After the sale of Jacob Ramsey handed them some wriggle room on the PSR front, Aston Villa are now reportedly eyeing a fresh approach to sign a player who Unai Emery loves.
Emery "accepts" PSR rules in frustrating summer
Aston Villa were finally forced to face their PSR concerns and sell an important member of Emery’s squad in Jacob Ramsey. The academy graduate completed a move to Newcastle United, who are likely to compete with Aston Villa for a place in the top six this season. It’s a move that needed to happen financially, but one that captain John McGinn has already aired his frustration about.
As frustrating as Ramsey’s sale will be for all involved at Villa Park, however, Emery has “accepted” PSR rules and reiterated the pride that he has in his side.
The Spaniard told reporters: “No, I’m not frustrated. I accept the rules, I accept where we are and how we are competing and how we are being ambitious in our capacity to compete with the better teams in the Premier League and in Europe.”
“I think you have to be proud of everything we are doing. But of course, everything we did for me is done now, we have to do it again and again and again and it’s starting again for me to beat these teams and to build, through the result, good performances and try to get our title we have.”
Meanwhile, what Ramsey’s departure has done is hand Villa some room to make some moves of their own, which could yet see them welcome a Premier League rival this month.
Aston Villa eyeing Jackson loan deal
Whilst they’re in no position to match his €60m (£52m) price tag, those at Villa Park could yet bypass FFP rules in a fresh approach to welcome Nicolas Jackson this summer. According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Aston Villa are now eyeing a loan deal to sign Jackson after he was dropped by Chelsea following their own impressive additions.
Emery is reportedly a huge admirer of Jackson, who worked under the Villa boss during their time together at Villarreal, and may yet get the chance to strike a reunion before the transfer window slams shut.
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Dubbed “confident” by former Chelsea and Aston Villa midfielder Joe Cole last season, Jackson could have the perfect opportunity to leave his Stamford Bridge woes behind, courtesy of those in the Midlands.
The part-time offspinner claimed the wicket of Pant early in the final session and the home side then surged
Andrew McGlashan30-Dec-20243:17
Cummins: ‘One of the best Tests I’ve been part of’
Travis Head has broken Indian hearts a few times with the bat, but at the MCG he claimed the wicket which gave Australia an opening for their dramatic final-session surge, although captain Pat Cummins revealed he was partly being used to help improve the over rate.Head and Nathan Lyon sped through their overs after tea when India began the session just three down and Head managed to snare Rishabh Pant with a long hop that was pulled to wide long-on. Australia went on to claim seven wickets in 21 overs to secure victory early in the final hour on day five.Slow over rates can lead to points deductions in the World Test Championship [WTC] and defending champions Australia, who paid the price for such penalties in the inaugural cycle, were lagging for most of the game. It has yet to be confirmed if they had caught up by the end of the match. Australia are bidding to join South Africa in the WTC final at Lord’s and can secure their spot with victory in Sydney.Related
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“He’s got a bit of a Midas touch,” Cummins said of Head’s bowling at the presentation. “I’ll give the coach credit for that one [bringing him on]. Also, we were a bit behind on the over rate, so we thought, get Trav in there, [he] might get a breakthrough and help us out with some overs.”Head referenced his lean returns with the bat in this Test, where he made 0 and 1, having scored centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane when asked about his key contribution.”I’ve had four-and-a-half days off, didn’t feature, thought I’d watch the boys bat this week,” he told the host broadcaster. “And nice to contribute. I got told I was bowling [at tea], wasn’t too pleased about things. We are a pretty relaxed group, [we] don’t change too much, we knew what we had to do. Pat and Ronnie [head coach Andrew McDonald] come up with the plans, had a chat and we were able to go out and execute it.”It [the Test] ebbed and flowed throughout the five days and [was] probably one of the best Test matches I’ve been involved in. No matter what the result was going to be, two teams went at it pretty hard. There were moments where both teams stepped up, moments where they fought and it’s just nice we’ve been able to come out with the win. It’s been a long five days.”When asked about plans for Pant specifically, Head joked. “Bowl a rank [long hop] and have everyone on the fence. I just threw them down there, see what happens and it turned our way.”There was also an explanation from Cummins of Head’s wicket celebration, which referred to an on-going joke about putting his spinning finger in a glass of ice.Mitchell Marsh averages just 10.42 so far in the series•Getty ImagesAlthough Australia emerged with a 2-1 lead and are now within touching distance of their first series victory over India in ten years, they do head to Sydney with a couple of areas of concern: the form of Mitchell Marsh and the fitness of Mitchell Starc who battled what appeared a rib or back problem during the match.Starc bowled superbly on the final day, claiming the wicket of Virat Kohli, and Cummins was upbeat that he would be available for the final Test.”I’m pretty confident he’ll be fine,” Cummins said. “We’ll reassess in a couple of days. He’s managing a couple of sore bits, mainly one sore bit on his ribs or something. But he’s a warrior, he gets through, his pace didn’t drop off, he didn’t even contemplate not being an option to bowl. So other than being in pain, he’s fully fit and available.”Should Starc not be right, it would bring Jhye Richardson into contention for a recall. Richardson, who played his last Test in the 2021-22 Ashes, was released from the squad on Monday so he could feature for Perth Scorchers against Adelaide Strikers on New Year’s Eve and will then link back up in Sydney on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Marsh has made 73 runs at 10.42 in the four Tests alongside claiming three wickets at 46.33 with all those coming in Perth. Uncapped allrounder Beau Webster is part of the squad should the selectors opt to make a change.
Pakistan captain relieved after change in tactics helps bring end to barren home run
Danyal Rasool18-Oct-2024Not quite vindication just yet, but certainly relief. That was the tone Pakistan captain Shan Masood tried to strike after Pakistan had skittled England out for 144 in Multan. It gave them their first home win in four years, and on a personal note, Masood his first Test win as captain.”This was a very important win for Pakistan cricket,” he said. “The recent results were unacceptable. There is relief. This is a long process and journey. It won’t be fixed overnight. It’s been three years and 10 months since we last won a Test at home. That’s not acceptable for Pakistan cricket. We pride ourselves on how well we play this game and how we see ourselves as a team. For us to get a result and hopefully start something here in our own conditions is exciting. Going through that adverse situation for years and still getting a result: that’s the character you want from your players, staff and cricket board. Everyone’s responded well after the [first Test] loss which is very heartening.”Following an innings defeat that intensified focus on Masood’s captaincy and a seemingly endless losing streak, the newly established selection committee overhauled Pakistan’s template overnight. Fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were dispatched from the squad, and Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali were brought in from the cold – none of them having played any first-class cricket since January. The same pitch as the first Test was recycled and reused.Masood, though, said Pakistan had not changed their line of thinking on the one subject that really mattered. “I said that in defeat, and I’ll say it in victory: 20 wickets is non-negotiable in Test matches,” he said. “Conditions in the 4th innings are only batting-friendly about 10% of the time. We have to understand our conditions and think first about what combinations get us 20 wickets. We need big first innings with the bat and then the bowlers to back us up to give us a lead. The lead took the third-innings pressure off us, and the 75-run lead helped us because where we scored 220-odd [that] resulted in a nearly 300-run target.”Sajid Khan and Noman Ali took all of the 20 wickets in the Test•Getty ImagesMasood acknowledged the central gamble at the heart of Pakistan’s winning tactic this week though. Perhaps the most important act of the game was the flip of the coin before the first ball was bowled. Ben Stokes called tails, as he always does, and when the coin pointed the other way, the gambit had paid off.The rest was taken care of by two of the spinners they brought in, with Sajid and Noman splitting all 20 wickets between them – the first time two players have been responsible for all opposition wickets since 1972, and just the second time in Pakistan’s history. In the second innings, no other bowler even turned their arm over as England were wrapped up in 33.3 overs.”Today, we were solely focused on how to take eight wickets,” Masood said. “Since I’ve come in, we’ve had no issue taking risks. We’ve tried to play cricket that brings results, and we’ve lost a lot of matches doing that, too. When the selection committee came in, all of us had one concern: to take 20 wickets. We’d only taken 20 wickets once in my tenure. We looked at conditions and realised playing on a used surface and giving spinners an advantage [could work]. We thought why not try something different.”You’ll have to give credit to Noman and Sajid, the way they came back. It looked like two seasoned campaigners were bowling for Pakistan. These risks need to be taken to try and take 20 wickets, no matter what kind of pitch we do it on.”It’s been a familiar refrain for Masood this series, one where the result has justified the somewhat extreme methods Pakistan adopted. This is, as he pointed out, just the second time in seven Test matches under his captaincy that Pakistan have managed to take 20 wickets. He said Pakistan would be guided by the most efficient route from hereon, no matter how.It is a subtle departure from the message of belligerent positivity that Masood has preached for the best part of his stint, but at some point, idealism had to be abandoned at the altar of pragmatism. It leaves the question of what Pakistan do in Rawalpindi, a surface that has never been amenable to prodigious turn. And though Masood did say Pakistan would need to understand conditions at each specific venue, there was little attempt to conceal what Pakistan really wanted from the pitch for the third Test.”I would [like it to spin]. I don’t know if I’ve seen it turn in Rawalpindi, so that’s an issue. We’re hoping the sun can play its part and the wicket can be on the drier side. But it remains to be seen. We’ll go there on [Sunday] and have a look. The groundsmen are already there and working on a Test match pitch. We’ll try to create a good Test wicket where both teams can pick up 20 wickets.”
A “very good” Birmingham City player has now reportedly agreed a deal to leave the Blues imminently, with a medical at his new club booked early this week.
Birmingham boss Davies positive ahead of Championship return
The Blues are edging closer to their return to the Championship, with the new season getting started with a mouthwatering home clash with Ipswich Town on August 8th.
On Saturday, Birmingham were beaten 4-0 by Crewe Alexandra in a surprise pre-season friendly defeat, but despite this, manager Chris Davies was in good spirits about what he saw from his side.
“The No. 1 thing you’re looking for is, can you build your fitness from these type of games as the first 60 minutes we’ve been exposed to this season? I think the boys looked leggy, they’ve had a strong week in training. So, I think that’ll do them the world of good having that 60 minutes under their belt for most of them.
“I thought first half we were very fluid, we conceded a ridiculous goal which we won’t concede any worse than that, so that’s something to learn from. “But then it was obviously all us and we were pretty fluid, we just lacked a bit of killer instinct in the in the final bit. That will come.”
Birmingham will know that new signings are needed before the end of the summer transfer window – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been mentioned as an ambitious target – but now a current player has been linked with a move away from the club.
Alfie May set for Birmingham exit
According to a fresh claim from Football League World, Birmingham striker Alfie May has agreed a move to League One side Huddersfield Town and could undergo a medical on Monday, having almost joined them last year.
A £1.2m transfer is expected to go through imminently, bringing an end to the 32-year-old Scot’s one-year spell with the Blues in the process.
May leaving Birmingham this summer may come as a surprise to some, considering he played such a key role in helping his side win the League One title last season, scoring 16 goals and registering eight assists in the competition, also being praised by Davies.
“He was very good. He dropped in as a false nine in possession and is very good at linking the play. He knows where the opposition players are and where to take his touch. He was brought in just to score goals basically and he took it brilliantly again. That’s why we signed him.”
That said, May isn’t considered a key starter and is now jumping up a division, not to mention being 32 years of age, so cashing in on him now makes sense, with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2027.
كشفت تقارير صحفية عن موقف نادي مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي من إقالة المدير الفني روبن أموريم، في ظل نتائج الفريق السلبية وخاصة بعد هزيمة الديربي أمام مانشستر سيتي.
وحل مانشستر يونايتد ضيفًا على مانشستر سيتي في ملعب “الاتحاد” أمس الأحد ضمن مباريات الجولة الرابعة للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
وتلقى مانشستر يونايتد بقيادة مدربه أموريم، هزيمة من مانشستر سيتي بثلاثة أهداف دون مقابل، سجلها فيل فودين، وإيرلينج هالاند (هدفين).
مانشستر يونايتد سجل أسوأ بداية له في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز منذ موسم 1992-1993، بالحصول على أربع نقاط فقط من مبارياته الأربع الأولى، ويحتل المركز الرابع عشر.
اقرأ أيضًا | جوارديولا بعد الثلاثية أمام مانشستر يونايتد: هل تعلمون لماذا أنا مدرب جيد؟
كما خرج مانشستر يونايتد من كأس كاراباو، بعد خسارته بركلات الترجيح أمام جريمسبي تاون من دوري الدرجة الثانية.
وبحسب ما ذكرت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، لا يزال أموريم يحظى بدعم إدارة مانشستر يونايتد، ويرون أنه قادر على تغيير مسار الفريق.
ويوضح التقرير أنه لا يوجد خطط في الوقت الحالي لإقالة أموريم من منصبه، وترى إدارة مانشستر يونايتد أن هناك تقدم على الرغم من النتائج السلبية.
من جانبه صرح أموريم بعد الخسارة أمام مانشستر سيتي: “لن أغير فلسفتي، إذا أرادوا (مسؤولو يونايتد) تغييرها، فعليهم تغيير المدرب”.
Adam Lyth celebrated becoming the first Yorkshire batter to reach 4,000 T20 runs in style by hitting a superb 51-ball 84 in a nine-wicket win as they routinely chased 180 to beat Derbyshire in the Vitality Blast at Headingley.Yorkshire should have been pursuing many more, but the Falcons stuttered from 114 without loss at the start of the 11th over to 179 for 6. Opener Aneurin Donald blasted a brilliant 84 off 41 and England’s Joe Root claimed 2 for 20 from three overs of off-spin.Veteran opener Lyth, in his 164th county appearance, brought up the county milestone early in the chase as Yorkshire continued their bright start to the North Group with a third win in four games.Lyth was expertly supported by Dawid Malan in a 14.4-over opening stand of 137. The latter finished unbeaten on 79 off 48, sealing victory with 11 balls left.Derbyshire, who have now lost three from five, raced away having been inserted, with Donald taking the lion’s share of 22 off Matthew Revis in the fifth over. He ended it with two fours and two leg-side sixes.The Falcons finished the six-over powerplay at 70 without loss and put a much-changed Vikings attack under serious pressure.The hosts are suffering from a number of seam bowling injuries and earlier this weekend announced the loan signing of Surrey quick Conor McKerr on a five-game deal. It was, therefore, a surprise when he was left out of this fixture.Donald continued his assault at a notoriously batter-friendly venue. And, ultimately, Derbyshire were under par as a result of the true conditions.Fellow opener David Lloyd wasn’t quite the silent opening partner but not far off. When Derbyshire reached 100 in the ninth over, he had 30 to Donald’s 69. But the Falcons had their wings clipped.Jordan Thompson had Lloyd caught at deep midwicket for 41 to make the initial breakthrough, Dom Bess bowled Wayne Madsen and Samit Patel was caught at short third off Matthew Revis – 131 for 3 in the 13th over.Donald was starved of the strike and followed, caught at deep cover off debutant seamer Ben Cliff – his maiden wicket. Ross Whiteley then hoisted Root to deep backward square-leg. The same bowler had Brooke Guest caught at deep midwicket in the last.Derbyshire found or cleared the boundary 16 times in the first half of the innings but only four times in the second. It proved costly and best highlighted their struggles.Rain delayed this fixture by 15 minutes, and it was preceded by a minute’s silence in honour of local Rugby League legend Rob Burrow, who died a week ago. Burrow first made his name with Leeds Rhinos on the other side of Headingley.On the cricket field, Lyth also has legendary status. And the 36-year-old proved why when he set about the chase. Like Donald, he was similarly dominant against the new ball.By the time he reached his fifty off 33 balls with three sixes, his 28th for Yorkshire, the Vikings were well on course at 82 without loss in the ninth over. One of those sixes was handsomely hoisted over cover off Daryn Dupavillon’s seam.The rest of Lyth’s four sixes were slog-swept or pulled leg-side, just as Malan did with two en-route to a fine fifty off 37 balls. By the time Lyth was caught at long-off off Dupavillon, Yorkshire needed 43 and Derbyshire’s horse had bolted.
Barcelona’s treble-winning 2008-09 team is often considered the greatest club side of all time, as they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.
The best football team of all time
Spain dominated football between 2008 and 2012. The Spanish national side achieved a historic three-peat of consecutive major international tournaments, being crowed European Champions in 2008 and 2012, either side of their success at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Legendary players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique weren’t satisifed with only international success however. Barcelona won four La Liga titles in a five-year period between 2008 and 2013, while also wining the Champions League twice, in 2009 and 2011.
Barcelona's 2008-09 team in pictures
Central to both teams’ greatness was the iconic midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets, which formed the model for how managers across the globe tried to build their midfields for years to come.
The elegance and playmaking of Iniesta combined with Xavi’s control and tempo along with the security of Busquets, who was simulataneously suave and destructive, seemed virtually impossible to beat or replicate.
One of the only teams who gave Barca a run for their money during the late 2000’s was Manchester United, led by one of the greatest managers of all time in Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils had won the Champions League title in the 2007-08 season, beating Chelsea in the final on penalties, and made their way to the last two again the following year, only to fall 2-0 to goals from Messi and Samuel Eto’o.
United’s famous ‘class of 92’ were coming to the end of their period of dominance, and one of their greatest ever players, then 34 year-old Paul Scholes, was only able to play the final 15 minutes of the final as a substitute. That may have been a big let off for the Spanish giants, as Xavi once claimed Scholes was the best and most complete midfielder he has ever seen.
Xavi: Scholes was the best midfielder in the world
Speaking in 2011, Xavi heaped praise on Scholes, revealing the England international was on a par with the iconic Spain and Barcelona trio.
Paul Scholes
Man Utd Career
Appearances
716
Goals
155
Assists
82
Yellow Cards
145
Red Cards
9
Major trophies
20
Scholes won 11 Premier League titles with Manchester United, and is widely regarded to be one of the best midfielders in Premier League history.
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May 8, 2025
Many have argued over the talent in midfield of England’s ‘golden generation’, with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and Chelsea goal machine Frank Lampard often put on a pedestal alongside Scholes. One thing is for sure though, there is only one of them who Xavi wanted alongside him in Catalonia.
Today, Liverpool fans, may well be the day Anfield erupts as Arne Slot’s brilliant squad of brilliant players clinch the Premier League title.
It’s in Liverpool’s hands. This afternoon, the Reds must simply avoid defeat against Tottenham Hotspur to put the trophy out of Arsenal’s reach and officially end four years of Manchester City dominance, tying Merseyside red ribbons onto the cup for a record-equalling 20th time.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot
Liverpool have consumately steered their way through the 2024/25 campaign, Slot’s first in the dugout, with such balance and equipoise, such quality oozing across every corner of the pitch.
It’s been a long time since Liverpool started a Premier League matchweek below the division’s summit – it was the term’s ninth round of fixtures, in fact, before City stumbled.
Liverpool – Recent Record vs Tottenham at Anfield
Season
Competition
Result
24/25
Carabao Cup
4-0 win
23/24
Premier League
4-2 win
22/23
Premier League
4-3 win
21/22
Premier League
1-1 draw
20/21
Premier League
2-1 win
Sourced via Transfermarkt
Spurs and Liverpool have played out some memorable matches at Anfield in recent years, but this could be the pick of the bunch, should the hosts hold their nerve and professionally get the job done.
Slot and his coterie have managed to keep Liverpool treading above the water on the injury front this season, and there aren’t too many setbacks to disrupt this potentially watershed occasion.
The latest Liverpool team news
Joe Gomez is set to miss out once again as he continues his recovery from injury. The versatile defender is, however, expected to feature before the end of the season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored an emphatic off-the-bench winner at Leicester City, but Conor Bradley may well reprise his place at right-back.
Tyler Morton is still out, bogged down by an ongoing shoulder issue. It’s unlikely the young midfielder would have featured anyway.
Fringe stars such as Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa will be hoping for minutes, but with Liverpool in need of a professional performance to clinch the title, Slot isn’t likely to make drastic changes.
However, the Dutchman might make one or two tweaks, with Dominik Szoboszlai in line to be dropped from his position standing proud of the central midfield.
Why Slot should drop Dominik Szoboszlai
Szoboszlai has been a regular feature throughout Slot’s first season at the helm, starting 25 times in the Premier League. He ebbed and flowed last year under Jurgen Klopp, but looks more focused and confident in his football.
Dominik Szoboszlai in the Premier League
Stats (* per game)
23/24
24/25
Matches (starts)
33 (25)
31 (25)
Goals
3
5
Assists
2
3
Touches*
57.5
47.6
Shots (on target)*
1.8 (0.5)
1.9 (0.6)
Pass completion
87%
86%
Big chances created
7
10
Ball recoveries*
5.2
3.8
Dribble (success)*
0.7 (47%)
0.6 (59%)
Tackles + interceptions*
1.5
1.3
Total duels (won)*
2.9 (41%)
2.8 (44%)
Stats via Sofascore
However, Szoboszlai still hasn’t mastered the art of scoring, of creating goals for his teammates. Across 89 total Liverpool appearances, the Hungarian has only scored 14 times and supplied 11 assists.
Having now gone five Premier League games without notching a goal contribution, the 24-year-old should be dropped; Szoboszlai brings a load of energy and tenacity to Liverpool’s first team, but pundit Jamie Carragher has recently remarked that the Reds “can improve” in attacking midfield, citing the minimal output as a potential issue going forward.
While he’s not a dramatic upgrade from a prolific standpoint, the hosts might want to consider unleashing Curtis Jones from the outset against Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side, with the England international’s
Nick Pope is beaten by Dominik Szoboszlai
Jones, also 24, has been hailed for his “special” qualities and “complete” approach by Slot, having played an important role this season as he threads things together in the centre while adding a dimension on the edge of the danger area, driving even further forward when he can.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 7% of central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goal involvements, the top 2% for pass completion, the top 5% for touches in the attacking penalty area, and the top 20% for successful take-ons per 90.
This is quite the array of strengths across the sweep of the midfield game, certainly highlighting Jones’ ability to influence a match.
With three goals and seven assists across 41 matches in all competitions this year (just 24 starts), Jones’ ball-playing ability clearly lends itself to a playmaking strength that could spark Mohamed Salah and co back into goalscoring action.
It’s no wonder he’s earned his keep in the Three Lions set-up, impressing on the international stage too.
Not only is Jones crisp in possession, incredibly completing 94% of his passes in the Premier League this season, but he’s also proven himself to be a highly efficient ball carrier, succeeding with 67% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.
Getting at this shaky Spurs defence will be crucial later this afternoon, for Liverpool’s frontline haven’t been in the sharpest form as a collective, and they will need support from behind.
Jones has also shown his passion, his devotion, toward Liverpool’s cause, and that is a factor which is bound to come into play against the Lilywhites, with the boyhood star certain to be desperate for a standout performance in a match which could close the title-challenging chapter and indeed send Liverpool back to the top of the English pyramid.
That’s not to say Szoboszlai wouldn’t bring his own brand of burning intensity to the contest, but it may be that Jones is the best option to play alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in this one, freshening things up ahead of what might just prove to be a momentous day for Liverpool.
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Sheffield United’s place in the Championship Play-Offs was confirmed on Easter Monday after their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor.
The Blades and Sunderland are the two teams confirmed to be in the four-team post-season tournament to compete for a place in the Premier League next season.
Chris Wilder’s side have lost four of their last five matches and have to find a way to rediscover their form ahead of the play-offs, to avoid their season ending in complete disappointment, which could include putting faith in Tom Cannon.
Why Sheffield United should keep starting Tom Cannon
The Ireland international, who joined from Leicester City in the January transfer window, scored his first goal for the club with a thumping finish in the 2-1 defeat to Burnley.
It was his first goal in 13 matches for the club in the Championship, after a return of nine goals during the first half of the campaign on loan at Stoke, and is hopefully a sign of things to come.
Cannon, who scored four goals in one game earlier this season, has scored 20 goals in 68 matches at Championship level, and should be given the nod over Tyrese Campbell.
The English striker has scored ten goals in 32 league games this term, but is currently on a run of zero goals and zero assists in his last five outings, whilst Cannon has hit form with a goal against Burnley.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Instead of unleashing Campbell in an attempt to turn the form around to win the Play-Offs, Wilder should bring Jesurun Rak-Sakyi off the bench to be a difference-maker.
Why Jesurun Rak-Sakyi should start for Sheffield United
The Crystal Palace loanee came off the bench in the defeat to Burnley and should, now, be brought into the starting line-up to replace Ben Brereton Diaz.
Sheffield United will need to be ruthless and effective at the top end of the pitch in their Play-Off outings if they want to earn promotion to the Premier League, which is why Rak-Sayki should be given the nod.
The 22-year-old star, once dubbed “remarkable” by Roy Hodgson, could come in to provide more quality than Brereton Diaz in the final third, based on their form in the division this term.
Starts
22
13
xG
6.07
4.07
Goals
7
4
Key passes
31
14
xA
3.49
1.13
Assists
2
3
Dribbles completed per game
1.4
0.3
As you can see in the table above, Rak-Sakyi has been more effective as a finisher and racked up more than three times as much xA, despite only starting nine more games.
Brereton Diaz, who completed 56% of his passes and lost 100% of his duels against Burnley, does not carry as much of a threat from a wide position, which is why he should be dropped from the side in favour of the English winger.
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ByDan Emery Apr 18, 2025
This change could, then, improve Sheffield United’s chances of winning the Play-Offs in the post-season, because they would have a more effective forward on the pitch by swapping Brereton Diaz for Rak-Sakyi.
The Australia A tour of India will mark the start of Konstas’ season before a defining month of Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales
AAP09-Sep-20250:27
Konstas gone for duck as tough Caribbean tour ends
Sam Konstas doesn’t care for regrets or critics. And by putting himself on a self-imposed social media ban, the teenager hunting an opening spot in a home Ashes series has ensured he will hear as little of the latter as possible.The 19-year-old is set to play two four-day matches in India for Australia A before targeting four Sheffield Shield games for New South Wales with a goal of finding the red-ball form that eluded him on a tough tour of the West Indies.Whatever happens in the next two months, you can be sure the charismatic young gun won’t be giving two hoots over what outsiders say about his approach.Related
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Konstas dazzled the cricket world on Boxing Day last year against India on Test debut with a flamboyant and audacious 60 off 65 balls. Critics said he would not be able to play that way on a regular basis and succeed.Runs have since proven elusive and Konstas did not pass 25 in his next nine Test innings. He is competing with a plethora of candidates to partner Usman Khawaja for the opening Ashes Test in Perth but has no regrets about his approach on debut against Jasprit Bumrah and company.”I wouldn’t change it,” Konstas told AAP. “I don’t have any regrets in my life to be honest. I thought that was the right method at the time and it paid off. I don’t get too fixated about what others say. Whatever I feel is right I totally commit to.”My method is someone who is an aggressive batsman that likes to take on the game, while understanding the game situation when I do play well. It is about trying to score runs and win games.”The more experiences I have in different conditions the more I will adapt. I have to find my method and what works best in each situation.”What also works best for Konstas is not having social media. He went from a relative unknown to a global attraction overnight with 281,000 followers on Instagram. Watching the ball and not his phone screen is now the focus.”I never had social media until I was 18. I had it for a year and now I have taken a break from it to be more present and try and get back in the Ashes squad,” Konstas said. “It is just about focusing on myself and trying to give it a good crack.”Everyone uses social media differently but I feel now is the right time to get off it. I don’t read my comments on Instagram. I don’t care what other people say to be honest but everyone has their opinion.”Konstas heads to India with confidence and valuable lessons already under his belt.”I’ve had a few experiences in the subcontinent,” Konstas said prior to taking centre stage at Tuesday’s ASICS kit launch at the SCG. “I was lucky enough to be in the MRF Academy last year and to tour Sri Lanka as well with the Aussie boys. Hopefully I can score plenty of runs and adapt to those conditions.”It is about trying to be in the present moment with any game I play whether it be my club team, NSW or Australia A ahead of the Ashes.”I got so much out of my first time in the Caribbean and facing a quality fast attack. The wickets were tough to bat on.For me it was about trying to find methods for scoring runs in those conditions and understanding the bounce is variable and trying to find another method, if I do go again.”