It would be fair to say that the last few weeks have been rough for Ipswich Town.

Kieran McKenna’s side have played arguably the best football of the three promoted sides in the Premier League this season, but following their 2-1 loss to Southampton last Saturday, their fourth on the bounce, they find themselves down in 19th and three points off safety.

Nevertheless, this afternoon’s FA Cup Fourth Round tie away to Championship side Coventry City offers the Tractor Boys the chance to forget about their lacklustre league form and pick up a much-needed win.

However, McKenna must make one key change to the starting lineup and drop one of the worst performers against the Saints to ensure that happens.

The Ipswich Town star who must be dropped

It will likely come as no surprise to many of you that the player we are talking about is goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who joined the club from Burnley in the summer for a fee of £10m that could reach £15m.

Unfortunately for all parties, if that higher fee is based on how the 26-year-old performs, it doesn’t look like it’ll be hit, as the Kosovan shot-stopper has been poor for some time now.

That was certainly the case last weekend, as his attempt to stop the Saints’ opener was laughable at best and while the second wasn’t quite as bad, he still should have parried the ball into a safer area.

It might sound harsh, but it’s an opinion shared by the East Anglian Daily Times’ Alex Jones, who awarded him just a 4/10 at full-time, and even that rating looks kind when you look at his statistics.

In 98 minutes, he made just two saves, prevented negative 1.55 goals, which means the shots he faced amounted to an expected goals figure of just 0.45, maintained a passing accuracy of just 76% and was accurate in just one of his ten attempted long balls.

In short, it was a shambolic showing from Muric, and while club captain Sam Morsy is probably fair to claim that he’s becoming something of a “scapegoat,” that is in large part down to his dire form, and therefore, he must be dropped.

The Ipswich ace who must replace Muric

The player McKenna should be turning to in place of Muric this afternoon is the club’s latest signing, Alex Palmer.

The 6 foot 3 shot-stopper joined the club on transfer deadline day for around £2m, and while you’d often want to give new arrivals time to settle into the club, he should be more than ready to come right into the starting lineup.

For example, before making the move to Suffolk, the Kidderminster-born keeper had already made 30 appearances for West Bromwich Albion this season, in which he had kept 11 clean sheets.

He was just as impressive last season, keeping 19 clean sheets in 48 games, and there’s no need to worry about his temperament either, as former manager Carlos Corberán described him as someone who plays “with a lot of maturity.”

Moreover, in that same article, The Athletic described him as a ‘calming influence’ on his teammates, which sounds like the sort of number one a team in a relegation scrap needs.

Ultimately, there is always a slight risk in signing a goalkeeper from a lower league, but given how poor Muric has been of late, it’s a risk the club had to take, and in turn, McKenna has to start him this afternoon.

He left in 2015: Ipswich loan flop is now outscoring both Delap & Lath

The incredible goalscorer would be perfect for Ipswich this season.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Feb 5, 2025

Cheteshwar Pujara’s undefeated 106 formed the backbone of Sussex’s innings

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2023Tom Taylor blasted 42 off just 23 balls to lead Northamptonshire to their first Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory in a gripping encounter against Sussex Sharks at Wantage Road.Taylor came together with Justin Broad with the Steelbacks in real trouble on 173 for 7, still needing 70 to win in just 7.2 overs.But Taylor, fresh from a maiden List A century against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham on Friday, took advantage of a largely inexperienced bowling attack, smashing three sixes and three fours. Together with Broad (22), the pair knocked off the runs required from just 36 balls with an over to spare.Needing 14 runs to win off the last two overs, Taylor swung a huge six off Ari Karvelas before Broad hit another maximum to clinch victory.Earlier Cheteshwar Pujara’s patient, classy undefeated 106 (119 balls) was the backbone of Sussex’s innings. Against a disciplined Steelbacks attack in conditions favouring the bowlers, Pujara was content to play the long game, scoring at close to a run a ball and keeping risk to a minimum. He collected just three boundaries in his first 79 runs, before pressing the accelerator with two sixes in the closing overs to take him into three figures as the Sharks closed on 240 for 7.Northamptonshire’s Jack White had struck in successive overs to remove both Sharks openers cheaply before Pujara and James Coles rebuilt in a stand of 50 off 50 balls.Steelbacks skipper Lewis McManus’ bowling changes made impacts at key moments to peg back the visitors’ momentum, but the lower order kept Pujara company, taking the offensive option as Sussex’s innings ended with a flourish.With rain reducing the match to 45 overs a side, Northamptonshire’s revised target was 243, but despite a stand of 57 between Ricardo Vasconcelos and Sam Whiteman and a spirited 36 from McManus, the Steelbacks looked down and out before Taylor and Broad came together.White had accounted for Sussex skipper Tom Haines early, caught at point and Tom Alsop who drove loosely to slip, leaving them 21 for 2 in the eighth over. Joined by Coles, Pujara largely played the anchor role, putting away the bad balls, favouring the cut shot when the bowlers strayed in line but also using his feet to drive into the gaps.Coles was more attacking, hitting four boundaries before departing in Rob Keogh’s opening over when the spinner got one to turn back and trap him lbw.Tom Clark’s brief stay ended when Keogh tossed one up tempting him to come down the track. Keeper McManus fumbled the ball initially, but still had time to whip off the bails with the batter well out of his ground.Seam brough the last three wickets. White struck almost immediately in a fresh spell when Fynn Hudson-Prentice drilled the ball straight to mid-on. Oli Carter went on the offensive, but Procter’s new spell did the trick when the batter attempted a wild swing and was trapped lbw.After the rain break, Jack Carson took on Procter, hooking and clattering him through midwicket before he top-edged to backward point as the all-rounder got his revenge. Pujara though finished with a flourish, carving one square for six and hitting down the ground for another maximum.Prithvi Shaw started Northamptonshire’s chase positively, taking consecutive boundaries off each of Karvelas’ opening overs, but after a brisk 26, he chopped a Brad Currie delivery onto his stumps. Currie then had Emilio Gay adjudged caught behind off a ball which looked to have hit the thigh pad.Whiteman hit consecutive boundaries but was missed at slip early in his innings. He played the hook to good effect and took the Steelbacks to three figures with a sweetly-timed sweep off Carson. He failed to repeat the shot though and could only top-edge the next ball.Vasconcelos played some inventive shots mixed with conventional strokeplay. He punched through cover for four to get off the mark and drove sweetly as the Steelbacks ended the powerplay on 51 for 2. He took on Carson’s offbreaks, pulling through midwicket and punching down the ground but gave the spinner his second scalp when he chipped straight to mid-on. Northamptonshire quickly lost another wicket when Procter chopped on to Hudson-Prentice to leave them reeling at 115 for 5.Keogh, dropped at slip before scoring, shared a busy stand of 44 with McManus before he played on to one from Coles. McManus fell shortly after when he chipped Henry Crocombe high to midwicket. That though brought Taylor and Broad together and a memorable victory.

GOAL ranks the top-13 USMNT prospects at or under the age of 21

America is always on the lookout for the next big homegrown soccer talent — and with good reason. The U.S. men’s national team continues to make meaningful strides, and sometimes all it takes is an influx of talent to reach the next level.

Landon Donovan was once that rising star, as were Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride, Tab Ramos, and Steve Cherundolo. Christian Pulisic, who was a highly-touted prospect, continues to defy expectations, and now, with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, a new generation is preparing to make its mark.

So who’s next? Which rising stars could play a role in this World Cup cycle, and which ones should fans be watching closely?

Paxten Aaronson, Jack McGlynn, Cavan Sullivan, Diego Luna, and Diego Kochen headline the list, thanks to their rapid development and growing reputations. Others like Damion Downs, Julian Hall, Noahkai Banks, and Josh Wynder may be less known, but they possess serious upside. In between, there’s Borussia Dortmund’s Cole Campbell, Inter Miami’s Benjamin Cremaschi — Lionel Messi’s young teammate — and Chelsea’s promising duo of Gabriel Slonina and Caleb Wiley, all pushing to take the next step.

GOAL ranks the top 13 American prospects between the ages of 15 and 21 — players on the verge of breaking into the professional spotlight, and possibly, the senior national team.

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  13Josh Wynder, Benfica

  Age: 20

  Position: Centerback

  The hype: Wynder, who has been a regular with Benfica's B team during the 2024-25 season, recently made his senior debut and is starting to develop into the player many touted him to be when he broke out in the USL Championship as a teenager with Louisville City. A well-known name at the U.S. youth level, he captained the U19 side when featuring for them, while earning a spot in the XI all throughout the 2023 U20 FIFA World Cup.

  In the Benfica system, he's developing in one of the world's greatest academies and learning from some of the best youth coaching staff at the same time. With a brief taste of senior soccer in spring 2025, the best might just be around the corner for the towering defender. If he can permanently break into the senior team next year, there's no telling how fast his development could progress.

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  12Julian Hall, New York Red Bulls

  Age: 16

  Position: Forward

  The hype: Hall, similar to Sullivan, is a teenage prodigy at the MLS level. At 16, he's still a child, too – but he's mature beyond his years, and already breaking through with a New York Red Bulls side that made it to MLS Cup 2024. Already linked with some of Europe's top clubs – Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Chelsea, among others – he's being touted to have a brilliant professional career.

  Elusive and technical on the ball, Hall has all of the skills needed to succeed at the highest of levels. He's featured at the U.S. youth level, and in 2025, already has eight appearances – including one start – in MLS regular season play. In 2024, he scored two goals and recorded one assist in 11 appearances for the Red Bulls as well.

  He's no ordinary 16-year-old. U.S. Soccer fans should be so excited to see where he ends up.

• AFP
  

  11Jack McGlynn, Houston Dynamo

  Age: 21

  Position: Central midfield

  The hype: A well-known commodity in MLS, McGlynn broke out internationally in January with the U.S., scoring a belter of an effort for his first international goal. He was traded from the Philadelphia Union to the Houston Dynamo ahead of the 2025 season for $3 million, and already has over 100 senior appearances at the MLS level.

  A wicked left foot, McGlynn is known for being clinical from distance, while offering an attacking mindset in the middle of the pitch. He's a tall midfield presence at 6-foot tall, and U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino has already had him in camp – the future is bright, if McGlynn can take advantage of the moment.

• AFP
  

  10Gabriel Slonina, Chelsea

  Age: 20

  Position: Goalkeeper

  The hype: 'Gaga' Slonina was a star in MLS as a teenager, and as a result, earned a move to Premier League giants Chelsea. After a positive first season on loan in Belgium with Eupen, he was sent on loan to EFL League One side Barnsley to begin the 2024-25 season – where he thoroughly impressed at first. In the Carabao Cup, he earned Player of the Round honors early on, but suddenly fell out of favor as the holiday season neared – and then he suffered an injury, and returned to Chelsea in January. He's been rehabilitating since at Cobham.

  Slonina is still one of the brightest goalkeepers in the U.S. pool, though, and he's already stated his goal is to be a part of the 2026 World Cup squad. A brilliant shotstopper with massive size in net, Slonina has been a professional since he was 17-years-old and has nearly 100 senior appearances in net already. He's represented the U.S. numerous times at the youth level and was part of the squad at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

  The 2025-26 season will be his biggest test yet if he really wants to break out ahead of the World Cup.

The third day saw 24 wickets tumble as the home side swept to a dramatic win

Andrew McGlashan30-Nov-2023

Chris Tremain and Jackson Bird secured New South Wales a dramatic Sheffield Shield victory at the SCG as Tasmania were bundled out for 68 on a pitch that offered the bowlers plenty.On an action-packed third day, 24 wickets fell after play had resumed with the visitors’ first innings still in action. Tasmania drew within 24 runs of NSW’s total then the home side collapsed to lose 9 for 55 (and 7 for 19) leaving a target of 143.That quickly grew to significant proportions on a surface providing variable bounce and significant seam movement for the quicks. Bird, against his former team, and Tremain reduced Tasmania to 12 for 3 then returned to halt a recovery and blast through the middle and lower order, taking all 10 wickets between them to give NSW their second win of the season.Related

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Perhaps unsurprisingly there were contrasting views on the pitch which used a new type of grass the SCG is trying this season which encourages greater growth.”I’m definitely going to go into bat for the groundsman,” Tremain told ESPNcricinfo. “Ask the batsmen, they’ll tell you something different. They were at the mercy of the weather leading into the game so don’t think the pitch was underprepared. Over the first two innings it created quite a few divots as it was a little soft on top with that good grass cover.”When those divots harden up they get a little bit sporting. The crack played a lot of a part in things this afternoon, but don’t think that wicket was poorly prepared. In the balance of bat versus ball obviously ball was the winner, but I wouldn’t be too quick to hang the groundsman out to dry.”Tasmania captain Jordan Silk said he was all for wickets that had something in them for bowlers, but believed that the uneven bounce was the concerning factor about this pitch.”I’ve played quite a lot Shield cricket and can’t say I’ve played on a wicket quite like that where the ball was nipping around a lot, there were cracks on lines and it was snaky,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “You had not just the sideways movement but you had a few balls climbing up then some climbing down.”Think you can cop a bit of wear and tear over the course of a game, but when there’s been 40 wickets in 160 overs of cricket you probably think it’s a bit too heavily weighted towards the bowlers. And that’s coming from someone who is really keen on having some sporting wickets, but it was slightly too far towards the bowling side.”There were some unplayable deliveries among the wickets on the third day, not least Bird’s wicked ball to seam past Caleb Jewell’s bat from around leg stump and take the top of off at the start of Tasmania’s chase.Tremain, who took 5 for 35 in his previous SCG outing against Western Australia, then had Charlie Wakim caught at slip and followed that by nipping one back through Silk to leave himself on a hat-trick.That was not forthcoming, and for a while either side of tea Tasmania made positive progress as Jake Doran took an aggressive route which included cutting Nathan Lyon’s first deliveries through the off side.Gabe Bell battled through injury for a five-wicket haul•Getty Images

But Bird produced another cracking delivery to nick Doran’s off bail after the runs required had been brought below 90. Beau Webster has been one of the form players of the season and early indications were that he was going to take the game on as he pulled his first ball through midwicket, but in the next over he went too far across against Tremain and was lbw.There was no stopping Tremain as he ended Tim Ward’s hard-working stay with an edge to the keeper then castled Mitchell Owen, who had been unbeaten on 70 in the first innings at the start of the day, and Jarrod Freeman, with batters regularly left starring down at the pitch.The final two wickets went to Bird, the game ending when Lawrence Neil-Smith, who claimed career-best match figures of 10 for 104, lobbed to cover.A few hours earlier, Neil-Smith had walked off alongside a limping Gabe Bell having shared eight wickets in NSW’s second innings to bundle them out for 118.With a narrow lead under their belt, NSW had started positively and reached 30 in the fifth over before Bell broke through, and at 63 for 1 there was no imminent sign of the carnage to come.Bell had left the field midway through his sixth over with a groin strain. However, during lunch he went through a fitness test and told Silk he was “about 80%”. Ryan Hackney and Jason Sangha had been dismissed in consecutive overs, but Moises Henriques and debutant Sam Konstas battled through 11 overs to start another partnership.Then the clatter started. Henriques was caught at slip off Neil-Smith and Konstas fell to the last ball before a rain delay. Ollie Davies, batting with a fractured finger, edged behind three deliveries after the resumption and the rest went quickly.But both sides knew 143 was going to be tough. “Mo [Henriques] said before we went out that 120 was par,” Tremain said. “Don’t know if that was bravado or he was serious. He was probably serious, he’s a very serious character. We had a bit of confidence knowing anything can happen, and anything did happen.”Tasmania bat very deep and Silk backed them to get over the line, but the reality was different. However, he refused to be too downhearted with the team still having a chance of topping the Sheffield Shield table at the BBL break and three home games to come when it resumes in February.”We knew it was going to be difficult,” he said. “There was a lot of belief that we could chase 140 but we knew it would take a group effort to get it done. Against high-class bowling in Bird and Tremain in conditions that are favourable to them, you have to bring your best and unfortunately it wasn’t good enough to keep out their good stuff.”I’m really proud of how this group have gone about the first six games. Probably a lot of people will be speaking about who we are playing, but we have a lot of belief within those four walls that we are a good enough team to mix it with a lot of sides. One bad week won’t our thinking.”

Guyana Amazon Warriors 99 for 1 (Ayub 52*, Hope 32) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 94 (Carty 38, Pretorius 4-26, Motie 2-7, Tahir 2-8) by nine wicketsAn emotional Imran Tahir couldn’t stop his tears all the way from the end of the CPL 2023 final to the presentation ceremony and beyond. He had, after all, played a big role in taking Guyana Amazon Warriors to their first CPL title after having fallen short in five finals in the past.Amazon Warriors did it by bowling out the most successful CPL franchise – Trinbago Knight Riders – for just 94 in front of a rapturous home crowd in Providence, before racing past the target with six overs to spare, which sparked wild celebrations. Dwaine Pretorius’ 4 for 26 led the demolition, and he was assisted by frugal spells from Romario Shepherd, Tahir and Gudakesh Motie. Pretorius and Shepherd were crucial to Amazon Warriors’ title run, picking up 19 wickets in the powerplay over the season. Once they were done setting up the win, Saim Ayub and Shai Hope combined for a brisk, unbroken stand to take them home.Amazon Warriors went wicketless for nearly three overs after opting to bowl, but Knight Riders lost three wickets in as many overs to lose their way after that. Pretorius bowled Mark Deyal for 16, Shepherd trapped Chadwick Walton lbw for 10, and Pretorius had Nicholas Pooran skying one to mid-off the very next ball after wicketkeeper Azam Khan had dropped Pooran.Knight Riders had barely recovered from 35 for 3 when their new batters, Kieron Pollard and Akeal Hosein, holed out in the same over off Motie while going for questionable big shots. Pollard found deep midwicket for a duck before Hosein miscued to long-off where Shimron Hetmyer took an excellent running catch.