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Liverpool are now seen as a genuine destination for a “phenomenal” player who will be hoping to shine at next summer’s World Cup.

Injury concerns for Liverpool before Brentford clash

The Reds may have returned to winning ways at Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek, but they have to show that it wasn’t just a flash in the pan against weak opposition.

Liverpool make the trip to Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday night, which has the potential to be a huge test, and the champions will have to make do without some influential players.

Alisson is still missing in goal, with his world-class presence a big loss, while Jeremie Frimpong is also definitely out after injuring his hamstring in Frankfurt.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak are also unlikely to be available for Liverpool’s trip to west London, so picking up all three points away to a Brentford team with two wins in their last three matches won’t be easy.

The Reds will continue to eye new signings, with a move for Marc Guehi expected to be on the agenda again, but he is not the only England international on the shopping list.

Liverpool a viable destination for England star

Speaking to TEAMtalk, insider Dean Jones said Liverpool are now a “possible” destination for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.

“I don’t think Anderson would close the door on returning to Newcastle and there is no issue around that specifically, but the thing that makes me question how likely it is regards the other options he is going to have. At the moment Man United, Liverpool and Man City all seem possible destinations for him and when those sorts of doors open up, is he going to go back to somewhere he has already played?

“As a player you surely always want to feel a sense of progression, so Newcastle are going to have to be in a very strong position if they are to enter a battle to sign him and then win it. I have to say I don’t think the Man United move is quite as nailed on as some people seem to make out.

“While he is on their list I get the impression there are still some reservations about whether he is the ideal fit as a midfield partner for Bruno Fernandes. That’s something they continue to explore.”

The £40,000-a-week Anderson is enjoying the best spell of his career, becoming a regular starter for England at the base of the midfield alongside Declan Rice.

Appearances

8

Starts

8

Minutes played

720

Tackles per game

2.8

Key passes per game

1.3

Pass completion rate

88.5%

Goals

0

Assists

1

The 22-year-old is playing with such poise in front of the defence, but also showcasing an ability to get forward, with England teammate Reece James recently calling him a “phenomenal” player.

Liverpool have signed a Salah-type player who's got the "pace of Torres"

Liverpool are watching before their eyes the birth of a superstar.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 24, 2025

While Liverpool aren’t short of top-quality midfield options, Wataru Endo could depart next year and Anderson would be a strong option, especially if he continues on his current trajectory.

When the Blue Jays signed All-Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension in April, the news was met with some mixed responses from the general baseball public.

Here was a homegrown star, a born Canadian who, with just one year left until free agency and after a lengthy and at times testy negotiation process, was pledging to spend the rest of his career in Toronto. For an MVP-caliber player entering his age-26 season, it was the kind of day that organizations dream about.

Except there was a way to view the decision as a desperation move, one made by a gambler who’s barely hanging onto their seat at the table deciding to push a dwindling chip stack all in. The Jays were coming off of a last-place finish that followed three playoff runs in four years, each ending with a wild-card round sweep. To some (including a certain writer), the organization’s contention window was closing, if not already shut. In gambling parlance, this was throwing good money after bad.

Four-plus months into the 2025 season, and it appears that Toronto’s big bet is paying off.

Entering play on Wednesday, the Blue Jays have the best record in the American League. Playoff odds that began at 40% on Opening Day, per FanGraphs, have soared to 98.7%. Barring a horrible collapse, Toronto will be alive and well in October, and has a good chance of earning a spot directly into the division series.

Beyond simply pledging half a billion dollars to Guerrero, the path to where the Blue Jays currently find themselves is paved with even more gambles on in-house talent returning to form and fueling Toronto’s surge.

For years, the Blue Jays have far too often (for their fans’ liking, at least) played the role of bridesmaid rather than bride. Highly publicized free agent chases of Shohei Ohtani (a private plane ride from California to Toronto carrying Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec of fame caused international confusion) and Juan Soto (agent Scott Boras said Toronto impressed the now-Met with a “great offer”) came up empty, as did bids at landing Corbin Burnes and Teoscar Hernández.

Toronto was looking high and low for reinforcements, but the big fish the organization chased weren’t biting.

And the ones that did end up joining the Blue Jays haven’t panned out as hoped. Anthony Santander, who inked a five-year, $92.5 million deal in January, managed a .179 average in 50 games before landing on the injured list. Closer Jeff Hoffman signed for $33 million, and has so far posted a 4.41 ERA with five blown saves. All-Star second baseman Andrés Giménez, acquired in a December trade from the Guardians, has battled injuries amid his worst offensive season (74 OPS+ in 62 games).

Instead of the cavalry coming to save the day, it’s been improvements from players already on the roster that have spurred the Blue Jays’ climb.

That list starts with shortstop Bo Bichette, a two-time All-Star who seemed to pair perfectly with Guerrero as the young faces of the franchise. From 2021 to ‘23, Bichette twice led the AL in hits and posted a 124 OPS+. An injury-marred ‘24 campaign saw his production fall off a cliff as he managed to play in just 81 games, and there was serious doubt as to whether he could rediscover his form.

Bichette has bounced back by cutting down his swing-and-miss, posting the lowest strikeout rate (14.9%) of his career without sacrificing hard contact. His barrel rate (8.6%) has nearly doubled from last year, and is back to near his career average. A free agent after this season, Bichette has greatly improved his financial prospects to the point that it’s possible Toronto could be priced out, but that’s a problem for another time. For now, the 27-year-old is playing a critical role in jumpstarting the Blue Jays’ title hopes.

Another standout has been George Springer, who once upon a time was the big-ticket free agent Toronto was actually able to sign. Springer joined the Blue Jays in 2021 on a six-year, $150 million contract that at the time was the largest in team history. After two productive years, Springer began to show his warts in ‘23, and the decline steepened to the tune of a .220/.303/.371 slash line in ‘24.

Against all odds, the 35-year-old has turned back the clock this season, putting up his best OPS+ (144) since 2019. He’s revitalized his production from the batter’s box by using his experience to his advantage, posting the lowest chase rate (20.6%) of his career. By laying off pitches outside the zone, he’s making pitchers come to him, and doing damage when he decides to let it rip. Springer ranks eighth among 300 qualified hitters in run value against pitches swung at in the heart of the strike zone, per StatCast.

The cast of resurgent Jays goes on. Alejandro Kirk is hitting .297 with a 110 OPS+ after posting .251 and 93 marks, respectively, over the previous two years. Daulton Varsho, who’s missed most of the year with shoulder and hamstring injuries, has played just 32 games but is healthy now and mashing, with 12 home runs and a 141 OPS+. Addison Barger, who batted .197 in his 69-game rookie season last year, has emerged to provide middle-of-the-order thump, slugging 18 home runs in 96 games with a 122 OPS+.

Toronto’s trade deadline moves reflected a team that’s moved on from the old boom-or-bust approach, with savvy acquisitions to bolster both the starting rotation and bullpen. The biggest of them was the trade for 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, who’s nearly ready to return after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland are two flame-throwers brought on to help fortify the back end of the bullpen and provide manager John Schneider with more options come October, when fire-extinguishing relief pitchers become even more valuable.

In chasing the big names in recent years, Toronto has often left itself frustrated and empty handed. But by banking on a core that many had lost hope for, the Blue Jays might have just hit the jackpot after many had already counted them out.

Chelsea made it three Premier League games without a victory as they were held to a tepid 0-0 draw at Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. Cole Palmer made his first start since September but the England star was unable to inspire the Blues as Enzo Maresca's side failed to get back to winning ways following Wednesday's 3-1 loss at Leeds United.

Slow out of the blocks, Chelsea thought they had gone 1-0 behind when Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo found the back of the net after four minutes. However, after a lengthy check from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the strike was ruled out after Cherries forward Evanilson was adjudged to have strayed offside in the build-up.

And things soon went from bad to worse for the west Londoners when striker Liam Delap had to be substituted with a shoulder injury, with Marc Guiu brought on as his replacement. Rounding off a woeful opening 45 minutes, Chelsea were let off the hook again when Evanilson somehow failed to convert from just two yards out.

In a much more positive opening to the second half, Chelsea winger Pedro Neto forced a good save from Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic before Alejandro Garnacho hit the post with a header. Showing flashes of quality following his return from injury, Palmer was then replaced on the hour mark by Joao Pedro as Chelsea kept pushing for the all-important breakthrough.

However, Bournemouth – winless in their previous five league games – were able to stop Maresca’s men in their tracks as Chelsea failed to score in the top flight for the first time since the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the season.

Maresca's charges are now fourth in the table and eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa earlier in the day.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from the Vitality Stadium…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Robert Sanchez (6/10):

While Bournemouth duo Semenyo and Evanilson were lively, the Spain international was only forced into making a few saves.

Malo Gusto (7/10):

Starting at right-back, the Frenchman found space hard to come by as he looked to bomb forward. However, he was on top form defensively.

Wesley Fofana (6/10):

Replacing Tosin Adarabioyo at the back, the former Leicester City man saw plenty of the ball but was unable to do too much with it.

Trevoh Chalobah (7/10):

Operating as the left-sided centre-back, the England international won 100 per cent (3/3) of his ground duels, in what was a solid defensive display.

Marc Cucurella (7/10):

One of Chelsea's better performers, the left-back had an opportunity to score in the first half but he failed to get his header on target.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Reece James (7/10):

Dropping extremely deep to dictate play, the captain tried to get Chelsea going with his trademark long switches of play, with mixed success.

Enzo Fernandez (6/10):

Fielded alongside Reece James in midfield, the Argentina ace was neat and tidy in possession, though he had few opportunities to go forward.

Cole Palmer (7/10):

Understandably rusty after making his first start since September, there were flashes of quality, showing quick feet in and around the penalty area. The Blues' star man was then substituted on the hour mark.

Getty Images SportAttack

Pedro Neto (6/10):

Usually one of Chelsea's most consistent performers, the Portugal winger picked out Marc Cucurella with a decent cross in an otherwise quiet outing.

Liam Delap (5/10):

Locked in a tasty battle with Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi, the striker picked up a shoulder injury which brought an early end to his afternoon.

Alejandro Garnacho (6/10):

Rewarded with a start following a solid showing against Leeds, the forward bounced back from a sluggish first half by hitting the post with a header after the break.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Marc Guiu (5/10):

An early substitute following Delap's injury, the young striker received little service as Chelsea generally looked to feed Neto and Garnacho instead.

Joao Pedro (5/10):

Replacing Palmer after an hour, the Brazil forward often held onto possession for too long, failing to make an impact.

Estevao (5/10):

Brought on with just 13 minutes of normal time left to play, the winger was not on the pitch long enough to influence proceedings.

Enzo Maresca (5/10):

Making six changes to the side that lost 3-1 at Leeds in midweek, the Italian watched on as Chelsea produced a poor first-half display. And while his side were slightly better after the break, he should have brought Estevao on sooner as the visitors picked up a point on the road.

Sky Sports have sent their top pundits some advice ahead of the verdict on Manchester City's 115 FFP charges being announced.

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Verdict on Man City charges due soonSky Sports pundits handed adviceBroadcaster wants to avoid controversyFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Manchester City are expecting a verdict from the independent commission shortly over the club's alleged breaches of more than 115 rules relating to Financial Fair Play. Ahead of the verdict, broadcaster Sky Sports has issued advice to its top pundits including Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane about how to discuss the subject on air, according to the .

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The pundits have been sent a factfile of the case and warned against "jumping to conclusions on air and on social media" and to ensure they "stick to the facts." The broadcaster is eager to avoid any controversy on the topic and wants to be seen to be "accurate, fair and balanced in its reporting." Staff have also been reminded that both sides could claim victory and that any potential punishments may be subject to an appeal.

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The saga has already drawn plenty of headlines and prompted much speculation about potential punishments if City are found guilty. Pep Guardiola's side are believed to be confident they will avoid tough sanctions, while speculation persists that the club could be hit with a fine, a hefty points penalty or even relegation from the Premier League.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY

A final verdict has long been expected in March, meaning fans may not have too much longer to wait to discover the outcome. In the meantime, Manchester City are back in action after the international break against Bournemouth in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

After posting no century partnership in Tests in 2015, South Africa had three in an innings in Cape Town, Stats highlights from another batsman-dominated day at Newlands

S Rajesh05-Jan-20160 Instances, before this game, of both teams getting 600-plus totals in the first innings of a Test in South Africa. In fact, there has been only one other instance of both teams getting 500-plus: ten years ago at the same venue, New Zealand declared at 583 for 8, and South Africa replied with 512. Had South Africa scored three more runs before declaring, this would have been only the fourth instance of a team taking the first-innings lead when chasing a 600-plus total: it has happened in the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test in 2009, Sri Lanka-India in 2010, and West Indies-England in 2009.627/7 South Africa’s total, their fifth highest in any Test innings, their third best against England, and their best against England at home. The 211 overs they played is also the fifth highest for them in any Test innings.97.84 The average runs per wicket in this Test so far, the fifth highest in Test history, and the highest by far in South Africa.477 Balls faced by Hashim Amla for his 201, the third highest in any Test innings in South Africa. The only higher ones are 642, by Gary Kirsten against England in Durban in 1999, and Michael Atherton’s 492-ball unbeaten 185 in Johannesburg in 1995. Both those knocks came in the team’s second innings, and helped save the game from tough positions.0 Instances of South African captains playing a longer innings – in terms of balls faced – than Amla’s Cape Town effort. His 477 balls is comfortably higher than the previous record of 388, by Graeme Smith against Pakistan in Dubai in 2013. The top 11 instances of most deliveries played by a South African captain are all by either Smith (8) or Amla (3). Amla’s 201 is also the seventh double-century by a South African captain in Tests.3 Number of times Amla has faced 450-plus deliveries in a Test innings. It has only been done nine times by all South African batsmen, with Gary Kirsten being the other player to achieve this three times.50 The difference between Amla’s aggregate in 12 Test innings in 2015, and his score in his first innings of 2016. He totaled 251 at an average of 22.81 last year, an aggregate he threatened to surpass in just one innings in Cape Town.4 Double-centuries for Amla in Tests; among South Africans, only Smith, with five, has more.14 Instances of three century partnerships in an innings for South Africa in Tests. They didn’t have a single such partnership in all of 2015, but in their first innings of the new year they’ve had three, with Amla-AB de Villiers, Amla-Faf du Plessis, and Temba Bavuma-Chris Morris all putting together century stands. The last such instance was in the Boxing Day Test of 2013 against India in Durban.167 The partnership between Bavuma and Morris, South Africa’s third highest for the seventh wicket in all Tests, and their best against England.7 Bowlers who have conceded 100 or more runs in the first two innings of this Test – this has never happened before in a Test in South Africa. The previous highest was five. In fact, there have only been 14 instances ever of seven or more bowlers conceding 100-plus runs in the first two innings of a Test match; the previous such instance was the Perth Test last year between Australia and New Zealand.18 Instances of five or more 50-plus scores for South Africa in a Test innings. Excluding the openers, though, there have been only three such instances: the previous one was in 1966, against Australia.9 Instances of England bowling 200-plus overs without a single no-ball in a Test innings. The last such instance was in 1987 at The Oval against Pakistan, which is also the last time they bowled more overs than the 211 they did in South Africa’s first innings at Newlands.

Glamorgan still need 64 to avoid follow-on target of 305 against Worcestershire

ECB Reporters Network07-Sep-2022Glamorgan 241 for 8 (Gill 92, Byrom 67) trail Worcestershire 454 for 9 dec (Roderick 172*, Leach 87, Barnard 75, Pollock 54, van der Gugten 4-81) by 213 runsIndia batter Shubman Gill was the star performer between the rain breaks at Sophia Gardens, despite falling eight runs short of a century on debut as Worcestershire kept alive slim hopes of forcing victory.Glamorgan still need 64 to avoid the follow-on target of 305, finishing on 241 for 8 thanks to Gill’s classy 92 – falling lbw to Ed Barnard two balls before play stopped for bad light on a day when only 50 overs were possible.Glamorgan were happy chasing the batting bonus points that would take them past the follow-on target and also potentially past Middlesex into second place in the table, with those two teams meeting next week at Lord’s.Worcestershire need a win to boost their chances of joining that promotion race, but that will take quite a turnaround given more rain is forecast in Cardiff on the final day.There was a little under two hours of play possible before lunch, then a lengthy break before the players returned after tea for a truncated evening session with 44 overs having been lost and a further 10 because of bad light.Gill had shown the previous evening that he was a different class to any other batsman on this pitch and picked up where he had left off by hitting his first ball through mid-on in classical fashion.Nightwatchman Timm van der Gugten had a bit of fun before departing on 18 but, while the ball regularly went past the edge of the other batters, the speed of Gill’s foot positioning meant he was comfortable against all the bowlers and hardly played and missed.Sam Northeast would have been confident coming to the wicket on the back of breaking the Glamorgan county batting records in both red-ball and white-ball cricket, but an off-cutter from Dillon Pennington saw him depart for 10.Worcestershire’s hopes were well and truly raised when Pennington’s next ball found the edge of Kiran Carlson’s bat and Ed Pollock took the catch at slip to make it two wickets in two balls.Billy Root has a good record against Worcestershire and he was able to avoid the hat-trick and then keep Worcestershire at bay until the rain came.Resuming after tea, Glamorgan slipped deeper into trouble despite gaining their first batting bonus point of the game. Root was lbw aiming through midwicket to give Ben Gibbon his third victim.Then came the big wicket of Gill, also lbw aiming through midwicket – this time Ed Barnard was the bowler. Gill will count himself especially unlucky as two balls after his departure all the players were walking off for bad light.The players did return for a final 10 overs, James Harris being bowled by Pennington on what proved to be the last ball of the day.Gill said afterwards that he had enjoyed his innings. “It was a great experience for me to come here and play county cricket and spend some time in the middle so it was a good outing for me today,” he said. “The conditions are different to back home, especially with the rain – you stop, you start again, you stop, you start again, which is challenging when you are in the zone. It is also part of the experience when you play in the UK.”They bowled some decent spells, hit some good areas. We should be able to give them a good competition in terms of saving the match. Our first target is to get over 250 and a batting bonus point, once we are over that then even if we follow on I think we could save the match.”It is obviously disappointing to get out, it does not matter if it rains after that or not. And I was quite disappointed, especially to be out on 92, but I was pretty satisfied with my own performance because I wanted to spend some time out in the middle and I got that. Hopefully when I bat next for Glamorgan I will be familiar with the conditions.”

Manchester City’s horrendous run of form continues following a disappointing 3-3 draw at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola’s side have now failed to win in six games, but have put an end to a five-game losing streak against the Dutch side.

They have now conceded seven goals in their last two home games, including their humbling 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

It seemed like the Cityzens were in cruise control, and were 3-0 up with 20 minutes or so left of normal time. Two goals from Erling Haaland, including a penalty, either side of an Ilkay Gundogan strike gave Guardiola’s men a handsome lead. It was a scoreline which seemed unassailable at one stage.

However, the visitors pulled off the unlikeliest of comebacks. Anis Hadj Moussa kickstarted the revival in the 75th minute before striker Santiago Gimenez gave the Dutch team some hope with their second.

Slovakian international David Hancko scored the third in the 89th minute, to complete one of the most iconic games in recent Champions League history. There were some incredibly disappointing performances from the Cityzens, with goalkeeper Ederson one of the players who struggled.

Ederson’s stats vs. Feyenoord

It was certainly a poor night for the City number 31. He was rounded easily for the opening goal, leaving a big gap for Moussa to slot home into an empty net. The second was not necessarily Ederson’s fault, although he failed to prevent a cross from making its way through to Gimenez. However, his error for the equaliser was arguably the worst.

The Brazilian came rushing out of his goal to sweep up a long, searching pass from the visitors. However, normally so composed in these scenarios, the goalkeeper attempted a headed clearance which he missed, allowing Feyenoord to capitalise and grab their third.

The former Benfica man received a 4/10 rating from GOAL journalist Richard Martin. He was critical of the goalkeeper for all three goals, explaining that he ‘appeared to take his eye off the ball late in the game’ as the visitors managed to draw level.

His poor performance was reflected in his Sofascore stats at full-time. The Cityzens goalkeeper had 37 touches of the ball and made two saves on the night. However, he prevented just 0.07 goals and made one error leading to a goal. It was a difficult night’s work for the Brazilian.

There was an outfield player who was arguably just as disappointing as Ederson on the night, however, and could not help prevent another calamitous result for City. That man is Jack Grealish.

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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Grealish’s stats vs. Feyenoord

It is worth pointing out that England international Grealish was not at fault for any of the goals. However, he did have a frustrating night from an attacking point of view, and could not help add to any goals that might have been decisive for City.

Indeed, there were two really good chances for the Cityzens number 10 on Tuesday night. He had an excellent chance at 3-0 but failed to capitalise, and saw his shot hit the bar after it deflected off Phil Foden. It summed up the night for City.

Grealish’s stats on Sofascore were rather uninspiring. He had 55 touches of the ball, completing 80% of his passes and creating just one chance. The former Aston Villa captain managed to lose the ball 13 times and did not completed a dribble out of an attempted three.

Stat

Number

Touches

55

Pass accuracy

80%

Passes completed

28/35

Dribbles completed

0/3

Number of times possession lost

13

Ground duels won

4/9

Chances created

1

His efforts earned him a slightly better rating than Ederson. Martin gave Grealish a 5/10 for his night’s work, explaining that it was ‘not an encouraging return at all’, and criticised him for squandering ‘a great chance’ at 3-0.

Guardiola will be hoping Ederson, Grealish and their teammates can bounce back quickly. City have an incredibly tough trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon to play top of the Premier League Liverpool, in what is a vitally important game in the title race.

On the evidence of last night’s display, Grealish should well find himself out of the starting lineup.

Man City may have already sold their next Haaland for just £15m

Manchester City decided to cash in on their long-term Erling Haaland replacement.

ByDan Emery Nov 19, 2024

In what was ACC’s final training course, coaches from various countries took part in a week-long coaching programme

Mohammad Isam06-Oct-2015Mozhdeh Bavandpour, Iran Women’s national coach, had never seen so many cricketers on one field as she had done at the National Cricket Academy ground in Mirpur. In Iran, she is used to small groups of cricketers taking part in tournaments, which is nothing like the sprawling mass in Bangladesh.Bavandpour had spent the last week in Dhaka attending the ACC’s level-3 coaching course along with 48 other coaches. Tuesday was the last day of the training programme, when the coaches were assessed as they undertook practice sessions by turn. This is the ACC’s last development programme and from now on coaching courses will be different, but no one is really sure of the new direction, which could well be country-specific.In this particular course, there are coaches from Bangladesh (7), Sri Lanka (3), Qatar (2), Iran (1), China (1), Maldives (1), Afghanistan (4), Singapore (3), Bhutan (2), Thailand (2), Kuwait (3), Bahrain (1), Saudi Arabia (2), Oman (3), Malaysia (3), Nepal (4), Hong Kong (3) and UAE (4) in what could be the last such congregation of regional coaches.After finishing her stint, Bavandpour sat with some of her class-mates and with some time in hand, she explained to a few journalists why she chose cricket and how the game is played in her country.”Cricket is not that popular in Iran but I want my country to be interested in the game like Malaysia and Nepal,” she said. “So that’s the basic reason why I wanted to learn about the game and spread it when I go back home.”Cricket is played only in some cities in Iran, maybe around 20 people play this game in a city. In Tehran they play cricket. There it is mainly played on the football ground, not in the schools. When we have a tournament we make a camp for cricket and play the game.”The scenario is slightly different for Ge Tao, the tall Chinese coach who used to play volleyball back home. This is his second trip to Bangladesh, having previously toured with the Chinese women’s team, who conducted a camp in BKSP in 2010. Although cricket is not big in China, some schools and universities have kept cricket in their sporting curriculum. Coaches who have worked in China will tell you that there are some people in certain regions who recognise the game and are interested in playing too.”I like cricket because it involves a lot of team work,” Tao said. “Before I used to play volleyball and by chance I got to learn about cricket back in China and that’s how I started my cricket.”ACC had founded the Chinese Cricket Association in 2004 and they had a foreign coach who taught us cricket. Cricket is being picked up in China at the moment. The game is being developed in the school level at the moment. People are gradually learning the game back home.”Aminul Islam, ICC’s development officer and former Bangladesh captain, encouraged both Bavandpour and Tao to speak to the media. During a break, Aminul said that while it is difficult to have so many coaches in a week-long level-3 coaching programme, the ACC wanted to spend their remaining money on giving these coaches an opportunity.”This is the last course under ACC funding and this is only the third programme,” he said. “We have emphasised on involving coaches from the Associate countries who are, for example, the Under-19 head coach or the assistant coach of their respective national team, with the motive to be upgraded from level 2 to level 3.”It was not wise to bring in so many coaches under one programme but we did that because this is the very last course under ACC so we wanted to give them the opportunity. The result will be given based on their merit and competency.”Aminul, who is credited to have a strong role in introducing cricket to China at the ground level and will continue in his new role as ICC Asia’s development officer, said that the course was to see the efficiency of coaches in areas other than on-field cricket.”We have tried to observe how they run their training, how good they are tactically and mentally,” he said. “We have also tried to find out how they work with individual or the team. They will be given an assignment which is very tough to be honest.”We told them at the beginning that in these six days we cannot make you a good coach. But you can always use the information that you are taking from here when you go back home. It is never possible to make them learn batting in just two and half hours, so what we did is give them as much information as possible.”

Michail Antonio made his return to West Ham for the first time since his horror car crash almost three months ago that left him with a broken leg.

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Antonio suffered a horrific crash in DecemberPresent at the Olympic Stadium ahead of NewcastleFan group unfurl special banner for AntonioFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Antonio suffered a horrific car crash on December 7 as he smashed into trees and was left trapped in his Ferrari for over 45 minutes before being cut from the wreckage by firefighters. It was later confirmed that the Jamaican international had suffered a broken leg and would require surgery. He has now returned to the Olympic Stadium for the first time since the accident ahead of West Ham's Newcastle United clash.

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Antonio was welcomed by West Ham at the Olympic Stadium in London ahead of the Hammers' Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Monday as Graham Potter's side look to make it three straight wins in the English top-flight.

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West Ham fan group Ironworks Alliance had announced their plans to unfurl a banner in support of Antonio during his presentation at the Olympic Stadium. During the Jamaican international's presentation, the fans in the North stand unveiled a tifo that read: 'Michail Antonio: Our Number Nine'.

WHAT NEXT FOR ANTONIO?

The West Ham star is now back running and has not yet given up hope of making a return before the end of the current campaign. However, his return will fully depend on whether he can be able to handle the amount of stress on his body.

There is no getting away from it; this season is starting to fall apart for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side came into the campaign with the ambition of finally winning the Premier League at the third time of asking, but after failing to win any of their previous four games in the competition, that goal is looking somewhat unrealistic.

The Gunners have been notably more porous at the back, as evidenced by the fact they’ve already conceded 41% of the goals they did last year, and their attack has been just as underwhelming as six teams are currently outscoring them.

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Havertz

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Martinelli

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2

Saka

3

10

3

Trossard

2

11

3

Gabriel

2

11

In short, things aren’t looking great, but as we all know, the right players can make all the difference, and based on recent reports, the club could be set to land one of the most potent strikers in world football to challenge Kai Havertz, and no, it’s not Viktor Gyokeres.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Turkish newspaper Sabah via the Daily Cannon, Arsenal have made contact with Napoli over the potential signing of striker Victor Osimhen.

The report claims that, alongside the Gunners, several clubs, including Chelsea, Newcastle United and Al Hilal, have all spoken to the Italian giants about the Nigerian’s availability next year.

While interest from so many top sides is far from ideal, the good news is that, according to the story, Fenerbahçe Sporting Director was quoted a price of €75m – £63m – by the Neapolitan’s own Sporting Director, Giovanni Manna, for the sensational forward, and that the Serie A side will sit at the table with the club that offers €25m upfront, which is about £21m.

This transfer would still represent a significant investment from Arsenal, but given Osimhen’s form of late and the club’s need for a proven goalscorer, one well worth making, even if it’s bad news for Havertz and ends the chance of signing Gyokeres as well.

How Osimhen compares to Havertz

Okay, so before we get to why Osimhen would be an upgrade on the Gunners’ current starting striker, let’s look at one of the key reasons why he may well be a smarter signing than the other forward heavily touted for a move to the Emirates during the summer, Gyokeres.

Now, as the pair have both proven their goalscoring chops over the last few seasons, the Napoli ace’s main advantage over the Swede is experience.

Unlike the former Coventry City star, he has proven himself capable of playing in a top-five league, and not only that, but leading a sleeping giant to their first league title in decades – sound familiar?.

The Sporting CP star may well be able to do that as well, but until we have seen it, there will always be an element of doubt, doubt that does not hang over the Nigerian phenomenon.

With that said, how does the “world-class” marksman, as dubbed by José Mourinho, stack up to Havertz then? Unfortunately for the former Chelsea ace, it’s not a particularly close contest.

For example, from the start of the 22/23 campaign, the Serie A winner has scored 56 goals and provided 13 assists in just 80 club appearances, meaning he’s maintained an outrageous average of a goal involvement every 1.15 games.

In contrast, the North Londoners’ midfielder-turned-centre-forward has found the back of the net on 30 occasions and provided nine assists in 115 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.94 games.

Appearances

39

47

Goals

31

9

Assists

5

1

Goal + Assists per Match

0.92

0.21

Appearances

32

51

Goals

17

14

Assists

4

7

Goal + Assists per Match

0.65

0.41

Appearances

9

17

Goals

8

7

Assists

4

1

Goal + Assists per Match

1.33

0.47

Moreover, even if we look exclusively at the German’s 32 appearances as a striker for Arteta’s side, his tally of 13 goals and eight assists still comes out at a worse average of a goal involvement every 1.52 games.

Ultimately, if Arsenal want to win the league this season or the next, they are going to need to find a genuinely elite centre-forward to lead the line for them, and while Havertz has been a useful player for them and still could be in the future, he is notably less effective in front of goal than Osimhen is.

Therefore, Arteta and Co should do all they can to bring the Nigerian superstar to the Emirates in 2025 before someone else beats them.

Arsenal planning offer to sign £83m star who could rival Saka & Martinelli

The “sensational” international would make Arsenal so much more dangerous.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 12, 2024