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Shai Hope’s blistering 88 powered Tridents to 185, before Reifer snared five wickets, including three in his last over, as Barbados opened their CPL campaign with a win

The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Aug-2018Raymon Reifer prepares to bowl•Randy Brookes/CPL T20/Getty ImagesAfter missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, Barbados Tridents got their CPL 2018 campaign off to a winning start by easily defending the highest-ever CPL total made in Guyana, in a 30-run win over the Amazon Warriors. At a ground where the average first-innings score in the CPL has been 126, Tridents overcame a shaky start of 11 for 2 to post 185 for 4, following a brilliant 88 off 45 balls by Shai Hope, before Raymon Reifer’s five-wicket haul derailed the Amazon Warriors chase.Tri-dented in the PowerplayTridents’ opening combo of Martin Guptill and Dwayne Smith were both dismissed in the first two overs, and there was little to indicate that a record total was imminent. Rayad Emrit emulated his Trinidad pal Dwayne Bravo’s incredible effort 24 hours earlier, with a one-handed catch to claim Guptill at mid-off. Smith fell at the end of the next over, driving Chris Green’s offspin to extra cover, and Tridents were reduced to 11 for 2 in two overs.Hope-ful partnershipHope and Steven Smith came together to steer the Tridents back into the match with a 105-run stand for the third wicket. Smith played the classy shots early, including a delightful straight drive off Green for four, to keep the scoreboard moving. However, the partnership could have been halved had Hope been runout on 31, with the score 64 for 2, in the last ball of the ninth over. Smith turned down a run to backward point as Hope hared from the non-striker’s end, but Sherfane Rutherford’s rushed throw missed the stumps after Hope had given up getting back in.The 24-year-old turned belligerent at the end of the 11th over, heaving Imran Tahir against the turn over long-on and straight down the ground for consecutive sixes. It spurred Smith to come out of his shell at the start of the 12th over, guiding a pair of cuts behind point for four off Keemo Paul, as Tridents produced 20 runs in a four-ball sequence across the two overs. Hope ended the 12th over by gliding two to third man to bring up a 30-ball half-century. He then took Sohail Tanvir apart for two sixes over long-on and a four through extra cover in the 13th over to bring up the 100-run partnership, putting Tridents in a commanding position with seven overs left.Pooran powerThe departure of Smith, who played around a straight ball from Tahir, allowed Hope to take the innings into high gear with Nicholas Pooran. Hope’s six assault continued off Paul in the 18th, driving over the extra cover boundary for the shot of the innings. But he fell two balls later, just 12 short of what would have been his maiden CPL ton.Pooran took the opportunity to remind everyone of his devastating ball-striking ability by swatting 21 runs off the final over, bowled by Paul, to put the chase out of reach for the host side. He began with a flat six over long-off, before collecting a scampered two. The third ball was smashed magnificently into the second-tier over long-off, and nearly landed on the roof. It took him to 38, six more than his best innings from a lackluster 2017 campaign. A helicopter whip for six over long-on two balls later showed Pooran’s style to match his strength, and he finished unbeaten on 45 off 27 balls.Reifer madnessDespite the fall of Chadwick Walton at the end of the second over, the Warriors had progressed confidently to reach 40 for 1 in the fifth over of the chase, when Reifer started to ruin the host side’s pursuit with his canny left-arm medium pace. Extra bounce resulted in a top-edged pull by Luke Ronchi that landed in Ashley Nurse’s hands at midwicket, before Shimron Hetmyer fell next ball, yanking Reifer to one of the two men out on the boundary during the Powerplay, Guptill covering good ground at deep midwicket to put Reifer on a hat-trick.Rutherford joined captain Shoaib Malik for an 84-run stand as Warriors kept themselves in the hunt. Legspinner Imran Khan didn’t bowl a single over on the night, with dew making it difficult for spinners to grip the ball. But Tridents captain Jason Holder’s gamble to bring back Nurse to bowl offspin in the 16th over paid off. One ball after Malik smashed him for six over long-on, the Guyana captain misjudged the length while trying to guide Nurse with an open face to third man, and wound up chopping onto his stumps for 38.As the required run rate continued to climb following Malik’s departure, Reifer exploited the breach with three wickets in the 19th to kill off the chase. With 39 required off the last two overs to win, Green scythed a Reifer full toss behind point for four, but perished off the next ball, with a tame drive to Holder at extra cover. Jason Mohammed sliced Reifer to the cover sweeper two balls later, before a slower bouncer next ball to Rutherford resulted in a gloved catch to Pooran to put Reifer on a hat-trick for the second time in the night. Reifer once again didn’t get the hat-trick, Paul this time punching a full toss down the ground for a single, but the efforts were enough to bag the Man-of-the-Match award.

The incident occurred in the vicinity of a Chennai Super Kings fielder, prompting the intervention of the police in CSK’s first home match in nearly three years

Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai10-Apr-2018A group of spectators flung a pair of shoes at the edge of the boundary at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in the vicinity of Chennai Super Kings players, prompting the intervention of police in CSK’s first home match in nearly three years. The incident happened in the eighth over of the game against Kolkata Knight Riders, after which the concerned spectators were evicted from the ground and, as per reports, taken into custody.The incident followed calls, in the lead up to the game, for people to protest over the hosting of IPL games in Chennai. Several local political parties and fringe groups had called for a boycott of the IPL matches in Chennai till the lengthy Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and neighbouring state Karnataka is resolved. While there was no confirmation that the shoe-throwing incident was directly related to this issue, it was expected to be the likely cause.The group was carrying flags, which are not permitted inside the venue, and flung the shoes near Ravindra Jadeja, who was posted at the long-on boundary, and Faf du Plessis, who was seemingly carrying drinks for team-mates. CSK officials and the police subsequently intervened and diffused the tension.Hours before the start of the match, there were protests on Wallajah Road near the MA Chidambaram Stadium, albeit amid beefed-up security. Later, the toss was delayed by 13 minutes; match officials reportedly arrived late at the venue due to heavy traffic around the stadium, but play began on time.

Starc misses out on hat-trick but South Africa’s resistance lasts 22 balls on the fifth and final day at Durban

The Report by Brydon Coverdale05-Mar-20182:47

Holding: Markram will get better and better

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMitchell Starc missed out on a hat-trick but Australia had little trouble in wrapping up a 118-run win on the fifth morning in Durban, where they took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Bad light had halted Australia’s march to victory on the fourth evening with just one wicket required, so it was possible that it could have taken just a single ball to end the game on day five. In the end, it took 22 deliveries.Josh Hazlewood confirmed the result by trapping Quinton de Kock lbw for 83 in the fourth over of the day, as South Africa were dismissed for 298. Morne Morkel finished not out on 3. Starc had been denied the chance to bowl for a hat-trick late on day four after he bowled Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada with what became his last two balls of the day, as the umpires declared that the light was sufficient only for spin bowling. He instead bowled for his hat-trick with the first ball of the fifth day and rapped de Kock on the pads, but the ball was sliding down leg.The result gives Australia a good start as they aim to maintain their remarkable record of having not lost a Test series in South Africa since readmission. The teams now move on to Port Elizabeth for the second Test, which begins on Friday.

Plays of the day from the second day of the first Test between India and Australia in Mohali

Sidharth Monga in Mohali02-Oct-2010The intent
Until Mitchell Johnson came out to bat, Harbhajan Singh had been allowed to bowl pretty much wherever he wanted to. Johnson saw three deliveries, and then lofted him over long-on for the first six of the innings. Soon came the lunch break. After lunch, the after-effects of that six could be felt. Harbhajan resumed bowling to Johnson with a long-on, deep midwicket and deep backward square leg in place.The change
Of his 30 overs, Zaheer Khan bowled the first 25 from the Pavilion End. It made sense too, for he was bowling really well from that end. Once the Johnson-Tim Paine partnership started assuming alarming proportions, and Zaheer was hit for back-to-back fours, MS Dhoni switched him to the City End. And lo, Zaheer removed Johnson first ball.The after-you moment
Dhoni usually has some fine gentlemen for company in slips. Sachin Tendulkar is respected the world over, Rahul Dravid is always proper in his conduct, VVS Laxman is, well, a Hyderabadi. Perhaps there is too much gentlemanliness floating around in the Indian slips as Dhoni thought it better to give Dravid an opportunity to add to his 197 Test catches when a Paine edge bisected him and first slip. This is the second time such territorial confusion has happened with Dhoni in less than four months, after he failed to go for a catch between him and first slip in Galle.The statistic
When Virender Sehwag cut Nathan Hauritz for a single in the 13th over of the innings, he joined Vivian Richards and Gautam Gambhir to have scored a half-century or more in 11 straight Tests. Gambhir was right there to congratulate him.The boo
Sehwag’s dismissal less than 10 minutes from stumps was, of course, a sad event for the weekend crowd at the PCA Stadium, but soon they realised who the next batsman would be, and cheered up again, chanting “Sachin, Sachin”, rushing to the front rows to catch a glimpse of the man walking out to bat. Alas, they saw Ishant Sharma walk out as the nightwachman, and gave him the booing of his life. And it had nothing to do with his 11.4 overs for 71 runs, or the 10 no-balls that he bowled.

حقق الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك فوزًا مهمًا على حرس الحدود بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الخميس ضمن منافسات الجولة الثامنة من الدوري المصري الممتاز.

افتتح أحمد سيد “زيزو” التسجيل للزمالك في الدقيقة 12، بعد تمريرات رائعة بين محمد شحاتة وعمر جابر، ليضعها زيزو في الشباك وسط دفاع حرس الحدود.

طالع.. مدرب هامبورج السابق: الزمالك فاوضني.. وأريد العمل في مصر

لكن حرس الحدود تعادل في الدقيقة 25 عن طريق محمد أشرف روقا، الذي سجل هدف التعادل من ركلة جزاء احتسبها حكم اللقاء ضد أحمد فتوح بعد لمسة يد.

ثم أضاف مصطفى شلبي الهدف الثاني للزمالك في الدقيقة 36 بعد تمريرة متقنة من محمد شحاتة، لينفرد بالمرمى ويسجل هدفًا رائعًا.

وفي الدقيقة السادسة من الوقت بدل الضائع في الشوط الأول، نجح زيزو في تسجيل الهدف الثالث للزمالك من ركلة جزاء سددها بقوة على يمين حارس حرس الحدود.

وفي الدقيقة 86، قلص حرس الحدود الفارق بإحراز الهدف الثاني من ركلة جزاء نفذها محمود ممدوح ببراعة على يمين محمد عواد.

وبهذا الفوز، رفع الزمالك رصيده إلى 17 نقطة، ليصعد إلى المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، بفارق نقطة واحدة عن الأهلي المتصدر في حين تجمد رصيد حرس الحدود عند 6 نقاط، ليظل في المركز السادس عشر. رجل مباراة الزمالك وحرس الحدود اليوم

وحصل محمد شحاتة، لاعب وسط فريق الزمالك على جائزة أفضل لاعب في مباراة حرس الحدود.

Nottingham Forest are now plotting the statement signing of a £30m forward, who is also being targeted by La Liga giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Forest looking to win race for Barca and Atletico target

It is a clear indication of how far Forest have come that they are now shopping in the same talent pool as the likes of Barcelona and Atletico, but it has been far from an ideal start to the new Premier League campaign.

The Tricky Trees have won just one of their first five league games, and suffered a shock defeat against Swansea City in the third round of the EFL Cup, which was an early setback for new manager Ange Postecoglou.

Under the helm of former manager Nuno, the Europa League side strengthened considerably in the summer transfer window, particularly in attacking areas, and Dan Ndoye has made a promising start, with two goal contributions to his name in the Premier League.

However, Evangelos Marinakis was unable to secure deals for all of his major targets, missing out on former SC Braga winger Roger Fernandes on deadline day, despite entering advanced talks.

There has since been an encouraging new update on Nottingham Forest’s interest in Fernandes, however, with a report from TEAMtalk reporting they are still plotting a statement signing of the winger, despite his £30m move to Al-Ittihad.

The 19-year-old is attracting serious interest, even though he only recently moved to Saudi Arabia, with the likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid also thought to be keen, although neither of the La Liga giants have made an approach thus far.

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Interest from the Premier League is particularly strong, with the Tricky Trees constantly observing the youngster, even since Ange’s appointment, as there is a belief he could boost their chances of qualifying for Europe once again.

"1v1 specialist" Fernandes could be difference-maker for Forest

It has to be said, it would be very strange if the Portuguese winger were to leave Al-Ittihad so soon after joining, having not even made his debut, but the starlet clearly has the ability to succeed at Forest, given his exploits in a Braga shirt.

Speaking just under two years ago, scout Ben Mattinson said: “Roger Fernandes is another player I love at Braga. 1v1 specialist with great whipped cross on him. A creative, unselfish winger. Also his maturity for only 17 is crazy, you can tell why he’s played so much already.”

The ex-Braga star amassed 12 goals and 16 assists in 91 appearances for the Portuguese club, which is an impressive return for a teenager, and indicates he could be capable of making the step-up to the Premier League.

Forest appear to be well-stocked in attacking areas, having signed Omari Hutchinson, Dilane Bakwa and Ndoye in the summer, but Fernandes is an exciting young player, and the rival interest from Barcelona and Atletico speaks volumes.

Celtic are brilliant at signing and developing young players before selling them on for profit on the future, as evidenced by the stars they have sold over the years.

As recently as January, the Scottish Premiership champions raked in a reported fee of £10m for Japan international centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi from Rennes, yet he does not even place within the top sales in the club’s history.

Kieran Tierney

£25m

Matt O’Riley

£25m

Jota

£25m

Moussa Dembele

£20m

Odsonne Edouard

£18.5m

Kristoffer Ajer

£13.5m

Virgil van Dijk

£13m

As you can see in the table above, the likes of Jota, Matt O’Riley, and Kieran Tierney have all been sold for more than twice as much, the latest of which was O’Riley’s move to Brighton last summer.

Two of those players are also now back at Parkhead. Jota returned to Glasgow from Rennes on a permanent deal in January, whilst Tierney has joined on a free transfer from Arsenal, six years on from his move to the Premier League.

These are some of the top examples of players who have thrived in the Premiership for Celtic before making the club millions by moving elsewhere, and a great example of their brilliant recruitment work is central defender Kristoffer Ajer.

Celtic hit the jackpot with Kristoffer Ajer

In February 2016, the Scottish giants paid a reported fee of just £650k to sign the centre-back after a trial spell at Parkhead from Norwegian side Start.

The Hoops identified the young defender as a promising talent at the age of just 17, and were patient with him before they introduced the starlet to the first-team.

Ajer spent time in the academy, playing youth league football, before being sent out on loan to Kilmarnock in the Premiership, before his emergence as a senior option for Celtic in the 2017/18 campaign.

The towering youngster then went on to score seven goals and provide seven assists in 176 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops before his exit in the summer of 2021.

February 2016

£650k reported fee

February 2017

£680k

August 2018

£1m

August 2019

£2.5m

January 2021

£3.4m

June 2021

£6m

July 2021

£13.5m reported fee

As you can see in the table above, Ajer’s market value soared way beyond the initial £650k that the Hoops reportedly paid Start to sign him as a 17-year-old.

In the summer of 2021, Premier League side Brentford reportedly paid a fee of £13.5m to sign the centre-back, breaking their own transfer record, which represented a huge profit for Celtic.

This shows that the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with the young defender as they identified his potential at an incredibly young age and went on to benefit from it with performances on the pitch and a huge fee when he left.

Celtic enquire about deal for teenage star

Celtic could find their next version of Kristoffer Ajer this summer amid reported interest in another 17-year-old centre-back prospect to bolster their squad.

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 Mozzart Sport, as relayed by B92, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Red Star Belgrade central defender Veljko Milosavljević in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Hoops have already made an enquiry about the 17-year-old starlet, and made an offer of £5m that was turned down by the Serbian outfit.

It adds that two teams from England are also eyeing up the young centre-back, but they have yet to make any official bids for his services as of yet.

Red Star Belgrade are said to want more than £5m that Celtic put on the table for the teenage titan, although the report does not mention exactly how much they would want for him.

Why Celtic should sign Veljko Milosavljević

The Hoops should sign the Serbian youngster before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September because he has the potential to be Ajer 2.0 at Parkhead.

Whilst he would not arrive for a cheap fee of £650k, given that they have already had an offer of £5m turned down for him, the Red Star talent would arrive as another teenage centre-back with the potential to develop and improve, therefore growing in value in the future.

Despite not turning 18 till this weekend, the Celtic target has already played 19 first-team matches for the Serbian giants, and established himself as a regular in the league in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

Milosavljević initially caught the eye in the Serbian youth league, winning 11.8 duels per game across eight starts in the division, before being made a permanent member of Vladan Milojevic’s first-team squad.

Appearances

14

Starts

11

Pass accuracy

90%

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.2

Dribbled past per game

0.2x

Error led to shot

0

Error led to goal

0

Penalties committed

0

As you can see in the table above, the teenage talent started 11 of his 14 outings for the Superliga champions, as the centre-back showed that he could compete in a team that was chasing the league title.

Milosavljević, who scout Gianni Bellasi described as a “physically imposing” defender, proved himself to be a reliable option at the back, despite his inexperience, with zero errors that led to shots, goals, or penalties.

That is particularly impressive when you consider that Liam Scales made two such errors and Auston Trusty made five such errors in the Premiership for Celtic this season, in a title-winning side for Brendan Rodgers.

This shows that it is not easy to play a lot of games without making costly mistakes as a centre-back in a dominant team, given the nature of how much they look to play out from the back, but the Serbian star has shown promise in that respect.

As exciting as Nygren: All parties are keen for Celtic to sign £5m star

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Therefore, Milosavljević could follow in Ajer’s footsteps at Parkhead if Celtic sign him this summer because he is a 17-year-old centre-back talent who has shown that he has the qualities to be a reliable figure at the back if he can adapt to Scottish football.

Of course, there are no guarantees in football and there is no telling exactly how he will develop, but his career to date suggests that the potential is there for him to be an exciting signing for the Hoops.

Premier League clubs have often been known to splash the cash like there’s no tomorrow – even during the mid-season transfer window. January deals have a reputation of their own for requiring inflated transfer fees, chiefly down to the short turnarounds required to bid, sell and replace players before the deadline arrives.

The money has gone bonkers in recent years, with the English top flight’s biggest January moves all taking place in the past decade.

Whether selling or buying, English clubs have been able to exchange funds freely despite the looming threats of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations and the Premier League’s Profit & Sustainability Rules, which both purport to limit the amount of spending by even the richest in the land.

But who have been the Premier League’s most expensive winter movers? Here are the top 12 January window deals…

#

Player

Date

Left

Joined

Fee

Philippe Coutinho

Jan 2018

Liverpool

Barcelona

Enzo Fernández

Feb 2023

Benfica

Chelsea

Mykhailo Mudryk

Jan 2023

Shakhtar Donetsk

Chelsea

Virgil van Dijk

Jan 2018

Southampton

Liverpool

Jhon Duran

Jan 2025

Aston Villa

Al-Nassr

Bruno Fernandes

Jan 2020

Sporting CP

Manchester United

Omar Marmoush

Jan 2025

Eintracht Frankfurt

Manchester City

Oscar

Jan 2017

Chelsea

Shanghai Port

Christian Pulisic

Jan 2019

Borussia Dortmund

Chelsea

Aymeric Laporte

Jan 2018

Athletic Bilbao

Manchester City

Diego Costa

Jan 2018

Chelsea

Atletico Madrid

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Jan 2018

Borussia Dortmund

Arsenal

12 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal £56m from Borussia Dortmund, 2018

Arsenal outlaid a whopping £56m to sign Borussia Dortmund’s prolific frontman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 2018 January transfer window.

The north Londoners had only just signed Alexandre Lacazette the previous summer for a club-record £46.6m but Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was clearly keen to add further firepower to his ranks.

Aubameyang enjoyed a fruitful four-year spell with Arsenal, netting just shy of a century of goals across 163 appearances, though his time did come to a sour ending.

Arsenal released a statement just weeks before he would eventually leave for Barcelona, which read: “Following his latest disciplinary breach last week, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will no longer be our club captain, and will not be considered for selection for Wednesday’s match against West Ham United.

“We expect all our players, particularly our captain, to work to the rules and standards we have all set and agreed.”

11 Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid £57m from Chelsea, 2018

Diego Costa completed a mega-money move away from Stamford Bridge in favour of a move back to former club Atletico Madrid in January 2018.

After netting 20 league goals during the 2016/17 campaign, helping Chelsea to win their sixth Premier League title, Costa was frozen out over the summer.

Atleti’s transfer ban meant they couldn’t sign the Spaniard until the new year, but he eventually made his long-awaited second debut for the Madrid-based club on 3rd January 2018, scoring in a Copa del Rey last-16 tie against Lleida Esportiu.

The forward endured a difficult second spell with Los Colchoneros, managing a league-best of five goals, before cancelling his contract six months early in January 2021 due to personal reasons.

10 Aymeric Laporte to Manchester City £57m from Athletic Bilbao, 2018

Manchester City broke their transfer record to sign the classy left-footed centre-half in January 2018, paying Athletic Bilbao £57m.

Aymeric Laporte quickly established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League during his trophy-laden spell in England but ultimately lost his place in Pep Guardiola’s side towards the end, to the surprise of many.

Manuel Akanji’s arrival from Dortmund in 2022 appeared to be the turning point for Laporte’s City career, with the Switzerland international often the preferred defender in Guardiola’s system.

And that led to an exit in the summer just gone, signing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr – where Cristiano Ronaldo resides – in a deal worth £23.6m.

Nonetheless, City fans will remember his time at the Etihad fondly.

9 Christian Pulisic to Chelsea £58m from Borussia Dortmund, 2019

Chelsea forked out £58m to sign then-20-year-old Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund in January 2019.

The west Londoners loaned him back to the German outfit for the remainder of the season and he ended the campaign with seven goals and six assists across 30 appearances.

Whilst he did have his moments, his spell as a whole at Stamford Bridge was rather underwhelming, netting 26 times across 145 outings.

Having made just eight league starts last term, Pulisic’s Chelsea days looked numbered, and so it turned out to be, as he completed a permanent move to AC Milan in the summer.

#

Player

Left

Joined

Transfer fee

1

Christian Pulisic

Borussia Dortmund

Chelsea

£58m

2

Folarin Balogun

Arsenal

Monaco

£35m

3

Brendan Aaronson

Red Bull Salzburg

Leeds United

£24.8m

4

Tyler Adams

RB Leipzig

Leeds United

£20m

5

Sergino Dest

Ajax

Barcelona

£19m

8 Oscar to Shanghai Port £60m from Chelsea, 2017

Eyebrows were raised when Oscar departed Europe for the Chinese Super League in 2017, having just won the Premier League title earlier that year.

The Brazilian playmaker completed a colossal £60m move to Shanghai SIPG, now known as Shanghai Port, which at the time ranked as the seventh-highest transfer fee in history.

Oscar, speaking in 2017, gave his reasoning for leaving Chelsea: “When I made the decision to come here, I was thinking more of my family than of my career. I had other very good offers from big teams in Europe. But I thought a little more of my family, and after that – I am still young – I can return.”

It had been claimed he would earn £400,000 a week.

7 Omar Marmoush to Manchester City £63m from Eintracht Frankfurt, 2025

Manchester City went big on signing a challenger for Erling Haaland’s starting spot by bringing in Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt.

After dazzling in the first half of the 2024/25 season in Germany, Marmoush made the move to the Premier League after the clubs agreed on a £63m package, with £4m of that fee in add-ons.

He became the biggest Premier League incoming that winter and was one of four mid-season City arrivals.

6 Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United £47m (potentially rising to £67.7m) from Sporting CP, 2020

Manchester United landed the signature of Bruno Fernandes in 2020 for an initial fee worth £47m that could rise to £67.7m with add-ons.

The Portugal international has been a revelation for the Red Devils and is widely regarded as their best player, having scored 69 goals whilst laying on 59 assists across 207 appearances.

Erik ten Hag appointed the 29-year-old club captain at the start of the season, evincing just how highly thought of he is around Carrington.

Fernandes penned a new deal in 2022, keeping him at Old Trafford until 2026, with the option of a further year.

5 Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr £71m from Aston Villa, 2025

The biggest deal of the January 2025 winter window from a Premier League perspective was Jhon Duran’s exit from Aston Villa as he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

The Colombian linked up with Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia after an eye-watering £71m move – not bad for an £18m move from two years prior.

4 Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool £75m from Southampton, 2018

Virgil van Dijk became the world’s most expensive defender when he completed a £75m move to Liverpool in January 2018.

The towering Dutch defender quickly established himself as one of the best players across the continent and even finished runner-up to Lionel Messi in the 2019 Ballon d’Or rankings.

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He was a central figure in Liverpool’s first Premier League title triumph during the 2019/20 season and famously went a reported 50 games without being dribbled past.

Previous Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson departed the Merseysiders in the summer and Van Dijk assumed the armband, evidencing his glowing status around the changing room.

The 64-cap Netherlands international has already cemented himself in conversations regarding the best centre-back in Premier League history.

3 Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea £89m from Shakhtar Donetsk, 2023

Chelsea continued their heavy spending under new owner Todd Boehly when they shelled out £89m for Shakhtar Donetsk’s rising star Mykhailo Mudryk earlier this year.

The fleet-footed wide player is still in the early stages of his Premier League career, but many would admit, perhaps including himself, that it’s been a pretty disappointing start to life in west London.

Mudryk has found the net just twice in 31 outings and looks to be pretty bereft of confidence, though, he has looked a real threat at times.

The 2001-born Ukraine international is still a fledgling professional footballer and has plenty of time to develop under the experienced wings of Mauricio Pochettino, so only time will tell how successful of signing he’ll be.

Chelsea: Every signing Todd Boehly has made at Stamford Bridge

The full list is absolutely crazy!

ByAlex Caple May 5, 2025

Manchester United have failed to recapture their form from the end of last season as Erik ten Hag is currently suffering from second-season syndrome, and he will need to get his act together swiftly, otherwise he could be out of a job.

Having won their first trophy in six years by claiming the EFL Cup last season while finishing third in the Premier League, it looked as though United were heading in the right direction and that Ten Hag was the true successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Just five wins from 11 matches this season, however, has slowed their ascendency down slightly and while the Dutchman managed to lure the likes of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund to the project he is currently building in Manchester, he did miss out on some transfer targets, namely Harry Kane.

He isn’t the first United manager this has happened to, and he won't be the last, even 'Fergie' missed out on players who then shone elsewhere.

The Red Devils could’ve had Alan Shearer leading their line during the 1990s, yet he turned down the club to move to Newcastle United. They even had a chance to sign Frank Lampard before his move to Chelsea, think how good Fergie’s midfield could have been with the former England international starring for him?

Ferguson also failed to lure another future Chelsea icon to United when they were going through a barren spell, as Didier Drogba ended up moving to London instead of Manchester and there is no doubt he could’ve significantly bolstered his squad at the time.

Did Man Utd nearly sign Didier Drogba?

In the summer of 2004, Jose Mourinho was announced as the new Chelsea manager and with that, United’s era of domination ended.

With the club securing just the FA Cup during the 2003/04 season while witnessing Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League campaign firsthand, Ferguson turned to the transfer window in order to strengthen, with Drogba on his list of potential new signings.

He said: “We went to check him out [at Marseille] but the club wanted £25million and Chelsea moved in for the kill before we had made up our minds.”

United went and signed Wayne Rooney towards the end of that summer instead and that move obviously worked out extremely well, yet Drogba would’ve been a great signing.

What happened to Didier Drogba?

Mourinho was smitten with Drogba and shelled out £24m to sign one of his top transfer targets as he aimed to lead the Blues to their first league title since 1955.

The Ivorian scored 16 goals during his maiden campaign in London to help the Blues win the Premier League, while he also starred in the League Cup final too and the £24m was certainly proving to be quite the bargain.

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Another 27 goal contributions followed the season after as the Stamford Bridge side retained their title, and it looked as though the next few years were going to be all about Chelsea and Mourinho was the mastermind behind the success.

Despite a League Cup and FA Cup double during 2006/07, a poor start to the following season ensured Mourinho was sacked after a fractious relationship with chairman Romain Abramovich and Drogba went through a series of managers during his remaining few years at the club.

He did win another league title in 2009/10, netting 29 goals in just 32 matches, yet it was the 2011/12 season where he enjoyed his greatest success.

Abramovich had spent big since taking over the club in 2003 and Champions League glory was his only prerequisite. They lost the 2008 final to United in a rain-soaked Moscow but having defeated Barcelona in the semifinals, they faced Bayern Munich, in Munich, to see who would claim the title in 2012.

Knowing this was his final game for the club (during his first spell), Drogba certainly lived up to his reputation of being a big game player and against Bayern, this was no different.

Heading into the dying embers of the tie, Chelsea were down 1-0 and defeat looked certain. Drogba, however, powered home a header to send the tie to extra time.

He did concede a penalty, yet this was missed by Arjen Robben and the final was to be decided by the dreaded shootout. The Ivorian went on to write his name in Chelsea folklore, scoring the winning penalty and wheeling away in jubilation.

How many goals did Didier Drogba score for Chelsea?

The one-time Guingamp marksman returned to Chelsea during the 2014/15 season and won yet another Premier League title before eventually retiring in 2018. He ended up scoring 164 goals across 381 games for the Blues and this type of record would’ve made him a huge success in Manchester, absolutely no doubt about it.

He drew praise from ex-teammate Frank Lampard a few years ago, who said: “I always say Didier Drogba and John Terry [were my favourite to play alongside], for different reasons so it’s like a double-headed answer really.

“Didier for me was amazing, to have him in your team in a final, you felt Didier in the dressing room before a big game that it was a different Didier, he was like an animal.

“His preparation, the intensity in his eyes and then he always produced.”

Imagine this type of striker leading the line under Ferguson at United, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney providing chance after chance for the player.

It could have been a dream attacking triumvirate, yet it clearly wasn’t to be for the future Chelsea “legend” – as so dubbed by their summer arrival Nicolas Jackson – as he forged his own glorious story in England with a different club.

Ferguson’s mistakes in the transfer market were few and far between, yet during his final decade or so in charge, he began to let some excellent players slip through his grasp who may have enabled him to secure more silverware.

Drogba was one of those names and if he had joined United instead of Chelsea in 2004, might they have returned to the summit of English football sooner than they did?

Who knows, but the now-retired ace would have been outstanding in the red of United, and he remains one of the Premier League's finest-ever strikers.

Plays of the Day from the one-off T20 international between England and West Indies

George Dobell at Trent Bridge24-Jun-2012Disappointment of the Day
Alex Hales’ dismissal for 99. In a game where personal milestones sometimes obscure team achievement, the disappointment of Hales and his home crowd was perfectly understandable. Had Hales scored just one more, he would have become just the seventh man to record a century in a T20 International and it would have been the first for England. He later said that he could not have asked for a more obliging delivery from which to score his century – it was a quick half-volley, really – but instead he was bowled. He need not worry: it is a team game and here he produced the matchwinning contribution.Wicket of the Day
West Indies recovered well through Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, but the early wicket of Chris Gayle was still a vital moment in this match. It meant West Indies endured a sluggish start – they scored only 38 off their first eight overs – and, despite some steep acceleration towards the end of their innings, they never fully made up time. Gayle was the victim of good planning and good fast bowling: cramped for room by a sharp, short ball from the distinctly hostile Steven Finn, Gayle was unable to control the stroke and top-edged to fine leg. It was the first of two very well judged catches from Jonny Bairstow and also reward for some smart captaincy from Stuart Broad, who had just moved the deep fielder from square to fine leg.Catch of the Day
Sometimes, given his skill in the outfield, it is hard to remember that Bairstow is also a wicketkeeper. His catch to dismiss Lendl Simmons, running in from the midwicket boundary and diving, was exceptionally good. Bairstow not only covered the ground quickly but, despite the potential distraction of Hales, running back from midwicket, threw himself forward to cling on to the ball. It was an example not only of Bairstow’s value to England, but also of the team’s athleticism and skill in the field. In a format where games can be decided by such moments, it provides England with a substantial advantage.Shot of the Day
As ever in T20 cricket, there were several contenders for this: Ravi Bopara, with some elegant cuts, and Hales with a series of pulls and hooks, were impressive, but for sheer power West Indies’ batsmen were hard to beat. Smith, in particular, hit the ball murderously hard and struck five sixes in all. The second of them, a lovely straight drive off Graeme Swann, landed in the second tier of the Radcliffe Road Stand and almost hit a cameraman. It was an enormous hit.Milestone of the Day
So long has Broad been a fixture of the England team that it can easily be forgotten how youthful he remains. Broad celebrated his 26th birthday at Trent Bridge and, while some people might balk at the idea of working on their birthday, the prospect of leading his side to victory on his home ground would have softened the blow. Already the most-capped player in this side, Broad could have the best part of a decade of international cricket ahead of him and may well break every England wicket-taking record in all formats. He and Graeme Swann already hold the record (41 apiece) for most T20I wickets for England.