It is set to be a busy summer for Manchester City.

On the pitch, the Sky Blues are competing at the FIFA Club World Cup, kicking off their campaign on 18 June in Philadelphia against Wydad Casablanca, before also meeting Al Ain and Juventus.

Meantime, the Citizens are also likely to be busy in the transfer market, as they were in January, spending a reported £180m to recruit Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Vitor Reis and Juma Bah.

There is a clear strategy to make this squad younger, so are the Sky Blues now leading the chase for another highly-rated youngster?

Manchester City preparing a bid for a new full-back

According to reports from Spain, Manchester City are ‘preparing’ a bid to sign Benfica left-back Álvaro Carreras.

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

They claim the 21-year-old ‘has caught the attention of Pep Guardiola’, making him a ‘priority option’ as Man City seek to bolster their left-back options.

Carreras actually spent time in Manchester United’s academy, making 42 appearances during a season-long loan spell at Preston North End in the EFL Championship, but he has really taken his game to a new level since joining Benfica for a reported fee of €6m (£5m) in the summer 2024 – after an initial loan move – featuring 61 times for As Águias so far.

Now, could the one-time Real Madrid starlet – who reportedly has a release clause of €50m (£41m) – be making the move to the other side of Manchester, but how well would he fit in at Man City?

How Álvaro Carreras would improve Manchester City

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout describes Carreras as an “excellent left-back”, while Portuguese Football Expert Kevin Fernandes believes he is “one of the best” players in his position on the market this summer, describing him as “defensively solid” having enjoyed a “meteoric” rise since making the move to Lisbon.

The former United man has also been lauded by Kulig for his “amazing engine and quality” at left-back, potentially proving a solution to what has been a problem position for Manchester City all throughout this season.

Right now, Nico O’Reilly, a 20-year-old, inexperienced attacking midfielder, is being deployed there by Guardiola, following a game-changing second-half appearance off the bench during last month’s FA Cup victory at Bournemouth, in which he scored and registered an assist.

At other times, Joško Gvardiol had appeared to be the undisputed first-choice for this role, while Rico Lewis, a versatile full-back, isn’t starting very much on either side, with Matheus Nunes the most common starting right-back in recent months.

So, considering Carreras would probably be usurping Lewis in the full-back pecking order, let’s asses how the two youngsters compare.

Appearances

66

71

Minutes

4,557

4,822

Pass completion %

79.6%

92.1%

Progressive passes

71

226

Progressive carries

34

92

Take on success %

60.5%

46.3%

Shot-creating actions

46

97

Goal-creating actions

4

12

Crosses

135

14

Tackles won

61

49

Interceptions

77

31

Ball recoveries

99

196

% of aerial duels won

54.4%

23.3%

Errors leading to an opposition shot

1

3

The table makes for interesting reading because, based on statistics from the start of last season, Lewis significantly comes out on top when it comes to both possession and chances created metric.

Meantime, Carreras is a vastly superior out-of-possession defender, emphasised by his tackles won, ball recoveries and percentage of aerials duels won, albeit the latter is slightly harsh on Lewis, considering he’s 5 foot 7 in. Even so, the addition of such competition could be bad news for the young England star.

This season, as Manchester City have struggled significantly more, they’ve been tasked with doing a lot more defending, a challenge some of their defenders have not been able to cope with, so Carreras would certainly address this issue and be an excellent addition.

Worth even more than Wirtz: Man City struck gold on "extraordinary" star

Man City have hit the jackpot with one of Pep Guardiola’s star men

ByJoe Nuttall Apr 18, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da brwin： Nesta quarta-feira (26), Tombense e Palmeiras se enfrentam às 20h, no Parque do Sabiá, em Uberlândia, pela partida de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. As equipes buscam uma das vagas nas oitavas de final da competição nacional, que valerá também R$ 3,3 milhões em premiação para quem avançar.

>Veja tabela da Copa do Brasil-2023 clicando aqui

O Verdão derrotou o time mineiro no jogo de ida por 4 a 2, de virada, no Allianz Parque, e agora podeempatar ou perder por até um gol de diferença para avançar de fase. Caso o Tombense vença com uma vantagem de dois gols, haverá disputa de pênaltis.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasVeiga e Rony treinam com o elenco, e Palmeiras finaliza preparação para a Copa do Brasil; veja provável timePalmeiras25/04/2023Futebol InternacionalConmebol altera dinâmica do VAR para a Libertadores e a Sul-Americana; entenda as novidadesFutebol Internacional25/04/2023Núm3ros da bol4Em alta no Palmeiras, Richard Ríos já lidera estatística no BrasileirãoNúm3ros da bol425/04/2023

da lvbet： Assim como no empate em 2 a 2 diante do Vasco, pelo Brasileirão, o técnico Abel Ferreira terá que lidar com alguns desfalques para a partida desta quarta. Veiga e Mayke já iniciaram o processo de transição física, mas não devem estar entre os relacionados para o duelo. Artur é ausência certa, visto que já disputou a Copa do Brasil pelo Bragantino. Porém o treinador português poderá contar com um retorno importantíssimo: Rony. O camisa 10 viajou com a delegação palmeirense e deve iniciar o jogo no banco de reservas.

> Sem Artur, Palmeiras tem nova disputa para o ataque diante do Tombense pela Copa do Brasil

O Tombense vem de vitória por 3 a 0 contra o Ituano, no último sábado (22), pela segunda rodada da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro.Vale lembrar que o elenco do Carcará é formado por alguns ex-jogadores do Verdão, como Roger Carvalho, Egídio, Fernandão e Marcelinho, autor do segundo gol da equipe mineira no Allianz. Um verdadeiro prato cheio para a famosa e temida “lei do ex”.

Veja todas as informações da partida:

TOMBENSE x PALMEIRAS

Local: Parque do Sabiá, em Uberlândia (MG)
Data e hora: 26/4/2023, às 20h (de Brasília)
Árbitro:Ramon Abatti Abel
Assistentes:Kleber Lúcio Gil (FIFA) e Thiaggo Americano Labes
VAR: Rodrigo D’Alonso Ferreira
Onde assistir: Amazon Prime Video (streaming) e em tempo real no LANCE!

PALMEIRAS:Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo e Piquerez; Zé Rafael, Gabriel Menino e Richard Ríos (Jhon Jhon); Dudu, Endrick (Jhon Jhon) e Flaco López (Rafael Navarro). Técnico: Abel Ferreira.

Desfalques: Raphael Veiga, Mayke e Bruno Tabata (transição), Atuesta (lesionado), Artur (não pode atuar na Copa do Brasil)
Pendurados: não tem

TOMBENSE: Felipe Garcia; Kevin, Wesley, Roger e Guilherme Santos; Elton, Bruno Silva e Matheus Frizzo; Jaderson, Daniel Amorim e Alex Sandro. Técnico: Marcelo Chamusca.

Desfalques: –
Pendurados: não tem

Former Pakistan seamer will keep the role till the end of the T20 World Cup in June

Danyal Rasool16-Mar-2024Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed has been appointed Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling coach. He is set to assume the role with immediate effect until the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA in June. Javed is set to leave for Sri Lanka next week.”Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of former Pakistan pace bowler Aaqib Javed as the national team’s fast-bowling coach,” an SLC statement said. “He will work with the national team until the completion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”Javed, 51, has served as Lahore Qalandars’ head coach in the PSL since 2017, leading them to successive titles in 2022 and 2023. The Qalandars campaign this year was a disappointing one as the side won just one game and finished bottom of the table.Javed has also worked as Pakistan’s bowling coach, most notably when they won the T20 World Cup in 2009, and served as head coach of the UAE, during a period they were granted ODI status and qualified for the 2015 World Cup. He was also Pakistan’s Under-19 coach during their run to the title in 2004.Javed played 163 ODIs and 22 Test matches for Pakistan between 1988 and 1998, and was part of the squad that won the 1992 World Cup.

تأكد غياب لاعب جديد عن صفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك في مباراة الجونة المقبلة في مسابقة الدوري الممتاز، بسبب تراكم البطاقات الصفراء.

ويستعد الزمالك للقاء الجونة المقرر له يوم الثلاثاء المقبل على ستاد القاهرة الدولي في الجولة الثامنة لمسابقة الدوري الممتاز.

طالع| الزمالك يفقد خدمات لاعبه أمام الجونة في الدوري المصري

وحصل خوان بيزيرا على البطاقة الصفراء الثالثة في مباراة الإسماعيلي التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم في مسابقة الدوري، ليغيب أمام الجونة رسميًا.

كما تأكد غياب محمود بنتايج عن مواجهة الجونة، في الجولة الثامنة، بعد حصوله على الإنذار الثالث أمام الإسماعيلي.

وفاز الزمالك على نظيره الإسماعيلي، بهدفين دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الخميس على استاد هيئة قناة السويس في الجولة السابعة لمسابقة الدوري الممتاز.

Borussia Dortmund want to hold onto Carney Chukwuemeka until the end of their Club World Cup campaign, but Chelsea have provided a catch.

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Carney Chukwuemeka's loan expires in JuneDortmund wants the midfielder but unwilling to spend money Chelsea willing to negotiate a dealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Dortmund want to keep the English midfielder until the culmination of their exploits at the tournament. However, with Chukwuemeka's loan expiring at the end of June and the German club not willing to sign him on a permanent basis, Dortmund will have to find a compromise with Chelsea, his parent club.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Blues are willing to work out a way with Dortmund, but have made it clear it would involve payment. However, the Bundesliga big hitters don't want to spend money on the 21-year-old and argue that should Chukwuemeka perform well, he will attract more interest at the tournament and it will be easier for Chelsea to offload him, while also providing game time to the midfielder, who was completely overlooked by Enzo Maresca before heading on loan in January.

Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream nowDID YOU KNOW?

Chukwuemeka arrived at Signal Iduna Park in the winter transfer window. The 21-year-old English midfielder ticked all the boxes for Dortmund, who wanted a player who can control the game in the middle and has an eye for exceptional passes. However, the youngster failed to make much of an impact and as such Dortmund are unwilling to bring him back to Germany permanently, having already found his replacement in Jobe Bellingham.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR DORTMUND?

Jamie Gittens' transfer to Chelsea has again reignited, with the London club willing to spend more and fill the €5-10m gap in the player's valuation that hindered the transfer earlier. The two sides maintain a good relationship and thus positive outcomes for both Gittens and Chukwuemeka are expected in the coming days.

Pat Cummins vs Mitchell Starc. INR INR 20.50 crore vs INR 24.75 crore. Hardly a rivalry, even if it’s been talked up ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) game at Eden Gardens on Saturday. For Cummins, it’s only going to be “weird looking across and seeing him in the other dugout”.”I will say this: hopefully I don’t have to face Starc because that means our batters have done quite well,” Cummins said at a press conference a day off from the game. “It’s funny… it’s one of the beauties of the IPL; I have been playing with Starcy for 15 years, [and] I can’t remember another game where I have played against him. Also it’s going to be weird looking across and seeing him in the other dugout.”But there’s that big salary to live up to. “Yeah, being an opposition captain, seeing how we go about playing him will be an interesting part of tomorrow. But we’re both bowlers, so I am not sure we’ll cross [paths] too much.”Related

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Cummins, as has been discussed ever since he was named SRH captain for the 2024 IPL season, has never captained a T20 side at a competitive level despite being Australia’s Test and ODI captain and playing international cricket – all formats – since 2011. A fast-bowling captain at that.”Really excited, good to go,” Cummins said while acknowledging his lack of experience helming a T20 side.”It’s got its challenges,” he elaborated. “In that you play 14 games in six-seven weeks, plus finals. I’m used to playing a lot of Test cricket, so four overs isn’t as taxing on your body. But it can be mentally taxing, the travel, obviously a different country, play a new team every few days you have to prepare for… But it’s nothing new, we’ve done it before. Obviously, the game day is most important. That’s what we put most days into. No teams play the same XI for all 14 games. I am sure we’ve got to call on our squad and we’re lucky we’ve got a young, fit squad.”I think it’s been a part of the IPL, you have expectations, you have a lot of fans who demand a lot out of the team, they want results. Yeah, being captain is probably a little bit more [of responsibility]. But it’s not much different to what we’re used to as players. We’ll give it our best.”As for the players who don’t get many chances, Cummins has a simple message: “You want a bit of people rivalry, you know, a bit of rivalry when people try to break into the XI.”At SRH, Cummins will have for company Travis Head, who he leads in Tests and ODIs, but it’s going to be very different from leading Australia, who he has captained to world titles in both those formats.”The biggest difference is that you know your team-mates really well playing for Australia. There’s a lot of things doesn’t need to be said, because I have played with Joshie Hazlewood and Starc for 15 years. So there’s a real kind of trust and you just don’t really need to say much, everything kind of runs by itself,” Cummins said. “I think here, learning [about] some new players, that’s going to be the biggest difference, and just learning those different roles within the team. I know a few of the other guys, obviously, and have done a bit of homework to try and get the best out of the guys. But that’s probably going to be the biggest difference.”Washington Sundar adds depth to the SRH batting while also bowling his quota of overs•Associated Press

Are SRH light on the spin-bowling front?

There is Wanindu Hasaranga in the ranks, but that takes away an overseas slot and leaves just two, with Cummins as captain a starter. Outside of Hasaranga, SRH’s best spin options are Washington Sundar and Mayank Markande. Both solid performers at the IPL over the years, but not quite names that would strike fear in opponents.”Whilst not having any huge names that have played a lot of cricket for India, I’ve been really impressed with the guys we do have,” Cummins said. “Washington, who can bat in the top seven but also give handy overs. Markande as well, who’s had some success as well. So I feel like we’ve got that covered. We’ve also got guys like Aiden Markram and Travis Head, who can chip in if we need to as well. So feels like there’s a bit of quality there and if it’s a spinning wicket, we’ve got plenty of guys who can bowl.”Which might be the case at Eden Gardens, which Cummins knows well, having turned out for KKR in the past. His great 14-ball half-century, however, didn’t come in Kolkata, but in Pune, against Mumbai Indians, though Cummins would like to give it another heave on Saturday.”Maybe, I’d love to. It’s great fun. It’s much more fun than trying to block and hang around and cop a few on the body,” he said. “So yeah, I look forward to that, especially the IPL, I’ve got a few runs over the years… I’ve been hit for a lot of sixes in my life, so I’ll try to get a few back.”

Parag, after enjoying a breakout IPL season, said his statement exuded belief in himself and not arrogance

PTI29-May-2024Riyan Parag is confident of representing India at some point in the future. The 22-year-old is coming off a superb season with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, where he struck 573 runs at an average of 52.09 and a strike-rate of 149.21.”At some point, you’ll have to take me, right? So that is my belief, I’m going to play for India,” Parag was quoted as saying by . “I don’t really care when. [Even] when I was not scoring runs – I said this in an [earlier] interview as well that I am going to play for India.”That is me believing in myself. That is not me being arrogant. That is what my plan was with my dad [former Railways and Assam player Parag Das], when I started playing cricket when I was like 10-years old. We were going to play for India regardless of anything.”Related

• Riyan Parag: 'I wanted to know more about my game, because I've been lost inside those 22 yards too many times'

• Back in style – the stars who raised their game in IPL 2024

• IPL 2024: Kohli, Parag in ESPNcricinfo's team of the tournament

India will travel to Zimbabwe after their T20 World Cup campaign to play five T20Is, and Parag could be among the players to find a place in the side. His focus, currently, is on getting there.”Whether it’s the next tour, whether it’s a tour in six months, whether it’s a tour in one year… I don’t really put my thought behind when I should play,” Parag said. “That is the selector’s job, that is other people’s job.”Parag came into this IPL after failing to reach 200 runs in any of the five previous seasons. But his promotion from the lower-middle order to No.4, the spot in which he bats for his state, Assam, provided the point of familiarity from where he could lift off.”What you saw this year in the IPL is how I play domestic cricket,” Parag said. “I take the onus up to myself, I take the expectations, I take the burden upon myself to deliver and that is why I play the best.”I was not doing that in the IPL. I was taking way too much pressure, keeping my expectations way too high and not doing the basic things right. That is what I figured I had to do this year; of playing at my favourite position as well, No 4. I was like, okay, ‘I do this at domestic cricket, this is the same thing I’m going to do in IPL and let’s see how it goes’. It worked out perfectly.”I had a lot of rough seasons, more than nice ones and I feel having that constant belief in yourself, that you actually belong in this level, that you can actually do things that you [had] dreamt of, has been a constant and that will stay throughout.”RR won eight out of their first nine games this season but then lost four games in a row and finished their campaign with a loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, one that Parag acknowledges was disappointing.”I’m still dealing with it. I got back home and I was super sad,” he said. “The night after the game, it didn’t really sink in. But then the day after the match and before the final, it was tough.”It’s tough, but then that’s how cricket goes. There are world-class sides that are playing the tournament, world-class players that are playing the tournament [and you can’t always win].”

In a major boost for those at the City Ground, one Nottingham Forest target is now reportedly keen to complete a move this summer with Evangelos Marinakis also pushing to get a deal done.

Nottingham Forest's UCL run-in

Whilst one win in their last five Premier League games should ignite plenty of concern around the City Ground, Forest’s fate is still in their own hands with three big fixtures left to play. After drawing against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side sit sixth and two points adrift of Chelsea in the final Champions League place, who they face on the final day.

Nuno recently had his say on his side’s performance against Crystal Palace whilst instantly looking ahead to the Leicester City game.

The Forest boss said: “It was very important to react, it was a big blow to go behind because we were in a tough position when we conceded the penalty but the reaction of the boys was amazing and we should be proud of that. We are delighted to be in the fight. Let’s go game by game now starting with Leicester at The City Ground.”

Nottingham Forest now want to sign £29m forward with 14 goals in 24/25

Nottingham Forest are among the Premier League teams chasing a forward from Spain.

ByBrett Worthington May 7, 2025

The impact that Champions League qualification would have both on and off the pitch cannot be overstated, especially as those at the City Ground go in pursuit of one particular target.

Yilmaz now keen on Nottingham Forest move

According to Turkish outlet Sabah, Baris Alper Yilmaz is now keen on a move to Nottingham Forest and Evangelos Marinakis is pushing to complete a deal ahead of this summer. The winger was at the centre of Forest’s interest in January but failed to swap Galatasaray for the City Ground. Now, six months on, Forest could match his price-tag reportedly worth over €30m (£26m).

Forest’s interest should come as no surprise either. The Turkey international has enjoyed an excellent campaign at Galatasaray – scoring 12 goals and assisting a further 10 in all competitions. The difference that another outlet would offer Forest must be noted amid Chris Wood’s recent struggles too. Without the New Zealand forward’s clinical form to turn towards, the Reds have struggled in the decisive moments.

What’s more, Yilmaz has already earned an impressive fan in the Premier League in the form of Virgil van Dijk. The Liverpool captain praised the winger after the Netherlands squared off against Turkey at the Euros last summer, telling reporters: “Baris Alper Yilmaz was running constantly. He was running elusive.

“It was difficult for every defender. He made it very hard for us. He couldn’t score a goal though. If we were to describe him in any way, he is a really important player.”

Now reportedly keen on a move to Forest, Yilmaz could finally be on his way to the Premier League and the City Ground in the coming months.

With some luck in the form of Hales’ self-inflicted absence and Morgan’s backing, Roy has manufactured England’s magic formula

George Dobell at Lord's 13-Jul-2019It tells you something about Jason Roy’s confidence right now that his ears prick up when he hears nobody has hit a six over the Lord’s Pavilion since 1899. “Oh, really?” he asks. “Let’s try to get an opportunity tomorrow (Sunday).”While England cricketers of an earlier vintage might have viewed a World Cup final with stifling trepidation – Phil Defreitas, for example, admitted “the occasion got to me” in the 1987 final – Roy talks of “excited energy” and eyes an opportunity to star on the biggest stage of all.And why wouldn’t he be confident? He is averaging 75.27 in ODI cricket this year. Perhaps even more remarkably, his strike-rate in that period is 119.13. He has made three centuries and six half-centuries from the 11 innings he has played.It’s no coincidence that England have won eight of the last nine ODIs in which Roy has batted. He has passed 50 in all eight of those victories and scored two centuries. Equally, it is telling that England lost both the World Cup matches that he missed through injury – against Australia and Sri Lanka – and that they lost the only game in which he has failed this summer; he made eight in the defeat against Pakistan.Only four times in his career – and not at all since January 2017 – have England failed to win once he has made 50. And he has passed that landmark 27 times. He is fast developing a reputation as one of the most dangerous batsmen in a team studded with them.

“I didn’t realise Bairstow’s dismissal wasn’t umpire’s call. I didn’t realise it was absolutely dead. That’s where the first conversation started. To get out like that was slightly disappointing and I probably showed it more than I should have.”Roy explains his semi-final anger

Just ask Australia. His assault on their bowlers – and on Steve Smith, in particular, who was plundered for three successive sixes – was brutal and served to “deflate” their entire side, as Roy sees it. He thought, for a moment, one of the sixes he hit off Smith was going to sail over the Edgbaston Pavilion – nobody has done that since the ground was redeveloped.”It was a case of staking a claim,” he says. “One big over at that stage was going to deflate them. I said to myself before the start of the game if a spinner comes on from that end and it’s full, it’s got to go. I thought it was going over. Can I hit a bigger six? Absolutely not.”That ‘staking a claim’ was perhaps more relevant in his batting against Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. If Australia were to defend their total of 223, they surely needed that pair to dominate. But whereas an earlier generation of England openers would have reacted with anxiety inducing caution in such a situation, Roy decided to ensure it was the bowlers feeling the anxiety.Twice in Starc’s second over he thrashed him through the covers; in his third he flicked him off his legs for six. By the time he had bowled five overs, he had conceded 50. When Lyon came on, his first ball was driven back over his head. He was given no time to settle and no chance build any pressure.Roy’s success is all the remarkable for the contrast with his form in England’s previous global ODI campaign. After a grim run of form that saw him endured six single-figure scores in eight ODIs innings (and fail to pass 20 in nine), he was dropped during the 2017 Champions Trophy. Had it not been for Alex Hales’ self-inflicted absence, it is not impossible he may have struggled for a recall.”It does feel like another world,” Roy says of his change of fortune. “I feel like a completely different person; a completely different player. I had played some good cricket leading up to that tournament, but I got dropped, came back stronger and now I’m in a World Cup final. I couldn’t have asked for any more.”And what has he done differently?”I think I’ve just trusted my training a bit more,” he says. “I’ve not worried too much about the outcome. I’ve just got my processes in order. I’ve started well and played some good cricket.”Getty ImagesThere’s no doubt that playing with Jonny Bairstow has helped. As Eoin Morgan has pointed out previously, they manage to take the pressure off one another by scoring at a rate that allows the other to go through fallow periods. And, so destructive have they been, they can make bowling attacks wilt under the onslaught. They have made century stands in the last four ODIs in which they have opened together with strike-rates in stark contrast to England’s openers in the 1979 final: Geoff Boycott and Mike Brearley put on 129, which sounds great, but they took 38 overs to do it, which doesn’t.”It’s about playing off each other,” Roy explains. “So one guy might be struggling or we both might be going guns blazing. But it’s a case of telling him, ‘mate, it’s alright.’ Like that India game at Edgbaston, where Jonny made that hundred: he felt terrible for the first 20 balls. I told him, ‘mate, relax, you’re a gun, you’ll come out the other side. Keep that intensity to the spinners and don’t go internal.’ And he ended up banging it out of the park.”The influence of his captain is important, too. Morgan has backed Roy, on good days and bad, and encouraged him to continue to take the aggressive approach. So even after barren runs of form – not least in his debut series against New Zealand where he failed to reach 40 in five innings – Morgan made it clear he was part of England’s future plans.”He’s unbelievable,” Roy says of Morgan. “As you’ve seen on the pitch, he’s a very cool customer, very methodical and very good with his emotions. It doesn’t matter what the state of the game is. It doesn’t matter what someone’s done to him. He’s able to look forward and look past that. He looks for the best in everyone. He’s a great man-manager and a good friend of mine as well. He’s a good guy.”He admits his reaction to his dismissal in Edgbaston was over the top, but insist there were extenuating circumstances. In short, he thought Bairstow’s leg before dismissal had only been given on the basis of ‘umpire’s call’ so believed England had retained their review; a belief reinforced when the umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, incorrectly signalled for that review. As it was, there was no review and, once Dharmasena’s finger had gone up, he had to go. Even though he knew he was nowhere near the ball.”I actually got it wrong,” he says, “I spoke to Kumar and said I thought we had the review – I didn’t realise Bairstow’s dismissal wasn’t umpire’s call. I didn’t realise it was absolutely dead. That’s where the first conversation started. To get out like that was slightly disappointing and I probably showed it more than I should have. But it’s professional sport. I was on course for a century. Emotions run high.”England will need to control those emotions on Sunday. They will have to find the balance between allowing their natural positivity to flow without becoming over excited and reckless. It is, arguably at least, the biggest games in the careers of all involved. It is, arguably, the biggest match in which England have been involved for many, many years. Cricket in England needs this.”We’re dealing with it pretty well,” he says. “We went into the tournament as No. 1 and with a lot of expectation on our shoulders but it doesn’t affect any of us in the changing-room. It doesn’t matter what the outside noise is saying, the white noise as we call it. We’ve just got to go out and perform. We’re weirdly pretty relaxed. We’re in a very good place with our cricket.”Indeed they are. New Zealand are a fine side and can certainly win this match. But if they are to do so, they will surely have to dismiss Roy early.

da esoccer bet： Everton have been incredibly strong defensively this campaign, both under Sean Dyche and David Moyes since his arrival. However, the other end of the pitch hasn’t been as free-flowing, scoring just 34 goals so far this season from a total xG of 40.29 (4th lowest in the Premier League).

da imperador bet： The Toffees netted just 40 goals last campaign, scoring just 34 the season prior, which shows this goal-scoring issue isn’t a new one.

Whilst Beto has done a good job since Moyes took over, scoring six Premier League goals, much of the attacking burden has fallen upon summer signing, Iliman Ndiaye, who has netted nine times this campaign in 32 appearances.

Therefore, Everton could be forced to look into attacking reinforcements next season, in order to strengthen Moyes’ squad and give him the best possible chance of bringing the Toffees back towards mid-table, with the potential to even aim for the top half in their first season at Bramley Moore.

Everton eyeing outrageous star

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Everton are planning on signing a striker in the summer transfer window and their hunt is ‘well underway’ with Monaco forward, Mika Biereth, one of the names on their shortlist.

This comes as the Toffees could be set to lose both Dominic Calvert-Lewin (contract expiry) and Armando Broja (loan) this summer.

The 22-year-old has played in England previously, coming through the Fulham academy system and finding his way to Arsenal, making 26 appearances for the Gunners U21 side, netting 12 goals and providing five assists there.

Biereth has made 16 appearances for the French outfit this season, scoring 12 goals, providing three assists, and totaling 1,186 minutes played, which means that he is currently outscoring Beto. This comes after joining the club in January, previously netting a further 14 goals for Sturm Graz in Austria this campaign.

Why Biereth could be Everton's own Haaland

According to the ‘similar players’ tool on FBref, Biereth is compared to Manchester City talisman, Erling Haaland, despite being different types of strikers.

Haaland relies more on his physical attributes, bullying defenders inside the box to carve out his goal-scoring chances. Whereas Biereth has a mixture of natural height (6ft,2) and clever movement, not possessing the same brute strength as Haaland.

Mika Biereth vs Erling Haaland vs Beto comparison

Stats (per 90 mins)

Biereth

Haaland

Beto

Goals

0.74

0.84

0.50

Assists

0.21

0.11

0.00

xG

0.67

0.83

0.48

xAG

0.22

0.09

0.06

Progressive Carries

1.01

0.75

0.95

Progressive Passes

1.63

0.75

0.71

Shots Total

2.52

3.95

2.56

Goals/Shot

0.28

0.19

0.20

G-xG

+0.11

-0.02

-0.01

Shot-Creating Actions

2.25

2.08

1.35

Aerial Duels Won

1.35

1.66

5.71

Stats taken from FBref

When comparing the underlying metrics of both Haaland and Biereth alongside Beto, you can see the level of clinical finishing the 22-year-old would bring to Everton, overperforming his xG, having the best goals/shot conversion ratio, and also providing for his teammates with assists/shot-creating actions.

Biereth has been labeled “outrageous” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, after scoring his third hat trick in seven games for Monaco back in February. The goal-scoring prowess of the ex-Arsenal gem at such a young age is clearly catching the eye, with acrobatic and clever finishes inside the box reminiscent of Haaland, mixed with poachers’ goals to ensure that the tally keeps ticking upwards.

Keeping Beto around as a brilliant outlet option, especially given his upturn in form under Moyes, but also adding Biereth as a younger option with brilliant goal-scoring instincts and high potential could be a great balance for Everton next season in their striker department.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair Apr 25, 2025