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Australia vice-captain and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy has said that the emergence of the Women’s IPL will put a lot of pressure on other global organisations and countries around the world to promote women’s cricket.”[The Women’s IPL] is going to change women’s cricket for the better,” Healy told ESPNcricinfo in long-ranging conversation during Australia’s five-match women’s T20I series against India in December.”It’s probably going to put a lot of pressure on other global organisations, or countries around the world, to lift – that’s probably the best way that I’ll put it. The most exciting thing about it is that it’s happening and that there’s some buzz around it. It’s just going to be great for the game over here in India.”Related

• WPL: Rachael Haynes joins Gujarat Giants as head coach

• WPL set to be played from March 4 to 24; IPL final likely on May 28

• Women's IPL – All you need to know about the bidding process and auction

• Seven IPL team owners among 17 entities to bid for women's IPL teams

• Inaugural Women's IPL likely to be played from March 3 to 26

The inaugural edition of the women’s competition is likely to be played in March with five teams participating. While the count is yet to be confirmed, at least a dozen business entities including several owners of men’s IPL teams, will be participating in the franchise auction for the five Women’s IPL teams, organized by the BCCI on January 25.”When people really are passionate about their [men’s] IPL teams here, it’s a great thing and hopefully they get behind the women’s one too,” Healy said. “It’s obviously the next step for the game and the opportunity for some players to come over [to India] and play in a world-class tournament, at great grounds, and be very well supported is the next stage of the game.”Viacom 18 won the media rights to telecast the Women’s IPL by paying INR 7.09 crore per match for the five years from 2023 to 2027. The teams will be assembled via an auction and the players have a deadline of January 26to register for it. Capped Indian players can set a base price ranging from INR 30 lakh to INR 50 lakh while the uncapped Indian players can set theirs at INR 10 lakh or INR 20 lakh.

Key topics Healy opened up on in the interview:

• The changing landscape of women’s batting

• Her partner Mitchell Starc’s supporting role

• Power-hitting in the women’s game

• Ellyse Perry and GOATs

Record crowds flocked the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai and then the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai for the bilateral women’s T20I series between Australia and India last month, which Healy felt augured well ahead of the launch of the Women’s IPL.”The fact that we’ve had some great supportive crowds, just in this series alone [is great to see],” she said. “I am really excited by it. I’d absolutely love an opportunity to be able to come over here and be part of a women’s IPL, I think it’d be an unbelievable experience.”It’s great to see the BCCI get behind it. And obviously just recently they announced the pay parity as well for the girls. I think it’s a great step in the right direction and, and to support a team who, in my mind, is a real sleeping giant in the game, I think they’re going to potentially win a lot of world tournaments over the next 10 to 15 years. And now knowing that they’re well-supported and well-valued within the organisation will give them that confidence to go and do just that.”Alyssa Healy led Australia in front of record crowds in Mumbai•Getty Images

Healy has been part of various T20 leagues around the world including the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), the now-defunct Women’s Cricket Super League, and The Hundred. She also played in the BCCI-organised Women’s T20 Challenge. Healy said leagues such as the WBBL, which has now been around for eight seasons, help players evolve, and that playing against international team-mates forces players to work on their weaknesses more than ever.”I don’t feel like I’ve approached [the WBBL] too differently to be honest with you,” she said. “I still go out there and try and hit first ball for six! Nah, I don’t.”It’s been great for our development as cricketers. Being able to play really high-level games more regularly at home, I think it’s great for anyone’s development. It’s not just playing international cricket that’s challenging you, it’s actually a domestic game that’s challenging as well and making you evolve as a player.”You’re playing in domestic leagues, where everybody knows everybody inside and out, they know your strengths or your weaknesses. You’re playing against your teammates that you play [alongside] for Australia. So there’s no hiding. And I think it’s a great opportunity for me personally, to keep developing my skills and try and stay one step ahead of the opposition, and show them some new stuff. So I think in that regard, it’s been awesome [and given me] great learnings over the years.”

Barcelona are likely to face Valencia at the Johan Cruyff Stadium after getting clearance from La Liga, with a Camp Nou return further delayed.

• Barcelona cannot return to Camp Nou
• Johan Cruyff Stadium set to host Barca vs Valencia
• Montjuic ruled out due to Post Malone concert 

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Barcelona are preparing to host Valencia in La Liga at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which has a capacity of just 6,000. The move comes after the Montjuic Stadium was ruled out due to a scheduled Post Malone concert two days before the September 14 clash and the Camp Nou still has not been cleared to reopen. La Liga have approved the Johan Cruyff Stadium as long as all conditions are met, including security, access, press area, and temporary VAR installation.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barca's stadium situation remains complicated as they continue to wait for the Camp Nou’s reopening. The Johan Cruyff Stadium, typically used for Barca Femini and La Masia games, is now set to host a senior La Liga fixture, a significant downgrade from Montjuic’s 55,000 capacity. The Catalan giants also ruled out alternatives such as Girona’s Montilivi Stadium, while La Liga would not accept proposals to swap the fixture order with Mestalla, Valencia's stadium. The matchday four clash against Valencia will mark another test of flexibility as the club continue navigating their temporary exile.

  La Liga granted Barcelona's special request to start their season with three straight away games so that they could get Camp Nou ready for a grand reopening in their first home match of the campaign. While that plan has not been fully ruled out, it seems increasingly unlikely amid licensing issues.

• TELL ME MORE…

  La Liga’s Commission will check if the Johan Cruyff ground meets all requirements before final approval. VAR technology could be exceptionally installed if Barcelona request it in time. Despite the reduced capacity, La Liga has no objections as long as logistics are covered. Barca are expected to officially request the Johan Cruyff Stadium in the coming days. Once La Liga’s Commission confirms its readiness, the Valencia clash will take place there on September 14.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  After their dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Levante, Barcelona now turn their attention to Rayo Vallecano this weekend. The Blaugrana fans will have to wait longer for a Camp Nou return, as the famous ground’s reopening remains delayed.

James Anderson looks set to retire from international cricket at the end of England’s home summer.The reported on Friday that Brendon McCullum, England’s Test coach, travelled to the UK from New Zealand earlier this week and told Anderson in person over a round of golf that he intends to look to the future this summer, building towards the 2025-26 Ashes.Anderson became the third man to reach 700 Test wickets earlier this year in the final match of England’s tour to India but had a relatively light workload in India, bowling 110 overs across seven innings. He also struggled to make an impact against Australia last summer, taking five wickets at 85.40 across four Tests.Related

• James Anderson – From master of swing to master of all conditions

• Stats – Ashwin beats Murali's 100th-Test special, Anderson goes where no pacer has gone before

• Anderson: 'Nothing to celebrate' about reaching 700 wickets

• Anderson 'unlikely' to play for Lancashire before June

He will turn 42 at the end of England’s three-match series against West Indies in July, and could bow out during their subsequent three-match series against Sri Lanka – which starts at his home ground, Emirates Old Trafford, in late August.Anderson is expected to address his future on Saturday, when he appears on the BBC’s coverage of England women’s T20I against Pakistan at Edgbaston. The ECB declined to comment when contacted by ESPNcricinfo on Friday evening.He is yet to feature for Lancashire this summer and said last month that he was unlikely to do so before the end of May at the earliest, managing his workload ahead of the series against West Indies.Rob Key, England men’s managing director, said in a newspaper interview earlier this year that he would look to a new generation of seamers to “take us forward” in the coming years following Stuart Broad’s retirement at the end of last summer, citing Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Matt Potts, Gus Atkinson, Matt Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and John Turner.

More than 400 runs were scored in Hobart but West Indies couldn’t maintain the tempo in a big chase

Tristan Lavalette09-Feb-2024

David Warner smashed a half-century in his 100th T20I before legspinner Adam Zampa starred with three wickets as Australia held off a barnstorming chase from a full-strength West Indies in the series-opener at Bellerive Oval.After being sent in, Australia dominated the bookends in an equal-record T20I score in Hobart with Warner cracking 70 off 36 deliveries and Tim David hitting a 17-ball 37.Related

Behrendorff hopes towering 12-month run translates to T20 World Cup ticket

Comparisons with Warner: Ponting backs Fraser-McGurk to become a Test player

Chasing 214, West Indies were on track with openers Brandon King and Johnson Charles smashing a half-century partnership inside four overs. But Zampa bowled superbly in the middle-overs to outfox an ultra-aggressive West Indies, who fell short.The three-match series effectively starts T20 World Cup preparations for both teams with game two to be played in Adelaide on Sunday.Audition for Inglis, Warner stars in milestoneWarner is essentially a lock for the T20 World Cup, which will be his international cricket swansong. But the race is on to find his opening partner with Josh Inglis getting first crack having impressed at the top of the order in the ODI series.Playing in his 16th T20I, Inglis opened for the first time having made a century in India late last year batting at No.3. With Matthew Wade taking the gloves, Inglis played as a specialist batter and was an onlooker initially as Warner flayed the new ball.Inglis never quite found his timing but still showed his 360-degree range to make 39 off 25 balls. He started by giving himself room to smash left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein through the off-side in a favoured stroke.His best stroke was a clever reverse lap scoop off Andre Russell to showcase his cavalier batting before unfurling a full-blooded pull shot in a reminder that his game was honed on bouncy WACA pitches.Inglis fell to a slower delivery from Jason Holder, who had earlier been targeted by a rampaging Warner. Having struggled on sluggish UAE pitches in the ILT20, Warner enjoyed the faster surface as he raced to his half-century off 22 balls. But he slowed down after the wicket of Inglis before falling to a slower Alzarri Joseph delivery in the 13th over.Warner joined Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli as the only players to have reached 100 internationals in each format.West Indies’ seamers fight back by taking the pace offBrandon King made 53 off 37 but West Indies’ middle order fell away•Getty Images

After electing to bowl, captain Rovman Powell had hoped for early inroads on a grassy surface, but his attack struggled to threaten with the new ball.West Indies were stacked with allrounders and Joseph was their only bowler with genuine speed. And his extra pace accounted for Mitchell Marsh, who played despite testing positive for Covid-19, and kick-started a West Indies fightback.Their seamers took the pace off in the backend with slower balls accounting for several wickets as Australia’s big-hitters attempted to clear the ground. But they were hapless at the death against David as Australia finished with a flurry.West Indies’ strategy of relying on slower deliveries seems fraught with danger on harder Australian pitches, but appears a blueprint for the expected slower surfaces at their home World Cup. They will want to address their sloppy fielding mired by a couple of dropped catches and misfields.West Indies’ big-hitters go for brokeWest Indies’ batting-order barely fired a shot in the ODI series, but they were beefed up by a slew of powerful batters. King and Charles were both unavailable due to T20 franchise cricket commitments, but were welcomed back with open arms as they slaughtered the new ball.They started quickly and in the third over bludgeoned Glenn Maxwell’s offspin for 17 runs. Even the normally miserly Josh Hazlewood was monstered by Charles for a huge six out of the ground which required a replacement ball.But Charles holed out to Zampa in the ninth over while King reached a half-century off 36 deliveries, but fell on the next ball attempting to hit Marcus Stoinis for six on the leg-side. West Indies continued to go the aerial route, but fell away despite a late onslaught from Holder.Behrendorff cops early treatment, Zampa outsmarts West IndiesAdam Zampa proved the difference with the ball•Getty Images

Australia’s frontline pace attack is obviously settled, but intrigue surrounds which other quicks will be selected for the World Cup. After starring last year, including a breakout IPL, left-arm quick Jason Behrendorff is in the mix and he was selected for this series with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc rested.But the windy conditions made it difficult for Behrendroff to generate his trademark swing and he was whacked for 16 runs in the first over. He claimed the late wicket of Romario Shepherd to finish with 1 for 38 off 3 overs.It was left to Zampa to steady Australia and he produced a brilliant 16th over to claim the wickets of Russell and Nicholas Pooran which closed the door on West Indies.

أعلن نادي الزمالك عن التعاقد مع صفقة جديدة لتدعيم صفوف فريق الكرة خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية، استعدادا للموسم الجديد.

وينتظر الزمالك، افتتاحية بطولة الدوري المصري، حيث سيلتقي مع سيراميكا كليوباترا، في الأسبوع الأول من المسابقة.

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز لموسم 2025-2026، يوم 8 أغسطس 2025 وينتهي في شهر مايو 2026.

ووقع عدي الدباغ على عقود الانتقال لنادي الزمالك في جلسة مع جون إدوارد المدير الرياضي للنادي، بعد الاتفاق على كافة التفاصيل الخاصة بالصفقة مع اللاعب ونادي شارلروا.

تأتي هذه الصفقة في إطار خطة النادي لتدعيم صفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بصفقات مميزة في الموسم المقبل، من أجل المنافسة على كافة البطولات التي سيشارك فيها الفريق.

وسيقام الدوري المصري الموسم الجديد، بنظام دور واحد، كمرحلة أولى ثم تتنافس 7 فرق في مجموعة تحديد البطل، و14 في مجموعة تحديد الهابطين، ومن ثم يهبط 4 فرق.

طالع | فاروق جعفر: أحمد عبد القادر لن يكون مفيدًا لـ الزمالك إلا في حالة واحدة

عدي الدباغ قد ارتبط اسمه ضمن الصفقات المقرر انضمامها إلى صفوف الأهلي وبيراميدز خلال الفترة الأخيرة، قبل الاتفاق مع الزمالك.

وأبرم الزمالك رسميًا 8 صفقات حتى الآن في فترة الانتقالات الصيفية، شملت المهدي سليمان، شيكو بانزا، عمرو ناصر، أحمد شريف، آدم كايد، عبد الحميد معالي، أحمد ربيع ومحمد إسماعيل.

Manchester United are keen on signing an “exceptional” attacking midfielder who is now looking likely to leave his club this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Man Utd eyeing new attacking talent amid Hojlund struggles

It would be fair to say Rasmus Hojlund isn’t enjoying the best of seasons, with the Dane scoring just three goals in the Premier League, while fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee hasn’t exactly been much help either.

As such, a new striker is being targeted ahead of the summer transfer window, with an audacious move for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak being considered, although the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Samu Aghehowa may be more reasonable targets.

Not only is a new striker on Ruben Amorim’s shortlist, but the manager is also keen to bring in new attacking midfielders, having perhaps overrelied on captain Bruno Fernandes this season.

Man Utd battling to sign "magnificent" 19y/o after scouts sent rave reviews

He’s a future star.

By
Tom Cunningham

Apr 2, 2025

The Red Devils have made contact over a move for Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, who has 18 assists to his name already this season, while they have also set their sights on Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard as a potential option.

In a new report for GiveMeSport, Romano has now detailed that Man United are also keen on signing RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, with there being a concrete chance the attacking midfielder leaves the German club this summer.

Simons is open to an exit at the end of the season, and there is a feeling his price tag could be between £58m – £62m, amid interest from a whole host of Premier League clubs.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are also keen on the £97,000-a-week Dutchman, and there is seemingly a good chance a move to England could be on the cards, with the Premier League said to be one of the top destinations in the attacking midfielder’s mind.

"Exceptional" Simons could be United's next Bruno

Successful signings have been few and far between in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, but Fernandes hit the ground running right from the off, and the Portugal international has been very impressive this season, with 16 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.

However, the 30-year-old can’t be expected to do it all by himself, and with Real Madrid eyeing a move for the United talisman, the need to bring in another creative attacking midfielder this summer may be exacerbated.

Simons’ performances in Germany indicate he could well fit the bill, having racked up a remarkable eight goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga last season, while he already has seven goals to his name this term.

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund has also given the 21-year-old very high praise, saying: “I think he’s going to have a really good career at the highest level. He has everything, mentality, character and is just an exceptional player.”

Simons could be a fantastic signing for Man United this summer, particularly as many would agree the squad needs a bit more of that “mentality and character”. However, it could be very difficult to win the race for his signature if they don’t have Champions League football on offer next season, given the level of interest in his signature.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos venceu o Corinthians fora de casa, por 1 a 0, pela terceira rodada da terceira fase do Campeonato Paulista Sub-20. No Parque São Jorge, em São Paulo (SP), o gol santista da tarde desta quarta-feira (31) foi marcado pelo atacante boliviano Enzo Monteiro. Com o resultado, o Peixe lidera o grupo 21, agora com seis pontos conquistados.

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O clássico marcou a o retorno do meia-atacante boliviano Miguelito depois de uma lesão no ligamento colateral medial do joelho esquerdo. Ele entrou na segunda etapa.

Os Meninos da Vila do Sub-20 voltam a campo para novo clássico contra o Corinthians no dia 11 de setembro, um domingo. Pela rodada inicial do returno desta terceira fase do estadual, as equipes se enfrentam em duelo marcado para ás 15 horas, no Estádio Urbano Caldeira (Vila Belmiro), em Santos (SP).

O jogo

Aos 15 minutos, o Peixe chegou com perigo pela primeira vez ao ataque. Weslley Patati invadiu a área fintando seus marcadores pela esquerda e cruzou para Ivonei, no meio da grande área. Bem marcado, o camisa 10 finalizou como pôde, mas mandou a bola à direita da meta.

Dois minutos depois, Patati tentou nova descida em velocidade pela esquerda e, ao chegar à área, arriscou finalização cruzada. Com muita força, a batida cruzada não ganhou a direção do gol, passou por todo mundo e saiu em arremesso lateral.

Logo em seguida, foi a vez de Fernandinho receber lançamento pela direita e arriscar finalização de longe. O camisa 11 dominou a bola, e mandou chute colocado que mirava o ângulo direito, mas que parou em defesa segura de Wesley Borges.

No minuto seguinte, Ivonei recebeu a bola pela esquerda e saiu cara a cara com o goleiro. Na tentativa de finalização de dentro da área, ele foi travado pelo goleiro adversário, que saiu bem fechando o ângulo.

Já com trinta minutos jogados, o Peixe ameaçou o gol corintiano em nova descida de Patati pela esquerda. Ele acionou Kevyson, que invadiu a grande área em velocidade e chutou cruzado, buscando o canto inferior direito. A bola, no entanto, saiu em tiro de meta a poucos centímetros da trave.

Na segunda etapa, aos seis minutos, o Peixe abriu o placar com o primeiro gol do boliviano Enzo Monteiro pelo Santos FC. O camisa 9 recebeu cruzamento preciso de Weslley Patati pela esquerda e escorou de cabeça para o fundo das redes.

Com dez minutos jogados no segundo tempo, o Santos FC teve falta para cobrar pela esquerda do campo de ataque. Ivonei se posicionou e mandou direto para o gol, buscando o canto esquerdo. A bola parou em grande defesa de Wesley Borges, que se esticou para desviar em escanteio.

Cinco minutos depois, o Alvinegro Praiano chegou ao ataque com contra-ataque em velocidade pelo meio. Ivonei carregou a bola até a entrada da área e abriu para Fernandinho pela direita. Na tentativa da finalização cruzada, ele superou o goleiro, mas foi bloqueado pelo defensor, que jogou para escanteio.

FICHA TÉCNICA
CORINTHIANS 0 X 1SANTOS

Local:Estádio Alfredo Schürig (Parque São Jorge), em São Paulo (SP)
Data:quarta-feira, 31 de agosto de 2022
Horário:15h
Árbitro:Michel de Camargo
Assistentes:Patrick André Bardauil e Gabriel Pozzer
Cartão Amarelo: (SCCP) Cauan, Mindinho e Kayke
Gols: (SFC) Enzo Monteiro, aos 6′ do 2ºT

Santos:João Inácio; Cadu, Derick, Jair (Zabala) e Kevyson (Pedrinho); Balão (Hyan), Matheus Nunes (Rafael Moreira) e Ivonei (Nycollas Lopo); Weslley Patati (Victor Michell), Fernandinho e Enzo Monteiro (Miguelito). Técnico: Orlando Ribeiro

Corinthians: Wesley Borges; Cauan, Alemão, Renato e Gustavo Henrique (Vitor Meer); Thomas, Ryan (Riquelme) e Breno Bidon (Pedrinho); Mindinho (Kayke), Higor (Matheus Araújo) e Arthur Sousa (Felipe Augusto). Técnico: Danilo Andrade

More than at most Champions League-level clubs, plenty of players come and go at Celtic, due to the high turnover the Scottish Premiership champions experience in a high portion of summer transfer windows.

This was especially the case during Ange Postecoglou’s two-year tenure, with the Australian signing a whopping 29 players during his relatively brief reign.

Now, the player that Graham Falk of the Scotsman ranks as the second-least impactful of all 29 of Postecoglou’s signings, has just made a multi-million-pound move across the Atlantic, despite making barely any impression in Glasgow.

Once upon a time, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of the great Virgil van Dijk but that never happened.

Celtic's search for the next Virgil van Dijk

Given what he has gone on to achieve in the game, it’s pretty hard to dispute the fact that Van Dijk is Celtic’s best centre-back of modern times.

The Dutchman arrived in Glasgow from Groningen for a reported fee of £1.74m in 2013, with then manager Neil Lennon claiming he said to the defender on his first day “enjoy yourself… you won’t be here long” as he knew van Dijk was destined for the top.

In total, the Dutchman made 115 appearances for Celtic, winning two Premiership titles and the League Cup, before being sold to Southampton for £11.5m in 2015, with the Hoops also receiving a 10% sell-on fee when he moved to Liverpool for a then world-record £75m in January 2018.

Since, Celtic have simply been searching for the next van Dijk, so here’s a selection of all the centre-backs to make 100+ appearances since the Dutchman’s departure in August 2015.

As the table outlines, just four Celtic centre-halves have surpassed 100 appearances since van Dijk’s sale, underlining the flux experienced in that position, with defenders such as Carl Starfelt only at the club for a very brief period, while, at the other end of the spectrum, given that Marvin Compper made just one appearance in hoops, his Celtic career is more of an abstract concept.

Meantime, a highly-rated defender, who also appeared only once for the club, that almost every Celtic supporter worldwide will have forgotten about, appears to be getting his career back on track, having just made a big-money move.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Celtic's forgotten defender now MLS-bound

Osaze Urhoghide was one of Postecoglou’s very first signings as Celtic manager, arriving from Sheffield Wednesday for a compensation fee reported to be £200,000.

Upon his arrival, Postecoglou stated he believed the then-21-year-old possessed “all the attributes… to become a top player”, describing him as “a modern defender..good athletically” and “quick”, with Mark Walker of the Scottish Sun labelling him a ‘beast and a monster’.

Despite this high praise, Urhoghide made just one competitive appearance for Celtic, an unused substitute on 17 occasions, this coming in a dead-rubber Europa League group stage game against Real Betis.

Considering this was a player who wanted to emulate Van Dijk in Glasgow, he didn’t live up to the immense potential expected of him.

Thus, he then spent the next 18 months on loan at Oostende in Belgium, before being allowed to join Ligue 2 side Amiens on a free transfer in 2023.

Well, he must have done something right during his 41 appearances for les Licornes because, last month, he joined Major League Soccer side FC Dallas for a reported fee of £2.5m, starting all three of the Texas-based club’s MLS fixtures so far this season.

That fee may not seem sky-high, but it’s certainly noteworthy considering, in their three decades of existence, Dallas have only paid a higher transfer fee for four players, with this the highest fee the club have ever paid for a defender, the previous record the $1m spent to sign Geovane Jesus from Cruzeiro.

It’s also noteworthy when you compare it with those still at Parkhead. Indeed, the £2.5m fee puts him above the likes of super-sub Hyun-jun Yang who, in the eyes of Transfermarkt, is rated at £2.1m.

So, does this prove Celtic were wrong to sell Urhoghide? No. But does this also prove players’ development is not linear, and just because it didn’t work out at one club does not mean it can’t work out at another? Yes.

Worth more than Tierney: Celtic must regret losing "amazing" star for £0

The former Celtic youngster is now worth even more than Kieran Tierney.

1

By
Dan Emery

Mar 10, 2025

Former England captain makes 72, his highest first-class score at venue

Paul Edwards18-May-2023

Nottinghamshire 13 for 0 trail Essex 298 (Cook 72, Westley 66, Hutton 4-69) by 285 runsTrent Bridge has been sent more love-letters than Marilyn Monroe ever received and today this perfect old ground received a few more, not all of them from the cricketers. At first, though, one came from Alastair Cook, whose overtures were as gracious as one might expect; his 72 was studded with the strokes he has often played at Nottingham when wearing England colours. Later in the day the blandishments of Stuart Broad and Brett Hutton were brusquer, the pair sharing seven wickets, four with the second new ball, as Essex were dismissed for 298, two runs short of a second bonus point. And this rich day finally ended with a straight-driven boundary from Haseeb Hameed.But perhaps it was bound to be Trent Bridge that offered us comfort after the bum-numbing, brain-buggered tedium of Lancashire’s draw with Somerset at Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday. We had three sessions packed tight with fine things at Nottingham and although some of these may seem extraneous to the cricket, the folk in the Radcliffe Road Stand know it isn’t so.For example, the scorecards are actually made of card rather than the reinforced lavatory paper that some counties currently deem sufficient. And the teams printed thereon are a close approximation to the elevens that take the field rather than a press officer’s postmodernist entry for the Booker Prize. This morning they told us that Calvin Harrison would be making his first-class debut for Nottinghamshire and that Ben Duckett was absent from the home side. We later discovered that having made 401 runs in nine innings since April 6, Duckett had been withdrawn by the ECB, presumably to avoid him collapsing with chronic fatigue.Such an appalling fate has not yet befallen Broad and almost the first entry the conscientious spectators could make on their crisp cards today was to record the dismissal of Nick Brown, leg before wicket for 11 when half forward in the fifth over. Sadly, Broad claimed his victim without appealing to umpire O’Shaughnessy for his judgement, a practice that never fails to look graceless and which will no doubt inspire hundreds of imitations in junior cricket across the country.But such things could not mar our morning. Cook, who only faced six balls in his old mucker’s five-over opening spell, appears to be batting with greater freedom in his latter days and he milked three off-side fours off Hutton and Dane Paterson in the first hour. At the other end, Westley, watchful as a cat in a rat-alley, picked up ones and twos for 70 balls before he straight drove Broad to the pavilion boundary three overs before lunch.The pair continued in a similar vein on the resumption. The day was balmy and windless and it appeared we were set for a batting afternoon with Cook enlisting his formidable powers of patience and concentration to help Essex build something formidable. Ben Slater dropped Westley at long leg off Dane Paterson when the Essex skipper was on 40 and we thought the home side could not afford such laxity. It turned out they could.Six overs later, Cook tried to drive a wideish ball from the same bowler and Harrison marked his debut with a good two handed-catch to his left. Then just as Westley was beginning to dominate Steven Mullaney’s attack, he bottom-edged an attempted pull off Paterson and splayed his stumps much as a drunken driver scatters bollards. Sharp as ever to sense an opening, Nottinghamshire’s bowlers took two more wickets in the next half hour although they had help from their opponents. Dan Lawrence came down the wicket to Hutton and then feathered his drive to Joe Clarke behind the stumps. It was a funky “england23” shot and uncharitable spectators might have observed that Lawrence would have done better to think what Essex needed today rather than what Ben Stokes might want in three weeks’ time. Either way, it was a shabby effort. Two overs later, Matt Critchley meekly followed a ball from Hutton and Essex repaired to the pavilion on 205 for 5.The paradox was that Essex’s fresh batsmen needed the 20-minute break rather more than Nottinghamshire’s tired bowlers. On the resumption, most of the home attack overpitched and both Adam Rossington and Simon Harmer gave such deliveries serious rumpo. The pair had biffed ten fours in their 75-run stand for the seventh wicket when Broad took the new ball and arrowed one into the pads of Harmer who walked without waiting to be told he should. We had thus had a day on which neither bowler nor batsman had required an umpire’s decision. Maybe O’Shaughnessy should apply for an unemployment benefit of some sort.Harmer’s dismissal marked the day’s final shift. Essex lost their last five wickets for 28 runs in less than ten overs, a conclusion to the day’s cricket that most of those at Trent Bridge welcomed warmly. They know this is the best Test venue at which to watch county cricket and Nottingham’s position in the hierarchy is questioned only by the deep-dyed at other venues.This might produce a perverse determination on the part of some neutrals to resist its charms but such a resolve would be useless. One sight of the old pavilion or the uniform white-painted seats and we become soft clay in the hands of those who entered into the inheritance of this place and built it with love. It was really no coincidence that we noticed O’Shaughnessy and Tom Lungley walking round the boundary just before the toss this morning. They might have been beating the bounds of a medieval parish.

It might be a tired cliché, but last night felt like a game of two halves for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side played host to Manchester City, and set out to pick up their fourth Premier League win on the bounce.

Unfortunately, a goal from the recently returned Erling Haaland made sure that didn’t happen, and while the visitors could have been three or four up in the first half, the Lilywhites had bountiful chances of their own in the second 45.

However, while there were several players who put in solid shifts for the North Londoners, there were still some who let themselves down, such as Pedro Porro, who the manager should never have started.’

Why Postecoglou shouldn't have started Porro

After starting the game against Ipswich Town over the weekend on the bench, there would’ve been hope among some of the Spurs faithful that Postecoglou would keep Porro there for last night’s game.

Unfortunately, the Australian decided to start him at right-back, and to the surprise of very few, it turned out to be a sizeable mistake, as even while he might have a great pass on him, time after time this season, he has proven himself incapable of defending.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by journalist Mitch Fretton, who described him as a “familiar” problem while football.london’s Alasdair Gold gave him a 5/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘had a tough night’ against Jeremy Doku, which is quite the understatement.

The Belgian turned the former Sporting CP ace inside out all night, and if it wasn’t the tricky winger giving him problems, he was creating them himself.

For example, in his 90-plus minutes of action, the 25-year-old endeavoured to give the ball away 12 times and did so for Haaland’s disallowed goal at the end of the game.

Overall, it was another horror show for the error-prone full-back, and it’s clear that Postecoglou made a massive mistake in starting him over the player who started there on the weekend.

The Spurs star who should've started against City

With Archie Gray starting at centre-back alongside Kevin Danso and the lack of other defensive options, it will come as no surprise that the player Postecoglou should have started over Porro last night was Djed Spence.

The former Middlesbrough full-back has been a revelation since breaking into the first team this season – as evidenced by the crowd’s roar upon his arrival last night – and considering how dismal the Spaniard has been for much of the campaign, he should have been in from the first whistle.

Not only can he help out in the final third – he already has four goal involvements in 20 appearances this year – but he’s also far more secure and reliable when it comes to the defensive side of the game, which, even in the modern game, is incredibly important for a full-back.

For example, when we compare their underlying numbers, the “unbelievable” Englishman, as dubbed by Ian Wright, comes out ahead in the majority of relevant defensive metrics, including but not limited to tackles, tackles won, all blocks, shots blocked, passes blocked, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.

Lastly, on top of having the better defensive numbers on paper, the £20m titan also appears to be far better at anticipating the movements of opposition wingers, as unlike Porro, he rarely seems to find himself on the floor after mistiming a tackle.

Ultimately, while the team certainly weren’t dreadful last night, Postecoglou got it very wrong not starting Spence, and we can’t see him making the same decision in the Europa League next week.

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