Dean Henderson paid £1,000 to cover the bar tab of Crystal Palace supporters after delivering penalty shootout heroics in the Community Shield.
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“When I fell, I felt more frustration than pain,” says Delhi Capitals spinner
ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2020R Ashwin might be back in action for Delhi Capitals sooner than expected after dislocating his left shoulder in his team’s IPL 2020 opener against Kings XI Punjab, with his scan reports “encouraging”. He also said, on social media, between Monday and Tuesday, that the pain in the injured shoulder has “settled down” and “the stiffness and inflammation around it, I hope, will go away”.The incident took place on the last ball of the sixth over of the Kings XI innings on Sunday, Ashwin’s first over of the game, in which he had already sent back Karun Nair and Nicholas Pooran to give the Capitals a distinct edge. Glenn Maxwell, the new man in at the fall of Pooran’s wicket, drove the ball, Ashwin dived, and looked in pain straightaway after landing awkwardly. Patrick Farhart, the team physio, reached Ashwin on cue, and the bowler went off with his left arm in a makeshift sling, fashioned from his team jersey.For him, as Ashwin put it in a video on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, it was “more frustration than pain”, the injury coming as it did immediately on his return to action.ALSO READ: Injurywatch – when will Williamson, Ashwin, Marsh return?“My shoulder bone popped after I fell, so I was in a lot of pain. But the beauty of it was our physio and team doctor made me lie down and clicked my shoulder and popped it back into the ball socket,” Ashwin said. “During the last six months, I was bowling at home, and I know I was looking forward to the tournament. When I fell, I felt more frustration than pain. Maybe because of that you would have seen those emotions on my face.”The scan, which Ashwin was encouraged by, was conducted on Tuesday morning. “I had a scan this morning. Usually when the ball pops out of the socket, there can be a tear or damage. But the ball popped back into its place since my shoulder and elbows are hyper-mobile, so the stiffness and inflammation around it, I hope, will go away.”The Capitals won that game after it ended in a tie and Kagiso Rabada bowled a Super Over to remember, and Shreyas Iyer, their captain, sounded a positive note on Ashwin after the game. “I briefly spoke to Ashwin, and Ashwin said he’ll be ready for the next game, but at the end of the day it’s the physio’s decision. He [Ashwin] is a strong-minded guy, and hopefully he’ll be available,” he told the host broadvaster.The Capitals’ next game is against Chennai Super Kings on September 25 in Dubai.
Gonzalo Garcia is set to stay at Real Madrid after his heroics at the Club World Cup, with talks progressing over a new contract and shirt number.
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There's no doubting the fact that Gary O'Neil has enjoyed an excellent first season at Wolverhampton Wanderers, taking the Midlands club from relegation battlers to potential top-half finishers in the Premier League. It's the type of success which may see the former Bournemouth boss rewarded with a busy summer transfer window.
Wolves' biggest concern right now away from the excitement of potential incomings should be the future of Pedro Neto. After the winger's incredible campaign, in which he has scored three times and assisted a further 11 goals, the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are already beginning to circle over a deal that could be worth as much as £60m this summer.
Wolves are, of course, already familiar with the feeling of bidding farewell to star players, having waved goodbye to Ruben Neves last season and players of Diogo Jota's calibre to Liverpool in the past. Now, it looks as though Neto will follow suit.
Those in the Midlands will at least get a preview of life without the Portugal international, with O'Neil confirming that he is likely to miss the remainder of the season through injury.
If Neto does leave, however, then Wolves will have an increased budget to turn their attention towards incomings, which could include an upgrade on Jose Sa. According to Graeme Bailey for HITC, O'Neil and Wolves now want to sign Brazil international "Bento" Matheus Krepski, who starred as his country defeated England at Wembley 1-0, courtesy of wonderkid Endrick's first ever goal for Brazil.
Wolves may have a "dominant" Toti partner just waiting to be unleashed
Wolves may have an ideal partner for Toti who is shining out on loan at the minute
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Ross Kilvington
Mar 28, 2024
Worth £15m at Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense, Wolves face a fight if they pursue a deal to sign Bento this summer, with Chelsea and Nottingham Forest also interested in a deal. For such a low price, there's no doubt that it's one Wolves should be going after in the coming months.
Jose Sa, now 31-years-old, has struggled at times this season with his three errors leading to goal highlighting that struggle for all to see in the Midlands. And those errors show that the Portuguese shot-stopper is slowly edging past his prime, leaving Wolves with a decision to make this summer, which is where Bento should come in. Football writer Zach Lowy will certainly be keeping an eye on the shot-stopper this summer, having sung his praises on X this season.
The Brazil international impressed at Wembley, keeping a clean sheet against an England side with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden gunning for goal. Given that his price tag sits at just £15m too, Wolves would be wise to make their move ahead of both Chelsea and Midlands rivals Forest.
Legspinner adds another milestone to fairytale career
ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2020Forty-eight-year-old legspinner Pravin Tambe has added another milestone in a fairytale career, becoming the first Indian player to play in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He was picked in the Trinbago Knight Riders’ (TKR’s) starting XI against St Lucia Zouks on Wednesday, as one of three spinners alongside Fawad Ahmed and Khary Pierre.Sunny Sohal, the 32-year-old former India U-19 player, who played for three IPL franchises in its early years, had played for Barbados Tridents in the 2018 edition of the CPL, but had been picked as a US national at the time.Tambe, who had never played any senior-level cricket till he was picked in IPL 2013 by the Rajasthan Royals aged 41, also becomes the oldest player to debut in the tournament. He had come to the fore in the erstwhile Champions League T20 tournament in 2013, where he finished as the highest wicket-taker and was consequently called up to Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad that year.ALSO READ: The wait pays off for TambeTambe was one of two Indian players – Asad Khan being the other – who had entered the CPL draft earlier this year. Indian players are currently not allowed play in overseas leagues unless they have retired from domestic cricket, which Tambe did in 2018 in order to take part in the unsanctioned T10 League.He was disqualified from playing in the IPL as a result, but curiously, Tambe was still allowed to register himself in the 2020 IPL auction, where he was picked up by TKR’s parent company for the Kolkata Knight Riders. That is understood to have happened because of an administrative error from the IPL governing council, who then withdrew his selection.
Tector, who has 20 T20I caps, and Curtis are part of the 22-man Irish group staying on-site at Ageas Bowl
Matt Roller28-Jul-2020Curtis Campher and Harry Tector are in line to make their Ireland ODI debuts against England on Thursday after being included in a 14-man squad for the first match of the series, which will kick off the Men’s World Cup Super League.Campher, a 21-year-old allrounder, toured England in 2018 with South Africa Under-19s, but decided earlier this year to use his mother’s Irish passport to boost his international prospects. He signed a development contract earlier this year and travelled with the Ireland Wolves on their A-team tour against Namibia before the pandemic struck.ALSO READ: Explainer: Men’s ODI World Cup Super LeagueAn attacking middle-order batsman, Tector has already won 20 T20I caps at the age of 20, but is now in line for a 50-over debut. He warmed up for the series with a pair of fifties – in Ireland’s intra-squad practice match and in their fixture against England Lions – and showcased his ability as a hitter in the T20I series against Afghanistan in March.The high-profile omission from the squad is Mark Adair, Ireland’s leading ODI wicket-taker in 2019. Adair got through eight overs against the Lions following an ankle surgery earlier this year, but is not yet fully fit after limited cricket so far this year.Ireland will name squads on a match-by-match basis, with a 22-man group staying on-site at the Ageas Bowl. Left-arm spinner George Dockrell and middle-order batsman Gary Wilson are also left among the reserves, with the selectors looking to give younger players an opportunity to bed into the international set-up.ALSO READ: TV umpires to call front-foot no-balls in ODI Super League“Curtis has impressed selectors and coaches with both his batting and bowling, played very well for the Ireland Wolves against Namibia in February, has trained well in recent weeks and provides a great balance to the side,” said Andrew White, the chairman of selectors. “Fans saw a little of what he can offer during the intra-squad match last Wednesday, and we believe he’ll be ready to step up if called upon.”Another exciting one for Irish fans is Harry Tector, who comes into the reckoning now to make his ODI debut. Harry has already featured in 20 T20 Internationals for Ireland, and has demonstrated during warm-up games and in training that he is ready for this format of the game. His half-century on Sunday was against an excellent attack, and demonstrated a maturity in his batting for a player so early in their career.”Our deliberations on selection took into account not only those two warm-up games, but also form shown earlier in the year before lockdown. In addition, we also took into account that we have a larger squad here than would be normal, so we decided on a side for the first game only at this point. This means that the eight players who miss out on this playing squad may still have an opportunity to feature in the series.”Ireland squad for first ODI: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig YoungReserves: Mark Adair, Peter Chase, George Dockrell, JJ Garth, Tyrone Kane, James McCollum, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson
Tom Brady has thanked David Beckham for “teaching” him “how to sing at a football match”, but the NFL legend “can’t repeat what was said”.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a solid debut season under the management of Gary O’Neil as the former Bournemouth boss has the Old Gold in a wonderful position to claim a top half finish in the Premier League.
Add to that a first FA Cup quarter-final since 2019, and it is evident whatever he is doing is working wonders this term.
The team spirit has been excellent and O’Neil has a core group of players he can work with in order to secure the club their highest league finish since they achieved a seventh-placed finish in the 2019/20 season under Nuno Espírito Santo.
Their attacking options have been key to this revival, as in previous seasons, certain players failed to pull their weight, including the likes of Diego Costa, Fabio Silva, and Raul Jimenez.
This term, however, Hwang Hee-Chan, Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto have been exceptional.
Between them this season, the aforementioned attacking trio have contributed 25 goals across all competitions, while in the Premier League, they have registered 18 assists, and it is clear that when fit, all three need to be starting for Wolves.
Since the start of the 2020/21 season, the club have struggled in the final third. Indeed, over the previous three campaigns, the Old Gold have scored just 36, 38 and 31 goals, ranking them in the bottom five teams in the table in each of those seasons.
Throughout 2023/24, O’Neil’s men have already netted 42 goals and with ten matches still to come, this will no doubt increase rapidly before the end of the term.
What a difference it makes to have reliable forwards who are effective in front of goal, and it makes up for the dismal players the club have signed since they were promoted to the top flight in 2018.
One name is arguably worse than the rest, especially considering how much was paid to sign him – Patrick Cutrone.
Santo led Wolves to a stunning seventh-place finish in their first season back in the Premier League during 2018/19, and he was looking to consolidate this with some quality signings that summer.
Jimenez, Neto and Leander Dendoncker were all new signings during the transfer window, but it was the capture of Cutrone which looked like the most exciting of the lot.
The Italian had been a regular for AC Milan during the previous two years and had scored 27 goals for the Serie A club in 90 appearances, hardly prolific by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a decent strike rate.
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Patrick Cutrone's career statistics |
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|---|---|---|
|
Clubs |
Games |
Goals |
|
AC Milan |
90 |
27 |
|
Como |
59 |
19 |
|
Fiorentina |
34 |
5 |
|
Empoli |
31 |
3 |
|
Wolves |
28 |
3 |
|
Valencia |
7 |
0 |
|
Via Transfermarkt |
||
Nuno decided to splash out £23m in order to secure his services ahead of their second season back in the top division and while it was an expensive deal, judging by his record in Italy, it looked like a shrewd one.
"Patrick is an exciting signing at a very exciting period for this football club,” said sporting director Kevin Thelwell, while he added that the club felt Cutrone “perfectly fits into our philosophy” as they looked ahead to a new season.
It soon became apparent that the lavish sum spent on the striker was going to be a waste of money, as he failed to settle in the Midlands.
Cutrone registered three assists during Wolves’ Europa League qualifiers, but it took him until mid-September to notch his first goal for the club, scoring against Chelsea in the Premier League.
The striker would only go on to score another two goals for the Old Gold during the first half of the season, before spending the rest of the term out on loan back in his homeland with Fiorentina.
Cutrone made only another four goalless appearances for Wolves during 2020/21, before sealing another temporary switch, this time joining Valencia in January 2021.
He finally departed for good in the summer of 2022, moving to Como 1907, and he later blamed Santo for his struggles in the Midlands, claiming that the former manager was “fixated” on playing his favourites, indicating that is why he played so little, and he also claimed that he “had to leave” the club after barely playing.
During his three-year spell at the Old Gold, Cutrone cost them a pretty penny and it would be yet another waste of money by the club on a player who promised so much upon his arrival in England.
Not only did Cutrone cost Wolves a staggering £23m back in 2019, but he was also earning £63k-per-week in wages at the club, which placed him as their fourth-highest earner during the 2019/20 season.
The striker only spent around 29 weeks at the club due to his various loan spells, which meant he took home £1.8m in wages across his three years from the Molineux side.
Add this to his transfer fee and Cutrone cost the Midlands side a grand total of £24.8m during his spell in the Premier League, an eye-watering sum, especially considering how poor his record was in front of goal.
Cutrone only managed to find the back of the net on three occasions during his stint in England and this meant he cost the club roughly £8.2m per goal.
What a waste of money for a player who could have shone in the top flight had he been given more opportunities to demonstrate his talents in front of goal.
Various managers after Santo have made their own mistakes in the transfer window, but O’Neil looks as though he will be avoiding splashing lavish sums such as this in order to improve his squad.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
There are plenty of sellable assets at the club which he could move on in the summer to register major profits and this in turn could see him strengthen in the summer.
The signing of Cutrone proves that splashing big on players from the continent can often backfire and end up costing the buying club millions for a woeful return in front of goal.
The offspinner speaks to Rohit Sharma on Dhoni’s future and India’s 2019 World Cup exit
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2020As far as Harbhajan Singh is concerned, MS Dhoni will never play for India again. Harbhajan, who trained with Dhoni in March at the Chennai Super Kings’ preparatory camp for the IPL, said the former India captain had “played enough” for India.Recently, as soon as the BCCI postponed the IPL indefinitely, the first question that popped up in Indian cricket was: what does this mean for Dhoni, who will turn 39 in July?India head coach Ravi Shastri had said that Dhoni, who has not played any cricket since last July, when India lost in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, would need to prove his form in the IPL to be in contention for selection in the T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia this October-November.Talking to Rohit Sharma, India’s vice-captain in limited-overs cricket, during an Instagram chat on Thursday, Harbhajan said the 2019 World Cup was where Dhoni might have ended his India career even though he would continue playing the IPL.”I was at the Chennai (Super Kings) camp, and a lot of people asked me, “Is Dhoni going to play? Will he be selected at the [T20] World Cup?” I said, “I don’t know, it’s up to him”. Whether he wants to play or not, it’s his decision,” Harbhajan told Sharma.ALSO READ: MS Dhoni hits the CSK nets“He [Dhoni] will 100% play the IPL, but does he want to play for India anymore, that’s the first thing we need to find out,” Harbhajan said. “Does he feel like it or not? As far as I know, he doesn’t want to. (he’s done playing for India), and as far as I know him, I don’t think he would want to wear the blue jersey again. When it comes to playing for India, I think he had decided that whichever was India’s last [2019] World Cup match was – final, semi-final – would be his last match too. That’s what I feel. A couple of people had told me, too, that this is how it will be.”Sharma said he and his India team-mates were not aware of Dhoni’s thought process after last year’s World Cup. “We have not got any news,” he said. “World Cup’s last match was in July, since then until now we have not heard any news. [So we] have no idea [about Dhoni].”Recalling the World Cup exit, Sharma regretted India’s bating in the first ten overs. India were 24 for 4 at the end of the first powerplay. Asked by Sharma to compare the limited-overs teams he was part of to the current one led by Virat Kohli, Harbhajan said India’s current white-ball teams were over-reliant on the top order, lacking consistent support from the middle order.”The current team, what I see from the outside, is too dependent on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. And the team doesn’t have a lot of self-belief. There are very good players for sure, but there’s no belief that if Virat and Rohit get out… 70% of the matches get out of our hands when that happens, it’s very rare for someone to come in lower down the order and win the game for us.Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma celebrate David Warner’s dismissal•BCCI
“But our team had that belief, that Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) will score the runs, if he doesn’t, Rahul Dravid will do it, someone or other will do it, there was that trust on each other. I don’t know… in this team, in matches where you (Sharma) or Virat have not scored runs, or there hasn’t been a partnership upfront, say you and Shikhar, so if three wickets fall at the start, the match is out of our hands. That’s one thing I think this team can improve on.”Harbhajan agreed with Sharma that India have the talent to win at least two of the next three World Cups (two T20 World Cups in 2020, 2021 and the 50-over World Cup in 2023) but wanted the players to carry their IPL success into international cricket and respond to pressure better.”The way the boys play – I see them in the IPL, somehow they don’t play the same way in international cricket,” Harbhajan said. “I don’t know whether that’s because of the pressure to keep their spots, but if they want to be big players, they have to play their natural games, what I see them playing in the IPL. In the IPL, they look like totally different players. They are hitting the same bowlers. Trent Boult plays here, Tim Southee plays here, Dale Steyn plays here, the best in the game play here. But maybe that’s the pressure of international cricket, maybe they are scared that they will lose their spots. That’s why they can’t play their games. So if they get ten games to settle down, at least they have a better chance.”
U.S. Soccer leveraged the relationship between two former Chelsea bosses to secure its highest profile men's team hire in years
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