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Teenage fast bowler joins squad on back of impressive Warwickshire displays

George Dobell27-Jun-2018Henry Brookes has continued his swift ascent by winning a call-up to the England Lions squad.Brookes, 18 years old and with just six first-class games behind him, has made quite an impression in his limited opportunities at Warwickshire.Blessed with decent pace – a recent televised game showed him bowling at 90mph – he has also demonstrated admirable skill and maturity. Both his team-mate, Jonathan Trott, and his county director of cricket, Ashley Giles, have stated with confidence that he will represent England.A former England Under-19 player, Brookes has also made two first-class half-centuries in his eight innings at that level. He was not selected for Warwickshire’s current Championship match in a bid to manage his workload. He is understood to be fully fit.His Warwickshire teammate, Olly Stone, would surely have won a call-up to the squad, too, but is currently sidelined through injury.

The Mumbai captain rued the lack of support for Ben Cutting in the tense chase in Delhi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2018

BCCI

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma felt a “slightly better bowling performance” could have eased some tension in a must-win game where they had to chase 175 on a difficult pitch at the Ferozshah Kotla. The defending champions fell 11 short against Delhi Daredevils to crash out of the tournament with six wins and eight losses.The chase was alive until Ben Cutting was dismissed for a 20-ball 37, with Mumbai needing 12 off four balls with one wicket in hand. They were eventually bowled out when Jasprit Bumrah was caught first ball.”Certain areas in our bowling, if we’d done well, could’ve restricted them to 10-15 less,” Rohit said after the match. “Looking at how Ben [Cutting] was batting, if one batter stayed till the end, you never know what could’ve happened.”There are a lot of things we can look back and say we didn’t do right. We played good cricket in the second half, but things like that can happen. We can get a lot of learning out of it.”Rohit credited the Daredevils bowling for bouncing back after opener Evin Lewis set Mumbai up with a blistering 31-ball 48. Then they lost Lewis, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya in the space of five deliveries and Rohit underlined that as the defining phase of the game.”Hats off to Delhi. They played good cricket and bowled in the right areas, we knew chasing will always be tough, considering how the wicket was playing, but taking the excuse away from it, we played bad cricket as well,” Rohit said. “We have to say we were not there today.”Rohit dismissed a suggestion that the Mumbai had been under pressure because they won only two games in the first half of the season. “I have no regrets how the season has gone, it was a mixed season for us,” he said. “Everyone is fighting hard to get the playoffs, so we knew it won’t be easy. We’ve been in this situation many times before, can’t say it took a toll on anyone’s body. We played bad cricket, but we will accept this and have to move forward.”

Stats analysis of Matthew Hayden’s career

S Rajesh13-Jan-2009A batting average of 50 is generally considered the benchmark for greatness, and Matthew Hayden finished his Test career just above that mark. Despite a slump that reduced that average by nearly three runs in four months, Hayden still ended with a mean of 50.73, making him one of six Australians to score more than 5000 Test runs at a 50-plus average. In terms of aggregate, his 8625 is in fourth position, bettered only by Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Allan Border.The start and end to his career were similar – he averaged around 24 in his first 13 and last nine Tests – but in between he was amazingly prolific, with 29 centuries in 145 innings, and an outstanding average of more than 58.

Hayden’s career in three parts

Period	Innings	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
First 13 Tests	22	536	24.36	1/ 2
Next 81 Tests	145	7706	58.37	29/ 25
Last nine Tests	17	383	23.93	0/ 2
Career	184	8625	50.73	30/ 29

Hayden’s remarkable run began in that unforgettable tour of India, when he scored 549 and averaged 109.80. Since then, his year-end average didn’t dip below 43 for seven successive years, before dipping to 32.47 in 2008. During this seven-year period, from February 2001 to January 2008, he was the leading run-scorer in Test cricket, with 7706 runs in 81 matches. The average, at 58.37, wasn’t bad either.

Best batsmen between Feb 1, 2001 and Jan 31, 2008 (at least 3000 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Jacques Kallis	69	6729	67.96	22/ 34
Ricky Ponting	77	7301	64.04	27/ 27
Mohammad Yousuf	52	5034	63.72	18/ 17
Kumar Sangakkara	65	5714	59.52	16/ 22
Brian Lara	56	5820	58.78	19/ 18
Matthew Hayden	81	7706	58.37	29/ 25

His imposing presence and sheer aggression at the crease were unique, but Hayden backed his style with plenty of substance. Many of his colleagues are calling him Australia’s greatest opener, and while that might be arguable, Hayden has the numbers to support that argument. Among Australian openers who scored at least 2500 runs, only one – Bob Simpson – had a higher average. Critics might question the quality of bowling attacks around the world, but Hayden did the job in most conditions, against most opposition line-ups. His average dipped below 40 against only one team – New Zealand – though he did have his problems tackling the conditions in South Africa and England. (Click here for his career summary.)

Leading Australian openers (at least 2500 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Bob Simpson	38	3664	55.51	8/ 19
Matthew Hayden	103	8625	50.73	30/ 29
Justin Langer	65	5112	48.22	16/ 18
Bill Lawry	67	5234	47.15	13/ 27
Arthur Morris	45	3381	45.68	11/ 12
David Boon	36	2614	45.06	8/ 10
Mark Taylor	104	7525	43.49	19/ 40
Michael Slater	74	5312	42.83	14/ 21

Increase the cut-off to 5000 runs, and throw open the competition to openers from all teams, and Hayden’s numbers still compare favourably – he is one of only six openers to score more than 5000 runs and average more than 50.

Leading openers in world cricket (at least 5000 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Len Hutton	76	6721	56.47	19/ 31
Jack Hobbs	58	5130	56.37	14/ 27
Virender Sehwag	61	5238	52.38	14/ 16
Graeme Smith	72	6036	52.03	18/ 22
Matthew Hayden	103	8625	50.73	30/ 29
Sunil Gavaskar	119	9607	50.29	33/ 42
Justin Langer	65	5112	48.22	16/ 18
Geoff Boycott	107	8091	48.16	22/ 42
Herschelle Gibbs	68	5242	47.22	14/ 21
Bill Lawry	67	5234	47.15	13/ 27
Gordon Greenidge	107	7488	45.10	19/ 34
Graham Gooch	100	7811	43.88	18/ 41

With Justin Langer, Hayden formed one of the greatest opening pairs of all time. In terms of partnership runs, only Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes got more, but their average was more than four runs lower than the Australian pair. Hayden and Langer got 3567 of those partnership runs in matches that Australia won, which is a record for any opening pair.

Most prolific opening pairs in Tests

Pair	Innings	Runs	Average stand	100/ 50 p’ships
Greenidge-Haynes	148	6482	47.31	16/ 26
Hayden-Langer	113	5655	51.88	14/ 24
Atapattu-Jayasuriya	118	4469	40.26	9/ 24
Slater-Taylor	78	3887	51.14	10/ 16
Lawry-Simpson	62	3596	60.94	9/ 18
Hobbs-Sutcliffe	38	3249	87.81	15/ 10
Chauhan-Gavaskar	59	3010	53.75	10/ 10

Hayden began his love affair with the subcontinent way back in 2001, and the relationship has stood the test of time. After that watershed series, Hayden also scored hundreds in Sri Lanka and in Sharjah (in a Test against Pakistan). Of the four centuries he has scored in this continent, at least three can be counted among his best innings. Among Australians, Hayden’s record in Asia is bettered only by Border, who scored 1799 runs at 54.51 in 22 matches.

Best Australian batsmen in Asia(at least 1000 runs)

Batsman	Tests	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Allan Border	22	1799	54.51	6/ 8
Matthew Hayden	19	1663	50.39	4/ 8
Mark Taylor	13	1020	48.57	2/ 3
Ricky Ponting	24	1541	41.64	5/ 7
Steve Waugh	23	1205	41.55	3/ 5

Unlike many batsmen who prefer batting in the first innings of a Test, Hayden’s stats are marginally better in the second (an average of 51.82 as against 50.02 in the first). Among Australian batsmen who’ve scored at least 2000 second-innings runs, Hayden’s average is third, next only to Don Bradman and Border.The ODI star

Hayden’s Test record is admittedly more imposing, but he was an outstanding performer in the shorter version too, with 6131 runs at 44.10 – the seventh highest in terms of runs for Australia, and third-highest in terms of averages among Australians with at least 2500 runs, next only to Michael Bevan and Dean Jones. Hayden’s partnership with Adam Gilchrist was worth 4503 runs, the most by any opening pair.Hayden’s big-match temperament shone through in the World Cups and in tournament finals: in 21 World Cup innings he averaged 51.94, and the story was similar in tournament finals – an average of 50.66, with seven fifty-plus scores in 17 innings. His World Cup tally is fourth among all Australians, while his average in tournament finals is highest among Australians who scored at least 750 runs in such matches.

سجل الدولي الإسباني، جافي لاعب فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي برشلونة، هدف البلوجرانا الأول في مباراته أمام أتلتيك بلباو على ملعب الجوهرة المشعة، في نصف نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني.

برشلونة وصيف الليجا، تمكن من تسجيل هدف التقدم بمرمى أوناي سيمون حارس فريق أتلتيك بلباو بطل كأس ملك إسبانيا، بنصف نهائي كأس السوبر الإسباني.

طالع أيضًا.. فليك يعاقب لاعب برشلونة باستبعاده من التشكيل الأساسي أمام أتلتيك بلباو

الدقيقة 17 شهدت الهدف الأول عن طريق جافي، الذي تلقى تمريرة من أليخاندرو بالدي بعد مرتدة رائعة للفريق الكتالوني، ضرب من خلالها دفاعات النادي الباسكي.

وإذا استمرت النتيجة هكذا حتى نهاية المباراة، سيتأهل برشلونة إلى النهائي، في انتظار الفائز غدًا من مواجهة ريال مدريد وريال مايوركا. هدف برشلونة الأول أمام أتلتيك بلباو في كأس السوبر الإسباني

Newcastle United are believed to be a plotting a formal bid for a gifted Championship starlet with a big future in the game, a new report has claimed.

Newcastle want January signings

The Magpies' struggles this season have been well-documented, with constant injury problems making it difficult for them to replicate last year's brilliance. A second consecutive top-four finish in the Premier League is looking increasingly difficult, but with the January transfer window now underway, they will have a chance to make new signings, with Eddie Howe surely keen on boosting the squad options that he currently has.

The absence of Sven Botman at the centre of Newcastle's defence has hurt them badly so far this season, and a lack of top-quality centre-backs means that they have been linked with moves for the likes of Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie and highly-rated Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo.

Newcastle's midfield has struggled at times, too, not helped by Sandro Tonali being suspended for ten months and not being back until next season, and Kalvin Phillips continues to stand out as a primary target, with a loan move for the Manchester City and England ace mooted.

It is important that signings arrive for the here and now this month, but equally, it is also paramount that Howe looks to hoover up top young talent as well, which is where a new transfer story comes into play.

Newcastle eyeing move for Rory Finneran

According to a fresh update from Football Insider, Newcastle are readying a bid for Blackburn Rovers teenager Rory Finneran, with scouts left impressed after watching him in action recently.

"Newcastle are plotting a formal move for Blackburn Rovers starlet Rory Finneran, sources have told Football Insider. Finneran, 15, is regarded as a future star by the Championship club and is already a Republic of Ireland Under-17 international.

"Newcastle are readying an offer for the defensive midfielder – who has impressed Magpies scouts at youth level for both club and country. Finneran has regularly taken part in first-team training with Blackburn and was named on the bench for their recent 2-1 win over Bristol City on 12 December."

Finneran may be something of an unknown, considering he is still just 15 years of age, but he is someone who is highly thought of at Blackburn, with the report's description of him as a "future star" outlining his potential. The midfielder has already made ten appearances for his current club's Under-18s, despite being three years younger than that age group, further showing the speed at which he is developing.

Newcastle could be an ideal club for Finneran to move to, with the Magpies' current issues not masking the fact that they are still heading in a positive direction overall.

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ByHenry Jackson Jan 1, 2024

The emergence of Lewis Miley this season could even be used as inspiration for the Blackburn starlet, too, with the 17-year-old enjoying a breakthrough campaign that has seen him becoming a genuinely important first-team player.

Manchester United could be set to lose one of their first-team stars next year, with a fresh report revealing that they’d be keen to join one of their main admirers in January.

Man United's summer departures

The Red Devils sanctioned the sales of 11 players in total over the summer, with eight of those being on a permanent basis, while the remaining three were sent out on loan for the rest of the season in order to increase their game time.

Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)

Brandon Williams (Ipswich Town)

Anthony Elanga (Nottingham Forest)

Alvaro Carreras (Granada CF)

Fred (Fenerbahce)

Mason Greenwood (Getafe)

Matej Kovar (Bayer Leverkusen)

Alex Telles (Al-Nassr)

Zidane Iqbal (FC Utrecht)

Eric Bailly (Besiktas)

Teden Mengi (Luton Town)

The Old Trafford outfit have Victor Lindelof, Anthony Martial, Hannibal Mejbri, Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton who will have reached the expiration of their deals upon the conclusion of the current campaign (Manchester United contracts), so they could also be heading for the exit door in the coming weeks and months.

Another player who will have seen out his terms at the end of the season is Aaron Wan-Bissaka, so with just one more window available to cash in should he not want to lose his prized asset for free, Erik ten Hag will soon have to make a decision over the future of his right-back.

In the Premier League, England’s former international has made just five starts and one substitute appearance due to being out with a hamstring injury for a large period (WhoScored – Wan-Bissaka statistics). However, the 25-year-old is still attracting interest from two top-flight rivals.

West Ham plotting swoop for Aaron Wan-Bissaka

According to Football Transfers, Wan-Bissaka is of interest to West Ham and Crystal Palace, though it’s believed that he would prefer to make the switch to the London Stadium instead of his former club.

"West Ham are looking at Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka as a possible target amid Vladimir Coufal’s uncertain future at the club.

"A January move for Wan-Bissaka could be on the cards despite interest from his former club, Crystal Palace.

"It is thought that a move to West Ham is a more enticing prospect for Wan Bissaka than a return to the Eagles, where he spent three seasons."

Man United need to keep "monster" in Wan-Bissaka

Whilst Wan-Bissaka hasn’t been available for selection throughout the season, Man United will know that he’s still capable of performing at a high standard when he is fit. Therefore, the hierarchy need to do everything they can to retain his services beyond January.

The Croydon-born talent, who pockets £90k-per-week (Manchester United salaries), is currently averaging 2.8 clearances and 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League, highlighting how solid he is at getting stuck into challenges and clearing the danger from the backline.

Ten Hag’s “monster”, as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, also likes to burst down the flank and create chances in the final third, where he’s posted 14 contributions – 12 assists and two goals – during his time at the club (Transfermarkt – Wan-Bissaka statistics), so even the thought of losing him will be of great concern.

Glasgow Rangers started their new era under Philippe Clement with a dominating performance in the Premiership.

The Ibrox side defeated Hibernian 4-0 in Glasgow and the performance, while far from perfect, was a massive improvement from the regular lacklustre showings under Michael Beale.

The 43-year-old had led the club to a woeful start to the 2023/24 season, failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages along with suffering a defeat to Celtic and the writing was on the wall that his tenure could be over sooner rather than later.

Indeed, a dreadful home loss against Aberdeen was the final straw and he was sacked at the start of October.

Steven Davis was placed in interim charge of the Gers for two matches and despite winning only one of these ties, the faith he had in several youngsters was refreshing to see and proves that the chances are there for talented youth products who have shone for the academy recently.

One name stands out more than most, however, as Zak Lovelace has the potential to become a regular in the Light Blues starting XI over the coming years.

How much did Zak Lovelace cost Rangers?

Lovelace made his first team debut for Millwall aged just 15 back in December 2021 after enjoying success in their youth teams and he became the second youngest player in their history.

With Rangers aiming to recruit some of the brightest talents in Britain, Lovelace was earmarked as a potential signing and Giovanni van Bronckhorst secured his signature in the summer of 2022, and due to cross-border rules, the teenager cost the Light Blues just a £100k compensation fee.

It could eventually turn out to be a bargain due to his seemingly limitless potential, and he has already made his mark at Ibrox.

How many appearances has Zak Lovelace made for Rangers?

It didn’t take long for the Dutchman to give the former Millwall starlet his senior bow for the Gers. Just a couple of months or so after joining, Rangers faced Queen of the South at Ibrox in a League Cup tie and Van Bronckhorst heavily rotated the starting XI.

Lovelace came on with just 14 minutes left to make his debut for the club and showed flashes of just why the Light Blues wanted to lure him north of the border.

Throughout the remainder of the campaign, the teenage sensation netted 18 goals for the B team across all competitions – including two in the UEFA Youth League – along with helping himself to ten assists, and it was a stunning start to life in Scotland.

Beale rewarded him by giving the player a cameo against Celtic in May and so far this season, he has featured twice in the Premiership.

He started off brightly against St Mirren, causing their defence plenty of trouble on the right wing and came close to setting up an opening goal with a wonderful pass across the face of the St Mirren goal.

16 years 1 month

16 years 4 months

16 years 4 months

16 years 5 months

16 years 7 months

Lovelace made one key pass and was fouled once, yet he had to go off before the half-time break due to injury and it is unclear when he could add to his four Rangers appearances.

The Belgian will be keen on allowing the young talents to flourish over the next few months and could he even repeat Rangers’ Lovelace masterclass from 2022 as the club are keen on a player who is making a splash down south – Mason Cotcher.

Are Rangers interested in signing Mason Cotcher?

According to the Sunderland Echo, Rangers are showing a keen interest in the 17-year-old who plays for the Sunderland U18 side, but he is yet to feature during the current season.

Clement could face some stiff competition for the youngster however, as Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion are also keeping tabs on Cotcher and the Gunners may have just secured the upper hand with regard to securing his signature.

The teenager was named in the starting XI for Arsenal’s U18 side against Middlesbrough as a trialist just a few days ago as they appear to be stepping up their interest in the striker and Mikel Arteta is trying to lure some of the finest talent in the country down to London.

What is Mason Cotcher’s best position?

The youngster is quite versatile and can feature across the front three, but it appears as though playing through the middle is his favoured position, and certainly the one he has scored the most goals from.

For the Sunderland U18 side last season, Cotcher netted nine goals and grabbed one assist across 21 matches, a more than solid return for the striker, and he could certainly follow in Lovelace’s steps by moving from the Championship to Scotland.

The 17-year-old has also earned national recognition, playing twice for the England U17 side, and he will be keen to make progress up the age groups as fast as possible.

Due to the teenager being on a scholarship deal at the Black Cats, he could technically move away at any time and with the cross-border rules allowing Rangers to potentially exploit situations like this, could they perhaps be in the best position to sign him?

Considering Lovelace only cost £100k, it is possible they could sign the Sunderland gem for a similar fee and much will be made of how interested Arsenal and Brighton are, as they will have to fork out more for his services.

Clement already looks to be eyeing future signings that will add some depth to his youth squads and having given young winger Ross McCausland a run out against Hibs on the weekend, there is a clear pathway from the B team to the starting XI of the first team if players work hard.

This could only be an advantage when going after teenage starlets from English clubs as there is a chance at playing in front of a full house at Ibrox, while potentially featuring in European competition and this is something Cotcher will need to weigh up when deciding his next move.

If he does move to Rangers, it could be the catalyst for plenty more teenage sensations arriving in the coming months.

Jose Mourinho was in attendance to witness Anthony Joshua fight Francis Ngannou in Riyadh just hours after presenting the trophy at Egypt Cup final.

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• Mourinho is currently a free agent
• Flew to Riyadh in his free time to watch boxing
• Was also present alongside Ronaldo & Totti in the Egypt Cup final

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mourinho received the biggest cheer of the night from fans in an otherwise flat atmosphere at the Kingdom Arena during the showdown fight between Joshua and Ngannou. After his unceremonious sacking from AS Roma, the Portuguese manager has made the most of his free time by flying out to the Middle East, where his presence garnered significant attention amongst fight fans.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Earlier in the day, Mourinho was at Al-Awwal Stadium for the Egypt Cup final, where he presented the trophy alongside football legends Ronaldo Nazario and Francesco Totti. He walked out of the tunnel with the silverware in his hand, flanked by Ronaldo & Totti, amid loud cheers from the audience. The trio shook hands with players from both Zamalek and Al Ahly before taking their place in the VIP box.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Mourinho had been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League but the manager turned down the opportunity as he wanted to honour the contract with Roma. Even after he got sacked, Al-Shabab came knocking on his door but the coach once again knocked them back as he is reportedly keen to stay in Europe for the time being.

A day after clinching a four-run win against Ireland, Netherlands went on to chase 159 with an over to spare against the same opponents in the second match of the tri-series in Rotterdam

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2018Peter Della Penna

A day after clinching a four-run win against Test nation Ireland, Netherlands went on to chase 159 with an over to spare against the same opponents in the second match of the tri-series in Rotterdam. The four-wicket win was led by their openers before Roelof van der Merwe scored 37 off 26 and then captain Pieter Seelaar saw them through with an unbeaten 22. Van der Merwe had also taken two wickets earlier as Ireland scored 158 for 6 with an unbeaten 42-ball 45 from Gary Wilson.Netherlands never let the required run rate out of control once Tobias Visee started the chase with a 15-ball 25 and his opening partner Max O’Dowd scored a brisk 39 off 24. George Dockrell broke the stand when he bowled Visee in the fourth over and Nos. 3 and 4 Ben Cooper and Bas de Leede got out cheaply. Between those two wickets, O’Dowd was caught behind off Stuart Thompson and Netherlands were 97 for 4 in the 12th over.However, van der Merwe and Seelaar stitched a stand of 39 runs in 32 balls, as van der Merwe struck three fours and a six. Even though he was bowled by Barry McCarthy in the 17th over, Netherlands needed another 23 runs from 20 balls and Seelaar’s unbeaten knock took them home.Earlier, Ireland opted to bat and their openers Paul Stirling (27 off 16) and James Shannon (31 off 21) gave them a flying start. They put on 58 runs by the fifth over but were both bowled within a space of nine balls and it reduced Ireland’s run rate thereafter. The middle order could not capitalise on the platform, as left-arm medium-pacer Fred Klaassen and van der Merwe strangled the scoring rate. William Porterfield and Wilson could not score at a strike rate of over 110 in the 62 combined balls they faced together to score a total of 65 runs and even though Kevin O’Brien struck 13 runs off six balls, 158 did not prove to be enough.

Gary O’Neil will be pleased with the progress his Wolves side has made this season.

The Old Gold have shown a togetherness that allows them to play as a team rather than individuals, and that was on show against Brentford in the 1-1 FA Cup draw last weekend.

Despite being 11th in the Premier League, the Wanderers will look to strengthen their squad in January.

Wolves transfers latest – striker hunt at Molineux

According to The Athletic, Wolves are interested in signing Danny Ings on loan from West Ham.

The Wanderers have been keeping an eye on Ings’ situation, but talks are yet to begin between the clubs. As a result, we may have to wait until later in the winter window to see if things develop into a formal offer for the player.

The deal is allegedly dependent on Michael Antonio’s recovery from injury, with the Irons forward reportedly out for the best part of six weeks.

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ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024 How Danny Ings compares to Raul Jimenez

Sasa Kalajdzic was the latest player signed in an attempt to replace the goals that Raul Jimenez brought in the 2019/20 Premier League season (17). However, the 6 foot 6 striker has just joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan after failing to secure a place in the starting XI. He joins a pretty wretched list of forward players who have simply failed to make the grade in the Midlands.

Raul Jimenez

67

13

Patrick Cutrone

4

0

Fabio Silva

72

5

Willian Jose

18

1

Hwang-hee Chan

84

20

Sasa Kalajdzic

14

3

Matheus Cunha

41

8

Diego Costa

25

1

Therefore, Ings could be drafted in as a short-term fix to a long-term issue, who coincidentally is a similar player to Wolves icon Jimenez according to FBref’s similar players model.

The former Liverpool player has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but he has only missed one game since the start of 2021.

Despite being available, the 31-year-old has failed to nail down a spot in the starting XI at West Ham, with either Antonio or Jarrod Bowen being preferred in the number nine role, which has led to Ings playing just 108 minutes in the Premier League this season. Wolves, therefore, could offer him a valuable short-term exit.

The West Ham striker would bring experience and goals to the Wolves attack, as according to one football writer Ings is a “clinical finisher," and in fairness, the table below does prove that he knows how to put the ball in the back of the net, notably in the Premier League.

2022/23

35

8

2

2021/22

30

7

6

2020/21

29

12

4

2019/20

38

22

2

2018/19

24

7

3

Ings is the definition of a goal-scorer, but his technique and ball-striking ability are what make him so dangerous.

Indeed, if the striker gets half a chance, he will most likely bury it, which is needed when playing for a side like Wolves, who have created the 12th most big chances in the Premier League this season. This makes him like Jimenez, who has overperformed his xG this season for Fulham.

But just how do they compare specifically? Well, when it comes to how involved they are in the play, where they take their shots from, passing and carrying, there's not much to separate the pair.

Expected Goals (xG)

0.06

0.32

Average shot distance

14.1 yards

13.8 yards

Pass Success rate

63%

66%

Passes into penalty box

0.63

0.57

Touches

32

35

Successful take-ons

0.63

0.65

Carries

17.5

19.8

Overall, the potential signing of Ings is by far from one that the Wolves faithful will be extremely excited about, but given the fact that Hwang Hee-chan will be their only available striker for the rest of the season (when he returns from the AFC Asian Cup), the move does seem smart.

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ByLuke Randall Jan 2, 2024

Even if he doesn’t feature heavily. This transfer has absolutely no risk attached, and therefore, there can only be an upside to the loan.