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Newcastle United have seen huge improvements and progress since their Saudi-led takeover less than two years ago and the credit for their rise can be both attributed to the arrival of Eddie Howe, as well as their incredible recruitment.

The Magpies will make their long-awaited return to Champions League football next season after securing the final spot inside the Premier League top four last season and showing significant development in their competitiveness in cup competitions; reaching the League Cup final at Wembley earlier this year too.

Howe and his strong recruitment team have secured the signings of several talents over the last 18 months with Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Alexander Isak all becoming crucial to the huge strides forward that the North East outfit have taken.

Now the Newcastle boss will face a massive challenge ahead of him when competing on the European stage against the most elite clubs in the world, so making sure the right players with the right experience are acquired, and adding quality depth in key positions will be absolutely essential if they are to compete comfortably in every fixture.

Indeed, AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali is close to being confirmed as the first signing of the summer at St James' Park, however, there is no doubt that Howe will be keen to add even more talent to his squad to continue to build for the future.

One player who has been linked with a move to Tyneside this week is LOSC Lille wonderkid Carlos Baleba, with reports in France suggesting that Newcastle are set to compete with Manchester United and West Ham United to secure the €30m (£26m) midfielder.

Who is Carlos Baleba?

The 19-year-old talent has been polishing his skills and developing his central midfield role in Ligue 1 with Lille and found himself earning a much more frequent role in the first team last season, which has attracted interest from Premier League clubs.

Over 19 league appearances, Baleba has tallied up an 84% pass completion rate, successfully completed 63% of his dribbles and won 50% of his duels combined, despite only making five starts and averaging just 26 minutes per game.

Not only that, the Cameroon-born youngster ranks in the top 10% across the top five European leagues for positionally similar players when it comes to blocks, successful take-ons, progressive carries and shots on goal, proving that he has a diverse skill set that could benefit from the nurture and development Howe can provide at Newcastle to nail down his best attributes.

Such a move from Ligue 1 could well see Newcastle now repeat their Guimaraes masterclass by securing a deal for the youngster as the club has had massive success when recruiting from the French top-flight with the Brazilian midfielder arriving from Olympique Lyonnais, Sven Botman being secured from Lille and Allan Saint-Maximin signing from Nice.

Now a cult hero at St James', the Brazil international has more than earnt his praise after a stunning campaign throughout 2022/23 that saw him post ten goal involvements.

Although Baleba is only just starting out in his career and is still yet to reach his full potential, the teenage sensation is already earning high praise from the glimpses of talent he has shown so far, with his Lille teammate Jonathan David claiming:

"Carlos is young, but he brings something different, which is very good for us. He is powerful, strong, he drives the ball very well."

Strong and powerful would aptly describe Guimaraes too, but although Baleba perhaps won't arrive with the same level of hype, the Magpies know how to spot a promising prospect from Ligue 1 when they see one.

Rain washed out the final day of the Sheffield Shield match in Wollongong, where New South Wales and Tasmania had to settle for a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Ed Cowan finished unbeaten on 51 as no play was possible on day four•Getty ImagesRain washed out the final day of the Sheffield Shield match in Wollongong, where New South Wales and Tasmania had to settle for a draw. The final day was to have started with the Blues on 1 for 141, trailing by 96 runs, but not a ball was bowled due to the wet weather.

The 83-year old has said he will step down in June due to ‘health and personal reasons’

Umar Farooq31-Mar-2017Shaharyar Khan has tendered his resignation from the post of PCB chairman and is expected to step down after the ICC’s annual conference in June. Speaking to reporters in Lahore, soon after a meeting with his board members, the 83-year old Shaharyar said his decision was influenced by “personal and health reasons”.Shaharyar was unanimously elected to lead the PCB by the board of governors in August 2014. He had intended to resign with immediate effect – his tenure ends only in August 2017 – but with the ICC in the middle of restructuring its constitution and Shaharyar’s support being vital to the cause, he has decided to continue at the helm of the PCB until the ICC annual conference in June.”I have taken the board in confidence and conveyed my decision that I will not continue after our mandate is ending on August 18,” Shaharyar told reporters after chairing a board meeting in Lahore. “I will not continue after it as chairman or as in any other capacity and it’s my decision on the basis of personal and health reasons. I have also written to the Patron of PCB who is Prime Minister that I am ready to resign and whenever he deems reasonable he can accept it. And thereafter whatever the legal process constituted, allow it to exercised to bring in my successor.”Sources in the Prime Minister’s office in Islamabad confirmed on Thursday that they have yet to receive Shaharyar’s resignation and had only learnt of his decision through the media. According to the PCB constitution, it is the Patron who makes the first move to pick the new chairman. His request to the election commissioner to hold fresh elections prompts a meeting of the board of governors, who would then select a candidate from among themselves through a majority vote. All of this must be done within four weeks of the chairman’s office becoming vacant.ESPNcricinfo understands that Shaharyar has felt under pressure to make way for Najam Sethi, the current head of PCB executive committee and PSL chairman.Sethi has been chairman of the board, several times in an interim capacity between 2013 and 2014. That was during a period of administrative turmoil at the very top of the board when Sethi and Zaka Ashraf alternated as board heads, later resolved by a Supreme Court intervention that led, eventually to the election of Shaharyar.Sethi was appointed head of a newly-created Executive Committee, and though its power was limited only to making recommendations, Sethi has come to exert considerable influence within the board. His position as chairman of the Pakistan Super League has also helped extend his reach into various departments of the PCB including media, social media, marketing and commercial interests.All this led to the potential for friction at the top of the PCB, something former coach Waqar Younis had alluded to after the World T20 in 2016 when he blasted the lack of administrative direction in Pakistan cricket, asserting that “two heads” were pulling the game in “two different directions”.

Plymouth owner Simon Hallett has spoken positively about Wayne Rooney and his wider impact at the Championship club beyond just on-field results.

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Plymouth owner lifts lid on RooneyEx-Man Utd made positive impressionResults & style trumped everything elseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Hallett discussed in an interview with the kind of things that Rooney achieved in his short coaching spell at Plymouth, which included knitting people together at the training ground by "literally knocking down walls" to create open working spaces.

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Overall, Rooney's time at Plymouth will be remembered as the latest short-lived stop on his fledgling managerial career. In August, he was named permanent successor to Ian Foster, who had similarly struggled after replacing the very successful Steven Schumacher. Plymouth lost 4-0 against Sheffield Wednesday in Rooney's first game in charge and had only won four league games by the time he left on New Year's Eve, officially by mutual consent, sitting bottom of the Championship. And yet, Hallett remembers those seven months more fondly than results alone would suggest.

WHAT SIMON HALLETT SAID

"Wayne literally knocked down walls," Hallett revealed. "He had walls between various people in the football department removed (at the club’s offices), so they sat together. He was wonderful around the club. He was very good with fans, to the point where we had to restrain him. I remember we were having a meeting with somebody and one of their staff said, 'My sister runs a local primary school, can you visit?'. And Wayne said, 'Sure'. But we had to say, 'Wait a minute, he is very busy!' I know it sounds silly because he's such a big celebrity and he's famous for some bad decisions, but he's a very decent human being. The impact he had saved the club from fraying."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Although Rooney seemed a great fit for Plymouth in many ways, Hallett admitted that the split was ultimately down to the former England and Manchester United captain insisting on a very specific style of play. Hallett added: "He was committed to a way of playing football we were simply unable to execute."

The champions gifted the Gunners their first two goals, and from there they fell apart in north London

Manchester City showed their struggles are far from over as they suffered a humbling 5-1 loss against Arsenal on Sunday. The reigning English champions were self-destructive from the beginning, and the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva didn't put up much of a fight under Arsenal's pressure.

It was the worst possible start for City as Maniel Akanji surrendered an early goal. The defender failed to deal with John Stones' risky pass and Arsenal were quick to pounce, with Kai Havertz setting up Martin Odegaard. The visitors almost gave away a second goal thanks to an awful ball from Stefan Ortega resulted in a shot from Havertz, but the German's effort went wide.

City grew into the game with Savinho and Omar Marmoush looking to create something as Erling Haaland was kept silent up front for the entire first half. The striker reminded the Gunners he should never be written off, though, when got up to meet Savinho's perfect delivery and head past David Raya.

However, just 38 seconds after the restart, Arsenal were ahead again through a deflected strike from Thomas Partey, and just six minutes later they were 3-1 up through a fantastic Myles Lewis-Skelly strike.

City hoped the humiliation was complete in the 76th minute when an Arsenal counter-attack ended with Havertz squeezing it past Ortega, but Ethan Nwaneri added a fifth late on.

GOAL rates City's players from Emirates Stadium…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Stefan Ortega (5/10):

Gave Arsenal a great chance with a silly pass that Havertz wasted. Perhaps should have done better with a couple of goals, too.

Matheus Nunes (5/10):

A weak point defensively and didn't offer enough going forward.

Manuel Akanji (3/10):

Gave the ball away for Odegaard's goal in the worst possible start.

John Stones (4/10):

Set Akanji up for failure with his early pass and put up no resistance for either of Lewis-Skelly's or Havertz's goals.

Josko Gvardiol (5/10):

Had some decent moments but was exposed defensively.

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Bernardo Silva (5/10):

Took the sting out of City's attacks by constantly passing backwards.

Mateo Kovacic (7/10):

Put in a solid performance. He fought for the ball and tried his best to get something going.

Omar Marmoush (6/10):

Excellent dead-ball deliveries and a few good passes before he went off after 72 minutes.

Getty Images SportAttack

Phil Foden (4/10):

His terrible pass sent Partey on his way to a stunning goal, summing up the Englishman's performance.

Erling Haaland (5/10):

Was out of the game until he popped up with the equaliser in the 55th minute.

Savinho (7/10):

Was really lively on the wing and teed up Haaland with a fantastic cross.

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James McAtee (5/10):

The damage was done by the time he came on, and he was kept quiet.

Kevin De Bruyne (5/10):

Didn't have much of an impact after his 72nd minute introduction.

Pep Guardiola (4/10):

His team were always second best in this game, with his key men kept quiet and others making glaring and costly mistakes.

Aston Villa were victorious against Fulham this weekend, beating them 3-1 at Craven Cottage. It was an eventful game, entailing four goals, two red cards, and a missed penalty.

Fulham took the lead after just five minutes, with Raúl Jiménez scoring his fourth Premier League goal of the season. Morgan Rogers quickly equalised, scoring in the ninth minute to make it 1-1. Then, after just 27 minutes, Fulham had the chance to make it 2-1, with Andreas Pereira missing a penalty (saved by Emiliano Martínez).

Villa struck next, making it 2-1 in the 59th minute, Ollie Watkins netting his 5th of the season, before Joachim Andersen received his marching orders for a “last man” foul in the 64th minute, leaving Fulham with 10 men. In the 69th minute, Issa Diop scored an own-goal, making it 3-1 to Aston Villa.

Jaden Philogene was then sent off in the final minutes of the game, despite only coming on in the 61st minute, after receiving two yellow cards in the 88th and 93rd minute. Villa now sit fourth in the Premier League on 17 points, and a large part of that is the excellent form of Youri Tielemans.

Youri Tielemans' performance

The 27-year-old has started the season in fine form, now making ten appearances, scoring one goal, providing three assists, and totaling 891 minutes played. The Belgian has formed a brilliant partnership in midfield with international teammate, and new signing, Amadou Onana, providing Unai Emery’s side with brilliant balance.

And Tielemans shone once again, making 62/68 passes (91% completion), four key passes, 4/5 long balls, getting his assist, and winning 5/8 of his ground duels, showing his ability to contribute on both sides of the ball.

Stat

Tielemans

Minutes

90

Assists

1

Touches

92

Accurate Passes

62/68

Key Passes

4

Crosses

3/10

Long Balls

4/5

Dribbles Completed

1/1

Ground Duels Won

5/8

Aerial Duels Won

1/1

Tackles

2

The form of the Belgian duo is keeping some talented names out of Emery’s first XI, with Ross Barkley, Boubacar Kamara, and even John McGinn on the bench against Fulham. Whilst Barkley and Kamara are slightly more likely to be affected by the form of that double pivot, McGinn can play a number of positions, so the fact he is missing out is down to the form of another Villa star, in the shape of Rogers.

Morgan Rogers' performance

Rogers was given an 8/10 match rating by BirminghamMail for his performance against Fulham, which included his 2nd goal of the season.

The 22-year-old has made ten appearances for Villa in all competitions this campaign, scoring two goals, and providing two assists so far.

The English attacking midfielder took three shots in the game, scoring a goal, providing one key pass, and completing his only attempted dribble (100% success rate) during the game.

Rogers’ persistence to make things happen in the final third for Villa, driving them forward, and looking to create for himself and others, has been a breath of fresh air this season for the fans, which is why he was just as good as Tielemans on Saturday.

If the form of Tielemans and Rogers, who scored his first goal of the campaign against Ipswich in the clip above, can continue, along with many others such as Watkins, Jhon Duran, and Martinez, Villa could be in good stead to challenge for the top four again.

All four teams in tier 1 now have one win each

Mohammad Isam03-Nov-2021All four teams in tier 1 of National Cricket League 2021-22 now have one win each. Khulna Division was the latest to win, when they trounced Dhaka Division by an innings and 27 runs at the Sylhet Academy ground.Earlier in the day, Rangpur Division beat Sylhet Division by six wickets in the adjacent Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, where Enamul Haque Jr became the second Bangladeshi bowler to take 500 first-class wickets.Best batters
Nahidul Islam’s maiden first-class century set up Khulna’s big win. Having played 31 matches in seven years, Nahidul is more known for his T20 exploits in the BPL. Here, he hammered 12 fours and six sixes in his 175, helping Khulna to 419 in the first innings.Amite Hasan got his second first-class century when he made 170 not out against Rangpur. The 20-year-old struck 17 fours in his 385-ball knock during which he spend more than eight hours at the crease, but it couldn’t help Sylhet prevent the loss.Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque struck centuries for Chattgoram Division against Dhaka Metropolis, with the pair adding 208 runs for the third wicket. Joy made 112 with nine fours while Mominul struck 11 fours in his 103. Dhaka Metro’s Shadman Islam also made 132 off 228 balls, hitting 17 fours and a six.Sohag Gazi, playing for Barishal Division, slammed five fours and ten sixes in his 95-ball 113, before veteran Farhad Hossain made an unbeaten 108 for Rajshahi Division in their drawn tier-2 encounter.Best bowlers
Rangpur’s opening pair of Robiul Haque and Mukidul Islam took seven wickets each in the game to help their side to the win. But it was Enamul who stole the limelight when he took his career tally to 500 wickets when he had Jahid Javed caught behind on the fourth day. Only Abdur Razzak, who retired earlier this year, has more first-class wickets (634) for Bangladesh.Taijul Islam, meanwhile, picked up his sixth ten-wicket haul, when he took 10 for 220 against Barisal. Monir Hossain also took a five-wicket haul in the same game.Mehidy Hasan Miraz had a good outing against Dhaka Division, taking 6 for 41 in the second innings to go with his 67. Raihanuddin also registered a match-haul of 9 for 154 in the same game.Best match
Khulna, who won the last completed NCL in 2019, picked up their first win this season against Dhaka Division. Batting first, Khulna posted 419 all out with Nahidul’s career-best 175. Dhaka were 162 for two in reply but were shot out for 231. Asked to follow on, Dhaka dragged the game into the fourth day but Miraz’s six-wicket haul dashed their hopes, as they were bowled out for 161.Points to ponder
Rangpur are on top of tier-1’s points table with 15.89, followed by Khulna (13.75) and Dhaka (13.63). Barisal lead tier-2 with 16.9 points.Players to watch
Among those who will be involved in the Pakistan Tests later this month, Mominul, Shadman, Taijul and Miraz all performed very well in this round. Allrounders Nahidul and Gazi struck centuries too.

Manchester United fan Luke Littler believes his beloved team can still win a trophy this season despite a torrid campaign so far.

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The 2025 PDC World Championship winner has backed the Red Devils to lift the Europa League trophy this season, while also discussing the positives and negatives of playing in the competition next term.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT LUKE LITTLER SAID

He told : "I think if we get Europe it’s a good thing, but if we don’t it’s a good thing too. You’ve seen the likes of Chelsea do really well with no European football, so if United don’t get it this season they will be really fresh because they won’t have to play as many midweek games. I do have high hopes for us in the Europa League this season, though. I think we can win it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ruben Amorim's side sit 13th in the Premier League and are well off the pace in the hunt for European football in 2025-26. However, they can still play on the European stage next term if they either win the Europa League or FA Cup in the coming months.

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United will hope to progress to round five of the FA Cup when they host Leicester City on Friday night.

South Africa play the second game on Saturday and will know what they need to qualify

S Rajesh04-Nov-2021Australia’s stunning victory against Bangladesh, with 82 balls to spare, has completely turned around the net-run-rate story in Group 1. With West Indies knocked out, it is now a straight race between Australia and South Africa for the second semi-final spot. Here is a look at what they need to do in their final games to qualify.Australia
South Africa
From -0.627, Australia’s net run rate has jumped up to 1.031, thanks to their ridiculously one-sided win against Bangladesh. This means they are now the frontrunners to take the second spot in the group: South Africa, who are also on six points, have an NRR of 0.742 and have table-toppers England to negotiate in their last match, while Australia take on West Indies, which should surely be an easier proposition.Australia will be through if they beat West Indies and if England beat South Africa. If Australia lose their last game and South Africa win theirs, then South Africa will qualify as the second team.If both Australia and South Africa lose and remain on six points, then the defeat margins will determine which team ends up with a higher NRR: if Australia, chasing 161, lose by 20 runs, then South Africa can lose by no more than three runs (chasing 161) to be ahead of Australia on run rate. If Australia score 160 and win by 10 runs, South Africa will have to win by at least 32 runs (with the same score) to finish with a better NRR than Australia. Since South Africa play the second game on Saturday, they will know what they need to do to qualify.While Australia’s NRR has improved significantly, England still remain firm favourites to top the group. Even if Australia beat West Indies by 100 runs, they will need England to lose by around 43 runs to top the group.

Rangers have received a big boost regarding their current injury situation, with Light Blues boss Philippe Clement providing a key update on a 23-year-old “fighter”.

Injury problems hampering Rangers

The Gers return to Scottish Premiership action on Sunday lunchtime, making the trip to Kilmarnock ahead of what feels like a must-win clash for Clement’s side.

It has been an adequate start to the season for Rangers, but a far from perfect one, allowing Celtic and Aberdeen to gain an advantage at the top of the league table, while Champions League elimination at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv has already come their way.

One thing that has played a part in the Scottish giants not always hitting top gear is injuries, with Clement having to make do with numerous key players throughout this season. The likes of Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Ross McCausland are among those struggling with fitness issues.

Having a fully fit squad could make such a difference for Rangers, handing them stability while also giving them more opportunities to rotate – and a positive update has now emerged about the situation.

Rangers given injury boost

Speaking ahead of the weekend clash with Kilmarnock, Rangers manager Clement said that Yilmaz should return to training “next week”, also giving an update on other players:

“Hagi is suspended. Cortes will be out for several weeks. Ridvan I expect back in training next week, Matondo later on next week or the following week. Danilo is back training with the squad – we will see how fit he is for the weekend.”

This is welcome news regarding Yilmaz, and others for that matter, with the left-back limited to just two starts in the Scottish Premiership so far this season. His last appearance came against Dynamo Kyiv back in August, with his two-month absence a big blow for Clement.

His 2023/24 stats for Rangers show that he averaged 1.5 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game across 26 league appearances last season – ranking third and first respectively within the Gers squad – showing his attacking quality.

The £12,000-a-week Turkey international has been hailed as a “fighter” by Clement, while Barry Ferguson said of him last season: “The little man has made a huge impression ever since the winter break and has nailed down the left-back berth for himself.”

However, it is important that Yilmaz is eased back into the fold rather than rushed back in, with his lengthy absence potentially meaning he may take time to get back to his sharpest form.

If he can get fully fit and back in the team by the end of the month, it will be fantastic news for Rangers, providing Clement with more depth and giving sterner competition to the likes of Jefte and Dujon Sterling.

Clement could move on from Hagi by unleashing "exciting" Rangers teen

Rangers will be without the Romania international for their next three Premiership games.

ByDan Emery Oct 19, 2024

Yilmaz is still a young player with so much to offer for the Gers, so the hope is that this latest absence is his last injury setback for a while, allowing him to excel as his side’s first-choice left-back.