While Fulham’s transfer business in the past few years has been questionable at times, with the Cottagers shelling out £27m on Jean Michael Seri and £10.5m on Anthony Knockaert, there have also been a number of deals that have proven to be extremely smart moves by Tony Khan and his transfer team.

Arguably the most impressive of these deals was Fulham’s £1.49m signing of Manchester City centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, with the 23-year-old having already demonstrated that he is a player worth considerably more than the nominal fee the club paid for his services.

Khan struck gold

Indeed, following his move to west London back in 2020, the centre-back highly impressed over his 33 Premier League appearances in Fulham’s 2020/21 campaign, helping his side keep nine clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 5.8 clearances and winning 4.1 duels per game,

These returns saw the former England U19 international earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Scott Parker’s ninth-best performer in the top flight that season – a highly impressive feat for a defender when taking into account the club’s relegation.

The £27k-per-week man has continued his upward trajectory over eight Championship appearances so far this term, helping the Cottagers keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, one tackle, 3.8 clearances and winning four duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the 23-year-old average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.21, ranking the player Tony Mowbray dubbed an “exceptional” talent as Marco Silva’s fifth-best player in the second tier.

As such, it will likely come as no surprise to Fulham fans that Adarabioyo is now valued by Transfermarkt at £10.8m, or why a number of Premier League sides were reported to be interested in the centre-back in the summer transfer window.

And, with the sky very much appearing to be the limit for the defender’s potential, his value will only be heading in one direction in the years to come – with Tony Khan looking to have struck gold upon signing the youngster 12 months ago.

In other news: Promising update emerges on “fantastic” £225k-rated Fulham gem, fans will be buzzing

Former Leeds United star David Norris believes that Junior Firpo can develop into a fine player at the club, having been criticised by some fans following his display against Newcastle United last weekend.

The Whites defender joined the club from Barcelona in the summer transfer window, with the club paying £13.5m to secure his signature from the Spanish club.

Firpo has gone on to make four appearances in the Premier League since his arrival from the Liga giants.

The 25-year-old has made three starts in the top-flight, against Everton, Liverpool and Newcastle, and came on as a substitute against Manchester United.

Leeds have yet to win this season, losing to United and Liverpool, and drawing with the Toffees, Burnley, and the Magpies.

Norris is consistent in his belief that Firpo will turn out to be a fine signing for the club, and thinks he has the ability required to become a real star in Yorkshire.

However, he believes that, at this point, he is still adapting to the system at the club.

He said: “From the bits I’ve seen from him, I think he’s capable. He looks like he could be a good player and turn out to be a good signing, obviously he’s not really got going yet.

“He’s not one I would write off yet, I like the little bits I have seen and I think he’s capable of being a good signing still. He just needs a little bit more game time.”

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, has described Tuesday’s 147-run defeat as among Sri Lanka’s worst in recent times and called on his team to show character in the next two matches against India. India have an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, only their second bilateral series win in Sri Lanka.”I’ve spoken to the guys. What has happened has happened and we just need to learn from it,” Jayawardene said after the third one-dayer. “It has happened twice with India at home. There were close games in the last series as well as in this series (before Tuesday’s game) where we couldn’t turn it around.”It is disappointing because when you turn those corners, that’s when the momentum gets built up and it’s from there you lift yourself to win a series. We’ve been able to do that with other teams but not with India. That’s probably a mental thing or how we react to the pressure they put on us. It is something we need to work on.”We had our opportunities but I don’t think we capitalised on them. We didn’t bowl that well but at the same time I think India batted really well and took the game away from us. Knowing that they were 2-0 up they knew they had to push it. They took chances and played shots. They batted us out of the game after the 25th over. Our fielding was a disappointment as we usually field very well.”Jayawardene said his team wasn’t used to being upstaged like this in home conditions.”We had a few games in Australia where we were outplayed, but at home we haven’t been outplayed like this for quite some time,” Jayawardene said. “We never reacted properly to the situations. When they were going for runs, our bowlers were not disciplined enough to try and control them. But you have to give some credit to India as well for the way they batted. They did hit some good balls from our guys and created a lot of pressure.”This is Sri Lanka’s third successive bilateral one-day series defeat at home following 3-2 losses to England in 2007 and India in 2008.”It’s very difficult to say why it’s happened. There have been close games but we haven’t been able to finish them off. In the last two series for the majority of the games I would put [our inconsistency] down to our batting,” he said. “On this occasion the batting has been okay but there is room for improvement. We have to be more consistent and try and finish games off. This series at crucial times we didn’t handle things properly whether it was with the bat or ball or on the field we were not upto our standards.”Jayawardene discounted the theory that India were a far superior all-round side to Sri Lanka.”I don’t think India are far superior but they are playing really good, consistent cricket with bat and ball. They’ve got bowlers who are in form and at the same time 4-5 of their batters are in form as well and are actually taking control of things.”Sri Lanka are likely to make a few changes for tomorrow’s game but not too many because, according to Jayawardene, they want to be consistent and win matches by playing the strongest possible side.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن نادي برشلونة يخطط لتقديم عرض جديد لـ إشبيلية من أجل التعاقد مع المدافع الفرنسي جوليس كوندي.

تشيلسي ينافس برشلونة على ضم اللاعب الفرنسي، وكان قريبًا للغاية من التعاقد معه خلال الصيف الماضي.

صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، أكدت أن برشلونة كان يركز أولًا على تدعيم الهجوم، من خلال التعاقد مع روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، وتصريحات لابورتا الأخيرة كانت تؤكد على التحوّل الآن لدعم خط الدفاع.

طالع أيضًا.. موندو ديبورتيفو توضح أولوية برشلونة بعد حسم صفقة ليفاندوفسكي

تشيسي يعرض 65 مليون يورو وراتب سنوي 7 ملايين، ولكن النادي الكتالوني يثق في شخصية جوليس كوندي، خاصة أن برشلونة لن يتمكن من تقديم عرض أكبر من الذي قدمه البلوز.

برشلونة يجهز للعرض الأخير من أجل كوندي خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة، وينتظر ما سيحدث، ويريد أن يتكرر سيناريو رافينها.

سيناريو البرازيلي، هو أنه رغم عرض تشيلسي وآرسنال الأكبر لضمه، لكنه فضل الانضمام إلى برشلونة، ويريد البلوجرانا نفس الأمر مع جوليس كوندي.

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has suggested the PCB invite a World XI to play matches in the country in order to ease the security concerns of international teams

Cricinfo staff06-Feb-2009
Wasim Akram: “If we offer good money to international cricketers from different countries they will come.” © AFP
Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has suggested the PCB invite a World XI to play matches in the country in order to ease the security concerns of international teams. With teams reluctant to tour Pakistan, Akram felt the board needs to find a “viable solution” to the problem, which is “not going to go away soon”.”We should give priority to inviting a World XI if no country is willing to send teams to Pakistan,” Akram told . “If we offer good money to international cricketers from different countries they will come and this will go a long way in showing the world that it is safe to play cricket in our country.”Recently, the ICC decided not to stage the Champions Trophy in Pakistan after several countries expressed reservations about touring. The event, scheduled for last year, had been postponed in light of security concerns. Australia also cancelled their proposed tour of the country in 2008, and are likely to play the ODI leg of the tour in April at a neutral venue.Akram said the board could try organising its own Twenty20 league on the lines of the IPL and try to attract players. However, he felt the PCB needed to show focus. Recently, Javed Miandad stepped down from his position as director-general. “Although the PCB is run by former cricketers I don’t see a sense of direction but I think we should give them some time. They should also avoid personal feuds and make a good system and follow it,” he said. “All board officials must realise no one person can enjoy or have absolute powers. Major decisions must be taken collectively and that is how a good company is run.”Akram hoped Younis Khan succeeded Shoaib Maliks as Pakistan captain, making up for the inadequacies of his predecessor. “I don’t think only the Sri Lanka series decided Malik’s fate. I think his performance and attitude on and off the field also caused him dearly. I think he had lost the confidence of senior players and I hope Younis Khan will prove himself as a good leader.”Akram advised Younis to keep his calm in leading the side, especially when things went against the team. Akram, who led a Pakistan team to India in a breakthrough series in 1999, said the Pakistan players who have been presently barred from travelling to India for the IPL should be permitted to take part in the tournament if the Indian government gives an assurance about their security.

Celtic are tracking Drogheda United midfielder Killian Phillips, according to The Irish Independent’s Daniel McDonnell.

The Lowdown: Phillips profiled

Phillips is 19 years of age and joined his current employers earlier this year.

Described as a versatile midfielder, the teenager is out of contract with Drogheda at the end of 2021, as per Transfermarkt.

He’s made 20 appearances for the Irish side, scoring once and registering one assist, and it seems as if he is catching Celtic’s eye.

The Latest: Celtic interest

McDonnell shared a story on Wednesday lunchtime regarding Celtic’s interest in Sligo Rovers forward Johnny Kenny.

Within his report, McDonnell claimed the Hoops will watch Kenny in action on Friday against Drogheda before sharing Celtic’s interest in Phillips.

Phillips is attracting attention from overseas, seemingly Celtic, with his long-term future on the pitch reportedly viewed as a centre-back rather than a midfielder.

The Verdict: Another Scales?

Liam Scales made the move from Ireland to Scotland this summer, and it appears as if Phillips could well follow suit down the line.

Celtic saw Scales’ versatility as crucial when bringing him to Parkhead, so Phillips’ ability to play in both midfield and in defence could work in his favour.

He may well have the chance to impress Celtic officials live on Friday during their scouting trip to watch Kenny, and who knows, should he do just that, a cut-price move in the New Year could well be on the cards.

In other news: Celtic source shares transfer news different to Sky Sports claim; good news for McKay and Ange.

MatériaMais Notícias

O último treino do Santos para o clássico contra o São Paulo, marcado para este domingo, às 19h, na Vila Belmiro, pelo Brasileirão, foi com os portões abertos para a torcida, na Vila Belmiro. E com direito a bateria, musica, rachão e trabalho específico de bola parada.

O técnico Levir Culpi iniciou as atividades com tal atividade. Primeiro treinou falta e depois gastou mais tempo com o escanteio. Lucas Lima foi quem bateu.

Depois do ensaio, o treinador liberou o grupo para o tradicional rachão de véspera de jogos, com time de David Braz contra o time do Victor Ferraz. A vitória foi da equipe do lateral-esquerdo. O goleiro Vanderlei jogou de atacante e Elano participou da brincadeira.

Os torcedores que compareceram fizeram uma bela festa. Além de incentivarem o time, cantarem e soltarem fogos, alguns homenagearam os jogadores na arquibancada.

A única ausência na Vila foi a do atacante Bruno Henrique, que sofreu um pisão no pé no jogo contra o Atlético-PR e não se recuperou a tempo do clássico.

O Alvinegro deve ir a campo com Vanderlei; Victor Ferraz, Lucas Veríssimo, David Braz e Jean Mota; Renato, Thiago Maia e Lucas Lima; Thiago Ribeiro (Arthur Gomes), Copete e Kayke.

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Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has indicated on Twitter that Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Barcelona defender Emerson Royal, with a deal set to be confirmed later today.

The Lowdown: Emerson profiled; a smash hit in La Liga

Providing an offensive threat down the right-hand side, the 22-year-old has proven to be a smash hit since moving to La Liga in 2019. Last season was a particular success for Royal, registering six goal contributions in 38 appearances with two goals and four assists [Transfermarkt].

Part of a three way-deal, the 6 foot 1 ace initially signed for Barcelona in 2019 whilst also joining Andalusian outfit Real Betis on loan, where he has spent the past two seasons before eventually linking up with Ronald Koeman’s men this summer [BBC].

He now looks set for north London following Romano’s latest update.

The Latest: Romano signifies that deal should be completed today

Communicating to his large Twitter audience, well-respected Romano issued a huge update regarding his next career steps, stating:

“Emerson Royal from Barcelona to Tottenham, done deal and here-we-go confirmed. €30m add ons included from Spurs, paperworks completed during the night”.

The Italian also indicated that an official announcement of Royal’s €30m (£25.75m) move to N17 should be announced later today on a deal running to 2026, with Betis receiving a €5m (£4.2m) cut of the transfer.

The Verdict: Royal would significantly improves Spurs’ full-back options

Possessing quality in abundance, the signing of the Brazil international will significantly advance the Lilywhites’ options in the full-back positions.

His defensive solidity will suit the functionality of Nuno Espirito Santo’s system as Tottenham look to continue their domestic run of three consecutive clean sheets, illustrated by the fact that Royal won 2.7 tackles on average per La Liga game last season [WhoScored] – only one Spurs player had a better average for that metric in the 2020/21 Premier League [WhoScored].

All things considered, the Sao Paulo native appears to have the necessary attributes to succeed at the elite level for Tottenham, provided that the deal becomes final.

In other news, a Spurs legend is impressed with one summer signing. Find out more here.

Kristjaan Speakman has shed further light on his transfer strategy at Sunderland this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the SAFC Unfiltered podcast (cited by the Sunderland Echo), the Sunderland sporting director suggested that a major part of his plan for the recently closed transfer window was to reduce the average age of Lee Johnson’s first-team squad, as well as signing quality over quality.

In his comments, Speakman said: “We did let a group of players go which was potentially risky but we felt that to change the philosophy, the dynamic of the squad and average age that would have to be done.

“The average age this year is 24.8. I think last year it was just over 28. We had some games where we were just short of 29. If you look at that it’s a huge difference [in] what the squad dynamic looks like.”

The sporting director continued: “We had a really clear idea about who we wanted to go for and we wanted to go for a smaller streamline squad of quality over quantity. When you do that you have to be really precise with those signings because you have less room for error.”

Music to the ears of fans

Considering the fact that Sunderland’s decline from the Premier League to the third tier of English football was largely down to disastrous recruitment, horrible mismanagement and chaos in the boardroom – all of which contributed to poor results achieved on the pitch – Speakman’s latest remarks are sure to come as music to the ears of the Stadium of Light faithful.

Finally, it would seem as if there is a clear transfer plan and philosophy at Sunderland – something that would already appear to be bearing fruit, with the Mackems currently topping the League One table after five games played.

As such, it very much seems as if, under the guidance of Speakman in the transfer market and Lee Johnson on the pitch, things are finally looking up on Wearside, something that has been an incredibly long time coming.

And, if the Black Cats can go on to achieve promotion come next May, Sunderland fans will undoubtedly be forever grateful to Speakman for being the man who finally helped get their club back on track.

In other news: Sunderland handed potential injury boost ahead of Accy clash, Johnson will be buzzing

Wolves may now start Hwang Hee-chan at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Carabao Cup, says Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Hwang impressing

Hwang is certainly impressing at the Midlands club so far, after he scored on his debut in a short cameo in the 2-0 away win at Watford in the Premier League earlier on this month (Transfermarkt).

He is emerging as a bit of a fans favourite already, and will no doubt want to show the Molineux faithful what else he can do over the next set of fixtures.

The Latest: Start?

Writing in his latest piece for The Express & Star, Keen has now claimed that Hwang may be in line for a start against Spurs, along with Daniel Podence, while the entire defence may be changed from those who started the 2-0 loss at home to Brentford at Saturday lunchtime.

It would be his first start under Bruno Lage, and another impressive performance may see him in contention to start in the league on the weekend.

The Verdict: Start him

While there should be a few changes to the team expected given the need for rotation between the cups and the league, Hee-chan has certainly earned the right to start the match.

A player who Erling Haaland loves from his time playing with him at RB Salzburg, he certainly has a point to prove having been loaned out to WWFC from RB Leipzig.

Nonetheless, the South Korea international should give some good competition to Raul Jimenez and be able to fill in for him when he needs a rest.

In other news, find out what FIFA news has Wanderers raging here!