All posts by h716a5.icu

Chelsea have identified a new transfer target amid a recent blow in their ongoing pursuit of Victor Osimhen.

The Blues came close to signing the Nigeria striker in the summer, but the deal couldn’t be pushed over the line before the close of the transfer window.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Chelsea had agreed a fee with Napoli for the 25-year-old in August, but he wasn’t willing to take a pay cut to move to Stamford Bridge, with the west London club having offered him a deal worth £3.3 million a year.

Osimhen instead joined Turkish side Galatasaray on a season-long loan, where he’s since scored eight goals in nine games.

Recent reports have suggested that Chelsea remain keen on the Super Eagles star, who won’t be staying in Turkey next summer and will be available for £63 million, but the Blues now face competition from Napoli’s Serie A rivals Juventus amid doubts over the future of Dusan Vlahovic.

Chelsea identify Osimhen alternative

With Juventus hot on Osimhen’s trail, Chelsea have now earmarked Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap as a possible transfer target for next summer.

That is according to The i, which reports that Delap’s performances in the Premier League this season have caught the eye of the Blues.

The 21-year-old, who joined newly promoted Ipswich from Manchester City for an initial £15m in June, is the Tractor Boys’ top scorer this term, having scored 6 goals in 12 games.

The i reports that Delap has rated “exceptionally highly” on Chelsea’s advanced transfer metrics, and that the club believe the young Englishman “would fit more readily into their wage structure” than Osimhen.

The publication notes, however, that City have a buy-back clause worth around £20 million for Delap, and that he’s also attracting interest from other “top sides”.

Murray hails "exceptional" Delap

Delap has received plenty of plaudits for his displays this season, including from former Premier League striker Glenn Murray.

During an appearance on Match of the Day 2 in September, Murray, who scored 37 top-flight goals across spells with Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Brighton, heaped praise on the Ipswich frontman.

“I think one of the things that’s thrown at newly promoted clubs is a lack of goals and that worry. He’s been exceptional.

“He’s always lively, always on the move. What I like about him is that he’s never really marked, he’s always moving and finding that yard of space.

“If he keeps putting in performances like that, he might just be the difference between Ipswich being a Premier League team at the end of the season and not.”

Delap's dream transfer: Ipswich could sign "explosive" £11m EFL star

The sensational talent would help make Ipswich’s star striker even more dangerous.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 20, 2024

Prior to moving to Ipswich, Delap spent the last two seasons on loan in the Championship with Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City, managing 12 goals in 70 appearances.

However, he’s taken his game to the next level since moving to Portman Road, impressing with his clinical finishing and powerful performances up top.

It’s easy to see why Chelsea would be interested, especially given that Christopher Nkunku could soon be leaving Stamford Bridge, although it’s unknown whether Delap would be able to compete with Nicolas Jackson as the Blues’ first-choice striker.

The Senegal forward has seven goals and three assists this term and has already surpassed Fernando Torres’ goalscoring record in the Premier League for the Blues, having found the net 21 times in 47 games.

Rajan Nayar pleads guilty to approaching Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer with intent to improperly influence the course of an international match

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-20185:25

Graeme Cremer describes how he was approached to match-fix

Rajan Nayar, a domestic cricket official in Zimbabwe, has been suspended from all cricketing activities for 20 years by the ICC for attempting to improperly influence an international match.The incident had taken place in October last year when Nayar approached Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer and offered USD 30,000 to engage in corrupt activity. Cremer “immediately” reported to the approach to the ICC, which began an investigation into the matter.Nayar, serving as treasurer and marketing director of Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association (HMCA) at the time, accepted all the charges against him. The suspension will be backdated to the start of his provisional suspension on 16 January, 2018.Alex Marshall, general manager with the ICC”s Anti-Corruption Unit, said: “I welcome the result of the investigation and the substantial sanction imposed upon Mr. Nayer. It is important that the seriousness of his offences was reflected in the length of the ban.”I would like to place on record my thanks to Graeme Cremer, who has acted with the utmost professionalism throughout this process. Immediately after he received the approach from Mr. Nayar he reported it to the ICC and we were able to get an investigation underway swiftly. Graeme has been involved and updated throughout the investigation and has played a critical role in ensuring that corruption has no place in our sport.”Cremer himself expressed surprise that a well-known official had acted in such a manner. “I was appalled to be approached by someone so closely connected to the game and there was no doubt in my mind that I had to report it as soon as I could. We receive education around this which you never expect to have to use, but it certainly helped when it came to knowing what to do.”

Celtic enjoyed a busy summer of transfer activity as they look to retain their Scottish Premiership crown and it now appears that they have turned their attention towards securing more arrivals in January, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Celtic?

According to The National, Celtic face a fight on their hands to keep B Team coach Darren O'Dea, who has been identified as Inverness Caledonian Thistle's preferred candidate to succeed Billy Dodds at the Scottish Championship outfit.

Former Celtic player O'Dea has worked his way up the ranks since returning to Parkhead in various coaching capacities; however, will now travel north to the Highlands for face-to-face talks with Inverness over their managerial vacancy despite his current employers being keen to keep him around.

The Hoops were involved in Champions League action during the week and fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Feyenoord in their group opener, in an encounter where both Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm were sent off and Celtic were masters of their own downfall, as per Sky Sports.

Returning to Scottish Premiership action this weekend, Celtic face a tough away test against Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Saturday afternoon and left-back Greg Taylor is keen to get back to winning ways in West Lothian.

Speaking to Celtic's official website, Taylor stated: "Coming back to domestic action, it is a big change, of course. But the one thing that this club demands is winning. I think it’s physically demanding in both ways. The Champions League is the elite, so you are pushing your body to the very limit. But then, you'll play Saturday and maybe change style a little. Livingston will be quite physical, so that is another challenge. It’s just something you've got to deal with."

What has Rodgers said about Celtic's recruitment?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference in the build-up to the Hoops' clash against Livingston this weekend, Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has indicated that he could look to balance out his youthful squad with some experienced players in the January transfer window and beyond.

Cited by Sky Sports, Rodgers stated: "Listen, if you look at the strategy of the club, it's signing the younger players to develop and improve. I think I have said it before here, that to maximise that potential, of course, you need that balance in your squad. You need quality and you need experience, and that will obviously help and support potential that you have. So that's something that hopefully over the course of my time here the squad can regenerate into that way."

In the summer, Celtic lost the likes of Carl Starfelt, Aaron Mooy and Jota, while seasoned players such as Tom Rogic, Nir Bitton and Giorgios Giakoumakis have left the club in the recent past. Despite the return of Rodgers to Glasgow, Celtic have primarily invested in young players and have an average age across the squad of 25, as per Transfermarkt.

With the evolving landscape of the Champions League continuing to enable top-bracket sides to spend major sums of money on recruitment year after year, Celtic find themselves in between a rock and a hard place in the sense that they are dominant domestically but find competing at the top level in Europe to be a challenging endeavour.

After splashing the cash yet again this summer, Chelsea were expected to finally bounce back and establish themselves among the very best in the Premier League once more. Things haven't quite gone to plan for the Blues so far, however.

Mauricio Pochettino's side initially impressed on the opening day, coming from behind to rescue a point against Liverpool in a game that they arguably deserved all three points. Since then, results have only gone downhill.

First, they lost to London rivals West Ham United, signalling worry that those at Stamford Bridge were in for a repeat of last season. A 3-0 win over Luton Town handed the Blues some short-reprieve, but a 1-0 defeat at home against Nottingham Forest on Saturday exposed Chelsea's problems for all to see.

It was Mykhailo Mudryk who shouldered plenty of criticism, too, particularly from Gabriel Agbonlahor.

What did Gabriel Agbonlahor say?

Impressing in pre-season, it looked as though Mudryk was finally finding his feet at Chelsea, only for his struggles to instantly resume as soon as the Premier League season got underway.

Given that the Ukraine international cost the Blues a reported £89m, fans would have been expecting more than the two-goal involvements he has made since arriving in January.

Taking to talkSPORT following the defeat, Agbonlahor hit out at Mudryk, saying:

“Mudryk came on, and he nearly gave away two goals. Honestly, he was absolutely useless. He’s had 19 games, zero goals.”

The former Aston Villa man also spoke about Chelsea's spending, saying:

“What I don’t understand with Chelsea is today, 21 shots, guess how many on target. Two. So, they’re getting in the positions, they just haven’t got the quality. And, it seems to be a theme now, where you look on social media, it’s Chelsea sign players, but lose games. £1 billion spent."

How has Mykhailo Mudryk performed this season?

After a campaign to forget last time out, Mudryk, like the rest of the Chelsea side, has the chance for a fresh start under Pochettino. But so far, the winger, and a fair few others in the current squad, have failed to take their opportunities.

Against Nottingham Forest, the 22-year-old came on from the bench with the Blues in desperate need of a late equaliser, before enduring a frustrating and ineffective 13 minutes, in which he made little, if any, impact.

In those 13 minutes, as per SofaScore, Mudryk touched the ball just 15 times, made four inaccurate crosses, lost the ball seven times, and lost every ground duel that he had. The fact is, instead of changing the game, Mudryk simply had a poor cameo.

Up next, Chelsea face off against Bournemouth, who will be looking for their first Premier League win under Andoni Iraola. If Pochettino's side manage to hand the Cherries those much-needed three points, then worrying questions may already start to creep into the Argentine's tenure, despite overseeing just a handful of games so far.

Meanwhile, Mudryk, on a personal note, will be hoping to use the trip to the Vitality Stadium to finally discover his best form for Chelsea, but after his display on Saturday, he may have to make do with a place on te bench once more.

Despite landing in New Zealand before some 50-over team-mates, Stokes won’t feature in the remaining T20s and is unlikely for the opening ODI too. The England coach wants to ensure the allrounder is back “up to speed” first

Adam Collins14-Feb-2018It is not quite Brisbane in November on the opening day of an Ashes series, but Ben Stokes’ antipodean tour is finally likely to kick off. He will, however, have to wait his turn with the second ODI against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui shaping as his earliest return.That’s the message from Trevor Bayliss, speaking after his allrounder received the green light to travel south after fronting court to plead not guilty on Tuesday. Despite landing in the country a couple of days before his 50-over colleagues, Stokes won’t return to the side for their remaining T20s and it is highly improbable he’ll be in the XI for the opening ODI.”He hasn’t played for a while so it is not as if we can bring him straight back for these T20s,” Bayliss said in Wellington, the morning after England’s latest short-form defeat.England’s opening ODI is in Hamilton on February 25, but Bayliss will be waiting until he has seen evidence with his own eyes that Stokes is ready. “I’d have to say it’s unlikely,” he said of Stokes’ participation in that particular ODI. “It’s just up and in the air. We’ll have to wait and see how he is travelling, with the practice. We have got to get him up to speed and hopefully during this one-day series we can get him back into the team.”Before Christmas, Stokes – who has not played for England since September – participated in six white-ball fixtures in the domestic New Zealand competition, but that is not going to make much difference on this visit. Bayliss instead will make a “judgement call” on the 26-year-old’s outdoor net form; he has been restricted to indoor training only over the last six weeks.”It’ll just be something we have to keep an eye on as the practice days go,” he said. “In the past, he’s been out with injuries and coming back sooner than we think. That’s the type of character he is and it doesn’t take him long at all to get back up to speed.”The reality is that Stokes is never surplus to requirements, even after the ODI side thrashed Australia in Australia 4-1 in January. “One of the biggest things we’ve missed over the summer has been the combinations we’ve been able to play,” Bayliss said. “Especially in the one-dayers and T20s. We’ve been able to have six bowlers [before], which gives the captain plenty of different options. We’ve been down to just the five bowlers.”Of course, the frustration remains that the incident has so dominated this tour. Bayliss freely admits he was “sick of it from the first day” nearly five months ago. But the latest legal development – especially that Stokes will be initially available for Test duty in March – means that plans could be getting back on track for the England management.”He’s looking forward to getting back doing what he does best and I’m looking forward to catching up with him,” Bayliss said. As far as the playing group is concerned, the coach says Stokes will be welcomed back warmly. “Don’t forget he wasn’t the only one who was out that night. There were a few others. They all can’t wait for him to come back. He’s a very popular member of the squad, one of the leaders of the squad and there won’t be any problems whatsoever.”As for Stokes’ state of mind in the lead up to his more substantial days in court, Bayliss believes this series is the best possible distraction. “There have been players in the past who’ve had off-field issues and been able to put that aside and concentrate on cricket,” he said of the “relief” Stokes will experience in playing again. “I’ve got a feeling he will be one of the guys who can put it aside and perform.”

Everton, for all their financial blunders in recent memory, boast a keen history of plucking unknown youth talent and turning them into stars.

So often famed for their academy production, their recruitment throughout the lower leagues has proven stellar across the years too, with John Stones an outstanding example of such success.

Plucked from Barnsley in 2013, it took just three years before Manchester City came calling, unloading £47.5m to pry him from Merseyside and make him Pep Guardiola's star centre-back.

Given how his career has only gone from strength to strength, it must be remembered that it was the Toffees who first offered him that platform to thrive.

Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)

£28m

£72.4m

Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)

£35m

£49.6m

John Stones (Manchester City)

£3m

£47.5m

Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)

Academy

£38.9m

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Academy

£31.6m

All fees via Transfermarkt & BBC Sport

Now more than ever has this kind of talent identification been imperative for the Goodison Park outfit, who are being forced to watch their expenditure in fear of how FFP might sanction them. Such frustration fed into the summer transfer window, where they actually operated with a net profit despite making five signings.

However, there is a different star who has already begun staking his first team claim, who could be their next great success story to have begun their career in the lower leagues.

Who is actually playing well for Everton?

Although they are yet to claim their first Premier League win of the season, there has been a host of solid displays from Sean Dyche's men that have not claimed the merited result. Clashes with Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers spring to mind, where they recorded 2.73 and 1.34 expected goals respectively, but failed to score in 1-0 losses.

As such, Sofascore recognises that there have been some fine performers within the club despite what the league table shows.

One such name is Jarrad Branthwaite, who finally seems set to earn a run in the starting side after an impressive loan tenure last year in the Netherlands.

Seeking to add some technical quality to his already impressive physique, his first few games back in England offer proof that the loan has earned success, with the 21-year-old maintaining a 7.10 average Sofascore rating.

This is a figure largely buoyed by his defensive excellence, although his 85% pass accuracy does mark an admirable return. Not to mention he has paired it with two interceptions, two tackles, three clearances and 8.5 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.

In fact, his rating makes him the club's third-best performer thus far, starring as the joint-best for clearances made per game too. Already the youngster has announced himself as an integral figure within Dyche's setup.

The former Burnley boss has been keen to praise the 6 foot 5 goliath, claiming before even handing him a start: "Jarrad has done well in pre-season but he missed a couple of weeks so he is still getting fit and sharp but we like what we have seen so far and we’re just getting used to him.”

The hope will be that he can continue this upward trajectory to emulate Stones' success, instead sticking around to lead Everton into a brighter future.

How much was Jarrad Branthwaite worth at Carlisle United?

As a relative unknown at the time of his move to Merseyside, he was unsurprisingly lowly rated.

Despite that, Football Transfers still handed the League Two defender a €1.1m (£940k) expected transfer valuation just before transferring, which has since skyrocketed.

Such success had been predicted way before his emergence, with his former manager and the man who gave him his debut at Carlisle United Steven Pressley, offering the following praise: "He had so many quality attributes to become a top player. On the back of that one game, I phoned the Director of Football to get him tied up on a longer-term contract, which we did within two or three days.

“From that moment on, he trained with the first team every day. I told people he was a future England international. Not once from when I gave him his debut did I ever consider leaving him out again, because I felt his performances had been so strong.

“The truth is, I think he has got everything. He can pass the ball almost equally as good with both feet. He’s a terrific footballer. And If he continues to develop, then, without doubt, he can be an England player.”

How much did Everton sign Jarrad Branthwaite for?

Despite that aforementioned valuation, given how highly rated he was for the Cumbrians, this was not an easy deal to make for Carlo Ancelotti.

Although, with the financial might they commanded at the time, the Blues came to an agreement for his services, unloading a nominal £1m to bring him in after seeing a £500k bid rejected earlier in that 2020 January window.

As was the case with Stones, this has since proven to be a shrewd piece of business, and what they are set to make will surely blow that initial figure out of the water. Especially if clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United continue sniffing around.

What is Jarrad Branthwaite's market value now?

Evertonians will be keen to know just how much their prized young asset is worth given the fiscal mire they find themselves in, scrambling for pennies to put together a bid for anyone who might consider joining their relegation scrap.

Well, considering that PSV Eindhoven saw a £15m bid rejected, that should offer a fine starting point.

CIES Football Observatory whilst seeking to offer a more realistic figure, actually came to a similar conclusion with their value tool, suggesting the England U21 international is worth just €20m (£17m).

Although that marks an astronomical increase from the £1m they first paid, 1600% to be exact, it is still likely a far cry from what Dyche would possibly accept given his growing importance, natural ability, favourable nationality and incredible youth. As such it could even be argued that his true valuation sits much higher than this fee, although only his 52-year-old boss will know what that is.

Why is Jarrad Branthwaite worth that much?

Although his start to the season helps explain why his value has seen such a sharp increase, it is in fact that loan move to the Eredivisie that deserves the bulk of the praise, handing Branthwaite his first show of faith within senior football.

He would feature 27 times in the Dutch top flight last year, with his 6.97 average rating a fine return for someone so young. It is a testament to his quality that they were so keen to tie him down permanently, with his 87% pass accuracy and 3.4 clearances per game proving vital, via Sofascore.

The four main facets that uphold his valuation were mentioned just earlier, and should he continue to prove himself as a capable asset at the Premier League level, only he knows how high he could go.

The South Africa batsman put some of the side’s problems down to conditions, which he expects to become more difficult to bat on as the game goes on

Firdose Moonda in Durban02-Mar-2018AB de Villiers has defended his team-mates, whose nine wickets fell for 91 runs, leaving his contribution of 71 not out as the only score of significance on an otherwise humbling scorecard. While de Villiers conceded that “the deficit (of 189) looks really bad,” he maintained that South Africa were “not far off,” matching Australia’s skill set and hoped they can pull off “something special,” in the days to come.”There were a couple of softies (dismissals) today but also some really good bowling,” de Villiers said. “Australia had a really good intensity about them and they seemed to be clear with their plans. We could feel that they seemed to know what they were doing.”But it’s not all lost. Some guys looked really good out there and we just didn’t convert. We just didn’t cross that line today. If you cross that line with two batters out there, things change very quickly. We came up just short. The wicket is getting harder by the day and it won’t be easy for them to bat out there tomorrow. It’s up to us to make sure we have the right game plans in place. We are not out of it.”De Villiers’ generous assessment did not reveal any secrets towards explaining his own ability but he put his own success down to good preparation. “I just felt really good leading up to this Test in the nets, did some really good things in the nets, and I felt confident going into the Test,” he said. “You don’t always feel that way in Test cricket. And I was very motivated to score some runs for the boys.”While the rest of the South African line-up struggled against movement from Mitchell Starc and spin from Nathan Lyon, de Villiers felt the hosts allowed Lyon, in particular, to gain the upper hand because they were unable to form partnerships. South Africa’s highest stand was worth 42 runs – between de Villiers and Quitnon de Kock for the sixth wicket – and their lower order had no partnerships in double figures. Contrastingly, Australia’s eight-wicket stand was worth 49 and their ninth-wicket pair put on 41, which helped take them past 350 in the first innings.”Starc was swinging the ball one way and I felt I had him covered,” de Villiers said. “He bowled a couple of good deliveries and there’s not much you can do about that. Swing is one thing but when it’s moving a bit off the deck, it’s really difficult to cover that. Lyon did a really good job from the other end more often than not. We had him under pressure at times but kept losing wickets. That allowed him to bowl with more freedom.”As for South Africa’s age-old problem against spin, de Villiers put some of that down to conditions, which he expects to become more difficult to bat on as the match goes on. “We play spin well but it didn’t show today. I played spin well today,” de Villiers joked. “There’s no one with a flaw in their game when it comes to spin. Obviously the results don’t say the same thing. Lyon is the top wicket-taker in the world for this season and he is bowling well. He is a confident guy. I don’t think we played him badly. There’s a bit of rough out there, it’s a dryish Kingsmead surface, and he got a bit of assistance.”De Villiers was hopeful South Africa’s attack could rescue the situation on the third day, as they chase an elusive Test series win over Australia at home. “We’ve got our work cut out tomorrow. But we still believe we can turn this around.”

The duo combined to stroke decisive knocks to lead India past 250 before Bangladesh were bowled out in 42.1 overs

The report by Shashank Kishore in Queenstown26-Jan-2018Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma – state mates at Punjab from Under-14s, room-mates on tour and best friends off the field – combined to make decisive half-centuries in India’s 131-run win in the quarter-final against Bangladesh in Queenstown. This meant a semi-final showdown with Pakistan in Christchurch on January 30.Gill top-scored with 86, but India’s batting depth was tested for the first time in the tournament. A middle-order implosion in the face of some tight bowling – from overs 20-40 where India scored just three boundaries – was then somewhat covered up by Abhishek’s industrious 49-ball 50 that propelled them to 265 in the final over.Bangladesh came out looking to first dig in and set up a solid base. In the process, they ate up too many deliveries. As the asking rate mounted and spinners tightened the screws, they turned towards cheeky singles to keep the scorecard chugging along. This resulted in two of their main batsmen – Towhid Hridoy and Aminul Islam – being run out. Those dismissals turned the game around in a jiffy as Bangladesh couldn’t quite recover from 85 fof 5. They were eventually bowled out for 134 in the 43rd over.As well as they bowled, India’s fielding, particularly inside the 30-yard circle, was noteworthy. In the Powerplay, the packed off-side ring cut off easy singles to build pressure. Then their two most athletic fast bowlers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti got into the act after bowling their hearts out in a fiery opening spell.Mavi swooped in from cover point to effect a direct hit via an underarm flick to dismiss Hridoy while Nagarkoti moved swiftly to his right at backward square leg to fire a throw to wicketkeeper Harvik Desai who did the rest even as Aminul tried to dive full stretch. These two wickets in the space of 10 deliveries effectively broke Bangladesh’s back.That Bangladesh weren’t allowed to blaze away was thanks largely to Ishan Porel, who troubled them during the course of an incisive opening spell of 5-2-8-0. Porel, playing just his second game in the tournament after recovering from a heel injury on his left foot, went through considerable amount of work before the game to be ready, and proved that the time spent on him by the support staff was fully worth it. Without bowling full tilt, he kept up the pressure by combining accuracy and bounce on a deck that offered some help for the faster bowlers if they were willing to bend their backs.Mavi benefited from this pressure the most as Mohammad Naim holed out to Prithvi Shaw at mid-on. If Bangladesh thought Porel and Mavi’s burst had been weathered, they had Nagarkoti just warming up. With some needle in the contest courtesy some words and glances exchanged between both sides – something that had been building up from early in the game – Nagarkoti had captain Saif Hassan nick to Abhishek, who took an excellent catch diving to his left at slip. That was to be the start of Bangladesh’s slide.India’s start was much different though. They lost Manjot Kalra early, but Gill powered them to 71 for 1 after the first 10 overs, bringing in a touch of unorthodoxy by flat-batting a pull early in his innings, and doing the early running even as Shaw wasn’t allowed to break free initially.Shaw eventually broke the struggle by picking up his first boundary – a punch through point – off the seventh over. He would then get a release in the same over courtesy a free-hit that he biffed over mid-on to get going. Far from fluent, Shaw played within himself and would fall to a Qazi Onik delivery that would straighten from around the stumps and have him bowled for 40. Desai pushed and prodded for 34, but in doing so, put a lot of pressure on Gill, who was looking to accelerate. As well as he tried to milk the singles and bring out the cheeky dabs and tucks to the leg side, their dismissals in the space of 13 deliveries after a 74-run stand put the pressure on India’s middle order.Riyan Parag, having his first hit of the tournament, took eight balls to get off the mark and struggled for rhythm. Nagarkoti and Mavi tried to swing their way, only to fall. This made Abhishek’s pugnacious contribution all the more vital in the context of the game. Happy to tick over runs initially, he opened up to deliver some muscular blows towards the end of the innings before being the ninth batsman out. By then, he had lifted India out of a tangle and put them firmly ahead.Then with the ball, Abhishek would top up his batting with two wickets. The end was quite fittingly a Nagarkoti thunderbolt that sent Nayeem Hasan’s off stump cartwheeling to delirious celebration in the Indian camp. He would finish with 3 for 18 in a win that looked far too easy than it could have been at one stage.

After both getting off to strong starts in the new Premier League season, Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United will now cross paths with each other at the Amex Stadium.

This was a Championship fixture just six years ago, and now it’s a regular top-flight fixture with both teams set to enjoy European football this season.

We at Football FanCast have taken a deep dive into the history of this matchup and what can be expected when they go head-to-head.

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has the better head-to-head record?

These two clubs have only faced off in 32 competitive matches dating back to the 1929/1930 FA Cup campaign. Newcastle United prevailed then only to be knocked out by Hull City in the next round and is it Brighton and Hove Albion who have a narrow advantage in this fixture overall.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 12 Draws: 9 Newcastle United wins: 11 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has more wins at Goldstone Ground/ the Amex?

Brighton have played their home games at a few different stadiums, it all began with the Goldstone Ground and they were there for nearly a century. More recently though, they set up shop at Falmer Stadium which is more commonly known now as the Amex. Once again, the Seagulls have the slight edge over the Magpies.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 6 Draws: 6 Newcastle United wins: 4 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has more wins at St. James’ Park?

Newcastle United have been much less nomadic with England’s ninth most-successful club playing their home games at St James’ Park since day one. It has undergone a lot of changes of course, as has the ownership structure at Newcastle, but is still regarded as one of the best atmospheres in the country. With just one game in at, the Geordies boast the bragging rights when on their home patch against Brighton.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 6 Draws: 3 Newcastle United wins: 7 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Who has the better cup record?

As previously mentioned, the first ever meeting between Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United was in the FA Cup nearly 100 years ago. It was the later who came out on top there by a score line of 3-0, but they haven’t won since.

The 1982/83 FA Cup saw the teams draw after 90 minutes and so it was onto a replay, where Brighton got their first cup win in this fixture. Since then, they have won every time with the most recent outing being a third-round victory in 2012/13 thanks to goals from Orlandi and Will Hoskins.

Brighton and Hove Albion wins: 4 Draws: 1 Newcastle United wins: 1 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: How have the last 5 meetings played out?

Both of these clubs are now established in England’s top flight and so it is no surprise to see that their last 5 meetings have come in the promise land of football. The common pattern is that once again, it is very hard to separate these two!

18th May 2023- Newcastle United 4-1 Brighton and Hove Albion:

The most recent competitive meeting between Newcastle and Brighton took place at St James’ Park back in May and the hosts made light work of it.

They were given the lead by a Deniz Undav own goal only for the German to then score at the right end later on in the game. With it finely poised at 2-1 going into the dying stages, Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes put the game to bed.

13th August 2022 – Brighton and Hove Albion 0-0 Newcastle United:

In the second game of last season, these two went head-to-head on the south coast and there was nothing to separate them. Prior to that, Newcastle got off to a good start with a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest and Brighton secured a famous victory over Manchester United, so this was a sign of things to come from both sides.

5th March 2022 – Newcastle 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion:

Newcastle’s resolute form on their own patch is there for all to see with another home win over the Albion. Early goals from Ryan Fraser and Fabian Schar were enough for Eddie Howe’s side to get the win against Graham Potter’s Brighton.

6th November 2021 – Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Newcastle United:

Robert Sanchez’s 90th-minute red card is the obvious headline in a game that ended honours even. It didn’t end up costing his side with Leandro Trossard giving them the lead from the penalty spot before Isaac Hayden’s strike cancelled that out.

20th March 2021 – Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0 Newcastle United:

Lastly now to a score line that is a record for Brighton against Newcastle and one that has only been managed twice. The game in question was also in Potter’s spell and goals from an attacking trio of Trossard, Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay made sure of a huge three points for Brighton.

Who has played for both Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United?

Steve Harper (Newcastle 1993-2013; Brighton 2011)

Steve Harper is a legend in and around Newcastle as one would expect given that he played there for two whole decades. Despite this perceived loyalty he went on loan to a number of different clubs during his time there, one of which was Brighton, and he actually finished his career with Sunderland of all teams, who he grew up supporting.

Leon Best (Newcastle 2010-2012; Brighton 2015)

Leon Best enjoyed a couple of productive seasons with Newcastle in and amongst the rest of his journeyman-like career as a professional footballer. He was part of the team that lifted the Championship trophy in 2010 and then five years later, he also frequented Brighton, where he made 13 appearances whilst on loan.

Dan Burn (Brighton 2018-2022; Newcastle 2022-current)

Now to the only of these three players who is still active and of course Dan Burn is still a Newcastle player too. He rose to prominence as a Brighton man and his exploits at the Amex earned him an eight-figure move to St James’ Park.

Burn has played as a centre-back and as a left-back under Eddie Howe and he has played all 180 minutes of their season so far.

What is Brighton and Hove Albion’s biggest victory over Newcastle United?

20th September 2020: Newcastle United 0-3 Brighton and Hove Albion

As previously mentioned, 3-0 is the biggest win for Brighton and Hove Albion in this fixture and it has happened twice. What makes it all the more interesting is that both of these convincing victories actually took place back-to-back.

In the 2020/21 season, Graham Potter certainly had the number of Steve Bruce and his side, winning on aggregate, six goals to nil. Maupay had the Seagulls 2-0 up with less than eight minutes on the clock, and then it was a late strike from Irishman Aaron Connolly that struck the dagger blow. In spite of all of this, Newcastle actually finished 4 points ahead of Brighton come the end of the season.

What is Newcastle United’s biggest victory over Brighton and Hove Albion?

21st October 1961: Newcastle United 5-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Newcastle’s biggest victory in this meeting is even more one-sided, and it certainly isn’t as recent. In the first-ever league meeting between the pair, in late October of 1961, the Magpies put their opponents to the sword and came out 5-0 victors.

Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Key stats This will be the 13th league meeting between the two clubs in the Premier League era Newcastle United haven’t lost to Brighton and Hove Albion in their last four competitive meetings These two teams were the highest scoring on the opening day of this season, Brighton scored 4 and Newcastle scored 5 Brighton and Hove Albion vs Newcastle United: Famous fixture

28th February 2017- Brighton and Hove Albion 1-2 Newcastle United:

Given that they haven’t actually faced each other that many times, there weren’t a plethora of choices for famous fixtures. As a result, there is just one, but it really is quite famous in the grand scheme of things.

In the latter stages of the 2016/17 Championship season, with both teams in the hunt for the title, they met at the Amex on a Tuesday night under the lights. Glenn Murray gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot, a lead they held onto for large parts of the game, but it didn’t last. First Mohamed Diame popped up and then in the 89th minute, Spaniard Ayoze Perez turned the match on its head.

Newcastle went on to lift the title that year with Brighton securing automatic promotion as a close second. When all was said and done, with 46 games played each, only one point separated the pair and so that midweek clash really did have meteoric ramifications.

The former Australia captain fills the void left by Rahul Dravid’s departure

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2018Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting will return to the IPL this season, this time as head coach of Delhi Daredevils. Hemant Dua, the chief executive of Daredevils, made the announcement on Twitter.Ponting takes over from Paddy Upton and former India captain Rahul Dravid, who had stepped down after the previous season owing to BCCI’s conflict-of-interest regulations. While Upton’s contract wasn’t renewed, Dravid chose to coach India A and India Under-19 teams over the IPL franchise.Delhi were in contention for a playoff berth last season, only to taper off towards the end of the group stage. They eventually finished the season sixth, with six wins in 14 matches. The franchise is yet to win a title in 10 attempts.Ponting had coached Mumbai Indians to their second IPL title in 2015, but the franchise chose to not renew his two-year contract when it expired in 2016. He had joined the franchise as a player in 2013, but stepped away midway through the tournament due to poor form.Ponting also worked with Mumbai Indians in an advisory capacity in 2014. Prior to that, he was briefly part of Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural edition in 2008.