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Chelsea's extortionate spending has created an unbalanced and demoralised squad that has seen the club at its lowest point since the turn of the century.

The amount of players is unmanageable and some have been brought in for ridiculous figures and have dramatically failed to repay their fees.

The Blues need to adopt a more meticulous and calculated transfer policy, spending lower sums on more quality players.

In recent times, the West London outfit has been linked with Benjamin Pavard, and securing his signature would be a notable step in the right direction for incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino.

What’s the latest on Benjamin Pavard to Chelsea?

Last month, it was first reported by BILD’s Christian Falk that the 2021 Champions League winners were interested in the Bayern Munich man.

This was followed up by a tweet by Fabrizio Romano, which confirmed that the Frenchman will not sign a new deal at his current club and wants to start a new chapter in his career.

Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany has since gone on to reveal that a fee of €40m (£34m) may be required to convince the Bavarian Giants to sanction his departure.

Pavard’s contract expires in 2024, so Bayern may be forced into his sale this summer to avoid losing him on a free next year.

How would Benjamin Pavard fit in at Chelsea?

The former Stuttgart star has made 30 Bundesliga appearances and averaged 2.3 tackles, 2.5 clearances, and 1.5 interceptions as he secured his fourth-straight league title.

Described as “outstanding” by Uli Hoenes, the 27-year-old also excels outside of Germany, as he ranks in the top 7% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for tackles per 90, as well as the best 17% for interceptions per 90, according to FBref.

Coupled with his obvious defensive acumen, the 2018 World Cup winner is also a force going forward, sitting within the best 3% for progressive passes, total shots, shot-creating actions, and non-penalty goals per 90.

His solidity, offensive threat, and his ability to appear across the backline means he has drawn comparisons to Chelsea legend Branislav Ivanovic.

The aforementioned duo both regularly appeared at centre-back or full-back, and their functionality means they are two of the most underrated players in each of their generations.

This trait goes under the radar as functional players make the game look so easy and this versatility is invaluable for any manager.

Nine years, 337 appearances, 34 goals, and ten trophies later – Ivanovic is a Premier League legend, lauded for his consistency, productivity, mentality, and reliability.

Pavard mirrors this set of imperious qualities and being available for such a modest fee, it makes complete sense for Chelsea to make a move.

Everything you need to know about the Lyon legend!

Every few years, there comes a budding striker who rises through the ranks of Ligue 1 and is hailed as the next big thing in French football, drawing comparisons to legends of the yesteryear such as Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Just Fontaine, and Jean-Pierre Papin to name a few.

One such youngster was Alexandre Lacazette, who made quite a name for himself at the youth levels at Lyon and made his debut for the first team as an 18-year-old.

Born on May 28, 1991, in Lyon, France, Lacazette began his football journey at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks of Olympique Lyonnais – or Lyon as it is more commonly known – his hometown club. He made his professional debut in 2010 and soon became a key figure for Lyon, consistently finding the back of the net and setting records along the way.

In 2017, Lacazette made a significant move to Arsenal in the Premier League. With his explosive pace, clinical finishing ability, and exceptional dribbling skills, he swiftly became a fan favorite at the London club. His debut season saw him score 17 goals in all competitions, showcasing his ability to thrive in a competitive and physically demanding league.

Lacazette, however, couldn't find the same level of success at international level that he has at club level as he made a total of 16 games from 2013 to 2017, scoring three games. He hasn't appeared for France since.

GOAL takes a look at some of the most interesting fun facts about the Lyon legend.

Guadeloupean origin

Although Alexandre and his family hail from France, the Lacazettes are actually of Guadeloupean origin. He was born to parents who left their native nation in the eastern Caribbean and moved to France in search of a better life. The island chain of Guadeloupe is located in the southern Caribbean Sea and is a French overseas territory.

AdvertisementA footballing family

Alexandre is the youngest of the four Lacazette brothers. While the striker went on the represent the French national team, his brother Benoit played in the Swiss second division and the French fourth division.

His cousin, Romuald, currently plays for FC Wacker Innsbruck in the Tiroler Liga in Austria, the fourth division of Austrian football. He was once on the books of Paris Saint-Germain, but never broke into the first team.

Scored the winning goal at the U19 European Championship

At the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, France locked horns against Spain, two years after La Roja had defeated Les Bleus in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship. The two sides comprised of the majority of the same players.

Trailing 1-0, France came from behind to win 2-1 in the final with Lacazette scoring the winner in the 85th minute from a Gael Katuta cross.

Lacazette would also go on to represent France at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2011, where the French finished in third place. He finished as the joint top scorer of the tournament with Brazil's Henrique Almeida and Spain's Alvaro Vazquez, netting five goals.

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GettyTwo of his three international goals for France came against Germany

Although Lacazette's international career never took off due to the presence of the likes of Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe, the Lyon man did manage to score three goals for France's senior national team.

Interestingly, two of those goals came against the then-world champions Germany in a friendly between France and their European rivals in November 2017. The game eventually ended in a 2-2 draw. He hasn't been called up to the France side since then.

His first-ever international goal came against Denmark in March 2015.

ScorecardOllie Rayner finished with nine wickets in the match•Getty Images

August 15 is late in summer for a first home victory. Yet not until Graham Onions chipped Ollie Rayner to midwicket had Middlesex been able to toast a triumph at Lord’s, their primary home, in the 2016 County Championship. Even allowing for a victory in their single home game away from HQ, it has been an exasperating wait.Five times Middlesex had played Championship matches at Lord’s; five times they had ended in draws. So they will be entitled to feel as if they have not merely defeated Durham, but also the pitch here. After a succession of slow pitches in previous home games, here Middlesex got a one with more pace, bounce and carry: a fine surface for Championship cricket.No one exploited it better than Rayner. If his limits – the absence of prodigious turn or anything resembling a doosra – are well-know, Rayner has made himself into an indispensable cricketer for Middlesex, and one of the finest spin bowlers in the county game.It has been a triumph for willpower, resolve and bloodymindedness. Rayner moved from Sussex, his home town club, in pursuit of more opportunities. He had to remodel his action after being called for throwing. He has honed his batting to make himself harder to drop, last year declaring: “When I see young kids around the grounds in county matches and their mums tell me that they bowl spin and do I have any tips for them, I say, yeah, learn to bat.” Never has Rayner shied from bowling when conditions are toughest.Last year, Jeetan Patel criticised English spinners for not spending enough time honing their art. “Without wishing to sound full of self-pity, it is not easy being an English spin bowler at this moment in time”, Rayner wrote for ESPNcricinfo in response. “I, like many other spinners around the country, bowl the majority of my overs on green pitches such as Lord’s where we are often being used in short bursts to pick up the over rate.”Those days are over. Rayner has moved from being a stock bowler to one entrusted to take wickets at crucial times. Indeed, when Durham’s openers had begun serenely on the first day, Rayner was tossed the ball at 12.12pm. He promptly took 4 for 17.Here, when Rayner punched the air in jubilation at the match-clinching wicket – he is never one to knowingly undercelebrate any wicket, prizing each as if it is his last – it was the latest proof of his growing importance to Middlesex. A few minutes later, Rayner doffed his caps to the MCC members, and had the honour of leading Middlesex off. How he had earned the right. Rayner had done what spinners are meant to, bowling Middlesex to victory in the second innings. Match figures of 9 for 102, and a haul of 35 Championship wickets at 22.51 this season, are a triumph for his thirst for self-improvement – and, perhaps, the ECB’s attempts to encourage spin bowling.”Ollie was still a good spinner last year but because his understanding of what he’s trying to do has improved, I think he’s really improved as a spin bowler,” James Franklin, Middlesex’s captain in this game, said. “The wickets have obviously helped: it helps when you see the ball grip as a spinner, so I think he’s taken huge confidence and encouragement from what he’s done this year.”Ollie is starting to understand his art, and the different paces that he needs to bowl on different wickets and to different batsmen and also the field’s he’s setting. He’s prepared to give the ball a bit of air this year, and long may that continue.”For Middlesex these three days could scarcely have gone better. Frolics from Toby Roland-Jones lifted their lead to 332 in the morning while, in between Rayner’s wickets in the afternoon, Harry Podmore showcased a strong repeatable action in a fine spell that included the scalp of Paul Collingwood, playing on to a ball that nipped back down the slope. It was the latest evidence of the depth of Middlesex’s squad; even the absence of Steve Finn, Eoin Morgan, Sam Robson and an overseas player for this game never looked like stymying them. “We don’t just back 12 or 13 players – we back the whole squad” Franklin said. “Guys like Stevie Eskinazi have come in and had an outstanding start to their careers. Harry Podmore’s another one.”But Durham could reflect with no pride on their performance in this game. Unbeaten until August, this was their second consecutive defeat inside three days. While at Taunton they had reason to grumble about the pitch, here they had no excuse: if the Lord’s track had bounce and turn on the third day, it only magnified Durham’s implosion on the first day, when 74 for 0 became 74 for 4 in 17 crushing deliveries.”It was a good toss to win but we didn’t take advantage of that,” Collingwood said. “We didn’t have the desire to get through hard periods and the desire to score good runs when we had the best of the conditions.” The weaknesses of his side’s batting are obvious, and will be exacerbated by the departure of Mark Stoneman to Surrey. A good thing, then, that Keaton Jennings has just signed on for another four years: when he thrashed Roland-Jones through the covers, Jennings became the first man this summer to 1000 Championship runs.Even his 45 could only briefly delay Middlesex’s waltz to victory. As Lord’s basked in blissful sunshine, and Middlesex’s players headed to the Lord’s Tavern for a well-earned post-match pint – they have the rare luxury of a 16-day wait until their next fixture in any competition – they could revel in having opened up a hearty gap at the summit of Division One. While onerous fixtures at Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and Old Trafford await, it would be remiss of Middlesex not to dream of lifting the County Championship crown when they next return to Lord’s, to play Yorkshire on September 20. “It would be immodest of me to say ‘no we’re not’,” Franklin smiled, a thoroughly contented stand-in skipper who will now hand the reins back to Adam Voges. “There’s an opportunity there.”

Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third afternoon at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s hopes of victory with a brilliant 218

The Report by Andrew Miller13-Aug-2016England 328 and 88 for 4 (Bairstow 14*, Ballance 4*, Yasir 3-15) trail Pakistan 542 (Younis 218, Shafiq 109) by 126 runs

Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt the age of 38, and in the final Test of a tour in which most sage judges feared that his imperious talents were beginning to fade, Younis Khan rolled back the years in stunning fashion on the third day at the Kia Oval, crushing England’s ambitions of another come-from-behind victory with a brilliant and match-defining 218.By the close, England – who had still harboured realistic expectations at the start of an enthralling day’s play, given the greater strength in depth of their batting line-up – were instead bracing themselves for the prospect of another bruising defeat in the capital. Twin losses at Lord’s and The Oval in the 2015 Ashes were followed by last month’s first-Test defeat to Pakistan, who are now closing in on what would be one of the most highly acclaimed 2-2 draws to have been sealed in south London since England’s own comeback against West Indies in 1991.Nothing can be predicted in a Pakistan Test match except unpredictability itself, especially with the twin architects of last week’s third-Test revival at Edgbaston, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, yet to be implicated in England’s latest collapse.Nevertheless, with Yasir Shah emerging from his mid-series slump with three massive breakthroughs, including the key scalp of Joe Root for 39, and with Wahab Riaz once again showing the value of extreme speed in blasting Alastair Cook from the crease for 7 with his third delivery of the innings, England limped to the close on 88 for 4, still 126 runs from asking their passionately focused opponents from batting again.This is how Pakistan operate, in bursts of unanswerable brilliance, but for all the harrying skill that Yasir in particular demonstrated as the shadows lengthened in the evening session, it was the events before tea that ripped this contest from England’s grasp.With 31 fours and four belligerent sixes off the spin of Moeen, Younis soared past his previous series haul of 122 runs in three Tests with a supreme 218 from 308 balls – including 90 from exactly 100 deliveries in conjunction with Wahab and Mohammad Amir, two members of a Pakistan tail that had proven so wafer-thin in their losses at Old Trafford and Edgbaston.On Younis’s watch, Pakistan transformed a slender overnight advantage of 12 into a formidable lead of 214, and until James Anderson finally crowbarred an lbw decision from Marais Erasmus with ten minutes of the afternoon session remaining, England had looked bereft of ideas on a pitch that, as Wahab and Yasir would later demonstrate, was unquestionably offering more life than Pakistan’s formidable first-innings total of 542 seemed to suggest.Having played second fiddle to a typically pugnacious cameo of 44 from 78 balls from Sarfraz Ahmed in the morning session, Younis took command of both the scoring and the strike as the afternoon wore on, adding 37 in 11.3 overs with Wahab, who made 4 from 32 balls, then 97 in 20.3 with the steadfast Amir, who waited 23 balls to get off the mark as he helped his senior partner power through to his sixth Test double-hundred, before joining the celebrations three balls later by lashing Moeen over deep midwicket for the most unexpected six of the day.Younis Khan takes the applause for a magnificent innings of 218•AFP

When Pakistan’s last man, Sohail Khan, holed out to mid-on on the stroke of tea, Amir was the last man standing, unbeaten on a career-best 39 not out from 70 balls, his initial caution having given way to a florid range of strokes that ramped England’s frustrations up to boiling point.But Younis’s magnificence transcended everything else. He had begun the day on 101 not out, his confidence restored after a torrid series, and while Sarfraz dominated their morning partnership of 77, he bided his time, ensured his eye was fully in, then climbed into a tiring and tetchy England attack with a breathtaking shift of his gears.Having waited 13 balls to add to his overnight total, and with a handful of cherry-picked boundaries to keep his innings ticking along, the first real indication that Younis was set to produce a masterpiece came in the final over before lunch. Moeen was thrown the ball for an exploratory over of offspin, but Younis lashed him for two fours in three balls – a crushing drive through the covers and a rubber-wristed sweep past backward square – to go to the break on 147 not out.Soon after the resumption, he passed 150 for the 12th time in his formidable Test career, with a full-throated pull through square leg off Stuart Broad, then repeated the trick in Broad’s next over as the long-suffering Moeen at fine leg receiving a tongue-lashing from the bowler for failing to cut off the boundary.England’s mood worsened before could improve, as Cook shelled England’s fourth catch of the innings as Wahab poked outside off to Moeen, only for the opportunity to burst through his fingers at slip. Though Wahab fell two balls later without addition – slightly fortuitously stumped off Bairstow’s gloves as the ball deflected back into the stumps – the arrival of Amir was Younis’s cue to go into overdrive.The score at that stage was 434 for 8, the lead a healthy but still potentially precarious 106 – only three runs more, in fact, than the deficit that England had overcome at Edgbaston last week. But with a qualified faith in his team-mate’s durability, Younis took it upon himself to farm the strike as best he could, seeking to limit Amir to one or two balls per over, while cashing in at the business end of each over.While he picked a brace of boundaries off the quietly fuming Broad – a calculated edge through gully and a sumptuous full-faced four through the covers – it was Moeen, inevitably, who bore the brunt of Younis’s aggression. Cook kept faith in his offspinner’s ability to wheedle out important wickets – Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq have both fallen twice to him in the series to date – but Younis treated his offerings with contempt, battering him for three massive sixes in the space of five overs, the last of which – high and mighty over wide long-on – brought up his double-hundred, from 281 balls.It was, genuinely, a chanceless performance. Younis’s only real moment of alarm had come on 133, with 15 minutes to go until lunch, when Pakistan’s lead had stood at a relatively manageable 75. Steven Finn, who finished with 3 for 110 in another quietly encouraging display, rapped Younis on the pads as he hopped into line in front of middle and extracted a raised finger from umpire Bruce Oxenford. However, replays showed that the ball was bouncing straight over the top of middle stump and the moment was lost.And by the close so too, it seemed, was the match. With the onus on batting time, first and foremost, the stage appeared set for another of Cook’s masterful rearguards – it was on this ground, in the same innings six years ago, that he produced arguably the most important century of his career. But, having lined up the left-arm offerings of Amir with some success, leaving the ball with familiar poise outside off, he had no response when Wahab – in another of his erratic full-throttle moods – followed a first-ball no-ball long hop with a scorching lifter that Cook could only deflect at high velocity to Iftikhar Ahmed at first slip.Alex Hales, his place under pressure after a disappointing series, and with his conduct under scrutiny too following his contretemps with Yasir in the first innings, resisted as best he could but never looked likely to be England’s hero in this contest. Having flirted with danger outside off to the seamers, he fell, with some predictability, to the wiles of Yasir, playing all around a straight one to be pinned lbw for 12.One over later, Yasir had his second, as James Vince once again found a weak-willed means to leave the crease, drawn into a pretty-looking drive outside off but skewing a dolly straight to Misbah at cover. And though Root once again looked a class apart in reaching 39 from 46 balls – including his 4000th Test run – England’s dismal day was complete when Yasir, throttling back his pace to maximise his impact off the pitch, skidded one into his pads to extract another lbw. Gary Ballance and Bairstow clung on to the close but England – not for the first time in recent memory – are finding the final Test of a series strangely difficult to close out.

Sixteen-year-old batsman Jason Sangha has become the youngest player ever contracted by New South Wales after he was handed a rookie deal for the 2016-17 season. The Blues have finalised their squad list for next summer and another teenager, the 18-year-old spinner Arjun Nair, who last season made his state debut aged 17, has received a full contract.Wicketkeeper-batsman Jay Lenton and top-order batsman Ryan Gibson have earned full contracts, while offspinner Chris Green and fast bowler Liam Hatcher have been handed rookie deals. Opening batsman Daniel Solway, who held a rookie contract last season, has missed out on this year’s list.The inclusion of Sangha came after he enjoyed a meteoric rise through the junior ranks last summer, starting the season in the New South Wales Under-15 Schoolboys team before also being picked in the Cricket Australia Invitation sides for both the Under-17 and Under-19 National Championships.A batsman from Newcastle, Sangha was also picked in Australia’s Under-19 team in January and scored 102 on Youth ODI debut against Pakistan in Dubai. He will juggle his training with the Blues and his Year 11 high-school commitments throughout the rest of 2016.”New South Wales has a long tradition of backing young talent and we are delighted to be able to bring Jason Sangha, Arjun Nair, Liam Hatcher and Chris Green into the Blues squad this summer,” Andrew Jones, the Cricket New South Wales CEO, said.”Along with Mickey Edwards, Jonte Pattison and Henry Thornton, these rookies have a tremendous amount of potential and we look forward to seeing them develop under the guidance of the Blues coaching staff and senior players.”The Blues had a solid summer in 2015-16, winning the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup and achieving the best win-loss record in the Sheffield Shield. The squad also supplied the majority of the Australian Test team. Our challenge now is to build on this momentum, to defend the Matador Cup and win the Sheffield Shield.”New South Wales squad Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Ed Cowan, Pat Cummins (Cricket Australia contract), Ben Dwarshuis, Ryan Gibson, Josh Hazlewood (CA), Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Josh Lalor, Nick Larkin, Jay Lenton, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Arjun Nair, Peter Nevill (CA), Steve O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu, Steven Smith (CA), Will Somerville, Mitchell Starc (CA), David Warner (CA).
Rookies Mickey Edwards, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Jonte Pattison, Jason Sangha, Henry Thornton.

Manchester City are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Benjamin Pavard during the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

Is Pavard off in the summer?

This summer is hopefully going to be another fruitful one for City in the transfer market as they look to make their squad even more formidable by adding fresh legs. Full-back could be an area of the pitch to strengthen with Kyle Walker now in his thirties and Joao Cancelo's future up in the air after joining Bayern Munich on loan.

One player who could potentially be on the move at the end of the season is Pavard, who is currently a key figure for Bayern. The France World Cup winner has started 20 Bundesliga matches this season, as well as appearing seven times in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old is out of contract in the summer of 2024, so this year could be the last opportunity to receive a decent amount of money for his signature, meaning he could move on to pastures new this summer. It looks as though there could be a scrap to sign Pavard in the upcoming window, following a fresh update.

Could Frenchman head to Man City?

According to 90min, City are in the hunt to sign Pavard from Bayern, although they are far from alone in expressing their interest. Manchester United and Real Madrid are the other top clubs who are believed in the conversation. All three clubs are keen on "bolstering" their right-back options and they see the France international as a strong option to bring in.

He may not be the most attack-minded full-back in the game – he has only registered one assist in the league this season – but he is a defensively astute player with a wealth of experience and a winning mentality, as highlighted by his World Cup triumph back in 2018.

With Uli Hoeness lauding him as "wonderful" in the past, Pavard could be seen as a strong option to rival Walker for minutes moving forward, easing the Englishman's workload as he gets older in the process and proving to be an intelligent signing who learns the City system quickly.

Having great squad depth can be key for a team like City who are battling on maximum fronts each year, and the Bayern defender could be someone who comes in and simply does a solid job – possibly even enjoying his best years of his career at the Etihad.

Leeds United are a side struggling, desperately hoping that they can steer themselves away from yet another narrow escape from the drop.

The squad has seen something of an overhaul in the last year or so, with Jesse Marsch having been overwhelmingly backed following their survival last season.

He was allowed to bring in a host of new faces to Elland Road, yet was dismissed just last month only for Javi Gracia to replace him. The Spaniard now must rally his troops, none of which were brought in on his request, and help return the Whites to previous winning ways. 

It was under Marcelo Bielsa that they last tasted consistent success, as their return campaign in the Premier League merited widespread praise with a squad that was not laden with quality but certainly fought for the badge.

This side was underpinned by the impressive qualities of Stuart Dallas, with his leadership and steely resolve proving instrumental. It is something which they have lacked in his absence but could gain with the promotion of young midfielder Charlie Allen.

Who is Charlie Allen?

The 19-year-old bears plenty of similarities with the northern Irishman, most notably his ability to feature in numerous positions. Across his 267 appearances for the club (and counting, hopefully), the 31-year-old has been known to feature at both full-back positions, on the wing and central midfield. 

With the latter being his favoured role, where his tireless nature is highlighted, Allen could be ready to soon step in as his potential predecessor is yet to recover from his broken leg.

Sharing the same nationality as Dallas, the teenage sensation has starred for the U21s this season in the engine room, boasting two goals and two assists in just 14 league appearances.

Across these games, Transfermarkt suggests that he too has featured on both flanks, in a defensive and offensive central midfield role and even as a right winger.

He even drew praise from Jim Magilton, his international elite performance director, who claimed:

“Charlie is one of those kids you can play anywhere and he’ll probably still be the best player on the pitch. He can play right back, central midfield, on either wing, at no. 10 or at centre forward.”

If this doesn’t liken him to Dallas, then the suggestion made by journalist Patrick Van Dort that he is “a dream to coach” only serves to exacerbate this link.

The ageing talisman’s former boss Stephen Baxter even issued a similar quote about the versatile stalwart, claiming that “he’s every manager’s dream.”

A utility man with an eye for goal, the future is remarkably bright for Allen, who will likely seek to emulate his compatriot in how he has endeared himself to the Leeds fans.

After being hailed as English spin’s saviour, Panesar has had a less-than-miraculous sophomore term. Sure the talent is still there, but he needs to get his self-belief back, and get out of his shell some

Andrew Miller25-Jan-2008

	Panesar may be “working as hard as ever” on his cricket, but that certain something has been missing from his game over the last six months or so © Getty Images

Like a FTSE-listed victim of the global credit crunch, Monty Panesar’s stock has fallen dramatically of late. He’s slipped from his June high of No. 6 in the world rankings to a lacklustre No. 20, he’s lost the one-day spinner’s role that was his during the World Cup in March, and he’s even had to make do with a third-placed finish in the annual
Beard of the Year awards – the title he scooped during his Ashes zenith last winter.This week his England team-mates jet off to New Zealand for the start
of their spring campaign, but Panesar has been asked to take the
scenic route Down Under. Yesterday he arrived in Mumbai with the
England Lions, where over the next couple of weeks he’ll hone his
skills in the Duleep Trophy, India’s premier domestic competition.
Nobody expects it to be a holiday camp – one on famous occasion on the
last such tour in 2003-04, Rod Marsh’s squad somehow allowed South
Zone to chase 501
for victory in the fourth innings – but for Panesar the trip
represents an urgently needed break from the limelight.His game has been stuck in a rut for the past six months, and in Sri
Lanka before Christmas, the frustration was evident. Monty’s mantra
throughout his brief career has been that most enervating of
cricketing clichés, “Put the ball in the right areas”, but for long
periods in all three Tests, he was palpably unable to do just that.
His impact may have been dulled by the broad blades of Kumar
Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, but instead of backing himself to
bowl maidens and bore his opponents into error, he sacrificed his
established strengths of line and length, and set about searching for
the elusive magic delivery.It was not a recipe for success, personal or collective. Panesar still
finished as England’s leading wicket-taker in the series, but that was
entirely down to the shortcomings of his fellow bowlers. His eight
scalps at 50.62 were his worst return since his debut tour of India in
March 2006, but they mirrored almost exactly the eight at 50.37 he
picked up in his previous outing, the home series against India. If a
mental block is forming in his game, then the selectors should be
praised for spotting the right moment to pull him from the front line.”He didn’t have the best of times in Sri Lanka,” said David Parsons,
the ECB’s performance director, who will oversee the Lions tour. Prior
to his appointment in December, Parsons had worked alongside Panesar
as the England team’s spin coach, and few know the mechanics of his
game better. “Monty’s the sort of guy who wants to play all the time,
so I’m sure he’s looking forward to the trip,” Parsons added. “We all see
this as an opportunity for him to work on his game so he’s ready for
the Test matches in New Zealand.”England’s former coach Duncan Fletcher would doubtless seize upon
this form slump as vindication of his own, controversial, assessment
of Panesar’s talents, but not everyone sees it quite like that. Writing in the Observer, Vic Marks, himself a former England spinner, suggested that Panesar was in need of nothing more than a “10,000-ball check-up”. “Monty is a mechanical bowler rather than an intuitive one, which need not be a major disadvantage,” said Marks.
“But [he] looks as if he’s starting to panic when his tried-and-trusted mechanism is no longer producing the results.”

	If a touch of vertigo is setting in after Panesar’s stellar rise in international cricket, it’s hardly surprising – he has not even completed two years in the Test team, but he has ridden such a tidal wave of hype and celebrity, he’s sure to feel weighed down by inflated expectations. Mind you, his lofty profile is largely self-inflicted

If a touch of vertigo is setting in after Panesar’s stellar rise in
international cricket, it’s hardly surprising – he has not even
completed two years in the Test team, but he has ridden such a
tidal wave of hype and celebrity, he’s sure to feel weighed down by
inflated expectations. Mind you, his lofty profile is largely
self-inflicted – in 2007, thanks to some pretty avaricious cash-ins
by his team of advisors, he was the face of everything from DVDs to
potato snacks, and even found time for an unfortunately premature
autobiography.”A few people have suggested I might be getting too commercially
motivated, but nothing could be further from the truth,” said Panesar.
“When you become a recognised face, people want to get to know you and
with that can come opportunities, but I am working as hard as ever on
my cricket.”Few who saw him in the nets in Sri Lanka would doubt that
final assertion, but somehow he lacks a spark of belief at present.
His predecessor, Ashley Giles, also struggled to cope with the burden
that is placed on England’s anointed spinner, but in hindsight Giles had
it easy. In an era dominated by three of the greatest (and weightiest)
wicket-taking spinners in history, no one realistically expected him
to match the matchless. Panesar, for one reason or another, does not
have that luxury.In truth, he’s been pretty unfortunate in his timing. Five of his
first seven series (and 15 of his 23 Tests) have featured one of the
big three – Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble – who
currently outweigh his wickets tally by the small matter of 25 to 1.
Coming from a culture where deference to one’s elders is ingrained
from birth, that’s quite some mental hurdle to have to overcome.Panesar’s reaction ahead of each of these series has been the same.
“How can the student be a rival to the teacher?” he said of his
impending meetings with both Kumble and Muralitharan last year. The
answer, to judge by his stats, is that he can’t. Monty’s record in
matches involving the big three is 41 wickets at 41.68, compared to 40
at 23.62 against the spin-light opposition of Pakistan and West Indies.
Moreover, he’s contributed to two victories in 15 attempts in the
first bracket, compared to six in eight in the second.

	Doctor, doctor: Panesar with David Parsons, then the England spin coach, in Sri Lanka late last year © Getty Images

That’s not to say he hasn’t had some measure of success in these
games, but at no stage – except arguably in Perth during the Ashes, when
he was pumped to the gunwales with indignation after his earlier
omissions – has he gone in with the same belief that so overwhelmed
West Indies and Pakistan. With that in mind, his next destination,
after the Indian interlude, is an intriguing one. New Zealand’s
captain is Daniel Vettori, the most durable left-arm spinner in the
world today. He’s respected and renowned, but hardly the type to be
revered. In fact, his average of 34.22 is two clicks higher than
Panesar’s, and his strike-rate some ten balls slower.Perhaps that goes to show that Monty’s off-colour moments simply come
with the territory. Despite the hype, he is not the messiah that
England dearly wish him to be. He is merely the best slow bowler that
the country has to offer. A touch more self-belief would not go amiss,
however, and to that end he could doubtless be helped by his captain.
In one of the most candid passages of his autobiography, Panesar tells
of the excitement he felt when selected for his debut against India at
Nagpur. Up he bounded to the room of the then-skipper, Andrew
Flintoff, armed with a bundle of plans and potential field placings.

When I knocked on Flintoff’s door and handed over the results
he seemed a bit bemused.

“This is what I’m thinking of doing,” I said.

“Ah, okay,” he replied, sounding as puzzled as he looked. “No worries
at all, mate. I’ll take it all on board and you have a good night’s
sleep.”

I decided I ought to leave quickly because I wasn’t sure whether he
wanted me in his room

Michael Vaughan, take note. Monty is his own man, and has plenty of
ideas to make his own game work better. But to judge by the passivity
of his recent performances, he could probably do with being coaxed
back out of his shell a touch.

Liverpool are interested in completing the signing of an "exceptional" player who has broken Reds hearts in the past, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

Liverpool may need Mohamed Salah replacement

Jurgen Klopp has assembled one of the strongest attacking units on show at Anfield in many years, with five brilliant options to choose from in the final third. Mohamed Salah is the undisputed star man, but Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo are top-quality players in their own right, too.

There is the worry that Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, however, with the 31-year-old out of contract at Anfield in the summer of 2025, and therefore having to make a key decision regarding his future later this year. He will either need to sign an extension or move on to pastures new, most likely a Saudi Pro League club.

Should that happen, it is essential that the Reds and FSG act fast and replace the Egyptian superstar with a fantastic player, trying to fill the void left by one of the best players in world football over the past five or six years. While not necessarily a tailor-made immediate successor for Salah, it looks as though Liverpool are eyeing up one highly-rated young attacking ace.

Liverpool want Crysencio Summerville

According to an update from Anfield Watch, Liverpool are interested in signing Leeds United youngster Crysencio Summerville, seeing him as an exciting prospect.

"Liverpool are considering a move for highly-rated Crysencio Summerville during the upcoming summer transfer window, Anfield Watch can reveal.

"The 22-year-old Dutch winger has been turning heads with his impressive performances for Leeds in Championship this season, leading to a slew of interest from clubs in the Premier League, with Jurgen Klopp's side among the former Feyenoord star's admirers."

As mentioned, Summerville, who shares the same agent as Curtis Jones, may not yet be close to Salah's level, in terms of being a world-class player who any team on the planet would want on their side, but he is someone with a high ceiling who Liverpool know a lot about. That's because he scored the winning goal in Leeds' 2-1 win at Anfield last season, in what remains the Reds' only Premier League home defeat in front of fans since April 2017.

Appearances

23

Starts

21

Goals

12

Assists

6

Key passes per game

3.0

Dribbles per game

2.6

The Dutchman has plenty of admirers, one of whom is former Reds striker Michael Owen, who has said of him in the past:

"This is such a good goal. Look at that for a touch [Summerville’s first]. The ball is behind him. He takes one lovely touch with the outside of his foot, then another one to keep him away from the defender and finishes it brilliantly. This is a really hard chance. He’s behind the defender in many ways when he gets the ball. I mean how he does that is really, really exceptional."

Still only 22, Summerville has starred in the Championship this season, shining out wide, and he could be seen as a good squad player to begin with at Liverpool, before becoming more of a key man over time.

Glasgow Rangers have been linked with a managerial move for Yokohama F. Marinos' Kevin Muscat, and a reliable journalist has since revealed the chances of him moving to the Scottish Premiership.

What is Kevin Muscat's CV like?

A former professional defender, Muscat began his coaching career as assistant at Melbourne Victory before being handed the main job himself, then he later went on to become technical director and boss at Sint-Truiden, though left that role following his appointment at Yokohama in July 2021, as per Transfermarkt.

However, the 50-year-old’s contract is set to expire in January 2024 and he is yet to put pen to paper on fresh terms, meaning that as it stands, he’s set to leave unless given the opportunity to extend his stay, and this seems to have alerted chiefs at Ibrox according to some reports.

The Light Blues had allegedly been in contact with their target’s camp to discuss the possibility of him taking over from Michael Beale should the hierarchy decide to part ways with their current coach, with the Aussie Scout claiming:

"Understand that Yokohama FM manager and ex-Socceroo Kevin Muscat is considered by Rangers as a candidate to replace Michael Beale were Beale to leave the club. Contact is believed to have been made with associates of Muscat. Muscat won the J-League with Yokohama FM last season."

Are Rangers appointing Kevin Muscat?

Taking to X, however, The Daily Record's Andy Newport was quick to shut down claims that Rangers were considering a swoop for Muscat with his own updatem confirming that the rumours that have emerged are seemingly fake… at least for now.

"Sources at Rangers say no truth in this whatsoever."

Rangers dismissing the noise that they are thinking about getting rid of Beale clearly shows that they still have faith in him, but should they for any reason have a change of heart regarding his position in the near future, Muscat could be a perfect candidate to succeed him in the dugout north of the border.

At Yokohama, the manager has taken charge of 98 games, and from that, has recorded 57 victories, 17 draws and 24 defeats, meaning that he’s taken 188 points from a possible 294 whilst averaging 1.92 points per match in a more balanced league than the Premiership, via Transfermarkt.

The Crawley-born talent, whose preferred formation is a 4-3-3 defensive set-up, also has the silverware as proof of his success having secured three trophies since the start of his coaching career, the first being the Australian Champion at Melbourne and more recently being crowned Japanese Champion and Japanese Super Cup winner at the Nissan Stadium.

Therefore, Muscat knowing what it takes to compete and be successful, not to mention that he spent a year at the club during his playing days from 2002-2003, so he's no stranger to what is required to achieve in Glasgow, and with the uncertainty surrounding his contract situation, this could be one to keep a close eye on if a change at the helm were to happen.