“If I think of competing with others, it puts pressure on me,” he said
Mohammad Isam23-Jul-2021
Soumya Sarkar scored only his second fifty this year in the first T20I•AFP via Getty Images
Bangladesh allrounder Soumya Sarkar said he has to better prepare himself mentally in order to become a more consistent batter. He was adjudged Player of the Match for his half-century along with bowling figures of 1 for 18 in two overs against Zimbabwe in the first T20I in Harare, where the visitors won by eight wickets.Sarkar made 50 off 45 balls with four fours and two towering sixes. He said that he made a nervous start when he was nearly run-out in the first over, but a six off Luke Jongwe in the fifth over relaxed him.”I was playing my first international match after four months so I felt a bit shaky at the start,” Sarkar said. “When some of my first shots were going to hand, I told myself to take a bit of time. A four or a six would open things up for me, I thought. When I got a preferred ball and struck the six, I got my confidence back.”This was only Sarkar’s second fifty this year. He was given a chance in one Test against West Indies and the ODI series against New Zealand, without much success. Sarkar’s inconsistency resulted in him being constantly shuffled in and out of the team as well as up and down the batting order.”When I was out of the team, I practiced with purpose, particularly during the DPL T20s. I will continue to focus on certain areas of my game. I have to be more mentally fit to be more consistent.”My biggest competition is with myself. If I think of competing with others, it puts pressure on me. I want to do well myself, and get back my place in the team,” Sarkar said.Sarkar was later dismissed in a needless manner. After completing the run to reach his fifty, he ran himself out when a back-handed flick by Regis Chakabva caught him short of the crease trying a second run off the same delivery.”I felt that we could have finished the game two overs earlier if I wasn’t run out in that manner,” he said. “It was disappointing to get out. I thought that I was playing their left-arm spinner well, so I would have charged him further if I was around.”Sarkar said that Mohammad Naim’s three fours in the fourth over gave them the momentum required to chase down 153, which Bangladesh achieved with more than one over remaining.”I was supposed to bat at No 3, but the coach told me at the innings break that I would be opening in Liton’s place. I had to prepare myself mentally, and speak to the new partner and bat according to the conditions.”When we were going slow at the start, I told Naim that one big over will bring the flow in our favour. When he struck those three fours in the fourth over, things changed quickly,” he said.
O ex-atacante Luis Fabiano foi às suas redes sociais nesta sexta-feira para anunciar oficialmente sua aposentadoria dos gramados. O ex-atleta já havia se afastado dos campos e se envolvido em rumores de que estava à procura de um cargo de direção.
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> Veja como ficou a classificação final da Série A do Brasileirão 2021!
-Chegou a hora. Nos últimos quatro anos, lutei muito contra o meu corpo para voltar a fazer o que mais gosto, que é jogar futebol. Lutei até o final, mas essa batalha eu não venci. As dores e circunstâncias não me permitiram voltar do jeito que eu imaginava. Mas o tempo me fez refletir muito e hoje vejo que tudo aconteceu da forma que tinha que acontecer – contou Luis Fabiano em vídeo-carta publicada em seu Instagram (abaixo).
Revelado pela Ponte Preta no final dos anos 1990, Luis Fabiano passou pelo futebol francês antes de chegar ao São Paulo, onde ficou de 2001 até 2004. Foi atuando pelo Tricolor Paulista que o ex-atacante chegou à Seleção Brasileira. Depois de uma breve passagem pelo Porto (POR), ‘Fabuloso’ – como ficou conhecido – foi para o Sevilla, da Espanha.
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Luis Fabiano retornou ao São Paulo em 2011 antes de ir para o futebol chinês e, em seguida, terminar sua carreira futebolística no Vasco, em 2017. Desde então, o ex-atacante tentava retornar aos gramados mas sofria com lesões.
Veja abaixo a publicação original de Luis Fabiano.
Chelsea have signed some big-name attackers in recent seasons, having spent a fortune on new players since Todd Boehly bought the club in 2022. According to Oliver Hopkins of The Analyst, the Blues have spent around £1bn since the American tycoon bought majority shares in the club, much of which has gone on attacking talent.
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The most notable attacker they have bought is, of course, Cole Palmer. He has been simply extraordinary for the Blues since his £42.5m move from Manchester City, scoring 31 goals and grabbing 19 assists in just 53 games. Other attacking arrivals in recent transfer windows have included Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku.
Chelsea star Cole Palmer
Chelsea’s most recent signing was also someone brought in to add depth in attacking areas, and so far he has proven to be a big success. That player is Jadon Sancho.
Sancho’s stats for Chelsea so far
It was a disappointing end for Sancho at Manchester United. He fell out with boss Erik ten Hag, who froze him out before the winger joined former side Borussia Dortmund on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 season.
He left Old Trafford this summer, switching Manchester for London to join Chelsea, the club he has previously said he supported growing up. The 24-year-old joined the Blues on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer.
He has been a big hit for Enzo Maresca’s side so far. Despite having played just three games, the England international already has three assists to his name; they came in each game – against Bournemouth on debut, away to West Ham United, and last time out for Palmer against Brighton.
Incredibly, the Chelsea No 19 is already halfway there when it comes to matching his assist tally in 83 games for United. Sancho provided six goals for his teammates during his time at Old Trafford, scoring on 12 occasions in that time, too.
Despite his market value falling as low as £20m when he was a Red Devil (as per Transfermarkt), the winger’s fine form for Dortmund last term and his excellent start at Chelsea has seen his value increase. Sancho is already valued at €30m (£25m), and if his form continues, it will only continue to grow.
Whilst Sancho’s stocks have begun to rise in the past few weeks, Chelsea once had an even more valuable winger on their books, who they may wish they had kept hold of instead of losing him for free.
All 2024/25 Premier League clubs ranked by net spend
Football FanCast has looked at the net spend of 2024/25’s Premier League clubs, going back to the 1992/93 season.
ByLewis Thompson Jun 29, 2024 The player who’s now worth more than Sancho
The attacker in question here is Bayern Munich and recently capped France international winger Michael Olise. Now one of the best right-wingers in the world, the former Reading and Crystal Palace player was someone Chelsea lost out on when he was an academy player.
Crystal Palace's Michael Olise
According to a report from BBC Sport, the Frenchman was part of Chelsea’s esteemed Cobham academy up until the age of 14, when the Blues released him for free. Whatever the reason was, it has proven to be a choice they must now regret.
Incredibly, the Blues were interested in re-signing their former academy prodigy this summer, and given his record at Selhurst Park, that is no surprise. The Frenchman scored 16 goals and grabbed 25 assists in 90 games for the Eagles, with 10 goals and 6 assists coming in 19 games in the 2023/24 season. Football statistician Statman Dave described him as “unstoppable” for a reason.
Chelsea were willing to pay upwards of £60m for his services, along with Man United and fellow Premier League side Newcastle. In the end, it was German giants Bayern who won the race for his signature.
Olise’s move to Munich has been nothing short of a success so far. He has played eight games for the club so far, scoring five goals and registering three assists. With that in mind, it is no surprise that his value has risen so much. He is now worth a whopping €55m (£46m), almost double that of Sancho’s value. Given they lost him for free, that is an outrageous loss for the Blues.
Olise highest value by year (senior football only)
Club
Value
Date
Age
Reading
£6.6m
December 2020
19
Crystal Palace
£15m
December 2021
20
Crystal Palace
£18.4m
November 2022
20
Crystal Palace
£41.8m
December 2023
22
Bayern Munich
£46m
October 2024
22
Stats from Transfermarkt
Chelsea fans might well wish they had not released Olise as a youngster and instead helped him hone his craft at Cobham. Had he ended up an academy graduate of the club, he might have become one of the best players at Stamford Bridge, and thrived alongside the likes of Sancho and Palmer.
O Palmeiras não cansou de fazer história em 2021. Depois de dois títulos de Libertadores na equipe profissional, o Sub-20 garantiu, nesta quarta-feira (22), o pentacampeonato consecutivo do Paulistão da categoria, algo inédito desde a criação do torneio. A taça veio após a vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Mirassol (3 a 0 no placar agregado).
O Verdão foi a campo com Mateus; Garcia, Naves, Lucas Freitas e Ian; Pedro Bicalho, Fabinho e Gabriel Silva; Giovani, Vanderlan e Vitor Hugo.
A partida começou morna, com as duas equipes encontrando dificuldades para infiltrar na defesa adversária. Até os 16 minutos, ninguém foi capaz de chegar perto do gol. No entanto, Gabriel Tota fez boa jogada na entrada da área e finalizou no canto de Mateus, que conseguiu impedir o tento do Mirassol.
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Pouco tempo depois, o Verdão respondeu. Em boa jogada de Vanderlan pela ponta esquerda, a bola sobrou para o capitão Pedro Bicalho finalizar de fora da área e, sem titubear, deixou o goleiro Caik sem reação e abriu o placar para o Maior Campeão Nacional.
A partida, no entanto, não mudou. As equipes continuaram com dificuldades para chegar à meta adversária e, de maneira morna e pouco emocionante, o Palmeiras foi ao intervalo vencendo por 1 a 0 (3 a 0 no placar agregado).
Na segunda etapa, com o Mirassol precisando do resultado, o Verdão não cedeu espaços. Marcando bem e impedindo as aproximações do Leão da Alta Araraquarense, a equipe sofreu pouco. No entanto, também não conseguiu agredi e, com isso, o embate permaneceu apático.
Com o resultado, o Palmeiras conquistou o pentacampeonato Paulista consecutivo, algo inédito na história. A equipe de Paulo Victor Gomes somou 17 vitórias, cinco empates e duas derrotas, além de 67 gols marcados ao longo do torneio.
O Palmeiras volta a campo em janeiro, pela Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. Sediado em Diadema, o Verdão encara Assu-RN, Real Ariquemes-RO e Água Santa.
حقق فريق أهلي جدة فوزًا كبيرا على نظيره القادسية برباعية مقابل هدف، وذلك ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري السعودية “روشن”.
المباراة التي أقيمت على ملعب استاد مدينة الملك عبدالله الرياضية ضمن منافسات الجولة 22 من عمر البطولة المحلية.
افتتح إيفان توني التسجيل بهدف للأهلي في الدقيقة 11 عن طريق ركلة جزاء نجح في تنفيذها، ثم أضاف محمد سليمان بكر الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 27.
ترتيب دوري أبطال آسيا بعد نهاية الجولة الأخيرة من مرحلة الدوري (مجموعة الغرب)
وقبل انتهاء الشوط الأول أضاف ناتشو فيرنانديز لاعب القادسية الهدف الثالث للأهلي عن طريق الخطأ في مرماه، قبل أن يقلص زميله جوليان كينيونيس النتيجة بهدف أول للضيوف.
وفي الدقيقة 52 عاد إيفان توني ليسجل الهدف الرابع للأهلي عن طريق ركلة جذاء ثانية نفذها باقتدار.
بتلك النتيجة يرتفع رصيد الأهلي إلى 44 نقطة محتلًا المركز الخامس في جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي، بعد أن حقق انتصاره الرابع عشر فيما تعادل في مواجهتين وخسر ست لقاءات.
ويتجمد رصيد القادسية عند 47 نقطة، محتلًا المركز الرابع في جدول ترتيب الدوري، بعد أن نال خسارته الثالثة هذا الموسم، فيما فاز في 16 مواجهة وتعادل في ثلاثة.
Phoenix recover from 71 for 6 as pair put on 48 off 30 balls
ECB Reporters Network13-Aug-2021
Emily Arlott and Erin Burns put on a crucial 48 runs off 30 balls for Birmingham Phoenix•Getty Images
Erin Burns, the Australian allrounder, hit 38 from 26 balls and Emily Arlott 22 from 14 to keep Birmingham Phoenix in with an outside chance of qualifying for the final stages of the inaugural women’s Hundred.Phoenix recovered from 71 for 6, needing 55 with 42 balls left, to pip Trent Rockets by three wickets with six balls to spare after Burns and Arlott had put on 48 from 30 deliveries.Left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon took 3 for 26 to make it 12 wickets in the tournament as Rockets Women totalled 125 for 7 from 100 balls, Abbey Freeborn (30) and Heather Graham (26) adding 54 in 39 balls for the fifth wicket. But despite Sammy-Jo Johnson taking 3 for 22 to increase her tally to 15, the total was not enough.Trent Rockets Women remain one of three teams on seven points with a home match against Manchester Originals to come, while Phoenix, on six points, travel to Northern Superchargers on Thursday.Second and third in the final table will meet to decide who meets Southern Brave, who are already through to the Lord’s final.Rachel Priest and Johnson gave the Rockets innings a strong start with 34 from 20 balls, both hitting sixes, but the innings lost some momentum as Johnson was lbw trying to reverse sweep off-spinner Burns, Katherine Brunt was bowled by Gordon and Nat Sciver was run out by a direct hit arrowed in from deep midwicket by Katie Mack to be 63 for 4 from 52.Graham had an escape on nine when she was dropped at cover off Emily Arlott before she and Freeborn added 28 in 15 balls. But both were dismissed in the space of three balls by Gordon, who beat Freeborn’s swing before Graham hit her straight to mid-off in a final set that cost only one run.Shafali Verma, on 16 from nine balls after her match-winning 76 not out against Welsh Fire on Monday, was caught at deep midwicket in an early setback for Phoenix, giving Brunt her wicket for the second time in the tournament and the fifth time this summer after a battle between the two that began in the England-India international series.Katherine Brunt roars after dismissing Shafali Verma•Getty Images
The innings seemed to be going nowhere as Eve Jones was leg before to Georgia Davis’s off spin and skipper Amy Jones to a poor shot that saw her caught at short third man off Johnson, who quickly added a second wicket with a low return catch to remove Mack. When Sarah Glenn had Gwenan Davis caught behind they were 58 for 5.Izzy Wong top-edged to short third man but Burns and Arlott turned things round. Burns swept ball No. 88 straight to deep backward square but Arlott, who survived a tough caught-and-bowled chance to Johnson, kept her cool to win the match with back-to-back boundaries.
خاض فريق مانشستر سيتي مباراته في بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي لكرة القدم، مساء اليوم السبت، ضد خصمه بليموث على ملعب “الاتحاد”.
وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات دور الـ16 من بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، حيث حقق مانشستر سيتي فوزًا بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف. أهداف مباراة مانشستر سيتي وبليموث في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي
وشهدت الدقائق الأولى من عمر الشوط الأول من المباراة سيطرة سلبية من جانب مانشستر سيتي على الكرة، دون خطورة تذكر على مرمى بليموث، وسط ضغط دفاعي قوي من الضيوف.
وأهدر جوندوجان فرصة جديدة من أجل تسجيل هدف التقدم، في الدقيقة 28، بعدما سدد كرة قوية ولكن اصطدمت بالقائم وسط ذهول من اللاعب الألماني.
ولم يستفد مانشستر سيتي من الاستحواذ، على العكس من بليموث الذي سجل هدف التقدم في الدقيقة 38.
الهدف جاء عن طريق ركلة ركنية نفذها سورينولا حيث وصلت الكرة إلى زميله تالوفيروف ليسددها برأسه في شباك أورتيجا، معلنًا عن تقدم بليموث.
ورفض مانشستر سيتي إنهاء الشوط الأول وهو متأخر في النتيجة، حيث نجح في تسجيل هدف التعادل في الدقيقة الأولى من الوقت المحتسب بدلَا من الضائع.
وجاء الهدف بعدما نفذ كيفين دي بروين ركلة حرة، حيث وصلت الكرة إلى زميله أوريلي الذي سددها برأسه في الشباك على الفور.
وأجرى بيب جوارديولا تغييرًا اضطراريًا بين الشوطين لإصابة ناثان آكي، حيث دفع بزميله روبن دياز.
ولم يلعب مانشستر سيتي بشكل هجومي قوي في بداية الشوط الثاني، ليقرر جوارديولا الدفع بالنجم إيرلينج هالاند، في الدقيقة 59.
وكاد كيفين دي بروين أن يسجل هدفًا رائعًا للغاية أمام بليموث، في الدقيقة 67، من جانب منطقة الجزاء، حيث سدد كرة قوية للغاية ولكن حارس الخصم تألق وتصدى لها.
وتمكن مانشستر سيتي من تسجيل هدف التقدم في الدقيقة 76، عن طريق أوريلي من جديد.
الهدف جاء بعد ركلة ركنية من فيل فودين، وصلت الكرة إلى أوريلي الذي سددها برأسه في الشباك، ليسجل الهدف الثاني له ولـ مانشستر سيتي، وسط اعتراض من بليموث لوجود خطأ من أوريلي قبل تسجيله الهدف، ولكن تقنية الفيديو أكدت صحته.
وقضى مانشستر سيتي على آمال بليموث بعدما سجل الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 90، عن طريق كيفين دي بروين.
وجاء الهدف بعد تسديدة من هالاند ولكن اصطدمت بالحارس قبل أن ترتد من جديد لتصل إلى النرويجي الذي مرر الكرة ناحية كيفين دي بروين، الذي سددها من لمسة واحدة في الشباك.
ولم يشارك النجم المصري عمر مرموش في تلك المباراة، حيث ظل على دكة بدلاء مانشستر سيتي طوال اللقاء.
بتلك النتيجة، حصل مانشستر سيتي على بطاقة التأهل إلى دور ربع نهائي كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، حيث ستُقام القرعة غدًا الأحد.
Assim como vários clubes do futebol brasileiro, o Fortaleza também apresentou baixas em sua pré-temporada por conta de testes positivos de Covid-19.
+ Veja no aplicativo do LANCE! o resultado dos jogos da rodada
De acordo com o Leão, oito atletas estão isolados: Anthony Landázuri, Wagner Leonardo, Valentin Depietri, Matheus Jussa, Max Walef, Igor Torres, Ronald e Titi.
Segundo o Fortaleza, apesar das baixas dos atletas, todos estão bem e assintomáticos.
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Queensland’s Shield clash with Tasmania postponed with the Tigers flying home after four Covid-19 cases were reported in the state. Sunday’s Marsh Cup match remains in limbo.
Alex Malcolm27-Sep-2021
Queensland’s title defence postponed•Getty Images
The Sheffield Shield clash between Queensland and Tasmania has been postponed after four mystery Covid-19 cases appeared in Queensland, with Tasmania opting to fly home to Hobart.Queensland was due to host Tasmania at Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane starting at 10am on Tuesday but the match was postponed shortly before 9.30am after the Covid-19 cases were reported.Cricket Australia released a statement regarding the fixture.”Cricket Australia advises that the Marsh Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Tasmania at Ian Healy Oval, due to begin today, has been postponed, ” the statement said.”The match will be rescheduled to a new date later in the season, following the Tasmanian team’s decision to fly home today.”Further updates regarding the scheduled Marsh One-Day Cup match between the two sides, due to be played this Sunday, October 3, will be provided in due course.””Cricket Australia and all State and Territory Associations will continue to make the health and safety of our players, staff, match officials, fans and the wider community our top priority as we look to execute a safe and successful summer of cricket.”Cricket Tasmania released a statement on social media outlining the reasons for flying their team home to Hobart.”Cricket Tasmania has made the decision to return their Tasmanian Tigers Marsh Sheffield Shield and One-Day squads to Tasmania today. This is not a decision that was taken lightly.”While the situation in Queensland hasn’t prevent the match from commencing today, a cautious and considered approach is being taken and it is our strong opinion that we are better having our players and staff home as we build a better understanding of the current landscape.”We look forward to playing the Queensland Bulls at the first opportunity. We thank [Queensland Cricket] and [Cricket Australia] for their understanding and flexibility with this match postponement, and we hope that this preventative measure will, with hindsight, not have been required.”Cricket Australia is struggling to get Australia’s men’s domestic competitions off the ground this season due to Covid-19 outbreaks in New South Wales, Victoria and now Queensland. State borders are closed to NSW and Victoria with both men’s teams still stuck in their home states. There has only been one Sheffield Shield match and one Marsh Cup match played so far between South Australia and Western Australia in Adelaide. There are no fixtures scheduled beyond this week’s matches between Queensland and Tasmania.There are plans afoot for both NSW and Victoria’s teams exit their states on October 4 and undergo 14-days hotel quarantine in South Australia before beginning their seasons around the 25th of October, but they are yet to be finalised.If today’s cases in Queensland sparked an outbreak it would reduce CA’s options for scheduling fixtures, with Western Australia, Tasmania, and South Australia the only three states capable of hosting matches between each other in the immediate short-term.It has been 50 days since Queensland has had a community Covid-19 case and the state has provided a safe haven for Cricket Australia to host the women’s multi-format series between Australia and India. The day-night Test is due to start on Thursday on the Gold Coast, one hour south of Brisbane.The National Rugby League Grand Final is also due to be played in Brisbane on Sunday in front of a crowd and Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed on Tuesday morning that it would still go ahead at this stage pending any changes to health advice from her government.
The weight of the goodbye merely drew attention to the connection that Harry Kane forged with Tottenham Hotspur across the lion’s share of his career.
England and Spurs’ all-time top goalscorer now plies his craft with Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga, having completed a £100m transfer to the Bavarian outfit in August 2023 after many years of service on the white patch of England’s capital, notching 280 goals and 61 assists across 235 fixtures.
Premier League All-time Top Scorers
#
Player
Apps
Goals
Strike rate
1
Alan Shearer
441
260
0.59
2
Harry Kane
320
213
0.67
3
Wayne Rooney
491
208
0.42
4
Andy Cole
414
187
0.45
5
Sergio Aguero
275
184
0.67
Source: Premier League
He might not have won any silverware with Tottenham but Kane certainly etched his name into English history, arguably the country’s finest-ever striker, absurdly clinical in the Premier League.
His sale was not so much necessary as forced by the club’s failings over the seasons leading up to that fateful moment – but why would he have stayed, given the direction, or lack thereof?
Ange Postecoglou has since spun Tottenham back around and there’s a restored identity and bite to the Lilywhites, but flawed football confirms that there is plenty of work still to do, and it’s paramount that the Australian manager does not lose another star man.
Spurs could lose important player
Cristian Romero has risen to prominence as one of the game’s finest centre-halves over the past several years in the Premier League, and Real Madrid have taken note.
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero
Carlo Ancelotti’s imperious outfit appear to be surveying the market for a new central defender and Romero has been earmarked.
That said, reports from Spain over the summer suggested that the north Londoners have immediately slapped a jaw-dropping £175m price tag on the 6 foot 1 titan’s name, hoping to dissuade the La Liga and Champions League title holders from advancing their intrigue.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has placated in recent days the fear at the fanbase’s collective heart after confirming that, despite reports from Argentina, there is indeed no €65m (£54m) release clause in Romero’s contract.
Still, Los Blancos usually get what they want, but Daniel Levy and his senior office will need to work overtime to convince the 26-year-old that his place is in Postecoglou’s backline.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Why Spurs must not sell Cristian Romero
Romero has been at Tottenham for a few years now, moving from Italian side Atalanta in a deal worth around £42m in 2021. He’s completed 106 matches, scoring seven goals, and has been praised for his “incredible” technical quality by Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold.
As per FBref, Romero ranks among the top 8% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 10% for pass completion, the top 12% for progressive passes, the top 19% for blocks and the top 16% for tackles and aerial battles won per 90.
He’s infamous for his aggressive, tough-tackling defensive game but Romero expertly adds a dimension from deep in the final third, drifting forward to latch onto set-piece deliveries, while he’s also blessed with a ball-playing game that allows Postecoglou’s fast-flowing style of football to operate to the nth degree.
Losing him would be cataclysmic, akin to that of Kane’s sale. The Argentina international, champion at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has been pronounced the “best defender in the world” by his compatriot Lionel Messi and simply will not be replaced effectively, for players of his category are scanty.
Oh sure, there’s plenty of defensive talent stubbled across the face of the footballing landscape, but Romero’s skillset is a singular thing, and his captaincy of the Lilywhites across the past two Premier League matches – including the extraordinary 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford – only underscores further the importance of keeping him down N17.
Micky van de Ven, athletic and imposing, earns plenty of plaudits for his flashy movements and loping strides, but he’s not on Romero’s level, not if you look a little closer. You can take a peek now, and see how Romero is far crisper, far more influential, far more involved and assertive.
Premier League 24/25: Cristian Romero vs Micky van de Ven
Match Stats (*per game)
Romero
Van de Ven
Matches (starts)
7 (7)
6 (6)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
1
Touches*
97.0*
86.5
Pass completion
92%
94%
Key passes*
0.6
0.3
Ball recoveries*
6.3
5.5
Tackles + interceptions*
3.0
1.7
Clearances*
2.9
2.7
Duels won* (success rate)
4.9 (59%)
3.8 (49%)
All stats via Sofascore
We looked earlier at Kane’s brilliance at Tottenham, and though his sale was somewhat inevitable, for he had concluded the penultimate year of his contract and Spurs had finished eighth in the Premier League, closing the door on European competition, it still shouldn’t have happened.
Tottenham should not have fallen so heavily by the wayside after losing the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019, a bitter defeat that knocked the project askew for several years onward.
Postecoglou, let’s not forget, took the reins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following the misery of Antonio Conte’s tenure, with so many loose parts creating an air of negativity and helplessness.
Now, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, with a cautiously tangible sense that Tottenham might actually win something, this year, next year – who knows?
The drought will end, but only if linchpins such as Romero are kept on the books. If Romero leaves, it sets a precedent that could topple the work that is being forged.
Romero has just under three years left on his £165k-per-week contract, and Romano has indeed quashed rumours that a £65m release clause is embedded in that tome of contractual terms and conditions.
Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero
Tottenham’s fast start under Postecoglou last season showcased a level of attacking quality that could have achieved great things, had it been sustained and injury issues not boiled up.
Kane would have been sensational at the spearhead. Instead, he plundered 44 goals and 12 assists across 45 appearances for Bayern.
Now that framework has been placed and held in the Tottenham squad, Postecoglou must throw the kitchen sink at keeping Romero at the core of his plans over the coming years, lest Spurs suffer a regression and fail to realise their trophy-triumphing potential.
I played with Kane & Dele at Spurs, now I'm having a nightmare in Romania
This Spurs ace played alongside Harry Kane and Dele Alli but is now struggling out in Romania.