Leeds United completed their second outfield signing of the summer transfer window earlier this week as they confirmed the arrival of Joe Rothwell.

The central midfielder has joined the club on a season-long loan from Premier League outfit Bournemouth, and follows Joe Rodon in signing ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Rothwell was part of the Southampton team that earned promotion out of the Championship, beating Leeds in the play-off final, during a loan spell at St. Mary's during the second half of last term.

The 29-year-old maestro produced four goals in 16 league appearances for the Saints and may look to bring an attacking spark to the squad from midfield.

Leeds must now avoid a big howler during the summer transfer window by ensuring that they do not cash in on Glen Kamara, who could be a dream partner for Rothwell.

Transfer interest in Glen Kamara

Football Insider recently reported that Ligue 1 side Rennes have submitted a contract proposal to the Finland international after talks with his representatives.

The outlet claimed that a transfer to the French team has been gathering 'momentum' after those negotiations between the club and the players.

It also revealed that Leeds are willing to cash in on the former Arsenal youth prospect, but only for a 'significant' fee. It remains to be seen exactly how much they would deem to be a significant amount of money.

The Whites, who reportedly paid Rangers £5m for Kamara last summer, must now fight to keep hold of the Finnish star, as he could thrive alongside Rothwell.

Why Glen Kamara and Joe Rothwell are made for each other

They could be perfect for each other as Daniel Farke's midfield tank has the athleticism and defensive attributes to make up for the Cherries loanee's struggles in those departments.

Meanwhile, Rothwell has the potential to make attacking contributions from a midfield position in a way that Kamara has so far been unable to do in West Yorkshire.

Appearances

37

16

Goals

0

4

Pass accuracy

93%

92%

Ball recoveries per game

4.1

1.1

Ground duel success rate

58%

39%

Aerial duel success rate

54%

14%

As you can see in the table above, the Englishman lost the majority of his battles on the deck and in the air with Southampton, whilst the Finnish maestro, who ex-boss Neil McCann claimed is "made of iron", won the majority of his duels.

However, Rothwell did score an eye-catching four goals in just 16 games from midfield, starting just four of those matches, whilst Kamara failed to score a single goal.

In the 2021/22 campaign for Blackburn Rovers, the new Leeds signing assisted ten goals, created ten 'big chances', and averaged 1.7 key passes per game in 36 Championship starts, which shows that the potential is also there for him to offer quality as a creator.

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These statistics show that the pair could combine to form a fantastic pairing due to Rothwell's ability to make attacking contributions and Kamara's athletic, physical, defensive play, whilst they both retain possession at an exceptional rate with their 92% and 93% pass accuracy respectively.

Therefore, it would be a big howler to cash in on him this summer as the club would be allowing a player with the quality to help their latest signing thrive to depart.

South Africa batsman on the difficulties of batting in spin-friendly conditions

Firdose Moonda30-Jan-2021

Aiden Markram is hoping to kick on and do well in the subcontinent•Pakistan Cricket Board

Aiden Markram has scored his first half-century in the subcontinent but is careful not to consider his corner turned just yet. After 84 runs from eight innings on previous tours to Sri Lanka and India, Markram knows that one 74 does not necessarily make a summer, but his second-innings half-century in Karachi is significant because it gave him confidence.”By no means am I all of a sudden a finished product. It’s a small step in the right direction. Thats how I am trying to see it,” he said. “There’s a still a lot of learning and growing in conditions like these. From a satisfaction thing, there is a bit I can take form this knock, a little bit of confidence. I would have loved to kick on.”Not only was Markram dismissed on the way to what could have been his first hundred since March 2018, but he was sent on his way 15 balls before the close of play on day three, after battling for more than five hours, and laying the foundation for a longer vigil. He found that patience was the one trait he had to lean on more than any other and was disappointed it ran out. “The longer you batted, the lower it got which posed its own challenge, putting spin aside. It was a slightly different innings for me. It was quite a challenge to accept spending time and not worrying about scoring,” Markram said.His fifty, off 158 balls, was the slowest of his career but that was less important than that it came as part of a 127-run stand with Rassie van der Dussen. That partnership was the highest of the match and it took South Africa into the lead.From a position where they were bowled out for 220 in the first innings, then conceded 70 runs in 12.2 overs to allow Pakistan to build a first innings lead over 150, for South Africa to have threatened to post decent target was a massive stride forward. “And then we took a few steps back, if that makes sense,” Markram said, in reference to the three wickets that fell for 10 runs at the end of day three.Still, South Africa had recognised batsmen in the middle on day four and may have fancied their chances of scoring over 300 but ended up losing 9 for 70 in the second innings, to set Pakistan a target of just 88.While Quinton de Kock could not put his finger on why South Africa lost wickets in clusters, Markram felt that conditions had something to do with it, because the in-coming batsmen often faced spin first up. “It’s generally very difficult for a new batter to get in. It’s something we’ve highlighted on previous tours to the subcontinent and on this tour. So (as a batsman) your first 20-30 balls are vital. It’s generally tough to get in against a spinning ball,” he said.The trick is in two things: watching the way Pakistan played and drawing on experiences from home, not conditions-wise, but in approach. “On the mental side of things, there are times in South Africa in seamer-friendly conditions where you have to be brave and try something different. It’s the same here,” Markram said. “And we had the chance to learn from how Pakistan played and saw that we need to have the ability to back defence even in conditions that start to turn.”On green tops in South Africa, batsmen often have to be willing to play more on the back foot and take on the short ball. On drier pitches in the subcontinent, they must do the opposite. They have to go forward, often to meet the pitch of a spinning ball, a strategy that worked well for Markram and van der Dussen. What South Africa need now is for it to work consistently and throughout the line-up, which may come the more this group tours the subcontinent.For all of them, this is their first Test in Pakistan, while only three of them – de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar – have won a Test in the subcontinent (Galle 2014). The rest have been part of tough tours to India in 2015 and 2019, a rained out visit to Bangladesh in 2015 and a humbling trip to Sri Lanka in 2018. Across those series, South Africa’s problems remained the same: the inability for their batsmen to settle against spin. If they are to truly turn the corner, Markram suggested that needs to change.”It’s important that we don’t make the same mistakes we’ve made in previous tours,” he said. “The thing that helped me was spending time in the middle and feeling like you can find a way to score.”

Julen Lopetegui and his new West Ham United side are preparing for the 2024/25 Premier League season, looking to bolster their squad in the attempt to reclaim a European qualification spot, after finishing ninth last season.

New signings already include Wolves defender Max Kilman, who has worked previously under Lopetegui, and highly-rated Brazilian star, Luis Guilherme.

But the transfer activity doesn't look set to stop there, with rumours circulating around multiple more incomings for the Hammers, with a striker, right-back and another centre-back all on the supposed wishlist.

West Ham transfer news

According to a report from Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, West Ham are interested in KAA Gent central defender, Jordan Torunarigha. Crystal Palace are also after him according to the report, while Leeds United have also been mentioned.

The reports suggest Gent are looking to collect around €5m for Torunarigha, which is around £4m. Leeds have already tabled a bid of nearly half the asking price, which was turned down in May, and now Gent are said to be waiting for their asking price to be met.

Torunarigha made 44 appearances in all competitions for Gent last season, scoring one goal, providing two assists, and contributing to 11 clean sheets in his 3,295 minutes of football.

A potential Torunarigha and Kilman partnership

Kilman made 44 appearances for Wolves in all competitions last season, scoring two goals, providing one assist, and contributing to eight clean sheets. He was also Wolves captain for his first entire season, having taken the armband multiple times towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

The 27-year-old brings that leadership with him to West Ham, which could work well alongside Torunarigha. The main concern would be the fact that the pair are both left-footed, and along with Nayef Aguerd, you would have three left-footers challenging for spots.

But Gift Orban, Torunarigha's former Gent teammate, has dubbed him "one of the best in the game" at the moment, so there would be confidence in making the two left-footed defenders work alongside each other.

Stats (per 90 mins)

Torunarigha

Kilman

Aguerd

Passes Attempted

62.70

60.76

59.89

Progressive Passes

5.00

3.08

3.34

Progressive Carries

1.51

0.58

0.44

Tackles

2.46

1.24

1.19

Interceptions

1.77

1.03

0.71

Blocks

1.34

1.68

1.59

Aerials Won

2.07

2.26

2.62

As you can see, Torunarigha adds that ability on the ball that Lopetegui is looking for, comfortable looking to play out from the back, as seen from his passes attempted numbers. He is also willing to make those line-breaking passes, averaging five progressive passes per 90.

The 26-year-old also shows the aggression needed to make defensive actions, doubling both Kilman and Aguerd for tackles made per 90, and also making more interceptions than both. Whilst he slightly loses out on blocks and aerials per 90, those metrics still remain close, showing his all-round competence to complete a variety of defensive actions.

Aguerd only betters Torunarigha and Kilman in Aerial duels won per 90, and therefore a partnership of the two could provide West Ham with the most balance and ball playing qualities that Lopetegui desires.

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Dawson leaves after six years at Bristol during which club won Royal London Cup and Championship promotion

Matt Roller01-Mar-2021Ian Harvey will become Gloucestershire’s interim head coach at the end of the month, when Richard Dawson leaves the club following his appointment as the ECB’s elite performance pathway coach.Harvey, the former Australia allrounder, played 168 times for Gloucestershire across formats between 1999 and 2006, and has been the club’s assistant coach since Dawson’s appointment as head coach ahead of the 2015 season.Dawson has worked regularly with England squads over the past two years, leading the England Lions’ tour to Australia in early 2020 and working with England’s spinners on a camp in Mumbai in late 2019 and during the Test series against West Indies last summer.During his tenure at Gloucestershire, Dawson oversaw the club’s triumph in the 2015 Royal London Cup, when they beat Surrey at Lord’s, and their promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2019. While they have never gone past the semi-final stage, they have also been among the most consistent counties in the T20 Blast: only Nottinghamshire have won more games than them over the last six seasons.”It has been a huge privilege to have been the head coach of Gloucestershire since 2015,” Dawson said. “There were highs and lows on the pitch but winning the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2015 and gaining promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2019 were highlights on the pitch, as was seeing a Gloucestershire player [James Bracey] breaking into the England set-up last year.”As a playing and coaching unit, we have faced a lot of challenges off the field, and I’m proud of the togetherness of this squad, who have been incredibly supportive of one another through good and bad times. I’m confident the group is in a strong place with a healthy mix of experience and youth to compete in all formats of the game.”Will Brown, the club’s chief executive, said: “Richard has been a fantastic coach to work with from the outset engendering a belief and excitement that has filtered into all areas of the club. His dedication to building a positive and winning culture has been evident throughout his time in Bristol and the impact he made will be felt long after he is gone.”Richard has taken huge pride in his role as head coach, working tirelessly to get the best out of himself and the players. His likeable easy-going personality, coupled with his commitment to Gloucestershire, garnered respect from the playing squad and meant he had a great rapport with the wider club staff.”Dawson will continue to oversee pre-season preparations until the end of the month, when Harvey will take over with the support of the club’s existing coaching staff, as well as Matt Windows (chairman of cricket) and David Graveney (an executive board member).A Gloucestershire statement said: “The club will now begin a review of its cricketing requirements in order to continue and grow ahead of a formal recruitment process later in the year.”The raft of coaching appointments announced by the ECB on Monday also had ramifications further down the M5, with Marcus Trescothick’s association with Somerset coming to an end after nearly three decades.Trescothick, who made his Somerset debut in 1993, retired at the end of the 2019 season to become Somerset’s assistant coach, and has now been appointed as the ECB’s elite batting coach. In a Somerset press release, he set his sights on returning as head coach in the future.”Although I’m leaving, I’m still going to be around the place to come in and see some of the batters that Somerset have,” Trescothick said. “Not being around the ground as much as I normally am is certainly going to be a bit different.”I want to further my career so that I can eventually become a head coach at a domestic county with the hope of moving into international cricket somewhere down the line. To do that I need to branch out and look at different environments in order to get a better understanding of certain things, and this will certainly give me the opportunity to do that. Hopefully, this might be the stepping stone for me to one day come back and look after the team here.”

Smith said there had been conversations with the coach in the weeks since the end of the India series

Daniel Brettig06-Feb-2021

Steven Smith finished the India series strongly after a slow start•Getty Images

Steven Smith has paralleled his evolving tale as a Test batsman, in which he emerged from a brief run of low scores against India to make the runs in Sydney and Brisbane that clinched his third Allan Border Medal, with the need for Australia’s coach Justin Langer to keep continually improving as a mentor and man manager.As the world’s pre-eminent Test batsman for most of the past six years, it’s unsurprising that Smith revealed Langer gave him very little coaching whatsoever, aside from an occasional reminder to stay energetic on his feet at the crease. But he credited Langer for maintaining an attitude of learning and seeking feedback, though acknowledging that unvarnished opinions would not always be easy to find.”I think even if you speak to Justin, you want to be improving all the time as a coach or as a player, so of course there’s things you can always get better at,” Smith said. “One thing that hasn’t been spoken a lot about is how tough a job it is to coach an international team, particularly in the circumstances we’ve been in when we’ve been in bubbles for long periods of time.”But Justin’s always working hard, trying to improve and get better and we’ve had conversations over the last two weeks since we’ve finished and he’s always trying to get better and better and that’s all you can ask from a coach.”Langer and Smith’s earliest interactions took place in 2010, when Smith was playing his first Tests for Australia and the coach was a batting assistant seeking to smooth the rough edges of players including him, David Warner and the late Phillip Hughes. Since Smith’s return to Test cricket for the 2019 Ashes, their relationship has been largely a case of the coach keeping out of the way of a batsman in command of himself and his game.Related

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“Justin’s actually said about me before he doesn’t try and coach me too much,” Smith said. “Only every now and again he’ll say something particularly about the energy in my legs and tell me to have a bit more energy and that helps me move my feet a bit better and get going. He just lets me go about my business and do what I need to do. But he’s great around the group, he’s always improving and wants to get better and wants the feedback from the players, and I think that’s really important as a coach.”Sometimes it can be difficult to get that feedback, you always want to get better, you always want to learn on the job and I think he does that as well as anyone.”While it would be well beyond the realm of possibility for a player to give his frankest thoughts on the national team’s senior coach and selector during an open media call, Smith responded in the affirmative when asked directly whether Langer had his full support to keep coaching the team in all formats.”Absolutely, I think he’s done a terrific job over the last couple of years, I wasn’t there the first year, but since I’ve been back I think he’s done a great job,” Smith said. “He always wants to get better and that’s all you can ask of anyone in the setup, whether it be a player or a coach, as long as you’re striving to improve every day, then that’s all you can ask.”That kind of thing [split coaching] has been floated for a while for different formats and different teams and things like that around the world, not just Australia, so I think it’d be interesting. But Justin’s got my full support at the moment, I think he’s doing a terrific job and he has done for a few years, and I can’t see it changing anytime soon.”Steven Smith said he had enjoyed the battle of overcoming new tactics against him•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

As for Smith’s own evolution, he said the past two summers had been refreshing in their challenges, as New Zealand and then India provided new angles of attack and filed placings that restricted him from some of his usual areas to rotate strike. After two slim Test matches in Adelaide and Melbourne, Smith resorted to a more aggressive mindset in Sydney and Brisbane, running up his first century since 2019 in England in the process.”Teams are starting to attack me a little bit differently or bowl to me a little bit differently, so I’ve had to make small adjustments,” he said. “At times I’ve had to be perhaps a little more aggressive than I have been in the past. I think I did that pretty well in the last two Test matches here and just coming up with some different plans and different scoring options but continuing to also play the game in front of me.”There’s times in Test cricket where you’ve got to absorb pressure, time when you’ve got to put the pressure back on the bowlers and try and get on top of them, and I did that well in the last two games, perhaps not as well in the first two of the summer. I felt I learned a bit out of the first two games that I could improve on at the back end. Teams have different plans to me and I’ve got to keep working on my game and I love doing that, I love working hard and finding new ways to do things and getting better.”It was a great challenge and that’s what Test cricket’s all about, people come with different plans to you and you’ve got to try to counter-act them. It’s been a great learning curve. I’ve loved the last two years of developing and learning and absorbing pressure putting pressure on when I need to, and just continuing to grow as a player.”

أدلى شريف عبد المنعم، نجم الأهلي السابق، بتصريحات نارية حول قرار لاعب المارد الأحمر، بالرحيل، عبر فيها عن استيائه من طريقة تعامل الأخير مع ملف رحيله.

وينتهي عقد أكرم توفيق لاعب الأهلي، بنهاية الموسم الجاري، ويحق له التوقيع لأي نادٍ آخر خلال شهر يناير الجاري، وفقًا للوائح الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا”، وسط أنباء تؤكد قراره بالرحيل ورفض التجديد بالمبلغ الذي عُرض عليه من قبل الإدارة، بسبب عرض آخر مُغر من الدوري القطري.

وقال شريف عبد المنعم في تصريحات عبر برنامج “اللعبة الحلوة”، على إذاعة “أون سبورت إف إم”، ردًا على سؤال: رأيك في قرار أكرم توفيق بالرحيل عن الأهلي؟ ليُجيب: “ماذا قدم للأهلي؟ أعطني أمارة يا أكرم على أي أساس.. هل الرجولة؟ تعرضت لإصابة باثنين صليبي والنادي وقف بجانبك، وبعد ذلك تقول أنا وأنا وتتحدث بهذه اللغة؟ بالسلامة، الأهلي وقف بجانبك كان عليك أن تقول للنادي تصرفوا كما تريدون”.

طالع أيضًا | حلمي طولان: رحيل أكرم توفيق عن الأهلي؟ راتبه الجديد يؤمن حياة الشرقية كلها

وأشار: “أحمد سيد زيزو عندما وصلت له عروض خارجية، طلب التجديد لنادي الزمالك، ولم يُقرر الرحيل من تلقاء نفسه، والإدارة جلست معه لمناقشة الأمر، لكن لم يقل أنا وأنا ورحل”.

وشدد: “(في ناس حفيت عشان تخرج من الأهلي بشكل شيك وكرامة)، لأن الأهلي أساس كل شيء، أنا لا أكره له أن يرحل بسبب أنه سيتقاضى 90 مليونًا، لكن أختلف مع لغة الحوار”.

واختتم: “الأهلي يعمل حسابًا لأي لاعب طوال العمر، فكان لا يجب أن تأتي في توقيت الجميع يُنادي بالصفقات وأنت ترحل، إن الأهلي يشتريك بالغالي فكان لا بد أن تضع هذا في رأسك، الأهلي لا يبيع أبنائه، هل باع النادي محمد عبد المنعم؟”.

With less than two weeks to go until Southampton's return to the Premier League is marked by a trip to Newcastle United, the higher ups at St Mary's are still looking to add to Russell Martin's squad.

Saints continue their search for new signings

The latest news out of St Mary's has suggested that Southampton's summer spending spree is anything but over. Having already brought the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz, Flynn Downes and Taylor Harwood-Bellis to the club this summer, the Saints are still looking to open their chequebook and bring some big names to the South Coast.

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The name that has been inescapable around St Mary's as of recent has been that of Matt O'Riley. Celtic's midfield star has been linked with a move to Southampton for some time now with the two parties struggling to agree on a fee for the Dane. Whilst the Saints are yet to give up on the deal, the Scottish giant's stubbornness may push them in the direction of other targets.

Whilst the saga around O'Riley's next move continues to unfold, Saints look like they have found themselves in another tough transfer battle as they make a new bid to sign a highly-rated attacking midfielder.

Southampton making new bid for Carvalho

As first reported by Football Insider's Wayne Veysey, Southampton are preparing a new and improved bid for Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho. This news comes after the Saints saw their initial £15million offer for the Portuguese midfielder rejected by the Anfield outfit.

This latest development from Football Insider suggests that Southampton have upped their bid to around £20million with the potential for additional add-ons. The higher ups at St Mary's are hoping that this improved offer will be enough to tempt the 21-year-old to the South Coast.

Carvalho spent the previous campaign on two seperate loan spells with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and Championship side Hull City. Whilst the midfielder's time in Germany did not go to plan, Carvalho excelled during his latter spell at the MKM Stadium.

Under the tutelage of former Tigers' boss Liam Rosenior, Carvalho hit the ground running, scoring nine times during his twenty appearances in black and amber. Some of the Saints' faithful may have unhappy memories of the 21-year-old's time at Hull after the player found the back of the net during Southampton's 2-1 loss to the Tigers back in February.

Speaking shortly after Carvalho's arrival in East Yorkshire, Rosenior spoke on the midfielder's obvious talents: “He brings a level of quality and consistency, his game intelligence is outstanding and coupled with his technical ability, his ability to see passes and finish actions, he is unselfish, he likes to link with players, he is what a perfect No 10 is for me as a manager.”

With the Saints still looking to add to Martin's squad before the August 30th deadline, bringing Carvalho to the South Coast could end up being their best bit of business this summer.

MatériaMais Notícias

Titular do CRB e em alta no clube alagoano, o lateral-esquerdo Guilherme Romão pediu intensidade máxima do elenco na sequência da Série B. Segundo o jogador, o alvirrubro vai com tudo para crescer nesta reta final de temporada.

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Neymar passou Pelé! Veja quem mais vestiu a camisa da Seleção Brasileira

– O grupo tem trabalhado muito no dia a dia para melhorar o rendimento em campo e para evoluir nestas próximas semanas. Teremos muitas decisões pela frente e precisamos estar preparados. – disse o defensor.

CRB VAI SUBIR? VEJA TABELA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DA SÉRIE B

Segundo o defensor, sua fase tem sido especial na equipe alagoana.

– Estou feliz com o crescimento que tive. Tenho trabalhado muito para evoluir e para melhorar meus números no clube. Estou muito focado para esses próximos meses. – concluiu.

O Guarani será o próximo adversário do CRB, na sexta-feira (15), às 19h, noEstádio Rei Pelé.

Wrexham have reportedly been offered “a dozen to 20” players ahead of the January window, with it possible that an “international striker” will join.

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Red Dragons in the market for goalscorerHollywood co-owners making funds availableAmbition makes it easy to attract talentFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons have made it known that they are in the market for more firepower. With Jack Marriott and Steven Fletcher nursing knocks, while Jon Dadi Bodvarsson is only working on a short-term contract, Phil Parkinson is looking to land another proven goalscorer.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

He has the likes of Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer at his disposal, with record signing Mo Faal waiting in the wings, but greater depth is being sought at SToK Racecourse. Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are prepared to make funds available at the start of 2025.

DID YOU KNOW?

Club director Shaun Harvey said at a recent Kick4life charity event in New York: “Rob and Ryan have always supported Phil’s ambition. We will be active in the transfer market during January, because we’re in a position of strength.”

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With that in mind, reports that a number of players have already been offered to the Welsh outfit. A lot of those “want to sign” and the club’s “pulling power” means that ambitious chairmen “could dip into the foreign market to sign an international striker”.

Just hours before the Euro 2024 final, Manchester United confirmed their first summer signing.

It was no secret but in came exciting young striker Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman appeared for the Netherlands during this summer's showpiece in Germany and arrives aiming to displace another raw centre forward in Rasmus Hojlund.

It will be exciting to see the two battle it out for a place in the side as the season goes on, but the focus for now will very much be on who else Dan Ashworth and Co can recruit.

Man United's transfer strategy this summer

One of the biggest focus points for the new ownership is strengthening their defence. Matthijs de Ligt continues to be mooted with a switch and it's highly likely that another Dutchman will be arriving at Old Trafford.

Jarrad Branthwaite has been another hot topic but with Amadou Onana set to move to Aston Villa in a £50m move, it's thought the Toffees will now hold onto their star defender.

Leny Yoro of Lille is another target but he prefers Real Madrid and is waiting for the Spanish giants to make an offer.

So, where to next? Well, the midfield also needs bolstering with newfound England star Kobbie Mainoo requiring a partner with more energy than a certain Casemiro.

Benfica sensation Joao Neves is one name who just continues to be mentioned in the same breath as United but the Portuguese outfit are reluctant to let him go unless someone pays his release clause which stands at over £100m.

New reports from CaughtOffside suggest that a 'cheaper alternative' for the club is Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton.

He moved to the Eagles in a bargain £22m move last January and will no doubt fetch a considerable fee whenever the midfielder does move on.

How Adam Wharton compares to Declan Rice

Have we ever seen a rise like Wharton's? A year ago he was getting ready to embark on a Championship campaign with Blackburn Rovers. Highly rated no doubt, but few would have predicted the meteoric rise he was about to embark on.

Signed by Palace in January, he quickly looked at home in the Premier League. Before we knew it, he was making his debut for England in June against Bosnia. The end result? A promising showing that earned him a place on the plane for Euro 2024.

Despite a lust to see the 20-year-old play from the English public, he failed to get on the pitch this summer but the experience will no doubt have been incredibly beneficial for such a young player.

Coincidentally, it's the man he could partner should he join Man United who starred ahead of him; Mainoo.

This has the potential to be a fabulous partnership for Erik Ten Hag if Wharton does arrive, with United potentially set to land their own answer to someone like Declan Rice or Rodri.

Rice did not enjoy his best tournament for England but is certainly still one of the benchmark players when you talk about the best midfielders in the country.

Coincidentally, they're both pretty big fans of each other too. Speaking about Wharton this summer, Rice said: “He’s been outstanding. He's got a beautiful left foot, really crisp passing. And all round, just a really down-to-earth boy who wants to learn."

Wharton returned the favour, suggesting that Arsenal's record signing was a "top player".

Why do they love each other? Well, probably because they're pretty similar players. Although they play off different feet, they possess a wonderful ability to knock passes around with ease and break up the play.

In fact, so good has he been that Ian Wright even compared him to FFC's Player of the Tournament for Euro 2024, Spain's Fabian Ruiz.

He said on ITV this summer: "It's either Kobbie (Mainoo) or Wharton, but I'd probably put Wharton in there simply because he's the closest I've seen to Fabian Ruiz."

So, what do the numbers say about all of them? We have the answer.

Wharton vs Rice & Fabian (23/24)
Stat (per 90 mins)	Wharton	Rice	Fabian
Pass accuracy %	81%	89%	89%
Assists	0.17	0.22	0.23
Key passes	1.55	1.31	1.35
Progressive passes	6.08	7.77	5.86
Shot-creating actions	3.04	2.79	3.01
Tackles won	1.88	1.42	1.73
Interceptions	1.44	1.23	0.83
Successful take-ons	0.55	0.59	1.20
Progressive carries	0.99	2.09	1.20
Aerials won	0.58	1.09	0.30
Stats via FBref.

Evidently, Rice is a far better carrier of the ball than both players but as far as some of the metrics are concerned, there isn't a great deal of difference.

Wharton is about as creative as Fabian and the Arsenal star, even playing more key passes per 90 minutes. Considering the others play for two of Europe's elite clubs, it's unsurprising that Wharton comes out on top in the defensive metrics but the full range of his skillset is shown here.

He can pass and create like Rice, he can break up the play like England's number 4 and he's crisp in possession. If United are looking for the perfect partner for Mainoo, they need to look no further than this ever-improving midfield sensation.

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