All posts by n8rngtd.top

The RCB seamer bowled a stifling spell in his side’s thumping win over KKR

Sreshth Shah22-Mar-2025Josh Hazlewood set the tone for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their IPL 2025 season opener, delivering a suffocating spell that stifled Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Leading RCB’s pace attack, he struck in the first and final overs, finishing with figures of 2 for 22.Beyond his wickets – removing Quinton de Kock and Harshit Rana – Hazlewood’s precision made the difference. He bowled 16 dot balls, maintained an economy of 5.50 and emerged as the standout fast bowler on Saturday. His success stemmed from disciplined lengths: eight short balls, ten short-of-good-length, three good-length balls, and just three full deliveries.After the match, Hazlewood said that his decision to stay on the shorter side was influenced by the conditions – the pitch was under covers for nearly two days – and his own strengths on such surfaces. His approach kept KKR to 9 for 1 in the first three overs.”It was more based on pitch and conditions,” Hazlewood said in the post-match press conference in Kolkata. “The full ball probably wasn’t gonna do as much unless you were searching for swing. I found that it was sort of sticking in the wicket a little and the bounce was quite good. I like bowling here at Eden Gardens. And yeah, we just sort of stuck to our lengths.”Related

• Spellbinding Hazlewood and RCB conquer Chepauk and CSK

• History and spin riches make CSK favourites at home against RCB

• All-intent Kohli shows off 'leadership in his own role'

• Rahane points to rush of middle-overs wickets as 'the momentum-changer'

• Krunal the survivor gives RCB exactly what they asked for

“I’ve bowled quite a lot to Quinton de Kock in all formats. He is a very dangerous player, so better to keep it simple and really tight. I know I went a little wide to him and he hit me for four. The plan was not trying to go too full or too short, really sticking to those hard lengths. If he makes something off that length for four or six, then that’s just a good shot. So yeah, sticking to my strengths, definitely.”When it comes to Narine, when the wicket has got some good bounce in it, that’s helpful for the bowers. He’s very much a powerful powerplay batter, and he is always up to take on the bowling and score quickly. So to keep him quiet was very handy.”Despite the fireworks from Ajinkya Rahane and Sunil Narine at the top, KKR managed only a below-par 174. Hazlewood emphasised that constant communication among the bowlers was crucial in taking out the middle order in quick succession. He credited Krunal Pandya’s three-wicket burst and Suyash Sharma’s dismissal of Andre Russell for KKR’s faltering finish, as they scraped together just 23 runs in the final four overs.Hazlewood: Krunal Pandya “bowled beautifully through the middle”•Associated Press

“We would have had to bowl a little bit differently at the end if we didn’t take those wickets through the middle,” Hazlewood said. “But KP [Krunal] bowled beautifully through the middle. Luckily, I got to bowl to sort of the tail towards the end, but I think the hard lengths work best here most of the time.”In our bowlers’ meetings, there’s typically someone in the room who has played a lot of cricket at those grounds. So [they] stand up in those moments and talk about their experiences on that ground and what works well for them. So it’s very much a discussion among the bowling group with the coaches, with specific planning for the grounds.”Hazlewood, who was part of RCB in 2022 and 2023 before missing the 2024 season, returned this year as their most expensive auction pick at INR 12.50 crore (USD 1.49 million approx.). He said most players in the squad carried no baggage from past encounters with KKR. Despite RCB entering the match on a four-game losing streak against KKR, their team, featuring six new faces in the XI, never dwelled on it. Hazlewood also credited the dominant 95-run opening stand between Phil Salt and Virat Kohli for setting up the comfortable win.”It’s a positive influence – fresh people, fresh mindset, I think it’s big,” Hazlewood said. “You mention the last four losses to KKR but I don’t think anyone in the room would have known that because we gave about six caps before the game started. That’s like a fresh start almost.”It’s a new cycle in the IPL, but those fresh players – Salt being one of those – played outstandingly. Tonight, the opening partnership really set up the chase for us. It was not a huge score, but still a decent total, so to get us off to that start was crucial.”He also said bowling four T20 overs does not strain his body even though he is making a comeback from a calf injury. He expects to become stronger as the season progresses.”I feel like I got through the game very well. I know the intensity is through the roof, but it’s only four overs. I feel I’ll just keep building throughout the tournament and this is probably the freshest I’ve been in a long time. I’ve done a lot of work off the field to get back to this point, which was tough, but I think I am mentally and physically refreshed.”

Who are the top-three run-scorers and wicket-takers in IPL 2025 after Monday night’s action?

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-20252:26

Rayudu: ‘Patidar’s was a brilliant middle-order batting innings’

Orange Cap leaderboard

Nicholas Pooran, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) No. 3, is still on top of the run-scorers’ table, with 201 runs from four innings, but other batters are catching up with him.Like MI’s Suryakumar Yadav. Suryakumar has been one of the brightest spots in an otherwise bleak MI set-up, and his sequence of 29, 48, 27*, 67 and 28 has taken him to No. 2, knocking Mitchell Marsh out of the top three.GT opener B Sai Sudharsan has moved down to third spot after Monday’s game. He has scores of 5, 49, 63 and 74 – 191 runs from four innings.Hardik Pandya has been among the wickets for MI•Associated Press

Purple Cap leaderboardNoor Ahmad, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm wristspinner, has been joined by MI captain Hardik Pandya at the top, both returning ten wickets so far, from four games each. Noor has a better economy rate, though – 7.86 – compared to Hardik’s 8.57.There’s a tie just below them, too.Mitchell Starc is at third place, since his nine wickets have come from one fewer bowling innings, three, as compared to Mohammed Siraj’s nine from four.Starc has been one of the standout strike bowlers in the tournament so far, returning 3 for 42, 5 for 35 and 1 for 27, while Siraj has got a move on after a poor start. After figures of none for 54 in his first appearance of the season, Siraj has picked up 2 for 34, 3 for 19 and 4 for 17 to move up the ladder quickly.

Find out who the top-three run-scorers and wicket-takers in IPL 2025 are

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-20252:35

Bishop explains what makes Noor special

There’s a new No. 2 and No. 3 on the Purple Cap table after the double-header Sunday, when Delhi Capitals (DC) won against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK).The Purple Cap tableNoor Ahmad retains his top spot on this list with nine wickets after 11 games in the IPL 2025. Despite CSK’s loss against RR, Noor once again stood out for the team, finishing with figures of 2 for 28. He picked the wickets of Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel. In the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), he removed on-song RCB opener Phil Salt for 32 – aided by MS Dhoni’s quick stumping – before dismissing Virat Kohli for 31, and returned to get Liam Livingstone. In the opening game against MI in Chennai, Noor picked up 4 for 18 in a Player-of-the-Match performance.Mitchell Starc enters the top three after he picked up his career-best T20 figures, in DC’s match against SRH. In a menacing opening spell, he removed the dangerous Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the powerplay. He came back in the 18th over to remove Harshal Patel and Wiaan Mulder to finish with figures of 5 for 35. In DC’s first match of the season, against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he had picked up 3 for 42. He now has eight wickets in total.CSK’s Khaleel Ahmed entered the top three of the bowling charts on Friday with his 2 for 38 against RR. After dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal for 4 in the first over, Khaleel returned to get Jofra Archer out for a duck. In the first game against MI, he bagged 3 for 29 and followed it up with 1 for 28 against RCB.Mitchell Starc finished with 5 for 35 against SRH•BCCI

The Orange Cap table

Nicholas Pooran is still the highest scorer following returns of 75 from 30 balls against DC and 70 from 26 against SRH. The first came batting second and the other batting first. He is also on top of the six-hitters’ leaderboard with 13 from two innings, and no one has a higher strike rate, at the moment, than his 258.92.It looks like B Sai Sudharsan isn’t scoring fast, but he can, as he has in his two innings in IPL 2025, going at 167.07 at this stage with eight sixes. That doesn’t put him anywhere near the top on the strike-rates’ table, but his 137 runs from two innings has him up at No. 2 on the Orange Cap table. Against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Gujarat Titans’ season opener, Sudharsan scored 74, and against MI, 63 – he lasted exactly 41 balls both times. Good signs for GT at the top of the order.Travis Head has entered the top three of the run-getters list after his 22 off 12 against DC, which took his tally to 136 in three games. After his 67 against RR, he scored 47 against LSG but was kept quiet by Starc against DC.Highest batting strike ratesBest bowling economy ratesMost sixesBest bowling figures in a match

“I played after taking injections. Within India, we weren’t even able to identify the problem that I was facing”

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2025Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legspinner Suyash Sharma has revealed that he was suffering from multiple hernias ahead of IPL 2025. He said RCB sent him to London for surgery, and although he was expected to play only “after three or four games”, he eventually made it to the opener, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 22.”We were practicing in February, and for two years, I had something going on for me,” Suyash said. “I played after taking injections. Within India, we weren’t even able to identify the problem that I was facing. [So] RCB sent me to London for surgery. I met James Pipe [RCB’s physio] there. He and his family treated me like their family.”I had a hernia in three different places. Honestly, I had little hope of playing the first match [this season]. I had had a big surgery, and was told that I would be playing only after three or four games. But Pipey and his family took great care of me. I am thankful that I came to this franchise; I became fully fit. Before that, I had been suffering from the pain for the last two years. I was used to playing in pain.”RCB picked Suyash for INR 2.6 crore at the mega auction ahead of this year’s IPL. Before that, Suyash had represented KKR in the previous two seasons. Making his IPL debut as a 19-year-old in 2023, he finished with ten wickets in 11 games. But Suyash got to play only two games in 2024, in what turned out to be a victorious campaign for KKR. He went wicketless across four overs in both matches, and was released ahead of this season.Suyash said he first came to know about the hernia when he wasn’t playing at the competitive level.”If you’re playing for India or a franchise, then you can still manage [to get help]. But I had this injury when I wasn’t even playing [for any team],” he said. “At that time, I wasn’t aware of anything; I just went to a physio, who told me something entirely different – so that made it difficult. RCB showed a lot of faith in me, and invested so much in me.”This IPL, Suyash has played in nine out of RCB’s ten matches despite getting only four wickets at an average of 69.75. They play next on Saturday, when they host Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB have 14 points and appear on course to make the playoffs.

Jasprit Bumrah was not appointed captain due to his workload management

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-20251:19

Agarkar on Gill: ‘We’ve taken feedback from a lot of people’

Shubman Gill has been appointed India’s new Test captain following the retirement of Rohit Sharma. His first assignment is the five-Test series in England starting on June 20.Rishabh Pant has been appointed vice-captain of the 18-man squad ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, who was India’s vice-captain during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and led in the two Tests Rohit had missed.”Obviously you discuss every option that’s there. Over the last year or so, we have looked at Shubman at various times. Even when we played England last year. You take a lot of feedback from the dressing room as well,” Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of India’s selection panel, said after announcing Gill’s appointment at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. “Obviously he’s very young. We’ve seen the improvement – I know it’s T20 cricket for GT – but we take feedback from a lot of people, and we’re hopeful that he’s the guy who can… it’s obviously going to be, like it always is, a high-pressure job. But we’re hopeful we’ve picked the right guy. He’s a terrific player and our best wishes for him.Related

• Tendulkar confident Gill will do 'something special', predicts 3-1 series win for India

• Shubman Gill relishing 'ultimate honour' of Test captaincy

• Sai Sudharsan, Arshdeep and Karun Nair in India's Test squad for England tour

• Confident and assertive, Gill must now chart his own path

• Kohli and Test cricket gave each other their best

“You don’t pick captains for one or two tours,” Agarkar said when asked about the future, especially keeping in mind the upcoming WTC cycle. “We want to invest in something that’s going to help us going forward. You’re always hoping that it’s the right call. We’ve seen some progress over the last year or two with him. There’s no doubt that it is going to be as tough as it gets, in a five-match series in England. Maybe he will have to learn on the job a little bit. But we’re very confident with what he has to offer and that’s the reason we have picked him.”In the case of Bumrah, he was overlooked for the top job because of “workload management” reasons.”I don’t think he’s available for all five Tests. Again, that’s what the physios and the doctors have told us. Whether it’s four or three [Tests in England], we’ll see how the series goes and how his body can take the workload,” Agarkar said. “Needless to say how important he is. Whether he is fit for three or four Tests, he is going to win us a few Test matches. We’re just glad that he is fit after the setback he had in Australia. He’s back playing. I know it’s T20 cricket at he moment, but we’ve seen what he is doing in the IPL. We’re just happy he is part of the squad.Rishabh Pant has been promoted to vice-captain•Getty Images

“I think he is more important to us as a player [than as a captain]. You want him fit. It’s always when you’re leading, managing 15-16 other people. There’s a lot that it takes out of you. We’d rather have him bowl as well as he does than putting the extra burden on him. He is aware of it. We’ve had a chat with him and he’s okay with it. He knows where his body is at, at the moment. And he’d rather look after himself and be bowling.”About Pant’s promotion, Agarkar said, “Pant is one of our better batters in the last couple of years. He will help Gill out with all the experience [he has]. At the moment, these two are the guys we feel will take the team forward.”Elaborating on the challenges Gill could face in England, Agarkar said, “Everyone is going to be tested in England, like it was in Australia. We are confident he has got the goods. It’s a massive transition with Rohit and Virat [Kohli] not being around. It’s a new cycle, experience can only help. It is going to be tough. [But] as far as his batting is concerned, there’s no real issue.”Gill has not captained in Test matches or ODIs, but has led the team in five T20Is, all on a tour of Zimbabwe in mid-2024 when India were missing several first-choice players after the victory in the preceding T20 World Cup.4:11

‘Captaincy will not bear heavy on Gill’s shoulders’

He has played 32 Tests, having made his debut at the MCG on India’s tour of Australia in 2020-21. In those, he has 1893 runs at an average of 35.05, with a significant difference between his home (42.03) and away (27.53) averages. The upcoming series will be Gill’s first full tour of England; he played the two WTC finals there in 2021 and 2023, and the fifth Test of the 2021 tour that was played after a postponement because of the Covid-19 pandemic.The five Tests against England will be India’s first in the 2025-27 WTC cycle. They play the first Test at Headingley (from June 20), the second at Edgbaston (from July 2), the third at Lord’s (from July 10), the fourth at Old Trafford (from July 23), and the final at The Oval (from July 31).They begin the tour with a four-day match against India A at Beckenham on the outskirts of London between June 13 and 16.

The Reds have been unable to tie their Germany international midfielder to fresh terms, but they are being linked with plenty of possible replacements

• Getty
  

  Adrien Rabiot

  Current club: Paris Saint-Germain

  Value: €23m

  Has admitted to being a fan of Liverpool growing up and faces fierce competition for places at the Ligue 1 champions.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Jean Michael Seri

  Current club: Nice

  Value: €40m

  Has also been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea, with a relatively low release clause attracting plenty of suitors.

• Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

  Current club: Lazio

  Value: €100m

  With a €70m offer having been knocked back in 2017, luring the Serbia international away from Italy may prove difficult.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Andre Gomes

  Current club: Barcelona

  Value: €35m

  Has admitted to finding the going tough at Camp Nou and may welcome the chance to make a fresh start in England.

After announcing his decision to leave Arsenal at the end of the season, Goal takes a look at the Frenchman's record against his longest rivals

Arsene Wenger has had some great rivals during his 22 years at Arsenal, enjoying some legendary battles against the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho.

As he prepares to leave Arsenal at the end of the season, Wenger will depart having enjoyed a positive win record against his fellow Premier League managers more often than not.

But who does he have the best record against? And which managers has Wenger struggled to get one over on a regular basis?

Here, Goal runs down a list of Premier League managers he has met at least 15 times during his Arsenal career, along with his win percentage record.

• Getty Images
  

  18Jose Mourinho | 11.1%

  Arsene Wenger just can’t beat Jose Mourinho.

  The 'Special One' has been in Wenger’s head ever since his first day as Chelsea manager and the Arsenal boss has really struggled against the Portuguese.

  Mourinho ruined Wenger's 1,000th game as Arsenal manager by masterminding a 6-0 win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  17Sir Alex Ferguson | 30.6%

  Arsene Wenger's greatest rival and one of only two managers to have won more than they have lost against the Frenchman.

  Wenger had one of his worst days against Ferguson’s United in 2012 when Arsenal suffered an 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford.

  Ferguson beat Wenger 22 times in the 49 meetings between the pair and the managers met more times than any others in Premier League history.

• Getty Images
  

  16Rafa Benitez | 41.7%

  Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle were the last team to beat Arsenal before Wenger announced he was resigning.

  Benitez has got the better of Wenger eight times during his stints as Liverpool and Newcastle boss, and the most exciting encounter between the two managers was a 4-4 draw in 2009 at Anfield where Andrey Arshavin scored four times.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  15Gerard Houllier | 43.8%

  Arsene Wenger's record against managers of Arsenal's chief rivals is mixed and he was beaten five times by Houllier in 16 meetings between the two French coaches.

  Wenger suffered a 4-0 loss at the hands of Houllier’s Liverpool back in December 2000.

The 30-year-old forward appears destined to leave Real Madrid this summer, but where might he end up?

While Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has said that he is content that Gareth Bale is part of his squad, he also claimed that the former Tottenham star did not want to come on during the team’s 3-1 ICC defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich.

Agent Jonathan Barnett has labelled Zidane “a disgrace” over his handling of the 30-year-old but has claimed that Bale will not depart Santiago Bernabeu on loan.

As such, rumours are swirling as to where he could end up when the transfer window finally closes.

Here are 10 possibilities:

• Getty Images
  

  Manchester United

  Bale has long been considered a target for the Red Devils, who need to add an extra layer of world-class talent to an attack that was too often found misfiring last season.

  With the Old Trafford outfit having instigated a policy this summer that has seen them focus on signing British players – Aaron Wan Bissaka and Daniel James have already joined up – the Welshman could be considered an attractive option by the Old Trafford side.

Advertisement

• Oli Scarff
  

  Liverpool

  Last term, Liverpool leaned heavily on the attacking talents of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. Jurgen Klopp could have a problem this season, though: all three have been heavily involved on international duty deep into the summer and will surely not start the campaign firing on all cylinders.

  The Reds could use some additional depth going forward and with the riches they plundered in winning the Champions League, perhaps they could seek to lure Bale. This is, however, a very long shot.

• Getty
  

  Paris Saint-Germain

  It has been made very public that Neymar is unhappy at Paris Saint-Germain and wants a way out. Real Madrid could be an attractive option to the Brazilian.

  Los Blancos, constrained by Financial Fair Play, will have to look for creative ways in order to sign the player and one of those could be a part-exchange deal that involved Bale. Indeed, this has already been mooted in the Spanish press. PSG, however, are adamant that they will accept only cash.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Chinese Super League

  Could Bale make his way to the Chinese Super League? With riches to be found in the Far East, it could be a tempting offer for the wide man, though he will still surely feel that he has something to prove in Europe after being unceremoniously pushed to the sidelines at the Bernabeu.

  Nevertheless, there is bound to be interest from the CSL, which is a league that is constantly seeking to increase its profile.

Manchester United won 1-0 over Leicester City on Thursday to continue an impressive run.

Jadon Sancho's strike secured a third straight win for the Red Devils as Erik ten Hag's revolution continues to gather pace. The England international rounded Danny Ward in the first half to leave Leicester rock bottom and move Manchester United up to fifth ahead of Sunday's meeting with leaders Arsenal.

More than any point over the past year, they appear ready to challenge a top-tier Premier League opponent.

It was the first time Manchester United have won three consecutive games in the division since December 2021, which points to the improvement made under their new manager.

After humbling defeats to Brighton and Brentford in their opening two games of the season, Ten Hag has overseen a remarkable turnaround that has lifted the clouds that hung over the club.

Arsenal, who have a 100 per cent record this term, will be a major test of just how far Manchester United have come, but this was another game to suggest they are moving in the right direction.

• Getty Images
  

  The Winners

  Jadon Sancho:

  Another vital goal for the England winger and another glimpse of his potential.

  Manchester United still haven't seen the best of him, but his composure when through on goal was an example of his game-changing qualities.

  Ten Hag clearly likes him. Now the head coach needs to ensure Manchester United team make the most of the forward's qualities by getting him more involved in the action.

  Scott McTominay:

  Ten Hag spent the summer desperately looking to strengthen his midfield – but McTominay has thrust himself into his manager's plans, even after the arrival of Casemiro.

  This was another performance in which he showed energy and commitment that typified United's best moments.

  Diogo Dalot:

  The window has closed without the addition of a right-back, which leaves Dalot the chance to make the role his own.

  He has impressed so far this season – and this was another occasion when he burst forward with menace, but also diligently stuck to his task at the back.

  It will be fascinating to see how he improves under Ten Hag.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  The Losers

  Cristiano Ronaldo:

  His hopes of securing a move to a Champions League club are over until at least January.

  Perhaps this is a reality check as to where he is in his career. The offers simply didn't come at a time when Manchester United were softening their stance over him.

  While that might be hard to take, he can now focus on the season ahead, knowing exactly where he will be playing.

  Anthony Elanga:

  It's hugely impressive that he's managing to force his way into this Manchester United team, but on this occasion, his use of the ball let him down.

  With Antony available for the weekend, this was possibly a last chance to stake a claim to start against Arsenal.

  Harry Maguire:

  Back at his former club and forced to watch on from the bench.

  It has been a humbling few weeks for the Manchester United captain.

• Getty Images
  

  Manchester United Ratings: Defence

  David De Gea (6/10):

  At stretch to push away Maddison's goal-bound free kick just after half time.

  Diogo Dalot (8/10):

  Quick thinking opened Leicester up for Sancho's goal. Growing into his role with his tenacious spirit.

  Raphael Varane (8/10):

  Got Martinez out of trouble when the Argentine lost possession in a dangerous area in the first half. Understanding between the pair improves by the game.

  Lisandro Martinez (7/10):

  Booked when getting the timing wrong with one challenge – but he was commanding in the heart of defence.

  Tyrell Malacia (7/10):

  Steamed forward in support of Sancho and snapped into tackles defensively.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Midfield

  Scott McTominay (7/10):

  Set the tone with his sharp tackling and pressure on the ball.

  Christian Eriksen (7/10):

  Heavily-involved. Shielded the back-four when necessary and helped maintain possession.

  Bruno Fernandes (6/10):

  Quick pass set Rashford away in the build-up to Sancho's strike. Always looking to make something happen.

The Rossoneri have splashed out on some big names over the years, but just how much have they spent?

Serie A champions AC Milan have long been a major force in Italy and Europe.

The Rossoneri have won 19 Serie A titles, five Coppa Italia trophies, seven European Cups, five European Super Cups and the Club World Cup among others in their illustrious history.

In their quest to keep up with their big-spending rivals in Serie A and on the continent, Milan have spent big sums in order to attract some of the world's top talents.

An ownership issue eventually led to their downfall in the last decade, but they have still managed to bring in incredible players to propel them back to the top of the Italian game.

But, how much exactly have Milan spent over the years?

Let's take a look!

Milan's top 10 most expensive player signings

• Getty
  

  10Charles De Ketelaere | €32m | Club Brugge | 2022

  After coming through the ranks at Club Brugge, Charles De Ketelaere made his senior debut for the Belgian club in September 2019.

  The attacking midfielder then established himself as an important part of the team, making 90 appearances in his three year spell in the senior squad.

  In 2020, he earned his national team debut as a substitute and continued to impress at club level before catching the eye of Milan.

  The Italian giants signed De Ketelaere for a hefty €32m in the summer of 2022.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  9Franck Kessie | €32m | Atalanta | 2019

  Milan pounced on the opportunity to sign young and upcoming midfielder Franck Kessie on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy from Atalanta in the summer of 2017.

  After his loan spell, Milan paid €32m to make Kessie's move permanent in the summer of 2019.

  In his five-year spell at the club, Kessie made 103 appearances for Milan, scoring 23 goals and winning one Serie A title.

  Milan eventually lost him for free when Barcelona came calling in the summer of 2022.

• Getty
  

  8Carlos Bacca | €33.3m | Sevilla | 2015

  After his eye-catching performances for Club Brugge and Sevilla, Milan decided to move for Carlos Bacca in the summer of 2015, paying Sevilla a fee of €33.3m.

  Bacca made 77 appearances for Milan, scoring 34 goals before he was shipped on loan to Villarreal in 2017.

  After a successful first season in La Liga where he scored 15 goals in 35 appearances, Villarreal decided to make his move permanent in the summer of 2018, signing him for just €7m.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  7Krzysztof Piatek | €35m | Genoa | 2018

  In the January transfer window of 2019, Milan decided to splash €35m on Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek after his amazing goal record at Genoa in the previous year.

  Piatek signed a contract until 2023 and scored in his first three starts in Serie A, becoming the first Milan player to do so since Mario Balotelli in 2013.

  However, just one year later, in January 2020, Hertha Berlin signed him for €24m.

  Since then, Piatek made loan moves to Fiorentina and Salernitana.