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Everton have turned a corner after a dreadful start to the new Premier League season, winning two of their last three top-flight matches under manager Sean Dyche.

Before this upturn in form, Everton languished in the bottom three of the division and relegation concerns began to mount again in Merseyside even so early into a brand-new campaign.

The most recent victory came against AFC Bournemouth to inject more positivity into the Toffees camp, a resounding 3-0 victory over the Cherries secured courtesy of goals from James Garner, Jack Harrison and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

The Toffees shone from midfield in this encounter, Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal-shy in attack.

Garner – formerly of Manchester United and Nottingham Forest fame – managed to bag his first Premier League goal in Everton colours in the Cherries clash, whilst Leeds loanee Harrison also scored his first strike for the club since relocating in the summer.

The positive performances in midfield have however pushed other faces at Everton down the pecking order, with one central midfielder hailed once as the next Mikel Arteta in Andre Gomes cast aside completely.

How much did Everton pay for Andre Gomes?

In the same transfer window, summer of 2019, that saw Everton pay the big bucks for the likes of Alex Iwobi, Moise Kean and Fabian Delph in midfield, the Toffees also splashed £22m on the ex-Barcelona man after initially joining the club on loan for the 2018/19 season.

Gomes starred in his native Portugal with Benfica before moving to Valencia, with Barcelona eventually then signing the now 30-year-old.

Before swapping Spain for Merseyside, Gomes played sporadically for Barcelona in his final full season with the Catalan giants – making 16 appearances for Barca during the 2017/18 term.

In total, the Portuguese midfielder would make 78 appearances for the La Liga side over a number of seasons with three goals scored along the way.

He has never quite lived up to the billing of being this exciting, star talent plucked from the La Liga superpowers for Everton which has led to him being completely frozen out of Sean Dyche’s recent plans.

Gomes, in 100 appearances for the Toffees, only has two goals to his name – scoring versus Wolves in his first season with Everton, whilst also netting in a comeback FA Cup win over Hull City last campaign.

He hasn’t been helped by injuries along the way however, an incident with Heung Min-Son during a Premier League encounter in 2019 saw Gomes sustain a fractured dislocation to his ankle and left him on the sidelines for an extended period of time.

Rumours circulated that the Portuguese man might have left Everton in the transfer window – with former Daily Star journalist Paul Brown opening up to GIVEMESPORT that the midfielder didn’t want to ‘be stuck’ at Goodison Park – but that move never did quite materialise.

What was said about Gomes after his move to Everton?

Everton’s manager at the time Marco Silva was delighted with the deal to get Gomes in permanently after playing for the club on loan, stating: “Andre was a really important player for us last season and I think we were really able to help him, too.

“It was a good decision to bring Andre to the club and we made it one of our priorities to get him back. I am delighted we have been able to do that as he is a quality player and we were so happy with what he gave us.”

His performances upon joining, however, did look impressive. Indeed, Joe Cole also compared the Portuguese man to former Toffees midfield great Arteta after Everton beat West Ham in 2019, an exaggerated label Gomes has unfortunately never lived up to.

Cole said: “He could be a hero at this club in a similar vein of Mikel Arteta. Probably never went to, it didn’t work out at Barcelona for Gomes and the same with Arteta he never got through to the top clubs like a Man City or Man United, but he could be a hero here and make a home for himself.”

This is a true story of what could have been, then, for a player who has now failed to feature in any game this term.

The Merseyside derby is one of the biggest historical games in English football. Two massive clubs – and two of the most successful we’ve ever seen – duel it out for local pride.

But one team has utterly dominated this fixture over the Premier League era – Liverpool. In fact, Everton rarely get wins against their biggest rivals, with just 11 since the big rebrand in 1992.

Read more: The 10 best Liverpool vs Everton clashes

We thought it was a great time to list all of these wins to see just how the Toffees have done the job in the past.

11 Everton 1-0 Liverpool – December 1992

Everton and Liverpool were the two most successful sides of the 1980s. Aston Villa and Arsenal won one each in that decade, with the Toffees claiming two and the Reds the rest. By the time 1990 rolled around, Liverpool had more titles than anyone in history – 18 – while Everton were joint-second (with Arsenal) on nine.

In other words, these two were giants at the start of the Premier League era. Neither could possibly have predicted they’d embark on quite the title droughts they have done.

So when the two sides first met under the PL banner, Everton scored what seemed to be a huge win. The Reds took the lead on 62 minutes through defender Mark Wright, only for Mo Johnston to equalise within a minute.

Peter Beardsley, the former Liverpool title-winner, then popped up with a winner with six minutes to play. As it turned out, though, neither side really challenged for anything in the first Premier League season. The Toffees finished a lowly 13th, while the Reds fell to 6th.

10 Everton 2-0 Liverpool – September 1993

Fast-forward a year and Everton once again got the better of Liverpool at Goodison Park. And once again, they bagged a goal with just a few minutes to play – Tony Cottee scoring on 85.

But this time, it was merely to wrap up a win that saw Mark Ward put them up inside half an hour. It was a big win that kept them up at the top of the table – they’d started the fixture in 4th.

However, the Toffees would tumble down the table over the course of the season and finished 17th in the 22-team league. That was their lowest position for a very, very long time.

9 Everton 2-0 Liverpool – November 1994

That’s right, folks – three Premier League seasons, three Everton wins. They won the first trio of Goodison fixtures of the new era and even managed back-to-back clean sheets with this one.

Duncan Ferguson put the Toffees up before the hour mark and Paul Rideout would seal the win over new Liverpool boss Roy Evans. It was a win Everton desperately needed, too – they sat at the bottom of the Premier League going into this. Liverpool were fourth, which was also where they’d finish the season.

And it’s worth noting that while a win over Liverpool has been the highlight of most Everton seasons since, that wasn’t the case here. They’d finish the season by winning the FA Cup as Paul Rideout sealed a 1-0 win at Wembley over Manchester United.

That, however, remains their most recent trophy.

8 Liverpool 1-2 Everton – November 1995

No, seriously. This made it four straight years that Everton won the opening Merseyside derby of the season. Not only that, but this was what has become the rarest of rares – a win at Anfield.

Andrei Kanchelskis did the damage, scoring a historic brace at Liverpool’s ground. Robbie Fowler replied with an 89th-minute consolation but it wasn’t enough. The 2-1 win secured Everton’s first at Anfield since 1987 and their first in the league since 1986.

It was part of a big season for the Toffees, too. They capitalised on their FA Cup win by flying up the league, finishing 6th – a huge jump on their 17th and 15th-placed finishes the prior two years.

7 Everton 2-0 Liverpool – October 1997

Everton took a break from beating Liverpool in the opening Merseyside derby in 1996 but picked things up again in 1997. Neil Ruddock scored an own goal that handed them the lead, with Danny Cadamarteri wrapping things up on 75 minutes for 2-0.

And now we’ll take a second to appreciate the run Everton went on here. This was their final win in a nine-game unbeaten Premier League run against Liverpool in the 90s. Yes, only three of those had been wins but that kind of record is unheard of against the Reds.

Things would soon feel a lot different, of course, but after this win, Everton were on a run where they simply had Liverpool’s number.

6 Liverpool 0-1 Everton – September 1999

What a mad game this was. Everton stole the headlines here, with Kevin Campbell’s fourth-minute strike settling the goals. Not that the game was a quiet one.

Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld and Everton’s Francis Jeffers were both sent-off for a clash on 74 minutes. Steven Gerrard, who came on as a second-half substitute for the Reds, then received his marching orders in stoppage time for an awful challenge.

Simply one of Liverpool’s worst Premier League days, in other words. This was also the 15th Premier League fixture between the two. Everton had managed six wins in that span, Liverpool just three.

However, this was also a bit of a turning point. Everton wouldn’t win in this fixture again until 2004, as Liverpool were revitalised under Gerard Houllier. More incredibly, there wouldn’t be another win at Anfield by the blue side until 2021 – 22 years later. In fact, this remains the last time Everton won at Anfield in front of a crowd.

5 Everton 1-0 Liverpool – December 2004

Quite a leap forward here, then, from 1999 to 2004, but Everton finally found another win over Liverpool. It was not a good game by any means – two defence-first teams looking to steal a goal.

It was the Toffees who managed to do it, though. Lee Carsley fired home from the edge of the box with 68 minutes on the clock. That was enough for the win in what was a fantastic season for both teams.

Everton finished fourth in the league – their highest finish for well over a decade. It also meant they finished above Liverpool, who came fifth, and qualified for the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. However, the Reds still managed to make the season theirs as they won the Champions League against all the odds.

To make matters even worse, Everton failed in the qualifying fixtures and fell into the UEFA Cup. What should have been a magical season unfortunately now looks quite disappointing in hindsight.

Read more: The top 10 Champions League games of all time – ranked

4 Everton 3-0 Liverpool – September 2006

This win actually equaled the record Premier League win in the fixture for either side, matching Liverpool’s 3-0 win in 2003. While the Reds have since topped that, it remains the high-point for Everton.

Tim Cahill and Andy Johnson both scored before half-time, setting up the historic win. Johnson would then score again in stoppage time to seal it.

This was a case of Everton unquestionably outplaying Liverpool in a Premier League fixture. It’s something we haven’t exactly seen much of since, of course.

3 Everton 2-0 Liverpool – October 2010

An interesting time, this one. Liverpool sacked Rafa Benitez in the summer, bringing in Roy Hodgson as their new manager – but things fell apart in record fashion.

The Reds were 19th going into it and this is arguably the only time in the 21st century when you can clearly say that Everton were the better team. They outplayed Liverpool and that was largely what people expected going into it.

Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta scored the goals as Everton won comfortably. Fans better have savoured it, though – the Reds turned things around and were about to embark on an incredible run of form in this fixture.

2 Liverpool 0-2 Everton – February 2021

Yeah, that’s an 11-year gap. Liverpool sacked Hodgson a few years after that 2-0 defeat, appointing Kenny Dalglish as manager and getting back on track. He wouldn’t lose to Everton in his second spell as boss, nor would his replacement, Brendan Rodgers.

A 20-game unbeaten streak for Liverpool ended in 2021, however, as did a 22-year unbeaten run at Anfield in the fixture. There’s just the one caveat of it happening in the pandemic-affected season in front of an empty stadium.

Everton fans will be divided on whether it truly counts as winning at Anfield, but they unquestionably got the better of Liverpool. The Reds were struggling with injuries and the Toffees took full advantage as Jurgen Klopp couldn’t to find a plan that worked.

Richarlison put them up inside four minutes before an 83rd-minute penalty sealed things for 2-0. With that, Everton shook off what felt a bit like a curse against their old enemy and ended an unprecedented – and unthinkable – struggle.

But it remains their latest win over Liverpool, with four defeats following things one. On October 21st, however, they’ll get another chance to find a famous victory in front of the Anfield crowd.

The RCB quick wants to play all three formats of the game for India, and not just Test cricket as he has done in recent times

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2018Royal Challengers Bangalore fast bowler Umesh Yadav wants to play all three formats of the game for India, and not just Test cricket as he has done in recent times.”That’s a tag I’ve carried all along,” Umesh told the IPL website while talking about being regarded largely a long-form specialist. “Because in Test cricket, you have a lot of time to play around with your pace and swing. If you have the talent, you can reverse it.”I want to play all three formats for my country because I enjoy all three formats. I have age on my side, and I believe I have the ability to deliver in all formats. I try and give it my best because whether you’re bowling in limited-overs cricket or in Tests, you have to hit the same length with the new ball.”With competition from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, Umesh has played only 71 ODIs since his debut in 2011 – the last in September 2017 – to go with his 36 Tests. And he’s played just one T20 international – against Sri Lanka in 2012, when he took 1 for 24 in three overs.Umesh was speaking about his aspirations to play all formats for India after his 3 for 23 – all the wickets in one over – was instrumental in RCB’s win against Kings XI Punjab. That performance followed a 2 for 27 in Kolkata, his first IPL game of the 2018 season.”When you get a fast bowler as your coach, especially one who invests a lot of confidence in you, gives you all the help and support you need, your own confidence as a bowler starts soaring,” Umesh said of the role RCB bowling coach Ashish Nehra had played. “Nehra told me, ‘You’ve got pace at over 140, so you must try and pitch it on the stumps. If a batsman tries to hit you straight or comes down and clobbers a six, that’s fine with me.'”So I tried to give it all the energy I had, hit the right lengths and areas. And I’ve been able to do this because of him. Ever since our camp began, he’s made me practice bowling at the stumps, with the off stump as the marker in the off side.”The Kings XI openers had raced to 32 for 1 in three overs when Umesh had Mayank Agarwal caught behind, the first strike in an over that changed the game. “Over the past three-four months, I have played a lot of cricket against Mayank Agarwal,” Umesh said. “So my strategy was to make him play as straight as possible with my stump-to-stump line. And that’s what I kept trying. I pitched up the first delivery, luring him into a flashy hit, and that’s what he did.There were more celebrations next ball, as Aaron Finch unsuccessfully reviewed the lbw decision given against him. “With Aaron Finch, I knew he’s someone who’s never too comfortable if you bowl him an inswinger at the start of the over,” he said. “So I bowled one on a good length and into the stumps, swung in it with a lot of pace and that ploy worked for me.”The fifth ball of the over, a short one that Yuvraj pulled, could had been caught had the fielder at deep square leg not misjudged the trajectory. The sixth ripped through the left-hander’s defences from around the wicket. “Initially my plan was to bowl the first deliveries on a good length, then bowl a bouncer and then bowl on a length again,” Umesh said. “I worked on my plans, and I executed them well. That’s precisely why I got those three wickets.”With five wickets in the first two games of the 2018 season, Umesh has more opportunities to impress his RCB – and India – captain Virat Kohli.

Sidebottom, playing in just his ninth first-class game, tore through the Northants lower order to claim a maiden five-wicket haul

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2018
ScorecardRyan Sidebottom took a career-best 6 for 35 as Warwickshire enjoyed a dominant first day at Wantage Road, bowling Northamptonshire out for just 147 before closing 113 for 3, trailing by 34.Sidebottom, playing in just his ninth first-class game, tore through the Northants lower order after lunch to take a maiden five-wicket haul, providing the fire-power Warwickshire thought they had lost when Olly Stone went down injured in the warm-up.Having fired Northants out so cheaply, Warwickshire briefly wobbled to 28 for 3 with Ian Bell held at second slip for a three-ball duck and Jonathan Trott lbw for 4 before Sam Hain and Will Rhodes compiled an unbeaten stand of 81 to ensure the visitors were well on top by the close. Hain passed fifty in the final over of the day in 103 balls with his fifth four.It was Sidebottom who set up their position. His first wicket came with his opening delivery of the season, having not played last week, as Ben Duckett drove at a full ball slid across him and edged to gully where Rhodes claimed a sharp catch above his right shoulder. After lunch, a straight full delivery took out Richard Levi’s middle stump after Levi had settled Northants getting to 41, and a sharp short ball at Adam Rossington’s throat produced a simple catch to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose off the shoulder of the bat.After Josh Cobb’s brief counter-attack, Doug Bracewell slashed Sidebottom to Bell in the gully, Richard Gleeson was bowled for just 1 and and No. 11 Ben Sanderson was pinned lbw second ball to complete Sidebottom’s haul.Northants lost 7 for 46 after lunch in a third successive batting failure after totals of 71 and 142 in the opening round at Lord’s. But unlike that fixture, where a soft green-top made batting perilous, here the toss was contested, both side wanted to bat, and Northants contributed to their own downfall with a slipshod display.After Duckett fell driving loosely to his first delivery, Alex Wakely hooked Chris Wright to long leg and Rob Newton pulled Henry Brookes and gloved a catch to Ambrose to hand Brookes, one of three changes for Warwickshire from the side who drew with Sussex in the opening round, a first County Championship wicket.Levi and Keogh saw Northants through to lunch with Levi producing the strokes of the morning with a sweet cover-drive off Sanderson and a slog-sweep against Jeetan Patel over long-on for six. But Keogh went to pull Patel after lunch, only for the delivery to skid under his bat into his off stump and Cobb, having hit Patel onto the balconies of the old and new pavilions, cut the off spinner to slip.By contrast, Rhodes and Hain were careful to judge the slightly two-paced wicket and took no chances in nudging Warwickshire into three-figures shortly before the close. Hain’s cover-drive off Gleeson was the pick of the strokes and as he held the pose, it confirmed Warwickshire’s dominance of the day.

Tottenham Hotspur's start to the season has been electric, and completely unpredicted by even the most optimistic of fans.

It even has led many to wonder whether Ange Postecolgou's magic touch could be extended to other areas, perhaps even reigniting the careers of those who have failed thus far. Pape Matar Sarr perhaps stands proud as the Australian's best project so far.

How has Pape Sarr started the season?

For now, Postecoglou is likely enjoying the services of his current squad which have led him to an unbeaten start in the Premier League, with their football and the results it is gaining having been praised.

One of the surprise standouts for the Australian has been Sarr, with the youngster having been thrust into the first team, where he has shone.

The midfielder already boasts a 7.40 average rating in the league, having featured in all four of their fixtures, and thus when compared to others in his role across Europe he is one of the outstanding players. After all, he sits in the best 1% for total shots, the top 1% for assists, the utmost 5% for pass completion per 90 and the best 8% for tackles, all per 90 via FBref.

There is seemingly little the Senegalese star cannot do, with Postecoglou having rushed to laud his start to the campaign: "Yeah, brilliant. He’s been great from the moment I arrived. He’s got a great energy about him, but he’s got quality there too.

“He’s one of those midfielders who causes the opposition real problems because whether it’s him running with the ball or without the ball, he runs forward, he runs aggressively and he disrupts the opposition. He’s just got a great temperament for a young guy. So really pleased for him.”

However, his position in the side could be under threat, should the Australian perform a similar trick on a different midfielder. Step forward Giovani Lo Celso.

How good is Giovani Lo Celso?

Lo Celso set the Lilywhites back significantly with his big-money acquisition, spending £55m to tempt him from Real Betis in 2019 after the Argentine had enjoyed a stellar period in Spain.

His final full season there saw him score nine and assist four to uphold a 7.13 average rating (via Sofascore) yet swiftly fell out of favour as numerous Spurs managers opted against reintegrating him back into the squad, despite Antonio Conte suggesting he was a "top player".

Given his recent performances whilst out on loan with Villarreal, it seems that the Italian may have been right about something during his tenure in north London.

Having posted a 7.10 average rating in La Liga, his five goal contributions fed into his 1.4 key passes per game, marking him out as a keen attacking threat from the engine room. However, he partners this with 1.5 tackles per game, as if to emphasise the tireless work rate he merges into his elegant play style, via Sofascore.

With Postecoglou seemingly keen to hand him another chance in the side once again, should he shrug off his persisting injury concerns, the 27-year-old could well grow into a hugely influential creator for the team beside James Maddison.

At the very least he is worth investing some time in, given the quality he continues to show and the money spent to bring him to N17.

Reliable Tottenham Hotspur journalist Dan Kilpatrick has shared how Spurs are planning for life without Harry Kane as they prepare a move for Gent striker Gift Orban.

Who will Spurs replace Kane with?

Last week, one of the biggest transfers of this summer window started take shape, when David Ornstein broke the news that Bayern Munich had finally reached an agreement to steal Kane away from Tottenham.

It was then up to the player, but after some waiting, the 30-year-old decided to join Bayern just two days before the opening game of Spurs' season away to Brentford.

Kane has since made his Bayern debut and Ange Postecoglou must now plan for life without him – which comes as a huge task for the Australian who has been linked with a host of possible replacements.

Postecoglou, though, knew the striker was going to leave this summer after speaking to Kane personally.

"I had a conversation with Harry the first day he arrived and he was up front and honest, and I was the same," the 57-year-old said before their 2-2 draw on Sunday.

“You get an indication there that he kind of made up his mind: that if the clubs agreed he would go, particularly if it was before the first game. That was my preference as well.

“There's nothing along the way that's sort of made me feel there's anything other than this outcome. None of these things happen in isolation, everyone is pretty clued into what's going on, so from my perspective I hadn't received anything from Harry, the club or anyone else to suggest to me anything had changed about his stance."

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE..

Montpellier striker Elye Wahi, Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku and Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic have all been mentioned as Kane's possible successors in the last few days, alongside Orban.

The latter man, who has been in sublime form for his club this year, is firmly on Tottenham's radar with reporter Kilpatrick sharing their transfer plan for him.

Writing for The Standard, the journalist claims Spurs are expected to make a formal move for Orban in the final weeks of this window, with their headline saying a bid is "readied".

The north Londoners really rate Orban, who they believe has "enormous potential", but must first prioritise player sales before making their move. Gent value their star forward at around £25 million and Tottenham are conscious they may face stiff competition for his signature.

How good is Gift Orban?

The Nigeria international bagged a brilliant 20 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions last term, and he has continued that fine form this season with five goals in four matches overall.

Orban has marked himself out as one of Europe's most exciting, young and in-form strikers – with members of the media like Sport 1's Patrick Berger calling him one of Nigeria's "very interesting" group of breakthrough stars.

Journalist Ryan Taylor, taking to X, also praised Orban as a name to remember.

"Gift Orban, Victor Boniface & Tolu Arokodare. Remember these names," wrote Taylor.

"Making waves in Belgium & on European stage. Throw in Victor Osimhen & Terem Moffi – future looks very bright for Nigeria. Quickly approaching a golden generation for the Super Eagles."

Gianluca Scamacca was the latest striker to flop in a West Ham United shirt and following his €25m (£21m) sale to Serie A side Atalanta, the Hammers are in the market for another forward.

It won't be difficult for his replacement to have a bigger impact in east London, though. After costing the club a whopping €40m (£35.5m) last summer, Scamacca would go on to return just three goals in 16 Premier League matches.

With David Moyes gearing up for another campaign in the Europa League, West Ham are eyeing up a move for a striker who has tremendous European experience, winning the Champions League with Liverpool in 2019 and scoring in the final.

West Ham transfer news – What's the latest?

The latest reports are linking Divock Origi with a move to West Ham.

According to Tutto Mercato Web, AC Milan's want-away striker has turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, showcasing his desire to return to the Premier League and become an instant hit in east London.

Valued at £7m by Football Transfers, Origi's stock has fallen since joining Milan, appearing 36 times for the club but only scoring twice.

With the 28-year-old deemed surplus to requirements by Stefano Poli, the prospect of a European adventure at the Hammers could offer the Belgium international a chance to resurrect his career.

Would Divock Origi succeed at West Ham?

Despite not starting as much as he would have liked during his time at Liverpool, Origi will be remembered for scoring some of the most crucial goals in the club's history, often from the bench.

Many lauded the Belgian as a "cult hero" for the crucial goals he scored, including presenter Laura Woods, who praised Origi for his ability to pop up when it matters, namely a stoppage winner in the Merseyside derby and the strike against Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final.

In 175 appearances for the Reds, Origi scored 41 goals and although that isn't a prolific record by any means, most of his contributions came from the bench.

After departing the club on a free transfer to AC Milan last summer, the "tremendous finisher", as described by former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, the Belgian would have hoped that regular chances to feature in Serie A could have seen him demonstrate his deadly finishing attributes on a regular basis.

While that move failed to take off as he would have liked, a return to the Premier League can see Origi become a livewire at West Ham and recent numbers back up that claim.

The 6 foot 2 marksman averaged 2.10 progressive carries, 1.31 successful take-ons and 1.14 carries into the penalty area per 90 in the Serie A last season, via FBref.

Since David Moyes operates with a lone striker, it's imperative that they're physically imposing, strong at holding the ball up and intelligent enough to run the channels. Based on the numbers above, Origi fits that profile perfectly and if they can secure a deal for Mohammed Kudus from Ajax, who is another reported target, then the pair could become a deadly duo in the Hammers forward line.

Kudus would offer an exceptional supply line in behind the Belgian having ranked in the top 5% for his long pass completion, successful take-ons and non-penalty xG per 90 when compared against his positional peers in the Dutch top-flight, via FBref.

While the profile of West Ham's recent striker signings have struggled to adapt to the demands of English football, Origi is already Premier League proven and could be exactly what Moyes needs.

Combine him with the Ajax sensation and the Hammers would surely become a much larger threat in the final third.

Tier 1Defending champions Khulna avoided their first scare this season, but ended up drawing the game against Dhaka at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.Batting first, Dhaka banked on centuries from Nadif Chowdhury and Mosharraf Hossain to put on 519 for 9. Nadif made a career-best 166 off 239 balls with 17 fours and 6 sixes. He added 227 runs for the seventh wicket with Mosharraf, who also made his career-best score, 125 off 245 balls with 12 fours.Khulna were bowled out for 247 runs with Ziaur Rahman top scoring with 104 off 116 balls. He struck five sixes and 12 fours. Nazmul Islam took four for 79. Following on, they reached 180 for four on the final day, having survived 90 overs in total. The in-form Tushar Imran battled for more than three hours to make 63 off 189 balls.Rain ruined the Barisal-Rangpur encounter in Rajshahi which ended in a draw. There were only 16.2 overs possible in the entire match, on the third day, after the first two days were washed out. On the fourth day, the match was called off at 12.15pm.Winning the toss, Rangpur reached 61 for two with Jahid Jabed unbeaten on 24 and Suhrawadi Shuvo making 34 not out.Tier 2The match between Chittagong and Sylhet was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Bogra. Rain ruined all four days with play being called off after mid-day every day.On the fourth day, the umpires called off the match at 1.30pm. This was Sylhet’s second consecutive full abandonment.Rain also affected the Dhaka Metropolis-Rajshahi match in Khulna, as this match too ended in a draw.Batting first after a rain delay on the first day, Rajshahi were bowled out for 220 runs with Junaid Siddique top scoring with 85. Mizanur Rahman also made a half-century. Dolar Mahmud and Sharifullah took three wickets each for Dhaka.Dhaka took a 109-run lead thanks to Marshall Ayub’s 132 and Mehrab Hossain Jnr’s 89. The pair added 175 runs for the fourth wicket as Dhaka declared on 329 for nine on the fourth day. Rajshahi could bat only three overs before play ended. Marshall was adjudged the Player-of the Match.

Aston Villa are ready to make an offer to bring Juventus forward Federico Chiesa to the Premier League, according to fresh reports.

Is Federico Chiesa leaving Juventus?

The Italy international, who is naturally a left-winger, still has another two years to run on his contract with the Serie A outfit, but having been handed just six starts in league competition last season, he’s fallen significantly out of favour under Massimiliano Allegri at the Allianz Stadium.

As a result, Calciomercato have reported that the Turin giants are keen to sell the 25-year-old before the end of the ongoing window, and should he indeed look to seal a departure, he won’t be short of potential suitors with three clubs in the top-flight having already been linked with a swoop.

Read The Latest Aston Villa Transfer News HERE…

Italian newspaper Tuttosport previously claimed that NSWE, Monchi and Unai Emery are, as it stands, the most interested hierarchy in the experienced attacker despite rival interest from Liverpool and Newcastle United, and the following update would suggest that is very much still the case heading into the final few weeks of the summer.

Are Aston Villa signing Federico Chiesa?

According to Tuttosport once again (via Sport Witness), both Aston Villa and the Magpies are “ready to put €50m [£42m] plus bonuses on the table” to sign Chiesa ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Premier League “sirens” are going off and it’s claimed that the forward has rejected big-money offers from Saudi Arabia to explore his options elsewhere, likely in England.

Juventus appear to have since had a change of heart regarding his future though as it’s stated that they are planning to offer him a new deal, but it’s “not clear” whether their stance could alter for a second time should an irresistible offer arrive at their door.

In the Serie A last season, Chiesa posted seven goal contributions (five assists and two goals) in 21 appearances, which shows just how much of a positive and instant impact he made despite receiving limited minutes, so should he put pen to paper, the winger would be an extremely exciting acquisition for Aston Villa.

The Genoa native, who’s sponsored by Nike, also averaged 4.34 shot-creating actions per league match which was the third-highest total throughout the whole of his squad, via FBRef, highlighting his constant desire to produce chances for himself and his fellow teammates in the final third.

Juventus’ “magic” dynamo, as dubbed by members of the media, is additionally a versatile operator having been deployed in seven various positions across the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even three roles in the midfield, so he’d be a useful option for Emery to have at his disposal.

Furthermore, Chiesa knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level with four pieces of silverware to his name, so he would be able to match the positive, winning mentality of the squad who are already getting to work in the Midlands.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are in ongoing "negotiations" regarding a summer deal to bring Real Betis midfielder Guido Rodriguez to the Premier League, according to journalist Cesar Luis Merlo.

Who is Guido Rodriguez?

Rodriguez is naturally a defensive midfielder who has played his football at the Benito Villamarin Stadium for the past three years since joining from CF America back in January 2020, and during that time, he’s become a regular feature of Manuel Pellegrini’s side having started 33 out of 38 La Liga matches last season.

However, the 29-year-old’s contract is set to expire in less than a year meaning that there’s a strong chance he could be sold for a decent fee before the end of the current transfer window, and should he depart, he won’t be short of potential suitors waiting to snap him up.

The Argentina international firmly established himself as the Spanish outfit’s both defensive and overall top-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 6.98 during the previous campaign, and it appears that his high standard of displays have caught the eye of Fosun and Julen Lopetegui at Molineux.

Are Wolves signing Guido Rodriguez?

Taking to Twitter, Merlo revealed that Wolves are currently in talks for Rodriguez, though at this stage, it doesn't sound as if a deal is anywhere close to completion between the two parties. He wrote:

"Wolves is interested in signing Guido Rodriguez, a Betis midfielder whose contract ends in June 2024. There are negotiations underway between the clubs, but for now nothing close to being finalised."

Wolves recently lost their talisman in Ruben Neves, who has completed a move to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal, so Lopetegui will need to enter the market for a suitable replacement in that defensive midfield position, and having been lauded a “creative” number six by journalist Josh Bunting, Rodriguez could be the perfect heir.

Last season he ranked in the 99th percentile for tackles and the 98th percentile for clearances versus other players in his position, form which saw him receive three man-of-the-match awards, highlighting his desire to get stuck in and clear the danger to protect his backline.

Real Betis’ £28k-per-week earner, however, is also capable of contributing to efforts in the final third having scored seven goals and provided three assists since joining, so the fact that he’s impactful at both ends of the pitch will be yet another attractive attribute to those at Molineux.

Furthermore, the Betis star has the flexibility to operate in four different positions across the pitch, including three roles in the midfield and even at centre-back, so he would be an excellent versatile option for the manager to have at his disposal.

Finally, Rodriguez already knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level having secured eight pieces of silverware since the start of his career, the most notable being when he was crowned 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina, so he could instil a much-needed winning mentality into the rest of the squad in the Midlands.