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Batter set for county cricket after Australia A’s tour to Sri Lanka

Matt Roller18-May-2022

Nic Maddinson celebrates his hundred•Getty Images

Nic Maddinson has lined up a stint in county cricket to further his prospects of an Australia recall in time for the 2023 Ashes.Maddinson, 30, struggled in his three Tests in late 2016 but made 71 for Australia A against England Lions in December and is part of the squad that will shadow the Test tour of Sri Lanka next month.He has set his sights on a return to Test cricket and is closing in on a deal with Durham to replace Keegan Petersen as their overseas player for the second half of the County Championship season. He may also feature in the Royal London Cup.”It hasn’t been announced but I’m looking to go over to Durham,” he told RSN Breakfast Club. “They’ve got a South African, Keegan Petersen, over there at the moment playing for them for the first half of the season and then he has to head off.”We’re just in the final stages of getting that signed off and hopefully it’s all smooth sailing from here and I can get over straight after Sri Lanka.”Related

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Maddinson has been a consistent performer in red-ball cricket in recent years and was the sixth-highest run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield this season, averaging 54.50 for Victoria with two hundreds in seven appearances.”I’ve been very open in the last year to going over and playing in England,” he added. “I think with the stage of my career I’m at, I’m really prioritising four-day cricket.”I feel like Test cricket is the ultimate goal for me still so I want to get as much experience in that around as possible and playing in England definitely ticks that box.”With an Ashes coming up next year I felt like it was a pretty good opportunity to try and make it over there and get some experience in those conditions as well.”

After two seasons of coming painfully close to dethroning Manchester City in the Premier League, there was a belief among some that this season would finally be Arsenal’s year.

However, we are now 15 league games in, and while Mikel Arteta’s side find themselves two points clear of Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut, they’re six points off table toppers Liverpool.

It’s been a mixture of unfortunate injuries, silly suspensions and lack of cutting-edge in attack that has seen the Gunners fail to capitalise on the Champions’ own poor form.

Games

15

5

2

Wins

8

3

2

Draws

5

1

0

Losses

2

1

0

Goals For

29

8

8

Goals Against

15

2

1

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see recent reports linking the club to an up-and-coming striker who could be a difference-maker, either in January or next year and possibly even be an upgrade on Kai Havertz.

Arsenal transfer news

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in Bologna striker Santiago Castro.

The report claims that the Gunners have had scouts watching him in recent Serie A matches and have been impressed with what they’ve seen, although they aren’t the only ones, as Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Everton, Juventus and Inter Milan are also supposedly keen on the 20-year-old poacher.

However, while the level of competition is far from ideal, the good news is that signing the Argentine forward won’t cost the North Londoners an outrageous amount, as the report has revealed that an offer of around €40m could tempt the Italians into selling, which comes to about £32m.

It might be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Castro’s impressive form, it is worth pursuing, especially as he could be an upgrade on Havertz.

How Castro compares to Havertz

Now, to determine whether Castro could in fact be an upgrade on Havertz, we need to see how the pair stack up against one another, starting with the most important metric of all for a centre-forward: pure output.

Interestingly, while the Argentine gem has scored fewer goals than the German this season, he’s been more productive in the time he’s been on the pitch.

For example, in 20 appearances, totalling 1336 minutes, he’s found the back of the net on five occasions and provided six assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 1.81 games, or every 121.45 minutes.

In contrast, in 21 appearances, totalling 1767 minutes, the former Chelsea has scored nine goals and provided two assists, equating to a goal involvement every 1.90 games, or every 160.63 minutes.

So, with the young Bologna ace, whom talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed “one of the most interesting young strikers in Europe,” coming out on top for pure output, is it the same story when we take a look at their underlying numbers?

Non-penalty expected G+As

0.33

0.56

Actual Non-Penalty G+As

0.60

0.51

Shots

2.22

2.46

Shots on Target

1.02

0.87

Passing Accuracy

78.8%

77.0%

Key Passes

1.03

0.72

Shot-Creating Actions

2.39

2.32

Goal-Creating Actions

0.51

0.14

Successful Take-Ons

0.85

0.43

Indeed, it is, as he comes out ahead in the majority of relevant metrics, including but not limited to actual non-penalty goals plus assists, shots on target, passing accuracy, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.

Ultimately, Havertz has been a useful signing for Arsenal, but should the club want to improve their attacking options, then signing the exciting Castro in January or next summer seems like a no-brainer, especially as his rate of return and underlying numbers point to him being an upgrade on the German international.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 11, 2024

In need of yet another rebuild, Manchester United are now reportedly battling to sign one of Ruben Amorim’s targets who has a release clause as expensive as £67m in 2025.

Man Utd transfer news

Recently linked with both Harry Kane and Leroy Sane, it’s certainly seems as though Manchester United are done messing around. The arrival of Amorim must be a turning point. With INEOS in and a modern structure as a result of their arrival, which includes sporting director Dan Ashworth, the Red Devils must begin their journey back to the top of English football.

Starting against Ipswich Town after the international break, Manchester United have the chance to turn in the right direction and create a positive out of a season which looked destined to end in failure.

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The talented youngster should have been a hit for Man Utd.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 16, 2024

In an ideal world for those at Old Trafford, Amorim will take Manchester United into a European place – whether that’s the Champions League or the Europa League – before turning his attention to much-needed reinforcements.

According to Caught Offside, Manchester United are now battling Aston Villa to sign Oihan Sancet from Athletic Bilbao. The deal may not come cheap, however, given that the Spaniard reportedly has a release clause as high as €80m (£67m) to create an instant obstacle in the way of any deal taking place next summer.

Despite welcoming Manuel Ugarte in the summer, United’s midfield has still looked incomplete in the last couple of months, with an ageing Casemiro still featuring at the heart of the side. Clearly in need of at least one other reinforcement in the middle of the park, Sancet could yet emerge to become an ideal option to complete Amorim’s midfield.

"Incredible" Sancet could complete Amorim's midfield

Amorim’s preference for a back three with four midfielders ahead, two further advanced number 10s and one leading striker could make Sancet the perfect fit at Old Trafford. Whilst Ugarte and perhaps Kobbie Mainoo sit deeper, it’s Sancet who could fill one of the two number 10 roles to great effect if Manchester United make their move.

The Athletic Bilbao man has earned plenty of fans over the years, including Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig who described his form in 2022 as “incredible” when the midfielder was just 21 years old and on the rise.

Now 24-year-old, Sancet has only continued an impressive rise, scoring five goals in 12 games in all competitions so far this season. If Manchester United are looking to sharpen a fairly blunt attack then beating Aston Villa to the midfielder’s signature may well be the key. As Amorim seeks much-needed reinforcements, Sancet could be one to keep an eye on.

How the match played out
Andre Fletcher and Soumya Sarkar blasted out Sylhet Sunrisers with a rapid opening partnership that set up Khulna Tigers’ nine-wicket win. The partnership followed their captain Mushfiqur Rahim’s criticism after Khulna’s previous match, when he expressed his frustration over their slow starts.The pair added 65 in the powerplay, before Soumya was dismissed with Khulna’s score on 99 in the 11th over. Fletcher, who remained unbeaten on 71 off 47 balls, and Thisara Perera wiped out the 44 runs required in just 3.3 overs. Perera ended the match with his only six to finish unbeaten on 22 off nine balls.Big hit
Fletcher struck four sixes over long-on and one high past long-off. The cut shot also worked well for him, as he hit four boundaries in that region, apart from a flicked four off a Muktar Ali full-toss. Soumya, who made 14 runs in his previous three innings, struck the ball cleanly through midwicket and long-on, as well as blasts over extra cover and long-off.For Sylhet, Mohammad Mithun turned his form around with 72 off 51 balls, his eighth half-century in the BPL. He added 68 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Mosaddek Hossain, who made 34 off 30 balls.Mithun smashed four straight sixes, two over the bowlers’ head and two over long-on. His fours came mostly through the covers, but he also played a superb sweep shot off the fast bowler Kamrul Islam Rabbi in the penultimate over.Big miss
Sylhet handed out BPL debuts, one to left-arm seamer Shiraz Ahmed, who became the first cricketer from the UAE to play in the tournament, and the legspinner Jubair Hossain, who played his first T20I for Bangladesh in 2015. Both were economical, but neither was able to pick up a wicket.Nazmul Islam also returned for Sylhet after recovering from a hand injury, but Khulna hit him for 39 runs in 3.2 overs.

Sunderland fans are in an absolute dreamland this season at the moment, with Regis Le Bris’ men now five points clear at the top of the Championship after picking up another victory in the league this weekend just gone.

It’s now a mightily impressive nine wins from 12 for the super confident Black Cats in the second tier, with a stunning Wilson Isidor strike sealing a 2-0 win over Oxford United last time out to further extend their points advantage in top spot.

Sunderland will just be glad Isidor’s loan spell is going so well, having been subjected to some failures in the loan market in recent years, away from the Frenchman taking to English football like a duck to water.

Sunderland's recent loan failures

You only need to cast an eye at Sunderland’s business from last season to see some mishaps in this department, with Mason Burstow utterly forgettable throughout his loan stint away from Chelsea.

The goal-shy striker would find the back of the net just once from 20 games in the Championship for the Black Cats, and would go down as a colossal failure consequently, when a move to the Stadium of Light should have been formative for the growing attacker.

There are other examples away from the striker positions, with Lee Camp one name that will instantly make Sunderland fans lament the past, as the ex-Nottingham Forest goalkeeper severely struggled situated in Wearside.

Camp would concede 22 goals from 12 games in-between the sticks for Sunderland during the 2017/18 campaign, which culminated in the Black Cats tasting the bitter pain of a second successive relegation down to League One, as the experienced ‘keeper failed to keep a single clean sheet across that torrid patch of games.

There have been many more loanees that have crashed and burned for the Black Cats, away from just these examples, including this one-time Sunderland attacker, who has since turned into a top star in the Premier League away from his underwhelming spell at the club.

The one-time Sunderland loanee now worth £50m

The player in question here is Antoine Semenyo, who barely featured for Sunderland during the 2019/20 season when the Wearside strugglers were all the way down in League One.

The Ghanaian attacker would only make seven appearances for the Black Cats before then being allowed to return to parent club Bristol City, failing to score or assist a single goal during his unmemorable stay at the Stadium of Light.

Now, however, Semenyo is one of AFC Bournemouth’s main stars in the top-flight, playing all across the forward positions for Andoni Iraola’s men as a crucial part of the jigsaw.

This campaign alone, the 24-year-old has three goals and one assist from ten games in all competitions – which included this sublime strike finding the back of the net against Southampton at the end of September – which takes his Cherries goal and assist total up to an impressive 15 from 57 games.

Semenyo’s PL numbers for Bournemouth (last two seasons)
Stat – per 90 mins*	Semenyo
Season	23/24	24/25
Games played	33	9
Goals scored	8	3
Assists	2	1
Expected goals (xG)	4.64	2.99
Goal conversion %	11%	8%
Shots*	2.1	4.2
Big chances missed	5	2
Big chances created	6	2
Stats by Sofascore

Away from a quiet first season in the Premier League, Semenyo first introduced himself to the elite division as a tricky and skilful forward last campaign with ten goal contributions in total, a far-cry away from a much younger Semenyo who never got going in the third tier.

As a result, the Cherries ace is now being touted to move away from the South Coast to clubs such as Arsenal and Newcastle United as his stock increases more and more, with a bold £50m price-tag now next to his name.

Even branded as “unplayable” on his day by football journalist Ed Aarons after that sumptuous goal against the Saints, Semenyo looks like he’ll reach dizzier heights than Bournemouth soon enough, as Sunderland wonder what went wrong for him so early into his career at the-then third-tier outfit.

Key update on whether Wilson Isidor will sign permanent Sunderland contract

The Black Cats have a huge incentive to get promoted.

By
Henry Jackson

Oct 29, 2024

خاض نجم فريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، مباراة اليوم في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2024/25، ضد نظيره فريق باريس سان جيرمان.

واستضاف ملعب “الأنفيلد” مباراة الفريقين في إياب دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا، حيث خسر ليفربول بركلات الترجيح 4/1.

وشارك محمد صلاح في مباراة اليوم كأساسي رفقة ليفربول، حيث خاضها حتى النهاية، ونفذ ركلة ترجيح. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح أمام باريس سان جيرمان في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وبدأت خطورة محمد صلاح في الدقيقة الرابعة من الشوط الأول، بعدما تلقى عرضية من داخل منطقة الجزاء، وسددها بشكل قوي، حيث كادت كرته أن تهز الشباك، لولا اصطدامها بالدفاع وتتحول إلى ركنية.

وفي الدقيقة السابعة، سدد محمد صلاح كرة من على حدود منطقة الجزاء، ولكنها مرت بجوار مرمى دوناروما.

وفي الدقيقة 27، وجه محمد صلاح كرة من الجهة اليمنى لمنطقة الجزاء، ولكن تصدى لها دوناروما ببراعة.

وعانى محمد صلاح من رقابة دفاعية قوية من جانب باريس سان جيرمان، حيث اُقتطعت الكرة منه أكثر من مرة، في الشوط الأول.

وسدد محمد صلاح كرة صاروخية، من على حدود منطقة الجزاء، في الدقيقة 33، ولكنها مرت أعلى مرمى باريس سان جيرمان.

وحاول محمد صلاح تمرير كرة، داخل منطقة جزاء باريس سان جيرمان، بعد هجمة مرتدة سريعة في الدقيقة 35، ولكنه لم يكن دقيقًا، لتصل إلى أحد لاعبي الخصم.

ولم تصل الكرة بشكل جيد إلى محمد صلاح، في الناحية اليسرى، في الدقيقة 50، حيث اُقتطعت من جانب دفاع باريس سان جيرمان.

ومرر محمد صلاح بعد انطلاقة رائعة، لتصل الكرة إلى لويس دياز، ولكن لم يتمكن الأخير من التعامل جيدًا وسط دفاعات باريس سان جيرمان، ليعيدها إلى الخلف قبل تشتيت الهجمة، في الدقيقة 58.

واصطدم محمد صلاح بلاعب الخصم، فيتينها، في الدقيقة نفسها حيث عانى الأخير من إصابة في وجهه، واحتاج إلى التعامل من جانب الطاقم الطبي.

وطالب محمد صلاح بضربة جزاء، في الدقيقة 66 من عمر المباراة، بعد تدخل من لاعب باريس سان جيرمان، ولكن الحكم لم يحتسب أي شئ، وسط اعتراض من المصري.

ومرر داروين نونيز الكرة ناحية محمد صلاح، ولكنها جاءت أطول من اللازم، لتتحول إلى ضربة مرمى، في الدقيقة 80.

وسدد محمد صلاح كرة عالية فوق المرمى، في الدقيقة 96، بعد اللجوء إلى الأشواط الإضافية.

وطالب محمد صلاح من جديد بضربة جزاء، في الدقيقة 114، بداعِ وجود تدخل ضده، ولكن دون استجابة من قِبل التحكيم.

ونفذ محمد صلاح ركلة ترجيح ليفربول الأولى بنجاح، بعدما سدد كرة قوية في شباك دوناروما، قبل أن يودع الفريق البطولة.

Manchester United have confirmed Marcus Rashford's loan transfer to Aston Villa, who have agreed to cover a large chunk of his wages.

Article continues below

Article continues below

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• Rashford seals Man Utd exit
• Signs six-month loan deal
• Villa also have buy option

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rashford has joined Villa on loan until the end of the season, with reporting that the Lions also have the option to buy him outright for £40 million ($49m) in the summer. United had actively been looking for suitors for Rashford after his explosive interview with Henry Winter in December, in which he expressed his desire to seek a "new challenge". The 27-year-old has now got his wish, having spent the last few weeks in exile at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim.

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• WHAT MAN UTD SAID

  United confirmed Rashford's loan move in a statement on their , which reads: "Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the 2024/25 season. Everyone at Manchester United wishes Marcus good luck for the rest of the season."

  Rashford has become Villa's third signing of the January transfer window, after Andres Garcia from Levante and Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund, and will be expected to go straight into Unai Emery's lineup after Jhon Duran's departure to Al-Nassr.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  have also revealed that Villa are surprisingly covering 75 percent of Rashford's £325,000 per week salary, potentially rising to 90 if he meets performance-related targets. Rashford is the second player to leave United on loan this month after Brazilian winger Antony, who joined La Liga outfit Real Betis.

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• WHAT'S NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

  Rashford could make his debut for Villa when they face Tottenham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on February 9. He will also be looking forward to a return to Champions League action next month, with Villa having qualified for the round of 16 after finishing eighth in the new league phase.

Arsenal’s start to the current season has not been easy on the injury front with a whole host of names ruled out for small to large periods of time.

Martin Odegaard has been the main patient on the treatment table over the opening month or so of the new campaign with the Norwegian having sustained significant damage to his ankle ligament during the last international break.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has also been absent while Ben White has endured time with the team doctors at London Colney too. With Jurrien Timber also missing against Southampton last weekend, it meant that Thomas Partey had to play at right-back. He did an admirable job to be fair to him.

But there’s one player who continues to soldier on despite a lack of rest. That man is Bukayo Saka.

Bukayo Saka injury claim

One of the biggest priorities for Arsenal over the last few years has been the need to sign a new right winger.

Saka is their star boy, he’s their number one man, and he’s their most important player. As a result, he’s likely to play a high volume of minutes. Mikel Arteta needs him on the pitch at all times and at all costs.

The arrival of Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea over the summer should help but even then, Saka still played against Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup with his England colleague favoured on the left.

That felt like an ideal opportunity to rest the 23-year-old, alas he was kept on the field as the Gunners eased into the next round at the expense of the Trotters.

Arteta probably knows more than anyone that Saka could do with more rest periods and now he’s been given a huge warning over the direction that his star winger’s career could head in.

Research conducted by OLBG concludes that his career could head in the direction of someone like Michael Owen or Dele Alli if Arsenal aren’t careful.

According to said research, the England international has already played 52.9% of his projected career minutes at the age of 23. If we compare that to Phil Foden who is a year older, he has been more carefully managed and has only played 33.2% of his projected minutes.

Phil Foden vs Bukayo Saka in 2023/24

Saka’s injury record is rather impressive compared to his peers, with a ratio of 355 minutes played per day injured.

Referring back to the aforementioned Owen, he had a rate of 39 minutes played per day injured as the former Ballon d’Or winner ultimately saw his career burn out.

Gerrard

19,861

97

Lampard

15,793

88

Rooney

20,415

153

Dele

20,068

155

Owen

17,643

179

Foden

17,447

28

Saka *

19,536

15

Rashford

19,707

50

Trent

23,312

62

Sterling

18,792

58

As it happens the Arsenal star has played an average of 3,595 minutes per season and has already played more minutes in his first six seasons than Owen and Dele. Considering both players suffered from early-career burnout and injuries, Saka’s heavy workload could come back to bite him.

The research comes to a shocking verdict if you are of an Arsenal persuasion that we could start to see a significant drop-off in the forward’s career numbers in two years. That would happen to mark his eighth year at the highest level of the game and a crucial period in Arteta’s project as they look to make themselves consistent Premier League and Champions League contenders.

As a result, Arsenal must prepare for the future and ensure the Hale End star’s minutes are managed. They could do so by signing a new winger in 2025.

Wingers Arsenal could sign in 2025

Sterling’s future at Arsenal is unlikely to be long-term so acquiring a major signing in attack over the next year or so should be at the height of Arsenal’s agenda.

One option could be Barcelona winger Raphinha. The Gunners were interested in snapping the Brazilian up when he was still at Leeds but he preferred a move to the Catalan giants.

Michael Olise and Pedro Neto had previously been options but they signed for Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively over the summer so won’t be on the market.

Thus, they could turn their attention to someone like Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams who has been of huge interest to Arteta and Co for a while now.

Possessing a £49m release clause, signing the Spaniard would be smart business. Although predominantly a left winger, he has operated on the right and would provide phenomenal competition for places among the likes of Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal have been sent a warning here and they must ensure that the club’s dazzling number 7 is given more rest and competition.

It's bad news for Saka & Havertz: Arsenal star ruled out for a month

One of Arsenal’s key men isn’t going to return from injury until November at the earliest.

ByMatt Dawson Oct 9, 2024

India fast bowler “just working normally, trying to prepare in a way that I’m ready for all formats”

Shashank Kishore16-Jul-20212:15

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: ‘Talented’ youngsters in squad ‘don’t need much guidance’

Bhuvneshwar Kumar isn’t ready to prioritise one format over another just yet.While Virat Kohli has often underlined the importance of a fit Kumar to India across formats, his exclusion from the England tour led to question marks over his red-ball future. On Friday, Kumar, vice-captain of India’s limited-overs team in Sri Lanka, put those doubts to rest.”To be honest, I’m not prioritising white-ball over red-ball,” he said. “If I am selected for red-ball cricket, I’ll definitely contribute. I’m not looking to prioritise one of the two. I’m just working normally, trying to prepare in a way that I’m ready for all formats. If I get a chance, I’d like to do well. I’m not looking ahead to what will happen in 18-20 months.”Kumar’s most-recent Test outing was over three years ago in Johannesburg. Since then, he has been troubled by a series of injuries. One to his lower back led to his missing the England tour in 2018. At the World Cup the following year, he tore his left hamstring. Then he underwent surgery for a sports hernia. In September 2020, a thigh problem forced him to pull out of the IPL.Related

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Kumar made a successful return to the Indian team this March for the limited-overs series against England. In an ODI series where 350 didn’t seem enough, the fast bowler’s economy rate was an impressive 4.65. In the T20Is, he conceded at 6.38 an over, delivering with the new ball and at the death. He picked up wickets, too – six in the ODIs and four in India’s T20I series win.”I haven’t made too many changes to my bowling or the way I train,” Kumar said. “It’s just about how I manage my workload. If I’ve played a particular game, I look at how I can recover quickly from there. In terms of cricket, the only thing I’ve worked on is how to get over my injuries.”Kumar will lead India’s fast bowling pack in Sri Lanka, also consisting of Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar and Chetan Sakariya. But the senior seamer insisted that as much as he enjoys working with a young group, he was only passing on inputs wherever necessary, and not going overboard with advice.”These are talented youngsters, who’ve done well for their respective IPL teams,” he said. “I don’t think they need much guidance. I talk to them if they need something. We never try to complicate things. We have Rahul Dravid [head coach] with us here and he’s guiding them well. Being a senior player, talking to them is not rocket science. We talk to them if we feel there’s an anything we can contribute.”Twelve years ago, a teenaged Kumar was team-mates with Dravid at the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Today, he is part of a senior group of players in a young squad with Dravid as head coach. As has been the case with every India player, Kumar too was asked about Dravid’s role and influence in the team.”It’s been really good,” he said. “After seven days of quarantine, we got to train in the gym, so I met Dravid in Mumbai first. What he has done so far is keeping things simple. He doesn’t try to complicate things. There are young and senior guys and everyone has been listening to him. Once the matches come around and we get to planning and strategising, we will learn a lot more.”Kumar also backed Kuldeep Yadav to return to old self, after going through a lean run with the ball. Once considered first-choice picks in India’s white-ball XIs, wristspinners Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have struggled since the 2019 World Cup. Yadav, in particular, has fallen out of favour to such an extent that he hasn’t even been a regular for the Kolkata Knight Riders, his IPL franchise, over the last two seasons.”He has done well in the practice matches,” Kumar said of Yadav. “From what I’ve seen, he seems confident. I am sure if he does well in this series, he will be confident of doing well in the IPL or the World Cup. What I always look at is how he is bowling and the execution. It’s about confidence. He is bowling well in the nets, am sure he will pick wickets.”

Rangers’ summer transfer business may not be over yet, as Ibrox chiefs are in talks over signing a promising in-demand talent.

Philippe Clement’s side have been very busy over the course of this summer, as Rangers not only look to close the gap to arch-rivals Celtic, but they will be bidding to move past them and return to the top of the Scottish Premiership. To do just that, Clement has obviously felt that changes were needed when it came to the playing squad, as there have been several comings and goings.

Contact made: Rangers make move to sign £34,000-a-week attacker for Clement

The Gers are still looking to improve their team before next week’s deadline.

2 ByBrett Worthington Aug 22, 2024 Rangers transfer news

The Gers have so far brought in eight new players in this transfer window, such as Robin Propper, Mohamed Diomande, Vaclav Cerny, and Liam Kelly all joining the club. But while there have been plenty of arrivals at the club, the Scottish side has also seen many players leave the club in different capacities.

Mohamed Diomande

Nordsjaelland

Robin Propper

Twente FC

Hamza Igamane

FAR Rabat

Vaclav Cerny

VfL Wolfsburg

Jefte

Fluminense

Connor Barron

Aberdeen

Liam Kelly

Motherwell

Clinton Nsiala

AC Milan U20

Players such as Sam Lammers, John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Connor Goldson and Ryan Jack have all left the club, to name just a few. Those departures could have been joined by a high-profile player, as it was revealed earlier this week that striker Cyriel Dessers was close to leaving the football club.

It has been claimed that Rangers and MLS side Atlanta United were in talks about a deal that would see Dessers join the American side. According to the report, a deal was close to being agreed between the two clubs for a fee of around $6 million (£4.6 million), but the transfer eventually broke down as Dessers wasn’t keen on joining the MLS side.

As well as rumours regarding Dessers leaving the club, it has also been reported this week that Rangers have Fiorentina's Josip Brekalo on their transfer radar after he has been made available for a move by the Serie A side. Teams from the UK are said to have made contact regarding signing Brekalo, but they are still considered far from being completed, which may state that the Gers have not made an offer for the player just yet. But as well as potentially looking to sign Brekalo, Rangers could be about to add a promising talent to their ranks.

Rangers are looking to sign Sebastian Lochhead

According to Football Insider, Rangers are among the clubs looking to sign Dundee sensation Sebastian Lochhead. The report states that the young centre-back is seen as one of the best talents to recently emerge from Scotland.

This report goes on to add that while Rangers are interested in signing the defender, they also face competition from teams such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham, Burnley, and Norwich City.

Lochhead has made it onto Dundee’s first-team bench this season, and he has played twice in the Challenge Cup in the early parts of this campaign. Rangers, as well as the other interested clubs, are said to have contacted Dundee about signing Lochhead, and discussions are ongoing with all the clubs as one of them tries to win the race. All the interested clubs, including those at Ibrox, see the player as a future star and are keen to tie him down to a professional contract once he turns 17.