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Sunderland recently confirmed that summer signing Granit Xhaka will be the club captain for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign and, hopefully, beyond.

The Switzerland international joined from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £13m earlier this summer, and Regis Le Bris has waxed lyrical over his leadership already.

Xhaka is also a top-quality midfielder who can play as a number six, a number eight, or as a number ten, and produced 23 goals and 29 assists during his time with Arsenal, per Transfermarkt.

The Swiss midfield general turns 33 next month, though, and the Black Cats may already be looking for a player who could be his long-term successor in the middle of the park.

Sunderland could hijack move for midfield magician

The Championship play-off champions are supposedly eyeing up a potential swoop for a player who could be described as a younger version of Xhaka.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Football Insider, Sunderland could ‘hijack’ Juventus’ move to sign Brighton & Hove Albion central midfielder Matt O’Riley this summer.

The report claims that the Italian giants have held talks over a deal for the Denmark international, but the Black Cats are also showing an interest in the former Celtic superstar.

It adds that Brighton are looking for a fee in the region of £30m for the Danish star, after they paid £25m to Celtic for him last summer, and it remains to be seen whether or not Sunderland or Juventus are willing to pay that price for him.

Why Matt O'Riley is a younger Granit Xhaka

At the age of 24, O’Riley is eight years younger than Xhaka and would come in at the Stadium of Light with far more long-term potential to be a key player on the pitch for many more years to come.

Like the Sunderland captain, the Brighton ace is a versatile midfielder who has played as a number six, a number eight, and as a number ten throughout his career, as a left-footed star who likes to make things happen with the ball at his feet.

During his time in Glasgow, O’Riley scored 27 goals and provided 35 assists in 124 outings for Celtic, which shows that he can have the sort of impact in the final third that Xhaka had during his spell at Arsenal.

The Danish star, whose consistency was hailed as “phenomenal” by Brendan Rodgers, also showed off his attacking quality in the Premier League with Brighton last season.

xAG

0.23

0.14

Assists

0.19

0.22

Shot-creating actions

3.84

3.74

Progressive passes

3.65

9.91

Progressive carries

2.11

1.31

Tackles

1.54

1.50

As you can see in the table above, O’Riley made a bigger impact in the final third as a creative threat than Xhaka did in the Bundesliga with Leverkusen, whilst also making more tackles per 90.

However, the Swiss star was significantly more impressive when it came to progressing play as a passer from deep, which speaks to his experience and knowledge of the game, as he knows what positions to pick up and when and how to progress play in midfield.

Training and playing with Xhaka at Sunderland could be the best next step for O’Riley in his development, because it would be like him learning from an older version of himself given the similarities in their play styles and quality.

Therefore, the Black Cats should be pushing to beat Juventus to his signature this summer because the 24-year-old star could be Le Bris’ own younger version of Xhaka to mould into the captain’s long-term successor.

Le Bris’ next Rigg: Sunderland in the race for another CB after Alderete

Sunderland are now monitoring a move for this teenage sensation who could be Regis Le Bris’ next Chris Rigg.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 14, 2025

New Zealand’s spinners had restricted India to 227, but the visitors couldn’t get any momentum going in the chase

S Sudarshanan24-Oct-2024

Saima Thakor taking the crucial wicket of Brooke Halliday got her a big hug from Jemimah Rodrigues•BCCI

New Zealand were on the high of a maiden Women’s T20 World Cup win and their spinners combined to take seven of the ten Indian wickets to restrict them to 227. But India’s ODI debutants, Tejal Hasabnis and Saima Thakor, shone in crucial moments to help them make a winning start to the three-match series against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.Hasabnis, the Maharashtra middle-order batter, played a steady innings at No. 6 walking in after India were in a spot of bother. She made 42 off 64 balls and was involved in a 61-run partnership. Then Thakor, Mumbai’s bowling allrounder who played for UP Warriorz in WPL 2024, delivered telling blows with the ball to help dismiss New Zealand for 168 and help India go 1-0.Amelia Kerr and Eden Carson continued their superb form from the T20 World Cup. Amelia, the Player of the Tournament, returned 4 for 42 while Carson, who headed into the title-clash on the back of two Player-of-the-Match performances, picked up two of her own. With Suzie Bates also bowling five overs and returning a wicket, it seemed as if India had left a few runs on a surface that looked good for batting.That looked to be case even more when Georgia Plimmer got off to a flier. She hit a flurry of boundaries off Thakor and Renuka Singh, both of whom erred by bowling on her pads. The idea was not all wrong – Thakor was getting the ball to shape away, and hence was trying for the magic ball. There was merit in her bowling plan after it paid dividends on her third ball in internationals. She got one to nip away ever-so slightly to entice a poke from Bates and feather an edge behind.Renuka used the width of the bowling crease to bowl the in-anglers but it played into the hands of Plimmer and Lauren Down, batting at No. 3 after Amelia was seen limping towards the end of the bowling innings. But Deepti Sharma then used her experience to prise out Plimmer. She slowed the flighted ball down and made the batter force the issue, only for her to chip a return catch back.Deepti’s street-smartness then helped India see the back of New Zealand captain Sophie Devine. Devine, who stepped down from T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup, pushed one towards Deepti but stood out of her crease. Deepti threw the ball back at wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia even as Devine took a few steps back, but no part of her foot was inside the crease.Radha then managed to have Down miscue one to mid-off an over after a leading edge landed short of the same region. Which is when the real domination came from New Zealand with the bat. Brooke Halliday and Maddy Green combined to play a clinical game. They used the crease to manufacture boundaries regularly, most of them behind square on either side.Green first scooped one fine down leg, cut one fiercely past backward point and then sliced one over the same region. Halliday even used the reverse sweep early. They added 49 off 63 balls for the fifth wicket. Smriti Mandhana, captaining India after Harmanpreet Kaur missed out due to a niggle, brought in Shafali Verma in a bid to change a few things but she was hit for a couple of fours in an over.Thakor then broke through, in the third over of her second spell. She got one to stop on Halliday and managed to catch hold of the caught and bowled chance. Three balls later, Mandhana nailed a direct hit at the striker’s end to send Green back. And there was no looking back from there for India. They struck regularly, with only Amelia’s 55-ball stand with Isabella Gaze for the eighth wicket delaying the inevitable.Tejal Hasabnis was solid in the middle order•BCCI

It was not the perfect start for Mandhana, who was leading India in an ODI for the first time. She fell cheaply, cutting one straight to backward point. But Shafali looked to bring a gear that we hardly saw at the T20 World Cup, particularly targeting Jess Kerr. She used the pull shot to good effect and then dispatched a length ball over the sightscreen. But she pulled Carson’s first ball straight to square leg to fall cheaply.A couple of 20-something partnerships followed – first between Bhatia and Dayalan Hemalatha, who batted at No. 4 in Harmanpreet’s absence, and then between Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues. It was only when Rodrigues combined with Hasabnis that there came a sense of stability in the Indian batting.The pair looked particularly at ease against spin, maneuvering the ball in the outfield to keep the scorecard ticking. Hasabnis showed her prowess against spin specifically when she went deep in the crease against Amelia’s legspin to slice it past backward point. The pair increased the pace as they went along in their 61-run partnership of just 70 balls.But Rodrigues missed a clip off Bates and was adjudged lbw, the review returning an umpire’s call on impact. Then on 42, Hasabnis could not resist charging at a tossed-up delivery from Amelia and was stumped. Deepti, who walked in at No. 7, showed a lot of intent from the start. She hit a couple of fours and a six in her 41, her best score in ODIs since September 2022. Her innings capsulated the theme of India’s innings – that of batters getting starts but not carrying on. Five India batters made more than 30 but none crossed 42.India faced 125 dots in the 44.3 overs they batted; New Zealand faced 141 in their 40.4. But eventually, it came down to the team that made fewer mistakes and India, despite finishing on what can at best be termed a par score, took the honours that mattered in the series-opener, winning just their second ODI in the last eight outings against New Zealand.

كشف محمد يوسف المدير الرياضي لـ الأهلي، آخر التطورات الخاصة بتعيين مدير فني جديد لفريق الكرة، موضحًا موقف عماد النحاس من استمراره حتى مباراة القمة أمام الزمالك.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي والزمالك مساء الإثنين 29 سبتمبر الجاري، في إطار لقاءات الجولة التاسعة من بطولة الدوري المصري.

وقال محمد يوسف في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “ام بي سي مصر 2”: “حتى الآن يتم دراسة أكثر من سيرة ذاتية، ومهم جدًا أن ندرس كل سيرة ذاتية بدقة وعناية كبيرة، ليس من خلال المدير الرياضي أو مدير التعاقدات فقط، لكن نعمل بشكل مؤسسي، وندرس كل صغيرة وكبيرة، وهناك تفاصيل دقيقة جدًا ونراعي معايير كثيرة، وهناك ترشيحات كثيرة جدًا، ولكن عادة بعد أن يتم الاتفاق بشكل نهائي نُعلن من خلال المركز الإعلامي”.

وبسؤاله ما هي معايير اختيار المدير الفني؟، أجاب: “بعض الناس تتحدث عن المدارس البرتغالية أو الألمانية أو السويسرية، نحن حتى الآن لم نصل لأي شيء بشكل نهائي، ممكن تكون مدرسة ألمانية لأنها سبق ونجحت مع الأهلي، هذه الأمور نتحدث فيها بشكل سري، من المعايير رقم واحد قوة الشخصية، والنواحي الفنية والقدرة على استخدام أكثر من تكتيك للاستفادة من لاعبي الفريق”.

وأشار: “النقطة المهمة جدًا معرفته بنظام وطبيعة المنطقة العربية واللاعبين المصريين، لأن لاعبينا والأجواء التي هنا ليست مثل أوروبا بالطبع الاحترافي، وأحد المعايير المهمة طرق تعامله مع الضغوط الإعلامية والجماهيرية”.

وبشأن هل الأهلي يبحث عن اسم كبير عكس سواريش وريبيرو؟، أوضح: “أنا ضد أن أعلق على أي مدرب تولى تدريب الأهلي حتى إذا لم يحالفهم التوفيق، وبالتالي نحن بالنسبة لنا كل الحلول موجودة، ممكن تكون التجربة لمدرب اسم كبير وعنده تجارب قوية، وممكن تكون تجربة لمدرب عنده طموحات”.

وعن متى يُحسم هذا الملف؟، أردف: “بالنسبة لي الأفضل أن ننتظر فترة في سبيل أن نختار مدرباً لموسمين قادمين، ويكون هناك حكمة في الاختيار، وبالتالي يوجد جهاز فني الآن بقيادة عماد النحاس وكلنا ندعمه ونسانده”.

وزاد: “عماد النحاس هو من سيدير مباراة القمة، إن شاء الله، ونتمنى له التوفيق، أهم شيء أن نسير بخطوات جيدة وننظر للثلاثة نقاط في كل مباراة لكي يعود الفريق للمسار الطبيعي”.

طالع | مورايس يرد عبر “بطولات” على أنباء مفاوضات الأهلي

وواصل: “إمام عاشور أصيب بوعكة صحية إثر فيروس، ويتم علاجه والدكتور أحمد جاب الله يتابعه، ويوجد تنسيق كبير، نتمنى أن يعود سالمًا، ولا يوجد جديد في ملف عاشور، نحن كنا قد اتخذنا قرارًا بان الأهلي يحترم كل لاعبيه وتعاقداته، والنادي صاحب القرار في التجديد أو التمديد”.

وأكمل: “ولا يوجد شخص مع احترامي سواء لاعب أو وكيل، يجبر منظومة الأهلي أن النادي يعدل أو يمدد العقد، علاقة الأهلي بلاعبيه قوية جدًا، الأهلي يُقدر نجومه، والأهم من ذلك إن جمهور الأهلي عنده وعي لمعرفة من حريص على الأهلي”.

وبشأن هل وصل لإمام عاشور أي عروض في الفترة الأخيرة؟، أجاب: “لا، لا توجد أي عروض رسمية وصلت، بعد عودتنا من كأس العالم كان هناك عرض ولكن ليس بشكل رسمي”.

India, Afghanistan and most likely Bangladesh will be their opponents in the next stage

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-20242:48

Wade: ‘I would’ve been sacked if we didn’t win the 2021 T20 World Cup’

A trial by spin awaits Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024, with them looming as the odd team out in an otherwise all-Asian Super Eight group.Having won their first three games, Mitchell Marsh’s side will progress to the next stage of the tournament whatever happens in Sunday’s clash with Scotland in St Lucia.The main talking point of that match will be the impact it has on England – with an Australia loss enough to knock out the defending champions. But that aside, Australia’s path to a second T20 World Cup and the capture of all three current men’s ICC global titles is becoming much clearer.Related

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Based on pre-tournament seedings, Australia will meet India and Afghanistan in their Super Eight group. Bangladesh are in the box seat to join them, after Nepal fell one run short of shocking South Africa on Saturday.That trio will make for a significant challenge against an Australia team who have traditionally had difficulties on spinning wickets.”A lot of us have prepared for plenty of spin depending on what venue you get to,” Australia’s vice-captain Matthew Wade said. “Guys have been preparing for that through the world, through IPL into the start of this World Cup.”We expect nothing different, and on their day they’re all going to be very very hard teams to beat. We’re expecting them to hit us with a fair bit of spin over the next little bit.”India have so far relied more on their quicks for their matches in the USA, but have Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav at their disposal for the slower Caribbean pitches.Afghanistan can call on Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed and Mohammad Nabi, although have lost Mujeeb Ur Rahman to injury, while Bangladesh will also fancy their spinners as the wickets grow tired. Legspinner Rishad Hossain, who Australia have not faced before, has impressed with seven wickets in three matches.There was significant help for the spinners in the South Africa-Nepal match in St Vincent where Australia will meet Afghanistan.Meanwhile, Wade added he hoped this tournament would not signal his farewell for Australia. He was expected to retire after the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, but at 36 has continued to be a threat for Australia batting at No. 7.”I’m at my best when it’s the last opportunity,” Wade said. “Hopefully I can pull some good stuff out in the next little bit, but it will be the same conversation at the end of this one. There are going to be players go out of this team. I’m more than comfortable if I’m one of them to get the next cycle of players coming in to play for Australia.”

There is a strong argument to be made that Gareth Bale is the best British football export of all time. The Welshman did it all at Real Madrid and he did it in style. From leaving Jordi Alba chasing shadows to score one of the most iconic El Clasico goals of all time to that overhead kick in the 2018 Champions League final, Bale is an undeniable great.

For a man who famously had Wales, golf and Real Madrid in an unexpected order or priorities towards the end of his time in Spain as things soured, Bale’s numbers during his time at the Bernabeu prove that saying may not have always been true.

Gareth Bale at Real Madrid

Record (via Transfermarkt)

Appearances

258

Goals

106

Assists

67

La Liga titles

16/17, 19/20, 21/22

Champions League titles

13/4, 15/16, 16/17, 17/18, 21,22

Forming an iconic partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to help Real Madrid become the first and only side in history to win three-straight Champions League titles, it wouldn’t have been absurd to suggest that Bale was the best player in the world at one stage.

The praise that the iconic winger received reflected the level that he was playing at. During his first year in Spain, Madrid captain Sergio Ramos told reporters: “The truth is because he did not play for a team in England that played in the Champions League – we did not know that much about him.

“We know if he the coach wanted him that strongly he must be a good player – but nobody was prepared for how special he is. It has only been a few training sessions we have seen him in – but some of what we see we can’t believe. He is so fast, so tricky, and the frightening thing is that he is not even 100 per cent game fit yet.”

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For all his iconic teammates and coaches at Real Madrid, however, Bale has not forgotten who turned him into the world-beater that graced Europe’s biggest occassions over the years.

Gareth Bale: Redknapp made me one of the world's best

Long before the world knew exactly how good Bale was, it was Harry Redknapp at Tottenham Hotspur who was giving a young Welshman the opportunity to thrive in the Premier League.

It was the experienced manager who recognised Bale’s attacking talent and turned him into a winger as a result, birthing one of the best British players of all time as a result. And the former Spurs man hasn’t forgotten Redknapp’s influence.

Whether it’s Redknapp, Zinedine Zidane, Ancelotti – in that order – is a question that may never be answered, but Bale has certainly never forgotten the impact that his former Spurs manager had on his career.

Manchester United were left frustrated once again in the Premier League on Sunday when they had to fight to scrape a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

It took a 96th-minute goal from Rasmus Hojlund, who deflected an effort from Manuel Ugarte into the bottom corner, to secure a point against the Cherries, after Antoine Semenyo rifled the home team in front in the first half.

Ruben Amorim’s side created more than enough chances to win the match, though, as they racked up 2.52 xG and failed to make the most of their opportunities.

Bruno Fernandes, in particular, must have been particularly frustrated by the team’s wasteful finishing. The Portugal international created seven chances, including one ‘big chance’, and came off the pitch without an assist to show for his efforts.

Manchester United’s captain has been a shining light in a dim season for the Red Devils, once again, with the quality that he has provided in the middle of the park on a regular basis.

It is now down to the club and Amorim to ensure that they bring in the right players to complement his play in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Why Manchester United have let Bruno Fernandes down

The owners, the previous owners, the manager, and the previous manager, or managers, have all failed to build a squad that is equipped to make the most of Fernandes’ talent in the final third.

Manchester United’s captain has now created 14 ‘big chances’ in the Premier League this season and has only been rewarded with nine assists for his creative brilliance, which shows that his teammates have not done enough with the opportunities that he has created.

That is the story of Fernandes’ career at Old Trafford, particularly recently, as he has been an exceptional creative talent for the club throughout his time in the English top-flight.

The 30-year-old superstar, who has also scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, needs teammates who can make the most of the ‘big chances’ that he consistently creates.

Premier League	Big chances created	xA	Assists
24/25	14	9.24	9
23/24	21	13.16	8
22/23	32	17.27	8
21/22	15	8.81	6
20/21	20	11.47	12
19/20	4	2.75	7
Total	106	62.7	50
Stats via Sofascore & xA via UnderStat

As you can see in the table above, Fernandes’ teammates have only scored 50 goals from 62.7 xA created by the former Sporting star, which shows that they have significantly underperformed in front of goal.

These statistics show that Manchester United have not been able to recruit the quality of centre-forward that the attacking midfielder needs to finish the chances that he creates on a weekly basis for the Reds.

Manchester United are now, reportedly, eyeing up a deal to sign a player who would love to play alongside Fernandes, and who has the quality to thrive alongside him.

Manchester United close in on Premier League star

According to reports in Spain, Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Matheus Cunha ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Brazilian forward is ‘very close’ to joining the Red Devils from the Premier League side, as Amorim looks to bolster his options at the top end of the pitch.

Revelo adds that the Brazil international has a release clause, worth £53m, in his current contract with the Old Gold, and that United are ready to pay it to bring him to Manchester in the ‘coming weeks’.

It claims that there is already a verbal agreement in place between Cunha and Manchester United to join the club, which suggests that personal terms have already been agreed between the two parties.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

INEOS must, now, pay the release clause to wrap a deal up as early as possible in the summer transfer window, to avoid any other clubs swooping in ahead of them, as the attacker could be a dream signing for Fernandes next season.

Why Matheus Cunha would be a dream signing for Bruno Fernandes

The former Atletico Madrid attacker could be an ideal addition to the squad because he is a proven Premier League performer who could hit the ground running at Old Trafford, in theory.

This is Cunha’s second full season in the top-flight, having also been on loan at Wolves in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, and he has shown himself to be a classy operator at the top end of the pitch for the Old Gold.

The 25-year-old star, who was directly involved in 22 goals as shown in the video above, could come in to provide Amorim’s side with a boost as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

His finishing qualities, in particular, will be of interest to Fernandes because his record in the Premier League since the start of last season suggests that the United captain would love him.

Matheus Cunha (Premier League)	23/24	24/25
Appearances	32	29
xG	9.49	7.86
Goals	12	15
Big chances missed	6	2
Big chances created	7	12
Assists	7	6
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Wolves superstar has vastly outperformed his xG, scoring 27 goals from 17.35 xG, and delivered 13 assists.

Cunha, dubbed a “special” player by his manager Vitor Pereira, has the quality to take high-quality chances when they come his way, outperforming how many goals the average player would be expected to score from the shots that he takes.

This is why Fernandes, who has consistently been let down by his teammates in that respect, would love the Brazilian ace at Old Trafford, because the forward could provide the finishing quality to make the most of his creativity.

Cunha and Fernandes could be a lethal pairing in the Premier League for United next season because the Portuguese ace could consistently create chances for the ex-Atletico Madrid ace to find the back of the net week-in-week-out, improving Manchester United’s attack.

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Brett Worthington

Apr 28, 2025

This is why INEOS must get a deal done for the Wolves star as quickly as possible because he could be a fantastic signing to bolster Amorim’s squad, improving the team’s chances of success next term.

Nottingham Forest soared back to third in the Premier League table on Monday night after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 away from home.

The Tricky Trees are now three points ahead of Chelsea in sixth place in the race to secure Champions League football for the 2025/26 campaign.

Goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood helped to seal the victory for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on the night, whilst Richarlison’s late goal meant nothing in the end.

Anthony Elanga's performance against Spurs

Anthony Elanga was one of the stars of the impressive first-half display that gave Forest a commanding 2-0 lead heading into the break, as he set up the second goal.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

The Sweden international whipped in a teasing delivery that gave Wood the chance to rise above Guglielmo Vicario to make it 2-0, with a fantastic inswinging cross that caused chaos for the Spurs defenders and goalkeeper.

Other than that ‘big chance’ that he created, though, Elanga did fail with both of his attempted dribbles and lost five of his six duels before being taken off at the break.

Forest’s other attacking midfielder, Morgan Gibbs-White, meanwhile, had minimal impact with zero key passes, zero ‘big chances’ created, and a pass accuracy of 76%.

Meanwhile, the rarely-seen Harry Toffolo, starting his first Premier League game of the season, was even better than both Elanga and Gibbs-White with his excellent showing at left-back.

Why Harry Toffolo may have saved his Nottingham Forest career

The former Norwich City and Huddersfield Town left-back had only played three times, all as a substitute, in the top-flight prior to being named in the starting XI on Monday night.

He has been an unused substitute on 15 occasions in the Premier League, but has now given Nuno a headache heading into the final matches of the campaign after a fine display.

Toffolo’s best moment of the match came in the clip above, when Alan Smith claimed his clearance “defied physics”, when his intervention on the line prevented Dejan Kulusevski from finding the back of the net.

It was a crucial moment in the game because Spurs would have had a goal back with around 30 minutes still to play, giving them ample time to push for an equaliser, instead of the three minutes they had after Richarlison’s goal in the 87th minute.

Minutes

90

Clearances

4

Blocks

2

Tackles + interceptions

4

Duels won

3/5

Dribbled past

1x

As you can see in the table above, the left-back’s all-round display across the 90 minutes was impressive, making two blocks, four tackles and interceptions combined, and four clearances to go along with his goalline heroics.

These statistics show that he was even better than Elanga, whose all-around performance was poor aside from his brilliant assist, and Gibbs-White, who struggled throughout the game, as the full-back excelled to help Forest on their way to all three points.

He may now have forced his way into Nuno’s plans for the rest of the season, in ther bid for Champions League qualification, after sitting on the bench for most of the campaign so far.

Nottingham Forest racing Man Utd to sign £10m forward compared to Elanga

The Tricky Trees have joined the race for a forward, who is also wanted by Premier League rivals Manchester United.

ByDominic Lund Apr 20, 2025

Manchester United are plotting a route to silverware under Ruben Amorim this term and could also be about to strike on the market to bring in a talented defender, according to reports.

Manchester United's summer transfer plans hang in the balance

Thursday night’s emotional Manchester United victory over Lyon in the Europa League quarter-final provoked scenes unseen for many a year at Old Trafford, while it also kept the Red Devils in the hunt for a backdoor route to Champions League qualification.

Ruben Amorim will be aware that Athletic Club are no slouch as he prepares to face the La Liga outfit in the last four, who have the advantage of hosting the final at their own stadium.

Financially, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS have made no secret of their forceful strategy to cut down on lawless spending at Manchester United, which is why winning the Europa League is imperative to ensure resources are available to plough into transfers.

Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo has been identified as a Red Devils target to offer a new reference point in attack, and his arrival could be offset by Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho making way.

Intriguingly, Manchester United could hijack Barcelona’s attempts to sign Jonathan David on a free transfer, illustrating one of the more prudent avenues to go down if necesarry for club chiefs.

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Currently, Amorim’s potential spending power hangs in the balance, though he will be hopeful his side prevail on the continent to provide a must-needed boost for the coffers.

Now, United are set to put forward an exciting proposal for one of Europe’s most renowned young defenders that would make headlines across the globe.

Manchester United set to put forward proposal for Yann Bisseck

Per reports in Spain, Manchester United are set to put forward a proposal of £51.4 million for Inter Milan’s Yann Bisseck and the Serie A giants could consider selling the Germany international due to their financial situation.

The 24-year-old is viewed as an ideal candidate to steady a shaky Red Devils’ backline and they are won over by his profile and room for improvement at Old Trafford.

Yann Bisseck’s key Serie A statistics – 2024/25

Tackles won

10

Aerial duels won

41

Duels won

64

Pass accuracy

92.1%

Recoveries

50

Interceptions

14

Labelled a “sensation” by Jacek Kulig, Bisseck has made 35 appearances across all competitions for Inter Milan, registering two goals and three assists in total.

Victor Lindelof has been linked with a Manchester United exit and Jonny Evans is set to call it quits at Old Trafford after a distinguished couple of spells, so there is definitely room for Amorim to mix it up in defence.

Bisseck would be a statement of intent as INEOS look to get the ball rolling on the transfer front, but any deal may likely depend on the outcome of their exploits in the Europa League.

They are the first opening pair from England with a 500-plus aggregate in a Test series since Strauss and Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes

Sampath Bandarupalli01-Aug-20251:58

Bangar on Crawley-Duckett: Haven’t seen batting of that quality

7224 – Runs scored by Joe Root in Tests in England. His tally is the second-highest for any batter in a single country, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 7216 in India, and only behind Ricky Ponting’s 7578 in Australia.Root has scored 2006 runs against India at home so far. He is only the second batter to aggregate 2000-plus Test runs against a single opposition at home after Don Bradman, who had scored 2354 runs against England.8 – Number of 50-plus stands between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in Tests against India, the joint-highest by an opening pair, alongside Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. Crawley and Duckett have 984 runs in 18 innings against India, only behind Greenidge-Haynes, who had 1325 runs in 30 partnerships.Related

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7.16 – The run rate during Crawley and Duckett’s 92-run partnership, which came in 12.5 overs. It is the second-highest run rate for a 50-plus opening stand against India in men’s Tests. .The highest is 7.18 by Shahid Afridi and Yasir Hameed, who added 91 in 12.4 overs in Bengaluru in 2005. Four of the top 15 fastest 50-plus opening stands against India have been by the Crawley and Duckett pair.539 – Partnership runs between Crawley and Duckett in this series so far. They are the first opening pair to aggregate 500-plus runs in a Test series since David Warner and Joe Burns’ 547 against New Zealand in 2015. They are also the first opening pair from England with a 500-plus aggregate in a Test series since Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes.48 – Runs scored in boundaries by Crawley at the time of reaching his half-century. It is the joint-second-highest runs scored in boundaries while completing a half-century in men’s Tests (Since 2002). Only Tim Southee scored more, with 50, on debut against England in 2008.Harry Brook falls over after nailing a jaw-dropping slog sweep•Getty ImagesCrawley’s 64-run knock featured 56 boundary runs, a percentage of 87.50. It is the third-highest boundary percentage in a 50-plus score for England in men’s Tests, behind only Andrew Flintoff’s 88.89% (48 out of 54) against New Zealand in 2004 and 88% by Chris Woakes (44 out of 50) against India in 2021.6 – Bowlers to take a four-plus wicket haul for India in this series, with Prasidh Krishna the latest. Only once have more bowlers had a higher tally in a Test series for India – seven against Pakistan at home in 1960-61, while six bowlers did so against West Indies in 1974-75 and also in the 2018 tour of England.1066 – Balls that KL Rahul faced in this series against England, the second-highest by an India opener in a Test series in England, behind Sunil Gavaskar’s 1199 on the 1979 tour. Only six visiting players have faced more balls than Rahul’s tally in this series while opening the batting in a series in England.Rahul’s 532 runs are the most for any opener in a Test series in England in nearly 22 years and the second-highest for India behind Gavaskar’s 542 in 1979.

In conditions that called for experienced heads, the 21-year-old looked right at home

Karthik Krishnaswamy14-Jul-20231:29

Yashasvi Jaiswal continues his dream red-ball debuts

Fairytales aren’t supposed to feel inevitable, but those contradictory words may have collided in your brain while watching the West Indies-India Test on Thursday, when Yashasvi Jaiswal went from 99 to 100 with a shot off Alick Athanaze that was one-third sweep, one-third flick, and one-third pull.The fairytale aspect kicked in when Jaiswal pulled his helmet off, raised his arms, and grinned the stubble-free grin of a 21-year-old who still looks 18. It was at this point that it really sunk in, the fact that this fresh-faced youth was playing Test cricket for the first time.Until then you had watched the innings of an old pro. It had felt inevitable that he would get to three figures.Related

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This was remarkable, because conditions in Dominica were of the kind where centuries were possible but debut centuries unlikely. The pitch was slow, offering both turn and spongy bounce, and the outfield even slower. These were conditions where Virat Kohli went 80 balls before hitting his first boundary.These were conditions for old, experienced heads.And yet it had felt inevitable, once he had found his bearings, that Jaiswal would score a century.There have always been cricketers who arrive at the highest level with the promise of instant and overwhelming success. They may or may not live up to the promise, but there’s always something that sets them apart from the rest. With Pat Cummins it was the sense that he was the complete fast-bowling package, physically and mentally, at just 18. With Rohit Sharma, the man who crossed Jaiswal when he ran his century-completing single, it was the sense that he had an extra split-second to play his shots.With Jaiswal it isn’t primarily a visual thing – though there’s a pleasing naturalness to his game – but the feeling that he has an innate understanding not just of the mechanics of batting but the business of run-scoring as well. I mean, look at that first-class record. Before he got his India cap, he had averaged 80.21. He had reached the half-century mark 11 times in 26 innings, and gone on to score hundreds on nine of those 11 occasions. He could have made it 10 out of 11 had there been a little more time left in the game when he made an unbeaten 60-ball 66 in the fourth innings of Mumbai’s drawn Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu in January.Jaiswal had faced 200-plus balls in six first-class innings before this one. He clearly came to Test cricket with the physical and mental resources to play long innings.If most of your previous Jaiswal-watching experience had been in the IPL, his innings against West Indies was full of new revelations. The most remarkable thing about Jaiswal in the IPL is how little time he takes, in innings after innings, to start finding the gaps. In IPL 2023 he scored an astonishing 110 runs in first overs – more than a sixth of his season’s total of 625 – while striking at 174.60; the next-best strike rate among batters who scored at least 20 runs in first overs was 140.Yashasvi Jaiswal takes a bow after scoring a century on Test debut•Associated PressIn Dominica he batted with a lot less fluency, thanks to the slowness of the surface. He hit drives straight to fielders, he hit balls back to the bowler when he was looking to punch through the covers, and he was beaten while trying to sweep and getting through his shot too early – on one occasion the ball bounced more than expected and hit his helmet.But he shrugged these moments off, and faced up again with seemingly no thought in his head other than watching the ball. His technique allows him to watch the ball as well as anyone; his eyes always seem perfectly aligned, as if there’s a spirit level within his head. Balance flows downwards from the head, and while it’s a key ingredient for all batters, it’s particularly vital for a left-hand batter who faces a lot of bowling angled across him.Watching the ball closely with the steadiest of heads, Jaiswal was prepared to take as much time as he needed to score his runs. He took 16 balls to get off the mark. He began day two by shouldering arms five times in a row against Jason Holder. In all, he left alone or defended 82 of the 155 balls he faced from the fast bowlers.He was prepared to bide his time against spin as well. Having hit seven fours while scoring his first 51 runs off 104 balls, he hit no boundaries and scored just 19 runs off his next 80 balls, a period during which Rahkeem Cornwall and Jomel Warrican tested him and Rohit constantly with turn and bounce.Cornwall troubled Jaiswal more than any other West Indies bowler. In an innings where he achieved an overall control percentage of just under 87, he went at 75 against the big offspinner. The fact that Cornwall spent the second and third sessions off the field with a chest infection was one of the many things that made a Jaiswal century seem inevitable.Given the slowness of the pitch and the fact that West Indies, who had been bowled out for 150 on day one, were in damage-control mode for most of India’s innings, the biggest challenge Jaiswal faced may not have always come from the bowlers. Apart from Cornwall’s pre-lunch spell, Jaiswal’s technique was perhaps most tested during short bursts of short-pitched bowling from Alzarri Joseph, but the ball seldom rose above waist height, and usually lost most of its steam if it did.Often, Jaiswal’s main challenge seemed to be one of self-control. West Indies used nine bowlers, and their part-timers eventually sent down 24 of the 113 overs that India faced in the first two days. Against the four part-timers, Jaiswal scored 30 off 87 balls, hitting just one four. While they were less likely to get him out than the five frontline bowlers, he recognised that they were going to be no less difficult to score off, and made no special effort to force the pace against them.He was happy as long as he was still out there, batting. The runs he scored were the byproduct of his continued presence in the middle, as were the milestones and records he accumulated. By stumps, he had faced more balls than any of India’s previous debut centurions (though balls-faced data isn’t available for all their innings).And he is by no means done yet. Whether it’s this Test match or his career, Jaiswal has all the time in the world to keep filling his boots.