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Essex go down by 106 runs after fifties from Brevis, Vince and Albert set up Hawks’ 230 for 7

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay30-May-2025Dewald Brevis introduced himself to Hampshire Hawks fans with a dazzling 68 as Hawks posted their highest-ever score at Utilita Bowl to annihilate Essex by 106 runs.South African Brevis hammered his 68 in 32 balls to go along with James Vince’s returning 62 off 31 and Toby Albert’s 54 off 34 as Hampshire posted 230.Michael Pepper’s 51 was the high point of Essex’s innings as they fell a long way short, with Liam Dawson picking up 4 for 26, and Scott Currie 3 for 20 – Hampshire recording the largest T20 win on the ground.The 8,139 fans was the highest for an opening day of the Vitality Blast at the Bowl since 2017, and were treated to 759 runs across a sun-kissed double-header on a stunning batting track.Essex asked Hawks to bat, and boy did they bat. Vince continued the party, after the women had scored the fifth-highest score at Utilita Bowl to beat Essex in the Women’s Blast, as he caressed his second ball through the covers for four.The Hawks skipper has moved to Dubai so isn’t playing in the Rothesay County Championship this season, but made up for lost time with 12 fours in his 84th T20 fifty, which came in 25 balls. He put on 97 with new opening partner Albert but fell for 62 when he drilled to long-off.Vince is usually the main course; here, he was the appetiser for one of the most outrageous Blast debuts of all time.Brevis had spent the majority of the afternoon standing on his balcony shadow batting, looking eager for his opportunity. It manifested itself by the South African, mentored by the legendary AB de Villiers, swinging hard to his first ball and clearing the ropes by yards.Where Vince had dealt in fours, Brevis cleared the boundary over and over again – each boundary met with a group in toreador fancy dress waving red cloth at a friend dressed as a bull. He launched six of them in total, all either straight or on the leg side, one of them one-handed, as he hammered his fifty in 21 balls.While Brevis and Vince were going ballistic, Albert was anchoring with a 50 in 28 balls. He contributed 19 to an 80 stand with Brevis.The second half of the Hampshire innings was more runs, but now peppered with wickets. Harmer caught three of them, Paul Walter and Mohammad Amir picked up two scalps each and Hampshire reached 230.Only the 249 they scored in the 2017 quarter-final against Derbyshire was larger for Hawks in their T20 history, while Australia’s 248 is the only total higher on this ground.Essex’s chase begun in the worst possible way as Dean Elgar was run out by a sensational Vince direct hit.Hampshire’s butterfingers in the Championship followed them to the Blast as four drops went down, but didn’t cost them too much. Adam Rossington skied to wide mid-on and Paul Walter found deep square – having put on 40 and 50 respectively with Pepper.Pepper reach his fifty in 36 balls but he, Matt Critchley, Charlie Allison, Shane Snater, Harmer and Amir came and went quickly as Hawks soared to a thumping victory over the Eagles.

Pakistan’s batting collapse on the second day of the day-night Test at the Gabba was a continuation of their woeful history on Australian pitches

Osman Samiuddin16-Dec-2016More bounce, more pace, a little bit of nip, some swing, plenty of spin, lots of edges, not many runs and pristine catches behind the wickets: the Pakistani batting experience in Australia pretty much writes itself.A score of 8 for 97 does not just happen. It is as much an unavoidable response to history and the inevitable continuation of it, as it is to geography. No country in the world has so exposed Pakistan’s batting as Australia; no country provides conditions as diametrically opposed to those a Pakistani batsman finds in his own country. South Africa may well come to occupy that space but the sample size, dramatic as it is, is still limited.Pakistan’s finest and Pakistan’s worst have stood united over the years in their inability to change what happened in Brisbane this evening, reaffirming Australia as the big, vast shop of batting horrors in Pakistan’s world.106 all out, Sydney, January 1973
Before he left for the Australian tour of 1972-73, Mushtaq Mohammad’s elder brother Hanif told him it was the best country in which to play cricket. Given Hanif scored 104 and 93 in the only Test he played there, Mushtaq may have forgiven him for the dummy he was sold.It was on this tour that Pakistan’s enduring experiences of Australia were formalised. They were whitewashed for a start, in which the last two Test defeats were especially traumatic. Sydney, where they were chasing 159 for a consolation win, was a true horror show.A naturally attacking batting order was paralysed, to the extent that even a crocked Dennis Lillee, hampered by a bad back, was allowed to bully them. Having scored at over three an over in the first innings, they poked and edged their way towards the target at less than two runs an over.That was all Max Walker needed, swinging his way through the order, hastening a collapse that began at 83-3 (he took 5 for 3 in 30 deliveries at one stage). “We invited pressure on ourselves by playing too cautiously,” Mushtaq wrote years later in his autobiography. And so a template was set.62 all out, Perth, November 1981
Javed Miandad’s first away tour as captain was no gift and it came at the end of a period in which the Australian-Pakistan rivalry was at its most compelling, and abundant – this was the fifth of six series in a decade from 1972-73.Pakistan had scored runs in the warm-up games but the Tests began badly, as it generally does for them in Australia. Miandad admitted later that the sight of a hard, fast, and green WACA pitch gave him and his team reason to pause.They began well, putting Australia in and dismissing them for 180. Then they came out to bat and, well, the thing that people forget about the 62 all out is that it actually represented a bit of a recovery. Pakistan were 8 for 26 at one stage, before Sarfraz Nawaz came out and bashed 26 on his own to drag them away from the ignominy of equaling the lowest Test total. Dennis Lillee and Terry Alderman did the damage, in predictable manner, flirting with those outside edges – Rod Marsh took five catches behind the stumps.Lucky for Pakistan, Miandad and Lillee then did this and now, people don’t really remember that Test for the batting.107 all out, Melbourne, January 1990
Another first Test, another ruthless expose of a batting line-up. In the run-up to this series, Pakistan could easily lay claim to being one of the best Test sides in the world. They had not lost a Test series in five years and had drawn two series with best side in the world. Australia were yet to really become the great side they would later in the decade, even though they had an Ashes thumping behind them.In Shoaib Mohammad and Javed Miandad they had two batsmen with averages of 50.48 and 61.79 respectively in that period. Imran Khan was averaging nearly 46, Ijaz Ahmed was shaping up into a feisty young batsman and Wasim Akram’s batting was emerging. With a batting line-up this secure, it was one of Pakistan’s best chances of getting a result in Australia.None of it mattered as they got rolled over by Terry Alderman, Carl Rackemann and Merv Hughes although, as ever, they took their sweet time about it, batting one delivery less than 66 overs. Seven of the wickets fell to catches behind the stumps.The spat between Dennis Lillee and Javed Miandad took away some of the attention from Pakistan’s horrid collapse in Perth•PA Photos97 all out, Brisbane, November 1995
“Our batsmen get undone by the height of the ball – at least ten inches higher – and our bowlers get too excited and bang it in short.” This is not a prediction of an assessment Misbah-ul-Haq may make after this Test, but the words of Wasim Akram about the 1995-96 tour, the last time Pakistan won a Test in Australia.Pakistan had enough on their plate at the time to be distracted. Allegations about corruption were flying around all over the place. Salim Malik, the main but not sole accused, had been exonerated by a domestic inquiry but was in the squad and the subject of much scrutiny in Australia.This time, however, it wasn’t pace that undid them. England might like to think that Shane Warne tormented them more than any other, but his record against Pakistan puts the one against England in the shade. Though he had taken wickets on the tour of Pakistan a year earlier, this was the true beginning of his tyranny – Pakistan were 40-2 before his flight, dip, turn, bounce and showmanship did its thing.72 all out, Perth, December 2004
This Test wasn’t lost in Pakistan’s second-innings crumbling. By then they were “chasing” 564 for the win. It was actually yanked away on the first day when, having reduced Australia to 5 for 78, they allowed them to recover to 8 for 357.But that second-innings collapse was something, and if ever a case study was needed to examine and explain the failure of Pakistani batting in Australia, this would be a prime exhibit: Pacy surface, an accurate, back-of-a-length paceman who gets more bounce than usual and fairly hunts down edges operating on it, a succession of nervy wafts away from the body, outside off stump providing everyone in a cordon, from wicketkeeper to gully, catching practice.Glenn McGrath was the aforesaid pacemen, ending with a career-best 8-24 as Pakistan lost their last nine wickets for 38 runs in 21 overs. Bob Woolmer, their coach at the time, didn’t mince words, calling the batting disgraceful.139 all out , Sydney, January 2010
And to Sydney, the clearest-cut example of how, just by the simple act of being in Australia, the minds of Pakistani batsmen become scrambled.There was little in the surface by the time Pakistan began their chase of 176 on the fourth day of the Test. So little that Peter Siddle batted nearly three-and-a-half hours across the third and fourth days without undue alarm. Australia have had some fine pace attacks in their time, but it is safe to say Doug Bollinger, Siddle and a yet-to-be-revitalised Mitchell Johnson will struggle to get on that list. Ditto spinners and Nathan Hauritz.It looked good for 11 overs, by which time they were 50 and just one down. Then, as the target neared, they short-circuited, slogging, heaving and poking their way to their most infamous modern-day collapse (which is, in itself, a difficult list to get onto). In the process they gifted Hauritz the five easiest wickets he would have picked up in his career.

Mahmudullah’s self-destruction trying to slog-sweep the last ball of the day, from Zafar Ansari, was out of keeping with much good work done elsewhere

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur29-Oct-2016The crowd at Mirpur usually doesn’t make a lot of noise when England takes a wicket but the silence after Mahmudullah’s reckless dismissal was more like a shock. It rang through the stadium, and most of those present would have probably wished for a more mundane end to such a theatrical day.Exactly why Mahmudullah went for a slog sweep against Zafar Ansari off the last ball of the day is hard to know given how well the Bangladesh players are protected from having to give public explanations these days.Shakib Al Hasan still hasn’t said why he ran out of the crease on the third morning of the first Test, which was such a crucial point in Bangladesh’s fortunes in Chittagong. Courtney Walsh, Chandika Hathurusingha and Mushfiqur Rahim gave their views on the shot in the interim. Mahmudullah spent 2013 and 2014, his most difficult period as an international cricketer, avoiding the media.Mahmudullah’s urgency at the end of the second day seemed wholly out of place. He was possibly trying to reach his fifty before stumps, however ridiculous it may sound. There cannot be too many reasons for an experienced batsman to play that shot.Meanwhile, two old problems came back for Mushfiqur. He dropped two catches (Root on 19 and Ansari on 0), although Bangladesh recovered from both but it was his wary mindset as a captain that prevented Bangladesh from dominating England.Wicketkeeping blemishes dogged him in the ODI series against Afghanistan but the captaincy issue has been there for a while now. In 2014 and 2015, there were moments when Bangladesh had oppositions on the mat but Mushfiqur wouldn’t go for the tap-down.With England staring at a 70-run first innings deficit, letting Adil Rashid continue to play lofted shots over cover or giving him room to take singles on the legside may have been a tactical ploy but when Mushfiqur removed the silly mid-off from under Woakes’ nose midway through their partnership, he released the pressure too early on a batting line-up that, as Mushfiqur remarked before the game, bats deep. Reducing England to 144 for 8 is similar to reaching 171 for 1 while batting against them. On both occasions, Bangladesh squandered the chance to run away with the game.While it is acceptable for a captain to wait for the second new ball by letting a few part-timers bowl, the manner in which Rashid and Woakes were allowed to walk through Bangladesh’s first innings score was alarming. Throughout their 99-run ninth wicket stand, the England Nos. 9 and 10 took advantage of a suddenly insipid Bangladesh.Mushfiqur’s captaincy is part of the wider apathy that the tenth Test-playing nation suffers from, but thankfully Bangladesh now play with enough cricketers who have developed the ability to stamp down on any difficult situation. Imrul Kayes’ unbeaten 59 went beyond giving him confidence for the critical third morning. It showed to the rest of the Bangladesh batting line-up that they could succeed applying their own technique even on an iffy pitch.But like Imrul, they have to back themselves fully. He heartily swept for boundaries and was decisive when going for the block, even if it meant he had to adjust the bearing of the bat at the last minute. He was guilty of planting a Chris Woakes half-tracker down point’s throat on the first day, so ensured that he took a firmer stride in his second chance. He was keen on the sweep, timing five of them for boundaries between fine-leg and in front of midwicket.There was method in his approach, as he only went down for the sweep when he seemed absolutely sure. There were moments towards the end of the day when he looked to be too keen on the shot, but that was also when he started playing the reverse sweeps, one of which also went for four. There was risk involved but this is the new Imrul who has developed a more aggressive approach and it helped Bangladesh get out of a tricky situation rapidly.Like Imrul, Taijul Islam has developed into a strong enough character for tough situations. He was Mehedi Hasan’s perfect foil. In nearly every over from the start of the second day, he created doubt in the England batsmen’s mind.Seen casually, it wasn’t much more than the typical left-arm spinner’s fare that is sampled by visitors to Mirpur. But Taijul uses his high-arm action after the jump to good effect. He is also invariably quite accurate when not looking to stop runs. With the English batsmen taking short forward steps to meet his deliveries, his near-perfect spot created trouble. The pitch was helpful for sure, but still the spinners have to extract help out of it.He removed Ben Stokes with one that popped on him but there was no build up to that dismissal as it was his first ball to the left-hander. Contrastingly, he had worked hard on Joe Root all morning, eventually trapping him leg-before with one that skidded after pitching. Taijul had been trying that delivery continuously but Root was sneaking past him by forcing the ball towards the leg-side. But that tactic didn’t last long: Taijul, too, was building the pressure, which was useful for Mehedi who picked up wickets regularly to finish with 6 for 82.Both Imrul and Taijul will have bigger roles to play on the third day. The expectation on Imrul will be to steer Bangladesh out of their collapsing zone in the first session. If he can do it successfully, the bowlers, including Taijul, will be delighted by a bigger cushion in the fourth innings.Lucky for Taijul, these days he doesn’t always have to wait for the bigger stars in the dressing room to provide such help. Even some less feted, such as Imrul, can deliver.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been left 'devastated' by his Manchester United exit, according to a close friend, after he was axed by Ruben Amorim.

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• Amorim removed Van Nistelrooy from staff
• Dutchman managed United for four games
• Ex-striker has commented publicly

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per the Mirror, Van Nistelrooy has been left devastated by his exit from United after Ruben Amorim opted against retaining his services. The Portuguese has joined the club from Sporting CP but has chosen to recruit his own staff instead of keeping the legendary striker around.

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  Now, former Netherlands defender Andre Ooijer, who worked with Van Nistelrooy at PSV Eindhoven, has revealed his close friend's sadness, having snubbed multiple offers to manage other clubs in order to work at the "club he loves most". During his time as manager, United went unbeaten in four games.

• WHAT ANDRE OOIJER SAID

  Ooijer said: “Ruud wanted to stay as assistant. He would have said something if he wasn’t interested in working with Amorim. Ruud has had the chance to be manager or head coach at other clubs, but he deliberately did not take those jobs because he wanted to work at the club he loves most.

  “Don’t forget Ruud did really well at United, a draw against Chelsea and victories in the other three matches. You could tell the fans liked him so much. You only had to watch how they reacted to him after his last match. He did so well under difficult circumstances. He has stayed unbeaten as a manager. If Amorim does not get the right results in the first few games, the crowd could start calling again for Ruud.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Van Nistelrooy has been linked with a potential move to the Championship with Burnley. In the meantime, Amorim's United play Ipswich Town after the international break.

Compared to this time last year, Glasgow Rangers transfer activity is looking fairly exciting. Philippe Clement has overhauled the club’s transfer strategy that had been used by his predecessors, preferring to sign young talent as opposed to ageing players eyeing one final payday.

So far, Jefte, Oscar Cortes, Connor Barron and Mohammed Diomande have all joined the Ibrox side. Every one of them is aged 22 or under. Liam Kelly also joined, but the goalkeeper will act as a backup to Jack Butland for the season ahead.

This clearly shows how much faith Clement is placing in young talent ahead of the new season. Is it a gamble? Of course, but something has to give, especially if the Light Blues want to win their first Premiership title since 2021.

One problem the club has had in the past is failing to target players already plying their trade in Scotland. Not only do they know the league, but they can sometimes be much cheaper than someone from outside Scotland.

The Gers have enjoyed plenty of success like this previously, with a notable example being Kris Boyd, who spent five years at Rangers over two spells.

Kris Boyd’s Rangers statistics

Sometimes, the answer to a problem lies closer than first imagined. During the 2005/06 season, Rangers were struggling in the league, trailing Celtic in the chase for the title as Alex McLeish failed to get his team firing.

He needed goals. Kris Boyd had been on fire for Kilmarnock during the first half of the campaign, scoring 15 goals in just 19 league appearances for the Ayrshire side, emerging as one of the best strikers in the top flight.

A bid of around £400k was accepted by Killie in December 2005 and Boyd was on the move to Glasgow. It certainly proved to be an inspiring signing, adding a much-needed clinical threat in front of goal while adding a homegrown player to the squad.

Boyd went on to feature 190 times for the Light Blues during his first spell at the club, scoring a remarkable tally of 127 goals in the process.

It's safe to say he repaid the £400k back and then some, helping the Gers to win two league titles, two League Cups and two Scottish Cups between 2006 and 2010.

Clement must be keen on taking a deeper look into the talent on offer in the Premiership, hoping that he can repeat the Boyd masterclass from 18 years ago.

Might this come sooner rather than later? As the Belgian is reportedly showing an interest in a striker who terrorised Rangers last season…

Rangers eyeing up move for Canadian centre-forward

According to a report from the Athletic last week, the Ibrox side are showing plenty of interest in signing Motherwell striker Theo Bair this summer, although there are teams in Germany who are also keen on making a move for the player.

Signing players from the same league used to be commonplace when Walter Smith and McLeish were in charge, yet the previous few years have seen this trend buckled.

Clement recently added Connor Barron to his squad after his contract expired at Aberdeen. Could he now make an approach for Bair?

While he isn’t Scottish like Boyd, the youngster does know where the back of the net and enjoyed a wonderful campaign for the Steelmen last season, which could see him settle in at Ibrox fairly easily.

Theo Bair’s season in numbers

The 6 foot 3 Canadian first moved to Scotland in 2022, joining St Johnstone. He only managed to score once in 38 games for the club, however, and it looked like Motherwell were taking a risk signing him last summer.

They shouldn’t have worried. Fast-forward 12 months and Bair ended the 2023/24 season with 15 goals and six assists across 41 matches for the club, a wonderful return.

Bair ranked first among his teammates for goals and assists (21) in the top flight last season, while also ranking first for shots on target per game (0.8), fourth for key passes per game (0.9), fourth for big chances created (six) and sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.6).

These statistics clearly prove he offers much more than just a clinical threat in the opposition penalty area, which he proved against Rangers at Ibrox in March.

Theo Bair’s performance against Rangers in numbers

Rangers hadn’t lost domestically in 2024 coming into the game against Well at the start of March, closing down Celtic in the hunt for the title.

Bair thrived during the match, causing havoc against the likes of Connor Goldson and John Souttar at the heart of the Ibrox defence, pulling them all over the shop in a bid to give his team a chance of all three points.

Not only did the Canadian score the opening goal during the tie, but he also made one key pass, took three total shots and succeeded with 50% of his attempted dribbles.

No wonder he was hailed as a “handful” by coach Stuart Kettlewell back in February following his wonderful displays in the top flight, while the manager even claimed that Bair is “unplayable at times” and he certainly demonstrated that against Clement’s men a few months ago.

The move could hinge on how much Motherwell will demand for one of their prized assets, but if it is a reasonable fee, then the move is surely a no-brainer for the Belgian coach.

Bair has shown that he can shine in Scotland, and a move for the striker will add some much-needed depth to the attacking options available to the 50-year-old.

With six signings already this summer, it is clear that an overhaul is happening in Glasgow right now. It should have really happened a few summers ago, but hopefully, this is the moment when Rangers emerge from the shadows to finally take their place as the top dog in Scotland next season.

Clement can finally replace Davis in Rangers move for £25k-p/w star

Philippe Clement is eyeing a move for a Championship maestro this summer

By
Ross Kilvington

Jun 29, 2024

Wrexham have been trolled on the back of their shock FA Cup first-round exit, with Harrogate revelling in their role as slayers of the Red Dragons.

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• Hollywood co-owners have had plenty to celebrate
• Another cup run brought to an end in 2024-25
• Parkinson's side still in the hunt for third promotion

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have had plenty to celebrate during their time in North Wales – including back-to-back runs to the fourth round of the FA Cup alongside successive promotions.

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  Phil Parkinson’s side have gone one and out in that competition this season, with a disappointing 1-0 defeat suffered at the hands of League Two opposition. Despite fielding a strong side in West Yorkshire, while firing 21 shots on goals, Wrexham were undone by a solitary strike from Jack Muldoon.

• WHAT HARROGATE POSTED

  An inevitable "Welcome to Harrogate" celebration post on social media followed the final whistle, in a nod to Wrexham’s award-winning documentary, while the Sulphurites have also mocked a pre-match message that claimed “The Dragon is coming”, with light work made of said fabled beast.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham have secured safe passage into the last-32 of the EFL Trophy, offering them a shot at silverware there, but are now out of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup as collective focus at SToK Racecourse begins to narrow on a push for promotion out of League One.

Deals may not have been finalised yet but Aston Villa will sell Douglas Luiz to Juventus, collecting cash, midfielder Enzo Barrenechea and talented winger Samuel Iling-Junior in return.

The Premier League's profit and sustainability (PSR) rules have dictated the summer but the June 30 deadline looms large. Luckily, Villa's prudency has seen them successfully circumvent the possibility of breaching such rules. Now, with Champions League football lying ahead, Unai Emery's outfit can make real headway.

Aforementioned signings are augmented by the nearly-completed move for Ross Barkley, but Luiz's sale marks the loss of a true linchpin, and Emery looks eager to push ahead and sign another replacement.

Villa eyeing Douglas Luiz replacement

According to Spanish outlet AS earlier this week, Aston Villa are tussling with a number of top European clubs for Real Sociedad midfielder Brais Mendez, who has a €60m (£52m) release clause in his contract.

The Spaniard is considered a fundamental, near irreplaceable member of Imanol Alguacil's team, but if Villa endeavour to meet his buyout price, he may well find himself pulled toward the English Midlands.

Why Villa are interested in Brais Mendez

Last season, Sociedad finished sixth in La Liga and Mendez proved his level as one of the standout performers, making good on past praise from journalist Zach Lowy that he is a player of "sensational" quality.

Across 44 appearances in all competitions, he scored eight goals and added nine assists, also winning 1.3 tackles and 4.6 duels per match average in the Spanish top flight, as per Sofascore, to underscore his multi-strength skill set.

A dynamic midfielder, Mendez would emulate Luiz's impressive attacking instinct, with his goal and assist tally from last season ranking him among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 10% for assists and the top 13% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

This could compensate for the departure of Luiz and then some, who ranks among the top 16% of midfielders for goals, the top 22% for assists and the top 17% for shot-creating actions per 90 himself.

As you can see, he's not shackled to one position, instead enjoying sweeping success across a range of roles – even competent on the right flank when called upon.

But he'd principally be utilised in the centre of the park, pulled into a more industrious, but still forward-moving, role to tailor toward Emery's system.

In this sense, he truly would be a fantastic replacement for Luiz. Barkley too offers a range of versatile tools to ensure success at Villa Park but Mendez has proven himself to be a player of flair and unique ability from the middle.

A "smooth operator" – as noted by an effusive Lowy – the £36k-per-week ace is daring and deadly from behind the frontline, something that Luiz has also demonstrably succeeded in being at Aston Villa.

Moreover, given the nature of the Brazilian's (soon former) modus operandi under Emery, he averaged 1.7 tackles and 4.2 successful duels per Premier League match in 2023/24, Mendez would be a terrific heir.

Further players Mendez could replace

With Barkley joining a talented group of forward-thinking midfielders consisting of John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey and, sometimes, Morgan Rogers, it might feel a tad congested, with Luiz never really deployed further up the field, instead moving forward at an apt opportunity to wreak chaos.

Might another sale be necessary? According to The Times, Aston Villa have recently rejected a £20m offer from Tottenham Hotspur for Ramsey, with the player-plus-cash trend this summer at the centre once again, with Giovani Lo Celso offered.

Lo Celso has never nailed down a starting spot at Spurs since signing for an eventual total of £42m in 2018, despite his patent passing pedigree. He might prove to be a square peg in a round hole under Emery, simply a number and unable to perform the many-faceted jobs to the desired standard.

Ramsey, however, is not unexpendable despite Emery's desire to retain his services, with the Lions making it known that the homegrown attacking midfielder would require a fee of £40-50m to prise from Villa Park.

Mendez could prove to be an upgrade on the 23-year-old, who is talented but inconsistent and marred by setbacks, starting only eight Premier League matches last season and last completing a competitive appearance in early March due to a toe injury.

Still, Ramsey is a good player and excels when unshackled and pointed toward the opposing penalty area, using his wheels to drive forward and strike on goal or thread balls into the path of striking teammates.

Furthermore, he carries a robust and defensively aware style of play that mirrors that of Mendez, with the boyhood Villan averaging 2.0 tackles and 4.6 successful duels per game during the 2022/23 season, when he enjoyed far brighter fortunes on the injury front and posted six goals and seven assists from 31 starting appearances in the English top flight.

There's no question that Villa wish to keep Ramsey at the club but given the need to continue to appease PSR rules and the fact that Mendez could be brought in as a more complete and clinical replacement, it might be worth allowing him to leave, should the lofty price tag be met by a team like Tottenham.

Clearly, Mendez might just be the full package to fire Aston Villa toward new levels of success. With Champions League football beckoning, the Spain star would be a fitting replacement for an outgoing stalwart in Luiz, and potentially even Ramsey too.

New bid incoming: Aston Villa lining up "monster" Cash upgrade

Unai Emery is aiming to sign a talented Italian defender this summer…

By
Ross Kilvington

Jun 26, 2024

Mohamed Salah is into the final year of his contract at Anfield and Liverpool have identified two potential targets in case the Egyptian leaves.

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• Salah future at Liverpool uncertain
• Reds scouting potential targets
• Have two Premier League forwards in mind

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Liverpool have been scouting potential replacements for Salah and have earmarked Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo and Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo as possible targets, according to . Mbeumo has impressed this season with eight goals in nine Premier League appearances and has "been monitored by Liverpool for some time". Semenyo has also emerged as an option and is well known to Liverpool's new sporting director Richard Hughes as he brought him to former club Bournemouth from Bristol City back in January 2023.

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  Replacing Salah will be an extraordinarily difficult task for Liverpool as the 32-year-old has been vital to the club's successes since joining from Roma in 2017. Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush has also been linked with a possible move to Liverpool, along with Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi. Salah is one of three key players into the last year of his contract at Anfield alongside Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold and manager Arne Slot has admitted the trio "could become a problem" for the Reds.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mbeumo has netted eight Premier League goals this season from an xG of just 3.79, the biggest xG overperformance in the competition (+4.21).

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL

  Salah has continued to shine for Liverpool this season despite the uncertainty over his feature. The forward has six goals and five assists in nine Premier League outings and will hope to add to his tally next time out against Brighton.

Pep Guardiola has revealed Kevin De Bruyne's thigh injury is still causing him pain as Manchester City await the playmaker's return.

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• De Bruyne absent since September 18
• Nursing a problematic thigh injury
• Guardiola keen for injured stars to return

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  City have been without De Bruyne since he suffered a thigh injury in the 0-0 draw against Inter Milan on September 18. Guardiola expected to have the Belgian back by now but, although he has returned to training, the 33-year-old isn't yet ready to play a competitive game and will miss Wednesday's League Cup tie at Tottenham.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Perhaps nobody is feeling De Bruyne's absence more than Erling Haaland, who has netted just once in his past four league games. The Belgium international makes City tick and, while they've been able to move to the top of the table without him, Guardiola admitted his side will "struggle" if his injured players do not return quickly, with Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Oscar Bobb also sidelined.

• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  “I would like to tell you, especially I would like to know it, but I don’t know right now," Guardiola said when asked when De Bruyne will be back. "He feels that he can train, but not to go to that level that we need in competition. When you kick the ball or something, he still has pain and he doesn’t feel [right]. Kevin has to feel good to express his huge talent that he has. He’s feeling better, but not the best.”

  On City's injury list, Guardiola added: "For sure, if these guys don’t come back as quick as possible, we’ll struggle, because we cannot sustain with just 14, 15 players for the season. We need the players to come back.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CITY?

  City have the chance to heap more pressure on Ange Postecoglou when they take on Tottenham in the League Cup on Wednesday evening. It's the first of four successive away games for Guardiola and his players, with a trip to Bournemouth to come on Saturday.

After an exceptional Championship campaign saw them clinch promotion to the Premier League, Ipswich Town look set to bring in a host of quality players to bolster Kieran McKenna's side.

Tractor Boys target top flight talent

The latest rumours out of Portman Road have linked Ipswich with a move for Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Carl Rushworth. The England youth keeper spent last season on loan with Swansea City, and now looks set to become McKenna's number one in the Premier League.

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Joining Rushworth on McKenna's shopping list is free agent Ben Johnson. Ipswich have reportedly entered advanced talks with the representatives of the 24-year-old, who was most recently on the books at West Ham. The full back brings with him bags of top flight experience from his time with the Hammers.

A central defender is aslo high on the Tractor Boys' list of priorities with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jacob Greaves the two names most commonly assocaited with a move to Portman Road. The latter has long been regarded as Ipswich's top target, however Fabrizio Romano has now dropped some new information on the club's quest to sign one of his Hull City teammates.

Romano drops update on Philogene transfer

As reported by The East Anglian Daily Times, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has dropped some new information in Ipswich's pursuit of Hull City's Jaden Philogene. Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano provided an update on the transfer, telling listeners: "There is interest from several Premier League clubs – let me mention especially West Ham and Ipswich Town.

"These two clubs have already reached out to the player's side to understand the conditions of the deal. Let's see what's going to happen in terms of negotiations, but for sure, he's going to be one to watch in the next weeks."

Philogene joined the Tigers in a £5 million move from Aston Villa last summer. Since touching down in East Yorkshire the winger has been electric, contributing 12 goals and 6 assists as Hull finished seventh in Championship last season.

Whilst the 22-year-old had been setting the MKM Stadium alight for much of the season, Philogene caught the attention of the wider footballing world with a fantastic rabona goal during Hull's 2-1 victory over Rotherham back in February. Speaking on the effort, former boss Liam Rosenior waxed lyrical about the goal.

"Ridiculous. His ability is something we missed for a long time. He’s only going to get better with the more games he plays. It’s not just his goal or his showreel moments, it’s his energy levels he gives the team – he works so hard.

“He’s got real belief he can be a top player but the reason he can be a top player is because he works so hard on his game. Jaden’s was one of many really good performances.”

Whilst the Tractor Boys are taking steps towards making Philogene an Ipswich player there may be a couple of hurdles in their pursuit. Firstly is the £25 million fee that Hull owner Acun Ilicali wants for the player and the second is the reported interest from Spanish giants Barcelona.