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There is a slot available in Gareth Southgate's side either on the wing or in midfield, with plenty of players vying to make it their own

With Euro 2024 just three months away, Gareth Southgate will already have a pretty clear idea of which England players will be walking out of the tunnel to face Serbia at Schalke's Veltins Arena on June 16, injuries permitting. However, away from the guaranteed starters, there is a gaping hole that still needs to be filled in his line-up, with all to play for in the lead-up to the tournament.

Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are are certain to start off the back of their respective stellar seasons at club level, but there is space for one more to complete look of the Three Lions' midfield and attack.

Southgate finds himself in the enviable position of having a wealth of quality players too choose from to occupy a role as a No.8, attacking midfielder or winger, but the decision is set to be an incredibly tough one. So much will depend on the attacking configuration of the team and where he sees best to use Bellingham, who has been a sensation as a No.10 for Real Madrid this season, and Foden, who has been sublime for Man City in a multitude of positions.

GOAL ranks the England manager's options for his 'sixth man' in Germany this summer…

Getty14Mason Mount

Mount currently feels a long, long way away from the England squad, let alone the starting line-up. The former Chelsea man has endured a miserable debut season with Manchester United, and at this stage it would take something quite special for him to force his way onto the plane to Germany.

In his continuing battle for form and fitness, the midfielder is finally back in action with his club, and it is well-documented that Southgate has favoured Mount in the past. If he can prove his fitness and finally show what he is capable of in the coming months, he might just sneak into the manager's plans.

AdvertisementGetty13Jordan Henderson

When it comes to clinging on to his place in the England set-up, Henderson seems to have the resilience of a cockroach. The 33-year-old retained his place despite his ill-fated and controversial move to Al-Ettifaq in the summer, and his subsequent switch to struggling Eredivisie giants Ajax has been enough to keep him in the picture after he jumped ship from Saudi Arabia, despite things going just as badly on the pitch in Amsterdam.

Southgate obviously loves him and there is arguably something to be said for keeping him around for his experience and work ethic, but he should no longer be anywhere near the starting line-up for the Three Lions. He ranks lowly here, but don't surprised to see him in the XI in Germany.

Getty12Kalvin Phillips

Poor old Phillips. Things have gone from bad to worse for a man who was once a nailed-on starter for Southgate at the base of the England midfield. He sought to revive his club career by joining West Ham on loan in January, having never truly stood a chance of breaking into Pep Guardiola's Man City side, but things have gone awry in east London.

Having been a stalwart of the squad even when he wasn't playing at City, Southgate has now dropped Phillips for the March international break despite him getting regular minutes at the London Stadium, such have been his struggles, admitting Phillips "hasn't been good enough".

He faces an uphill battle to reclaim his place in the squad, but the manager has always rated him, and a return to the team is not beyond the realms of possibility if he can get back on track in the coming months.

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Getty Images11Marcus Rashford

Amid an indifferent season during which he has had issues on and off the field with Manchester United, Rashford can count himself lucky to be included in the group for March's friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. He looks a shadow of the lethal attacker who plundered 30 goals in 2022-23, and his chances of laying claim to a place in the manager's first-choice XI seem slim at best.

The hope will surely be that he can rediscover his goal-scoring touch in an England shirt. It was his performances at the 2022 World Cup that kickstarted his season last time around and saw him storm to his best-ever goal-scoring campaign. That player is in there somewhere and can be a weapon for England, but time is against him.

Talk about the pitfalls of riches, eh? For a number of years, Chelsea had a penchant for seemingly turning exciting young world talents into blundering, nearly laughable deadwood.

Off the top of your head, who do you think of? Romelu Lukaku or Kevin De Bruyne? Nathan Ake or Daniel Sturridge? Their times at the Bridge were often a footnote to much bigger and grander career events as they approached the pinnacle of the sport after leaving west London.

Today's subject of Mohamed Salah is no different.

How much did Chelsea sell Mohamed Salah for?

Spurred on by his natural football gift, Salah saw himself scouted from Al Mokawloon to Basel in 2012. In Switzerland, just two terms were enough to fully reward the niche scouts who had picked him up.

Especially after 20 goals in 79 games, as well as two goals against Chelsea in the Champions League, Salah made the switch in 2014 for £11m. Of course though, things just didn't work out at Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

As soon as he joined, his involvement was marred by rumours of Egyptian military service. However, after meeting with the Egyptian manager, Shawky Gharieb, and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab – conscription was off the table.

Unfortunately, other things off the table were consistent starts and form. After a particularly poor showing against Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup, Salah and Andre Schurrle publicly came under fire from Mourinho and thus 2015 signalled to opportunities elsewhere.

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Two successful loans to Fiorentina and then Roma saw Salah light up Italy. Especially at the latter with 14 goals in 34 games – the Gialarossi made the move permanent for 2016/17. Chelsea parted ways with the Roma's Player of the Year for just £12m. With the Blues likely already eyeing up the next talent to bring in, their attention should've perhaps been on Salah's raw potential. Why did they let him leave after the first loan?

Still at just 24, the 2016/17 season was a great spotlight. He topped the season prior's effort and ended 2017's Serie A term with a thrilling 15 goals and 13 assists in 31 games.

Roma cruised to second place, with Salah's assist-client Edin Dzeko top of the scoring charts with 29 goals in 37 games. The instigator of much of Roma's fluidity under Luciano Spalletti, Salah drew the attention of Liverpool, and they signed the right-winger for a record £36.9m in June 2017 on a five-year-deal.

Just how good has Mo Salah been since joining Liverpool?

What can one say about Salah at Liverpool that's not already been said before? You likely know how good he is, it's hard to ignore 142 goals in 226 Premier League games. In his seven seasons in England now, the wing wizard has certainly come back to haunt Chelsea.

Up there with the world's elite, the Egyptian has not only become a fine ambassador for Liverpool, but also for his country. On Merseyside and Nile-side, the 'Egyptian King' is close to a deity and after his Italian foray between 2015-17 – he re-approached the Premier League while just realising the true depths of his powers.

At the time of writing, and after a trailblazing 2017/18 season of 32 goals – the 5 foot 9 Salah hasn't had a season that's been under the 15-goal mark.

2017-18

32

11

UCL Runner-up

2018-19

22

10

UCL Winner

2019-20

19

10

PL Winner / UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup winner

2020-21

22

5

UCL QF

2021-22

23

14

FA Cup, EFL Cup winner

2022-23

19

12

Community Shield winner

2023-24 so far

8

5

So, how much is Salah worth now? Well, amidst the trend of Saudi talent grabbing, Al-Ittihad put in a huge inflated bid of £150m for the winger on transfer deadline day, one that was rejected suggesting the Anfield outfit value him even higher.

The Egyptian stays loyal to the Kop (currently). According to Football Transfers, Salah's more realistic value sits at €63.4, or £55m.

Glasgow Rangers new boss Philippe Clement got off to a wonderful start during his first match in charge of the Ibrox side.

The Belgian led his team to a straightforward 4-0 victory over Hibernian in Glasgow and while the performance was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, there are clear signs of progress which will surely have already won some of the supporters over.

A winning start is expected by any new manager who arrives at the Light Blues and Clement managed expectations extremely well and the momentum can now build ahead of a Europa League clash against Sparta Prague next week.

Abdallah Sima continued his fine form of late, and he could become a key player under the new regime.

How did Abdallah Sima perform vs Hibs?

The on-loan winger was signed by Michael Beale from Brighton and Hove Albion, and he has exploded into some wonderful form recently.

Sima had already found the back of the net on seven occasions since joining the club, including two goals in the Europa League group stage, and he was one of the few bright sparks under Beale.

Against Hibs, he received a Sofascore match rating of 8.8 which was the best on the pitch and along with scoring twice, the player also took five total shots during the tie.

The winger also attempted a staggering nine dribbles, succeeding with four and it's clear he was keen to make an impression under the new manager.

His performance was integral to the Gers gaining a crucial three points, yet it was perhaps captain James Tavernier who was Clement’s silent hero against the Easter Road side.

How good was James Tavernier against Hibs?

The club stalwart has had his criticisms this term, yet Beale lauded him as “fantastic” following the Old Firm defeat back in September and he put on a solid display this afternoon.

The right-back was excellent defensively, making four clearances, one interception and one tackle as the Light Blues kept a well-deserved clean sheet while Tavernier also won five out of his nine duels during the match.

It was his attacking abilities which were on full display in front of the Ibrox crowd, however. The 31-year-old made four key passes during the tie as he looked to create chances for his teammates, and although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, he created a big chance while succeeding with two of his five dribble attempts.

It was not the finest performance of his Gers career to date – as he did lose possession on 23 occasions – yet Clement will be pleased at just how effective his captain was during a game which could potentially have been a banana skin for the Belgian.

If Tavernier continues to step up to the plate and deliver consistent performance between now and the end of the current season, the Light Blues could challenge for silverware.

The former Club Brugge manager is no miracle worker, but this 4-0 win is a solid start to what could hopefully be a productive time in charge of the Glasgow side.

Liverpool defeated Brighton & Hove Albion in a weekend that was dominated by talk of Mohamed Salah. This is nothing new, but the circumstances surrounding the Egyptian attacker certainly are.

The 33-year-old completed a lap around Anfield after the 2-0 win in the Premier League, much-needed after the issues throughout the campaign. He was the last one on the pitch, and emotion radiated from him.

But was that goodbye? It didn’t quite feel like goodbye. Salah is heading off to the African Cup of Nations now, and he will be absent for around a month. After his inflammatory outburst at Leeds United one week ago, all of a Liverpool persuasion have been on tenterhooks as to whether the club legend will leave in bitter circumstances this winter.

Regardless, Liverpool could do with a new forward, having struggled for fluency and collective balance this season.

Liverpool's January transfer plans

FSG believe that one or two calculated signings this winter would go a long way toward setting Liverpool’s problems to rights. And given the club’s abject, error-prone defending, many are calling for a new centre-half.

But balance across the frontline is just as important, with Hugo Ekitike something of an outlier in hitting the ground running in front of goal this season. In July, the Frenchman, 23, left Eintracht and signed for Liverpool in a £69m deal, and he has scored ten goals so far.

Salah’s ageing legs and the sale of Luis Diaz have impacted Slot’s side, and FSG feel that Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo could provide the answer to a few of their problems.

According to TEAMtalk, Manchester United’s interest in the Ghana international is getting stronger, but Liverpool remain the frontunner, with his preference being to join the Anfield side.

Semenyo, 26, has been among the Premier League’s most in-form forwards this season, and Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are also getting ready to present offers of their own but Semenyo prefers a switch to the current title holders. His £65m release clause goes live in a fortnight.

Why Semenyo could make Ekitike a superstar

Semenyo’s alliance of strength and skill and potency in the final third has created a truly special Premier League star. His form this season has opened the doorway to a big-money move to an elite club, and pundit Chris Waddle has even called him “the best winger in the country”.

A direct and dynamic wideman, Semenyo has that rare skill of two-footedness, at ease on his right or his left. Three of his Premier League goals this season have been scored with his right foot, and the other three with his left.

His unpredictability and fleet-footedness could help take Ekitike, already in fine fettle, to the next level. As per Sofascore, Semenyo has averaged 1.6 dribbles and won 6.5 duels per top-flight fixture this season.

This could be the spark for Liverpool’s new focal frontman, who is leaps and bounds above record signing Alexander Isak at this moment in time.

Against Brighton on Saturday, Ekitike scored a brace, his second in as many league outings. Not just a pinpoint striker, he is mobile and intelligent and electric when on the ball. The complete package, and on his way to becoming the player Liverpool paid £125m for in a ready-made version in Isak.

By adding width and energy to Liverpool’s flanks, Semenyo would create new pockets for Ekitike to shift into.

Already, the new recruit has made mincemeat of many of Liverpool’s opponents, even against the backdrop of such drama and disharmony.

Perhaps his likeness to the summer-sold Diaz underlines sporting director Richard Hughes’ ambitions with this one. He is a player who has the capacity to thrive as a starring member of Slot’s title-challenging team, and teammate Justin Kluivert has called him a “world-class” player.

Goals scored

0.43

0.49

Assists

0.21

0.19

Shots taken

2.29

2.66

Shot-creating actions

3.43

4.39

Touches (att pen)

4.43

6.27

Pass completion (%)

71.3

84.2

Progressive passes

3.65

4.13

Progressive carries

3.65

4.05

Successful take-ons

1.64

1.99

Ball recoveries

5.00

3.94

Tackles + interceptions

2.00

1.73

Ekitike, too, is cut from worthy cloth, and though it’s been a tough season for the Anfield side, there are signs of a side stabalising, and this could ensure that Liverpool return to their best form.

He's proven Carragher wrong: Liverpool star has become their best player

This Liverpool star is certainly in the conversation for the club’s Player of the Season accolade.

ByKelan Sarson 1 day ago

Former England women’s captain will combine management role with continuing to play for Hampshire

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Apr-2018Charlotte Edwards, the former England women’s captain, has made her first movement into cricket administration by being appointed as Hampshire’s director of women’s cricket.Edwards, who will continue to captain Hampshire Women for a second season this summer, will head up the management of both Hampshire Women’s first-team and player pathway sides, as well as the Southern Vipers – the team she led to the inaugural Kia Super League title in 2016.She takes over the role filled by former Hampshire wicketkeeper Bob Parks, who has announced his retirement after more than 45 years involved in the game.”I’m extremely excited about my new role as director of women’s cricket,” Edwards said. “Having played for Hampshire and Southern Vipers for the past two seasons, I see an ambitious organisation that will complement my passion for domestic cricket. I look forward to working with players, coaches and staff to help Hampshire become one of the leading domestic clubs in the country for women’s cricket.”Edwards, who captained the England Women’s side for more than a decade before retiring in 2015, scored more than 10,000 international runs during her 20-year career.Her career spanned four Ashes series victories, a World T20 title and the 2009 World Cup victory as England captain. In 2014, she was awarded a CBE for her services to cricket.”We’re delighted that Charlotte has agreed to take up the role,” Hampshire’s chief executive officer, David Mann, said. “She’s a legend in the women’s game and has been a superb ambassador for the Vipers both on and off the pitch over the past two seasons.”Her wealth of experience and knowledge of the game will be invaluable assets for our management group and we’re excited by the qualities she brings to the role.”Our thanks must go to Bob Parks who has been an integral part of what the Southern Vipers and Hampshire Women have been able to achieve over the past two seasons and we all wish him well in his retirement.”

Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta are said to be eyeing a January transfer for one player who could be exactly what they're missing.

Who have Arsenal signed 2023?

The Premier League title contenders sealed deals for club-record signing Declan Rice, defender Jurrien Timber, forward Kai Havertz and goalkeeper David Raya – who cost north of £200 million in total.

Having enjoyed their most ambitious and productive summer transfer window in recent memory, certain squad members had to make way for room.

Indeed, Folarin Balogun, Granit Xhaka, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty, Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga all left north London either on loan or permanently.

So far, despite not playing at their very best, Arsenal have been justified in their decisions with four wins secured out of their opening five top flight matches so far this season.

The Gunners also play host to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League tonight, as Arteta's side look to challenge on multiple fronts.

Who will Arsenal buy in January?

One position they were unable to shore up over the summer was further forward, as Arsenal opted to bring in Havertz as a makeshift option rather than signing a classic centre-forward.

Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah stand out as their only natural striking options. If injury were to befall either of the duo, it would arguably leave Arteta desperately short.

As such, there have been reports that Arsenal could move for a world-class striker in 2024. The likes of Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who has been free-scoring in Serie A, have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is also believed to be of interest to sporting director Edu and Arteta.

Journalist John Cross of The Daily Mirror, sharing news on the player's future, has an update concerning Arsenal's interest.

It is believed Arsenal are among the clubs "likely" to be in the mix for Toney and are eyeing a January transfer. The 26-year-old, who is currently serving a ban for gambling breaches, is set to return to action after the new year.

Toney is said to have admirers at the club, with Cross claiming his physical presence is something "you could argue Arsenal lack". It's added that they would have "almost certainly" bid for the England international before September 1's summer deadline day, had he not been banned.

How good is Ivan Toney?

Scoring 20 league goals in 33 appearances last season, Toney is a truly prolific marksman when at his very best.

Bees boss Thomas Frank, speaking to the press this year, hailed his "£100 million" star as a "remarkable" and "amazing" player.

“Ivan is amazing in many, many aspects,” Frank said.

“The way he copes with pressure and distractions is amazing. He’s been scoring goals, performing for the team and driving the team. He’s remarkable.

“I can only talk about the Ivan that I see every day around the place and he’s a fantastic person around the group. He’s got that unique emotional intelligence to be aware of all the players, and every staff member."

Fulham are "touching base" with Atalanta over a move for Duvan Zapata, however, they have had a number of other striker targets in mind, transfer insider Dean Jones has now claimed.

Who are Fulham signing this summer?

With Aleksandar Mitrovic joining Al Hilal for a club-record £46m fee, it is imperative that Fulham bring in a replacement before the September 1st deadline, and they have identified Flamengo striker Pedro as a key target, but their pursuit is not going to plan.

The Cottagers were willing to shell out €25m (£21.5m) on the Brazilian, but after hearing that fee would not be deemed acceptable by Flamengo, they are now evaluating whether to make an official offer worth more than that.

Pedro wants to leave, after a recent altercation with a member of the coaching staff, but his current club are holding out for a high fee, which could cause Marco Silva to turn his attentions elsewhere, and Jones has now indicated that movement could be expected soon.

In a recent interview with GiveMeSport, the transfer insider provided an overview of Fulham's current dealings in the transfer market, saying:

“Fulham are hitting the transfer market next week to bolster the squad and make sure they are safer from the threat of relegation.

“Zapata is being linked, and the feeling is that it could be tricky, so the early expectations of it happening are low. But they are touching base in the hope something could open up.

“Broja was always a very outside bet, and Silva was never that expectant on anything happening with that. There was the Kean interest too though, so we are seeing a picture being painted of the type of striker we can expect them to sign in terms of player profile and fit. Mitrovic is a very physical player, and Fulham are looking for someone to bring that to their attack again. It’s very important in terms of how Silva lines up his team and builds play."

How many goals has Duvan Zapata scored?

Although the Cottagers are not currently in a strong position to sign the Atalanta forward, he could definitely be worth pursuing, should he be able to reignite his previous form, having scored a total of 133 goals in 332 games throughout his career so far.

The Colombian was one of Atalanta's most consistent players for a number of years, and he was formidable in front of goal in Serie A, reaching double figures for goals in six consecutive seasons.

However, now that he is in the latter stages of his career, at 32 years of age, the £55k-per-week forward has not been quite as prolific, finding the back of the net just twice in the Serie A last season, despite featuring fairly regularly.

Having been lauded as "physically imposing" and a "freight train of a striker" by CBS' Matteo Bonetti, the veteran striker could be a shrewd replacement for Mitrovic, but there are signs he is not the player he once was, and by the looks of things, a move to Craven Cottage could be one to keep a close eye on.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na Ilha do Retiro, o Fluminense perdeu para o Sport por 1 a 0 em jogo válido pela décima primeira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. O gol da partida foi marcado pelo atacante Hernane, de pênalti. Com o resultado, o Tricolor perdeu a oportunidade de chegar ao G-6 da competição, enquanto o Leão se afastou da zona de degola.

O Fluminense volta a campo na próxima quinta, às 20h, no estádio Olímpico de Goiânia para decidir uma vaga nas oitavas da Copa do Brasil contra o Atlético-GO. Pelo Brasileirão, o Tricolor jogará na segunda, dia 28, no Maracanã, contra o Coritiba. Já o Sport receberá o Corinthians, às 21h30, dia 23, na Ilha do Retiro.

Confira a classificação do Campeonato Brasileiro

Sport pressiona e Patric acerta o travessão
A partida começou com o Sport tomando a iniciativa e não deixando o Fluminense jogar. Taticamente, o Leão pressionou o adversário e logo aos 3 minutos teve a chance de abrir o placar. Após falha da defesa tricolor, Patric recebeu e ficou na cara do gol, porém Muriel desviou a bola, que ainda bateu no travessão. Os donos da casa apresentavam intensidade e eram soberanos na partida.

Brocador abre o placar
Jogando sob os seus domínios, o Leão seguia pressionando e tendo a chance de abrir o marcador. Com isso, aos 12, após cruzamento na área, Egídio chegou atrasado, fez um pênalti infantil e derrubouLeandro Barcia na área. O atacante Hernane foi para a cobrança e tirou de Muriel, colocando o Sport à frente no placar.

Muita posse de bola e pouca efetividade
Após o gol dos donos da casa, o Fluminense acordou no jogo e com muito toque de bola começou a controlar a partida e encurralar o adversário. No entanto, apesar dos 74% de posse de bola, a equipe não conseguia ser efetiva e pecava no último passe. O Sport congestionou o meio-campo com cinco jogadores e conseguiu suportar a pressão até o fim do primeiro tempo.

Tricolor volta melhor
Logo no início da etapa final, o Sport quase ampliou o placar comAdryelson de cabeça. Após escanteio deLuciano Juba, o zagueiro cabeceou, a bola passou por toda defesa, masLuccas Claro tirou em cima da linha. Em seguida, o Flu revidou em um bom lance de Wellington Silva, que recebeu de Egídio, mas pegou muito embaixo da bola. O Tricolor voltou melhor e finalizou mais, sobretudo com o camisa

Pressão Total…
Durante todo segundo tempo, o Fluminense sufocou o adversário e criou boas oportunidades de empatar. Com as mexidas de Odair, o time cresceu na partida e pressionou. As entradas de Miguel e Felippe Cardoso melhoraram a equipe, que quase chegou ao gol com Yago Felipe, que parou em uma boa defesa de Luan Polli.

… mas a bola não entrou
Com muita posse de bola, o Tricolor encurralou o Leão e teve várias chances perdidas. Em cobrança de falta, Paulo Henrique Ganso cobrou uma falta com perigo. No minuto seguinte, o peruano Fernando Pacheco recebeu sozinho na área, fez um passe rasteiro, mas Marcos Paulo não conseguiu alcançar. No fim, Ganso achou Egídio livre, mas Luan Polli salvou o Sport e garantiu os três pontos do time Pernambucano.

FICHA TÉCNICA

SPORT 1×0 FLUMINENSE

Data-Hora: 20-09-20 – 20h30
Local: Ilha do Retiro, Recife (PE)
Árbitro: Leandro Pedro Vuaden (RS)
Assistentes: Jorge Eduardo Bernardi (RS) e Jose Eduardo Calza (RS)
Árbitro de vídeo: Daniel Nobre Bins
Cartões amarelos: André (FLU)
Cartões vermelhos: –
GOL: Hernane, 12’/1ºT (1-0),

SPORT: Luan Polli; Patric, Maidana, Adryelson, Luciano Juba (Chico – 32/2º); Marcão Silva, Ricardinho, Betinho (João Igor 32/2º); Lucas Mugni (Bruninho 25/2º), Leandro Barcia (Lucas Venuto 26/2º) e Hernane (Rogério – 12/2º) Técnico: Jair Ventura.

FLUMIENENSE: Muriel , Calegari, Nino , Luccas Claro e Egídio; André (Felippe Cardoso – intervalo), Hudson, Yago Felipe (Marcos Paulo – 38/2º) e Paulo Henrique Ganso; Luiz Henrique (Miguel 28/2º) e Wellington Silva (Fernando Pacheco 39/2º) Técnico: Odair Hellmann

RelacionadasFluminenseNo primeiro dia, lojas oficiais do Fluminense vendem cerca de cinco mil peças do uniforme 3Fluminense19/09/2020FluminenseVeja a situação dos jogadores que tinham contrato até o fim de 2020 no FluminenseFluminense18/09/2020FluminenseTitular, Luccas Claro renova com o Fluminense até dezembro de 2022Fluminense18/09/2020

Full scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty Images

With 24 runs to win off 28 balls, Pakistan suffered a dramatic lower-order collapse, losing their last five wickets for just 15 runs to fold for 232, falling short of New Zealand’s total of 240 by eight runs in a thrilling opening ODI in Sharjah. Spinners Leigh Kasperek and Amelia Kerr took three of those five wickets, and New Zealand were aided by two run-outs.Opening only for the second time in ODIs, Sophie Devine had set New Zealand up with her second hundred in the format, 103 off 119 balls, that featured 10 fours. She added a 65-run opening stand with captain Suzie Bates (36 off 39 balls), and 56 with No. 3 Amy Satterthwaite (20 off 34 balls). Pakistan’s spinners, led by Sana Mir, kept chipping away through the middle overs, though, and reduced New Zealand to 181 for 5 in the 38th over.”That’s (opening the batting) something we discussed prior to coming over here in Sharjah,” Devine said after the match. “It’s not too much technically different, it’s more the mindset shift for me and the biggest thing is probably batting with Suzie Bates. We had a laugh about it the other day that we’ve played together for 10 years but probably haven’t batted more than 10 times together.”No. 5 Maddy Green (22) and No. 7 Amelia Kerr (30) struck cameos to lift New Zealand to 240 after Devine was dismissed in the 45th over. Offspinners Mir and Javeria Khan combined for five wickets, while left-arm spinner Sadia Yousuf finished with 2 for 40.In reply, Pakistan lost Ayesha Zafar for a 12-ball duck, but Nahida Khan (51) and Javeria (55) struck steady fifties to put Pakistan on course. After both batsmen fell by the 28th over, Bismah Maroof (41) and Sidra Ameen (33) put together a 46-run partnership to take Pakistan within 66 runs of the target with more than 13 overs remaining. Pace bowler Holly Huddleston, legspinner Kerr and offspinner Kasperek all chipped in with two wickets to combine with the fielding efforts to script a comeback win.”We know Amelia is a pretty cool customer,” Devine said. “She wanted the ball and that’s what you want in those situations – players stepping up in pressure situations and Lea and Amelia took the ball and took charge.”We put huge amounts of pressure and to hold our nerves, the bowlers did a great job in those last 10 overs and the fielders backed it up to create a few chances with the run-outs.”

Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy has released a statement explaining why the club finally, and “reluctantly” allowed Harry Kane to leave.

Is Harry Kane moving to Bayern Munich?

The England captain has, at last, completed a move away from Spurs and the Premier League, having agreed to join German giants Bayern Munich.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Kane will sign a four-year deal and will cost an initial €100m (£86.5m) with add-ons of up to €20m (£17.2m).

It’s certainly not a bad price for Spurs to get for their man, especially considering he is 30 years old and had just one year left on his contract. However, it appears that Levy was still very reluctant to let him go and would have preferred the striker to have signed a new deal.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

In an official club statement, the club chairman appeared to be somewhat salty about the whole situation, noting how he tried to work with Kane to convince him to stay, but the Englishman didn’t want to remain in North London any longer.

He said: “We sought over a long period of time to engage Harry and his representatives in several forms of contract extension, both short and long term. Harry was clear, however, that he wanted a fresh challenge and would not be signing a new contract this summer. We have reluctantly, therefore, agreed to his transfer.”

Fans on Twitter saw the comments and were not particularly happy about them – as you can see by some of the reactions below…

What did Daniel Levy say about Harry Kane?

However, Levy did take time to praise and thank Kane, while also noting that he will always be welcome back at Tottenham.

“We have seen a product of our Academy system become one of the best players to ever pull on a Spurs shirt and become one of world football’s elite strikers. It has been a truly remarkable journey,” he said.

“Harry’s achievements and records say everything about the player, and throughout his 19 years at the Club, Harry has been a model professional, on and off the pitch and an inspiration for young players who dream of following in his footsteps.

“I should like to thank Harry for everything he’s done for us, all the memories, all the records – we wish him and his family all the best for the future. It goes without saying, he’s always welcome back. He’s a much loved and valued member of the Spurs family, forever in our history.”

Kane himself has already sent an emotional video on social media to his fans in North London, saying it is: “hard to put into words how to say goodbye to a club and fans who have done so much for me in my career.”

He added: “You will always be in my heart. Thank you Tottenham, thank you Tottenham fans.”

It will certainly be interesting to see how Kane gets on in the Bundesliga after tearing it up in the Premier League for so long.

One man who will be delighted to see the back of the England international is Alan Shearer, who can now breathe a sigh of relief with Kane leaving the country still 47 goals behind the former Newcastle United man’s PL goal record of 260.

Although, the 30-year-old likely won’t mind either as he now has a real chance at lifting major silverware for the first time in his career.