Responding to the abject failure of Tony Mowbray returning to the West Bromwich Albion hot-seat, the Championship outfit has gone down the more modern, if untested route of appointing Ryan Mason.

Of course, the Baggies have excelled in the past when going after a manager once regarded as a second-in-command figure, with Carlos Corberan a background figure at Leeds United himself before succeeding at the Hawthorns, much like the 33-year-old was at Tottenham Hotspur.

Mason will hope no high-profile exits are signed off on during the early stages of his tenure, with Mowbray having to deal with the major exit of Alex Palmer at the start of his choppy second stint.

Ultimately, the loss of Palmer – among other factors – contributed to West Brom’s promotion campaign being derailed.

Palmer's demoralising sale

The Kidderminster-born goalkeeper would have to be patient waiting it out for senior chances, but when he became the Baggies’ main number one under Corberan, the 28-year-old never looked back.

The 2023/24 season would see Palmer start every single league clash under the Spaniard’s wing, resulting in the gloveman collecting a mightily impressive 18 clean sheets along the way, whilst also only leaking 48 strikes in total.

He entered the following campaign overflowing with confidence, therefore, with Palmer only shipping 27 league goals across 30 second-tier matches before Ipswich Town came calling.

Unfortunately, instead of sticking with their dependable stopper, West Brom would cash in, as Palmer left his boyhood club behind mid-season for £2m.

Games played

16

Wins

5

Draws

4

Losses

6

Goals conceded

20

Clean sheets

3

Whilst the 28-year-old attempted to fit in at his new Suffolk location, the wheels came off West Brom’s promotion mission drastically, with only three clean sheets coming the Baggies’ way after Palmer’s departure, alongside only five league wins being tallied up.

West Brom cannot deal with another demoralising exit of this fashion if they want to mount a serious promotion charge under Mason.

But, they could be heading to another Palmer situation.

West Brom must not sell "outstanding" star

Murmurs have died down regarding Tom Fellows leaving the Baggies this summer, which will be music to the ears of West Brom fans and Mason alike, considering he notched up 14 assists in league action last season.

Yet, the summer will still bring about a lot of anxiety regarding the situation of Isaac Price, with a new report from SportsBoom speculating that the recent January buy could already be heading for the exit door as a Jobe Bellingham-depleted Sunderland circle for his services.

Price had hardly any time to show off his excellence for West Brom last season – especially as he joined Mowbray’s camp amid the Baggies’ promotion hopes falling off a cliff – but he has shown this off-season what he’s all about when curling home efforts like the one above on the international stage for Northern Ireland.

Off the back of his continued brilliance for his country, scout Jacek Kulig has labelled Price as “fantastic”, with Mason perhaps the manager to get even more out of the promising 21-year-old, having worked closely with Spurs’ rising stars when located in North London.

There is still plenty to come from Price at the Hawthorns, with the former Everton youth product at least managing to get off the mark with a single goal and assist from 15 league appearances last season, even as his new employers regularly slipped up.

Therefore, instead of selling him to the likes of Burnley or Sunderland before he reaches his full potential, the Baggies must keep a firm grip on their “outstanding” youngster, as his ex-Toffees teammate Asmir Begovic once labelled him.

Further lauded as “smooth” when gliding forward by Mowbray, patience must be exercised on the end of West Brom with their rising star, especially now that a youth-oriented boss such as Mason is in charge.

If he comes good, he could well be a key player if promotion is to be clinched.

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Tottenham Hotspur have now held direct talks to appoint an “outstanding” manager, with Ange Postecoglou heading for the exit door, according to a report.

Ange could be set to leave despite Europa League triumph

One year ago, INEOS arguably made the mistake of keeping Erik ten Hag in the Manchester United job after the Dutchman led them to victory in the FA Cup, and it appears as though Daniel Levy doesn’t want to make the same error this summer.

Indeed, widespread reports are now suggesting that Levy is set to sack Postecoglou, despite the historic Europa League triumph against Manchester United last month, which puts captain Son Heung-min among some esteemed company.

It may be a divisive decision to sack the manager responsible for leading Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years, but appointing a top-quality replacement could go some way to getting the fans back on side, and contact has now been made with a coach who could be in that category.

According to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna on X, Tottenham have now made “direct contact” with Brentford manager Thomas Frank, who spoke about his project and potential targets for the summer transfer window.

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Several candidates are said to be under consideration as potential replacements for Ange, but Frank is believed to be “high” on the list, and Spurs have now made their first move to appoint the Danish manager.

In another report from France, it is detailed that Ange’s future remains very much up in the air, with talks to discuss his position as manager due to take place at some point in the next week.

Frank could be "outstanding" Ange replacement

Deciding whether to sack the 59-year-old will no doubt be a difficult decision for Levy, given that Tottenham’s torrid Premier League form cannot be ignored, finishing 17th as a result of collecting just 38 points across the entire 2024-25 campaign.

However, the former Celtic boss has suggested his side’s first experience of success will make them more eager to make sure they’re in the same position again, saying: “I also wanted us to think about what’s next, you know — don’t settle for this. We’ve got a taste of it now. My players have got a taste for it. The club’s got a taste for it. Well, let’s make sure we’re back here again.”

Should Levy decide to sack Ange, there are signs Frank could be a fantastic replacement, having been lauded as an “outstanding” manager by Troy Deeney, while leading Brentford to a very respectable 10th-placed finish last season.

Having transformed the Bees from a Championship club into a solid Premier League side, the 51-year-old, who utilises a 4-3-3 formation, has earned the opportunity to prove himself at the top level, showing a knack for turning attacking talents into some of the biggest stars in their division.

Said Benrahma, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins and Neal Maupay all thrived under his guidance, with only Watkins able to replicate that form elsewhere, while current forwards Yoane Wissa (19) and Bryan Mbeumo (20) combined for nearly 40 top flight goals this season.

Liverpool are not resting on their laurels after they won the Premier League in Arne Slot’s first season as the manager in the 2024/25 campaign.

The Dutch head coach arrived from Feyenoord last summer to replace Jurgen Klopp in the dugout at Anfield and clinched the top-flight trophy at the first time of asking.

Despite that incredible achievement, Slot and his staff are looking to bolster the squad with reinforcements to achieve even more success, hopefully across multiple competitions, next season.

One star who is reportedly on the club’s radar is Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, who was recently the subject of a £105m bid by the Premier League champions, as per Sky Sports.

It now remains to be seen whether or not the Reds can get a deal over the line for the Germany international in the weeks to come during the summer transfer window.

Liverpool have, however, already completed and announced a move for Jeremie Frimpong from the Bundesliga club, and he may not be the only full-back to arrive at Anfield this summer.

What Jeremie Frimpong could bring to Liverpool

Firstly, the Reds have already found their replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has completed a transfer to Real Madrid on a permanent basis, in the form of Frimpong.

Liverpool reportedly paid a fairly modest fee of £29.5m, thanks to his release clause, to sign the Netherlands international, which makes him a fairly cost-effective replacement for Trent this summer.

In terms of his style of play, Frimpong is a very front-footed and attack-minded ‘defender’ who will want to be on the last line and make runs to impact games from an offensive perspective.

The 24-year-old star primarily played as a wing-back for Leverkusen down the right and could push on very high and wide for Liverpool, which would suit Mohamed Salah well, as he likes to drift infield onto his favoured left foot to score and create goals.

24/25

48

5

9

23/24

47

14

10

22/23

48

9

10

21/22

34

2

8

As you can see in the table above, Frimpong delivered goals and assists at an impressive rate, for a wing-back, for the majority of his time with the German side, which shows that he could bring goals and assists to the Liverpool team next season.

This could also provide Salah with more room to work with, because opposition full-backs may have to pay extra close attention to Frimpong’s runs, possibly creating space for the winger to receive the ball with fewer defenders on him.

Frimpong, however, may not be the only full-back to arrive at Anfield in the coming weeks, as Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a left-back from the Premier League.

Liverpool set to bid for Premier League defender

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Liverpool are interested in a deal to sign Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez during the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Premier League champions are set to make a formal bid to sign the Hungary international in the coming days, as they look to bolster their options at left-back.

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Jacobs does not reveal how much the bid from Liverpool is set to be worth, but does claim that Bournemouth are looking for a fee of at least £40m to allow their star defender to move on from the Vitality Stadium.

The journalist also states that the 21-year-old Premier League star has ‘already agreed to the move’ to Anfield, which means that there would not be any issues on personal terms if the Reds were able to agree a deal with the Cherries in the coming days.

If Liverpool do wrap up a transfer to bring Kerkez over to Merseyside this summer, then it could be a repeat of their Sadio Mane masterclass back in 2016.

Why Milos Kerkez could be Sadio Mane 2.0

The club reportedly paid a fairly modest fee of £36m to sign the Senegal international from Southampton after the 2015/16 campaign, in which the forward had produced 11 goals and six assists to lead his side to European football.

Mane went on to score 120 goals and provide 46 assists in 269 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions during his career at Anfield, winning the Champions League and the Premier League during that time.

This shows that Liverpool hit the jackpot with the exciting attacker because they snapped up a star who was shining for a team punching above their weight in the Premier League, and he was able to adapt to a team that wanted to win trophies year-on-year.

Bournemouth finished ninth in the top-flight, just shy of a spot in Europe for next season, and Kerkez played a significant role in their achievement of finishing in the top half with his impressive performances in the left-back position for Andoni Iraola’s side.

Appearances

38

33

Goals

2

0

Assists

5

1

Big chances created

8

7

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.6

1.8

Dribbled past per game

0.4x

0.6x

Duel success rate

54%

48%

As you can see in the table above, the Hungarian star outperformed Andy Robertson with his work in and out of possession during the Premier League season, by offering more as a scorer and a creator, whilst also being more effective defensively.

These statistics suggest that Kerkez has the quality to make an instant impact at Anfield as an upgrade on Slot’s current left-back option, which is another reason why he could be a repeat of Mane, who became an instant star with his goals and assists on the wing.

As Izzy Christiansen said in the clip above, the “machine” is only 21 and is not close to reaching his peak, which means that Liverpool would also be paying for the potential that he has to get even better.

Like Mane, who joined at the age of 24, Kerkez would arrive at Anfield with time on his side to be a key player for the Reds for many more years to come, which is yet another reason why he could be a fantastic signing after the Frimpong deal for the opposite flank.

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Manchester United now want to “advance” a move for a £85m striker, who’s a “mix” between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, according to reporter Ben Jacobs.

Man Utd's striker pursuit heating up

Signing a new striker is on the agenda of a number of the Premier League’s biggest clubs, and Man United are no exception, but they will have to be willing to spend big to lure one of Europe’s top centre-forwards to Old Trafford this summer.

Target	League goals in 24/25	Asking price
Viktor Gyokeres	39	£68m
Victor Osimhen	26	£50m+
Moise Kean	19	£44m
Jonathan David	16	£0

The pursuit of a new striker comes amid widespread criticism of United’s current first-choice option, Rasmus Hojlund, with the Stretford Paddock’s Adam McKola singling the Dane and Andre Onana out for criticism during the 2-2 draw away at Lyon in April.

With Inter Milan now making progress in their pursuit of Hojlund, there may be funds to bring in a top-level replacement, and a “new name” has now emerged as a potential target, Jacobs has revealed to The United Stand, via GiveMeSport.

The reporter said: “They’re running data on some other names as well, including Hugo Ekitike, which is a new name that I can bring to the mix too.

“Liverpool are very interested, Chelsea have held some talks as well, but nothing’s going to happen in the next days with Hugo Ekitike either and Frankfurt want €100million, so he’s actually more expensive than Viktor Gyokeres.

“So right now, I’m told, if Manchester United can do Gyokeres, they would like to advance on it, but it will all depend on the overall cost and other suitors, and that’s why some of these other names are also concurrently being discussed.”

Free-scoring Ekitike likened to Neymar and Mbappe

Ekitike failed to make the same impact at the Parc des Princes as his former teammates, but having kicked on since leaving Paris Saint-Germain, he has been compared to Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Wesley Sneijder said: “I think he’s a mix between Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappé. I sincerely think so. He has the grace of Neymar, but also the movements of Mbappé.

“To suddenly accelerate, that’s something that Mbappé also has. And he’s only 22 years old. There’s really a lot of potential in this boy.”

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The high praise from Sneijder came during a fantastic 2024-25 campaign for the French forward, during which he amassed 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 matches in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt, putting himself in the shop window for a summer move.

That said, while the Frankfurt star certainly caught the eye last season, a fee of €100m (£85m) is a tad high off the back of one prolific season, so the likes of David, Gyokeres and Osimhen could be preferable options.

Leeds United are already making significant moves in the transfer market as the brand-new Premier League season kicking off in August edges ever closer.

It’s less than two months now until the Whites get their daunting top-flight season underway with a Monday night affair against David Moyes’ Everton, with both Lukas Nmecha and Jaka Bijol – who have joined from Wolfsburg and Udinese respectively – desperate to be in Daniel Farke’s starting lineup when the Toffees come to Elland Road.

They’re unlikely to be the only fresh signings competing for a starting spot, however, with a new central midfielder clearly a priority based on the latest rumours filtering out of West Yorkshire.

Leeds make approach for £13m star

As per a report from Foot en France, Leeds have now made an approach to land Stade Brestois star Madhi Camara this summer, as their ongoing pursuit of a central midfielder drags on.

Indeed, it had previously been reported that the Whites were also chasing after another midfield ace from Ligue 1 in the form of Habib Diarra, with an alleged £24m bid even being made.

Now, however, their attention could shift towards attempting to land Camara instead, with fellow promoted outfit Sunderland also keen on snapping up the 26-year-old at Farke and Co.’s expense.

With the report ending on the fact that Leeds might be able to win the Brest number 45 for around the £13m mark, securing Camara’s signature might well be deemed as an even better purchase to make than solely going after the more expensive Senegal international, before you consider delving deeper into their comparative statistics.

Why Camara would be a better signing than Diarra

With Joe Rothwell heading back to AFC Bournemouth this summer, Leeds do look slightly depleted in the middle of the park, which is where Camara might come to the rescue.

After all, the 26-year-old will feel he’s earned his stripes enough in the top French division now to be a success story in the Premier League, with 182 appearances under his belt in Ligue 1 for both Brest and Saint-Etienne. On the contrary, Diarra has just 94 clashes next to his name.

In addition to his wealth of top-flight experience in France, Camara also has the boost of amassing ten Champions League clashes on the books of Éric Roy’s men, with a goal even coming the 5-foot-10 ace’s way in the illustrious competition this season when facing off against RB Salzburg.

Farke would surely love the “all-action” nature of Camara – as he was once labelled by football analyst Ben Mattinson – if he were to arrive on English shores shortly, with his ability to pick up 26 goal contributions in total for Brest, which beats out Diarra’s own Strasbourg total by five, backed up by a second side to his wide-ranging game that can also offer up plenty of grit and determination when needed.

Camara’s FBref numbers over the last year vs Diarra’s

Stat – per 90 mins

Camara

Diarra

Total shots

1.58

0.96

Shot-creating actions

2.33

2.18

Attempted passes

38.23

37.42

Pass completion %

84.9%

83.0%

Successful take-ons

1.02

0.50

Tackles

2.46

0.84

Interceptions

1.12

0.50

Blocks

1.50

0.84

Stats by FBref

Away from trumping his 21-year-old counterpart in terms of shots averaged and shot-creating actions managed over the last year, the table above also shows off that attritional side to Camara’s game that might well have caught Farke’s eye, with more tackles, interceptions, and blocks also won in favour of the £13m midfielder.

Hailed further by Mattinson as possessing a “nice all-round midfielder profile”, this might well be a smart signing for Leeds to make if a battle against the drop is on the menu, away from gambling on Diarra to come good at a far steeper price tag.

The Whites have shown they’re ready to splash the cash, having forked out £15m on Bijol’s services, with Camara perhaps the next notable pick-up from Europe that can help Leeds stave off relegation.

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South East Stars restricted their opponents to 84, knocking off their target with 29 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2024

Alexa Stonehouse was the pick of the bowlers on show with 3 for 13•Getty Images

South East Stars will fancy themselves to lift the Charlotte Edwards Cup for a second time after an emphatic five-wicket victory over erstwhile favourites The Blaze at Derby.Bryony Smith’s 2021 champions shot out the East Midlands team – runners-up last year – for just 84, a first defeat in 16 points-table matches in the competition for Kirstie Gordon’s team since they changed their name from Lightning to The Blaze two years ago.The two could meet again in next Saturday’s Final on the same ground, both having already qualified for the semi-finals, to be played on the same day.On a used pitch, left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse took 3 for 13, with Ryana MacDonald-Gay and spinners Dani Gregory and Tilly Corteen-Coleman claiming two wickets each, England’s Sarah Glenn top-scoring for The Blaze with 21 from 24 balls.Leg-spinner Glenn took 3 for 14 with the ball but with Emma Jones striking an unbeaten 30 from just 25 balls, the Stars were home and dry with 29 balls to spare.After skipper Gordon had opted to bat first, The Blaze innings could hardly have started less auspiciously, with three wickets lost in the first two overs and a fourth in the fifth.Corteen-Coleman, the Stars’ 16-year-old left-arm spinner, had England opener Tammy Beaumont leg before with her fourth ball, before Stonehouse hit Marie Kelly in front and had Sarah Bryce caught behind in a double-wicket maiden.Three for three became 12 for four in the fifth over as Australian international Heather Graham was bowled off an inside edge.Kathryn Bryce missed a straight one from Jones and Ella Claridge hit a Gregory full toss straight to deep midwicket, leaving The Blaze 40 for 6 just past the halfway stage, after which a mini-recovery ended with leg-spinner Gregory catching a skied leading edge to dismiss Josie Groves off her own bowling to make it 66 for 7.Glenn, playing on her home ground, stuck around long enough to drag the total into the 80s before she was bowled by Corteen-Coleman, having lost two more partners in Gordon and Lucy Higham, who both holed out to mid-on.The Blaze have a good record defending small totals, but even with leading run-getters Paige Scholfield and Sophia Dunkley missing, it never seemed likely that the Stars would miss out.They lost Smith caught at mid-on as left-armer Grace Ballinger opened with a wicket-maiden and were two down in the powerplay after Phoebe Franklin cut Glenn straight to backward point, with Aylish Cranstone caught at mid-off in the 10th.Yet they were always comfortably up with the required rate and after Jones hit Kathryn Bryce for three boundaries in the 14th over, just nine were needed in 36 balls.Glenn picked up her second wicket with a fine return catch to deny Georgia Redmayne (23) the chance to be there at the finish and a third when Alice Davidson-Richards drove to mid-off for a two-ball duck, but Jones hammered the ball back over bowler Gordon’s head to win the match with a six in the next over.

Western Storm vs Thunder – no resultHeavy rain in Cardiff severely dented the prospects of either Western Storm or Thunder qualifying for the latter stages of the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Needing to win if they were to make up lost ground on those above them in the table, the two sides were frustrated by the elements that caused their showdown at Sophia Gardens to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.With no opportunity to remove the covers and Glamorgan and Hampshire Hawks scheduled to contest a Vitality Blast South Group fixture at 6.30pm, umpires Anna Harris and Ant Harris had no choice but to call the women’s game off at 3.25pm.Already trailing runaway leaders The Blaze and South East Stars by a considerable distance, Thunder remain in fifth place, with ground to make up on Southern Vipers and Central Sparks, who have a game in hand. Cast adrift at the wrong end of the table, Storm are effectively out of the running.Thunder will hope for better conditions when they return to action against Central Sparks at Edgbaston tomorrow, while Storm will attempt to secure only their second win of the campaign when they meet fellow strugglers Northern Diamonds at Headingley on Sunday.

Everton fans still have around two months to wait until they’re able to watch their beloved Toffees play at the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League.

Brighton and Hove Albion will be the first tricky visitors standing in the way of David Moyes and Co. on that memorable afternoon, with August also seeing the Merseyside outfit travel to Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in search of some early-season results.

Moyes will hope he’s backed in the transfer window ahead of his side moving into their new home for good, with one transfer target now on the agenda that could boost the Scotsman’s numbers in the midfield department.

Everton in contact to sign £13m star

The Toffees are yet to bring in any new faces this summer but with the window now in full swing, TFG must press on and strengthen ahead of their first game at their new home.

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Well, as per a report by Turkish outlet Sabah, Everton has now initiated contact with ex-Manchester United midfielder Fred’s agent over a potential summer deal.

The report does state that the Brazilian is well-liked by his current Fenerbahce boss in Jose Mourinho, but Everton remain keen.

However, the high reported price tag of £13m might well put off TFG, with the Turkish giants actually purchasing Fred for a far more modest £7.7m after his bumpy Old Trafford stay had finished.

How Fred can be Everton's next Doucoure

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the South American when situated in the red half of Manchester, but if Everton were successful in their advances, they could be about to win an ideal replacement for Abdoulaye Doucoure, with the long-standing Toffees servant no longer on the books of Moyes’ men after his contract expired.

It was a sad severing of the ties when Doucoure was officially announced to be departing Merseyside, considering the Malian had scored many a vital strike from the midfield areas across his 166 games, with that goal against Bournemouth definitely the most important one of his 21-goal collection in pushing Everton away from the perilous drop.

But, with his wage coming in at a hefty £130k-per-week as per Capology, it might well have been deemed a necessary alteration to make, with slightly cheaper alternatives on the table in Fred, who earns a lesser £113k-per-week pay packet himself.

Moreover, whilst Doucoure had enamoured Everton fans with his entertaining displays from the center of the park, Fred can offer that same goalscoring ability in abundance, with 14 goals and 19 assists collected for the Red Devils, away from his promising output of five goals and six assists in 2024/25 for Mourinho’s titans.

Erik ten Hag would even go out of his way to label the 32-time Brazil international as “magnificent” when the pair were together at the Theatre of Dreams, with Fred no doubt also hungry to return to the English game to prove a point, having become a scapegoat during tough recent times at United.

CM

296

29

34

DM

99

5

13

AM

31

4

4

RM

22

4

5

LM

4

1

2

LB

1

0

0

To sum up his woes in Manchester, journalist John Deehan labelled Fred as a “headless chicken” , but his career and time in Turkey paint an opposing picture – especially as Everton hunt down a capable Doucoure replacement.

Indeed, the former Toffees midfielder would line up all over the midfield department during his lengthy Everton journey, whether that be as a number ten, as a traditional central face, or as a defensive anchor, with Fred able to offer that in spades too to ease Moyes’ worries about his midfield depth in the wake of the ex-Watford battler’s exit.

With 83 appearances and counting in both the Europa League and the Champions League, Fred’s arrival on the scene might also help Everton push up the league standings in their fresh, state-of-the-art stadium, away from any future relegation scraps.

It would be a risk, considering the Brazilian had a reputation at the Red Devils for fading in and out of contests. But, as an option to bolster after Doucoure’s departure, it could well prove to be an inspired signing.

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Abhimanyu Bose16-Jun-20242:20

Tamim: Nepal showed how good they can be

Bangladesh 106 (Shakib 17, Kami 2-10, Lamichhane 2-17, Paudel 2-20, airee 2-22) beat A fiery opening spell from Tanzim Hasan Sakib powered Bangladesh to a slightly tense win over Nepal, sealing their progress to the Super Eight stage. For the second game in a row Nepal had a Full Member side on the ropes with their bowling performance in Kingstown, but their batting order was blown away by Bangladesh’s fast bowlers.A win, let alone a comfortable one, looked like a tricky prospect for Bangladesh after they were bundled for 106. Having come within two runs of chasing down a slightly bigger target against South Africa, Nepal would have fancied their chances of bagging their first win against a Full Member team, but Tanzim scythed through their top order with stunning figures of 4-2-7-4 that reduced Nepal to 26 for 5.While the low asking rate meant Nepal could still keep their chances alive, Mustafizur Rahman put on a death bowling masterclass when Nepal needed 30 off 24 to help Bangladesh pull off the lowest successful defence in a men’s T20 World Cup.Tanzim runs through NepalNepal found themselves in big trouble early when Tanzim struck twice in his second over – the third of the innings. Kushal Bhurtel missed a low full toss that swung away late to clip the off stump before Anil Sah toe-ended his effort to mid-off.Taskin Ahmed created a couple of chances in the next over, and Tanzim reaped the rewards of the pressure built, with Rohit Paudel slapping a short and wide delivery straight to backward point. Tanzim nearly struck again in the over, but a leading edge from Sundeep Jora fell short of the bowler.Mustafizur then had Aasif Sheikh caught at cover to complete an excellent powerplay for Bangladesh.Tanzim bowled out in the seventh over, and picked up his fourth wicket when he had Jora caught at gully. He bowled a double-wicket maiden and a wicket maiden, and his 21 dot balls were the most by a bowler in a men’s T20 World Cup match.From the start of the eighth over, there was a 23-ball boundary drought, with legspinner Rishad Hossain especially getting sharp turn. Dipendra Singh Airee finally swept Rishad for four off the last ball of the 11th over that helped Nepal reach 50 in the next over.Malla and Airee consolidated for Nepal, shifting gears in the 16th over when Malla slog-swept Mahmudullah for Nepal’s first six of the innings. One ball later, he nudged him fine on the leg side for a four to bring up the fifty partnership. They were left with 30 to win off the last four.Mustafizur closes it out for BangladeshSandeep Lamichhane picked up two tickets•ICC/Getty ImagesTwo of those four overs were to be bowled by Mustafizur, and he broke the burgeoning stand with a back-of-length cutter that was skied over mid-off. Najmul Hossain Shanto did well to settle under it running back and holding on to a tricky chance. Just the one run came off the over.Nepal attacked Taskin when Airee slapped a six over point but the bowler gave away only one more run in the next five balls and also sent Gulsan Jha back. Mustafizur then bowled five dots on the trot as Airee kept swinging and failing to make contact. Airee looked to knock the last ball of the over for a single, but ended up edging behind to make the penultimate over a wicket maiden.Shakib Al Hasan, wicketless in the tournament before the game, picked the last two wickets to complete a team hat-trick. This also made it the first time Bangladesh won three games in a T20 World Cup.Bangladesh top order flops againSompal Kami struck first ball for Nepal, who opted to bowl, as Tanzid Hasan top-edged a short ball for a return catch to the fast bowler. Shanto was next to go, as Airee went through the Bangladesh captain’s defence in the next over.Given a third over on the trot, Kami then got Litton top-edging a pull off a short ball that wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh settled under. It meant a poor run of form for Bangladesh’s top order, who have only contributed 122 runs in their four group stage matches.Towhid Hridoy, Bangladesh’s best batter in the competition, hit two fours but top-edged an attempted slog sweep off Paudel to leave Bangladesh stuttering at 31 for 4 at the end of the powerplay.Nepal spinners do the restMahmudullah looked to regroup for Bangladesh along with Shakib, hitting two crisp boundaries off Sandeep Lamichhane, but was called for a run that was never there and ended up being run out at the non-striker’s end in the ninth over.Shakib and Jaker Ali tried to consolidate, but Paudel got another breakthrough by dismissing Shakib, before Lamichhane bowled Tanzim and Jake with wrong’uns to put Bangladesh under threat of being bowled out under 100.But Rishad Hossain and Taskin helped Bangladesh add 31 runs for the last two wickets that took them to 106.

The start of this season felt unusually tough for Arsenal, with visits to Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City all within the first month and a half.

Unfortunately, next year looks set to be just as tough, with an opening game away to Manchester United quickly followed by games against Liverpool and City.

So, the best way for Andrea Berta and Co to help Mikel Arteta and his side prepare for a gruelling introduction to the 25/26 Premier League season is by signing some seriously talented players who’ll elevate the squad.

Fortunately, recent reports have linked the Gunners to an incredibly exciting left-winger who’d do just that, although it would be bad news for Gabriel Martinelli.

Arsenal's winger search

While most fans have been crying out for Arsenal to sign a striker for a couple of windows now, it’s arguably just as important that they add at least one more wide player to the squad this summer.

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It appears that that’s an opinion shared by the club, as in recent weeks and months, countless reports have linked them to incredible talents like Nico Williams and Bradley Barcola.

However, with the former now looking like he’s on his way to Barcelona and the latter now a target for German behemoths Bayern Munich, the North Londoners might need to look elsewhere, which could explain the links to Kenan Yıldız.

According to reports from JuveFC, Arsenal are now interested in Juventus’ young dynamo.

The report claims that the Gunners and London rivals Chelsea have ‘re-engaged in discussions’ to assess the possibility of signing the talented winger this summer.

Interestingly, the report claims that as the Old Lady do not want to sell the Turkish talent, they have placed a price tag of €100m – £85m – on his head, and yet it also states that offers in the region of €70m – £60m – might be considered.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Yıldız’s ability and potential, it’s one Arsenal should pursue, especially as he’d be an upgrade on Martinelli.

How Yıldız compares to Martinelli

Now, one of Yıldız’s biggest strengths is that he can play in several positions, be that in midfield, up top, second striker and off the right, but his natural and most played position is left-wing, which is where he’d sure play at Arsenal.

Therefore, his primary competitor for game time in North London would be Martinelli, so how do the pair stack up against one another?

Well, when it comes to pure output, it is the Juventus star who comes out on top, as in 49 appearances, totalling 3332 minutes, the “magnificent” gem, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored ten goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 2.88 games, or every 196 minutes.

In contrast, the Gunners’ number 11 scored ten goals and provided six assists in 51 appearances, totalling 3564 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games, or every 222.75 minutes.

Unfortunately for the Brazilian international, the comparison only becomes more one-sided when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

Non-Penalty G+As

0.43

0.38

Progressive Passes

4.33

1.87

Progressive Carries

4.24

4.69

Shots

2.41

2.12

Shots on Target

0.75

0.94

Passing Accuracy

79.7%

71.4%

Key Passes

1.81

1.56

Passes into the Final Third

2.55

0.47

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.72

1.40

Live Passes

38.4

25.4

Shot-Creating Actions

4.33

2.90

Goal-Creating Actions

0.36

0.25

Tackles

1.99

0.92

Blocks

0.98

0.73

Interceptions

0.38

0.16

Clearances

0.45

0.70

Successful Take-Ons

2.40

1.48

Ball Recoveries

4.87

3.10

For example, while he does better in a couple of metrics like shots on target and progressive carries, the young Turkish star does far better in almost every other relevant statistic, such as non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, shot and goal-creating actions, shots, passing accuracy, key passes, tackles and many, many more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Martinelli could remain an incredibly useful squad player next season, it’s clear that Yıldız is the far superior winger in practically every metric and four years his junior, so Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign him this summer.

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