Chelsea may have already brought in Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson so far this summer, but Mauricio Pochettino's side appear to be homing in on another attacking player.

Who have Chelsea signed this summer?

Nkunku and Jackson arrived for a combined £81.5m earlier in the window, while a host of others have since been linked as part of a huge overhaul at Stamford Bridge.

Montpellier's Elye Wahi recently emerged as a possible option for Chelsea, and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims the Blues have now pressed on with their initial interest.

"Understand Chelsea are now advancing in talks to sign Elye Wahi – agreement getting closer, new negotiations round scheduled with Montpellier," the Italian journalist tweeted. "Chelsea plan includes loan move for Wahi this season. Chelsea want to accelerate [this] week as there's competition."

With a number of other clubs also circling, including Chelsea's Premier League rivals Arsenal, Foot Mercato previously reported that Wahi is valued by Montpellier at around €35m (£30m).

Is Elye Wahi a good option for Chelsea?

Having hit double figures for Montpellier in 2021/22, Wahi's career truly took off last season – his third as a senior member of the French club – when scoring 19 goals in 33 Ligue 1 appearances and setting up a further five.

Those 24 direct goal involvements put Wahi on a par with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar.

Indeed, the France U21 international ranked in the top 11% of all forwards across Europe's top five leagues in terms of goals scored last season, according to The Analyst.

There are strong parallels to be drawn with another young player who made a name for himself in France before making the switch to Chelsea, a certain Eden Hazard.

Hazard was just a year older than Wahi when joining the Blues from Lille, with whom he won the league title in 2011 – something he would repeat twice with both Chelsea and Real Madrid.

The Belgium international scored 20 goals in his final season with Lille, having netted 12 combined in the two seasons prior. Wahi scored 19 goals for Montpellier last season, having scored 13 in the two seasons prior.

While Hazard assisted 10 goals more in his final season with Lille than Wahi managed last season, he played 694 minutes more – the equivalent of nearly eight additional matches – in what was a stronger side.

The pair also showed similarities across those respective seasons in terms of shots on target per 90 minutes (1.71 for Hazard, 1.29 for Wahi) and fouls per 90 minutes (1.24 v 1.15), as per FBref, with the latter metric showing the pair are – or were in the case of Hazard – willing to get stuck in.

Comparing Wahi to Hazard is not entirely fair, given the latter would go on to become a major hit in west London, but there is no reason why the French jewel – who talent scout Jacek Kulig described as having an "incredible" season with Montpellier last time out – cannot have a similar impact.

In a summer of change at Stamford Bridge, the most exciting signing may have not yet arrived.

ScorecardFile photo: Tom Curran delivered a matchwinning final over•Getty Images

Tom Curran kept his head in the final over to carry Surrey to a sensational two-run victory in the opening NatWest T20 Blast game of the season at Chelmsford.With Essex requiring 10 off the last six balls, and six wickets in hand, Curran claimed the key wickets of Ravi Bopara and Ashar Zaidi to claim a memorable victory.Bopara’s dismissal off the second ball of the over ended a 46-ball 75, with five sixes, that looked to have put Essex in the driving seat.Earlier Dominic Sibley thumped four sixes in a swashbuckling 61 that enabled Surrey to post a challenging total of 188 after being put in to bat.However, it had looked as though sixes from successive deliveries bowled by Jade Dernbach in the penultimate over by Bopara – one straight, the other over long leg – meant Essex needed less than two runs a ball from the final over.The first ball went for two, but Tom Curran found the extra pace to beat Bopara from the next. With five required off two balls, Curran added the scalp of Ashar Zaidi, bowled to a full-length ball. The boundary required from the final ball as beyond James Foster.Essex had reached 25 in the third over when Varun Chopra left alone a delivery from Tom Curran that pitched outside off-stump and hit middle and leg.

‘Sibley unbelievable’ – Curran

Tom Curran, Surrey: “That knock from Dom was unbelievable. He’s come in not having played a lot of T20 cricket and he’s made a great stake for a permanent place in the T20 side. I thought he batted beautifully.”

Dan Lawrence, who had hit Sam Curran straight for six, followed soon after when he swished inelegantly at the younger Curran and was caught behind for 13.Tom Westley and Ravi Bopara put on 45 for the third wicket in six overs. But Westley was undone by Scott Borthwick’s first ball, which spun in and bowled him for 23. He had earlier edged Ravi Rampaul for six backward of square and then carted Dominic Sibley over cow corner for a second.Bopara hit Jade Dernbach for a straight six, pulled Rampaul for a second and hooked Borthwick for No3 as Essex accelerated. Rampaul went for 16 from one over, Borthwick for 14 the next as Bopara and ten Doeschate made hay.Bopara scrambled a single into the offside to reach a 43-ball fifty, but the partnership was broken by Sam Curran who trapped ten Doeschate lbw on the front foot. Essex still needed 52 from 26 balls, and 25 from the last two overs.Surrey lost Jason Roy to the fourth ball of the game, lbw to one from Mohammad Amir that swung late, and wickets followed in quick succession throughout, bar a sixth-wicket stand of 55 between Dominic Sibley and Sam Curran.Replacing Amir, two of Paul Walter’s first four deliveries were wayward and signalled as wides, but his third legitimate ball arrowed past Mark Stoneman’s bat and took out middle and leg stumps.Finch had already laid into Jamie Porter with a four through midwicket and a six over long leg off successive balls, and was similarly severe on Ashar Zaidi with a four chipped to deep extra cover followed by another six into the second tier of the stand at long leg.But Zaidi had the last word in his first over, tempting Rory Burns into a reverse sweep and bowling him.Finch reached his fifty from 23 balls with his third six, slogged-pulling Zaidi high over midwicket. But four balls later, in trying to work Bopara down to third man, the Australian top-edged behind for 56.Bopara had a second wicket in his third over when Ollie Pope pulled him to the midwicket boundary where Amir leapt to catch. Surrey had lost half their batting for 86 inside 11 overs.The fifty partnership for the sixth wicket came off 28 balls, before Curran on 25 gave himself room against Walter and lost his leg stump. Sibley lost the other Curran, Tom, to an inswinger from ten Doeschate’s first ball.Sibley reached a valiant half-century from 35 balls with his fourth six, but departed for 61 when he was run out off the last ball. Borthwick had his stumps shattered from a free-hit off Walter, but James Foster had a stump out of the ground before Sibley made his ground.

The left-arm spinner warned that batting last at Khettarama ‘won’t be easy’ and suggested Sri Lanka should have done better with the bat

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo15-Jul-2017Sri Lanka ended the first day of the Colombo Test against Zimbabwe 63 runs adrift, with only three first-innings wickets in hand, and their own lead spinner has sounded out a warning: batting fourth on this track “won’t be easy”.Khettarama is not a venue where Tests are often played – the most recent one was four years ago. As both sides attempt to read an unfamiliar surface, perhaps Rangana Herath’s assessments should be given greater weight than those of anybody else. Not only did he claim five wickets in the first innings, Herath had also taken 12 wickets against Bangladesh in that 2013 Test.So, if Sri Lanka do not come charging back into the game on day three, they may leave themselves with too much to do in the final innings.”If we can get to 350 or 400 – even get a first-innings lead of about 50, that would be good,” Herath said. “But if we can’t manage that, we have to get them out cheaply in the second innings. Batting fourth on this track won’t be easy. We’ve got two spinners in the XI, so I think we’ll be able to get them out for an average score or below. But right now, I think we should have been in a better position than this.”After Herath had wrapped up a 30th five-wicket haul in the morning, Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer took the lead spinners’ baton, and finished the day with figures of 3 for 100 from 30 overs. All three of his victims – Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella – fell to big-turning legbreaks.”If you take yesterday and today, the pitch is drier now than it was,” Herath said as he explained the increased purchase for the spinners. “I think that’s the nature of the surface – that will be there tomorrow and the day after. The next three days will be good for the spinners, I think.”We got a good start, but after that Cremer bowled really well. The balls to get Kusal and Chandimal were very good balls. When you get those kinds of deliveries, the chances of getting out are high.”Sri Lanka’s plight was also made more difficult by the hamstring injury picked up by Asela Gunaratne, while fielding in the morning. He came in at No. 8 in the batting order, instead of No. 6 or 7 as he usually might, and was clearly struggling to run between the wickets. Gunaratne had claimed two wickets in the first innings, but Sri Lanka’s attack may be weakened in the second, Herath said.”With the state his hamstring is in, I don’t think Asela will be able to bowl or field tomorrow. We are also trying to keep him fit for the India tour that’s coming up soon. If he is unable to bowl, it’s me, Dilruwan Perera and the two quicks who are left in the attack. Kusal Mendis has also taken a wicket in a Test in Zimbabwe, so he might be an option for the captain as well.”That Sri Lanka even find themselves in such a difficult position may also be testament to particular troubles the team has faced in 2017. They had taken large leads into the second innings in each of the Tests they played in Zimbabwe last year, but have since lost four of their last five matches, not to mention a host of ODIs. Despite those results, Herath believed there was quality in the side.”It’s not like we don’t have the talent. We do. But we haven’t been able to showcase those skills over a long period of time. After the Australia tour last year, we lost the South Africa series. Later, we lost to Bangladesh. It’s that lack of consistent performance. We’ve got a young team with only three or four experienced hands, and we can’t expect the older players to do everything. We have to give the young players experience, and they should also know how to make use of those opportunities.”

Sri Lanka will be without Upul Tharanga, who was banned for a slow over rate, and are waiting on the fitness of Chamara Kapugedera as well

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando07-Jun-2017Match facts
June 08, 2017
Start time 1030 local (0930 GMT)Big pictureTruth be told, Sri Lanka have often had the knack of winding up in the “easy group” in world tournaments. In years gone by, this has meant being clubbed with perhaps England and Bangladesh. They used to skip casually through the group stages, and would generally make a strong push in the back end of a tournament as well. Between 2009 and 2014, Sri Lanka made six ICC tournament semi-finals. Between 2007 and 2014, they played in five major finals.They find themselves in what appears to be the easier of the two groups again, but unusually, they are not sauntering past their opponents. This time, they seem to be among the weaker teams, laying down like stepping stones for other sides to trod on. South Africa have already been given their 96-run win. Now come the other heavyweights in the group, India, who in demolishing Pakistan, and eviscerating their two warm-up opponents, barely seemed to be breaking a sweat.Meanwhile, India have settled on an ODI formula that teams have struggled to upset for now. They are unambitious in the opening 10 overs, venturing no more than 49 during the first Powerplay on average, since the last World Cup. Then, typically with Virat Kohli at the crease, comes a sustained middle-overs surge which yields screeds of brisk but risk-free runs, which form the backbone of the innings. Then, with Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya or MS Dhoni marshalling the death overs, the team eclipses 300 and set themselves up in an imposing position.There is quality in India’s attack too, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar gleaning swing with the new ball, and Jasprit Bumrah closing innings out. And whatever the present situation between coach Anil Kumble and captain Kohli, on-field performance does not appear to have been affected yet.Sri Lanka will have to spring a major surprise at The Oval. They need an Angelo Mathews mauling, or a Lasith Malinga charge to derail India, and shake the match from the course most expect it to take.They also must do without Chamara Kapugedara, who injured his knee at training on match eve and was ruled out of the tournament. Sri Lanka will draft in Danushka Gunathilaka, who is in England as a standby player.Form guideSri Lanka LWLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
India WLWWWIn the spotlight
As evidenced in the game against South Africa, Sri Lanka have had trouble rotating the strike during the middle overs, and it appears part of the reason is the scoring rate of Dinesh Chandimal. Though he had an outstanding 2016, hitting six half-centuries in seven innings at one stage, he has otherwise been modest in the format. Among the 20 players to have faced more than 4000 balls since the start of 2010, Chandimal’s strike rate of 74.85 is the second-lowest. More than 48% of the deliveries he faces are not scored from.Few world batsmen relish playing Sri Lanka more than MS Dhoni. Two of his most memorable innings – the World Cup final knock, and the final-over blitz in the 2013 tri-series in the Caribbean – have come against them. His average of 61.35 is also, by a distance, his highest against any opponent in the Champions Trophy. Over 22% of his 9275 runs have also come against Sri Lanka alone. Even if Sri Lanka’s bowlers can be penetrative early on, on Thursday, they cannot relax until they have dismissed perhaps their greatest tormentor of recent years.Team news
Sri Lanka will likely open with Gunathilaka. There is a chance Thisara Perera may also enter the XI to beef up the batting, though the more aggressive choice – so long as the pitch is expected to take spin – would be to choose Lakshan Sandakan. The frontline pace trio of Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal may remain together.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Kusal Perera, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal,10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan PradeepIndia may consider bringing R Ashwin into the attack – in place of Umesh Yadav perhaps – but as the surface has a little grass on it on the eve of the match, they are more than likely to remain unchanged.India (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Kedar Jadhav, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditions
Signs are that the surface might be a little seam-friendly early on, but there are likely to be plenty of runs nonetheless. The weather is forecast to be cloudy but dry, with the temperature hovering around the high teens.Stats and trivia
In the last 17 matches between these sides, going back to 2012, India have won 14 Though Sri Lanka often get a good start in the first Powerplay, their run rate of 5.01 between overs 11 and 40 is the slowest for any team in the tournament Runs against Sri Lanka comprise a greater percentage of Kohli’s overall tally than even for Dhoni. Of Kohli’s 7836 career runs, almost 24% has come against Sri Lanka.Quotes
“They’re a force in world cricket no matter where they play, whether it’s at home or away. Especially in the last couple of years, they’ve been tremendous. It’s very hard to beat them unless we are on top of our game.”
“At the moment we are playing some good cricket, but that doesn’t mean that we play with arrogance as a team. We respect every opposition the same way, and we intend to play the same kind of cricket against everyone. That’s the only way to win a game of cricket. But there are no guarantees. In this sport, anyone can upset anyone on their given day.”

An update has emerged on Liverpool and their pursuit of a new central defender to bolster the squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign…

What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?

According to Football Insider, the Reds are plotting a 'new' swoop to sign Torino centre-back Perr Schuurs during the summer transfer window as Jurgen Klopp eyes a fresh defensive option.

The report claims that the Premier League giants are keen on securing a deal to bring the Dutch enforcer to Anfield over the coming weeks, with the interest dating back to his time at Ajax.

It states that the player would be open to ditching the Serie A side in favour of a move to Merseyside, which could give the English side encouragement.

Football Insider do not reveal how much Torino would demand for his services but it has previously been claimed by Italian media that a fee in the region of €40m (£34m) would be enough to get a deal done.

How old is Perr Schuurs?

The 6 foot 3 defender would arrive at Liverpool as Klopp's youngest first-team centre-back option at the age of 23, with Ibrahima Konate, 24, currently holding that title.

Bringing in a young player in that position to push the first-choice stars – Konate and Virgil van Dijk – could be bad news for one of the other enforcers on the fringe of the team – Joe Gomez, who only started 15 league games last term.

Journalist Ryan Taylor suggested to GIVEMESPORT earlier this summer that the club could be open to cashing in on the 26-year-old battler if they are able to replace him.

The arrival of Schuurs would provide the Reds with the opportunity to move him on if there is enough interest in the England international's signature, which could put an end to his eight-year stay on Merseyside.

Despite being part of a Torino side that finished 10th in the Serie A, the former Netherlands U21 star showcased his ball-playing ability as a centre-back with 0.39 successful take-ons per 90, which placed him among the top 19% of players in his position across the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days.

Whereas, Gomez, who played for fifth-placed Liverpool, only completed 0.20 per 90 and ranked within the 53rd percentile, which suggests that the colossal Dutch titan would offer more when it comes to bypassing the first phase of an opposition press by being able to dribble past forwards who are closing him down on the ball.

Schuurs, who journalist Josh Bunting once dubbed a “mountain", has also averaged more tackles, blocks, and clearances per 90 over the last 365 days in comparison to the Reds defender, who averaged more interceptions and aerial battles won.

Along with that, Gomez completed more progressive passes per 90, although the Torino stopper could have more opportunities to progress the play with his passing in a team that is competing higher up in the table, as the Italian side held 53.3% possession on average, in comparison to Liverpool's 60.6%.

The Dutch colossus is three years younger than the Englishman and Klopp could bring him in with the intention of helping the young talent to develop into a greater option than Gomez, given that the Serie A gem is already excelling above him in several areas.

This would, therefore, allow the German head coach to part ways with the former Charlton prospect, which is why the club's interest in Schuurs is bad news for the 26-year-old dud.

Everton's Dele Alli has an "uphill task trying to get into a Sean Dyche team" this season, as the former England international has yet to do anything in Merseyside that "suggests he deserves much of a chance in the team", claims journalist Paul Brown.

Everton transfer news – what's the latest on Dele Alli?

To say Dele's time at Everton has been a disaster would be an understatement.

The idea behind the transfer, if a little bit hopeful, was at least solid. Had it worked out, the former Spurs man would have had a platform to rediscover his form and the Toffees, for their part, would have a player that, at times in his career, has shown near enough world-class talent.

Ultimately though, it hasn't worked, and now Dyche and Co appear stuck with a player that looks like he doesn't want to be there and is still on a hefty £100,000-a-week for another year.

The former Burnley boss did speak positively about Dele in April this year, however, saying:

"I just got a sense that he wants to be back playing football and playing well."

While that may be true, the club have a serious decision about whether they will persist with the 27-year-old as a clause in his contract stipulates that Everton must pay Tottenham Hotspur an additional £10m should he reach 20 appearances. He is currently on 13.

What has Paul Brown said about Dele Alli's potential return to Everton?

Brown was blunt in his assessment of Alli's chances of saving his career whilst at Everton, explaining that he has shown the Toffees no reason to expect a resurgence in form from the former Spurs man.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "Nothing that he's done in an Everton shirt since he's been there suggests that he deserves much of a chance in the team. If he comes back and he's suddenly on fire in training. Great, you know, I'm sure Dyche will look at that and make a decision.

"But I just think that the cold hard financials of it are that it just isn't really isn't in Everton's interest to be playing Dele Alli. He hasn't really given them any calls at the moment to get him in there. So I think he's got an uphill task trying to get into a Sean Dyche team."

How good was Dele Alli at his best?

It has been a dramatic fall from grace for the former MK Dons man, with last year's loan spell to Besiktas being perhaps the lowest point in his career thus far.

It starkly contrasts his first few Premier League seasons for Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham. The 2015/16 season saw him truly burst onto the scene, starting 28 games for the North London side, scoring ten goals and providing another nine assists. It was around this time the Argentinian hailed him as "quality" and a player with "fantastic potential."

It was the year after, however, when he somehow found another level and threatened to become the best player in the league at certain points. It was this campaign when he scored a ridiculous 18 league goals and produced another seven assists.

It begs the question, could Dele get even close to these numbers again in the right environment? It could be a possibility, but with the performances he's put in over the last few years, Everton might well be better off just cutting ties at this point.

Nottingham Forest could be set to truly kickstart their summer of spending, with a new addition certain to bolster Steve Cooper's backline…

Who are Nottingham Forest signing this summer?

According to journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos, the Tricky Trees are willing to take a punt on former Arsenal man, Konstantinos Mavropanos, after an impressive time in Germany.

However, the 25-year-old has reservations due to his prior stint in the top flight, as noted in the report: "Nottingham Forest are still keen on signing Konstantinos Mavropanos from Vfb Stuttgart. But except no deal on transfer fee yet, Mavropanos has second thoughts on playing a Premier League club at the moment."

The centre-back is valued at just €9.9m (£9m) by Football Transfers and would add to their other acquisitions from the window, including Chris Wood and Ola Aina.

How good is Konstantinos Mavropanos?

Last season saw the Greece international enjoy his finest year of top-flight football yet, having finally settled in Germany and starring too.

His 7.26 average rating for the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign should serve to emphasise this, which is heavily influenced by his 83% pass accuracy, 2.2 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and 3.5 clearances per game, via Sofascore. Such an overall rating would have made him by far the Nottingham club's best performer from last term, to put that into context.

He has grown into a defensive leader at his current club, for whom he has now enjoyed just under three steadily improving years despite only leaving the Emirates permanently last summer.

Initially moving to north London as a 20-year-old, the bright lights of the Premier League likely overawed the young defender, who had previously only featured in his homeland. Given he would make just eight senior appearances, one of which saw him sent off, before being permanently moved on speaks volumes for his period in the English capital.

Despite that, Unai Emery still spoke highly of the youngster, suggesting that the future remained bright even if his chances were limited: "Mavropanos, I think he has a big mentality, his mindset was every day to work to improve his fitness and every training session he showed us what we wanted.

"We want to give him the opportunity to train and sometimes play because I think he has a good future."

Given how his tenure with Stuttgart has since gone, the Spanish coach has been proven right, as his former boss Pellegrino Matarazzo noted whilst he was on loan: "He's our gladiator! He's a monster in terms of physique. And when he makes a mistake, he hums around some Greek swear words. I like that. He's just a tough dog."

To now return him to England, with the knowledge he already has plus the additional experience that starring in another of Europe's top five leagues offers, it could be time for him to realise that huge potential at last.

Especially given that he would likely join as one of Forest's finer players, making him a supplementary asset to help the rest of the team thrive. The defensive platform built from his quality would allow his teammates to thrive.

Aina, in particular, would benefit from being partnered with such a steely stalwart, as the presence of the 6 foot 4 titan would allow him to bomb forward, showcasing his true starring assets.

After all, when compared against other full-backs across Europe, the 26-year-old ranks in the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, the top 8% for progressive carries per 90 and the top 14% for non-penalty goals per 90, via FBref.

He is a dynamic defender who loves to push on, and with Mavropanos behind him, the Nigerian can be safe in the knowledge that an unflinching ace is protecting his flank with ease.

This could help propel his disappointing two goal contributions from an injury-hit 2022/23 season to new lofty heights.

This Indian team has rid itself of a culture in which newcomers were judged, according to Virat Kohli

Sidharth Monga in Pallekele14-Aug-20173:10

We let Pandya be who he is – Kohli

This Indian team has rid itself of a culture in which newcomers were picked upon and judged, according to Virat Kohli. Though he didn’t specify whether that culture was something that existed in teams before his captaincy, or the one that Anil Kumble coached (and of which Kohli was captain), the assessment has the potential to be interpreted as a dig at a previous tenure.Though the whitewash of Sri Lanka could be seen as a continuation of a sterling run of Test successes, with Ravi Shastri having replaced Kumble as coach, a line has been drawn under that tenure and this. Kumble left ultimately because of what he cited as an “untenable” relationship with Kohli, and after some players had complained of his “intimidating” style of man-management.And whether or not Kohli was referring to those issues, he was clear that a new culture was emerging. “Culture can only be built when everyone buys into it,” Kohli said. “And the way that can happen is when you don’t have any judgements, people coming in and if you don’t look at them with a critical eye, watching everything they are doing and trying to pick on small things. I think that is something that we have gotten rid of totally.”In this team, we are more like a bunch of friends playing together rather than a senior or a junior. We don’t even think of the number of games an X has played or a Y has played within the change room. It is all about who you see every day. You can joke around with anyone inside the group, and that I feel is something that makes me feel proud of this particular unit. The way we have embraced each other and accepted each other with our different personalities and individuality, and that is the reason why people coming in feel like they don’t have to do anything different from what they know already. It gives them an opportunity to go out there and believe in themselves and you never know. If you keep the environment like that, then people will take lesser time to go out there and become mature cricketers because they don’t feel any pressure from the group itself. That I feel is something we all are proud of because we have been able to create that together.”This series, though, was more a test of the team’s ruthlessness than its unity in the face of adversity. Sri Lanka provided them no contest, and the series was done and dusted in under 11 days of play. On the final day of the series, having enforced the follow-on and needing nine wickets to win, Kohli found a novel way to keep the team interested. There can be no more damning observation on the plight of Sri Lanka.Virat Kohli: “In this team, we are more like a bunch of friends playing together rather than a senior or a junior.”•Associated Press”We spoke about it in the morning, treat this as day five of an away tour, probably a series-defining Test match where we’ll have to get an opposition out within 60-70 overs, so take that attitude on the field and try to wrap up things and understand how that can be done,” Kohli said. “We wouldn’t have situations all the time where we’ll get 600, 500 and then we’ll have a chance to bat again and give a large total, sometimes we will have to enforce the follow-on and it could be series-defining. It could be something special for the team. So try making those habits from here on, let’s start being a bit more uncomfortable as a team, embrace pressure situations, look to put in that extra effort for the team.”Also, understanding that we don’t play Test matches till December now, so… The guys were willing to give it all, and we took this as an opportunity to learn as a group together. So we keep finding different situations and scenarios where we can challenge ourselves as a team first before we look at the opposition. Again today was another opportunity for us to challenge ourselves, and I’m glad the way the guys stood up for it.”In the same breath, Kohli was asked how different it was to come out of a high-intensity series against Australia into this low-key contest where the motivation had to come entirely from within. “If you differentiate your level of motivation and intensity according to oppositions, then you’re judging oppositions differently,” Kohli said. “The reason we’ve been successful so far is because we treat a cricket game like a cricket game, which is executing the abilities that we can execute to the best of our potential, not looking at who we are playing against.”I think that is the attitude that has kept people hungry, you know you won’t see reckless cricket regardless of who we are playing. We want to consolidate every situation, we want to make sure that we’re correcting things along the journey and that’s the mindset we want to take forward also. You can’t raise your intensity or lower your intensity according to your oppositions because that I feel is disrespecting the sport.”

Glasgow Rangers said farewell to goalkeeping legend Allan McGregor during his testimonial against Newcastle United on Tuesday evening, and it was the perfect way for him to depart the Ibrox side.

Despite his legacy, a new goalkeeping era is set to begin during the 2023/24 season, with Jack Butland taking over the number one slot from the 41-year-old and hopefully this will allow the Gers to challenge Celtic for the Premiership title again.

During the final few matches of last season, Robby McCrorie was given an opportunity to shine between the posts, and he certainly delivered, keeping three clean sheets from four games, conceding just once in that spell too.

The 25-year-old looked set to become a front-runner for the number one spot, however, due to Michael Beale looking to start the new campaign with Butland as his main choice, the Scot could be set to depart Glasgow.

According to the Rangers Review, crunch talks between the ‘keeper and Beale were held, and he is looking to progress his career by playing regularly, something which the 42-year-old might not be able to offer him.

With Jon McLaughlin also looking set to move on from the Gers after a three-year spell in Glasgow, it could leave Beale short of options in goal.

Ahead of the window, they were linked with a move for Ivor Pandur who could be the ideal man to replace McCrorie at Rangers next term.

How good is Ivor Pandur?

With seven arrivals already during the transfer window, the Light Blues have undergone a major squad overhaul as they look to avoid a repeat of 2022/23, where they finished trophy-less for the first time in three years.

Change was needed and so far, Beale is delivering, yet with two ‘keepers about to potentially depart, some cover is required.

Pandur is only 23 years old and standing at 6 foot 2, he could be a titan for Rangers should he be called upon.

Across 31 Eredivisie matches for Fortuna Sittard last term, Pandur made 3.7 saves per game while succeeding with 0.3 successful run-outs per game – a success rate of 100% – while also winning 100% of his aerial duels, showcasing his commanding presence in the air.

McCrorie also happened to be successful with 100% of his run-outs per match and made 1.8 saves on average each outing, slightly lower than Pandur, although he did play a lot less.

The Croatian would certainly benefit from being behind a defence which conceded just 37 goals last season, compared to the 62 goals that Fortuna Sittard conceded in the Dutch top flight.

The 23-year-old could also fit Beale’s tactical style of play, as he ranks in the top 9% across the next big eight leagues for touches per 90 (41.52), suggesting he is comfortable on the ball and is likely to demand it often in order to start attacks, while his presence at set pieces could be solid as he ranks in the top 2% for crosses stopped per 90 (11.6%), something that would be a big bonus for the Gers.

The squad would be weaker should McCrorie depart for pastures new, yet luring a talent such as Pandur to the club gives Beale a solid backup option who would shine whenever called upon.

كشف محمد أسامة، رئيس الجهاز الطبي لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي الزمالك النقاب عن موقف محمد صبحي حارس المرمى من مباراة دريمز الغاني المقبلة ببطولة الكونفدرالية.

ويخوض الزمالك مباراة مرتقبة أمام دريمز الغاني يوم الأحد المقبل، في خضم منافسات جولة الإياب للدور نصف النهائي ببطولة الكونفدرالية.

وأكد محمد أسامة أن محمد صبحي حارس مرمى الزمالك يعاني من إصابة بمزق في العضلة الضامة.

جوميز يطالب بتجهيز لاعب الزمالك البديل استعدادًا لمباراة العودة أمام دريمز

وأوضح رئيس الجهاز الطبي في تصريحات رسمية أن الحارس تحامل على نفسه وتواجد على مقاعد البدلاء خلال مباراة دريمز الغاني السابقة في جولة الذهاب من أجل مصلحة الفريق.

واستأنف فريق الزمالك تدريباته اليوم الثلاثاء على ملعب النادي استعداداً للقاء دريمز الغاني في إياب الدور نصف النهائي لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الأفريقية باستاد بابا يارا الرياضي في غانا.

وكان الزمالك تعادل مع نظيره دريمز الغاني بدون أهداف في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما مساء الأحد الماضي باستاد القاهرة الدولي، في ذهاب نصف نهائي كأس الكونفدرالية الأفريقية.