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Birmingham City have been blessed with a number of top talents coming through their academy over recent years, away from the star-studded quality at Chris Davies’ disposal currently in League One.

Jordan James was the latest breakout star from the Blues youth structure when he departed for Rennes this summer, costing the Ligue 1 club a sizeable £4m to pick up, after he had exploded into life for his boyhood club from the middle of the park.

Of course, there is a more notable midfield ace who used to call Birmingham his home as a starlet learning the ropes before a major move took place, in the form of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham's time with Birmingham

Before all of that occurred for the former Blues youngster, Bellingham was the cream of the crop for the EFL club when it came to top homegrown prodigies rising up the ranks, with the then-teenager making his Birmingham debut back in 2019 at just 16 years of age.

The rest is obviously now history, with Bellingham going on to tally up four goals and two assists from 44 first-team appearances at St. Andrew’s, before leaving his boyhood side behind for Borussia Dortmund only a season into his men’s team development.

At least Birmingham managed to salvage back some pretty pennies from Bellingham’s sad departure though, which even saw the club retire his number 22 jersey, with Dortmund paying up a hefty fee around the £25m ballpark.

Now, the 21-year-old has reached unbelievable heights at the Santiago Bernabeu to fully justify Birmingham’s decision to set aside his number 22 strip, with a sublime 23 goals and 16 assists next to his name now from 52 clashes in Spain.

He would also become a national treasure this summer at the Euros for England by scoring this dramatic overhead kick, further cementing himself as a world-beater away from being adored in Madrid and the West Midlands.

Birmingham haven’t always been so fortunate in raking in lots of money off the back of selling some of their top academy products, however, with this low sale in 2013 no doubt irking those looking back.

Nathan Redmond's time at Birmingham

Nathan Redmond was arguably the original Bellingham before the teenager left his mark on proceedings at St. Andrew’s, having also been launched into the first team set-up from a young age.

He too made his debut in the men’s fold at the tender age of 16 in 2010, before going on to become a regular under the likes of Lee Clark in the Birmingham dug-out.

Player

Age when making debut

1. Jude Bellingham

16 years, 1 month + 8 days

2. Jobe Bellingham

16 years, 3 months + 16 days

3. Nathan Redmond

16 years, 5 months + 20 days

4. Jordan Mutch

16 years, 8 months + 24 days

5. Romolle Donovan

16 years, 10 months + 25 days

In illustrious company in the table above with the well-known Bellingham brothers, Redmond would go on to make far more appearances at St. Andrew’s than the now La Liga star managed, with an impressive nine goals and 11 assists notched up from 82 overall games.

You would think that would result in a club having to break the bank to land Redmond’s services, therefore, but in the wake of Birmingham’s disappointing 12th placed finish in the Championship during the 2012/13 campaign, top-flight Norwich City swooped in to land him for a cut price.

The Canaries would land the pacey winger from Clark and co for only £3m, with the Birmingham-born attacker going to become a Premier League regular for both Norwich and then Southampton for many seasons, amassing 276 Premier League appearances mainly donning a Saints strip.

The Blues must wish now that they had driven a harder bargain, but will strive to find their next Bellingham and Redmond in the here and now, with St Andrew’s obviously fertile ground for youngsters to prosper from.

Clotet struck gold selling Birmingham star who's now worth millions less

Birmingham City raked in the cash with this substantial sale.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 24, 2024

Says he will continue to play only for RCB as “my commitment is to this franchise till the last day I play the IPL”

Saurabh Somani11-Oct-20212:59

Daniel Vettori: RCB’s batting almost got reckless the harder the pitch became

Virat Kohli’s IPL captaincy stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore, spanning 11 seasons, 2011 to 2021, came to an end on Monday with his team bowing out of IPL 2021 in the eliminator. While he might have endured as many losses as victories in his time in charge (140 games, 64 wins, 69 losses, three ties, four no-results), through the ups and downs, Kohli said, he had given his all to the franchise as a leader, and tried to create an environment that let players express themselves.”I’ve tried my best to create a culture here where youngsters could come in and play expressive cricket, play with belief. It’s something I’ve tried to do at the Indian team level as well,” Kohli told host broadcaster Star Sports after the four-wicket defeat, Kolkata Knight Riders having squeezed home with two balls to spare in a chase of 139. “All I can say is that I’ve given my best. I don’t know how the response has been to that, but I can vouch for the fact that I’ve given my 120% to this franchise every year, leading the team.”And as I said, I will continue to give that effort on the field as a player from now on. It’s a great time to regroup, restructure the franchise for the next three years, and bring in people who can take this culture and this franchise to the next level, moving forward.”Watch the IPL on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the IPL live in the US. Match highlights of the eliminator between KKR and RCB is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

Kohli reiterated that he will continue to play for only Royal Challengers in the IPL. “As I said, I don’t see myself playing anywhere else. To me loyalty matters more than other things which, from the worldly point of view, seem more important. This franchise has believed in me and my commitment is to this franchise till the last day I play the IPL.”While Royal Challengers finished fourth in IPL 2021, still looking for their first title win, they had a largely successful season. They had nine wins in 14 games in the league stage, and only missed out on a top-two finish to Chennai Super Kings on net run rate. They also had several players putting together outstanding seasons. Chief among them was pacer Harshal Patel, who ended with 32 wickets, the joint-highest in an IPL season.Harshal credited Kohli and the Royal Challengers management for his growth as a bowler, and said that while Kohli will not be the captain anymore, he will always remain a leader within the franchise.”Obviously every one knows the kind of energy and passion Virat brings to the field. He backs bowlers, gives them their space, allows them to execute their skills and plans. So I’m very thankful to him,” Harshal said. “I’ve learned a lot playing with him, since I think 2012. In terms of his captaincy, there are captains and there are leaders, and he’s definitely a leader. Just because he won’t have the tag of a captain doesn’t make him any less of a leader.Related

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“I’ve said this many times earlier too, the RCB management and Virat showed a lot of confidence in me from the start. Till this year, I had never bowled in the death overs in the IPL. I had bowled [in domestic cricket] for Haryana [at the death] but never in the IPL. To then give me that responsibility, they would have definitely seen something in me. They made the decision that I’ll be bowling the most difficult overs. I’m very grateful for the faith that they have shown in me.”I was the same bowler I am today probably last year [when he played for Delhi Capitals]. But the fact that I didn’t get enough opportunities… and coming back here to RCB and straightaway being given the responsibility of bowling the death overs, that definitely made a difference.”Kohli’s best result with Royal Challengers was in 2016, when he led them to the final. They had also reached the final in 2011, but Daniel Vettori was the regular captain that season, with Kohli standing in in three league games. They finished third in 2015, and also went out in the eliminator last season. In 2012-2014 and 2017-2019, they did not make the playoffs, finishing bottom of the league twice in that latter period.

Despite putting in a serious shift for most of the match, Ipswich Town managed to lose their third Premier League game on the bounce yesterday afternoon.

Kieran McKenna’s side may have gone 2-0 up by the 31st minute, but by full-time, they had conceded four times to lose 4-3, and while there were some impressive performances from the boys in blue, there were a number of seriously disappointing ones too.

However, perhaps the worst of the lot was 23-year-old Harry Clarke, who was so bad on his Premier League debut that he also ruined the first start of one of his teammates.

Clarke's performance in numbers

So, after not being included in the squad for the first six match weeks of the season and making his first appearance off the bench in the defeat to Everton last week, McKenna opted to hand Clarke his first Premier League start against Brentford yesterday afternoon and to say it backfired on the Northern Irishman would be an understatement.

Unfortunately for the Ipswich-born full-back, what should have been a brilliant day for him was anything but, as while he looked reasonably comfortable in the early exchanges, the tide soon turned, and he put in what can only be described as a horror show of a performance.

Now, that might sound hyperbolic, but it’s an opinion shared by the East Anglian Daily Times’ Alex Jones, who awarded the starter just 4/10 on the day, describing his display as a ‘nightmare’ and while he was unlucky at points, he ‘shouldn’t give the referee a decision to make on a booking.’

Moreover, the five foot 11 defender is now only the second player in Premier League history to have scored an own-goal, given away a penalty and be sent off in the competition, alongside former Southampton defender Jan Bednarek, who completed the not-so-glamorous triple crown.

Lastly, aside from the headline-grabbing actions of the penalty and sending off, Clarke also produced some rather lacklustre statistics from the encounter.

For example, in his 69 minutes on the pitch, he produced an expected assists figure of just 0.02, was dribbled past once, maintained a passing accuracy of just 78%, lost three of his five ground duels, lost the ball 11 times, committed two fouls, misplaced 100% of his crosses, took no shots and was accurate with just 50% of his long balls.

Minutes

69

Expected Assists

0.02

Dribbled Past

1

Passing Accuracy

18/23 (78%)

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (2)

Lost Possession

11

Fouls

2

Crosses (Accurate)

1 (0)

Shots

0

Long Balls (Accurate)

4 (2)

In all, the unfortunate right-back had a full debut to forget, and in the process, he also ruined the full league debut of one of his teammates, a teammate who played well.

George Hirst's impressive performance

Yes, the player in question is 25-year-old centre-forward George Hirst, who, like Clarke, was making his first Premier League start yesterday.

However, unlike the defender, the Sheffield-born poacher was excellent in 73 minutes of action, scoring once, providing an assist and surely putting himself in the picture for more minutes and potentially even more starts as the season progresses.

We aren’t the only ones who were seriously impressed with the “powerful” striker, as dubbed by journalist Alan Biggs, either, as Alex Jones was full of praise, awarding him an 8/10 on the day and writing that it was a ‘really strong showing on his first Premier League start’ and that ‘he was a nuisance running in behind’ throughout his time on the pitch.

Unfortunately for the 6 foot 3 marksman, all of his hard work in earning the Blues a two-goal lead was undone in large part thanks to his teammate’s own goal, the penalty he gave away and the sending-off to boot.

However, with all of that said, while Clarke’s disaster class ultimately means Hirst’s brilliant display amounted to nothing, the fans, and more crucially, McKenna, now know how effective he can be in certain situations in the top-flight.

£8m profit: Ipswich hit gold selling goalscorer once compared to Shearer

Ipswich sold the young striker at the perfect time.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 25, 2024

Antoine Griezmann has often shown off his love for Pokemon and the Atleti star was spotted trading his match-worn shirt for rare trading cards.

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Griezmann trade match shirt for Pokemon cardsStreamer Darizard9 gives two Elite Trainer boxesPrismatic Evolutions line trading card currently in demandFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet has been a major hit in the Pokemon trading card industry and their Prismatic Evolutions line has been severely hard to come by as the demand has heavily outweighed the supply. As such, Griezmann, who is known to have a major collection of Pokemon trading cards, didn't think twice when he spotted popular Pokemon streamer Darizard9 offering him two Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Boxes in exchange for his match-worn shirt after Atletico Madrid's 5-0 win over Getafe.

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One could argue that Griezmann got the short end of the deal as his match-worn shirts generally go for around $3500 (£2800) while two Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Boxes are sold for $120 (£96.6). However, due to the short supply, just one card from the Prismatic Evolutions line currently sells for over $100 (£80.5) and with two Elite Trainer Boxes holding approximately 180 cards, the former French international got the better deal. The prices, though, will soon drop as Pokemon prepares to release new stock over the next couple of months.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR GRIEZMANN?

Griezmann has been in fine form this season for Diego Simeone's side as Atletico Madrid sit one point off Real Madrid in the La Liga standings and have also secured top eight in the Champions League. The Rojiblancos will be in action next when they take on Celta Vigo on Saturday, February 15.

“I’m going to get emotional when we eventually say farewell, because the characters who are in that dressing room are remarkable.”

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Dec-2021Ramesh Mendis kept Sri Lanka in the hunt with first-innings returns of 6 for 70. Dhananjaya de Silva turned the game emphatically in Sri Lanka with his second innings 155 not out. These were the gleanings of Mickey Arthur, after he coached Sri Lanka for the last time, in Galle.His was the type of happy farewell that few Sri Lanka coaches get. The team won the match by 164 runs, and the series 2-0 (though they did also win both tosses). In the first innings, West Indies had been 24 runs behind Sri Lanka’s total with only three wickets down, when Mendis imposed himself on the game, and sparked a collapse.Related

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“The game did see-saw. After day one I thought we were in prime position (Sri Lanka had been 113 for 1),” Arthur said. “And then they knocked us over the next day. And then, they themselves had a good partnership. We did know that wickets fall in clumps here. It was tough to start. Once you got in, it became a lot easier to bat. Ramesh Mendis’ spell in the first innings brought us back into the game. A lead of 40 (actually 49) was not insurmountable.”Sri Lanka also began their second innings with the bat poorly, however, and had been three down with a lead of only 24 when de Silva came to the crease. He helped Sri Lanka recover with a 78-run partnership with Pathum Nissanka, put on 51 runs alongside Mendis, and then really changed the game for Sri Lanka with the 124-run 10th-wicket stand he managed with Lasith Embuldeniya, who hit 39.”Dhananjaya de Silva’s innings was simply outstanding,” Arthur said. “On a pitch like this, the ease with which he played was incredible. It just shows how talented he is. That, for me, was the defining moment. I knew that once we got a lead of 250, our spinners would do the job for us. So that innings of Dhananjaya de Silva’s was paramount. He couldn’t have played it without Lasith ‘Brian Lara’ Embuldeniya at the other end.”In terms of pressure of match situation, and in terms of pitch condition, the innings Dhananjaya played here, it was one of the better innings he’s seen. It was remarkable. That’s testimony to the amount of work he’s put in. And it’s testimony to his talent and what a wonderful player he is.”Mendis was the Player of the Series in the first full series he has played for the Test side, taking 17 wickets across the two matches, in addition to his contributions with the bat. Although at the lower levels, Mendis has been thought of as a batting allrounder, it is with the ball that he has announced himself at the top level. He has 26 wickets now at an average of 21.53, after eight bowling innings.”One thing Mendis does do is he spins the ball really big,” Arhtur said. “We’ve just had to work on him being really consistent with his lines and with his lengths – the attacking lines that he’s worked on. I was just sitting next to [batting coach] Grant Flower out there and we were watching the guys out in the field. And I was saying, which guys have really made an impression on you? For both of us it was Ramesh Mendis.”He’s toured with us almost since when I started two years ago. He didn’t play many games at the start, but every tour, he’s the guy that’s training the hardest. He wanted more and more throw-downs. He always wanted to bowl. He’s worked hard at his fielding. And I just think he’s getting his just rewards now. I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s an attacking cricketer, and he’s going to be an asset for Sri Lanka.”Arthur has been with the Sri Lanka team for two years now, and given the travel restrictions to Australia, has spent almost that entire time either in Sri Lanka, or with the team as they traveled. With many players going straight into a Lanka Premier League bio-bubble on Saturday, the series-winning celebration on Friday night is Arthur’s last opportunity to spend time with many of the players he has coached in that time.”I’m going to get really emotional tonight, when we eventually say farewell, because the characters who are in that dressing room are remarkable. They’re really a wonderful bunch of players and bunch of people.”

Chelsea are willing to splash the cash to secure the signature of another one of their teenage transfer targets, according to a new report.

Chelsea transfer news

Under the stewardship of Todd Boehly, the Blues have evidently been focussing on strengthening their squad with younger players, given that all of their summer acquisitions were 25 or under, and they continue to be linked with up-and-coming talents.

Enzo Maresca is said to be personally driving a deal for Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi, with the manager trying to pip Juventus to his signature, while they have also set their sights on another Bundesliga star.

Reports suggest that Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz is another option being considered, with talks already being opened ahead of the January transfer window. Both Adeyemi and Wirtz are capable of playing on either wing, although the latter specialises through the middle. As such, it is evident that Maresca is looking to bolster his attacking options in the near future.

Chelsea eyeing Geovany Quenda

With that in mind, it is clear to see why the Blues are now being linked with a move for Geovany Quenda, as reported by Spanish sources. The 17-year-old winger is said to have attracted the attention of a number of the Premier League’s top clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United, and the report details that he is now one of the most sought-after players in Europe.

At the moment, however, it is Arsenal that appear to have taken the most concrete steps towards securing the Sporting CP man’s signature, having already opened talks with his representatives. Although there is a £84m release clause in Quenda’s contract, the clubs in question are willing to spend big to secure his signature, as they are all well aware of the enormous talent that he possesses.

It will clearly be very difficult for Chelsea to win the race for the Portuguese winger’s signature, given the level of interest, however if they are able to get a deal over the line he could prove to be a fantastic acquistion.

The starlet was recently hailed as an “unreal talent” by Statman Dave for his performance in Sporting’s emphatic 4-1 victory against Manchester City, during which he provided an assist for Viktor Gyokeres’ opening goal and achieved a 7.3 SofaScore match rating.

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Some iconic names are at the top.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 7, 2024

This season, the Sporting academy graduate has very much burst onto the scene, having already chalked up 10 league appearances, and he has particularly impressed with his dribbling ability. Over the past year, the Bissau-born youngster has averaged 5.14 progressive carries per 90, which places him in the 99th percentile compared to his positional peers, while he is also in the 97th percentile for successful take-ons.

If Quenda continues to develop at his current rate, it seems likely he will attract even more attention from Europe’s top clubs, so if Chelsea are able to get a deal over the line then it would be a huge signal of intent as they look to start competing for major honours once again.

Trust will be put in Josh Hazlewood over his fitness while Mitchell Starc unlikely to be rotated

AAP30-Dec-2021Australia’s selectors will put their faith in Josh Hazlewood’s judgement as they weigh up difficult choices with five in-form quicks ahead of the fourth Ashes Test.Hazlewood got through around 35 minutes of gentle bowling in the MCG nets on Thursday, still appearing in some discomfort on return from a side strain.The session was Hazlewood’s first bowling in almost three weeks, after hurting his side in the Ashes opener at the Gabba and missing the next two Tests.With the series already wrapped up in Australia’s favour there is some argument that Hazlewood should be given more time to recuperate. But chief selector George Bailey said his panel would not hold Hazlewood back if fit.Related

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“I’ve got pretty good faith in Hoff knowing his own body and trusting his own body,” Bailey said. “He’ll build up as he would before any sort of Test. He’ll talk a lot with [assistant] Andrew McDonald and [physio] David Beakley to see how he’s going. If Hoff’s confident and he says he’s right to go I think we back him in. He’s earned that trust.”Bailey also indicated that Australia’s innings victory in Melbourne meant Mitchell Starc would not sit out Sydney, despite being the only quick not to miss a Test this summer.Starc was required to bowl just 25 overs at the MCG and Australia’s early win gave him day four and five off without even bowling in the nets and a week between Tests.”Your plans are constantly changing because you’ve got no idea how many overs the bowlers are going to bowl,” Bailey said. “So you’ve got to stay pretty fluid around that. Today would have been would have been day five. So our quicks, in particular, not having as heavy a workload as they had in Adelaide and a couple of extra days off will all work in their favour.”Josh Hazlewood has not featured since the first Test•Getty ImagesCaptain Pat Cummins, who missed the second test due to a Covid scare, is one paceman assured of playing. If fellow regulars Starc and Hazlewood both play, it means there will be no room for debutant Scott Boland despite his stunning 6 for 7 performance on debut at the MCG.Jhye Richardson would also miss out after sitting out the Melbourne Test with minor leg soreness following his match-winning five-wicket haul in Adelaide.At best there could be room for one of them, creating a tough situation for selectors given Richardson was above Boland in the pecking order before Melbourne.”That’s a headache. It’s a great headache,” Bailey said. “[There are] obviously some hard conversations to be had at some stage.”The other spanner in the works could still be Mitchell Swepson, if Australia see a turning wicket in Sydney and decide to play two spinners, with allrounder Cameron Green as the third seamer.”We’ve got no doubt that, whether it’s at the SCG or whether it’s sometime in the future, that Swepo is ready,” Bailey said. “We’d love nothing more for him to get an opportunity but it will probably be conditions-dependent.”

Erling Haaland did not make Manchester City's matchday squad for Liverpool clash as Pep Guardiola revealed when the forward will return to action.

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Haaland removed from City squadYet to recover from knee problem Salah helped Liverpool take 2-0 first half leadFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Haaland, who picked up a knee injury during Manchester City's win over Newcastle United last weekend, barely made the City bench during their Champions League second-leg fixture against Real Madrid. On Sunday, the Norwegian was omitted from the matchday squad as the reigning champions squared off against Liverpool at Etihad Stadium.

AdvertisementWHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID

Speaking to ahead of the Premier League clash, Guardiola explained why Haaland was kept out of the team as he said: "Yesterday after training he didn't feel good. During these nine years, we played many seasons without really important players and we survived. This season, we have had a lot of injuries and we could not survive, but in specific games, we have to do it."

When further pressed on when the Norwegian could return to action, the manager added: "He improved but he didn't feel good. Hope so [against Spurs]. But we'll see. He'll come back when he feels good."

The Spanish also revealed that tests were conducted on Haaland's knee to find out the extent of his injury.

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Cityzens' misfortune continued on Sunday as Mohamed Salah handed the Reds the lead in the 14th minute before providing the assist for Dominik Szoboszlai's second as the visitors headed into the break with a two-goal lead.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

The English champions will be back in action in the Premier League on Wednesday as they travel to North London to face Tottenham Hotspur.

Australia take cautious approach to side strain recovery, Boland expected to be fit after SCG tumble

Andrew McGlashan07-Jan-2022Josh Hazlewood will miss the final Ashes Test in Hobart as Australia continue to take a cautious approach to his recovery from the side strain he picked up in the opening match at the Gabba.However, Australia are confident that Scott Boland will have no major ill-effects from the tumble he took on the final ball of the second session at the SCG which left him needing a scan on his ribs after his elbow jammed into his side.Boland did not bowl after tea, having claimed two wickets during the opening session as England fell to 36 for 4, but would have been able to return late in the day if needed. He may not be used again in the first innings if Australia wrap it up quickly but should be available for the final innings of the match.If Hazlewood had been fit for this Test, Boland would have been left out despite his stunning 6 for 7 at the MCG. Now he will hope to play three matches in a row, although will face pressure from Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser who both featured in the Adelaide day-night Test.Scott Boland clutches his side after slipping on release•Getty ImagesCoach Justin Langer said after the third day’s play in Sydney that Hazlewood would be held back for Australia’s upcoming white-ball cricket which includes an ODI series and one-off T20I against New Zealand followed by a T20I series against Sri Lanka which CA confirmed on Saturday morning”Unfortunately Josh hasn’t come up, hopefully he’ll be right for the white-ball game,” he said. “It’s been really tough on him, he’s been really hanging out to play this Ashes like everyone.”A CA statement said: “Hazlewood, the national selection panel and sports science and sports medicine ream agreed he would remain in Sydney for the next three weeks before joining the squad for the One-Day International Series against New Zealand and T20 International Series against Sri Lanka.”The New Zealand and Sri Lanka series will form part of his preparations for the Test and white-ball tour of Pakistan from early March.”Langer added that Richardson, who has been nursing a lower leg problem since the second Test where he took a five-wicket haul, would be in contention under lights in Hobart.”To have guys like Michael Neser and Jhye… they’ll both be in contention. It’s exciting to have these options with a couple of our players going down.”Related

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Mitchell Starc is the only specialist Australia quick to have played every Test of the series with captain Pat Cummins forced to sit out Adelaide after being a close contact of a Covid case.Having dominated the first session at the SCG – stringing together 11 maidens in a row either side of lunch while taking three wickets – Australia’s attack came under sustained pressure for the first time in the series from Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow, although they have remained well ahead in the contest, to pose a few questions to Cummins.”I thought our first two hours, similar to what we’ve seen this whole Test series, was as relentless bowling as I’ve seen from Australian cricket,” Langer said. “Then as we’ve been waiting for throughout the series, a great fightback. I thought Ben Stokes was courageous with his side [injury], Jonny Bairstow a brilliant Test hundred, he got a rough knock on his thumb.”England had the better of us in the second two sessions. That will be good for Pat and his captaincy development. It can’t always be rainbows and butterflies as he’s probably found so far. We’ll talk about how we are going to attack England in the morning but so far he hasn’t put a foot wrong and don’t think he has today, either.”

Looking to defeat their Premier League rivals on and off the pitch, Aston Villa and sporting director Monchi are now reportedly battling to sign an in-demand defender for Unai Emery’s side.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans are once again competing for a place in the Premier League’s top four, hoping to make it back-to-back qualification for the Champions League. Meanwhile, they’ve already secured one impressive upset among Europe’s elite this season, defeating Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich at Villa Park. Emery’s project is one of the most attractive around, sparking several transfer rumours before 2025 is even underway.

Aston Villa's "outstanding" loan ace is worth more than Rogers after exit

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ByJoe Nuttall Nov 8, 2024

Names such as Pedro Goncalves and Tyler Dibling have already been linked to the Midlands club in two deals that would add instant depth within Emery’s frontline next year. Dibling is especially one to watch. Amid Southampton’s struggles, the young winger has been a real standout to light a spark in an otherwise dim season for the Saints.

The Midlands would certainly be wise route to take for such a young player and, more specifically, Villa Park whilst Emery’s side continue to thrive. And Dibling’s not the only one who could take that path next year.

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Monchi is now battling to sign Bright Osayi-Samuel ahead of both Everton and Crystal Palace for Aston Villa. The Fenerbahce right-back is out of contract at the end of the season and is set to depart despite Jose Mourinho’s attempts to tie him down to a fresh deal in Turkey.

Potentially returning to English football for the first time since leaving Queens Park Rangers in 2021, Osayi-Samuel would offer Emery instant competition for Matty Cash down the right-hand side to match the depth that the Spaniard has on the opposite flank courtesy of Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen.

"Blistering" Osayi-Samuel has unfinished business in English football

Since swapping QPR for Fenerbahce three years ago, Osayi-Samuel has risen up the ranks to become an important player for the Turkish giants – starting the four Super Lig games that he’s been available for this season. Whilst injury has disrupted his current campaign, the 26-year-old is now back to full fitness and ready to take Mourinho’s side by storm again.

The Premier League was given a taste of what the full-back is capable of earlier this season thanks to Manchester United’s Europa League exploits, which saw the Red Devils earn a point against Fenerbahce. Now, Osayi-Samuel, himself, could get the chance to complete unfinished business in English football courtesy of a free move to Aston Villa.

Last time he was in England, the defender earned high praise from former QPR boss Mark Warburton, who told the Brent & Kilburn Times after victory over Cardiff City in 2020: “I thought he was very, very good. If you remember Bristol City away earlier in the season he gave the full-back a torrid time.

“He’s been very good in spells in games but today he was consistent from the first whistle to the 75th minute. I’m not sure many teams have that blistering pace. As long as he knows how to use it and that’s the key for him learning the game.”