Tag Futebol

Courtney Browne believes they have the “right approach” to select players and is confident the performance of the team will improve steadily

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2018With a busy cricket schedule lined up for the West Indies team over the next couple of years, chairman of selectors Courtney Browne believes they have the “right approach” to select players and is confident the performance of the team will improve steadily.West Indies are scheduled to tour India and Bangladesh in the coming months before they take on England and India at home next year and then head to England for the 50-over World Cup next summer. The year 2020 will bring two more ICC events – the World T20 and the Under-19 World Cup. Browne outlined several factors apart from consistent performances, such as players’ attitude, commitment, fitness, among others that would count towards selection in the future.”When a player reveals they are reading more, and that they are committed to self-motivation training and you have seen improved performances, that tells you that some [of] our players are committing themselves to playing the best cricket for West Indies,” Browne said in a CWI release. “Ideally, a selector wants a player that is a self-starter and while that mostly is not the case.”The release also mentioned Browne’s views on having a second tier of “well-prepared players to put selection pressure on the incumbent players”. The release further said it could be achieved only with a franchise system with pre-season and off-season programmes to improve the quality of players within the region. “This would complement the amount of cricket being played, in different formats, by increasing the quality of play by the pool of players that are available,” the release said.Browne was “adamant” his selection team had the “right approach” to pick players for the best results. With a more inspective tone, the CWI release further said: “We asked Browne, what were some of the thoughts that came to mind when he thinks of his role as the Chairman of Selectors for West Indies Cricket. We made him write them down, so we have evidence. It was a mix of adjectives and phrases – they include teamwork, challenging, getting the fans to understand the process, teaching and learning and rewarding.”As a follow up, we asked about the preparation and you will find the process interesting. Browne emphasized ‘research.’ He expanded by highlighting this as a process. The obvious thing to collect is current data on the players; however, an important part of the overall process includes: history of players, venues the players play on, teams the players play against, the tour the team/player is about to play in, attitude of the player, commitment, dedication and discipline, and fitness.”With the above being the “key success factors” for a player to get selected, Browne also said, “a player is required to show consistent performances for at least a two-year period (ideally three) to be placed in the elite squad.”Currently the World T20 champions, West Indies have won only two out of the seven T20 series (with more than one match) they have played since the World T20 in early 2016. Since then, they have lost to Pakistan both at home and in the UAE, returned winless from New Zealand and Pakistan and lost 2-1 to Bangladesh in their most recent series.Their form in ODIs has been way worse. The last 50-over series they won was over four years ago, when they beat Bangladesh 3-0 at home in 2014. Over the years, they have lost at home to England, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and away series in India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, UAE (against Pakistan), England and New Zealand. They are currently ranked ninth in the ICC ODI rankings, their lowest in the three formats.Their recent performances in Test matches have been more promising. This year they have won three of the five matches they have played and lost only one. After drawing the three-match series against Sri Lanka 1-1 at home, they went on to whitewash Bangladesh in the two-match series last month.

Thomas Frank is finding out the hard way just how challenging managing Tottenham Hotspur can be.

He could have been told that for free by the likes of Ange Postecoglou, Nuno Santo, or even some of the greatest managers of the 21st century, in the form of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

The early days of Frank’s reign promised calmer waters. After finishing 17th in the Premier League under dear old Ange, they needed a bit of stability and they got that.

During Frank’s first seven games in charge, excluding the Super Cup, they conceded just three goals. The negative turn things have taken, therefore, is quite staggering.

Wins

5

Draws

1

Defeats

1

Goals scored

14

Goals conceded

3

Data excludes European Super Cup

The Lilywhites ended a run of five straight games in all competitions without winning by defeating Brentford, but they were up to their old tricks again when they visited Nottingham Forest on Sunday, losing 3-0.

So, a change in the dugout could be on the cards.

The latest on Spurs' managerial situation

After Spurs suffered a disastrous loss on the road last time out, Frank’s future in north London was thrown further into the spotlight. If the Dane wasn’t already feeling the pressure, then he certainly will be now.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that a number of top names are in the club’s crosshairs should they decide to get rid of Frank, including the likes of Barcelona legend Xavi and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner.

However, according to CaughtOffside, a leading contender for the job has now emerged in the form of Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine is currently gearing up to lead the United States at the home World Cup next year and therefore, an exit feels unlikely.

Yet, Pochettino is one of very few managers to get the most out of Spurs in the last couple of decades, guiding them to a Champions League final.

Perhaps more realistic options are the aforementioned Glasner and Marco Silva. The same report suggests that the two Premier League bosses are on ENIC’s managerial shortlist.

Why Silva could be Spurs' new Pochettino

Cast your mind back to the year 2014. Poch has just left Southampton behind and taken on the Spurs job.

With the Saints, he made them an established top-flight side, finishing eighth in 2013/14, the South Coast’s side’s highest ever finish in the football pyramid.

Manager Focus

He did so by playing a progressive and attractive style of football. At his disposal, he had the likes of Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw, two players he helped become England regulars. At Spurs, it was a similar story. Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Co all owe Pochettino a great deal of gratitude for how he developed their careers.

Well, it feels as though Silva is cut from a similar cloth. Now, we all know that Spurs have tried and failed with the proven Premier League manager strategy before. Nuno Santo didn’t last long in the capital and now Frank is enduring a difficult time.

However, prominent names in the form of Mourinho and Conte hardly drove Spurs to newfound success either. In Silva, they could find their new Pochettino. Like the Argentine, he has been recognised as one of the most underrated the English top-flight has to offer.

Fulham defender Calvin Bassey has even heralded the Cottagers’ boss as “one of the best managers in the Premier League.”

As Pochettino did with Saints, Silva has firmly established Fulham in the Premier League. Having guided the Londoners out of the Championship back in 2021/22, they have never finished below 13th place. They even finished in tenth during their maiden campaign back in the big time.

So, other than doing well with mid-table sides, how else are they alike? Well, both prefer proactive, attacking football rather than sitting back and soaking up pressure. There is a lot to like about the way Spurs played under their former boss.

Silva isn’t quite as full-throttle as Pochettino was and still is. That said, Fulham tend to defend in a midblock, rather than a low one, enabling them to turn the ball over higher up the pitch like a Poch side would do. So far this season, Fulham rank sixth in the Premier League for percentage of high turnovers (18.84%) that lead to a shot.

They also rank seventh in the division for PPDA (Passes Per Defensive Action), which measures how many passes a team allows in the opposition’s defensive and middle thirds before making a defensive action like a tackle, interception, foul or pressure.

Pivotally, however, is the comparison in developing players. The likes of Christian Eriksen, Kane and Dele all became genuine superstars under Pochettino.

While Fulham don’t have any truly elite global stars in their team, Antonee Robinson has become “one of the best left-backs in the world” in the words of Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley and Harry Wilson is now in the form of his life under Silva’s guidance, scoring four goals and registering three assists in his last seven matches for Fulham.

“I believe this is going to be the best season for him in terms of numbers,” the Spurs-linked boss said about Wilson at the weekend.

So, while there are some differences between the two managers, the similarities could well mean he’s perfectly suited to this Spurs team. After all, they are a young side and they need a manager capable of extracting their potential.

Spurs must sack Frank this week and hire the "best coach in the PL"

Tottenham Hotspur suffered arguably their worst defeat of the Thomas Frank era on Sunday.

ByMatt Dawson 2 days ago

Mustafizur Rahman will miss Bangladesh’s three-match T20 series against Afghanistan due to a toe injury sustained during the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2018

Mustafizur Rahman will miss Bangladesh’s three-match T20 series against Afghanistan due to a toe injury. Debashish Chowdhury, the BCB doctor, said that a scan revealed that it will take Mustafizur up to three weeks to recover.As a result, Bangladesh are leaving Dhaka for Dehradun on Tuesday morning without their main pace bowler.”Mustafizur damaged his left toe during the IPL, and would not be traveling with the team,” Chowdhury was quoted telling the Dhaka-based newspaper.On Sunday, Bangladesh’s interim head coach Courtney Walsh had mentioned Mustafizur’s injury, for which he was given rest from training. Walsh had sounded confident that he would recover in time, but the scan has revealed otherwise.Mustafizur was Bangladesh’s best bowler during the Nidahas Trophy T20s in March. His replacement is now likely to be named on Tuesday.Bangladesh take on Afghanistan in three T20s on June 3, 5 and 7. Afghanistan are also set to be without a key bowler, after Dawlat Zadran suffered a knee injury that is expected to keep him out for a month.

The Pakistan allrounder further said that the 2019 World Cup in England would be his last major 50-over event

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2018Shoaib Malik wants to keep playing international cricket at least until 2020. The 36-year old allrounder is three matches away from tying Shahid Afridi’s record as the most capped Pakistan player in T20Is and has his eyes set on the World T20 in Australia. Malik also said that the 2019 World Cup in England would be his last major 50-over tournament.”The 2019 World Cup is my last World Cup, but I want to play in the World T20 in 2020; that is my goal for Twenty20 cricket,” he said. “These are the two big goals which I’m looking at; let’s see how it goes. If I’m consistently performing, then I want to play these two World Cups.”Malik was captain of Multan Sultans franchise in the recently concluded PSL. He made 224 runs for them in eight innings and also picked up three wickets. His next assignment is with the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, which runs from August to September.Malik also made a point to remember his previous franchise, the Barbados Tridents. He played for them for five years and helped them to the title in 2014 with a match-winning half-century in the final.”Being alone in Barbados, still you don’t feel as if you’re alone in Barbados. You have people around you, and I think the whole five years is something which I’m going to miss,” Malik said. “But I’m sure we’ll have a game in Barbados and that will cover some of my missing parts.”Malik also relished the opportunity to play in Guyana, where the pitches tend to be slow. “Guyana is more like you’re playing in the subcontinent, I think,” he said. “If you’re playing for a new team the expectations are a lot from you. When they have seen someone that did well for a longer run the expectations are obviously high.”

Matchweek Five sees the first-ever meeting between Fulham and Luton Town in the Premier League when the Hatters travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon to take on the Cottagers. Football FanCast has everything you need to know about the fixture before the two sides go head-to-head in the Premier League this weekend.

Well, technically, all of Luton’s first 19 games this season will be the first time that fixture has been played in the Premier League due to this season being the club’s first foray into England’s top division in its current guise. And even though it’s still early in the season, the five games played by Fulham and the four by Luton can give us a small insight into their form and how they might fare in this upcoming clash.

Fulham started the season strong with a 1-0 away win against Everton, but have seriously struggled since with a 3-0 defeat to fellow West Londoners Brentford and a 5-1 thumping away to treble-winning Manchester City. Granted, they came away from the Emirates with a point, but it’s hard to say that their performance merited one, given that they had less than a third of the possession, and the Gunners ended the game with 11 shots on target.

That said, they were able to halt Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Tottenham Hotspur at home in the EFL Cup thanks to a penalty shoot-out win, which looks to be no small feat at the moment.

Luton, on the other hand, have had an interesting start to their first campaign back in the top flight, as despite looking quite good at points against Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United, they came away from both games empty-handed. They also suffered a pretty heavy 3-0 defeat away to Chelsea, with their only win so far coming against Gillingham in the EFL Cup.

Ultimately, neither side has started the new season how they would’ve liked and with Fulham in 13th place and Luton all the way down in 19th, both will be desperate to get some more points on the board as soon as possible.

Fulham vs Luton: What's their head-to-head record?

Despite never facing off against one another in the Premier League, Fulham and Luton Town are no strangers to one another, having played each other 47 times across all competitions since their initial meeting in January 1908, over 100 years ago.

While 47 games is a relatively significant number, it also seems much smaller than you might expect, given that their first encounter was over a century ago. Well, the reason the number isn’t much higher is the 20 year gap between their first meeting in 1908 and their second in 1928. They also went another 20 years without meeting between 1999 and 2019.

This is because, in those periods, Luton were often in the leagues below Fulham, falling all the way down to the Conference from 2009 to 2014.

You’d probably expect then that because the Cottagers have spent more time in the top flight than their Bedfordshire opponents, the history of this fixture would be heavily weighted in their favour, not necessarily.

While the West Londoners have won more games – 22 to be exact – Luton aren’t far behind, with 16 to their name. In all, this is quite the competitive fixture, and there’s no reason this weekend’s encounter will be any different.

Fulham Wins

22

Draws

8

Luton Town Wins

16

Fulham vs Luton: What's their Second Division record?

The two sides have only ever met in the old First Division twice in their entire history, in the 1959/60 season, with both sides winning their home ties. So it seems more apt to compare their records against one another from their far more frequent encounters in England’s second tier. These games took place both pre and post-Championship.

The numbers here, perhaps unsurprisingly, mirror the overall record between these sides, with Fulham just about edging things. In total, the West Londoners have won 18 of their 37 second-tier encounters with Luton, giving them a win rate of 48.6%.

The Hatters, on the other hand, are just behind with 14 wins, giving them a win rate of 37.8%, while there have been just five draws.

Fulham Wins

18

Draws

5

Luton Town Wins

14

Fulham vs Luton: What's their record at Fulham?

Well, while the fixture on a whole has tended to be reasonably balanced, with the Cottagers just about edging things, this certainly isn’t the case when they play host. In the 24 games played at Craven Cottage, Fulham have won a seriously impressive 16 times, which means they hold a 66.6% win rate at home.

For their part, Luton have won just three games at the Cottage, one less than the number of games they’ve drawn. We’re sure Rob Edwards will be hoping to buck the trens come Saturday.

Fulham Wins

16

Draws

4

Luton Town Wins

3

Fulham vs Luton: What's their record at Luton?

The Hatters have been able to establish some dominance of their own at Kenilworth Road over the years, even if it doesn’t quite stack up to Fulham’s. In total, the Bedfordshire side have played host to the West Londoners 23 times and come away winners on 13 occasions – a win rate of 56.5%.

Fulham have put up a better fight when away from home compared to the hosts, winning six times and earning at least a point four times.

Fulham Wins

6

Draws

4

Luton Town Wins

13

Fulham vs Luton: Which team has the most goals?

Well, given their slight edge in this game over the years, it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to hear that it’s Fulham who have scored more goals against Luton and not the other way around. That said, with only 19 goals separating the sides, It’s once again a reasonably close affair.

The Whites have scored 85 goals against their Bedfordshire opponents in their 47 games, meaning they score an impressive average of 1.8 goals per game. Whereas, Luton’s 66 goals give them a still respectable average of 1.4.

Fulham Goals

85

Luton Town Goals

66

MatériaMais Notícias

Na temporada passada, o elenco do Palmeiras mostrou importantes limitações no ataque. Os dois centroavantes da equipe, Borja e Deyverson, eram constantemente criticados e nenhum foi capaz de ser um titular incontestável. Em 2020, porém, esta situação alterou-se com a presença constante de Luiz Adriano e Willian nas partidas.

Os dois estarão à disposição de Vanderlei Luxemburgo para o jogo contra o Grêmio, neste domingo (20) às 16h em Porto Alegre, pela décima primeira rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Luiz retorna após duas partidas fora e deve iniciar no banco de reservas. Willian será titular.

No início de 2019, o Verdão contava com dois atacantes de área muito questionados pela torcida. Borja chegou ao Alviverde em 2017, após a saída de Gabriel Jesus, e foi a contratação mais cara da história do clube. Deyverson, por sua vez, foi o escolhido por Cuca, também em 2017, para brigar pela titularidade com o colombiano. Além destes, Willian era uma opção para a posição, mas ele teve uma temporada ruim devido a uma lesão no joelho sofrida na partida que garantiu o decacampeonato, em 2018.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBrasileirãoGrêmio x Palmeiras: escalações, arbitragem e onde assistirBrasileirão19/09/2020PalmeirasLucas Lima desfalca Palmeiras contra Grêmio por trauma no calcanharPalmeiras19/09/2020PalmeirasBoletim do Palmeiras: Desfalques e o time do Palmeiras que pega o GrêmioPalmeiras19/09/2020

Durante toda a temporada passada, os atacantes palestrinos não conseguiram render o que se esperava deles – Deyverson e Borja marcaram, apenas, nove gols cada. O clube, então, optou pela contratação de Luiz Adriano, mas o jogador sofreu com lesões e não conseguiu se firmar. Com isso, eram evidentes as limitações do elenco alviverde no setor. Ao final da temporada, Dudu e Gustavo Scarpa foram os artilheiros da equipe, com 13 gols cada, e o volante Bruno Henrique ficou logo atrás, com 11 tentos.

Em 2020, a situação mudou. Luiz Adriano conseguiu ter sequência e, na ausência do camisa 7, emprestado para Al-Duhail, do Catar, se firmou como o principal jogador do time. Willian, por sua vez, participou de todos os 30 jogos no ano e voltou a atuar em alto nível. Sendo assim, cada um dos atletas contabiliza 11 gols neste momento da temporada.

O ataque como um todo, porém, não demonstra essa evolução. Mas no que depender da dupla Luiz Adriano e Willian, a rede gremista vai balançar na Arena logo mais.

MatériaMais Notícias

O torcedor do Athletico está aliviado. Depois de sete jogos, o Furacão voltou a vencer no Campeonato Brasileiro e o fim da seca aconteceu em grande estilo, diante do Coritiba, na Arena da Baixada.

RelacionadasCoritibaJorginho lamenta gol sofrido no começo do jogoCoritiba12/09/2020Athletico ParanaenseWalter provoca o Coritiba após vitória no clássico; AssistaAthletico Paranaense12/09/2020Futebol NacionalAthletico-PR derrota o Coritiba e volta a vencer após sete jogos no BrasileirãoFutebol Nacional12/09/2020

Apesar do resultado, a equipe não apresentou um futebol de encher os olhos, mas entregou muita disposição dentro de campo, o que agradou o técnico Eduardo Barros.

‘Não tivemos a melhor atuação técnica dentre as últimas apresentações. Porém, o espírito que nós queremos ver de quem veste a camisa do Athletico podemos afirmar que esteve muito presente’, destacou antes de completar:

‘Foi um início de muita imposição. O Coritiba não conseguia jogar. Tivemos as primeiras oportunidades e fomos muito eficientes’.

Agora, o Athletico deixa o Brasileirão de lado e foca na Libertadores. No meio de semana, o adversário é o Jorge Wilstermann, fora de casa.

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma das grandes surpresas do futebol brasileiro em 2020 até o momento foi a história do Tombense no Campeonato Mineiro. Afinal de contas, o clube, do município de Tombos, na Zona da Mata Mineira, alcançou a final do Campeonato Mineiro. Foi derrotado para o Atlético-MG, mas a campanha que culminou com o vice-campeonato foi mais do que satisfatória. Nesse time, um maestro bem conhecido por diversos torcedores brasileiros chamou atenção: Ibson. Aos 36 anos, o meia foi o líder da equipe e eleito o craque da competição.

RelacionadasFora de CampoNeto: Tiago Nunes fez ‘lambanças táticas’, mas Cássio salva CorinthiansFora de Campo03/09/2020Fora de CampoSupercopa Desimpedidos estreia quarta edição com jogos ao vivoFora de Campo03/09/2020Fora de CampoCom Covid-19, Neymar posta foto em quarentena com filho: ‘Todos bem’Fora de Campo03/09/2020

Em entrevista ao “De Casa com o LANCE!”, o jogador experiente falou sobre a volta ao futebol com a camisa do time mineiro e a trajetória positiva que somou até o momento. Ele ainda menciona a experiência positiva que sua família teve na adaptação ao interior mineiro.

-No ano passado eu voltei dos Estados Unidos, onde eu fiquei quatro anos, e estava com objetivo já de curtir a minha família porque estou há bastante tempo jogando futebol e fiquei bastante tempo jogando fora. (…) Recebi o convite para vir pra cá no ano passado para jogar apenas dois, três meses, mas já conhecia esse projeto há bastante tempo do meu empresário Eduardo Uram e do presidente Lane Gaviolle. Fiquei dois meses e meio e fiquei encantado pela cidade, meus filhos ficaram encantados com a cidade e se adaptaram bem – afirmou.

Formado no Flamengo, o meia teve três passagens pelo clube e escreveu seu nome no futebol brasileiro com a camisa do rubro-negro. Em um momento bastante diferente do clube que é hoje, Ibson relembra as dificuldades da equipe quando ele chegou ao profissional e tece elogios à torcida.

– Aquela nossa época era um momento muito complicado porque o Flamengo vivia um momento financeiro não muito bom. A gente tinha bastante dificuldade, não tínhamos uma estrutura boa para trabalhar. Naquela época se você perguntasse quem iria querer ir para o Flamengo, muitos não queriam ir porque não recebiam em dia e muitos iam pelo nome e pela torcida do Flamengo, que é sensacional. Hoje, não. Todos querem jogar no Flamengo. O Flamengo paga em dia, tem um excelente elenco, tem um dos melhores do CTs do mundo, então hoje todo mundo quer jogar no Flamengo. Além de tudo, a torcida já chama. Você chegar no Maracanã lotado e a torcida grita o seu nome, isso é sensacional – contou.

Um dos momentos mais marcantes do clube de forma negativa nos últimos anos foi a fatídica eliminação para o América-MEX, em 2008, pela Copa Libertadores. No Maracanã lotado, o Flamengo, que tinha uma vantagem de perder até por dois gols, acabou sofrendo um acachapante 3 a 0 com show de Salvador Cabañas e deu adeus para a competição. Ibson relembrou o episódio e lamentou.

-Essa Libertadores foi bem frustrante, bem triste para nós porque sabíamos que tínhamos condições de irmos além. Ser campeão eu acho que é complicado, porque finais são definidas em detalhes, então para saber se a gente tinha condição de sermos campeões teríamos que ter alcançado a final. Porém, ficamos com o desejo. Fizemos uma bela campanha, fomos campeões do Carioca. Fomos lá contra o América-MEX, fizemos um grande jogo e conseguimos uma vitória muito boa que nos dava condições de perder em casa por até 2×0. Infelizmente, perdemos por 3×0. É um jogo que eu sempre brinco que o futebol é apaixonante por isso. O América-MEX deu três chutes ao gol, se eu não me engano com duas bolas desviadas. Foi uma noite muito triste para nós – completou.

SOBRE O “DE CASA COM O LANCE!”:

O “De Casa com o LANCE!” é um programa apresentado exclusivamente através do Instagram do site. No formato home office, nossa equipe irá receber convidados exclusivos de diferentes esferas, como atletas, profissionais e influenciadores digitais, além da participação dos leitores com perguntas ao vivo. Para não ficar de fora, acompanhe o nosso Instagram (@diariolance) e o Twitter (@lancenet).

The recent injury to Arsenal's number nine Gabriel Jesus could "change the future" of Folarin Bolgun as the Gunners now consider whether or not they want to sell the American striker in Jesus' absence, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Is Folarin Balogun leaving Arsenal?

We haven't even had the first game of the new season, and the Gunners title challenge has already hit a massive hurdle: an injury to star striker Jesus.

The former Manchester City man didn't take part in Aresnal's final game of the preseason against AS Monaco earlier this week, with manager Mikel Arteta later confirming that "he had a little procedure this morning" and would now be out for at least a few weeks, per Sky Sports.

While this unquestionably a massive blow for the last year's Premier League runners-up, they have some players who could potentially cover, such as Eddie Nketiah and Balogun, although the American is still heavily linked with an exit, and Arteta seemed to suggest that wouldn't be changing when he said:

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

"The plans with Flo [Balogun] don't change at all, but unfortunately, with Gabby we're not going to have him."

However, as the situation develops, the Spaniard could be forced into changing his mind, and therefore altering the promising striker's future, according to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"For Balogun, this could change the future. Let's see how the situation will go with Gabriel Jesus, but for sure, for Arsenal, this is something to consider in the next few days or if they want to sell Balogun and bring in something new, but it also depends on the evolution of the injury of Gabriel Jesus."

How good was Folarin Balogun last season?

As breakout years go for players, last season could hardly have gone better for the young American.

In just 37 Ligue 1 appearances, the New York-born gem managed to score 21 goals, provide two assists, win four Man-of-the-Match awards and average an impressive match rating of 6.90 – the third highest in the squad – per WhoScored.

It can't just be chalked up to good fortune either, as his underlying numbers are just as spectacular and suggest that he could reproduce those goalscoring figures at a higher level if given a chance.

According to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the budding superstar sits in the top 7% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 9% for total shots, non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists and progressive passes received, and the top 19% for touches in the opposition's penalty area, all per 90.

His manager at Stade Reims, Will Still, was a big fan, heaping praise on the youngster earlier this year:

"He's unbelievable, he has real talent, but he is also just a top person."

Even if Jesus is only set to miss the 'opening weeks' of the new season, it seems mad to consider selling one of the players in the side who could come in and adequately replace him, especially one with such a high ceiling. Arteta should be doing all he can to keep America's leading man in north London, at least until January.

On his last leg of rehabilitation from a shoulder surgery, Dale Steyn is “two or three weeks away” from returning to competitive cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2017Dale Steyn has moved from Cape Cobras to Titans, where he first started his first-class career in 2003-04, ahead of the upcoming South African domestic season. Steyn is on a comeback trail since being sidelined due to a shoulder injury last November, during the first Test against Australia in Perth, and is on “last leg of rehabilitation” according to South Africa’s team doctor Mohammed Moosajee.Steyn also said he was “two or three weeks away from playing my first game.””It was an easy decision for me,” Steyn, who spent seven years at Cobras, told the Titans website about his move. “The luxury of playing for South Africa is that you get to nominate which franchise you want to play for. The Titans laid down the platform for where I am now.”I think the most important thing that I learnt at the Titans were the basics and it is something I still go back to every time I play international cricket. It was a great place to start playing cricket and it’s going to be a great place to go back to.”I played some of my best cricket at SuperSport Park. When you go into that change room and you look at those honours boards, you’ll see my name a couple of times on the five-wicket haul list. I walk in there and I feel at home. I am really looking forward to going back.”While it isn’t clear yet if he will be fully fit in time for South Africa’s next Test assignment, a two-match series at home against Bangladesh starting September 28, Steyn was confident of returning to the field soon.Steyn was particularly excited about linking up with his former South Africa team-mate Mark Boucher, who is now the Titans head coach. “It is going to be fantastic working with him again,” Steyn said. “As a player I looked up to him. He knows me so well, he knows me as a person and also knows about my bowling action, so I am looking forward to that, especially after this long delay with the broken shoulder.”