The 14th April 2024 could go down as a poignant one for both Arsenal Football Club and Granit Xhaka.

Both kicking off a 4.30pm, the Gunners had the chance to cement their own title ambitions against Aston Villa.

They had seen fellow challengers Liverpool tast defeat against Crystal Palace just a few hours prior but the form book was ripped up, sending Manchester City top of the pile.

While Arsenal suffered a crippling 2-0 loss to Unai Emery's men, Xhaka was in no mood to be despondent.

Scoring just his second goal in Bayer Leverkusen colours, he helped Xabi Alonso's men to their first-ever Bundesliga title win, smacking Werder Bremen 5-0.

Many questioned the sale of the Swiss, but the midfielder has enjoyed a life of luxury since moving back to Germany, with Leverkusen remarkably unbeaten across all competitions this season.

Granit Xhaka's season in numbers

Xhaka's departure from the Emirates Stadium last summer came as a real shock. The former Gunners man had revived his career in some style, moving from much-hated club captain to a real club icon.

Why? Well, his form as a left-sided 8 under Arteta was nothing short of remarkable in his final term in London.

Surging forward from the centre of the pitch and ghosting into the penalty box like a prime Frank Lampard, the 31-year-old contributed nine goals and seven assists, capturing the hearts of many at Emirates Stadium.

Granit Xhaka's Premier League career at Arsenal
Season	Games	Goals	Assists	Yellow cards
2016/17	32	2	2	5
2017/18	38	1	7	10
2018/19	29	4	2	10
2019/20	31	1	2	10
2020/21	31	1	2	7
2021/22	27	1	2	10
2022/23	37	7	7	5
Figures via WhoScored

This term has been a great deal different for Xhaka. He has found the net twice and only has one assist for his troubles.

That doesn't mean the Bundesliga champion has underperformed though, far from it.

As per FBref, he ranks in the very best 1% of midfielders in Germany's top flight this term for progressive passes, overall passes, passes into the final third, touches, carries and passes received.

He has been a real focal point of Alonso's team, also sitting among the best 11% for shot-creating actions and top 2% for pass completion rate. It's safe to say he's been pretty damn good.

Why did Arsenal let him go, therefore? Well, it was their last chance to cash in and a certain Kai Havertz was right around the corner.

Considering it took him until November to score from open play, there may well be a tinge of regret around Xhaka's departure. He has been nothing short of a sensation in 2023/24.

That said, he isn't the only Bundesliga star the club could look back upon wondering 'what if?'.

Arsenal will regret selling another Bundesliga star

We have to go back further in time for this tale, one which doesn't quite have the same sweet taste as Xhaka's fabled story.

This time, Serge Gnabry is the focus, scorer of a goal at the Emirates Stadium last week in the Champions League.

Most supporters will be familiar with the fact he once played for the Gunners but he remains probably their biggest mistake when it comes to player departures.

The German had made his breakthrough ten years ago, during the 2013/14 campaign, notably scoring his first league goal against Swansea.

However, the young winger at the time didn't sign a new contract and eventually took his leave, departing London for a fee of just £4m, signing for Werder Bremen after only 18 Arsenal appearances.

Speaking about his exit, the now 28-year-old said: "I was still confident I could've got in the team but I didn't want to wait. I didn't want to be fourth or fifth choice any longer. It was the hardest decision I had to make in football, leaving a club like Arsenal – the fans, the players – but to keep playing I had to take a step back and it was the right decision."

What's Gnabry doing now? Well, despite Bayern failing to win the league title for the first time in 11 years, the £310k-per-week earner has still been shining, showing Arsenal what they're missing.

It's been an injury-hit campaign for the Germany international but he's still found the net five times in 17 outings. Last term was far more productive, however, bagging 17 times and assisting 12 strikes. To put those numbers into context, they were both better than Bukayo Saka's tally of 15 goals and 11 assists in 2022/23.

So, even though they've had the Englishman breakthrough with some aplomb, there would surely still be room for Gnabry in a modern-day Arsenal side.

His numbers for Bayern have been extraordinarily consistent. Hailed as "world-class" by writer Cristian Nyari, the 45-cap German has found the net on 86 occasions in 235 matches.

To lose a player who was once valued at over £50m for just £4m will be a sickener. His market value – as per Football Transfers – may have now fallen just £29m after a period on the sidelines, but he is still an exceptional talent. Arsenal must rue not being able to convince him to stay in England, perhaps even more so than a certain Xhaka.

Where Are They Now

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

Decision taken “in the face of debilitating economic challenges” following the pandemic

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-2020Cricket West Indies has decided to temporarily slash salaries and funding across the entire regional cricket system by 50% starting July to deal with the “debilitating” impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has left the board facing a major loss of income in the absence of regular cricketing activities.According to a CWI statement, the board of directors have agreed to “a plan” where they can deliver “at least a minimum level of job protection” for the employees and the ones contracted throughout the region’s cricket community as they foresee a long-term impact of the crisis on their operations.The measures, which have been recommended by a financial advisory committee formed by the board, also include a 50% cut in funding for territorial boards, territorial boards’ franchises and West Indies Players’ Association, as well as a 50% reduction in all retainers and allowances for directors and executive management. The board hopes that the measures, which all stakeholders were privy to, will only be in place for not more than three to six months.”This pandemic is hurting every West Indian and this decision to cut staff and player incomes has been a very difficult one to make; one that will impact so many members of the cricketing family around the Caribbean,” CWI president Ricky Skerritt said. “This business continuity plan unfortunately requires all stakeholders to make a huge sacrifice, but I am confident that it won’t be long before CWI will be in a position to ensure that the sport we love can restart and be enjoyed once again by the thousands of cricket fans across the region and diaspora.”In April, a severe cash crunch faced by CWI resulted in delayed payment of match fees of international and domestic players from earlier this calendar year, with Wayne Lewis, WIPA secretary, saying that the dues would be settled by the end of June. An audit into the financial problems affecting the board found a “massive hole” in its coffers. The report, compiled by external and independent auditors earlier this month, blamed historic factors for the situation.”The effects of this pandemic have been distressing for everyone – the worst crisis of our lifetime – and at present, we cannot be certain when the situation will be rectified,” Johnny Grave, CWI chief executive, said. “We recognize that this will cause financial pain for all our staff, players, coaches and umpires across the Caribbean, but having kept everyone on full-pay since the outbreak in March we have no choice but to take decisive action from next month onwards.”CWI’s greatest asset is our people and players and everyone sharing equally in the temporary reduction, we believe is the best way for us to ensure we get through this crisis and protect our organisation and all the jobs in the system. We will be reviewing the situation regularly with the hope that we can return to norm.”

Everton might have endured another testing campaign in the Premier League but Sean Dyche has successfully preserved top-flight status with relative ease despite an eight-point deduction.

While things went pear-shaped back in December when an impressive start to the season was sliced following breaches of Premier League profit and Sustainability rules, a businesslike approach to recent fixtures has seen a steady run of form establish an 11-point gap from 18th-placed Luton Town with two matches to go.

The tortuous series of events this season may not have abated just yet, but the Toffees players can take much pride in their commitment and composure on the pitch, never letting the carnivorous chomp of the docked points consume them.

Pre-season, the need for a new talisman was glaring, and while Beto was signed from Udinese for £26m last August, the resurgence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin has proved to be one of the decisive factors over recent months.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's season in numbers

Beto had been hailed for his "quality" by journalist Josh Bunting before making the move to Merseyside and while he has made his physicality known, a rather uninspiring offensive impact has hardly left fans gushing, with just three Premier League goals all term.

Calvert-Lewin, conversely, has enjoyed a bright season at the front of Dyche's system, scoring seven league goals and matching the tally of the past two campaigns combined, where he started only 15 fixtures each time.

After spending such an interminably long period injured, or away from his best football given the persistent fitness problems, it's excellent to witness Calvert-Lewin approaching his best once again, having scored four goals from his past five matches.

Not just a goalscorer, though, Calvert-Lewin is averaging 0.6 key passes and 6.2 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore, with The Athletic's Patrick Boyland even remarking that he's been "like the DCL of old" in recent efforts.

If he can carry his form into the 2024/25 campaign, Beto might be facing a premature exit, failing to live up to the price tag. Calvert-Lewin will need an offensive partner, however, and academy talent Martin Sherif might just be the perfect homegrown option for Dyche.

Why Everton must unleash Martin Sherif

Hailed for his "composed" finishing by Boyland, Dutch striker Sherif made waves at youth level last season, with the Everton official website describing him as a 'powerful attacker with excellent finishing ability'.

Across 18 starting appearances in the U18 Premier League last season, the 17-year-old bagged 14 goals and added four assists, blending his brawny physicality with a sharp goalscoring instinct.

Moreover, he signed his first professional contract with the club last summer and so is clearly held in high regard by the Everton board, who view his skill set as one built for success at senior level.

This term, the teenager has been in and out of the squad but he has been promoted to the U21s and scored on his sole start, against West Bromwich Albion.

He might have been in and out of competitive action this season but Sherif has been noted for the 'fearsome impression' – according to Rheinische Post – that he made with the U18s at the U19s Champions Trophy – also known as the Easter Tournament – only last month.

He's still so young and looks to have the physical qualities for success at the highest level in the Premier League, and Everton might just hit the jackpot by unleashing this homegrown prodigy alongside Calvert-Lewin next season.

Leeds United have it all to play for when they welcome Norwich City to Elland Road in the second leg of the Championship play-offs on Thursday night.

The Whites played out a 0-0 draw with the Canaries in Norfolk on Sunday as neither team managed to create many high-quality chances throughout the match.

There were only three shots on target in total, with two of those coming from the away side, and it has left it all to play for for both teams later this week.

Daniel Farke's men know that a win at their own ground on Thursday night will see them book a place at Wembley in the final, where they would face either Southampton or West Bromwich Albion, whose first leg tie also finished 0-0 on Sunday.

The German head coach could look to make some changes to the starting XI that was selected at Carrow Road, and one player who should be brutally binned from the lineup is teenage sensation Archie Gray.

He was picked to play in a number ten role behind Georginio Rutter at the top end of the pitch but it was an experiment that ultimately failed to provide the team with an attacking threat.

Archie Gray's performance against Norwich in numbers

The 18-year-old talent whizzed about the pitch trying to close down opposition players to ensure that the likes of Marcelino Nunez and Kenny McLean did not get too much time on the ball to pick out their passes.

However, his work in physical duels and in possession of the ball left far too much to be desired, which is why he should be dropped back down to the bench after flopping in that area of the pitch.

Gray lost five of his seven duels on the ground, as opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him in contests on the deck, but did win three of his five aerial battles – losing seven out of 12 duels in total.

This suggests that the England U21 international did not offer much in the way of physicality, as he lost the majority of his clashes with Norwich players.

Minutes played

90

Key passes

0

Passed made

10/16

Dribbles completed

0/3

Crosses completed

0/0

Long passes completed

0/0

Possession lost

14x

As you can see in the table above, Gray's work with the ball at his feet was not much better as he struggled throughout the match in Norfolk, in a new role.

The teenage whiz, who has mainly been deployed in a holding midfield or right-back position, did not step up to the mark as a number ten from an attacking perspective.

He only completed ten passes in the entire match, despite playing the full 90 minutes, and did not create any chances or complete a single long pass, cross, or dribble, which illustrates that it was a no-show from him in the play-off clash.

Football Insider's Callum O'Connell handed Gray a player rating of just 1/10 for his dismal display, citing the fact that the midfielder lost possession of the ball more times than he completed passes.

It was a disappointing performance from the young gem, due to his big struggles in and out of possession throughout the game, but Farke also played him in an unnatural role in a huge play-off game, which was not an easy situation for him to be dropped in to.

He has been a fantastic performer for Leeds in the Championship this season and this no-show against Norwich was not a fair reflection of his quality.

Archie Gray's form this season

The 18-year-old sensation was named the Championship Young Player of the Season last month for his performances at right-back and central midfield in the second tier.

He featured in 44 of the club's 46 regular season matches and started 40 of those games. In that time, Gray showcased his ability to progress the ball consistently from a full-back role.

The English dynamo currently ranks within the top 31% of Championship full-backs for progressive passes per 90 (4.15), the top 17% for pass accuracy (82.8%), and the top 20% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.08).

This shows that he has been above average among his positional peers at progressing the play through taking opposition players on and passing the ball to his teammates in dangerous positions.

He also made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won 55% of his duels in total, which shows that the academy graduate has largely been solid defensively with more than half of his battles won overall.

However, his talents were not utilised correctly in the 0-0 draw with Norwich as Gray struggled badly in a number ten role, and that is why he should be brutally binned on Thursday.

The alternatives to Archie Gray

Farke could drop Rutter back into the attacking midfield position and then unleash Joel Piroe or Mateo Joseph from the start as the centre-forward.

The French ace, who started upfront at Carrow Road, created 22 'big chances' and registered 15 assists in 44 starts during the regular season, which shows that he has the quality to create high-quality chances for his teammates at an impressive rate.

This makes him ideal for the number ten role as the ex-Hoffenheim starlet can pick the ball up in pockets of space and look to thread passes in the final third to split open the opposition's defence.

Piroe could then be brought in to start over Gray to offer an attacking threat as Leeds, hopefully, look to finish the tie in normal time at Elland Road on Thursday night.

The Dutch marksman scored 13 goals from 12.74 xG (Expected Goals) in the Championship this season, which shows that he has largely been a reliable finisher when chances have come his way.

Leeds star with 99% passing was Farke's best player vs Norwich

Leeds United will be the happier of the two sides after a defensive shut-out at Norwich City.

ByKelan Sarson May 12, 2024

However, the left-footed ace has also lost 62% of his duels and Farke may worry that Ben Gibson and Shane Duffy would find it too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.

In a one-off match, though, with Wembley on the line, Leeds may want to call upon his lethal instincts in the penalty box to fire the side through to the final of the play-offs, rather than sticking with Gray after his failed experiment as an attacking midfielder.

Tendulkar played his part, but India found two unlikely batting heroes to deliver a tense win

The RetroReport by Shashank Kishore10-May-2020

Getty Images

Title sponsors have a huge recall value when fans revisit memorable classics. Many Indians still refer to the 1983 World Cup as the Prudential World Cup. The 1987 edition, which India hosted for the first time, is fondly remembered as the Reliance World Cup. The 1985 World Series, made famous by Ravi Shastri and his Audi, is often referred to as the Benson & Hedges World Series. Many years from now, this India v Australia clash will be remembered as Titan Cup fixture in Bangalore.The match had everything. Some fine new-ball bowling from local lads Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad, electric fielding from Ajay Jadeja, a slow-paced but a well-constructed century from Mark Taylor that helped Australia post 215 and a fiery spell from a wiry Glenn McGrath, backed by relentless support from Jason Gillespie, that triggered a top-order wobble. Then there was a collision involving Jadeja and McGrath and, of course, Sachin Tendulkar being at the front and centre of India’s chase.That wasn’t it. There was debatable umpiring and crowd trouble, too, when Mohammad Azharuddin fell to what he felt was a shocking lbw decision, when in reality, he had only himself to blame. India were only three down by then, but the signs were ominous. Memories of Eden Gardens from a few months ago came rushing back. But sanity prevailed and play resumed after a 20-minute delay. The break didn’t change India’s fortunes drastically as they lost Sourav Ganguly almost immediately to a brain freeze from Tendulkar. The Indian captain froze halfway through a second that he wanted, by which time Ganguly had reached a point of no return. The alarm bells were ringing and India’s chances hinged on Tendulkar, like it so often does these days.He batted for a better part of the chase, shelving his natural game in the middle overs for hard-run singles, apart from sweeping and picking left-arm wristspinner Brad Hogg for crucial boundaries to ensure the asking rate never got out of hand. But his dismissal which quickly followed Nayan Mongia’s and Sunil Joshi’s left India at 164 for 8 in pursuit of 216.Enter local boys Anil Kumble and Srinath, with their mums cheering and screaming for every run they scored, every ball they defended and every boundary they hit. The ninth-wicket pair held their nerve, combated the McGrath-Gillespie threat and eventually scripted a great escape. India needed 52 when they joined hands. The stands were starting to thin, but those who stayed back got their monies worth.Kumble is a nudger at the best of times, Srinath a little more eccentric and enterprising. He fancies a good-old slog and when he connects, they sail. It’s this mix of ice and fire that had 40,000 faithfuls biting their fingernails off in the face of an asking rate that had spiralled to over a run-a-ball. As the equation narrowed, the crowd stated to heave. Australia felt the pressure and when it was down to single digits, not even the nerves of the occasion could fray the two local boys, who ensured India ended up winners.As many as six Karnataka players were part of India’s XI in this game. At that World Cup quarter-final game, Venkatesh Prasad was the hero. Here, it was his close friends who became overnight sensations. Joshi strangled Australia in the middle overs with some tight bowling, but the two batsmen – Sujith Somasunder and Rahul Dravid had outings to forget.If facing Brian McMillan and Allan Donald may have been intimidating enough in Hyderabad, Somasunder ran into McGrath here, looking all over the place against the short ball. He was roughed up so much that a sucker ball – an inswinging yorker – had his stumps in a mess. However, these are blips India would want to look at later, for this win came at the right time following a string of ODI failures post their infamous World Cup semi-final, in Singapore, Sharjah, Sri Lanka and Toronto.For Australia, Taylor’s industrious century was some consolation. It was his slow but steady partnership with Steve Waugh that lifted Australia after the innings meandered around the three-run-per-over mark for much of the first half. After Waugh’s dismissal, Michael Bevan added some much needed-urgency, but it felt as if Australia fell much shorter than they would’ve liked to finish with.But, their bowling attack made their total of 215 look bigger. It so happened that they ran into an inspired lower order and Tendulkar, yet again. In Mumbai, at the World Cup, they got away. In Bangalore, they couldn’t pull off a coup.

MatériaMais Notícias

Chegou ao fim a série de oito jogos sem vencer do Remo. Nesta quarta-feira (14), a equipe bateu o Brusque, de virada, e deixou a lanterna e também o Z-4 da Série B. Rafael Jansen deu um susto na torcida, já que marcou um gol contra bizarro, mas Felipe Gedoz e o estreante Marcos Júnior viraram a partida para o Leão, decretando o resultado de 2 a 1 no Baenão.

Agora, as duas equipes voltam a campo no próximo sábado (17), pela 12ª rodada do Brasileirão Série B. O Remo viaja até Campinas, onde vai enfrentar a Ponte Preta, às 18h30. Por outro lado, em casa, o Brusque recebe o Botafogo, às 19h.

Remo pressiona no início
​Dono da casa, o Remo tomou as rédeas nos 15 minutos iniciais do confronto no Baenão. Com Felipe Gedoz participativo, a equipe conseguiu criar algumas oportunidades de finalização. Na primeira e de maior perigo, Dioguinho recebeu na entrada da área e bateu firme, mas Zé Carlos encaixou. O goleiro ainda vacilou no lance seguinte em arremate de Thiago Ennes, mas se recuperou a tempo.

Por sua vez, o Brusque pouco conseguiu pisar no campo ofensivo com a bola nos pés dos seus jogadores. Na única oportunidade de levar perigo ao gol de Vinícius, Bruno Alves finalizou de fora da área, sem muito risco ao goleiro, que encaixou.

Seriam dois golaços
O Remo seguiu pressionando o Brusque depois do bom início. Jogando com liberdade para se movimentar, Victor Andrade recebeu pelo bico direito da área, driblou dois adversários e chutou cruzado. A bola passou rente à trave de Zé Carlos. Pouco depois, Dioguinho tentou uma bicicleta, mas errou o alvo. No lance, o atacante levou a pior e teve que deixar o campo com dores no braço.

Sem Dioguinho, a intensidade do Remo diminuiu e as boas chances pararam de aparecer. Com a bola nos pés, o Brusque tentou esfriar o ritmo da partida e, eventualmente, tentar lances agudos.

Brusque equilibra o jogo
A partida caiu de ritmo no terço final do primeiro tempo. Com a pressão dos donos da casa diminuindo, o Brusque conseguiu trabalhar suas jogadas no campo de ataque, mas sem levar grande perigo ao gol adversário. Na melhor chance, Thiago Alagoano recebeu na ponta esquerda e bateu fraco, nas mãos de Vinícius.

Pelo lado do Remo, a comissão técnica e os jogadores foram para o intervalo na bronca com a arbitragem. Aos 48 minutos, Victor Andrade finalizou, e a bola pegou no braço de Airton. Contudo, apesar da reclamação, o árbitro Diego Pombo Lopez mandou o lance seguir.

Remo pressiona, e Brusque responde
A volta do intervalo foi bem mais equilibrada do que o início do primeiro tempo. O Remo tentou exercer uma pressão logo nos primeiros minutos. Igor Fernandes bateu cruzado, e Erick Flores não conseguiu completar. Pouco depois, Victor Andrade aproveitou sobra e tentou colocar no ângulo de Zé Carlos, mas sem sucesso.

Quebrando a escrita do que aconteceu na etapa inicial, o Brusque respondeu à altura. Aos 8 minutos, Airton cruzou para Thiago Alagoano, que dominou, girou, mas bateu mal na bola e mandou para fora. Já aos 11, Garcez recebeu de frente para o goleiro Vinícius, teve tempo de pensar no que fazer, mas bateu cruzado e fez a bola passar rente à trave direita.

É para o outro lado, Rafael Jansen!
​Dono de grande parte das ações ofensivas do jogo, o Remo chegou ao gol, mas para o lado errado. Ao receber pela direita, João Carlos cruzou na área procurando Thiago Alagoano. Rafael Jansen tentou cortar de primeira e acabou mandando contra a própria meta, sem chances para Vinícius.

Empate e virada em seguida
O gol contra fez com que o Remo voltasse a dominar a posse da bola e pressionasse o Brusque. Mesmo com a pouca criatividade de grande parte da equipe, Felipe Gedoz criou boas oportunidades. Pouco depois de mandar um chute colocado para fora, o camisa 10 recebeu de Wallace e soltou o pé. A bola bateu em Zé Carlos e morreu no fundo das redes.

Empolgado pelo gol do empate, o Leão continuou em cima do adversário e colheu os frutos. Aos 37 minutos, Felipe Gedoz cobrou escanteio, e a bola sobrou para Marcos Júnior, livre na segunda trave, empurrar para as redes e estrear marcando o gol da virado do Remo.

Remo segura o resultado
​Pela primeira vez na partida, o Brusque passou a ditar o ritmo. Desesperados pelo empate, os catarinenses partiram para a pressão nos últimos minutos, mas pouco conseguiram criar.

Por sua vez, o Remo se fechou com os 11 jogadores no campo defensivo e tratou de afastar todas as jogadas em direção à sua área. Além disso, o Leão ainda administrou o tempo quando teve a bola para garantir os três pontos no Baenão.

FICHA TÉCNICA
REMO 2 X 1 BRUSQUE
Local: Estádio Baenão, em Belém-PA
Data/Horário: 14 de julho de 2021 (quarta-feira), às 21h30
Árbitro:Diego Pombo Lopez (BA)
Assistentes:Edevan de Oliveira Pereira (BA) eLuanderson Lima dos Santos (BA)
Gols: Rafael Jansen (contra) (15’/2°T) (0-1), Felipe Gedoz (32’/2°T) (1-1), Marcos Júnior (37’/2°T) (2-1)
Cartões amarelos: Erick Flores (Remo), João Carlos, Rodolfo, Zé Mateus, Thiago Alagoano, Edu (Brusque)

REMO: Vinícius, Thiago Ennes, Kevem, Rafael Jansen, Igor Fernandes; Anderson Uchôa (Marcos Júnior, aos 28’/2°T), Lucas Siqueira (Renan Gorne, aos 28’/2°T) e Felipe Gedoz; Dioguinho (Wallace, aos 20’/1°T), Victor Andrade (Lucas Tocantins, aos 13’/2°T) e Erick Flores (Arthur, aos 13’/2°T). Técnico: Felipe Conceição.

BRUSQUE: Zé Carlos, João Carlos (Fillipe Soutto, aos 26’/2°T), Ianson, Éverton Alemão e Airton; Rodolfo (Nonato, aos 26’/2°T), Zé Mateus (Gabriel Taliari, aos 33’/2°T), Garcez (Tinga, aos 33’/2°T) e Bruno Alves (Toty, aos 21’/2°T); Thiago Alagoano e Edu. Técnico: Jerson Testoni.

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حصل نادي إنجليزي على فرصة مثالية للظفر بخدمات نجم آينتراخت فرانكفورت، عمر مرموش، في ظل مواصلة المصري تألقه في الموسم الحالي.

ونجح عمر مرموش في لفت أنظار كبار أندية أوروبا إليه بفضل تألقه في الموسم الحالي رفقة آينتراخت فرانكفورت.

وسجل مرموش 15 هدفًا وصنع 11 في 18 مباراة في مختلف المسابقات هذا الموسم.

ويتواجد صاحب الـ25 عامًا في المركز الثاني في قائمة هدافي الموسم الحالي من الدوري الألماني، برصيد 11 هدفًا، بفارق 3 أهداف عن النجم هاري كين.

وسبق أن ذكرت تقارير صحفية، تواجد مرموش على رادار الأندية المختلفة، على رأسها ليفربول، إلى جانب مانشستر سيتي، آرسنال، تشيلسي، نيوكاسل، وست هام، بالإضافة إلى برشلونة.

وأفادت تقارير اليوم أن مصادر داخل ليفربول نفت وجود مفاوضات للتعاقد مع عمر مرموش (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وترى شبكة “hammersnews” الإنجليزية، أن ما سلف ذكره يمثل فرصة مثالية بالنسبة لـ وست هام من أجل الحصول على خدمات عمر مرموش، العام المقبل.

وأوضحت أن وست هام، بقيادة المدرب جوليان لوبيتيجي، يتطلع إلى تدعيم مركز الهجوم في صفوف الفريق.

وأشارت إلى أن نفي ليفربول وجود مفاوضات لضم مرموش يمثل فرصة رائعة لـ وست هام لحل مشاكله الهجومية عن طريق صفقة المصري.

وأفادت أن الفرصة متاحة الآن أمام وست هام من أجل إحضار عمر مرموش إلى استاد لندن، كونه يتمتع بسرعة استثنائية وحركة رائعة، وجودته أمام المرمى، ومساعدته لزملائه عن طريق التمريرات.

وأكدت الشبكة أن عمر مرموش سيكون صفقة رائعة لـ وست هام، وبالنظر إلى موقف ليفربول تجاهه، سيكون لدى إدارة النادي اللندني فرصة جيدة لحسم تلك الخطوة. 

Harry Kane said he's "enjoying every moment" of his Bayern Munich career as the England striker received the European Golden Shoe on Tuesday.

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• Kane scored 36 goals last season
• Bayern failed to win a trophy
• Kompany leading new Bayern era

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kane was reflecting on his first year at Bayern Munich as he received the European Golden Shoe at a ceremony at the club's museum on Tuesday. Despite failing to win a trophy in 2023-24, the England international has no regrets over his move from Tottenham Hotspur and called it "one of the best decisions" he's ever made.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane was electrifying in his debut season in Germany, scoring 36 goals in the Bundesliga to claim the European Golden Shoe ahead of VfB Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy (28 goals), Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City's Erling Haaland (both 27). Yet Bayern's struggles on the pitch – they finished third in the league, 18 points behind champions Bayer Leverkusen – cost Thomas Tuchel his job, and Vincent Kompany will try to return the Bavarians to the summit of the German football pyramid.

• WHAT KANE SAID

  "Joining FC Bayern was one of the best decisions I've made in my life," Kane said. "I'm enjoying every moment of it so far."

  On the club's ambitions for this season, the 31-year-old added: "I want to carry on the way I started last season, but the important thing is that we win trophies. We want to claim successes as a team."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

  The Kompany era has started with two wins, over Ulm in the DFB-Pokal and Wolfsburg in the league. Kane was only able to record an assist in the dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Wolfsburg, but he'd love to get on the scoresheet when Bayern take on Freiburg on Sunday.

Coaches in the Hundred have raised questions about how squads in the competition will look next year, suggesting that a partial re-draft of squads will be necessary ahead of the tournament’s delayed launch in 2021.Players’ contracts were terminated on Monday through a ‘force majeure’ clause following the tournament’s postponement and the ECB has opened discussions with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and other stakeholders in the past few days to work out what will happen to squads.And while there seems to be little appetite for a total re-draft, question marks over Kolpak players, overseas availability, and possible retirements mean that freezing the squads would prove close to impossible.ALSO READ: Hundred delay a knock for women’s game – LevickUnder the competition’s planned retention rules, teams were able to keep up to ten players from their initial squad for the 2021 edition of a tournament, at a salary band negotiated with the player. Another draft would then follow for teams to fill the gaps in their squads during the winter, with the lower number of players to pick allowing a shorter and more focused programme for TV. A modified version of this system seems – at an early stage – to be the most likely solution.Speaking on a Sky Sports podcast, Shane Warne and Tom Moody – coaches of London Spirit and Oval Invincibles respectively – said that there would be issues with keeping the same squads for 2021.”It’ll be two years basically when the Hundred starts from when we did the auction [draft],” Warne said. “There’ll be different players, some players might retire, so I’m not sure how they’re going to – will they start from scratch again, where you have to put together different squads? Will they have a ten-player core of that squad and then you can only pick ten players?”It’ll be interesting to see what the ECB come up with about the rules and whether they say ‘you know what, we’re going to start again’ or another alternative. I think everyone was pretty happy with the squad they had but two years later from when the auction [draft] is, there’s a lot of time passed as to how players develop in that time. It’d be interesting to see how it affects them. People might be playing international cricket then, might have got elevated so they’re not available as much, so you might have chosen a different squad.”In the London Spirit squad Warne picked, there are four players who would be 35 or older at the start of next year’s competition: Joe Denly, Jade Dernbach, Mohammad Nabi, and Roelof van der Merwe. Kyle Abbott, initially selected as a local player thanks to his Kolpak registration, would have to be picked as an overseas player. Moody’s Invincibles squad has fewer issues in terms of age, but he has a similar problem with Kolpak players having signed Rilee Rossouw and Hardus Viljoen for £75,000 and £60,000 respectively.”I think most teams would be pretty comfortable with the squads they’ve got. Not only did most teams plan to have a squad that was capable of winning in the first year, I think they had also a long-term eye as well with regards to making sure that they had players they wanted to be part of their franchise for years to come,” Moody said.”I think there are some tricky little hurdles that the organisers will have to get their head around. One of the ones that really stands out for me is the Kolpak player situation – it [the loophole] is due to expire at the end of December this year, so teams that had picked Kolpak players knowing that they had them for the first year but then would have had to make a decision with them the following year, with regards to whether they keep them on board as an overseas or let them go back into pasture.”Jason Roy models the Oval Invincibles’ kit•Getty Images

PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell has taken the lead in discussions and has led multiple calls with county representatives and other senior players since the tournament was officially postponed last Thursday. Of the 21 county reps (three counties have two), six have contracts in the Hundred: Ben Cox, Luke Fletcher, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, David Payne, Max Waller and Chris Wood. Others, such as Jake Ball and Jack Taylor, would have been well-placed to win selection as a ‘wildcard’ through performances in the T20 Blast.ALSO READ: Where now for the Hundred following ECB postponement?Both men’s and women’s players were notified via a letter on Monday that their contracts had been terminated. An ECB spokesperson said: “This letter is necessary paperwork to legally update and inform players of the situation, which follows a notification last week around the launch of the new competition being moved to 2021. We are currently working with the PCA and other key stakeholders with regard to player selection and retention for the first edition of the Hundred in 2021.”Selection and retention for the women’s competition is less likely to raise concerns, with players signed by teams partly based on location via an informal recruitment process rather than a draft. Charlotte Edwards, the former England captain and Southern Brave head coach, said on Sunday it was a “worrying time” for the women’s game following the tournament’s postponement, with several players set to miss out on deals in the short term.While the Hundred’s postponement has been confirmed, the ECB has downplayed reports that a revised schedule for the summer could include no women’s cricket. “We’re working alongside all international boards whose men’s or women’s teams are due to come here this summer,” said a spokesperson.

Kylian Mbappe says he is "very happy" with his performances for Real Madrid and that he is not phased by the criticism that comes his way.

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Mbappe joins Real Madrid from PSGHad solid if unspectacular start so far"Very happy" with Los Blancos displaysWHAT HAPPENED?

Following the 25-year-old's switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Madrid earlier this summer, the forward has scored three goals in five games. Despite scoring in their UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta, some have been somewhat underwhelmed by his start for Los Blancos. However, the France international has shrugged off any criticism, saying he "can't please everyone" and is "very happy" with his displays so far.

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He said: "I don’t know what the critics think, I don’t notice it anymore, I come, I play, what people think is the least of my worries. We can’t please everyone. My time at Real Madrid is going very well and I’m very happy. We’ve already won a trophy. It’s getting better and better. Everything’s going well."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

While Mbappe has not been as prolific as he was for PSG to date, the Frenchman is playing as a number nine – rather than in his favoured left forward role. He has only played a handful of games and a player of his pedigree is likely to bag a hatful of goals this season – especially with the players around him at Madrid.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Before former Monaco star Mbappe returns to Madrid to play for Los Blancos later this month, the Frenchman is preparing to face Italy and Belgium in the Nations League on Friday and Monday respectively.