West Bromwich Albion and Southampton played out a tense first leg in the Championship playoffs, with everything to still play for at St. Mary's this coming Friday night.

Finely poised at 0-0, Carlos Corberan will want his attacking players to play without fear on the South Coast knowing that this is their only opportunity now to get to Wembley to be just one contest away from competing in the Premier League again.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Spaniard in the Baggies dug-out sticks by Brandon Thomas-Asante for this crucial second contest or whether he's axed, after failing to strike fear into any of the Southampton defenders throughout the stalemate in the West Midlands.

There could even be grounds for West Brom to sell Thomas-Asante on with these off-displays becoming more and more common, the ex-Salford City attacker cracking under the pressures of a promotion push.

Thomas-Asante's season in numbers

Amazingly, despite these poor recent displays from the 25-year-old striker, Thomas-Asante still boasts the tag of being West Brom's top scorer this season with 11 goals.

Only two of those strikes have come in his last ten games though for the out-of-sorts forward, with his display in the drab stalemate against the Saints angering West Brom fans watching on no doubt.

Corberan must now ditch 4/10 West Brom man who made 4 accurate passes

West Bromwich Albion were let down by this attacker on the big stage.

ByKelan Sarson May 12, 2024

Only completing four accurate passes in total, his fixed position in the Baggies starting XI could now be up for grabs ahead of the pivotal second leg this coming Friday night.

Staggeringly, despite this notable drop-off in form from the 5 foot 11 striker, his transfer value remains high – according to Football Transfers – with a temptation growing now surely to sell on the misfiring attacker, particularly if they seal promotion.

Thomas-Asante's transfer value in 2024

Even with shouts for Josh Maja to start ahead of Thomas-Asante for the first crunch leg against Southampton, the 25-year-old's transfer value still stands high at £2.9m which sees his worth double that of standout Celtic loanee Mikey Johnston.

That's the case despite Johnston being a breath fresh of air in attack for the Baggies alongside the likes of Tom Fellows and Grady Diangana, a daring attacking presence unafraid to excite the Hawthorns masses with seven goals notched up from 19 league appearances which included a sumptuous strike against Coventry City in March.

The Irish winger's worth only stands at a lesser £1.4m regardless, even with Thomas-Asante continuing to fire blanks in a role that should be filled by a talismanic and deadly figure for the promotion hopefuls.

Worth more than the likes of Cedric Kipre and Alex Mowatt as well, who are valued in the region of £1.7m and £1.5m respectively despite being dependable first-teamers under Corberan in the regular season, West Brom must be considering whether cashing in on their inconsistent forward is the best way to go when the playoffs conclude if they can get anywhere near his hefty £2.9m valuation.

2024

£2.9m

2023

£1.2m

2022

£258k

2021

£430k

2019

£0

2018

£60k

Sourced by Football Transfers

West Brom should be commended for taking a chance on Thomas-Asante back in 2022, when the 25-year-old striker was cutting his teeth in League Two before moving up the EFL ladder, but there will be concerns that his high value now will deplete if he doesn't find his shooting boots again soon.

He could still redeem himself on the other hand too, scoring a potentially decisive goal away at Southampton to break out of his rut and take his side to Wembley.

Former India allrounder wants the national team to hire a team psychologist

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-20202:38

Here’s who Yuvraj Singh thinks will break his fastest fifty record

Yuvraj Singh believes Hardik Pandya has the potential to become a “massive asset” for India by the 2023 World Cup, subject to the latter working on his temperament. Yuvraj said Hardik was a “phenomenal” talent and only one of the two current batsmen, along with his Indian teammate KL Rahul, who have the potential to break his record for the fastest T20I fifty, achieved in the 2007 World T20 against England.”I feel Hardik has the potential (to break my fastest T20I fifty record),” Yuvraj said on Sportscreen’s YouTube page. “I feel Hardik is someone who has got amazing talent, phenomenal talent. But probably someone needs to work with his head, where his head is, he is such a hard working guy, he is a nice guy.”Yuvraj buttressed his assertion by pointing to having seen Hardik’s amazing ball-hitting skills from up close during his stint with Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019. He cited the example of Hardik’s 91 – his personal T20 best – against KKR at the Eden Gardens. Mumbai still lost the game, having been set a massive target of 233.Yuvraj had even called Hardik’s innings “the best” he had seen in IPL, and had told the Baroda allrounder he could be India’s lynchpin at the 2019 World Cup with both bat and ball. Eventually, Hardik made 226 runs in the World Cup without a half-century, and picked up 10 wickets. In the semi-final against New Zealand, Hardik made 32 a slog across the line proved to be his undoing.According to Yuvraj, Hardik still needed to perform in “crunch” moments, which could be achieved by working on the mental side of the game.”He hits the ball spectacularly,” Yuvraj said. “I was at Mumbai Indians last year and he got 90 odd off 30 balls [91 off 34 against KKR], it was a phenomenal innings. He can actually be the next big allrounder for India, but he hasn’t performed at crunch times. Those performances haven’t come because he is a big hitter and he likes those big hits, but when he starts to know when to take a single and a double, and when to hit those big sixes, then he will actually work as a better player. So Hardik has massive potential to be a world class player. If someone works on his mind, he can be a massive asset till we get to the next World Cup.”Yuvraj Singh joins in the celebrations•Craig Golding/AFP/Getty ImagesYuvraj further emphasised the need for India to rope in a mental conditioning coach, particularly with a view to help youngsters deal with the intense scrutiny and pressure of the international game. He cited the examples of Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw, who he felt could benefit most from such an appointment. Pant, in a short international career, has already experienced volatile ups and downs scarcely imaginable for a 22-year old, and Shaw, a centurion on Test debut, has served a ban for a doping violation.During Yuvraj’s time, Paddy Upton combined as the mental conditioning and strategic leadership coach, finishing his three year stint in those positions after India won the 2011 World Cup. Yuvraj felt that though India had done well under the current coaching staff, a psychologist was needed to help youngsters cope with the mental side of the game.”I feel the current players don’t have anyone to speak about the mental side of the game to,” Yuvraj said. “We have guys like Rishabh Pant, guys like Prithvi Shaw, they are so talented, and obviously unfortunately there’s intense scrutiny these days because of the number of media outlets – one game you fail, you feel like you’ve failed the series. So, there’s nobody to talk to them about the mental side – what’s going on? How can we get better? Or probably don’t do this or do that. Share your experiences. I’ve been saying for a while, the team needs a good psychologist. But it should be someone the players respect. That’s important because there are a lot of young players, and younger players, as when we are growing up, we feel we know more than our parents and coaches.”Yuvraj even questioned whether the Indian coaching staff lead by Ravi Shastri and batting coach Vikram Rathour, while being equipped to deal with the technical stuff, could manage to sort the mental challenges players faced.”Players have done quite well under Ravi Shastri. They won in Australia, they have done quite well. But my point is – as a coach I don’t know how Ravi is – I know that you cannot have a particular way with every player, you have to have a different way with every player. I don’t see that with the coaching staff. You have guys like Vikram Rathour, he has been my senior, he has been a mentor at times when I was playing state, but with all due respect, if someone has not played cricket at that level for a long time, the younger generation which is more prone to T20 and 50-over, what are you going to tell them? Vikram Rathour might tell them about technique or how to hit the ball, but there’s no one to work on the mental side. The captain can only do so much. The coach can only do so much. That’s why I’m saying that you need a psychologist who actually talks to players after a particular session.”

Victor Osimhen's future remains up in the air as Al-Ahli battle with Chelsea for the Napoli striker's signature.

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• Osimhen expected to leave Napoli
• Chelsea and Al-Ahli both locked in talks
• Blues in driving seat as it stands

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The transfer saga involving Osimhen looks to finally be coming to an end but the Nigerian forward still has a big decision to make before the window slams shut. According to reports, Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli have stepped up their interest in the Napoli man, offering him a lucrative package that currently eclipses what Chelsea have put on the table.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Reports highlight that Osimhen will only head to Saudi Arabia if he cannot agree personal terms with the Premier League club. Al-Ahli officials are believed to be travelling to Italy to finalise their offer for the 25-year-old, but there is no guarantee that he will give the final green light.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Osimhen has now made more than 100 appearances in Serie A since joining Napoli four years ago. The Nigerian forward has scored 65 goals in the process and has also recorded 15 assists.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR OSIMHEN?

  The player and his camp remain locked in talks with both parties in the hope that a resolution can be found. Chelsea have also opened a conversation with Brentford's Ivan Toney should a deal for Osimhen fail to materialise.

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de se destacar pelo Botafogo, Paulo Victor foi anunciado como novo reforço do Internacional no dia 25 de junho. Mesmo há quase um mês fora de General Severiano, o jogador ainda é o melhor lateral do Alvinegro no setor defensivo – pelo menos, é o que dizem os números. Na Série B, PV ainda é o líder do time em interceptações e o terceiro com mais desarmes – ele está, inclusive, à frente de todos os laterais do Glorioso nestes quesitos.

> ATUAÇÕES: Rafael Carioca e Warley recebem as piores notas do Botafogo

RelacionadasBotafogoGerente geral da base do Botafogo confirma conversas por renovação de Juninho: ‘Jogador quer ficar no clube’Botafogo18/07/2021BotafogoRicardo Resende explica entrada de Rickson na derrota do Botafogo para o BrusqueBotafogo18/07/2021BotafogoAnálise: Botafogo ‘esquece’ de voltar para o segundo tempo, desperdiça chance clara e se complica na Série BBotafogo17/07/2021

Segundo o site “FootStats”, ao lado do zagueiro Gilvan, PV é o líder do Botafogo em interceptações na Série B. Em seis jogos com a camisa alvinegra na competição, o jovem jogador conseguiu seis. Na sequência, aparecem o volante Luís Oyama, o lateral-esquerdo Guilherme Santos e o meia Chay, todos com cinco interceptações. O lateral-direito Daniel Borges vem depois, com quatro.

Ainda vale ressaltar que deste espaço amostral, PV é o que tem menos jogos pelo Botafogo na Série B. Daniel Borges tem 11, Gilvan e Chay, dez e Luís Oyama e Guilherme Santos, oito.

> Veja a tabela da Série B

Ainda segundo o site FootStats, empatado com Rafael Navarro, Paulo Victor é o terceiro jogador do Botafogo com mais desarmes na Série B, com dez. Na frente, estão Marco Antônio e Gilvan, com 13 e Luís Oyama lidera o quesito, com 14. Os laterais Guilherme Santos e Daniel Borges tem nove desarmes até aqui.Ainda vale a mesma ressalva que de todos os nomes citados neste parágrafo, PV é o que teve menos partidas com a camisa do Alvinegro.

Inicialmente, após a perda de PV, parecia que o Botafogo não iria ao mercado em busca de laterais. Pelo menos foi o que afirmou o até então técnico Marcelo Chamusca,após a derrota para o Sampaio Corrêa, em partida válida pela sétima rodada da Série B.

– Foi o primeiro jogo que o Guilherme fez como lateral-esquerdo (comigo) e a gente tem boas opções na posição. A ideia é adaptar. O Paulo Victor estava muito bem encaixado na mecânica da equipe e, quando você troca, requer um tempo para isso voltar. Tenho certeza que o Guilherme vai nos propor mais qualidade nos próximos jogos – afirmou Chamusca, que ainda completou.

– Não gosto de ficar lamentando, quero falar dos atletas que tenho na posição. Temos o Rafael Carioca, Hugo (do sub-20), que é uma opção. O trabalho do treinador é adaptar o mais rápido possível. A contratação de um lateral não é um planejamento nosso, não – disse à época.

No entanto, essa não deve ser a direção que a diretoria do clube tomará para o futuro. O Alvinegro já abriu negociações para repatriar o lateral-esquerdo Jonathan, do Almería, da Espanha,que tem passagens pelas categorias de base e pelo time profissional do Botafogo.

O fato é: depois da saída de PV, o Botafogo ainda não teve um jogador a altura para substituí-lo. Guilherme Santos e Rafael Carioca não conseguiram se firmar na posição e o jovem Hugo recebeu oportunidades apenas no começo do ano. Independentemente de quem conquistar a lateral-esquerda, o Alvinegro volta a campo no próximo sábado, às 19h, contra o Goiás, no Estádio Nilton Santos, em partida válida pela 13ª rodada da Série B.

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

VEJA OS NÚMEROS DE CADA LATERAL DO BOTAFOGO NA SÉRIE B

Paulo Victor: cinco jogos/ dez desarmes certos/ seis interceptações

Guilherme Santos: oito jogos/ nove desarmes certos/ cinco interceptações

Rafael Carioca: cinco jogos/ cinco desarmes certos/ duas interceptações

Daniel Borges: 11 jogos/ nove desarmes/ quatro interceptações

Warley: nove jogos/ sete desarmes/ três interceptações

*Jonathan está lesionado e ainda não estrou na competição

** Todos os dados desta matéria foram retirados do site “FootStats”

Newcastle United will be looking to make it five Premier League games unbeaten when they travel to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this evening.

Eddie Howe's side produced a sensational display against Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park last time out, with the Magpies defeating Ange Postecoglou's men 4-0.

Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schar all found themselves on the scoresheet, as the Magpies look to close the gap on the European places between now and the end of the campaign.

However, they will face a tough test in London tonight, with Oliver Glasner's side winning their last two outings, including a 1-0 victory at Anfield against Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool.

Unsurprisingly, very few changes will be made from the convincing victory over Spurs last weekend, but Howe must recall one Newcastle player to give himself the best chance of claiming all three points.

21/10/2023

St James' Park

4-0 (W)

21/01/2023

Selhurst Park

0-0 (D)

03/09/2022

St James' Park

0-0 (D)

20/04/2022

St James' Park

1-0 (W)

23/10/2021

Selhurst Park

1-1 (D)

The man to make way against Palace

Despite being part of a backline that kept a clean sheet against Spurs, Howe must replace Emil Krafth for the trip to Selhurst Park this evening.

The Swedish defender completed 14 passes at a completion rate of 70%, whilst also winning two of his five duels that he contested.

Krafth was also awarded a 7/10 rating for his performance by Shields Gazette journalist Dominic Scurr, with the defender forming a solid partnership with goalscorer Schar.

It has to be said, considering the recent injury crisis within the Newcastle squad, the 29-year-old has filled in when needed and produced some solid performances.

However, despite his admirable displays, he should make way for another Magpies player, given how Palace are likely to set up for the Premier League clash.

Under new boss Glasner, the Eagles have switched to a 3-4-3 system, putting a lot of emphasis on creating opportunities and overloading in wide areas.

6 foot 6 defender Dan Burn has often featured at left-back this season under Howe, but his lack of pace may be a weak point for the Magpies in the crunch clash.

The Newcastle-born defender still deserves to start, with Burn needing to shift to a more natural central role alongside Schar, thus ensuring Howe may utilise another talent in Krafth's place.

The man to replace Krafth vs Palace

After signing for £28m from fellow Premier League side Chelsea this season, full-back Lewis Hall has found opportunities hard to come by since his move to St James' Park.

The "quality" youngster, as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig, has only featured in 12 Premier League games this season, failing to have the immediate impact he would've envisaged.

However, with the season drawing to a close, Howe must give the 19-year-old a run in the side to stake his claim for a regular first-team spot next season.

His energetic and aggressive playstyle would combat the Eagles' system and restrict the opportunities they can create down Newcastle's left-hand side.

Hall – who ranks in the top 13% among his European peers for touches in the opposition box – has the ability to create frequent attacking opportunities, something which Burn struggles with, allowing the likes of Isak and Gordon to create more problems in the final third at Selhurst Park.

It certainly would be a bold call to drop Krafth given his recent performances. However, given how the opposition are likely to set up, it would be the perfect opportunity for Howe to reintroduce the youngster to combat the threat that the Eagles pose.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi says he did not feel any "pressure" to accept a transfer to Liverpool this summer.

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Zubimendi was a top target for LiverpoolRejected move to AnfieldFully committed to SociedadWHAT HAPPENED?

The Spanish midfielder says his life is at Real Sociedad after rejecting the chance to move to one of Europe's giants this summer. Liverpool's keen interest in the 25-year-old was knocked back following Zubimendi's impressive performances for Spain at Euro 2024 this summer. After deciding to stay in his homeland, the Sociedad maestro has broken his silence on the Reds' failed attempts to lure him away.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT ZUBIMENDI SAID

Speaking to Marca, he said: "My friends are clear that whatever I decide will be the best. There is no pressure whatsoever. Real Sociedad for me is my life, I think I have spent half my life there. A lot of what I am is part of La Real, it is my life."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Zubimendi may have decided to stay put for now, but if he performs at the same level as he did last season in La Liga, top teams will come knocking again next summer. The Copa del Rey winner is contracted to Sociedad until 2027, but failure to qualify for Europe will likely prompt the midfielder into another think about his future.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ZUBIMENDI?

Sociedad have not had the best start to the 2024-25 campaign, picking up four points from as many matches. Zubimendi and Co have the tough task of hosting Real Madrid after the international break, but the Spaniard will have his sights set on matches against Serbia and Switzerland in the Nations League first.

Arsenal have enjoyed a stellar season which currently has them top of the Premier League table with just a couple of matches remaining.

While Manchester City are still favourites due to having a game in hand, anything could happen across these three ties which could open the door for the Gunners to claim their first league title in 20 years.

Mikel Arteta has been helped massively by having the best attacking record in the top flight. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard have all contributed impressively throughout 2023/24.

Summer signing Kai Havertz has also shone during the campaign, despite high expectations upon his £65m arrival threatening to derail his first few months at the North Londoners.

The German star has grown into his role at the club and has swiftly emerged as one of Arteta’s key players over the previous few months.

If he continues to impress, might he attract attention from the continent? It's certainly possible and has happened before at the club.

Marc Overmars is a notable example. The winger was one of Arsène Wenger’s main attacking options during his early years in charge of the club, but following a couple of solid seasons, he was sold to Barcelona.

If you adjust for the inflation of transfer fees in football over the years, the sale of Overmars back in 2000 to the Spanish giants was for a fee which is currently more than the value of Havertz.

Kai Havertz’s current market valuation at Arsenal

Since making the move to London from Chelsea last summer, Havertz has featured 49 times across all competitions, scoring 13 goals while grabbing six assists, a decent enough return for the former Blues starlet.

His consistency has been solid too. The German has missed just one Premier League match and that was due to suspension, giving Arteta a reliable option to utilise, either in his midfield or attack.

Among his teammates, Havertz currently ranks second in the squad for goals and assists in the top flight (18), along with ranking second for shots on target per game (0.8), fifth for big chances created (seven) and third for key passes per game (1.2), slotting into the current Arsenal setup with ease the longer the season has gone on.

Aged just 24, the former Bayer Leverkusen gem could still improve over the coming years and the initial £65m outlay could hopefully turn into a major profit.

According to Football Transfers, Havertz’s current market valuation is €88.8m (£76.3m), which is already a rise of over £10m on the original fee from last summer.

Metric

Champions League

Premier League

Goals

1

12

Assists

0

6

Key passes per game

0.8

1.2

Big chances created

3

7

Successful dribbles per game

0.3

0.5

In 2000, Wenger sold arguably one of his finest signings as Arsenal boss to Barcelona for a significant fee worth more in 2024 money than Havertz is now – when they offloaded Overmars for a substantial profit.

How much Arsenal sold Marc Overmars for in 2024 money

The north Londoners sold the Dutch winger for a fee of around £36m, as per Totally Money, to the Catalan giants in the summer of 2000 as it represented an offer they simply couldn’t refuse, especially considering how much they paid for him three years earlier.

As per Totally Money's index, this £36m would now be worth a staggering £91.8m if judged by inflation, which is nearly £20m more than what Havertz is currently valued at, despite enjoying a stellar campaign.

After a wonderful spell at Ajax, making nearly 200 appearances and scoring 44 goals, it was time for Overmars to leave Amsterdam. Not only did he win three Dutch titles, but Overmars played a starring role in their superb Champions League triumph during the 1994/95 season, going undefeated throughout the competition.

With Wenger approaching his first full season in charge of the Gunners, he was aiming to bolster his squad and Overmars was earmarked as one of his main targets.

His debut season in London saw Arsenal win the domestic double, with Overmars registering 22 goal contributions – 16 goals and six assists – in all competitions.

Wenger was beginning to change the way football was perceived in England, as the Frenchman managed to prolong the careers of several of his veteran players due to changing their diets and adding in the likes of yoga.

The next two seasons saw the Dutchman score 24 times while providing 25 assists, yet he couldn’t lead the Gunners to another major trophy as Manchester United resumed their dominance of English football.

A move to Barcelona was always going to be difficult to turn down for Overmars, as he made the leap following an impressive showing at Euro 2000 with the Netherlands.

What Marc Overmars did after leaving Arsenal

This wasn’t the vintage Barcelona side which dominated Spanish and European football between 2005 and 2015.

The Catalan outfit were in a transitional state as Overmars failed to win a single trophy during his spell at the club between 2000 and 2004.

He did make 141 appearances for the club, but his trophy-winning days were over, leaving during the summer of 2004 as a persistent knee injury forced him to call it quits aged just 31.

Arsenal supporters of a certain vintage will remember him for his wonderful turn of pace and eye for goal, despite playing predominantly on the left flank.

While the club didn’t want to lose him at the turn of the century, it was clear Wenger struck gold by selling the former Ajax gem, especially considering how much profit they were going to make.

Not only that, but it appeared to be that Wenger managed to get the best out of the player, as his performances on the field started to decline the moment he moved to Spain, ensuring Arsenal got significant profit for a winger who was starting to decline.

Arteta will be hoping to secure a profit on some of the players he is looking to sell this summer, as funds will need to be raised in order to further improve his team.

Arsenal in pursuit of "world-class" Havertz upgrade who wants a PL move

The incredible talent could totally transform Arsenal’s attack.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 9, 2024

England seamer confident of protocols on return to socially-distanced training at Edgbaston

Andrew Miller22-May-2020

Chris Woakes believes that his first day back at training has given him an insight into how the rest of the England summer will pan out, after admitting that the strict social-distancing protocols at his home ground of Edgbaston would “take up some headspace”.Woakes bowled five overs at about 50% intensity on Thursday, on his return to outside practice, using the box of six balls that each member of the England squad has been allocated since the ban on sporting activity was partially lifted by the UK government.And while he said that his hour-long session was “literally about turning the arm over and getting things moving again”, the measures taken to protect the players from contracting Covid-19 were a central part of the experience, from taking his temperature and uploading it to an app before leaving his house, to following a prescribed route into Edgbaston, the venue that looks set to host Pakistan’s training camp ahead of their planned three-Test series in August.ALSO READ: England training ‘safer than going to supermarket’ – Ashley Giles”The venues and counties have tried to make this as safe as possible,” Woakes said. “In my eyes, they’ve done a really good job. I knew exactly how I was going to go into the ground. You have to drive your own car – at the minute there’s a lot of testing going on at Edgbaston, with the testing facility – [so I] parked in a safe area at the back, and walked onto the pitch through the Hollies Stand. This has all been planned in the last few weeks, so it’s as safe as possible, we don’t come into contact with anyone.”I took everything I needed for training with me: bottles, towels, medicine balls, bands that I use for warming up. I was given a box of balls, ready there for me to use once I got into the ground. And then those balls are now mine. No one else will touch them – the whole thing of having one skin on each ball.”It was all very strict. On arrival there’s a station where you can wash your hands and put anti-bac on before you start. There was a physio from Warwickshire there with me but, again, we don’t come into contact. We stayed more than two metres apart and I did my training. It took about an hour, and then I walked back through the Hollies to my car and left.”The need to ensure no overlap with team-mates means that the players’ sessions are tightly scheduled at this stage of the process, before they progress to “contact clusters” in the coming weeks, ahead of the proposed start of the West Indies Test series in July. And though Woakes admitted he was glad to get back to work after an extraordinary period of downtime, he did acknowledge that the circumstances would take some getting used to.0:56

Stuart Broad enjoys first day back at Trent Bridge

“I guess it’s a bit of a window [into the new reality],” he said. “Cricket is not generally a contact sport, so that helps, but we will get more of an inkling when we start practising more as a team, and have more people training at a venue. There are no changing rooms involved at the moment, match mode will look a lot different.”Off the park, it will take up quite a bit of headspace. The world we are living does take up some headspace. But on the field you want 100% concentration, whether that is batting or bowling, and cricketers and sportsmen in general are quite good at focusing on the job in hand. But the ECB, the venues and counties are going above and beyond making it as safe as possible, so that will help us as players.”Some habits will have to change on the field, however, in particular the ingrained bowler’s instinct to polish the ball with saliva, which has now been outlawed by the ICC.”You’re going to have remind yourself that you can’t use those things to shine the ball,” said Woakes. “Don’t get me wrong, you can shine the ball without saliva and sweat, it probably just doesn’t have the same effect. You might have to work a little bit harder on the rubbing on the trousers, but luckily enough the ball moves around in England anyway.”You don’t always have to work overly hard on the ball, so hopefully that’ll work in our favour a bit. Thankfully it’s a Dukes and not a Kooka this summer, because then we would be struggling.”One trend that could catch on this summer is the use of bowler’s headbands, with both Woakes and Stuart Broad taking to wearing them in their practice sessions. However, while Broad said on Instagram that his had been a bid to prevent sweat running down his face, Woakes claimed that he was merely keeping his hair out of his eyes after several weeks without a trim.”I haven’t had it cut in 12 weeks apart from the wife doing the sides,” he said. “The alice band will probably be a feature for a while until I can get it cut.”

The powers that be at Sunderland know that this next managerial appointment is crucial, aware that another blunder won't be accepted by the already restless Wearsiders.

Going through three different bosses in the end throughout 2023/24 – with the decision to axe Tony Mowbray towards the start of the campaign not paying off whatsoever – meant no settled face could really leave a lasting impact on the downtrodden camp, with a need now for a fixed body to remain in the Stadium of Light hot-seat to try and bring success back.

Linked with outlandish names from far and wide to replace Mike Dodds, including the heavily-fancied Bo Svensson who was recently a manager in the Bundesliga with FC Mainz 05, Sunderland might well decide to go down a less flashy route if they appointed this other rumoured face.

Sunderland could look at recently sacked boss

Sacked in controversial circumstances by Hull City after guiding the Tigers to seventh spot in the Championship, the "highly-regarded" Liam Rosenior – as dubbed by Henry Winter – is a name that will no doubt be floating about for a number of vacancies including the Sunderland one.

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini stated that Rosenior would be 'interested' in the Black Cats job if approached to bounce back from his disappointing end at the MKM Stadium, when speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport programme recently.

Rosenior could well be a good fit for a club trying to get back on the footballing map and strive for promotion success, having breathed life back into the Tigers during a two-year stay.

Backed well in the transfer market with additions such as Fabio Carvalho and Liam Delap, it would remain to be seen whether Rosenior could work with more limited resources on Wearside.

Yet, with his time at Derby County before taking on the Hull job seeing Rosenior receive praise for managing to steady the ship at Pride Park during testing times, the 39-year-old could be a perfect alternative to the relatively unknown entity of Svensson who has only managed in Austria and Germany.

Liam Rosenior's time at Hull

The ex-Rams interim manager excelled in the hot seat at Hull for the majority of his two years in charge, considering it was the manager's first proper gig.

Sunderland will hope Rosenior can get the Black Cats playing the same expansive, easy-on-the-eye football that his Tigers side were known to play if he is gifted the reins – Hull averaging 55.4% of the ball this season, which was the same as Sunderland's according to FBRef, but managing to do so much more with it.

Manager

Games managed

Wins

Draws

Losses

Rosenior

90

34

30

26

Svensson

237

109

55

73

Sourced by Transfermarkt.

Setting his side up in a formation that Sunderland had also grown accustomed to this campaign just gone, the 4-2-3-1 approach deployed by Rosenior for Hull saw 16 more goals find the back of the net compared to the struggling Black Cats on top of three more wins being tallied up.

The in-demand 39-year-old could also get even more out of Jack Clarke on his potential arrival when you assess how his Hull team operated going forward, with star winger Jaden Philogene – who has averaged 4.88 progressive carries over the past year per 90 minutes – coming in as the top scorer for the season with 12 goals.

Sunderland might well want to give Rosenior a shot at redemption in the second tier after such a harsh dismissal, therefore, instead of opting for the left-field Svensson.

The Black Cats will want to get an appointment in through the door very soon regardless of who does enter though, bringing this next manager saga to a close potentially with Rosenior.

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Manchester City could land a bargain this summer after a new report emerged linking Pep Guardiola's side with one of the most dangerous players in the Bundesliga.

Manchester City a win away

A nervy 2-0 win over Tottenham on Tuesday left Pep Guardiola's side in charge of the Premier League title race heading into the final day of the season.

Two points ahead of Arsenal, the Cityzens know that three points against West Ham at the Etihad on Sunday will see them clinch their fourth Premier League title in five years, while a draw could be enough depending on the result Arsenal manage against Everton.

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They could not have asked for a better opposition, with West Ham in turmoil and David Moyes heading into his final game in charge of a side that have conceded 10 times in their last two away games, and have won away from home just twice in 2024.

Though it has been less than a vintage season for Guardiola's side, they could yet end it with a double should they also lift the FA Cup in nine days time, and they are only likely strengthen this summer.

City target new defender

Now, Manchester City are reportedly chasing one of their former players, in a move that could set them back around £35m this summer. That, of course, comes in the shape of Jeremie Frimpong, who has been deployed as a right-wing-back by Xabi Alonso and has been a massive factor in Bayer Leverkusen having gone the whole season unbeaten to date.

Though nominally a defender, the Dutchman has been a constant threat for the German outfit, grabbing a massive 14 goals and 12 assists, numbers normally expected from attackers and better than those put up by Kevin de Bruyne for example, though of course the Belgian was sidelined for the first part of the campaign.

Jeremie Frimpong's outrageous season

Domestic Cups

Europa League

Bundesliga

Appearances

5

9

30

Goals

2

3

9

Assists

3

0

9

His performances have drawn high praise from all corners, with Eurosport Germany's Dennis Mezler explaining: “Frimpong is also enormously dangerous in front of goal for a nominally ‘defensive’ player. Now that the whole team is playing strongly under Alonso, Frimpong is underlining his class even more."

Linked with Arsenal and Manchester United previously, the Dutchman is said to have a 40m euro release clause in his contract, though it is added that it must be triggered before the European Championships kick off in Germany next month.

Now, HITC claim that Manchester City "have spoken to Jeremie Frimpong" and that the defender "has opened discussions" about a move back to his former side, in a far more senior role than when he left.

With Kyle Walker now the wrong side of his peak, Frimpong's explosive speed and ability in the final third could be a massive addition to the Etihad side, who have no natural right-back besides the Englishman, a fact which has seen Manuel Akanji and John Stones play there in recent months.

Available for just a fraction of what he would otherwise cost courtesy of his release clause, should City sign him he could be one of the bargains of the summer.