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حسم التعادل السلبي نتيجة مباراة صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي ومولودية الجزائر، في إطار منافسات دور المجموعات من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا. 

وواجه فريق مولودية الجزائر نظيره صن داونز في التاسعة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، على ملعب 5 جويليه بالجزائر، في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا. 

طالع.. فيديو | صن داونز يكتسح سانت إيلوي بثلاثية في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ويقع صن داونز في المجموعة الثالثة من مجموعات دوري أبطال إفريقيا، رفقة أندية مولودية الجزائر والهلال السوداني وسانت لوبوبو. 

بهذه النتيجة رفع فريق صن داونز رصيده إلى 4 نقاط، في صدارة ترتيب المجموعة الثالثة من دوري الأبطال.

بينما رفع فريق مولودية الجزائر رصيده إلى نقطة وحيدة في المركز الثالث بجدول ترتيب المجموعة. 

Chelsea’s transfer strategy over the last few seasons has seen them sign plenty of hugely talented players.

The likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Estevao and Marc Cucurella, for example, are some of the most exciting in the Premier League.

However, the Blues have also signed more than their fair share of flops, some of whom still need to be moved on as soon as possible.

This includes an international centre-back who was once compared to John Terry.

The worst centre-backs signed under Todd Boehly

While Chelsea have made at least one poor signing in practically every position since Todd Boehly and Co took charge, they seem to have had particular bad luck at centre-back.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

For example, ranking as one of the worst signings the club have made over the last few years is Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Blues paid Napoli around £33m for the then-highly rated and vastly experienced defender in 2022, and to their credit, it seemed like a good signing at the time.

After all, the monster centre-back was long seen as one of the best in his position in Europe, but it quickly became apparent that the West Londoners had picked him up a few years too late.

He was slow on and off the ball, prone to mistakes, and simply looked out of place in the Premier League, and was sold to Saudi Pro-League side Al-Hilal after just one year.

Another defender who has failed to live up to expectations at Stamford Bridge, or even get close to them, is Benoit Badiashile.

The former AS Monaco gem joined the Blues in January 2023 for a fee of around £35m, and at the time, fans thought the club had just secured one of the best up-and-coming defenders in French football.

After all, he made his debut for the Ligue 1 side at just 17 years old, and by the time Chelsea came knocking, he had already amassed an impressive tally of 135 appearances for them.

Standing 6 foot 4 inches tall and described as the “complete centre-back” by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his speed, power and ability on the ball, it seemed like he would be a hit.

Unfortunately, while he wasn’t as bad as Koulibaly, he has still made far too many mistakes and was limited to just 16 starts across all competitions last season.

There might be a way back for the Frenchman now he’s fit again, but the same cannot be said for one of his teammates, who was once compared to the iconic John Terry.

The Chelsea player compared to John Terry

One of the members of Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad,’ Maresca and Co. need to get rid of Axel Disasi as soon as possible, for his benefit as much as the club’s.

It’s hard to imagine it now, but when the 27-year-old centre-back first joined the Blues, in the summer of 2023, there was a fair deal of excitement from fans and pundits alike.

After all, here was a French international who had made a brief appearance in the World Cup final the winter before and someone who was one of the most exciting defenders in Ligue 1.

In fact, just a few years before his move to Stamford Bridge, talent scout Jacek Kulig compared him to Virgil van Dijk and described him as “a true hidden gem” who was “born to play in England.”

The Gonesse-born titan’s time in West London couldn’t have got off to a better start, either, as on his debut, he scored a header to earn his side a point against Liverpool.

Unfortunately, over the following months, he would begin to struggle with the quality of the league, but then-boss Mauricio Pochettino kept him in the team, and away to Manchester City in February, he got his rewards.

The former AS Monaco ace was sensational against the champions, and according to Jamie Carragher, his “John Terry performance” was the reason the Blues left the Etihad with a point.

Appearances

61

Minutes

4974

Starts

56

Goals

5

Assists

2

Points per Game

1.89

That is just about the highest praise a Chelsea defender can get, and unfortunately, he has not performed anywhere close to that level since.

The following season saw him stay at Stamford Bridge for the first half, but he was sent on loan to Aston Villa for the second half, where he made ten appearances and failed to stamp his authority on the backline.

Things have gotten even worse this year, as, at the time of writing, the only appearance he has made was for the club’s U21S against Reading’s U21S last week.

Unfortunately, it is clear that Maresca has no intention of even including Disasi in his squad this season, so considering he’s earning £80k-per-week, and for his own sake, Chelsea should look to sell him as soon as possible.

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Scottish Premiership reporter Ryan Cryle has now shared what he’s heard about Aberdeen’s record move to sign Sunderland midfielder Adil Aouchiche as the attacking midfielder continues to struggle out on loan in Scotland.

The Black Cats sent the Frenchman out on loan in the summer after putting together their own squad full of in-depth quality. Those in Wearside handed Regis Le Bris a squad capable of survival and more and have watched on as he’s taken them to new heights in the Premier League ever since.

Sat as high as fourth in England’s top flight, Sunderland have the chance to move into the top two if they defeat Arsenal and become the first side in eight games to score against the Gunners.

Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus hasn’t hidden his ambitions for the club after such a strong start either, telling reporters that the Black Cats have set their sights on a top 10 finish in their first season back in the Premier League.

Whilst they continue to benefit from the players that they welcomed, however, Aberdeen are struggling after agreeing a loan deal to sign Aouchiche from Sunderland in the summer.

Reporter shares update on Aberdeen's Aouchiche move

Speaking to Mackem News, Cryle admitted that Aouchiche will have to do more to earn a permanent move to Aberdeen in what would be the club’s record deal at £1.5m.

The Aberdeen reporter said: “In terms of output, Aouchiche’s performances were quite exciting to begin with, without the final pass/shot, but left you thinking: Once he gets going, he’ll be a player.

“However, in what has been a generally dismal start to the season for Aberdeen as a collective domestically and in Europe, it feels like Aouchiche has increasingly struggled to play any active role in games.

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“There’s no rush to do a deal. However, £1.5m would be a club record fee for Aberdeen, and it seems pretty obvious to me that Aouchiche will need to do a lot more over the remainder of the season to justify such an outlay.”

Aberdeen sit as low as ninth in the Scottish Premiership and Aouchiche’s performances have hardly helped. The 23-year-old has scored just one goal and assisted another two in 14 appearances in all competitions. Given the expectations that were placed on his shoulders, there’s no denying that he’s struggling to make his mark.

Sunderland ready to bid for Ansu Fati

Chelsea have been tipped to move for a “dominant” Germany international defender who is “exactly” what Enzo Maresca needs, coming amid the Blues’ major shortage of centre-back options.

Enzo Maresca demands centre-back signing for Chelsea

Before their 2-1 win over Premier League champions Liverpool, it was reported that Maresca is unhappy with Chelsea’s current squad, as he believes the west Londoners are still light in key areas (Simon Phillips).

The most obvious area of Maresca’s team that’s in desperate need of reinforcement is centre-half, and this was on full display against Liverpool on Saturday, after Chelsea elected not to invest a portion of their £285 million summer spend into a natural central defender in the summer.

The Premier League’s biggest summer spenders
Team	Spent	Received	Net Spend
Liverpool	£415,000,000	£187,000,000	£228,000,000
Chelsea	£285,000,000	£288,000,000	-£3,000,000
Arsenal	£255,000,000	£9,000,000	£246,000,000
Newcastle	£250,000,000	£152,000,000	£98,000,000
Man Utd	£216,000,000	£68,000,000	£148,000,000
Nottm Forest	£205,000,000	£107,000,000	£98,000,000
Tottenham	£181,000,000	£36,000,000	£145,000,000
Sunderland	£162,000,000	£44,000,000	£118,000,000
Man City	£152,000,000	£53,000,000	£99,000,000
West Ham	£124,000,000	£55,000,000	£69,000,000
via BBC

With Trevoh Chalobah (suspended), Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill all unavailable for the game, Maresca was forced to start a pairing of youngster Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile, with the latter only just returning from injury himself.

Chelsea’s boss publicly requested a centre-back signing before summer deadline day on September 1, but it is believed that BlueCo are in agreement with their manager that one should be a “priority” for January instead (Pete O’Rourke).

They’re already making plans in that regard, having reached out to Marc Guehi’s camp last week over a potential cut-price January move with the England international’s contract expiring at the end of 2025/2026.

Chelsea tipped to move for Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck

Now, ex-Premier League chief scout Mick Brown, who remains well-connected in the beautiful game, has “heard” that Chelsea are looking at Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck as a potential option.

The Germany international’s deal runs out in just under two years, meaning he could be available for a potentially doable fee in the winter window, and this is something that Chelsea are actively considering.

The 25-year-old, who captains Dortmund regularly, also has a questionable injury record — so BlueCo need to tread carefully here.

Schlotterbeck missed a large portion of this calendar year with a meniscus tear, which stretched into Dortmund’s Club World Cup campaign and early this season after he was sidelined near the end of 2024/2025.

The towering defender may not be a reliable ever-present depending on his fitness issues, but could be a very reliable back-up option as Maresca continues not to select ‘bomb squad’ member Axel Disasi.

Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez was involved in a tragic accident on Tuesday morning, resulting in the death of an 81-year-old man in a wheelchair near the club’s training base. The incident occurred in Fenegro, in the province of Como, as the Spaniard was driving to training. Despite immediate emergency response, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

• Tragedy in Fenegro: Inter goalkeeper involved in car accident

  Inter’s second-choice goalkeeper, Martinez, was involved in a fatal road accident that occurred on Tuesday morning in Fenegro, a small town near the club’s Appiano Gentile training complex. According to reports from and , the 27-year-old Spaniard was driving to training when his car struck an 81-year-old man travelling in an electric wheelchair on Via Bergamo at approximately 9:40 a.m.

  Emergency services, including an ambulance, helicopter rescue unit, and local police, arrived swiftly on the scene. Despite their best efforts, the elderly victim was pronounced dead shortly after the collision due to the severity of the impact. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Early investigations and police reports

  Initial investigations by the Carabinieri suggest that early assessments indicate the victim could have suffered a sudden medical episode before crossing into the path of Martinez’s vehicle. Authorities are currently reconstructing the sequence of events to determine the precise cause of the incident.

  According to reports, the wheelchair user may have abruptly changed direction, entering the opposite lane. Witnesses at the scene confirmed that Martinez immediately stopped his vehicle, exited and attempted to render first aid to the man before paramedics arrived. Police have also noted that the Inter goalkeeper was fully cooperative, visibly shaken, and remained at the site while formal procedures were conducted.

• Inter cancel press conference

  Martinez was described by local reports as “visibly affected” by the incident. In response to the event, Inter Milan cancelled a pre-match press conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon with head coach Cristian Chivu, who had been due to speak ahead of their Serie A clash with Fiorentina. The club’s decision reflects the gravity of the situation and the emotional toll it has taken on the player and staff. No official statement from Martinez himself has been released yet, as the legal and procedural processes remain ongoing.

  Martinez, a Spanish international born in Las Palmas, began his youth career at Barca’s famed La Masia academy before moving to RB Leipzig in 2020. After a two-year stint in Germany, he joined Genoa and later transferred to Inter Milan in the summer of 2024.

  The 27-year-old had been expected to be on the bench for Inter’s midweek game against Fiorentina, but his participation is now uncertain as he recovers emotionally from the tragic event. Reports suggest the club will offer him full psychological support in the coming days.

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• AFP
  

  Investigation into incident continues

  Local authorities in Como are continuing to examine the details surrounding the fatal collision, with accident reconstruction experts expected to release a formal report later this week. The club will decide internally whether Martinez will be available for upcoming fixtures. The Nerazzurri face Fiorentina at San Siro on Wednesday, followed by a trip to Hellas Verona on Sunday and a Champions League tie against Kairat Almaty next week.

To be heralded as Arsenal’s signing of the summer takes some doing. After all, this was one of the best transfer windows we’ve ever seen in the club’s illustrious history.

It didn’t take Andrea Berta long to settle into his role, replacing Edu as the Gunners’ Sporting Director.

While his biggest project was to sign a new striker, notably welcoming Viktor Gyokeres to the Emirates Stadium, the Italian transfer chief did not stop there.

What a window this was. Even when you thought they were done with the signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, Berta surprised us all by completing a deal for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie on Deadline Day. It wouldn’t be a transfer window at Arsenal without a hybrid defender arriving during the Mikel Arteta era.

Eze’s acquisition was exciting, as was Gyokeres’. In adding those two players, they’ve strengthened two of the big weak points in the side; goals and unpredictability from the left flank.

Yet, Berta made a number of underrated signings during his first window at the club.

Arsenal's most underrated signings of 2025

It remains to be seen how someone like Christian Norgaard settles in at Arsenal. While the Dane played a prominent part in pre-season, he’s not been seen in competitive action yet due to injury.

However, having captained Brentford under Thomas Frank, he will no doubt bring valuable experience to what is still a relatively young crop of players.

For those we have seen, two players immediately stand out. Noni Madueke is one of them.

When the winger arrived at Arsenal during pre-season, it’s safe to say fans were unhappy. Not another Chelsea reject, they cried. Quite. That being said, protests that were lodged disapproving of the deal were rather bizarre.

Since moving to the red side of London, it’s safe to say that Madueke has proven a number of supporters wrong. Against Liverpool prior to the international break, the 23-year-old looked like Arsenal’s best player.

Despite not scoring or assisting against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, he also arguably looked like the best player on the park.

The England international was relentless in his endeavours down the right flank, twisting Morato and Neco Williams inside and out. Madueke completed a whopping five dribbles and also completed five key passes.

Minutes played

78

Shots

0

Successful dribbles

5/8

Touches

65

Accurate passes

22/31

Key passes

5

Accurate crosses

4

Duels won

10

Tackles

3

In previous years, when Arsenal have been without Bukayo Saka due to injury, they have struggled. However, with Madueke now in the squad, they look far better equipped to deal with a problem like that one.

Another hugely underrated signing is Cristhian Mosquera. Arriving from Valencia for just £13m in the summer, very few expected the Spaniard to play too many minutes this campaign.

Aware of the player’s potential, the 21-year-old has already exceeded all expectations, standing in for the injured William Saliba.

When the Frenchman hobbled off in the early exchanges of the clash at Anfield two weeks ago, everyone feared the worst. That said, Mosquera stood in with ease and looked at home next to Gabriel Magalhaes in Arsenal’s backline.

The same could be said of the youngster’s performance against Forest this weekend. Mosquera was phenomenal, notably making a last-man tackle in the second half to deny what looked like a certain goalscoring opportunity.

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Described as “an incredible signing” by Gunners writer Dan Critchlow, the centre-back looks like he could dominate Premier League attackers for years to come.

Despite his impressive start to life in the English capital, he’s not quite the best signing Berta made during the summer months.

Arsenal's signing of the summer is emulating Xhaka

When Granit Xhaka left the Gunners behind in the summer of 2023, very few expected to see him back in the Premier League two years later.

Well, Xhaka left Bayer Leverkusen behind as a league champion and came back to England, moving to newly-promoted Sunderland.

Since returning, we’re seeing more of the Xhaka of old. A deeper-lying playmaker who breaks up the play.

Yet, that hasn’t always been the case, as his final season at the Emirates proved. That campaign was arguably the best of his career, scoring nine goals and assisting seven in all competitions.

Since then, Arteta has been searching for a replacement. He initially struggled to do so.

Kai Havertz was signed with the idea of filling the Swiss’ void in the left 8 position but ultimately ended up being better as a striker. Declan Rice has perhaps found the most success in that role, involved in 19 goals last term.

However, in £60m arrival Martin Zubimendi, they’ve signed another player capable of emulating the former club skipper.

Zubimendi isn’t the aggressive tackler that Xhaka is or was, but there are certain qualities that the Spaniard has offered and will offer that are reminiscent.

Like Xhaka, the 26-year-old controls and dictates the tempo of a game brilliantly. In fact, in that regard, he’s probably even better.

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has already described him as “the second best” midfielder in the world behind Rodri. Speaking of Rodri, talking about his international colleague last week, he said: “He [Zubimendi] has the discipline and mentality that can lead him to become one of the best, if he isn’t already.”

The Spaniard is certainly more disciplined than Xhaka ever was but in their ability to break up the play and dictate, they are alike. Zubimendi showed during the 3-0 win over Forest that he can contribute in the final third like Xhaka too.

The Switzerland star has near immaculate technique and we all know how much of a rocket his left foot was. Well, the former Real Sociedad star emulated just that on Saturday, hammering home a volley from the edge of the area.

Not usually a goalscorer, Zubimendi rolled back the years at the Emirates with a Xhaka-like goalscoring display from the middle of the park.

It was the summer arrival who rounded off the scoring late on when he headed home Leandro Trossard’s cross. It was the first brace of his professional career and a 10/10 performance that cemented him as “the signing of the summer” in the words of club insider AFC Camden.

If he has an Arsenal career like Xhaka then we are in for quite the ride.

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Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Bojan Miovski scored what will hopefully be the first of many goals at Ibrox in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Saturday.

The Macedonia international arrived at Ibrox during the summer transfer window with a view to adding a big goal threat to Russell Martin’s side, but it had been a slow start to his career in Glasgow.

Miovski failed to find the back of the net in his first two starts in the Scottish Premiership, against Celtic and Hearts, and only managed two shots in those matches, per Sofascore.

However, the left-footed marksman was able to get his name on the scoresheet against Hibernian at the weekend, converting from close range after Mikey Moore’s ball across the box fell into his path.

Supporters will now be hoping that the 26-year-old centre-forward can kick on and prove himself to be a consistent goalscorer for the Light Blues, having scored 32 league goals in two seasons with Aberdeen in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns.

Miovski will be hoping to emulate Alfredo Morelos in a positive sense, as the former Gers number nine ended his career at Ibrox with a fantastic goalscoring record.

The duality of Alfredo Morelos' Rangers career

The current Rangers striker will want to go down the same path as Morelos at Ibrox in the sense that the Colombia international was a prolific scorer for the club for many years.

In 269 appearances for the first-team, the powerful centre-forward racked up 124 goals and 57 assists, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he offered a huge threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals throughout his time at Ibrox.

Topically, with a clash with Genk at Ibrox coming up this week, Miovski will also hope to emulate Morelos’ excellent return in front of goal in Europa League matches for Rangers.

Europa League qualifiers

23

13

7

Europa League

33

15

10

Champions League qualifiers

2

1

0

Champions League

5

0

0

As you can see in the table above, the Colombian marksman scored 28 goals and provided 17 assists in 56 Europa League games for the club, including qualifiers, which shows that he was lethal on the European stage.

These statistics prove that Morelos was a reliable figure at the top end of the pitch in Europe for Rangers, which Miovski will be hoping to be, starting with the game against Genk on Thursday.

Where Miovski will not be hoping to be like Morelos is with how the striker’s career at Ibrox ended, because he left on a free transfer in 2023 after previously being linked with big-money moves.

Rangers rejected an offer of more than £16m from Lille in 2020 and a bid of £10m from Porto in 2021, which shows that there was plenty of interest from top teams in Europe during his pomp at Ibrox.

The Light Blues opted not to cash in when his value was high. The striker went on to leave for nothing before going to sign for Santos in Brazil, exiting European football, in 2023.

Chalkboard

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

It is far too early to judge which direction Miovski will go in at Ibrox, but there is another player in the squad who is in danger of following Morelos in the wrong direction.

Mohamed Diomande is in danger of losing his way in Glasgow unless he can turn his performances around and get back to his best under Martin this season.

Why Diomande is in danger of becoming the next Morelos

The Ivorian central midfielder caught the eye with some fantastic displays for the Light Blues, despite a disappointing season as a club, in the 2024/25 campaign.

Diomande, who was described as “complete” by analyst John Walker, proved his worth in the middle of the park in the Premiership with a return of four goals and seven assists in 36 appearances in the division, per Sofascore, whilst also winning 57% of his duels on the ground.

The left-footed star, who signed on a permanent deal last summer after an initial loan spell at the back end of the 2023/24 campaign, has shown that he can be a difference-maker in midfield.

Diomande’s impressive form for the Scottish giants led to interest from elsewhere this summer. Six Premier League clubs, including Everton, were said to be interested in the midfield star and Besiktas had an offer of £6.5m rejected by the Gers.

This shows that, as was the case for Morelos at his peak at Ibrox, there was significant interest in the Ivorian star because of his performances on the pitch last term.

Rangers, however, opted not to cash in. They will now be hoping that it is a decision that they do not live to regret, as the midfielder has endured a difficult start to the current campaign.

Appearances

36

5

Sofascore rating

7.19

6.38

Goals

4

0

Assists

7

0

Dribbled past per game

0.5x

0.6

Ground duel success rate

57%

49%

Aerial duel success rate

48%

17%

As you can see in the table above, Diomande’s performance level in and out of possession in the middle of the park has dipped significantly in the Premiership from last season to this one.

The Everton and Besiktas target has been too weak off the ball, losing duels on the deck and in the air too regularly, and has not offered anything at the top end of the pitch to win games for his side.

That has contributed to the club’s worst start to a league season in 47 years, with no wins, four draws, and one defeat after five matches in the Premiership.

This is also why Diomande is currently in danger of becoming the next Morelos at Ibrox because he may not find himself with enough suitors to attract a big-money exit from Glasgow if his performances do not improve.

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Therefore, the central midfielder could be the next player whom the club fail to cash in on at their peak value before losing them for less money later down the line.

Dean Huijsen turned down Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich to secure a move to Real Madrid, his father has confirmed. The 20-year-old centre-back joined Los Blancos this summer after an impressive season at Bournemouth, where he featured in 30 Premier League games. His dad revealed how Huijsen waited patiently for the chance to join his "dream club" despite other lucrative offers coming in first.

Why Huijsen chose Madrid over England’s elite

Huijsen was unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer after Madrid triggered his €60 million (£50m/$66m) release clause at Bournemouth. The Spaniard had only joined the Cherries last year from Juventus for €15m (£13m/$16m) plus bonuses, but his standout displays in the Premier League quickly attracted interest from Europe’s biggest sides. Liverpool were among the most persistent suitors, while Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham all monitored his situation closely. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also made contact, but Huijsen kept them waiting as he hoped Madrid would come calling, a decision that ultimately paid off.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPremier League stint prepared Huijsen for Madrid

The 20-year-old thrived at Bournemouth last season, playing 30 Premier League matches and helping the club finish comfortably in 10th place. He also added three FA Cup appearances, racking up more than 2,800 minutes on the pitch, scoring three goals and providing two assists. His exposure to top-level players such as Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah shaped him into a more complete defender.

Huijsen politely rejected Europe’s top clubs to wait for Real Madrid

In an interview with , Huijsen's father and agent father explained why Bournemouth was such an important stepping stone: "We saw the opportunity of a starting spot in the Premier League, with the exciting and compelling chance of playing against top-tier strikers, starting with Haaland, Salah, and Isak. Furthermore, the Bournemouth manager is Portuguese player Tiago Pinto, formerly of Roma. A significant development path was in the offing for Dean, who actually played 32 games with 3 goals and 2 assists for the Cherry shirt. He also played 3 more FA Cup matches, totaling 2,800 minutes on the pitch."

He then revealed why his son turned down some of Europe’s biggest clubs: "These excellent performances earned him a contract with the most famous and successful club on the planet. Many of the big names in European football wanted him (Chelsea, Liverpool, Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle United, etc.), but he politely declined every offer, waiting for 'that' team to arrive, the 'team' of his dreams, the biggest and most fascinating: Real Madrid."

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AFPMadrid’s defensive outlook with Huijsen in place

The Spaniard has already slotted seamlessly into Xabi Alonso’s defence, helping Los Blancos win six of their first seven La Liga fixtures this season. His arrival strengthens a backline that has been consistently tested by injuries in recent years, and his versatility could prove vital in both domestic and European competitions.

Madrid face Kairat Almaty in the Champions League before turning their attention to Villarreal in La Liga, with Huijsen expected to keep his place as Madrid aim to build momentum across all fronts.

Australia’s trio of specialist bowlers toiled manfully during a see-saw day one against a fighting Sri Lanka on a dry Galle surface that did not live up to the hype, but occasionally spun sharply and is expected to deteriorate significantly.By the end of 90 overs, the second Test was intriguingly poised after several shifts of momentum. Sri Lanka’s top-order built a strong platform to reach 93 for 1 before they lost 4 for 34 in a horror period after lunch. But Kusal Mendis and Ramesh Mendis combined for a seventh-wicket partnership of 65 to lift Sri Lanka to what might just be a competitive first innings total.Related

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Kusal and Dinesh Chandimal made well-compiled half-centuries as Sri Lanka batted through the day’s play to reach stumps at 229 for 9.After Sri Lanka suffered their worst defeat in Test cricket on a slow surface, there had been much speculation that this new surface would produce significant bite and turn. There was sharp turn at times, especially in the second session, but it was the consistency and variations of Australia’s bowlers that led to several cheap dismissals.Offspinner Nathan Lyon was outstanding in his spell after lunch, mixing up his speeds and lengths to bamboozle Sri Lanka as he moved to 549 Test wickets. Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc continued to add to his formidable record in Sri Lanka, conjuring reverse swing during a sensational spell late in the second session before striking twice with the second new ball.Australia were effectively playing with just three specialist bowlers, with Lyon and left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann providing the heavy lifting as they bowled 30 overs each.Stand-in captain Steven Smith worked his resources to good effect with Travis Head bowling eight overs and proving that he might just have a golden arm after taking the wicket of Kamindu Mendis.Nathan Lyon produced a superb spell after lunch•Getty Images

Allrounder Beau Webster bowled three overs of seam having not been required to bowl in the first Test, while left-arm spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly also bowled three overs on his debut after replacing offspinner Todd Murphy in Australia’s only change.Sri Lanka made three changes with Pathum Nissanka replacing Oshada Fernando at the top of the order, while offspinnser Ramesh Mendis and quick Lahiru Kumara were included at the expense of Jeffrey Vandersay and Asitha Fernando.After receiving a long guard of honour on his way to the crease, including from the Australians, retiring Dimuth Karunaratne was tasked with trying to help restore Sri Lanka’s battered confidence in his 100th and last Test match. He also had to confront tormentor Starc having fallen to him nine times previously, including in the first innings of the series-opener. But having overcome a groin injury to take his place, Nissanka mostly faced Starc and had mixed results against speeds touching 145kph.Fresh from his nine-wicket haul in his Test return, Kuhnemann was also handed the new ball and had a loud shout for lbw on Nissanka turned down with the decision upheld on umpire’s call after Australia reviewed.Steven Smith catches record•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Sri Lanka’s openers steadily built despite some nervous moments as Smith reverted to Lyon in the eighth over. Aiming at the footworks from Starc, Lyon produced significant turn and bounce on his second delivery that flew down the legside for four byes.But Lyon wasn’t made to wait long for a wicket after hitting the top of leg stump when Nissanka moved too far across his stumps looking to paddle sweep. Australia were buoyed, but inroads proved difficult against the type of disciplined batting from Sri Lanka that was lacking in the first Test.Connolly was brought in just before lunch having never taken a wicket from the 96 balls he had bowled in his four previous first-class matches. Connolly did develop a knack of taking key wickets in the recent BBL season, but he could not strike as Sri Lanka made it to lunch well placed.Chandimal resumed after the interval with a boundary off Lyon before the game turned on its head.Lyon varied his speeds and slid a faster delivery from around the wicket past Karunaratne’s defence to rattle the stumps. He was in lovely rhythm and went about working over Angelo Mathews knowing he had his number after dismissing him twice in the first Test.Mitchell Starc inroads with the second new ball•Getty Images

Mathews crawled to 1 off 25 before succumbing to a slower, wider Lyon delivery and feathering an edge into the gloves of Alex Carey, who has performed well behind the stumps in this series.Lyon seemingly had his 550th wicket when Kamindu was adjudged caught behind on 3 only for the decision to be successfully reviewed with no nick detected. Kamindu could not capitalise and fell relatively tamely to Head’s handy offspin after a thick edge off an attempted cut shot flew to Smith at slip.Head unfurled his now customary celebration, suggesting that his spinning fingers are on fire, as Kamindu’s struggles continued after entering the series with an average over 70.Deploying Head was another move from Smith that worked a treat and his gut instincts were again rewarded when he threw the ball to Starc, who dismissed de Silva for a golden duck after he steered a wide delivery straight to gully.Chandimal’s defiant knock ended on 74 after he was deceived in the air by Kuhnemann and lost his footing before being stumped by sharp glove work from Carey.Australia eyed running through Sri Lanka’s lower-order just like in the first Test, but Kusal provided a counterattack after a collision with Kuhnemann at the non-striker’s left him momentarily shaken.He slog swept to good effect on consecutive deliveries, with the latter sailing over the rope. Kusal received good support from namesake Ramesh, who has been in solid batting form in first-class cricket.They rotated the strike well and picked off the occasional boundary to frustrate a flagging Australia attack. Ramesh has a first-class average of almost 40, with a high score of 300 not out, but his Test mark sits at a disappointing 18 with no half-centuries from 22 previous innings.He played doggedly, striding forward repeatedly to present a firm defence. Australia needed a spark and Starc delivered after taking the second new ball, dismissing Ramesh and Prabath Jayasuriya with consecutive deliveries as Smith claimed his 197th catch to move past Ricky Ponting’s record for Australia.

أعلنت لجنة تلقي طلبات المرشحين لانتخابات النادي الأهلي المحدد لها يومي 30 و31 أكتوبر الجاري عن غلق باب الترشح في تمام الساعة السابعة مساء اليوم.

وكان محمود الخطيب رئيس الأهلي، قد تقدم بأوراق ترشحه صباح اليوم الجمعة، في انتخابات الأهلي، رفقة قائمته التي أعلن عنها بالأمس. 

طالع.. قائمة محمود الخطيب تتقدم بأوراق الترشح في انتخابات الأهلي

وتضم قائمة المرشحون في انتخابات الأهلي المقبلة والتي تضم 15 مرشحًا بعد اسنحاب منار سعيد.

وبعد غلق باب الترشح أعلنت منار سعيد ، انسحابها رسميًا من الانتخابات دعمًا لقائمة الكابتن محمود الخطيب، رئيس النادي الحالي.. طالع التفاصيل المرشحون لانتخابات الأهلي 

محمود الخطيب: مقعد الرئيس

ياسين منصور: مقعد النائب

خالد مرتجي مقعد أمانة الصندوق.

وللعضوية فوق السن: طارق قنديل – محمد الغزاوي – محمد الدماطي – محمد الجارحي – سيد عبد الحفيظ – أحمد حسام عوض – حازم هلال – منار سعيد – حسن طنطاوي – أحمد شريف – أحمد مجدي الحيوان.

وللعضوية تحت السن: إبراهيم العامري – رويدا هشام.

وسيعقد مجلس الإدارة اجتماعًا خلال هذا الأسبوع لاعتماد أوراق المرشحين قبل إرسالها للجهة الإدارية.

ومن المقرر أن ينطلق ماراثون انتخابات النادي الأهلي، يومي 30، 31 من شهر أكتوبر الجاري.