All posts by h79snht.top

Sheffield Wednesday would have been delighted with the latest development involving loan hero Shea Charles earlier in the window, with the Southampton loanee now staying put until the end of the Championship season.

After all, he had become an instant fan favourite at Hillsborough with his full-blooded showings from the middle of the park, but Wednesday supporters will still be craving some more movement in through the door before Monday’s deadline.

Their thirst could soon be quenched if the ongoing rumour mill is anything to go by, as the Owls remain keen on landing this experienced midfield talent to further bolster options centrally.

Wednesday interested in signing former EFL star

Wednesday fans would have been waiting with bated breath over developments surrounding midfield target Stuart Armstrong, with reports from Canada suggesting that the Scotsman was going to choose the Blades over the Owls.

Transfer Focus

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Those claims have since been rubbished by Sheffield Star journalist Danny Hall who suggests any imminent move involving the 32-year-old linking up with Chris Wilder’s side are ‘wide of the mark’.

Fellow Sheffield Star journalist Alex Miller has stated that Danny Rohl is keen to land the ex-Southampton man having worked beside him at St. Mary’s, amidst interest now being ‘intensified’.

Everyone connected to Hillsborough will hope this move can get over the line before the fast-approaching deadline, with Armstrong perhaps going on to be Wednesday’s next version of Barry Bannan as the current Vancouver Whitecaps man has proved himself to be a stylish operator in the Championship previously.

Wednesday's next Barry Bannan

After all, the £39k-per-week star’s efforts last season donning Southampton red and white helped then-boss Russell Martin achieve playoff glory, with goals and assists plenty coming from the experienced head.

Indeed, Armstrong would finish the successful campaign with an impressive five goals and seven assists next to his name from 42 league outings, with Martin even labelling his former number 17 as a “smooth” player to watch when at the peak of his powers.

Armstrong’s league numbers (23/24) vs Bannan’s (24/25)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Armstrong

Bannan

Games played

42

28

Goals scored

5

4

Assists

7

3

Touches*

58.3

63.9

Accurate passes*

35.9 (85%)

38.7 (80%)

Ball recoveries*

3.5

5.3

Total duels won*

2.7

3.1

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, there are many similarities between both Armstrong and Bannan in the ways they operate centrally, with both players in question adept at getting involved in attacks, as the modern-day Wednesday great already has seven goal contributions next to his name this season compared to Armstrong’s output of 12.

But, Bannan could well still get the nod to start over Armstrong if the ex-Saints star was to relocate back to England owing to his strengths in recovering the ball and winning duels, alongside his obvious quality to fire home a crucial strike for Rohl’s men or deliver a killer through ball.

After all, the 32-year-old target thrived as a background figure when on the books of Southampton, with only 33 starts coming his way from 42 Championship appearances last season.

Therefore, bringing in Armstrong could give Rohl some healthy selection headaches, with Charles also unlikely to be displaced after his blistering start to life in South Yorkshire has seen him win an incredible 6.5 duels on average as a more attritional body.

Yet, much like Wednesday have become accustomed to with Bannan over the years, Armstrong could be chucked into any contest at a moment’s notice and still be able to muster up a piece of magic.

Rohl will no doubt feel strong squad depth could be key in his side still being able to sneak into those playoff positions as a dark horse, with one or two incomings potentially on the agenda now between now and Monday’s deadline.

Related 2025 winter transfer window: Every done deal from the Championship

Every winter transfer from the second tier can be found here.

Posts ByStephan Georgiou Feb 3, 2025

تتجه أنظار عشاق برشلونة نحو إعلان رسمي مرتقب هذا الأسبوع، حيث يستعد النادي للكشف عن مفاجأة سارة يوم، الأربعاء المقبل.

ونجح برشلونة في حصد العديد من الألقاب في الموسم الحالي 2024/2025، حيث توج ببطولات الدوري الإسباني، كأس ملك إسبانيا وكأس السوبر الإسباني.

اقرأ أيضًا | سبورت: رغم وجود تير شتيجن وتشيزني.. حارس جديد يدخل رادار برشلونة في الصيف

وبحسب صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الكتالونية، تؤكد أن المدرب هانز فليك سيوقع على تمديد عقده مع النادي حتى يونيو 2027، لكن تفاصيل الاتفاق لا تزال طي الكتمان.

وأفادت الصحيفة أن الأربعاء سيتم الإعلان رسميًا عن تمديد عقد فليك، بعد اجتماع مع وكيل أعماله قبل أيام قليلة، قبل الالتقاء مع رئيس نادي برشلونة، خوان لابورتا.

عقد فليك الحالي مع برشلونة مستمر حتى 30 يونيو 2026، لكن بعد نجاحات الموسم الأول، كانت هناك رغبة قوية من إدارة النادي الكتالوني لاستمراره أكثر.

واستطاع فليك أن يفرض أسلوبًا نجاحًا من حيث الانضباط ليخرج أفضل ما يمتلك لاعبو برشلونة لحصد الألقاب بعد حالة من الفوضى عانى منها الفريق في السنوات الأخيرة.

MatériaMais Notícias

O resultado de 1 a 1 conquistado na noite deste sábado diante do Cuiabá, pela 7ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, não ajudou o Internacional em termos de classificação com o clube mantendo-se na 10ª colocação após a partida.

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Apesar de marcar o único gol do Colorado, Carlos De Pena optou por não exaltar seu feito. Na visão do meio-campista, o tento não tem importância se o time não sair de campo com a vitória, alertando para uma melhora se quiser brigar pelas primeiras posições.

“O gol não vale muito se a equipe não consegue os três pontos. Para mim, é importante a equipe vencer. Em momentos, tivemos erros. Em outros, oportunidades. Temos que melhorar se quisermos estar em cima”, declarou o uruguaio de 30 anos.

“Estamos fazendo boas partidas, mas não conseguimos os três pontos: Avaí, Juventude, Corinthians e aqui (Cuiabá). Precisamos ver o que temos feito para refletir no resultado. É um campeonato muito parelho. Temos que fazer pontos em casa e fora”, concluiu.

O Inter voltará a campo pela competição nacional diante do Atlético-GO, segunda-feira (30), no Beira-Rio.

Celtic were left frustrated in the 2023/24 campaign after they were knocked out of the Champions League before they won a match in the group stage.

The Hoops won one of their six matches in the group, with that victory coming against Feyenoord in the last game, and were dumped out of the competition before the knockout phase.

This time around, in the new-look format, Celtic have qualified past the league phase and they are now set to face off against Bayern Munich at Parkhead in the first-leg of the play-off round.

The Scottish Premiership leaders, who have already beaten Bundesliga side RB Leipzig 3-1 in Glasgow, will need a big result to take back to Bavaria for the second-leg in Germany next week.

Celtic are no strangers to a big night under the lights in Europe and they will need another one of them this evening when they welcome Vincent Kompany’s side to Parkhead.

One of their most famous wins in the Champions League came against a Lionel Messi-led Barcelona team back in November 2012 during the group stage.

Tony Watt's heroics against Barcelona

The Hoops welcomed the Spanish giants to Glasgow and produced a sensational performance to come away with all three points, as they beat the LaLiga side 2-1 on the night.

Barcelona registered a whopping 24 shots, 14 of which were on target, but they only scored one goal as Fraser Forster put on a mammoth showing between the sticks – one so good that it led to Messi describing him as “not human”.

Celtic took the lead through Victor Wanyama in the first half when he met Charlie Mulgrew’s deep corner to head in at the back post to make it 1-0.

The three points were sealed, however, thanks to the heroics of Tony Watt, who scored the second goal of the game to give the Hoops breathing space, which they ended up needing when Lionel Messi pulled one back in stoppage time.

Forster sent a kick long down the middle of the pitch, that was completely missed by Xavi, and sent Watt, who anticipated the mistake, through on goal to rattle a brilliant finish into the far bottom corner.

It ended up being his only Champions League goal for Celtic – what a way to do it – and it is one that supporters may not forget for a very long time.

There is now an opportunity for another player to etch their name into Celtic folklore by being the player to score the winning goal against Bayern Munich under the lights at Parkhead in the Champions League tonight.

Chalkboard

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Brendan Rodgers, now, has decisions to make in regards to who is going to line up as part of the front three from the start, after the Hoops beat Raith Rovers 5-0 in the SFA Cup in their last outing.

The Celtic forwards who could miss out against Bayern Munich

South Korean forward Hyun-jun Yang was handed a start against the Championship side on Saturday in the cup and caught the eye with an impressive performance on the left flank.

The 22-year-old ace assisted two of the five goals, teeing up Daizen Maeda and Luke McCowan for goals, and got himself on the scoresheet with a close-range finish.

However, Yang has failed to register a goal or an assist in four outings in the Champions League this season, and has also produced just one goal and zero assists in 14 appearances in the Scottish Premiership for the Hoops.

This does not suggest that Rodgers should be making the call to keep the right-footed whiz in the starting line-up, but there could be a tougher call to make with Jota.

The Portuguese forward returned to the club in January, signing permanently from Rennes, and has contributed with one goal and one assist in three matches so far.

However, Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn have been in terrific form for the Scottish giants on the flanks this season, which could keep Jota out of the XI for this match.

24/25 Champions League

Daizen Maeda

Nicolas Kuhn

Appearances

7

8

xG

1.84

0.88

Goals

3

2

Big chances created

0

4

Assists

0

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, both wingers have shown that they can make an impact in the final third in the Champions League this term, which is why they should start out wide this evening.

This means that Rodgers should ditch Yang and keep Jota on the bench, moving Maeda back out wide, and that would free up the number nine position for Adam Idah to be unleashed.

Why Adam Idah could be the new Tony Watt

The Celtic boss must unleash the Ireland international from the start against Bayern tonight because he has proven, on several occasions, that he has the ability and the mentality to step up when Celtic need him.

Last season, Idah scored two goals, including a stoppage-time penalty, in a 2-1 win over Hibernian on his full debut for the club. Shortly after that, the Irishman came off the bench at 1-0 down away at Motherwell and scored two goals to turn the game around to put his side in front.

His most memorable moment from his loan spell, though, came when he scored the winning goal against Rangers in the SFA Cup final at Hampden Park.

Idah, who was once hailed as “incredible” by Rodgers, then signed for the Scottish giants on a permanent deal from Norwich City last summer, and the sale of Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes in January has finally made him the first-choice number nine for the Hoops.

Shortly after the Japanese forward’s departure, the 24-year-old marksman showcased both his quality and his mental fortitude in the 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa.

Celtic may have gone on to lose the game but they still managed to claw themselves back to 2-2 after being 2-0 down after just five minutes away from home in the Champions League, thanks to a quickfire double from the ex-Canaries ace.

Idah has shown, time and again, over the past year or so that he can be a clutch player who scores important goals at important times for Celtic, just as Watt did in that famous win over Barcelona.

Therefore, Rodgers must unleash the 6 foot 3 centre-forward from the start in this game against Bayern tonight, as he could be a difference-maker at Parkhead.

Related Van Dijk 2.0: Celtic can strike gold with young gem who's dominant & pacey

Brendan Rodgers could unearth his own version of Virgil van Dijk in the young ace.

Posts ByDan Emery Feb 11, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Titular na derrota do Flamengo para o Red Bull Bragantino – por 1 a 0 nesta quarta-feira -, Rodrigo Caio não escondeu a insatisfação com mais um desempenho ruim da equipe no Campeonato Brasileiro. Em sua avaliação, o Rubro-Negro não soube criar as oportunidades após sofrer o gol e mesmo após ficar com um jogador a mais em campo.

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+ Confira a classificação completa e a tabela da Série A do Brasileirão!

-É sempre bem difícil dar desculpas. Infelizmente, não foi uma grande noite. Não conseguimos criar oportunidades, foi um jogo de poucas oportunidades. Tomamos o gol em uma bobeira, onde fez com que a equipe do Bragantino jogasse com a vantagem no placar e isso os favoreceu. Não conseguimos criar as oportunidades para empatar e virar o jogo – afirmou o zagueiro, na saída, ao Premiere.

Rodrigo Caio saiu aos 38 minutos da segunda etapa, dando lugar a Gustavo Henrique. Segundo o camisa 3, a estratégia foi colocar um jogador alto para aproveitar a bola aérea ofensiva, o que acabou não se concretizando.

– É sempre difícil jogar contra um time com 10 jogadores atrás da linha da bola. Mister me tirou para colocar o Gustavo para ir na bola alçada na área, infelizmente não deu certo – concluiu Rodrigo Caio.

تحدث إيرلينج هالاند، نجم فريق مانشستر سيتي، عن فوزهم الثمين في مباراة الأمس ضد فولهام في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز ومن ثم التأهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وخاض مانشستر سيتي مباراته الأخيرة في موسم الدوري الإنجليزي ضد فولهام على ملعب “كرافن كوتيج” حيث فاز بهدفين دون رد.

وتأهل مانشستر سيتي بذلك إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا، الموسم المقبل.

وصرّح بيب جوارديولا، بعد المباراة، بكون التأهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا يماثل التتويج بلقب (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وعندما سُئل عن رأيه تجاه ذلك، قال هالاند في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “ليس الشعور نفسه مثلما هو عند الفوز باللقب، ولكنني أعرف ما يقصده وأتفق معه، إنه أمر بالغ الأهمية”.

وأضاف: “على هذا النادي اللعب في دوري أبطال أوروبا، عليًّ أن ألعب في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وعلى جوارديولا أن يدرب فريقًا في دوري أبطال أوروبا، لذلك فإن الأمر مهم”.

وواصل: “نحن مرتاحون الآن كوننا نتواجد هنا لأنه كان موسمًا صعبًا وشاقًا، نحن سعداء للغاية، عدنا بعد فترة صعبة للغاية، وعملنا معًا على تجاوزها، لم يكن الأمر سهلاً، لكننا أظهرنا شخصية رائعة”.

وأردف: “في النهاية تواجدنا في المركز الثالث ونحن مرتاحون، سعداء للغاية، نحن مُركزون على خوض كأس العالم للأندية في حالة جيدة وعلى الهجوم بقوة”.

ونفذ إيرلينج هالاند ضربة جزاء مانشستر سيتي أمس، وحولها إلى هدف ثاني، وذلك بعدما فضّل منحها لزميله المصري عمر مرموش في نهائي كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي وأهدرها.

وعما إذا كان يعلم أنه سينفذ ضربة الجزاء حال حصول مانشستر سيتي عليها، قال: “نعم، كنت أعلم ذلك، نعم”.

وبشأن ما يحتاجه للمستقبل، قال: “لا يمكن الفوز باللقب كل عام، لم يسبق لأحد أن فاز بلقب الدوري الإنجليزي أربع سنوات متتالية، نحن في المركز الثالث لكن مانشستر سيتي فاز بالدوري ست مرات في آخر 8 سنوات”.

واسترسل: “لو كنت من مشجعي مانشستر سيتي، وأنا كذلك بالفعل، لما كنت أتذمر، أتمنى لو فزنا باللقب هذا العام أيضًا، لكن لا يمكن فعل ذلك كل عام، سنبذل قصارى جهدنا لنجعله موسمًا أفضل بكثير العام المقبل”.

The mini-auction is expected to be held in the third week of December

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Oct-2022

The franchises will have an additional INR 5 crore (approx. US $607,000) to spend at the mini-auction•BCCI

The IPL has started the process for the upcoming mini-auction by asking the ten franchises to submit their list of retained players by November 15. While a date for the auction has not yet been finalised, it is expected to be held in the third week of December.Unlike the mega auction last year, when two new franchises were added and the old teams could retain a maximum of four players, there is no such cap for the mini-auction ahead of IPL 2023. In addition to the money left over from the previous auction, each team will have an additional INR 5 crore (approx. US $607,000) to spend, making the overall auction purse INR 95 crore (approx. US $11.5 million).Punjab Kings had the largest purse left – INR 3.45 crore (approx. US $425,000) – after last year’s auction, while Lucknow Super Giants had exhausted their entire purse. Chennai Super Kings had INR 2.95 crore (approx. US $358,000) remaining, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 1.55 crore, or approx. US $188,000), Rajasthan Royals (INR 0.95 crore or approx. US $115,000) and Kolkata Knight Riders (INR 0.45 crore, or approx. US $55,000). Defending champions Gujarat Titans were left with INR 0.15 crore (approx. US $18,000) while three teams – Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals – had INR 0.10 crore (approx. US $12,000).Despite franchises having smaller purses, mini-auctions have produced some of the most expensive buys in the past. At the 2021 auction, South Africa fast bowler Chris Morris became the most expensive player after Royals bought him for INR 16.25 crore (then approx. US $2.2 million), which was INR 25 lakhs more than Delhi’s winning bid for India allrounder Yuvraj Singh in 2015.Overseas players have often been big earners at mini-auctions with Pat Cummins getting INR 15.5 crore from Knight Riders in 2020, while Ben Stokes’ first IPL pay cheque was INR 14.50 crore from Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017.Stokes along with his England team-mate Sam Curran and Australia allrounder Cameron Green are some of the overseas players franchises expect to attract the biggest bids if they enter the auction.Three teams – Kings, Capitals and Super Giants – bought only seven overseas players at the previous auction, so they could be on the lookout to fill up the last spot. Other teams could release one or more of their overseas players to create vacancies and increase their purses.Also, six franchises had brought in injury replacements during IPL 2022. These franchises will have to decide whether to retain the replacement player or the original player, or both provided the player limit allows. Following is the list of players originally bought and their replacements: Adam Milne, replaced by Matheesha Pathirana (Super Kings) Tymal Mills, replaced by Tristan Stubbs (Mumbai) Nathan Coulter-Nile, replaced by Corbin Bosch (Royals) Mark Wood, replaced by Andrew Tye (Super Giants) Alex Hales, replaced by Aaron Finch (Knight Riders) Jason Roy, replaced by Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Titans)

عبر لاعب منتخب كرواتيا وبرشلونة السابق، إيفان راكيتيتش، عن حزنه الشديد لاقتراب نهاية رحلة لوكا مودريتش مع نادي ريال مدريد، مؤكدًا أن غيابه سيمثّل فراغًا كبيرًا يصعب تعويضه في صفوف الفريق الملكي.

وفي تصريحات عبر برنامج “El Partidazo” الإسباني، قال راكيتيتش: “شعرت بحزن كبير، لأننا جميعًا نريد الاستمتاع بما يقدمه مودريتش، ولكن في ريال مدريد تحديدًا، من الصعب جدًا تخيل الفريق من دونه”.

وأضاف نجم برشلونة السابق: “ريال مدريد كان يضم دائمًا لاعبين كبار مثل كريستيانو رونالدو وسيرجيو راموس، لكن مودريتش كان مختلفًا، لقد نال محبة الجميع”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تشابي ألونسو يتحدث عن استعدادات ريال مدريد لـ كأس العالم للأندية.. ويوجه طلبًا للجماهير

وتحدث راكيتيتش عن آخر لقاء جمعه بقائد منتخب كرواتيا، وقال: “تحدثت معه، وكان من الواضح أنه يعيش حالة وجدانية قوية، لوكا بحاجة إلى ريال مدريد، وكذلك العكس، رؤيته قبل يومين فقط من إحدى المباريات وهو يقول انتهى الأمر، انتهى الأمر، كان مشهدًا صعبًا”.

وتابع لاعب إشبيلية السابق متأثرًا: “ما حدث كان جميلًا، أول مرة نشاهد فيها رئيس ريال مدريد، فلورنتينو بيريز، في المدرجات والدموع في عينيه، الأمر أحزنني كثيرًا”.

وختم راكيتيتش حديثه برسالة شخصية وجهها إلى مودريتش: “قلت له عبر الهاتف، أتمنى أن يستمر في الاستمتاع بكرة القدم، وأن يقود منتخبنا الوطني نحو كأس العالم، رحيله عن مدريد فاجأني حقًا، لكن الأهم بالنسبة لي كصديق، هو أن يكون سعيدًا”.

Leeds United went through the January transfer window, which closed for business at the start of this month, without making an addition to their first-team squad.

The Whites were reportedly looking at potential signings to come in and bolster their squad, however, as they were said to be interested in a deal to sign Emiliano Buendia on loan from Premier League side Aston Villa.

Bayer Leverkusen eventually swooped in to sign the Argentina international on loan from the Villans, which ended Daniel Farke’s chances of a reunion with the former Norwich playmaker.

Farke and his team have been flying without any extra help, from Buendia or anyone else, as they smashed Watford 4-0 away from home in their last match in the Championship.

The West Yorkshire outfit are now five points clear of Burnley in third place, and two ahead of Sheffield United in second, as they aim to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Despite there still being plenty of football left to be played, Leeds are reportedly looking ahead to the summer transfer window and who they could bring in to bolster their squad for a season in the top-flight.

Leeds eyeing German forward

The recruitment team at Thorp Arch are already hard at work to identify targets who could come in to improve Farke’s options across the pitch to deal with the step up to Premier League football.

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are now one of a number of clubs eyeing up Celtic forward Nicolas Kuhn ahead of a potential swoop for his services at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The report claims that Premier League sides Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion have both sent scouts to watch the left-footed forward in action this season, whilst other unnamed teams in England and abroad are interested in the attacker.

TEAMtalk adds that the Whites have a long-standing interest in the former Bayern Munich academy star and that they will have a chance to secure his signature if they win promotion out of the Championship this season.

The outlet reveals, though, that Celtic are not going to let the German dynamo leave without a fight and that they want a club-record fee of £26m from any team looking to sign Kuhn in the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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It also states that Leeds have an interest in Sheffield United midfielder Gustavo Hamer, Manchester City playmaker James McAtee, and Krasnodar star Eduard Spertsyan, which shows that they have plenty of targets that they are ready to pursue upon promotion later this year.

Leeds are fully aware of how difficult the jump from the Championship to the Premier League is, which is why they will need to get their recruitment spot on, and current star Dan James is a great example of the difference between the two divisions.

The duality of Dan James

The Wales international’s career at Leeds is the perfect example of how big the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is, if you look at his production at the top end of the pitch.

James joined the Whites from Manchester United on a permanent deal in the summer of 2021 and ended his first season with a return of four goals and four assists in 34 appearances in the top-flight.

The 27-year-old flop was then sent out on loan to Fulham for the 2022/23 campaign and only managed a haul of two goals and one assist for the Cottagers, before returning to Elland Road to play in the Championship.

Dan James

Premier League (Leeds + Fulham)

Championship (Leeds)

Appearances

58

66

Goals

6

23

Big chances created

8

26

Assists

5

13

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, James has been incredibly more productive at the top end of the pitch at Championship level in comparison to his form in the Premier League with Leeds and Fulham.

These statistics suggest that he is more suited to second division football and that, despite his impressive form this season, he could be one of the players who Farke needs to sign an upgrade on in the summer transfer window.

Why Nicolas Kuhn could be a Dan James

Signing Kuhn from Celtic could ensure that the German head coach has the upgrade that he needs on the right flank, as his form in Scotland this season suggests that he has the potential to offer more than the Welshman.

The left-footed wizard has racked up an eye-catching return of 17 goals and 12 assists in 34 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants so far this term.

That is particularly impressive when you consider that Leeds’ top-scorer, Joel Piroe, has only managed 14 goals and six assists in 34 matches for the Whites this season.

This illustrates how big of a threat Kuhn could be for the Whites at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals, in comparison to both Piroe and James.

There could be questions raised about the quality of the Scottish Premiership compared to the Premier League, but the German winger has also excelled in the Champions League for Brendan Rodgers this term – playing against the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Aston Villa, and RB Leipzig.

24/25 Champions League

Nicolas Kuhn

Appearances

9

xG

0.88

Goals

2

Big chances created

4

Assists

1

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has produced six goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in nine appearances in Europe’s premier cup competition for the Hoops this season.

The 25-year-old star, who was once hailed as “magical” by Rodgers, is also unfortunate not to be on three goals in the Champions League, as he had a strike chalked off because of Adam Idah being ‘involved’ with play in an offside position against Bayern Munich.

Overall, Kuhn has shown that he has the quality to make a difference at the top end of the pitch against some of Europe’s best teams, whilst he has also been on fire across all competitions for Celtic, as shown by his return of 29 goals and assists.

The left-footed wizard has the potential to come in as a big upgrade on Dan James, who has consistently struggled against high-quality opposition in the Premier League, and as a bigger goal threat than Piroe, who he has outscored in all competitions this season.

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Therefore, Farke should push for the recruitment team to win the race for the former Bayern starlet’s signature if Leeds secure promotion to the top-flight ahead of the summer.

While acknowledging Guptill’s contributions, the NZ captain was clear it was time to give Allen a run of games ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup

Shashank Kishore15-Nov-2022

Finn Allen and Devon Conway look set to be New Zealand’s first-choice opening combination in white-ball cricket•ICC via Getty Images

Playing a high-profile series within days of finishing a World Cup isn’t new to New Zealand. Last year, within hours of playing the T20 World Cup final against Australia in Dubai, they were en route to India for a T20I series.This year, they’ve had an “extra day or two” following their semi-final loss to Pakistan. The only difference this time is, they will be playing at home against India, with the first of the three T20Is beginning in Wellington on Friday.Related

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Beginning a home summer with the shortest format, especially with a 50-over World Cup coming up in less than a year, could be seen as a sign of commerce taking priority over conventional wisdom. However, Kane Williamson believes, with world events coming thick and fast, teams are perpetually in a state of trying to find the right balance, format notwithstanding.And that’s exactly what New Zealand have tried to address in picking their white-ball squads for the India series. The “crystal-ball gazing” – as head coach Gary Stead described – towards next year’s 50-overs World Cup in India has well and truly begun, and it has had a massive bearing on the Williamson-led squad.Devon Conway has cemented his position as a reliable option up top, and New Zealand are gung-ho about 23-year-old Finn Allen partnering him. What that means for Martin Guptill’s bid to play in a fourth ODI World Cup is anybody’s guess, but Williamson acknowledged that he was “one of New Zealand’s best white-ball players”, while also elaborating on the strengths Allen brings to the table.Trent Boult and James Neesham have declined NZC contracts for different reasons•ICC via Getty Images

“Finn’s a very exciting talent, it’s been great to see him in the side and expressing himself,” Williamson said at a media interaction organised by . “You mentioned that Australian game [New Zealand’s T20 World Cup opener in Sydney] where he made an amazing contribution, and it went a long way in us getting ahead of the game. That’s a real strength of his, it’s natural for him in terms of how he plays.”Being so young as well, you see so much potential and talent and getting more cricket under his belt is only going to be more helpful to nurturing that and continuing his upward trend as a player. He’s looking forward to this series as well. He certainly goes out with the intention of playing very aggressively and playing his game, has a lot of conviction in how he wants to go about it. It’s been great to see and am sure that will continue.”Delving further into team specifics, Williamson admitted that Trent Boult’s absence from the squad despite being available for selection was a reflection of the circumstances around his decision to opt out of New Zealand Cricket’s annual retainer, but he suggested it was by no means a full stop to his international career. The selectors have prioritised players with central contracts as they begin to look ahead.”Obviously with the moving landscape we’re presented with at the moment, players have made a number of different decisions,” Williamson said. “Trent, being a big part of our team, has done that. Although available, he’s got a few other things to focus on within the next period of time. There’s an opportunity at the moment with other guys on the fringe to get some opportunity and for us building and growing as a team is really important, but it’s all a bit new as well and there’s a lot of learning to be had over the next period, but Trent’s obviously a big part of the New Zealand cricket environment and has been for a long time. I think it’s going to be an important thing to learn and understand how it looks over the next period.”Adam Milne returns to the ODI set-up for the first time since 2017, having battled through several injuries. With Kyle Jamieson still recovering from a back injury, the other pace slots have gone to Tim Southee, Matt Henry (ODIs only), Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner.”Adam Milne has been a really strong performer for a number of years, unfortunately had a few injuries along the way,” Williamson said. “He’s a super-talented athlete when fully fit and diving. Great to have him in the squad, he’s ready to go, great addition. Blair Tickner has been more involved in the last few years in a number of formats, so the bowling depth is reasonably strong and it’s nice to see some of these guys get a few opportunities.”Mitchell Santner is the only frontline spinner in New Zealand’s ODI squad•AFP/Getty Images

Allrounder James Neesham finds himself in the mix despite not having a contract, but his situation is different to Boult’s. When Neesham wasn’t offered a central contract, he began looking at prospective T20 deals around the world. But with Colin de Grandhomme retiring, Neesham was presented with a contract, which he had to decline since he had already secured T20 deals.Elsewhere, in picking just one frontline spinner in Mitchell Santner in their ODI squad (although they also have the allrounder Michael Bracewell), New Zealand have given a peek into their horses-for-courses approach as they build into the series. “I’ve always been a believer that addressing what’s in front of you is a pretty good place to start in terms of preparation, and as you get further down the line you start changing that focus,” Williamson explained. “Tournament sport, as we’ve seen in the T20 World Cup, you’ve to adjust and look to pivot and make those changes quickly.”There’s a lot of planning that goes into that, as a team, focusing on plans important to you in terms of continuing to grow and trend in the right direction is really important. The one-day cricket we have between now and then is valuable in terms of trying to do that.”At a personal level, Williamson seemed reasonably happy with where his fitness is, having battled a troublesome elbow injury for over two years. He reiterated his focus and drive to be involved in all three formats at the moment, even though New Zealand have just ended one T20 World Cup cycle.”The elbow is improving, it certainly took quite a long time, but I’m feeling a lot better now,” he said. “I think as a player, generally certain things in life change and when you get further down the line, you’re always looking to make decisions based on making sure you stay fresh.”I certainly love playing all formats and the challenges those bring, and at the same time with such a high volume of cricket, there’s a balance to strike. Maybe less in terms of specific formats, more in terms of how you do manage your time to the best of your ability. There’s a lot on and that’s for a lot of players around the world. Need to make sure there’s that freshness and balance.”