West Ham United have reportedly submitted their bid to sign a new forward who Hammers supporters will know all about.
West Ham want more attackers after Guilherme
The Hammers, new manager Julen Lopetegui and technical director Tim Steidten have made a start on their summer transfer business by bringing in teenage winger Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras.
A move was officially announced last week, but it doesn’t look as if the Brazilian will be the only attacking arrival ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. Since then, there have been rumours about a move to sign Colombian striker Jhon Arias from Fluminense, with an £11m offer being submitted.
West Ham now ready offer to sign new £17m left-back
There’s been contact with his representatives.
ByCharlie Smith Jun 20, 2024
Meanwhile, an approach was reportedly made for Celta Vigo forward Jorgen Strand Larsen, whereas Juventus winger Matias Soule and Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling have also been linked with the Irons.
One player who was of interest to those at the London Stadium before Guilherme was unveiled as a West Ham player was Wilfried Zaha. Now at Galatasaray, the Hammers were rumoured to have made an enquiry to bring the former Crystal Palace star back to the Premier League, and another new update has emerged.
West Ham make Zaha bid
According to reports from Turkey in the last 48 hours, relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham have now made an offer to sign Zaha from Galatasaray.
It is believed that the Hammers’ proposal is worth €7m (£6m) to sign the Ivorian attacker, however, that has already been rejected according to reports, with Galatasaray holding out for €10m (£8.4m). The Turkish giants are keen to get Zaha’s wage off their books, but it appears as if West Ham will need to up their offer in order to bring him back to England.
Since moving to Galatasaray last summer, Zaha has made 42 appearances in all competitions, scoring 10 times and providing five assists. He’s also scored five goals against West Ham throughout his career and was previously called a “world-class player” by Jurgen Klopp.
Crystal Palace 2-2 West Ham
October 2017
Crystal Palace 1-1 West Ham
February 2019
Crystal Palace 2-3 West Ham
January 2021
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
November 2022
Crystal Palace 4-3 West Ham
April 2023
"They are really good at counter attacks and set pieces, Wilfried Zaha is a world-class player and he gets into a one-on-one situation and we’re one down," Klopp said after Liverpool beat Palace 4-3 at Anfield.
Meanwhile, former West Ham boss David Moyes also hailed Zaha back in 2022, saying: “Wilf looks as though he has matured greatly and he could play for a number of top teams, if he chose to do so. Sometimes, when you feel like you’re at home and you are enjoying your surroundings… he is a big player for them and a key ingredient to Palace.”
It looks as if a move for the former Crystal Palace star could be one to watch, and it’ll be interesting to see if they’ll increase their opening bid.
خاض المصري عمر مرموش مباراة مع فريقه آينتراخت فرانكفورت أمام لايبزيج، بمنافسات بطولة الدوري الألماني، مساء اليوم السبت.
والتقى فرانكفورت ولايبزيج على ملعب “ريد بول آرينا” في إطار لقاءات الجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري الألماني.
وحسمت المباراة بين الفريقين بفوز لايبزيج على فرانكفورت بهدفين لهدف، ولعب مرموش أساسيًا وخاض المواجهة كاملة.
وحصل عمر مرموش على تقييم 8 من 10 بحسب شبكة “سوفا سكور”، وهو ثاني أعلى تقييم بين لاعبي الفريقين، بعد زميله حارس المرمى كيفين تراب (8.3).
مرموش سدد تسديدة على المرمى، وأخرى بعيدة، وواحدة تم تشتيتها من الخصم، وتسديدة ارتطمت بالعارضة.
وله 4 مراوغات ناجحة، ولمس الكرة 57 مرة، وبلغت دقة تمريراته 71% بواقع 20 تمريرة دقيقة من 28.
ومرر مرموش 3 تمريرات مفتاحية، ولعب 4 تمريرات عرضية دقيقة من 9 تمريرات.
وفي التحامات الكرات الأرضية فاز بـ12 من 15، وفقد الاستحواذ 17 مرة، وارتكب خطأ وتم ارتكاب 7 أخطاء ضده، واستخلص الكرة مرة واحدة. ملخص لمسات عمر مرموش في مباراة فرانكفورت ولايبزيج
Aston Villa have been tipped to make a move for a long-term Premier League target this summer as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of a return to the Champions League.
Ollie Watkins' incredible season
It is safe to say that Unai Emery's ability to get the best out of his strikers has once again played out in the midlands, with Ollie Watkins the beneficiary. The former Brentford star recorded his best ever season, finding the back of the net 19 times in the Premier League and grabbing 13 assists to go with it, while he did it all without being the club's designated penalty taker.
He penned a new contract in October, and is now wanted by the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, though a departure from Villa Park this summer looks highly unlikely.
Ollie Watkins' amazing Premier League season
Appearances
37
Goals
19
Assists
13
Minutes per goal contribution
100.5
Shots on target per 90
1.31
Key passes per 90
1.26
Stats provided by fbref
But with added elite games on the calender for next season and no assurances that Watkins will be able to play virtually every game for Emery's side as he did this season, it is understandable that Villa are on the hunt for cover.
As it stands, young talent Jhon Duran is the only other recognised striker at the club, though Moussa Diaby has played there at times during his stint at Villa Park. But it is clear a new face is needed, and now they may have found the perfect alternative to Watkins.
Monchi wants familiar face
Now, the Villans have been credited with a strong interest in Sevilla hitman Youssef En-Nesyri, who has been a long term target for West Ham United and has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months.
The Moroccan striker, who led the line for his nation as they reached the last four of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has just 12 months left to run on his £50,000 a week deal in the south of Spain.
And Sevilla have identified the 26-year-old as an option to help them raise funds this summer, despite the striker finding the net on 20 occasions last season to help steer his side away from relegation to Spain's second tier.
An offer of around 25m euros (£17m) should be enough to secure his services, and Monchi is personally leading Villa's interest, as the Sporting Director is keen to be reunited with a player he worked with during his time in Seville.
Aston Villa targeting Watkins' dream transfer in £30m star
He has 14 goals and assists in Serie A this season.
ByJoe Nuttall May 29, 2024
He is leading the Aston Villa charge for En-Nesyri, and appears to have won out with the Midlands club now ready to cough up for the frontman, according to the report.
Should he arrive, he would certainly offer a different option to Watkins, with the striker having previously been described as "such a handful in the air" and having the stats to back it up.
At club level, 25 of his 88 goals have come courtesy of his head, while he jumped to a mammoth 9 foot 1 to net his side's winner against Portugal at the most recent World Cup, higher than Cristiano Ronaldo managed for his famous goal against Sampdoria during his time as a Juventus player.
Still in the prime of his career and with plenty of pedigree in Europe, he could well be a smart addition to help share the workload with Watkins.
Southampton are now very much daring to dream about an immediate Premier League return, having got the better of Carlos Corberan's West Bromwich Albion 3-1 over two legs to make it to the coveted Championship playoff final.
Leeds United will be their tricky opponents at Wembley at the end of May, but Russell Martin's men won't fear the full-throttle Whites having beat them 2-1 on the final day of the regular season at Elland Road before the lottery of the playoffs even began.
Southampton manager Russell Martin.
It was a polished team performance from Martin's confident Saints at St. Mary's against the Baggies, with Will Smallbone heroically opening the scoring on the night to set the tone for the rest of the straightforward contest.
Emerging through the youth ranks at the Saints to now become a key first-teamer in midfield, Smallbone has had a breakthrough campaign for the promotion-chasers at the best possible time, with Premier League football now tantalisingly in reach.
Will Smallbone's start at Southampton
Smallbone has had to exercise a lot of patience to get where he is today, having been in and around the Saints ranks since 2016.
It's not as if his numbers were underwhelming either, amassing 13 goals and 13 assists from 98 appearances playing for the U18s and U21s, but he was never able to break the mould and leap into the men's team equation regularly.
Horrific luck when it came to injuries constantly stopped Smallbone in his tracks when he was making notable in-roads, making a number of appearances at the start of the 2020/21 season before a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury cruelly intervened.
Still, when looking at how key he has been for Martin's men in reaching Wembley, 45 of Smallbone's 69 first-team appearances have amazingly come just this campaign and he has never looked back in the process.
The 24-year-old massively benefitted from the likes of Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse exiting in the summer on major deals, freeing up spaces in the centre of the park for someone to become the next Saints hero in midfield.
He has certainly become that this season, proving himself to be a dependable option to rely on away from just this ferocious hit opening the scoring against West Brom in the decisive playoff second leg.
Smallbone's season in numbers
The Saints academy product has blossomed into becoming the first name on the team sheet week-in-week out for Martin, only missing three league games all season long to fully wriggle free of any injury demons.
Six goals and three assists have come the midfielder's way as a result, which included slotting home a Kyle Walker-Peters pass on the final day to score against Leeds to silence the home crowd.
Smallbone vs Gruev – numbers on FBRef over the last year
Stat per 90 mins
Smallbone
Gruev
Passes attempted
66.38
61.08
Pass completion %
87.6%
90%
Progressive passes
6.42
4.36
Progressive carries
1.53
0.56
Progressive passes received
3.51
0.41
Blocks
0.99
0.81
Interceptions
0.90
1.37
Stats by FBRef
The match-up at the end of the month will be completely different, however, with so much riding on the outcome but an intriguing battle could develop between Ilia Gruev and Smallbone on the pitch all the same.
Based on the FBRef numbers in the table above, Smallbone could well his fancy his chances of coming out on top going up against the former Werder Bremen man even in such a pressurised one-off clash.
It hasn't been all smooth sailing for the breakout Southampton number 16 this campaign, however, with extreme online trolling earlier in the season seeing him shut down his social media accounts.
Yet, just a matter of days on from being trolled in the aftermath of his club's exit at the hands of Liverpool in the FA Cup, Smallbone responded unfazed with two assists in a dramatic 4-3 away win at Birmingham City.
It led to Martin emotionally defending his midfield talent after the game, who described the Saints academy graduate turned important first-team figure's performance as "amazing".
Equally praised by his manager for being a "selfless" character right after Southampton booked their place in the playoff final, it's not a shock to see Smallbone's transfer value has increased over the course of his formative campaign consequently.
Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes
His value is even higher than that of Flynn Downes now, according to Football Transfers, who has been showered with kind words all season long from Martin as well, with the pair having worked with each other in the past at Swansea City and in the present on the South Coast.
Smallbone's transfer value in 2024
Smallbone's value now stands at a handsome £4.2m, with Southampton reaping the rewards now of persevering with their homegrown star, instead of just chucking him to the scrapheap when he hadn't yet made waves in the men's team.
The Saints will just hope they don't have to part ways with Smallbone anytime soon regardless of his excellent season, able to keep a firm grip on their star who had progressed through the esteemed youth set-up on the South Coast away from the likes of Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale previously departing.
Downes, who has been key alongside Smallbone in a central midfield trio this season, sees his valuation come in at a lesser £3.3m though, all whilst still being the perfect example of Martin's easy-on-the-eye approach as a slick operator.
Downes' numbers vs West Brom
Minutes played
90
Touches
72
Accurate passes
62/64 (97%)
Key passes
2
Assists
1
Successful dribbles
1/1
Stats by Sofascore
Bossing the possession on the night with 65% of the ball in their favour against West Brom, Downes stylishly controlled proceedings with just two misplaced passes from 64 attempted with one of these passes assisting Adam Armstrong's game-clinching second strike on the night.
Yet, even with Downes coming up trumps again, the West Ham United loanee's value still pales in comparison to that of Smallbone who will want to taste Premier League football now next season to cap off such a blinding campaign.
If that doesn't happen, however, Smallbone wouldn't try and demand a move up to the top-flight knowing that he's a highly valued gem in the Saints camp currently.
It's been a tale of perseverance and patience paying off for the 24-year-old, who was only on loan at Stoke City last season pondering whether his long-term future was going to be at St. Mary's or not.
Didier Deschamps has decided to call up Kylian Mbappe to the France squad, despite Real Madrid's pleas to rest him.
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Mbappe in France squad despite Madrid pleasLos Blancos asked national teams to rest playersMbappe asked to be called up as per DeschampsAFPWHAT HAPPENED?
Mbappe made the long-awaited move to Real Madrid as a free agent earlier this summer to draw the curtains on a transfer saga that has bubbling since 2020. However, the French international has struggled to find his feet with Los Blancos in La Liga as he is yet to grab his first goal contribution in the league in three straight matches. As such, Real Madrid had pleaded with Les Bleus to excuse Mbappe from their September call-ups citing his hectic summer at the Euros and the upcoming schedule for the 15-time Champions League winner.
AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Mbappe has now been called up to the French national team squad for their Nations League group stage matches in September on his own request as per Deschamps. The 25-year-old will be looking to sort his feet out in familiar conditions before hopefully bringing renewed energy to Madrid ahead of the hectic schedule for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
GettyWHAT DESCHAMPS SAID
Speaking to the media, Deschamps said: "I don't know where you got this information from. I spoke with Kylian. What I can say is that there is always this problem of the calendar, a new format of the Champions League, especially after a big competition. There has not really been any preparation. The season is going to be very very long with a time slot at the beginning of June and the Club World Cup. The coaches are going to have to manage the players.
"He has only played three games in a new club with different players. There are automatisms to find. I found him in good shape with juice. After that he has always scored goals, he is there and it is his choice. He has everything to make it go well and even very very well."
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WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?
The French international will have one more game with Real Madrid to break his league duck before he travels to join the French national side. Los Blancos will host Real Betis on Sunday, September 1 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Celtic are reportedly set to table a big offer to sign a “highly rated” player for Brendan Rodgers this summer, in a deal potentially worth £7.5m.
Celtic transfer news
The Hoops continue to be linked with possible new signings in the summer transfer window, following what will hopefully be the end of a season that finishes with Scottish Premiership glory.
Krasnodar midfielder Eduard Spertsyan is one player who has been linked with a move to Parkhead, with the 23-year-old once compared to Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne, which says a lot about his quality. He could be seen as a potential replacement for Matt O'Riley this summer, should the Celtic ace leave the club.
Fotis Ioannidis
A big-money move for Panathinaikos attacker Fotis Ioannidis has also been mooted in recent days, with a transfer that could cost a minimum of £12m reportedly in the works. Jake Clarke-Salter is another rumoured option for the Hoops, with the 26-year-old defender currently plying his trade at Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
Then there's Blackburn Rovers and Republic of Ireland striker Sammie Szmodics, who Celtic are believed to be battling with Premier League clubs to sign. He is enjoying a fantastic season, scoring 23 goals in 39 Championship appearances overall.
Celtic readying £7.5m offer for goalkeeper
According to a new update relayed by The Daily Record, Celtic are readying a £7.5m offer for Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir this summer, seeing him as a great option to replace Joe Hart between the sticks, ahead of the veteran's retirement at the end of the campaign.
The report states that the search is on for a top-class new 'keeper and "it has emerged from Turkey that Trabzonspor's Cakir could be that man with the Hoops seeking permission for talks with his management team and lawyer and a Zoom call between the player and Rodgers."
Soccer Football – Europa League – Group H – Trabzonspor v Red Star Belgrade – Medical Park Stadyumu, Trabzon, Turkey – September 15, 2022 Trabzonspor’s Ugurcan Cakir reacts REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Cakir could be a superb option for Celtic in the summer, and the fact that they are willing to possibly pay £7.5m says a lot about his credentials as a player.
The 28-year-old is a hugely established footballer, but still has years left in him, captaining Trabzonspor and also winning 27 caps for Turkey to date. Meanwhile, YouTuber Conor McGilligan heaped praise on him in the past when Leeds United were tracking him, saying:
"It is one of those things where Leeds have just got to keep pursuing, we’ve got to keep going for these deals with someone like Ugurcan, highly rated, seen as one of the top ‘keepers in Turkey, one of the top ‘keepers in Europe, it’s definitely one to keep an eye on."
Celtic's "incredible" star must be unleashed with O'Riley
The Hoops ace could thrive at the top end of the pitch with the Denmark international’s creativity.
ByDan Emery Apr 7, 2024
Hart is going to leave a big void in Celtic's goal, proving to be such a strong performer over the years, and it is essential that Rodgers brings in a formidable successor. In Cakir, the Hoops may have a fantastic option in that respect, so they could look to do all they can to strike a deal.
After a solid campaign in both the Premier League and Europe, West Ham United look set to turn their attention towards the summer transfer window, in which they could land an upgrade on Michail Antonio.
West Ham transfer news
The Hammers have enjoyed a solid season, reaching the last eight of the Europa League and sitting as high as seventh in the Premier League. Yet, their first task this summer looks set to be replacing David Moyes, whose contract runs out at the end of the current campaign. With a new deal yet to be sealed, the London club look set to begin their search for a new manager in the dugout.
Uh oh: Report shares worrying news on Mavropanos out of West Ham yesterday
The West Ham defender has been immense for David Moyes this season.
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Ben Browning
Apr 3, 2024
Among those linked so far has been Steve Cooper, who was sacked by Nottingham Forest earlier this season, and former Chelsea boss Graham Potter. Both options would have quite the shoes to fill, despite what some may have to say about Moyes' tenure at the London Stadium. Whoever comes in will have the pressure of achieving European football again, which will be a possibility if West Ham's summer plans come to fruition in the coming months.
Chelsea's Graham Potter
According to Sky Sports, via Claret and Hugh, West Ham are keen on signing Vangelis Pavlidis from AZ Alkmaar this summer. The forward is reportedly valued at €18m (£15m) and has also attracted interest from the Bundesliga and fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
Given that West Ham's director of football, Tim Steidten, holds Pavlidis in high regard and Hammers defender Konstantinos Mavropanos has a close friendship with the Alkmaar man, those in London may have an advantage in pursuit of a deal.
Looking to upgrade on Antonio in the coming months, Pavlidis would be an ideal option after an incredibly impressive campaign in the Eredivisie full of goals.
Record-breaking Pavlidis is better than Antonio
After the season he's had, there's no doubt that Pavlidis would be an upgrade on Antonio, who has struggled in the current campaign. At 25-years-old, the Greek international is in the prime of his career and the numbers reflect that, with Pavlidis' stats significantly better than Antonio's so far this season.
Domestic Leagues 23/24
Vangelis Pavlidis
Michail Antonio
Goals
24
4
Assists
2
2
Expected Goals
19.7
3.7
Key Passes
36
8
For just £15m, Pavlidis also represents one of the few remaining bargains in the transfer market, especially when it comes to a 24-goal forward. After breaking the Dutch record for most goals scored in consecutive league games with nine in a row, Pavlidis was always going to attract interest this summer and West Ham are among those to come calling.
Whether it's Moyes or another manager in charge next season, the priority should be the Greek forward, who would be the perfect partner to Jarrod Bowen as Antonio continues to struggle for consistency.
It's a busy race for Pavlidis' signature, however, with West Ham hoping to be in a position to use European football to tempt the forward into a summer switch, which would see him join good friend Mavropanos.
Pressure is mounting on CSA’s board, specifically president Chris Nenzani and vice-president Beresford Williams, after financial services company Momentum, which sponsors CSA, issued an ultimatum over its tenure. In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Momentum asked for the CSA board or Nenzani and Williams to step down as one of six conditions that must be met if it is to renew its contract with CSA when it ends on April 30, 2020.Momentum’s statement comes three days after the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) said it would not be willing to negotiate with a CSA panel in a bid to repair its relationship with the game’s governing body if the panel were to include any members of the current board. SACA called on the board to step down and claimed it was as responsible for CSA’s current crises, which range from governance to financial issues, as suspended CEO Thabang Moroe. Now, Momentum has echoed SACA’s sentiments.”We have outlined very specific governance and reputational requirements that CSA has to deliver on in order to restore confidence in the administrating body of South African cricket,” Carel Bosman, head of sponsorships at Momentum, said. “We will be holding the CSA board accountable to get its house in order. Failing such remedy, Momentum will have to reconsider its sponsorship agreement at the end of the current season.”Momentum’s requirements of CSA address both leadership and financial affairs. Apart from the removal of the entire board or the resignations of Nenzani and Williams, they also include the appointment of a lead independent director – a position which has been vacant since Norman Arendse’s tenure ended just over a year ago – the appointment of someone with on-field cricket experience to the board, and engagement with SACA to resolve long-running disputes over a proposed restructure of the domestic system.So far, CSA has lost three independent board members – Shirley Zinn, Mohamed Iqbal Khan and Dawn Mokhono – as well as one provincial president. Jack Madiseng, president of the Gauteng Cricket Board, who was thought to be in line to be CSA’s next president, resigned on Wednesday night. The remainder of the board consists of two independent directors – Steve Cornelius and Marius Schoeman – four other provincial presidents – Zola Thamae, Tebogo Siko, Donovan May and Angelo Carolissen – and Nenzani and Williams.Donovan May has come out in support of the CSA board, telling TimesLive that he believes the board has “been doing a good job”. His comments, made before Momentum’s statement came out, also said demands from outside CSA that the board is stood down are unreasonable. “SACA have no right to call for the removal of the CSA board. The only people or body that can remove the CSA board is the members’ council, not the public and certainly not the media,” May said.Apart from new leadership at board level, Momentum also wants CSA to have an independent forensic audit (which is already in the works) and to conduct a four-year ongoing assessment by independent auditors, which suggests Momentum wants reassurances about CSA’s validity as a business.While Momentum acknowledged that the process will be difficult, it made it clear it is crucial to its future relationship with CSA. “This process is not going to be easy and we expect a fair bit of pain as the independent audit and resulting corrective actions unfold. We believe CSA will act decisively and with transparency so that cricket in South Africa can move forward,” Bosman said.Momentum’s requests are unlikely to be brushed aside because it is one of only a few financial backers CSA has at the moment. The company sponsors men’s one-day cricket in South Africa, including international series, the domestic competition, the club championship and Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 age-group cricket.Momentum is the second sponsor to cite a lack of good governance as a reason for reconsidering its association with CSA after Standard Bank, which backs the men’s Test team, announced it would not renew its deal with CSA when it concludes on April 30, 2020.
Celtic are already thinking about the possibility of selling another player for a big fee in the future, according to a new update.
Celtic tempted to sell Matt O’Riley
The Hoops have brought in a number of shrewd signings over the years, with one of the latest examples being Matt O’Riley. Signed from MK Dons back in January 2022, the now Denmark international has gone on to make more than 100 appearances at Parkhead.
O’Riley is into double figures for goals and assists during the current campaign, which resulted in transfer rumours regarding a possible exit in the recent winter window.
Mark Guidi shares exciting Celtic transfer update he's been "told"
The Hoops are “back in the market”.
ByCharlie Smith Mar 27, 2024
La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid were keen on O’Riley’s services, however, Celtic, who valued the player at £25m, stood firm and the player remained in Scotland.
Now, there have been recent reports claiming Celtic could be tempted to sell O’Riley in the summer if they can bring in enough money, with Brentford, Brighton and Leeds all thought to be interested.
Another attacking midfielder who has impressed this season has been loanee Paulo Bernardo. Reports have recently suggested that Celtic have made it clear to Benfica that they want to sign Bernardo permanently, although they will look to negotiate a £6m option to buy price tag down when the window opens.
It looks as if the Hoops have high hopes for the Portuguese gem, going off a new update.
Paulo Bernardo transfer update
According to Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke, 'Celtic plan to develop on-loan star Bernardo with a view to sell him for a big profit' further down the line, seeing him as a player with “huge” potential.
The reporter adds that ‘Celtic want to make his move permanent this summer as they believe he can develop into a £20million-plus valued player, meaning they could net up to £14million in profit’ when they cash in.
Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo.
It looks as if it could be just a matter of time until Bernardo becomes a permanent Celtic player, with the 22-year-old becoming a regular under Brendan Rodgers in recent months.
In fact, Rodgers praised the player back in January, saying:
“It is all patience. Sometimes at big clubs there is no patience with young players. You can see him growing and developing. When you have young players that is what tends to happen if their attitude is right, and their mentality is right. He has come in in these last few games and created goals and scored goals and he has put his foot in too. He is tenacious. Absolutely delighted for him. It is now about consistency.”
Bernardo’s development over the coming years will be one to watch, and if he goes on to become the player Celtic think he can, then perhaps a big-money exit down the line could be possible.
Amid Delhi’s air quality plummeting to hazardous levels, a severely depleted Bangladesh team will run into an Indian side that has hung up caution in trying to adapt to the changing T20 landscape. India will be without their rested captain Virat Kohli, but still have the wealth of experience and a variety of options at their disposal.ALSO READ: Pollution-related emergency in Delhi but T20I to go aheadHowever, the same can’t be said of Bangladesh who are desperate for some breathing space (both literally and figuratively). No Shakib Al Hasan. No Tamim Iqbal. Mashrafe Mortaza has retired from the shortest format. The promising Mohammad Saifuddin isn’t available because of a back injury. They’ve recalled Arafat Sunny and Al-Amin Hossain – both of whom last featured in a T20I over three years ago.As Bangladesh prepare for life after Shakib’s ban, the onus is on Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman to step up. This Mustafizur, however, isn’t Mustafizur who had (off)cut through India in 2015. He has lost some fizz – no pun intended – since then, but his knowledge of Indian conditions, having turned out for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in the IPL, might come in handy.ALSO READ: Calm Mahmudullah must guide Bangladesh through choppy watersIn their most-recent T20I, against South Africa, Kohli challenged himself and his team-mates to break out of their comfort zones and although the bat-first experiment didn’t quite come off, it highlighted India’s new, daring T20 approach. This series presents India another opportunity to test out their allrounders – Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar and newbie Shivam Dube. Yuzvendra Chahal is back in the mix once again and while India have been going big on batting depth in recent times, his wicket-taking threat can’t be ignored.
Form guide
India LWWWW (completed matches, most recent first) BangladeshWWLWLThe Bangladesh players train in the mid-morning haze in Delhi•PTI
In the spotlight
Twenty-six-year-old Mumbai allrounder Shivam Dube has stepped in to try and fill the Hardik Pandya-sized hole. Dube has a reputation of being a ferocious ball-striker in domestic cricket as his T20 and List A strike rate of 142.35 and 121.34 respectively suggest. He’s a decent medium-pacer to boot, but he had a tepid debut IPL season in 2019. Can he shrug that off and show the world that he belongs to the biggest stage?Liton Das has a variety of sparkling shots in his repertoire and India will be wary of it, having watched him crunch a century against them in the 50-over Asia Cup last year . After being called into Jamaica Tallawahs’ roster in CPL 2019, Liton will aim to enhance his limited-overs reputation further on this trip.
Team news
India are set to hand an international debut to Dube while it remains to be seen if the returning Sanju Samson fits in the top three. Chahal has returned to the side, and might get the nod ahead of Rahul Chahar. India will also have to make a choice on the fast-bowling front: Shardul Thakur or Khaleel Ahmed?India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Sanju Samson/KL Rahul, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk) 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal/Rahul Chahar, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Shardul Thakur/Khaleel AhmedBangladesh’s XI is harder to predict, with only the middle order wearing a fairly familiar outlook. Mohammad Naim, who made back-to-back one-day fifties against Sri Lanka A last month, might be rewarded with his international debut while Al-Amin and Sunny are set to slot back into the XI.Bangladesh (possible) : 1 Liton Das 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mohammad Naim/Mohammad Mithun, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) 5 Mahmudullah (capt) 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Arafat Sunny, 9 Mustafizur Rahman, 10 Al-Amin Hossain, 11 Abu Hider/Taijul IslamALSO READ: Dube ready to ‘be the player the Indian team needs’
Pitch and conditions
The after-effects of Diwali have led to a public-health emergency in Delhi, and conditions will continue might continue to be hazy on Sunday as well. The pitch for the last international game – an ODI against Australia – at the Feroz Shah Kotla offered some purchase for the spinners as the match progressed. On the eve of this T20I series opener, Mahmudullah said that the pitch had some covering of grass, but “will be good for batting.”
Stats and trivia
India have played eight T20Is against Bangladesh and have won all of them. This is the second time India are playing Bangladesh at home, the first being the nerve-wracking World T20 encounter in Bengaluru in 2016.
Since the 2016 T20 World Cup, India have had a run rate of 8.66. Only Australia and New Zealand have scored faster than India in this period.