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Liverpool should be emboldened that while Saturday evening's shattering defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League has resulted in an injury to the in-form Cody Gakpo and suspensions to Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota, the rekindled verve and vitality is there for all to see.

What's also pleasing is that the Anfield side boasts a wealth of academy talent that eclipses anything the club has been seen in recent years, with such exciting options offering a different approach for manager Jurgen Klopp, should he need it.

And use it he has; last season, with Liverpool suffering an incredible depletion of form and fluidity, a young Stefan Bajcetic was brought into the senior fold to aid the beleaguered Reds in their efforts, and he shone as the brightest spark in a midfield that was languishing heavily below expectations.

Hailed for his "exceptional" rise to prominence by Klopp last season, the 18-year-old Spaniard is but one example of the rich crop of precocity just waiting for a chance to impress on the major stage.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is the obvious example, having been promoted to Liverpool's vice-captain in the summer and praised as "world-class" by former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves.

The aforementioned Jones has also enjoyed an impressive rise over the past year, while Ben Doak, aged 17, has currently made eight senior showings in age-belying fashion, and has been proclaimed to be a 'Scottish Wayne Rooney' by his agent Jackie McNamara due to his small yet strong stature and innate physicality.

Some remarkable talent, and all names starting to make themselves known on the major stage, but perhaps one of Liverpool's most prodigious youngsters is yet to become known to the masses.

Oakley Cannonier, goalscoring sensation, has recently returned from injury and is looking to continue his ascent to prominence after demonstrating such a sharp cutting edge in the earliest phase of his youth career.

Who is Oakley Cannonier?

Cannonier's progress beneath the surface at Liverpool has seen him be hindered by a long-term injury that has ruled him out of contention for much of the past year.

The aptly-named Cannonier has been firing the strikes home with vicious regularity at youth level, scoring 44 goals and supplying five assists from only 60 appearances for the Reds' respective development sides, heralded as a "goal machine" by prominent Liverpool reporter Neil Jones for his efforts.

The 19-year-old forward exhibited his prolific abilities last term with a flourish, scoring ten times from only 12 outings during a term that was hampered by injury – including seven goals from only four matches in the UEFA Youth League.

Last month, the striker returned to action with a resounding hat-trick in a friendly against Hull City after indeed spending ten months on the sidelines, and will now surely be viewed as one to keep an eye on as he continues to build back the form that left the likes of The Athletic's James Pearce describing him as "outstanding."

An out-and-out centre-forward, Cannonier will indeed be hoping that he could find his name on the senior team sheet this season for the first time, perhaps linking up with academy peer Kaide Gordon, who is looking to pick up where he left off under Klopp's wing after battling his own long-term absence.

How good is Kaide Gordon?

It's perhaps a testament to Gordon's prodigious skill set that he is still only 18-years-old (for a few more days) and has already forged four senior showings under Klopp's stewardship and netted his maiden goal – and that's despite spending the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign on the sidelines with a long-term injury.

Once described as "exceptional" by his manager, Gordon thrived for Liverpool's development squad after signing from Derby County for a reported fee of £3m as a 16-year-old, posting 12 goals and five assists across all competitions.

The one-cap England U21 international is capable of thriving across both offensive flanks and boasts skill, speed and guile in abundance.

Already demonstrating his ability to provide both incisive and creative danger, the Merseyside outfit's second-youngest-ever goalscorer would work seamlessly in tandem with Cannonier, providing the all-encompassing attacking threat as the focal frontman.

With both Gordon and Cannonier sharing an unfortunate spell on the sidelines with long-term injuries despite remaining pleasingly ensconced in the maiden stage of their professional career, with ample time to grow into their skin, they can both prove to be the first-rate phenoms Klopp and Liverpool crave for in the future.

As mentioned earlier, Liverpool's rise since that fateful day when Klopp graced the Merseyside club as manager for the first time has done more than just improve the first-team squad.

Liverpool, as a footballing institution, has been comprehensively rejuvenated, the stains of a miserable period in the club's history wiped away, and sustained success is now stitched into the fabric of the outfit once again.

As such, youth players are now held in a higher regard. The investment is felt. Gordon and Cannonier are but two of the teenage sensations pushing for a place on the Premier League pitch soon, and given the immense quality brimming from each, there is every possibility that both earn a shot to cement their berth soon enough.

ScorecardGareth Roderick posted a superb 87 not out as Gloucestershire beat Essex by four wickets in Bristol and register their second victory in three days in the Royal London Cup South Group.Ashar Zaidi top-scored with 82 as Essex raised a competitive 287 for 6 on a decent batting track after winning the toss.But Roderick produced a true captain’s innings, staging a match-winning sixth-wicket partnership of 79 in seven overs with the hard-hitting Ryan Higgins as Gloucestershire reached their target with 11 balls to spare.Playing only his fifth List-A game, Academy product George Hankins registered a second white-ball half century inside three days, producing some clean hitting to accrue seven boundaries in a crowd-pleasing innings of 77 from 98 balls.Although he dragged a wideish delivery from Ravi Bopara onto his stumps eight runs short of his highest score, he nevertheless provided Gloucestershire’s reply with solid foundations.Simon Harmer kept Essex in the hunt, accounting for danger-men Ian Cockbain and Jack Taylor with his off spin, but Gloucestershire held the upper hand while Roderick remained at large.Demonstrating a cool head, Gloucestershire’s captain combined deft placement with feverish running between the wickets to raise 50 from 55 balls before pressing the accelerator button. Higgins provided rich entertainment in a murderous innings of 47 from 29 balls, accruing three fours and three sixes to break Essex spirits.Openers Adam Wheater and Varun Chopra had earlier afforded the Eagles a flying start, taking advantage of some loose bowling to raise 74 in 12 overs.But Gloucestershire quickly redressed the balance, slow left armer Tom Smith pinning Wheater lbw with his first ball, and then taking a superb diving catch at mid-off to remove Tom Westley without scoring before inducing Dan Lawrence to loft a miscued drive to mid-on.When Chopra flashed hard at a wide delivery from Chris Liddle and was caught at point for 42 in the 17th over, Essex had lost four wickets in 33 balls and were teetering at 93 for 4.Charged with the task of rebuilding the innings, Bopara dominated stands of 47 and 57 with Ryan ten Doeschate and Zaidi for the fifth and sixth wickets respectively. Having grafted 50 from 70 balls, he chased a ball outside off stump and was caught behind to become Liddle’s third victim.Zaidi picked up the cudgels thereafter, striking seven fours and two sixes and adding 90 for the sixth wicket with Harmer to propel the visitors to a competitive total.

Leeds United could be ready to part ways with one of their experienced heads at Elland Road and journalist Phil Hay has given some important insight into the latest news regarding his future.

What's the latest news involving Leeds United?

In an interview with German outlet BILD, Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche has praised the impact of on-loan Leeds United man Robin Koch at the Bundesliga outfit. Factoring in the fact Eintracht Frankfurt have conceded just three goals so far this campaign, Krösche has complemented the partnership of Koch and teammate Willian Pacho, stating: "We are doing very well defensively. It’s unbelievable how stable Pacho is and how Robin has fit in."

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Ben Jacobs believes that securing promotion to the Premier League may be a key element in whether Italy international Wilfried Gnonto decides to stay at Elland Road for the foreseeable future.

Jacobs said: "It will all simply depend on whether Leeds go up or stay in the Championship. If they stay in the Championship, I think they’ll let Gnonto leave. But if they go back up into the Premier League, he may not want to leave."

Of course, Gnonto is currently out with a ligament injury and will also require surgery, leaving him out of contention until after the next international break has concluded, cited by Leeds Live. Next up for Leeds United is a trip to Southampton this weekend as they look to continue their unbeaten streak in the Sky Bet Championship, which currently stands at six games without a defeat.

As per reports, Crystal Palace have scouted Leeds United youngster Archie Gray; however, any January approach from the South London-based outfit is deemed to be unlikely.

Who could leave Leeds United?

Speaking on the Square Ball podcast, The Athletic journalist Hay has given an update on the future of out-of-favour Leeds United man Helder Costa: "We’ll see what happens – the expectation was that he would go. As Farke said himself, Costa had said that he wanted to leave, hence why he wasn’t involved at all over the summer and there is simply no way he can be reintegrated now. He hasn’t trained through pre-season; he isn’t familiar with what Farke’s doing.

"He's been training on his own. There was obviously the Turkish window as well, which would’ve been an option. I think we all expected that he’s probably would go back to Saudi but noting has developed there. One of a handful of things is going to have to happen. Either they terminate his contract, or when they get round to January they find somewhere for him to go for six months so that he can burn down what’s left on his deal then move on, or he just sits tight until the end of the season and moves on as a free agent."

Costa has made 71 appearances for Leeds United in total over the course of his time at Elland Road, registering eight goals and 11 assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Nevertheless, all signs point to Farke no longer wanting the Angola international around and this could prompt Leeds United owners the 49ers to pay off the 40 weeks remaining on his £32,500 per week contract, which would equate to roughly £1.3 million.

Arsenal's Hale End academy has been the source of great pride for the Gunners in recent years.

It was an illustrious academy anyway, one that brought through Jack Wilshere and helped nurture the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin.

Yet, more recently, it has produced superstar talent Bukayo Saka, now a two-time England player of the year winner and a Ballon d'Or nominee for the first time.

Emile Smith Rowe, although out of the picture at the moment, is another to have graced Mikel Arteta's first team expertly. Eddie Nketiah is now making a name for himself too, among Gareth Southgate's England set-up for the very first time.

There's even the likes of Folarin Balogun, who has just netted the club a cool £35m after trading north London for the glamour of Monaco.

But for those who don't make it, where do they end up? Well, a certain Marcelo Flores, an unknown name to some, is also about to make a move away. Unlike Balogun, however, the club won't be raking in a tremendous fee for the Mexican's services.

Who is Marcelo Flores?

Flores is a 19-year-old attacking midfielder or winger who has been with Arsenal since 2019 after moving from Ipswich Town's youth academy.

Standing at 5 foot 7, the Canadian-born Mexico international is a lively figure but has never quite been able to make the grade since moving to the club.

Hopes were high for a talent who was looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Mexican Carlos Vela by making a first-team appearance. That, however, never came for the teenager who now sees his future away from the English capital.

Capped three times at international level, there is still plenty of potential waiting to be unlocked in the youngster but with such a strong attacking pecking order at Arteta's disposal, an opportunity to play looked extremely unlikely.

How many goals has Marcelo Flores scored for Arsenal?

Flores' time with Arsenal's youth team saw him produce terrific moments of creativity and goal-scoring, with the attacker finding the net 15 times in 48 outings across U18 and U21 level, also chipping in with six assists.

That isn't prolific by any means but his ability to produce ingenious moments out of nothing made him stand above many of his peers in the academy.

A loan move at Real Oviedo hoped to give him some much-needed experience at first team level last season, but his spell with the Spanish second division side didn't go according to plan.

Flores returned to England this summer having failed to score across 15 appearances, with just one assist being registered.

Such form was disappointing for a young individual who was raved about when he was in the infancy of his Arsenal career.

Indeed, Flores was named among the Guardian's best 60 young talents in the world in 2020, with journalist Tom Marshall waxing lyrical.

"A versatile attacking midfielder, Flores compares his game to Philippe Coutinho and Eden Hazard," the writer noted in the player's profile.

Also among that list three years ago was Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich fame, Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto and PSG's Xavi Simons. Fine company indeed.

Where is Marcelo Flores now?

Reports on Thursday morning indicate that the Mexican is now permanently on his way out of Arsenal after four years in the academy.

Indeed, Marca reports via other sources that he is set to join Tigres in Mexico, a move that has been described as one that will cost a 'very low price'.

Edu and co could never have expected to rake in a huge fee to the tune of Balogun's, but either way, it's likely they have made a profit.

After all, the Gunners would have signed the forward on a free transfer from Ipswich all those years ago. It marks smart business, therefore, even if his current deal wasn't expected to conclude until 2025.

Flores will likely live without regret but there must be something in him that wishes he lived up to the billing he previously received. Indeed, it's likely the Hazard and Coutinho inside him will never be truly unlocked.

West Ham are battling to sign Ernest Nuamah before the transfer deadline transfer, and a big update has dropped regarding his future.

Who is West Ham target Ernest Nuamah?

The Hammers have had a busy summer to date, experiencing the disappointment of losing captain Declan Rice to Arsenal, but replacing him with some genuine quality.

Edson Alvarez has arrived from Ajax, in what represents an exciting piece of business, while Southampton's James Ward-Prowse also looks like a shrewd acquisition in the middle of the park, too.

The hope is that West Ham's transfer business isn't quite done yet, as they look to give themselves the best possible opportunity to kick on in 2023/24 and build on their fantastic UEFA Europa Conference League success.

One player who could move to the Premier League before the end of the month is Nuamah, who has emerged as an exciting young player for Danish side Nordsjaelland. He has scored 20 goals in just 49 appearances for them, as well as already winning one cap for Ghana, despite his age.

A fresh update has now dropped regarding West Ham's interest in the 19-year-old, with a significant development taking place.

Will West Ham signing Ernest Nuamah?

According to Football Insider, West Ham have now tabled an offer for Nuamah this summer, with the teenager also being tracked by Spurs:

"West Ham have submitted an offer for FC Nordsjaelland star Ernest Nuamah, sources have told Football Insider. The Hammers are in the market for more attacking reinforcements and have made a formal move the 19-year-old winger after shortlisting him as a top target.

"Nuamah’s performances in Denmark’s top division earned rave reviews this season and he is widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents in Europe."

Nuamah, a left-winger who can play on the right or through the middle, looks like a hugely exciting prospect with a big future in the game, with such a prolific goalscoring record for his current club outlining his potential greatly. Flemming Pederson, technical director at Nordsjaelland, has lauded the youngster in the recent past, saying:

"Ernest is first and foremost a dribbler. He is incredibly fast, has a huge acceleration, and a good agility. He is primarily left-footed, but can also use the right. He is a great individualist with tremendous power, who has great potential to also become a skilled team player."

Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…

There is no question that Nuamah is still a raw footballer learning his trade, so it would be a surprise if he came in as a regular starter for the Hammers, but he is someone who may well be viewed as a massive part of their future, also proving to be an exciting squad player from the off.

His pace, unpredictability and goal threat could be a really effective weapon for West Ham off the substitutes' bench, at a point when opposition legs are tiring, and it is a signing that would be met with even more happiness if the east Londoners pipped Spurs to his services, as well as the likes of Burnley and Brighton.

There are days when bowlers bowl their hearts out on flat pitches and don’t get the rewards they deserve. And there are other days when a bowler doesn’t bowl close to his best on a green pitch but things fall into place for him. It was the second kind of those for Neil Wagner on Friday when he ripped through the West Indies line-up with a career-best 7 for 39, despite not feeling in great rhythm when he started bowling. West Indies had started well with an opening stand of 59 before Wagner picked six of the first seven wickets to fall and reduced them to 97 for 7. Wagner, despite sending down a barrage of short balls like he often has in the past, called it a “bizarre” day.”At the start, I didn’t really feel like I had a great rhythm,” he said. “I obviously first tried to pitch the ball up to see if there was any swing or movement and adjust my lengths a little bit. I struggled for a bit of rhythm and felt I had to try and find a way of adapting pretty fast. So myself and Kane [Williamson] spoke in the middle and I tried to work that wind, when there was a bit of a stiff breeze and eventually worked towards the plan and it came off. It was just one of those bizarre days when things sort of happen your way. I think I’ve bowled a lot better on other days and not get a wicket and then you get days like this. I guess it’s cricket.”I wouldn’t say it was one of those days when you felt a 100% perfect and everything is just coming out sweet and the way you want to. I felt I had to work really hard and find a way to be consistent and it’s just one of those days. I recall a couple of weeks back in a Plunket Shield game where I felt a million dollars and couldn’t get a wicket. And then you go out there today and things don’t really tick but wickets just keep falling. As I said, bizarre sort of a thing when you get in a bit of a zone and it works and ends up being your day.”Certainly, got a bit worried at one stage; they were looking quite comfortable and played really well. We had flashes of the Bangladesh game. I thought they started really well and obviously implemented their plans pretty well and then we had to find different ways and ask questions and hopefully get rewards and it helped. In the end, it worked out our way.”The New Zealand bowlers went wicketless for nearly 22 overs despite expectations of a seamer-friendly track in Wellington. However, when Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Colin de Grandhomme could not taste success in their opening spells, Wagner was introduced in the 18th over with three slips and a gully. It was in his third over, though, that he changed tactics after realising there was no lateral movement on offer. New Zealand placed a forward short leg, a leg gully and a deep square leg as Wagner peppered the batsmen with his short balls.”The pitch was not doing as much as we expected it to do. As soon as you pitched it up, I think the ball went out of shape a little bit and got quite soft,” Wagner said. “And there wasn’t really a hell of a lot of movement off [the] wicket, it was quite breezy and windy so wasn’t quite swinging conditions. And then we obviously had to adapt our plans and try and find different methods to try and stop the scoring rate. That eventually worked out in wickets for us which was pretty pleasing and worked out well.”Wagner was on a hat-trick twice in the innings. The first instance could have easily gone unnoticed when he dismissed Shai Hope on the last ball of the 28th over and then saw debutant Sunil Ambris step on his stumps on the first ball of his next over. Four overs later, Wagner had Roston Chase caught at leg slip before sending down a yorker to dismiss Jason Holder for a golden duck. Wagner later said he wasn’t aware of one of the instances until he saw it flashed on the scoreboard.”To be honest, at that stage I don’t think too much about something like that,” Wagner said of missing out on both hat-tricks. “I think in one instance – I can’t remember which one it was, it all seems like a bit of a blur now – it was on the last ball or something and I knew Boulty is bowling from the other end and I knew I wanted to keep that guy on strike as well so get him off strike to get one and then Boulty has a crack through him as well. So if he got on, it wouldn’t have been too bad a result.”I think at one point I saw on the scoreboard I was on a hat-trick and I didn’t even know. I think it was on the first ball of the next over, so I didn’t even know. It’s just the cherry on top at the end of the day if it happens.”

England’s comfortable victory in the first match ended West Indies’ hopes of automatic World Cup qualification and they must lift themselves to stay in the series

The Preview by Andrew Miller20-Sep-2017

Big PictureDespite West Indies’ well-documented woes in recent years, it’s still pretty shocking to consider that one of the most storied teams in the sport – the winners of the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979 – are now in serious danger of missing out on qualification for the 2019 event. Defeat at Old Trafford confirmed that they can no longer overhaul Sri Lanka as the eighth automatic pick. They must instead now muscle their way through a qualification process in which the likes of Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands will all have serious aspirations of their own, and if the lethargy of Tuesday’s loss is anything to go by, they dare not take anything more for granted.It was a listless display from West Indies in the opening match – notwithstanding some lusty early blows from the returning Chris Gayle, who marked his first ODI appearance since the 2015 World Cup with 37 from 27 balls. Worryingly, the energy of their victory in the one-off T20 in Durham had dissipated entirely by the end of the contest, which might well have been wrapped up with more than 11.1 overs to spare had Ben Stokes not been reining himself in to ensure that Jonny Bairstow had time to rack up his maiden ODI century.We’ve been here before with West Indies on this tour – as a team effort, this was by no means as pitiful as their innings defeat in the first Test at Edgbaston, and we all remember how they bounced back from that setback in the second Test at Headingley. But, in the 50-over format, it’s hard to see from where the telling improvements are going to materialise.Marlon Samuels, another of West Indies’ returning grandees, was especially culpable in sucking all momentum from the middle of their innings – his 17 from 46 balls contained no boundaries and a wasteful 31 dot balls, stats that sum up the fundamental difference between the approaches of the two sides. Joe Root, to name just the most obvious contrast, failed to score from just 17 balls in a similar-length innings, including his first three sighters, en route to 54 from 53 balls.England’s performance wasn’t entirely without fault. They were at times spectacular in the field, but a bad miss from Root at slip off Gayle might have been more fiercely punished on another day. And, for all that he enjoyed a fine day with the ball, to follow up his six-wicket heroics in the Lord’s Test, Stokes suffered a Kolkata redux moment at the death, when a more zealous umpire might have expelled him from the attack for two beamers in a final over that went for 15 runs.But, having stumbled badly in their previous ODI outing, the Champions Trophy semi-final against Pakistan, England’s performance was a return to the sort of front-running batting power that has been a hallmark of their recent upsurge in white-ball cricket. West Indies started the series needing a whitewash to secure their World Cup qualification. On the evidence of one match, the one-way traffic is more likely to head in the other direction.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWWW
West Indies LLWLLIn the spotlightOnce again, there are rumblings afoot about England’s captain, Eoin Morgan, whose rampant form from the top end of the summer has gone up in a puff of smoke. Morgan’s career is among the most peculiar in the modern game – approximately one-fifth international kingpin and four-fifths T20 nomad, if you wish to boil it down to its essence. He hasn’t played a first-class match for Middlesex in two years, he captained their T20 team to an underwhelming seventh place in the Blast South Group, and has just returned from a sojourn with the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League, where he contributed scores of 2, 2, 5 and 0. His innings of 10 in the first ODI, therefore, was a relative triumph. Nevertheless, with Jason Roy on the outside looking in since his form loss in the Champions Trophy, Morgan will be aware of the continued pressure to perform in such a super-charged batting line-up. For the record, his canny leadership remains unquantifiably important to England’s improvement in white-ball cricket, but runs are the only currency that truly resonate. He generally finds a way to silence his intermittent doubters.Where now for Marlon Samuels? His innocuous performance in the first ODI was a concern for West Indies, especially given how much hope had been riding on his recall. But, on a personal level, the lack of runs won’t hurt him nearly as much as the identity of the man who got him out. The war of words between Samuels and Ben Stokes has been unusually diverting as these things go, given how long it has been dragging on and how varied its iterations have been. But there was a sense watching Samuels on Tuesday that, having warned Stokes that he ought to hide on the other side of the boundary when he was batting, he became rather preoccupied with not giving it away. Maybe getting out to Stokes is the spark he needs to take his game to the next level – a cattle-prod of incentive to take the attack back to England. West Indies will certainly hope so.Teams newsNo real need for England to make any changes to a winning line-up, although the temptation to blood Tom Curran must be growing, not least because of his prowess at bowling at the death, one area where England didn’t quite get their lines right on Tuesday. David Willey’s left-arm attack is valued for its variety but he remains slightly anonymous once the initial new-ball swing has worn off.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 David Willey, 11 Liam PlunkettNo specific shortcomings in West Indies’ side, just a collective malfunction to correct. After picking two spinners for the more receptive surface at Old Trafford, there may be a temptation to trade one of them, probably Devendra Bishoo, for an extra quick. Alzarri Joseph and Miguel Cummins are on standby.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Jason Mohammed, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Jerome Taylor, 10 Kesrick WilliamsPitch and conditionsTrent Bridge has been one of the grandstand venues for 50-over cricket in recent times, with Nottinghamshire habitually racking up totals in excess of 400 in the Royal London Cup, and another straw-coloured belter has been prepared for this game. But, all eyes on Thursday are likely to be on the heavens, with a dismal autumnal deluge pencilled in from about 12pm to 7pm. A rain-reduced wallop in the early evening, perhaps? West Indies might not complain if that’s the case. The shorter the game, the more their power-hitters come into play.Stats and trivia England are returning to Trent Bridge for their first ODI since the visit of Pakistan in August last year, when Alex Hales crashed an England-record 171 on his home ground, to power his team to a new world-record total of 444 for 3. Their most recent international fixture at Trent Bridge, however, was less auspicious. South Africa crushed them by 340 runs in the second Test earlier this summer, only days after they had themselves slumped to defeat at Lord’s. Moeen Ali needs two more wickets to reach 50 in ODI cricket.Quotes”I’m not someone who ever looks too far ahead because you know how quickly things can change.”
“From the start we had, with Chris [Gayle] and Evin [Lewis] flying, we were looking at a really good score. But we fell away badly in the middle.”

Manchester City have worked on signing Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz, who could be brought in to replace Bernardo Silva, however the Bundesliga club have no interest in selling the midfielder, according to a report from 90min.

Is Bernardo Silva leaving Man City?

Silva is contracted until the summer of 2025, meaning Man City could hold off on selling him this summer, despite the interest from Barcelona, with it being reported that the player himself "dreams" of a move to the Camp Nou.

For City to consider selling the Portugal international, they would need to receive a fee of around €80m (£68m), as they have no interest in letting him leave, with a contract renewal worth around €18m (£15m) set to be tabled.

According to a report from 90min, the Sky Blues are ready to stand firm over the midfielder's desire to leave, and they have now informed him they have no plans to sell him this summer.

There is an offer on the table from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, but the Man City star has little interest in the move, despite the lucrative nature of the contract, but he is keen to speak to Barca and Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG have already held conversations with the former Benfica man, informing the European champions they would be willing to pay £75m to secure his signature, however that still may not be enough, as City cannot afford to lose him this summer.

There has already been some high-profile exits this summer, with Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan departing, meaning Pep Guardiola may be less likely to sanction Silva's departure.

With the Portuguese midfielder's future in doubt though, Man City have started to look at other midfield targets, including the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Nicolo Barella and Wirtz, however none of them look to be available at the moment, meaning the need to keep Silva is even more pressing.

Who is Florian Wirtz?

If Leverkusen soften their stance at a later stage in the transfer window and allow the 20-year-old to leave, he could be a fantastic replacement for Silva, having already established himself at international level, making eight caps for Germany.

Primarily an attacking midfielder, the German is also capable of operating on both wings and at striker, meaning he could be a versatile option for Pep Guardiola's side, and he has performed very well over the past few seasons.

Despite his age, the starlet is already a very important player for Leverkusen, registering 23 goals and 30 assists in 103 appearances for the Bundesliga side, meaning he averages over one goal contribution every other game.

The Pulheim-born maestro is also a fantastic dribbler of the ball, ranking in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

Having been hailed as an "elite talent" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Wirtz clearly has a lot of potential, so it is disappointing that he is not available for the time being, but Man City should keep him on the shortlist as a possible future target.

Andre Fletcher and Marlon Samuels blitzed fifties to lead St. Lucia Stars to 173, but couldn’t prevent Jamaica Tallawahs from completing the fourth-highest successful chase in CPL history

The Report by Nikhil Kalro16-Aug-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndre Fletcher struck seven fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 84•Ashley Allen – CPL T20 / Getty

For the first 37 overs of the game, St Lucia Stars were ahead and cruising. Then came that one over everyone talks about in this format. With the Tallawahs requiring 40 off three overs in their chase of 174, Mitchell McClenaghan conceded 20 runs, and the Stars’ hopes of their first win of the tournament faded into their sixth successive loss. It was also the fourth-highest successful chase in tournament history.Andre McCarthy recovered quickly from a run-out that led to Rovman Powell leaving the field like he was ready for a locker showdown, and struck a match-winning unbeaten 61 off 37 balls to lead the Tallawahs to a five-wicket win with two balls to spare. It wouldn’t be much solace for the Stars, but they put on a much-improved performance with the bat. Andre Fletcher and Marlon Samuels blitzed fifties to lead them to 173, their highest score of the tournament.Pace off the ballThe Darren Sammy National Stadium was hit by passing showers just before the start. On a slow surface, that moisture may have just done enough to negate the penetration of seam-up deliveries – a burst of rain will only quicken a pitch up slightly, not change its nature. That should have been an indication for the Tallawahs’ bowlers to take pace off the ball.It took a few heaves and punches for the bowlers to switch to offcutters. It worked right away, an offcutter from Mohammad Sami took the inside edge of Johnson Charles and uprooted leg stump. The mode of operation didn’t change much thereafter.The unmatched utility of boundaries in T20sFletcher isn’t known for his ability to find gaps for singles. He is, however, an efficient boundary-hitter. The value of boundaries in T20s is high, but the utility of boundaries without consuming too many dot balls is significantly higher. In his 53-ball innings, he struck 24 singles and played 13 dots, effectively 24 runs off 37 balls.He also hammered 11 boundaries, seven fours and a six, almost as many as the number of dot balls he faced. That meant he finished with 84 off 53 balls with a strike-rate of 158.49. A T20 masterclass beckoned if he could convert a few more of those dots into singles.Keep calm and bat onWhen McCarthy stabbed a ball towards extra cover, called for two and didn’t respond, the Tallawahs were reeling. They needed 81 runs off 46 balls with six wickets in hand, and Powell was fuming all the way off the field. For McCarthy, that could have been a scarring emotional blow.Instead, he bided his time, found the boundary when he had to and delivered under duress. Imad Wasim also brought his experience and ability to a 45-run sixth-wicket stand that carried Tallawahs home. A few moments later, Powell was leaping onto McCarthy in joy.

Wolves are thought to be interested in signing Uruguayan midfielder Emiliano Martinez in the summer transfer window, according to a recent rumour.

Who is Emiliano Martinez?

The 23-year-old, who isn't to be confused with his namesake who plays in goal for Aston Villa and Argentina, is currently at FC Midtjylland, one of Denmark's biggest clubs, and he has grown into an important player for them.

Having arrived from Red Bull Bragantino in 2022, Martinez has made 33 appearances for his current club, seven of which came in the Europa League last season, with six starts coming his way. He has also won two caps for Uruguay in a star-studded side that has featured the likes of Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Darwin Nunez and Fede Valverde.

The midfielder is currently contracted to Midtjylland until the summer of 2027, meaning it may not be easy for clubs to sign him on the cheap, but there could still be interest in him during the summer transfer window.

Wolves are on the lookout for new signings, as they aim to improve on a fairly underwhelming 2022/23 campaign, and it looks as though Martinez has emerged as a target to come in and make up for the loss of Ruben Neves.

Are Wolves signing Emiliano Martinez?

According to Football Insider, Wolves are "among a number of English clubs" interested in signing Martinez this summer, with West Ham also mentioned in the report. He has been receiving "rave reviews" for his performances for Midtjylland, highlighting why Wanderers are seemingly in the mix to acquire his signature.

The player's father and agent, Luis Ferrer, is thought to have been "instrumental" in Kylian Mbappe's move to Paris Saint-Germain and is looking to seal a big move for his son and client somewhere across Europe, amid plenty of intrigue in him.

Martinez may be an unknown to many, with all due respect to Midtjylland, who aren't necessarily Europe's most closely-followed team by fans of other clubs. It seems clear that he is a standout figure in Denmark, however, so it is exciting to Wolves in the mix to sign him before the new campaign kicks into gear.

The fact that he has forced his way into Uruguay's plans from a weaker league says a lot about his ability, given some of the midfield quality at their disposal, from Valverde to Manuel Ugarte, and he is still a young footballer who should only develop over time.

It is essential that Wolves fill the void left by the influential Neves this summer, and while Martinez may not be able to do that alone, given his lack of experience in an elite league, he could still make a noticeable difference in the middle of the park.

Last season, he averaged an eye-catching three tackles per game in the Europa League – no Wolves player matched or had a higher tally in the Premier League – so he could be a real force out of possession, but he also enjoyed an 81.4% pass completion rate, showing that he is also perfectly good on the ball.