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The Manchester United outcast has somehow landed a dream move after two years of mediocrity, but he's not the first player to fall on his feet

"If you assess where Marcus Rashford is at as a professional footballer, you strive as a youngster to get to the very top and play for clubs like Manchester United, and when you’re there, you appreciate it. You don’t throw it away and say you want to leave. I find the whole episode very soul-destroying," United legend Teddy Sheringham told when asked for his opinion on Rashford's imminent loan move to Barcelona.

"From my perspective, if you go from Manchester United to Barcelona, that’s a step up that he hasn’t deserved," he added, and it's impossible to disagree with that take when looking back at Rashford's last two seasons on the Red Devils' books. He managed just 11 Premier League goals in 48 appearances, broke disciplinary rules, and eventually lost his place in the team after Ruben Amorim was appointed manager, which led to Aston Villa signing the inconsistent attacker on loan in January.

Rashford instantly started playing with a smile again at Villa Park, helping Unai Emery's side reach the Champions League quarter-finals and finish sixth in the Premier League, but he still only scored four goals, and it wasn't much of a surprise that the Villans did not take up their £40 million ($54m) buy option on the 27-year-old. After so much early promise, Rashford had become damaged goods; an overpaid, overrated attacker who did have the right mindset to reach the very top.

Barca do not see it that way, though. The Spanish title holders believe Rashford is the final piece in the puzzle to bring them Champions League glory in 2025-26, and he will now form part of an all-star forward line alongside Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

It feels like Rashford is the luckiest man in football, but is he about to seal the most "undeserved" transfer in football history? GOAL ranks the top 10 contenders for that unwanted title:

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  10Marouane Fellaini (Everton to Manchester United, €32m)

  David Moyes famously tried to sign Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas after being personally selected by Sir Alex Ferguson to inherit the managerial reins at United in 2013, but ended up having to settle for Marouane Fellaini, the 6'4 Belgian midfielder known more for his afro hairstyle than his playing ability. Fellaini had been a reliable performer for Everton under Moyes, but a move to the then-Premier League champions was seen as a bridge too far for such a one-dimensional footballer.

  That proved to be the case. Fellaini was jeered regularly by United fans in a miserable debut season that saw them slip out of the top six, with Moyes relieved of his duties after just eight months at the helm. Somehow, Fellaini clung on for another five seasons at Old Trafford, picking up FA Cup, Europa League and League Cup winners' medals while becoming a favourite of Jose Mourinho's due to his aerial ability, but he was never able to hold down a starting role, and United let him depart for Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan for just £10.5m in January 2019.

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  9Andy Carroll (Newcastle to Liverpool, €43m)

  Liverpool fans reacted in disbelief when Andy Carroll was chosen to replace Fernando Torres after the Spanish striker's controversial switch to Chelsea in January 2011. The Reds broke their transfer record to sign Carroll, which was seen as a hasty move given he had only served as Newcastle's first-choice No.9 for half a season.

  All doubts over Carroll were quickly justified as he found the net only six times in 44 Premier League games for Liverpool. The towering English frontman's finishing was wildly erratic and he couldn't stay fit long enough to build any kind of momentum.

  After replacing Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool boss in June 2012, Brendan Rodgers immediately decided Carroll wasn't the right fit for his possession-based system, and he departed for West Ham after a hugely disappointing 18 months at Anfield.

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  8Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal to Juventus, loan)

  Nicklas Bendtner's future looked bleak after an underwhelming loan stint at Sunderland in 2011-12, in which he netted just eight goals. Arsenal had certainly grown sick of the Denmark striker's inconsistency and off-pitch behaviour, but that didn't dissuade newly-crowned Serie A champions Juventus from taking him off their hands in the most shocking deal of the 2012 summer window.

  It would not turn out to be some miraculous masterstroke. Antonio Conte didn't hand Bendtner his first start for Juve until October, and he suffered a serious injury in his next start some two months later, before being arrested for drink-driving in March.

  Bendtner returned to action off the bench in a final-day clash against Sampdoria, but broke his wrist as the Bianconeri's second successive title party was soured by a 3-2 defeat. The Arsenal loanee then went back to Emirates Stadium with no goals to his name from 11 appearances in Juve colours, and it's fair to say that this particular transfer was a waste of time for all parties involved.

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  7Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua to Manchester United, loan)

  United were so desperate for a new striker after Rashford was sidelined with an injury in the winter transfer window of 2020 that they explored several emergency options, including potentially re-signing former academy graduate Josh King from Bournemouth. However, when they were priced out of a deal for King, United instead brought in former Watford star Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season.

  It should be noted that Ighalo had his moments in the Premier League with Watford, and scored five goals for Nigeria at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, but this was the mother of all panic moves from the Red Devils. Ighalo had no elite-level experience to speak of, and it was clear from the start that then-United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn't fully trust him.

  The Nigerian was restricted to just eight appearances between February and May, but he scored four goals, which inexplicably led United to extend his loan for another six months. That decision was made all the more baffling when Edinson Cavani arrived in October, and Ighalo was given just nine minutes of Premier League action in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign before being sent back to China.

Jadon Sancho proved too expensive for Borussia Dortmund as sporting director Sebastian Kehl explained why the German side opted against signing him.

Sancho to join Aston Villa on loanDortmund end chase due to hefty financialsMan Utd green light Sancho's moveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Sancho's transfer saga is nearing its end as Villa and United reportedly reached an agreement for an initial loan deal for the winger. Dortmund's sporting director earlier hinted at a possible move for the Englishman but has now confirmed the club won't be signing him given the amount of money involved. 

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Roma had appeared the most interested side to sign Sancho at one point and waited until late in the transfer window for his green light. Sancho appreciated Roma's offer but didn't give them a final response which prompted the Serie A side to drop their interest in the ex-Dortmund player. Sancho was reportedly willing to take a pay cut as Dortmund hoped to bring him back for a third spell but the financial requirements prevented the deal from getting over the line and the England international looks set to stay in the Premier League instead.

WHAT KEHL SAID

Speaking to , Dortmund director Kehl said: "Jadon Sancho will not move to Borussia Dortmund. Ultimately, we have to stay within our financial means and can't do anything crazy. I understand everyone's wishes, but Jadon Sancho will not move to BVB."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

While Sancho looks to seal a deadline day move to Villa Park, United are looking to get rid of another member of the bomb squad, with Antony's deal to Real Betis also being in the advanced stages. The Brazilian has reportedly agreed to take a wage cut to accelerate the move.  

Ajax have announced the signing of young midfielder Eloi Gomez Saus from the famous La Masia academy of Barcelona.

Ajax sign Barca gem Gomez SausMidfielder to play for Ajax's U17 team next seasonHas signed a three-year dealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ajax on Wednesday officially announced the signing of 16-year-old playmaker Gomez Saus from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy. Gomez Saus has signed a three-year deal until June 2028.

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Gomez Saus' move to Ajax comes after his contract with Barcelona expired in June. Among the most important players for the Catalans' U16 side last season, Gomez Saus opted against continuing in Catalunya due to intense competition for midfield spots. Ajax's sporting and financial vision for the player is believed to have convinced the youngster to seek greener pastures, with the Dutch side potentially offering a clearer path to the first team. Next season, Gomez Saus will feature for Ajax's U17 side.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Ajax sporting director Marijn Beuker expressed his excitement after the unveiling of Gomez Saus as a new acquisition. He said: "Eloi is a typical playmaker for Ajax. He is frequently involved in the build-up play, shows initiative on the ball, and enjoys playing forward. He combines footballing intelligence with technical ability, which allows him to link up play with one or two touches. He had been with FC Barcelona since the age of eight and stood out very positively to us at tournaments and in head-to-head matches. We expect that he will settle in quickly here, and with him, we have added another future gem to our academy."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR AJAX?

Ajax will begin their 2025-26 campaign on August 10, when they host newly-promoted Telstar at the Johan Cruyff Arena. It is a new era at Ajax, with John Heitinga set to be their new head coach.

Their key players are out of form and that’s not good when they have to face the tournament’s most in-form batting unit

Sreshth Shah30-Mar-20242:46

McClenaghan: Titans rely too much on Gill, may be a batter short

Match detailsGujarat Titans (GT) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
Ahmedabad, 1530 IST (1000 GMT)Big pictureA plethora of subplots from outside the cricket field may have helped Gujarat Titans lift themselves to a come-from-behind win against Mumbai Indians in their season opener, but a 63-run defeat away against Chennai Super Kings begs the question: are the Titans of 2024 championship material?David Miller, for example, has crossed 30 only three times in 15 innings this year and averages 29. His strike rate of 119 this year is also his worst in 13 years, a steep drop from 2023 (135.2) and 2022 (147.2).Another barometer of the Titans’ performance is Rashid Khan. In their wins – they’ve had 12 of those since 2023 – he comes away with an economy rate of 7.35. But in their losses – seven in the same period – Rashid’s economy rate skyrockets to 10.03. It shows that when he struggles, they struggle too. This used to be rare but since last year’s tournament, he has leaked nine runs an over roughly once every three matches (6 out of 19; 5 of those 6 were losses)And that’s where the challenge lies as a rampaging Sunrisers Hyderabad arrive fresh off a performance that rewrote IPL record books. Travis Head has his own love story with Ahmedabad since the ODI World Cup final, Abhishek Sharma has carried his form from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy well and Heinrich Klaasen is the only man to hit 50 T20 sixes this year. With the Narendra Modi Stadium one of the country’s best surfaces for batters, the Titans will need someone to fill the shoes of Mohammed Shami at both ends of their innings.The Titans, though, can hit back. Barring Pat Cummins, the Sunrisers pacers have gone at 11.93 runs per over in IPL 2024 and it is an area the hosts can exploit, especially their captain Shubman Gill. Ahmedabad is Gill’s favourite venue – 700 runs in 13 innings at an average of nearly 64 and a strike-rate of almost 160 – and with only 37 runs in two innings this season, he will be itching for a sizeable contribution.2:18

McClenaghan on Miller’s poor form: ‘Tough role being a finisher’

Team news and impact player strategyGujarat TitansThe Titans are usually predictable with their impact substitutions, so expect fast bowler Mohit Sharma and left-hand batter Sai Sudharsan to swap places. Matthew Wade is also available after missing the first two games playing the Sheffield Shield final. Shahrukh Khan or Abhinav Manohar could be tempting options in the middle order.Probable XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 David Miller, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Umesh Yadav, 12 Mohit SharmaTitans will have their task cut out bowling to Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen•BCCISunrisers HyderabadAfter excelling in their season opener, T Natarajan missed Sunrisers’ second game with an unspecified niggle and his availability is unknown. Jaydev Unadkat, his replacement against Mumbai Indians, impressed with his change-ups and could keep his place in the XI. Wanindu Hasaranga has also not yet arrived in India.As for Impact Player options, Sunrisers could start with medium-pacer Nitish Reddy or fast bowler Umran Malik if bowling first, with Travis Head replacing them in the second innings. Washington Sundar could also be a realistic option against left-hand heavy Titans.Probable XII: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Travis Head, 3 Abhishek Sharma, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 Jaydev Unadkat / T Natarajan, 12 Umran MalikBhuvneshwar Kumar has gone for 104 runs in eight overs in IPL 2024•Associated PressIn the spotlightIn two innings, Vijay Shankar has scored 18 runs in 17 balls. He has not bowled either. Against a high-scoring side like Sunrisers, the Titans could be tempted to play Shahrukh Khan instead to add power to the middle order, especially since he follows a consolidator like Sudharsan at No. 3. Shankar, though, enjoys facing Bhuvneshwar Kumar (16 off 5, strike rate 320) and Jaydev Unadkat (15 off 7, strike rate 214) in T20 cricket.Bhuvneshwar Kumar is yet to take a wicket in his two IPL 2024 outings and has conceded 104 runs in eight overs. Against both Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, Bhuvneshwar made promising starts to his spell but ended up leaking big runs in the death overs. As the senior-most bowler in a franchise where he has played since 2014, Bhuvneshwar needs to either find wickets or get his runs down. Ideally, he’d want to do both.Stats that matterGill has historically struggled putting Bhuvneshwar away at the IPL, scoring only 50 runs in 48 balls while being dismissed three times in nine innings. He also has a strike-rate of only 94.4 against Unadkat.In 23 balls, Abhishek has hit Rashid for three fours and three sixes, averaging a boundary every 3.6 deliveries. His strike-rate against Rashid is 204 overall and this IPL, he is scoring at 226.Klaasen is hitting a six every 5.4 balls in 2024, behind only Andre Russell’s ball-per-six ratio of 4.6. Fifty of his 53 sixes have come between long-off and deep backward square leg.Since the start of IPL 2023, the team batting first has won six of the ten IPL games played in Ahmedabad.Pitch and conditionsAhmedabad usually offers a true batting surface with enough on offer to keep pacers and spinners interested. Spinners can also use the long square boundaries to good effect. The average first-innings winning score here since 2021 in the IPL is 188. In the last outing at the venue, the Titans defended 168 successfully. Expect a hot afternoon with a peak of 35 degrees during toss time.

The visitors chased down the target with more than six overs to spare to get their title defence up and running after a false start

AAP13-Dec-2023Two-time defending champions Perth Scorchers remained the BBL benchmark, overpowering Melbourne Stars by seven wickets at the MCG.After skittling Stars’ top order on Wednesday night and dismissing them for 101 in 19.1 overs, the five-time winners extended their winning streak over them to six. Brisbane Heat also clobbered Stars by 103 runs in the BBL season opener last week.It was a return to normal service for Scorchers after last Sunday’s farcical match in Geelong against Melbourne Renegades, which was called off after a few overs because of a waterlogged pitch.Related

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Scorchers’ left-arm opening bowler Jason Behrendorff starred with 3 for 28, including a rare T20 double wicket maiden after the visitors won the toss and made the most of the humid conditions.”It’s a nice start after a false start in Geelong – we talked about being aggressive and throwing the first punch … we did it quite well tonight,” he said.As the BBL goes into a break until December 19, it has been an underwhelming tournament so far with the Geelong non-result and a washout among the seven matches.The obvious difference on Wednesday night was the fortunes of the two top orders – Stars lost their first two wickets in as many overs while the top three Scorchers all made at least 20.Stars were energetic in the field, but run-out chances went begging – opener Cooper Connolly backed up too far on the second ball of the Scorchers innings and would have been well short had Nick Larkin’s throw hit the stumps. Aaron Hardie had only made 1 when Liam Dawson’s throw also just missed.Connolly scored 20, fellow opener Stevie Eskinazi made 25 and Hardie contributed 20 at No. 3 to anchor the innings.It was a tale of near-misses in the field for Stars – Josh Inglis had made 7 at 75 for 3 when he misjudged a delivery from spinner Usama Mir, and Haris Rauf just failed to reach a difficult chance.Behrendorff had earlier snared acting Stars captain Marcus Stoinis and Nick Larkin in the ninth over.As good as Scorchers were, Stars batted poorly on a wicket that had been under cover for much of the last 48 hours.No. 8 Liam Dawson (22) and Rauf showed up their team-mates by putting on 21 for the last wicket and taking the score past 100, while Hilton Cartwright top-scored with 24 from 18 balls.A missed run-out chance and a dropped catch spared Stars from an even more embarrassing total.Left-arm wristspinner Hamish McKenzie was on a hat-trick in the 14th over when he dismissed Cartwright and Mir for his first BBL wickets, but Joel Paris safely defended his first delivery. Player-of-the-match McKenzie impressed with a miserly 2 for 12 from his overs.Melbourne’s inclement start to December had threatened to disrupt the game, with rain forecast for Wednesday night but the showers stayed away. With Glenn Maxwell (forearm) injured, Stoinis captained Stars, who were also be without Nathan Coulter-Nile (calf) and Joe Burns (illness).

The BCCI said that Axar had suffered a left quadriceps strain while playing against Bangladesh on Friday

Shashank Kishore16-Sep-2023

Washington Sundar was part of India’s squad that played a T20I series in Ireland•Sportsfile via Getty Images

Washington Sundar will link up with India’s Asia Cup squad in Colombo ahead of Sunday’s final against Sri Lanka with Axar Patel out injured.The BCCI said that Axar had suffered a left quadriceps strain while playing against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup on Friday. The physio was seen taping his leg while he was batting towards the closing stages of that game.Axar has some swelling on his forearm as well after being hit by a throw from a fielder. ESPNcricinfo understands there is no fracture. He also bruised his wrist during a full-stretch dive into the crease while batting. Axar continued to bat despite the bruising and needed some spraying on the affected area. He made a valiant 38-ball 42 in India’s chase of 266. Eventually, India fell six short.Related

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Washington was to be part of a conditioning camp called by the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for India’s Asian Games-bound squad. It’s likely he will rejoin the group following the conclusion of the Asia Cup, if Axar is cleared to play in the three ODIs to follow against Australia from September 22.India’s current squad lacks an offspinner, which is one of the areas the team management hopes can be compensated by the presence of two left-arm spinning allrounders in Axar and Ravindra Jadeja. Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, is the only specialist spinner in India’s squad of 15.ESPNcricinfo understands Washington’s name had been deliberated seriously to be part of India’s World Cup squad, but he eventually lost out with India preferring to go in with an extra back-up batter in Suryakumar Yadav despite both KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer being named in the squad. India can however make changes to that squad without an ICC clearance until September 28.Washington, who was out for three months due to a hamstring injury, was most-recently part of India’s second-rung squad that played three T20Is in Ireland last month. Prior to that, he featured for South Zone in their victorious Deodhar Trophy (50-overs) and Duleep Trophy (first-class) campaigns.Changes to India’s squads for the Asian Games as wellFast bowlers Akash Deep and Pooja Vastrakar have been called into India’s men’s and women’s T20 teams due to play in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Deep replaced Shivam Mavi who is down with a back injury and Vastrakar replaced Anjali Sarvani who is nursing a knee injury. The women’s competition begins first on September 19 followed by the men’s on September 28. Ruturaj Gaikwad leads a second-string India men’s side given the first-choice players will be building up for the home World Cup which starts on October 5. The India women’s team appears close to full strength and is captained by Harmanpreet Kaur

Billy Root fell two short of a century as Glamorgan blitzed their way to maximum batting points on the second day of the LV= County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Cheltenham.Kiran Carlson (76), Root (98) and Chris Cooke (86 not out) smacked 41 fours and two sixes between them to help the visitors extend their first innings from an overnight 152 for 2 to 450 for 6 declared on the fast-scoring College Ground.Paul van Meekeren was the pick of a Gloucestershire attack, who found it hard to extract any help from the true batting surface. The Dutch seamer’s figures of 3 for 92 from 21 overs were reward for sustaining impressive pace on his first Championship appearance for the hosts.By the close, Gloucestershire had moved to 134 for 1 in their second innings, Chris Dent leading the way with 61 not out. With bad weather forecast tomorrow, the match already seems to be heading for a high-scoring draw.The day began well for the home side. With only a run added to the Glamorgan total, Colin Ingram edged the fourth ball of van Meekeren’s opening over to first slip where Ben Charlesworth took a waist-high catch.The lively van Meekeren struck again in the seventh over of the morning, squeezing a delivery through Sam Northeast’s defence to bowl him for 28. At 183 for 4, Glamorgan were in danger of undoing their first-day efforts with the bat.But Root had other ideas, getting off the mark with a sumptuous square driven four off van Meekeren. Soon Carlson was square cutting the same bowler for four before bringing the 200 up with a boundary through extra cover off Dom Goodman.It took the pair just 17 overs to complete a century stand, Carlson reaching a run-a-ball fifty with a lofted shot that almost saw him caught at mid-on off Josh Shaw. The partnership was worth 113 when he pulled van Meekeren to square leg where Dent took a smart low catch.Root also reached an entertaining half-century, off 63 balls, before lunch, which was taken at 311 for 5. Glamorgan had added 159 runs a session prolonged by ten minutes to help make up for overs lost to rain on day one.Cooke had also begun to enjoy himself on a pitch offering consistent bounce and a quick outfield providing full value for shots. He and Root put together a 50-stand in 69 balls before the second new ball was taken at 361 for five.On 29, Cooke appeared to survive a chance to Ollie Price at second slip off Tom Price, but it was a rare moment of alarm as he and Root progressed their partnership into three figures with a succession of well-timed strokes.Root had struck 14 fours and a six during a fluent innings when, on the verge of what would have been his eighth first-class ton, he edged left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar to Ollie Price at slip.Cooke had moved imperiously to fifty off 73 balls and was still there when a fifth batting point was secured, having taken his boundary count to 15 fours and a six. The declaration came immediately and by tea Gloucestershire had replied with 15 for no wicket.The final session saw runs continue to flow, this time for the home side. Dent and Charlesworth had put together an opening stand of 39 when the latter was bowled off an inside edge by leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson for 15.It was a first and last success of the day for the Glamorgan bowlers as Dent moved to a comfortable half-century off 113 balls, with seven fours, finding an equally assured partner in Ollie Price, who was unbeaten on 49 at stumps, having hit eight elegant boundaries.A decent sized Festival crowd, including a host of past players from around the counties attending a Professional Cricketers’ Association lunch, had witnessed 432 runs and only five wickets in the extended day’s play.

MatériaMais Notícias

A repercussão da derrota sofrida pelo Grêmio para o CRB, no último sábado (13), pelo Brasileirão da Série B, teve uma declaração contundente de um dirigente do Imortal. O vice-presidente de futebol, Denis Abrahão, não gostou nada da atuação da equipe.

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Para o dirigente, a equipe “não demonstrou qualidade ou criatividade” para superar o adversário do último fim de semana em resultado que interrompeu uma sequência de 17 partidas invicto do Tricolor.

Entretanto, Denis também não deixou de apontar que se tratou de um jogo “atípico” e que o clube jamais deixou de considerar as dificuldades que o torneio ainda apresentará até o fim da disputa:

-Foi um jogo atípico. Não tivemos qualidade ou criatividade para quebrar a estrutura montada. Hoje (sábado) foi a noite do não. Mas sabemos que o campeonato apresentaria dificuldades. A Série B é assim. Não há terra arrasada. Não temos um time excepcional. Talvez essa derrota tenha sido muito boa e no momento oportuno.

Em terceiro lugar com 43 pontos conquistados, o Grêmio volta a jogar pela segunda divisão do Campeonato Brasileiro somente no próximo domingo (21), recebendo o Cruzeiro, na Arena, às 16h (de Brasília).

New in-house commentary team can’t put a positive spin on bleak day at Wantage Road

David Hopps21-Apr-2023Northamptonshire 95 for 5 (Cobb 28*, McManus 8*) trail Hampshire 482 for 8 dec (Vince 186, Gubbins 125, Brown 55) by 387 runsHeavy overnight rain with a forecast of more to come, a soggy outfield and a chill easterly wind. It all contributed to a thin crowd at Wantage Road. Perhaps Northants loyalists also had an inkling about what lay in store because, if the weather holds, Hampshire are making quick strides towards a convincing victory.James Vince’s strokeplay might well be pretty, but against your own county, it was also pretty galling. He extended his overnight 104 to 186, and was in more blissful form than on the first day, doing much as he pleased, but by the time he failed to loft Gareth Berg over deep mid-off, he had overstayed his presence as far as local tastes were concerned. He had felt “scratchy” until now, by his own admission, but this was more like it.Then, after losing a wicket to the first ball of their reply, Northants faltered again by losing three wickets in five balls under the lights to totter to 95 for 5 by the close. Hampshire’s seam attack is formidable when there is good carry and a little movement and up-and-down bounce to be had.It was the sort of day then for a Northamptonshire supporter to mark themselves absent, take in the commentary from time to time and get some odd jobs done. But which commentary?Those who chose a now-established habit and followed the game on the county’s live stream might have been disconcerted because change is afoot. Northants have become the latest county to end their link with BBC radio (a link that, as far as the average county supporter is concerned, has only been going five minutes) and instead turn to their own in-house commentary team. By contrast, Hampshire still use the BBC commentary, and will presumably expect ECB funding for it to remain in place. To lose this audio service because of changing times would be insane.The BBC link-up has helped bring county cricket to the biggest audiences in its history – some 27 million views across all formats in 2022, and that is before you count the BBC’s own audio figures – but some counties hanker after the sort of advertising revenue that any relationship with the Beeb precludes. At the time of its greatest triumph, county cricket’s financial ambitions will either enhance its opportunity to re-enter the mainstream or undermine it.As Vince undertook his special brand of elegant destruction after lunch, the new Northants commentary team fielded a question as to whether their own coverage was, ahem, unavoidably one-eyed. To their credit, they gave it a considered reply. On the BBC, the mellifluous tones of BBC Northampton’s Andrew Radd (an ever-present on the county circuit since 1984, and co-writer of the Northamptonshire history) were joined by the respected Hampshire commentator, and former player, Kevan James. It was a more balanced, analytical offering; a more independent one, too, although in some counties that independence can feel somewhat compromised.As usual county cricket is muddling through, some counties going in one direction, some going in another. Middlesex, Surrey, Somerset and Lancashire are leading the way with good quality in-house products. Not just because of potential financial returns, but because of the conviction that TV pictures and radio commentary are uneasy bedfellows.As Northants join the chase for that advertising revenue, they will not be advertising the breakdown of county live video streams in this year’s . Northants had the lowest average among the 18 counties in 2022 – with 24,000 average daily views, ranging from 13,000 in the Championship to around five times as many in the T20 Blast – the format where adoption of a more ramped-up, partial, in-house commentary seems most persuasive. Lancashire and Surrey, the most watched counties, attract three times as many viewers as Northants.Clearly then, there is progress to be made, but bad days like this are not about to enhance the viewing figures. To add to their problems, the Australian quick, Lance Morris, has withdrawn from a short-term deal because of a back complaint. Chris Tremain, the current incumbent, for some reason is unable to extend his visa. A search is underway for a solution.Hampshire’s seam stocks are also lower. They are without the admirable Keith Barker here – he is fulfilling drinks duties which is a considerable effort for a man who managed to suffer minor fractures on both hands against Surrey last week – but James Fuller proved a worthy back-up.Ricardo Vasconcelos has had a lean start to the season, his latest outing lasting only one ball as Mohammad Abbas dipped one back from around the wicket to win an lbw decision. Stalwart resistance from Hassan Azad and Sam Whiteman settled the game until Hampshire struck midway through an extended final session.Kyle Abbott claimed Azad lbw as he offered no shot (James, who knows a bit about Hampshire, observed that he rarely brings one back into the left-hander from over the wicket – the sort of specialist insight that understandably might be lost on the Northants in-house team). Whiteman, who had not been entirely comfortable, was expertly caught at slip two balls later by Liam Dawson off James Fuller as he attempted an off side punch. Liam Procter got a second-ball nought, befuddled by Fuller’s thigh-high full toss which crashed into his off stump.Rob Keogh’s insecure stay ended to Ben Brown’s catch at the wicket. Brown later dropped Lewis McManus, the man he replaced in the Hampshire side, a low, one-handed catch to his right off Fuller. In normal circumstances, McManus might have secretly thought “I’d have caught that,” but he had just needed prolonged treatment on a hand injury so he probably won’t be supremely confident of catching much at all for the rest of the match.There was a bit of a suspicion as cold got into the bones that one umpire quite fancied getting into the warm, while the other was a bit of stickler. Play was called off at 7pm on the pretext of bad light, the floodlights taking over from natural light and all that jazz, with seven overs left.Sympathies of this observer were firmly with the umpire who fancied a pint. Nobody wants these interminably long days. And judging by the fact that a thin crowd had disappeared to almost nought, that view was shared by many. When will the game wake up to its responsibilities? Its timings are so irrelevant that even TransPennine Express could do better.

Chelsea have been told what it will take to sign a Premier League star for manager Enzo Maresca, and it is a price the London side are apparently willing to pay for his services.

Chelsea recruitment criticised amid bad run of form

Maresca has guided the Blues to just three wins from their last 10 games in all competitions, with Chelsea enduring a mid-season slump in form after what was a very bright start to life under Pep Guardiola’s ex-protege.

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Maresca isn’t exactly helped by injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu – his only natural centre-forward options – who are now set for a lengthy spell on the treatment table.

“Nico will be out until the international break, probably available after that,” said Maresca on Jackson’s injury.

“We knew that it was a muscular problem, but we did not know how important it was because his reaction was quite good, we did not think it was a big injury. Unfortunately, he had a scan a few days ago, and it is an important one, it will be around eight to six weeks.”

Aston Villa (away)

February 22nd

Southampton (home)

February 25th

Leicester City (home)

March 9th

Arsenal (away)

March 16th

Tottenham (home)

April 2nd

Guiu could be facing “months” out injured as well, meaning Chelsea have just Christopher Nkunku in that position as a makeshift choice for the foreseeable future.

Winger Noni Madueke was also forced off with a hamstring problem in their 3-0 defeat away to Brighton last Friday, with Maresca then confirming that the Dutchman would be out for a while.

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi-Mikel is among the pundits to criticise their recruitment policy in light of their injuries and poor form, questoning why they didn’t bring in a world-class marksman last summer.

“You can talk about it, the recruitment process that I’ve been talking about the whole time – Paul Winstanley [Chelsea co-sporting director], I know the guy,” Mikel said on his Obi One podcast.

“Smart guy, clever guy. I’ve spoken to him a few times. Sounds bright, very, very bright guy. Knows his job. But I just think that the recruitment process in the summer, it wasn’t good enough, which I talked about.

“And a lot of Chelsea fans said, no, no, you just want Victor Osimhen at the club because he’s your friend – no he’s not. We needed a striker. We needed another goalkeeper, another top goalkeeper.”

Brighton set £66m price tag for Mitoma with Chelsea stance shared

According to CaughtOffside, they plan to remedy their decisions not to bring in a quality new attacker or two over the last couple of transfer windows.

Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma is one of their apparent targets, with the Seagulls set to demand around £66 million to sell the Japan international, who’s seriously impressed in the last two campaigns, being called “special” and “Messi-like” after his stunning goal against the Blues last week.

While Fabian Hurzeler’s side are not keen on losing their star attacker, it is reported that they’d reluctantly do a deal at that price, with Chelsea prepared to pay Brighton’s valuation for Mitoma.

The 27-year-old boasts seven goals and three assists across 28 appearances in all competitions this season, and his most recent strike actually came against Chelsea in their 3-0 battering of Maresca’s side.