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Celtic are back in action in the Scottish Premiership on Boxing Day as they prepare to welcome Motherwell to Parkhead for the first game since Christmas Day.

The Hoops will be hoping for a late Christmas treat after they failed to pick up all three points last time out against Dundee United at Tannadice Park.

Brendan Rodgers’ side were held to a 0-0 draw in that clash on Sunday, which was only the second time the Bhoys have dropped points in the division this season.

The Scottish giants were, however, without star forward Nicolas Kuhn for that match, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be available this time around.

The latest on Nicolas Kuhn's injury

The German forward missed out on the draw with Dundee United after pulling up with a knee injury in training ahead of the game, and the extent of the blow remains a mystery.

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

After the 0-0 draw, Rodgers said: “I don’t know how long Nicolas will be out for. Hopefully it’s not long term – we will need to see.”

Whilst the Northern Irish head coach did not rule out a return on Thursday, his wording did not suggest that he is sure that Kuhn will be available in the short-term.

This means that the former Liverpool boss will need to find a way to get his attack firing without the left-footed magician, who has produced 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season.

Hyun-jun Yang started in his place on Sunday and failed to take a shot or create a chance in his 61 minutes on the pitch, which suggests that Rodgers needs to look elsewhere to ease the blow of losing Kuhn.

Celtic star should be unleashed in new role

The Celtic boss could find a solution to this problem by unleashing Daizen Maeda in a new role on the right side of the attack for this clash with Motherwell.

He has started 20 times on the left wing and twice as a striker across all competitions this season, but is yet to be unleashed on the right flank for the Hoops.

It is a role the £18k-per-week star has some experience in, with 25 appearances in his career on the right wing, and the Japan international, who Rodgers claimed can produce “magic” at the top end of the pitch, could use his pace to provide a direct threat down that side.

Playing him on the right wing would also allow Rodgers to bring Luis Palma back into the starting XI, with the hope that he can recapture the form that he displayed in the Premiership last season.

Appearances

28

Starts

18

Goals

7

Big chances created

14

Assists

9

As you can see in the table above, the Honduras international showed plenty of signs of promise in his first campaign at Parkhead, with 16 goal contributions in the league, but has failed to produce a goal or an assist in five league outings this term.

The 24-year-old star did, however, come off the bench against Dundee United and created two chances in 29 minutes – two more than Yang managed in the first 61 – and this suggests that he can offer more than the South Korean whiz.

Therefore, Celtic should move Maeda, who has scored 11 goals this season, to a new role on the right and bring Palma in on the left to make up for the potential absence of Kuhn on Boxing Day.

Celtic must finally sell Hoops dud who's worth 10x less than Trusty

The Celtic dud made a rare appearance in the 0-0 draw with Dundee United.

2 ByDan Emery Dec 24, 2024

Ipswich Town fans knew the Premier League was going to be tough this season, but they might not have realised just how tough it was going to be.

Despite impressive results against Aston Villa, Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, Kieran McKenna’s side find themselves down in 18th place and four points off safety.

The last month or so has been particularly brutal for the Tractor Boys, but they have the perfect opportunity to bounce back with a relegation six-pointer against Wolverhampton Wanderers later today.

Moreover, while the Suffolk side will have to turn around their recent form, they’re blessed with an exciting star who’d walk into the Wolves team, a start McKenna has to start.

Ipswich's recent form

Things were starting to look up for Ipswich either side of the most recent international break, as they picked up their first win at the expense of Spurs just before and then earned an impressive point at home against United in the first game back.

However, in the three games since then, things have not quite worked out for McKenna’s side.

For example, they lost 1-0 away to Nottingham Forest courtesy of a Chris Wood penalty given away by Sammie Szmodics.

They followed that up with a dreary 1-0 defeat at home to fellow relegation candidates Crystal Palace a few days later.

Worst of all, it looked like the team had turned a corner last weekend and that the Portman Road crowd were going to see their first win of the season when they were leading Bournemouth 1-0 for the vast majority of the game, only for the Cherries to score in the 87th and 95th minute to leave the home side stunned.

In short, the team desperately needs a positive result this afternoon, and to ensure they have the best chance of getting it, McKenna must start a player who’d waltz into this Wolves side.

The Ipswich ace who'd walk into the Wolves team

So, it should probably come as no surprise that the player we are talking about is, of course, Liam Delap.

The “incredible” young forward, as former manager Pep Guardiola dubbed him, has been brilliant for Ipswich this season, scoring six goals and providing one assist in 15 league appearances while also being a focal point for the rest of his team to play around.

Now, you could argue that Wolves’ starting striker Jørgen Strand Larsen might have something to say about this, as he has a slightly better haul of six goals and two assists in as many appearances, even if he has played more minutes.

However, while the Norwegian is certainly an exciting player to watch and someone capable of forging a career in the top flight, he is not on the same level as the Winchester-born dynamo, and we can see that by looking at their underlying numbers.

For example, in the vast majority of relevant metrics, it’s the Tractor Boys’ marksman who comes out ahead, metrics including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals, progressive passes and carries, successful take-ons, shots and shot-creating actions, all per 90.

Delap vs Strand Larsen

Statistics

Delap

Strand Larsen

Non-penalty Expected G+As

0.41

0.36

Non-Penalty Goals

0.49

0.44

Progressive Passes

1.14

0.81

Progressive Carries

1.87

0.44

Progressive Passes Received

3.74

2.87

Shots

2.20

1.54

Passing Accuracy

59.7%

58.7%

Key Passes

1.06

0.66

Passes into the Penalty Area

0.41

0.22

Shot-Creating Actions

2.45

1.32

Successful Take-Ons

1.22

0.29

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 PL Season

Ultimately, while Delap has not necessarily been at his very best in the last few weeks, his quality and ability are undeniable.

Therefore, if McKenna wants to give Ipswich the best chance of stopping their current slide and picking up their second win, he has to start the Englishman.

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Ahmedabad, meanwhile, confirms that Hardik Pandya will captain its team

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-20222:14

Goenka: ‘Looking to build a team that can compete successfully for many, many years’

KL Rahul has been signed by the Lucknow IPL franchise for INR 17 crore (US$ 2.28 million approx.), making him the joint-highest-paid player in the IPL across seasons, along with Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli. Kohli was signed for the same amount by Royal Challengers in 2018, ahead of the last mega IPL auction.Lucknow, one of the two new teams added to the IPL last October, will enter next month’s mega auction with INR 59 crore (US$ 7.93 million approx.) in their purse, after having also acquired the services of Australia allrounder Marcus Stoinis for INR 9.2 crore (US$ 1.24 million approx.) and uncapped Indian legspinner Ravi Bishnoi for INR 4 crore (US$ 0.54 million approx.). The difference in the amount paid for the players and the purse remaining is due to the IPL’s rules on minimum amount deducted from the purse for a certain number of players drafted in, irrelevant of how much was spent on the players.ESPNcricinfo had reported on Lucknow’s pre-auction picks earlier this week, and on Friday night, Sanjiv Goenka, who heads the RP Sanjiv Goenka Group (RPSG) that owns the franchise, confirmed the line-up on a Star Sports programme.Ahmedabad, the other new team, which was bought by global private equity giants CVC Capital, will enter the IPL auction with a purse of INR 52 crore (US$ 7 million approx.) after having signed Indian allrounder Hardik Pandya and Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan for INR 15 crore (US$ 2.02 million approx.) each and India batter Shubman Gill for INR 8 crore (US$ 1.07 million approx.). Ahmedabad also confirmed on Friday that Pandya would captain the team.The IPL allowed both new teams to pick three players (who had not been retained by the eight existing franchises) each ahead of the auction, which is scheduled for February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

‘What’s better than someone who gives you three things?’
Talking to Star Sports, Goenka said that the three players his franchise had picked would not only “propel” the team but also “lay the foundation” for the future. “KL is not only an outstanding batsman but also a great wicketkeeper,” Goenka said. “Marcus is a great finisher, a good bowler and a phenomenal fielder. Ravi brings a unique dimension to the spin department and is an exceptional fielder. We want players to be here for three-four-five-six-seven-eight years.”Goenka also confirmed that Rahul would be Lucknow’s captain. “Yes, KL will be the captain. I have been very impressed with not only his batting and wicketkeeping, but also his leadership skills. He is evolving, growing, maturing as a leader. He is somebody I would have wanted to lead the team and I do believe that given the right atmosphere, environment, he will emerge as a remarkable leader.”The Lucknow team had earlier appointed former Zimbabwe captain and England coach Andy Flower as head coach, and former India captain Gautam Gambhir as mentor. Gambhir, who has won the IPL previously as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, twice, said signing up Rahul was a “no-brainer”. “He’s a work in progress, he keeps, he opens the batting,” Gambhir told Star Sports. “He consistently has been a phenomenal run-scorer. And what’s better than someone who gives you three things?”Gambhir said the franchise viewed Stoinis as their designated finisher, especially since the likes of Ben Stokes would not be available. “Stoinis, purely from a finisher’s point of view, since we didn’t know if Ben Stokes was going to be in the auction or not. And Stoinis can bat in the middle or finish the games too.”Bishnoi was the highest wicket-taker in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup and was then picked by Punjab Kings, where he has been impressive over two seasons. Gambhir described the 21-year-old legspinner as one of the “most exciting prospects” in the IPL. “He is a complete wicket-taking option.”RPSG had bid a record sum of INR 7090 crore (nearly US$ 940 million) to buy the Lucknow franchise. This was the second time the group has bought an IPL team, having owned the Rising Pune Supergiant(s) franchise for two seasons in 2016 and 2017. An ambitious owner, Goenka was not shy of replacing MS Dhoni as captain with Australia’s Steven Smith in 2017, after the team’s below-par showing in 2016.1:41

Kirsten: ‘Hardik will be really motivated to come in and make a play’

‘Motivated to show what he’s capable of as a leader’
Former South Africa batter and India head coach Gary Kirsten, who will serve as mentor-cum-batting coach at Ahmedabad, explained the franchise’s thinking behind making Pandya captain. “He’s a young, new captain and he’ll be motivated to come in, make a play and show what he’s capable of at this level as a leader,” Kirsten told Star Sports. “He’s a great leader, a high performer, and he’s really motivated. What I’ve heard is that he is keen to get in the mix. What I’ve heard, he’s raring to go and get in the mix from a leadership perspective. That’s very exciting for us to have a player with such a level of skill, motivated to do well.”Kirsten has also previously worked with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Royal Challengers, and it was at Royal Challengers that Kirsten first teamed up with former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra, who will be Ahmedabad’s head coach. The franchise has also appointed former England batter Vikram Solanki as team director – he had worked with Nehra and Kirsten for one season (2019) at Royal Challengers.It will be the first time Kirsten works with Rashid, though. Rashid is headed over from Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kirsten is looking forward to the experience. “Rashid has proven his value all around the world,” Kirsten said. “I haven’t yet worked with him, but I’ve met him a few times. Watching him on the field, he is a competitive young man and wants to do well for the franchises he plays in.”Kirsten called Gill, who was released by Knight Riders, a “match-winner”. “Gill is a fantastic player who, at the end of the day, in my view, should be playing for India. He’s on the verge of that and plays with great flair and instinct for the game. He can be a match-winner on his own.”

A former Tottenham employee says that one player could be out until February next year after hearing news this week, which would be more bad news for manager Ange Postecoglou, as he deals with a lengthy ban for Rodrigo Bentancur.

Rodrigo Bentancur hit by seven-game ban at Spurs

Earlier this week, the FA confirmed Bentancur’s seven-game domestic ban, after racial comments made during an interview on Uruguayan TV in June.

Tottenham determined to bring £player back to the club in January for £32m

Ange Postecoglou is pushing Tottenham to re-sign a former player, after impressing so far this season.

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The £75,000-per-week midfielder, who scored his first goal of the season in Spurs’ dismal 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town nearly two weeks ago, stated “they all look the same” when talking about Son Heung-min, as he was asked to provide a shirt belonging to a Tottenham player (via The Guardian).

“Sonny’s?,” Bentancur said.

Man City vs Tottenham

November 23

Tottenham vs Fulham

December 1

Bournemouth vs Tottenham

December 5

Tottenham vs Chelsea

December 8

Southampton vs Tottenham

December 15

“It could be Sonny’s cousin too, as they all look the same.”

This reckless comment means that Bentancur is set to miss their top-flight games against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, not to mention their all-important Carabao Cup quarter-final against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United.

The international will resume his duties in a Lilywhites shirt against high-flying Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day, but it is quite the lay-off for a mainstay player who’s made 15 appearances under Postecoglou across all competitions.

“An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and £100,000 fine on Rodrigo Bentancur for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a media interview,” wrote the FA in a statement.

“It was alleged that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder breached FA Rule E3.1 as he acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words and/or brought the game into disrepute. It was further alleged that this constitutes an “aggravated breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference – whether express or implied – to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.

“Rodrigo Bentancur denied this charge, but the independent Regulatory Commission found it to be proven and imposed his sanctions following a hearing. Its written reasons for these decisions can be seen below.”

Wilson Odobert could be out until end of February

As Bentancur is slapped with a hiatus and hefty fine, Tottenham also recently announced that winger Wilson Odobert has undergone surgery on his right hamstring.

The “exciting” winger, signed from Burnley in the summer, has endured a nightmare start to his north London career plagued by injury problems.

This latest blow for the Frenchman is set to take another chunk out of his season, and former Spurs scout Bryan King has told Tottenham News that Odobert could be out until late February as a result of his procedure.

“I can’t see him returning before the end of February,” King said.

“That is quite a serious operation that he has had. For someone to have it at this age, it is very hard on him, he was progressing quite well.

“Now he has had to undergo surgery which will leave him out for quite some time.”

كشفت تقارير صحفية سعودية، النقاب عن تحديد البلد المضيف لـ البطولة العربية للأندية 2025، حيث وافق الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم على استضافة النسخة المقبلة من البطولة، والتي ستقام في الفترة من 25 يوليو حتى 11 أغسطس المقبلين.

وأوضحت صحيفة “الرياضية” السعودية، وفق مصادرها الخاصة، أن استضافة البطولة في هذا التوقيت يأتي بالتزامن مع مشاركة عدة فرق عربية في كأس العالم للأندية 2025، وهي الهلال السعودي والأهلي المصري والوداد المغربي والترجي التونسي والعين الإماراتي.

مرتضى منصور: لاعب الزمالك أفضل من شيكابالا 100 مرة.. وانقذوا النادي من ممدوح عباس

وأوضحت التقارير أن البطولة ستضم 25 فريقًا، على أن تقام التصفيات الأولية في العاصمة المصرية القاهرة، بمشاركة أندية من 6 دول، وهي جيبوتي، الصومال، جزر القمر، السودان، موريتانيا واليمن، وذلك لاستكمال الفرق الـ16 التي ستخوض دور المجموعات.

ويسعى الاتحاد العربي لكرة القدم إلى ضمان مشاركة أندية النصر، حامل لقب النسخة الماضية، الهلال، الأهلي، والاتحاد من السعودية، بالإضافة إلى الأهلي والزمالك وفريق ثالث من مصر، سيتم تحديده لاحقًا، كما تجرى حاليًا مفاوضات مع القنوات الناقلة والرعاة لضمان نجاح البطولة.

يذكر أن فريق النصر السعودي تُوِّج بلقب النسخة الماضية، “كأس الملك سلمان للأندية العربية”، بعد فوزه على الهلال بنتيجة 2-1 في المباراة النهائية التي أقيمت على ملعب مدينة الملك فهد الرياضية في الحوية.

Potentially repeating their deal to sign Dominic Solanke a few months ago, Daniel Levy and Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly ready to pay £50m to sign one Premier League winger.

Tottenham transfer news

The Lilywhites returned to winning ways in style against West Ham United, putting their disappointing capitulation against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break behind them. Despite falling a goal behind courtesy of Mohammed Kudus’ second goal in as many games, Ange Postecoglou’s side battled back well to eventually ease past their London rivals and seal a comfortable 4-1 victory.

As if Spurs need any further attacking reinforcements after such a display of goalscoring prowess, those in North London have been linked with summer moves to add even more excitement to their frontline.

The likes of Jonathan David and Benfica winger Kerem Akturkoglu. The former could of course partner Solanke to form quite the duo under Postecoglou, particularly if the Lilywhites also add another creative outlet when 2025 arrives.

According to reports in Spain, Levy and Tottenham are now willing to pay as much as £50m to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth with Spurs reportedly preparing an opening offer to sign the winger.

Of course, Bournemouth and Spurs should already be familiar with each other in the transfer market given that Solanke swapped the South Coast for North London just a few months ago. Now, the two clubs could renew their relationship in what could see yet another Bournemouth player become part of Postecoglou’s ongoing project.

Tottenham join race to sign "superb" versatile new forward for Postecoglou

The Lilywhites could boost their frontline even further…

ByTom Cunningham Oct 19, 2024

Semenyo certainly seems to be one to watch. The winger first stole the headlines amid links to the likes of Spurs earlier this month and those rumours have only increased ever since to the point that the Lilywhites are seemingly set to step things up.

"Underrated" Semenyo could unleash Solanke

Although Solanke has shown enough glimpses of his best form to say that the goals will begin to flow in abundance sooner rather than later, the arrival of a winger he knows so well in the form of Semenyo would undoubtedly speed that process up.

Forming a solid partnership at Bournemouth last season, Solanke ended the campaign with 21 goals in all competitions, whilst Semenyo ended on eight as both earned praise around the Premier League. Analyst Ben Mattinson, one of those full of praise, spoke about the Cherries’ dangermen in the last campaign and went on to describe Semenyo as “underrated”.

Kicking on even further in the current campaign, Semenyo is now in line to follow in his former teammates’ footsteps and potentially complete a move to Spurs when 2025 arrives.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is poised to hand one Spurs teenager first-team minutes over the next 10 days, coming after the youngster has seriously impressed coaching and backroom staff at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham escape Coventry with dramatic 2-1 victory

It was very nearly one of Postecoglou’s most embarrassing nights in the Lilywhites dugout on Wednesday evening, with Championship side Coventry City minutes away from causing a real upset in the EFL Cup.

Ange without injured £134k-per-week Tottenham star alongside Wilson Odobert

The Australian is minus two key men for Brentford.

By
Emilio Galantini

Sep 21, 2024

Postecoglou, speaking after their North London Derby defeat to Arsenal last weekend, appeared to promise supporters that he will deliver silverware this season – when the tactician remarked that he “always” wins trophies in his second season in charge.

“I’ll correct myself – I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year,” said Postecoglou on his record as a manager.

“Nothing’s changed. I’ve said it now. I don’t say things unless I believe them.”

That pledge was in real danger of looking silly earlier this week, when Coventry star Brandon Thomas-Asante gave the home side a shock lead just past the hour mark to give Spurs a serious scare.

Coventry 1-2 Tottenham – Spurs’ best performers (via WhoScored)
Player	Match Rating
Rodrigo Bentancur	7.8/10
Destiny Udogie	7.6/10
Djed Spence	7.5/10
Ben Davies	7.4/10
Brennan Johnson	7.3/10

It was an uninspiring performance from Postecoglou’s side overall, but their heart and character was on full display in the dying minutes. Right-back Djed Spence fired in an 88th minute equaliser before Brennan Johnson, who has been subject to online abuse recently, scored the winner to send Tottenham into the EFL Cup fourth round.

The smash-and-grab nature of their victory at Coventry could even spark a revival, following what has been a tepid start to the new campaign for Spurs. It also gives hope to fringe players of the squad who are eager to fight their way into Postecoglou’s plans.

Spence was on the verge of joining Genoa in the summer, but the Englishman helped Tottenham to claw their way back against Coventry and could be set for more roles this term – which is quite the comeback from where he was this time last year.

Ange poised to play Tottenham youngster Lucas Bergvall

According to GiveMeSport, young teenage midfielder Lucas Bergvall could be set for more game time over the next 10 days, starting with their clash against London rivals Brentford this afternoon.

The Swede, signed from Djurgarden earlier this year for around £8.5 million, was given his full debut against Coventry – starting the encounter and seemingly doing enough to impress Postecoglou.

GMS write that Postecoglou is poised to play Bergvall in Tottenham’s next few games, and it is believed that the 18-year-old has been impressing backroom staff behind-the-scenes at N17.

The £15,000-per-week Bergvall looks to be a highly promising talent, with pundit Marca Palma even likening him to Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong following some good outings for Sweden at international level this year.

“Then there is the 2006 Lucas Bergvall, Swedish central attacking midfielder, 187cm, of Tottenham,” said Palma to TUTTOmercatoWEB (via Sport Witness).

“For many the most gifted 2006 in the European panorama, in Sweden he arrived in the first team at 16 years old. Great ability to play the ball, high level vision of the game, elegance on the pitch, gifted with excellent technique and enormous versatility.

“In July 2024 he was bought by Tottenham who paid 10 million for him and immediately included him in the first team. Senior national team he entered in both matches played by Sweden demonstrating great mastery on the pitch. Reminiscent of Frankie De Jong but more offensive.”

يواصل قائد منتخب مصر ونجم فريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، تألقه في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز من خلال تحقيق رقم جديد في المسابقة الإنجليزية.

وقاد محمد صلاح فريقه ليفربول إلى تحقيق الفوز على نظيره نيوكاسل يونايتد أمس، بهدفين دون رد في اللقاء الذي أقيم على ملعب “أنفيلد”، ضمن منافسات الجولة السابعة والعشرين من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتمكن محمد صلاح من صناعة هدف ليفربول الثاني بحلول الدقيقة 63 من عمر الشوط الثاني، والذي أحرزه الدولي الأرجنتيني أليكسيس ماك أليستر.

وبهذه النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد ليفربول إلى النقطة 67 في المركز الأول في ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بينما تجمد رصيد نيوكاسل يونايتد عند النقطة 44 في المركز السادس.

اقرأ ايضاً.. صراع اللقب.. مباريات ليفربول وآرسنال المتبقية في الدوري الإنجليزي 2024/25

وبذلك تمكن محمد صلاح من الوصول إلى المساهمة التهديفية العاشرة بصناعة هدف في مباراة نيوكاسل يونايتد خلال شهر فبراير.

حيث نجح هداف ليفربول في صناعة 4 أهداف وتسجيل 6 أهداف خلال مواجهات الريدز في شهر فبراير عن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وأصبح النجم المصري هو اللاعب الوحيد في تاريخ الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز الذي ساهم في تسجيل 10 أهداف ما بين الصناعة والتسجيل خلال شهر واحد في مناسبات متعددة.

يذكر أن هداف الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز قد سبق له وأن ساهم في 10 أهداف خلال شهر ديسمبر عن عام 2018، وتمكن أيضاً من تحقيق 14 مساهمة تهديفية خلال شهر ديسمبر عن عام 2024.

Magnificent Mo 🇪🇬👑

Salah is the only player to register 10 goals and assists in a month on multiple occasions 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ufAOBwwF5J — Premier League (@premierleague) February 27, 2025

India’s limited-overs series against Sri Lanka is now set to begin on July 18 as the BCCI and SLC announced a revised schedule “on the basis of health advisory after the Sri Lankan contingent detected two COVID positive cases.” The ODIs will now be played on July 18, 20 and 23, followed by the T20Is on July 25, 27 and 29.On Friday, Sri Lanka’s data analyst GT Niroshan was the second Covid-19 case in the Sri Lankan camp after batting coach Grant Flower had tested positive on Thursday, after their arrival from England.SLC has put together two back-up squads, one group isolating in Colombo and another in Dambulla, as part of their contingency measure to ensure the India series goes ahead. A player from the back-up squad in Colombo also tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, but it remains to be seen if it will affect Sri Lanka’s preparations.Related

• Bhanuka Rajapaksa picked for India ODIs, T20Is; Kumara, Rajitha return from injuries

• Sri Lanka allowed to come out of isolation as players return negative tests

• Player from alternative SL squad tests Covid-19 positive

• Shanaka set to replace Perera as white-ball captain

• SL batting coach G Flower tests positive for Covid-19

Meanwhile, players currently in Colombo have been forced to isolate for two more days after Niroshan and Flower tested positive for the Delta variant of the virus. This extended isolation period would have left Sri Lanka with no outdoor session before the first ODI had the series begun on July 13.”We understand that circumstances are extraordinary, but the BCCI would like to extend its full support to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) during these tough times for the smooth conduct of the upcoming series,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a media release. “Our medical team is in constant touch with the team of doctors at SLC and together following all safety protocols that will help the series to get underway. We are confident that both nations will put up a spirited show in the days to come and we are in for some exciting cricket.”The Sri Lankan team returned home from England after a short limited-overs tour early last week. The India series postponement is the latest issue SLC has to grapple with, even as they abruptly announced captaincy switch from Kusal Perera to Dasun Shanaka on the back of a messy contracts stand-off between the players and the board.

It's been an interesting few years for Tottenham Hotspur.

Just a couple of seasons ago, the fans were being subjected to incredibly dull and pragmatic football at the hands of Antonio Conte, and now they are being entertained by the thrilling, albeit occasionally naive, football philosophy of Ange Postecoglou.

The North Londoners produced the sixth-highest expected goals figure in the Premier League last season, per Understat, and with the addition of Dominic Solanke, we wouldn't be surprised to see them rack up even more chances this year.

However, the Englishman has already missed two games this season and should he miss anymore, the goalscoring burden will likely fall to Richarlison, who has shown glimpses of real quality here and there but was outscored by a former Spurs flop last season.

Richarlison's recent form

Spurs paid Everton around £60m in the summer of 2022 to secure Richarlison's services, and in the two years since, it would be fair to say that he hasn't had the best of times.

In his first season with the club, the Brazilian international could only muster up a measly return of three goals and four assists in 35 appearances, meaning he maintained a poor average of a goal involvement once every five games.

However, following Harry Kane's departure last summer, the Nova Venécia-born poacher was given more goalscoring responsibility, and to his credit, he improved upon the previous campaign.

For example, in his 31 matches for Postecoglou, he scored 12 goals and provided four assists, so while he wasn't a goalscoring machine, he did maintain a far more impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.93 games. That said, while Richarlison improved, he was still outscored by a former Spurs flop who left the club five years ago.

Vincent Janssen's 23/24

The player in question is Dutch striker Vincent Janssen, who regularly features in the lists dedicated to Tottenham's worst signings under Daniel Levy.

The Heesch-born poacher joined the North Londoners in the summer of 2016 from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar for around £19m.

While that might seem like a lot of money for a player who struggled as much as he did, it's because in the season prior, he racked up a frankly ridiculous haul of 32 goals and seven assists in 49 games, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.25 games.

However, things didn't work out for him in N17, and he left the club three years later to join Mexican giants Monterrey for £8m, with just six goals, four assists, 42 appearances and one loan spell in Turkey under his belt.

In Mexico, the 22-capped international scored 24 goals and provided five assists in 93 appearances. While that's not exactly spectacular, it was enough to earn him a move back to Europe in 2022 to play for Belgian side Royal Antwerp, where he won the league in his first campaign.

Appearances

48

31

Goals

17

12

Assists

6

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.47

0.51

Janssen maintained his reasonable form into last season and racked up 17 goals and six assists, just beating Richarlison's total. However, the caveat here is that the Jupiler Pro League is obviously not on the same level as the Premier League.

Ultimately, while Janssen has gone on to rediscover his goalscoring touch in Mexico and Belgium, Tottenham were certainly in the right to sell him when they did, and it was in the best interest of everyone.

Spurs flop was sold by Conte in 2022, now he's outscoring Solanke

The attacking talent has just secured a lucrative transfer.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 5, 2024