Nottingham Forest ready to accept "huge" offer for "excellent" £30k-p/w ace

Nottingham Forest are ready to lose one of their key men should an offer come in, as they look to continue their upward trajectory under Nuno Espírito Santo.

Nottingham Forest taste Premier League defeat

If you had told any Forest fan that their first taste of Premier League defeat would come as late as their sixth game this season, they would probably have bitten your arm off.

The Garibaldi only just avoided relegation last season, but have made a strong start to the campaign this time around, aided by summer signings Ramon Sosa and Jota Silva, as well as the imposing figure of Nikola Milenkovic in the heart of defence.

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Though out of the Carabao Cup, they sit ninth in the Premier League in an early season highlighted by a shock win over Liverpool at Anfield, with nine points from six games leaving them on course for 57 points across the season and a comfortable mid-table finish.

But a 1-0 home defeat to Fulham brought the club a little way back down to earth, with Nuno’s side managing just one shot on target as a Raul Jimenez penalty proved the difference between the two sides.

With a favourable run of fixtures ahead, they will be hoping that the loss is just a blip rather than a sign of a downturn in form at The City Ground. But now, a potentially unpopular sale has been mooted.

Nottingham Forest’s upcoming fixtures

Chelsea (A)

Crystal Palace (H)

Leicester City (A)

West Ham (H)

Newcastle United (H)

Nottingham Forest ready to cash in

Football Insider reports that the club are now ready to cash in on fan-favourite defender Murillo, but only for a huge fee.

The centre-back has been a revelation since his arrival from Corinthians just over a year ago, and has caught the eye of plenty of clubs around Europe, with Chelsea among those who reportedly held an interest over the summer.

He was dubbed “excellent” by Sky Sports pundit Dougie Critchley, while he also came in for praise on Match of the Day from Ian Wright.

“The way they defended, you know, he’s getting to be one of my favourite players to watch, Murillo at the back for Forest.

“He’s so good, he’s so good on the ball. He’s passing out of defence, he’s very good.”

Murillo opted to stay at Forest for another season, explaining that he “is in the best place” for regular game time.

However, he suggested a future move was likely, adding: “Staying here for another season will enable me to mature as a player and eventually become better prepared if the chance ever comes to play at another level one day… I want to eventually play in the Champions League.”

Now, Football Insider claims that the club would “reluctantly sell Murillo for a ‘huge’ fee” next summer, and that they would only entertain offers “if they can make a huge profit” on the defender.

Given he cost £10m just a year ago, that should not be too difficult, with the defender still having almost four years to run on his £30,000-a-week deal at The City Ground.

With reported interest from across Europe, his future sale could even become a new club record, surpassing the £45m that Tottenham shelled out for Brennan Johnson last summer.

Spurs struck gold on "special" signing worth millions more than Sterling

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.

Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling.

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.

Kulusevski's Spurs record

Appearances

99

Goals

15

Assists

20

Goal Involvements per Match

0.35

All Stats via Transfermarkt

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.

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'He's got a bit more thinking to do..' – Ponting reveals Langer might be interested in coaching Hobart Hurricanes

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

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“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.

Everton must axe dud who earns more than Branthwaite & O’Brien combined

Everton’s season has gone from bad to worse in recent days as Sean Dyche’s side were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Southampton, meaning there are no distractions from the Premier League until January.

At the time of writing, the Goodison Park side have conceded 15 times this term, and this defensive record must improve, otherwise it will be another relegation battle this term.

Everton manager Sean Dyche

Despite the poor performances on the field, there are several players who have bright futures in the game who are at the club, notably defenders Jarrad Branthwaite and Jake O’Brien.

How much Branthwaite and O’Brien earn at Everton

The Englishman became a first-team regular at the Toffees last term after a successful loan spell at PSV Eindhoven. Under Dyche, he made 41 appearances in all competitions, becoming one of the few shining lights in the side.

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite

O’Brien joined the club from Lyon during the summer transfer window, already making three appearances for the club and aged just 23, could form a long-term partnership with Branthwaite.

The English centre-back currently earns £35k-per-week, while the Irishman earns £40k-per-week, which means the pair are both on salaries that clearly won’t break the bank.

Indeed, both are actually earning less combined than fellow defender Michael Keane, who has been underperforming for a while now. Surely he will be on his way out of Goodison sooner rather than later?

Michael Keane’s wages at Everton

The 31-year-old has been with the Toffees since 2017, making a total of 219 appearances for the club in that time period.

The defender is currently earning £80k-per-week, however, and his performances on the pitch in recent months mean he is being way overpaid, that’s for sure.

Season

Games

Goals

2023/24

12

1

2022/23

14

1

2021/22

38

3

2020/21

41

4

2019/20

34

2

2018/19

35

1

2017/18

38

1

Last season, Keane made just nine appearances in the top flight, finishing the campaign by averaging a 78% pass success rate, winning only 39% of his ground duels and keeping one clean sheet in that time.

When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Keane even ranked in the lowest 75% for tackles per 90 and ranked in the lowest 67% for blocks per 90 over the previous 365 days.

These statistics clearly show that he is on the decline as a player. His contract expires at the end of the season and Dyche shouldn’t be offering him an extension, especially as the £80k-per-week he currently earns could be reinvested back into the transfer market.

Branthwaite and O’Brien, who have yet to play together in the first team, have the potential to form a dependable partnership at the heart of the defence, which could be the difference regarding Everton’s top-flight status.

Keane was a decent signing when he joined seven years ago, but with real competition emerging in the centre-back ranks, his time could well be up sooner rather than later.

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Barcelona now tracking Man Utd star Ten Hag doesn’t believe is world class

da 888casino: Amid yet more frustration on the pitch, Manchester United could suffer an added blow off the pitch, with Barcelona now reportedly tracking one of their star players despite Erik ten Hag believing he is not yet world class.

Man Utd transfer news

da realbet: To say that the Red Devils have endured a disappointing start to the campaign would be an understatement. Despite several summer signings which, on paper, strengthened Ten Hag’s side across the pitch, not much has changed at Old Trafford. Already, just two months into the season, they’ve suffered humiliating defeats against rivals Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and had to rely on Harry Maguire to rescue a point against Porto in the Europa League.

It’s the type of start that once again puts their Champions League qualification hopes in doubt in what could quickly lead to speculation over the future of certain star players. If the Red Devils aren’t competing against Europe’s best in 2025, then players could be tempted by the exit door, including one of their most dangerous forwards.

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According to The Sun, Barcelona are now keeping tabs on Alejandro Garnacho, who Manchester United value at a hefty £50m ahead of 2025. The La Liga giants know all about Argentine wingers and could move to make Garnacho one of their main men amid his struggle to consistently start over the struggling Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford.

Those at the Nou Camp may well hand Garnacho the belief that Ten Hag has failed to instil, having refused the notion that his star man is already a world class player. The Dutchman told reporters when asked the question: “You have gone too quickly. World class is something where he has to go a long way.

“He has a high potential, 100 per cent. But last season he contributed and he can be a starting XI player. It starts with hard work. That has brought him to where he is now and that will bring him to being a world class player because I agree he has the potential.”

"Superb" Garnacho is destined for the top

The only question that should come Garnacho’s way is whether his journey to the top of European football will include Manchester United, because this is a player who’s shown all the traits of playing alongside the very best with or without the Red Devils. At just 20 years old, the Argentine is arguably United’s biggest threat going forward, with four goals and three assists in 10 games this season representing that in an otherwise blunt attack.

Dubbed “superb” by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, Garnacho would be wise to at least consider his options if Barcelona came swooping in when 2025 arrives.

As Manchester United’s struggles continue, they could be dealt the ultimate blow by one of their main men, courtesy of Barcelona.

VÍDEO: Torcedores do Corinthians chegam a Buenos Aires e brincam com argentinos

MatériaMais Notícias

da cassino: O Corinthians já está em Buenos Aires, onde nesta terça-feira (17) enfrenta o Boca Juniors pela quinta rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores.

Aguardando a chegada do elenco corintiano no hotel, que fica no distrito de Puero Madero, alguns torcedores corintianos brincaram com os funcionários do local onde o Timão ficará hospedado. Confira no vídeo acima.

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>Jogos do Corinthians na Neo Química Arena com a volta do público

TABELA
> Veja os jogos do Corinthians na Copa Libertadores

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Clearlake now ready to sell £90,000-a-week Chelsea defender for just £17m

Chelsea are now prepared to sell another defender alongside Ben Chilwell in 2025 as Enzo Maresca continues to try and trim down his squad in a bid for Premier League success, it has been reported.

Chelsea start season strongly

A 4-2 comeback win over Brighton at Stamford Bridge, spearheaded by four goals from talisman Cole Palmer, moved Chelsea into the top four for the first time this season and stretched their unbeaten streak in the league to five games.

Since their opening day defeat to Manchester City, no side has taken more points than Maresca’s, while their 15 goals is more than any other side have managed in that time.

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“It was a good game. Probably we struggled in some moments of the game but I think this kind of game the team needed also to learn”, the Blues boss explained.

“I prefer to have more possession! But we struggled a little bit at the beginning of the game, we conceded possession because they surprised us a bit tactically, but overall we were quite good.”

Talk of titles may be a little premature, with a tough run of fixtures facing the west London side, but there is clear potential to be built upon and a spot in the top four cannot be ruled out.

Chelsea’s upcoming Premier League games

Nottingham Forest (H)

Liverpool (A)

Newcastle (H)

Manchester United (A)

Arsenal (H)

Not everyone is enjoying life at Stamford Bridge though, with Chilwell among those who were told to leave over the summer. The England international is likely to be free to leave again in January despite Maresca having since welcomed him back into the fold. Now, another could be set to follow him out of the door.

Italy calling for Chelsea defender

That comes in the shape of French defender Benoit Badiashile, who is yet to play a minute of Premier League football this season. The Frenchman was signed to provide cover and competition for academy graduate Levi Colwill, and left Monaco with glowing praise.

“Badiashile is excellent. He is very strong in the air and in the duels. He can read the game because he is intelligent. He is a very good defender on the floor and in the air. I do not have any doubts that he will succeed in the Premier League,” former Monaco coach Nelson Caldaira told Sky Sports. “He is the complete defender.”

However, having failed to break into the first team, and with Chelsea seemingly in the market for another left-sided defender, the French international is now surplus to requirements.

Still just 23-years-old, Badiashile still has a mammoth six years to run on his £90,000 a week deal in west London, but reports in Italy suggest Chelsea are ready to let him leave in the coming year.

They suggest that he has caught the eye of reigning champions Inter Milan, and that he could be available for just €20m (£16.7m) next summer, which would be just half of what Chelsea shelled out to bring him to London 18 months ago.

With game time limited at Stamford Bridge, a departure may well be what the Frenchman needs to re-ignite his stalling career.

Aston Villa want to sign "strong" midfielder who loves doing the dirty work

Looking to compete with Europe’s elite both on and off the pitch after defeating Bayern Munich, Aston Villa and sporting director Monchi are reportedly plotting a move to sign a European champion in 2025.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans could cap off the perfect week against Manchester United after shocking Bayern Munich to win 1-0 in the Champions League. In the space of one week, they could defeat two of Europe’s most historic clubs to highlight just how far they’ve come. Unai Emery will be well aware of just how much of an achievement that Bayern Munich victory was, given that he initially took charge of Aston Villa when they were fighting Premier League relegation in 2022.

It’s progress that has been recognised off the pitch too, with those at Villa Park rewarding the Spaniard courtesy of the transfer market. In a busy summer, Villa welcomed the likes of Amadou Onana, Jaden Philogene and Ian Maatsen in what looks like a sign of things to come if recent rumours are anything to go by.

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According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Monchi is now plotting a move to sign Ederson from Atalanta in 2025, which would see Aston Villa beat the likes of Liverpool to the midfielder’s signature.

The Brazilian is now reportedly ready to leave last season’s Europa League winners and complete a move to the Premier League, where Emery and Villa could be waiting. Valued at £50m by the Serie A side, however, the deal won’t come cheap for any club in pursuit of Ederson’s signature.

Like the Bayern result, it would be some statement if Villa won the race to sign the in-demand star ahead of their Premier League rivals in 2025.

"Strong" Ederson can form Onana partnership

Given how successful Onana has been during his short time at Aston Villa so far, it would be a stroke of genius to hand the Belgian a midfield partner of Ederson’s calibre. Together, the duo would push Emery’s side into a permanent top four place and perhaps even force those in the Midlands to set their minds on the addition of silverware once again.

Goals

0

2

Progressive Passes

38

14

Tackles Won

2

10

Ball Recoveries

31

20

Where Onana provides the unexpected goal threat, Ederson is more efficient off the ball, with his ability to recover possession particularly impressive. Combined, meanwhile, the stats show that both players would, on paper, provide an ideal blend at the heart of Emery’s side.

Not afraid to do the dirty work – he’s registered at least one foul in eight of his nine appearances this season – Ederson has been dubbed a “strong and well build central midfielder” by South American football expert Tim Vickery.

At 25 years old, the Brazilian’s best years as a midfielder should be right around the corner, which may see Monchi and Villa swoop in at the perfect time yet again in the transfer market.

Dean Elgar asks Bangladesh to 'harden up and play the game at a level that maybe they're not used to'

Dean Elgar has told Bangladesh to “harden up” and accept the tough talk of Test cricket even as Mominul Haque denied complaining about excessive sledging after the Durban match. Bangladesh expressed their intent to lodge an official objection over both South Africa’s conduct and the umpiring at Kingsmead in the immediate aftermath of their defeat, which Elgar felt was an overreaction, especially since he felt Bangladesh were equally vociferous.”I don’t think they’re justified, whatsoever. We play the game hard, and if anything we were just giving back what we were getting when we were batting,” Elgar said before the second Test in Gqeberha. “It is Test cricket. It’s a man’s environment when it comes to playing at this level, and I intend to play the game hard. By no means did we swear or use foul language towards the Bangladeshi cricketers, because we respect them. We were just giving them back what we were receiving. I think they need to harden up and play the game at a level that maybe they’re not used to. We received it first, and we responded in that way.”Despite his admission that South Africa were vocal, Elgar insisted they never crossed the line. “One of my messages to the players is that we do everything with dignity, and we don’t throw our badge or our name away. I didn’t see any bad sledging out there, even from their side,” he said. “This is Test cricket, and we need to dry our eyes sometimes.”Related

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Shortly after Elgar addressed the media, Mominul was asked for his reaction to Elgar’s comments and indicated Bangladesh have already dried their eyes, as Elgar may have put it. “I never complained against sledging,” Mominul said, despite comments after the Durban Test that the umpires didn’t seem to notice South Africa’s verbal assault on Bangladesh. “In cricket, sledging happens, and you have to absorb it. You have to take it very easily. I think you guys heard it wrongly.”Among Bangladesh’s criticisms of South Africa was that they were particularly harsh on Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who is 21 years old, was playing in his third Test, and became the first Bangladesh batter to score a Test century against South Africa. Elgar denied that Mahmudul was a target because of his inexperience and said South Africa treated him as they would any talented batter. “We wouldn’t go out there and intentionally try and intimidate a young player. We’ll play the game at a hard level, but we’re not there to use language to try to intimidate guys. We’d rather try and intimidate by our skill,” he said.South Africa’s spinners ran through Bangladesh in the second innings at Kingsmead•AFP/Getty Images

But he was quick to caveat it with a bit of “in my day,” and reminded Bangladesh, rightly or wrongly, that things used to be worse. “Also, this is Test cricket. When I started playing it, the environments were a lot harsher. You were told everything that you didn’t want to know about yourself. We’re representing our country and we want to win, and if you’re playing a little bit of a mind game on the opposition, why not?” Elgar said.Ultimately, Elgar believed Bangladesh unraveled in the second innings because of the quality of the bowling and not anything South Africa said. “It was the level of intensity at which we were playing. I felt our intensity was right up there with regards to the conditions. Even though we were bowling spinners, the ruthlessness and relentlessness that they showed was world class,” he said. “Maybe Bangladesh got caught up in the moment, which played perfectly into our hands. That’s what comes with gamesmanship. You’ve got to outsmart and outplay and outwit your opposition. That’s the total emotional and mental side of Test cricket that people forget about sometimes. Then, if you incorporate your skill and ticking the boxes to the best of your ability, that’s what sums up Test cricket.”Elgar was also asked about the standard of the umpiring after eight decisions needed to be overturned at Kingsmead, four against South Africa, and had no complaints. “The umpiring was tough. I don’t think the pitch helped, especially with the variable bounce, which can challenge the umpires. I feel for them because they’re good umpires,” he said. “Marais [Erasmus] is the umpire of the year. Adrian [Holdstock] is just starting off in the Test arena, and he’s definitely not a bad umpire. After all, they are human beings — they do make errors, as do the players. But I’m pretty sure they’re going to learn a hell of a lot out of that. Whatever the umpire decides, we need to respect that.”Bangladesh also had three appeals not given against South African batters, but chose not review, and replays showed all three would have been out. They found no sympathy from Elgar, who reminded them that they could have taken matters into their own hands. “Technology is there for a reason. If you don’t use the technology, then you’re holding yourself accountable for their decisions,” he said. “Hopefully in the second Test we can have a better show.”Erasmus and Allahudien Palekar will stand in the second Test, with Holdstock as television umpire.

The difference between Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot? Wataru Endo opens up on life under 'more stable' Dutchman as Reds continue hunt for quadruple

Wataru Endo opened up on playing under new Liverpool boss Arne Slot as he drew comparisons between Jurgen Klopp and the Dutchman.

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  • Endo revealed difference between Slot and Klopp
  • Dutchman enjoying start at Anfield
  • German left on good terms
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  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Endo, who has played most of the matches in the 2024-25 campaign as a central defender under new Reds boss Slot, has spoke about his experience of playing under the Dutch coach, while comparing his tactics to that of former manager Klopp.

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  • WHAT ENDO SAID

    The Japan international said: "I wouldn't say there's a lot of difference – we want to put pressure high. I think the new manager is more stable so he likes the players to stay in their positions how he wants and that's different. But I really enjoy how he plays at the moment and I think everyone enjoys playing his tactics."

  • Getty Images Sport

    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    When asked if he is happy playing as a central defender instead of his natural role as a defensive midfielder, the 31-year-old said: "I used to play as a defender when I was 18 to 25 years old so I don't mind if I play centre-back or number six. I just do what I can do.

    "I don't discuss with the manager what my position is. Now Joe (Gomez) has got an injury and Ibou (Konate) is just coming back so that's why I played. He also thinks putting me as a defender is a good option to play his tactics so I hope I'm going to get a lot more minutes than before."

  • AFP

    WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

    The Merseyside club will be back in action in the Premier League on Tuesday as they take on in-form Nottingham Forest in a difficult away fixture.

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