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Crystal Palace host Arne Slot’s Liverpool at Selhurst Park this afternoon looking to secure their first Premier League win of the 2024/25 campaign.

After an excellent end to last season, Oliver Glasner had huge expectations of leading the Eagles to a top-half finish this season, but up to now it’s not been plain sailing for the 50-year-old.

The first six games have seen three draws and three wins, with the latest outing seeing a 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park – in a frustrating afternoon for Palace.

Glasner’s side have only picked up two wins this season, both coming in the Carabao Cup against Norwich City and QPR, with today’s test providing another opportunity for the Eagles to secure their first league victory since May.

However, the Reds have only lost once this season, falling to a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at Anfield, with Glasner’s side hoping to replicate the feat of Nuno Espírito Santo’s outfit this weekend.

If Palace are to cause an upset at Selhurst Park this afternoon, one player may need to make way after a string of below-par performances since his summer transfer.

Why Nketiah could be dropped against Liverpool

Striker Eddie Nketiah moved to Palace in a £30m deal from Arsenal during the summer transfer window, hoping to add further goals to the frontline alongside Jean-Philipe Mateta.

Despite starting all three Premier League games since his big-money transfer, the 25-year-old is yet to find the back of the net, with his only goal coming in the cup victory over QPR last month.

His latest outing against Everton also failed to impress, with Nketiah losing nine duels and committing three fouls during the defeat before subsequently being replaced with 20 minutes remaining in the contest.

Minutes played

73

Touches

33

Shots taken

2

Possession lost

3x

Duels lost

9

Fouls committed

3

Whilst his transfer fee shows the trust shown in him by Glasner to be a hit at Selhurst, he’s yet to demonstrate why the club forked out £30m for his services, potentially needing to be taken out of the starting eleven for him to recapture his best form.

As a result, he could be replaced by one player who’s yet to make a league start for the club after his own move during the offseason.

The man who could replace Nketiah against Liverpool

Ismaila Sarr swapped Marseille for London this summer, joining Palace in a £12.5m deal to add more firepower to Glasner’s attack.

Reinforcements were desperately needed after Michael Olise completed his own big-money transfer to European giants Bayern Munich, with Sarr one player the club decided to bring to plug the gap.

However, he’s yet to make a Premier League start for his new side, with the “top-class” talent, as described by journalist Rob Blanchette, often having to make an impact from the substitutes bench.

He’s previously impressed from such a position, coming on at the break against Manchester United, completing two dribbles, whilst winning four duels and winning two fouls, with his direct nature providing a different option in the final third.

Given the club’s recent poor form in the league, Sarr – who has 16 goals and assists in 55 Premier League games following his prior stint at Watford – deserves the opportunity to showcase his talent and potentially end the long wait for a first top-flight victory this season.

His pace and direct dribbling could cause problems for Slot’s backline, with the Senegalese international previously starring for the Hornets against the Reds – ending their 18-game winning run back in February 2020.

Hopefully, he can inflict more pain on the Merseysiders this time around.

Crystal Palace wanted to sign £15m PL flop but ended up with Mateta

Palace nearly ended up with PL flop, but got Mateta instead

ByConnor Holden Oct 3, 2024

Leeds United are back in action this afternoon in the Championship as they travel away from Elland Road to take to the field against Cardiff City.

The Whites are looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Scott Parker’s Burnley last time out in West Yorkshire, thanks to a first-half strike from Luca Koleosho.

It was their first loss of the season in the Championship, having drawn two and won two of their opening four games, and Daniel Farke will be hoping that his team responds strongly.

The German head coach could be forced into making at least one change from the starting XI that was selected against the Clarets, though, due to injury.

Leeds United injury latest

In his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Farke revealed that Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon is a ‘major doubt’ for the clash with Cardiff.

The winger has a back injury and may not be fit enough to be available for selection in Wales, which would leave the left wing position open for another player to come in.

He started the defeat to Burnley and was partially at fault for Koleosho’s goal after slipping up inside the opposition half and gifting the ball to the young winger.

Meanwhile, Joe Rodon, Junior Firpo, and Joe Rothwell are all expected to be in contention to feature despite dealing with their own respective injury issues.

Farke could, though, ease the blow of potentially losing Solomon to injury by finally unleashing Largie Ramazani from the start against Cardiff.

Why Largie Ramazani should be unleashed

The Whites swooped to sign the Belgian winger from Spanish side Almeria following on from the departure of Crysencio Summerville during the summer transfer window.

However, the former Manchester United academy prospect has yet to make his full debut for Leeds, having been used as a substitute against Hull and Burnley – completing 100% of his attempted passes in both matches.

Solomon provided an assist, for Mateo Joseph, on his debut against the Tigers with a terrific near-post cross from the left wing and Ramazani has the potential to brilliantly replace the Israel international’s creativity on the flank.

The right-footed starlet, who was once described as “electric” and a counter-attacking “weapon” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, played in LaLiga for Almeria, as they were relegated from the division, and showed great promise as a creative threat.

Appearances

29

Starts

16

Goals

3

Big chances created

10

Assists

5

As you can see in the table above, Ramazani created an eye-catching ten ‘big chances’ in just 16 starts in the Spanish top-flight, to go along with three goals.

The Leeds whiz was let down by his wasteful teammates, though, as they did not make the most of his creativity, scoring five goals from those chances.

These statistics suggest that the potential is there for the Belgian gem to unlock Cardiff this afternoon by creating high-quality opportunities for the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Joseph, Joel Piroe, and Wilfried Gnonto, which is why he could ease the blow of losing Solomon to injury.

Left for £7m: Orta struck gold by selling Leeds star who's now worth £843k

The Whites played a blinder by cashing in on the “bombastic” ace.

2 ByDan Emery Sep 18, 2024

Peshawar suffer more final heartache as they fell well short in tall chase

Sreshth Shah24-Jun-2021In the final for the first time, Multan Sultans completed one of the great turnarounds in a franchise cricket season to lift their maiden title by comprehensively defeating Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL 2021 final.Two blistering half-centuries from Sohaib Maqsood and Rilee Rossouw made them favourites at the halfway mark, after which regular wickets at key intervals saw off the Zalmi challenge. Although the tournament’s highest wicket-taker Shahnawaz Dahani finished wicketless, the others stepped up on the final day. Blessing Muzarabani and Imran Khan took two wickets each at economies of under seven, and the ageless Imran Tahir collected three.Sultans started the second leg of the PSL fifth on the points table – having lost four of their first five matches – but led by their captain Mohammad Rizwan, went on to win four of the next five to finish the league stage second. They then swatted the Islamabad United challenge in the first qualifier and the win in the final was the crowning glory in their magnificent UAE leg of the season.For Zalmi, it was the third time in the last four seasons that they faltered in the final. They failed to capitalise after keeping Sultans quiet for the first half of the first innings, and their hero of the two eliminators Hazratullah Zazai faced only five balls. Those factors, coupled with the lack of a big partnership a la Maqsood and Rossouw, resulted in the 47-run defeat for Wahab Riaz’s men.Masood, Rizwan fall after blossoming startSent in to bat, it was a slow start for Sultans. Openers Shan Masood and Rizwan were kept quiet by Sameen Gul and Mohammad Irfan in the opening overs, and it was as late as the fourth over that the acceleration began. It was kickstarted by Rizwan as he drove Irfan for a four and then pulled him for six. Masood then cut and flicked Gul for three fours to take Sultans to 42 after the Powerplay, and it seemed the base was set for both batters to continue their assault.However, Masood, on 37, fell victim to a Mohammad Imran slower ball in the ninth over and saw his off stump shattered and Rizwan soon followed when he chopped a wide ball from the same bowler to the wicketkeeper. From 66 for no loss, Sultans had swiftly fallen to 83 for 2, and only nine overs remained in the innings.Maqsood, Rossouw put on a showIt was just a few hours earlier that Maqsood was added to the Pakistan T20I squad travelling to England following news of Haider Ali’s bio-bubble breach, and the batter showed why he had been called up.He began by hitting Riaz for four and six off the first two balls of the 13th and bookended the over with another boundary. He then showed power and finesse in the 15th by hammering Imran for a six over long-on and playing a reverse pat for four behind square. Off Imran’s next over he got inside the line to place a four behind square, following it up with a powerful six over extra cover. By the time the 17th over was done, he had raced away to a 23-ball fifty – his fifth half-century of the season – and celebrated his return to the national set-up after five years.But while Maqsood’s big shots were a sight to behold, there was another man causing equal damage at the other end. Rossouw started his innings with a first-ball four, and that was the tempo he played with all innings. Sandwiched between Maqsood’s assault of Riaz and Imran, he smacked two sixes and a four in a 20-run 14th over from Amad Butt. He started the over by punching Butt down the ground for four. Next ball, he scooped a six over long leg and a few balls later deposited Butt for six over square leg. Rossouw eventually fell for a 21-ball 50, but by then the 44-ball stand of 98 had demoralised the Zalmi bowlers and had Sultans dreaming of 200.And 200 would be breached in the final over. Maqsood survived a caught after Butt’s waist-high full toss was deemed a no-ball, after which the free hit was deposited over long-on. Then came a fortuitous six, as Sherfane Rutherford failed to take a clean catch at the straight boundary. By the end of the innings Maqsood finished unbeaten on 65 in 35 balls, Sultans had reached 206, and Zalmi needed to pull off a record chase after conceding 116 runs in their last eight overs.Akmal keeps Zazai at the non-striker’sZazai’s back-to-back half-centuries in the two eliminators had dragged Zalmi to the final, but on the night he faced only three balls in the first five overs. While Kamran Akmal kept finding occasional boundaries in the opening salvo of the chase, he struggled to get the singles, starving his in-form partner of the strike. By the time Zalmi had reached 36 in five overs, Akmal had scored all those runs.The first time Zazai faced the first ball of an over was the last over of the Powerplay, delivered by Muzarabani. It started by Zazai swatting a length ball over square leg for six in what seemed like an ominous sign for Sultans but Muzarabani returned with a slower ball, angling away, that Zazai was tempted to cut over the off side. However, all he could get was an as thick edge, and Masood at point gobbled it up. Imran Khan then sent Akmal packing by bowling a length ball on off that stayed a bit low and shattered the batter’s stumps.Malik and Rutherford try their bestWith Malik and half-centurion from Eliminator 2 Jonathan Wells around, Zalmi still had enough in the tank to pull the chase off. But boundaries after the Powerplay dried up, and in an attempt to take a second run against Rossouw’s arm at long-on, Wells was run out at the bowler’s end for a 13-ball 6. In the five overs after the Powerplay, Zalmi could add only 27.But in Zalmi, the four-time finalists, there was still some fight left. Malik pumped Imran for six and four after surviving being caught off a front-foot no-ball and then hammered Tahir for sixes over long-on and long-off in the 14th over that went for 21.However, Malik was caught on 48, and while Rutherford kept scything away at deliveries that were in his arc, it was Tahir – the 42-year-old Tahir – who finally broke Zalmi’s back. The West Indian looked to slog Tahir over deep midwicket, only to top edge it for Rizwan to swallow. That had Tahir running towards the dugout, and he would do that two more times in the over. By the time the 18th over was starting off, the remaining Sultans squad members were already standing shoulder to shoulder to run in for the celebrations.

Sunderland have suffered a huge blow with the news that an "amazing" player is open to leaving the club, with one of their Championship rivals hovering for his signature.

Sunderland Rohl past Sheffield Wednesday

The Black Cats faced an in-form Sheffield Wednesday side on Sunday afternoon, but Regis Le Bris' men produced a wonderful performance at the Stadium of Light. Despite the Owls' own impressive redemption story under Danny Rohl, Sunderland simply had too much quality for them, blowing them away in the first half and leading 3-0 at the break, thanks to an opening header from Dennis Cirkin and further goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Luke O'Nien.

Mayenda then added his second of the afternoon, putting the icing on the cake on a performance that saw so many players shine, including Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg, Patrick Roberts and Jack Clarke.

The early signs of life under Le Bris are hugely encouraging for Sunderland and their supporters, with maximum points gained from their opening two Championship matches this season, but keeping hold of their star men will be vital to their promotion hopes. Now, a big update has emerged regarding one such figure.

"Amazing" Sunderland player open to leaving

According to a new report from Football Insider, Sunderland could lose Clarke this summer after he rejected a new deal, with Leeds United keen on signing him.

The Whites are "in the market for a proven forward before the transfer window closes after Crysencio Summerville’s exit and Georginio Rutter’s soon-to-be-completed Brighton move". The 23-year-old is a strong option for them and is "open" to a return to Elland Road.

Losing Clarke this summer would be an almighty blow for Sunderland and Le Bris, considering what an influential performer he is, providing so much wizardry and end product from his left-sided attacking role.

The Englishman was sensational against Wednesday over the weekend, running their defenders ragged and wowing with his technical ability. He completed 100% of his dribbles, created one big chance and also registered an assist, showing exactly why the Black Cats must do all they can to keep hold of him.

Former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has lauded Clarke in the past, too, further highlighting why seeing him move to Leeds would be so hard to take: "He was amazing tonight. Scored two great goals, earned the penalty, he stuck it away, which shows the confidence level he’s got to stand up and take the penalty, and the composure for his second goal.

"But not just the goal. The more the game went on, the more this team knows to give it to Clarke who can run it 40 yards up the pitch, he can cut inside, pass it to people in the box, he can shoot."

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ByKelan Sarson Aug 17, 2024

The biggest issue Sunderland have is that Clarke doesn't appear to see his long-term future at the club, and is open to leaving after turning down the contract offer, and having an unhappy player in the ranks can ultimately be an issue. The hope is that he has a change of heart, though, but Le Bris may be resigned to losing one of his best players right before the transfer deadline.

Tottenham are keeping a close eye on a former Premier League defender as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of the transfer window slamming shut.

Spurs stumble in season opener

Ange Postecoglou's side looked as though they were set to thrash Leicester City on Monday night as they rounded off the first weekend of Premier League action, but were wasteful and duly punished by evergreen striker Jamie Vardy, which forced them to settle for a draw at the King Power Stadium.

"It is a disappointing outcome. We were very dominant first half but really wasteful in front of goal. We started the second half similar", Postecoglou explained after the game.

"But you know at 1-0 there is always an opportunity for the opposition to come back into the game. That's what happened and we lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes. We lost our composure and the crowd got behind them, but again we finished strong.

"I am just really disappointed as we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third and made some poor decisions. We lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved."

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jul 12, 2024

So far, Spurs have added six new faces to their ranks this summer, breaking their transfer record to bring Dominic Solanke to the club and also shelling out on Championship talents Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert from Leeds United and Burnley respectively.

Tottenham's transfers this summer (via Transfermarkt)

Player

Fee

Dominic Solanke

€64.3m

Archie Gray

€41.25m

Wilson Odobert

€29.3m

Lucas Bergvall

€10m

Min-Hyeok Yang

€4m

Timo Werner

Loan

Now, they have been linked to add another in the final days of the transfer window in a surprise move.

Tottenham and Man Utd eyeing move for Barcelona defender

That comes courtesy of reports from Spanish outlet Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, who claim that Spurs are one of the sides keeping tabs on Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen in what they describe as a surprise target.

The ex-Chelsea man is on the market as Barcelona look to trim their squad, with the report revealing that both the Dane and Eric Garcia are candidates to depart before the end of the transfer window, depending on the offers received for the pair.

Though Barcelona want to make more signings, they must sell first and value Christensen at €25m (£21.2m), while some reports claim that they cannot even register new signing Dani Olmo until they have made further sales.

This mess has caught the eye of Manchester United and Tottenham, both of whom are said to be "on the lookout" for the Danish defender and could move before the end of the summer window.

As it stands, Tottenham have Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven and Radu Dragusin on their books, as well as out of favour defender Ben Davies and young talent Ashley Phillips, who is expected to leave on loan in the final days.

Though his Chelsea links may well count against him, should Spurs be able to land favourable terms for the Danish international, it could be a shrewd move with Postecoglou's side back in Europa League action this season and likely to need more cover at the back.

Tottenham's Ange Postecoglou explained how Pep Guardiola has revolutionised football after the coach extended his Manchester City contract.

Article continues below

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• Guardiola signs new Man City deal
• Postecoglou says Spaniard's level is "ridiculous"
• Other managers "trying to mow him down"

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Spaniard put pen to paper on a new two-year deal at City this week, which will extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium to 11 years. Ahead of Tottenham's trip to the defending Premier League champions this weekend, Spurs boss Postecoglou says it's "fantastic" for the division that Guardiola has signed a new contract.

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• AFP
  

  WHAT ANGE POSTECOGLOU SAID

  He told reporters: "It is great that Pep has re-signed. It is fantastic for the Premier League. He keeps setting the standard which is great for all of us trying to mow him down.

  "I think in many varied and different ways. One is through a sustained excellence. It is not easy to win in different countries and I know that he has been at big clubs but again, as we have seen recently, that is not necessarily transferable to winning things all the time. You still have to do it.

  "So he has maintained a ridiculous level of excellence. The way his team plays, they are always challenging every opponent they face and just his energy to maintain that for so long is outstanding. He will go down as one of the greats already but the indication that he has resigned probably means that there is more to come."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Many would have secretly hoped Guardiola left City next summer when his contract was set to expire in the hope their teams could topple them from their perch. But the 53-year-old is not going anywhere for now and is intent on winning even more trophies to add to his already illustrious managerial career.

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• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Guardiola's City, who sit second in the Premier League, host Postecoglou's Tottenham, who are down in 10th, at the Etihad on Saturday evening.

After beating Real Madrid in the race to sign Leny Yoro earlier this summer, Manchester United are now reportedly moving in an attempt to lure another young central defender away from the La Liga giants' grasp.

Man Utd transfer news

The Red Devils proved they mean business by signing Yoro, offering Lille and the defender money that Real Madrid were ultimately unwilling to match. With Noussair Mazraoui also reportedly on his way, those at Old Trafford are set to round off the summer transfer window on a high just as the new Premier League campaign rolls around.

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The Red Devils could land an attacking reinforcement…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Aug 3, 2024

Aiming to avoid a repeat of their deal to sign Casemiro in 2022 by focusing more on stars for the future, United could yet form the beginning of a future centre-back partnership in the coming weeks. Yoro, still just 18 years old, is on a one-way course to the heart of Erik ten Hag's backline, but he will need a player of a similar calibre to work alongside, which is where a Real Madrid gem could come in.

According to AS, Manchester United are now moving to sign Joan Martinez from Real Madrid. The defender is certainly one for the future, but the fact he idolises Madrid legend Sergio Ramos may make it difficult to tempt him into a Premier League switch. Coming through the ranks since 2023, those at the Bernabeu would be losing a young defender at the same time they've just failed to sign another gem in the form of Yoro.

As for Manchester United, who are racing to sign Martinez alongside Chelsea, they may well deal a second blow in the same summer to the European champions in what would be quite the statement. As the season approaches, the young centre-back is one to watch.

"Dominant" Martinez is destined for the top

Still just 16 years old and attracting interest from Manchester United whilst already coming through the ranks at Madrid, Martinez seems destined to play among the very best for years to come. Earning plenty of high praise in the early stages of his career, analyst Ben Mattinson described the United target as "dominant with excellent timed aggression".

From a club often accused of poor planning, United have already shown signs of becoming a side that looks ahead to the future when it comes to incomings this summer, highlighting the solid work of Dan Ashworth since taking the sporting director role.

Luring a talented youngster away from a club of Madrid's stature would be the ultimate statement that the Red Devils are ready to finally begin their journey back to the top of European and English football, making the pursuit of Martinez one to watch.

خاض فريق آينتراخت فرانكفورت، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، مباراته في بطولة الدوري الألماني موسم 2024/25، ضد خصمه فريق فرايبورج.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة السابعة عشر من الدوري الألماني على ملعب “دوتش بانك بارك” حيث فاز آينتراخت فرانكفورت بنتيجة 1/4. أهداف مباراة فرانكفورت وفرايبورج اليوم في الدوري الألماني

وكاد عمر مرموش أن يسجل هدفًا لصالح فرانكفورت في الدقيقة الرابعة، بعدما استحوذ على الكرة من الناحية اليسرى وراوغ جيدًا وسدد كرة من على حدود المنطقة، ولكن جاءت أعلى المرمى.

وحظى مرموش برقابة دفاعية قوية من جانب لاعبي فرايبورج، حيث شتتوا الكثير من الفرص بعدما حاول الوصول إلى منطقة جزاء الضيوف.

طالع أيضا | ترتيب هدافي الدوري الألماني بعد هدف مرموش أمام فرايبورج

وتمكن فرايبورج من تسجيل هدفه الأول في شباك آينتراخت فرانكفورت، في الدقيقة 37 عن طريق اللاعب ريتسو داون.

وحول مرموش خطورته إلى أسيست قبل نهاية الشوط الأول، بعدما صنع هدف تعادل فرانكفورت الذي سجله زميله روبن كوخ برأسية بعد عرضية مميزة من المصري، في الدقيقة 43. 

وكاد مرموش أن يسجل الهدف الثاني لصالح لفرانكفورت، في الدقيقة 50، ولكن تسديدته للكرة جاءت ضعيفة، ووصلت سهلة إلى يد حارس مرمى فرايبورج.

وتمكن مرموش من تسجيل الهدف الثاني لفريق فرانكفورت، في الدقيقة 65، بعدما سدد كرة اصطدمت بالدفاع، وارتدت من جديد لتصل إليه، ويهز الشباك.

وعزز هوجو إيكتيكي تفوق فرانكفورت بعدما سجل الهدف الثالث، من هجمة مرتدة حيث انفرد بالمرمى، وهز الشباك في الدقيقة 71.

وفي الدقيقة 81، عاد مرموش إلى الصناعة بعدما صنع الهدف الرابع لفريقه، فرانكفورت، وسجله زميله كولينز.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد فرانكفورت إلى 33 نقطة في المركز الثالث، بينما تجمد رصيد فرايبورج عند 27 نقطة في المركز السابع.

Allrounder gets through 16.5 overs on second day in absence of Kasun Rajitha and Dhananjaya de Silva

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Dec-2020

Dasun Shanaka is a batting allrounder but had to toil with the ball•AFP via Getty Images

Dasun Shanaka batted well with the tail to complete his first Test fifty on the second morning of the Centurion Test, and yet, his more significant contribution so far may have been with the ball. Shanaka is a batting allrounder but was required to deliver almost 17 overs after two Sri Lanka bowlers – a third of their serious bowling resources – were unavailable through injury.Sri Lanka are unwilling to elaborate on the extent of Kasun Rajitha’s groin injury, believing that hiding that information confers a competitive advantage – however miniscule. But the early signs are that Rajitha, one of Sri Lanka’s three frontline seamers, will bowl no more than the 13 deliveries he bowled in this Test. With Dhananjaya de Silva’s offspin also officially unavailable due to a grade two tear in his thigh, Shanaka may have a heavy bowling workload through the course of this game.”Kasun Rajitha’s injury is really going to affect us – we all know how well he bowled on the last tour here,” Shanaka said at the end of day two at Centurion. Rajitha, it is worth remembering, took nine wickets at 23.22 on Sri Lanka’s last tour in South Africa. “Dhananjaya de Silva also comes in and bowls when they are batting well, and he dries up the runs for us. He does that job. I think we will feel their absence,” Shanaka said.Related

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Both Rajitha and de Silva are understood to have been tasked with performing the holding role in this Test. Without them in the attack, South Africa scored at 4.4 runs an over through day two, getting within 80 runs of Sri Lanka’s 395, after 72 overs of batting. Sri Lanka’s remaining bowlers were somewhat indisciplined through parts of the day, but where captain Dimuth Karunaratne might normally replace a bowler after a bad over, he was forced to persist with them, due to the lack of resources.”There’s a big effect with the loss of those two,” Shanaka said. “We’ve only got four bowlers, but we’ll have to manage. We have to think of it as an opportunity. More than the number of overs we bowled today, we didn’t bowl in such a a way that we created a lot of chances today. I think that’s why they were able to score quickly.”It’s a big ask for the other bowlers. But we’ll have to come up with a different plan in the morning and get the job done. Tomorrow morning there will be a bit of freshness in the pitch, so I think the 70-odd run [lead] that we’ve got could be enough to get back in the game.”On a personal note, however, Shanaka has already impressed in his first Test in three years. He might not have played this match had Angelo Mathews been fit, but he added vital runs with the tail, hitting a six-laden 66 not out off 87. And in a similar circumstance, it is unlikely that Mathews would ever have been able to bowl 16.5 overs in a day, susceptible to injury as he is.Shanaka may, in fact, have been his team’s most consistent operator on day two. He claimed the wicket of Dean Elgar, and went at 3.32 runs per over – a better economy rate than any other Sri Lanka bowler.”I was really happy to be able to play a Test after three years,” he said. “I think I’ve got a lot more experience now, and I get a lot of support from the team as well. I was nervous but I was able to turn that around.”

After falling short of European football last season, Newcastle United are now looking at an England star to help them disrupt the Premier League's top six next season.

Magpies eye attacking reinforcements

The latest news out of St James' Park suggests that the Toon have their eye on a number of attacking players. Stuttgart and Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy is the latest name linked with a move to Tyneside after the forward scored 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga games for his side last season.

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Joining Guirassy on Eddie Howe's shopping list is Wolves star Pedro Neto. The winger also has interest from Manchester City, however the promise of greater game time could be what tips the scales in the Toon's favour.

Another wide man that has caught the attention of the Magpies is Brajan Gruda. The Mainz ace contributed 4 goals and 3 assists for his side last season and at just twenty years of age has plenty of time to get even better.

With a new winger clearly a prioirty for Newcastle this summer, reports are now pointing towards one name being at the top of their wishlist in this position.

Bowen tops Toon target list this summer

As first reported by Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Jarrod Bowen is at the top of Newcastle's list of targets to replace Miguel Almiron this summer. The outlet names Leeds United's Crysencio Summerville as another of the Toon's targets but claims the list is "headed" by Bowen.

O'Rourke claims that Almiron will only be sold if Newcastle can bring a replacement in as they look to strengthen four different positions over the course of the summer window.

Whilst Almiron has become something of a cult figure at St James' Park in recent years, there is no doubt that the majority of the Toon faithful would view Bowen as a major upgrade on the Paraguayan. The English winger notched 20 times for West Ham in all competitions, a far greater tally than Almiron's 5 goals.

Premier League stats 2023/24

Jarrod Bowen

Miguel Almiron

Goals

16

3

Assists

6

1

Successful take-ons

34

23

Progressive carries

90

78

Touches

1094

1029

Bowen's goal scoring prowess this season has not gone unnoticed by David Moyes, with the former Hammers manager waxing lyrical about his forward back in April: “He’s been hugely important this year and there is not many West Ham forwards or strikers who got over 20 goals.

“He has been a great player. When you think he’s come from Hereford to Hull, Hull to here and the journey he is on at the moment."

The winger's exploits for the Hammers earned the 27-year-old a call-up to Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad, and he has so far made two appearances for the Three Lions at the tournament, coming off the bench in their Group C fixtures against Serbia and Denmark.

With Newcastle looking to once again break into the top four next season, Bowen could be the man that takes the Toon right to the top.