Tag Futebol

ScorecardRyan ten Doeschate top-scored with 83 for Essex•Getty Images

There was, at Colchester’s idyllic Castle Park, plenty of grumbling early on Thursday. The car park queue took forever, they said; the stand from last year was gone (on grounds of cost), and there weren’t enough seats. The beer? Well, that was £4 for a can. And where the hell was Ravi? (Mr Bopara sat the game out due to illness).What’s more, the trees at the Trevor Bailey Drive End had been chopped down, with a pair of moanable results: not only had the ground’s perfect circus of foliage been interrupted, but the gap had left the natty new-builds beyond naked. The most generous said things were not what they once were, the more damning suggested – with a game fewer from next season – that this was another festival on its last legs.Not everything in Essex these days, though, gives quite such reason to lament. Each of the next two weeks bring a white-ball quarter-final, and they sit atop Division Two of the Championship. If their interest in Alex Hales revealed a club bristling with ambition, then the return of Varun Chopra proved that, under Ronnie Irani and Chris Silverwood, they have the pull to attract high-quality players – a Championship-winning captain, indeed.Essex are yet to win a game that Alastair Cook has not played in, but they possess depth. Not only are they missing Bopara, but Jesse Ryder – who appears unlikely to be at the club next season – and Matt Quinn, who felt sore in the warm-up and was not risked with those quarter-finals in mind.Despite some quality pace bowling from Jofra Archer, on Championship debut, that depth was on display here, even if they never quite pulled away as they had threatened. There were typically stylish half-centuries from Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence and, late in the day, Ryan ten Doeschate – batting two places higher than he often does – made a rollicking 83 before being bowled by Steve Magoffin. On a pitch with plenty of bounce, it looks a fine toss for ten Doeschate to have won, though it seems unlikely that the events of last year – when spin took 28 of the 36 wickets to fall in Essex’s game with Surrey – will be repeated.The opening session did plenty to abate the morning muttering. Browne left plenty, but had 10 boundaries in his lunchtime 46, including a triptych of straight drives that deserved to be framed and sold at auction, as well as some fine cuts and back-foot punches through point.After the break, though, things became less comfortable. In Chris Jordan’s first over, Browne reached 50 with an edge through vacant third slip, then nicked over Harry Finch – a taller man would have taken it – at first. In his newfound spirit of discomfort, Browne edged behind to become Archer’s first Championship wicket then, next ball, Tom Westley was hurried by a ripsnorter of a short ball that took a bit of glove, some helmet, and looped to third slip. Westley, who is having such a fine summer, left looking rather nonplussed. “I felt for him actually,” said Luke Wright, echoing the batsman’s thoughts. “That would have got most players out.”At the other end stood Jaik Mickleburgh, whose 54 was never pretty but – given Essex’s congested top order after the signing of Chopra and the fact that Cook won’t play a Test until July 7 next summer – was apposite of timing and unfussy. Eventually, in a tough period that brought an early tea through bad light, he was cleaned up by Magoffin, by now bowling a fine spell of inswing. Lawrence was wonderfully waspish and busy, pulling off the front foot and insouciant on the drive – particularly down the ground – and looked furious when he top-edged another Archer short ball to cover after tea.Archer, who, at the end of a slow run, has a beautifully smooth action – which perhaps disguises the steepling short ball that earned his second and third wickets and hurried each of Essex’s batsman – looks a terrific prospect. He is a mechanically magnificent beanpole who has that knack of making extreme exertion seem effortless. Best of all, he is as excitable as he is exciting; each of his three scalps – particularly Westley – was greeted raucously. The 18-month contract he signed this week looks fine business from Sussex.Wright, who felt his team had allowed Essex 30 too many and confirmed Harry Finch was having a scan on a blow to the hand, said of Archer: “I wanted him to play, he needed to play, the way he’s been bowling. At times you watch him and think if he ran in faster he could bowl really quick. It looks easy for him. He has the surprise ball, with the pace. He runs in slowly and it’s casual, then it comes out so quick. Sometimes it’s easier when quicks fly in because you have that pace and rhythm.”So, with the late wickets of ten Doeschate and James Foster for a tidy 42, lbw to David Wiese, ended an entertaining day but one that – given five of Essex’s top six passed 42 but none bettered the captain’s 83 – never totally silenced those grumbles.

Playing their first IPL, Gujarat Lions came within one avoided masterclass of making it to the IPL final, but were left doffing their hats to AB de Villiers first in Bangalore and David Warner in Delhi on Friday. Warner scored 93 of the 163 runs needed, single-handedly taking Sunrisers Hyderabad into the final. Aaron Finch, who scored a fifty batting in the middle order for Lions, said there wasn’t much that they could have done to prevent Warner’s success on the day.”Tonight, I think that we had a very competitive total, it was around par,” Finch said. “170 would have been nice as it turns out, but two of the best players in the world have both got big scores against us in the last two games. Sometimes you just have to take your hat off and appreciate how good cricketers them two are. And say well played.”It was an amazing knock, wasn’t it, the way that he controlled the innings the whole way through and went right through and got them home was outstanding. We have been at the receiving end of a couple of great knocks in this tournament, and it is just that one batter in every couple of games seems to get us. AB in the last game and Davey tonight. We can hold our head up very high. We played some really great cricket throughout this tournament but unfortunately we just couldn’t get them world-class players out when it counted right at the end there.”Among the positives for Lions is the emergence of left-arm wristspinner Shivil Kaushik, whom Finch picked as the find of the tournament for Lions.”I think we have seen an unusual spinner in this tournament in Shivil,” Finch said. “He has been outstanding for us. Anyone who can bowl with an unusual action like that and who can spin the ball both ways is a huge asset, and he has been outstanding. It was beautiful the way that he bowled tonight, under pressure in a big game, to come back into the team after a few games out, just shows a real lot of character and someone who hasn’t had cricket given to him easily. He has had to work very hard for what he has achieved. He was outstanding, he was great all season and I think he can play a big part going forward.”Kaushik bowled his four oevrs unbroken and took two wickets for just 22 runs to keep Lions in the game. The other spinner, though, wasn’t bowled at all. The more accomplished Ravindra Jadeja was sprightly in the field as usual, but there seemed a lack of confidence in him after he hasn’t had a great season. The presence of left-hand batsmen in the Sunrisers line-up went against him, Finch said.”I think that Raina probably couldn’t get that matchup for him,” Finch said. “They always had at least one left-hander in Warner in and it was a very short side out there on the far side away from the change room. Probably didn’t get the matchup at the time, and Raina happened to bowl a couple of overs there quite nicely. I think Jadeja played a big part for us. He probably played a different role with the bat than what he has in the past years for Chennai and also India. He’s usually been batting 7 and 8, but he has stepped up this year and made some really valuable runs.”Overall, though, Lions bowed out a team satisfied with their showing in their first season. “I think the way that we played throughout the tournament was fantastic from the team’s point of view,” Finch said. “To finish top of the table for a franchise in their first year was fantastic. I think it’s obviously disappointing that we couldn’t get through to the final but the way that we fought and fought…”We had our back up against the wall a couple of times. We started off the tournament fantastic, I think we went six wins, one loss and then we had a bit of a down period but then we hit back hard and beat two outstanding teams in Kolkata and Mumbai coming into the finals. But it goes to show what an amazing competition it was. If we had lost one of them games, we finish out of the four but we won both and we finish top of the table. Same with Bangalore. It was an amazing tournament all around, the way that it unfolded.”

Paul Horton’s first Championship hundred for Leicestershire tightened their grip midway through their second division match against Sussex at Hove

ECB Reporters Network02-May-2016
ScorecardPaul Horton struck his first hundred since his switch from Lancashire [file picture]•PA PhotosPaul Horton’s first century since joining Leicestershire helped cement his side’s strong position on a rain-affected second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex at Hove.The former Lancashire opener made 100 as Leicestershire reached 300 for 4 replying to Sussex’s 163 in the 43.2 overs possible because of rain and bad light.But with a lead of 133 and wickets in hand, Leicestershire are still in a strong position to win their second game of the season thanks to the foundations laid by Horton and his captain, Mark Cosgrove, who put on 114 for the third wicket in 32 overs.It was Horton’s 22nd first-class hundred, which he reached with a cut off Danny Briggs that brought him his 14th four, and came after he passed 50 in three of his four previous Championship innings for his new county.However, the 33-year-old, who joined Leicestershire last winter, lasted two more balls before he was caught behind down the leg side off George Garton, sent on his way after a consultation between umpires Ian Gould and Nigel Llong. His runs came off 174 balls and he batted for just over four hours.Even with floodlights on from the start, which was delayed until 2.10pm because of morning drizzle, batting conditions weren’t ideal although there was little in the pitch to assist Sussex’s seamers.Sussex captain Ben Brown brought left-arm spinner Danny Briggs into the attack in the 54th over but it was leg-spinner Luke Wells, who bowled six overs either side of tea, who offered more threat and an appeal for a catch at the wicket off Mark Pettini when the ball turned out of the rough was turned down.Garton was the pick of the Sussex attack in two lively spells down the slope. Despite being plagued by no-ball problems – he was called for over-stepping seven times – the 19-year-old left-armer worked up a decent pace, swung the ball both ways and was rewarded with a second wicket after tea.Having just been on-driven for four by Cosgrove, he produced the perfect inswinging yorker which knocked out two stumps and Leicestershire’s captain was gone for 80, made from 136 balls with ten fours.It halted a stand of 49 in 12 overs with Brighton-born Pettini, who ended the day unbeaten on 42 with Niall O’Brien on seven. The umpires brought the players off at 5.20pm because of bad light and play was abandoned for the day shortly afterwards when rain arrived.

Central Zone lifted the Bangladesh Cricket League title – their second after their triumph in the inaugural edition in 2012-13 – following their drawn game against North Zone in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam17-Mar-2016Central Zone sealed their second Bangladesh Cricket League title, following a drawn game against North Zone in Mirpur.Central Zone had won the inaugural BCL tournament in the 2012-13 season, before South Zone won it in the following two seasons – 2013-14 and 2014-15.Central Zone, who were on top of the points table at the start of this game, became champions despite ending the match with nine points as opposed to North Zone, who collected 11.North Zone were bowled out for 378 batting first, with Farhad Hossain making 131. Mohammad Sharif took 6 for 105.

List of BCL champions

• 2012-13: Central Zone

• 2013-14: South Zone

• 2015: South Zone

• 2015-16: Central Zone

In reply, Central Zone were bowled out for 306, with Raqibul Hasan (63) and Shuvagata Hom (51) scoring fifties. Left-arm pacer Shafaq Al Zabir, right-arm medium pacer Ariful Haque, and offspinner Mahmudul Hasan took three wickets each.North Zone declared their second innings on 293 for 8. Nazmul Hossain Shanto made 55, while Jahurul Islam was unbeaten on 83. Tanveer Haider took 4 for 66.Marshall Ayub finished off the first-class season with an unbeaten 101 as Central Zone made 257 for 2 on the final day. Ayub finished as tournament’s highest run-getter with 562 runs at 56.20.East Zone, who were second on the points table, ended up drawing their game against South Zone.Alok Kapali’s third hundred of the tournament lifted East Zone to 442 after they elected to bat. Liton Das, Mominul Haque, the captain, and the No. 10 Iftekhar Sajjad struck fifties. Moynul Islam took 4 for 83.South Zone replied with 601, with Mosaddek Hossain’s 152, and a power-packed 146 from Sohag Gazi, leading the charge. Opener Shahriar Nafees missed out on a century by 10 runs, while Farhad Reza made 72. Kapali took 3 for 63.In the remaining 41.3 overs, Liton struck an unbeaten 103, while Irfan Sukkur made 75 not out as East Zone ended the game on 189 for no loss.

Manchester United have reportedly been in contact with the representatives of Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha.

The Lowdown: First Old Trafford stint

Zaha left Selhurst Park for Old Trafford back in 2013, however, he struggled to make an impact for the Red Devils in the Premier League.

The Ivory Coast international made just four senior appearances for the club and was loaned out to Cardiff City and Palace before making a permanent return to London.

Now 30, Zaha has reached 450 appearances for the Eagles, contributing to 165 goals, with his contract set to expire in the summer.

The Latest: United contact

London World reporter Rahman Osman shared an update regarding Zaha, claiming Tottenham are confident of securing his services.

However, United have also been in touch with the player’s representatives alongside AS Roma.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-news-11/” title=”Latest Man Utd news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Avoid?

Zaha, hailed as ‘unplayable’ by former top flight defender James Collins, has been a key player for Palace since returning to the club and is currently the top scorer in Patrick Vieira’s side.

However, he is primarily a left-winger, an area where Marcus Rashford has been starring in under Erik ten Hag, scoring 14 times in the league from that position.

As well as Rashford, United have a number of wide attacking options but limited numbers through the middle, so it could be best to avoid a move for Zaha and pursue a marquee centre-forward instead, with both Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen linked.

Who, what, when, where: Cricinfo’s dummy’s guide to the Indian Cricket League

Cricinfo staff12-Sep-2007

What is the Indian Cricket League?
The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is a tournament set to run parallel to BCCI-run tournaments in India. Contrary to common perception, the ICL is not a breakaway league but an entirely new entity.How did the ICL come about?
The roots of the ICL lies in the same issue as those of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket: discontent over TV rights. The Essel Group’s Zee TV believed it got a raw deal in the allocation of Indian cricket¹s TV rights the last time around when, despite making the highest bid, Zee was denied the rights for want of experience in sport broadcasting. The ICL – a joint venture between the Essel Group and Infrastructure Leasing & Finance Services (IL&FS) – is seen by many as Essel head Subhash Chandra Goel’s attempt to get back at the BCCI.The Essel Group announced the formation of the league on April 3, 2007, saying the BCCI had failed to create “a reserve pipeline of players”, and that the idea behind the league was to create an “ideal pool with killing instinct”. They were quick to add that the ICL was not in conflict with the BCCI, and the board would be free to draw from the ICL’s talent pool.What is the Essel Group?
Essel is one of India’s leading business houses, with interests in media, packaging, entertainment, education, and infrastructure development among other areas. It had an estimated turnover of $2.1 billion for the last financial year. Zee TV, with a range of specialist channels – news to entertainment to sport – has a strong presence in the Indian electronic media market, and the group’s DNA is a new entrant in the English-language newspaper market.How is the ICL different from other leagues, like, say, the Kanga League?
Unlike other leagues that are run or funded by the BCCI or other parties, the ICL involves television coverage, which is the BCCI¹s main source of revenue.Who will play in the league?
The ICL currently comprises six teams: Mumbai Champs, Chandigarh Lions, Chennai Super Stars, Delhi Jets, Hyderabad Heroes and Kolkata Tigers. The ICL, with its talent scouts -Balwinder Sandhu, Pranab Roy, Erapalli Prasanna, Bharat Reddy, and Rajesh Chauhan, all former India players at various levels – has managed to assemble a core of overseas players who have either retired from international cricket or are disgruntled with their respective boards (or are simply in it for the money) , sidelined Indian internationals who have little hope of making it back into the national team, and domestic players, most of whom are nowhere close to national selection.

The biggest draws for the ICL at present are Brian Lara, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Lance Klusener, Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Imran Farhat, Nicky Boje, Vikram Solanki, Paul Nixon, Hamish Marshall, Dinesh Mongia and Deep Dasgupta.After a lull in recruitment, several England cricketers – including Paul Nixon, Chris Read and Vikram Solanki – and South African cricketers such as Dale Benkenstein signed up for the ICL in the fortnight before the teams for the tournament were announced.Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf was one of the ICL’s star recruits but he later cancelled his contract and joined the officially sanctioned Twenty20 tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL). Several other marquee names such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Stephen Fleming were initially reported to be interested in the ICL, but are now associated with the IPL.What is the lure for players to join the ICL?
Although there are no official figures, it is speculated that on the lower end of the scale a player stands to earn as much as Rs 30 lakh ($72,600 approximately) a year, irrespective of how many matches he plays.The ICL’s fees for ex-internationals are said to be substantially higher. Players from the English counties will earn, it is believed, £50,000 for a three-week stint.The league has promised $1 million in prize money in the first season, half of which goes to the champion team. The Ranji Trophy champions last season took away Rs 50 lakh (US$127,000) by comparison.Essel has promised to invest Rs 100 crore (US$ 25 million approximately) on the ICL to start with. It also claims it will look after the players better than the BCCI does and provide them job security.While the prize money for the ICL seemed enormous at the time of the announcement, the wind was taken out of its sails by the IPL which offered US$ 3million as prize money. Also, in a move widely seen as a reaction to the ICL, the BCCI increased both the pay and the prize money on offer in domestic cricket.What is the format of the tournament?
The inaugural tournament of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) will be held between November 30 and December 16 at the Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium in Panchkula, Chandigarh (four hours from Delhi). The tournament will comprise 20 Twenty20 matches, with the final on December 16.
The dates for the tournament clash with India’s home Test series against Pakistan.

What is the standing of the ICL in international cricket?
The BCCI has not recognised the league, in consequence to which the ICC and most national cricket boards have refused to recognise it.Indian players, current or former, who associate with the ICL in any capacity have been barred from availing any BCCI benefits – which also implies they will not be eligible for selection to the national team. The ICL, though, has moved court, contesting the BCCI’s right to represent “India”.Several national boards have also threatened to ban their players for aligning with the ICL. However, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), which is the representative body of first-class cricketers in England and Wales, has come out in support of the cricketers who have joined the ICL.Where does the ICL go from here?
Not entirely clear. It’s still a surprise to some that the ICL has made it so far, got so many players on board and found a ground on which to hold the tournament. Indian television channels – and not just those owned by the Zee group – are running promos. There is even talk of a repeat tournament six months down the line.Much will depend on the success – always a relative word, in this case even more so – of the first tournament. If Lara, Inzamam and the other big names land up and catch fire, if the concurrent India-Pakistan series starts to drift, the public will be more likely to watch.
Meanwhile, the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission’s (MRTPC) investigative wing is looking into the BCCI¹s refusal to share infrastructure with the ICL. If the courts conclude that the BCCI is indulging in monopolistic practices, they can intervene, much like they did when they fined the board for barring players from writing for newspapers and magazines. The coming months promise to be interesting, not necessarily in purely cricketing terms.

Glasgow Rangers secured a confidence-boosting 2-1 win at Ibrox yesterday as Philippe Clement continued his solid start to life at the club.

Hearts led until the dying embers of the match but James Tavernier scored a penalty to equalise before he set up Danilo to score the winner in the 93rd minute.

It will feel like a smash-and-grab victory, but three points is all that matters and Clement will be happy with how the Gers fought until the final whistle.

Once again, however, there were a few lacklustre performances, most notably from Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers.

Michael Beale’s £7.5m duo now walking a tightrope

During the summer, Beale splashed the cash on the pair in order to freshen up his attacking options. Dessers cost £4.5m from Cremonese while Lammers arrived for a fee in the region of £3m and while £7.5m for two players could be seen as excessive, the nature of the transfer market meant Beale had to spend to secure players of high quality.

So far however, Dessers and Lammers have failed to live up to their transfer fees as they have struggled to settle in at the Light Blues.

The Nigeria international has scored four goals across 18 matches while he currently ranks first across the Ibrox squad for most big chances missed (nine) in the Premiership, a telling sign of just how poor he has been in front of goal.

The Dutchman has also been underwhelming and for someone who has such impressive technical ability, he has struggled with the nature of the Scottish game, and it is clear after Sunday's performance that Clement must now jettison the 26-year-old.

Sam Lammers' days may be numbered

The warning signs surrounding the former Feyenoord forward should have been apparent to Beale, as he has netted just six goals since the start of the 2020/21 season.

Lammers may have succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts against Hearts, yet he missed a big chance (not for the first time this term) while failing to have a shot on target during the encounter.

The 6 foot 3 liability was dribbled past on two occasions along with losing possession 14 times and it is clear his defensive attributes also need some work if he is to make it at the Light Blues.

Clement may not offer the former Atalanta forward that luxury, however. The Belgian will be able to rely on several players returning from injury shortly, while youngster Ross McCausland made more key passes in 14 minutes than Lammers did in 83.

Perhaps it is time Clement places his trust in young gems such as McCausland instead of having to rely on Lammers time and time again, as it is clearly not working out for him in Glasgow.

A trip to Dundee on Wednesday could be the ideal opportunity for the manager to experiment with a few players and see what type of reaction he can get.

It may not even be Halloween yet, but the nightmare pairing of Lammers and Dessers could soon find themselves on the Ibrox scrap heap, and they have nobody else to blame but themselves.

The German tactician is poised to leave Bayern Munich, and there are seemingly few downsides to reinstating him at Stamford Bridge

"I am devastated that my time at Chelsea has come to an end. This is a club where I felt at home, both professionally and personally. I am honoured to have been a part of this club’s history and whatever the future holds for me, the memories of the last 18 months will always have a special place in my heart."

Those were Thomas Tuchel's heartfelt words after he was unceremoniously sacked by Chelsea's newly-installed ownership group just weeks into the 2022-23 season; a man who had the potential to hold the position for years to come and become a legacy manager for Chelsea in the mould of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger or Jurgen Klopp, brutally and unexpectedly axed at the first sign of friction with his new employers.

But in a twist of fate – or a quirk of the managerial merry-go-round – Chelsea could find themselves looking for a new head coach this summer, just as Tuchel is searching for a new job. With Mauricio Pochettino living on borrowed time, Todd Boehly and Co may have an opportunity to put right one of the most egregious decisions of their stewardship to date.

• Getty
  

  Going nowhere fast

  Pochettino really, needed to win the Carabao Cup final. In form and coming up against Jurgen Klopp's injury-ravaged Liverpool side in Sunday's Wembley showpiece, this was a golden opportunity for the Argentine to shake the tag of lovable loser and reunite a splintered fanbase with a much-needed trophy.

  But Chelsea blew it, spurning numerous chances and fatally sitting deep in extra-time in the hope of reaching penalties, with Virgil van Dijk towering to head a late winner for the Reds. Now, their chances of achieving any semblance of success this season are extremely slim at best.

  The club's hierarchy will supposedly only review Pochettino's position at the end of the season, but if things do not improve drastically between now and then he will have very little to show for his work, with Chelsea still struggling to escape the clutches of mid-table in the Premier League. The FA Cup could offer some salvation, but the Blues are far from favourites with Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United all still in contention there.

Advertisement

• (C)Getty Images
  

  An untenable position

  While performances on the pitch have certainly undermined Pochettino's durability in the role, an undercurrent of toxicity off it has left him in a seemingly untenable position.

  Despite being viewed as technically the right man for the job of galvanising a young Chelsea squad and guiding them through a transition, he has never been fully accepted by a demanding and often fickle fanbase – almost entirely a result of his enduring connection with fierce London rivals Tottenham.

  His case has not been helped by the supporters' reception to some of his honest views on the club's current standing, including labelling them 'mid-table' and admitting Liverpool were far superior rather than pointing to questionable refereeing decisions in the recent 4-1 thumping in the league.

  You will never hear his name reverberating around Stamford Bridge, for example, and indeed the atmosphere at home games has soured to an alarming extent over the past 12 months, with the slow progress under Pochettino only deepening the gloom in the first half of 2023-24.

  There were widespread calls for his head when Chelsea's form took a nosedive at the turn of the month. Those became muted during an improved three-game unbeaten spell, but the cup final defeat was more than enough to crank up the volume again.

  It has already reached the point where it feels like it will take a miracle to win over a fanbase that is very much ready to see him lose his job.

• Time for togetherness

  As a result of all of that, it feels increasingly likely that the Chelsea hierarchy will decide to cut ties with Pochettino when they sit down to review his position at the end of the season – barring significant movement up the Premier League table or an unlikely FA Cup crown.

  If their decision-makers do find themselves having to appoint what would already be the fifth manager of their brief stewardship, then reunifying the fanbase and restoring a long-lost connection between the coaches, playing staff and the supporters must be one of their highest priorities. Tuchel's return would achieve that.

  Despite Chelsea's inconsistent form in the second half of his tenure and question marks over his man-management as time went on, the German tactician is still revered by the Stamford Bridge faithful – thanks in no small part to the remarkable Champions League triumph in 2021, and his tactful handling of one of the most torrid periods in the club's modern history, as it went through an enforced change of ownership under government sanctions on former owner and oligarch Roman Abramovich, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

  'Super Tommy Tuchel' just seemed to get it. Indeed, it's been reported that he aligned more closely with Chelsea than any other club he has managed, and that feeling was and is still reciprocated by the supporters – with the vast majority unexpectedly arriving at the conclusion that he was the perfect fit. He would be welcomed back with open arms.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Getty
  

  Boehly in the back seat

  One thing that contributed to Tuchel's eventual demise was his clear frustration at having to work closely with then-self-appointed sporting director Boehly on transfer strategy in the summer of 2022, which he clearly felt was taking him away from his coaching responsibilities.

  “I am in contact with Todd directly on a daily basis, and sometimes more than once on a daily basis,” Tuchel said at the time. "My concern is for the team to be competitive. This is where my focus is and has to be. For this we have to invest a lot of time and we need to be hands-on. There is no other way.

  "It is very time-consuming. It’s not my favourite thing to do and in the long run the focus has to be on coaching because it is why I am here."

  Things would be different now, though, with Boehly since taking more of a back seat following a fairly disastrous transfer window that summer. The majority of the responsibility for identifying targets has now been passed down to sporting directors Lawrence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, although it is still described as a collaborative effort alongside the manager.

  Pochettino has said that he is in contact with the hierarchy "every single day", but Tuchel should expect to be more hands-off with this new structure, having input on his own terms.

Aston Villa are looking at strengthening their attack before the transfer window closes, following the long-term absence of Emiliano Buendia.

Recent reports have now revealed who they could target as a result of his injury.

The Argentine was finding form in pre-season, before being ruled out for the foreseeable future due to sustaining a freak anterior cruciate ligament blow in training.

Acting fast in the transfer market, manager Unai Emery and president of football operations Monchi have landed Nicolo Zaniolo on loan, however, new reports are pointing to an even bigger fish that could be a new target.

Who could Aston Villa sign this summer?

With Buendia out for some time, Emery has been linked with another winger, despite Zaniolo only arriving on loan from Galatasaray last week.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

A report this week has suggested that the Villans are in the race to capture an exciting talent, in a move that could be one of the club’s biggest in recent years.

According to journalist Jose Alvarez on El Chiringuito TV, Villa are part of a heated race with Tottenham Hotspur to sign FC Barcelona sensation Ansu Fati, who could leave the club due to financial pressure and lack of game time.

"Tottenham and Aston Villa are interested in ANSU FATI," he said.

It’s said that the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who is well-known in the Midlands, is pushing the 20-year-old for a €50m (£43m) move to the English top-flight.

"Mendes is offering the Premier for €50m," the reporter added.

How good is Ansu Fati?

From making his Barcelona debut at 16 years of age to being tipped to become the eventual heir to Lionel Messi, Fati has had a whirlwind career in the spotlight at such a young age.

Following the formidable Argentine’s departure, the Spaniard took the no.10 shirt at the Nou Camp after registering a phenomenal breakthrough season in which he netted seven goals in the 2019/20 campaign.

Born in 2002, it’s hard to believe that the product of La Masia has already accumulated 111 appearances for the Blaugrana, scoring 29 goals and registering 11 assists at senior level.

Injury woes and fluctuation of the pecking order has left the Spaniard’s future in doubt at his boyhood club, especially with reference to the financial pressures Barcelona are under.

Speaking of his future, Xavi admitted that “it will depend a lot on Financial Fair Play” whether the starlet will remain in Catalonia, as relayed by Fabrizio Romano.

For Villa, the prospect of signing Ansu Fati could be resounding, in a player who has the potential to be the club’s biggest talent with a calibre that matches that of Jack Grealish.

The Englishman made the £100m move from Villa Park to Manchester City in 2021, leaving with 213 senior appearances and 32 goals under his belt for his boyhood club.

Having been lauded as a sensation with “Messi-esque returns” by scout Jacek Kulig, the youngster was praised by the man himself back in 2019, where the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner admitted that the then-teenager caught his “attention from the first time” he trained with him.

Such compliments coming from arguably the greatest player the game has witnessed reinforces just how significant Fati arriving at Villa could be.

The Villans have a wave of talent in their arsenal, however, capturing the signing of the Barcelona gem could surpass the aura that Grealish left at Villa Park based on the work accomplished already in his budding career.

Last season, the 20-year-old whiz contributed to 11 goals for Barca, scoring seven and assisting four despite only making 12 starts and averaging just 39 minutes per game in LaLiga, via Sofascore.

If Emery and Monchi can see off competition from north London for the Spaniard’s signature, it would surely mark the beginning of a new wave of stardom in the Midlands.

Celtic have gone through a summer full of change on and off the pitch as they have changed managers and seen a number of players arrive at and depart from Parkhead.

Who has left Celtic this summer?

In terms of high-profile exits, the Hoops lost head coach Ange Postecoglou as he opted to move to England to join Tottenham Hotspur and has been replaced by Brendan Rodgers.

The Bhoys have also seen three of the stars of the 2022/23 treble-winning squad move on as Aaron Mooy decided to retire from professional football and Portuguese star Jota joined Al Ittihad for a reported fee of £25m, whilst Carl Starfelt has joined Celta Vigo in Spain.

It now remains to be seen whether or not Rodgers will lose any other first-team players before the end of the window, as central midfielder Reo Hatate was touted with an exit earlier this summer.

Last month, the 25-year-old talent admitted that he would like to take on the challenge of the Premier League if given the opportunity to, amid speculation over a possible move south of the border or to Saudi Arabia.

Who could replace Hatate at Celtic?

If the Japanese dynamo does opt to depart from Paradise before next month's deadline, Rodgers could replace him by securing a deal to sign reported transfer target James McAtee from Manchester City.

Although, the Japan international could need replacing in the short-term irrespective of a possible transfer as he suffered an injury over the weekend.

He came on at half-time against Aberdeen on Sunday but only lasted until the 70th minute as a calf problem, as confirmed by Rodgers after the match, forced him back to the bench, and it remains to be seen how long that will leave him sidelined for.

Hatate enjoyed a terrific 2022/23 campaign in the Scottish Premiership as he showcased his ability to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch from central midfield.

The talented ace racked up six goals and eight assists in 32 league clashes for the Hoops and no other midfielder managed more than four strikes, which means that the number 41 was the club's biggest goal threat from that position.

McAtee, who was once described as "elegant" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is a player who has the potential to offer a similar level of quality as both a scorer and creator from midfield.

The 20-year-old prospect scored nine goals and provided three assists in 37 Championship outings on loan at Sheffield United last season.

However, it is his form for City at youth level that suggests the quality is there for him to be a dream Hatate replacement. He racked up an outstanding 27 goals and 19 assists across 52 U21 matches, which works out as a goal contribution every 1.13 games on average.

The current Celtic star managed a direct involvement every 2.29 outings on average and this suggests that Rodgers could possibly improve his team if McAtee is able to translate his youth team performances over to Parkhead this season.

His nine-goal haul for the Blades shows that he is on the right track to being a reliable attacking option from midfield at first-team level and a move to Paradise could be the next step in his development.

Therefore, the 5 foot 11 wizard could be a dream replacement for Hatate, whether that is down to his injury or a future transfer, as a midfielder who can consistently score and create goals for the team.