أعلن نادي توتنهام الإنجليزي، تجديد عقد قائد فريق كرة القدم الأول، الدولي الكوري الجنوبي، سون هيونج مين حتى صيف عام 2026.
سون هيونج مين انضم إلى توتنهام في أغسطس 2015 قادمًا من باير ليفركوزن الألماني، وأصبح صاحب الـ32 عامًا قائدًا للفريق بعد رحيل هاري كين في 2023.
شارك سون في 431 مباراة مما جعله يحتل المركز الحادي عشر في قائمة أكثر اللاعبين مشاركة مع توتنهام، وسجل 169 وهو رابع الهدافين التاريخيين للسبيرز.
طالع أيضًا.. برشلونة يستهدف التعاقد مع سون من توتنهام
سون سجل أول أهدافه مع توتنهام في سبتمبر 2015 في مواجهة كاراباخ بالدوري الأوروبي، وكان جزءًا من الفريق الذي وصل لنهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا لأول مرة في عام 2019.
في موسم 2021-2022، أصبح الكوري الجنوبي هدافًا للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 23 هدفًا، متساويًا مع محمد صلاح، وساهم في وصول الفريق حينها لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
سون برصيد 125 هدفًا، هو ثاني أعلى هداف في تاريخ توتنهام ببطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وأصبح ضمن قائمة الـ20 للهدافين التاريخيين للبريميرليح.
قائد منتخب كوريا الجنوبية شارك في 131 مباراة دولية، وسجل 51 هدفًا، ولعب 3 بطولات كأس عالم، 2014 و2018، ومونديال 2022 في قطر.
وحصل سون على الميدالية الذهبية في دورة الألعاب الأسيوية 2018، ووصل لنهائي كأس آسيا مع كوريا في عام 2015، وحصل على أفضل لاعب آسيوي للمنتخبات في أربع مناسبات، وهو رقم قياسي غير مسبوق.
A batsman who looks increasingly under pressure for his Test place made a low score, one who is among the most prolific players in the world bagged a duck and two former Test batsmen filled their boots on the opening day at Glenelg.Usman Khawaja probably won’t come into consideration for Australia’s Test squad, and Matt Renshaw certainly won’t, but the former made his first century since February 2019 and the latter closed within touching distance of his first for two-and-a-half years.Joe Burns’ hold on the Test opening berth appears more tenuous by the day – across town Will Pucovski piled up another big hundred – as he fell for 10 in the sixth over, given caught behind via an inside edge although he did not seem thrilled by the decision.Marnus Labuschagne then bagged his second consecutive duck, walking into a wide delivery and edging to slip, to leave Queensland 2 for 11. Khawaja and Bryce Street added 128 for the third wicket followed by a 103-run partnership between Khawaja and Renshaw, before the day was capped by a boundary-studded half-century from Jimmy Peirson.Khawaja was the aggressor in Queensland’s early recovery as Street took 107 balls to reach double figures. Street had started to make progress when he fell to a stunning short leg catch by Henry Hunt who parried the ball up then held the rebound.That gave Lloyd Pope his lone success of the day but it was another tough outing for the legspinner who conceded a run-a-ball. Khawaja, especially, enjoyed his regular loose offerings while Renshaw did not miss out on many.Khawaja’s previous century had been his Test hundred against Sri Lanka in Canberra and he reached three figures off 149 balls against the first delivery of the evening session. He eventually fell to the deserving Wes Agar, edging to Callum Ferguson at first slip in his last first-class match, but Queensland rattled along in the final session which brought 159 runs in 38 overs.Peirson was largely responsible for that, hitting 48 off his 60 runs in boundaries, and the stand with Renshaw was unbroken on 89 on another tough day for the South Australia attack.
There’s little to separate the two teams on the points table, with their NRR putting SRH slightly ahead
Hemant Brar23-Oct-20207:44
Are Sunrisers missing a strike bowler?
Big pictureThe first half of IPL 2020 might not have been as closely fought as in some of the previous editions, but with no team completely out of the playoffs race yet, it has become competitive in the last few days. The Kings XI Punjab, who were languishing at the bottom of the points table much of the way, have beaten the top three teams in their last three outings. They will look to improve their playoff chances further on Sunday evening in Dubai, as will their opponents, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are coming off a confidence-boosting win over the Rajasthan Royals.Both sides would have been pleased at cantering to victories in their last games despite their big guns not performing. Nicholas Pooran helped the Kings XI chase down the Delhi Capitals’ 164 after they had lost KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Chris Gayle inside the powerplay. Then, on Thursday, Manish Pandey’s counter-attacking 83 not out took the Sunrisers home against the Royals after Jofra Archer had removed David Warner and Jonny Bairstow cheaply.The two sides are currently on eight points each after four wins from ten matches, but the winner of Saturday’s match can break into the top four, provided the Capitals beat the Kolkata Knight Riders in the earlier game on the same day.In the newsAn adductor (thigh) injury kept Kane Williamson out against the Royals. There has been no official word on his fitness, but even if he is fit, the Sunrisers might be tempted to stick with Jason Holder, who not only guarantees four overs with the ball but also strengthens their lower-middle order batting.Previous meetingBairstow smashed a 55-ball 97 at this very venue to take the Sunrisers to 201 for 6. In response, Pooran fought a lone battle, scoring 77 off 37 balls, with the next highest score being just 11. Rashid Khan picked up 3 for 12 as the Kings XI – bowled out for 132 in 16.5 overs – went on to lose by 69 runs.Manish Pandey punches gloves with Vijay Shankar•BCCILikely XIsKings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 James Neesham, 8 M Ashwin, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep SinghSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 Priyam Garg, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 T NatarajanStrategy punts Khan has been the most successful bowler for the Sunrisers but the Kings XI have a counter for him in Gayle. Since 2018, Gayle averages 57.7 at a strike rate of 201 against legspin in the IPL. Against Khan, he has scored 79 runs in 45 balls in all T20s while being dismissed thrice. The only time Khan conceded over 50 in an IPL match was against the Kings XI in Mohali in 2018 when Gayle took him apart en route an unbeaten 104 off 63 balls. Meanwhile, Sandeep Sharma has got Gayle out four times in nine innings while conceding only 64 off 59 balls. It may be worth bringing on Sharma for an over when Gayle comes to the crease. Rahul has scored lots of runs this IPL but has managed only 115 from 117 balls against spinners while getting out thrice. The Sunrisers can employ Khan against him as the legspinner has got him out twice in four T20 innings while giving away only 16 runs off 24 balls.Stats that matter The Sunrisers dominate the head-to-head numbers with 11 wins from 15 matches. Teams batting first have won 12 out of the 18 games in Dubai this IPL. Khan’s best numbers are against the Kings XI: 14 wickets in seven innings at a strike rate of 12. Pooran’s 22 sixes are the most by a batsman so far in IPL 2020. In fact, he has more sixes to his name than fours (21). Overall also he has 198 fours and as many sixes in T20 cricket.
O sucesso no futebol brasileiro, invariavelmente, vai despertar o interesse de clubes do exterior. Não é diferente no caso de Everton Ribeiro, um dos principais nomes do Flamengo nas últimas temporadas. Apesar de estar no radar de clubes do exterior e receber ofertas para deixar o clube nas últimas janelas, o camisa 7 garante que quer seguir “sonhando” pelos próximos anos.
– Estou muito feliz aqui, como falei, vivendo marcas que nunca sonhei. Vou continuar fazendo o meu melhor aqui, jogo a jogo, vencendo. É muito bom ser Flamengo, jogar no Flamengo. Espero que a gente continue bastante tempo juntos – afirmou Everton Ribeiro, de 32 anos, em entrevista exclusiva ao LANCE!.
RelacionadasFlamengoEverton Ribeiro explica importante pedido de Renato Gaúcho e comenta passagem de Ceni: ‘Fomos campeões’Flamengo09/08/2021FlamengoOlimpia x Flamengo: prováveis times, desfalques, onde assistir e palpitesFlamengo10/08/2021FlamengoEntre os maiores do Flamengo na Libertadores, Everton Ribeiro fala ao L! e celebra feito: ‘Isso é surreal’Flamengo09/08/2021
Com nove troféus conquistados desde 2017 e diversas marcas expressivas – se tornará o terceiro atleta com mais jogos com o Manto pela Libertadores nesta quarta-feira -, Everton Ribeiro já está com o nome gravado na história do clube.
Ídolo da Nação, o meia tem contrato com o Flamengo até dezembro de 2023.
Em janeiro deste ano, o Al Nasr, dos Emirados Árabes, entrou em contato com a diretoria da Gávea e demonstrou interesse no jogador, mas não fez uma oferta que atendesse às pretensões do clube. Antes em julho de 2020, outros times do país haviam procurado o Flamengo, mas também não houve acordo.
Totalmente adaptado ao Rio de Janeiro e ambientado ao Flamengo, Everton Ribeiro vê a permanência no Rubro-Negro como um trunfo para conquistar uma vaga entre os convocados de Tite para a Copa do Mundo de 2022, em Qatar. Como o próprio camisa 7 afirmou ao LANCE!, a sequência na Seleção Brasileira passa pelo bom desempenho em campo vestindo o Manto Sagrado.
Em partida válida pela volta das oitavas de final da Copa Libertadores da América 2021, Palmeiras e Universidad Católica, do Chile, se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira (21), às 19h15 (horário de Brasília), no Allianz Parque, em São Paulo-SP.
Palmeiras estuda ex-Flamengo para substituir Viña, Ancelotti se manifesta sobre Vinícius Jr, Lisca define seu futuro… O Dia do Mercado
Atual campeão da competição continental, o Verdão venceu a partida de ida por 1 a 0, em Santiago, e depende de qualquer empate para avançar às quartas, enquanto a Católica precisa vencer por dois ou mais gols de diferença para seguir no torneio.
O vencedor pegará Racing ou São Paulo na próxima fase. Na ida, os times empataram por 1 a 1, no Morumbi.
>> Veja a tabela completa da Libertadores
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPerto de perder Viña, Palmeiras conversa com Mônaco para contratar o lateral JorgePalmeiras20/07/2021PalmeirasSe avançar na Libertadores, Palmeiras poderá fazer até 93 jogos no ano de 2021Palmeiras20/07/2021PalmeirasProtagonistas no Palmeiras, Gustavo Scarpa e Willian atingem marcas pessoais e históricasPalmeiras20/07/2021
Luan (edema na panturrilha direita), Rony (adutor da coxa esquerda) e Luiz Adriano (edema no joelho direito) seguem cumprindo seus cronogramas na parte interna do centro de excelência da Academia de Futebol.
Os atletas, exceto o camisa 10, apareceram no campo para trabalhos com e sem bola, porém, estão fora da partida pela Libertadores.
O técnico Gustavo Poyet terá um desfalque importante para o duelo. O meio-campista Luciano Aued sofreu uma fratura no quinto metatarso e está fora da partida contra o Palmeiras. O jogador pode passar por cirurgia nos próximos dias.
Por outro lado, ganha o reforço de Gastón Lezcano. O atacante que se recuperou de uma lesão no quadríceps direito, treinou com os companheiros e está à disposição para a partida.
Horário, transmissão, arbitragem, prováveis escalações: os dados de Palmeiras x Universidad Católica-CHI:
Data: 21 de Julho de 2021, quarta-feira Horário: 19h15 (horário de Brasília) Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo-SP Árbitro: Alexis Herrera-VEN Assistentes: Carlos López-VEN e Jorge Urrego-VEN VAR:Jhon Ospina-COL
Transmissão: –CONMEBOL TV (pay-per-view – CANAIS: CLARO/NET 711 e SKY 620) –TEMPO REALdoNOSSO PALESTRApeloTWITTERe peloSITE.
PALMEIRAS: Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Felipe Melo, Gustavo Gómez e Renan (Viña); Danilo, Zé Rafael, Gustavo Scarpa e Raphael Veiga; Breno Lopes e Deyverson.Técnico:Abel Ferreira
Desfalques: Gabriel Menino (Seleção Olímpica), Luan (edema na panturrilha direita), Luiz Adriano (edema no joelho direito); Rony (lesão no adutor da coxa esquerda); Suspensos:Ninguém; Pendurados:Ninguém; Voltam de suspensão:Ninguém.
UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA:Sebastián Pérez; Rebolledo, Lanaro, Huerta e Parot; Felipe Gutiérrez, Saavedra e Leiva; Gonzalo Tapia, Zampedri e Diego Valencia.Técnico:Gustavo Poyet.
Desfalques: Luciano Aued, Branco Ampuero, Juan Fuentes e Gonzalo Tapia (machucados); Suspensos:Ninguém; Pendurados:Ninguém; Voltam de suspensão:Marcelino Núñez
Series will happen in South Africa if government regulations on both sides allow it
Firdose Moonda and Nagraj Gollapudi21-May-2020
BCCI
South Africa have been encouraged by the BCCI’s willingness to play three T20Is at the end of August, provided government regulations on both sides allow the fixtures to go ahead. The series, which is not part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP), was negotiated by Cricket South Africa’s director of cricket Graeme Smith and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly during a CSA executive trip to India in February, and finalised via teleconference yesterday as both boards consider ways to get their teams back on the park.Of course, there remain significant challenges to the series going ahead, with both countries still under lockdown, with their Covid-19 infection rates on an upward curve. South Africa is preparing for a September peak in infection rates, which would make hosting matches in August seem unlikely. In such a case, CSA’s acting CEO Jacques Faul said the BCCI expressed “willingness” to play the matches later in the South African summer.Hosting is crucial to CSA’s finances and hosting India would generate significant profits at a time when the board is bracing for big losses. Ahead of the 2019-20 season, CSA was forecasting losses of R654 million (USD 36 million approx) over the next four-year cycle and the South African Cricketers Association put that figure at closer to R1 billion (USD 56 million approx). Although the coronavirus pandemic has not cost South African cricket heavily yet, the long-term projections are grim and an India series would go a long way to putting South African cricket in a more stable financial situation.From a financial perspective, as long as the India series is played before the end of the financial year, which ends on February 28, 2021, CSA will be able to mitigate some of its projected losses.Arun Dhumal, the BCCI treasurer, confirmed that the Indian board had spoken to CSA on Wednesday but also said the tour would be subject to the travel guidelines at the time. “We are positive. We’ve had a healthy discussion, but it is work in progress as of now,” Dhumal told ESPNcricinfo.According to Dhumal the BCCI would not want the India players to be quarantined. “We have committed that in case there are no travel restrictions, everything is safe, then we would like to work it out. Our commitment is to that level. We have not firmed up any date.”Before that possibly happens, sporting activity would first need to resume in South Africa. The country is on its 55th day of lockdown, which is among the strictest in the world. While individuals are allowed to exercise outdoors between 6am and 9am daily, group activity remains prohibited, which has caused all professional sport to be halted. The country is set to ease some restrictions on June 1, when it moves to Level 3 of a five-stage lockdown (with Level 5 being the most severe), but indications are that sport would only be allowed at Level 2 or lower.CSA, through the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, is seeking an audience with the country’s sports minister to ask for permission to play behind closed doors, if needed.”This will relate to the possibility of the India incoming tour,” Faul confirmed.If government approval is obtained, CSA would then look to create a bio-bubble, similar to what the ECB, which it has been in consultation with, is planning. “It will be a sanitised cricket biosphere with strict entry standards and limited movement out of this cordon, and this will require regular testing of all those in the bubble,” Dr Shuaib Manjra, CSA’s chief medical officer, said. “We will create a cordon sanitaire, where people will not be allowed to leave or come in unless strict criteria are met.”Ideally, a bio-bubble is created at a ground that has accommodation options on-site. If that is the case, the South African venue best suited to this is in the student-town of Potchefstroom, outside Johannesburg. The facility is often used by touring teams in preparation for series because it has a complete sports complex, including accommodation, within one area.As per the FTP, India’s next international assignment is a limited-overs series in Sri Lanka in July followed by another limited-overs series in Zimbabwe in August. Dhumal said the South Africa tour would be “on top of” the latter tour if it materialised. Dhumal said both the Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe series were not yet firmed up but India would “like to” travel provided it was safe for players to do so.Hosting India in late August would impact the rest of South Africa’s calendar. They are scheduled to play two Tests and five T20Is from mid-July against West Indies, but it appears this series will be moved to a later date. “We are working with the West Indies board to try and find a window, post their tour of England, which would shift our dates,” Smith said.West Indies are due to be in England until July 29, and with South Africa hoping to host India at the end of August, they would be looking to visit the Caribbean either in the small window between the end of the West Indies tour of England and the home series against India, or after the India T20Is. With teams likely to have to spend two weeks in quarantine either side of series, squeezing the West Indies tour into August would appear unlikely and South Africa will instead look at playing that series after hosting India, perhaps even outside of the islands.”We are looking at all avenues,” Smith said. “It seems to be Trinidad is their favoured venue from a playing and a health perspective. Or to a neutral ground. Or playing in South Africa. It’s a time for members to work closely together and try and find a way to get cricket going and to support each other.”
Bayer Leverkusen continued their incredible unbeaten run under Xabi Alonso with yet another late winner against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday.
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Leverkusen scored injury-time winnerUnbeaten in 35 league matchesChampions kick off defence in styleWHAT HAPPENED?
Bundesliga champions Leverkusen kicked off their title defence with a stunning victory over Borussia Monchengladbach, thanks to a remarkable late goal. Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz had given Xabi Alonso's side a commanding 2-0 lead, but strikes from Nico Elvedi and Tim Kleindienst brought Gladbach level. Wirtz, though, scored in the 11th minute of injury time to extend Leverkusen's unbeaten league run to 35 matches.
AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
In addition to Leverkusen's remarkable unbeaten run, they also have a record of scoring 12 game-tying or go-ahead goals in injury time since the start of last season. In 2023/24, of course, Leverkusen lost just one game they played: the Europa League final. They went unbeaten in the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.
DID YOU KNOW?
Bayern Munich will have winced at seeing Wirtz's late winner, having finished third last season. They lost eight games throughout the campaign and finished 18 points behind Leverkusen, as well as one point behind second-placed Stuttgart.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Leverkusen are next in action on Wednesday in a DFB-Pokal clash with Carl Zeiss Jena, who play in the fourth tier of German football. Their next Bundesliga fixture comes against RB Leipzig.
On the whole this season, Manchester United’s League standing isn’t a true reflection of their performances, and in truth, they should be even lower in the table.
Erik ten Hag is now under increasing pressure to succeed, but the same problems continue to occur every game, with no signs of visible progression.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
The only positive that can be taken from this campaign is the rise of the youth, with Alejandro Garnacho thriving in particular, becoming a key player for the Red Devils, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in the Premier League.
At just 19 years of age, the winger has truly cemented himself a spot in the starting lineup, as he continues to impress, but just imagine the levels he could go to with a new full-back providing support behind him.
Man Utd’s search for a new left-back
This season, the left-back position has been a huge problem for the Dutch boss due to often being left without a single available player in that role.
That’s currently the case at the moment, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both unavailable due to injuries, with the latter set to miss the entire campaign. It’s seen young Harry Amass given time among the senior team, however, named among the substitutes against Liverpool last Sunday.
Luke Shaw
Therefore, it’s no surprise to see that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is desperate to sign a new left-back this summer, and his first potential acquisition could be Miguel Gutierrez, according to the Sunday Mirror via TeamTALK.
However, the English club will not get a clean run at the Spaniard, with Real Madrid having a £6.8m buy-back clause and Arsenal previously scouting him.
Girona defenderMiguel Gutierrez.
That said, let’s take a look at the potential influence Gutierrez could have on Garnacho in particular.
Why Gutierrez could turn Garnacho into a monster
Gutierrez has taken Spain by storm this season, thriving in the unbelievable Girona side that has won the hearts of many football fans across Europe.
The 22-year-old defender has been simply sublime across his 28 La Liga appearances, showing he can impact the game both defensively and in the final third.
Miguel Gutierrez for Girona against Barcelona.
But most importantly, he’s suffered no injuries all campaign, with his latest and only setback of his career occurring in the 2021/22 season.
This means that if he were to join the Red Devils, he would be able to develop a brilliant relationship down the left with Garnacho, who’s slowly nailing down that role even over Marcus Rashford.
As you can see by the table below showcasing Gutierrez’s recent performance against Rayo Vallecano, the “fantastic” ace, as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig, is an exceptionally well-rounded star.
Assists
1
Big chances created
2
Key passes
3
Successful dribbles
3/4
Duels won
6
Interceptions
2
Dribbled past
0
Firstly, the number 3 is an extremely solid defender who likes to take a proactive approach, as shown by his two interceptions, six duels won, and the fact he wasn’t dribbled past once.
However, it’s the threat that he brings in the final third that could see Garnacho improve, with Gutierrez often opting for direct dribbling to evade the opposition and drag them out of position, in turn potentially giving the Argentine more space to work his magic.
The Spaniard is also an accurate crosser of the ball, as displayed via his assist, three key passes, and two big chances created, with his overlapping runs making the United attack on the left far less predictable while giving Garnacho the option to cut inside or lay the ball off.
On top of this, the former Madrid ace currently ranks joint-first for big chances created in La Liga (14), which is the same as Bruno Fernandes in the Premier League and 13 more than Shaw.
Overall, United have needed a reliable left-back for years now, and Gutierrez does tick every box for the kind of profile that Ten Hag’s team needs. It could just prove game-changing for the progression of one of the club’s best young talents too.
Man Utd can sign bigger talent than Garnacho in “future Ballon d’Or winner”
The Man United target is starring at just 16 years old.
It has been a superb season for Aston Villa so far, who sit fifth in the Premier League on 60 points and are still in the Europa Conference League, with a tie against Lille coming up this week.
The Villans have improved leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Unai Emery, and have risen from 16th in the Premier League when he took over last season, to Champions League contenders in 2024.
Emery inherited a squad with plenty of talent, and he is getting the best out of his players this season. Ollie Watkins has been one of the best players in the Premier League and has scored 18 goals and registered ten assists in just 31 games, a remarkable return.
Leon Bailey is another who is enjoying a fruitful season in front of goal under Emery, with eight goals and eight assists so far while the likes of Ezri Konsa are also performing well, with the 26-year-old recently making his full England debut.
However, there is perhaps one glaring hole in Emery’s squad, in defensive midfield. Villa’s first-choice number six, Boubacar Kamara, suffered an ACL injury in February, meaning they have been without Douglas Luiz’s regular midfield partner.
It is certainly a hole that Villa need to plug soon, and there is one particular rumour linking them with a former Premier League midfielder ahead of summer.
Aston Villa looking to sign a new midfielder
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Villa, alongside other Premier League sides including Tottenham and Newcastle, are monitoring the situation of Leicester City and Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.
It is not the first time the Villans have been linked with Ndidi. Back in 2022, they were rumoured to be interested in placing a £50m bid for the Nigeria international, although then-Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers did not seem to agree with that value, saying he is “worth much more than that”.
Wilfred Ndidi
However, Villa would not have to pay a penny for Ndidi this summer, with the 27-year-old available on a free transfer, along with several other Leicester players including club legend Jamie Vardy.
No doubt, Villa would face stiff competition for Ndidi’s signature during the transfer window, but he could certainly be one player who solves some of their midfield issues and helps fill the void left by Kamara’s ACL injury.
The perfect partner for Luiz
Ndidi has previously had heaps of praise from significant people in his career. Former Nigeria midfielder Sunday Oliseh once described Ndidi as “the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League, so far this season” back in 2020, high praise from someone who made 63 caps for Nigeria.
Ndidi’s former manager, Rodgers, did not hold back on his praise for the midfielder either. In 2019, Rodgers summed up the 27-year-old’s impact on his Leicester side, explaining how he “does the dirty work”, can always “smell danger” and is one of the “top players at winning the ball back”.
The stats suggest Rodgers was correct in his statement; according to the numbers by Fbref, Ndidi is a great ball-winner. Albeit now playing in the Championship, he averages 1.24 interceptions per 90 minutes, placing him in the 69th percentile of midfielders in comparative leagues, and also works hard to win the ball back in the final third, something required of him in Enzo Marseca’s high-pressing system.
The Leicester midfielder wins 0.32 tackles per 90 minutes in the final third, placing him in the top 21%. He also completed 3.1 ball recoveries per 90 minutes this season, as per Sofascore.
Leicester midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.
The Nigerian could prove to be a dream partner for Douglas Luiz in Villa’s midfield. The Brazil international has scored nine goals and registered five assists this season in the Premier League, his best-ever return for combined goal involvements.
With Ndidi sitting at the base of Villa’s midfield, it allows Luiz more security to get forward and impact the game in the final third, chipping in with goals and assists along the way. As Rodgers said, Ndidi “does the dirty work”, and this is certainly something Luiz, and Villa, could benefit from, to make them an even better side ahead of a big season in 2024/25.