Tag Futebol

MatériaMais Notícias

Em jogo atrasado da longínqua primeira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, Palmeiras e Vasco se enfrentam nesta terça-feira (26), às 20h (horário de Brasília), no Allianz Parque, em São Paulo. A partida estava originalmente marcada para o dia 9 de agosto de 2020, mas foi postergada devido à presença do Palmeiras na final do Campeonato Paulista, que foi disputada no dia 8 daquele mês.

O Verdão está na quinta colocação do campeonato nacional, com 51 pontos conquistados, e vem de uma derrota contra o Ceará, na Arena Castelão, em Fortaleza, por 2 a 1. O Vasco, por sua vez, ocupa o 14º lugar com 35 pontos. Na última rodada, o Gigante da Colina derrotou o Atlético-MG por 3 a 2 em São Januário, no Rio de Janeiro.

RelacionadasPalmeirasVídeo: O Verdão jogou ontem e joga amanhã… mas o que importa é dia 30 – Atuações | Ceará 2 a 1 PalmeirasPalmeiras25/01/2021PalmeirasCom volta de Rony e outros titulares, Palmeiras se reapresenta na Academia de FutebolPalmeiras25/01/2021PalmeirasAbel Ferreira destaca a força do elenco do Palmeiras apesar de derrota para o CearáPalmeiras25/01/2021

RONY RETORNA AOS TREINOS NO PALMEIRAS

Durante as atividades na Academia de Futebol, em preparação para o duelo contra o Vasco, uma das novidades foi o retorno de Rony, que participou sem restrições dos treinos com o elenco. O atacante desfalcou o Verdão nas duas últimas rodadas, contra Flamengo e Ceará, com dores musculares após sofrer uma pancada na coxa.

>> Confira a classificação atualizada do Brasileirão e faça sua simulação
>>Confira os clubes que já estão garantidos na Copa Libertadores 2021

Horário, transmissão, arbitragem, prováveis escalações: os dados de Palmeiras x Vasco

Data: 26 de Janeiro de 2021
Horário: 20h (de Brasília)
Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo-SP

Árbitro: Anderson Daronco-RS
Assistentes: Rafael da Silva Alves-RS e Michael Stanislau-RS
VAR: Jean Pierre Gonçalves Lima-RS, Vinicius Gomes do Amaral-RS e Lucio Beiersdorf Flor-RS

Transmissão:
– PREMIERE (pay-per-view para todo o Brasil);

O assinante poderá assistir ao jogo online pelo Premiere Play.

ESCALAÇÕES, DESFALQUES, PENDURADOS E SUSPENSOS DE PALMEIRAS X VASCO

PALMEIRAS: Weverton; Mayke, Benjamin Kuscevic, Alan Empereur e Gustavo Scarpa; Danilo (Zé Rafael), Patrick de Paula e Lucas Lima; Breno Lopes, Gabriel Veron (Rony) e Gabriel Silva (Willian). Técnico: Abel Ferreira.

Desfalques: Wesley e Luan Silva (machucados);
Pendurados: Patrick de Paula, Felipe Melo, Esteves, Alan Empereur, Luan, Lucas Lima, Luiz Adriano, Abel Ferreira, Mayke, Rony, Gustavo Scarpa e Wesley;
Suspenso: Emerson Santos (terceiro amarelo);
Voltam de suspensão: Raphael Veiga (terceiro amarelo)

VASCO: Fernando Miguel, Léo Matos, Marcelo Alves, Leandro Castan e Henrique; Bruno Gomes, Juninho (Benítez) e Gil; Yago Pikachu, Cano e Talles Magno. Técnico: Vanderlei Luxemburgo

Desfalques: Ricardo Graça
Pendurados: Yago Pikachu, Léo Matos, Ricardo Graça e Gabriel Pec;
Suspenso: Ninguém;
Voltam de suspensão: Ninguém;

With Sandy MacIver and Ellie Roebuck unavailable, the Cityzens have made an emergency loan signing who could need to start against West Ham on Sunday

To win a major trophy, every team needs a little bit of luck. However, as Manchester City enter the final stretch of the Women’s Super League title race, they are certainly lacking some when it comes to injuries, to the point that their starting goalkeeper for Sunday’s clash with West Ham could be a player who only joined the club last weekend.

City haven’t won the title since 2016, an almighty wait for a team of its stature, especially considering the number of domestic cup triumphs that have come in those eight years. They are currently in a fantastic position to end that barren run though, level on points with Chelsea at the top of the WSL table with just four games to go.

It is a very real possibility that the honour of being crowned champions of England could come down to goal difference, with the two title rivals regularly exchanging places in the table based on that factor. It’s a sign of how close this chase has been – but it also makes City’s situation in the goalkeeping department, which has led to an emergency loan signing, even more significant.

• Getty
  

  Strength in depth

  It’s a remarkable turn of events that City’s starting goalkeeper against West Ham this weekend could be their fourth-choice shot-stopper, because there is perhaps no area in the squad better stocked. Gareth Taylor’s side started the season with Khiara Keating, Sandy MacIver and Ellie Roebuck all jostling for the No.1 role, and though it was a surprise that the former, still a teenager, managed to usurp two senior internationals for the starting berth, she has more than justified her place with some outstanding performances.

  That form earned Keating a first senior England call-up in October and she has been included in Sarina Wiegman’s three squads since that window, too. However, she had to withdraw from the Lionesses’ latest fixtures against Sweden and Ireland due to a knee problem.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Devastating blow

  Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have been an issue for City. After all, they have a perfectly capable second-choice goalkeeper in MacIver, who joined from Everton back in 2022 and has assumed most of the cup duties in her time in Manchester.

  The 25-year-old’s excellent shot-stopping abilities earned her an England cap in early 2021 and a place in Great Britain’s squad for that year’s Olympic women’s football tournament. Since then, MacIver has switched international allegiances to Scotland and has been firmly in contention to be their No.1, making five appearances since debuting in October.

  However, she suffered a truly devastating setback last week. Just eight minutes into the team's UEFA Women's Euro qualifier with Serbia, she appeared to jar her knee painfully when collecting a cross, and though she was able to walk off the pitch unaided and with minimal fuss, the worst was later confirmed: MacIver had ruptured her ACL and will be out for an extended period of time.

• Getty
  

  ‘Really tough time’

  But even without Keating and MacIver, City would still have one of England’s best goalkeepers in Roebuck, someone who has played for her country 11 times and was Team GB’s No.1 at the Olympics as a 21-year-old. Except she, too, has been dealing with something serious.

  Roebuck hasn’t played a single minute for club or country this season, which has been particularly odd given the calibre of player she is. It looked like she was simply out-of-favour, until she released a statement in March revealing that she had suffered a left occipital infarct, which is a type of stroke.

  “Thankfully, there is no lasting damage to my brain function or vision,” she explained. "I've had many weeks of follow-up tests, specialist appointments, and with the support of the medical team at the club, I'm on the road to recovery. It's great to be back with the girls, working on my rehab and, more importantly, feeling back to being normal Ellie.

  "It's been a really tough time, but with the support of my family, I'm now really positive and excited for my return to the pitch. Life can throw unexpected challenges at you and if this year has taught me anything, it's that I'm strong and will give it all I've got for the thing I love most.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Emergency calls

  The good news for City is that they did not have a game straight off the back of April’s international break, due to their shock elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of eventual finalists Tottenham. It has given Keating more time to nurse her knee problem ahead of this weekend’s clash with West Ham, and allowed the club to work on an emergency loan signing, that of Katie Startup.

  Startup is a former England youth international who spent time in Chelsea’s academy before getting her senior breakthrough at Charlton, aged 19. She was the London club's first-choice goalkeeper throughout the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, earning a move to WSL club Brighton as a result.

  It is from the Seagulls that Startup joins City on a temporary basis, with Nils Nielsen, Man City's director of women's football, saying upon the announcement: “She has a wealth of experience and a solid track record at a high level, and we believe she is a fantastic player to come in for this period.”

The allrounder has been sent back to Shield cricket to find some form with Tim Paine expecting him to be needed later in the series

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide05-Dec-2018

Australia’s attempt to emulate their Ashes bowling formula from last summer, combined with question marks over a batting line-up shorn of Steven Smith and David Warner, has forced the omission of the vice-captain Mitchell Marsh from the team to face India in the first Test of the summer at a draining Adelaide Oval.Twelve months ago the selectors chose Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon as their sole four bowlers for the opening two Tests against England, before Marsh was called in as a reinforcement from the time of the third match onwards. The change in team balance was vindicated by the way the front-liners dominated Joe Root’s team, and a year on the captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer have sought to repeat the dose against Virat Kohli’s tourists.There are two key differences, of course: India’s batsmen are far better versed in facing spin and will be capable of attacking Lyon to bring the pacemen back more quickly, while an Australian batting line-up without Smith and Warner will need contributions from as many players as possible. This has meant a recall for Peter Handscomb in the middle order, handing Victoria three spots in the same Australian batting line-up for the first time since Bill Lawry, Ian Redpath and Keith Stackpole in the 1970-71 Ashes.”Mitch Marsh probably hasn’t been as consistent as he would like and we would like,” Paine said, confirming that Marsh would be a likely inclusion later on in the Test summer. “We know the talent Mitch has. We know most likely at some stage in this series we’ll need him, so we’re taking the opportunity at the moment to send him back to play a Shield game, get more cricket under his belt, knowing at some stage we’re probably going to need him.”We know he is good enough to be a genuine allrounder at Test level, he probably just hasn’t put it together consistently enough. There’s the opportunity for him to go back and get a Shield game under his belt before the BBL start. Going forward we’ve got full faith in him being a Test allrounder and as this series wears on and we get to places where the wicket might be a bit flatter, conditions might be a little warmer and our bowlers a bit tired then the allrounder position becomes important.”Apart from anything else, the decision to drop a recently appointed vice-captain underlined how slim Australia’s leadership resources currently are. Without Marsh in the team, captaincy duties would be most likely to fall to the limited-overs captain Aaron Finch or one of the state captains Usman Khawaja (Queensland) or Travis Head (South Australia) in the event of Paine suffering an injury.Either way, Paine acknowledged that arguably the key “chess match” of the series when Australia were in the field would involve India’s efforts to attack Lyon in order to force him to bring his fast men back earlier than intended. “I’m sure there will be opportunities at times when we can hopefully put their spinners under pressure and try and put some big overs into their fast bowlers,” Paine said. “It is going to be no different for them; they are going to see at times if they can attack Nathan and get on top of him and we’re going to have bowl our quicks a bit more than we would like so it is going to be a real chess match in that regard.”The [Adelaide] wicket over the last few years here has given enough throughout the game [to not need an allrounder]. We’ve obviously got a lot of confidence in Nathan Lyon bowling a lot of overs if we need to. And probably the fact all our three quicks go in really fresh, so we’ve got confidence in them – particularly at the start of the series. It’s probably unlikely that we’ll use the three quicks as much as we will in this game, throughout the whole series as it wears on – but this being the first Test we think they’ll do the job.”Paine was dismissive of questions over whether Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins would be capable of standing up to the workload, given their micro-managed preparation for this assignment. “They got through the Ashes last year I thought and bowled a hell of a lot of overs,” he said. “So, they are fresh and ready to go. They have had a great preparation and are ready to go. They are fine to go. They will be bowling big overs if need be, and they are totally comfortable with that.”The quicks are going to have to bowl a bit more and we have full faith that Nathan Lyon can do the job in any conditions, he’s shown that over the last few years, he bowled a mountain of overs in the UAE and our quicks are fresh so we can cover that, Travis Head bowls some handy offspinners so we have options there but we’ll be backing our bowlers.”As for the debutant Marcus Harris, Paine saw the maturing of a talented shotmaker into the sort of rounded batsman who will be able to help guide Finch and the No. 3 Khawaja through the testing early periods of each innings, before hard pitches and Kookaburra balls allow batting to become significantly less testing. “He’s been a really consistent player for Victoria for three years and thoroughly deserves the opportunity,” Paine said.”He’s always been a really talented batsman but I think in the last three years we’ve seen him mature into a top line opening batter. He’s an aggressive little player, he’ll play his shots. But he has also really improved his defence and has come a long way as a batsman. We’re really excited as we think he has the game for Test level and we can’t wait to see him get out there tomorrow.”

Manchester United have entered the running to secure the services of up-and-coming teenager Leny Yoro, but a fresh report has revealed that they are set to face a lot of stiff competition ahead of January.

Who is Leny Yoro?

Erik ten Hag’s side have made an extremely mixed start to the new Premier League campaign, having won five and lost four of their opening nine fixtures, finding themselves eighth in the table.

The Red Devils could therefore be looking to bolster and more importantly improve a lot of areas across the pitch during the upcoming transfer window in January, but it would appear that chiefs have set their sights on a player who would be more of a signing for the long-term future of the club considering his age.

Lille centre-back Yoro, who is just 17 years old, has worked his way up through his outfit’s various youth ranks to get promoted to their first-team last summer, where he’s so far already made 27 senior appearances under Paulo Fonseca (Transfermarkt – Yoro statistics).

The France youth international still has just under two years remaining on his deal (Lille contracts), but having impressed during his performances since making the step-up to the highest level in Ligue 1, he’s grabbed the attention of the hierarchy, not only at Old Trafford but also other clubs in the top-flight in England.

Latest transfer news on Leny Yoro

Taking to X, Graeme Bailey confirmed that Man United are keeping tabs on Lenny Yoro.

“Chelsea have joined the chase for Lille sensation Leny Yoro. Liverpool and Manchester United both well aware of the 17-year-old defender – who is also being checked on by Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.”

Expanding in his column for 90min, however, the reporter added that club chiefs are “yet to advance their interest”, alongside Jurgen Klopp’s outfit on Merseyside.

Whilst Man United aren’t developing their admiration at this stage, Yoro is most definitely a player who is “world-class material”, according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, so Ten Hag should consider making an approach to discover the conditions of a deal in January.

Standing at 6 foot 2, Saint-Maurice’s native is currently averaging 3.1 clearances and two aerial wins per league game for Lille, alongside recording an impressive 90.6% pass success rate (WhoScored – Yoro statistics), highlighting what a fantastic physical and composed presence he can be at the heart of a backline.

Additionally, Yoro, who also has the versatility to operate slightly higher up in defensive midfield, is even capable of contributing to efforts in the final third having scored two goals and provided one assist in his 27 senior appearances, so this really is a no-brainer of a move to pursue at the beginning of 2024.

The former captain smashed 144, including a last-wicket stand with Tamim Iqbal who came out to bat with a broken hand, to lift Bangladesh to a winning total

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Sep-2018
1:01

Maharoof: SL need specialist batsmen, not allrounders

Mushfiqur Rahim’s sublime 144 hauled Bangladesh kicking and screaming to 261, then a fired-up Mashrafe Mortaza set in motion a Sri Lanka collapse, and the first match of the Asia Cup soon turned into a thrashing – Bangladesh claiming victory by 137 runs, after Sri Lanka crashed to 69 for 7, then 124 all out.A third Bangladesh senior had also played an impressive role in the victory. Tamim Iqbal faced only four deliveries in all, but he had crucially come out to bat again with a broken wrist – which he had sustained in the second over – with nine wickets down. Mushfiqur made spectacular use of his teammate’s bravery, hitting a further three fours and three sixes, as 32 runs were added to the team total, lifting Bangladesh from a modest score to a competitive one.Though his contribution was eventually drowned out by those of Bangladesh’s experienced players, one Sri Lanka old-timer also had an outstanding outing. Lasith Malinga, playing his first international in a year, shook off the rust, struck twice in his first over, and finished with 4 for 23 from 10 overs, to suggest that his one-day career was far from done yet. Had his teammates held all their catches, Malinga might have wreaked even more damage. He should have had Mohammad Mithun – who went on to make 63 in a 131-run stand with Mushfiqur – caught at mid on for one, if Angelo Mathews had held the catch while diving forward. In general, Sri Lanka were woeful in the field, spilling no fewer than four catches, including two off Mushfiqur, who was reprieved on 10 and 85. For the umpteenth time in the last three years, their catching can be said to have cost Sri Lanka a one-dayer.Though perhaps it is their batting that was the worse suit on this evening (it’s often difficult to work out which discipline was the worst with this Sri Lanka ODI team). Kusal Mendis – opening in place of Danushka Gunathilaka – was Bangladesh’s first victim, when he got himself trapped in front of the stumps the first ball he faced. Upul Tharanga had been storming away at the other end, and looked good for a big innings, until, typically, he suddenly played a poor shot. Attempting to steer a Mashrafe delivery to third man, Tharanga only managed to play it on to his stumps. Mashrafe would have a second important wicket soon after – nailing Dhananjaya de Silva in front of the stumps for a duck, with de Silva going on to waste Sri Lanka’s review. The review could potentially have saved Kusal Perera later on.Mushfiqur Rahim celebrates after reaching his sixth ODI century•ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty ImagesIn general, this was not an evening of good decision-making from Sri Lanka’s batsmen. Kusal Perera’s lbw (he had actually got a thin inside edge to that ball from Mehidy Hasan) left the team 38 for 4, not long before Angelo Mathews compounded Sri Lanka’s woes by running out Dasun Shanaka as the pair attempted a painstaking recovery. Thisara Perera holed out soon enough, and Mathews was himself dismissed for 16 off 34 balls – trapped lbw by Rubel Hossain. That Sri Lanka even survived into the 36th over and made as many as 124 was down to a plucky tail, who hung around, despite the target being clearly out of their reach. Even the tail’s efforts were not enough to prevent a record though – this victory was Bangladesh’s biggest in terms of runs, away from home.Although Mushfiqur had a little luck early on – having been dropped in the 10th over – his was nevertheless a terrific innings. He had begun slowly, playing out a maiden against the red-hot Malinga, before later producing Bangladesh’s first boundary of the match, off the last ball of the eighth over. He built steadily alongside Mithun, taking an especial liking to Sri Lanka’s finger-spinners, often venturing down the track to them, sometimes to hit boundaries.Although after Mithun fell, Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain followed in quick succession, Mushfiqur batted efficiently with the tail, looking for boundaries at the start of each over, and singles towards the end. Despite his best efforts, the lower order batsmen continued to perish, however, and Bangladesh found themselves nine down in the 47th over, which should have been the end of their innings given one of their batsmen had suffered a fractured wrist earlier in the innings.Tamim, though, made the courageous decision to bat again, with his bottom hand in a cast. He hid that injured left hand behind his body, and rode out a Suranga Lakmal ball at his ribs, to hand the strike over to Mushfiqur, who didn’t disappoint. Mushfiqur moved expertly around the crease to smoke a spate of valuable late boundaries, moving past his previous best ODI score of 117, while twice making sure to take a single off the last ball of the over, to ensure Tamim did not have to face another ball. Mushfiqur had hit successive sixes off the first two balls of the final over, bowled by Thisara Perera, before he holed out attempting a third six. His valiant hand would turn out to be more than enough for Bangladesh to claim an important first victory in the tournament.

كشف أحمد جاب الله، طبيب فريق الكرة بالأهلي آخر مستجدات إصابات لاعبي القلعة الحمراء قبل مباراة مودرن سبورت المقبلة في الدوري المصري، موضحًا موعد عودة عمر كمال عبد الواحد للتدريبات الجماعية.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة فريق مودرن سبورت في التاسعة من مساء غد الثلاثاء على استاد القاهرة، ضمن مؤجلات الجولة السابعة عشر للمسابقة المحلية.

وقال أحمد جاب الله في تصريحات عبر الموقع الرسمي للأهلي: “أحمد عبد القادر لاعب الفريق أدى جلسة علاج طبيعي وتأهيل في الجيم على هامش المران الجماعي للفريق اليوم”.

وأكمل: “عبد القادر تعرض لإصابة بجزع في الرباط الخارجي للركبة، وذلك أثناء مشاركته في آخر تدريبات الفريق أول من أمس”.

وتابع: “عبد القادر خضع لفحص طبي وأشعة رنين على الركبة، للوقوف على حجم الإصابة والبرنامج التأهيلي للاعب”.

طالع.. خاص | الخطيب يجتمع بـ الشناوي لمناقشة الانتقال لـ الدوري السعودي.. واللاعب يحسم موقفه

وأضاف طبيب الأهلي: “أشعة الرنين المغناطيسي التي خضع لها عمرو السولية لاعب الفريق أثبتت إصابته بشد من الدرجة الثانية في عضلة السمانة”.

وأوضح: “اللاعب بدأ من اليوم تنفيذ برنامج العلاج الطبيعي المحدد له للتخلص من الإصابة، وذلك على هامش المران الجماعي للفريق”.

طالع أيضًا | السويسري غاضب ومفاجأة بشأن الشناوي وبيبو.. كواليس اجتماع الخطيب مع كولر ولجنة تخطيط الأهلي

وبشأن عمر كمال لاعب الفريق، أردف: “عمر كمال لاعب الفريق، سوف ينتظم في التدريبات الجماعية عقب مباراة مودرن سبورت، بعدما تعافى تمامًا من النزلة المعوية التي تعرض لها قبل مباراة بيراميدز الأخيرة في الدوري”.

واختتم: “عمر كمال خضع لتدريبات علاجية واستشفائية على هامش المران الجماعي للفريق على أن ينتظم في التدريبات الجماعية عقب مباراة مودرن سبورت”.

Liverpool will be without another of their first-team stars for today’s Premier League game vs Tottenham Hotspur, according to a fresh update.

Who are the injured players at Liverpool?

At Anfield, Trent Alexander-Arnold has missed the last four matches with a hamstring injury, but Jurgen Klopp has delivered a positive update on the vice-captain’s fitness by revealing that he is set to be involved for the fixture in North London, whether this be starting the highly-anticipated encounter or being named on the bench.

Thiago Alcantara and Conor Bradley have both been on the sidelines for a longer period of time and the boss has admitted that the duo will remain out of action and therefore won’t be available for the trip to the capital, but they aren’t the only ones who will be staying at home rather than taking on Ange Postecoglou's side.

On Wednesday night, Stefan Bajcetic made his return to domestic action when he replaced Curtis Jones on 79 minutes during the 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Leicester City, but having previously been absent from training since March before featuring in Austria last week, the defensive midfielder appears to have suffered a slight setback in his recovery.

How long is Stefan Bajcetic out for?

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Klopp confirmed that Liverpool will be without Bajcetic for the encounter vs Spurs after sustaining another minor problem.

As quoted by the club’s official website, he said: “Stefan had a little, little setback. The problem with Stefan is I can imagine everyone wants to see him play more – I want – but we have to be really careful. And now it’s a little, little, little tiny calf issue. That’s how it is when you are six months out. And we try everything to get him up to speed without pushing him.

"We make a very specific plan for him but in the end it’s disappointing for him, of course, but for us as well that he got another one. So we have to take him out a little bit. He can work on pretty much everything else but not playing.”

How much does Stefan Bajcetic earn?

Bajcetic currently pockets £40k-per-week which he has more than earned during his 21 senior appearances since getting promoted to the first-team fold last summer, therefore, it will be a blow to the boss to not have the youngster at his disposal once again.

Spain’s youth international has posted six contributions (four goals and two assists) in 54 outings since the start of his career, and he’s also a versatile operator having been deployed in four different positions, including at centre-back, right-back and slightly higher up in the midfield alongside his usual role sitting in front of the backline.

Bajcetic even already has experience playing in the Champions League so there’s no doubting that the 18-year-old will go on to become an integral member of the senior squad in seasons to come, having been hailed a “class” player by journalist Josh Bunting.

Mason Crane is to have a scan on Monday having experienced a recurrence of pain in his back.Crane, the 21-year-old leg-spinner who made his Test debut in the final Test of the Ashes in Sydney, was sent home within the first few days of the tour of New Zealand having been diagnosed with a partial stress fracture in his lower back. The England camp felt they had caught the problem earlyHe made his comeback for Hampshire a couple of weeks ago but, after seven Royal London Cup games, he felt further discomfort in his back and was not included in the side for the Championship match against Surrey which started on Saturday.While it is understood that Hampshire and England are taking a cautious approach with Crane, there will be concern that he has experienced any further discomfort so soon and after a relatively light bowling load.Toby Roland-Jones was also forced to miss a Test tour over the winter – he was ruled out of the Ashes due to a stress fracture – and then aborted his comeback in the early days of this season after a recurrence of the problem. He is not expected to play again this season.

Aston Villa pulled off some impressive moves in the market this summer, with Unai Emery bringing a refreshed level of expectation to the club following his arrival in October 2022.

The Villans were driven from 16th place to 7th during the Spaniard’s first season at the club, securing them European football for the 2023/24 campaign and subsequently bolstering their pull in the transfer window.

Five new faces were welcomed to the Midlands in the summer, including the record-breaking signing of Moussa Diaby, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a £51.9m deal.

While the lucrative deals are typically the transfers that generate excitement, Villa pulled off an exceptional business move last summer, by signing a player in Boubacar Kamara whose value heavily exceeds the price paid for his signature.

How much did Aston Villa sign Boubacar Kamara for?

Prior to the official opening of the 2022 summer window, Villa announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Marseille midfielder Kamara on a free transfer. Dubbed “high-quality” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, this was quite the coup.

Signed as a 22-year-old, the highly-rated Frenchman was nabbed by the Premier League side at the expiration of his contract with his boyhood club, in a move that was celebrated due to the quality of the player.

Earning £150k-per-week at Villa, the former Ligue 1 ace is the side’s biggest earner, however has shown glimpses of the heights he could hit within his five-year contract at the club.

What is Boubacar Kamara’s market value now?

At the point of making the move to England, the 6 foot midfielder had an expected transfer value (xTV) of €18.9m (£16m), a figure that has since risen to €36.5m (£31m) which is a reflection of Kamara’s current market value, via Football Transfers.

During his time at Villa, the 23-year-old has seen his xTV fluctuate, with it hitting a staggering high of €59m (£50m) towards the end of 2022, telling of just how high his price could spike in the future.

One of the reasons for his dip in value was his time away from the action, as he sustained an ankle injury in March that left him sidelined for a month, with journalist Gregg Evans describing him as “irreplaceable” at the time in his column for The Athletic.

Why is Kamara worth so much?

Hailed as a “phenomenon” by former Marseille ace Rolando, Kamara is a highly valued player in the Midlands, with his place in Emery’s team critical due to his perfectly balanced pivot with Douglas Luiz in the engine room.

It didn’t take long for the Marseille academy graduate to adapt to the Premier League, which is usually a subtle worry when players arrive from abroad with no experience of the physicality of the English game.

As per FBref, the Frenchman orchestrated the midfield by making an average of 2.94 tackles per 90, as well as averaging 1.92 blocks per 90, a decimal that placed him within the top 10% of midfielders in the league.

While keeping a firm lock on threat in the middle of the park, the 23-year-old maintained an average pass completion rate of 84.8% per 90, showcasing his ability to dictate play in an area that’s typically congested.

Villa evidently struck gold by securing the signature of the 2022 free-agent, who has shown performances typical of a player whose market value is bound to soar to even further levels in the future.

Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy by extension are apparently plotting a "surprise" defender move.

Who have Tottenham signed 2023?

Levy brought in goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, young centre-back Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, midfielder James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon, striker Alejo Veliz and forward Brennan Johnson over the 2023 summer transfer window.

Going the other way, ex-superstar striker Harry Kane, Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon, Djed Spence, Harry Winks, Alfie Devine, Troy Parrott, Dane Scarlett, Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele all moved elsewhere either on loan or permanently.

The north Londoners have orchestrated a rebuild for Ange Postecoglou so far as the Australian gets his side off to an absolutely phenomenal start to this Premier League season.

Tottenham have tasted victory in four of their opening five league matches; scoring 13 goals while showcasing Postecoglou's brand of exciting, attack-minded football at it's devastating best.

Spurs had to dig deep for a winner's mentality against Sheffield United on Saturday, but dramatic late goals from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski ensured the Postecoglou hype train is still very much going strong.

Summer signings Maddison and van de Ven have impressed as well. This goes for the former in particular, who has already bagged two goals and two assists in five of his league appearances.

Who will Tottenham sign in January?

Despite their rip-roaring start under Postecoglou, there were certain positions Tottenham failed to strengthen over the summer window.

Indeed, reports suggested at the time that Spurs had their eyes on another defender after van de Ven and were plotting a deadline day swoop for Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly.

However, a move failed to materialise, with the Englishman apparently still very much on their agenda for the winter window.

Another defender who was linked with a move to north London was Man United's Harry Maguire, and an update has now come to light on Tottenham's interest in the 30-year-old.

Maguire, who has struggled for form over the last 12 months, is still very much on Spurs and Levy's transfer agenda for January.

That is according to a report from Spain, which says Tottenham could make a "surprise" move for the £200,000-per-week defender and his exit from Old Trafford is "imminent".

Maguire is apparently the "next target" for them, with N17 emerging as a "possible destination".

How good is Harry Maguire?

The England international has endured a torrid time of late, but has been praised in the past by Erik ten Hag for his "dominating" style of play.

"I'm really happy with the progress that Harry is making in this moment," ten Hag said in March.

"He's more dominant and dictating, he's taking more initiative on the training pitch and I think also in the Real Betis game, he showed leadership, especially in those aspects of initiative and dictating of the game."

Harry Redknapp is also a big fan of Maguire's, having called the former Leicester City and Hull City star a "proper defender".

It appears he may not have much of a future at United with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez ahead of him in the pecking order. Spurs could well offer him a way out.