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Celtic’s busy summer transfer activity continues, but a fair few more signings will be required before they commence their Scottish Premiership title defence against St Mirren in just three weeks’ time.

On Friday, it was confirmed that Nicolas Kühn had joined Como for a reported fee of £16.4m, one of the biggest sales in the club’s history.

Following the departure of Kyōgo Furuhashi in January, that is an enormous number of goals that have been taken out of Brendan Rodgers’ team in 2025, hence why they are in the market for attacking reinforcements.

Celtic's search for a striker

Few players in Celtic’s modern history are as universally beloved as Shunsuke Nakamura, who played for the club between 2005 and 2009.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

This is largely due to the fact that, as noted by content creator Jack Kenmare, the Japanese international is considered to be amongst the best free-kick takers of all-time.

During the 2006/07 season, Nakamura scored free-kicks home and away against Manchester United in the Champions League, including the only goal of a famous 1-0 win at Parkhead, before his free-kick at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock, coming in stoppage time no less, secured the title later in the campaign.

So now, could Celtic be about to land a brand-new dead-ball specialist?

Well, according to a report by Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Celtic are attempting to sign Giuseppe Ambrosino on a season-long loan from Napoli, alongside another more proven forward.

The 21-year-old has been with Napoli since the age of ten, but is yet to make a senior appearance for I Partenopei, loaned out to Como, Cittadella, Catanzaro and most recently Frosinone, scoring five goals as I Giallazzurri finished 15th in Serie B.

Thus, a move to Celtic would be a big step-up for Ambrosino, but he could prove to be a useful addition.

Why Celtic supporters should be excited about Giuseppe Ambrosino

As the table below outlines, Ambrosino – who has been dubbed a “free-kick specialist” by journalist Graeme McGarry – has not pulled up any trees at any of his various loan clubs, but has impressed while representing Italy’s youth teams at major tournaments.

Como

Serie B

4

1

Zero

Cittadella

Serie B

15

1

2

Catanzaro

Serie B

28

3

2

Frosinone

Serie B

36

5

4

Italy U20s

U20 World Cup &

U20 Elite League

12

4

3

Italy U21s

U21 Euros

11

2

1

As noted in the table, Ambrosino was a key figure in the Italy side that reached the U20 World Cup Final in Argentina last year, starting six of the seven matches, scoring against the Dominican Republic in Mendoza, as gli Azzurrini were defeated 1-0 by Uruguay in the final at Estadio Único.

Then, just last month, he represented Italy at the under-21 European Championships, featuring in all four matches, scoring a stupendous, trademark free-kick to force extra time, as his side were ultimately eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Germany in Dunajská Streda.

These performances have yielded plenty of praise, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout impressed by his “finishing, movement and work-rate”, labelling him “versatile” and “unique” forward.

So, while very little is known about Ambrosino, he is clearly a player of immense talent.

When the aforementioned Nakamura joined Celtic in 2005, arriving from Serie A side Reggina, he was very much an unknown too, but would depart a bona fide cult hero, a status that he retains to this day.

So, as the Hoops look to shop in Italy again, Ambrosino could become only the fifth Italian to represent the Celts, after Rolando Ugolini, Paolo Di Canio, Enrico Annoni and Massimo Donati.

Whether or not his career will take off in Glasgow remains to be seen, but who doesn’t love a free-kick specialist?

Idah upgrade: Celtic in the race to sign £6.8m "complete number 9"

As Brendan Rodgers seeks to add more attacking firepower to his Celtic squad, could the Hoops sign a “quality” striker even better than Adam Idah?

1 ByBen Gray Jul 11, 2025

India captain Rohit Sharma has admitted after a forgettable and India’s first ever 3-0 whitewash at home that he was “not at my best” as both captain and batter, and that his team “failed as a unit” because they made “lots of mistakes.”Chasing 147 to get any possible WTC points from a series already conceded, India crashed and burned to 121 all out against the spin of Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips.”Definitely, you know, something like this will be a very low point in my career, you know, having lost three games at home,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference. “And, yes, we, I fully take the responsibility for that as a captain and as a leader as well. I have not been at the best of my abilities right from the start of the series. And yeah, with the bat as well, I’ve not been good enough.”Related

• Why rank turners actually reduce India's home advantage

• Mitchell: 'We're just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world'

• Stats – Rohit's India make history, but of the unwanted kind

• WTC final scenarios – India need to beat Australia 4-0 to qualify on their own

• New Zealand do the unthinkable and hand India their first 3-0 whitewash at home

For a while, when Rishabh Pant was counterattacking with a 57-ball 64, there was hope for the hosts. But before that it was 29 for 5, and after Pant fell, to a contentious third-umpire’s decision, it all unravelled quite quickly. Rohit looked back on the series as a whole and felt let down by his own decision making.”Right from the start, I said it. You know, I made a decision about batting first on that Bangalore pitch, which was not right,” he said. “And certain tactical errors also, which didn’t go my way. You obviously take chances with those decisions. Sometimes it comes off. Sometimes it doesn’t. And this time around, it didn’t come off, the certain decisions that I took. So, yeah, I was not at my best of my leadership. And probably cost us the series as well.”Rohit’s poor series coincided with an excellent one for Tom Latham – who assumed full-time captaincy of the team just last month – and his men.”New Zealand played better than us throughout the series,” he said at the presentation. “There were lots of mistakes that we made throughout the series, and we have to accept it.Virat Kohli has also been going through a lull•AFP/Getty Images

“The first and the second Test, we didn’t put enough runs on the board in the first innings. And we were very much behind the game. This game, we got that 30 [28]-runs lead and we felt that we were a little bit ahead of the game. That target was chaseable. All we had to do was a little bit of application, which we failed to do as a unit.”Questions about Rohit’s own batting form have been cropping up this series. Apart from a 52 in the second innings of the first Test in Bengaluru, he has managed scores of 2, 0, 8, 18 and 11. On ESPNcricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar also spoke about Rohit’s captaincy, and what he called T20 tactics in a Test match.In this chase in Mumbai, Rohit hit two fours in a run-a-ball 11, but fell when he couldn’t get his favourite shot – the pull – right against Matt Henry.”Look, when you’re chasing a target like that, you want runs on the board as well. And that is something that was there in my mind,” Rohit said. “It just didn’t come off. When it doesn’t come off, it doesn’t look that great. There are certain ideas, certain methods that I go into bat with. Sometimes it doesn’t come off, and this series it hasn’t come off, which I am very disappointed with.”The other senior batter in the side – Virat Kohli (93 runs in six innings) – has also been going through a lull, which has forced a need for serious introspection. India will be facing the reigning Test match champions Australia in just over two weeks’ time.”Obviously, it’s [his and Kohli’s lack of runs] a cause of concern without a doubt,” Rohit said. “If the batters are not performing, that is a cause of concern. But what’s done is done now. I think as a player, as a captain, as a team, we all have to look forward and see how we can correct what we didn’t manage to achieve here. There is a good opportunity for us to go and do something really, really special in Australia.”But right now, it’s just trying to understand what we didn’t do right [against New Zealand], what are the things that we need to do better as a team. We made a lot of mistakes, so I think those mistakes need to be addressed and something that we will talk about. And then moving forward, when you land in Australia, I think it’s important to just focus on that particular series, the first Test match. You know, it’s a five Test match series, so it’s important to break down those Test series, those Test matches and focus on one Test and then just take it from there.”As always, there were positives. In the batting department as well, where the younger players – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and Washington Sundar showed, at various points, that runs could be scored on tough pitches.”Those guys showed how to bat on these surfaces,” Rohit said about the younger lot. “You have to be slightly ahead, and be proactive when you’re playing on a pitch like that. Which we all know. Which we have discussed many a time in the last three or four years. We are aware of what we need to do. It’s just that, this was an unfortunate series where it didn’t come off. We tried to do certain things, it didn’t come off. Which is why we lagged behind in the series.”

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney will now be known as Rob Mac. What prompted the Always Sunny In Philadelphia star's decision?

• Wrexham co-owner changes name
• McElhenney to go by Mac
• Wrexham preparing for Championship season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  McElhenney recently announced that he would instead be known as Rob Mac, after legally applying to change his name. The Wrexham co-owner has explained his reasons, with the alteration coming as a result of business considerations.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Entertainment
  

  THE EXPLANATION

  McElhenney has explained that the change is to make his name more accessible to potential foreign business partners. As he continues to do business in South America, he believes his multi-syllabic name could cause issues.

  He told Variety: “As our business and our storytelling is expanding into other regions of the world and other languages in which my name is even harder to pronounce, I'm just going by Rob Mac.”

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Wrexham have enjoyed a rapid rise up the English Football League and are now preparing for life in the Championship. Mac and Ryan Reynolds set out a dream to reach the Premier League, and are now just one promotion away from reaching the promised land.

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Wrexham face Southampton on August 9 as they begin their Championship journey.

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet sport： Você apostou na vitória do Palmeiras? O time não correspondeu em campo e não conseguiu dar o resultado esperado. Nem seguindo as dicas dos melhores tipster você terá a chance de prever o futuro. Agora que a grana está curta, é um bom momento para considerar como evitar que isso ocorra novamente.

da premier bet： NinjaBet.com.br e o Matched Bettiing chegaram ao Brasil com a missão de virar as chances a seu favor. Não precisa continuar perdendo a metade do valor apostado. Ao contrário, faça as apostas de um jeito inteligente e consiga ganhos calculados com cada aposta feita nas plataformas online.

Conheça as cinco melhores maneiras de ganhar com as apostas esportivas!

O que é o  Matched Betting?

O Matched Betting baseia-se  em usar os bônus oferecidos pelas casas de apostas esportivas em dinheiro real, que você pode resgatar. O processo é feito através de apostas opostas com vários bookmakers. Cobrindo todos os resultados possíveis com apostas cuidadosamente calculadas. Os matched bettors conseguem eliminar os riscos, garantindo ganhos, sem importar o resultado do evento.

Vamos supor que no próximo jogo do Palmeiras você faz uma aposta em um bookmaker pelo resultado de mais de 2.5 gols, e em outra plataforma aposta em um número menor. Fazendo isso, vai conseguir uma aposta vencedora e outra perdedora. Dessas duas apostas, na verdade conseguirá ganhar pouco ou nada, mas com elas vai cumprir as condições da casa de apostas para resgatar seu bônus em dinheiro real.

Uma das vantagens mais significativas do Matched Betting é que, virtualmente qualquer pessoa maior de 18 anos pode se beneficiar do sistema. Sem ter qualquer conhecimento prévio do mundo dos esportes, pode usar as estratégias do Matched Betting para gerar uma renda constante, aumentando assim sua renda mensal.

O Matched Betting começou no Reino Unido há mais de uma década. No ano de 2016, essa técnica matemática foi introduzida na Itália pela plataforma NinjaBet.it. Em seguida foi para Espanha, Alemanha, América Latina e nos Estados Unidos. Em 2022, com o lançamento de NinjaBet.com.br,  o Matched Betting finalmente chegou no Brasil também.

O NinjaBet.com.br faz um processo simples para você começar a praticar Matched Betting, tirando fora qualquer dúvida que venha a ter. Encontrar as melhores cotações e a análise de dados são ações feitas em questão de segundos. Ele ajuda também a reduzir o risco de erro humano ao fazer esse tipo de atividade online, maximizando a rentabilidade possível.

O que é uma Surebet?

Surebet, também conhecida como aposta segura, é um termo utilizado para definir uma técnica de aposta onde é impossível o apostador sair no prejuízo. Este método aproveita a diferença entre as cotas oferecidas pelas casas de apostas, permitindo aos apostadores encontrar situações nas quais são feitas apostas em todos os resultados,  sempre haverá um ganho.

Ao contrário do Matched Betting, onde os ganhos são através dos bônus, é preciso confiar nas diferenças das odds para gerar ganhos.

Para encontrar oportunidades de surebet, os apostadores precisam de comparar as cotas em múltiplas plataformas de apostas ou usar algum software especializado que busque discrepâncias nas cotas. As oportunidades de Surebet são raras, porém quando aparecem devem ser aproveitadas imediatamente, antes que os sites ajustem suas cotas.

Tanto o Matched Betting e Sure-Betting são estratégias que se focam em explorar as diferenças das cotas e ofertas em vez de confiar em conhecimentos esportivos ou na predição de resultados. Precisam de um planejamento cuidadoso, execução precisa e monitoramento de múltiplas plataformas de apostas.

O que são as Valuebet?

As valuebets são uma situação em que julgamos que a odd oferecida por uma casa de apostas representa uma probabilidade menor do que aquela que achamos que irá acontecer na realidade num evento.

Para implementar a estratégia da value-betting, os apostadores precisam pesquisar, analisar estatísticas e avaliar a probabilidade de diferentes resultados. Ao identificar situações onde as odds dos bookmakers estão menosprezando um resultado particular, os apostadores podem potencialmente encontrar valor e gerar ganhos no longo prazo. Para fazer Value betting é necessário ter habilidade de avaliação e um entendimento profundo sobre esportes ou ligas particulares onde se está apostando.

Existem softwares especializados que analisam as cotas e identificam oportunidades para fazer value betting. Essas ferramentas usualmente integram modelos estatísticos, dados históricos e algoritmos avançados que analisam a probabilidade de um resultado e as compara com as odds dos bookmakers. Podem ajudar os apostadores rapidamente identificando valor potencial entre esportes e mercados.

Outro modo de encontrar boas oportunidades de value bets é usar exchanges de apostas. Permitem aos usuários apostar entre eles, oferecendo a oportunidades de apostar a favor e contra. Estas exchanges usualmente oferecem melhores odds em comparação com as casas de apostas tradicionais, tornando mais fácil, aplicar as value bets. Adicionalmente, algumas exchanges de apostas oferecem estatísticas que ajudam os usuários a identificar essas oportunidades.

O que é Middle bet?

Um “middle bet” envolve fazer duas apostas no mesmo evento com diferentes resultados ou diferença de pontos, tentando se beneficiar de um rango de pontos ou resultado específico entre as duas apostas. As middle tipicamente surgem de variações nos pontos ou totais oferecidos por diferentes casas de apostas.

Ao contrário das surebets, as middle não garantem ganhos em todos os cenários. Estas confiam em resultados específicos que caem entre um rango delimitado para gerar ganhos. Se o resultado final cai fora desse rango, o bettor pode gerar uma perda ou apenas recuperar o investimento.

As middle precisam de uma seleção cuidadosa, já que nem todas as partidas oferecem oportunidades aproveitáveis. Envolve dar seguimento e identificar diferenças de pontos aproveitáveis que permitem um rango potencial de resultados. As middle exitosas dependem de fazer apostas exatas e usualmente requerem um entendimento profundo dos esportes ou mercados onde se aposta.

A diferença das surebets onde todos os resultados ficam cobertos, as middle envolve medir o risco e buscar resultados dentro de um determinado rango. Digamos que no próximo jogo do palmeiras tem uma cota de 2.20 para o resultado menos de 3.5 gols com uma casa. Com outro bookmaker tem uma cota de 2.20 para o mercado de mais de 4.5 gols. Quando faz uma aposta de R$ 1 mil em ambos resultados (um total de R$2 mil), teria um total de R$2,2 mil se qualquer das apostas resultasse vencedora – o que significa que gerou um ganhos de R$ 200 em qualquer dos cenários. Sem embargo, se o jogo finalizar exatamente com quatro gols, perderia ambas apostas.

O que são dropping odds?

Dropping odds se refere ao movimento das cotas no tempo, especificamente quando as cotas de um resultado particular decrescem ou ‘caem (drop)’ entre diferentes casas de apostas. Esse movimento tipicamente ocorre por mudanças nas condições no mercado, como alta atividade de apostas ou nova informação que impacta a probabilidade percebida de um evento.

Apesar de alguns apostadores consideram as dropping odds como parte de sua estratégia, é importante entender que por sua conta, isso não o faz um método garantido de gerar ganhos com as apostas esportivas.

Por um lado, as dropping odds podem algumas vezes indicar que os bookmakers receberam nova informação ou que houve uma mudança significativa na percepção do mercado. Bettors que ficam informados e têm a possibilidade de reagir rapidamente a essas mudanças podem encontrar valor em apostar a essas cotas. Sem embargo, é essencial ser cauteloso, já que as razões para que se apresentem essas mudanças podem não sempre ser refletidas nas novas odds.

Na maioria dos casos, os bookmakers ajustam suas cotas baseando-se em patrones de apostas e condições de mercado. Como resultado, as dropping odds tem a tendência de refletir o consenso do mercado de apostas. Porém, encontrar valor somente com o seguimento das dropping odds pode ser um desafio, já que as casas de apostas tipicamente pegam esses fatos em conta no momento de fazer decisões.

Algumas casas de apostas monitoram as dropping odds e as ajustam apropriadamente. Podem também limitar o valor máximo de aposta ou até suspender as apostas em certos eventos se suspeitarem de qualquer atividade irregular. Isso pode fazer difícil aproveitar as dropping odds de modo constante.

Apesar de que o seguimento as dropping odds, pode dar uma ideia do movimento do mercado e de possíveis oportunidades, é fundamental apoiar isso com outra forma de análise, como pesquisar, modelos estatísticos ou opiniões espertas. É também importante administrar seu orçamento responsavelmente e ser consciente dos riscos envolvidos.

Em resumo

Existem várias estratégias que podem ajudá-lo a conseguir sucesso com as apostas esportivas. Algumas estão baseadas meramente em técnicas matemáticas e cálculos e não precisa que tenha conhecimentos esportivos de algum tipo. Outras, no entanto, requerem que você tenha conhecimentos fortes sobre o esporte onde estiver apostando.

Nós sugerimos que você comece sua viagem nas apostas esportivas com o Matched Betting. Esse método permite a você ganhar até R$ 2 mil por mês e é uma grande introdução ao mundo das oportunidades de apostas online, que podem se tornar grandes ganhos. Para começar, cadastre uma conta GRÁTIS com a Ninjabet.com.br e ganhe seus primeiros R$ 50.

Germany overcame the first-half dismissal of Katrin Hendrich, to beat France 6-5 on penalties after battling to a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Hendrich shown red for nonsensical hair pullBerger makes scarcely believable save in extra timeFrance have two goals disallowedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportTELL ME MORE

All hope looked lost for Germany just 10 minutes into the game, when a VAR check, seemingly out of nowhere, revealed Kathrin Hendrich had inexplicably pulled Greidge Mbock's ponytail in her own area. Hendrich was correctly sent off, and France were gifted a penalty. Grace Geyoro dutifully converted, clipping her effort down the middle which grazed the palms of a diving Ann-Katrin Berger in the German goal.

Soon after, Sarai Linder left the pitch due to injury, robbing a rattled German side of one its leaders. Just as they looked down and out, Chelsea's Sjoeke Nüsken stole a march on her defender, flicking a whipped near post corner into the French net for the equalizer.

Soon after, the game fell into a familiar pattern with France dominating the ball with minimal incision, and Germany defending resolutely and looking for opportunities to counter.

On the stroke of halftime, it appeared France had re-established their lead, a slick move ending with Delphine Cascarino flicking a cross home from close-range. The goal was chalked off by the assistant referee, and the decision upheld by VAR.

Again France were denied by VAR in the second half, this time off the back of a lengthy check. Geyoro blasted home a rebound after Berger had denied Maelle Lakrar. The officials judged the France centre-back had then impeded the keeper's vision from an offside position in the ensuing scramble.

The German side must have thought their luck was changing, as the brilliant Jule Brand burst into the French box on the counter, drawing a clumsy challenge from Selma Bacha. A clear penalty, goalscorer Nüsken stepped up to the spot. Her effort was well struck, but a comfortable height for Pauline Peyraud-Magnin to dive down to her right, and parry the ball away.

Even that could not deflate the German side's resolute spirit, as they continued to rebuff France's attacks, despite Christian Wück's decision not to make a single substitute in the second half. Even with France ringing the changes, it was the Germans who looked fresher as the ref called time with the scores level.

AdvertisementEXTRA TIME AND PENALTIES

Neither team provided much impetus in the first half of extra time, with Germany again happy to sit in a iron-clad low block. France did not show the same industry in trying to break it down, content to hold onto possession and play for set pieces. One such opportunity saw Berger produce a mind-boggling safe. Diving back towards her own goal, the totemic keeper somehow dived full length to stop Janina Minge's looping header from nestling in her own net.

Germany's passion and fitness were undeniable, with blurs of white and black flying into tackles deep into the second half of extra time. The French players cut dejected figures, as despite all their possession, they could not breach the Nationalelf's rearguard action. A rasping effort from distance by Melvine Malard briefly looked like it had a chance to beat Berger, but the dipping shot clipped the top of the bar.

It seemed this team had a date with destiny, as Minge, Rebecca Knaak, and Linda Dallmann all converted their penalties with minimal fuss. Berger continued her heroics, saving from Amel Majri, after the French attacker's curious curved run-up. With the scores at 3-2 to Germany after three penalties a piece, Sara Däbritz's effort struck the woodwork, leaving the door open for Sandy Baltimore to level. The Chelsea star smashed home. Each side went blow-for-blow in sudden death, with Berger stepping up to convert Germany's fifth penalty. After Nüsken put her earlier miss behind her, it was left to France's Alice Sombath to take the fall. Her penalty was stopped by a diving Berger, and a famous win for the Nationalelf was sealed.

THE MVP

Ann-Katrin Berger: The inspirational stopper made seven saves during normal time, already the most of any keeper in a single game at Euro 2025. Her acrobatic stop in the first half of extra time defied the laws of gravity, while her shootout heroics took an already legendary performance into another stratosphere.

AFPTHE BIG LOSER

Kathrin Hendrich: What was the centre half thinking? The red-card incident was baffling, especially when you factor in Heidrich's vast experience in high pressure games. Her indignant reaction to the referee's decision was just as puzzling.

Two hot teams in the NL Central matchup tonight as the Cardinals host the Brewers in St. Louis.

After starting the season slowly, the Cardinals are now starting to click, winning six of their last seven games, including a three-game sweep of the Red Sox over the weekend. Through the first two weeks of May, the Cardinals have scored the fifth-most runs per game (5.58) and they will be looking to stretch their win streak to four at home tonight.

The Brewers are also coming in on a three-game win streak vs. the Royals. Milwaukee is averaging 4.25 runs per game across the first two weeks of May,

Freddy Peralta gets the start for the Brewers. Peralta faced this Cardinals lineup on April 9 and he struck out seven batters while allowing only one earned run across six innings pitched.

Jack Flaherty gets the start for the Cardinals. Flaherty has struggled mightily to start the season, with an ERA of 6.18 and an xERA of 6.07. He’s simply walking too many hitters, averaging 6.18 walks per nine innings. When these two faced off in April, Flaherty allowed six walks and he’s also coming off a start with five walks allowed vs. the Cubs. He’s allowed a home run in each of his last six consecutive starts. The Brewers have the eighth-best OBP and sixth-most walks vs. right-handed pitching this season.

Milwaukee looks in line to win this one, and there is some value on the moneyline at -115 and bettors should also consider backing the over. Games at Busch Stadium are averaging 10.63 runs this season, and the Milwaukee bullpen has been less than stellar for the month of May with an ERA of 4.57. The hot Cardinals offense should be able to put up some runs, too.

Bet: Over 8 (-110)

Tottenham Hotspur tabled a bid worth £50million ($68m) for Mohammed Kudus but West Ham have reportedly rejected it. Spurs, however, will return with a fresh bid soon as they have made the Ghanaian their number one priority in the transfer market after getting Thomas Frank's approval. Kudus wants to join the North London side this summer despite interest from Chelsea.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

Spurs table bid for KudusWest Ham rejected initial offerChelsea remain interested in the playerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , the Hammers received a £50m bid for their star player from Spurs but they have rejected the offer. Kudus' current contract runs until 2028 and the player reportedly has a release clause of £80m for European clubs, £85m for Premier League teams and £120m for Saudi clubs.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The report also adds that Kudus is keen on moving to the North London club after holding positive talks with the club. He has made up his mind to join the Spurs, despite strong interest from giants Chelsea. Other than the two London clubs, Kudus has also attracted interest from Manchester United and Newcastle United.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fabrizio Romano reports that despite the initial rejection from West Ham, Spurs are expected to come up with a fresh bid for the 24-year-old as they are determined to sign him after getting the green signal from new manager Thomas Frank.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

Spurs stars will report back to the club by next week before they play their first pre-season friendly against Reading on July 19.

Wade Gilbert, an authority on coaching who has worked with the All Blacks and Melbourne Storm, talks about what Cricket Australia need to do in the wake of the tampering scandal

Interview by Daniel Brettig29-May-2018You’ve just spent time with Cricket Australia, the coaching set-up and Justin Langer. A couple of months after Newlands, how do you think they are placed in terms of getting back on track?
They have good people, particularly with Justin in place. They have a leadership I’ve spent time around. The coaches and Cricket Australia’s leadership understand the significance of what happened and they are viewing it as an opportunity to reshape their identity a little bit and regain the trust of the cricket world and Australians in particular, so I’m really optimistic. I had some good time with Justin. We talked about his vision for the team. I’m excited to see what comes next.In the experience you’ve had with different sporting organisations, can you think of similar scenarios in sport where an organisation has faced a fairly cataclysmic cultural event it has had to come out of?
It was a very dramatic event. All sports seem to go through scandals at some point or another. Melbourne Storm with the salary cap, British and US cycling with doping and the Tour de France, and now in the United States we are going through some major scandals with gymnastics and swimming, sexual abuse scandals and things like that.Unfortunately it’s not all that unusual to have turmoil and scandal, but I think what happens is that you never really achieve the culture you want. The best organisations understand that it’s constant diligence, constantly trying to shape those environments towards what you want, but you never really get it. The moment you think, “Oh, we’ve got our culture now”, you’re in trouble. It’s about every day.[In South Africa], it wasn’t some sudden moment that caught everyone off guard. It’s “Yeah, in hindsight there were signs, we saw cracks, there were things starting to happen.” There’s the analogy of noticing a piece of trash outside your building, and you could pick it up but it’s just a small piece of trash, not the end of the world. But the little things we walk past every day that in the moment we don’t think are that big a deal – it’s all the little things that add up. That’s exactly what happened here, from what I can gather.”Smith and Warner have a tremendous amount of impact and wisdom and capital. That’s important for Cricket Australia. They’ll have opportunities to prove they deserve to be a part of that experience again”•AFP/Getty ImagesThere is some recent history around the culture of the Australian team – players suspended in India in 2013 and the effects that had. Does that speak to how this is a constant battle to stay ahead of these sorts of issues?
Definitely. In North America a few teams like the New England Patriots, the San Antonio Spurs, teams that are constantly competitive, they are constantly innovating, trying new things, replacing players. It’s an opportunity for CA, the team and the leadership to reset and be reminded that we have to be more diligent with helping our players and our organisation understand the significance of our position in Australian society, not take it for granted, and have more discipline.Langer is known for trying to take lessons from as far afield as possible, trying to learn as broadly as he can about how to build a team. Did you get that sense in talking with him?
He’s a great learner. He’s very open, very thoughtful, very serious about his craft, but also has tremendous perspective on life and tries to empower people around him to take ownership of that experience as well. He has a strong personality, a nice mix of strength and caring. That’s something I see with other great coaches I’ve been around. They are not too far at either extreme – they can be very strong and have very strong leadership and cultural conviction. There’s no doubt when they walk into a room who is in charge – but at the same time, he can step back and let others lead.Meditation is an important part of his life. Family is very important. So cricket matters, winning is important, but it’s more about winning the right way and honouring traditions and what cricket means to Australians. He understands that because he lived it. He had to battle to earn the privilege of being in that squad. I think he’s going to spend a lot of time trying to help the current team and the next generation really appreciate the significance of the honour they have – playing for Australia.Is there a bit of a balancing act for the coach and the team in terms of recognising the importance of their role and the honour of playing for Australia but also adjusting how they play on the field given the reputation they have developed among opposing teams?
They are going to have to re-earn trust. It’s going to be one moment at a time, one press conference at a time, one training session at a time, one match at a time, one ball at a time. It’s going to be hard and it’s going to take time. I think Justin understands that – it’s not a switch, like repainting a house or a room and now you’ve got a new colour. It’s all the little things, the little details, little moments, little behaviours, and that’s going to take time.There are expectations of the Australian team’s behaviour but also that they win.
I’ve spent time with the All Blacks, Olympic teams and other elite groups. Everybody wants to win, so it’s got to be bigger than winning. What I’ve seen among fans is that – I don’t want to say they’re okay with losing – if their team doesn’t win but their team fights with honour, they will understand.”We talked about why people in Australia care so much about cricket – because it’s part of the identity of what it means to be Australian”•Getty ImagesThere are some epic, phenomenal matches that you remember, but you don’t win. Fans appreciate that. Yes, that’s got to translate into wins at some point, but Australians aren’t going to abandon the team. It’s how we go about trying to win – that’s what’s more important and that’s what people are going to notice.At one of the coaching breakfasts you spoke at on this trip, you mentioned a book by Linda Swindling called . Did that concept get discussed?
We talked about why people in Australia care so much about cricket – because it’s part of the identity of what it means to be Australian. Playing cricket as a little kid on the beach – everyone has that image and those memories. Helping the players reconnect with that idea, of becoming your hero, and thinking back to when you first started to play and why, who you dreamed of emulating, because there’s a kid out there right now in that same moment and same kind of experience.It’s good that there was uproar about South Africa, because people cared so much.Do you have any thoughts about the reintegration of Steven Smith or David Warner, given what happened in South Africa?
That was talked about, for sure, and I think they will be given an opportunity to redeem themselves. They have a tremendous amount of impact and wisdom and capital. In a sense, that’s important for Cricket Australia. So I don’t think they’re just going to be discarded and forgotten. They’ll have opportunities, if they want to, to prove that they deserve to be a part of that experience again.Justin’s reaching out to all the players. He’s having those conversations, and what I like about him is, he’s not afraid to have an uncomfortable conversation with somebody. He understands that coaches build people. It’s all about relationships. You can argue that the sandpaper issue would not have happened if you had the right kinds of relationships in that team. Somebody in that room should have been courageous enough and have had the right kinds of relationships with the other guys to say, “No, that’s not going to happen, that’s not who we are or what we do.”The story of Richmond winning last year’s AFL premiership was a part of discussion in Brisbane also. Some lessons there for Australian cricket?
[Tim Livingstone, Richmond coaching manager] shared with Justin and CA some good examples of the types of things they do and how they navigated their crises.Every club that I’ve been around the last couple of weeks, we’ve shared the same message and had similar conversations. All around culture, people, relationships and the little things you do on a daily basis across your organisation that help strengthen relationships and trust. If you’re doing those things, you’re going to be fine. You’ll have good days and bad days and losses, but you’re just going to have a better environment. People are going to be more resilient. They’ll come back after a bad loss.Another part of your work is ensuring that coaches have their own support network around them, even as they go about supporting their players. Did you go through that with Justin?
We talked about that too. He’s going to be tested, he’s going to be frustrated at times. I think he will be fine, but we talked about how he’s going to need a board of advisors, just like corporations have a board of directors, people around him who we might call truth-tellers or energy-givers. Not just cricket people, people who will fill his tank and keep him honest and grounded. We did a little activity related to that and he’s identified people he needs to keep close to him who will keep him grounded, energised and fuelled.

عاد فرينكي دي يونج، لاعب خط وسط برشلونة للتشكيل الأساسي لفريقه ضد نيوكاسل يونايتد مساء أمس في الجولة الافتتاحية بمرحلة الدوري لدوري أبطال أوروبا بعد غيابه ضد فالنسيا للإصابة.

ولم يخيب دي يونج الآمال في وسط الملعب بجانب بيدري، حيث قدم أداء قويًا في وسط الملعب وساعد الفريق على الحفاظ على سيطرته على مجريات المباراة في معظم فتراتها.

وأشاد دي يونج بأداء ماركوس راشفورد والذي سجل هدفين ضد نيوكاسل يونايتد وقال لموقع “زيجو سبورت”: “أعتقد أن راشفورد شعر بالراحة هنا، سجل هدفين رائعين للغاية ونحن سعداء جداً من أجله”.

وعن أجواء ملعب سانت جيمس بارك أمس علق دي يونج: “سمعت الكثير عن الهولنديين الذين لعبوا في الدوري الإنجليزي، وعن أجوائه، أجواء رائعة عندما دخلنا الملعب، مشجعو كرة قدم حقيقيون، يتفاعلون مع لحظات المباراة وهناك شغف كبير ومن الممتع حقاً رؤية ذلك”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. أراوخو: نيوكاسل تسبب لي في تشنج.. وهدفهم عقد الأمور لـ برشلونة

واعترف دي يونج أن نيوكاسل ضغط بشكل جيد في المساحات الضيقة: “كنا نعلم مسبقاً أنها ستكون مباراة رائعة لأنهم يحبون الضغط العالي نحن بالطبع نرغب دائماً في اللعب والهجوم وهم لا يكثفون دفاعهم أيضاً، لذا كان هناك أسلوبان مختلفان، يعتمدون على القوة والتمريرات الموجهة للأمام بينما نلعب نحن أيضاً بسرعة ولكن من خلال التمريرات والفهم لذلك أعتقد انها كانت مباراة ممتعة للغاية”.

وتحدث دي يونج عن صعوبة اختراق ضغط نيوكاسل الديناميكي: “في بعض اللحظات نعم، لأنهم ضغطوا بشكل جيد لكن بشكل عام تعاملنا بشكل جيد، لو استفدنا بشكل أفضل من بعض الهجمات في النهاية وحول منطقة الجزاء لحصلنا على فرص أكثر، لكننا فزنا 2-1 ونحن راضون عن ذلك”.

وحول لياقة دي يونج البدنية أكد: “شعرت ببعض التعب في النهاية لكنني غبت لبضعة أيام ولم أتدرب مع الفريق إلا ليومين، لذا من الطبيعي أن أشعر بذلك، لقد تمكنت من الصمود بشكل جيد”.

وأتم دي يونج عن طموحات برشلونة في دوري أبطال أوروبا وأهمية احتلال مركز بين الثمانية الأوائل: “هذه المرحلة من البطولة مثيرة، نواجه منافسين مختلفين وهي أكثر ديناميكية وكل شيء وارد، يجب أن نضمن التأهل بين الثمانية الأوائل ونتطلع خطوة بخطوة للأمام”.

ويعتقد دي يونج أن زميله بيدري مرشح للفوز بالكرة الذهبية بجانب لامين يامال ورافينها وقال عن الفائز النهائي: “أتمنى أن يفوز بها أحد لاعبينا وإذا لم يحدث ذلك وفاز ديمبلي سأكون سعيداً من أجله لأنه زميلي السابق في الفريق ولدي علاقة جيدة معه ويستحقها”.

Mumbai have not bowled a lot of spin at home this IPL but RCB’s performance in the middle overs might make them change that

S Sudarshanan10-Apr-20242:47

How can Bumrah find assistance from fellow MI bowlers?

Match detailsMumbai Indians (MI) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)Big picture – Spin struggles of a different kind for MI and RCBThe security guards in the lower tier of the stands at the media end of Wankhede Stadium were kept busy on Wednesday. They all had ‘ball retrievers’ added to their job description for the evening.Faf du Plessis had two stints at the nets. Glenn Maxwell one, Cameron Green one, Mahipal Lomror, Rajat Patidar, Tom Curran, Suyash Prabhudessai all one. And the prime focus was facing hitting spin. RCB had a plethora of net bowlers bowling spin and the batters’ aim was to hit them as far as they could.In the IPL since 2021, spinners have had an economy rate of 7.82 at the Wankhede Stadium. In the middle overs (7 to 16), they have returned 109 wickets at an economy of rate 7.76.In IPL 2024, RCB have had a tough time against spinners in the middle overs. Their average of 50.75 for the loss of just four wickets may not be bad, but they have been the second-slowest scoring team against spin in that phase. Their strike rate of 125 is only better than KKR’s 122.68 in the middle overs. Among RCB batters who have faced at least ten balls of spin in the middle overs, only Patidar (171.42) and Virat Kohli (142.42) have a strike rate in excess of 110.Related

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All these point towards an area of weakness waiting to be exploited. However, Mumbai have not bowled a lot of spin at the Wankhede Stadium so far this year. Piyush Chawla and Mohammad Nabi combined for four overs in their previous outing, while Chawla was the lone spinner used for three overs against Rajasthan Royals. RCB’s training methods suggested that they are bracing for a bit of spin test come match day.So far in this IPL, Mumbai have bowled the least amount of spin – 18 overs of which Chawla has bowled 10. They have picked up just two wickets with spin and their economy rate of 11.22 is the worst among the teams this year.In case Mumbai do decide to employ more spin, they have left-arm spinner Shams Mulani and Kumar Karthikeya, who can spin it both ways, to turn to. Will Mumbai change their methods to exploit RCB’s potential problems?Form guideMumbai WLLL , 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Tim David, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 3:10

Moody: Green’s role in RCB has been confusing and unsettling

Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Glenn Maxwell’s low returns could tempt RCB into getting Will Jacks in the XI. Maxwell did manage to connect a few shots during nets, but has scores of 1, 0, 28, 3 and 0 in the season so far. RCB could also consider getting Suyash Prabhudessai in to shore up the lower order.Probable XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis (capt), 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell/Will Jacks, 5 Cameron Green, 6 , 7 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 8 Reece Topley, 9 Mayank Dagar, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yash Dayal, In the spotlight: Jasprit Bumrah and Cameron GreenThere has been a vast difference between Jasprit Bumrah and the other Mumbai bowlers. Bumrah has an average of 19.60 and an economy rate of 6.12 while the others have averaged 35.60 and leaked runs at over 11 an over. Teams have tried to see off Bumrah and attack the others, but as he showed against Capitals, how Mumbai spread his overs through the innings decides how much they manage to limit the damage.Cameron Green returns to the venue where he was immensely successful in IPL 2023 – 229 runs at an average of 76.33 and a strike rate of 172.18. Ahead of the season, he was traded by Mumbai to RCB, where he has been shunted up and down the batting order and is yet to have a telling impact with the bat. He had a short bowling spell on Wednesday after which he had a 20-minute batting stint in which he middled almost everything. Will he turn his IPL 2024 form around at the Wankhede Stadium?Stats that matter Kohli has been dismissed four times by Bumrah and three times by Chawla. But he strikes at over 152 against Bumrah and a shade over 130 against Chawla. Bumrah has also dismissed Maxwell five times in the IPL. Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan are only the second opening pair to score over 1200 runs for Mumbai Indians after Rohit and Quinton de Kock. Rohit and Kishan have 12 half-century opening stands, the most for Mumbai in the IPL. Mohammed Siraj is yet to dismiss Rohit in the IPL – 52 balls for 68 runs – while he has dismissed Kishan twice in 40 balls for 50 runs. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has a strike rate of 225.92 against Siraj – 61 runs off 27 balls, out once.Pitch and conditionsA new surface – next to the one on which the previous two games were played – is likely to be used on Thursday. It is not too far off from the middle and hence, the square boundaries should be more or less equidistant. Evenings in Mumbai have been pleasant even if the afternoons have become hot.Quotes”You could look at [clarity in finisher’s role] the other way and say that I get under pressure and the other guys have the freedom to go out and if they mess it up, then I come in after, so you can look at it from both sides.”
“The IP (Impact Player) rule gives an extra life to the team that is batting first or chasing, whatever the stage of the game might be. The interesting part is if teams are using overseas as impact player or local player. If it is a local player, I might have to lean on a few local players [in my team] and ask them what they do etc. The benefit for me playing a lot of leagues is that if it is overseas players [used as impact player], you are not underprepared because you are normally sat in a few meetings [in international cricket or franchise circuit].”