Boehly dealt real PSR worry as Chelsea face potential points deduction

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly has been dealt a real PSR worry this week as the prospect of a 2024/2025 points deduction gets floated by the media.

June 30 approaching with Chelsea fire-sale possible

The west Londoners have spent £1 billion since Boehly and Clearlake Capital's takeover of the club in 2022, and this could have a major impact as Profit and Sustainability rules dictate clubs can only make a loss of around £105 million over a rolling three-year period.

Al-Ittihad already in talks to sign high-earning ace from Chelsea

The Saudi side are making moves.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 17, 2024

Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have already been charged with breaches of PSR, with Sean Dyche's side deducted points as the Premier League clamp down on financial firepower.

Given the sheer amount of money spent by Chelsea on new signings over the last two years, speculation has been rife over whether Mauricio Pochettino's side could suffer the same fate as the aforementioned trio.

Chelsea's most expensive signings of Todd Boehly era

Price tag

Moises Caicedo

£115 million

Enzo Fernandez

£107 million

Mykhalo Mudryk

£88 million

Wesley Fofana

£72 million

Marc Cucurella

£58 million

Rival clubs believe Chelsea may have to raise as much as £100 million through player sales by June 30, or risk potential sanctions, and this sentiment is echoed by financial expert Stefan Borson.

"Really, they have to find buyers for Trevoh Chalobah for £20m, Armando Broja for £40m, and Conor Gallagher for £50m," said Borson to talkSPORT.

"It's those sort of deals that need to be done. And by the way, they all need to be done by June 30. That, as we know, is articulated within the Forest decision. There's a whole conversation about how hard it is to sell players in the period before June. The Premier League actually suggested that more or less that it was impossible."

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly

When asked if Chelsea could be in the same predicament as Forest, Everton and Leicester this time next year, Borson responded:

"Yeah. Well, possibly more severe. I think the scale of the losses they're currently forecasting, to me, appear to be vastly in excess of both Everton and Nottingham Forest."

There are a few opportunities for Chelsea to offload unwanted players, like flop striker Romelu Lukaku. Some reports have claimed that the Belgian is attracting real interest from Saudi Arabia. Al-Ittihad are already in contact with Chelsea over signing Lukaku (Rudy Galetti), and they may need deals like this to pull through.

Chelsea may have 2024/25 points deduction after update

According to Football Insider this week, Chelsea could have points deducted ahead of 2024/2025 following an investigation into their hotel sales.

The club sold hotels as assets for £76.5 million and registered it as profit, allegedly in an attempt to loophole financial regulations and abide by PSR. If they're found guilty of attempting to offset their major losses this way, they may face a points deduction ahead of next season and sanctions akin to that of already-punished clubs.

The sold hotels were also to a sister club, under their ownership, which may not comply with Associated Party Transaction rules.

Leeds were rinsed dry by Bielsa signing who earned double Gnonto’s wages

Leeds United responded to the possible setback of a 2-2 draw against Watford with a confidence-boosting 3-1 victory over Hull City on Easter Monday, as a number of reliable first-teamers came in clutch again for the Whites.

Crysencio Summerville and Daniel James would share out the goals late on away from Sam Byram's early effort opening the scoring, the tantalising duo causing the Tigers all sorts of bother in the late exchanges of the clash.

Earning £15k and £50k-per-week respectively for the promotion chasers, the club's joint-highest earner in Patrick Bamford at £70k per week didn't quite justify his excessive salary in contrast as he fired over the bar from close range in the first half.

Bamford has proven his worth for Leeds previously in his career at Elland Road, however, with this former Whites dud burned a far larger hole in the Championship club's back pocket when he was still on the books up until 2022.

Leeds forward Patrick Bamford.

Kiko Casilla's time at Leeds

Leeds would flex their connections by going all out to sign former Real Madrid goalkeeper Kiko Casilla in January of 2019, with Marcelo Bielsa significantly bolstering the keeper spots at Elland Road with the deal viewed as a coup.

Casilla would swap Spain for West Yorkshire with a lot of hype attached to his name, not helped by the iconic former Whites boss stating that the shot-stopper was a "complete player" and that his career "speaks for itself" in the direct aftermath of him relocating.

The ex-Madrid man would instantly come into the Whites first-team ranks, going on to make 18 appearances during his debut season and then 36 the campaign after as Leeds gunned for promotion up to the Premier League.

The titling-winning exploits of his second season donning Leeds colours was overshadowed by an FA charge for racist language that came the keeper's way, with the subsequent eight-game ban that followed signalling the beginning of the end for Casilla in West Yorkshire and the start of Illan Meslier's dominance as the now first choice in-between the sticks.

Full Leeds lineup for Kiko Casilla's Championship debut Away at Rotherham United, January 2019

1. GK – Kiko Casilla

2. RB – Luke Ayling

3. CB – Kalvin Phillips

4. CB – Liam Cooper

5. LB – Ezgjan Alioski

6. CM – Adam Forshaw

7. CM – Mateusz Klich

8. RM – Jack Clarke

9. CAM – Pablo Hernandez

10. LM – Jack Harrison

11. ST – Kemar Roofe

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Casilla would end up making just six more appearances after this ban had tainted his Whites stay, with one of those rare chances in the first-team culminating in the Spanish keeper conceding three goals to League Two opposition Crawley Town in the FA Cup.

He would eventually be moved on in 2022 back to his native country with Getafe, having been loaned out initially to fellow La Liga outfit Elche CF to get him off the Whites roster.

There may have been a sense of relief when Casilla was finally offloaded, although the damage had already been done with his excessive £40k per week wage which, at one point, made him a higher earner than ex-Leeds star Kalvin Phillips.

That salary in the Leeds camp at the moment would even see him earn double that of Wilfried Gnonto, on top of bettering Summerville's salary by a hefty £25k.

Kiko Casilla Leeds United

Kiko Casilla's wage at Leeds

During his first season in West Yorkshire, the 6 foot 3 flop would rake in the highest wage in the squad overall – beating the likes of Bamford, Pablo Hernandez and other key first-teamers to the top spot.

More worryingly, however, even when his game-time became more limited with just three top flight games managed in the 2020-21 season, the former Real man would still earn a substantial salary compared to others fighting it out week in and week out in the Whites first-team.

Bamford at the peak of his powers bagging 17 goals in the top-flight would still earn £5k less per week than the reserve figure, on top of Casilla pocketing £10k more per week than Phillips who excelled in the Leeds side that would finish in a mightily impressive ninth spot in the Premier League.

Leeds' highest wage earners – 2020-21

1. Rodrigo

£100k per week

2. Raphinha

£63.5k per week

3. Kiko Casilla

£40k per week

4. Diego Llorente

£40k per week

5. Robin Koch

£40k per week

Sourced by Capology

Leeds will be thankful that they did not decide to go overboard and dish out a wage similar to that of Rodrigo's excessive £100k per week salary to Casilla, who would go down as another expensive recruit from Spain that never lived up to their billing.

The time could come soon for Farke to address whether or not there are some high earners in the Whites ranks now who are not deserving of their excessive pay packet, with the likes of Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper out of contract this summer.

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke watches a Championship game.

Kiko Casilla's time after Leeds

Once lining up in La Liga in the same XI that boasted the world's best such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, and once being Bielsa's first-choice shot-stopper at Elland Road, Casilla now finds himself without a club at 37 years of age.

The towering keeper would go on to make two appearances for Getafe before he was let go at the end of last season, with the ageing ex-Leeds man in danger of seeing his professional career now fizzle out.

There won't be any lingering regret from Leeds' end though about how things ended with their ex-goalkeeper however, as Meslier and the current crop of talent in West Yorkshire aim to win promotion and stay put in the Premier League where everything ultimately unravelled for Casilla.

Overall, Leeds were bled dry by the Bielsa signing, who earned double what Gnonto currently earns, and it will not be looked back on as a super successful addition by the Whites.

Virat Kohli suggests KL Rahul will keep in T20Is too

India captain Virat Kohli has suggested that KL Rahul will keep in the upcoming T20Is too, as it has given them an option of playing an extra batsman in the XI.Rahul kept wickets in three ODIs against Australia at home – starting after Rishabh Pant suffered a concussion in the first game while batting – even though Pant was fit to play in the third game in Bengaluru, and Kohli said a day before the first T20I in New Zealand in Auckland that Rahul “doing really well with the [keeping] gloves” had “opened up another kind of scenario” for them.With Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, Rahul is also going to get back to opening in the T20Is in New Zealand.”[Dhawan’s injury] will certainly alter a few plans for us… in the one-day game, we’ll have to think of sticking to the same what we did in Rajkot (in the second ODI), that will probably work best for us as a side, have another guy at the top and let KL just express himself at that position where he played really well,” Kohli said. “In T20 cricket, obviously the dynamics change a little bit more, because we do have lower-order batsmen who have done well. We have a few more options there in terms of solidifying that spot and probably let KL bat at the top.”Him doing really well with the gloves has really opened up another kind of scenario for us where it gives us a lot more balance in terms of playing an extra batter. If he can keep that well, and perform well with the bat, then why not? As I said, this is something that we are looking to continue for a while. And nothing taken away from anyone else, it’s just what brings the best balance to the side.”With Pant unavailable for the second ODI against Australia and three openers to accommodate in the XI, Rahul kept wickets and scored a smashing 80 off 52 balls at No. 5 to turn the series around for India. Rahul was asked to open again in the decider with Dhawan’s injury, but with five dismissals behind the stumps in the series and that impressive half-century in Rajkot, Kohli said they were going to “persist” with Rahul keeping and batting in the middle order for some more time.BCCI

Rahul has been moved around the batting order over the years, but has cemented a position for himself at the top in more recent times, and that has led to more consistent returns with the bat: he averages 47.86 and 45.50 in ODIs and T20Is in the last 12 months respectively, both higher than his career average.”It’s amazing. He is open to accepting any kind of role, whatever the team wants – he is a total team man and you can tell the way he keeps as well,” Kohli said of Rahul’s evolution. “He is always looking for an opportunity and looking to make a play, and he is not nervous about it; the collection of throws and getting to the stumps every ball, and he is just in the game. I think he relishes that much more than just being on the field and it’s showing. He is more involved in the game, he is able to look at the field placements as well, so I think it engages him into the game in the right manner. It’s wonderful to have a guy who can do both things well and bring balance to the team.”Dhawan and Sharma were India’s original openers in limited-overs formats but Dhawan’s succession of injuries and Rahul’s form have put a spanner in the works. For now, India named Sanju Samson as Dhawan’s replacement for the T20Is and Prithvi Shaw for the three ODIs to follow. India also have Mayank Agarwal, who was called up during the 50-over World Cup last year, and Shubman Gill in the ranks, who are currently representing India A in New Zealand.”Continuity [is a problem], yes,” Kohli accepted. “But in the meantime, if you talk about replacements, we have a lot of T20 players around, and people who are very experienced when it comes to playing T20 cricket, having played a lot of matches in the IPL and on ‘A’ tours and other series.”I don’t see an issue of replacement. But yes, an issue of continuity for sure. Look, whenever he (Dhawan) is back in the team – he’s done well in the last game that he played – so we’d love to have him back and have that balance in the team where we can really go in with the best batting line-up that we have. But in the meantime, we don’t have any issues with the replacements.”

Matthew Wade's barnstorming ton takes Hobart Hurricanes into Eliminator final

Wade and D’Arcy Short added an opening stand of 203 as the Strikers were left to settle for third place and a spot in the Knockout final

The Report by Andrew McGlashan26-Jan-2020A breathtaking century by captain Matthew Wade helped the Hobart Hurricanes time their run into the BBL finals just right as they secured a spot in the Eliminator by overcoming the Adelaide Strikers in a high-scoring match of more than 400 runs.Wade and D’Arcy Short added 203 for the first wicket with Wade finishing on a magnificent unbeaten 130 off 61 balls, which, at one stage, looked set to threaten Marcus Stoinis’ recent BBL record of 147.Matthew Wade was in blistering form•Getty Images

However, the Strikers – who could have clinched second place with victory – gave the chase a terrific attempt led by Phil Salt as he looked capable of matching Wade. However, the impressive Nathan Ellis again shone at the death while James Faulkner showed his experience when it mattered.The outcome means that the Strikers will host the knockout match at the Adelaide Oval on February 1 while the Sydney Sixers have earned a spot in the Qualifier against the Melbourne Stars and two chances to reach the final. The Hurricanes’ opponents, the Brisbane Heat away or Sydney Thunder at home, would be known on Monday after the final regular-season match between the Heat and the Melbourne Renegades.Wade’s masterclassWade, who has hit a purple patch in the last week, looked in the mood early on and by the end of the powerplay had 38 off 19 balls with the Hurricanes going at ten an over. It was the eighth over, which would become Billy Stanlake’s only one of the innings, where the Strikers began to really lose control as Wade fed off a leg-side line in an over that cost 22. Though he had gone for 21 before the final ball of the over, it might have been different for Stanlake if Jono Wells had managed to hold Wade at deep square-leg on 57. The Strikers’ go-to bowler, Rashid Khan, was also taken for consecutive sixes before Wade brought up his hundred from 48 balls after reaching 99 with a bottom-handed flick over the ropes off Peter Siddle.Short plays second fiddleIt is little surprise that the Hurricanes’ season has come together as they’ve got Wade and Short back in harness after their respective international duties. Short made a duck in his game after the India tour (although he took a five-wicket haul) and did not quite look in his best form for most of this innings, but showed maturity by playing in Wade’s slipstream and not giving it away. In a mark of the contrasting innings, Short’s fifty and Wade’s hundred both took 48 deliveries but Short got some rewards late on as he struck three sixes in the space of four balls to take the total over 200. The last two overs from the Strikers only went for 15 but a lot of damage had been done.A sprinkling of SaltAlthough they could secure second spot, overall there was less pressure on the Strikers than the Hurricanes and they were able to approach a tough chase with a degree of freedom knowing a home knockout match was theirs even in defeat. Salt was dropped second ball – a sitter to George Bailey at point, who managed to maintain his sense of humour (his career now has at least one more game) – and raced out of the blocks to put the Hurricanes’ bowlers under the pump. At the end of the powerplay, the Strikers were ahead in the comparison at 1 for 66. With the halfway mark of the innings approaching, they had kept the required rate around 11 but attempting to clear the popular deep midwicket area, Salt picked out Short, who had previously given him a life in the same spot on 43.Nerves at the deathWhen Scott Boland removed Travis Head – the ball rolling up his leg and back into the stumps – the Strikers surged again as Alex Carey and Wells took 25 off the next seven deliveries. By the start of the 17th over, they needed 48 off 24 balls with a set Carey and in-form Wells in the middle. However, Clive Rose bravely held back his first delivery of the over and Wells missed his sweep, and then it was over to Ellis and Faulkner to close out. Ellis’ first ball of the 18th was swung for six by Khan but his next was a pinpoint yorker, which earned an lbw. He went for just six off the next four deliveries, and then Faulkner used all his variations to concede five off the penultimate over, leaving Ellis with 22 to defend from the last.

Poch can’t ignore Chelsea star again after 10/10 international display

It's all been rather doom and gloom for Chelsea over the course of Mauricio Pochettino's first season in charge.

A lack of consistency, notably in the Premier League, has left fans incredibly frustrated after such hefty spending during the Todd Boehly era to date.

But hey, it's not all a case of negativity, right? The Blues have reached the Carabao Cup final and will travel to Wembley again before too long where an FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester City awaits.

However, before then, preparation is required. Perhaps some time to regather over the international break will have served the Argentine manager well. But, how did those of a Chelsea persuasion fare for their countries?

How Chelsea players fared during the international break

Plenty of contracted players at Stamford Bridge have been off galivanting across the world in the last week or so.

Conor Gallagher stayed closer to home, starting in England's defeat to Brazil alongside. Ben Chilwell started against Belgium but sadly their club colleague Cole Palmer failed to earn any minutes.

That's a rather bewildering point considering his immense form this season, scoring 11 Premier League goals. That said, Pochettino surely won't complain about a bit of rest for his star man.

There was a goal for midfielder Enzo Fernandez in Argentina's 3-0 win over El Salvador, minutes for Marc Cucurella in a Spain jersey, while Mykhailo Mudryk helped Ukraine qualify for the European Championships.

The speedster scored a crucial goal in a clash with Iceland on Tuesday night as they sealed their place in Germany this forthcoming summer.

That said, we've failed to mention the real winner of this international break; Noni Madueke.

Noni Madueke's performances for England U21s

Madueke has endured a rather mixed spell in London since moving from PSV Eindhoven.

So far this season the 22-year-old has played just 12 times in the Premier League, of which only four of those outings have come from the start. That said, six goal involvements have been registered in the 22 games he's featured in, meaning an impression of sorts has been made.

Madueke notably impressed off the bench against Leicester City in the FA Cup over a week ago, scoring late into the tie.

With Raheem Sterling missing a penalty and taking quite possibly one of the worst free-kicks we've seen, there have been rather understandable cries for the youngster to start instead.

Well, Pochettino surely can't ignore him any longer after dropping what Sofascore rated as a 10/10 performance for England U21s against Luxembourg U21s in midweek.

The London-born attacker started the game on the right and captured the imagination, scoring twice in a 7-0 rout. Madueke opened the scoring and then found England's fourth of the night, sending a message to his boss back at Chelsea in the process.

Amassing a mammoth eight shots in the contest, the spritely young winger also supplied three key passes and completed five dribbles.

The opposition wasn't exactly great but the £30m summer signing has shown on the odd occasion for Chelsea this term that he can twist and turn defenders with great ease. This was certainly the case on Tuesday, producing an utterly flawless performance.

After a swashbuckling display on the international stage at youth level, Pochettino must give him a run of games. Chelsea have little to play for in the league and youth must be entrusted. Forget about Sterling, Madueke is the future.

England: 11 wildcard picks for Gareth Southgate's Euros squad

Ahead of EURO 2024, here are 11 wildcard picks Gareth Southgate should consider when selecting his squad next summer.

ByMark Marston Mar 27, 2024

كمال ريشة يوضح مدى صحة إلغاء هدف السعودية أمام أستراليا في تصفيات كأس العالم

تحدث الحكم الدولي السابق محمد كمال ريشة عن الحالات المثيرة للجدل في مباراة السعودية وأستراليا التي أقيمت اليوم الخميس ضمن منافسات تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وكان الحكم الإماراتي عادل النقبي قد أدار مباراة السعودة وأستراليا، في خامس جولات التصفيات الآسيوية المؤهلة للمونديال والتي انتهت بالتعادل السلبي.

اختبار رينارد الأول.. السعودية تتعادل مع أستراليا في تصفيات كأس العالم

وكان قرار النقبي قد قرر إلغاء هدف للسعودية في الدقائق الأخيرة، سجله سلطان الغنام من تسديدة قوية من خارج منطقة الجزاء.

وقال ريشة في تصريحات عبر صحيفة “الرياضية” السعودية”: “الهدف تسلل وقرار الحكم صحيح”.

وأضاف: “علي البليهي مدافع المنتخب السعودي كان عائدًا من التسلل وتداخل في الكرة وحجب الرؤية عن الحارس الأسترالي، وبعد مراجعة VAR تأكد أن البليهي فعلًا كان في وضع تسلل”.

وفي الوقت ذاته أيد ريشة قرار الحكم الإماراتي بإلغاء ركلة جزاء للمنتخب الأسترالي في الدقيقة 12 بعد العودة إلى تقنية الـvar.

ترتيب مجموعة السعودية في تصفيات كأس العالم بعد التعادل مع أستراليا

وتابع: “الحكم كان موفقًا في التراجع عن قراره، واحتساب ركلة حرة مباشرة لأن الاصطدام بالرأس بين أحمد الكسار حارس مرمى المنتخب السعودي ومهاجم أستراليا كان خارج منطقة الجزاء”.

وأتم: “وإنذار الكسار بالبطاقة الصفراء صحيح للتهور”. هدف السعودية الملغي أمام أستراليا في تصفيات كأس العالم

Red Bull Bragantino é o melhor paulista no Brasileirão

MatériaMais Notícias

O Campeonato Brasileiro está no início, mas alguns clubes chamam a atenção pelos resultados obtidos dentro das quatro linhas contra times importantes.

Uma das surpresas agradáveis é o Red Bull Bragantino, que vê o time ganhar cada vez mais corpo sob a gestão de Mauricio Barbieri.

A prova do bom momento que a equipe vive é o desempenho em relação aos seus rivais estaduais. Dos cinco paulistas no Brasileirão, o Massa Bruta é o melhor colocado e aparece na 4ª posição.

O adversário local que mais se aproxima é o Palmeiras, atualmente na 5ª posição. Corinthians, Santos e São Paulo estão na parte baixa da tabela e longe do Massa Bruta.

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West Indies look to keep series alive against Sri Lanka in clash of equals

The side that best adapts to the ground’s particular challenges will win

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Feb-2020Big pictureAs the action moves from the leafy surrounds of the SSC to the jungles of the southeast, both teams may ponder their shortcomings from the first game. Neither middle-order quite fired. West Indies lost five wickets for 68 runs while Sri Lanka might reflect they could have done better than lose their first four wickets within 57 runs after a century opening stand, then their next four for 61. Sri Lanka’s spinners failed to produce wickets through the middle overs and West Indies’ quicks were modest under the pressure of a tight finish.But although these are clearly flawed teams, they also appeared to be evenly matched. Aside, perhaps, from Sri Lanka’s 111-run opening stand, there was no sustained period of dominance from either side. A wicket would fall to clip a burgeoning stand short or a spate of boundaries would frequently break the shackles. Each side has promising young players – most notably Keemo Paul and Wanindu Hasaranga from the first match – and captains who took over in moments of crisis last year. Both sides have relatively settled XIs for now, but several players are only a few bad performances away from having their places questioned.Given the similarities, it may be the side that best adapts to the Sooriyawewa ground’s particular challenges that wins. There can sometimes be a fierce crosswind at the venue. Sri Lanka have occasionally used the wind to the advantage of their swing bowlers, but have more often found that it messes with bowlers’ accuracy and flight. Batsmen, meanwhile, have had success largely targeting the downwind side of the ground, and hit aerially into the wind at their peril.Form guideWest Indies LWWWL
Sri Lanka WLLWWShai Hope follows the ball off his bat•AFP via Getty ImagesIn the spotlightSri Lanka’s fielding has happily lent itself to comic comparisons in the past few years, but an outstanding all-round effort on Saturday has hinted that the age of slow-motion dives and slapstick fumbles may be over. It wasn’t quite a flawless effort, but almost – no catches were dropped, two run outs were clinically affected and the ground fielding was reliable. Coach Mickey Arthur has spoken glowingly about the improvements in Sri Lanka’s fielding standards over the last few months, and so far, his team seems to be proving him right.Shai Hope, Saturday’s only centurion, has been putting together quite a record in recent years. His overall ODI average is impressive enough at 51.90, but his average as an opener is 91.88 after 21 innings, and seven of his nine centuries have come from the top of the order. Perhaps even more consequential to this series is his average in Asia, which after 15 innings, is a whopping 123.66. With so many of his team-mates capable of making rapid runs, Hope is increasingly the trunk around which West Indies build their innings.Team newsKieron Pollard seemed averse to the idea of making many changes to the XI. They may toy with the idea of bringing in left-arm spinner Fabian Allen for Hayden Walsh Jr, who took two wickets, but conceded 38 runs from five overs.West Indies (possible): 1 Sunil Ambris, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Keemo Paul, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Sheldon CottrellWith Thisara Perera’s bowling in the Powerplay having proved successful in the first ODI, Sri Lanka may stick with the same XI.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera (wk), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Lakshan Sandakan, 11 Nuwan PradeepPitch and conditionsGenerally, the Sooriyawewa pitch is one of the quicker tracks in the country though that is not to say it doesn’t also take turn. It is also one of the hottest venues in the country, but if the wind is around, the players may get some relief.Stats and trivia West Indies have never won an ODI series in Sri Lanka. Their best result came in December 1993, when they drew 1-1. Shai Hope averages over 60 in each of the last two calendar years, which is largely when he has opened the innings. Outside opening the innings, his best record is at No. 5, where he has batted three times and averages 42.5. Lakshan Sandakan has gone wicketless in seven of his last eight ODIs. Though he also has not been granted a consistent place in the XI through that period.

Ipswich could soon soften Moore exit by unleashing Al-Hamadi rival

Ipswich Town, despite not picking up a win in their last three Championship fixtures, surprisingly still find themselves at the very top of the second-tier summit.

Kieran McKenna's men have stunned the league this season, winning promotion up from League One and taking the division by storm to be placed above Leicester City and Leeds United, two clubs who were playing Premier League football at the same time the Tractor Boys were facing off against the likes of Fleetwood Town and Burton Albion.

Additions to the Suffolk-based club's ranks this January have undoubtedly helped to strengthen this unlikely promotion push, with Kieffer Moore signing on loan from AFC Bournemouth a fantastic deal for Ipswich as the Welshman has bagged six goals from 15 league games since joining.

Beating promotion rivals to Moore's signature, Ipswich will have to soon worry about who can fill his boots when the Cherries man returns to his parent club with this forgotten-about Tractor Boys attacker patiently waiting for his time to shine.

Gassan Ahadme's time at Ipswich

Making only eight appearances to date for Ipswich, Gassan Ahadme might not be the most instantly recognisable name to supporters of the Championship title candidates at first glance.

Netting just once from his brief time in the first-team in Suffolk, the former Norwich City youth player has failed to really set the world alight since relocating to the Canaries' arch-rivals.

Ipswich didn't just go after Ahadme with no adequate planning in place however, the 23-year-old had become a feared striker with Burton at League One level before moving to Portman Road by netting nine goals from 29 games at the Pirelli Stadium.

Ahadme has managed to pick up from where he left off in a Brewers shirt back at that level this season, becoming a potent goalscorer once more whilst donning a Cambridge United strip on loan.

Ahadme's statistics with Cambridge

The fringe Ipswich man could well have breathed life back into his stuttering Tractor Boys career with the goals he's managed with the U's this campaign, firing in 12 goals from 29 games in all competitions this season.

Described as an "outstanding" talent by previous Cambridge boss Mark Bonner before his sacking, Ahadme remains Cambridge's top scorer this season as well despite missing large chunks of the campaign owing to injury difficulties.

It might viewed as a risk, with this information in hand, to throw him into the deep end of playing for Ipswich soon, considering McKenna's men know all too well about strikers pulling up with injuries in George Hirst who has been out of action since the end of December.

Yet, Ipswich will hope that Ali Al-Hamadi's success story in rising up from League Two to play for an Ipswich side teetering towards the Premier League can be replicated somewhat by the forgotten figure of Ahadme on his return from Cambridgeshire.

Al-Hamadi has taken to the jump-up in quality admirably well, helping himself to four goals in the depleted centre-forward positions in Suffolk after lining up for AFC Wimbledon in the fourth tier not too long ago.

Ali Al-Hamadi

McKenna will no doubt want more bodies to pick from up top next season whether Ipswich do seal an unbelievable promotion or stay put in the second tier, with the Tractor Boys potentially giving Ahadme a clean slate at Portman Road in the process after failing to utilise him effectively in the past.

With Moore potentially ditching Ipswich to return to the South Coast, and the likes of Kayden Jackson and Freddie Ladapo being moved on as reserve options up top, it might well finally be Ahadme's big break at Ipswich if everything aligns.

Ipswich struck gold with “fantastic” gem who's now worth more than Davis

Ipswich Town played a blinder signing this gem when they did.

ByKelan Sarson Mar 13, 2024

Lionesses star Mary Earps lifts lid on first few weeks as PSG player as ex-Man Utd goalkeeper sees the sights and begins learning French

Lionesses star Mary Earps has shown off the highlights of her first few weeks in France after signing for PSG.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

  • Earps left Manchester United
  • Has signed for PSG
  • Discusses first days in France
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Earps posted a collage on Instagram, showing off her highlights of her first few weeks in France. The England goalkeeper has been brushing up on her French, has put in the hours on the training field, and has even had some time for sightseeing.

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  • WHAT EARPS SAID

    Earps wrote on Instagram: "First few weeks of Parisian life." The post included a number of images, which you can scroll through via the arrows below.

  • THE GOSSIP

    Earps has become such an iconic figure in women's football that she is set to receive a waxwork from London's iconic Madame Tussauds. The goalkeeper has already revealed her desire to win plenty of silverware in France.

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    WHAT NEXT?

    PSG Women play Le Havre AC in a friendly on Thursday, August 22 as they continue their preparation for the new season. Earps is likely to be involved.

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