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Not much has changed at Newcastle United since last season, with a quiet transfer window under the Saudi PIF notably bringing in Lloyd Kelly, Odysseas Vlachodimos and William Osula, none of whom are regular starters.

Things are shuffling in the right direction but the PIF project is not quite moving apace. Newcastle aren’t at their tactical zenith, and the club’s 2023/24 Player of the Season, Anthony Gordon, hasn’t quite found last season’s level. Yet.

Newcastle's attack not quite thriving

Newcastle shouldered the burden of so many injuries last season, but Gordon proved a constant throughout, with his pace and potency providing Newcastle with a new attacking hero to complement goalscorer Alexander Isak.

Matches (starts)

35 (34)

11 (11)

Goals

11

2

Assists

10

1

Shots (on target)*

2.3 (0.9)

1.6 (0.7)

Touches*

44.9

45.9

Pass completion

82%

77%

Big chances created

16

3

Dribbles*

1.5

1.2

Ball recoveries*

3.6

3.0

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

1.5

Total duels (won)*

5.3 (49%)

4.8 (51%)

The England international’s prolificness is not the only part to decrease this year, with his data across most further metrics pointing toward a regression of sorts – especially since he is seeing roughly the same amount of the ball each match.

Newcastle’s attacking fluency has simply taken a hit, with the Magpies finishing joint-second in the Premier League last season for big chances created (97) but have conjured up just 15 so far this term, placing them joint-15th with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Gordon will be aware that he needs to raise his game like Isak has done in recent weeks, with the pairing regarded as Newcastle’s foremost forwards and two of the highest-paid members besides.

However, perhaps the same can’t be said for Kieran Trippier, who is getting on a bit and no longer justifying his large earnings with high-level performances on the field.

Why PIF must axe Kieran Trippier

Trippier is currently playing out the penultimate year of his Magpies contract, and while his experience and leadership are aspects that must be taken into consideration, so too must his exorbitant wage packet.

Harking back to Gordon and Isak, the former’s new contract has lifted his salary to £150k-per-week, behind only Bruno Guimaraes now, while Isak pockets deserved £120k-per-week earnings, the same as Trippier.

Given that Trippier’s future looked to be away from Tyneside this summer, albeit with any potential transfers failing to reach completion, it’s difficult to claim that he should see out his contract until the end of next season, having already lost his place in the first team to Tino Livramento, more robust and youthful.

He still has a staunch fan in manager Eddie Howe, who said back in September that the 34-year-old was still “such an important part” of the club despite his reduced role, but after a summer of stagnancy, Newcastle need to spur themselves onward, into a new chapter.

His qualities still remain, ranking among the top 6% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and progressive passes and the top 4% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref. There are suitors out there who would snap him up.

Criticised for some “disastrous” defensive displays for Newcastle last season by journalist Harry de Cosemo, it feels like the time is right for PIF to allow Trippier to move on. Howe’s side, it would seem, already have.

New role: Howe can replicate Joelinton success with Newcastle sensation

Howe should unleash a rising Newcastle star in a new role to create Joelinton 2.0

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 29, 2024

The Bangladesh captain calls the conditions, especially when they were fielding, “not good” or “playable”

Firdose Moonda07-Mar-2022Nigar Sultana, the Bangladesh captain, has criticised the conditions in Dunedin, where her team lost their second game of the Women’s World Cup 2022 – a rain-hit fixture to New Zealand. She called the damp outfield unplayable and said she had been worried about the “safety” of her players.A rain delay of over four hours cut the match down to 27 overs a side, and the drizzle returned in the second innings, when Bangladesh were fielding in defence of 140.”Firstly, I would like to say [that] this is not good, playable condition, because there was a lot of rain over there, but still we played over there,” she said at the post-match press conference. “Sometimes the bowlers couldn’t grip the ball, and the boundary fielders couldn’t watch the ball very well. And I was a bit worried about the safety of my fielders, because we have five more matches to go. So it was very difficult for us to play in this kind of condition.”Related

Fahima Khatun: 'We want to take back some good memories' from our first World Cup

'Wanted to hide under the covers until the sun came out'; it did, and Suzie Bates ended her 14-year glitch

Bates 79*, Satterthwaite three-for down Bangladesh in rain-affected game

Heavy weather began to roll in as New Zealand’s chase continued. After 13 overs, they were 73 for 1, when a drinks break was due. Bangladesh were on their way to the dugout when the umpires sent the refreshments back and asked for play to continue. New Zealand only took another seven overs to score the remaining 68 runs.Though Bangladesh accepted the on-field instructions to play on, Sultana spoke to the umpires again after 15 overs, with light rain falling, but play again continued. Afterwards, she indicated they had wanted play to be paused but could not convince the officials.”When we were on the ground, we asked the umpires whether we would be continuing the game in these conditions, and they kept saying that we should continue. On the field, there was nothing more I could do,” she said. “But we are concerned, so off the field, we can do what we can, speak to whoever we can, and see how we can minimise the risk. We will let the match referee know that the conditions were such that… what should be done to make it better the next time.”

“See, we bring only a few players to World Cups. So it becomes difficult for us if someone suddenly picks up an injury. We are here from Bangladesh, which is far away, so to get a new player from home, have her go through ten days of quarantine, and get her on the field… the tournament will be over by then”Nigar Sultana

With five matches remaining for them in the tournament, Sultana was concerned that if any of her players suffered an injury, it would leave Bangladesh short on resources and unable to bolster them.”See, we bring only a few players to World Cups. So it becomes difficult for us if someone suddenly picks up an injury,” she said. “We are here from Bangladesh, which is far away, so to get a new player from home, have her go through ten days of quarantine, and get her on the field… the tournament will be over by then.”The safety and security of the players is of utmost importance, because we need to think of the future too. We have more fixtures after the World Cup, where we need these players.”She has asked officials to consider the players’ well-being going forward, especially if the wet weather continued. “We can play the remaining matches only if my players are safe. The safety of the people, who I am going to fight with, is the most important thing for me,” she said.Sultana dismissed any suggestion that she was making excuses for Bangladesh’s performance and pointed to the comparatively drier conditions New Zealand bowled in.”If you think this is an excuse, then no. When it was the first innings, there was rain then too, but it was not [the same],” she said. “During the first innings, the rain was not that heavy, the conditions were much better, at least when we batted. When we bowled and fielded, the rain was much heavier.”Bangladesh have lost both their matches so far, after a 32-run defeat to South Africa on Saturday. They have a week to strategise for their next fixture, against Pakistan in Hamilton.

Things are really heating up in the run-up to Christmas across Europe's top leagues, with Inter reclaiming top spot in Serie A, Lens surprisingly leading the way in Ligue 1 and Barcelona continuing to pile pressure on Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid. Over in Germany, though, it seems that nobody is really capable of dethroning Bayern Munich, but Premier League leaders Arsenal are looking more and more nervous with each passing week.

So, who were the big winners and losers of the latest round of action across the continent? GOAL runs through all of the major talking points below, including a massive 'cupset' in Edinburgh and more supporter unrest in Florence…

Getty Images SportWINNER: Arne Slot

Arne Slot admitted Liverpool benefited from "a bit of luck" in Saturday's 2-0 win over Brighton, but felt like they were due some good fortune in light of the "injuries and other things" they've had to deal with in recent weeks. One of those "other things" was obviously Mohamed Salah's quite remarkable attempt to undermine the Dutchman's authority after the 3-3 draw with Leeds United last Saturday week.

Such a shocking show of insubordination would have probably sparked civil war under a more combustible coach, but Slot is as cool as they come and the Dutchman deserves immense credit for following up a hard-fought win at Inter in the Champions League with a morale-boosting win over Brighton, during which he looked like the bigger man by not only welcoming Salah back into his squad, but also bringing him on when the unfortunate Joe Gomez went off injured in the first half.

The Egyptian even contributed an assist for Hugo Ekitike's killer second goal before bidding farewell to all four corners of Anfield ahead of his flight to Morocco to link up with his national team for their Africa Cup of Nations campaign. Whether the winger returns to Merseyside after the tournament concludes is not yet clear, as it was hard to believe Slot when he said that there is no longer any issue to resolve with his star player. However, the manager has undeniably done well to take a significant amount of the tension out of the situation – even if it's only for a few weeks…

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Arsenal fans' nerves

Just over a month ago, there was talk of Arsenal running away with this season's Premier League. They'd won five games in a row while defending champions Liverpool had gone into freefall and Manchester City were leaking goals at an alarming rate.

However, Arsenal have dropped points three times since their comfortable 2-0 victory at Burnley at the start of November, and they should have done so again on Saturday after a dire display against Wolves at the Emirates, with the hosts needing two own goals to overcome the weakest team in the league.

Of course, Mikel Arteta's men are unlikely to play as poorly in many more games this season, while winning ugly is undoubtedly the mark of champions. However, the very fortuitous win over Wolves made it painfully clear to Arsenal's long-suffering supporters that there won't be too many easy games either – not for a team that is so incredibly desperate to win the title after three consecutive runners-up finishes.

The north Londoners remain favourites to finally end their major trophy drought this season but, with City resurgent, it's going to be a long and nerve-racking ride for Gooners. 

Getty Images SportLOSER: Newcastle

A little under two years ago, Newcastle's players celebrated a 3-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light with a team photo in front of their fans. On Sunday, it was the Black Cats' turn, after a well-deserved 1-0 win over their most hated rivals.

Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade decided the Tyne-Wear derby in the home side's favour, by unintentionally planting a cross from Nordi Mukiele past his own goalkeeper shortly after half-time. However, it would be wrong to single out the German after what was an atrocious team performance from Eddie Howe's troops. Indeed, midfielder Bruno Guimaraes admitted after Newcastle's first league loss to Sunderland since 2016, "The whole message in the changing room was: 'Do it for the fans' and we didn't.

"It's so embarrassing for me and frustrating because we know we have a better team than them. It's clear for me. But we didn't perform like a better team – it makes me feel angry." And rightly so, because Newcastle's supposedly 'better team' are now four points and five spots below seventh-placed Sunderland in the Premier League table.

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Getty Images SportWINNER: Morgan Rogers

Cole Palmer got back among the goals for Chelsea, Phil Foden maintained his fine form in Manchester City's win at Crystal Palace, while Jude Bellingham set up a goal for Real Madrid in their crucial victory over Alaves. However, the most impressive performance delivered by an English attacking midfielder over the weekend came courtesy of Morgan Rogers, who once again showed why he's Thomas Tuchel's preferred No.10 by scoring  twice as Aston Villa came from behind to beat West Ham 3-2 at the London Stadium.

Unai Emery's men have now won nine games in a row in all competitions and sit third in the Premier League, just three points behind leaders Arsenal, meaning talk of a title challenge no longer seems quite so unrealistic. Certainly, with Rogers in such scintillating form (eight goal involvements in 16 matches), anything seems possible for Villa.

"I'm scoring quite a few lately," the 23-year-old told . "I want to score as much as possible and help the team and, at the moment, we're on a great run, so let's see where that takes us."

Peshawar Zalmi piggy-backed on Kamran Akmal’s fourth T20 century, and second fifty-plus score in as many days, to brush aside Lahore Qalandars by seven wickets

The Report by Arun Venugopal16-Mar-2018Peshawar Zalmi 176 for 3 (Akmal 107*) beat Lahore Qalandars 172 for 4 (Devcich 70, Akhtar 30*) by seven wicketsPeshawar Zalmi piggy-backed on Kamran Akmal’s fourth T20 century – and second fifty-plus score in as many days – to brush aside Lahore Qalandars by seven wickets and storm into the Playoffs. Opening the batting, Akmal’s undefeated 61-ball 107 was instrumental in Peshawar pulling off the highest successful chase in this year’s tournament so far. Lahore elected to bat and made 172, but on a good batting surface, it wasn’t going to be adequate, as Peshawar strolled to the target with two overs to spare.Right from the time Peshawar scored 20 runs off Anton Devcich, who had been responsible for Lahore’s strong batting display, in the first over of their chase, things appeared ominous for Lahore. The dismissals of opener Riki Wessels and Dwayne Smith – in the second and seventh overs respectively – were the only bright spots for Lahore’s bowlers, who copped a hammering at the hands of Akmal. Right from the start, Akmal maintained a steady flow of boundaries – he scored 11 fours and seven sixes in all – and raised a century off 59 balls, as the chase proved a walk in the park for Peshawar.Had it not been for Akmal’s numbing assault, Devcich could have possibly emerged the match-winner for Lahore with his 42-ball 70, which included two fours and seven sixes. While admittedly a chancy effort, Devcich struck some mighty blows when he wasn’t using the pace to deflect the ball to the shorter boundary on the leg-side. After Devcich departed in the 15th over, Sohail Akhtar, who smashed an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls, and Gulraiz Sadaf (26* off 21 balls) helped Lahore sustain the momentum, as they amassed 52 runs in the last five overs. All that would ultimately prove futile.Where the match was wonWhile it would be fair to say that Akmal had the chase covered for the most part, there was a phase where Yasir Shah and Shaheen Afridi successfully slowed down things – overs seven to 10 yielded only 24 runs. Akmal, along with Mohammad Hafeez, took on the bowlers and piled on 54 runs in the next five overs to reduce the target to 38 in the last five overs. With the cushion of wickets, Peshawar had no problem in polishing off the required runs in the next three overs.The man who won itComing into the game, Akmal had three half-centuries in the tournament. The 36-year-old knew this was a must-win game that needed him to do even better, and therefore, having reached his half-century in the 12th over, Akmal marched on. Despite a bout of cramps, Akmal was unrelenting with his cuts, pulls, step-out-and-drive strokes, and slog sweeps. By the time the game came to an end, Akmal had ascended to the top of the run charts.Where they standWith this win, Peshawar have climbed to second place in the points table and have qualified for the Playoffs. Lahore Qalandars slumped to their seventh defeat and finished last in what has been a forgettable season for them.

Nottingham Forest made headlines on transfer deadline day when they announced a total of seven new incomings to their squad.

Among the new arrivals was Belgian international and former Liverpool forward, Divock Origi, who has joined the City Ground on an initial season-long loan from AC Milan.

The 28-year-old was officially announced as a Tricky Trees player in the early hours of Saturday morning after the club were granted extra time to complete the paperwork for the deal after the 11pm deadline.

How much are Forest paying for Divock Origi?

European football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now detailed more information regarding the move on social media, in which the true cost that ambitious owner Evangelos Marinakis will have to pay was revealed.

"Divock Origi has just completed formal steps of his move to Nottingham Forest with stadium presentation," he tweeted around 48 hours after the window slammed shut, also adding: "Loan deal includes buy option clause. €4.5m buy clause not mandatory. Salary 100% covered by Forest."

That salary is thought to be around £120k-per-week, which equates to £6.24m for the whole year, as per Capology.

How good is Divock Origi?

Origi returns to England after a season in Milan in which he appeared 36 times for the Rosseneri but only managed to find the net on two occasions. The striker is remembered more fondly for his previous spell in the Premier League at Liverpool, where he built a reputation on stepping up for the big occasion.

After joining Liverpool in 2014, Origi would play 175 times, scoring 41 goals.

The Belgian famously scored a brace in Liverpool’s 4-0 comeback win against Barcelona in May 2019 to send them through to the final of the Champions League, in which he would again score the winning goal as they beat Tottenham 2-0 to lift the famous trophy for the sixth time.

Other achievements from his Liverpool career include his involvement in their Premier League success in 2020, as well as featuring in the 2022 FA Cup and Carabao Cup double.

On the international stage, Origi has been capped 32 times for Belgium and scored three times, one of which came in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Despite still being available for national team selections at this stage of his career, he has not featured for Belgium since March 2022 and was not included in the squad for the upcoming international friendlies this September.

Will Divock Origi start for Nottingham Forest?

Regarding his new side Nottingham Forest, they currently sit ninth in the Premier League table after four games played, winning two and losing two. They most recently picked up three massive points in a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, ensuring they go into the break on a positive note.

Origi will have strong competition at Forest upon his arrival with several players being able to lead the line, including Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi – the latter having scored or assisted in each of his four league appearances so far this season, though Origi can offer his valuable experience of winning major titles to the current squad.

The former Liverpool "monster" – as once regarded by Burnley boss Vincent Kompany – could be a vastly experienced and worthwhile addition to the frontline and perhaps a true successor to the departed Brennan Johnson, who joined top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur the very same evening.

Ben Stokes produced a starring all-round performance in his second match back in the England fold to help level the ODI series

Andrew McGlashan in Mount Maungenui28-Feb-2018Ben Stokes felt “emotional” as he walked off the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui with an unbeaten 63 to his name, which helped steer England to a series-levelling victory, having been determined not to let his team-mates down on his return.Five months ago he walked off the County Ground at Bristol with a half-century and England later won that match against West Indies. Subsequent events meant that would be his last international until three days ago in Hamilton, when for a short while it appeared he would play a role in victory with the ball, but this time he made an impact in all three departments.In that time the Ashes passed him by and there has been a court appearance with a not-guilty plea for affray. The final situation will play out in the courts starting next month – the debate about whether he should be on this tour at all will continue – but for now Stokes is eager to make the most of being back.”It was a great feeling to be walking off the field there at the end not out, especially after a really commanding performance from the team. I was quite emotional walking off there at the end,” Stokes said. “Even walking on the field the first time and walking off tonight made me understand how much a privilege it is to represent your country. It was a different feeling to what it is normally but it was a great feeling to be walking off there.”There was relief, happiness and obviously it’s been a long time. Hopefully now this is a stepping stone on the road to trying to keep on helping England win games. We’ve got a massive summer ahead and the World Cup coming up after that as well so hopefully this is just the start of it.”Ben Stokes celebrates as Henry Nicholls walks off•Getty ImagesThere was understandable rustiness in his 12 at Seddon Park – nets can only do so much – although the ball came out nicely from his first over. In Mount Maunganui he was rarely far from the action, showing the knack of picking up wickets with poor deliveries when Henry Nicholls cracked a cut to point, and twice being alert to pull off run outs.With the bat he had a scare before he had scored, calling Eoin Morgan through for a dicey run, but then started to find his range – a lofted straight drive off Trent Boult and a brace of thunderous pulls being the highlights.”I’ve been working hard at home making sure that when the opportunity came again to represent England I wasn’t going to let anyone down,” he said. “When I got the nod I wanted to expect to be asked to participate fully rather than be eased back into the team. I wouldn’t expect anything less of myself and I don’t think Morgy [Eoin Morgan] would expect anything less of me either.”Stokes touched on the angst he felt at having missed such a marquee series for an England player as the Ashes, but was already casting his eye forward to England’s home season of cricket.”It was obviously frustrating to watch the Ashes. I went through all the emotions as I would have done playing but there’s not a lot I can change about that now,” he said. “I will constantly be saying it’s what’s coming up now going forward. As a cricketer, especially as an England cricketer, we’ve got so much cricket to play and there’s lots to look forward to and concentrate on.”Although Stokes had been training extensively during his long lay-off – either side of his short spell with Canterbury before Christmas – there was a degree of uncertainty about how he would respond to the intensity of international cricket. He felt the bowling was the tougher of his two disciplines to regain the rhythm in and Morgan has not used him for his full 10 overs in the first two matches.”It’s nice to be contributing wickets, two in the first game and two here, but I don’t think I’m quite at the level I want to be yet,” he said. “The day after the first game I was a little bit sore and to be honest I was really stiff coming back for my second spell. There’s nothing like match overs. You try to replicate everything you can in training but it’s that extra adrenalin you get playing and that extra intensity does have an effect on the body when you haven’t had it for a while. The body’s feeling a lot better than it did after the first game.”

Matthew Wade scored his second consecutive century and strung a 152-run partnership with Ben McDermott as Tasmania and New South Wales shared a point each at the SCG

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2018
ScorecardNew South Wales and Tasmania shared a point each in a rain-affected draw but not before Matthew Wade scored his second consecutive century on the final day at the SCG.The Tigers started the day 209 runs behind on the first innings and both sides would have needed to make bold declarations in order to set up a result.Jake Doran fell agonisingly short of a hundred, caught behind off Steve O’Keefe for 97. Beau Webster’s 354-ball epic ended when he fell to Gurinder Sandhu. The big quick had reverted to bowling off spin and had Webster caught at leg slip for 136.Wade and Ben McDermott then put together an unbroken 152-run partnership in just 34.1 overs. Wade reached his hundred with a six off the part-time offerings of Nic Maddinson. McDermott cruised to 75 not out before the game ended with Tasmania’s declaration. Webster was named man of the match.The result means both sides remain in the hunt for a berth in the final with two rounds remaining.

While Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou was unable to shift the likes of Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris during the recent transfer window, it otherwise proved a rather substantial summer clearout for the Lilywhites as a host of first-team assets were shown the door.

The north London outfit notably sent Tanguy Ndombele and Davinson Sanchez packing – the pair having been snapped up by Galatasaray on respective loan and permanent deals – while the likes of Japhet Tanganga, Joe Rodon and Djed Spence also departed on a temporary basis as the ex-Celtic boss aimed to his put his stamp on proceedings after succeeding Antonio Conte in the dugout.

Another of those to have left N17 late in the day was former Real Madrid man, Sergio Reguilon, with the Spaniard's last-gasp loan switch to rivals Manchester United an indication of his fall from grace at Spurs in recent times – as his plummeting market valuation can also attest to.

How much did Tottenham pay for Reguilon?

The attacking left-back was signed during Jose Mourinho's first summer in charge back in 2020, with the promising defender arriving from Madrid after having claimed Europa League glory the year prior while on loan at Sevilla.

That impressive role in the La Liga side's European adventure – as the 5 foot 10 ace notably scored against AS Roma in the last-16 – saw Daniel Levy sanction the £28m capture of the defender, with the club seeking a successor to Danny Rose in that left-sided berth.

Despite making 52 Premier League appearances across his first two campaigns in England, while registering six assists, that rather sizeable investment now appears to have been something of a mistake as far as Levy is concerned.

How much is Reguilon worth now?

The fact that Spurs have sanctioned the 26-year-old's temporary move to Old Trafford – amid the Red Devils' desperate need to find cover for the injured Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia – is perhaps a testament to his woes of late, with there seemingly little concern at handing the Madrid native to one of their top-flight rivals.

That comes after the £53k-per-week asset was shipped off to La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid last term after falling down the pecking order under Conte, with that frustrating, injury-disrupted campaign seeing the full-back make just 12 appearances in all competitions.

As club insider John Wenham stated last year, perhaps the six-cap international is simply "just not that good", with the respected source offering an even more biting assessment after stating that Reguilon is "so average it's untrue".

Described as someone who "lets himself down" defensively, according to ex-Spurs man Alan Hutton, the Los Blancos academy graduate has undoubtedly failed to have the desired impact in English football thus far, with it yet to be seen if his fortunes will change in Manchester.

The true nature of the Mourinho signing's decline can be illustrated by the fact that he is now valued at just €5m (£4m), according to CIES Football Observatory, with that figure £24m less than what Levy originally paid for him just three years ago.

In truth, such a dismal piece of business could only become worse if Reguilon does go on to thrive under Erik ten Hag this season…

The Australia U-19 captain played a bit of basketball and soccer in school and college, and was only convinced of cricket as a career option when he made it to the Australia Under-16 side five seasons ago

Shashank Kishore in Tauranga13-Jan-2018As Australia arrive at training ahead of their Under-19 World Cup opener against India in Mount Maunganui, a familiar stance, backlift and fidgety movements catch the eye as one gazes towards the dressing room. Jason Sangha is being filmed as he imitates Steven Smith. “Not as good as Maxi, but I’m getting there,” he laughs. Then he goes on to twirl his bat and play that whip off his hip.Back at the Australia nets, there’s energy bursting at the seams. The Under-19 group is set to play together for the first time in over two months. The entire squad, barring Will Sutherland, who missed the domestic Under-19 championships in Hobart, was rested for the bilateral series against Pakistan last month to gear up for the tournament. But Sangha couldn’t get cricket out of his mind. A couple of times, he was spotted on the road imitating a bowling action or practising a cover drive. “So much, excitement,” he says. “Indian roots. How could I not be mad about cricket?”As a 16-year old, Sangha was picked to play for Australia at the previous Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, but the team pulled out because of security concerns. Now, he’s been given the additional responsibility of also being captain.

Most of the guys were quite emotional about it, they knew how much it meant to actually not play that World Cup. From there, I had the extra desire and hunger to be a part of this World CupJason Sangha on missing out on the 2016 edition due to security reasons

“For a young guy, it was a new experience. It was the first major thing I’d accomplished in my cricket career, something I’ve cherished since. For me, it was difficult. I would’ve loved to be in Bangladesh, but I knew I had another World Cup coming up,” Sangha says of the disappointment from 2016. “Most of the guys were quite emotional about it, they knew how much it meant to actually not play that World Cup. From there, I had the extra desire and hunger to be a part of this World Cup.”Sangha has already led Australia Under-19s in a bilateral series against Sri Lanka at home in April. He made news in November when he became the youngest first-class centurion in the country since Ricky Ponting in 1992-93. It was a pre-Ashes warm-up fixture and Sangha was facing an attack that included Chris Woakes, Craig Overton and Moeen Ali. He held firm to bring up a superb century, one he says gave him oodles of belief.”It was still quite a competitive game, they wanted to win but so did we,” he says. “It was a great experience. You don’t really get to play those oppositions that often. Especially as a young kid it’s awesome to get the opportunity to play against an international attack. To get that hundred against England absolutely meant the world to me, a lot of preparation went into that. I’m just glad it happened.”His form leading into the game helped too. Playing for the Randwick Petersham Cricket Club in Sydney, which gave David Warner and Usman Khawaja to Australia, he smashed two big hundreds in the New South Wales Premier Cup. He looks back on these knocks fondly and though he is happy with where his game is at, he is eager for more success.”For me, I don’t feel I’m there in cricket yet,” he says when asked about having to choose between cricket and university. “Obviously signing with the New South Wales and Sydney Thunder is good, but I always think I can always get better. So I feel I still haven’t quite made it yet into where I want to be in cricket. The Under-19 World Cup is obviously a massive pathway for me to showcase my skills for the future.”Jason Sangha celebrates his century•AFPSangha loved netting three-pointers and slam dunks as he grew up. He also played a bit of soccer, but was only convinced of cricket as a career option when he made it to the Australia Under-16 side five seasons ago. “That was probably my first major milestone and that’s when I thought I’ll try and pursue cricket a fair bit,” he says. “The best thing about Australia is that there are so many different sports that we play.”I’m one to always love playing not just cricket, but also basketball, baseball and soccer. Those sports are some which everyone in Australia love. You see someone like Will Sutherland, he was pretty much giving it in his AFL career and ended up choosing the right one, which is cricket. So it’s good for us. That’s the best thing about our team as well, we have guys who not just love cricket but also other sports as well. We’re lucky to be in a country like Australia, where you can pursue a career in whichever direction you want to go.”Sangha and co have come through the system that has carefully been streamlined by Greg Chappell, who heads Cricket Australia’s national talent management wing, and are now under the care of two players who were, only four years ago, celebrating a 5-0 Ashes triumph.”We have someone like Ryan Harris [head coach] and Chris Rogers [batting coach] who just came out of the Australian system and they know what it’s like to be an Australian cricketer, the messages they have been taking from the actual Australian team, they’ve tried to implement here,” Sangha says. “In these competitions sometimes you can get too confused. When you’re in high pressure moments, you need to have a bit of clarity. In those high pressure moments, need to be a bit relaxed and have a simple mindset. That’s where they have helped.”Australia’s route to the Under-19 World Cup has taken shape over a two-year period in which the selectors have persisted with a core group that they identified at Under-15 level. “It hasn’t been a six-month planning. It’s honestly been for about two-three years, knowing this batch of age-group cricketers was going to be ready for the World Cup in 2018,” Sangha says. “It started with the Under-15s tournament. It’s been about consistent training, having a squad going to the NCC up in Brisbane and train there during the winters and the season. It’s honestly been a long process, but I believe this is the best squad we’ve got and I’m confident we can go all the way.”

Tottenham Hotspur's bid to bolster their forward line following the departure of former talisman Harry Kane has taken something of an unexpected turn, with Ange Postecoglou seemingly eyeing up a late, marquee move for an exciting young forward…

Who will Tottenham sign before Deadline Day?

Having lost the England skipper to German giants Bayern Munich on a £100m deal earlier this month, the Lilywhites have thus far only brought in free transfer arrival Manor Solomon and Argentine teenager Alejo Veliz to help strengthen the attack, albeit while also ensuring Dejan Kulusevski is set for a permanent stay at N17.

With fresh faces still seemingly needed before the close of the window later this week, various reports have indicated that Postecoglou has his eyes set on Nottingham Forest speedster, Brennan Johnson, with the Wales international valued at around £50m by his current side.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

Amid that interest in the 22-year-old, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also since reported that Spurs are in talks regarding an exciting move to bring Barcelona starlet Ansu Fati to England on a temporary deal, with the respected insider revealing on Twitter:

"Understand Tottenham are now in contact with Barça to negotiate for Ansu Fati deal on loan until June 2024. Discussions about conditions of the deal but Barça want 100% of the salary covered. Ansu, also presented to Chelsea as opportunity but no former approach yet."

How good is Ansu Fati?

With all the talk having been about the aforementioned Johnson of late, this apparent interest in the 20-year-old Spaniard has come somewhat out of the blue, with it yet to be seen if a deal can be wrapped up before Friday's deadline.

While there is still a chance that Fati could be brought in alongside the Forest ace, if a decision has to be made between which player would prove a better fit, it should well be the Barca sensation who gets the nod.

Much like Johnson, the highly-rated talent – who has been valued at around €80m (£69m) by CIES Football Observatory – has the ability to feature on either flank or in a central role if required, with such flexibility likely to be appealing as far as Postecoglou is concerned.

Although Johnson did enjoy a promising first season in top-flight football last time out – having scored eight goals and provided three assists for Steve Cooper's side in the league – young Fati was also impressive in La Liga, with seven goals and four assists under his belt.

That latter record came despite the "magic" ace – as described by teammate Eric Garcia – only being restricted to just 12 league starts for the Catalan outfit, while the Forest man started 33 times in the Premier League by contrast, thus indicating that a more prominent role for Fati in a new home could see him truly explode.

It is also clear to see the superior attacking threat that the latter man is able to pose in the final third as he ranks in the top 1% among his European peers for progressive passes received per 90 and in the top 8% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, while Johnson, meanwhile, ranks in just the bottom 13% and the bottom 38% for those same two metrics, respectively.

Equally, the younger man also appears to be able to retain possession more successfully and provide a truly composed presence on the ball as he ranks in the top 6% for pass completion, with that again far superior to the Nottingham native – who ranks in just the bottom 2% in that regard.

Despite his relative youth, Fati – who inherited Lionel Messi's number ten shirt at Camp Nou – has already racked up 39 goals and assists in 112 games in all competitions for his current side, proving that he can handle the pressure of performing for such an elite club.

The hope will be that such displays can be replicated on a more consistent basis if a move to Tottenham is to occur in the coming days for the 5 foot 10 menace…