India allrounder Washington Sundar is in doubt for the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in Harare, which kicks off on August 18. Washington had injured his left shoulder while diving in the infield to stop a drive during his county stint with Lancashire on August 10.He landed awkwardly in the eighth over of Lancashire’s 50-overs Royal London Cup fixture against Worcestershire at Old Trafford and immediately left the field clutching his left shoulder. ESPNcricinfo understands that his shoulder was sore at that point, which forced him to take no further part in the match.Related
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Washington is still feeling some discomfort in his shoulder and has hence been left out of Lancashire’s 13-member squad that will face Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl in a top-of-the-table Group B clash on Sunday.Washington’s original plan was to play Sunday’s game for Lancashire and then link up with the rest of India’s ODI squad that departed for Harare on Saturday morning.The shoulder injury is the latest setback for Washington in his quest for an India comeback. In February, he had missed India’s T20Is at home against West Indies and Sri Lanka because of a hamstring injury. During his IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this year, he had hurt his webbing twice and played just nine games for his new franchise, scoring 101 runs and taking six wickets. At the time, Tom Moody, Sunrisers’ head coach, pointed out that the injuries to Washington and T Natarajan shook up the balance of the XI.In January 2022, he was sidelined from India’s ODI tour of South Africa after testing positive for Covid-19. Prior to that, he had missed the 20-overs Syed Mushtaq Ali competition for his state side Tamil Nadu.VVS Laxman, the former India batter and the current NCA chief, will head India’s coaching staff in Zimbabwe in the absence of regular coach Rahul Dravid who has been given a break, ahead of the 20-overs Asia Cup, which begins on August 20 in the UAE.The ODI series, India’s first in Zimbabwe since 2016, is part of the ICC ODI Super League. All three games will be played at the Harare Sports Club.
Glasgow Rangers finally ended their away day woes in the Scottish Premiership, securing a relatively comfortable 3-1 victory over Dundee United at Tannadice on Sunday afternoon.
Philippe Clement’s men trailed to an early Sam Dalby effort as it appeared the Light Blues would once again slip on their travels. Before the interval, Mohamed Diomande netted a fine long-range strike to level things up.
Goals from Robin Propper and Cyriel Dessers in the second half saw the Ibrox side return to Glasgow with all three points, but Diomande was wrongfully sent off in the dying minutes.
In truth, it was a dreadful decision by referee Nick Walsh, but it shouldn’t take the shine away from how good Diomande was during the match.
The Ivorian is finally emerging into a player that is performing at a consistently high level, and he will be key for the Gers going forward.
Mohamed Diomande’s season in numbers
Diomande has missed just three matches for Rangers throughout the 2024/25 campaign, with one of them due to suspension.
During that time, the 23-year-old has scored five goals while registering four assists in all competitions under Clement.
His positional flexibility has seen the player operate either in a more advanced role as a number ten or in a defensive position, utilising his abilities in both positions.
Mohamed Diomande
He has impressed most in the Premiership. Along with his six goal contributions, Diomande has created four big chances, and averages one key pass while succeeding with one dribble per match, proving that he loves to get forward as much as possible from the heart of the pitch.
Defensively, the midfielder averages 1.1 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, recovers 4.1 balls per game and wins 54% of his ground duels. Judging by his heatmap (courtesy of Sofascore), Diomande covers a lot of ground, either trying to start an attack or providing cover for those bombing into the final third.
Mohamed Diomande
His performances have been impressive indeed, which has been reflected in his market value. According to Transfermarkt, the midfielder is now currently valued at £5m and this will only rise the better he performs over the coming months.
Despite having someone of this quality in his squad, Clement is always looking to add new talent to his first team. Will he be able to sign a player who is currently starring for another Premiership club this term?
Rangers eyeing move for Dundee starlet
A couple of weeks ago, the Scottish Sun reported that the Light Blues were considering making a pre-contract move to sign Dundee star Lyall Cameron, who was entering the final few months of his deal.
The report from the Sun claims that the Gers are leading the chase for Cameron’s signature, although there is plenty of attraction from other parties.
Indeed, Aberdeen have joined the fray, showing interest in launching their own move for the Dens Park talisman. He might get slightly more game time by joining the Dons, yet European football and a chance to win trophies are just a couple of the incentives on offer at Ibrox.
At the time of writing, Cameron is currently valued at just £850k by Transfermarkt, but should he make the move to Glasgow and continue the form he has displayed this season for the Gers, then there is no doubt his valuation will soar.
This could suggest that the Light Blues will have a wonderful chance of securing a significant profit on the Scot, especially if he begins to attract the attention of clubs from down south or abroad.
Market Movers
Last summer, Clement made a similar move by signing Connor Barron. Fast-forward a few months later and his value has risen significantly, reaffirming the rise Cameron could be about to enjoy if he moves to Glasgow.
Rangers' first Lyall Cameron
The Ibrox side had chased Barron’s signature for a while before finally signing their man last summer after he departed Aberdeen following the expiration of his contract.
During his spell with the Dons, the midfielder made 76 appearances for the club during his three full seasons at Pittodrie, quickly becoming one of the best young talents in Scotland, just as Cameron has shown throughout 2024/25.
Connor Barron Aberdeen
The Scot was lauded by Scotland U21 manager Scot Gemmill while playing at Aberdeen last season, who said: “Connor is very impressive on and off the pitch the way he conducts himself.” And the midfielder has wasted no time in trying to make his mark for Rangers.
While he may have struggled to make the starting XI in recent weeks due to the form of Nico Raskin and Diomande, with both players shining as a midfield duo, Barron has still made 33 appearances for the club across all competitions.
Attacking the goal isn’t exactly his forte, but his ability to control possession from the middle of the pitch is exactly why Clement brought him to Rangers in the first place.
Indeed, his 90% pass success rate in the top flight proves this, while the former Aberdeen starlet wins 3.2 total duels per game along with averaging 1.8 tackles per game in the Premiership.
Connor Barron’s Rangers stats
Metric (per 90)
Europa League
Premiership
Accurate passes
24.3
42.5
Tackles
3
1.8
Interceptions
1.7
0.6
Ground duels won
3.7
3.2
Possession lost
7.7
6.8
Via Sofascore
He is still raw and developing all the time, but if Clement can manage the midfielder, there is no doubt he can be a star for the club over the next few years.
Connor Barron's market value in 2025
Although he joined upon the expiration of his contract, Rangers had to pay Aberdeen a compensation fee of around £600k.
This is small change, however, especially considering his valuation at the time of writing. According to Transfermarkt, Barron is now worth £2m and this figure has been rising ever since he arrived in Glasgow last summer.
It is evident that the club have struck gold on Barron. While he is undergoing a tough spell right now, he needs to continue to work hard and the midfielder will get his chance.
Furthermore, Barron is worth over £1m more than Cameron at this moment in time, which proves just how good a signing the youngster has been for the Gers.
Rangers have struck gold on "thunderous" star who is worth more Fernandes
Rangers have a player in their squad who has seen their market value increase rapidly.
The January transfer window has been open for over three weeks now, and much to their fans’ dismay, Arsenal are yet to make a signing.
The North Londoners’ season is hanging by a thread as they are out of the FA Cup, almost out of the League Cup, and it looks like they could fall away in the Premier League.
Add to that the fact that Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus are out with long-term injuries, and it’s impossible to deny Mikel Arteta’s need for attacking reinforcements.
Now, in their defence, it does appear as if the club are trying to do something, as there have been near-constant reports linking them to forwards such as Benjamin Šeško and Matheus Cunha, but it could be argued their greatest area of need is off the right.
Interestingly, the title chasers have already been linked with Bryan Mbeumo this month, who’d be an ideal transfer for this position, but it remains to be seen if that’s a deal that can be done, although, if it is, the Brentford ace would still be worth millions less than one of Arsenal’s other frontline options.
Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo
Why Arsenal should sign Mbeumo
So, it was only last week that Arsenal were linked with a move for Mbeumo that could cost up to £50m, and while that is undoubtedly a lot of money, we reckon it would be more than worth it.
For example, in just 27 appearances for Brentford last season, totalling 2079 minutes, the 25-year-old dynamo racked up a tally of nine goals and six assists, which comes to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 138.6 minutes.
The former Troyes star has somehow done even better this season, racking up a haul of 13 goals and four assists in just 26 appearances totalling 2137 minutes.
That means the sensational Cameroonian is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.52 games or every 125.7 minutes, which is incredible for a winger not playing for one of the ‘big six’.
Moreover, he’s not just stat padding against weaker opposition either; so far this season, the Avallon-born sharpshooter has scored or assisted a goal against Newcastle United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
In short, Mbeumo has more than proven he’s worth £50m or more this season and should be a top target for Arsenal, although one of his potential teammates who’s not had quite as successful a campaign would still be worth millions more.
The Arsenal star worth millions more than Mbeumo
So, to get straight to the point, the Arsenal star in question is none other than Brazilian left-winger Gabriel Martinelli.
The 23-year-old joined the Gunner from then-fourth-tier Brazilian outfit Ituano in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £6m, which now looks like an incredible bargain as Football Transfers value him at up to a staggering €77m, which is about £65m, or £15m more than Mbeumo would cost.
That is an enormous sum of money, and while there might be more than a few of you who’d dispute it, there are some reasons behind it.
First, while he’s not had the best year and a half, the Guarulhos-born talent has remained reasonably effective.
For example, in 20 league appearances this season, he has scored six goals and provided two assists, while Chelsea’s Pedro Neto, who cost £54m in the summer, has scored once and provided two assists in 19 league games.
19/20
26
10
4
0.53
20/21
22
2
2
0.18
21/22
36
6
7
0.36
22/23
46
15
6
0.45
23/24
44
8
5
0.29
24/25
31
7
3
0.32
Moreover, when he’s at his best, he’s sublime, as in the 22/23 campaign, the “unplayable” winger, as described by pundit Owen Hargreaves, scored 15 goals and provided six assists in 46 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.85 games.
Finally, while he’s not a young player anymore, there is still time for him to rediscover his best form and potentially do even better.
Ultimately, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign Mbeumo this month, but fans should not forget that in Martinelli, they have a winger with the raw ability to be something special.
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O Palmeiras iniciou na manhã desta quinta-feira, na Academia de Futebol, a preparação para o confronto com o Juventude, neste sábado, às 19h, no Estádio Alfredo Jaconi, em Caxias do Sul-RS, pela sétima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A novidade foi o zagueiro Luan que, em transição física, participou de 30 minutos do treino coletivo e de mais uma atividade técnica em dimensões reduzidas.
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Além do camisa 13, que não atua desde a final do Mundial de Clubes, em 12 de fevereiro por conta de uma lesão muscular, o trabalho inicial no gramado contou com atletas que entraram no decorrer do duelo com o Emelec-EQU, no Allianz Parque, pela Libertadores, como Vanderlan, Zé Rafael, Raphael Veiga, Dudu e Breno Lopes.
Quem também participou da atividade foram as Crias do sub-20: Carlinhos (lateral-direito), Ian Custódio (lateral-esquerdo), Pedro Lima (meio-campista), Breno (meio-campista) e Ruan Ribeiro (atacante). Na sequência, sem os primeiros citados que atuaram diante do Emelec, houve uma movimentação técnica em campo reduzido.
Os titulares fizeram regenerativo na parte interna do centro de excelência. O atacante Gabriel Veron cumpriu seu cronograma individualizado, ao passo que o lateral-esquerdo Piquerez e o lateral-direito Mayke trabalharam com integrantes do Núcleo de Saúde e Performance. Assim como Luan, os três devem seguir como baixas.
Apesar da diminuição dos casos de Covid-19 e da flexibilização das medidas de restrição por conta da pandemia, o Verdão ainda não liberou a presença de jornalistas nos treinamentos. Assim, as informações são fornecidas pela assessoria de imprensa do clube.
Invicto há 11 partidas, o Palmeiras pode igualar no sábado a sua maior série sem derrotas neste ano, registrada entre fevereiro e março. Dono da melhor campanha da atual edição da Libertadores, o Verdão contabiliza nove pontos no Brasileirão, com duas vitórias, três empates e uma derrota. O Palmeiras treina nesta sexta-feira, às 15h, e segue em seguida para Caxias do Sul-RS para buscar um triunfo.
يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، لخوض مباراة هامة اليوم السبت أمام البنك الأهلي، وذلك ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري.
ويلتقي الأهلي مع البنك الأهلي على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار مواجهات الجولة السابعة من المرحلة النهائية لبطولة الدوري المصري.
ويحتل الأهلي صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 52 نقطة، متفوقًا بفارق نقطتين عن بيراميدز صاحب المركز الثاني.
طالع أيضاً.. عبد الظاهر السقا بعد الفوز على الإسماعيلي: مودرن سبورت أصبح لديه شخصية
على الجانب الآخر يحتل البنك الأهلي المركز الرابع برصيد 37 نقطة، ويطمح في تحقيق نتيجة إيجابية تعزز موقعه في الترتيب، وتدعمه معنويًا قبل نهاية الموسم، وترفع حظوظه للمشاركة في كأس الكونفدرالية الموسم المقبل. موعد مباراة الأهلي والبنك الأهلي في الدوري المصري
تنطلق المباراة اليوم في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي والبنك الأهلي اليوم
من المقرر أن تُنقل المباراة عبر قناة أون سبورتس 1. معلق مباراة الأهلي والبنك الأهلي في الدوري
يتولى أيمن الكاشف مهمة التعليق على المباراة.
ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.
Maharoof surprised by Shanaka comments: ‘He’s usually not that outspoken’
Things are heating up ahead of the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka game at the 2022 Asia Cup, a must-win match for both teams, with players, past and present, on both sides having taken pot shots at the opposition in the lead-up. Following Bangladesh team director and former captain Khaled Mahmud’s comments on match eve that this Sri Lanka side has no bowlers of note, which in itself was a response to Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka having earlier in the week talked down Bangladesh’s attack, former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has got in on the act. He tweeted on Thursday morning:
Looks like it’s time for @OfficialSLC bowlers to show the class and batters to show who they are on the field. #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/txWm7wH4nC
— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) August 31, 2022
Later in the day, Nurul Hasan, the Bangladesh wicketkeeper who’s missing the Asia Cup due to a finger injury, tweeted:
We are clear favorites tonight in the #AsiaCup2022. It's just a matter of time before we execute our first-class bowling, batting, and team efforts, In Shaa Allah. Let's show who are the better side on the field.
— Nurul Hasan Sohan (@sohan18official) September 1, 2022
Today’s match will decide which of the two teams proceed to the Super 4s from Group B, alongside Afghanistan, who have already beaten both. Sri Lanka lost to Afghanistan to kick off the tournament, bowled out for 105 before Afghanistan chased down the target with eight wickets and 59 balls to spare. In the aftermath of that rout, looking ahead to a must-win game for his side, Shanaka had said: “Afghanistan has a world-class bowling attack. [But] we know Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] is a good bowler. Shakib [al Hasan] is a world-class bowler. But apart from them, there is no world-class bowler in the side. So if we compare with Afghanistan, Bangladesh is an easier opponent.”Bangladesh, in turn, were beaten by Afghanistan by seven wickets two days ago, setting up a straight knockout with Sri Lanka. Mahmud was harsh on his team’s batters following that, but also took time to have a go at Shanaka. “I don’t know why Dasun made that comment,” he said. “Definitely Afghanistan has a better squad. He said we have only two bowlers in our line-up, but I don’t see any bowlers in Sri Lanka. At least Bangladesh has world-class bowlers like Mustafiz and Shakib. They don’t even have that.”Both teams have previous history, triggered by Nazmul Islam’s “naagin dance”, which escalated from a wicket celebration to a tool for players on both sides to rile up opposition, all eventually ending in ugly scenes at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo following a close-fought and ill-tempered Nidahas Trophy game in March 2018, which included a smashed dressing-room door. Shanaka had played that match, and Nurul was a substitute who was entangled in on-field arguments on the day.
Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to return to Old Trafford as he slammed Ruben Amorim's coaching style.
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Sheringham backs Solskjaer to return to Man UtdRaised questions on Amorim's managerial methodsMan Utd face Wolves on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
When Solskjaer was removed as United manager in 2021, the club were struggling in the seventh position in the Premier League. In the last three and a half years, the Red Devils saw two full-time coaches and a series of interim bosses in charge, however, the club's performance has only gone downhill as they currently find themselves in 14th place in the league.
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Former United striker Sheringham felt that Solskjaer would return to Old Trafford in the near future as he claimed that the club's performance has not at all improved under current head coach Ruben Amorim. Speaking to , Sheringham said: "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thought he was harshly treated when he got the sack and now Manchester United are still looking at the solution to get back to winning ways.
"He thought he was bringing that back, but the hierarchy didn’t think so. Looking at where they are now, the situation that Ole and his team are in doesn't look so bad. Looking forward, I'm sure he'll be champing at the bit if he keeps doing well to maybe come back to the club for a second spell as manager."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The United icon added: "Has Ruben Amorim done enough to prove he is the right man for the job? Well, not really. You're looking for signs to say, yeah, things are looking up, but it's really not. Things are not looking great. It’s the same mistakes and the same people making mistakes, the goalkeepers constantly as fault.
"I know it sounds dinosaurish, but why is there all this playing out from the back? In areas where you are only going to increase pressure on yourself, that’s what I cannot understand."
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?
After staging a historic comeback win over Lyon in the midweek, Amorim's men will be back in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they take on Wolves.
Logjam in Group A as Nottinghamshire chase falls short
ECB Reporters Network17-Aug-2022
Will Rhodes struck his first List A hundred•Getty Images
Warwickshire tightened up Group A of the Royal London Cup with a high-scoring 14-run victory over Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston. In a game reduced by rain to 34 overs per side, the Bears amassed 271 for six, led by captain Will Rhodes’ maiden List A century – 113 from 85 balls with eight fours and five sixes.Nottinghamshire replied with a gallant 257 all out as Haseeb Hameed (51, 48), Ben Slater (47, 28) and Liam Paterson-White (43, 17) each delivered innings which were dangerous but did not evolve into the match-winning contributions needed.The pulsating win was Warwickshire’s third in five group games, leaving them in the thick of the qualification race. Nottinghamshire also remain in contention but are under more pressure having also won three but having played a game more.Nottinghamshire chose to bowl and quickly removed Dom Sibley, bowled through the gate by Paterson. Yates and Rhodes responded with a measured stand of 113 in 15 overs before 18-year-old spinner Fateh Singh turned one past the former’s leg-side swat to trap him lbw.Related
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Michael Burgess soon top-edged Paterson to fine leg but Rhodes timed the ball beautifully. He eclipsed his previous List A career-best of 76 and planted five sixes into the crowd, all at the Pavilion End, one of which took him to a 77-ball hundred.Rhodes and Pandya accelerated in a stand of 90 in 59 balls before Notts hit back when both fell to well-judged catches in the deep by Lyndon James. A late flurry from 17-year-old Kai Smith assured the Bears an imposing total.Nottinghamshire’s reply was assertively launched by Slater and Sol Budinger (23, 22) before the latter lifted Olly Hannon-Dalby to deep mid-wicket. Dane Schadendorf skied Liam Norwell to long off and Slater’s assault was gathering momentum when he lifted Ethan Brookes to fine leg where Smith ran and dived to complete a superb catch.The required run-rate was slowly escalating until Patterson-White thrashed 26 off a Norwell over. That swung the pendulum Notts’ way but it swung back again when Patterson-White hoisted Garrett to deep extra cover and Hameed was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Burgess off Rhodes.When Lyndon James smashed Garrett straight to extra cover, the visitors needed 35 from four overs. Singh added a cameo to his earlier wickets but when he lifted Rhodes to long off, the last pair needed to find from 12 balls. The end came quickly when Paterson was run out going for a bye.
Virat Kohli has opened up about his recent struggle to cope with expectations, workload and mental fatigue, saying he came to the realisation that he had been “trying to fake intensity a bit” in his determination to keep playing. India’s first Asia Cup match against Pakistan on August 28 will mark Kohli’s return to international cricket after a 42-day break following the conclusion of the tour of England in July.”This is the first time in ten years that I have not touched the bat in a whole month,” Kohli told Star Sports during an interview with Jatin Sapru. “When I sat down and thought about it, I was like I haven’t actually touched a bat for 30 days, which I haven’t done ever in my life. That’s when I came to the realisation that I was kind of trying to fake my intensity a bit recently. ‘No, I can do it’… being competitive and convincing yourself that you have intensity but your body is telling you to stop. Mind is telling you to just take a break and step back… You can neglect it by saying you are fit, you are working hard on yourself, and you will be fine because you are fit mentally.”I have been looked at as a guy who is mentally very strong, and I am, but everyone has a limit, and you need to recognise that limit, otherwise things can get unhealthy for you. So this period actually taught me a lot of things that I was not allowing to come to the surface. When they did, I embraced it. , there is much more to life than just your profession. And when the environment around you is such that everyone looks at you through your professional identity, somewhere you start losing perspective as a human being.”Related
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Rohit's India willing to try new things, even if they turn out to be mistakes
On Sunday, Kohli will play his 100th T20 international, and become only the second cricketer after New Zealand’s Ross Taylor to play 100 matches in every format of the game – an indicator of the workload he has shouldered since his debut in 2008. And since 2020, no other Indian cricketer has played more internationals than Kohli’s 62 matches.Kohli said that the demands of his schedule had affected his love for training, something that “disturbed” him and made him realise he needed “to step away” for some time. “I have always been a guy who followed his heart from day one… I never wanted to be or tried to be someone else, which in this recent phase I have been. I have tried to keep up to the demands and the expectations, not really felt my inner being completely, which this phase [away from the game] allowed me to do. I was experiencing that I was not excited to train, I was not excited to practice, and that really disturbed me because this is not who I am, and I literally needed to step away from that environment.”Virat Kohli: “I was experiencing that I’m not excited to train, I wasn’t excited to practice, and that really disturbed me”•Getty Images
Kohli said taking this break helped him rediscover his excitement for training and cricket once again. “When you are involved in such an environment, you are unable to see anything. When you remove yourself from there, then you realise what was happening… This has been an amazing break. I have never had this long a break, and the first thing I realised was that I was getting up in the morning excited to go to gym. It was not a thing like, ‘Oh I have to keep up with this.’ So that was my first mark.”You can tend to get carried away with so many demands nowadays… You have seen the results of what happened to Ben Stokes and Trent Boult… Moeen [Ali] retiring from Test cricket. These aren’t abnormalities; it’s a very normal practice for people who are in touch with themselves and know what they want in life.”As Kohli prepares to make his comeback, his form will once again come under scrutiny. He hasn’t scored an international century since November 2019, and his T20 form hasn’t been great either. Kohli has played only four T20 internationals since the World Cup last year, and he scored only 341 runs from 16 innings for RCB in IPL 2022 at a strike rate of 116. While elaborating on his mindset, Kohli said he had been trying to push himself “into a zone of competitiveness” because it “was not happening naturally” and that he was feeling better after the break.”I’m feeling light now for sure, and it wasn’t just about the workload of cricket,” Kohli said. “There were many other factors on the outside as well, which contributed to me going into that space.”You get to learn a lot of things. Things you are looking at from a certain lens because you are playing with passion, with heart, but on the outside, people don’t perceive it like that and they don’t understand the value of those things. They don’t look at you from that lens. That gives you a reality check that this is how things are and you can’t expect everyone to think and be like you. I got to realise that too.”And intensity, as you said, I didn’t even realise I was faking it. I was trying to push myself into a zone of competitiveness. But it wasn’t coming naturally to me. I am a person who wakes up and feels like, ‘Okay, let’s see what the day has for me,’ and be part of everything that I am doing doing through the day with absolute presence and involvement and happiness. And that’s who I have always been.”People ask me a lot about how do I do this on the field, and how do I carry on with so much intensity. I just tell them I love playing the game, and I love the fact that I have so much to contribute every ball and I would give every inch of my energy on the field and for me it never felt abnormal. A lot of people who on the outside watched me, and even within the team, they asked me how do I keep up with it? And I just say one simple thing: I want to make my team win at any cost and if that means that I’m gasping for breath when I walk off the field, so be it.”That was not happening naturally. I was having to push myself but I didn’t know it because I had become this ideal kind of a sportsperson to look up to. I am very grateful for the fact that so many people get inspired because of me, but you can’t stop being a human being because of that. You also have to understand why people love you and support you. It’s because you were yourself always, and even in these moments, I’m not shy to admit that I was feeling mentally down and this is a very normal thing to feel.”I mean I’m a human at the end of the day, and that should be a thing or a space for people to say, ‘Hold on, if he can go through this, if he can experience the same, relax. It’s normal to feel this way; it’s not abnormal.’ Talk about it, discuss with people. No one is going to think you are weak, people will actually feel compassionate for you, and you will get help from sources you didn’t even imagine. But we don’t speak because we are hesitant. We don’t want to be looked at as mentally weak, or weak people. Trust me, faking being strong is far worse than admitting to being weak. And I have no shame in saying that I mentally feeling weak.”.
Tottenham have held talks over signing another Paris Saint-Germain player alongside Randal Kolo Muani, with Ange Postecoglou’s side potentially eyeing a double-raid on the Ligue 1 champions before deadline day on February 3.
Tottenham in negotiations with PSG over January deal for Kolo Muani
Various reports in the last few days have claimed that Spurs are actively attempting to seal a loan deal for Kolo Muani as their second January signing after young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
Levy hopes to finalise Tottenham signing by the end of the week after talks
The Lilywhites chairman and Spurs’ recruitment team are pushing for the club’s second winter signing.
By
Emilio Galantini
Jan 10, 2025
GiveMeSport reported on Thursday night that chairman Daniel Levy, technical director Johan Lange and the Lilywhites recruitment team are optimistic over striking a full agreement with the French heavyweights in a matter of days, with Tottenham hopeful of finalising a temporary deal for Kolo Muani by Sunday.
Postecoglou’s side are seriously advancing in their pursuit of the France international as they seek to beat Juventus and Man United to his signature, holding talks with both PSG and Kolo Muani’s representatives this week (GMS).
Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures
Date
Arsenal (away)
January 15
Everton (away)
January 19
Leicester City (home)
January 26
Brentford (away)
February 2
Man United (home)
February 16
There are still issues to resolve, as PSG prefer that the potential deal includes an obligation-to-buy the 26-year-old outright at the end of the Premier League season, while Spurs would apparently prefer an option (GMS).
On the player’s side, talks over personal terms are believed to be moving forward in a positive way, and Kolo Muani has been assured that he’s guaranteed consistent game time in a well-defined role under Postecoglou (GMS).
The former Eintracht Frankfurt star bagged an incredible 23 goals and 17 assists in all competitions during his best club season to date in 2022/2023, highlighting exactly why Spurs are so keen to take advantage of his situation at the Parc des Princes.
That being said, Paris is beginning to become a serious hunting ground for Levy and Lange, as it is now believed that they’ve held negotiations with PSG over signing £264,000-per-week defender Milan Skriniar as well.
Tottenham hold talks over January deal for Milan Skriniar from PSG
The Slovakia international joined Luis Enrique’s side on a free transfer from Inter Milan in 2023, putting pen to paper on a five-year deal, but his time at the club could be coming to an abrupt end.
Journalist Duncan Castles, speaking on The Transfers Podcast (via TBR), claims that Tottenham have held talks over signing Skriniar in January, and PSG will let the centre-back leave, as he’s been deemed surplus by Enrique.
“They’re also been in talks with Paris Saint-Germain about taking Milan Skriniar, who’s another notable player available in this window,” Castles said.
“PSG will let him go. They’ve allowed him to talk to other clubs. Again, not a favourite of Enrique’s. They have interest in him from Serie A clubs, and they are basically going to wait and see who gives them the best offer by the end of the window.
“So that is an option for Tottenham to get someone into their defence, who’s actually a centre back in the centre of their defence.”
The 29-year-old has been linked with a move to N17 for years, and Skriniar was even Jose Mourinho’s top centre-back target for Spurs as far back as 2020 (The Guardian).