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The Ecuadorian midfielder logged 15 goals and nine assists across 139 matches with Vancouver

Joined MLS side Vancouver in 2021Valued at around $5M, per TransfermarktHas eight caps with Ecuador’s national teamFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Pedro Vite is enjoying one of the best stretches of his young career, and after a strong run with the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Ecuadorian midfielder appears to be headed to Liga MX.

According to MLS insider Tom Bogert, Vite has reached a verbal agreement with Pumas UNAM, although the deal is not finalized. Sources indicate that the transfer could be completed soon, pending final negotiations and paperwork.

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Pumas targeted Vite earlier this year when they faced the Whitecaps in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, a tournament in which the Canadian side eventually fell to Cruz Azul in the final.

According to GOAL sources, Pumas plan to use the Ecuadorian primarily as a winger, though he can also slot into midfield. His versatility is seen as a major asset by head coach Efraín Juárez, who views him as a projected starter.

With Aaron Ramsey expected to anchor the midfield, Vite would provide depth and rotation options. If the Welshman – or any of the regular starters – struggles with form or fitness, Vite’s ability to play centrally could prove crucial and give Pumas more tactical flexibility.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

Pedro Vite could become Pumas’ most expensive signing, with the club reportedly ready to pay around $5 million to secure the midfielder – a figure that would surpass the $4.2 million they spent on Nicolás Castillo.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PUMAS?

Juárez’s side endured a humbling start to the Apertura 2025, losing 3-0 on the road against Santos Laguna. They’ll look to bounce back Sunday when they host Pachuca.

Former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho has left Aston Villa to complete a permanent transfer to Vasco da Gama. Coutinho left the Villans last summer to return to his homeland and join the Brazilian Serie A side on loan and he has now made his move permanent. The 33-year-old made 26 appearances last season where he scored five goals and provided three assists.

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Coutinho joins Vasco da Gama permanentlySigned for the Brazilian side on loan last summerEnded Aston Villa nightmareFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Coutinho's nightmare Aston Villa spell has finally ended as he secured a permanent move to Vasco da Gama, after spending the 2024-25 campaign on loan at the Brazilian club. The midfielder tried to push for a permanent transfer last summer by mutually terminating his contract and joining Vasco on a free transfer but the Villans at that time only sanctioned a loan move.

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The official statement from the Premier League club read: "Aston Villa can confirm that Philippe Coutinho has completed a permanent move to Vasco da Gama. The midfielder was on loan with the Brazilian side last term and returned to the club following the end of his temporary stint, but both clubs have now agreed a deal for the playmaker to go back to his hometown club on a permanent basis. After signing for Villa initially on loan in January 2022, he went on to pen a permanent deal at Villa Park and made 43 appearances in claret and blue, scoring six goals. Everyone at Aston Villa would like to thank Philippe for his service to the club and wish him all the best in his future career."

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Coutinho joined Aston Villa on loan from Barcelona in January 2022 before making his transfer permanent six months later. However, he failed to make an impact under Unai Emery and was sent out on loan to Qatari side Al-Duhail ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Matheus Lima/Vasco da GamaWHAT NEXT FOR COUTINHO?

The 33-year-old will be back in action for Vasco on July 12 as they take on Botafogo in the Brazilian Serie A.

There is no escaping from the fact that this season has been a real disappointment for Arsenal.

As things stand, Mikel Arteta’s side are 12 points off Liverpool in the Premier League and, in reality, the title race came to a pathetic end months ago.

However, it is not all doom and gloom in the red half of North London, as in Europe anyway, the Gunners have seriously stepped up and are just two games away from what would be their second Champions League final in their history.

The competition has seen some of Arsenal’s players remind the rest of the world just how good they really are, including one unlikely star who is now worth more than Thomas Partey, whose future is back in the conversation.

The latest on Thomas Partey

Just a few weeks ago, it was generally believed that once his £200k-per-week contract came to an end on June 30th, Partey would depart Arsenal as a free agent following five relatively successful years at the club.

However, ahead of the team’s underwhelming draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, The Athletic’s David Ornstein broke some news that suggested that might not be the case anymore.

According to the respected journalist, the Gunners now want the experienced midfielder to remain at the club and are in talks over a new deal, which could either be for two years or one with an option for another.

Appearances

47

Minutes

3496′

Goals

4

Assists

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.14

Minutes per Goal Involvements

499.42′

There is certainly an element of risk in handing a soon-to-be 32-year-old player with an extensive injury list a new deal, but this season has seen him available for almost all of it, and with 47 appearances so far, it’s clear Arteta still rates him.

However, his age and injury history have likely counted against his most recent valuation, as Transfermakrt has priced him at just €15m, which is about £13m and millions less than one of Arsenal’s surprise stars of the last month.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Partey

So, while practically the entire team played well against Real Madrid, one starter perhaps surprised fans with just how well he performed against the European Champions: Jakub Kiwior.

Yes, the player in question is the former Spezia ace who’s often been looked upon as an unconvincing backup to the sensational William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães.

However, since the latter was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, the Polish international has stepped up in a massive way.

In fact, had it not been for his French partner, he’d have a clean sheet at the Bernabeu to his name.

Moreover, while the highly-rated Bondy-born superstar made yet another mistake at home against Palace this week, the “extraordinary” Tychy-born titan, as dubbed by Robert Lewandowski, found himself on the scoresheet.

So, with such a dramatic turnaround from worrying backup to essential starter, it’s not all that surprising to see the 25-year-old’s valuation be higher than some of his teammates.

For example, Transfermarkt has priced the defensive “monster,” as dubbed by reporter Sam Dean, at €22m, which comes out to about £19m, or £6m more than Partey.

Ultimately, while he’ll likely never be the first choice when the backline is fully fit, Kiwior has demonstrated over the last month or so that, when needed, he can be the perfect backup for Arsenal, and, as such, we would not be surprised to see his valuation climb higher before the end of the season.

Big Odegaard upgrade: Arsenal plan move for £86m star who's like Bellingham

Arsenal could sign an £86m upgrade on Martin Odegaard.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 25, 2025

Celtic went into the final international break of the season off the back of a disappointing 3-2 defeat to their city rivals in the Scottish Premiership at Parkhead.

Brendan Rodgers will be disappointed that his side let the game slip away from them after they brought the score back to 2-2 from 2-0 down at half-time, as Hamza Igamane scored an 88th-minute winner for Rangers.

Goals from Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate got the Hoops back into the game and the home crowd appeared to be pushing them on for a winner, before that late sucker-punch.

Despite that loss, Celtic are a whopping 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership table and it seems to be a matter of when, not if, they clinch a fourth successive league title.

There were also other positives to take out of the clash with their Glasgow rivals, despite the disappointing scoreline, as central defender Maik Nawrocki stepped up with an impressive showing.

Why Maik Nawrocki deserves more minutes this season

The Polish central defender had not played a minute of Premiership action or started a single game in any competition for the club this season prior to the clash with Rangers at Parkhead last time out.

Injuries to Liam Scales and Auston Trusty resulted in Rodgers deciding to go with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Nawrocki as the central defensive pairing, and the latter certainly took his chance to impress.

Those did not watch the game may see that the former Legia Warsaw man made his first start and that Celtic conceded three goals and lost and try to connect the dots, but none of the goals conceded were down to any errors on his part.

If anything, Nawrocki’s contributions in the heart of the backline for the Scottish giants prevented the highly-motivated Rangers team, managed by Barry Ferguson, from scoring even more goals at Parkhead.

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old colossus won 70% of his physical duels with Rangers players and did not get dribbled past a single time, whilst he also read the game well to make four interceptions.

So far this season, Scales has averaged 4.3 clearances and 1.7 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst Trusty has averaged 3.3 clearances and 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game in the Premiership.

This suggests that Nawrocki has the potential to offer more than both of them as an out-and-out defender if he can maintain the level that he displayed in the clash with Rangers.

Therefore, the summer signing from 2023 deserves more minutes between now and the end of the campaign to prove to Rodgers that he has a future as a key player for Celtic before the next transfer window.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Nawrocki is currently one of the lowest valued players in the squad at Parkhead, and a strong end to the season as a first-team regular could help to boost his value.

Celtic's lowest-valued players in the 24/25 season

At the time of writing (25/03/2025), the former Legia Warsaw man is valued at just £1.7m by Transfermarkt and there are only four outfield players in the squad who are worth less, albeit one of them is the rarely-seen James McCarthy.

Hyun-jun Yang, who has recently emerged as a key squad option for Celtic with five goals and six assists this season, has seen his value rise to £2m – £300k above Nawrocki.

The 24-year-old titan’s goal between now and the end of the season should be to nail down a place in the XI next to Carter-Vickers ahead of the summer, in a bid to improve his position in the squad and his market value.

There is, however, a former Celtic centre-back who is currently worth even more than both Yang and Nawrocki. The Hoops cashed in on Jack Hendry in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of £1.5m, and he has thrived since then.

Celtic sold their own John Stones

The Scotland international was signed from Dundee in January 2016 and made just 27 first-team appearances, despite earning comparisons to John Stones in his younger days.

During his time at Wigan, before his move to Parkhead in 2016, Hendry spoke about being compared to the Manchester City and England star. He told The Guardian:

“The conversations were initially all about going to Everton, into the 23s and developing the way Stones had done. The Wigan chairman told me they had missed out on Stones when he went to Everton so now it was their turn to get one up.

“I’ve grown up with people speaking about our similarity. I’m now going to be on the same pitch as him. It’s funny how football works out. He has had criticism, come back and is a world-class footballer so he is a great role model.”

He was seemingly unable to live up to that comparison at Celtic, given his lack of game time, and was sent out on loan to Oostende in Belgium, giving the Pro League side an option to buy him – for the aforementioned fee of £1.5m, for the 2020/21 campaign.

Interestingly, though, the centre-back almost immediately completed another transfer, joining Belgian giants Club Brugge for a reported fee of £3.5m just one month later, due to a release clause that was put in his deal.

Hendry went on to play 41 times for Club Brugge in all competitions before Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of £6.5m in the summer of 2023 – a fee considerably higher than what Yang and Nawrocki are currently valued at.

This means that his value soared by 333% in the space of two years, from the £1.5m that Celtic sold him for to the £6.5m that the Saudi Arabian side signed him for, and the Hoops may regret that they did not get more value out of the Scottish titan.

Hendry, who has been an incredibly reliable figure in possession and a strong defender off the ball, has been Al-Ettifaq’s own version of Stones with his mixture of technical and physical qualities in a centre-back position.

Celtic, unfortunately, could not unearth their version of the Manchester City star during the Scottish titan’s time at Parkhead, but he did not get many opportunities to showcase his quality.

That is a lesson that can now be learned from to better handle Nawrocki, who has shown that he deserves to have more minutes on the pitch moving forward, having proven that he can put in exceptional performances at Premiership level.

Rodgers must, now, hand more starts to the Polish centre-back in the hope that he can kick on and flourish at Parkhead, in a way that Hendry never got the chance to do – causing Celtic to miss out on having their own John Stones at centre-back.

Celtic star was sold for £4.5m, now he scores more frequently than Maeda

Brendan Rodgers cashed in on the Celtic attacker last year and he is now more prolific than Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah.

By
Dan Emery

Mar 25, 2025

Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, reversed their scoring trend of 2018 by taking off after the Powerplay, whereas Rashid Khan got his bunny again

Nagraj Gollapudi and Srinath Sripath29-Mar-20194:41

I’ve grown in confidence but far from being over-confident – Vijay Shankar

From best to worst – Bhuvneshwar’s fall at deathBhuvneshwar Kumar is counted among the best death bowlers in limited-overs cricket. Is that fact in danger of fast turning into a myth?This IPL, Bhuvneshwar has been the most expensive bowler in the final four overs: 17-20. He has leaked 72 runs in two matches at an economy rate of 18, including 13 boundaries. Three of the five most expensive overs of the tournament have been bowled by him.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe contrast between his numbers with the new ball and death is vast: in Powerplays, batsmen have found it hard to dominate Bhuvneshwar: 20 runs in four overs, conceding just three fours.On Friday, Bhuvneshwar had just given 10 runs in his two-over spell in the Powerplay. With Rashid Khan bowled out, Bhuvneshwar was their key bowler at the death. However, Sanju Samson took advantage of the slow speeds, the faltering in execution of the yorkers, to punch inside-out strokes and pick 24 runs in the 18th over. Then Ben Stokes, who struggled to get going early on, found his range in the final over. Bhuvneshwar’s death overs read 2-0-45-0.Since the 2018 IPL, Bhuvneshwar has given away 210 runs from 103 balls at the death, making him the third-most expensive bowler in the tournament. Compare that with an economy rate of 8.95 in the previous two seasons, and you can get a sense of Bhuvneshwar’s steep fall.Sunrisers max out Powerplay again to set up chaseESPNcricinfo LtdDot balls. Gold dust for bowlers. Gold for batsmen if they can keep the dot-ball count minimal. So far this IPL, Sunrisers have played out the least number of dots in the first 10 overs. It was little surprise then that they are the only team to string together consecutive century opening partnerships.On Friday, in the first half of their innings, barring the fourth over from Jofra Archer which went for three runs, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow hit at least one boundary in every over, backing it up with a single or two, to disrupt Rajasthan Royals’ plans. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster had Sunrisers’ win probability up at 74%, only going down to 58% at the fall of Bairstow’s wicket.In their opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders, the Warner- Bairstow combine had compiled 92 runs at the halfway stage. There were 20 dots, 23 singles and 12 boundaries. Against Royals on Friday, they were even better: 115 runs, playing out just 14 dots, 21 singles, and racking up 18 boundaries.In the face of a steep target, Warner exploded against every bowler, as Sunrisers blasted 69 runs in the Powerplay, the highest for the season. They also happen to be the only team to not have lost a wicket in the first six overs. Their run rate of 10.25 in the Powerplay against Royals is vastly higher than the rest of the pack, who have all hovered around the 8.5 mark.Royals reverse 2018 trend, switch on after PowerplayESPNcricinfo LtdRajasthan Royals’ first four overs got them just 22 runs, with the loss of Jos Buttler early on to Rashid Khan. That became 45 by the end of the Powerplay, usually the point when their slowdown began last season. Ajinkya Rahane would struggle to get going with the field spread out, and the rest of their middle order would get choked as a result.Those holes were plugged to a large extent by promoting Buttler to the top of the order, a pivotal point in their season’s turnaround. Buttler made half of Royals’ runs since then, and his five fifties were two more than the rest of their batsmen put together. On Friday night, all that changed. Buttler went cheaply, and it was Rahane who stepped on the gas after six overs. He smashed 50 off 29 after the Powerplay, a strike rate of 172 that was his third-best in IPL history in that period.When Rahane perished going for quick runs, Sanju Samson took it to a whole new level against the lacklustre Bhuvneshwar Kumar, carting him for 24 runs in the 18th over, before Ben Stokes found his range in the final over to raze 21 more against the same bowler.A total of 198, 63 of which came in the final four overs. The complete antithesis of Royals 2018.Rashid Khan comes in early, strikes gold
ESPNcricinfo LtdDuring the warm-up before the match, Rashid Khan was spinning the football on his index finger as if it was a needle. Commentator Harsha Bhogle went to check if the finger and the football were glued together. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s most valuable player is used to doing unthinkable things.A short while later, Rashid walked in to bowl the fourth over of the match. It is rare to see him bowl so early in the Powerplay. In fact, only once in IPL history has Rashid bowled before the fourth over of an innings. Before Friday, he had five Powerplay wickets from 96 balls at an economy rate of 6.90.However, the one main reason Rashid came on early was to eliminate the threat of Jos Buttler. Rashid had dismissed the England batsman thrice before in T20s, twice in IPL, while giving away just four runs off eight balls. Add to that the fact that Buttler has faced a fair bit of Sunrisers’ other bowlers, without ever being dismissed against any of them.Buttler was not surprised seeing Rashid though. The first ball was a googly which he read well. The next one, Buttler moved outside the line, attempting a slog sweep, and was bowled around his legs. The ball had pitched on middle and leg, and it held its line to break the stumps. Two balls was what Rashid took to eliminate the most dangerous opposition batsman. Job done, Kane Williamson didn’t bowl Rashid any further in the Powerplay, saving him for tougher overs ahead.

Despite sparkling knocks by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore remain win-less in IPL 2019 after five matches

Sruthi Ravindranath in Bengaluru06-Apr-2019A couple of coincidences basically wrote the script for Friday’s match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. Two weeks ago, Andre Russell had helped Knight Riders get 53 off 18 in the chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He faced a similar equation on Friday night against Royal Challengers. Last season, MS Dhoni hunted down 105 off 48 balls against the home team in Bengaluru. This time, Knight Riders were were also chasing a target of 206, with Russell in the middle.After AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli’s fireworks had kept the fans on their feet for most of Royal Challengers’ innings, it seemed like the side was finally going to taste their first win this season. But it took just one Russell innings, and some blunders in the middle from Royal Challengers, to undo their batsmen’s efforts as Knight Riders stole a stunning win in the 19th over. Here’s how it all turned the wrong way for the hosts.Sloppiness on the fieldDropped catches, misfield, conceding too many extras: Royal Challengers did it all. During Knight Riders’ innings, Navdeep Saini missed a chance to pluck the dangerous Chris Lynn out for 1 after he had top-edged a ball over the keeper’s head. With Lynn going on to lay the foundation for Knight Riders’ big chase, the missed chance proved to be a costly one.Much later, Lynn had raced to a 28-ball 42 when Marcus Stoinis tempted him with a wide delivery which he hit over Mohammed Siraj at sweeper cover, who failed to hold on to it. At this point, Knight Riders were very well on course, with their run-rate close to 10. While the drop itself wasn’t costly – Lynn added only one more run before he was dismissed in the next over – the missed opportunity came at a time when Royal Challengers were losing momentum and under the pump, and it left captain Kohli fuming.Where was Moeen?Lynn’s vulnerability to spin is no secret. In T20s since 2015, he’s been dismissed 33 times by spinners and averages just about 30 against them. Yet, Kohli brought in legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal only in the sixth over, and by then, Lynn had already dominated the Powerplay.And even though spinners, specifically left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, impeded the scoring in the middle overs, Kohli was still persistent about bowling his quicks even with the experienced Moeen Ali – who did not bowl a single over – in the mix.Negi, who was introduced only in the 10th over of the chase, went on to pick Robin Uthappa and Lynn and had 2 for 20 at the end of his third over. Royal Challengers’ have left themselves open to questions about their lack of planning but Kohli, speaking to the host broadcaster after the match, suggested that just giving his team-mates some space would help them come back stronger.Fast bowlers show no chill at deathDeath bowling has always been one of Royal Challengers’ major concerns. The Knight Riders’ win was the ninth time a team had won an IPL game when over 90 runs were needed off seven overs. And surprisingly – or perhaps not – Royal Challengers were the bowling side on six of those occasions.Particularly on Friday, Royal Challengers’ quicks seemed to lack composure towards the end, even when the opposition needed a steep 66 runs off 24 balls.It all started when Mohammed Siraj bowled his second beamer on the fourth ball of the 18th over, which meant he couldn’t bowl any more in the match. Russell had smoked that ball for a six. Stoinis replaced Siraj, and from there, the home side lost whatever control they had. Two more sixes were smashed in the next two balls and the game turned in Knight Riders’ favour.Tim Southee, who was brought in to bowl the next over, with 30 required off 12, was misfiring throughout. Russell feasted on ones that were short, wide too full or on a length. Southee also didn’t try and cramp Russell for space, offering generous width instead. That over pretty much sealed it – 29 runs came off it and Knight Riders then needed just one to win off the final over.

Manchester City added a new midfielder to their squad in the January transfer window.

Spaniard Nico Gonzalez joined the club from Portuguese giants FC Porto for a fee in the region of £50m. He was, in many ways, signed as a replacement for Rodri, who is sidelined this season with a knee injury.

The new City midfielder has certainly made a great impression to start the campaign. He has played nine times for the reigning Premier League champions so far this term and was even described as a “mini Rodri” by Pep Guardiola.

The Spain international might not be the only midfield recruit in 2025 for City. They have recently been linked with another player who can strengthen the centre of the park.

Man City’s new midfield target

After the success of the Gonzalez signing in the winter, City could now turn back to the market to add Tijani Reijnders to their midfield. The AC Milan sensation has been making waves for the Serie A giants this term and could now depart the club this summer.

Transfer Focus

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

According to a report from Football Insider, the Citizens ‘have identified Reijnders as a top target’ for the 2025 summer transfer window and is ‘seen as a player who would fit seamlessly into City’s midfield’, alongside the likes of Rodri and Gonzalez.

However, this will not be an easy deal for the East Mancunian outfit to do. Football Insider reports that the Milan ace will only be able to move to the Etihad Stadium if they pay £50m and sell three players to make room in their squad.

Why Reijnders would be a good signing

Should the Citizens bring Reijnders to the club head of the 2025/26 season, he would surely be a huge upgrade to their midfield. Football analyst Ben Mattinson believes he is one of the “top 5 midfielders this season”, high praise indeed.

The Dutchman has played a key role for Milan this term. He has scored 13 times and grabbed four assists across 43 games for the Serie A giants. One of those strikes was away to Real Madrid, in a fantastic 3-1 win at the Santaogo Bernabeu.

The Netherlands international is not the only midfielder City have been linked with in recent weeks. According to reports in Spain, they are targeting £50m-rated Hugo Larsson of Eintracht Frankfurt. The young Sweden star has six goals and one assist for the club.

Whilst both players will reportedly cost the same price, perhaps Reijnders will be the better option. Not only is he more experienced, but he offers more of a goal threat and lots of creativity in the final third. Just look at this assist for Christian Pulisic to see how technically gifted and creative he is.

Another way to get a picture of who will be the better signing out of Reijnders and Larsson is to compare their stats via FBref from the 2024/25 campaign. To preface these numbers, it is worth noting that Reijnders has played an average of 16 full 90 minutes more than Larsson.

Well, the metrics certainly make for interesting reading. For example, this term, Reijnders has averaged 6.40 progressive passes and 3.30 progressive carries per 90 minutes, compared to Larsson’s 4.89 progressive passes and 0.65 progressive carries each 90 minutes.

Progressive passes

6.4

4.89

Key passes

1.43

0.94

Shot-creating actions

3.27

2.44

Progressive carries

3.3

0.65

Successful take-ons

1.13

0.22

With both players potentially costing the same amount, you could argue there is not much difference in whom you sign.

However, the experience and all-rounder quality that Reijnders offers, particularly as a ball-carrier, perhaps give him the edge.

If City do decide to sign the Dutchman, he will bring technical quality on the ball and a goal-scoring threat as a box-crasher. He would certainly enhance the calibre of midfielder Guardiola has at his disposal.

He was saved by O'Reilly: Pep must drop 4/10 Man City dud after Bournemouth

Man City won their FA Cup semi-final 2-1 on Sunday

ByJoe Nuttall Mar 31, 2025

Influence with bat and ball shines through on another weather-affected day

ECB Reporters Network28-Sep-2023Ed Barnard’s effectiveness with bat and ball maintained Warwickshire’s hopes of victory over Somerset as this end-of-season, mid-table LV=Insurance County Championship clash meandered along under leaden skies at Edgbaston.At the end of a third successive heavily weather-affected day, Somerset were 90 for 2 in their second innings, 32 ahead, after bowling the home side out for 273. Josh Davey took 3 for 62 and Neil Wagner 3 for 67 but Barnard’s skilful and patient 73 (144 balls) maintained his excellent late-season form and gave his side a handy first-innings lead of 58. Barnard then took both wickets as Somerset ground their way in front.Rain and bad light have chopped 125 overs from days one to three but, with better weather forecast for the fourth, a decisive result remains possible. Quick wickets could herald a Warwickshire victory bid, or the captains could simply agree a target overnight.After Warwickshire resumed the third morning on 112 for 3, Davey struck with the fourth ball which Dan Mousley edged low to Andy Umeed at second slip. Alex Davies fell lbw to Jack Brooks and when Michael Burgess edged Wagner behind, the home side was 147 for 6, still 68 behind. Somerset sensed a lead.Barnard had set down roots, though, and received obdurate support from the in-form Danny Briggs. Confident after his 99 at Lord’s last week, the former Hampshire and Sussex player contributed 38 off 68 balls to a stand of 93 in 25 overs which moved Warwickshire in front.Briggs scooped Wagner to long leg and Craig Miles gloved the New Zealand international behind before Barnard’s excellent innings was terminated by a skied attempt to hoist Davey straight.The Worcestershire product had ensured Warwickshire a handy first-innings lead, though, and Somerset faced an awkward 15 overs batting before tea. Openers Tom Lammonby and Sean Dickson made 39 from the first 14 before the former clipped Barnard to short mid-wicket in the final over of the session.Barnard’s happy day continued when Lewis Goldsworthy feathered a pull to wicketkeeper Burgess. Still eight runs behind with two wickets down, Somerset needed ballast and Sean Dickson (36 not out) and Umeed (20 not out) supplied it with an important unbroken stand of 40 in 12 overs. Dickson’s two hours of resistance, in which he struck just three of 84 balls faced to the boundary, was exactly what his team needed in the circumstances.

واصل برشلونة استعداداته لمواجهة ليفانتي في الدوري الإسباني، وقد شهدت التدريبات عودة أحد اللاعبين الرئيسين تحت قيادة هانز فليك.

وكان فرينكي دي يونج قد أكمل مباراة يوم السبت الماضي ضد مايوركا بدون أي مشاكل وأكمل جلسة التعافي يوم الأحد دون مشاكل لذا أثار غيابه الثلاثاء بعض التساؤلات.

اقرأ أيضاً.. راشفورد يبشر جماهير برشلونة بشأن الصفقة الجديدة.. ويشيد بخوان جارسيا

ومع ذلك فقد تأكد أن سبب غياب فرانك دي يونج يعود لأسباب شخصية، حيث أصبحت شريكته على وشك ولادة طفلهما الثاني، وأراد أن يكون بجانبها.

وبحسب صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية وبعد غياب دي يونج عن أول جلسة تدريبية لبرشلونة هذا الأسبوع، فقد كان الهولندي حاضراً اليوم في المدينة الرياضية خوان جامبر.

وتدرب لاعب خط الوسط صاحب الـ28 عاماً بشكل طبيعي مع زملائه في الفريق، ويكثف برشلونة استعداداته لمباراة الدوري الإسباني يوم السبت القادم ضد ليفانتي.

ويعد دي يونج عنصرًا أساسيًا في فريق برشلونة بالنسبة لفليك في مركز خط الوسط الدفاعي وقائدًا في الملعب وغرفة الملابس، وينتهي عقده في 2026، ويبذل النادي جهوداً للانتهاء من تجديد عقده.

وكان فرينكي دي يونج قد قام بتعيين وكيل أعمال جديد، ومن المتوقع أن تسرع هذه الخطوة من إنتهاء إجراءات عملية تجديد عقده.

Keacy Carty’s 87 was the only bright spark in another error-strewn display from West Indies

Madushka Balasuriya07-Jul-2023A second straight ton by Pathum Nissanka and yet another four-for from Maheesh Theekshana headlined a dominant eight-wicket win over West Indies, as Sri Lanka completed a comfortable warm-up for Sunday’s final against Netherlands, in Harare.Set a middling target of 244, Sri Lanka ran it down with little fuss, inclusive of a tournament-best opening stand of 190 between Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne – though both were handed lifelines by an abject West Indian performance in the field. While both would fall before the chase was completed, Nissanka for 104 and Karunaratne for 83, Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama closed the game out with 34 balls to spare.For West Indies, the only bright spark was Keacy Carty, whose 96-ball 87 dragged his side to a fighting total, when at one point it seemed like they would become the seventh consecutive side to be skittled for less than 200 runs by Sri Lanka in this tournament.This had not seemed the case when Johnson Charles was flying high during a brisk 36-run opening stand with Brandon King. With Dasun Shanaka opening the bowling alongside Dilshan Madushanka, Charles and King had found the Lankan captain’s gentle pace to their liking. But the early introduction of eventual Player of the Match Theekshana turned the game.King was the first to go, his middle stump disturbed after he went too far across attempting to sweep. Shamarh Brooks then got a faint nick through to the keeper that was confirmed on review, while Shai Hope was trapped in front by one that skidded through off a good length to catch him sitting in his crease.Charles was still going strong at this point, but then the sometimes wayward Matheesha Pathirana grabbed his only scalp, trapping him lbw with one that was quick, straight and kept a touch low from back of a length. Theekshana returned later to leave the West Indies reeling on 155 for 8 when he knocked back Romario Shepherd’s middle stump.Pathum Nissanka scored back-to-back hundreds•ICC via Getty ImagesAt that point, it seemed like West Indies would struggle to reach 40 overs, let alone the full 50, but Carty – aided by the fact he was dropped on 8 – strung together a series of lower-order stands to haul his side into the game, on a pitch that had few demons in it.He first came to the crease at 62 for 4 with Nicholas Pooran already there, but the latter became legspinner Dushan Hemantha’s maiden ODI scalp, holing out at deep midwicket. Hemantha was playing for the rested Wanindu Hasaranga.Carty then put on 41 with Kyle Mayers, before the latter was castled by Sahan Arachchige – yet another debutant, in for Dhananjaya de Silva. Roston Chase shortly after became Hemantha’s second scalp of the game, caught lbw by a ripping googly, before Carty stitched together another defiant stand – this time 32 with Shepherd.Once Shepherd fell, the writing appeared to be on the wall, but Carty guided Kevin Sinclair and Akeal Hossein through stands of 63 and 25 respectively – the former the best of the innings – to lift the total to respectability.The application shown by Carty throughout would serve as an example from an otherwise dire West Indian effort. This was no more apparent than in the field when several chances of varying difficulty were dropped – a recurring theme throughout this tournament – the most glaring of which was by captain Hope himself, who let through a skier, despite having the gloves on.In a game that many might have assumed would have had far more significance when it was pencilled in at the start of the tournament, in the end only served to show the differing trajectories, not just of these two sides, but of West Indies and the Associates as well. When Sri Lanka turn up on Sunday to face the Dutch, they are likely to be in for a far sterner test.