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Over the years, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side have not been short of superstars. Whether they are homegrown players, like Phil Foden, or brought in from other clubs, both in the Premier League and abroad, the Spaniard has certainly coached some big names.

Foden is certainly one of the players who could fit into that category, and fellow England international Raheem Sterling became one of the best players in the league under Guardiola. Of course, you have the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri who joined from clubs across Europe, and helped bring success to East Manchester.

One of the latest players who falls into this category is certainly Erling Haaland.

Erling Haaland's current market value

The start that Haaland has made to the 2025/26 campaign has been astronomical. There has only been one game in the top flight in which he has not scored. He has completely dominated the Premier League this season.

Let’s look at that from a numerical point of view. The Norwegian forward has played nine games for City across all competitions, and already has 12 goals.

He’s found the back of the net nine times in seven Premier League appearances, with the other three coming in two Champions League games.

The City number nine has carried his imperious form over to the international arena, too. He’s scored nine goals for Norway this season, including back-to-back hat-tricks and five goals in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova.

Guardiola says Haaland’s form is “better than ever” this season, and it is easy to see why. His unstoppable run is also reflected in his current market value, with CIES Football Observatory deeming him to be worth as much as £208m.

However, the 25-year-old is not the only player in the Citizens squad who looks like a £100m talent in the making, reinforcing the fact that Guardiola’s side is still filled with superstars.

Man City star is looking like a £100m player

Haaland is, without doubt, City’s most important player this season. He’s scored nine of their 15 Premier League goals so far, so they would certainly be a lot lower in the table without him leading the line.

At the other end of the pitch, summer signing Gianluigi Donnarumma has made some extremely important contributions.

The Italian goalkeeper joined from Paris Saint-Germain at the back end of the window and has been crucial for Guardiola.

The shot-stopper, who lifted the Champions League with the Parisian side last season, has slotted seamlessly into his new club. Having played six games across all competitions, he’s kept three clean sheets and conceded just four goals.

Saves such as this one from Bryan Mbeumo’s effort show why he will be so important for City. Making his debut in a Manchester derby, the Italian was able to tip wide the Manchester United winger’s strike, which seemed destined for the bottom left corner.

His singing has been a big coup for City. Donnarumma’s consistency for PSG was clear to see with some of his numbers.

He regularly had a save rate in the 70s, with his highest coming in 2023/24, where it stood at 79.1%. In a City shirt, it’s currently at 66.7%.

Donnarumma – last 5 years (all comps)

Season (club)

Saves per game

Save %

2021/22 (PSG)

2.9

75.3%

2022/23 (PSG)

3.3

75.2%

2023/24 (PSG)

3.5

79.1%

2024/25 (PSG)

2.3

70.2%

2025/26 (Man City)

1.3

66.7%

Stats from Sofascore

One City page over on X, City Chief, said the Citizens have “got a £100m goalkeeper for £25m,” and it certainly feels that way based on Donnarumma’s start to the season.

He has been imperious between the posts for his new side, with his size, reflexes and the way he commands his box making it hard to score past him.

Football scout Antonio Mango once said the former AC Milan star was a “generational” talent. Well, all the evidence this season certainly makes it clear why that is the case. Just like Haaland, Donnarumma has been key to Guardiola in the early parts of the season.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras encarou o Corinthians na manhã deste domingo (6), em Santana de Parnaíba, em confronto de ida das semifinais do Brasileirão Sub-20.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Dominante desde o início de jogo, o Verdão atropelou o maior rival por 5 a 1 e deu um gigantesco passo para estar na grande final do Brasileirão da categoria.

Thalys, Allan, Kevin (duas vezes) e Juninho foram os autores dos gols da vitória massacrante do atual campeão brasileiro Sub-20.

O jogo de volta acontece no dia 15 de agosto, às 21h30 (horário de Brasília), na Neo Químina Arena e o Verdão pode perder por até três gols de diferença que mesmo assim estará classificado para buscar o tricampeonato brasileiro Sub-20.

continua após a publicidade

Caso avance para a grande final, o Verdão espera o vencedor do duelo entre Flamengo e Santos.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

Lembrando que a grande final será decidida em jogo único com mando do clube de melhor campanha.

It would be fair to say that, so far, Chelsea have had a great transfer window this summer.

The club have made plenty of money selling the likes of Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, and Djordje Petrovic, while seriously improving the squad with exciting additions like Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, and Jamie Gittens.

Moreover, it looks like the Blues’ owners, BlueCo group, are in the process of securing the services of the promising Julio Enciso.

However, while the young Paraguayan could be an excellent addition to the squad, the Blues are also closing in on someone who’d be an even better signing.

Chelsea chase better signing than Enciso

Even though they’ve already completed more signings than most teams would in a summer, Chelsea are still on the lookout for more talent, and while someone like Xavi Simons has been consistently touted for a move to the club in recent weeks, Enciso is set to be the latest addition.

Transfer Focus

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

In fact, the Brighton & Hove Albion gem’s move to the West Londoners has already been given the ‘here we go’ treatment, but instead of heading straight to Stamford Bridge, the plan is that he’ll be spending a year in France with Strasbourg.

The 21-year-old is undoubtedly an exciting signing, but it appears that the Pensioners are now moving to complete a move for someone who’d be an even better signing.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which has reaffirmed Chelsea’s intense interest in Alejandro Garnacho.

Moreover, the report has now revealed that the Blues are preparing an offer for the Manchester United ace that’ll be worth around £25m.

It seems likely that the Red Devils will reject such a bid, but given the player’s open desire to make the move, a compromise of some kind feels like the likely outcome.

It could therefore still be something of a complicated and costly transfer for Chelsea, but given Garnacho’s ability and potential, he’d be worth the effort, especially as he’d be a better signing than Enciso.

Why Garnacho would be a better signing than Enciso

Now, it should be said that both players are incredibly talented and look like they have bright futures in the game ahead of them.

However, there are a few reasons why we believe Garnacho would be a better signing for Chelsea than Enciso, and the first is their output last season.

For example, between his spells with the Seagulls and Ipswich Town last season, the Caaguazú-born gem was only able to score three goals and provide four assists in 29 appearances, totalling 1458 minutes.

Appearances

58

29

Minutes

3568′

1458′

Goals

11

3

Assists

10

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.36

0.24

Minutes per Goal Involvements

169.90′

208.28′

That means that he maintained a middling average of a goal involvement every 4.14 games, or every 208.28 minutes, which isn’t terrible, but it’s also not particularly noteworthy.

In contrast, the Madrid-born “superstar” in the making, as dubbed by journalist Liam Canning, was able to score 11 goals and provide ten assists in 58 appearances, totalling 3568 minutes.

In other words, the Argentine international was able to average a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or 169.90 minutes for a historically terrible United side.

The second reason the “electric” United ace, as dubbed by Statman Dave, would be a better signing is down to his experience.

While both players are still just 21 years old, the Red Devils gem has made 36 more appearances in the Premier League, has played in the Champions League, and has experience of not just playing in finals, but scoring hugely important goals in them that secure his side silverware.

Ultimately, Enciso is an undeniably talented footballer, but he lacks the numbers and extraordinary moments Garnacho has at the same age.

Therefore, we reckon the Argentine international would be the far better signing for the club this summer.

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Leeds United were handed a sobering reminder of the reality of the Premier League when Arsenal hammered five past them at The Emirates on Saturday.

Whilst supporters will not have been expecting an easy game, by any means, the 1-0 win over Everton may have provided a bit of cautious optimism heading to North London.

Unfortunately, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were firing at their very best and made the game look a bit too easy at times, with Viktor Gyokeres and Jurrien Timber both grabbing two goals, alongside Bukayo Saka’s strike.

There was no single individual player to blame for the result, but Daniel Farke will surely be disappointed with several individual performances across the pitch. Ilia Gruev was given a chance in light of Ethan Ampadu’s injury, for example, but failed to take his opportunity.

Why Ilia Gruev should be dropped

The Bulgarian midfielder was selected ahead of summer signing Sean Longstaff to start at the base of the midfield, but did not look ready for the task at hand.

Gruev played the full 90 minutes in the middle of the park, in a team that was defending for the vast majority of the time, and only won one duel, out of three contested, per Sofascore.

The left-footed lightweight did not offer any, or at least enough, protection in front of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon to prevent the Arsenal midfield from linking up with the forward line as easily as they did.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

This is why, with the prospect of a physical Newcastle midfield on the horizon, Farke should drop Gruev next weekend. However, he is not the only player whose position in the XI should be in danger, as Joel Piroe must also be ruthlessly ditched.

Why Joel Piroe should be dropped

The Dutch forward, who was handed a 4/10 rating by the Yorkshire Evening Post, does not look up to the physicality of dealing with Premier League central defenders.

In two starts against Everton and Arsenal, Piroe has lost nine of his ten physical duels and has not won a single ground duel, per Sofascore, to go along with one shot on target and zero chances created for his teammates.

With the caveat that he was up against two top-class players, it was too easy for William Saliba and Gabriel to nip in ahead of him to get to balls first, without him even being able to compete for them.

The introduction of Lukas Nmecha, in both matches, has shown Leeds what they need in a centre-forward at that level. He came on in difficult circumstances against Arsenal, but still put himself about and used his frame well to relieve a bit of pressure at times.

Minutes

58

33

Shots

0

0

Passes completed

9

5

Key passes

0

0

Ground duels won

0/0

1/2

Aerial duels won

0/2

1/1

As you can see in the table above, Nmecha competed in and won more duels in 33 minutes on the pitch than Piroe managed in almost an hour at The Emirates, as the former Swansea man lost 100% of his duels.

Leeds will be battling against relegation this season and that means that there will be a lot of games where they cannot expect to dominate the ball and have it all their way. As Gary Neville put it in the Sky Sports commentary, the front three that started the game – including Piroe – looked like they needed everything to be perfect for them to perform.

Whereas, Nmecha is a physical forward who can play off scraps and make things happen by causing problems for opposition defenders, which is why he may be a better choice to lead the line against Newcastle after the midweek League Cup clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

Therefore, Farke should ruthlessly ditch Gruev and Piroe for the clash with the Magpies to better stand up against the physical battle that they could be faced with.

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England Women’s head coach Jon Lewis has declared himself the right man to lead the team beyond their unprecedented 16-0 Ashes drubbing in Australia.Scrutiny of Lewis’s position is sure to intensify after his side lost the Test by an innings and 122 runs inside three days at the MCG. ECB management will no doubt hold a thorough review of the tour but, speaking immediately after the Test defeat which concluded the multi-format Ashes series, Lewis was defiant.”I strongly feel that there’s real growth still left in this group of players,” Lewis told TNT Sports. “Through the series, all three parts of this series, we played lots of young players.Related

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“I really feel that I haven’t finished the job that I came here to do. Obviously the results haven’t gone the way we want them and I’m really committed to the people because we’ve got a really good group of people within the dressing room. I’m really committed to them. I’m really committed to growing women’s cricket in England. So yeah, I feel like I’m the right guy to do it.”Lewis did not believe the results in Australia, which also included T20I defeats by 57 and 72 runs respectively in the first and third games of that leg and 86 runs in the third ODI, warranted a wide-ranging review of the structure of the women’s game in England, which has undergone dramatic change over the past five years.”That happens regularly,” Lewis said. “I think just to do it after every away Ashes series is probably not the right way to do it. One of the great things we will do from this series is we will learn, we’ll have to learn and we’ll have to move the team forward and we’ll look at every single aspect of what we do internally.”I’m sure the people that work externally from this group in particular will look at that as well. It’s something that happens regularly on a yearly basis. We review everything all the time, we reflect and we think and we try and grow the team and try and grow the sport.”We obviously need to compete better across the bilateral series we play against Australia. But also we’ve got World Cups coming up as well every year. There’s a 50-over World Cup coming up this year in India, and then the following year, the 20-over World Cup at home…every year there are big tournaments to play and we’ve got to turn things around really quickly.”Lewis also paid tribute to the “juggernaut” Australian team, who bounced back from barely retaining the Ashes in England in a 2023 series drawn at eight points all, to crush their opponents this time around.Heather Knight’s position as captain will likely come into question•Getty Images

Beth Mooney stood out with the bat this time around, scoring 409 runs across all formats while also standing in as wicketkeeper for the injured Alyssa Healy during the T20s. The next-highest run-scorer was Heather Knight with 229.Mooney and Annabel Sutherland both scored centuries in the Test, where England’s highest score was Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 51 in the first innings, followed by Tammy Beaumont’s 47 in the second, where only two England batters passed 20.That was in light of legspinner Alana King’s nine wickets for the match as she finished with 23 overall in a Player-of-the-Series performance. Ash Gardner claimed five across the Test, including 4 for 39 in England’s second innings.”Australia have played some magnificent cricket,” Lewis said. “They haven’t let us play the cricket we want to play. They put us under a lot of pressure in their home conditions and we had a couple of chances early on in the series to create a couple of opportunities to win games of cricket and we didn’t take them.”We didn’t help ourselves at times, especially in the field. We dropped Annabel Sutherland on 30, Beth Mooney three times, I think, before she got to 20. That’s a big area of our game that we saw at the World Cup as well that we really need to improve.”We’ll look at all areas of our game across this tour and across the winter and try and review really thoroughly and pick the bones out of everything and try and come back stronger because that’s what we need to do.”Knight, whose position as England captain has also come under pressure, was asked by the host broadcaster whether she had played her last Ashes match in Australia.”I don’t know,” Knight said. “At the moment it’s obviously all quite raw and it’s happened pretty quickly. The next few weeks will be about working out what’s best for the future, I guess, so we’ll see. It’s something that will be worked out in the next couple of months, what the future of the team holds, I guess.”Knight said her side’s failure to take their chances in the first two ODIs, which Australia won by four wickets and 21 runs respectively, and a tight schedule which didn’t give England much time to turn those defeats around were the key differences between the sides.Those games, and the rain-affected second T20I, were the closest of a series which wasn’t really that close as England struggled throughout with poor fielding and shot selection.”With this Australian team, when they’re on top they’re really good at pressing home their advantage and keeping that winning momentum,” Knight said. “It’s been a really tough, frustrating tour… credit to them, they’ve played some remarkable cricket, have had some different people performing at different times and won those big moments and pressed home the advantage when they have been on top.”

Liverpool have reportedly entered the race to sign a player with ambitions of winning the Ballon d’Or, with as many as seven Premier League clubs eyeing him up.

Slot coy about Liverpool's attacking options

The Reds take on Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday afternoon, with new signings Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike all expected to start. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arne Slot was asked about his Liverpool attack, amid interest in Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, with the Dutcham remaining coy about the situation.

“These are a lot of questions! As you know from me – and I think every manager works like this – you never talk about players that are not yours. I can talk to you about Hugo [Ekitike], who we signed recently and has done really well until now. I and we are very happy with the squad we are having and there is every reason to be happy about that because we won the league last season.

“OK, players left, but we have brought players in as well and youngsters are doing good. At this moment in time, Darwin [Nunez] might indeed leave, but things are not signed yet, so you need to wait maybe a few days before that is completely done. But there is indeed a chance he is going to leave.”

While signing Isak is the dream for Liverpool, another midfielder wouldn’t go amiss, and the Reds have been linked with a move for a Premier League star.

Liverpool enter race to sign Carlos Baleba

According to a new report from Caught Offside, Liverpool are in a seven-club race to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba this summer. The £100m-rated Cameroonian is being “closely monitored” by the Reds, but they are far from the only team in the mix to snap him up, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham all mentioned as suitors, too.

Admittedly, Liverpool feel well-stocked in midfield ahead of the new Premier League season, but if there is a chance to sign a player of Baleba’s pedigree, they shouldn’t miss the opportunity.

The 21-year-old has vast potential – he has said he wants to win the Ballor d’Or, like Manchester City midfielder Rodri did in 2024 – and the hope is that he finds the Reds the most alluring, becoming their biggest ever defensive signing ahead of Virgil van Dijk.

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In truth, it is easier to envisage Baleba moving to United instead, with Liverpool’s rivals more in need of a midfielder, and the Premier League champions surely focusing their funds on Isak and a new centre-back.

By the end of the second day, England were on the ropes at 239 for 6, still trailing by a substantial 127

Andrew Miller16-Oct-2024

Sajid Khan is pumped up after dismissing Ollie Pope•Getty Images

. Seam irrelevant: . Spinners finding turn from the straight with men parked round the bat: .With the first ball of his next over, Sajid found another ripper that fizzed off Duckett’s outside edge to nestle in Salman Agha’s midriff at slip. Before the over was finished, he had the dangerous Harry Brook too, who had thumped the legspinner Zahid Mahmood for two ominously emphatic fours in his brief stay but had no answer to a fizzing offbreak that ripped into his stumps from a full length.Then, with Zahid put out to pasture once more, back came Sajid’s fellow fingerspinner, Noman Ali, whose second ball bit into Ben Stokes’ inside edge and ballooned to short leg, to extract the England captain for 1 from five balls in his first competitive innings since August. Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse endured to the close, but with the surface only heading in one direction now, parity is surely a pre-requisite if this match is not to slide further out of England’s control.Ben Duckett brought up his hundred off 120 balls•Getty Images

It was a stunning turnaround to cap an engrossing day of Test cricket, but even by Pakistan’s chaotic standards, the manner of their revival took the biscuit. Right up until the moment that everything clicked into place, their challenge had been falling apart.Their troubles had seemingly begun before a ball was bowled, with Aamer Jamal – their lone seamer – sustaining a hip niggle during his doughty innings of 37 in the morning session. He contributed just six expensive overs across three spells, and with Shan Masood showing little faith in his legspinner, Zahid, Duckett toyed with the fingerspinners, utilising his vast array of sweep options to drag their leg-side fielders in every conceivable direction.He duly reached a brilliant century (with a sweep, of course) from a brisk 120 balls, but it was still, remarkably, the slowest of his four to date in Test cricket. In the process, he became the fastest man to reach 2000 Test runs, from 2293 balls – a niche stat maybe, but one which reflected the extent to which he has not only bought into but personified, England’s Bazball mantra since his recall for their last tour of Pakistan in December 2022.Throughout his innings, however, there had been just the glimmer of the contest that could yet exist beneath the veneer of Duckett’s aggression. Zak Crawley’s innings was a case in point. With his preference for pace on the ball, he was far less assured against the spinners, and had two huge let-offs before finally snicking off to a loose drive outside off for 27, a decision Noman successfully reviewed.Crawley should have been run out on 20 after being sent back on a quick single to backward square but Sajid broke the stumps before the ball had arrived, and five runs later, he was ready to walk after being struck on the pads while sweeping, again off Sajid. But Duckett persuaded him to review with the ball shown to be missing leg.Duckett himself had a massive moment on 83 when Noman, by now bowling round the wicket to close off that full range of sweeps, beat his leg stump by a slenderest coat of varnish as Duckett instead wound into a reverse. He was twice clanged on the visor too as the ball bit and bounced out of the rough, and though he was disappointed to form part of the late collapse, the wonder in hindsight was how easy he had made it seem while the going was good.Matthew Potts enjoyed Salman Agha’s wicket•Stu Forster/Getty Images

The chaos of the closing overs was all a far cry from the more leisurely pace of the morning, in which Pakistan had resumed on a promising 259 for 5, on a surface that – while offering some turn and reverse swing – still had more in common with the road that had dished up 1599 runs in last week’s first Test.In cooler, hazier conditions, the pitch seemed to have acquired an extra yard of pace for the day’s opening exchanges, which Carse utilised to superb effect. Mohammad Rizwan had added just four to his overnight 37 when he was beaten by extra lift, angled into his splice, and Smith behind the stumps reacted superbly to cling onto a fast-travelling chance.It was due reward for an exemplary display from Carse, whose key wicket of Saud Shakeel on the first evening had also required him to extract some unlikely life from the surface. Agha then found some impetus with four fours through deep third, but Stokes, to his credit, refused to plug the gap in conventional style, instead choosing to add a gully to ramp up the risk-reward element to the stroke. Potts duly extracted some extra bounce, and Smith – for the third time in the innings – made a very sharp chance look simple.When Sajid punched a drive on the up to short cover, Pakistan were in danger of another damaging subsidence at 309 for 8, but Jamal and Noman’s key stand of 49 for the ninth wicket helped pump the innings past 350. England were nevertheless deeply satisfied with their day-and-a-bit’s work when Leach wrapped things up with his fourth of the innings. But, as had been ordained when Masood won the toss, runs on the board will be critical in this contest. Right now, notwithstanding Duckett’s brilliant response, England don’t have enough of them.

Abhishek Sharma is set to open with Gill; India likely to hand a number of debuts in this series

Alagappan Muthu05-Jul-20242:07

Gill: ‘Difficult for me to try and achieve what Rohit and Kohli have’

Big picture – Opportunities galoreThe new T20 World Cup champions were given a rousing welcome on their return home but even as the country celebrates their history-makers, one eye turns towards the future.Fifteen of India’s promising colts – captained by Shubman Gill – are in Zimbabwe now laying the groundwork for the time that they too may one day experience: the high of an open-top bus parade with fans as far as the eye can see serenading them.Related

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There are spots up for grabs. Two of them, in particular, which Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be trying to make their own. Rinku Singh was there in Barbados but only as reserve. He’ll want to fix that. Riyan Parag is starting to make good on his promise. Washington Sundar is 24 and injury-free with India potentially needing a new spin-bowling allrounder in their first-choice XI.Zimbabwe will see opportunity too, not least in upsetting the newly-minted champions after being unable to make the World Cup. Hosting an India series brings an influx of money and no shortage of eyeballs, some of whom might be on the lookout for skills that can translate to success in the various franchise tournaments happening around the world. These days, a cricket match is not just a chance to bring glory to the team.Form guideZimbabwe WLLLL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
India WWWWWIn the spotlight – Shubman Gill and Sikandar RazaShubman Gill is in the middle of a bit of a blip. His first real brush with captaincy, through April and May, didn’t go as planned with Gujarat Titans finishing eighth out of ten teams in IPL 2024. His time with India at the T20 World Cup in June was very brief but now in July he finds himself with the power to do what he likes, at least for the course of these five matches. Will he bat like India want their players to, with aggression from the first ball, or will he do something different?Sikandar Raza will look to find form•AFP/Getty Images

Zimbabwe tripped up, badly, in the Africa T20 World Cup qualifiers in November 2023. Sikandar Raza was captain. They hosted Ireland in December, but after an excellent all-round contribution in a one-wicket victory, he was suspended from the rest of the series due to an on-field altercation. Then Raza lost his form, with four single-digit scores in six T20I innings, but his last one was a match-winning half-century against Bangladesh. He’s also produced good showings for Northamptonshire in the Vitality Blast (206 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 153). Raza’s back on the up and he wants his team to be as well.Team news – Count the debutsThis India squad is very much a work in progress so the XIs that come out of it might not have all their bases covered. The batting, for example, might only go down as far as No. 7 which certainly does not encourage the hit-every-ball-out-of-the-park philosophy they are trying to perfect. Also, the players themselves haven’t proven themselves at this level. Then again, they haven’t been exposed to it all that often either. Look out for debuts. There could be four or five. Gill confirmed Abhishek Sharma will open the batting alongside him.India (probable): 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Dhruv Jurel/Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Khaleel AhmedZimbabwe are searching for new talent themselves. Some of their better-known players like Sean Williams and Craig Ervine weren’t considered for this series and Ryan Burl has been dropped. Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta, though, are back in contention after serving out four-month suspensions for drug use.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Brian Bennett, 2 Tadiwanashe Marumani, 3 Sikandar Raza (capt), 4 Johnathan Campbell, 5 Antum Naqvi, 6 Clive Madande (wk), 7 Wessly Madhevere, 8 Luke Jongwe, 9 Faraz Akram, 10 Wellington Masakadza, 11 Blessing MuzarabaniPitch and conditions – Runs at a premiumThis will be Harare’s first T20I of the year. First-innings totals in the recent past have been a bit middling, with only five of the last 12, going past 150. In those last 12 matches, spinners (69 wickets at 19.71 and economy rate of 6.6) have done better than the fast bowlers (80 wickets at 25.92 and an economy rate of 7.82). There is no threat of rain with temperatures in the mid-20C.Stats and trivia India have faced Zimbabwe in only eight T20Is over the course of 14 years. They’ve won six and lost two. Raza needs 53 more to become the first Zimbabwean to score 2000 runs in T20Is.

Part and parcel of being a club in the lower leagues in England, as Sunderland had been for far too long, is that you are constantly at risk of clubs higher up the food chain snatching your best talent.

The Black Cats finished 16th in the Championship at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, falling well short of the play-offs, and it was time for Jack Clarke to make his way up the pyramid without the club.

Ipswich Town swooped to sign the winger in a deal that could rise to £20m, following their promotion to the Premier League, and that meant that Sunderland hit the jackpot with the forward.

How Sunderland struck gold with Jack Clarke

The Black Cats signed the English wizard from Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal in 2022, after an initial loan spell on Wearside, and Transfermarkt valued him at £2.9m at the time of the move.

Market Movers

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

Clarke went on to rack up 24 goals and 16 assists in two seasons in the Championship with Sunderland as an exciting wing wizard, which convinced Ipswich to splash a fee of up to £20m on his services.

This shows that his value soared by just over £17m during his spell at the club, thanks to his performances in the second tier, which shows that the Black Cats struck gold with the winger by providing him with a platform to showcase his talent on a regular basis.

There is now a player in the current squad who is on his way to becoming Jack Clarke 2.0, as Sunderland have already hit the jackpot with Eliezer Mayenda.

How high Eliezer Mayenda's value has soared

The man who got Sunderland back into the game at Wembley with a terrific strike in the play-off final has been a terrific signing for the club.

Mayenda arrived from Sochaux in the summer of 2023, valued at just £252k by Transfermarkt at the time, and he failed to score in eight Championship appearances during the 2023/24 campaign.

Regis Le Bris came through the door last summer, though, and transformed the young starlet, who went on to provide ten goals and five assists in 40 outings in the second tier.

Eliezer Mayenda’s soaring market value
Date	Market value
July 2023	£252k
October 2023	£419k
December 2023	£587k
September 2024	£838k
March 2025	£3.5m
May 2025	£10m
Valuations via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old star’s market value has soared by a staggering 3,868% since his initial move to the Stadium of Light, to the point that he is now valued at a whopping £10m.

Mayenda, who was described as a “threat” by Kevin Phillips, has followed in Clarke’s footsteps as a young player who has soared in value as a result of performing brilliantly in the Championship, thanks to the opportunities given to him by Le Bris.

Sunderland could sign "incredible" star who's as exciting as Enzo Le Fee

Sunderland could now go full steam ahead to try and sign this exciting star after sealing promotion.

By
Kelan Sarson

May 26, 2025

This shows that Sunderland have hit the jackpot with the Spain U21 international, because they snapped him up when his value was low and have turned him into an incredibly valuable player and asset ahead of their return to the Premier League.

An “unbelievable” Premier League player is reportedly interested in sealing a move to Liverpool in the summer transfer window.

Liverpool eyeing attacking reinforcements

The Reds may have won the league title at a canter, but there has been flaws within Arne Slot’s squad throughout the season, not least in attack. Mohamed Salah has carried the troops at times, and while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have contributed, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota have struggled and there is feeling Salah needs better running mates.

For that reason, at least one new face is needed in Liverpool’s attack this summer, if not two, with both central and wide options being linked with moves to Anfield alongside a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.

Diaz continues to be mentioned as an option for Barcelona before next season, and Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams has been backed to join the Reds, perhaps being seen as a direct replacement for the Colombian, should he depart.

Meanwhile, centre forwards continue to be linked with Liverpool, too, with talks reportedly taking place with Eintracht Frankfurt ace Hugo Ekitike. The 22-year-old could be seen as an alternative to Newcastle United marksman Alexander Isak, who is arguably the dream signing for the Reds, but likely to be out of their price range.

Liverpool boosted in pursuit of £100m winger

According to a fresh claim from Football Insider, Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon is on Slot’s “radar” at Liverpool, as the champions weigh up a summer move for him.

A move to Anfield almost happened last year, at which point the England international was said to be “very keen” on a switch, but he stayed at St James’ Park instead. As a boyhood Red he is once again keen on a move though, with the 24-year-old valued at approximately £100m.

It is certainly easy to see Gordon flourishing in a Liverpool shirt, given the pace he possesses out wide, as well as end product, bagging 11 goal contributions (six goals and five assists) in the Premier League this season.

Last term, the Englishman got 21 overall in the competition – 11 goals and 10 assists – so he has proven himself in a top-level player, and Bruno Guimaraes has heaped praise on his teammate.

Newcastle make contact to sign one of the best dribblers in Europe for £21m

The Magpies have stepped up their pursuit of a midfielder ahead of the summer transfer window.

By
Dominic Lund

May 22, 2025

It would only make sense for Liverpool to move for the £150,000-a-week Gordon if Diaz leaves, though, with Slot unlikely to be able to keep three left-sided players happy next season.