Ireland batsman dents own pride in matchwinning 82 from 37 balls
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2020Kevin O’Brien left himself a hefty bill for repairs in a hard-hitting onslaught for Leinster Lightning against North West Warriors in Dublin, after smashing his own car windscreen while hitting a six.In a match reduced to 12 overs a side due to rain interruptions, O’Brien’s bruising innings of 82 from 37 balls was more than enough to secure a 24-run DLS win.However, it later transpired that one of his eight sixes had sailed into the car park at Pembroke Cricket Club, and wrecked the rear window of his Toyota.Kevin O’Brien smashed his own windscreen while hitting a six•Cricket Ireland
It had been a typically belligerent onslaught from the 36-year-old O’Brien, whose greatest claim to fame was the 50-ball hundred against England at the 2011 World Cup in Bengaluru, but who was also at the crease at the Ageas Bowl last month while Ireland once again chased down 329 to beat England.For Leinster, O’Brien struck his second ball for six and didn’t let up, despite the risk of his momentum being interrupted by a mid-innings rain break.Leinster finished with 124 for 4 from 12 overs, leaving the visiting Warriors a near-impossible task of chasing down the massive target in dull, damp conditions.They lost wickets early in the response, and apart from William Porterfield’s 50 from 30 balls, never looked like coming close.
It's been a slow start to the Oliver Glasner era at Crystal Palace over the last couple of months, but with six points from his first seven games, things aren't looking too bad.
The defeat to champions Manchester City last time out was far from ideal, but with 30 points on the board and seven games to go, the Eagles look set to play Premier League football once more next season.
It hasn't been the easiest introduction to English football for the Austrian, especially with the number of injuries he has had to deal with, including star defender Marc Guéhi, who hasn't played a game since the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion two months ago.
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
The young Englishman is one of the club's most talented players, although his current wage isn't even half of what a former flop used to earn.
Marc Guéhi's salary at Crystal Palace
The south Londoners completed the £18m signing of Guéhifrom cross-city rivals Chelsea in July 2021, and to say he's been a success at Selhurst Park in the years since would be an understatement.
Starting XI on Marc Guéhi's full debut
Chelsea 3 – 0 Crystal Palace: August 2021
GK – Vicente Guaita
RB – Joel Ward
CB – Cheikhou Kouyate
CB – Marc Guéhi
LB – Tyrick Mitchell
CM– Jairo Riedewald
CM – James McArthur
RM – Jordan Ayew
LM – Jeffrey Schlupp
ST – Wilfried Zaha
ST – Jean-Philippe Mateta
All Data via Transfermarkt
Since making his debut for the club against his old team in August 2021, the 23-year-old "rock", as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, has played for the Eagles 108 times, scoring five goals and providing two assists.
The Abidjan-born titan has been so impressive in red and blue that he has picked up nine senior England caps since making his debut in March 2022.
Marc Guehi
He also became the club's youngest captain in over a decade when he was given the armband for a Premier League game against Watford in February 2022 – a game the Eagles won.
In all, the 6 foot centre-back is one of the most important players at the club, although you wouldn't think that from looking at his pay packet, as at the moment he earns £50k-per-week, which means ten players in the team earn more than him.
It also means that a former player who didn't enjoy the most fruitful spell in south London earned more than double his wage.
Christian Benteke's salary at Crystal Palace
The player in question is former Aston Villa and Liverpool forward Christan Benteke, who, after a shoddy season at Anfield, joined Alan Pardew's Eagles for £27m in August 2016.
It was a sizeable investment from the south Londoners at the time, and while Benteke had struggled on Merseyside, his record of 49 goals and 12 assists in 101 games for Villa gave fans hope that he could become a lethal number nine in red and blue.
Unfortunately for all involved, this never happened, and while he wasn't dreadful, a return of 37 goals and 12 assists in 177 games across six seasons was undeniably disappointing.
Christian Benteke's record in England
Team
Aston Villa
Liverpool
Crystal Palace
Appearances
101
42
177
Goals
49
10
37
Assists
12
6
12
Goal Involvements per Match
0.60
0.38
0.27
All Stats via Transfermarkt
This underwhelming output was made worse by the fact that the Belgian forward earned a whopping £120k-per-week for all 310 weeks he was at the club, amounting to a final total of £37.2m.
Therefore, when combining his wages and his transfer fee and taking away the €5.46m – about £5m – they received for selling him to DC United, the former Villan cost Palace a staggering £59.2m all in.
The finances of Christian Benteke's Crystal Palace career
Fee
£27m
Wages per Week (Total)
£120k (£37.2m)
Sold For
£5m
Total Cost
£59.2m
Appearances
177
Cost per Appearance
£334k
Goals
37
Cost per Goal
£1.6m
Assists
12
Cost per Assist
£4.9m
Goal Involvements
49
Cost per Goal Involvement
£1.2m
All Stats via Transfermarkt & All Wages via Capology
In other words, the 45-capped international cost the Eagles around £1.6m-per-goal, £4.9m-per-assist, or £334k-per-appearance.
Ultimately, while Benteke did score a reasonable number of goals during his time at Selhurst Park, it would be hard to call his time at the club anything other than a disappointment due to the finances involved.
Crystal Palace are being rinsed by Pardew signing earning more than Wharton
While the veteran has been a loyal servant to the club, his wage is excessive.
The former Atlanta United striker was targeted by the MLS club after falling out of Cruz Azul’s plans for the Apertura 2025.
Played 40 matches for La Máquina
Scored just nine goals
Cruz Azul paid nearly $10 million to Atlanta United for him in 2024
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The brief and turbulent chapter of Giorgos Giakoumakis at Cruz Azul is over. The Greek striker is returning to his home country after La Máquina reportedly finalized a one-year loan deal with PAOK Thessaloniki that includes a fee and a purchase option. The agreement, improved by PAOK in the final hours of negotiations, frees up a non-homegrown roster spot in Mexico, which will now be filled by Gabriel Fernández, previously registered with the U-21 squad.
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Giakoumakis, 30, arrived from Atlanta United ahead of the Apertura 2024 at the specific request of then-manager Martín Anselmi. In just two tournaments, he recorded nine goals and eight assists in 40 appearances, logging 1,957 minutes and receiving eight yellow cards.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Prior to Monday's move, Giakoumakis was linked with a return to MLS as Charlotte FC were reported to be interested. The 30-year-old had the strongest form during his time at Atlanta United between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, scoring 22 goals in 38 games. Charlotte FC had also wanted a loan move for the forward, but Cruz Azul remained intent on a sale at that time. PAOK’s improved terms sealed the deal, marking the end of the player’s stint in Liga MX.
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WHAT NEXT FOR CRUZ AZUL?
Nicolás Larcamón’s side faces Atlético de San Luis Monday in Matchday 4.
Departures of Overton, Bess, Buttler, and absence of Banton unavoidable, says captain
George Dobell22-Sep-2020Tom Abell has defended Somerset’s record for retaining players despite some high-profile departures in recent times.Over the last few weeks, Somerset have seen Jamie Overton leave for Surrey and Dom Bess announce that he will leave for Yorkshire at the end of the season. Jos Buttler, who left the club at the end of 2013, is another who felt he needed to move away to win more opportunities. All three might reasonably be described as home-grown.But while Abell admitted he was disappointed to see such talented players leave Taunton, he insisted it was a reflection of the club’s success rather than a sign of any specific problem. In particular, Abell feels it demonstrates the depth of talent and the competition for places at the club.Bess would appear to be a prime example. Aged just 23 and currently seen as the England Test team’s first-choice spinner, he is clearly a player with a bright future whom Somerset would like to have retained. But with his opportunities for first-team cricket at the club blocked by the presence of Jack Leach, who remains Somerset’s first-choice slow bowler in red-ball cricket, he has opted to join Yorkshire. He is, however, in Somerset’s 13-man squad for the Bob Willis Trophy final which is scheduled to start at Lord’s on Wednesday.Jamie Overton’s case is similar. He hasn’t always been able to command a place in Somerset’s seam attack – one that has excelled in this year’s competition, conceding more than 200 just once in five group games. He has been offered more opportunity, with bat and ball, at Surrey, and has already left the club.So while Abell, Somerset’s captain, admitted he “would love” to have such players available, he understands their need to move.”It’s a by-product of the relative success that we’ve had,” Abell said. “We’ve won a lot of cricket matches.ALSO READ: Cream rises to the top as Essex, Somerset face off in final“But within that individuals have their own ambitions and we can’t necessarily guarantee them the opportunities they want in all formats.”Jamie Overton has played a significant role for us in the competition and, in an ideal world, we would have him available. But he’s not a Somerset player now and, you look at the way our bowling attack has performed right through the competition, and it’s a huge area of strength for us so. We’re very confident that we’ve got what it takes to take 20 wickets in this game.”Of course as a club we want our best players. We want our young players playing for Somerset. But ultimately that’s not always possible.”We’re gutted to see these players go. They’re huge players for us and they’re very popular members of the team. But equally we have to respect their decisions. We only wish them well.”Abell also had warm words for Tom Banton, who is unavailable to play in the Bob Willis Trophy final starting on Wednesday due to his IPL commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders.While Banton’s absence has the blessing of the club, it has attracted some criticism elsewhere. John Cleese, a long-time Somerset supporter, took to Twitter to tell his 5.7 million followers that he was “appalled that Tom Banton cannot find the time to play for his county in the most important match in their history.””Shame on you, Tom”, he added.But Abell was adamant that Banton’s commitment to the club remained absolute, he explained his “contractual obligations” rendered his absence inevitable.”Tom is a great lad and a central figure within our team,” Abell said. “And I know from talking to him that he’s desperate to play in this final. He’s a quality, quality player and we would love to have him available.”But equally, he has commitments that he has to fulfil. That’s the nature of the beast with the player that he is. You know he is in demand all around the world and it’s great to see him involved in these high-profile competitions.”But I would reiterate: he’s desperate to play for Somerset but has to fulfil his contractual obligations elsewhere. We want what’s best for him.”
Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer has been told he can become the next Zinedine Zidane, but will never be Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
England international is a talisman for Blues
Has been compared to all-time greats
Reinforcements drafted in alongside him
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WHAT HAPPENED?
England international Palmer joined the global elite when enjoying a stunning debut campaign at Stamford Bridge in 2023-24, as he hit 25 goals in all competitions and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
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His output dipped slightly last season, but he was still able to help Chelsea to Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup crowns. Palmer has inherited the No.10 shirt in west London, with the promise of even more to come from him.
DID YOU KNOW?
The 23-year-old playmaker has already been likened to a few all-time greats, courtesy of his remarkable technical ability, and it is being claimed that he could follow in the footsteps of a legendary World Cup-winning Frenchman.
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WHAT NEVIN SAID
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has told , with further reinforcements being drafted into Enzo Maresca’s squad: "The comparison between Cole Palmer and Zinedine Zidane was fine a year ago. It wasn't fine last year. But it could be fine again.
"Look, he is definitely a world class player. He's still very, very young. Remember back in the Euros and it was all about a lot of other players, Cole seemed to be sitting on the bench. And I was thinking, ‘What are you doing? Why are you doing that?’ He should be on.
"It doesn't matter who's the sexy player. It's who's doing the business. I think just about any team in the world would be very, very happy to take him. That is the definition of a world-class player.
"He's right up at the level. So Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, don't compare anyone with that because it's not fair. But the next level beneath, I think he's pretty close there already as it is, but he needs to do it year in, year out. And last year was quite a year.
"What's going to help him this year is the players around him, Estevao and Jamie Gittens, they're probably going to make it a bit easier for him and everybody else getting stronger."
Glamorgan batsman digs in to rescue team from prospect of follow-on
ECB Reporters Network10-Aug-2020Centurion Billy Root was the inspiration behind a stirring Glamorgan fightback after Worcestershire captain Joe Leach had plunged them into deep trouble with an early burst with the ball in the Bob Willis Trophy encounter at Blackfinch New Road.Root, unbeaten on 53 overnight, had seen his side nosedive from 185 for 2 to 203 for 6 after Leach’s spell brought the remarkable figures of 7-5-3-4.At that juncture, the visitors were still 53 runs away from avoiding the possibility of being asked to follow on. But Root showed great application and determination in enabling his side to recover to the extent that their first-innings deficit was only 81 as they totalled 374 all out from 116.3 overs.He went onto make 118 and it needed a stunning catch from Worcestershire keeper Ben Cox to bring his fine knock, containing 12 fours and spanning 258 balls, to an end.Worcestershire openers Daryl Mitchell (48 not out) and Jake Libby (44) then extended their side’s advantage in solid fashion during an opening stand of 97 before the latter and Leach (0) departed shortly before the close.Root had received excellent support from Graham Wagg (54) in a seventh wicket partnership of 118 in 34 overs. The former Nottinghamshire batsman gave only one sharp chance when on 74 – to slip off spinner Brett D’Oliveira.Then a last wicket stand of 41 between Timm van der Gugten (23 not out) and Michael Hogan (17) further helped Glamorgan’s cause before they were dismissed on the stroke of tea.Leach’s initial spell wreaked havoc to the Glamorgan batting line-up. Kiran Carlson added only three runs to his overnight 76 when he pushed forward to a delivery which left him and Daryl Mitchell held a sharp low catch at second slip.It ended a partnership of 141 in 47 overs with Root, and Leach struck again in his next over when Glamorgan captain Chris Cooke (0) went for a square drive and picked out Ed Barnard who excelled in clinging onto a low chance at pointTom Cullen (1) was next to perish to a ball which moved away just enough to find the edge as he pushed forward – and Mitchell made no mistake with a chest high catch.It became 203 for 6 with the last ball of the same over as Dan Douthwaite hooked at Leach and succumbed to a tumbling catch by Brett D’Oliveira running in from the mid-wicket boundary.Only when Wagg joined Root did some much needed solidity return to the batting. A square cut for four off Leach – his 12th boundary – took Root to three figures from 258 balls.Wagg’s half century came up soon afterwards from 79 deliveries with seven fours before Root’s spectacular dismissal. He nicked a delivery from Charlie Morris and saw Cox take a stunning one-handed catch in mid air away to his left.The same combination accounted for Kieran Butt (7) in more straightforward fashion and then Wagg (54) top edged Ed Barnard to provide a simple catch to the keeper.Dillon Pennington finally received some tangible reward to end the innings when Hogan was pouched by Barnard in another fine catch at point, as Leach finished with 4 for 67 from 26 overs, Barnard 3 for 54 and Morris 2 for 86.Mitchell and first-innings century-maker Libby were initially watchful against some accurate Glamorgan new ball bowling from Hogan and van der Gugten.But they gradually flourished with the 50 partnership coming up in 23 overs after successive boundaries by Libby off van der Gugten on his return to the attack.Libby also hit Douthwaite for a trio of boundaries in one over but fell to the same bowler – caught behind – shortly before the close. Leach promoted himself but the move backfired when he was caught at slip by Charlie Hemphrey off spinner Kieran Bull.
Going into the International break off the back of two defeats to high-flying Leeds United and Ipswich Town – with the 6-0 loss at Portman Road obviously stinging more – Danny Rohl will now hope his Sheffield Wednesday players are re-energised and refocused for the task of attempting to stay up in the Championship once more.
There'll be some obvious pride from an Owls perspective at the number of players who played for their countries over the time off too, including hot prospect Bailey Cadamarteri who scored for the England U19s.
Rohl and Co will be delighted at the constant progression they're seeing from the teenage striker, who has four goals in the senior fold this season for the relegation-threatened Owls also.
The success story of Cadamarteri could well impact Wednesday's transfer business therefore, with the South Yorkshire giants taking a shining to his young trialist who could be signed permanently down the line.
Sheffield Wednesday transfer news
According to a report from Sheffield Star journalist Joe Crann late last week, the Owls are very much keen on 19-year-old trialist James Collins who had been making a splash in the youth circles at Watford before being taken on at Hillsborough.
Only joining the youth set-up at the Hornets last year from non-league Hertford Town, a move for the highly regarded striker could see Wednesday sign yet another young and fresh centre-forward in the mould of Cadamarteri.
Scoring goals regularly for Watford at both U18 and U21 level – with his last flurry of goals coming against Ipswich Town just this month – Collins was even gifted a spot on the Hertfordshire side's bench against Stoke City earlier this campaign when Valerien Ismael was still present in the Vicarage Road hot-seat.
With Lee Gregory's contract expiring this summer, and the Owls man being 35 years of age, it could well be a case of out with the old and in with the new if Collins impresses enough to be rewarded with a permanent deal at Hillsborough.
James Collins could be Lee Gregory's replacement
Gregory has barely featured under Rohl since the German manager took over the reins last October, making just one brief appearance to date under the current Wednesday boss against Cardiff City in December.
Therefore, with this development emerging that a new kid could soon be on the block in a permanent deal, this could give Rohl grounds to get rid of the former Millwall man for good after failing to ever really utilise him since coming into the Owls.
Sheffield Wednesday expiring contracts – aged 30 and above
Player
Age
Contract end
1. Will Vaulks
30
June 2024
2. Josh Windass
30
June 2024
3. Barry Bannan
34
June 2024
4. Liam Palmer
32
June 2024
5. Lee Gregory
35
June 2024
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Gregory won't be the only ageing member of the Wednesday squad who will be fearing for their future in South Yorkshire, with the likes of Will Vaulks and Liam Palmer's contracts also up for discussion at the conclusion of the campaign.
Sheffield Wednesday striker Lee Gregory.
Wednesday could well view the breakout success of Cadamarteri as the starting point that leads to a new direction at the club, helped further by young trialist Collins potentially going on to have a far more important role in the Owls team soon if he is kept around past his trial period at the expense of Watford.
Craig Howard has urged a move towards providing more help for spinners in the domestic game
Daniel Brettig07-Jul-2020Australia’s leading spin bowling mentor, Craig Howard, has argued that the exit of the Dukes ball from Sheffield Shield matches cannot be the only fix if the game’s decision makers are serious about encouraging the use and development of spin bowlers in domestic ranks.Rather than focusing on the type of ball, as was the case with Cricket Australia’s announcement last week that the Kookaburra ball would be used in all domestic matches next summer after numerous seasons of the Dukes being used in the back half of the Shield competition, Howard told ESPNcricinfo that preparation of more spin-friendly pitches had to be considered in order to allow the likes of Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Lloyd Pope and new Victorian recruit Wil Parker to grow.While the durability of Nathan Lyon is not in question, there is a dearth of strongly performing spin bowlers behind him, particularly after the retirement of Steve O’Keefe from New South Wales. Howard said that CA should look to some of the more “creative” measures used elsewhere, notably by some counties in England, to encourage the use of spin in first-class matches. He echoed O’Keefe’s call for the practice of “scarifying” or raking surfaces on a good length for spin bowlers to make pitches more likely to turn early in games and break up later on.ALSO READ: The kings of the Dukes ball and how it wasn’t all bad for spin“I think the ball played its role in being able to develop other areas of the game, the batting component and also being able to bowl with it, but it’s more so that the wickets are playing a slightly larger role,” Howard said. “A lot of them probably don’t resemble too much of the Test wickets at the same venue, which I think is probably the thing that ideally would be looked at.”If you use Adelaide Oval as an example, from a frontline spin point of view, so that’s not including your guys picked to bat in the top six or seven to bowl a few handy part-time overs, we had just three overs out of every 100 were frontline spin. If you put that into context from a Test match point of view at Adelaide Oval, the last day Test match played there [against India in 2018] it was 41% of the overs bowled in that game were from spinners. There’s certainly some concerns there.”I know a few people have got some different ideas on how we go about it, and obviously it’s got to fit in line with the motivations of everyone. I don’t think they can go in and say ‘it’s all about spin so let’s just make spinning wickets’ because we want to have the ability to play against the swinging and seaming ball as well.”In England, the Taunton home of Somerset has become known as “Ciderabad” due to the preparation of pitches devised to aid the bowling of Jack Leach and Dom Bess, among others. While at times Somerset’s pitches have attracted criticism from opponents and disciplinary action from the ECB, it has undoubtedly aided the development of spin bowlers in terms of granting them a greater opportunity to be involved in matches – something seen far more often at Test level than in Shield fixtures in Australia.
ECB pitch regulations allow for “considerable turn from the protected area on the first or second playing days of the match” and then “excessive turn from the protected area on the third or fourth playing days of the match”, only penalising the host team in the event of the amount of spin being considered “excessive” early in the game. The overall philosophy of pitch regulations states that a surface should “be prepared to provide an even contest between bat and ball and should allow all disciplines in the game to flourish. In all cases, pitches will be judged on how they play, and not whether they are dry or what colour they are”.”I know county cricket have been innovative in some areas so I think that’s one thing that has helped bring on some spinners in their system,” Howard said. “We can keep challenging our batsmen’s ability to play the moving ball, but it also will provide the wicket with the opportunity to break up with less grass in those areas, it’ll allow for the wickets to break up later in games as well. That would provide a real challenge for batters to be able to survive it, but also a challenge for the bowlers to have to bowl sides out.”The toss is another area that has been discussed. Last season teams bowled first in 15 of the 27 Shield matches whereas in the last four years of Test matches in Australia only three sides have bowled first. “It is a bit of an indication of the length of grass and the greenness of the wickets as opposed to Test matches in Australia,” Howard said. “So it’s more so that the wickets in first-class cricket aren’t replicating what’s happening in Test match cricket.”
Howard, who is currently awaiting clarification over his role as CA’s spin consultant at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, acknowledged that there were cultural barriers to his suggestion in Australia, where the independence of groundsmen and the preparation of pristine surfaces – generally on the greener side in domestic matches – were something akin to articles of faith for the game down under. However, he is adamant the preponderance of drop-in surfaces and also a reduced amount of traffic on pitch squares over a season required a counterbalance.”From my point of view if we happen to over-scarify or something like that and a side gets bowled out for 150, that’s probably happening a little bit in Shield cricket at the moment normally through green wickets,” he said. “I just think anything we can provide that offers diverse conditions where players get to develop their games from a whole of game point of view, spin, quicks, medium pace, then I think it would be a better first-class system.”I think with a lot of the drop-in wickets because they can be quite placid, they tend to default to making them more lively, so putting more moisture into them to make them more challenging to get results. I think what that does is it means there’s a lot less deterioration in the wickets, being only four days, and then as the wicket improves the best batting conditions are day four and the game slows up at the back end. In an attempt to try to get results they tend to be going the other way, putting in the moisture and keeping longer grass on the wickets, which ultimately doesn’t really replicate what a Test match pitch does, and makes it difficult for spinners to be relevant.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd
The encouraging thing from Howard’s perspective is the knowledge that if a spin bowler does learn their craft effectively in Australia, they will likely have enough natural powers of spin to succeed elsewhere in more helpful conditions. Under the current Future Tours Programme, which may have to be redrawn due to Covid-19, Australia are due to have away series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India in 2022 plus there is this year’s Bangladesh tour to reschedule.”Australia is a very challenging place to bowl spin, as you can see by a lot of the spinners who come here from other countries and have done particularly well in Test cricket elsewhere,” Howard said. “Yasir Shah is a really good example, he comes here and struggles to get it off the straight a bit, because it is incredibly difficult to bowl. That’s why when we get a good one, they’re generally one of the best in the world at the time, because its high revolutions with high overspin which is not easy to do.”There’s obviously some areas they need to look at, because we’re going to need spin for quite a number of our games over the next period outside of Australia. If they’re only facing a handful of overs in first-class cricket in green conditions, how are we going to know the players who can actually play in tough, challenging conditions and create some defensive and attacking weapons as spinners and batsmen.”
Bayern Munich are pushing to get AC Milan's Rafael Leao with discussions set to begin in the coming weeks.
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Bayern to offer big fee for the Portuguese winger
Direct talks to take place in the coming weeks
Milan willing to sell Leao for the right price
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Bavarians have shown an interest in the Portuguese talent and have been evaluating a reasonable offer for the winger. As per journalist Nicolo Schira, the German club are willing to offer €60 million (£50m/$68m) in addition to a player to Milan for Leao. The clubs will be in direct contact to negotiate a deal in the coming weeks.
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Having lost out on a place in the Champions League, Milan have a financial gap to plug in their budget. After Manchester City bound Tijjani Reijnders, it's Leao who could be the next big name to be sold. Given that Milan are looking to strengthen the defence, reports they may ask for Kim Min-jae to be included in the deal. This would see the South Korean returning to Italy after his last stint in Serie A with Napoli.
TELL ME MORE
Bayern are looking for a new attacker to strengthen their options on the wings. Leroy Sane's contract is set to expire at the end of the month and despite the club's offer to extend his stay, the player could decide to leave in search of higher wages. The German has been linked with a move to Arsenal and his new agent, Pini Zahavi, has offered him to Tottenham and is awaiting their decision.
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WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?
Vincent Kompany's side was able to clinch the Bundesliga title in his first year in charge, but they failed to achieve their target in the Champions League. With internal issues at the club and an urgent need to retain key players, Bayern's season will heavily depend on the quality of players they can bring to Munich to enhance the squad. They are set to kick off their Club World Cup campaign against Australian club Auckland City on June 15.
Celtic head into the international break at the top of the Scottish Premiership table after their convincing 3-1 win over St. Johnstone at Parkhead on Saturday.
Their rivals Rangers had their clash with Dundee postponed due to a waterlogged pitch on Sunday, which meant that the Hoops ended the weekend one point clear – having played one more game than the team in second.
The Hoops still have the chance to secure two trophies before the end of the season as they remain in the Premiership title race and are set to play Aberdeen in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup last month.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers watches on.
They were knocked out of Europe in the group stages of the Champions League, and were dumped from the League Cup by Kilmarnock, during the first half of the campaign.
The Scottish giants may look to make changes to their playing squad to fare better across all competitions and in Europe next season, and there is one position that will need looking at as Joe Hart is set to retire.
Latest Celtic transfer news
Celtic will need to find a player to take the former England international's place between the sticks and Brendan Rodgers may have already found the dream replacement for him.
According to Dutch paper Algemeen Dagblad (17/03/2024), via SoccerNews, the Hoops have identified RKC Waalwijk goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen as a target ahead of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Glasgow-based side have already placed an offer on the table to sign the talented shot-stopper to bolster their squad.
His current contract with Waalwijk is due to expire at the end of the season and this has allowed Celtic to make him an offer to sign a pre-contract agreement.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers looks on.
However, the outlet states that Vaessen is in no rush to make a decision on his future. The 28-year-old star has his full focus on helping his current club to avoid relegation from the Eredivisie before deciding his next move.
Algemeen Dagblad reports that Dutch giants PSV are also interested in a possible swoop to sign the experienced shot-stopper, and that the interest from both clubs has not left him 'unmoved', which suggests that he could decide to make the switch to Scotland or across the Netherlands in the summer.
Celtic, if they win the race for his signature, have already found the dream replacement for Hart between the sticks as the Dutch giant has been in sublime form and could, possibly, arrive as an upgrade on the veteran Englishman.
Joe Hart's Celtic stats this season
The 36-year-old titan, who turns 37 next month, has kept ten clean sheets in 29 appearances for the Scottish giants in the Premiership so far this season.
Celtic won the league title in both of his first two years at the club, having joined from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2021, and he will be hoping for a perfect treble before his retirement later this year.
Hart's performances in the league this season have improved in comparison to his displays under Ange Postecoglou during the 2022/23 campaign, which suggests that he is going out on a high this summer.
Joe Hart
22/23 Premiership
23/24 Premiership
Appearances
37
29
Goals conceded per game
0.8
0.8
Save success rate
65%
69%
Saves per game
1.5
1.7
Aerial duel success rate
86%
100%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the experienced stopper's save success rate, saves per game, and aerial duel success rate have all improved, whilst he has conceded the same number of goals per match on average.
This suggests that the Hoops defence has allowed more shots against his goal this time around, but he has stepped up to ensure that their mistakes have not impacted the team.
Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart.
However, Hart did leave a bit to be desired with his underwhelming performances in the Champions League as he conceded 1.7 more goals than expected based on the post-shot xG value of the efforts against him in six appearances, which was also the case during the 2022/23 campaign.
In total, the ex-Manchester City star let in 6.5 more goals than expected in 19 European matches for Celtic over the last three seasons combined, which shows that the goalkeeper struggled with the quality of finishes in Europe.
Why Etienne Vaessen could be a dream Joe Hart replacement
The Hoops could now land a dream replacement for Hart by beating PSV to Vaessen's signature this summer, as the Dutch colossus has been in fantastic form this season.
Despite his side battling against relegation, the Celtic target has caught the eye with 4.0 saves per game and a Sofascore rating of 7.31 across 22 appearances in the Eredivisie.
He has prevented a staggering 4.67 more goals than expected based on the xG of the shots against him this season, which suggests that the 28-year-old star has consistently made high-quality saves against high-quality efforts.
Per 90
Joe Hart – 23/24 Champions League
Etienne Vaessen – 23/24 Eredivisie
Post-shot xG minus goals conceded
-0.28
+0.15
Percentage of crosses stopped
1.2%
7.9%
Defensive actions outside the penalty area
0.17
1.54
Average distance of defensive actions
5.9 yards
15.2 yards
Save success rate
60.5%
72.3%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, Vaessen has outperformed Hart in a number of key goalkeeping metrics throughout the 2023/24 campaign so far.
Not only has the potential free agent significantly outperformed the Englishman as a shot-stopper, the Waalwijk hero has also been terrific at sweeping up behind his defence and at commanding his box to relieve the pressure on his backline.
Vaessen has the quality to consistently come off his line to either clear the ball from danger outside of his box or to collect a cross to prevent the opposition from getting a shot away.
Whereas, Hart ranks within the bottom 1% of goalkeepers in the Champions League this season for defensive actions outside the penalty area per 90 and the percentage of crosses into the box stopped.
These statistics suggest that the Dutch ace, who is eight years younger than the former England international, would arrive as a significant upgrade on the current Celtic number one, should he translate his performances over to Glasgow.
Celtic's 2023 target to replace Joe Hart is now starring for CL giants
The Hoops were reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Real Madrid starlet.
By
Dan Emery
Feb 23, 2024
Therefore, Rodgers may have already found his dream replacement for Hart with this offer on the table to land Vaessen at the end of the season, and it is now down to the Eredivisie star to make a final decision on his future.