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da poker： Após ficar mais de dois meses sem balançar as redes, Raphael Veiga voltou a ser o cara do Palmeiras de Abel Ferreira em um momento muito importante da temporada. O camisa 23 mais uma vez surge como uma das grandes esperanças de gol do Palmeiras diante do  Atlético-MG, no duelo decisivo desta quarta-feira (9), no Allianz Parque.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras celebra três anos do aniversário de último título antes da era Abel FerreiraPalmeiras08/08/2023PalmeirasInvicto há nove jogos diante do Atlético-MG, Palmeiras perdeu apenas uma vez para o Galo no Allianz ParquePalmeiras08/08/2023PalmeirasPalmeiras foca na Libertadores, mas sem perder o Brasileirão de vistaPalmeiras08/08/2023

da doce： + Veja tabela da Libertadores-2023 clicando aqui

Autor do belo gol no Mineirão no confronto de ida das oitavas de final da Libertadores 2023, o meia já balançou as redes do Galo no Allianz Parque, e foi justamente no dia em que Abel Ferreira desembarcou no Brasil pela primeira vez.

Ainda comandado pelo interino Andrey Lopes, o Palmeiras atropelou o Atlético-MG de Sampaoli pelo Brasileirão de 2020 por 3 a 0, e Raphael Veiga, de cabeça, abriu o placar, enquanto Rony e Wesley definiram o placar.

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Na manhã daquele 2 de novembro de 2020, Abel Ferreira e sua comissão técnica havia desembarcado no terminal 3 do Aeroporto de Guarulhos e já assistiu a boa vitória alviverde de um dos camarotes do Allianz Parque.

Logo de cara, Abel Ferreira se apaixonou por Raphael Veiga e não foi à toa que o camisa 23 foi o craque do título da Copa do Brasil de 2020 e já protagonista do campeão da Libertadores de 2020.

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Em noites de Copa, Raphael Veiga só aumentou o seu protagonismo na temporada seguinte, e com gol até na grande final da Libertadores 2021, foi peça importante com gols nas oitavas, diante da Universidad Católica e também balançando as redes diante do São Paulo, nas quartas.

Já consagrado como um dos maiores meias da história do clube, o Verdão conta com o brilho de Veiga para eliminar o Atlético-MG de Luiz Felipe Scolari nesta quarta-feira (9), no Allianz Parque.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

A um gol de igualar o ídolo Alex, Veiga já é o segundo maior artilheiro do Palmeiras neste Século XXI, com 77 gols e após 246 jogos, já levantou nove taças pelo time que torce desde criança.

Head coach said that rushing Williamson to India for the Mumbai Test “wasn’t worth the risk”

Deivarayan Muthu30-Oct-2024New Zealand coach Gary Stead is “very confident” of Kane Williamson returning to action for the first Test of their home summer, against England, which will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from November 28 to December 2.The New Zealand team management didn’t want to run the risk of rushing Williamson back into action for the Mumbai Test, which will begin on Friday, and will continue to adopt a cautious approach with his rehab. Williamson, 34, had suffered a groin injury on the tour of Sri Lanka last month, just before the start of the three-match Test series in India.”Yeah, very confident,” Stead said of Williamson’s availability for the first Test against England. “I mean at a push we could have got him over here [in India] immediately, but considering I guess the travel factor and making sure that you can actually recover properly when you get here, we didn’t feel though that was worth the risk. So we’re happy with having him ready and very, very confident he’ll be right for that first Test versus England.”Related

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Despite the absence of Williamson for the entire series in India, New Zealand found a way to win their first-ever Test series in the country. Will Young, slotted into Williamson’s No.3 spot, stood up to the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin in contrasting conditions in Bengaluru and Pune.”Look, it’s always disappointing when he’s not over here with us,” Stead said of Williamson. “I mean, he’s New Zealand’s greatest Test run-scorer for a reason, and I think whenever you have Kane in your side, it looks a stronger side. But the guys have gone really well.”We’ve adapted well without him here. The best thing for Kane is just to get himself completely right for England and we’re certainly looking forward to him coming back and hopefully making a difference in that Test series over there for us.”

Ben Sears likely to miss England Test series with injury

Tearaway quick Ben Sears, however, is set to miss the three-match Test series against England though Stead is hopeful of having him fit for the latter part of the home summer. Sears had also been sidelined from the entire Test series in India, with a knee injury. The 26-year-old had experienced pain in his left knee, while training in the lead-up to the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka, and underwent a minor surgery on it on Wednesday.”Unlikely to be available for the England Test series,” Stead said of Sears. “Ben is going in for a small surgery today and just on his knee. Hopefully then he’ll be able to recover in the near future. I’m very hopeful he’ll be part of the summer.Ben Sears had a good start to his Test career against Australia•Associated Press

“It’s not a big operation – he just needs a little bit of tidy up on his knee – so like hopefully by Christmas or so he’ll be back up and running again.”On his Test debut in Christchurch in March earlier this year, Sears took a match haul of five wickets against Australia and pushed himself into contention for the following six-Test tour of the subcontinent. Sears tuned up for the challenge with a four-day preparatory camp at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai before the injury relegated him to the sidelines.Sears’ absence could open up a potential Test debut for his Wellington team-mate Nathan Smith, who was added to New Zealand’s central contracts list in September. Smith, a bowling allrounder, was the top wicket-taker in the 2023-24 Plunket Shield, with 33 strikes in seven matches at an average of 17.18. He also had a stint with Worcestershire during the recent county season.

Stead hopes for a repeat of WTC 2021

New Zealand’s stunning takedown of India in Bengaluru and Pune has them dreaming of making the World Test Championship (WTC) final. If they win each of their four remaining Tests, they will finish on 64.29%. It won’t ensure qualification, but it will certainly keep them in the mix. Stead took heart from the inaugural cycle of the WTC in 2019-21, when New Zealand won six in a row on their way to securing the title.”Yeah I mean a series win in itself is incredible but what we want to do is keep trying to get better every game and we’re going to different circumstances now – the red clay [in Mumbai] is very different,” Stead said. “The way that it performs is different, so we’re going to have to adapt quickly and our next two trainings are going to be important, but for the World Test Championship itself there’s no doubt that one more win here would certainly help us.”I remember the first time we were in the situation of qualifying for the first WTC, we had to win four Tests on the bounce and managed to. So, hopefully there’s some sort of similes to that that we can lean on and say, ‘Well, we’ve done it before, here’s an opportunity to perhaps do something very special again’.”

Sir Alex Ferguson always had an eye for homegrown talent, building his Manchester United dynasty on the backs of British and Irish stars like Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Roy Keane.

The legendary Scottish manager was well known for not always seeing eye to eye with even his greatest stars however, and was not afraid to dish out punishment to some of the biggest names in the game.

Gary Neville recalled a dispute after he swore at the 83 year-old during their time together at United: “He fined me a week’s wages, battered me after the match.

“Did it again the day after in his office. Then he proceeded to leave me out for the next two weeks, put me on the bench. He shouted something on to me [in the game] and I knew it. I spent the next 15 minutes of the match thinking, ‘I am done. I’m done.’”

Perhaps the most well-known case of ‘Fergie’ taking on one of his own players came in 2005, leading to Keane’s departure as Red Devils captain.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder had been in and out of the team since an injury sustained due to a poor tackle from Liverpool’s Luis Garcia, and had also taken issue with the quality of the team’s accommodation during a pre-season camp in Portugal.

And after an outburst criticising his teammates on MUTV as well as several rows with Ferguson and assistant manager Carlos Queiroz, Keane left Old Trafford by mutual consent in November 2005.

Ferguson: Gerrard was the best midfielder in the Premier League

Suddenly United had a gaping hole in a team that had dominated the Premier League for years, and Sir Alex has since revealed the only man capable of filling that void at the time was Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

It’s little surprise the Scot was so appreciative of Gerrard’s talents either. At a time when United were dominating their north-west counterparts domestically, Gerrard was the sole constant thorn in their side.

Steven Gerrard	Record vs Man Utd
Appearances	35
Wins	13
Draws	2
Losses	20
Goals	9
Assists	5
Yellow cards	6
Red cards	2

The Premier League has seen some of the best midfielders in the world throughout the years, leading to fierce debates as fans rank the likes of Keane, Gerrard, Vieira, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard.

20 Best Midfielders in Premier League History Ranked

Where does Man City icon Kevin De Bruyne rank?

By
Charlie Smith

May 8, 2025

Sir Alex wasn’t the only one full of praise for Liverpool’s skipper though, with the legendary Jose Mourinho once admitting he tried to sign him both with Internazionale and while he was in charge at Chelsea.

It’s truly difficult to comprehend how England’s ‘golden era’ was unable to succeed with the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes leading the charge.

Trent Rockets were victorious in a nervy must-win encounter against Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred at Edgbaston on Monday. The Rockets drew level on points with third-placed Northern Superchargers to keep themselves in the hunt for a place in the knock-outs, as they came out on top by three wickets with just three balls to go in a tense affair.Birmingham Phoenix won the toss and chose to bat, with both sides sitting on six points in the table and looking for the opportunity to keep their seasons alive. Phoenix had to make do without Sophie Devine, forced to miss out through injury.That required a batting order shuffle for Phoenix but their shuffled top order didn’t last long: three wickets fell early for the home side as they lost captain Ellyse Perry, Fran Wilson and Amy Jones in the opening 15 balls before they had reached double digits. Alexa Stonehouse grabbed the big wicket of Perry, Sciver-Brunt dismissed her one-time housemate Wilson and her maid-of-honour Jones first-ball.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I was very happy with how the ball came out today,” Sciver-Brunt said. “I probably haven’t had that much success or that much consistency, so I was very happy with my personal bowling performance today.”Phoenix’s recovery was as impressive as it was crucial, with Sterre Kalis and Indian international Richa Ghosh putting on 95 for a record fourth-wicket partnership in the women’s Hundred. Ghosh made 41 from 36 and Kalis 47 from 44 as they took the hosts to 112 for 6.After her early wickets Sciver-Brunt finished with figures of 2 for 16. Australian international spinner Ashleigh Gardner also picked up a critical late couple of wickets to take 2 for 17.Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ashleigh Gardner took two wickets each•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Phoenix needed early wickets to help them defend their below-par total and they managed just that, with Bryony Smith and Nat Wraith dismissed in the first 20 balls. Unfortunately for Phoenix, that brought Sciver-Brunt to the crease, the leading run-scorer in The Hundred this year – and indeed the record-holder for the highest aggregate ever in the women’s competition.With Sciver-Brunt and Gardner at the crease the visitors looked to be cantering in the chase, but a flurry of wickets at an inopportune moment from balls 70-80 – including a timely run-out from Perry – made things suddenly appear much tricker for the Rockets. Not for the first time, the Rockets found themselves trying to scrap over the finish line, but this time it was a must-win encounter.They benefitted from a debatable no-ball call, which saw Josie Groves reprieved having initially been given out caught, but on this occasion they had enough in the locker to get over the line – Katie George there at the end alongside Groves to keep alive Rockets’ hopes of going further in the Hundred.”In terms of the chase, we probably got ahead of it a bit earlier and gave ourselves a bit of relief towards the end, so the pressure didn’t build up too much,” Sciver-Brunt said. “For the two batters to come out at the end, who hadn’t faced many balls, they were very brave, and I was really pleased for them to get the job done.”We’ve had so many close games, so to come out on the right side of it this time feels really good. It’s still all in our hands, if we beat the Oval Invincibles in our last game then we will be in that top three.”

Five-wicket haul secures first-innings lead before home batters cement advantage

ECB Reporters Network25-Jun-2024Middlesex 433 and 302 (Robson 67, Higgins 67, du Plooy 59, Thomson 4-115) lead Derbyshire 339 (Reece 125, Donald 54, Roland-Jones 5-81) by 396 runsMiddlesex captain Toby Roland-Jones tore through Derbyshire’s tail with a five-wicket haul to put his side in control going into the final day of their Vitality County Championship clash with Derbyshire.Seamer Roland-Jones finished with 5 for 81 – including four wickets in 19 deliveries – as the visitors, who began day three on 308 for 4, were hustled out inside the opening hour at Lord’s for 339.Having top-scored with 163 in Middlesex’s first innings, Ryan Higgins played a supporting role with the ball, taking 3 for 60 before helping his side stretch their overall lead to 396 with a total of 302 second time around.Higgins and Sam Robson both scored 67, with former Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy contributing 59 – his second half-century of the match – ensuring the visitors will need to break their record fourth-innings total to secure victory.Trailing by just 125 with six wickets intact at the start of play, Derbyshire’s prospects of a first-innings lead looked fair – but those swiftly evaporated as their batting was blown away by Roland-Jones and Higgins.Luis Reece was first to depart for a season’s best 125, caught behind prodding outside off stump at Higgins and, once the new ball had been taken soon afterwards, wickets began to tumble.Aneurin Donald completed his second successive Championship half-century, advancing to 54 before Roland-Jones had him caught at short cover and the dismissal of Anuj Dal in the next over opened up the visitors’ tail. Roland-Jones made short work of Derbyshire’s last three, with Zak Chappell leg-before not playing a shot and Alex Thomson and Daryn Dupavillon both out to slip catches as the home side secured an advantage of 94.Chappell immediately responded with the ball, slanting his opening delivery across Mark Stoneman to have the left-hander caught in the slips, but Robson put his first-innings duck firmly behind him with a series of confident strokes on both sides of the wicket.The opener raced to his half-century before lunch, dominating a partnership of 85 with Max Holden, who was dropped on nought at second slip and took 25 minutes to get off the mark, but settled down to play a gritty knock.However, Chappell struck again when Robson clipped him into the hands of midwicket and that, along with Thomson’s consistent and prolonged spell of offspin from the Nursery End, helped Derbyshire to apply the brakes.With Middlesex restricted to less than two-and-a-half an over during a lacklustre afternoon session, Reece’s medium pace finally prised out Holden, who prodded to a close fielder five shy of his half-century. Reece also removed Nathan Fernandes, bowled having a swing soon after the tea interval and the home side seemed reluctant to commit to a change of gears as they trudged past 200.Du Plooy’s innings, which ended when he skied Thomson to deep midwicket, was watchful more than exuberant and, despite taking successive boundaries off the spinner, Higgins also looked unusually subdued.Despite that, the allrounder brought up his half-century by hammering Thomson over mid-on for six, just after Dal’s flying catch in the deep to remove Luke Hollman had provided him with a well-deserved second wicket. Thomson gained his third by having Roland-Jones caught at long-off, finishing the day with figures of 4 for 115 when Henry Brookes holed out in the final over.

Stats highlights of a career which has been exceptional, and is still improving

Shiva Jayaraman25-Feb-2021If you fed a selection of R Ashwin’s bowling statistics to a clustering algorithm, chances are that he would be grouped with fast bowlers rather than spinners. Over the years, Ashwin’s numbers in Test cricket have taken a shape that fast bowlers would envy. A career strike rate of 53 puts him between Brett Lee and Morne Morkel among bowlers to take at least 300 wickets in Tests. Out of the 35 bowlers to have taken 300 or more wickets, 24 have an inferior strike rate than Ashwin and 16 of them are fast bowlers. No spinner has a better strike rate than he has. Muttiah Muralitharan comes the closest with a strike rate of 55.0. The race to 400 wickets
Ashwin has taken 21,242 balls to take 400 wickets, which makes him the fourth-quickest bowler ever to the landmark. Only Dale Steyn, Richard Hadlee and Glenn McGrath have got to 400 wickets in fewer deliveries. Rangana Herath is the quickest spinner after Ashwin, having taken 23,835 deliveries.The figure for Richard Hadlee is a range, since exact numbers are not available•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn terms of matches taken to take 400 wickets, only Muralitharan was faster than Ashwin because of having averaged higher number of balls per match than Ashwin. Ashwin has reached the milestone in his 77th match, which is three matches fewer than the next quickest bowler among the 15 bowlers who completed 400 wickets before him.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin is also the second-quickest in terms of time taken from making his debut, having reached the milestone in 9 years and 110 days since making his debut (days to the start of the match in which the milestone was reached). McGrath took just 8 years and 341 days, and is the quickest among all bowlers.The new-ball specialist
Ashwin’s effectiveness with the new ball makes him a unique spinner whose utility transcends the limit imposed by the skills of a spinner. He has some nifty tricks up his sleeve, not the least impressive of which is the drift he is able to get with the new ball with the seam upright that – but for the lack of pace – mimics the inswinger bowled by a fast bowler to right-hand batsman. Coupled with intelligent use of the crease, Ashwin is adept at beating both the edges of the bat.With variations like these in his armoury, Ashwin has taken 59 wickets in the first 15 overs of the innings in Tests at a strike rate of 47.4. Among ten bowlers to take at least 50 wickets in the first 15 overs since his debut, Ashwin is the only one with a strike rate under 50. Steyn just misses the cut-off in the period since Ashwin’s debut. But even Steyn – admittedly on the decline in the latter half of this period – took 53.2 balls on an average to take a wicket.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin hasn’t been effective with the new ball only in the second innings when the pitches would’ve deteriorated so much that spinners were into play early. He has taken 25 wickets at a staggering average of 16.04 and a strike rate of 41.1 in the first innings as well. No other bowler – pacers included – has taken 20 or more wickets at a better strike rate than Ashwin. Kemar Roach is the next best bowler having taken 35 wickets at a strike rate of 45.9 in the first fifteen overs.Ashwin is the highest wicket-taker for India in the first 15 overs of the innings since his debut. Ishant Sharma, who has taken 50 wickets with the new ball is the next prolific bowler for India in this period. Among spinners, Herath is next with 45 wickets. India’s de-facto spearhead
Since Ashwin made his debut, India’s bowlers have taken 1312 wickets in Test cricket in matches he played. Ashwin has contributed 30.5% of those wickets, which is the fourth highest among 35 bowlers who’ve taken at least 300 wickets in their career. For India, only Anil Kumble has contributed more wickets, but only by a fraction more. Kumble took 30.7% of wickets by India’s bowlers in Tests in which he played.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn fact, before 2018, when India’s fast bowling riches materialized at the Test level, Ashwin had contributed nearly a third of India’s wickets (32.9). That was the third highest ever among bowlers with 300 or more wickets till that time, next only to Muralitharan (40.4) and Hadlee (35.7). Scourge of left handers
Ashwin’s excellent record against left-hand batsmen is well known. No one in the history of Test cricket has dismissed most left-hand batsmen. However, if you think that Ashwin has dismissed as many left-handers just because there are more of them in Test cricket now than ever, then consider the following.There have been 601 innings – till the time Ashwin took his 400th wicket – by left-handers in the matches when Ashwin has played. The 204 dismissals he has inflicted makes that a percentage of 33.94. Among bowlers with at least 200 wickets in Tests, only Alec Bedser has ended a higher percentage of left-handed batsmen’s innings. In the last fifty years, only Muralitharan comes close to Ashwin, having ended 191 of 624 innings by left-handers.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Towering overs others at home
With 278 wickets at an average of 22.19, and a five-wicket haul in every other match in Tests in India he is a champion bowler at home. But helpful conditions don’t guarantee wickets by default. The best bowlers make use of the conditions to the fullest, which Ashwin has done well over his career. In matches Ashwin has played at home, the other bowlers have averaged 34.1. The difference of 11.9 between Ashwin’s average and the match average of other bowlers is the third highest for any bowler to have taken at least 200 wickets playing at home. Only Muralitharan and McGrath have out-bowled other bowlers by a bigger extent.ESPNcricinfo LtdMoreover, Ashwin has built this gap between him and others largely in the presence of Ravindra Jadeja, who himself has excellent numbers in India (Jadeja averages 21.06 in Tests in India). Improving performance in SENA countries
Ashwin’s indifferent numbers in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) do take some sheen off a record that otherwise would place him among the pantheon of all-time great bowlers. He has taken 63 wickets at an average of 40.11 in Tests in these four countries, which pales in comparison to his record elsewhere. He concedes nearly 15 runs more on an average to prise out a wicket in these countries when compared with his overall career. Among India spinners to take at least 20 wickets in these countries, only S Venkataraghavan and Venkatapathy Raju have a higher average than Ashwin.However, these countries are tough for all spinners, not just Ashwin: none of the active spinners average sub-30 bowling in Tests in the SENA countries. Among them is Yasir Shah, who has struggled in these conditions: his 46 wickets have come at 55.08 apiece.Any spinner worth the name from India can’t escape comparisons to the likes of Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna. Bedi took 90 wickets in England, Australia and New Zealand at an average of 30.98. Prasanna’s 78 wickets came at 29.94 apiece and Chandrasekhar, whose average is closest among the three to Ashwin’s but still a good nine runs better, took 71 wickets at 31.33. Chandrasekhar took six five-wicket hauls in 19 matches in the SENA countries, while Ashwin is yet to take one from 20 Tests.However, to be fair to Ashwin, he hasn’t bowled as much on tours to these countries. He has been on nine tours but has played just 20 Tests – an average of 2.2 matches worth of bowling per tour. In comparison, Prasanna averaged 3.3 matches per tour, Bedi 3.1, and Chandrasekhar 2.7 matches per tour. This discounts the bowling time they would’ve got in the tour matches, which players don’t get in these times of packed cricket calendars.Ashwin has shown that this effectiveness in conditions increases with his experience of bowling in them. It was on evidence in the first Test of India’s England tour in 2018, when he took seven wickets at an average 17.28. He had gained invaluable experience bowling for Worcestershire in the county the previous year.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin’s ability to adapt is clearer when we look at his performances in Australia over the years. He has been on four tours to Australia and on evidence from the last tour, has worked out how to deceive batsmen without help from the pitch. He’s played three Tests on three of the four tours. On the first tour in 2011-12, he took nine wickets at an average of 62.77; he improved to 12 wickets at 48.66 on his next tour in 2014-15. On his last tour, Ashwin out-bowled Nathan Lyon – bettering the Australian bowler at the skill of getting overspin and use of the crease on Australian pitches, taking 12 wickets at an average of 28.83. This was against a full-strength Australian batting line-up, in condition that weren’t particularly helpful to spinners.Not too long ago Ashwin wasn’t the first choice spinner when India played outside the subcontinent. Ashwin’s recent track record in Tests has shown he’s coming up with ways to take the pitch out of the equation, and could well prove to be the bowler India would turn to in all conditions.

Wrexham are currently preparing for a season in the Championship after they finished second in League One to earn promotion up to the second tier.

The Red Dragons are yet to make their first signing since the end of last season, but there will be plenty of work going on behind the scenes to identify targets to improve the team.

Phil Parkinson will have to judge which of his players are ready to make the step up to the Championship after a season in League One, which means that some difficult decisions could have to be made.

Why Thomas O'Connor may be replaced

One player who could be replaced as a regular starter is left-sided central defender Thomas O’Connor, who has been at the club since they were in the National League.

The former Southampton academy graduate has never played above League One level in his career to date, and was a regular starter – starting 25 of his 31 appearances in the 2024/25 campaign – for Wrexham this season.

O’Connor was, however, an unused substitute in five of the last seven matches and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to handle the step up to the Championship, a level that he has never played at before.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The BBC reported earlier this month that Wrexham, Norwich, Birmingham, and Sheffield United are among the teams interested in a deal to sign Harry Darling on a free transfer from Swansea City.

His contract with the Welsh side is due to expire at the end of this month, and the Red Dragons are one of the sides looking to snap him up for nothing.

Why Darling would be an upgrade on O'Connor

Parkinson must push to convince Darling to make a move across Wales rather than joining Birmingham, Norwich, or Sheffield United, as he would improve the club’s options at the back.

Despite being right-footed, the 25-year-old Englishman often plays on the left-side of a centre-back pairing and this means that he could take O’Connor’s place as the left-sided centre-back in a back three at Wrexham.

Unlike the current Red Dragons defender, Darling is an experienced Championship defender who has made 108 appearances at that level, which means that he would arrive at the Racecourse as a proven second tier star.

He would be a relatively risk-free signing as someone who has been there and done it and could immediately improve Wrexham’s team, particularly when you take his performances this season into account.

Appearances

31

39

Goals

0

5

Clearances per game

2.9

5.0

Dribbled past per game

0.5x

0.3x

Ground duel success rate

53%

66%

Aerial duel success rate

57%

64%

As you can see in the table above, Darling’s defensive work in the Championship, in terms of his success rate in duels and how often he was beaten by opposition attackers, was more impressive than O’Connor’s was at a lower level.

This suggests that the Swansea star, who was hailed as “outstanding” by former boss Luke Williams, is a big upgrade on the current Wrexham left centre-back, particularly from a defensive perspective.

Darling also, as shown in the table, scored five goals from centre-back, compared to O’Connor’s barren return in League One, and this suggests that he would offer a much greater goal threat in the 2025/26 campaign.

The English titan, who ranked in the top 31% of centre-backs in the league for progressive passes per 90 (3.70), is a ball-playing defender who has shown that he can mix technical quality and class on the ball with strength and reliable out of possession at Championship level.

Big Rathbone upgrade: Wrexham still in race to sign "outstanding" PL star

Wrexham could be about to land a big upgrade on Oliver Rathbone by signing this Championship-experienced ace.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 12, 2025

Therefore, he would be the perfect signing, as a proven second tier star, to come in as a big upgrade on their left-sided centre-back position this summer.

A “world-class” star is now pushing to seal a move to Manchester City quickly, but it will take a huge offer to secure his signature, according to a report.

Man City set to spend big despite lack of 115 charges verdict

Having endured a rare trophyless season in the 2024-25 campaign, Man City are set to spend big to rebuild their squad this summer, despite the fact they are yet to receive a verdict in their case against the Premier League.

Gary Neville has been particularly critical about the lack of a conclusion to the ongoing saga, saying: “That Manchester City case is a disgrace; it’s an absolute stain to the game.

“It has just been dragging on for years and years, it’s an absolute joke. Yes, City have been defending themselves, but they’ve been pushing it so far into the long grass that you end up losing the will to live on it and you forget about it. It just needs to be dealt with.”

Man City register interest to sign £205k-p/w PSG star who Pep called "top"

The Citizens could bring in some serious pedigree in their hunt to claim the Premier League title next term.

1 BySean Markus Clifford Jun 2, 2025

The lack of a verdict seemingly isn’t dissuading players from moving to the Etihad Stadium, however, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Rayan Ait-Nouri expected to join Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, while Lyon’s Rayan Cherki has also said “yes” to a move.

Cherki isn’t the only midfielder of interest to the Blues, however, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders, with a report from Italy (via Sport Witness) revealing the midfielder is pushing to seal a move to the Etihad Stadium quickly.

City have already made an offer of €60m (£51m) for Reijnders, but Milan are set to hold out for a fee of over €70m (£59m), so the two clubs may still be a little way apart in their valuation of the 26-year-old.

"World-class" Reijnders could be statement signing for City

Erling Haaland’s willingness to sign a ten-year contract may have allayed some fears that City will receive a harsh punishment from the Premier League, when the verdict is finally reached, and signing the AC Milan star would also be a statement of intent.

The Dutchman enjoyed a very impressive 2024-25 campaign with the Italian giants, picking up 20 goal contributions in 54 outings, during which time he also received very high praise from CBS’ Matteo Bonetti.

An outlay of around £60m would be justifiable for Man City, given Reijnders’ ability, and the fact he is pushing to seal a move to the Etihad should give them an edge in negotiations with Milan.

da cassino online： With Newcastle United still chasing a deal to sign Anthony Elanga, Nottingham Forest have reportedly set their sights on signing a young Premier League gem who could replace the Swede.

Nottingham Forest battling to keep Elanga

da mrbet： Those in the Midlands managed to keep hold of Elanga last summer and that victory quickly paid dividends in an excellent season at the City Ground. The interest in the winger hasn’t gone away, however, and this time Newcastle have money to spend. The Magpies have already reportedly made an enquiry about signing the former Manchester United man and Forest face another fight to keep hold of one of their star players.

Elanga, himself, chose to remain coy when asked about his Nottingham Forest future whilst on international duty with Sweden recently, telling reporters: “There’s a lot of talk. I’m focusing on what I can do and my focus today was on the game. In football there are always rumors. The most important thing is that I focus on what I can control.”

After missing out on the Champions League even after a fantastic campaign, there may be some concern around the City Ground that Nuno Espirito Santo could lose his top players this summer.

Related Nottingham Forest submit bid to sign "brilliant" £13m ace from Norwich

Nottingham Forest have now made an official bid to sign a player from the Championship.

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As ever, Evangelos Marinakis has already set his sights on incomings of his own, though. The Greek owner and Nottingham Forest have recently been linked with moves for the likes of Igor Jesus and Real Valladolid star Raul Moro. What’s more, the Tricky Trees are also reportedly interested in signing an impressive Premier League gem if Elanga chooses to leave the club in favour of Newcastle this summer.

Nottingham Forest assessing Oscar Bobb move

According to Football Insider’s Mick Brown, Marinakis is now assessing a Nottingham Forest move to sign Oscar Bobb from Manchester City this summer. The young winger returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines towards the end of last season and will be desperate to get up to speed with some much-needed game time.

Brown, a former Premier League scout, told Football Insider: “A Premier League loan move is exactly what Bobb needs. After the injury he had, he has to prove to everybody that he is still capable at this level.

“It’s difficult to come back from something like that, he has some proving to do, but he has to be playing regularly to do it. If you take him out of that Man City side and put him in another Premier League team, a Crystal Palace or a Nottingham Forest, it will show where he’s at. Palace and Forest are both clubs I’ve heard are having a look at the deal.

The 21-year-old is a player who Pep Guardiola believes has “incredible potential”, but his short-term future could lie at the City Ground. It’s there that he could step into Elanga’s role and discover his best form following a frustrating injury setback.

Barcelona have confirmed that the Joan Gamper Trophy clash against Como will not be played at Camp Nou with their return to the stadium delayed again.

• Joan Gamper Trophy clash vs Como confirmed
• Venue has been changed from Camp Nou
• Match won't be accessible to a huge section of fans

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After the fuss regarding playing the Joan Gamper Trophy at the resurrected Camp Nou, Barca have confirmed that the game against Como, which is managed by their former player Cesc Fabregas, will be played on August 10 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, a stadium which can accommodate 6,000 people and plays home to their women's team.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After two years at Estadi de Montjuic, Barca were confident of returning to Camp Nou with the Joan Gamper Trophy clash. They received the Activities and Construction license two weeks back and were waiting for the First Occupancy license last week; however, they were not issued the latter. If the City Council had opted to allow the First Occupancy license, the Como game would have been played at the Camp Nou, of course, with a reduced capacity of up to 60,000 fans. The club considered shifting the game to Montjuic, but the stadium will host a concert on August 9, a day before the clash, making it almost impossible to be prepared on time. Hence, the Catalans had to take this game to Estadi Johan Cruyff, where only 6,000 fans will be able to enjoy Fabregas taking on his former side. Moreover, their return to the home ground might be delayed until January.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Como will become the ninth Italian outfit to participate in this competition, with Sampdoria, AC Milan, Inter, Juventus, Napoli, Parma, Roma and Brescia being the previous contestants.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA AND COMO?

  This will be the first-ever meeting between Barca and Como in their respective 125 and 118-year history.