All posts by n8rngtd.top

It’s safe to say that no Chelsea fan could’ve predicted the ridiculous spending that has taken place at Stamford Bridge over the past couple of years.

American Todd Boehly took over the reins from Roman Abramovich back in 2022, with the 50-year-old splashing the cash to try and improve the squad.

He’s spent over £1.1bn on new transfers, somehow avoiding any FFP and PSR breaches, and recruiting some excellent talents in the process.

The addition of Cole Palmer from Manchester City stands out as the best piece of business, with the 22-year-old registering 33 goal contributions in the Premier League last season – the most of any player in the division.

However, another talented youngster is yet to showcase his full potential in West London, with his time with the Blues plagued with various injury issues.

Roméo Lavia’s stats at Chelsea

After Southampton’s relegation to the Championship back in the 2022/23 season, Chelsea decided to raid the Saints for one of their star talents.

The Blues forked out a whopping £58m for the signing of midfielder Roméo Lavia – a huge figure for a 20-year-old who only made his Premier League debut during the relegation campaign a couple of years ago.

Since his big-money move to the Bridge, the Belgian has really struggled to maintain fitness, restricting him to just 32 minutes of football last season – coming in the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in December last year.

However, he’s already achieved more minutes this campaign, featuring for 66 minutes during the opening-day defeat against Champions Manchester City a couple of weeks ago.

Lavia desperately needs a consistent run of minutes if he is to reach his potential and provide any value for money, with his market value already taking a plunge as a result of his injury setbacks.

Roméo Lavia’s market value in 2024

Ethan Ampadu joined Chelsea in a £2.5m deal from Exeter City after a tribunal, moving to London with huge potential after making his first-team debut at the age of just 15.

But, after just 12 first-team appearances and various unsuccessful loans to Italy, the Blues decided to cash in on the Wales international last summer, selling him for £7m to Championship side Leeds United.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

The decision already looks to have backfired, with the 23-year-old featuring in every single league outing since his move, earning a place in the EFL Team of the Season for the 2023/24 campaign.

As a result of his impressive displays, the “unbelievable” Ampadu, as dubbed by teammate Dan James, has seen his market value soar – now worth in the region of £15.6m as per Football Transfers.

His subsequent value is higher than that of current first-team member Lavia, who is only valued at £12.6m a year on from his big-money transfer to Stamford Bridge.

Whilst undoubtedly there is a huge gap between the Championship and the Premier League, Ampadu has demonstrated that he has the ability to be a success in the top flight once again after impressing in England’s second tier last season.

The £7m fee the club sold him for now seems to be an absolute bargain, with the club potentially living to regret the transfer in the years ahead.

Chelsea will regret selling a superstar who's "similar to Cole Palmer"

Boehly might have made a mistake in selling him

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By
Joe Nuttall

Sep 7, 2024

Since Julen Lopetegui took over, West Ham have been implementing a new possession-based style of football, looking for their central defenders to be comfortable playing out from the back, fullbacks to push up and support the wide attackers, and the midfield pivot to help progress play through the lines.

That midfield area has just become that little bit stronger with Guido Rodriguez signing as a free agent, becoming West Ham's first signing of the summer in that area of the pitch. However, another addition in this area cannot be ruled out.

With Lucas Paqueta's long-term future up in the air, the Hammers will be looking for any market opportunities to secure another midfielder who can help replicate the Brazilian's creative numbers and progress play, being a key part of Lopetegui's vision.

West Ham chasing another midfielder

According to reports from CaughtOffside, West Ham are showing interest in Celtic midfielder, Matt O'Riley, who has also attracted interest from other top sides, such as Chelsea and Atalanta.

Leicester City also holds an interest, according to the reports, and Celtic's asking price is said to be £25m, which both Premier League sides are hesitant to pay for the 23-year-old Danish star.

O'Riley made 49 appearances in all competitions for Celtic last season, scoring 19 goals, providing 18 assists, and totalling 4,291 minutes played.

O'Riley and Rodriguez partnership

Rodriguez made 29 appearances in all competitions for Real Betis last season, scoring two goals, providing one assist, and contributing to eight clean sheets in 2,241 minutes played.

He was predominantly deployed as a defensive midfielder, even taking the captain's armband twice towards the end of the season.

O'Riley is more of a number eight/attacking midfielder, and the pairing of Rodriguez who is more defensive-minded, and the Danish midfielder, could strike a strong balance in the Hammers midfield.

O'Riley, once described as a "wonderful footballer" by Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, spoke about the players' intelligence, and the high standards he has for himself.

Whilst the table above compares Rodriguez and Paqueta, it shows how both players complement each other, offering aspects of the game to provide balance as a pair. O'Riley can offer similar traits to that of Paqueta, with creative passing and progression at the forefront.

The Hoops star would be tasked with adding the progressive passing, G/A output, and shooting volume from midfield, all of which the 23-year-old midfielder thrives at. In his first game of the season for Celtic, he provided an assist, made seven key passes, and completed 3/5 long balls.

Those seven key passes show the creative mind of O'Riley, and his eye for a pass, which could make him the perfect Paqueta replacement, and in turn the perfect pair for the Hammers' new defensive midfielder' Rodriguez, to strike a brilliant and balanced partnership in midfield.

Imagine him & Summerville: West Ham plot another 'magnificent' transfer

West Ham seeking midfield reinforcements to aid new firepower in attack

By
Connor Holden

Aug 4, 2024

Australia great passes away in Thailand following a suspected heart attack

Andrew Miller04-Mar-2022Shane Warne, one of cricket’s all-time greats, has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 52 in Koh Samui, Thailand, while on holiday.Warne, who was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century, claimed 708 Test wickets in a 15-year career for Australia between 1992 and 2007, and was also an ODI World Cup winner in 1999.According to his manager Michael Cohen, he died of a suspected heart attack.”Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” Cohen’s statement read. “The family requests privacy at this time and will provide further details in due course.”Related

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• The highs and lows of Shane Warne's cricketing career

• Shane Warne's death leaves cricket fraternity 'shocked and gutted'

According to Reuters, Thai Police said Warne and three other friends were staying in a private villa and one of them went to inquire about him after the former cricketer did not turn up for dinner.”The friend did CPR on him and called an ambulance,” Chatchawin Nakmusik, an officer with the Bo Phut police in Koh Samui, told Reuters by phone.”An emergency response unit then arrived and did another CPR for 10-20 minutes. Then an ambulance from the Thai International Hospital arrived and took him there. They did CPR for five minutes, and then he died.”The police did not know the cause of death but were not treating it as suspicious, Chatchawin said.The shocking news comes hours after the death of another icon of Australian cricket, former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, who also suffered a heart attack earlier this week at the age of 74.”Warnie”, as he was known throughout the cricketing world, was without question one of the true icons of world cricket, a man who almost singlehandedly revived the art of legspin in the early 1990s.Although luminaries such as Pakistan’s Abdul Qadir had kept the art alive, Warne brought a new glamour and attacking intent to legspin, with his bottle-blond hair allied to a keen tactical brain that he used to outfox a host of unwitting opponents in his pomp.After an underwhelming debut against India in January 1992, where his solitary wicket came at a cost of 150 runs, Warne hinted at his full potential in bowling Australia to an unlikely victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo, before – in his fifth appearance – he ripped out seven match-winning second-innings wickets against West Indies at his home ground of Melbourne in the 1992-93 Boxing Day Test.4:17

Shane Warne’s ball of the century

However, it was the 1993 Ashes tour that truly cemented Warne’s legend. In the opening match of the series at Old Trafford, and having been shielded from England’s batters during the preceding one-day series, Warne’s first delivery left the sport dumbfounded as he served up the so-called “ball of the century” to Mike Gatting – a drifting, dipping, spitting legbreak, that turned a full two feet from outside leg to hit the top of off.Gatting was so confused, he did not initially realise he had been bowled – and in that moment, Warne exerted a hold over England’s batters that was so absolute, they would not come close to reclaiming the Ashes for another 12 years. And even when they did, in the seismic summer of 2005, Warne’s fingers were the last to be prised from the urn, as he carried Australia’s attack with a career-best haul of 40 wickets.Away from the cricket field, Warne could not help but court controversy. He was rarely far from the front pages of the tabloids amid a string of revelations about his personal life. In 1995, both he and his then team-mate Mark Waugh were fined for giving information to an Indian bookmaker during the previous year’s tour of Sri Lanka.In 2003, on the eve of that year’s 50-over World Cup, Warne was suspended from international cricket for a year after a banned diuretic was found during a routine drugs test – he claimed it had been given to him by his mother to help him lose weight.However, though that setback might have ended lesser careers, the year away from the game arguably gave Warne an extra lease of life going into his mid-30s. He returned to action with four five-wicket hauls in a row to lead Australia to a memorable 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka in March 2004, and then played a quietly crucial role in their subsequent “final frontier” victory in India.He retired from international cricket with typical showmanship in the 2006-07 Ashes, leaving the field arm-in-arm with his long-term bowling ally Glenn McGrath – a fellow great in one of the all-time great Test teams – after reclaiming the Ashes with a 5-0 whitewash (the first that Australia had inflicted on England since 1920-21).Even at the age of 37, the Warne legend was not done. In 2008, he was recruited by Rajasthan Royals to captain their franchise in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and duly delivered the title with 19 wickets at 21.26 in the course of the campaign. Though he went wicketless in the final against Chennai Super Kings, he couldn’t be kept out of the action, as he and Sohail Tanvir sealed the victory with the bat in a thrilling final-over finish.Prior to his IPL involvement, Warne had spent eight seasons (2000-2007) in county cricket with Hampshire, after being recruited by his friend and England rival, Robin Smith. He claimed 276 first-class wickets at 25.59 in his time at the club, and later had a stand at the Ageas Bowl named after him.In retirement, Warne became a trenchant commentator, primarily for Fox Sports in Australia – ever insightful on tactical matters, if at times a touch bombastic. He also dabbled in professional poker, a card game that he said replicated the sort of mind-games that he had revelled in during his playing days. He became a fixture at the Aussie Millions in Melbourne and at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, where in 2009, his deep run into the tournament meant that he arrived late for his commentary duties at that summer’s Ashes.Tributes to Warne have poured in from the cricket world, from team-mates and rivals alike. Brian Lara, arguably the greatest batter to have faced Warne in his pomp, tweeted an image of a broken heart, adding: “Speechless at the moment. I literally don’t know how to sum up this situation. My friend is gone!! We have lost one of the Greatest Sportsmen of all time!! My condolences goes out to his family. RIP Warnie!! You will be missed.”Adam Gilchrist, Warne’s team-mate in one of the greatest Test teams of all time, added: “Numb. The highlight of my cricketing career was to keep wicket to Warnie. Best seat in the house to watch the maestro at work. Have often felt a tad selfish, that Heals [Ian Healy] and I pretty much exclusively are the only ones who had that thrill and pleasure at Test level. Rip Warnie.”

Glasgow Rangers will be looking to get back to winning ways this evening as they aim to progress to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

The Ibrox side suffered a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Dynamo Kyiv in midweek, ending their Champions League dream in the process.

With the Light Blues already trailing Celtic by two points in the Premiership after just two games, Philippe Clement may see the clash against St Johnstone at Hampden Park today as a welcome distraction.

A win will still be expected, of course, but it gives the Belgian a chance to unleash a few young players in the starting XI.

One change will definitely have to be made, with Ridvan Yilmaz suffering an injury against Kyiv on Tuesday evening, ruling him out for the foreseeable.

Ridvan Yilmaz suffers yet another injury

As talented as the Turkish defender is, Yilmaz has missed his fair share of games through injury since joining the club in the summer of 2022.

Indeed, the 23-year-old has missed 40 games through a series of injury issues over the previous two seasons, with this number growing due to his latest setback.

Yilmaz took a shot at goal in the second half, but just minutes later, he was lying on the turf clutching his leg and a stretcher took him off the field.

The Hampden crowd would have feared the worst seeing this, while Clement gave an update on his situation during his pre-match press conference on Friday, saying: "Ridvan will be out 4-6 weeks roughly," which is yet another disruption just as he was beginning to gain consistent minutes in the first team.

The question for Clement now is: who will replace Yilmaz for the next few weeks? Will a summer signing be ready to take over?

Jefte could replace Ridvan Yilmaz at left-back

When Borna Barisic left the Light Blues at the end of his contract, it left Yilmaz as the only senior left-sided defender in the squad.

This was certainly an area that needed some depth added to it, with the club going out to sign Brazilian youngster Jefte not long after Barisic’s departure.

The 20-year-old spent the whole of last season on loan at Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia from Fluminense, going on to make 33 appearances in all competitions for the club.

Jefte also managed to score three goals and register four assists. Considering it was his first stint of senior football outside of his homeland, the young talent impressed significantly.

His attacking talents were clearly on display as the defender also averaged one key pass per game, while succeeding with 2.4 dribbles each match – a success rate of 62% – which demonstrated how often he liked to burst forward from his left-back slot.

Clement experimented during the two ties against Kyiv by using Jefte as a left-winger. He had a part to play in the equaliser during the first leg before enjoying a solid display at Hampden on Tuesday.

He was rather harshly given a second yellow card and sent off, but there were plenty of positives to take from his display.

With this in mind, Clement may stick with Jefte in a more advanced position against St Johnstone this afternoon. This decision may open the door for a talented youngster in the Gers squad to gain a rare opportunity in the starting XI…

Why Robbie Fraser should start for Rangers

Scotland U21 international Robbie Fraser signed a new contract to remain at the Light Blues until 2026 in June, signifying how valued he is at the club by the management team.

With Yilmaz now out for the next 4–6 weeks, now is the perfect time for him to make the step-up and prove to Clement exactly why he signed an extension.

The 21-year-old captained the B team during the previous two seasons, making a total of 53 appearances, scoring four goals and registering ten assists in the process.

Although hardly a goalscoring threat, Fraser showcased his dead-ball skills on a regular basis, even netting a “superb” free-kick – as hailed by journalist Jordan Campbell – during a match for the B team in 2022.

He finally got his chance in the first team during the final few matches of last season. He came on for the last half an hour in the win over Dundee, before being unleashed in the starting XI against Hearts just a few days later.

Despite playing for just 90 minutes combined across those games, Fraser proved that he could have a wonderful future at Ibrox.

Not only did he average two key passes per game, but the defender also created one big chance, recovered four balls per game and won three ground duels per game at an impressive success rate of 75% – encouraging statistics indeed.

Could these displays, combined with Yilmaz’s injury, ensure he gets a chance against the Saints today? Clement offered a hint during his pre-match conference.

“Robbie [Fraser] has made a really good evolution in the last couple of months, he has done really positive things throughout pre-season,” said the 50-year-old.

“Part of our story is to give chances to boys coming out of the Academy.”

Fraser can take encouragement from the likes of Ross McCausland, who forced his way into the starting XI last season due to injuries on the right wing.

With this area of the squad lacking depth, it is up to the 21-year-old to take his chance over the next few games and prove to the manager he could be a long-term solution to the problematic position.

Clement could unearth an ideal Ridvan rival in Rangers' 20 y/o gem

Rangers may have an ideal Ridvan Yilmaz rival with a young academy prospect

By
Ross Kilvington

Feb 16, 2024

Rangers have a rich history of producing excellent full-backs from the academy, as the likes of Alan Hutton and Nathan Patterson secured moves to the Premier League after shining in Glasgow.

Could Fraser follow in their footsteps? His journey may just start today at Hampden.

The transfer window finally came to a close on Friday night, and it would be fair to say that Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed a successful summer of business.

Ange Postecoglou's squad has been made much more robust with the additions of Dominic Solanke, Wilson Odobert and Archie Gray, and while some fans may have been hoping for a last-minute deal, there simply wasn't the need for one.

The Lilywhites' fierce rivals Arsenal, on the other hand, were forced to engage in some last-minute panic buying as they secured the services of Raheem Sterling on a season-long loan following a summer of constant links to attacking talent.

The former Manchester City ace is a Premier League veteran at this point and will likely be a useful player for the Gunners, but Spurs fans can rest easy in the knowledge that they already have a winger who's worth substantially more than the Englishman.

Raheem Sterling's valuation in 2024

Sterling completed his season-long loan move to Arsenal on deadline day last week, and while the Gunners didn't pay a fee for the Chelsea ace, we know that his current valuation is around €46m thanks to Football Transfers, which converts to about £39m.

While this is still a reasonably impressive valuation, it's significantly lower than it was just over a year ago, when Football Transfers priced the 29-year-old at around €71m, which is about £60m.

The reason for this collapse in the player's valuation is likely two-fold. The first reason is that, after starring in a brilliant City team for so many years and racking up an incredible haul of 204 goals and assists in just 339 games, the Kingston-born dynamo has struggled to have the same level of impact at Stamford Bridge, where he has racked up 31 goals and assists in 81 appearances.

This brings us to the second potential reason his price has fallen so dramatically: the Blues were clearly trying to get rid of him over the last few weeks. After all, if a team clearly no longer wants their own player, why would said player's valuation increase?

In all, while the 82-capped international will probably be able to contribute at the Emirates, he's not the player he once was, and Spurs already have a winger who is worth millions more than him.

Dejan Kulusevski's valuation in 2024

Yes, the player in question is Swedish superstar Dejan Kulusevski, who joined the North Londoners on an initial 18-month loan deal in January 2022 under former managing director Fabio Paratici.

The talented winger's move was made permanent for around £26m in June 2023, although according to Football Transfers, he is currently worth around €57m, which converts to about £48m, or £9m more than Sterling's new valuation.

Now, that might seem like a lot of money for a player who has been somewhat inconsistent during his time in North London, but when the former Juventus ace is at his best, he is an incredible asset to have in the team.

For example, in his 99 appearances for the Lilywhites, the "special player", as described by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir, has scored 15 goals and provided 20 assists, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.82 games for the club, which is more impressive when taking into account the football played under former manager Antonio Conte.

That said, this is set to be a big season for the 24-year-old, as he's now at the age in which he needs to nail down a regular starting spot in the team, and given his raw ability, there is no reason why he couldn't do that.

Ultimately, while Sterling is the winger grabbing headlines at the moment, Tottenham have a far more valuable player in Kulusevski in their squad.

Spurs hit gold on amazing star who'd be worth way more than Haaland in 2024

The incredible superstar was a game-changer for the Lilywhites.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 4, 2024

At the scene of one of his finest innings, Michael Clarke is about to embark upon perhaps the most pivotal Test match of his career

Daniel Brettig at Lord's17-Jul-2013Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin, captain and deputy, were Australia’s last two men to leave the Lord’s nets on the eve of the second Test.Haddin was jovial as he walked for the pavilion, looking ahead to the chance of reversing the painfully narrow result at Trent Bridge. But Clarke was the personification of pensive. Lost in his own thoughts and staring straight ahead, he appeared to be steeling himself for a match that can be argued to be the most critical of his captaincy and career so far.It was a starkly contrasting image from that portrayed at his pre-match press conference and spoke more truthfully of Australia’s position than any amount of sunny rhetoric. Whatever good feelings emerged from the Nottingham Test, it was still the tourists’ fifth consecutive Test match loss, a sequence of under-performance last witnessed in 1984.And whatever confidence Clarke derived from a team display that showed far greater determination and unity than anything served up in India, it was also a match in which he wrestled unsuccessfully with two old adversaries – the No. 4 position and the patience of England’s bowlers.Australia cannot win this series, nor get close to doing so, if Clarke continues to be corralled in the manner he was at Trent Bridge. While in the first innings he was the victim of James Anderson’s very own fast-medium version of the ball of the century, in the second Clarke struggled for his usual sprightly timing and momentum. Much as they did in 2010-11, England succeeded in reducing Clarke’s scoring areas, forcing him to play straighter and sapping his patience. As Alastair Cook put it: “we were happy with the way we bowled to a lot of their batsmen.”For his part, Clarke said the swift starts that characterised many of his best innings at No. 5 had been largely reactive to the kind of bowling he had received, and indicated that patience was just as important as proactivity. At Trent Bridge he had been kept quiet, and did not wish to force the pace unnecessarily on a surface not amenable to fast scoring. But the sight of Clarke scratching around was a source of as much worry for Australia as Ashton Agar’s fearless first innings had been a tonic.”I think it varies because mainly as a batsman you’re reacting to what the bowler is doing, not the other way around and you’re not always in control so a lot is determined by where they bowl the ball,” Clarke said. “That determines how quickly I score, I guess. It looks to me that England certainly are working on a plan to dry me up because through my career there have been times when I got off to good starts.

Having glimpsed uncertainty in English eyes at times in Nottingham, Clarke and Australia must now go on to establish a foothold in the series.

“To me as a batter it doesn’t make much difference. To make 100 or 200 you’ve got to bat for long periods so whether you’re 10 off 10 balls or 10 off 50 balls, it doesn’t matter. I think it’s just about batting, enjoy batting. The longer you’re out there, the more chance you have of scoring runs. Patience and wait for that bad ball.”Four years ago at Lord’s, Clarke played a hand he still regards as close to his very best. Setting out in pursuit of an impossible 522 for victory, he punched and glided to 136, accompanied for most of the way by Haddin in a bold fourth innings counterattack against high quality bowling by Anderson, Andrew Flintoff and Graeme Swann. That day Clarke motored to 22 for 15 balls before settling in. He recalled the occasion dimly because it concluded in defeat, but noted motivation to make a score in the chase because he had failed first up. So it is again this time.”I remember losing the Test match,” Clarke said. “I remember not making any in the first innings and needing to make a score in the second innings. The reason you play is to have success as a team and we didn’t win that Test. If I can get a start hopefully I’ll go on to a big score.”A substantial tally from Clarke can shape the outcome of the match, which must be won if Australia are to maintain any serious hope of claiming the series. On a pitch not quite so dry as Nottingham but already showing some evidence of cracking, the need for a major first innings tally is critical, particularly after the Australians kicked away a chance to pressure England by slipping to 117 for 9 in response to their hosts’ mediocre 215 on day one of the series.Another such decline would almost certainly lead to a heavy defeat and set Australia on another ruinous path, no matter how much the unity of the team has improved in the days since Darren Lehmann replaced the litigious Mickey Arthur as coach. Having glimpsed uncertainty, if not fear, in English eyes at times in Nottingham, Clarke and Australia must now go on to establish a foothold in the series.Anything else will undo much of the team’s recent progress, damaging the newfound unity that contrasts so visibly to the poisonous atmosphere depicted by Arthur in his leaked compensation claim. Those revelations have not overly affected a team that has largely moved on from the divisions suggested by Arthur, helped in large part by the appointment of Lehmann and the return of Haddin. But no team’s foundations are so solid that they can withstand repeated doses of losing.In addition to “Mickeyleaks”, preparations for Lord’s have also been punctuated by the appearances of a quartet of luminaries from brighter days, as Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne have blessed the team with their presence and the odd snatch of advice. In 1989 and 1997, Waugh and McGrath turned on defining displays at the home of cricket. In 2013, Clarke desires the same. His stony expression said as much.

Ponting says Langer ‘wants to coach again’; suggests Tim Paine could also be involved in a coaching role

Alex Malcolm09-Jun-2022Ricky Ponting believes former Australia coach Justin Langer wants to coach again and is one of the top names on a long list of candidates he would like to hire as Hobart Hurricanes coach after taking on a formal role as head of strategy for the BBL franchise.Hurricanes announced on Thursday that Ponting had signed a three-year deal with his former club to take on a newly created head of strategy role. Ponting will fulfil the role alongside his commentary commitments with Channel Seven and his IPL coaching commitments with Delhi Capitals. But the role has been designed for him to take charge of the recruitment of a new senior coach, assistant coaches, list management, team strategy, and culture as Hurricanes continue to chase their maiden title after 11 years of trying.Langer has been linked to the Hurricanes job in recent months, even prior to Ponting’s appointment. Hurricanes are still searching for a new coach after Adam Griffith stepped down at the end of last season. Langer has spoken publicly in recent weeks about the toll of the exit from the Australia coaching job and has been adamant he is still undecided on his next career move.Speaking at a press conference in Hobart on Thursday, Ponting confirmed he speaks to Langer regularly about the role, amongst informal discussions as longtime friends and confidants, but no formal decisions had been made either way.Related

• Langer looks at 'other opportunities' despite Ponting's pursuit for Hurricanes job

• Ponting appointed head of strategy at Hobart Hurricanes

• Justin Langer lifts the lid on messy exit as Australia coach

• Tim Paine's career appears over after not getting Tasmania contract

“He definitely wants to coach again,” Ponting said. “I think he’s got a bit more thinking to do as far as a commitment like this is concerned through the summer, but every chat I’ve had with him so far, he wants to coach again.”He’s probably the one that I’ve spoken to the most about it so far. We’ve been having a bit of dialogue through the last probably six or seven months to be honest.”Nothing’s finalised with Justin yet. But I’ll stay on him because I’ve got a pretty good understanding and feeling of what we need down here at the Hurricanes as far as that head coaching position is concerned.”Just listening to some of the feedback from players and other people around the setup the last couple of years, it sounds like things could have been a little bit better. Not so much the on-field playing stuff. But some of the other stuff that might happen around a dressing room and around a team. And I know JL would do a great job if he was the one.”But look, I’ve got a list. I’ve got pages and pages of names of guys that I think would do a great job. I haven’t necessarily put them in order yet. And I’ll pick them off along the way over the next few weeks.”The prospect of working alongside Ponting would be enticing for Langer. He is also close with newly appointed Tasmania head coach Jeff Vaughan and former Australian captain Tim Paine, who still holds close ties to the Hurricanes. Ponting suggested Paine could also be involved in a coaching capacity if he was keen to be.Tim Paine chats with Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer•Getty Images

“I’ll talk to a few of the other people around about what I’d like to be able to achieve with the Hurricanes, [and that] is to bring as many great Tasmanian people back around the franchise as possible, and I think Tim Paine fits perfectly into that mould,” Ponting said. “So whenever and if he’s ever ready to walk back and put another purple shirt on, I’m sure lots of Tasmanians, would like to see him involved.”Paine was not offered a contract with Tasmania for the upcoming season having not played since taking indefinite leave from cricket just weeks after he resigned from the Australian Test captaincy. Paine has not made any public statements regarding his own playing or coaching future.Appointing the coach is Ponting’s top priority in his new role. The new coach will need to be involved in list management decisions that could arise later this month with the BBL finalising details of an overseas draft for the coming season in the coming weeks.Ponting believes Hurricanes have a core nucleus of a great side with Matthew Wade, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Tim David, Nathan Ellis and Riley Meredith all locked in for next season, and said that recruiting overseas players for the right roles was more important than getting big names.Ponting all but ruled out Chris Lynn as a possible recruit to the Hurricanes after Brisbane Heat opted not to renew his contract for the upcoming BBL.”I’m sure his name will come up,” Ponting said. “But if I look at Wade, McDermott, Short, David, I’m not sure that I’m picking Chris Lynn ahead of any of those guys and what we’ve got here.”They’re all established Hurricanes players that have been here for awhile. Tim David has just had the one season here. But I’d like to stick with what we’ve got, and get the best out of the guys we’ve got there rather than adding too much from players that have been left out of other BBL franchises.”I’m not going to make those decisions here and now and by myself. They’re decisions that we’re going to make once the coaching group is together and we can all sit down as a group and actually start making decisions with what we want as far as the list is concerned.”Ponting also reiterated that he was fully committed to the role despite his Channel Seven commentary commitments, and living full-time in Melbourne, but he had yet to work out whether he would commentate on Hurricanes games or not for Channel Seven.

The Swedish coach, who also coached at Lunds BK and Rosengrad, will reportedly be the club's new manager

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The San Diego Wave have reportedy come to terms on a deal with former Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall, who has been the front-runner for their coaching vacancy. There are details still to be finalized, but the Swedish coach, who also previously took charge at Lunds BK and Rosengrad, will be the club's new head coach following Casey Stoney's departure in June, according to

  Stoney was fired in June, prompting the Wave to go with two interim coaches, starting with Paul Buckle, and then Landon Donovan – though the club later announced that the U.S. men's national team legend would not return following a 3-6-1 stint in charge.

  San Diego finished 10th in the NWSL, missing the playoffs just one season after the Shield. The club features U.S. women's national team stars Jaedyn Shaw and Naomi Girma.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Eidevall already has a unique connection to American soccer – U.S. women's national team boss Emma Hayes. The two battled during Hayes' time at Chelsea, and Hayes made headlines during her final season at Chelsea after she pushed Eidevall, who was approaching for a post-game handshake.

  Overall, Eidvall won 80 of his 120 matches in charge of Arsenal, winning the League Cup twice. He resigned in October following a poor start to the 2024-25 WSL season.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Under Eidevall, Arsenal finished in either second or third in each of three seasons. In addition, the club reached the semifinals of the Champions League in 2023.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SAN DIEGO?

  The 2025 NWSL season is will kick off in March.

William Troost-Ekong has played against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but has named a different star as the toughest he has faced in his career.

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• Troost-Ekong names Zapata as most difficult forward
• Nigerian says Messi's genius helps him outshine Ronaldo
• Set to face Ronaldo again in March in Saudi Pro League

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Troost-Ekong has played with a number of clubs throughout his 11-year-long career, lining up for top-flight sides in eight different countries including in the Premier League. The former Watford defender has gone up against a number of world-class forwards including Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar Jr, and Karim Benzema among others. However, the Nigerian has named former Atalanta and Torino striker Duvan Zapata as the toughest he has faced in his career so far. Troost-Ekong has faced the Colombian striker twice and conceded four goals including a hat trick.

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  WHAT TROOST-EKONG SAID

  When asked about the best forward he has faced, Troost-Ekong said on talkSPORT's Hawksbee and Jacobs: “There was one striker at Atalanta called Duvan Zapata, a Colombian striker, and it was in 2019, and I just couldn’t get near him.

  “Too strong, too fast, a great finisher, and just his awareness in the box. I think he scored quite a lot of goals against me that season, and he was my nightmare, my nemesis.

  “I would have to give it to him, but there’s too many great strikers to name, to be honest.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite naming Zapata as his biggest nightmare, Troost-Ekong went on to praise Messi's 'unplayable' ability in attack. The two faced off against each other only once when Nigeria lost 2-1 to Argentina in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.

  When asked about Messi, the Nigerian said: “One word, probably unplayable. It was something special. You find yourself standing there thinking: ‘God, this bloke's good!'

  "I think when he scored the opening goal against us, it was like it was in slow motion. You couldn't really do anything, you just had to watch it. And close to cheering because it was fantastic. And then you remember you're on the other team.”

• WHAT NEXT FOR TROOST-EKONG?

  The Nigerian currently plays with Al-Kholood and will face Ronaldo's Al-Nassr soon. As such, building up on his comments about Messi, Troost-Ekong compared the two, he said: "It's a different quality. You can really see that he's [Messi] just reading the game. And when it comes to life, then there's not much you can do.”

  However, when asked to pick between the two he said: “This is difficult to say. I'll probably have to face Ronaldo again later this year. I don't want to get him mad.”

A Kevin Pietersen special

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013The number of consecutive final Tests in home series against South Africa that England have won. The Proteas have lost every single final Test they have played in England since readmission – twice to draw a series they had been winning (1994 and 2003), once to lose a series they should have won and would have won but for almost superhuman tactical negativity (1998), and once to concede a consolation defeat (2008), when they cleverly hoodwinked England into thinking the Kevin Pietersen captaincy experiment was a strategic masterstroke.Whether or not this sequence becomes a five-pronged one will decide whether this series constitutes England’s second significant failure of 2012 ‒ the series when England finally, after 108 years, were summarily overthrown as Olympic cricket champions ‒ or further proof of their resilience as a team, and their ability to alchemise victories from the apparent components of defeat. Was England’s startling 2011 a team at its peak, performing consistently close to the limits of its collective and individual abilities? Or is 2012 the anomaly?4 is also: The number of people in Britain who gave the second Test their full, undivided attention. The match gave hints that England might be re-establishing parity, or at least near-parity, with the Proteas after the tourists demolished them like a cheap birthday grapefruit in a fistfight on the . The Test was played to the noisy backdrop of a nation becoming wildly excited at finding out that it is good at sports of which it had barely even heard a couple of weeks ago. Kevin Pietersen’s eye-watering innings and end-of-match strop-out added some intrigue, but a British person being able to make a horse breakdance captured more of the public’s imagination.4 is also: The number of cricket fans in the world who have no opinion on Kevin Pietersen. Three of those four misheard the question and thought it was referring to the former bespectacled 1980s Kent batsman Derek Aslett.I have written more often about Kevin Pietersen than any other player in the four years I have been writing this blog. That is because he is more worth writing about than any other player – not better, but endlessly interesting, baffling, arresting, exhilarating, inconsistent, and frustrating, on and off the field. He wears his brilliance and his frailties quite openly, in his cricket, his words, and his behaviour. I have no idea what he is like as a man, but he has been a cricketer of ceaseless fascination, through his cricketing peaks and troughs, and his moods, which have swung so much there have been unsubstantiated rumours that someone had been picking at his moods with a bottle top and smearing one side with Vaseline. Please don’t retire.