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“It was a bit of a headache for us to decide who it was going to be,” India captain on Axar-vs-Kuldeep debate

Alagappan Muthu24-Jan-20244:30

‘When there’s a headache to make your playing XI, that’s a good sign’ – Rohit Sharma

Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel? India know who they want in their XI to play the first of five Tests against England starting on Thursday, but they would prefer to keep the opposition guessing.Both players offer compelling reasons to pick them. Kuldeep has “X-factor”, India captain Rohit Sharma said on the eve of the game in Hyderabad. While Kuldeep has played only eight Tests since making his debut in March 2017, he has worked on his bowling in the recent past and showcased the very ability that India value in all their bowlers – keeping the stumps in play – even if it has been in limited-overs cricket.”Kuldeep gives you a certain X-factor with his bowling,” Rohit said. “You’ve seen how well he’s been bowling of late. Especially the wicket if it has bounce, or if it doesn’t have bounce, Kuldeep becomes a factor in those types of conditions as well because he has got superb variations.”He is also a much more mature bowler now. He has not played a lot of Test cricket in India because of [R] Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja clearly. But that is what happens. Like with our middle order, all of us got an opportunity really late. But that’s the reality of it. You can’t hide from it. But Kuldeep being the bowler he is now, from what he was a couple of years back, he is much more improved and he is a very tempting option without a doubt.”Kuldeep played a Ranji Trophy match in the lead-up to this series; it was his first in over seven years and his first since becoming a Test cricketer. In that game, against Kerala, he bowled 26 overs across two innings and picked up four wickets, including the opposition’s highest scorer. The reason he is back in the picture is because Axar didn’t really go all that well in India’s last home series, against Australia in February-March 2023. Axar bowled only 13 overs each in the first three Tests, but he did end up as one of the team’s highest run-getters.Axar Patel was more impressive with the bat than the ball against Australia in February-March 2023•BCCI

“Axar with his all-round ability, giving us that batting depth, the consistency that he has shown playing in these conditions in Test cricket also is an important factor for us,” Rohit said. “It was a bit of a headache for us to decide who it was going to be. I’m not going to say who it is but it was a challenge for us to make that decision. We know we’ve got quality around our spin-bowling department, which is a good sign. When you’ve got quality around your team, when there’s a headache to make your playing XI, that’s a good sign.”Axar’s prized weapon is the ball that doesn’t turn. Exactly half of his 50 Test wickets are either bowled or lbw, and most of them involve the left-arm spinner beating the right-hander on the inside edge. The reason he kept doing that is because he was also getting the odd ball to turn. Against Australia, he seemed to have lost that a little bit. But now, after recovering from a quadriceps injury that forced him out of the ODI World Cup, Axar looks like he’s getting back to his old self. The left-arm spinner comes into these Tests having picked up ten wickets in seven T20Is against Australia and Afghanistan played over the last two months.Related

Dravid expects Hyderabad pitch for England Test to offer turn

Rajat Patidar added to India Test squad as Kohli's replacement

Hartley to debut as Eng name three spinners; one quick bowler in Wood

The Hyderabad pitch will turn. Rohit, when asked about it in the pre-match press conference where he was happy to talk at length about various other topics – like the health of Test cricket, the value of blooding new players in, and the strength of his side in home conditions – gave a curt answer: “Looks good”.Rahul Dravid, on Tuesday, expected that it would take turn. England are certain to the extent that they’re going in with three frontline spinners and only one fast bowler. Kuldeep remains a prospect, especially against an opposition that will not hesitate to attack. Success in ODIs and T20Is has taught him how to cope with batters coming at him. It was just that his Test game was lacking a bit of control and he has since worked on that, getting quicker through the air without really losing any of his other assets – turn and bounce.But Axar brings that and batting ability, and with India missing Virat Kohli, they will probably want to shore up the XI with as many all-round options as possible.

MatériaMais Notícias

da brwin： Luciano lamentou a eliminação do São Paulo nas quartas de final do Campeonato Paulista, contra o Água Santa – que se classificou após uma disputa de pênaltis. O jogador falou sobre o resultado negativo do Tricolor, e tratou como ‘uma insatisfação’.

RelacionadasSão PauloTorcida organizada do São Paulo se revolta com eliminação no Paulistão: ‘Desonraram a instituição. Ídolo é o torcedor’São Paulo13/03/2023São PauloVÍDEO: Os lances da eliminação do São Paulo nos pênaltis para o Água Santa no PaulistãoSão Paulo13/03/2023São PauloRafael se desculpa com torcida após eliminação do São Paulo e lamenta: ‘Precisávamos ter passado’São Paulo13/03/2023

da gbg bet： Segundo o atacante, todos da equipe estão ‘tristes’. O jogador trouxe à tona o bom desempenho da equipe na primeira fase do Estadual, quando encerrou a fase de grupos com o melhor ataque e ressaltou que, mesmo com as melhores oportunidades criadas na decisão, não conseguiram sair classificados.

ATUAÇÕES: São Paulo vive noite de horrores no ataque e não se garante nos pênaltis em eliminação no Paulistão

Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

A partida aconteceu no Allianz Parque, por conta dos shows que estão acontecendo no Morumbi. Luciano foi indagado se o gramado do estádio do rival influenciou, mas logo descartou a culpa.

– Estamos todos tristes, a insatisfação é grande. Estamos tristes, a gente fez uma excelente primeira fase, mas caímos hoje. Agora é trabalhar e seguir. É difícil, não posso falar que foi o gramado, a gente não é acostumado, mas não saímos classificado. É seguir. O time do Água Santa é forte, se defenderam bem. A gente teve as melhores oportunidades, mas não conseguimos fazer. Nos pênaltis é aquilo, né? Se o goleiro está em uma dia bom, ele ajuda a equipe – disse.

Com a camisa 10, Luciano tem jogado nesta temporada em um posicionamento diferente do que foi visto nos últimos anos. Agora sem Calleri disponível, e possivelmente sem Galoppo, quando perguntado se atuaria como um centroavante, afirmou que é um ‘segundo atacante e que já está tentando se adaptar em outra função’.

– Sou segundo atacante. Estou fazendo outra função, tentando me adaptar. A partir de amanhã é continuar trabalhando e seguir. Se você pegar o Paulista, é o estadual mais disputado que tem. A gente caiu, outra equipe caiu ontem, agora é seguir e trabalhar – completou.

Com a eliminação no Campeonato Paulista, o São Paulo deve ficar mais de um mês sem jogar nada, esperando sua estreia nas outras competições que disputará nesta temporada.

Lancashire turns tables on champions after Will Williams’ dogged, maiden half-century

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-2023

Will Williams defied the Surrey attack to make his maiden first-class fifty•Getty Images for Surrey CCC

Tom Bailey took four wickets in 16 balls in an 11-over opening spell of 4 for 34 to reduce Surrey to 57 for 5 in an extraordinary final hour at the Kia Oval and give Lancashire the chance of inflicting a first defeat of the season on the Division One leaders.The county champions had earlier been frustrated by Will Williams, Bailey’s new ball partner, who as nightwatcher batted four-and-a-quarter hours for a defiant career-best 61 to leave Surrey needing 208 to clinch a sixth victory in eight matches this season.But by stumps on day three it was a Lancashire win that looked more likely as Bailey wrecked Surrey’s top order after the home side had eventually bowled out Lancashire for 293 in their second innings, held up by Williams’ stubborn resistance and also by a powerful 54 from Phil Salt, his second fifty of the game.Bailey’s magnificent opening burst brought him the wickets of Dom Sibley for 1 and Tom Latham next ball for a duck in his fifth over and then, in his sixth and seventh overs, the scalps of Jamie Smith for 4 and Ben Foakes for 5.Sibley and Latham were both well held at second slip by substitute fielder Rob Jones, Smith was leg-before shouldering arms to an offcutter and Foakes caught behind, pushing out defensively.And the drama continued when Surrey skipper Rory Burns fell for 20, caught at first slip from Jack Blatherwick’s fourth ball, in the 20th of the 24 overs Lancashire bowled in a memorable mini-session. Will Jacks remains 19 not out.Williams, a 30-year-old New Zealander with a UK passport, began the day on one not out in Lancashire’s overnight 113 for 4, representing an overall lead of just 27, but he withstood Surrey’s five-pronged pace attack – spearheaded by Dan Worrall’s 3 for 69 – almost until tea to make his maiden first-class half-century.Christchurch-born Williams’ previous top score in 54 first-class matches was just 38, made for Canterbury against Wellington in February 2020. This was his 75th first-class innings, with his 698 previous runs coming at the lowly average of 13, but Williams, playing straight and defending competently, helped Salt to add 95 in 37 overs for the sixth wicket.LV= Insurance County Championship title favourites Surrey resorted to a short-ball barrage against him after lunch, with the second new ball, and although Williams’ run-scoring then slowed to a trickle – he made just ten in almost 30 overs in the afternoon session – he still resisted courageously and, in all, faced 220 balls.Surrey had only enjoyed one success in a tense morning session, with Burns leaping high at mid-off to pull off a superb one-handed catch from Daryl Mitchell’s lofted drive at Worrall.New Zealand Test batter Mitchell, on 17 overnight, looked in good touch as he moved to 30 but in the 12th over of the day was left stunned by Burns’ athleticism as he somehow clawed down a ball that seemed to be clearing him.Then, on 150 for 5, with only five more runs added, Salt was dropped by Smith at extra cover off Tom Lawes, this time the fielder failing to hang on to a chance above his head.Williams, on 23, edged Sam Curran at catchable height between slip and gully but otherwise batted with relative comfort against the Surrey seamers. And when Jacks was called up for a few overs before lunch, Williams drove the offspinner straight for six to bring up Lancashire’s 200 and to take his own score to 49.The 30-year-old’s half-century arrived soon afterwards, from 124 balls, and Surrey’s frustration grew when shortly after lunch Salt was put down off Curran on 30 by Latham, diving to his right at second slip, in the first over with the second new ball.Another 32 runs were scored before Surrey could celebrate their sixth wicket of the innings, Salt being bowled behind his legs by Jordan Clark, the ball flicking his back pad on its way into leg stump as Lancashire’s keeper-batter aimed towards square leg.Balderson narrowly avoided being dismissed by his first ball, a vicious lifter which clipped an elbow on the way through to keeper Foakes, and the left-hander had made only 10 when he edged a drive at Sean Abbott to first slip.Williams needed some on-field treatment after taking one nasty blow on the bicep on 57, ducking into an Abbott bouncer, and his brave resistance finally ended four overs before tea when he gloved a short ball from Lawes into Smith’s hands at short leg.Bailey’s useful 25, including some robust off-side strokes, was cut short by a top-edged pull at Curran that was well-held on the deep square leg ropes by Worrall and Lancashire’s dogged second-innings effort was finally over when No 11 Jack Morley fended a Worrall lifter to short leg.

اتخذ الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، بقيادة الدنماركي ييس توروب، قرارًا غير متوقع قبل أيام قليلة من انطلاق بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، وذلك في إطار استعدادات الفريق للسفر إلى الإمارات لخوض المنافسات المرتقبة.

وبحسب الموقع الرسمي للنادي الأهلي، فقد قرّر ييس توروب، اصطحاب جميع اللاعبين المقيدين في قائمة الفريق، بمن فيهم المصابون، ضمن البعثة المتجهة إلى الإمارات ظهر اليوم، استعدادًا للمشاركة في بطولة كأس السوبر المصري.

ويستعد الأهلي لخوض مواجهة قوية أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا مساء الخميس المقبل، في إطار الدور نصف النهائي من البطولة، حيث يسعى الفريق لتحقيق الفوز والتأهل إلى المباراة النهائية المقرر إقامتها مساء الأحد القادم.

طالع أيضًا | رمضان السيد يهاجم لاعبي الأهلي وتوروب: زيزو “العملاق” اختفى.. وسنحتل المركز الأخير في السوبر

ويدخل الأهلي البطولة بطموح الحفاظ على سجله التاريخي، إذ يُعد الأكثر تتويجًا بكأس السوبر المصري برصيد 15 لقبًا، ويأمل في تعزيز رقمه القياسي من خلال إضافة النجمة السادسة عشرة في النسخة الحالية.

يذكر، أن الفائز من مباراة الأهلي وسيراميكا كليوباترا سيلاقي الفائز من مواجهة الزمالك وبيراميدز في نهائي كأس السوبر.

da betcris： West Bromwich Albion’s action-packed summer has been full of change so far.

da supremo： Obviously, the first notable change occurred in the dug-out when Ryan Mason was finally unveiled as Tony Mowbray’s late successor, but more alterations have taken place since.

Centre-back titan Semi Ajayi has exited the Hawthorns for Hull City, on top of Grady Diangana reportedly looking as though he’s heading to Valencia in Spain.

Mason could instantly soften the blow of Ajayi departing the West Midlands by securing the signature of Nat Phillips, with reports now suggesting that the Liverpool colossus will move to West Brom permanently this summer.

Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be the only major loss Mason will have to stomach as the enthralling transfer window chugs along, with rumours already coming back to the surface that first-team star Tom Fellows might also be off.

Fellows' future at West Brom

It did feel as if it was going to be inevitable that any interest in Fellows would be reignited, with the England U21 international very firmly back on the radar of David Moyes’ Everton, as per a report by TEAMtalk last week.

The exciting attacker is just fresh off a breakout Championship season that saw him collect a jaw-dropping 14 assists in league action, on top of also powering home four strikes for his failed playoff-chasing outfit.

Therefore, it’s not a shock to see the Toffees chasing him, with Mason desperate to keep hold of him as he aims to guide the Baggies to promotion, especially as Josh Maja – who linked up with Fellows to devastating effect last season – edges closer to being back from injury.

But, Fellows might well feel he’s ready for the step-up to the Premier League now, as a reported price-tag of £10m begins to be circulated.

Whilst bolstering their centre-back numbers was a top priority in the wake of Ajayi upping and leaving, adding in more dynamic, creative attackers will be seen as more paramount if Fellows does exit.

West Brom's ideal Fellow replacement

According to a report by the Express and Star, West Brom could soon swoop in for AFC Bournemouth ace David Brooks on a loan basis, with Mason and Co just one of several Championship clubs keeping close tabs on the Welshman’s situation at the Cherries.

Transfer Focus

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

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He might well come in, therefore, and be a necessary short-term option for the Baggies to get over their homegrown product’s departure.

Indeed, the 27-year-old’s last electric loan spell away from Bournemouth down in the EFL resulted in Southampton clinching promotion at the close of the 2023/24 season.

Fellows might well even attempt to follow in Brooks’ footsteps if a Premier League switch soon opens up for him, with the 27-year-old – away from firing home two strikes for the Saints during that campaign – first getting to grips with the senior game in the Championship with Sheffield United.

Rising through the ranks with the Blades, he scored three goals and supplied eight assists in South Yorkshire.

As a result, a bumper £11.5m to the South Coast occurred, and whilst he does have a healthy 11 goals and six assists next to his name too in the luxuries of the Premier League, it’s his productive numbers in the second tier overall that will be solely catching Mason’s eye.

Brooks’ Championship numbers by season

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

23/24

17

2

5

21/22

7

1

0

20/21

32

5

6

17/18

30

3

5

Sourced by Transfermarkt

In total, Brooks has a sterling collection of 11 goals and 16 assists at the challenging level, with that assist haul particularly eye-catching as West Brom aim to effectively replace Fellows’ creative flair.

Hailed as “sublime” by Eddie Howe during his early Bournemouth days, this is a signing that will be seen as a statement to the rest of the Championship.

Throw Phillips into the mix and West Brom might well be deemed as serious promotion candidates, irrespective of high-profile exits souring the mood.

Related West Brom could sign a "fabulous" Diangana replacement who's an EFL veteran

While Grady Diangana nears to a move away from West Bromwich Albion, the Baggies could be about to land his ideal replacement.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Jun 20, 2025

England captain also talks up 21-year-old Bethell who is on his first international tour of Asia

Sreshth Shah21-Jan-2025

England have an envious line-up of hard hitters of the ball•Getty Images

A belligerent batting line-up is a dream for most international sides. Throw in a coach who firmly believes in that style and a squad where nearly everyone has at least one first-class hundred and the ability to hit monster sixes, and England possess a unit that could blow away the best bowling units on most days.Having batting depth through the team sheet served them magnificently in their ODI World Cup triumph of 2019 and their T20 World Cup victory in 2022. And in their lead up to the T20Is against India and next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, England appear to be shaping up the same way.Bowlers who bat not only shorten the tail but positively affect the top order too. England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged that the batters, consequently, can play with much more freedom.Related

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“That gives a lot of depth to the XI and confidence to the guys at the at the top that there’s plenty [of batting] to come,” Buttler said on the eve of the series opener in Kolkata. “So we can be really aggressive and, you know, not worry too much about our wicket, because we’ve got guys behind us who can do exactly the same job.”We’re really blessed actually in terms of the bowlers that we have here, on this tour. They’re all very, very capable bats. I think if you look at guys like Gus Atkinson with a Test hundred, and then Brydon Carse is an excellent hitter of the ball, and then Adil Rashid down at No. 11 [No. 10 on the team sheet for the first T20I] who’s got multiple first-class hundreds. So, yeah, I think we’re very fortunate in that sense that a lot of our bowlers are very, very capable batters.”England announced their XI for the Kolkata T20I more than 24 hours before the game, and on a batting-friendly Eden Gardens track, a score of 200 appears to be the minimum. In Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Buttler himself, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone, England have a plethora of batters who could aim for the roof. The addition of the exciting Jacob Bethell – who averages 57.66 and scores at 167.96 in six T20I innings – has only made them look more lethal. But can he conquer Indian conditions, especially the spinners? Like the other batters, Bethell spent large periods trying to face spin in the nets in the two practice sessions leading up to the first game.”It’s a new challenge for him to come and play in India,” Butter said. “But I know he’s excited [for it].”I think he’s been someone who in English cricket has been talked about for a while knowing the talent he possesses, even when he’s been playing in the Under-19s. So, he was a name you’d hear being talked about that he’s gonna be a special player. And I think, you know, all credit to him. I think he’s done brilliantly well coming into international cricket.”And he has got a good head on his shoulders, and obviously, he’s got the game for it, as you’ve seen in in the white-ball stuff. And then obviously, moving into Test cricket, you know, it’s fantastic to watch him in New Zealand. So, yeah, he’s been playing really well.”Jacob Bethell is coming on the back of decent scores in the BBL•Getty Images

For Buttler, though, having the chance to work with Brendon McCullum for the first time (Buttler has not been in the Test side since McCullum took over as the Test coach) is especially exciting. But even more so that the leadership can work with their best players. Nobody’s workload is being managed, fast bowlers like Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are injury-free, and that’s as perfect a situation as England can imagine as they face a coaching transition that wants to build into the Champions Trophy and next year’s T20 World Cup.”It’s a really exciting tour, coming to India with what I’d say is a full line-up for us,” Buttler added. “You know sometimes there’s so much cricket that certain players have to be rested or managed. But that’s certainly not the case for us at all in this series. So we’ve got a full complement of players, which is really exciting. Obviously, Baz is coming into the white-ball set-up for the first time too.”[I] also want to build that captain-coach alliance. Obviously, it’s not a new set-up because Baz has been around for a while and there are a lot of players in this squad that have been with him in the Test set-up for a number of years already.”So, yeah, just looking forward to building that relationship in the white-ball set-up. It’s going to be a great series against a really top side in their own conditions. So, loads to look forward to.”

ذكرت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الإثنين، أن نادي ريال مدريد يستعد لاتخاذ قرار وإجراء هام بشأن لاعبه، بعد الأحداث التي شهدتها مواجهة الكلاسيكو الأخيرة أمام برشلونة بالدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى.

ريال مدريد نجح في تحقيق الانتصار على غريمه التقليدي برشلونة بهدفين مقابل هدف واحد يوم أمس الأحد، في قمة الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو.

وسجل هدفي ريال مدريد كلًا من جود بيلينجهام، وكيليان مبابي، وكان الفريق الملكي أفضل من برشلونة في مجريات المباراة.

لكن مواجهة الكلاسيكو شهدت أحداثًا مؤسفة عقب نهاية المباراة، حيث حدث شجار بين لاعبي ريال مدريد وبرشلونة بسبب مشكلة بين لامين يامال من جهة، وفينيسيوس جونيور، وتيبو كورتوا، وداني كارفاخال من جهة أخرى.

اقرأ أيضًا .. بعد طرد بيدري.. بطاقة حمراء و6 صفراء في مشادة الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة

وأسفرت هذه الأحداث عن تعرض حارس مرمى نادي ريال مدريد، أندري لونين، للبطاقة الحمراء بالفعل، في حين تلقى فينيسيوس جونيور بطاقة صفراء.

لونين بحسب تقرير حكم المباراة سيزار سوتو جرادو، حصل على البطاقة الحمراء بعدما ذهب بطريقة عدوانية إلى دكة بدلاء برشلونة بعد نهاية اللقاء ليشتبك معهم، مما جعله يتعرض للطرد.

وذكرت صحيفة ذا أثلتيك، أن ريال مدريد سوف يستأنف طرد لونين وسيتقدم بطلب رسمي للاتحاد الإسباني، حيث لم يفهم محيط الفريق الملكي طرد الدولي الأوكراني.

وأضاف المصدر، أن لونين رأى دكة بدلاء برشلونة بأكملها تتجه نحو فينيسيوس جونيور للاشتباك معه، في حين وقف حارس المرمى الأوكراني لحماية زميله.

The committee will have seven days to submit its report

Mohammad Isam30-Jan-2025

Durbar Rajshahi is one of the teams who has not paid its players•Durbar Rajshahi

The Bangladesh government has formed a fact-finding committee to look into the BPL’s non-payment of players during the 2024-25 season. The country’s sports ministry made the announcement on Thursday, amid the payment issue heating up.”The attention of the National Sports Council (NSC) has been drawn to various media reports about the players’ payment issue in the ongoing BPL,” the sports ministry said in a press release. “The country’s image, through the BCB and BPL, will be hurt if the payments are not made according to the contracts.”The three-member committee comprises the NSC director (sports) Humayun Kabir, assistant director (sports) Sajia Afrin and the NSC chairman’s private secretary Saiful Islam. The committee will have seven days to submit its report.The payment issue has become a major headache for the BCB, who reportedly didn’t take bank guarantees from all the BPL teams before the tournament. There are reports of more than one team not having paid their players. The Durbar Rajshahi players have led the protest so far. Their local players boycotted a practice session in Chattogram, and the overseas players boycotted the match against Rangpur Riders in Dhaka.The BCB has said it will take legal action against the Rajshahi franchise, while the World Cricketers Association’s chief executive Tom Moffat expressed his disappointment over the issue.

da doce： It’s already been a busy summer at Celtic, so how many more signings will they make?

da luck： On Friday, Benjamin Nygren was presented at Parkhead, arriving from Nordsjælland for a reported fee of £1.3m.

He is the club’s third summer edition, after Ross Doohan and Kieran Tierney, but are the Hoops in the market for another full-back, one that Nygren would enjoy playing alongside?

Celtic's left-back latest

Greg Taylor’s contract at Celtic officially expires on Tuesday, and his six-year stay in Glasgow will come to an end, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that he has ‘agreed’ to join Greek Super League side PAOK Thessaloniki on a Bosman.

During his time at the club, Taylor made 216 appearances, 199 of which were starts, and was the undisputed first-choice left-back the vast majority of the time.

Taylor arrived from Kilmarnock to replace Tierney in 2019, the inverse is the case this time round but, with the returning hero infamously injury-prone, Brendan Rodgers will need a more than competent deputy.

Thus, as reported by Mark Pirie of the Daily Record, Keita Kosugi – who is valued at £2m by Football Transfers – is their first-choice target, with Celtic touted to sign him.

Sportbladet have previously documented Paris Saint-Germain’s interest in the full-back, while Djurgården’s sporting director Bosse Andersson told the same Swedish outlet that Kosugi will only be allowed to leave for “quite a lot of money”.

Nevertheless, this looks like a deal Celtic could get done.

How Keita Kosugi would improve Celtic

Just 19 years old, Kosugi joined Djurgården in March 2024, following a successful trial with the Stockholm-based side, and these are his statistics for the club so far.

Keita Kosugi Djurgården career statistics

Statistics

Kosugi

Appearances

45

Starts

42

Minutes

3,708

Goals

5

Assists

2

Conference League starts

16

Conference League goals

2

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table outlines, from the moment he arrived, the Japanese teenager has been a first-choice starter for Djurgården, a key figure in the team that reached last season’s Conference League semi-finals, scoring against Víkingur Reykjavík and Rapid Wien en route.

Scout Elijah Michiels describes his performances as “excellent”, praising his “crossing abilities….great overlapping runs and fast acceleration”.

So, let’s take a look at his statistics from last year’s Conference League.

Keita Kosugi Conference League 24/25 statistics

Statistics

Kosugi

UECL rank

Minutes

987

14th

Completed passes

403

46th

Progressive carries

23

28th

Touches

653

25th

Tackles

23

18th

% of dribblers tackled

85.7%

8th

Blocks

22

3rd

Interceptions

12

24th

Clearances

46

15th

Statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As the table outlines, Kosugi ranked highly for a wide variety of metrics in last season’s Conference League.

This includes defensive statistics, tackles and blocks, but also progressive carries, emphasising his attacking capabilities.

Han June of Football Asian labels him “one of Asia’s hottest young prospects”, outlining his “fearless defending”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout notes that ‘pace…work rate and technique’ are his primary attributes, all of which make Kosugi ”a modern defender’.

Meantime, writer Kai Watson notes that he is a “promising attacking threat”, which could see him link up well with new arrival Nygren down the left-hand side. The latter man scored 16 goals in 2024/25, with four of those coming from just eight outings on the left wing.

The Swede, who is capable of operating on either flank, would surely thrive with a dynamic, overlapping full-back in support, meaning, should Kosugi arrive, he could form an unstoppable partnership with his fellow new recruit.

Related Ajer 2.0: Celtic make enquiry to sign "imposing" £5m titan

Celtic are reportedly pursuing a deal to sign the central defender this summer.

Posts 1 ByDan Emery Jun 27, 2025

ECB chief executive cites market dynamics for growing gender pay gap amid PCA critcism

Vithushan Ehantharajah13-Dec-2024

Tom Curran, Sam Curran and Adam Zampa celebrate the Invincibles’ title in 2024•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, says English cricket must not apologise for attracting the world’s best men’s players, as he faced down claims from the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) that Thursday’s upheaval to the Hundred’s pay structure for the 2025 season will only benefit overseas players.Top salaries in the men’s Hundred will rise from £125,000 to £200,000 (a 60% increase) and £100,000 to £120,000 (20%) for the second tier. However, the other four salary bands, which cover all but four players in 15-man squads, will receive hikes of between 3 and 5%.The announcement was greeted with disdain by the PCA, with interim-chief executive Daryl Mitchell stating he was “extremely concerned” at how the changes had been pushed through. Having been part of initial talks on how the injection of money would be spread across the board for the upcoming competition, Mitchell believed Thursday’s news reflected “a severe lack of communication and consultation”.Tymal Mills and Sam Billings, two players who have been ever-present since the Hundred’s inaugural season in 2021, took to X to voice their concerns. Billings, who captained Oval Invincibles to successive men’s titles, said: “Remarkable how a category gets a 60% increase yet most others get under 5%… Who has come up with this???”Speaking on Friday in Hamilton ahead of England’s third and final Test against New Zealand, Gould admitted he was taken aback by the PCA’s criticism, stating it was “not what I want to hear”. However, he held an unapologetic line about lifting the top brackets to court the best talent in the world, arguing that the dissenting voices had come from a “small section of male players”.”I don’t accept that,” Gould said, when asked if the top pay packets are almost exclusively reserved for overseas talent. “Because that band also includes central- and potentially contracted (England) players, so you’ve effectively got through that top band. And so, no, I don’t accept that at all.”Competition from overseas leagues, including Major League Cricket in the USA, has been a factor in the ECB’s approach to top-tier salaries, with Pat Cummins admitting to ESPNcricinfo that he hadn’t considered the Hundred when signing a lucrative four-year deal with San Francisco Unicorns last year.”This is a global market. We want the best players, irrespective of nationality. If you’re the best player, you’ll be paid the most,” Gould added. “You only have to look at the IPL and the differential and the spread. And if you look back over the last couple of years, we haven’t had as many of the best players in the world that we wanted in the men’s. We want more, and we’re not going to be apologetic in terms of our ambition to get them here.”Once we’re there, then the money is much easier to spread it throughout the squad. It is a very, very competitive market for a very small number of players, and we are not going to be pushed aside on that. We are going to compete, and we have to compete because we need the best players playing in our competition.”Gould also countered the PCA’s suggestions the ECB are guilty of widening the gender pay gap between the men’s and women’s competitions, citing market forces. While the top women’s bracket has increased by 30 percent, they will be earning three times less than their male counterparts. Next year, the difference in pay will have risen from £75,000 to £135,000.In 2022, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) called for gender pay parity in the Hundred by 2025. The ECB pushed back on the timeframe as unrealistic in its response to the report, which Gould reiterated.”The gap has got bigger because of market dynamics,” he said. “That wasn’t a recommendation we said we could deliver on and we have been very up front on that. We have seen a significant increase in the salaries we have been able to put into the women’s game.”I’m really looking forward to the point that every county club in the country now has a women’s team. You know, I think in five years’ time, we’ll look back and go, ‘How did it take us this long?’ But I think that’s a really, really significant step for us.”Related

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Relations between the ECB and PCA are at an all-time low with disagreement over Hundred salaries following dissent over an issue regarding a new, more stringent No Object Certificate (NOC) policy.A group of domestic players have been blindsided by what they deem as legislation that restrict their earning opportunities. Those hamstrung by the new regulations are ones who have red-ball commitments written into their existing county deals.Though no NOCs have been rejected yet, with 80 handed out to male players in 2024 so far, a group of around 50 cricketers have floated the prospect of strike action in the form of boycotting the 2025 Hundred.Gould accepts there is nuance to the latest NOC stance, particularly for white-ball players with ad hoc agreements with their clubs. Tom Curran, for instance, has been on a white-ball contract with Surrey since 2022, but made two County Championship at the end of the 2024 season as the club negotiated other absences.Nevertheless, Gould believes the updated measures will “protect the sanctity” of county contracts. He also hopes a boycott does not come to fruition.”That may have been discussed on a call with with a variety of representatives, but I’ve heard nothing in that regard and I sincerely hope that’s that’s not the case.”