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This was the ninth time India were involved in a tied ODI and the tenth such occasion for West Indies

Bharath Seervi24-Oct-20182- Number of bigger team totals that have ended in ties than the 321 between India and West Indies in Vizag. The highest score to result in a tie is 340 in the ODI played in Napier in 2008 between New Zealand and England. India and England had tied at 338 in Bengaluru in the 2011 World Cup which ranks second.1991- The only time before this when an ODI between India and West Indies ended in a tie. At WACA, the first game of the Benson & Hedges World Series in December 1991 the two sides tied on a score of 126. Overall, it was the ninth time India were involved in a tie and tenth such result for West Indies.3- Number of ODIs that have ended in a tie in India. The first involved India and Zimbabwe in Indore in 1993, the second was the 2011 World Cup match at Chinnaswamy and the third here in Vizag on Wednesday.2- Number of tied results for India in a span of a month. Last month they had tied against Afghanistan in Dubai in the Asia Cup. Before this India did not have any tie for more than four years.2- Centuries for Shai Hope in his ODI career and incidentally both resulted in ties. He had scored his maiden century against Zimbabwe in a chase in Bulawayo in November 2016 and West Indies had tied that game. That was also the last tied result for West Indies. Hope is the first batsman to have two centuries in tied games. No other West Indies batsman has scored hundreds in tied results. Shimron Hetmyer’s 94 in this ODI is the next-best score by a West Indies batsman in ties.157*- Virat Kohli’s score, is the second-highest in a tied game. Only Andrew Strauss’ 158 at Chinnaswamy in 2011 World Cup ranks higher. Kohli has scored 37 ODI hundreds and this was his first in a tied match. Sachin Tendulkar is the only other India batsman to have a century in a tied game – he scored 120 versus England in 2011 World Cup.6- Number of times MS Dhoni has been involved in ties in ODIs – the joint-highest for a player. He joins Aamer Sohail, Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq who were part of six ties in their ODI careers. Tendulkar, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have been part of five ties for India.

One of them has already been picked up by the Kabul franchise in the Afghanistan Premier League

Deivarayan Muthu18-Sep-2018Ali Khan (Trinbago Knight Riders)
He was nicknamed ‘The yorker machine’ by his USA team-mates for his ability to consistently hit the blockhole at speeds north of 140kph. Then, in the Global T20 Canada, he impressed Winnipeg Hawks captain Dwayne Bravo, who also captains Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, so much so that he was signed as a replacement player by TKR.In his first game of the season against St Lucia Stars, he harried Andre Fletcher with pace and bounce before tricking the opener with a knuckle ball. In the next match against Jamaica Tallawahs, Ali Khan bagged three wickets in seven balls but dropped Andre Russell first ball and watched the Tallawahs captain batter an unbeaten 121 in a remarkable chase.Ali Khan buried the disappointment of the drop in the next game against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, and snaffled another three-wicket haul. He continued to be a dominant force for TKR with the ball, finishing as the fourth-highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps in 12 games at an economy rate of 7.80.When the CPL was hurtling to the knockouts, Ali Khan was picked up by the Kabul franchise in the Afghanistan Premier League. Is he on the BBL, PSL and IPL radars as well?Oshane Thomas (Jamaica Tallawahs)
The 21-year-old, who had clocked speeds close to 150kph in CPL 2017, set the speed gun on fire this season too. Did you watch his searing yorker to Shai Hope – the ball of CPL 2018? He angled a yorker into the toes of the batsman, then found late outswing to storm through his defences and floor the middle stump.Thomas was consistent as well, taking at least one wicket in each of the 10 games he played. His tally of 18 wickets included big names such as Martin Guptill, David Warner, Evin Lewis (thrice) and Dwayne Bravo among others. According to CricViz, Thomas had a strike rate of 14.50 in the Powerplay – the third best after Mohammad Irfan and Ali Khan.

Absolute beauty!! Oshane Thomas takes home the #Playoftheday crown for match 20 of #CPL18 pic.twitter.com/S5ihcrvVek

— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 30, 2018

Obed McCoy (St Lucia Stars)
Another out-and-out quick, who took the Global T20 Canada route to CPL 2018. After claiming 11 wickets – the most by a West Indies B bowler in their run to the final – McCoy played only seven matches for St Lucia Stars, but still ended as their joint-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets at an economy rate of 7.80. His left-arm variety and slower cutters stood out even as the rest of the Stars faded away.Shimron Hetmyer (Guyana Amazon Warriors)Shimron Hetmyer became the youngest player to score a century in the CPL at age 21•Peter Della PennaHetmyer is only 21 but he has already built an impressive CV: he has played two Under-19 World Cups – leading West Indies to glory in 2016, he has featured in 20 internationals for West Indies, and last month he became CPL’s youngest centurion when he walloped a hundred off 47 balls against Jamaica Tallawahs; one of the better bowling attacks in the tournament.For Amazon Warriors to give themselves a second shot at making the final, they needed to chase down 155 in 15.3 overs against TKR at Providence, and they did it in 14.1 overs thanks to Hetmyer’s fireworks. He then put his side in the final with a more sedate 39 in the Qualifier 1, but his form cooled off against TKR in the title bout.Sherfane Rutherford (Guyana Amazon Warriors)
In a display of outrageous six-hitting, he smoked an unbeaten 45 in 13 balls: 6 6 6 1 0 1 1 6 6 2 6 1 4, against TKR in partnership with Hetmyer during that 155 chase. Dwayne Bravo bore the brunt of the assault, going for 25 runs in six balls. The shot of CPL 2018, however, came when Rutherford launched his third six. When left-arm spinner Nikita Miller pushed one through wide outside off, Rutherford reversed his hands so very quickly and swatted the ball into the second tier over backward square leg.Rutherford had also showed off his big hitting during his 134 not out off 66 balls, including 11 fours and 10 sixes, in the Global T20 Canada Qualifier 1 against a Vancouver Kings attack comprising Tim Southee, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Russell and Fawad Ahmed, who turned out to be the top wicket-taker in CPL 2018. Given his ability to hit sixes on demand, Rutherford looks set to barge into other T20 leagues.

They have been the standout side in the group stage of the Big Bash having largely trusted their own talent

Sam Perry25-Jan-2019They’ve never finished last, nor ever finished first. But after ten games and eight wins, Hobart Hurricanes have proved themselves the standout franchise in BBL08, and are virtually assured a finals berth with four games remaining in the regular season. What underpins their rise?Their evolution to BBL heavyweights has come about through part geographic disadvantage, part design, with no real Moneyball to be seen. On the contrary, whereas T20 franchises can often seem to be a cold, data-driven aggregation of players with good numbers, the central tenet of the Hurricanes’ philosophy is a ‘one program’ approach.With the exception of just two out-of-towners in D’Arcy Short and Jofra Archer, from the executives to the coaches to the kit handler to the strength and conditioning coach, the same people that work for Tasmania work on the Hurricanes. According to those familiar with the program, the notion of a team where staff and players alike simply ‘swap shirts’ for six weeks creates continuity, that in-turn breeds a welcome familiarity and camaraderie among the group. Sound familiar? The Hurricanes know this path has been well-trodden by their counterparts in the West, and don’t mind the moniker of ‘Scorchers 2.0’.Not that Short – who for all intents and purposes treated as an overseas player at the franchise – or Archer, aren’t important. The latter is especially so. While sections of the Australian public remain intriguingly unaware of his stardom – and his potential to be part England’s World Cup bid – the Hurricanes are happy in the knowledge they boast one of the best quicks in the format. His arrival in Hobart was spurred by a county fixture involving Archer and George Bailey, who was playing for Hampshire. Bailey faced Archer for the first time, and following the game called Hurricanes management to inform them that he absolutely had to be signed. Four weeks later, he was.But while Archer has performed excellently, not all overseas or out-of-town players find the Tasmanian Isle an appealing prospect. There’s the story of one player spurning an offer to join the Hurricanes because Hobart was too far from other states to travel to, while others have openly declared their preference to Hurricanes management for the glitzy cosmopolitan wares of Sydney and Melbourne, as opposed to the altogether more peaceable surrounds of the Salamanca Market and MONA.

Rather than plump for the outright best individual players in the competition, they recruit on a role-basis, aiming to fill specific game needs, rather than retrofitting stars into a team set-up

Not that playing for a Sydney franchise always guarantees a holistic commitment to the team cause either. While at the Sydney’s Western Suburbs-based Thunder, Chris Gayle rejected the team’s accommodation at Rooty Hill RSL, opting instead to pay for his own accommodation nearer the CBD.The parable of Gayle is instructive in the Hurricanes’ thinking, too. They’re of the view that the very best individual players don’t necessarily correlate to team success, as Gayle’s winning record might suggest. Instead, rather than plump for the outright best individual players in the competition, they recruit on a role-basis, aiming to fill specific game needs, rather than retrofitting stars into a team set-up. To that end, they were thrilled to regain the services of James Faulkner from Melbourne Stars, which they saw as having the double-effect of burnishing their playing stocks with a highly skilled finisher, and shearing a rival of a key role player in the process.The Hurricanes have never had a problem registering 180, but they’ve previously had trouble defending it. Faulkner’s return, alongside Riley Meredith’s stellar entrance, has balanced an attack which prefers to err on the side of pace, given Blundstone Arena’s unforgiving relationship to spin. While their recent capitulation at the hands of Sydney Sixers and Josh Philippe suggests they’re not fully rid of that phenomenon, more often than not they’re finding ways to restrict the opposition in the wake of their own batting flurries, which adheres to a simple goal to lose no more than two wickets in the first ten overs, and – if achieved – will likely lead to another 100 from the last ten.Further underpinning their holistic approach to short format cricket, they’ve recently commenced their own academy program. The brainchild of CEO Nick Cummins and Mike Hussey when both were at the Thunder, the apparatus bridges the gap between Premier Cricket and the BBL, where for many the step from suburban outposts to catches in front of 40,000 under lights can be dizzying.Under the program, players play against others on the periphery, and head to tournaments against other Academy outfits, like a recent one in Abu Dhabi, where they were able to play against teams like the Auckland, Yorkshire and Lahore Qalandars able to provide exposure to mystery spin, and players who could work the ball into strange areas.Earlier this week, Cummins replied to feverish praise of the Hurricanes on Twitter, claiming the importance of ‘keeping the lid on’. But as the Scorchers 2.0 project rounds the bend into finals, their powerful batting, role players, balanced bowling and a cohesive operational structure means he’ll be fighting an uphill battle. There can be little doubt the Hurricanes have given themselves every opportunity to claim their first title in franchise history. The lid is almost off.

How a team ringing with chaos and ranked ninth beat the top-ranked ODI behemoth on the planet

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Jun-2019If you’re looking to make sense of Sri Lanka’s victory over England, turn back. This is not the place. You’ve come to the wrong part of town.Thank you Pakistan for your contributions to the Canon of the Cricketing Incomprehensible. You haven’t been usurped exactly. You could be, soon. But take a knee for now, because in the first six months of 2019, Sri Lanka have been in more chaos, blown through more captains, endured more infighting, had a more paranoid coach, suffered more humiliating defeats, complained about more team buses, complained about more hotels, sucked harder at Test cricket, sucked harder at one-day cricket, and yet produced a Test series upset for the ages in South Africa, and now delivered the most surprising result of the World Cup.Under very few circumstances does a team ranked ninth beat the top-ranked ODI behemoth on the planet. Under fewer circumstances does a team that has won three times as many ODIs as it has lost since 2017, go down to a side that has lost three times as many as they have won in the same period. Even if you didn’t quite follow that sentence, even if you haven’t quite followed this Sri Lanka team’s vomit-worthy ODI form over the past two years, just know that this is pretty much an inexplicable result.Against a side that broke six-hitting records versus Afghanistan, Sri Lanka stumbled like drunks to 232 for 9, at no stage appearing as if they were in control of their bodily movements, let alone the innings or the run rate. Then, they called on an ageing fast bowler for inspiration, relied on a spectacularly unqualified captain, and brought down the home-team tournament favourites.In some ways it’s no surprise that Malinga – whose weight has often been the hottest issue in Sri Lankan cricket over the past few years – remains the best player in the team. Some worry about what will happen to Sri Lanka when Malinga finally decides to call it quits. Wherever will they find another match winner like this, they wonder. But this fear is misplaced, because if there is one thing we know about Sri Lanka is that from Duleep Mendis, to Arjuna Ranatunga, to Aravinda de Silva, to late-period Muttiah Muralitharan, and more recently Rangana Herath, the island’s cricket is happiest when under the tyranny of a mid-30s chubster. When Malinga goes, surely someone else will step up, as they always seem to do.Even now, Angelo Mathews appears to be preparing wholestomachedly for this responsibility. Thisara Perera is another challenger.Getty ImagesOf skinnier stock, but almost as important to this victory as Malinga and Mathews, was Dhananjaya de Silva, whose current incarnation is as pure a product of Sri Lanka’s cricketing chaos as there could ever be. As recently as December, Dhananjaya was Sri Lanka’s Test match No. 3. In that position he averages 32.5 – not awful given the consistent treachery of Sri Lankan pitches. Even in ODIs, Dhananjaya has often batted in the top order, but weirdly, in this World Cup, he has become Sri Lanka’s premier spinner.He had top-scored in a Test series whitewash over Australia once, but such are the roilings and upheavals of Sri Lankan cricket, that he comes in at No. 8 or 9 now, and has gone from one of the most promising batsmen on the planet, to being one of the most successful spinners at this World Cup, outstripping the likes of Imran Tahir, Adil Rashid, and Yuzvendra Chahal on bowling average.Against England, he bowled a slower wide one to have Moeen Ali caught at long off – the wicket that prised open the door for Sri Lanka. Then he dismissed Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid in quick succession – the double strike that swung it wide open. He doesn’t spin the ball. He doesn’t make it dip. He barely ever drifts it. He looks at all times like he is ambling home from school towards homework he doesn’t want to and perhaps never will do.But then he plays for Sri Lanka: a team that looks listless all year, that rifles through all manner of captains until it by chance finds one that shines like a jewel, that makes heroes out of the old and pudgy, and confounds what seem like the most unconfoundable predictions.At the South Africa Tests earlier this year, and now at Headingley, Sri Lanka have turned up in turmoil, and won against juggernaut opposition. Through all of this, never have they not looked sublimely helpless. Looks, though, like form, and confidence, and skill level, and experience, can apparently be profoundly deceiving.

The 24 year-old is already one of South Africa’s senior players but he still has to prove he is a good batsman in spinning conditions

Liam Brickhill30-Sep-2019Aiden Markram is not your average 24 year-old professional cricketer.He has no sleeve tatts, and no T20 contracts. His social media game seems something of an afterthought. Three tweets this year, nine Instagram posts, and modest follower numbers: 36.5K on Insta, and just 18K on Twitter. He is, at least, verified.

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Markram’s focus is clearly elsewhere.Being the only South African captain ever to lift a World Cup trophy, as leader of the Under-19 team in 2014, he is in a group of one. And since then, Markram’s reputation as a mature head on young shoulders has only grown.He is one of only four members of the South African Test squad in India under the age of 25, but he has the aura of a seasoned veteran. It’s easy to forget that Markram is only two years into his international career, and in that short space of time he has become central to South Africa’s plans, particularly in Test cricket. He could be central to their success – or otherwise – in the three upcoming Tests in India.

Aiden’s passport said he was 18 but he spoke and carried himself like a 23-year-old. He just had that mental capacitySouth Africa’s Under-19 World Cup winning coach Ray Jennings

Markram’s previous experience of playing against India – at home last year – was, in his own words, “a massive step up”. Playing India India is another level. His technique and his composure will be tested in unique and unforgiving ways.Markram has experienced similar conditions before, and struggled. Indeed, he hasn’t enjoyed himself much on previous trips to the subcontinent. South Africa’s two-Test series in Sri Lanka last year is the only one in which he’s failed to pass fifty even once, being dismissed four times in four innings by Rangana Herath.His previous trip to the island with the South African emerging side in 2015 was little better, bringing a modest 179 runs in six innings. It seems that the turning ball worries Markram, and that will not have escaped the attention of the likes of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian Test squad.Aiden Markram jabs a Rangana Herath delivery to first slip•Associated PressSouth Africa aren’t worried though. They know Markram was the teenager who not only survived, but positively prospered under coach Ray Jennings’ famously disciplinarian rearing of the Under-19 side. “Aiden’s passport said he was 18 but he spoke and carried himself like a 23-year-old,” Jennings told , approvingly. “He just had that mental capacity.”ALSO READ: Aiden makes his mark, by Daniel GallanNow, just days short of his 25th birthday (which will arrive smack bang in the middle of the first Test this week), Markram carries himself like a 30-year-old. With a Test squad stacked with fresh faces, South Africa will also need him to play like one and he enters the three-Test series as South Africa’s top ranked Test batsman, at No. 10, just ahead of Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis at Nos. 11 and 12 respectively.

On Wednesday, Markram’s life will be coming full circle. It was in Vizag that he played his first games for the Under-19 side.

His opening partner, Dean Elgar, floundered on the last trip to India, with a high score of 38 and a tour average under 20. Theunis de Bruyn, at first drop, is only nine Tests into his career. India will sense South Africa’s vulnerabilities at the top of the order. Someone will have to step up.Channeling the spirit of Jennings and putting in the hard yards to get himself ready, Markram arrived in India well ahead of time with the A side, clearly a ploy to get him thoroughly acclimatised ahead of the Tests. This isn’t his first trip to India – when the Proteas line up for the first Test at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, Markram will in fact be coming full circle and back to where it all started for him as a professional cricketer. It was in this city that he played his first games for the Under-19 side, playing twice at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium. He was back in India with Pretoria University for the Campus Cricket World Finals four years ago.But this latest trip has brought Markram his very first hundreds anywhere on the subcontinent. He tuned up with 161 against India A at Mysore, defying Kuldeep Yadav and a spin-heavy attack, and followed that up with another ton against an Indian Board President’s XI at Vizianagaram last week.Aiden Markram talks to Heino Kuhn at a training session•Getty Images”I don’t want to be labelled as the guy who only does well in home conditions,” Markram said ahead of South Africa’s Test series against Sri Lanka last year. The results that followed, of course, did nothing to dispel that notion, and he now averages just 10 in Test cricket outside South Africa, albeit from a very small sample size.This time around, on his second Test tour in Asia, Markram is trying to put the conditions out of his mind. “We’re not going to harp on about conditions,” he said last week, cruising to a 118-ball hundred and retiring to give his team-mates some time in the middle.Markram has captained every South African team he’s played for, from age-group level, through university, to provincial, franchise, A side, and the Proteas one-day outfit. The Test captaincy seems an almost inevitable part of his destiny too. The time has not yet come for that honour, but South Africa will be hoping that Markram can show leadership with the bat in the weeks to come, and be anything but your average 24 year-old professional cricketer.

Two Indian greats in the final. One men’s cricketer of the decade picked by ESPNcricinfo’s readers. Make your vote(s) count

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2020After a memorable quarter-final phase featuring two neck-to-neck battles, the semi-finals were a one-sided affair with both Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni cruising through, past Kane Williamson and AB de Villiers respectively. We are down to a choice between two of India’s greatest cricketers of all time, and while you vote, our staffers are making their own picks. Also, vote for your women’s cricketer of the decade here.Note: The voting for this round closes at 11am GMT on January 7, 2020.

How our readers have voted so far

ESPNcricinfo LtdMore in the decade in review, 2010-19.

Reportedly prepared to spend to make the deal happen, Aston Villa and NSWE have reportedly set their sights on winning the race to sign a defender worth £50m this summer.

NSWE prepared to spend despite Aston Villa PSR concern

This summer wouldn’t be the first time that those at Villa Park spent big, given how they’ve splashed the cash to improve Unai Emery’s side in recent windows. Unlike in the past, however, NSWE will reportedly have to walk a fine line if they are to avoid breaking any profit and sustainability rules in a problem that they’re already looking to solve in an unexpected way.

Whether selling stakes in the women’s team solves Villa’s problem remains to be seen, but such a possibility certainly adds pressure to the achievements that the men’s team are in pursuit of. By qualifying for the Champions League for a second consecutive campaign, Emery’s side would undoubtedly provide the entire club with some added funds.

Aston Villa now join 6-team tussle to sign "bulldozing" teenage sensation

He’s a man in demand…

By
Tom Cunningham

Apr 6, 2025

What will have certainly helped on that front is their 2-1 victory over top-four rivals Nottingham Forest to maintain their push to sneak into European contention. Emery was well aware of just how important the result was, telling reporters: “I’m very happy because here in Villa Park we are feeling very strong.

“We are transmitting our energy to the supporters and their energy is transmitting to us. We are, more or less, winning, responding well.

“The supporters are happy with how we are responding and getting challenges like today against Nottingham, who are having a fantastic season. We’re trying to keep going in the challenges we have: today, next Wednesday, then again in Premier League, the FA Cup semi-final in London.”

What’s more, that financial boost courtesy of European qualification could yet see Aston Villa win the race to sign an in-demand defensive reinforcement in the coming months.

Aston Villa targeting £50m Diomande

As impressive as Aston Villa’s depth has been since the January transfer window, it won’t be long before they lose loanees Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi. And that’s when they could turn towards a £50m defender.

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa and NSWE are now prepared to spend to sign Ousmane Diomande from Sporting Club, who value their talented defender at £50m ahead of this summer.

The 21-year-old has also attracted interest from Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to form a hectic Premier League race for his signature. Whether other clubs are willing to spend like Aston Villa seemingly are remains to be seen, however.

Described as an “aggressive” and “tough tackling” defender by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Diomande would be worth every penny in a £50m deal this summer, no matter who wins the race for his signature.

The summer transfer window is fast approaching, and Liverpool are set to spend big as they prepare for Arne Slot’s second, Premier League title-defending season at the helm.

Of course, the top-flight trophy isn’t yet wrapped up, but the Reds need just two wins from their remaining six fixtures to put things beyond Arsenal’s reach.

Sporting director Richard Hughes has wrapped up Mohamed Salah’s new contract; captain Virgil van Dijk’s fresh deal is soon to follow. Now, focus can be turned to the upcoming transfer window, with Liverpool expecting flurries of activity through the summer months.

While signing a centre-forward, left-back and central defender are the priorities for the Reds, Slot would be wise not to neglect his midfield.

Liverpool’s midfielders have been immense through the 2024/25 campaign, but they aren’t infallible. There’s been a lack of bite and physicality at times of late that suggests a new addition to the engine room could go down a treat.

Why Slot shouldn't neglect Liverpool's midfield

When Liverpool fell from grace under Jurgen Klopp in 2022/23, the German manager knew he needed to repackage his side’s long-serving midfield.

Jordan Henderson was a first-standard leader but was starting to look a weak link from a technical standpoint, while Fabinho’s legs had gone after so many years serving as a world-class anchor at the heart of one of the highest-octane squads on the globe.

Their replacements, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, have been immense this season (and last) as Liverpool’s mainstays in the middle, but there’s no denying Liverpool have lacked a combative sheen and that extra bit of dynamism at times recently, namely being overrun by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Newcastle United at Wembley.

Liverpool have won more duels than their opponents in just one of their past 11 matches across all competitions, denoting fatigue and a lack of sharpness that opponents are capitalising on.

Though packing quality across more needy areas will ultimately hold sway for Liverpool, there’s no question that a high-class midfielder would elevate an already immense team.

It’s something FSG are bearing in mind.

Liverpool lining up marquee midfielder

According to Italian outlet InterLive.it, Liverpool’s interested in signing Nicolo Barella this summer is said to be ‘serious’, with Inter Milan anticipating offers for their midfield linchpin after yet another standout campaign.

Now, Barella, 28 years old, is contracted to the San Siro until 2029 and thus Inter are in a commanding position regarding his future and have listed him at €100m (about £87m).

Liverpool’s interest is confirmed to be serious, however, and given the Serie A leaders are keen on Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa, a deal wouldn’t be out of question.

What Nicolo Barella would bring to Liverpool

Described as “the best Serie A midfielder of the 2020s” by journalist Zach Lowy, Barella has already won two Scudettos and two Coppa Italia titles with Inter Milan, joining from Cagliari in 2019.

Having featured 277 times for I Nerazzurri, Barella has scored 25 goals and supplied 59 assists. He’s not the most prolific of midfielders, but then that’s not really his jurisdiction.

With Simone Inzaghi’s side battling it out with Napoli for the Italian title, Barella has been the architect of his team’s challenge, averaging 1.9 key passes, 4.7 successful duels and 5.2 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore, illustrating his wide range of quality.

Of course, the Italian has also been immense in Inter’s quest for the Champions League trophy, with outlets stating that he delivered a career-defining performance at the Allianz Arena last week, taking a 2-1 lead over Bayern Munich back to the San Siro.

Talent of this level suggests that Liverpool could be getting their mitts on one of the most gifted midfielders in many years, one who could stand out above the current Anfield crop.

He might even prove to be Liverpool’s best midfielder since Fabinho.

For the uninitiated, Fabinho was absolutely spellbinding in his role as Klopp’s number six, so cultured and commanding as he held together a hard-grafting midfield that worked around the clock to facilitate the attacking successes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Bobby Firmino.

Once hailed as “one of the best in the world” by Klopp, Fabinho truly was a core part of the most illustrious era in Liverpool’s modern history, joining from Monaco for roughly £40m in May 2018 and going on to play 219 times for the Reds before his legs finally failed him.

When in his pomp, the Brazilian was truly one of the most dominant forces out there, and now Barella could emulate him and become Liverpool’s new centrepiece, perhaps unlocking the next level in Slot’s existing options.

Tough-tackling, tenacious and iron-willed, Fabinho performed dutifully and blended his natural qualities with a sharpness of mind and quickness of reaction that differentiated him from his positional rivals.

The Italy international has the experience and the multi-skilled ability to be a real standout for Liverpool over the next several years, with his FBref data discussed above suggesting the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Pedri are among his most statistically similar players.

Such ball-playing specialists, maestros and conductors wrapped into one, would fit snugly into Slot’s system – just look at how Gravenberch has got on this term.

Barella, then, would fit right in. He’s a world-class player, dubbed a “genius” on the pitch by sports editor Mike Pielluci, and a trophy winner besides, and if Inter are willing to discuss deals containing the likes of Nunez and/or Chiesa, Liverpool might just sign their best midfielder since Fabinho.

Awful Trent repeat: Another Liverpool "superstar" is now wanted by Madrid

Liverpool need to make sure they keep their best players this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Apr 14, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are now discussing the possibility of appointing a “special” manager who’s been targeted by Real Madrid as a potential replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, and he’d be a big-name to follow in the footsteps of Ange Postecoglou.

Ange Postecoglou comments on Tottenham season amid uncertain future

Spurs face the Premier League champions elect, Liverpool, on Sunday – and defeat at Anfield could equal their record for most league defeats in a single season since the competition’s inception.

Tottenham now targeting "elite" £8.3m-a-year manager after "bold" decision

Ange Postecoglou could be replaced by a big-name.

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 25, 2025

It’s been a torrid 2024/2025 for Postecoglou, who’s dealt with consistent reports linking him with the Spurs exit door, and it is reliably believed that the Lilywhites could decide to sack him regardless of whether they win the Europa League (The Telegraph).

Tottenham sit 16th in the Premier League table after 18 top flight losses, with Postecoglou suffering from a major player selection crisis midway through the season thanks to a plethora of injuries to key squad members.

This undoubtedly crippled their chances of a respectable league finish, but languishing near the relegation zone is disastrous for a big six side like Spurs. Postecoglou has a saving grace, their promising Europa League campaign, where the Australian could end Spurs’ 17-year wait for major silverware.

“You just got to try to deal with what is before you,” said Postecoglou on Tottenham’s season.

“As you said, we are well aware our league form and league position is not good enough. But we also know there is an unbelievable opportunity on the horizon. I think irrespective of, this club has had many seasons and a lot of clubs have had seasons where they have done outstandingly well in the league but don’t have the opportunity we have right now of being in the final four of a major European competition.

“That is where the focus is and where the focus should be irrespective, especially of a club that hasn’t had a lot of success recently. We have got a wonderful opportunity. The players have and the club has and collectively if we give ourselves every opportunity to progress to a final then I think hopefully the momentum we gain from that will give us a chance to do something special.”

Tottenham talking about replacing Ange Postecoglou with Xabi Alonso

In the background, Tottenham are drawing up a shortlist of managers to replace Postecoglou.

Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), Marco Silva (Fulham), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Scott Parker (Burnley) have all been linked as potential candidates, with a Spurs return for Mauricio Pochettino not ruled out either.

As per GiveMeSport, key decision-makers in N17 now want to show more ambition and be bold in their pursuit of a new head coach, meaning they could now target Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso.

The Spaniard guided Leverkusen to a Bundesliga title last season, finishing the league unbeaten and making history. Alonso’s side also very nearly finished the entire campaign without defeat, but were handed their only loss of 2023/2024 in the Europa League final against Atalanta.

This stellar job at Leverkusen on a limited budget has prompted reports that Real Madrid are considering him as a replacement for Ancelotti, but GMS now report that Tottenham have been talking about appointing Alonso as well.

Called a “special” manager by Arne Slot, it is hard to argue with the Dutchman’s assessment, but this move could be too far out of Spurs’ reach with Real lurking.

The cult of Scott McTominay is growing in Naples, with the former Manchester United man having emerged as the unlikely spearhead of the Serie A side’s charge toward the title in Italy.

Now shining alongside another ex-Red Devil in Romelu Lukaku, the towering midfielder has now scored 11 league goals in 2024/25 to date, a record that places him above every player in Ruben Amorim’s current ranks.

Indeed, the 6 foot 4 sensation has been particularly vital in recent weeks after popping up with five goals across just his last three Serie A games, having scored more league goals in those outings than Rasmus Hojlund has done all season back in Manchester.

Whether it is perhaps with hindsight in mind, there is a nagging feeling that maybe the INEOS regime were wrong to cash in on the 28-year-old last summer, despite raking in a £25m fee, with Erik ten Hag having been adamant that he “didn’t want” to sell the unsung star at the time.

As it is, the experienced powerhouse is now the new king of Napoli, with United turning their attention elsewhere amid the need to bolster the midfield ranks…

Latest on Man Utd's search for a midfielder

The priority positions this summer may well be a new striker and a goalkeeper, as outlined by the Manchester Evening News, although there is certainly work to be done to strengthen in the centre of the park.

With 33-year-old playmaker Christian Eriksen set to depart following the looming expiry of his contract – and with fellow veteran Casemiro likely to be linked with an exit of his own – options in the midfield two will be slim next term, outside of Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes.

Equally, with Kobbie Mainoo having been pushed into a more advanced number ten role of late – a position that Fernandes could still return to – that dearth of options is exposed even more, hence the need to hand Amorim some quality reinforcements.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to reports in Spain – via Football 365 – the Old Trafford outfit have set their sights on Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez, with the promising Spaniard viewed as the ‘perfect fit’ for Amorim’s 3-4-3.

Indeed, the report goes as far as to suggest that such interest has even led United and INEOS to now be readying an offer for the 22-year-old, said to be worth in the region of €30m (£25m).

That proposal is said to have sparked something of a ‘divide’ at Camp Nou, with the LaLiga giants viewing Lopez – who boasts a €500m (£425m) release clause – as a ‘key player’, albeit while remaining open to a sale amid their ‘complicated’ financial situation.

There are also doubts over whether the player himself actually wants to make the move, although if he can be convinced, it could represent a real coup for INEOS.

Why Fermin Lopez would be a good signing

As evidenced during Wednesday’s thrilling Champions League, first-leg semi-final clash with Inter, the current incarnation of Barcelona are a truly mouthwatering prospect, spearheaded by the devastating brilliance of Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha.

In a side that boasts so much attacking and midfield quality, including the likes of Dani Olmo and Frenkie de Jong too, young Lopez has largely been forced to take on an impact role under Hansi Flick, having actually started just 16 games in all competitions this season.

To his credit, the La Masia graduate has taken his chance whenever he has been called upon, after contributing four goals and nine assists in total in 2024/25, including a return of one goal and four assists on the continent.

Described by former boss Xavi Hernandez as the “whole package” in the past, the United target is certainly not the main man in Catalonia, but is a real threat from his advanced midfield role, having even registered two goals and two assists in the 7-1 thrashing of Valencia earlier in the campaign.

That role as a box-crashing substitute certainly sounds familiar, with that the status that McTominay enjoyed last term at the Theatre of Dreams under Ten Hag, having chalked up ten goals across all fronts.

The all-action star memorably scored twice in stoppage time to seal a dramatic comeback win over Brentford in that 2023/24 season, having also sealed victory away at Villa Park with a bullet header late on.

While Lopez may be of far smaller stature at just 5 foot 9, he does mirror McTominay with regard to his ball-carrying prowess, as shown in the fact that he ranks in the top 19% of his LaLiga peers for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref. His Napoli counterpart, meanwhile, ranks in the top 14% in that regard in Serie A.

Equally too, the duo are alike with regard to their attitude and application, despite not often taking the spotlight. As Xavi said of Lopez, he “is hungry and has a great character”, while in the case of McTominay, he had been tipped to be a future “captain” of Man United by interim coach, Ralf Rangnick due to his “leadership skills”.

Such qualities are vital in any squad, with Amorim likely to relish the chance to work with a player of Lopez’s quality and mindset.

Like McTominay before him, he may go under the radar amid the bright lights around him, although the two-cap Spain international may well be perfect for either the midfield two or one of the two number ten berths next season at Old Trafford.

Man Utd may have found the new Scott McTominay in an unlikely source

Man Utd have found a new figure who may soon emulate McTominay…

By
Robbie Walls

May 1, 2025