Game moved from Hove to Old Trafford after leatherjacket larvae cause damage to outfield
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2021Sussex and Lancashire have agreed to switch their season opener from Hove to Emirates Old Trafford after an infestation of leatherjackets – crane fly larvae – damaged the outfield at Sussex’s headquarters.Lancashire will now host the teams’ encounter in the opening round of the County Championship, starting on April 8, with the corresponding fixture later in the month being shifted to the 1st Central County Ground at Hove. Both fixtures will be played behind closed doors, because of UK government restrictions relating to Covid-19.Following an inspection by the ECB’s pitch and grounds advisor, Andy MacKay, on Friday it was agreed with Sussex’s head groundsperson, Ben Gibson, that although the groundstaff had made “significant progress”, moving the fixture would allow extra time for the outfield to recover.As reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier this month, Sussex were forced to contemplate the change after discovering their bug problem. European crane flies (known colloquially as daddy longlegs) lay their eggs in soil, which then hatch out and feed on the roots of plants – in this case, the grass on the outfield. The insecticide that was commonly used to treat the issue has been banned in the UK since 2016.The square has not been damaged, though, and Sussex are expected to play their first home fixture against Yorkshire on April 22-25 as planned. The return match against Lancashire will start on April 29.
A new centre-forward has been top of Chelsea’s shopping list so far this summer, as new boss Enzo Maresca looks to further strengthen his forward line ahead of his debut campaign in charge of the club.
Nicolas Jackson is the Blues’ current senior option at the top end of the pitch, with the Senegalese forward managing to score 14 goals in his first campaign at Stamford Bridge last season.
However, Samuel Omorodion appears to be edging closer to a £35m move to West London, with journalist Fabrizio Romano confirming the Blues had agreed a deal with Atletico Madrid to sign the youngster.
Despite the potential arrival, Maresca’s side could yet go after another central striker, as rumours around a move for Victor Osimhen refuse to go away.
One other player has been touted with a move to the club ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, amid rumours of a move to a fellow Premier League side before the closure of the window in a couple of weeks.
Chelsea still want £50m ace this summer
According to the Daily Star, Chelsea are in the race to sign Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson before the transfer deadline on August 30th.
Brighton strikerEvan Ferguson.
They face tough competition from Manchester United for the 19-year-old’s signature, despite the Red Devils already splashing £36.5m on Dutch international Joshua Zirkzee.
The Irish international scored six goals in his 27 Premier League appearances last season, including a stunning hat-trick against Newcastle United in the opening weeks of the campaign.
The report states Erik ten Hag’s side are preparing a £50m offer for the youngster, but are worried about the Blues potentially jumping them in the race for his services.
Ferguson would be an excellent addition to Maresca’s side, proving to be a better talent than one player who’s also been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the off-season.
Why Ferguson is a bigger talent than Solanke
Chelsea may regret allowing striker Dominic Solanke to leave after his 19-goal season in the Premier League at Bournemouth last season – the best of his professional career.
He left the Blues back in 2017 for Liverpool, before a stint at Bournemouth – leading to his recent £65m move to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite his recent goalscoring exploits and his big-money transfer, the club would be signing a bigger talent than the Englishman with a move for Ferguson.
The young "superstar" – as described by pundit Danny Murphy – may have scored fewer goals than Solanke last season, but he achieved a tally of 61% of his efforts on target, compared to the Cherries forward, who could only manage 33%.
Games played
27
38
Goals + assists
6
22
Shot-on-target accuracy
61%
33%
Shots on target
1.3
1
Pass accuracy
81%
74%
Take-on success
44%
37%
Aerials won
42%
42%
He also managed a higher pass accuracy, making him a great fit for Maresca’s possession-based system, whilst also completing more take-ons, showcasing his ability to create carnage in the final third.
Whilst a deal for Omorodion may be getting closer by the day, a deal for Ferguson would see them sign a player younger than the Spaniard but with more pedigree in England’s top flight – a crucial asset if the Blues are to be successful this season.
It may prove to be another huge sum of money splashed on a young prospect, but in his short professional career, he’s shown he has what it takes to make an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge.
Imagine him & Palmer: Chelsea to make approach for their own Musiala
The Blues could repeat a masterclass that saw Palmer arrive at Stamford Bridge.
South Africa’s traditional franchise-based first-class set-up is drawing to a close. Here’s the grand finale
Firdose Moonda25-Mar-2021ESPNcricinfo’s live updates on all the action from the title bout of the last season of franchise-based first-class cricket in South Africa. (If the blog doesn’t load for you, please click here.)
Lamine Yamal was spotted wearing an exclusive pair of boots bearing Lionel Messi's name during Barcelona's loss to Las Palmas.
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Yamal spotted wearing boots with Messi's nameBarca teen one of 10 selected to wear themWinger returned from injury in La Liga lossFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The 17-year-old returned to the bench upon his return from an ankle injury for Saturday's match in La Liga and fans spotted he was wearing special boots with "Messi" written on them. Yamal is one of 10 players selected by Argentina and former Barcelona star Messi to wear as part of Adidas' campaign.
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Yamal had been out of action for almost three weeks and came off the bench at half-time as the Catalan side suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat against relegation candidates Las Palmas. They have now collected one point from their last three league matches.
DID YOU KNOW?
Hansi Flick's side have fared much better with Yamal in the team, as the Spain international has scored five goals and made seven assists in La Liga this season. Before Saturday's loss, they had been beaten just once with him in the team.
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Yamal will hope his Messi boots inspire some magic when his team come up against Mallorca in La Liga on Tuesday.
Todd Boehly and the wider recruitment team are ready to sell an expensive Chelsea player for £15 million, which would see the west Londoners take a big £57 million loss off his transfer.
Gallagher agrees Atletico move as Lukaku attempts Chelsea exit
It's been a little while since Chelsea had any confirmed departures out of the door, with the latest being Malang Sarr, who agreed to terminate his contract with the club and join Ligue 1 side RC Lens on a free transfer.
Chelsea could sign £162,000-per-week ace and Omorodion after Gallagher sale
Enzo Maresca’s side have been very busy this window.
ByEmilio Galantini Aug 6, 2024
Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, Michael Golding and Ian Maatsen all departed Stamford Bridge before Sarr, bringing in around £89 million in total to balance Chelsea's books and ease some pressure in regard to PSR.
While not yet official, it has been widely reported by the national press that midfielder Conor Gallagher looks set to follow them out of the door, coming after Atletico Madrid agreed a £34 million deal to sign the England international.
Metric
Output
Squad rank
Minutes
3,137
1st
Goals
5
=4th
Assists
7
2nd
Pass success rate (%)
91.5
3rd
Tackles per game
2.3
3rd
Interceptions per game
1.2
1st
Overall rating
7.13
2nd
via WhoScored
In what has been a hugely popular move among the fanbase, considering the Cobham academy graduate started 37 Premier League games as a star player under Mauricio Pochettino last season, Chelsea chiefs opted to make the transfer after Gallagher rejected their proposal of a two-year contract, plus the option of a further season.
"Chelsea have given him permission to travel and undergo a medical after clubs agreed a €40m fee," said journalist Ben Jacobs earlier this week.
Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher for Chelsea
"Both #CFC and Atletico had given Gallagher until the end of the weekend to make a decision. Understand two other top six clubs made enquiries in the last few days, but Gallagher wanted to either move to Atleti or extend at Chelsea. 2+1 extension remained on the table. With only one year left, Chelsea intent on resolving Gallagher’s future this window."
Napoli are still in talks to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as well, who's said to have agreed a three-year contract to work under Antonio Conte again, so the Belgian's transfer could well be concluded after Gallagher officially seals his move to Atletico.
Chelsea ready to sell Kepa Arrizabalaga for £15 million
Uncertainty also still surrounds the future of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who joined from Athletic Bilbao in a £72 million deal six years ago.
The £150,000-per-week player spent last season on loan at Real Madrid, but that door appears closed, with Andriy Lunin apparently signing a new contract and Thibaut Courtois back from injury.
Real Madrid's loan goalkeeperKepa Arrizabalaga.
There is, however, still interest from the Saudi Pro League, and Chelsea are ready to sell Kepa for around £15 million – which would mean they take a big £57 million loss to get him out the door.
This is all according to GiveMeSport, who suggest that Chelsea still hope to part ways with the 29-year-old before deadline day.
Although still reeling from a mass exodus of top players this summer, West Bromwich Albion comfortable opening day win in the Championship, overcoming Marti Cifuentes' Queens Park Rangers on their own patch 3-1, was perhaps a tad surprising.
Josh Maja was the star of the show at Loftus Road, scoring a hat-trick after being gifted the starting spot up top by Carlos Corberan, and showed to the overjoyed West Brom masses in West London that losing Brandon Thomas-Asante doesn't have to be the end of the world.
Away from Maja, Tom Fellows also shone brightly against the Hoops, as the West Brom youth product aims to reach even higher heights than he managed last campaign when he broke into the first team and never looked back.
Fellows' time at West Brom
Fellows constantly terrorised the QPR defence last weekend to ensure West Brom comfortably picked up all three points ahead of their clash with Leeds yesterday.
It was Maja's second of the day that was all the 21-year-old's making, however, supplying the chance for his teammate to put away.
Moreover, the tenacious winger was brave and alert with five duels won in total, to give his side the energy they needed to push on to pick up the win.
His aim will just be to keep performing at this high level and strive to become an even more concrete part of Corberan's first-team plans going forward, having had his breakout moment in the spotlight last campaign.
Fellows would finish his promising 2023/24 season with five goals and four assists next to his name from 38 games in all competitions, having previously just starred at youth level for his boyhood employers, before finally going on to make the grade in the senior mix.
As a result, his transfer value for the West Midlands club has also risen, with his current price tag higher than that of Thomas-Asante's – according to Football Transfers – even with the former Baggies man recently winning himself a move to divisional rivals Coventry City.
Fellows' transfer value at West Brom
The standout Baggies prodigy is now worth in the region of £2.4m, with Thomas-Asante having been sold to the Sky Blues this summer for around £2m.
It's been quite the sharp rise for Fellows, who was once just a wide-eyed youngster shipped out on loan to League Two with Crawley Town, but there were signs he would eventually spark into life and become a top Championship performer in the fourth tier, with former Crawley coach Darren Byfield labelling him as "unbelievable" when the pair had previously worked together.
2024
£2.4m
2023
£429k
2022
£429k
Only two years ago, before his rise to stardom in the first-team mix, Fellows was worth just £429k, and his value could soar way above £2.4m if he continues to be a star for West Brom this season, on the way to another promotion charge taking shape.
Whilst the youngster's value continues to go up and up, West Brom might have cashed in on Thomas-Asante at the perfect possible time, with his price-tag standing at a far higher £2.9m in March of this year, before tumbling down to a lesser £2.1m.
Brandon Thomas-Asante for West Brom.
The Baggies will continue to look for their next main man up top to complement Fellows' creativity, with Maja undoubtedly benefiting at this point in time, in the wake of Thomas-Asante leaving.
Whoever is chosen to be Corberan's next leading man going forward will love playing alongside Fellows you imagine, who will want to be a key player for his boyhood club moving forward after dazzling against QPR, as promotion is eyed up as the main objective once more.
West Brom can finally replace Thomas-Asante in swoop for PL "handful"
West Bromwich Albion would welcome this new striker in through the door with open arms.
The Punjab Kings innings never really took off after they were asked to bat first in Ahmedabad
Hemant Brar26-Apr-20214:55
Chopra: Kings lacked intent at the start and kept losing wickets
Eoin Morgan’s 47 not out off 40 balls steered the Kolkata Knight Riders to victory with five wickets and 20 balls to spare after his bowlers restricted the Punjab Kings to 123 for 9 in the first game of IPL 2021 in Ahmedabad.It wasn’t a smooth ride though. At one stage, the Knight Riders were 17 for 3 but a 66-run stand between Morgan and Rahul Tripathi shut the door on the Kings. During his innings, Morgan also completed 7000 runs in T20 cricket and helped his side climb from the bottom of the points table to the fifth spot.Eoin Morgan believes IPL can go on
With India experiencing a significant second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan was posed a question at the post-match press conference about whether he thinks the IPL should go on. He responded: “When we came out of our first lockdown period, I remember the first sport was probably in New Zealand and then in Australia, the rugby union and the rugby league. Then slowly the Bundesliga started and the premier league started and that almost displayed you can play a sport when the country is almost in full lockdown. So if there is a template to make that happen, it has happened but also as long as it doesn’t disturb what’s happening in the public eye.”
Earlier, the Kings innings never really took off after they were asked to bat first. The Knight Riders’ seamers restricted them to 37 for 1 in the powerplay and 56 for 3 after ten overs.Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy then proved too good for the Kings’ middle order. Despite the dew setting in the second half of the innings, the spin duo finished with combined figures of 3 for 46 from eight overs. A cameo from Chris Jordan proved too little, too late.Knight Riders seamers strike at top The Ahmedabad pitches were conducive to seamers during the recent India-England T20I series, and it was no different on Monday.Shivam Mavi, bowling at a brisk pace, hit the good length consistently and kept the scoring rate down. KL Rahul tried to cut loose against Pat Cummins. He managed a six over third man but fell on the very next ball while going for another big shot, giving Cummins his first powerplay wicket in the tournament.From the other end, Mavi dismissed Chris Gayle for a first-ball duck. Pushing away from his body, Gayle ended up bottom-edging to Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps.Mavi was done by the seventh over, finishing with figures of 4-0-13-1, but there was no relief for the Kings. In the next over, Prasidh Krishna removed Deepak Hooda for 1, Morgan holding on to a low catch at backward point to leave the Kings 42 for 3.Eoin Morgan steered his side to victory•BCCI/IPLNarine, Chakravarthy’s mystery engulfs middle order After three wickets in 13 balls, the onus was on Mayank Agarwal to bail the Kings out. He launched Krishna for a six over deep midwicket to take the side past 50 in the tenth over. In order to push the run rate, Agarwal tried to take on Narine too but Tripathi’s tumbling catch sent him back for a 34-ball 31.Soon after, Narine bowled Moises Henriques through the gate to make it 75 for 5.Nicholas Pooran had three ducks in four innings coming into this match. Here he hit Chakravarthy for a six and a four on successive balls but the spinner had the last laugh when he uprooted Pooran’s off stump as the batter failed to connect a slog.It was only because of Jordan’s 18-ball 30, which included three sixes and a four, that the Kings could cross 120.Knight Riders stutter at the start Given the small target, the Knight Riders’ openers had the opportunity to get their eye in and find some form. They failed to made use of that though. Nitish Rana got a full toss from Henriques in the first over that he hit straight to short extra cover. In the next over, Shubman Gill ended up playing across the line to Mohammed Shami and was lbw for 9.Narine was peppered with the short ball right from the start. He managed to connect one well against Arshdeep Singh but Ravi Bishnoi sprinted to his right from deep midwicket before putting in the dive to complete a stunning catch. Suddenly, it looked like the Kings could pull off a surprise.Morgan, Tripathi dash Kings’ hopes Morgan and Tripathi had other plans. The two didn’t hesitate coming down the pitch to fast bowlers and found boundaries regularly to keep the Kings on the back foot. That Bishnoi let a couple of fours slip in the field didn’t help either. The Knight Riders’ finished the powerplay on 42 for 3.The flow of runs didn’t stop even after the field restrictions were lifted. Jordan’s first over, the eighth over of the innings, went for 13. Hooda finally broke the stand when Tripathi holed out to long-on for a 32-ball 41. Andre Russell tried to smash almost every ball he faced but found either an under edge or a fielder. He was run-out for 10 off nine balls but by then the Knight Riders needed just 24 from 35 balls. Morgan and Dinesh Karthik hit a flurry of boundaries to take knock them off.
Barca's brilliant wingers delivered when it really mattered as Hansi Flick's side returned to winning ways
Raphinha and Lamine Yamal's second-half brilliance helped Barcelona thump a spirited Mallorca side 5-1 in La Liga on Tuesday night.
The visitors took the lead in the 12th minute thanks to some comical defending from the hosts, and Ferran Torres – who came in for the rested Lewandowski – was on hand to take advantage.
Barcelona's high defensive line worked on multiple occasions but Mallorca finally beat the offside trap two minutes before the break when Vedat Muriqi made it 1-1.
In an end-to-end game, Yamal eased Barca's nerves when he won his side a penalty and Raphinha dispatched the subsequent spot-kick in the 56th minute.
The undaunted home team caused La Liga's leaders a number of scares but the game was put to bed when Yamal's stunning outside of the foot cross was tapped in by Raphinha 16 minutes from time.
The floodgates opened when Frenkie de Jong tapped in to make it 4-1 and then fellow substitute Pau Victor added some extra gloss to a scoreline that did not do Mallorca's display justice.
The result took Barca four points clear of bitter rivals Real Madrid, who do have two games in hand, and snapped a three-match run without a win in La Liga.
GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Campo de Futbol de Son Moix…
Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence
Inaki Pena (8/10):
Made a great low save in the match's opening salvos and proved a tough nut to crack in a very open game.
Jules Kounde (7/10):
The France international was one of Barca's more solid defenders and he also got forward well.
Pau Cubarsi (7/10):
Went into the book early on for a clumsy challenge but looked a bit more competent as the game wore on.
Inigo Martinez (6/10):
Played Mallorca's attack onside for the home team's equaliser and was part of a defence that didn't look particularly secure.
Alejandro Balde (6/10):
Had it not been for Barca's sparkling attack, he and his team-mates could have been stretched further still. Not as dependable as usual.
AdvertisementAFPMidfield
Pedri (7/10):
Put in an energetic display but it still seems he needs more minutes after his belt following a long-term injury.
Marc Casado (7/10):
Came back from suspension with an industrious display in the centre of the park.
Dani Olmo (7/10):
The returning attacking midfielder pulled off plenty of nice tricks and flicks but didn't have that big an impact on the game.
Attack
Raphinha (9/10):
The Brazilian came up trumps yet again for Barcelona as he converted a well-placed penalty and then showed good positioning to grab a second of the night and 11th of the season.
Ferran Torres (7/10):
Started the game well with a scrappy goal but missed some big chances to extend Barca's advantage. This was a display of real ups and downs and while he did score, there are parts of the Spaniard's game that need ironing out – although more game time will certainly help.
Lamine Yamal (9/10):
Looked a bit sloppy on his return to the starting XI early on but went through the gears with a superb second-half display. He won his side a penalty, set up Raphinha's second, and played a big part in Barca's fourth. Didn't get the goal he deserved.
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Frenkie de Jong (7/10):
The midfielder scored with one of his first touches of the game to put the match beyond doubt.
Pau Victor (7/10):
Was a handful when he came on and got a goal for his efforts.
Gavi (7/10):
Helped Barca's midfield really turn the screw.
Eric Garcia (7/10):
Looked sharp when introduced.
Fermin Lopez (N/A):
Had no time to make an impact.
Hansi Flick (8/10):
His team currently looks rather different from the side that destroyed Real Madrid in El Clasico in late October. Their high line was repeatedly exposed but they just about had enough to see off the counter-attacking Mallorca. Decided to rest veteran Lewandowski and that move just about paid off. Plus, his substitutes worked well.
Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala has revealed his admiration for Lionel Messi and says Barcelona were his favourite team growing up.
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Musiala grew up supporting BarcelonaAdmired Messi and NeymarFuture at Bayern currently in spotlightFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Musiala has become a key player for Bayern Munich and Germany despite still being only 21 years of age. The playmaker's future is also currently the subject of speculation as he is out of contract in 2026 and yet to agree an extension. Musiala has told fans he's unable to offer any news on the situation and has risked upsetting supporters further by revealed his fondness for Catalan giants Barcelona.
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Musiala grew up at at time where Messi was leading Barcelona to glory both at home and in Europe. The Argentine great lifted the European Cup four times during his spell in Catalunya and Musiala says he was a big fan of the Barcelona legend and his team-mates Neymar, Xavi and Sergio Busquets.
WHAT MUSIALA SAID
He told : "FC Barcelona was my favourite team and because of that they were always my reference. The midfield with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets fascinated me. I could watch their games over and over again. On the back of my shirts as a kid, the name was almost always Messi. I also had one with Neymar, but Messi was my hero, my favourite player."
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MUSIALA
Musiala's situation at Bayern is likely to be of interest to Europe's top clubs as heads towards the end of his contract. The 21-year-old has been linked with a move to Manchester City and could be tempted by the chance to work with former Barcelona and Bayern boss Pep Guardiola.
Northants two down and 87 from victory after being set 218 in fourth innings
ECB Reporters' Network29-May-2021Northamptonshire are poised to go second in Group Three in the LV= Insurance County Championship after they closed in on victory against Sussex at Hove.Left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan continued his good start to the season with 5 for 70 and despite Tom Haines’ second hundred of the season Sussex were bowled out for 298 in their second innings. That left Northants more than four sessions to score 218 and they were 131 for 2 at stumps on day three, needing another 87.Haines made an excellent 103 – the first Championship hundred by a Sussex player at Hove for two years – and Ben Brown was last out for 95 trying to hit a six to get to his century.Sussex had resumed on 142 for 4 and Haines and Brown took their fifth-wicket stand to 103 but shortly after reaching the fourth hundred of his career, Haines turned a ball from Kerrigan to midwicket. It was a somewhat tame end to a fine innings by the 22-year-old left-hander, who faced 221 balls and hit 11 fours.Tom Taylor picked up two wickets in successive balls with Delray Rawlins bowled aiming a big drive and George Garton edging low to first slip. But Jack Carson, fresh from his maiden first-class fifty in the first innings, gave Brown admirable support either side of lunch in an eighth-wicket stand of 65 which took the score to 297.The luckless Ben Sanderson could not break through with the second new ball but Kerrigan came to the rescue. Carson was pinned in front playing back for 35 before Taylor yorked Henry Crocombe in the next over for a duck.That left Brown on 95 with only last man Jamie Atkins for company and he went for glory, only to be caught on the long-off boundary. The Sussex captain faced 170 balls and hit ten fours.Although the odd ball did turn, the pitch had got easier to bat on. Sussex needed early wickets and Atkins got them a breakthrough in his first over when Ben Curran, whose nine innings this season have brought only 141 runs, was caught behind aiming an expansive drive.Vasconcelos and Luke Procter took the score to 57 with few alarms before Haines enjoyed his second memorable moment of the day, running round from midwicket to run out Vasconcelos with a brilliant direct hit. But Procter and Rob Keogh settled the nerves with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 73 to put their side in sight of victory.