Former Chelsea player Cesc Fabregas has questioned the sacking of Graham Potter but has spoken positively about Mauricio Pochettino's chances of success at Stamford Bridge.

What's the latest on Todd Boehly and Chelsea?

It's been a funny old season for the Blues as they started the campaign with Thomas Tuchel, sacked him, fired his replacement, and then brought in Frank Lampard.

All the while, the club's American owner Todd Boehly spend hundreds of millions of pounds on new transfers – reportedly £556m – only for the club to finish 12th in the Premier League.

All in all, it's been a rather chaotic past few months and now it will be up to Pochettino to work his magic over the summer and help steady the ship before next season begins.

In an interview with The Athletic, however, Fabregas – who played 198 times for Chelsea – has claimed that Potter deserved more time at Stamford Bridge.

While talking about Mikel Arteta who is now succeeding at Arsenal after some uncertain early periods in his management, the Como midfielder explained: “This is what we were talking about in terms of giving time to coaches.

"At any other club, or maybe at another time, maybe we would not have Arteta as a coach right now, because you can remember what happened the first year. Even though he did well the first six months, winning the FA Cup, they then finished eighth three times in a row.

"If it’s not for Edu [Gaspar] and giving him more time — he has the right personality to keep Mikel there, to say, ‘OK, stay, do your thing, we back you.’ That’s what it’s all about. Down the line, you’re tomando los frutos. It will bear fruit."

Specifically on Chelsea, he added: “I understand that the top, top teams nowadays panic very quickly. Like Chelsea, you are eighth and you make a change and now you are 14th. A panic change does not always guarantee you that you’ll get better. Sometimes it does, sometimes not.

"But if you really believe — I believed in Potter. I know the results weren’t great but if you believe in him the way you say you believed in him… they had given him a five-year contract. Maybe give him some time. It’s proven with other coaches that it worked.”

What did Fabregas say about Pochettino?

Of course, though, Potter's time with Chelsea is up and he left the club in April having won only seven of his 22 Premier League games in charge.

And so, with interim Lampard now gone, Pochettino will have to try and find a way to deal with the bloated squad and Boehly's demands as the Blues begin a new chapter.

Fabregas was at least optimistic about the Argentine's chances of success in West London, noting his ability to get the best out of younger players.

The 36-year-old Spaniard said: “I’ve never worked with him, I’ve obviously heard of him. I’ve met him a couple of times on holiday in Ibiza. I’ve played against him obviously when he was at Spurs and we’ve chatted after matches.

"I think he seems like a very reasonable man, very calm, that gives a lot of confidence to younger players and has a good structure and has a staff that he trusts so much. I hope he’s the right man to bring back Chelsea to the position where they belong.”

Temba Bavuma and Stephen Cook acknowledged the WACA’s similarity to the pitch back home at the Wanderers, where they represent the Lions

Firdose Moonda01-Nov-20161:56

Wanderers experience will help at WACA – Cook

The joke is that South Africans feel more at home in Perth than some Australians. With an estimated 30,000 of their countrymen permanently settled in the city, and its distance from the rest of Australia’s cities, you can understand why. South African batsmen Stephen Cook and Temba Bavuma also have reason to feel like they belong at the WACA, but it’s got more to do with where they come from.They play their cricket at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, which Cook said was “probably the one ground in the world that’s similar to Perth in terms of pace and bounce.” While the WACA has lost some of its bite and the Wanderers has been known to produce run-fests, especially in limited-overs cricket, the surfaces remain spicy enough to keep bowlers interested.Batsmen need familiarity to be properly equipped on such pitches and Cook, whose domestic career is more than a decade and a half old, said he had more than enough. “I think it will stand me in good stead and I will try to take a few of the lessons I’ve learnt in my career and translate them into playing here,” Cook said.Bavuma only has half of Cook’s experience but more than three times his number of Tests caps and is just as eager to show what he can do on a seamer-friendly strip. “Judging by the nets, it’s quite similar to the Wanderers. Here the bounce is a bit exaggerated. That’s a challenge I am looking forward to,” he said.But both will need major improvements on what they have showed on tour so far if they are to match their talk with action. The pair are the only two in the top seven who have not scored at least a half-century in South Africa’s two warm-up matches.Cook managed just 5 and 12 in the first one, a day-night practice match, and got a duck in the second. Bavuma fared slightly better with scores of 11, 21 and 43. On South Africa A’s winter tour to Australia earlier this year, Cook scored only 58 runs in four innings – two of them were ducks – while Bavuma scored 51 in that series, with a top score of 21.Those numbers are not reassuring, but Cook insisted they were not a cause for concern. “I haven’t scored that many runs since I’ve been here but I’m not too perturbed by that. Things were pretty good in a couple of domestic games back home and I’ve felt like I’ve been in decent touch,” he said, referring to an unbeaten 97 in the first-class season opener between the Lions and Cobras at the Wanderers.Stephen Cook was confident that failures in the warm-up games will not affect his Test performances•Getty Images

“We all hit the ground running when it gets to the real stuff. Sometimes a lot gets read into practice games and situations like that but I’ve played this game for long enough to know that there’s no direct correlation between the two.”Bavuma also has recent form to fall back on. On his ODI debut against Ireland, batting as an opener, he scored a century and showed an ability to shift gears, which he knows could be called on in the Tests.”Where I bat in the middle order you generally have to be able to play the situation,” Bavuma said. “There will be moments in the series where you have to take the attack to the opposition. It’s about me being able to recognise those moments and adjust.”Bavuma has already showed an ability to adapt to pressure. He is the first black African batsman to play Test cricket for South Africa and as such, carries the hopes of a nation. He accepts that. If that was not enough, at 1.67 metres (5’5″) he has since been asked if he also considers himself an ambassador for the vertically challenged as well. He isn’t entirely sure of the answer but he knows that he could be seen as a novelty and that means expectation on him will grow with each game.”It’s a pressure I am trying to embrace and take in my stride. I want to improve and better myself all the time,” Bavuma said.At 33, so does Cook. Schooled alongside former South African captain Graeme Smith, Cook has waited almost half his life to play for South Africa and with time not on his side, he wants to make the most of every match.”My first Test was a dream, but as cricketers we’re never satisfied. You get a taste for something and you want more. This is an iconic series. It’s been a series in which a lot of players’ and a lot of teams’ careers have been defined. Therein lies another wonderful opportunity for us as a team. It’s for me as an individual to make my stamp and put my mark on it.”Cook watched as JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis prospered on previous Australian tours and saw two people “of similar age and and who I grew up playing cricket against, go from guys who were maybe not that well known, to guys who put in big performances under pressure.”Neither Cook, nor Bavuma are well-known yet. But they have put in performances under pressure at the Wanderers. Now they have to do it at the WACA.

Leeds United's summer seemed destined to be dominated by the takeover rumours, and yet just last week it was revealed that the 49ers had finally completed the deal to push Andrea Radrizzani out the exit door.

This is a move fans will likely welcome, especially after the recent antics of the Italian, who even put Elland Road up as security as he sought to purchase a different club. Following on from his role in their relegation from the Premier League too, his position had become untenable.

These new owners will know how commercially viable the top flight can be when combined with a club of this size, thus making it a must-achieve if they are to turn a profit on this venture. However, such a goal will only be reached if they invest themselves this summer.

Reports from earlier this month of their interest in Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres will be welcome news to a fanbase desperate for some added firepower given the mass exodus now expected throughout the Yorkshire club.

However, the €20m (£17m) price tag could prove a stumbling block, alongside the subsequent interest from a host of Premier League teams. It would mark a massive statement of intent should the 49ers complete this coup, suggesting that their stay in this division is to be short-lived.

How good is Viktor Gyokeres?

As painful as it is to admit, the Whites are officially now a Championship club again. Despite their immense standing in the English game, and the stature that has often led to an unprecedented transfer allure, their presence in the second division diminishes this massively.

The quality of where they can now find their new targets from has dropped significantly, and in an effort to earn an instant promotion, perhaps within the league could be the best port of call for dominating it.

Therefore, to tempt one of its most prolific scorers in recent years makes perfect sense, as this Swedish marksman would surely fire them towards a playoff push at the very least. In his most recent term, the 25-year-old scored 21 times in the league and assisted a further ten.

Standing at 6 foot 2 but possessing frightening speed too, the powerful forward proved that he could create and score all on his own. This nearly culminated in the Sky Blues' playoff promotion too, although they were felled on penalties by a resolute Luton Town.

With 17 goals from the campaign prior too, this is a level he is clearly well above, with teammate Maxime Biamou even branding him "unplayable".

By joining Leeds, he could hope for one final year in the Championship before either moving elsewhere or leading the Yorkshire side back to where they will feel they belong under this new ownership.

South Australia reached 5 for 360 in the first day against Victoria at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2016
ScorecardTravis Head scored his fourth first-class century (file photo)•Getty ImagesTravis Head scored the fourth century of his first-class career, while Tom Cooper and Jake Weatherald also piled on the runs as South Australia dominated the first day against Victoria at the MCG. At stumps, the Redbacks had motored along to 5 for 360, with Cooper on 93 and in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey on 17.However, Callum Ferguson’s lean patch continued when he was caught behind off Scott Boland for 5. It means that Ferguson has failed to reach double figures in any of his past six first-class innings, with a run of scores reading 0, 3, 1, 4, 4 and 5. Two of those innings – the 3 and the 1 – came in his appearance for Australia in the Hobart Test.Weatherald struck a brisk 88 before he was also caught behind off Boland, and Jake Lehmann was lbw to Jon Holland for 2, which left South Australia at 4 for 133. But Head and Cooper then combined for a 188-run stand that pushed the Redbacks up over 300, and brought Head his first hundred of the season.Always a promising batsman, Head took until the 64th innings of his first-class career – in November last year – to finally score a century. He now has four in the space of just over 12 months, and moved on to 130 before he was bowled, the third wicket for Boland.Cooper, celebrating his 30th birthday, also continued his productive start to the summer. He began the Shield campaign with 138 against Western Australia in Perth and has the perfect opportunity to bring up a ninth first-class hundred on day two.

The 2022-23 domestic campaign may only have finished last weekend with the Champions League final, yet already preparations are in full swing at Burnley ahead of the next season.

Vincent Kompany's players are back in pre-season training, with the Clarets taking full advantage of the fact their own season finished five weeks ago.

Having clinched automatic promotion to the Premier League in style, Burnley could now do with adding some more additions to an already talented squad that has been transformed under Kompany.

Who are Burnley looking to sign this summer?

Burnley have yet to bring in any new additions this summer, but they have been linked with a whole array of players, including the likes of Che Adams, Bart Verbruggen and Jack Clarke among others.

Another new name touted as a target for Burnley is Almeria striker El Bilal Toure, who impressed in LaLiga after also doing likewise in Ligue 1 with Reims.

According to Football Insider, Burnley and Bournemouth are leading other Premier League rivals in the race to sign the Mali international, with a bid of £20m said to be enough to persuade Almeria to cash in.

Would Almeria striker El Bilal Toure be an upgrade for Burnley?

Toure averaged exactly one goal every three games for Almeria in LaLiga last season – seven goals in 21 appearances – including the winning goal against Barcelona to help his side claim their first ever victory in that fixture.

The 21-year-old arrived at the Spanish side last year in an €8m (£6.84m) move from Reims, where his performances earned him the tag of being a "major talent" by football reporter Graeme Bailey.

To give a clearer indication of what Toure's game is all about, FBref ranks Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins – a man more familiar to Premier League viewers – as the closest match among players across Europe's top five leagues.

The Malian ranks in the top 24% of all players across those elite divisions for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes (0.46) in the past 12 months, though that figure will only increase on the basis of his end to the 2022-23 season.

Indeed, with three goals in his final six appearances, including that strike against Barcelona, Toure effectively helped keep Almeria in the Spanish top flight for another year.

That will also be his task at Burnley, much in the same way as Chris Wood stepped up during the Clarets' previous stay in the Premier League. Wood, the Clarets' record scorer in the division (46 goals), netted double figures in all four of his full campaigns for the club at that level.

Comparing Wood's final full season with Burnley in 2020-21 and Toure's 2022-23 season makes for interesting reading. Wood averaged 0.39 goals per 90 minutes and 0.10 assists, as per FBref, compared to 0.46 and 0.13 respectively for Toure.

Those goals came from a pretty much identical expected goals (xG) return of 0.42 for Toure and 0.43 for Wood – who is now at Nottingham Forest – suggesting the former is more clinical when chances fall his way.

There is next to nothing between the pair in terms of passes completed in those two seasons (13.2 for Toure, 13.9 for Wood) and tackles won (0.20 v 0.23). Perhaps more tellingly, Toure also won more aerial duels last season (47.5%) than Wood did in 2020-21 (44.2%).

Burnley's playing style may have changed since their last spell in the Premier League, but sometimes you just need a player like Wood up top in your time of need. In Toure, the Clarets can sign exactly that man.

تغلب فريق إنتر ميلان على نظيره أتالانتا برباعية دون رد في منافسات الدوري الإيطالي، مساء الأربعاء.

والتقى إنتر ميلان مع أتالانتا في مباراة مؤجلة من الجولة الحادية والعشرين للدوري الإيطالي.

وافتتح ماتيو دارميان التسجيل لإنتر ميلان بهدف في الدقيقة 26، وأحرز لاوتارو مارتينيز الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة الأولى من الوقت المحتسب بدلاً من الضائع.

في الشوط الثاني، عزز إنتر ميلان تقدمه بهدف ثالث في الدقيقة 54 عن طريق فيديريكو دي ماركو.

واختتم دافيد فراتيسي أهداف إنتر ميلان بهدف رابع في شباك أتالانتا بالدقيقة 71 من عمر المباراة.

اقرأ أيضًا | فيديو | هاتريك أوسيمين يقود نابولي لاكتساح ساسولو بسداسية في الدوري الإيطالي

وبفوزه يرفع إنتر ميلان رصيده في صدارة ترتيب الدوري الإيطالي للنقطة 69، متقدمًا بفارق 12 نقطة عن أقرب ملاحقيه يوفنتوس.

وتوقف رصيد أتالانتا عند النقطة 46 في المركز الخامس بجدول الترتيب، خلف بولونيا بفارق نقطتين.

ScorecardTravis Head scored his fourth first-class century (file photo)•Getty Images

Travis Head scored the fourth century of his first-class career, while Tom Cooper and Jake Weatherald also piled on the runs as South Australia dominated the first day against Victoria at the MCG. At stumps, the Redbacks had motored along to 5 for 360, with Cooper on 93 and in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey on 17.However, Callum Ferguson’s lean patch continued when he was caught behind off Scott Boland for 5. It means that Ferguson has failed to reach double figures in any of his past six first-class innings, with a run of scores reading 0, 3, 1, 4, 4 and 5. Two of those innings – the 3 and the 1 – came in his appearance for Australia in the Hobart Test.Weatherald struck a brisk 88 before he was also caught behind off Boland, and Jake Lehmann was lbw to Jon Holland for 2, which left South Australia at 4 for 133. But Head and Cooper then combined for a 188-run stand that pushed the Redbacks up over 300, and brought Head his first hundred of the season.Always a promising batsman, Head took until the 64th innings of his first-class career – in November last year – to finally score a century. He now has four in the space of just over 12 months, and moved on to 130 before he was bowled, the third wicket for Boland.Cooper, celebrating his 30th birthday, also continued his productive start to the summer. He began the Shield campaign with 138 against Western Australia in Perth and has the perfect opportunity to bring up a ninth first-class hundred on day two.