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Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl lost for the second time in as many matches in charge of the club in the Europa League against Roma on Thursday night.

The Italian giants came to Ibrox and won 2-0 under the lights, thanks to two first-half strikes, to make it three defeats in five matches for the new Light Blues boss.

It is hard to blame the former Sheffield Wednesday tactician for that dismal start to his career at the club, though, as he has had a tough run of fixtures, including this clash with Roma and a League Cup semi-final against Celtic.

Rohl has inherited a team that struggled badly under former manager Russell Martin, who only won five matches in all competitions during his time in Glasgow.

However, the German boss does have a chance to make it three wins out of three in the Scottish Premiership when his side travel to play Dundee away from home on Sunday.

With that match in mind, the Ibrox head coach must ruthlessly ditch centre-forward Youssef Chermiti from the starting line-up after an underwhelming performance on Thursday night.

Why Youssef Chermiti should be dropped by Rangers

The £8m summer signing from Everton has now produced one goal and one assist in 12 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues in the 2025/26 campaign.

His goal, as shown in the clip above, was aided by some fairly questionable goalkeeping, and his assist was a simple pass to Danilo, who took a brilliant touch and scored from the edge of the box.

The Portugal U21 international has not provided enough quality in the final third to justify his price tag, yet, and his performance against Roma did little to convince supporters that he has been a good addition to the squad.

Roma had Artem Dovbyk leading the line for them at Ibrox and the gulf in class between the Ukraine international and Chermiti in their respective displays was staggering.

Whilst the Serie A marksman, who scored 17 goals for Roma last season (Sofascore), provided the perfect foil for his team to build attacks from, Rangers could not rely on Chermiti to bring others into play.

Minutes

73

86

Big chances missed

1

0

Passes completed

8

19

Pass accuracy

67%

100%

Key passes

0

4

Assists

0

1

Possession lost

8x

5x

As you can see in the table above, Dovbyk was almost perfect in possession and created four chances for his team on the night, including one for the second goal, whilst the Gers striker did not create any chances for his side and was a bit loose with his passes.

The former Everton forward also struggled in the 3-1 loss to Celtic at Hampden Park on Sunday. Pundit Michael Stewart bemoaned his “poor” finishing after the attacker spurned two huge opportunities to find the back of the net in the first half.

Therefore, Rohl should drop him from the starting line-up to take on Dundee in the Premiership on Sunday and unleash Danilo, who has scored in each of his last two appearances in the Premiership under the German head coach.

Chermiti is not the only underperforming Rangers player who should lose his place in the starting XI for that trip to Dundee before the international break, though.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The former Bayern Munich and Southampton assistant manager should also ruthlessly ditch left-sided defender Jayden Meghoma from the side, after another disappointing showing.

Why Danny Rohl should drop Jayden Meghoma for Rangers

Rohl should drop the defender from the team after he decided to withdraw him from the game at half-time in order to change formation and move Max Aarons to left-back.

The Rangers head coach opted to move away from a 3-4-2-1 formation to chase the game with a 4-3-3, which meant that Aarons moved from right wing-back to left-back and James Tavernier moved from right centre-back to right-back.

Rohl deciding to move Aarons, who is a right-footed right-back, over to left-back instead of moving Meghoma back into a left-back position in a back four suggests that he was less-than-pleased with the Brentford loanee’s contributions in the first half.

Minutes

45

Pass accuracy

79%

Key passes

0

Successful dribbles

0/1

Tackles won

0

Interceptions

0

Ground duels won

0/2

Aerial duels won

0/0

As you can see in the table above, it is easy to understand why the manager may not have been too impressed by the wing-back’s first-half showing, as the 19-year-old flop failed to win a single duel.

Meghoma offered very little to the team in or out of possession in the opening 45 minutes, with no key passes, dribbles, tackles, interceptions, or duels won for the Scottish giants.

The Scotsman handed the youngster a player rating of 4/10 for his performance against Roma and wrote that he looked ‘out of his depth’ as an ‘untested’ youngster, which is hard to disagree with, given Rohl’s decision to withdraw him at half-time and his dismal statistics.

After the 3-1 loss to Celtic in the League Cup last weekend, Football FanCast suggested that the left-back may be on borrowed time in the starting XI because he was caught out defensively for the opening goal from Johnny Kenny, as shown in the clip below.

Meghoma was also caught out aerially from a set-piece in the 3-0 defeat to Brann in Rohl’s first match in charge, when he allowed Jacob Lungi Sorensen to get the run on him to score from a free-kick.

The teenage defender, who has won 25% of his aerial duels in the Premiership (Sofascore), has not proven that he can be a reliable option for the Light Blues at this moment in time, and the change at half-time on Thursday suggests that the manager trusts Aarons ahead of him in a back four.

Danny Rohl now orders Rangers to make three January signings, priority revealed

The new manager is looking to strengthen his squad considerably this winter.

ByDominic Lund Nov 5, 2025

Therefore, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Meghoma and Chermiti in order to unleash Aarons at left-back in a back four and Danilo up front against Dundee on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have often been blessed with numerous elite-level wingers, many of whom have given the supporters memories to last a lifetime in the final third.

Heung-min Son joined the Lilywhites from Bayer Leverkusen way back in the summer of 2015, making himself a cult hero in North London – after racking up over 400 appearances in North London.

The South Korean international captained the Lilywhites last season, leading them to European glory and subsequently helping them end their near-two-decade wait for silverware.

Gareth Bale was another, scoring countless strikes off the right-hand flank, even leaving in a club-record £85m deal to join Real Madrid back in the summer of 2013.

The Welshman is arguably one of the most talented players to ever grace the Premier League, with current boss Thomas Frank no doubt wishing he had a player of his calibre at his disposal.

However, one of Bale’s compatriots has ultimately failed to reach the levels many expected, which has brought his long-term future in North London into huge question.

Brennan Johnson’s decline at Spurs in the last 12 months

Brennan Johnson has endured somewhat of a rollercoaster spell in his two years at Spurs, with many being taken by surprise by his performances in North London.

The winger originally joined in a £47.5m deal from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023, with many supporters raising eyebrows at the nature of the transfer fee.

His spell at the club certainly didn’t get off to the best start in 2023/24, with the 24-year-old only scoring five times in his 32 appearances during his debut year.

The early stages of 2024/25 weren’t much better for the youngster, with his dismal displays leading to unacceptable abuse from a selection of supporters on social media.

In turn, Johnson deactivated all of his accounts, allowing him to focus on his football and subsequently shutting up his doubters – ending the year on 18 goals across all competitions.

He was also responsible for the biggest goal in the Lilywhites’ recent history, as he poked home the winning goal in the Europa League triumph against Manchester United back in May.

Frank’s arrival during the same period should have handed the winger the perfect chance to build on his success, but so far, he’s endured a huge drop-off in form, with his numbers massively suffering as a result.

Johnson averaged a superb 2.2 shots per 90 in the Premier League last season, but in the first 11 outings of the new campaign, he’s only been able to post an average of 0.96 per 90.

Such a drop is a 56% decline in the space of just a matter of months, showcasing that the player is currently suffering from a huge lack of confidence in North London.

He’s also seen a significant drop in terms of his touches in the opposition box per 90, with the Welshman also unable to get himself into threatening positions on a consistent basis.

Last season, the 24-year-old averaged a total of 5.9 touches in the 18-yard box per 90, but at present, he’s only notching a total of 2.6 – a drop of around 57%.

The Spurs star who can end Johnson’s Spurs career

After Son’s departure to join LAFC in the summer window, Spurs and Frank have massively lacked the depth and quality needed on the left-hand side of the attack.

Over the last few weeks, the Dane has utilised various players in such a role to try and bridge the gap between now and the upcoming January transfer window.

Richarlison operated in such a role in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United, with the Brazilian struggling to adapt to operating in a somewhat unfamiliar position.

Johnson himself has even filled the void over the last couple of months, but like the aforementioned star, he’s been unable to nail such a role down as his own.

His performances in such an area will no doubt have contributed to his recent slump in form, with the Welshman being kicked out of his right-sided role after Mohammed Kudus’ arrival.

However, the 24-year-old could find his career in North London over the coming months, especially if winger Wilson Odobert is able to build up a strong run of starts in the first team.

The Frenchman joined the Lilywhites in a £25m deal from Burnley last summer, but has often had to bide his time for an impact in the first-team over the last 18 months.

The 20-year-old only made a total of 16 Premier League appearances for the Lilywhites last season, but still managed to net his first top-flight goal against West Ham United.

Odobert, who’s been described as “a mixture of Barcola and Aaron Lennon” by one Sky Sports analyst, also managed to net two goals during the Europa League-winning campaign, managing to provide the goods when called upon by Ange Postecoglou.

However, since Frank’s arrival during the off-season, he’s only made three starts in the Premier League, whilst also making just seven appearances off the bench.

He’s only appeared for a total of 379 league minutes to date, with the manager desperately needing to show more faith in the youngster in the months ahead.

Frank did allow Odobert the chance to shine against United on Saturday, with the Frenchman taking full advantage of the chance handed his way by the manager.

He registered an assist for Richarlison after coming on at the break to replace compatriot Randal Kolo Muani, who was replaced at the break after fracturing his jaw.

Minutes played

45

Touches

25

Passes completed

100%

Chances created

3

Dribbles completed

2

Crosses completed

2

Duels won

100%

Fouls drawn

1

Despite only featuring for 45 minutes, Odobert did manage to complete the most dribbles of any player on the pitch (2), whilst also creating the most chances (3).

He also managed to complete 100% of the passes he attempted, with such a cameo showcasing to the manager why he should he starting in North London on a regular basis.

As a result, Johnson will certainly be lucky to maintain his starting role, with the Welshman now extremely likely to drop down to the substitutes bench in the coming games.

Given his mammoth sum, the hierarchy may now look to cash in on his services in the winter to try and avoid losing a whole heap on their £47.5m investment for his signature.

Frank can end Bentancur's Spurs career by unleashing "future £100m" talent

Tottenham Hotspur have a huge talent on their hands, but his progress is being halted by Rodrigo Bentancur.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 12, 2025

كشف الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف” عن القائمة النهائية للمرشحين لجائزة أفضل حارس مرمى في القارة لعام 2025، وذلك ضمن حفل جوائز كاف المرتقب.

ومن المنتظر أن يقام حفل توزيع جوائز كاف، يوم الأربعاء، 19 نوفمبر بالعاصمة المغربية الرباط.

طالع| كاف يعلن القائمة النهائية للمرشحين لجائزة أفضل لاعب شاب في 2025.. ثنائي مغربي

وبحسب بيان كاف الرسمي على منصة إكس، ضمت قائمة الأفضل، ثنائي حراسة المرمى من المغرب، إضافة إلى حارس من جنوب إفريقيا.

وشهدت القائمة استبعاد حارس مرمى فريق بيراميدز، أحمد الشناوي، بعدما تواجد في القائمة المبدئية. المرشحون لجائزة أفضل حارس مرمى في إفريقيا 2025

– المغربي ياسين بونو.

– المغربي منير محمدي.

– الجنوب إفريقي رونوين ويليامز.

يرى جاري نيفيل، لاعب مانشستر يونايتد السابق، أن ليفربول قدم أسوأ أداء له منذ فترة طويلة، وذلك في المباراة أمام مانشستر سيتي، ووصف لاعب الفريق بأنه “طفل صغير”.

وتلقى ليفربول هزيمة بثلاثية دون مقابل من مانشستر سيتي، على ملعب “الاتحاد” خلال الجولة الحادية عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وقال نيفيل في تصريحات نشرتها “ليفربول إيكو”: “أعتقد أنه كان أداءً سيئًا للغاية، كان من أسوأ ما رأيته من فريق ليفربول منذ فترة طويلة، بدا الأمر وكأنهم لم يعرفوا ماذا يفعلون، أعتقد أن هذا كان مصدر قلق”.

وأضاف: “عليهم أن يُقيّموا أنفسهم جيدًا، لأنهم وصلوا إلى مستويات عالية، وهم مجموعة من اللاعبين الذين يعرفون كيف يفوزون، وسيدركون أنهم بعيدون كل البعد عن المستوى المطلوب حاليًا”.

وتابع نيفيل: “كان إيقاعهم في المباراة ضعيفًا جدًا، بدوا في حالة بدنية سيئة للغاية، وبدا عليهم الضعف في الجري، وضعف في الأداء العضلي”.

وأشار: “جسديًا، كنت سأشعر بالقلق لو كنت مكان آرني سلوت وأنا أراقب هذا الفريق، فبعضهم يبدون عاجزين عن الجري، ودائمًا ما أعتقد أنه عندما تُعاني من سلسلة هزائم، تبدأ بالشك في كل شيء”.

اقرأ أيضًا | جوارديولا يكشف حديثه للاعبي مانشستر سيتي بعد تعادل آرسنال وقبل مواجهة ليفربول

واستطرد: “بالطبع هناك بعض اللاعبين المميزين يتمتعون بعقليات رائعة، لذا فليس الوقت مناسبًا للتخلص من كل شيء دفعة واحدة، لكن سلوت سيحتاج إلى الأسبوع المقبل للتفكير بهدوء في كيفية إصلاح المشكلات، سواء في الهجوم أو في الدفاع”.

وأفاد: “بدا دفاعهم سيئًا للغاية، أعتقد أنهم تعرضوا لضربة موجعة، وظننت أن السيتي قادر على تسجيل الكثير من الأهداف، لم يكونوا جيدين بما يكفي في الهجوم، ولم تكن الترابطات الدفاعية موجودة”.

ويعتقد نيفيل، أن على سلوت الضغط على فلوريان فيرتز نظرًا للأموال التي أنفقها ليفربول لضمه، واسترسل: “فيرتز مشكلة، دعونا نعتبر الأمر كما هو، إنها مشكلة”.

وأوضح وجهة نظره: “قيمته تزيد عن 100 مليون جنيه إسترليني، وللإنصاف، قلت قبل بضعة أسابيع إن ميلوس كيركيز يبدو كطفل صغير، أمام مانشستر سيتي، ظننت أن فيرتز يبدو كطفل صغير، هذا غير ممكن”.

وعلّق: “كنا نتردد بشأنه منذ بضعة أشهر، ونتعامل معه بحذر، لأنه شاب، قادم إلى بلد جديد، لكن قيمته تزيد عن 100 مليون جنيه إسترليني، وسيتعين عليه التحسن قريبًا”.

وواصل “من الواضح أنه يمتلك موهبةً ما، إنه لاعبٌ رائع، ومهاراته الفنية رائعة، لكنه تعرض لضغوطٍ شديدةٍ من ماتيوس نونيس وآخرين، لقد دُفعَ إلى الملعب، ولم يُظهر مستوىً جيدًا، لذا كان أداؤه مصدر قلقٍ حقيقي”.

واختتم نيفيل حديثه: “إنه لاعب دولي ألماني ذو مكانة مرموقة، ويبدو أنه يفتقر إلى اللياقة البدنية المطلوبة في مباراة قوية في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، عليهم أن يُحسّنوا من أدائه، وأن يُعطونه بعض العزيمة، لأن ما يجب عليهم فعله هو التمسك به والمثابرة”.

يستكمل منتخب مصر لكرة اليد تحت 17 عامًا، مشواره في منافسات بطولة كأس العالم للناشئين، بمواجهة منتخب إسبانيا، في دور نصف النهائي.

وتأهل منتخب مصر إلى دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العالم للناشيئن المقامة في المغرب، بتصدره للمجموعة الأولى من 3 انتصارات.

طالع | منتخب مصر يهزم المغرب ويحقق فوزه الثالث على التوالي في كأس العالم لليد

وكان منتخب مصر، قد فاز في لقاء الجولة الأولى أمام البرازيل وفي الجولة الثانية حقق الفوز على منتخب أمريكا، اليوم في مباراة الجولة الثالثة فاز على صاحب الأرض منتخب المغرب.

ويصعد منتخب مصر، إلى دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس العالم تحت 17 عامًا، ليضرب موعدًا مع المنتخب الإسباني متصدر المجموعة الثانية. موعد مباراة مصر وإسبانيا في نصف نهائي كأس العالم لكرة اليد

تقام مباراة مصر وإسبانيا، في دور نصف النهائي من بطولة العالم لكرة اليد للناشئين، يوم الخميس المقبل الموافق 30 أكتوبر الجاري، في تمام الساعة 10:15 مساءً بتوقيت مصر.

Liverpool versus Everton is always a tasty affair at Anfield in the Premier League.

Today’s lunchtime Merseyside Derby was no different as Arne Slot’s Reds raced into a two-goal lead, before the Toffees fought back courtesy of an Idrissa Gueye screamer beating Alisson.

In the end, Everton just didn’t have enough to equalise in the 2-1 defeat, with Beto struggling severely in the first half, before David Moyes put him out of his misery at the half-time mark.

Beto's struggles at Anfield in numbers

Everton were always going to struggle to impose themselves on the contest, coming up against a hostile Anfield atmosphere.

Indeed, looking at the overall match numbers, Slot’s Reds would dominate the possession with 58% of the ball, as Beto ended up being very much of a bystander in a first half that saw Liverpool accelerate into a two-goal advantage.

While Hugo Ekitike was confidently adding to his early Premier League goal tally with this instinctive finish, Beto was attempting to scrap his way into the fierce contest, but the 27-year-old was ultimately far too passive.

Beto would only complete two accurate passes all match, as per Sofascore, while only successfully winning two aerial duels as an isolated figure in Moyes’ attack.

In matches to come, Moyes could potentially have a rethink as to who he starts as the leading man in the Toffees attack, with Thierno Barry also fading in and out of the hotly-contested affair when coming on for the Portuguese striker.

It wasn’t just the attack that would receive pelters at the final whistle, though, with an experienced Everton defender now looking to be on borrowed time under the Scotman after suffering a 2-1 loss to their arch rivals.

The 6/10 star on borrowed time under Moyes

Everton were dealt a two-goal sucker punch in the first half as Liverpool’s fast-paced play on the ball constantly caught out a slow Toffees defence.

Michael Keane definitely struggled in this regard throughout, with the former Burnley man failing to keep tight to Ekitike before he sealed the win for the Reds deep into the first half.

Keane – Stats
Stat	Keane
Minutes played	90
Goals scored	0
Assists	0
Touches	40
Accurate passes	27/32 (84%)
Clearances	4
Interceptions	2
Tackles	1
Total duels won	3/6
Stats by Sofascore

As noted above, Keane would only win 50% of his six duels during the hotly contested clash, with the experienced centre-back also only winning two tackles to try and keep a free-flowing Liverpool attack at bay.

It does only feel like a matter of time before the 6-foot-3 stalwart is out of Moyes’ starting XIs for good, with Jarrad Branthwaite nearly back up to full fitness, further troubling the 32-year-old’s long-term minutes in the main lineup.

After all, Moyes will see that he’s upgraded and progressed his side in the forward department, with faces such as Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall undoubtedly offering up plenty of quality, even if Beto disappeared at Anfield.

Moreover, it appears that the Toffees already have an experienced head in the heart of defence that still has the legs to perform at the highest level in James Tarkowski, with the Everton captain winning eight duels when giving his all, despite the devastating final outcome.

While Keane would be gifted a 6/10 post-match rating by Liverpool World’s Will Rooney, it is now nine seasons and down for the 32-year-old in an Everton shirt, with a permanent change in defence perhaps now needed.

After failing to close down some seriously threatening Liverpool attackers and be authorative in the Merseyside Derby, his long-term minutes in the Toffees main XI week in week out must soon be up, especially when Branthwaite returns.

Moyes' own Richarlison: Everton are brewing a "menacing" new forward

Everton are redefining their attacking quality with David Moyes back at the helm.

By
Angus Sinclair

Sep 19, 2025

It’s been a pretty good start to the season for Arsenal so far this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side may have lost to Liverpool before the international break, but they did so due to a freak free-kick.

Moreover, they’ve won their other three Premier League games without conceding a goal and came out 2-0 winners from their Champions League opener last night.

Moreover, the team was seriously strengthened over the summer, with stars like Eberechi Eze coming in, although he ended up costing more than three other stars of the squad did combined.

Eze's start to life at Arsenal

While his £67.5m price tag means he is still some distance away from being Arsenal’s most expensive signing, there was still an expectation that Eze would be able to make a quick impact at the club this season.

After all, he’s Premier League proven and racked up a brilliant tally of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 games for Crystal Palace last season.

Unfortunately, although he did a couple of good things on his debut away to Liverpool, he was only given 20 minutes of action; therefore, it’s hard to take anything from that game.

However, he was handed his first start on the weekend, and considering he received an 8/10 match rating from Sam Tabuteau, it would be fair to say he made quite the impression.

His standout contribution came when he provided a brilliant assist for Viktor Gyokeres in the first minute of the second half, but he did so much more than that.

For example, he completed three dribbles, was accurate in 100% of his long balls, won two fouls and was generally a threat and positive outlet whenever he had the ball at his feet.

He wasn’t quite able to replicate this in Bilbao, though, as even though he didn’t put in a bad performance, he did struggle to have as much of an impact on the game.

In fact, in his 71 minutes of action, the Greenwich-born ace amassed a paltry combined expected goals and assist figure of 0.14, didn’t take a single shot on target and failed to create a big chance.

In short, we’ve seen what Eze can do at his best in the game against Forest, but we’ve also seen how starting out wide can sometimes cause him to fade out of games.

Arteta will be hoping to see more of the former for the price the Englishman cost, although the price of players doesn’t always reflect their ability, as a trio of Arsenal stars somehow cost the club less than Eze combined.

The Arsenal trio who cost less than Eze

Arsenal have made more than their fair share of bargain signings over the years, from Gabriel Martinelli to David Raya and even arguably Jurrien Timber.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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However, in this instance, we are talking about the defensive trio of William Saliba, who cost around £27m, Gabriel Maghalese, who cost £23m and Cristhian Mosquera, who cost just £13m.

In other words, the Gunners formed one of the best centre-back pairings in world football and signed an incredibly exciting prospect for a combined price of just £63m.

Let’s start with Saliba and Gabriel, as even though the North Londoners team is full of important players, an argument could be made that they are the most important.

They’ve now played 118 games together, winning 77 of them, drawing 18, losing 23 and averaging 2.11 points per game.

Saliba & Gabriel

Appearances

118

Minutes

9819′

Wins

77

Draws

18

Losses

23

Points per Game

2.11

Goals Conceded

113

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, the outrageously impressive pairing has only conceded 113 goals in that time, and it feels like they could let in even fewer this season.

Moving on to the young Spaniard, and while it is early, he’s already shown enough to convince some fans that he is going to be a superstar.

For example, in the game against Bilbao, the defensive “monster,” as dubbed by one analyst, made six clearances, took 93 touches, made one tackle and was accurate in 75 of 79 passes.

Moreover, FBref already rank him in the top 7% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for ball recoveries, meaning he can be relied upon to put out fires.

Ultimately, Arsenal have managed to sign two of the best defenders in the world and one of the most exciting up-and-coming defenders for less than Eze’s transfer fee, which is business that should be applauded.

Related Fewer touches than Raya: Arteta must drop 4/10 Arsenal star after Bilbao

Arsenal came through a tough clash with Athletic Club in the Champions League.

Posts 6 ByMatt Dawson Sep 17, 2025

Sunderland’s memorable summer of spending could be set to continue, with the Black Cats targeting a move for a Premier League player.

Chris Rigg signs new Sunderland deal

It has been a summer to remember at the Stadium of Light, with so many new faces arriving at the club to bolster the Black Cats’ chances of avoiding relegation back to the Championship.

However, having already lost Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund, it was equally important that Sunderland kept hold of youngster Chris Rigg, and they have done just that, tying him down to a new long-term deal, much to his happiness.

“It feels great to sign this new contract. There was only ever one ambition I had, and that was to agree a long-term deal here. It’s been an incredible journey since I made my debut at 15, and I love playing here and being here every day, so I’m absolutely buzzing.

“The past couple of years have flown by – it only feels like yesterday that I made my Championship debut, and a couple of weeks ago I made my Premier League debut. It feels unreal, and I couldn’t have asked for more. I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped me, and I’m so proud to be part of this team and this Club.”

It’s now a case of potentially striking some late summer business for Sunderland, with an encouraging new update emerging in that respect.

Sunderland make offer for "stylish" defender

According to journalist Santi Aouna on X, Sunderland have submitted an offer for West Ham centre-back Nayef Aguerd, amid strong interest from Marseille.

“L’OM has accelerated in recent hours on Nayef Aguerd. Discussions ongoing with West Ham. His possible arrival at L’OM is independent of that of Joel Ordonez. In parallel, Sunderland is pushing and has officially submitted an offer to West Ham for the Moroccan.”

The £50,000-a-week Aguerd could be a shrewd signing for Sunderland, with the 29-year-old such an experienced player – one who helped Morocco reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup against all odds.

Granted, the West Ham man has played both Premier League games this season, with the Hammers conceding eight goals, but he may like the idea of getting out of the mess at the London Stadium and joining a more positive Sunderland side.

The 55-cap Moroccan would add depth and nous to Regis Le Bris’ back-line, having been praised by David Moyes when he brought him to West Ham initially.

“We really wanted to buy him two years ago. He’s a really good player, really good on the ball, stylish. He’s got some really good attributes and I think he will big a plus to us.”

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Aguerd wouldn’t necessarily be a guaranteed starter for Sunderland, but given his experience, he would be such a strong addition in Sunderland’s quest to stay in the Premier League, potentially breaking into the team on a regular basis.

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Dudu novamente fez história pelo Palmeiras. O atacante alcançou a marca história de 100 assistências pelo clube na vitória por 3 a 1 diante do Coritiba no último domingo (4), no Allianz Parque, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, quando deu passe para um dos gols de Rony.

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+ Leila Pereira explica por que o Palmeiras entrou com ação milionária contra a WTorre: ‘Clube não recebe nada’

No Verdão desde 2015, o camisa 7 já alcançou vários recordes, liderando quase todas as estatísticas. Com 87 gols marcados, Dudu é o 21º maior artilheiro da história do clube, ao lado de Ademar Pantera e Lara, já participou diretamente de 187 gols com a camisa alviverde, em 431 jogos, sendo 400 como titular.

Destas 87 bolas na rede, 51 foram válidas pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, o que torna o atacante o maior goleador do Palmeiras na era dos pontos corridos e o segundo em toda a história da competição pelo clube, atrás de César Maluco, que marcou 61 vezes, entre 1967 e 1974. Ainda, Dudu é o jogador com mais vitórias pelo Alviverde em Brasileirões, com 124, e o atleta que mais vezes vestiu a camisa do clube no Século XXI.

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No Allianz Parque, inaugurado em novembro de 2014, Dudu lidera os rankings de jogador com mais partidas (190), vitórias (136) e assistências (49), além de ser o segundo maior goleador, com 39 bolas na rede, uma a menos do que Raphael Veiga.

– É um baita orgulho atingir essa marca de 100 assistências pelo Palmeiras porque representa algo importante. Quem me conhece, quem trabalha no dia a dia sabe que eu sou um cara bem competitivo, até meio chato, pois sempre quero ganhar, mas nunca deixo o individual à frente do coletivo. Óbvio que fazer gol é o principal objetivo de todos, mas quando eu tenho a oportunidade de passar a bola para um companheiro melhor posicionado, não penso duas vezes – disse Dudu.

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+ OLHAR DO PORCO: Abel Ferreira avisa que não irá mudar comportamento no Palmeiras

Ao todo, o atleta já soma 11 títulos, estando a apenas um de empatar com os líderes do ranking: Ademir da Guia e Junqueira. Os troféus levantados pelo camisa sete são: Brasileiros (2016, 2018 e 2022), duas Libertadores (2020 e 2021), uma Copa do Brasil (2015), três Paulistas (2020, 2022 e 2023), uma Recopa Sul-Americana (2022) e uma Supercopa do Brasil (2023).

Assistências de Dudu ano a ano:

2023: 5
2022: 13
2021: 4
2020: 3
2019: 18
2018: 19
2017: 12
2016: 12
2015: 14

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Palmeiras

For Afghanistan’s women cricketers, their first competitive match since escaping oppression in their home country represents a significant step in their sporting journey – although the path ahead may not be the one they envisaged before.Thursday’s T20 against Cricket Without Borders at Junction Oval falls on the same day as the start of the day-night Women’s Ashes Test at the nearby MCG and is a platform for them to not only play the game – something which is now banned under Afghanistan’s Taliban government – but to remind the world that they exist.So what are the ways forward?

Playing as Afghanistan Women

Against Cricket Without Borders, the players will compete as the Afghanistan Women’s XI as opposed to Afghanistan Women and wear a kit specifically designed for the match as opposed to a national team uniform.Mel Jones, the commentator who was instrumental in helping the formerly contracted Afghanistan Women’s team players escape their country after the Taliban took over in 2021, says that until the ICC recognises them as a national team, those differences are likely to remain.The Afghanistan Cricket Board and ICC say they cannot do so as it would contravene the country’s laws. This is why Afghanistan have been allowed to retain ICC membership, despite not currently fulfilling the requirement to commit to developing women’s cricket.Firooza Amiri and Nahida Sapan pose in their playing shirts ahead of the Afghanistan Women’s XI match•Getty Images

The ICC are a member-led organisation, bound by the vote of its member boards and, if the boards who support recognising an Afghanistan Women’s team are in the minority, the governing body can argue its hands are tied.”Anything to do with these players as a team would be their own individual team,” Jones told ESPNcricinfo’s Powerplay podcast. “They won’t play underneath the ACB or the Afghanistan flag as a side.”But what we’re trying to navigate at the moment is how can we allow them the opportunity of still feeling part of their country while not saying that they’re the Afghanistan Women’s cricket team because my understanding is that that will never be the case.”That is really, really tough for them as a group to try and understand. I still don’t think most of them have got their heads around that at the moment, and that just adds to the trauma. I think, hopefully, that they themselves know that they were the contracted players, the contracted Afghanistan women’s players at the fall of Afghanistan, and they get an opportunity to once again play, for the first time really, as that group.”Related

• Human Rights Watch asks ICC to suspend Afghanistan's membership

• Rain threatens high-stakes Afghanistan vs Australia contest

• Afghan women have few rights under Taliban rule, but does sanctioning the men's cricket team help them?

• England-Afghanistan to go ahead despite ECB speaking out over 'gender apartheid'

• Pressure mounts on ICC amid Afghanistan women's fundraising drive

Jones acknowledged the complexities of the sport’s governance, but highlighted the need for discussion. She credited Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s outgoing CEO, for meeting the players on several occasions and listening to their concerns.”The ability to sit down and listen has made such a difference to this group, and that’s probably the one piece that I would say we’ve been really bad at over the last four years, is that people turn their back on that conversation,” Jones said.”I would hope that if we learn anything from this, if something like this happens again, that we just don’t turn our back on people and hope that silence will make it go away because it just doesn’t.”

Refugee team

In July 2024, 17 players, contracted by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2020 before the Taliban takeover asked the ICC to assist them in setting up a refugee team based in Australia and administered by the East Asian Cricket office based at Cricket Australia. There has been no formal response to that request.In the meantime, one sticking point to fielding a refugee team is that, unlike the Olympic refugee team, which comprises individual athletes from various countries, this team is from only one nation. Any refugee team would have to be open to players in exile from other countries, unless this team is recognised purely as the Afghanistan Refugee team.Even then, the fact that some of the exiled Afghan players reside in the UK and Canada poses logistical challenges for bringing the team together, particularly without the funding to do so.