The former India offspinner says his priority is to revive the side’s Ranji Trophy fortunes

Deivarayan Muthu30-Jul-2021M Venkataramana, the former India and Tamil Nadu offspinner, has been roped in as the state side’s new coach ahead of the 2021-22 domestic season, which sees the return of the Ranji Trophy.Venkataramana takes over from D Vasu, under whom Tamil Nadu enjoyed an unbeaten run to the Syed Mushtaq Ali title this year. In the 2019-20 season, Vasu’s Tamil Nadu side had finished runners-up in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Related

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Venkataramana hoped to maintain those standards in white-ball cricket, but his top priority is to revive the side in the Ranji Trophy. Tamil Nadu have not qualified for the Ranji knockouts since 2016-17, when they lost to Mumbai in the semi-finals.”Ranji Trophy will be the goal,” Venkataramana told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve been doing well in white-ball cricket for the last two years and now we have to do well in the red-ball duration games. We start off with T20 and one-dayers and by then we will know who are the players in form – so that will help us to form a formidable side for the duration games.”Even though it’s not the best choice to pick [for the Ranji Trophy] from the one-day side, at least you can see how the guys are in shape after one-and-half years. Already, they’ve done a good job under previous coach D Vasu in the shorter versions. We have to continue the good work that Vasu has done and I’m looking forward to it [the challenge].”Tamil Nadu’s players are currently involved in the 20-overs Tamil Nadu Premier League in Chennai, which, according to Venkataramana, will help tune up the players for the long season after the Covid-enforced lockdown in the state.”TNPL will help the boys to get in shape,” Venkataramana said. “Somewhere they have game-time and it will help. A smart cricketer can adapt to any format. If you’re good enough to play T20 and one-day, you can also play the longer format.”Venkataramana brings with him TNPL coaching experience, having been in charge of the Dindigul Dragons from 2016 to 2019. During his tenure, the Dragons reached the knockouts three times in four seasons before S Badrinath took over as the franchise’s coach for the ongoing season. In addition to stints at the NCA [National Cricket Academy] in Bengaluru, Venkataramana has also worked at the ICC-accredited bowling-action testing facility in Chennai. Along with his former spin-bowling colleague Vasu, Venkataramana helped correct former India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha’s action at that facility.Venkataramana played 75 first-class matches and 30 List A games, taking 247 and 36 wickets respectively. In his debut Ranji season, in 1987-88, he emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker, with 35 strikes in eight matches at an average of 20.45. Eight of those wickets came in the final against Railways at Chepauk, where Tamil Nadu secured the title with an innings victory.That season’s performance earned Venkataramana an India call-up, but he only got to play one Test and one ODI.The Indian domestic season will begin on October 20 with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which will be followed by the Ranji Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

West Ham United failed with a late offer to sign a "sensational" former Julen Lopetegui star pre-deadline, with the Hammers otherwise enjoying a very busy transfer window and perhaps their best of this decade.

West Ham spend £120 million on 9 signings this summer

In what was a real statement of intent for Lopetegui's debut campaign, and a major rebuild, West Ham signed nine senior players and spent £120 million over what was a hectic few months at the London Stadium.

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Lopetegui saw centre-back Max Kilman, winger Crysencio Summerville, centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, forward Niclas Fullkrug, Brazilian starlet Luis Guilherme, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, midfielder Guido Rodriguez, backup goalkeeper Wes Foderingham and midfielder Carlos Soler join the east Londoners, with many players also going out the other way.

Over the course of deadline day, Nayef Aguerd, Maxwel Cornet, James Ward-Prowse departed West Ham on season-long loan deals. Aguerd made a temporary switch to Real Sociedad, while both Cornet and Ward-Prowse signed for Southampton and Nottingham Forest respectively.

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

Carlos Soler

PSG

Loan transfer

Flynn Downes

Southampton

€17.85m

James Ward-Prowse

Forest

Loan

Maxwel Cornet

Southampton

Loan

Nayef Aguerd

Real Sociedad

Loan

Said Benrahma

Lyon

€14.4m

Angelo Ogbonna

Watford

Free transfer

Thilo Kehrer

Monaco

€11m

Nathan Trott

FC Copenhagen

€1.5m

Ben Johnson

Ipswich Town

Free transfer

Joseph Anang

St. Patrick's Athletic

Free transfer

Lopetegui and Steidten's major squad shake-up is now over, though, with the August 30 deadline now passed as the former looks ahead to what will be a very interesting Premier League season in the dugout.

West Ham were also linked with a deadline day swoop for Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea, but that didn't come to fruition. As well as Chukwuemeka, the Irons registered a late interest in ex-Lopetegui man Lucas Ocampos.

West Ham failed with late offer for Ocampos after opening talks

The Argentine, who ended up staying at Sevilla despite late interest elsewhere from Mexican outfit Monterrey, played under Lopetegui during their time together in southern Spain, and it is believed the West Ham boss wanted a reunion with him in east London.

According to TYC Sports reporter German Garcia Grova, West Ham opened talks to sign Ocampos and made a proposal to the 30-year-old, but it didn't come to fruition despite their best efforts.

Ocampos, who has scored 44 goals and registered 22 assists in 208 appearances for Sevilla across all competitions, has been called "sensational" for his contribution there by members of the Spanish media.

He would've provided both experience and versatility given his ability to play on the right and left, but Lopetegui may not be too disheartened after a very productive last few months of incomings.

One Chelsea star is working very hard behind the scenes and is now apparently one of Cobham’s best trainers after a conversation with new head coach Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea face West Ham this Saturday after 1-0 win at Bournemouth

Christopher Nkunku’s late finish nicked all three points for Chelsea in what was a tough afternoon for Maresca’s side away to Bournemouth, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez saving a penalty and playing his part with a great display.

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Summer signing Jadon Sancho grabbed a lot of the headlines with his assist for Nkunku, who managed to wriggle through a host of Bournemouth bodies to fire a low shot into the bottom corner past Mark Travers on 86 minutes.

It was a different kind of win to their recent 6-2 thumping of Wolves at Molineux three weeks ago, but it was the type of victory which required Chelsea to be resolute and handle the pressure of a positive Bournemouth backed by their boisterous home crowd.

Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures

Date

West Ham (away)

September 21

Brighton (home)

September 28

Nottingham Forest (home)

October 6

Liverpool (away)

October 20

Newcastle (home)

October 27

Chelsea were without Malo Gusto through injury, alongside Reece James, so the Blues did well minus a natural senior right-back. Romeo Lavia missed out with a hamstring injury as well, but the Belgian is poised to return against West Ham, alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Enzo Fernandez and Gusto – who have all returned to full training.

“In this kind of game you have to finish the game with your shirt dirty, because you need to fight. In the second half I think we were much better,” said Maresca after Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth.

“We are still a work in process for sure, a learning process. Tonight, if we don’t understand that in this kind of game we need more than the tactical part, we need the desire, it will be difficult, because we want to build something important. But slowly we are going to understand all these kinds of things.

“The performance in the second half changed completely, but we need to learn these kind of things if we want to build something important and we want to win games. First of all we need the desire to win games, to win duels and to fight together.”

Sancho has been impressing in Chelsea training since his arrival from Man United, with the Englishman being a real talking point after his Nkunku assist. However, an equally crucial component of their win at Bournemouth was the promising centre-back partnership of Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill.

Colwill working hard in Chelsea training after Maresca pledge

The pair have worked well together at the heart of Maresca’s defence, and it is believed Chelsea chiefs are very happy with Colwill following his start to the new campaign.

Levi Colwill’s statistical averages per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season compared to last term

2024/25

2023/24

Pass completion percentage

92.6

83.0

Percentage of aerial duels won

64.3

68.3

Clearances

4.00

3.30

Blocks

1.50

1.40

Interceptions

1.00

1.30

Tackles

0.75

2.40

Statistics correct as of 18/09/2024

As per GiveMeSport, Colwill is Chelsea’s most consistent trainer right now, and he’s impressed Maresca with his work ethic at Cobham, as he looks to become their newest superstar academy graduate.

The 21-year-old, who Chelsea reportedly value at around £100 million, was also made a promise by Maresca in pre-season during an internal conversation. The Italian pledged to start Colwill in his favoured position on the left-hand-side of a centre-back pairing, which apparently eased the defender’s worries in regard to his role this season.

It’s added that the Englishman is highly regarded by his teammates, and possesses an aura which gives him real authority among his peers. Taking all of this into account, this could well be the season where Colwill establishes himself as an all-important nucleus of the Chelsea side.

Ipswich Town have been transformed under the unbelievable reign of Kieran McKenna to date, with the ex-Manchester United coach taking the Tractor Boys all the way up to the Premier League after joining in League One.

The club have also reaped the rewards when it comes to finances in the top flight, making a number of signings in the Premier League. But who is Ipswich Town’s highest earner? Here at FootballFanCast, we’ve ranked every Tractor Boys player in terms of their wages for the 2024/25 season, according to Capology.

Disclaimer: Only the club and the players themselves truly know their wages, so take each of these figures as you will.

1

Kalvin Phillips

£150,000

£7,800,000

2

Axel Tuanzebe

£40,000

£2,080,000

=3

Jens Cajuste

£35,000

£1,820,000

=3

Dara O’Shea

£35,000

£1,820,000

=3

Arijanet Muric

£35,000

£1,820,000

=6

Sam Morsy

£30,000

£1,560,000

=6

Ben Johnson

£30,000

£1,560,000

8

George Hirst

£27,500

£1,430,000

=9

Jacob Greaves

£25,000

£1,300,000

=9

Leif Davis

£25,000

£1,300,000

=9

Sammie Szmodics

£25,000

£1,300,000

=9

Chiedozie Ogbene

£25,000

£1,300,000

=9

Jack Clarke

£25,000

£1,300,000

=14

Liam Delap

£20,000

£1,040,000

=14

Christian Walton

£20,000

£1,040,000

=16

Conor Townsend

£15,000

£780,000

=16

Conor Chaplin

£15,000

£780,000

=16

Julio Enciso

£15,000

£780,000

=19

Massimo Luongo

£10,000

£520,000

=19

Jack Taylor

£10,000

£520,000

=19

Wes Burns

£10,000

£520,000

22

Cameron Burgess

£8,000

£416,000

23

Luke Woolfenden

£7,500

£390,000

=24

Nathan Broadhead

£6,000

£312,000

=24

Omari Hutchinson

£6,000

£312,000

26

Cieran Slicker

£3,000

£156,000

Here's a detailed look at Ipswich Town's top 10 earners… 10 Leif Davis £25,000 per week

Five Ipswich Town players pick up a yearly salary of £1.3m per season, including star left-back Leif Davis.

Signed from Leeds United when the club were in League One, Davis has gone from strength to strength under McKenna and signed his latest contract in 2024.

9 Jacob Greaves £25,000 per week

Also on the same salary is centre-back Jacob Greaves, who Ipswich signed from Hull City after they won promotion to the Premier League.

Greaves signed a five-year deal at Portman Road and has been a regular at the back for the club.

8 George Hirst £27,500 per week

Forward George Hirst initially joined Ipswich Town on loan in January 2023, and after helping the club into the Championship, made his move from Leicester City a permanent one.

Since then, Hirst has impressed in the second and top tiers and is under contract until 2027.

7 Sam Morsy £30,000 per week

Club captain Sam Morsy has been with Ipswich Town since 2021 and has played a key role in taking the club from League One to the Premier League.

The Egyptian hasn’t looked back since leaving Middlesbrough and was rewarded with a new two-year deal in 2024.

6 Ben Johnson £30,000 per week

Ipswich Town were able to offer Ben Johnson a four-year contract on just over £1.5m per season after he left West Ham as a free agent in 2024.

The versatile defender has been in and out of McKenna’s starting line ups after making more than 100 senior appearances for the Hammers.

5 Arijanet Muric £35,000 per week

After Burnley and Ipswich swapped divisions in 2024, goalkeeper Arijanet Muric remained in the Premier League with the Tractor Boys.

The Kosovo international signed a four-year deal at Portman Road on £35,000 per week but has already made numerous errors under McKenna.

4 Dara O’Shea £35,000 per week

Another summer signing on the same wage is defender Dara O’Shea, with the Irishman arriving from West Brom in an initial £12m transfer.

A centre-back who can also play as a right-back, O’Shea is under contract until 2029.

3 Jens Cajuste £35,000 per week

Jens Cajuste was another who made the move to Portman Road in 2024, joining on loan from Italian giants Napoli.

A Sweden international, Cajuste picks up £1.82m a year and Ipswich also have an option to make a deal permanent at the end of the season.

2 Axel Tuanzebe £40,000 per week

After struggling to make an impact at Manchester United and following various loan spells, Ipswich Town signed Axel Tuanzebe on a free transfer in 2023.

The defender impressed and helped the Tractor Boys win promotion to the top flight, which resulted in his contract being extended by a further 12 months.

1 Kalvin Phillips £150,000 per week

The current top earner at Ipswich Town is loanee Kalvin Phillips, who was arguably the Tractor Boys’ biggest signing of the summer.

Signed from Manchester City for the 2024/25 campaign, the holding midfielder picks up just under £8m a year, although there is no option to buy in a loan deal.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been handed a potential Martin Odegaard injury boost after initial fears over his timeline, and there is a prospect of him returning earlier than expected.

Odegaard suffers "significant" ankle injury at Arsenal

While Arteta coped brilliantly without Arsenal’s captain in their 1-0 North London Derby win away to Spurs last weekend, Odegaard was a sore creative miss during the Gunners’ 0-0 draw away to Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday evening.

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In their bid to beat Man City and Pep Guardiola to the Premier League title this season, all the while ending their 21-year-wait for a league crown, Arteta will be privately hoping that their chief creator can return to action as soon as possible.

Odegaard injured his ankle on international duty with Norway, and was forced off with the issue during their 2-1 UEFA Nations League win over Austria. Since then, Arteta has confirmed that the 25-year-old suffered “significant” ankle ligament damage and could be out for a while.

Appearances

156

Goals

35

Assists

25

Yellow cards

12

Red cards

0

Minutes played

12,108

“The scan showed some damage around the ligaments in the ankle so we are going to miss him,” said Arteta in an Odegaard injury update before Atalanta.

“It’s something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months. He’s our captain, he’s been one of the biggest and best players in our team. Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It’s a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face.”

With Mikel Merino sidelined after a shoulder fracture, Odegaard’s absence prompted Arteta to drop Kai Havertz back into midfield against Atalanta – as opposed to his usual makeshift centre-forward role where he has been very effective.

Gabriel Jesus started up top in Bergamo, with Arsenal struggling to match their usual attacking prowess. Some reports have even claimed that Odegaard could be out till Christmas, but these initial fears have been somewhat put to bed by GiveMeSport.

Martin Odegaard could return for Arsenal in six weeks

As per their information, Arsenal are hopeful that Odegaard could return within six weeks, and potentially for their all-important clash against Liverpool on October 27.

Indeed, it is believed that Arteta’s side are optimistic over their midfielder returning late next month or early November, but there is also caution, as Arsenal are fully aware Odegaard may take even longer to get back to full fitness.

In the meantime, Arsenal are gearing up for a crucial encounter against Man City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and it will be very interesting to see how Arteta sets up his side in one of their most testing matches of the season.

The £240,000-per-week star bagged eight goals and 10 assists last campaign, helping to push City all the way to the final day as Arsenal finished 23/24 with 89 points.

أصدر نادي أتلتيكو مدريد بيانًا رسميًا، منذ قليل، فيما يخص أزمة التحكيم في إسبانيا في ظل التصعيد وتحديدًا من قِبل نادي ريال مدريد، وهو ما نتج عنه قرار جديد من جانب الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم.

وسبق أن تقدم نادي ريال مدريد بشكوى رسمية ضد حكم مباراة إسبانيول في وقت سابق من هذا الشهر، بسبب عدم طرد لاعب الخصم كريستيان روميرو عقب تدخله العنيف ضد كيليان مبابي، مع العلم أن ذلك اللاعب هو من سجل هدف الفوز ضد حامل اللقب.

واستمر الأمر بعد تعادل ريال مدريد وأوساسونا بهدف لمثله، يوم السبت الماضية، في مباراة شهدت طرد اللاعب جود بيلينجهام.

جاء طرد بيلينجهام نتيجة تلفظه بكلمات نابية تجاه حكم المباراة، وهو ما قوبل بالاستنكار من جانب ريال مدريد الذي أكد على لسان مدربه كارلو أنشيلوتي أن الأمر يُعد سوء تفاهم لاختلاف اللغات.

وظهرت تقارير صحفية أمس تفيد بأن حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وأوساسونا، خوسيه لويس مونويرا مونتيرو، تلقى تهديدات بالقتل، مما أدى إلى إصدار بيان رسمي من جانب اللجنة الفنية للحكام (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

في حين أكدت تقارير صحفية إسبانية اليوم أن الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم فتح تحقيقًا بشأن تورط خوسيه لويس مونويرا مونتيرو في أعمال تتعارض مع وظيفته كحكم.

وأصدر الاتحاد الإسباني لكرة القدم، بيانًا منذ قليل، للإعلان عن إيقاف خوسيه لويس مونويرا مونتيرو في إطار التحقيق معه (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

ولكن لم تسر تلك الأمور على أهواء أتلتيكو مدريد، الذي أصدر بيانًا رسميًا من أجل دعم الحكام.

وقال أتلتيكو مدريد في بيانه: “لقد كانت الآلات تعمل منذ عدة أسابيع وهي تسحق كل شيء في طريقها”.

وأضاف: “دعونا نرى من هو الشجاع الذي سيحقق العدالة وهو يعلم أنه قد يكون التالي”، مع استخدام هاشتاج (توقفوا عن مضايقة الحكام الآن)”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O principal nome do Flamengo no mercado da bola é Rodinei. Desde a reta final da temporada, pelo menos quatro times já entraram em contato com o Rubro-Negro pelo lateral-direito. São eles: Charlotte FC, dos Estados Unidos, São Paulo, Internacional e Fluminense. Por isso, abaixo, o LANCE! mostra por que o jogador tem despertado tanto interesse nesta janela de transferências

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Inicialmente, vale lembrar que Rodinei voltou do empréstimo ao Internacional em alta. Em um ano e meio com os Colorados, ele contribuiu com oito assistências e três gols marcados, conforme dados do site “ogol”.Na reta final do Brasileirão de 2020, o clube gaúcho, inclusive, ainda conseguiu pagar, após a doação de um torcedor, R$ 1 milhão para que ele pudesse entrar em campo justamente contra o Flamengo.

Na Gávea, contudo, ele não conseguiu vencer a disputa com Isla, da Seleção Chilena, e de Matheuzinho, o reserva imediato que começa a pedir passagem no time titular. Por outro lado, apesar das atuações inconstantes, Rodinei mostrou, sob o comando de Renato Gaúcho, que pode atuar, também, mais avançado, como um ponta pela direita.

Tendo isso em vista, os clubes interessados em contar com os serviços do lateral para 2022 apareceram. O primeiro foi o Charlotte FC, dos Estados Unidos. Vale lembrar que o time, que estreará na Major League Soccer no próximo ano, é comandado por Miguel Ángel Ramírez, ex-técnico do Rodinei no Internacional.

Os americanos, inclusive, abriram negociações e fizeram uma oferta para contar com o jogador. O Fla, contudo, fez uma contraproposta e pediu 1 milhão de dólares(pouco mais de R$ 5,7 milhões na cotação atual). Isso deixa claro que o próprio Flamengo entende que o lateral tem um bom valor de mercado.

Na sequência, foi a vez de Internacional e São Paulo fazerem contato com o Flamengo. Os Colorados, recentemente, anunciaram que Saraiva não ficará no time em 2022. Dessa forma, o site oficial do clube já mostra que o único da posição na equipe é Heitor – portanto, precisa ser reforçada.

>Veja prós e contras da possível saída de Rodinei do Flamengo

No caso dos paulistas é importante frisar que a lateral-direita é uma posição carente no time.Isso porque Igor Vinícius e Orejuela, opções para o time hoje, ainda não convenceram a diretoria.

Por fim, foi a vez do Fluminense mostrar interesse em Rodinei. O Tricolor está ativo no mercado e tem buscado nomes mais “cascudos” para a disputa da Libertadores, em 2022. Fora isso, o Flu anunciou Abel Braga, que gosta do lateral, como o treinador do time na próxima temporada.

O Flamengo, por sua vez, já se mostrou aberto em negociar Rodinei, mas desde que seja em definitivo – não por empréstimo. O contrato do lateral com o clube da Gávea vai até o fim de 2022 e, dessa forma, ele já estaria livre para assinar um pré-contrato com qualquer equipe a partir de junho do ano que vem.

The Arsenal team of a few years ago and the one of today are practically unrecognisable.

Mikel Arteta's leadership and Edu Gaspar's signings have transformed the perennial underachievers into one of the best teams in Europe, with only the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli remaining from the teams picked by former manager Unai Emery.

In fact, the North Londoners have such an elite group of players that four of them were named in this year's Ballon d'Or shortlist, which would've been a laughable concept a few years ago.

That said, one of the old guard sold by Arteta in recent years has also found himself on the list of nominees, and there are likely still portions of the fanbase who wish he was still donning Arsenal's red and white.

Arsenal's Ballon d'Or nominees

So, it might not be the Premier League title, but the fact Arsenal have four first teams on this year's Ballon d'Or nominees list is seriously impressive.

The first name that will surprise nobody is Saka, who enjoyed another stellar campaign last year, racking up a frankly absurd haul of 20 goals and 14 assists in just 47 games and then playing a pivotal role in England's run to the European Championship final in the summer.

Joining the Englishman on the list for a second year running is club captain Martin Odegaard, who took another step up both in his on-pitch performances and leadership abilities, ending the year with 11 goals and 11 assists.

Now, the following two players have been nominated for the very first time in their careers this year, although we'd be shocked if they didn't become regulars going forward.

The first is French superstar William Saliba, who just seems to go from strength to strength and played an essential role in helping the Gunners keep an incredible 18 clean sheets last season, which unsurprisingly saw them concede the fewest goals to boot.

The last Arsenal player to make the cut is also the club's most expensive signing ever, the £105m man, Declan Rice.

The former West Ham United captain had an awful lot of pressure on his shoulders due to the price tag going into last season, but remarkably, he didn't play like it, and perhaps one of the best things you can say about his campaign is that nobody mentioned the price after the first few games, unless they were saying the Hammers should have asked for more.

In all, Arteta is fortunate to have so many of his players nominated for the Ballon d'Or this year, and it shows how far the club have come, but had he not sold a certain star last summer, he may well have had five nominees to pick from.

Granit Xhaka's 23/24

Of course, the former player in question had to be Granit Xhaka.

He may have caused his fair share of controversy during his time at Arsenal, but he ultimately left last summer with the love and support of most Arsenal fans and a raucous ovation from the Emirates on the final day of the season.

The Swiss international moved from North London to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for around £21m, and while there was an expectation that he would do well at the club, nobody quite expected him to play as well as he did.

In all, the 31-year-old "leader", as dubbed by football writer Craig King, made 50 appearances last season, scoring four goals and providing two assists, as Xabi Alonso's side sprung a surprise title challenge and ended up completing an undefeated domestic double.

In fact, the only game the team, and therefore Xhaka, lost last season was the Europa League final, when they were stunned by an incredible performance from Italian outfit Atalanta.

Xhaka's 23/24
Appearances	50
Goals	4
Assists	2
Goal Involvements per Match	0.12
League Titles	1
Domestic Cups	1
Defeats	1
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Unsurprisingly, the former Gunners ace's spectacular season has seen him nominated for the Ballon d'Or alongside some of his old teammates, and on top of that, his valuation has increased to around €44m, according to Football Transfers, which converts to about £37m.

Ultimately, while many Arsenal fans were sad to see Xhaka leave last summer, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan who isn't happy for him today, and if his departure allowed the club to spend that little bit more on Rice, then it was an exit that has worked out for all involved.

Arsenal flop was sold for just £4m, now he's outscoring Kai Havertz

The talented number nine couldn’t make it work in North London.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 5, 2024

Wolves have made a move to extend the contract of star striker Matheus Cunha as they bid to ward off interest from Arsenal, per a new report.

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Cunha in fine form for WolvesEyed by Gunners in JanuaryWolves in talks with strikerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Cunha had been earmarked as a potential target for Arsenal after a fine run of goalscoring form at Molineux. The striker has scored 10 goals in 19 league games this term, in a side that are currently 17th in the Premier League table, and Wolves have now made a move to ensure he stays, the reports.

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Arsenal are interested in signing versatile cover for Bukayo Saka after his injury and Cunha is likely to be tempted by the interest from north London. Nevertheless, Wolves are said to be negotiating a deal and could include a release clause to ensure Cunha commits his future and does not leave mid-season.

DID YOU KNOW?

Cunha is on track to have his best ever goalscoring season in the league; previously, his highest goal tally was 12 in 2023-24. He only needs three goals to better that tally this term, and has 19 games in which to do so.

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT?

Wolves play Nottingham Forest this weekend but Cunha is banned, after a fracas following their fixture against Ipswich. He will be back for their trip to Newcastle on January 15.

Zak Crawley’s 64 not enough to lift London Spirit to defendable total at Edgbaston

Alan Gardner23-Jul-2021

Moeen Ali anchored Phoenix’s chase with 40 from 30 balls•Getty Images

Birmingham Phoenix 148 for 7 (Moeen 40) beat London Spirit 144 for 6 (Crawley 64) by three wicketsBirmingham Phoenix rose to the occasion to crown the first Hundred double-header with a win for the home side in front of Edgbaston’s packed stands. Having limited London Spirit to 144 for 6, despite Zak Crawley hitting the first half-century of the men’s tournament, Phoenix’s chase was set up by a measured 40 off 30 from their captain, Moeen Ali, before the unheralded Warwickshire batter Chris Benjamin fired them across the line with three balls to spare.Moeen had opted to chase, in the hope of getting a look at the surface (and the format) and planning accordingly. His strike bowler, Adam Milne, set the tone by conceding just three scoring shots from his first 10 balls, on the way to an impressive 2 for 18 and although Crawley held the innings together with 64 off 40, Spirit looked a little light.The Phoenix chase made a stuttering start, with both openers gone inside the Powerplay and the in-form Liam Livingstone falling for 19 off 15, having hit one monstrous six into the second tier of the pavilion. Moeen’s dismissal looked set to swing things Spirit’s direction, only for Benjamin – the 22-year-old who only made his T20 debut for Birmingham Bears on this ground a week ago – to produce a dazzling and decisive cameo.With 23 needed from 13, Benjamin audaciously reverse-scooped Blake Cullen for six, then casually swatted another over the ropes at deep backward square to bring the requirement down to 11 from the final ten. Benny Howell also struck two vital sixes to ease home nerves, with Benjamin unbeaten on 24 from 15 when Milne came out to hit the winning boundary.Crawley brawling
Crawley’s first ball in the Hundred was a 90mph delivery from Milne that he gamely attempted to thrash through the covers, only to be beaten by some seam movement. He played and missed at his second and finally got off strike from his fourth, before finding his range against Tom Helm in the second five, smashing the first of Spirit’s six sixes off his legs.With Josh Inglis, who had been dropped off his first ball from Milne, falling to the New Zealander in his second set, and Dan Lawrence striking Helm over the rope at deep extra cover before skying to backward point, it was left to Crawley to give his side some momentum during the Powerplay, collecting three consecutive fours off Helm and Howell to leave Spirit on 41 for 2.While the Londoners struggled to put together partnerships – their highest was 38 from 28 balls between Crawley and Ravi Bopara – their Kent opener was the constant, batting right through to the 99th delivery of the innings. He said afterwards that he found the spinners easier to score against, despite taking Helm for 18 from six deliveries before finally miscuing a slower ball to deep midwicket. He swept effectively against Imran Tahir’s legspin, bringing up his fifty with slogged six, and ensured that Spirit would have something to bowl at despite no one else passing 25.Milne and boom!
New Zealand quick Milne was only signed by Kent in June for the Vitality Blast as a replacement for Mohammad Amir – playing in this match for London Spirit – because of a clash with the rearranged Pakistan Super League. Milne was then drafted in by Phoenix earlier this month because of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s withdrawal due to international commitments.Milne may not be quite such a box office name (he’s an unassuming Kiwi, after all), but he has all the tools to put his name in lights during the Hundred. His 90mph-plus spell with the new ball saw just six runs come off the bat across two sets of five, and he later returned to deliver 10 consecutively between 81 and 90, showcasing his stamina as well as some canny changes of pace. He capped the display by foxing Bopara with a back-of-the-hand slower ball and then holding on to a brilliant reflex catch one-handed in his follow through.Not only was he the only bowler in the match to go at less than a run a ball, Milne conceded just two boundaries as well as having two straightforward catches dropped off his bowling. He already looks a canny signing.Moeen going, Benjamin pops up
At the halfway stage of the Phoenix chase, the home side were 74 for 3, with Moeen just beginning to find his range. Roelof van der Merwe, a left-arm spinner turning the ball into Moeen’s arc, was brought on for the 11th set of five, and promptly watched his as first delivery was crashed over long-on for six – leaving Phoenix needing 65 from 49.But Mohammad Nabi applied the brakes by conceding only six runs between 61 and 70, as well as removing Daniel Bell-Drummond, and when Moeen was brilliantly removed by van der Merwe via a running, sprawling catch from Bopara at long-off, the Phoenix requirement began to creep north once again. At the three-quarter stage of the innings, Birmingham needed 43 from 25, and it required timely blows from Howell off Chris Wood and van der Merwe to keep the target within range.It might still have got away from them, had it not been for Benjamin, who only signed a rookie contract with Warwickshire a few weeks ago, and was then called into the Phoenix set-up as an injury replacement for Adam Hose. Going into this match, he didn’t even feature in their squad on the official Hundred website – though you suspect most of those in the 12,137-strong crowd will now know who he is.Timing issues
Both of the opening matches in this format at The Oval went over the official two-and-a-half hour running time – though not by so much as the attract the interest of the umpires. But with the speed of games considered a major selling point, expect much talk over the coming weeks about how close teams are to missing the cut-off time, by which point they are expected to have started bowling the final set of five balls.In the women’s match at Edgbaston, the home side were forced to have one fewer fielder outside the ring from the 94th ball because they were behind the rate (not that deep fielders were really the issue with five needed). The same happened to London Spirit in the men’s game, as Eoin Morgan tried to manage his resources – although by the time the penalty was imposed, Phoenix needed one to win and Morgan had all his men in anyway. In large part, Spirit’s issues came down to the six wides and a no-ball delivered by Amir, whose second set of five actually encompassed nine deliveries. Another thing for us all to get our heads around.