Narine hasn’t played for the West Indies since August 2019

Firdose Moonda26-Jun-2021West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has said that Sunil Narine could return to the T20 side after he regains confidence in his bowling action. Narine, who was warned for a suspect action at last year’s IPL, has not been named in the squad to play South Africa in the five-match T20I series starting from Saturday. Earlier this year, following his absence from the T20I squad to play Sri Lanka, Narine had told the selectors that he was “not ready” to return to international cricket.”He (Narine) had indicated to the selectors that he might have been available after the IPL,” Pollard said. “Then, the IPL was cut short halfway through so he might not have got the necessary preparation or confidence in his action, so he indicated that he is still not ready. We’ll play it by ear as we go along.”Related

Narine and the fading of offspin

Narine indicates he's 'not ready' for WI return

Russell returns to WI squad

Narine last played for West Indies in August 2019, in a series against India, but there have been complaints over his bowling action since 2014. He was part of the first half of this year’s IPL and has played for Trinidad and Tobago in the Super50 Cup before that, where he performed well with the ball. Given that spinners are likely to play a significant role in the next T20 World Cup, whether it is held in India or the UAE, Narine could be an important player for the West Indies; but for now, they have to plan without him.That’s no different to the way West Indies are usually forced to prepare for major tournaments – without big-name players – and Pollard explained it’s one of the reasons their bilateral record has suffered. West Indies have only won two of their last eight T20I series but are the current T20 World Cup holders and have won the title once before, in 2012.

“We hear the noise, sometimes loud and clear. When you look at it from a logical perspective if you go with only youngsters, there will still be noise.”Kieron Pollard

“Our results in ICC tournaments are good and I wouldn’t want to change that,” Pollard said. “It’s just that when it comes to these kinds of series, it’s about having the guys available or not. In World Cups, we tend to get the guys we want to have playing, playing.”But West Indies do have several superstars available for the South Africa series – with Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo in the squad. But that has come with criticisms of its own that Pollard is well aware of. “We hear the noise, sometimes loud and clear. When you look at it from a logical perspective if you go with only youngsters, there will still be noise. Whatever you do, there will be noise.”Gayle is 41, Fidel Edwards is 39, Bravo is 37, Lendl Simmons is 36 and Pollard is 34. The average age of the 13-man group is 31 years and nine months, and an obvious concern is whether West Indies are doing enough to ensure there is a smooth transition from one generation to the next or if they will be left with a vacuum when the senior players retire.For now, Pollard is not thinking about that but rather how to get the best of the players he has, while he has them.”If these guys are assets to us, why not use the little bit of cricket they have left in them?” he asked. “Some of these guys play around the world and then when we see them around the world, we ask why they are not playing for us, and now they are.”

Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei is reportedly planning to leave Stamford Bridge this January after making just 17 appearances for the Blues.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Casadei planning to leave Chelsea in JanuaryItalian midfielder restricted to UECL dutiesSeveral Italian clubs linked with loan moveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Casadei joined Chelsea from Inter Milan in the summer of 2022 as a highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder. The Italian spent his first two seasons away from the first team and also went out on short loans to Reading and Leicester City. Casadei was a sporadic member of Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea squad last season, making 11 appearances off the bench.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

This season has seen Casadei's role at Chelsea restricted to the Europa Conference League under Enzo Maresca, and the 21-year-old is now open to leaving the Blues in the January transfer window, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

DID YOU KNOW?

The report by Romano has suggested that a move back to Italy is the likeliest outcome, with a number of Serie A sides interested in signing Casadei on loan. He'll likely be pleased to see the back of Stamford Bridge, having openly expressed his frustration at a lack of minutes under former boss Pochettino and failed to see that change with Maresca.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CASADEI?

The Italy youth international has only been included in two Premier League matchday squads by Maresca and it's unlikely that his name will be in the squad when Chelsea take on Everton on Sunday at Goodison Park.

Bruno Fernandes has liked Mason Greenwood's latest message to Marseille fans on social media after scoring in the club's win in the French Cup.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Greenwood shared a message for fans
• Scored in Marseille's French Cup win
• Has now scored 11 goals across all competitions

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The ex-Manchester United star scored his 11th goal on Sunday as Marseille thrashed St Etienne 4-0 to progress to the round of 16 of the French Cup. Greenwood opened the scoring for his side before Adrien Rabiot doubled the lead before half-time. Luis Henrique and ex-Tottenham player Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg then two more goals after the break to seal a memorable win for the Ligue 1 giants.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With 11 goals in his first 16 games for the club across all competitions, Greenwood is now second only to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba who had scored 12 goals in his 16 appearances for Les Phoceens. After the game, the 23-year-old took to Instagram where he shared a message for the fans. Manchester United captain was one of many to like the post.

• WHAT MASON GREENWOOD SAID

  On Instagram, the winger shared a few photographs from the game and wrote in the caption: "Job done onto the next round."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?

  Greenwood will now enjoy a winter break before he returns to action for Roberto De Zerbi's side in Ligue 1 against Le Havre on January 5.

While Saturday's defeat has put a slight downer on the return of the Premier League for Manchester United fans, the transfer window can give them something to be excited about.

So far, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co have signed a plethora of talented players to strengthen Erik ten Hag's squad, including Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui.

However, while that would be more than enough for most clubs, the Red Devils now look set to welcome another potential star who could be the club's new Roy Keane.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, United are now incredibly close to securing the services of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

The Italian journalist has revealed that, as long as Scott McTominay's transfer to Napoli goes as planned, the Red Devils will complete the signing of the Uruguayan ace on a permanent transfer.

Romano does not mention a potential price in his update, but reports throughout the summer have consistently claimed any deal would require the three-time European Champions to pay £51m for the £101k-per-week 23-year-old.

It's not a cheap transfer, but adding the tough tackling international into the heart of Ten Hag's midfield should make the team a far more imposing proposition to the opposition, and the player could be the Dutchman's own Keane.

Why Ugarte could be Ten Hag's Keane

Okay, so when you think of Keane, what are the first things that tend to come to mind?

For most fans, it will probably be an image of a stereotypical 'hardman.' The type of midfielder who intimidated his opponents before the game had even started and then clattered into them as soon as possible to let them know he meant business.

However, while that would certainly be an apt description for part of the Irishman's game, he was also far more technical than people often give him credit for. After all, you don't thrive at Old Trafford simply because you're great at smashing into opposing midfielders.

That said, one of the characteristics that Ugarte shares with the former United great is his toughness, as, like the Cork-born icon, he's not afraid to make a tackle.

In fact, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, the former Sporting CP ace sits in the top 1% of midfielders for tackles and dribblers tackled and the top 2% for interceptions, ball recoveries and tackles won per 90.

Ugarte FBref Scout Report
Stats	Per 90	Percentile
Tackles	4.19	Top 1%
Dribblers Tackled	1.85	Top 1%
Medium Pass Completion %	95.1 %	Top 1%
Ball Recoveries	7.81	Top 2%
Tackles Won	2.34	Top 2%
Long Pass Completion %	83.1%	Top 2%
Interceptions	1.97	Top 2%
Pass Completion %	90.9%	Top 4%
All Stats via FBref

However, also like the player he'll hope to emulate, he's no slouch with the ball at his feet, sitting in the top 1% for his medium pass completion percentage, the top 2% of midfielders for long pass completion percentage and the top 4% for his overall pass completion percentage.

The last thing the 23-year-old "defensive monster", as Statman Dave dubbed him, shares with the midfield legend is his tendency to pick up a yellow card.

In fact, his tally of 47 yellow cards in 200 appearances to date means he's averaging one every 4.25 games, whereas the former Nottingham Forest ace picked up 99 in 612 appearances, or one every 6.18 games.

Ultimately, there won't ever be another Keane, but if Ten Hag wants to secure the services of the next best thing, then bringing Ugarte to Old Trafford this summer would be a great start.

Man Utd hit gold on "monster" Ten Hag signing who's worth more than Ugarte

He’ll be hoping to make a significant impact this year…

1

By
Angus Sinclair

Aug 24, 2024

Harmer takes four for Essex but bad weather has final say in local rivalry

ECB Reporters' Network25-Jun-2021

Daniel Bell-Drummond’s fifty kept Kent on top against Essex•Getty Images

Daniel Bell-Drummond hammered 50 off 29 balls as Kent Spitfires beat Essex Eagles by 18 runs on DLS – after lightning and then rain brought an early end to the Vitality Blast match.Bell-Drummond clubbed his third fifty of the competition during an 89-run stand for the first wicket with Zak Crawley.The Spitfires endured two collapses to slump to 167 for 9 as Simon Harmer claimed 4 for 26, including his 50th Blast wicket for Essex, and Dan Lawrence a county T20 record of four catches in the innings.But 31 for 4, including two scalps for Matt Milnes, in five overs meant the Eagles were short of the DLS target of 59 – handing Kent their sixth victory of the campaign.Bell-Drummond and Crawley got the Spitfires off to a flyer having been stuck in by Harmer on a used hybrid track.Crawley received two lives, dropped on 1 and 14, as Bell-Drummond slapped Jamie Porter for two sixes – the visitors pummelling 82 off the Powerplay.But after two miserly overs, Kent collapsed in sensational style with five wickets lost for 22 runs in 25 balls, as spin took over.Nijjar, who eventually took 1 for 13 in an ungenerous spell, celebrated with Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘Sii’ leap after bowling Crawley for 43, before Joe Denly was caught by Lawrence at deep midwicket trying to replicate the six he had struck the previous ball and Jack Leaning was stumped off Harmer.Lawrence turned snarer when Bell Drummond – who had reached a 28-ball half-century – spliced to a sprawling Harmer and Alex Blake was caught behind.Newly-contracted Darren Stevens and Jordan Cox resuscitated the innings with a 44-run stand, with Stevens clubbing a pair of sixes, but another wicket furry ended the innings – this time four wickets falling in 16 balls.Stevens, Cox and Qais Ahmed were all caught by Lawrence and Matt Milnes was bowled by Jimmy Neesham with the last ball.Unlike the Spitfires, the Eagles did not pump runs early on. Will Buttleman was beaten by Milnes’ pace and bounce to be caught behind and Adam Wheater was leg-before attempting to sweep Joe Denly.Michael Pepper chipped a Milnes slower ball to mid-off and former Spitfire Jimmy Neesham edged Fred Klaassen thickly to gully.With lightning striking behind the Hayes Close End and then rain the game was called off after the fifth over – the minimum needed to create a result.

MatériaMais Notícias

Diante de um cenário de pouco dinheiro e dificuldade para contratar, usar a base torna-se praticamente inevitável. O Botafogo, neste contexto, teve as categorias inferiores como protagonistas em 2021, tendo Rafael Navarro e Kanu como destaques da equipe no Brasileirão da Série B, por exemplo.

RelacionadasBotafogoBotafogo: ingressos para amistoso entre Túlio x Loco Abreu no Nilton Santos começam a ser vendidosBotafogo01/12/2021BotafogoBotafogo: segundo lote do Manto da Desigualdade esgota em menos de meia horaBotafogo01/12/2021BotafogoCampeão da Série B, Botafogo é homenageado no Cristo RedentorBotafogo30/11/2021

+ Do banco de reservas a jogador fundamental do título: relembre a temporada de Carli no Botafogo

A tendência, contudo, é que a coisa não pare por aí. Um dos atacantes da Seleção sub-18 é do Botafogo: trata-se de Matheus Nascimento, que teve certo envolvimento com o time profissional do Alvinegro na temporada. Em entrevista ao canal do LANCE!- que estará disponível completa em breve no canal do L! no YouTube -, Enderson Moreira afirmou que quer ainda mais.

–O Matheus Nascimento pra mim não precisar provar nada. Quero contar mais com ele. Essa coisa dele de ficar lá na base e voltar pro profissional não ajuda. Ele precisa ser uma referência no profissional, a gente tem que sentir falta dele aqui. Ele já vai muito para a Seleção e ainda tem a base, ficou muito itinerante aqui. Quero ele mais presente, quero o Matheus realmente possa buscar esse espaço no profissional – afirmou, ao LANCE!.

Com a ascensão de Rafael Navarro e tendo Rafael Moura como opção direta, Matheus Nascimento perdeu espaço no time principal e retornou à equipe sub-20 em certos momentos. O treinador do Glorioso, contudo, prevê mais minutos para a joia em 2022.

E quanto aos outros jogadores? O técnico afirmou que a tendência é que alguns atletas oriundos da base façam parte do elenco inicial do Botafogo para a temporada.

– Os jogadores da base, como Juninho e outros, nós já temos uma avaliação muito fidedigna sobre quem a gente já quer aqui e vamos contar com esses atletas mais jovens para participar da base dessa equipe (de 2022). O Botafogo tem que contratar jogadores com experiência mas precisa contar com os atletas mais jovens – analisou.

Você acompanha isso e muito mais no “Bate-bola” no Enderson Moreira, que vai ao ar logo mais no YouTube do LANCE!.

Newcastle United have thrived since the PIF takeover of 2021, with the transfer business under Eddie Howe more or less on the money.

Indeed, the Magpies have got bang for their buck, with Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Sven Botman (injuries aside), all worth significantly more than they were paid for and playing instrumental roles in qualifying for the Champions League or performing within it.

Injuries did dominate throughout the 2023/24 season, pulling Newcastle away from European qualification, but there was one man who exceeded expectations above all others. Gordon thrived.

Anthony Gordon's 2023/24 season

Gordon was crowned Newcastle's Player of the Season last year after an exceptional campaign, posting 12 goals and 11 assists across all competitions and being hailed for his "unbelievable" performances by teammate Guimaraes.

He'd struggled to settle after signing from Everton for £45m in January 2023 but has since gone from strength to strength and earned attention from Liverpool during the off-season, with a deal worth £75m almost being completed before United found alternative means to combat their PSR problem.

Newcastle will be delighted that he still sits on the books, having scored during his side's draw against Bournemouth in August, averaging 2.7 key passes and 5.3 successful duels per game (Sofascore) and entering a regular role for England's national set-up.

Matches (starts)

35 (34)

Goals

11

Assists

10

Touches

44.9

Shots (on target)*

2.3 (0.9)

Big chances created

16

Pass completion

82%

Key passes*

1.6

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

Ball recoveries*

3.6

Dribbles*

1.5

Total duels won*

5.3

With 13 goals since the start of last season, Gordon is starting to look like quite the prolific presence. Although, there's actually a former Newcastle star sold after Gordon moved to Tyneside who has outscored him since – and in the Premier League too.

The player who's outscored Gordon since leaving

Indeed, Chris Wood flattered to deceive in black and white, but he's enjoyed a renaissance since signing for Nottingham Forest last year.

Wood joined Newcastle from Burnley for a £25m fee in January 2022, having been a steady goalscoring presence in the Premier League under Sean Dyche.

The hulking centre-forward was one of the torch-bearers at the start of the present era and arrived having hit double digits across each of his four full top-flight campaigns with the Clarets, but he fell by the wayside with Newcastle, scoring five goals over 39 total outings.

He was remarked to have looked "a bit lost" during his stay by pundit Tam McManus, scoring only twice across 18 Premier League games across the remainder of the term, also earning quite the pretty penny at £80k per week.

He's loving life at the City Ground. After starting slow due to an injury, Wood served as the attacking centrepiece last year, firing 14 goals home across 31 Premier League fixtures – including a hat-trick at St. James' Park that condemned Newcastle to a bitter winter defeat.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

The 32-year-old has also opened his account for the current campaign with two goals across three matches, crucial in starting the year off unbeaten. This means that he has scored 18 times since moving to Nottingham in January 2023, surpassing Gordon's 14 goals since joining the Toon at the same time.

Wood currently ranks among the top 7% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored per 90 (0.67), as per FBref, so he's certainly enjoyed a resurgence.

Would he have hit such a vein of form under Howe? It's hard to tell, but Newcastle recouped £15m for his services and have elite strikers in Isak and Wilson. There aren't too many regrets.

Still, he's outscoring Gordon, which emphasises the kind of prolificness that United might have had…

He's like Bruno Guimaraes: Newcastle's top target for 2025 revealed

Eddie Howe is already looking ahead…

1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 12, 2024

Birmingham City have thrown down yet another massive statement of intent as they look to navigate their way out of League One, with the Blues tabling an offer to sign yet another star this summer.

Busy summer for Birmingham so far

After being relegated from the Championship, Birmingham City and Chris Davies have been hard at work to secure instant promotion back to the second tier of English football.

Headed by a £3.5m move for defender Christoph Klarer and a £3.3m deal for Willum Willumsson (from Darmstadt and Go Ahead Eagles respectively) they have wasted no time handing Davies one of the most expensive League One squads ever assembled.

A mammoth 15 new faces have been recruited this transfer window as they look to navigate League One, in an unprecedented series of spending that now means that they now boast three of the top six record signings in League One history, having spent over £12m on new signings. Combined, all 24 League One sides have spent just £20m, with Birmingham making up 60% of that expenditure.

Birmingham City summer signings

Player

Fee

Christoph Klarer

£3.5m

Willum Willumsson

£3.3m

Emil Hansson

£1.5m

Alex Cochrane

£1m

Lyndon Dykes

£1m

Ayumo Yokoyama

£850k

Ryan Allsop

£825k

Alfie May

£770k

Marc Leonard

£500k

Bailey Peacock-Farrell

£450k

Scott Wright

£300k

Taylor Gardner-Hickman

Loan

Ben Davies

Loan

Alfons Sampsted

Loan

Luke Harris

Loan

Transfermarkt

Rangers duo Ben Davies and Scott Wright have also been recruited, though neither have yet made their debuts for the Blues.

Now, they are trying to ramp up their spending even further still.

Birmingham make mammoth bid for striker

That comes as the reliable John Percy reports that Birmingham have made a mammoth deadline-day bid to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham, with the striker having spent last season on loan with the Blues.

Despite finding the net 12 times in the Championship, he could not prevent their relegation and headed back to Fulham at the end of his loan spell, coming on as a late substitute on their opening-day defeat to Manchester United.

Still just 21 years old, he has three years left to run on his £10,000 a week deal at Craven Cottage, but that has not stopped Birmingham, with Percy reporting that a bid of "around £9-10m" has been submitted to try and bring him back to St Andrews permanently.

It has since been added that Fulham have turned down the bid, but with Birmingham's spending this summer already unprecedented, a second improved offer cannot be ruled out.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: summer transfer window 2024

Find every incoming and outgoing for each 2024/25 Premier League club here.

ByStephan Georgiou Sep 18, 2024

Stansfield has already come in for plenty of praise across his short career, none more so than from Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell, who singled him out for praise during his loan spell in Devon.

“Stanno has got that spark and when he came on he was sensational. He is a player I love working with because of his attitude and when I tell him the reason why, he buys into it.

“He doesn’t sulk, and has fantastic quality and energy. It was a real team effort and he is a real team player and that is the way it has to be.”

Ollie Robinson will not be part of Sussex’s squad for their first two T20 Blast fixtures as he takes a “short break from the game” following his suspension from international cricket pending an ECB investigation into offensive tweets he posted as a teenager. Sussex condemned Robinson’s tweets and said that they would “turn [their] attention to supporting Ollie in his commitment to continue to educate himself”, but he will not face further disciplinary action from his county.Robinson is not a centrally-contracted England player and the ECB clarified at the time of his suspension that he was available for selection at county level if Sussex opted to pick him, but the club released a statement on Thursday confirming that he would not be involved at the start of the Blast.”After a difficult week, Ollie has decided to take a short break from the game to spend time with his young family,” the statement said. “Player and staff welfare – including mental health and wellbeing – is a priority for the club and, as such, Sussex Cricket fully supports Ollie in his decision.”When he is ready to return, Ollie will be welcomed back to the club, where discussions with the remainder of the squad over the last week have made clear that he retains the support of all his Sussex teammates. We remain in close contact with Ollie from a welfare perspective and will issue further updates on his availability at the relevant times.”Related

• Ollie Robinson among eight Sussex players self-isolating

• Zak Crawley shows England's batting woes in young line-up

• Ollie Robinson suspended from all international cricket

• England to reaffirm commitment to 'improve society through sport' before Edgbaston Test

• Battle-lines drawn in the culture war as Ollie Robinson episode becomes political cricket ball

The statement went on to describe Robinson’s tweets as “completely unacceptable”, adding that “their content is totally at odds with our stated ambition to inspire people from every background in our county to say, ‘I feel part of Sussex Cricket’.””Ollie is a very different man from the one that wrote those tweets and has clearly learned much in the intervening years,” the statement continued. “He has made clear the shame, embarrassment, and remorse he feels for the discriminatory comments he made.”As a result of his actions, Ollie has had the opportunity to represent his country suspended, is at the centre of intense public and media scrutiny and faces the possibility of further disciplinary action from the ECB. Sussex Cricket will not be adding to these significant penalties.”The club will turn its attention to supporting Ollie in his commitment to continue to educate himself in the area of equality, diversity and inclusion. Ollie has more to learn in this area. We all do. We all have a responsibility to improve and to make cricket a game for everybody.”The ECB released a statement on Tuesday evening after further unsavoury tweets emerged from England players, including members of the current Test squad, saying that it would “discuss how we deal with issues over historical social media material in a timely and appropriate manner”.England and New Zealand took part in a ‘moment of unity’ on the first morning of the ongoing Edgbaston Test, with England’s players again wearing anti-discrimination t-shirts bearing the message: ‘Cricket is a game for everyone’.

Glasgow Rangers moved back to within five points of the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a 1-0 win away at Dundee United on Sunday.

The Light Blues claimed all three points away from Ibrox with a narrow victory, thanks to a first-half goal from attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence.

It was a scrappy, hard-fought, win for Philippe Clement’s side and one that they needed after losing the first Old Firm clash of the season 3-0 before the international break.

The match-winner, Lawrence, enjoyed an excellent afternoon at Tannadice but he was not the only star of the show for the Scottish giants.

Tom Lawrence's performance in numbers

The Welsh attacking midfielder opened the scoring by bundling his way through several attempted challenges from Dundee United defenders before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

That was one of five shots taken by the former Derby County man, who had three shots on target and missed one ‘big chance’, as he constantly threatened the opposition’s goal.

Lawrence was not particularly creative for his side, though, with one key pass and zero ‘big chances’ created from 60 touches of the ball in total.

The Welshman also lost 11 of his 16 duels throughout the match, including four of his five aerial contests, which suggests that Dundee United players found it too easy to get the better of him in physical battles.

It was a flawed, but still good, performance from Lawrence and the real hero of the story at Tannadice was Brazilian left-back Jefte, who caught the eye with a strong showing.

Jefte was the hero of the story

The summer signing enjoyed a successful afternoon on Sunday with a fantastic performance in and out of possession down the left flank for Rangers.

Ridvan Yilmaz’s absence through injury has provided the Brazilian starlet with a chance to show what he can do for Clement, and will surely have impressed his manager with his display.

He provided a constant threat down the left side with his willingness to run beyond Oscar Cortes in the first half to whip crosses in – producing eight crosses in total.

Clearances

5

Tackles + interceptions

4

Ground duels won

6/7

Aerial duels won

2/4

Dribble success rate

100% (2/2)

As you can see in the table above, Jefte was also dominant defensively for the Gers as he won 88% of his ground duels and eight of his 11 battles in total.

The superb left-back, who made nine tackles, interceptions, and clearances, was crucial to the clean sheet with his interventions to prevent Jack Butland’s goal from being threatened.

He also completed 86% of his attempted passes and both of his attempted dribbles, which shows that Jefte was reliable in possession and able to retain the ball to help his side control the game.

The £300k Rangers signing who was sold for more than Bajrami is worth

The Light Blues played a blinder by developing and selling this midfield wizard.

1 ByDan Emery Sep 11, 2024

Overall, he was the real hero for Clement due to his contributions in and out of possession for the Scottish giants, whilst Lawrence left a fair bit to be desired from his display outside of his match-winning strike.