Arsenal starlet Folarin Balogun will be "keen to leave" this summer if the club don't guarantee him first team opportunities, according to reports.

What's the latest news on Balogun?

The 21-year-old is currently attracting a lot of serious interest from clubs abroad as reliable journalist David Ornstein shared recently. Indeed, the player's future could be a big topic for Arsenal this summer and Ornstein has reported that they face a big decision.

Balogun's contract expires in just over two years, giving Mikel Arteta's side a dilemma over whether to sell this year or implement him into the first team – as it is currently very unlikely he will extend his contract with the club.

Currently on loan at Reims in Ligue 1, the forward has absolutely dazzled under Will Still, prompting some of the continent's best sides to take note of his exploits.

It has been reported that AC Milan, Inter, Marseille, Monaco and RB Leipzig are just some of the elite sides eyeing a move for Balogun.

Now, 90min has weighed in with their own update, as it appears the England Under-21 international is set to give Arsenal an ultimatum upon his return to north London.

Indeed, it is now believed that he will be 'keen to leave' the club permanently if Arsenal don't guarantee him first-team minutes. Balogun is apparently due to hold 'crunch talks' with the club over his future, Another loan move has been ruled out by the striker's entourage, meaning his potential exit will be a permanent one.

90min adds that RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Union Berlin, Nice, Lyon, Villarreal and Sevilla are all taking an interest in Balogun – and he is just as popular in the Premier League.

Brentford, Leicester City, Wolves, Everton and Crystal Palace are all keeping tabs on the exciting youngster, with the Bees particularly seeing him as an alternative to Ivan Toney – who faces a lengthy ban due to the betting charges against him.

What should Arsenal do with Balogun?

We believe the solution is obvious – the Gunners should guarantee Balogun first-team minutes next season.

As we've already seen with defender William Saliba, it is entirely possible for returning loanees from France to make an immediate impact in Arteta's first team.

Called 'incredible' for his form by Arteta, Balogun has been quite simply scintillating in front of goal – scoring 18 in 26 top-flight starts.

He's also attempted an impressive 3.3 shots at goal per 90, more than any Gunners forward in England – making you wonder what exactly is stopping him from breaking through.

Losing such a highly talented player would be a real shame and we believe his best place next season is at The Emirates.

Donald Carr, the former Derbyshire and England batsman who went on to become one of the most prominent administrators of the post-war era, has died at the age of 89

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2016Donald Carr, the former Derbyshire and England batsman who went on to become one of the most prominent administrators of the post-war era, has died at the age of 89.In a first-class career that spanned from 1945 to 1968, Carr scored nearly 20,000 runs and claimed 328 wickets with his left-arm spin for Oxford University, Derbyshire and England, whom he captained at Madras in 1951-52 in his second and final appearance.He also played in the third “Victory Test” against Australia in 1945, alongside the likes of Len Hutton, Wally Hammond, Cyril Washbrook and Bill Edrich, and was a notable footballer too, winning his Blue at Oxford, and playing in front of 100,000 people at Wembley in two Amateur Cup final appearances for Pegasus in the 1950s.Carr captained Derbyshire between 1955 and 1962, and was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960.However, it was his subsequent career in administration for which Carr will be remembered. He was assistant secretary of MCC from 1962 to 1974, during which time he was privy to one of the most contentious moments in cricket history, the omission and subsequent selection of Basil D’Oliveira for the tour of South Africa in 1968. He went on to become secretary of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) and the Cricket Council until 1986.”Cricket has lost one of its greatest friends,” said Colin Graves, the ECB chairman. “Someone who gave a lifetime of service to our game; as a cricketer, a captain, a club secretary, an England tour manager, and, of course, as a senior administrator – serving MCC and the TCCB with distinction in a leadership role as the game moved into the modern, professional era; and always meeting the many difficult challenges he faced during this period with his customary good humour and charm.”This is deeply sad news for all Donald’s many cricketing friends and former colleagues and team-mates across the domestic and international game. He will be hugely missed by those who worked and played with him and we send our condolences and sympathies to all in the Carr family.”The President of MCC, Roger Knight, said: “Donald’s career in cricket, especially at Lord’s, is unlikely ever to be surpassed. As a cricketer, he captained both his university and his county, and after turning to administration became Assistant Secretary (Cricket) of MCC, and Secretary of the Cricket Council and of TCCB from their formation in 1974.”His period of office included the supervision of the first three World Cups in England, the advent of one-day cricket and the introduction of sponsorship in the professional game.”Donald’s commitment to cricket, his skills – both on the field and in the committee room – spanned more than 40 years, from his first-class debut in 1945, for England against Australia in the Victory “Test” at Lord’s, to his retirement in 1986.”He also served on MCC committees, on the Middlesex committee and as captain of Cross Arrows Cricket Club. He will be deeply and sorely missed across the cricket world.”The MCC flag, over the Main Ground, and the Cross Arrows flag, over the Nursery Ground, have been lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect to a man who devoted so much of his life to the game.”

Crystal Palace are monitoring Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Franca to Palace?

The Eagles have Albert Sambi Lokonga, Jeffrey Schlupp, Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur all out of contract at the end of the season so Dougie Freedman and Steve Parish will need to enter the market to find central reinforcements, and the 19-year-old is one of the names to have been linked.

The Brazilian is an academy graduate at the Maracana Stadium having worked his way up through the youth ranks to become a regular feature of Jorge Sampaoli’s first-team, having made 45 senior appearances to date.

Globo Esporte reported that the Selhurst Park outfit sent a club official to watch the talented teenager in action just last week as they weigh up whether to make an approach, and whilst no offer has been made, nor talks held, they seem to have been impressed by what they saw.

According to Lance (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace, alongside top-flight rivals Arsenal, are indeed “keeping tabs” on Franca ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. The Eagles are set to “continue to monitor” the midfielder following their scouting mission having already been “closely watched” in SE25 and at the Emirates Stadium. Flamengo’s “expectation” is that bids will arrive during the upcoming summer window so they are being “patient” and “waiting” for offers to be put on the table that exceed €18m (£15m).

Should Palace make an offer for Franca?

Franca is still at a very young age and obviously has no experience playing in England, but having been hailed a “sensation” by football editor Aaron Stokes, he would be a hugely exciting acquisition for the long-term future of Crystal Palace.

The Nike-sponsored gem, who is naturally an attacking midfielder, has clocked up 13 goal contributions (ten goals and three assists) in 50 appearances since the start of his career, and also has the versatility to play on the ride side of the midfield, out wide on the left wing and as a centre-forward.

The Rio de Janeiro native additionally ranks in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons and has recorded more shots in 2023 than any of his teammates, showing that even if he’s not always on the scoresheet, he’s constantly attempting to create chances.

Franca has helped secure two senior trophies at Flamengo so has already had a taste of what it takes to compete and be successful at a high level, and this is another wonderful quality that he could bring to the Premier League.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said that the job of selecting Bangladesh’s representative teams will henceforth be divided between a three-member selection panel and a selection committee. The panel will select a squad and take it to the committee for further discussion, before the final outcome is submitted for the president’s approval. This would now make selection of any representative team a three-step process.Hassan said that the coach, the manager and the chairman of the cricket operations committee would be included in the proposed selection committee.”The selection panel will continue to have three selectors,” Hassan said. “One of the three would be the chief selector. They will select the squad. There will also be a selection committee, which will consist of the three selectors – the coach, the team operations manager and the cricket operations committee chairman as the convenor of the selection committee.”The head coach would inform the selectors beforehand of his strategy and what type of players he would require for a particular series. The manager would be presenting the opinion of the captain and vice-captain. They will all sit in a meeting, in which they will sign off the team and send it to me. There won’t be any disagreements.”Hassan said that this ended all discussions about the expansion of the selection committee, and the proposal is now awaiting the board of directors’ approval. Having been initiated by the board’s working committee, the proposal to bifurcate selection responsibilities was further considered by the technical committee, before Hassan and some BCB directors met with Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha to discuss it further on Sunday.In an apparent softening of his earlier position, Hassan said that the coach isn’t bound to watch domestic matches.”The coach isn’t bound to watch the matches. But if he is in Dhaka, he will watch domestic matches. He wants to watch the [Dhaka Premier League] matches tomorrow,” he said.

The Supreme Court has accepted most of the Lodha Committee recommendations covering wide-ranging aspects of the game in India

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-20166:39

Ugra: The BCCI will look for legal wriggle room

The Supreme Court has accepted the majority of the Lodha Committee recommendations covering wide-ranging aspects of Indian cricket at the central and state level. It has given the BCCI between four and six months to implement the recommendations and appointed RM Lodha, the former chief justice of India who was the architect of the report, to oversee the transition.The order was delivered on Monday afternoon by the two-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice of India TS Thakur and Justice Ibrahim Kalifulla, which has been hearing the case since January.Highlights of the court order

Recommendations that were accepted
♢ Each state will have only one vote at BCCI elections
♢ Ministers and civil servants cannot hold BCCI offices
♢ BCCI and state office bearers must not be over 70 years old
♢ No person can hold office at the BCCI and state association simultaneously
♢ No person can hold more than three, three-year terms as a BCCI official, and no official can serve consecutive terms
Recommendations that weren’t imposed
♢ Bringing the BCCI under the Right to Information Act
♢ Legalising betting in India
♢ Limiting TV advertisements during the broadcast of matches
♢ Making the BCCI fund the proposed players’ association

“In the result, we accept the report submitted by the [Lodha] Committee and the recommendations made therein with such modifications and clarifications as have been set out by us in the body of this judgement,” the bench said in its order. “The transition from the old to the new system recommended by the Committee shall have to be under the watchful supervision of this Court.”The supervision of the transition can, in our opinion, be left to be undertaken by the Committee not only because it has a complete understanding of and insight into the nature of the problems sought to be remedied but also the ability to draw timelines for taking of steps necessary for the implementation of the proposed reforms. We are conscious of fact that the process may be time consuming but we hope that the same should be completed within a period of four months or at best six months from today. We, therefore, request the committee headed by Justice Lodha to draw appropriate timelines for implementation of the recommendations and supervise the implementation thereof.”With these observations we dispose of the matter finally placing on record our deep appreciation for the commendable work which the Committee has done in a short period.”The BCCI counsel KK Venugopal told the court that his client “will show greatest respect in implementing the judgment”. BCCI president Anurag Thakur offered no comment because he said he wanted to study the order first, but IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said the BCCI would respect the judgement and discuss the procedure for implementation at a meeting.Reacting to the court order, Lodha said he hoped it would be a positive influence on the game. “Great day for Indian cricket and Indian sport, think cricket fans should rejoice the verdict of Supreme Court,” he told ANI.The panel – comprising Lodha and retired Supreme Court judges, Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran – had been formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for Rajasthan Royals official Raj Kundra, Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan and their respective franchises, and decide on Sundar Raman’s role in the IPL 2013 scandal, and propose changes to the BCCI’s functioning to streamline its functions and prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.The most important set of recommendations announced by the Lodha Committee in January this year were accordingly aimed at transforming the BCCI’s power structure. The court accepted the committee’s recommendation of giving each state only one vote in the BCCI’s elections and and removing the vote from associations without territorial definitions (Railways and Services, for example).The court also approved of recommendations that sought to define stringent eligibility criteria for the board’s office-bearers and set limits to their time in office. Ministers and bureaucrats currently holding office will not to be allowed to hold BCCI positions, neither would those officials holding office in their state associations or those above 70 years of age.The committee’s recommendation that there be five elected office-bearers – president, secretary, one vice-president instead of the current five, treasurer and joint-secretary – but that they serve no more than three three-year terms across positions was also accepted by the court; as was the motion to have a “cooling-off” period between terms to prevent an official from holding high BCCI office for several years at a stretch.The Lodha’s report had also recommended that the Working Committee, the BCCI’s highest decision-making body, be replaced with a nine-member Apex Council, which will include representatives from the players’ community – including one woman. There should also be a nominee of the Comptroller and Auditor General to keep an eye on how the board’s vast resources were being utilised. The BCCI was asked to implement all these recommendations.There were three major recommendations made by the Lodha Committee that the Supreme Court did not direct the BCCI to implement. The court did not accept the recommendation to impose restrictions on television advertisements during the broadcast of matches, and it said that the matters of bringing the BCCI under the Right to Information Act and legalising betting in the country were matters for the Indian legislature.

ScorecardJosh Cobb was instrumental in Northants’ victory•Getty Images

Josh Cobb’s second T20 fifty of the season and a fine debut bowling performance from Moin Ashraf helped Northamptonshire back to the top of the North Group in the NatWest T20 Blast with a 26-run win over Durham.Chasing 162, Durham’s chase was on its knees within four overs as they slumped to 9 for 4. Paul Collingwood and Scott Borthwick attempted a revival but Durham could only limp to 135 for 8 and lost for a fourth time this season.Paul Coughlin had earlier bowled a triple-wicket maiden to finish the Northants innings which included a hat-trick from the final three balls of the innings – the second hat-trick for Durham in T20s and the second against Northants in the shortest format after Collingwood in 2011. It was scant consolation for Durham. Coughlin finished with competition-best figures of 5 for 42Ashraf, signed on a short-team deal as injury cover and given his Northants debut here, found some swing to take two wickets in three balls in his opening over – Jack Burnham drove at an away-swinger and edged to a diving Adam Rossington behind the stumps, then Michael Richardson got a leading edge to mid-off.Ashraf’s third wicket came as Phil Mustard attempted a lofted straight drive and only found Steven Crook running back from mid-on. Richard Gleeson also played his part in the early damage as Mark Stoneman, first wicket to fall, dragged into his middle and leg stumps.”It was tough being released by Yorkshire but I wanted to give it another crack and come back stronger and I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” Ashraf said later.From such an awful position, Collingwood did as Collingwood does, keeping a cool head in a crisis to get the chase moving. He found two boundaries off Gleeson before a delightful in-to-out drive over extra-cover when Graeme White’s left-arm spin was introduced. But when he lifted Cobb to Crook at long-on, his stand of 59 with Borthwick ended and with it Durham’s chances.Borthwick nudged the bowling around carefully for 29 in 25 balls but his only boundary was an extra-cover drive off White. He was eventually run out by Rossington, called through for a leg-bye that proved too sharp.Northants were never put under pressure defending their 161 for 9, build around Cobb’s 68 in 47 balls. He followed up his match-winning unbeaten 56 against Worcestershire with a 34-ball fifty here, sweetly timing the ball throughout and striking five fours and four sixes. It was his 10th T20 half-century and he passed 2,000 T20 runs in the process.He took 14 from the final over of the Powerplay – slapping Coughlin wide of mid-off and midwicket either side of a handsome straight drive for six. His second straight six was timed superbly off Borthwick and when the leg spinner changed ends, Cobb planted him onto the roof of the Lynn Wilson centre.But there was he little he could do to get away the canny seamers of Chris Rushworth, who bowled a nagging length and changed his pace superbly in a spell of four overs that cost only 17 runs – Rossington’s pull for six over deep-backward square the only blot on his figures.Rushworth took the opening wicket after Northants captain Alex Wakely had given the innings some early impetus with 28 in 15 balls – including a well-timed pull over deep midwicket, a shot that brought his downfall, caught in the deep.Rossington didn’t play as urgently as in previous T20s, getting to 17 at a run-a-ball, but found Coughlin trying to lift Borthwick over deep midwicket.

Goalkeeper Jack Butland is believed to be open to joining Rangers as pundit Craig Moore shares what he's heard on the transfer saga.

What's the latest Gers transfer news?

It's been a disappointing campaign for the Gers and manager Michael Beale, with arch rivals Celtic on the cusp of clinching a domestic treble and cementing their SPFL dominance yet again.

Many first team players are also set to leave on a free at the end of this Scottish Premiership season as things stand – leading to Ibrox chiefs having to make big decision in the transfer market.

To replace outgoing squad players, it is believed that they have been planning for next campaign behind-the-scenes, with approaches made for the likes of Ecuador international Jose Cifuentes.

Alongside the World Cup star, Rangers hold an interest in Norwich City midfielder Kieran Dowell, with Aberdeen star Leighton Clarkson also on the agenda as he stars for the Dons on loan from Liverpool.

However, one player who has been very heavily linked with a Rangers move is Butland, and reports have even suggested he is on the cusp of joining.

Now, speaking to The Go Radio Football Show (via Ibrox News), pundit and former Gers star Moore has weighed in on the matter whilst sharing what he's heard.

He believes that the 6 foot 4 shot-stopper 'wouldn't mind' playing for Rangers and is someone of 'real interest' to Gers chiefs as they scour the market for a goalkeeper – which is 'definitely needed'.

Moore said:

"I believe that he is someone that is of real interest to the football club, in terms of his ability.

“He is a goalkeeper that would love to be playing more. He has a huge presence and by all accounts wouldn’t mind playing for Rangers.

“Again, that is just what I am hearing. Rangers definitely need a number one goalkeeper.”

Should Rangers sign Butland?

Out of contract in the summer and available on a Bosman, we believe this is a move Rangers surely need to make – especially with Butland's real experience as an ex-Three Lions international and Premier League player.

Despite a lack of game time in the last year, the 30-year-old has been heralded for past performances, with former Stoke City boss Mark Hughes calling him 'excellent' after a performance away to Norwich.

Rangers would also be an excellent move from the player's perspective, as battling Celtic near the top of Scotland's first tier presents an exciting challenge.

A stubborn batting performance from Zimbabwe A ensured they held their own against a South Africa A attack headlined by Vernon Philander

Firdose Moonda12-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Tino Mawoyo’s unbeaten 79 in the second innings helped Zimbabwe A to secure a convincing draw•Associated PressA stubborn batting performance from Zimbabwe A ensured they held their own against a South Africa A attack headlined by Vernon Philander, who is on the comeback trail. On a typically slow Harare winter surface, Philander proved more miserly than penetrative and he did not finish as the visitors’ star performer. That title went to Omphile Ramela, who scored a second century in four matches for South Africa A to showcase the depth in the batting department that had been thought to be missing recently.Test opener Stephen Cook started South Africa A off well, with 78 at the top of the order, sharing in half-century stands with Theunis de Bruyn and Stiaan van Zyl, who scored 73, but against a Zimbabwean attack in which only Shingi Masakadza stood out as a real threat, South Africa A’s top four would have been disappointed not to reach three figures.Instead, it was Ramela who managed the milestone. He batted for two minutes short of five-and-a-half hours and put on 125 runs for the sixth wicket with Dwaine Pretorius to frustrate Zimbabwe A’s attack. Masakadza accounted for Pretorius but Zimbabwe A could not bowl South Africa A out and would have been thankful for the declaration that came midway through the second day.From there, all eyes switched to Philander but Zimbabwe’s A’s openers resisted. Tino Mawoyo and Brian Chari, who went on to score 98, put on 87 for the first wicket and it was up to Dane Piedt to make the breakthrough. Hardus Viljoen and Pretorius also had success, before Philander got his first and second with successive deliveries.That sent Zimbabwe A tumbling. They went from 238 for 4 to 269 all out, losing their last six wickets for 31 runs, and giving South Africa A a lead of 186. Cook and Kuhn built on that slightly but de Bruyn topped up with a second half-century to push the target beyond 300. Once again, Zimbabwe A could not bowl out South Africa A and after they batted for seven overs on the final morning they declared on 171 for 3, to set the hosts a target of 358.Chari could not repeat his first innings heroics and fell to Philander in the fifth over but that was the only success South Africa A had. Mawoyo and Prince Masvaure resisted everything South Africa A threw at them, which included 16 overs from Viljoen, another 16 from Piedt and an aggressive 10 overs from Sisanda Magala, to force the draw. Philander only bowled eight overs in the second innings to ease his way back. The next match takes place in Bulawayo from July 15.

Pakistan fielding coach Steve Rixon has warned England that conditions in Manchester should suit the Pakistan bowling attack more than those at Lord’s

George Dobell20-Jul-2016Pakistan fielding coach Steve Rixon has warned England that conditions in Manchester should suit the Pakistan bowling attack more than those at Lord’s. Pakistan won the first Investec Test to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, with Yasir Shah claiming ten wickets in the match.But Rixon said the extra bounce anticipated in the Old Trafford wicket will assist both Yasir and Pakistan’s seamers and feels that Mohammad Amir, with his much-anticipated return behind him, will be able to relax and produce improved performances in the rest of the series.”This pitch will suit both forms of our attack,” Rixon said. “I think our seamers will do very well here with the extra bounce. They had a role to play in the last game, but probably didn’t start as well as they would have liked.”Amir can move on now. And I do congratulate the Lord’s crowd again because they absolutely embraced him. They could have made life very hard for him, but they were very good. Fair play to them.”Comparing Yasir’s exceptional control to that of Shane Warne, Rixon suggested that all Test teams would struggle to play him. Yasir went to the top of the Test bowling rankings as a result of his haul at Lord’s and requires 14 wickets from the next two games to break George Lohmann’s long-held record for being quickest to 100 Test victims.”Generally speaking, Yasir will have a major effect in any game of cricket,” Rixon said. “It doesn’t have to turn a lot for him to have an impact.”When you have magnificent control you are in the game and there are very few who have had that. Shane Warne is one and Yasir is rightfully sitting at the top of the tree for that reason.”Most countries around the world play wristies (wristspinners) quite poorly to be honest, so to see someone master it and play them well is a treat to see but I haven’t seen a lot that do that yet.”Rixon also praised the spirit within the Pakistan camp. Impressed by the fitness and preparation of the team after their boot camp in Pakistan and prolonged training camp in Hampshire at the start of the tour, Rixon talked of “building a culture” within the squad.”What we’ve got is a group of youngsters who we are getting up to speed and building a culture,” he said. “I wasn’t there for the boot camp but it obviously did make a big difference. It was part of an overall culture change. Now we have to rebuild that culture and make sure everyone is on the same page.”But Rixon has warned Pakistan they should expect a strong reaction from England and expects both James Anderson and Ben Stokes to play in Manchester.”Jimmy Anderson is a great bowler and he’ll be a treat in any side,” Rixon said. “He and Stokes are very fine cricketers. They will add to the England attack and overall composition of the side. We are expecting as hard a game as we’ll get in the series right here.”Having won at Lord’s, the pressure is probably on us. So we need to get our game in order. If we do that and win here, then happy days. But if we lose here and the momentum swings the other way then we have two games in Birmingham and The Oval which create a lot of pressure for our youngsters. So it’s very important we get it right here.”

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is preparing to bolster the ranks this summer with European qualification on the cards, and Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram has been earmarked.

What's the latest on Marcus Thuram to Newcastle?

According to The Telegraph, Frenchman Thuram is among the names the Magpies recruitment department are considering when assessing the optimum strategy to take across the forthcoming months.

With the 27-year-old's contract in Germany set for expiry in a matter of months, there have been a whole host of outfits vying for his name, with the Toon joined in their intrigue by the likes of Aston Villa, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid.

The ten-cap France international has been of interest to technical director Dan Ashworth for some time now, with 90min's Graeme Bailey stating that Newcastle were "very keen" on a move before the winter transfer window.

Who could Thuram replace at Newcastle?

Thuram was beset with injury woes for much of last campaign, plundering only three goals from 23 matches as his travails were compounded by an inability to harness the requisite fitness for success.

This year, the 25-year-old has enjoyed far more fruitful fortunes, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists from 30 matches across the German Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, with journalist Raj Chohan hailing him as "clinical" for his frontal feats.

After blitzing into life in the early phase of the campaign, scoring ten goals from 15 league clashes before the season paused for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Thuram has discernibly slowed the pace as the season has continued, though this is somewhat to be expected given the din of the speculation surrounding his future and the knowledge that his time at BORUSSIA-PARK draws to a close.

Described as a "goalscoring monster" for his offensive prowess by sports writer Robin Bairner, the £54k-per-week menace also ranks among the top 9% of forwards across Europe's big five leagues for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, which illustrates his knack at pushing the ball up-field and driving at defenders to bypass opposition lines.

If Howe and Ashworth succeed in swiping him up on a free, he could even be the heir to Callum Wilson's role in the Toon team, with the 31-year-old striker's contract up at the end of next season.

Wilson has scored 15 goals from just 27 matches this season, including only 18 starts, and ranks among the top 5% of positional peers across Europe for rate of goals per 90, though he doesn't rank very highly across the majority of non-goalscoring metrics, illustrating his poaching demeanour on the pitch.

Thuram boasts youth and energy where Wilson does not, and could be a "world-class" – as once heralded by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schäfer – acquisition for St. James's Park, especially considering that qualifying for Europe comes with a startling increase in match action.

With the winds changing on Tyneside, Howe must act with conviction to sign a worthy successor to embody the ascension that shows little sign of slowing down.