There are deep-rooted issues at Sheffield Wednesday that have contributed towards their demise this season.

The ownership of Dejphon Chansiri has been the biggest factor, insisting against putting any more money into the club which has left the Owls with a cash-strapped squad that isn't good enough to compete in the Championship.

On top of that, the decision to hire Xisco Munoz has proven to be a terrible one, although he wasn't helped with the tools provided, he led Wednesday to the worst start in the club's history with no wins after 10 matches.

Following that horrendous start to the campaign, the Spaniard was sacked and replaced with former German assistant manager, Danny Rohl, who will take charge of his first game on Saturday against Watford.

While it seems unthinkable for him to pull Wednesday out of this mess and guide them to safety, it isn't the only time that the club have attempted to pull off something remarkable, and their attempts to sign striker Jamie Vardy in 2015 certainly aligned to that narrative.

Did Sheffield Wednesday almost sign Jamie Vardy?

According to Football Insider, a £5m deal was in place for Wednesday to sign Jamie Vardy in the summer of 2015 with the ex-Leicester boss, Nigel Pearson, sanctioning a deal for the Premier League sensation.

During his time at the club, Chansiri has wound up Owls supporters on several occasions with his reckless decision-making, but deciding to pull out of a deal to sign Vardy at the last minute is arguably his worst piece of misjudgement.

Despite chalking up 15 goal contributions in his debut season in the top flight, the Thai owner was reportedly unconvinced by the former Fleetwood man.

To make matters worse, Vardy is a lifelong Wednesdayite and was reportedly interested in moving back to the area, only to find out that a deal had been called off and he would remain at the King Power stadium.

What unfolded next was the most remarkable story in Premier League history. From pulling off the "great escape" in the 2014/15 season to miraculously winning the Premier League title a year later, Vardy would etch his name into Foxes folklore by plundering 24 goals and eight assists in 36 appearances.

It is astonishing to think that the Premier League could have been denied one of its greatest-ever goal-getters if Chansiri hadn't pulled the plug on a deal to sign him in 2015, instead splashing the cash on Gary Hooper and Fernando Forestieri.

How many Premier League goals has Vardy scored?

Vardy's well-documented rise from non-league striker to Premier League title winner has become a tool of inspiration for talented players plying their trade lower down the pyramid.

The Englishman has built a career from being a predatory number nine who is always looking to burst into spaces in behind utilising his lightening pace to free him away from opposition defenders.

While his incisive movement and pace put him in the position to score, his calmness in front of goal and exceptional finishing has seen him become one of the top flight's most prolific strikers, setting the record for scoring a goal in 11 consecutive matches that still stands today.

With the range of finishing techniques stashed in his locker, Vardy showed he was capable of scoring all types of goals, including the long-range screamer against Liverpool and the deft lob that saw him set the above record against Manchester United.

The 36-year-old's legacy as a lethal finisher is backed up by his relentless consistency in front of goal, racking up 136 goals in 309 Premier League appearances, a total that puts him in 15th position in the all-time charts.

Vardy's exploits have even been used as an example for the next generation of strikers with goal machine Erling Haaland revealing the inspiration he took from the Englishman for one type of goal he scored previously.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I’ve been watching a lot of players, let’s take for example the run in behind the centre-back when the No 10 has the ball, You have maybe the best in the world at that, Jamie Vardy."

Lauded by Pep Guardiola for his "exceptional" qualities, the predatory striker has reined in the plaudits across his illustrious career and if he manages to fire Leicester back to the top flight, at the age of 36, the Foxes legend will have another remarkable achievement to add to the list.

Tottenham Hotspur fell to their first Premier League defeat of the season in exceptional circumstances against Chelsea on Monday night, but Ange Postecoglou's side only strengthened their title-challenging credentials.

Two red cards and two injuries made for a miserable night, losing 4-1 to the Blues, but Spurs now sit just one point off Manchester City in first place and have eclipsed expectations following last term's woes.

The club owes the entirety of its budding renaissance to Postecoglou's leadership, taking the reins and guiding Tottenham back to the path after wandering astray last year.

The free-spirited Australian has revived the existing withered crop and fertilised the home ground's grass with impactful additions, and while the emphasis will be on challenging for a spot at the top of the table, it's clear that fresh faces will be needed to fight against forces such as Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Tottenham transfer news

According to TEAMtalk, Leicester City face a battle to rebuff interest from Tottenham and Newcastle United who are plotting a bid for tough-tackling midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, a player key to the Foxes' push for promotion this season.

The Championship table-toppers have been immense this season following relegation, and while Leicester are desperate to keep a hold on their star midfielder, the level of suitors will make this difficult.

Further Premier League outfits Aston Villa and Brentford have registered intrigue, while overseas Atletico Madrid and Barcelona monitor the Nigerian's situation in Spain.

The £11m-rated midfielder – as valued by Football Transfers – is out of contract at the end of the season and has so far not agreed to a renewal with Enzo Maresca's side.

Spurs might be tempted to offer a contract and snap him up on a free transfer, but given the throng of attentive parties, it might be prudent to tie up a move swiftly for a cut-price fee.

Wilfred Ndidi's style of play

Leicester signed Ndidi from Belgian side Genk for around £15m in 2017, and he has since made 252 appearances (192 in the Premier League), scoring 14 goals and providing 16 assists, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield under Brendan Rodgers' tutelage.

Typically a defensive midfielder, Ndidi has demonstrated a more creative side to his arsenal this year, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across divisions similar to the Championship for assists, the top 17% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for progressive carries and the top 1% for touches in the attacking box per 90, as per FBref.

This kind of multi-functionality would be the perfect commodity to strengthen the Tottenham centre, which already boasts exciting options in Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Wilfred Ndidi: Characteristics

Strengths

Weaknesses

Interceptions

Concentration

Blocking

Tackling

Short passing

Threat on the counter

*Sourced via WhoScored

A dynamic and energetic player, Ndidi could be a tailor-made arrival for Postecoglou's Tottenham, and while the 53-cap star has struggled with injury over the past few years, he would not be expected to play every minute in London, which actually works out well for all parties involved.

How Wilfred Ndidi would fit in at Tottenham

This season, Ndidi has played 15 times across all competitions for City, plundering three goals and four assists, having created 1.3 key passes per game, completed 79% of his passes in total, and also averaging 1.5 tackles and 3.5 ball recoveries per outing, as per Sofascore.

Such numbers are not the most robust, but that is not to say that he has been performing at a substandard level; far from it.

For example, Spurs' Sarr is averaging 5.6 ball recoveries and 1.1 key passes per game in the league this term, while also completing 90% of his passes in a similar role.

But Ndidi has failed to start more than 20 matches across both of his previous Premier League campaigns, and on an individual level is perhaps benefitting from Leicester's relegation, given that he can rebuild his former vigour against lesser opposition, thriving instead of floundering against the threat of relegation.

Postecoglou would be the perfect manager to bring the midfield "machine” – as he has been dubbed by BBC Sport analyst Raj Chohan – back to his peak, and the £51k-per-week star has more than proved his ability for City in the past.

Still only 26-years-old, Ndidi would also emulate his former teammate James Maddison in making the move to Tottenham, perhaps taking the next level in his development much like the England international, who is an early contender for the Premier League's Player of the Season.

James Maddison's season by numbers

Having lacked a creative midfielder despite scoring 70 goals in the Premier League last season – the fifth-highest total in the division – Tottenham moved swiftly in the summer transfer window to bypass Newcastle United's interest – who were "frontrunners" at one stage – and sign Maddison from Leicester City for £40m.

The Foxes had been relegated after a terrible campaign, but Maddison performed superlatively as his side's playmaker, scoring ten goals and supplying nine assists from just 29 starting appearances in the English top-flight.

Since his summer switch, Maddison has carried over his best attributes and developed them into something greater, homing his craft and now comfortably sitting as one of Europe's finest attacking midfielders, having posted three goals and five assists so far.

Having won the Premier League Player of the Month award for August and has been noted for being "on fire" by Sky Sports pundit Aaron Lennon

As per FBref, Maddison ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive passes per 90.

The £170k-per-week maestro has been immense under Postecoglou's management, and Ndidi could be the next to rise to prominence in north London by departing from the King Power Stadium.

In an industrious, deeper role, Ndidi would offer the requisite depth for Postecoglou's illustrious vision, and could rekindle a bond with Maddison that saw the pair glean the FA Cup and Community Shield, enhancing and shaping that pursuit of greener pastures.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians tem um novo presidente. Duílio Monteiro Alves foi o escolhido pelos sócios do clube para comandar o Timão no triênio 2021, 2022 e 2023. A votação aconteceu no ginásio do Parque São Jorge, sede do clube alvinegro em São Paulo. Ele foi eleito com 1081 votos, derrotando Augusto Melo, que teve 939 votos e Mário Gobbi, que fechou a votação com 783. Ao todo, a eleição contou com 17 urnas apuradas e 2.837 eleitores.

VEJA A SITUAÇÃO DO CORINTHIANS NO BRASILEIRÃO

Duílio terá como vice-presidentes Elie Werdo e Luiz Wagner Alcântara, o Wagnão. A chapa Renovação & Transparência, de Duílio e Andrés, é a que está contínua no poder desde 2007, elegendo presidentes em sequência desde então: Andrés Sanchez (duas vezes), Mário Gobbi, Roberto de Andrade e Andrés Sanchez (de novo).

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansEleição no Corinthians: Duílio Monteiro Alves fala ao LANCE!: ‘Transformação necessária e títulos’Corinthians26/11/2020CorinthiansCorinthians volta a treinar neste sábado à espera de alguns retornosCorinthians27/11/2020CorinthiansSem confirmar acordo com a Caixa, Andrés garante que seu sucessor no Corinthians terá ‘paz e receitas’Corinthians27/11/2020

A votação transcorreu de maneira tranquila, desde o seu começo até a apuração dos votos. Depois, o que incomodou os presentes foi a demora no resultado das cédulas de papel. Esse ano o voto foi feito a mão, pois o Timão não conseguiu alugar as urnas do TSE (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral) porque este domingo acontece as eleições municipais em São Paulo.

Vale ressaltar que Duíliotem 45 anos e foi escolhido por Andrés Sanchez, em 2010, para ingressar no departamento de futebol e trabalhar ao lado de Roberto de Andrade, em substituição a Mário Gobbi, depois de liderar o departamento cultural no ano do centenário.

O candidato também foi diretor-adjunto de futebol no mandato de Mário Gobbi, entre 2012 e 2015. Voltou em 2018, assim que Andrés Sanchez foi eleito para sua segunda passagem pela presidência, como diretor de futebol. Deixou a diretoria de futebol em setembro deste ano para se candidatar à presidência.

Entre as suas propostas principais estão a criação de uma força-tarefa nos departamentos Jurídico e Financeiro para renegociar processos e promover novos acordos para atuar com fluxo de caixa positivo. Para o clube social, Duílio pretende viabilizar o projeto Arena Fazendinha, que irá trazer grandes shows e eventos para o estádio, que será revestida com gramado sintético padrão Fifa.

The youngest player to start a Women’s Champions League group game also cites Neymar and Eden Hazard as role models, and it shows in her creativity

When a young player steps up into the first team at any club, it might take the senior players a bit of time to trust them, to give them the ball in pressure situations, to see them as a player who can contribute right now at the top level. But when 16-year-old Lily Yohannes was integrated into Ajax's first team at the start of this season, there was little hesitation from the group. They knew almost straight away that she was a special talent.

That's how Ajax captain Sherida Spitse remembers it, anyway. "You feel directly, 'Okay, I can play her the ball. That is a player that can do something with the ball, to create something for us'," she told GOAL this month when asked about Yohannes' early days with the team. "She's a good player, she's a nice person and she can learn a lot of things, but she's doing a really good job and I'm happy that she is in my team and our team."

Yohannes will be glad that she is in Spitse's team, too, because the way she speaks about the teenager indicates a true captain. "She just needs to play," the 33-year-old, and only player over 30 in Ajax's team, added. "She is 16 and she is good because she is just playing and doesn't think so much about everything around her. That is the responsibility for other people around her, like for me, the other captains, the team. She just needs to do what she can.

"Of course, you cannot lose the ball too easy, too often, and we say that to her. But in the end, she needs to focus on her football. She is just only 16 years old so just let her play football. That is the most important thing, I think, and the rest is our responsibility."

With a leader like that around her every day, Yohannes might be in the best place possible for her development. Her first senior season certainly indicates as much, with her thriving in the Eredivisie and the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Now, she is set to show that talent on the international stage after winning her first United States women's national team call-up ahead of the SheBelieves Cup, making her the youngest player to be included in a full camp since Sophia Smith back in 2017.

• Getty
  

  Where it all began

  Born in Springfield, Virginia, Yohannes always had soccer in her blood thanks to her Eritrean grandfather, Bokretsion Gebrehiwot, who scored a famous halfway-line goal at the 1968 Africa Cup of Nations. That passion for the sport is shared throughout the family, with the Ajax teenager spending her childhood training with her father and her two brothers in the basement of their house.

  Aged 10, the family had a change of scenery when Yohannes’ father’s work took them from the United States to the Netherlands. It was in Europe that the youngster started to play regularly for a boys’ team for the first time, but she hardly struggled to adapt and her stand-out efforts would soon attract the attention of Ajax, who offered her a trial.

  Having successfully navigated that, Yohannes started with the club’s talent academy, playing with boys’ and girls’ sides, before moving into the women's reserves aged 15. The youngest player in that team, she continued to shine and signed her first professional contract at Ajax in April of last year, two months before her 16th birthday.

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• The big break

  Having trained with them a few times before, Yohannes was integrated into Ajax’s first team ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, debuting as a starter in the Super Cup back in September. She’s rarely relinquished her role in the XI since, and it has been in the Champions League that the 16-year-old has really broken through and marked herself out as one to watch.

  She became the youngest player ever to start a UWCL group-stage match when she lined-up against Paris Saint-Germain in November, an occasion she rose to when her pass through to Romee Leuchter kickstarted the attack that saw Ajax break the deadlock in a famous 2-0 victory.

  From there, Yohannes continued to catch the eye on the European stage, and her performances helped the Dutch side cause a serious upset by out-qualifying Bayern Munich and Roma, both quarter-finalists last year, to reach the last eight of the UWCL for the first time in club history.

• How it's going

  As well as starring for Ajax in Europe, Yohannes has racked up four goals and three assists in 15 appearances during her first season in the Eredivisie, 12 of those starts, and those contributions look set to help secure the club’s place in Champions League qualifying next season.

  On the international front, Yohannes has gone two years without a call-up to the United States youth teams and, with the 16-year-old eligible for a Dutch passport, Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker told in January that the process of getting her to play for his team was “underway”. “All possible steps are being taken in that," he said. "I hope she gets to play for the Netherlands as a football star, especially because she feels Dutch.”

  However, nothing is done quite yet. In late March, the USWNT announced its SheBelieves Cup roster and, for the first time, Yohannes was included. A debut would not tie her to the U.S. as it is only a friendly competition, but it would be a step in the right direction for the four-time world champion when it comes to securing her international future.

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• Getty
  

  Biggest strengths

  A confident, attack-minded midfielder with bags of tricks, Yohannes loves to pick the ball up and drive at defenders. She poses a real threat with her eye for a pass and ability to get involved in the goals, too. When watching Ajax, you’ll often see the teenager drift into those inside channels and link-up with the wide players, especially on the left. From there, she can cut inside onto her preferred right foot and catch a look at goal.

  But while her most eye-catching traits reside in that final third, Yohannes can also be a real asset on the other side of the ball. Regular exposure to boys’ football over the last few years has made her stronger and she can more than hold her own in her duels as a result, even though she can still develop physically given her young age.

For the second time in the series – the match after being left out – Sam Curran hauled England’s batting off the mat

Melinda Farrell at the Ageas Bowl30-Aug-20181:00

I tried to play freely, like I do for Surrey – Curran

As Sam Curran walked into the press conference at the end of the first day’s play, a band was entertaining the remaining fans. It would, perhaps, be harsh to say the band’s name – Davy Jones’ Locker – summed up where England’s batting is right now but, if it’s not quite at the bottom of the ocean, there are certainly batsmen who currently look all at sea in the middle.Not Curran, though. With all the fearlessness of youth unburdened by failure, he came to the crease with England in deja-vu trouble and with every glorious shot made the selectors decision to leave him out of the side at Trent Bridge look ridiculous in hindsight, even though at the time there were reasonable arguments for doing so.As his innings unfurled the sharing of stats on social media snowballed like tongue-in-cheek Chuck Norris Facts: Sam Curran is the third highest run-scorer in this series after Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow. Sam Curran has gone to both his half-centuries with a six. Sam Curran is the only English batsman to be part of three fifty-plus partnerships in this series. Sam Curran took a five-fer today – err – sorry. That one was Tom. But Sam Curran can do a wheelie on a unicycle.But although Curran’s innings was full of defiance in the face of an in-form and confident India attack, making the most of an obligingly swinging Dukes ball, there was no bitterness in his demeanour when he was asked about being dropped so soon after his player of the match performance at Edgbaston, rather an acceptance that he had been “unlucky”.”I was disappointed, but at the same time took it as a positive,” said Curran. “You can’t really leave someone out someone who’s got a hundred…it’s just a great squad at the minute, and everyone is fighting for their places.”It’s international sport – you try to do the best you can for your side. I wasn’t proving a point at all – I was just playing the way I do, naturally and freely and with no fear. I’m not going to change the way I play – it’s just who I am.”I was unlucky obviously last week to miss out. But I love being around the squad. There are some great names in the team, and I’m learning so much.”If Curran is learning he is also showing the way. Jasprit Bumrah noted that Curran played “the waiting game” and took his chances as the ball softened and batting became slightly easier, although the ball continued to cause trouble in the air and off the pitch. While India’s bowlers should take much of the credit for how they exploited the conditions it was hard to ignore the continuing rolling of facts: Curran has faced more balls in this series that Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings despite missing a Test; England’s top six scored 71, Curran made 78.”There were some very good balls in there, to a lot of the top order…they got some very good ones,” said Curran. “But we worry [only] about the end result. We managed to get 246, which from 86 for 6 looks a decent score now, with how much the wicket has done and how much it has swung.”It was pretty tough. It swung massively throughout the day, I found. Even when I was in, probably in my 30s, it was still swinging around consistently when the ball was 65 overs old. That surprised us a little bit – how much it swung, and how much it did off the wicket.”Such have been Curran’s contributions with the bat that it’s almost easy to forget he also has eight wickets in this series at an average of 23.50. And although he laughed off the idea of taking the new ball – “Jimmy and Broad are class at what they do, so I think I’m going to have to wait my turn for a couple of years” – his all-round abilities and current form will make it very difficult for selectors to leave him out of the team for the final Test.After all, don’t you know Sam Curran can kill two stones with one bird?

Declan Rice suffered an unhappy return to the London Stadium as West Ham United put in an excellent performance to stun Arsenal 3-1 and book a trip to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

The Hammers had lost three on the spin prior to this fixture and David Moyes was heavily criticised for his team selections, namely the decision to persist with Michail Antonio as the figurehead of their forward line.

On Wednesday night, however, the Scotsman reshuffled his attack, which worked to devastating effect. Mohammed Kudus was outstanding on the right flank and Jarrod Bowen ran riot as a lone striker.

Jarrod Bowen's statistics against Arsenal

Since arriving from Hull City for £18m in January 2020, Bowen has established himself as one of West Ham's most important players.

He ended last season as their top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions and has already amassed seven in 13 appearances this term, underlying how crucial he is to the Hammers attacking threat.

Bowen is excellent at driving forward with the ball, has the intelligence to make incisive runs and exhumes calmness in and around the 18-yard box – all attributes that point towards him being a dangerous forward.

Throughout his career, Bowen has predominantly been utilised as a right winger, rising to prominence at the Tigers through his devastating form as an inverted winger and carrying that across to east London.

Shots on target

2

Dribble Success

2/3

Pass Success

83%

Cross Success

1/4

Duels Won

10/20

Tackles Won

4

Fouled by the opposition

3x

Stats via Sofascore.

On the occasions he's been used as a forward for West Ham, however, the Englishman has thrived, scoring ten goals and supplying five assists in 24 appearances.

Moyes decided to use him as a striker against Arsenal and it worked a treat, as he contributed to every dimension of West Ham's attack, from supplying the wicked corner delivery that saw Ben White divert into his own goal to his thunderous second-half strike that put the tie beyond the visitors reach.

A constant thorn in the Gunners' side having completed two of his three attempted dribbles and peppered Ramsdale's goal with two shots on target, as per Sofascore, Bowen was in imperious form on the night and also impressed with his defensive work.

He set the standard by pressing from the front, winning nine of his 16 ground duels and was constantly throwing himself into challenges, making four tackles and intercepting once, however, he wasn't the only hero in claret and blue on the night.

Mohammed Kudus' statistics against Arsenal

Kudus' favoured position is on the right flank, but since arriving at the club in the summer, he's been mostly used in a central attacking position.

With Bowen shuffled into the striker role, the Ghanian was moved out to the right wing and he thrived in that position, putting in an exceptional all-round display.

Described as "special" by journalist Dan Woffenden for his goal, which saw him expertly control a Nayef Aguerd switch and calmly slot the ball past Ramsdale, Kudus displayed his touch of class.

That well-taken goal provided ample reasoning as to why West Ham shelled out £38m for him in the summer, while his quality in possession was also complimented by his boundless work rate.

Kudus constantly tracked back for the sake of his team and helped Vladimir Coufal double up on Leandro Trossard, making four tackles, winning six ground duels and intercepting play on one occasion.

Moyes has been put under severe scrutiny for his team selections in recent weeks, but the Scotsman deserves plaudits for getting it completely right in the attacking third on Wednesday night.

With this formula responsible for dismantling Arsenal, he has to continue with it against Brentford on Saturday.

Somerset have announced the signing of seamer Jack Brooks on a three-year contract from Yorkshire

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2018

Jack Brooks appeals•Getty Images

Somerset have announced the signing of seamer Jack Brooks on a three-year contract from Yorkshire. The 34-year-old will move to Taunton at the end of the season.Brooks’ impending departure, first reported by ESPNcricinfo, is a blow to Yorkshire, who face a rebuilding job over the winter. England quick Liam Plunkett has already signed for Surrey – with Mathew Pillans moving in the opposite direction – while opener Alex Lees was granted a switch to Durham.Although Brooks has never quite done enough to win England selection, he is a vastly experienced bowler at county level. A later-starter with Northamptonshire, he soon became a distinctive figure on the circuit, with his long hair, trademark headband and impassioned celebrations. He moved to Yorkshire in 2012, helping the club to win back-to-back Championships in 2014 and 2015. He has also played for England Lions.”I’m extremely excited to be joining Somerset at a time when they are building a special team capable of challenging for trophies,” Brooks said, “I truly believe this Somerset team can create something special.”When I met Andy Hurry, Jason Kerr, Tom Abell and Andrew Cornish I was impressed straightaway with their vision for the team and club. Their togetherness and desire reminded me a lot of Yorkshire when I joined them.”I look forward to continuing my cricketing journey and to the fresh challenges that await. My mum and her family are from Bath and I’ll be nearer to my family in Oxfordshire, so it feels a little bit like I’m coming home. Somerset have a fantastic reputation as a strong family club which I look forward to being a part of.”Although in his mid-30s, Brooks has fine record in red-ball cricket, in particular, taking 291 wickets at 26.56 in six years at Headingley. He claimed 68 wickets to help Yorkshire to their first Championship title since 2001, and was their leading wicket-taker for three seasons in a row between 2014 and 2016.However, while Yorkshire now find themselves battling at the wrong end of the Division One table, Somerset, in their pursuit of a first-ever Championship, have emerged as Surrey’s closest challengers. They also secured a spot in Vitality Blast Finals Day with victory over the holders, Nottinghamshire, on Monday.As well as being closer to home, the prospect of being involved in all three formats was perhaps a factor in Brooks moving to Taunton – he only played in 12 List A and 23 T20 fixtures for Yorkshire.Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “We are delighted that we have secured a player of Jack’s proven quality, experience and character to add to one of the most exciting bowling attacks in the country. It’s a great reflection of our ambition, and the progress that the club has made, that a player of his quality sees his ambitions of winning silverware with Somerset CCC.”Alongside his experience of winning silverware, which will add to our ability to achieve our aspirations of winning trophies, he is incredibly competitive, driven and will be a great fit in the changing room. I have no doubt he will become a big favourite with the Somerset membership”.

Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has been banned from football for 10 months, but another setback has now potentially emerged, according to an update from journalist Craig Hope.

Sandro Tonali ban

The Magpies signed the Italian from Serie A giants AC Milan during the summer transfer window, in what looked like a fantastic piece of business by the club.

Tonali had shone in his homeland, helping Milan reach the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, and was seen as someone who could take Eddie Howe's side to the next level.

After a dream debut that saw the 23-year-old score in a 5-1 win at home to Aston Villa in the league, disaster has struck in recent weeks with the news that Tonali has received a 10-month ban from football for breaching betting rules during his time as a Milan player.

It is a massive blow for Howe and anyone associated with Newcastle, and immediately hurts their chances of going far in the Champions League, as well as qualifying for the competition again next season – but now another potential setback has emerged regarding the situation.

Fresh Sandro Tonali blow

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Hope explained that Tonali may have broken betting rules since moving to Newcastle, which is contrary to earlier reports:

"Exclusive: The Football Association are now investigating whether Sandro Tonali broke betting rules AFTER his £52m move to Newcastle in July. The player is currently banned for 10 months for illegal gambling activity in Italy."

In his article for The Daily Mail itself, Hope goes on to add that the Italy international "continued to bet on football while under their jurisdiction", and that if this is proved to be the case, Tonali "could be subject to further sanction" from the FA.

This is a very worrying development from a Newcastle perspective considering they are already without the young midfielder for the rest of the season, not to mention what a bitter blow it is for the player himself, who will also miss Euro 2024 with Italy.

This fresh development has the potential to lead to a further ban, as Tonali could be found guilty of continuing to bet after he made the move from Milan to Newcastle, which doesn't bear thinking about.

What he cannot afford to do is become too big a distraction for the Magpies on the pitch at a time when their form has been a little hit-and-miss.

A good run of results ended recently with a 1-0 defeat at home to Borussia Dortmund, which could be a damaging Champions League result, while their 2-2 draw away to Wolves in the Premier League twice saw Howe's men fail to hold onto a lead. That being said, the 3-0 win at Manchester United in the EFL Cup more than steadied the ship, though they need to retain that level moving forward.

The hope is that nothing new comes from this latest Tonali development and that his 10-month ban ends up being the worst-case scenario, but it is clear that a replacement is needed in January, with Newcastle linked with the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Ruben Neves and N'Golo Kante, among others.

PTI

Australia A had started the first day in ideal fashion till they ran into Mohammed Siraj. Makeshift opener Kurtis Patterson, who had come in to replace the injured Matt Renshaw, partnered Usman Khawaja solidly through a 78-run stand in the first session after Australia had elected to bat. But with three overs to go for lunch, Siraj switched to the Pavilion End at the Chinnaswamy Stadium for his second spell and took an immediate liking for it, picking up three wickets in two overs before the interval.He then returned to take five more wickets from the same end to finish with 8 for 59, career-best figures and his third five-wicket haul in his last four first-class innings.

Usman Khawaja on….

Batting on the first day: “It was one of those wickets where it was going be to be hard to start. It was reversing and there was a little bit of spin at the other end, so it was going to be hard to start coming in the middle order or at the tail-end. Would’ve loved to have got a couple of partnerships. It’s very India-like. You lose one and you can lose wickets in clusters.”
His impressive footwork against spin: “It’s something I’ve been working on for three-four years now. Had a few wickets in England that were really spin-friendly, when I was playing county cricket. And I felt really comfortable over there. Just giving myself options to score and have a positive mindset. It’s something I really found white-ball cricket has really helped with. It gives me freedom, allows me to play shots.”

On a sunny morning, Siraj had been the more wayward opening bowler for India A. As Navdeep Saini bowled a tight opening spell, Siraj leaked boundaries off a predominantly short-of-length strategy. But when he returned in the 26th over, the length had gotten fuller, and the ball had begun to reverse swing. And those were the tools he used, first to swing a yorker back in at the left-handed Patterson’s off stump, and then to jag one away to take the outside edge of Travis Head’s bat.On either side of the lunch break, Siraj got two more full inswingers in, one of which trapped Peter Handscomb first ball as he looked to flick across the line, and the other accounting for captain Mitchell Marsh, whose defence was of the nervous, static variety.With those, the first two of what would be five ducks, Australia sunk to 90 for 4. Marnus Labuschagne, who stayed back for the four-day series only because of Renshaw’s injury, took his chance at No. 6. Despite being stuck on no score for close to half an hour, he looked assured in defence, apart from one over in which he seemed unable to pick Kuldeep Yadav’s wrong’uns.But, having survived two lbw shouts on the back foot in that over, Labuschagne started putting in a more pronounced forward stride, with the immmediate result being that Kuldeep went flatter and wider. This fed three of Labushagne’s drives through extra cover for four. But after he had put up 114 for the fifth wicket with Khawaja, Siraj returned with another scorching yorker, this one swinging away from leg stump to knock out Labuschagne’s middle stump and complete the five-for.Siraj’s bowling was one of two outstanding performances on the day, the other coming from Khawaja, who was largely flawless in a knock of 127. Khawaja looked fluid at the start of the innings as Patterson looked to feel his way into a role he’s played before but is not necessarily a specialist at. Apart from a dropped catch at gully early in Patterson’s innings, the openers dominated India’s bowlers.Khawaja was particularly good against spin. When Kuldeep was brought in first-change, Khawaja went after him with three boundaries in two overs, including a delightful chip over extra cover with the turn. The wristspinner would finish with two wickets, but his 18 overs were barely troublesome, with inconsistent lengths allowing the batsmen to settle down.Offspinner K Gowtham was used in a containing role, but Khawaja went after him nonetheless, preferring to plonk his leg down the pitch and ramp him fine with the incoming angle. He pulled the shot off successfully on a number of occasions and, for a man with a questionable reputation against spin, looked in complete control every time he played it. The only blemishes in his innings were two edges – an inside edge that brought up his century and the 100-run stand with Labuschagne, and the other his dismissal, when he chased a wide one from Siraj as he looked to push the rate with No. 11 Jon Holland.Australia might have been encouraged by the signs of movement they saw through their innings, particularly since they picked only four specialists bowlers, one of whom is a spinner. But they didn’t see much of that in the 12 overs they bowled later. Karnataka openers Mayank Agarwal and R Samarth survived several menacing bouncers as they saw India through at their home ground, in the presence of about 50 local fans who cheered their every run.

كشفت تقارير صحفية، أن نادي باريس سان جيرمان اقتحم السباق على التعاقد مع الدولي الإسباني نيكو ويليامز لاعب فريق كرة القدم الأول بـ أتلتيك بلباو.

نيكو ويليامز لفت الأنظار له في بطولة يورو 2024، عندما قاد إسبانيا للفوز باللقب، وتمكن من التسجيل في المباراة النهائية هدف التقدم ضد إنجلترا.

طالع أيضًا.. تفاؤل في برشلونة بشأن نيكو ويليامز واجتماع مرتقب لحسم الصفقة

برشلونة أبرز المهتمين بالتعاقد مع نيكو ويليامز من قبل البطولة، ولكن الأمور المالية تقف عائقًا أمام النادي الكتالوني.

موقع “فوتبول إسبانيا” أكد بأن اللاعب تلقى عرضًا من باريس سان جيرمان، بطلب من مدربه السابق في منتخب اللاروخا، لويس إنريكي، الذي يعلم إمكانيات نيكو جيدًا.

تشيلسي وآرسنال أيضًا ضمن المهتمين بـ نيكو ويليامز، ولكن صاحب الـ22 عامًا حتى الآن يفضل برشلونة لمرافقة زميله لامين يامال.

من جانبه، يتوقع إرنستو فالفيردي، المدير الفني لفريق أتلتيك بلباو، أن ويليامز سيعود للتدريبات في الثاني عشر من أغسطس المقبل، عندما تنتهي إجازته.