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The ODI series loss in India won’t help the qualification process for 2023 World Cup and, more immediately, the mindset ahead of the T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda11-Oct-20221:37

Will South Africa be able to head to the T20 World Cup with the right mindset?

South Africa head to the men’s T20 World Cup in Australia with what seems like 99 problems, and the pitch ain’t one of them.They could have been playing in Melbourne or Mumbai, or even on the moon, and might still have batted with “one foot in India and one foot in Australia”, as Makhaya Ntini put it on ESPNcricinfo’s post-match programme, explaining the discombobulation that defined their efforts in the deciding ODI on Tuesday.”You can’t expect the players to be up for every single game,” Mark Boucher, South Africa’s outgoing head coach, said after the game. “That’s when you’ve got to rely on your technical stuff and your mental stuff to pull you through, and we’ve been a little bit weak in both those departments. Today, especially.”Later in his press engagement, Boucher said “mental fatigue kicking in” – a worrying phrase at the start of a summer that includes a T20 World Cup, a Test tour of Australia, and the inaugural SA20. It also asks questions about what could be making South Africa’s cricketers so tired, given that they don’t play as much as many international sides.Related

Temba Bavuma battling a sea of uncontrollables

Bowling riches leave SA with good headache ahead of T20 WC

SA throw weight behind Shamsi amid trial by fire in India

Stats – India's shortest ODI at home, SA's third-biggest defeat

Boucher offered a throwaway line about T20 leagues, and even though five of the current squad – David Miller, Quinton de Kock, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dwaine Pretorius and Heinrich Klaasen – played in the CPL and three others – Reeza Hendricks, Temba Bavuma and Bjorn Fortuin – were part of a Namibia Global T20, overworked players cannot be the real reason behind their blowout.To be fair, there’s some illness in the camp, with Bavuma, Shamsi and most recently Keshav Maharaj all forced to sit out of matches. Bavuma and Shamsi missed the last two; Maharaj led in Bavuma’s absence and then had to miss the final one. All three are essential to South Africa’s T20 World Cup plans, even if two of them are under extreme, perhaps exhausting, scrutiny.Bavuma’s strike rate in T20 cricket has long been a talking point, more so after he missed out on an SA20 contract. And he has only scored 11 runs in four innings on this India tour. With Reeza Hendricks in red-hot form, there’s talk of whether the captain will drop himself, or be dropped, and that may be one of the things creating anxiety in the camp.Boucher played it straight, as he has to, and acknowledged there is concern around Bavuma’s form, but not his leadership.”Temba will want to try and get some sort of form before a World Cup. We do still have two warm-up games and the conditions will suit his style of batting,” Boucher said. “We’ll try to get him back up and running again and get him into the nets and hopefully give him a knock or two before the World Cup starts and see where he is at. He is the captain and we treat him like that.”Mark Boucher acknowledged there is concern around Temba Bavuma’s form, but not his leadership.•Getty ImagesShamsi doesn’t seem to have the same level of support.Although he was the No. 1-ranked T20I bowler not too long ago [and is still at No. 5], Boucher described Maharaj as South Africa’s “No. 1 spinner”, albeit “especially in the one-day format”.The reality is that in Australian conditions and on form, Maharaj is probably also ahead of Shamsi in T20Is, if only because Shamsi’s recent performances have been erratic, while Maharaj has maintained consistency. Considering how long Shamsi waited for his chance during Imran Tahir’s reign as the sole spinner and how quickly he has fallen behind Maharaj, it’s understandable that Shamsi may not be in great spirits. He is known to be one of those that forms the life and soul of the change room, and if he is down, it can’t help the team.Then there’s the elephant in the room: Boucher’s imminent departure, to the IPL, which has necessitated his resignation from the South Africa job.CSA has admitted it was taken by surprise by Boucher’s decision and has no succession plan in place. The board is likely to appoint an interim coach for the Australia Tests – the last time that happened was when Enoch Nkwe took the team to India, where they lost, and CSA went into freefall afterwards – and then split the red- and white-ball roles for the future. Several insiders confirmed that in the little scouting CSA has done to replace Boucher so far, it has found no-one interested in taking the job.Meanwhile, Boucher is leaving with a year left on his contract, which was due to expire after the 2023 ODI World Cup, a tournament South Africa are scrambling to get to, more so after their series defeat to India.South Africa are in 11th place on the points table [the top seven teams and hosts India are guaranteed places at the tournament] and have matches left to play. In theory, they should feel confident of their chances. They only need to win three of their remaining five games [three against England, two versus Netherlands] to finish above West Indies in eighth place. But that’s not all. Even if they manage that minimum requirement, Sri Lanka and Ireland can catch them, but they both have tough assignments. Sri Lanka have six matches; three each against Afghanistan, who have won ten of their 12 so far, and New Zealand, who have 11 wins from 15. To challenge for eighth place, Sri Lanka have to win three, and if they do, South Africa will need one more win than Sri Lanka. Ireland host Bangladesh next May and need to win all three matches to finish in the top eight. In that case, South Africa will also need four wins.1:31

Ntini: South Africa batted like they had one foot in Australia

On paper, it sounds doable but on the field, it may not be.Apart from the obvious challenge that England, in particular, will pose, that series is sandwiched between the group stage and knockouts of the SA20. That could work in South Africa’s favour, if players are in form, or against them, if the reverse is true. It will also put the spotlight on Bavuma, who won’t be playing in the SA20, and doubtless that will throw up many of the same questions it has this time.And there’s the Netherlands matches, which many will view as easy for South Africa to get points, but they are scheduled at the end of March, when the first-choice players will be at the IPL. So South Africa can’t consider the matches already won.”It’s not ideal,” Boucher said, even though that won’t be his problem. “The reason why we are in this situation is because we haven’t always had continuity within our one-day team and there’s been various reasons – players leaving to come to IPL, and Covid-19. There has been a bit of inconsistency. But, the guys will know what’s required. They’ve got to win those games and if we don’t we just have to accept the fact that we will have to go and qualify for the World Cup.”Ultimately, that’s what it may come down to and it’s not the end of the world. A qualification tournament in Zimbabwe in June, where South Africa are very likely to be among the two best sides, shouldn’t be anything more than a minor inconvenience. But it isn’t. It’s embarrassing. And South African cricket has already been through too many of those over the last three years to stomach another one.

The 25-year-old reached the milestone in his 44th Test after dismissing Hasan Ali.

ESPNcricinfo stats team28-Jan-2021 44 Matches Rabada took to take 200 Test wickets. Dale Steyn and Allan Donald are the two players from South Africa to reach the milestone faster than Rabada. Steyn reached this feat in 39 Tests, while Donald got there in 42. Only six pace bowlers have done it in quicker time. Yasir Shah is the fastest to 200 Test wickets, reaching this feat in just 33 Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd 8154 Balls taken by Rabada to get 200 Test Wickets, the third fastest in the history of Test cricket. Waqar Younis ( 7730) and Dale Steyn ( 7848) are the only two bowlers who got there quicker. Rabada made his debut in 2015 against India in Mohali and it has taken him just over five years to reach this feat. 9378 Rabada’s age in days (at the start of the Test) when he got to 200 Test wickets. Only three bowlers have reached the milestone at a younger age. Younis did it in 8788 days while Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh got there in 8830 and 9203 days respectively. 0 Bowlers to have a better strike rate than Rabada in the history of Test cricket with a 200-wicket cut off. Rabada’s strike rate of 40.8 is the best. His compatriot Steyn is second on the list with a strike rate of 42.3. Among active players, Mitchell Starc and Neil Wagner are the ones among the top five with strike rates of 49.3 and 51.9 respectively. Rabada is almost 10 balls ahead of the next best. Even if the cut off is reduced to 150 Test wickets, Rabada still tops the charts. Rabada’s average of 22.96 is the fourth best for South Africa. Only Vernon Philander, Steyn and Allan Donald have better averages.ESPNcricinfo Ltd 9 Five-wicket hauls for Rabada in 44 Tests. He has four 10-wicket hauls as well. Although Rabada has not taken five wickets in an innings since March 2018, he has a good strike rate taking wickets on a regular basis. At the 200-wicket mark, Steyn had 13 five-wicket hauls while Younis had 19 five-wicket hauls.

The teams have built a rivalry that’s given the IPL some of its strangest finishes and most replayed highlights

Varun Shetty02-May-2025Openers and Ashwin drub RCB
IPL 2011, final, ChepaukThe only final between these two teams was one-sided. CSK’s openers Michael Hussey (63 off 45) and M Vijay (95 off 52) took them to 205. Chris Gayle was the one threat to the total, but MS Dhoni bowled R Ashwin to him first up, and the ploy worked. RCB’s innings never took off and they lost by 58 runs. CSK lifted the trophy for the second straight year.CSK celebrate their title win in 2011•Associated PressMorkel takes Kohli down
IPL 2012, ChepaukCSK needed 43 off two overs when, lacking options, RCB captain Daniel Vettori chucked the ball to Virat Kohli for the 19th. Albie Morkel smashed him for 4, 6, 4, 6, 2, 6 to leave 15 to win off the 20th. Vinay Kumar dismissed Morkel, but after a couple of Dwayne Bravo blows, it came down to three to win off the last ball. Ravindra Jadeja edged Vinay Kumar for a boundary to complete the heist.RP Singh blows it
IPL 2013, ChepaukKohli had begun to celebrate when Ravindra Jadeja edged the final ball, bowled by RP Singh, straight to deep third only to see that the umpire had called a front-foot no ball. CSK needed two off the final ball and managed to run one while the ball was in the air, giving them the win. Singh had 16 to defend in the final over and came back strong after Jadeja took 10 off the first two. But he overstepped on the final ball to leave Kohli fuming.Ravindra Jadeja completes the winning run while umpire Anil Chaudhary signals a no-ball•BCCIRCB survive Dhoni epic
IPL 2019, ChinnaswamyChasing 162, CSK sunk to 28 for 4 in 5.5 overs. Dhoni steadied the ship even as more wickets fell around him. He began his acceleration in the 16th over and, in typical Dhoni style, took it to the last over. CSK needed 26 off Umesh Yadav. Dhoni went 4, 6, 6, 2, 6 to leave two to get off one. But he missed the last ball, and Parthiv Patel hit the stumps direct from behind to give RCB the win. Dhoni finished with 84* off 42 balls.RCB’s biggest moment
IPL 2024, ChinnaswamyCSK weren’t winning the game, but with Dhoni at the crease, playoff qualification prospects were alive with 17 needed in the final over. Dhoni had already smashed a massive six off the first ball, but Dayal’s back-of-the-hand slower one had him caught next ball. The magic seemed to leave with him. With 10 needed off 2 balls to qualify, the stage was still set for a CSK heist. But Dayal held his nerve against Jadeja. The win completed RCB’s remarkable six-match winning streak and sealed their place in the playoffs.

Before the third game of the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, former teammates Aaron Judge and Juan Soto shared a moment on the field before the contest, an eventual 8-2 Yankees win on Sunday. Judge and Soto, who spent one season together in the Bronx in 2024, embraced and said a few words to each other before retreating to their respective sides for the game.

Judge later pulled the curtain back for fans as to what he had said to Soto in that conversation.

"Just said hello to him, I hadn't seen him all series," Judge told reporters after the game. "Just kind of wishing him the best, kind of said, 'Hey man, you're the best in the game. Things like this are gonna happen, just keep playing your game.' It was good to see him. But happy we were able to either walk him or not let him do any damage, especially in this series."

Soto, whom the Yankees acquired from the San Diego Padres in December of '24, did plenty of damage alongside Judge in the Bronx, as the two did their best impression of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig en route to New York's first American League pennant since '09. And even though there were no promises that Soto, who was a pending free agent after the '24 season, would be remaining in pinstripes long-term, Yankees fans fell in love with the star slugger and dreamed of Soto batting behind Judge for years to come.

But it was not to be.

Soto became a free agent the moment the Los Angeles Dodgers popped champagne bottles at Yankee Stadium following their World Series win over the Yankees. And Soto cashed in, leaving the Yankees for the crosstown rival Mets on a historic, $765 million contract. And while Judge didn't speak to Soto during the free agency process, he did do his part to attempt to convince Soto to stay during the season, both with his play and the close relationship he developed with Soto.

This weekend's Subway Series represented Soto's return to the Bronx as a Met. Yankees fans rained boos and profane chants down on Soto, who went 1-for-10 with four walks and a pair of runs scored in the three games against his old team.

As for Judge and Soto, Yankees fans—and perhaps Soto himself to a certain extent—will always be left wondering what could have been in the Bronx. But if this weekend's series was any indication, New York baseball fans are in for a real treat watching the Soto-led Mets and Judge-led Yankees duke it out for years to come.

While this season is shaping up to be a spectacular one for Arsenal, Sunday was a disappointment for Mikel Arteta and Co.

The Spaniard’s team looked second best in their Premier League game against then-second-placed Chelsea, and then failed to capitalise when the Blues went down to ten men.

With that said, while it was a poor showing from the Gunners, they were without a number of the best players, like William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães and just as important, Leandro Trossard.

The Belgian has been in scintillating form for Arsenal in recent months, and yet, if reports are to be believed, the club are looking to sign someone who’d be a significant upgrade.

Arsenal target Trossard upgrade

During the summer, it looked like Trossard would be leaving Arsenal, as he didn’t have a great campaign and was linked with clubs like Bayern Munich.

Transfer Focus

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

However, the former Brighton & Hove Albion gem stayed, was handed a pay rise, and since then has played like a man possessed.

For example, it was his thunderous effort against Sunderland that ensured the Gunners left with a point, and then against Tottenham Hotspur, he scored and assisted a goal.

However, even with performances such as these, it looks like the North Londoners are looking to sign an upgrade on the 30-year-old.

At least that is according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, which claims Arsenal are interested in Michael Olise.

In fact, the report goes further, revealing that the club have placed the Frenchman at the top of their wishlist for next year and, with Sporting Director Andrea Berta, are already laying the groundwork for the deal.

However, it won’t be a cheap transfer to get over the line, with the report claiming that it will cost in excess of £100m to convince Bayern Munich to sell their star attacker.

Even so, given Olise’s immense ability and further potential, this is a deal Arsenal should be going all out for, especially as he’d be a significant upgrade on Trossard.

How Olise compares to Trossard

So the first thing to get out of the way is that, yes, Olise is primarily a right-sided player, and Trossard plays mostly on the left.

However, Arteta has made it quite clear with the signing of Noni Madueke that he is more than happy to play wingers on the opposite flank, and given the Frenchman’s immense ability, it feels like he should have no problem playing out there.

Moreover, when the former Chelsea ace has played in the team, he and Bukayo Saka have swapped sides back and forth during games, which suggests the manager has almost moved beyond the idea of a wide player starting and sticking to a position as matches progress.

With all that said, why would the former Crystal Palace star, who shone with Eberechi Eze in South London, be an upgrade on the Belgian?

Well, the first and most important reason is the simple fact that he is a far more potent goal threat, be that through scoring or assisting them.

A “magician” – according to Bayern teammate Dayot Upamecano – in 20 appearances this season, totalling 1583 minutes, he’s scored nine goals and provided ten assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.05 games, or every 83.31 minutes.

In contrast, the former Brighton star has scored five goals and provided five assists in 16 appearances, totalling 948 minutes, which averages out to a goal involvement every 1.6 games, or every 94.8 minutes.

The second reason is that, at just 23 years old, the 13-capped international has far more upside than the 30-year-old and should even improve in the coming seasons.

Finally, on top of his better output, the former Reading man also comes out on top when you take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

For example, he comes out ahead in the most critical metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, successful take-ons, goal and shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, Trossard is a brilliant player, but Olise is clearly superior in practically every way and more than justifies Oliver Glasner’s claim that he’s “one of the best talents in the world.”

Therefore, even if it costs a king’s ransom, Arsenal should do all they can to sign him in 2026.

Their next Eze: Berta agrees deal to sign "exciting" new star for Arsenal

The hugely promising teenage talent could one day become Arsenal’s heir to Eberechi Eze.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Dec 2, 2025

يستعد فريق ليفربول، بقيادة المدرب آرني سلوت، لخوض مباراة مساء السبت في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وذلك ضد نظيره نوتينجهام فورست.

ويستضيف ملعب “الأنفيلد” مباراة ليفربول ونوتينجهام فورست، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2025/26.

ويحتل ليفربول المركز الثامن في جدول الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 18 نقطة، في حين أن نوتينجهام فورست لديه 9 نقاط حيث يحتل المركز التاسع عشر.

ويسعى ليفربول إلى تصحيح مساره في جدول الدوري الإنجليزي خاصة بعد خسارته في الجولة الماضية على يد مانشستر سيتي بثلاثة أهداف دون رد. موعد مباراة ليفربول ونوتينجهام فورست اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول ونوتينجهام فورست اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

تُذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN SPORTS 2. معلق مباراة ليفربول ونوتينجهام فورست اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

سيعلق أحمد البلوشي على أحداث مباراة اليوم.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

نجح منتخب مصر الثاني في تسجيل هدف التعادل أمام منتخب الجزائر، في المباراة الودية الجارية بينهما الآن، استعدادًا للمشاركة في كأس العرب.

ويستضيف منتخب مصر الثاني، نظيره الجزائر على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي ضمن استعدادات المنتخبين للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب.

طالع.. حلمي طولان يعلن تشكيل منتخب مصر الثاني أمام الجزائر

وجاء هدف مصر، عن طريق عماد الدين عزي، مدافع الجزائر بالخطأ عقب عرضية من محمد شريف في الدقيقة 40 وضغط من إسلام عيسى.

كان منتخب الجزائر قد سجل هدفا في الدقيقة 31 من عمر المباراة عن طريق عادل بولبينة بعد اختراق من الجهة اليمنى للفراعنة وسجلها في المرمى.

منتخب مصر أوقعته قرعة كأس العرب في المجموعة الثالثة بجانب منتخبات الأردن والإمارات والفائز من المباراة التأهيلية بين الكويت وموريتانيا.

وتقام بطولة كأس العرب 2025 في دولة قطر خلال الفترة من 1 إلى 18 ديسمبر المقبل. هدف مصر الأول أمام الجزائر

Yet another disappointing result for Manchester City.

On Wednesday night, the Sky Blues were held to a 2-2 by Monaco at Stade Louis II in the Champions League, despite leading twice, only to concede a penalty in the final minute.

Let’s start with the positives for the Citizens, namely Erling Braut Håland, who scored two magnificent goals in the Principality, taking his tally to 52 goals in just 50 Champions League appearances.

He has reached that landmark so quickly that, as noted by BBC Match of the Day, he has to be compared to clubs, not players, having scored more goals in his first 50 Champions League outings than Panathinaikos, CSKA Moscow, Celtic, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Club Brugge, Lille, Anderlecht and Dinamo Zagreb… we could go on!

Despite these exploits, dating back to last season, Pep Guardiola’s team have now won only four of ten league phase fixtures, despite winning 28 of 36 group stage games beforehand.

A few donning all black on Wednesday night did not cover themselves in glory, giving Guardiola some big selection decisions ahead of Sunday’s tricky trip to Brentford, so should he leave out arguably his most trusted lieutenant?

Nico González's difficult night in Monaco

Just as Manchester City were seemingly set to pick up all three points, les Monégasques were gifted a route back into the game.

As the clock was about to hit 90, a Monaco free-kick played into the box found Eric Dier but, as he headed the ball towards goal, Nico González came charging in and kicked the England defender in the face.

After a very long VAR consultation, referee Jesús Gil Manzano pointed to the spot and, to the surprise of many, Dier himself stepped up, sending Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way and ensuring it finished 2-2.

More broadly, since arriving from Porto on deadline day in the winter for £50m, Nico has struggled to make an impact in sky blue.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Despite his compatriot Rodri’s continued injury issues, the la Masia academy graduate has started only 13 Premier League or Champions League games since debuting in February, deputising at Wolves on the opening day and against Burnley on Saturday.

Nevertheless, for someone who arrived for such a huge amount of money, and with impressive pedigree behind him, he is yet to consistently deliver, his only league goal for the club coming against Bournemouth in May, not that this is what he’s in the team for.

In summary, Nico is in danger of becoming the next Kalvin Phillips, signed for £50m to alleviate the burden on Rodri, before being cast aside and forgotten about, but there is another Manchester City player, who has made over 400 appearances for the club, who is at risk of losing his place in the team.

Pep must consider benching 'world class' Man City star

The Citizens’ trip to Stade Louis II this week evoked memories of their only previous visit to the Principality in March 2017, dumped out on away goals after a thrilling 6-6 aggregate draw.

That Monaco team, who would go on to reach the Champions League semi-finals and win the club’s only Ligue 1 title since 2000, contained Kylian Mbappé, Radamel Falcao, Fabinho, Benjamin Mendy, João Moutinho, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Thomas Lemar and a certain Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese winger moved to Manchester for £43.5m the following summer, making 415 appearances for the club to date, winning 17 major honours to date, but he did not enjoy a happy return to the French Riviera.

The table below documents his statistics from Wednesday night’s draw.

Touches

70

8th

Shots on target

1

7th

xG

0.07

10th

Accurate passes

49

9th

Key passes

1

13th

Duels contested

6

14th

Duels won

1

26th

Possession lost

12

4th

Sofascore rating

6.0

29th

As the table notes, despite registering plenty of touches, Silva did not do a lot with the ball.

He lost possession on 12 occasions, only Phil Foden of Man City players did so more, also losing five of the six duels he contested, meaning he still has no goals and just one assist to his name this season.

Speaking on Sky Sports News in 2023, one content creator labelled Silva “world class”, while Ben Littlemore of Transfermarkt argued last year that he was Man City’s most important player.

In Guardiola’s managerial career, Silva is the player he has picked most, 34 times above Kevin De Bruyne who is second on the list, but now might be time to start phasing out the 31-year-old.

On the bench on Wednesday, the Citizens had both Oscar Bobb and Savinho, with Jérémy Doku starting on the opposite flank, all of whom offer a lot more dynamism and direct attacking play than Silva, emphasising why two of that trio should be in the team to take on Brentford come Sunday afternoon.

Man City may rue losing "nightmare" for defenders who was their own Wirtz

Man City could have solved lots of issues if they’d kept this star.

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 27, 2025

After three games without a win, Everton now reportedly want to address one of their concerns by signing a talented forward when the January transfer window arrives.

Everton's early Premier League concern

The Toffees initially got off to a positive start and even saw summer signing Jack Grealish pick up the Premier League Player of the Month award in August. Since then, however, David Moyes’ side have stuttered for the first time – failing to win in three games.

Defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup was a particularly disappointing game for the Merseyside club, but one that they must bounce back from when West Ham United come to town on Monday night.

Everton’s biggest concern in their recent run has come in attack. They’ve scored just once in their last three games, which was Idrissa Gueye’s Anfield strike, and have watched on as Beto has particularly struggled.

The forward was taken off at half-time for Thierno Barry in the Merseyside derby and the Toffees went on to enjoy a much-improved second period. Whether that will be that for Beto’s starting place will be interesting to see.

Moyes didn’t hold back when delivering his verdict on the forward earlier this season, telling reporters: “I’ve been a bit disappointed with Beto and I’ve told him.

“We’re needing a bit more and he can do more and he has done more. So we’re hoping we can get a bit more from him, but he’s a really honest working lad and I’m sure he’ll try and prove that tonight.”

Whilst Barry gets up to speed, there’s still a chance for Beto to prove his worth. But Moyes’ patience won’t last forever and speculation is already arriving over a potential move that the Toffees could make to replace their forward in January.

Everton eyeing move for Norwich striker Josh Sargent

As reported by Graeme Bailey and Everton News, Everton now want to sign Josh Sargent in the January transfer window and are keeping tabs on the Norwich City striker, who has been in fine form.

Everton launch first enquiry to sign £265,000-a-week Premier League star in 2026

The Toffees could land a rival star…

By
Tom Cunningham

Sep 25, 2025

The American has been linked with a move away from Carrow Road for some time and could finally earn a route back to the Premier League in January. After scoring six goals in seven Championship games too, it’s clear that he’s good enough to step up.

The Friedkin Group proved that they’re not afraid to spend big in the summer transfer window and could do so once again when the winter window swings open.

Leeds United will hope they can consolidate themselves as a Premier League club this season, with another promotion hunt on the cards to get up to the top-flight, not the most attractive proposition.

Instead, Daniel Farke’s Whites will pray they can comfortably stay up, despite all the weighty pressure against them, and become a top-flight regular again, much like their heyday in the 90s when Champions League football was even on the menu.

The German is working against his own label as an unproven manager at the very top, too, with a relegation blotting his otherwise sparkling CV in England when at the helm of Norwich City.

Still, the early signs suggest Leeds could be here to stay, with the Whites in a promising 11th spot at the time of writing, after a Sean Longstaff-led effort clinched a 2-2 draw against AFC Bournemouth last time out.

Longstaff's promising start at Leeds

Longstaff nearly held the individual honour of being Leeds’ match-winner against the Cherries, with his fierce effort that cannoned in off the post, gifting his new employers a slim 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately, Bournemouth had other ideas late on when Eli Kroupi scored a last-gasp equaliser, but Andoni Iraola’s men snatching a share of the points shouldn’t detract too much from Longstaff’s sublime showings all season long.

Up against their South Coast visitors, the former Newcastle United man would amazingly notch up seven key passes.

One of those passes saw Joe Rodon head home from an inch-perfect corner kick delivery – while also showing off a fiery side to his game when winning a high ten duels to keep plugging away up against the likes of former Leeds man Tyler Adams, lining up for the away team.

It will just be up to the brand new Leeds number 8 to keep up this sterling, having often fallen victim to recurring injury issues at St James’ Park that saw him fade into the background under Eddie Howe.

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For just £12m, however, Leeds look to have struck gold on an instant bargain. Yet, it could be argued that the Whites gave up an even bigger talent than Longstaff last summer, when parting ways with a midfielder for a mere £3.7m.

Former Leeds star is now better than Longstaff

Leeds have fallen foul of many blunders in recent transfer windows, with their summer activity before their relegation out of the top-flight come the end of the 2022/23 season seeing them purchase many a half-hearted presence.

Faces such as Rasmus Kristensen, Luis Sinisterra, and the aforementioned Adams would all down their tools after their demise to the Championship was confirmed, with Marc Roca also falling into this bracket of failed signings who then shied away from the intense battles to follow in the EFL.

The seven-time Spain international would only go on to make 36 first-team appearances in West Yorkshire before then packing his bags to head to his native country initially on loan, after the Whites crashed out of the promised land.

He did show signs of his top-flight quality for Leeds, even if he did sour his relationship with the club when exiting at the first possible chance after relegation, with one goal and two assists being notched up by the 28-year-old in Premier League action sticking out, alongside winning a high 4.1 duels per game

Games played

26

14

Goals scored

2

2

Assists

2

2

Touches*

56.7

47.2

Accurate passes*

38.1 (85%)

32.9 (88%)

Ball recoveries*

5.7

3.6

Total duels won*

3.7

2.4

Former Leeds favourite Tony Dorigo would even hail Roca as a “wonderful” talent when displaying these bursts of quality, with the Real Betis number 21 further validating that his stint in England was an off-spell by starring in La Liga consistently.

Indeed, when looking at the table in greater detail, it’s clear that Roca is a similar level talent to Longstaff or even greater, with 5.7 ball recoveries on average sticking out during his debut season back on Spanish soil. Longstaff, despite his energetic Yorkshire beginnings, has only averaged 2.7 to date.

He even reminded English crowds of what he is capable of recently when assisting Antony’s leveller in the Europa League against Nottingham Forest.

With the Spaniard also capable of slotting in at left-back or as a centre-back if needed, it could well be now that Leeds look back on the sale of the “outstanding” – as he has been labelled by journalist Jose Rodriguez for his efforts in La Liga – Catalonian as one they regret, especially for such a low amount at £3.7m.

Still, the proof will be in the pudding as to whether Roca is a stronger talent than Longstaff or not come the end of the season, as the Newcastle-born number eight attempts to make his showing against Bournemouth a commonplace expectation.

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