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If it wasn't for a ten-point deduction, Sean Dyche's Everton would be flying high in the Premier League at this moment in time.

The Toffees would be competing with the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United higher up the division than looking over their shoulders at the bottom three in the top flight if the points deduction never happened, winning four of their last five matches with four consecutive clean sheets tallied up along the way.

However, as much as Dyche's men are defensively solid, the Blues do arguably lack firepower going forward with striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin only helping himself to three goals this season in the league.

January could come at the best possible time therefore to recruit a new exciting forward player, with rumours indicating that the buoyed-on Blues are interested in former Sheffield United man Iliman Ndiaye who could fill the boots of Richarlison finally.

Everton transfer latest – interest in Ndiaye

TEAMtalk are reporting, via journalist Alan Nixon, that the Merseyside outfit are interested in bringing Ndiaye to Goodison Park this January, Dyche wanting positive reinforcements up top.

The deal could well only be a loan switch however, Ndiaye's current club Marseille wanting the Senegal international to get back to his explosive Sheffield United best after an underwhelming stay in France to date before returning back to Ligue 1 revitalised.

Everton could well be the next destination that ends up re-energising the faltering forward, the 23-year-old attacker previously vital to the Blades as a creative force.

The Blues could do with a vibrant attacker coming in and shaking things up, lacking a second exciting striker option in their ranks ever since former Everton great Richarlison upped and left for Tottenham.

How Ndiaye compares to Richarlison

Ndiaye could come in and play a similar starring role for the club that the Brazilian forward provided for Dyche, a skilful and exuberant attacker who also has the goals to back up the audacious flicks.

Last season under recently sacked Paul Heckingbottom at Bramall Lane, Ndiaye was paramount to the Blades winning automatic promotion from the Championship – scoring 14 goals and assisting a further 11, switching between playing as an out-and-out centre forward, competently playing down the channels or filling in as an attacking midfielder. That's certainly similar to Richarlison.

This blistering form saw former Blades striker Brian Deane wax lyrical about the Senegalese forward to the Sheffield Star, stating that the thrilling attacker is "worth the entrance fee alone."

Richarlison similarly was vital last season to the Toffees in their escape from relegation with electric performances, netting four less than his counterpart with ten goals but proving to be equally critical for his side.

The 26-year-old was also subject to glowing praise, heralded as "world-class" by former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson when speaking to Football Insider in the direct aftermath of his move to north London.

Ndiaye was also rewarded with a major move, although his time with Marseille has been anything but smooth sailing.

Sheffield United's former number 29 has found the adjustment to French football tricky, only managing one strike so far donning his new Marseille colours.

Ndiaye could seek some comfort relocating to England in January in a bid to recapture his form, the Toffees desperate to land the flashy forward even with his former relegation-threatened employers also reportedly sniffing around to clinch a South Yorkshire homecoming.

The out-of-sorts 23-year-old would also offer Dyche another presence who can potentially play down the flanks, Ndiaye pushing the likes of Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil potentially to new heights by offering friendly competition.

It has all the makings of being a fascinating transfer saga, Everton leading the race so far for the hot property.

تشهد الأيام الأخيرة تطورات مثيرة في ملف انتقال النجم السعودي سعود عبد الحميد من نادي الهلال إلى نادي روما الإيطالي، حيث كشفت مصادر موثوقة أن إدارة الزعيم قد وضعت شروطًا صعبة لإتمام الصفقة.

بحسب “الرياضية” السعودية، فإن أبرز هذه الشروط هو إصرار إدارة الهلال على تسهيل إجراءات الاستغناء عن اللاعب البرازيلي رينان لودي، بالإضافة إلى تخصيص ميزانية مناسبة للتعاقد مع ظهير أيمن دولي جديد لتعويض رحيل عبد الحميد.

طالع أيضًا | بعد تلقيه عرضًا ضخمًا من السعودية.. ريال مدريد يحسم موقفه من بيع ميليتاو

وتأتي هذه الشروط كرد فعل من الهلال على العرض الذي قدمه نادي روما لضم سعود عبد الحميد، حيث أبدى المدرب الإيطالي دانييلي دي روسي إعجابه الشديد بقدرات اللاعب السعودي بعد متابعته عن كثب، ويرى أنه سيكون إضافة قوية لفريقه في الموسم الجديد.

وأشارت الصحيفة السعودية، إلى أن الهلال لم يرد رسميًّا بالرفض، أو القبول على الخطاب الذي تلقَّاه عبر البريد الإلكتروني من نادي روما الإيطالي، ما يفتح باب الأمل أمام “الذئاب” حتى الآن لقبول عرضه.

يذكر، أن سعود عبد الحميد انضم للهلال قادمًا من اتحاد جدة في يناير 2022، وحصد لقب الدوري وكأس الملك، وكأس السوبر السعودي مرتين، بالإضافة لمركز وصيف كأس العالم للأندية.

Everton manager Sean Dyche is reportedly keen on completing the permanent signing of a "phenomenal" player, according to a fresh transfer update.

Everton signings impressing

The Blues could only have dreamed of being in their current form a few months ago, with Dyche completely turning around their fortunes of late, improving in his role all the time. Incredibly, Everton have won their last four Premier League games in a row without conceding a single goal, including a 2-0 win away to Burnley on Saturday evening.

There are so many players who are performing at a much higher level than they were previously, whether that be individuals who have been at Goodison Park for some time or those who have only joined the club recently.

There are a number of new additions who are currently doing well, with Jack Harrison steadily improving since arriving on loan from Leeds United in the summer transfer window, overcoming a slow start to register three assists in the league so far this season.

Fellow loanee Arnaut Danjuma has admittedly made less of an impact to date, but Beto has added more firepower to the attack, netting twice in all competitions. Meanwhile, Jarrad Branthwaite has caught the eye since returning from his loan spell at PSV Eindhoven.

Dyche wants permanent Harrison signing

According to a new update from Leeds Live, Dyche personally wants to make Harrison's Everton loan move a permanent one in the near future, although there is no option to buy in the current loan deal.

"LeedsLive understands there is no option-to-buy clause in Harrison’s loan agreement but Sean Dyche would be keen on making the deal permanent."

In the same report, former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson admits that Harrison will be mulling over whether to move to Everton for good, or return to Elland Road at the end of the season:

"Everton are a hard-working team and Jack’s a big part of that. I can understand why he’s non-committal on his future because he probably doesn’t know. There’s a lot of ifs and buts for him in the next six to 12 months, depending on what Leeds do.

"If Leeds stay in the Championship, I don’t think there’s a conversation about, ‘Is it Everton or is it somewhere else?’ There will be a lot of Premier League suitors for him. It’s only an option or a discussion to have if Leeds come into the Premier League. Then it’s between the player and the club."

It is clearly a tough call for Harrison to make, but so much points towards Everton being on the rise at the moment, with Dyche looking like an impressive appointment.

The Blues should avoid relegation Premier League based on current form, and the move to their Bramley Moore Dock stadium is happening in 2025. Harrison could like the idea of being a part of such an exciting venture, as there is also the takeover of the club that could happen sooner rather than later.

Everton eyeing star who “plays as if he’s dancing” after failed summer interest

He’s a top talent who “does things you can’t coach”.

ByHenry Jackson Dec 18, 2023

The 27-year-old has been hailed as "phenomenal" by YouTube Conor McGilligan, and given his age, he could be a mainstay of the team for another four or five years, so it makes complete sense for Everton to retain his services, making this one to watch.

Arsenal could already be considering their options for the January transfer window, as Mikel Arteta hopes to bolster his squad for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Spaniard has seen his side start the season well, however the looming narrative of last term’s lack of squad depth is already plaguing the favoured XI.

Injuries to key players and little room to manoeuvre rotation has provided an essence of the 2022/23 Premier League season’s shortcomings, in which the Gunners missed out on the title on the home straight as their lack of quality outside of the XI was exploited.

This week, the Mirror explained that the north Londoners will target reinforcements for their midfield in the upcoming January window, with £105m summer acquisition Declan Rice being the only player not to be absent from injury at present in Arteta’s favoured middle of the park trio.

Arsenal's January transfer targets

As highlighted by John Cross, via The Mirror, the manager’s primary target in deep midfield is said to be Aston Villa dynamo Douglas Luiz, a player the Gunners failed to sign last summer.

The Brazilian has a current market value of €60m (£52m), however is poised to cost even more due to his importance to Unai Emery’s side, and the fact that the 25-year-old penned a new deal with the Villans in October 2022.

Away from the Premier League, another potential target has been identified in the form of a player well-known elsewhere in the Midlands, with former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves reported to be of interest at Arsenal.

A report from talkSPORT suggested that Arteta and Edu could opt to challenge Newcastle United for the signature of the 26-year-old, who could return to the top-flight on a loan deal from Al-Hilal just five months after his move to Saudi Arabia.

The upcoming vote to determine whether Premier League clubs can block loaning players within their ownership groups could be detrimental to the Magpies’ hopes and could hand the Gunners a boost in their bid to sign the Portugal international.

The report from talkSPORT also acknowledged Edu as a ‘long-term admirer’ of the former Molineux magician.

Ruben Neves’ time in the Premier League

In the summer of 2017, Wolves captured Neves from Porto when the club were in the Championship, making for confusing reading in Portugal as the midfielder traded in the Liga Portugal for the English second-tier to join Nuno Espirito Santo’s revolution.

The 1997-born gem only needed a single season in the Championship to assist the Old Gold in gaining promotion, as his importance in Nuno’s side became evident as he flourished in playing among the physicality of the English game.

In the Premier League, Neves’ consistency never dipped, as his presence in the engine room inspired the growth of the team, with his combative yet elegant edge beneficial to both the defence and attack.

A quality ball striker and fine passer of the ball, the 44-cap Portugal international was once lauded as being “on another planet” to his teammates by journalist Steve Madeley, reinforcing his quality while at Molineux.

Average passes

Rank in squad

63.8

1st

55.4

1st

53.2

2nd

54.9

1st

58.5

1st

58.1

1st

As highlighted in the table above, Neves’ ability to dictate play in the Midlands was impossible to ignore, with him topping the charts for the majority of his career at Wolves for his average rate of passes per game in the Premier League and Championship.

The former Porto maestro’s contribution to goals was far from his greatest asset, however he had the quality to step up when needed and prevail as the Old Gold’s shining light time after time.

In 177 Premier League appearances, the 26-year-old netted 21 goals and recorded nine assists, with the majority of his quality coming prior to goals in having the intelligence to act as the metronome in the engine room to filter out positive sequences of play.

Last season in the league, no midfielder averaged more touches in the defensive third than Neves (24.15 per 90), reinforcing his presence in transitioning play and versatility to conform to all roles required when playing as a box-to-box type midfielder.

What Ruben Neves could offer to Arsenal

In the absence of Thomas Partey and the departure of Granit Xhaka, Arsenal’s midfield is looking like a shell of last season’s solidity, with only Rice’s presence the current reliable source of consistent quality.

While the sale of Xhaka couldn’t be avoided as the 31-year-old wanted to return to Germany, Arteta lost a key part of his squad, in a player that effortlessly orchestrated the pace and direction of play, complimented by the anchoring presence of Partey.

As relayed this week by renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Switzerland international tops the charts in Europe for the most final third passes (127) and progressive passes (119), exaggerating just what Arsenal are missing in his absence.

Back in the summer of 2021, football.london described Neves as being the ‘perfect upgrade’ to Xhaka, who looked poised to join Roma after falling out with the north Londoners before rebuilding the bridges.

The duo have a similar approach to their play, both displaying sturdy assets in protecting the back line, as well as having the composure and quality to dictate play ahead of them thanks to an innate reading of the game and ability to distribute the ball.

Ruben Neves

Granit Xhaka

Thomas Partey

Declan Rice

82.1%

84.7%

87.2%

86.5%

6.50

5.89

8.37

6.60

2.36

1.02

2.54

2.17

1.49

0.45

1.01

1.73

6.02

4.45

8.37

6.41

2.38

3.31

2.57

2.75

43.2%

39.0%

48.1%

62.0%

In relation to finding a suitable replacement for the role that Xhaka so confidently made his own at the Emirates, Neves has the potential to hand Arteta a new source of quality in the midfield to act as the heir to the Swiss maestro.

The Portugal international averaged a higher rate of progressive passes and provided more cover in the defensive areas than the Bayer Leverkusen whiz in the Premier League last term, reinforcing claims that he could fill the void.

Only time will tell if Arsenal are serious in their pursuit to sign Neves, who would undoubtedly be a quality asset to introduce back into the Premier League.

أنهت بعثة مصر المشاركة في دورة الألعاب الأولمبية، أولمبياد باريس 2024، منافساتها عن اليوم الثلاثاء الموافق 30-7-2024.

وتقام فعاليات أولمبياد باريس خلال الفترة من 26 يوليو الجاري، وحتى يوم 11 أغسطس في مدينة باريس عاصمة فرنسا.

وتشارك مصر في أولمبياد باريس بـ148 لاعباً ولاعبة أساسيًا و16 لاعبًا احتياطيًا بإجمالي عدد لاعبين 164 لاعبًا في 22 رياضة، وتعد بعثة الفراعنة الأكبر في تاريخ العرب وإفريقيا.

وأقيمت عدة مواجهات قوية اليوم في بعثة مصر، أبرزها مباراة هامة أمام إسبانيا على مستوى منافسات كرة القدم، والتي شهد تأهل الفراعنة إلى دور ربع النهائي من المسابقة.

طالع | رئيس اللجنة الأولمبية: منتخب مصر قادر على حصد ميدالية في باريس منافسات كرة القدم

وتمكن منتخب مصر الأولمبي من تحقيق فوز هام على حساب إسبانيا بنتيجة 2-1 في اللقاء الذي جمع بينهما ضمن الجولة الثالثة والأخيرة من مرحلة المجموعات بـ منافسات كرة القدم في بأولمبياد باريس 2024.

وبهذه النتيجة تأهل منتخب مصر كمتصدر للمجموعة الثالثة برصيد 7 نقاط، منتظرًا صاحب المركز الثاني بالمجموعة الرابعة في الأولمبياد.

وسجل إبراهيم عادل هدفي فوز مصر على حساب إسبانيا في الدقيقتين 41، و62 من عمر اللقاء، بينما أحرز أوموروديون هدف إسبانيا الوحيد بالدقيقة 90. أهداف فوز مصر أمام إسبانيا في أولمبياد باريس

منافسات الجودو

خسر عبد الرحمن عبد الغنى بنتيجة 1/0 أمام الفرنسي عمر ديالوا فى دور الـ64 لمنافسات الجودو، ويودع البطولة. لحظة خسارة عبد الرحمن عبد الغني أمام بطل إيطاليا

منافسات الكرة الطائرة

خسر منتخب مصر أمام إيطاليا في ثاني مواجهاته بأولمبياد باريس بنتيجة 3-0.

ويحتل المنتخب المصري المركز الأخير بعدما تلقى الهزيمة في المباراة الأولى أيضًا من بولندا، وتنتظره مواجهة أمام البرازيل يوم الجمعة القادم.

منافسات التجديف

تأهل عبد الخالق البنا لاعب المنتخب المصري للتجديف إلى نصف نهائي فاينال C,D في أولمبياد باريس 2024 بعد تمكنه من إنهاء سباق القارب الفردي في المركز السادس بزمن قدره 7 دقائق و18 ثانية، وينافس على المراكز من 13 إلى 24 بعد أن فقد فرصة المنافسة على ميدالية أولمبية. منافسات الكرة الشاطئية سيدات

منتخب الطائرة الشاطئية سيدات خسر ثاني مبارياته أمام إيطاليا 2-0.

وجاءت نتيجة الشوط الأول (21-16)، بينما جاءت نتيجة الشوط الثاني (21-10). منافسات الرماية

أنهت ماجي عشماوي لاعبة منتخب مصر للرماية تصفيات منافسات التراب في أولمبياد باريس في المركز 27، وتودع البطولة. منافسات سيف المبارزة

خسر منتخب سيف المبارزة سيدات أمام إيطاليا المصنف الأول عالميًا بنتيجة 39-26 في ربع نهائي منافسات الفرق بأولمبياد باريس. لحظة خسارة منتخب مصر أمام إيطاليا في سلاح المبارزة سيدات

منافسات الملاكمة

وتلقى عبد الرحمن عرابي خسارة صعبة أمام الأذربيجاني مراد الله ورداييف بنتيجة 5-0 في وزن تحت 80 كجم، في منافسات الملاكمة ويغادر الدورة الأولمبية.

Denly and Adam Riley took eight wickets between them before Kent reached their target with nine overs to spare

ECB Reporters Network01-Sep-2018
ScorecardJoe Denly made a late entrance to record his best first-class figures as Kent moved into the promotion places with a six wicket win over Derbyshire in the Division Two match at Derby.Denly was of the field for most of the final morning through illness but took the last four wickets to finish with 4 for 36 to bowl Derbyshire out for 270 with Harvey Hosein top-scoring with an unbeaten 66.That left Kent with a target of 110 and although they lost wickets with the finish in sight, a 23-point victory took them above Sussex into second place.Derbyshire began the day 78 runs behind and Matt Henry struck early by finding just enough away movement to have Alex Hughes caught behind and become the second bowler to take 50 Championship wickets this season.Tom Lace had shown good technique and temperament in both innings on his first-class debut and was looking secure until a change of bowling gave Kent another success.Grant Stewart’s second ball beat Lace’s forward push and took the top of off stump to dismiss the 20-year-old for 43.Kent struck again in the next over when Matt Critchley edged Adam Riley and the ball stuck between the knees of Billings as he dived forward.Sean Ervine drove Stewart through the covers for four but became another victim for Riley in the 53rd over when the ball hit the back of his bat via pad and looped to silly point.At 137 for 6, an early finish beckoned but Hosein and Hardus Viljoen took the game into the afternoon and ensured Kent would have to bat again.The pair survived for another eight overs after the interval until Viljoen sliced Denly to point but Palladino joined Hosein to force Billings to take the second new ball.Kent’s frustration increased when Riley put down a head high chance to gully with Hosein on 44 and he reached his 50 in the same over by driving Stewart for his seventh four.Denly broke the stand when Palladino was lbw to one that kept low two overs before tea and the leg-spinner quickly wrapped up the innings after the interval leaving Kent 28 overs to knock off the runs.Sean Dickson showed his dismay at being given out caught behind off Lockie Ferguson in the fifth over but Zak Crawley and Heino Kuhn added 57 in six overs before Crawley edged Hamidullah Qadri to slip.Kuhn sliced Critchley to point and Denly gave Qadri a return catch but Kent survived the late drama to secure a fourth away win.

Andre Russell, Alzarri Joseph and Kieran Powell have been recalled to the West Indies side for their three-match ODI series against Bangladesh beginning July 22

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2018

Andre Russell makes his return to the West Indies squad for the first time in nearly three years•Getty Images

Allrounder Andre Russell is set to play his first ODI for West Indies since November 2015 after being named in a 13-man squad for the three-match series against Bangladesh beginning on July 22 in Guyana.Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and batsman Kieran Powell also earned recalls while Marlon Samuels, Carlos Brathwaite, Nikita Miller, Sheldon Cottrell and Kesrick Williams were dropped from the ODI squad, after they played in the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe to clinch a spot for West Indies at next year’s World Cup.West Indies ODI squad

Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell
In: Alzarri Joseph, Kieran Powell, Andre Russell
Out: Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Nikita Miller, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Kesrick Williams

Russell’s last ODI for West Indies came nearly three years ago against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Colombo. He scored 41 off 24 balls but also suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the following two matches in the series. That match is the only ODI Russell has played since the 2015 World Cup.He had been suspended for a year in January 2017 after he was found guilty of an anti-doping violation. Russell was charged with failing to file his whereabouts paperwork three times within a year, which amounts to a failed doping test under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.After the ban, he returned to 50-over cricket for Jamaica in the Regional Super50 tournament but withdrew himself from consideration for the West Indies squad for the World Cup Qualifier in March, allegedly because he wanted to regain his confidence in the format first. Instead, he chose to play in the Pakistan Super League during the same time frame.”Great to have Dre Russ back as well,” West Indies coach Stuart Law said in a CWI press release announcing the squad for the Bangladesh series. “His explosive power and energy will breathe life into an already motivated squad.”Aside from the five players dropped, Kemar Roach was rested for the ODIs in what the selectors described as managing player workloads in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup. Roach was also rested for the second Test against Bangladesh after picking up a hamstring strain in the first Test and was replaced in the squad by Joseph.

Arsenal could well bring in an "amazing" £100 million player, thinks club legend and Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright.

Who are Arsenal looking to sign in January?

Life for the north Londoners could barely be any sweeter on the pitch, having won six out of a possible eight Premier League games while remaining unbeaten. They've tasted victory at the expense of Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Everton, Man United, Bournemouth and league champions Man City most recently.

Draws against Fulham and Tottenham only slightly dampen the near-perfect domestic record. It's quite safe to assume that Arsenal, based off what we've seen so far, will be contending for the league title once again this season. However, reports have suggested that they wish to strengthen in key areas this season, namely the centre-forward position. One of the players who is repeatedly mentioned is Brentford star Ivan Toney, who is currently serving a ban for alleged gambling breaches. They're also after Wolves winger Pedro Neto, with former Gunners striker Kevin Campbell telling Curtis Shaw TV that the club need to sign both.

"Two players that we know can come in and hit the ground running are Toney and Neto. £60 million. You take Toney all day long. £80 million. If someone says pay that and you win the title, then you pay it, don’t you," said Campbell.

“You get Neto as well. You solve the problem of the [Bukayo] Saka dilemma. And [Gabriel] Martinelli because Neto can play on that side as well. But Toney is the key. He offers that big and strong striker, who can cause Man City problems. We have seen him cause Liverpool problems.”

Ivan Toney transfer news

Toney, who scored 20 league goals for Brentford last season, prior to his ban, has been praised by Bees boss Thomas Frank and Toney's transfer value is £100 million, according to recent reports. Indeed, Toney's manager rates him very highly, having called him an "amazing" and "remarkable" player.

"Ivan is amazing in many, many aspects,” said Frank to Brentford's official website.

"The way he copes with pressure and distractions is amazing. He’s been scoring goals, performing for the team and driving the team. He’s remarkable. I can only talk about the Ivan that I see every day around the place and he’s a fantastic person around the group. He’s got that unique emotional intelligence to be aware of all the players, and every staff member."

Aerial duels

Offside awareness

Direct free-kicks

Passing

Through balls

Finishing

It's clear to see why Arteta and Edu have taken a keen interest in his signing, as widely reported by the latest Toney to Arsenal transfer news. Now, Gunners fan favourite Wright has suggested to the Stick to Football podcast that it's a deal which could well happen. He said:

"The Toney links don’t go away because you can see that’s probably the last bit in the jigsaw. It’s obvious for everyone to see that this is the last piece. He will do it if it can be done.”

Southampton were relegated from the Premier League down to the Championship after an 11-year stint at the top level at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Saints enjoyed many years in the top-flight and enjoyed some adventures on the European stage, which included a 2-1 win against Inter at St. Mary's in 2016.

They were able to use their position within the division, and when they were in Europe, to splash the cash on new signings to bolster their squad.

Who are Southampton's most expensive signings?

Top five signings

Fee paid (via Transfermarkt)

Tino Livramento

£22.6m*

Danny Ings

£21.7m

Kamaldeen Sulemana

£21.6m

Jannik Vestergaard

£21.6m

Sadio Mane

£19.8m

*Includes the sell-on fee that Chelsea received from his move to Newcastle United this summer.

As you can see in the table above, Southampton have been willing to shell out millions on players over the years but they have not always been able to unearth a success like Sadio Mane or Danny Ings.

One signing the club had a nightmare with was their deal to sign central midfielder Mario Lemima from Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2017.

How much did Southampton pay for Lemina?

The Saints reportedly splashed out an initial £15.4m to sign the Gabon international from the Serie A side, in a move that could have cost up to £18.1m including add-ons.

Vice-chairman, at the time, Les Reed hailed the midfield maestro as an "outstanding" player and stated that the signing was a "statement" of intent from the club as he had featured in the Champions League final for his former team earlier that year.

The fee that the club paid was just shy of the then-club-record £16m they spent to sign Sofiane Boufal from Lille the previous year, which illustrates how expensive Lemina was at the time.

He arrived at St. Mary's off the back of a season as a rotation option for Juventus.

The 6-foot technician averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across 19 Serie A appearances and only started eight matches.

Lemina produced 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game and came out on top in 50% of his individual duels to go along with one goal and one assist, as per Sofascore.

His best form for Juventus, however, came during the 2015/16 campaign.

The Gabon international averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.26 across ten league outings and contributed with an eye-catching 3.9 tackles and interceptions per match, which only Claudio Marchisio (4.9) was able to better within the squad.

He also showcased his impressive ability in possession with 2.2 dribbles per game and a sublime success rate of 96%. This shows that opposition players found it almost impossible to dispossess the central midfielder when he had the ball at his feet and was moving up the pitch.

These performances were seemingly convincing enough to make Southampton spend a significant amount of money on his services ahead of the 2017/18 Premier League campaign, with Reed and then-manager Mauricio Pellegrino bringing him to England.

How many appearances did Lemina make for Southampton?

The 30-year-old flop made 52 appearances for the Saints in all competitions over the course of his four-year stay on the south coast.

Lemina did, however, enjoy a fantastic debut season with the club as he became an instant success with his consistently impressive displays in the middle of the park.

The Gabon international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 across 25 top-flight outings and caught the eye with his defensive and ball-carrying attributes.

He made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game and showcased his strength with a duel success rate of 61%, as per Sofascore, which showed that opposition players rarely got the better of him in physical contests.

Out of every player with at least five Premier League appearances, only Oriol Romeu (2.7) made more tackles per match than Lemina (2.2) as the ex-Old Lady ace displayed his ability to win possession back for his side on a regular basis.

The former Marseille star once again showed off his dribbling skills with 2.2 successful dribbles and an excellent success rate of 89% across the top-flight campaign.

However, Lemina's form dipped throughout the following season as the central midfielder averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.89 over 21 appearances and only won 53% of his battles, to go along with 1.1 dribbles at a success rate of 64%.

His performance regressing over the course of the 2018/19 campaign led to loan moves to Galatasaray and Fulham over the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons respectively.

How much did Southampton sell Lemina for?

Southampton eventually sold the former Juventus maestro to Ligue 1 side Nice for a reported fee of €5.5m (£4.8m) in the summer of 2021.

This means that his value dropped by a staggering £10.6m throughout his four-year spell at St. Mary's, from the initial £15.4m that the club paid to sign him from Italy.

He was never able to follow up on his impressive first season on the south coast and ultimately turned out to be a poor signing as they did not get much value back on or off the pitch.

Therefore, Reed had a mare with the signing of the ex-Marseille gem in the summer of 2017 and he may look back on that as one of his worst pieces of business during his time at the club.

Where is Lemina now?

The central midfielder, who was once hailed as "combative" by journalist Josh Bunting, is currently playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League after his move to the Molineux from Nice in January of this year.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.85 across six top-flight matches so far this season and has completed 0.8 dribbles with a success rate of 50%. The former Juventus dynamo has also lost 51% of his individual duels for Gary O'Neil's side so far this term.

These statistics suggest that Lemina has not been able to get back to the levels that he showed during the 2017/18 campaign for Southampton and that the club's decision to sell him in 2021 has not come back to bite them.

However, they may well still regret their move to sign him from Turin in 2017 as his market value dropped considerably by the time they were able to cash in on his services.

ScorecardPakistan will head to Ireland for the first Test of their tour with a hard-fought win behind them after finally seeing off a game Northamptonshire on the fourth-afternoon at Wantage Road with a simple chase of 133.As tour matches go, this was a very worthwhile exercise for both sides and a template for preparation before a Test tour. Only on the final afternoon when Pakistan’s chase became a formality did the game lose intensity. Therefore, Shadab Khan’s 10 for 157 in the match, Asad Shafiq’s unbeaten 186, and Haris Sohail’s two half-centuries was solid form to take to Malahide.Whether conditions in Ireland in any way resemble this slow wicket under unbroken sunshine on Friday is another matter and Pakistan showed vulnerability for the brief time the ball did swing at the start of their first innings and had Shafiq been caught on 13, Northants may have run them closer.But Pakistan travel over the Irish Sea with success and some selection decisions made clearer. Shadab is surely now worthy of inclusion even if the wicket turns out as emerald green as the Pakistan caps. The way he bamboozled Northants on the first afternoon was an indication of what a good legspinner can do and Ireland’s batsman have little pedigree playing legspin either.It is also a huge threat to tailenders and Shadab duly took the final two wickets of the Northants second innings, Brett Hutton and Gareth Wade lbw, to complete a maiden 10-wicket match haul.Far less of a threat was Mohammad Amir. After taking 1 for 45 against Kent, he was somewhat wayward here and lacked the zip that has produced 95 wickets in 30 Tests – he went wicketless in 27 overs. Perhaps he was saving himself for William Porterfield and Co.It was the far-less heralded Mohammad Abbas that opened Pakistan’s route to victory. Abbas, fairly short for a fast bowler but skiddy and likely to be effective in conditions that could prevail in Malahide, has played in Pakistan’s last five Tests after making his debut in the West Indies a year ago. Having been unlucky not to take a wicket in the first innings, regularly beating the bat, he took two with the old ball on the fourth morning, breaking through in the 14th over of the day.Full deliveries slid into Rob Newton and Steven Crook to win lbw decisions before extracting two of Rob Keogh’s stumps when the new ball was taken. Newton’s wicket was key. After making a battling century on the third afternoon, he needed to lead Northants well after lunch to try and save the game. But he could only add 16 to his overnight score before being beaten by one that kept low – the first of five morning wickets for 61 runs.It left a simple target and the chance for Azhar Ali to find some form after 15 against Kent and just 9 in the first innings here. But trying to take a leg-bye running from the non-striker’s end he collided mid-pitch with his opening partner Imam-ul-Haq and was beaten by Ricardo Vasconcelos’ throw. That the nephew of Inzamam was involved in a comedy run-out was not lost on the Twitterati.So it was left to Imam and Haris to continue their earlier form, which they did with the most fluent run-scoring of the game to reach their target in 27 overs. Haris resumed in good touch from his first-innings 79 and steered a boundary through backward point off Hutton, flicked another through square leg off Wade and drove the same bowler fluently through extra-cover en route to a 66-ball half-century, his second of the game.Imam, who could be set for a Test debut in Malahide after playing in both tour matches with Sami Aslam left out here, was the only Pakistan batsman to make a significant score against Kent and here warmed to his task having scratched around for 11 from 60 balls in the first innings. He slammed Rob Keogh’s offspin back over his head for his first boundary, passed fifty in 72 balls before pulling the winning boundary to send Pakistan to Dublin with victory.