MatériaMais Notícias

Embora não tenha comemorado o empate por 1 a 1 com o Athletico-PR, na Arena da Baixada, em Curitiba, neste domingo (17), pela 30ª rodada do Brasileirão, o técnico do São Paulo, Fernando Diniz, avaliou positivamente o desempenho do seu time, no qual enxerga evolução.

Com o resultado diante do CAP, o Tricolor chegou ao seu terceiro jogo seguido sem vencer e, mesmo que siga líder do Brasileirão, agora com 57 pontos, vê o Internacional se aproximando, podendo reduzir a diferença para um ponto, caso vença o Fortaleza, no Beira Rio, em Porto Alegre, às 20h30, e com confronto direto entre as equipes marcado para esta quarta-feira (20), às 21h30, no estádio do Morumbi.

– Não é questão de comemorar, tem que comemorar a vitória. O Athletico vive o melhor momento na competição, jogar aqui, por conta das várias condições, a dificuldade do gramado, o time bem treinado, acostumado a jogar aqui… o Athletico, dos últimos cinco jogos, foi tomar gol hoje, tentou de tudo para garantir a vitória. Soubemos empatar e buscamos a vitória até o último minuto. Time mostrou evolução do que vinha fazendo. É seguir evoluindo para dar alegria ao torcedor – disse Diniz em coletiva virtual após a partida.

Ainda que tenha visto time bem contra o Furacão, Fernando acredita que o São Paulo foi melhor nos 45 minutos finais.

– O rendimento do time no segundo tempo melhorou. No primeiro tempo, jogamos abaixo, mas o jogo estava muito travado, tanto para nós, quanto para o Athletico. Time difícil de jogar aqui, tivemos a bola, mas eles tiveram duas linhas de quatro próximas dificultando o jogo – pontuou o treinador

– Segundo tempo, tanto na mudança tática, quanto de peças, a gente teve uma melhora, jogamos com linhas longas, inversão de jogo, time melhorou e foi melhor que o Athletico. Segundo tempo a gente teve mais próximo de ganhar do que o Athletico – acrescentou.

> Veja a classificação do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos

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MOMENTO

Fernando Diniz admite que o São Paulo está longe do seu melhor momento, mas prefere avaliar o desempenho do time como um todo, além dos resultados.

– Não é terra arrasada, mas a gente avalia resultado, não jogo. Se a gente for analisar o jogo contra o Fluminense, no ano passado, a gente ganhou, mas não jogou bem, contra o Botafogo, contra o Sport a gente ganhou de 1 a 0, mas fomos bem, contra o Vasco, no momento de euforia, fomos mal, 0 a 0 em casa – comentou o técnico do São Paulo.

– Jogamos contra um time que há cinco jogos não tomava gol, time bem treinado, no segundo tempo jogamos bem, contra o Santos jogamos bem, e a equipe ficou mais perto de ganhar – completou.

Na liderança do Brasileirão, o São Paulo tem 57 pontos e busca voltar a levantar o caneco depois de 12 anos, já que a última conquista do Nacional pelo Tricolor foi em 2008. O Soberano também busca voltar a ganhar alguma competição depois de oito temporadas, já que o último título foi a Copa Sul-Americana de 2012.

Tottenham Hotspur ended a run of three successive defeats in the Premier League with a hard-fought draw against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, but will now need to return to winning ways to fight for a top-four spot.

Ange Postecoglou has worked wonders in north London since leaving Celtic for the Premier League in the summer. Still, while Spurs blitzed into form in the early stages of the season, the squad's thinness has unravelled the progress across recent weeks.

The injury-ravaged side is still only two points off fourth-placed Aston Villa and will have been galvanised by the point claimed at the Etihad Stadium.

However, the January transfer window must be utilised, and while the backline requires the most urgent attention, Postecoglou will be eager to strengthen his attacking options too.

Tottenham transfer news – Wilfried Gnonto

According to a piece from Football.London at the end of last month, Tottenham have shown an interest in signing Leeds United's Italian forward, Wilfried Gnonto.

According to Calciomercato, Leeds would look to recuperate €30m (£26m) for the 20-year-old, and whether Spurs would agree to such an outlay remains to be seen, despite the youngster's undoubted talent.

Gnonto handed in a transfer request in August as Everton pursued his signature for £25m and presented four official offers, and while efforts were rejected, there is now a clear sense that the Whites would grant his departure if their valuation was met.

Wilfried Gnonto's style of play

Gnonto was one of the bright sparks at Elland Road last season as Leeds crashed out of the Premier League, with the dynamic forward hailed for his "electric pace" and knack for being an "absolute nightmare for defenders" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Signing for Leeds from Swiss side FC Zurich for £4m in 2022, Gnonto only bagged four goals and assists apiece in his maiden term in England but succeeded in convincing a host of outfits of his quality, leading to a frenzy of activity for his signature this year.

The 13-cap Italy starlet ultimately remained in Yorkshire, however he has not been handed a regular starting berth under Daniel Farke's leadership and has started just six Championship matches, scoring one goal and supplying one assist.

Nonetheless, he is a tremendous talent and would be a fantastic addition to Spurs' budding dynasty, with Postecoglou perhaps initiating the next wave of attacking might down the N17 by completing a transfer.

Spurs' attacking segment is probably more secure than several other areas of the field, with the backline particularly flimsy and in need of reinforcements, but Gnonto would offer a special slice of quality to be moulded into something spectacular over the coming years.

And with Heung-min Son, aged 31, now shifted into the role of focal frontman – to great effect, by the way, scoring nine goals and providing two assists from 11 games in the English top-flight up top – there is space for such a player to make the move and earn a place against the likes of Brennan Johnson.

Why Tottenham should sign Wilfried Gnonto

Gnonto boasts pace and power and, principally placed on the left wing, could prove to be the perfect heir to Son's position in the team in the future, especially with Richarlison still flattering to deceive.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Championship over the past year, showcasing his aptitude as a "pocket rocket" – as has been claimed by pundit Tam McManus – barrelling into the danger area with attacking abandon.

His even spread of goals and assists for the Whites further evidences the protean ability that could replicate Son's prowess, with the South Korean machine posting 154 goals and 82 assists across his Spurs career.

With someone of Alejo Veliz's calibre awaiting a breakthrough to the starring centre-forward spot in the future too, Spurs really could hit the jackpot here.

Veliz, also aged 20, signed from Argentinan club Rosario Central for £13m in the summer and has been touted as the "complete" striker by Kulig, which could lead him to succeed Harry Kane as Spurs' talisman in the long-term.

Kane has been praised as a "phenomenon" by Bayern Munich sports director Christoph Freund after destroying German football since moving from Tottenham in the summer and ranks among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 13% for assists and the top 19% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

Harry Kane: Season in Numbers

Competition

Apps

Goals

Assists

Bundesliga

12

18

5

Champions League

5

4

2

DFL-Supercup

1

0

0

*Stats sourced via Transfermarkt

This evidences the 'complete' skill set that has cemented him as one of the finest players of his generation, and while they are big boots to fill, Veliz is viewed as a prospect with the potential to emulate the Lilywhites' record scorer, having been purchased as he departed.

For his part, the Argentinan ace ranks among the top 15% of forwards for goals, the top 1% for clearances and the top 12% for aerial wins per 90, which really does underscore the multi-functionality that became such an effective trademark of Kane's brilliant career at Tottenham.

With Veliz's natural ease in the striking role and Gnonto's marauding brilliance, Spurs really could unearth a strikeforce of immense quality for years to come.

With Son still plying his trade at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and capable of offering his guidance and skills to the respective pair, this could be a prudent investment that would pay off handsomely.

Related Conte's "special" £25m Spurs signing is now worth more than Son

This dynamic Lilywhite is a truly thrilling talent.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Dec 1, 2023

Postecoglou and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will now need to juggle the club's needs and decide whether £26m could be spared for a player such as Gnonto this winter – or indeed if negotiations could whittle down the price, with Rodon used as a bargaining chip – but certainly, it might be a brilliant move that could be lauded down the line.

أعلن نادي أتلتيكو مدريد المنافس في بطولة الدوري الإسباني عن نجاحه في التعاقد مع لاعب وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي تشيلسي، كونور جالاجر.

ويلعب جالاجر مع تشيلسي منذ عام 2022 بعدما تم تصعيده إلى الفريق الأول ولكن اللاعب سيرحل في تجربة جديدة بمشواره الكروي ولكن في الدوري الإسباني.

ودخل أتلتيكو مدريد في مفاوضات مع تشيلسي منذ أسابيع لضم جالاجر لتدعيم خط الوسط ولكن كانت هناك عقبات في إتمام الاتفاق أجلت الإعلان الصفقة أكثر من مرة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ألفاريز يوجه رسالة وداع إلى مانشستر سيتي بعد انتقاله لـ أتلتيكو مدريد

Soltad a los perros, porque me he escapado. pic.twitter.com/JooOBUBp2c — Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) August 21, 2024

ويبلغ جالاجر من العمر 24 عامًا وسبق وخرج للإعارة من صفوف تشيلسي لأكثر من نادٍ مثل سوانسي، تشارلتون، وست بروميتش ألبيون وكريستال بالاس.

ولعب جالاجر خلال مسيرته الكروية 305 مباراة وسجل 43 هدفًا وصنع 41 آخرين ويجيد اللعب في أكثر من مركز الوسط الحر، الوسط الدفاعي، صانع الألعاب والجناح الأيمن.

ويمثل لاعب تشيلسي السابق منتخب إنجلترا منذ عام 2021 حيث خاض مع الأسود الثلاثة 18 مباراة دولية أهمها كان في بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

Celtic have been told to sign a wide man in January who will be a familiar foe to many of the Hoops' supporters once the winter window opens.

Celtic collapse at Kilmarnock…

Last Sunday, Celtic engineered their own problems at Rugby Park and fell to a surprising 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock despite Matt O'Riley's opening strike, as a Nat Phillips own-goal followed by a Matty Kennedy winner turned the tide against the Scottish Premiership champions in Ayrshire.

Truth be told, the hosts deserved their victory on the day and managed to subdue Brendan Rodgers' side for more or less the entirety of the second half, which ensured that the Glasgow giants remain just five points clear of rivals Rangers in the league standings.

In his post-match press conference, boss Rodgers bemoaned the second half display as a reason why his side ended up second best at Rugby Park, stating via STV News: "In the second half, we never got started. You expect a wee bit of pressure for 10 or 15 minutes, which we weathered at set-pieces and corners. But we never passed the ball."

He then added: "We were under a bit more pressure, sure, but you have to be resistant to that pressure. We weren’t able to make passes to take us up the pitch and that was the biggest disappointment of the second half. We couldn’t sustain any attacking threat in the game."

Nevertheless, nothing is won or lost at this stage of the campaign and the Hoops will now compete in their final Champions League fixture against Feyenoord at Parkhead before facing Heart of Midlothian at home next weekend in the Scottish Premiership.

Now, one journalist has made a surprise recommendation regarding a player that he believes Celtic should look to target as they seek reinforcements.

Bill Leckie says Celtic should target Danny Armstrong

According to journalist Bill Leckie, writing for Sunsport, Celtic should target Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong, who laid on the assist for Kennedy's winner at Rugby Park.

Luis Palma vs Danny Armstrong in 2023/24 – Scottish Premiership (via WhoScored)

Luis Palma

Danny Armstrong

Goals – 5

Goals – 3

Assists – 6

Assists – 5

Shots per game – 2.8

Shots per game – 2.8

Key passes per game – 2.8

Key passes per game – 3.3

Completed dribbles per game – 1.8

Completed dribbles per game – 1.4

Average match rating – 7.67

Average match rating – 7.29

In his column, the reporter claims that Armstrong's impressive performance brought more to the table than Hoops' winger Luis Palma, also criticising Oh Hyeon-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun. At the same time, he also indicated that Celtic should look to snap up the winger due to his creativity, pace and the unique talent of being able to take long throw-ins.

Without a doubt, Armstrong, who has previously been labelled "different class" by Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes, is a talented player that deserves credit for establishing himself as a key asset at Rugby Park.

Nevertheless, his performance shouldn't be artificially conflated to convey that he is automatically good enough to start for a club such as Celtic, who, as a consequence of being the dominant team in Scotland, expect their star men to perform at an extremely high level every single week, which is probably why they spent £3.5 million on someone of Palma's ilk to produce the goods.

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action with a mouthwatering match-up against an in-form Aston Villa side on Sunday, with the two clubs currently separated by just a point in what is likely to be an intense top-four battle this season.

The Lilywhites go into tomorrow's clash at N17 having lost each of their last two league outings, however, notably suffering a shock late collapse away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, prior to the recent international break.

In need of a positive result to help stop the rot, Ange Postecoglou's task has not been made any easier as a result of the mounting injuries and absences that have impacted his squad, with options rather thin on the ground all across the park.

With that in mind, the Greek-Aussie could make three changes from the side that lost at Molineux, ahead of the visit of Unai Emery's men…

1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario

A lesser-known quantity before his arrival in north London, Guglielmo Vicario has been an "absolute revelation" since his £17.2m move from Empoli – as per Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher – and is a certainty to start once again this time around.

2 RB – Pedro Porro

Having started every game this season since the opening-day draw with Brentford, Pedro Porro – who has racked up two assists thus far – will keep his place at right-back.

3 CB – Eric Dier

With Cristian Romero still suspended – while Micky van de Ven remains out with injury – Eric Dier will have to keep his place at centre-back, despite having been tipped for an exit in January.

4 CB – Ben Davies

Alongside the long-serving Dier will be fellow stalwart, Ben Davies, with any thought of shaking up the backline having been hampered by the further loss of 18-year-old, Ashley Phillips, due to injury.

5 LB – Destiny Udogie

One of the few positives for Postecoglou will be the likely return of Destiny Udogie at left-back, with the Italy international having served his one-game suspension against Gary O'Neil's men last time out.

6 CM – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Previously touted for an exit over the summer, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could once again be able to establish himself as a key figure in the side, with Yves Bissouma set to miss out tomorrow after already picking up five yellow cards this season.

With James Maddison also out until the New Year and with doubts persisting over Pape Matar Sarr's fitness, Hojbjerg will likely retain his place in midfield.

7 CM – Rodrigo Bentancur

Alongside Udogie, the second alteration could well be the inclusion of Rodrigo Bentancur, the Uruguayan international seemingly nearing full fitness after featuring for his country during the international break.

Having been sidelined for much of 2023 with an ACL issue, the £75k-per-week "unsung hero" – as dubbed by Jamie Redknapp on the Sky Sports Football Podcast – may be in contention for his first start of the campaign.

8 CAM – Jamie Donley

In the absence of Maddison, a new creative spark will need to be found in Spurs' playmaking berth.

Spurs have "fantastic" 18 y/o with 11 assists ready to take Maddison's place

This “fantastic” teenager with 9 assists in 9 games could be the perfect replacement for James Maddison.

ByAdam Scully Nov 8, 2023

After registering 11 assists already this season in the youth ranks, 19-year-old Jamie Donley could be deserving of his first senior bow as the final alteration from the side that lost at Wolves – with football.london's Rob Guest suggesting that the teenager is now 'impossible to ignore'.

9 RW – Dejan Kulusevski

In truth, the lack of attacking options – amid Richarlison's injury woes – will ensure that the frontline essentially picks itself, with Dejan Kulusevski lining up on the right flank to continue his run of starting every game in the top flight in 2023/24.

10 ST – Heung-min Son

Fresh from scoring three goals on international duty for South Korea, Spurs' top scorer and captain will lead the line once again, having found a neat new home for himself through the middle.

The batting coach spoke about Pakistan batsmen’s shot selection, the pressure their captain is under and how the players need to adapt

Danyal Rasool30-Dec-2018

Pakistan batting coach Grant Flower admits he has “seen happier dressing rooms” than the one he finds himself in with the team right now. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in the wake of Pakistan’s defeat inside three days at South Africa’s hands in Centurion, he also warned a lot of the players’ places would be under threat following a collapse that saw Pakistan cede a commanding position at tea on the second day to succumb to a tame six-wicket reverse.”The atmosphere isn’t the best at the moment,” Flower said. “Not many losing teams’ atmosphere will be the best. No one likes to lose. You don’t want to become happy losers. I’m not involved in selection, but there are quite a few guys with their places under threat. It’s not just one or two batsmen, you could point fingers at a few players.”Evidence of a breakdown in the morale of the camp further emerged following stumps on the second day, the one which oversaw a Pakistan collapse that all but put them out of the game, with a dressing room leak reporting coach Mickey Arthur had lost his temper with the players, in particular giving some of the batsmen an earful. Although the PCB later issued a statement denying Arthur so much as became angry, there is little doubt he did make his displeasure known, with Flower saying the real problem was the incident being leaked to the media.ALSO READ: Arthur gives Pakistan’s seniors dressing-room dressing down”We don’t know who it is [the leaker]. But they’ve got to look at themselves in the mirror. It should never happen. On tour it’s all about teamwork, you’re supposed to be a family and trust each other. But I’ve been with the team over four years and there have been constant leaks all the time. It’s nothing new for me, so it doesn’t really come as a surprise.”Mickey had some strong words with the players; there was quite a bit of honesty from him. I think the guys were a bit shell-shocked, but they’ve heard Mickey, everyone knows he can come down harshly on the boys at times. But sometimes that’s needed and the guys needed to be told a few home truths. Mickey won’t be the first or last coach to do that. If the guys do have strong character, they’ll bounce back from it and take that as a challenge.”Much of Arthur’s wrath, ESPNcricinfo understands, was directed at the more experienced middle-order batsmen in the camp. Despite Pakistan’s perceived batting weakness lying at the top of the order, Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood had manged to give their side a solid foundation by tea, with the score reading 100 for 1. And in a session where the middle order might have built on the start and given South Africa a daunting fourth innings target, a string of poor shots saw the visitors lose nine wickets in the session, bowled out by stumps.Arthur’s mood had not improved by the following morning, and when Dean Elgar seemed to be dismissed in the slips by Azhar Ali, the third umpire overturned the soft signal of out to give him a reprieve that saw him score a half-century and kill off any Pakistan hopes. Arthur went to the third umpire to remonstrate, earning him a demerit point in the process, but Flower found himself in agreement with the coach.ALSO READ: Azhar took a ‘clean’ catch, on-field decision should have stayed – Sarfraz”In my opinion, it was the wrong decision. And the on-field umpire gave that out. And there was no conclusive evidence otherwise, so he should have upheld that decision.”Pakistan players react after Dean Elgar is given not out•AFP

The Pakistan middle order found itself under severe scrutiny over the past few days, and Flower felt the dismissal of Asad Shafiq, in particular, showed what pressure could do to Pakistan.”He’s one of the strongest guys mentally, but when you’re under pressure, things can change. Technically, that ball that he hit in the second innings, his back foot didn’t go across at all. There’s no weight transfer towards the delivery. That’s what pressure does. He had a big call the ball before, and when you’re under pressure, your reactions aren’t as quick as they need to be against the best attack in the world at the moment. Whenever people seem to be writing off Asad he comes through with a big hundred. If he is given that chance again I’d back him. He’s definitely good enough and should be playing for Pakistan.”The issue of Sarfraz Ahmed’s declining fortunes had long simmered in the background as an itch to be scratched, but of late has emerged front and centre as a borderline crisis. With the Pakistan captain struggling badly for runs sporting a technique that looks unlikely to flourish in this part of the world – he appears to be crouching far too low on what are almost tennis ball bounce pitches – Pakistan have been left with a captain out of form and no obvious captaincy replacement.”Anyone would agree being a captain, batsman and wicketkeeper is probably the hardest job in cricket,” Flower said. “And probably too hard. I’m sure it would help his batting if he didn’t have the captaincy pressure, but that’s how it is at the moment. If that’s going to continue, then he has to find a way of coping with those pressures technically and mentally.”It’s a tough one. Saifi’s a really good bloke who’s having a bad run. Technically, just trying to work on being able to leave the ball and not defending outside off stump, getting underneath the short ball. I thought we were progressing, but obviously the results show otherwise. It’s a tough one, when you’re in a rut.”Flower also revealed Mohammad Rizwan had been looking very good in the nets, and came to the tour on the back of good form, with the caveat that these pitches were worlds apart from the ones where he had prospered recently. He also singled out Fakhar Zaman as a player who would have to adapt to conditions here in South Africa, and understand he couldn’t play the way he had been doing back home.”Mickey is quite a big Fakhar fan, and so am I. He’s got to realise, though, he can’t play the same way on these South African wickets as he does in the UAE because the bounce is totally different. He’s got to adapt and be mature enough to know that. Regarding that second innings dismissal, it’s a bit hit and miss. You can’t just tee off and hope it’ll land in no man’s land. In Test cricket you’ve got to be more circumspect than that. I told him, and he’s admitted to that. So hopefully he’ll improve.”Pakistan also may find themselves deprived of having all their players back, with Flower disclosing Haris Sohail was still struggling with the knee injury that plagued him in Centurion, and the Cape Town Test may come too soon for him. That would suggest an unchanged top three for the second Test, where pace hasn’t been quite as hard to combat as Pakistan found it in Centurion.”Quite a few of the guys struggled on these wickets. Even the South Africa players who know these conditions said this track was bloody hard. People can say whatever they want, but they’ve got to bear in mind these are tough conditions. But good players adapt, and our players have to adapt quickly before the Newlands Test.”The track isn’t quite as bouncy there, and we have got a good team. They’re used to fighting hard and coming out of the corner so we’ll see what happens at Newlands.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Autor da assistência para o gol solitário do Corinthians, marcado pelo volante Gabriel, na derrota por 2 a 1 para o Bahia, na última quinta-feira (28), na Arena Fonte Nova, em Salvador, em jogo atrasado da 30ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o meia Gabriel Pereira agradou o técnico Vagner Mancini e pode ganhar mais espaço no Timão.

> Veja a classificação do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos

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Com Otero suspenso pelo terceiro cartão amarelo, Cazares lesionado, após sofrer um estiramento na coxa direita, e Ramiro inicialmente infectado pelo novo coronavírus, em contraprova que mostrou resultado negativo, viva-se a expectativa de Mateus VItal ser realocado do lado esquerdo para o centro e Pereira fosse escalado pelo setor destro do gramado. Contudo, para não mexer no modelo que vinha utilizando, Mancini optou por promover o retorno do chileno Ángelo Araos, que não era titular desde outubro e havia jogada apenas quatro minutos de uma partida em novembro. Aos 17 minutos da etapa final, no entanto, Gabriel entrou e nove minutos depois e deu o passe para o gol de Gabriel.

– Acho que ele entrou bem, foi decisivo em alguns lances, então é mais um atleta que nós estamos, dentro desse contexto atual, valorizando – disse o técnico Vagner Mancini em entrevista coletiva virtual ao fim da partida.

O treinador corintiano, inclusive, disse que pretende buscar mais informações sobre “GP”, como o meia-atacante é chamado internamente, até para utiliza-lo em outras funções.

– O atleta está acostumado em jogar pelos lados do campo, se sente bem assim, obvio que vou buscar essa informação, pra ver o que na base o atleta fazia – afirmou Mancini.

Cria da base corintiana, Gabriel Pereira subiu ao profissional nessa temporada, já fez sete partidas, todas entrando durante o jogo, totalizando 144 minutos. O jogo contra o Bahia foi o que ele mais tempo atuou.

Phil Parkinson admits there will be “players moving on” at Wrexham as Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and the club’s board draw up transfer plans.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Back-to-back promotions for Red DragonsReadying themselves for life in League OneMovement expected in the summer windowGetty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons have tinkered with their squad on a regular basis since welcoming Hollywood co-owners to North Wales in 2021. Shrewd recruitment has allowed them to secure back-to-back promotions, with League One football on the agenda for 2024-25.

AdvertisementWHAT PARKINSON SAID

Parkinson’s ranks will look different by the time the next campaign gets underway, with nine players out of contract while others may be offloaded in order to make room for additions. Wrexham’s popular manager has said of that process: “There's the possibility of players moving on and that is the hard part of any manager's job but we also know that we've got to evolve as a club and we'll try and do that. But as I just said to the lads in the dressing room that one of the key elements to our success this season has been the dressing room and the lads out of the team. You know, Ben Tozer, who hasn't played a lot recently, Luke Young hasn't played, the professionalism has been outstanding. Outstanding, he's driven the group on. I'm sure decisions have got to be made and we'll just do them fairly and honestly.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Pressed further on what Wrexham will be looking to achieve in the next transfer window, Parkinson added: “Obviously improve the squad. As you go up the divisions, everything improves: athleticism, quality, preparation. Everything we need to improve, which we will do, there's a lot of hard work to be done over the summer but we'll sit down and as we've done before and take our time and make the right decisions to give us a chance to be competitive next season.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham ended the 2023-24 season in style by beating League Two champions Stockport 2-1 in a dramatic contest at SToK Racecourse. That win, secured courtesy of an 88th-minute goal from Andy Cannon, wrapped up a second-place finish for the Red Dragons.

Arsenal have identified their top midfield target for January in Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz, and they could now even sell one of their top players to fund a move.

Brentford 0-1 Arsenal

Manager Mikel Arteta won his 116th game in charge of the club in all competitions on Saturday with a dramatic 1-0 victory away to Brentford. The Spaniard reached that milestone in just 200 matches, becoming the first manager to do so in Premier League history, and it was thanks to summer signing Kai Havertz's late header.

The three points sends Arsenal top of the table, with Arteta expressing his delight at both the squad and Havertz.

"I'm so happy with the team, with the way they performed, we got the clean sheet and I'm so happy with how everybody played," said Arteta on Arsenal's 1-0 win away to Brentford (via Sky).

"We should've scored earlier than that, but this is a really tough place to come. Credit to Brentford for what they do to every team. We showed a lot of resilience and belief. I'm delighted for Kai. You only have to see the reaction of everyone, how much they love him, and what he brings to the team. It's what he needs to do.

"We believed he could change the game with the way they were defending, and it was the perfect timing, perfect execution. He won the game for us – that's what big players do."

On the pitch, Arsenal are looking in very good stead and like sure-fire contenders to win their first league title in nearly 20 years.

However, there are still areas of the side which sporting director Edu Gaspar and Arteta want to strengthen ahead of the looming January window.

Arsenal identify Luiz as top target and could sell Partey

According to reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are very keen on signing Luiz from Aston Villa to shore up their midfield options.

The Brazilian has been a star of Villa's very promising early-season run of form, as their manager Unai Emery looks to contend for a Champions League qualification place. Luiz has started all 13 of their league games so far, scoring five goals and assisting two others, as Arsenal identify the former Man City man as a "leading" target.

That is according to ESPN, who also say Arsenal could sell Thomas Partey to fund Luiz's signing. The £200,000-per-week star (spotrac) has been a mainstay under Arteta in recent seasons, making 33 league appearances last campaign as a crucial player.

However, the Ghanaian has suffered from injury problems this season. Partey has been linked with an Arsenal exit in January as well, so he could be a good candidate to raise funds for a Luiz bid.

Partey's time at Arsenal, as per recent rumours, may well be coming to an end soon but supporters will look back on his stay with fondness.

La Liga expert Gerry Armstrong has called him "sensational", while Gunneds legend Ray Parlour once branded Partey a "very efficient" and "important" player at Arsenal.

An imminent return of Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul to the Indian set-up has been ruled out with the Supreme Court on Thursday adjourning – without giving a next date of hearing – the case pertaining to the Lodha Committee reforms. Several issues, including the fate of the two cricketers and the BCCI’s elections, are due to be resolved but the court said it would proceed with the case only after the appointment of an amicus curiae to replace Gopal Subramanium, who left that post recently after holding it for several years.The two-judge bench of Justices SA Bobde and AM Sapre has nominated PS Narsimha, senior advocate in the court, to replace Subramanium and said it would hear the case if and when Narsimha accepted the role.The disciplinary issue of the two players is tied to the appointment of a BCCI ombudsman, the board’s final adjudicating authority under its constitution. The post has been vacant since Justice AP Shah finished his term in late 2016 and the Committee of Administrators has asked the court for directions on a new appointment.The BCCI legal team had advised the CoA that the process of adjudicating on the players would involve an initial inquiry to be done by Johri (see sidebar), which would then be sent to an ombudsman whose ruling would be final and binding. This issue saw a split between the two members of the CoA – chairman Vinod Rai said if the court did not appoint an ombudsman, he would consult the amicus curiae to pick an ad-hoc ombudsman, while Diana Edulji said that she would not support any hasty inquiry because that would only amount to a “cover up” exercise. Incidentally, Edulji was present in court today along with her legal counsel.

Pandya, Rahul plead guilty

Rahul Johri, the BCCI chief executive officer, conducted an initial hearing with Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul over the phone and submitted the players’ explanations to the CoA on Tuesday. Both have pleaded guilty to the charge of indiscipline and misconduct imposed on them by the CoA over their comments recently on an Indian television chat show.
On January 11, the CoA suspended both players and called them home from Australia to face an inquiry. The selectors then named replacements for the Australia series and the New Zealand tour, which starts next week.
“The players have expressed deep regret and they have apologised for all they have done,” Vinod Rai, the CoA chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “They have said that they did it in their naivete. And they didn’t realise [at the time] what they had done.”

The CoA counsels Parag Tripathi and CU Singh told the court appointing the ombudsman was essential, not only to decide the fate of the players but also in that it would remove all the roadblocks for the BCCI and the states to comply with the Lodha reforms.On the other hand, the BCCI members have said it’s their right to pick the ombudsman. The Solicitor General of India, appearing for the BCCI’s government-affiliated members, made this point today when he intervened to say that only the BCCI had the powers to appoint an ombudsman, and it can only be done post elections. The court said that without the new amicus curiae taking charge, no decision could be taken.Legal counsels for various state associations told the court they had applications pending on the recall of the order last August, which had approved the new BCCI constitution as per the reforms. The states still had reservations about a few significant reforms pertaining to the tenure of the office bearers and the disqualification criteria. The CoA, in its tenth status report, had told that court that not one of the 34 BCCI members had become fully compliant.