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And is Virat Kohli the fastest to 20 ODI centuries?

Steven Lynch12-Sep-2023I noticed that Jos Buttler captained England on his birthday recently. How rare is this? asked Jennifer Roberts from England
Jos Buttler skippered England in a one-day international against New Zealand last week in Cardiff on September 8, his 33rd birthday. Things started well as he top-scored for England with 72, but he ended up on the losing side.Captaining on a birthday is reasonably common: this was the 31st such instance in men’s ODIs, and it was followed next day by the 32nd – Dasun Shanaka skippered Sri Lanka against Bangladesh during the Asia Cup in Colombo on his 32nd birthday. The only other Englishman to do it was Andrew Strauss, in what ended up as a sensational defeat by Ireland during the World Cup in Bangalore on March 2, 2011, his 34th birthday.Tamim Iqbal has made something of a habit of this, captaining Bangladesh in three ODIs on his birthday (March 20) in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Viv Richards and Arjuna Ranatunga both did it twice.There have been 15 instances in men’s T20Is, including another one by Shanaka (in 2022), and one by New Zealand’s Tom Latham (April 2), who also did in an ODI.There have been more cases in Tests, but only 21 occasions when a captain had his birthday on the first day of the match, when he presumably tossed up. The first instance of this actually featured both skippers: on March 11, 1953, in Georgetown, Jeff Stollmeyer (West Indies) turned 32, and Vijay Hazare (India) 38.Virat Kohli captained India in a Test against South Africa in Mohali that started on his 27th birthday (November 5) in 2015, and in a T20I against Scotland on his 33rd, in Dubai during the 2021 World Cup.I read that Tim David was the first to play a one-day international having previously played T20s for a different country. Is that correct? asked Mason Edwards from Australia
It’s not quite true. The hard-hitting Tim David played his first one-day international for Australia last week, against South Africa in Bloemfontein last week. He had previously played 28 T20Is, the first 14 of them for Singapore, where he was born in 1996. The particular distinction achieved by David is that he is the first man who made his official international debut for a country that doesn’t play ODIs to appear in one, obviously after being selected by a country that does play them. (In case it helps the explanation, Mark Chapman, who is now playing for New Zealand, previously appeared for Hong Kong – but they did have ODI status, and he played two such matches for them, as well as 19 T20Is, before New Zealand chose him.)By a remarkable coincidence, the first woman to achieve this unusual double completed it on the same day as David: on September 9, Mahika Gaur made her ODI debut for England, against Sri Lanka in Chester-le Street, after 19 T20Is for United Arab Emirates (and two in recent weeks for England). The UAE’s women’s team does not have ODI status.Which man has the best bowling figures in The Hundred? asked James Narracott from England
The best bowling figures in the men’s Hundred are 5 for 11, by the South African-born Manchester Originals legspinner Calvin Harrison against Northern Superchargers at Old Trafford last month. Harrison bettered the mark set in 2022 by another Originals player, Josh Little, who took 5 for 13 against Oval Invincibles, also at Old Trafford.There have been three other five-fors, by Marchant de Lange (5 for 20 for Trent Rockets), Imran Tahir and Henry Brookes (who both took 5 for 25 for Birmingham Phoenix). For the full list, click here. The only bowler to take five wickets in an innings in the women’s Hundred is Fi Morris – 5 for 7 for Manchester Originals against Birmingham Phoenix at Old Trafford in 2023.Hashim Amla is the fastest to 20 ODI hundreds, getting there in 25 fewer innings than the next fastest, Virat Kohli•AFPVirat Kohli scored his 20th ODI hundred in his 133rd innings. Has anyone got to 20 faster than Virat? asked Vikram Ramaswamy from India
The only man to reach 20 one-day international centuries quicker than Virat Kohli’s 133 innings is the South African Hashim Amla, who got there in 108. In third place is Australia’s David Warner who scored his 20th century in his 142nd ODI innings, against South Africa in Bloemfontein last week.Only 12 others have scored as many as 20 centuries in ODIs. AB de Villiers reached the mark in 175 innings, Rohit Sharma in 183, Ross Taylor 195, Sachin Tendulkar 197, Sourav Ganguly 214, Herschelle Gibbs 217, Chris Gayle 226, Saeed Anwar 243, Ricky Ponting 244, Tillakaratne Dilshan 279, Sanath Jayasuriya 350 and Kumar Sangakkara 366.Both captains during India’s Asia Cup match against Nepal were called Rohit. How rare is this? asked Husein Bharmal from Oman
The captains in that Asia Cup match in Pallekele last week were Rohit Sharma of India and Rohit Paudel of Nepal. The only previous instance of the captains sharing the same first name in ODIs was in Perth in 1990-91, when Australia were skippered by Allan Border and England by Allan Lamb.Border and Lamb also opposed each other in one Test, in Brisbane a few weeks earlier; other instances involved Herbie Taylor (South Africa) and Herbie Collins (Australia) in three Tests in 1921-22, and Jack Ryder (Australia) and Jack White (England) in one match in 1928-29. The only case in T20Is was by Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) and Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan) in 2013-14.Molly Dive (Australia) and Molly Hide (England) opposed each other in four women’s Tests (three in 1948-49 and one in 1951), and Mary Duggan (England) and Mary Allitt (Australia) in three in 1963. Clare Connor (England) and Clare Shillington (Ireland) captained in an ODI in Pretoria during the 2005 World Cup. (I’ve tried to use the forenames by which the players were usually known, but nicknames or shortened versions of names might mean these lists are not quite complete, so, for example, Steve Waugh and Stephen Fleming did not show up in our query.)Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

His longer-format skills haven’t always translated to T20 success, but he’s raised his game to a new level this season

Sidharth Monga23-Oct-2020As a T20 death bowler, Mohammed Shami has his limitations. Unlike Jasprit Bumrah, he has an orthodox action. Unlike Mitchell Starc, he doesn’t bowl left-arm. Unlike Jofra Archer, he doesn’t bowl 150kph. Unlike Kagiso Rabada, his hard lengths tend to skid on because of his height. Unlike Dwayne Bravo, he doesn’t have fancy slower balls or the experience of having bowled in a million T20 leagues. Unlike in ODI cricket, the ball hardly reverses in 20-overs cricket. Shami’s predicament in the shortest format is not too different to Test legend Dale Steyn’s: take away some swing, add some seam, you have Shami.With that little going for him, Shami is still the Kings XI Punjab’s lead bowler. In a way, on the surface, Shami’s shortcomings show in the team’s overall results. In this IPL, one of his better years, Shami has conceded 12.60 per over in the death (last four) overs of innings. That’s the fifth-worst economy rate among those who have bowled at least five overs in that phase. And yet, Shami has been an essential part of the revival of the Kings XI’s campaign, which features wins over the top three sides in their last three games.In the match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shami contributed with the wicket of AB de Villiers, who had been held back because of the presence of two legspinners in the Kings XI attack. When the Royal Challengers felt the match-ups were right, though, Shami got de Villiers out with a slower short ball.Against the Mumbai Indians, Shami got the big wicket of Hardik Pandya with a hard-length ball in the 16th over, thus limiting the damage at the end of the innings. He conceded just 15 in his last two overs, the 16th and the 19th. And then he returned to bowl a Super Over for the ages with six yorkers to defend just five runs and take the match into the second Super Over, which the Kings XI won.

Shami's improvement since IPL 2019, & his great yorkers this season is a great encouragement to all of us that improvement, even at a later stage is not beyond any of us if we work hard at it.

— Ian bishop (@irbishi) October 20, 2020

Against the Delhi Capitals, Shami bowled the 18th and the 20th, conceding just 13 runs, taking out Marcus Stoinis with an attempted yorker and Shimron Hetmyer with a perfect one. The Capitals eventually ended short of a challenging total by ten runs, by the estimation of their captain Shreyas Iyer.It’s not just his economy of late, but also the wickets that Shami has been taking, which has helped take the heat off the other overs. He has taken nine wickets at the death in this IPL, behind only Rabada’s 11. It can be argued Rabada benefits from the pressure created by his excellent bowling unit whereas Shami’s wickets actually buy his colleagues some relief. Let us be wary of over-estimating the worth of wickets at the death, because teams keep on hitting regardless, but you are still better off – even if slightly – bowling to batsmen who are not de Villiers, Pandya, Stoinis or Hetmyer.Shami has turned it around with yorkers. Not even counting the six he nailed in the Super Over against Mumbai Indians, Shami has bowled a higher percentage of yorkers than Bumrah, Archer or Rabada. Only T Natarajan has bowled more yorkers than Shami at the death this IPL. And this is going by the definition of the yorker according to the pitch maps: within two metres of the stumps. Sometimes a batsman is charging at you, and you shorten the length to york him, which then ends up being counted as a slot ball. Shami has a few there that have resulted in dots or singles.The yorker is a risky delivery, which is why it is tried so rarely. The margin for error for someone like Bumrah is greater than that for Shami. The Super Over is a good example, where Bumrah got away with two full-tosses because his action gives you less time to react. Shami had to get each one of his yorkers right.ESPNcricinfo LtdIf you look at overall numbers and not just the death overs, Shami has had an impressive IPL. For starters, he has bowled hardly any easy overs: all but 36 of his deliveries have been bowled in the powerplay or at the death. That is why his economy rate of 8.43 needs to be put in perspective. Let our Smart Stats do it for you. His Smart Economy rate is 7.5; among those who have bowled at least 20 overs in this IPL, only six seamers have done better. Add to it 16 wickets, not one of which is of a tailender. That is why his Smart Wickets tally is greater than Rabada’s; at 18.74, it is only behind Archer’s 18.83.ESPNcricinfo LtdShami has not gone into the off-season and added a new ball or remodelled his action or approach. Perhaps he has practised his yorkers more this year. Perhaps this being the only cricket for a major part of this year has helped him. Perhaps the slower nature of the pitches in the UAE has given him a slightly bigger margin for error, and thus more confidence and clarity, to go for the yorkers. However, it seems the biggest difference is that he has been allowed to take absolute charge of his bowling. You look at KL Rahul, his captain, and you know there is zero micromanagement. Rahul’s interview after that Mumbai match said as much: Shami said he wanted to bowl six yorkers, and Rahul just discussed the fields with him.Shami has responded well to the responsibility. If the Kings XI continue to bat as well as they have in the last three games – especially the chaos that Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran have introduced to the middle overs – Shami and their death bowling remain key to their qualification chances. So far, Shami the death bowler has been the revelation of this IPL, but the test of all these revelations lies in over-exposure. We will know in the coming games, but to carry an attack such as Kings XI’s this far is an achievement that should not be written off.

Tilak Varma closed in on Travis Head’s top spot in T20I batting by going up from third place to No. 2

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-20252:04

Buttler: ‘Rashid is the most important player for us’

England legspinner Adil Rashid has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers, after his consistent performances in the first three games against India helped the visitors keep the series alive. Rashid starred with frugal figures of 1 for 15 from overs in the third game in Rajkot to register a 26-run win for his side. Prior to that, he had finished with 1 for 14 and 1 for 27 at the start of the five-match series.Rashid had first claimed the No. 1 ranking at the end of 2023 for about a year until Akeal Hosein had displaced him before Christmas in 2024.Varun Chakravarthy, who bagged a five-for in the third T20I on Tuesday, galloped 25 places to reach No. 5 place among the T20I bowlers whereas Jofra Archer went one place behind Varun by jumping 13 spots after taking five wickets in the three T20Is in India.Arshdeep Singh retained his ninth rank, Ravi Bishnoi slipped from fifth to 10th place whereas Axar Patel went up five spots to No. 11.Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings

Click here for the full player rankings

Among T20I batters, Tilak Varma closed in on Travis Head’s top spot by going up from third place to second with scores of 18, 72* and 19* so far in the series, although Head still leads by 23 points. If Tilak manages to overtake Head with good scores in the remaining two games while Head plays a Test series in Sri Lanka, he will become the youngest-ever player to top the rankings. Abhishek Sharma went up as many as 59 places but is still ranked 40th.Noman, Warrican rise in Test bowling rankingsPakistan left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who took a hat-trick in the second Test against West Indies, jumped four places to move to No. 5 among Test bowlers although Pakistan lost the match to see the series being leveled 1-1. West Indies’ Jomel Warrican rose 16 spots to be ranked 25th after his match haul of nine wickets compared to Noman’s 10.Jasprit Bumrah still leads the Test bowlers’ rankings while Joe Root is on top of the batters’ list.

Early setback leaves form team with ground to make up in highly competitive Group A

Valkerie Baynes04-Oct-20244:54

Takeaways: Does India’s batting need better balance?

How India bounce back from their T20 World Cup upset at the hands of New Zealand will demonstrate the character of the side, Jemimah Rodrigues says.It will also have a huge bearing on their semi-final prospects with Group A – the tournament’s ‘group of death’ – delicately poised just two days in following New Zealand’s 58-run victory in Dubai on Friday and Pakistan’s fightback against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on the opening day.Australia, the defending champions and title favourites, open their campaign on Saturday against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, South Africa defeated West Indies by 10 wickets in the earlier game on Friday to join Bangladesh at the top of Group B, with Bangladesh to play England on Saturday.And it will require some turnaround from India. Bowled out for 102 chasing 161 for victory, none of their batters passed captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s 15 runs from No.3, and only five reached double-figures, including Rodrigues with 13 batting at No. 4. For New Zealand, seamers Rosemary Mair and Lea Tahuhu took 4 for 19 and 3 for 15 respectively.”Today would be the game we would like to forget, because this is a World Cup,” Rodrigues said. “We need to keep moving on and keep picking ourselves up. We can’t stay stuck at this game. We need to pick ourselves up, and I think that will show the character of this team.”We know every game from here is so crucial for us. We know that, but at the same time, we’re going to go one game at a time and just make sure we stick to our process and do our job well. If we can do that, I think we play our best cricket, I think we can win matches.”New Zealand laid the foundation for victory with a 67-run opening stand between Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer, who attacked the powerplay, followed by captain Sophie Devine’s powerful 57 not out from 36 balls.Related

Rodrigues on batting at No. 5: 'I'm working on going all out from the first ball'

Harmanpreet set to end India's No. 3 roulette at T20 World Cup

New Zealand shoot India out for 102 amid high drama to script big win

Harmanpreet & Co left fuming after Amelia Kerr run-out-that-wasn't drama

It was quite the turnaround for a side whose T20 World Cup in 2023 was over as soon as it had begun with heavy defeats to Australia and South Africa, and who lost all eight games they played – including five T20Is – against England in June and July.But Rodrigues said her side wasn’t necessarily caught off-guard by New Zealand attacking in the powerplay.”They came out with a lot of intent,” she said. “We did create opportunities, but unfortunately we didn’t make the most of them. Then the way we came back after the start was … I mean, not many positives in this game, but still, going forward, we need to have the right approach because the tournament is not over. We need to take some positives from this game and a lot of learnings from this game.”It’s not the easiest of conditions, it’s really hot here in Dubai, but I think we’ve got enough time to get used to the conditions so we don’t give an excuse, like it’s too hot or whatever it is. We just need to do our job and win the match for the team. So when it comes to conditions, I think we are very used to the conditions. It’s got better from the first day we’ve come here. So I think we are very prepared for this and all of us stay in India, so we are very familiar to such conditions.”Rodrigues also said India weren’t rattled by a controversial moment in the 14th over of New Zealand’s innings. India thought they had run out Amelia Kerr, who had hit a Deepti Sharma delivery towards long-off and run a single with Devine. As Harmanpreet Kaur gathered the ball, the batters attempted a second run, just as Deepti took her cap back from the umpire. Harmanpreet threw the ball in and Richa Ghosh broke the stumps with Kerr short of her ground but the ball was deemed to have been dead, sparking heated discussions between Harmanpreet and the India team management with the umpires. As it turns out, Kerr was dismissed two balls later.”We know how important Amelia Kerr’s wicket is and yes, at that moment it felt a little, ‘why didn’t it go in our favour?'” Rodrigues said. “But at the same time, I think we did what we could. We spoke to the umpire, then we had to accept the decision of the umpire and move on. I think that’s what we did really well, that we just moved on from that and we got her out pretty soon. So that worked for us.”

اتخذ البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، قرارًا بشأن عدي الدباغ، قبل المباراة القادمة أمام ديكاداها في الكونفدرالية.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع ديكاداها الصومالي، الجمعة المقبل، في إياب دور الـ32 لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

طالع.. مران الزمالك | تدريبات خططية وعودة لاعب الفريق المصاب قبل مواجهة ديكاداها

وعلم بطولات، أن فيريرا، استدعاء عدي الدباغ لقائمة الزمالك في المباراة القادمة أمام ديكاداها، بعد تعافيه من الإصابة التي كان يعاني منها في العضلة الضامة، ومشاركته في التدريبات الجماعية بشكل طبيعي.

وكان الزمالك قد حقق الفوز في مباراة الذهاب على ديكاداها بسداسية دون رد على استاد القاهرة الدولي.

Fast bowler to use competition’s month-long window to continue rehabilitation

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2024Mahika Gaur, England’s highly-rated left-arm seamer, has withdrawn from this year’s Women’s Hundred, to continue her recovery from a side strainGaur, 18, had been retained by Manchester Originals after impressing in her debut season last year, but will instead use the competition’s month-long window to continue her rehabilitation, under the supervision of the medical teams at both the ECB and her regional side, Thunder.Gaur was not available for England’s early-season white-ball series against Pakistan, as she was completing her A-levels, but was then ruled out of the T20I squad to face New Zealand this month after picking up her injury.Her absence from the Hundred could impact her hopes of breaking into England’s squad for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, with that competition set to form a key part of the players’ preparation in the absence of any other bilateral cricket prior to their departure in October.Gaur, who represented UAE from the age of 12, made a strong impression in her first England appearances against Sri Lanka last summer, including with figures of 3 for 26 on her ODI debut at Chester-le-Street in September.

تحدث نجم فريق ليفربول السابق، داني ميرفي، عن السلوك الدفاعي للمصري محمد صلاح مع ليفربول في الوقت الحالي، مع سوء نتائج الفريق تحت قيادة المدرب آرني سلوت ذلك الموسم.

وفقد ليفربول صدارة الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم السبت الماضي، بعدما خسر أمام تشيلسي بهدفين لهدف، مقابل فوز آرسنال على وست هام بثنائية نظيفة.

وقال داني ميرفي، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “يبدو أن قلة أداء محمد صلاح الدفاعي أصبحت مشكلة نوعًا ما لـ ليفربول، خاصة ضد الفرق القوية، أتفهم تمامًا أن سلوت طلب منه عدم التراجع للخلف، لأن وقوفه في مركز متقدم على الجهة اليمنى أثناء التمريرات جعله أحد أقوى هدافي العالم”.

وأضاف: “لكن اللاعبين خلفه لا يغطونه بالشكل الصحيح، وهذا سبب الكثير من المشاكل لمن لعب في مركز الظهير الأيمن هذا الموسم، سواء كان فريمبونج أو كونور برادلي أو سوبوسلاي، هم في ورطة لأنهم يواجهون ضغطًا إضافيًا من جانبهم، كان هذا نقطة ضعف حقيقية يوم السبت، مما أدى إلى فوز تشيلسي، والمخاوف تكمن في أن المزيد من الفرق ستتصرف بنفس الطريقة”.

وواصل: “لا أصدق أن سلوت طلب من محمد صلاح التراجع للخلف ومساعدة الظهير الأيمن، فإذا طُلب منه متابعة ظهير تشيلسي الأيسر، كوكوريلا، فمن الواضح أنه لم يفعل ذلك، ولن يرضى سلوت بذلك، ولكن بدلًا من ذلك، يمنح سلوت صلاح حرية عدم القيام بالعمل الدفاعي، وهو أمر جيد، فهناك أمثلة كثيرة على فرق أخرى قامت بالمثل مع لاعبين يفضلون توفير كل طاقتهم للهجوم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. إيكو: محمد صلاح يواجه تساؤلات لأول مرة في ليفربول.. ومرحلة تسليم الراية بدأت

وأردف: “وبالفعل لا تزال هناك أوقات معينة في المباراة تُهدر فيها الفرص وتكون تحت الضغط، حيث قد تتحمل المسؤولية بنفسك وتعود للخلف، وأعلم أن صلاح قادر على فعل ذلك أيضًا، لأنه عندما فاز ليفربول على مانشستر سيتي الموسم الماضي، كان أداؤه الدفاعي من أفضل ما رأيته منه، لكن لا بد أنه طُلب منه القيام بذلك في تلك المناسبة، ولهذا السبب لن أنتقده إذا طُلب منه البقاء في الهجوم (في مباراة تشيلسي)”.

وأوضح: “مشكلة محمد صلاح تكمن في كيفية إعداد ليفربول لما خلفه، خاصة ضد الفرق الأفضل، حيث يجب أن يكون اللاعبون الآخرون قادرين على المساعدة بشكل أكبر وأسرع، لأن تشيلسي بدا وكأنه يوجه الكرة للأمام ثم يحولها إلى يساره، لأن هذه هي المساحة المتاحة”.

واسترسل: “إذا خرج لاعب وسط ليفربول متأخرًا جدًا – سواء كان جرافنبيرخ أو ماك أليستر – فإنه يترك مساحات في العمق أمام الدفاع لأن ليفربول كان يخسر لاعبًا من الوسط، كل هذا يصبح أقل خطورة عندما تلعب ضد فرق تسيطر على الكرة لأن ليفربول فاز بالدوري بهذه الطريقة، لكن عليهم أن يشددوا دفاعهم لأن الفرق الكبرى ستستغل ذلك”.

وأفاد: “ليس الأمر كما لو أن محمد صلاح غيّر دوره هذا الموسم، ولكن لأنه لا يسجل أهدافًا من جهة أخرى، فمن المفترض أن يكون أدائه الدفاعي قد تحسن، في الواقع لست قلقًا جدًا بشأن مستواه، لأنه سيتألق – وهو دائمًا ما يفعل – من حيث إنهاء الهجمات، لقد تمركز بشكل رائع ضد تشيلسي ولكن ربما تسديداته لم تكن مناسبة، والعكس صحيح، ولكن تلك الفرص ستستمر وستأتي الأهداف”.

وأكد: “أكثر ما يقلقني بشأن ليفربول في الوقت الحالي هو افتقارهم للسيطرة على المباريات مقارنة بالموسم الماضي، لقد كان أسبوعًا مخيبًا للآمال بالنسبة لهم، ليس فقط لخسارتهم ثلاث مباريات متتالية في الدوري الإنجليزي ودوري أبطال أوروبا، ولكن لأن مستويات الأداء لم تكن كما توقعنا”.

واختتم: “هناك عوامل تلعب دورًا بالطبع، بالنظر إلى كل التغييرات في التشكيل الأساسي في الصيف وعدد اللاعبين الذين غابوا عن فترة الاستعداد للموسم، لكن ليفربول بقيادة سلوت في الموسم الماضي بدا بارعًا جدًا في إدارة المباريات، وهذا لم يعد الحال الآن”.

Manchester United’s Premier League campaign in 2024/25 has been one to forget, with the side set to finish in their lowest-ever position, along with the lowest points tally.

Ruben Amorim’s men currently sit in 15th place with just three games remaining, seeing all focus switch onto their prospect of claiming a Europa League triumph come the end of the season.

The Red Devils have conceded an average of 1.5 goals per 90 to date, undoubtedly playing a key role in their inability to rise up the table after the manager’s appointment back in November.

However, they still have the opportunity to end the season on a high, currently in a European semi-final and holding a 3-0 advantage over Athletic Club following the away leg.

Should they go all the way and win the competition, they will secure Champions League qualification, with added squad depth needed to compete at the top level of European football next campaign.

An update on United’s hunt for new additions

Given the summer transfer window is now just around the corner, numerous links have emerged, including that of Liam Delap, who has been touted as the club’s top target for the attacking department.

The Ipswich Town talisman has netted 12 goals in his 34 appearances in 2024/25, but looks set to leave Kieran McKenna’s side after their relegation back to the Championship, which has seen the forward’s £30m release clause become active.

However, despite the improvements in forward areas, the backline is also in need of investment, potentially coming in the form of Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo, according to reports in Spain.

It states that the Red Devils are currently preparing a £68m bid for the Uruguayan international, who has made 22 appearances across all competitions for the LaLiga giants.

The report also claims that he’s hugely admired by staff behind the scenes at Old Trafford, potentially being a key piece in their rebuild, which desperately needs to happen this summer if they are to move in the right direction.

Why United’s £68m target could revive Andre Onana

Goalkeeper Andre Onana was seen as the man to take United to the next level after arriving back in the summer of 2023, replacing fan-favourite David de Gea in the process.

His ball-playing attributes were seen as a key attribute to help the side progress, but the move up until now has been a disaster, often producing a clanger which has resulted in their lowly league standing.

The Senegalese has made five errors leading to goals across all competitions, with his mistakes against Lyon nearly putting the side out of the tournament and ending any hopes of a trophy.

Questions have been asked about his long-term future at Old Trafford as a result, with it unclear whether Amorim will stick or twist with the former Inter Milan shot-stopper in 2025/26.

However, he could be revived at the club, especially if the side are to bolster their backline with a move for Araujo, with the 26-year-old having the defensive qualities to improve the situation.

The Uruguayan, who’s been labelled “one of the best defenders in the world” by Carles Puyol, has starred this season despite his lack of action, registering two combined goals and assists.

He’s also starred at the back, completing 91% of passes, handing United a composed presence at the back and undoubtedly taking the pressure off Onana at the back.

Araujo has also impressed out of possession, winning 1.9 tackles per 90 and making 1.5 blocks per 90 – preventing the ball from getting through and facing Onana between the sticks.

Defensive solidity is desperately needed at Old Trafford, enabling Amorim to take the side to the next level and hopefully make him a success during his tenure at the club.

The deals they make over the next couple of months will be crucial, needing to sign the right players to take them back towards glory, with Araujo the man who could massively bolster the defensive department.

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With their return to the Premier League on the horizon, Leeds United have now reportedly made their first enquiry about signing a Champions League winner for a club-record £40m fee.

Leeds set for crucial summer

As celebrations gradually begin to end around Yorkshire, all eyes will be on the summer transfer window. It’s one that the 49ers simply cannot afford to get wrong and one which must see them spend if they are to keep Leeds in the Premier League at the first time of asking.

For two consecutive seasons now, all three promoted sides have suffered instant relegation from the top flight. Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City failed to learn from Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley before suffering themselves as a result. Now, Burnley, Leeds and one other club must avoid following that same path. They must break a concerning trend.

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To do that, the 49ers will need to ensure that Daniel Farke’s side are robust enough for the Premier League. Compared to their style in the Championship, Leeds will have to suffer out of possession if they want to enjoy any success next season, whilst they may need to avoid falling into the trap of adopting the same modern style in possession that could yet earn Southampton an unwanted record.

The transfer window will, of course, play a large part in what happens next at Elland Road. If rumours are anything to go by, then the 49ers are ready to spend too. The likes of Beto have particularly threatened to steal the headlines this week as the Whites look to bolster their frontline.

The Everton forward endured a slow start to life at Goodison Park but has shown his quality under David Moyes. If Leeds want robust then he’d certainly offer that. Meanwhile, in the goalkeeper department, those at Elland Road have set their sights on the opposite end of Merseyside and signing an instant upgrade on Ilian Meslier.

Leeds make first enquiry to sign Kelleher

According to Graeme Bailey for Leeds United News, Leeds have now made their first enquiry about signing Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool, who are reportedly set to demand as much as £40m to sell their goalkeeper this summer.

With Alisson Becker staying put and Giorgi Mamardashvili on his way from Valencia, the Irishman is heading for the exit door at Anfield, potentially allowing Leeds to take advantage for what would be a club-record transfer fee.

He may be Liverpool’s second-choice, but Kelleher hasn’t exactly seen his opportunities limited in recent seasons with Alisson continuing to struggle on the injury front. Any concerns that he wouldn’t be good enough to step up have quickly been put to bed in that time too, including against Real Madrid when he saved Kylian Mbappe’s penalty in a 2-0 victory back in November.

On a night to remember, Kelleher earned the praise of Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who dubbed his shot-stopper “outstanding”. For £40m, Leeds would be getting themselves a goalkeeper who’s ready to become a No.1 and an impressive one at that, after winning the Champions League, Premier League and domestic trophies throughout an excellent Liverpool tenure.

While the mood around Arsenal’s domestic campaign has turned from disappointment to apathy, it shouldn’t be forgotten just how stop-start this season has been for the North Londoners.

For example, on top of losing their captain for a couple of months and their only two centre-forwards, the Gunners had to make do without their best player for almost four months.

Expecting Mikel Arteta’s squad to be at their best without Bukayo Saka would be like asking Liverpool to be at their best without Mohammed Salah or Manchester City to do the same without Erling Haaland.

In fact, it wouldn’t be hyperbole to place the Englishman among the very best wingers in the world now, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club with another international wideman who’s won comparisons not just with Saka but also fellow wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

Arsenal transfer news

Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other star wingers linked with a move to Arsenal this summer, such as Nico Williams.

Transfer Focus

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

The Spaniard’s representatives have supposedly already held talks with Andrea Berta and, with a release clause worth around £52m, this feels like a move that could happen, and as he’s amassed an impressive tally of 17 goal involvements in 41 games this term, perhaps one that should.

An even more expensive winger touted for a move to the Emirates earlier this month was Rafael Leo, who looks like he may finally leave AC Milan at the end of the season.

However, while the Portuguese superstar has racked up a brilliant tally of 22 goal involvements in 44 games this season, he could cost up to £86m, which might make a move for him prohibitively expensive, which may not be the case for Kingsley Coman.

Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal have maintained their interest in the French winger.

Plettenberg has revealed that the Gunners are “in ongoing communication” with the player’s management and that it now looks all but certain that he’ll be leaving Bayern Munich in the summer.

However, Saudi Arabia “is a very appealing option” for the former Paris Saint Germain ace, and according to reports from last week, he could cost up to £39m, which may be seen as a steep amount considering his game time this season.

With that said, Coman is an undeniably talented player and one who has won comparisons to both Saka and Yamal, so should this transfer happen, he’d undoubtedly improve the quality of Arsenal’s squad.

How Coman compares to Saka & Yamal

So, before getting into some of the other benefits of signing Coman this summer, it’s worth first examining these comparisons to Saka and Yamal and where they come from.

Well, in this instance, they stem from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the seventh most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Frenchman and the Spaniard is the ninth.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the trio rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals, shots on target, goals per shot on target, tackles won, expected assists and more, all per 90.

Moreover, like the two Barcelona and Arsenal stars, the Bayern ace also broke onto the scene when incredibly young, making his competitive debut for Paris Saint-Germain at just 16 years old before winning titles in Italy with Juventus and Germany with FC Hollywood.

It’s this experience, which is almost an expectation, to win which could be incredibly beneficial to have in Arteta’s squad from next season, as for all the talent currently there, none are proven winners in the same way as the “world-class” Frenchman, as dubbed by former manager Julian Nagelsmann, is.

Ultimately, while he might not be a guaranteed starter like Saka is, Coman would undoubtedly bring an immense level of experience and quality to Arsenal’s squad were he to join this summer, and therefore, he’s someone Arteta and Co should be looking to bring in.

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