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Key tailend innings puts Lancashire on back foot before legspinner seals contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-May-2025 Northamptonshire 238 (McManus 53, Balderson 4-55) and 273 (Sanderson 65, Zaib 50) beat Lancashire 276 (Harris 121, Hurst 59, Conway 3-48, Procter 3-70) and 165 (Harrison 4-32) by 70 runs Legspinner Calvin Harrison turned the game with a decisive spell of four for 32 as Northamptonshire fought back to seal their first Rothesay County Championship win of the season against Lancashire.Harrison, on a short-term loan from Nottinghamshire, dismissed Marcus Harris and Josh Bohannon in quick succession after the pair had guided the Red Rose county to 116 for two – almost halfway to their 236 victory target at Wantage Road.That triggered a rapid collapse, with seven wickets falling for 28 to leave Lancashire, pre-season favourites for promotion, winless and bottom of the Division Two table.Earlier, tailender Ben Sanderson blazed a remarkable 65 from 28 balls – his maiden half-century and the second fastest in the county’s red-ball history – sharing a ninth-wicket stand of 81 with Liam Guthrie as Northamptonshire rallied to post 273 in their second innings.With their overnight lead at 102 and four wickets intact, the home side adopted a positive approach from the start as Saif Zaib hammered Anderson Phillip through the covers for successive fours.Harrison took his cue from Zaib, hitting three boundaries as they built a partnership of 49 and the left-hander advanced to his half-century, having spent almost three hours at the crease overall.When Tom Bailey slanted one across to have Zaib caught at slip, just two balls after Harrison had fallen lbw to Will Williams, Lancashire might have begun mentally preparing for the run chase – but Sanderson had other ideas.Having survived a sharp chance to gully with just four to his name, Sanderson went on the offensive with a combination of straight drives, square cuts and slashes over the slips, as well as flaying Williams past long-on for six.He also heaved Bailey over the rope to lift Northamptonshire’s advantage beyond 200 and a flurry of four boundaries from a single Bailey over brought up the 36-year-old’s maiden 50 in his 112th game of first-class cricket.A miscued pull off Phillip that looped to deep square leg eventually sent Sanderson back to the dressing-room, accompanied by warm applause before Guthrie holed out for 16 in the bowler’s next over.That left the visitors to chase 236 and Keaton Jennings seemed in a rush, hitting a trio of leg-side fours in the first over after lunch only to be fall victim to a smart catch by James Sales at square leg off Guthrie.Opening partner George Bell soon followed, snapped up at short midwicket by Zaib and, with over 200 still required, Bohannon and Harris had to maintain their composure and regroup.Harris, who had top-scored with a hundred in the first innings, looked well set for another big score as he lifted Lancashire’s total into three figures with a clinical cover-driven four off Sanderson.The pair added 83 but Northamptonshire’s decision to bring Harrison on before tea paid dividends as the leg-spinner prised out both the set batters, with Harris (43) lured down the track for a stumping and Bohannon (41) leg before pushing forward uncertainly.Those dismissals sandwiched that of Matty Hurst, who lost his off stump to a beauty from Harry Conway – and Harrison struck again in the first over after the interval, turning one to bowl Luke Wells through the gate.Conway and Sanderson collected a wicket apiece and Phillip’s top edge provided Harrison with a routine return catch for his fourth scalp before Guthrie (three for 34) had Williams caught behind to end Lancashire’s late resistance.

وجه الدولي البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور رسالة إلى زميله الفرنسي كيليان مبابي، في الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد بعد الفوز على فالنسيا ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

وحقق ريال مدريد فوزًا مهمًا على حساب نظيره فالنسيا برباعية نظيفة في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.

واستضاف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة الفريقين التي خاضاها ضمن منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.

وكان فينيسيوس جونيور قد أضاع ركلة جزاء بعدما طلب من مبابي ذلك باعتبار المنفذ الأول لها لكنه سدد الكرة بشكل خاطئ وأهدرها.

وكشف تشابي ألونسو، المدير الفني لريال مدريد، حقيقة انزعاجه من تنفيذ فينيسيوس لركلة الجزاء خاصةً بعد الشكل الغاضب الذي ظهر به حينما أهدرها الجناح البرازيلي (للمزيد من التفاصيل اضغط هنا).

ونشر فينيسيوس صورة له رفقة كيليان مبابي من المباراة على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “إنستجرام” وكتب عليها: “سهلة عليك”، في رسالة شكر منه عى تنفيذ ركلة الجزاء بدلًا من مبابي.

وتألق كيليان مبابي في المباراة واستطاع أن يسجل هدفين في اللقاء أحدهما من ركلة جزاء، إذ أنه لو كان سدد الركلة بدلًا من فينيسيوس وتمكن من تسجيلها سيحرز “هاتريك” في المباراة.

T Natarajan makes his first appearance for DC, replacing Mukesh Kumar

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-20252:39

Martin: Starc’s bounce and angle ‘a challenge’ for Head

Pat Cummins, the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain, has chosen to bowl against Delhi Capitals on a grass-free Hyderabad pitch, in IPL 2025, that is expected to be full of runs.SRH rang in the chases from their XII against Gujarat Titans three days ago. Out went Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has endured a quiet season, and Mohammed Shami, who conceded 48 in three overs before being subbed out. Kerala top-order batter Sachin Baby came in for his first game of the season, while Abhinav Manohar returned to the middle order. There was one change among the overseas players too, with fast bowler Eshan Malinga replacing his Sri Lankan compatriot Kamindu Mendis. Travis Head, who starts on the bench, is likely to be SRH’s Impact player.SRH tweeted after the toss that Reddy missed out due to illness.DC, as has been the case of late, named a bowler-heavy line-up despite batting first, with Ashutosh Sharma ready to come off the bench should the need arise. Left-arm quick T Natarajan, formerly an SRH player, makes his first appearance for DC, replacing Mukesh Kumar.The two teams went into the game with contrasting bowling strategies. SRH picked only one spinner in Zeeshan Ansari, while DC went in with three, in Kuldeep Yadav, Vipraj Nigam and their captain Axar PatelSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Sachin Baby, 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 Aniket Verma, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Pat Cummins (capt), 8 Harshal Patel, 9 Zeeshan Ansari, 10 Eshan Malinga, 11 Jaydev UnadkatImpact Subs bench: Mohammed Shami, Harsh Dubey, Travis Head, Rahul Chahar, Wiaan MulderDelhi Capitals: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Karun Nair, 3 Abishek Porel (wk), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Vipraj Nigam, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 T NatarajanImpact subs bench: Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sameer Rizvi, Mukesh Kumar.

Patel will look to build on his unbeaten 74 to help Gujarat pocket the 28 runs they need for the decisive first-innings lead

Shashank Kishore20-Feb-2025

File photo: Priyank Panchal made 148•Manoj Bookanakere/KSCA

Eight games into his maiden season, 22-year old Jaymeet Patel has already made massive contributions as a batting allrounder. Like his quarter-final century against Saurashtra or his twin half-centuries in a must-win against Himachal to qualify for the knockouts.On Friday, he’ll have a chance to put impactful performances like those to shade, if he can build on his unbeaten 74 to help Gujarat pocket the 28 runs they need for the decisive first-innings lead against Kerala. The first innings hasn’t yet been decided in the game, but the scorecard hardly reveals how fascinating this slow burn of a contest has been – purely for the contrasting approach of both sides.Kerala went slow and steady for two full days and posted 457; Gujarat responded with slightly more urgency, led by the experienced Priyank Panchal who made 148 to lay the foundation of their heist. But when things started to happen early on day four, batters went into their shell as the pressure mounted, before Jaymeet absorbed all of it to grind his way to what could be a career-defining half-century yet.Related

Jalaj Saxena: 'My emotions, heart, everything is with first-class cricket'

Panchal leads strong Gujarat reply with unbeaten century

Gujarat’s hopes of a lead had all but vanished at 357 for 7. Jaymeet and Siddharth Desai, the left-arm spin allrounder, have since put on 72 in 36.4 overs, batting through the final session, to keep Gujarat’s hopes of making their first final since 2016-17 alive.When stumps were drawn, Kerala’s spinners two frontline spinners – Jalaj Saxena and Aditya Sarwate – had bowled a combined 97 out of the 154 overs. Jalaj, who bowled unchanged right through the morning session, bowled 61 of those himself, to have figures of 4 for 137 – a spell that could yet prove to be the turning point if Kerala go on to nip out the three remaining wickets early to take the first-innings honours.Resuming on 222 for 1, Kerala struck early when Manan Hingrajia was lbw to Saxena’s straighter one from around the stumps. The ball of the day, however, was the one Saxena bowled to dismiss the set Panchal, the ball ripping in from the rough to dip and beat Panchal’s inside edge to crash into the stumps. Then he had Urvil Patel stumped after beating him in flight and skid. At this point, Kerala were gung ho, as Gujarat slipped to 292 for 4.Hemang Patel, the bowling allrounder who came in as a concussion sub for Ravi Bishnoi, earned a promotion up the order and walloped a quick-fire 28. The decision to replace Bishnoi was made after he experienced delayed concussion this morning, for a fielding effort on Day 3 where the ball bounced onto his forehead as he tried to stop the ball at point.Hemang’s impetus for quick runs briefly put Kerala on the back foot, but an attempt too play one shot too many had him miscue a hoick that was brilliantly taken at square third man by substitute Shoun Roger. When Chintan Gaja was lbw, a decision that was upheld through DRS, Gujarat were right on the edge. Until they were brought back to life by Jaymeet, who stands in the way of Kerala and a maiden Ranji final.

MatériaMais Notícias

Dirigente com vasta experiência, Juliano Camargo chegou ao Ceará com a missão de recolocar o clube no caminho das vitórias. Desde então, o executivo de futebol faz um trabalho bastante promissor à frente do Vozão e começa a colher os primeiros frutos.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão da Série B clicando aqui

Com acessos no currículo conquistados pelos times do Sampaio Corrêa e Criciúma, o mandatário venceu recentemente pelo alvinegro a Copa do Nordeste. Conquista que faz ter uma perspectiva positiva de olho nos próximos meses.

– A gente veio de uma reestruturação em todo o departamento (de futebol) e com contratações de atletas e reformulação total do elenco. A gente tinha uma folha alta do ano passado, pois era Série A e que precisou se adequar à realidade da Série B. Então a gente acha que conseguiu fazer isso com resultado positivo. Desportivamente a gente também teve resultado, pois chegamos em duas finais: a do Estadual e da Copa do Nordeste, competição em que fomos campeões e que garantiu o clube já na terceira fase da Copa do Brasil do ano que vem – explicou.

Sobre ser campeão logo no início de trabalho realizado no Ceará, o executivo de futebol relata os pontos positivos que esse último troféu proporcionou ao clube.

– Os benefícios são ótimos. A gente ganha tranquilidade, ganha um pouco mais de fôlego. O Ceará ficou três anos sem conquistar uma competição e ganhar sempre é bom, né? Principalmente um campeonato importante como esse, que é a Copa do Nordeste. Até financeiramente para o clube também ajuda bastante. Então a gente tem um pouco mais de tranquilidade para dar sequência ao trabalho – avaliou.

Por fim, Juliano Camargo também projetou os objetivos que o Vozão tem sobre a sua participação na Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro.

– Os desafios são enormes, mas o Ceará é um dos times protagonistas da competição e então vai com uma certa obrigação de estar entre os quatro que brigam pelo acesso. A gente não pensa de outra forma, mas eu acho que tem tudo para fazer um grande ano, tem um corpo técnico bastante qualificado assim como elenco. Acredito que a gente vai chegar em novembro e estaremos entre os quatro na disputa pelo acesso – concluiu.

Where will Newcastle United’s striker search take them next?

The Magpies were in the race to sign Benjamin Šeško, even agreeing a £70m fee with RB Leipzig, but the Slovenian chose to move to Manchester United instead, a transfer that was officially announced on Saturday morning.

So now, has Eddie Howe identified his latest top target?

Newcastle's striker search

It’s been a busy summer in terms of Newcastle United strikers, both in terms of players at the club, as well as ones they’d like to bring to Tyneside.

Callum Wilson was released earlier this summer, while Alexander Isak is yet to feature in pre-season, as he aims to force through a move to Liverpool although, as reported by Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, the Swede has been informed he ‘will not be allowed’ to move this summer, the latest twist to this saga that is drawing no closer to a conclusion.

Meantime, on top of Šeško, the Magpies have failed in their attempts to sign fellow strikers João Pedro, Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitiké and Matheus Cunha, all of whom have joined Premier League rivals, while they’ve also seen a £25m bid for Yoane Wissa rejected by Brentford.

Sam Tabuteau of the Evening Standard believes that the Magpies are ‘preparing a fresh bid’ for the DR Congo international, but should they go for a different striker from within the Premier League?

Well, according to Ed Aarons of the Guardian, Newcastle currently lead the race to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea, adding that the Senegalese striker has informed the Blues of his desire to leave, falling down the pecking order following the arrivals of the aforementioned Pedro and Delap.

Transfer Focus

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

Aarons adds that Jackson has ‘trained alone’ at Cobham, valued at around £80m by Chelsea, albeit the Blues are ready to ‘accept’ a fee closer to £65m.

So, could Jackson soon swap West London for the North East?

How Nicolas Jackson would improve Newcastle

Despite often being widely ridiculed, Jackson’s statistics since arriving at Chelsea two summers ago are largely impressive.

He scored 17 goals during his debut campaign in England, before adding a further 13 goals to his tally last time round, despite sitting out around three months of the campaign due to a hamstring injury.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him an “extraordinary” talent, while Moe Adikwu of Breaking the Lines praises his work rate and ‘ability to get into goal-scoring positions’, projecting he will become a ‘top striker’.

Liam Twomey and Mark Carey of the Athletic agree, outlining his ‘excellent’ pressing, with Ed Dove of ESPN documenting how Chelsea’s form nosedived during his injury last season, describing his ‘broader contribution… without the ball’ as invaluable.

So, would Jackson be a better signing than Newcastle’s other target, Wissa?

Let’s compare the pair to find out.

Nicolas Jackson vs Yoane Wissa 23/24 & 24/25 PL comparison
Statistics	Jackson	Wissa
Appearances	65	69
Minutes	5,050	5,437
Goals	24	31
Assists	10	9
All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:
Shots	2.8	2.61
Shots on target %	46.2%	41.4%
Goals – xG	-7	+1.9
Shot-creating actions	164	133
Touches	30	28
% of touches in the box	17%	17%
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and FBref.com

As the table documents, Jackson and Wissa are stylistically very similar players, emphasised by the fact they accumulate a very similar number of touches per-90, registering an identical percentage of these touches in the opposition’s penalty area.

Jackson’s most eye-catching statistic is the fast he has underperformed his expected goals by seven across the last two Premier League seasons, missing a whopping 43 Opta-defined big chances, which is significantly more than anybody else.

Flipping that into a positive, it proves that the Senegal international is getting into good positions but just not taking these chances, a skillset he could improve in the future.

Still only 24 years old, while Wissa’s 29th birthday is coming up next month, Jackson would represent the more shrewd investment from Newcastle, given that the pair are pretty similar in quality at this very moment, but the current Chelsea forward has the potential to become one of the best strikers in the Premier League in the longer terms.

Jackson upgrade: Newcastle line up "proper No.9" as £60m Samu alternative

Newcastle need to sign a centre-forward in the summer transfer market.

By
Angus Sinclair

Aug 8, 2025

يستضيف فريق ليفربول خصمه فريق ساوثهامبتون، مساء يوم الثلاثاء، وذلك في إطار منافسات بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية، كاراباو، موسم 2024/25.

تأتي تلك المباراة في خضم منافسات دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية لذلك الموسم، على ملعب “الأنفيلد”.

ولن يشارك النجم المصري محمد صلاح في مباراة الغد بين ليفربول وساوثهامبتون، حسبما أعلن المدرب آرني سلوت قبل يومين (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

ويسعى ليفربول إلى تحقيق الفوز من أجل مواصلة درب الانتصارات الذي استمر 6 مباريات على التوالي في مختلف المسابقات، من ضمنهم 5 لقاءات في الدوري الإنجليزي. تشكيل ليفربول المتوقع أمام ساوثهامبتون اليوم في كأس كاراباو

حراسة المرمى: مامارداشفيلي.

خط الدفاع: جيريمي فريمبونج، جيوفاني ليوني، جو جوميز، آندي روبرتسون.

خط الوسط: نيوني، واتارو إندو.

خط الوسط الهجومي: ريو نجوموها، كورتيس جونز، فيديريكو كييزا.

خط الهجوم: ألكسندر إيزاك.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

It’s been a frustrating transfer window for Newcastle United so far.

The Magpies have signed Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55m, but have missed out on countless other targets.

Now though, could Eddie Howe be about to land his second addition of a key summer, as he prepares to lead his side back into the Champions League?

Newcastle's search for a new attacker

As outlined by Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, this transfer window has been a complete ‘nightmare’ for Newcastle United so far.

With James Trafford seemingly set to return to Manchester City, this would be the seventh transfer target the Magpies have missed out on already, after failed attempts to bring Liam Delap, João Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Dean Huijsen to Tyneside.

The most high-profile pursuit was of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké, with David Ornstein of the Athletic reporting that the two clubs had agreed a £65m fee for the forward, but the Frenchman is now poised to join Liverpool instead.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse

Thus, as they continue their search for a new attacker, Ben Jacobs of Give Me Sport is reporting that Newcastle have had a £25m bid rejected for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, although they are “optimistic” a deal can be finalised for around £30m, with the player “open” to the move.

Elsewhere, Sam Dean of the Telegraph notes that the DR Congo international has left the Bees’ pre-season training camp in Portugal, suggesting he will soon be on the move, continuing the mass exodus from West London, following Thomas Frank, Mbeumo, Christian Nørgaard and Mark Flekken out the exit door.

Wissa has previously netted three times against Newcastle, two of which came last season, but could he soon be turning out at St James’ Park bedecked in black and white stripes?

How Yoane Wissa would improve Newcastle

Since joining Brentford from Lorient in the summer of 2021, straight after the Bees’ promotion to the Premier League, he has scored 49 goals in 149 appearances for the club.

Last season, by virtue of netting 19 times in the Premier League, his best-ever haul in a single campaign, he very much ranked amongst the division’s very best strikers, as the table below documents.

Yoane Wissa 2024/25 Premier League statistics

Statistics

Wissa

PL rank

Minutes

2,919

55th

Goals

19

6th

Non-penalty goals

19

=2nd

Shots

90

10th

Shots on target

51

5th

Goals-per-shot

0.21

8th

Expected goals

18.5

4th

All statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As the table outlines, Wissa ranked highly for all attacking metrics last season, with only Mohamed Salah scoring more non-penalty goals, joint alongside Erling Braut Håland and potential future teammate Alexander Isak for this metric.

Then-Brentford boss Frank labelled his form “remarkable”, adding “I definitely think he is best as a number ninw” given that he has “got that nose for goals”.

Meantime, David Astill of Total Football Analysis describes him as ‘prolific’, while analyst Ben Mattinson asserts that he is “massively underrated”, impressed by his dynamic runs in-behind and excellent “finishing” ability.

The key question still remains: how does he compare to Ekitiké? Let’s find out.

Yoane Wissa vs Hugo Ekitiké 2024/25 comparison (league only)

Statistics

Wissa

Ekitiké

Minutes

2,927

2,578

Goals

19

15

Non-penalty goals

19

14

Goals – xG

+0.5

-6.6

Shots

69

87

Shots on target %

62.32%

55.17%

Shot conversion rate

27.54%

17.24%

Big chances missed

17

16

Touches

1,020

1,155

% of touches in the box

16%

18%

Average Sofascore rating

7.16

7.27

Statistics courtesy of Squawka and SofaScore

As the table outlines, while Ekitiké’s statistics are impressive, hence why he is on his way to Liverpool for a reported fee of £79m, it’s actually Wissa who is the more clinical centre-forward.

Ekitiké ranked dead-last across all of Europe’s top five leagues last season when it came to goals – xG, with a figure of -6.6, according to FBref.com, which has to be a slight concern.

Wissa, on the other hand, overperformed his xG, albeit only by +0.5, while scoring more goals and finding the target with a higher proportion of his shots.

Of course, Wissa is 28 years old, 29 in September, while Ekitiké’s 23rd birthday came as recently as last month, so Liverpool are paying a premium for potential, but if Newcastle want a striker to come in now and improve their options, Wissa is surely their man.

Related Their new Ba: Newcastle confident of signing "remarkable" £50m star

Newcastle are weighing up a move for Brentford’s star man after move for Ekitike falls through.

Posts ByWill Miller Jul 23, 2025

After a slow start to the summer transfer window for Arsenal, they look as though they’re closing in on sealing two signings.

Kepa Arrizabalaga’s move from Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium won’t exactly be met with much fanfare considering he’s there to play second fiddle to David Raya, but it’s an important move nonetheless.

At just £5m, the Gunners have found a replacement for Neto and due to the price, it frees up money to spend elsewhere, hopefully on a wealth of attacking reinforcements.

The other arrival will see another Spaniard in the form of Martin Zubimendi head to North London. At just over £50m, that move is certainly a more exciting ones but he’s not the only midfielder who could arrive.

Arsenal looking to sign another midfielder after Zubimendi

Last summer, it looked as though Zubimendi was going to head to Liverpool. Sadly for the Anfield side, he did not. Whether or not he regrets that decision based on Arne Slot’s title success is unknown.

Transfer Focus

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

Well, a year on, he will now finally head to England, but it won’t be the red of Liverpool he’ll be donning. Instead, it’s the red of Arsenal.

The Gunners first made their move to sign the Spain international last January when they signalled their intentions to trigger his £51m release clause at Real Sociedad. Since then, an agreement has been tied up that will see the club spend a tiny bit more than that exit clause so they can pay it in instalments.

Zubimendi was reportedly in London over the weekend to wrap up the formalities of his move.

Yet, he could well be joined in the middle of the park next season by Brentford’s Christian Norgaard. That’s according to a number of sources, notably the Athletic’s David Ornstein.

He reported on Wednesday afternoon that Arsenal are “exploring” a deal to sign the Dane and have lodged their first offer, believed to be around €11m (£9m).

Fabrizio Romano furthered those claims by revealing on social media that the 31-year-old “wants to join Arsenal” this summer, so much so that personal terms have already been agreed between player and club.

Since then, BBC Sports’ Sami Mokbel has revealed that an agreement could be reached at £15m, including add-ons. A move appears to be advancing quickly, with Ornstein later reporting on Wednesday evening that the Gunners are now in the process of ‘finalising’ a deal to sign the player. A medical is also in the process of being planned.

Why Norgaard would be a good signing for Arsenal

With Jorginho having left the Emirates on a free transfer, heading to Flamengo, and Thomas Partey increasingly unlikely to sign a new deal, Arsenal need two midfielders.

Zubimendi ticks one box and in the form of Norgaard, although this would be a surprising move, it certainly makes a lot of sense.

Like Kepa, Arsenal would not be spending a bucket load on improving the squad and thus, would be leaving room to spend where it really matters this summer; on a new striker.

So, what could Norgaard offer to Mikel Arteta’s midfield? Well, like the departing Jorginho and Partey, he’s got a wealth of experience and, pivotally, he’s played in England for a long time now.

He signed for Brentford back in 2019 and has since gone on to feature 196 times for the Bees, playing 122 times in the Premier League.

34 of those top-flight outings came in 2024/25 where he scored five goals and also supplied four assists.

A holding midfielder who also chips in with goals and assists, there is reason to believe that Arteta could be signing a more experienced version of Declan Rice here.

Arsenal podcaster, Alex Moneypenny, who has appeared on Sky Sports and BBC Sport, outlines the Dane’s qualities perfectly. He’s a “search and destroyer”, a midfielder who specialises in “progressive passing”.

That’s backed up by the numbers with Norgaard ranking among the best holding midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passing distance. In fact, he ranks almost identically to Zubimendi in this category.

The ability to turn the ball over from deep or in more advanced areas certainly makes him like Rice, as does the ability to progress play. Captain of Brentford too, he’s got the natural leadership skills that Arsenal’s record signing boasts.

But, what do the statistics say?

Goals

0.16

0.13

Assists

0.13

0.22

Goal-creating actions

0.42

0.32

Pass success rate

82%

83%

Progressive passes

4.92

6.11

Passes into final 3rd

4.38

4.36

Tackles

2.52

1.69

Succesful take-ons

0.22

0.42

With the benefit of playing further forward and taking set-pieces, Rice does better Brentford’s captain for assists and successful take-ons. It’s in the passing department where they are most alike.

They complete a similar percentage of their passes per 90 minutes and there’s not a huge difference between the number of those passes that are progressive in nature.

So, while a move of this nature is hardly going to blow supporters away, he’d be a steady pair of hands just like Jorginho was. If he hits the ground running like Rice did too, fans will soon take to the Bees star.

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1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 24, 2025

The win was set up by the South Africa fast bowlers, who combined to stop Netherlands at 103 for 9

Shashank Kishore08-Jun-20242:46

Miller: I knew I had to finish the game

South Africa made heavy weather of a modest chase in New York before David Miller and Tristan Stubbs dug deep to save them from a third straight defeat at Netherlands’ hands at an ICC tournament.Miller and Stubbs added 65 for the fifth wicket to lift them from the pits of 12 for 4 on a pitch that didn’t play anywhere as badly as the scorecard suggested, even though there was enough in it for quick bowlers – 13 of the 15 wickets fell to them, while there were two run outs.As he walked out to bat, Miller might have had a flashback of Adelaide 2022, where his wicket, with 47 needed off 28 balls, shut the door on South Africa and gave Netherlands a 13-run win. On Saturday, Miller stayed the course and remained unbeaten on 59, flicking on his best six-hitting self in the penultimate over with South Africa needing 16 off 12.In the end, in a game where 209 runs were scored in 38.5 overs, South Africa won with enough to spare.Vivian Kingma struck twice in the powerplay•AFP/Getty ImagesThe South African meltdownQuinton de Kock was run out without facing a ball. Reeza Hendricks got a peach from Logan van Beek that angled in and straightened to hit the top of off. Vivian Kingma had the first of a double when he strangled Aiden Markram down leg to leave South Africa 3 for 3. And when Heinrich Klaasen’s rush of blood had him picking out Tim Pringle attempting a pull off Kingma, Netherlands dared to dream – or maybe just expected the expected, considering the recent results between the two sides at ICC events.Miller and Stubbs take overBoth Miller and Stubbs are instinctive batters who love taking the bowlers on. But the situation they walked out to was not for that sort of batting, it was a crisis. A mis-step could have meant curtains. So they chose caution, saw off the powerplay without any further damage, and hit only a further two boundaries until the ten-over mark to leave South Africa needing 72 off the last ten overs.Stubbs was on 9 off 21 at this point, struggling to force the pace, especially when the ball was dug in to the pitch. A hint of grip for the spinners also made it difficult for him to hit out. So when Bas de Leede came on in the 11th, Stubbs gave him the charge and enjoyed a massive slice of luck as a thick inside edge flew wide of the midwicket fielder.Miller, too, rode some luck. A big hit down the ground off left-arm spinner Pringle only just eluded the long-on fielder in the 12th over with South Africa still needing 57 off 50.Stubbs finally shrug off the pressure that had built around him with a hoick for six off Vikramjit Singh, and then launched van Beek down the ground three balls later to turn the tide South Africa’s way.David Miller and Tristan Stubbs put on a match-winning 65-run stand for the fifth wicket•ICC/Getty ImagesMiller lands the finishing blowsIt should have been a smooth ride from there, with South Africa needing 29 off 30. But there was another twist. First, Paul van Meekeren delivered a maiden over to Miller, and the pressure showed when Stubbs holed out to deep midwicket in the next, off Bas de Leede. Then, in the 18th, van Beek came back after being walloped for six by Miller to dismiss Marco Jansen.But, with South Africa needing 16 off 12, de Leede erred in line. Miller began the penultimate over by dispatching a half-tracker over fine leg, and then finished the game with a sequence of 2, 0, 4 and 6 – cue a roar and wild fist pumping.Miller had tamed the demons of Adelaide 2022.Sybrand Engelbrecht top-scored for Netherlands after walking out at a ricky time•ICC/Getty ImagesEngelbrecht props up NetherlandsSybrand Engelbrecht, who represented South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup in 2008 and only recently made his Netherlands’ debut, top-scored with a 45-ball 40 on surface where the next best among the top seven was 12.At the toss, Netherlands were put in to bat seemingly because South Africa wanted to exploit the morning conditions, and had them tottering at 32 for 4. South Africa’s four-pronged pace attack, led by Marco Jansen, was breathing fire at that stage, with pace and bounce off the pitch for assistance.South Africa’s hostility didn’t end there, with Ottneil Baartman and Anrich Nortje ensuring there weren’t any freebies. This resulted in Netherlands attempting to manufacture strokes, like Scott Edwards did when he executed a reverse scoop for six, but they simply didn’t have enough.It came down to Englebrecht’s patient knock and his 54-run association with van Beek to get them into three figures. It would have been inadequate on most days, but Netherlands can give themselves a pat on the back for making a match out of it to keep Group D very open.