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Tottenham Hotspur have six more matches to play in the Premier League until the curtain is draped on Ange Postecoglou's first term at the helm, and where the Lilyewhites will end up is anyone's guess.

Spurs are six points off Aston Villa in the top four with two games in hand, but face Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City before the end of the campaign and will need to hit a rich vein of form to secure a place among Europe's elite next year.

Will that happen? Does it even really matter? These are pertinent questions and, truthfully, there is more than enough promise to have sprouted from the roots of a new era this year – next season, wherever the football shall be contested, will be a better measure of where Postecoglou's project is at.

Of course, he will need to make some signings to continue the progress, and while Champions League football would help sign the best around, Spurs have demonstrated their scope for success over this past year.

Spurs in pole position for Premier League star

According to a recent report from Football Transfers, Tottenham are in pole position to sign Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, who is attracting attention from some of the Premier League's behemoths after his work in south London.

Manchester City are also interested in the two-cap England star but his preference is to remain in London, which leaves Spurs in a great position.

It's claimed that a figure of €64m (about £55m) would be needed to convince Oliver Glasner's side to part with their mercurial talent, but Postecoglou is said to have been granted a war chest ahead of a summer spending spree, hopes that the right moves will narrow the canyon to those at the front of the pack.

Eberechi Eze's Crystal Palace career so far

Palace signed Eze from Queens Park Rangers for a fee rising to £20m in 2020 after the young midfielder had attracted attention for his high-class performances in the Championship.

Across 121 appearances for the Selhurst Park side, Eze has scored 23 goals and supplied 16 assists, with an upswing in his clinical edge becoming clear following his recent progress.

The midfielder has been afflicted by injury on more than one occasion. His severely disrupted 2021/22 campaign likely seeped into last year's exploits, where he failed to find a lasting run of potency until the latter stage. From that point, in fairness, he flourished and demonstrated what can be achieved when at the apex of his game.

Indeed, scoring six goals and adding one assist across the final nine top-flight matches of the 2022/23 season, Eze planted the seeds that allowed his talent to flower this year, where he has been the linchpin of Crystal Palace's attacking efforts, nourished by Glasner's succession of Roy Hodgson in February, two months ago.

Matches played

24

Matches started

21

Goals

8

Assists

3

Pass completion

83%

Touches per game

53.5

Shots per game

3.0

Key passes per game

2.0

Dribbles per game

2.5

Ball recoveries per game

4.9

Duels won per game

6.0

Tackles per game

1.2

Take a look at the table. This is a polished and many-angled skill set, with an inborn tenacity and an ever-improving prolificness in key attacking phases marking Eze as a true star in the making, a star of quality that Tottenham would lap up.

His goalscoring prowess has been a thing to marvel at this season; his surgical flow of creativity speaks of selflessness, of an eagerness for peers to flourish.

Eze was described as "magical to watch" as a youngster by coach Paul Hall, gripping and giddying with the ball at his feet. This boyish avidity has remained intrinsic to Eze's style even now, carefree and unpredictable in his movements, compelled to perform as his side's showman.

Tottenham would only improve with Eze in the mix. Postecoglou must ensure all the stops are pulled in securing his signature.

How Eberechi Eze would fit in at Spurs

Eze's penchant for goals of the spectacular kind makes him an instant crowd-pleaser, and Spurs could make good use of such quality as they prepare for a return to European football next season.

As per FBref, the £100k-per-week ace ranks among the top 15% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 5% for shots taken and the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting his threat in the final third and his ball-carrying means of arriving at such windows of opportunity.

Central midfield

12

5

0

Attacking midfielder

11

4

1

Left winger

6

0

2

Left midfield

5

1

1

An attacking midfielder, Eze would likely be in competition with James Maddison for the star spot at No. 10, but his tactical versatility suggests he could be deployed across a range of roles. Still, he might even prove to surpass his playmaking countryman in suitability under Postecoglou.

Maddison is the locus of Tottenham's creativity, signed from Leicester City for £40m last year, winning the Premier League's Player of the Month award in August and producing awesome results before an ankle injury in November disrupted his, and Tottenham's flow. That fluency still hasn't been recovered, probably.

Still, Maddison is one of the division's elite ball-playing stars, ranking among the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 6% for passes attempted and the top 1% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes per 90.

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Eze's striking success in an outfit such as Crystal Palace suggests that he could be the main man at Tottenham, and while Maddison is indeed superior creatively, averaging 2.5 key passes per game in the Premier League, creating nine big chances and placing seven assists from 22 matches as a Lilywhite, the Eagles star isn't exactly poor in that regard.

Eze is, without question, one of the Premier League's finest players to feature below an outfit chasing European football, and Tottenham could pull a blinder in bringing him across London, down N17.

Having all but secured another season in the Premier League even in the face of point deductions, Everton have turned their attention towards the summer transfer window, where they could finally end their attacking problems.

Everton transfer news

Those at Goodison Park will hope to see their push for safety followed up by some positive news regarding 777 Partners' prospective takeover, which has been awaiting Premier League approval for the majority of the campaign. Then, the Toffees could begin to think about further positives in the summer transfer window.

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For now, the headlines are still being owned by the potential departures of Amadou Onana and Jarrad Branthwaite in two big-money moves to ease Everton's financial concerns ever so slightly. The latter has enjoyed a particularly impressive campaign, attracting the interest of Tottenham Hotspur and even European giants Real Madrid as a result, though it remains to be seen if he decides to depart Everton this summer.

Those sales would at least hand Sean Dyche a summer budget of his own to spend in an attempt to solve a number of problems in his current squad, including finding a reliable goalscorer.

With that said, according to Football Transfers, Everton are eyeing a move to sign Sammie Szmodics, who has enjoyed an excellent campaign with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship and is on course to win the Golden Boot. Scoring 25 Championship goals, Szmodics has even outscored Erling Haaland in league action, albeit in a division below, with the Manchester City star netting 21 goals so far this season.

After such an impressive year, it remains to be seen just how much Blackburn will demand for their forward, in what could quickly turn into a blow for the Toffees. Once again, 777's takeover could be crucial in pursuit of such a deal.

"Incredible" Szmodics can end Calvert-Lewin frustration

Whilst injuries haven't helped, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has quickly become a point of weakness for Everton, who have been left relying on a forward struggling to find the back of the net on a consistent basis. Szmodics, however, has been handing Blackburn the exact opposite, even as they fight for Championship survival.

League stats 23/24 (via FBref)

Szmodics

Calvert-Lewin

Goals

25

6

Assists

4

1

Expected Goals

20.9

11.3

Key Passes

48

17

What's most concerning about these numbers is Calvert-Lewin's expected goals against the number of goals that he's actually managed so far this season. The numbers indicate that the Everton forward is underperforming significantly, whereas Szmodics is overperforming. And that's the difference in quality that the Blackburn star can provide.

Former Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson knew all about that quality, previously praising Szmodics, saying (via Limerick Live): "After Christmas last season, I think he’s been really good for Rovers and after the summer holiday, he’s been extremely good. He’s also added those goals.

"We always know he can score goals but he’s not used to playing a lot of games at this level first of all, he played with Peterborough but not a lot. The way he’s scoring goals, the confidence he’s playing with and the role he takes as one of the senior players is quite incredible."

Du Plessis and de Villiers have been in talks about the batsman’s reintroduction to the national side

Firdose Moonda15-Jan-2020

AB de Villiers is set to play in at least one of South Africa’s T20 series before the T20 World Cup, where he is expected to make an international comeback. De Villiers, who retired in May 2018, and long-time friend and current T20 captain Faf du Plessis have been in talks since before Mark Boucher took over as head coach about the possibility of de Villiers playing at the tournament. Now, they only need to sort out some of the finer details of de Villiers’ reintroduction to the national side.”We spoke about it, and I was very keen to have him back. That was even before the new coaching staff was on board,” du Plessis said. “Then it was the process of what does the next year look like in terms of T20 cricket — how many games; where, when, what? And then trying to unfold that in a way that we can get him back. He’s keen to come do that I don’t know when. I can’t give you that answer yet because that decision hasn’t been taken. But there would be a series we would like to get him back to play.”South Africa are due to play 11 T20Is before the World Cup (three each against England and Australia at home in February and five against West Indies in August) which leaves plenty of opportunities for de Villiers to play in-between his other commitments. He is currently playing for the Brisbane Heat at the Big Bash, which ends four days before the first T20 against England. De Villiers will also play at the IPL, which does not clash with any South African fixtures.The advantage of having de Villiers in the team is obvious, but South Africa have turned him down before. When de Villiers made himself available to play in the 2019 fifty-over World Cup on the eve of the squad announcement, South Africa’s selection panel decided it was too late to make room for him. News of de Villiers’ offer broke after South Africa had already lost their first three matches.They went on to lose two matches to become the first team to be eliminated and recorded their worst-ever World Cup performance. They do not want to make the same mistake at the T20 World Cup, which is also likely to be du Plessis’ swansong.South Africa’s squad is far from confirmed but du Plessis wants to start finding a blueprint as soon as possible and getting them used to each other’s playing styles. “In an ideal world we would like to try and make sure that we can play our best 11, 12 or 13 players for a few games or series together leading up to the T20 World Cup,” du Plessis said. “A learning curve for me with the 50-over World Cup last year was that we never had the combinations we were looking for. As a new coach, Ottis Gibson didn’t know a lot of the players. There was a search for a lot of layers and finding combinations. If I could do that over again, I would try and settle into the combinations a little earlier so the guys can play as many games as possible together.”Not only was the fifty-over World Cup squad dogged by uncertainty, but it was also plagued by injury. Dale Steyn was included despite carrying a shoulder injury and did not play a game before being sent home, Lungi Ngidi missed crucial matches with a hamstring injury and Hashim Amla was concussed in the first match and missed the next two. Steyn has since staked a claim for inclusion in the T20 World Cup with strong performances in the Mzansi Super League and Big Bash and could bowl alongside Ngidi, who is currently recovering from another hamstring niggle. Amla has retired, leaving a gap at the top of the order which de Villiers could fill. If all that comes together, South Africa could have some big names as they look to break their major trophy drought.

Luis Suarez has explained what Inter Miami have to do without Lionel Messi, with the Uruguayan admitting that some “may not like” his challenge.

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Herons back in Leagues Cup actionStill in the mix for MLS Cup gloryArgentine superstar nursing injuryWHAT HAPPENED?

The Herons have fared admirably since losing their talismanic captain to the Copa America in mid-June. Precious points in MLS have been picked up on a regular basis, keeping them at the top of the Eastern Conference. A winning start has also been made to the defence of a Leagues Cup crown.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementGettyWHAT SUAREZ SAID

Messi is still missing, as he nurses an ankle injury, and Suarez has told reporters of the standards that need to be maintained during a Leagues Cup run that opened with a 2-0 victory over Puebla: “Inter have already won this, they have the experience. This is a matter of fighting until the end. Some like this, some may not, but we need to get used to it. Our obligation is to work.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Inter Miami boss Tata Martino has sounded a similar message, with the Argentine tactician eager to remain in contention for as many trophies as possible. He has said, with attention shifting to inter-division competition that includes Liga MX outfits: “We have the obligation of fighting for both tournaments [MLS Cup and Leagues Cup]. But that's not because we won Leagues Cup last season, but because these tournaments are not played at the same time. There's no need for us to choose between one or the other.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

The Florida-based franchise will not be back in MLS action until facing closest challengers in the Eastern Conference, FC Cincinnati, on August 25. Messi should be back before then, but no risks are being taken on his fitness and a possible return date for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is yet to be pencilled in.

Nottingham Forest will be looking for just their second Premier League victory of 2024 when they take on Crystal Palace at the City Ground tomorrow afternoon.

Nuno Espírito Santo's side's last league victory came in February, with the Reds defeating David Moyes' side 2-0 thanks to goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Since the win, Forest have lost three and drawn one of the last five league outings, with the Tricky Trees needing to change their fortunes and change them fast.

The club were hit with a four-point deduction last week for breaking the Premier League's PSR rules, subsequently dropping into the relegation zone as a result and left just a point behind Luton Town.

The game against fellow strugglers Palace is a huge opportunity for Forest to leapfrog the Hatters, with the club only having nine games remaining before the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

One player is deserving of a start at the City Ground, with the loanee enjoying a very successful international break.

Gio Reyna's stats vs Jamaica

The Forest loanee didn't originally start the CONCACAF tie against Jamaica last week, with the attacking midfielder coming on for the second half and eventually extra time.

Gio Reyna took his opportunity from the bench with both hands, claiming the Man of the Match award for his 75-minute performance. The 21-year-old featured in a slightly deeper midfield role for his country, which saw him complete 69 passes, at a completion rate of 90%.

It wasn't just offensively where he excelled, but also defensively, with Reyna winning all three of his tackles, whilst coming out on top in five of his eight ground duels.

The youngster assisted both goals for the USA, with his two contributions the difference saving teammate Matt Turner's blushes after failing to keep out Greg Leigh's early finish.

Minutes played

75

Assists

2

Chances created

4

Passes

69/77 (90%)

Shots

3

Tackles

3

In the next outing, against Mexico just a couple of days ago, he scored the goal to kill the game off – with the attacking midfielder being named the Player of the Tournament after he contributed one goal and two assists in the semi-final and final.

Gio Reyna's stats at Nottingham Forest

After joining the club on loan until the end of the season from Borussia Dortmund, Reyna has only featured for a combined 38 minutes, with the American not having the opportunity to showcase his talents – yet to start in the Premier League thus far.

After his 'spectacular' recent international performances, as claimed by GOAL journalist Ryan Tolmich, it's clear there is a player within the 21-year-old, with Nuno needing to try and work his magic to allow the youngster to flourish.

With Forest having just nine games left to save themselves in the Premier League, the Reds boss should look to include the USA international in the game against Palace at the City Ground this afternoon, with Reyna having the ability to cause the Eagles backline constant trouble.

Given his recent reluctance to deploy Hudson-Odoi from a starting position, he should drop Divock Origi and allow the 21-year-old a chance from the start to demonstrate his quality and have a positive impact on the vital Premier League encounter.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Arsenal have completed the signing of David Raya from Brentford after his successful loan spell at the club.

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Goalkeeper thrived on loanWon Golden Glove awardArsenal make deal permanentWHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners have formally announced the permanent transfer of Raya, having had him on loan from Brentford for the 2023/24 season. During that time, the Spaniard won the Golden Glove, as he kept 16 Premier League clean sheets. He has now signed a long-term deal at the Emirates.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Per reports, Raya has cost £30m ($38m) and will once again compete with Aaron Ramsdale to be Mikel Arteta's No.1. The Spaniard was the undisputed winner of that competition this season, as he played 32 times in the league.

WHAT RAYA SAID

Raya told Arsenal's official website: “After a year on loan as a Gunner, I can finally say that I’m an Arsenal player for the coming years. I’m excited to see what the future holds but always living in and enjoying the present.

“It’s a dream come true to be here and I want to thank you for all the support you have already given me throughout the last year.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Raya is currently at Euro 2024 with Spain. They are next in action on Friday in their blockbuster quarter-final against Germany.

MatériaMais Notícias

A plataforma de streaming Guigo Tv vai exibir a maior competição de clubes da América, a Libertadores. O SBT, emissora detentora dos direitos televisivos do torneio, é um canal parceiro que integra o Pacote Guigo Básico, que exibe as partidas para todo o Brasil. Nesta terça-feira, Flamengo e São Paulo estreiam no mesmo horário, mas os assinantes poderão assistir as duas partidas pela Guigo TV.
+ Confira os grupos da Copa Libertadores

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Na rede da Tv aberta, a abertura da Libertadores para o rubro-negro será exibida para todo o Brasil, exceto o estado de São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Curitiba e Paraná. Já o confronto do tricolor diante do Sporting Cristal, será exclusiva para o estado de São Paulo, SBT Porto Alegre e Rede Massa Curitiba e Maringá.

Assim, a Guigo Tv se mostra como uma alternativa para aqueles que gostariam de assistir os jogos, mas por conta da região em que moram, não teriam acesso a transmissão da Tv aberta.No aplicativo da Guigo TV, durante a transmissão, o assinante do Pacote Guigo Básico (R$20,90) irá encontrar dois canais do SBT HD, um para cada partida.

O conteúdo disponível na Guigo TV permite ao assinante assistir ao vivo a uma variada programação de canais nacionais e internacionais. É necessário apenas uma conexão de internet. O portfólio da empresa contabiliza mais de 50 canais com grandes nomes do entretenimento como SBT HD, RecordTV HD, Rede TV!, todos os canais ESPN, Rai Italia, CNN Brasil, Band e BandSports, TLN Network, todos os canais Disney e muito mais, além de um catálogo de novelas mexicanas em VOD (vídeo por demanda).

Wolverhampton Wanderer’s manager, Gary O’Neil has a squad at his disposal which can beat any team in the Premier League on their day.

The Old Gold have proven this throughout 2023/24, defeating Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea (twice) as they chase a top half finish in the league.

One key thing for O’Neil is how the squad seems to be clicking into gear at just the right time, and he can call upon players to perform across all areas of the team.

One of his most important assets is Max Kilman, as the defender has seen his market value increase rapidly.

How much Max Kilman cost Wolves

The centre-back actually arrived at Molineux for a transfer fee believed to be around £40k back in 2018 from Maidenhead United when he was aged just 21, and it has since proven to be a remarkable bargain.

He made his debut on the final day of the 2018/19 season and has since played 136 times for the Old Gold since joining.

Kilman has emerged as one of O’Neil’s key players and his market value clearly reflects that, as he is worth more than teammate, Mathues Cunha.

Max Kilman’s market value at Wolves

Following Kilman’s impressive start to the season, Kilman was targeted by West Ham United during the January transfer window but, having signed a new contract until 2028 just last August, the defender was valued at £40m by the Old Gold.

No move ever materialised and Kilman will remain with Wolves until the end of the season at least, but O’Neil will be desperate to keep hold of him.

Indeed, across the whole squad in the top flight, Kilman currently ranks first for accurate passes per game (46.6), while ranking second for accurate long balls per game (3.9), second for interceptions per game (1.1) and for clearances per game (4.8), clearly showing that he has shown excellent defensive ability and is one of O’Neil’s finest players across a range of metrics.

He was lauded by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher in 2023, who said about the defender:

"Max Kilman at the back for Wolves, an ever-present for Wolves all season. He’s no-frills at centre back, he just gets on with his job and very rarely makes mistakes, hence why he’s an automatic pick no matter who the manager is."

Even though Cunha has been in impressive form himself this term, scoring 11 goals and registering seven assists, his market value according to Football Transfers currently stands at €28.9m (£24.7m), which is lower than the £40m price tag that Wolves have placed on the Englishman.

Only seven teams have a better defensive record than the Old Gold in the Premier League this season and a lot of that is down to how solid Kilman has been among a back three which regularly features Craig Dawson and Toti Gomes.

If O’Neil can keep this group together, then the club could be on the cusp of something special, and it marks a change from their relegation worries that plagued the side throughout the vast majority of the 2022/23 campaign.

Mohammad Amir five-for and heroics from the tail not enough as Australia hold on for 41-run win

The Report by Danyal Rasool12-Jun-2019Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Match highlightsA wild, seesawing game that always seemed just a little too far out of Pakistan’s reach proved to be just that at the end, with Australia wrapping up a 41-run victory that was far nervier than the scorecard suggested. It came about thanks to a century from David Warner at the top end, coupled with generosity to the point of self-sacrifice from Pakistan both with the ball and in the field. Australia were so far on top in the first half of the first innings, talk of 350 and 400 rolled easily off the tongue, until a vintage performance from Mohammad Amir curtailed them to 307, his five-for bowling out a side that hadn’t lost a single wicket for 22 overs.Pakistan, in response, oscillated between dismal and distinguished. Babar Azam looked princely for a knock that lasted all of 28 deliveries, before an 80-run partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez looked to have put Pakistan on top. Another collapse, this one entirely of Pakistan’s own making, followed, before a late rearguard by Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz put the fear of God into Australia. They usually win such games, however, and Pakistan tend to find a way to lose them. In that sense – but strictly in that sense alone – this was business as usual.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Warner’s centuryThis was such a disjointed game it’s hard to know where to pick it up and thread it all together. Was it Warner’s knock, the shackles that bound him so tightly against India (mostly) thrown off, the innings that set the tone for the day? Certainly not, in all frankness. Pakistan dropped catches, allowed overthrows, and committed errors in the field which were criminal enough to have interested the local constabulary, not just Mickey Arthur. In the meantime, they had Shaheen Afridi endure one of the worst games of his career, undoing much of the good work the excellent Amir had done at the other end with the new ball. At first change, Hasan didn’t enjoy a much better day either, and with no semblance of a plan Pakistan’s bowlers were following, Aaron Finch and Warner made hay for the best part of half the innings.Finch benefitted the most from sloppiness in the field, which saw Asif Ali put him down in the slips. It was a position he should never have been fielding in, but Babar was deputising at point for Shadab Khan, controversially left out altogether in favour of an all-seam attack and Hafeez and Shoaib Malik in the middle order. Wahab also saw Warner put down by the same man at third man, an even easier take if possible, and with Hafeez struggling badly against Finch and Glenn Maxwell, Pakistan were running out of players to turn to.Amir was superb, in sharp contrast to his team-mates. He seemed to know exactly what would work on this surface, and that is a trait of Amir’s that hasn’t quite been appreciated of late, with the focus more squarely on why he wasn’t picking up wickets. He managed to fulfil roles of both container and strike bowler in one – and boy did he need to. It wasn’t until his final over, where he took two wickets and bowled Australia out, that he completed his five-for, remarkably the first of his ODI career. In an innings that saw 307 runs scored, his figures read 10-2-30-5.Pakistan might have taken heart from that second half of the first innings, but all of that seemed to have been lost in the lunch interval. Australia started tightly, save a first-ball no-ball that shouldn’t have been called. By the third over, Fakhar Zaman’s patience had run out, and he lashed out at Pat Cummins, only succeeding in slicing the ball to third man, in a similar position to where Asif had put Warner down a couple of hours earlier. Richardson on the boundary was far more ruthless, and Pakistan immediately found themselves on the back foot.Babar was the big hope, and if shots counted for more based on their elegance and beauty, Pakistan might have wrapped this up in the 28 balls he was around. They fetched seven fours, each more graceful than the last, and it appeared as if this would be the day Babar stood tall in a World Cup game and became the de facto leader of this young side. What he did instead was painful to see, no matter who you supported, throwing away a start of that kind by pulling loosely at a short delivery that carried to fine leg.Mohammad Amir celebrates his five-wicket haul•Getty Images

The following partnership was the last time Pakistan could aspire to win the game through normal cricketing strategy. Imam and Hafeez were well in control in the middle overs. Mitchell Starc had been seen off, and when brought back, was seen off once more. But Australia persisted with tactics they had clearly worked on, Cummins frustrating Imam down the leg side until the opener swiped at one and gloved through to Alex Carey instead. Hafeez’s dismissal was even more farcical, with the right-hander holing out off a knee-high Finch full toss on the midwicket boundary, and when Shoaib and Asif fell within the next three overs, a big defeat looked inevitable.What followed was what will in hindsight make this game memorable, a breezy cameo from Hasan taking Pakistan to 200. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Wahab then found themselves batting out time for a while, before suddenly appearing to realise they had taken the game deep, and with run rate not really an issue, were in with a shot of winning it. That was when Wahab took the attack to Maxwell using a concoction of luck and brute force, waking the heavily pro-Pakistan crowd up to the same epiphany. The target was under 50, the asking rate under seven. Would this finally happen for Pakistan?Australia, however, had quashed such a revolution just last week, when West Indies came much closer to threatening an unlikely win. As they had done then, they turned the ball over to Starc. In his second over back, he coaxed a feathered edge from Wahab, so faint Finch nearly didn’t review Australia’s unsuccessful appeal. Amir was beaten by a low full toss a couple of balls later, and Pakistan’s back had finally been broken. There was even time for a comedy run-out to cap off things.It was a fitting way for things to end, with a clutch Australia having signed off the game in nerveless, ruthless fashion. The last sight for Pakistan will have been their captain stranded in the middle of the pitch, bails being dislodged by a direct hit. It might just have been 41 runs, but in that moment, the contrast look like a chasm.

The festive period was not a very joyful one for Arsenal this season, as the Gunners followed up their draw away at Anfield with three losses on the bounce to leave themselves down in fourth in the Premier League and out of the FA Cup.

At present, the Gunners look miles from their best, but with the January transfer window comes the opportunity for Edu and Co to improve the squad, and the latest player touted for a move to N5 would do precisely that, Everton's Amadou Onana.

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The Belgian would improve Arsenal's already impressive midfield and could become the perfect partner for Declan Rice.

Arsenal transfer news – Amadou Onana

According to Football Insider, Arsenal are looking for a new midfielder this winter and are currently 'exploring' a marquee deal for Everton star Onana.

The Toffees are understandably reluctant to sell one of their best players amid a relegation-threatened season, but according to the report, offers of around £60m – almost twice the £33m they paid for him in 2022 – could be enough to tempt them into selling.

Other reports on Monday have stated that talks are ongoing between the two parties over a respective move this winter.

Amadou Onana's season in numbers

The former LOSC Lille man has played 16 league games for the Toffees this season, scoring one goal, maintaining a passing accuracy of 84.8%, winning 2.3 aerial duels per game, winning one Man-of-the-Match award and averaging a match rating of 6.82, per WhoScored.

While the fee is certainly high, the prospect of seeing a player that talent scout Jacek Kulig described as a "one-man army in midfield" alongside Rice should be all the convincing Arsenal need to get it done.

That said, if they do need more convincing, they need not look further than the highlights of their game at Goodison Park last season.

Why Onana is a perfect partner for Declan Rice

If Arteta were to pick his strongest XI, you can be pretty sure that Rice and Martin Odegaard would be in the midfield three, which means that the only spot up for grabs is the role alongside the former West Ham captain, be that as a left eight or number six.

Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny have proven themselves useful as temporary solutions in that role. Still, their age means that they cannot be the long-term solution, and while Partey isn't necessarily too old yet, his injury record has become a genuine concern.

Finally, while Kai Havertz has looked better in recent weeks – scoring four goals in the run up to Christmas – he has yet to convince many that he should be a starter in this team.

Therefore, there is a spot for Onana to come in and make his own, but how do his underlying numbers stack up alongside Partey, given that the Ghanaian would probably lose out with his arrival?

Well, when comparing their numbers from last season – when Partey was fit – it's the Toffees ace that comes out ahead in most essential metrics.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.20

0.14

Shots on Target

0.22

0.14

Passing Accuracy

83.3%

87.2%

Tackles Won

1.56

1.45

Interceptions

1.34

1.01

Aerial Duels Won

2.17

1.34

Dispossessed

0.62

0.69

In fact, the only area in which the 30-year-old comes out on top is his passing accuracy. In all areas relevant to an all-action defensive midfielder, such as tackles won, interceptions, and aerial duels won, the Belgian comes out on top, very much living up to the "complete package" label that Jacek Kulig gave him in December.

Ultimately, playing Onana in the six role could allow Rice to move into the left-eight position permanently, which in turn could lead to Arsenal's midfield becoming one of the most formidable units to break down in European football.

The £105m summer signing has been exquisite playing further back but his explosive ball-carrying abilities mean he could well be suited to playing further forward.

Agreeing a move for another holding midfielder, be it Onana or someone else, could well allow this to happen. Therefore, the club should be pushing to get this deal over the line in the coming weeks.