It appeared the New York Yankees were on their way to forcing a Game 6 in commanding fashion when they opened up an early 5–0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
That lead disappeared in a matter of minutes.
After Kike Hernandez led off the inning with a base hit, the Yankees continued to shoot themselves in the foot for the rest of the frame. Tommy Edman reached base when Aaron Judge dropped a routine fly ball, which was his first error of the 2024 season, and Will Smith got aboard on a throwing error from Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe.
With the bases loaded, Yankees starter Gerrit Cole whiffed Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani for the inning's first two outs. And when he got Mookie Betts to hit a soft ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, it appeared the Yankees would get out of the inning with no harm done.
But Cole didn't cover first base, and Betts beat Rizzo to the bag to bring home a run.
Los Angeles was just getting started. The Dodgers scored four more runs that inning to tie the game at five runs apiece, with Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez bringing in a pair apiece. All in all, the Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate and scored all five runs with two outs.
An epic meltdown at Yankee Stadium. An epic meltdown that could cost New York a chance at another World Series championship.
The MLB world was astounded by the Yankees' unforgivable mistakes:
If the Yankees can rally back for a Game 5 win, they'll force Game 6 at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. But if they can't, those fifth-inning blunders will haunt them for the entire offseason.
Lancashire 55 for 2 (Lamb 21) beat Essex 47 for 7 (Cross 2-9, King 2-17) by eight wickets (DLS)Ashes rivals Kate Cross and Alana King equally shared four wickets to set Lancashire Thunder up for a convincing rain-affected Vitality Blast win over Essex Eagles at Emirates Old Trafford, keeping their Finals Day hopes alive.England seamer Cross and Australia legspinner King struck twice apiece in the space of 10 legitimate balls in the sixth and seventh overs of what turned out to be an eight-over Essex innings as they slipped to 38 for six and later totalled 47 for seven.A two-hour rain delay ravaged a fixture which both sides realistically needed to win to maintain hopes of a top-three finish, and it was Thunder who claimed the five points as they reeled in a revised 52-target in six overs thanks largely to opener Emma Lamb’s 21 off 17 balls.Thunder’s fourth win in nine games – this by eight wickets on DLS – means they leapfrog Essex into fifth place and are now 11 points behind third-placed Bears with five games left. Thunder face them in a crunch clash here tomorrow afternoon.Essex, meanwhile, lost for the sixth time in nine and have a mountain to climb.Thunder, who importantly won the toss and elected to bowl first, made a fast start with the ball either side of the two-hour delay from just after 11.20am.First of all, Essex reached 24 for two after five overs.Seamer Phoebe Graham was making her first competitive appearance of the summer for Thunder, and she struck in the fourth over when she uprooted the leg-stump off Lissy MacLeod as she aimed a heave across the line.Left-arm swing bowler Tara Norris then had the other Essex opener Lauren Winfield-Hill well caught low down at cover by Ailsa Lister following a miscue in the next. Only four more balls were bowled before play was halted.Then, upon the resumption, with an eight-overs per side game now in motion, Thunder struck four times in the first 10 legitimate balls back to all but end any realistic chance Essex had of winning, the visitors crumbling to 38 for six.King had compatriot Maddie Penna well caught low down at square-leg by Lister off a full toss before getting Cordelia Griffith caught behind cutting later in the sixth over.In the seventh, Cross uprooted Jo Gardner’s off-stump and had an attacking Eva Gray caught behind.Amara Carr was then run out off the final ball of the innings. Opener Winfield-Hill was the only Essex batter to reach double figures with 13.Eve Jones set Thunder on their way in the chase with an eye-catching straight driven boundary off Esmae MacGregor’s seam before dragging Gray’s seam to midwicket on 17 – 29 for one in the fourth.England’s Lamb hit three leg-side boundaries before being run out with only four runs required.While the Red Rose host the Bears tomorrow (1pm), Essex face league leaders Surrey at The Kia Oval (midday).
تغلب فريق بايرن ميونخ الألماني على نظيره باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي بهدفين مقابل هدف، خلال مباراة الفريقين مساء الثلاثاء، ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وحل بايرن ميونخ ضيفًا ثقيلاً على باريس سان جيرمان، ضمن مباريات الجولة الرابعة لمرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وتقدم بايرن ميونخ بهدف مبكر سجله لويس دياز في الدقيقة الرابعة من عمر المباراة، بشباك باريس سان جيرمان.
وفي الدقيقة 22 أحرز الفرنسي عثمان ديمبلي هدفًا لباريس سان جيرمان، وعاد الحكم لتقنية الفار وأتضح وجود اللاعب في موقف تسلل ومن ثم لم يحتسب الهدف.
وغادر ديمبلي ملعب المباراة في الدقيقة 25 للإصابة ولم يتمكن من الاستمرار وشارك كانج إن لي بديلاً له.
وفي الدقيقة 32 سجل لويس دياز الهدف الثاني له ولبايرن ميونخ، وقد استحوذ الجناح على الكرة من ماركينيوس، وتقدم نحو منطقة الجزاء قبل أن يُسدد كرة قوية في الزاوية اليسرى السفلى.
اقرأ أيضًا | ترتيب هدافي دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد ثنائية لويس دياز في مباراة بايرن ميونخ وباريس سان جيرمان
وقبل نهاية شوط المباراة الأول، غادر لويس دياز الملعب ببطاقة حمراء مباشرة بسبب تدخل قوي على أشرف حكيمي ظهير باريس سان جيرمان.
واتخذ الحكم قراره بطرد لويس دياز بعد العودة للفار، باعتبار أن الكولومبي عرض سلامة حكيمي للخطر بشكل واضح، وغادر المغربي الملعب باكيًا متأثرًا بإصابة وشارك سيني مايولو بديلاً له.
وفي الدقيقة 71 قلص باريس سان جيرمان الفارق بهدف أحرزه جواو نيفيز من رأسية بعد تمريرة عرضية من كانج إن لي، وعاد الحكم لتقنية الفار ومن ثم احتسب الهدف.
انتهت المباراة بفوز بايرن ميونخ بهدفين لهدف، ليرفع رصيده للنقطة 12 في صدارة ترتيب دوري أبطال أوروبا، وتجمد رصيد باريس سان جيرمان عند 9 نقاط بالمركز الثالث. ملخص مباراة باريس سان جيرمان وبايرن ميونخ
West Ham travel to Everton on Monday, but Graham Potter will not get the chance to use the trip to Goodison Park as a shot at redemption after he and his coaching staff were let go on Saturday.
The managers who West Ham are considering to replace Graham Potter
Nuno Espírito Santo, Slaven Bilic, Scott Parker, Marco Silva, Sean Dyche, Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick have all been mentioned as managerial candidates for the potential West Ham job recently.
Potter, who had overseen four defeats from five Premier League games at West Ham this season, conceding more goals than any other top-flight side, has seen time run out. Reports had hinted at a stay of execution for the 50-year-old until the Arsenal match, but David Sullivan and the West Ham board have decided to call time on his reign.
It’s been just over nine months since Potter took over from Julen Lopetegui in the dugout, with the former Chelsea and Brighton boss recording one of West Ham’s worst Premier League win percentages in that time — behind only Avram Grant — who relegated the east Londoners in 2011.
9. Sam Allardyce
30.7%
10. Julen Lopetegui
30%
11. Gianfranco Zola
27.8%
12 Graham Potter
26.1%
13. Avram Grant
18.9%
via StatMuse
According to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, while Nuno is demanding a long-term contract with reported big wages, the Portuguese is believed to be in pole position for the job. Other top contenders include Bilic, who is already planning his coaching staff in the event he’s appointed (ExWHUemployee), and now, Gary O’Neil.
The latter is a free agent after leaving Wolves last season and has a connection with West Ham already, having made 56 appearances for them as a player. O’Neil does have his credentials too, despite being sacked by his last club.
His work at Molineux and Bournemouth is “highly respected” in Premier League circles, according to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, given O’Neil worked wonders at times with limited resources and helped to save the Cherries from what looked like a near-certain relegation in 2022/2023.
Gary O'Neil keen to replace Graham Potter as West Ham hold manager talks
Now, as per journalist Pete O’Rourke, O’Neil is believed to be keen on joining West Ham as the club hold talks with managerial candidates behind-the-scenes.
O’Rourke highlights that Nuno remains the favourite, but says O’Neil is actually Sullivan and the board’s second choice behind the ex-Nottingham Forest hero.
The 42-year-old may not ‘wow’ supporters as a favoured candidate, though there is reason to believe he could steady the ship, at least on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
Gary O'Neil's credentials for the West Ham job
After taking over from Scott Parker at Bournemouth in 2022, O’Neil won 10 of his 34 league games in charge that season, guiding them to a 15th-placed finish.
Parker was shown his P45 following a 9-0 loss to Liverpool, which still stands as the joint-biggest defeat in Premier League history, but O’Neil managed to go unbeaten over his first six games in charge of Bournemouth thereafter.
As a result of his impressive start, the tactician was awarded a one-and-a-half year contract during the World Cup break, and steered the south coast side comfortably clear of relegation.
O’Neil also impressed in his first season at Wolves, guiding them to an FA Cup quarter-final and 14th-placed finish under very challenging circumstances, with the Old Gold selling a host of key players and bringing in few quality options to replace them.
However, O’Neil seriously struggled to build upon that in his second year and was sacked midway through 24/25 after a defeat to Ipswich.
With a drop to the Championship staring West Ham in the face right now, O’Neil could be an adept solution to steady the ship, but only on an interim basis.
South Africa seamer strikes hard on day two to put Kent on the brink of victory at Wantage Road
Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Apr-2025Northants 143 (Keogh 64, Singh 4-35) and 107 for 7 (Bartlett 54*, Dudgeon 4-32) need 153 runs to beat Kent 231 (Muyeye 72, Leaning 40, Weatherall 3-32) and 171 (Evison 52, Compton 36, Weatherall 3-38) Keith Dudgeon had originally planned on joining Kent for the 2024 season before NOC issues ruled that out. A year on, he finds himself at the club as one of two replacements, alongside Pakistan Test seamer Kashif Ali, to cover for Wes Agar through to May, who was prescribed rest following the end of the Australian summer.Even moonlighting for Agar owed a lot to a referral from a high-profile figure within the English game. Joe Root, having spent time with Dudgeon during an SA20 stint with Paarl Royals, thought he had the skills to succeed in county cricket. His overall record was impressive enough, with 226 red ball wickets at 26.31. With Kent searching for bowlers, Root recommended Dudgeon to England teammate Zak Crawley, who passed it on,The lesson to learn after just two days of the 2025 season is that networking works. Because whatever thoughts there might have been that the 29-year-old South African is an afterthought overseas, the record was set straight on Saturday evening at Wantage Road.The broad-shouldered seamer took Kent to victory’s door against Northamptonshire with a late spell of three wickets in nine deliveries that leaves his new side needing just three more wickets on day three for victory in their Division Two opener. An uncapped Protea he may be, but this was a top-quality fare.That day two saw 20 wickets across three innings tells an accurate story of a crapshoot of an opening fixture on a spicy pitch that would have done plenty without the plethora of batting errors. But Dudgeon’s late burst – which might have been four wickets in 11 balls, and a first five-wicket haul for the club, had a vociferous LBW appeal against Justin Broad been given – was a gut punch to Northamptonshire.At 54 for 2 in pursuit of 260, they looked to have stumbled across some calm amid the chaos of the last two days. Now, closing on 107 for 7, they rest knowing defeat awaits them on Sunday, with only George Bartlett’s unbeaten 54 to hold on to. Bartlett’s presence should be considered a blessing given he was shelled on 17 by Bell-Drummond at third slip.”We’ve had a struggle this year with the Kookaburra (balls) back home, and slower seam conditions at my home ground, Boland Park,” Dudgeon said of South African seamers over their domestic summer. His seven wickets for Boland came at 55.28. Just 20 overs with a Dukes in April have already reaped five at 13.00.”I’m well aware that they’re not all like this,” he added, referring to the surface and conditions, having clocked a few heavy scores around the country. “I know the hard work is only coming, so we need to stay humble.”He need not worry, because humility has a way of finding this modern iteration of Kent, even when they are in the ascendancy. They needed just 40 minutes to wrap up Northamptonshire’s first innings, with Jaskaran Singh doubling his two dismissals from the night before to finish with career-best figures of 4 for 35. But having worked hard to establish a lead of 88, the visiting attack were back in action after the tea break, with 29 overs remaining in the day’s play.What happened in between was down to a super-sized version of the first day’s mistakes. A collapse of 5 for 33 in their first innings was “bettered” by a rather inexplicable 7 for 49 in the second, of which four – all caught through attacking shots – should have been avoided.The first of those was a tame bunt to cover by Crawley, this time for 31 after losing two stumps for just one 24 hours earlier. That it set up the cascade was no fault of Crawley’s; England’s erratic opener had compiled nicely up to that point, dovetailing with Ben Compton to take the opening stand to 66 just after lunch.Jaskaran Singh struck in the first innings before Keith Dudgeon make the key inroads in the second•Getty ImagesBut when a Broad length delivery sat up, deserving to be smoked through the off side, Crawley snatched at the chance, gifting a simple catch to Saif Zaib at cover. An over later, Zaib was in more or less the exact same patch of field – this time fielding at midwicket – as Bell-Drummond flicked to him for a three-ball nought, and was immediately followed back to the pavilion by Tawanda Muyeye.The reaction to Muyeye’s dismissal for a golden duck said it all, though it was as much down to seeing off a batter who peeled off a composed 72 on day one as the quality of delivery from Raphael Weatherall. An inswinging yorker pinne the right-hander’s front pad on its way towards to the base of leg stump.Yet again, it was Weatherall’s introduction that ripped the guts out of Kent’s line-up. Jack Leaning survived the hat-trick ball, but the former England U19 quick eventually picked up his third, ripping out Compton’s off stump to cap a resolute stay at 101 minutes.Weatherall’s 3 for 38, combined with the first day’s career-best effort of 32 not only doubled his overall first-class tally. To have gone two days in a row showcased the important technical changes made over the winter following a stress fracture of his lower back.Aged 20, his pace – 81/82mph according to analysts at Wantage Road – and ability to hammer the same length to right- and left-handers (including from around the wicket to the latter, which did for Compton) is a huge upside. The energy provided was harnessed beyond his own spell to allow Northants a route back through the seven-wicket flurry spanning 16.3 overs.The problem, however, was despite Kent’s missteps, their lead had made it to 203. With Joey Evison the designated fourth emergency service since moving to Canterbury in 2022, another rescue act was cooking. A gutsy 52 – his 10th first-class half-century for the club – dragged Kent to 171. Evison was the last to fall attempting his first shot in anger, failing to clear Zaib on the fence at deep midwicket.Undoubtedly the crucial part of that late resistance was an eight-wicket partnership of 36 with Dudgeon, which meant Northamptonshire’s target for victory would require them to register the highest innings of the match. Considering that stand was greater than anything the hosts mustered in their first innings, it was clear who were in the ascendancy going into the tea interval.Those odds shrunk at the end of the second over of the evening session. Ricardo Vasconcelos decided to leave a good length ball from Dudgeon, delivered tight to the stumps from over the wicket, despite the fact the right-armer has been consistently moving the ball in to the left-hander, and lost his off stump.It was the first of three bad leaves. The third – Broad wearing one on the pad from Gilchrist – closed out the day’s play. The second, however, was a work of art from Grant Stewart.James Sales had judged the line of the Italian seamer’s delivery to be wide of off stump out of the hand. A wicked deviation sent it back towards its intended target, kissing the middle-and-off bail gently enough that even standing umpire Rob Bailey had to double-take when Sales calmly strode off.Stewart had already seen off home skipper Luke Procter. And when Rob Keogh, Northamptonshire’s first innings top-scorer with a 64 that only ended this morning, became the second of three catches to be pouched by Leaning at second slip, all in Dudgeon’s late spell, all reasonable hope was lost.
Manchester United fans have been blessed with numerous elite-level strikers over the years, with many capturing the hearts of the supporters during their respective stints at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney spent 13 years with the Red Devils, joining them as a youngster from Everton and going on to exceed everyone’s expectations upon his arrival.
The Englishman netted 253 goals in his 559 outings – a tally to this day which remains the most in the club’s history after he overtook Sir Bobby Charlton’s record back in 2017.
He often starred alongside the likes of Robin van Persie and Dimitar Berbatov – subsequently playing a huge role in their record-breaking 13 Premier League title triumphs.
However, in the present day, boss Ruben Amorim is hunting for his own talisman to try and end the decade-long wait for another league trophy at the Theatre of Dreams.
What Sesko & Mbeumo will bring to Man Utd
After scoring just 44 league goals in 2024/25, Amorim made it clear that he wanted a new centre-forward in the summer window – with the board backing him with a deal to land Benjamin Sesko.
The deal to land the Slovenian international cost upwards of £70m, with the former RB Leipzig talisman able to be an immediate and long-term solution to their problems, given his tender age of 22.
However, he’s already showcased his quality in the Bundesliga, racking up 27 league goals in the last two years – a tally higher than any player in the Red Devils’ current first-team squad.
He’s going to be aided in his attempts by fellow new addition Bryan Mbeumo, after the Cameroonian international also joined Amorim’s men in a deal worth a total of £71m.
Like Sesko, the 26-year-old has thrived in front of goal over recent times, scoring 20 times in the Premier League throughout the 2024/25 campaign – subsequently leading to his big-money transfer.
However, despite the talents of the aforementioned talents, one former Red Devil star has thrived since leaving the club and once again demonstrated his incredible goalscoring nouse.
The former United star who’s outscoring Sesko & Mbeumo
Securing deals for experienced attackers isn’t unfamiliar to United after securing the signature of legendary forward Zlatan Ibrahimović back in the summer of 2016 after his release from PSG.
The Swede moved to Manchester at the age of 34, but that didn’t stop him from making a huge impact within the club’s first-team during the 2016/17 campaign.
He’s registered a staggering 28 goals in his 46 outings across all competitions – helping the side win the Europa League and Carabao Cup under José Mourinho.
Zlatan wasn’t the only experienced option landed by the hierarchy in recent years, with Edinson Cavani also following a similar pattern after also joining from the French giants.
Such a move occurred four years after his former teammate, also moving at a similar age, given that the Uruguayan was 33 at the time of his free transfer to join the Red Devils.
Cavani would spend two years at Old Trafford, racking up 59 appearances and managing to find the back of the net on 19 separate occasions – including an outrageous long-range against Fulham.
Given he was entering the back end of his career at the top level, he would leave in the summer of 2022 – departing on a free transfer to join Spanish side Valencia.
Fast-forward to the present day, the 38-year-old is still plying his trade for Argentine outfit Boca Juniors, but is still managing to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.
Games played
59
Goals scored
19
Assists
7
Minutes played
3094
Yellow cards
6
Minutes per goal
163
Minutes per assist
442
Cavani, who’s been labelled “world-class” by one analyst, has scored 24 goals since the start of the 2024/25 campaign – a simply remarkable tally given his age.
Such a figure is also higher than new additions, Sesko (21) and Mbeumo (22), subsequently highlighting the attacking threat he still carries to this day.
There’s no denying that the hierarchy made the right choice in allowing him to depart United, but it’s great to see a former fans’ favourite still thriving like he did at Old Trafford.
If the two new additions can make a similar impact to the Uruguayan at the Theatre of Dreams, there’s no reason why the club can’t be competing at the top end of the table once again in the years ahead.
Not just Onana: "Sunday League" level flop now looks finished at Man Utd
Manchester United should be looking to move another talent on after Andre Onana.
O São Paulo perdeu a oportunidade de alcançar mais um marco histórico em relação à presença da público no estádio do Morumbi. Nos últimos sete jogos, o clube atraiu mais de 40 mil pagantes em cada partida. No entanto, contra o Athletico-PR, praticamente metade desse público compareceu ao estádio.
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Conforme os levantamentos do historiador Alexandre Giesbrecht, do ‘Anotações Tricolores’, a sequência de sete jogos com mais de 40 mil pagantes igualou o recorde estabelecido em 2017 e repetido no ano seguinte. Curiosamente, em 2018, essa sequência foi interrompida em um Choque-Rei, assim como ocorreu na rodada anterior ao confronto contra o Athletico-PR, no qual o São Paulo foi derrotado em casa por 2 a 0. Se tivesse chegado a oito jogos, tinha feito história.
Apesar dos resultados positivos em relação à presença da torcida são-paulina neste ano, a média de público ficou abaixo do registrado em 2017 e 2018. Enquanto, em 2017, o São Paulo teve uma média de 52.803 torcedores durante essa sequência de jogos, em 2018 a média foi de 49.897. Já neste ano, a média ficou em 48.665 pagantes.
ATUAÇÕES: Gabriel Neves vai do inferno ao céu e Luciano comanda virada do São Paulo contra o Athletico-PR
Para os tricolores apaixonados: produtos a partir de R$39,90 na FutFanatics!
Existem algumas suposições que podem explicar essa queda de público após o período sem jogos devido à Data Fifa. Um dos fatores é o resultado negativo no clássico contra o rival alviverde. Além disso, a partida contra o Athletico-PR foi realizada às 19h (horário de Brasília), período de pico no trânsito da capital paulista, o que pode ter dificultado o deslocamento dos torcedores até o estádio.
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Existem chances de o São Paulo retomar a sequência de grandes públicos nos próximos jogos. Nas próximas duas semanas, o Tricolor terá três desafios em casa: o confronto contra o Tigre, pela Copa Sul-Americana, o jogo de ida das quartas de final contra o Palmeiras, pela Copa do Brasil, e o duelo contra o Fluminense, pelo Brasileirão. Essas partidas representam oportunidades para a torcida são-paulina comparecer em peso e contribuir para o aumento da média de público no estádio do Morumbi.
After a summer break that felt far too long, the Premier League is finally back this weekend, and West Ham United travel to Sunderland for their opening game of the campaign.
It’s been a largely positive pre-season for Graham Potter and Co this year, as while they lost 2-1 to Manchester United, they dispatched of Grasshoppers as well as Everton and Bournemouth.
Moreover, while they’ve not pulled up any trees in the market, the Irons have made a few smart additions to a side that’s already strong enough to challenge for a top-half finish this season.
West Ham United manager GrahamPotter
They aren’t done either, as it now looks like West Ham want to sign a midfield talent who has won comparisons to the highly sought-after Carlos Baleba.
West Ham target their own Baleba
While West Ham haven’t been as busy as some of their rivals in the market this summer, they’ve still made some wise additions to the team, while also making a pretty penny on Mohammed Kudus.
Transfer Focus
The likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Mads Hermansen, for example, should help make the side more difficult to play against, while the young El Hadji Malick Diouf looks like he could be a real handful for opposition defenders.
Interestingly, it seems like the Senegalese international might not be the Hammers’ only midfield signing, as they’re now moving for an up-and-coming gem who’d been compared to Baleba.
At least that’s according to a recent report from Sacha Tavolieri, who has revealed that West Ham are very interested in Ngal’ayel Mukau.
More than that, the journalist has claimed that the Irons have already made contact with LOSC Lille over the incredibly exciting talent.
In more good news, it shouldn’t be a prohibitively expensive deal to pull off, as the report states that the French side will demand a fee in excess of €20m, which is about £xxm.
While that is still a lot of money to spend on a young talent, Mukau looks like he’d be worth the risk, especially as he’s been compared to the sensational Baleba.
How Mukau compares to Baleba
As things stand, it looks like Manchester United are going to go all out for Baleba, who, according to some reports, is valued at more than £100m by Brighton & Hove Albion.
So, while nobody is suggesting that Mukau is at that level at the moment, it’s certainly encouraging that those in the know, such as respected analyst Ben Mattinson, are comparing him to the Seagulls ace.
Mattinson made the bold claim that, due in part to just how “well balanced” the 20-year-old is, he specifically makes him think of the now in-demand Cameroon international.
Interestingly, the opinion that the two players share similar characteristics must be shared by Lille themselves, as just a year after selling the Brighton ace, they signed the Antwerp-born gem to play in the same positions.
Moreover, just as the United target is known for his lung-busting runs from deep and ability to do a bit of everything in the middle of the park, the young Lille gem can excel as a box-to-box midfielder, in part thanks to his “ability in tight spaces and arriving into the box,” per Mattinson.
With that said, while the comparisons to a rising star of the Premier League are encouraging, they are not the only argument for signing the “tenacious” ace, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, as he also has some seriously impressive underlying numbers to his name.
For example, FBref ranked him in the top 3% of midfielders in the Champions League last season for goal-creating actions from shots, the top 4% for goals per shot, the top 6% for dribblers tackled, the top 12% for aerial duels won and more, all per 90.
GCA (Shot)
0.16
Top 3%
Goals/Shot
0.40
Top 4%
Pass Completion % (Long)
94.7%
Top 4%
% of Dribblers Tackled
75.0%
Top 6%
Goals – xG
+0.19
Top 7%
Non-Penalty Goals – npxG
+0.19
Top 7%
npxG/Shot
0.17
Top 9%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.32
Top 12%
Goals/Shot on Target
1.00
Top 12%
% of Aerials Won
71.4%
Top 12%
Goals
0.32
Top 13%
Carries into Final Third
2.24
Top 16%
Ultimately, Mukau might not be a particularly well-known name to fans of English football at the moment, but he looks set for a bright future, and the comparisons to Baleba are simply more evidence of that.
Therefore, while it won’t be cheap, West Ham should be doing all they can to sign him this summer.
Their new Lanzini: West Ham in talks to sign "exquisite" star for £0
West Ham United could pick up their next Manuel Lanzini by signing this exciting free agent.
“If I can have even a minimum impact, it will be worth it, despite how much time I have till the Champions Trophy”
Mohammad Isam11-Nov-2024
Mohammad Salahuddin (L) has been involved with many teams in the Bangladesh domestic and BPL circuit•Bangladesh Cricket Board
Mohammad Salahuddin wants to leave his mark on Bangladesh cricket in what will be a short stint as the team’s senior assistant coach. The appointment – his second, he had served from 2006 to 2010 as assistant coach too – is till the Champions Trophy next year, but he comes with a big reputation, having built one of the most impressive coaching CVs in the domestic circuit.Salahuddin, who won the BPL four times with Comilla Victorians, has already started working with the Test cricketers in Dhaka while the team is in Sharjah for the ODIs against Afghanistan. He will travel for the Caribbean with the Test players on Monday.”I think this is the right time [to work in the Bangladesh team],” Salahuddin said. “I might not be in coaching for much longer, maybe another four or five years. It will be great to help more generations of cricketers in my long coaching career – it won’t be right if I just know everything but can’t light a lamp. If I can do this job properly, it will be helpful for the team. If I can have even a minimum impact, it will be worth it, despite how much time I have till the Champions Trophy. I may not be able to cause dramatic change, but if something I say can cause a change, I will be happy.”Salahuddin said that he hadn’t talked in detail with head coach Phil Simmons, who was appointed in mid-October on an interim basis after Chandika Hathurusinghe was sacked.”I might have a different role this time. I have to understand the philosophy of the head coach, how he wants to run the team,” Salahuddin said. “I have to help him. I just hope our boys get a bit more confident. I will also keep an eye on their communication with the foreign coaches.”Salahuddin was on the verge of being appointed as the team’s batting consultant in 2017 only for the BCB to call it off at the last minute. It soured relations between Salahuddin and the BCB for several years, and Salahuddin being one of the foremost critical voices in Bangladesh cricket didn’t help mend fences.When the country’s political regime changed in August, the BCB chose as president Faruque Ahmed, who committed to bringing in a Bangladeshi in the coaching setup.Salahuddin said that his long discussion with Faruque convinced him to wind down his coaching commitments elsewhere. “I asked for a bit of time. I was involved in a couple of places, so I needed a bit of time to leave those places. I have been speaking to Faruque for three months, so it gave me time to settle those commitments.”Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, among others, both benefitted from their association with Salahuddin when he was the assistant coach earlier. He has subsequently played a role in the development of several cricketers as a coach at the domestic level – the likes of Jaker Ali and Mahidul Islam Ankon, who are new in the Bangladesh Test team, among them.”Please don’t be quick to label someone as a hero or a villain. When a player joins [the national team], they go through many processes and perform consistently to get into the team. They struggle a lot,” Salahuddin said in a message to the media. “In international matches, some players may take a few games to find success, while others succeed right away. At that time, you make them heroes, but if they don’t perform well in a couple of matches, you label them a villain.”
Everton were one of the four sides involved in the Premier League Summer Series held in the United States. They ended up finishing bottom in the four-team competition, with Manchester United, West Ham United and Bournemouth the three sides who placed above them.
What might concern manager David Moyes is that they scored only three goals across the three games, fewer than any of their opponents. Two of those came in the final game against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United. That came after the Toffees boss said he was “disappointed” with striker Beto’s performances in the competition.
So, it seems like the Toffees need attackers to help end this drought in front of goal. They are reportedly targeting a Premier League attacker to help their cause.
Everton’s next attacking target after Dibling
Of course, with Everton needing to become more clinical, the likes of Beto must step up, with new signing Thierno Barry waiting in the wings. Yet, they also need more creativity in attack, and seem to be targeting a Premier League star to help solve their problem.
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According to a recent report from talkSPORT, the Merseysiders are ‘set to step up their interest’ in signing Manchester City and England international attacker Jack Grealish.
They are said to have been interested in the 29-year-old ‘for much of the transfer window’, and could now accelerate a move.
That comes after Southampton asked for £50m to sign Tyler Dibling, after Moyes’ side ‘have seen multiple bids rejected’ for the winger. Thus, they will ‘turn their attention’ to signing Grealish this summer, with a loan swoop seemingly on the cards.
Why Grealish would be a good signing
It has been a tough 12 months at the Etihad Stadium for Grealish. The former Aston Villa star seemingly fell out of Pep Guardiola’s plans and was not even taken as part of the squad to the Club World Cup earlier in the summer.
He played just 32 times for the Citizens last season, chipping in with eight goals and assists. That included just 20 Premier League games, where the attacker scored and assisted one goal apiece. He played 715 minutes in total and completed a full game three times.
A fresh start is needed for Grealish, but if Everton can recapture his best form, then they have a “generational talent” on their hands, according to former Villans chief executive Christian Purslow. He made 213 appearances in that famous Claret and Blue shirt, scoring 32 times and assisting 43.
Perhaps signing the England international will be like bringing a more experienced version of Dibling to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The pair have been compared before, with Tony Cascarino explaining he has “elements” of Grealish’s game, and analyst Umir said on The Overlap: The Breakdown that “the way he carried” the ball is similar to the City man.
Of course, Dibling, at just 19 years of age, is far from the finished article. Last season, he scored two goals and assisted one in 33 Premier League games, including this well-taken effort against Ipswich Town.
Yet, the similarities are there to see, and there is a bit of Grealish in the way he took the ball on the half turn, evaded the defender and fired home. The numbers also back up the theory, and if Everton can help Grealish rediscover his best form from his Villa days, they’ll have a more refined version of Dibling who can have an impact now, rather than later down the line.
Using stats on FBref from Grealish’s last season at Villa, he averaged 2.67 completed take-ons and 4.03 carries into the final third per 90 minutes. In comparison, the Southampton forward averaged 2.16 successful take-ons and 2.4 carries into the final third each game.
Grealish and Dibling key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Grealish (2020/21)
Dibling (2024/25)
Progressive passes
7.78
3.08
Take-ons completed
2.67
2.16
Progressive carries
7.08
3.32
Carries into final third
4.03
2.4
Carries into penalty area
3.25
1.25
Stats from FBref
The similarities between the two attackers are clear. Whilst Dibling can be a long-term addition for Everton, there is a strong case to make that Grealish would be a better signing for Moyes’ side this season.
He is far more experienced and closer to the finished product. The 29-year-old is almost guaranteed to have an instant impact if Moyes can help him rediscover the form he showed at Villa. This could be a genius move for Everton.
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