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Chelsea are not short of options in attack, and Enzo Maresca certainly has an embarrassment of riches to choose from. The Blues’ key man in forward areas is Cole Palmer, who, despite a lean run of form, has managed 14 goals and nine assists in the Premier League this season.

The other player to hit double figures for league goals is Nicolas Jackson, who has managed ten, as well as five assists. Noni Madueke has also surpassed ten goal involvements in the top flight, too, with 11 to be specific.

If reports are to be believed, the Blues are looking to add more attacking talents to their squad this summer.

Chelsea targeting another teen superstar

One of the most highly sought-after players in world football right now seems to be 17-year-old attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono. The River Plate star has caught the eye during his short career so far, and is now wanted by a multitude of clubs.

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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 Clarin, via Sport Witness, Chelsea are one of the sides hoping to bring him into the club this summer, continuing their trend of raiding the South American market.

Fellow Premier League side Manchester United are also showing strong interest, and Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid are also believed to be considering a move.

Mastantuono has a reported release clause of £38m, and a move will likely happen when he turns 18 in the middle of August. River are reportedly looking to renew his contract, which could alter his release clause.

Why Mastantuono would be a good signing

Should the Blues manage to bring Mastantuono to the club, it would be another exciting young talent they have managed to add to their ranks. He has impressed in his short professional career for River, and has also been recognised by Argentina at under-20 level.

In 13 games in 2025 so far for the Argentine giants, he already has four goals and two assists to his name. He has featured for 997 minutes, and is currently averaging a goal involvement every 166 minutes, which is impressive for someone as inexperienced as he is.

The other standout thing to note about Mastantuono is his versatility. The River number 30, who is left-footed, can play as a right winger or a number ten, which is certainly something Maresca could lean upon at times.

Football analyst Ben Mattinson described the youngster as someone in the “Palmer mould”. However, he even goes on to make the claim that he is “he best of the lot”, suggesting Mastantono is someone to really get excited about.

Well, Chelsea fans have two young South American talents they can watch in action before too long. The Blues also signed Estevao Willian almost one year ago from Palmeiras, who will join the club for £29m this summer.

He has seven goals and one assist in all competitions in 2025, having featured in 23 matches for the Brazilian giants. Like Mastantuono, he is a hybrid between a winger and a number ten, able to play both positions.

Well, the pair could become a force to be reckoned with in a Chelsea shirt, over the next few seasons. The stats on FBref show just how good they are, and as a duo, they could become unstoppable.

One of the stats that sticks out is their creative passing numbers. Mastantuono averages 2.59 key passes and 5.47 shot-creating actions each game, with Estevao averaging 2.36 key passes and 4.03 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.

Goals and assists

0.49

0.42

Key passes

2.59

2.36

Shot-creating actions

5.47

4.03

Carries into final third

3.33

3.33

Ball recoveries

3.33

4.44

There is no doubt that Mastantuono is an exciting talent. Not only do Europe’s biggest clubs want to sign him, but he is putting up excellent numbers in a River shirt already, and has some impressive underlying stats.

If this is a deal Chelsea manage to do, he could be a fantastic addition, and form a deadly partnership with Estevao at Stamford Bridge.

Big upgrade on Sancho: Chelsea confident of signing £35m "wonderkid"

Chelsea are looking to add to their attack before the Club World Cup

ByJoe Nuttall Apr 30, 2025

da esport bet： With Matheus Cunha possibly heading for the exit door this summer, Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly set their sights on signing an Atletico Madrid star who’s actually been compared to Nelson Semedo.

Cunha could leave Wolves with Premier League giants keen

da supremo： By signing a new contract and staying put in January, some may have believed that Cunha had put any talk of an exit to bed once and for all. However, it quickly emerged that his new deal included a release clause worth around £63m which is reportedly likely to be triggered this summer.

The Brazilian is certainly not short on suitors, either, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both in the race for his signature. Alas, as things stand, it seems as though it’s Manchester United who are leading the race to secure his signature having reportedly already agreed personal terms with the Wolves star.

Related He'd make Larsen unplayable: Wolves targeting move for "sensational" PL ace

Wolves could make a move for a Premier League midfielder this summer

Posts ByRoss Kilvington May 2, 2025

Before the arrival of Vitor Pereira, the thought of Cunha’s exit would have sent most Wolves fans into overdrive. However, even in the absence of their star man thanks to suspension a few weeks ago, the Midlands club began to put together a vital winning run and dominantly ended their relegation fears. It was then Cunha’s return to the side which helped stretch that run to six games before Manchester City stopped it there on Friday.

Speaking with great pride about his side’s run even after it came to an end against Man City, Pereira said: “Yes, but in the end, this is football. I am still proud of my team.

“I told them that we can lose a game, but we cannot lose our identity, our courage, our ambition, our commitment, our team spirit. Today, I saw everything in my team, everything except the result. “

Wolves eye move for Atletico Madrid's Samuel Lino

Still needing to replace Cunha despite recent results, those in the Midlands have reportedly set their sights on a new target. According to South American journalist Juan Arrien, relayed by Give Me Sport, Wolves are now eyeing a move to sign Samuel Lino from Atletico Madrid in an attempt to replace Cunha this summer.

A player who has been compared to Nelson Semedo by Football Transfers, Lino mainly operates as a left-winger but can also feature on the opposite flank to offer Pereira key versatility. Having scored four goals and created a further six in all competitions this season, the Brazilian’s output has far from matched Cunha’s, but a move to the Premier League could be exactly what he needs.

Of course, it wasn’t so long ago that Cunha was struggling at Atletico Madrid before starring at Wolves. Once dubbed “incredible” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Lino can now follow that same path by swapping Madrid for Molineux in the coming months.

أعلن البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، بدلاء الفارس الأبيض لمواجهة الإسماعيلي بعد قليل في الدوري المصري.

ويلتقي فريق الزمالك مع الإسماعيلي عصر اليوم في تمام الساعة الخامسة مساءً، على استاد هيئة قناة السويس، في الجولة السابعة لمسابقة الدوري الممتاز.

طالع| محمد صلاح: الأهلي يمتلك قنابل موقوتة.. وفيريرا أسوأ مدرب في أمر واحد فقط

ويحتل الزمالك المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 13 نقطة، من الفوز في 4 لقاءات والتعادل بمواجهة وحيدة وتلقى هزيمة أخرى.

بينما على الجانب الآخر، يحتل فريق الإسماعيلي، المركز الثامن عشر في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، برصيد 4 نقاط، من فوز وحيد وتعادل و4 خسائر. بدلاء الزمالك اليوم أمام الإسماعيليمحمد عواد وصلاح مصدق وأحمد فتوح وسيف جعفر وأحمد حمدي وعبد الحميد معالي وأحمد شريف وعمرو ناصر وناصر منسي.

MI’s win percentage of 71.8% against KKR in the IPL is the most dominant head-to-head record in the league

Vishal Dikshit02-May-20243:22

Jaffer dissects Rohit’s ‘loophole’ against left-arm quicks

Match details

Mumbai Indians (ninth) vs Kolkata Knight Riders(second)
Hyderabad, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – Can Rohit Sharma get inspired by Sunil Narine?

Unlike most other head-to-head clashes this IPL, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will face-off for the first time this season, and at a venue where KKR wouldn’t even want to look at their record. In all these years at the IPL, KKR have recorded just the solitary win at the Wankhede against MI, which came back in 2012. Fun fact: Sunil Narine was the Player of the Match on that night, for his 4 for 15, and all eyes will be on him again, but for his swashbuckling opening knocks this time.He could have a number of things going in his favour on Friday night – a flat deck, short boundaries, his red-hot form and confidence, good bounce that sets the ball up for big shots, and a bowling attack that, barring Jasprit Bumrah, isn’t inspiring much confidence right now.Narine also boasts of a remarkable record against MI’s opener Rohit Sharma – nine dismissals – which is the most in al T20s after Dwayne Bravo’s 10 against Kieron Pollard.Related

• Shreyas 'is one of the strongest people', says KKR assistant coach

• Rohit tight-lipped on India's four-spinner plan for T20 World Cup

• How the mighty Mumbai Indians fell apart

• What could India's starting XI look like at the T20 World Cup?

Rohit, apart from getting inspired by Narine’s free-spirited batting, could also take confidence from his own knock the last time he batted in Mumbai, an unbeaten century against CSK. For this game, a lot of talk will again be around Rohit against left-arm quicks, to whom he has fallen five out of nine teams this IPL with an average of just 17 in 44 balls. To be fair to Rohit, he also took on the likes of Mustafizur Rahman, Arshdeep Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Spencer Johnson and Reece Topley without falling to them even once while smashing them at 235.71.Can Mitchell Starc come out of his run-leaking rut and give KKR the early advantage against Rohit to break the hoodoo at Wankhede?

Form guide

Mumbai Indians LLLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Kolkata Knight Riders WLWLW

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Mumbai Indians
For a few games now, MI have been swapping Suryakumar Yadav and Nuwan Thushara and that is likely to continue.Probable XII: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 , 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Tim David, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Gerald Coetzee/Luke Wood, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12 3:18

How can KKR make up for Harshit’s absence?

Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR will be without both Ranas for this game. While Harshit was suspended for one game, Nitish, who played just the opening game for KKR before injuring his hand, has returned to batting in the nets. The team management is hoping he will be “fit soon”. Vaibhav Arora or Chetan Sakariya could come into the XI for Harshit.KKR have been bringing in Impact Players depending on oppositions, such as Suyash Sharma against RCB, Anukul Roy on a slow track opposite a right-hand heavy PBKS, or Vaibhav Arora against Rajasthan Royals. Against Mumbai at Wankhede, they will likely stick to Narine, Starc and Varun Chakravarty as the frontline bowlers and pick an impact option depending on the conditions.Probable XII: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Venkatesh Iyer, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Dushmantha Chameera/Mitchell Starc, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Vaibhav Arora, 12 Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah will need to be at their best if they are to turn Mumbai’s season around•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight – Jasprit Bumrah and Venkatesh Iyer

Jasprit Bumrah has been phenomenal this IPL, not least because of the wickets he has picked but because of his hard-to-believe economy rate of 6.40 in the most high-scoring IPL ever. He has, however, struck just once in the last three games and MI will desperately fall back on him again for early strikes. It’s possible oppositions have been seeing him through to attack the other bowlers, who had leaked plenty of runs, and how Bumrah beats that tactic will be interesting.Venkatesh Iyer doesn’t look like the same batter that was saw last year, when he scored 404 runs while striking at 145.84, even though he was recovering from an ankle injury. He benefited immensely from the Impact Player rule but somehow he hasn’t reaped rewards this season despite the scoring rate going up across the teams and venues. He also looked scratchy early on the flattest of Eden Gardens pitches in the record game against PBKS. Another flat deck awaits, in Mumbai, and Venkatesh will hope he can improve on his strike rate of 146.66 so far this season.

Stats that matter

• Will KKR bowl Narine early for his match-up against Rohit? In all T20s, Rohit has scored 187 runs off Narine’s 171 balls while getting out nine times.
• Suryakumar has been watchful against KKR’s spinning duo Narine and Chakravarthy, scoring 89 runs off 78 balls against them in all T20s while getting out just once. Will he try to take them on on Friday, considering MI’s top order hasn’t been firing of late?
• Tim David has been batting pretty low for MI but he will hope he gets to face Andre Russell, having smashed him for 57 off 25 balls in all T20s so far

Narine has faced just nine balls from Bumrah so far for four runs and one dismissal

• Rohit Sharma needs another 29 runs to reach the 12000-mark in T20s
• MI’s win percentage of 71.8% against KKR in the IPL is the most dominant head-to-head record in the league

Pitch and conditions

Dew hasn’t been as conspicuous as it has been in Chennai, but chasing is always the favourable option in Mumbai. Twenty-six out of the 42 matches have been won batting second since IPL 2021 and seven out of 11 since IPL 2023. It’s extremely humid in Mumbai and the temperature is expected to stay around 30 degrees even around 11pm, which won’t make bowling second too much better.

Quotes

“The IPL has always been of high intensity and the wickets are good. So with the extra batter, it is dangerous for bowlers and this IPL has shows how the bowlers are under pressure. We see good bowlers go for a lot of runs. With the Impact Sub teams are playing fearlessly – first ball, last ball, doesn’t matter. The extra batter is a cushion for teams and gives batters the license to go harder.”
Being an allrounder, MI’s Romario Shepherd knows the pros and cons of the Impact Player rule“It’s a very personal bond. It is not necessarily a coaching thing, it can be also a trust thing. Sometimes just having someone in the dugout and having that aura around you can have a positive effect on the player. Gautam Gambhir is Kolkata’s golden boy, he has come and won us two championships as captain, and Sunil Narine has been part of that journey. There’s always going to be certain memory that Sunny taps into. It’s a deeper bond that both of them have and that is reflecting in Sunny’s batting.”

Santos superstar Neymar was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for a blatant handball as his side lost 1-0 to Botafogo on Sunday.

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• Neymar sent off for Santos
• Blatantly tries to score with hand
• Team go on to lose to Botafogo

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar was sent off in the 76th minute of the Brazilian Serie A game after punching the ball into the net from close range. The referee immediately disallowed the goal and showed the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star a second yellow card, much to the frustration of the home crowd. Santos went on to lose 1-0 in front of their own fans after Artur Victor Guimaraes scored a winner in the dying moments for Botafogo.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It looks set to be a season of struggle for Santos, who now sit 18th in the Brazilian Serie A table after 11 matches. Neymar has missed seven of those matches with injury and is yet to score or assist across the other four, with a suspension now set to limit his game time even further.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR?

  Neymar is still fighting for his international future after he was left out of Carlo Ancelotti's first Brazil squad. With a suspension for the red card coming, it will be a while longer until he can prove to the new national team boss he is in good enough shape for selection.

The top-order batter has been carrying a long-term foot injury and will now aim to be fit for the Australia Test series

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-20242:15

Stead: Williamson unlikely for Australia T20Is, Boult is available

Daryl Mitchell has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa and the T20I series against Australia in an attempt to recover from a long-standing foot injury.Mitchell, who averages 53.46 in Tests, has been carrying the problem for around six or seven months and was rested from the final T20I against Pakistan in January, but it has been decided he needs a longer period on the sidelines to give himself the best chance of being fit for the two-Test series against Australia.Related

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Santner goes 'the other way' to rediscover his Test bowling

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“We took the opportunity to rest him a little earlier but after seeking medical advice on this as well it’s likely that he needs a longer period of time,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said. “It’s really tough, because there’s not a lot breaks coming up in the next wee while so thought this gives us nearly three weeks to try and give him the chance of the best recuperation from it.”There’s no guarantees this will still work in that period of time but we are very hopeful that it will improve his chances of getting through a longer stint with us.”New Zealand have not called up a replacement for Mitchell with Will Young the spare batter in the squad and he could come in as a like-for-like swap. However, there remains a chance the side may be rebalanced with Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner moving up the order and another pace bowler brought in with Stead confirming the uncapped Will O’Rourke remained in contention for a debut.”[Will Young] is definitely one of the options,” Stead said. “Will’s there as back up [and] Glenn Phillips has shown he’s more than useful and it could be shaped differently. We are very happy with the squad we have. Daryl’s obviously a huge loss, though, he’s been instrumental in a number of outstanding batting performances but it’s important for him and us that we get this right long term.”Meanwhile, Kane Williamson is unlikely to be available for the T20Is against Australia – a format where he is captain – as his wife is expecting their third child. However, Trent Boult could come into consideration for those matches with the left-arm quick not having any franchise commitments at that time.”Trent’s available if we want to select him,” Stead said. “Him and I are still having conversations…hopefully in the next couple of days to nail down what that looks like.”

It would be fair to say that, so far, this season has not gone to plan for Arsenal.

After coming painfully close to winning the Premier League in their two prior campaigns, Mikel Arteta’s side came into this year with the sole intention of going one step further, and when Rodri was ruled out in September, it looked like it might happen.

Unfortunately, in the months since, the Gunners have had to deal with a considerable number of injuries themselves, some questionable decisions from officials, and simply put, some lacklustre form from some of their star players.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the men in red and white, as a few players have stepped up this season, including one already being compared to some highly valued stars.

Arsenal's top performers compared to last season

While there have been several players who have taken a step back for Arsenal in terms of their attacking output this season, it’s worth starting things on a positive – well, sort of – as, prior to his injury in December, Bukayo Saka was on track to have the best campaign of his career.

Last year, the Hale End icon was utterly sublime for the Gunners, racking up a haul of 20 goals and 14 assists in just 47 appearances, totalling 3865 minutes, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 1.38 games, or every 113.67 minutes.

Yet, as incredible as that was, the 23-year-old was doing even better this year, racking up nine goals and 13 assists in 24 appearances, totalling 1828 minutes, which means he was averaging a goal involvement every 1.09 games, or every 83.09 minutes, which is frankly incredible.

Unfortunately, while the Ealin-born superstar stepped up this season, many of his teammates, like Leandro Trossard, did not.

The Belgian international was a force of nature at points last year and, in 46 first-team appearances, totalling 2263 minutes, produced a brilliant tally of 17 goals and two assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.42 games, or every 119.10 minutes.

However, so far this season, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star has only been able to score five goals and produce seven assists in 37 appearances, totalling 2190 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.08 games, or every 182.5 minutes.

The good news is that while some of the senior players have let the side down this year, another gem has broken into the first team and is now being compared to some highly valued attackers on the continent.

Market Movers

The £85m Arsenal star in the making

When Saka injured his hamstring in December, and then Gabriel Jesus injured his ACL just a few weeks later, there was a genuine concern over who Arsenal would play off the right.

Fortunately, Ethan Nwaneri stepped up and, since returning from his own minor knock, has looked like a nailed-on starter.

The “incredible” 17-year-old phenomenon, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, was one of only a few bright sparks for the Gunners against Leicester City last week.

It was his cross that led to Mikel Merino’s opener, and on top of that, he hit the woodwork twice and was a constant threat throughout the encounter.

It was the sort of performance that shouldn’t come as a shock anymore because, as the campaign has progressed and Arteta has continued to give him more game time, the Hale Ender has continuously and increasingly impressed.

For example, in 24 appearances this season, totalling just 790 minutes, the Enfield-born wonderkid has scored seven goals and provided one assist, which means he’s currently averaging a goal involvement every three games, or more impressively, every 98.75 minutes.

On top of this, he has also been likened to Jamie Gittins by FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Borussia Dortmund star is the second most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Arsenal dynamo.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, expected assists, crosses into the penalty area, goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Now, being compared to one of the most exciting players in Germany with 15 goal involvements to his name this season is encouraging enough, but it also bodes well for the Arsenal ace’s future valuation.

For example, according to a recent report from the German publication Bild, as relayed by the BBC, Dortmund are demanding around £85m for their young star, so given their statistical similarities and the financial strength of the Gunners, who to say that the Hale End gem won’t be worth just as much in the near future.

Ultimately, things haven’t necessarily gone to plan for the North Londoners this season, but in Nwaneri, it looks like they have yet another superstar attacker in the making and one who could have a massive part to play for the rest of the campaign.

He's like Xhaka: Arteta must rue not signing Arsenal's loan "genius"

The former Arsenal man is having a stellar campaign this year.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Feb 20, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da poker： A forma como a torcida do Vascofoi apoiar a equipe na vitória por 2 a 0 sobre o Nova Iguaçu ficou refletida nos números do Mané Garrincha. O público que assistiu ao duelo da última terça-feira (7), pela sétima rodada da Taça Guanabara, foi superior à soma dos dois jogos anteriores que aconteceram em Brasília.

De acordo com a informação divulgada na terça, foram28.857 presentes no Estádio Mané Garrincha na terça-feira. A torcida saiu satisfeita com os gols de Jair e Gabriel Pec.

RelacionadasVascoApós vitória, Vasco tira sarro de eliminação do Flamengo ao divulgar postagem em árabeVasco08/02/2023VascoATUAÇÕES: Jair se desdobra na vitória do Vasco sobre o Nova Iguaçu; Pec e Alex Teixeira se destacamVasco07/02/2023VascoGabriel Pec valoriza boa fase pelo Vasco após vitória sobre Nova Iguaçu: ‘Nova noite inspirada’Vasco07/02/2023

da lvbet： No fim de semana, houve dois jogos no Mané Garrincha. O clássico estadual entre América-MG e Cruzeiro levou 13.631 pessoas no dia 5, no sábado (na partida vencida por 1 a 0 pelo Coelho). No domingo (6), a goleada por 4 a 0 do Botafogo sobre o Boavista levou 11.186 torcedores ao estádio.

Em entrevista coletiva após a vitória cruz-maltina, o técnico Maurício Barbieri não escondeu a importância do apoio da torcida para a equipe ir bem em Brasília.

– Eu acho que a recepção foi fantástica, o ambiente do estádio para nós é um motivo de satisfação e orgulho. E a gente tenta retribuir isso. Fico muito satisfeito e feliz com essa torcida enorme – disse.

Harry Kane has ended his trophy curse, but he will not be at the Europa League final as Tottenham seek to land elusive major silverware.

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Star striker now a Bundesliga title winnerTottenham have made European finalKane will be watching on from afarFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

England captain Kane bid farewell to north London in the summer of 2023. He severed ties with Spurs as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, but with final heartache having been suffered in domestic cup competition and the Champions League.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane headed to Germany in a bid to savour long-awaited success, with his second season at the Allianz Arena delivering a Bundesliga title triumph. The 31-year-old is relieved to have finally shaken that monkey from his back.

DID YOU KNOW?

His former employers in the English capital are now looking to land their first trophy since 2008, with Manchester United set to be faced in the Europa League final at San Mames in Bilbao on May 21.

WHAT HARRY KANE SAID

Speaking on his channel, Kane said when asked about winning a trophy alongside ex-Tottenham team-mate Eric Dier and whether he will be among the Spurs fans in Spain: "It was a nice moment to have with Eric. We have spent a lot of time together. To get our first trophy after so many years was a great moment and a big relief. Pure happiness from both of us. That was a great experience to have.

"With Tottenham, I won’t be there in Bilbao. I won’t be able to go but for sure I will be watching and wishing Tottenham all the best. Hopefully they can win their first trophy in a while as well. It would be a great moment for everyone."

R Ashwin’s 33rd five-wicket haul in Test cricket helped India bundle out West Indies for a mere 150 on the opening day of the first Test at Windsor Park, before an unbroken 80-run opening partnership between Rohit Sharma and debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal further strengthened India’s grip on the match.Back in the playing XI after being left out for the World Test Championship final, Ashwin dismissed Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite in the first session, Alzarri Joseph and debutant Alick Athanaze in the second, and then wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Jomel Warrican. As usual, he found good support from Ravindra Jadeja, who chipped in with three wickets.Twenty-four-year-old Athanaze was the only West Indies batter to offer any resistance. Last month, he had scored the joint-fastest half-century by anyone on ODI debut. On Wednesday, the left-hander showed he had the temperament for Test cricket as well. With wickets tumbling around him, Athanaze batted with a mix of caution and aggression but his stay came to an end when he top-edged a pull against Ashwin and was out for 47.Alick Athanaze in action on Test debut•Associated Press

When India came out to bat, Rohit did the bulk of the scoring initially as Jaiswal took 16 balls to open his account. The left-hander got off the mark by cutting Joseph over backward point for four, and increased his scoring rate as the innings progressed. By the end of the day, he had outscored his captain.The West Indies spinners, Rahkeem Cornwall and Warrican, found turn as well, but Rohit and Jaiswal faced few problems in dealing with them as the pitch had slowed down significantly by then. In the final over of the day, Jaiswal even reverse-swept Warrican for four.Earlier, Brathwaite won the toss and opted to bat first on a pitch with plenty of moisture in it. Mohammed Siraj found movement off the surface to beat Brathwaite’s outside edge three times in one over but he also strayed down the leg side more than once. Jaydev Unadkat was a lot more disciplined, bowling two maidens and conceding just four runs in his first four overs.Ashwin was introduced into the attack as early as the ninth over. He found Chanderpaul’s inside edge with his very first ball but it went past short leg.The offspinner, though, wasn’t to be denied for long. In his third over, Ashwin went wide of the crease from around the wicket and got the ball to land around middle stump. Chanderpaul looked to defend on the front foot but the ball turned just enough to beat the outside edge and hit the top of off. Having accounted for Shivnarine Chanderpaul four times in the past, Ashwin became the fifth bowler to dismiss a father-son pair in Test cricket.R Ashwin joined a small list of bowlers who’ve dismiss a father-son duo in Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Continuing around the wicket, Ashwin got rid of Brathwaite too. The West Indies captain tried to loft him over mid-on; instead, he ended up skying it to Rohit Sharma at extra cover.Shardul Thakur had Raymon Reifer caught behind in his first over, courtesy of a low catch by debutant Ishan Kishan, to make it 47 for 3. He could have had Jermaine Blackwood too but the leading edge just evaded a diving Shubman Gill at cover.On the last ball before lunch, however, Blackwood miscued Jadeja to the right of mid-off where Mohammed Siraj leapt in the air to take a one-handed stunner behind his body.Joshua Da Silva became Jadeja’s second victim soon after lunch. The wicketkeeper-batter went to cut Jadeja but extra bounce and little room resulted in an outside edge, which Kishan pouched on the second attempt.Ashwin too extracted prodigious turn in the second session, troubling both Athanaze and Holder. But the duo didn’t miss out on rare loose deliveries. Neither batter hesitated in taking the aerial route and added 41 for the sixth wicket to take West Indies past 100.The stand was broken when Holder fell into a short-ball trap laid by Siraj. The bowler banged one into the pitch and Holder pulled it straight into the hands of deep-backward square leg. A couple of overs later, Siraj hit Athanaze on the tip of the helmet with a bouncer as the batter took his eyes off the ball.While Alzarri Joseph, sent in ahead of Rahkeem Cornwall, could manage only four before Ashwin had him caught at short third, Athanaze was looking good for a half-century. He had the opportunity to reach there with a boundary when Ashwin bowled a short ball. Athanaze had pulled a similar delivery from Ashwin for four in the morning session, but this time he erred in execution.With West Indies eight down, Cornwall hit Ashwin for two fours in the first over after tea, but Kemar Roach and Warrican didn’t last long, falling to Jadeja and Ashwin, respectively, as the innings came to an end 25 minutes into the final session.