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Sunderland still have some time to wait until they face off against arch rivals Newcastle United back in the Premier League.

The middle of December sees Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats clash against Eddie Howe’s Magpies in what promises to be a hotly contested Tyne-Wear Derby, with the last fierce meeting between the two enemies in the top-flight coming all the way back in 2016 in a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.

The two sides did butt heads in the FA Cup back in 2024, as an Alexander Isak-led Toon comfortably swept aside their Championship hosts 3-0 on the day, but the Wearside outfit is a completely different beast now with Le Bris at the helm, as opposed to their once bruised nature as second-tier regulars.

While there will be a lack of niceties exchanged at the Stadium of Light in December, Sunderland will know that there are some strong performers already in their camp who will be ready for any intense battles ahead, with the likes of Noah Sadiki not fazed whatsoever by the intensity of the top-flight so far.

Sadiki's early promise at Sunderland

With new signings such as Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, and Omar Alderete receiving a lot of the early praise this season, and rightly so, Sadiki has arguably slipped under the radar as another mightily impressive summer pick-up.

Indeed, the former Royale Union Saint-Gilloise battler might just be 20 years of age, but he looks cut out for the grind of the English top-flight already, having been an ever-present part of Le Bris’ starting lineups across Sunderland’s seven Premier League clashes so far.

He has made one of those starting central spots his own with his energy and quality clear for all to see, with his running statistics on the opening day against West Ham United seeing him cover a ridiculous 11.5km across the 90 minutes.

With an assured 85% pass accuracy also averaged per Premier League game so far, it could be argued that Sadiki is actually Sunderland’s own unique take on Newcastle warrior Bruno Guimaraes, with the 20-year-old just needing to add goals and assists to his Black Cats repertoire to be on the road to rivalling his South American counterpart.

At the moment, he has zero goals or assists next to his name.

This could come soon, though, with Sadiki actually helping himself to four goal contributions last season during his swansong Belgian Pro League season.

But, with six ground duels won effortlessly at the City Ground before his side’s 2-0 slip-up at Manchester United, it might well be that Sadiki excels more as a tireless anchor for the Sunderland cause, as opposed to marauding forward on occasion and hammering home sweet efforts, like Guimaraes.

Instead, one of Sadiki’s equally lively teammates could have more of a compelling argument to hand on why he’s Sunderland’s very own version of the Magpies captain, having been in and around the intense environment of the top-flight for far longer than the promising number 27.

Why Sunderland's "genius" is their own Guimaraes

When Guimaraes arrived on Tyneside in January 2022, Sunderland’s main rivals were used to middle-of-the-road finishes in the Premier League. Now, with the Brazilian as a key cog in Howe’s machine, Champions League football is regularly served up.

Of course, Sunderland won’t be expecting to be in Europe’s elite competition anytime soon, but it’s abundantly clear from how the Black Cats have started this season that Granit Xhaka is already a transformative presence – much like Guimaraes once was at St James’ Park – who can help the Wearside outfit to a high-up finish right after promotion.

Much like the number 39 chips in time after time with crucial goals and assists, the former Arsenal warrior has more than played his role in Sunderland collecting early wins in their immediate bid to beat the drop, with the last three goals Le Bris’ men have scored in the tough division coming about from Xhaka popping up with an assist.

This, clearly, sets him apart from Sadiki, who can spray a lovely pass here or there, but hasn’t quite grasped the same level of incision as the Basel-born midfielder.

But, much like his Toon foe, Xhaka is also definitely well-versed in what it takes to be a physical presence when needed, having even been branded a “monster” by Arsenal-based writer Connor Humm when still at the Emirates, off the back of the 33-year-old winning 130 duels during his final top-flight campaign in North London.

Guimaraes vs Xhaka (PL – 25/26)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Guimaraes

Xhaka

Games played

7

7

Goals

2

0

Assists

0

3

Touches*

59.7

72.9

Accurate passes*

35.7 (83%)

46.4 (84%)

Big chances created

0

4

Ball recoveries*

5.8

5.1

Total duels won*

6.7

6.4

Stats by Sofascore

This side of his well-varied game has been on full display donning Sunderland red and white, too, with Xhaka not a million miles off Guimaraes’ “world-class” nature, as he was once glowingly labelled by scout Jacek Kulig for never letting his standards slip on Tyneside.

On Wearside, Xhaka has also been a rock early into this competitive season, with 6.4 duels won on average, putting him on the same lofty pedestal as his counterpart, who was once touted to leave Howe and Co. behind for a staggering £100m.

Considering Sunderland landed their midfield veteran for just £17m, this is extremely impressive to see.

With 17 goals also coming his way in the Premier League when situated at Arsenal, it could be that Xhaka elevates his game even more in the weeks to come and becomes the constant Sunderland needs to push up the division, much like Guimaraes has been their every step of the way for Howe’s men as they turned into a Champions League-level outfit.

With Xhaka now wearing the armband with pride, it will be fascinating to see where both Sunderland and Newcastle are in the league standings come their showdown on the 13th of December, with the Black Cats very much fancying their chances of Tyne-Wear glory if their “genius” – as he was recently labelled by Sky Sports’ Don Goodman – puts in another game-changing display.

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Yoane Wissa is reportedly set to avoid a nine-month injury layoff, with Newcastle's £55 million ($74m) striker eyeing a return against former club Brentford. The 29-year-old, yet to even kick a ball for the Magpies since arriving on Tyneside, injured his knee while on international duty with DR Congo just a week after completing his move. The timing could not have been worse, as he hadn't even trained once with his new team-mates before disaster struck.

A setback even before a start at Newcastle

Eddie Howe had previously confirmed that Wissa’s recovery had been slower than hoped. Speaking earlier this month, the Newcastle boss revealed the forward had undergone another specialist consultation, which pushed back his expected comeback.

Howe previously explained: "Yoane saw a specialist again yesterday for a check-up on his knee. We probably think now it’ll be eight weeks rather than six from the point of the injury. It’s no recurrence or problem, just slightly longer."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesNewcastle fans have new hope

According to the , fears that Wissa had torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) were wide of the mark. Instead, the injury is to his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). It is a less serious but still delicate setback. Crucially, surgery will not be required. Recovery timelines for PCL injuries can vary widely, from a few weeks to several months, depending on the extent of the damage. Because Wissa’s injury was relatively mild and non-surgical, there’s growing confidence he’ll be back before the end of November. At the moment, the swelling in his knee remains the final obstacle. Once that subsides, the former Brentford talisman will begin full-contact training.

It was earlier suggested that Wissa was eyeing the West Ham clash on November 2 for his long-awaited debut. However, that timeline has been further pushed back, and a reunion with his old club Brentford a week later could be the more realistic comeback date. It is mentioned that Newcastle are in no rush to force an early return. They believe Wissa is a long-term asset for the club, and patience is the key while dealing with such a critical injury.

Wissa has resumed activity on grass

The forward has already resumed running on grass, and while he could theoretically play through pain using injections, Wissa does not want to take any shortcuts. Moreover, beyond the immediate concern of getting him fit, another issue is quietly brewing, which is the Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament, set to take place between December 21 and January 18 in Morocco, could see Wissa called up by DR Congo. Initially, many assumed Wissa would only have a brief window with Newcastle before jetting off to represent his country. But that assumption might now be changing. The suggests that his suggest that his participation in AFCON is not guaranteed. The focus, for now, is entirely on rebuilding strength and ensuring his long-term fitness. With the World Cup on the horizon next summer, Wissa’s management is equally keen to ensure he doesn’t aggravate his knee injury by rushing into international action.

Meanwhile, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer, has called out Wissa and urged him to stay with the Magpies and skip the AFCON. 

"It will be a really difficult decision for Wissa not to go to AFCON because you always want to represent your country," Shearer told . "But what I would say is, because of him not training or playing during the summer, he could've shown more responsibility in not playing as much as he did in those two games when he went away on international duty and hadn't played at all. But it's really tough to say to someone they can't and won't represent their country when it means so much. And we know AFCON is huge and players want to play in that tournament.

"It'll be a tough ask, but I understand that there'll be a lot of people thinking that he's never played for Newcastle and he needs to show some loyalty towards us. I get it and understand that point-of-view because Newcastle shelled out a lot of money on him and he hasn't been able to take to the St James' Park turf as yet. It'd be a really tough decision for him and Newcastle. Whether there's a way around it, I'm not so sure."

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Getty Images SportWoltemade coming in clutch for Newcastle

The Magpies' cautious stance with Wissa is made easier by the blistering form of Nick Woltemade, Newcastle’s other new striker who arrived for £69 million ($93m) this summer. The towering German has quickly found his rhythm, netting four goals in seven appearances, and has seamlessly filled the void left by Wissa’s absence. As Newcastle prepare to face Brighton this weekend, the German striker will once again lead the line.

سيتولى ماركوس سورج مسؤولية تدريب برشلونة في مباراة الكلاسيكو يوم الأحد المقبل في الدوري الإسباني أمام ريال مدريد، في انتظار قرار محكمة التحكيم الرياضي “CAS” بشأن إيقاف المدرب الألماني لمباراة واحدة.

وبالتالي سيمنع هانز فليك المدرب الألماني من الظهور أمام وسائل الإعلام أو ظهوره على مقاعد البدلاء في ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو.

ونشرت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” أن ماركوس سورج يعد الخيار الأول، على الرغم من أن تياجو ألكانتارا العائد لطاقم فليك كان مرشحاً قوياً لخلافة المدرب الألماني.

أقرأ أيضاً.. رد فعل برشلونة بعد تأييد عقوبة هانز فليك بإيقافه عن مباراة ريال مدريد

ومع ذلك فإن مساعد هانز فليك ونجم برشلونة وبايرن ميونخ وليفربول السابق لا يملك رخصة تدريبية رغم عمله اليومي كمساعد فني.

وعاد تياجو ألكانتارا صاحب ال34 عاماً إلى الجهاز الفني لنادي برشلونة بناء على طلب صريح من هانز فليك، ويحظى لاعب خط الوسط الإسباني بتقدير كبير وموافقة المدرب الألماني والذي يراه قادراً على المساهمة بخبرته في خط الوسط.

وكان تياجو قد قضى فترة قصيرة مساعداً لهانز فليك الصيف الماضي، وكان قد انتقل من برشلونة إلى بايرن ميونخ وليفربول، ويتحدث تياجو الألمانية ويتمتع بمهارات تواصل ممتازة لذا يتم اعتباره الخيار الأمثل لدعم عمل فليك.

After a hectic period abroad, allrounder Cooper Connolly marked his return to the WACA with a half-century under pressure in the high stakes Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Victoria.Connolly threatened to turn the game on its head before Victoria regrouped and dismissed WA for 186 in their first innings. Openers Campbell Kellaway and Marcus Harris blunted WA’s attack in the last hour as Victoria built a 43-run lead by stumps on day two.The match has been a see-saw throughout with both teams firmly in the race to play South Australia in the final starting on March 26. They are fighting for the outright victory needed to overtake Queensland and New South Wales, who are both in trouble in their respective matches.Connolly rescued WA’s first innings from ruins at 111 for 8 with a top score of 56 off 104 balls on a green surface that has heavily favoured the bowlers although the pitch did seem to flatten out towards the backend of the day.He had a tough time in foreign conditions during his Test debut in Sri Lanka and at the Champions Trophy, but continued to build an impressive record at Shield level with his fourth half-century from his first six innings.While Connolly played somewhat within himself given the circumstances and conditions, he showcased his class with eight fours and a six.The rest of the WA batters combined for just ten boundaries across 78.2 overs as they got strangled by a disciplined Victoria pace attack with captain Will Sutherland, Peter Siddle and David Moody nagging away and producing sharp seam movement.WA had earlier resumed at 10 for 1 having lost captain Sam Whiteman just before stumps on day one. After starring with a five-wicket haul, nightwatchman Corey Rocchiccioli hoped to be a nuisance for Victoria and he looked untroubled until he was caught behind down the legside for 16, off Sutherland – in a similar dismissal to Whiteman.It brought out Jayden Goodwin, who was perhaps fortunate to hold his spot in the team ahead of Sam Fanning having only passed 10 once in his last five Shield innings. Goodwin hadn’t yet scored when he had a nervous moment after a loud shout by Sutherland for a catch at short leg.But he survived and had some respite from offspinner Todd Murphy, who came into the attack in the ninth over but struggled to find his lengths. He bowled too short and did not produce the same type of threat as counterpart Rocchicccioli, who is taller and able to produce more bounce.Opener Cameron Bancroft hoped to stonewall like he did in the last match against NSW with a vital 86 off 277 balls in WA’s second innings. But Siddle was rewarded for his accuracy when he had Bancroft edging to second slip for 14 as WA slumped to 35 for 3.Hilton Cartwright came to the crease in fine form having made a first-class career high of 171 not out against NSW, continuing a stellar season where he is currently the Shield’s leading run-scorer.Cartwright’s confidence was evident when he skipped down the wicket at Murphy and he stroked a lovely cover drive to make a mockery of the conditions. But he was unable to refocus after lunch and tamely nicked off a back of a length delivery from Sutherland to trigger a collapse of 5 for 35.Siddle and Sutherland bowled superbly in tandem with their lengths perfectly suited to this tricky surface.The normally flamboyant Connolly started cautiously before opening his account on his ninth delivery when he cracked a boundary through point, a rare loose ball from Sutherland who had only leaked nine runs off 11.5 overs up to that point.Former WA quick Moody complemented Sutherland and Siddle well in his Victoria debut and first Shield match in two years. Proving a worthy replacement for spearhead Scott Boland, who did not make the trip to Perth due to knee soreness, Moody enjoyed a surface that had more pace than the previous day’s play as he unleashed off his very long run-up.Victoria looked set for a handy first-innings lead before being left frustrated by a 53-run ninth-wicket partnership between Connolly and Cameron Gannon, who is a more than capable lower-order batter.Connolly did not have many opportunities to counterattack, but he kept the runs ticking against Murphy and hit the only six of the innings by hooking Moody into the ground’s construction site. He received healthy applause after reaching his half-century off 97 balls and eyed an unexpected lead for WA.However, Connolly was left disappointed after he was adjudged caught behind off Siddle in a decision that he clearly disagreed with. The evergreen Siddle finished with superb figures of 3 for 10 off 13.2 overs as he did his part in keeping Victoria’s title hopes alive.

A back injury to Ghazanfar has led to Mujeeb’s recall into the IPL after four years

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2025Afghanistan offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has replaced his countryman AM Ghazanfar in Mumbai Indians’ (MI) squad for IPL 2025. Ghazanfar was ruled out of the Champions Trophy, which starts on Wednesday, and also the the IPL that follows, due to a back injury.The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had tweeted about Ghazanfar’s absence from the Champions Trophy earlier this week, mentioning that he had sustained “a fracture of the L4 vertebra” during Afghanistan’s tour of Zimbabwe last month. Ghazanfar, who had bagged his maiden IPL contract after a bright start to his ODI career, will be out of cricket for four months.Related

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Mujeeb was last seen at the IPL in 2021, when he played a solitary game for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He made his tournament debut as a 17-year-old for Punjab Kings and represented them in 18 games across three seasons from 2018. Mujeeb has 275 T20 wickets at an average of 23.67 and an economy rate of 6.75. Most recently, he was with Paarl Royals at at the SA20, where his side lost to finalists Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Qualifier 2. He was Royals’ highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 14 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 23.14.Until November last year, Mujeeb too was out injured for five months due to a right phalanx (hand) sprain. He returned to action at the Abu Dhabi T10 and then played all three T20Is for Afghanistan on their tour of Zimbabwe, before flying to South Africa for the SA20. He wasn’t picked by Afghanistan for the Champions Trophy, as according to Ahmad Suliman Khil, their interim chief selector, “he has been advised by his doctor to focus on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery before returning to ODIs”.Mujeeb had gone unsold at the IPL 2025 auction, but now joined MI at a fee of INR 2 crore (approx. US $230,764).

أوضح أليكسيس سانشيز لاعب إشبيلية، سبب احتفاله بهدفه أمام فريقه السابق برشلونة، رغم تصريحه بأنه لن يحتفل إذا سجل بشباك البلوجرانا.

وسجل سانشيز هدفًا في فوز إشبيلية على برشلونة، وحسم فريقه المباراة برباعية لهدف ضمن مواجهات الدوري الإسباني.

وقال سانشيز في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “أخبروني أننا لم نفز هنا منذ عشر سنوات، وهذه فترة طويلة، هذه الأمور تحدث في كرة القدم، وعندما ترى فرحة الجماهير بالخارج، لا يسعني سوى أن أرفع القبعة لزملائي، وإن كان هناك وقت مناسب للفوز، فهو هذا الوقت”.

وأضاف: “لم نكن نفوز هنا منذ مباريات كثيرة، وأنا موجود منذ شهر واحد فقط، وسعيد بذلك، اعتدت دائمًا على تحطيم الأرقام القياسية في كل الأندية التي لعبت لها، وعندما تنتهي المباراة وترى كيف يحتفل اللاعبون ومن في مقاعد البدلاء، يكون مشهدًا جميلاً حقًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بيدري: الحكم أكد لي صحة موقفي في لقطة مثيرة للجدل أمام إشبيلية

وأكمل: “لطالما كنت أشارك في الاحتفالات داخل الملعب ولم أعشها يومًا جالسًا على الدكة، وأحيانًا أجلس فقط لأستمتع بتلك اللحظة الرائعة”.

وأكد: “كان شعورًا رائعًا، الأجواء هنا فريدة من نوعها، لقد زرتُ العديد من الملاعب، وجماهير إشبيلية تُشعرك بشغف هذا النادي وقميصه، وهذا واضح”.

وأتم: “كنت قد قلت إنني لن أحتفل، لكن أحيانًا القلق أو الرغبة الجامحة يتغلبان عليّ، خرج الأمر عن إرادتي، والحقيقة أنني أكنّ لبرشلونة محبة كبيرة”.

فقد فريق نادي الزمالك، نقطتين ثمينتن، بتعادله إيجابيًا 1-1 أمام الجونة، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما، اليوم الثلاثاء، في منافسات الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وتواجه الزمالك مع الجونة، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثامنة من عمر مباريات بطولة الدوري المصري، ذلك على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

طالع.. فيديو | دونجا يغادر مباراة الزمالك والجونة مصابًا

وسجل هدف الزمالك الأول، اللاعب الفلسطيني عدي الدباغ في الدقيقة 27 من عمر الشوط الأول للمباراة، بعد متابعة لكرة مرسلة عرضية إلى داحل منطقة الجزاء.

وتعادل فريق الجونة أمام الزمالك، في الوقت القاتل من المباراة، وتحديدًا عند الدقيقة 86، بواسطة لاعبه محمد عماد بتسديدة قوية من على حدود منطقة الجزاء بعد هجمة منظمة. أهداف مباراة الزمالك والجونة اليوم في الدوري المصري

وبتلك النتيجة، يظل نادي الزمالك متصدرًا لجدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، برصيد 17 نقطة، لكن بالتأكيد التعادل سيكون له أثر سلبي قبل لقاء القمة أمام الأهلي، يوم الإثنين المقبل 29 سبتمبر.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، فريق الجونة، بهذا التعادل، يتواجد في المركز الرابع عشر، من جدول ترتيب الدوري، برصيد 8 نقاط. ملخص مباراة الزمالك والجونة 1/1

Victoria were in command at Junction as Todd Murphy and Fergus O’Neill shared seven wickets

AAP15-Nov-2024Cameron Bancroft’s horror start to the summer continued, dismissed cheaply on a tough opening day for Western Australia’s batters in their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria.On the same day Todd Murphy took four wickets for Victoria to press his claims for the Sri Lanka tour, Bancroft’s misery lived on as he was out for just 12. The former Test opener was the first man out as WA were all out for 167, before Victoria went to stumps at 100 for 2.Marcus Harris was 40 not out at stumps for Victoria, a week after both he and Bancroft lost out to Nathan McSweeney for the vacant spot at the top of Australia’s Test order.Particularly watchful early, Harris’ only two scoring shots in his first 26 balls were nice drives to the mid-off and mid-on boundaries. He then hit three successive fours from Brody Couch’s first over, with a late cut, uppercut and backfoot drive all through the offside.But while Harris at least got a start on Friday at his favoured Junction Oval in Melbourne, there was little joy for Bancroft. He got off the mark by punching a ball to backward-point boundary, and also produced a lovely on-drive off Sam Elliott.In between that he was also dropped in the slips by Harris off Fergus O’Neill, before the quick nipped one back in at him and Bancroft was out lbw. Bancroft’s run of scores in red-ball cricket this summer now reads 0, 0, 8, 12, 0, 16, 3, 0 and 12.It comes after he was the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield over the past two summers, before his form deserted him at the precise wrong moment.Murphy’s 4 for 27 on his 24th birthday came at the right time ahead of this summer’s tour of Sri Lanka. He was the preferred option as Australia’s second spinner in last year’s Ashes, but a fit-again Nathan Lyon has not required support alongside him since then.West Australian Corey Rocchiccioli has since been the leading spinner in the Shield last summer, before taking four wickets in the second innings for Australia A against India A last week. But in the third-last round before selection for the Sri Lanka Test tour, Murphy was able to bag his best figures of the summer.He had opener Sam Fanning caught behind sweeping a ball down leg, before being miserly with the ball for the majority of his spell. The Victorian then ran through the tail and removing Joel Paris, Cameron Gannon and Brody Couch.Rocchiccioli was able to get one wicket for Western Australia before stumps, having Campbell Kellaway caught at cover for 26 when he was beaten in flight.

The board is taking a cautious approach after Stokes tore his hamstring during the tournament

Matt Roller16-Aug-2024Gus Atkinson will miss the final of the men’s Hundred after being made unavailable by the ECB ahead of England’s Test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.Atkinson took 22 wickets in his debut series against West Indies and was named Player of the Series. He has only featured once for Oval Invincibles this year, returning figures of 0 for 28 in 10 balls against Trent Rockets on Wednesday night, and will not feature in Sunday’s final at Lord’s as he prepares for the Test series.”Gus has been withdrawn, which is quite understandable,” Sam Billings, the Invincibles’ captain, said. “It’s disappointing for him but Saqib Mahmood has been phenomenal for us all tournament and showed his class the other night. He’ll stay in the side.”The Invincibles are also missing Spencer Johnson through injury, but Tom Curran will return after he was rested on Wednesday.The ECB is taking a cautious approach to England players’ availability after Ben Stokes tore his hamstring playing for Northern Superchargers, ruling him out for the rest of the summer. Chris Woakes has already been withdrawn from the tournament, though Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett (both Birmingham Phoenix) and Jordan Cox (Invincibles) are available this weekend ahead of the first Test.Related

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“Jordan will be available and I think that’s great for him,” Billings said. “I’ve been in that position before where as a young player, you get withdrawn and miss out on playing time. For anyone to play in a final at Lord’s in the leading domestic competition in the country, in front of a packed house is perfect preparation for international cricket.”Jofra Archer, who is being managed carefully after long spells on the sidelines with back and elbow issues, is expected to be available for both Saturday’s eliminator and Sunday’s final, if Southern Brave qualify. He was made unavailable for two group-stage games to manage his workload, but Brave captain James Vince is not anticipating any restrictions in the knockouts.”I’ve not heard otherwise, so I’m hoping that’s the case,” Vince said. “Obviously we’ve got tomorrow to take care of first, but as I understand it, he is available for both should we make the final. I can’t give you 100% confirmation because I don’t know that myself, to be honest. But there’s not much travel involved and it’s only 20 balls [per match] so I’m sure he’ll be fine.”In the women’s Hundred, Chamari Athapaththu is unavailable for the Invincibles in their eliminator against London Spirit on Saturday, having linked up with Sri Lanka’s squad for their ODI series in Ireland. Laura Harris has returned to the squad as cover, while Megan Schutt has also been with the squad throughout and will come into contention.

This has been a testing first window as Arsenal Sporting Director for Andrea Berta so far. Then again, it was never going to be easy was it?

The Gunners desperately need a new striker and the footballing world knows that. RB Leipzig and Sporting are trying to milk Arsenal for all Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are worth.

The Londoners have reportedly held talks to sign both players but at this moment in time, a deal doesn’t look too forthcoming.

Still, Arsenal are active and Berta is working his socks off to ensure that Mikel Arteta’s side are ready for that opening weekend’s encounter against Manchester United.

The arrival of Martin Zubimendi will certainly help.

Arsenal’s pursuit of new midfielders

The Gunners are set to confirm the arrival of Zubimendi from Real Sociedad any day now.

The Spaniard was first linked with the club back in January when it was revealed that Arsenal were ready to trigger the midfielder’s release clause.

Fast forward several months and a deal is now on the verge of completion with it reported that he was in London over the weekend to tie up the formalities of his switch to the Emirates Stadium.

Zubimendi isn’t the only midfielder Arsenal have been tracking.

Indeed, according to TBR Football, they are ‘trying’ to sign PSG’s highly talented teenager, Warren Zaire-Emery.

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They understand that the Gunners started talks with the Champions League winners last week regarding a move.

However, any deal looks incredibly unlikely with the Ligue 1 side informing Arsenal that the 19-year-old is not for sale.

They note that if a switch did happen, Berta and Co would need to come armed with a ‘significant’ offer.

What makes Zaire-Emery so special

With Jorginho having exited the Emirates on a free transfer and Thomas Partey’s Arsenal adventure potentially set to come to a conclusion, Arteta needs more midfielders.

Zubimendi certainly ticks one box. European football expert, Sid Lowe, has previously noted that the 26-year-old “is just about as good a deep-lying midfielder there is in Europe, apart from maybe Rodri”.

So, wouldn’t it be rather special if he were partnered alongside Zaire-Emery?

The PSG sensation may be young but the fact of the matter is that he’s rather special. The teenager’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has already described him as “one of the best midfielders in the world” while data analyst Ben Mattinson notes that he is an “Mbappe at Monaco level of talent”, largely thanks to his blend of skills.

Arsenal have enjoyed the talents of some of the best young players in Europe throughout the years, none more so in the current day than Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Yet, Zaire-Emery reminds us of a certain Cesc Fabregas.

The Spaniard was younger than the French superstar when he moved to London, just 16, but his impact in the Premier League quickly helped him to showcase why he was one of the best young players in world football.

He eventually left Arsenal behind having scored 57 and assisted 95 in 303 outings. Named captain of the club when he was just 21, making him the youngest skipper in their history, there have been few better midfielders to grace Highbury and the Emirates over the last 20 years.

In short, he was a generational talent, an assist machine, someone who oozed class and could pass through the lines like very players on the planet.

Zaire-Emery, a player generating the same level of hype Fabregas was as a teenager, is cut from a similar cloth. He notably made his Champions League debut at the age of just 17, and since then, he’s gone from strength to strength.

1. Youssoufa Moukoko

Dortmund

16 years, 18 days

2. Lamine Yamal

Barcelona

16 years, 2 months

3. Rayan Cherki

Lyon

16 years, 3 months

4. Alen Halilovic

Zagreb

16 years, 4 months, 6 days

5. Youri Tielemans

Anderlecht

16 years, 4 months, 25 days

6. Francesco Camarda

AC Milan

16 years, 7 months, 12 days

7. Warren Zaire-Emery

PSG

16 years, 7 months, 17 days

8. Charalampos Mavrias

Panathinaikos

16 years, 7 months, 29 days

Compared to midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the top 3% for pass success rate, the top 9% for passes made and the best 10% for switches, a ball that travels more than 40 yards the width of the pitch.

What those numbers rubberstamp is the comparison to Fabregas, one of the best passers of the modern era.

While PSG’s teen superstar doesn’t quite possess the same rate of assists just yet – producing just two last season – his ability as a deep-lying playmaker certainly evokes memories of Fabregas in the latter stages of his career.

As for his development as a youngster, it certainly has hallmarks of the way the Spaniard burst onto the scene all those years ago.

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