Eze 2.0: Arsenal make contact to sign £88m talent who’s “like Mbappe”

They haven’t won every game, but this season is shaping up to be a truly special one for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta has got his side playing some sensational football at times while simultaneously ensuring they remain the best defensive team in the Premier League.

It seems like every player, new and old, is all pulling in the exact same direction and helping each other reach new levels.

One of the team’s best players in recent weeks has been summer signing Eberechi Eze, and so fans should be excited about recent reports linking Arsenal with someone who could be another version of the Englishman.

Arsenal target another Eze

There was tremendous excitement from the Arsenal fan base when it was announced that the club had signed Eze, and understandably so.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

After all, here was a player who many considered to be one of the most exciting in the Premier League, and had just spearheaded Crystal Palace to FA Cup glory.

Fortunately, while it took him a few games to get up to speed, the 27-year-old has more than delivered so far this season, racking up a tally of nine goal involvements in 19 games for the club and scoring that North London Derby hat-trick.

So, with all that in mind, it’s not all that surprising to hear that the Gunners may be after another player who has the potential to be another Eze in Kenan Yıldız.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in the Turkish wonderkid.

In fact, the report has revealed that the North Londoners are going all out to sign him and have been in contact with his representatives.

However, Juventus are understandably keen to keep hold of the incredible youngster and, according to other reports from earlier this month, would need a fee of at least £88m to consider selling him.

Therefore, it could be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Yıldız’s ability and potential, it’s one worth pursuing, especially as he could be another Eze.

Why Yıldız would be another Eze

Now, there are obviously some key differences between Yıldız and Eze, such as their age, but there are also more than a few similarities between them.

For example, like the Englishman, the young Turkish superstar is an attacker who can and does play in a multitude of positions.

Since making his first team debut for Juventus, the 20-year-old monster has played as a second-striker, on the left and right wings, in attacking midfield and even up top a few times.

The second similarity is that, like the former Palace star, he is a dual threat, someone who is as happy scoring a goal as he is assisting one.

For example, in 52 appearances last season, totalling 3520 minutes, he scored 12 goals and provided nine assists, which comes out to a goal involvement on average every 2.47 games, or every 167.61 minutes.

Yıldız’s recent form

Season

24/25

25/26

Appearances

52

18

Minutes

3520′

1457′

Goals

12

5

Assists

9

5

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Then this season, he has become even more dangerous, scoring five goals and providing five assists in 18 appearances, totalling 1457 minutes, which is a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 145.7 minutes.

Finally, and this is related to his output, the 26-capped international is, in the words of content creator Alex Moneypenny, “capable of the spectacular.”

He doesn’t just score tap-ins; he already has quite the impressive catalogue of goals, ranging from long-distance strikes to ones stemming from brilliant close control.

It is also this ability to create magic on the football pitch that likely led European football writer Danny Corcoran to describe the youngster as having “Mbappe-like ability.”

Ultimately, it won’t be an easy transfer to get done, but Arsenal should be going all out to sign Yıldız in 2026, as he could be another Eze.

A Saka & Olise hybrid: Arsenal in contact over signing £70m "superstar"

The incredible talent would be as game-changing for Arsenal as Bukayo Saka has been over the years.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

7 days ago

Abhishek Nayar appointed KKR head coach ahead of IPL 2026

Abhishek Nayar is also the head coach of UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2025Abhishek Nayar has been appointed head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of IPL 2026. It is a step-up from being an assistant to Chandrakant Pandit last season, when he was brought back by the franchise after a year’s gap, during which he assisted Gautam Gambhir in India’s national men’s side.Most recently, Nayar was appointed head coach by Women’s Premier League team UP Warriorz.”Abhishek has been a vital part of the Knight Riders setup since 2018, shaping our players both on and off the field,” KKR CEO Venky Mysore said. “His understanding of the game and connection with players have been key to our growth. We’re thrilled to see him take over as Head Coach and lead KKR into its next chapter.”Related

Southee returns to KKR as bowling coach for IPL 2026

Rajasthan Royals set to trade Samson to CSK for Jadeja and Curran

Nayar's UP Warriorz mission: raise skills, amplify mindsets

Nayar, now 42, was an allrounder who played for years with Mumbai and also three ODIs for India in 2009, but has a solid CV when it comes to coaching. Before retiring as a player in 2019, Nayar was appointed lead coach of the KKR academy in 2018, and then joined the main team’s support staff as an assistant coach; he also served as Trinbago Knight Riders’ head coach in CPL 2022.While with KKR, Nayar and team mentor Gambhir formed a strong rapport, and when Gambhir was appointed head coach of the national side, Nayar joined as assistant coach. But his contract was terminated less than a year into the job following a BCCI review into the team’s performances, and he returned to KKR ahead of IPL 2025.KKR and Pandit parted ways after a three-season association, during which the team won the IPL title (in 2024) after a ten-year gap. A rejig at the end of a disappointing IPL 2025, where KKR finished eighth on the points table with just five wins, led to Pandit’s exit. Since then, he has returned to Madhya Pradesh in the Indian domestic circuit, taking over as the director of cricket at Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association.The overhaul of the KKR backroom is expected to continue over the coming months, with replacements required for bowling consultant Bharat Arun and spin-bowling consultant Carl Crowe, who have both moved to Lucknow Super Giants.

£211k-a-week striker refuses to rule out joining Chelsea ahead of PSG and Barcelona

Chelsea have been given a boost in their search for a world-class striker next year, as one of Europe’s finest marksmen could choose a switch to Stamford Bridge over Barcelona and PSG.

After their damning 2-1 loss at home to newly-promoted Sunderland, Enzo Maresca’s side have returned to winning ways after three victories in their last four games across all competitions.

In truth, the criticism of Chelsea can be overblown sometimes, considering that defeat to the Black Cats was their first and only loss in nine matches — a run which includes impressive victories over Liverpool, Tottenham and José Mourinho’s Benfica in the Champions League.

The Blues are now third in the Premier League table and six points behind league leaders Arsenal, but pundits like Jamie Carragher are adamant that Chelsea could use something different to their pretty similar options throughout the team.

Reports suggest that BlueCo partly agree with Carragher’s statement, as they’re making transfer plans ahead of next year despite spending close to £300 million in the summer.

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

After his latest injury blow and being hauled off just six minutes into Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Qarabag last week, midfielder Romeo Lavia is expected to be sidelined for at least one month with a quadriceps problem, and Chelsea were already looking at new midfield targets before the Belgian’s return to rehab.

It is unclear whether Chelsea could look to strike a midfield deal in January, or whether it’s one for next summer instead, but it is reportedly more clear that Maresca wants a new centre-back to come in at the very least as BlueCo prioritise a defender.

Other media sources indicate that Chelsea may well bring in another striker next year as well, despite Joao Pedro’s excellent form and the return of Liam Delap.

Julian Alvarez reportedly refuses to rule out joining Chelsea ahead of Barca and PSG

Speaking to the Chelsea Chronicle, journalist Graeme Bailey has said that £211,000-per-week forward Julian Alvarez is one to keep an eye on.

The former Man City sensation has dazzled under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid this term, netting nine times in his last 15 outings, and he finished his debut 24/25 season at the La Liga side with nearly 30 goals in all competitions.

This incredible form is attracting interest from some of Europe’s biggest hitters, including PSG and Barca, but Bailey has suggested that Alvarez is refusing to rule out a Chelsea move.

Maresca could have his pick of new centre-forwards with the pacey Emmanuel Emegha poised to arrive from sister club Strasbourg in 2026.

Alvarez would be the cherry on top, but according to some reports in Argentina, those within Barca are convinced that Atletico could demand as much as £176 million to let the 25-year-old leave – so Chelsea may even have to break the Premier League transfer record.

Chelsea women's player ratings vs Arsenal: Hannah Hampton makes a mess of it! Lionesses goalkeeper's error costs Blues after USWNT sharpshooter Alyssa Thompson's moment of magic

Chelsea equaled the longest unbeaten streak in Women’s Super League history as they were held to a controversial 1-1 draw with title rivals Arsenal on Saturday afternoon. Alyssa Thompson’s opener was cancelled out by Alessia Russo's late strike in a breathless match which saw Sonia Bompastor’s Blues match their own 33-game unbeaten league run at the Emirates Stadium.

In another blistering start from Chelsea, winger Johanna Rytting Kaneryd hit the post before Thompson scored her side’s seventh goal in the opening 15 minutes of league games this season, chipping Arsenal goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar with a wonderful finish. Bompastor’s side almost had a second when Van Domselaar parried Catarina Macario’s effort onto the crossbar, with Wieke Kaptein unable to convert the rebound from close range.

However, as has been custom this season, Chelsea’s scintillating start soon fizzled out as Arsenal grew into the game, almost pouncing on careless moments in possession from first Hannah Hampton and then Mille Bright before the break. The hosts picked up from where they left off in the second half and thought they had levelled when Gunners striker Stina Blackstenius pounced on Niamh Charles’ poor clearance, but the goal was controversially chalked off for handball. Chelsea will argue justice was served, however, as replays later showed they should not have conceded the corner which led to the disallowed strike.

As the most-played fixture in WSL history wore on, Arsenal continued to push and probe and they were finally rewarded when Chelsea goalkeeper Hampton failed to keep out Russo's last-gasp leveller, though replays would later show that the forward looked offside in the build-up. There was still time for one more final twist as substitute Frida Maanum thought she had won the fiery encounter for Renee Slegers’ side, but her goal was ruled out for offside. However, replays would later show that the midfielder looked onside as she coolly slotted past Hampton.

The result ensures Arsenal – who are fourth and still five points behind leaders Chelsea – remain in the title race, while fellow contenders Manchester United slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa on the same day. Meanwhile, second-placed Manchester City have the chance to go top when they travel to Everton on Sunday.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from the Emirates Stadium…

  • Getty Images Sport

    Goalkeeper & Defence

    Hannah Hampton (4/10):

    Almost put Chelsea in trouble with a sloppy pass, before Bright mopped up with a last-ditch challenge in the first half. She then failed to keep out Russo's last-gasp strike, getting a hand to it but not doing enough to keep it out.

    Lucy Bronze (5/10):

    Lining up at right-back, having operated at centre-back against London City Lionesses, she showed signs of rustiness in her battle with Arsenal's Caitlin Foord.

    Nathalie Bjorn (5/10):

    Every time compatriot Blackstenius looked to have the better of her, the Sweden defender would recover, getting something on the ball to snuff out the danger. She almost scored an own goal, however, with an air shot late on.

    Millie Bright (5/10):

    Now with the joint-most appearances in WSL history (210), the captain was generally composed but there was a five-minute spell in the first half when she was careless in possession.

    Niamh Charles (4/10):

    The left-back got away with one as her poor clearance was pounced upon by Blackstenius, whose goal was controversially chalked off for handball. She then struggled up against Arsenal substitute Olivia Smith.

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  • Getty Images Sport

    Midfield

    Wieke Kaptein (5/10):

    Had the chance to score in the first half but her header was saved from close range, before failing to slip in Kaneryd during a promising counter-attack.

    Keira Walsh (7/10):

    Dictating the tempo as always, she set Thompson on her way to scoring with a crisp through ball in the build-up.

    Erin Cuthbert (6/10):

    Cool-headed in the middle of the park, the Scotland international rarely gave the ball away, giving Chelsea a trusty platform to build on.

  • Getty Images Sport

    Attack

    Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (8/10):

    In an electric start to the game, she hit the post within the first two minutes before setting up Thompson for Chelsea's goal.

    Catarina Macario (7/10):

    Combining clever link-up play with terrific strength in flashes, the Arsenal defenders struggled to contain the USWNT forward, before her influence waned.

    Alyssa Thompson (8/10):

    Driving forward with terrific speed and guile, she played a one-two with Kaneryd before lobbing Van Domselaar for Chelsea's strike.

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  • Getty Images Sport

    Subs & Manager

    Ellie Carpenter (6/10):

    A second-half substitute, she powered forward whenever she could, using her experience to aid the visitors.

    Sam Kerr (6/10):

    Replacing Macario late on, she provided an outlet for Chelsea, who were reduced to counter-attacking as the match wore on.

    Oriane Jean-François (N/A):

    Unable to make an impact as a late substitute.

    Sandy Baltimore (N/A):

    Brought on too late to influence the game.

    Sonia Bompastor (7/10):

    Shuffling her deck by making five changes, Bompastor watched on as Thompson repaid her faith with a super goal. The introduction of Australia duo Carpenter and Kerr proved helpful, too.

Sonia Bompastor fumes at 'really frustrating' Stamford Bridge power outage that disrupted Chelsea's Women's Champions League draw with Barcelona

Sonia Bompastor has claimed the eight-minute delay caused by a technical fault during Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Barcelona was "not good enough". The French manager fumed during her post-match press conference, claiming the problem caused her side to lose momentum, and that she believed the VAR was not used to rule out Catarina Macario's disallowed winner.

Bompastor left angry by delay at Stamford Bridge

The game was paused shortly before half-time, as all streams and video feeds, including the footage used by UEFA official for VAR were not working. reports that generators which power the technology went down, causing the fault.

Bompastor claimed the delay caused her side to lose momentum, before also alleging that Macario's effort which came just seconds after she entered the game as a second half substitute, was ruled out without the use of VAR.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBompastor: 'It's not good enough at this level'

Speaking at her post-match press conference, Bompastor said: "It was really frustrating, we were in a really good momentum, when this comes from something you can't control, I think, at this level, it's not good enough.

"I don't know if this has happened in the men's game but that's the first time I've seen that.

"To be honest with you I'm not even sure if the VAR was on in the second half. As you could see, in the first half we had almost a 10-minute break, the TV went off.

"It's something I didn't really like because we were in a really good momentum and when you have to stop the players, I think it's not good enough at this level. Maybe it's something no one can control. In the second half I'm not even sure the VAR was on.

"I think the VAR was off so they didn't have any screen to check the VAR so I think this was the reason why." 

Blues boss proud of Chelsea performance

While she was clearly angry with proceedings at Stamford Bridge, Bompastor also spoke glowingly about her players' efforts. 

Chelsea took the lead in a pulsating encounter as full-back Ellie Carpenter unleashed a thunderous finish in the 16th minute. Barcelona found a reply just eight minutes later, when Ewa Pajor powered home a close-range effort after the Blues failed to clear a corner. 

Macario's disallowed effort would have given the Blues a well deserved victory over a side that just six months ago, beat them 8-2 over two legs in last season's Women's Champions League semi-finals. Bompastor urged her side to take confidence from their performance. 

"I think we were the better team tonight, we had a really good performance and created a lot of opportunities", Bompastor said. "We scored a great goal. I'm happy but frustrated because we could have won the game.

"Any time we play with this mindset and mentality, the players need to now how good we can be. We played against a strong opponent, everybody knows Barcelona's qualities. To be able to have this performance against them was really positive.

"The team need to be proud of the performance today, but also take belief and confidence from this performance."

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Getty Images SportChelsea push for top-four finish

This performance will give Bompastor's side confidence in their push for automatic qualification for the quarterfinals of the competition. The top four sides in the league stage progress to the final eight, with the fifth to 12th-placed sides will face a play-off round. 

Chelsea currently sit in sixth, with two games left to play. On December 10, they host Roma before facing a tricky away assignment against Wolfsburg. The two-time European champions currently sit in third in the league table, 

Tests lost, India look to feel at home as ODIs against South Africa begin

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will remain in the spotlight while a big question remains on who replaces Shreyas Iyer in the middle order

Sidharth Monga29-Nov-20251:37

Saba Karim: ‘Expect Rohit, Kohli to do well in home series’

Big picture – India can’t be complacent despite recent dominance in ODIs

We can sometimes forget the unfortunate part injuries play in a team’s fortunes. India are now going into a third straight international match with a third different captain after Shubman Gill’s neck injury in the Kolkata Test forced him out of action following non-stop cricket for India’s newest three-format obsession. Their ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, is also out with a rib injury he sustained while taking a catch back in Australia.This format, though, is still the ideal sweet spot for India. Or at least this generation of players, up until the injured full-time captain and vice-captain. India have been dominant in ODIs, winning the last Asia Cup and the last Champions Trophy, and losing only the final in the last World Cup.Related

  • 'Look forward to enjoying responsibility' – Rahul steps into the hot seat

  • South Africa prove they can win the hard way, anywhere

  • Watch out for Jaiswal's return, Bavuma and de Kock up top

  • Morkel: Gill is recovering well, Iyer has started rehab

However, they are careful not to be complacent because the next World Cup takes them to South Africa. So they are always going to be wondering if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will still be good to go in late 2027, how to find a seam-bowling allrounder, how to manage workloads. And this is the format teams play the least of.India’s opponents are nowhere near as dominant in ODIs in recent times but they will be riding the high of having beaten India 2-0 in the Tests. This is a rare full tour as nowadays home teams prefer to split Tests and shorter formats to allegedly maximise the earnings. However, all-format tours have their own charm of one side trying to dominate the other team completely and the other looking for some redemption in the other formats.Also, South Africa are closer to full strength now with the exception of Kagiso Rabada’s injury-enforced absence. The return of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma should add heft to their batting, and Keshav Maharaj should provide them the spin control they missed in Pakistan.These are just three ODIs and they will be forgotten quickly, what with more focus on T20Is right now, but they promise to be cracking contests while they last.

Form guide

India WLLWW
South Africa LWLLWMatthew Breetzke comes to India with a huge reputation to live up to•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: RoKo and Matthew Breetzke

KL Rahul will take over India’s leadership as the selectors have resisted the temptation to go back to Rohit Sharma, who returned to the ODIs, his only active international format, with a century in the third match against Australia. It is a clear sign that Rohit and Virat Kohli will forever remain under extra scrutiny just by the virtue of how old they will be by the World Cup in 2027.Matthew Breetzke comes to India with a big reputation to live up to. He is the only player to have scored 50 or more in each of his first five ODIs, and he averages 67.75 while playing the difficult role of batting in the middle order.

Team news: Shubman Gill and Kagiso Rabada are out

Yashasvi Jaiswal should be the natural replacement for Gill at the top of the order with Ruturaj Gaikwad primed to take Iyer’s slot in the middle order. If Gaikwad gets the nod, Rishabh Pant, who is back in the squad, will struggle to make the starting XI because India will need two allrounders. It remains to be seen if one of those allrounders will be a seam bowler in Nitish Kumar Reddy. In Australia, they played all three while the series was live because they wanted batting depth. If they repeat the formation, all three will get in.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ruturaj Gaikwad/Rishabh Pant, 5 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 9 Harshit Rana, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh Krishna1:09

Karim: An opportunity for Jaiswal ‘to cement his place’

Markram should slot back into the opening role, something South Africa have tried since the last World Cup where he batted at No. 4. Bavuma should take his No. 3 position.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Rubin Hermann, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

This is only the sixth ODI Ranchi is hosting. There has been only one score of over 300, which was defended successfully, but chases of 270-280 haven’t quite been cakewalks either. The pitch generally is on the slower side; in the last ODI there, Washington Sundar opened the bowling for India. The weather will be perfect to play cricket in, but a lot will depend on dew. Without dew, batting first is not a bad shout in Ranchi.

Stats and trivia

  • Since 2006, India and South Africa have played ten bilateral ODI series against each other. The scoreline is 5-5.
  • Bavuma needs 59 runs to become only the 22nd South Africa player to score 2000 ODI runs.

Quotes

“Rutu, obviously, is a top-class player. We have all seen it. With whatever opportunities, limited opportunities he has got [with India], he has really utilised it and shown what he can do. Unfortunately, in ODI cricket, the top six or top five is quite settled. And they are performing really well.”
“When you add those two names to the line-up, we expect to see a full house tomorrow and that’s exciting. I think obviously two vastly experienced and dangerous players and they can cause a lot of damage to us, but we tend to try to focus on what sort of damage we can cause the opposition.”

Web critica escalação de Dorival Jr: 'Seleção de dancinha'

MatériaMais Notícias

A Seleção Brasileira vai enfrentar o México na noite deste sábado (8) e a web criticou a escalação feita por Dorival Jr. Para os torcedores, “o futebol acabou”. Confira algumas reações abaixo.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSeleção BrasileiraAlisson e Bento disputam a titularidade da Seleção BrasileiraSeleção Brasileira08/06/2024Seleção BrasileiraBrasil x México: como foi o último encontro entre as seleções?Seleção Brasileira08/06/2024Seleção BrasileiraDorival Jr mantém mistério sobre escalação da Seleção: ‘Vamos segurar mais’Seleção Brasileira07/06/2024

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Southampton told to appoint new manager over Eckert who "ticks every box"

Southampton have been urged to appoint a 52-year-old manager instead of giving interim boss Tonda Eckert the job on a full-time basis.

Southampton on course to appoint Eckert on a permanent basis

The Saints are preparing for a return to Championship action this weekend and look set to be under the leadership of caretaker manager Eckert once again.

The 32-year-old has won both of his matches as interim boss so far, defeating QPR and Sheffield Wednesday to take Southampton away from any relegation trouble.

A trip to Charlton Athletic is next on the agenda for Eckert, and recent reports have suggested that he is set to be given the Southampton job on a permanent basis.

Following the sacking of Will Still at the beginning of the month, a plethora of available and in work managers have been linked with the job. However, Sport Republic are yet to appoint a permanent successor.

Eckert appears to be in pole position after his start to life at St Mary’s with the first team, and he has impressed Finn Azaz, who said:

“Since his first meeting, I was really impressed. It hasn’t been drastic changes. He’s been able to watch from outside and tweak a few things. He has been able to instil his message and new energy and his drive and a new voice. As I say, it hasn’t been drastic changes.

“We are playing in the same shape almost. We went out there with similar personnel, [there were] just a few tweaks. I would like to thank him. He’s been top level.”

However, Southampton and Sport Republic have been urged to consider another rumoured target.

Southampton urged to move for Brendan Rodgers

Talking to Football League World, Southampton pundit Martin Sanders urged the Saints to appoint Brendan Rodgers.

Now out of work after leaving Celtic, Rodgers was linked with the St Mary’s vacancy at the beginning of November, although it doesn’t seem as if Sport Republic have made a move for the Northern Irishman who they admire.

Sanders said that Rodgers “ticks every box” and a move would “show real ambition”.

Rodgers has previous Championship experience with Swansea City, winning the playoffs with the south Wales side in 2011, and almost 15 years later, a return to the second tier could be what a number of Southampton fans would welcome.

Southampton can end Eckert experiment by hiring "insanely talented" manager

An Italy player in the IPL? Thomas Draca could make it happen

Draca, who took 11 wickets in the 2024 Global T20 Canada and is on MI Emirates’ roster, is in the longlist for the IPL mega auction

Deivarayan Muthu06-Nov-2024.

Who is Draca and what does he do?

A tall, nippy, right-arm fast bowler, Draca has the ability to hit the splice of the bat, and can also get the ball to skid off the pitch. These skills were on display during the 2024 Global T20 Canada, where he emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Brampton Wolves, with 11 strikes in six games at an economy rate of 6.88. Only West Indies’ Romario Shepherd (14) and UAE’s Junaid Siddique (14) picked up more wickets than Draca in the tournament.Related

  • ILT20 2025: Are MI Emirates favourites again? Who are the players to watch out for?

  • IPL 2025 retentions: Pant, Rahul head to auction; Russell retained by KKR

  • IPL 2025 mega auction to be held on November 24, 25

Just a month before his breakout performance in Canada, Draca had made his T20I debut for Italy, in June earlier this year against Luxembourg in the Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier, where he bowled with the new ball and claimed figures of 4-0-15-2.

Where does Draca figure in the auction pool?

Draca has been listed at No. 325 and has set his base price at INR 30 lakh. This longlist of 1574 players will be trimmed further before the auction, so it’s uncertain whether he will make the final cut.

How about a little more about his GT20 Canada stint?

Draca had hit the ground running in Canada, taking 3 for 18 in his first game against Surrey Jaguars. His victims included allrounders Sunil Narine and Terrance Hinds, who was recently called up to West Indies’ T20I squad in Sri Lanka.

Then, against Bangla Tigers Mississauga, he cut through their middle order with figures of 3 for 10 in two overs. His first-ball wicket of David Wiese, bounced out by a sharp lifter, highlighted his ability to hustle batters with both pace and bounce. His 11 wickets helped Wolves get into the playoffs, where they lost to eventual champions Toronto Nationals in Qualifier 2.

Has Draca been in any other leagues?

He has. MI Emirates, the affiliate of Mumbai Indians in the IPL, have picked Draca for the upcoming season of the UAE’s ILT20. He was among their new signings along with Shepherd.Draca was also part of the Caribbean Tigers squad, led by Chris Lynn, during the inaugural MAX60 Caribbean in the Cayman Islands earlier this year.

Has anyone from Italy ever been picked in the IPL before?

Nope. Draca will be the first if he gets a bid.The Durban-born Wayne Madsen is the most-high profile player from Italy on the T20 circuit, having featured in the PSL (Multan Sultans), Joburg Super Kings (SA20) and Manchester Originals (Hundred). Madsen, who will turn 41 next January, will also turn out for Rangpur Riders in the upcoming Global Super League in Guyana.

Samson of 2024 meets Rohit of 2013

Just like Rohit did it all those years ago, Samson is reviving his career after being promoted to open

Ashish Pant09-Nov-2024A primarily middle-order batter who was expected to be the next big thing in Indian cricket but failed to latch on to the chances before a move to the top of the order changed his fortunes.Rohit Sharma of 2013, meet Sanju Samson of 2024.It was before the first game of the 2013 Champions Trophy when Rohit was asked to open the innings. He had opened the batting a few times before in T20Is and ODIs, but it was that push in 2013 that gave his middling career a second wind and he became India’s permanent opener across formats. So critical was that move to the top that Rohit in a press conference in 2018 even told the media to forget whatever had happened in his career before 2013 and ask only about after 2013.Although the format is different, Samson could well be saying the same about 2024.Related

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Sanju Samson century, spinners hand India big win in T20I series opener

Samson, in the 30 T20I innings since his debut nine years back, has batted in every position in the top seven at least once. While he’s not done himself any favours with his inconsistency, not having a set batting number in the XI hasn’t helped either.That changed ahead of the T20I series against Bangladesh in early October. With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill rested, Samson was promoted to open the batting in the series. More importantly, it was a chance to revive his India career just like Rohit did all those years back.Though not an entirely new position for Samson, it had been a while since he opened in a T20 game. He began the Bangladesh series with two lukewarm performances before flicking a switch and walloping a 47-ball 111 in the final T20I in Hyderabad. On Friday, he showed signs of making the position his own by becoming the first Indian batter – and fourth overall – to smash successive T20I centuries, with a 50-ball 107 in the opening T20I against South Africa in Durban.It was a classic Samson innings, the kind he has shown glimpses of in the IPL – start sedately, gauge the nature of the surface, get a few boundaries in before running the opposition ragged. He went at a strike rate of 100 in his first six balls. Then came a Keshav Maharaj over, the third of the innings, and he went four and six to give his innings the impetus before giving Marco Jansen the same treatment. By the time the powerplay ended, Samson had raced to 35 off 20 with three fours and three sixes, but it was what he did after the powerplay that stood out.Sanju Samson used the crease well against spinners•AFP/Getty ImagesIntent has been an over-used term in the Indian T20I dictionary of late. Samson made sure to walk the talk, picking up 72 runs off just 30 balls in the middle overs (seven to 16). While his first fifty took 27 balls, his next set took just 20 as he brought up a century off 47 balls, the fastest for an India batter against South Africa.The highlight of Samson’s knock was the use of his crease against spinners. He went right back at times, converting the good-length balls into short as he peppered the on side, and whenever he saw the ball flighted, he ran down the track, reached the pitch and went downtown in the V.The pull (coincidence much?) was Samson’s most productive shot of the day as he collected 43 runs through the deep-midwicket region alone. In all, Samson smashed the spinners for 58 runs off 27 balls, while the fast bowlers went for 49 off 23. By the time he fell, India were well on course for a 200-plus total.Few players have divided opinions like Samson has over the years. When in flow, he makes batting look ridiculously simple, like he did on Friday. He hit ten sixes during his knock, but there wasn’t a shot played in anger. But his career has had more misses than hits. He made his India debut in 2015 but did not get another game for five years. In between, he scored decent runs for Kerala and in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and Rajasthan Royals and was even handed the Royals captaincy in 2021, but the India appearances remained few and far between. Even when they did come, Samson failed to create much impact, which he admits led to plenty of self-doubt.”In my career, I have had more failures than success,” Samson said after the game. “When you go through those failures, you start doubting yourself. People obviously say things, social media definitely plays its role, and then you also start thinking about it.”‘Sanju, are you not made for international level? You are doing well in the IPL, why is it not happening in international [cricket]?’ But after so many years of experience, I know my abilities. If I spend some time in the middle, I know I have the shot-making abilities against spin and pace. And I know I can contribute to the team’s success and help them win a match.”I kept telling myself, ‘No, it’s not like that. This is also a reality. There are lots of downs happening, but the upside is also really good.'”Samson also heaped praise on captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir, particularly the way they communicated with him after his back-to-back ducks against Sri Lanka in July.”Communication during the time of failure is also very important,” Samson said. “A player can get lost during his negative phase.”During that time [after the ducks against Sri Lanka], I received a lot of phone calls from Gautam and Surya, telling me what to work on. They said, ‘Your game against spin is looking dicey, so gather the spinners in Kerala and practise on the rough wickets.'”If the captain of the Indian team is calling and telling you how to practise after two ducks, then you know that the captain is confident about you and he wants you to do well. All those small things play a huge role. I am very grateful for the trust shown in me. I think I have been able to give it back to my team management.”Samson has potentially three more chances in this series, and if he can continue his form, the selectors might have a fresh headache when picking a full-strength T20I squad. Gill and Jaiswal are the incumbents, while Abhishek Sharma is also around, but if Samson manages to resurrect his India career as an opener, in a way it will be poetic that he does it in the spot vacated by Rohit.

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