A look at some of the wilder picks in the full list of Hundred draft candidates

Andrew Miller15-Oct-2019The List of names in the Hundred draft is a who’s who of English domestic cricket, although one or two names stand out for their lack of current affiliation to a county. We pick through some of the wilder picks on offerAzharullah celebrates after completing the final over•Getty Images

Azharullah

Azharullah has already done the rags-to-riches tale once, and now, at the age of 35, he’s back for another shot at the big time. In 2006, he was an ex-Pakistan Academy prospect, playing for Pudsey Congs in the Bradford League; seven years later (and now married to the club scorer, Emma) he was a T20 Blast champion with Northants, and their leading wicket-taker in the competition. Rapid, and armed with a fierce yorker, Azharullah epitomised Northants’ Moneyball approach to T20 squad-building.Matt Coles’ extraordinary maiden List A hundred was not quite enough for victory•Getty Images

Matt Coles

One of the great unfulfilled talents of English cricket. Coles’s roistering allround abilities marked him out as a man for the future, but his potential never quite outweighed his ability to attract trouble – unlike that of his former England Lions team-mate, Ben Stokes, with whom he was sent home from the England Lions tour of Australia in 2012-13 for late-night drinking. A change of scene, from Kent to Hampshire, couldn’t shake the bad-boy reputation, and subsequent stints at Essex and Northamptonshire have failed to bear much fruit.Azeem Rafiq celebrates a Durham wicket•Getty Images

Azeem Rafiq

Controversy and tragedy have dogged the career of a player who first hit the headlines in 2010, when an expletive-laden rant against the then-England Under-19 coach John Abrahams became one of cricket’s first “Twitter-storms”. Rafiq then made further headlines before he’d even played a match for Yorkshire, when the club’s failure to register him properly led to the cancellation of their T20 Blast quarter-final at Chester-le-Street. He survived being released by Yorkshire in 2014 to fight his way back into the squad two years later, and in between whiles formed an impressive spin partnership with Adil Rashid. But he was released by the club a second time in 2018, after the tragic loss of his unborn daughter had contributed to a downturn in form. Now plying his trade for Lincolnshire, and hopeful of a third coming.Richard Oliver led Worcestershire’s innings with a century•Getty Images

Richard Oliver

After eight years of nomadic club cricket – summers in England, winters in Australia – Oliver finally got his big break at Worcestershire in 2014, and seized it with aplomb. His prior encounters with stand-in twos coach Kevin Sharp earned him a cameo opportunity in the second XI, and he duly cracked a trio of centuries against Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, before riding a wave of euphoria all the way to Worcestershire’s starting XI for the T20 Blast. Opening alongside Moeen Ali, Oliver lit up the tournament, and soon signed his first professional contract after an innings of 77 from 43 against the reigning champions, Northants – after which he spent the rest of the summer living in a caravan near New Road. His fortunes dipped in his second season, however, and he opted to return to Australia rather than work on his game through the winter.

Jacques Banton

There’s another one! Tom Banton is already the talk of English cricket – and Welsh for that matter, after being unveiled as one of Fire’s picks at the team unveil last week. But at the age of 18, Tom’s little brother Jacques is already making waves on the academy and Twos scene for Worcestershire – how does 139 from 70 balls against Ireland Under-19s sound, and in a T20 too? Outside of county commitments, he opens alongside Warwickshire’s Ed Pollock for his club side Barnt Green, while a handy sideline in left-arm spin could make him a tempting wildcard for those who believe that talent runs in the family.

As things stand, Ipswich Town are on course to secure sensational back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier League under Kieran McKenna. But that success could come at the ultimate cost with a European club now eyeing a move for their impressive manager.

Kieran McKenna's Ipswich future

It's no surprise that McKenna has been linked with a move away. A manager of his calibre, who has transformed Ipswich, is destined for the top. It just seems a matter of when and not if he'll become a top-flight manager, whether that is with Ipswich or elsewhere in years to come.

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Crystal Palace were, of course, reportedly interested in securing his signature to replace Roy Hodgson earlier this year, before eventually turning to former Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner. McKenna remained at Portman Road and now looks set to finish the Championship promotion job that he started.

Amid any potential celebrations, however, clubs will undoubtedly begin to circle once more as the manager is left weighing up his options yet again. Among the clubs that could circle is VfB Stuttgart, who have enjoyed an excellent Bundesliga campaign so far this season. But, like Ipswich, Stuttgart's success could come at a managerial cost, with Sebastian Hoeness already linked with the Bayern Munich job.

Now, according to Sport Bild via Sport Witness, Director of Football Fabian Wohlgemuth and Stuttgart have placed McKenna on their shortlist of options to replace Hoeness should they need to this summer. Given that Hoeness has taken the Bundesliga club from 16th all the way up to third this season and just four points adrift of Bayern Munich, he would be some act to follow. But McKenna has more than proven his credentials at Portman Road.

In a summer of mass managerial change, McKenna could complete a shock switch to deal Ipswich a major blow.

Ipswich can't afford to lose McKenna

It almost goes without saying just how vital it is that Ipswich keep hold of McKenna for as long as possible. He has been the key to their recent rise and he is the one who is most likely to unlock the Premier League doors sooner rather than later. If Ipswich do fail in their bid for promotion, however, then luring McKenna away should be far easier, given his own ambitions of managing at the best level.

Stuttgart are an ideal next choice too. Whilst on paper, they may seem an unorthodox choice, Stuttgart's rise isn't dissimilar to that of Ipswich's, who also went from a struggling side to one of their division's best teams under the guidance of a young manager. Now, McKenna is perfectly placed to pick up where Hoeness potentially leaves off this summer, should Stuttgart need to make their move.

What's more, the Ipswich Town manager's preferred system also uses a 4-2-3-1 like Honess' does in another concerning similarity for those at Portman Road hoping to keep the man who has already achieved so much at the club. As things stand, McKenna's future is at Ipswich, but if Stuttgart are in need ot a new manager this summer, then the promotion hopefuls will have every right to be concerned.

The captain made a half-century and took three wickets to beat Nepal and put the painful loss to Singapore behind him

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2019

Sean Williams celebrates his century•AFP

Sean Williams was not a happy man as he was presented the Man of the Match trophy on Sunday. Singapore had upset Zimbabwe, winning their first game against a Test nation, and doing so after falling way behind in the game. Williams berated himself for staying at the wicket long enough to finish that game and questioned his team’s mental strength after they spurned the upper hand against such an inexperienced team.Faced with the same odds on Tuesday, when they faced Nepal, who too have been making a lot of waves on their way up to international cricket, Zimbabwe began poorly once again, slipping to 38 for 3 in five overs. But out walked Williams and by sheer force of will took control of the game. He hit 53 off 35 balls with four fours and three sixes to drag Zimbabwe up to 160 for 6 and that was plenty more than enough.Williams himself was the one ensuring that, taking the new ball and striking in the very first over. His left-arm spin took care of both Nepal openers and by the time he took his third wicket in four overs, the opposition was 111 for 8, way off their target with time running out. After securing their second win in three matches, Zimbabwe are now back on top the T20 tri-series table and will face Singapore again on Thursday.

It goes without saying that West Ham United need to mount a big response after last weekend's chastening 6-0 home defeat to London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League.

The malaise has been spreading for a while in east London as West Ham still seek their first victory of 2024 – having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Bristol City last month too – and this afternoon's clash against Nottingham Forest at City Ground could be definitive vis-a-vis David Moyes' future at the helm.

Of course, it's not all doom and gloom. West Ham still reside in eighth place in the Premier League and are behind Newcastle United only on goal difference, now beginning a favourable run of games that could lighten the chatter around Moyes' position.

But there is no doubt that this is an issue demanding redress. Injuries to the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio have damaged the fluency over this recent tough spell but there is enough quality to turn the tide and Forest, who languish in 16th place (two points above the drop zone), must be defeated to ensure that continental qualification does not slip away.

Nuno Espirito Santo's hosts desperately need some respite themselves and will not roll over for West Ham, making for a compelling encounter in the English top-flight.

West Ham team news vs Forest

As stated, Brazilian playmaker Paqueta remains sidelined following a calf problem, though he has returned to training in a significant boost for the Irons. Antonio, meanwhile, could make his first appearance since the start of November – against Forest, incidentally – after finally overcoming a knee injury.

Edson Alvarez and captain Kurt Zouma, both culpable for the dreadful performance against Arsenal last time out, should start despite coming off at half-time in that one.

It's a strong and near-complete side making the northward trip to Nottingham, and Moyes will need to engineer a positive display to ease the growing concerns that could boil over if Forest bag victory.

Nayef Aguerd must not start

Harking back to that Arsenal game again (sorry), it's hard to uproot any positives from the contest, with a lifeless defence allowing the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to slalom into the danger area with ease, helpless against the string-pulling excellence of Martin Odegaard and devastated by the all-encompassing masterclass from one of their own: Declan Rice.

Few could hold their heads high after such a miserable afternoon but those in the rearguard failed woefully in maintaining a semblance of control in front of Alphonse Areola's goal.

Zouma will start this afternoon, and few would argue against it despite the Frenchman's slide in form of late, but Nayef Aguerd has proved himself unworthy since returning from the African Cup of Nations with Morocco and must be relegated to the bench against the Tricky Trees.

The 27-year-old has been largely impressive since signing from French side Rennes for £30m in June 2022 and finished third in West Ham's Player of the Season awards last term, behind Rice and Said Benrahma.

This season, he has started 18 times in the Premier League but got himself sent off early on against Chelsea. Across the season he has completed only 79% of his passes while making two errors and conceding a penalty, as per Sofascore.

The Athletic's Roshane Thomas has also noted earlier in the campaign that "defensive errors are holding him back", but against Arsenal, his display wasn't laden was errors, but rather, weighed down by a staticness that allowed the antagonists to wreak havoc in second gear.

Aguerd didn't actually lose a ground duel last weekend, but this is because the £50k-per-week centre-half didn't actually make a single ground duel attempt, also completing only 65% of his passes and losing possession on a whopping 17 occasions.

This is unforgivable, with the Evening Standard's Dom Smith branding him with a 3/10 match score for his insipid efforts, writing: 'Got nowhere near Saka for Arsenal’s fifth goal, allowing the England forward to roam free and slam home. Torrid afternoon for Aguerd.'

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The 6 foot 2 ace attempted just one ground duel against Fulham during December's 5-0 drubbing too and will need to sit today's fixture out if he is to absorb the importance of ramping up the gas for his side in the future.

And given that Konstantinos Mavropanos is waiting in the wings, it does seem to be the perfect solution for Moyes, making an alteration that might just secure victory and save his skin.

Konstantinos Mavropanos could save Moyes' skin

Factory-built for the modern game, Mavropanos is a ball-playing defender with an aggressiveness and tenacity that makes him a good option for Moyes, having been described as a "gladiator" by former boss Pellegrino Matarazzo in the past.

As per FBref, the Greece international ranks among the top 2% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 12% for successful take-ons, the top 25 for interceptions and the top 14% for aerial battles won per 90.

The one-time Arsenal prospect was signed from German side Stuttgart in a £19m deal last summer and has since started seven matches in the Premier League, scoring once.

Having won 65% of his duels in the division so far, the 6 foot 5 Mavropanos would be an excellent partner for Zouma in today's game, averaging 3.5 ball recoveries and 4.2 clearances per match and actually keeping more clean sheets than Aguerd (3 versus 2) despite playing eight fewer fixtures.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Interceptions

Concentration

Tackling

Discipline

Aerial duels

Dribbling

Source: WhoScored

The magnitude of the forthcoming affair cannot be understated; if Nottingham Forest clinch victory Moyes' reign would dangle by a tenuous thread indeed.

Aguerd has proved himself unreliable of late and given that Mavropanos has done a good job since coming in, he must be provided with a starting berth to ensure that his side prevail.

In the high-octane world of football, where youth and vitality are often seen as the most coveted assets, a group of remarkable athletes defy the norms, captivating fans with their enduring talent and unwavering passion for the game.

These players, the venerable statesmen of the pitch, have not only surpassed expectations, but have also set a benchmark for longevity in a sport that demands the utmost physical and mental fitness.

To celebrate their incredible journeys, Football FanCast compiled a list of the top 10 oldest active football players in the world in 2024…

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Rank

Name

Team

Position

Age

1

Kazuyoshi Miura

UD Oliveirense

Centre-forward

57

2

Georgi Petkov

Slavia Sofia

Goalkeeper

47

3

Dragan Jolovic

FK Alfa Modrica

Centre-back

47

4

Ahmad Korhani

AC Tripoli

Goalkeeper

45

5

Nasir Chowdhury

Chittagong Abahani

Centre-back

44

6

Ferreira Pinto

AC Ponte San Pietro

Right-winger

44

7

Rhys Griffiths

Penybont FC

Centre-forward

44

8

Cesar Medina

Alianza FC Panama

Centre-forward

43

9

Ilion Lika

KF Tirana

Goalkeeper

43

10

Joel Pinto

Sport Huancayo

Goalkeeper

43

10 Joel Pinto (Sport Huancayo) 43 years old

Joel Pinto still finds himself between the sticks at the ripe old age of 43 in the Peruvian first division.

He's started the last three games for current side Sport Huancayo, with one of these appearances coming in the Copa Sudamericana against Cesar Vallejo recently.

The goalkeeper has taken his career tally to a whopping 412 games, with 130 clean sheets over this time.

9 Ilion Lika (KF Tirana) 43 years old

If you don't feel old yet, you definitely will now, as Ilion Lika appeared for the Albanian national side all the way back in 2002 and still plays his football for Albanian outfit KF Tirana today.

He's appeared seven times this season, including in a Europa Conference League qualifier, but is yet to keep a clean sheet.

Despite being active since the early 2000s, he's only on 342 appearances for his career.

8 Cesar Medina (Alianza FC Panama) 43 years old

Cesar Medina is a striker who plays his football in his home country, Panama, for Alianza FC.

He's made just four appearances this season, with one goal to show. However, Medina is the most loyal player on this list, having stayed at Alianza throughout his career and racked up 147 appearances for them. He even appeared once for the Panama national side.

7 Rhys Griffiths (Penybont FC) 44 years old

Rhys Griffiths is a centre-forward who currently plays his football for Welsh Cymru Premier side Penybont FC.

Although he is still an active player, he's yet to appear for the Welsh club this season, despite being on the substitutes' bench in 11 games.

The 44-year-old's career has spanned over 313 games, in which he has netted 199 goals. He appeared for English side Plymouth Argyle 17 times and also had a stint at Newport County.

6 Ferreira Pinto (AC Ponte San Pietro) 44 years old

Winger Ferreira Pinto is now 44 years of age, and has still managed to make 23 appearances so far this season in the fourth tier of Italian football.

He's actually enjoyed a pretty respectable career, which has spanned 686 games, including stints at Atalanta and Lecce.

5 Nasir Chowdhury (Chittagong Abahani) 44 years old

Nasir Chowdhury is still fighting fit over in the Bangladesh Premier League for Chittagong Abahani, where he has made five appearances and scored one goal so far this season.

He's only ever played in his home country and has racked up 132 appearances over the years, as well as 14 goals from centre-back.

4 Ahmad Korhani (AC Tripoli) 45 years old

Now, moving higher up the list with Ahmad Korhani at 45 years of age.

The goalkeeper currently plays his football at Lebanese side AC Tripoli and has made seven appearances this season. He's managed to keep three clean sheets in this time and has conceded just five goals.

3 Dragan Jolovic (FK Alfa Modrica) 47 years old

Dragan Jolovic is still going strong in the second division in Bosnia and Herzegovina at FK Alfa Modrica.

He's appeared 18 times at the heart of the defence and has one goal to show for himself. He's now appeared in over 300 games in his football career, including in Champions League qualifiers, and doesn't look like slowing down anytime soon.

2 Georgi Petkov (Slavia Sofia) 47 years old

Georgi Petkov is a highly decorated goalkeeper whose career began all the way back in the late 1990s. He's amassed an impressive 400 appearances, which includes performances in the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.

He made his debut for the Bulgarian national side all the way back in 1998, and went on to make 19 appearances for his country.

Nowadays, the 47-year-old plays his football for Slavia Sofia, a side in the Bulgarian top flight.

1 Kazuyoshi Miura (UD Oliveirense) 57 years old

At number one, we have a player who has become a bit of a legendary figure, known for his determination to keep playing the game we love.

Kazuyoshi Miura is currently 57 years of age, playing his football at Portuguese second-division side Oliveirense. Though, this season isn't exactly going great for the striker as he's yet to score in five appearances, but who can knock him at his age?

The crazy thing is, he's been playing since the early 1980s with other stints in Brazil, Japan, Italy and Australia. In this time, he's managed to amass 709 appearances and scored 193 goals. But arguably the most impressive stat is his goalscoring record on the international stage for Japan, as he netted a whopping 55 goals in 89 games.

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Chelsea have been handed a boost after it was confirmed that one major sale would be completed this summer.

Blues in financial bother

Chelsea recorded losses of £90m across the past 12 months, a reflection of their excessive spending over the summer and leaving them sailing dangerously close to the Premier League's financial fair play regulations.

Thanks to their expensive new additions, they are expected to have to raise significant sums every summer before they can consider any additions, which only adds to the difficulties set to be faced by Mauricio Pochettino in the Stamford Bridge technical area should he remain in charge of the Blues.

Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino PL 23/24

Total

PL rank

Games

26

N/A

Wins

10

11th

Losses

10

8th

xG

52.1

6th

xG against

43.3

8th

Already unpopular, constant squad overhaul will not help him land on a settled side, and should interest in desired players not materialise, he may be forced to get rid of some of his stars. Fortunately though, it doesn't look set to come to that this summer at least.

Teenager moving on in permanent transfer

Speaking on Friday, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe revealed that the permanent move for Lewis Hall, currently on loan on Tyneside from Chelsea, hasn't 'quite happened yet', but admitted that it was a matter of when not if the move was completed.

“In terms of my thinking, I’m preparing for Lewis to be at Newcastle for many years”, Howe explained ahead of the two sides meeting on Monday night.

“He was always brought in with a long-term view, not as a short-term signing. He is a long-term signing. We have always believed in him and his quality and we have been working really hard with him on his game. He’s a really talented lad. He’s got a couple of things to continue working on as all the players have. I believe in him. My vision for him is he will be at Newcastle for many years”, he added.

So why has the permanent move not been confirmed yet? As per the Daily Telegraph, the move is "basically a done deal". Luke Edwards reports that the condition for Hall to become a Newcastle United player permanently is that the Magpies finish 15th or higher come the end of the campaign, something that looks nailed on at this point.

As it stands, Howe's side sit 8th in the Premier League and will be looking up rather than down for the remainder of the campaign, with 15th placed Brentford currently a massive 14 points behind the northeast outfit with 11 games left to play.

When this is confirmed, Chelsea stand to net a reported £28m for the teenager, which will help them comply with financial fair play regulations, though it is likely that more sales will be needed before June 30th to ensure this compliance.

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However, the guaranteed income that Hall brings will certainly be a boost to the Blues.

For a while now, Liverpool's academy has been regarded as one of the best in the world when it comes to developing talent.

Homegrown players such as Steven Gerrard and Trent Alexander-Arnold each made their way through the ranks and managed to become regular first-team players.

Then, others such as Harvey Elliott and even Stefan Bajcetic who were brought from other academies have been nurtured and allowed to develop into the players we see today.

A lot of Liverpool's academy players are given chances within the first-team squad, this was shown during Sunday's Carabao Cup final, in which Liverpool managed to triumph 1-0 over Chelsea.

However, not all of the Reds' academy stories are full of sunshine and rainbows. Kaide Gordon is an example of a player who once had it all but ended up back at square one.

How good Kaide Gordon was before injury

As is the case with many youngsters, players are tipped to be 'the next' someone or another.

Due to the time in which Gordon was making his presence known around the Liverpool camp, Raheem Sterling just so happened to be in the limelight for his performances.

Prior to joining Manchester City for a reported fee of £49m, Sterling was among the best players for the Anfield club and was being touted for great things.

During his final season in Merseyside, the then-21-year-old managed a total of 21 goal contributions in just 52 games.

Hence, Gordon's move from Derby as a young prospect was likened to that of Sterling's acquisition from QPR by The Guardian's, Chris Bascombe.

It was during the 2021/22 season in which Gordon made his debut for the Reds in an FA Cup third-round clash against Shrewsbury, during which he even managed to slot a goal into the back of the net.

Despite not appearing all too often throughout the campaign, during the four times he was chosen, he managed to make a solid impact and show the footballing world his talents.

Then, that was when disaster struck. Despite his meteoric rise and promising start to life as a Liverpool player, due to growing pains, the winger was sidelined for a grand total of 19 months, more or less shunting his growth entirely.

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On his injury, Jurgen Klopp spoke about the long-term layoff which the youngster had to endure.

"We were really unlucky with some of our big, big prospects," he said to the media. "We had that problem that they were a little bit too good already for the physical status, let me say it like that.

"So they were that good that we thought they could help us already and everybody went in the right direction, and then the body said ‘no, stop’. And that happened to Kaide unfortunately two or three times. It was a really long time out.”

Gordon's progress since recovering

The now 19-year-old has since recovered from his injury and has managed to join back in first-team training.

As per Transfermarkt, Gordon has even played in three senior games for the Reds this season, with one of his outings coming in the Europa League. He was also on the bench most recently in the club's demolition of Luton Town.

However, sadly due to his injuries, he hasn't managed to reach the heights of Sterling just yet and also missed out on the chance to lift the Carabao Cup with his teammates on Sunday.

A host of the club's homegrown talent, namely Conor Bradley were all there but he had to watch on from the sidelines after not being named in the squad. It must have been sad for a young individual who was ahead of many of his peers when he first arrived from Derby.

Fortunately, as he builds himself up to full fitness, his time in Premier League 2 has been beneficial. This season, he has played a total of six games and has been involved with four goals thus far.

Here's hoping that throughout the rest of the season or even the next couple, we see Gordon showcasing his natural ability to play football again.

Everton have been brilliant defensively under boss Sean Dyche, with the Toffees having the joint-best defensive record of any side outside the Premier League's top four – tied with Manchester United on 29 goals conceded.

The club have also kept the joint second-most clean sheets in the division, with Arsenal the only side in England's top flight to register more this season.

The Toffees' six-point deduction earlier this campaign, has seen the club linger around the Premier League's relegation zone, with the defensive record a huge boost in the club's battle to avoid the drop.

However, it's the Toffees' attack that has prevented them from pulling further clear of any danger, with Dyche's side only scoring 29 times in 28 games this campaign, with only bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United scoring fewer.

The club could've benefitted from a former player who they sold back in 2019, with the forward currently enjoying a brilliant goalscoring campaign.

Henry Onyekuru's stats at Everton

After finding the net 22 times for KAS Eupen in 2016/17, Everton forked out £7m on attacker Henry Onyekuru, with the Nigerian having huge potential to be a star after his breakthrough campaign aged just 20.

The club wanted him to gain consistent first-team minutes to continue his development, with the Toffees loaning the youngster out to Anderlecht for the 2017/18 season.

Onyekuru excelled once more, scoring ten goals in his 27 appearances away from Goodison, but his form wasn't enough to warrant a first-team place, with the winger leaving the club on loan once more.

He spent the next campaign at Turkish outfit Galatasaray, continuing his excellent form in front of goal – contributing with 16 goals as he helped the Istanbul outfit claim the Süper Lig title in 2018/19.

Despite scoring 26 times over his two loan spells away from the club, Everton failed to receive a work permit for Onyekuru, with the club deciding to sell the then 22-year-old to Monaco for £12m – leaving Goodison without making a single appearance.

Henry Onyekuru's stats in 2023/24

Four years on from his Everton departure, Onyekuru is now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, starring for Al-Fayha, who sit 8th in the Saudi Pro League.

He joined the Saudi side back in August 2023, with the 26-year-old impressing in his 24 league appearances this campaign.

His tally of ten goals this campaign, ranks him within the top ten goalscorers within the division – behind the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and former Newcastle United and Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Despite being a lower-quality division, the Nigerian attacker has outperformed current Toffees striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin with the 27-year-old scoring just three goals in the same number of appearances.

Appearances

24

24

Goals

10

3

Assists

3

1

Big chances missed

8

12

Average rating

7.33

6.60

Calvert-Lewin has failed to hit the heights he's achieved in recent seasons, with the striker's xG of 5.29 expected goals in the Premier League reflecting that he's missed multiple big chances, scoring two goals less than he should have based on the opportunities he's had in front of goal.

Onyekuru has proven himself to be a consistent goalscorer wherever he's been. It's a real shame that he couldn't receive a work permit during his time at Goodison, with the Nigerian's goalscoring record being of use to Dyche's side given their lack of goals this campaign.

In recent years, Aston Villa have cashed in on multiple academy graduates for handsome fees – sales which can be written off as pure profit in their books, helping them to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

In 2022, they offloaded Carney Chukwuemeka to Chelsea for a fee of around £20m, and 12 months on, they banked more than £12m from Aaron Ramsey's move to Burnley. Cameron Archer's switch to Sheffield United, another newly-promoted Premier League side, was a further £18m boost for the coffers.

Despite that, Villa have work to do to ensure they comply with the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules. It's been reported that Unai Emery may have to part with a first-team player before 30 June, the end of the financial year, to keep the club on the right side of the line.

Villa face prospect of Ramsey sale

The I's chief football correspondent Sam Cunningham reports that Villa's wage-to-revenue ratio stood at 92% last year, 12% more than UEFA will allow from next season. Villa are in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 1980s, but the associated windfall won't necessarily solve their problems.

To reduce that wage bill and boost their profits, Villa may have to sell the jewel of their academy in Jacob Ramsey, who's attracting interest from top-flight competitors Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, with Cunningham reporting there's a "good chance" he is sold.

Ramsey is one of the league's most promising midfielders

Ramsey may only have started seven league games this season, but he's only been available for 15, and Villa fans won't need any reminders of how special a talent he really is.

Most goal involvements by players aged 21 or under – Premier League 22/23
Rank	Player	Club	G+A
1	Bukayo Saka	Arsenal	25
2	Gabriel Martinelli	Arsenal	20
=3	Jacob Ramsey	Aston Villa	13
=3	Michael Olise	Crystal Palace	13
5	Brennan Johnson	Nottingham Forest	11

Voted young player of the season and players' player of the season in 2021/22, he was then named the league's best academy graduate last term after notching 13 direct goal contributions.

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Feb 27, 2024

The 22-year-old has played 16 times for England at under-21 level, including three appearances on the road to European Championships glory last summer, and looks destined to be a full international for his country in the future.

In a sense, though, this is the price of success for a club like Villa. If you want to spend like a Champions League club – and they rank between Man City and Liverpool in the five-year net spend table, despite selling Jack Grealish for £100m in 2021 – then you need to sell like one too. Ramsey isn't the only player who could go, but because he didn't cost a penny, he's the outstanding candidate at this stage.

Is T10 too predictable? Should the toss be made optional? Should who bats first be pre-determined in the scheduling?

Barny Read16-Nov-2019The toss is one of cricket’s many, many curious elements. The one flip of the coin that, for club cricketers, goes a long way to determining the happiness of a weekend forfeited to chasing leather around a field. For the professionals, it has the potential to decide the outcome of a match, potentially a series.Luck is, of course, something that touches all sport but it is rarely as tangible as it is in cricket.It can be a look up at the clouds at Headingley, a pre-empted prayer to the cricketing gods that you bat first in Adelaide, or shivers down the collective spine of a side asked to bat last in a Test match in Galle. And T10 is no different to its cricketing forefathers. There is a clear formula: win the toss, put the opposition in. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.Across 47 completed matches of T10 cricket in a nudge over two years of its existence, only five captains have won the toss and elected to bat. There were four such instances in 2017, just one in 2018 and none so far from six matches across the first two days in Abu Dhabi.Shane Watson, the captain of Deccan Gladiators who has played in the past two editions as well, explained it as such after losing their opener on Friday having been asked to bat first: “In T10 you don’t really know how many is enough… but there’s no question that when you’re chasing, knowing you’ve got ten overs and ten wickets in hand, I don’t know the statistics exactly but I remember last year that most teams that batted second found it easier chasing.”Indeed they did. In fact, only 13 teams have gone on to win after being asked to strap on their pads by their opponents, a figure that equates to a win percentage of 27.6% of all T10 matches. Without knowing that figure, Delhi Bulls captain Eoin Morgan suggested on the first day that there is “probably a small percentage advantage” in chasing but should you “hold your nerve and execute well, it shouldn’t really matter”.As Morgan’s side became the 12th team to lose batting second, the 33-year-old’s words from the previous day certainly rang true. Even more so by the time Darren Sammy’s Northern Warriors made it 13 defeats chasing, the reigning champions feebly falling to Qalandars with the lowest total in T10 history and only the second team to be bowled out in ten overs with their 46 all out in a 66-run defeat.As for Watson, less than 24 hours after defeat to Morgan’s Bulls, he was calling correctly earlier in the day and had no hesitation in putting Bangla Tigers into bat. The result? A six-wicket win.”If you lose the toss, you don’t want to feel like you’re out of the game,” Watson said after his side got its first points of the season. “There’s no doubt from a mentality point of view, to know how many you’ve got to get and there’s only ten overs, it’s definitely an advantage but that’s not to say you can’t set a really good total and then it’s just too many for the opposition to chase.”The Australian’s counterpart in the Tigers dugout, Thisara Perera, agreed that “every team likes to chase”, but insisted that the toss is not at the forefront of his side’s mind despite its continued influence in T10s.Even accounting for the Warriors making it two defeats from three for sides batting second on day two, the win percentage remains at 70.2% in favour of teams chasing. And with seemingly no captain in a hurry to set a target after winning the toss, they clearly see the value in coming out on the right side of things at the start of play.The wins for Qalandars and Deccan Gladiators prove that it is far too simplistic to suggest that a won toss is a won match, but the formulaic actions of the captains in the middle, plus the numbers that indicate an advantage for sides chasing, should be enough for the league to ponder its trend.Is T10 too predictable? Should the toss be optional like it is in the County Championship? Perhaps who bats first and second should be pre-determined in the scheduling?The longer T10 remains repetitive, the more pressing the answers to these questions will become.