West Ham United's season is best described as a mixed bag. Another strong outing in Europe has been juxtaposed by a string of embarrassing results in the league. Eager to rectify these issues, David Sullivan looks set to shore up the Hammers' defence this summer.

West Ham's defensive struggles

Despite sitting seventh in the Premier League table, it has been something of a campaign to forget for West Ham at the back. The Hammers have conceded the eighth-most goals in the division this season, over twice the number of league leaders Arsenal.

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A particularly embarrassing moment for the Hammers' defence was their 6-0 home defeat to the Gunners back in February. Conceding four times in the first half, many West Ham fans opted to make an early exit from the London Stadium, a damning indictment of the Hammers' frailties at the back.

David Moyes' quest to fix his backline has seen West Ham pursue a deal for Man United and England star Harry Maguire. Whilst bringing the 31-year-old to east London would ease the Hammers' struggles in the heart of defence, it appears that West Ham are now in the market for a new full-back.

Hammers eye move for international full-back

As relayed by Sport Witness, the local press in Italy is claiming that West Ham have become the latest side to show an interest in Torino defender Raoul Bellanova. The outlet suggests that fellow Premier League outfits Man United and Aston Villa have already watched the player and that "the Hammers had a scout watch him closely against Udinese last weekend".

The 23-year-old had spent the previous season on loan at Inter, where the defender came off the bench in the Nerazzurri's 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League final. Recently receiving his first call-up to the Italian national team, Bellanova may not be overly eager to pursue a move away from his home country.

Joining Torino this summer in a £6m deal from parent club Cagliari, Bellanova has gone on to make 30 appearances this season, contributing one goal and five assists. It is suggested that Torino would demand at least £22m to part ways with Bellanova this summer, with Il Toro eager to make a sizeable profit on their investment from last season.

A full-back with an eye for a cross, Bellanova would be an excellent addition to a West Ham side that thrives on balls into the box and goals from set pieces.

With the deals of current right-backs Vladimir Coufal and Ben Johnson expiring this summer, signing a young defender who can slot straight into the starting XI would be a smart bit of business from the Hammers.

MatériaMais Notícias

Mesmo longe dos gramados, Pelé pode se tornar símbolo de um novo recorde. O registro em tecnologia NFT do momento no qual o fotógrafo Alberto Ferreira capturou a “Bicicleta de Pelé” na goleada por 5 a 0 do Brasil sobre a Bélgica, em 1965, entrará em breve em leilão, com lance mínimo estimado em US$ 1 milhão.

> Confira a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro!

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– Meu pai foi o fotógrafo mais premiado do Brasil. O registro desta bicicleta era um orgulho para ele e já fazia parte do mercado de arte há muitos anos, mas com a novidade da tecnologia NFT (tokens não fungíveis), uma empresa chamada AZ Token’s entrou em contato comigo e dei permissão para este tipo de tecnologia, dos tokens, utilizá-la. Ora, já foi vendida anteriormente uma imagem de Cristiano Ronaldo a US$ 290 mil. Quanto valeria uma imagem do Pelé? Duas casas de leilão me procuraram para fazer o acordo. O lance mínimo é de US$ 1 milhão, mas acreditamos que podemos alcançar um valor mais alto – afirmou Carlos Ferreira, filho de Alberto Ferreira, que já tem um investimento em vista:

– A maior parte do valor arrecado irá para a Fundação Alberto Ferreira, que fica em Alagoa Grande, cidade natal do meu pai. A ideia é permitir que as crianças do brejo paraibano tenham futuro de acordo com suas habilidades e potenciais. O mais importante é reverter para o bem isso tudo, e deixar registrado o trabalho do meu pai – complementou.

REGISTRO DE PLACA: A HISTÓRIA EM TORNO DA FOTO

Em 2 de junho de 1965, a Seleção Brasileira encarou a Bélgica no Maracanã. Munido de sua câmera Leika, Alberto Ferreira ficou atrás de uma das metas e foi tirando as fotos. Até Pelé saltar e a imagem de sua tentativa de bicicleta entrar para a posteridade.

– Meu pai sempre teve muito orgulho desta fotografia. No ano seguinte, quando veio a Copa de 1966, ele começou a estampá-la em algumas camisas e levou na bagagem para a Inglaterra. E as pessoas trocavam por algum objeto ligado ao país de origem delas. Foi assim que a foto começou a rodar o mundo – recordou Carlos Ferreira.

Em seguida, o filho de Alberto Ferreira contou outra peculiaridade que foi vista como essencial para a foto ser registrada.

– Sempre me diziam que, diferentemente dos outros, que se ajeitavam para fotografar, o meu pai assistia à partida com o olho dentro do visor da Leika M3 – revelou.

Há uma curiosidade em torno desta foto em torno do desfecho da jogada.

– É uma foto que teve impacto, foi utilizado de diversas formas, mas o Pelé não fez o gol! E olha que a Seleção fez um grande jogo naquele dia. Foi uma goleada por 5 a 0, com o Pelé fazendo três gols (Flávio e Rinaldo completaram o triunfo) – disse.

DE GOLEIRO FRUSTRADO A ‘PELÉ DA FOTOGRAFIA’: A HISTÓRIA DE ALBERTO

O futebol fez parte da vida de Alberto desde cedo. Porém, em vez da fotografia, ele estava dentro de campo inicialmente e lutou por seu sonho em um clube de tradição.

– Ele chegou a ser goleiro no Botafogo-PB e tinha como sonho jogar no Maracanã. Veio para o Rio, conseguiu uma oportunidade no Flamengo, mas no dia ele ficou muito nervoso, falhou mais de uma vez e acabou reprovado como goleiro – lembrou Carlos.

Sem chance nos campos, Alberto trocou as luvas pela câmera. E fez história na fotografia.

– Meu pai foi editor de fotografia do “Jornal do Brasil” entre 1963 e 1989. Foi o fotógrafo mais premiado do país. Além disto, foi a Copas do Mundo entre 1962 e 1986, cobriu sete Jogos Olímpicos e tem outras grandes imagens de astros do esporte, entre eles o Emerson Fittipaldi, além de ter registrado a construção de Brasília, artistas… – destacou.

Inusitadamente, Alberto Ferreira ganhou um epíteto digno de “Rei”.

– Diziam que ele era o “Pelé da fotografia”. Ele fotografou a queda da Nadia Comaneci na Olimpíada de 1980, tem registros de Garrincha, Gerson, Zico… Ele fotografou o momento no qual Pelé sentiu a lesão contra a Tchecoslováquia na Copa de 1962. Pensamos em colocar na tecnologia NFT outros registros posteriormente – destacou.

O destino do fotógrafo, que morreu em 2007, também se cruzou diversas vezes com o do “Rei do Futebol”.

– Ah, ele estava na excursão do Santos na qual a equipe parou uma guerra. Muitos jornalistas também foram. O convívio que meu pai teve durante o período no qual Pelé jogou rendeu outros registros hoje impensáveis: Pelé jogando fliperama, tomando café sozinho em Paris sem ser incomodado. Viraram relíquias essas fotos – disse.

Carlos Ferreira se mostra tranquilo quanto à autorização da comercialização da imagem da bicicleta em tecnologia NFT.

– Vai fazer parte da minha família para sempre. A ideia é que o nome de Alberto Ferreira seja associado a um legado para as pessoas de Alagoa Grande – declarou.

Alvaro Morata and Rodri have been given one-match bans by UEFA for misconduct during Spain's Euro 2024 winners' parade.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Rodri and Morata banned
• Spain beat England in Euro 2024 final
• Punished for chant about Gibraltar

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  UEFA have handed Morata and Rodri a one-match ban each for misconduct during Spain's Euro 2024 winners' parade, per The Athletic. The pair were filmed singing 'It's Spanish, Gibraltar is Spanish", with Gibraltar's FA subsequently submitting a complaint to UEFA. They claimed the song was "extremely provocative and insulting".

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The ban for Morata and Rodri will stand for all UEFA competitions, meaning that it will take effect for their Nations League campaign. Spain will be without the striker and the midfielder for their fixture against Serbia on September 5.

• WHAT UEFA SAID

  UEFA's statement explained that the pair have been banned due to them "failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute".

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  WHAT NEXT?

  While the ban has taken immediate effect, it will not affect domestic fixtures. Rodri will likely play for Manchester City against Manchester United in the Community Shield this weekend, while Morata is set to make his AC Milan debut against Torino later this month.

Leeds United could well err on the side of caution when it comes to playing Georginio Rutter today, the exciting Frenchman undergoing a hernia operation in the international break and could be deemed too fragile to start away at Watford consequently.

The Whites should still have enough explosive talent at their disposal to get the better of a Watford side now managed by Tom Cleverley on an interim basis regardless, with the Hornets dismissing yet another manager recently in the form of Valerien Ismael.

Daniel Farke could decide to chop and change his XI not just to accommodate for Rutter being rested however, with Daniel James clamouring for a place back in his manager's lineup after a lively cameo against Millwall last time out.

Daniel James' performance vs Millwall in numbers

James' goal late from off the bench ensured Leeds didn't fall victim to any late scares at Elland Road against Neil Harris' away side, cruising to a 2-0 win over the Lions in the end.

But, it wasn't just his strike in isolation that caught the eye from his impactful 21 minutes on the pitch.

James would manage to pull off two key passes from just six attempted when coming on in place of Wilfried Gnonto, on top of hitting the woodwork with another effort to nearly hand himself a brace from so little time in the thick of the action.

It feels like a no-brainer to give James a run-out from minute one away at Watford therefore, with Gnonto failing to impress against the Lions away from his blinding strike that opened the scoring.

The ex-FC Zurich man would just register 31 touches, eight fewer than Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier in the 2-0 win, and so could be axed for James to put in a lightning-quick shift against Watford to try and catch the Hornets out instead.

Joel Piroe could also have the reward of being drafted into Farke's XI for the trip to Hertfordshire, with the ex-Swansea City man fading into the background in recent weeks despite starring in patches this season for his title-chasing side.

Joel Piroe could be Georginio Rutter's replacement

If Rutter is told to sit out the trip down to Vicarage Road, Farke could do far worse than reintroducing Piroe into the first team fold in his place.

Surprisingly, despite having 11 goals next to his name for the season and boasting the tag of being "clinical" by football journalist Josh Bunting, the 6 foot 1 attacker has found himself out of his manager's first-team plans as of late owing to a revitalised Patrick Bamford becoming key again.

Yet, although his goal record suggests he's more of a prolific striker than a number ten, Piroe has excelled in this spot behind the striker this season for Farke's men away from being just a conventional centre-forward presence.

One of the last times the Dutchman played in this attacking midfield slot was against Ipswich Town in December, where Piroe got in on the goalscoring act in a comprehensive 4-0 drubbing of Kieran McKenna's men.

Away from that strike, Piroe was calm and measured on the ball at points too with one key pass managed in the big victory.

Position

Games played

Goals

Assists

CAM

21

8

1

ST

10

4

1

SS

2

0

0

Looking at the table above, despite the £15k-per-week man playing 74 of his 96 games predominantly as a striker at former employers Swansea, he excels being played in a more creative role for Farke's men.

With the season hurtling towards a number of crucial contests, every player will have to be at their peak for the run-in which could see Farke make changes accordingly to keep his impressive Whites side fresh and up for the task of returning straight back to the Premier League.

Having been deflated with a collapse of 6 for 26, Pakistan Under-19 could pose no challenge to the India Under-19 opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena, who shared an unbeaten stand of 176 to lead the defending champions to a thumping ten-wicket win in the first semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup in Potchefstroom. India’s victory took them to their third straight final and closer to a fifth Under-19 World Cup title; they will play the winner of New Zealand and Bangladesh in the final on February 9. Jaiswal reached his first hundred in the tournament with a six to seal India’s win while Saxena remained unbeaten on 59.Pakistan, who opted to bat, seemed on course for a respectable total as their opener Haider Ali and captain Rohail Nazir put on a half-century stand for the third wicket. The duo helped Pakistan recover from 34 for 2 in the ninth over, but Haider fell soon after reaching his fifty while trying to cut part-timer Jaiswal. At 96 for 3 in the 26th over, Haider’s wicket pegged Pakistan’s progress significantly, as Nazir saw four more wickets fall in front of him. India’s two quicks Sushant Mishra and Kartik Tyagi did most of the damage – sharing five wickets between them – while legspinner Ravi Bishnoi finished with two from his 10 overs.Pakistan’s collapse began in the 35th over, with the score at 146 for 4, and it took a spectacular effort from Saxena at deep square leg to trigger the slide. Mohammad Haris’ sweep off left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar seemed destined for a one-bounce four, but Saxena ran across and dived full length to complete the catch just inches from the ground. That effort pushed the other India players to raise their game, and Tyagi delivered a yorker three overs later to bowl Irfan Khan. Only five balls later, Bishnoi trapped Abbas Afridi lbw with a contentious decision as Pakistan slumped to 163 for 7. Nazir was dismissed for 62 three overs later and by the 44th over, they were bowled out for 172.India’s chase started with caution, with Saxena and Jaiswal scoring at under four per over for the first 15 overs. They played out the new ball under overcast conditions with a strong crosswind blowing across the ground, offering no chance for Pakistan to come back into the game via an early wicket.After Jaiswal got his fifty off 66 balls in the 22nd over, he started using his feet against the spinners to hit over long-on or pull the pacers behind square. Saxena stroked the ball along the ground for the most of his innings, letting Jaiswal be the aggressor. Saxena reached his fifty in the 30th over by driving to deep cover off 83 balls and the asking rate had now come down to two runs per over. Saxena hit six fours while Jaiswal struck eight fours and four sixes, including one that brought up his hundred and India’s victory. After sealing the chase, Jaiswal raised both arms in the air, looked upwards and kissed the chain around his neck.Nazir praised India’s bowlers for their effort but said that Pakistan’s batsmen failed to live up to their potential.”It’s hard, but cricket is all about the game. One team wins, and we didn’t play good cricket today. India were better in the field and with their bowling. They outclassed us,” Nazir said in the post-match press conference. “When me and Haider were batting, we were going really nice. But after Haider’s wicket, we didn’t build partnerships.”That’s the reason why our batting line-up could not get the big runs. With the batting, our shot selection was poor in the crucial time. Three middle-order wickets fell cheaply in crunch situations. Because there weren’t enough runs on the board, our bowlers could not penetrate either.”The game had the best attendance of all the matches in the tournament thus far, with Pakistan supporters twice as many as India’s. Chants, both of the friendly and not-so-friendly kind, rang through the JB Marks Oval from both sides, the Pakistani voices diminishing as the game progressed. India have now pulled level with Pakistan as far as the sides’ Under-19 World Cup head-to-head record goes. Jaiswal is leading this edition’s run-scoring charts, having earned his fourth 50-plus score in five games. India’s victory was also the first ten-wicket win in the history of Under-19 World Cup (non-Plate) knockouts.

وجه محمد جمال عضو مجلس إدارة نادي الإسماعيلي، رسالة إلى جماهير الدراويش بشأن الأزمات التي يواجها النادي في الفترة الأخيرة مما يترتب عليه سوء الأداء والنتائج في المباريات.

وقال محمد جمال في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورت”: “الأمور لدينا مستقرة إلى حد كبير، وخلال الفترة الحالية نُجهز 25% من عقود اللاعبين وفي يناير سنكون وصلنا لـ 50% وسيكون هناك مدخلات من الرعاية في الفترة القادمة، ومجلس الإدارة من وقت أن تولى المسؤولية لم يخذل اللاعبين”.

وأضاف: “الناس لا بد أن تعرف التزاماتنا، معظم الأموال التي نحصل عليها من بيع اللاعبين نسدد بها الغرامات، الإسماعيلي كان مديوناً بمبالغ رهيبة، لاعب تم تسديد غرامته 48 مليون وكارميلو لم يلعب وسددنا له 24 مليونا، ولاعب آخر 18 مليونا، و12 قضية مع أندية مختلفة”.

طالع أيضاً.. أشرف عبد العزيز: أعاتب إدارة الزمالك على ما فعلته مع كهربا

وأوضح: “هناك أقساط نسددها، التزامات كثيرة، هناك موظفون وقطاع الناشئين، نحن نحتاج ليس أقل من 250 مليونا في السنة لو في الظروف الطبيعية ولا توجد غرامات، ونشتري لاعبين نصنع منهم نجوما، لكن لا نملك أن نشتري لاعبين مثلما يشتري غزل المحلة”.

وأفاد: “المجالس السابقة كانت تلقى دعمًا من الوزارة والمحافظة، لكن منذ أن تولينا المسؤولية لم يساعدنا أحد بجنيه واحد، المحافظ السابق خذلنا ولم يساعدنا بأي شيء رغم أن الموظفين كانت لهم رواتب متأخرة 10 أشهر”.

وأتم: “الراحل إيهاب جلال قدم أداء محترماً، وكنا نقدم أداء كبيرا لا يناسب النتائج، اللاعبون رجال وتحملوا ويعرفون أن المجلس الحالي يُحاول من أجلهم، وأشكرهم على تحملهم الصعاب ونعدهم بأنهم سيحصلون على مستحقاتهم”.

The three players will look to prove their form and fitness ahead of ODI series at home against SA and the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2020Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan will look to prove their form and fitness when they return to action in the DY Patil T20 tournament, which began in Mumbai on Monday.The invitations tournament, which is in its 16th edition, is usually utilised by the Indian players to tune up for the IPL. This time, it will also serve as a selection precursor for the three-match ODI series at home against South Africa, which will be played between March 12 and 18.Pandya, India’s premier allrounder, hasn’t played competitive cricket since September 2019, having undergone surgery for a long-standing back injury. He was initially slated to return during the A team’s tour to New Zealand – and later the senior side’s tour of the country – but was eventually pulled out of both tours as he hadn’t attained full match fitness.Bhuvneshwar, who had undergone a hernia operation after being sidelined from the ODI series against West Indies last year, is set for his first taste of competitive cricket in two months. Dhawan, who is coming back from a shoulder injury which he sustained during the ODI series at home against Australia earlier this year, will turn out for the Reliance 1 team along with Pandya and Bhuvneshwar.Fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who has been sidelined with injury for almost two years, will represent the DY Patil B side. Despite being prone to injuries and not having played for KKR over the past couple of seasons, the franchised had opted to retain him for the upcoming season.Dinesh Karthik, Nagarkoti’s captain at Knight Riders, and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who last played a competitive game in March last year, will also feature in the tournament.The 28-year-old Tamil Nadu mystery spinner was sold for big money in the IPL auction for a second successive year, emerging as the highest-paid uncapped Indian, with Knight Riders shelling out INR 4 crore (USD 563,000 approx.) for his seven variations.Atharva Ankolekar and Divyaansh Saxena, who were part of India Under-19’s run to the World Cup final in South Africa, will also feature in the competition.However, the availability of both Manish Pandey and K Gowtham are subject to their Ranji Trophy commitments. Karnataka will face Bengal in the semi-finals at Eden Gardens from February 29.In addition to the big names, the Reliance team will also have former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan in the dugout along with James Pamment , both of whom are now part of the Mumbai Indians’ coaching staff. Zaheer is the Mumbai team director while Pamment is the fielding coach.Reliance 1 team: Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Anmolpreet SinghBPCL: Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Divyaansh SaxenaDY Patil A team: Dinesh Karthik, Mandeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Tewatia, Ruturaj GaikwadDY Patil B team: Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Varun Aaron, Manan VohraCAG: Jalaj Saxena, Prashant Chopra, Ishwar Pandey, Sachin BabyIncome Tax: Atharva AnkolekarIOC: Aditya Tare, Abhishek Sharma, Siddhesh Lad, Avesh KhanBank of Baroda: K Gowtham, KC CariappaRBI: Dhruv Shorey

MatériaMais Notícias

Neste sábado (3), o time sub-17 do São Paulo foi derrotado por 3 a 1, de virada, pelo Palmeiras, na nona rodada da fase de grupos do Brasileirão Sub-17. O jogo foi disputado no CFA de Cotia.

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CONFIRA A TABELA ATUALIZADA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO BRASILEIRÃO DE 2021!

O primeiro tempo foi de pressão são-paulina no ataque. Assim, o time da casa abriu o placar aos 19 minutos, com gol de Newerton, que recebeu a bola de Kauê Canela, girou e mandou para o fundo das redes.

Ainda na primeira etapa, aos 37 minutos, o Palmeiras empatou com Kauan Santos, que acertou um chute forte e no canto após a bola sobrar depois de uma disputa de cabeça.

No segundo tempo, o Tricolor teve a chance de voltar a frente do placar mais de uma vez. O time acertou duas bolas na trave, com Negrucci e Caio

Porém, no fim do jogo, aos 43 minutos do segundo tempo, o Palmeiras virou com Daniel Silva e ,aos 46, fechou o placar em 3 a 1 com um gol de Wendell, que driblou o goleiro e bateu para o gol aberto.

Com a derrota no Choque-Rei, o Tricolor encerrou a fase de grupos do campeonato em terceiro lugar do Grupo A, com 17 pontos conquistados. Na próxima fase do torneio, as quartas de final, o São Paulo joga contra o Fluminense, time contra o qual o Tricolor se sagrou campeão da Copa do Brasil 2020 da categoria.

Gets the Bert Sutcliffe Medal on the first day of NZC’s virtual awards ceremony for 2019-20

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2020Ian Smith, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper and veteran broadcaster, has been honoured by New Zealand Cricket for his “outstanding services to cricket”. He was awarded the Bert Sutcliffe Medal on the first day of NZC’s virtual awards ceremony for 2019-20.Other cricketers to have received this award include Walter Hadlee, Merv Wallace, John Reid, Graham Dowling, Richard Hadlee and Ewen Chatfield. Smith, arguably the most recognisable voice of New Zealand cricket on television sets around the world, said he felt “emotional” about joining this list, and dedicated the award to his wife, Louise.”I’m so grateful,” Smith said from his home in Hawkes Bay. “It makes me quite emotional actually to think about joining the list of people who have already won this award.”The playing aspect was the realisation of a dream. I fondly remember the times keeping to Sir Richard Hadlee, watching Martin Crowe bat sides into submission and all the other guys playing their part as well.”I’ve loved every minute of calling Test cricket. Brendon [McCullum’s] 300 will live forever in my mind; Test wins at Lord’s, Hobart, Ross Taylor’s 290, the draw at Eden Park with so much drama against England, and of course the World Cup final at Lord’s last year.”I dedicate this award to my wife Louise. Anyone who’s been involved with touring and cricket will know you have to have a base and Louise has been fantastic the whole time.””It’s been a great journey and I wouldn’t trade it for a second.”The highlights of a playing career that spanned 63 Tests and 98 ODIs between 1980 and 1992 included a spectacular 173 off 136 balls to rescue New Zealand from 131 for 7 against India in Auckland, and a tally of seven catches in one innings against Sri Lanka. After retirement Smith slipped seemingly effortlessly into commentary and has been calling the action for over two decades, including 112 Tests at home.In the first of several domestic awards that will be announced this week, NZC also named the T20 men’s and women’s players of the year – unsurprisingly both players came from Wellington, who won both competitions this season. New Zealand captain Sophie Devine was Women’s Super Smash Player of the Year, while Devon Conway, the South Africa-born batsman who is on the verge of qualifying to play for New Zealand, won the Men’s Smash Player of the Year.Conway topped the run charts in the Super Smash – as well as the first-class Plunket Shield and the 50-over Ford Trophy – in the 2019-20 season. He made 543 runs in the Super Smash, at an average of 67.87 and a strike rate of 145.18. Devine fashioned a third straight T20 title for Wellington women, with with 365 runs and 12 wickets.The second group of domestic award winners will be announced on Wednesday, while the international award winners will be named on Thursday and Friday as part of the ongoing virtual awards ceremony – a necessity in the time of Covid-19 and social distancing.

After succumbing to Bayern Munich and Aston Villa in quick succession midway through April, Arsenal are well and truly back in form after dispatching Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the space of five days in the Premier League.

There were several standout players from the club's two London derby victories, such as Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, but one star who was benched for both was Gabriel Jesus.

The former Manchester City ace has not had quite the impact he would have hoped to have this season, and based on recent reports, he might soon find himself replaced in North London.

Arsenal's search for a striker

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal have maintained their interest in Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and are now considered the player's 'preferred destination' ahead of a potential move this summer.

The report has revealed that, alongside the Gunners, several Serie A sides, such as Juventus and AC Milan, are keen to add the former Bayern Munich ace to their squads in the summer, but the Italian clubs are now worried that the marksman is himself eager to hold out for the north Londoners to make an offer and not to join a domestic rival of Bologna.

The good news keeps coming for Arsenal, as according to a report from ESPN in March, the Rossoblu currently value their star marksman at around £51m, and while that is still a hefty price tag, it isn't absurd in the current market when, for example, Rasmus Hojlund joined Manchester United for £72m last summer.

Everything seems to point towards a relatively straightforward transfer for the north Londoners if they do wish to sign the Dutchman. While that's great for Edu Gaspar and Arteta, it could spell trouble for Jesus, especially after it was revealed earlier this week that the club are willing to cash in on him this summer.

How Zirkzee compares to Jesus

So, if the North Londoners were to press ahead with this deal and bring Zirkzee to N5 in the summer, would they be making the right decision, and how does he stack up to Jesus?

When looking at the pair's pure output this season, the 22-year-old comes out comfortably ahead of his potential competition, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists in 35 games to his eight goals and seven assists in 33 games. Therefore, the Brazilian averages a goal involvement every 2.2 games this season, while the Schiedam-born dynamo averages one every 1.8 games.

What about their underlying numbers, then? Does the vastly more experienced Arsenal man have the edge over his potential replacement in this area?

Expected Goals + Assists

0.48

0.61

Goals

0.39

0.24

Assists

0.19

0.24

Progressive Passes

2.73

2.48

Progressive Carries

1.70

2.24

Goals per Shot on Target

0.33

0.21

Passing Accuracy

77.2%

78.4%

Shot-Creating Actions

3.21

3.47

Goal-Creating Actions

0.31

0.43

Dispossessed

2.04

2.24

Miscontrols

3.77

3.66

Aerial Duels Won

0.97

0.93

Well, it's a bit of a mixed bag here. While he does come out ahead in more metrics than not, it isn't by very much, and he comes out second best in a few crucial ones, such as goals-to-shots-on-target, actual goals, and things like progressive passing. In essence, he has the better underlying numbers overall, but not significantly so.

So, with the prospective replacement beating out the four-time Premier League winner on actual output but coming up second best regarding underlying numbers, what else can separate them? Injuries.

In the last two seasons, the former Palmeiras gem has missed 33 games for Arsenal – a third of the games he could've played – whereas the "complete" Bologna star, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has missed just eight, making him the far more reliable player of the two.

Ultimately, if Arsenal have the chance to sign Zirkzee for around £51m this summer, they should go for it. His record this season is seriously impressive, and while he might need a season or two to match Jesus' underlying numbers, he will likely be far more reliable and, therefore, useful for Arteta as the club continues their search for a Premier League title.

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