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Manjrekar: Pakistan can’t blame their bowlers

Having survived a banana peel against Hong Kong, India came back with a near-perfect bowling performance to register their most comfortable chase against arch-rivals Pakistan: with 126 balls remaining. Going through a patch of uninspiring performances, the bowlers returned with a thorough show, exposing Pakistan’s hardly-used middle order, which showed its lack of experience of batting through 50-over innings by going for big shots every time they were tied down.Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned to form after 35.2 wicketless overs in ODIs, and Kedar Jadhav’s return to the side – that cushion of the sixth bowler – showed just what India missed in England. Between them, they took six wickets; Jadhav’s 3 for 23 were his best figures in ODI cricket.Both the slots – opening bowler and the pressure on Hardik Pandya in absence of a sixth bowler – had been matters of concern coming into this match. Bhuvneshwar came into the match with an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 61 in the Powerplay overs since the start of 2017, third-worst numbers among those who have bowled 500 Powerplay balls or more in that period. Here, reunited with Jasprit Bumrah who missed the England ODIs with a broken thumb and was rested in the Asia Cup opener, Bhuvneshwar showed the worth of his experience.In the first five overs, there was not a single loose ball bowled. The left-hand openers were cramped for room, and knowing there was no movement to be had, the bowlers didn’t bowl a single drive-able ball. Imam-ul-Haq tried to break the shackles by giving Bhuvneshwar the charge, who shortened the length accordingly to draw an edge. Fakhar Zaman, who scored a sensational hundred in his last match against India, the Champions Trophy final, wasn’t even given a ball he could pick a single off. Frustrated, he finally tried to pull but Bhuvneshwar managed to cramp him up, and forced the top edge to make it 3 for 2.In two swift blows, Bhuvneshwar had taken out two big threats. One of the remaining batsmen, Shoaib Malik, had scored more runs and hit more boundaries than the rest of the XI put together. Captain Sarfraz Ahmed had been called upon to bat only ten times in their last 20 ODIs. Arguably their best all-round batsman, Babar Azam completed the middle-order core that was now left to bat a majority of the innings before the big-hitting allrounders could take over.Bhuvneshwar Kumar celebrates after Imam-ul-Haq’s dismissal•Associated Press

Azam and Malik began promisingly enough, adding 82 for the third wicket, but even in this partnership risks had to be taken. India didn’t allow them easy rotation of the strike. When eventually Kuldeep Yadav went past Azam’s outside edge with a lovely wrong’un, the game was opened up once again. It didn’t matter that Malik was reprieved twice – once by MS Dhoni and then by Bhuvneshwar in the deep. It didn’t matter that Hardik Pandya hurt himself so badly while bowling that he had to be stretchered off the field. Pakistan’s middle order just crumbled under the pressure, with the next four wickets falling for just 25 runs.Pandya’s replacement, Jadhav, managed to frustrate the batsmen with his shrewd changes of pace and trajectory before Sarfraz tried to hit him for a six wide of long-on. This time, Pandya’s replacement in the field kicked into action. Manish Pandey, no stranger to tough boundary catches, hared across to his right, took the catch, realised he was going to struggle to stay in the field of the play, lobbed the ball back in, stepped out and came back to take it, all the while making it look quite easy.Malik made the next dismissal look easy. Asif Ali, the new batsman, refused to acknowledge Malik’s call when the ball had gone to short third man, but Malik took an age to turn, and a long, circular route back, presumably to try to deny the fielder a clear sight of the stumps. In the end, the circuitous route and the lack of a dive or even a proper stretch resulted in his wicket.Then, Jadhav first and the quicks later ran riot to not even let Pakistan bat their allotment of 50 overs. Once the target was that low – 163 – it was clear India weren’t going to need their allotment themselves. Not with Shikhar Dhawan carrying on from the hundred against Hong Kong and Rohit Sharma timing everything sweetly. Rohit looked in absolute peach form, hitting three sixes during his 52 in an 86-run opening stand. The one disappointment for Rohit will be the return of his legspin troubles from the IPL: he fell to the first ball from Shadab Khan, a wrong’un.Now was not the time for India to worry about those things. They had come out unharmed from a possible slippery start to their Asia Cup campaign, winning two ODIs in two nights and heading to the Super Four stage as the leaders of their group. Not that the position changed anything if you qualified: all teams play each other in the next stage and carry no bonus points from the first round.

تحدث نجم إسبانيا وبرشلونة لامين يامال عن صورته وهو رضيع مع ليونيل ميسي أسطورة الفريق السابق ولاعب إنتر ميامي الأمريكي.

وكان منير النصراوي لاعب لامين يامال قام بنشر صورة عبر حسابه على موقع إنستجرام يظهر فيها لامين يامال نجله وليو ميسي معًا الصورة.

وظهر يامال في الصورة وهو رضيع وبجواره ميسي، حيث كانت صحيفة “سبورت” التي كانت تنشر في ذلك الوقت تقويمًا تضامنيًا كل عام (كان ليو ميسي ولامين أبطالًا في تقويم 2008) شارك فيه لاعبو كرة القدم في الفريق الأول لـ برشلونة بشكل إيثاري.

اقرأ أيضًا | رودري: لامين يامال سيكون واحدًا من أفضل اللاعبين في العالم

وبسؤاله عن هذه اللقطة، أوضح لامين يامال سبب عدم ظهورها للعلن من قبل، وقال في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “في وقت الصورة مع ميسي لم أكن على علم بذلك”.

وأضاف: “لقد حفظها والدي ولم نسلط الضوء على الأمر أبدًا بسبب مسألة المقارنات والتي لا تكون جيدة أبدًا”.

وأكد يامال: “لا أحد ينزعج من مقارنته بأفضل لاعب في التاريخ، لكن واعترف بأن هذه الأشياء باقية لأنك لن تكون مثله أبدًا”.

وإذا كان تحدث مع ميسي من قبل، أفاد يامال: “لم أتحدث مطلقًا مع ميسي، لكن آمل أن أتمكن من ذلك في مرحلة ما”.

يواجه منتخب مصر لكرة الطائرة رجال نظيره منتخب الصين، اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس التحدي العالمي المقامة خلال الفترة من 4 وحتى 7 يوليو الجاري في مدينة ليني بالصين.

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراة منتخب مصر والصين في تمام الساعة الحادية عشر صباحًا بتوقيت القاهرة، في دور نصف النهائي.

وتأهل منتخب مصر إلى الدور نصف النهائي بعد الفوز على قطر بنتيجة 3-2 في الدور ربع النهائي.

طالع أيضاً.. كريم الدبيس: لن نعود من باريس إلا بميدالية.. وزيزو والنني إضافة للمنتخب الأولمبي

وتقام بطولة كأس التحدي بنظام خروج المغلوب من مرة واحدة، ويتأهل صاحب المركز الأول لدوري العالمي للكرة الطائرة العام المقبل.

ويشارك في كأس التحدي العالمي 8 منتخبات وهي: “مصر، قطر، الصين، بلجيكا، أوكرانيا، تشيلي، كرواتيا، والمكسيك”.

وتضم قائمة المنتخب المصري كلًا من: “محمد رضا، محمد رمضان، حسام يوسف، مصطفى جابر، رضا هيكل، سيف عابد، محمد مصطفى لعبة، أحمد عزب، محمد عسران، عبد الرحمن الحسيني، أحمد ضياء، محمد عادل، حمادة عثمان، ومحمد المهدي”.

ويترأس البعثة المصرية، الكابتن عمرو مخلوف أمين صندوق الاتحاد، ويتكون الجهاز الفني للمنتخب من الأسباني فرناندو مونزو مديراً فنياً وطارق الزفتاوي مدرباً عاماً ومحمد السيد سيكو مدرباً والدكتور سامح ظلام اخصائى تأهيل وإصابات الملاعب، وأحمد سعيد محللًا تقنياً.

Newcastle United have enjoyed drastic transformation over the past two years, going from strength to strength and now a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, having previously struggled against the incessant threat of relegation from the Premier League.

It had been a dark, protracted period for the Magpies, under the shadow of despised owner Mike Ashley after once fighting for glory at the right end of the spectrum with regularity.

But the Saudi-led consortium that lodged an enticing offer set a new era in motion in 2021, with the moves made now systematically rewriting Newcastle's future, and while there has been so much to wax lyrical over, Wednesday night's 4-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League stakes a pretty compelling case for the finest night under Eddie Howe's management.

Those former times under Ashley are now but a forgotten memory, a smear in the club's distinguished history no doubt, but now in the past and fuel to ensure that the fruitful present period is cemented and solidified into something permanent.

There were so many negatives over the interminable years of mediocrity, but one of the biggest positives is surely the success of Ayoze Perez, who captured the Toon faithfuls' awe before ultimately leaving for a lucrative fee.

Why did Newcastle sell Ayoze Perez?

"It was a big factor, but also I felt it was time for a change and a new challenge," Perez remarks pensively following his departure from St. James' Park, where he was held in such high regard.

He's talking about the loss of manager Rafa Benitez, who himself left the club in the summer of 2019 – shortly before Perez – after expressing concerns about trust in the ownership and the direction the club was headed.

Perez had been a central star on Tyneside since signing from Spanish side Tenerife for a bargain £1.5m in 2014, when he was just 20 years old.

Upon his departure to Premier League rivals Leicester City, the Spaniard revealed that his thoughts mirrored his former manager's, and he made his move just days into Steve Bruce's reign of the club.

How much did Newcastle sell Ayoze Perez for?

Newcastle did not want to sell an exciting attacker they had nurtured to the fore, but were left with little choice when Leicester met his £30m buy-out clause, snapping up his signature on a four-year contract.

A host of top European outfits were rumoured to be interested, but the Foxes were on the rise and it was a project to get behind, with Newcastle showing little sign of breaking free from midtable, having finished 13th in the 2018/19 season, regressing from tenth the term before.

Frenchman Allan Saint-Maximin was signed from OGC Nice for an initial £16m soon after, a mercurial replacement who certainly captured the awe on Tyneside, but there was undoubtedly disgruntlement that a player who had been so important during the progress under Benitez had been sold to a rival.

How good was Ayoze Perez at Newcastle?

Having made 195 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 48 goals and supplying 17 assists, Perez was a valuable and clinical member of the squad, praised for his "unbelievable" performances by Matt Ritchie.

Across his final two Premier League campaigns at St. James' Park, the 30-year-old would finish as Newcastle's top scorer on both occasions, bagging eight in 2017/18 and 12 in 2018/19.

He was an impressive player capable of thriving both as a centre-forward and on the left wing; during those final two seasons for United, Perez had 115 shots in 73 Premier League appearances – averaging 1.57 per game.

Colourful and confident, he was efficient and often popped up at the right times to inflict damage on opposition, with Benitez even remarking that a goal scored in a 3-2 comeback victory over Everton would have left Lionel Messi feeling proud.

He is remembered endearingly at Newcastle, but the fact that such a lofty fee was received for the gem, who has since languished, it's certainly one to recall with fondness after maximising his potential before reaping the lucrative rewards.

How much is Ayoze Perez worth now?

He's never really returned to the kind of form that earned him that big-money move to Leicester, and while he scored eight times during his first Premier League season at the King Power Stadium, he followed that up with just four goals across the following three seasons in the English top-flight.

According to Football Transfers, Perez – now playing for Real Betis in his homeland – is valued at just £8m, which is a staggering 167% decrease from the price that Leicester paid Newcastle.

This can only be regarded as a major win for the Magpies, who have since risen to prominence unheard of for many years and are in good stead to continue their climb right to the forefront of the European game.

Since joining Betis, Perez has only scored five goals and supplied three assists across 30 outings, which is further evidence that, now 30, his once impressive cutting edge has been dulled and shows little sign of rekindling its former intensity.

And while he still boasts a defensive application to be proud of, ranking among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 5% for interceptions and the top 14% for blocks per 90, he ranks among the bottom 55% for goals and the bottom 21% for assists per 90, as per FBref.

Good business was not a phrase used regularly before the change of ownership at St. James' Park, but signing Perez for a paltry fee as a youngster, channelling the best of his talents on the major stage and then selling him for a 1900% profit is pretty sensational stuff.

They really did hit the jackpot with this dynamic forward, with his sale bringing in Saint-Maximin for half the price, who was integral in the future fight against relegation and the maiden period of Howe's managerial reign.

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.”

When it comes to firepower, Arsenal aren't exactly lacking these days, with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, and Gabriel Martinelli to call on. And if those four aren't in the mood for goals, then Martin Odegaard is another who could step up for his side.

Meanwhile, they finally discovered the secret formula to fixing their backline last season, with the clue right under their noses on loan in Ligue 1 all along. Since handing William Saliba an opportunity, the Gunners have been a force to be reckoned with, finishing second in the Premier League last season and securing their return to Champions League action as a result.

You can never have too much quality, however. Or, at least that's what former Premier League player Jay Bothroyd thinks, who has urged Arsenal to add one particular Brentford player to their ranks in January.

What has Bothroyd said?

Speaking about Mikel Arteta's attacking options on Sky Sports' Saturday Social, Bothroyd urged the former Manchester City assistant to bring in a new forward who could make an impact on his side. And that forward is Ivan Toney, who will be back from his eight-month ban in January, ready to find his form once again.

Bothroyd said, via Three Added Minutes: “He scores goals, he is prolific, he is strong, he leads the line really well. If you put him in any of the big teams, he is going to score at least 20 Premier League goals a season. Great on penalties. I would love Arsenal to sign him."

Now, whilst Arsenal are unlikely to take transfer advice from a pundit, signing Toney wouldn't exactly be a bad idea. The Brentford forward may currently be banned, but when the January transfer window swings open, he will be raring to go. Once past the ban for alleged betting offences, too, this is a player who scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season, likely firing him to the top of several clubs' wishlists.

Should Arsenal sign Ivan Toney?

Last season, Toney would have been Arsenal's top goalscorer in the Premier League, given that only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland outscored the Brentford man in England's top flight, and his partnership with current main man Bryan Mbeumo was bordering on the spectacular.

The Gunners would become a much-improved side in front of goal, and the stats only back that up even further, as per FBref. When compared to both Nketiah and Jesus last season, it is Toney who stands out in some key areas.

Player

Goals

Progressive Passes

Expected Goals

Ivan Toney

20

79

18.7

Gabriel Jesus

11

64

14

Eddie Nketiah

4

15

8.2

As you can see, perhaps most impressively, Toney actually outperformed his expected goals, whilst both Nketiah and Jesus underperformed, and should have found the back of the net more times than they did. It is Toney's clinical nature in front of goal which could prove to be all the difference, but it remains to be seen whether Bothroyd's wish will come true in January.

‘There’s always something you can improve on,’ the world’s No.1 Test bowler says. ‘Once you get something right, there’s always something new that you can work on.’

Firdose Moonda10-Jan-2018

With just 24 Test caps to his name, Kagiso Rabada has already achieved “what I always wanted”, in becoming Test cricket’s top-ranked bowler, but he has promised there is much more to come. Rabada leapfrogged James Anderson to No.1 after the first Test between South Africa and India, in which he took five wickets and was part of a famous win.”It’s what I always wanted to do (reaching No.1). Now, I just want to keep performing and winning games for the team and to keep getting better and better,” Rabada said. “There’s always something you can improve on. Once you get something right, there’s always something new that you can work on.”I just need to just do more and more, striving for perfection. You are never going to reach perfection but at least [try to] get there and thereabouts.”At the start of the summer, in an in-depth interview with ESPNcricinfo which will be published later this month, Rabada explained how he is focusing on up-skilling himself by adding more variation to his repertoire, which already includes a searing yorker, a mean bouncer and plenty of pace. In the Newlands Test against India, Rabada was consistently South Africa’s quickest bowler, delivering balls in the mid-140s throughout but he said speed wasn’t everything when it came to fast-bowling.”I don’t know how fast I can get but I always try my best. I can feel when I am bowling quickly and when I am not. Sometimes I feel I am bowling quickly and the speed gun says 145 or sometimes I can feel like I bowl a decent ball and the speed gun says 131,” he said. “I feel like the pace is something that’s already there, what’s important is the skill.”Versatility is particularly important because Rabada is now being used later in the innings. At Newlands, he bowled second change and often with a slightly older ball, which also required him to have a balanced approach between attack and defense.Though Rabada would like to take the new ball, he understands that South Africa’s plentiful resources may not always allow him to. “I just bowl wherever the team wants me to bowl. I would like to open. It’s a bit tough at the moment because there’s two very good bowlers in those roles,” he said. “I just like to bowl wherever the team requires me to and set my own aspirations aside. I am really happy with the roles I have been given, just to try and get wickets and defend at the same time, that’s important.”South Africa went into the Cape Town Test with four frontline quicks and will likely keep the same structure to their side for the rest of the series. Rabada may find himself promoted, but perhaps only as far as first change, because another bowler will have to come in for Dale Steyn, who has been ruled out of the series with a heel injury. One of Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi or Duanne Olivier, all of whom have significantly less experience than Rabada, is set to earn a spot in the starting XI, so it will be up to Rabada, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel to take on some extra responsibility as the series moves upcountry. Rabada, for one, is ready.”Unfortunately Dale is out of the attack now. It would have been an extra bonus over the summer but I am glad that I have bowled with him and I will hopefully bowl with him again in the future,” Rabada said. “Our bowling attack is very skilled as you’ve seen in the past and in the last game. It feels great to be playing alongside these veterans.”

An update has emerged on Southampton and Russell Martin's plans to bolster their defensive options before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Southampton transfer news?

According to The Telegraph's John Percy, the Saints are one of a number of teams eyeing up Manchester City central defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis for a loan move before next month's deadline.

The reporter has claimed that fellow Championship sides Leeds United and Leicester City are also keen on signing the England U21 international to improve their promotion bids this season.

Percy has also added that the Premier League and Champions League champions are prepared to sell him on a permanent basis for the right price, which comes after it had previously been reported that they would be willing to cash in for around £15m.

How good is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

The 21-year-old titan is an exceptional Championship defender who could come in as a dream heir to Armel Bella-Kotchap, who has been touted with a move away from St. Mary's this summer and reportedly has a £21m release clause.

If a team is willing to activate the option to sign the Germany international then the Saints could sign Harwood-Bellis as his replacement whilst making a £6m profit or take in all of the cash and bring him in on loan, which would be a fantastic piece of business.

The City prospect spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Burnley and caught the eye with his consistently brilliant displays at the back. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.21 across 32 league appearances, which was the seventh-best score within the entire division.

Harwood-Bellis, who won 63% of his duels, was the highest-rated defender in the Championship and this illustrates how impressive he was throughout the season for the Clarets on their way to the title.

The talented Englishman also enjoyed an extremely impressive U21 European Championship with his country this summer.

He played in five of their six matches on the way to winning the tournament as England did not concede a single goal and the 6 foot 2 brute averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.26, which was the seventh-best score within the squad.

Bella-Kotchap, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 across 24 Premier League matches for the Saints and won 69% of his duels, which shows that both players are dominant battlers who can win the majority of their physical contests.

The current Southampton centre-back and the ex-Burnley tank also both made 1.8 interceptions per game for their respective teams, which only Jan Bednarek (2.5) bettered for the south coast club.

These statistics suggest that Harwood-Bellis has the quality to be an outstanding enforcer for Martin given his impressive performances in relation to Bella-Kotchap's for the Saints and the rest of the Championship's defenders last term.

Therefore, the City youngster, who ex-boss Tony Mowbray claimed has a "warrior attitude", could be a phenomenal signing for Southampton and provide their defence with a lift after five goals conceded within the opening two league games.

He would come in as a ready-made Championship performer who can hit the ground running and be a mainstay at the back to replace Bella-Kotchap, should he depart from St. Mary's before the end of the window.

The Zimbabwe captain also believes the conditions in Bulawayo will negate the threat posed by West Indies’ pace attack

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo20-Oct-2017The Zimbabwean Test side had a torrid 2016, losing three matches by over 200 runs and a fourth by an innings. This year, they have witnessed something of a turnaround. After winning the ODI series in Sri Lanka, captain Graeme Cremer’s Zimbabwe side nearly caused an upset in the Colombo Test. Cremer believes the team that will take on West Indies in Bulawayo in the first Test from Saturday is even better than the one that pushed Sri Lanka hard.”I feel that we’ve probably got an even better team than we had in Sri Lanka,” Cremer said on the eve of the first Test. “We’ll take that confidence from Sri Lanka, but we know we can perform even better than that.”Zimbabwe have been buoyed further by the return of batsman Brendan Taylor and seamer Kyle Jarvis to international cricket, and Cremer’s confidence was echoed by his coach, Heath Streak. “They bring a lot in terms of experience, and we know what they’re capable of,” Streak said. “And we’re focusing on playing our own brand of cricket and backing ourselves, rather than looking at the reputations of the opposition. With the ability that we have in our changeroom, we genuinely can go out and win.”Though the conditions may suit Zimbabwe’s batting and spin-bowling strengths, both Streak and Cremer insisted Zimbabwe are wary of a West Indies side short on experience but having found some grit on their recent tour of England.”We respect West Indies,” Streak said. “We saw what they were capable of in England, winning that Test. Despite that, we feel we’ve got the resources and the personnel to be able to win against these guys in a Test match in Bulawayo.”West Indies have an advantage over Zimbabwe in terms of the pace of their seam attack, but Cremer pointed out that a traditionally sluggish Queens pitch may well blunt the likes of Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel. As well as that, a slightly older, wiser Zimbabwean batting unit will have a little more to offer in terms of experience than the visitors.”We feel that their seam attack is probably one of their strengths, but the Bulawayo pitch will negate that a bit,” Cremer said. “I think the pitch will be a little slow. Hopefully it will take some spin as the Test match goes on.”They’ve got some good batters too, although they’re a little inexperienced. Our team is probably a little more experienced than they are. So we just want to play good consistent cricket over the five days. In Test cricket, even one bad session can hurt you.””We also obviously know the conditions ourselves, so all those things are factored in when we’re looking at the balance of our side and how might exploit any weaknesses in the opposition,” Streak added. “At the end of the day, it comes down to how well you execute those plans on the pitch. Being able to adapt, to think quickly on your feet, to adjust and adapt our strategies will be key.”

West Ham United are eyeing a summer swoop for Jean-Clair Todibo.

What’s the latest on Jean-Clair Todibo to West Ham?

According to French outlet Nice-Matin, the Irons have made an approach to sign the Nice titan, who could cost around €40m (£34m).

Despite still just being 23-years-old, Todibo has enjoyed stints across the continent at Toulouse, Barcelona, Benfica, and Schalke.

However, since joining Nice in 2021, the 6 foot 3 defender has been far more settled and has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the French outfit.

Would Jean-Clair Todibo be a good signing for West Ham?

Last season, in 33 Ligue 1 starts, the player averaged 2.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game (fourth-highest in the squad), as well as 3.1 clearances and 0.6 blocks per game (second-highest).

His game is built upon defensive solidity and his quality has been recognised even in the infancy of his career – back in 2020, German legend Lothar Matthaus described Todibo as the “best centre-back” he’s seen in a “long time.”

This sentiment was echoed by his former teammate Aaron Ramsey, who added:

“Jean-Clair is a very interesting character; he’s very confident and he’s a great guy around the dressing room and he’s a very, very talented player, who can go all the way to the top.

“For him, it is important to keep his feet on the ground, strive for more, and take in as much information as possible.

“He’s a great guy, a great player, and very ambitious, so there is no reason that he can’t go all the way to the top and represent France.”

From a West Ham perspective, adding a man of this calibre and reputation would be a monumental boost. Furthermore, Todibo can also be a noticeable upgrade on Kurt Zouma.

Defensively, the former Barcelona starlet outranks his elder for tackles per 90 (2.28 vs 0.41) and blocks per 90 (1.29 vs 0.77), while Zouma very narrowly outperforms Todibo for interceptions (1.36 vs 1.29).

However, what separates these two players is their ball-playing ability. Todibo is vastly superior to the former Chelsea youngster for pass completion per 90 (88.5% vs 84.4%), progressive passes per 90 (4.8 vs 1.4), and successful take-ons per 90 (0.63 vs 0.09).

Although it is easier for the £20k-per-week man to score better than Zouma, as in domestic matches he averages over 30 more touches (76.2 vs 42.5), Todibo still ranks tremendously across the continent, sitting within the best 20% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for the aforementioned metrics.

Zouma is perhaps a victim of David Moyes’ lack of possession-based style of play, but Todibo’s pedigree is undeniable and looks like he could be a formidable asset in the Premier League.

Moreover, despite only signing for the East Londoners in 2021, the 6 foot 3 mountain has already missed 23 games through injury. With the club set to play a third-consecutive season of European football, they cannot afford to lose Zouma for another prolonged period, whilst Todibo is yet to miss any games for Nice due to injury.

This signing would be an inspired way for the 2023 Europa Conference League winners to kickstart their window.