All posts by h716a5.icu

Everton’s battling 0-0 draw at the Emirates moved them three points clear of Ipswich Town in the Premier League table, boosting their chances of avoiding the drop.

The 0-0 draw at Arsenal showcased the Toffees’ defensive resilience and fans are hoping the result could provide a platform to pick up more points over the upcoming festive fixtures.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was outstanding against Arsenal, making several high-quality saves, and defenders Vitaliy Mykolenko and James Tarkowski also rated highly, particularly by the Liverpool Echo who handed them 8/10 player ratings.

However, it was yet another blank in the forward areas and with just 14 goals all season, Everton are the second-lowest scorers in the league. Sean Dyche’s men have scored just 0.93 goals per game and failed to hit the target in 53% of their matches.

With the future of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin still uncertain, it seems that Dyche may have a decision to make about another of his strikers currently misfiring.

Everton striker could head to Italy

Former Champions League winners Inter Milan sit just three points off of Serie A leaders Atalanta having played a game less. Scoring goals has been no problem for the side from the San Siro having notched 40 goals already with striker Marcus Thuram grabbing 11 of them.

Inter are also going well in Europe and currently sit in sixth position in the Champions League table looking to wrap up automatic qualification for the last 16 in their final two games.

However, with backup striker Marko Arnautovic unhappy at the lack of first-team opportunities, Reports from Italy are claiming that Inter Milan are interested in bringing Everton striker Beto back to Italy.

The £26m signing has hardly set the world alight at Goodison Park and the move would come as a surprise to many given that Beto has just one goal in nine appearances this season.

However, Inter may see Beto’s time in Italy as more of a marker as to what he could bring to their side, with the Guinea striker scoring 22 goals in 65 appearances for Udinese between 2021 and 2024 before his move to the Toffees.

Transfer Focus

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

Why Everton must consider selling Beto

With Everton’s other striker option Calvert-Lewin stalling over a new contract that subsequently runs out in the summer, it seems inevitable that Dyche will lose an attacking option in the upcoming transfer window.

However, with the interest coming from Italy in Beto, Dyche may decide that it is now the England forward that he decides to keep and statistics show that would be a wise move for the Everton boss.

Goals

1

2

Shots

10

34

Shots on target

30%

41.2%

XG

1.6

4.4

Pass completion

47.6%

61.4%

Aerial duels won

44%

48.2%

Despite not having his most prolific season in terms of goals, Calvert-Lewin has shown that he is the better forward – especially in a Sean Dyche that likes to play direct. The England forward has had more shots and a higher shots-on-target percentage this season whilst showing he has the better all-round game too.

Calvert-Lewin has a higher pass completion than Beto and most importantly in this Everton side, the former leads the way in aerial duels won, something that Dyche holds key in his front man.

Whilst more firepower is certainly needed in the transfer market, it seems that Dyche would be advised to try and recoup as much of the £26m paid for Beto as possible should Inter Milan’s interest become more concrete. The money could then be used to negotiate with Calvert-Lewin or delve into the striker market.

Whatever the Everton boss decides, he knows that this decision could have a huge impact on his side’s survival hopes this season.

Rooney 2.0: Dyche must ditch DCL for teen outscoring every Everton player

Everton could do with some academy inspiration up front, and might just have their next Rooney brewing.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 13, 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo showed off his newly acquired Ferrari Daytona SP3, worth a reported €2m, in Portugal before joining up with the national team.

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Ronaldo showed off his new FerrariAdded supercar to his impressive collectionRonaldo will be in action for Portugal on TuesdayWHAT HAPPENED?

The legendary player was spotted behind the wheel of his new Ferrari Daytona SP3 in the streets of Portugal as he visited his homeland for national team duty. Ronaldo recently added the new Ferrari model, which has been described as his "spaceship" by Instagram account Lisbon Cars, to his impressive fleet of supercars, which is reportedly worth over £18 million.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The new model comes with the most powerful combustion engine Ferrari have made to date, and delivers 840 horsepower and 697 Nm of torque. The car can reach 100km/h speed from 0 in 2.85 seconds and boasts a maximum speed of 340km/h.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

After missing Portugal's clash with Sweden last week to recharge his batteries on holiday in Saudi Arabia, the Al-Nassr star has returned to the national team setup and will be in action for Roberto Martinez's side on Tuesday against Slovenia.

The Reds have an undeniably hectic schedule, but a foolish team selection against Sparta Prague contributed to Sunday's loss at Old Trafford

Jurgen Klopp was visibly stunned as he stood on the touchline at a raucous Old Trafford. His Liverpool side had lost a game that they should have won – twice: first in normal time; and then again in extra time.

It was an utterly avoidable defeat against a struggling side. After a sluggish start that Manchester United exploited, Liverpool had recovered wonderfully well to turn their FA Cup quarter-final tie on its head with two quick goals before the break.

They had numerous chances to kill the game during a second half that they dominated until Antony's 87th-minute equaliser. From that moment on, Liverpool looked exhausted – unsurprisingly. Competing on four fronts was always going to take its toll on an injury-hit squad – which is why Klopp got annoyed when asked during a post-match interview why his side had lacked "intensity" in extra time. Klopp felt the answer was obvious: too many matches.

"Bit of a dumb question, I have to say… We have played I don't know how many games recently. I don't know how many games United exactly have played. That's sport," he said before taking another unnecessary and undignified shot at his interviewer. "Really disappointed about that question but you obviously thought it was good."

When the journalist asked a follow-up about "too many games", Klopp decided he'd had enough and stormed off in a huff. "You're obviously not in great shape," he sniped, "and I have no nerves for you."

Unacceptable reaction

For many, this was classic Klopp: all smiles after victories but nothing but bitter when games don't go his team's way.

He certainly doesn't do himself any favours with such pathetic displays of petulance, and while a degree of frustration was understandable in the context of the game, his reaction to a rather innocuous line of questioning was utterly unacceptable. Particularly when one considers that Klopp had contributed to Liverpool's lacklustre performance in extra-time.

AdvertisementGetty Liverpool's injury issues

Have the Reds been desperately unlucky with injuries this season? Absolutely, and Klopp deserves enormous credit for somehow keeping his team in Premier League title contention while reaching the last eight of both the FA Cup and the Europa League, after winning the Carabao Cup with kids.

Make no mistake about it: this season has been a stunning demonstration of Klopp's incredible coaching skills and amazing man-management. However, it was a little hard to listen to Klopp complaining about the effects of too many games at Old Trafford when he had fielded a ridiculously strong side against Sparta Prague just three days earlier.

Getty Images'They play all the time…'

Klopp said that he didn't know which players to replace during extra-time because so many of his key players were shattered. "We could have [taken off] Macca (Alexis Mac Allister)definitely, Wataru [Endo] definitely, Darwin [Nunez] definitely, Lucho [Diaz] we did then, Joey [Gomez]," he admitted to reporters afterwards. "They play all the time, the boys, and today, this extra-time."

And there's the rub: those players have been playing all the time – and Klopp is partly responsible in that regard.

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GettyInsane Sparta selection

With Liverpool 5-1 up from the first leg in Prague, there was absolutely no way Endo, Nunez and Gomez should have been anywhere near the starting line-up against Sparta – and the same goes for Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, too.

All of those players bar Gomez have recently recovered from injuries of varying degrees of severity in recent weeks, so why on earth were they utilised in the second leg of a tie that was already over?

Salah, Szoboszlai and Robertson ended up playing 90 minutes against Sparta – not one of them made it past the 77th minute at Old Trafford. Gomez was also replaced before the midway point of extra-time.

As for Nunez, he stayed on right until the end, but should have been hooked long before his loose pass – an undoubted by-product of the fatigue that Klopp acknowledged – allowed United to level the game through Marcus Rashford.

Manchester United spent big during the summer of 2016, making Paul Pogba their statement signing as their former academy man turned Juventus star joined the Red Devils for a record fee, with a ludicrous £89m price tag above his head.

The club also sought to prove that they meant business by bringing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the building, the iconic and scarily potent striker joining the Theatre of Dreams on a free transfer deal.

Yet, there was another signing from this same transfer window that equally generated the same hype as both the Swedish striker and the Frenchman conjured up when signing on the dotted line at Man United, but is now forgotten about.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan would come and go from Old Trafford in the blink of an eye, signing from Borussia Dortmund and failing to ever really make an impact.

How much did Man United sign Mkhitaryan for?

The Armenian international would leave the Bundesliga behind for the Premier League for a substantial fee, joining Jose Mourinho's Red Devils for £26.3m – a fee at the time that felt like Man United would get their money's worth, after the winger's exciting spell in Germany.

Coming onto Dortmund's radar after scoring 25 goals from 29 starts for Shakhtar Donetsk in his final full season with the Miners, the now 34-year-old ace excelled when switching Ukraine for new pastures.

He would instantly endear himself to the Signal Iduna Park faithful, registering an impressive 19 goal contributions from 31 matches during his debut Bundesliga campaign – nine goals scored, with a further ten assists to his name.

By the time Man United snapped Mkhitaryan up, the ex-Shakhtar attacker was a crucial component to the multiple exciting, full-throttle, Dortmund teams put together by the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, and the Red Devils were enthralled by the prospect of Mkhitaryan replicating his Bundesliga best in the Premier League. Dortmund, for the attacking midfielder, truly meant home.

Unfortunately, this feeling of security for the former BVB superstar would unravel when moving to England with the move to Man United ultimately disastrous.

How did Mkhitaryan perform for Man United?

Mkhitaryan's time in a Red Devils jersey saw the Armenian become unusually goal-shy, the once clinical and feared attacking midfielder now a deer in the headlights.

He would only manage an unsatisfactory five goals in the Premier League over two campaigns for the club, as Jose Mourinho's hyped up collective failed to deliver great things on the pitch domestically.

Mkhitaryan's underwhelming spell with the Red Devils was put of its misery in a winter transfer-swap deal with Alexis Sanchez in 2018, the Chilean departing Arsenal in the form of his life but equally flopping at the Theatre of Dreams.

Alternatively, Man United's £26.3m man has managed to rejuvenate his career since his exit from Old Trafford and has even linked up with Jose Mourinho again.

How has Mkhitaryan performed since leaving Man United?

Despite his Arsenal move crashing and burning in similar fashion to his failed Man United transfer – only scoring nine times and assisting 13 goals across 59 appearances – relocating back to European comforts in AS Roma has seen the Armenian's career undergo a major rebirth.

Under ex-Red Devils boss Mourinho in Rome, his electric previous goalscoring form was back. He would manage 24 goal contributions from 34 games during the 2020-21 campaign in Serie A, both Man United and Arsenal scratching their heads at why he couldn't do this in England.

Notching up 45 goals and assisting 43 since departing the Red Devils after a torrid spell, Mkhitaryan – now 34 years of age – will see out his career knowing he turned his fortunes around and put the Man United disaster firmly behind him.

Sam Billings is back in form, but spare a though for Mitch Claydon as he faces last-ball pressure in 48 hours with bat and ball

ECB Reporters Network and ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2018
ScorecardKent avenged last month’s Royal London One-day Cup final defeat by securing a breathless three-run Vitality Blast T20 win over Hampshire in Beckenham.For Sam Billings, his 95 from 54 balls, a T20 best, was a reaffirmation of his talent after long spells on the sidelines.But it was Kent seamer Mitch Claydon who held his nerve at the death when, with six needed for a Hampshire win, a near-perfect yorker restricted the visitors to a single that sparked Kent celebrations for a third win in four starts.Only a couple of days earlier, Claydon had been in the opposite position – on strike with six needed off the final ball, against Gloucestershire at Bristol, and again the bowler came out on top. This time he could celebrate the fact.Claydon said: “You’ve just got to stay relaxed in a situation like that because you can go from hero to zero in the space of two balls. I’ve bowled a lot at the death throughout my career and I’ve come to terms with the fact that some days it comes off, others it doesn’t.”As long as your plans are right I’d back myself, but so many batsmen clear the fence so easily nowadays that I was only one boundary away from being a zero.”What with my early season injury and my form since, I felt I owed the side something tonight and I’m really have to have delivered. I was initially going to bowl the penultimate over, but Sam wanted me to bowl the last to the biggest boundary. If we’re under the pump at the end of the game I just tell Sam that I’ll just bowl my best ball, and that’s a straight yorker. I didn’t have to think of anything else after that and thankfully I nailed it.”Talking T20 Podcast

This week Dan Norcross is joined by David Hopps to debate world records feats in the Vitality Blast from Ed Pollock, Joe Denly and (nearly) Dan Christian and still finds time to discuss carrots with Isabelle Westbury.
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Hampshire, who have now lost their first three Vitality Blast games, made a disastrous start to their pursuit losing, James Vince, Colin Munro and Sam Northeast in the first seven balls.Vince skied Denly to long-off to be caught by a galloping Carlos Brathwaite, Munro pulled a short one into the hands of square leg then, with his first ball of the game, Brathwaite produced a snorting lifter to have Northeast snaffled at slip for a first-ball duck at make it six for three.Rilee Roussouw, Hampshire’s Lord’s century-maker and man-of-the-match, teamed up with fellow left-hander Tom Alsop to counter attack with a brace of sixes but Roussouw heaved at a Mitch Claydon slower ball to edge to Billings and leave Hampshire on 74 for four after the powerplay.Alsop, who hit 72 in the Royal London 50-over final, maintained the high tempo by taking 12 off Imran Qayyum’s first over of left-arm spin but, in attempting an audacious reverse lap he was bowled by Calum Haggett to go for 41.Laim Dawson and Lewis McManus added a quickfire 55 in 5.3 overs before the latter sliced high to extra cover to go for 38 and give Denly figures of three for 37.Dawson posted a 30-ball 50 but, in fading light and with 45 required from the last 24 balls, the pressure started to mount. Haggett and Brathwaite sent down a tight over, but Brathwaite leaked 14 in his final over to leave the visitors to score 16 off Claydon’s last over.Dawson chipped away with two more boundaries and with five needed off the final delivery, Claydon delivered a near perfect Yorker to limit Dawson, who finished unbeaten on 75, to a single.Claydon led the Kentish celebrations with one for 33.but it had been Haggett’s 3-0-18-1 that turned the tide Kent way.Batting first after losing the toss, Kent posted 210 for four due, in large, to an unbeaten 95 from skipper Billings. The England ODI player hit seven fours and five sixes in his 54-ball stay that beat his previous T20 best of 78* scored for Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad last February.Home opener Joe Denly departed for 18 in the fifth when he skied a back-foot force against Chris Wood high to Dawson at long on to become Wood’s 100th T20 victim. Then, in the next over, Heino Kuhn scooped a Ryan Stevenson slower ball to mid-on as Spitfires ended the powerplay on 50 for two.After switching ends, Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s second over proved considerably better costing only six, while Dawson continued to stem the flow of boundaries to restrict the hosts to 83 for two at their innings mid-point.Billings marched accelerated with a six off Gareth Berg, who then conceded a no-ball free hit enabling Daniel Bell-Drummond to deposit another maximum over the ropes at long-on with 20 coming off the over.Kent’s third-wicket pair added 66 in 7.2 overs before Bell-Drummond, on 46, drove a low full-toss from Stevenson to James Vince at cover.Billings slog-swept Wood for successive sixes to reach his 33-ball 50 with three sixes and as many fours. It was his 14th half-century in the format. Billings and Alex Blake posted the highest stand of the innings, adding 70 in five overs before Blake was run out by Wood’s direct hit.Carlos Brathwaite and Billings clubbed leg-side sixes in Gareth Berg’s final over as Kent maintained a scoring rate in excess of 10 an over. Berg conceded 60 from his four wicketless overs and Ryan Stevenson bagged two for 39, but the wily Dawson proved the pick of their attack, conceding only 28 from his allocation.

Newcastle United have been dealt an injury blow to one of their first-team stars, who is facing a race to be fit in time for the Premier League game vs Crystal Palace next weekend.

Which Newcastle players are currently injured?

At St. James’ Park, Eddie Howe has Joelinton, Sven Botman, Joe Willock and Emil Krafth all out on the sidelines, alongside Harvey Barnes who is facing an ever bigger period of time away from the action having sustained a serious foot injury, which will keep him out until at least next year.

Last Sunday, the northeast outfit played out a 2-2 top-flight draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium, getting another point on the board which means they find themselves eighth in the table heading into the international break, but despite the positive result, there was a negative to occur that day.

After 86 minutes, Alexander Isak, who scored both of the goals in the capital, signalled to the boss that he needed to be substituted after being on the receiving end of a knock which saw him replaced by Callum Wilson, who is now back to full fitness.

The Sweden international was named in his nation’s squad for their upcoming fixtures against Moldova and Belgium, but despite having reported for training, examinations have shown that the 24-year-old striker won’t be available to represent his country (The Athletic).

Alexander Isak injury update

Taking to X, Jacob Whitehead confirmed an Alexander Isak injury update – Newcastle's centre-forward has had to leave Sweden's camp and return to Tyneside to begin his road to recovery, where he is hoping to be available for next weekend's fixture at St. James' Park.

"Alexander Isak withdraws from Sweden squad with injury. Statement says 'it is clear' that he would not be fit for Sweden's matches next week. Race to recover for #NUFC vs Crystal Palace."

How many goals does Alexander Isak have for Newcastle?

Since joining Newcastle last summer from Real Sociedad, Isak has racked up 20 contributions, 17 goals and three assists, in 37 appearances (Transfermarkt – Isak statistics), so should he for whatever reason not make it back in time for the next domestic game, it would be a real setback for Howe to not have him at his disposal.

Sponsored by Adidas, the attacker has also recorded 17 shots so far this term which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Newcastle statistics), highlighting his desire to find the back of the net, and he even provides a strong physical presence with his height.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Howe’s “big unit”, as described by journalist Josh Bunting, is a real target man in the final third, making himself a handful for an opposition’s defence to deal with, and it’s not just leading the line that he’s comfortable with.

Isak, who pockets £120k-per-week (Newcastle salaries), has the versatility to operate out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside through the middle, so the manager will be hoping that his prized asset is able to return to the pitch as soon as possible.

Mennie and Graham Onions took four Essex wickets for 16 runs between them in a match which promises an absorbing conclusion

Paul Edwards10-Jun-20182:12

Craig Overton leaves leaders Notts following on

ScorecardThe phrase “pulling your tripe out” is disagreeably graphic. However, it suggests the level of effort expected by county supporters of overseas players who arrive on good contracts to play for teams to which they have no natural loyalty. In the second session of this game such endeavour was personified in full measure by Lancashire’s Joe Mennie, whose three wickets in 23 balls briefly dragged his side back to a position of dominance.By the time surprisingly torrential rain ended play seven balls into the evening’s play the game was evenly balanced again with Essex on 221 for 6 in reply to Lancashire’s 301. While that was considerably worse than the visitors envisaged when they were 114 for 1 it was also rather better than they will have feared after Mennie and Graham Onions had reduced them to 130 for 5 in the first ten overs of the afternoon’s play. In other words, we may be set for a gripping two days’ cricket between teams who appear pleasingly well-matched.Such a situation was not the case when Essex resumed after lunch and the regulars in the 1864 suite were just settling into their baklava. Ominously for the Red Rose gourmets, Alastair Cook was unbeaten on 57 and batting in the style that has broken the will of more famous bowlers than Mennie. Among his ten boundaries had been a couple of square cuts, a punch through midwicket and a clip off the hip to backward square leg. Ah yes, we remember them well…And things were worse even than that for Lancashire: the ball was no longer new; Cook and Tom Westley had already put on over a hundred runs on quite an easy-paced pitch; and Cook had been dropped on 18 when Haseeb Hameed failed to cling on to a two-handed catch above his head at first slip off the bowling of Onions. The bowler’s bellow of disappointment encapsulated the moment. “Hold fast that which is good” reads the motto of the metropolitan borough of Trafford. Many Lancastrian lunches would have been far pleasanter had Hameed obeyed the injunction.Joe Mennie picked up three wickets•Getty ImagesBut Mennie responded to the challenge magnificently. Having given Cook’s technique a severe examination before lunch, he caught him between a waltz and a tango with the twelfth ball of the fresh session. Neither forward nor back, Cook edged a catch to Dane Vilas and a door was ajar for the Lancashire seamers. Four overs later it was opened a little further when Mennie yorked Tom Westley for 41, and the disappearance of Essex’s prime batsmen continued when Dan Lawrence placed nothing more useful than his leg in the path of a straight ball from Onions. Next over Ravi Bopara edged a swinging delivery from Mennie to Liam Livingstone at second slip to encourage Lancashire’s hopes of taking a substantial lead.Those hopes were dampened by Ryan ten Doeschate and Adam Wheater’s 81-run stand for the sixth wicket, only two boundaries being scored in their 22 overs’ excellent resistance. But just as Essex’s many supporters were becoming more sanguine, ten Doeschate was brilliantly run out for 43 by Vilas, who gathered the ball and threw down the stumps at the bowler’s end, the keeper’s excellence being matched by that of umpire Jeremy Lloyds, who got into a perfect position to give a decision and then twisted round to see what was happeningFive overs later the rain arrived but Lancashire supporters could go home reassured by the commitment of an overseas player whose signing may not have prompted great excitement in the county of Clive Lloyd, Wasim Akram and VVS Laxman. However, the diehards know better now, and spells such as we saw this afternoon also justified the research undertaken by Lancashire’s coaching team who considered other cricketers before reaching a decision. A few were called but Mennie was chosen.

Everton have finally come to life it seems after a torrid start to the Premier League season, as once again their lack of a striker hampered them in the opening fixtures.

Despite carving open Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers on numerous occasions, accumulating a 2.73 and 1.34 expected goal tally in those games respectively, the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin unsurprisingly proved essential.

They would lose 1-0 on both occasions, spurring Sean Dyche to act fast in the market.

Acquiring Udinese forward Beto for a whopping £30m, already this is proving to be a shrewd investment, as not only does it offer that crucial focal point up top, but also it has given the England international enough slack to return from injury better than ever.

Two goals in his last two games emphasise such success, which could now help them towards a campaign hopefully devoid of the relegation stresses of the previous two.

However, if reports are to be believed, the Toffees could have actually acquired a number nine with quality that surpasses both their current strike partnership, and the youth to dominate for the next decade.

After all, there is not a team on earth that would not jump at the opportunity to have Erling Haaland on their side nowadays.

Did Everton nearly sign Erling Haaland?

Although Calvert-Lewin has enjoyed some impressive goalscoring spells during his tenure on Merseyside, having notched 16 league goals under Carlo Ancelotti during the 2020/21 campaign, it cannot really come close to the levels reached by the Norway international ever since he burst onto the scene in Austria.

Again, whilst their new Portuguese forward's tally of ten in Serie A last season was admirable, the Manchester City man stands out above all else.

So, with the suggestion that he very nearly joined the Goodison Park outfit circulating, it must mark a frustrating report for the numerous managers to have been thwarted since the departure of Romelu Lukaku.

As noted by the Daily Mail, former Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson recalled a 2018 visit to Finch Farm in which he was shown a video of an 18-year-old Haaland tearing it up for his hometown club.

However, then chief executive Robert Elstone delivered a crushing blow by suggesting that the £7m commanded would have been too expensive.

To make matters worse, some haggling with the Norwegian club Molde made them willing to then sell for a reduced £5m, which was again knocked back, deemed too much for a player who would seemingly not have made an instant first-team impact.

Although that line of thought can be appreciated, it is also worth noting that, around the reported time frame of their interest in the 23-year-old, the club was spending with ridiculous freedom. Across the 2017/18 campaign, Ronald Koeman would unload a mouth-watering €203.2m (£175.77m), yet could not spare a fraction to invest in their future.

5

8

34

36

43

22

47

27

And what an investment it could have been, given how he would go on to thrive for RB Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and now the Citizens.

In Austria he would notch 29 goals in 27 appearances, assisting a further seven, and upon moving to Germany, increase these figures even more despite the increase in standard. Improving his creativity, the hulking marksman would add 23 assists to his 86 goals, spread impressively across just 89 appearances.

He was ready to take his final step to the apex of world football, and given their steady rise alongside him, the Etihad seemed a natural fit.

However, few could possibly have predicted just how dominant the forward would instantly become, acquired for a supreme bargain reaching just £51m.

How many goals has Erling Haaland scored for Man City?

Whilst many might gawk at those ludicrous goalscoring figures across lesser divisions across Europe, it was expected that upon moving to statistically the toughest league on the continent, there could be a drop-off.

However, it could be argued that Haaland has never been so in-form, having broken all manner of records last season whilst spearheading Pep Guardiola's push for, and subsequent winning of an unprecedented treble.

Claiming the Premier League title, alongside the FA Cup and Champions League marked an unparalleled return for a debut season, made even sweeter as he would break the division's record for most goals scored in a single term.

Already across his short career in Manchester, he boasts 60 goals in just 62 appearances, with his 11 assists taking him over a goal contribution per game. Haaland always scores, and as such the words of pundit Rory Smith cannot be disputed: "Haaland's different. Haaland is a generational talent."

Unsurprisingly, his Spanish manager has rushed to laud him too, noting: "It is unbelievable how many goals he has scored – so many important goals to help us win games. He is a unique person, as a player but also the person is special. He deserved the guard of honour."

To truly emphasise the exponential growth the 26-cap ace has enjoyed over the last few years, it is worth noting where his value lies given Everton passed up that £5m opportunity only five years ago.

What is Erling Haaland's market value now?

CIES Football Observatory offers a fair estimation and unsurprisingly rates him among the most expensive players on the planet. Seemingly worth more than Bukayo Saka and Kylian Mbappe, and alongside the likes of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, an astounding €250m (£215m) figure has been placed on his head. Realistically, few could argue with it.

Given the goalscoring woes suffered on Merseyside in recent years, as their failure to find a natural heir to Lukaku has haunted them for so long, at last they seem to be in a good place, with Beto and Calvert-Lewin feeding off one another and pushing each other to reach new heights. Then, should one be struck down, a more than capable alternative is waiting to take the opportunity presented.

However, there is likely no striker that will come close to Haaland in this generation, and as such it will be a mistake that the Toffees are forever made to rue.

What's worse is that this is only the beginning. There is no limit to the heights he can reach and the records he will inevitably break. A true freak of nature, but deemed £5m too expensive by Everton.

Leeds United's fortunes turned around in the summer of 2018 as they brought in Marcelo Bielsa as their head coach and he eventually led the club back to the Premier League.

The Whites snapped him up to replace Paul Heckingbottom in the dugout at Elland Road and the ex-Argentina tactician took two seasons to earn promotion from the Championship.

Who were Bielsa's most expensive Leeds signings?

He dipped into the transfer market with varying success throughout his time in Yorkshire and helped to keep the side in the top-flight during his one full season in charge at that level.

Rodrigo

£26m

Dan James

£25.3m

Jean-Kevin Augustin

£18.2m

Diego Llorente

£17.4m

Raphinha

£16.1m

However, it is also worth looking at the players Bielsa was reportedly interested in signing but unable to get through the door at Elland Road.

One target who has gone on to enjoy a terrific career in England so far is Argentina international Emiliano Buendia, who was reportedly eyed by the Whites back in 2018 at the start of the head coach's time with the club.

How much would Buendia have cost Leeds?

TEAMtalk once reported that Leeds missed out on the chance to sign the talented playmaker in the summer of 2018 as he ended up joining Norwich City, who were also in the Championship at the time, for a fee of £1.3m.

The Yorkshire-based outfit were later interested in signing him from the Canaries in 2020 and it was reported that they had a long-standing interest in him dating back to that first summer under Bielsa.

Both teams were keen on signing Buendia after his impressive season on loan from Getafe with Cultural Leonesa in the second tier of Spanish football.

The magical creator averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.16 across 40 league appearances for the club and contributed with six goals and 13 assists from out wide, whilst he also created an eye-catching 14 'big chances' for his teammates.

His terrific displays in Spain convinced teams in England to take notice of him and they were right to do so as he has gone on to enjoy a fantastic time in this country so far.

How many goals did Buendia score for Norwich?

Bielsa and Leeds missed out big time with the exciting wizard as he went on to prove that he was as good, if not better, than Pablo Hernandez at Championship level with 24 goals in 121 games in all competitions for Norwich.

Buendia's debut campaign in the second tier of English football resulted in an average Sofascore rating of 7.25 across 38 outings as Daniel Farke's side won the title and promotion to the Premier League.

He racked up eight goals and 12 assists, along with 2.4 key passes per game, for the Canaries as he showcased his ability to make an impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis.

The 26-year-old gem, who also provided five assists in three EFL Cup games during the 2018/19 season, then produced one goal and seven assists in 36 games in the Premier League the following term.

Norwich's relegation back down to the Championship allowed Buendia to thrive at that level once again and he dominated the division with a consistent run of outstanding performances for the Yellows.

The Argentine whiz, who was dubbed a "revelation" by ex-Canaries striker Chris Sutton, won the division's Player of the Season award as he was recognised as the best player in the league for his phenomenal return at the top end of the pitch.

Buendia averaged a sublime Sofascore rating of 7.68 across 39 Championship starts and contributed with a staggering 15 goals and 16 assists from the wing, to go along with 18 'big chances' created and 3.1 key passes per game.

How many goals did Pablo Hernandez score for Leeds?

These statistics show that the ex-Norwich star was up alongside Pablo Hernandez, who scored 36 goals in 175 matches for Leeds, as one of the top Championship creators.

The Spanish magician averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.52 and chipped in with 12 goals and 12 assists, along with 16 'big chances' created and three key passes per outing, across 39 league outings during the 2018/19 campaign.

He followed that up with nine goals and nine assists in 36 Championship games throughout the 2019/20 promotion-winning season under Bielsa, which earned him a Sofascore rating of 7.35.

This means that Hernandez produced 21 goals and 21 assists in 75 second-tier matches throughout those two years under Bielsa, which worked out as an average of one goal contribution every 1.79 games.

Meanwhile, Buendia managed 23 goals and 28 assists in 77 Championship appearances for Norwich, which worked out as one goal involvement per 1.5 outings on average.

These statistics suggest that the current Villans ace made a bigger impact than Hernandez at the top end of the pitch with his terrific ability to provide goals and assists on a regular basis from a wide position.

The ex-Getafe prospect could have come in as the dream replacement for the Spanish maestro, who is 12 years older than the talented hotshot and left Elland Road at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

How much is Buendia worth now?

Buendia, who signed for Aston Villa in the summer of 2021, currently has an Expected Transfer Value of £18.1m (€20.9m) – per FootballTransfers.

This means that his value is up by 1,292% from the £1.3m that Leeds had the opportunity to sign him for in the summer of 2018 if they had beaten Norwich to his signature.

However, that is not the highest that his value soared after his move to England as Villa reportedly splashed out a fee of £38m to sign him from the Canaries.

This was a staggering 2,823% increase on the fee that the Norfolk-based outfit paid Getafe for his signature three years prior to that move.

Therefore, Bielsa and Leeds had a blunder with the Argentina international as they missed out on a perfect Hernandez replacement as well as a possible payday and huge profit in the future.

Failing to secure a deal for Buendia is one that the former Whites head coach may look back on with regret as his form for Norwich suggests that he would have been a phenomenal signing for the club.

Sam Curran and Amar Virdi dismissed Joe Root on the same day as Surrey closed in on their first victory against Yorkshire at Kia Oval since 2001

ECB Reporters Network13-May-20182:11

County round-up: Red-hot Henry too much for Sussex

ScorecardJoe Root was out twice in a day at the Kia Oval, dismissed both times by 19-year-olds as Sam Curran and Amar Virdi underlined their huge potential to sweep Surrey towards victory against Yorkshire.Curran took 6 for 54 in Yorkshire’s first innings, when even a scintillating 95 by Jonny Bairstow off 94 balls could not prevent them from being bundled out for 229 in reply to Surrey’s 414.When Yorkshire followed on, Root’s bid to repair the second innings from 10 for 2 was cut short when off spinner Virdi drew him forward with a beautiful delivery that drifted away and then, from wide out, turned back through the England Test captain’s gate to bowl him for 23.Virdi, in what is fast becoming his trademark celebration, sprinted off towards deep point in a joyous arm-waving run, followed by his Surrey teammates. It was his first wicket of the game, but his 15th of the season so far, and he is not 20 until mid-July.Indeed, there were two more celebratory runs from Virdi in the day’s long final session as he added the wickets of Adam Lyth, caught at slip for 58, and Harry Brook, leg-before for 8 to another which spun sharply. He could have had an 18th wicket of the season, too, had Ben Foakes not missed a relatively easy stumping chance when Jack Leaning, on 9, was drawn forward and beaten by another beauty.Virdi’s 19-over spell of 3 for 52 left Yorkshire 142 for 5 by the end of day three, still trailing by 43 in this Specsavers County Championship Division One match, and on tomorrow’s final day Surrey will be looking to complete their first win against Yorkshire at the Oval since September 2001.Bairstow, 25 not out in Yorkshire’s second innings as he and Leaning (13 not out) put on a battling 40 in 16 overs, had strode in earlier at No 6 when Root was leg-before to Curran for 14 from the sixth ball of day three. He then hit 15 fours – many of them unforgettable strokes – as he took on the Surrey attack single-handedly.Root’s scalp was followed by those of Brook, Tim Bresnan and Josh Shaw as Curran – who had 2 for 15 overnight – shattered Yorkshire, who had resumed on 40 for 3. As he walked off the field at the lunch interval, Curran was presented with his county cap.The teenager is the fourth youngest Surrey player to be capped, after Vivian Crawford in 1898, Donald Knight in 1912 and Waqar Younis in 1990, and when he took his sixth wicket of Yorkshire’s first innings he also became the fourth youngest Surrey cricketer to take 100 first-class wickets, following Waqar, Martin Bicknell and Jack Crawford.Bairstow attacked Surrey’s quicker bowlers in breathtaking fashion. Particularly memorable were the pull for four off Jade Dernbach which took him to a 46-ball fifty, an early straight drive for four off Curran and then a rasping pull for yet another boundary which greeted Conor McKerr’s introduction for the 31st over.McKerr, the giant 20-year-old fast bowler who has made a good early impression in county cricket, went off after bowling just three overs for 16 runs with what looked like a side injury.Left-armer Curran, not 20 until next month, sent back Root when he aimed to work to square leg, also had Brook caught behind for 17 and, in his second spell of the morning session, saw Bresnan snapped up at second slip for 1.Leaning, having reached 20 in support of Bairstow in a sixth wicket stand of 67, was leg-before to Rikki Clarke, playing towards mid wicket, and England keeper-batsman Bairstow’s only mistake in a morning of magnificent batsmanship was when, on 66, he got a leading edge trying to work a short ball from Dernbach towards mid on and saw the bowler get his right hand to a difficult caught and bowled chance but fail to cling on.Clarke had Steven Patterson superbly held at gully, high to his left, by Ollie Pope for 5, and Bairstow’s counter-punching defiance ended when he tried to force the persevering Dernbach and edged to slip. Curran then ended a bright, career-best 29 from Shaw to wrap up the innings.Yorkshire, batting again 185 runs adrift, lost Alex Lees for 4 at the end of the fifth over when the left-hander pushed at Dernbach and edged to second slip, and it was 10 for 2 when Pujara drove loosely at his third ball and lost his middle stump to one from Curran that shaped back into him.