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Gaby Lewis carried her bat for the visitors with an unbeaten 95 off 121, but it went in vain

Hemant Brar02-Jul-2023

Contrasting half-centuries from Stafanie Taylor and Chinelle Henry helped West Indies beat Ireland by six wickets in the third ODI in Gros Islet, and wrap up the series 2-0.Chasing a modest 204, West Indies were 94 for 4 around the halfway mark when Taylor and Henry joined hands. The pair added 110 in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand to take the side home with 8.5 overs to spare. For both batters, it was their second half-century in as many innings, and for Taylor, her 40th in ODIs.As a result, West Indies pocketed five points from the series – the second ODI was washed out – to improve their position on the Women’s Championship table. They now have seven points from nine games and are placed fifth. Ireland are still at the bottom with a solitary point from their nine outings.After opting to bat, Ireland kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were all out for 203 on the last ball of the innings. Gaby Lewis was the only one to show some fight and cross 20. Opening the innings, Lewis scored an unbeaten 95 off 121 balls, thus becoming the sixth batter in women’s ODIs to carry her bat.Having said that, Ireland were in a decent position at one stage. After Cherry-Ann Fraser dismissed Leah Paul for 2, Lewis and Orla Prendergast took the side to 44 for 1 in the ninth over. But then Fraser struck again, having Prendergast caught down the leg side for 16 off 17 balls. Following that, Afy Fletcher and Hayley Matthews reduced Ireland to 110 for 7 as the visitors lost six wickets for 66 runs.Lewis, though, was firm at one end. She was on 39 off 72 at one point, but with wickets tumbling around, she accelerated and scored 56 runs off her next 49 deliveries. That resulted in Ireland adding 43 and 50 for the eighth and ninth wickets, respectively, as Ava Canning (20) and Cara Murray (19) offered support to Lewis.Rain interrupted the match in the 30th over of Ireland’s innings and again in the fifth over of the West Indies’, but neither delay was long enough to cause any loss of overs.In the chase, West Indies lost openers Matthews and Zaida James cheaply and were 42 for 2 in the 14th over. It could have become 62 for 3 when Taylor hit a full toss from Murray straight to short midwicket but Sophie MacMahon grassed the chance.Taylor was on 18 at that point. She got another life on 29 when Murray dropped her at short fine leg off Laura Delany. The second reprieve was just after left-arm spinner Aimee Maguire had Rashada Williams stumped for 17. Maguire would dismiss Shemaine Campbelle in the same manner in her next over but that would be the last time Ireland would pick up a wicket in the game.Henry, who had smashed an unbeaten 53 off just 37 balls in the first ODI, was at it again. While Taylor took 85 balls to bring up her half-century, Henry reached there in just 53 deliveries.With the target just nine runs away, Taylor hit two fours and a single in three balls to seal the win.

AC Milan are closing in on Sporting CP striker Conrad Harder, but the Dane forward prefers a move to France.

• AC Milan reach agreement with Sporting for Harder
• Striker more interested in joining Rennes
• Milan meets striker's camp to discuss fees

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Milan were on the verge of signing Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface, but complications during the player's medical resulted in them dropping their interest. The Rossoneri are now targeting Sporting's Harder and have reportedly reached an agreement to sign the striker for €24 million (£21m/$28m) plus €3m in bonuses. However, the Danish forward is more inclined to join French club Rennes, according to .

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  Milan are accelerating talks for Harder and have also met with the player's agent to finalise a proposal. Harder was signed by Sporting last year from Danish club Nordsjaelland and has since played 51 games for the club, in which he has scored 12 goals and registered seven assists. The Italian club have already started their campaign with a loss and thus need to finalise a deal to sort out the forward position. The Portuguese club have also added a sell-on clause in the player's contract.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Milan sporting director Igli Tare and manager Massimiliano Allegri have been trying to find a striker for quite some time now. Tare had previously also brokered a loan deal with Manchester United for Rasmus Hojlund, no move has materialised. However, with United clearing the air around his minutes this season, Hojlund can potentially agree to move to San Siro. Boniface's deal also fell through after the club reportedly found a problem in Boniface's right knee, quickly backing out of a deal. 

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MILAN?

  Allegri must have felt the absence of star forward Rafael Leao, as the Italian club kicked off their league campaign with a loss against Cremonese. Their next fixture is against Lecce on August 30, and the club will hope to have signed a striker by then.

Nick Woltemade has been told stay clear-headed as Stuttgart team-mate Deniz Undav offered support to the striker amid his Bayern Munich transfer saga.

• Undav urged Woltemade with calming advice
• Told not to stress over chatter
• Bayern move talks spark dressing room concern

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  German prodigy Woltemade is pushing hard for a move to Bayern, but Stuttgart are standing firm on their €65 million (£56m/$75m) valuation. After a stellar U21 Euro campaign, the striker reportedly reached a personal agreement with Bayern, who submitted two formal bids only to see both rejected. Stuttgart are refusing to negotiate unless their asking price is met, and despite Bayern pausing their pursuit for now, Woltemade is growing frustrated.

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  Woltemade’s breakout year has triggered major interest, but Stuttgart’s leadership remain defiant. With the DFL-Supercup – which is against Bayern – approaching, the club want their squad settled. Bayern’s reported refusal to submit a third bid signals a potential pause in the saga, but behind the scenes, pressure from Woltemade and his agent may force Stuttgart back to the table. A power play is unfolding, and the tug-of-war could shape both clubs’ summer windows.

• WHAT DENIZ UNDAV SAID

  Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav has publicly backed teammate Woltemade amid growing tension over a move to Bayern. With the young striker reportedly unsettled and eager to push through a transfer, Undav has stepped in to offer emotional and mental support during a turbulent period. “We all want to help him so he can stay clear-headed,” Undav told . “It’s completely understandable that a player is concerned when FC Bayern calls.”

  Undav revealed he had reached out to Woltemade privately ahead of pre-season camp, urging him to block out the noise and stay focused, saying: “Before the training camp, I wrote to him once or twice and told him not to read so much, not to look left and right, and not to worry about whether the fans still like him… He should just not worry too much and just give it his all. 

  “He should never forget that we stand behind him, even if he leaves the club. We need him no less now than before, and in the future as well.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WOLTEMADE?

  Despite personal frustration and a muted training camp mood, Woltemade remains under contract with Stuttgart. Unless Bayern raise their offer to asking price, no progress is expected. For now, Stuttgart hold the upper hand, but if the striker’s mood worsens or Bayern reignite their push, this saga could explode again before the Supercup kicks off.

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois da confirmação de que o lateral-direito Rodinei tinha encerrado as negociações para tratar de uma possível renovação com o Flamengo, o Grêmio apareceu como um dos times com maior interesse em reforçar o plantel com o atleta que passou pelo arquirrival, o Inter, em 2020.

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>Live do LANCE! faz o esquenta do duelo entre Brasil e Suíça na Copa

Até mesmo aspectos relacionados a uma proposta mais concreta já estariam previamente definidos. Entre salários e luvas contratuais, a ideia do Tricolor era oferecer vencimentos mensais acima da casa dos R$ 500 mil. O valor, acima do proposto por clubes como Atlético-MG e Botafogo, gerou otimismo por um desfecho positivo

Porém, apesar dos esforços gremistas para contar com o nome que fazia parte da lista de indicados por Renato Portaluppi, a tendência é de que o jogador com 30 anos de idade aceite oferta que foi feita nas últimas horas pelo Olympiacos-GRE.

Além do desejo de atuar na Europa, elementos como a boa relação de seu empresário com a equipe grega e um vínculo mais longo são pontos que deixam o atleta apenas pela conclusão de trâmites burocráticos para a oficialização do acerto.

MatériaMais Notícias

A vitória por 3 a 1 sobre o Coritiba marcou para o São Paulo o segundo pior público registrado pelo clube no ano no Morumbi. 14.993 pessoas estiveram presentes para acompanhar o duelo da última quinta-feira (20), pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.

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+ Confira as notas dos jogadores do São Paulo na vitória sobre o Coritiba na avaliação da equipe do LANCE!

O número só é superior aos 14.918 são-paulinos que foram a seu estádio acompanhar a vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o Santo André, pelo Campeonato Paulista, em fevereiro.

O público no Morumbi na última quinta quebrou uma sequência de 18 partidas seguidas no Morumbi em que o Tricolor atuou para um público maior que 20 mil pessoas em sua casa. É um recorde histórico.

Desanimada com a derrota na final da Copa Sul-Americana, a torcida são-paulina já deu demonstração de ‘perda de fôlego’ na derrota por 1 a 0 para o Botafogo, no último dia 9. Os 23.918 presentes no Morumbi quebraram uma série de 12 partidas do clube com mais de 30 mil pessoas por jogo em seu estádio. Outra marca histórica.

Segundo levantamento da página ‘Anotações Tricolores‘, há um subjetivismo dos números. Afinal, o Tricolor segue mantendo mantendo 41 jogos consecutivos com mais de 10 mil pessoas em seus jogos como mandante no Morumbi.

O feito, contudo, não é um recorde. Só perde para os 52 jogos imediatamente anteriores ao início da pandemia de Covid-19. Inclusive, se forem ignoradas as duas primeiras partidas no estádio após a volta do público, quando a capacidade estava limitada a 30%, pode-se dizer que a série atual está em 93 jogos.

Apesar da queda de público no Morumbi no pós-Sula, falta muito pouco para o Tricolor quebrar outros recordes. Como ainda restam mais três jogos em casa, o São Paulo deverá bater seu recorde de público no Morumbi ao longo de um ano. Ainda faltam 9.585 pessoas para que seja batido o recorde de 1980, quando cerca de 1,2 milhão passaram pelo estádio.

Anos com maior público total do São Paulo no Morumbi

1980 – 1.194.361
2022 – 1.184.776
1993 – 1.105.698
1981 – 1.090.294
1979 – 1.032.659

Anos com as maiores médias de público do São Paulo no Morumbi

2022 – 33.851
1979 – 31.293
2019 – 31.065
2018 – 29.562
1993 – 28.351

Fonte: Anotações Tricolores

> Confira classificação, jogos e simule resultados do Brasileirão-22
> Conheça o novo aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Manchester United have initiated talks with Chelsea outcast Christopher Nkunku over a possible summer move.

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• Man Utd initiate talks with Nkunku
• Nkunku likely to leave Chelsea this summer
• Man Utd want to sign more attackers after Cunha transfer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Nkunku fell out of favour under Enzo Maresca in the 2024-25 campaign, having clocked just 910 minutes on the pitch in the Premier League. While he appeared in 33 league matches, the Frenchman managed to start in only nine of them. The forward is now linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge and reports that Manchester United are keen on signing the player.

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  The report adds that the Red Devils have initiated initial talks with the player's representatives, although no concrete proposal has been submitted. After completing the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, the club are now eyeing moves for more attackers to bolster their squad. Other than Nkunku, the club are also in touch with Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Nkunku, who is valued at £52 million ($70m), has attracted interest from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and United's Premier League rivals Arsenal.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  United players are currently on holiday after a hectic season and tour in Malaysia and Hong Kong. The squad will reconvene in late July before heading back to Asia for the first part of their pre-season schedule.

“It’s time England stopped acting like the urn has just been stolen from their back pocket by a thief in the night,” Ben Horne writes in the Daily Telegraph

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2023Australia have retained the Ashes with a helping hand from the Manchester weather in a game where they felt the full force of Bazball. But, regardless of their position at Old Trafford when the elements closed in, they had gained an early foothold in the series with hard-fought wins at Edgbaston and at Lord’s.After the second Test, Ben Stokes was adamant that it was a good position for England to be in, focusing the mind on the need for three consecutive victories to become just the second team to recover from 2-0 down to win an Ashes. They succeeded, by a narrow margin, at Headingley, but it left them no wriggle room for events like those which transpired in Manchester.So, for the fourth consecutive time, the urn will remain in Australia’s hands and England’s next chance to regain it will be daunting, in Australia in 2025-26.Related

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The overnight reaction from Australia has largely been an acknowledgement they were outplayed in this Test, and there is some disappointment that the series won’t get a grandstand decider at The Oval. But there has not been much room for any sympathy towards England given their early losses.”Well done Australia winning early doors in the face of the Bazball furnace, they lost tosses and had the worst of conditions but played the better cricket,” wrote Peter Lalor in the . “Those wins at Edgbaston and Lord’s were hard won and an achievement not to be sneered at.”Here’s a suggestion, if you want to win the Ashes, don’t lose the first two Tests,” he went on to add. “If you want to win don’t declare too early in the first match or too late in this one.”A similar theme was taken by Daniel Brettig in the and , where he pointed to the value of the Marnus Labuschagne-Mitchell Marsh partnership during the 30-over window of play on Saturday, in which Australia only lost one wicket.”Of course, after three days it had appeared that England only needed another couple of hours or so to win, so downcast had the Australians looked in declining to 4-113,” he wrote. “But Marnus Labuschagne and Mitch Marsh played staunchly enough across the 30 overs possible on day four, and they always had the cushion of Australia’s wins in Tests one and two.”When it comes down to a final analysis, Australia played the sounder cricket in those opening two Tests when it mattered most. Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head did the heavy lifting with the bat, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc with the ball and yes, Alex Carey was alert to stump Bairstow with the gloves.”1:22

McGlashan: ‘Australia know they have got out of jail’

Over in the , Ben Horne wasn’t pulling any punches over England’s Bazball philosophy.”It’s time England stopped acting like the urn has just been stolen from their back pocket by a thief in the night,” Horne wrote, “and ponder how they put themselves in a predicament where rain at the rainiest venue in Test match cricket has blown up its Ashes comeback hopes on the tarmac.”There is no such thing as moral victories in top level sport, not even when you play an attacking brand of cricket and swear your primary objective is to entertain not to win.”The best thing about this enthralling series, by far, has been Baz Ball. It is captivating and brilliant. But the most tedious thing has been how in love England are with themselves about Baz Ball.”Back in the and Gideon Haigh brought a very measured view to how it all played out, bemoaning how such a captivating series had seen the Ashes decided by two days of rain, but also raising the question as to whether retaining the urn with a drawn series needed to be revisited.”The fantasy of two-all going to The Oval had been enchanting to both sets of fans; only the dimmest partisans so crave trophies as to be gratified by non-results,” Haigh wrote. “Alas for England, a little Australian edge in experience had already stood them in good stead through two nipping finishes, in the latter of which they played the match’s second half with ten fit men.”Convention dictates that the Ashes can only change hands if won outright, by a margin of at least one Test. Yet it is a convention of mysterious provenance, understood rather than codified. And I wonder whether it is quite fair, given that it confers a sizeable advantage before the teams even start, by effectively lending the draw a weighting that favours the holder: no clearer example could there have been than this Old Trafford Test.”1:48

Cummins admits it’s a ‘bit of a strange one’

A similar theme was taken by Andrew Webster in the and – he did not like Josh Hazlewood’s ‘praying for rain’ stance after the third day.”We’re Australians, apparently. We don’t pray for rain: we bludgeon our way with bat, deliver pure fire with ball, and field like Dobermanns. We don’t retain things. We grasp things. We hoist things. We grab a stump and dubiously thrust our hips, as Warnie did at Trent Bridge in 1997,” he wrote.”But if there is one anachronistic edict that must change, it’s retaining a series simply because you’ve won it before,” he later added. “What’s wrong with calling it a drawn series when it is, indeed, a drawn series?”Over on Australian radio, meanwhile, Gerard Whateley of acknowledged Australia were outplayed, but quickly switched focus to some of the reaction in England.”Cry me a river, England,” he said. “The bleating coming from the other side of the world, honestly, you’d think they’d never been a Test match washed away and that the cliched bleak English weather had never assisted the home team’s endeavours previously… like so much in this series, the English are very selective in memory.”

A stellar century by Jordan Cox rescued Kent on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Surrey at Canterbury. The hosts recovered from 41 for 5 to 301 all out, after losing five top order wickets for seven runs in the space of 31 balls.Cox led the fight back with 133, exactly 100 of which came after he was dropped by Ben Foakes. He was also part of two crucial partnerships, putting on 121 for the sixth wicket with Joey Evison, who made 58, then exactly 100 for the ninth with Wes Agar, who made 51.Surrey’s Sean Abbott took 4 for 52, but the visitors were 18 for two at stumps, trailing by 283 after Wes Agar claimed two late wickets.The big news before the start of play was Kent’s decision to omit Sam Billings after what was described as “mutual discussions around form.” The captain had averaged 9.19 so far this season so this wasn’t a bombshell, but even this ritual sacrifice did little to improve the mood of a festival crowd during a torrid morning session.”I think most of the boys knew before,” Cox said of Billings’ decision. “We’ve all been struggling for runs, I’m not going to lie, so it was all about scoring runs and I think, for the best interests of the team he was like ‘I’m going to step down for this game.'”He might come in for the next game, but he was like, ‘for me, this is what I want to do, this is what I need to do’ and that’s proper from a captain. A lot of captains would just go ‘no, I’m the captain of the team, I need to play,’ but he was like ‘I want this for the team, I’ve not been playing well, I understand that. I know I’m captain of the club but it still means I can get dropped’ so he’s done that and it’s shown to the boys that we have to score runs and anyone can get dropped, even Joe Denly, who’s played 170 games.”Kent won the toss, chose to bat in front of a good festival crowd and eased through 11 overs, only to lose four wickets for a single run in 13 balls. Both openers fell to slip catches off Abbott in the 12th, Ben Compton for 9, edging the first delivery to Will Jacks at third and Tawanda Muyeye for 21, nudging the final ball to Dom Sibley at first.The next three batters made ducks. Daniel Bell-Drummond was lbw to Jordan Clark and at the start of the 14th Abbott bowled Joe Denly with a ball that nipped back. Cox survived the hat-trick ball but when Clark had stand-in skipper Jack Leaning caught behind soon afterwards the natives were getting restless.On the boundary a member greeted another with the polite enquiry: “Good morning, all right?” The reply was blunt: “Yes. Only I’m not all right, and it’s not a good morning.”Evision’s arrival prompted a more defiant yell of: “Come on Joey, they don’t like it up ’em,” and he at least prevented further damage before lunch, at which point Kent were 80 for 5. It nearly got worse for Kent when Cox edged Abbott, but Foakes dropped a simple chance.Evison completed his half-century by hooking the same bowler to the boundary and looked well set until he edged Dan Moriarty to Foakes. Surrey’s keeper then took a smart catch off Gus Atkinson to get rid of Hamid Qadri for 5, flinging himself to the leg side, before Atkinson sent Quinn’s leg stump flying for 10, but Kent were on 211 for 8 at tea, with Agar showing signs he could have been higher up the order.The runs started to flow in the evening session. Cox reached three figures with an elegant reverse-swept four off Moriarty and although Will Jacks nearly had him caught on the boundary when he was on 123, Sibley had to step over the rope before completing the catch.The new ball eventually did for Cox, who hit Abbott to Clark at mid-on but the bowler was denied a five-wicket haul when Arshdeep Singh skied the next ball and Burns couldn’t cling on.That drop was less costly as Worrall had Agar caught by Sibley at first slip in the next over, but it left Surrey with 11 overs to navigate before stumps.Arshdeep’s first three overs in county cricket were all maidens but it was Agar who made the breakthrough, drawing Burns into a hook that was caught by Quinn at short fine leg for 15. Nightwatcher Atkinson then fell in almost identical fashion to the final ball of the day, leaving even Kent’s most pessimistic fans beaming.

The 25-year old allrounder, who caught the eye of the Mumbai Indians scouts in 2022, has retained his place in the side despite an injury setback last season

Navneet Jha02-Apr-2023The biggest challenge for Mumbai Indians heading into IPL 2023 was to fill the Jasprit Bumrah-sized hole in their fast bowling department. This has, however, helped realise the dream of Arshad Khan, an all-rounder from Gopalganj, Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh, who might have earned his Mumbai Indians cap a year back.Mumbai bagged Arshad at his base price of INR 20 lakh in the 2022 mega auction, but an injury ruled him out of the tournament and he was replaced by his domestic teammate Kumar Kartikeya. Arshad was devastated, but went home and began training children in Seoni free of cost as he began his recovery.”He was deeply disappointed at missing out on the IPL, but one of his strengths has always been his unwillingness to give up,” Arshad’s coach Abdul Kalam says. “His passion for cricket has been such that he would regularly travel 300 km from Seoni to Jabalpur to play cricket matches. It required him to wake at three in the morning, but he never failed to turn up for these matches ahead of time.”Related

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Arshad first caught the eye when he finished as the top wicket-taker at the Under-25 CK Nayudu Trophy in the 2019-20 season, with 36 wickets, in addition to scoring 400 runs. That included a ton – a 134 against Assam – and a counter-attacking 86 off 54 balls, including five sixes and nine fours, against Mumbai which took MP from 112 for 7 to a total of 229. He later picked up a couple of wickets too in the match, and it was this performance that first got him noticed by Mumbai Indians’ scouting team, and possibly why they retained him this year despite him not playing a single match last season.”Arshad has always enjoyed overcoming challenges,” Arshad’s elder brother Zakaria says. “I still remember when he was first picked by Mumbai Indians, our father was about to leave for (evening prayers), and by the time he returned from the mosque, it was a festive atmosphere at home. It was like the entire village had descended on our home to share in the joy.”Arshad Khan (right) and his coach Abdul Kalam•Arshad KhanArshad’s father Ashfaque himself has been a coach with the Seoni District Cricket Association, beside his regular employment as an educator, and he was the first one to identify his son’s talent. “He was nine years old and was playing with kids much older than him and smacking them for massive sixes,” Ashfaque says. “When I saw him pull off some professional-looking shots, I made up my mind that he must make it as a cricketer.Ashfaque then took his son to Kalam. “There were some trials on, and I saw him play the cut and pull with such perfection that I realised this boy is rather special,” Kalam says. “Not making the most of that talent would have been injustice both to Arshad, but to the game of cricket.”At 11, Arshad had already made the state Under-14 team. “When he started off, Arshad was a specialist left-handed batter,” Kalam says. “There was once a game in Jabalpur against Hoshangabad division, where the Jabalpur bowling was proving ineffective. I consulted Jabalpur division secretary Dharmesh Patel, and we decided to hand him the new ball. He was a natural with both inswing and outswing. That was the day he took his game to another level.”Earlier this February, Arshad turned out for Reliance 1, led by World Cup winner Piyush Chawla, along with the likes of Tilak Verma, Kartikeya and Hrithik Shokeen, at the DY Patil T20 Cup. Arshad took two wickets and also contributed to two run-outs in the tournament opener against BPCL. Against DY Patil Group B, he removed openers Naushad Sheikh and Priyam Garg, and helped himself to 22 off 14 with the bat. His three overs in the final went for just 18 and also picked up a wicket.Arshad’s mother Aaliya says: “Arshad is where he is because of his father’s sacrifices throughout his life. I remember his father would only earn 15,000 a month, but he provided his son with his cricket kit that cost 16,000 rupees. All we pray for is that he makes his family and his country proud one day.”

Everton’s relegation worries in the Premier League are now a distant memory with David Moyes at the helm.

Since his return to the Toffees hot seat, the rejuvenated Merseyside outfit have only lost once in the Premier League, with a fifth victory from eight clashes on the cards if it wasn’t for a late Manchester United turnaround last time out.

Still, with how bleak times were under Sean Dyche, nobody at full-time would grumble too much with a share of the points, as the Scotsman continues to get the best out of players once cast aside by the ex-Burnley boss.

Everton star looks "transformed" under Moyes

The main Toffees man who has seen his career pumped full of new life since Moyes’ return opened the scoring against Ruben Amorim’s hit-and-miss Red Devils, with the revitalised centre-forward in the midst of an unbelievable purple patch of form.

Indeed, the “transformed” Beto – as he’s labelled by football journalist Henry Winter – now has five strikes from his last four Premier League outings, with the Portuguese striker in the right place at the right time to fire home a strike after some lax United attempts to clear the ball away.

This is the case despite Dyche regularly not throwing the imposing 6 foot 4 figure into contests, with all five of his league starts for the season coming under Moyes, as the ex-Udinese man more than continues to justify his fresh manager’s belief in him.

Whilst this is an obvious plus at Goodison Park, this new development could be another nail in the coffin for an injury-prone Toffees face, with an exit from the club growing closer.

Chalkboard

Big-money earner now looks finished after Beto emergence

Everton were in dire need of something fresh in the striker department, with Dyche’s Toffees very much goal-shy and tepid in forward areas when you consider his lowly side only bagged one meagre goal from his final five top-flight outings.

That’s where Beto has thankfully come to the rescue, but it could signal the end for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, therefore, who sees his contract with the Merseyside titans expire this approaching June.

From 14 more Premier League starts this campaign than Beto, the declining 27-year-old only has a weak three strikes next to his name, with this sorry tale of the Everton number nine unfolding for some time now.

Last season, Calvert-Lewin only bagged one more than his counterpart’s ever-growing total across 26 league matches, as his powers in front of goal noticeably began to wane more and more away from focusing in on his consistent spells out of the side owing to injury.

24/25

22

8

3

1

23/24

38

6

8

3

22/23

18

29

2

1

21/22

18

33

5

2

20/21

39

5

21

3

19/20

41

0

15

1

18/19

38

1

8

3

17/18

44

14

8

5

16/17

11

0

1

0

When looking at the table above, it does feel as if Calvert-Lewin has been steadily falling off since his 21-goal season back in the 2020/21 campaign, with a whole host of injury issues impacting the ex-Sheffield United attacker negatively.

Already missing from action for eight games this time around, Moyes and Co can only be patient with their £100k-per-week man for so long, as reports now even begin to surface that Everton are interested in a summer swoop for ex-Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham.

Whilst it’s clear that Calvert-Lewin can be a goal machine, his best days do seem to be behind him now, whilst Beto might well have more in the tank moving forward.

Everton can strike gold on "unsung hero" who's a £50m star in the making

He’s made a positive impression at Goodison Park this season.

ByAngus Sinclair Feb 23, 2025