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Birmingham City could well look to the likes of Ipswich Town for inspiration moving forward, as Chris Davies’ money-rich side look to break out of League One as soon as possible to then potentially take the Championship by storm like the Tractor Boys.

Before anyone gets too carried away, however, the Blues will have to get out of the tricky third tier first, with the major backing they’ve received in the last transfer market certainly helping them to try and reach that goal.

That was typified by Jay Stansfield’s move, joining the ever-growing group at St. Andrew’s on transfer deadline day for a mammoth £20m fee.

However, it’s not as if Birmingham haven’t had expensive strikers in the past – when they were still competing in the Premier League year in year out – with Emile Heskey of yesteryear sticking out.

Emile Heskey's time at Birmingham

Joining the Blues back in 2004 from Liverpool, Heskey would be a hit with the St. Andrew’s fanbase at the start of his two-year stay.

The former England international fired home ten Premier League goals during his first full season donning Birmingham blue, an amount that Stansfield will hope he can eclipse in League One on the way to Davies’ men returning to the Championship in style.

After that electric first campaign, however, Heskey’s goalscoring powers in the West Midlands would start to wane, with only four league goals coming his way during the 2005/06 season.

Only managing one goal from his final 13 appearances for Birmingham, the Blues would then decide to sell Heskey to Wigan Athletic in 2006, to try and make back some money before he declined in ability further.

Selling him on for £6.7m at the time saw the Blues take somewhat of a hit, but by today’s inflated standards when looking at the TotallyMoney Transfer Index, the then Premier League club played a blinder.

Heskey's transfer value in the modern market

If the same move was to happen now, Heskey would remarkably be sold on for more than Stansfield’s £20m price tag.

Indeed, Birmingham would pocket a hefty sum of £23.3m if that same transaction took place in 2024, as per the Transfer Index, with the Blues swimming in cash in a rather smug manner.

In truth, Heskey struggled to consistently find his shooting boots again when lining up for the Latics and for the many other clubs he played for past his bright spell at St. Andrew’s, amassing just eight top-flight strikes during his debut season in Greater Manchester.

Wigan

88

15

Aston Villa

110

14

Newcastle Jets

41

10

Bolton Wanderers

49

3

His goal output dried up more and more as his career began to wind down, with a meagre three goals registered for Bolton Wanderers from 49 games towards the very end of his playing days which led to Heskey hanging up his boots.

Birmingham will hope Stansfield can keep up his reputation as a goal machine at St. Andrew’s, away from Heskey’s late career woes, knowing what he is capable of already with 12 strikes managed last campaign for the Blues on loan, even as the former Premier League titans fell victim to relegation down to League One.

Fulham will no doubt have been gutted to lose their academy product, but with a wild £20m bid coming their way, Marco Silva’s men would have been foolish not to cash in and act on Birmingham’s impulsive spending habits.

This could prove to be a lavish purchase that pays off, however, with the new Blues striker perhaps seeing his value soar above Heskey’s new £23m price tag over time.

Birmingham have struck gold on 2024 signing who's worth more than James

Birmingham City have a new midfield star they can rely on after selling Jordan James.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 5, 2024

علق خالد الغندور لاعب الزمالك السابق والإعلامي الحالي، على أزمة البولندي كونراد ميشالاك لاعب نادي الزمالك، في الوقت الحالي بشأن رحيله وقطع إعارته إلي نادي السابق أحد السعودي.

ميشالاك انضم إلى صفوف نادي الزمالك في الصيف الماضي وحتى نهاية الموسم على سبيل الإعارة، ولكن اللاعب لم يستطع حجز مكان أساسي في الفريق، ليخرج من حسابات الجهاز الفني في الأونة الأخيرة، وترغب إدارة القلعة البيضاء في الوصول لاتفاق برحيل اللاعب، ولكن الأخير يتمسك بالحصول على مستحقاته كاملة.

طالع | “رفض وتهديد”.. تطورات موقف ميشالاك من الرحيل عن الزمالك

وقال الغندور في فيديو عبر صفحته على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك”: “ميشالاك ضحك وانتقم من الزمالك، أمس كانت هناك محاولات مع اللاعب في وجود حسين لبيب وهشام نصر، من أجل أن يحصل على 200 الف دولار، ويتم تقسيط 450 ألف دولار، ويخرج من القائمة من أجل ضم اللاعب الإيفواري الذي يلعب في صربيا، اللاعب ووكيله رفضا رفضا تاما، وقالا إنهما لن يرحلا إلا بعد الحصول على مستحقاته كاملة”.

وأضاف: “التفاوض كان قد انتهى مع اللاعب الإيفواري للانضمام لـ الزمالك، لكن توقفت الصفقة لأن الزمالك لن يستطيع إخراج ميشالاك من القائمة إلا برغبته، وقائمة الانتظار تكون من الصيف للشتاء وليس العكس، وممنوع خروج أي لاعب لأن وقتها سيدفع النادي راتبه وغرامة وأمر آخر اسمه الإيذاء النفسي لأنك تخرج لاعب من القائمة ولن يكون لديه فرصة للعب في ناد آخر”.

وواصل: “الزمالك قرر أن يُعيد ميشالاك للتدريبات الجماعية، باب القيد أغلق، بعدها مباشرة ميشالاك قام بفسخ عقده من جانب واحد، وجعل الزمالك لم يستفد من المكان الشاغر في القائمة، وأيضًا اشتكى النادي لأن له مستحقات متأخرة، خاصة إن النادي صرف 25% من مستحقات كل اللاعبين ولم يفعل ذلك مع ميشالاك، وهذا بسبب أيضًا إن جروس تكلم بصورة سلبية جدًا عنه أمام كل اللاعبين، أهانه بشدة وقلل منه أمام اللاعبين، وهذا الأمر أثر نفسيًا على اللاعب”.

وأكمل: “الجهاز الفني للزمالك قرر أن يشارك اللاعب في تدريبات منفردة، لكي يوصلوا له رسالة بأنه لا بد أن يرحل، فاللاعب كان يحضر التدريب لكي يثبت أنه يتدرب منفردًا ولا يجد أحد يدربه، ومرة أخرى الكابتن أمير عزمي مجاهد دربه، في النهاية ميشالاك لاعب لا يفرق مع الزمالك تمامًا، ولم يُقدم أي إضافة، والمفترض إنه يحصل على مليون و400 ألف دولار لا أعلم لماذا، لم يحصل من الأبيض إلا على 70 ألف دولار فقط، ويتبقى له تقريبًا باقي الـ 50% من عقده، وبالتالي فسخ العقد من طرف واحد، هذه القصة لم تفرق مع جمهور الزمالك، لأن همه هو رحيل اللاعب ويأتي لاعب آخر يُقدم إضافة للفريق”.

واستطرد: “أحمد سليمان عضو مجلس الإدارة هو من ضم ميشالاك بسبب علاقته الجيدة مع رئيس نادي أحد، بدأ الكلام في مجلس الإدارة بأنه يتحمل جزء من عقد اللاعب، فبدأت صور تنتشر للكابتن حسين لبيب وحسام المندوه مع اللاعب، وقيل أن من وراءها هو أحمد سليمان بعد أن تم إبعاده أو أبعد نفسه عن الإشراف على كرة القدم”.

وأتم: “هذه هي قصة ميشالاك، انتهت، وهي قصة حزينة، لأنه لاعب قليل على تواجده في ناد بقيمة وحكم الزمالك ولم يُقدم أي إضافة للفريق، ويحصل على راتب أعلى بكثير جدًا من قيمته في الملعب”.

Newcastle United are planning to make a move for a £40m-rated forward in the January transfer window because manager Eddie Howe is a massive fan of the player, according to reports.

Newcastle eyeing free agents

With the summer window now shut, Howe will have to make do with what he has, although there is still an opportunity for him to snap up free agents who are currently without clubs, as Paul Mitchell ponders whether to entice them to St James' Park.

One such figure is Adrien Rabiot, who at 29 years of age is now a hugely experienced player who has represented some of the biggest clubs in European football, most notably Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. The Frenchman left the latter in the summer, however, following the expiration of his contract, and he is now on the lookout for a new team.

Newcastle have emerged as strong suitors for the midfielder, with Howe potentially considering him a player who can add that extra quality in the middle of the park, linking up with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali in what would be an extremely talented unit. Manchester United are also keen, though, with both clubs contemplating making offers.

Yusuf Yazici has also been linked with a move to St James', with the 27-year-old bringing an end to a five-year stint at Ligue 1 side Lille earlier in the summer, although there are a whole host of clubs in contact with his agents.

Newcastle planning move for "outstanding" £40m maverick

According to a fresh update from Caught Offside, Newcastle are keen on signing Manchester United winger Antony once the January window rolls around, in a move which would divide opinion on Tyneside given the Brazilian's struggles in England so far.

The Red Devils reportedly value the Brazilian at £40m, even though they spent £86m on him to sign him from Ajax, with his time at Old Trafford not proving to be too successful but Howe still "highly appreciative" of his abilities and perhaps believing he can perform a similar transformation to what he has done with Anthony Gordon's end product.

A lack of end product has always been cited as an issue for the 24-year-old, much like current Magpies man Miguel Almiron, with only 11 goals and five assists coming his way in 83 appearances, which is an extremely poor return for a wide attack playing at one of the world's biggest clubs.

That being said, there are still those who rate Antony, with former Red Devils defender Phil Bardsley describing him as "outstanding" last season, having put in an impressive defensive performance in a goalless draw away to Liverpool in the Premier League.

At 24, the United man is still a young player who could improve further, and he does possess a nice left foot with the ability to produce some magic, but Newcastle would be taking a huge risk on him.

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Granted, Antony could thrive and be an upgrade on the likes of Almiron and Jacob Murphy, but it is also easy to envisage him continuing to be the frustrating player he is at Old Trafford, producing nowhere near enough substance in the final third.

While Rajasthan Royals’ new captain Sanju Samson believes their batting order will see “a bit more stability” in IPL 2021, their team director Kumar Sangakkara, however, wants the team to keep its options open before finalising the first-choice pair at the top of the order, where they tried five different combinations last season.The Royals had the likes of Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Steven Smith taking turns to open for them last season, before settling on the pair of Ben Stokes and Robin Uthappa for their last five matches. Samson is hopeful of bringing about a change this time around, as he acknowledged the importance of giving the opening pair time to settle.Related

• Samson: 'You're a captain when you're fielding, not when you're batting'

• What India's T20 WC hopefuls need to do in the IPL

• Rajasthan Royals' flexibility offers chance at redemption

• Samson named Rajasthan Royals captain for IPL 2021

“Sanga and I will try to give the best combination for our team,” Samson said during a virtual press conference. “From my point of view, I feel it’s important to give an individual or a pair of opening partners enough time in the tournament, so I think a bit of stability will be seen this time in the tournament. I think the rest will depend upon how we go.””I think it’s a decision we’ll undertake with the full buying of the players involved and we look to finalise later on today before we go for training,” Sangakkara said. “We want to keep our options open. The most important things is that players are communicated clearly as to what their roles are and get them to commit to it.”An area of concern for the Royals as they enter the season is the lack of experience in their Indian pace-bowling contingent. The likes of Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Aaron were expensive last season, Kartik Tyagi and their two news buys – Chetan Sakariya and Kuldip Yadav – are a tad inexperienced to shoulder the responsibility. To work around this, their new foreign recruit Chris Morris will be expected to carry most of the load, especially in the absence of Jofra Archer, who was not only the leader of the attack but also their most consistent performer last season.”It’s a big blow for us. I think Jofra is an absolutely vital part of our make up,” Sangakkara said. “Not to have him unfortunately is the reality of it and we have to plan around it. We have contingencies. We understand it’s a difficult time for Jofra. He’s played through a full series against India for England through pain and did excellently well. We’re hoping at some point he’ll be able to join us and play some part in our IPL [campaign].”I think inexperience sometimes work for you and again inexperience could mean the opposition has not seen them either. But fast bowling, especially in the IPL, is not an easy task. I’m confident our fast bowlers will step up. We have Kartik Tyagi who did very well lasts season in patches and various phases of the game. This time we have new additions in Kuldip Yadav and Chetan Sakariya. So I think it’s about keeping them focused on what their job is really and get them trained and prepared to execute all the different deliveries and scenarios and match plans for the opposition. But at the same time concentrate in giving them confidence about their own strengths.”Sangakkara’s advice for T20 world Cup hopefuls: ‘Focus on the IPL’With the T20 World Cup less than five months away, Sangakkara feels India hopefuls Samson and Rahul Tewatia need to focus on their performances in the IPL to book their spot for the tournament. Samson’s heroics at the IPL last season earned him a place in the India side for the T20Is against Australia, but he made just 48 runs in three games on the tour and was then left out for the series against England. Tewatia was called up for the England T20Is but he did not get a game.Sangakkara had some advice for the two, who, according to him, have got “great cricketing sense”, on how to deal with the pressure and expectations.”I think the pressure is always there,” Sangakkara said. “You can try and forget about it but the reality is that expectations is always there. You have various coping mechanism and techniques to deal with them. It’s important to have those grand ambitions of regularly playing international cricket. I think Sanju and Rahul are absolutely capable of being regulars, not just that but great outstanding performers on the international stage. They’ve got amazing ability, great cricketing sense and both of them over the years have progressed. Sanju has been a young batting superstar for quite a while on the Indian scene and is always talked about.”I think the real key is the process to get to the ambition, take it match by match in the IPL, and keep your focus on the IPL. Each game you play each innings and that’s how you break that process down. It is important that both of them have the freedom and trust of the team to express themselves – to be Sanju Samson and Rahul Tewatia.”

Still looking to complete more summer business before deadline day at the end of the month, Leicester City are now reportedly plotting a move to hijack Southampton's pursuit of a Premier League gem.

Leicester transfer news

The Foxes have had to be careful on the profit and sustainability front so far this summer, hoping to avoid a punishment that would leave their season in disarray before it's even underway. But that hasn't stopped them from welcoming several reinforcements and it may not stop them in pursuit of some ambitious additions, such as Steven Bergwijn.

The former Tottenham Hotspur winger could yet make his return to the Premier League courtesy of Leicester in a move that would see the Ajax captain hand Steve Cooper's attack a significant boost. What's more, according to Fabrizio Romano, the Foxes have agreed a deal to sign Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion for the season, with the focus clearly on Cooper's frontline this month.

After losing Kelechi Iheanacho at the end of his contract and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea earlier this summer, Cooper could certainly do with a spark to ignite his attack before the Premier League campaign gets underway, and the Foxes seem to be well aware of that.

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According to Paul Joyce of The Times, Leicester are now plotting to hijack Southampton's move to sign Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool this summer. The Saints have already seen a £15m bid rejected by the Reds and reportedly upped their offer to around £20m in the hope of landing the attacking midfielder. Leicester may now swoop in right under their nose to land an impressive coup.

Carvalho has certainly impressed in pre-season too, scoring in a 2-1 defeat over Arsenal and a 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United. There's no doubting his quality – Leicester will just be hoping to be the side benefitting from it this season.

"Fantastic" Carvalho would replace Dewsbury-Hall

When Dewsbury-Hall swapped Leicester for Chelsea alongside Enzo Maresca earlier this summer, he left a significant gap in attacking quality that Carvalho could be left to replace in the forthcoming campaign. The Liverpool man has proved his quality in pre-season and, for that matter, whenever he's received an opportunity outside of Anfield, and has now earned a Premier League chance.

Championship stats 23/24 (via FBref)

Fabio Carvalho

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Goals

9

12

Assists

2

14

Key Passes per 90

2.01

2.70

Minutes

1,882

3,636

In an outstanding loan spell at Hull City in the second-half of last season, Carvalho revived his campaign and earned the praise of former manager Liam Rosenior as a result, who said via the Hull Daily Mail: "His mentality is humble. He wants to work. "I have to drag him off the training pitch every day. I walked into our old dressing room yesterday afternoon, he's cleaning his boots in the sink.

"He's just so humble, and he's going to have a great career because he's got the right mentality and it's not. The goal pleases me. The goal pleases me, and it's fantastic and that's why we brought him in."

The first one-dayer was abandoned after an Irish player tested positive for Covid-19 but now everyone from both sides have returned negative tests

Mohammad Isam06-Mar-2021

Players from both sides tested negative for Covid-19 on Saturday•BCB

The second one-day match between Bangladesh Emerging Team and Ireland Wolves will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday, after players from both teams tested negative for Covid-19. Ruhan Pretorius, whose positive test resulted in the abandonment of the first one-dayer on Friday, was among those who returned a negative test.BCB officials waited till 10pm on the eve of the second game to determine whether both sides can play. Both sets of players were tested orally and nasally as soon as the first match was called off after 30 overs, with the results arriving on Saturday evening.During the Friday match, Pretorius bowled four overs before he was withdrawn from the field at the first drinks break. Shortly afterwards, the teams were informed of his positive result, which prompted the Ireland Wolves to choose abandonment instead of taking a Covid-19 substitute. The match, which was being aired on the BCB’s official YouTube channel, stopped abruptly at the end of the 30th over of the first innings – the Bangladeshis were 122 for 4 at that stage – with the umpires seemingly informing the batsmen of the development even as the Ireland fielders walked off the field.The BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said at the time that there was no option but to call off the match because of the timing of the test report reaching the relevant people.But getting the series back on track will be a boost to the BCB who have so far taken confidence from their smooth handling of bio-secure bubbles during two domestic competitions and West Indies’ tour of Bangladesh from January 10 to February 15.Ireland Wolves have already played their only four-day game of the tour, and this was the first of the five-match one-day series against Bangladesh Emerging Team, with the next matches slotted for March 7, 9, 12 and 14. The two sides are also scheduled to play two T20s on March 17 and 18.

The transfer window has been open for over a month now, and while Tottenham Hotspur have already made one exciting addition to the team in the shape of 18-year-old Archie Gray, they need to do more.

Fortunately for Ange Postecoglou and the fans, it would appear that Daniel Levy and Co have been hard at work over the last few weeks as there has been a relatively constant stream of links to stars across the continent, and while a number of said links are clearly bogus, there are a few that seem more concrete, notably including one to Pedro Neto.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers ace looks set to leave the Old Gold this summer, and the Lilywhites appear to be one of the leading candidates to secure his services.

This would be exciting in and of itself, but recent reports have revealed that the club are also targeting another attacking ace and someone who could be unreal alongside the Portuguese ace.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham have maintained their interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

The story claims that with 12 months remaining on his current £20k-per-week deal, the England international is all but guaranteed to leave the Gtech Community Stadium, and this presents the Lilywhites with an opportunity.

The article does not mention a potential price the North Londoners may pay to get this deal over the line, but a separate report from the Sun this week revealed that the Bees are ready to reduce their asking price to less than £50m in a bid to prevent him from leaving for free next year.

Even at this reduced price, signing Toney would still represent a significant investment from Spurs, but given his record in the Premier League and the potential partnership he could form with Neto, it's one well worth making.

Why Toney would be great with Neto

Now, the main reason Toney would be such an incredible player to sign alongside Neto is relatively simple: his output.

The Englishman had a lacklustre campaign last season, mostly because he only returned from an eight-month betting-related football ban in the new year and was evidently not up to speed.

However, when looking at his first two years following promotion from the Championship, it is abundantly clear that the "unplayable" number nine, as dubbed by Alan Shearer, is elite.

Ivan Toney's Premier League record

Season

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

Appearances

33

33

17

Goals

12

20

4

Assists

5

4

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.51

0.72

0.35

All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, in 2021/22, he scored 14 goals and provided six assists in 37 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.85 games.

A year later, he scored 21 goals and provided five assists in 35 appearances, equating to an even more impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.34 games.

Now, imagine the 28-year-old goalscoring "monster", as dubbed by his manager Thomas Frank, alongside Neto, who, in just 24 appearances last season, scored three goals and provided 11 assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.71 games and could therefore form a very intimidating partnership with the Bees ace.

Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the Old Gold star sits in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for assists, so the Englishman can expect an incredible level of service from the wings, especially if Son plays on the other side.

Ultimately, while it wouldn't be cheap, signing Toney for close to £50m would represent good value based on his goalscoring record, and if Spurs can partner him up with Neto, Postecoglou may well have one of the best attacks in the country at his disposal next season.

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تجرى اليوم الأربعاء 8 يناير 2025، مراسم قرعة دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين للموسم الحالي 2024-2025.

وتأهلت 4 أندية إلى دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس الحرمين الشريفين، وهي، الاتحاد والشباب والرائد والقادسية.

وتأهل فريق الاتحاد بعد الفوز على الهلال، في مباراة مارثوانية في مواجهة دور ربع النهائي، التي أقيمت أمس الثلاثاء، وفاز بنتيجة 3-1 بركلات الترجيح بعد انتهاء اللقاء في الوقت الأصلي والإضافي بالتعادل الإيجابي 2-2.

طالع | كريم بنزيما يقود الاتحاد للفوز على الهلال والتأهل إلى نصف نهائي كأس الحرمين

بينما جاء تأهل فريق الشباب على حساب الفيحاء بالفوز 2-1، وحسم فريق القادسية تأهله بعدما تخطى عقبة التعاون بثلاثية نظيفة.

وفريق الرائد تأهل بالفوز على منافسه الجبلين بركلات الترجيح 4-3، عقب انتهاء اللقاء بالتعادل 1-1.

يذكر، أن فريق الهلال يعد هو الفريق صاحب الرقم القياسي في التتويج ببطولة كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين بـ 19 لقب، يأتي ناديا الاتحاد والأهلي في المرتبة الثانية بـ 18 لقب، بينما فريق النصر ثالثًا بـ 16 لقب. موعد قرعة دور نصف نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين اليوم

تقام قرعة دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين، اليوم الأربعاء، إذ تنطلق في تمام الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لـ  قرعة دور نصف نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين اليوم

تنقل مراسم قرعة دور نصف نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين، عبر قناة SSC NEWS

تقام منافسات دور نصف نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين، يومي 1 و2 من شهر أبريل 2025

Ross Taylor is just five games away from becoming New Zealand’s most-capped international cricketer, across formats, and might end up setting the bar really high by the time he decides to quit, because the next 50-over World Cup – in late 2023 – “is definitely on the radar” for him.Taylor, who is nearing 37, should go past Daniel Vettori’s mark of 437 international caps during the upcoming home series (three T20Is and two Tests) against West Indies. He said he had been using the Covid-19-enforced break to think about the future, and admitted that it would be a challenge to go on for another three years to sign off at the World Cup, to be played in India.Speaking at a press interaction after the New Zealanders reached Auckland, the venue for the first T20I on November 27, Taylor said, “2023 was going to be a stretch, I think, at the best of times, when it was (supposed to be held in) February and March. And now, the World Cup has been dragged out to October and November ’23, it’s another six or seven months to hang around.”You’ve got to have short-term goals and long-term goals and the one-day World Cup is definitely on the radar. I might have to trim things back leading into that – I’m not getting any younger. It doesn’t mean I will make it, but, it’s definitely one of my goals.”New Zealand’s last international game was the first ODI against Australia in Sydney on March 13, played in front of empty stands, before that series was called off in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak. Taylor might well have gone past Vettori’s mark had there been a normal calendar through 2020, and jokingly said, “don’t jinx it, when asked about the impending milestone.From an international debut in an ODI – also against West Indies – in Napier in March 2006, Taylor has treaded a long path, playing 101 Tests, 232 ODIs and 100 T20Is prior to the start of the upcoming series.”I was really happy to play one or two games for New Zealand,” he said, looking back. “I’ve still got to get there first, but my mentor, Martin Crowe, always used to say records are meant to be broken for the next guy to come beat. Whatever number of games I end up on, hopefully Kane [Williamson, who has 291 caps] and whoever comes through can beat that and keep setting the bar higher.”ALSO READ: Ross Taylor on 2021 T20 World Cup: ‘Not sure’Taylor was away playing the Caribbean Premier League not too long ago, and agreed that it wasn’t always easy to play in crowdless stadia, even though players were used to empty stands at domestic matches.No fans made it “a little bit dull, almost like a warm-up game”, Taylor said. “In domestic cricket, we don’t really get a lot of people, so that hasn’t felt any different,” he said with a laugh. “(From) playing in front of nobody to having the possibility of playing in front of thousands of people, I think – that’s why you want to play for, you play for your family and friends and the fans.”Like with many others, a break from the hectic schedule went down well with Taylor, but he conceded that he was desperate to get back to playing.”When you’re a parent, it’s nice to have your kids around, but you’ve normally got a little bit of your mind on the game you’re playing in a couple of days’ time,” he said. “To have a complete break away from that and not have the excuse to that you’ve got a game in a couple of days’ time and to be present with my family was something I’ll never forget.”But, at the same time, you’re only a cricketer for a certain period of time, and I’m not getting any younger, so I’ve got to make the most of every opportunity I can.”

Arsenal could have the opportunity to exchange a £35 million member of their squad and a 41-cap international in a swap deal for one elite-level striker.

Arsenal set to sign new striker despite great attacking form

The Gunners' imperious attacking displays towards the back end of 2023/2024 were noteworthy, with Mikel Arteta's side scoring 90-plus goals in the Premier League alone.

Arsenal make offer to sign "dangerous" £51m Saka & Foden hybrid

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The likes of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard scored 51 goals in all competitions between them, with goals coming from all over Arteta's frontline as the Spaniard coped without a guaranteed 25-plus-goals per season striker.

Bukayo Saka

20

Leandro Trossard

17

Kai Havertz

14

Martin Odegaard

11

Gabriel Jesus

8

However, despite the trio's fine form, it has been reported that Arsenal want to bring in an important new centre-forward this summer as one of their key transfer agendas. Arteta wants to sign a young partner to Havertz going forward, with Arsenal setting their sights on RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko as one serious option.

Another exciting potential target is Napoli star Victor Osimhen, who has been a prolific scorer in Serie A over the last few years.

"It's no great secret that Arsenal want to sign a striker this summer. When the window opens it will be the priority, along with a midfielder and potentially another wide attacker," said reliable journalist Charles Watts.

"It will be interesting to see whether they move for Victor Osimhen. He, like Toney, is a player they like and I know that his representatives have visited Arsenal's training ground for talks with Edu.

"Those talks took place in the summer when Arsenal eventually signed Gabriel Jesus. Jesus was always the priority that year, but Osimhen was definitely a player they viewed as a serious alternative.

"That interest will remain, but the Nigerian could prove to be too costly an option in a summer given Arsenal want to spread their budget around as they look to take the squad to the next level."

Reports have claimed that Osimhen prefers Arsenal if he were to make a Premier League move, but it is unclear whether Edu Gaspar would be willing to pay the striker's £113 million release clause.

Arsenal could use Tomiyasu and Smith Rowe in Osimhen swap deal

His exit clause is making clubs think twice about moving for him, but Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport presents a possible method for Arsenal to drive the price down.

They suggest, via Sport Witness, that Arsenal could use some of their players in a part-exchange bid for Osimhen. The newspaper names both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe as options in this regard, as Napoli are believed to be fans of the duo.

Tomiyasu, a 41-cap Japan international, found consistent starting opportunities hard to come by at the Emirates last season, and the same can certainly be said for £35 million midfielder Smith Rowe.