crosses

2/3

Looking at the table above, Taylor was crucial in getting his team back on level terms in normal time, with his cross inch perfect for Harwood-Bellis to head home from.

Moreover, the 31-year-old full-back also amassed an equally impressive amount of touches next to his teammate’s glowing total, managing 100 touches of the ball with 76 accurate passes also registered.

Even if he doesn’t displace Saints’ starting full-backs immediately, Martin will be well aware that his summer recruit can be a useful option to rely upon in crunch games to come, having also accumulated 162 Premier League appearances so far across his playing days.

The Saints boss will hope his side can kick on after this dramatic Tuesday night win and pick up their first points in the top flight soon, with a clash against fellow relegation-threatened outfit Ipswich Town up next.

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