Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino made a key change to his team at half-time and saw Cole Palmer go on to inspire the Blues to victory.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Chelsea beat Sheffield UnitedPochettino makes half-time tactical switchPalmer comes up with goal and assistWHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United. Goals from Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson handed the Blues a much-needed three points to move up to 10th place in the table. Palmer now has six goals this season for the Chelsea, with Pochettino revealing after the game how a key tactical tweak he made had helped the summer signing inspire the Blues to victory.

AdvertisementWHAT POCHETTINO SAID

Pochettino told : "In the second half we changed the position of Palmer and Raheem Sterling, we tried to put Palmer and [Mykhailo] Mudryk in a better position in front of goal. I’m confident, even when we lose. I really believe in the players and the club. Now it’s about to use that in the next competition in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup."

The Chelsea boss also went on to speak about what he feels is Palmer's best position: "For me he’s a playmaker, a player who can link the team. He’s also a player with the capacity to score goals and give assists. The contribution of Cole Palmer from day one has been massive."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Palmer is certainly having a big impact at Chelsea after signing for the club from Manchester City in a deal worth £42.5 million ($53.8m). Chelsea went to great lengths to bring in the youngster and he is already establishing himself as a key player for Pochettino. The move is also paying off for Palmer. He is enjoying regular football at Chelsea and will be hoping he can also force his way into the England squad for Euro 2024.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

DID YOU KNOW?

Palmer has now scored and assisted in three Chelsea games this season against Sheffield United, Burnley and Tottenham.

Everton could finally be set to solve a long-term problem area of theirs, as they hone in on a top striking target…

Who are Everton signing this summer?

That's according to Italian outlet La Nazione (as relayed by Firenze Viola), who detail the Toffees' continued interest in Salernitana forward Boulaye Dia.

Whilst his €25m (£22m) release clause is noted to have expired this week, his club have slapped a new mouth-watering €40m (£35m) figure on his head and the cash-strapped Merseyside outfit still remain in the race to bring him to Goodison Park.

In fact, the report even states that they have 'come forward' to negotiate a deal this summer, with Neal Maupay a potential makeweight that they could use.

The Italian club were noted as interested in the Frenchman in January, who has struggled to make his mark since joining from Brighton and Hove Albion last summer.

Having already welcomed Ashley Young as their first deal of the window, the Senegalese international could mark the newest addition to follow the freshly-announced Arnaut Danjuma.

How good is Boulaye Dia?

With the persisting injury woes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin having plagued him for a second straight year, the English forward can no longer be relied upon as the sole number nine.

Sean Dyche, as a pragmatic man unwilling to take such a risk, seems to understand that better than any of the recent coaches to have graced the Goodison Park dugout.

As such, Dia would mark a welcome addition to spearhead a new-look front line that now consists of a certain maverick Dutchman at last.

Should these two former Villarreal stars both be welcomed, they could strike up another fine partnership to help fire the famous club to comfortable safety in the same way they aided the Yellow Submarine to the Champions League semi-finals.

After all, Danjuma boasts the necessary danger and creativity to forge plenty of chances for the 26-year-old finisher, who has impressed since moving to Italy. With 16 goals and six assists last season in Serie A, already the forward has showcased his adaptability to switch between leagues.

Just the year prior he had boasted ten goal contributions in LaLiga too, suggesting that the Premier League could be just as easy a conquest.

It was during the 2021/22 campaign that the former AFC Bournemouth dynamo enjoyed his standout year in Spain, recording 16 goals of his own alongside four assists across all competitions. In the league, the 26-year-old would maintain a 6.97 average rating too, buoyed by his 54% dribble success rate and 0.7 key passes per game, via Sofascore.

His dynamism and direct play style would make him a constant threat down either flank, in turn providing space for Dia to work his lethal magic. He managed a prolific 33% goal conversion rate last term in Serie A, which was actually higher than Erling Haaland's in the English top flight.

It is therefore no surprise to see him lauded by many, with journalist Josh Bunting having highlighted a key asset that will undoubtedly have Dyche thrilled:

"Boulaye Dia the key man for Salernitana a goal and two assists so far since joining, a handful to deal with due to his hold up."

With his ability to bring others into play alongside his clinical nature, he could be the man who provides for Danjuma in key areas, later popping up to finish the chances forged by such a dynamic new addition.

Should the Toffees welcome both of these forwards this summer, it poses an exciting prospect for a fanbase starved of any excitement in recent years.

Crystal Palace have said goodbye to club legend Wilfried Zaha and may be about to lose Marc Guehi to circling Premier League rivals, but Roy Hodgson's side could have a defensive alternative lined up.

What players have left Crystal Palace?

The Eagles have so far brought in only Jefferson Lerma on a free transfer following the midfielder's departure from fellow top-flight side Bournemouth.

Zaha is the most notable of those who have departed Selhurst Park, the forward officially joining Galatasaray on Monday, while the likes of Luka Milivojevic, James McArthur and Jack Butland have also reached the end of their contracts.

Guehi may be the next player to leave Palace, though the ball is very much in the South London side's court as the centre-back has three years to run on his deal.

According to The Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea are all interested in the 23-year-old, who is valued at £50m by the Eagles.

Palace could in turn make a surprise move for Aymeric Laporte, with the Daily Star reporting that the Eagles may move for the Manchester City defender in a cut-price £35m deal – a £22m loss for the European champions on what they paid Athletic Bilbao five years ago.

What is Aymeric Laporte's contract situation?

The French-born Spain international has two years to run on his City contract, meaning Pep Guardiola's men are certainly in no desperate need to offload this summer.

Laporte recently admitted he did not enjoy last season as much as his previous campaigns at the Etihad Stadium, having started just 11 Premier League games in City's treble-winning campaign.

Despite his relatively limited action in the top flight last season, Laporte still showed he is among the best centre-backs anywhere on the continent when used.

The 29-year-old ranks among the top 1% of all defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted (86.43 per 90), as per FBref, the top 3% for pass completion (92.7%) and the top 1% again for both progressive passes and progressive carries.

Laporte completely outperforms Guehi in each of those categories, the latter completing 'only' 85.3% of his passes, though there is nothing between the pair when it comes to tackles won per 90 (0.73), as is also the case in terms of aerial duels won (55.8% and 55.7% respectively).

Guehi does edge things in terms of blocks per 90 (1.22 v 0.91), which goes to show that, even at six years younger than Laporte, Guehi is an incredibly talented player in the purely defensive metrics – going a long way to explaining his hefty valuation.

For the here and now, though, there is no denying that Laporte is the better all-rounder for Hodgson. Indeed, the fact Guardiola would be reluctant to sell a player he previously described as "incredible" says an awful lot about the former Athletic Bilbao ace's stature.

Laporte's performances have been consistently strong across his six campaigns at City, five of which have resulted in him lifting the Premier League title at the end of the season.

Should Palace match the Citizens' valuation, and indeed persuade Laporte to join them over a bigger-name club, it could prove to be the biggest coup of the transfer window.

Will Sutherland’s four-wicket burst set up Victoria’s 35-run win via the DLS method and knocked out New South Wales in a match curtailed due to an unsafe pitch

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

Teenager Will Sutherland produced a breakout four-wicket burst to set up Victoria’s win over New South Wales at the North Sydney Oval. Apart from knocking out the home team, the result earned Victoria a playoff berth against South Australia, with Cricket Australia awarding the Bushrangers a bonus point for their superior net run rate. The winner of the Bushrangers-South Australia match will progress to face Western Australia in the domestic limited-overs final.The extra point, however, meant curtains for Tasmania. Had the Bushrangers not received the additional point, Tasmania could have still qualified ahead of Victoria by winning their final match in Hobart on Thursday.The finish was marred by the game’s abandonment due to an unsafe pitch, leaving the Bushrangers to be declared winners via Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculations after 26 overs had been bowled under lights. Victoria had made 108 for 4 at that point and were deemed to be ahead of the DLS par score by 35 runs.Andrew Jones, the NSW chief executive, was highly critical of the decision. “It should be a No Result,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “Conditions didn’t change all game so if it was dangerous for one side it was dangerous for the other. This is right up there with declaring BISP [Blacktown International Sports Park] pitch dangerous right after highest batting partnership in history of FC cricket.”The Blacktown match was a tour fixture between New Zealand and a CA XI in 2015 that was abandoned after a record opening stand between Ryan Carters and Aaron Finch.Will, son of the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, played a key role in ensuring the Bushrangers gave themselves the best chance of reaching the playoff by plucking the wickets of Ryan Gibson, Ed Cowan, Mitchell Starc and Doug Bollinger. It was a startling display in just his second match, having started the tournament listed as a rookie and then called up to replace an unfit Cameron White.Victoria’s chase was successful despite another improved display by Starc, who claimed three wickets in his third match back from injury. Test spinner Nathan Lyon was rested from the match due to a sore shoulder after he fell awkwardly in the field against Queensland on Friday. Fellow spinner Steve O’Keefe, suspended from the tournament, broke a finger while playing club cricket for Manly on the weekend and is expected to be out of action for around six weeks.

Former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini’s contract as Zimbabwe’s bowling coach is unlikely to be renewed when it expires in January next year, and he may even be released before that date. Ntini is on a two-year deal that started in January last year.

Zimbabwe squad for three one-dayers against Netherlands

Graeme Cremer (captain), Regis Chakabva, Peter Moor, Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, Chamu Chibhabha, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Christopher Mpofu, Richard Ngarava, Tarisai Musakanda, Ryan Burl, Malcolm Waller, Tendai Chatara

ESPNcricinfo understands that complaints from several players about Ntini’s approach have forced Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) administration to let Ntini go. With the World Cup qualifiers due to be played in March next year, ZC would prefer that process to take place earlier than his contract’s expiration date, so that they can find a replacement ahead of the tournament.But, ZC’s managing director Faisal Hasnain said discussions about Ntini, or anyone else’s contract, had not yet begun and that any suggestion that Ntini had been fired was untrue.”ZC denies in the strongest possible terms any suggestions that Makhaya has been sacked. When his contract comes up for renewal, will we deal with it in the manner we deal with all our contracts,” Hasnain said. “Makhaya is a valued member of our staff, he is highly respected and he has done some great work. He has his hands full preparing the team for the matches against Netherlands, Pakistan A and then the two Tests against West Indies.”Zimbabwe will be playing three 50-over matches against Netherlands in Harare next week and have named a strong squad for the series, although they will be without Brendan Taylor, who has been allowed a few days off after his return to the country. Taylor was released from his Nottinghamshire contract last week and will be available for Zimbabwe’s series against West Indies.Zimbabwe are pinning a lot of hopes on Taylor’s comeback and the revamped structures to see them through to the 2019 World Cup but are planning to get there without Ntini. The South African has not obtained any coaching qualifications prior to or since getting the job, though he has gained significant experience.After almost six months under Dav Whatmore, Ntini was appointed interim head coach when Whatmore was sacked at the end of May. Ntini took charge of Zimbabwe for three ODIs and three T20s against India and two Tests against New Zealand. Zimbabwe lost all but one of the T20s. Ntini was then relieved of the head coach job in October, when Heath Streak took over but he stayed on as a member of Streak’s support staff.The Zimbabwe job was Ntini’s first foray into coaching after his international retirement in 2010. He is one of the ambassadors of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars, the Port Elizabeth-based team in the Global T20 League, South Africa’s franchise tournament which kicks off in November.

USMNT star Sergino Dest has revealed what it was like to play alongside Lionel Messi during his time at Barcelona.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Dest reveals what playing with Messi like
• Admits he learned a lot from him
• Says everyone struggled to replicate him

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Speaking to , Dest revealed that he learned a lot during the year he played alongside the now eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. In 2020, the duo crafted their trade together in La Liga and across Europe.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT DEST SAID

  He said: "I played with Messi for one year, and even though it is impossible to do what he does, I learned a lot of things just by watching him.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dest's time at Barcelona truly never want to plan, however, he's found massive success in the Netherlands with PSV. He's become a go-to starter under Peter Bosz, flourishing with fellow internationals Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi. The Dutch side are top of the Eredivisie and have advanced to the last 16 of the Champions League.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR DEST

  The Dutch side return to action on January 13 against Excelsior, with their next Champions League match coming against Borussia Dortmund on February 20.

Mark Davis has left Sussex by “mutual consent” after the club’s failure to achieve Championship promotion

George Dobell25-Oct-2017Sussex have confirmed the departure of their head coach, Mark Davis. While the club insisted the decision was reached by “mutual consent”, it is clear Davis paid the price for Sussex’s failure to achieve Championship promotion and an over-reliance upon imported players. It is also understood that Davis lost the confidence of some senior figures in the dressing room.Sussex are now expected to hold a thorough recruitment process to appoint a successor. Chris Adams, captain during their three County Championship triumphs in the 2000s, is certain to be a strong candidate for the role with a possibility that he might be able to coax former team-mate Matt Prior back to the game in some sort of part-time, back-room role. Prior retired in 2015 due to injury and has subsequently moved into cycling as the co-owner and chief executive of One Pro Cycling.Confirmation of Davis’ departure comes a day after long-serving batsman Chris Nash was released and Rob Andrew, Sussex’s chief executive, said it was time to try and take the club in a new direction.”After reviewing a disappointing season for the first team, it was concluded that action needed to be taken in order to build for the future,” Andrew said. “The difficult decisions to part company with Mark by mutual consent and to agree to Chris’ request to be released from his contract were part of that action, but at its core were moves to solidify the foundations of a squad that has the potential to achieve great things in the coming years.”As such, a number of players have been offered and have signed new or extended contracts over recent weeks, and more are set to follow. This means we now have a stable and balanced squad made up of a mix of youth and experience that offers real strength across all disciplines.”Whoever is appointed is likely to be expected to show much greater faith in home-grown talent than was the case in 2017. While the club have enjoyed some success at age-group level in recent seasons, there were times last season when four or five of the team was made up of players ineligible for England – including Kolpak signings Stiaan van Zyl and David Wiese – which inevitably limited the opportunities for younger players.”I strongly believe that when a new head coach is appointed, they will have the raw materials with which to build a trophy-winning side,” Andrew said. “We are continuing to work on our four-year strategic plan for the wider organisation and there will be further news on this in due course.”A major part of that strategy will be the on-going development of home-grown Sussex players by our Performance Department. This work will continue the well-established trend of Sussex-bred bowlers and batsmen making their mark in the 1st XI.”Davis’ departure ends a long and generally happy association with Sussex. First as a player (he was part of the squad that won the County Championship for the first time in the club’s history in 2003) and then as a coach – he started as 2nd XI coach before being appointed head coach in 2015 – he has been associated with the club for 17 years.In a statement released by the club, Davis said: “I have established a very strong squad including Jofra Archer, Stiaan van Zyl and Laurie Evans and given opportunity to a number of young players who will no doubt achieve great things in the future.”The professional squad is very well set for the challenges ahead and I am confident these players will bring silverware to the club. I would like to thank all the players, support staff and coaches who supported me, as well as all the faithful Sussex supporters”.

Punjab had Chhattisgarh at 35 for 5, before the tail provided a fine fightback. Bengal and Vidharbha’s batsmen enjoyed better days with their openers scoring big centuries

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2017
ScorecardManpreet Gony and Harbhajan Singh celebrate taking a wicket•Fotocorp

A brutal new-ball spell from Manpreet Gony reduced Chhattisgarh to 35 for 5 – their run-rate was barely over 1 – but the lower order mounted a fine rearguard to lift the total up to a comparatively respectable 238 in Raipur.Vishal Kushwah, coming in at No. 9 in his third first-class match, top scored with 76 off only 93 deliveries. Equally aggressive was the No. 7 Jatin Saxena, whose 52 came off 59 balls. The No. 8 batsman Sumit Ruikar ensured there was a hat-trick of fifties on the scorecard, and he was the last man dismissed for an even 50.Until their efforts, Punjab looked unstoppable. Gony (4-41) and Sandeep Sharma (2-41) dismissed the Chhattisgarh openers for ducks and ensured none of the top five batsmen got past a score of 15. Left-arm spinner Vinay Chaudhary (3-56) finally broke through the lower-order resistance, dismissing two of the three half-centurions.Perhaps wanting to stamp their dominance, Punjab captain Jiwanjot Singh came out swinging when it was their turn to bat, scoring 40 off only 44 balls and remaining unbeaten when stumps was called.
ScorecardA hefty maiden first-class hundred from Abhishek Raman was the highlight of the first day’s play at Eden Gardens, where Bengal made 306 for 5 against Himachal Pradesh. Raman was out in the sixth over before stumps after smashing 176 off 242 balls, with 29 fours peppering his innings.Raman’s dismissal ended a 163-run fourth-wicket stand with Manoj Tiwary, and was followed by that of Wriddhiman Saha in the final over of the day, ensuring Himachal went to stumps not entirely displeased with their day’s work. Tiwary, batting on 78 (132b, 8×4, 1×6), will hold the key to Bengal’s hopes of a big total.Sent in to bat, Bengal lost Abhimanyu Easwaran in the first over of the day. Raman then added 37 for the second wicket with Sudip Chatterjee and 92 for the third with Koushik Ghosh (27) before Tiwary joined him with the score at 136 for 3.
ScorecardAn unbeaten hundred from Faiz Fazal led Vidarbha to a solid 259 for 3 against Services at the old VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Fazal batted right through the day’s play, and went to stumps on 128, having faced 256 balls and hit 12 fours and three sixes.Having chosen to bat, Vidarbha didn’t lose a wicket until the 50th over of the day, when Muzzaffaruddin Khalid dismissed Sanjay Ramaswamy for a 146-ball 55. By then, the two openers had added 148. Services would only take two more wickets all day, with Fazal holding fort at one end while adding 43 for the second wicket with Wasim Jaffer, 36 for the third with Siddhesh Wath, and an unbroken 32 for the fourth with Ganesh Satish.

Erik ten Hag has "totally misjudged" the calibre of players he needs at Manchester United as his signings have not been good enough, an agent says.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• United underwhelming in Premier League
• Ten Hag's signings lack qualities
• Red Devils may strengthen in January

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Despite a promising first season at Old Trafford, Ten Hag's team have underwhelmed this term as they sit eighth in the Premier League and have crashed out of Europe after finishing bottom of their Champions League. According to an unnamed agent, the coach's signings have hindered his side's progress.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  WHAT WAS SAID

  The anonymous agent told : "Erik totally misjudged the qualities needed to play in the Premier League. I rate him as a coach but if he had an experienced sports director alongside him, like he had with Marc Overmars at Ajax, then he wouldn’t need to worry so much about the recruitment side of things. You have Pep [Guardiola] and Txiki [Begiristain] at [Manchester] City, at United you have Erik and ?”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  United splashed out of the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Mason Mount in the summer, while Sofyan Amrabat joined on loan from Fiorentina. However, the new additions have not been able to lift the Red Devils to another level. Now that Sir Jim Ratcliffe's partial takeover has been agreed, United fans will hope that a more cohesive transfer strategy will be put in place and result in better signings in the January transfer window.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

  Ten Hag will be eager to bring in new faces to strengthen his team over the course of this month. Before any new deals will be confirmed, however, his Red Devils will take on Wigan in the FA Cup third round on Monday.

Liverpool have reportedly made an offer to sign LASK attacker Keito Nakamura, however, the Reds have had their bid turned down.

What’s the latest Liverpool transfer news?

Jurgen Klopp and the Anfield board have been busy so far this summer, bringing in two new midfielders ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all left on free transfers when their contracts expired, whereas Jordan Henderson has left to join Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia.

Fabinho could soon follow Henderson with a move to Saudi Arabia of his own, but Liverpool have brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai from Brighton and RB Leipzig respectively.

A third midfield addition appears to be wanted on Merseyside, with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia seemingly a top target. The Reds have already had an opening £40m offer turned down, with the Saints wanting close to £50m, but James Pearce believes it is “increasingly likely that a compromise will be reached”.

“LFC preparing improved bid for Southampton's Romeo Lavia after initial offer rejected. Increasingly likely that a compromise will be reached. Player keen to make the move.”

The Belgian doesn’t appear to be the only player Liverpool are working on signing, though, with an update emerging on Nakamura.

According to reports from France in the last 48 hours, the Reds made an offer of €7m for Nakamura which includes a loan, but Austrian side LASK quickly rejected their bid.

Ligue 1 side Lille appear to be in pole position to secure a deal, with LASK holding out for a record-breaking €11m deal.

Who is Keito Nakamura?

Nakamura, who actually shares the same agency as Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, is a Japan international and is primarily a left-winger who can play as a second striker or as a centre-forward.

The 22-year-old has plied his trade in his native country and has also had loan spells in the Netherlands and Belgium before moving to LASK in 2021.

In total, Nakamura has made 68 appearances for his current employers, scoring 26 times and registering eight assists. The best season of his career came during the 2022/23 campaign, netting an impressive 14 times and providing seven assists in the Austrian Bundesliga.

His Transfermarkt valuation has rocketed over the past 12 months to a career-high €8m, showing how he appears to be at the top of his game.

LASK head coach Dietmar Kuhbauer praised Nakamura last year, describing him as “exceptional” player with a “really good shooting technique”.

"Keito really is an exceptional soccer player, an exceptional technician and blessed with a really good shooting technique."

However, the Reds are currently well stocked on the left-hand side with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota all options, so it may not be viewed as a big blow if they miss out on Nakamura and sign another midfielder in Lavia.

The forward could have been seen as a versatile addition with plenty of potential, but by the looks of things, Nakamura may soon be turning out in France with Lille despite Liverpool making their move.