Arsenal ‘checked out’ Shakhtar Donetsk starlet Mykhaylo Mudryk towards the end of the transfer window, confirms transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Arsenal’s window
After spending £120m in the transfer market, the Gunners seem satisfied with their summer business.
Having previously worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta was keen to bring in Blues duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus after it became clear they were surplus to requirements at the Etihad.
After three years since his initial arrival at the Emirates, William Saliba returned to north London from three consecutive loan spells away from the club, making an instant impact in the side’s starting XI.
Looking to the future, the Gunners also secured the signings of Fabio Vieira from Porto and Marquinhos from Sao Paulo, rounding off a strong transfer window for Arteta.
The Latest: Jones’ news
After journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that Arsenal could potentially add to their youthful squad by making a late move for Mudryk, Jones has now shared what he knows on the situation.
Speaking with GiveMeSport, the transfer insider claimed:
“They were linked heavily with Mykhaylo Mudryk in the late stages of the window, but my information is that Arsenal checked out the situation but did not actually make an offer.”
The Verdict: Huge talent
It is no surprise to hear Arsenal being linked with the likes of Mudryk, with Arteta keen on bringing in young talent to help improve and grow with the squad.
In 28 matches for Shakhtar, the 21-year-old has scored two goals and has produced eight assists, having also been thrown into the deep-end with six appearances in the Champions League.
As a result, the winger was awarded his debut for the Ukraine national team in June, for whom he has featured for on five occasions.
Dubbed a ‘huge prospect’ by The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter, Mudryk’s talent is clear to see.
This could be a move to keep an eye on in January.
Everton appear to have finally put to bed a long-running transfer saga…
What’s the word?
According to respected Toffees journalist Alan Myers, the Idrissa Gueye deal is as good as done.
One impatient fan tweeted directly to Myers about the deal, questioning when it will be finalised. He responded by claiming: “My information is that it’s all done but as I always say until it’s official, it’s not.”
The Toffees have long been linked with the Senegal international, and he could finally be set to make his return to Goodison Park. Judging by Myers’ response, the burning question now could be when the deal will be officially announced.
Imagine him and Onana
One already-concluded summer signing in Amadou Onana joins Everton with enormous potential in the centre of midfield.
However, to sign Gueye would be the icing on the cake for any Evertonians who may rejoice in the return of the man who impressed before his move to Paris and is now seemingly on the brink of a return.
Having now plied his trade at Paris Saint-Germain playing alongside some of the world’s best footballers, the 32-year-old would return with a wealth of Champions League experience unlike anything else in the Goodison Park dressing room, having featured 42 times in the competition.
Onana also has some previous at that level, featuring eight times in the tournament last season, and perhaps the “relentless” Gueye (as hailed by The Times’ James Gheerbrant) could take the 21-year-old Belgian under his wing and fast-track his advancement.
The Senegal colossus featured 33 times for the Parisian giants in 2021/22, scoring four goals and supplying one assist from defensive midfield. However, it is his pressures and pass completion which will really please Frank Lampard, and it is these qualities that the manger will want to see him imparting to Onana.
Acting as the midfield metronome and also being able to initiate the press, Gueye ranked in the top 5% for pressures and top 2% for pass completion (92.7%) among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues last term. This marks a huge improvement on the 23.42 pressures and 80.2% pass completion of Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Combined with Onana’s 3.48 tackles and 2.02 interceptions per 90, he and Gueye could quickly form one of the most formidable defensive midfield duos in the Premier League.
It should not take Everton fans long to fall back in love with the Senegal ace, and if he can strike up this prospective partnership quickly, it will go a long way towards cementing his status as a true Goodison Park cult hero.
Recent reports have seen Nottingham Forest linked with a move for Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara, with the Finland international attracting interest from clubs across Europe this summer.
The likes of Turkish giants Galatasaray and Serie A outfit Salernitana have been named as other potential suitors – as well as fellow Premier League sides Bournemouth and Brighton – with the Midlands side set to have to battle it out for his signature.
The report suggests that it could take around £10m to land the 26-year-old before the September deadline, with the Gers man having originally cost the Ibrox outfit a measly £50k back in January 2019.
That figure – described as the “steal of the century” by teammate Scott Arfield – has undoubtedly proven an absolute bargain such has been the one-time Arsenal man’s form in Glasgow of late.
A key part of the side that won the Scottish Premiership title under Steven Gerrard in the 2020/21 campaign, the most recent season saw the former Dundee man once again impress, notably netting three goals and three assists in 31 league games, while also recording a remarkable 91% pass accuracy rate.
Previously dubbed “superb” by Gerrard, the £21k-per-week star was also a vital part of the side that surged to the Europa League final during the 2021/22 campaign, notably scoring in the second-leg, semi-final victory over RB Leipzig.
Also described as a “monster” by the current Aston Villa boss, the £6.75m-rated brute is a hugely imposing presence in the centre of the park, while also offering the versatility to feature all across the midfield.
At his best in a defensive midfield role, the 5 foot 11 menace has drawn eye-catching comparisons to Premier League icon and Gunners legend, Patrick Vieira, from former Dundee boss, Neil McCann.
The Frenchman was one of the most feared and respected midfielders in the division during his stint in north London in the late 90s/early 2000s, notably captaining the famed ‘Invincibles’ sides under compatriot Arsene Wenger.
An imperious and commanding powerhouse, the current Crystal Palace manager is a hugely impressive figure to be compared to, with those at the City Ground likely to be relishing the prospect of having a Vieira-like asset in their ranks if they are to snap up Kamara this summer.
Manager Steve Cooper has already brought in 12 new faces in what’s been an extensive summer of recruitment thus far – including recent arrival Orel Mangala – although the Welshman appears intent on adding new faces in the coming weeks to further strengthen his side.
For a measly fee of around £10m, it should be a simply risk-free deal if they are to move for Kamara in the near future – he could well prove to be Forest’s – and Cooper’s – very own Vieira.
Everton are one of four clubs scrapping for the signature of Tottenham Hotspur’s Japhet Tanganga, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Goodison News).
The lowdown
The Toffees have already strengthened their defensive ranks this summer with the signing of James Tarkowski, but the Spurs gem’s versatility could still appeal to Frank Lampard. The 23-year-old is predominantly a centre-back too but has also played 19 games at right-back in his fledgling career.
In 2021/22, he was restricted to 19 appearances, suffering a season-ending knee injury in January. Up to that point, he had started 10 Premier League games and been left on the bench seven times.
The arrival of Clement Lenglet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a season-long loan from Barcelona may push the Spurs academy graduate further down the pecking order.
The latest
The report in Gazzetta dello Sport’s Sunday print edition (17 July, page three) stated that Tanganga could seek to leave Tottenham because he would like to be playing more football.
Everton are interested but face domestic competition from Brentford, while Serie A champions AC Milan and La Liga outfit Valencia are also keen on the 23-year-old.
Tanganga started against Manchester City, the eventual Premier League champions, on the first day of last season and helped his side to claim a 1-0 victory with a man-of-the-match display.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville felt that the youngster handled two ‘exceptional’ dribblers in Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish ‘brilliantly’ down City’s left-hand side, declaring it a ‘really special’ exhibition of the art of ‘one-on-one defending’.
There’s no shame in not necessarily being a first-choice option for a team as good as Tottenham, who will be playing Champions League football this season.
However, that performance against Pep Guardiola’s team suggests that the £23k-per-week defender can still be an excellent Premier League player in his own right, and he might truly blossom at Everton if the Toffees can entice him to Goodison Park.
Transfer insider Dean Jones has provided an update on the situation surrounding Newcastle United and the pursuit of Chelsea striker Armando Broja.
The lowdown: Stepping stone
A player from the academy production line at Chelsea, Broja enjoyed a breakout season on loan at Southampton in 2021/22 having previously spent time on loan at Vitesse.
Already a fully-fledged Albania international, the Slough-born frontman’s future in London is still uncertain, and the 20-year-old has been attracting major interest from West Ham and Everton in recent weeks.
St James’ Park has also been cited as a potential landing ground for Broja this summer, however, one well-informed onlooker has suggested that Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe could be looking at alternative options…
The latest: ‘Somebody they like’
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones has claimed that although there is a genuine admiration from the North East, the long list of suitors may put Newcastle off from making a move.
He said: “He’s not at the top of the list, but he is definitely somebody they like. They know there’s going to be competition to get him, so I think they’re a bit wary of how much effort they’re going to have to put into signing him.”
The verdict: Take your pick
Albeit Broja may not be the priority as things stand, that situation could easily manifest itself should the drawn-out pursuit of Reims’ starlet Hugo Ekitike finally be brought to a conclusion.
Elsewhere, the Magpies have been indexed to Flamengo frontman Gabriel Barbosa and Everton star Dominic Calvert-Lewin, albeit neither potential transfer has materialised beyond the point of conjecture currently.
Still young enough to develop further and with the backdrop of 10 direct goal involvements last season, Broja – who was praised for a ‘brutal’ impact at Southampton last term by journalist Pablo Montaño – would be an investment for the here and now as well as the future and would therefore represent the perfect candidate to join the Newcastle project.
Standing at 6 foot 1 and sharing similar style traits with the likes of Richarlison, Ollie Watkins and Teemu Pukki (Fbref), the 14-cap international frontman won a superb five duels per game in 2021/22, and possesses many of the important facets to succeed long-term in the Premier League.
Valued at an ever-increasing £19.8m (Transfermarkt), Broja would be a smart capture for PIF were it to become a reality.
Leeds United are working on a new deal for winger Crysencio Summerville, who is wanted by Nottingham Forest, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Lowdown: Summerville at Leeds
Summerville made the move to Elland Road from Dutch side Feyenoord back in 2020 following the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
The 20-year-old has featured mainly for the U23s, contributing to 21 goals in 27 games. He has made nine senior Whites appearances and featured on the bench regularly in the Premier League last season.
Described as ‘superb’ by Noel Whelan, the winger is now entering the final 12 months of his deal in Yorkshire, but it looks as if Leeds want to keep him at the club.
The Latest: Romano’s update
Romano took to Twitter on Thursday to provide an update on Summerville.
He revealed that the Dutchman is attracting interest from both Forest and AZ Alkmaar, however, he added that ‘Leeds are busy’ trying to extend his contract with ‘negotiations ongoing’.
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The Verdict: Fingers crossed?
Summerville has proven at Thorp Arch with the U23s that he has bundles of attacking quality, so agreeing on a new contract would be a wise move.
Jesse Marsch may lose a star winger in Raphinha this summer, and although Summerville may not be viewed as a direct replacement at this moment in time, he could become a first-team regular over the coming years.
Securing a new contract and sending him out on loan for regular senior football could be the ideal scenario for Leeds chiefs, and it looks as if a decision will be made on the player’s future very soon.
Everton have recently been linked with a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic, with the Serbian reportedly set to leave the Eagles this summer.
What’s the word?
According to Spor Time journalist Gerasimos Manolidis, the 31-year-old won’t be returning to Olympiacos, where he featured before his move to south London in January 2017, and is likely to depart Selhurst Park before next season.
Manolidis suggests that both Everton and Fulham are taking an interest in the Palace captain, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, which suggests that the Eagles may look to cash in on him this summer.
Worse than Klaassen?
Milivojevic was once a key player in the Crystal Palace side and won plaudits for his ability from set pieces, while he managed an impressive 12 goals and two assists for the Eagles in their 2018/19 Premier League campaign.
However, his performances have dropped in recent years, as suggested by his declining WhoScored ratings, and the 2021/22 campaign saw him make just 15 top-flight appearances under Patrick Vieira, in which he failed to score or set up a goal and averaged a disappointing 6.44 rating from WhoScored.
With the Frenchman having overseen a youthful transformation at Selhurst Park this season, it seems unlikely that he will re-integrate Milivojevic into his starting 11 next term, and Everton could take advantage by bringing the midfielder to Goodison Park.
However, the Serbian’s displays last season and in 2020/21, when he averaged a 6.55 rating from WhoScored for his performances, suggest that he wouldn’t be an astute addition to Frank Lampard’s squad.
In fact, it could be argued that he would prove to be an even worse signing than Davy Klaassen, who struggled throughout his spell on Merseyside, having joined from Ajax in 2017 in a £23.6m deal.
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The Dutchman would go on to make just 16 first-team appearances for Everton, in which he contributed no goals and just one assist. However, he has since returned to Ajax and been a success, hitting nine goals for the Dutch giants on their way to the Eredivisie title this season.
The Toffees were able to recuperate around half of the fee that they paid for Klaassen, but given Milivojevic’s age, it seems as if he would have very little resale value if he does make the move to Merseyside.
Lampard already boasts more mobile midfield options such as Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, with the Serbian’s lack of speed a real concern, as was pointed out by journalist Jack Collins in 2020.
He said: “He’s good at dead balls, but I think that Palace fans have started to turn on Luka Milivojevic a little bit, because he’s actually really slow, slows the game down a lot, commits quite a lot of fouls and basically, is only in for his dead-ball ability at times.”
Although Milivojevic boasts Premier League experience, his declining WhoScored ratings suggest that he looks to be well past his best; and if he does join Everton this summer, then it would not be a surprise if his signing proved to be even more of a disaster than the 2017 misadventure with Klaassen.
In other news… Everton in prime position to sign £19.8m-rated titan, he won’t cost a penny
Celtic will be looking to replicate this season’s Premiership success once the 2022/23 campaign gets underway at the end of July.
In addition, Ange Postecoglou will undoubtedly want to see his team win the domestic cups and go as far in Europe as they can.
Before the new season kicks off, the Bhoys will have the chance to improve their squad during the upcoming summer transfer window to put themselves in the best shape for domestic and European success.
As things stand, it seems as though the Parkhead club have one transfer in their sights which would surely have the Celtic fans jumping for joy.
What’s the news?
According to a recent report from A Bola (via Sport Witness) Celtic’s on-loan winger Jota is likely to sign a permanent deal with the Hoops in the coming weeks.
During his season on loan in Scotland from Portuguese club Benfica, the winger made 40 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and delivering 14 assists in the process.
With 10 of those goals and 11 of those assists coming in his 29 league appearances, it’s safe to say that he played a big part in Celtic’s title-winning campaign.
To further highlight his attacking talent, only Liel Abada (81) at Parkhead ended the season with more shots than the 23-year-old (76).
His overall performances earned him a season rating of 7.53/10, making him the second-highest rated player currently in Celtic’s squad behind David Turnbull according to WhoScored.
Labelled a “striker’s dream” by BBC Scotland pundit Marvin Bartley, Jota has shown how much of a dangerous attacking threat he can be for the Hoops and why it would be such a great deal for them to sign him on a permanent basis.
Having also had his performances for the Hoops described as “unbelievable” by Postecoglou, it’s safe to say that the 56-year-old would be over the moon to have the winger in his squad for the foreseeable future.
If Celtic can announce a permanent transfer for the £18.5k-per-week star as their first completed deal for the summer, this will surely get Hoops supporters buzzing and put the club in a good place to move on to other deals that they may want to get done.
In other news – Signed for £4.5m, now worth 70% less: Celtic had a huge howler on £9k-p/w “disaster”
Manchester United signed high-flying midfielder Christian Eriksen from Brentford during the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils have been in a slump for the past two seasons and Erik ten Hag was brought in as manager this summer to re-invent them. Hailed as one of the key players for the rebuild of ManUnited, Eriksen is yet to live up to his full potential. But what is holding Eriksen back and how can Ten Hag unleash him?
The questions Ten Hag needs to answer…
What is Christian Eriksen’s best position?
In the first game of the season, Ten Hag deployed Eriksen as a centre forward, having him drop deep and play balls over the top. This didn’t work well for a few reasons. With the Dane dropping deep, the other Man United midfielders had to push forward. However, lots of Eriksen’s passes were cut out and Brighton used the space left by the United midfielders to attack. The Dane’s passes were too ambitious for the nervy Man United squad to use to their advantage.
Later in the Brighton game, Ten Hag could see the centre-forward position wasn’t working. He moved Eriksen to central midfield and replaced him with Ronaldo, after which they were a lot more threatening and managed to score. Eriksen looked much more comfortable in the deep-lying playmaker role, although his natural position is attacking midfielder.
How do you accommodate two star quality midfielders?
Ten Hag has two splendid choices for creative midfielders. Bruno Fernandes is an amazing passer as well as a clinical finisher. Eriksen is a superb passer with great on-the-ball skills. However, Ten Hag is yet to work out his formation and tactics to get the best out of both of these players.
Ten Hag’s options for playing Eriksen and Fernandes Eriksen as a No.8 (central midfielder)
So far, ten Hag has played Eriksen as a left-sided, central midfielder. The Dane’s role has been as a deep-lying playmaker – dictating the play and spraying passes. In this role, Eriksen can be the heartbeat of a now exceptional Man United midfield. The arrival of Casemiro will complete the picture by giving Eriksen the defensive cover he needs, allowing him the freedom to roam around the middle of the park, creating chances. In this arrangement, Fernandes would play as a No.10.
Play both Fernandes and Eriksen as No.10’s
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Both players are natural attacking midfielders, but I don’t think this option would work. Mainly because I think that Man United would not cope defensively with both of them in an advanced role. This arrangement would look similar to the way Man City played David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne a couple of years ago.
Bruno Fernandes as a No.8
Bruno Fernandes used to play as a central midfielder for Sporting Lisbon. He is also a better defender than Eriksen, which could help Casemiro. In this arrangement, Eriksen would play as a No.10.
Which option is best? I think it would be best if Bruno Fernandes played in the deeper role because he could be integral in helping a shaky Man United defence. I think Eriksen could be really effective in playing the ball over the top or in behind for Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to chase. Eriksen has also looked good as a central midfielder, so Ten Hag could interchange their positions, increasing their versatility.
How should the other players interact with Eriksen? Striker
I think there needs to be a real target man to aim for in the box who can make good use of Eriksen’s passes. As a Brentford fan, it pains me to say this but Ivan Toney is the perfect player for Man United due to his dominance in the box. We saw how well the play between Ivan Toney and Eriksen worked at Brentford last season. Toney’s hold-up play would also benefit Rashford, Sancho, Anthony Elanga and new signing Antony, bringing them into effect by giving them more involvement with the ball.
We know that Ten Hag likes to line-up with a big, physical striker. Toney’s physicality makes him a real handful for defenders and he often draws fouls, which is ideally complemented by Eriksen’s specialism at set pieces. Toney also has a great work rate and contributes a lot defensively. While at Brentford we saw Eriksen favour the left corner of the box.
Defensive Midfielder
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The signing of Casemiro will allow Eriksen to enjoy the creative freedom he had at Brentford. While in West London the Dane had Christian Norgaard to hold down the midfield. Casemiro is a better player than Norgaard, with a winner’s mentality; he’s both a better passer and he’s faster. Casemiro will make the Man United defence look a lot more solid and provide a welcome morale boost for the whole squad.
Putting it together to win
Man United showed real class winning against an unbeaten Arsenal side recently. Eriksen’s performance drew these words from Ten Hag: “I think he can make a game for you, he can also switch the play when needed. I think he played a magnificent game.”
In this particular match, Eriksen picked up his first assist of the season, unselfishly squaring it to Marcus Rashford for a simple goal. This assist involved the Dane making a lung-busting run when he spotted a gap in the Arsenal defence and capitalised, running from inside his own half into the opposition’s box. The 30-year-old had the most touches, passes and chances created of any player in his team and also covered the second most distance during the game. Eriksen really pulled the strings in this amazing show at the so-called Theatre of Dreams.
More work to do
With Man United’s form on the up, there are signs that Eriksen is settling in and that Ten Hag is understanding how to use him. With some decisions taken about how to use Eriksen in midfield, we should see him dictating play and becoming the one to make the Red Devils tick. He is a player that can help develop other players and set the tempo of a match. Fernandes will also benefit from Eriksen, as now he won’t have to drop deep for the ball.
However, there is more work to do to unleash Eriksen’s full potential. Ten Hag needs to surround him with the right players. A big, physical striker is needed for Man United. Rashford is naturally a winger and not the best choice to play as a striker, as he does not have the aerial dominance to win headers and he doesn’t reliably put
penalties away.
Signing Casemiro was a good, albeit expensive, decision but now Ten Hag needs to play him. So far Casemiro has only played 51 Premier League minutes this season. Scott McTominay and Fred, who currently play in defensive midfield roles for Man United, do not provide the quality of defensive cover that Eriksen needs. McTominay also gets a lot of fouls.
Building the Man United team around Eriksen is what’s needed to unleash his full potential – watch this space and the January transfer window to see what happens.
Delray Rawlins, Lewis Gregory and Cameron Delport are among the domestic players in line for deals
Matt Roller17-Oct-2019Fast startersWith the number of balls squeezed even tighter than in T20, losing wickets should become even more accepted. Aside from the elite handful who can ‘catch up’ and do so more often than not – think Babar Azam, Moeen Ali, and David Warner – players who eat up balls early in an innings and take a while to get in should largely be avoided: an innings of 30 off 25 will end up being vastly inferior to an innings of 15 off 10.
It is a much-worn cliché that certain batsmen ‘go hard from ball one’, but in practice very few do so. Those that do, therefore, should be snapped up.Ed Pollock carves one through the off side•Getty ImagesEd Pollock was used poorly by Birmingham Bears in this season’s Blast, dropped after five failures in as many innings despite being tasked with the high-variance job of striking at 200 from the get-go. Over the course of the past three seasons, he strikes at 164.61 in the first five balls he faces, and 169.16 in the first ten, making him one of the men who should be able to use the 25-ball Powerplay well.Counterintuitively, Arron Lilley’s reputation as a batsman would almost certainly be greater if he didn’t bowl offspin too. He is generally thought of as a bowling allrounder, but as a batsman alone is worth picking up for his destructive hitting early in an innings; his first-five-ball strike-rate of 157.77 over the last three seasons could see him picked up as a bargain option.Adam Lyth’s struggles in the 2015 Ashes still affect his reputation negatively, but he is a massively undervalued T20 batsman. He struck at 178.72 after five balls of an innings this Blast season, and 190.90 after ten. He is a superb hitter of pace in particular.No obvious weaknessUnder the competition’s regulations, bowlers will be able to stay on for a second set of five balls from the same end. That means that batsmen with an obvious weakness against a particular type of bowling will have nowhere to hide: it will be very easy for them to get tied down.Therefore, batsmen who score quickly against both pace and spin ought to be particularly valuable.Wayne Madsen is a superb player, and has a remarkable record over the last three Blast seasons. He averages over 40 against seamers and spinners, and scores similarly quickly against both (142.5 vs pace, 147.7 vs spin). He should be high on a few teams’ lists.Wayne Madsen plays a shot•Getty ImagesPhil Salt was unfortunate not to get picked up as a local icon, and his exceptional fielding and ability to fill in as an occasional wicketkeeper will count in his favour. He bashes both pace (SR 171.2) and spin (SR 146.3) in the Blast – although his struggles in the PSL hint at a potential weakness against top-quality spin – and will add to his T20 experience in the Big Bash this winter. He should be snapped up early.Almost nobody dared bowl spin to Cameron Delport in the Blast this summer, and with good reason, given he scored at a strike rate of 193.7 against it. But he is almost as destructive against pace, striking at 161.2. With a larger sample size – across all leagues over the last three years, he is almost level-pegging against both bowler types.Death hittersOne of the perennial issues with the Blast as far as England were concerned was that with so many teams, the vast majority of talent ends up batting at the top of the order. That has left a dearth of specialist finishers, though there are still a handful who have demonstrated their worth over the past two seasons.Lewis Gregory was not far off an IPL deal this year after lighting up the 2018 Blast with his death hitting, and has been thrown into England’s T20 squad as a reward. There remains some scepticism over his ability against spin, but the sample size is very small after only one season as a finisher – and will teams hold back their best spinners just to deal with him?Ravi Bopara was perhaps surprisingly overlooked in the local icon draft, and will be an asset to whichever team signs him. Despite his reluctance to fulfil the role, he is immense as a finisher, striking at over 200 in that phase, and will be in high demand come October 20.Ravi Bopara swings into the leg side•Getty ImagesRoss Whiteley is a supreme six-hitter, and would surely have got more of a chance worldwide if his six sixes in a Karl Carver over had been shown on television rather than on a shaky fixed camera. He strikes at 178.0 in the last five overs, and would be a useful pick in a slightly lower salary band.Middle-over acceleratorsThe overs immediately after the Powerplay are typically used for consolidation in T20: overs 7-10 see teams tick over, neither losing wickets nor scoring quickly. Generally, that comes about because an opener slows down having made use of the fielding restrictions, or because a middle-order player has come in and is still getting set.That means that those batsmen who can score quickly in that phase are crucial.Delray Rawlins should be a perfect signing. He scores quickly right from the start of an innings, is ideally suited to tackling the inefficiencies of the overs immediately after the Powerplay, bowls useful spin, and is a brilliant fielder to boot. He has a base price of £50,000, but it might be worth snapping him up in an earlier round, such is his talent.Delray Rawlins in full flow in the Blast quarter-final•Getty ImagesTom Abell has reinvented himself completely as a T20 player in the past two years, adding deft, innovative shots to a solid attacking game against both pace and spin. He goes at 138.3 in overs 7-10, and should be well-placed to keep a team motoring with the field back.Tom Moores has been around long enough that it is easy to forget he is still only 23, and is an ideal man to keep things moving in the middle in The Hundred. He has scored at a strike rate of 143 in overs 7-10, is unusually strong against spin for an English batsman, and is among the best available options for a domestic wicket-keeper.Spin specialistsIt is often missed that English grounds tend to be more conducive to spin than pace in T20. Host venues include the low-scoring pair of the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford, and spinners have been cheaper than seamers at each team’s ground in the competition over the last three Blast seasons. Domestic batsmen who can play spin will be crucial.Peter Trego is out of contract at Somerset, but remains a useful player even at 38. He has scored at a strike rate of 174.7 against spin over the last two seasons, and should be available on the cheap.Ben Duckett in action for the Lions•Getty ImagesYou’d never guess it after watching his struggles on England’s 2016-17 Test tour of India, but Ben Duckett is a great player of spin in T20, with a vast range of shots around the ground including a trademark reverse-sweep. He has scored at 169.8 against slow bowlers over the past two seasons, and would be an asset to most sides.There is no shortage of English openers in the draft, but Miles Hammond is unusual in his ability against spin. He scores at a strike rate of 157.7 against it, and is a fast starter who will fly in the Powerplay.