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Pacer picks four wickets on debut while the opener scored his maiden ODI ton

Himanshu Agrawal29-Mar-2022New Zealand hadn’t played an ODI for over a year, had as many as 12 first-choice players plying their trade in the IPL, and were playing Netherlands in the format after 26 years. Still, debutant quick Blair Tickner, and top-order batters Will Young – who got to his maiden ODI century with an unbeaten 103 – and Henry Nicholls combined to ensure the hosts comfortably took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.After Tickner became the fourth New Zealand bowler to take four wickets on ODI debut to restrict the visitors to 202, Nicholls and Young kept New Zealand motoring along in a second-wicket stand of 162 before Nicholls fell for 57, as they completed the chase with more than 11 overs to spare.Young got to his hundred after dancing down the pitch to loft over mid-off in what turned out to be the winning runs for his side. He had reached fifty off 54 balls in the 19th over, by which time he had slammed five fours and two sixes. Three of those fours came off successive deliveries in the eighth over off Logan van Beek: first a pull behind square, then a perfectly-timed push between cover and mid-off, and finally another pull but this time in front of square.Related

Dane Cleaver's chance to step out of cousin Kane's big shadow

But the shot of the day came in the 18th over when Young skipped down the track to left-arm wristspinner Michael Rippon, and effortlessly lofted the ball for a big six over long-off. However, that remained the only boundary hit from the 11th to the 24th over, as Rippon and captain Pieter Seelaar kept things quiet.While Rippon sent back Nicholls to break the massive stand, he also got Ross Taylor with a beauty: he tossed the ball up from around the wicket, inviting Taylor to drive, but the ball landed right in between his bat and pad, and spun back in to hit the stumps.Earlier, it was the pair of Rippon and Seelaar that had rescued Netherlands with the bat after they were reduced to 45 for 5 by the New Zealand pacers at the end of the 13th over. Tickner had got two of those wickets, with one each having gone to Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry and Colin de Grandhomme.Jamieson was the first to strike when he had Max O’Dowd gloving down the leg side to wicketkeeper Tom Latham in the third over of the innings, while three overs later, Henry had Stephan Myburgh edging to Martin Guptill at gully, where the latter took a good low catch.And while New Zealand’s debutant shone with the ball, Netherlands’ own debut batter Vikramjit Singh impressed with the bat, albeit only for a short while. Before becoming Tickner’s maiden ODI wicket, left-hand batter Vikramjit had shown signs of a young Darren Bravo with his compact technique, hitting four pleasing boundaries on his way to 19.He used soft hands to collect the first of those, before gently driving Henry down the ground and punching him with a short-arm jab through the covers for four. But from 41 for 2, Netherlands slipped further to lose another three wickets for as many runs as Tickner had Vikramjit caught at third man while Scott Edwards gifted a return catch to de Grandhomme, and Bas de Leede, whose father Tim was part of the only previous ODI meeting between the sides in 1996, also found third man off Tickner.That is when the union between captain Seelaar and Rippon began. Happy to nudge and tuck the ball to keep the scoreboard ticking, they slowly but steadily took their side towards hundred, as legspinner Ish Sodhi and debutant allrounder Michael Bracewell kept things tight. Seelaar swept them once each for four, but when on 43, ended up tickling down leg off Tickner to end the 80-run partnership.Rippon, who been pretty quiet until then, soon found the boundary and reached his half-century in the 45th over before being the last man out for 67. He kept dragging Netherlands by regularly running singles, and was involved in crucial partnerships with the tailenders to push his team to a respectable total. A cameo from van Beek and contributions from Philippe Boissevain took them past 200, but that would prove easily gettable for New Zealand in the end.

Ibrahima Konate appears likely to leave Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer despite the Reds' desire to tie him to a new contract.

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Konate leaning towards PSG moveLiverpool eager to tie him to new contractReal Madrid also interested in centre-backFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool fear they may lose centre-backs Virgil van Dijk, whose contract expires this summer, and Konate, whose deal runs until the summer of 2026, in the same transfer window and are eager to avoid the key departures.

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The Merseyside club, then, are prepared to offer the French defender a new deal, but reports that PSG have a good chance of luring him to Ligue 1. The defender would prefer to join the French giants this summer and Liverpool are aware of his intention.

DID YOU KNOW?

PSG, who eliminated Liverpool from the Champions League this week, are not the only team interested in signing the 25-year-old. Real Madrid have also been linked with the former Sochaux and RB Leipzig player and may attempt to bring him to the Spanish capital alongside team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR KONATE AND LIVERPOOL?

The Anfield club will hope to persuade Konate to stay before the summer transfer window opens as they look to keep their top stars following Arne Slot's debut season in charge.

A victory at Hagley Oval will also take New Zealand to the top of the ICC Test rankings

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2022Big pictureNew Zealand are on the brink of history but, from talking to the team, you’d barely know it. Neil Wagner described their win in the first Test over South Africa as “no different to any of the others,” but it is. Wagner, nor any of his team-mates had ever been part of a Test XI that have won a match against South Africa. That last happened for New Zealand in 2004, when Wagner was still a South African. New Zealand have also never won a Test series against South Africa and have lost 13 out of 16, including the last six. Over the next five days, they have an opportunity to change that.Even a draw at Hagley Oval – though an unlikely possibility given conditions and history – will give New Zealand victory over the only Full Member they’ve played that they do not have a series win against. A triumph for New Zealand will see them sweep the series, go top of the ICC Test rankings and will keep them on track in the World Test Championship points race. All that without the retired Ross Taylor, injured Kane Williamson, and paternity-leave absentee Trent Boult should mark a very satisfying home Test summer for New Zealand, who next play away, in England.Related

Tom Latham and New Zealand chasing 'as many WTC points as possible'

Wagner: Winning against South Africa 'no different to any of the other ones'

Stats – South Africa's second-worst defeat ever, Tim Southee's home record

South Africa are also heading to the UK, but only after hosting Bangladesh at home first and will not want to go into that series looking in worse shape than they have over the last eight months. After a Test series in West Indies, a better-than-expected T20 World Cup and an against-the-odds home Test series win over India, things were looking up but they slumped to their second-biggest defeat in their history in the first Test and some will wonder if it’s one step forward and several back.Perhaps there’s comfort in knowing they are not at full strength after newly installed No. 3 Keegan Petersen missed the tour and Lungi Ngidi sat out the first match but South Africa believe they have unearthed a deeper talent pool and will want to prove that. They’re also known for working their way back from impossible situations and having their backs to the wall tends to bring out the best in them, which bodes well for the second Test, at least, lasting longer than the first.The opening Test was over in seven sessions and though the venue has not changed, South Africa promise their headspace has. It will still be a battle of bowlers but with the way South Africa collapsed last week and New Zealand prospered on the same strip, this is more likely to be a measure of which line-up adjusts better and shows the fortitude to go the distance.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand WWLLDSouth Africa LWWLWIn the spotlightHe went largely unnoticed next to Matt Henry and Tim Southee’s record-breaking performance and Wagner’s brute force against his former countrymen, but Kyle Jamieson was equally important to piling pressure on South Africa. He conceded at under two runs an over in the first innings and was instrumental in holding an end while Henry ran through South Africa. With his height – just a shade shorter than Marco Jansen at 2.03 metres – Jamieson generates awkward bounce and he told local media he is also searching for some extra speed so he can move out of the 130kph range and more consistently into 140kph territory. If he gets it right, he would be the scariest seamer New Zealand have.South Africa’s entire batting line-up is under scrutiny, including the position of wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne . His Test career is only five matches old but Verreynne has yet to demonstrate the kind of batting that took his first-class average to over 50 or reputation for being an aggressive stroke-maker. He has had limited opportunity but averages 15.42 from seven Test innings and has not yet crossed 30. Crucially, he has conceded 46 byes in five innings and appears to have some tightening up of his game behind the stumps. With Ryan Rickleton breathing down his neck, with an average of over 100 this season and reasonable form with the gloves, Verreynne may have to make the most of this chance or risk being swapped out for the home Tests against Bangladesh.Team newsSouth Africa are likely to bench Aiden Markram, who averages 9.7 from his last 10 Test innings, but whether that creates room for Rickleton will depend on whether they feel they need an extra bowler. With Ngidi needing another two weeks to recover from a back injury, South Africa may look for insurance from allrounder Wiaan Mulder or spinner Keshav Maharaj and cut the line-up to six batters, but if they choose to include a seventh, Rickleton could debut. Glenton Stuurman had a difficult debut and could be replaced by Lutho Sipamla.South Africa (possible): 1 Dean Elgar (capt), 2 Sarel Erwee, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Temba Bavuma, 5 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 6 Zubayr Hamza, 7 Wiaan Mulder/Keshav Maharaj, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Kagiso Rabada 10 Duanne Olivier, 11 Lutho SipamlaTrent Boult has returned from paternity leave but does not have the bowling loads to be considered for this Test, which should allow Henry to keep his place.New Zealand (possible): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Will Young, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Matt HenryPitch and conditionsThe second Test will be played at the same venue but on a different pitch and New Zealand’s centurion from the first Test, Henry Nicholls, expects conditions to remain the same. Two days out from the match starting, he had not seen the pitch but assumed it looked pretty green and said that doesn’t mean run-scoring needs to be laboured. “It’s going to offer a bit to the bowlers but it does offer scoring opportunities,” Nicholls said. South Africa’s vice-captain Temba Bavuma was more hopeful that there’d be less bite. With warmer weather in the lead-up to this match, he hoped it would be pleasant for batting. Temperatures are set to stay in the high teens, with no rain forecast, but cloudy conditions for day three.Stats and trivia New Zealand have never beaten South Africa in a Test series and have lost 13 out of 16 series against them. Marco Jansen (16), Kagiso Rabada (15) and Tim Southee (13) have taken the most Test wickets so far in 2022. Of them, Jansen’s average of 17.81 is the best. New Zealand have won their last five Tests at Hagley Oval, dating back to December 2018. They have won their last three with margins of more than an innings.Quotes”One of the key things we try and do each game is pass the baton on. It is about bowling in partnerships, how we can build pressure through different plans and ends, understanding our roles. We always talk about how do we take 20 wickets. And whether some guy takes 15 of them it does not really matter a huge amount. It is about us trying to take 20 wickets and trying to find the best way of doing that.””I was very relaxed. I had been with the squad for four Test series, you start integrating with the guys, you understand the standard, the intensity the cricket is played at, the training intensity; so I was very focused but very relaxed. I had no nerves whatsoever. The only time I had a little bit of goosebumps was when I walked out to bat with Dean. But I no heart rate that spiked up which was quite cool. I had mentally prepped. I had visualised for a long time what the situation would be like walking out to bat and it was nice to have it in front of some fans. It was quite a cool experience.”

Arsenal have seen a host of talent grace the field of both the Emirates and Highbury over the years in north London, with some of the biggest names of the Premier League era making memories with the Gunners.

From Arsene Wenger’s undefeated class of 2003/04 to the rising stars under Mikel Arteta today, a level of world-class quality has been maintained throughout the various squads that have worn the cannon, with some vastly better than others.

It’s not always been easy for the Gunners in the Premier League, with the past few years highlighting the need for change and culture at the club, with faith restored by Arteta’s love and attention to detail in restoring Arsenal as title challengers.

It took the Spaniard two consecutive 8th-place finishes and a 5th-place ranking in 2021/22 to work out how to operate his squad to best effect, with one common theme being the extinguishing of big egos from the dressing room.

Arsenal’s struggling squad of 2020/21 that claimed 8th place contained star names such as David Luiz, Willian, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe, with all of the listed names ranking within the top 10 highest-earners on the club’s payroll that term.

While their names carried significant weight in the footballing world, they carried a minimal amount at the Emirates that season, and as a result of offloading high-earning personalities of yesterday, Arteta has eliminated any sense of hierarchy.

One player that had a particularly terrible time in north London was Willian, who was only at the club for that one highly disappointing season.

How much has Willian earned in his career so far?

Adding a two-time Premier League winner to your ranks could rarely be a thing to be shunned, especially a figure that had played the best football of his career at your London rivals.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, they weren’t receiving Sol Campbell 2.0 in Willian, but instead a far duller version of the Brazilian maestro that took Stamford Bridge by storm over his seven-year association with Chelsea.

The 70-capped Brazil international began his career in his homeland with Corinthians, before making the move to Ukraine to represent Shakhtar Donetsk for five-and-a-half years.

After scoring 37 goals and recording 63 assists in 221 appearances for the Ukrainian outfit, the forward took on a new challenge with Russian club Anzhi, before being snatched up by the Blues six months later in the summer of 2013.

Signing for Chelsea in a deal worth £90k-per-week, amounting to £4.6m-per-year, the winger quickly became accustomed to life in England, becoming a first team favourite and growing into his game year-by-year as highlighted by his scoring tally.

From making seven goal contributions in his debut Premier League campaign in the 2013/14 season, to ending his stay in the blue side of west London with 16 league goal contributions in 2019/20, the forward captured the hearts of Chelsea.

Season

Apps

Goals

Assists

2013/14

25

4

3

2014/15

36

2

3

2015/16

35

5

9

2016/17

34

8

2

2017/18

36

6

8

2018/19

32

3

7

2019/20

36

9

7

Figures via Transfermarkt

In 2016, Willian signed an improved four-year deal with the club, taking his earnings up to £120k-per-week and £6.2m-per-year, before he reached a career-high of £138k-per-week in 2019 with another renewal.

His fees were matched by Arsenal at the point of his Chelsea departure, before his earnings took a decline as he ventured back to Corinthians and then onto Fulham, where he currently resides on £50k-per-week.

Over the span of his career to date, Capology references the Brazilian’s total career earnings at over £54m, telling of the magnitude of his influence in England and beyond.

How much did Arsenal spend on Willian?

What wasn’t quite as telling was Willian’s impact in north London, where he was highly ineffective for the short time that he was part of Arteta’s squad at the Emirates.

Signed on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2020, the then 32-year-old penned a three-year deal with the Gunners, earning £138k-per-week.

Such a wage ranked the dynamic winger as Arsenal’s fifth-highest earner at the time, as he cost the club a total of £7.2m in wages during his dull season-long stay. Having scored just once at the Emirates, you can do the maths here; it was a waste of money.

How much did other Arsenal players earn?

At the time, the Gunners’ highest-earner was Mesut Ozil, who collected a mammoth £350k-per-week in wages.

The second-highest earner was Aubameyang, who despite being on a slight decline, netted 10 goals in 29 Premier League appearances, contributing towards his staggering weekly wage of £250k.

To put into perspective the question marks over wage distribution at the time, earning less than Ozil, Aubameyang and Willian were the heroes of today in Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.

One of the biggest challenges that Arteta has combated at Arsenal is the reconnection within the dressing room, which came at a time when a host of the highest earners had departed, subsequently removing such a large imbalance between wage and performance level.

In his year in north London, Willian received an abundance of criticism for his lackadaisical displays, which amounted to a single goal and seven assists in 37 appearances in all competitions.

Did he deserve to earn so much at Arsenal?

When revising the demographic of players and the expectations at the Emirates today, the saga regarding Willian’s stay at Arsenal becomes more and more disappointing.

The Brazilian was once described by journalist Kaya Kaynak as setting “a new low” due to a trail of poor performances, where on that occasion, he was handed a 2/10 match rating by Kaynak via football.london for his 'disinterested' presence.

Despite being poor, the former Chelsea sensation continued to be selected for games, adding fuel to the frustrations of those following Arsenal to the point where Arteta was unable to defend his player amid criticism.

As relayed by the Guardian, the manager responded to being quizzed over the £138k-per-week dud’s slandering in the media by saying “I don’t say it’s unfair because expectations are really high”.

At the time, the Guardian quoted that Willian had gone 24 games without scoring, a feat that is unacceptable at most clubs, particularly when the out-of-form player is one of the top earners in the squad.

Luckily for the Gunners, gone are the times that players past their sell-by dates are entertained in the squad, with there being little risk that a deal similar to the Brazilian’s will ever configure again under Arteta at the Emirates.

From being uninterested to failing to make an impact on games, Willian’s time at Arsenal will be looked back on as hugely irrelevant, and a year that cost the club millions to maintain his extortionate £7.2m salary.

Manchester United saw an incredible 143-game run ended by arch-rivals City on derby day, with the Red Devils suffering an uncharacteristic collapse.

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Red Devils took the lead at the Etihad StadiumWere still in front at the intervalEnded the game with nothing to show for effortsGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Erik ten Hag’s side flew out of the traps at the Etihad Stadium and found themselves in front with just eight minutes on the clock. Marcus Rashford’s spectacular strike from 25 yards, which cannoned in off the underside of the bar, broke the deadlock in style.

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That was to be as good at it got for United. They did lead at the interval, having survived the odd scare along the way, but were unable to keep City out in the second 45. Phil Foden bagged a brace, including a long range effort of his own, and Erling Haaland rounded off the scoring in stoppage-time.

DID YOU KNOW?

United are unaccustomed to ending games that they lead at half-time with nothing to show for their efforts, with the last time that happened coming way back in September 2014 during a 5-3 defeat at Leicester. Within their 143-game run, they won 123 of those matches and settled for a share of the points in 20.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

United remain sixth in the Premier League table on the back of a derby humbling against City, with an 11-point gap separating them from the top four, and will be looking for a return to winning ways when playing host to Everton next weekend.

Everton are a club that never lets their fans get too buoyed, as the slightest shred of positivity is always one torrid display away from tearing them back down to earth.

After two spirited away wins in quick succession, the expectation was that Luton Town would pose little challenge at Goodison Park, and yet Sean Dyche's side once again faltered.

Although such a devastating result is the cause of widespread underperformance across the team, Ashley Young once again stood out as a man who should not have been playing.

How has Ashley Young been playing?

With the visitors only really boasting one game plan, which involved a long ball up to Carlton Morris, or a deep pass in behind the full-backs, it made little sense for the former Burnley boss to recall the 38-year-old after the young Nathan Patterson had impressed in midweek.

After all, whilst his experience and quality are invaluable, he was left woefully exposed down the right flank, where both of the goals were subsequently forged.

Having to concede corner after corner as he failed to contain his opposite winger, the former Manchester United trickster earned a deservedly terrible 5.8 rating, the worst of anyone on the pitch.

Not only was the corner for their opener conceded down his side, but his slow reactions on the line allowed Tom Lockyer to deflect the ball in. Then, as the second came in from a free kick, again it was conceded around his area, which allowed the Hatters to extend their lead.

The vastly-experienced £40k-per-week full-back was woefully exposed, and yet offered little in the way of attacking impetus either, hitting the target with just one of his four crosses, and failing in both of the two attempted dribbles. To make matters worse, Young would only win one of the five duels he competed in, at an 80% failure rate, via Sofascore.

If his defending against Villa in the Premier League was "diabolical" in the eyes of pundit Andy Hinchcliffe live on Sky Sports Main Event [20th August, 15:40pm], then there are no words to describe his display on Saturday. Therefore, he must be dropped.

Who could replace Ashley Young?

What made such a torturous afternoon for the ageing dud so much more frustrating is that Patterson was there on the bench, marking a far better solution

After all, the Scottish international was aggressive in his attempts to quell John McGinn on Wednesday, pushing up high to make three tackles, one interception and two clearances whilst contributing to the press which earned them success, via Sofascore.

He is younger and boasts the increased energy required to subdue the opposition, and against Luton would have been far more suited to dealing with the pace on the break they offered. Perhaps his youthfulness could have prevented some of the six corners they conceded, all of which marked massive threats.

Although the former Rangers man is still incredibly raw, and far from the finished product, his potential deserves to earn a starting spot over an old free transfer who realistically should be resigned to a backup role.

Especially given the glowing recommendation Patterson received last year, with Danny Murphy noting:

"He’s been terrific. I’ve been absolutely blown away by him, honestly. Looks a real talent, really good athlete, nice passer of the ball, goes forward at will and doesn't mind defending one-on-one".

It marks a no-brainer for Dyche to make this switch for their next home game, which has swiftly evolved into a must-win as they host AFC Bournemouth at a Goodison Park ground where they have seemingly forgotten how to win.

There were few alarms for Kent as they completed a six-wicket victory in Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network06-May-2018Kent 174 (van der Gugten 7-42) and 195 for 4 (Kuhn 69*) beat Glamorgan 94 (Stevens 6-26) and 274 (Marsh 76, Murphy 54, Henry 4-59) by six wickets
ScorecardA leak from the Sophia Gardens underground drainage system delayed Kent a little, but they had few alarms in securing their second County Championship win of the season as Heino Kuhn anchored the six-wicket victory with an unbeaten 69.The third day’s play could not begin for more than an hour and a half due to a damp patch at the edge of the pitch. Then Glamorgan’s last pair added just a single to their overnight score before Matt Henry had Michael Hogan caught at third slip, giving the New Zealand pace bowler match figures of 8 for 90 and taking his season’s tally to 27.The pitch had flattened out considerably since 19 wickets fell on the opening day, and the Kent openers Daniel Bell Drummond and Sean Dickson laid the foundation with an opening partnership of 77 in 22 overs. Both batsmen played some handsome drives through the off side and there was only one play and miss in the first 21 overs.Bell-Drummond contributed 36 to the opening partnership before he was leg before to the persevering Timm van der Gugten – his eighth victim of the game. Dickson was the next to go, leg before to Marchant de Lange, the Kent opener becoming the 14th lbw dismissal in the game.Kuhn soon made his intentions clear with a flurry of boundaries, although Andrew Salter’s offspin commanded respect and he almost had Kuhn prodding to short leg in his third over.Kuhn reached a rapid half century from 49 balls, with a large proportion of his runs – 40 – coming from boundaries. His captain Joe Denly also played with ease, once lifting Salter over long-on for six as Kent’s third wicket pair closed in on their target.Kuhn and Denly had put on 71 at four runs an over before Denly, aiming for his second six over long-on, was brilliantly caught by the substitute fielder Tom Cullen, Glamorgan’s reserve wicketkeeper, who dived to his left and held on to take the catch inches from the ground and the boundary rope.With two runs required, Zak Crawley became yet another lbw victim, before Darren Stevens scored the winning runs to give Kent a well-earned victory.

Everton could submit an offer for an overseas forward during the transfer window in January, and a new report has revealed that his club are hoping they receive a bid from the Premier League.

Who did Everton sign this summer?

Over the summer, Sean Dyche’s side recruited five fresh faces in the form of Beto and Youssef Chermiti on a permanent basis, whilst Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison joined on loan, alongside Ashley Young who put pen to paper on a free transfer from Aston Villa.

Whilst that particular window has now closed, Toffees chiefs are already assessing their options in the market ahead of January where they have been linked with Blackburn Rovers midfielder Adam Wharton, as well as Manchester United’s Harry Maguire who could be allowed to leave on loan should his game time not improve.

Beside those, Sevilla’s Adnan Januzaj is the third player to have emerged as a target for the Merseyside outfit after Spanish reports credited them with an interest in the right-winger, and there has now been a fresh update regarding the club’s pursuit of the 28-year-old.

Are Everton signing Adnan Januzaj?

According to VamosMiSevilla (via Sport Witness), Everton tabling an offer for Januzaj would be a "real miracle" for Sevilla, who are hoping to receive money to help with their financial struggles in La Liga.

Jose Luis Mendilibar reportedly wants to keep his prized asset in the building, but having not played a single minute of football so far this season, it's clear that he's out of favour and low down in the pecking order to the point where he's not getting a look in.

The Toffees could at the very least make a loan proposal that would see them cover the attacker's wages, and having previously played for Manchester United, there's always a chance that he may want to return to the Premier League.

How many goals has Adnan Januzaj scored?

Since the start of his career, Januzaj has posted 89 contributions (42 goals and 47 assists) in 332 appearances, form which has seen him described as a “gifted footballer” by ESPN editor David Cartlidge, so whilst he’s not yet hit the ground running at Sevilla, he could still be a fantastic addition for Dyche should he sign on the dotted line at Everton.

Sponsored by Nike, the Belgium international is also a versatile operator having been deployed in an outstanding seven different positions since first bursting onto the scene, including everywhere across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, so this is another attribute that the boss may well find attractive alongside how prolific he can be in the final third.

Furthermore, the £52k-per-week earner already knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level having secured five senior trophies throughout his professional life, including the Premier League and the FA Cup titles, so he could be able to pass his winning mentality onto the rest of the squad who are already at Goodison Park, making this one to watch over the coming months.

It will be his first time playing the IPL, stepping in for Mitchell Starc, who has been ruled out with injured shin

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2018Surrey and England fast bowler Tom Curran has signed up for Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2018. It will be his first time in the tournament after he was announced the replacement for Mitchell Starc, who was recently ruled out with injured right shin. Curran is expected to join the Knight Riders squad before their first match on April 8 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.Curran went unsold at the auction in January with a base price of INR 1 crore (USD 1,56,000 approx) and was picked by Knight Riders for INR 1.62 crore (USD 2,53,000 approx).*England players in the IPL

Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)
Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)
Moeen Ali (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Jason Roy (Delhi Daredevils)
Alex Hales (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Chris Woakes (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Mark Wood (Chennai Super Kings)
Sam Billings (Chennai Super Kings)
Chris Jordan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Tom Curran (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals, qualifies in 2022)

“I’m thrilled and excited to be joining Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL,” Curran was quoted by the Surrey website. “I know from chatting to other players I can learn a lot from being in that environment, skills that I hope will benefit Surrey and my chances of representing England again this year and if selected, for next year’s World Cup.”Although he does not bowl express pace, or left-arm, Curran’s skills include a deceptive, back-of-the-hand slower ball, and a superb yorker. He used both of them to good effect to pick up a maiden five-wicket haul in a thrilling ODI against Australia at the new Perth Stadium in January.Curran was a hit in his first T20I as well, taking a wicket with his second ball, against South Africa last June. He is also a handy lower-order batsman, with a strike-rate of 128, accumulated over 51 T20s, and a highest score of 51 not out. Curran is the 11th player from England to take part in the league after Alex Hales was recruited by Sunrisers Hyderabad two days ago. He joins a promising brigade of young fast bowlers in the Knight Riders squad alongside Under-19 World Cup winners Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti.The new-look squad is, however, expected to regain some of its old flavour with KKR chief executive Venky Mysore claiming opening batsman Chris Lynn and allrounder Andre Russell should recover in time for their opening game which they will play at home.*1415 GMT – The figure was added after a release was issued by the BCCI

Brighton & Hove Albion's impressive recruitment strategy has rarely seen them shop on English shores in recent seasons.

The Seagulls use a data-driven approach to their transfers, meticulously scouting for gems outside of Europe's top five leagues and picking up undervalued young players who have shown above-average talent.

Rarely signing anyone above the age of 25, Brighton have cherry-picked talent from all around the globe, picking them up for cheap, developing them into world-class stars and selling them on for an obscene amount of money.

Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo were the biggest examples of this strategy coming to fruition. The duo were picked up on the cheap, and grew rapidly into the Brighton fabric, helping them qualify for Europe before being sold to Liverpool and Chelsea this summer, with Caicedo breaking the British transfer record after moving to Stamford Bridge for £115m.

While that pair were the latest to depart the club for astronomical fees, Roberto De Zerbi still has a whole host of talented stars at his disposal, including explosive wing back Pervis Estupinan, teenage prodigy Evan Ferguson and the skilful speedster Simon Adingra, but none have yet usurped the impact that the sensational Kaoru Mitoma has made.

How much did Brighton pay for Kaoru Mitoma?

When Graham Potter's enthralling and imaginative style was taking the Premier League by storm, the Englishman unearthed several gems, including the silky Belgian Leandro Trossard and ball-winning machine Yves Bissouma but in the summer of 2021, Mitoma would be the latest to join their roster of talent.

The Japanese arrived from Kawasaki Frontale for just £2.7m and as a part of his development, was instantly loaned out to Belgian side Union St Galloise to become accustomed to the physical demands required to play European football.

This decision would turn out to be a stroke of genius as Mitoma was able to showcase his pace and trickery on a regular basis, posting nine goal contributions in 21 appearances in the Belgium Pro League, including a hat-trick off the bench to single-handedly bring his team from behind to go top of the league.

While the Japan star was balling out in Belgium, he would return to the South Coast and do similar as he proved to be the missing piece to Brighton's attacking puzzle.

How much is Mitoma worth now?

Predicted to become the next £100m asset to be sold by Brighton – in the words of pundit Karen Carney – Mitoma's value has risen exponentially over the course of two years and according to Football Transfers, he is valued at around £23m (€27.5m).

Although this is an astronomical 751% increase on top of what the club shelled out for him, the 26-year-old's value to Brighton is far greater than the aforementioned figure having helped fire De Zerbi's side into Europe last season.

He was labelled as "incredible" by former Premier League striker Jermaine Defoe on the back of his impressive run of form last term, chalking up 18 goal contributions in 41 appearances in all competitions.

Mitoma showcases his greatest strengths when slaloming between defenders using his low centre of gravity, manipulating the ball onto his strong foot through his agility and tormenting defenders with his rapid pace, placing in the top 10% for successful take-ons, top 4% for progressive carries completed and top 7% for touches in the attacking penalty box when compared against players positionally similar to him in the Premier League last season, as per FBref.

While the £10k per-week sensation is one of the best wingers in the league at beating defenders in one-on-one situations and fashioning space to have a shot, he's also bought into De Zerbi's pressing system, possessing the stamina to be able to win possession back for his team in the opposing half.

He ranked within the top 15% for tackles in the attacking third, aerials won and top 18% for the percentage of dribblers tackled, showcasing that he's not only a crucial entity to Brighton's thrilling attack but also their defensive unit.

After a splendid first season in English football, Mitoma has already made the headlines on numerous occasions this campaign, however, the biggest applause directed towards the silky winger came following his stunning solo goal against Wolves as the Seagulls posted a 4-1 victory.

This magnificent goal unsurprisingly earned him the Premier League Goal of the Month award, but the biggest recognition he received was a comparison to Lionel Messi, who has his very own highlight reel of solo goals.

While his value currently stands at £23m, if Brighton were to cash in on their next prized asset, they would surely hold out for a fee closer to triple figures.