Australia face Labuschagne call amid batting squeeze

The No. 3 is now the batter under scrutiny heading into the World Test Championship final and tour of West Indies

AAP10-Feb-2025

Marnus Labuschagne walks off after being dismissed•Getty Images

Selectors will wait to make a call on Marnus Labuschagne’s Test future as Australia brace for a batting squeeze in the World Test Championship final and beyond.It comes as in-form Steven Smith urged selectors to keep the faith in Labuschagne, saying it was not long ago he was in a similar predicament to the faltering No. 3.Related

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Labuschagne’s lukewarm form continued in Australia’s 2-0 series defeat of Sri Lanka with scores of 20 and 4 in his first two knocks. He looked to be finding his feet as he made an unbeaten 26 in a 37-run stand with Usman Khawaja that sealed victory in the second Test in Galle on Sunday.But despite that effort and handy half-centuries in Melbourne during the recent India series, Labuschagne has only made one century in his past 51 Test innings. Since the beginning of 2023, Labuschagne has averaged 31.54, well down on the 62.29 he managed across the four calendar years before then.The timing looks unfortunate with a glut of batting options available for the WTC Final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.Cameron Green is set to return to the selection frame as a middle-order option following back surgery, while Josh Inglis impressed with a century on debut in Sri Lanka.Sam Konstas is pushing for a recall after being ousted from the top to facilitate Travis Head’s shift from No.5 and Nathan McSweeney is vying for a first Test in his preferred middle-order spot.”It’s clear that we’ve got some players that have put their hand up, so there is a squeeze,” said coach Andrew McDonald. “Whoever misses out will be very unlucky.”Australia could change their XI around between the WTC Final and the three-match West Indies series that begins later in June. McDonald said it was “highly likely” the squads would be different for the two, but Australia will defer selection calls, including on Labuschagne, until closer to June.”England creates a different challenge and then off to West Indies, which can spin, it can also swing and seam,” McDonald said. “The beauty of it is we’ve got some time before we have to make some decisions.”It’s great to have options. Will they all be fit at that time? Who fits what conditions and when? I think that’s going to be the art of what transpires across the journey.”Smith remains confident Labuschagne is approaching a big score, sceptical about claims his close mate is even out of form. The stand-in captain went as far as to say he had recently been in a similar situation to Labuschagne, feeling at his best despite scores of 0, 17 and 2 to begin the home summer.Smith has since scored centuries in four of five Test matches since those lean figures against India and was player of the series against Sri Lanka.”Marn’s similar to me, in a way,” Smith said. “I’ve said this a lot of times about myself, there’s a difference between being out of form and out of runs. I don’t think he’s out of form, personally. I’ve watched him train, I’ve watched him play and a lot of the things that he’s done so well are there.”He knows he’d love to score more runs, we’d love him to score more runs, but in my opinion, it’s just around the corner.”

South Australia prevented from hosting Shield final at Adelaide Oval

CA chief executive Todd Greenberg expressed “disappointment” that the final could not be played at Adelaide Oval

Alex Malcolm14-Mar-2025South Australia’s bid to host the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval has been blocked by the AFL with the decider to be played at Karen Rolton Oval as it was originally scheduled.The South Australia Cricket Association and South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas had led a public push to play the final at Adelaide Oval after South Australia locked in hosting rights with a win over Victoria last Sunday.Cricket Australia had originally expected the final to be played at Karen Rolton Oval, starting on March 26, given the drop-in pitches had already been removed from Adelaide Oval for the start of the AFL season. But CA were happy to support Malinauskas and the SACA in their bid to stage the game at the iconic venue which would have required to match to be moved forward two days to start on Monday March 24 to allow for Adelaide Oval’s ground staff to drop a single pitch into the middle of the venue the day after an AFL game that will staged there on Saturday March 22.Related

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Lehmann and Scott lead South Australia to home Shield final

'We want to play there' – Adelaide Oval could host Sheffield Shield final between AFL games

The AFL had initially stated it was open to cooperating to allow cricket to use the venue but that changed when concerns were raised about the condition of the playing surface for the footballers if a pitch was dropped in and then removed again on Saturday March 26, the day after the five-day final had been played, before another AFL game was set to take place on the ground on Sunday March 27.CA chief executive Todd Greenberg issued a statement expressing frustration that the final would not be played at Adelaide Oval.”We are disappointed South Australia has been prevented from hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval,” Greenberg said.”The Sheffield Shield final is a significant event for Australia’s national sport, and we believe Adelaide Oval would have been the most appropriate venue.”I would like to thank Premier Malinauskas for his advocacy in this matter and his passionate support of cricket and the South Australia Cricket Association which made an extremely compelling case to host the final at Adelaide Oval.”March is a very important month for cricket including the Sheffield Shield and Premier and club cricket finals.”We will continue to work collaboratively at all levels to ensure cricket gains and provides appropriate access to shared venues across the country.”Malinauskas had earlier in the week told 5AA radio in Adelaide that his office had received a “galling” request from an AFL “entity”, likely one of the Adelaide based AFL clubs, for financial insurance cover in case an AFL player was injury due to the surface being unstable if the Shield final was staged at the ground.”We have received a request, it’s not from cricket, I won’t say what entity it is in footy,” Malinaskas said.”What I would say is we are asking for people to act rationally and pragmatically in the interest of fans.”I’ve got to say it’s a little bit galling that people are trying to use an opportunity to look after fans as an opportunity to slug the taxpayer and I won’t be having it.”I’m not naming any names, I’m just saying my government is not going to be giving cash so they get out of the way of something everybody thinks should happen.”The Shield final has not been hosted at a multipurpose venue in Australia since 2012 due to the encroachment of the AFL season into the month of March, which had notionally been a cricket month in Australia as Greenberg alluded to.South Australia is hosting their last home and away game at Karen Rolton Oval this weekend against Queensland while the Adelaide Crows will host their first AFL game of the season at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria are all vying for the other spot in the final as the final Shield round begins on Saturday.

Bayern Munich launched shock summer swoop to sign Raheem Sterling but Chelsea misfit rejected Harry Kane link-up for one key reason

Bayern Munich reportedly launched a shock summer swoop to sign Raheem Sterling but the Chelsea misfit rejected the Bavarians. The Bundesliga champions made their move late in the window, with Vincent Kompany eager to link up with his former Manchester City teammate. But despite Bayern offering the lure of trophies and Champions League nights, Sterling gave them a flat rejection.

Getty/GOALSterling part of Chelsea’s ‘bomb squad’

Instead of lighting up the Allianz Arena, Sterling is stuck in the dreaded "bomb squad" at Stamford Bridge; the infamous group of unwanted players frozen out of Enzo Maresca’s first-team plans. The England star is marooned alongside others who failed to secure exits, including defender Axel Disasi. For the next four months, his reality is training in the shadows until January’s window gives him another escape route.

AdvertisementFamily ties trump trophies

According to Sterling turned down Bayern not for football, but family. He wanted to stay in London, where his partner and children are settled. A nine-month stint abroad without guarantees of regular minutes held little appeal, even with the chance to compete for major silverware.

AFPLondon interest fizzles out

There was talk of a loan move within the capital, with a couple of Premier League rivals exploring possibilities. Yet nothing ever moved beyond preliminary chats. Without firm offers in London, and with Sterling refusing to uproot his family, he was left stranded at Cobham when the window slammed shut.

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The contract conundrum

The elephant in the room is his mega Chelsea deal. Sterling is tied down until 2027 and stands to pocket around £30m ($40m) in wages. No player is walking away from that kind of fortune, and no club is cutting a cheque that big just to send him packing. Both parties are locked in a stalemate where a compromise looks like the only way out, but right now, no solution is on the table.

Desde inauguração da Arena, Grêmio jamais havia acumulado invencibilidade tão grande em casa

MatériaMais Notícias

O triunfo diante do São Paulo, no último domingo (4), serviu tanto para colocar o Grêmio no G4 do Campeonato Brasileiro como para ratificar a sólida sequência em seus domínios que a equipe estabeleceu como mandante desde o segundo semestre ainda de 2022.

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A vitória do fim de semana aumentou para 21 compromissos do Tricolor sem perder quando atua na condição de mandante. Só não se pode dizer exclusivamente na Arena porque, na estreia do Brasileirão, os comandados de Renato Portaluppi atuaram em Caxias do Sul, contra o Santos, cumprindo punição do STJD ainda referente a temporada anterior.

Ao todo, são 16 resultados de vitória e cinco empates na sequência que já dura quase 300 dias. A última derrota ocorreu na Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro do ano passado, recebendo o Ituano.

O embate, aliás, foi o ‘estopim’ para que Roger Machado deixasse o comando técnico da equipe para a chegada de Renato Portaluppi. Logo, desde que o ídolo do clube gaúcho voltou a direção técnica, o Imortal não sabe o que é perder quando joga como mandante em sequência que não havia acontecido desde que a Arena foi inaugurada, em 2012.

>Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!

O próximo compromisso do Grêmio na temporada será distante de seus domínios, visitando o Flamengo, no Maracanã, às 18h30 (de Brasília) do domingo (11). Porém, na sequência, voltará a sua ‘fortaleza’ para receber, em sequência, América-MG e Coritiba. Todos os jogos em questão serão validos pelo Brasileirão.

Debutant Madara, Athapaththu fashion SL women's first T20I win in NZ

Debutant Malki Madara’s three-for combined with two-fors from Kavisha Dilhari and Inoshi Priyadharshani set up a comfortable victory for Sri Lanka in the T20I series opener in Christchurch. Chamari Athapaththu’s unbeaten 64 off 48 balls then took the visitors home with seven wickets in hand. This was Sri Lanka’s first T20I win in New Zealand and second win overall against New Zealand in the format.Emma McLeod (44) was New Zealand’s highest scorer but only two of her team-mates got into double figures, and there was only one partnership that stretched past 20 balls.Despite Priyadharshani dismissing Georgia Plimmer early, the hosts got off to a decent start thanks to captain Suzie Bates’ 14-ball 21. Madara, Sri Lanka’s fourth bowling option, brought on in the fifth over, got the big wicket of Bates which dried up the scoring. The next two overs went for just five runs.Dilhari, the seventh bowler, struck twice upon being introduced in the ninth over as New Zealand slipped from 39 for 1 to 52 for 4. Maddy Green being run out cheaply had New Zealand play with caution as illustrated by the next two partnerships which produced a combined 29 runs off 41 balls.McLeod, who had three fours in her first five balls, finished without adding to that tally across her 46-ball innings. She was the last New Zealand batter to fall as Madara ended the innings in the penultimate over.Athapaththu then hit seven fours and took Sri Lanka to 46 for 0 at the end of the powerplay. Jess Kerr removed Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama in successive overs while Dilhari’s innings was cut short by a run out. Sri Lanka slipped to 66 for 3 but that didn’t stop their captain from attacking.She hit Eden Carson for four immediately after Dilhari’s exit and smacked two sixes and a four off Bree Illing, the first of the sixes brought up her fifty off 43 balls. It left the hosts no room to make an unlikely comeback as Sri Lanka romped to a victory with 35 balls to spare.

Star decides to join Man Utd with deal costing over £21m in "final stages"

Manchester United are looking to conclude some late deals and may now be on the road to making an important signing that will remedy a key area of their squad, according to reports.

Manchester United reject Kobbie Mainoo loan request

Plenty of stories are doing the rounds surrounding Manchester United at the moment, but Kobbie Mainoo’s future has shot to prominence in the last few days amid confusion surrounding his situation.

Despite murmurs that he has submitted a request to go on loan, Ruben Amorim has made it clear that he wants the England international to fight for his place rather than leaving to find regular minutes elsewhere.

He told reporters at his most recent press conference: “I want Kobbie to stay. He needs to fight for his place, and we need Kobbie. So that is not going to change.

“The rest I don’t know how it’s going to finish. I understand that the players that are not playing in this moment are disappointed, but everyone has the same opportunity to play. You have to fight during the week.”

After the Red Devils’ shock defeat to Grimsby Town, pressure is on Amorim’s shoulders from Old Trafford chiefs, heightening the need for signings before next Monday’s deadline.

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Atletico Madrid star Conor Gallagher is in the frame to join Manchester United as a potential reinforcement in the engine room, albeit it remains to be seen whether that can be completed in time.

Randal Kolo Muani has also been approached by the Red Devils, though again, it may be difficult to bring in someone of such repute at short notice.

With speculation escalating, Manchester United are now in the final stages of concluding a deal to address an important area of the field.

Manchester United in final stages of Senne Lammens deal

According to Sacha Tavolieri on X, Manchester United are now in the ‘final stages’ of a deal to sign Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens in a transfer that will amount to £21.6 million.

The 23-year-old is set to sign by the weekend on a five-year contract after talks began to accelerate on Friday, and his current employers are now confident they can complete a sale that will see the Red Devils inherit a valuable option between the sticks.

Earning a save percentage of 73.3% this term, per FBRef, he has conceded four goals in Antwerp’s first four matches of the season, but could now be set to unseat Andre Onana at Old Trafford.

Now, it remains to be seen if the final details mentioned will be wrapped up before the close of play. However, Manchester United appear to be making good time.

Celtic make offer to sign attacker compared to Jota as Hoops receive reply

Celtic are planning a busy end to the transfer window with Brendan Rodgers wanting at least three more signings coming through the door. The Hoops boss wants to sign a new winger, striker and centre-back to compete for the Scottish Premiership and in Europe.

Rodgers has already made six signings this summer but believes more signings will allow them to compete on multiple fronts, especially if they qualify for the Champions League.

The first of these new signings have been identified as Celtic have put in a bid for one of their long-term forward targets.

Rodgers and Celtic bid for Jota-like winger

Celtics hunt for a new winger might come in the form of long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Balikwisha is similar in his position and style of play to Jota, as per Football Transfers, so he would be a suitable replacement while the Portuguese star is recovering from his injury.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha in action for Royal Antwerp.

Sports Witness have reported that the Hoops’ interest in Balikwisha first started last summer when Rodgers attempted to sign him. The report also shares that Celtic and Royal Antwerp had negotiations on his signing and that injuries to the Belgian forward halted the deal.

This summer, Celtic are seen as ‘currently the most concrete option’ for Balikwisha’s next team. The Scottish champions have reportedly put in a bid of unknown value, however, that was rejected by Antwerp. It seems the 24-year-old could cost Celtic up to £4.7 million as Antwerp are hoping to recoup most of what they spent on him in 2021.

Balikwisha injury concerns

Celtic have a long-term interest in Balikwisha, and with a similar profile to Jota, he could be a good fit to join the club. However, the deal has failed to come to fruition once before because of his injuries, and it’s certainly a factor that needs to be taken into consideration.

Balikwisha’s Injury History Since Joining Antwerp

Season

Days Missed (Games Missed)

Injury

24/25

205 (29)

2x Unspecified Muscle

1x Torn Thigh

23/24

49 (10)

Knee Surgery

22/23

103 (14)

1x Unspecified Muscle

1x Torn Thigh Muscle

21/22

51 (10)

1x Hip Injury

1x Hamstring Injury

Total

408 (63)

8 Injuries

Even in Balikwisha’s best season at Antwerp, he missed 10 games through injury. However, his best seasons are far less concerning than his worst, as last year he was only available for 17 of Antwerp’s 46 games.

It is not certain that, just because Balikwisha has experienced these injuries at Antwerp, that he would continue to at Celtic. A change in medical staff and physio department might be needed to help the 24-year-old train so that his injuries are not as frequent, but there’s no guarantee of this, and he may just be an injury-prone player.

Celtic will have to take this into consideration when they decide whether or not to make a new offer. From the report, this has been an issue that has deterred them from this transfer in the past, so Rodgers and his team need to decide whether he is worth the money.

موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وإيجل نوار البوروندي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

يستعد فريق الكرة بـ النادي الأهلي لخوض مباراة هامة أمام منافسه إيجل نوار البوروندي، في افتتاح مشواره ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع نظيره إيجل نوار بطل بوروندي على أرضية ملعب انتواري، في إطار لقاءات ذهاب دور الـ32 من دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويبدأ الأهلي مشواره الإفريقي هذا الموسم بمواجهة تُعدّ الأولى في طريقه نحو الفوز ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بجانب رغبة لتحقيق انتصار خارج الديار يخفف ضغوط البداية ويمهد الطريق نحو مرحلة المجموعات من المسابقة القارية.

طالع | توروب يٌعلن قائمة الأهلي لمباراة إيجل نوار في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وفي الوقت ذاته يترقب جمهور الأهلي الظهور الأول للفريق تحت قيادة المدير الفني الجديد توروب، بعد التعاقد معه خلفًا لخوسيه ريبيرو بعد فترة شهدت تراجعًا في الأداء وتذبذبًا في النتائج، ليبدأ الأهلي صفحة جديدة. موعد مباراة الأهلي وإيجل نوار البوروندي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق أحداث مباراة الأهلي أمام فريق إيجل نوار، يوم السبت 18 أكتوبر الجاري، في الرابعة عصرًا بتوقيت مصر والسعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وإيجل نوار البوروندي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وتذاع المباراة بين الأهلي وإيجل نوار، عبر قناة اون سبورت 1.

'Bluffed his way into a job!' – Ruben Amorim told he talked his way to Man Utd role as ex-Premier League manager sides with Wayne Rooney over Red Devils' decline

Ruben Amorim has been brutally told that he "bluffed his way into a job" at Manchester United, with his gift of the gab allowing a prominent Premier League post to be secured. The Portuguese tactician, after impressing in his homeland with Sporting, was handed the reins at Old Trafford in November 2024. A baptism of fire in English football has been endured since then, leading to plenty of uncomfortable questions being asked.

  • Man Utd stumbled out of the blocks in 2025-26

    Amorim is facing more of those at present, with United stumbling out of the blocks again in 2025-26. They could only muster a 15th-place finish last season, while also suffering defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final and missing out on qualification for continental competition. Through six fixtures this term, the Red Devils have seven points to their name.

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    Humbling defeats & formation questions for Amorim

    Amorim has come in for criticism, having suffered a humbling Carabao Cup defeat at League Two side Grimsby, and refuses to change his ways when it comes to a 3-4-3 system that many believe United lack the players to fit. He has been backed in the transfer market, but little return is being seen on that investment. Red Devils legend Wayne Rooney is among those to have aired concerns regarding the direction in which 13-time Premier League champions are heading.

  • Did Amorim talking himself into Man Utd job?

    Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood, who won the English top-flight title as a player with Blackburn, shares that opinion. He has told of United’s struggles under Amorim: "It looks like they are emulating that season again. All of a sudden to be challenging for the title, that’s not going to happen. But we need to see gradual improvement. When I’m asked ‘Is he under pressure?’, I always said ‘no’. I feel like he should be, but I don’t think he is. I think they will give him this season, I really do.

    "He has already been in the job a year, we have seen no improvement. He keeps talking about the three at the back, we have talked about different personnel coming in, playing staff. He has had the windows to bring the players in. Perhaps he hasn’t got what he wants. How many more windows are we going to give him and when are we going to see an improvement – even gradual? We aren’t seeing anything.

    "What we are seeing is a man who sticks his chest out, certainly in the press conferences. When I see him on the touchline, he has got his head down, he was hiding in the dugout at Grimsby. But when I see him in front of the press, he fronts it up – he looks and he talks brilliantly. He has probably talked so well that he has bluffed his way into a job there at Man United because we’re not seeing anything.

    "He has done very well in Portugal, a lot of managers do very well in Portugal – it’s an inferior league to the Premier League. You can build sides on the job, you have three or four games in Portugal that are really competitive, the other times you can just play and experiment with different formations. You can’t do that in the Premier League. You do that in the Premier League, you come unstuck. And that is what he’s been doing. Since he has been at the football club, 34 points in 33 games, it’s not good enough, it’s relegation form."

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    International reset: One more game before next break

    Sherwood has previously accused Amorim’s United of looking "clueless", with questions being asked of what he is doing on the training ground to get his squad ready to deliver on a remit that has been in place for several months now.

    The Red Devils came unstuck at Brentford in their latest fixture, with club captain Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty in a demoralising 3-1 defeat. United have just one more game to take in before the next international break, during which another reset button could be hit, with Amorim and Co set to play host to newly-promoted Sunderland on Saturday.

Matheus Cunha heir: Wolves plot late swoop for "generational" £20m star

It’s hard to predict how this season is going to go for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On the one hand, Vitor Pereira proved himself to be a more than competent manager last year, and someone capable of getting more out of his players than you’d expect.

Yet on the other hand, the Old Gold have sold their two best players in Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha this summer, massively weakening both ends of the pitch.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the club has made a couple of interesting signings themselves, and if reports are to be believed, they could be about to bring in a young phenom who could be the heir to Cunha.

Wolves target their new Cunha

While losing both Ait-Nouri and Cunha could be hugely detrimental to Wolves’ chances this season, the Old Gold have at least added a number of exciting talents to the squad who could be enough to keep them away from a relegation scrap.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Jhon Arias, for example, managed to rack up 17 goal involvements in 35 games last season, Fer Lopez racked up 11 in 37, and Jorgen Strand Larsen, whose loan has now been made permanent, scored 14 goals and provided five assists in 38 games during his debut campaign at Molineux.

Moreover, while some clubs would stop there, it appears as if the West Midlands outfit want to make at least one more signing before the window slams shut next month and bring in someone who could be the heir to Cunha.

At least that is according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, which claims Wolves are interested in Ben Doak.

In good news, the report has revealed that Liverpool are willing to sell the teenage sensation for a relatively reasonable fee of around £20m.

However, the less good news is that there could be quite a battle to land the Scotsman’s signature, with Leeds United, West Ham United, and Everton all credited with an interest.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Doak’s ability and massive potential, one worth fighting for, especially as he could be an heir to Cunha at Wolves.

Why Doak could be Cunha's heir

Now, the first thing to say here is that we are not suggesting that Doak is anywhere near the level of Cunha at the moment, nor will he likely be there within the next season or two.

After all, the mercurial Brazilian managed to score 17 goals and provide six assists in just 36 appearances for the Old Gold last season, and was arguably one of the most dynamic players in the Premier League.

However, just because it’s unlikely that the young Scotsman would be able to replicate the new Manchester United star’s output from the word go, it does not mean he couldn’t still be his long-term heir at Molineux.

We say this because the 19-year-old has shown plenty of potential over the last year or so, and has got plenty of people in the know very excited about the player he could become.

For example, while on loan with Middlesbrough in the Championship last season, the “explosive” ace, as dubbed by Danny Murphy, was able to score three goals and provide seven assists in just 1789 minutes across 24 appearances.

That means the potentially “generational” talent, as dubbed by analyst John Walker, averaged a goal involvement every 2.4 games, or every 178.9 minutes, in what was his first full season of senior football.

It’s not like he just got lucky either, as his underlying numbers are utterly superb.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the next best 14 competitions for carries into the penalty area, the top 2% for progressive carries and touches in the opponent’s penalty area, the top 6% for non-penalty expected goals per shot and more, all per 90.

Progressive Passes Received

12.65

Top 1%

Carries into Penalty Area

4.05

Top 1%

Progressive Carries

6.78

Top 2%

Shots on Target %

51.9%

Top 2%

Touches (Att Pen)

6.12

Top 2%

Progressive Carrying Distance

160.46

Top 3%

Average Shot Distance

13.60

Top 4%

npxG/Shot

0.16

Top 6%

Touches (Att 3rd)

30.93

Top 7%

Assists

0.35

Top 8%

SCA (Live-ball Pass)

3.34

Top 11%

Penalty Kicks Won

0.05

Top 11%

Total Carrying Distance

246.56

Top 12%

GCA (Live-ball Pass)

0.46

Top 14%

Passes into Penalty Area

1.87

Top 17%

Carries into Final Third

2.58

Top 17%

Pass Completion %

79.1%

Top 18%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.56

Top 18%

Key Passes

2.23

Top 20%

Ultimately, while there is still some way to go in his development, it’s clear that Doak is an immensely talented player, and in time could become as crucial to Wolves as Cunha once was.

Therefore, while it’s going to be a tough transfer to get over the line, the Old Gold should be doing everything they can to bring the young Scotsman to the West Midlands this month.

Wolves make formal approach for £45 million pair in potential double deal

The Old Gold could look to initiate two deals to bolster the ranks.

BySean Markus Clifford Aug 11, 2025

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