All posts by h716a5.icu

A half-century and a five-for, it was all in a day’s work for the 18-year old offspinning allrounder

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jan-2018
ScorecardAfif Hossain flays the ball through cover•International Cricket CouncilThere were performances aplenty in Lincoln, but perhaps the most decisive one came from Afif Hossain. The 18-year old, who has already had a taste of top-flight cricket playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, and at the Under-19 World Cup he made a bigger name for himself by striking a half-century when his team was flagging and then picking up a five-for to seal the game.Canada had done quite well, at least at the start of each innings. Seam bowler Faisal Jamkhandi struck in the second over of the match, eventually finishing 5 for 48, and the captain Arslan Khan made 63 at No. 3. The end, though, was a problem. They gave up 84 runs in the last 10 overs, with Towhid Hridoy striking a magnificent 122 off 126 balls. And while batting, after being 170 for 4 in a chase of 265, they were bowled out for 198.Afif’s offspin was the major reason behind such a collapse. He began his first spell by dismissing a Canadian opener. Randhir Sandhu gone. His second spell followed a similar script. Pranav Sharma gone. Coming back to bowl a third, he took out their top-scorer Arslan and finished his spell with a double-wicket over. Considering Afif had also lifted Bangladesh from 91 for 3 to 202 for 4, he was an easy choice for Man of the Match.

Everton's transfer window looks to be drawing to a close, and while several enterprising signings have been made, judgment will be reserved until the season's narrative unravels after the early-season scramble simmers down.

The Toffees narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League for the second successive season last year, and with two defeats kicking off Sean Dyche's first full term at the club, early alarm bells are already ringing around Goodison Park.

The club will be emboldened by Che Adams' imminent arrival, with the Southampton striker set to join Everton for £15m, while Youssef Chermiti, Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison have already made the move to Merseyside.

There could still be room for another acquisition, however, with FC Porto winger Goncalo Borges at the centre of recent links to a move to Everton.

What's the latest on Goncalo Borges to Everton?

That's according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, who claim that Porto are acceptant of Borges' likely departure this month, with Everton joined in their interest by West Ham United.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

The 22-year-old winger is valued at €15m (£13m), but the report hints that this is well within Dyche's grasp and he could be the man to kickstart a new chapter on Merseyside.

How good is Goncalo Borges?

Primarily featuring on the right wing but also finding success on the alternate flank, the two-cap Portugal U21 international has yet to quite cement a regular starting berth in the Porto first-team, but the mounting interest in his signature is evidence enough that he is blossoming into a talented phenom.

This term, he has registered an assist from one substitute appearance and was previously hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his role in a "superb" Porto U19 side that triumphed in the UEFA Youth League in 2018/19.

Borges also made 3.85 take-ons per 90 last season, as per FBref, highlighting his aptitude as a progressive presence – for reference, Vinicius Jr., who ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues for the same metric, recorded an average of 3.86.

Of course, such comparisons must be taken with a pinch of salt after Borges completed just ten matches in the Primeira Liga last year, but it does illustrate the brilliance of his ball-carrying and the kind of player he could become if nurtured aptly.

More recently, Kulig highlighted his strength in "pace, dribbling, technique, ball control, creativity", also listing him as a comparable player to Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry, and if Everton could unleash their own version of the Germany international it would be quite a boost to Dyche's side's season.

Gnabry signed for the imperious German Bundesliga champions from Werder Bremen in 2017 for just €8m (£7m), since making 219 appearances, scoring 81 goals and supplying 51 assists, also winning one Champions League trophy and the Bundesliga in each of his five campaigns with the club.

The former Arsenal starlet ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers for goals and the top 14% for assists per 90, though given that he only records 1.21 successful take-ons per 90 (bottom 29%), it's clear that Borges can pump far more energy and life into the flank than his distinguished positional peer does at present, marauding up and down the Toffees wing and wreaking havoc.

Everton must sign Borges, though he is inexperienced on the major stage, the Portuguese prospect is burgeoning and could burst into prominence with a central role under Dyche's stewardship.

Victoria lost opener Travis Dean off what became the last ball of the day in Melbourne

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2017
ScorecardD’Arcy Short plays the pull shot•Getty ImagesVictoria spinners Fawad Ahmed and Jon Holland picked up three wickets each as Western Australia were bowled out for 243 having chosen to bat at the MCG. At stumps on the first day, the Bushrangers were 1 for 20 in reply, with Marcus Harris on 17 and set to be joined by a new partner after Travis Dean was bowled for 3 by Jhye Richardson from what became the last ball of the day.Western Australia recovered from early trouble after they fell to 2 for 8 in the fourth over of the match. Opener Jon Wells was brilliantly caught at third slip by Aaron Finch diving to his right off the bowling of Chris Tremain, and discarded Test batsman Hilton Cartwright followed in the next over when he was bowled by Scott Boland for a duck.Mitchell Marsh and Will Bosisto steadied the Warriors with a 65-run partnership before the spin bowlers started to make an impact. Marsh was bowled by Fawad for 43, Marcus Stoinis was caught off Holland’s bowling for 24, and Bosisto was also caught off Fawad for 57 shortly before tea.Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis contributed a valuable 46 before he was lbw to Tremain. Holland finished with 3 for 60 and Fawad picked up 3 for 58. Victoria, who have won the past three Sheffield Shield titles, entered this round in the unfamiliar position of being last on the table, and are searching for their first win of this summer’s tournament.

Tottenham Hotspur's links to a new forward have taken another turn as news emerges on Rennes star and Belgium international Jeremy Doku.

Who will Spurs sign?

Ange Postecoglou's side are up and running after the Australian's first competitive game as Spurs head coach, having sealed a 2-2 draw away to Brentford last Sunday.

Goals from unlikely sources in Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal gifted the north Londoners their first point of the new Premier League campaign, but as we enter the latter part of this transfer window, time is running out for them to strengthen.

Spurs have already put pen to paper on deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, youngster Ashley Phillips, defender Micky van de Ven, playmaker James Maddison, winger Manor Solomon and striker Alejo Veliz – but more could follow them.

The surprise sale of elite striker Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, which hands Tottenham a potential £103m windfall if certain add-ons are met, also seriously weakens Postecoglou's options in the forward areas.

Tottenham's manager, though, has insisted that the 30-year-old was always likely to depart N17 this summer.

"I had a conversation with Harry the first day he arrived and he was up front and honest, and I was the same," Postecoglou said last week.

“You get an indication there that he kind of made up his mind: that if the clubs agreed he would go, particularly if it was before the first game. That was my preference as well.

“There's nothing along the way that's sort of made me feel there's anything other than this outcome. None of these things happen in isolation, everyone is pretty clued into what's going on, so from my perspective I hadn't received anything from Harry, the club or anyone else to suggest to me anything had changed about his stance."

While they won't come as direct Kane replacements, Spurs have been linked with the likes of Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson this window, meaning they could be looking to add more firepower in the wide areas.

Doku, who is being chased by the likes of West Ham and Man City, is a new target for Tottenham as journalist Miguel Delaney shares what he's heard.

Writing a piece for The Independent, Delaney claims Postecoglou's side are in a race with the aforementioned sides for Rennes' star, and Spurs could make a persuasive claim for him to join them.

The Ligue 1 side are likely to demand around £50 million for his services, and while Spurs have a good chance of signing him, it is believed West Ham are the most advanced as things stand.

It's added that the battle for his signing could even go to the end of the window.

What's been said about Jeremy Doku?

Called an "exciting" forward by members of the media, Doku has also been praised by the likes of Kylian Mbappe, who lauded his "power" from a standing position in 2021.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

"Recently, I was speaking with my father about a player who impressed me because of his speed qualities, that is (Jérémy) Doku, at Rennes," said the World Cup winner.

"In 5 years as a professional, I have never seen someone from a standing start demonstrate so much power.

"In terms of an incredibly quick player, I would also put Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang."

The fast-bowling duo took turns to run through the opposition line-up, bagging a six-for and a three-for alternately in the two innings, to help Leewards wrap up a victory inside two days

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2017Match hauls of nine apiece from Jeremiah Louis and Gavin Tonge consigned Barbados to an innings-and-four-runs defeat inside two days, handing Leeward Islands their first triumph over the side since 2009. Incidentally, then too Tonge took a five-for.Having won the toss, Leeward Islands’ fast-bowling duo of Louis and Tonge took turns to run through the opposition line-up, bagging a six-for and a three-for alternately in the two innings. While Louis’s first-innings offensive skittled Barbados out for 113 inside 37 overs, Tonge led the charge in the second as the opposition folded for 116. The only semblance of resistance from Barbados came via Ashley Nurse, who top scored in both innings with knocks of 45 and 67 each. He strung two fifty-plus partnerships – with Justin Greaves (20) and Sheyne Moseley (15) – for the sixth and eighth wickets in the two innings, but was undone in both instances by Louis, who picked up his maiden first-class five-for.With the bat, too, Louis contributed to Barbados’ undoing as he waltzed to his maiden first-class fifty, having come in to bat at No. 8. His 50-run last-wicket stand with Jason Campbell, coupled with Leeward’s searing bowling performance, ensured their total of 233 all out was enough to hand them a 120-run first-innings lead and also edge Barbados out with four runs still to spare in the 33rd over on the second day.

Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has recalled the moment Robin van Persie completely lost his head in the dressing room immediately after a win – Arsene Wenger wanted nothing to do with it.

Has Theo Walcott retired?

After first emerging as a fresh-faced teenager, the 34-year-old has put an end to an 18-year career and hung up his boots; reminding us all of just how old we are getting.

Walcott played for Premier League clubs in Southampton, Arsenal and Everton, as well as representing England on the international stage, but has now retired after playing over 560 senior games.

"The first moment I put my football boots on aged 10, was the start of a special journey for me," he wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. Adding: "Thank you to everyone who has been with me along the way."

Beyond that social media post, Walcott also announced the news while speaking on Gary Neville’s Overlap YouTube channel.

In the same interview, he took the opportunity to speak about some of the juicier stories from behind the scenes during his time in North London – as you can see in the clip shared below.

Walcott said: “Robin was going for the Golden Boot and I understand strikers are selfish, they want to score, I get it. We were playing Man City and Arteta scored, it was quite a famous goal for him, actually. I remember we came in [to the dressing room] and everyone was happy and Robin wasn’t happy because he didn’t score.

"Aaron went clean through at the end, he should have squared it to him and Robin scores. We were all happy and then Robin goes off on one with Aaron.

“It gets all heated and players are getting thrown all over the place. I remember seeing Arsene [Wenger], sort of, slip past and go to his back office because he thought the players will just deal with this.

"So when I say he didn't like confrontation, I felt like he would get the team to deal with the problems.”

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

A fan on Twitter has since dug out the actual moment being spoken about and, to be fair, you can completely understand why Van Persie got so upset with Ramsey.

Indeed, in the 94th minute of the match, Tomas Rosicky pokes through a fine pass to Aaron Ramsey, who runs through on goal and selfishly tries to score himself when he had Van Persie – who was hoping to win the Golden Boot at the time – standing unmarked in acres of space.

The chance is wasted and it's no shock to learn how angry the Dutch forward was even long after the incident.

How many Premier League goals has Theo Walcott scored?

During his time in the Premier League, Walcott played 397 times in total, scoring 80 goals, while also picking up 56 assists along the way as he turned out for Arsenal, Everton and Southampton.

His best-ever goalscoring season came for the Gunners in 2012/13 when he netted 14 league goals in 32 outings and he will likely be most fondly remembered in North London as he scored 108 goals in all competitions for the team he joined as a 16-year-old.

The Indian board explains why the national anti-doping agency cannot carry out testing on cricketers

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Nov-2017Asserting that it already has a “robust” drug-testing mechanism in place, the BCCI has told the Indian Sports Ministry that there was no need for the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to test cricketers. The BCCI made it clear that it is an autonomous organisation, not a national sports federation, and hence did not come under NADA’s jurisdiction.NADA is the nodal agency certified to carry out anti-doping measures under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code for all national sports federations in India. In May, the NADA director general and chief executive officer, Navin Agarwal, wrote to Vinod Rai, chairman of the Committee of Administrators supervising BCCI, about conducting in- and out-of-competition testing on all of India’s domestic and international cricketers.The BCCI, in its response, said it had been a signatory to the ICC anti-doping code since 2011, which in turn was based on the WADA code, and therefore additional scrutiny was not necessary.”BCCI is an autonomous sports organisation affiliated to the International Cricket Council, which governs the game of cricket globally,” Rahul Johri, BCCI’s CEO, said. “Accordingly, BCCI is required to operate within the rules and regulations set by the ICC.”Johri said the BCCI followed a zero-tolerance policy towards doping and its anti-doping code “imposes clear prohibitions and controls” to keep Indian cricket “free from doping”. He also said the BCCI already conducts tests under the “aegis” of the Sports Ministry, considering WADA mandates that dope tests need to be sent to the national dope-testing laboratory.”For analysis and testing of samples, BCCI adheres to the WADA International Standard for Laboratories and the WADA International Standard for Testing and Investigations. Accordingly, the BCCI has engaged the services of the same expert sample collection agency that is also engaged by the ICC to provide sample collection services viz. International Doping Tests & Management (IDTM). IDTM sends the collected samples for testing to a WADA accredited laboratory viz. National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), as mandated by WADA. Since the Chief Executive Officer of NDTL is the Secretary (Sports), Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the dope testing for BCCI is conducted under aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.”When the ICC signed the WADA code in 2006, the BCCI was one of the first boards to object strongly to the whereabouts clause, which allows out-of-competition testing to be done without prior notice. That meant an athlete needed to disclose his location so that officials could visit unannounced to collect samples. But a lot of India’s players were concerned about their security, and consequently the ICC anti-doping code with regards to the whereabouts clause was amended with WADA’s consent.”It is clear that BCCI already has a robust dope-testing mechanism which is employed for both during competitions and out-of-competitions,” Johri said. “It is also relevant to mention here that BCCI is not a National Sports Federation. Accordingly, NADA does not have jurisdiction to conduct dope testing of Indian cricketers in any domestic competition or international event organised by or under the aegis of BCCI.”Rahul Bhatnagar, the secretary of the Indian Sports Ministry, had written to the BCCI saying if the board did not accommodate NADA, it would become non-WADA compliant. Johri’s response to him too was that the BCCI wasn’t under NADA jurisdiction and was “only required to operate within the anti-doping rules and regulations set by the ICC”.Johri said the BCCI was the only sports body in India to have a 24×7 helpline and an anti-doping education programme undertaken by all cricketers – men and women – who are also given handbook that contains a list of banned substances. “It is a matter of great pride that the anti-doping statistics released by WADA till date, as reported by WADA accredited laboratories, reveal that from 2013, BCCI has consistently reported the highest number of sample testing in the world amongst all cricket boards.”

Pat Cummins is finally set to play a Test on home soil in the Ashes and hopes to emulate Mitchell Johnson, whose carnage brought home the urn in 2013-14

Daniel Brettig12-Oct-2017Pat Cummins wants to be Australia’s Ashes enforcer, pinpointing Joe Root and Alastair Cook as England’s key wickets. He admitted the hosts will likely resort to bouncers – both verbal and literal – to regain the urn this summer.Ahead of a summer in which Cummins will finally play a Test on home soil – no less than six years after his storied debut against South Africa in Johannesburg – the 24-year-old is taking inspiration from how Mitchell Johnson intimidated England’s Ashes tourists four years ago, and has reasoned that the adjustment from softer northern hemisphere surfaces will offer a significant advantage for Steven Smith’s Australians.”We’re lucky there’s a few of us who are all pretty tall and get a bit of bounce with a bit of pace,” Cummins said in Sydney. “I’d love to play that [intimidation] role, hopefully the wickets have a bit of pace and bounce in them, getting the adrenaline up and running in and trying to bowl quick.”No one really likes it if you’ve got real pace and real accuracy. Especially those kinds of guys, they play on slower wickets where there’s not as much bounce. So over here and in South Africa as well it’s one of our biggest strengths, as batsmen we grow up on these wickets and as bowlers, getting bounce has always been really important. So I think it’s trying to make it as different to their home conditions as possible, bouncy fast wickets and short balls are definitely that.”Just playing a Test match in Australia will be a pretty weird feeling, I’ve played five now but none at home which is obviously what you grow up watching, so it’ll be great to be part of an Ashes series, it’ll be pretty amazing. I was over there a couple of years ago in England, running drinks, so the prospect of playing in front of a home crowd, I can’t wait.”The elevated place of Cummins in Australia’s planning for the home summer was underlined by how he was sent home early from the limited-overs tour of India to enjoy several weeks of rest before playing in the Sheffield Shield matches that lead into the first Test at the Gabba in late November. His memories of Johnson include the exhilaration felt by spectators and the hostility faced by the English batsmen, not only from the bowlers, but also the snarling presence of their team-mates in the field. Root and Cook can expect to bear the brunt this time around.”That series, one of the most exciting in recent times where fast bowling has really excited world cricket, and as a fast bowler I was super pumped to watch Jono [Johnson] and how he kept the whole morale of the side up at home in Australia against the Poms,” Cummins said. “That just shows the importance of having a really quick bowler and hopefully one of us three or four guys can do a similar job.”I think we all show our aggression differently, you probably tailor it towards which batsman you’re bowling to. That was one of the things along with the 150kph bouncers that really intimidated them, not just bowling. Hopefully that’s not our only tool – I’m not quite quick-witted enough to come up with too many sledges, but hopefully we can show our aggression in other ways.”Joe Root’s probably their most in-form batsman so I think he’ll be the prize wicket along with Alastair Cook, either of those two will be prime wickets.”While Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are returning to full fitness after foot and side injuries, Cummins has come through a severely taxing series of overseas assignments with a clean bill of health, even after taking the field as Australia’s sole fast bowler in enervating Chittagong heat against Bangladesh. He has taken plenty of confidence from the experience, after years punctuated by plenty of injuries, rehab sessions and only the occasional sequence of cricket.”I think more so having the captain and the selectors’ confidence to pick me as the sole fast bowler in a Test match [helped], a year or two ago I thought I was really far away from a Test match, let alone confident in my form and my body to be the only [pace] bowler,” Cummins said. “I feel like I’ve played a lot of cricket on the subcontinent this year, so I’m looking forward to playing some Shield games with the red ball and getting used to these conditions again.”It has been a little bit weird watching the Test matches throughout the summers, but I’ve probably felt for the last five or six years I haven’t been that close to [playing] a Test match. Watching the one-dayers and the T20 sides I feel like I should be out there, but the Test matches I haven’t really been close to, more watching as a fan. So to go out there and play will be doubly special.”Like Starc and Hazlewood, Cummins is expecting to play in two of three Shield matches for New South Wales before joining the Ashes squad in Brisbane ahead of the Tests.

Everton have been credited with an interest in Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom as manager Sean Dyche looks to build a team capable of thriving in the Premier League.

What's the latest on Chuba Akpom to Everton?

That's according to TEAMtalk, who have revealed that newly-promoted top-flight outfit Sheffield United are readying a £10m bid for the 27-year-old, though the Toffees and Crystal Palace are also considering a swoop.

Akpom has entered the final year of his contract on Teesside and while negotiations are ongoing over a new deal, the sway of a starring role at a top-flight club could tempt him to move.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

With the Blades looking to take their pursuit of Akpom's signature into the closing stages, Dyche will need to act swiftly if he is to secure his man.

Should Everton sign Chuba Akpom?

It's been a testing few years for the blue half of Liverpool, with Everton spending the past several campaigns battling against relegation and churning through managers by the truckload.

But while Dyche only took the reins at Goodison Park in January, replacing Frank Lampard, the gritty, no-nonsense manager looks set to keep his place for the foreseeable after navigating away from danger in the latter stage of the 22/23 campaign.

He has already signed the experienced Ashley Young on a free transfer and Arnaut Danjuma on loan this summer – with a £15m fee agreed with Sporting Lisbon for teenage striker Youssef Chermiti – but Akpom could bring the instant and consistent threat the club strives for to the climb the Premier League ladder this year.

The one-time Arsenal youngster was the Championship top scorer last season as he plundered a fantastic 28 goals from 38 matches, integral for Boro as they reached the playoffs but fell to Coventry City in the semi-finals.

Hailed for his "remarkable season" by BBC Sport's Oluwashina Okeleji, "winning both the Player and the Players' Player of the Year awards", Akpom has finally found his feet after years ebbing and flowing from form, and Everton could offer him the starring role to continue his fruitful exploits and prove to be an upgrade on the club's current options.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is Everton's irrefutable star man up front, but the 6 foot 2 striker has spent a lot of time in the medical room over the past two seasons and has consequently scored just seven goals across the past two campaigns, after netting 16 during the 2021/22 league season.

And Neal Maupay has not exactly evoked confidence in the sanguine Everton crowd after scoring just one goal all term following his £15m transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion one year ago.

Branded a "disaster" by journalist Paul Brown, Maupay ranks embarrassingly among the bottom 3% of strikers for goals per 90 over the past year (FBref), and recorded an average Sofascore rating of 6.56 in the Premier League, taking just 1.2 shots per game, completing 77% of his passes and succeeding with 37% of his dribbles and 45% of his ground duels.

Akpom, comparatively, recorded an average rating of 7.14 in the second tier last year, complementing his prolific return with 2.6 shots per match, completing 82% of his passes and succeeding with 55% of his dribbles and ground duels.

The Middlesbrough marksman is far sharper and was heralded as a "huge threat" by his boss Michael Carrick last year, also highlighting his impressive "link-up play" and "clever" approach to his trade.

With Everton still short of an attacking cog or two, Dyche might be wise to discard Maupay and offer Akpom the opportunity to thrive for the club, bringing his goalscoring feats to the top-flight and playing a big role in the Blues' pursuit of prominence.

Newcastle United are reportedly "in talks" with Galatasaray midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo over a summer move to St James' Park, but face stiff competition for his signature.

How old is Nicolo Zaniolo?

The Magpies are continuing to work on their summer transfer business, having already brought in the likes of Sandro Tanoli and Harvey Barnes from AC Milan and Leicester City respectively.

Another player who has been linked with joining Newcastle is Zaniolo, who only actually signed for Galatasaray in February, scoring five goals in ten Turkish Super Lig appearances.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

The Italian is still only 24 years of age, and while he has suffered terrible luck with injuries over the years, including cruciate ligament damage, the hope is that he still has a long and successful career ahead of him.

Newcastle clearly see him as a potential strong signing in attacking midfield, perhaps proving to be a creative presence ahead of the likes of Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, and their interest doesn't appear to be going away any time soon.

Could Newcastle sign Nicolo Zaniolo?

According to Hurriyet [via Sport Witness], the Magpies remain "in talks" with Zanioli and his agents over a summer move to the club, but they are far from alone in looking to snap him up.

Juventus and Milan are mentioned in the same breath, while there is also interest from Saudi Arabia. Another unnamed Premier League team are believed to be in the hunt to sign the Italy international, too.

There is an obvious risk element when it comes to the Magpies possibly sign Zaniolo this summer, considering the injury troubles he has had down the years. Bringing him in on a long-term deal wouldn't necessarily be the most sensible thing, but if the medical experts believed he has overcome the worst of his issues, he could be a fantastic signing on a medium length deal.

The 24-year-old enjoyed an impressive spell at Roma, scoring 24 goals and registering 18 assists in 128 appearances, with club legend Daniel De Rossi once saying of him:

"He has an incredible natural physique for someone who is only 19 and also has great technical quality. In my opinion, as perhaps with everyone now, he is already a very good player – and can become a great one."

Whether Galatasaray are willing to sell Zaniolo so soon remains to be seen, but if his head is turned by a move to the Premier League, they could find it difficult to keep hold of an unhappy player.

Having lots of midfield options is vital for Newcastle, as they get ready to battle across four different competitions in 2023/24, and the ex-Roma man could dovetail beautifully with Tonali and Bruno in an eye-catching midfield, as well as providing great competition for the likes of Joelinton in that advanced left-sided role.

The fact that Zaniolo can play as centre forward and even out wide is an added bonus for Eddie, strengthening his options in the final third at the same time as in midfield, and injuries aside, it is a no-brainer of a signing, and one that could be a statement of intent if they beat some European giants to his signature.