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West Indies batsman also learning to play the pull shot better

PTI10-Oct-20205:43

Hetmyer came out to bat with a gameplan – Dasgupta

Learning the art of playing a perfect pull shot from the peerless Ricky Ponting is a dream that Shimron Hetmyer is living during his stint with the Delhi Capitals. The West Indies batsman showed glimpses of his destructive self during his 24-ball-45 knock against Rajasthan Royals on Friday. The first of his five sixes was a pull shot executed to perfection.”It’s been fun to be around Ricky,” he told PTI. “A very good guy. He is right now working on my pull shot. He has observed that in last few games, people have been bowling short to me. So far he is working on my pulling and he has done one hell of a job with me. He is teaching me the art of being a better finisher and I am getting there gradually.”Hetmyer has been tasked to bat in the death overs at the Capitals, something he’s still coming to grips with. “The role of a floater is not something that I was accustomed to really. I am still working towards getting better with each and every game,” he said. “What I try to do now is to ensure that every game, I have to hit a six. At least, one six. Working towards that at moment.”.Hetmyer is a much better player of spinners among his Caribbean contemporaries, something he attributes to growing up in Guyana, which back in the day used to be one place that assisted slow bowlers.”It could be, yes I agree,” he said. “The pitches in Guyana are pretty similar to what we get here and in the Indian subcontinent with regards to spinners. I had no choice but to adjust to it and get better. Playing spinners from an early age helped me get better and then coming to international cricket, it helped that I was able to rotate strike if the sixes are not coming.”He is a couple of months short of his 24th birthday and has already become a vital player across formats for the West Indies. He admits to have been surprised at how quickly he has transitioned to where he is today.”Probably, I moved a bit faster (transition) than I expected to be honest,” he said. “I didn’t expect to be where I am at the age of 23 actually but I thank God everyday and all the people, my support system who have helped me to reach where I am today. There have been ups and downs. but ups mostly. I am working at getting better and finishing more games for my team or at least get them to winning positions.”A junior World Cup in his bag as a captain, does West Indies captaincy cross his mind? “I try not to think about West Indies captaincy that much. But if I am honest, it will always be at the back of my mind somewhere. Everyday, I wake up, I only think about cricket and get better at my game,” he said.Delhi Capitals’ core is pretty young with 23-year-olds Hetmyer, Rishabh Pant, 25-year-old skipper Shreyas Iyer, pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada who is also of same age and opener Prithvi Shaw, weeks short of his 21st birthday.Having peers around helps when one needs to stay put in a bio-bubble, which is not the case for fun-loving blokes in their early 20s.”It’s been pretty tough personally. I am someone who likes to go shopping and stuff. Being locked up and not being able to go out see this sights has been a little bit tough for me.”It’s been better, having good friends around, having a young team also helped me a little bit more free. Us being basically the same age group, it helps a lot to have all those guys around.”

After a long campaign filled with disappointment and frustration, Manchester United ended the 2023/24 season in triumph.

Erik ten Hag’s side played with belief and togetherness, which helped them lift the FA Cup over Manchester City while also securing them a spot in the Europa League for next season.

This wasn’t only a massive boost for the squad, but it also gave Sir Jim Ratcliffe a better chance at acquiring his targets, with the benefit of playing in Europe now also a selling point.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a long-term Man United target who could just become their own version of Phil Foden.

Man Utd’s search for a new attacker

As per a report from TEAMtalk, Man Utd will look to make Michael Olise one of their first signings under the reign of Ratcliffe.

At this moment in time, the Red Devils are “leading the race for him,” having already made numerous contacts with the French forward’s representatives. It’s stated talks will continue to take place over the coming weeks.

However, Chelsea are also desperate to make Olise one of the key players in their rebuild, which could become an issue for United.

Nonetheless, in order to drag the star away from Crystal Palace, teams must pay his £60m release clause, which may give United an advantage as the Blues could turn to alternatives.

How Olise compares to Foden

Man City’s Foden has truly developed into a world-class star over the last few seasons in particular, becoming a true winner who has led his club to continuous success.

The number 47 has been instrumental this season, especially in the top flight, helping City to their fourth consecutive title and claiming the Premier League Player of the Season award.

His contribution was certainly worthy of the honour, as the England international scored 19 goals and provided eight assists in 35 appearances.

This is the exact type of player that Ratcliffe desperately wants to sign for the Red Devils, one that can help transform the club, and Olise could just be that exact individual.

Goals

0.60

0.71

Assists

0.25

0.42

Shots

3.31

3.95

Key passes

2.30

2.54

Shot-creating actions

4.54

5.79

Carries into final third

2.49

3.53

Olise and Foden boasted very similar numbers in the league this season, with the Eagle even registering better statistics in a host of important areas. That’s rather remarkable considering the former doesn’t play for the best team in the world.

FBref classify the duo as similar players, which is mainly due to their ability to score and create, which makes them both elite talents, and of course, they have technical class in abundance.

There’s also the similarity that they both possess magical left feet, yet also boast the ability to use their weaker side to great effect, making them far more unpredictable to defend against.

However, what the previous statistics don’t display is that the “magic” Olise, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored ten goals and assisted six in just 14 starts, which is just two contributions behind Bruno Fernandes and four more than second-place Rasmus Hojlund.

Therefore, it’s clear that if the 22-year-old were to join, he’d have an enormous impact on the squad, in a similar manner to United’s noisy neighbours’ ace Foden.

Man Utd struck gold on exceptional star who's now worth more than Olise

The incredible talent could have an incredibly bright career ahead of him.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 9, 2024

Bowler faces disciplinary proceedings which could result in a longer absence from the game

George Dobell16-Jul-2020Jofra Archer’s decision to go home between Tests “could have been a disaster” which cost English cricket “tens of millions of pounds,” according to Ashley Giles.Archer was dropped from the England side for the second Test against West Indies after it emerged he had broken his journey between the Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford by making a brief but unauthorised visit to his home in Brighton.While Archer insists he was only at home for around an hour, he is understood to have had contact with at least one other individual. As a result, he exposed himself and, as a consequence, potentially everyone else involved in the series to an increased threat of the Covid-19 virus.Archer is currently in isolation in his hotel room at the ground in Manchester. He will not be allowed any face-to-face contact for five days. He is expected to be reintegrated into the full squad the day after the second Test is scheduled to end. The curtains in his hotel room, looking across the Old Trafford pitch, remained closed on Thursday.ALSO READ: Sibley and Stokes steel England after early dramaNow Giles, the managing director of the England men’s teams, says Archer will have to undergo a disciplinary process which could result in a longer absence from the game.”This could have been disaster,” Giles said. “The ripple effect from this small act could have cost us tens of millions of pounds.”The potential knock on effect I don’t think Jofra could have understood. We made it clear what we expected but maybe he did not quite understand.”There has to be consequence to every action and there will be a process we go through. There will be a disciplinary process. That is as much as I want to say on that as it is an employment matter.”But while Giles was clear that Archer had erred in his judgement, he was keen to record his support for a player he regards as “a great asset to this team”. And he made a distinction between the case of Archer and Alex Hales, who finds himself excluded from England’s limited-overs squad after a couple of disciplinary lapses. As Giles points out, this is Archer’s first such indiscretion.”That balance with support is equally important in this case,” Giles said. “We have all made mistakes. Jofra will learn from this. We will support him and move on.”I don’t think trust is something lost or gained over one incident. Jofra has been around in this team as long as I have. This is the first issue I have had with him. They [Archer and Hales] are different in that.”Jofra has been a very good addition to this team. He is fine young man, incredibly polite, works hard and is a great asset to this team. On this occasion he got it wrong.”Jofra Archer has been dropped for the second Test•Getty ImagesThe trip came to light when Archer mentioned it, in passing, to a member of the support staff at training on Wednesday. That member of the support staff felt it was their duty to inform the medical staff and from there matters escalated quite quickly. Some members of the team management were informed at around 10pm on Wednesday night, while the players were informed at 7.50am on the morning of the game.Archer claims he only saw one other person and they were quickly contacted and tested. The test result was negative.While the ECB regard the risk of virus transmission as low, they were concerned at the reaction of other touring teams. If any of those sides – not least Australia, who are understood to be on the brink of confirming their tour in September – conclude that the ECB’s protocols are not sufficient to ensure the safety of their players, there is a possibility they could call off their tours. That would have catastrophic consequences for the finances of the game in England and Wales.As a result, ECB officials held conversations with their counterparts at Cricket West Indies, the PCB, Cricket Ireland and Cricket Australia on Thursday. The ECB also contacted the DCMS (the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport), who sanctioned this series after the ECB satisfied them about their safety protocols and could, in an extreme case, withdraw their support. Nearly 50,000 people have died from the virus so far in the UK and the country is only now gradually emerging from lockdown.”We have a huge amount of respect for the West Indies coming here and playing this series,” Giles said. “And risk jeopardising all of that with one decision. We are responsible and accountable.”We are asking a lot of the players to stay in these environments for long periods, but it is for good reason. With help from the government and the opposition, these series were set up under these conditions with these protocols and everyone has to abide by them.”There has been some speculation over the policy of players driving their own cars between venues. The ECB insist this was based on medical advice as it avoids the necessity for players to spend hours on coach journeys breathing the same air.”The advice we had was that it would be safer to keep players away from each other,” Giles said. “If there were an infection and you have everyone on a bus, there would be a problem.”There have also been comparisons with the decision to allow Phil Simmons, the West Indies coach, to attend his father-in-law’s funeral during this tour. The key difference on that occasion is that Simmons’ trip was sanctioned in advance, so his return to the bio-secure bubble was overseen by medics. As a result, he spent five days in isolation and was twice tested for the virus before he was allowed to integrate with the rest of the squad. Archer, by contrast, trained with the squad on Tuesday and could, in a worst case scenario, have exposed them to the virus. Only after that session did his detour come to light.The identity of the person seen by Archer in Brighton remains unclear. While there has been some speculation that it was his Sussex and sometime England teammate Chris Jordan – the pair live in adjoining flats and are close friends – Jordan declined to confirm or deny the suggestion. Jordan is currently recovering from an operation on his right bicep that could keep him out of the entire season.”Jofra has demonstrated how sorry he is but it is clearly very disappointing for the whole group,” Giles said. “But he is a young man and young men make mistakes. He has to learn from it.”

Arsenal have now made a "formal" bid to sign a £52 million player, and he's even been called "perfect" for manager Mikel Arteta.

Edu planning Arsenal signing spree

Sporting director Edu is planning to make four key signings for the north Londoners this summer, and they're spread across a variety of areas in the squad.

Arsenal hold internal talks over signing trophy-laden £199,000-a-week ace

The Gunners are looking to shore up a key department.

ByEmilio Galantini May 14, 2024

From the defence to attack, it is believed that Edu wants to bring in a new goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward at Arsenal (Simon Collings), as they continue to build after what has been an impressive campaign – regardless of whether they win the Premier League or not.

There is a very serious case to be made that this current Man City team under Pep Guardiola are potentially the best footballing side England has ever seen, so even pushing them this far is an achievement in itself.

Arsenal 5-0 Chelsea

Sheffield United 0-6 Arsenal

Burnley 0-5 Arsenal

West Ham 0-6 Arsenal

Arsenal 5-0 Crystal Palace

Provided they beat Everton on the final day, Arsenal could finish the season on 89 points, which would've been enough to lift the title in 20 out of the last 31 seasons since the Premier League's inception (GiveMeSport).

The Gunners could be just one or two star additions away from near-invincibility, as some of their performances across 2023/2024 would highly suggest. Trimming and upgrading the squad is necessary, with this looming summer window set to be a crucial one at the Emirates Stadium.

Their midfield could look very different by next season. Arsenal are open to offers for Thomas Partey as he enters the final 12 months of his contract, while Mohamed Elneny appears set to leave north London as a free agent.

Arsenal have been linked with a host of potential replacements for the former, and one who's been regularly mentioned is Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi.

Arsenal now table formal bid to sign Martin Zubimendi

The Spaniard's contract includes a £52 million release clause, but it is believed Arsenal have attempted a low-ball proposal prior to the summer window's opening.

Indeed, according to Tutto Juve this week, Arsenal have tabled a "formal" £43 million offer for Zubimendi as they look to test Sociedad's resolve. This could apparently trigger an early bidding war between interested sides, but unfortunately for Juventus, they've already been priced out.

The 25-year-old has been in exceptional form for Sociedad, making 31 La Liga appearances as a mainstay under head coach Imanol Alguacil, and reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano believes he is the "perfect" midfielder for Arsenal.

“My personal feeling is that Zubimendi would be fantastic, even if [Amadou] Onana and Douglas [Luiz] have the advantage of both already knowing the Premier League," said Romano in an interview with CaughtOffside three months ago.

"Zubimendi is [a] fantastic player, he can help with his vision, quality and intelligence on the ball – he’s the perfect midfielder."

Since taking over as Arsenal manager in December 2019, Mikel Arteta has overseen huge changes within the squad. Out of the players in the first starting XI Arteta picked as Gunners boss, only Bukayo Saka is a key player now, with Reiss Nelson still a squad player at the club.

During Arteta’s tenure at the Emirates Stadium, the Premier League side have spent an extraordinary amount on transfers, £586.4m to be exact, on 29 players, including those on free transfers and loans.

Of these signings, Arsenal fans would surely consider around half of them to be a success, factoring in value for money and potential profit.

However, in the summer before Arteta joined, the Gunners spent around one-fifth of their total outgoings under Arteta. The £138m spent in the 2019/20 summer transfer window did not prove to be the best investment for Arsenal, aside from William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli.

The then-club record £72m deal for Nicolas Pepe did not work out, and he left on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract last summer. However, there is one more signing that summer whose move to Arsenal has not worked out how either party would have hoped.

Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal career in numbers

The man in question here is Scotland international Kieran Tierney. The left-back, who was 22 years of age at the time, joined Arsenal for £25m from Celtic in 2019 and signed a five-year deal at the Emirates.

He made 124 appearances for the Gunners in total, scoring five goals and registering 13 assists in that time. However, the left-back was sadly ravaged by injuries during his time at the Emirates Stadium.

2019/20

Shoulder

19

2020/21

Groin

2

2020/21

Knee

14

2021/22

Ankle

3

2021/22

Knee

10

2023/24

Hamstring

9

2023/24

Hamstring

6

Tierney has suffered seven separate cases of injury since 2019, which included a recurrence of a knee injury, an issue that later required surgery. In total, Tierney missed 52 games due to injury during his Arsenal career.

Although he struggled with fitness during in north London, the Scot did manage to win some silverware. The defender won the FA Cup in 2019/20, and the Community Shield twice, in 2020/21 and at the start of this season, when Arsenal beat Manchester City at Wembley.

What the future holds for Tierney in 2024

In the wake of his injuries and plenty of competition at left-back, Tierney departed last summer on a season-long loan to Spanish outfit Real Sociedad. So far, the 26-year-old has played 22 games, and has two assists, although he is yet to score.

Again, injuries have disrupted Tierney’s season so far. A recurring hamstring injury has led him to miss 19 games for Sociedad and Scotland this term, the same number of games he missed in his first year with Arsenal.

Tierney’s current contract expires in the summer of 2026, although Arsenal may well try to get his £110k-per-week deal off their books sooner. Tierney’s current weekly wage exceeds the amount key centre-back Gabriel earns. The Brazilian is currently on just £100k-per-week. It also exceeds Jurrien Timber, now one of Tierney's rivals at left-back. The Dutchman earns £90k-per-week in comparison.

According to TEAMtalk, Tierney has impressed those at Real Sociedad, however, who want to make the move permanent this summer. Alternatively, his boyhood side Celtic are interested in a move for their former left-back, with Aston Villa reportedly considering a move, too.

As per CIES Football Observatory, Tierney’s current value is just £8.5m, although the aforementioned report notes it would take a deal of £25m for the Scotland international to leave this summer, thus meaning Arsenal recoup the fee they paid for him.

Of course, there is every chance Tierney could stay at the Emirates Stadium another year, and fight for his place. With that being said, there is lots of competition for places at left-back for Arsenal, with the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Timber, who is set to return from injury, fighting it out for a starting spot.

It could well be the case that Tierney leaves the Gunners this summer, in search of regular first-team football. Where he would go remains to be seen, but if he can stay injury-free, there is little doubt a club would sign a quality left-back, once a winner of the Scottish Premiership’s Young Player of the Season award three times in a row.

£32m star should be fearing for his Arsenal career after Timber's return

Jurrien Timber returned to action with some aplomb for Arsenal’s U21 side.

ByMatt Dawson Apr 23, 2024

Newcastle United have been blessed with several terrific centre-forwards over the years at St. James' Park, ranging from the legendary Alan Shearer, to Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse, to Alexander Isak in the current day.

The Toon Army have had the pleasure of watching some superb goalscorers and scorers of great goals, particularly in the modern era, and two of them currently play for the first-team.

Callum Wilson, who scored 18 Premier League goals last season, and Isak, who has been on fire since his move to the club in the summer of 2022, are both fantastic centre-forwards for Eddie Howe.

Unfortunately, the Sweden international's sublime form has led to reported interest from elsewhere and he may now follow in the footsteps of Andy Carroll, who came through the academy before being sold for a gigantic fee after showcasing his goalscoring quality.

The Magpies struck gold with the England international as they cashed in for a mouth-watering amount of money, particularly when you adjust for the inflation of transfer fees in football over the subsequent years.

Andy Carroll's goalscoring record for Newcastle

The Gateshead-born number nine came up through the youth ranks on Tyneside as he graduate through the academy, which meant that the club did not have to pay a penny in transfer fees to sign him.

He made a smattering of first-team appearances during the 2006/07 campaign, with seven outings across the Premier League, UEFA Cup, and FA Cup, before being sent out on loan to Preston North End for the first half of the following season, where he scored one goal in 11 Championship games.

Over the subsequent 18 months, Carroll scored three goals in 18 Premier League appearances for the Magpies as they were eventually relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2008/09 season.

That drop down to the second tier allowed the centre-forward to thrive as he produced a stunning 17 goals and 12 assists in 39 league matches, including 33 starts, for Newcastle.

It was his real breakthrough season at senior level with a consistent supply of goals and assists from a centre-forward position to propel his hometown club back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

Carroll was then able to make the step up to the Premier League with a sensational return of 11 goals and three assists in 18 starts for the newly-promoted side during the first half of the 2010/11 campaign.

This meant that the Newcastle star, who averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.54 for the Magpies that term, had plundered an eye-catching 28 goals and 15 assists in 51 league starts in 18 months.

His sensational form in front of goal, as a regular scorer and creator of goals at both Championship and Premier League level, attracted interest from elsewhere, and Liverpool swooped in to sign him in January 2011.

How much Andy Carroll's move to Liverpool would be worth today

Per Totally Money, the English giants splashed out a whopping £36.9m to sign the then-22-year-old from Newcastle ahead of the second half of the season.

As per their index, which adjusts for inflation in football since the original fee was paid, that deal for Carroll would be worth a mind-boggling £101.6m in 2024, which highlights how big of a move it was for the academy graduate at the time.

Newcastle struck gold with that transfer for multiple reasons. Firstly, they brought through an academy star for £0 and turned him into a mega-money asset, who also helped them with his superb goalscoring exploits on the pitch.

Secondly, his form after moving on from St. James' Park in 2011 suggests that they hit the jackpot by cashing in on the centre-forward when they did.

Premier League form post-Newcastle
Andy Carroll	Appearances	Goals	Assists
2010/11 (Liverpool)	7	2	0
2011/12 (Liverpool)	35	4	3
2012/13 (Liverpool & West Ham)	26	7	4
2013/14 (West Ham)	15	2	5
2014/15 (West Ham)	14	5	1
Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Carroll struggled badly in front of goal in the five seasons after his exit from Newcastle, for the aforementioned staggering fee.

The 6 foot 4 giant produced 11 goals and six assists in 58 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool before they eventually sold him to West Ham in the summer of 2013 for a fee Totally Money's index has valued at £28.8m in today's money, and £15.7m at the time.

This shows that Newcastle hit the jackpot with the towering centre-forward as they cashed in on him at the perfect time, before his value plummeted by over £70m in 2024 money within less than three years.

Interest in Alexander Isak

It was recently reported by Football Insider that Premier League giants Arsenal, who are currently in the race to secure the title, are interested in Newcastle forward Isak in the present day.

The outlet stated that they are under pressure to abide by the division's financial obligations due to their spending in recent windows, and that they may have to cash in on the Sweden international if they want to make a splash in the market to improve their squad.

This means that the £63m club-record signing from Real Sociedad could be the next Toon marksman to make a big-money move to another Premier League side, as Carroll did when he made the switch to Anfield.

Like the English striker, Isak has proven his quality in the Premier League for the Magpies with his fantastic performances in front of goal since his move to the club.

Premier League form
Alexander Isak	22/23 season	23/24 season
Appearances	22	20
Starts	17	17
xG	8.30	10.93
Goals	10	12
Big chances missed	5	12
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old dynamo has scored 22 goals in just 34 league starts for Newcastle in less than two full seasons at the club so far.

He has overperformed his xG by roughly three goals, which speaks to the Arsenal target's efficient finishing, and it is easy to see why there is interest in his services ahead of the summer transfer window.

Howe may want to keep hold of his star forward but if an offer that is too good to refuse comes in, as was the case with Carroll, then the Magpies could have to entertain the idea of selling him.

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has cracked a Scandinavian “summer” joke when using a cryo chamber during his recovery from injury.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Danish forward injured against Arsenal
• Now nursing a hamstring complaint
• Doing everything to recover full fitness

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Denmark international Hojlund has picked up a hamstring problem during the Red Devils’ pre-season tour of the United States. He was among the goals in a defeat to Arsenal in Los Angeles, but ended up limping out of that contest.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Hojlund has been joined on the sidelines by big-money summer signing Leny Yoro, with a broken metatarsal in his left foot set to keep the teenage defender out of action for around three months. With Erik ten Hag seeing his options depleted, efforts are being made to dip back into the transfer market.

• WHAT HOJLUND SAID

  Hojlund is hoping that he will not be out for long, with every effort being made to recover full fitness as quickly as possible. That programme includes subjecting his body to extreme cold in a cryotherapy pod, but the 21-year-old has shrugged off that physical test by saying on social media: “Don’t worry. In Scandinavia we call this summer.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  United splashed out £72 million ($92m) on Hojlund in the summer of 2023. He registered 16 goals during his debut campaign at Old Trafford – a personal best return – and will be eager to push towards and above 20 if he can steer clear of more fitness setbacks in the 2024-25 season.

Liverpool are "particularly" interested in signing a "world-class" player in the summer transfer window, even tabling an offer for him, according to a new update.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds have been linked with numerous potential signings of late, as they look to add fresh faces to an already strong squad for the incoming manager this summer.

Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is reportedly wanted by Liverpool, with the Dutchman publicly admitting he wants to seal a move away from the Serie A side at the end of the season. Xabi Alonso is believed to be an admirer of his, meaning he could target him if the Spaniard replaces Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

A centre-back is also on the cards for the Merseysiders, especially with Joel Matip expected to move on once his contract expires in the summer, and Juve defender Gleison Bremer has reportedly been offered to them, as well as other Premier League clubs.

Perhaps the most exciting recent rumour has been the one linking Real Madrid star Rodrygo with a move to Liverpool in the summer window, as the Reds look to make an audacious swoop for arguably one of Europe's best young attacking players. The La Liga side are not entertaining the idea of allowing him to leave at the moment, but it seems FSG and Edwards are keen to add to the attacking ranks.

Liverpool have tabled offer for "world-class" ace

According to journalist Fabio Santini [via Paisley Gates], Liverpool have tabled an offer for Federico Chiesa, showing genuine interest in signing the Juventus attacker this summer:

Chiesa is no stranger to interest from Liverpool, with the Reds seen as contenders to sign him for some time now, and it is easy to see why they are admirers.

The 26-year-old played a big role in Italy winning Euro 2020, scoring twice in the competition, and he has also accumulated a total of 86 goal contributions (45 goals and 41 assists) in 226 appearances in Serie A, which has been achieved through impressive spells at both Fiorentina and Juve. Meanwhile, Alessandro Pierini is so impressed that he has called him "world-class" in the past.

"He’s world-class. He has all the ability and desire of a great player. If he improves then he’ll be even better than his father [Enrico]. I have loads of respect for Enrico and all he has done to help Federico come on as a player until now."

Liverpool hit jackpot with a "beast" who's now worth more than Salah

Anfield is starting to see the true quality of this top-class Klopp signing.

ByAngus Sinclair Mar 26, 2024

Admittedly, Liverpool look extremely well-stocked in attack currently, with other positions more important to strengthen in, but Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz are the only genuine wide players – Ben Doak is a long-term prospect – so Chiesa could provide great competition on either flank.

Bangladesh’s cricketers have decided not to participate in any cricket activity for the foreseeable future until their demands for the improvement of cricket in the country are met. The immediate impact of their action will be on the National Cricket League first-class tournament, currently in progress, the training camp for next month’s tour of India, and possibly the tour itself.ALSO READ: BCB takes charge of next edition of BPL after fallout with team ownersThe players released a list of 11 demands, including a reversal of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s decision last month to abandon the Bangladesh Premier League’s franchise-based model. Those present at the press conference, at the National Cricket Academy in Dhaka, included Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah.”Everything is included,” Shakib said, when asked specifically about the pre-tour camp. “Apart from the Under-19s and the other age-group teams, all first-class and national teams are included. From today. From the National Cricket League to first-class, national team preparations, internationals… everything is included.”ALSO READ: ‘BPL not the place to make a player’ – ShakibNizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB chief executive, said the board would react only once the demands are presented to them formally and they know the details.Asked what response they anticipated from the board, Shakib said solutions would be found when the demands were met or discussed. “When the demands are met, normal service will resume,” he said. “All of us want cricket to improve. Some of us will play for another ten years, some for four-five years, but we want to create a good environment for the players who will come after us, so Bangladesh cricket can move forward.”The state of cricket in the country had triggered simmering discontent among the players, which led to a number of them coming together and putting together a list of demands/grievances, which are as follows:

• The leadership of the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh must step down immediately, as the president and vice-president are both BCB directors. The players will vote to elect the next committee
• The Dhaka Premier League must go back to its former avatar, where players had the option of choosing the teams they wanted to play for and could negotiate their salaries with the clubs
• The Bangladesh Premier League must return to its earlier franchise-based model, and local players must be allowed to have similar base prices as overseas players
• The salaries in first-class cricket are too low; they must be increased to Tk 1 lakh (US$ 1200 approx.) per match [a hike of around 300%]
• Gyms, indoor nets, grounds, etc must be improved across the country, and the teams should have round-the-year coaches and physios. Quality of balls and daily allowances to players must also improve, and the team hotels must be above one- or two-star standards, with gyms and swimming pools
• The number of centrally contracted players must be increased to 30, and the retainers should go up too
• Salaries of groundsmen, local coaches, umpires, physios and trainers must be raised to professionalise the system
• There are two domestic first-class tournaments, but one each for one-day cricket and T20 cricket; one more one-day and T20 tournament must be introduced
• A proper calendar for domestic tournaments must be put in place
• The pending payments from the Dhaka Premier League should be cleared by the stipulated time
• When free of national or domestic duties, players must be allowed more than two NOCs to play in overseas franchise leagues

Shakib clarified that women cricketers were not included in the developments but added that they were welcome to join. “We haven’t been able to include the women cricketers here, because it was done in a rush,” he explained. “If they have any demands, they are most welcome to join us. I am sure they have grievances too. If they come to us and join us, we will be able to put forward their demands too.”BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus seemed amenable to the players’ wants but was worried about how everything has played out.”Is this a step to destabilise our cricket? This is also a question now. The whole scenario is a surprise to us,” he told . “Most of their demands are logical — with none being such that cannot be met. And most of their demands have or are already being implemented. For instance, their demand for BPL to go back to being a franchisee-based league, is already being implemented as we already mentioned that this edition of BPL is a special edition [with the tournament run by the board without any franchises]. And all their other demands are also negotiable.”However, this whole 11-point demand came as a surprise and a shock because they never came to us [the BCB] with the demands before; instead they went straight to the media with an ultimatum which is quite alarming for Bangladesh cricket.”

Folarin Balogun is urging faith with the USMNT after their Copa America flop, with the striker confidently predicting an “exciting future”.

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United States struggled at major tournamentBuilding towards a home World Cup in 2026 Monaco striker believes progress will be madeGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States failed to live up to expectations at a major tournament on home soil, as they crashed out of continental competition at the group stage. They did claim a 2-0 victory over Bolivia, but failed to reach the knockout rounds after coming unstuck against Panama and Uruguay.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Plenty of uncomfortable questions have been asked on the back of a disappointing display on the grandest of international stages, with Gregg Berhalter’s position as head coach seemingly under threat. Underperforming players also need to prove their worth heading towards the 2026 World Cup.

WHAT BALOGUN SAID

Balogun believes positive progress will be made down that path, posting on Instagram when reflecting on the past and throwing things forward into the future: “A time for huge reflection, but firstly I will like to thank all the fans who supported us through-out this tournament despite us not meeting our shared expectations. I am grateful for the love you all showed and I urge the American soccer community… Please keep believing in what we are building. This is only the beginning for this team and together we have an exciting future ahead. See you in the fall!”

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WHAT NEXT?

The United States have plenty of time in which to get their house in order before taking to the field again. They are not due to be back in action until facing Canada in a friendly on September 7. It remains to be seen who will be at the helm by then, and which players will be selected to open another sporting chapter.