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Barcelona sporting director Deco says Vitor Roque flopped at the club because former coach Xavi insisted they rush the Brazilian's signing.

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Deco reveals why Roque's transfer was a failureSporting director takes a dig at XaviRoque has returned to Brazilian Serie AFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The director has claimed that former manager Xavi’s acceleration in bringing Roque to the club resulted in his spell there being a failure. Former midfielder Deco wanted the forward to join Barca from Athletico Paranaense in the summer window in 2024, but Xavi suggested the player arrive months earlier.

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Roque did not enjoy a positive time at Barcelona, and there were times when he even reportedly broke down during the training sessions. Signed as an eventual Robert Lewandowski successor, he played only 16 matches for the Catalans and scored twice, and spent most of his time on loan to Real Betis. In February 2025, he went on to sign for Brazilian side Palmeiras and is contracted with them until 2029.

WHAT DECO SAID

Deco said to : "He asked that the forward come in the winter market. We always take the coach's opinion into account when making decisions and thus Vitor's adaptation was brought forward, something that should have happened in the summer. [That was] a mistake, Barca demands a lot and they were too worried about what the press was saying."

He added: "His first six months were not good. I also believe that the coaching staff and the club did not know how to adequately identify the problems he faced, whether adaptation or mental. We could not help him as we should."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

Barca won the domestic treble last season and will continue their progress under Hansi Flick next season too.

Australian quick available from next week as club await June arrival of India’s Arshdeep Singh

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2023

Kent have signed Australian quick Wes Agar for four LV= Insurance County Championship matches while they await the arrival of India’s Arshdeep Singh.Agar, the 26-year-old right-arm fast bowler who has made two ODI appearances for his country, represented Australia A against New Zealand A, dismissing three of the opposition’s top-order batters on his way to innings figures of 4 for 56 earlier this month.In the past two years, Agar has taken 41 wickets in 11 first-class matches. He was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2020, awarded to Australia’s most promising first-class player under the age of 24.Agar will be available to play until May 21, covering home matches against Essex and Hampshire and away fixtures with Middlesex at Lord’s and Surrey at The Kia Oval before Arshdeep arrives in June.”This is an exciting new challenge for me,” Agar said. “Playing county cricket has always been a dream of mine and I’m excited to be a Kent player and thankful for the opportunity. With a win already under our belt this year, I hope to be a part of more victories in my time here.”Related

Arshdeep Singh joins Kent for Championship

Agar and Johnson strike before New Zealand A fight back

Rob Yates, Sam Hain centuries punish Kent's call at the toss

Kent defeated Northamptonshire in their opening match of the season last week while their ongoing Division One clash at Warwickshire was one of several Championship games delayed by rain on the second morning on Friday, with the hosts 367 for 3 overnight after being sent in to bat and punishing a depleted attack missing injured seamers Nathan Gilchrist and Grant Stewart. Matt Quinn, the New Zealand quick also broke down early in his new-ball spell before returning to action after the lunch break.Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, said: “Wes is an exciting, wicket-taking bowler known for bowling a ‘heavy ball’. He offers us a point of difference that will complement our core bowling group at the club and will help us in our efforts to take 20 wickets in each of our next four matches in the Championship.”Kent recently announced that they had signed Arshdeep for five Championship matches between June 11 and July 28. He and Agar join Kane Richardson, the Australia pace bowler who will play in the Vitality Blast, and South African spin-bowling allrounder George Linde, who is in the second half of his two-year all-format deal, as overseas players at the club.

Ben Stokes, England’s captain, insisted that his team’s pride at playing a part in one of the most gripping Test matches of all time outweighed their disappointment at the final result, after their run of six Test wins in a row came to an end with an incredible one-run loss against New Zealand in Wellington.A packed crowd at the Basin Reserve had been invited in for free by Cricket New Zealand in expectation of a gripping finale, and the two teams did not disappoint. In a thrillingly fluctuating final day, England lost four quick wickets in the first hour before settling into a seemingly match-turning sixth-wicket stand between Stokes himself and Joe Root, only for Neil Wagner’s short-ball approach to break the game open in a scintillating finale.”It’s right up there,” Stokes said. “Going down to the last day, being in the situation of that last half an hour … it’s everything you wish for. Even though we came out on the wrong side of it, you can’t help but feel blessed that we’ve managed to be a part of that incredible game.”It’s disappointing to not win, obviously. But we look at the bigger picture of what everyone’s enjoyed and seen here today. It’s probably bigger than the disappointment at the moment.”One of Stokes’ stated aims since taking over the England captaincy has been to max out on entertainment, and risk losing games in order to win them. That policy has paid handsome dividends over the past year, most especially in Pakistan before Christmas when England’s attacking instincts broke open the series, most memorably in the first Test at Rawalpindi.”That’s obviously a huge objective of ours,” he added. “I don’t want people to get mixed up, [because] that doesn’t mean that we’re not fussed if we don’t win or lose. Obviously, we always want to win. It’s very disappointing to lose, but you can’t help but be excited that we’ve been a part of a game like that.”Related

• Neil Wagner strikes gold to uphold New Zealand and England's unspoken promise

• From saviour to self-sacrificing leader, Stokes paves England's way to evolve as a collective

• Does Harry Brook have more runs than even Don Bradman in his first nine Test innings?

• New Zealand beat England in one-run thriller, make history by overcoming follow-on

• 'No better game in the world than Test cricket'

Besides being only the second one-run win in Test history, after West Indies’ victory over Australia at Adelaide in 1992-93, this was the fourth time that a side has won a Test match despite being asked to follow-on – and like the most recent occasion, the Kolkata Test in 2000-01, the turning point of the match was arguably Stokes’ decision to enforce the follow-on, after New Zealand had been bowled out for 210 on the third morning.The man himself, however, had no regrets about his call, even though New Zealand’s second innings of 483 – built around a doughty century from the Player of the Match Kane Williamson – meant that his bowlers spent more than 215 consecutive overs in the field.”Imagine captaining in hindsight?” he said. “That’s nothing that I would ever do.”It was always our game to lose once we enforced the follow-on,” he added. “But the logic behind it was that our opening bowlers have ripped through their top-order for three innings in a row. We knew that New Zealand had to pretty much play the perfect game to put us in a situation like this.”In England’s home summer, Stokes’ men had chased consecutive targets of 277, 299 and 296 against New Zealand, followed by a hefty 358 against India, and so despite their tough grind in the field, Stokes insisted that the target this time around, 258, had not left his team daunted.Winning after following on in Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Batting in the last innings, chasing 250 is something that we were never worried about,” he said. “But give huge credit to New Zealand, not only to the way that they played in the second innings, but also the way that they bowled and managed to get very early wickets with not too many runs on the board.”So in terms of looking back and making my decision around the follow-on, No, I don’t regret it. Other teams are allowed to play better than us and New Zealand have played better than us this week.”England’s next Test assignment is the one-off four-day Test against Ireland – starting June 1 – followed by the Ashes and while they are bound to head into the series with confidence after four wins in five this winter, one area of concern is Stokes’ own fitness. His troublesome left knee was causing him visible pain, both during a curtailed two-over spell in the second innings, and for long periods of his own second innings, a dogged 33 from 116 balls that ended with an off-balance pull against a Wagner short ball.Before the series begins in June, Stokes is due to play a season of IPL with Chennai Super Kings – which he may leave early to prep for the Ashes – but he said he had no plans to withdraw at this stage, instead hoping that the less intense workload of T20 cricket would give him more time to get it right off the field.Ben Stokes batted within himself while managing a knee issue•Getty Images

“I’m not sure exactly,” he said, when asked how his knee was feeling. “There’s maybe three or four months before we get to the Ashes and we’ve worked incredibly hard with our physios and medics to get everything right strength-wise.”But it’s been very difficult out here, especially once the Tests have started, because the games came thick and fast. But it’s a good opportunity out in India to get myself into a position that I feel like I don’t have to worry about my knee anymore.”I’m not going to lie. It is very frustrating knowing that I’ve got something holding me back in terms of my body. It’s been around for a while. It is frustrating, but we’re doing everything we possibly can to allow me to fulfil that fourth-seamer role, like I was able to do two or three years ago. Hopefully, come the Ashes, I don’t have to worry about it.”

Everything you need to know about Josip Sutalo's salary details playing for Ajax

Croatian defender Josip Sutalo moved to the Netherlands to join Ajax in 2023, having previously played for Dinamo Zagreb after coming through their youth system.

Sutalo has been a reliable presence at the back for both Ajax and Croatia after a somewhat rocky start in Amsterdam, consistently delivering strong performances now.

He remains a key player in the current Ajax setup, with his ball-playing abilities playing a crucial role in the team’s build-up play.

In addition to his importance on the pitch, Sutalo is also one of the highest-paid players in the Ajax dressing room. His current contract runs until 2028, and he is well-compensated for his role.

But exactly how much does he earn?

GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!

*

• Josip Sutalo's wages at Ajax in numbers

  Josip Sutalo's current contract with Ajax includes a weekly wage of €48,077, making him the club's fifth-highest paid player. His annual salary is about €2.5 million.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in Euros	Annual wages in Euros
  Josip Sutalo	Croatian	€48,077	€2,500,000

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Top earners at Ajax

  Jordan Henderson, previously with Liverpool, is the top earner at Ajax. Daniele Rugani, an Italian center-back on loan from Juventus, follows. Brian Brobbey is third, with Steven Berghuis and Croatian Josip Sutalo in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

  Player	Nationality	Weekly wages in Euros	Annual wages in Euros
  Jordan Henderson	English	€90,000	€4,680,000
  Daniele Rugani	Italian	€75,385	€3,920,000
  Brian Brobbey	Dutch	€57,692	€3,000,000
  Steven Berghuis	Dutch	€56,731	€2,950,000
  Josip Sutalo	Croatian	€48,077	€2,500,000

• Top earners in Eredivisie

  Jordan Henderson is the top earner at Ajax and in the Eredivisie, with Sergino Dest from PSV next. Daniele Rugani is third, while Brian Brobbey and Steven Berghuis are fourth and fifth.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages in Euros	Annual wages in Euros
  Jordan Henderson	Ajax	€90,000	€4,680,000
  Sergino Dest	PSV	€75,385	€3,920,000
  Daniele Rugani	Ajax	€75,385	€3,920,000
  Brian Brobbey	Ajax	€57,692	€3,000,000
  Steven Berghuis	Ajax	€56,731	€2,950,000

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• AFP
  

  Highest paid players in the world

  Eredivisie player salaries are notable but lower than those of top global footballers, with none in the highest ranks.

  The top five earners are in the Saudi Pro League, led by Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr with the highest salary.

  Karim Benzema, formerly of Real Madrid, is second, followed by Riyad Mahrez, previously with Manchester City and now at Al-Ahli, in third.

  Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, both from Senegal, are in fourth and fifth places, respectively.

  Player	Club	Weekly wages Euros	Annual wages Euros
  Cristiano Ronaldo	Al Nassr	€3,846,154	€200,000,000
  Karim Benzema	Al Ittihad	€1,923,077	€100,000,000
  Riyad Mahrez	Al Ahli	€1,003,846	€52,200,000
  Sadio Mane	Al Nassr	€769,231	€40,000,000
  Kalidou Koulibaly	Al Hilal	€667,308	€34,700,000

Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger believes the Gunners have a "mental" advantage ahead of their crunch Champions League clash at Paris Saint-Germain.

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Arsenal lose 1-0 at home to PSGOn brink of Champions League exitWenger says they have "mental" advantageFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal fell to a 1-0 semi-final first-leg defeat to PSG at the Emirates last week but despite the French side having home advantage for the return fixture, former Gunners boss believes the fact that Mikel Arteta's side have to win keeps matters simple. Whereas with PSG, deciding how to approach the game is more of a "mental problem".

AdvertisementGetty/GOALWHAT WENGER SAID

He told beIN SPORTS: "What is interesting in the Champions League, when you go away and home, is every time before you start the game in the second leg, you have a mental problem to resolve. The advantage for Arsenal is the mental problem is easy. They have to go and play and win. The mental problem for PSG is: do we play to win this game or do we play to protect our advantage and get them playing on the counter-attack, knowing you have to be very clear in your message to the team? As well, knowing that not everybody in the team will be necessarily aligned with you because if they decide to protect their advantage, it’s a little bit against the DNA of the team. So Luis Enrique has already come out and said they have another game to win and I believe, with the final in mind and you playing at home, it will be very difficult to have a passive attitude.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Neither Arsenal nor PSG have ever won the Champions League so this semi-final has an awful lot riding on it. The Gunners won away at defending champions Real Madrid in the last round so they can rise to the big occasion but winning in Paris may be an even tougher challenge.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Arteta's Arsenal, who lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, will hope to overturn their first-leg deficit at PSG on Wednesday in the Champions League semi-finals.

This means they are likely to pick a second-string ODI squad to face South Africa from October 6 to 11

Shashank Kishore30-Sep-2022

The Indian team is set to depart for Australia on October 6, two days after the conclusion of the T20I series against South Africa, for a preparatory camp ahead of the T20 World Cup. This also means the selectors are likely to announce a second-string squad, led by Shikhar Dhawan in all likelihood, for the three ODIs against South Africa from October 6-11.India will train in Perth till October 13 where they are also slated to play a practice game against Western Australia before they proceed to Brisbane to take on Australia and New Zealand in two more warm-up games prior to the tournament proper.As many as five members of the T20 World Cup squad – including the standbys – have no experience of playing top-flight cricket in Australia. That’s Suryakumar Yadav, Harshal Patel (made one trip with the U-19s in 2009), Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Hooda (made one trip with U-19s in 2013) and Ravi Bishnoi. So these games might help these players acclimatise better and be more match ready.Related

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As things stand, India are waiting on the fitness of Hooda and Bumrah, both of whom are currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru nursing back injuries. While Hooda was ruled out of the South Africa series entirely, Bumrah was only pulled out on Wednesday, the eve of the first T20I, after he complained of back pain.Bumrah, who missed the Asia Cup with back issues, had only just come back for the T20Is against Australia earlier this month. But now he’s back under the care of the medical team at the NCA, where he is believed to have undergone scans. While he hasn’t been ruled out of the T20 World Cup entirely, there are considerable doubts over his participation. If injuries do rule out both Hooda and Bumrah, it’s likely Chahar and Mohammad Shami will be called into the main squad.India head into the T20 World Cup on the back of extensive preparation. They’ve been on the road for the past three months, having played T20Is in Ireland, England, the Caribbean, the UAE to go with the home series against Australia and South Africa.India are in Group 2 at the ICC event, alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and two qualifiers. Their opener at the MCG against Pakistan on October 23 will be followed by matches on October 27 (vs Qualifier in Sydney), October 30 (vs South Africa in Perth), November 2 (vs Bangladesh in Adelaide) and November 6 (vs qualifier in Melbourne).India T20 World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.Reserve players: Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar.

PLAIER, an AI system used by several European clubs for player scouting, has predicted which players Real Madrid must target to reach the next level.

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Spanish newspaper MARCA used AI model for predictionsA number of Premier League players were put forwardCould be a busy summer of change at the BernabeuFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Defending champions Real Madrid were eliminated by Arsenal 5-1 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals, exposing their severely flawed squad setup and team balance. In an exclusive report with MARCA, PLAIER, an AI system that helps clubs target the most ideal players for their teams in order to elevate performance levels, has predicted that Real Madrid should target the likes of Reece James, Lewis Hall, James Maddison, and Noni Madueke, among several others, this summer to improve their team.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE FULL-BACK AREAS

For the right-back position, AI analysis identified Chelsea's James, Bayern Munich's Josip Stanisic, and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold to be the most suitable additions to the Real Madrid squad. While it's all but confirmed that Alexander-Arnold will be joining Los Blancos for free this summer, PLAIER CEO Jan Wendt argued that James would have been a better alternative.

"Alexander-Arnold is excellent in many of the right-back situations, but he has certain weaknesses in areas such as interceptions, aerial duels, and one-on-ones," Wendt told MARCA. "Although signing him at zero cost would make financial sense, if Madrid is willing to invest, Reece James is a better option: he has fewer weaknesses and also excels in the same metrics where TAA excels."

The left-back position is also one that Madrid have tried to reinforce, as evidenced by their interest in signing Alphonso Davies, who signed a new long-term contract in February. Per PLAIER, Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko, Stuttgart's Maximilian Mittelstadt, as well as promising Newcastle youngster Lewis Hall were chosen as the most effective options for Madrid.

MIDFIELD & ATTACK

When it comes to the midfield, the absence of the now-retired Toni Kroos has been glaring, with no Madrid midfielder showing a profound ability to pull the strings from the middle of the park in the loss to Arsenal. Reports mention that Madrid will try to sign a player of a similar profile this summer, with PLAIER suggesting that Bruno Fernandes, Maddison, or PSV's Joey Veerman could plug the Kroos-shaped hole.

Lastly, the analysis concludes that Real Madrid could sign the likes of Jeremy Doku, Alejandro Garnacho, or Luis Sinisterra for the left-wing position, should Vinicius Jr. depart amid Saudi links. For the opposite flank, PLAIER suggested that Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka, and Brazilian wonderkid Estevao could provide the balance they need.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

Despite being knocked out of the Champions League, Real could yet end the season with major silverware, as they face Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on April 26. Before that, though, they will take on Athletic Club on Sunday as they look to bridge the gap between them and Hansi Flick's troops in the Liga title race.

West Ham United are now keen on signing a “clinical” £40 million Premier League midfielder this month, according to a new report.

West Ham transfer news

Julen Lopetegui could soon get the sack at the London Stadium after defeat to Manchester City reopened the question marks around his long-term future at the club. Graham Potter’s name is once again back in the frame for the Hammers, and the former Chelsea boss may well seal a move to replace the Spaniard.

West Ham now make contact over move to sign "fantastic" £60m striker

Julen Lopetegui is keen to strengthen his strike force this winter.

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Dominic Lund

Jan 3, 2025

Ahead of the game against City, Lopetegui revealed that West Ham are “working” on potential arrivals behind the scenes. Lopetegui said: “It is true that we have these two important losses [Bowen and Antonio]. The club knows our needs and are working about [on] that.”

One player the Hammers were interested in signing was Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney, but that appears to be a non-starter, as the defender looks set to re-join his old side Celtic. West Ham are said to have made an approach to sign Tierney, but he has snubbed the interest in favour of rejoining the Scottish champions.

A new forward could be on the radar for the Premier League side, as they are targeting a move for Real Sociedad star Brias Mendez. Lopetegui knows the player, having come up against him in La Liga, and he could be an option for the Hammers this month, as they look to strengthen their forward line.

West Ham keen on signing "clinical" £40m Premier League midfielder

Signing a new defender and forward are not the only positions the Hammers are looking to strengthen, as according to TBR Football, West Ham are interested in signing Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea in this transfer window.

Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea in 2022, but his time with the Blues has been far from successful. The midfielder has struggled to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI, and under Enzo Maresca, he has hardly featured. The 21-year-old has played five times this season, four of which have come in the UEFA Conference League and one in the EFL Cup. Not only has he not played in the league, but he has yet to make a matchday squad.

TBR Football now reports that Chelsea are prepared to let Chukwuemeka leave this month, ideally with a permanent sale, with them looking to get around £40 million for the player. There are several players that the Blues want to move on in this month, and Chukwuemeka is one of those who has interest from West Ham and his former club Aston Villa.

The Hammers want to sign a new midfielder, but the chances of them paying £40 million this month is said to be unrealistic. Chukwuemeka, who scored at the London Stadium against the Hammers last season, is very highly rated by former Chelsea man Marcel Desailly, as he labels the midfielder as “clinical.”

Desailly said of Chukwuemeka: “I like Carney Chukwuemeka because he is like an artist who comes onto the stage. He has got the ball. Now is my moment. Shine. You see the dribbling. He is sure about what he is going to do, and he is clinical. I love it.”

Graham Potter has been hired as the new West Ham United manager, following the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui, after a poor start to the 2024/25 Premier League season left the Hammers 14th after 20 games played.

One area that West Ham have struggled in so far this season is the middle of the park, lacking mobility to cover ground, often leaving big gaps between their two lines of pressure, with the midfield either too deep to help the forward line, or too advanced, making them unable to recover the large distances.

This has had a negative effect on their off-ball principles, leading to 2024 being their worst defensive year since 1967.

West Ham conceded 79 goals in 2024, the most in the Premier League during that calendar year. This alone could be enough for Potter to ask for reinforcement in central areas, in order to change their out-of-possession principles and improve those numbers.

The midfielder West Ham could sign

According to reports from The Daily Mail, West Ham are interested in out-of-favour Chelsea star, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. According to the report, Potter wants to strengthen his midfield options in January, and the Chelsea man could be a perfect way to do so.

With the 26-year-old only joining the Blues this summer for a fee of around £30m, Chelsea look like they are already willing to let Dewsbury-Hall leave the club, having fallen behind in the pecking order to multiple midfielders in Maresca’s plans.

The former Leicester ace has made 15 appearances in all competitions so far this season, scoring two goals, providing one assist and totalling 857 minutes played.

Dewsbury-Hall vs Paqueta comparison

Lucas Paqueta has been subject to criticism this season, making 21 appearances, scoring three goals and totalling 1,440 minutes so far.

But the main sources of criticism have come due to his lack of assists (0) in comparison to the number of times the Brazilian gives the ball away per game.

Dewsbury-Hall, whilst having an expansive passing range, will keep it simple in order to retain possession, and could therefore offer Potter another midfield option to keep things tidy and help the functionality of his side.

Transfer Focus

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

The Englishman’s ex-manager, Brendan Rodgers, labelled Dewsbury-Hall a “special player” back in 2022, and that same skill set is clearly still there when we look at the numbers.

Goals

0.27

0.19

Assists

0.00

0.00

xG

0.19

0.24

xAG

0.19

0.13

Progressive Carries

2.71

0.72

Progressive Passes

8.31

5.29

Key Passes

2.37

1.50

Shot-Creating Actions

5.76

3.46

Tackles + Interceptions

1.50

3.33

When comparing their metrics from this season, you have to take into account that the Chelsea ace has played the majority of his minutes in the UEFA Conference League, in comparison to the Brazilian who has played the majority of his minutes in the Premier League.

Having said that, Dewsbury-Hall is outperforming the Irons star in many metrics, providing more progressive carries per 90, more shot-creating actions and more expected assists (xAG), whilst still offering the work-rate and mobility desired in midfield.

Whilst Paqueta is seen as the bigger talent between the two, the simplicity that Dewsbury-Hall could add to their midfield, along with that extra mobility needed and hard-working mentality, allowing Potter to implement new out-of-possession ideas at a faster rate, hopefully allowing the Hammers to get some points on the board.

Dream Potter signing: West Ham could sign "one of the most exciting CFs"

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Tense two-wicket victory sealed in anticlimactic fashion at Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2022

Lancashire’s batters held their nerve to secure a tense two-wicket defeat of Northants Steelbacks off the final ball of their Vitality Blast match at Emirates Old Trafford. Needing six to win off the final over, the home side’s chances appeared to have gone when Jimmy Neeshamdismissed both Danny Lamb and Tim David but with three needed off one ball, the New Zealander bowled a wide and then a no-ball to give Lancashire the spoils.However, Tim David’s 26-ball 42, which included a trio of sixes, had been just as vital in enabling Lancashire to remain unbeaten in this year’s Blast and preserve their home 100% record against Northants, whose total of 153 for six had always looked competitive on a used, tacky pitch.All the same, Northants’ innings began badly when Richard Gleeson’s superb yorker uprooted Lewis McManus’s off stump in the third over, but Josh Cobb hit Tom Hartley’s first two balls for leg-side sixes and the visitors eventually notched a respectable 53 runs off their Powerplay, 18 of those runs coming off Hartley’s first set of six.The visitors’ attempts to accelerate were then frustrated by the loss of two wickets in successive overs. First Josh Cobb was caught at long on by David off Liam LIvingstone for 21; then Ben Curran was bowled for 37 when attempting to reverse sweep a leg-spinner from Luke Wells, who probably owed his selection for this game to Matt Parkinson’s late call-up to England’s Test side.Northants reached the halfway point of their innings on 81 for three but Rob Keogh and Saif Zaib were finding it difficult to increase the scoring rate on a sticky pitch against an accurate attack.Just 25 runs had been scored off the previous 23 balls when Keogh was run out for 18 by Wells’ direct hit from mid-on and any hopes that Neesham might improve matters were dashed when the New Zealander was bowled by David for three, thus giving Lancashire’s overseas signing his first wicket for the county.Tom Taylor was bowled attempting a deeply ambitious reverse sweep off Luke Wood and it needed Zaib’s leg-side six off Gleeson in the nineteenth over to ensure his side got to 140. A front foot no-ball in the final over also boosted the total and Zaib reached his fifty off 36 balls.The Northants batsman finished unbeaten on 57 and his side’s total looked competitive in the conditions. Wood took one for 27 but the pick of Lancashire’s miserly attack was Livingstone, whose four overs cost 21 runs.Lancashire’s attempt to overhaul 153 began poorly when Keaton Jennings was bowled by Taylor for two and the same bowler had Steven Croft caught at point by Zaib for 10 after the Lancashire veteran had added 29 in 17 balls with Phil Salt.The home side ended their Powerplay on 47 for two, six runs and one wicket worse than Northants had been. Lancashire’s attempts to increase the scoring rate were then hampered by the loss of two wickets to the spinners, first when Livingstone’s top-edged sweep was caught by Taylor to give debutant leggie Alex Russell his first senior wicket and then when Salt was leg before to Graeme White for 37.Three huge sixes by David enlivened home supporters and left Lancashire needing 48 off the final six overs, only for Dane Vilas to be caught on the boundary by White off Neesham for 32. Vilas’s team still needed 33 off four overs and then 23 off three but Luke Wells holed out at deep midwicket off Neesham and 18 were required off the final twelve balls, thus setting up the tense climax to a fine game.Neesham finished with four for 26 but it will be no consolation.