Australia and South Africa will qualify with five points each. The top spot in the group will be decided by the win margins, with South Africa favourites to finish first, given their comprehensive win over Afghanistan. Assuming a one-run win for South Africa after scoring 300, Australia need to win by 87 runs (with the same first-innings total) to go past South Africa’s NRR.
If Australia and England win
Australia will top the group with five points, while South Africa will still finish second on three.
If Afghanistan and South Africa win
South Africa will top with five points, while Afghanistan, with four points, will finish second ahead of Australia.
If Afghanistan and England win
Afghanistan will finish on top with four points. The second place will then go to either Australia or South Africa, who will both finish on three points. South Africa are well ahead on NRR currently, which means they will have to suffer a big loss to England for Australia to move ahead on NRR. So, if Australia lose by just one run after Afghanistan score 300, South Africa will have lose by 87 chasing the same target for their NRR to slip below Australia’s.
If Afghanistan vs Australia is washed out
There’s a possibility of showers in Lahore on Friday. If points are shared in that game, Australia will go up to four points and will be assured of qualification.If South Africa beat England, they will top the group with five points, but if England win, then South Africa and Afghanistan will finish on three points each, which will bring NRR into the equation. Afghanistan (NRR -0.99) will almost certainly be eliminated then, as they need South Africa to lose by at least 207 runs (chasing 301) to move up to second place and qualify.
“What we’ve been able to achieve together alongside the support staff as well, it’s such a group effort”
Alex Malcolm05-Jan-2025
Pat Cummins collects the trophy from Allan Border•AFP/Getty Images
Australia captain Pat Cummins says he’s immensely proud to claim a trophy that “a few” of his team-mates didn’t have after Australia closed out the Border-Gavaskar series with a six-wicket win in Sydney.”Unreal. This was one that a few of us didn’t have,” Cummins said at the post-series presentation. “It’s been an amazing series. [We’re] immensely proud. We’ve spent a lot of time together as a group over the years, so we knew we weren’t at our best at Perth, but it was never as bad as it seems. So you stick tight and double down on what makes us a really good side.”Scott Boland took 6 for 45 in India’s second innings, and finished with 10 for the Test in a Player-of-the-match display, to set up a chase of 162. The chase had some nervy moments when Australia slumped to 58 for 3 but key contributions from Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Beau Webster guided the hosts home.Related
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Konstas, Webster and Boland, the unusual suspects in Australia's moment of glory
Webster hit the winning runs to cap a sparkling debut, making 57 and 39 not out, taking two catches and the wicket of Shubman Gill.The win means Australia reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-15. Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are the only members of Australia’s XI in Sydney who played in that series, while Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood also played in both series.The win means Australia’s men hold every bilateral Test trophy they play for, plus the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup. The victory also secured Australia’s place in the WTC final where they get to defend their crown against South Africa at Lord’s in June. Cummins, who has never beaten India in a Test series, was ecstatic to finally get over the hurdle.”It’s been such a special group,” Cummins said. “Feel so privileged to first of all have this job. But what we’ve been able to achieve together alongside the support staff as well, it’s such a group effort, families as well. They give up so much. So yeah, really proud with what we’ve been able to achieve.”Cummins was thrilled with the contributions of debutants in the series including Webster, Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney.”We always talk about needing a squad, especially in these five Test match series you’re rarely going to play the same XI and three debutants across series all came in, fitted in really well, and contributed at different times,” Cummins said.”Beau in his debut match this game as well, I thought was fantastic. So yeah, it feels like we’re building something nice.”Cummins was also pleased with his own contributions. He claimed 25 wickets at 21.36 for the series and also contributed 159 runs at 19.87, including match-winning scores of 49 and 41 in Melbourne where he was Player of the Match.”Pretty happy with how I played throughout the series,” Cummins said. “I thought our planning and prep coming in was really good. I was lucky I had a bit of a freshen up leading to the series, and I think that really helped me and a couple of other guys. These are the big series that you try and peak for.”
West Ham United supporters are demanding that their team be busy in this transfer window.
So far, the Irons’ biggest move in the market is selling Mohammed Kudus to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of £55m which, fair to say, has not gone down well!
The arrival of full-backs El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters have done little to quell the anger in East London, with Graham Potter in desperate need of reinforcements, but are the Hammers set to make a new signing, reminiscent of Jarrod Bowen’s arrival five years ago?
West Ham's search for a new goalkeeper
There are plenty of areas of the West Ham squad that could do with improving this summer, one of which is certainly goalkeeper, as outlined by the table below.
Minutes
2,260
18th
1,160
22nd
Saves
77
15th
50
21st
Save %
64.3%
20th
74.6%
2nd
Goals conceded per 90
1.63
6th
1.63
7th
Clean sheet %
20%
13th
15.4%
17th
Post shot xG – goals conceded
-2.6
36th
+1.6
12th
% of crosses prevented
3.8%
21st
4.5%
18th
Punches
10
17th
9
19th
High claims
15
19th
9
24th
Average SofaScore rating
6.87
34th
7.08
18th
As the table shows, neither the form of Alphonse Areola nor Łukasz Fabiański was particularly impressive last season, both ranking generally pretty lowly for the vast majority of metrics.
Despite actually seeing fewer minutes, the Polish international’s numbers were more impressive, but the 40-year-old has been released this summer, leaving the French World Cup winner as the current number one. He started Saturday’s Premier League Summer Series clash with Manchester United, but the Irons are seemingly targeting an upgrade.
That’s because, as noted by Will Unwin of the Guardian, the Hammers are targeting a move to sign Sheffield United goalkeeper Michael Cooper.
West Ham had previously been ‘interested’ in signing Mads Hermansen from Leicester City, but have now turned their attention to Cooper, who Alan Nixon and Henry Tomlinson of the Sun claim is valued at around £15m by the Blades.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
So, could he soon swap South Yorkshire for East London?
How Michael Cooper would improve West Ham
After beginning his senior career at Plymouth Argyle, making 161 appearances for the Pilgrims, Cooper joined Sheffield United for a reported fee of £4m just last summer and certainly impressed at Bramall Lane.
After his debut, Cooper featured in 46 of Sheffield United’s 47 EFL Championship fixtures, including the gut-wrenching play-off final defeat to Sunderland at Wembley, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout heralding his “incredible” form in the past.
Meantime, Nancy Frostick of the Athletic labels him a ‘strong all-rounder’ who is ‘capable of game-changing saves’ as well as boasting ‘effective distribution’, forecasting that he is ‘destined for great things’.
His statistics in the Championship certainly support these assertions.
Saves
109
8th
Save %
79.6%
2nd
Clean sheets
21
2nd
Clean sheet %
48.8%
3rd
Post-shot xG – goals conceded
+6.5
5th
% of crosses prevented
9.6%
1st
High claims
54
1st
Average SofaScore rating
7.19
4th
As the table outlines, Cooper ranks highly for all goalkeeping metrics included, most notably shot-stopping and high claims, statistics that weren’t particularly impressive when it came to West Ham’s current goalkeeper Areola.
He would not be the first player West Ham have signed from the EFL in recent times, as documented below.
Crysencio Summerville
2024
£25m
22
James Ward-Prowse
2023
£30m
67
Maxwel Cornet
2022
£17.5m
37
Saïd Benrahma
2020
£26m
155
Jarrod Bowen
2020
£22m
238
Jordan Hugill
2018
£10m
3
Marko Arnautović
2017
£20m
65
Robert Snodgrass
2017
£10m
86
Fair to say, West Ham have spent plenty of money signing EFL stars in recent years, a few of which have been massive flops; looking at you, Maxwel Cornet and Jordan Hugill!
Unquestionably, however, the best signing of them all is the £22m spent to bring in Jarrod Bowen from Hull City in January 2020.
Now the club captain, Bowen has scored 74 goals in 238 appearances for the Irons, most memorably bagging the winner in the Europa Conference League Final against Fiorentina in Prague, securing the club’s first major silverware since winning the FA Cup in 1980.
Speaking to Goal, Michail Antonio jokingly stated that Bowen “needs to leave”, given that he is just 12 goals behind Antonio’s all-time Premier League goals record for the club of 68, a record he’s expecting will be broken this season.
So, while Cooper will have to go a long way to have the impact in East London that Bowen has had, the goalkeeper certainly has the potential to be another transformational signing, especially when considering the Hammers’ ongoing issues in that position.
Better move than Wilson: West Ham open first talks to sign "exciting" CF
West Ham are looking to sign a striker or two this summer
Hosts wrap up their seventh victory of the season with a day to spare
ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024Sussex are closing in on a return to Division One of the Vitality County Championship after wrapping up their seventh win of the season with a day to spare against Glamorgan.Having established a first-innings lead of 305 they bowled Glamorgan out for 218 to win by an innings and 87 runs at Hove.The second division’s leading run-scorer Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson scored half-centuries but Sussex’s relentless attack kept chipping away. There were three wickets each for Ollie Robinson, Henry Crocombe and off-spinner Jack Carson, the second division’s leading wicket-taker who took his tally to 45.Glamorgan had batted again after finally dismissing Sussex for 491 and Jaydev Unadkat made the breakthrough in his first over, Asa Tribe collecting a pair when he under-edged the Indian left-armer.Carson bowled just three overs after lunch before going off for treatment to a bad back and in his absence Robinson stepped up to bowl an excellent nine-over spell during which he had Ingram dropped at slip by Tom Alsop on 36.But it was Crocombe who struck in his third over when Billy Root, promoted to opener, played on and lost middle and off stumps.Ingram took his aggregate for the season to 1170 runs at an average of 97.5 and had moved onto 71 when Carson produced a fine delivery which turned and Ingram, aiming to drive down the ground, got a leading to cover.Glamorgan skipper Sam Northeast, coming in at No. 6 after spending time off the field with an elbow problem, became Crocombe’s second victim when he took on a well-directed short ball and picked out James Coles who didn’t have to move to take the catch at deep backward square.Carlson and Kellaway added 57 but Sussex were revived after a brief stoppage for rain. In the second over after the resumption Kellaway missed a reverse sweep and Carson struck again in his next over when Carlson, who had lodged his eighth fifty of the season, was caught at short leg propping forward to a ball which turned sharply.Carson bowled 16 overs in tandem with slow left-armer James Coles to get Sussex’s over-rate back down and, having done so, Robinson was summoned to sweep away the rest of Glamorgan’s resistance, pinning Chris Cooke with his second ball back and bowling James Harris and Andy Gorvin in the space of 17 balls before Crocombe wrapped things up when he plucked out Dan Douthwaite’s middle stump.Earlier, Tom Clark completed his third first-class hundred and first since May 2022 before Sussex were bowled out 40 minutes before lunch for 491.Clark and skipper John Simpson extended their sixth-wicket stand to 213 when Simpson, who’d added five runs to his overnight 112, missed a sweep at off-spinner Kellaway looking to accelerate the scoring rate.A sweep off Kellaway for his 11th boundary took Clark to a 220-ball hundred made in four-and-a-half hours and he finished unbeaten on 112 while Kellaway completed a maiden five-for in only his fourth first-class match when Robinson missed a paddle sweep.
It was just over two years ago that Liverpool ended their pursuit of a certain Jude Bellingham, with reports at the time indicating that the potential cost of signing the Englishman – set to be over £100m – had proven too much of an obstacle to any deal.
Perhaps there was more to the story there, however, as mere months later, the Reds launched a mammoth £111m bid for the signing of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, albeit with the Ecuadorian ultimately opting to join rivals Chelsea instead.
Despite Jurgen Klopp’s prior claims that he had no interest in making such costly moves – something he later rowed back on – that pursuit of Caicedo indicated that, for the right player, the Anfield hierarchy are willing to splash the cash.
Indeed, the recent £116m signing of Florian Wirtz is the perfect case in point, with a quiet two years on the transfer front having come to an end in statement fashion.
If prior high profile deals are anything to go by – namely the £75m capture of Virgil van Dijk and the £67m move for Alisson – the Reds rarely get it wrong when they do spend big, with it set to be a worrying prospect for the rest of the division if Wirtz does swiftly sparkle on Merseyside.
With the German genius likely to be the centre-piece of a new era at Anfield, now is the time for Richard Hughes and co to build the perfect attack around him.
Latest on Liverpool's search for a striker
Darwin Nunez looks destined for Napoli. Last season’s false nine, Luiz Diaz, is the subject of intense interest from Bayern Munich. If those exits are green-lit, the Premier League champions will surely need to dip into the market once again.
Of course, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak appears to be the dream target, yet with that deal out of the equation, Arne Slot may well have to settle for the next best thing. Perhaps even the next Isak, if you will.
Well, recent reports from Spain would suggest that Liverpool and Hughes are doing just that, with the claim made that the Reds are accelerating a move for Eintracht Frankfurt star, Hugo Ekitike.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The suggestion is that the Merseysiders are ‘willing to enter the bidding’ for the 23-year-old, albeit with Chelsea and Manchester United also showing a ‘strong interest’ in the in-demand Frenchman.
Valued at €100m (£85m), the former Paris Saint-Germain man certainly wouldn’t come cheap, although while the race is said to be ‘wide open’, it is claimed that Liverpool are ready to make the ‘first move’.
Forking out for a fee close to the prior club-record addition – including add-ons – of Nunez may have a few supporters fearing the worst, although all the signs point to Ekitike proving a real hit, not least alongside Wirtz.
Why Ekitike would be the dream striker for Wirtz
While Wirtz enjoyed another stellar individual campaign last time out, having chalked up 31 goals and assists in all competitions, it was the year prior where Bayer Leverkusen had truly enjoyed the fruits of his labour.
Florian Wirtz
The German outfit memorably enjoyed an unbeaten domestic season, alongside reaching the Europa League final, with the 22-year-old registering 38 goal involvements from just 49 appearances.
The figurehead of Xabi Alonso’s devastating attack, Wirtz was no doubt aided by the array of talent around him, namely Nigerian striker Victor Boniface. The 24-year-old scored 21 times in 2023/24, 14 of which came in just 23 Bundesliga games.
Patrick Schick
120
20
Amine Adli
101
11
Moussa Diaby
94
10
Alejandro Grimaldo
91
10
Victor Boniface
51
9
Jeremie Frimpong
150
8
Robert Andrich
120
7
Jonas Hoffman
53
5
Exequiel Palacios
109
4
In all, in just 51 games together, Wirtz and Boniface have combined for nine goals, with the former having only achieved more joint goal contributions with four other players, albeit from almost double the number of games.
As noted by the official Bundesliga website during that double-winning campaign, Boniface’s arrival had ‘arguably unlocked the full potential of the Germany international’s offensive ability’, with the pair ‘forming a special chemistry in the final third’.
Such a combination could well be replicated if young Ekitike is brought into the fold at Liverpool, with the former France U21 international noted as a statistically similar player to Boniface, among those in their position in the Bundesliga, as per FBref.
That likeness is particularly seen in the threat they pose in the final third, with Ekitike ranking in the top 5% for shots per 90, as well as in the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90. Boniface, meanwhile, ranks in the top 3% and the top 8% for those same two metrics, respectively.
Victor Boniface for Bayer Leverkusen.
Such a single-minded streak doesn’t necessarily mean a selfish streak, however, with the Frankfurt man notably creating 12 ‘big chances’ in the German top-flight last term, as per Sofascore. His Leverkusen counterpart, meanwhile, registered eight ‘big chances’ during that stunning 2023/24 season.
Both towering focal points when leading the line, Ekitike can replicate Boniface’s impact as the man for Wirtz to work around, with the one-time Reims starlet able to combine beautifully with the German amid his talent in possession, having ranked in the top 8% in the Bundesliga for pass completion.
Hailed as the “perfect centre-forward” by TNT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves, the £85m marksman could also prove to be the ‘perfect’ striker for Wirtz at Liverpool…
Luis Diaz upgrade: Liverpool in the race for "world-class" £85m talent
Liverpool might need to replace Luis Diaz in the summer transfer window.
While the addition of a new goalkeeper, some midfield reinforcements, and a potential replacement for Takehiro Tomiyasu are all additions that will strengthen Arsenal, new attackers must remain the priority this summer.
For example, although they ultimately finished last season without a title to their name, Mikel Arteta’s side secured second place in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.
However, there is every chance they could have found themselves lifting at least one of those trophies had they added some quality to the frontline last summer, or even in the winter.
Fortunately, the club seem intent on adding more firepower to the team, with recent links to Ollie Watkins, and another international who could be his dream teammate.
Arsenal target dream teammate for Watkins
The first link to Watkins this year appeared in the winter window, when it was revealed that Arsenal had made a surprise £40m offer, which Aston Villa turned down.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Since then, murmurs of the Gunners’ interest in the Englishman persisted in the background, but they remained nothing more than that until quite recently.
However, earlier this week, reports revealed that the North Londoners had once again been in contact with the player, who would “love” to play for the club.
Given his ability – and record against Arteta’s men – picking up the former Exeter City gem could prove to be great business, and what could make it even better are the links to someone who could create an unreal partnership with him: Rodrygo.
Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the Real Madrid star.
What’s more, the report claims that the Gunners have been in talks with the Brazilian camp, and that the Spanish giants would be willing to sell him this summer.
The report makes no mention of the potential cost of the former Santos gem, but according to stories from earlier this summer, the final price might be around £85m.
It would be a lot of money to spend on one player, but given Rodrygo’s ability and potential, it’d be money well spent for Arsenal, especially as he’d be a dream teammate for Watkins.
Why Watkins would love Rodrygo
Now, there are fundamentally two reasons why Watkins would love playing alongside Rodrygo at Arsenal, and the first is his output.
Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly in action with Real Madrid'sRodrygo
For example, even though the Brazilian international has been played out of his preferred left-wing role for much of the last two seasons for Los Blancos, he has remained a dangerous asset for them.
Since the start of the 23/24 campaign, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has scored 32 goals and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7225 minutes.
Rodrygo’s recent record
Season
23/24
24/25
Appearances
52
53
Minutes
3777′
3448′
Goals
18
14
Assists
9
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.51
0.47
Minutes per Goal Involvement
139.88′
137.92′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In other words, the 33-capped international has averaged a goal involvement every 2.01 games, or every 138.94 minutes across two seasons.
Just imagine the sort of numbers the Villa ace, who racked up 31 goal involvements in 54 games last season, could produce with someone as effective as the Real ace alongside him.
Finally, on top of the output, the 24-year-old would be a dream teammate for the Torquay-born poacher, as he has already reached the peak of club football.
Not only that, but he has also played an essential role in Real winning the Champions League and La Liga.
So, he’d have the mentality to help the Gunners finally get over the line as well, and in turn, help the Villa star pick up his first piece of major silverware.
Ultimately, while it wouldn’t be cheap, Arsenal should do all they can to sign Watkins and Rodrygo this summer, as together, they could provide the fire Arteta’s side have been crying out for.
Gyokeres will love him: Arsenal preparing bid for £43m "superstar" winger
Viktor Gyokeres would enjoy playing alongside this £43m superstar at Arsenal.
It has been a funny old season for Tottenham Hotspur this year.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were abysmally poor in the Premier League and FA Cup but somehow managed to win the Europa League.
Now the North Londoners have the Champions League to look forward to next year, although based on how utterly dominant Paris Saint-Germain were in the final on Sunday, they’ll need to add some real quality to the squad in the coming weeks and months.
Fortunately, recent reports have suggested that the club may well be closing in on the signing of a top-quality midfielder who has won comparisons to one of the stars for PSG in the final: Vitinha.
Tottenham transfer news
The last few weeks have seen Spurs linked with several incredible talents, such as Daizen Maeda and Rayan Cherki.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The former might not be the most exciting name, but considering he scored an astounding 33 goals and 12 assists in 51 games for Celtic this season, his supposed £25m price tag could represent a real bargain.
Yet, Cherki might be an even better deal, as the young Frenchman has been able to rack up a tally of 12 goals and 20 assists in 44 appearances for Lyon this year and could be available for around £19m thanks to a release clause in his contract.
Rayan Cherki in action for Lyon
Even still, the North Londoners now seem keen on someone who’d possibly be the best deal of the lot, and it’s another player from Ligue 1: Angel Gomes.
According to a recent report from journalist Ben Jacobs, Spurs have already made an offer for the England international.
In more good news, he goes on to reveal that while other clubs, including West Ham United, have also made offers for the midfielder, Tottenham have “grown in confidence” that they’ll be able to get their man.
The reason so many teams have already submitted offers to the player is that he’ll be a free agent at the end of this month and, therefore, represents a sensational bargain.
In all, it’s a deal Spurs should be fighting to get sealed as soon as possible, as, on top of his own qualities, Gomes has also won comparisons to the incredible Champions League-winning Vitinha.
How Gomes compares to Vitinha
So, before we get to some of the other reasons Spurs should be signing Gomes this summer, it’s important to address this comparison to the unreal Vitinha and where it’s come from.
Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in Ligue 1 last season and came to the conclusion that the Portuguse star was the ninth most similar midfielder to the Englishman ace in the competition.
The best way to understand how this conclusion was reached is by looking at some of the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, passing accuracy, key passes, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.29
0.27
Progressive Passes
7.13
7.71
Progressive Carries
1.71
1.74
Passing Accuracy
89.4%
89.7%
Expected Assists
0.21
0.17
Key Passes
1.68
1.57
Successful Take-On %
62.9%
61.5%
Aerial Duels Won
0.24
0.17
On top of his undeniable similarities to a European champion, the midfield “magician,” as dubbed by fellow professional Jonathan Panzo, has plenty of experience.
For example, despite being just 24 years old, the Edmonton-born star has made ten appearances for Manchester United, 32 for Boavista, four for the England senior side and 134 for Lille.
Ultimately, even if he wasn’t available for free, Spurs would be wise to sign the experienced and reliable Gomes, so the fact he’s available for free makes this transfer a total no-brainer.
He's shades of Bale: Spurs confident of signing "superstar" winger for £0
Spurs could sign a player who’s like Gareth Bale this summer.
Liverpool typically sought to strengthen with untapped potential when under the wing of Jurgen Klopp. But Klopp has left his long-held manager’s post last year, and things feel different at Anfield.
That’s not to discredit the German’s dynasty, taking the reins on Merseyside when the Reds were a pale shadow, reduced to a colourless, rudderless state. Klopp made Liverpool whole again, winning a fair amount of silverware along the way.
However, FSG have undergone a refurb and are now looking to strengthen Arne Slot’s Premier League-winning squad with some of the finest that Europe has to offer.
One of those targets is Florian Wirtz, 22, whose playmaking quality knows no bounds. Bayer Leverkusen’s talisman will fetch a considerable figure this summer, but Liverpool are very much intent on staying in the race.
Why Liverpool want Florian Wirtz
At the start of the season, former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes claimed Wirtz is “probably the best midfielder in the world,” with his vision, awareness, and magic touch proving invaluable for Xabi Alonso’s side over the past few years.
He might not have hit the same stratospheric heights of last year, but Wirtz has retained his world-class level across the 2024/25 campaign, outperforming Liverpool’s positionally similar players.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid when his contract expires, Liverpool are going to need to find a new way to maintain their matchless creative flair in the Premier League.
As you can see below, no English team has created more than Liverpool across the past five campaigns. Trent played a defining role in achieving this.
24/25*
Liverpool
105
23/24
Liverpool
102
22/23
Liverpool/Man City
103
21/22
Liverpool
97
20/21
Liverpool
82
Liverpool want to reinforce their successful season by bringing in new signings, and Slot’s aiming for the best. Though it would require another significant outlay, the Reds are also planning to move for a new name at number nine.
With Darwin Nunez set to be sold, this is one to start getting excited about.
Liverpool make contact to sign prolific striker
Liverpool desperately need a more reliable marksman. Nunez is consistently inconsistent, while Diogo Jota’s long injury issues have finally seeped into his game this year.
FSG are ready to move incisively. According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have opened contacts with Sporting Lisbon regarding the potential transfer of Viktor Gyokeres, though Arsenal are favourites in the race.
It’s felt the Gunners are closing on a £9m-a-year agreement with the Sweden striker, but that Liverpool – and Manchester United – have shown strong interest and are ready to pounce on any opportunity, should Mikel Arteta’s side fumble.
Gyokeres has been one of the most prolific players in Europe over the past several years, and Sporting are looking to fetch £60m for his sale.
Why Viktor Gyokeres could be a great signing for Liverpool
When Sporting signed Gyokeres from Coventry City for £20m after a failed promotion push to the Premier League, it was felt that English football had lost an interesting attacking profile capable of playing at the top level.
Sporting CP's ViktorGyokerescelebrates scoring their third goal to complete his hat-trick
Two years later, the 25-year-old may return to English soil as “one of the best strikers in Europe,” as he has been described by Fabrizio Romano.
Across 100 matches for Os Leões, the one-time Brighton prospect has scored 95 goals and laid on 28 assists. Powerful and athletic, he’s surely tailor-made for a role at one of the Premier League’s top competitors.
The £62k-per-week star has bagged 52 goals from 50 matches in all competitions this season alone, meaning he’s significantly outscoring Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.
Newcastle United's AlexanderIsakcelebrates scoring their first goal
Isak is an incredible goalscorer and very much on Liverpool’s shopping list, but with a £150m price tag, it’s hrd to argue that he, with 27 goals from 41 games in 2024/25, would be the more prudent signing at an outlay some £90m more than Gyokeres. Liverpool have work to do across a number of positions, after all.
Only a few weeks ago, Gyokeres netted four goals in a single game for the Liga Portugal champions, who are level in first place with Benfica, superior goal difference owing largely to the centre-forward’s clinical shooting.
Given that he’s scored 57 league goals across his two terms in the Iberian division, Gyokeres has proven himself capable of leading the line at Liverpool, for sure. And when you consider he’s missed only 34 big chances in that timeframe, as per Sofascore, the argument only strengthens.
As per FBref, Gyokeres ranks among the top 1% of forwards this season in divisions similar to the Portuguese top flight for goals scored, shot-creating actions and progressive carries, the top 3% for successful take-ons and the top 9% for assists per 90. Not bad at all.
Now think of all this, think of how efficient and deadly and “insane” all this is, as the 6 foot 2 striker has been praised by analyst Ben Mattinson.
Now imagine all that with Wirtz in behind him.
The fusion of skill sets could take a Premier League-winning Liverpool team to a whole ‘nother level entirely. Indeed, with Wirtz’s remarkable supply line finding Gyokeres, whose movements and intelligence get him in perfect positions from which he can let his predatory instinct take over, would allow Slot to challenge for the biggest trophies once again.
There was a decided lack of impetus across tournamental fronts this season: in the FA Cup, a rotated Liverpool fell to Plymouth Argyle, who have just been relegated from the Championship; after a dominant Champions League group phase, PSG got the better over two legs in the last 16; Liverpool did reach the Carabao Cup final, but were turned over by Newcastle.
In the Bundesliga this season, Wirtz might not have succeeded in defending Leverkusen’s title, but he has given a stellar account of himself once again. As per Sofascore, he’s hit 22 goal contributions from only 24 starts, creating 17 big chances and averaging 2.7 dribbles and 5.3 successful duels per game.
Last season’s Bundesliga Player of the Year knows his stuff, all right, and still so young in his career, he’s got the world at his feet.
The prolific performances of Gyokeres alongside Wirtz’s creative mind would surely spark the kind of success Slot is searching for next season, allowing Liverpool to take their fantastic campaign and shape it into a period of sustained, trophy-winning success.
He'd be amazing with Wirtz: Liverpool enter race for "magical" £100m star
Liverpool are looking to make sweeping changes in the transfer market this summer.
Chelsea have seen a huge improvement defensively in recent weeks, keeping five clean sheets in their last seven games, only conceding two goals and 16 shots on target across those seven games.
However, the attacking prowess does seem to have tailed off, with the Blues only scoring nine in their last seven games, with four of those goals coming against bottom of the Premier League, Southampton.
Enzo Maresca will be keen to add some extra firepower to his forward line this summer, with a new striker high on the wish list, alongside a new winger who suits the Italian’s system.
Chelsea battling for £64m "cheat code"
The Blues have been linked with a number of forwards over recent months, from Newcastle superstar Alexander Isak to Ipswich forward Liam Delap.
However, they’re not just casting their net across the Premier League but across European football, too.
Indeed, according to reports from TBR Football, Chelsea are interested in signing AC Milan’s £150m-rated winger, Rafael Leao. The player’s camp are currently assessing the player’s options ahead of the summer.
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That being said, the Blues could face competition from London rivals Arsenal, who are also now emerging as an option for the Portuguese winger.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal are keen to add a right-footed left-winger who offers a direct goal threat, speed in transition and creative qualities to unlock a game through their individual brilliance.
Leao has made 43 appearances for the Italian outfit this season, scoring ten goals, providing nine assists and totaling 2,997 minutes.
Chelsea are also reportedly in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens, so just how do the pair compare?
How Leao compares to Gittens this season
Dortmund’s Gittens is another target emerging for Maresca’s side and it’s easy to see why.
The 20-year-old sensation – who is seen as the future of English football – has made 42 appearances for the German outfit this season, netting 12 goals and providing four assists.
He notably shone in the Champions League, scoring against Real Madrid, and would be a superb signing. Still, he’s not quite as good as Leao.
Both players fit the bill of a Maresca winger, looking to get into plenty of 1v1 isolations with the opposition fullback, capable of going both inside and outside and having the directness to drive towards the box themselves.
One factor that could be slightly more worrying surrounding Leao compared to Gittens is work rate, with Maresca often asking his wide players to work hard defensively.
Goals
0.28
0.43
Assists
0.26
0.11
xG
0.28
0.20
xAG
0.27
0.13
Progressive Carries
4.86
5.74
Progressive Passes
3.67
2.08
Shots Total
2.30
2.59
Key Passes
2.09
1.09
Shot-Creating Actions
4.37
3.77
Successful Take-Ons
2.99
3.81
Whilst Gittens has a slightly higher shot volume, manages more progressive carries and successful take-ons, Leao offers more through creative passing, with more key passes, more shot-creating actions and higher assist numbers.
Described as one of football’s “cheat codes” by analyst Raj Chohan, Milan’s Portuguese star has blistering pace, the persistence to be direct and attack the opposition full-backs. He always forces them into uncomfortable scenarios and has the ability to create something out of nothing in a split second.
AC Milan's RafaelLeao
Both players would be excellent signings for Chelsea, but with the Blues already having such a young and inexperienced side, an addition like Leao could provide more of an instant boost, with a big-name signing to raise morale and ready to play a significant part in a title challenge.
Unrestricted movement between overlapping tournaments risks calling integrity into question
Matt Roller13-Feb-2024You are a T20 cricketer, who has spent the last three weeks at a franchise league playing for a team which has performed below expectations. Your final group game is approaching, and only a win will be enough to take you through to next week’s knockout stages – but you have a dilemma.Your agent has been on the phone, and tells you that a team in another league is looking for a replacement for a player who has left on international duty. You are their first choice, but the deal could fall through unless you are available next week. How does that knowledge affect your mentality heading into your must-win group game?Similar scenarios have been cropping up on a daily basis this month: whenever a team was eliminated from the SA20, their overseas stars hopped on flights to Dubai or Dhaka to play in the ILT20 or BPL. More than a dozen players – including Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Jimmy Neesham – have made appearances in more than one league already this month.For the economically rational cricketer, the financial incentives are clear: early elimination from one league is likely to open up an extra week of availability for another, maximising overall earning opportunities. Any situation where it might be in a players’ interests for their team to lose should cause alarm; an official at one franchise describes it as “the sign of a broken sport”.There is no suggestion that any player has deliberately underperformed in one league in order to ensure their availability for another. But, as one agent puts it: “It’s a bizarre thing to have in the back of your mind.” The blame lies not with the players, who are making the most of cricket’s T20 boom, but with the administrators who have let an unregulated market mutate.Sam Curran swapped the SA20 for the ILT20 after MI Cape Town’s early elimination from the SA20•ILT20There are other bewildering scenarios for players who represent affiliates of one Indian franchise yet play in the IPL itself for another. Last month, Nicholas Pooran made his debut for Durban’s Super Giants – the South African offshoot of his IPL team, Lucknow – against MI Cape Town. His stint lasted three matches: nine days later, he played for – and captained – MI Emirates in Dubai.The status quo does not work for fans, regardless of their preferences. Purists lament the demise in bilateral international cricket’s status, but even younger fans who have grown up with leagues are poorly served. Is there any meaningful way in which to follow – let alone support – a franchise whose squad changes every other day, often without any public announcement?The six ILT20 franchises cycled through 129 players – the vast majority of them from overseas – in 30 group games this season. The seven BPL franchises have used 133 between them in the first 28 matches; that number will grow further this week when Keshav Maharaj plays for Fortune Barishal, even while South Africa’s understrength Test side are playing New Zealand.The fundamental issue is that five leagues – the BBL, SA20, ILT20, BPL and PSL – stage at least a portion of their season between late January and late February. The problem has been exacerbated during this cycle by the World Cup, which ran until November 19, but will be again in 2024-25 with the Champions Trophy set to start in early February. Everyone wants a window, but there is not space for all of them.Keshav Maharaj is heading for the BPL, only days after the SA20 final•SA 20There are some attempts to find a resolution. FICA, the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, will invite players to a global scheduling symposium in the second half of this year. “Current players’ collective views are critical,” Tom Moffat, FICA’s CEO, told ESPNcricinfo. “They are at the coalface, and should be at the centre of these conversations.”This is ultimately a scheduling issue… the same national governing bodies who control international cricket scheduling also own most of the domestic leagues. As difficult as it is to achieve, if global scheduling was built around clearer scheduling windows for international cricket, and therefore the leagues, it would provide more clarity, enable appropriate balance, and naturally line the leagues up more symmetrically.”Related
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The solution must involve collaboration – exemplified by the Caribbean Premier League’s successful avoidance of a clash with the Hundred in its 2024 window – as well as long-term thinking. It is a curiosity that the windows for leagues are often vague until weeks before they start, and that they are airbrushed out of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) despite dictating so much else.But the men’s international schedule is effectively locked in until March 2027 through the FTP, and cricket’s administrators cannot wait that long to address the perverse incentives that leagues have created. Instead, boards must find collective regulatory solutions to these problems which can then be presented for approval at ICC level. These might include:1. Restructuring of contracts Most leagues operate with a contracting system which involves players being paid the majority of their salary via a retainer, with match fees and win bonuses representing only a small proportion. Shifting the balance might avoid some situations where players stand to benefit financially from early elimination.2. Mandatory ‘cooling-off periods’ Franchise league contracts and No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) are rewritten to stipulate that players are required to declare their availability for the knockout stages of a tournament when they enter a draft or sign a contract. If they declare themselves available for the knockout stages, they should be rendered unavailable for any other domestic cricket until the day after the final, regardless of their own team’s progress.3. Standardise the Blast’s ‘Bravo Rule’ England’s T20 Blast has long stipulated that, for knockout matches, counties can only field players who have been in the matchday squad for at least one group game, a rule devised in response to Essex signing Dwayne Bravo specifically for Finals Day in 2010. Other boards should follow suit, prompting teams to use the local talent in their squad. Bizarrely, the ECB introduced the same regulation for the second season of the Hundred – then removed it during the third.4. NOC limits for centrally-contracted players Boards could consider following the Pakistan Cricket Board’s lead and implementing a limit on the number of NOCs they grant their players within a certain window, making extremely short-term stints less appealing to those who intend to spend a significant proportion of the year playing in leagues.The fourth suggestion was advocated by Ricky Ponting last week, but the context of his comments – he was speaking while being unveiled as Washington Freedom’s new coach, in addition to his roles with Delhi Capitals and Hobart Hurricanes – outlines the scale of the challenge. Change will require administrative leadership in a sport where that has been scant.Cricket handed itself over to the free market long ago and its governance now relies on an uneasy truce between self-interested actors. Players – and their agents – have more power than ever before, and want to make hay while the sun shines. Boards want to keep hold of their players, but also to keep them happy. Leagues want to attract fans, but also to turn profit. The only unrepresented interest is that of the sport itself, with no central authority with sufficient power to keep these actors in check.Franchises want to grow their profile, but also to win. Therein lies an important question: how do SA20 team owners feel about the idea that their early elimination might open up an extra week of earning opportunities for their players elsewhere? The irony would be lost on nobody if private investors end up being the parties lobbying for regulation.