All posts by n8rngtd.top

Arsenal chiefs are becoming real fans of a prolific striker, and it is believed the Gunners have been told by intermediaries that they can sign him for a relatively cheap transfer fee.

Arsenal targeting fresh attacking additions for Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta’s side have struggled to score from open play in the Premier League lately, often against sides deploying a resolute low-block, but encouraging cup wins over the likes of AS Monaco and Crystal Palace recently show that they just need to be more clinical.

£20m Leeds United mainstay could join Arsenal in January – journalist

The Gunners are looking at bringing him in next month.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 19, 2024

On their best day, Arsenal are imperious going forward, but can sometimes lack that ruthless cutting edge to put certain teams away.

Gabriel Jesus has been criticised a lot over the first half of 2024/2025, with the Brazil international sealing a much-needed confidence boost by sealing a ruthless hat-trick in Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Palace on Wednesday.

Arsenal have been linked with an array of top strikers in recent weeks, most notably Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic, with Jesus bagging just four goals in all competitions this season.

Interim sporting director Jason Ayto and managing director Richard Garlick, following Edu’s resignation last month, are reportedly in the market for a potential new number nine following a barren 24/25 overall for Jesus.

Arsenal have held talks with Vlahovic’s representatives ahead of a potential winter swoop, according to some reports, but it is also claimed that the north Londoners have their sights set on a new winger as well.

Gabriel Martinelli’s performances have failed to hit their previous heights so far this campaign, while Leandro Trossard also hasn’t replicated his stellar 2023/2024 return.

This has led Arsenal to consider a January move for West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus, as per reliable media sources like talkSPORT, but the Hammers won’t be letting their star player go on the cheap mid-season.

There is a belief that West Ham could demand as much as £100 million to sell next month, with his £85 million release clause not active until the next summer window.

January is always an extremely tricky window to navigate, and star players often come at a premium. However, Arsenal could now have the chance to bring in a very in-form forward at a pretty reasonable price.

Arsenal told they can sign Manfred Ugalde for just £25 million

Indeed, due to a release clause in his contract, Spartak Moscow striker Manfred Ugalde is available for just £25 million – with Arsenal informed of this by agents who are reaching out to potential suitors.

The Costa Rica international is on an excellent run of form right now, scoring 16 goals in all competitions already, and this has attracted interest from the Emirates Stadium.

That is according to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, who also says Arsenal have been “impressed” by Ugalde and his excellent performances in Russia. However, they are by no means the only Premier League giants keeping an eye on the South American, with both Man City and Chelsea also taking a liking to the 22-year-old.

It is unclear whether Arsenal are set to move forward with any attempt for Ugalde right now, but it could represent a serious opportunity for Arteta and co.

Former Barcelona star Yaya Toure revealed how they used to protect Lionel Messi as he recalled Ronaldinho turning team-mates into 'laughing stock'.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Toure revealed Barca players protected Messi
• Ronaldinho turned his team-mates into laughing stock
• Spent three years at Camp Nou

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Manchester City legend Toure spent three years at Camp Nou, where he played alongside legends like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi. The former Ivory Coast international won seven titles during his brief stay which includes two La Liga and a Champions League title.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Reminiscing his time at the Catalan club, Toure recalled sharing a dressing room with Messi as he claimed that every Barcelona player protected the young Argentine at that time. He also recalled how Ronaldinho turned his teammates into a 'laughing stock' by nutmegging them in training.

• WHAT YAYA TOURE SAID

  Speaking on the podcast, the 41-year-old said: "Everyone protected him because we knew he was a talented player and we recognized how good he was. That was very beneficial for the club. We were happy when opponents pressed us high. Because we simply, without thinking, would try to pass the ball to him immediately."

  He added: "In my early days with Barcelona during training, Ronaldinho seemed ordinary. But one day he came to me and said, 'Be careful, Yaya, if you get close to me, I’ll make you a laughing stock.' I thought he was just joking, but every time I got near him, he’d nutmeg me."

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  The Blaugrana will be back in action next week in the Champions League as they take on Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their quarter-final fixture at home.

The story of how a Kuwait-born Canadian cricketer of Indian origin made heads turn after scything through Kevin Pietersen’s defense in the CPL

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong28-Nov-2015The distance young Nikhil Dutta has travelled both literally – from Canada to Bangladesh via the Caribbean – and figuratively is reason enough to believe that while globalisation in cricket may be a dying concept, the spread of the game remains far and wide.Barisal Bulls picking him in their squad for the 2015 Bangladesh Premier League is an advertisement for the T20 too, as the format is now becoming an accepted medium for talented players in cricketing backwaters to dream big.Dutta, who considers Sunil Narine a hero, has an action that is similar to the Trinidadian. He comes from a longish run-up and points the ball up in the air with his right hand before quickly getting into the pivot and tossing up deliveries that are manipulated with his supple fingers. See his action from mid-off and the similarities to Narine are unmistakable.”I really like Sunil Narine’s bowling,” Dutta told ESPNcricinfo. “He has a lot of variation, and is someone who gives away 20 runs in four overs in T20 cricket, so he should be considered a great bowler. It is very tough to do that, but he does it consistently. I have met him at the CPL. He has been really helpful by giving me tips. He is a really nice guy and very generous and humble.”I picked up his bowling from TV actually and found that his action helps him as a bowler. He can deceive with his variation. It is tough for batsmen to pick, though he has played for a long time. People say you should copy the good things out of every player. I watch Youtube clips of lot of offspin bowlers and I try to pick up all the good things from them.”So far, he hasn’t shot to limelight or set fields on fire. He turned 21 in October, and is still learning his craft. Even within the tumultuous BPL, he is picking up pointers from his Barisal teammates. To his credit, he has remained unflustered by the lack of opportunity. But with seven matches still remaining, there is still a chance of him featuring at some stage.”I was picked after the draft by Barisal Bulls,” Dutta said. “It is a great experience for me to play alongside some big cricketers, practicing with them and learning from them. It is a good opportunity for Canada in general by getting experience in the BPL. “[Not playing yet] is not frustrating at all. Just being with these players and practicing with them is a plus point for me. I want to gain a lot of experience and be ready for any situation.”Born in Kuwait City and raised in Toronto, Dutta, whose parents are from Kolkata, is of Bengali origin. His cricket-loving father Mihir, a software graduate who played league cricket in the city before moving to the Middle East in 1989, saw the nine-year-old Nikhil get excited watching the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Mihir would also move to Kenya before finally settling in Canada in 1999.Mihir enrolled his cricket-loving son at indoor facilities in Toronto. Within five years, he saw him graduate to America’s Under-15 team in the CLICOS International Under-15 Cricket Championships in Barbados. Dutta rose through the age-levels and in 2013, Dutta made his ODI debut for Canada.So how did Barisal get wind of him?In June this year, Dutta scythed one big-spinning off-break through Kevin Pietersen’s driving bat and pad, on his CPL debut for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. He could play only three games but it was enough to attract attention of those who are in the loop to connect such talent to the T20 leagues.”It was a great feeling to get Kevin Pietersen out,” Dutta reminisced. “It was a great opportunity given to me by my CPL team St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. I feel my bowling is better for T20. I would like to expand to the longer format, which we don’t have in Canada. We play 50-over and T20s there.”I have variations which is very important in T20s. In longer format it is important to bowl with line and length. You never want the batsmen to be settled in T20s, so you always want the batsmen to think so it is good to have more option as a bowler,” said Dutta.Dutta has played almost all his cricket so far for the Ontario Cricket Academy where he first learned his trade. He said that the weekend leagues are competitive enough, especially due to the induction of overseas players. He feels that by being in the BPL, he is letting others back home dream of a future in cricket.If he does play in the BPL, he won’t be the first Canada player to do so. In the 2012 edition, Rizwan Cheema played one game for Duronto Rajshahi. But there will be a feeling of nostalgia among Bangladeshis to see someone who has similar roots take a big step in his bourgeoning career through the BPL. “I can’t speak but I understand Bengali. My parents are from Calcutta,” he said, before switching to Kolkata later in the interview.Since the BPL is still exclusively for the professionals from Bangladesh’s domestic scene and devoid of unfamiliar faces, the Bengali kid from Canada will now be looked upon to provide the tournament with the romance of the unknown talent.

Captain unbeaten with visitors six down and needing another 65 to complete victory

ECB Reporters Network13-Jun-2023Shan Masood holds the key for Yorkshire with the LV=Insurance County Championship match against Derbyshire in the balance after a pulsating third day at Chesterfield. The Yorkshire captain was unbeaten on 68 but his team lost late wickets chasing 212 and closed on 147 for 6 with 65 more runs needed.Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy made a superb 170 and shared a fifth wicket stand of 277 with Haider Ali who scored 146 as the home side made 453 to set up a thrilling finale.Matthew Fisher and Dom Bess both took three wickets before Derbyshire’s innings ended when Suranga Lakmal was hit by a short ball and replaced by concussion substitute Zak Chappell.Yorkshire seemed to be cruising on 140 for 3 but spinners Mark Watt and Alex Thomson took three wickets in four overs to raise Derbyshire’s hopes of pulling off a remarkable victory.The visitors prospects of chasing a less-demanding target quickly evaporated on another hot morning at Queen’s Park. Although they bowled a lot better than on the second day, there were few problems for du Plooy and Haider after they negotiated the opening burst from Ben Coad and Fisher.Fisher made du Plooy work for his hundred, opening with a maiden to the Derbyshire skipper, before a short ball was pulled to the midwicket boundary.The stand had become the second-highest by Derbyshire at Chesterfield when Haider moved across his stumps to work George Hill to leg and was lbw although the ball looked to be going down. It had been an outstanding innings from Haider, who scored 100 of his runs in boundaries and with du Plooy had given his team a chance of pulling off a memorable victory.If Yorkshire thought his departure would open the door, they were disappointed as du Plooy and Brooke Guest survived against the new ball to go in at lunch with a lead of 97.Du Plooy reached his 150 from 272 balls and the stand with Guest was worth 67 when a ball change did the trick for Yorkshire. Guest scooped a catch to short midwicket when Bess got one to grip but there was more frustration for the visitors when du Plooy came down the pitch and Jonny Tattersall failed to complete a difficult stumping.Bess was hoisted for six by Alex Thomson but in his next over, du Plooy’s superb innings ended when he edged a big drive and was caught at slip. The England spinner had bowled a lot better after a chastening second day and Watt’s attempt to reverse sweep him ended in Tattersall’s gloves.Ben Aitchison drove Fisher low to cover and after Thomson pulled Bess out of the ground, Lakmal was hit on the back of the neck after ducking into a short ball from Fisher.He was able to walk off the field but could not continue and was retired out with Chappell replacing him and opening the bowling with Yorkshire facing a much bigger target than they would have anticipated when Derbyshire were 17 for 4 on day two.Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean reduced the target by 38 before Bean drove Thomson low to cover and the spinner almost had Masood first ball when an edge just evaded Wayne Madsen at slipLyth and Masood took the score to 63 but the return of Watt at the Lake End brought an immediate reward when Lyth was lbw going back and across to a quicker ball. With Dawid Malan unable to come in until the fall of the fifth wicket after being off the field with a groin problem. Hill joined Masood but was run out when he failed to beat Aitchison’s throw from point.Masood and Tattersall were steering Yorkshire home but Tattersall was lbw to one that kept low from Thomson before Watt removed Fisher and Matthew Revis to give the game another twist.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2015Chamu Chibhabha held one end up with a 44-ball 42, until he was stumped off a Sodhi delivery in the 18th over•AFPSikandar Raza then began the repair work, getting involved in partnerships with Sean Williams and Tinashe Panyangara on his way to a third ODI ton that helped Zimbabwe to 235 for 9 – a target that seemed quite beyond them at one point•AFP

Taylor squeezes victory in low-scoring Bristol affair

ECB Reporters Network02-Jun-2023Gloucestershire 127-8 (S Curran 3-20) beat Surrey 124 for 9 (Payne 3-21, Taylor 3-27) by two wicketsMatt Taylor produced a gritty all-round performance to help Gloucestershire edge past Surrey in a thrilling Vitality Blast contest beneath the Seat Unique Stadium floodlights.He took 3 for 21 with the ball and then scored a crucial eight not out under pressure as Gloucestershire chased down a modest victory target of 125 with two wickets and five balls to spare on a low and slow Bristol surface.Ollie Price top-scored with 25 and James Bracey contributed 22, but Surrey took wickets at key moments to keep up the pressure, with Sam Curran returning figures of 3 for 20 to help take the game into the final over.Gloucestershire won the toss, inserted the visitors and produced their most complete bowling and fielding performance of the campaign so far to restrict Surrey to 124 for 9 from their 20 overs. Left-arm seamers David Payne and Matt Taylor claimed three wickets each.Surrey never recovered from the wreckage of 29 for 4 in the fourth over, Jamie Smith top-scoring with 29 and Jordan Clark and Chris Jordan contributing 25 and 24 respectively as only four batsmen made it into double figures in an innings that yielded a mere 12 boundaries.Gloucestershire’s second win in five matches breathed renewed life into their attempt to progress from the South Group, but Surrey, beaten for only the second time, lost ground on leaders Somerset, who comfortably beat Middlesex at Taunton to extend their lead at the top of the table.Gloucestershire came at Surrey hard with the ball, Slow left armer Smith, having been hit for a four and six off consecutive deliveries by Laurie Evans, made amends when Will Jacks holed out to Price in the deep Having smashed a match-winning 83 not out against Hampshire at Southampton two days earlier, Jacks mustered a mere six on this occasion.Unsettled by Gloucestershire’s new-ball intensity, Surrey then losing three wickets in as many balls with the score on 29. Matt Taylor removed the Curran brothers without scoring in successive deliveries in the third over. Sam was caught in two minds and bowled by a ball that came back into him and hit middle and off, while Tom, cramped for space, drove to Jack Taylor at mid-off. Worse followed when Payne, now operating from the Bristol Pavilion End, had Evans held at cover point for 16 off the first ball of the fourth over to spark pandemonium among a vociferous home crowd.Determined to fight fire with fire, the fifth wicket pair of Clark and Smith went on the attack, plundering six boundaries between them in the next three overs as Surrey still managed to raise 58 from the Powerplay. But Clark hoisted Smith high to long-off as Surrey further subsided. A parlous situation that was not helped when loan signing Danny Lamb induced former West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine to edge a short-pitched delivery behind.Economical in the extreme, Zafar further heightened Surrey’s discomfiture, the visitors failing to record a single boundary between the ninth and 18th overs. Smith attempted to accelerate, only to send a leading edge spiralling to mid-off as the returning Payne struck in the 17th over.Gloucestershire’s new-look opening partnership of Grant Roelofsen and Ben Charlesworth posted 28 in four overs before the latter was held at mid-off off the bowling of Sam Curran, while Jordan bowled Miles Hammond for four to reduce the home side to 34 for 2 in the sixth.Tied down by Narine’s wily off breaks in the previous over, Roelofsen played an injudicious shot against Cameron Steel and sliced to backward point for 21 with the score on 37, after which Zafar and Price found the going tough against the spinners. Zafar had made 11 when he was bowled by Narine, reverse sweeping, with Gloucestershire still requiring 67 from 59 balls.No doubt relieved to have seen off Narine, who only conceded 16, the fifth-wicket pair of Price and Bracey brought reassurance in a stand of 36. They took 11 runs off Steel’s final over to ease the pressure, only for Bracey to hit the returning Sam Curran to long-on and depart for a 17-ball 22 with the score on 94 in the 15th over.Gloucestershire needed 23 more runs from 25 balls when Price lofted Gus Atkinson to midwicket, and the pressure was right back on when captain Jack Taylor hit Jordan to mid-off.Charged with the task of seeing their side over the finish line, Matt Taylor and Lamb obliged in a gritty alliance of 19 from 14 balls. By the time Lamb fell to Sam Curran for 11, Gloucestershire were virtually home and dry. With two needed off the final over, Smith hit the winning runs, glancing Jordan off his legs to the boundary.