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Na vitória por 5 a 3 sobre o Bahia, em Salvador, o Flamengo superou os cinco desfalques que teve – Diego Alves, César, Gerson, Bruno Henrique e Gabigol -, mas a expectativa no clube é de contar com alguns retornos para a partida de sábado, contra o Fortaleza, no Maracanã. No início desta quinta, o elenco se reapresentou no Ninho e o camisa 9 treinou normalmente com os parceiros.

Quem atuou no Pituaçu fez apenas um trabalho regenerativo no CT. Gabigol sequer viajou para Salvador por conta deentorse no tornozelo esquerdo. Gerson também foi a campo e treinou com bola, aumentando suas chances de atuar no sábado. O Fla volta ao no Ninho na sexta quando Torrent definirá a equipe titular que enfrentará o Fortaleza pela oitava rodada do Brasileirão.

RelacionadasVídeoVÍDEO: Domènec comenta atuações de Everton Ribeiro e ArrascaetaVídeo03/09/2020FlamengoDome celebra atuação e segunda vitória seguida do Fla, mas alerta: ‘Precisamos melhorar muitas coisas’Flamengo02/09/2020FlamengoATUAÇÕES: Domènec! Fla tem melhor atuação com treinador catalão diante do Bahia, e trio de ataque brilhaFlamengo02/09/2020

Bruno Henrique, que cumpriu suspensão contra o Bahia e recupera-se de uma edema ósseo no joelho direito, e Diego Alves com dores no ombro esquerdo, são dúvidas. César, com Covid-19, segue fora. Nas redes sociais, o Rubro-Negro divulgou o bom aproveitamento que Gabigol teve nas finalizações nesta quinta.

🎯⚽️⚽️⚽️

Mais uma manhã de gols. Vamos, @gabigol! 🤩 #CRF pic.twitter.com/DFfimSfif1

— Flamengo (@Flamengo) September 3, 2020

JOÃO LUCAS AVANÇA NA RECUPERAÇÃO

Por falar na atividade no Ninho do Urubu, o Flamengo também divulgou imagens de João Lucas, em processo de recuperação, nesta manhã. O jovem lateral-direito avançou quanto aotratamento de uma lesão muscular na coxa direita.

Acompanhado pelos fisioterapeutas, o lateral João Lucas realizou um leve trabalho físico no gramado. #CRF pic.twitter.com/dsStS6Pz5l

— Flamengo (@Flamengo) September 3, 2020

Ainda com membros da fisioterapia do clube, João Lucas apareceu em um dos campos do CT para fazer exercícios físicos leves. Ele ainda não estará à disposição para este domingo – a tendência é que Isla não seja poupado e siga entre os titulares de Domènec Torrent.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are 'trying to iron' out terms of a deal to potentially bring a vastly experienced former England international to Molineux this summer despite their known financial issues, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Will Wolves finally actually make a signing after Doherty?

Wolves have endured a tumultuous summer window that yielded shock news in the last few days after former boss Julen Lopetegui left the club earlier this week due to a breakdown in communication regarding recruitment behind the scenes, as per Sky Sports.

The Spaniard reportedly became frustrated at their Financial Fair Play situation and 'lost faith' in his capacity to change matters at the club when told that the near £70 million sum the Old Gold generated by letting players leave the club would not be reinvested in securing arrivals.

Ex-Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil has since took the hot seat at Molineux on a three-year contract and will be keen to ensure his side start 2023/24 in a positive fashion, as per BBC Sport.

One main target for Wolves this summer has been West Ham United defender Aaron Cresswell and Football Insider report that they are 'expected' to complete the signing of the 33-year-old in the final weeks of the window.

Hammers boss David Moyes is demanding a fee of £4 million for the Liverpool-born left-back while Wolves have only stumped up £2.5 million so far in negotiations; nevertheless, they are keen to bring Cresswell to the West Midlands due to his extensive top-flight experience.

Last term, Cresswell made 38 appearances in all competitions for West Ham and played his part in helping the east London outfit to achieve Europa Conference League glory, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Jones thinks that both Wolves and West Ham are trying to find a solution regarding Cresswell following what has been a 'strange situation' over the last few weeks.

Jones stated: “This is a strange situation because West Ham weren’t asking for that much money, yet the initial deal hit the bumpers, and now the player is trying to get his head around what happens next.

“But with such a long-standing relationship with West Ham, I think there is a level of respect in trying to iron all of this out so that he does not end up stuck in limbo.”

What else could happen at Wolverhampton Wanderers over the coming weeks?

New boss O'Neil faces the difficult task of preparing his side to take on Manchester United at Old Trafford next Monday and will know his side will need to be at their best to stand any chance of claiming a result, as per Sky Sports.

West Ham veteran striker Michail Antonio is being eyed by the Old Gold as they aim to bolster in the forward areas between now and the close of play in the market, according to TEAMtalk.

Nevertheless, FootballTransfers claim that Scottish Premiership champions Celtic and Sky Bet Championship outfit Leeds United are also keen to acquire the Jamaica international.

Manchester City youngster James McAtee is another name on the radar for Wolves, though they will need to fend off competition from several clubs in Britain and around Europe to snap up the 20-year-old, as per The Daily Mail.

Allrounder Marcus Stoinis will return to his home state of Western Australia for the 2017-18 season, after spending the past five summers playing with Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2017

Allrounder Marcus Stoinis will return to his home state of Western Australia for the 2017-18 season, after spending the past five summers playing with Victoria.Stoinis had debuted for the Warriors in 2008-09 before moving to Melbourne in 2012, and his change of states led to consistent output at domestic level and international selection in the limited-overs formats.Stoinis, who turns 28 this week, has been Victoria’s second-leading run scorer in the Sheffield Shield in the past three years, behind only Test batsman Peter Handscomb.He will be joined in the Western Australia squad this summer by allrounder Matthew Spoors, who has been handed a rookie contract for the first time.Gone from last year’s squad are the retired batsman Adam Voges, along with Nathan Rimmington, Ryan Duffield, Josh Nicholas and Liam O’Connor.”We’re thrilled to have Marcus coming home to Western Australia, not only because he’s an extremely talented player but he’s a great character as well,” coach Justin Langer said. “Young Matt Spoors is an exciting young talent. I love his dancing feet; a lot of kids these days have really slow footwork, but Matt’s got really fast batting feet.”Twelve players have been Australian representatives and that’s a great tribute to the program we’re running here at the WACA.”Western Australia squad Ashton Agar (Cricket Australia contract), Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, William Bosisto, Hilton Cartwright (CA), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Michael Klinger, Simon Mackin, Mitchell Marsh (CA), Shaun Marsh, David Moody, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Jonathan Wells, Sam Whiteman. Rookies Alex Bevilaqua, Jake Carder, Kyle Gardiner, Clint Hinchcliffe, Matthew Kelly, Matthew Spoors.

تحدث البرازيلي كاسيميرو لاعب مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي، عن تأهل ريال مدريد أمام مانشستر سيتي في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وشبه كيليان مبابي بالنجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو.

وتأهل ريال مدريد إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا بركلات الترجيح أمام مانشستر سيتي.

وقال كاسيميرو عن ريال مدريد في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “من الصعب شرح ذلك، إنه فريق يتحول في دوري أبطال أوروبا، لديه نقطة النجومية، كرة هالاند التي تصطدم بالعارضة وتخرج… هذا الفريق في دوري أبطال أوروبا شيء لا يصدق”.

وأضاف: “جينات ريال مدريد تحقق لهم الفوز، إذا فزت بالدوري فقط، فلماذا لم تفز بدوري أبطال أوروبا؟ هذا هو الأمر هناك، المتطلبات لا ترهقك، إنها ممتعة، عليك دائما الضغط، هذا هو اللعب في مدريد، هذا الضغط تتعرض له كل يوم”.

وعن مباراة ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي، أفاد: “لقد عانيت كمشجع لريال مدريد، بالطبع تأهل ريال مدريد ولكني عانيت من أجل مدريد، كنت أعرف بالفعل أن السيتي لديه لاعبون جيدون جدًا ومدرب مذهل، يعرف ما يلعب، مدريد دافع، دافع، دافع، أنا سعيد جدًا لزملائي السابقين”.

اقرأ أيضًا | كاسيميرو: ترددت في الرحيل عن ريال مدريد بسبب بكاء أنشيلوتي

وانتقل كاسيميرو للحديث عن النجمين كريستيانو رونالدو وليونيل ميسي، واستطرد: “لقد استمتعنا ولا ندرك ما فعله ميسي وكريستيانو، نحن لا نقدر كثيرًا ما فعله كريستيانو في كرة القدم وما يفعله، في العام الماضي سجل 50 هدفًا، ماذا ستقول عن لاعب مثل هذا؟!”.

وعن كيليان مبابي مهاجم باريس سان جيرمان، علّق كاسيميرو: “إنه أحد أفضل اللاعبين حاليًا، إن لم يكن الأفضل، سريع جدًا وذكي… إنه وحش، إنه يذكرني كثيرًا بكريستيانو، وجوده في الملعب يعني وجود خطورة للتسجيل”.

وأتم: “كان كريستيانو هكذا، كان يشم رائحة الهدف، إذا لم يكن كريستيانو على ما يرام، لكن كان بإمكانك معرفة أنه سيسجل، هؤلاء هم اللاعبون النجوم ومبابي لديه ذلك، ضد برشلونة في ذلك اليوم، لم يقدم مباراة جيدة، أنهى المباراة وسجل هدفين”.

Harbhajan Singh believes he still has enough left in the tank to play a role for India if he is selected in the squad for the upcoming tournament in England

Arun Venugopal07-May-2017

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh believes he has done enough to merit a comeback to the India side for the Champions Trophy next month.Harbhajan, who will turn 37 in July, last played an ODI for India in October 2015, and his most recent international appearance in any format came over a year ago, against UAE during the 2016 Asia Cup T20. He did well in the Vijay Hazare domestic 50-over competition, claiming nine wickets from six games at four an over and though his performances dipped in the inter-state T20 tournament, he has been excellent in the IPL. Conceding only 5.82 runs per over, Harbhajan has the best economy rate among those who have bowled at least five overs.”I have played and enjoyed those 15-16 years of top-level cricket, playing with the greats. I am enjoying the IPL and I am looking forward to making a comeback by doing well,” Harbhajan told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of Mumbai Indians’ game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. “If I have to look at myself in the mirror, I will say: ‘Look, you have done what you could have done. Is that enough for you to be selected?’ I would say yes because it’s not just about what I am doing here [in recent times]. I am talking about all these years when I played one-dayers.”I was called to play against South Africa [in 2015] and I was the [second] highest wicket-taker for India. After that I never played for India in ODIs. I don’t know the reason. In T20s, I have been part of the squad, but never got to play a game. Every year I do well in the IPL and I don’t get into the scheme of things in the last two-three years”.Harbhajan’s waning fortunes have coincided with the success of fellow offspinner R Ashwin and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. Amit Mishra, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal pushing for back-up spin slots has made it even more challenging for Harbhajan to gain a recall. For the Champions Trophy, Ashwin, who appears certain to recover from the sports hernia that has kept him out of the IPL, and Jadeja are expected to be India’s first-choice spin options. Harbhajan doesn’t mind taking the difficult road back.”That’s always been there, no? That there is someone in the team and someone coming into the team,” he said. “My competition is with me – how I can better than what I used to do. What other spinners do… good luck to them, well done to them. If X, Y, Z is playing for India, and he is bowling offspin or legspin, if he is good, he should do it. Likewise, if I am good, I am good.”In picking Yuvraj Singh for the ODI series against England on the back of solid numbers in the Ranji Trophy, the selectors indicated that good performances in first-class cricket would be rewarded. Harbhajan, though, sat the season out and doesn’t regret doing so for it allowed him to soak in the joys of watching his daughter Hinaya Heer grow up.”Playing four or five games wouldn’t have changed my life. If that has to happen, it will happen even now,” he said. “Whatever level [of cricket] you are playing, you should look to enjoy, and that’s what I have been looking to do over the last year and a half.”I didn’t play the last season [of first-class cricket] because whatever joy or enjoyment I used to get while I was playing cricket, that joy was in my arms. I thought there’s no need for me to be travelling every four days because this time with my daughter won’t come back again. This is a beautiful time, and I wanted to be there each and every day, each and every moment. Now, she has grown up, and can travel with me.”It’s not like there has been a drop in my commitment, but now I have reached a stage where I won’t get disappointed even if I am not selected. If I am not selected [for the Champions Trophy], I will be selected for another series. I will be selected somewhere or the other because until that time I will keep knocking the doors. I feel if you keep on performing, you can’t be ignored.”While Harbhajan admitted it wasn’t easy to motivate himself to go through the grind of domestic cricket, he knew it was his only way to get back into the Indian team.”You feel that domestic cricket will get easier, you will go there and run through sides just because you played at the international level, but it doesn’t happen that way,” he said. “Even if you are motivated, you still have to push your limits because sometimes these domestic players are better players of spin bowling than what the international players are nowadays.”He has also assured the selectors of his availability in all forms of cricket. “That’s the reason I am playing all the one-dayers, domestic T20s and now the IPL. If the selectors feel I should be part of [the team], I am ready because I am doing as well as anybody. There is no way I should think that I don’t stand a chance.”The national selectors will meet on Monday to pick the squad to go to England for the Champions Trophy which starts on June 1. “The selection committee is convening just for me,” Harbhajan joked. “Hopefully I will be there, if not, that’s not the end of the world for me. I am young and doing what everybody else is doing, maybe even better. So why not?”

New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling says the team is not judging its season on the loss to South Africa in Wellington, but might do so on its performance in the final Test in Hamilton

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton22-Mar-2017

As New Zealand enter their final fixture of a summer that began nine months ago in August, wicketkeeper BJ Watling has cautioned against an over-reaction to their three-day defeat to South Africa in Wellington, but admitted the last match of the series could define this season.”It’s not a calamity. There’s a lot of talk about the collapse and these things happen and we are obviously very disappointed but we’re not going to dwell on that,” Watling said. “This is a very important game coming up for us. I don’t think we will judge our season on that last game. But we might on this one.”It has become something of a team mantra to talk of the Wellington woes as “one bad day,” as Kane Williamson described it. They may even be able to distill it down to one bad hour.New Zealand were 139 for 5 at tea on third day and added 16 runs to that score before losing 5 for 16 in less than six overs to set South Africa a modest 81. That four of the five wickets fell to Keshav Maharaj on the most seamer-friendly deck of the series, was of particular annoyance to selector Gavin Larsen and Watling confirmed the squad has been addressing that issue.”It was a pretty good wicket to bat on against spin and we were probably not quite as disciplined as we would like to be,” he said. “We’ve got to take better options and make better decisions than what we did in that last innings.”The Seddon Park surface is expected to take more turn than either University Oval – which was low and slow but not raging – or the Basin Reserve, which only offered a little something out of the rough, so New Zealand need to be even more alert. Watling, a Hamilton local, is also predicting some seam and swing.The former will bring Vernon Philander, who took a series-winning 10 for 114 including 6 for 44 in the second innings, the last time South Africa were in Hamilton, into the game. Philander only has two wickets in the series so far and the statistics might suggest New Zealand have not had to deal with the full might of him yet, but they know that is not entirely correct.The pressure Philander and Morne Morkel created in Wellington was key to Maharaj’s success and Watling wants his team-mates to ride out the quicks better in Hamilton while not letting their guard down at the other end. “They bowled very well and put us under pressure and there were some testing spells,” Watling said. We’ve got to get through those spells and make sure we are not slacking at the other end.”For that, New Zealand need their top six to build on starts and will want to see runs from Tom Latham and Neil Broom, who have yet to contribute, because they feel that is the only way to properly challenge a strong South African attack. “There’s been some glimpses of good batting and we’ve talked about those starts and we need to turn them to bigger scores to really put South Africa under pressure,” Watling said. “We’ve got to be better as a unit, all the way down to 11. We’ve got to build partnerships and take these guys really deep. We saw in Dunedin, that we took them deep and they felt the pressure. We had them in positions we were pretty happy with.”Watling has been one of the key men in counter-attacking in this series. His fifty in Dunedin came alongside Kane Williamson, with whom he shared an 84-run stand to help put New Zealand in a position to take a first-innings lead. Then, Watling spent almost three hours at the crease in scoring 34 in the first innings in Wellington, off 132, balls and he shared in the biggest partnership of the innings, 116 with Henry Nicholls. In the second dig, Watling partnered Jeet Raval in a sixth-wicket stand of 65, New Zealand’s only stand over fifty in that innings.His appetite for a fight may result in calls for him to bat higher up, especially as New Zealand are without Ross Taylor, who is recovering from a low-grade calf tear, but the man himself says there has been no discussion about being promoted mostly because it may affect his wicket-keeping duties. “My role has always been No.7, for the majority of my keeping days,” he said. “Keeping can be quite tough and a mental drain sometimes, focusing on every ball in the field and with batting at No.7, you get a bit of a break.”South Africa use the same argument for not using Quinton de Kock higher up despite his ability to accelerate the scoring rate almost single-handedly. It’s the “almost” that’s important though, because de Kock can’t operate without a partner and he has found a promising one in patient Temba Bavuma. Watling needs someone like that at the other end, otherwise New Zealand may find him trying to do both jobs and that could end in calamity.”I love batting and I hate getting out. You respect each delivery as well and the South Africans bowl a lot of good balls that you’ve got to respect and you’ve got to wait a bit longer to get the balls to put away,” he said. “Some days its about being aggressive and take a lot more positive options and other days you might have to soak it up a bit more.”

ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the third day’s play between Victoria and Western Australia in Alice Springs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2017
Scorecard File photo – Hilton Cartwright registered his third first-class century•Getty ImagesHilton Cartwright scored the third first-class hundred of his career, and his first of this Sheffield Shield season, as Western Australia clung on to hope in their match against Victoria in Alice Springs. Having conceded a hefty first-innings deficit, the Warriors went to stumps on day three at 7 for 238 in their second innings, leading by 62 runs, with D’Arcy Short on 7 and Jason Behrendorff on 4.To have even a slim chance of victory, the Western Australia tail will likely need to push that advantage up towards 150, but Cartwright’s hundred and a half-century from Michael Klinger at least kept them in the game. The Warriors began the day on 0 for 29 and quickly lost Cameron Bancroft, who was lbw to James Pattinson, and then Jon Wells, who was caught behind off Daniel Christian.Cartwright and Klinger put on 139 for the fourth wicket, both grinding their way through the innings, before Cartwright was lbw to Pattinson for 101. Although Cartwright was overlooked for a call-up to the Test squad in India as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Marsh, Pattinson could be a chance of being called on after Mitchell Starc was also ruled out due to injury. Pattinson finished the day with 4 for 48.Klinger fell soon after Cartwright for 55 from 172 balls, also lbw to Pattinson, and the loss of Josh Inglis and Ashon Turner late in the day gave Victoria hope of running through the tail.

Australia’s former captain Ricky Ponting has put up his hand for a role with the national team, expressing interest in either a selection or coaching job in the wake of the side’s present slump

Daniel Brettig23-Nov-2016

Australia’s former captain Ricky Ponting has put his hand up for a role with the national team, expressing interest in either a selection or coaching job in the wake of the side’s present slump. He recently concluded his coaching tenure with Mumbai Indians in the IPL, and there has been some speculation over whether he may be the right man to help drive the Australian team back to better health.”I’d consider it. I said from the moment I retired that Australian cricket is me. I love Australian cricket and some of the guys that are playing now, I played cricket with them,” Ponting told the . “I’m open to discuss any role with Cricket Australia and whatever they come to me with, I’ll talk to my family and if we can make it work then great, because I want the best for Australian cricket and I think I’ve got a lot to offer as far as that’s concerned.”Ponting reflected on the departure of the former selection chairman Rod Marsh and the unforgiving nature of the job. “It’s a tough job and it’s a thankless job as well,” Ponting said. “If you pick a team and it wins, you don’t get any credit, but if you pick a team and it loses all of a sudden you’re the worst in the world.”It’s a huge commitment; a massive time commitment. I’m still incredibly passionate about the game and about Australian cricket, but it’s hard to find a role that’s going to work both for me and for Cricket Australia.”Since his retirement from international cricket in 2012, Ponting has worked in a range of cricket and media roles, and kept in touch with the team. He was among the select circle of people the team performance manager Pat Howard spoke to around the appointment of Darren Lehmann as coach in place of Mickey Arthur in 2013.

Chelsea should not be too concerned after missing out on midfield transfer target Manuel Ugarte and will have already moved on to other targets, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Who did Ugarte sign for?

Chelsea pulled out of the race to sign Ugarte this week despite submitting an offer to Sporting CP for the Uruguayan midfielder.

The Blues fought against French champions Paris Saint Germain for the player’s signature, but Ugarte is expected to make the switch to Ligue 1 despite strong interest from new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.

PSG pushed hard to sign the 22-year-old and refused to be beaten on wages, per Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian. The club are now expected to chase other midfield targets, including Brighton’s Moises Caicedo

Jones believes it will not come as a shock to Chelsea that they have missed out on securing Ugarte’s services and expects the club’s summer business to continue as usual.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones stated: “I think it's important that we remember clubs don't just go after one player at one time. And that wasn't the case here, either. So Chelsea were just going about their business in a normal way.

“It’s just so widely reported now from every angle that it just seems to have gone further than people expected.

“PSG were always in that conversation; it looks like they are going to win that particular battle. Chelsea will move on and they won't be too concerned.”

Would Ugarte have been a good signing for Chelsea?

Chelsea will be disappointed that Ugarte has chosen to move to PSG given the size of the rebuild needed in the Blue’s midfield.

N'Golo Kante looks set to leave the club to join Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, while Mason Mount and Reuben Loftus-Cheek have been tipped to leave Stamford Bridge.

Ugarte was an important player for Sporting last season in a season in which they reached the Europa League quarter-finals.

The defensive midfielder played a total of 47 games for Sporting in the 22/23 season, picking up an eye-watering 16 yellow cards in that time per Transfermarkt.

The 22-year-old is, without doubt, a talented player, but his wages would have been significant in a Chelsea team that have an eye on Financial Fair Play regulations.

PSG reportedly offered £2.6 million more in base salary than Chelsea, and although Pochettino will be disappointed on missing out on the talent of Ugarte it could be a blessing in disguise due to the cost of the young star’s wages.

West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan looks unlikely to be backed significantly by owner Guochuan Lai this summer as he looks to build a squad capable of returning to the Premier League.

The Chinese businessman controversially saw his £5m loan from the club written off a few months ago, with the vast majority of the Baggies' signings coming as free transfers in the 2022/23 campaign.

West Brom could find success down that route once again this summer, with reported target Jay Mingi seemingly set to depart Portsmouth on a free transfer.

Would Jay Mingi be a good signing for West Brom?

It was reported back in December by journalist Alan Nixon that the Baggies were scouting Mingi on a regular basis, with the view of bringing him in on a free transfer in the summer transfer window.

While Pompey have offered the 22-year-old a new contract, that has been on the table since January, and he is yet to sign on the dotted line, which suggests that he could be on his way out of Fratton Park when his current deal expires at the end of next month.

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho said: "There was a conversation with Jay in January which went along the lines of 'I think you’re a terrific player with a load of potential.'

"I think there’s still a lot of work to do to get him there and fulfil that potential. There’s a huge amount to work on and I think he knows that as well, but this is a really good football club for him to do that."

Incidentally, the former West Ham midfielder didn't feature at all under Mousinho due to injury, with his last appearance for the club coming on New Year's Day, so it is perhaps a testament to the talent he possesses that he has been offered a new deal despite his lack of game time.

The Englishman possesses very little senior experience, with just 40 appearances to his name across spells with Maidenhead United, Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth.

However, he is clearly highly rated and could be a great signing for the future by Lai, especially if he continues to back his manager with free-agent signings.

Okay Yokuslu, John Swift and Jed Wallace are ranked as the first, second and fifth-best performers in West Brom's squad this season according to WhoScored, having joined without a transfer fee, emphasising how much success can be had with free agents.

If Lai wants to get the summer off to a positive start as West Brom chairman, he must surely consider making an offer to Mingi ahead of his contract's expiry next month. Such an appealing deal doesn't come around very often.