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Back at the scene of their heartbreak in a massive chase against the Punjab Kings, the Rajasthan Royals managed to make 148 look more difficult than 222 before sealing the chase in a chaotic finish. For a majority of the chase, it looked like the Delhi Capitals would add to the successful low defences of the two nights preceding this, but David Miller and Chris Morris dragged the Royals back after they had been 17 for 3 and 104 for 7.Not one six was hit in the first 35 overs of the match – it was the first time a 20-overs innings had ended without a six at the Wankhede Stadium – but Miller, Morris and Jaydev Unadkat managed seven sixes between them as the Royals scored 60 in their last 4.4 overs.Unadkat undercuts the Capitals
Bowling thee overs in the Powerplay for the first time since 2011, Jaydev Unadkat went through the Capitals batting with his changes of pace. Prithvi Shaw got a leading edge to point in the second over, Shikhar Dhawan ramped one to be caught behind acrobatically by Sanju Samson in the fourth, and Ajinkya Rahane chipped one back to Unadkat in the sixth. This was Unadkat’s first IPL three-for in three years.Mustafizur Rahman made it four wickets with slower balls as Marcus Stoinis was caught off a leading edge in the seventh. Capitals 37 for 4 after seven overs.Pant goes along the ground
The Capitals scored 72 runs in the 9.3 overs that Pant spent at the wicket; 51 of them came off his bat off just 32 balls – that was a pace good enough to score 190 on a 140 pitch. He did so without hitting, or trying to hit, a six. This included a severe attack against his former team-mate Rahul Tewatia, lacing the cover fence with four various cuts in the 11th over.A quick run sets the Capitals back
Having brought the Capitals back into the game, Pant looked good for a much bigger knock himself when he called Lalit Yadav through for a quick single while the ball had hardly gone past the bowler Riyan Parag. The Capitals, five down in the 13th over, only managed five boundaries in the last seven overs as Capitals went from 88 for 5 to 147 for 8 in their 20 overs.2:33

Pathan: Miller showed the worth of his experience

Capitals go seam-up
Teams usually see how the opposition has bowled and try to replicate what has worked for them, but the Capitals didn’t quite go looking for the cutters and the slower balls that worked so beautifully for the Royals. However, the seam movement that they managed to extract worked just as well for Chris Woakes and Kagisa Rabada, who had the Royals down at 17 for 3 in no time, including the key wicket of Samson.Dhawan kept attracting catches: Samson at regulation slip, Shivam Dube at wide slip, and Riyan Parag at cover, making it 42 for 5 in the 10th over.Miller, Tewatia start the comeback
Miller looked in good touch, probably as good as Pant had earlier in the night. Rahul Tewatia provided him company. For some reason, despite two left-hand batters being in the middle, Pant took the stifling R Ashwin off and went to Stoinis, which resulted in a shift in the momentum. Perhaps it was the dew that influenced his decision?Three fours came in Stoinis’ only over, and two more came in the next, the 14th of the innings, bowled by Tom Curran. Rabada’s pace hurried Tewatia to dismiss him on the pull, but the Royals now had some fluency. Miller converted it into two sixes off Avesh Khan in the next over. He holed out trying to make it a hat-trick, and once again 44 off 25 looked out of sight.Morris, Unadkat end it
It was fitting that Unadkat got the partnership going, with a pulled six off Woakes. Curran bowled a good 18th over to make it 27 off 12, but the wet ball played havoc with Rabada and Curran in the last two overs. Rabada kept bowling it in the slot, and Morris connected with two of those balls, bringing the equation down to 12 off the last over.In the last game, Morris had had a single refused in the last over when the Royals failed to get 13. If there were memories haunting them from that game, the second ball of the last over exorcised them. The slower bouncer sat up, and Morris smoked it over square leg. A full-toss two balls later took the Royals over the line.Only two times in the IPL before this game had a team scored more than 40 after the fall of their seventh wicket to win a match. Morris ended up with 29 in the last two overs; only once has someone scored more to win an IPL game.

Leeds United have opened talks to sign a potential replacement for attacker Georginio Rutter as the Frenchman's exit continues to draw closer, according to one report.

Rutter on verge of Leeds exit

Having already lost Crysencio Summerville this summer, Leeds are on the verge of losing French forward Rutter to another Premier League club in the shape of Brighton and Hove Albion.

Speaking last week, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke admitted that a deal was close after Brighton triggered his £40m release clause and that Rutter had already confirmed his decision to leave the Championship side in the coming days.

"I expect he will leave. It's not in our hands anymore. [It has been] difficult. Fair play to Georgi for not ruling himself out. He asked to sleep on it overnight and wanted to help us.

"We tried to convince him, but we must stick to what was signed in the past", Farke added.

Though Rutter's departure will take Leeds well over £100m in money made from sales this summer, those exits have been keenly felt on the pitch.

After two games of a Championship season in which Leeds were favourites to secure promotion, they sit in sixteenth place without a win, having followed their 3-3 opening day draw with Portsmouth up with a 0-0 affair against West Bromwich Albion.

Between those ties, they were dumped out of the EFL Cup in the first round after being thrashed 3-0 by Middlesbrough at Elland Road as their season threatens to die out before it has even truly started.

Leeds United's next five fixtures

Matchday

Opponent

3

Sheffield Wednesday (Away)

4

Hull City (Home)

5

Burnley (Home)

6

Cardiff City (Away)

7

Coventry City (Home)

Additions are needed, and fast, with Farke revealing that he wants four new faces before the transfer window slams shut in two weeks' time. Now, he may have identified one of those.

Leeds open talks to sign £8m striker

That comes as journalist Marc Mechenoua claims that Leeds are in talks with Swedish side Hammarby IF over a deal to sign striker Jusef Erabi this summer.

The 21-year-old striker has scored seven times so far this season in the Swedish top flight, and his form has attracted the attention of clubs in England's second tier.

And Farke's side are one of those keen to bring him to England, with talks "ongoing" over a move to add him to the depleted attacking ranks at Elland Road before the transfer deadline.

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Leeds are not the only side chasing his signature though, with Norwich also keen on making a move for the youngster after selling Adam Idah to Celtic this summer. Both clubs have been warned that it will cost €10m (£8m) to prise him away from Sweden this summer, though given that both clubs have just made major sales the price tag may not prove too much of a stumbling block.

Would the 21-year-old be able to replace Rutter in the Elland Road side, or should the Whites be looking elsewhere to ensure promotion back to the top flight?

Chelsea could offer Napoli a £150,000-per-week player alongside Romelu Lukaku, as they attempt to strike a deal for Victor Osimhen.

Chelsea turn attention back to Osimhen after Omorodion failure

New head coach Enzo Maresca remains in the market for a new striker, having just failed to get an agreement for Atletico Madrid starlet Samu Omorodion officially over the line.

Related Juventus contact Chelsea over signing "experienced" £325,000-a-week star

He’s a Premier League winner…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Aug 11, 2024

Omorodion appeared set to join Chelsea on a seven-year contract in a deal worth around £35 million, but the move collapsed at the eleventh hour to disrupt the Atletico-Chelsea transfer domino which also would've seen Conor Gallagher seal his switch to La Liga.

Fabrizio Romano even gave his famous "here we go" to Omodorion's Chelsea move, though an unexpected twist means the Blues are now attempting to resurrect Gallagher's move to Atletico by negotiating a deal for Joao Felix instead.

Chelsea's best-performing players in the Premier League last season

Average match rating (WhoScored)

Cole Palmer

7.48

Conor Gallagher

7.13

Nicolas Jackson

7.07

Moises Caicedo

6.85

Noni Madueke

6.84

It is set to be yet another interesting week at Stamford Bridge, and that's not even factoring in Osimhen's potential move to the club as well. Since last week, rumours have been rife over a possible deal which could see Osimhen joining Chelsea and Lukaku heading the other way to Napoli.

Lukaku has already agreed a three-year contract to join Napoli so he can reunite with Antonio Conte in Serie A, while it is believed that Osimhen is ready to join Chelsea if the two clubs can shake hands on a deal.

Talks are still ongoing, but a move may well accelerate after Chelsea missed out on Omorodion. Maresca has apparently made it clear he wants a new striker at Chelsea this summer, so this could be one to watch.

Todd Boehly and BlueCo did make an attempt to grant Maresca's wish with a widely reported proposal to RB Leipzig sensation Benjamin Sesko earlier this window, but the Slovenia international chose to remain in the Bundesliga and penned a contract extension.

Osimhen, however, could be a fantastic alternative – as Chelsea consider avenues to strike an agreement for the Nigerian.

Chelsea could offer Napoli both Kepa and Lukaku so they can sign Osimhen

According to TEAMtalk and journalist Rudy Galetti, out of favour goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga may now be used as a makeweight alongside Lukaku.

Indeed, Galetti writes that Chelsea could offer both Kepa and Lukaku to sweeten a deal for Osimhen, coming after the Blues have been attempting to find a buyer for the former all summer.

The £150,000-per-week Kepa held talks over a move to Saudi Arabia this summer, but to no avail (The Athletic), while nothing has come of a rumoured return to Real Madrid. Chelsea could offload two high-earners in this bid for Osimhen, so it is a move that would make plenty of sense.

However, the west Londoners may also offer Trevoh Chalobah or Cesare Casadei – who are two other makeweight candidates.

Seventy runs needed off 45 balls. A top order that had dismantled attacks during the course of five successive wins in the group stage had collapsed in a heap. Tamil Nadu’s campaign, which had looked bright enough to go one better than their runners-up finish last year, was in doldrums.Himachal Pradesh’s bowlers were making a target of 136 seem more like 186. They were boisterous, having just dismissed Dinesh Karthik. Tamil Nadu were five down, with the last recognised pair at the crease. The decision to promote Sonu Yadav as a pinch hitter had backfired too, his run-a-ball 16 putting immense pressure on the lower order.Enter Shahrukh Khan, who joined Baba Aparajith, who until then had scratched his way to 23 off 33 balls. With the asking rate mounting and Himachal scenting victory, they held firm and then turned the game on its head, adding 75 off just 32 balls as Tamil Nadu cantered home with 13 balls to spare.The turning point of sorts was the third ball of the 14th over, bowled by the left-arm spinner Ayush Jamwal. Aparajith swatted it across the line, and the long-on fielder parried the ball over the ropes. With a reprieve behind him, Aparajith unleashed his strokes without fear. This rubbed off on the muscular Shahrukh too, his contribution an unbeaten 19-ball 40 laden with five fours and two sixes.With him, there are no half-measures. He’s reminiscent of Yusuf Pathan at the crease. Has a big presence, takes a giant stride and can give it a proper whack. He picks his spots and goes through. On Tuesday night, the leg-side was his favoured area, and it took some kind of power to clear the big boundaries quite comfortably. Shahrukh in league cricket is a destroyer, and if he continues to play the same way in top-flight cricket, it may not be long before IPL teams enter into a bidding war. He wasn’t picked at the 2019 December auction, but knocks like these could certain boost his chances.Meanwhile, Aparajith is a calming presence at the crease. Unhurried with his strokes, uncomplicated in his mind, he keeps the runs ticking and brings the big shots out only if the situation demands. He plays the kind of role S Badrinath did successfully at Chennai Super Kings, stem a collapse and hold the batting together if required. Throw in his handy off spin and he is a package teams often look out for.Here, he remained unbeaten on 52 off 45, having overcome pockets of frustration in the middle overs. To his credit, he carried on, trusted his game, and saw the game through. Prior to this game, Aparajith had just batted once in the tournament. But when the pressure was on, he dug deep to see his side through.Having watched the match-winning partnership nervously, Karthik, N Jagadeesan and C Hari Nishanth, who had done bulk of Tamil Nadu’s run-scoring in the league phase, exulted, roaring and punching the air, relieved at having a shot at making another final.Earlier in the evening, Karthik had opted to field presumably to give his bowlers a relatively dry ball to play with. They all responded superbly to restrict Himachal to 135 for 9. The pace duo of Sandeep Warrier and Yadav used contrasting methods to finish with combined figures of 5 for 46 off their eight overs.Warrier, who will fly off to join the India team as a net bowler on Thursday, hit the deck hard and relied on seam movement and bounce. Yadav used his slower variations to lull batsmen into big hits. In the middle overs, M Ashwin, the legspinner, and R Sai Kishore, the left-arm spinner, didn’t let the batsmen dictate terms.Rishi Dhawan was the only batsman who looked fluent and adjusted to the pace of the surface quickly, finishing with an unbeaten 26-ball 35 to give the innings a late push, after Abhimanyu Rana and Nitin Sharma wasted starts to fall just as Himachal looked to accelerate at different stages. And as well as Vaibhav Arora made the new ball talk, prising out three huge top-order wickets, Himachal just didn’t have enough runs to stop Tamil Nadu’s counter-punch.

The last three Golden Ball winners have represented Barcelona and Spain, and it looks likely that at least one of those themes will continue

It took until early August, but we know the players who are truly in contention for this year's Ballon d'Or Femenin. The women's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games was the final chance for stars to throw their hats in the ring and several did, while others strengthened their already strong cases. Now, all there is left to do is wait for the final ranking of this year's contenders, after and new co-organisers, UEFA, announced the nominees on Wednesday, September 4.

Historically, players from the United States have struggled to really make their mark in the race for the Ballon d'Or, with the NWSL season always midway through when the window being judged closes. That was different in 2019, when the U.S. won the World Cup and Megan Rapinoe claimed the Golden Ball as a result, and it is again this year, after Emma Hayes' side triumphed at Paris 2024.

But there is also a whole European season that will be factored in as well, in which players from Barcelona in particular shone as the Catalans won another Champions League title. The last three winners of the Golden Ball have come from Barca – and the names of Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas are on the shortlist again this time around.

So, who are the contenders for the 2024 Ballon d’Or Feminin ahead of the ceremony on Monday, October 28? GOAL takes a look at the front-runners…

Getty15Lea Schuller (Bayern Munich)

Players representing Germany or playing in its domestic league can often be overlooked when it comes to the Ballon d'Or, but Lea Schuller's efforts in helping her country win an Olympic bronze medal this summer earned her a well-deserved nomination for 2024.

It isn't just her three goals at the Games, or her strike that secured Germany's place there, that means she is worth her place on this list, either. Schuller also had a terrific 2023-24 season with Bayern Munich, ending it as her club's top goal-scorer as they won the Frauen Bundesliga again.

AdvertisementGetty Images14Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit)

When Canada won Olympic Gold back in 2021, three of their star players secured a spot on the Ballon d'Or shortlist, and the USWNT's triumph at Paris 2024 had a similar effect this time around. It was their 'triple espresso' attack that shone in France and it wasn't a surprise, then, to see all three members of that trident nominated – starting with Trinity Rodman.

The 22-year-old scored a superb goal in the quarter-finals to allow the U.S. to beat Japan 1-0 in extra-time, continuing the brilliant form she had shown in the group stages. Strengthening her case for a place on this list was a return of five goals and four assists in 15 NWSL games, which helped the Washington Spirit sit in third place before she flew off to help the USWNT win gold.

USA TODAY Sports13Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride)

NWSL stars can struggle for Ballon d'Or recognition because its league does not run in tandem with the awards like the European season does. However, Barbra Banda's goal-scoring certainly hasn't gone under the radar in the last few months, for club or country.

Going into the Olympics, she was joint-top of the NWSL scoring charts with 12 goals in 12 games, helping the Orlando Pride to remain unbeaten through the first half of the season. Despite Zambia's group-stage exit, she continued that form at the 2024 Games, too, finding the back of the net four times in three outings. She isn't going to make the Ballon d'Or podium, but she deserves her spot on the longlist.

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Getty12Tabitha Chawinga (Lyon)

Paris Saint-Germain might have fallen short again in their bid to dethrone Lyon in the French league, but they did win just the fifth major honour in the women's team's history when they beat Fleury in the Coupe de France final, a triumph Tabitha Chawinga was key to. The Malawi international, who has since signed for Lyon, scored two vital goals in the narrow semi-final win over Paris FC and shone in all competitions to rack up some insane numbers across the board.

A Champions League semi-final exit hurt her chances of being near the top of the Ballon d'Or rankings, but she helped her team get over the line in the chase for silverware and was the best player in France last season.

Tottenham Hotspur look set for a busy summer of transfer activity after a fairly up-and-down Premier League season that saw them qualify for the Europa League.

They have already been linked to a number of players over the last few weeks, and it looks like they're particularly keen on Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey.

According to the Standard, Daniel Levy and Co are currently preparing a second bid after seeing their initial offer of £20m plus Giovani Lo Celso turned down.

However, based on recent reports, they might be set to land another player who would be a far better purchase.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from the Times, Spurs are still keen on signing Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze this summer and are now leading the race for his signature.

The report claims that the North Londoners are not put off by his £60m release clause and are confident in their ability to get the deal done once he returns from the European Championships in Germany with England.

Signing the Palace ace would undoubtedly cost the Lilywhites a lot more money than Ramsey, but given his performances last season, it would almost certainly be worth the extra money.

How Eze compares to Ramsey

Now, last season, both Ramsey and Eze played in attacking midfield, out on the leftwing and in left midfield, and with the Palace man being 25 and the Villa ace 23, there are a fair few similarities between them.

That said, how do they compare to one another? Well, from an output perspective, it's the former Queens Park Rangers gem who emerges victorious, and by quite some margin at that.

In just 31 appearances last season, he scored 11 goals and provided four assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.82 games for the Eagles.

In contrast, his competition scored one goal and provided two assists in 21 games for the Villans, which equates to an average of one goal involvement every seven matches – a stark difference.

Unfortunately, when we compare their underlying numbers, things don't get much better for the Birmingham-born dynamo.

For example, while the "exceptional" England international, as dubbed by Statman Dave, comes out second best for progressive carries and passing accuracy, he comes out ahead in every other metric including non-penalty expected goals and assists, actual non-penalty goals and assists, progressive passes, shots and shots on target, goals per shot and shot on target, goal and shot-creating actions, ball recoveries, aerial duels and successful take-ons, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.59

0.34

Non-Penalty Goals

0.40

0.08

Assists

0.24

0.17

Progressive Passes

4.08

3.21

Progressive Carries

2.98

3.68

Shots

3.56

1.95

Goals per Shot

0.11

0.04

Shots on Target

1.42

0.34

Goals per Shot on Target

0.28

0.25

Passing Accuracy

77.0

81.2

Shot-Creating Actions

4.82

3.02

Goal-Creating Actions

0.48

0.28

Successful Take-Ons

3.03

0.85

Ball Recoveries

5.92

4.34

Aerial Duels Won

0.53

0.47

Ultimately, while Ramsey looks to be a talented player, neither his underlying numbers nor raw output can hold a candle to Eze, and while the Palace ace is set to cost more than the Villa prospect, he will be more than worth it.

Maddison will love him: Spurs declare interest in £25m "monster"

The “magnificent” ace could be transformative.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 28, 2024

Wolverhampton Wanderers endured a poor finish to their 2023/24 season, losing five of their final six Premier League matches.

Despite a decent campaign overall, Gary O’Neil will be hoping to sign a few high quality players this summer to take his team to the next level.

Wolves transfer news

According to Record – via Sport Witness – Wolves are reportedly fighting it out with Atletico Madrid over Rodrigo Gomes, having seemingly lodged a bid worth in the region of €15m (£13m) for the promising winger.

The report suggests that the Portuguese gem – who spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Estoril from SC Braga – was also a target for the Old Gold in January, with the Premier League outfit having tracked his progress throughout the campaign.

Madrid may well be the favourites to secure his signature during the transfer window, but perhaps O’Neil could entice the youngster with the chance to play in one of the biggest leagues in Europe, with the report indicating that there may be something of a 'tug of war' between the rival suitors.

Should he make the move to Molineux, comparisons will be made between him and Pedro Neto. Might the 20-year-old be another version of the current Wolves gem?

Rodrigo Gomes could be Pedro Neto 2.0

The previous two seasons have seen Neto endure a host of injury issues, missing a total of 46 games since the summer of 2022.

Last season saw the 23-year-old return to form when he was fit, making 24 appearances, scoring three goals while grabbing 11 assists, showcasing his attacking abilities.

Metric

Neto

Gomes

Goals

2

7

Assists

9

7

Key passes per game

1.7

1.2

Big chances created

7

7

Successful dribbles per game

1.9

0.9

It was no coincidence that their form suffered during the final few weeks of the season as Neto was injured.

As per data analyst Ben Mattinson, Gomes had been "on fire" during the 2023/24 campaign, with the "versatile" talent earmarking himself as a player to "watch out for".

Indeed, across 36 matches in all competitions, Gomes scored nine goals while registering eight assists, showing similarities to Neto as the duo both have a keen eye for goal while creating plenty of chances for their teammates.

Among his teammates, the Braga starlet ranked first for goals and assists (14) in the top flight, along with ranking first for shots per game (1.7), second for big chances created (seven) and third for key passes per game (1.2), evidence that he offers more than just a danger in front of goal.

These statistics also indicate that the youngster could be ready to make an impression in the Premier League. Neto had played just eight senior matches prior to making the switch to the Old Gold in 2019, and it has worked out fairly well for him.

Gomes has a contract at Braga until June 2026, which means O’Neil must be prepared to splash the cash in order to lure him to the Midlands.

He may have to sell a few players this summer in order to fund a move, however, but there is no doubt signing Gomes would be worth every penny.

The youngster will only continue to improve over the next few years and his development could be best served by joining Wolves and playing against some of the best defenders in the world.

Wolves right in the race for "outrageous" £24m Neto replacement

The Old Gold could secure a shrewd signing by landing this talented winger.

ByAngus Sinclair May 24, 2024