Burnley will be very aware that possessing a feared striker will undoubtedly help their chances of staying up in the Premier League next season.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have that at their disposal during the 2023/24 campaign, which ultimately ended in relegation, leading to the goal-shy Clarets only firing home 41 strikes from 38 contests.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world if Scott Parker was now on the hunt for a fresh striker that can cause Premier League defences all sorts of bother.

Arguably, the promoted Lancashire outfit have struggled in this department ever since Chris Wood left Turf Moor in 2022, with the New Zealand international going on to bigger and better things at the City Ground, whilst his former employers attempted to plug his notable gap.

Wood's heroics at Burnley

Now, it goes without saying that the 33-year-old is a Premier League-recognised goal machine.

But when he joined the Clarets in the summer of 2017 for a club-record fee of £15m, he had only ever briefly played in the top division, away from regularly strutting his stuff in the Championship.

Yet, after five goal-heavy seasons donning a Burnley strip, Wood had very much announced himself to the Premier League, with the 33-year-old ending his successful stay with the Clarets by bagging 53 strikes in total from 165 games.

Therefore, it was always going to be a gruelling process to replace such a significant part of many a Clarets team, with a whole host of attackers failing to replicate or live up to Wood’s potency in the seasons that followed his departure to St James’ Park.

Zian Flemming

24/25

Champ

31

14

Zeki Amdouni

23/24

PL

37

6

Rodriguez

22/23

Champ

30

10

Jay Rodriguez

21/22

PL

35

7

Whilst Zian Flemming did help himself to a sizeable 14 strikes last season on the way to promotion being sealed, the Clarets really have lacked a commanding striker presence in the top-flight ever since Wood’s exit, away from some competent performances here and there from the likes of Zeki Amdouni and Jay Rodriguez.

Parker’s men could change this ongoing narrative, however, by swooping in for this former star who has been tentatively linked with a switch back to familiar pastures.

How Burnley could land their their best ST since Wood

Alongside a deep desire to possess a goal machine in the Premier League again, the newly promoted side will also be desperate to consolidate themselves as a top-flight regular once more.

To help with that, the Clarets could look to bring back former star Danny Ings, with journalist Graeme Bailey stating that the 32-year-old dramatically returning to Turf Moor should not be ruled out amidst the veteran being looked at by Birmingham City and Wrexham.

After all, before the much-talked-about spell of Wood came to be, the “clinical” forward – as he has been previously praised by journalist Leanne Prescott – was the original poacher Burnley relied upon to get them out of sticky situations.

In total, the 5-foot-10 menace would tally up a hefty 43 goals for the Clarets across 130 games, bolstering his 72-goal record in the top division subsequently.

Therefore, whilst he is more known now for injury issue after injury issue at West Ham United, Burnley could be prepared to take a punt on their former striker coming good again in their pursuit to win a Premier League-proven star.

After all, Ings did manage to collect a healthy eight goals from 15 top-flight starts during the 2022/23 season for the Hammers and Villa, before his injury problems settled in.

He would also cost nothing to bring in, amid his expiring Hammers contract, meaning Parker and Co. might well look very smug down the line if he proves to be a hit once more in becoming their most prolific attacker since Wood’s dominance.

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After spending more than ever at Anfield, FSG are reportedly looking to show the door to a number of players this summer. One Liverpool star has already rejected the chance to leave, however.

Liverpool's summer business off with a bang

When Liverpool won the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign, they decided to settle for what they had – enduring a quiet transfer window in the summer that followed. Soon enough, Manchester City were back on their throne as a result. Five years on, however, FSG have learnt from that harsh lesson and are investing more than ever to build what could be a dominant Liverpool side.

Having already signed Jeremie Frimpong, the Reds are set to welcome his former Bayer Leverkusen teammate, Florian Wirtz, for a British record fee. Simply put, it has so far been a statement summer from Richard Hughes and Michael Edward, who are not stopping there.

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Wirtz has been one of the most talented players in his position for the last two years, recovering from an ACL injury to help Leverkusen to an invincible domestic season before performing at similar levels last season. Now, by joining up with the likes of Mohamed Salah, he could finally take his seat among the very best that European football has to offer.

Appearances

92

Goals

34

Assists

35

Although their spending will excite Liverpool fans, it is unlikely to come without sacrifice this summer. With Giorgi Mamardashvili, Wirtz and Frimpong arriving – potentially among others – the likes of Darwin Nunez and now Andy Robertson have been linked with moves away.

The Scot has most recently attracted the interest of Atletico Madrid, as per Fabrizio Romano, and talks are already reportedly underway. Of course, it’s in Madrid that Robertson could square off against Trent Alexander-Arnold in what would add an interesting narrative to a derby already so fierce.

It’s not just Robertson attracting interest, however, as FSG have now seen one big-money player reject the chance to leave this summer.

Alisson rejects Galatasaray move

Despite the fact that FSG have already welcomed his replacement for years to come in Mamardashvili, it looks as though Alisson Becker is set to stay put. According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Alisson has rejected a “concrete enquiry” from Galatasaray and will be staying put at Anfield in the coming months instead of joining the 25-time Turkish Super Lig winners.

The Reds initially agreed a deal to sign Mamardashvili last summer before loaning him back to Valencia. Now, a year on, he’s set to join up with his new teammates.

Given that Caoimhin Kelleher has already left for Brentford, there will be a place in Arne Slot’s squad for Mamardashvili, but Alisson is not budging. The £150,000-a-week goalkeeper has seemingly made the decision to keep hold of his No.1 spot even as his long-term replacement arrives.

Ollie Robinson and Sean Hunt share seven wickets as Sussex build healthy lead

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2024

Peter Handscomb continued his prolific County Championship season•Getty Images

Sussex 442 (Simpson 183*, McAndrew 53 Holland 4-64) and 66 for 2 lead Leicestershire 275 (Handscomb 92, Mulder 53, Hunt 4-70) by 233 runsPeter Handscomb continued his fine form with 92 but Leicestershire are up against it against second division leaders Sussex at Hove.The Australian took his tally to 640 runs in this season’s Vitality County Championship, but the visitors lost their last four wickets for 18 runs after Handscomb was seventh out with the score on 257.Left-armer Sean Hunt profited handsomely after switching to bowl down the slope at the 1st Central County Ground, picking up Handscomb, Ben Mike, Scott Currie and Josh Hull in 11 deliveries as Leicestershire were bowled out for 275.It gave Sussex a lead of 167 but they elected not to enforce the follow-on and in 15 overs before stumps they lost Oli Carter – squared up by Ian Holland – and nightwatchmer Jack Carson, closing on 66 for 2 – a lead of 233.The second day had started encouragingly for the Foxes after they took Sussex’s last three first-innings wickets for 11 runs in 23 balls with skipper John Simpson finishing unbeaten on 183, although he was only able to add three runs to his overnight score in a total of 442.Holland finished with 4 for 64 after claiming last man Hunt but his day took a turn for the worse when Ollie Robinson removed him during a high-class new-ball spell of 3 for 23 from eight overs by the England pace bowler.Bowling a fullish length, Robinson found enough movement to find Holland’s edge in his second over. Lewis Hill and Rishi Patel took advantage of some wayward bowling by Hunt before 45 for 1 quickly became 51 for 4. Hill was leg before trying to work Robinson through the leg side and Robinson struck again when he found some extra bounce and Lewis Goldsworthy gave Tom Alsop the first of four catches at slip. In between, Nathan McAndrew picked up the important wicket of Patel who lost his off stump shouldering arms to an in-ducker.Handscomb and Wiaan Mulder rebuilt the innings during a hot afternoon, adding 108 in 20 overs with few alarms although Handscomb had an absorbing battle with fellow Australian McAndrew. Robinson bowled another five-over spell without reward, and it was Fynn Hudson-Prentice who made the breakthrough when Mulder edged the next ball after reaching his fifty low to second slip.Sussex belatedly introduced offspinner Carson in the 50th over and he struck with his 11th delivery, an arm ball which Louis Kimber – who dropped down the order after struggling in the opener’s role – fatally played back to.Simpson dropped a difficult chance offered by Ben Cox on 1 and he and Handscomb put on 57, including five penalty runs awarded by umpires Paul Baldwin and Neil Pratt when Handscomb was hit by an errant throw from James Coles as he turned his back, having stepped out of his crease.Handscomb looked untroubled but Hunt, whose first nine overs cost 62 and included eight no balls, was a totally different proposition when he came back on at the Cromwell Road end.Handscomb made a rare misjudgement playing too far away from his body and giving Alsop an easy catch before Hunt swept away Leicestershire’s tail. Extra bounce defeated Mike’s defensive prod and Simpson took an outstanding one-handed catch diving to his left to remove Scott Currie. In his next over Hunt had Josh Hull leg before and walked off with figures of 4 for 70.

After scouts completed their “due diligence”, Leeds United have now reportedly opened talks to sign a Champions League-level midfielder for Daniel Farke this summer.

49ers pushing on after signing Bijol

Back in the Premier League and ready to end the trend of promoted sides heading straight back down to the Championship, Leeds have already welcomed both Lukas Nmecha and Jaka Bijol this summer. The latter, costing around £19m, particularly stands out as one to watch after swapping Udinese for Elland Road in a big-money move.

After putting pen to paper, the central defender told Leeds’ official website: “This is a big day for me, for my family and I’m happy to be here. Maybe the biggest one of my career so far, but I’m ready for it.

“I work for it and that’s why I’m here, because it’s a big challenge for everyone. It’s a big challenge for me, for the club, and we’re getting ready for it together. I think the club and myself are ready for the Premier League.

“I can promise that I will give everything, that I will give everything in every training as well to be ready for the first game of the season and then just go from there.”

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Not resting on their laurels, however, the 49ers have since set their sight on further reinforcements such as Habib Diarra who would hand Farke a midfield boost. And it seems as though midfield is the ongoing focus at Elland Road with “due diligence” complete and talks now open to sign a Champions League star this summer.

Leeds open talks to sign Douglas Luiz

According to former Premier League scout Mick Brown, Leeds have now opened talks to sign Douglas Luiz from Juventus this summer as he desperately looks to make his way back to the Premier League just one year on from leaving Aston Villa.

Brown told Football Insider after claiming that Juventus want to sell the Brazilian: “So Leeds may well be interested after speaking to his agent, but they have to know what they’re getting.

“If they want somebody to get on the ball and help them progress, he can do that. If they want somebody who’s combative and willing to battle in the middle, they’ll look elsewhere. Their scouts will have done their due diligence on him, they’ll know what he can and can’t do, and then it’s up to them to make a decision.”

The former Manchester United scout Luiz as “talented” before revealing Leeds’ talks to secure his signature in the coming months. As signings go, welcoming the former Villa star back to the Premier League would be quite the statement from the 49ers and would instantly negate their need to sign another midfield reinforcement.

The duo shared seven wickets between them to start the three-match women’s T20I series with a win

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2024A career-best bowling performance from Chamari Athapaththu and an incisive spell from offspinner Inoshi Priyadharshani set up Sri Lanka’s first win over West Indies in women’s T20Is since 2015.Athapaththu and Priyadharshani shared seven wickets, with the former finishing with 4 for 29, to restrict West Indies to 134 for 8. In reply, Sri Lanka romped home with four wickets and eight balls to spare to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.Hayley Matthews managed to see the early back of Athapaththu in the third over. However, Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama did not let Sri Lanka feel the nerve. They batted positively in stitching a 46-run stand for the second wicket with Gunaratne being the aggressor. She hit six fours in her 35-run knock, that included the reverse sweep as well.In a bid to attack legspinner Afy Fletcher, Gunaratne holed out to long-on, giving the tourists a slight opening. Samarawickrama then took charge even as Kavisha Dilhari was trapped in front by Karishma Ramharack. She used her feet to put the spinners off their lines and lengths and scored 35. But after she was cleaned up by Aaliyah Alleyne, Sri Lanka lost 3 for 20 to raise hopes for West Indies, who lost the ODI series 3-0. The experienced Nilakshika Silva then took the hosts home, staying unbeaten on 17.Earlier, West Indies received an injury scare for Stafanie Taylor after being asked to bat. She injured her leg while returning to her crease in the third over and had to be stretchered off, but then returned after the fall of the first wicket in the seventh over – when Athapaththu bowled Qiana Joseph.The Sri Lankan spinners, led by Priyadharshani, kept a lid on West Indies’ scoring throughout, highlighted by Matthews’ run-a-ball 30 being the top-score for them. Thanks to an enterprising 33-run partnership between Alleyne (26 off 22) and Fletcher (14 not out off 11) in just 23 balls, West Indies were able to score 35 runs off the last four overs to finish with a decent score.

It’s all change at Manchester United so far this summer, with Matheus Cunha signed, Bryan Mbeumo seemingly on his way and now one struggling striker increasingly likely to depart the club.

Man Utd commence attacking overhaul

Starting by triggering Cunha’s £63m release clause, Manchester United’s attacking overhaul is officially underway. The Brazilian is set to hand Ruben Amorim an instant upgrade in his frontline and could slot straight into one of the two attacking midfield roles in his 3-4-2-1 system. He’s unlikely to be the only fresh face in United’s frontline too.

The Red Devils are also pushing to sign Mbeumo from Brentford with reports going as far as to suggest that they’re willing to offer the talented forward a £13m-a-year salary to join. All of a sudden, from a blunt frontline, Amorim could have two options at his disposal who scored over 15 Premier League goals each last season and two options who should finally push United away from the bottom half next season.

Both have earned plenty of praise in recent weeks as they potentially prepare to combine at Old Trafford and that includes from Manchester United legend Gary Neville, who told Sky Sports: “Cunha and Mbeumo have obviously got Premier League experience. They’ve got plenty of games under their belt. [English football] is not new to them and actually they are the right type.

“When I watch Manchester United wide players, they have to be able to get from box-to-box quickly. They have to be able to run, to travel with and without the ball. Mbeumo and, to be fair Cunha, can do that.”

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What those arrivals will mean for one player, however, is a likely departure away from Old Trafford to bring an end to what has been a nightmare spell at the Theatre of Dreams.

Hojlund gives green light to Inter Milan move

According to Saturday’s print edition of Corriere Dello Sport, as relayed by TeamTalk, Rasmus Hojlund has now given the green light to Inter Milan, who are closing in on sealing the Dane’s signature in a €40-45m (£33-£38m) deal.

The struggling forward has looked desperate for a fresh start for at least a year, as have several others in a Manchester United shirt. Unlike some around him, however, Hojlund is seemingly set to get his wish courtesy of Inter Milan.

Rasmus Hojlund at Man Utd	Record (via Transfermarkt)
Appearances	95
Goals	26
Assists	6

After scoring 26 goals and creating another six in 95 appearances across the last two years, to say that Hojlund has far from lived up to his £72m price tag would be a major understatement. Many expected the Dane to lead United’s frontline for years to come. As it happens, though, he may have lasted just two years before moving back to Italy.

Given that the struggling forward earns a reported £85,000-a-week at the club, INEOS should be keen to clear his salary from their wage bill to make room for the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo this summer.

As they look to commence their summer business, Fulham have now reportedly become the latest side to enter a hectic race to sign a Premier League-winning midfielder for Marco Silva.

Fulham confirm released and retained list

With another impressive Premier League season under Silva now over, the Cottagers have already commenced planning for the next campaign – confirming the list of players that will be leaving when their contracts expire this summer. The list includes Willian, who arrived for a short period in January, and striker Carlos Vinicius, whilst the likes of Tom Cairney have been offered new deals.

Whether Cairney joins Fulham’s list of departures amid interest from Wrexham is the big question. The experienced midfielder told reporters last month: “Nothing is sorted yet. Next week is my final game for Fulham. Hopefully it’s not. In football, sometimes things go to the last minute, and hopefully it’s not my final time at Craven Cottage next weekend.”

With a deal now on the table, all that is left for Cairney to do is put pen to paper and commit his future to the West London club once again. The midfielder was fairly clear that he wants to stay put at the club and that in itself suggests that negotiations should be routine at this stage.

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Whether it’s this summer or in the coming years, however, Fulham will need to find a replacement for their 34-year-old midfielder sooner or later. Replacing that experience won’t be easy, either, but those in West London may well hope that the lure of Silva’s project is far more tempting than it once was.

An established Premier League side these days, who have been threatening to creep into the European places in recent years, Fulham could even welcome a Premier League-winning midfielder this summer.

Fulham enter Kalvin Phillips race

According to Caught Offside, Fulham have now entered the race to sign Kalvin Phillips this summer. They have reportedly joined Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town in the battle to secure the Manchester City midfielder.

It’s been a rough few years for the England international. Ever since completing what would have been a dream move to Manchester City, Phillips has struggled for game time and form. Even out on loan at both West Ham United and Ipswich, the 29-year-old has still struggled to ever truly rediscover his best form. Now, he simply has to get his next move right.

Craven Cottage may be the perfect environment for revival too. The likes of Andreas Pereira and Raul Jimenez have burst into life courtesy of Silva’s Fulham side. The same can be said for Alex Iwobi. Now, Phillips could be next in line to complete a similar transformation.

Dubbed “strong” by Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna whilst on loan last season, Phillips showed glimpses of the quality that he could yet take to West London this summer. A Premier League winner no matter the criticism he has received, the midfielder has another crucial decision to make this summer.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Sunderland are in talks with OGC Nice over a deal to sign Polish goalkeeper Marcin Bulka this summer.

The Black Cats are interested in a swoop for the former Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper to bolster Regis Le Bris’ squad, as he would come in as competition for Anthony Patterson.

If they can sign the Ligue 1 star, the Premier League side will also need to bolster the defence in front of him, but Chris Mepham is unlikely to be a part of that.

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported earlier this month that a move back to the Championship is more likely than a permanent return to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland eyeing up new centre-back

Whilst a deal for the Bournemouth central defender seems unlikely, given Bailey’s report, the Black Cats reportedly have their eye on another centre-back option.

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According to the Sunderland Echo, Sunderland are eyeing up Lyon defender Duje Caleta-Car as a potential signing to bolster their squad before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Croatia international – who is valued at £6m, according to Football Transfers, has been transfer-listed by the French club, despite starting 17 of his 19 appearances in the league this season.

It adds that Lyon have been relegated to Ligue 2 following a financial audit, which could provide Black Cats with further encouragement in their pursuit of Caleta-Car, but that they are set to appeal that decision.

Why Sunderland should sign Duje Caleta-Car

The newly-promoted side should pursue a deal to sign the Croatian giant this summer because he could come in as an upgrade on Mepham, who spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland will need strong defenders to protect their goal, which could be guarded by Bulka, as they battle against relegation next season, and the Lyon titan’s performances in Ligue 1 suggest that he would offer more to the team than the Wales international would.

Caleta-Car, whose former boss Ralph Hasenhuttl claimed he has a “big presence” on the pitch, also caught the eye for his country recently, winning seven of his nine duels and making eight clearances combined in a 7-0 win over Gibraltar and a 5-1 win over Czechia.

Appearances

19

10

Tackle + interceptions per game

2.0

1.9

Clearances per game

5.1

2.9

Dribbled past per game

0.5x

0.5x

Blocks per game

0.2

0.0

Ground duel success rate

44%

37%

Aerial duel success rate

75%

60%

As you can see in the table above, the Croatian star’s defensive performances in Ligue 1 this season were simply better than what Mepham produced in his last season in the Premier League.

These statistics suggest that Caleta-Car would be far more dominant defensively, particularly in aerial battles, whilst also making more interventions, with tackles, interceptions, clearances, and blocks, each game to stop attackers from troubling the goal.

The Lyon defender would also arrive with Premier League experience under his belt. He started nine matches for Southampton in the 2022/23 campaign, winning 57% of his duels and making 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

Caleta-Car – who transfer insider Dean Jones lauded for having “major quality” – was not available enough to make a telling contribution to their season, though, and they were relegated from the top-flight that term.

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However, his form for Lyon since returning to France suggests that he does have the quality to be an impressive performer in a major European league, particularly in comparison to Mepham.

Therefore, Sunderland should pursue a deal to sign the Croatia international after a move for Bulka this summer to improve their defensive options, whilst removing any need to bring Mepham back on a permanent transfer.

It might not even be July, but Arsenal feel like they’re falling behind in the transfer window.

Manchester City have already signed a handful of incredible players, including Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, Manchester United have picked up Matheus Cunha, and Chelsea got Liam Delap through the door at the start of the month.

However, the most significant transfer to be completed by a rival, and the most worrying for the Gunners’ Premier League prospects next season, has been Liverpool’s acquisition of Florian Wirtz.

The German international has been the talk of the window so far, and it looks like he could be a superstar for the Reds.

How Wirtz compares to Premier League stars

With the level of excitement that has followed Wirtz to Liverpool and the enormous £116.5m fee it took to get him out of Bayer Leverkusen, there is an expectation from fans and rivals alike that the German will hit the ground running next season.

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With that in mind, how do his numbers from this season stack up against some of the more prominent attacking midfielders in the league?

Well, given the amount of money he has cost the Reds, it should come as no surprise that none of the Premier League’s top attacking midfielders were more productive than the 22-year-old across all competitions last year.

Wirtz

45

16

15

0.68

Odegaard

45

6

12

0.40

Palmer

48

15

12

0.56

Fernandes

57

19

19

0.66

De Bruyne

40

6

8

0.35

Rogers

54

14

15

0.53

Gibbs-White

38

7

10

0.44

Szoboszlai

49

8

9

0.34

Eze

43

14

11

0.58

Maddison

45

12

11

0.51

In his 45 appearances, the former Leverkusen gem produced 31 goal involvements, which comes out to an average of 0.68 per game, and the only player to get close to that was Bruno Fernandes, whose 38 goal involvements in 57 appearances came out to an average of 0.66 per game.

Bringing it back to Arsenal, the sad reality is that the team’s captain and previously mercurial Martin Odegaard didn’t get anywhere near to being as productive as the man of the moment.

In fact, the Gunners’ Norwegian leader was only able to score six goals and provide 12 assists in 45 appearances this season, which comes out to a rather underwhelming average of 0.40 goal involvements per game.

In short, the North Londoners’ midfield maestro appears to be no match for the effectiveness of Liverpool’s new superstar.

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom, as Mikel Arteta has his own monster talent at the Emirates, someone worth millions more than Wirtz.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Wirtz

While Arsenal are blessed with an abundance of talent, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that there are not many players worth more than the monstrous fee Wirtz has cost Liverpool.

However, one of those players who is worth more is, of course, the simply sensational Bukayo Saka.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, the Hale End icon is worth up to €157.3m, which converts to about £135m, or £18.5 more than the Liverpool star’s price tag.

Now, there will undoubtedly be some out there who look at such a price and rubbish it, but if we look at how the pair stacked up against one another this season, it might be easier to see where the CIES were coming from.

For example, despite missing over three months of action, the “world-class” winger, as dubbed by Rio Ferdinand, was able to score 12 goals and provide 14 assists in just 37 appearances, which comes out to an average of 0.70 goal involvements per game – 0.02 better than the German.

Moreover, when we look under the hood at their respective underlying numbers, the 23-year-old international once again comes out looking better.

For example, he produces a higher non-penalty expected goals plus assists figure while also playing more key passes and making more tackles, which only helps to demonstrate the way in which he takes responsibility for all areas of the game.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.71

0.50

Non-Penalty G+As

0.78

0.77

Progressive Passes

3.65

6.74

Progressive Carries

5.00

5.02

Shots

3.44

2.83

Shots on Target

1.15

1.34

Passing Accuracy

75.5%

78.3%

Key Passes

3.02

2.18

Shot-Creating Actions

6.09

5.66

Goal-Creating Actions

1.20

0.99

Tackles

1.51

1.23

Ultimately, it’s this ability to have an outsized impact on the attacking side of the game while still putting in the dirty work while still being relatively young that makes Saka so valuable, and if he continues on his current trajectory, we aren’t sure Wirtz’s valuation will ever catch up.

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Leicestershire rolled aside for 88 in one-sided encounter at Grace Road

ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2024

Ed Barnard was in the wickets to enhance his allround reputation•Getty Images

Warwickshire made it two wins out of two in the Metrobank One Day Cup with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Leicestershire at the UptonSteel County Ground, Grace Road.Bears’ skipper Ed Barnard, who made a big century and took two wickets in his side’s first game against Essex at Chelmsford, continued his outstanding form in the competition by taking four quick wickets, including that of India Test star Ajinkya Rahane, after putting the Foxes in to bat, reducing the home side to 40 for 4.Craig Miles picked up three wickets, and Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Will Rhodes and Jake Lintott one apiece as Leicestershire subsided to 88 all out in just 25.4 overs.Although former Warwickshire player Chris Wright then took two quick wickets when the visitors began their reply, Rhodes and teenager Hamza Shaikh put together an unbeaten partnership of 85 to steer their side home with 32.4 overs in hand.Both sides came into the match having won their opening fixture, Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire against Essex. While Leicestershire were unchanged, however, Warwickshire gave starts to Kai Smith, the teenage wicketkeeper fit again after six weeks out with a broken hand, and another 18-year-old in spinner Taz Ali. On a fine day Leicestershire’s supporters turned out in good number in anticipation of the second appearance of Rahane, whose 71 off 60 balls against Notts had left many searching for superlatives.Warwickshire supporters made the journey from the West Midlands in the hope of seeing for a third consecutive century from Barnard, who had followed his 143 in the warm-up match against Staffordshire with an unbeaten 173 against Essex. In that respect they were to be disappointed, but it was the only disappointment they were to suffer on what became a near perfect afternoon for their side.Barnard chose to bowl first after winning the toss, but can hardly have anticipated what would follow, on the same pitch on which Leicestershire had scored 369 for 6 against Notts. The first five overs were relatively uneventful, albeit Foxes opener Harry Swindells played and missed at several outswingers, but fellow opener Sol Budinger appeared untroubled, hitting three crisp boundaries. There was movement off the seam though, particularly for Barnard, and soon after bringing one back to bowl the struggling Swindells, found the edge of Budinger’s bat with a fine delivery which left the left-hander.Opposite number Hill was his third victim, edging a lifting delivery to the wicket-keeper, but his fourth wicket, the key one of Rahane, had an element of fortune about it, coming off a low leg side full toss which the batsman tried to help down to long leg only to turn the bat too soon. The ball struck the back of the bat and looped gently back to the grateful if slightly startled bowler.Leicestershire’s second overseas batsman, Peter Handscomb, also went caught and bowled, in his case chipping a full straight delivery straight back to Rhodes for a duck. The procession continued, Liam Trevaskis edging a delivery pushed across him from Hannon-Dalby low to Rhodes at slip, before a stand of 34 between Ben Cox and Ben Mike gave Leicestershire’s disbelieving supporters faint hope of posting some sort of score.The hopes were quickly and decisively extinguished as Cox chipped a simple catch to midwicket, Mike top-edged an ambitious pull for Ali, running back from mid-on, to take a good catch, a catch made to look ordinary when Rhodes took a really fine diving catch at slip off Jake Lintott to see the back of Scriven.Wright was last to go, bowled off the inside edge, but the seamer at least enjoyed some measure of revenge, trimming Barnard’s bails with a beauty and then winning a leg before decision against Theo Wylie to reduce the Bears to 7 for 2. Thereafter however Rhodes and Shaikh played with increasing comfort to see their side over the line in double-quick time.