Tag Futebol

Earlier Naseem Shah’s five-wicket haul restricted New Zealand to 255

S Sudarshanan09-Jan-2023

The Pakistan ODI method was on show. Stymie the opposition to a par total. Make them, and everybody else, believe that they are struggling in the chase despite a good show from the top order and then overhaul the target rather comfortably.After Pakistan opted to bowl first, Naseem Shah picked up his second ODI five-for – in back-to-back games, having last played in August 2022 – to restrict New Zealand to 255 for 9. And then, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan stroked fine half-centuries to help Pakistan go 1-0 up in the three-match series in Karachi. Rizwan stuttered his way at the start and then suffered from cramps towards the end, before unleashing an assault of innovative measures on New Zealand to take the side home to a six-wicket win.Chasing 256, Fakhar and Imam-ul-Haq got Pakistan off the blocks quickly. Imam hit his first ball through midwicket – aided by a misfield – for four as both batters feasted on debutant Henry Shipley’s erring lines and lengths. All this before Imam looked to take on Michael Bracewell by skipping down the track and only managed to miscue one to mid-on.Fakhar Zaman hit a well-paced half-century•Associated Press

Fakhar and Babar then added 78 off 103 balls for the second wicket to give Pakistan a strong base. While Fakhar looked at ease for most parts of his innings, Babar did have a tough time when Bracewell and Mitchell Santner were brought on after the first powerplay. Even though he slog-swept a six and pulled a four off successive deliveries off Santner, Babar was a tad unsure of the turn with Bracewell and Santner varying the flight, pace as well as the angle.Babar was ruled out lbw when he missed an arm ball from Santner on 24, but he was reprieved on review, with the tracker showing the ball would have missed leg stump. He also tried a few uncharacteristic reverse sweeps early against Bracewell. At the other end, though, Fakhar was milking the singles as well as using the sweep to good effect and got to his half-century. However, the partnership was broken when Bracewell sneaked one through Fakhar’s attempted slog to bowl him.Babar and Rizwan then added 60 off 82 balls. It was slow going, with the sluggish track not really aiding strokeplay. Kane Williamson then brought the part-time offspinner Glenn Phillips on to keep a leash on scoring. Babar soon got to another half-century – his tenth fifty-plus score in the last 11 ODI innings – even as Pakistan managed to keep abreast of the asking rate. But soon, Phillips managed to hoodwink Babar and have him stumped down leg to mount the pressure.Haris Sohail, who last played an ODI in 2020, then shifted the pressure back on to New Zealand with a 23-ball 32. Twice he thumped Tim Southee over deep midwicket to decisively shift the equation in Pakistan’s favour. After he fell, Rizwan saw them home and stayed unbeaten on 77.Naseem Shah picked up a five-for to stifle New Zealand•Associated Press

Naseem rattles New ZealandEarlier, Naseem struck on the last ball of the first over as Devon Conway’s back foot conspired to help the ball ricochet on to the stumps after he missed a flick. Williamson and Finn Allen were taking time to get the measure of the surface.But Allen finally started to get the ball to ping off the meat of his blade as New Zealand looked to put the slowish start behind them. He first hit Naseem for two fours in an over before smashing Haris Rauf for a troika of fours. But with aid from an athletic diving catch from Agha Salman off Mohammad Wasim, Pakistan managed to see the back of Allen for 29 off 27 balls.Meanwhile, Williamson had managed to get a fair measure of the surface and managed to hit some well-timed fours. However, a ripper from debutant legspinner Usama Mir ended his stay. Mir got one to drift and land on middle and leg before turning away to beat Williamson’s bat and knock the top of middle stump.Seeing the purchase – and turn – Mir managed to get, Babar pressed Mohammad Nawaz, and then the offspin of Salman, into service through the middle overs. New Zealand managed to score only 57 runs between overs 21 and 35, even though they lost just two wickets in the phase. Overall, the Pakistan spinners went for a combined 98 off 24 overs, picking up three wickets.While Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham managed to hang around and hit the occasional boundary, they couldn’t really break free. They added 56 for the fourth wicket before Mitchell was done in by a Nawaz delivery that landed on middle and straightened enough to beat his outside edge and clatter into the stumps.Latham was among the most fluent of the New Zealand batters and it seemed as if he would up the ante, given his strength against spin. But he only managed to pull a half-tracker from Mir straight to deep midwicket.New Zealand were in a spot of bother after which Phillips and Bracewell added 66 off 75 balls. Despite not getting the big shots away regularly, the pair rotated the strike and helped the tourists get a base for a final-overs assault. So much so that in the face of mounting pressure, Phillips played out four dots before hitting Naseem for a massive six – the first of the game – in the 40th over.But Naseem had the final laugh as he managed to dismiss both Phillips (37 off 53 balls) and Bracewell (43 off 42 balls) to hamper New Zealand at the death. He cleaned up Bracewell and Shipley off successive balls only for Southee to deny him a hat-trick. But a quick hand from Santner and Southee managed to see New Zealand cross the 250-run mark. It wasn’t enough, eventually.

The January transfer window officially closed for business on Monday of last week and Leeds United did not make a single first-team addition to their squad.

Despite their rivals making moves to bolster their squads, notably Sheffield United’s swoops for Tom Cannon and Ben Brereton Diaz and Sunderland’s move for Enzo Le Fee, the Whites opted against any winter deals.

The West Yorkshire outfit are currently competing for promotion to the Premier League and they are sat at the top of the Championship table as it stands, hoping that the squad from the first half of the season can remain consistent and push them over the line.

Daniel Farke’s men beat Coventry City 2-0 in their last league matches, which included Joel Piroe taking his tally for the season to 13 goals in the second tier.

The Dutch forward was, however, rested for the 2-0 defeat to Millwall in the FA Cup, as Mateo Joseph led the line for the Whites and failed to take his opportunity to impress.

Football FanCast published an article imploring Farke to instantly drop the Spaniard after the match, which was another blow to his chances of being a regular starter for Leeds.

Mateo Joseph's form this season

The Spain U21 international started the 2024/25 campaign as the first-choice number nine ahead of Piroe in the Championship, but failed to make sure that he retained his place in the side.

Joseph started the first eight matches of the season, in the second tier, and only scored one goal, which was a close-range finish in the 2-0 win over Hull City at Elland Road.

The young marksman, simply, did not offer enough of a threat in the final third and was eventually replaced by Piroe, who, as aforementioned, has racked up 13 goals in the Championship this season.

At the age of 21, Joseph still has plenty of time left to develop and improve as a player in the years to come, but the Whites will hope that he can add more consistency to his performances at the top end of the pitch as soon as possible, with promotion on the line this season.

As you can see in the table above, the Leeds striker has not made the most of the high-quality opportunities that his teammates have created for him this season, as he has underperformed his xG by roughly two goals.

The 21-year-old gem has, however, created four ‘big chances’ in 11 starts, which shows that he does offer a decent amount of creativity as a centre-forward, but it is his finishing that, clearly, still needs a lot of work before he can be a regular starter in the Championship for Farke.

Despite Joseph’s struggles this season, the Spanish attacker has still managed to outscore a player who Leeds sold for a huge amount of money last year.

Leeds hit the jackpot selling £20m star

Back in February of last year, Premier League side Bournemouth agreed a fee of £20m to sign Colombia international Luis Sinisterra from the Whites ahead of the summer transfer window.

Where Are They Now

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

Leeds had snapped the forward up from Dutch club Feyenoord in the summer of 2022, for a reported fee of £21m, as Jesse Marsch brought him in to bolster his attack for the 2022/23 campaign.

Unfortunately, the young winger missed a whopping 16 games through injury, suffering muscle, ankle, and foot issues throughout the Premier League season.

As you can see in the table above, Sinisterra did offer a decent goal threat in the matches that he was available for but failed to offer anything in the way of creativity.

Leeds opted to send him out on loan to Bournemouth for the 2023/24 campaign after they were relegated to the Championship, and he went on to score two goals and provide two assists in 20 Premier League games for the Cherries.

He did enough to earn a £20m move to the Vitality Stadium and it currently looks as though the Whites hit the jackpot by cashing in on him for that amount of money.

How Luis Sinisterra's 24/25 season has gone so far

The 25-year-old forward officially completed his move to Bournemouth last summer and this has been his first season as a permanent player at the club.

Unfortunately, his injury issues have continued to plague him. The Colombian attacker is currently sidelined with a hamstring issue that has kept him out of action since October, causing him to miss 18 matches and counting.

This suggests that the Whites played a blinder by recouping £20m for the winger because the injury issues that disrupted his time at Elland Road have continued to cause him issues on the south coast.

His performances in the Premier League, when fit, this season also do not suggest that the £20m spent on his services has been good value for money for the Cherries so far.

As you can see in the table above, Sinisterra has offered a decent, but not outstanding, at the top end of the pitch for Bournemouth in the top-flight when available this season.

The Colombia international has, therefore, scored two fewer league goals and registered two fewer assists than Joseph in the league, albeit at different levels, this term.

Sinisterra has not offered enough, in terms of quality in the final third or availability to be selected, to justify the money spent to secure his services last summer, which suggests that Leeds hit the jackpot by cashing in on him for a fee of £20m.

The West Yorkshire outfit will, now, be hoping that the Bournemouth flop does not go on to prove them massively wrong, and that Joseph can improve his output in the final third as he gains more first-team experience.

Fewer touches than Darlow: Leeds must axe 3/10 dud after Millwall nightmare

Leeds United crashed out of the FA Cup.

By
Matt Dawson

Feb 8, 2025

Ben Chilwell’s loan move from Chelsea to Crystal Palace has been given the famous “here we go” from Fabrizio Romano. He is set to undergo his medical on deadline day and will sign on loan at Selhurst Park until the end of the season.

Chilwell is the second player the Eagles have signed on loan from Stamford Bridge this season after Trevoh Chalobah joined the club for the season. However, he was recalled by the Blues in the middle of January. Palace may well have his replacement lined up on deadline day.

Palace target new defender

According to a report from CaughtOffside, the Eagles ‘want to add’ 24-year-old Portuguese defender Tiago Djlao to their squad in order to reinforce Oliver Glasner’s defensive options for the second half of the season. The reports reads that Palace are ‘pushing hard’ to get their man.

They could face difficulties with a potential move for the centre-back. He is currently on loan at Portuguese side FC Porto, meaning parent club Juventus will have to break the current loan in order for Palace to bring him in.

Why Djalo would be a good signing

Frustratingly for Djalo, he has not had much involvement for Porto during the first half of the season, which is potentially a hint they may be willing to break his loan. The 24-year-old has featured just 12 times across all competitions, managing two goals in that time.

However, despite a tough campaign so far, the defender has been a key player in a top European side during his career. He made 102 appearances for LOSC Lille between 2019 and 2023, even featuring in the Champions League.

Djalo would be a key signing for Palace if they are aiming to replace Chalobah on deadline day. The former Eagles loanee was vital for Glasner, playing 14 times in all competitions, starting each game he featured in.

The South London side will certainly be glad Djalo can find the back of the net because it was something Chalobah excelled at. He managed three goals during his short stint at Selhurst Park, including one against Brighton.

To get an idea of how similar the players are, statistical comparisons on Sofascore for Djlao and Chalobah can be drawn. For this comparison, league stats from the 2024/25 campaign have been used despite the smaller sample size.

Both players are impressive on the ball, with the Portuguese defender averaging a pass accuracy of 95% in the Portuguese top flight this term, and Chalobah slightly lower at 82%. The Palace target will certainly raise the technical floor of the side.

In terms of their ability out of possession, the 24-year-old Porto man averages 5.3 ball recoveries per game, compared to 4.4 for the Chelsea man, and wins 65% of his ground duels as opposed to 59% for Chalobah.

If the Eagles can get Juve to break the loan, this could be a smart signing on deadline day. Djalo, described as a “dominant” defender by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, could raise the technical floor of the Palace side whilst also being an imposing defender.

Whether it is on a short-term loan deal or a permanent move, this could be a perfect signing for Palace and be a fantastic replacement for Chalobah. Hopefully, the addition of Chilwell isn’t the end of their deadline day business.

Romano: Crystal Palace reach deadline day agreement to sign £200k-p/w ace

Oliver Glasner and Crystal Palace are closing in on a signing on transfer deadline day.

By
Brett Worthington

Feb 3, 2025

The visitors had a wobble in the morning but ended up comfortable winners

AAP19-Oct-2022

Caleb Jewell inspired Tasmania to a seven-wicket victory in their Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia at Adelaide Oval.Tasmania started the final day at 0 for 104 in their pursuit of 235, but the loss of Tim Ward, Jake Doran and Ben McDermott during the morning session on Wednesday saw the visitors slip to 3 for 164.Jewell kept his cool to guide Tasmania over the line, with Jordan Silk there in support.Related

Ward's determination and Siddle's late strikes lift Tasmania

Tasmania have victory in sight despite Manenti's sparkling display

Ward fell on the sixth ball of day four when he edged Wes Agar behind. Jake Carder took an excellent diving catch while running with the flight of the ball to remove Doran, and McDermott fell a short time before lunch.Jewell dug in to ensure there would be no late wobbles, with the 25-year-old notching his century in fine style by pulling Agar for six.Veteran paceman Peter Siddle was crucial in Tasmania’s victory, returning the excellent figures of 4 for 51 and 4 for 45.Tasmania’s win marked a huge turn around from their season-opening flop, when they lost to Queensland by an innings and 172 runs.

Australia wicketkeeper rues Phoenix’s home defeats to Superchargers and Originals

Matt Roller30-Aug-2022

Sit in the pub and pray for rain in Manchester. That, according to Matthew Wade, is Birmingham Phoenix’s plan for the rest of the Hundred, after they were left on the brink of elimination despite completing a one-wicket win against London Spirit at Lord’s on Tuesday night.Phoenix needed to chase their target of 140 in 73 balls or fewer in order to overtake Spirit on net run rate and seal a spot in the knockout stages. Promoted to No. 3, Wade hit 81 off 42 balls but struggled for support from his team-mates, and Phoenix will only qualify if Manchester Originals tie with Oval Invincibles on Wednesday evening, or if the game finishes as a no-result.”We won a game of cricket,” Wade said. “We’re five [wins] and three [defeats]. We’ve given ourselves a chance, I suppose you could say. We’ll hope for a draw or a washout and we’ll go through.”We knew coming in that it was, like, 43 runs or 28 balls to spare that we had to win with. That’s over a quarter of the game, so we knew it was going to be tough. We were hoping that two blokes got going with the bat and we could chase it down but it didn’t happen. So we’ll just go and sit at the pub and watch the game.”Related

Play-off scenarios: Five men's teams in contention, Brave and Invincibles eye women's final

The £250,000 gamble that defined Welsh Fire's winless season

Malan fifty ensures Trent Rockets comfortably qualify for Hundred play-offs

Wade 81 helps see Birmingham Phoenix to thrilling one-wicket win

Spirit needed to restrict Phoenix to 103 or fewer to leapfrog Trent Rockets and seal automatic qualification for Saturday’s final and looked in with a chance of doing so when they reduced them to 95 for 7, but will instead play in Friday night’s eliminator.”That [figure] was always in our mind, especially with early wickets, but Matthew Wade played an excellent innings,” Ravi Bopara, Spirit’s top-scorer, said. “He took it away from us a little bit. It is what it is and at least we’re through to the next round.”The boys were walking off there and saying ‘what a weird feeling that was’. We were happy because we’ve gone through, but walking off, you’ve lost the game. Weird.”Wade said that Phoenix’s heavy home defeats against Manchester Originals and Northern Superchargers are likely to be the results that cost them. “We knew after the other night that we’d cost ourselves and it was going to hurt come the back end today,” he said.”We went out and tried to chase them early. It didn’t happen and we kind of reverted to winning the game. We won a game of cricket and that’s all you can look at. It’s not tonight that was the problem; it was the games when we got blown out of the water at Edgbaston.”He also threw his support behind the Hundred’s format, suggesting that other countries should look to implement the format in their domestic competitions. “I’ve absolutely loved it,” he said. “It’s something that all countries should look at down the line.”In Australia, [in the BBL], we have a four-over powerplay and the Power Surge and it just feels like this is a condensed game of T20. It’s a more structured format, I feel. [Games] start a little bit earlier and a lot of kids come in. My kids have had no interest in cricket until I’ve got over here and now they’ve loved it.”My daughter is collecting Hundred [trading] cards and they’ve just embraced the atmosphere of the Hundred, which is something that has really opened my eyes. Hopefully a lot of countries around the world look at this format because it feels like with the time that it’s played in and the format, it’s something that everyone who comes and has a look at it or plays it seems to fall in love with.”Wade will briefly return home after the tournament before his focus turns to the T20 World Cup, as Australia prepare to defend the title they won in the UAE last year.”I’ll sneak home if we don’t qualify and get a few more days at home, which is nice. I’ll get probably eight or ten days at home and then we go to India for three T20s and then back to Australia for six more before the World Cup.”That’s the game we play at the moment. It’s a truly international game at the moment with all these leagues coming out, and international cricket on top of that. It’s just part of the job. I’ll saddle up and hopefully we can defend the World Cup.”

Turning their attention towards the future, Manchester United are now reportedly closing in on their first signing of the Ruben Amorim era with one target now set to travel to complete a medical.

Man Utd transfer news

Three Premier League defeats in a row and admitting that his side may well find themselves in a relegation battle as the new year gets underway, to say that Amorim has endured a tough start would be an understatement. And things aren’t set to get any easier anytime soon.

Man Utd send scouts to watch "complete" striker Chelsea chased all summer

Ruben Amorim wants to add more goals to his United team, and this player would do exactly that.

2

By
Brett Worthington

Jan 3, 2025

Currently just seven points adrift of the dropzone, the Red Devils have the task of becoming just the second team in Europe to defeat Arne Slot’s Liverpool side this weekend before squaring off against Arsenal in the FA Cup. As January potentially commences another nightmare month on the pitch, however, those at Old Trafford must back their manager in the transfer market away from the action.

On that front, the transfer rumours are already coming thick and fast and the Red Devils could even have the first official signing of the Amorim era sealed sooner than they think.

According to Paraguayan journalist Bruno Pont, Manchester United are now closing in on signing Diego Leon with the young defender set to travel to complete his medical at the club.

In a deal worth a reported £4m, those at Old Trafford will have to wait until the summer and after Leon’s 18th birthday to see their new man in action, given that he’s unable to complete a move before that point. At least securing his signature in advance nonetheless, the teenager is undoubtedly a rising star to watch.

Leon could receive a fair few opportunities when he does arrive too, with the left wing-back spot very much up for grabs in the face of Luke Shaw’s continued injuries and the fact that Diogo Dalot is currently playing out of position.

"Powerful" Leon is one for the future

Of course, Manchester United need far more than the arrival of a 17-year-old left-back in 2025, but that doesn’t mean Leon isn’t a good place to start. One for the future, the left-back may solve one of Amorim’s greatest problems for years to come at the reported cost of just £4m. Described as “powerful” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Leon could prove to be quite the coup from Cerro Porteno.

As they wait for his official arrival in the summer, Manchester United should also turn their attention towards players likely to make an instant impact in the hope of pushing on from the embarrassment of a relegation battle.

Shikhar Dhawan has already done on the West Indies tour something not many others can claim to have done – orchestrating a smash hit Instagram reel featuring head coach Rahul Dravid. It features most members of the squad currently in the Caribbean for the three ODIs beginning on Friday at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.For Dhawan, “doing things together” and “sharing experiences” off the field are as important as winning on the field. In any case, India have had plenty of time to bond since much of their three-day build-up since their arrival has been hampered by rain, forcing them to train indoors.Related

• Pooran: West Indies must 'believe that we can fight'

• Rahul tests positive for Covid-19, likely to miss T20Is against WI

• How Hooda turned things around (with a little help from Pathan)

• WI look to better ODI performances against Dhawan-led India

• Simmons puts faith in struggling WI batters, adds voice for better pitches

“I’m very excited,” Dhawan said ahead of the first ODI. “Whenever I get a chance to work with the youngsters, I feel I can share my experience with them. Everyone does skill work, but I like to speak about the mental aspect and bring an impact to their games.”Dhawan is on his second tour as full-time captain, having worked previously with Dravid on the tour of Sri Lanka last year. India’s stand-in captain touched upon the importance of having a lively atmosphere in the dressing room.”We have a great bond,” he said. “We had been to Sri Lanka [last year] and bonded well there. There is an understanding, which is very good. I feel my energy and nature are such that we’re all together. That liveliness within the group creates a good bond. There’s always fun and games, and a lot of laughter. Earlier, we had team dinners and team activities. Now, we do reels too. If people are happy with it, it makes us happy (laughs).”Dhawan made scores of 1, 9 and 31* in England. His failure in the last two ODIs, especially, coincided with India’s top-order struggles, something Rohit Sharma, the full-time captain, touched upon as an area to work on, after India’s 2-1 series win .Dhawan, however, wasn’t concerned about his form or the chatter – from fans and media – of him being under any sort of pressure in the face of growing competition. In this group itself, India have a number of opening options – Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and even Shubman Gill.”I don’t feel odd, I have heard it for 10 years,” he laughed. “People keep talking, I keep performing. If I listened to them, I wouldn’t be here. I have the experience, so I’m not too worried. As long as I self-analyse and improve, nothing else matters.”I’m a very positive person. For me, positivity is about self-belief and the confidence you take in. I have that since I’ve been playing for so many years. I’m here because I’ve done some good things. That is the positivity I want to pass on to the youngsters.”We want to create the kind of energy where we put faith in each other to ensure the result takes care of itself. There is pressure in international cricket, sure, but it’s not the kind of pressure that will change my personality or style of play. I have a lot of belief in myself and the team.”

Notts Outlaws kept their Vitality Blast campaign alive with a thumping win over Leicestershire Foxes at the Uptonsteel County Ground.Having bowled out the home side for a dismal 123 in 19 overs, Outlaws were home and hosed with 6.4 overs to spare after opener Alex Hales had launched their reply by smashing 44 off 16 balls. Ben Duckett’s unbeaten 44 completed a five-wicket victory.The Outlaws were missing leading wicket-taker Jake Ball, but Dane Paterson, Calvin Harrison and Luke Fletcher took two each in an efficient Outlaws bowling display on a pitch offering a modicum of help, only South African Wiaan Mulder, with 32, and Rishi Patel, 28, even remotely threatening to make a game of it.Four-times semi-finalists and twice Blast champions in the last six seasons, Notts have won only three matches at the halfway stage of this year’s competition but with fixtures in hand over all their rivals in the North Group will still fancy themselves to book a quarter-final place. Leicestershire also have three wins but from two more matches and have lost all four home fixtures thus far.Related

• Feroze Khushi cracks 67 as Middlesex lose fifth in a row

• Sussex lose 8 for 23 as Gloucestershire seal stunning comeback win

• Last-gasp Liam Trevaskis takes Durham across the line

• Brad Wheal, Chris Wood take Hampshire to four on the spin

• Yorkshire drub Bears to throw North Group qualification race wide open

Skipper Colin Ackermann opted to bat first but a disappointing powerplay had left his side 31 for 3. Fletcher dismissed Lewis Hill and Arron Lilley off consecutives balls in the opening over and though Ackermann struck three boundaries he was stumped giving offspinner Matt Carter the charge, after which posting a competitive total looked a tall order for the Foxes.Only Mulder – drafted in for his first appearance in the competition after New Zealand’s Hamish Rutherford was summoned as cover at Trent Bridge – cleared the ropes in the first 10, which also saw Scott Steel caught at midwicket for a stodgy 12.Mulder lofted Harrison over long-on for a second six and Rishi Patel followed suit against his namesake, Samit, but when Mulder tried to repeat the treatment against Harrison’s legspin he sliced straight to long-off.A strong finish was required but instead Leicestershire lost their last five wickets for 17 in 19 balls. Ben Mike was lbw as Harrison found some turn and Rehan Ahmed was beaten by Joe Clarke’s throw. Patel’s 28 off 29 ended when he was bowled trying to reverse-sweep before Paterson bowled Naveen ul-Haq and Will Davis to wrap the innings up.Clarke and Hales needed only 14 deliveries to better the home side’s powerplay, and when Mike’s opening over went for 25, including 24 off the bat of Hales, the Outlaws’ boundary count was already higher than the Foxes managed in their entire innings.Both openers then holed out in Naveen’s second over, which necessitated some regrouping by the visitors with two new batters at the crease, but Duckett ended the powerplay with three consecutive boundaries to make the score 81 for 2 and leave only 43 needed.A couple of wickets for Callum Parkinson, who dismissed Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney with consecutive deliveries, and one for teenage legspinner Ahmed ensured that the Outlaws would not have everything their way but Duckett’s eight boundaries ensured there was no unexpected twist.

Growing more and more desperate for defensive reinforcements amid continued injury setbacks, Manchester City are now reportedly entertaining the possibility of signing one particular addition as soon as the January transfer window.

Man City transfer news

Even after returning to winning ways for the first time in seven games last time out, Man City didn’t escape their battle against Nottingham Forest unscathed, with Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji suffering ill-timed injuries. With Pep Guardiola short on options once again just when he managed to turn a corner with the 3-0 victory, the Spaniard will be desperately awaiting the January transfer window.

On that front, the rumours are already coming thick and fast. The likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Viktor Gyokeres have recently stolen plenty of headlines regarding potential moves to the Etihad Stadium in 2025 in two deals that would go a long way to returning City to the summit of English football.

They’re not the only names to have been mentioned, however. According to GiveMeSport, Manchester City are now entertaining the possibility of signing Juma Bah as soon as January. The central defender is currently on loan at Real Valladolid from AIK Freetong, but the Citizens could attempt to cut that spell short to boost their defensive options in the winter window.

Pep must finally sell Man City star whose "decline has been insane"

Having lost 6 of their last 8 matches, Man City will need to ask big questions of their established stars, including Kyle Walker

ByBen Gray Dec 6, 2024

Still just 18 years old, Bah would likely be seen as someone who can add depth rather than the solution to City’s defensive problems. At such a young age, the teenager would be a wise investment given Guardiola’s proven success when developing the next top stars. So whilst Bah would be entering quite the storm at the Etihad, the calm that follows could potentially result in an impressive rise.

"Promising" Bah is one for the future

With the likes of Kyle Walker and John Stones part of an ageing backline, the addition of a future star in the form of Bah would represent the type of transfer genius that we’ve become familiar with from Manchester City. The Citizens could instantly ease their future concerns by welcoming the teenage sensation, who was described as “promising” by EuroFoot after an impressive display for Valladolid.

If the Premier League champions are to make their move in the January transfer window, it will be interesting to see just how much of a part Bah plays. The last thing that City should do is disrupt his development and leave him confined to the reserves, and if that is to be the case, they should allow the defender to at least complete the season at Valladolid and continue to steal the headlines.

تحدث أشرف حكيمي، لاعب فريق باريس سان جيرمان، عن تأهلهم الصعب إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، مساء أمس على حساب فريق أستون فيلا.

وتلاقى الفريقان على ملعب “فيلا بارك” في إياب ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوربا، حيث تعرض باريس سان جيرمان للهزيمة بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين.

ورغم الهزيمة، حصل باريس سان جيرمان على بطاقة التأهل إلى نصف النهائي، مستفيدًا من فوزه في الذهاب بنتيجة 3-1.

وقال أشرف حكيمي، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “rmcsport” الفرنسية: “لم نكن خائفين، كنا نعلم أننا سنعاني اليوم، نحن سعداء برد فعل الفريق”.

وعن تأهلهم إلى نصف النهائي مرتين على التوالي، قال: “نحن نرى العمل الذي يقوم به النادي، بالنسبة لفريق مثلنا، إذا أردنا الفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا، فمن غير الممكن أن نبدأ الشوط الثاني بتلقي هدفين، سنتحدث عن ذلك”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إنريكي بعد تأهل باريس سان جيرمان إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا: علينا ألا نبالغ في ثقتنا

وواصل: “لم يكن الأمر سهلًا، لقد عانينا، كانت مهمتنا هي التأهل ونحن سعداء بتحقيق ذلك، هناك أمور كان علينا تحسينها، مثل الهدفين اللذين استقبلناهما”.

واسترسل: “دوناروما؟ نعرف حارس المرمى الذي نملكه جيدًا، لقد أظهر جدارته الليلة، يشكك فيه الكثيرون، لكننا لم نشك فيه أبدًا”.

وأكد: “إنه أحد أفضل حراس المرمى في العالم، ونحن سعداء بوجوده في باريس سان جيرمان، نأمل أن يبقى معنا طويلًا”.

وعما إذا كان يفضل مواجهة ريال مدريد أم آرسنال في الدور المقبل، قال: “الحقيقة هي أننا لا نهتم، علينا مواجهة الأفضل للفوز بهذه البطولة، كلاهما فريقان عظيمان، نحن مستعدون لذلك”.