Alexi Lalas has explained why he believes the USMNT must avoid hiring a foreign manager ahead of a home World Cup in 2026.
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Luke Shaw has been handed a shock start for England ahead of Kieran Trippier in their Euro 2024 final clash with Spain.
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MatériaMais Notícias
O Santos confirmou que o volante Alison sentiu um desconforto na perna esquerda na tarde desta quarta-feira (5), e precisará passar por uma avaliação do Departamento Médico do Santos. Sendo assim, o capitão do alvinegro está fora do clássico desta quinta-feira (6), contra o Palmeiras.
RelacionadasSantosGabriel Pirani comemora gol na Libertadores e vê Santos mais confianteSantos05/05/2021SantosKevin Malthus comemora seu primeiro gol pelo profissional do SantosSantos05/05/2021SantosMarcelo Fernandes pretende escalar Santos com titulares no clássico contra o PalmeirasSantos05/05/2021
O camisa 5 também não participou da vitória por 5 a 0 do Santos contra o The Strongest, pela Copa Libertadores da América, por suspensão. O seu substituto foi Vinicius Balieiro, que fez uma boa partida e marcou um gol no jogo. Balieiro deve novamente substituir Alison.
Após a vitória na partida desta terça-feira, o técnico Marcelo Fernandes comentou que pretende usar força máxima para o jogo que pode definir o futebol do Santos na competição.
– A confiança ajuda bastante, ajudou no empate contra o Bragantino. Para o clássico vamos voltar amanhã à tarde e ver como estão todos, o que fazer para se reabilitar. É um jogo difícil, e o Santos vai com tudo que tem de melhor, mas claro pensando na melhor forma física – comentou Marcelo.
Tottenham Hotspur have had numerous forgotten players over the years, with the club experiencing plenty of misses among the hits.
However, that hasn’t been the case under Ange Postecoglou, with Spurs having an impressive summer window, signing the likes of James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.
Roberto Soldado, Tanguy Ndombele, and Vincent Janssen are all examples of players who failed to live up to their hype, with the club failing to recoup the costs via their sales.
That said, there is one player who was sold by Mauricio Pochettino that the Lilywhites were able to nearly double their money on.
Nacer Chadli’s time at Spurs
In 2013, Nacer Chadli joined Spurs for £7m from FC Twente in the Netherlands, after scoring 18 goals and providing 11 assists in all competitions during the 2012/13 campaign.
The Belgian struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League initially, with his first goal coming in February 2014 against Newcastle United in a 4-0 win. That was the attacker's only goal in 24 league appearances that season.
2013/14
34
5
6
2014/15
45
13
5
2015/16
40
7
4
Stats via Transfermarkt.
However, Chadli was fantastic in the following season, playing as a left-winger in 35 top-flight games. Over those matches, the versatile attacker scored 11 goals and created five, his best-ever return in the league.
Unfortunately, in his final season at the club, the number 22 struggled to live up to the standards he set in the previous year, with the attack of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Heung-min Son limiting his starts to just ten.
Nacer Chadli’s career since leaving Spurs
Prior to his exit, Chadli’s performances were beginning to frustrate the Tottenham faithful, with journalist Dominic Booth far from a fan of his, stating: "When he's bad, he's woefully, dreadfully terrible.”
However, in the summer of 2016, the Belgium star moved to West Bromwich Albion for £13m in a club-record deal, which actually somehow saw Spurs profit from the deal.
His first season at West Brom saw Chadli net five goals in 31 matches, but his second campaign was disrupted by injuries, with him missing 28 games via three setbacks.
Luckily, the attacker returned just in time for the 2018 World Cup, where he starred for the Red Devils with a goal and an assist, which ultimately led to Monaco securing his services. His spell in France lasted just one season, with another hamstring strain keeping him out for 11 matches.
Westerlo
47
10
Basaksehir
51
12
Anderlecht
19
13
Monaco
22
0
West Brom
38
11
Spurs
119
40
The rest of his career has been completely ruined by injuries, picking up 15 separate problems since 2020, with a move to Belgium and then Turkey following his short stint in Monaco.
However, the 34-year-old is still playing today for KVC Westerlo back in Belgium, where he has failed to score all season and only provided two assists in 17 games.
It’s clear that selling Chadli for £13m all those years ago was a complete masterclass.
Tottenham are willing to pay £60 million for one of manager Ange Postecoglou's reported top transfer targets, as chairman Daniel Levy and co seemingly prepare to back their head coach once again.
Postecoglou era breeds positivity at Spurs
Postecoglou's debut season in charge of Spurs has been one of real positivity and promise. The Australian's entertaining brand of high-pressing, attack-minded football is both easy on the eye and effective on the pitch, with the north Londoners well in contention to seal Champions League qualification.
Spurs make contract offer to sign star who nearly joined Pochettino in 2018
He publicly admitted to considering a Tottenham move.
ByEmilio Galantini Feb 15, 2024
Despite coping without star players like Micky van de Ven and James Maddison for large portions of the mid-season, with both men ruled out for months at one stage, Postecoglou still navigated through what was a pretty tough period.
The Spurs boss was even forced to play a makeshift central defensive pairing of Emerson Royal and Ben Davies at one stage, as Postecoglou also missed Maddison's real creativity.
Timo Werner
Arrival
Radu Dragusin
Arrival
Lucas Bergvall
Arrival
Djed Spence
Exit (loan)
Alejo Veliz
Exit (loan)
Ashley Phillips
Exit (loan)
Japhet Tanganga
Exit (loan)
Sergio Reguilon
Exit (loan)
Eric Dier
Exit (loan)
Ivan Perisic
Exit (loan)
Even though the north Londoners battled their way through a plethora of injury and suspension problems, which is testament to the job Postecoglou has done, you could argue that Spurs could still do with upgrades in certain areas. It is believed that Tottenham are already compiling a shortlist of summer targets, and the club are keen to acquire a new forward among other potential new additions.
Barcelona star Raphinha has been regularly linked with a move to north London, and reliable Spurs insider Paul O'Keefe backed their interest in signing the Brazilian recently.
Tottenham prepared to pay £60 million for Raphinha
Journalist Ivan San Antonio, writing an article for Spanish news outlet Sport, has more detail on this.
He claims Tottenham are willing to pay around £60 million for Raphinha this summer, and it is believed he could be a name to watch out for in the market as another unnamed club has made an "interesting proposal" as well.
The 27-year-old has bagged three goals and five assists over 16 La Liga outings for Barca this season, with half of those cameos being full starts. Former Sky pundit Graeme Souness, commenting on Raphinha during his time at Leeds, suggested he is a very exciting player to have in your side.
“I like him a lot,” said Souness in 2021.
"Our football, as we know, is different to everyone else’s. And he’s handled it easily. Anyone who dribbles gets you on the edge of your seat. He can do that, and he can deliver, AND he can score goals. I think this boy’s extremely talented. He’s quick and he understands the game."
"It’s alright having people who can dribble, and get you on the edge of your seat, but he delivers in every sense.“
Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement has shown that he is looking to establish a player trading model at the Ibrox side which could allow them to gain maximum profit for players that they sign cheaply and below market value.
The likes of Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes are two signings who could emerge into wonderful players during their spell in Glasgow and this will allow Clement to move them on further down the line for a fee far greater than what he initially paid.
The Light Blues have made a profit on Nathan Patterson, Joe Aribo, and club record sale Calvin Bassey since January 2022, but these three have been the only ones since the club returned to the Premiership in 2016.
It wasn’t always like this, as at the turn of the century, Rangers were selling players regularly and one player went on to rake in the club a staggering £8m when he was sold to Newcastle United in 2005 – Jean-Alain Boumsong.
How much Rangers signed Jean-Alain Boumsong for
After securing a sublime treble during the 2002/03 campaign, Alex McLeish was under pressure to deliver further success, yet financial constraints at the club meant he had to sell off some key assets.
Out went Neil McCann, Lorenzo Amoruso and Barry Ferguson, to be replaced by Nuno Capucho, Emerson and Henning Beg, ageing players who were all clearly nearing retirement rather than being at their peak.
This turn of events led to the club enduring a horrific season. Not only did they finish 17 points adrift of Celtic in second, but the Gers failed to lift a trophy, and it meant McLeish was facing considerable pressure from both the board and the supporters to get things right ahead of the following campaign.
He did manage to secure the services of Dado Prso – a Champions League finalist – on a pre-contract agreement, while the biggest signing looked like it was going to be that of Boumsong, who had also signed a pre-contract with the Gers in December 2003.
They had fought off interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, and Inter Milan to secure the highly rated defender, and it would soon prove to be a lucrative decision…
Jean-Alain Boumsong shone for Rangers
The Frenchman must have found playing against the likes of Livingston, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and Dundee a culture shock considering he had faced off against Paris-Saint Germain and AS Monaco just months prior, yet he adapted well to Scottish football.
During the first half of the season, Boumsong featured 28 times for the Light Blues as they improved massively from the previous season. McLeish’s side were challenging for the title, and they had even secured two Old Firm wins during November to really ramp up the pressure on Celtic.
During this time, the centre-back was still a regular in the France national team, proving just how big a coup it was to bring him to Scotland and his performances did not go unnoticed.
How much Rangers sold Jean-Alain Boumsong for
The supporters knew that keeping a player like Boumsong at Ibrox for the long term was never going to be an option. Getting a couple of years out of him before selling for a profit was looked upon as the best-case scenario.
When Newcastle offered £8m during the January transfer window in 2005, McLeish was never at liberty of turning it down, especially with the growing financial problems rearing their head at Ibrox.
Graeme Souness – a legend among the Rangers faithful – lavished praise on the Frenchman.
"He is a young man who has a great desire to be the best,” the former Liverpool legend said. “He is a communicator on the pitch. You can never have enough of them. It is something we have been lacking; we don't have enough people who are talkers.
€23.00m
€14.00m
€13.50m
€13.00m
€11.30m
"The supporters will enjoy watching him play. He is potentially a top man in our football team. I think he expects to be up there with the likes of [John] Terry and [Rio] Ferdinand.”
Judging by his displays on the continent for Auxerre and in Scotland for the Light Blues, Souness looked as though he had secured a player who could become a key part of his Newcastle side for the next few years.
Little did everyone know, but the Gers clearly got the best deal as they hit the jackpot by selling Boumsong for £8m.
Jean-Alain Boumsong’s career statistics
The 6 foot 3 colossus failed to live up to his lavish transfer fee, going on to make a total of just 59 appearances for the Magpies, spending just 18 months in the north-east of England before joining Juventus in 2006.
The Old Lady had been relegated to Serie B due to their involvement in the infamous Calciopoli scandal in 2006 and Boumsong spent just one full season in Italy before moving back to France, joining Lyon in 2007.
85 appearances for the French side saw him pick up a Ligue 1 winners medal, and he eventually finished his career in Greece, playing 75 times for Panathinaikos before retiring in 2013.
It was evident that the former Auxerre defender was a standout during his spell in Scotland, and he was not going to last long north of the border.
It turned out he couldn’t quite replicate these displays in the English top flight, however, and he was even voted as the 17th worst player to ever feature in the Premier League, a remarkable feat considering how well he had done in Glasgow.
Boumsong still ranks as the fifth-highest sale in the club’s history, ranking only behind Bassey, Patterson, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Alan Hutton, showing how big a fee it actually was, especially since it has nearly been 20 years.
Rangers struck gold on free transfer who's now become a "cult hero"
Rangers struck gold on a midfielder who they signed in 2021
ByRoss Kilvington Feb 7, 2024
While the Ibrox side simply cannot attract players like this anymore, Clement should be targeting promising youngsters who have the capacity to develop into sellable assets, and then rinse and repeat this in order to generate funds for future transfers.
Hopefully, the summer transfer window can see the club move on a few players for big transfer fees and, in turn, this can be used to sign future superstars.
Just like that, Arsenal's mini-crisis is over. The Gunners had been pulled from pillar to post over the first two weeks of the new year but it's amazing what some Dubai sun can do for you, isn't it?
Mikel Arteta's men had scored just one goal in their last three outings and tasted defeat in all of them before taking on a dwindling Crystal Palace team.
Do Arsenal still need a striker in the market? Arguably so, but a 5-0 drubbing over Roy Hodgson's men has settled the anxiety around the Emirates Stadium, pumping fresh belief back into their title challenge.
It was just what the doctor ordered, now it's time to attack the window in earnest.
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13
6
1
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25
20
13
4
3
43
25
21
13
4
4
43
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16
Arsenal's current transfer plans
The fact of the matter is that Arsenal will struggle to sign players this month. There's been little movement on that front during the opening weeks of the window and money is tight, largely due to financial fair play restrictions.
Their foremost target, allegedly anyway, is Ivan Toney who returned to action with a goal against Nottingham Forest on Saturday after sitting out the entirety of the campaign to date having been banned for betting offences.
However, the latest on him is that Brentford reportedly won't accept anything less than their £80m valuation being met. As a result, any forthcoming move will have to wait until the summer.
Movement could be made on a midfielder, although it will depend on the price. Financially challenged Everton have seen £60m Belgium talent Amadou Onana targeted by Arsenal but again that is a difficult price to pay without sales this month. It perhaps explains slightly cheaper links to Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi.
According to reports in Spain, via Football 365, Arsenal have now leapt into pole position to sign the Spanish midfielder with it being stated that he has 'picked' the Gunners as his next club after rejecting interest from Barcelona.
Valued at £51m courtesy of a release clause, yet again that move may have to wait until the summer. Still, he'd be worth waiting for. Just imagine the link-up with a certain Declan Rice.
Ray Parlour: Arsenal could find their new Ian Wright by signing £100m star
Ray Parlour has claimed that the Gunners’ leading target shares a likeness with the legendary ‘Wrighty’
ByRobbie Walls Jan 19, 2024 How Martin Zubimendi compares to Declan Rice
Rice has been nothing short of outstanding since moving to the Emirates in a mega £105m switch. Late goals against Luton Town and Manchester United have seen him go down a hero already and if such an expensive transfer could ever be seen as a bargain, the former West Ham skipper has ensured that.
However, he is lacking a partner at the moment to really elevate his game. Thomas Partey has spent the vast majority of the campaign on the treatment table, totally redundant in Arsenal's title challenge while Kai Havertz has struggled to acclimatise in that 'left 8' role that Granit Xhaka made his own last season.
It took until November for the German to finally score from open play and even if he did then bag four goals in quick succession, still doesn't look totally settled.
As a result, Zubimendi could be some much-needed added steel and glue in the middle of the park for Arsenal.
Described as one of "the best midfielders in the world" alongside Rodri by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, the Sociedad sensation could be the man who supercharges Rice and lets him play slightly further forward.
Zubimendi is a defensive midfielder by trade and would offer some added protection. Just look at how he compares to Arsenal's record signing.
Goals
0.21
0.15
Assists
0.05
0.10
Pass Success
85%
91%
Key Passes
0.48
0.79
Progressive Passes
4.60
9.21
Shot-creating Actions
1.75
2.03
Tackles
1.80
2.13
Interceptions
1.22
1.53
Carries
31.1
54.5
Aerial battles won
1.64
1.04
Ball Recoveries
5.82
5.15
So, while Rice is evidently a bigger all-round package, what this shows is how beautifully well the two players complement each other.
Here we're talking about Zubimendi being the sitter while Rice is given the freedom to play in a more advanced role. This would suit him perfectly, being the more creative of the two. The Englishman plays more key passes, registers a higher number of shot-creating actions and is more progressive.
Arsenal's midfield target, however, could reign supreme in that deeper position, making more ball recoveries and winning more aerials, while he's not a great deal far behind Rice when it comes to tackling metrics.
All season long Arteta has craved the ideal partner to supercharge Rice; this could well be the move to ensure that happens.
The January transfer window has now been open for over two weeks and Celtic appear set to enjoy a busy couple of weeks as they prepare to make several new signings.
Football Insider recently reported that the Scottish giants would like to end the month with four new players to bolster their current playing squad.
Celtic
1
22
54
Rangers
2
20
46
Hearts
3
21
36
Kilmarnock
4
22
31
St Mirren
5
22
29
Hibernian
6
20
25
They are closing in on a £2.8m deal to sign Rapid Wien forward Nicolas Kuhn as the first of those four additions to improve the depth on the wing.
The Bhoys are also in the market to land a left-back, a centre-forward, and a new goalkeeper to provide Brendan Rodgers with the best chance of having a successful second half of the campaign.
Celtic's search for a new goalkeeper
A new number one is on the agenda for the Northern Irish head coach this month and the Hoops have now been linked with a swoop for a young stopper.
According to the Dr. Football Podcast in Iceland, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Elfsborg goalkeeper Hákon Valdimarsson before the end of the window.
They state that the Scottish side are one of a number of teams keen on the talented young shot-stopper, who they describe as being 'highly rated'.
Anderlecht and Gent are two of the other clubs looking at a possible deal for the Iceland international but they are not prepared to match the asking price at this time.
Elfsborg are said to want a fee in the region of €2.5m (£2.1m) and have already rejected one offer from Belgian side Gent for an unknown fee.
It remains unclear if the Hoops are able or willing to pay around £2.1m to sign Valdimarsson or if it is a target that may have to wait until the summer transfer window.
Current Celtic number one Joe Hart is out of contract at the end of the season and it remains to be seen whether or not either party are willing to extend his stay at Parkhead.
The club's eagerness to sign another goalkeeper suggests that they are looking to the future, whether that means they want a number one immediately or the future remains to be seen, beyond the former England international.
Hart's Celtic career in numbers
Celtic signed Hart on a permanent deal from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the 2021/22 campaign during Ange Postecoglou's first season in charge.
The former Manchester City star enjoyed a terrific debut campaign in Scottish football as he hit the ground running with a string of fantastic performances in the Scottish Premiership.
He played 35 of the club's 38 top-flight matches in his first season and kept an eye-catching 19 clean sheets to go along with a save success rate of 73%.
This shows that opposition teams found it hard to get past Celtic's defence and the English titan as they romped their way to the league title.
However, his save success rate dropped to 65% throughout the 2022/23 Premiership campaign and is currently at 67% this season under Rodgers, which shows that the veteran shot-stopper's form has declined since his debut year in Scotland.
Post-shot xG minus goals allowed (-0.28)
Bottom 14%
Goals against (2.5)
Bottom 7%
Crosses stopped (1.2%)
Bottom 20%
Defensive actions outside penalty area (0.17)
Bottom 13%
Average distance of defensive actions (5.9 yards)
Bottom 1%
As you can see in the table above, Hart has been a poor performer in Europe for Celtic with his struggles in several key areas of goalkeeping.
He underperformed as a shot-stopper in comparison to the post-shot xG value of the efforts on his goal, which means that the experienced dud let in far more than the average goalkeeper would be expected to.
Hart also ranked lowly as a sweeper and when it came to collecting crosses, which also meant that he did not take the pressure off his defence very often.
Why Valdimarsson could be an upgrade on Hart
Celtic could land a big upgrade on the former England international by securing a £2.1m deal to sign Valdimarsson from Elfsborg before the end of the window.
He has caught the eye with his sublime performances in Sweden since the start of the 2022 season and his displays for Elfsborg suggest that the potential is there for him to offer more for the Hoops than Hart currently does.
During the 2023 campaign, Valdimarsson started 29 Allsvenskan matches for his side and enjoyed a superb save success rate of 77% to go along with 13 clean sheets, which suggests that the quality is there for him to keep out far more shots than Celtic's current stopper.
Goals conceded
Two
Saves
Nine
High claims
Three
Saves inside the box
Seven
Save success rate
82%
Duel success rate
100%
Sofascore rating
8.2
Elfsborg's young titan showcased his quality on the international stage for Iceland earlier this term with an impressive display against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes in a European Championship qualifier, which suggests that he can step up and perform against top-quality opposition.
The 22-year-old colossus, who was hailed as having "great potential" by manager Jimmy Thelin, also played 14 top-flight games throughout the 2022 season and saved 73% of the shots on his goal to earn himself four clean sheets.
He has also been a proactive goalkeeper who can come off his line to help out his defence with 1.0 successful run-outs per game in 2023 across his 29 league outings.
Meanwhile, Hart has completed 0.3 successful run-outs per match across all three of his Premiership seasons for Celtic to date, which suggests that he does not provide as much relief for his backline when balls are played over the top or down the sides of the centre-backs into the space between them and the goalkeeper.
Therefore, Valdimarrson could arrive at Parkhead as a big upgrade on the current Hoops number one if he can translate his performances in Sweden over to Scottish football, which his exceptional display against Portugal suggests he has the quality to do.
At the age of 22, he could also be a superb signing for the future as the Elfsborg star is a staggering 14 years younger than Hart and has plenty of time left ahead of him to be Rodgers' long-term shot-stopper.
After convincingly beating automatic promotion rivals Ipswich Town 4-0 just before Christmas, Leeds United crashed back down to reality away at Preston North End in their next Championship encounter, with the Whites succumbing to a 2-1 defeat late on at Deepdale.
Daniel Farke's men weren't helped by Illan Meslier in goal, the Leeds shot-stopper lashing out at a Preston man meaning the second-tier giants played the majority of the second 45 minutes with ten men.
Leeds weren't at their potent best going forward either in the contest, way off the standards set in the demolition job of the Tractor Boys previously – only mustering up two shots on target on an off-day for the likes of Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter.
Farke could, therefore, attempt to sign this tricky winger in January to further help out the forwards at Elland Road and share the goal-load away from heavily relying on Crysencio Summerville to conjure up moments of magic to get his team out of many sticky situations.
Leeds lightweight who lost nine duels let Farke down badly alongside Meslier
The young defender endured a difficult afternoon at Deepdale on Boxing Day.
ByDan Emery Dec 26, 2023
This signing could also soften the blow of Wilfried Gnonto's expected departure from West Yorkshire when the transfer window reopens, this transfer into the building an upgrade on the diminutive Italian attacker.
Leeds transfer latest – Ryan Kent
Last month, TEAMTalk reported on the possibility that Ryan Kent's current club Fenerbahce would be open to loaning the ex-Rangers man out in January – the 27-year-old winger failing to acclimatise to his new surroundings in Turkey after joining on a free transfer.
Frenzied interest in Kent's services from a number of suitors could be forthcoming therefore, being able to land the English attacker on a short-term basis to positively enhance your team a no-brainer move to attempt to pull off.
Leeds and AFC Bournemouth were named as interested parties, according to the report, the Whites hopeful of jumping to the front of the queue owing to Gnonto potentially leaving.
Football Insider have recently reported that Farke's men are open to selling Gnonto now, after batting away interest in their number 29 from Everton in the summer.
Signing Kent would appease any Leeds masses disappointed by Gnonto leaving immediately, Leeds hopeful of getting the best out of the left winger again even after a torrid time in Turkey to date.
Ryan Kent's style of play
Kent's relentless focus on venturing forward with pace and trickery would fit Farke's side down to a tee, Leeds routinely blitzing opponents with their gung-ho approach when on song.
Gnonto's effectiveness has taken a back-seat this season, however ,when it comes to helping his teammates score goals for fun, only helping himself to one goal and one assist from 18 appearances.
Kent has also been going through a difficult spell in his career in terms of goal output – the 27-year-old only managing one goal and two assists from 15 appearances for Fenerbahce this campaign – but the attacker would be a different beast altogether in the Championship if Farke puts an arm around the misfiring winger on his arrival to West Yorkshire and believes in him.
At the peak of his powers playing in Scotland, the slick £33k-per-week forward – as per Capology – was a creative machine who had a killer knack of finding the back of the net also – assisting ten goals in his final full season at Ibrox, amassing 33 goals scored and 56 assists during a long-standing affinity with Rangers which was then severed.
His time with Rangers even saw talkSPORT pundit and ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jamie O'Hara claim that Kent should be playing in the Premier League instead of the Scottish Premiership, labelling the dynamic attacker as a "top player".
With Gnonto – who only boasts 17 goals and 15 assists in his senior career to date during his time at Elland Road and for FC Zurich – snapping up a far more experienced and proven asset like Kent could well see Farke secure an upgrade on the young Italian.
Leeds could well be the destination that re-energises the ex-Liverpool man's stuttering career this January, bolstering the squad with another impactful presence who would go toe-to-toe with Dan James on his arrival and enable Gnonto's exit to be simply shrugged off and forgotten about.
How the game played outDesperate to dig his side out of the BPL cellar, Sylhet Sixers captain David Warner showed he was willing to resort to any means necessary to get his side a victory. Just 24 hours after he was bowled for a duck in match where the Sixers subsided for 68, Warner pulled out all the stops. That included switching stances to bat right-handed to successfully swat Chris Gayle for a six and two fours during a half-century in his side’s 187 for 5 on the way to their second win of BPL 2019.Rilee Rossouw gave the Sixers a scare with a belligerent half-century in reply, but Rangpur Riders eventually ran out of steam once the tournament’s leading scorer fell in the 12th over. Mehedi Hasan Rana and Taskin Ahmed took two wickets apiece to tie down the Riders lineup.Turning points– Warner’s decision to bat right-handed for three balls v Gayle resulted in a much-needed 14-run surge at the tail-end of the Sixers innings after he had been struggling to get Gayle away.- Riders lost a trio of wickets in the Powerplay on what might be called a “mini Nelson” with the score on 11, including two taken by Rana in the second over.- Rossouw and Mohammad Mithun were blazing through an 89-run fourth-wicket stand to threaten the Sixers at 100 for 3 in the 12th, but Taskin removed both in back-to-back overs to snuff out the Riders’ last threat.Star of the dayWarner might get most of the headlines for his audacious manoeuvre against Gayle, but Liton Das provided the horsepower to drive Sixers through most of the innings. Warner and Liton swapped places in the order after the previous day’s debacle vs Comilla Victorians and it paid off for both, but especially Liton. He took advantage of his promotion to open the innings by bashing the Riders for a 29-ball fifty, including a devastating 17-run sixth over to end the Sixers Powerplay at 61 for 0.The big missAlex Hales, who now has two ducks in three innings in BPL 2019. The Englishman got a juicy half-volley while backing away to carve Rana through the off side in the second over, but only managed to drive straight to Liton at cover.Where the teams standSixers move to four points in a tie for fifth alongside Riders after digging themselves out of last place, which is now held by Khulna Titans, who are on two points.