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Cameron Bancroft and Marnus Labuschagne will have the chance to elbow their way into Australia’s Ashes tour party. The duo are part of a preliminary 25-man squad to face-off in a warm-up game ahead of the first Test against England starting August 1. Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis are the notable absentees.The squad will be trimmed to 16 for the series beginning August 1. Labuschagne (1057 runs at 70.46 for Glamorgan), Bancroft (698 at 46.53 for Durham) and Peter Siddle (27 wickets at 22.23 for Essex) have already presented compelling cases for selection through their performances in county cricket. If picked, Bancroft would be returning to Australia’s squad alongside David Warner and Steven Smith for the first time since the expiry of their bans in the wake of the Newlands scandal.Among other subplots will be the performance of reserve wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who by his outstanding World Cup displays has raised the possibility of being picked as a specialist batsman. The likes of Marcus Harris, Joe Burns and Kurtis Patterson will also be duelling for spots in what has now become a particularly deep field of batting candidates, also featuring Matthew Wade. The selection chairman Trevor Hohns said Bancroft’s displays for Australia prior to his ban merited another chance.”Cameron was making a fair amount of headway when he played Test cricket last for Australia and that was in South Africa,” Hohns said. “I think it’s been well documented that he was out leading run scorer in South Africa. What he’s done is he’s got on with business since he’s been able to play again, he’s playing with Durham in the County Championship, so he’s doing everything he possibly can to get himself back into consideration and back into the Australian squad.”He’s scoring runs on a pretty regular basis so he has been included in that 25-man squad along with two other players [Labuschange and Peter Siddle]. We’ve nominated 25 players, 25 doesn’t go into 16 so there’s going to be some disappointments but all we can do is try to select a squad that we think can win the Ashes in English conditions.”We’ve got all the history about what happened back home, we’ve got a little bit of what’s going on here in England at the moment with Australia A, but it’s more about the here and now and what’s going to happen in the next month or so.”Getty Images

Hohns indicated that the squad would likely include five pacemen, a back-up spin bowler and two wicketkeepers. He also hinted that his personal preference may be for more than 16 players in the final squad. With that in mind, the role of Carey as both a back-up gloveman and also a credible extra batsman may make him doubly valuable.”He’s proving himself to be a very smart cricketer,” Hohns said of Carey. “He played very well in the World Cup of course, batting wise he was very, very good, he showed calmness in a lot of different situations as well so he’s been very impressive, and of course his glovework we’ve been very impressed with for some time now so he’s progressing nicely.”I always ask for flexibility in numbers but at the moment we’re heading towards 16 at this stage and 16 I think historically has been about the right number. On the odd occasion there might’ve been one more. Doubtful that there’s been much less for an Ashes tour, but it’s quite a hectic program with five Test matches pretty close together and then of course we’ve got other players probably that will be included in the Ashes squad that have had quite an intense World Cup program.”The omission of Stoinis and Maxwell, who claimed four wickets for Lancashire on his post-World Cup return to cricket on Saturday, was an indicator that they have now fallen some distance away from Test calculations. “Let’s put it this way,” Hohns said. “We probably consider the 25 that did get chosen in this game or for this game as more in contention than those guys. It’s unfortunate but that’s just where we’re at right here and now.”Usman Khawaja’s continuing recovery from a hamstring strain will be monitored closely, though he is one the World Cup squad members now enjoying time away from the game until the 25 assemble in Southampton for the tour game. Hohns said that, having not won the Ashes in England since 2001, no compromises have been made in trying to prepare for the task ahead.”I think the preparation has been outstanding,” he said. “The organisational work that has gone into this tour, not just for the Ashes but the World Cup then straight into the Ashes and then you’ve got Australia A as well, we’re leaving no stone unturned basically in an attempt to win the Ashes in England, and it’s been a long time, there’s no doubt about that.”But I think we’re in pretty good shape at the moment. England are a pretty good side there’s no doubt about that, but we’re in reasonable shape, particularly with Smith and Warner coming back. we’re lucky right now I think to have our battery of fast bowlers fit and ready to go as well, so that’s something that hasn’t happened for a while when we’ve got a full complement of our major fast bowlers available.”Australia preliminary squad: Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Joe Burns, Alex Carey, Patrick Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Tim Paine, Kurtis Patterson, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, David Warner

تقدم فريق برشلونة بهدف ثالث أمام جيرونا خلال المباراة المقامة بين الفريقين ببطولة الدوري الإسباني “الليجا” لموسم 2024-2025.

ويحل برشلونة ضيفًا على جيرونا بملعب “مونتليفي” في مباراة بالجولة الخامسة للدوري الإسباني.

وسجل داني أولمو هدف برشلونة الثالث في الدقيقة 47 من المباراة بعد تمريرة من جول كوندي في ظهر دفاع جيرونا.

وسدد داني أولمو صاروخية في شباك أصحاب الأرض، لتصبح النتيجة ثلاثة أهداف دون رد لصالح برشلونة.

وكان لامين يامال سجل هدفين لبرشلونة في شوط المباراة الأول بالدقيقتين 30 و37 من اللقاء.

ويمكنك متابعة أحداث مباراة برشلونة وجيرونا لحظة بلحظة بالفيديو من خلال الرابط. هدف داني أولمو في مباراة برشلونة وجيرونا

Wolverhampton Wanderers enjoyed a solid end to 2023 as they secured wins over Chelsea, Brentford, and Everton, scoring nine goals and conceding just two in those three fixtures.

It sets up Gary O’Neil’s men nicely for the second half of the campaign as they look to push their way into the top half of the Premier League table.

The January transfer window is now in full swing and the manager will be looking to bolster his side this month.

Wolves transfer news – Said Benrahma

Hwang Hee-Chan has been in sublime form this term, scoring ten goals in the top flight already. He has been called up to represent South Korea in the Asian Cup, however, and will miss several key games for the club.

O’Neil may be looking for some attacking cover and, according to French outlet Footmercato, the Old Gold have recently shown interest in West Ham United winger Said Benrahma, who could be on the move from London this month.

They are said to eyeing up the Algeria international as they are 'convinced' by his qualities, with the English head coach possibly hoping to snap him up this month.

The Molineux outfit could face some stiff competition from the likes of Fulham and French side Lyon in order to lure the Algerian to the Midlands.

O’Neil may have to fork out a pretty penny to secure his signature, however, with the Hammers pricing him at around the £20m mark, which may represent a stumbling block.

Wolves could sign Cunha 2.0 in £30m "huge talent" this January

Gary O’Neil wants to bolster his attack in January by signing a new forward.

ByTom Lever Jan 4, 2024

Despite struggling this term – with no goals in 21 appearances across all competitions – there is no doubting his quality, and he is similar to a current Chelsea youngster.

Said Benrahma could be O’Neil’s own Mykhailo Mudryk

Mudryk has endured a tough start to his Chelsea career since joining last January, but in recent weeks he has shown glimpses of his talent.

In 19 games this term, the Ukrainian winger has scored four goals and grabbed three assists and there is hope yet that he could emerge as a key player under Mauricio Pochettino in the coming years.

According to FBref, the Chelsea sensation is the sixth most comparable player to Benrahma in Europe’s top five leagues and, given how highly rated the Ukrainian gem is, it certainly is not a bad comparison to have.

Indeed, this season has seen the two wingers register similar statistics when it comes to shots on target per 90 (0.73 vs 0.45), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.77 vs 3.07), and successful take-on percentage (36.8% vs 41.3%) in the Premier League this term.

Josh Bunting praised him towards the end of last season, saying: “Saïd Benrahma with performances like that tonight is almost unplayable, draws players towards him and then drops and beats them. His quality changed the game, the penalty changes the momentum of that match. He’s been inconsistent this season but he stood up tonight with the intensity.”

While he has failed to score during 2023/24, during his West Ham career, the 28-year-old magician has found the back of the net on 24 occasions, along with chipping in with 19 assists, since the start of the 2020/21 campaign.

Signing someone who is similar to Mudryk could help fill the void left by Hwang over the next few weeks and, while the price tag may be a stumbling block, perhaps O’Neil could negotiate for a better deal.

Benrahma is a proven Premier League performer, as his aforementioned statistics prove, who could hit the ground running in the short-term to provide an attacking threat down the left flank.

Daniel Farke had to resort to using his third-choice goalkeeper for Leeds United's last match versus Birmingham City, Kristoffer Klaesson drafted in at the last second and keeping a clean sheet to the relief of the German boss.

The Whites were left with no option but to give the unproven Norwegian shot-stopper a chance owing to Karl Darlow picking up an injury prior to the Blues clash and Illan Meslier still being suspended after petulantly picking up a red card away at Preston North End.

Locking horns with a Lilywhites player and lashing out was always going to result in Leeds' first-choice keeper being given his marching orders at Deepdale, with Farke now wondering whether the Frenchman deserves the status of being the number one in-between the sticks after such an outburst.

Transfer rumours indicate that Leeds could well swoop in for this goalkeeper from Italy amidst growing doubts, sensationally waving goodbye to Meslier in the process.

Leeds transfer latest – Bartomej Dragowski

In recent days, TuttoMercatoWeb have reported on the possibility that Leeds will sign Spezia goalkeeper Bartomej Dragowski this January, with the Polish shot-stopper allegedly eyeing up a move away from the Serie B outfit.

Leeds aren't the only club name-checked in the report from England however, with fellow Championship club Hull City also tempted to test the waters and land the 6 foot 3 keeper this month.

Previously on the books at Fiorentina, Dragowski would aim get to his career back on track if signed by Leeds and become a star at Elland Road ahead of Meslier.

The stats that show Dragowski would be a good signing for Leeds

Capped by the senior Poland side twice, Dragowski has been a reliable shot-stopper throughout his career for many different Italian clubs.

Whilst playing for Empoli out on loan from Fiorentina, Dragowski stole all the headlines when he pulled off a remarkable 17 saves in just one game versus Atalanta towards the tail end of the 2018-19 campaign – Empoli singlehandedly kept in the game by the heroic exploits of their loanee, a 0-0 scoreline somehow the final outcome.

It was a loan spell that saw Dragowski enter Empoli folklore, football talent scout Jacek Kulig even labelling him as a "superman" during his time with the relegation candidates.

In the present, however, Dragowski's game time has been cut in Serie B and so Leeds could offer the one-time Empoli monster a chance at redemption.

Related Leeds could sign Kamara upgrade in swoop for £9m-rated “war machine”

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When the towering stopper has played for Spezia this campaign, the 26-year-old has shown glimpses of why he was so highly regarded early into his fledging career – impressively pulling off nine saves in November for his Serie B outfit versus Cremonese.

In contrast, Meslier has struggled at points this campaign with Leeds routinely cruising in contests and then the nerves are suddenly ramped up out of nowhere due to an erratic error or lapse in concentration from the 23-year-old – who pundit Jamie Carragher previously criticised for having "no presence" in the sticks.

That was seen in Leeds' slender 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle a few months back, Meslier unable to keep the Pilgrims out all game with Ben Waine scoring late on despite the visitors from Devon only registering three on-target efforts.

It could well be a worthwhile buy adding Dragowski to the Leeds ranks this month therefore, further bringing competition to the goalkeeper positions at Elland Road with Farke then faced with the prospect of using four goalkeepers in just one season.

He put down the 4-1 series result to the way the Indian side put the hosts ‘under a lot of pressure’ in the five-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-20194:55

Neesham, Santner dismissals ‘on the unfortunate side’ – Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson put the 4-1 series result down to the way India’s bowlers bowled throughout the series and the way the visitors put the hosts “under a lot of pressure”. Speaking after losing the fifth ODI by 35 runs in Wellington, where New Zealand were unable to chase down 253, Williamson conceded there was “a little bit of a theme throughout the series” in the way India would recover and put the pressure back on the hosts.”I mentioned earlier that the game is about pressure and if you can, as an outfit, you want to put the opposition under as much pressure as you can to challenge decision-making, and when you do that, you tend to pick up wickets and that puts you in a fairly strong position,” Williamson said. “I think throughout this series India were far better at that than us and as a bowling unit they were superb – their accuracy from a seaming and spin perspective did put us under that sort of pressure in which we saw improvements throughout the series but it certainly was something that we didn’t start the series well with. We weren’t able to soak that up and try and turn up and put it back on them.”To be honest, over these five games, we’ve been put under pressure a lot and it obviously challenges decision-making which although we’re on the wrong side of the results 4-1, which India fully deserve.”New Zealand’s bowling unit relied heavily on their swing spearhead Trent Boult, who collected 12 wickets, but no team-mate of his picked up more than four in the series. India, in comparison, had all their frontline bowlers chipping in with Mohammed Shami and Yuzvendra Chahal taking nine each, Kuldeep Yadav eight, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar seven. They also stifled the New Zealand batsmen, with none of the above conceding more than 5.50 runs per over. Overall, the New Zealand bowlers picked up 27 wickets in the series and India had 40 to their name.In the fifth ODI, India were in trouble at the start yet again, at 18 for 4, but recovered on the back of Ambati Rayudu’s 90 and scores of 45 each from Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya, which helped them post a challenging total. Williamson said they were “confident” of chasing the score but India managed to pick up wickets at key moments.Colin Munro tosses his bat up after chopping on•Getty Images”I think it was probably a par-ish total on that surface,” the captain said. “It (the pitch) was a little bit variable and probably a little bit two-paced as well. We knew that the Indian bowling attack would maximise what they might be able to get out of it, as they’ve done in the series. So we knew it’d be a challenge but saying that when it is 250, there isn’t the scoreboard pressure, so if we’re able to get partnerships then we could take the game deep and we were confident and been able to chase it down.”But I guess there’s a little bit of a theme throughout the series although there were some improving signs today, we just wanted to take them a little bit further. And they were able to pick up wickets at key moments which made life a little bit difficult in that chase. I thought the first half from the bowlers was outstanding and in the last two games they’ve really stepped up which is pretty nice.”India’s recovery on Sunday was made easier by their decision to play an extra batting option in Vijay Shankar by resting spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Shankar batted at No. 6 ahead of allrounder Jadhav and consolidated with Rayudu by putting on 98 runs for the fifth wicket with a patient 45 off 64 balls. India’s decision to add depth in the batting also allowed them to play Pandya at No. 8 – he hammered 45 off 22 balls – and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at No. 9.”It would have been nice to pick up another couple of wickets [after 18 for 4], we obviously spent a lot of resources at the top with seven and six [overs] from our front two seamers,” Williamson said. “Knowing that they had an extra batter we had to make a few changes and because they’ve not been coming that hard at us it was difficult to blast them out but we thought if we could squeeze for a period of time we would maybe create a couple of errors.Colin de Grandhomme walks back after being trapped in front•Getty Images”We saw some chances, maybe the odd mistake which is nice if it goes your way, but for the large part they were able to soak up that pressure and take the game to a stage where then they could knock some hard runs. [Pandya’s] was a fantastic innings of 40 off 20 which put them at that par, perhaps even a fraction higher, at the halfway stage.”Williamson quickly dismissed suggestions of any kind of complacency after New Zealand had dismissed MS Dhoni for 1 and had India four down inside the first ten overs.”Not, not at all,” Williamson said, when asked if his team grew complacent. “We’ve seen throughout the series how good India are and you do need to be playing good cricket for a long time, not just a few dismissals. MS is a big wicket but as we’ve seen today there are a number of other guys that are outstanding world-class players. We’ve seen throughout the series. So there was none of that.”Williamson also admitted he made a “mistake” when asked about the dismissal of Ross Taylor, who was trapped lbw by Pandya for 1 in the 11th over. The ball had struck Taylor above the knee roll and the batsman decided not to review it after having a chat with Williamson at the other end. Ball-tracking later suggested the ball would have bounced over the stumps.”Yeah, I heard about that. We obviously had a conversation and Ross has been batting absolutely beautifully so it’s actually hard when you realise you make a mistake through our communication but unfortunately it’s one of those things and you do need to move on.”Yeah, he walked past me and asked, ‘what do you reckon, and maybe it’s too high, and maybe it’s umpire’s call,’ and unfortunately it’s one of those things that we move on [from].”After the upcoming T20I series against India starting February 6, New Zealand will host Bangladesh for their last three ODIs before the World Cup in England. Williamson was non-committal about how far they were from finalising a squad of 15 before the world tournament.”We had a number of guys involved from a larger squad perspective which was great,” he said. “There’s still some cricket to come and that will be helpful but time will tell as to finalising that squad but it’s not so much about that as it’s about the cricket that we want to play right here right now.”The idea is that as a squad you want to be able to have guys in the situations and have these experiences so over a bigger picture we’ll all be better for it and that’ll be the best part that came out of this series, it was a very tough series.”

كشف مسئولو منتخب مصر الأولمبي، عن موقف الثنائي أحمد سيد زيزو وإبراهيم عادل، من المشاركة في مواجهة المغرب في أولمبياد باريس2024.

وأوضحت مصادر لـ بطولات، أن الثنائي إبراهيم عادل وزيزو، كانا يعانيان من إصابة عضلية خفيفة، لكن كلاهما جاهزان للمشاركة أمام المغرب.

طالع..أحلام منتخب مصر بالميدالية تصطدم بـ المغرب في أولمبياد باريس

ويفقد منتخب مصر، الظهير الأيمن أحمد عيد، والذي لم يتعاف من الإصابة التي أبعدته عن مواجهة فرنسا الماضية.

وخسر الفراعنة أمام منتخب فرنسا، في مباراة نصف النهائي بثلاثية مقابل هدف، التي أقيمت الإثنين الماضي.

ويواجه المنتخب الأولمبي، نظيره المغرب، غدًا الخميس، في تمام السادسة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، في مباراة تحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع.

أعرب خير الدين برباري رئيس بعثة الجزائر في أولمبياد باريس، عن سعادته بعد فوز إيمان خليف، في منافسات الملاكمة بـ أولمبياد باريس 2024.

وفازت إيمان خليف، مساء أمس السبت، على نظيرتها المجرية آنا لوكا هاموري في ربع نهائي منافسات الملاكمة سيدات، وزن 66 كجم، وضمان ميدالية أولمبية.

وقال خير الدين برباري في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس 2”: “أهنئ الجزائر وكل الأمة العربية، بالتأكيد الميدالية لها خصوصية، لأن بطلتنا إيمان خليف تعرضت لحملة شرسة من كل الجهات الأجنبية، ونحن لم ندخر أي جهد من أجل الحفاظ على مصالح بلدنا من خلال توصياتنا وشكواتنا للجنة الأولمبية الدولية والتي أنصفتنا ضد أعداء الوطن، وهذه الحملة أعطت دفعة معنوية قوية لبطلتنا”.

طالع أيضاً: أنا امرأة.. إيمان خليف تتحدي الجميع بعد تأهلها إلى نصف نهائي الملاكمة في أولمبياد باريس

وتابع: “كنا نتواصل مع اللجنة الأولمبية الدولية، والتي أصدرت بيانًا صريحًا، ورئيس الجمهورية كان يدعمها معنويًا والشعب الجزائري، وهذا منحها دفعة معنوية لترد في الحلبة”.

اقرأ أيضًا: صحف العالم تشيد بـ منتخب مصر بعد خسارته الدرامية أمام فرنسا في أولمبياد باريس

وأتم: “كان هناك مصريون كثيرون يشجعون إيمان خليف، وهذه من شيم الشعب المصري الشقيق، وبيان اللجنة الأولمبية كان مُقنعًا، لأنها تعرضت لمؤامرة من الاتحاد الدولي للملاكمة والذي نفسه تعرض لعقوبات من اللجنة الأولمبية الدولية وتم سحب اعتماده، هذه عدالة إلهية، البطلة عاد لها حقها وإن شاء الله تكون بادرة خير للبلدان العربية”.

Worcestershire’s relegation to Division Two was confirmed as they slumped to an innings defeat against Essex at Chelmsford

Matt Roller at Chelmsford20-Sep-20181:38

Worcestershire relegated after Essex hammering

ScorecardWorcestershire’s relegation to Division Two was confirmed as they slumped to an innings defeat against Essex at Chelmsford.After Joe Clarke fell to the third ball of the morning, the task was simply to delay the inevitable, and despite Wayne Parnell’s battling, unbeaten 50 taking things into the day’s second session, Essex wrapped things up with time to spare.The damage in this game was done on the first day, when they were shot out by Jamie Porter, and these three days confirmed the pre-season suspicions of many that, despite an exciting crop of young talent, Worcestershire lacked that little bit of quality to keep them in the division.In truth, it was a cruel way for their Championship campaign to end. Their narrow defeats at Southport and at home to both Essex and Surrey were hard-fought games that could easily have gone their way, and in all three, a poor session or two cost them.Here, they were outplayed by an excellent Essex side who may well go into next season as Surrey’s nearest challengers with the bookies.”We haven’t played anywhere near our best in this game,” said Daryl Mitchell, who suffered his fifth relegation today. “We’ve got an absolute pasting this week – we haven’t competed well at all. The rest of the year, there’s been some near misses and we’ve competed really well, but we’ve been completely annihilated here.”It was hard not to spare a thought for Mitchell this afternoon. In the past week he captained the side against the county champions in one of their toughest games of the season, won the Vitality Blast on Worcestershire’s first appearance at Finals Day, played two days of trials for the Hundred, and now he finds himself relegated again.As is often the case for the club, there is reason for optimism yet. Next year they will be strengthened even further by the returning Joe Leach, and with Parnell signing a Kolpak deal to complement the young trio of Ed Barnard, Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue, their seam attack will be among the best in either division.And with county heads set to vote on a proposal to expand the top division to ten teams next week, the years of lurching between the divisions may soon be over.Mitchell was not the only county stalwart on the mind today. James Foster, who is leaving the club at the end of his contract, was heralded on the pitch during the lunch interval, came on as a substitute fielder for a final Chelmsford outing, and played football with his young family on the outfield as the ground emptied.Tensions have been high in the final phase of Foster’s Essex career. Negotiating with the club has proved tricky: he has not played for the first team since his mid-season coaching stint in the Global T20 League in Canada, and it has been made clear that his contract is expiring rather than him retiring.While this was not the farewell season he would have wanted, it was clear from the club’s presentation that he will go down as a great in these parts; and after 18 years of service, he deserved every last ripple of applause that came his way.Essex go into next week’s game at The Oval needing a win to have a chance of sealing second place, but third should not be seen as some kind of failure.”In the time I’ve been here, barring last year, we’ve never even finished as high as second from bottom in Div One,” said Ryan ten Doeschate, now the dressing room’s senior citizen, during the defeat to Surrey two weeks ago. “It would be jumping the gun to think Championship, Championship, Championship: we need to be realistic.”And this performance showed that all the ingredients of last year’s success are still there. Porter’s 11 wickets in the match will leave him hopeful of a Test debut before long and Ravi Bopara’s hundred gave a reminder of his immense worth to the club.Today, they were not at their best with the ball, but the pressure was off after Clarke’s early departure, and when Simon Harmer wrapped things up with the wickets of Ben Twohig – whose elegant cameo showed promise – and Pennington, it was some time since the game had been won.

Everton have endured a relatively poor start to the season with fears of another relegation battle surfacing. With that said, Sean Dyche could use the January window as an opportunity to bring in reinforcements, should they find themselves in a position of peril…

Who could Everton sign in January?

In recent times, Everton have suffered a rather chequered history in the transfer window, unearthing some gems but more often than not, pushing their finger on the self-destruct button.

Since Farhad Moshiri took over the club, their failings in the transfer window have seen them drop down the Premier League table at an alarming rate, however, if a deal involving Miami-based company 777 Partners can get concluded in the coming weeks, a current bleak narrative can be transformed into a brighter future at Goodison Park.

With potential fresh investment from 777 Partners in the offing, Dyche could be offered a significant boost in funds, allowing the manager to splash the cash. While Blackburn's highly-rated midfielder Adam Wharton is one name that refuses to go away, Everton's priority could be capturing another forward which could see them go back in for Paris Saint Germain's Hugo Ekitike after their summer interest and allow Dyche to ditch Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

How has Dominic Calvert-Lewin performed for Everton?

Calvert-Lewin's recent Everton career has seen him fail to kick on and reach the ceiling of his potential.

The Englishman was threatening to become a world-beater, possessing the killer instinct in front of goal that the Toffees have desired, but since chalking up 21 goals in the 2020/21 campaign, his time at the club has unravelled into a nightmare.

To no fault of his own, the 26-year-old has endured an injury-ravaged spell which has seen him muster only ten goals in all competitions since that sensational campaign.

Despite showing promise in the first five matches of this term with two goals, the 6 foot 2 marksman has fallen short across Europe's top five leagues in the past year when comparing his forward-thinking metrics, ranking in the top 87% for non-penalty goals and shot creating actions, top 79% for goals, top 60% for total shots and top 47% for progressive carries, all per 90 via FBref.

On the other hand, Everton target Ekitike has showcased several attributes that suggest he could be an upgrade on Calvert-Lewin.

How good is Hugo Ekitike?

Ekitike broke onto the scene at Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims in 2021 and impressed with his lightning pace, piercing movement in behind and how intelligently he reacted to situations.

The promising French striker, who posted 14 direct goal contributions in his first senior campaign in 2021/22, caught the eye of several European powerhouses, while Newcastle United were reportedly in advanced talks to sign him for £33m in January 2022 following their takeover.

Although the Magpies failed to get a deal over the line, he instead joined giants Paris Saint Germain on a loan deal with an option to buy six months later, however, he has failed to kick on since then, perhaps crumbling under the weight of expectation.

In 25 appearances last term, Ekitike only mustered three goals and four assists, but given he was previously unhappy in France, a change of scenery could see the 21-year-old light the Premier League touch paper, and return to the form that saw him make a sharp rise to stardom.

During his first campaign at Reims in 2021/22, the "very special" forward – as dubbed by manager at the time, Oscar Garcia – showcased his unerring talents across that campaign, as per FBref, ranking in the top 5% for non-penalty goals against his positional peers in Ligue 1, top 7% for shots on target, 12% for carries into the penalty and top 15% for assists per 90.

He even weighed in with his fair share of defensive work too, which is a huge staple of any Dyche side, finishing in the top 12% for clearances, top 14% for tackles, top 18% for shots blocked and top 20% for interceptions.

Possessing the physicality to compete in the English game and the turn of pace to frighten defenders, the £18m (€21.6m) rated Ekitike, as per Football Transfers, could be a huge upgrade on Calvert Lewin, not just for the qualities he would bring in the final third, but also the fact that age is on his side and he has plenty of years to develop into a proficient forward capable of firing the Toffees to victories.

Newcastle United have finally opened talks for a player they have been linked with for months, according to a new transfer report.

Newcastle: Tonali ban updates

The Magpies found themselves in excellent form before the international break halted the domestic action, picking up some hugely impressive wins, not least the 4-1 victory at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Having started the season in slow fashion, losing some tough games and struggling to match the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton, Eddie Howe's side have now jumped to eighth in the Premier League table, and will again be looking to seal a top-four finish 2023/24.

Unfortunately, Newcastle's plans have been thrown into potential chaos with news of a potential ban for Sandro Tonali, following his breaching of betting rules. The Italian could even miss as much as 12 months, although seven months has also been rumoured.

Either way, it is highly likely that Howe will be without his talismanic summer signing for the foreseeable future, which heightens the need for the Magpies to make a midfield addition during the January transfer window. Now, it looks as though progress is being made with regards to one target.

Newcastle transfer news: Kalvin Phillips

A transfer report has emerged from TEAMtalk, who claim that Kalvin Phillips to Newcastle could indeed happen in January following recent reports of a possible approach, with the Magpies now making the first move by opening talks with the Manchester City midfielder's agent. Sporting director Dan Ashworth is thought to be running matters:

"TEAMtalk sources state that the Magpies have met with the agents of Kalvin Phillips to sound out a potential move for the England international.

"Dan Ashworth, sporting director at Newcastle, is leading the charge to try and bring in urgent cover to replace their record signing and a meeting has taken place between Ashworth and Phillips’ agency CAA Stellar."

This is exciting news for Newcastle, considering Phillips is a proven player at international level, even being hailed as "superb" by Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi after his performances for the Three Lions at Euro 2020.

The 27-year-old has admittedly struggled to settle at City since arriving from Leeds United last year, but injuries have held him back hugely, and he has some elite midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order, from Rodri to Mateo Kovacic.

Champions League winner

2023

Premier League winner

2023

FA Cup winner

2023

England Player of the Year

2021

Championship winner

2020

While his issues at the Etihad shouldn't simply be swept under the carpet, Phillips' statistics speak for themselves in his career to date, with 30 caps coming to way for England, not to mention being named his country's Player of the Year in 2021. He has also won Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup, so he could bring a winning mentality with him to Newcastle.

The former Leeds man may be a little more defensive-minded than Tonali, perhaps not offering as big a goal threat, but he will be desperate to prove his worth at St James' Park and would bring a combination on energy, tenacity and leadership in the middle of the park.