Rest of the players from India and England to travel in a commercial flight to UAE and then serve six-day quarantine

Nagraj Gollapudi11-Sep-2021 • Updated on 13-Sep-2021A day after the final Test of the England vs India series in Manchester was postponed indefinitely because of Covid-19 fears in the visitors’ camp, several players from both teams are flying out to the UAE to link up with their respective IPL 2021 squads. Mumbai Indians were the first, flying Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav from Manchester to Abu Dhabi in a charter flight. Royal Challengers Bangalore are scheduled to do the same later in the day for the pair of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, who will be going to Dubai.Other IPL-bound players flying from Manchester to UAE

Delhi Capitals: Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

Chennai Super Kings: Cheteshwar Pujara, Shardul Thakur, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja

Sunrises Hyderabad: Wriddhiman Saha

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami

Kolkata Knight Riders: Prasidh Krishna

“The trio [Rohit, Bumrah and Suryakumar], along with their families, arrived today morning and will now undergo 6 days hard quarantine, starting today as per the IPL’s guidelines,” Mumbai Indians said in a statement on Saturday. “All members had returned negative RT PCR results before departure. A new RT PCR test was undertaken upon arrival at Abu Dhabi, which are negative as well.”A similar statement from the Royal Challengers, also on Saturday, explained that Kohli and Siraj would be flying separately from the others as the franchise believed in “keeping safety and security of our players as the utmost priority”.The rest of the players from both India and England are expected to take a commercial flight to the UAE on Saturday. All players arriving from Manchester are required to undergo a six-day quarantine in their hotel rooms before joining the bio-bubbles of their respective teams.Related

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Official result of Test to have big repercussions for ECB

Manchester Test postponed indefinitely over Covid-19 fears

According to the earlier plan, the players were supposed to join their IPL teams on September 15, the day after the scheduled close of the final Test of the Pataudi Trophy. However, the Indian players were reluctant to take the field for the game after assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. The players expressed strong reservations in their discussions with the BCCI, which was relayed to ECB, following which the discussions between the two boards stretched on for around three hours on Friday, after which the Test was called off, with the possibility of it being rescheduled still on the table.It is understood that one of the major reasons for the Indians opting against playing the Test was the enclosed dressing room at Old Trafford. That aside, since Parmar was treating a large number of players, it was difficult to determine who his close contacts were.In their discussions with the BCCI, the players also expressed a concern about the situation having an impact on their families – many of the India players were in England with their families, including Kohli, Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.

Leeds United are currently competing to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking in the Championship this season.

The Whites have only lost one of their opening nine matches in the division but are sat outside of the top two, having drawn four of the other eight outings.

Daniel Farke has never gone two successive seasons in the second tier without winning promotion, with two titles in three seasons in the league during his time with Norwich City.

The German head coach came ever so close to securing promotion in his first year in West Yorkshire, as his side lost 1-0 to Southampton at Wembley in the play-off final.

Leeds finished third in the Championship in the regular season but could not get the job done in the play-offs, losing to the Saints after beating Norwich over two legs.

The ex-Canaries head coach was brought in during the summer of 2023 after the Whites had been relegated under Sam Allardyce, who had been appointed as a firefighter after Javi Gracia and Jesse Marsch had both been sacked that season.

Leeds fell out of the Premier League a year after they cashed in on their star forward, Raphinha, who had been a huge success at Elland Road.

Raphinha's Leeds career in numbers

In the summer of 2020, Victor Orta and Marcelo Bielsa swooped to sign the Brazilian winger from Ligue 1 side Rennes for a reported fee of £17m to bolster the club’s attacking options.

Leeds had just been promoted from the Championship under the Argentine head coach and needed a bit of star power to avoid an instant relegation back down to the second tier.

Raphinha provided that with a return of six goals and nine assists in 30 appearances on the right flank in the Premier League, averaging a goal contribution every other game. He also could have had more assists as the gem created 12 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in total.

The left-footed magician then showcased his quality at the top end of the pitch once again in the 2021/22 campaign to keep Marsch’s side in the league, with a return of 11 goals and three assists in 35 games.

Appearances

35

Goals

11

Big chances created

10

Key passes

67

Assists

3

Dribbles completed

63

As you can see in the table above, Raphinha was let down by poor finishing from his teammates as they only scored three times from the 67 key passes and ten ‘big chances’ he created for them.

Barcelona then swooped to sign the Brazil international from Leeds for a reported fee of £55m at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, which left Marsch in need of a replacement for him on the flank.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

The American boss then made the move to sign Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord ahead of the 2022/23 season in an attempt to replace the former Leeds superstar.

How much Leeds paid for Luis Sinisterra

The Whites reportedly splashed out a fee of £21m, more than they paid Rennes for Raphinha in 2020, and he was described as a replacement for the Brazilian whiz by The Athletic.

Whilst he was not a like-for-like replacement, as a right-footed left winger as opposed to a left-footed right winger, Leeds may have felt as though the Colombia international could replace the impact that the ex-Rennes star had on the pitch.

In the 2021/22 campaign, Sinisterra caught the eye with his outstanding performances for Feyenoord, with a return of 23 goals and 14 assists in 49 appearances in all competitions.

Journalist Josh Bunting claimed that Leeds had pulled off a “master stroke” by signing the winger, who he described as a “frightening” forward, and it is not hard to see why when you consider his incredible record for the Dutch side.

Appearances

30

Goals

12

Key passes

60

Big chances created

9

Assists

7

As you can see in the table above, Sinisterra had proven himself to be a fantastic scorer and creator of goals in the Dutch top-flight, as Raphinha had in the Premier League for the Whites.

Unfortunately, though, things did not quite work out for the former Eredivisie superstar during his relatively short time at Elland Road after attempting to replace the Brazilian sensation.

Luis Sinisterra's time with Leeds in numbers

The 25-year-old endured an injury-riddled season with the Whites under Marsch, Gracia, and Allardyce, as he suffered three separate injury issues that kept him out of action for a combined 16 competitive matches.

Those fitness problems restricted his involvement on the pitch and meant that he was unable to do enough to prevent Leeds from being relegated back down to the Championship, after they had survived in both of Raphinha’s seasons at the club.

Sinisterra did score five goals in his 19 appearances in the Premier League, which is not a dreadful return given it was in a struggling time, but he did not do enough to create for others.

The Colombian flop did not create a single ‘big chance’ for his teammates and ended the season with zero assists in 19 matches, with 0.5 key passes per game on average, which shows that he could not replace the immense creativity that Raphinha provided.

After Leeds were relegated from the top-flight, the forward decided that he did not want to commit to a full season in the second tier and joined Bournemouth on loan for the 2023/24 campaign.

Appearances

20

Starts

7

Goals

2

Assists

2

Big chances created

2

As you can see in the table above, Sinisterra’s injury problems restricted his involvement once again, as he only made 20 appearances and started just seven times.

Despite his lack of availability and his sporadic contributions in the final third, Bournemouth decided to sign him permanently earlier this year for a reported fee of £20m.

This meant that Leeds sold Sinisterra less than two years on from their swoop to sign him from Feyenoord, and he only spent one year at Elland Road after initially joining as a ‘frightening’ replacement for Raphinha.

Leeds could find their new Summerville in prolific Thorp Arch talent

The Leeds youngster has been in scintillating form for the U21s this season.

ByDan Emery Oct 16, 2024

Over the last couple of months, Tottenham Hotspur’s academy has caught the eye, allowing multiple youngsters to make an impact on the club’s first team.

Mikey Moore is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary, starting his first competitive match against Ferencvaros a couple of weeks ago, after a handful of cameos off the bench.

Despite being just 17, he’s given boss Ange Postecoglou a lot to think about regarding his role, potentially forcing himself into the Aussie’s plans after the ongoing international break.

Striker Will Lankshear also made his first senior start during the same outing as Moore, featuring for over an hour, demonstrating the success of the club’s academy in recent times.

However, the club have also recruited well, with one player transforming Spurs in the defensive department, making them a much harder outfit to break down since his arrival.

Micky Van de Ven’s stats for Spurs

Dutch centre-back Micky Van de Ven would’ve been an unknown quantity to many Spurs supporters before his move back in August 2023, but just over a year on, he’s cemented himself as one of the best in his position within the Premier League.

The former Wolfsburg ace has made 36 appearances since his £34.5m transfer, forming a solid partnership with Argentinian, Cristian Romero, at the back for Postecoglou’s side.

Van de Ven isn’t your average centre-back, often seen going on a mazy run or two, as demonstrated against Manchester United where he picked up a loose ball before driving from his own half to the byline before teeing up Brennan Johnson for a tap-in.

The 23-year-old currently holds the record for being the fastest player in Premier League history, clocking a speed of 37.38km/h last season.

Van de Ven has been part of a Spurs backline that has kept three clean sheets already this season, as he looks to boost the club’s chances of returning to Champions League football next campaign.

Should they qualify, he could be partnered by one talent who’s set to move to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium upon the completion of the 2024/25 season.

The man who could be Spurs’ own Gabriel

Every Spurs fan must be sick of the sight of Arsenal centre-back Gabriel, with the Brazilian scoring the winning goal against the Gunners in the North London derby earlier this season.

The 26-year-old has also scored against Manchester City, demonstrating a goalscoring threat despite his main responsibility being defensive work, having chalked up 17 goals in total during his time in English football.

Postecoglou’s side could be about to get their hands on their own version of the defender in the form of youngster Luka Vuskovic, who’s set to arrive in North London ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 17-year-old agreed a £12m deal with Spurs last summer to join the club when he turns 18, subsequently spending the current season on loan at Belgian outfit Westerlo.

It’s already been a successful move for the “scary” youngster, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, with the 6 foot 5 defender scoring four times in his first ten appearances in the Belgian Pro League, showcasing that Gabriel-like threat in the attacking penalty area.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

The Croatian is already a regular member of his nation’s under-21 side, with his defensive qualities just as impressive as his offensive numbers during his temporary loan spell in Europe.

Games played

10

Goals scored

4

Assists

1

Duels won

47

Aerial success rate

83%

Pass accuracy

82%

Recoveries

41

Vuskovic has already won 47 duels this season, whilst also boasting an 83% aerial success rate, providing that aerial dominance that Postecoglou’s side have been craving at the back.

Given his tender age, he will need time to settle into life in England, but all the early signs are positive for the youngster, with the hope being that he can form a long-term partnership with left-footer, Van de Ven, in the near future.

He has the potential to develop into one of the very best centre-halves in the league, potentially having a huge impact on both boxes for Spurs over the years to come.

It's not Moore: Spurs have a £100m star in the making who's like Yamal

Tottenham have a future star in the making under Ange Postecoglou.

ByMatt Dawson Oct 10, 2024

On Wednesday, the Taliban indicated that women would not be able to take part

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2021

It appears increasingly unlikely that Australia will play Afghanistan in November•Abu Dhabi Cricket

Cricket Australia will cancel the Test match against Afghanistan in November if women are not allowed to play the sport under the Taliban regime.The updated stance from CA follows the developments on Wednesday where the Taliban indicated that women would not be able to participate in sport including cricket.Overnight several Australian politicians, including sports minister Richard Colbeck, said that the Test which was due to start on November 27 in Hobart would not be able to go ahead with such restrictions in female participation. That had followed concerns raised by Tasmania Premier Peter Gutwein earlier in the week.”Driving the growth of women’s cricket globally is incredibly important to Cricket Australia. Our vision for cricket is that it is a sport for all and we support the game unequivocally for women at every level,” a CA statement said.”If recent media reports that women’s cricket will not be supported in Afghanistan are substantiated, Cricket Australia would have no alternative but to not host Afghanistan for the proposed Test Match due to be played in Hobart.”We thank the Australian and Tasmanian Governments for their support on this important issue.”Colbeck added that individual Afghanistan athletes would continue to be welcome in Australia but not under the Taliban flag if females can’t compete.The Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) also issued a statement “unequivocally” endorsing CA’s stance”What is happening now in Afghanistan is a human rights issue that transcends the game of cricket. And while we would love to see players such as Rashid Khan play against Australia, hosting this Test Match cannot be considered if that same opportunity to play the game is denied to Roya Samim and her team-mates.”The ICC has said that Afghanistan’s status in the international game will be discussed at their next board meeting but that is not scheduled until November which raises further questions about their participation in the T20 World Cup.Afghanistan is the only Full Member to have received that status without having an operational women’s team in place. Last year the Afghanistan Cricket Board had announced their first contracts for women as they looked to build a team.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement looked to refresh his playing squad at Ibrox during the recent summer transfer window, which closed last month.

The Gers boss allowed a number of experienced first-team players to move on from Ibrox, including Connor Goldson, John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, Todd Cantwell, and Kemar Roofe.

Those exits paved the way for the likes of Hamza Igamane, Vaclav Cerny, Jefte, Connor Barron, and Robin Propper, among others, to come in and bolster the Rangers squad.

However, there is at least one player whom the Belgian manager must finally move on after failing to ditch him from the club in the summer window.

Latest on Ianis Hagi's future

Romanian outlet SpotMedia, via the Daily Record, claims that Ianis Hagi is open to moving on from Rangers when the transfer window opens in January.

The report claims that the Romania international dug his heels in over a move away from Ibrox in the summer, as he wanted to stay and fight for his place in Glasgow.

However, he is one appearance away from a wage increase, with 99 games played for Rangers to date, and that has prevented him from being part of the group in the season so far under Clement.

SpotMedia now states that Hagi rejected a number of opportunities to leave on loan and is now open to leaving on a permanent basis in the next transfer window.

Clement must now finally ditch the £21k-per-week dud in the upcoming January window, because it has become clear that he will not feature for the first-team due to the clause in his contract.

Why Rangers should cash in on Ianis Hagi

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has not played a single minute of action for Rangers in the 2024/25 campaign, since returning from his loan spell with Alaves last term.

Hagi was sent out on loan to the LaLiga outfit by Michael Beale in the summer of 2023, as the Romanian whiz looked to recover from a long-term knee injury.

The former Genk starlet missed a staggering 69 competitive matches for the Light Blues between January 2022 and January 2023 and he has struggled to get his career back on track since.

Appearances

86

39

Goals

15

3

Assists

21

2

Games per G/A

2.38

7.8

As you can see in the table above, the long-term knee injury has, unsurprisingly, had a significant impact on the effectiveness of his performances on the pitch.

Hagi has not offered as much of a threat as either a scorer or a creator of goals for Rangers, or Alaves last season, since his length absence, having produced an eye-catching 36 goal contributions in 86 games for the Gers prior to that.

When you couple that with his £21k-per-week wages, which would rise with one more appearance for the club, then it makes sense for Clement to finally ditch him in the January window – taking advantage of the player now being open to a move away from Ibrox.

Barron will love him: Rangers have exciting teen who's a 'heck of a player'

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كشف أولكسندر زينشينكو لاعب آرسنال الإنجليزي عن رد فعل لاعبي الفريق تجاه مباراة ريال مدريد وأتلتيكو مدريد، ومعرفة خصمهم في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وحسم آرسنال التأهل لربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، على حساب آيندهوفن، فيما تأهل ريال مدريد بركلات الترجيح أمام أتلتيكو مدريد.

وتجمع لاعبو آرسنال حول شاشة التلفزيون في غرفة الملابس لمشاهدة ريال مدريد وهو يتغلب على غريمه أتلتيكو مدريد بركلات الترجيح.

وقال زينشينكو في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية: “كيف يُمكنك أن تتفاعل؟ كان شعورًا مختلطًا، لأن أتلتيكو مدريد، بصراحة، لم يحالفه الحظ في ركلة جزاء جوليان ألفاريز”.

اقرأ أيضًا | مودريتش: آمنت أن مباراة أتلتيكو مدريد ليست الأخيرة لي.. وسنفكر لاحقًا في آرسنال

وأضاف: “لم يُعلق أحد، كانت مشاعر مختلطة، فاللعب ضد ريال مدريد أو أتلتيكو مدريد كلاهما فريقان رائعان، ستكون تجربة رائعة لنا جميعًا”.

وأردف: “مواجهة أحد أفضل الفرق في العالم، بخبرته الواسعة ولاعبيه العالميين، أمرٌ رائع دائمًا، جميعنا نتطلع إلى ذلك”.

وأكد: “في هذه البطولة، وخاصةً في هذه المرحلة، لا يُمكنك الاسترخاء ولو لثانية واحدة، لأن مستوى ومتطلبات جميع الفرق في هذه المرحلة عالية جدًا”.

وأشار: “إذا كنتَ مُسترخيًا، ولو قليلًا، فقد تعاقب، هذا ما يجب أن نتعلمه من الماضي، أعتقد أننا اكتسبنا هذه الخبرة بالفعل، فلنرَ كيف ستسير الأمور”.

وأتم: “الشيء الوحيد الذي يمكنني قوله هو أنه للعب ضد ريال مدريد، عليك فقط إظهار أفضل أداء في حياتك، هذه هي المتطلبات في هذا المستوى”.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Philippe Clement made plenty of changes to his playing squad during the summer transfer window to shape the team in his image.

The Light Blues manager was ruthless with his decisions as he allowed a number of experienced, long-term, Gers players to move on from Ibrox.

Jon McLaughlin, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack, John Lundstram, and Kemar Roofe were all allowed to depart on free transfers at the end of their respective contracts.

That allowed head of recruitment Nils Koppen and Clement to bring in the likes of Nedim Bajrami, Vaclav Cerny, Robin Propper, Connor Barron, and Jefte, among others, during the summer transfer window.

The Rangers chiefs were not finished gutting the squad of experienced, ageing players, though, as they also sold Connor Goldson, Scott Wright, and Todd Cantwell, whilst allowing Ben Davies to join Birmingham City on loan until the end of the season.

They decided to invest in young talent and had to remove the growing group of experienced duds with little room to improve and develop in the years to come.

One of the younger stars to depart, however, was attacking midfielder Todd Cantwell, who endured an odd time at Ibrox during his spell at the club.

How much Rangers paid for Todd Cantwell

In January 2023, former Rangers head coach Michael Beale swooped to sign the former England U21 international from Norwich City for a reported fee of £1.5m, with his contract at Carrow Road due to expire that summer.

The English maestro hit the ground running in Glasgow and caught the eye with his impressive performances as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

Cantwell made 16 appearances in the second half of the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership campaign and contributed with six goals and four assists under Beale, whilst creating five ‘big chances’ and making 1.3 key passes per game.

The 26-year-old, who was deployed on the left of a front three or in the number ten role for Rangers, then had mixed success in his second season with the club.

Beale, who signed him for the Light Blues, was sacked and replaced by Philippe Clement in October of the 2023/24 campaign, which may have impacted his progress.

Appearances

30

Starts

24

Goals

7

Big chances missed

7

Assists

5

As you can see in the table above, he only started 24 games and had to come on as a substitute in six matches last season for the Scottish giants.

In those 24 starts, though, Cantwell did provide seven goals and created seven ‘big chances’, which showed that he can produce regular quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

However, the forward then decided that he wanted to leave Ibrox this summer, handing in a transfer request, and was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £500k.

This meant that Rangers made a £1m loss on Cantwell in his 18 months at the club. Things could have been so different for the Gers, however, if they had landed one of their other winger targets from the January window in 2023 – Antoine Semenyo.

Rangers' reported interest in Antoine Semenyo

Ahead of the January transfer window in the 2022/23 campaign, it was reported that Rangers were one of the teams interested in signing Bristol City attacker Antoine Semenyo.

His contract with the English Championship side was due to expire at the end of the season and SportsWorldGhana reported that the Gers were preparing an offer of £5m to sign him in January.

The Bristol Post then added that Rangers and Celtic were both keeping tabs on the talented forward’s situation ahead of possible swoops for him in that window.

It remains unknown as to whether or not the Light Blues officially submitted the £5m offer that was prepared for his services but both Rangers and the Hoops were ultimately blown out of the water by Bournemouth.

The Premier League side showed their financial muscle with an offer of £9m plus an extra £1.5m in potential add-ons to land the 23-year-old star, despite him being available on a free transfer later that year.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.

Rangers may now regret not moving quicker to seal a deal for the Ghana international as his form for the Cherries since then suggests that he is one that got away.

Antoine Semenyo's current market value

At the time of writing (07/10/2024), Transfermarkt has his current market value at a whopping €20m (£16.7m) and that is significantly more than £5m the Gers were willing to pay for him, and more than the £9m that Bournemouth initially paid for the attacker.

Like Cantwell, Semenyo is a versatile forward who is comfortable playing on either flank or through the middle, and could have been signed by Beale to play on the left ahead of the Englishman.

The Bristol City star had scored six goals in the Championship during the first half of the 2022/23 campaign and did not hit the ground running in the Premier League, with one goal in 11 outings for the Cherries.

However, the 24-year-old dynamo, who was described as “powerful” by Lewis Cook, hit his stride in his first full season with Bournemouth and contributed with eight goals and two assists in 25 starts in the top-flight on the wing.

This means that he scored more goals in a Premier League season than Cantwell ever managed in one Premiership term with the Light Blues.

Appearances

7

Sofascore rating

7.30

xG

2.33

Goals

3

Big chances created

2

Assists

1

As you can see in the table above, Semenyo has also enjoyed a superb start to the current league season with Bournemouth, scoring three goals and creating two ‘big chances’ in just seven appearances.

The 24-year-old winger has proven himself to be more than capable in the English top-flight and that has resulted in his Transfermarkt value soaring up to £17m since his move from Bristol City at the start of last year.

Whereas, Cantwell’s value dropped by £1m during his 18 months at Ibrox and this suggests that Semenyo is one that got away for the Gers and Beale, as they missed out on a Premier League star in the making.

83% duels won: Rangers titan was even better than Cerny vs Saints

The Light Blues colossus enjoyed an impressive evening at Ibrox.

ByDan Emery Oct 7, 2024

Glasgow Rangers were unable to extend their winning streak to five matches in all competitions as they were beaten 4-1 by Lyon at Ibrox on Thursday night in the Europa League.

The French side took the lead through Malik Fofana in the tenth minute but it only took five minutes for the Light Blues to strike level, thanks to Tom Lawrence’s opportunistic finish.

However, Lyon rallied and were 3-1 up at half-time after a close-range finish from Alexandre Lacazette and then a scorcher from distance from the former Arsenal man, before Fofana added a fourth in the second half.

There were a number of poor performers on the pitch for Philippe Clement and one of them was central midfielder Connor Barron, who struggled in the middle of the park.

Connor Barron's performance in numbers

The former Aberdeen star endured a difficult evening at Ibrox under the lights as he failed to deal with the pace and quality of the Lyon midfielders.

Barron lost three of his four duels throughout the match and was dribbled past twice, which shows that the French side’s players found it relatively easy to get the better of him in physical contests.

The Scottish midfielder, as you can see in the clip above, also had a horror moment for the second Lyon goal with a poor pass back that sent Fofana through to set up Lacazette.

Barron, who did complete 88% of his passes in total, needed to provide a stronger presence at the base of the Gers midfield to protect John Souttar and Robin Propper, but was unable to do so.

He was not the only poor performer on the pitch for the Ibrox giants, however, as Brazilian left-back Jefte was just as bad as the Scotland U21 international.

Jefte's performance in numbers

The former Fluminense dynamo has enjoyed a run of games in the backline, due to Ridvan Yilmaz’s continued absence, but failed to showcase the best of his abilities against Lyon.

Jefte left a lot to be desired from his work in and out of possession for the Light Blues, as he got into dangerous positions offensively without creating anything of note – completing just two of his 11 attempted crosses.

The 20-year-old defender, who was handed a player rating of 5/10 by GlasgowWorld, lost possession 20 times in total and did not create a single chance for his teammates.

Jefte	Vs Lyon
Minutes played	90
Tackles	3
Dribbled past	5x
Possession lost	20x
Ground duels won	4/13
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Jefte was also dribbled past a whopping five times as Rayan Cherki got the better of him far too easily throughout the match.

The Brazilian full-back, like Barron, could not handle the pace and quality of the Lyon attackers, as he lost nine of his 13 duels against the French side.

Rangers do not have any other natural left-back options available to them and that could present him with an instant chance to bounce back with a strong performance against St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Clement has unearthed a Ryan Kent-like talisman in "gifted" Rangers star

One of Clement’s summer signings has settled in rather well at Ibrox

By
Ross Kilvington

Sep 30, 2024

As most of their fans will openly attest, Everton have not always been the most shrewd of operators when it comes to the transfer market.

The Toffees have built up something of a reputation in recent years for spending significant sums of money on players who simply aren’t good enough, be that the £30m on Beto last year or the £27m they spent on Turkish forward Cenk Tosun in January 2018.

What made that second deal so much worse was that the fee paid likely came from the £47m profit they made on one of the club’s best sales, which, given how poorly Tosun turned out, was ultimately money wasted.

With that said, who was this star player who earned Everton so much money?

Everton's significant sales

So, before we get to the pricey player in question, let’s look at a couple of other significant sales Everton have made in recent years, starting with Amadou Onana.

The Belgian international joined the Toffees for around £33m in August 2022 and would go on to score four goals and provide three assists in 72 appearances in Blue.

However, while undeniably talented, the former LOSC Lille ace wasn’t undroppable under Dyche last season, starting just 23 Premier League games, so when Aston Villa came knocking with a £50m offer in the summer, selling him felt like a win for all involved.

Before the 23-year-old midfielder, the last player to be sold for £50m or more was Brazilian forward Richarlison, who joined Tottenham Hotspur for about £60m in July 2022, and unlike the Belgian, losing the former Watford dynamo was a far more significant blow.

For example, in his 152 appearances for the team, the 27-year-old marksman racked up a seriously impressive tally of 53 goals and 13 assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 2.30 games.

However, if we go back even further, back to the summer of 2017, we get to Everton’s record sale: Romelu Lukaku.

The sale of Romelu Lukaku

Yes, the star in question is none other than goalscoring extraordinaire Lukaku, who joined Everton under the guidance of Roberto Martinez for a then-club-record fee of around £28m in the summer of 2014 after impressing on loan the season prior.

During his time on Merseyside, the former Chelsea ace was utterly sensational. When you include his year on loan, the Belgian “phenomenon”, as Sky Sports presenter Dougie Critchley dubbed him, racked up an outrageous tally of 87 goals and 27 assists in just 166 games, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.45 games for a team outside the traditional ‘big six.’

Unsurprisingly, such incredible and sustained form led to interest from outside parties, and in the summer of 2017, Manchester United agreed to pay a staggering £75m for the then 24-year-old, and while the fans would have probably rather kept the player, £47m profit is hard to turn down.

In the years since, the 119-capped international has endured a career full of ups and downs, as while he’s won league titles in Italy, he failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford and utterly flopped following his £97.5m move back to Chelsea in 2021.

However, to his credit, the Antwerpen-born goal machine has been in fine form over the last two years, racking up 25 goals and assists in 47 appearances for AS Roma last season and already scoring three goals and providing five assists in eight appearances for Antonio Conte’s Napoli this year.

Lukaku’s senior career

Club

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Everton

166

87

27

Inter Milan

132

78

23

RSC Anderlecht

98

41

17

Manchester United

96

42

12

Chelsea

59

15

2

AS Roma

47

21

4

West Bromwich Albion

38

17

4

Napoli

8

3

5

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Ultimately, while he could have become a true Everton great had he stayed, the club did very well to make so much money off his sale in 2017, although the less said about the decision to then spend a good portion of that on Tosun a few months later the better.

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