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تحدث حسام حسن المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر، عن تأهل الفراعنة إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026. 

وكان منتخب مصر قد فاز على نظيره منتخب غينيا بيساو بهدف دون رد، في ختام تصفيات إفريقيا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026. 

طالع.. إبراهيم حسن: منتخب مصر قادر على تحقيق ما فعله المغرب في كأس العالم

وقال حسام حسن عبر قناة إم بي سي مصر 2: “مبروك للشعب المصري على التأهل لكأس العالم، ومن أكبر واحد لأصغر طفل، مبروك لمصر الكبيرة والعظيمة تستحق ولا يوجد شيء يأتي بشكل سهل، لا نصل لكأس العالم كل يوم، نريد الناس أن تكون سعيدة، هذه رابع مرة نتأهل للمونديال”.

وأضاف: “ما سهل الموضوع أننا اجتهدنا، ثالث أو رابع المجموعة فريق محترم وجيد، لديهم 28 لاعب محترف وكلهم في أندية كبيرة، أعتقد حاولنا واجتهدنا، من أول لحظة حققنا نتائج إيجابية”.

وتابع: “لأول مرة لا يوجد أي هزيمة في تصفيات بكأس العالم، وليس بسبب سهولة المنتخبات الاخرى، بنين ممكن تصل لكأس العالم، أعتقد كاب فيردي تأهلت، الناس تقول المنتخبات الصغيرة، هذا كان زمان”.

وواصل: “من فترة قريبة خسرنا من إثيوبيا وبوتسوانا وسيراليون، وهذه منتخبات ضعيفة وحرمتنا من أمم إفريقيا وكأس العالم، ونحن من ضمن المرشحين للفوز بأمم إفريقيا المقبلة ولا بد أن نكون مرشحين لأننا مصر”.

وأكمل: “كأس أمم إفريقيا بطولة مهمة وإعداد لكأس العالم، بطولة ستكون صعبة وخاصة أنها ستقام في شمال إفريقيا”.

وأردف: “تواجد الجماهير معنا فخر، والجمهور حضر المباراة وكأنه لقاء حاسم للتأهل لكأس العالم، الناس كانت سعيدة اداء ونتيجة، منتخب غينيا ليس سهلا ويمتلك لاعبين محترفين في كل الدوريات الأوروبية، طوال عمري أريد أن أموت نفسي من أجل الجماهير وأنا لاعب ومدرب”.

واختتم: “محمد صلاح ابني الصغير أو شقيقي، صلاح فخر لمصر والناس حاولوا الوقيعة بيننا، هو لاعب واسم كبير وهو نجم العالم وليس مصر، منتهى الأخلاق والذكاء ويتعامل باحترافية وخجل، خضنا التصفيات بدون أي خسارة ويوجد البعض شعر بالحزن لأننا لم نخسر أي مباراة في التصفيات”.

Leeds United are keen to finish the window with some strong signings and are now deemed to be leading the race for a talented offensive star, according to reports.

Leeds United complete deal to sign James Justin

Taking their summer transfer spend to over £100 million, Leeds United have announced the signing of full-back James Justin from Leicester City for a fee in the region of £10 million.

Capped at international level by England, the 27-year-old shared his pride at putting pen to paper at Elland Road on a four-year contract as he looks to help Daniel Farke keep the Whites in the Premier League.

He stated: “Obviously to join a club of this size and to have the history it has had, and being back in the Premier League was a massive thing for me, so I’m over the moon to have joined.

“The stadium has obviously got one of the best atmospheres in world football. And it’s always a daunting task to come here as an opposing team, but I’m happy to have the fans behind me this time.”

Moving on, Leeds United are eyeing an ambitious loan move for Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo amid the England international failing to get off the bench in the Red Devils’ first two matches of the new season.

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Furthermore, a late return to Elland Road for Manor Solomon isn’t out of the question, albeit it remains to be seen whether Thomas Frank will let the winger leave North London within the final stretch of the window.

Plenty of work remains to be done for Leeds United on incomings, and supporters will be delighted to see that they are now leading the race for an exciting attacker.

Leeds leading race to sign Facundo Buonanotte

According to South American journalist Cesar Luis Merlo on X, Leeds United are leading the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion star Facundo Buonanotte this summer following his loan spell at Leicester City.

West Ham United are also keen on his signature, and the two Premier League clubs appear to be the ‘most determined’ to land the Argentina international, who registered six goals and three assists in 35 appearances last campaign.

Demonstrating his quality in the top-flight, Buonanotte created 25 chances and completed 28 dribbles, per Fotmob, providing a bright spark in a Leicester City side that became obvious candidates for relegation due to their lack of depth.

He is a client of CAA Stellar, like new Whites signing Justin, possibly offering a little bit of encouragement that he may favour a move to Yorkshire over East London.

Leeds United will hope they are in a position to avoid a similar fate when it comes to relegation, and bringing in someone with the capacity to cover both the ten role and right flank will definitely add another exciting option that may well go on to succeed at Elland Road.

West Ham United are hopeful of adding some new faces before the Premier League season begins and could be about to up the ante in pursuit of a hot prospect, according to reports.

West Ham United close in on Callum Wilson deal

Following his departure from Newcastle United, free agent striker Callum Wilson is in talks over a move to West Ham to offer experience and depth within Graham Potter’s forward line.

Speaking about his next move, the England cap has claimed he still has ‘so much to give’ at the top level despite doubts from some given his age and scoring record of late.

He stated: “I am 33. I have still got so much to give in the game. I feel mentally and physically still able to more than contribute in however many games in a season.

“It is just difficult, you are playing at a club when you have got arguably one of the best strikers in world football at the moment, in the form of Alex Isak, to break in is difficult. I am never one who shies away from a fight, I would happily be there to push and take my opportunity when it arose, but it just didn’t seem to arise in the back end of the season.”

Aside from the Hammers’ pursuit of a forward, Michael Cooper has been identified as a goalkeeping target for West Ham after his excellent form at Sheffield United.

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Alphonse Areola may well be replaced, though could another figure from the Championship be the man to offer a challenge between the sticks at the London Stadium?

West Ham United preparing bid for Pierce Charles

According to The Star, West Ham are readying a bid for Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles and could look to test the Owls’ resolve in light of their present financial troubles.

Nevertheless, the Championship outfit are unlikely to entertain an approach, with the Northern Ireland international not only viewed as their number one this term, but a player who could grow considerably in value before they sanction a future sale.

Labelled “excellent” by national boss Michael O’Neill, the 20-year-old managed a solitary clean sheet across 13 outings in all competitions, though his potential is there for all to see at Hillsborough.

With two years left on his deal, it remains to be seen if West Ham could tempt Sheffield Wednesday into a sale. The second-tier outfit need funds to tie them over until any potential takeover. Still, the Owls also don’t want to run the risk of relegation.

The Hammers are trying to recover from flying a little too close to the sun themselves, so it makes sense if they are now focusing the bulk of their activity on securing stars with potential to develop over the coming years.

Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy also likely to be retained by last season’s IPL finalists

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Oct-2024South Africa power-hitter Heinrich Klaasen is set to be the top retention for Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2025. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Klaasen will get INR 23 crore (US$2.74 million approx.) as the first retained player. The franchise has also finalised two other retention deals: Australian allrounder Pat Cummins, who was Sunrisers captain in 2024, at INR 18 crore (US$2.14 million approx.), and India allrounder Abhishek Sharma at INR 14 crore (US$1.67 million approx).It is understood that Sunrisers are also likely to firm up the retentions of Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy soon. The IPL set October 31 as the deadline for retentions ahead of the mega auction that will be held later this year.Cummins, who had captained Sunrisers to the final last season, will continue as captain in 2025.Related

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Recently the IPL decided that a franchise can retain up to six players – including a maximum of five capped players (Indian or overseas) and two uncapped Indians – from their 2024 squads. Franchises can hold on to their players via any combination of retention deals and right-to-match (RTM) cards at the auction.The purse for the 2025 auction is INR 120 crore. The IPL also set various retention slabs – INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore, and INR 11 crore for the first three capped retentions, and INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore for the next two, with uncapped Indians fetching a maximum of INR 4 crore – but franchises are allowed to divide the capped retention pot of INR 75 crore among five capped players as they wish.ESPNcricinfo LtdSuccessful units have always looked to retain their core, and hence it is no surprise that Sunrisers have decided to go down this route. Cummins, who was the second-most expensive buy at the 2024 mini-auction (INR 20.50 crore or US$2.47 million approx.), made use of his leadership experience in international cricket and combined well with Sunrisers coach Daniel Vettori to help steer Sunrisers to the playoffs after three disappointing seasons. In monetary terms, Cummins gets a 12.2% reduction on his 2024 price.The freedom the Cummins-Vettori leadership group allowed youngsters like Abhishek and Reddy helped them to flourish in the company of Head and Klaasen. Head and Abhishek formed arguably the most dangerous opening pair ever seen at the IPL, with both consistently hitting 200-plus strike rates. Head finished the season fourth on the overall run-getters list, with 567 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 191.55.Klaasen provided equally robust finishing touches, with his six count behind only that of Abhishek’s. While Abhishek made 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.21, Klaasen scored 479 runs at a strike rate of 171.07.Klaasen’s burgeoning reputation as one of the best T20 batters going around is reflected in a 338% increase from the INR 5.25 crore Sunrisers paid for him at the mini-auction ahead of IPL 2023. He has aggregated 927 runs in 26 innings at a strike rate of 174 in his two seasons at Sunrisers so far.Abhishek’s successful year in T20 cricket sees him rewarded with a value hike of 115%. He earned an India T20I call-up on the back of his IPL 2024 exploits, and will earn more than twice of what Sunrisers paid for him at the mega auction ahead of the 2022 season (INR 6.5 crore).Abhishek has a T20 strike rate of 194.84 to date in 2024, which is the highest for any batter who has faced more than 200 balls in the format this year. At IPL 2024, too, he had the highest scoring rate among the tournament’s top-ten run-getters.Twenty-one-year-old seam-bowling allrounder Reddy – who debuted for India in the recently concluded T20I series against Bangladesh, smashing 74 off 34 in his second game – had proven a reliable support act for Sunrisers in 2024, with 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92 and three wickets.If Sunrisers firm up all five of these retentions, and do not add a sixth to their list before deadline day, they will have one RTM card at the auction, which can only be used for an uncapped Indian.

Nat Sciver-Brunt produced one of the innings of the Women’s T20 World Cup so far to guide England home in the final over, against South Africa. Her 48 not out was not only the most substantial of the match, it was also the most aggressive, coming off 36 deliveries.It was Sciver-Brunt’s 64-run stand with Danni Wyatt-Hodge that swung the match decisively in England’s favour, as they pursued a target of 125.South Africa’s spinners had been valiant, particularly Nonkululeko Mlaba, who took 1 for 22 from her four overs. But with England’s strong batting line-up, they needed more of the chances the bowlers created to be taken. South Africa could not capitalise on two half-chances offered by Wyatt-Hodge, and though Sciver-Brunt rode her luck to some extent too, none of the mis-hits went to fielders.The win leaves England in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals, with two wins from two and a solid net run rate of 0.653. South Africa have more work to do.

Sciver-Brunt shakes things up

Although England had been careful not to lose wickets early on, they required an injection of energy through the middle overs to set them properly on course for victory, and Sciver-Brunt was the woman to provide it. She was immediately dynamic at the crease, hitting her fourth ball for four behind square on the offside, before settling into her usual rhythm of picking runs through the legside.She would frequently shuffle to off and target the square leg boundary against the spinners, even if, on such a slow surface, she didn’t always find the timing. She hit 32 of her runs in the arc between fine leg and deep midwicket, scoring four boundaries in that direction.Though Wyatt-Hodge was stumped with 11 still to get off 12 deliveries, Sciver-Brunt struck a four in each of the last two overs, and iced the game.South Africa had a couple of half-chances but couldn’t make the most of them•Getty Images

England’s spinners keep a lid on South Africa’s scoring

Between them, left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, legspinner Sarah Glenn, and offspinner Charlie Dean bowled 12 overs for 58 runs, and took four wickets. Linsey Smith, also a left-arm spinner, took 1 for 32 off her four overs too.But it was the tight, varied bowling of Ecclestone and Glenn that really kept the scoring down through the middle overs. Ecclestone got the two biggest opposition wickets – bowling Laura Wolvaardt in the 16th over, before crashing another one into the stumps of an advancing Marizanne Kapp int he 19th over. She finished with figures of 2 for 15 from her four – the best returns in the game.

Wolvaardt’s mixed day

She’d started so strongly. South Africa’s captain won the toss in what was an obviously bat-first situation, and looked excellent in the powerplay, in which she scored 22 off 15 balls, helping take South Africa to a healthy 37 for 1. But then England’s spinners applied the brakes, and she was unable to find the boundary for the remainder of her innings, which went until the 16th over. She maintained a decent scoring rate thanks to her singles and twos, but against a batting order of England’s quality, South Africa needed a score in the vicinity of 150 to feel safe.Then, in the field, she let two half-chances off Wyatt-Hodge slip through her outstretched fingers, the first of those let-offs coming when the batter was on only 8.Still, Wolvaardt’s was the most substantial of South Africa’s individual contributions – she made 42 off 39.

Despite the addition of Florian Wirtz this summer, Liverpool have been aggressive in their efforts to improve Arne Slot’s backline.

The Reds certainly weren’t awful at the back in 2024/25, but with Trent Alexander-Arnold heading to Real Madrid, signing Jeremie Frimpong was a necessity.

At left-back, Milos Kerkez is set to arrive, replacing Andy Robertson whose best years look beyond him.

At centre-back, they may also require a replacement for French defender Ibrahima Konate. He’s wanted by Real Madrid and an exit grows more likely.

How Liverpool could replace Konate

Konate enjoyed a fabulous season for the Reds, partnering Virgil van Dijk in expert fashion.

While the Dutchman eventually signed a new contract at Anfield, he may not be joined by his partner in crime for too much longer.

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

Recent reports suggest that Real Madrid are interested in prising the French defender from Liverpool but there’s further interest from clubs in Saudi and Champions League winners, PSG.

So, with that in mind, Liverpool have been seeking alternatives. Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi has been earmarked, as too has RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba.

That’s according to journalist Lewis Steele who revealed on his YouTube channel that “Lukeba at Leipzig could be one to watch, it’s clear Liverpool have kept an eye on him.”

Steele added: “I’ve been told Liverpool have had scouts at many RB Leipzig games this season. He could be one as well to watch in terms of Liverpool trying to get the best young defenders on the market.”

Why Lukeba could be better than Guehi for Liverpool

While Wirtz signing for Liverpool was certainly the biggest news of the week out of Merseyside, news that the Reds could also make a move for Guehi was the second hottest topic.

Towards the end of the week it was revealed that Richard Hughes and Co were set to launch a bid to sign the England international this summer, while reports since then note that Liverpool are now closing in on an agreement on personal terms. Whether or not he joins this summer remains to be seen.

Valued at £70m by Crystal Palace, he could be available for as little as £45m, considering he has one year left on his contract at Selhurst Park but Guehi is allegedly willing to wait a year and leave on a free transfer if he doesn’t get to move now.

Premier League proven and having captained the Eagles, there is very little risk attached to his deal. Yet, could Liverpool actually sign a player with bigger potential in Lukeba? Quite possibly.

Said to previously be among the “best U21 CBs in Europe’s top 5 leagues” and described as “one of the best defensive prospects in world football” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, the Frenchman, who is now still only 22, has a skillset that perfectly encapsulates a modern defender.

Like a Jorrel Hato, a Josko Gvardiol, Lukeba possesses the tools to be able to play as a hybrid centre-back and left-back. That level of versatility already trumps Guehi, who is more of a traditional centre-half.

The skillset that the 22-year-old provides, however, is also incredibly exciting. He possesses excellent ball-playing ability, ranking inside the best 20% of defenders in Europe’s big leagues for progressive passes. He’s supremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, also sitting among the top 1% of centre-backs for progressive carries.

He’s truly elite in this department already, ranking as the fourth most progressive U21 centre half in Europe during 2023/24.

Pass completion %

85.1%

83.5%

Key passes

0.23

0.47

Passes into final 3rd

5.14

3.91

Progressive passes

4.57

3.94

Progressive carries

1.03

0.65

Successful take-ons

1.14

0.35

Tackles won

0.97

1.00

Interceptions

0.97

0.82

Aerials won

1.49

2.00

When comparing the two defenders’ numbers, it’s clear to see just how much more progressive Lukeba is. Guehi is certainly comfortable on the ball, but the Leipzig star is next level when it comes to advancing forward with possession.

Crucially, that doesn’t come at the expense of his defensive duties either. Despite not ranking highly for aerials won, as far as tackles are concerned, there’s not that much of a difference. Lukeba even makes more interceptions per 90 minutes.

So, while Guehi might well be a proven England international with Premier League experience, Lukeba has a special profile and boasts all of the talent to become one of the finest centre-backs in Europe.

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Ipswich Town find themselves back in the Championship next term and could now pounce for one of the EFL’s brightest stars in their hunt for promotion, according to a report.

Ipswich Town look to replace Liam Delap

There were some encouraging signs in the Tractor Boys’ Premier League showing last season. Still, ultimately, they didn’t produce enough and find themselves in the second-tier desperate for another bite of the top-flight cherry.

Liam Delap’s £30 million move from Ipswich to Chelsea has given Kieran McKenna plenty of leeway in his hunt for a new centre-forward. At the same time, he will have also been encouraged by George Hirst’s maiden goal for Scotland against Liechtenstein last week.

Atlanta striker Emmanuel Latte Lath emerged as an early contender to replace Delap at Portman Road. Despite only joining Atlanta United in January, he could now be set for a quickfire return to English football.

Addressing their striker hunt, Craig Finbow believes Ipswich could look to recruit two forwards this summer in an attempt to freshen up their frontline before the close of play.

He stated: “It could well be two strikers that they look to get in and that will be the intriguing part. What do we do, do we potentially go abroad, do we go down the lower leagues?

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Liam Delap

Appearances – 40 Goals – 12

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Appearances – 29 Goals – 5

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Appearances – 21 Goals – 2

“We’ve done that before with varying levels of success. I’d be quite excited to go abroad and find a striker from there.”

The Tractor Boys could do with some inspiration in front of goal as they head back to familiar waters, and they are now reportedly lining up a move for a shining star who can score and create.

Ipswich Town join the race to sign Kwame Poku

According to Football League World, Ipswich are the latest club to show an interest in Peterborough United forward Kwame Poku. However, they are faced with stiff competition to try and land his services.

Birmingham City are keen admirers of the Ghana international upon their return to the second-tier, while Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers are also lurking in pursuit.

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Dubbed a “huge talent” by former Colchester United boss John McGreal, Poku shone on either flank for Posh in their unsuccessful bid to win promotion, registering 12 goals and 11 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions.

With his contract at an end, the 23-year-old could walk out of the door at the Weston Homes Stadium for a sizeable compensation package due to being under the age of 24.

Poku is also said to have attracted interest from abroad, so it is fair to say Ipswich may need to work their charm on this one if they have designs on bringing the versatile attacker to Portman Road.

Turning their focus towards summer arrivals, the Friedkin Group have now reportedly made their first contact in the race to sign an award-winning Championship star for Everton.

Everton confirm departures

After their season ended with an unexpected victory over Champions League-chasing Newcastle United, who qualified nonetheless, Everton confirmed the news that a number of stars will be leaving the club next month. The Toffees have said farewell to Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic, Joao Virginia and, most surprising of all, Abdoulaye Doucoure ahead of the summer transfer window.

Doucoure came as a surprise following how important he became under Sean Dyche and then David Moyes, but it is a decision that Everton have decided to make. The French midfielder announced his departure, saying: “I am going to leave the football club at the end of the season. After five wonderful years, my time at Everton came to an end.

“Everton means a lot to me, the past five years have been hard but I will always remember my time as a dream for me to play for Everton Football Club. Obviously I am sad to leave the club but I feel the time has come for a new chapter for me and the club as well.

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“I will be always grateful for what the club did for me. My best memory will be the goal I scored against Bournemouth to keep the club in the Premier League. This is something I will always be proud [of]. It was a wonderful moment for me and my family and the club as well.”

As one key man departs, it will be important for Everton to get their recruitment right in the coming months. So far, reports have certainly been positive on that front too, with rumours linking them to Liam Delap and now a Championship award winner.

Everton make first enquiry to sign Sheffield United star Hamer

According to Ben Jacobs, Friedkin have now made their first enquiry to sign Gustavo Hamer from Sheffield United this summer. The midfielder won the Championship’s Player of the Season award, but ultimately missed out on promotion in heartbreaking fashion against Sunderland in the playoff final. If ever there was a player who deserves a place in the Premier League, however, it is Hamer.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is one of many who is well aware of the quality that Hamer possesses and knows that quality is always bound to attract other suitors.

He told reporters at the end of April: “When Gus speaks, everybody listens. And rightly so, there should have been interest in him in the summer, because of how outstanding he was in an incredibly disappointing campaign for us.

“He cleaned up in the Player of the Year awards, so there was always going to be interest in him. I’m okay with stuff like that, because he’s a good player, and I would not expect anything different off the back of that.”

While their Premier League form remains inconsistent at best, there is an undeniably positive sentiment around Arsenal at the moment.

This is, of course, thanks to the club’s upcoming Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, which they demolished Real Madrid in the quarter-finals to qualify for.

Mikel Arteta’s men were utterly superb home and away against the Kings of Europe, but if we had to single out one player, it’d have to be Declan Rice, who scored two unreal free-kicks at home and then bossed the midfield at the Bernabeu.

There is no doubt that the Englishman is currently playing the best football he has since his £105m move to the Emirates in 2023, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking Arsenal to a young midfielder who could be the next Rice.

Arsenal looking to sign new midfielder

Plenty of incredible stars are already being linked with moves to Arsenal this summer, so before looking at the player in question, it’s worth looking at a couple of them, such as Florian Wirtz.

Transfer Focus

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The Bayer Leverkusen gem is one of the most exciting talents in world football and has already racked up a tally of 15 goals and 13 assists in 41 games, but with a reported £111m price tag, we’d be surprised to see the Gunners act on this rumour.

An altogether more affordable target might be Anthony Elanga.

The former Manchester United prospect has been linked with a £43m move to N5 this summer, and considering he’s managed to rack up a haul of 16 goal involvements in 37 appearances for Nottingham Forest this year, that might not be a bad deal.

However, perhaps one of the most intriguing emerging links is to Andrey Santos despite Arsenal’s plans to sign fellow midfielder Martin Zubimendi.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are now one of several sides who are on ‘alert for a surprise potential transfer raid’ and are ‘interested’ in signing the Chelsea loanee this summer.

The Brazilian midfielder is currently thriving on loan with Strasbourg and, per the report, is not ‘entirely committed to going back to Chelsea next season.’

This means there is now a chance that the Blues could be willing to sell the youngster for a fee of up to €50m, which is about £43m.

It might be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Santos’ ability and potential, it’s one Arsenal should fight for, especially as he could be another Rice in the making.

Why Santos might be the new Rice

Okay, so before getting into some of the other reasons why Arsenal might want to go out and sign Santos this summer, it’s worth going over his similarities to Rice and why he could develop into another version of the Englishman.

So, the first and most obvious point of comparison is that, like the former West Ham United captain, the Chelsea loanee can comfortably play as either a defensive or central midfielder but has found more success this season as the latter, racking up ten goals and five assists in 30 appearances.

On top of this positional versatility and eye for goal, the Rio de Janeiro-born gem is tenacious in the middle of the park, with respected football analyst Ben Mattinson describing him as a “duel monster” who is “brilliant at screening the backline” and possesses real “aerial prowess” – who does that sound like?

Furthermore, like the Gunners’ number 41, Mattinson also praises the Brazilian for how he “progresses the ball,” the fact he frequently “wins 2nd balls”, and, finally, that he “crashes the box” from his deeper position on the pitch, which once again sounds alarmingly similar to the player Arteta has coached Rice into since he arrived in North London.

Finally, away from the glaring similarities to the North Londoners’ own midfield monster, the 20-year-old has some seriously impressive underlying numbers to his name.

Goals per Shot

0.25

Top 1%

Tackles Won

2.25

Top 2%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.32

Top 2%

Goals

0.32

Top 3%

Tackles

3.33

Top 4%

Goals + Assists

0.41

Top 6%

Long Pass Completion

79.2%

Top 6%

Dribblers Tackled

1.46

Top 10%

Ball Recoveries

6.24

Top 12%

For example, FBref places him in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for goals per shot, the top 2% for non-penalty goals and tackles won, the top 3% for overall goals, the top 4% for overall tackles, the top 6% for long pass completion, the top 10% for dribblers tackles and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it might be a lot of money to spend on someone so young, Santos looks like a genuine superstar in the making, so Arsenal should do what they can to bring him to the Emirates this summer, as he might just develop into another Rice.

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There is also a slim chance of Pakistan making it

Shiva Jayaraman12-Oct-2024After New Zealand’s win over Sri Lanka with 15 balls to spare, there’s more clarity on what the teams in Group A need to do to qualify for the semi-finals. Only two more matches remain to be played from Group A. India will take on Australia on Sunday and New Zealand will play Pakistan on Monday. New Zealand’s net run rate (NRR) currently stands at 0.282 and is still well below India’s NRR of 0.576. However, India face the tougher challenge of playing the defending champions, who are on a ten-match winning streak. Here’s how things could play out in Group A. Both India and New Zealand win, they tie with Australia on six points. The two teams with the best NRR go through Both India and New Zealand lose, bringing Pakistan also into the equation as well. The team with the best NRR from among India, New Zealand and Pakistan joins Australia in the semis One of India or New Zealand lose their last match sending the other team into the semi-finals on six points, along with AustraliaWhile the third scenario is straightforward and doesn’t involve NRR, here’s a lowdown on what the teams need in the first two scenarios.Both India and New Zealand winIf the first scenario plays out and both India and New Zealand bat first in their respective games, then New Zealand will have to win by at least 17 to 18 runs more than India’s win margin against Australia, depending on what the scores are. For example, if India beat Australia by 10 runs, then New Zealand would have have to beat Pakistan by 27 to 28 at least, depending on what these teams score.Related

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There’s a possibility, however slim, that Australia are knocked out if they suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of India. If India beat Australia by 61 runs or more runs after posting 150, then Australia’s NRR will slip below India’s. If India win by exactly 61 runs, then New Zealand will have beat Pakistan by 77 or more if they bat first or with at least 58 balls to spare if they chase to go through as the second team.Both India and New Zealand loseIf India bat first and New Zealand chase, then a one-run win for India will require that New Zealand win with 14 to 16 balls to spare depending on the scores. If India chase against Australia and secure a last-ball win, then New Zealand will have to win by 19 to 20 runs if they bat first. If New Zealand also chase, they’ll have win with 14 to 15 balls to spare. An indicative table of margins is given below.