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Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer is going nowhere as sporting director Max Eberl confirms that a renewal for the goalkeeper is imminent.

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Neuer set to renew with BayernClub sporting director gave the confirmationNeuer's current contract expiring in 2025Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Manuel Neuer is poised to extend his tenure as both Bayern Munich’s captain and first-choice goalkeeper, with club sporting director Max Eberl confirming that the veteran shot-stopper is on the brink of signing a contract extension. According to Eberl, only "the final details" remain to be finalized before the deal is officially agreed.

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Neuer, who retired from the German national team earlier this year, was in the final year of his contract at Bayern, signalling a potential change of guard at Germany's biggest club. However, the 38-year-old, who will turn 39 in March, is now set to continue wearing the Bavarian colors until the end of the 2025-26 season. The news of his contract renewal potentially signals the end of Alexander Nubel’s future at Bayern, as the 28-year-old, currently on loan at Stuttgart until 2026, will likely be considering his options now.

WHAT MAX EBERL SAID

"We've spoken. We both are happy and we will be glad when [the contract extension] finally happens," Eberl expressed (as quoted by Spox). "The talks are definitely in the direction that we can imagine it [an extension]. From our side, and Manu can imagine it very well too. Now we need to clarify the final details."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANUEL NEUER?

Neuer is currently out on the sidelines after sustaining a broken rib injury in the DFB-Pokal loss to Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month. He will return to action in January, following the winter break.

While he enjoyed a relatively successful debut season in charge of Manchester United, there hasn't been an awful lot to cheer about for Erik ten Hag in the last year and a half.

Granted, the Dutchman has lifted two trophies in England, but considering their terrible form in the Premier League, things are looking too rosy at Old Trafford.

However, despite the disastrous results, constant injury problems and division in the fanbase, there are a few positives within the squad, notably the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo.

Despite still being so young, the tenacious midfielder has made himself an important member of the first-team, and as a result, his valuation has exploded from what it was when Ten Hag arrived, per Transfermarkt.

1 Mainoo's market value when Ten Hag took over

Ten Hag was officially announced as United's new manager in April 2022, but he didn't officially start until the end of that season.

At this point, Mainoo had just turned 17 and was a relative unknown to most fans in the country.

This was reflected in his first valuation in November 2022, which priced him at just €300k, or about £250k.

2 Mainoo's market value in June 2023

Now, the young midfielder's next two appraisals came in March and June of the following year, and while he still wasn't a household name, he had made his first team debut.

During the 22/23 campaign, he made three appearances for the first team; one in the FA Cup, one in the Premier League and one in the League Cup, all amounting to 87 minutes of action.

These early showings saw his price tag almost triple to around €800k for both valuations, which converts to about £675k.

3 Mainoo's market value in December 2023

By last December, the young midfielder was a well-known prospect by most fans in the Premier League.

However, due to an ankle injury he sustained in pre-season, he had only made two appearances by the end of November, but it was crystal clear that he had a significant role to play over the next five months.

This shift from fringe player to squad player unsurprisingly saw his valuation shoot up to €6m, which is about £5m.

4 Mainoo's market value in March 2024

At this point last season, the then-18-year-old "baller", as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, was not just a regular part of United's first team but a crucially important starter.

Additionally, the Stockport-born gem had already scored his first goal for the team in an FA Cup game away to Newport County and won his first senior England cap on March 23rd.

This rapid rise and impressive impact at the club and international level saw his valuation skyrocket and reach a new peak of €35m, which is about £30m, and it was entirely justified.

5 Mainoo's market value in July 2024

So, we come to the 19-year-old's most recent valuation, which stands at a whopping €55m, or £46m, which is an enormous 18300% increase from his very first valuation in November 2022.

However, while it might sound extreme to some, it makes perfect sense, considering the season he had last year.

Appearances

32

Goal

5

Assists

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.18

In all, he made 32 appearances for United's first team, in which he scored five goals and provided one assist.

Then, in the summer, he made 6 appearances for England at the European Championships, five of which were starts, including the final.

Moreover, he scored in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, so there really isn't much else he could have done, and the fact that he's still a teenager makes it all that bit more remarkable.

Ultimately, United have an academy gem with the world at their feet in Mainoo. If he can remain fit, then there is no limit to what he can achieve in the game and no limit to how much he might be worth in the future.

Left for £0: Man Utd could regret losing star who's now outscoring Hojlund

The vastly experienced poacher is enjoying a career renaissance.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 11, 2024

The Bats honored Ryan's request to be traded, with the 25-year-old on the move to Houston

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Gotham trade Yazmeen Ryan to Houston DashU.S. international requested transferHistoric $400,000 fee involvedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

U.S. women's national team midfielder and two-time NWSL champion Yazmeen Ryan has been traded from Gotham FC to the Houston Dash for a reported $400,000 fee – a historic number for an intra-league transfer.

The confirmed the transfer Thursday afternoon, revealing to The Athletic that the 25-year-old had requested a transfer away from the club, and that as a result, they "worked tirelessly to honor her request."

Ryan arrived in NY/NJ in 2023, and helped the club to their first NWSL Championship later that year. Internationally, she debuted under Emma Hayes in 2024.

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Ryan's departure is the third offseason move for the this season. The club already dealt U.S. international Lynn Williams and goalkeeper Cassie Miller to the Seattle Reign for midfielder Jaelin Howell, $70,000 in allocation money and a 2025 international roster spot.

In addition, Gotham added Ghanaian midfielder Stella Nyamekye after losing Delanie Sheehan to free agency earlier this month.

In 2024, Ryan tallied five goals and five assists, playing a key role as the returned to the NWSL semifinals for the second-straight season.

“It was such a pleasure watching Yazmeen thrive at Gotham FC, capped off by her USWNT debut this season,” Averbuch West said in a statement to The Athletic. “As a player-first organization, our front office worked tirelessly to honor her request for a move. This is a historic deal for Gotham FC and the NWSL, which speaks to the quality of Yazmeen’s play and character.”

DID YOU KNOW?

The Dash finished bottom of the NWSL table in 2024 with a 5-5-16 record. Actively undergoing a rebuild, the club recently hired former Angel City general manager Angela Hucles Mangano, and are in the process of naming a new coach heading into 2025 after the dismissal of Fran Alonso in October.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RYAN?

The NWSL is in offseason mode. Internationally, Ryan could work her way into Hayes' USWNT this February for the next edition of the SheBelieves Cup.

Haider Ali has also been withdrawn from the tours of England and West Indies, and replaced by Sohaib Maqsood

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2021Peshawar Zalmi’s Haider Ali and Umaid Asif have been suspended from Thursday’s PSL final against the Multan Sultans in Abu Dhabi after the duo admitted to charges of violating the tournament’s health and safety protocols by meeting people from outside their biosecure bubbles. They also failed to maintain the prescribed social distancing.A release from the PCB said the incident occurred on Wednesday and the decision to withdraw the two players was taken on the morning of the final by the tournament’s Covid-19 management panel comprising Barrister Salman Naseer (PCB, chief operating officer) and Babar Hamid (director – commercial, and PSL head).”The two cricketers were found not to have interacted with any other squad members at any time after the incident and have been placed in room isolation,” the release said.For the same reason, Ali has also been withdrawn from the upcoming tours of England and the West Indies, and replaced by Sohaib Maqsood.Asif’s exclusion is a significant blow for the finalists, with the fast bowler a mainstay in the starting eleven. He had played every one of Zalmi’s games in Abu Dhabi up till now, with Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan the only other available teammates to have taken more than his eight wickets this season. While Haider has struggled for form and was dropped from the side four games into the Abu Dhabi leg, he remained a potentially explosive option ahead of the final.Asif released a statement following the announcement, acknowledging the breach and expressing “immense remorse for my actions”. “I am bitterly disappointed at not only missing out on playing in the PSL final but more importantly for letting my Peshawar Zalmi teammates down,” he said.

After a bleak campaign last season that ended with a surprise triumph in the FA Cup, Erik ten Hag and Manchester United have a massive ten months ahead of them in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, while the Dutchman's side were able to win their opening game against Fulham last month, they have since lost away to Brighton & Hove Albion and, even worse than that, at home to Liverpool.

The three-time European Champions will need their attacking players like Alejandro Garnacho, who enjoyed a brilliant campaign last year, and Marcus Rashford, who wasn't quite as effective, firing on all cylinders from here on out if they are going to break back into the Champions League places come May.

Interestingly, though, a former United flop who was sold almost a decade ago actually managed to outscore both wingers last season.

Garnacho and Rashford's 23/24

Okay, so while United were rather dismal in the league overall last season, Garnacho actually enjoyed a relatively successful year for someone his age.

For example, in 50 appearances, the 20-year-old winger racked up a haul of ten goals and five assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 3.33 games, which for a side with the 15th worst underlying numbers in the league, per Understat, isn't bad going.

Moreover, while he has been in the side for some time now and has therefore become a recognisable face to the fans, he is well ahead of where most attackers are at his age, as according to research by The Athletic, wide players hit their peak at around 26 years old.

Now, while the Madrid-born dynamo can look back on last season as a year of progression, unfortunately, Rashford cannot. In fact, it was undeniably a campaign in which he regressed.

In 22/23, the Manchester-born star was practically unplayable and ended the season with a ludicrous tally of 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 matches, while last year, he could only manage eight goals and six assists in 43 appearances.

This means he went from averaging a goal involvement once every 1.36 games to once every 3.07 games in the space of a year, so it's not hard to see why some fans are starting to lose their patience with him, especially as he has yet to open his account this season.

So, it would be fair to say that between Rashford and Garnacho, it was a season of mixed fortunes last year, although both were outperformed by a former United flop who left almost a decade ago.

Ángel Di María's 23/24

Yes, the player in question is none other than World Cup winner Ángel Di María, who joined Louis Van Gaal's United side for about £60m in August 2014, scored four goals and provided 11 assists in 32 games, and then left the following summer to join Paris Saint-Germain for about £44m.

Now, while the Argentine icon did put up some pretty impressive numbers for the Red Devils, he didn't quite set the world alight as many hoped.

Moreover, he later revealed that several factors, including a break-in and disagreements with Van Gaal, meant he had to leave, and considering he recently labelled the Dutchman as the "worst manager" he's ever played for, we imagine that was the main factor.

The Rosario-born dynamo spent the next seven seasons playing in Paris, where he picked up five league titles, before moving to Juventus for the 22/23 campaign, in which he managed a return of eight goals and seven assists – oh, and he also won the World Cup that December.

In the summer of 2023, he made what is likely to be his final transfer and rejoined his first club, Benfica, where he has since been tearing it up.

Appearances

48

50

43

Goals

17

10

8

Assists

15

5

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.66

0.30

0.32

Last season, the "outstanding" winger, as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, scored 17 goals and provided 15 assists in 48 matches, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 1.5 games for the Portuguese giants, thus outscoring the two United wingers.

However, the caveat here is that while Liga Nos is stronger than most people give it credit for, the level of competition is still lower than that of the Premier League, and while he's had a brilliant career since leaving Old Trafford, selling him was the right thing to do for all parties involved.

Man Utd flop sold for £3m has been outperforming Rashford & Antony

The former Red Devil has been on a world tour in the last couple of years.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 7, 2024

Senior internationals make the difference as Trent Rockets are undone after flying start

Andrew Miller24-Jul-2021Southern Brave 133 for 5 (Taylor 45*, Shrubsole 40*) beat Trent Rockets 110 for 7 (Sciver 44, Shrubsole 4-13) by 23 runsAnya Shrubsole and Stafanie Taylor produced crucial roles with bat and then ball, as Southern Brave recovered from a catastrophic opening gambit to ease to a 23-run victory over Trent Rockets in their opening match of the women’s Hundred at Trent Bridge.The two experienced campaigners shared in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 76, making 40 not out from 30 and 45 not out from 31 respectively, before chipping in with five wickets between them in their defence of 134, Shrubsole topping and tailing the innings superbly for the game-sealing figures of 4 for 13 in 20 balls.Rockets’ own England stars did their utmost to keep their side competitive, with Nat Sciver top-scoring in the chase with 44 from 29, including a third-wicket stand of 66 with her partner, and fiancée, Katherine Brunt. But when both were extracted in the space of three balls, their challenge fell away.Power goes to Brave’s headsSmriti Mandhana, Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley made for an imposing top three in Southern Brave’s ranks, and on a venue with Trent Bridge’s run-laden reputation, the expectation was for fireworks in the Powerplay … until it all went “splut”.Three dot balls from Brunt to Wyatt set the early tone – and the fourth would have been a run-out had Sammy-Jo Johnson’s throw found the stumps with Wyatt scuttling through for a reckless opening single. But two balls later, and with the first of her own set, Johnson made amends in priceless style. Mandhana lined up a swipe over the short leg-side boundary, but top-edged a steepler for Michaela Kirk to cling on well in the deep.Dunkley, England’s breakthrough star of the India series, drilled Brave’s opening boundary back down the ground, but perished on the drive five balls later, the victim of an exceptional first-time pick-up from Sarah Glenn at mid-off, and a sharp gather from Kathryn Bryce by the non-striker’s stumps.And Brave’s formless Powerplay was capped in Sciver’s first set, when Wyatt followed up a pull for four through square leg with a cramped top-edge to mid-on. The first 25 balls came and went with a scoreline of 17 for 3, and Rockets had grabbed an early stranglehold.Anya Shrubsole struck early in the chase•Getty ImagesTaylor, Shrubsole pick up the pieces
Fortunately for Brave, the power in their line-up wasn’t limited to the top three. In Taylor, West Indies’ T20 World Cup-winning captain, and Shrubsole – England’s 2017 World Cup hero, albeit with the ball – there was oodles of seen-it-all experience lurking down their order.And they need all of it, as the wickets kept slipping away – Maia Bouchier threatened for a time with three forceful boundaries before a leading edge to cover off Sarah Glenn, and Amanda-Jade Wellington never got going in her 5 from nine balls. But from 57 for 5 after 55 balls, Taylor and Shrubsole racked up 76 unbeaten runs from the final 45, to set up an eminently defendable total.After staying watchful in the Powerplay, Taylor raised her tempo mid-innings, including a vast, swept six over midwicket off Glenn. But she was starved of the strike thereafter, facing just five deliveries between balls 43 and 71, and it was Shrubsole who signalled Brave’s late charge, taking ten off Bryce’s third set of five including a brace of cover drives, before a slap over wide long-on for six after picking Sciver’s slower ball.She continued her assault on Glenn with two more fours in her final five, before Taylor showcased her sense of timing at the death, denting Brunt’s exceptional figures with two thumps through backward square to finish unbeaten on 45 from 31.Rockets explode in Powerplay
Four, out, four, out, four. With a single in between whiles, Rockets launched their chase with an unsubtle opening gambit. Rachel Priest fell to a fourth-ball slog as Anya Shrubsole gained revenge for her earlier clout through square leg, while Lauren Bell dispatched Sammy-Jo Johnson with her own third delivery, having just been slammed over the covers.But Brunt arrived with a dismissive slap for four through point, and when Sciver followed a snick past the keeper for four with three more conventional boundaries in a row off Tara Norris, it seemed the tone of the chase had been established. But Shrubsole closed out the Powerplay by conceding just two more runs, and when Bell returned with three from five of her own, the tempo suddenly changed …Wellington’s five-ball maiden
Flight, loop, guile and turn… it was all on display as Amanda-Jade Wellington entered the fray with her legbreaks, and had Brunt in knots as she struggled and failed to counter her overspin. Wellington duly became the first bowler in Hundred history to serve up a “maiden” (the Sky commentators seem to think that terminology still exists even if “over” has been outlawed) and was instantly handed a second set to keep up the pressure. Brunt and Sciver scuffed a succession of singles to break the immediate stranglehold but only five runs from ten balls was an outstanding handbrake to Rockets’ mid-innings momentum.Pace off the ball was clearly the way to go, especially against the hard-heaving Brunt, who had struggled to 16 from 24 balls at the halfway mark of the chase, at which point the requirement was a stiff but obtainable 83 from 50. Sciver threatened to make it look insubstantial when she climbed into Stafanie Taylor with three fours in five, including a powerful reverse-sweep to disrupt her ploy of bowling wide outside off.But back came Bell to deceive Sciver with an outstanding back-of-the-hand slower ball, and when Taylor returned to end Brunt’s struggle with a top-edged slog to square leg, Rockets had slumped to 76 for 4 with two new batters at the crease. Despite the best efforts of Heather Graham at the death, the requirement was already out of reach by the time Shrubsole popped up with three in four balls to put the seal on a comprehensive win.

Jamie Redknapp has warned Liverpool fans that turning down Real Madrid will be "almost impossible" for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

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Alexander-Arnold linked with Real MadridRight-back will hit free agency this summerLiverpool criticised for Van Dijk and Salah's contracts too

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WHAT HAPPENED?

Amid mounting criticism of Alexander-Arnold's performance against Manchester United, Redknapp has come to his defence. The right-back was at fault for Lisandro Martinez's goal for the Red Devils, and since his mistake, he has faced a barrage of criticism from several legends of the game, including Roy Keane and Emmanuel Petit, who have questioned his defensive credibility.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT REDKNAPP SAID

Speaking on podcast, Redknapp expressed disbelief over the backlash Alexander-Arnold has faced and said: "I think Trent can have off days defensively. You know, there is absolutely no doubt his defensive attributes are far outweighed by how good he is going with the ball. He's a genius with that right foot. But defensively, he can be found out. And that was certainly one of those days. I've seen him have worse games than that. He can have those types of games. He had one. There's no two ways about it, and they exploited it. But I think now for Trent, he just needs to make sure that he finishes the season really well."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The poor performance has sparked speculation about whether the growing rumours of Real Madrid’s interest are affecting Alexander-Arnold.

"It does feel like all of a sudden the whole narrative about Madrid has sort of started to take over, and I think that’s probably come because Madrid made the bid," he said. "I think that's probably bought it to the forefront. And maybe by trying to be a little bit clever, almost trying to help Trent, I think they've actually made the situation worse.

"I think there's only one club as a player where you just… with that white kit, and when Real Madrid come calling, it's almost impossible to turn down. My view is if you get an opportunity to go and try something, try a different culture, go and do something different in your life, in your career, how can he begrudge anyone that?"

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DID YOU KNOW?

Alexander-Arnold’s uncertain future is part of a larger issue facing Liverpool, with key players Salah and Van Dijk also nearing the end of their contracts. Redknapp criticised Liverpool’s handling of these situations, calling it 'negligence' to allow such pivotal players to reach the final months of their deals without resolution.

"It’s been negligence by Liverpool to let three world-class players come to the end of their contracts," he said. "I think Virgil, they have to make a play for him and make him stay. If there was one that you had to keep, it's certainly Virgil. And I still think that Mohammed Salah will stay. So, the two out of the three will stay."

A new transfer update has emerged regarding Manchester United’s pursuit of “world-class” free agent Adrien Rabiot, with a reporter sharing news he’s heard from Old Trafford.

Man Utd transfer news

Despite the summer transfer window closing at the end of last month, United have continued to be linked with signings, as well as the potential to sell current players.

One of those figures in the latter category is Casemiro, who endured a torrid afternoon at home to Liverpool recently, gifting them two goals in their 3-0 win at Old Trafford in the Premier League, and he was left out of Erik ten Hag’s starting lineup for the trip to Southampton on Saturday. A move to Galatasaray was mooted for the Brazilian, but that has ended up not materialising.

In terms of incomings, Rosenborg BK teenager Sverre Halseth Nypan has been mentioned as a possible addition for United, with the 17-year-old once saying that it would be a “dream” to complete a move to Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Monaco right-back Vanderson has also been linked with a switch to the Red Devils, but Chelsea and Tottenham are believed to be in the mix to acquire the 23-year-old’s signature, too. Now, another claim has dropped regarding another rumoured addition.

Transfer update on Man Utd and Adrien Rabiot

According to Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke, Manchester United are now “unlikely” to sign Rabiot, despite him being available on a free transfer and heavily linked with the Red Devils.

The 29-year-old left Juventus at the end of last season and has been without a club since, standing out as one of the most high-profile free agents on the market at the moment, being valued at £30m by Transfermarkt.

Rabiot could have been such a strong signing by United if they had tried to get him, considering he has won seven league titles in his career – six with Paris Saint-Germain and one with Juve. He has also been lauded by former France striker David Trezeguet, who said of him in 2022:

“We are talking about a problem for Juventus because in Italy he may have been targeted for criticism, but in France it’s completely different. He is world class, an extraordinary player. Now he will evaluate his options and will go back to being the important player he always was.”

There is an argument to say that United are being wise in not signing a 29-year-old on big wages, however, with the club guilty of bringing in ageing players whose best years are behind them in recent years. Casemiro is arguably an example of that, so bringing in a younger midfield alternative to Rabiot could make more sense further down the line, perhaps in January.

Better than Martinez: 9/10 Man Utd star has just made himself undroppable

He was even better than Martinez against Southampton on Saturday.

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 15, 2024

That being said, should their stance change all of a sudden, there is no reason why the France international couldn’t be a shrewd signing for a few years, bringing experience in the middle of the park and possibly acting as a short-term upgrade on Casemiro.

Nottingham Forest saw their five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League come to an end on Saturday afternoon, with the Tricky Trees slipping up at home to an-inform Fulham side at the City Ground

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side had previously won two, and drawn three of their first five games, the most impressive result being a 1-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield.

Despite only averaging 40.2% possession – the third lowest in the division, and averaging 77.7% pass accuracy – the third worst in the division, Forest have managed to see out games, get points on the board and ensure that relegation scraps could be a distant memory this season.

Forest's current striking options

Forest’s two main striking options this season, are Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi. Wood has started the season strong, scoring three goals in six games, after netting 15 goals last season across 35 appearances.

Awoniyi made 22 appearances last term, scoring six times and providing three assists in 1,194 minutes played. The 27-year-old started the Premier League season in 2023 on fire by scoring three times in as many outings before suffering a groin injury in November that’s never really seen his recover his true form since.

Both strikers are brilliant options for Forest and clearly have goal-scoring capabilities in the Premier League.

However, this summer, Nuno was keen to bring another striker to the club, one who could fire them as far away from the relegation zone as possible.

When Forest missed out on Santiago Gimenez

In the summer, Forest made an attempt to sign Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord, after the 23-year-old striker scored 26 goals in 41 appearances last campaign, also providing eight assists in 3,204 minutes played.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.

Gimenez has been labelled “incredible” by Jacek Kulig, scoring for fun in the Eredivisie, and that did not go unnoticed, with Forest making a move, and Tottenham also being a club interested in his services.

Goals

0.83

0.61

0.45

Assists

0.22

0.04

0.23

xG

0.81

0.59

0.41

Progressive Carries

1.69

0.80

0.69

Progressive Passes

1.40

1.49

1.21

Shots Total

3.85

2.25

2.20

Shots on Target

1.82

1.19

0.98

Key Passes

1.02

1.09

0.86

Shot-Creating Actions

2.58

2.19

2.59

Aerials Won

1.34

3.58

1.81

When comparing Gimenez to the two current Forest strikers, it is clear to see what he offers in addition to the goalscoring qualities they all possess.

The Feyenoord star is a strong carrier, averaging 1.69 progressive carries per 90, allowing him to not only create for himself, but also for others, by getting his side up the pitch.

He has a high shot volume – higher than both Forest men – generating 0.81 xG per 90, a huge positive in itself. This means the Mexican is not only finishing off chances with 0.83 goals per 90 minutes but also getting into great areas to score goals consistently.

Wood and Awoniyi could easily be enough for Forest to stay up, and they are already showing signs of this. However, the club’s summer target could have really taken them to the next level, adding more all round play, and even linking up with Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi, further improving their game too.

Forest may regret selling amazing star who's now worth way more than Aina

Forest may regret selling defensive star years ago

2 ByConnor Holden Sep 15, 2024

Kimber scores 63 in four-wicket, DLS victory but other results don’t go Foxes’ way

ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2021Leicestershire Foxes missed out on a Royal London Cup knockout spot despite a Louis Kimber-inspired four-run DLS victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road.The Foxes needed to win and hope for two of Surrey, Somerset and Yorkshire to lose but in spite of holding up their end of the bargain they fell a point shy in Group 1.Kimber struck 63, his second List A fifty, with Rishi Patel, Arron Lilley and Rehan Ahmed helping the Foxes to 271.Rain meant the Steelbacks needed 266 from 48 over, but Rob Keogh’s 52 wasn’t enough as they fell agonisingly short – with Will Davis, Gavin Griffiths and Ben Mike all taking two wickets apiece.The Foxes won the toss and hared out the gate as Patel aggressively blasted 41 off 33 balls, including a pick up six over midwicket.He and opening partner Harry Swindles were both bounced out by Ben Sanderson – the former plinking to extra cover to hand the fast bowler his 50th List A wicket and the latter wonderfully caught by a diving Saif Zaib at deep square leg.Like Patel, Lilley showed that an attacking spirit was the best way to make runs – the all-rounder striking 46 off 37 deliveries for his third consecutive highest format score.Partnerships were extinguished just as they started to flourish – eight of the stands producing between 20 and 50 runs – with Lewis Hill losing the top of his off-stump to Sanderson, Lilley stumped and George Rhodes leg before to Simon Kerrigan.Mike tamely chipped to midwicket and Ed Barnes was plumb in front to Zaib but Kimber provided the paste with a 53-ball half-century. He was squared up and bowled by a crafty Kerrigan delivery, while 16-year-old Ahmed marshalled the tail with a promising unbeaten 40 before Zaib bowled both Griffiths and Davis – the spinner ending with personal best figures of 3 for 37.The Steelbacks raced to 45 in 7.5 overs before rain helped slow up a wicket which was already friendly to the spin bowlers.Emilio Gay collected 42 of the first 53 runs, including eight boundaries, before he was lbw to George Rhodes and Ricardo Vasconcelos followed soon after when he slashed to point.A third wicket in 10 balls, Ben Curran chopping on, came as the hosts stalled – with a nine overs gap between boundaries highlighting the Foxes’ containment.Luke Procter and Keogh were pragmatic, if rarely pretty, in their 89-run stand. The latter reached his half-century off 56 balls before swatting to midwicket but the former fell short when he hammered straight to point for 48 – both falling to Mike.Zaib tried to take control with 42 from 41, which included a towering maximum over square, but swung a full toss straight to deep midwicket with 37 still needed from 25 balls.James Sales had put on 63 with Zaib and picked out exactly the same fielder, as did Kerrigan.It meant 25 were needed from the last 11 balls, but despite Sanderson’s big-hitting, Jack White was run out to drag the Foxes over the line.