Silverwood says seam duo are “fit and ready to go” ahead of Adelaide’s pink-ball fixture

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2021Stuart Broad and James Anderson are in line for selection in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide, with England head coach Chris Silverwood declaring that the pair are “fit and ready to go”.The omission of the vastly experienced seam-bowling duo from the series opener at the Gabba raised eyebrows even before Australia romped to a nine-wicket victory inside four days, and selection was a predictable focus of the post-match wash-up.And while he did not confirm any selections for the day-night Test starting on Thursday, Silverwood backed Broad’s assertion earlier in the day that they would be well prepared, having started training with the pink ball in the Brisbane nets as soon as their omission from the first Test was apparent.Related

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“Jimmy will be fit and ready to go for the second Test, as will Stuart,” Silverwood said on Sunday ahead of the team’s planned departure from Brisbane on Monday. “They are available. Certainly, from an experience point of view, with the bowlers we’ve got heaps of experience so I’m happy with that.”The guys have already been training with the pink ball behind the scenes. And what we have got is a very skilful set of bowlers. We have talent and we still have two of the best up our sleeve as well.”The decision to leave Anderson out of the first Test emerged on the eve of the match, with the ECB saying it was not injury related but aimed at managing him ahead of the day-night fixture in Adelaide. Broad’s omission was more of a surprise on match-day morning when England opted for spinner Jack Leach instead, a call which came in for more criticism after Leach’s return of 1 for 102 in 13 overs.Broad, who hasn’t played since tearing his calf in August, wrote in his Mail On Sunday column that he believed he would only have been chosen in a five-man seam attack at the Gabba. While disappointed, he believed it would be inappropriate to “kick up a stink” over his non-selection, having publicly questioned his omission for the first Test against West Indies in Southampton in July 2020.”Stuart has been great, to be honest,” Silverwood said. “Obviously he was disappointed not to be playing but he understood that this is a long series.”Everybody will put their hand up to do the hard work out there and he is ready to do that now. We had good conversations with Stuart before any decisions were made and he was 100 per cent on board.”I’ve not told anyone they are playing yet. We will have some sore bodies from this Test and we’ll make decisions from there.”Australia also have some decisions to make at the selection table with Josh Hazlewood flying to Sydney nursing a side strain, although Cricket Australia have said he hasn’t been ruled out of the Adelaide Test yet. David Warner is also being monitored for a rib injury after being struck by a Ben Stokes short ball in Brisbane.Silverwood said his team were looking ahead, rather than dwelling on their disappointing showing in the first Test, which was characterised by twin batting collapses and some sloppy fielding.”We had a good chat in the dressing-room after,” he said. “There are obvious areas we need to improve on, such as holding our catches and building big partnerships.”Obviously they were hurting, but there is belief they can win this series. We have been in this position before. We have gone 1-0 down and then bounced back. We have the players here that can match the Australians. The confidence is there that we can compete with Australia, and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”

Tottenham transfer chiefs are now considering a January deal for one “class” Real Madrid player in January, who also dazzled at Euro 2024 for his country.

Spurs prepare for Galatasaray trip after 4-1 win over Aston Villa

A good last seven days for Spurs was complemented by Ange Postecoglou’s side securing a statement 4-1 win at home to Premier League top four rivals Aston Villa on Sunday, with Dominic Solanke’s brace, a late goal by James Maddison and Brennan Johnson’s equaliser putting Unai Emery to the sword.

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The Lilywhites also knocked English champions Man City out of the Carabao Cup a few days prior, so Postecoglou will be hoping for a similar week, as the Australian looks to beat Victor Osimhen’s Galatasaray in the Europa League and newly-promoted Ipswich Town this weekend.

Tottenham vs Ipswich Town

November 10

Man City vs Tottenham

November 23

Tottenham vs Fulham

December 1

Bournemouth vs Tottenham

December 5

Tottenham vs Chelsea

December 8

However, as we’ve recently seen, things are rarely straightforward where Spurs are concerned.

Their 3-2 slump at Brighton, where they squandered a two-goal lead at half-time, and defeat to lowly Crystal Palace highlights that they are still pretty vulnerable on their worst days – and that is something Postecoglou needs to rectify if they’re going to make good on his promise of silverware this season.

Off the field, Tottenham’s wider recruitment team could assist in the transition from European qualification contenders to genuine title challengers. The north Londoners reportedly have plans for January, with Espanyol winger Javi Puado among the transfer targets at Spurs as Postecoglou seeks new attackers.

Amid uncertainty surrounding Timo Werner, who has been criticised for his wasteful finishing in front of goal, there are suggestions that Tottenham are pushing their recruitment team to look at new forwards ahead of 2025.

The German scored his first goal since March in their win over City last week, which tells the entire story, with Werner consistently finding himself in good positions to score but failing more often than not.

Another attacking option or two, who could alternate with Werner, may be an option seriously worth considering in the winter.

Tottenham considering January deal for Arda Guler

According to reports out of Spain this week, Real Madrid starlet Arda Guler, who’s struggled for game time under Carlo Ancelotti, is on their agenda for January.

The Turkey international starred for his country at the Euros, helping them to an unlikely quarter-final run, and his quality hasn’t gone unnoticed at N17. It is believed Tottenham are considering a January deal for Guler, and he could join them on loan, as the Galacticos consider whether to let him go on a temporary deal to further his development.

It could be a doable transfer for Spurs, and it isn’t lost on pundits just how Guler can shine on his day. Called “exceptional” by Jose Mourinho, TNT Sports Commentator Ian Darke also weighed in recently – saying he would be a “fantastic” signing for Postecoglou.

“Guler would be a fantastic pickup for Tottenham – he’s a very good young player. He just can’t get in the Real Madrid side because they’ve got Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Mbappe,” Darke explained.

“He shone at the Euros and he’ll be frustrated that he doesn’t get on the pitch very much at all. I see Real Madrid a lot. But whether they’d let him go in January, I’m not sure. Once they clinched the title last season they gave him a run of games, and he interestingly came up with a flurry of goals. If you’re talking about signing some class, he’s definitely that.”

حقق منتخب تونس فوزًا هامًا على ليبيريا بهدف نظيف، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء اليوم ضمن منافسات تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

وحل منتخب تونس ضيفًا على منتخب ليبيريا، على ملعب “صامويل كانيون دو”، في خضم منافسات الجولة الرابعة من عمر تصفيات إفريقيا لنهائيات كأس العام 2026.

ويتواجد منتخب تونس في المجموعة الثامنة، التي تضم إلى جواره منتخبات غينيا الاستوائية وناميبيا وليبيريا ومالاوي وساوتومي.

طالع | في مؤتمر تقديمه.. سامي الطرابلسي: سأرحل عن تدريب تونس في حالة واحدة

وجاء هدف فوز تونس عن طريق حازم مستوري، في الدقيقة 5 من عمر المباراة، بعد تلقيه تمريرة عرضية حولها بتصويبة قوية في المرمى. هدف فوز تونس على ليبيريا في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

د 4″ الهدف الأول للمنتخب التونسي ⚽️

ليبيريا 0 × 1 تونس#التصفيات_الأفريقية#ليبيريا_تونس⁩ | ⁦#SSC pic.twitter.com/vQSnbN8pqp — SSC (@ssc_sports) March 19, 2025

وبهذه النتيجة واصل منتخب تونس صدارة ترتيب المجموعة الثامنة من التصفيات المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026، برصيد 13 نقطة من الفوز في 4 لقاءات وتعادل بمباراة واحدة.

بينما تجمد رصيد ليبيريا عند 7 نقاط في المركز الثالث بجدول ترتيب المجموعة من الفوز بمباراتين والتعادل مرة واحدة وتلقى هزيمتين.

Despite returning to form in recent weeks, it’s not all good news for Eddie Howe and Newcastle United, who have been dealt another injury blow in what is already a squad which lacks strength in depth.

Newcastle injury news

The Magpies were slow out of the blocks, but have since returned to winning ways at the same time that Alexander Isak has returned to the scoresheet in no coincidence. The Swede has helped fire Howe’s side to recent victories over both Arsenal and high-flying Nottingham Forest even as doubts emerge over his long-term future at St James’ Park.

Losing a player of Isak’s quality is not something that Howe will want to think about. Those at St James’ Park already got a glimpse of life without their star striker earlier in the campaign when Anthony Gordon was forced to lead the line to little success compared to his teammate.

Isak’s earlier injury is one of several that Newcastle have already had to deal with in the current campaign. As things stand, they’re still without Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier and now one other versatile defender following the latest injury news.

As reported by The Shields Gazette, Emil Krafth is now set to miss multiple Newcastle games through injury after suffering a broken collarbone in the build-up to victory over Nottingham Forest. The ill-timed blow has seen the defender pull out of international duty with Sweden and could keep him sidelined until 2025.

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With Sven Botman not expected back until the new year, Newcastle once again find themselves short on numbers defensively, creating only more regret over their failure to sign Marc Guehi in the summer. Nonetheless, Howe must now turn towards the likes of Lloyd Kelly to step up against West Ham United after the international break.

Newcastle paying the price for summer failure

Squad depth was an issue for Newcastle last season, but the summer transfer window gave them ample opportunity to solve that problem even amid profit and sustainability concerns. Instead, their full focus remained on Guehi, who they failed to sign before settling for the options they now find themselves juggling. The January transfer window simply must end differently.

In the meantime, Howe must cope without a player whose versatility has become more and more important at St James’ Park. Krafth’s ability to play both centre-back and right-back has been invaluable throughout injuries to Jamaal Lascelles and Botman, but now Newcastle must come up with a different solution.

Howe has rightly been full of praise for the Swede, telling reporters as relayed by The Shields Gazette earlier this month: “Krafu maybe originated from some of our players in the squad and maybe one of the coaches as well adopted many nicknames for Krafty.

“He’s such an unassuming, brilliant professional, very hard working and so dependable. When you meet him, you see that solid character and also a very, very good player. Probably very underrated by the outside world.

“Internally we love him, we all see his qualities. He can play multiple positions for us and this year he’s been brilliant at centre-half and at full-back. I always say it’s really important to have players like that.”

Manchester United’s miserable run of form continued on Sunday afternoon with a controversial 2-1 defeat away to struggling West Ham United.

Erik ten Hag’s side might count themselves unlucky not to come away with a result, but they now find themselves 14th in the Premier League with just 11 points on the board.

United dominated the first 45 minutes but did not manage to find the back of the net. They came close on several occasions, with Diogo Dalot missing one of the easiest chances imaginable, firing over the bar when he had an open net to aim for.

In the second half, the momentum completely swung. After a dominant first period from the Red Devils, it was Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers who were on top.

Their pressure paid off, and Crysencio Summerville gave them the lead in the 74th minute. United fought back, and Casemiro equalised just seven minutes later.

However, with moments left on the clock, the home side were awarded a penalty after Danny Ings was deemed to be kicked over by Matthijs de Ligt. It was a controversial call, but meant West Ham got all three points after Jarrod Bowen slotted home the winner from the spot.

On a disappointing day in East London for United, there were some players who particularly struggled, including Alejandro Garnacho.

Garnacho’s stats vs. West Ham

Making his 100th senior appearance for the famous club, Garnacho had a day to forget at the London Stadium. Although he was involved in the game throughout, he missed some crucial chances and lost the ball for the Hammers’ opener.

The first of those misses came a matter of minutes into the game. Bruno Fernandes won the ball for United and squared it to his Argentine teammate in the penalty box, who proceeded to rattle the crossbar. He also fired a shot wide moments later, which he had looked to bend into the far right corner from the left-hand side of the box.

Indeed, the 20-year-old received a rating of just 5/10 for his performance at the London Stadium. Goal journalist Richard Martin described the youngster’s performance as ‘lively but really wasteful’.

His stats after the game confirmed how frustrating an afternoon it was for United’s number 17. Garnacho had 60 touches of the ball, but lost possession 16 times and missed one big chance. Off the ball, he won just one of his three attempted ground duels.

It was certainly a disappointing day for the young winger, and he was not the only one of the attackers who struggled. Rasmus Hojlund also had a tough day at the office.

Hojlund’s stats vs. West Ham

After being slowly eased back into action following injury by United boss Ten Hag, Hojlund hit the ground running with goals against Porto and Brentford. However, it was a different story at the London Stadium.

The young Danish striker barely got a kick against West Ham. Although United managed to create so many chances, his involvement was few and far between, and the one big chance he did get, which he did well to fashion out in the first place, was well saved by Lukasz Fabianski.

It was not an easy afternoon for United’s number nine, as his post-match stats suggest. Hojlund had just 26 touches, fewer than Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana, who had 40. Hojlund lost the ball six times and won just three of his five duels.

Touches

26

Pass accuracy

88%

Passes completed

15/17

Duels won

3/5

Number of times possession lost

6

Shots on target

2

Following the game, the striker received a rating of just 4/10 from Martin. He explained that the youngster ‘barely got a sniff’ against a West Ham defence who have had their frailties this season, to say the least.

United will be hoping to get Hojlund more involved in his next outing, with the side in desperate need of goals and wins as they look to pick up the momentum following a poor season so far.

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Premier League scouts have been sent to watch a Sunderland “diamond” in action several times, according to a new update regarding his future.

Sunderland excelling under Le Bris

Black Cats couldn’t have asked for a much better start to life under Regis Le Bris, with the new manager coming in and making his side strong Championship promotion candidates, putting together a great run of form with an exciting group of young players.

Granted, it is still early in the season and things can change very quickly in such an unpredictable league, but everything points towards Sunderland being right in the mix when the business end of the campaign arrives.

The Black Cats sit top of the Championship table by three points heading into the weekend action, with Wednesday’s 2-1 win away to Luton Town arguably one of their most impressive results of the season to date.

Next up for Sunderland is the visit of Oxford United on Saturday afternoon, which supporters should rightly see as another great opportunity to get more points on the board.

Scouts sent to watch Sunderland "diamond"

According to a new report from Caught Offside, scouts from Chelsea and Manchester United have been to watch Sunderland star Chris Rigg in action.

The two Premier League giants have been “closely monitoring the attacking midfielder’s development” and have even been present at three different matches, against Leeds United, Hull City and Luton Town. It is also stated that Brighton, Arsenal and Wolves are also “keeping an eye on the talented teen”.

While this level of interest in Rigg comes as no great shock, considering what a prodigious talent he is, it doesn’t make the idea of losing him soon any easier to accept for Sunderland fans.

The 17-year-old is a special talent who has already made such an impact at the Stadium of Light, playing a massive part in his side topping the table, scoring three goals this season, one of which came at Luton in midweek. Meanwhile, former coach Steven Richardson has waxed lyrical over the teenage midfielder’s ability.

“To have a player like that – Sunderland have got an absolute diamond. He’s never not going to try. He’s always going to give everything until he can’t give anymore. He could probably play 100 to 180 minutes, I said before he’s like a Duracell bunny but he’s controlled with it as well. He’ll play his position and do his job. The other thing is, he knows exactly what everyone else should be doing as well.”

Even the most optimistic Sunderland supporter will be aware that Rigg’s future is likely to lie away from the club, with his talent meriting playing the Champions League over time, but the hope is that he feels staying put for the time being is best for his development.

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While the lure of playing for one of the biggest teams in the country is clearly great, he may not earn as much playing time there currently, potentially stunting his growth. Earning promotion to the Premier League this season would certainly do the Black Cats’ chance of retaining his services no harm whatsoever.

The unpredictable nature of Tottenham Hotspur’s form this season continues to be a problem for Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian’s side dismantled an incredibly talented Aston Villa outfit last Sunday, but fell to a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray during the week and lost to Ipswich Town on the weekend.

The Tractor Boys were still without a Premier League victory heading into the game, and while they have some talented players in their side, they were massive underdogs.

Spurs’ recent form

Date

Competition

Opponent

Result

November 10th

Premier League

Ipswich Town

2-1 (L)

November 7th

Europa League

Galatasaray

32 (L)

November 3rd

Premier League

Aston Villa (H)

4-1 (W)

October 30th

League Cup

Manchester City (H)

2-1 (W)

October 27th

Premier League

Crystal Palace (A)

1-0 (L)

All Stats via Sky Sports

Yet, the North Londoners managed to fall apart totally, and while there were plenty of poor performances across the board, one player once again stood out for the wrong reasons, a player who has become a real liability this season: Radu Dragusin.

Dragusin's dreadful form

Yes, arguably the worst player on the pitch yesterday afternoon was Romanian centre-back Dragusin, and while a poor performance here or there is forgivable, it’s not been just one bad performance from the 22-year-old this year.

He’s made nine appearances for the team so far, and while he did look quite good against Villa and Manchester City, he’s generally looked out of his depth in defence.

For example, Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarded the defender just a 3/10 match rating for his performance on Sunday, a 3/10 for his display against Galatasaray during the week, and a paltry 6/10 against Championship side Coventry City in September.

Moreover, he started in the defeat to Newcastle United earlier in the season and got himself sent off early in the game against Qarabağ, only for his teammates to save his skin by taking their chances in front of goal.

Lastly, his underlying numbers aren’t all that impressive, with FBref ranking him in just the top 41% of centre-backs across Europe’s top five leagues for blocks, the top 43% for clearances, the top 45% for interceptions, the bottom 42% for passes completed and the bottom 13% for tackles, all per 90.

In all, the former Genoa ace isn’t doing enough to justify his position as Postecoglou’s third-choice centre-back, but the good news is that recent reports have linked the North Londoners with someone who could be the dream upgrade.

Spurs' dream Dragusin upgrade

Now, there are plenty of promising defenders out there at the moment, but according to a report from the Boot Room late last week, Spurs are incredibly keen on Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande.

The report claims that the North Londoners see the 20-year-old as a potential long-term replacement for Cristian Romero should the Argentine leave the club in the near future.

However, given the interest from other top teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, confirmed in the story, they’d do well to act on their interest as soon as possible, regardless of what happens to Romero, as the Ivorian could replace Dragusin instead.

That said, it’s a move that would cost Daniel Levy and Co a pretty penny, as according to the report, the “immense” centre-back, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has a release clause of £68m. While that’s a seriously significant amount, it could prove value for money down the line.

For example, despite being so young, the Abidjan-born titan has made 69 appearances for the Portuguese giants and played a crucial role in their league triumph last season.

Moreover, the 6 foot 3 “leader”, as dubbed by Portuguese football writer Kevin Fernandes, has become a crucial member of the Côte d’Ivoire national team, earning eight senior caps so far and starting two games in their Africa Cup of Nations winning campaign this year.

Lastly, when we directly compare the former Midtjylland prospect’s underlying numbers to Dragusin’s, there is only one winner.

Diomande vs Dragusin

Statistics per 90

Diomande

Dragusin

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.10

0.01

Progressive Passes

2.39

4.19

Passing Accuracy

95%

87%

Shot-Creating Actions

1.13

0.00

Goal-Creating Actions

0.23

0.00

Tackles

1.48

0.65

Tackles Won

0.80

0.00

Blocks

0.34

1.29

Interceptions

1.02

0.97

Errors Leading to a Shot

0.11

0.65

Ball Recoveries

5.57

3.23

Aerial Duels Won

3.52

2.90

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

For example, while the Sporting ace comes out second best in a couple of metrics such as progressive passes and blocks, he comes out way ahead in most others, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, passing accuracy, shot and goal-creating actions, tackles and tackles won, interceptions, errors leading to a shot, ball recoveries and aerial duels won, all per 90.

Ultimately, Dragusin has shown his talent in glimpses, but it is clear that he’s not up to the standard Spurs or Postecoglou require. Therefore, Levy and Co should do what they can to sign Diomande in 2025 before someone else does.

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Everton once had a talent, and his name was Ross Barkley. He was the very embodiment of Goodison Park, a homegrown hero with quality to fit.

Barkley has led a wandering career with plenty of peaks and valleys, but his time on Merseyside will always be remembered fondly, even if he did leave to join Premier League rivals Chelsea in a deal worth £15m plus add-ons.

Everton

179

27

25

Chelsea

100

12

11

Luton Town

37

5

6

Aston Villa

36

4

2

OGC Nice

28

4

2

Sheffield Wednesday

13

4

0

Leeds United

4

0

1

So began the interminable years of inconsistency and fallen expectations. The England international’s move to Stamford Bridge did not go to plan, but he left in 2022 to try his hand in France with OGC Nice, before moving back to his homeland and making quite the impression with newly-promoted Luton Town.

So began the resurgence.

Ross Barkley's return to English football

Luton might have fallen straight back into the second tier last season but they gave a very good account of themselves, and Barkley was the centrepiece, even said to be “not far off player of the season” by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson.

He started 30 Premier League fixtures for the Hatters and made quite the impression, with his metrics highlighting the robust and dynamic nature of the craft.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, Barkley averaged 1.5 tackles, 2.1 dribbles, 6.3 ball recoveries 6.1 successful duels and 1.4 key passes per game.

Looking at his performance level from another angle, the nomadic player also ranked among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 16% for assists, the top 15% for shot-creating actions and the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Now, the 30-year-old is back at Villa Park, and this time for good. An industrious and multi-faceted midfield star, he’d be just what Sean Dyche’s side need at present, battling as they are against relegation.

Oh, how Everton must wish they could have enticed him back to his home city, and how they must regret failing to nurture the perfect successor, with Kieran Dowell looking like the next version of Barkley at one stage.

Everton fumbled their next version of Ross Barkley

Everton have suffered their fair share of transfer mishaps over the years, but efforts were exhausted in eking out Dowell’s talents and sadly, he simply wasn’t able to bring about the requisite level for a nailed-down role in the Merseysiders’ first-team squad.

Now plying his trade for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, the 27-year-old Dowell has enjoyed a good career; he hasn’t fallen by the wayside. Still, success at Everton was not something that he achieved, even though the attacking midfielder had once been viewed among the club’s prized talents.

Dowell joined Everton in 2005 when he was a youth seeking to go beyond that nascent level of football and realise a dream carried by incalculable children across the globe.

And he succeeded in reaching the top, breaking into Everton’s senior system and starring during pre-season preparations, learning across several loan spells designed to inculcate within him the many facets needed to become a first-class player.

Dowell actually played five competitive matches for the Toffees, though this does stand as the fewest appearances for any side that he has performed for across the duration of his career so far.

His ability to collect and turn, weave into space and rifle a strike beyond a hopeless goalkeeper had led to a measure of fanfare, with his short-term stint with Nottingham Forest across the 2017/18 campaign particularly eye-catching, as was the strike you can see just above.

This expectation was heightened – though, in hindsight, more apt wording would be ‘compounded’ – through previous claims, via talkSPORT in this instance, that Dowell was set to be Everton’s latest version of Barkley, for they operated across similar parameters and both carried dribbling prowess and excellent ball-shooting skills.

First Impressions

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Such potential was echoed through former Tricky Trees boss Aitor Karanka, who said that he was “sure that he will be an amazing player in the future because he has everything. He is powerful, he has technique, he is a good kid.”

Indeed, Dowell’s successful stint with Forest proved to be his most productive, which is hardly beneficial when considering it was the first of four terms away with other sides.

In 2020, having stepped out of the maiden stage of his career, it was patent that Dowell was not going to find a role of any significance at Goodison Park, and so he was sold to Norwich City in a deal worth only £1.5m.

This was two-and-a-half years after Barkley had left for Chelsea, and so Dowell truly had plenty of time to prove himself worthy as the Blues home hero’s successor.

For a player who was tipped to follow Barkley and Rooney to the limelight at Everton, Dowell must look back on his time with the club ruefully. The ability was certainly there, but perhaps he was a fortune of the chequered fortunes that can breed from numerous loan spells that make it difficult at a young age to form a flowing line of consistency.

Presently, Everton await the next top-talented forward to emerge from their academy. It could have been Dowell, but ultimately, it’s one that fans will have turned their emotions away from for much time by now.

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Mohamed Salah has begun the war of words ahead of Liverpool's trip to Man City by claiming Erling Haaland has an 'easy' life.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Liverpool head to Man City on Sunday
• Salah begins a war of words
• Claims Haaland has 'easy' life

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Salah was describing the differences between playing upfront and on the wing when he made the comparison. In an interview with Sky Germany, he claimed that scoring goals is "easier" for Haaland as he plays down the middle.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Salah and Haaland are competing for the Premier League Golden Boot, with the Liverpool forward pulling clear in recent weeks. He has 24 goals in the league this season, with Haaland five goals behind on 19.

• WHAT SALAH SAID

  Salah said: "I respect him a lot. We may have only spoken once after the last game. But he's a striker, so his life is easier. I wish him all the best, of course. But his life is easy because he plays as a striker. As a winger, getting that kind of quota is pretty difficult. Any winger can tell you that. That's why I see it differently between us, because he's a striker and I'm a winger."

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• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR SALAH?

  Salah will be aiming to inspire his side to victory at the Etihad on Sunday, with a win at least preserving their seven-point lead at the top of the table. Should he score, he would also improve his Golden Boot prospects.

They will replace two other Englishmen Harry Brook and Jordan Thompson for Hurricanes’ season opener

Matt Roller07-Dec-2021

Jordan Cox was the player of the final in the most recent T20 Blast season•PA Images/Getty

Jordan Cox and Tom Lammonby have become the latest county cricketers to sign up for the BBL, taking the tally of England players involved in this season’s competition to 17.Cox and Lammonby have both been in Sydney playing grade cricket and have been called up at short notice to Hobart Hurricanes’ squad for their season opener against Sydney Sixers in Launceston on Wednesday night.They will replace two other Englishmen in the Hurricanes’ squad, with Yorkshire’s Harry Brook and Jordan Thompson both unavailable. Brook was always due to miss the start of the season due to his involvement in England Lions’ fixture against Australia A on Thursday, while Thompson was identified as a close contact of a Covid-19 case and has been rendered unavailable despite testing negative himself.Both players are like-for-like replacements. Cox, a middle-order batter, starred for Kent with the bat and in the field during their title-winning T20 Blast season, winning the Player-of-the-match award in the final, while Lammonby has impressed as a finisher for Somerset and Manchester Originals. They have been playing for Mosman and Manly respectively, using their Australian passports.Hurricanes will also miss Scott Boland (Australia A), Ben McDermott (groin), Riley Meredith (hamstring) and Mitchell Owen (side strain) for their season opener but have Matthew Wade available as captain after he suffered a side injury in the latter stages of the T20 World Cup. Tasmania spinner Tom Andrews has signed as a short-term replacement for Boland.