Tag Futebol

The allrounder, who led Panthers to the Champions One-day Cup title, contributed with either bat or ball in all but the opening game

Danyal Rasool30-Sep-2024Shadab Khan hailed his side’s ability to not worrying about the result after leading Panthers to a crushing victory over Markhors in the final of the Champions One-Day Cup.”The main purpose of our coaches and mentors was to develop the side,” he said at the press conference following the win. “We wanted to give youngsters an opportunity so they could develop and represent Pakistan in the future.”Captaining the side, Shadab’s all-round role in Panthers’ triumph was instrumental, as he picked up his second piece of silverware in 2024, six months after Islamabad United’s victory in the PSL. However, Shadab has endured a difficult year – especially with the bat – in terms of his own form, although the last three weeks have given the man once feted as Pakistan’s golden boy reason to smile. At the Champions Cup in Faisalabad, he contributed with either bat or ball in all but the opening game.Related

Panthers' bowlers skittle Markhors for 122 to set up title win

Crucially, Shadab found better control with the ball, landing more deliveries in the right areas – something he has struggled with in the recent past. He credited it to finding his rhythm, and wanted to keep working at it. Shadab said he will “definitely play as many red-ball games as possible” this season.”Individually, I need more improvement,” he conceded. “But things are getting better because I hadn’t bowled long spells recently. I bowled longer spells this tournament, and that gave me more confidence. But there’s still plenty of time before I get to that level.”Shadab also spelled out his broader philosophy – both for himself and the side he leads. “We wanted to focus on the process rather than the result. We’re an emotional country – when we get results, we rise really high, and when we don’t, we hit rock bottom. We zig zag in this emotional cycle. What we can control is our process, and that should be level, not up and down. So we tried to keep things simple rather than caring about the result. The result is not in our hands; even today we discussed this. We weren’t even thinking about the result.”

“Ali Raza’s mentality belies his age. The way he’s bowling, I think he could be a useful asset for the Pakistan side in future.”Shadab Khan on Panthers’ 16-year-old fast bowler

The result, though, took care of itself. After a bright start from Markhors, Shadab and his fellow bowlers triggered a remarkable collapse, as Markhors’ last eight wickets fell for just 40 runs. Shadab took one of those wickets in the three overs he bowled, and with the bat, a breezy and an unbeaten 14 off nine balls helped get his side comfortably over the line, as Panthers got to the target with a whopping 32 overs to spare.Shadab didn’t think the pitch had too many demons in it, crediting his side instead for bowling well. “I don’t think about a particular number to restrict the opposition to,” he said. “I think we bowled really well to get them out so cheaply. We wanted to put as much pressure on them as possible because that’s where a team makes mistakes, and that’s where you can take wickets in quick succession. In high-pressure matches, it’s harder to build partnerships.”He specifically heaped praise on his two leading fast bowlers, one of whom was the 16-year old Ali Raza.”Ali Raza’s mentality belies his age,” Shadab said. “The way he’s bowling, I think he could be a useful asset for the Pakistan side in future. We need to be careful with him because he’s still young and his body’s still fragile. That makes him more vulnerable to injuries.”Panthers’ Mohammad Hasnain was the Player of the Series for taking 17 wickets at an average of 16.17•PCBThe other quick whom Shadab credited was Mohammad Hasnain, whose 17 wickets at an average of 16.17 earned him the Player-of-the-Series award. Shadab said Hasnain had a sensational tournament upon his return from a long-term ankle injury, due to “his own hard work”.Shadab would know better than most the value of giving young bowlers confidence. His own breakout role under national spotlight had come as a 17-year old in 2017 before he went on to play a pivotal part in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy triumph later that year. Islamabad, for whom Shadab went on to play in the PSL, had faith enough in him to appoint him vice-captain at 20, and captain at 21.But while Shadab’s form with the ball has wavered for much of his career, his tactical skills as captain are rarely in question. It is perhaps little surprise that he doesn’t feel youth is any barrier to success.”We’re inexperienced,” Shadab says pithily about the side with the youngest average age in the Champions Cup, “but we’ve won the tournament.”

There is still well over a month left before the end of the summer transfer window and it remains to be seen whether or not Cyriel Dessers will still be a Glasgow Rangers player when it slams shut.

Russell Martin confirmed that the club rejected an offer from a club for the Nigeria international earlier this month, and he has been linked with a move to Greek side AEK Athens.

The 30-year-old striker has scored 34 goals in two seasons in the Scottish Premiership for the Light Blues, but the experienced forward has also missed a whopping 47 ‘big chances’ in that time.

If Dessers moves on from Ibrox this summer, whether that is to AEK Athens or another club, Rangers will need a new striker to potentially lead the line.

Rangers considering move for free agent centre-forward

Despite the Nigerian forward still being at the club, as well as Danilo and Hamza Igamane, the Scottish giants are reportedly looking at another experienced number nine signing.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Football Insider, Rangers are considering a swoop to sign out-of-contract centre-forward Luuk De Jong, who moved on from PSV at the end of last month.

The report claims that the Gers are giving serious ‘consideration’ to the possibility of a deal for the 34-year-old attacker, as they weigh up the kind of contract that they would be willing to put on the table for the free agent.

Speaking to Football Insider, scout Mick Brown added that it would be an “ambitious” signing for the Light Blues, as they would be bringing in a “proven player”.

However, it now remains to be seen whether or not the Premiership side are going to press ahead with a deal for the striker, as they are currently only considering a move.

Why Rangers should sign Luuk De Jong

If Rangers have the opportunity to snap De Jong up on a one or two-year contract to bolster their centre-forward options, Martin and Kevin Thelwell must push for a move to go through because he would come in as an upgrade on Dessers.

De Jong’s experience in Europe could be particularly useful for Rangers if they make it through their second qualifying round against Panathinaikos, which he would not be eligible for were he to sign in the coming days, as he has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 16 Champions League qualifiers in his career.

Meanwhile, Dessers has scored three goals in eight Champions League qualifiers in his career, which suggests that the Dutchman may have a greater chance of helping Rangers to qualify for the league phase.

De Jong’s form for PSV in the Eredivisie over the past two seasons also suggests that he would offer more to Martin at the top end of the pitch at league level than the Nigerian forward.

Appearances

65

70

Goals

43

34

Headed goals

14

6

Big chances created

34

10

Assists

23

6

Duel success rate

54%

33%

Aerial duels won per game

4.3

0.9

As you can see in the table above, the 34-year-old scored nine more goals and delivered 17 more assists than Dessers, despite playing five fewer league games, which speaks to the kind of quality that he can offer in front of goal.

Former Dutch international and ex-PSV manager Mark Van Bommel described him as one of the best three players in Europe at scoring headers and claimed that the striker “always delivers”, which is hard to disagree with when you look at his output.

Overall, the potential is there for De Jong to be an upgrade on Dessers as a scorer and a creator of goals at league level, whilst also having more experience in the Champions League and in qualifiers, which could improve the club’s chances of making it through to the league phase.

Creates room for Rak-Sakyi: Rangers want to sell Dowell & "blistering" flop

Rangers can create space for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi as they look to sell several first-team players.

ByDan Emery Jul 17, 2025

Therefore, Rangers should be pushing to get a deal for the former PSV star over the line because he could come in as a proven striker who has the quality to be an upgrade on Dessers, as a goalscorer, a creator, a Champions League performer, and an aerial presence in the number nine position.

Leeds United already have a hat-trick of signings done and dusted as the new Premier League season grows ever closer next month.

Lukas Nmecha, Jaka Bijol, and Sebastiaan Bornauw have all relocated to England in quick succession to be a part of Daniel Farke’s top-flight camp, but their speedy business has been somewhat overshadowed by Sunderland stealing the transfer market limelight.

Before Sunderland won his services for a handsome £30m, Leeds were very much in the running to snap up Habib Diarra from Strasbourg, with history unfortunately rapidly repeating itself when you also consider the Black Cats are edging closer to signing Noah Sadiki right from under Farke and Co’s nose.

All this drama will surely make the race to beat the drop even spicier this forthcoming campaign, with Leeds wanting to press on now to make even more signings.

Leeds targeting other midfielders

The number of arrivals at Thorp Arch could soon go up, particularly Leeds’ bank account is set to be boosted soon by Maximilian Wober’s £11m exit.

That money could be spent on new midfielders with the likes of ex-Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and Southampton youngster Mateus Fernandes on their radar.

Yet, the most tantalising transfer rumour comes from the Netherlands, via Sport Witness, which states that Leeds are in the driver’s seat over a deal for Sheffield United ace Gustavo Hamer.

It’s no secret that Leeds have been admirers of the ex-Coventry City man for some time now, with this new development suggesting that Hamer is more inclined to accept a summer move to a Premier League club over Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven.

This has all the ingredients of being a game-changing signing for Farke’s men in improving their attacking personnel, with the recent Championship Player of the Season winner reportedly available for £18m, which could also mean he’s a much better pick-up in the long run than gambling on Diarra.

Why Hamer would be a better signing than Diarra

Leeds have already raided the Blades effectively for some of their top-quality talent, too, with Jayden Bogle formerly a Bramall Lane favourite before defecting to Elland Road to seal promotion at his former side’s expense.

Now, Hamer could follow suit, having been an exceptional talent to watch during all of that promotion run in himself, but unfortunately, coming up short in South Yorkshire.

In total, the exciting Blades number 8 would chip in with ten goals and eight assists across all competitions last season, which included an effort being brilliantly hammered home against Plymouth Argyle.

To add context, Manor Solomon, who slotted into many of Farke’s XIs last season down Hamer’s trusty left-hand side, just about beat the 28-year-old with his own healthy tally of 22 goals and assists.

With Solomon looking unlikely to return to Elland Road, Hamer could be a perfect replacement for him, alongside also boasting the versatility to be able to line up as a number 10, with Brenden Aaronson a notable worry in this position as Premier League football returns.

AM

13

2

3

CM

13

2

2

RM

1

0

0

Based on the table above, Diarra might well have struggled with the pressure of being a starter for Leeds in this problem area, as seen in just five goal contributions coming his way from this position last season in Ligue 1.

Moreover, the expensive Senegal international might well have struggled further back in Farke’s side in a bid to displace Ao Tanaka, with the Japanese gem eclipsing Diarra in many different areas last season, as seen in him averaging a glowing 90% pass accuracy in the second tier, next to his counterpart’s lesser 87% success rate.

On top of that, Tanaka also displayed more steel by winning 4.5 duels per game in league action, next to Diarra’s 3.3, meaning this might have been a sum of money ultimately wasted.

Whereas, landing the “outstanding” Hamer, as he’s been glowing labelled by ex-manager Chris Wilder – at £18m feels like a steal, particularly with the 28-year-old’s impressive return of four goals and seven assists when previously starring in the top-flight.

Huge Rothwell upgrade: Leeds make enquiry to sign "phenomenal" £30m star

Leeds United are interested in signing a star who would come in as an upgrade on Joe Rothwell.

ByDan Emery Jul 2, 2025

Liverpool are marching their way through the summer transfer window, picking up any number of talented recruits to add to Arne Slot’s Premier League-winning squad.

With Milos Kerkez’s £40m move from Bournemouth to Anfield now sealed, sporting director Richard Hughes may well take a breather and ponder whether to target any final brush-ups so Liverpool can remain competitive at the very highest level once again.

With Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong brought over from Bayer Leverkusen, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving to replace Caoimhin Kelleher, you’d think that this might be the case.

Let’s not forget, though, the Reds have had to swallow some degree of setback, with Trent Alexander-Arnold opting against renewing his contract and instead signing for Real Madrid at the end of his contract.

Moreover, interest in Luis Diaz’s signature is rife, and FSG may have to consider signing a replacement this summer.

The latest on Luis Diaz's future

While The Athletic’s David Ornstein has stressed that Liverpool are willing to keep onto Diaz, 28, even if it means running down his contract, Barcelona and further suitors in Saudi Arabia are keen, and the latter might be willing to pay a handsome figure.

Coming off the back of his best season in a Liverpool shirt, the versatile Diaz has proved invaluable for Slot’s side, scoring 17 goals and supplying eight assists across the past campaign.

But he’s not without his flaws, and the Anfield side has lined up long-term target Anthony Gordon as a potential replacement, although he has been priced in the £75m ballpark.

Gordon, to be sure, is a good winger, but Newcastle would want silly money for his sale and an exciting alternative may well have been earmarked by Hughes and co.

Liverpool enquire for Gordon alternative

As per BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel, Liverpool are one of the clubs to have lodged an official enquiry for West Ham United winger Mohammed Kudus, who is anticipated to be leaving East London this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Speaking on the Latte Firm Arsenal podcast, he said: “My information is that all of the top six in the Premier League have checked in on the conditions of that deal. He’s got an £85m release clause for Premier League clubs but I think West Ham would be willing to go below that.

“They wouldn’t take masses below that but they would be open to a negotiation. There is a long-term interest there [from Arsenal] and as I understand that, there has been an enquiry from the Premier League’s top six.”

The Ghanaian star struggled to find his finest form throughout a turbulent season for the Hammers, and, as such, it would not be a huge surprise to see West Ham accept a reduced fee, although the exact figure is undetermined.

While Arsenal have been reported to have had a long-standing interest in the 24-year-old, if Diaz does go, Kudus could be a great fit.

What Mohammed Kudus would bring to Liverpool

West Ham signed Kudus from Ajax for around £38m in August 2023, and he has since posted 19 goals and 13 assists from 80 matches. Despite his incredible quality, however, Kudus has suffered from second-season syndrome.

Five goals and three assists in the Premier League last season hardly denote elite-level output, but then Kudus’ skill set is an incredible thing, boasting power and movement that most wingers can only dream of.

He would need to make prolific improvements next year, but then he surely would in Liverpool’s team, playing alongside Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and the rest.

Given that Gordon only scored six top-flight goals, laying on five more assists, there’s certainly no guarantee that the England international would prove the tonic for which the hole left by Diaz’s absence could be healed.

Curiously, both Kudus and Gordon dipped somewhat in 2024/25 after previously thriving in the Premier League. Both are talented and proven wingers, dynamic and versatile, explosive and electric.

Let’s have a look at their statistics across 2023/24 and how they compare when both are firing on all cylinders.

Matches (starts)

35 (34)

33 (27)

Goals

11

8

Assists

10

6

Touches*

2.3 (0.9)

2.0 (0.5)

Pass completion

82%

84%

Key passes*

1.6

0.8

Big chances created

16

5

Dribbles*

1.5

3.8

Ball recoveries*

3.6

6.4

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

2.3

Duels

5.3

8.5

Gordon certainly has the advantage in terms of output, and he’s more refined in his underlying playmaking too.

However, Kudus’ fleet-footedness and strength have turned him into something of a duel monster, outfoxing his opponents with blistering speed and sharp shimmies to drive the ball into the danger area.

Is it any wonder journalist Gary Al-Smith has hailed him a “generational talent”? Indeed, even though he flattered to deceive at times in 2024/25, Kudus still recorded the second-highest dribble count across the Premier League term, behind only Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku.

Just imagine this kind of explosiveness in Slot’s system. Diaz, while blessed with such suitable properties, ranked only among the top 39% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for progressive carries and the top 19% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Gordon, meanwhile, ranked among the top 22% and 46% for the same metrics. What about the Irons speedster? He ranked among the top 3% for successful take-ons, and a glance up at his dribble average across his first Premier League term tells you all you need to know about his capacity as a ball carrier.

If any coach across Europe is capable of getting a tune out of the African sensation’s clinical potential, it’s Slot. Moreover, the Dutch tactician will know exactly how to best utilise Kudus’ talents on the athletic front, using them in conjunction with the creative artistry of the aforementioned Liverpool stars.

It’s a different kind of profile, more unrelenting and chaotic than Diaz’s and indeed Gordon’s.

Given the finances involved in pulling Gordon away from St. James’ Park, Liverpool might want to invest their energy into signing Kudus, especially as he is set to be available for a reduced fee.

He'd be Wirtz 2.0: Liverpool stand a "chance" of signing the "next Mbappe"

Liverpool believe they have a good chance to sign a star who would be a Florian Wirtz repeat.

1 ByDan Emery Jun 26, 2025

Arsenal have many items on the agenda this summer as new sporting director Andrea Berta looks to back Mikel Arteta with new signings, and one of their key aims is to bring in multiple attacking players.

Arsenal targeting new winger and striker this summer

The transfer window is officially open for business, at least until June 10, with a short break then following before it reopens on June 16 right the way through till September 1.

Arsenal U-turn over signing "powerful" player who "was on the verge" of joining

They’ve now pulled out of the deal.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 3, 2025

This current mini-window was introduced to allow sides competing in the Club World Cup to register new players before the tournament kicks off, but it applies to all Premier League sides, including Arsenal.

Arsenal are expected to complete a move for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi with a medical scheduled for the Spain international (BBC), so there is every chance that they could officially sign him before June 10, considering how advanced that deal is.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

After Zubimendi, much has been made of the Gunners’ pursuit of a top striker, with Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko both top of Arsenal’s list of striker targets.

Supporters are especially keen for Berta to acquire a prolific goalscorer – which has long been viewed as the missing piece of Arteta’s jigsaw – following a campaign where they struggled to score many compared to their previous standards.

However, a number nine isn’t the sole focus going forward.

Bukayo Saka’s injury lay-off midway through 2024/2025 brought attention to Arsenal’s need for an alternative on the right-hand side, while there are some questions about the long-term future of Leandro Trossard, who’s about to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Interestingly, Berta could turn to one of Arteta’s former stars at Man City – £242,000-per-week Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane.

Arsenal are reliably believed to hold a genuine interest in Sane with his Bayern contract just weeks away from expiring as things stand. The German also recently employed super-agent Pini Zahavi to assist in new contract talks, or find him a new club if needs be.

Arsenal open talks with Leroy Sane's camp over joining

Now, as per Bayern Munich insider Christian Falk, it is believed Arsenal have “started talks” with Zahavi over signing Sane.

The 29-year-old, who bagged 13 goals and six assists in total for Vincent Kompany last season, playing more of a key role towards the back end of 2024/2025, is tempted by the prospect of a move to London.

His family reside in the English capital, so a permanent switch there is appealing to him, with Falk adding that Tottenham are likely to battle with Arsenal for Sane’s services as well.

Sane’s top-level experience, and the fact he could be obtained for no transfer fee, make him a very enticing potential signing for Arsenal.

However, Sane wants a £192,000-per-week base salary, on top of £2.5 million in bonuses and a signing-on fee (Sky and Sport Bild). These were his most recently rumoured demands to stay in Bavaria, so he’ll likely request similar numbers to join Arsenal.

In search of boosting their frontline once again, Chelsea chiefs are now reportedly ready to match the £60m asking price of one impressive forward having already made their first approach for his signature.

Chelsea's UCL push going down to the wire

Whilst there would have been plenty of relief around Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford in midweek, Chelsea still have it all to do in the race to secure Champions League qualification. Sat fifth on goal difference and in the last remaining Champions League spot, the Blues may need to win all four of their remaining games to finish above the chasing pack of Forest and Aston Villa.

With Premier League champions Liverpool to face this weekend too, it doesn’t get any easier for Chelsea who may be hoping to come up against a side in celebration rather than the ruthless Reds that English football has become accustomed to this season.

Blues boss Enzo Maresca recently had his say on the Champions League race, telling reporters: “How many times in the last two years has Chelsea been in the Champions League [places]? Zero.

“How many times this season? Almost all season. It is an improvement or not? It is already an improvement because we spend all season there. Now, we are going to try our best to finish there no doubt.

109 touches, 98% passing: Chelsea may have found a bigger star than George

Chelsea now have one foot in the Europa Conference League final after a 4-1 win over Djurgården last night.

1 ByEthan Lamb May 2, 2025

“We want to finish there, no doubt. We are happy to finish there, yes. Is it enough? No, because we want to compete for titles. But compared to the past two years, I think it is quite clear that there is an improvement. Now, if you want to see it, you see it. If you don’t want to see it, you don’t see it. It depends which way. I see it.”

Meanwhile, should the London club go on and confirm their place among Europe’s elite this month, they could be well placed to welcome an impressive Premier League rival.

Chelsea ready to meet Watkins price tag

According to Football Transfers, Chelsea are now ready to match Ollie Watkins’ £60m valuation to welcome the Aston Villa striker this summer, having already made their first approach for his signature.

Watkins was, of course, at the centre of attention in January when Arsenal came calling. Unlike Chelsea, however, the Gunners were reluctant to meet Villa’s asking price and the England international therefore stayed put in the Midlands.

At 29 years old, the Villa star goes against BlueCo’s usual transfer route of young stars, but an established Premier League goalscorer could be exactly what Maresca’s side need if they are to improve this summer.

Starts

27

26

Goals

15

10

Assists

7

5

Expected Goals

14.5

12.2

Dubbed “amazing” by Villa boss Unai Emery earlier this season, Watkins’ numbers compared to Nicolas Jackson highlight the upgrade that he would instantly offer Chelsea and Maresca.

Since joining Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has overseen plenty of changes at the club.

He’s instilled a new style of play, a level of expectation that was missing for so many years, and most crucially, he’s completely overhauled the squad.

Now, not every signing the Spaniard has made has been a success, but he’s had a pretty decent track record thus far, with the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, David Raya, Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber all massively improving the team.

However, when it comes to his most underrated acquisition, it has to be Ben White, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to another star whose signing could be a repeat of White’s.

Arsenal's transfer targets

It’s going to be a massive summer of business for Arsenal, and one of the areas they look most intent on improving is left-wing, with Nico Williams one of their top targets.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Spaniard is said to have a release clause worth around £52m in his current contract, which could prove to be value for money considering he’s scored 17 goals and provided 25 assists in 77 appearances since the start of last season.

Another youngster the North Londoners are supposedly interested in signing this summer is Real Madrid’s Arda Güler.

The 20-year-old could be available for just £26m, and as he’s managed to rack up ten goal involvements in just 1170 minutes this season, that could be an incredible deal.

However, there is another, even younger prospect worth even more money that the Gunners are being heavily linked with: Dean Huijsen.

Yes, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal are very interested in the Bournemouth star.

In fact, Ornstein has revealed that alongside Liverpool and Chelsea, the Gunners are a leading contender for the Spaniard, while Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have also made contact.

However, on top of beating out the competition, the North Londoners will also have to stump up a significant amount of cash to get their man, as he has a release clause worth £50m in his contract.

In all, it would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Huijsen’s immense ability and potential, it’s one well worth fighting for, especially as he could be a White repeat.

Why signing Huijsen would be a White repeat

So, should Arsenal be able to get ahead of the chasing pack and get their hands on Huijsen this summer, what would make the deal so similar to White’s in 2021?

Well, the first and perhaps most surface-level similarity is that when the Gunners signed the Englishman, he also cost £50m and moved to the Emirates from an upwardly mobile midtable Premier League side in Brighton & Hove Albion, which is how you could describe Bournemouth.

On top of that, the Poole-born star had just made his way into the England set-up ahead of his move, and the Cherries gem won his first senior cap for La Roja last month.

However, the most significant similarity between the players is that even though the Gunners’ number four has now moved to right-back, he was initially signed as a centre-back, which is where the “extremely dominant” Spaniard, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would play should he move to the Emirates.

With all that said, there are obviously other reasons the North Londoners should be looking to sign the defender on top of the mirroring of his potential move to White’s, such as his sensational underlying numbers.

Huijsen’s FBref Scout Report
Statistic	Per 90	Percentile
Interceptions	2.10	Top 1%
Non-Penalty Expected G+As	0.17	Top 2%
Clearances	6.78	Top 4%
Shot-Creating Actions	1.64	Top 5%
Progressive Carries	1.45	Top 8%
Non-Penalty Goals	0.09	Top 10%
Touches in the Attacking Box	1.36	Top 12%
Progressive Passes	4.49	Top 20%
All Stats via FBref

According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions, the top 2% for non-penalty expected goals plus assists, the top 4% for clearances, the top 5% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive carries and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, signing another defender might not be high on the list of priorities this summer.

However, Huijsen looks to be an incredibly special player, so Arteta and Co should do what they can to secure his services, as he could become as important a player as White in the future.

Fabregas 2.0: Real Madrid make Arsenal's £86m "monster" a priority signing

Losing the “phenomenal” talent would be devastating for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 11, 2025

While the Afghanistan captain nears a special milestone, Zimbabwe will hope their returning former captain still has it at 39

Alagappan Muthu28-Oct-2025The 2026 T20 World Cup may be three months away – it is set to begin in February, in India and Sri Lanka – but it will be at the forefront of both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe’s minds as they prepare to engage in a three-match T20I series that starts on Wednesday.Hello again, RashidRashid Khan will return to action, although he was only ever away for two weeks. The 27-year-old legspinner is on the cusp of a significant record – 500 T20 matches. Should he play every game of this series, he will join that coveted group, which currently includes seven players.Related

Rashid rested for one-off Test against Zimbabwe, will return for T20Is

Cremer returns to Zimbabwe cricket after seven years

Rashid, Afghanistan’s captain, will be looking for improvements considering his team exited the Asia Cup at the first group stage and then lost 3-0 to Bangladesh. His bowling form is on the up, though, which seems to be an effect of his taking some time off from the game.Over the first five months of this year, Rashid picked up 21 wickets in 26 T20s at an average of 36.80 and an economy rate of 8.40. He took a break after IPL 2025, and since his return has gobbled up 35 wickets in 20 T20s at an average of 14.17 and an economy rate of 6.70. Rushing back into cricket from back surgery in 2023 had adversely affected his wicket-taking ability; putting his body under less pressure now has rekindled the old fire.Cremer’s returnGraeme Cremer quit cricket in 2018 to support his wife’s career as an airline pilot in the UAE and raise their kids. Now that they’ve grown up, he’s back.The 39-year-old former Zimbabwe captain has 35 wickets from 29 T20Is at an average of 18.85 and an economy rate of 6.94. That presents the picture of an accurate bowler, and these games might provide answers about whether he still remains so after all his time away.A wristspinner who turns it both ways, and who has plenty of prior international experience, could be very useful in 2026 when Zimbabwe return to the T20 World Cup having missed out on qualifying for last year’s event.Zimbabwe will only play a limited number of T20Is in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup•Zimbabwe CricketZimbabwe’s time crunchLess than two weeks ago, these three T20Is represented the only short-format cricket Zimbabwe had in the lead-up to the World Cup. Then Afghanistan pulled out of a tri-series that Pakistan will be hosting in November due to the death of three local cricketers in a cross-border attack. Zimbabwe were brought in to fill the vacancy. These three games at home, and the four coming up in Lahore and Rawalpindi, will prove invaluable as Zimbabwe prepare to set some records straight. They haven’t been part of an ICC tournament since 2022, missing two World Cups and a Champions Trophy.Young talentsAfghanistan’s rise is tied to their players being really, really good even at a really young age. Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai (22-year-old allrounder with hundreds in first-class and List A cricket), Abdollah Ahmadzai (22-year-old fast bowler who was with the Afghanistan squad at the Asia Cup) and Bashir Ahmad (20-year-old left-arm quick who could be a long-term replacement for Fazalhaq Farooqi) are the three to watch out for in this series.Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat and Farooqi all lost their place after Afghanistan’s Asia Cup exit. It remains to be seen if they can fight their way back into contention.

When Hardik Pandya counterattacked with the bat the boos briefly turned to cheers, but another defeat meant the tensions remained

S Sudarshanan02-Apr-20242:26

McClenaghan on the Hardik booing: ‘Lack of maturity from fans’

“When Mumbai Indians had zero trophies, he came in, and now they have five trophies,” gushed Nikhil outside Gate 6 of the Wankhede Stadium as he held up a poster. It had photos of Mumbai Indians’ IPL wins under the text “The Empire”, alongside some of Rohit Sharma captioned “The Emperor”. Rohan, who was heading to Gate 7, has tried to make it to at least two MI home games every season since 2016. The prime reason is evident in the poster he holds: “U Will Always Be My Captain – Rohit Forever”.Ahead of Mumbai’s first home match of IPL 2024, the MI jerseys that were selling like hot cakes outside the stadium had “Rohit 45” written on them. Scores of fans who made their way over from the Churchgate Station or from Marine Drive wore MI jerseys with the former captain’s name and number on the back.Related

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The stadium was still slowly filling in when Hardik Pandya completed a lap of the ground. He spotted Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was out on ground for the pre-match show with the official broadcaster, and walked up to greet him. Just as they were about to go their own way, Sidhu pulled Hardik closer for a few animated words. Hardik was smiling through it all and gave a bear hug to Sidhu before joining his team-mates.Mumbai were coming into this game having had a usual-yet-unusual start to their IPL 2024 season. They had lost two successive games – Mumbai have started campaigns with losses in the past – but, unusually, the fans, the MI faithful, were mounting pressure on their new captain Hardik for replacing the much-loved Rohit, having been traded in from Gujarat Titans. He had been booed in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, and whether the “home” crowd would back him was one of the storylines ahead Monday’s fixture against Rajasthan Royals.By toss time, the venue was more than half-filled – Mumbai’s blue dominating. When Hardik was introduced, the crowd jeered him and cheered for Rohit, prompting Sanjay Manjrekar to ask fans to “behave!”. But the crowd’s hostility only increased when Manjrekar interviewed Hardik. Even when the names and photos of each player from the two XIs were displayed on the big screen, the loudest cheer was reserved for Rohit, and boos rung out when Hardik’s name was announced.Things continued to go wrong for Hardik Pandya, and Mumbai Indians•Associated PressMumbai were asked to bat first, and so the crowd expected a Rohit special. Huge cheers rang across the arena as he walked out to open. They only grew louder when he came on strike for the fifth ball of the game. The anticipation – as he took guard, looked around at the field – only made the decibel levels rise even more. But Rohit was unable to keep out an away-curler from Trent Boult, and was caught behind first ball, thanks to a stunning dive from Sanju Samson.Left-armers Boult and Nandre Burger ran through the Mumbai top order as 1 for 1 soon became 20 for 4. And so, Hardik found himself in the middle in the fourth over. More groans from the stands. The plot was perfectly set up for the new Mumbai captain to win the hostile crowd over with his heroics.The sixth over, bowled by Burger was an eventful one, with Hardik in the thick of it. He pulled the first ball through square leg to get off the mark with a couple. He then danced down to go over off but got a thick outside edge over backward point for four. Undeterred, he charged again to power one through covers off the meat. And then, on the penultimate ball, he once again skipped down and smoked one that landed just short of the long-on boundary. At the end of the powerplay, he had the fans hollering in the stands.He then played a couple of delicate glides to the deep-third boundary before exhibiting the power of his wrists to slap a carrom ball from R Ashwin – who had voiced his support for Hardik – away from the cover fielder for another four. With each of these deliveries, the MI flags in the stands went up, and so did the cheers for Hardik. It was like he had turned the tide and managed to win the crowd over. But it was short-lived.Hardik Pandya threatened a Mumbai fightback but was cut short by Yuzvendra Chahal•BCCIThe crowd was silenced when he miscued one to wide long-on off Chahal to finish on 34 off 21. From there Mumbai added only 49 more in the last 11.3 overs to post 125 for 9, their third-lowest total batting first at the Wankhede.Unlike the previous two outings, Hardik did not open the bowling and had Jasprit Bumrah on from one end in the powerplay. Every over that he did not bowl drew cheers. But the boos were always hanging in the air. First, when he failed to hang on to a catch of Jos Buttler in the fourth over, despite a spectacular dive, at mid-off. And then in the last over of the powerplay, despite making a diving stop at cover off Bumrah. Rohit applauded the effort, but not a large section of the Sachin Tendulkar Stand.Boult and Chahal’s three-fors, followed by Riyan Parag’s fifty, would extend the wait for Mumbai’s first win of IPL 2024. And perhaps for Hardik, too, to make space in the MI fans’ hearts.

Guileless display from England quicks does little to change the Anderson-Broad narrative

Andrew Miller10-Mar-2022Chris Woakes belongs to a select band of cricketers to have bowled the first ball in a World Cup final. He knows what it’s like to have the eyes of the world boring into the back of his skull as he approaches his delivery stride and, when it comes to Test cricket, he even knows what it’s like to marshal an unlikely run-chase from five-down for spit. But he’s surely never felt pressure quite like his opening spell on the second day in Antigua.As Woakes trotted in with that familiar arrow-straight approach, buzzing his way through the crease with the neat, incisive lines of a sawblade in a timber-mill, he would have known that he was about to be judged like never before in his international career. And by the time he trooped from the field with the bruised figures of 12-2-54-1, he might have been entitled to wonder if he’d been set up to fail.An awful lot of platitudes have been trotted out by England’s management in the weeks since they chose to dispense with James Anderson and Stuart Broad and their 1,177-wickets-worth of Test-match knowhow. But nothing has jarred with the evidence of a nine-year international career quite like the suggestion – voiced with little conviction by England’s captain Joe Root – that a sustained run with the new ball was all that Woakes needed to transform his status from priceless team player to golden-armed attack leader.The true reasons for Anderson’s and Broad’s binnings may never be publicly aired – are they really too old, or are they simply being challenged to fight for their places in the summer? Are the shadows that they cast too immense for others to flourish (the charge that was levelled at the women’s captain Charlotte Edwards after her ruthless culling in 2016), or was Root’s complaint about the lengths that they bowled in England’s defeat in Adelaide the final proof that the captain and his star bowlers had reached a fork in the road?Whatever the truth, this void in England’s reasoning – and the inevitable speculation that it has caused – has been thoroughly and damagingly distracting. Even a throwback to that very 2021 chestnut, rest and rotation, would have been preferable to the death by innuendo that Woakes, and to a lesser extent Craig Overton, have endured in the series build-up. Woakes, after all, went more than 12 months – between August 2020 and September 2021 – without a single Test appearance despite being England’s reigning Test cricketer of the Year. If this chance to lead the line had been presented as a reward for long service during lockdown, there might have been a few raised eyebrows, but surely a lot more understanding.Instead, the reasoning has been so weird, even the player himself didn’t really seem to believe he warranted it, after his six wickets at 55.33 in the Ashes had exacerbated the gulf between his home and away Test stats – 94 wickets at 22.63 in English conditions, and 31 at 52.38 overseas. Instead, it’s as if the post-Ashes intention of the England management had been to rip the players out of their comfort zones, and expose them to the harshest sink-or-swim realities of top-level professional sport – and if that’s the case, then fair play, they nailed the brief.And so it came to that fateful new-ball spell – a Dukes ball, no less, Woakes’ weapon of choice in his frequent excursions on home soil. In he charged, with conviction and with the occasional pretty-looking zip past the outside edge. But, assuming Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell had kept even half an ear to the ground in the Ashes fall-out, there was never going to be any mystery about his methods.Full and fuller was the requirement, in a guilelessly gung-ho bid for hooping swing – a display, in fact, that served only to reinforce the wisdom of ages that England have chosen to dispense with on this tour. Anderson and Broad would never have put up with this nonsense, whanging an unresponsive ball into the blockhole time and again, to be drilled back down the ground at an initial rate of seven an over. They’d have dragged those lengths back – much as it seems they did, to Root’s chagrin, in Adelaide – and conceded their runs at one an over while priming their orb for that display of reverse-swing that did, briefly, look like transforming England’s fortunes in the afternoon session.”It’s obviously going to be talked about, Anderson and Broad, because they are legends but we just have to admit we didn’t get it right to start with, and we’ll be out to get it right next time,” Mark Wood said at the close of playCraig Overton veered away from a full length to bounce out John Campbell•Gareth Copley/Getty Images”I don’t think it’s about being patient, we set higher standards than just being patient,” he added. “We’re out here to win. We’re trying to get it right now but, as can happen with any bowler, we just didn’t get it right to start. We maybe tried a little bit too hard, with the void of Anderson and Broad we wanted to try hard and prove we could do it, maybe that was it. But the way we came back showed good character as a group.”According to Cricviz’s Expected Wickets model, England’s new-ball effort was their third-least threatening of the past decade, a display outdone only by England’s efforts at Melbourne and Sydney at the fag-end of the 2017-18 Ashes – the former on one of the most disgracefully dead drop-in pitches in history; the latter in an asphyxiatingly hot dead-rubber at the SCG, a match in which Root would later keel over with sun-stroke.England’s lack of penetration was exemplified by the 1.5 degrees of swing that their openers located – compared to the 2.5 degrees that West Indies had found in routing England for 48 for 4 on the first morning. You would not have believed that West Indies have been starved of runs in recent encounters as Brathwaite galloped to the fastest fifty of his career, and in the process added his team’s first half-century opening stand … since they faced the same opponents in the final Test of their 2018-19 series win. In case Root was unaware, these guys tend to raise their game when England are in town.England’s lack of situational awareness was at times staggering. On the one hand, Root has clearly learned to treasure the pace and penetration of his last remaining 90mph bowler, Wood, and not bowl him into the ground as he did with Jofra Archer in 2019-20. On the other hand, limiting Wood to three overs out of the first 23, while West Indies galumphed to 95 for 1 with close to a boundary an over was another baffling misallocation of his resources.Related

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When finally thrown the ball, Wood duly struck in the second over of his comeback spell, luring Brathwaite with the wide one after tucking him up with another off-the-peg display of sustained pace. That’s the sort of lack of guile that pays dividends on surfaces as slow as this, not the sort of optimistic lollipops that Woakes felt obliged to fling at his opponents, as he strained for that elusive swing. By the close, his over-exertions had sent ten deliveries – or nearly one an over – sliding down the leg side, as well as one rank full-toss outside off that Jermaine Blackwood flicked contemptuously for one of the ten fours in Woakes’ day’s work.At least Overton got the memo before it was too late. His own England credentials may be hanging by an even more slender thread than his new-ball partner’s, but at least having been driven for two fours in his third new-ball over, he swiftly dispensed with the pleasantries when called upon again, and bombed out Campbell with a bouncer just when he was threatening to put the hammer down.Overton later delivered a useful display of reverse swing as back-up to Wood and Ben Stokes – who was restored to being an actual bowler here, rather than that spurious bang-it-in enforcer who succumbed to a side strain in the Ashes. But as if emboldened by the start that they had been given, as well as the knowledge that all things must pass, Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder rode out the threat with broad-batted resistance to inch their side ever closer to parity by the close.”Of course it’s weird,” Wood admitted, when asked what it was like to take the field with neither Broad nor Anderson. “They have been there every time. We can’t compare ourselves to them, because we are not them. We have to bring what we can do. Unfortunately the best we can do wasn’t that first bit. The second bit was a lot better. We have to bring our best next time, so we are on it.”