Tottenham Hotspur went into last night’s game against Manchester City hoping to win their fourth Premier League game on the bounce.

Unfortunately, a goal from Erling Haaland in the first half made sure that didn’t happen.

However, while they left the match empty-handed, Ange Postecoglou’s side weren’t dreadful, and had they been a little more clinical in the final third, they could’ve easily picked up at least a point.

That does suggest that their attacking options on the night were a little lacklustre, though, which was the case, and therefore, the manager should look to take Mathys Tel out of the team for the next game.

Why Tel should be dropped

So, before the pitchforks come out, we are not saying that Tel is a bad player or someone that won’t develop into a serious world-beater for Spurs, as based on his performances for Bayern Munich last season, when he produced 16 goal involvements in 1406 minutes, he looks like he will be.

However, it’s also true that since moving to North London, the young Frenchman has struggled to make an impact.

For example, he’s now made five appearances for the Lilywhites, four of which have been starts, yet he’s only found the back of the net once, which ended up being a consolation goal against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

Moreover, his actual performances have not been convincing either, with yesterday’s clash with City another example of that, as demonstrated by his statistics.

In 66 minutes of action, the 19-year-old prospect amassed an expected goal figure of 0.04, took a single shot on target, failed in 100% of his dribbles, took 13 touches, completed four passes, lost six of seven duels, committed a foul and was dribbled past once.

Minutes

66′

Expected Goals

0.04

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.00

Shots on Target

1

Shots off Target

0

Shots Blocked

0

Dribbles (Successful)

2 (0)

Dribbled Past

1

Touches

13

Duels (Won)

7(1)

Fouls

1

Crosses (Accurate)

0 (0)

Long Balls (Accurate)

0 (0)

Completed Passes

4

In short, it was another display in which he failed to add anything to the team, so with a must-win tie against AZ Alkmaar coming up, it might be time for Postecoglou to drop Tel and turn to another of his up-and-coming forwards instead.

Chalkboard

The Spurs gem who should replace Tel

With Dominic Solnanke still out recovering from his knee injury, the centre-forward options Postecoglou can turn to at the moment are rather limited, especially when it comes to the Europa League knockout phases, the club have already announced their squad.

However, given Tel’s ineffectiveness in recent games, he has to do something.

Fortunately, there is a youngster who seriously impressed last time out in the competition who can join the main squad whenever thanks to the rules around U21 players: Dane Scarlett.

The academy gem returned from his lacklustre loan spell with Oxford United in December, and instead of going straight back into the youth set-up or going back out on loan, he was given a chance to play in the first team in the game against Elfsborg, where he shone.

The outrageous talent came on in the 66th minute, and instead of simply trying to find his feet, staying under the radar and avoiding any potential mistakes, the 20-year-old took the game by the scruff of the neck.

Just four minutes after coming on, the promising prospect positioned himself between two defenders and nodded home his first senior goal for the club.

Then, 14 minutes later, the Hillingdon-born dynamo, who Jacek Kulig described as being “born to score goals,” turned provider, as he was involved in a slick passing move that saw him pick up an assist from fellow academy graduate Oyindamola Ajayi.

It’s not just in Europe where he has impressed, though, as in a short 16-minute cameo against Ipswich Town over the weekend, he picked up another assist, bringing his tally for the Lilywhites this season to one goal and two assists in three appearances, totalling 51 minutes.

In other words, the youngster is averaging a goal involvement every game or every 17 minutes, and while that number will increase with more starts under his belt, it remains incredibly encouraging.

Ultimately, Tel is struggling to make an impact at the moment, and with few other options, it might be time for Postecoglou to hand Scarlett a start, as he has most certainly made an impact thus far.

Fewer touches than Vicario: Ange must bench Spurs star after 4/10 display

Tottenham Hotspur fell to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City in North London last night.

1 ByEthan Lamb Feb 27, 2025

Manchester United are now involved in a sensational transfer battle with Real Madrid for the signing of a “special” talent from Madrid’s biggest rivals, according to a new report.

Man Utd injury news

The Red Devils ended their losing streak in the Premier League after coming from two goals down to rescue a point at Goodison Park against Everton on Saturday lunchtime. The result doesn’t do much for United in the league, but Ruben Amorim will have been pleased to see his side show some fight and desire to get back into the game.

Related Amorim suffers injury scare as £135k-p/w Man Utd ace set to undergo test

United and Amorim are sweating on the fitness of one key player ahead of their game against Ipswich Town.

Posts ByBrett Worthington Feb 24, 2025

However, it wasn’t all good news for the Portuguese as it’s been revealed that Noussair Mazraoui picked up a knee injury in the draw and is set to undergo tests. The defender seemed to have a problem in the second half, and he was replaced after 70 minutes by Leny Yoro. He is now set to be assessed before a decision can be made as to whether he can feature against Ipswich Town on Wednesday evening.

United have already struggled with injuries in recent weeks, with Amad Diallo being ruled out for the rest of the season, along with Lisandro Martínez. Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is set to miss the next few weeks and there is still no sign of Mason Mount or Luke Shaw returning to the matchday squad.

Man Utd set to battle Real Madrid for the signing of £26k-p/w gem

As Amorim tries to keep as many players fit as possible, INEOS are already turning their attention to the summer, as according to Spanish media reports, relayed by 90min, Man United have made contact with agent Jorge Mendes over the possibility of signing Lamine Yamal from FC Barcelona.

The report states that United, along with Liverpool, Real Madrid and other European heavyweights, have made enquiries over the availability of the young sensation.

Barcelona’s ongoing financial issues mean they will be looking to sell players in the summer, and while they will of course not want to lose Yamal, there is no doubting he would bring in a massive cash pile for the Catalans to get on the right side of FFP.

The Red Devils, Man City and Liverpool are said to be putting the most pressure on Mendes, but the report adds that all “big clubs” would be looking to strike a deal. Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in signing Yamal as they continue their search to replace Kylian Mbappe.

Real Madrid are the surprise name to be mentioned, given their links to Barca, but they have contacted Mendes over a possible deal. While Mendes has reportedly reacted negatively to Madrid’s interest, there has been no response to the interest from the Premier League or PSG.

Lamine Yamal’s 24/25 La Liga stats

Apps

22

Starts

20

Goals

5

xG

5.91

Shots per game

3.5

Assists

11

xG

5.93

Big chances created

19

Key passes

1.8

Touches per game

58.4

Yamal is under contract at Barca until the summer of 2026, but his earnings at the club, which see him earn €32,115 a week (£26,594), are restricted as he doesn’t turn 18 until July. The Barca forward has significantly impressed since breaking into the first team, with midfielder Frenkie De Jong stating Yamal has “something special”.

Manchester United’s recent 2-1 FA Cup win over Leicester City saw a few tactical tweaks to Ruben Amorim’s side. One of those was to find an internal solution at left centre-back. With Lisandro Martinez’s injury, the Portuguese boss had to find a new source of progression in that area of the pitch.

In the first half, Noussair Mazraoui started in the role but swapped sides with young Leny Yoro, who started on the opposite side. Luckily for Amorim, the Frenchman seemed comfortable in that role.

Again, it was a game where Kobbie Mainoo started at number 10 after the experiment of playing him as a false nine did not work, although he did struggle. It also saw a debut for new signing Patrick Dorgu, although perhaps not in the position many expected.

Patrick Dorgu’s Man United debut in numbers

After making the move from Serie A club Lecce to Old Trafford at the end of the January transfer window, it was assumed that Dorgu would play at left wing-back, although Amorim sprung a surprise by starting him on the right instead.

The new Red Devils boss defended his selection decision at full time, explaining that “for his last team he played a lot of games on the right”. This certainly implies to United fans he could start there more often.

H, Football analyst and host of The Overlap: The Breakdown, seemed to be pleased with what he saw from Dorgu on his first night as a United player. He said the Dane “had a couple of actions where he was sharp”, describing his performance as “good”.

Minutes played

45

Touches

47

Accurate passes

23/28 (82%)

Key passes

0

Crosses

1

Shots

1

Ground duels won

4/9

Aerial duels won

1/1

Fouls

2

Was fouled

2

Interceptions

2

Tackles

2

Of course, there might well be pressure that comes with the 20-year-old, through no fault of his own. Not only are United signings naturally heavily scrutinised, but he was Amorim’s first acquisition. However, it was not a signing that broke the bank, with the Dane costing just £25m up front and a further £4.1m in add-ons.

The wing-back on the opposite side is actually worth even more than what United paid for Dorgu, and he has certainly been a good investment for the Old Trafford club.

The Man United star who's worth more than Dorgu

The player in question here is Portugal international Diogo Dalot. He has been a crucial player under Amorim since he came into the club, playing at wing-back on both flanks and even for a short time against Rangers, at right centre-back.

The 25-year-old, who came through the youth ranks at FC Porto and cost United £19m in 2018, has played 19 games under Amorim so far. Dalot also got himself on the scoresheet in the most recent Europa League win for United, a 2-0 victory over FCSB.

The Red Devils’ number 20 was described as “influential” by football statistician Statman Dave. That certainly seems true, given the number of games he has played recently.

Gary Neville has been full of praise for the former Porto player this season. At the end of December, he said that Dalot, along with attacker Amad and Mazraoui, were the only players “that can probably say that they have done ok” under the management team.

Last season, Neville acknowledged that the Red Devils “might have the right-back for the future” in Dalot, suggesting this season is a continuation of good form.

His stats from this season compared to last, courtesy of Squawka, make for good reading. For example, he averages 5.9 ball recoveries in the Premier League this season compared to 5.6 in 2023/24.

Passes completed

37.7

35.5

Foward passes

15

14.4

Duels won

4.4

4.5

Interceptions

1.4

1.1

Ball recoveries

5.9

5.6

The Portugal international has certainly been important for the Red Devils, and, in Neville’s opinion, he has played well. Thus, it might be unsurprising to learn he is valued as highly as £47m according to Football Transfers.

Of course, that is far more than the £29.1m they paid for Dorgu, and the early signs are that he will be a good player. It is also a substantial increase on the £19m they invested in Dalot under Jose Mourinho, which is a 147% increase on the initial fee.

This seems like it has been a worthy investment from the Red Devils. Not only is the full-back a key player now, but he could be vital for years to come. His value, which is far higher than what Dorgu cost, has shot up since they first bought him. All things considered, United really struck gold on Dalot.

The next Scholes: Man Utd must regret selling a £100m star in the making

The former Manchester United youngster has taken his career to the next level since leaving the club.

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Tottenham fans thanked Paris Saint-Germain with a banner for knocking Arsenal out of the Champions League semi-finals.

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Spurs fans thanked PSG for knocking Arsenal out of UCLUnfurled hilarious banner at stadiumStewards soon removed itFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A few Spurs fans unfurled a banner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday ahead of the club's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace. The banner had the words, 'Merci, PSG' written. It was a gesture to thank the French champions for knocking their arch-rivals out of the Champions League semi-finals earlier this week.

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The group of fans, however, could not keep the banner for long as a club steward swiftly reacted and took it down. Arsenal had reached the Champions League last-four stage for the first time in 16 years after beating reigning kings Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. Luis Enrique's side, however, had the last laugh as they reached the final, beating the English side 3-1 on aggregate.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ange Postecoglou's side will aim to end their four-game winless run in the Premier League as they look to secure all three points against Crystal Palace in their penultimate home game of the season.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

The north London club's main focus remains on winning the Europa League as they face Manchester United in the final in Bilbao on May 21.

It might be one of the most overused words in the modern football lexicon, but Tottenham Hotspur are undoubtedly going through a project under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

That might sound like a bit of nothing phrase, but, in reality, it just means that while things might look bleak at the moment – and they certainly do – fans and pundits might need to wait a few more years to see the club’s plan come to fruition.

This will likely mean that players such as Son Heung-min, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison will be moved on and replaced by exciting and hungry youngsters.

The absurd amount of injuries the club have had to deal with this season has already seen some of those up-and-comers be given more game time, and should Daniel Levy and Co be able to get a specific deal over the line in the summer, they’ll have another young star in their squad who’s already being compared to an incredibly valuable talent on the continent.

Spurs rising stars

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at a few of Spurs’ other promising prospects, such as Archie Gray.

The former Lees United gem is still only 18 years old, and while respected football analyst Ben Mattinson described him as a “future £100m” central midfielder, he has been a vital part of the defence this term.

So far, injuries have seen the Durham-born gem make 19 appearances at centre-back, seven at right-back, and five at left-back.

Another new arrival who’s made a significant impact on the first team despite still being a teenager is Lucas Bergvall, who joined the club from Swedish side Djurgarden for a fee of around £8.5m – which is starting to look like a bargain.

In recent months, the Swedish midfielder has become an increasingly important player for the manager and has made 36 appearances.

Impressively, 18 of those appearances have been starts, and he has managed to rack up a decent tally of one goal and four assists to boot.

Finally, while he’s not had quite the same impact on the first team this season, Mikey Moore looks like he’s set to become one of the North Londoners’ most dangerous attackers in the near future.

Appearances

36

36

16

Starts

28

18

7

Minutes

2619′

1746′

632′

Goals

0

1

1

Assists

0

4

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0

0.13

0.18

Minutes per Goal Involvement

0

349.2

210.66′

He’s made 16 appearances so far, totalling just 632 minutes, in which he’s scored a goal, provided two assists and was even compared to Neymar Jr by James Maddison.

Overall, the future looks incredibly bright for Tottenham, and it could be brighter if Levy and Co complete a deal to sign another exciting youngster in the summer, a youngster compared to an £83m star.

Spurs' potential £83m superstar in the making

Now, while all the talents mentioned above are already officially Tottenham players and will be next season – lest they be sold for some reason – the player in question might not be, despite starting for the team last Thursday.

Mathys Tel joined the Lilywhites on a short-term loan last month, but, importantly, there is an option to buy in the deal at £45m, and while his next move is not entirely down to the North Londoners, reports from last month seemed to indicate that he’d be open to staying for the long term.

Now, there might be some fans who remain unconvinced by the 19-year-old attacker, and considering he’s not hit the ground running in England, scoring one goal in six games, that would be understandable.

However, during his still relatively limited game time for Bayern Munich last season, he showed just why respected talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as a “mind-blowing talent.”

In just 1406 minutes of first-team football, he scored ten goals and provided six assists, which comes out to an astounding average of a goal involvement every 87.87 minutes and also saw him win comparisons to Borussia Dortmund’s rising star, Jamie Gittens.

Appearances

41

Starts

10

Minutes

1406′

Goals

10

Assists

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.39

Minutes per Goal Involvement

87.87′

The comparison primarily stemmed from FBref, which compared players in similar positions in the Bundesliga last season, created a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and concluded that the Englishman was the fifth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Frenchman.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, live passes, blocks, clearances, shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.52

0.43

Progressive Passes

2.31

2.20

Shots

3.69

3.66

Expected Assists

0.26

0.25

Live Passes

33.2

30.3

Shot-Creating Actions

3.86

3.92

Blocks

0.94

0.93

Clearances

0.51

0.59

Carries

35.5

33.8

While the comparison to one of the most exciting talents in Germany is already encouraging enough regarding the Sarcelles-born star’s development, it’s also a good sign for his future value.

For example, it was only last month that the German publication Bild, as relayed by the BBC, reported that Dortmund value their incredible youngster at up to £83m in light of his growing reputation and the interest in him from other sides.

So, if the young Englishman is worth such an astounding amount of money and is so statistically similar to the Bayern loanee, who’s to say that he, too, won’t be worth as much down the line once he gets even more game time?

Therefore, while he has not hit the ground running at Tottenham, Levy and Co should be doing all they can to bring Tel to N17 this summer, as with the right coaching, he could be an extraordinarily valuable asset on and off the pitch in the future.

Not just Porro: Levy must ensure £35m flop isn't at Spurs next season

Ange Postecoglou needs to be brutal and part ways with multiple Tottenham Hotspur players this summer.

1 ByEthan Lamb Mar 12, 2025

أعلن نادي الوداد المغربي، اليوم السبت، بشكل رسمي، عن ضم لاعب جديد، لتدعيم صفوفه قبل خوض غمار منافسات بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025.

الوداد المغربي يستعد للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية التي تقام في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، خلال الفترة من 15 يونيو حتى 13 يوليو 2025، بمشاركة 32 ناديًا.

طالع.. خاص | مدرب مصري على أعتاب قيادة الوداد المغربي

الوداد يتواجد في المجموعة السابعة من بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، بجانب أندية مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي ويوفنتوس الإيطالي والعين الإماراتي.

ومن المقرر، أن يستهل فريق الوداد مبارياته في دور المجموعات، بمواجهة مانشستر سيتي، يوم الأربعاء 18 يونيو في تمام الساعة 7 مساءً.

ووفقًا للصحفة الرسمية لنادي الوداد، كشف الفريق المغربي عن التعاقد بشكل رسمي مع المدافع البرازيلي جويليرمي فيريرا، في إطار تعزيز صفوفه استعدادا لخوض غمار كأس العالم للأندية 2025.

وجاء التعاقد مع اللاعب البرازيلي قادما من نادي فيلجيراس البرتغالي، بعقد إعارة لمدة شهر واحد مع إمكانية الشراء، ووفقًا لموقع البطولة المغربي.

وأشار الموقع المغربي، إلى أنه يُنتظر أن يلتحق اللاعب بفريق الوداد في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، بعد إتمامه الإجراءات الإدارية اللازمة في البرازيل، ومنها الحصول على تأشيرة الدخول إلى الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

Micah Richards left Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer in stitches with his take on Tottenham's season without Bundesliga title winner Harry Kane.

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Kane won Bundesliga with Bayern MunichSpurs into Europa League finalRichards has hilarious take around Tottenham formFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kane has won the Bundesliga with Bayern this season, while Spurs are into the Europa League final, and, as is tradition on The Rest is Football podcast, Micah Richards was asked if Tottenham are better off without their former captain. The ex-Manchester City man left his co-presenters, Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, in stitches with his response.

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Having initially tried to see both sides of the argument, Richards was cajoled off the fence by Shearer, and he gave an X-rated reply. Kane scored 268 goals at Spurs, becoming their all-time record goalscorer, so few fans will likely disagree with Richards, especially when one considers that they are currently 17th in the Premier League table under Ange Postecoglou.

WHAT MICAH RICHARDS SAID

Richards said: "So, Harry's gone and won his trophy. Yes. Fair play to him. Buzzing for him. But what if Spurs go and win the Europa League? That would say they're a better team without Harry Kane. Harry Kane's better off and so are Spurs."

He added: "They finished fifth last season, didn't they? Spurs had loads of injuries. Yeah. So, if they go win a trophy this season, I would say it's a fair deal."

Pressed on an answer by Alan Shearer, he jokingly shouted: "Are they f*ck", leaving his co-hosts beside themselves.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Spurs face Aston Villa on Friday evening before taking on Manchester United in next week's Europa League final. Kane will likely be watching on, hoping his old side can follow his lead by ending their own 17-year trophy drought.

Spinner Jack Sinfield claimed three wickets on his Shield debut for Queensland

AAP21-Feb-2023Wicketkeeper Matthew Gilkes posted his highest Sheffield Shield score to lift NSW from a precarious position on day one of their Sheffield Shield match against Queensland.NSW, who require victory at the Gabba to avoid a record winless run, were lurching before Gilkes’s innings helped them reach 9 for 311 at stumps.Gilkes, whose previous best in an 18-match first-class career was 83, reached his seventh half-century only to be dismissed minutes before stumps for 94.Gilkes struck 14 boundaries in a 160-ball knock before directing a Xavier Bartlett delivery into the hands of Joe Burns.NSW were struggling at 5 for 134 and with all five recognised batters back in the pavilion after Queensland elected to send the visitors in to bat.Gilkes added 60 for the sixth wicket with Hayden Kerr (24).Chris Green followed up his maiden half century last week with 52 as he and Gilkes added another 91 for the eighth wicket.Queensland bowled a consistent line and length during the morning session to leave NSW 3 for 70 at lunch in a session that included the key scalp of heavy-scoring opener Daniel Hughes (21).Other batters failing to build on starts were Kurtis Patterson (31), Moises Henriques (23) and Jason Sangha (34).Queensland lined up with two debutants in the form of Aryan Jain and teenage offspinner Jackson Sinfield.The latter, who came into the side in place of Test call-up Matt Kuhnemann, picked up 3 for 70 with NSW skipper Patterson being his first Shield victim when he chipped to midwicket.

Big picture – Can the likes of Mushfiqur and Shakib stand up?

England know all too well the importance of taking a 1-0 lead against Bangladesh in Dhaka. The last time it happened, in 2016, England ended up winning the series 2-1 despite the home side bouncing back with a win in the second game. In fact, the last time Bangladesh won a bilateral ODI series after losing the first match was nearly eight years ago, against South Africa.This simple fact underlines Bangladesh’s dominance at home in the last decade. They have lost just two bilateral series at home in this period. It also means England’s three-wicket win in the first ODI on Wednesday was a big deal. They broke through Bangladesh’s fort by playing in a very different way than they are used to. Conditions obviously varied, with the Shere Bangla National Stadium offering a lot more to the spinners.Still, England used predominantly their seamers to attack and restrict the home side. They bowled Bangladesh out for 209, before Dawid Malan’s unbeaten century arrested their own batting slide to seal the win. It was a great effort from a batter who had a stealthy local experience: Malan has played more than 50 matches in Bangladesh in the last ten years.Related

• Malan shows how to play the perfect Mirpur innings

• Malan special guides England home in tense chase

• Moeen: England 'really looking forward' to thriving in packed Mirpur

But more experienced players of these conditions, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan, didn’t quite do justice to their billing. Their dismissals in the middle overs, both out slogging spinners, prompted a readjustment from the rest of Bangladesh’s batting line-up. Najmul Hossain Shanto couldn’t kick on from his maiden ODI fifty, while Mahmudullah got out batting in first gear.Both teams will therefore look for batting improvements. Malan’s knock was the only innings of substance for England while Bangladesh needs their batters to make best use of the starts. What would however encourage both sides is their disciplined bowling. Taskin Ahmed and the Bangladesh spinners bowled their heart out. They couldn’t take the remaining three wickets, but they were defending a pretty low total.England’s bowlers looked to have understood the conditions well too, particularly Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali who ensured Bangladesh’s scoring never went too far. The second ODI promises to be another tight affair. The home side wouldn’t want to let go of their Dhaka dominance.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWWW

In the spotlight

It has taken Najmul Hossain Shanto 16 ODIs to reach his first half-century in the format, the second-slowest Bangladeshi to the mark (Litton Das took 17 matches to reach the milestone). It is an important stepping stone for Shanto, who has been trying to establish himself in internationals for the last two years. Admittedly, it is still early days but even Bangladesh’s all-time best batters have taken time to establish themselves, so Shanto has some company. Still, his dismissal for 58 in the first ODI could have been avoided with a bit more concentration.What Shanto couldn’t do, Dawid Malan did quite well. He didn’t allow the low run-rate or falling wickets at the other end get to him. Instead, Malan picked up crucial boundaries, and formed small but meaningful partnerships to smother Bangladesh’s charge on Wednesday evening. It was his second successive century, and fourth in 16 ODIs, but more importantly, he handed England a difficult win. Malan has done so well in his short ODI career, that he is now close to locking his place in the World Cup squad later in the year.

Team news

Ebadot Hossain and Hasan Mahmud are options if Bangladesh feel the Dhaka pitch isn’t suited to Mustafizur Rahman. The hosts have also drafted Shamim Hossain in to the squad for the second ODI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Litton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Mustafizur RahmanEngland started the series with Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Rehan Ahmed and Reece Topley on the bench. Rehan has been ill so appears unlikely to play but they are expected to rotate their seamers throughout the tour.England (probable): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 James Vince, 5 Jos Buttler (capt, wk), 6 Will Jacks, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Saqib Mahmood/Jofra Archer, 11 Reece Topley/Mark WoodShakib Al Hasan reacts to a missed chance•Associated Press

Pitch and conditions

Dew could prompt the team winning the toss to bowl first. It won’t be the worst decision in Dhaka as the ball will still have a bit of variable bounce with turn in the day time. The weather remains dry, but it is getting warm.

Stats and trivia

Bangladesh lost the first match of a home bilateral ODI series for the first time in seven years. Coincidentally, England beat them in the previous instance in 2016, which was also the last time they went on to lose an ODI series at home.

Malan is now the fifth-oldest England batter to score an ODI hundred, after Geoff Boycott, Alec Stewart, Graham Gooch and Wayne Larkins.

Tamim Iqbal’s eleven catches off Shakib’s bowling, the latest of which came in the first ODI, is the most by an outfielder off Shakib’s bowling.

Quotes

“There was a lot of help for the spinners to be honest. But England possesses a world-class pace attack, which gave them a good combination. It was the same for us, as Taskin bowled well along with the spinners.””I said to Jos at the time that it was close. He said he didn’t think so. The guard that I bat on, I thought it was bit outside the line or sliding on with the angle. It was bit closer than I thought, so thankfully he didn’t give it out.”

West Ham United are now battling Arsenal and Liverpool for the signing of a “very rare” kind of centre-forward, with Graham Potter already making plans for life after Evan Ferguson returns to Brighton from his loan spell.

West Ham identify Evan Ferguson alternatives for next season

Ferguson’s temporary stint at the London Stadium doesn’t include an option or obligation to buy, so if the Irishman impresses enough from now until the end of this Premier League season, West Ham would need to head back to the negotiating table to discuss an extended stay.

West Ham in contact to sign 138-career goal star with same agent as Kudus

He cost his current club £34m.

ByCharlie Smith Mar 6, 2025

That being said, Ferguson is yet to open his account for the Hammers, so West Ham co-chair David Sullivan could even decide to go in a different direction if he can’t make a significant enough impact.

Newcastle United (home)

March 10th

Everton (away)

March 15th

Wolves (away)

April 1st

Bournemouth (home)

April 5th

Liverpool (away)

April 13th

West Ham are reportedly already planning for life after the 20-year-old. Indeed, Man United striker Rasmus Hojlund is on West Ham’s summer radar, with the 22-year-old Denmark international seen as an alternative to Ferguson (TEAMtalk).

Meanwhile, there are also reports that Roma striker Tammy Abraham is a target for West Ham, with the current AC Milan loanee and former Chelsea striker subject to contact from east London (TEAMtalk).

Niclas Füllkrug could be back from injury sooner than expected in a boost for West Ham, and may even return to the fold this month (Claret & Hugh), but the German’s time in England has been blighted by a lack of availability and isn’t getting any younger.

Michail Antonio’s horrific car crash means West Ham will be without the Jamaica international for a lengthy period as well. Danny Ings is also out of contract at the end of this season, meaning it is quite simply imperative that the Irons bring in another striker this summer.

West Ham battling Arsenal and Liverpool to sign Hugo Ekitiké

According to journalist Loic Tanzi, via his colleague Christopher Michel on X, Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitiké is attracting attention from Potter’s side.

The Frenchman has come on leaps and bounds since departing PSG for the Bundesliga, scoring 18 goals in 35 total appearances so far this season, so he’s unsurprisingly on the radar of elite English sides.

Eintracht have set a price tag of around £67 million to sell the 22-year-old, with West Ham battling Arsenal and Liverpool in the race for Ektike.

Michel has heavily endorsed Ekitike as a centre-forward option, calling him a “very rare” commodity for his age and a “complete striker”, but it remains to be seen whether West Ham can sway him considering the stiff competition.

“Heki is an exceptional player at 22 years old,” wrote Michel on X. “Yes, he lacks directness. But such a complete striker is very rare in Europe.”