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Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite has been called up to West Indies’ ODI side for their upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2016Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite has been called up to West Indies’ ODI side for their upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE. Brathwaite has played 31 Tests since his international debut in 2011 but is yet to play an ODI or a T20. The T20I squad includes two uncapped players – allrounder Rovman Powell and wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran.West Indies squads for the UAE

ODI squad
In: Kraigg Brathwaite, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis
Out: Andre Fletcher, Jerome Taylor
T20I squad
In: Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton
Out: Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons

Chris Gayle is not a part of the T20 squad, having made himself unavailable for selection, while Lendl Simmons has missed out due to medical reasons. Gayle was part of the West Indies T20 squad for the two-match T20I series against India in Florida last month but missed both games after failing to pass a fitness test ahead of the first T20I.The ODI squad also includes batsman Evin Lewis and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who are uncapped in the format. Lewis, who made his T20I debut earlier this year, recently scored a 48-ball century against India in Florida opening the batting in place of Gayle, while Joseph made his international debut in the home Test series against the same opposition.Pooran impressed in this year’s Caribbean Premier League, scoring 217 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 197.27 for Barbados Tridents, while completing eight dismissals behind the stumps. Pooran’s inclusion boosts West Indies’ wicket-keeping options in the T20 squad, which include Andre Fletcher, Johnson Charles and Chadwick Walton, who last played for West Indies in January 2014.Powell, who made his first-class debut last season, also showed promise in CPL 2016 for Jamaica Tallawahs, scoring 228 runs at an average of 25.33 and taking two wickets with his medium-pace.With Kumar Sangakkara taking up the wicket-keeping gloves for Tallawahs, Walton played in the CPL as a batsman and finished as the second-highest run-getter for the side behind Gayle, with 301 runs in 13 innings, which included two fifties.The T20I squad does not include former captain Darren Sammy, who was axed from the role last month. Sammy was also excluded from the T20I squad that played against India in Florida. Gayle, Sammy, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell and Samuel Badree were ineligible for ODI selection as they did not play in the domestic 50-over tournament last season, made mandatory by the WICB.West Indies will start their tour with three T20Is against Pakistan, between September 23 and 27, followed by the three-match ODI series which starts from September 30. The three-Test series, which includes a day-night match in Dubai, starts from October 13 and West Indies’ squad for that format will be announced later.West Indies ODI squad: Jason Holder (capt), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon SamuelsWest Indies T20I squad Carlos Brathwaite (capt), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton

Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, has said his bowlers have done well to keep India’s batsmen quiet on day two of the Sabina Park Test

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kingston01-Aug-20161:35

‘It’s up to the batsmen to stand up now’ – Simmons

Phil Simmons, West Indies’ head coach, has said his bowlers have done well to keep India’s batsmen quiet on day two of the Sabina Park Test. India, 126 for 1 overnight, went to stumps 358 for 5, with a lead of 162.”Usually, you average a day to be 270 in Test cricket with 90 full overs and we have restricted them, especially with [KL] Rahul going the way he was and then the skipper [Virat Kohli] later. Restricting them to 230 (232) in 90 (88) overs shows there’s improvement from Antigua.”He went on to elaborate on this point, saying his bowlers were learning to be patient.”I think they learned today what we have been talking about for the last six months, about being patient in Test cricket. And when the wicket isn’t assisting like this one, you have to be patient and then the pressure that you build from patience will get you wickets. I think what I have learned that they are listening sometimes. I hope they are listening all the time. They are seeking patience now, they are trying to hold these world-class batsmen [back].”Midway through the day, the debutant fast bowler Miguel Cummins pulled up after bowling a wide in his 16th over of the innings, and went off the field clutching the back of his thigh. Simmons said Cummins had suffered from cramps, and hoped he would be fit to resume bowling on the third day.”He had a lot of cramps today,” Simmons said. “I can’t tell you why because I’m not a doctor. But yeah, we basically played with two quicks today. Hopefully he will be better tomorrow and do his job.”When the second new ball became available, India had a new batsman at the crease in Kohli, but West Indies chose not to take it immediately, instead waiting until the start of the post-tea session, by which time 11 more overs had elapsed.Asked about this, Simmons’ response was terse. “I haven’t spoken with the captain, so I don’t know.”Jason Holder, the captain, had chosen to bat despite the first-day pitch sporting a fair covering of grass and looking like it was moist underneath. Simmons said he had made the right decision, and the batsmen had failed to do their job.”Batsmen are supposed to bat,” he said. “I didn’t think there was any threat in the wicket yesterday. So I would bat first again.”Simmons hoped his bowlers would continue to bowl as they had done on day two.”The only thing we can do is to come tomorrow again and work hard to get the wickets that we have to. And then the batsmen have got to stand up because the bowlers have stood up today and hopefully they will stand up again tomorrow morning and we get the wickets we need. It’s up to the batsmen to stand up now.”Simmons expected India’s spinners, who took six wickets in West Indies’ first innings, to remain a threat in the second innings as well.”It’s definite,” he said. “[R] Ashwin is the No.1 bowler in the word. He is going to be difficult on any wicket you play him on, let alone a wicket that’s turning and has some bounce too. It’s going to be difficult but that’s what Test cricket is about. If it’s not difficult it won’t be called Test cricket. The batsmen know that they have to come and make sure that they put their heads down and they have to work hard against both spinners.”Rain is forecast on the three remaining days of the match, but Simmons said he wasn’t hoping for the weather gods to intervene just yet, and still had some hope that his players could turn the game around.”I don’t think we need them yet,” he said. “I will tell you on the fourth day if we need it on fifth day. The wicket is still playing very well so it’s up to the batsmen to get their heads down and get some runs.”

Referee John Brooks and his VAR team may have made a huge error in the recent Liverpool draw for not sending Tyrone Mings off for a horror tackle on Cody Gakpo.

What’s the latest on Liverpool and VAR?

The Reds were up against Aston Villa this weekend in the Premier League but a draw means their hopes of a top-four finish are only just hanging on by a thread.

The away team took the lead in the first half when Jacob Ramsey hit a sweet volley at the far post to open the scoring and it took until the 89th minute for Liverpool to draw level.

Indeed, playing in his final game at Anfield, club icon Roberto Firmino scored from close range to earn the Reds a point on the day.

However, the outcome of the game could have perhaps been different had referee Brooks reached for a red instead of a yellow earlier on in the match.

Shortly before half time, Mings stretched to win the ball but ended up planting his studs into Gakpo’s chest but avoid major punishment.

Did Mings deserve a red card against Liverpool?

As the images above on Twitter show, the Liverpool man was left with some brutal stud marks on his chest but VAR, somehow, evidently felt it wasn’t enough to upgrade the foul to a red card.

It was reminiscent of Nigel de Jong’s horror tackle on Xabi Alonso in the 2010 World Cup final which also saw the perpetrator avoid a red card – though VAR wasn’t in use back then.

Journalist James Pearce certainly seemed to think it was a foul deserving of more severe punishment. He wrote on Twitter: “Mings very lucky that his challenge on Gakpo isn’t upgraded from a yellow to a red by VAR. Caught Gakpo in the chest with his studs.”

Before adding: “Can’t believe Brooks wasn’t advised to look at the monitor.”

To make things worse, the Reds also had a goal controversially ruled out for offside in the game too and decision that left manager Jurgen Klopp baffled.

Indeed, he told the press (via Liverpoolfcnews): “I asked the referee why the offside goal was offside. He explained it to me. He thinks it isn’t a deliberate action from the defender, I think it is. VAR isn’t sure.”

Sam Hain became the latest batsmen to take plunder from a benign Edgbaston pitch as Warwickshire added draw points to their Championship challenge

Jon Culley at Edgbaston13-Jul-2016
ScorecardSam Hain was one of several batsmen to flourish•Getty ImagesA slow, flat pitch and a full day lost to rain were heavy factors against this match producing a positive result, much to the frustration of both sides for differing reasons, Warwickshire needing one to keep up with Middlesex and Lancashire in a breakaway group at the top of Division One, Hampshire to jump ahead of Surrey and Nottinghamshire at the other end.Yet it was a worthwhile exercise for Warwickshire in particular, who were able to watch the precociously talented Sam Hain emerge from a long run of frustratingly low scores in Championship cricket with his first century in almost a year, which he turned into his second highest score for the county.Ultimately holing out for 135 as Warwickshire tried – in vain, as it turned out – to claim a fifth batting point, Hain hit 16 fours and one six, the maximum – a pull backward of square off Gareth Berg – being the shot that took him to three figures.Hain’s first full season playing white-ball cricket has brought significant scores in both T20 and the 50-over game but as an illustration of the extent to which runs have eluded him until now in the four-day game, he accumulated more in this one innings than in his previous 11 this season.Afterwards, he described his struggle to rediscover his form as a new experience but one he had learned from.”I’ve never been in this situation before so to come out and get a few runs today is nice,” he said. “I couldn’t really get my head round what was happening but I talked to some of the older boys to try to get a bit of help because it is quite tough when you are young and I’ve learned a lot from it.”When you are in a run of low scores you start to turn up wondering whether you will play or not. I thought I might have missed out this game, so I’m grateful to Ian Bell and Dougie Brown for keeping faith in me.”I don’t think I have been as nervous before in red ball cricket and I still feel it a work in progress. There are a few technical things I need to work on but for me it has been more a mental thing and so I’ve tried to get back to working on my processes rather than looking at the outcomes.”Given that he has seven Championship hundreds to his name already – including a double – it is easy to lose sight of how young he is. He is not 21 until this Saturday.Warwickshire believe they have in Hain a future England player with a considerable career ahead him and director of cricket Brown reaffirmed his faith in him while admitting he was not far from being left out.”We discussed how long you persevere with a young player with such exceptional talent and we were probably getting close to that point,” he said.”But everyone goes through it. Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott in our dressing room, Alastair Cook, Jacques Kallis – very fine players who have all gone through periods where they are short of form and confidence”There was no doubt Sam was going to come good at some stage, the question was when and thankfully we have seen him play exceptionally well in this game. Conditions were in his favour and it might be more testing, say, at Headingley in a couple of weeks’ time.”We strongly believe he has a bright future in the game and we wanted to give him that extended run. Now that he has got a really good hundred hopefully he kicks on from there.”The other plus point from Warwickshire’s view point was a century from Tim Ambrose, his first of the season after three consecutive fifties, which reinforced Brown’s optimism about his side’s title challenge.”Yorkshire got away from everyone last year but no one has this time and we are in a good position,” he said. “The side that wins will be the one that produces the strong finish to the season and we have a lot of guys in pretty good touch and as a team we know we are playing well.”Hampshire’s wicketkeeper, Lewis McManus, standing up to Gareth Berg, executed a smart stumping to remove Trott and the young legspinner, Mason Crane, made a good impression in conditions that did not particularly help him. He was rewarded when Ambrose and Hain holed out within the space of four balls during Warwickshire’s chase for batting points.Having been 312-4 after 100 overs, Warwickshire added 86 in the final 10 yet Crane kept his discipline well. Rikki Clarke lofted a six off Liam Dawson from the penultimate delivery before handshakes were exchanged after the 110th over was completed.

An update has emerged on Burnley and their plans to bolster their squad ahead of a return to Premier League action in the 2023/24 campaign…

What's the latest on James Trafford to Burnley?

According to Football Insider, manager Vincent Kompany is eyeing up a swoop to sign Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Belgian head coach believes that the youngster would be an excellent addition to his squad to bolster their depth following their promotion out of the Championship.

It is stated that the Clarets have been keeping tabs on his performances for Bolton Wanderers and went to watch him in play-off action against Barnsley last weekend.

How has James Trafford performed this season?

The 20-year-old colossus has enjoyed a terrific League One campaign between the sticks, consistently producing excellent displays in the third tier of English football.

His fantastic form means that Kompany could repeat the masterclass he played with the signing of Arijanet Muric, who arrived from Manchester City for £3m last summer.

The Kosovo international played 41 of Burnley's 46 Championship matches on their way to the title and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00, having kept 17 clean sheets and saved 75% of the shots against his goal.

Kompany was able to raid his former club to land the 24-year-old shot-stopper and the move turned out to be a blinder as the shot-stopper enjoyed a sublime year, as shown by the aforementioned statistics, and played a huge role in the club's success in the second tier.

Trafford's performances for Bolton this season suggest that he could follow in Muric's footsteps if the ace completes a permanent switch to Turf Moor from Manchester City this summer.

In League One, the City youngster, who reporter Marc Iles once described as "flying", has played 46 matches and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.18, having saved 79% of the shots against him and kept an eye-catching 22 clean sheets.

The 20-year-old gem also only made one error that led to a shot or goal for the opposition, whereas Muric made three in the Championship, and is not prone to making mistakes on a regular basis.

Trafford's ability on the ball would also suit the way that Kompany wants to play out from the back.

The 6 foot 6 giant has completed 93% of his attempted passes in his own half and managed to provide one assist in League One this season, which shows that the youngster is reliable in possession and able to go longer when needed.

These statistics indicate that the England U21 international has the potential to be an exceptional signing for Burnley, given that his form in League One is more impressive than the current Burnley star's displays in the second tier.

At the age of 20, Trafford could come in as a long-term investment with the view to him initially competing with Muric before taking over his position in the team if he can apply his performances for Bolton to the Premier League.

Aston Villa have had a memorable season in the Premier League during Unai Emery's first spell at the club.

The Spaniard has taken the Villans from lurking around the relegation zone to pushing for a top-six finish with just three games remaining in the league this season.

With the end of the season in sight, a lot of speculation regarding the club's off-field activity has surfaced, surrounding potential summer signings and the pending arrival of Mateu Alemany, who has been director of football at FC Barcelona.

Ranging from Real Madrid ace Marco Asensio to in-demand midfielder Manuel Ugarte, the Midlands side have had their name stamped on several players ahead of the summer transfer window and to tailor Emery's desires to take the squad to the next level in the 2023/24 campaign.

What's the latest on Brennan Johnson to Aston Villa?

Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson has been the subject of a lot of speculation leading up to the summer, as the attacking midfielder faces an ongoing relegation battle with his current club.

As per FootballTransfers, Aston Villa are one of the clubs monitoring the future of the Wales international, who is contracted to Forest until 2026, with other potential suitors including Arsenal, Newcastle United and Manchester City.

However, Forest are reportedly against letting the forward leave the club, and according to the report, they will 'refuse offers' for the homegrown gem. As such, it also remains to be seen how much Johnson would command in the current market, although the aforementioned site estimates his worth to be around £36m.

What could Brennan Johnson bring to Aston Villa?

Villa Park is an exciting place to be as the season comes to a close, with European football still a possibility and Emery getting the best out of his squad, the club look to be on the up ahead of the summer break.

The Spaniard has been open to his ideas of strengthening the team through new signings, as revealed by The Athletic last month.

Having contributed to 11 goals this season in 34 league appearances for Forest (scoring eight and assisting three), via Transfermarkt, Johnson has cemented himself as a key player for the club, hence their reluctance to let him potentially vacate this summer.

The City Ground's homegrown talent has even been likened to Villa's Leon Bailey – in terms of statistical profile – by FBref, as the versatile forward has found himself playing as both a winger and advanced central midfielder this season.

He could be a significant upgrade for Emery's budding Villa side, with him outperforming Bailey in many key metrics that will catch the Spaniard's eye.

The "unbelievable" Welshman, as described by his national team coach Rob Page, has averaged more expected goals and assists during the campaign, as well as more goal-creating actions per 90, more tackles won per 90 and more shots on target per 90, via FBref.

Also hailed as an "almost finished article" by Page, the forward has impressed in his first season in the top-flight. At just 21 years old, the eye-catching forward could be a worthy addition to Emery's side, and a player that could flourish under the Spaniard's expertise.

Given the evidence above, he could well be a considerable upgrade to Bailey, who cost a whopping £30m back in August 2021.

Callum Jackson answered Kent’s emergency call for a wicketkeeper in Cardiff. He travelled from Kent on Tuesday night to deputise for Adam Rouse who has a broken finger which needs an operation

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2016
ScorecardAneurin Donald made runs during a dreary final day•Getty ImagesCallum Jackson, who was released by Sussex last year because of financial cutbacks, answered Kent’s emergency call for a wicketkeeper in Cardiff. He travelled from Kent on Tuesday night to deputise for Adam Rouse who has a broken finger which needs an operation.There was little prospect of a result to the game once 104.1 overs had been lost during the first two days, with both teams content with bonus points, although Glamorgan, despite their 12 points, remain at the bottom of Division 2.Had the weather not intervened, there could have been an interesting final day, with Kent chasing a target on a pitch that favoured the seamers.Callum Jackson•ECBGlamorgan resumed on 22 for 0 on the final morning, but added only seven runs before Jacques Rudolph again failed, pulling a short delivery from Mitchell Claydon to the fielder stationed on the long leg boundary. Mark Wallace, another senior batsman in need of runs, mixed caution with aggression to add 52 with Will Bragg- before Bragg was bowled by Matt Coles for 22. Wallace went on to score 52 with seven fours, until he touched one to Jackson.Callum Jackson•ECBChris Cooke quickly followed, leg before playing across a delivery from Claydon, who then dismissed David Lloyd three balls later with the combined efforts of three fielders; the batsman edged the ball to fourth slip who diverted to third slip and eventually to Tom Latham at second slip who held on to spare his colleagues’ blushes.Aneurin Donald and Graham Wagg then averted a total collapse by adding 80 for the sixth wicket, with Donald, scoring an attractive 67- his third championship fifty of the season- from 68 balls with nine boundaries. Wagg went on to score his second fifty of the game, exceed 500 runs for the third successive season, being particularly severe on James Tredwell’s off spin whom he struck for 22 in one over.He was undefeated on 64, and now needs only 42 more runs to become Glamorgan’s leading run scorer in the championship this season .Both teams shook hands at 4.55pm when Glamorgan declared at 279 for 6- a lead of 348.Rudolph was pleased by his team’s overall performance- especially the two seamers Michael Hogan and Timm Van Der Gugten- and felt that” had we not lost so much time because of the weather, we could have won the game. But we are on an upward curve, and we are not far away from that championship win.”Kent captain Sam Northeast said that “after two weeks of white ball cricket, we found it tough to adjust, and we were not clinical enough after reducing them to 137 for 6 in the first innings but I was happy as they progressed from then on”.

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League games on May 26, 2016

Mohammad Isam26-May-2016Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club jumped from eighth to fourth place in the Dhaka Premier League 2016 points table after their 11-run win over Brothers Union in an absorbing game at the BKSP-3 ground. Brothers too had the chance to go to fourth place, but slipped to ninth place instead.Mahmudullah, the Dhanmondi captain, struck 107, his second century of the season, to carry them to 252 for 8 after being inserted. In reply, Dhanmondi’s bowlers showed fight to restrict Brothers to 241 for 8 in 50 overs.Brothers were cruising at 184 for 3 in the 41st over after Imrul Kayes, and captain Tushar Imran had struck half-centuries. Muktar Ali, the right-arm medium pacer, removed Milind Kumar at that stage, after which the required rate crept and wickets tumbled regularly.Shafiul Islam was particularly good towards the last few overs, and finished with 3 for 40. Mahmudullah too finished with three wickets, including Zakir Hasan and Nur Alam, at a critical juncture.Earlier, Mahmudullah struck five fours and three sixes in his 114-ball knock. He added 119 runs for the third wicket with Marshall Ayub, who contributed 54 off 84 balls. Offspinner Sanjit Saha took 3 for 69 from his 10 overs.At the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Kalabagan Krira Chakra hung on for an eight-run win against Victoria Sporting Club in a nail-biting contest.Mehrab Hossain jnr’s unbeaten 86 had carried Kalabagan to 213 in 49 overs after they had elected to bat.In reply, Al-Amin top-scored for Victoria with 67 off 77 balls, before Jubair Ahmed’s unbeaten 35 nearly took them home.Victoria lost their ninth wicket in the 45th over with 36 runs still required for victory. The last-wicket pair of Jubair and Kamrul Islam Rabbi then got the equation down to 12 off the final over, sent down by Dewan Sabbir, the right-arm pacer, but couldn’t knock off the requisite runs. After a single by the more settled Jubair off the first ball, Rabbi played out a dot ball. He then ran two, but Sabbir bowled him with the fourth ball to give Kalabagan their third win, and some breathing room from the relegation zone, occupied by Kalabagan Cricket Academy and CCS.The loss prevented Victoria, who remained at nine points from eight games, from keeping pace with Rupganj.Offspinner Sharifullah took 3 for 32, while Abdur Razzak and captain Mashrafe Mortaza picked up two each.Earlier, Mehrab almost ran a one-man show and struck four boundaries in his pugnacious 112-ball knock. With Kalabagan 174 for 9, Mehrab added 39 runs in an unbroken tenth-wicket partnership of 39 – the second highest of the innings after the 44-run opening stand between Shadnam Islam and Jashimuddin – with Sabbir to take Kalabagan past the 200-run mark. Mehra’s efforts earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.Mahbubul Alam, the right-arm medium pacer, playing his first match for Victoria this season, took 3 for 54, while Rabbi, Chaturanga de Silva and Al-Amin took two each.At the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, Mohammad Mithun crunched 90 off 114 balls to manoeuvre Legends of Rupganj’s chase of 243 and help them to a six-wicket win over Cricket Coaching School.Asked to bat, CCS rode on captain Rajin Saleh’s unbeaten 106 – his first century of the season – to put up 242 for 7. Half-centuries from Mithun and Asif Ahmed, who scored an unbeaten 72, steered Rupganj to 243 for 4 in 48.2 overs.The win took Rupganj, on 11 points, to third place, while CCS remained rooted at eleventh place after eight games.Mithun’s knock, which contained four boundaries and two sixes, pulled Rupganj out of trouble after they had been reduced to 45 for 2, with Soumya Sarkar and Junaid Siddique, the two openers, dismissed. Mithun added 44 for the third wicket with Ishank Jaggi, the Jharkhand middle-order batsman, before adding 127 more for the fourth wicket with Asif, who struck six fours in his unbeaten 75-ball knock.Saif Hassan, the offspinner who opened the bowling, took 3 for 38.Saif, however, didn’t score too many after CCS had been asked to bat. But Rajin guided them to a respectable total.Rajin added 99 for the third wicket with Amit Majumder who made 56. CCS suffered a wobble thereafter, slipping from 144 for 2 to 162 for 6. Rajin stopped the slide by adding 55 with Saeed Sarkar for the seventh wicket.Mosharraf Hossain, the Rupganj captain, took 3 for 32, while left-arm spinner Taijul Islam took two wickets in an economical spell.

When the final whistle blew following Liverpool's enthralling 2-2 draw against title-challenging Arsenal last month, Diogo Jota's goalless run stretched to 32 matches.

The Echo's Ian Doyle stated that the Portuguese was a man 'desperately in need of a goal', with the barren run sandwiching a lengthy tussle with injuries that had hampered his progress and ruled him out of 23 matches this season.

His deserted cutting edge was not for want of trying; over the past year, the £140k-per-week star has taken an average of 2.87 shots per 90, as per FBref, putting him among the top 15% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues for that statistic.

His creativity has also been invaluable to Liverpool when he has been fit, ranking among the top 1% for rate of assists and registering eight across all competitions this term, despite only starting on 13 occasions.

Jota has now plundered five goals from his past five matches, starting just three of those contests, instrumental with braces against Leeds United and Nottingham Forest and defying logic with his 94th-minute strike to defeat Tottenham Hotspur – who had clambered back from a three-goal deficit at Anfield.

Who could Jota replace at Liverpool?

Liverpool have certainly not been at the races this season and have fallen well below expectations with their lack of cohesion and dismal away form, failing to clinch any major honours and unlikely to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven years.

Despite this, recent fortunes have been promising and Jurgen Klopp's Reds currently ride a five-match win streak in the top flight; with four matches left to play, ceding territory is simply not an option and pressure must be placed on Newcastle United and Manchester United, who occupy third and fourth place in the table and have both played fewer matches than Liverpool.

With Erik ten Hag's Red Devils fell to defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the dying embers of their Thursday night clash, the situation both improved and became all the more concerning for Klopp's men.

United, fourth and four points above the Reds – having still played one game less – can be caught, despite the odds, but the Seagulls' victory is a telling reminder that if Liverpool are to cede ground, they would not only fall from Champions League contention but fall prey to a possible furtherplummet down the rankings.

Because of this, Jota, who has been lauded as a "pressing monster" by Pep Lijinders, must be unleashed with regularity in the place of Luis Diaz, who has recently returned from a long-term injury and has, understandably, fluctuated somewhat with his performances.

Having been a "livewire", as remarked by Pete Hall, for Klopp's team since his arrival from Porto last year in a £37m deal, Diaz has scored 11 goals and supplied eight assists from 43 appearances and been praised for his fleet-footed brilliance by his manager, who called him "exceptional".

However, with no margin for error at this vital stage of the campaign, the 30-cap Jota, who has scored ten goals for his nation, would be the better option to place into the starting fold given his recent return to goal-scoring form.

There is no doubt that Diaz is one of the most talented and exciting wingers in European football, let alone the Premier League – valued at £79m by CIES Football Observatory – but with the slightest slip-up perhaps detrimental for Liverpool at this stage, Jota simply has to start.

Liverpool are targeting Mason Mount for a summer transfer and have prepared an offer for the Chelsea midfielder, according to a report.

What's going on with Mason Mount?

The England international looks set to depart Stamford Bridge in the summer following a breakdown in negotiations over a new contract. With just one year left on his deal and Chelsea needing to sell in order to balance the books, it seems that the midfielder will be moved on.

The 24-year-old has had an injury-hit season, managing 20 starts in the league, and has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

According to Football Insider reporter Pete O'Rourke, there is plenty of interest in Mount, with Arsenal and Liverpool both preparing offers, whilst Bayern Munich are also keeping an eye on the Englishman.

The report states that Liverpool have prepared an offer as they want to strengthen their midfield this summer. With a move for Jude Bellingham now looking unlikely, Mount could be someone targeted to strengthen in the middle of the park at Anfield.

Could Mount go to Liverpool?

Liverpool look set to miss out on Champions League football next season barring a miracle, as a disappointing campaign has seen them struggle for most of the season, and they are in seventh place ahead of their weekend clash with Tottenham.

With Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set to depart for free in the summer, midfield recruitment is a priority, and there have also been links to Matheus Nunes of Wolves.

Although he has had a difficult campaign, Mount could bring a lot of experience to the Liverpool midfield, as well as quality in the final third.

With 33 goals and 37 assists for Chelsea in 195 appearances, the Cobham graduate has been an impressive performer over the years, with Joe Cole even referring to him as "unbelievable", and given his contract situation, Liverpool may be able to pick him up at a cut price.

However, it is thought that the stumbling block over a new deal at Chelsea has been his wage demands, and Liverpool may not want to break their wage structure to bring in a new signing. Additionally, if the reported interest from Arsenal and Bayern is true, then they may face a battle to convince him to join without Champions League football.

Securing a deal for Mount early in the window could provide a huge boost for the Reds ahead of what will be a busy summer of rebuilding the squad in order to compete at the top of the table again.