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West Bromwich Albion have been linked with plenty of talent over the years, many of whom might have changed their status as a club seemingly perennially struggling to remain in the Premier League.

It is easy to speculate how big of an impact some of these names might have had, such as Virgil van Dijk for example, but arguably their biggest blunder was not signing Luka Modric when they had the chance in 2007.

The Croatian maestro, who has gone on to captain his country to a World Cup final and win a Ballon d’Or, has announced himself as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.

Reportedly, the season before he would make his move from Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham Hotspur, he was instead ready to make the switch to the Hawthorns.

The move depended solely on whether Tony Mowbray could steer his side to promotion, which unfortunately Derby County prevented in the play-off final. Jeremy Peace, the owner at the time, reportedly had a fine relationship with the Croatian club, but could not tempt them or Modric to transfer without Premier League football.

Whilst they would earn promotion the season following, they had already missed out on their target. He moved to Spurs for £15m, and just four years later make his £30m switch to Real Madrid, where he has since won five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.

His pass mastery and incredible longevity mean that even today he remains one of the Europe’s best, as he ranks in the top 5% for progressive passes, and the top 2% for assists per 90.

There are arguably few better on the planet who could thread a ball through like the 37-year-old and had he moved to the Baggies, he could’ve been “magic” in their midfield to promote them a year early and sustain them for the foreseeable future.

He has featured 445 times for Los Blancos, scoring 33 and assisting 73 from his deep midfield role. For country, he shoulders more of the offensive burden, however, as he has 23 goals and 24 assists during his 154 caps.

To think that his career truly took off in north London, it will always remain a great ‘what if?’ story with regard to whether Modric would have made a switch to the Midlands, and just how sensational he could’ve been for them.

Tottenham Hotspur were held by Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany to remain second in group D after manager Antonio Conte named an unchanged team for Tuesday night’s Champions League outing.

That side were defeated 3-1 by arch-rivals Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend but were unable to make amends as Spurs were wasteful and careless in front of goal.

It’s now back-to-back European nights without a victory, leaving the north Londoners sat in second place, tied on points with Die Adler.

There were still some positives to take from the game as the Italian and his men now prepare for a top-flight clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday evening.

One player shone throughout the encounter at the Waldstadion and that was Clement Lenglet on the left side of defence. An absolute rock who gave his all during the 78 minutes he was on the pitch.

Indeed, the FC Barcelona man was heavily involved throughout the game, registering a total of 101 touches of the ball, which was the second-most of any player involved and had he played the final 12-plus minutes, then there would’ve been a good chance that he finished the game leading the way.

A lot of Tottenham’s build-up play started through him and that was further reflected by his 82 passing attempts, which he was successful in 83% of the time, whilst he also pulled off five long balls to good effect.

Also per SofaScore, the French colossus was efficient defensively, having recorded more tackles than anyone else on the pitch (five) and that was on top of four clearances, three interceptions and a total of ten duels won – a win rate of 71.4%.

Lenglet is currently Conte’s only natural left-footed centre-back, so he has proven to be a useful addition to the squad thus far and his performance against Frankfurt highlighted exactly why he can be a consistent starter for the Italian going forward.

The 27-year-old also caught the eye of Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick, who graded him amongst Spurs’ top performers on the night in his post-match ratings column – ‘Looked most comfortable of the back three in an assured display. Occasionally got forward to overlap Perisic,’ he wrote.

It’s no wonder France national team boss Didier Deschamps has previously lauded him as a “world-class,” whilst football writer Andrew Gaffney once described him as a “special talent” amid interest from Manchester United in 2018.

He’s Tottenham’s shining light now, however, and both Conte and the fanbase can count their lucky stars that the £50k-per-week titan is, as he proved absolutely crucial to the clean sheet over in Germany on Tuesday night.

The returning Ben Davies could now have a fight on his hands heading into the weekend.

AND in other news, Forget Son: £134k-p/w Spurs lightweight who lost 84% of duels cost Conte in Frankfurt…

Newcastle United were not one for spending much money whilst under the regime of Mike Ashley, with just a £9.3m net spend for every year of his tenure at St. James’ Park.

During the 2018/19 campaign, he appeared to take a step towards slightly increased spending, before allowing a whopping £65.61m to be spent the summer following.

This significant expenditure arguably started when they broke their club transfer record to sign Miguel Almiron from Atlanta United of the MLS.

Signed in January for £21m, the previous season had seen the Paraguayan scored 12 and assisted 13 in just 32 league games.

They expected a skilful winger who could finish or create, however since moving to the Premier League he has never really recaptured that form.

In 131 appearances for the Magpies, he has only 17 goals and registered five assists, a combined total of less than his output during that one final season for his former club. Two of those goals came in the drubbing of Fulham on Saturday, including a potential goal of the season contender.

However, sadly the fact is that the Paraguayan hasn’t shown that sort of quality on a regular basis and if Newcastle want to be challenging for the European spots, they need someone with the magic Almiron demonstrated this weekend but on a more regular basis.

There are signs that the diminutive 28-year-old is finally starting to show his true colours but he has simply cost too much already to really deem this transfer a solid piece of business. He has been taking up a wage of around £42k-per-week, meaning he has cost the club £34m in salary and transfer fees during his 191-week stay in the north east.

Indeed, for every goal contribution that Almiron has delivered, Newcastle have essentially paid £1.5m.

With Rafa Benitez the man who brought him in, and Steve Bruce having continued to play him, now Eddie Howe is inundated with money, he must ditch this hard-working but ultimately “headless” – in the words of  Steve Wraith – winger.

His poor form has also seen his value plummet, as he is now rated at just €15m (£13m) by CIES Football Observatory.

Under the previous managers, one could understand how one of the club’s most expensive purchases might have to feature as much as possible. Also, with the lack of money given, supporters were resigned to the fact that nobody of quality would be brought in to replace him.

However, under the new ownership, a cut-throat attitude must be undertaken to achieve the lofty ambitions they will surely have and as a result, it will be a surprise if Almiron features in their plans for too much longer.

West Bromwich Albion could be set to make an exciting young appointment to fill their current managerial vacancy.

What’s the latest?

According to The Daily Mail, the Baggies have Rob Edwards as part of a shortlisted that contains plenty of impressive names.

Steve Bruce was sacked just yesterday morning following a string of poor results that had his side sat in the Championship relegation zone.

Among the other names listed in the report are Carlos Corberan and Chris Wilder. Ron Gourlay will have a task on his hands picking wisely from this list.

His man management could be integral

Edwards might be the most progressive name of those noted, and despite his short and ultimately unsuccessful spell for Watford, he earned huge praise for his performances with Forest Green Rovers.

The 39-year-old was handed just 11 games at Vicarage Road, and as is always the way with the Hornets, you are never far from the sack.

At the Green Army, he managed to take a side that had finished in sixth the season prior to promotion into League One, the first time in the club’s history.

His managerial displays led to him receiving the Manager of the Year award for the division.

He has been lauded for his man-management skills during his short time as a head coach and has an ability to build incredible team spirit and a winning atmosphere aided by the confidence he has in his squad.

One of his former players Jamille Matt even noted: “Man management-wise, he’s the best I’ve worked under.”

With a side in such miserable form, likely heavily oppressed during the Bruce regime, a coach like Edwards could completely revitalise a club that had ambitions of a Premier League return this season.

His Watford sacking will likely not count against him due to the trigger-happy nature of their ownership, but he will be keen to jump straight back into management to maintain the momentum of his Forest Green success.

A move to the Hawthorns could be the perfect match, for a side desperate for an upturn in mood and a manager that specialises in such. He would enter with little pressure following his predecessor’s underperformance and could make something really special happen there.

Newcastle United have enjoyed an impressive start to the Premier League campaign as they currently sit sixth in the table after nine matches.

Eddie Howe’s side have only lost once in the top-flight so far, winning three and drawing five, and are coming off the back of 5-1 and 4-1 wins over Brentford and Fulham respectively.

The strong recruitment in the transfer market since PIF completed their takeover of the club has played a huge role in the success on the pitch, with the likes of Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes making big contributions.

Guimaraes, in particular, has been in sublime form since joining the club from Ligue 1 side Lyon in January and was recently compared to a former Newcastle cult hero in Hatem Ben Arfa.

Speaking on talkSPORT, retired striker Darren Bent said: “He reminds me of Ben Arfa. They always get these types of players that are a little bit maverick but have got all the ability.

“The only difference between him and Ben Arfa is that I think he will be a little bit more consistent whereas Ben Arfa would sometimes go missing but when he turned it on he turned it on. They kind of remind me of the same person.”

Between 2011 and 2015, the French attacker produced 14 goals and 15 assists in 86 matches and was no stranger to a wondergoal, as he was capable of providing moments of magic on the pitch.

Guimaraes is similar in that he has already shown he has the ability to score sensational goals in the Premier League. The £120k-per-week gem scored a stunning solo goal from distance against Brentford recently and found the back of the net with an impudent flick against Southampton last season.

Speaking on MatchDay Extra on Premier League Productions (08/10/22 at 8:20 pm), Glenn Hoddle previously heaped praise on the Brazilian gem’s all-round game, saying:

“He has a bit of everything. He shows his strength and desire to run with the ball, then he is looking forward to pass. He has this energy about him. He is a modern-day player, in the sense that he has everything. He’s an 8/10 in everything he tries to do.”

This suggests that he has more to him than the occasional wondergoal and the statistics back that up. He has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.57 in the Premier League this season – the sixth best in the whole league – and made 4.3 tackles and interceptions per game, which shows that he works hard for the team defensively as no other player in the squad can match that.

The dynamo, who has seven goals and two assists in 23 top-flight appearances for the club, has proven that he can make an impact at both ends of the pitch and that is reflected in his average rating.

Howe has certainly unearthed a new talismanic cult hero for Newcastle, a Ben Arfa 2.0 if you will, in Guimaraes and the head coach will be hoping that the former Lyon man will continue to go from strength to strength in the years to come.

Nottingham Forest made 22 new signings over the summer with the newly-promoted Premier League club showing the ultimate ambition to build a team that can compete at the highest level.

However, the fairytale promotion success has been short-lived as Steve Cooper’s new-look side have struggled to pick up points in their first 11 league outings with just six points collected out of a possible 33.

The Garibaldi Reds have scored the joint-second fewest goals in the entire Premier League and are currently just one point off the bottom of the table, which has ultimately led to the sacking of the head of recruitment and the head scout at The City Ground.

Evangelos Marinakis put trust and ambition into the powers appointed to make the best decisions to build a team that could retain the club’s Premier League status for years to come, and after spending £150m during the summer, there is no doubt that the owner would have high expectations.

As a result, many of the players acquired over the transfer window have not been up to scratch and although there were many acquisitions made, it will haunt Marinakis when he considers not only the money that could have been saved but the players that could have been retained.

One of the biggest concerns Nottingham Forest are showing in their performances is a lack of attacking threat, goals and poor work ethic in the forward line, which is a huge contribution to their current league position in the relegation zone.

There were several players that shined for the Tricky Trees last season whilst on loan with the club in the Championship but didn’t ultimately make their stays permanent, including James Garner and Djed Spence. However, the biggest loss has arguably been Philip Zinckernagel, who was key to the team’s formidable attacking threat last season.

Over 42 league appearances, the Danish winger scored six goals, delivered seven assists and created seven big chances during an impressive campaign. He also contributed defensively and worked hard, making 1.4 tackles and winning 4.4 duels per game. Since then, he has continued to flourish on loan from Olympiacos with Belgian side Standard Liege.

The 27-year-old ace who was dubbed “brilliant” by former Watford boss Xisco Munoz, has scored two goals and created three big chances, making 1.2 key passes, one tackle and winning 4.8 duels per game over five appearances so far.

Back on Trentside, the forward’s replacement in Jesse Lingard has delivered no goal contributions whatsoever so far, despite being the highest-paid player on £200k-per-week, which will be incredibly frustrating for the manager, supporters and Marinakis.

It has been reported by The Guardian that the Forest boss rejected the opportunity to keep hold of Zinckernagel which will surely be a decision that he regrets in hindsight. Indeed, it could well haunt Cooper if his side are unsuccessful in retaining their Premier League status at the end of the season.

Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada have joined captain AB de Villiers in expressing reservations about playing a day-night Test because of concerns over the pink ball

Firdose Moonda19-May-2016

Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada have joined captain AB de Villiers in expressing reservations about playing a day-night Test because of concerns over the pink ball. Cricket South Africa rejected Cricket Australia’s offer of a day-night Test later this year because the South African players did not want to have a match of high stakes played in unfamiliar conditions. Philander and Rabada admitted they want more opportunities for practice matches and domestic day-night games before going into a pink-ball Test.”If you are going there, you need to have experimented on the domestic front. We haven’t done that so it would be a total blind eye going into it. I would like to have experimented before you actually go and do it,” Philander said at a sponsor announcement on Wednesday.When asked how many games he thought teams would need to get used to the pink ball, Philander was unsure but he did not think one practice game, which was what Australia offered South Africa on their visit later this year, would be enough.”You have to try and test the pink ball properly,” Philander said. “We are all professional players and I think sometimes people think we are quick to adapt to everything. As far as the pink ball is concerned, you are going to need a few games to get used to it.”Like de Villiers, both Philander and Rabada cited the uneven contest between bat and ball as the key reason for their hesitation to play a day-night Test. “There are a lot of rumours of the ball being okay during the day and then at night being a bit difficult for batters,” Philander said. Rabada echoed those thoughts: “From what I hear, it’s not a fair contest between bat and ball and that should be Test cricket.”But Rabada also took a view similar to Dale Steyn, and said that he would like to play a day-night Test at some point in his career. “I haven’t given it much thought but I wouldn’t mind playing in it. I’ve heard good things and I’ve heard bad things,” Rabada said. “Perhaps they need to look into it more and perhaps make it a bit more fair. The positive is that it brings crowds in. They need to find a way to balance the two, so that it’s good for cricket and good for publicising the sport. You need to find a way to come to a fair conclusion where both parties are happy.”Steyn had told that he did not want to go through his “whole career without playing a day-night game” and wanted to test his skills with something different. He later clarified on Twitter that although he wanted to play a pink-ball Test in future, he did not want it to be the Adelaide match on South Africa’s tour to Australia later this year.

أعلن الجهاز الفني للنادي الأهلي بقيادة مارسيل كولر، تشكيل الفريق الرسمي لمواجهة البنك الأهلي، في المباراة التي تقام بينهما اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

الأهلي يلاقي البنك الأهلي، في إطار مباريات الجولة الـ 15 من عمر مسابقة الدوري المصري، على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

ويحتل الأهلي المركز العاشر في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 17 نقطة، من 7 مباريات، فاز في 5 وتعادل في مواجهتين.

ويشهد تشكيل الأهلي، تواجد عمر كمال عبد الواحد في خط الدفاع بجوار رامي ربيعة بدلاً من محمد عبد المنعم الغائب للإصابة، كما يتواجد أكرم توفيق في الجانب الأيمن مكان محمد هاني.

طالع | بدلاء الأهلي أمام البنك الأهلي في الدوري المصري.. كهربا يجاور الشحات

ويقود الهجوم الثلاثي رضا سليم مع أنتوني موديست وكريم فؤاد. تشكيل الأهلي أمام البنك الأهلي

حراسة المرمي: مصطفي شوبير.

خط الدفاع: أكرم توفيق، عمر كمال عبد الواحد، رامي ربيعة وعلي معلول.

خط الوسط: مروان عطية، إمام عاشور ومحمد مجدي أفشة.

خط الهجوم: رضا سليم، كريم فؤاد وأنتوني موديست.

Transfer expert Rudy Galetti says that Manchester United are ‘ready to raise’ their proposal for Cody Gakpo, and a ‘speed up’ in talks with PSV is expected.

The Lowdown: Talks opened

As per The Daily Mirror, the Red Devils have ‘opened talks’ with PSV over potentially signing Gakpo, and the Dutch club are ‘prepared’ to cash in on the winger for less than £50m in the January transfer window.

Newcastle United, Arsenal and Real Madrid are ‘also circling’ Gakpo, and personal terms are not thought to be an issue.

The Latest: ‘Ready to raise’ proposal

Taking to Twitter, Galetti has revealed that Erik ten Hag’s side are ‘ready to raise’ their proposal for Gakpo to between €45-50m (£39.6-44m), and ‘in the next few days’, a ‘speed up’ in talks with PSV is ‘expected’:

“#ManUnited are ready to raise the proposal for #Gakpo to €45/50M. On the personal terms side, no issue with the player’s entourage. #MUFC. In the next few days, a speed up on the negotiation with #PSV is expected.”

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The Verdict: Looks likely

It is now looking increasingly likely that United will be able to get a deal for Gakpo done in January.

Hailed as ‘something special‘ by renowned football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano after his heroics with the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the winger managed  three goals in his opening three matches, before his country were knocked out by eventual winners Argentina at the quarter-final stage.

Gakpo’s blistering form for PSV also speaks for itself, with no fewer than 13 goals and 17 assists in just 24 appearances in total across all competitions before the break (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the 23-year-old would certainly be a statement signing.

Leeds United are once again interested in a move for Martin Terrier in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that – after being heavily linked with a move for the Stade Rennais centre-forward in the summer – Victor Orta is once again keeping a very close eye on the 25-year-old ahead of the winter market, with the Whites believed to have scouted the former France U21 international in the last two weeks.

The report goes on to state that Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa are also interested in a move for the attacker, for whom the Ligue 1 side are believed to be demanding a figure in the region of £30m in order to part with in January.

Orta must move

Considering just how impressive Terrier has been for Rennes since his move to the club back in the summer of 2020, the argument that Orta must amend his mistake in not making a move for the Frenchman this summer by launching a bid for the 25-year-old in January is an easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 37 Ligue 1 appearances last season, the £40.5m-rated talent was in sensational form for Bruno Genesio’s side, bagging 21 goals, providing 88 shots, making 42 key passes and completing 28 dribbles over the course of the campaign.

These metrics saw the £22k-per-week attacker average a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.30, not only ranking him as Rennes’ second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 11th-best player in the French top flight as a whole.

This is form Terrier has continued over his 13 league fixtures in the current campaign, with the striker having already bagged eight goals, registered three assists and created three big chances, as well as taking an average of 3.0 shots – 1.6 of which have been on target – making 1.6 key passes and completing 0.6 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the player who Genesio dubbed a “high-level” forward average an even more breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.59, not only ranking him as his club’s best performer in the division but also as the sixth-best player in Ligue 1 as a whole.

As such, considering the fact that Patrick Bamford is yet to score in the league this season, coupled with Rodrigo currently being in a turbulent run of form, it is clear to see that Jesse Marsch could use a more consistent goal scorer in his attacking arsenal at Elland Road, a role that it would appear Terrier is more than capable of filling for the 48-year-old manager.