New Zealand favourites as Southee set to return

With New Zealand having won the first Test by a big margin, and with Tim Southee set to return, West Indies are up against it to level the series

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Dec-2017

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Big pictureTwo sessions of fortitude – that was about as much as West Indies could summon at the Basin Reserve. Either side of their third-day resistance, however, the visitors appeared outmatched with bat and ball – New Zealand’s batsmen cruising to big scores, and their bowlers more or less running riot. That West Indies will be without captain Jason Holder – suspended due to an over-rate violation – and that the hosts are likely to have Tim Southee back in their XI would seem to make the disparity between these teams even greater.And yet, there is unpredictability about West Indies that suggests New Zealand will not stroll to victory with quite so much ease, at Seddon Park. In August, having been walloped witless by England at Edgbaston, the likes of Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite scripted a wonderful comeback win at Headingley. Last year, having been defeated handsomely by Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, West Indies had also triumphed in Sharjah. This young West Indies side has sometimes been overwhelmed in Tests, but over the last year they have also refused to cede trophies without a fight – winning at least one Test in each of their last four series.Such is New Zealand’s confidence at home, however, and so in form are their batsmen, that they will expect to pile on more big scores at Hamilton. The West Indies attack, intense only in short bursts at the Basin Reserve, has major improvements to make if their team is to square the series.Form guideNew Zealand WDLDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LDWLWIn the spotlightHe may have crept up on the competition, but over the past three years Neil Wagner has become one of the best quicks in the world. That he has only 139 wickets to his name is a reflection of the scarcity of Test cricket for New Zealand. The figure that makes for more impressive reading, however, is his average of 23.44 since 2015. Among quicks, only James Anderson and Kagiso Rabada have bettered him in that period. The challenge for Wagner is to sustain his success as more and more teams become wise to his unique mode of operation, and devise batting plans specifically to counter him.A number of batsmen did get the better of Wagner in the second innings at Wellington, however – among them: 20-year-old Shimron Hetmyer. Having been dismissed by Wagner in the first innings, Hetmyer scored 21 runs off 18 Wagner deliveries in the second dig, pulling him disdainfully on two occasions, and cracking him for offside boundaries as well. But Wagner was not the only bowler Hetmyer attacked – Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner also went for runs during what was a sparkling maiden half-century. There is talent here for sure, but New Zealand will be more prepared for him in Hamilton.Team newsWith Southee set to come back in, the seamer most likely to make way seems to be Matt Henry, despite Henry’s second innings three-wicket haul in Wellington. As BJ Watling remains unavailable, Tom Blundell will be the home side’s wicketkeeper-batsman again.New Zealand 1 Jeet Raval, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Tom Blundell (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultBrathwaite is set to lead the visitors in Holders’ stead. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph or uncapped left-arm quick Raymon Reifer may come into the side to replace him.West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt) 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmeyer, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Sunil Ambris, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Raymon Reifer, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Miguel Cummins, 11 Shannon GabrielPitch and conditionsThe match will be played on a surface comprising Patumahoe soil, which means there is likely to be pace, bounce and carry right through the Test. There is some rain forecast for Sunday and Monday, with cloudy patches expected for the remainder of the Test. Of bowlers with more than 50 wickets since 2015, Wagner’s strike rate of 46.2 is third best, after Rabada and Mitchell Starc New Zealand have won three of their last four Tests at Seddon Park – one of those victories having come against West Indies in 2013 Shai Hope needs 42 runs to complete 1000 runs in TestsQuotes”Seventeen is the benchmark that Hogan [Martin Crowe] wanted me to get to and beat. But he said, also, carry on and don’t stop there. Hopefully, in time, Kane will probably end up with about 40.”
“The key for us is the first-innings total. If we could get a good first-innings total, we’ll put ourselves in a good position.”

Crystal Palace Could Sign ‘Incredible’ £15m Franca Partner

The purchase of 19-year-old wonderkid Matheus Franca on a five-year deal from Flamengo for £26m is another clear step in the direction that Crystal Palace wants to go.

Upon the Brazilian’s arrival, Palace Chairman Steve Parish said: "Matheus is a young and exciting player whose impressive early progress we have followed with keen interest, and we are delighted to welcome him to the club.

“Palace have a long history of attacking players with skill, pace, and tenacity, and I am sure Matheus will be another popular addition to the nucleus of this young and entertaining squad, packed full of international talent and potential, that we are building here in south London.”

Parish’s comments are indicative of the club’s transfer strategy, which has been summed up by The Atheltic’s Matt Woosnam as ‘buy players young, develop, sell for a profit at their peak’, which the club intends to implement on a cyclical basis as their model of sustainability.

Following Franca, and on the pretence of this thought process, the Eagles are reportedly chasing Matheus Nascimento.

Who do Crystal Palace want to sign?

According to reports, Palace and Nottingham Forest are interested in signing the Botafogo striker in a £15m deal.

The forward previously stalled on a move and was spotted with Palace officials, but Forest are said to be ‘leading the race’ as their owner Evangelos Marinakis is planning to loan him straight to Olympiacos, as he also owns the Greek side.

What are Matheus Nascimento's strengths?

The 6-foot marksman has been at Botafogo since the age of 11, and he swiftly established himself as one of the most promising prospects within the club’s academy, having scored over 150 goals.

Tiano Gomes, general manager of Botafogo's academy labelled the player as a "high-potential athlete" and an "asset."

As a result, Nascimento signed his first professional contract in June 2020, and in September of that year, he made his professional senior debut aged just 16 years and 6 months.

In total, the South American, who has been described as “incredible” by scout Jacek Kulig, has accumulated 80 appearances for Botafogo, scoring 11 times.

Botafogo strikerMatheus Nascimento.

His signing would be yet another exciting addition to Palace, whose attack is taking shape following Wilfried Zaha’s inevitable departure.

Due to a lack of options, Nascimento could find instantly involved in the first-team outlay, with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Odsonne Edouard not exactly the most prolific strikers.

Suspect depth and unproductive senior players, could see Franca awarded with a regular role in his first season in English football.

Kulig feels that the playmaker is “one of the most exciting teenagers in Brazil” and his potency could be hugely beneficial for Palace. In 59 appearances for Flamengo, he notched 19 goals and those in his homeland as he is destined for unadulterated greatness.

Fabio Matias, his former coach, is leading this change of thought and said: “He has many important aspects to his game. In addition to technical and tactical ability, he has a very good understanding of the game. That makes him stand out because he interprets spaces well.”

With the confirmation of Olise’s commitment to the south London outfit on a four-year deal, the timeless brilliance of Eberechi Eze, and the glimmering potential of Franca, Nascimento could join this eye-catching wave of excitement to form an exciting new combination in attack.

Atacante do Londrina valoriza empate fora de casa e afirma: 'Estamos crescendo'

MatériaMais Notícias

Com dois empates e uma derrota em três jogos, o Londrina busca sua primeira vitória na Série C. No último domingo(23), visitou o Ituano e saiu na frente no placar, porém cedeu o empate faltando 15 minutos para o final do jogo e somou apenas um ponto, resultado que deixou o time “estacionado” na oitava posição do Grupo B.

Uma das esperanças da equipe, Júnior Pirambu ressaltou a qualidade do time paulista e acredita que será complicado para os clubes somarem pontos no Novelli Jr. Além disso, destaca que faltam detalhes pro Tubarão somar os primeiros três pontos.

– O Ituano tem um elenco qualificado e sabe aproveitar o mando de campo, então creio que será muito difícil os times tirarem pontos lá. Fizemos um bom jogo, mas acabamos tomando o gol na reta final. São detalhes que precisamos corrigir e tenho certeza que vamos conseguir nos recuperar pra conquistar bons resultados – comentou.

O atacante também afirma que a equipe paranaense está crescendo na competição e melhorando o desempenho nas partidas. Ele crê que é necessário manter o ritmo para que os resultados venham de maneira natural:

– Estamos em crescimento, pegando um ritmo muito bom e melhorando a cada jogo. Vejo nosso elenco com qualidade e muita vontade, então temos que manter a pegada porque estamos no caminho certo. Se mantermos assim, pelo acesso na competição.

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Unemployed Australians to 'face the music'

Australia’s vanquished tournament favourites will return home to the uncertainty of unemployment and the searching questions of a nation that expected them to be lifting the World Cup trophy at Lord’s, rather then losing a semi-final to a supercharged India in Derby.Meg Lanning’s team signed short-term contracts to ensure they were paid throughout the tournament amid the pay war between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association back home, but now join their male and domestic counterparts in awaiting the resolution of a dispute that is fast running out of time to avoid major commercial and competitive dislocation in the game.At the same time, Lanning and the coach Matthew Mott are expecting to face a concerted inquisition from CA’s team performance manager, Pat Howard, as to why the Australians failed to produce their best at the pointy end of the Cup. Defeat to India means Australia hold neither of the game’s two major trophies for the first time since 2009.”Normally there’s a pretty exhaustive review, Pat Howard, the boss, will certainly ask some questions,” Mott said. “So when we get home we’ll have to face the music I guess. [We’ll] go through what went right and what went wrong, and there’ll be a lot of questions asked because we came here with the expectation to win, we had the team that could have won the competition and we didn’t. So we’ve got to ask ourselves some tough questions. We’re hurting a fair bit at the moment but there’s certainly a lot of areas we have to work on.”We’ve got a culture where we throw things around and brainstorm a lot. We should have been blown off the park today and the fact we hung in there and kept it alive – we take that away. A bit of that Aussie spirit to the end there – Alex Blackwell’s innings was pretty special I think. So those sort of things, but we’ve come here to win and we go away losing semi-finalists. We’re very disappointed.”On a day when she was unable to lead with the bat, bowled by a superb swinging delivery from Jhulan Goswami, Lanning said her team had been unable to find the consistency to play the “perfect game” when both bat and ball were in sync. This was underlined by how Harmanpreet Kaur dominated Australia’s bowlers with an innings of rare ferocity, leaving too much to be done in the chase after early wickets fell to the moving ball.”We came here to win, so there’s not a whole lot of positives. I thought we played good cricket in patches, we weren’t really able to put the perfect game together,” Lanning said. “There were glimpses there but, to win a World Cup, you’ve got to be consistent and put performances together.”It’s definitely a very disappointing finish to the tournament. We came here to win, and we’re not going to get the chance to play off in the final. India were too good today; they outplayed us in all the facets of the game, so we’re going to have to look at a few things and see what we need to do, because all the teams around the world now are improving all the time.”The standard of this World Cup’s been as good as it’s ever been. So there’s a lot more teams competing up the top now, so we’re very aware of that and and given the result today we’ve got a fair bit of work to do to make sure we keep getting better and are able to beat sides like England and India who are in the final.”Mott said that in the field the Australians had not adapted quickly enough to Harmanpreet’s aggression, echoing the match against Sri Lanka when Chamari Atapattu hammered an unbeaten 178. On that occasion, Lanning had been able to respond in kind with a domineering innings of her own, but this time she could not, leaving deputy Alex Blackwell to mount a brave but ultimately fruitless rearguard.”We ran into someone who was red hot and just didn’t adapt quickly enough,” Mott said. “[It was] possibly the innings of her life but that’s two we’ve had in this competition that we haven’t reacted well to, so very disappointing. It was a good cricket wicket but they scored 40-50 too many. We needed to stop the hemorrhaging there when they were going; just needed some discipline there, and it just went to custard to be honest … they got far too many.”We just wanted a nice platform, but I think they bowled extremely well to knock a few of us over early. The ball was swinging and they hit the stumps, which is what we talk about doing, so that put us behind, and we always needed a platform I think. A couple of special innings by Villani and Alex was brilliant, but we just left too much, too late.”As for the prospect of returning home to unemployment, Lanning did not yet want to think about it. “We haven’t even thought about that to be honest,” she said. “We know CA and the ACA have been working in the background there, so that’ll all play out over the next couple of weeks but I don’t think any of the playing group or the staff have given it much thought.”

Tottenham Have Now "Targeted" £213k-p/w "Absolute Monster"

Tottenham Hotspur have now "targeted" Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic as an "ideal replacement" for Harry Kane, and they have already started to sound out a potential deal, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham?

Transfer expert Graeme Bailey has indicated that Tottenham are willing to pull out all the stops to keep Kane in north London, with the club willing to make him the highest-paid player by offering him a deal worth around £400k-per-week.

However, the talisman is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract to extend his stay beyond the end of next summer, and rumours about his future continue to swirl, with German champions Bayern Munich very much interested in signing him.

Bayern's honorary president, Uli Hoeness, is confident the Bundesliga club will buy the striker this summer, as he has signalled he wants the move, however Paris Saint-Germain are also now emerging as potential suitors.

Unlike two summers ago, when the England captain expressed his interest in joining Manchester City, he will not push to leave N17 this summer, but he is keeping his options open, amid interest from Bayern Munich.

PSG are willing to make a formal approach for the 29-year-old, but only if he changes his stance and makes it clear he is willing to leave Spurs, and now the club are starting to run the rule over potential replacements.

One such player is Vlahovic, with Galetti now reporting the Lilywhites have taken "the first steps" to sound out a potential deal, and to better understand the Serbian's current situation at Juventus.

With the possible departure of Kane, Tottenham have now targeted the 23-year-old as he is viewed as the "ideal replacement", presumably by new manager Ange Postecoglou.

They will have to hijack the deal from PSG however, as Galetti has since claimed the French giants have already agreed an €11m (£9.4m) per year salary with the player – though he reaffirms there is still competition from Spurs.

How much would Dusan Vlahovic cost?

The striker would not come cheap, as transfer insider Dean Jones has reported that he could cost as much as £70m, while there is also the small matter of offering him a suitable wage package.

In his current deal, the Serbia international brings home £216k-per-week, meaning Tottenham would probably have to be willing to make him one of their top earners to bring him to N17 this summer.

dusan-vlahovic-juventus-tottenham-hotspur-transfer-gossip-postecoglou-maddison

Despite being hailed as an "absolute monster" by members of the media, the Juventus striker has not been at his best over the past year, averaging just 0.35 penalty goals per 90, compared to 0.55 from Kane during the same time period.

However, at 23-years-old, Vlahovic is still very young, and he has previously demonstrated he is capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis, scoring 38 goals in 58 Serie A games across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

Tottenham will be hoping that Kane decides to commit his long-term future to the club, but if he is tempted by a move to Bayern or PSG, then they may have already found a brilliant replacement.

فيديو | برناردو سيلفا يسجل هدف مانشستر سيتي الأول أمام ريال مدريد

تقدم فريق مانشستر سيتي بهدف مبكر في شباك ريال مدريد، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلتقي الفريقان في الوقت الحالي، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” في ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري الأبطال، موسم 2023/24.

وتمكن البرتغالي برناردو سيلفا من تسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح مانشسر سيتي في الدقيقة الثانية من عمر الشوط الأول.

جاء الهدف بعد احتساب ضربة حرة لـ مانشستر سيتي، بعد خطأ من تشواميني ضد جاك جريليش.

ونفذ برناردو سيلفا الضربة الحرة ببراعة، مسجلًا الهدف الأول لحامل اللقب في شباك لونين حارس ريال مدريد. هدف برناردو سيلفا أمام ريال مدريد

Rangers Can Land Dream Wright Upgrade With £15k-p/w Swoop

An update has emerged on interest in one of Glasgow Rangers' fringe players ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership campaign…

Is Scott Wright leaving Rangers?

According to Football Insider, Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq are keen on a deal to sign Scott Wright from the Light Blues before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that they have made a 'concrete' move to land the former Aberdeen winger, although there is no mention of an official offer or how much the Scottish side would demand for his services.

Former Gers head coach Steven Gerrard was confirmed as Al Ettifaq's new manager earlier this month and the Englishman is now looking to reunite with his former player heading into next season.

This comes after the Daily Mail recently reported that the Scottish forward is one of a number of players who could be allowed to move on from Ibrox this summer if the right bid comes in.

Who could replace Scott Wright at Rangers?

Michael Beale could land a superb replacement for the current Light Blues attacker by securing a deal to sign Sunderland ace Jack Clarke, who would be a dream upgrade for the club.

The Glasgow giants are one of a number of clubs reportedly interested in signing the Championship hotshot and the 42-year-old head coach must push to win the race for his signature over the coming weeks.

Sunderland winger Jack Clarke.

Clarke enjoyed a terrific campaign in the second tier of English football as the exciting winger produced nine goals and 11 assists in 44 league outings for the Black Cats, while he also completed two dribbles per match.

To put those numbers into context, no Rangers player managed more than nine Scottish Premiership assists or 1.9 dribbles per game. This suggests that the £15k-per-week star would provide Beale with an added level of creativity and drive on the wing, particularly when you compare his statistics directly to Wright's.

The current Gers dud made 19 league appearances for the club last season and was directly involved in one goal, as he failed to find the back of the net on any occasion while the ex-Dons man also only completed 0.5 dribbles per match.

Wright averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.63, which placed him 30th out of 31 players within the squad, and did not prove himself to be a valuable option for Beale moving forward, as the vast majority of the side managed to outperform him.

Clarke, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 for Sunderland and that would have placed him 12th in the Gers team – above the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Nicolas Raskin, and Glen Kamara.

The 22-year-old, whose talent was described as "effortless" by ex-Premier League forward Noel Whelan, has proven himself to be a productive player in the final third while being able to deliver consistent performances. Whereas, Wright has struggled badly on both fronts

That is why Beale must now sanction an exit for the Scottish dud before landing an upgrade in Clarke, who would offer far more quality at the top end of the pitch.

Aaron's four-for skittles Saurashtra out for 83 in low-scoring match

Four-fors from Varun Aaron (4-20) and medium-pacer Rahul Shukla (4-32) helped Jharkhand defend a total of 125 to beat Saurashtra by 42 runs at Eden Gardens. Saurashtra’s chase lasted only 25.1 overs with all ten wickets falling to pace. Aaron prised out key wickets in the middle order, before Shukla and left-arm seamer Jaskaran Singh cleaned up the tail.Like Saurashtra, Jharkhand, too, lost all their wickets to pace. Kushang Patel carved up the top order, first getting the early wicket of opener Anand Singh and then breaking a 43-run, second-wicket stand to trigger a Jharkhand slump in which they lost nine wickets for 64. Kushang, who was on a hat-trick in the 10th over, finished with 4 for 39, while Shaurya Sanandia cleaned up the lower order for career-best returns of 5 for 47. Jharkhand were propped up by a 40-ball 53 from Ishan Kishan and MS Dhoni’s 24-ball 23.Ashutosh Singh’s 98-ball 65 was in vain as Chhattisgarh suffered a four-run defeat against Hyderabad in Kolkata. Ashutosh’s wicket off the first ball of the final over left Chhattisgarh needing eight runs from five balls, of which they could only manage three. His half-century, however, had helped them rally after they were struggling at 78 for 5 in the 20th over. Ravi Kiran, Chama Milind and Mehdi Hassan and Mohammad Siraj took two wickets each for Hyderabad.Bavanaka Sandeep’s unbeaten 70 off 99 balls was the top score in Hyderabad’s innings as they were bowled out for 197 despite starts from the top order. Three run-outs and a slump in the middle overs – they lost four wickets for eight runs between the 25th and 28th overs – limited Hyderabad’s total.Jammu & Kashmir suffered a 24-run defeat against Services. Chasing 215, J&K were bowled out for 190, having lost their middle order during a four-wicket slide for only 20 runs between the 21st and 27th overs. Puneet Bisht and Ram Dayal resisted for J&K but once Bisht was dismissed for 45, J&K collapsed quickly and were out in the 46th over. Ahmed Bandy top-scored for them with 59 off 65 balls, having contributed heavily at the start. Left-arm spinner Vipin Singh took 3 for 41.Services, too, crumbled in the middle overs, after their top order, particularly Nakul Verma (68) and Shamsher Yadav (52), had done the hard work of establishing a platform with a 99-run partnership for the third wicket. They lost five wickets for only one run between the 37th and 40th overs, collapsing from 164 for 2 to 169 for 7, before eventually being bowled out for 214. Parvez Rasool took 3 for 36 while Mohammed Mudhasir and Manzoor Dar took two wickets each.

Everton Eyeing "Terrible" £35m Defender Booed By His Fans

Everton are plotting a surprise summer swoop to sign Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, according to reports.

Is Harry Maguire leaving Man United?

The Red Devils centre-back first made the move to Old Trafford from at the time Premier League rivals Leicester City back in 2019 and he’s since gone on to record a total of 175 appearances, not to mention that he even became such an integral member of the squad that he was handed the captain’s armband.

The England international still has another two years to run on his contract, but last season he fell significantly out of favour under Erik Ten Hag, having made just eight starts in the top-flight, so could be looking to secure a move elsewhere to a club where he knows he will receive sufficient game time.

Following the departures of Conor Coady and Yerry Mina at the heart of the defence, Sean Dyche will need to enter the market for backline reinforcements during the upcoming window to get his number of options back up, and the 30-year-old appears to have been highlighted as an ideal target at Goodison Park.

Are Everton signing Maguire?

According to Football Transfers, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa are all “interested” in striking a deal for Maguire ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Man United have put the defender “up for sale” and it’s believed that the veteran himself also “wants to leave”.

The M16 outfit have been planning his exit for “several months” and have placed a £35m price tag on his head, a fee which they are “determined to receive” in order to make a sale worthwhile.

The 6 foot 4 colossus is hoping to leave the building in search of “regular” football to make sure that he is able to maintain his place on the international stage and remain in Gareth Southgate’s thoughts for England’s upcoming Euro 2024 tournament.

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire.

Should Farhad Moshiri move for Maguire?

Everton might have thought that with Maguire sharing the same agent, Triple S Sports, as James Garner, that they may have had a chance of using a familiar representative to reach an agreement, but the centre-back had a horrid last season so Farhad Moshiri should steer well clear of a summer swoop.

The World Cup participant ranked as Ten Hag’s 18th worst-performing defensive player out of 25 squad members during the previous term, averaging just 0.5 tackles per top-flight game, not to mention that he had no impact at the opposite end of the pitch having posted zero goals or assists across all competitions.

United’s “terrible” captain, as slammed by journalist Josh Bunting, also earns £190k-per-week so is likely to have extreme salary demands which the Toffees couldn’t afford – Jordan Pickford is only on £125k-per-week and he is the highest earner on Merseyside, via Capology.

Maguire has previously been booed by his own supporters during one of the Red Devils’ pre-season tours for his poor level of performances and this toxicity being created with the fanbase is something that the boss could do without, so he certainly isn’t a player that should be being targeted in the weeks and months ahead.

Everton Plotting Summer Swoop For "Powerful" £17m Striker

Everton are keen on a deal to bring Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres to the Premier League, according to reports.

Is Viktor Gyokeres leaving Coventry?

The Swedish international was a standout star at the Building Society Arena last season after establishing himself as Mark Robins’ top-performing offensive player, and with his contract expiring in 12 months time, he could be set for a big-money exit in the weeks ahead.

Sky Sports have reported that the Bluebirds will be looking for offers in excess of £17m in order to sanction the 25-year-old’s sale during the upcoming window, and his impressive form after being named the second-highest goalscorer in his division is bound to attract plenty of interest.

The Merseyside outfit and Sean Dyche are likely to enter the market for a new centre-forward due to the consistent injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the uncertainty hanging over Neal Maupay, who’s been linked with a move to Salernitana, and they could well have identified an ideal target in the Midlands.

Are Everton signing Gyokeres?

According to Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), Everton are “interested” in a summer swoop for Gyokeres. Sporting CP are also eyeing a deal for the Coventry striker, hence the report from Portugal, but with them only being willing to pay a fee less than their target’s price tag, teams in the English top-flight are likely to hold an advantage.

The Toffees have been “keen” on the attacker since last year and are “determined” to add to their ranks in the final third, but it remains to be seen whether they too would be able to afford Gyokeres.

Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres.

Should Everton sign Gyokeres?

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has been full of praise for Gyokeres, describing him as “powerful” and even comparing his qualities to those of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, so should the centre-forward put pen to paper, he could be a fantastic recruit for Everton.

The 6 foot 2 titan posted a remarkable 31 goal contributions (21 goals and ten assists) in 46 Championship appearances throughout the previous campaign, with his displays seeing him pick up an outstanding ten man-of-the-match awards.

Coventry’s talisman, who is a versatile operator with his ability to play in six different positions, was also a threat even when the ball didn’t hit the back of the net having recorded a total of 191 shot-creating actions, which was higher than any of his fellow teammates, as per FBRef, so it would be a massive coup for Dyche if he was to make the move to Goodison Park.

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