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Tottenham Hotspur will have to balance the books soon by making key player sales, especially with the plethora of non-locally trained players in their squad, which could result in them having to submit a weakened Champions League squad.

£100k-a-week Tottenham star now wants to join elite manager at another club

Spurs need to sell players due to a key UEFA rule.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 11, 2025

Due to UEFA rules, Spurs require at least eight ‘locally trained’ players to be named in their 25-man list, and if they cannot meet this quota, then their total of A-list players will be reduced to make up the deficit.

While Morgan Gibbs-White’s potential arrival – which has now been delayed due to legal complications – could have a positive impact on this, given he came through the Wolves academy, their recent signing of Mohammed Kudus means that the north Londoners currently boast around 24 non-locally trained players in their current squad, even if this does include the likes of Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil, Yang-min Hyeok, Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Taking this into account, The Telegraph reports that Tottenham will need to sell at least one player this summer, and there are plenty of candidates.

Gil and Solomon are very likely to be sold after spending 2024/2025 out on loan at Girona and Leeds United respectively, with the former already confirming his intention to leave N17 in the coming weeks.

“That’s something my agent will tell me where things are going, but they [Spurs] told me, and I told them, that the best thing is for us not to continue being linked to Tottenham,” said Gil to Estadio Deportivo in April.

“They bet on me when I was young, and they’ve treated me fairly well, but if I have to go back there, I’ll focus on giving my best as always. I’m calm because no one can have a bad word to say about me not being professional. Without playing, I’ve always trained well, I’ve done what I had to do, so whatever has to happen, will happen. We’ll see where we are next year.”

Son Heung-min has entered the final 12 months of his contract and may be sold by Spurs, according to recent reports, with Yves Bissouma also attracting interest from Turkey.

However, another option could be injury-plagued striker Richarlison.

Richarlison likely to leave Tottenham as Vasco de Gama phone him

They’re very unlikely to make a substantial fee back off the £60 million they paid Everton to sign the Brazil striker in 2022, but Tottenham’s signings of Gibbs-White and Kudus will only push him further down the attacking pecking order.

Spurs are also still interested in signing Brentford star Yoane Wissa, and if they were to sensationally bring in the Bees star too, it would surely draw the curtain on Richarlison’s north London career.

The 28-year-old, barring a fine purple patch under Ange Postecoglou midway through 2023/2024, has found life very difficult at Spurs overall – with journalist Leonardo Lacerda, via Bolavip, sharing that clubs in Brazil could offer him a route back home.

Lacerda is quoted saying that Vasco de Gama president, Pedrinho, has personally phoned Richarlison to gauge the possibility of a transfer, but the ex-Watford man also has admirers in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s happening! President Pedrinho, accompanied by a member of the Vasco leadership, contacted Richarlison directly through a phone call,” said Lacerda.

“The goal was to get a closer look at the striker’s situation, as he’s unlikely to remain at Tottenham next season. In addition to Vasco, the striker is attracting interest from Fluminense, Flamengo, and Palmeiras. Two Saudi Arabian clubs have also entered the fray—Al Ahli and Al Ittihad.”

With Richarlison emerging as a real man in demand, it is now Levy’s task to set a realistic asking price, with reports suggesting Spurs will let him go for around £20 million.

If you were to ask Arsenal fans what they need this summer, we’d hazard a guess that the majority would be crying out for a new striker and winger this summer.

However, while those fans certainly aren’t wrong, it does now look like the Gunners will need to further bolster their midfield as well.

We say this as Jorginho has already joined Flamengo, and contract talks with Thomas Partey are reportedly not advancing, so even though Martin Zubimendi’s transfer is all but wrapped up, the North Londoners should probably be looking to sign another central midfielder.

Fortunately, recent reports suggest that is going to happen, with Arsenal now linked to an exciting star compared to Chelsea’s incredible Moises Caicedo.

Arsenal looking to sign new midfielder

While the news concerning Partey’s negotiations is relatively recent, Arsenal have been linked with plenty of midfield options over the last few weeks and months, such as Andrey Santos and Adam Wharton.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, with the former now integrated into the Chelsea set-up and looking likely to make his competitive debut for the team at the Club World Cup, and the latter valued at up to £80m, neither feel like realistic targets.

Moreover, neither youngster has really been compared to the brilliant Caicedo, unlike Lucien Agoume.

Yes, according to a recent report from Football Transfers, Arsenal are incredibly interested in the dynamic Sevilla star.

The story has revealed that the Gunners have already been in contact and held talks with the player’s representatives over the prospect of a transfer this summer.

Reportedly, the 22-year-old would be open to joining the club and can see a future for himself at the Emirates, and it might not cost the Gunners much at all, with other reports from Spain claiming he could be available for just £17m.

It might not be the most exciting of transfers, but Agoume looks set to be a star, and given the fact he’s already been compared to Caicedo, he’s a player Arsenal should be looking to bring in.

How Agoume compares to Caicedo

There are a plethora of reasons why Arsenal should be looking to sign Agoume this summer, but before we get to them, it’s crucial to examine this comparison to Caicedo and where it comes from.

Well, in this instance it stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, before creating a list of the then most comparable players for each one.

In this case, it was concluded that the Chelsea star has been the second most similar midfielder to the Sevilla star across the last 35 days.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.14

0.10

Progressive Passes

5.74

5.78

Progressive Carries

1.23

1.16

Shots on Target

0.09

0.08

Expected Assists

0.07

0.08

Passes into the Penalty Area

0.81

0.91

Shot-Creating Actions

2.55

2.63

Goal-Creating Actions

0.21

0.24

Tackles

2.98

3.06

Blocks

1.28

1.32

The best way to see how this is worked out is by taking a look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, expected assists, tackles, blocks, progressive carries and passes, shot and goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

And then, on top of being statistically similar to one of the leading midfielders in the Premier League, the “10 out of 10 talent,” as he was dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is also reasonably versatile.

So, while he does tend to thrive as a six, thanks to him being such a “good dueller,” per analyst Ben Mattinson, he could start in a more central role, and he’s even played in more offensive areas, which is where he can really leverage his impressive passing range.

Ultimately, while he’d likely be a backup option for at least a season or two, Agoume’s talent is undeniable, and therefore, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign him this summer before someone else gets there first.

Benjamin Sesko has now made "unusual" demand in Arsenal transfer talks

The Slovenia international wants something out of the ordinary.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 20, 2025

It is set to be a very busy summer for Arsenal.

After three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s team are determined to finally take the next step.

With that objective in mind, could they be about to make yet another statement signing from Spain?

Arsenal's incoming transfer business

By early next week, with Tuesday being the start of July, expect a few of Arsenal’s transfer targets to be unveiled.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Kepa Arrizabalaga will arrive from Chelsea for a reported fee of £5m, to be the back-up to David Raya, while, as reported by David Ornstein of the Athletic, Arsenal are ‘finalising’ a deal to sign Brentford captain Christian Nørgaard for £9.3m.

The Dane, however, is not the only central midfielder heading to North London, given that Martín Zubimendi is set to be unveiled next week, after the Gunners paid his £51m Real Sociedad release clause.

Nevertheless, with Thomas Partey and Jorginho both departing on free transfers, this is an area of the team they do require multiple reinforcements, so are seemingly not done yet.

That’s because, according to reports in Spain, the Gunners are ‘preparing an offer’ of around £35m to Barcelona, as they attempt to sign Marc Casadó.

They also claim that Arteta believes the 21-year-old ‘fits his style of play’ perfectly, hence why the la Másia graduate ‘has become a priority’ for Arsenal.

Given Barcelona’s ongoing financial crisis, they have not ruled out sanctioning a departure, especially one that facilitates Nico Williams’ arrival from Athletic Club which, as Pol Ballús of the Athletic outlines, still faces financial obstacles.

How Marc Casadó would improve Arsenal

As alluded to earlier, Casadó joined Barcelona’s academy as a 13-year-old, making his senior debut for the first team during a Champions League dead rubber against Viktoria Plzeň in November 2022.

Since then, he has accumulated 41 appearances for Barça, but only establishing himself as a key figure this season, a regular starter before suffering a ligament injury in March, as the table below outlines.

Marc Casadó Barcelona statistics 2024/25

Statistics

Casadó

Barça rank

Appearances

36

16th

Starts

29

10th

Minutes

2,447

11th

Completed passes

1,682

7th

Progressive passes

154

8th

Passes into the final third

182

6th

Shot-creating actions

64

9th

Tackles

77

2nd

Interceptions

25

8th

Touches

2,122

8th

Ball recoveries

120

8th

Average SofaScore rating

7.03

10th

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBref.com and SofaScore

As the table outlines, Casadó ranked very highly for every metric included at Barcelona this season, including both passing, as well as defensive statistics, namely tackles, interceptions and ball recoveries, underlining that he is an all-rounder.

Following his international debut against Denmark in Copenhagen, in which he came off the bench to replace Zubimendi, teammate Bryan Zaragoza described the midfielder as “barbaric”, adding “I don’t even know what to say about how he played​​​​​​​…. he’s an animal”.

Meantime, Domagoj Kostanjšak of Total Football Analysis believes he is the heir to Sergio Busquets’ throne, stating that Casadó is ‘mostly a ball-recycler’, praising his ‘crisp close control and great decision-making in possession’.

Meantime, Price of Breaking the Lines outlines how the youngster ‘always wants to make progressive passes’, noting that he is almost never dispossessed​​​​​​​ and has the ability to ‘dominate’ any midfield battle he is involved in.

So, we all already know what Zubimendi is all about, with Ogunniyi Abayomi of Breaking the Lines stating that he too is ‘capable of making line-breaking passes​​​​​​​’ as well as dictating the tempo from the base of midfield.

Thus, together, the Spanish duo – both potentially arriving from LaLiga – could form an unstoppable partnership, finally ending Arsenal’s interminable 22-year wait for the Premier League title.

Related £70m star wants to join Arsenal after Norgaard and Mosquera, talks ongoing

The north Londoners mean business this summer.

Posts 2 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 28, 2025

As Ruben Amorim has been at pains to stress, this is no vintage Manchester United side, with even Europa League glory unable to plaster over the damage of yet another miserable Premier League campaign.

A key crux of the issue has been the lack of attacking quality at Old Trafford, with Amorim left to rely on a misfiring forward line that could hardly lace the boots of the figures of years gone by.

In 1968, for instance, Sir Matt Busby’s side were blessed with Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton. In 1999, Alex Ferguson had the likes of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to call upon, alongside Ryan Giggs and David Beckham.

Fergie’s next great side – the 2008 Champions League winners – also boasted devastating brilliance in the form of Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. How the mighty have fallen.

At centre-forward, for instance, United’s sole senior option is that of Rasmus Hojlund, with the 22-year-old Dane having scored just nine times in all competitions in 2024/25 to date.

Perhaps, the presence of the former Atalanta man will still be enough to steer the Red Devils to their latest European triumph, but something needs to give this summer.

The Latest on Man Utd's striker search

Alongside the addition of a new number ten, in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers man, Matheus Cunha, the signing of a new striker appears high on the agenda for Amorim and INEOS, despite bringing in Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in successive summers.

One name widely tipped to follow Cunha to the Theatre of Dreams is Ipswich Town starlet, Liam Delap, with the England U21 international available for just £30m following the Tractor Boys’ recent relegation.

The Manchester City man has scored 12 Premier League goals this season, although there could be a sense that he is simply just another Hojlund, a player of potential rather than proven quality.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It is with that in mind that United are said to have set their sights on a more experienced, left-field option in the form of Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick, with both Arsenal and Chelsea also battling for his signature.

That’s according to Caught Offside, who have reported that the Bundesliga outfit would be willing to listen to offers in the region of €30m-€40m (£26m-£34m), ensuring that the Premier League trio could see a bid accepted if they step up their interest.

With all three sides set to be keeping close tabs on the 29-year-old’s situation – with just two years left on his current deal at the BayArena – the race is on to see just who will win the race for his signature.

How Schick compares to Rasmus Hojlund

The relief was palpable as Hojlund prodded home against Bournemouth in the dying embers late last month, with the £64m signing notching what was just his fourth league goal of the season.

While the struggling striker had ended last term as United’s top scorer across all fronts, it’s worth remembering that it took until Boxing Day for him to break his top-flight duck, with seven of his ten total league goals coming in a subsequent six-game run.

With only nine Serie A goals to his name in the previous campaign, the 6 foot 4 speedster has hardly showcased that he can be a reliable goalscoring presence during his senior career thus far. There is a player in there somewhere, but can Amorim afford to wait?

Those woes have heightened the need for a ready-made upgrade this summer and Schick certainly fits the bill. While Hojlund has toiled, the Czech international has been in lethal form for Xabi Alonso’s side, having scored 19 league goals this season – 15 more than his United counterpart.

Even during an injury-impacted campaign last term, Schick still managed to score on 13 occasions across all fronts, with his total tally for the German outfit standing at 79 goals in 166 games. Hojlund, meanwhile, has just 25 goals in 90 games at Old Trafford.

Games

29

29

Goals

4

19

Goal frequency

440min

83min

Big chances missed

4

7

Goal conversion

16%

29%

Shots on target*

0.3

1.1

Assists

0

0

Big chances created

3

1

Key passes*

0.5

0.4

Total duels won*

29%

40%

Described as an “incredible” talent in past by members of the media, the former RB Leipzig man has been head and shoulders above Hojlund in 2024/25, as indicated in the table above, thus representing just what a huge upgrade he would be. Indeed, the contrast in their goal frequency record says it all.

Yes, the signing of a player approaching 30 – in the mould of a Robin van Persie deal – may go against the INEOS model of targeting up-and-coming stars, although for a potential fee of just £34m, Shick could be too hard to ignore.

Of course, as United have seen with the case of Jadon Sancho, who now plies his trade away from Old Trafford, signing players from the Bundesliga is not without its risks, although for that relatively modest asking price, the Leverkusen monster looks like a gamble worth taking.

Not Hojlund: Man Utd flop at risk of becoming a worse signing than Weghorst

Man Utd have one star who is even languishing behind a certain Wout Weghorst…

ByRobbie Walls May 7, 2025

Manchester United have endured a season to forget in 2024/25, losing yet another Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers yesterday afternoon.

Ruben Amorim has been unable to transform the side over the last couple of months, with the summer window absolutely pivotal if he is to be a success at Old Trafford.

With survival secured for the next campaign, all focus now will undoubtedly be on the Europa League, with such a competition their only chance of ending the season with a trophy.

Should they go all the way in Europe, it would secure Champions League football for the club, undoubtedly saving what has been a truly dismal year for the Red Devils.

Despite the defeat on Sunday afternoon, numerous players managed to impress, looking to build up their form ahead of the European clash in just over a week’s time.

Man Utd’s star performers against Wolves

Noussair Mazraoui has been one of the club’s best additions in recent years, looking to be a bargain after his £12.8m move from Bayern Munich in the summer.

The Moroccan featured for the entirety of the defeat, winning 10 duels, whilst also completing 92% of the passes he attempted – showcasing his talents with and without the ball.

He wasn’t alone in impressing, with youngster Harry Amass taking advantage of another start that was handed his way in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

The 18-year-old operated in a left wing-back role, winning two tackles and making three clearances, whilst completing 100% of the dribbles he attempted, looking a threat at both ends of the pitch.

However, despite the showings of the pair, one other United star managed to impress, with the manager simply unable to drop him from the side after such a display.

The United star who now looks undroppable after Wolves

With just a handful of games to go in the Premier League, Amorim has the perfect opportunity to experiment with his side to work out what he wants to do this summer.

There’s no denying that additions and sales need to be made to the squad if they are to return to their former glory, with a repeat of the ongoing campaign nothing short of unacceptable.

It remains to be seen who could be sold or brought in, but the hierarchy need to trust the 40-year-old’s judgement if he is to succeed in the role at Old Trafford.

However, centre-back Tyler Fredricson was handed his first senior start in the clash with Wolves yesterday, taking his opportunity in the first-team with both hands.

The 20-year-old was part of a back three alongside Mazraoui and Victor Lindelof, arguably outshining the pair with his own showing in the North West.

Fredricson featured for all 90 minutes, completing 93% of the passes he attempted, whilst completing 100% of his dribbles, showcasing his impressive showing in possession – leading to Statman Dave labelling him “outstanding”.

However, out of possession, the youngster was also just as impressive, winning 12 duels and making four tackles – not looking out of place whatsoever despite his tender age.

Tyler Fredricson’s stats for United against Wolves

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

90

Touches

82

Passes completed

64/69 (93%)

Duels won

12

Tackles won

4

Fouls won

2

Dribbles completed

1/1 (100%)

Stats via SofaScore

As a result of his showing, the centre-back was handed an 8/10 match rating by The Express’ Alex Turk, further indicating what a sensational showing he produced on his debut.

After such a display, Amorim simply can’t drop the 20-year-old from his starting eleven, potentially saving the club millions of pounds in the summer transfer market.

He evidently has huge potential, needing vital minutes under the manager’s guidance next season to continue his excellent development, having the ability to be a key player throughout 2025/26.

Related Man Utd leading race to sign "powerful" £70m star who Ruben Amorim loves

Ruben Amorim is a huge admirer.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Apr 19, 2025

The fourth edition of UAE’s T20 tournament is also beginning earlier than usual to avoid clashes with the BBL and SA20

Abhijato Sensarma01-Dec-2025When does it start?The finalists from last season – Dubai Capitals and Desert Vipers – meet in Dubai to kick off proceedings on December 2. Most of the fixtures begin at 6.30pm local time, with the afternoon fixtures – on double-header days – starting from 2pm.The last time these two teams met, Capitals chased down a target of 190 thanks to a 38-ball 63 from Rovman Powell, and a bruising 34 off 12 from Sikandar Raza, in a thrilling last-over finish.Sikandar Raza took Dubai Capitals to their maiden title win last year•ILT20Is there a clash with BBL and SA20 this time too?To avoid a major clash with these two tournaments, in fact, the ILT20 has decided to start this season earlier than the January window in which it has been previously played: the matches are being played between December 2 and January 4. This gives players more leeway to appear for the entire duration of the competition, before the new year brings around a hectic franchise calendar with it.Australia’s Big Bash League is starting on December 14, and a few players might leave the tournament midway through to fulfill their commitments down under. The SA20 starts on December 26 which means former MI Emirates captain Nicholas Pooran might head out, among others, to appear for the MI franchise on another continent.The tournament runs on for a total of 34 matches – 30 league games, followed by the knockouts. The teams that finish first and second will meet in Qualifier 1, in Abu Dhabi on December 30 – the winner of this encounter proceeds to the final. Then, the third- and fourth-placed teams from the group stage face off in the Eliminator, on January 1 in Dubai.Related

• Kieron Pollard to captain MI Emirates in ILT20

• ILT20: MI Emirates sign Pooran, Pollard as wildcards

• R Ashwin goes unsold in inaugural ILT20 player auction

• ILT20 games in future seasons could be held in Saudi Arabia

The Eliminator’s winner then takes on the loser from the opening knockout match in Qualifier 2, on January 2 in Sharjah. The final will be played two days later.How are the teams shaping up this year?The same six teams as the previous season form the line-up for this edition: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Desert Vipers, Dubai Capitals, Gulf Giants, MI Emirates and Sharjah Warriorz.The tournament has had healthy competition so far: Gulf Giants won the inaugural title, MIE dominated during their second season run, and Capitals joined them as a third new winner during the competition’s first three years.Kieron Pollard will be MI Emirates’ new captain•ILT20And their captains?There’s been quite a shuffle this year, in fact: Kieron Pollard takes over from Pooran as MIE captain. Dasun Shanaka takes over from Sam Billings to lead defending champions Capitals, while Jason Holder takes over from Sunil Narine as the captain of Knight Riders.On the other hand, Lockie Ferguson continues as captain for Desert Vipers – he is on a comeback trail after an injury layoff, and his performances here will be crucial to his roadmap to playing for New Zealand in next year’s T20 World Cup. James Vince stays on as Gulf Giants’ captain too, while Tim Southee will continue leading Warriorz.Who are the other players to watch out for?ILT20 had its first player auction in October, and the squads are stacked with exciting talent. West Indies wicketkeeper-batter Andre Fletcher fetched a record bid of USD 260,000 from MIE, who retained him for a fourth successive season of explosive batting at the top of the order.Muhammad Waseem, Sikandar Raza, and Waqar Salamkheil pose with championship belts during the previous edition•ILT20Emirates opted to retain Muhammad Waseem too – he is a compulsive six-hitter from UAE, having hit 187 T20I sixes, trailing only Rohit Sharma (205).Pakistan-born UAE pacer, Junaid Siddique, was also part of a bidding war at the auction – Warriorz eventually snatched up a bowler who has been in great form, finishing as the third-highest wicket-taker at this year’s Asia Cup.

Development players at ILT20

From Saudi Arabia: Usman Najeeb (Dubai Capitals), Abdul Salam Khan (Sharjah Warriorz), Zain Ul Abidin (MI Emirates), Abdul Manan Ali (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Faisal Khan (Desert Vipers) and Ishtiaq Ahmad (Gulf Giants)

From Kuwait: Mohamed Aslam (Sharjah Warriors), Mohamed Shafeeq (MI Emirates), Bilal Tahir (Desert Vipers), Meet Bhavsar (Gulf Giants), Adnan Idrees (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), and Anudeep Chenthamara (Dubai Capitals)

Matheesha Pathirana was released by CSK last month, but this has freed him up to slot in as a replacement player for Warriorz. England batter Jordan Cox – who scored 367 runs at an average of 61.16, and an explosive strike-rate of 173.93 at The Hundred – will fly in to play for Capitals.Moeen Ali – will be turning out for Giants alongside Vince, while Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, who recently retired from the IPL, will continue to lend their services to Knight Riders in the ILT20.Jordan Cox has been in great T20 form this year•Getty ImagesWait… …R Ashwin isn’t playing?Nope, your notes are quite correct. He went unsold, as the only player with a base price in six figures at the auction. However, that doesn’t mean there is a dearth of Indian action at the tournament: Dinesh Karthik is the biggest name on this roster, heading to Sharjah Warriorz as their keeper-batter.Former Under-19 captain, and current USA player, Unmukt Chand will be turning out for Knight Riders. Piyush Chawla, meanwhile, was announced as a wildcard for Knight Riders.Anything else to keep in mind?Yes – Vipers bid for Pakistan players Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, and Hasan Nawaz, but their availability for the tournament was in jeopardy after PCB declared that they would not be granting NOCs to their players for tournaments outside Pakistan. However, it is understood that PCB has granted the certificates to these three players, and they will now appear at the tournament.The ILT20 has started to expand its footprint in the Gulf and has cobbled tie-ups with the cricket associations in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Six young players each from each country were bought by the six ILT20 franchises as development players at the auction recently.

The Mumbai spinner talks about how he improved dramatically starting in 2022, and why he’s not anxious about breaking into the India side

Himanshu Agrawal22-Feb-2024Since the start of 2022, Mumbai slow left-armer Shams Mulani has 140 wickets across all domestic first-class matches in India. That is the most among bowlers to have bowled at least 500 overs during this period, and it has come at the third-best strike rate.A third of those wickets came from only six games in the truncated Ranji Trophy season of 2021-22, which started in February 2022 and had a second phase in June. Mulani received the Madhavrao Scindia Award for being the leading wicket-taker that season.Before that bumper tournament, where he averaged 16.75, Mulani’s ten first-class games since his debut in 2018-19 had brought him 28 wickets at 34.46. But since then, he has averaged a little over half that in all first-class cricket.Related

• Shams Mulani bags another five-for but he is not done yet

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What brought about that turnaround?Fitness has been key, Mulani says ahead of Mumbai’s final group-stage Ranji fixture this year, against Assam. “For three years, I have been working very closely with Vishal Chitrakar, the strength and conditioning [S&C] coach for Mumbai. And I got a lot of help from the S&C coaches during IPL too.”He realised he needed to work to get his body accustomed to the demands of big seasons with plenty of matches. “Especially since I try my best not to miss even a single game,” he says. “And because it’s a long season, it’s pretty difficult to maintain your performance for the entire season.”But Vishal knows my body well – like how long I take to recover, and the programmes that work for me. We had decided that if I wanted to climb up the ladder, then I had to change something. Vishal has been really helpful in bringing those changes.”Other coaches, like Deepak Parteki [who also works at the National Cricket Academy], have been helpful too. They have been with me for a couple of years now.”Mulani received the Madhavrao Scindia Award for leading Ranji wicket-taker for 2021-22 from R Ashwin, one of his role models, earlier this year•Saikat Das/BCCIBefore his breakout 2022, Mulani had bowled 30 or more overs only twice in 15 innings. But during that Ranji season of 2021-22, he delivered more than 30 overs three times in 11 innings. That included a marathon 63.2 overs in the first innings of the Ranji final that season. Twenty-six of those overs were bowled in a spell that ran over the second evening and the third day.”I used to feel fatigued by the second innings until the season after my debut,” Mulani says. “I realised I had to stress on the recovery of my body because that is very crucial in a four-day game. If you have bowled a lot in the first innings and want to repeat that effort in the second, by which time the body has become sore, then you need to give yourself adequate time for training and strength sessions in between games.”That is something I have worked a lot on with the help of our physio, trainer and masseur. I do some rehab whenever I get some time. That helps me bowl long spells and recover to bowl more. Earlier I didn’t have a lot of idea about these things.”Mulani takes pride in how he has ground his way through first-class cricket, and likes bowling long spells. He says he wants to be prepared for any opportunity that comes his way, and to rise in his career with exposure.”Playing and experiencing domestic cricket is really important for me. I believe that the competition that exists in the Indian domestic circuit cannot be found anywhere else,” he says. “There is also the assumption people have that pitches here always have turn for the spinners, and so they bag a lot of wickets. But there are some pitches which aren’t helpful, and where you have to just keep bowling to extract something from them. So bowling those long spells – sometimes even 30 or 40 overs in an innings – is really crucial for me.”

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Former Mumbai batter Amol Muzumdar took over as the team’s coach in June 2021. The two years for which he served in that role were key for Mulani – mainly for how he instilled a sense of confidence that Mulani had lacked till then.In the nets for his IPL team, Mumbai Indians. Mulani hasn’t played an IPL game yet, but has taken 52 wickets in his 43 T20s so far•Mumbai Indians”My first season with Amol sir, when he noticed a few things about my bowling, was very helpful,” he says. “There were some technical suggestions too [from Muzumdar], but it was the changes he made to my mindset that made the most difference. For instance, he told me that if I was to become a better bowler, I simply had to try to be on top of the batters by being more attacking.”I used to get a lot of confidence just by talking to him. He always wanted me to get the batters out through my skill – like bowling well even on flat tracks, rather than just through help from the pitch. Amol sir was the only one who said I just do better. He said I had to be dominant in first-class cricket.”Muzumdar’s advice and exhortation resulted in Mulani delivering what he says is his most memorable performance in the last two years, against Goa in Ahmedabad in a group-stage game in February 2022. Mumbai were bowled out for 163 after batting first, and Goa doubled that score. Mulani took 6 for 107 in the second innings, but he rates his fourth-innings performance higher, when Mumbai were defending 231 and had to bowl Goa out in “hardly about 60 overs on the final day” to win. He took 5 for 60, to complete a career-best match haul.”It stands out,” Mulani says of that five-for. “It will always remain special. Looking at the situation, we did really well as a bowling unit to hit back, and I was able to contribute.”Another significant influence on his career has been that of former India and Mumbai batter Pravin Amre, who was a mentor to him. Mulani says Amre worked on his batting during his early days, and those inputs have paid off: in 37 first-class innings since 2021-22, he has hit eight half-centuries and been part of some crucial partnerships to rescue his sides.Before bowling in the last innings in that game against Goa, Mulani added 116 for the eighth wicket with Tanush Kotian. Mumbai were only 44 ahead when they came together, but when Mulani was out for 50, they led by 160. That apart, Mulani has been part of five century stands. In fact, he is one of only two players to have scored at least 800 runs and taken at least 80 wickets in all domestic first-class games in India since 2021-22.”I had a pretty long association with Amre sir,” Mulani says. “I had been practising under him at Shivaji Park Gymkhana ever since I was nine. He has informed me a lot of things about the game, including how to be mentally ready.”With the cricket season getting longer, I don’t get as much time [to spend with Amre].”