All posts by h79snht.top

Looking at the promotion-chasing Leeds United side at the moment, it could be argued that the defensive unit will prove vital if the club are to return to the Premier League.

Of course, the only goalscorer during the Whites’ recent 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough was 56-time Wales international Daniel James, yet the imperious centre-back duo on the night, consisting of both Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu, helped to keep the 22nd clean sheet of the season.

Whilst Daniel Farke will be glad a shut-out and a victory was secured at the Riverside Stadium courtesy of those named, he will be worried about the injury status of Pascal Struijk all the same, with the Leeds captain out again with another serious knock.

Struijk's importance at Leeds

After all, the 25-year-old centre-back just seems to be cursed with constant setbacks in this department.

Last season, Struijk was only fit enough for 25 clashes in all competitions owing to a recurring groin concern, with a new development now revealing that the reliable number five could miss the rest of this season with a potential foot fracture.

This would be a demoralising blow for Farke and Co, considering Struijk has popped up with five crucial goals this campaign from 35 Championship contests, including bagging a double against Sunderland in February to clinch a late win.

Moreover, the injury-prone defender has been dogged at the back away from these goalscoring heroics by collecting a hefty 14 clean sheets.

Whilst Ampadu is a sterling option in the short-term, Leeds aren’t exactly blessed with numbers in the centre-back spots with Struijk sidelined, making the decision to let this rising defensive star leave last summer for just £4m look more bemusing by the minute.

Leeds may have sold a £50m star in the making

Looking more long-term too, there had been rumours in the not-so-distant past that Struijk could leave Elland Road behind, with Serie A side Torino keen admirers.

Therefore, having more bodies at the back in the here and now would be extremely handy in preparing for this possible outcome, with Charlie Cresswell an ideal face to have around to shore up the promotion candidates even more defensively.

The former Whites number five would never quite make the grade at a senior level for his boyhood employers, despite having an “excellent” loan spell at fellow second tier side Millwall during the 2022/23 campaign – as it was labelled by Lions boss at the time Gary Rowell – which bumped up his experience of the testing division.

Much like his 6 foot 3 counterpart, Cresswell showed on loan at the Den that he had an eye for goal with five strikes tallied up from 30 appearances, meaning he could have been the perfect long-term successor to Struijk.

But, regardless of this standout spell in the English capital, the Preston-born titan would never make it at Elland Road, unfortunately, with only 14 senior chances handed to him before a bold £4m move to French outfit Toulouse came to fruition.

This left-field switch to Ligue 1 has worked in Cresswell’s favour, however, when glancing at his impressive FBref numbers below, with direct comparisons to be made between the 22-year-old’s improving game in France and Dean Huijsen’s current breakout season at AFC Bournemouth – the Cherries star noted among the most similar defenders to the Preston native across Europe’s top five leagues.

Cresswell’s FBref numbers over the last year vs Huijsen’s + Struijk’s

Stat – per 90 mins

Cresswell

Huijsen

Struijk

Attempted passes

54.58

59.81

85.57

Pass completion %

82.5%

84.1%

90.1%

Progressive passes

2.40

4.49

6.15

Progressive carries

0.34

1.45

1.18

Shot-creating actions

0.88

1.64

1.34

Tackles

1.39

1.54

1.05

Interceptions

1.01

2.10

0.89

Blocks

1.64

1.50

0.80

Clearances

6.76

6.78

4.49

Aerials won

3.57

2.71

3.60

Stats by FBref

Looking at the table above, Cresswell – who was dubbed “amazing” by Jesse Marsch in the past – isn’t a million miles off matching the £50m-rated Huijsen in various aspects of his defensive game, on top of also managing to better Strujjk in some defensive basics.

Therefore, if Leeds had just exercised more patience and didn’t offload the 22-year-old for £4m, they would already have a ready-made Struijk replacement to further boost their depth ahead of the edgy promotion run-in.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Apr 8, 2025

One Manchester City star has now held positive talks to join a shock club, according to a new transfer update.

Players who could leave Man City this summer

After a busy January transfer window that saw five new players brought in, Pep Guardiola looks set to shake things up again over the summer as he continues his Etihad rebuild.

A plethora of players are out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 season, and there have been claims on a number of Man City stars being sold.

Man City players out of contract in 2025

Kevin De Bruyne

Ilkay Gunogan

Scott Carson

Jack Grealish, who scored against Leicester City in midweek, may well be one who the club decide to cash in on, whereas Bernardo Silva has been linked with a move to PSG.

As we know, Kevin De Bruyne is one of three who can leave and the Belgian has now announced his departure this summer. Releasing a statement on Friday De Bruyne said: “Dear Manchester. These will be my final months as a Manchester City player. Nothing about this is easy to write but as football players we all know this day eventually comes. That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first.

“This city. This club. These people … gave me EVERYTHING. I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won EVERYTHING. Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye … Every story comes to an end but this has definitely been the best chapter. Let’s enjoy these last moments together.”

It looked as if De Bruyne was on course to move to the MLS with San Diego FC, however, now, it looks as if he could be heading elsewhere.

Kevin De Bruyne holds positive talks to move to Saudi Arabia

Previously, De Bruyne claimed he’d be open to the possibility of moving to Saudi Arabia to earn an “incredible” amount of money.

“At my age, you have to be open to everything. We are talking about incredible sums of money for what could be the end of my career. Sometimes, you have to think about it.”

Already on more than £20m per season with Man City, De Bruyne has now held positive talks with Neom SC, a club who play in the Saudi second division. Described as a powerful and extremely wealthy team by Foot Mercato, Neom SC are serious about signing De Bruyne, who also has interest from River Plate, Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce.

After moving to Man City in 2015, De Bruyne looks likely to leave the Etihad after 10 successful years where he has made more than 400 appearances and scored over 100 goals.

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The Sky Blues have set their sights on a forward who could join on a free transfer this summer.

Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 3, 2025

He’s picked up 18 honours in Sky Blue and will be hoping to add another FA Cup title to his name before potentially heading to Saudi Arabia.

As Manchester City look to rebuild, Pep Guardiola has reportedly personally requested that the Blues make a statement move to hijack one of Arsenal’s best players.

Man City eyeing Dias upgrade

Whilst the international break at least ceased the Citizens’ misery before they impressively earned their way into the FA Cup last four over Bournemouth, it didn’t take long for injury to strike once more. In a season full of absentees, Erling Haaland became the latest to limp off against Bournemouth and it’s bad news for the Norwegian superstar.

Following their latest injury blow, it remains to be seen whether that will be the final nail in the coffin for Manchester City’s Champions League hopes. Even if that does prove to be the case, however, they’re reportedly looking to make a statement this summer.

According to reports in Spain, Manchester City are now willing to grant Guardiola’s request to sign William Saliba from Arsenal this summer in what would be one of the moves of the summer.

Not only would they be signing one of their rivals’ most influential players, but they would also be taking him out of the clutches of Real Madrid, who have been eyeing another free deal upon the Frenchman’s contract expiry in 2027.

Related Better than Hugo Larsson: Man City make £50m star their top summer target

He could cost Man City upwards of £50m

Posts ByJoe Nuttall Apr 1, 2025

If the Citizens are to solve their defensive problems once and for all then signing Saliba should certainly be among their priorities this summer. Whether they’re in a position to lure the impressive centre-back away from the Gunners is another question, however.

"Superb" Saliba is one of the best

At 24 years old, Saliba is at the peak of his powers and that peak has taken him among the best in the world in his position. The Frenchman carries every trait needed to be a top defender in the modern game and represents a player that Guardiola is almost certain to love just as Mikel Arteta does at Arsenal.

Praising his star as early as his Premier League debut, the Arsenal boss told reporters in 2022: “Saliba was superb. For his age, he is built really well. You need the right balance. Physicality in this league is something where you can’t come up short. If you do, you will be exposed.”

Only getting better ever since, there’s every argument that Saliba would become Manchester City’s best defender if he completed a shock move to the Etihad this summer.

Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

William Saliba

Ruben Dias

Minutes

2,364

1,461

Progressive Passes per 90

4.30

5.56

Tackles Won per 90

1.18

0.43

Ball Recoveries per 90

4.49

3.09

Earning a reported £190,000-a-week at Arsenal, Saliba has proved to be worth every penny and the same would be said if he joined Manchester City in the coming months.

On Saturday lunchtime, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had a big decision to make. Play Martin Odegaard or Eberechi Eze in the number 10 position?

Well, the Spaniard chose his club captain Odegaard. It was a successive start for the Norwegian who is now back from injury and ready to make an impact.

What that meant was that the Gunners’ November Player of the Month was selected on the left flank.

It wasn’t a decision that went well for Eze. The scorer of that famous hat-trick in the north London derby just a few weeks ago, his influence from the left, rather than in a central area, was severely lacking.

It was Eze who switched off at the back post for Matty Cash’s opener and despite having a goal ruled out for offside, he was anonymous in the final third.

The summer signing was subsequently withdrawn at the half time interval having registered just 13 touches of the ball and amassed just seven passes.

Why Arsenal must pick Eze over Odegaard in the number 10 role

Before Emiliano Buendia’s late winner at Villa Park on Saturday, TNT Sports’ Martin Keown had named Martin Odegaard as the player of the match.

The club captain drifted in and out of the game, but left the field with three key passes and three shots to his name. He also ensured Bukayo Saka looked like a constant threat in the game. Indeed, in the words of the Telegraph’s Sam Dean, he noted that “it can’t be a coincidence that Saka has been so dangerous today, on the day he is reunited with Odegaard,” suggesting that as a pairing, they remain one of Arsenal’s “great weapons.”

That they may well be, but the skipper arguably held Arteta’s team back. While Eze has looked like such a big goal threat over the last few weeks, a dynamic and silky player who can produce a moment of magic out of nowhere, Odegaard was sluggish and timid in possession.

His biggest problem is that unlike Eze, he takes too many touches and he’s slow in possession. The 26-year-old is one of the best midfielders in the world on his day. He’s supremely creative but Arsenal’s summer recruit from Crystal Palace has taken them to the next level in recent weeks.

Odegaard & Eze vs Villa

Stat

Odegaard

Eze

Mins played

90

45

Touches

80

13

Key passes

3

0

Shots

3

0

Successful dribbles

1/4

1/1

Duels won

3/10

2/5

Possession lost

15x

3x

Stats via Sofascore.

It was surely no coincidence that two of their finest wins of 2025, the victories against Spurs and Bayern, came with Eze in the team over Odegaard.

It feels incredibly unlikely that Arteta will drop the latter but he must explore what this team could be like without their captain.

That said, Eze isn’t the only threat to Odegaard’s long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal's next Odegaard and Eze

Eze’s arrival has coincided with a lack of game time for Ethan Nwaneri. Last season he was compared to Lionel Messi by Joe Cole and described as “the most exciting footballer in England.” How times change.

While the 18-year-old is still up there as one of the finest young talents in the country, scoring nine goals last term, regular senior football has eluded him in 2025/26. He has played just 165 minutes of Premier League football this term and only 20 minutes since the start of November.

Nwaneri will no doubt come good but he will also have to rival the great Max Dowman for a place in the team over the forthcoming years. Odegaard, beware.

The two exciting teenagers are not the only threats to Odegaard’s long-term future, however. Enter Holger Quintero.

At the end of last week, Arsenal announced the signings of a set of twins, Holger and Edwin Quintero from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle.

They have become one of the finest exponents of young talent in world football in recent years. Part of their alumni include Moises Caicedo, Piero Hincapie and PSG’s brute of a central defender William Pacho.

Well, the Quintero twins look like the next cabs of the rank and while they will not be seen in Arsenal colours until they turn 18, the 16-year-old’s have signed an agreement to join the club, something that was announced last Thursday.

Edwin is a left-footed right winger and, alongside Dowman, has been labelled as a “10/10 talent” by scout Jacek Kulig. As for his brother, Holger, he is an attacking midfielder by trade and an exciting one at that.

Described as a “top talent” by Como scout Felix Johnston, he possesses a glittering array of skills, outlined by Kulig.

The scout notes that he has “superb close control, flair and creativity” while hailing the youngster’s “low centre of gravity and excellent agility, acceleration and coordination.”

Close control and creativity are two areas in which Odegaard also thrives in but it’s arguably that lack of acceleration and ability to carry the ball forward with pace that holds him back. That’s where Quintero could trump him in the years to come.

Further described as a young kid with “elite dribbling skills with futsal-like ball control”, there is a reason Arsenal have decided to invest in these two young attacking sensations.

To predict they could become world beaters might be a stretch at this stage, but there is huge excitement about them both. As Kulig put it, Holger is “one of the most exciting U17s in South America.”

Watch out, Odegaard, it might not only be Dowman coming for your place.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair 5 days ago

Leeds United have now made contact over signing a midfield star who’s been likened to Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, according to recent reports.

Daniel Farke Leeds "preparing" for January window

There’s no rest for the wicked and Leeds’ clash against Liverpool at Elland Road represents another tough test for Daniel Farke’s side, who have already squared off against Manchester City and Chelsea this week.

On paper, the visit of the reigning champions should be a daunting task, but Liverpool’s crown has been snatched this season and the Reds find themselves in the middle of a disastrous defence. Leeds, meanwhile, just ran Man City close and swept past Chelsea in shocking fashion. Those at Elland Road couldn’t be facing Liverpool at a better time.

Victory over Slot’s side could take the Whites five points clear of the dropzone if results go their way in a crucial step towards survival as the festive fixtures arrive thick and fast.

Meanwhile, as things progress on the pitch, the 49ers are already “planning” ahead for the January transfer window, according to Farke. The Leeds boss told reporters earlier this week: “I have not one second to think about what could happen, it also depends on injuries and how the players deliver in these upcoming games.

“I spoke in the summer about what he might have liked to sign and this has not gone away, in the background we are preparing but now is not the time to speak about it.”

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Posts ByTom Cunningham 7 days ago

On that front, names such as Nilson Angulo have emerged as reported targets. The impressive winger has been dubbed one of Europe’s standout wingers this season and would certainly inject some added spark to Farke’s frontline.

The same can be said for Jens Hjerto-Dahl. The midfielder has been likened to fellow Norway star Odegaard and now finds himself on the radar of those at Elland Road.

Leeds make contact over signing Jens Hjerto-Dahl

As reported by TeamTalk, Leeds have now made contact to sign Hjerto-Dahl in 2026, but face competition from Rangers, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Tromso midfielder has built up an impressive reputation in Norway for his ability as a goalscoring box-crasher – scoring five goals in 35 games in all competitions this season – and could now get the chance to do that in the Premier League.

Described as “powerful” by scout Kai Watson, Hjerto-Dahl was likened to Odegaard when he was linked with a move to Brighton earlier this month and Leeds should go all out to land his signature.

The towering star certainly fits the physical profile of what’s needed in the Premier League these days, but it remains to be seen if clubs act as early as January.

Farke must unleash "wonderkid" who'd be perfect for Nmecha's new Leeds role

Senthilnathan will remain in charge of the red-ball team. Venkataramana has been brought to coach the white-ball team

Winless after four rounds of the Ranji Trophy, Tamil Nadu have restructured their coaching set-up with former offspinner M Venkataramana set to take over from M Senthilnathan as head coach for the white-ball leg of the Indian domestic season.Senthilnathan will, however, see out the remainder of the Ranji season; the two remaining rounds of matches will be played in January after the Vijay Hazare Trophy.TN are currently in the bottom half of Group A, just above Odisha and Nagaland. In the ongoing fifth round, they are in a fight for survival for first-innings points thanks to Rinku Singh, despite posting 455.TN have already lost outright to Jharkhand and Andhra, while conceding a lead against Vidarbha, the defending champions. They also nearly couldn’t defend 512 against Nagaland for the first-innings honours. It is likely that even victories in TN’s remaining two fixtures won’t be enough to secure a Ranji Trophy knockouts berthWhile the timing – right in the middle of their fifth-round game against Uttar Pradesh in Coimbatore – may seem off, there have been rumblings of such a move at the top from within the TNCA since their fourth-round defeat to Andhra.The decision was finally taken and approved at an emergency meeting in Chennai on Tuesday, with the TNCA announcing via a press release late at night that they were adopting a split-coaching model for the remainder of 2025-26. TNCA’s release didn’t specify if Senthilnathan would continue beyond the current Ranji season.Venkataramana represented India in one Test in 1989, against West Indies in Kingston. He played 75 first-class matches, picking up 247 wickets at an average of 29.63 and 12 five-fors.This is the third coaching change TN have made in the past two years. In 2023-24, there were similar rumblings, but from within the team against former Mumbai wicketkeeper Sulakshan Kulkarni. He was then removed as head coach barely a year into his two-year contract, with L Balaji, the former India fast bowler, taking over. Prior to the start of the 2025-26 season, Senthilnathan, a former chief selector, took over from Balaji.Earlier in the week, TN named Varun Chakravarthy as captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. This will mark Chakravarthy’s first foray into a leadership role, after three other contenders – M Shahrukh Khan, R Sai Kishore and N Jagadeesan – were overlooked.At Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s, TN are placed in a tough pool alongside Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Tripura, Jharkhand and Saurashtra.

“By owning what I did and being given an opportunity to use my story as a massive educational lesson for the next generation, it’s kind of been worth it,” Lou Vincent says

AAP12-Oct-2025

“I’ve had to start life again and missed out on a career in a sport I love”•Getty Images

Former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent has swapped the pitch for the stage, addressing a conference in Melbourne about match-fixing.Just over ten years ago, Vincent was banned for life for his involvement in attempting to manipulate multiple matches around the world, including in England, South Africa, India and Bangladesh.Ahead of a Victoria Police symposium on Tuesday that will look at a range of integrity-related issues in sport, Vincent told AAP it’s not just international cricket that is susceptible to match-fixing, but any sport that is live-streamed.Related

Vincent deserves clemency for speaking out, says McCullum

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“It’s not so much just cricket, it’s all sports – you’ve got third grade soccer in New Zealand that nobody knows and you’ve got ten people watching but because it’s live-streamed on internet, it can be bet on,” Vincent said. “Anything that’s filmed and [is] live on the internet, they find a way to underground betting sites and anything can be bet on so it’s not so much just the professional sport, it’s the amateur sport.”That’s why we’ve got to do everything possible to protect corruption in all sports at all levels.”While sport governing bodies are doing their bit to educate their athletes, Vincent said nothing beat a first-person warning.”I’ve got a powerful message to the next generation and the future generation of sports players where they can easily be manipulated or corrupted into this dark underworld, which I’ve lived first-hand,” he said. “I pretty much destroyed my life, destroyed my career, destroyed my future in sport, but this is a small part of giving back, to help educate.”The biggest influence I can have and we can have in the sports integrity world is purely education and the more young athletes know about it, the more they’ll be aware of the signs and the people to avoid.”Having played 23 Tests – he scored a century against Australia on debut – and more than 100 ODIs, Vincent became involved in spot-fixing back in 2008 when he had lost his New Zealand contract.Signing up to play in the short-lived Indian Cricket League, he initially rebuffed offers from a bookmaker in a hotel room as a “down payment” and reported it. But the then 28-year-old then decided to take the next opportunity when approached by a team-mate, admitting greed as well as wanting a sense of belonging were motivating factors.”I was a prime target to be dragged in; a brotherhood who will look after you,” he said. “The league that we were playing in wasn’t sanctioned by the ICC, so how it was sold to me was like, these games we’re playing in, it’s not real cricket… so you’re not doing anything wrong and everybody’s doing it.”Vincent said a simple example of how he would spot-fix during a T20 match was to score between 10 and 15 runs off 20 balls, and then get out.With threats to his safety or that of his family, he described it as a “noose around his neck”, which only disappeared when he retired and came clean.Two years ago, the global life ban was partially relaxed and Vincent has been able to “participate” at the professional domestic level or below.Working as a builder in New Zealand, he said he would continue to make amends and share his story. “I’ve had to start life again and missed out on a career in a sport I love,” he said. “In a strange way, by owning what I did and being given an opportunity to use my story as a massive educational lesson for the next generation, it’s kind of been worth it.”

The summer of 2023 was a landmark period for Arsenal. It signalled the arrival of a certain Declan Rice no less.

The midfielder arrived in a club-record £105m move. The Gunners had beaten Manchester City to his services, thus securing the talents of one of England’s finest players of his generation.

Since he moved across London from West Ham to Islington, there has still been a feeling that Arsenal have missed a player of the calibre of a certain Granit Xhaka.

Over the last year, in particular, Rice has eradicated memories of the Swiss warrior but their Arsenal stories are woven together.

The year Rice arrived, Xhaka left and in perhaps peculiar circumstances. The veteran had just enjoyed the finest individual campaign of his time at the Emirates Stadium, scoring nine goals in all competitions.

No longer was he the defensive midfielder that a great Arsene Wenger once signed. He was now a goalscoring number 8.

After departing, Xhaka enjoyed a fabulous time under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga but he’s now back in England and proving to be one of the signings of the summer.

How Xhaka inspired Sunderland to a draw with Arsenal

Over the last few years the newly promoted teams have been swept aside without so much as a noise. To put it frankly, they’ve been terrible.

However, Sunderland are bucking that trend. Ahead of Sunday’s fixtures in the Premier League, they sat fourth in the table and a large reason for that has been the performances of Xhaka.

The Switzerland midfielder signed for the Mackems in a £17m deal back in the summer and was swiftly made club captain. His displays since then have been admirable.

Sky Sports analyst and Sunderland supporter Dougie Critchley went as far as to say he is the “best player” he’s ever seen in the famous red and white strips after his goal against Everton last week.

While Xhaka did not find the net against Arsenal on Saturday, it was another fine display from Sunderland’s tempo-setting midfielder.

Xhaka is a warrior, a leader of men and he demonstrated that by completing 90% of his passes, winning four of his five ground duels and completing seven clearances this weekend.

Xhaka vs Arsenal

Minutes played

90

Touches

57

Accurate passes

35/39 (90%)

Key passes

0

Shots

0

Fouled

1x

Tackles won

2

Interceptions

1

Clearances

7

Recoveries

1

Ground duels won

4/5

Aerial duels won

1/1

Stats via Sofascore.

Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey made the headlines but Xhaka issued Arsenal a timely reminder of his qualities.

Up against Rice and Martin Zubimendi, Arsenal’s midfield pairing exudes similar qualities but they aren’t the only men in Mikel Arteta’s ranks who bring a Xhaka-like presence to the squad.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse Arsenal's Granit Xhaka of 2025

The date is 28th October 2019. Unai Emery has chosen to substitute club captain, Xhaka. The response from Arsenal supporters inside the Emirates Stadium was remarkable.

He was booed and jeered as he left the field, which sparked an eyebrow-raising reaction from the Swiss. He cupped his ear, asked for more and then chucked the captain’s armband on the floor.

It was not a surprise to see that he was stripped of the captaincy just ten days later.

Speaking about the incident back in 2023, Xhaka labelled the situation as a “nightmare”. “The passports were out. I was done with Arsenal”, he said.

He ultimately stayed and enjoyed a remarkable change in fortunes under Arteta. The Spaniard turned him into a more forward-thinking midfield and after a hellish first few years in London, enjoyed a fabulous 2022/23 season, in particular.

That was the year Xhaka scored nine times and provided seven assists in all competitions.

The 33-year-old was still a vocal presence on the pitch and while he didn’t possess the armband, he still felt like a captain on the pitch. In the present day, the same could be said of defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

While the Brazilian hasn’t fallen out with supporters since moving from Lille in a £27m move, their Arsenal careers certainly have parallels.

Gabriel headed to London as an exciting talent but he was still incredibly raw. He showcased that during his first few years in English football.

The centre-back was rash and truth be told, a bit error-prone. Rio Ferdinand was particularly scathing of the defender back in 2022.

It was an incident that led to a DM exchange between Gabriel and Ferdinand and since that moment, he has gone from strength to strength.

Like Xhaka in his early days at Arsenal, the big Brazil international was a bit of an accident waiting to happen but they both enjoyed remarkable comebacks.

In the words of Jamie Carragher, Gabriel is now “the most influential player in the Premier League” this season and is in with a real shout of winning the PFA Player of the Year award if the Gunners win the league.

The defender has been a colossal presence in the heart of Arteta’s backline, a true “monster” as per pundit Troy Deeney. He’s a giant at the back, composed with the ball at his feet and has made a rather ridiculous impact from set-pieces.

So far this season, Gabriel has scored two goals and supplied three assists. Since joining in 2020, no centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than him (22).

Like Xhaka, he’s also now one of the strongest commanders of men in the squad. He’s captained Arsenal on several occasions now and to quote Carragher once more, he is “the leader” in Arteta’s backline.

A midfielder he may not be, but he is certainly like Xhaka in plenty of ways. From being riddled with mistakes to becoming a cult hero at the Emirates, the parallels are certainly there.

Shanaka’s unbeaten 64 had taken Sri Lanka to 168 but it wasn’t enough

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Sep-20251:49

Chopra: You look at Saif and go ‘there’s some serious talent there’

Three top order stands, one after the other, led by Saif Hassan, then Towhid Hridoy, propelled Bangladesh to overhaul Sri Lanka’s 168, on a dry Dubai track.Saif’s 59-run stand with Litton Das came off 34 balls. It saw Bangladesh set the platform. Then Saif joined Hridoy for a 54-run stand off 45 balls, that consolidated their innings through the middle overs. Hridoy then took charge in a 45-run partnership off 27 balls with Shamim Hossain that put Bangladesh on the cusp of victory. There were some wobbles very late in the game, but those batters had done enough. Bangladesh only needed five to win going into the final over, and they got there with a ball to spare, even if they’d lost two wickets and almost a third scoring the winning run.Sri Lanka struggled for wickets right through the innings, with Saif especially good at keeping the seamers at bay in the powerplay. By the end of the 15th over, Bangladesh had still only lost three wickets, and needed only 39 more to win. It seemed highly unlikely they would lose from there. In fact, they had looked good for the majority of this chase.In Sri Lanka’s innings, Dasun Shanaka’s promotion to No. 5 had yielded results, as he struck 64 not out off 37 balls, to give Sri Lanka a decent – if not spectacular – finish. But two Bangladesh bowlers had also shone: Mustafizur Rahman took 3 for 20, and Mahedi Hasan claimed 2 for 25.2:07

Maharoof: Shanaka showed up when the chips were down

Saif neutralises Nuwan ThusharaWhen Nuwan Thushara dismissed Tanzid Hasan in the first over, you wondered if this would be another match which his first spell goes some distance to winning. He has tended to have rich hauls against this opposition. But in Saif, Bangladesh had a beautiful counter to Thushara. Saif was outstanding down the ground as Thushara kept going full (as he often does in the powerplay). Saif hit a four over the bowler’s head first ball of the second over, before running at Thushara next ball and depositing him over the rope. Thushara’s second and third overs would cost 14 runs each, Saif doing the majority of that damage.Hridoy takes down Kamindu MendisSri Lanka’s general strategy is to have Shanaka and one of the spin-bowling allrounders share four overs between them. Usually Charith Asalanka bowls himself. But in this game he chose not to bowl, and gave the 15th over of the innings to Kamindu Mendis. It would be the one in which the match would swing definitively in Bangladesh’s direction.Hridoy crashed him over cover for four second ball, then when Kamindu fired a shortish ball at the stumps, Hridoy got inside the line and launched it high over the deep square leg boundary. Later in the over, he slashed one between cover point and backward point to fetch another four. At the start of that over Bangladesh had needed 55 off 36 balls. Hridoy’s 16 runs off that over made the equation much simpler.1:55

Chopra impressed with Hridoy’s cricketing smarts

Shanaka’s blitzUnlike Sri Lanka’s bowlers, Bangladesh kept striking regularly after Sri Lanka’s openers had put on 44 runs together. Shanaka was the only one to make a substantial score through the middle and later overs, crashing six sixes and three fours. He’d been dropped off the bowling of Mustafizur on 38, in a period in which Bangladesh gave at least three batters reprieves. Shanaka’s most productive over was against the spin of Nasum Ahmed, whom he clobbered for two sixes and a four in the 15th over.Mustafizur and Taskin close wellArguably the best over Bangladesh bowled was delivered by Mustafizur, who had both Kamindu and Asalanka caught in the 19th over, in which he conceded only five runs. Taskin Ahmed then bowled four dots to a mid-blitz Shanaka in the next over, delivering a clutch of good slower balls. He was hit for a six and a four too, but between them Bangladesh’s senior quicks had conceded only 15 in the last two overs, which Sri Lanka had been well-set to exploit.

أوضح بايرن ميونخ موقفه بشأن مستقبل الثنائي هاري كين ومانويل نوير، حيث تتردد الكثير من التكهنات حول مصيرهما في صفوف البافاري.

وبحسب صحيفة “بيلد” الألمانية فإن بايرن ميونخ يخطط لتمديد عقد هاري كين والذي يرتبط بالانضمام لصفوف برشلونة الموسم المقبل، حيث يمتد عقد المهاجم الإنجليزي الدولي مع البافاري حتى عام 2027 ويرغب النادي في حسم مصير اللاعب قبل الموعد المحدد.

وكشف ماكس إيبرل المدير الرياضي لبايرن ميونيخ عن مستقبل هاري كين: “سنلتقي مع هاري كين في بداية 2026، ونناقش مستقبله، جميعنا نشعر بالراحة التي يشعر بها في بايرن ميونخ”.

ويستعد نادي بايرن ميونخ لاتخاذ الخطوة التالية في مستقبل هاري كين، حيث من المقرر أن تبدأ مفاوضات تجديد عقد النجم الإنجليزي في يناير، وينتهي بند فسخ عقد اللاعب الذي يتيح له الرحيل في الصيف بنهاية يناير.

أما عن مانويل نوير، فقد أصبحت الأنظار مسلطة عليه حيث لم يكن محظوظاً في الأهداف التي استقبلتها شباكه أمام آرسنال خلال المباراة التي انتهت بفوز الجانرز بثلاثية لهدف واحد.

أقرأ أيضاً.. رونالد أراوخو يدرس قرارًا بعد انتقاده في هزيمة برشلونة أمام تشيلسي

وعلى الرغم من أنه تمت مناقشة إمكانية عودة مانويل نوير لحراسة مرمى منتخب ألمانيا في كأس العالم 2026 بسبب مستواه الرائع هذا الموسم، إلا أنه عاد ليرتكب أخطاء قد تؤثر على حظوظه.

ولا يشعر بايرن ميونخ بأي ضغط في مفاوضات تجديد عقد نوير، ويبقى الوضع هادئاً ويخضع مستواه لتحليل دقيق، ومن المتوقع أن تبدأ المحادثات في مارس مع اقتراب عيد ميلاد الحارس المخضرم الأربعين.

ويحصل نوير على راتب إجمالي 20 مليون يورو سنوياً ويعد من بين أعلى اللاعبين دخلاً في النادي، ويعمل بايرن جاهداً لخفض فاتورة رواتب اللاعبين وسيضطر على الأرجح لقبول تخفيض راتبه في حال تجديد عقده.

ويرغب مانويل نوير في حال استمراره لموسم آخر مع بايرن ميونخ ببقاء يوناس أوربيج كمدرب حراس مرمى للنادي على المدى الطويل.