All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester United haven’t exactly enjoyed the best of starts to their 2023/24 Premier League campaign. A lacklustre 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers was followed by a woeful 2-0 reverse to Tottenham Hotspur.

Erik ten Hag has made only three signings thus far in Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount, but judging by their attacking efforts in the first two matches, more firepower is required.

The club are looking ready to make a move for Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo, yet could an Englishman be on Ten Hag’s radar?

Are Manchester United signing someone else?

The Old Trafford side are reportedly showing interest in signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney, according to FootballTransfers.

Read the latest Man United transfer news HERE…

The player is banned from playing until January however as he was found guilty by the FA of numerous gambling breaches and this would give Ten Hag time to raise the sufficient funds needed to lure him to the North West.

The Bees have placed a £50m price tag on their prized asset and the Dutchman may have to move on a player or two before submitting a concrete offer.

What happens to Ivan Toney now?

His eight-month ban will take the striker up until January, meaning he can't play a single game for Brentford in that time.

Although United requires firepower now, it looks as though they are prepared to wait for Toney and Ten Hag will be hoping for improved performances from players such as Antony.

The Brazilian joined from Ajax last summer for a fee in the region of £86m but has yet to showcase his true abilities in a United jersey so far.

He did register 11 goal contributions – eight goals and three assists – yet this was much lower than the 12 goals and ten assists he recorded the season prior with the Dutch side.

The winger ranked out with the top five across the squad for league assists (two) and big chances created (two), and with a fresh start this season, the pressure will be on to succeed at the Red Devils.

Indeed, signing Toney could certainly help Antony get back to his best, with the £20k-per-week gem able to link up well with his fellow attackers and across the previous three seasons for his club, the 27-year-old has registered 21 assists.

The former Peterborough United hitman created a whopping 12 big chances last term while averaging 0.8 key passes, further proving that he does more than just score goals when leading the line.

His tally of 20 league goals was behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, whilst Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher lauded him by saying he was "one of the best attacking players in the league" and "reminiscent of Harry Kane", which is certainly high praise indeed considering just how well the Bayern Munich star has done in England.

Toney might not solve all of United’s problems if he did make the move to Manchester in January, yet by unleashing him in his starting XI alongside Antony, Ten Hag could forge a lethal attacking setup.

The Brazilian needs players to link up with and judging by Toney’s statistics of late, he could be the perfect player to lead the line for the club while unlocking the Brazilian in the process.

England’s hopes of a consolation victory in Melbourne disappeared with another Steven Smith century

Report by Brydon Coverdale30-Dec-2017
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe Boxing Day Test started as a dead rubber, and by day five rigor mortis had well and truly set in. David Warner scored the slowest half-century of his Test career and Steven Smith ground out his second-slowest Test hundred as Australia dead-batted their way to a draw that ensured there was no consolation victory for England at the MCG, despite Alastair Cook’s monumental bat-carrying effort of 244. But neither will there be an Australian clean sweep.The day began with Australia on 2 for 103, still trailing by 61 runs. England could reasonably have hoped that a couple of early wickets might give them a strong victory chance. But on the most docile of pitches it took a batting brain-explosion to break the partnership between Smith and Warner, when Warner inexplicably tried to smash the part-time offspin of Joe Root over the infield. Only one more wicket fell for the entire day’s play.When the captains agreed to call it off, Australia were on 4 for 263. They had eked out 160 runs in almost a full day of Test cricket. Their overall run-rate of 2.42 for the match was Australia’s lowest in a home Test for nearly 24 years. At the close of play, Smith was on 102 from 275 deliveries, and he had struck just six fours. Mitchell Marsh was on 29 from 166 deliveries, the kind of innings of which his father, the dour opener Geoff Marsh, would have been proud.Still, Smith’s efforts in salvaging a draw for Australia should not be downplayed. This was his sixth and final Test century of 2017, and he joined Ricky Ponting as the only men in Test history to have scored six hundreds in a calendar year on multiple occasions. His century eventually came up from his 259th delivery; not only was it not his slowest Test hundred, it was not even his slowest this series, for Smith had taken 261 balls at the Gabba.David Warner’s innings ended with a skied shot into the off side•Getty ImagesSmith will also finish 2017 as the highest run-getter in Test cricket for the year, with 1305 at 76.76. It is a remarkable individual performance, but this innings again showed how critical Smith is to Australia’s results in any given Test. He soaked up any remaining pressure on the final morning and by the time he and Mitchell Marsh had batted right through the middle session, a draw was all but certain.The session was a much-needed steadier for Australia after England claimed the wickets of Warner and Shaun Marsh shortly before the lunch break to give themselves a sniff of victory. Warner had crawled to the slowest half-century of his Test career, a 161-ball effort that ran completely against type, but he threw his wicket away on 86 when he skied a catch off Root.Marsh edged behind off Stuart Broad for 4 on the stroke of lunch, falling to a fine catch by Jonny Bairstow moving to his left, to leave Australia only 14 runs in front at the break, with six wickets in hand. It had been a slow-scoring two-and-a-half-hour session for the Australians; the first 14 overs of the day brought only 20 runs as Smith and Warner focused almost exclusively on survival.And by the close of play their aim had been realised. If the MCG’s drop-in pitch was disappointingly bereft of character, it was still only the second draw at the ground in the past 20 Tests. But a little more life to this dead rubber would have appreciated by all concerned.

This Monday, Arsenal take on Crystal Palace in what is the Gunners' first away game of the new 2023/24 Premier League season.

Mikel Arteta's men picked up a 2-1 home win against Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend, while Roy Hodgson and co were also victorious as they beat Sheffield United 1-0 on the road.

Read The Latest Arsenal Transfer News HERE…

Ahead of the game, which takes place at Selhurst Park on Monday 21st August at 8pm (UK time), Football FanCast has decided to predict the starting lineup for the Gunners.

Who will start for Arsenal vs Crystal Palace?

There could be a change in goal this week as Arsenal have now completed a move for Brentford's David Raya, who arrives on a season-long loan with a £27m option to buy.

However, Aaron Ramsdale has been the undisputed number one for two seasons now (playing all 38 games last term) and so it would be a shock if he was to lose his spot in the starting lineup just yet.

In defence, however, Arteta will be forced into mixing things up as a result of the unfortunate ACL injury which could keep Jurrien Timber sidelines for most of the season

The defender started at left-back last weekend and the Gunners do at least have plenty of depth in that part of the field. Speaking to the press about Oleksandr Zinchenko who's been out with a calf injury, Arteta told football.london:

"Alex has been doing really well. He's been training with us and, hopefully, we're going to have him very, very soon."

With that in mind, we think he'll make it back in time to start this one, although Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior could also be called upon if the Ukraine star can't quite make it.

Gabriel Magalhaes was surprisingly dropped against Forest, but without Timber out, Arteta may want to revert to his usually trusted centre-back option, so we expect the Brazilian to come back in.

He should start alongside William Saliba and Ben White – which would mean playing the exact same back four which started away against Palace for the opening game last season.

Thomas Partey was used as an inverted right-back on the opening weekend, but with the potential return of Zinchenko, he can step back into midfield and play the deeper role, allowing Declan Rice to push higher up into the left-eight position. Captain Martin Odegaard will, of course, start in his usual preferred position.

This means there is a debate on if and where Kai Havertz should start. Against Manchester City in the Community Shield, he started as a striker and with Gabriel Jesus still injured, the German could go up top again for this one – despite playing in midfield last weekend.

This may be harsh on Eddie Nketiah who started and scored vs Forest, but Arteta might want a little more height leading the line in an away game like this to help go long when trying to beat the opposition's press.

Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka should start once more on each flank after they both impressed in the opening match of the new campaign.

Arsenal's predicted XI: Aaron Ramsdale; Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Ben White; Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard; Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka

The opener scored 22 in Wednesday’s first ODI in Whangarei, and did not field during New Zealand’s innings

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2017Chris Gayle could be a doubtful starter for West Indies’ second ODI against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday. The opener scored 22 in Wednesday’s first ODI in Whangarei, and did not field during New Zealand’s innings. New Zealand won the match by five wickets.”He took ill,” West Indies coach Stuart Law said after the match, when asked why Gayle hadn’t taken the field. “He’s going to seek further medical advice once we arrive in Christchurch tomorrow. At this point in time I can’t give you any further details of what’s going on.”Law did not divulge any details of Gayle’s illness. “I’m not a doctor,” he said. “I can’t give you any more, so I apologise. We should get a full appraisal tomorrow.”Sent in to bat, West Indies posted a total of 248 for 9, which New Zealand overhauled with four overs to spare. Law said conditions changed significantly through the course of the match, and that New Zealand had won an important toss.”We would have liked to have bowled first as well,” he said. “Whether or not the wicket got damp through the covers… it was certainly a tackiness to the surface when the game started.”I looked at it half-time and it was bone dry. You would have liked an even contest, not taking anything away from New Zealand at all. We saw our opening batters – they’re pretty good strikers of a cricket ball – they were having trouble locating it, which means the wicket was doing something. We didn’t see that this afternoon.”Gayle and Evin Lewis put on 40 in 10.1 overs for the first wicket. Lewis went on to score 76 off 100 balls. Law felt his dismissal in the 36th over – an lbw that replays suggested was wrongly given, when West Indies had run out of reviews – was a turning point, given his shot-making skills and those of Rovman Powell, with whom he had added 43 in just 31 balls.”He [Lewis] was circumspect with the deliveries he attacked. He’s a wonderful striker of a cricket ball,” Law said. “Today he wasn’t able to be as free as he would’ve liked but he showed some class. He showed the ability to get through some really tough times, to build an innings, and then unfortunately given out lbw when he was set, ready to continue that partnership with Rovman Powell.”Those two can score very quickly once they get going and 15-20 an over is not out of the question with those two.”

As the chaos of Liverpool's pursuit of midfield reinforcements continues, the Reds have briefly turned part of their attention to potentially adding a right winger to their ranks to back up Mohamed Salah, according to reports.

So far this summer, Jurgen Klopp has welcomed just two new signings, in the form of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Now, however, the Premier League giants have reportedly turned their attention towards Johan Bakayoko.

What's the latest on Johan Bakayoko to Liverpool?

According to Dutch reporter Rif Elfrink, Liverpool have enquired with Bakayoko's management about how much a move for the PSV Eindhoven winger would cost this summer.

The Reds will have to get in line if they are to pursue the winger's signature, however, with Everton and Paris Saint-Germain still in the race, according to Sacha Taviolori, with Liverpool's Merseyside rivals set to make an approach to PSV.

Klopp's main focus may well be on putting an end to his current midfield crisis, which looks set to result in the arrival of Wataru Endo, but Bakayoko could still be an option to reinforce the attack.

Should Liverpool sign Johan Bakayoko?

Whilst Liverpool's immediate problems do not come down the right-hand side, with Salah often the star man and showing no signs of slowing down, welcoming an adequate deputy to the Egyptian would be smart business. And a young player like Bakayoko is an ideal candidate.

The winger, still only 20-years-old, had an incredibly impressive campaign last time out, scoring nine goals and assisting a further six in all competitions. Still so young, the chances of Bakayoko getting even better are increasing by the week, with youth football writer Moby Haque offering some insight on Thursday:

"I REALLY hope we can sign him, our fans would love him. He is the Sadio like winger, completely unpredictable on the wing. One of the best PSV academy talents in a while. Gakpo can attest."

So far this season, the Belgian has featured four times for PSV, including two games in Champions League qualifying, in which he has made two assists. The cherry on top for Liverpool, if they do push on for Bakayoko's signature, would be beating their Merseyside rivals, Everton, to their target.

According to Transfermarkt, too, the PSV man is worth just €10m (£9m), making him an affordable option for those at Anfield, so they should have no issue trumping the Blues for his signature.

Bakayoko has earned high praise throughout his career already, including from Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig, who said last season: "20 years of age. Such an electric player. Still very far from being a finished product but the potential is really high!"

Meanwhile, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also said that the winger is, "performing at a very high level".

Kulig also listed the youngster's impressive stats last season, with the winger directly involved in a goal every 137 minutes, and enjoying an expected goal rate of 3.85, as well as an expected assist rate of 6.67. On top of that, Bakayoko also made 1.7 key passes per 90, made six big chances, and had 60% dribble success.

With that said, it's no surprise that Liverpool have reportedly enquired about a potential deal for the PSV man this summer, who had a standout campaign last season, deservedly earning such high interest.

The Australia captain acknowledges the importance of using Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood in short bursts, but assures that they are more than capable of keeping at it for longer periods

Brydon Coverdale at The Gabba22-Nov-20171:24

Net sessions with Cummins and Starc have been scary – Smith

If recent net sessions are anything to go by, Australia’s pace trio could be even tougher for England’s batsmen to face than Mitchell Johnson was in 2013-14, captain Steven Smith has said. At the Gabba this week, Australia will for the first time field a Test pace attack consisting of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, an exciting state of affairs for Smith, given the promise that all three men have shown over the past few years.”It has been exciting watching them bowl in the nets,” Smith said on Wednesday. “I think back to 2013-14, when Mitchell was bowling in the nets – these guys are just as nasty, if not more nasty, to be perfectly honest. A couple of the net sessions I have had against Cummins and Starc have been quite scary, so that is really exciting for us.”Cummins will play his first Test on home soil, and one of the question-marks will be how his body holds up over the course of a five-Test series. After bursting on to the Test scene as a teenager in South Africa in 2011, he has spent much of his career sidelined by injuries, and has still played only 15 first-class matches.The lack of an allrounder in Australia’s line-up could also mean a significant workload for the three fast men, along with offspinner Nathan Lyon; among the batsmen, only Steven Smith and David Warner could feasibly be used to bowl a few overs, and even that in only very occasional capacities. That could limit Smith’s ability to use his quicks in short, impactful spells as Michael Clarke used Johnson in 2013-14.”In an ideal world, yeah, that would be how I would like to use them as much as I could,” he said. “I think back to 2013-14, we had the luxury of someone like Shane Watson there, who bowled 15 overs an innings, kept things really tight and gave those guys that little bit of extra rest so Johnson could come on and do what he did.”We have only got four frontline bowlers here at the moment. At times, I will try to use them in shorter spells, but they are also comfortable bowling a little bit longer. I know that some of them, when they get into rhythm, they like to keep on going and they actually bowl a bit quicker at the back end of their spells.”The lack of a fifth bowling option will only increase the importance of Lyon, whose provocative comments in the lead-up to the series suggest a man full of confidence. For perhaps the first time in his career, Lyon has not had to deal with speculation about Australia fielding an all-pace attack – hardly surprising, given that over the past year he has taken nearly twice as many Test wickets as any other Australian.”I think with England, a lot of left-handers, Nathan Lyon is going to be an important bowler for us,” Smith said. “He has been bowling particularly well, he is probably bowling as well as I have seen him bowl. I think he has grown in confidence a lot over the last year, even in the way he talks to me out in the field, he is willing to throw out suggestions, come over the wicket to a left-hander – things that he probably wasn’t comfortable doing just over a year ago.”I think he has grown in confidence a lot in his place around the team, in his ability, the way he is bowling. And the consistency he is bowling with is really good for us. I am excited; I think he bowls really well on wickets that bounce a bit, something like out there at the Gabba. I think he had a lot of success last time against England in the game out here.”Not surprisingly, Cricket Australia scheduled the first Test at the Gabba after last year’s experiment of starting the summer at the WACA, where South Africa secured a 177-run win. By comparison, Australia have not lost a Test at the Gabba since the heyday of West Indies, who beat Allan Border’s men at the venue in 1988.”We know these grounds like the back of our hands,” Smith said. “The Gabba has been a fortress for Australia cricket for a long period of time, and no doubt it is important that we start really well in this first Test match here.”

Liverpool still view Celta Vigo's Gabri Veiga as an option this summer, but manager Jurgen Klopp will need to act swiftly if he is to secure the exciting talent's signature.

While defensive midfield is currently a priority for the Anfield side, there is a sense that a further midfield signing could be worthwhile as a return to Champions League football and silverware is the first port of call.

Veiga was sensational in Spain during his breakout year in top-flight football, and with Liverpool holding an interest for most of the summer, it's now approaching crunch time with another top outfit looking to seal a swoop.

What's the latest on Gabri Veiga to Liverpool?

That's following news from Spanish sources, who state that Liverpool remain admirers of the 22-year-old, with Manchester City, Real Madrid and Napoli also vying for his signature.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

The latter, Serie A champions Napoli, have been reported by Fabrizio Romano to have submitted two proposals to the Sky Blues for the prodigious midfielder, though their second – roughly £28m – still falls well below his €40m (£35m) release clause, which Vigo are insisting upon.

How good is Gabri Veiga?

Time is ticking and Liverpool technical director Jorg Schmadtke will indeed need to act with haste if Napoli are to be prevented in their pursuit of Veiga.

If the Reds do boast the means to secure his services, it would prove to be a signing that could linger in memory for some time, given the promise that the box-crashing gem holds within his ability.

Veiga scored 11 goals and supplied four assists from just 28 starting displays in LaLiga last season, earning praise for his "dangerous" presence on the pitch by journalist Euan McTear.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 20% for assists, the top 12% for progressive carries, the top 11% for successful take-ons and the top 11% for touches in the attacking box per 90.

This illustrates his aptitude as a ferocious midfield vehicle, not only proficient in weaving his way through the lines and finding space in the final third, but clinical in the decisive moments and finding goals and assists with regularity.

His potential could be channelled under Klopp's wing and he could find his feet on English soil to blossom into a world-class maestro over the next few years, but in order to thrive and wreak havoc in his advanced central position, he would need a midfield peer to conduct the industrious work behind him.

Enter Stefan Bajcetic; the 19-year-old midfielder enjoyed a breakthrough campaign of his own last year and shone for Liverpool in the midfield at a testing time for the club, earning praise from teammate Mohamed Salah, who said:

"Since he has started playing for us he has been our best player".

Also dubbed an "incredible prospect" by journalist Tom Barnes, the Spaniard – who plied his formative years at Celta Vigo alongside Veiga – brought energy and youthful exuberance to the Liverpool ranks, and as he develops over the next few years, he could blend well with his compatriot at Anfield.

Bajcetic completed 79% of his passes in the Premier League last season and averaged 0.8 tackles and interceptions per game, also succeeding with 64% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore, and will be expected to continue his burgeoning rise next year, and with Veiga deployed into the first-team fold too, the genesis of a world-class partnership could be crafted.

Elsewhere, Jharkhand picked up a bonus point against Haryana through a ten-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2017Left-arm orthodox spinner Sijomon Joseph took his maiden five-wicket haul to help Kerala notch up their second win of the season, a 131-run win against Rajasthan in Thumba.Rajasthan were set 343 to win after Sachin Baby’s counterattack – 30 off 16 balls – lifted Kerala’s score from 217 for 2 to 250 for 5 in less than five overs on the morning of the final day. Overnight batsman Jalaj Saxena was unbeaten on 105 when Kerala declared; Sanju Samson couldn’t add to his overnight score of 72, falling in the first over of the day.Rajasthan’s innings was plagued by recurring collapses. They had lost both openers withing seven balls of the start of their innings, before a 63-run stand between Robin Bist (70) and Rajesh Bishnoi (35) brought stability to the innings. But Joseph broke that stand and followed it up with the wicket of Ashok Menaria to reduce Rajasthan to 64 for 4 with more than 70 overs still to play. Nearly 40 of those overs were absorbed by the fifth-wicket pair of Bist and Mahipal Lomror (53) but the former’s wicket brought yet another collapse – they fell from 160 for 4 to 190 for 9. Deepak Chahar and Aniket Choudhary then attempted a final resistance, batting out 62 balls and bringing Rajasthan close to pulling off a draw. But Joseph trapped him in front in the 84th over to seize the win for Kerala.Jalaj, who made scores of 79 and 105* in the game, took two wickets in the second innings to also finish with a ten-wicket match-haul.Jharkhand walked away with a bonus-point win against Haryana in Ranchi, after chasing their 80-run target without losing any wickets.The win was set up by Shahbaz Nadeem, whose six-wicket haul inflicted a collapse on Haryana, who had begun the day on 141 for 4. Overnight batsmen Rajat Paliwal (93) and Rohit Sharma (71) added 107 runs on the final day before Nadeem dismissed the former, seven short of a 14th hundred. Haryana lost the rest of their wickets for the addition of only 48 runs and were bowled out for 296, having conceded a first-innings lead of 217.Jharkhand promoted wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, who struck an unbeaten 46 off 45 balls and took them home in the company of Nazim Siddiqui (24*).

The pair scored unbeaten centuries – it was Priyank Panchal’s second ton of the match – as India Red set India Green a massive 474 for the win

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2017AFPPriyank Panchal put in a repeat performance of his first-innings in the Duleep Trophy game against India Green, scoring twin centuries to tighten India Red’s grip on the match. Dinesh Karthik, meanwhile, bettered his first-innings performance, converting a fifty into a hundred this time around as India Red declared on 307 for 2 to set India Green a massive 474 for the win.Panchal’s twin centuries were the 12th such instance in the Duleep Trophy. Incidentally, Karthik has achieved the feat twice, in 2008-09 and 2010-11.Before the pair came together, Rahul Singh steadily grew India Red’s lead with Panchal, scoring 54. India Red had begun day three on 19 for 1, after bowling out India Green for 157 in reply to 323 on day two. Once Rahul departed, Karthik set to work, scoring at a brisk pace. His 100 came off 124 balls and included nine fours and two sixes. Panchal’s 133 came of 213 balls, with 18 fours. Ironically, the only two wickets to fall in the innings went to the part-time offspin of M Vijay – the India Test opener who’s making a comeback from a wrist injury for which he required surgery.Vijay was not as successful with the bat as India Green got on with their daunting chase, out for 13, before Prashant Chopra fell for a duck, both to one of the most effective bowlers of the previous innings – legspinner Karn Sharma. R Samarth and Karun Nair stopped the slide with an unbroken stand of 61, but both of them and the batsmen to follow will still have quite the task on the final day of the game.

Chelsea have been strongly linked with a move for Romeo Lavia this summer, and now a fresh update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Chelsea's interest in Romeo Lavia?

According to the Daily Mail, the Blues have maintained contact with Southampton over their young midfielder this summer.

As per the report, the Londoners are still in the race to sign Lavia but will need to compete with Manchester United and Liverpool to secure his signature this summer.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

Following on from this, Liverpool have had a second bid of under £40m rejected with Saints still confident they can demand their £50m valuation.

Will Chelsea sign Romeo Lavia?

There is no doubt that Mauricio Pochettino will be keen to bolster the midfield presence before the transfer window closes in less than a month, especially with Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante, Denis Zakaria and Ruben Loftus-Cheek departing this summer.

Despite a strong focus on refreshing the attacking threat, it will be extremely important for the club to add crucial quality and depth in the deep-lying roles in the centre of the pitch with the acquisition of another player boasting similar qualities to Enzo Fernandez.

As a result, Pochettino could repeat the board's Fernandez masterclass by snapping up the services of Lavia, as the Belgium international is another exciting youth prospect with limited experience at an elite level, but does have bags of potential.

Despite being relegated with Southampton last season, the 19-year-old gem – hailed an "absolute monster" by Independent journalist Benjy Nurick – was a stand-out performer in his role at St Mary's and demonstrated huge strengths during his debut season playing regular first-team football.

As per FBref, Lavia ranked in the top 30% of Premier League midfielders for pass completion, successful take-ons, interceptions and blocks per 90 minutes played over last season, offering glimpses of his confidence in pressing opponents to win the ball consistently.

Not only that, the Belgian sensation has been the recipient of high praise from legendary former top-flight midfielders, with ex-Manchester United pass master Paul Scholes waxing lyrical. He said:

"He has got a pass in his locker and he is big and strong and likes to defend. He does not want to get forward too much and sits in-front of the back four and sets the play in motion from there."

Whilst Fernandez already has a World Cup trophy in his locker, the Blues secured his signature when he was unproven in elite club football – as his experience was mostly earned in the Argentine top-flight with River Plate and in Portugal with Benfica; before completing his eye-watering £106.8m move to Stamford Bridge.

Now Chelsea could get ahead of their Premier League rivals again by snapping up another hot prospect, with the signing of the Manchester City academy graduate who will otherwise be playing in the Championship next season if Saints retain his services.

With that being said, if Pochettino can convince the recently-relegated club to part ways with their prized asset this summer it would be a major coup for Chelsea in setting up a youthful midfield partnership between Lavia and Fernandez that could be unstoppable for years to come.