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The season will start in October, and will also include the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2022New Zealand Cricket has announced a full 2022-23 domestic schedule after the last season was hit by widespread Covid-19 disruptions. The season will start with the Plunket Shield in October – followed by the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and Ford Trophy competitions – and will last for a total of six months till the end of March 2023.An NZC release said, “the formats and playing conditions for all competitions will largely revert to those employed before last season, although the provision to allow full substitutes for players who test positive to Covid-19 will remain.”Auckland will begin their Plunket Shield title defence against Otago at home starting October 18, in the first of eight rounds which will finish on March 24, 2023.The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, won by Otago Sparks last season, will start on November 19 with the final scheduled for March 4, while the Ford Trophy, also lifted by Auckland last season, will commence on November 22 and include an elimination final on February 17, ahead of a grand final two days later.Both the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and Ford Trophy finals will be played at the John Davies Oval in Queenstown. The Super Smash draw for men and women, starting December 23, will be announced at the end of this month.NZC’s GM cricket operations Catherine Campbell said the board and the six major associations had decided to retain the flexibility to react to any emergency situation – caused by Covid-19 or otherwise – and were hopeful of an uninterrupted summer.”We’re all looking forward to a full season of domestic cricket being played across the country, from Whangarei in the north to Queenstown and Dunedin in the south,” she said.”With the home international fixtures and the Dream11 Super Smash added, Kiwi cricket fans will have plenty to keep them interested, from the start of October to early April 2023.”In the international home summer, New Zealand men are scheduled to host a T20I tri-series involving Bangladesh and Pakistan in October ahead of the T20 World Cup, followed by a limited-overs visit by India in November after the World Cup, two Tests against England in February 2023 and an all-format visit by Sri Lanka in March.In between, New Zealand will also tour Pakistan and India in December-January.The women’s team will host Bangladesh for ODIs and T20Is in December ahead of the T20 World Cup in South Africa early next year.

Mary Earps returned to Paris Saint-Germain this week after completing England duty, and celebrated her cleansheet in a 6-0 win over Reims.

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Earps returns to Paris after England dutyKeeps 10th league clean sheet against ReimsPSG chasing Lyon for the league titleFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Earps had been called up to the England squad for the April international break by Sarina Wiegman. However, the former Manchester United goalkeeper did not feature for the Lionesses as Chelsea's Hannah Hampton got the nod ahead of her for England's Belgium clashes in the Nations League.

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Since her move to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent from Manchester United last summer, Earps has been on top form and has only conceded 12 goals in 20 league games for Les Parisiennes. On Sunday, Earps kept her 10th Feminine Division 1 clean sheet, her second straight with PSG and celebrated her side's 6-0 win over Reims.

WHAT EARPS SAID

On Instagram, Earps posted photos from the win over Reims and wrote: "Back-to-back cleanos and another strong performance from the girls."

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WHAT NEXT FOR EARPS?

Paris Saint-Germain are chasing Lyon for the Feminine Division 1 title this season, and they are eight points off the top with four games remaining until the end of the season. Earps will be back in action when the French side takes on Le Havre on Wednesday, April 23.

Zimbabwe coach confirms Sean Williams will return for second ODI, but Blessing Muzarabani remains unlikely to feature in the series

Andrew McGlashan30-Aug-2022Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton is seeing encouraging signs that his players are learning how not to “freeze” against the strongest opposition, and hopes that the batters can put together a complete performance during the remainder of the ODI series against Australia.Having been put into bat, the top order – led by a career-best 72 from Wessly Madhevere after the openers had negotiated the first ten overs – built a solid if an unspectacular platform during the opening game on Sunday, as Zimbabwe reached 185 for 4 in the 43rd over before losing their last six wickets for 15.However, Houghton was buoyed by the performance after their recent displays at home had relied on runs from the middle and lower order, led by the prolific Sikandar Raza.Related

Williams: 'Definitely a big skill gap' between Zimbabwe and Australia

Houghton interview: 'Real test will be to play fearless cricket against India, Australia'

'I like the challenge' – Madhevere hopes for a run at No. 3

“I’ve been quoted about fearless cricket,” Houghton said, Yes, we want to play fearless cricket; we want to see guys expressing themselves. I’ve seen these guys play franchise cricket, and I’ve seen what they can do; and [then] see them play international cricket, especially against these strong sides, and freeze a little bit. Somehow, I’m trying to take away that freezing.”For me, to see our two youngsters go out there against [Mitchell] Starc and [Josh] Hazlewood and get us 40 off the first ten without losing a wicket – that was a big plus for us. Now you can sit down in a team meeting and say, ‘Yes, it was a little different and a little scary going out first against these guys but look what you achieved. What can you do the next game and the game after?’.”It’s building blocks all the time. Tours like this don’t happen very often for us, so when you get the opportunity it’s a real learning for us.”Houghton was open in admitting that the skill gap between Zimbabwe and teams such as India and Australia is “huge”, but is focusing on ensuring the team move back up the rankings and compete with sides around them.He hoped that some of what the players learn in Townsville can be put to use in the T20 World Cup next month when they will return to Australia for the Group B qualifiers in Hobart with the aim of reaching the main draw.”The skill gap is huge between us, India, Australia and England – there’s no hiding from that,” Dave Houghton•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the more immediate term, Houghton wanted to see an improvement in the team’s fielding for the second ODI on Wednesday, recalling previous landmark victories and how it is an area Zimbabwe can compete in regardless of batting and bowling skill.”The skill gap is huge between us, India, Australia, [and] England – there’s no hiding from that,” he said. “Your batters are better than us, they’re more experienced, your bowlers are taller and faster than us. What we can do is field competitively, which I wasn’t happy about the other day; [I] thought we were lethargic and looked very jetlagged.”For us to compete with these sides and try to get a win against them – which we’ve done over the years with our giant-killing sides – every part of your game has to be right on song from the beginning. If we put a score on the board, [and] then bowl and field incredibly well, we can put enough pressure on sides [so] that if they aren’t quite on their game we can beat them.”Houghton suggested the batters may take a different approach to trying to finish the innings, having had trouble combatting the short deliveries in the first match, where Cameron Green bagged a maiden five-wicket haul.

“The games we won against Bangladesh – and when we did compete with India – we got all the runs at the middle and back, and nothing at the front. Hopefully we’ll put both ends together on this tour”Dave Houghton wants more from Zimbabwe’s top-order batters

“What we talked about at the end of the game is how we get that last bit of our innings organised a bit better,” he said. “They were all trying to take it on but weren’t quite good enough at it, so is there another way? Can we ramp it a bit? Maybe, if we don’t hook, can we back away and cut?”These are all things for them to solve themselves, but we need to play the backend better which, for us, [is] a new situation. The games we won against Bangladesh – and when we did compete well with India – we got all the runs at the middle and back, and nothing at the front. So hopefully we’ll put both ends together at one stage on this tour.”Houghton confirmed that experienced allrounder Sean Williams would return after an elbow injury ruled him out of the opening match, and would likely replace a fast bowler. However, Blessing Muzarabani is unlikely to feature on this tour as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury with the focus on getting him ready for the T20 World Cup.

Jose Mourinho has sent a message to Roy Keane after the Manchester United legend welcomed a new grandson with a hilarious catchphrase this week.

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Roy Keane welcomes grandsonPosts hilarious catchphrase on InstagramMourinho sends special messageFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Keane posted an image of his new grandson on Instagram, referring to him as a "big baby" – a nod to the United icon's catchphrase. Mourinho replied in the comments with a heart emoji.

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Keane's Instagram caption read: "My new grandson, big baby".

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The "big baby" comment is a reference to what Keane called Liverpool full-back Andrew Robertson while doing Sky Sports punditry in 2023 – and it has become something of a catchphrase since.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR KEANE AND MOURINHO?

Keane continues to work as a pundit for Sky and ITV, so will be heavily involved in coverage for the rest of the season. Mourinho is Fenerbahce manager and was this week linked with a shock return to Tottenham.

A new club are now believed to have made a move for a Rangers player with “blistering pace” in the January transfer window, according to a fresh update.

Rangers transfer news

One recent report has claimed that the Gers are on the verge of completing the signing of Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron, in what would be an exciting long-term piece of business. The 22-year-old is a five-cap Scotland Under-21 international, and will no doubt hope to make the step up to the senior setup over time.

Rangers are also said to have been offered the chance to sign defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who is currently a free agent after leaving Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen at the end of last season.

Elsewhere, the Gers are reportedly in the mix to sign CSKA Moscow midfielder Sasa Zdjelar, with the 29-year-old someone who could add experience to Philippe Clement’s squad, as well as versatility, given his ability to thrive as a centre-back, too.

There are also exit rumours emerging at Ibrox, however, with Ridvan Yilmaz linked with a move to Besiktas, as they look to bring in a new left-back this month. Celtic’s Greg Taylor is seen as an option, but it looks as though the Rangers man is more likely to move there currently.

New club make contact for Rangers player

According to a new update from Rangers News, Ligue 1 side Nantes have now made an approach for Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo.

They are eyeing a loan deal until the end of the season, amid interest from Coventry City in the Championship in recent weeks.

The £23,000-a-week Matondo has really struggled to make an impact at Rangers this season, starting just twice in the league and making only six appearances in the competition in total.

A couple of goals and assists apiece have come the Wales international’s way, in fairness, but there is sense in allowing him to leave in January, even though Kris Boyd has lauded his pace in the past, saying:

“We’ve not seen it enough in a Rangers jersey but you just kind of get the feeling that, the last few weeks… maybe because of Ryan Kent before, he always kind of thought ‘I’m not going to get in the team’, but with Ryan Kent moving on and there’s not really been anybody cemented that place at this moment at time, and there’s one thing with Rabbi Matondo – he has got blistering pace.”

Matondo is out of contract at Rangers at the end of next season, so a decision will need to be made regarding his future when the summer transfer window arrives later this year.

Rangers now on verge of signing "decisive" star in Barron repeat for Clement

The Gers look set to get their man…

1 ByTom Cunningham Jan 25, 2025

The club will either have to think about offering him an extension or cash in on him, rather than losing him on a free transfer when his deal expires in 2026. Considering they are happy to loan him out, it would arguably be a surprise if a new contract was on their mind.

South Africa never recovered from falling to 9 for 5, as Deepak Chahar, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel took seven wickets between them

Sreshth Shah28-Sep-20221:21

Jaffer: ‘Arshdeep’s new-ball bowling will make the India camp happy’

International cricket’s much-awaited return to Thiruvananthapuram, after three years, was celebrated with a clinic of pace bowling where, at the end of it all, India got the better of South Africa by eight wickets in the series opener.Even though contrasting half-centuries from KL Rahul (51*) and Suryakumar Yadav (50*) shepherded the small chase, India’s win was set up by the new-ball assault from Arshdeep Singh (3 for 32) and Deepak Chahar (2 for 24). They had South Africa on the mat early, reducing the visitors to 9 for 5 inside the third over, with a supreme display of swing bowling in both directions.For a brief period, even a target of 107 looked tricky for India with Kagiso Rabada (1 for 16) getting extra bounce, Wayne Parnell bowling stump-to-stump (0 for 14) and Anrich Nortje (1 for 32) bringing in red-hot pace. However, India always remained favorites, despite making only 17 runs in their first six overs; the 93-run unbeaten partnership between Rahul and Suryakumar took them home with 20 deliveries to spare and gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.A procession of ducks
The Greenfield International Stadium was expected to be full of runs. However, very few seamers control the swinging ball like Chahar and Arshdeep do.Chahar teased Temba Bavuma in the first over with two slips and three outswingers first up, but the last ball of the opening over was an inswinger that cut Bavuma in half and rattled the stumps.From the other end, Arshdeep had Quinton de Kock inside-edge a cut onto his stumps off a wide-ish length ball. Within the next four balls, Arshdeep had both Rilee Rossouw and David Miller accounted for with first-ball ducks, getting the former with an outswinger that took the outside edge off a drive and removing the latter with an inswinger that flattened the poles.Three balls later, Chahar had a third golden duck added to South Africa’s top order when Tristan Stubbs’ cut took a thick outside edge that flew to a diving Arshdeep at deep third. At 9 for 5, the South African lower order had a steep mountain to climb.Maharaj and co. pick up the pieces
Arshdeep and Chahar were given a third over each in the powerplay, but with the swing drying up, Aiden Markram and Parnell began a mini recovery. But, the odd boundary or six aside, they were kept in check by the pacers. Chahar relied on a shorter length – with the ball getting old – but Arshdeep kept finding his full ball to Markram whizzing past the outside edge.R Ashwin, introduced right after the powerplay after being picked ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal, had the liberty to show off his skills. He gave Parnell a mix of sliders and slow offbreaks in an economical spell of 4-1-8-0, while Markram – and later Keshav Maharaj – were offered the drifter and the carrom ball to keep them quiet. In all, he bowled 16 dots.Arshdeep Singh started with a three-wicket over•BCCIAxar Patel, who was introduced as the fifth bowler after 12 overs, bowled 15 dots of his own, delivering four overs on the trot. His line was closer to the stumps, and relied on ensuring the lower-order batters could not free their arms. When he did offer Parnell a bit of a slog, the batter could only find the fielder at deep midwicket.However, Parnell’s 24 and Maharaj’s 35-ball 41 helped South Africa get into triple figures. Maharaj crunched Chahar in the 13th for a pulled six, and then got on top of Arshdeep in a 17-run over. Harshal, though, picked off Maharaj in a tidy 20th over to ensure India would be chasing at a run-rate of well under six.SA seamers keep India honest
The chase was meant to be straightforward, and with a small target, Rahul had the liberty of playing out Rabada’s first over for a maiden. Rabada, though, attacked the stumps in his second over, and induced an edge off Rohit Sharma’s bat by getting the ball to come in and forcing the India captain to play at it. Virat Kohli came out intending to attack Rabada, but after a miscued drive early on, he too reined his shot-making. From the other end, Parnell looked less dangerous, straying down the leg side in a search for swing. However, he did give Rahul a scare on two occasions inside the powerplay that tempted South Africa enough to take two unsuccessful lbw reviews.With wickets key for any chance of a South Africa win, Rabada bowled a third over inside the powerplay, and continued to trouble Rahul with his assortment of deliveries that jagged in and angled away. His three-over first spell for only six runs went a long way in India reaching only 17 for 1 after six overs, their lowest powerplay score ever in T20Is. Nortje came on just after the six-over mark, and his first delivery had Kohli looking to cut. But the extra bounce, and pace, got a thick edge, and de Kock was in action again. That brought Suryakumar in at No. 4.Suryakumar attacks, Rahul gives support
As it has been customary with the newly-minted No. 2 batter in T20Is, Suryakumar decided to be aggressive from the start. After being hit on the body by Nortje’s first ball, he played the flick off his next two balls to score 12. The first six was fortuitous, with Nortje’s pace taking it for a six over deep third. The second one was more like Suryakumar, going into the stands beyond deep midwicket.The introduction of the two spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Maharaj meant smoother batting for the duo, especially Rahul. They milked the strike till the 10th over, ensuring the required run-rate did not go over 6.50 even if the team’s scoring rate, in itself, wasn’t remarkable.After drinks, Rahul smacked the occasionally wayward Nortje for six over long on, to move to 21 in 37 balls, and after that, he never looked out of sorts again. Both batters hit Shamsi and Maharaj for a six each – Rahul with a pull, Suryakumar with a shot over long off respectively – after which they thumped Nortje for 11 runs in the 15th over.Rabada, perhaps kept back a tad too late to bowl his final over, was hit by Suryakumar for consecutive fours with the game nearly sealed. Suryakumar, who finished with a strike-rate of 151.51, reached his fifty with only three runs to get. Rahul reached his half-century with a sweeping six off Shamsi to finish on 51 in 56 balls. They also happened to be India’s winning runs.

Newcastle United are believed to have “turned down” an approach for an “outstanding” player, according to an update from Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie.

Newcastle transfer news

After a relatively quiet summer transfer window, Magpies supporters will understandably like the idea of fresh faces arriving before deadline day on Monday, and players continue to be linked with moves to St James’ Park.

Newcastle have reportedly been handed an opportunity to sign AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze, with the club willing to offload him, in order to receive a healthy amount of money for his services. With Miguel Almiron moving back to Atlanta United earlier this week, he could be a perfect replacement on the right flank, providing competition for Jacob Murphy.

Another potential Almiron replacement is Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo, who could be a hugely exciting addition for Eddie Howe, even if he has to wait until the summer for it to happen. The Cameroonian is arguably one of the Premier League’s leading wide players currently, scoring 14 goals in 23 appearances in the competition this season.

Southampton youngster Tyler Dibling has been one of the bright sparks for his side this season, amid a campaign of struggles in the league for Saints, and he has been backed to join Newcastle, coming as a long-term signing with an enormous amount of promise.

Newcastle turn down approach for "outstanding" player

According to Downie on X, Newcastle have “turned down” a loan approach from Watford for Matt Targett, instead deciding to keep hold of the 29-year-old for now.

Retaining the services of Targett makes total sense for the Magpies, considering Lloyd Kelly is set to join Juventus, as Downie alludes to.

Selling two left-backs in the same window would be an odd decision, needlessly weakening the squad midway through the season, and Howe has lauded Targett as “outstanding” in the past, also saying:

“Matt, I thought, was excellent. Very, very strong performance. The biggest compliment I can pay him is that it looked like he’d been part of that back four for a number of years. I thought his positioning was very good, his use of the ball was good. Very pleased him with.”

Targett clearly isn’t a key player for Newcastle anymore, as highlighted by the fact that he has only featured for 12 minutes in the Premier League in 2024/25 to date, coming in just one cameo appearance.

Newcastle now open talks to sign "direct" Almiron heir in bargain deal

He’s a rising star…

ByTom Cunningham Feb 1, 2025

With Kelly moving on and rotation important as the campaign goes on, though, the Englishman could yet feature more, as the Magpies look to show that their decision to keep him for now is the right one.

The American star is set to be rewarded for his finest individual season in Serie A

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Pulisic reportedly set for new dealDeal would keep him at Milan through 2029Contract includes significant pay raiseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Christian Pulisic is reportedly set to sign a contract extension with Milan that will give the U.S. men's national team star a pay raise. Pulisic, who is Milan's leading scorer, reportedly makes $4.56 million (€4 million) per season, but the new deal will bump that to $5.7M (€5 million) annually.

The new deal commits Pulisic to Milan through 2029, with his prior deal set to expire in 2027 – although Milan did have an option to extend for one more season. The club is reportedly thrilled with Pulisic's performance this season and are glad to have him signed up for the foreseeable future.

Pulisic's new deal was first reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.

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It's no surprise to see Pulisic tie his future to Milan given his happiness at the club. The USMNT star told GOAL earlier this year that he's found a second home in Italy, one that has brought back the confidence and joy that had faded a bit with Chelsea in London.

"To be honest, it really started since coming here," he says of his time in Milan. "With my faith in God, I feel like I'm in such a more peaceful place off the field, away from everything. I can say that pretty comfortably."

Pulisic has 16 goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season and has already helped lead Milan to a Supercoppa Italiana trophy. He scored his 50th goal for Milan at the weekend.

It has largely been a frustrating season for Milan, though, as the club faces a real fight for a European spot in the final weeks of the Serie A season. The silver lining, though, is that Milan are set to play Bologna in the final of the Coppa Italia, with the winner of that earning a Europa League place.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

With his goal against Venezia this past weekend, Pulisic now has 50 across his nearly two seasons in Milan. Only Lautaro Martinez (54) and Ademola Lookman (50) have also reached that mark.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN?

Even with this past weekend's win over Venezia, Milan still sit six points out of sixth place and eight points away from that fourth and final Champions League spot with just four games left to play. That means every game going forward is a must-win if the club wants to qualify for Europe via the league route, and that continues on Monday against Udinese.

Kyle Walker has revealed his favourite shirt swaps, with the AC Milan loanee boasting the “hat-trick” of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

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England international has faced all-time greatsPicked up some iconic jerseys down the yearsMakes a point of never requesting derby shirtFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international defender faced that iconic trio when lining up against Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League action. Walker was on the books of Manchester City at the time, but bid farewell to the Etihad Stadium during the winter transfer window of 2025.

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He has faced some of the most iconic figures to have ever graced a pitch during his distinguished career, with ex-Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo another familiar opponent, but has always made a point of never requesting a jersey on derby day.

GettyWHAT KYLE WALKER SAID

Quizzed on the about his most memorable swaps, the 34-year-old full-back said: “I have Ash's [Ashley Cole] shirt in my house. It is in a frame. He was one I wanted to collect. I don't own an Arsenal shirt. I have never swapped with a derby rival on a game day – I think it shows a bit of respect for the fans.

“[Robert] Pires, I got an Aston Villa one when we played there, and he signed one personally to me. Being a World Cup winner, it was something I had to ask for. Fernando Torres at Chelsea, as much as it is probably not an iconic shirt, which it would have been from him at Liverpool, for the fee he went for, the drama in the transfer situation, to get that shirt was a good one for me.

“I was fortunate enough to play against Paris St-Germain a number of times when the famous three were playing – Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. I got all three on different occasions. I got the hat-trick.”

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WHAT NEXT?

Walker will be hoping that he gets many more opportunities to face the best in the business, with club and country, with a permanent transfer to Milan expected to be completed while chasing down a place in England’s 2026 World Cup plans.

Even with the distraction of the transfer window rolling into its final few frantic hours, Sunderland and Middlesbrough still managed to play out a Championship classic at the Riverside Stadium on Monday night.

Indeed, the near neighbours would share the goals out for the majority of the entertaining clash, only for Regis Le Bris’ men to then clinch a decisive winner late on courtesy of a Ryan Giles own goal to pick up a chaotic 3-2 away win.

There were various standout performers for the Black Cats, but it was Enzo Le Fee who lapped up the most plaudits come the full-time whistle.

Le Fee's performance in numbers

It’s fair to say the French midfielder finally announced himself to the English game properly with this standout display at Boro, having shown brief flashes of his pedigree in other Championship contests to date.

At the Riverside, however, Le Fee oozed class from minute one, with a sublime first touch helping Sunderland bundle home that dramatic late winner.

Away from this moment of audacious quality, Le Fee managed to run experienced EFL face Luke Ayling ragged all night long down the left flank with 100% of his dribble attempts successfully completed, whilst also picking up an assist when Wilson Isidor fired Le Bris’ side into a 2-1 lead.

Winning seven duels as a battler for his team too, it was an extremely well-rounded display from the ex-Lorient man who is more than living up to his billing as a £19m worthy footballer.

But, Le Bris will be aware he isn’t the only star in his side who could make him some big bucks down the line, with another of his standout assets causing Boro all sorts of bother yesterday evening.

Isidor's performance in numbers

The star in question here is the aforementioned Isidor, who has been letting his football do the talking in recent matches after that disastrous two-penalty miss game versus Burnley.

Indeed, since that Turf Moor horror show, the Black Cats number 19 has had two goals to shout about from his next three Championship encounters, with an ice-cold strike at the Riverside to gift his side a slim lead making new Boro goalkeeper Mark Travers look very foolish.

Despite amassing just eight touches of the ball, it was a display that showcased exactly why the Mackems forked out £3.3m in January to land his services permanently, with the striker also successfully winning 100% of his duels on the night.

If that does come to fruition, Isidor will no doubt see this price tag go up and up in value, to potentially the same heights as Le Fee’s bumper valuation.

Games played

27

Goals scored

10

Assists

0

Shots per game

2.4

Big chances missed

14

Big chances created

5

Frighteningly, there could be even more to come from the skilful striker if everything slots into place between now and the end of the campaign, with Isidor squandering a hefty 14 big chances away from his promising goal return of ten league strikes from 27 contests.

Labelled as a “ridiculous” striker by football data analyst Ben Mattinson after his stylish strike against Michael Carrick’s men, Isidor could soon turn into an even more accomplished performer for his side if his game is refined just that little bit more, with both the 24-year-old and Le Fee no doubt key cogs in the Sunderland machine moving forward if promotion is to be reached.

Sunderland have hit gold on "fantastic" ace who is worth as much as Le Fee

This Sunderland star is now worth as much as statement signing Enzo Le Fee.

ByKelan Sarson Jan 26, 2025