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يلتقي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، نظيره زد، غدًا الأحد، ضمن منافسات مؤجلات الجولة الخامسة والعشرين من مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وتقام مباراة الأهلي ضد زد، في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية والعاشرة مساءً بتوقيت الإمارات العربية المتحدة.

وتأتي مباراة الغد، بعد حسم الأهلي، لقب الدوري المصري 2023-2024، عقب الفوز على نظيره سموحة في المواجهة الأخيرة بهدف مقابل لا شئ.

طالع..عضو في جهاز كولر يُعلن الرحيل عن الأهلي

ومن المقرر أن يقود سامي قمصان، المدرب العام اللقاء، بدلًا من مارسيل كولر، والذي حصل على إذن من مجلس الإدارة بالراحة في المباريات المتبقية.

واستطاع الأهلي، التتويج بلقب الدوري رسميًا، بعد احتلال الصدارة برصيد 81 نقطة، بفارق 8 نقاط عن بيراميدز صاحب المركز الثاني.

وتمكن الأهلي خلال موسم شاق التتويج ببطول دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وكأس مصر وكأس السوبر بجانب المشاركة ببطولة دوري السوبر الإفريقي وكأس العالم للأندية، وخسارة السوبر الإفريقي قبل الفوز بالدوري.

ورفع الأحمر، رصيده من الألقاب في الدوري المصري، إلى 44 لقبًا في التاريخ.

ويحتل الأهلي المركز الأول برصيد 81، بينما زد في المركز السابع برصيد 47 نقطة، بعد الخسارة الأخيرة أمام الزمالك بهدف مقابل لا شئ.

Shakib Al Hasan will lead Bangladesh in the first Test against West Indies, ending speculation about his finger injury. Shakib returned to training earlier this week after a month-long rehabilitation programme, following complications with the injury that he sustained in January this year.

• IN: Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Nayeem Hasan

• OUT: Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Abu Jayed, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Islam

Shakib, Soumya Sarkar and 17-year-old offspinner Nayeem Hasan were the inclusions in the Bangladesh Test squad that was trimmed to 13 players from the 15-man squad that had been named against Zimbabwe. Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Abu Jayed, Shafiul Islam and Nazmul Islam were all dropped.Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said that Shakib was fit but needed game time under his belt, while Soumya was picked to resolve Bangladesh’s Test opening conundrum, with Tamim Iqbal still recovering from a side strain.”He has no physical problems currently, but he is short of match fitness. But since he is a senior player, we think that he is ready,” Minhajul said. “Soumya has done well in the NCL. Our openers have failed in Tests, so we want to give him a chance. Soumya plays fast bowling quite well.”Soumya effectively replaces Liton who showed glimpses of form in ODIs but has struggled in Test cricket this year. Shanto, Jayed, Shafiul and Nazmul have all been dropped, according to Minhajul, because the selectors wanted a smaller Test squad. These players will be playing in the Bangladesh Cricket League, the first-class tournament which is scheduled to begin next week.It is, however, particularly chastening for Jayed, who was Bangladesh’s standout bowler July in the West Indies, but is suddenly behind Khaled Ahmed in the selectors’ pecking order.”[Abu Jayed] Rahi is not really dropped. We may go with one seam bowler, so there’s no point keeping him around the squad. The same goes for [Najmul Hossain] Shanto, Shafiul [Islam] and [Nazmul Islam] Apu,” Minhajul said.Nayeem, who was a surprise choice in the Bangladesh Test squad last January, has been picked this time for topping the wicket-takers’ charts in the NCL, the first-class tournament that concluded last week. Soumya meanwhile last played Tests more than a year ago.Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Naeem Hasan

Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has explained why he clashed with Chelsea manager Emma Hayes after full-time of the Gunners' Conti Cup final victory.

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Hayes and Eidevall clash at full-timeArsenal beat Chelsea in Conti Cup finalEidevall explains reason for Hayes' responseWHAT HAPPENED?

The incident occurred after the Gunners' thrilling triumph over the Blues in extra time in the Conti Cup final on Sunday. After the full-time whistle, Eidevall appeared to be shoved by an irritated Hayes as he tried to shake hands, and the Swede left with a bewildered look on his face as the Chelsea boss gestured accusingly at him. After the game, Eidevall gave the media his version of the bizarre event.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT EIDEVALL SAID

Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Eidevall said: "Very happy with the performance. The first half was for the coaches and the second half was for the fans and the audience. We fight hard and of course, I'm happy that we are on the better side of it today."

On the confrontation with Emma Hayes: "Not much. We had a discussion before the game if both teams are going to play with a multi-ball system and Chelsea said they wanted to play with one ball and we said we wanted to play with multi-ball then in the last few minutes, they took another ball and I only said 'Before the game, you wanted to play with one ball'.

"So, it's not my problem. It's all good I think, it's just in the heat of the moment."

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Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Stina Blackstenius' extra-time goal in the 116th minute of play helped Arsenal defeat Chelsea 1-0 in the Conti Cup final for the second year in a row. As Hayes gets ready to join the USWNT at the conclusion of the season, the loss puts an end to Chelsea's ambitions of earning a quadruple in her final campaign as manager.

Everton have struggled to spend their money efficiently in the transfer market when the chequebook is opened and a huge part of their demise has boiled down to paying over the odds for underperforming talent.

Whilst there are too many financial blunders to name, from Morgan Schneiderlin to Jean-Philippe Gbamin, the Toffees have instead found success elsewhere, with their stellar recruitment of talent lower down the football league paying dividends.

The most prolific example of this coming to fruition was the £3m acquisition of John Stones from Barnsley in 2013, with the Englishman establishing himself as one of the best ball-playing defenders on the planet since being snapped up by Pep Guardiola for £47.5m in 2016.

Although Stones is the most notable, he isn't the only player Everton have plucked from lower down the pyramid, capturing Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Sheffield United in a deal worth a reported £1.5m in 2016.

Until the 777 Partner's takeover is complete, this type of talent identification is more imperative than ever as the Toffees are being forced to watch their expenditure in fear of how FFP might sanction them.

That said, the Goodison Park faithful are currently brewing their latest success story in that regard with Jarrad Branthwaite threatening to become the latest big-money sale from Merseyside following his sensational start to the season.

Jarrad Branthwaite's value at Carlisle United

Much like Stones and Calvert-Lewin, Braithwaite's path to the Premier League began in the lower echelons of the football league with Carlisle United.

He was captured from the Cumbrian outfit for £1m in the summer of 2020 as a relatively unknown quantity, but his expected transfer valuation, which has since skyrocketed from the €1.1m (£940k) at Carlisle, wouldn't have come as a surprise to those who facilitated his development during that period.

Such success had been predicted way before his emergence, with the man who gave him his debut at the club, Steven Pressley, praising him highly: "He had so many quality attributes to become a top player. On the back of that one game, I phoned the Director of Football to get him tied up on a longer-term contract, which we did within two or three days.

“From that moment on, he trained with the first team every day. I told people he was a future England international. Not once from when I gave him his debut did I ever consider leaving him out again, because I felt his performances had been so strong.

“The truth is, I think he has got everything. He can pass the ball almost equally as good with both feet. He’s a terrific footballer. And If he continues to develop, then, without doubt, he can be an England player.”

Jarrad Branthwaite's value at the start of this season

Having arrived at Goodison Park in 2020, Branthwaite was given limited chances to impress in the first team, making only ten appearances in the Premier League with a loan spell at Blackburn Rovers sandwiched in between.

Despite featuring ten times for the Lancashire outfit as an 18-year-old in the 2020/21 campaign, the sharp increase in his progression can be attributed to his loan spell at PSV Eindhoven last term.

This was the youngster's first show of faith in senior football and he didn't disappoint, making 27 appearances in the Eredivisie while displaying his physical and technical attributes.

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 13% against his positional peers in the Dutch top flight for aerials won, top 18% for interceptions and top 19% for pass completion per 90.

Jarrad Branthwaite's stats per 90 at PSV

Figure

Interceptions

1.63

Aerials won

2.80

Clearances

4.34

Tackles

1.04

Pass completion

86.9%

Progressive passes

3.61

Passes into final third

3.57

All stats sourced via FBref

Having showcased the key facets of his game, it was the above statistics that provided ample reason as to why PSV were so keen to tie him down permanently, with such performances drafting him straight into Sean Dyche's plans at the start of this campaign.

Subsequently, Branthwaite's expected transfer value rose to €3.9m (£3.3m) in July this year but in the months that have followed, the 21-year-old has gone from strength to strength and has since blown that value out of the water.

Jarrad Branthwaite's current transfer value

With several top clubs, including Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester City sniffing around for the talented centre-back, that is a sign, if anything, that his value has soared since the start of this campaign.

A young English, left-sided defender is always a sought-after commodity in the transfer market and Branthwaite has become the latest revelation that has got several salivating over the ceiling of his potential.

Therefore, his sharp rise to stardom has been reflected by the valuation given to him by the CIES Football Observatory, suggesting the England international is worth £26m (€30m).

While that marks an astronomical 2500% increase from the initial £1m shelled out for him, the £35k per-week titan's vast importance, natural ability and favourable youth mean that his valuation perhaps could prove far higher than this – closer to the fee they received for Stones.

Why Jarrad Branthwaite is worth that much

Lauded as "magnificent" by Alan Shearer following his colossal display in the victory over West Ham United, the list of admirers of Branthwaite is growing rapidly, despite being only nine games into the season.

The sensational talent, who was dubbed by Ruud van Nistelrooy as the "complete defender" during his time at PSV, has certainly demonstrated the facets of his game that have earned him such a hefty tag.

In an Everton side that is required to do a lot of defending, the Englishman has become an unstoppable figure alongside the experienced James Tarkowski and this is reflected by his monstrous defensive metrics this term.

He ranks ninth across the whole of the division for interceptions (1.8) and tenth for clearances per game (4.8), as per Sofascore, which demonstrates how vital his front-foot defending and ability to outmuscle his opponents has been for the Toffees – as seen against Michail Antonio.

Additionally, Branthwaite's exceptional passing ability is one attribute that has been prevalent throughout his career, but it's something that has come to the fore this term, impressing with his calmness in possession and eye for a defence-splitting pass.

The above attributes are crucial components in the buildup phase of any side and during his time at the club, Carlo Ancelotti backed up this admission by displaying his adulation for his ball-playing ability.

The Italian said: "Jarrad is confident, always calm, and never loses control. I think for an 18-year-old it is unusual to see a performance like this."

Having stepped up to plate this term and reined in a long list of plaudits, the world is Branthwaite's oyster and if he continues to perform at a high level, it won't be long before he gets to showcase his incredible talents at an elite club, perhaps sooner rather than later.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians divulgou nesta quarta-feira o balanço financeiro referente aos nove primeiros meses de 2020. Nesse período o clube fechou suas contas com déficit de R$ 6,203 milhões, impulsionado pela crise na pandemia de coronavírus. A dívida acumulada do clube aumentou para R$ 921,9 milhões.

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> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

Esse saldo negativo representa uma piora em relação ao superávit de R$ 4,395 milhões apresentado nos primeiros seis meses do ano. Em 2019, o balanço teve prejuízo total de R$ 177 milhões, valor que foi corrigido para R$ 195,4 milhões a pedido do Conselho Fiscal e do Conselho de Orientação.

No primeiro semestre, o lucro foi turbinado por conta das vendas de jogadores, que totalizaram R$ 142,2 milhões. Apesar de esse valor ter aumentado para R$ 186,4 milhões até setembro, não foi suficiente para amenizar as perdas de receitas por conta da crise provocada pela pandemia de coronavírus, que culminou na saída de patrocinadores e corte nas cotas de TV.

Embora o déficit seja bem menor até aqui do que o de 2019, o clube viu sua dívida acumulada aumentar mais um pouco de junho para setembro. O montante passou de R$ 904,4 milhões para R$ 921,9 milhões, cerca de R$ 17,5 milhões a mais. Em comparação com a dívida acumulada em 31 de dezembro de 2019 (R$ 668,7 milhões), o aumento é de R$ 253,2 milhões em nove meses.

Refrain from attacking too early and await the hittable balls – that’s the South Africa captain’s motto, ahead of the 2nd Test in Colombo

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Jul-2018Successful teams can make themselves dizzy in Sri Lanka, when after one or two losses they try to devise new plans on how to tackle spin. For years struggling visiting captains have put forth varying ideas. “We need to read the spinners better out of the hand,” some have said. “We have a better chance if we play on the back foot,” swore others. Some teams have tried to dominate the spin bowlers early, others have attempted to defend at first and tire them out – only occasionally have any of these plans come off.Having hurtled to a 278-run victory in Galle, South Africa have come up with their own theories. Soon after the loss, Faf du Plessis spoke about how his team had been too aggressive in the second innings, in which they were all out for 73. Two days later, batting coach Dale Benkenstein said that more practice in between the Tests wasn’t necessarily going to help South Africa, but that a mental shift would most help the batsmen combat spin in Colombo.We can’t go far without Chandimal and coach – Herath

Although coach Chandika Hathurusingha and regular captain Dinesh Chandimal are suspended for two Tests and four ODIs, they are still a vital part of Sri Lanka’s performance, spinner Rangana Herath has said. Chandimala and Hathurusingha are serving a six-match suspension for breaching the spirit of cricket in June, over Sri Lanka’s refusal to take the field in the second Test against West Indies.
“It’s true that we don’t have our captain or coach for the game, but if you see during nets, both Hathu and Chandi were there, and preparation was good,” Herath said. “Without them we can’t go very far. Only during the game are they not there. They are behind us.”
Under the suspension rules, Chandimal is allowed to be in the dressing room during the games, but is not allowed to enter the playing area. Hathurusingha, meanwhile, can coach as per normal in between matches, but cannot be in the dressing room on game days, though he is allowed to watch the match from elsewhere in the stadium.

Now, on the eve of the second Test, which South Africa must win to draw the series, there is a new batting catchphrase: “trust your defence”. Essentially, the idea will encourage the South Africa batsmen to refrain from attacking too early and await the hittable balls.”The thing that let us down in the first Test was that we didn’t trust our defence well enough,” captain Faf du Plessis said ahead of the Colombo Test. “The important part of playing spin in Test cricket is trusting your defence. We need to try and put pressure back on the spinners as well, with what you are doing. The guys worked really hard on their game plan and trying to be positive against spin – which is an element of playing spinners well. You have to also trust your defence – so that’s two parts.”Since the end of the first Test, South Africa have also spoken repeatedly about emulating Dimuth Karunaratne’s gameplan, after Karunaratne outscored their entire team by 19 runs in Galle. But where Karunaratne attributed his own success to being positive and busy against the spinners, South Africa have chosen to focus on his defensive work.”Trusting their defence was the difference between how Sri Lanka played spin and how we played spin,” du Plessis said. “Especially Dimuth Karunaratne, who didn’t take too many risks. He just played with good defence. As a captain, I wanted him to take risks but he didn’t take risks. He only started hitting the ball on the air when he was something like 80.”South Africa can perhaps take heart from their most-recent match at the SSC, in which they did very much trust their defence, and made scores of 282 and 159 for 8. On that occasion, though, they were defending a 1-0 lead and were clearly playing for the draw throughout – their run rate at an abysmal 1.87 for the match. This time, a draw will not be enough, and may not even be possible given the drier nature of Sri Lankan pitches over the last two years, but South Africa are still hoping their past successes against spin will light their path to a creditable result in the second Test.”I don’t think we are a team that plays spin badly,” du Plessis said. “If you back and make references where we have had good series against spinners. Spin is not something that we mentally struggle with. There was a carelessness about our batting in Galle. We just need a change of mindset as to what we need to do score runs in Test cricket. You don’t get to the subcontinent and try and score 100 in 70 balls or so – you score 100 off 180 balls. That is the only difference that we need to make while still being positive and making sure you make the right decision when good balls are bowled.”

Arsenal have been guilty of some of the worst transfer missteps in recent history, as they strived to ease the pain that Arsene Wenger’s inevitable exit would cause.

The Frenchman had enjoyed 22 successful years in north London, cementing his status as one of the game’s greatest-ever tacticians alongside Sir Alex Ferguson.

He would win three Premier League titles among numerous other domestic honours, with his stature made immortal earlier in the year with the unveiling of his statue outside the Emirates. An action befitting such a legendary character.

So, when he stepped down, the man chosen to succeed him was always bound to struggle, in a similar way to how David Moyes did following the retirement of his compatriot at Old Trafford. The Scotsman would last just ten months in Manchester before his sacking, with his tenure a doomed one.

However, despite being given more time, Unai Emery still failed to earn success, making way for Mikel Arteta’s current regime which finally has them seemingly headed back towards good times.

That being said, the current Aston Villa boss was handed a rough start to life, inheriting all of the duds that Wenger brought in as his truly special tenure wound down. As such, he not only had to build up his own philosophy but also break down the one that came before him by pushing out these failures.

In the end, many of the players painfully outlived the 51-year-old tactician.

Who is Arsenal’s worst-ever signing?

Whilst the title of the Gunners’ worst-ever signing could be handed to any number of players, the last decade has been particularly startling given the inevitable transitional period that Wenger’s departure invoked.

Nicolas Pepe, Lucas Perez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Francis Jeffers are just a few names that spring to mind over their recent history, but arguably with regard to the biggest disappointment, few compare to Shkodran Mustafi.

Joining as a World Cup winner with Germany, the 31-year-old had been shining for Valencia and deservedly earned his move to England's top flight. The expectation was that he would take to life in a new country with ease, instantly translating his ball-playing and physical profile to become an instant fan favourite in north London.

Whilst he would enjoy some early-tenure success, this proved to be a false dawn, with Mustafi’s true form showing its ugly truth towards the end of his time in north London.

His debut campaign boasted a 7.14 average rating and was upheld through his 83% pass accuracy, 2.4 interceptions, 2.1 tackles and five clearances per game. Crucially, he would not make a single error leading to a goal that year, via Sofascore. By the time his contract had been terminated, a reputation had already been built for making mistakes.

Comparing such figures to the final few seasons endured, and this could not be more unlike how he started. Arsenal legend Ian Wright even launched into a scathing criticism of the 20-cap flop back in 2020, noting: “He's had multiple chances at Arsenal and he continues to let them down.

"I'm not digging him out or anything. He is not good enough. They are playing him because they've got no choice and that's unfortunately why Arsenal can't get rid of him."

Even when they did finally remove him from the playing squad, journalist Charles Watts still summed up his torrid tenure with some choice words:

“So ends the Mustafi era at Arsenal. Horrendous signing. Had some good games, but up there with one of the most costly errors of judgement the club has ever made.”

Whilst Pepe might have been the most expensive flop produced thus far, Mustafi is understandably a contender for their worst-ever acquisition due to the unfulfilled expectation the dud left.

How much did Shokdran Mustafi cost Arsenal?

That’s not to suggest that the centre-back did not set the club back significantly too, with his £35m fee a huge sum for the time.

For context, in that same summer, Manchester City signed John Stones for just £15m more at £50m, and Liverpool brought in Sadio Mane for £36m.

What makes this even more amusing is that The Express rated Pep Guardiola’s business at a mere 6/10, suggesting the “jury’s still out”. Meanwhile, Mustafi’s deal garnered an 8/10, with James Dickenson writing: “Another great piece of business.”

What was Shokdran Mustafi’s salary at Arsenal?

Such a lucrative fee was always bound to draw an equally sizable salary, and by tying him down on a five-year deal, they were locked in.

The north London outfit were forced to pay him £92k-per-week, and across the time he spent with the club, he amassed £21.5m from wages alone.

Not only did Wenger pay out a huge initial fee, but the now 73-year-old’s unwavering faith in the 6-foot stopper also made him a consistent drain even after his departure.

How much has Shokdran Mustafi earned in his career?

Mustafi did not endure a completely torrid career though, despite what many will remember when viewing his his time at Arsenal in isolation.

Successful spells with Sampdoria and Valencia set up the foundation for a thoroughly impressive career that was unfortunately halted in England, with those national team performances a frustrating example that poor displays for the Gunners were in isolation.

As such, he has merited some of the $38.99m (£31.2m) career earnings amassed, although the bulk of that came from Wenger’s generosity.

Did Shkodran Mustafi deserve to earn £92k-per-week?

It is certainly fair to say that Mustafi was not good value for his £92k-per-week paycheck, given how he would struggle as his time at the club went on,

Despite that, the current-Aris Thessaloniki FC ace would go on to make 151 appearances for the club, enjoying some positive spells at the very least. Although, for the total fee he cost the club, you would hope so.

Adding those aforementioned wages to the transfer fee, the former Everton ace took a total of £56.5m from Arsenal across his years there, costing around £374k per game.

How much did other Arsenal players earn?

To emphasise how clueless a period this was, despite his torrid tenure, Mustafi actually earned more than many of his starring peers at the club.

Club captain Laurent Koscielny and Santi Cazorla were both on a level salary with the flop, whilst stars such as Jack Wilshere, Hector Bellerin and Granit Xhaka all earned less, via Capology.

It seems that Wenger made a truly catastrophic error in investing so much in Arsenal’s former number 20, which somehow has managed to age terribly even despite the huge influx of additional money in recent years.

تمكن منتخب مصر الأولمبي من تحقيق الفوز على كوت ديفوار بهدف دون رد، خلال المباراة الودية التي جمعت بينهما اليوم الجمعة.

والتقى منتخب مصر تحت 23 عام مع نطيره الإيفواري على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار الاستعداد لأولمبياد باريس 2024.

وسجل مصطفى سعد ميسي هدف فوز منتخب مصر بعد كرة ارتدت بالخطأ من مدافع كوت ديفوار استغلها ميسي بتسديدة سكنت الشباك في الدقيقة 10 من عمر المباراة.

طالع أيضاً.. منتخب مصر يستأنف تدريباته استعدادًا لمواجهة غينيا بيساو في تصفيات كأس العالم

ويلتقي منتخب مصر الأولمبي مع كوت ديفوار في تجربتين وديتين خلال المعسكر الحالي، وستلعب المباراة الثانية يوم 11 يونيو الجاري.

ووقع منتخب مصر الأولمبي في المجموعة الثالثة من أولمبياد باريس بجانب إسبانيا وجمهورية الدومنيكان وصاحب المركز الثاني بـ كأس أمم آسيا. هدف فوز منتخب مصر الأولمبي على كوت ديفوار

New Zealand women squads

ODI squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Sophie Devine, Lauren Down, Kate Ebrahim, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu.
T20I squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Sophie Devine, Natalie Dodd, Maddy Green, Kate Heffernan, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu.

New Zealand women have included the uncapped pair of Kate Heffernan and Lauren Down for the home series against West Indies in March. Heffernan, an 18-year-old left-arm seamer, has found a place in the 13-member T20I squad while Down, a 22-year-old batsman, is part of the ODI squad.”Both Kate and Lauren are impressive athletes in their own right and will definitely bring that dynamic edge that we’re looking for,” said Haidee Tiffen, New Zealand’s coach.”The fact that Kate is a left-armer was certainly a factor in her selection as she will bring that point of difference. We see an immense amount of potential in Kate, particularly as we look ahead a bit further to a World Cup in New Zealand in 2021.”Lauren’s been on our radar for a while in both formats and we also think she’s one for the future. She’s explosive with the bat and is a terrific fielder across the park.”Kate Ebrahim has returned to the ODI squad while Natalie Dodd and Hayley Jensen have come back into the T20I squad.Katie Perkins has missed out on selection, having had limited game-time since suffering a broken thumb in December, while the legspinner Erin Bermingham, who has taken an indefinite break from cricket, was unavailable for selection.”Erin’s been a terrific servant to the team for a long time and made important contributions on and off the field,” Tiffin said. “She’s a great team-player and we will miss having her around the group.”The three-match ODI series begins on March 4 in Christchurch. This will be followed by a five-match T20I series, which starts on March 14 in Tauranga.

Arsenal suffered a major blow as one of their summer arrivals, Jurrien Timber, was ruled out for a number of months due to injury. It remains to be seen if Mikel Arteta will sign a replacement for Timber- Ben Jacobs here offering his thoughts on the situation amidst links to a relegated defender exclusively to GIVEMESPORT.

Will Arteta prioritize a Timber replacement?

Arsenal got the new season off to a strong start with a 2-1 win at the Emirates. Nottingham Forest came to town and first half goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah made all the difference.

The glory of an opening day victory was marred by the loss of Jurrien Timber, with the defender being forced off of the field in the early stages of the second half. As Ben Jacobs alludes to below, an ACL injury was the outcome of this scenario for Timber which is a major blow for both the club and the player.

With the Dutchman set to miss several months of action, questions now arise as to whether Mikel Arteta will go back into the market and acquire a replacement. See what Jacobs had to say on the situation below.

Ben Jacobs offers an update

Journalist Ben Jacobs has provided an update on the race to replace the injury-stricken Jurrien Timber at the Emirates, exclusively to GIVEMESPORT.

"I feel really sorry, as I'm sure everybody does, for Jurrien Timber. He only just joined but has great attitude, a big personality and is the type of signing that could make a significant difference to Arsenal in terms of quality and also depth.

"Even though everybody's talking about the Declan Rice arrival, and even Kai Havertz, Timber was going to be very important to Arsenal in the first half of the season. Now, this ACL injury changes the complexion.

"But when you look to bring someone in, you can't necessarily go for somebody that – once Timber returns – is not going to have an integral role within the team. This is where I think Arsenal need to be diplomatic in who they're looking for.

"A player like Kyle Walker-Peters could be open to the move but would still want guarantees of minutes and game-time. I wonder whether Arsenal will look for more of a stop gap than necessarily a permanent-type signing in order to ensure that they don't rock the boat or the chemistry within the side."

Other Arsenal news

A lot of the Arsenal headlines are being dominated by the Timber news and any potential replacements for him at the Emirates.

Kieran Tierney is another Gunners’ defender creating traction with his future in the red half of North London being up in the air. Arteta is more than happy to retain the services of the Scotsman as he is a “hugely valued” member of the squad, but if he wants to leave, then the manager won’t stand in his way.

Newcastle United, West Ham United and Celtic were amongst the British teams to hold an interest in Tierney whilst La Liga outfit Real Sociedad entered talks. Everything has since gone quiet though and the latest news is that Eddie Howe’s Newcastle have dropped out of the race altogether.