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As categorias de base do Palmeiras estão surpreendendo não apenas o Brasil, mas a Espanha também. O jornal ‘AS’ foi encantado com a metodologia utilizada pelo clube paulista e destacou as principais joias que vestem a camisa alviverde.

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O jornal espanhol publicou uma manchete “O berço de Endrick e de futuras megaestrelas”, dizendo que a equipe paulista está criando as melhores pérolas do futebol brasileiro, além de ser uma das mais prolíficas minas de jovens talentos.

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➡️ Barcelona e Real Madrid travam batalha pela contratação de craque do futebol alemão

Os jogadores citados como exemplo da força dos ‘Crias da Academia’ foram: Endrick, Estêvão, Luís Guilherme, Thalys e Wesley. Veja o que o diário da Espanha falou sobre cada joia.

Destaques da base do Palmeiras

Endrick
– Um jogador que está pulando etapas e fez o Real Madrid pagar perto de 50 milhões de euros um ano e meio antes dele poder chegar ao clube. Nenhuma introdução necessária. Ele deixa o clube neste verão, após 82 jogos – diário ‘AS’.

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Estêvão
– Um jogador canhoto, elétrico na ponta direita e que já está atuando no time titular, embora não se saiba quanto tempo vai durar lá. O Chelsea está pressionando para contratá-lo por cerca de 70 milhões de euros. Um número incrível para um menino que completou 17 anos em abril – diário ‘AS’.

Luís Guilherme
– “Aos 15 anos chega a 37,2 quilômetros por hora. Ele é um animal, uma fera e tem muita técnica”. É assim que João Paulo Sampaio, diretor do futebol juvenil do Palmeiras, define este jogador de futebol, um jogador físico e poderoso em campo aberto. O West Ham já lhe fez uma oferta formal. Também não demorará muito para dar o salto para a Europa – diário ‘AS’.

Thalys
– Um meio-campista que marca gols e dá assistências com facilidade. Em entrevista ao Diario AS afirmou que alguns colegas o chamam de “o homem do gelo” pela sua calma. O Manchester United, entre outros, já perguntou sobre ele. Outro nome a ter em mente – diário ‘AS’.

Wesley
– O mais novo de todos. Um atacante de apenas 15 anos, e se seu nome é ouvido nessa idade, é porque ali está sendo criado algo especial. “Gosto de jogar mais na entrada da área, recebendo a bola, procurando o um contra um e, claro, chutando para o gol”, definiu – diário ‘AS’.

Tudo sobre

EndrickPalmeiras

On day three of the Galle Test, Herath, New Zealand’s bowling consultant, hatched a plan with Ajaz Patel to get rid of his former team-mate

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Sep-2024Dimuth Karunaratne is one of cricket’s great nerds. He is also the one of the great openers of his era, and among the most prolific Test batters Sri Lanka has had.Rangana Herath is a massive cricket nerd as well, if in a slightly different way than Karunaratne. He is the most prolific left-arm bowler in Test cricket’s history.The two have played 47 Tests together. Herath has even captained Karunaratne in five of them. And on day three of the ongoing Galle Test, Herath, a bowling consultant for New Zealand, helped bring about Karunaratne’s downfall. This, at least, is the charge that Karunaratne is levelling (playfully) at his former team-mate.Let’s look at some facts.The background
Karunaratne is an outstanding player of spin bowling, and is quite fond of batting in Galle. Of his 7092 Test runs, more than 27% have come at this venue. Partly this is a function of Sri Lanka playing a lot of matches here – 21% of Karunaratne’s innings have been in Galle.Related

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Although he is a reluctant sweeper and reverse-sweeper, he has both of these shots in his repertoire. Against spin, he whips through the legside frequently, and goes back to chop it between point and cover just as often.”I love it when it turns here,” Karunaratne said about one of the most reliably spin-friendly venues on the planet. “With the way I play, and the options I take, it’s much easier for me when it turns.”Herath, meanwhile, is a spectacular reader of opposition batters’ mindset and intentions. We’re not trying to be mean. But had you ever expected him to be a 433-wicket bowler?The act
Not long after tea on day three, Herath came down the steps from the visitors’ dressing room to talk to Ajaz Patel. Karunaratne says it was soon after lunch, but he’d barely swept the ball before lunch, so it couldn’t have been.Here he is describing the situation, but just getting the timing wrong. For the record, Karunaratne was 72 off 109 at tea.”After lunch? Or maybe it was just before lunch? No, it was after lunch,” Karunaratne said. “At that time, Rangana aiya came down to the ground and gave a message to Ajaz Patel. It was after that they changed the field and the set-up against me.”They brought square leg up for me, and set the kind of field that we had set for Tom Latham. So when you have that field, you know as a batter that if you get the sweep slightly wrong, it can go up in the air and square leg can catch it, or short fine leg can catch it. It’s with that mentality that Rangana aiya would have told them to do that.”The result
Not long after tea, Patel sent down a sweepable delivery, Karunaratne got low and tried to sweep it square, but cleanly missed. The ball stayed low, snuck under his shot, and clattered into the stumps.”I had a little doubt in my head – maybe the sweep will go badly,” Karunaratne said. “These things happen. When the opposition has somebody who knows about how we play, they will share those things. So I was playing with that in my head, and that’s why I couldn’t pick that line, and I tried to sweep the ball too hard.”It’s true. Karunaratne very rarely gets out sweeping. But then he is up against not just Patel, a fine bowler all on his own terms, but also the intellect of Herath, who has more than 100 wickets at this ground.Karunaratne was out for 83, which at this stage of his career, feels like too low a score. He has spoken about wanting to get to 20 centuries. He is still stuck on 16.But he was hustled out of his 17th. And you can almost bet good money on him meeting up with the architect of his downfall and the pair talking it through, when life, and coaching contracts, allows for such a thing.

Top-order batter Mahmudul Hasan Joy has returned to the Bangladesh squad that will face Ireland over two Test matches in Sylhet and Dhaka later this month.Joy has played 18 Tests and was seen as a highly promising addition to the team after scoring the first-ever Test match century by a Bangladesh batter in South Africa, in 2022. He lost his place in the side after averaging 14.92 in seven Tests since the start of 2024 but good form in the new season of the National Cricket League, during which he scored 127 and 51 for Chattogram Division against Rajshahi Division, has helped him mount a comeback.Najmul Hossain Shanto leads the 15-member team. He had quit as captain at the end of Bangladesh’s last Test series in June, which they lost 1-0 to Sri Lanka, but the BCB has reinstated him and said he will remain in charge until the end of this World Test Championship cycle in 2027. Anamul Haque, Mahidul Islam Ankon and Nayeem Hasan, who were part of that Sri Lanka tour, have been left out.Related

• Ashraful named Bangladesh's batting coach

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Mushfiqur Rahim, should he play both matches against Ireland, will become the first Bangladesh cricketer to play 100 Tests. The 38-year-old made his debut back in 2005 and is already their most capped player and their highest scorer in the format. He is also in form having made 115 for Sylhet Division at the same ground where the first Test against Ireland will take place.Bangladesh have picked four fast bowlers in Ebadot Hossain, Nahid Rana, Hasan Mahmud and Khaled Ahmed to complement their three spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Hasan Murad, who is still awaiting his Test debut. Murad picked up a match haul of 9 for 135 for Chattogram in the NCL in October. Taijul, meanwhile, is 10 short of going past Shakib Al Hasan and becoming Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in Tests.The two matches against Ireland are scheduled for November 11-15 in Sylhet and November 19-23 in Dhaka. They are not part of the WTC.

Bangladesh Test squad for Ireland series

Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Hasan Murad.

In a dramatic low-scoring thriller that went into a Super Over, fast bowler Ahmed Daniyal kept his composure as Pakistan Shaheens defeated Bangladesh A to lift the Asia Cup Rising Stars title in Doha, Qatar.Daniyal, defending six runs in the 20th, bowled a nerveless over to take the game into a Super Over. He then removed Abdul Gaffar Saqlain with his second ball in the Super Over and then clean bowled Jishan Alam to restrict Bangladesh A to only 6. Saad Masood and Maaz Sadaqat took just four balls to chase down the target and spark celebrations in the Shaheens camp.This, however, was a game which ebbed and flowed all the way through. Sent into bat, Shaheens lost three wickets in the powerplay, and then continued to slip to eventually be bowled out for 125. Bangladesh A started the chase rapidly, but the spin quartet of Arafat Minhas, Saad Masood, Maaz Sadaqat and Sufiyan Muqeem spun a web around the batters to derail the chase.At 53 for 7 in the 13th over, the game looked as good as done, but Rakibul Hasan (24), Saqlain (16) and Ripon Mondol (11) – Bangladesh A’s last three – staged an unlikely comeback. Mondol, however, wasn’t able to repeat his semi-final Super Over heroics in the final as Bangladesh A went down.Bangladesh A couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the game with Shaheens losing Yasir Khan first ball of the match, courtesy a stunning under-arm direct hit from Saqlain running in from mid-on. Mohammad Faiq was cleaned up by SM Meherob, while wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori was bowled by Rakibul as Shaheens slipped to 25 for 3 in the fifth over.Maaz Sadaqat struck two fours and a six in his 23, but when he fell in the seventh over, Shaheens lost their way. Captain Irfan Khan scored a sedate 9 off 22 balls, with only Masood and Minhas providing anything of note on the Shaheens’ scorecard. Mondol bowled a terrific 19th over, picking up three wickets, and the innings ended with a run out as Shaheens were bowled out in 20 overs.In reply, Bangladesh A opener Habibur Rahman Sohan was quick off the blocks, tonking Ubaid Shah for a six over deep midwicket. While Alam was trapped in front of the stumps by Minhas, Habibur kept going as he smashed Masood for a six and two fours in the fourth over. But the bowler had the last laugh when Habibur pulled a long hop straight to square leg, and the Bangladesh A middle order caved in.Minhas trapped Mahidul Islam Ankon lbw before Muqeem’s left-arm wristpin bamboozled Bangladesh A. He got Akbar Ali to chop one back onto his stumps, and then struck twice in two balls, cleaning up Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury with identical wrong’uns. Rakibul went after Masood but Bangladesh A kept losing wickets, with the required rate rising.Then came another twist with Bangladesh A requiring 27 off the last two overs and only Saqlain and Mondol, the last two batters at the crease. Shahid Aziz, bowling the 19th over, missed his yorker three times and the batters smashed him for three sixes to flip the script. Daniyal, however, bowled a terrific last over, mixing his lengths to rescue Shaheens.

Varun Chakravarthy, the top-ranked T20I bowler in the world, says India head coach Gautam Gambhir has fostered a “Spartan mentality” in the team, leaving “no option of losing”. He also credited Gambhir and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav for his international comeback, after spending nearly three years out of the team.”Definitely one thing which I can say about [Gambhir] is he brings a Spartan mentality to the team where there is no option of losing. You just have to bring your best and give everything on the ground and later on, whatever happens, happens,” Varun said on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai on Tuesday.”When he is around, there is no mediocrity – you can’t be mediocre in the field, that’s what I feel.”Related

• Varun Chakravarthy takes top spot in men's T20I bowling rankings

Varun made his India debut in July 2021, but after enduring a tough campaign in the 2021 T20 World Cup, he was dropped and only played for India again in October 2024.Since then, Varun has been a regular fixture in India’s T20I XI and has also made his ODI debut and played a key role in helping the team win the Champions Trophy earlier this year.”When I made my comeback again, Surya and GG [Gambhir], they spoke to me and they told me that we are looking at you as one of the wicket-takers. And they have backed me throughout. For that, I have to give them the credit.”When he is around, there is no mediocrity,” Varun says of Gautam Gambhir•Getty Images

“I was out of the team for more than three years, but I did have a consecutive good IPL. For them to recognise that and bring me into the team was great for me.”Varun, who has been left out of India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour, spoke about the things Gambhir wants him to work on to enhance his chances in one-day cricket.”Basically, the conversations were around bowling longer spells. Because in T20, you maximum bowl two overs back-to-back. But in ODIs, you have to bowl five to six overs back-to-back, which I did work on and I was able to do it in the Champions Trophy.”And he wants me to bat a little more up the order in domestic circuit and improve on my batting.”Varun was also full of praise for fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who finished as the leading wicket-taker at the Asia Cup.”Kuldeep is definitely one of the most experienced bowlers right now in the pool of players that we have and he has done amazingly well,” Varun said. “I bowl at the speeds of 95kph and he bowls around 85kph, so we kind of complement each other. He has more revs and more turn, I have more speed and bounce, so till now it’s been working well for us. Hopefully, we can do the same thing in the World Cup also.”

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has enjoyed a fairly strong start to life in the dugout at Ibrox since he arrived to take over from previous manager Russell Martin.

The German tactician, who left Sheffield Wednesday earlier this year, has won all three of his matches in the Scottish Premiership, beating Dundee 3-0 at Dens Park last time out.

Rangers, though, have also lost both of their Europa League games under the new boss and lost 3-1 to Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup, and some players in the squad will still feel they have more to offer to Rohl.

The Rangers players who have rarely been used by Danny Rohl

Across the German head coach’s six matches in charge of the club in all competitions, the manager has been fairly consistent with his team selections overall, which has left some players by the wayside.

There are seven first-team players, or players on the fringe of the first-team, who have played in less than half of Rohl’s first six games with the Ibrox giants.

As you can see in the table above, three players, albeit one of them being the back-up goalkeeper, have yet to make a single appearance for the German boss.

Lyall Cameron’s lack of game time under the new manager is surprising after he was heralded as an impressive addition to the squad from Dundee in the summer.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

He was described as ‘one of the most influential players’ in the SPFL by the BBC’s Dundee fan writer Ethan Hampton, yet he has not had much of a look-in under Rohl.

Why Danny Rohl must finally unleash Lyall Cameron

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder should finally be unleashed by the new manager because he could be an ‘influential’ player for the Gers if given the opportunity to play regular minutes in the Premiership.

Cameron has only played four times in the league so far this season, showing that he can’t get a game at the moment, and has only played nine minutes under Rohl, which came against Kilmarnock, per Sofascore.

Last season, however, during his time with Dundee, the Scottish star started 32 of his 33 appearances in the Premiership and provided a big threat at the top end of the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, Cameron was as influential as Hampton suggested, as he produced 14 goals and assists in 32 starts as a central midfielder for his previous club.

However, he has not been given enough of an opportunity to showcase his talent in the Premiership, with just nine minutes across Rohl’s first three league games in the dugout.

This is why the former Sheffield Wednesday tactician should finally unleash Cameron from the start after the international break, because his time with Dundee suggests that there is far more to come from him in a Rangers shirt.

The Scottish whiz is not going to show the best of his abilities with nine minutes off the bench or by being an unused substitute, and now is the time to introduce him to the team to see if he can provide goals and assists on a regular basis, as he did with Dundee.

Rangers teenager was their next Igamane in the making but he left for £0

Rangers must regret losing this young star who could have been their next Hamza Igamane at Ibrox.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 18, 2025

David Alaba has rejoined Real Madrid group training and is expected to be in the squad for Sunday's La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano, providing a major boost for Xabi Alonso. The defender returns from a calf injury that has seen him miss four games, as the club continues to cope with injuries to Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal and Aurelien Tchouameni.

Alaba's return provides crucial defensive relief

Madrid have received a significant defensive boost as Alaba has rejoined group training and is poised to make his return to the squad for match against Vallecano, according to a report from .

The 33-year-old defender's return provides a timely solution for manager, whose squad has been severely depleted by injuries, particularly in defence.

Alaba participated in the majority of group exercises during Friday's training session at Valdebebas, with the outlook for his recovery described as "very positive." The Austrian international is expected to complete Saturday's final session without issue and be named in Alonso's squad for the trip to Vallecas.

The comeback of the experienced centre-back is a critical development for Real Madrid, who are facing an injury crisis in their backline. Alonso remains without four key players for the upcoming league fixture.

The injury list includes starting right-back Carvajal and fellow centre-back Rudiger, whose absence has compounded Madrid's defensive woes.

Furthermore, the club is without key defensive midfielder Tchouameni, who was the latest player to be sidelined. The Frenchman is suffering from a semitendinosus muscle injury in his left leg and is not expected to reappear until after the upcoming international break. His target is reportedly the match against Elche on November 23. Youngster Franco Mastantuono also remains unavailable.

AdvertisementAFPFour-match absence follows calf strain

Alaba has been sidelined for Madrid's last four matches after sustaining a strain in his right calf muscle, identified as a soleus injury. The setback occurred at the end of the first half of the club's league match against Getafe on 19 October.

His injury, coinciding with Rudiger's spell on the treatment table, forced Alonso to field a makeshift defensive partnership. The manager has had to consolidate a centre-back pairing of Eder Militao and 20-year-old summer signing Dean Huijsen.

This pairing was further disrupted during Alaba's absence, with Spanish international Huijsen also missing the Champions League match against Juventus, highlighting the precarious lack of depth Alonso has been navigating.

A difficult start to the 2025-26 season

The injury has been a frustrating interruption for Alaba, who has had a limited impact on the 2025-26 campaign. The defender, whose contract expires in 2026, has struggled for consistent fitness and game time.

Prior to his injury, the Austrian had featured in only four matches for Madrid this season, accumulating just 145 minutes of playing time.

His involvement has been sporadic, receiving minutes from the bench against Real Sociedad and Levante in La Liga, and making one start on the second matchday of the Champions League in Almaty.

His return to fitness is therefore crucial not only for the team's immediate needs but also for Alaba himself as he looks to re-establish his role as a cornerstone of the Madrid defence.

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AFPWhat next? Vallecas test and historic Austria call-up

Provided he passes Saturday's final fitness test, Alaba will be in line for minutes in Sunday's La Liga encounter at Vallecas. Following the match against Rayo Vallecano, Alaba's immediate focus will shift to international duty. The defender has been called up by manager Ralf Rangnick for a potentially huge international break for Austria.

The Austrian national team are on the verge of securing qualification for the next World Cup, an achievement they have not managed in 28 years. The country's last appearance at the tournament was in 1998 when it was held in France.

Austria will face Cyprus on Saturday, November 15, before a match against Bosnia-Herzegovina the following Tuesday evening. Alaba's return to fitness will be a welcome sight for Rangnick, who will rely on his captain's leadership and experience as his side attempts to make history.

After a washout in their opening game, St Lucia Kings beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by three runs in a last-ball thriller in Basseterre to register their first win of CPL 2025. This was Patriots’ third loss in four games.After being sent in, Kings rode on the half-centuries of Johnson Charles and Roston Chase and a 23-ball 46 from Tim David to post 200 for 8. Patriots started well in their chase but had lost three wickets by the end of the powerplay. It became 66 for 4 after nine overs. At that point, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster gave Patriots a 5.32% chance of winning.Jason Holder kept them in the game singlehandedly, striking a 29-ball 63. After he fell, Navin Bidaisee took over and brought it down to four needed off the final delivery. David Wiese bowled a slot ball; Bidaisee swung towards long-off but could not clear David. Apart from scoring a 38-ball 61, Chase also picked up 2 for 27 from four overs and was named the Player of the Match.Earlier, Kings were 21 for 2 after three overs before Charles and Chase injected momentum into the innings by adding 50 off 26 balls for the third wicket. After Charles fell, Chase and David carried on. Chase hit Dominic Drakes for three fours in an over and, later, David smashed Holder for three sixes in his one over.Jason Holder’s valiant knock could not bring a win for Patriots•CPL T20/Getty Images

They added 80 off 50 but after they both departed, the incoming batters could not keep the momentum going and managed just 21 from the last three overs.Andre Fletcher and Kyle Mayers gave Patriots a start of 43 in 4.2 overs. But once Wiese broke that stand with Mayers’ wicket, Patriots’ chase got derailed. Khary Pierre, who had opened the bowling, removed Fletcher and Mikyle Louis in the next over to make it 49 for 3 after the powerplay. Chase dropped a tough return catch of Rilee Rossouw. It did not prove costly as Chase dismissed him in his next over. Holder came and hit Tabraiz Shamsi for 4, 6, 6 off successive balls in the tenth over to take the side to 84 for 4 at the halfway stage.Holder kept hitting and brought up his fifty with his fifth six, off Wiese and off just 23 balls. He added 77 off 40 balls for the fifth wicket with Bidaisee, in which the latter’s contribution was 9 off 11.Once Holder fell, Bidaisee opened up and dispatched Shamsi for 4, 4, 6. He hit a six in each of the next four overs and got to his fifty in 35 balls. But he could not take Patriots over the line.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham United side are showing signs of green shoots, but there is much work still to be done in the fight to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League.

West Ham’s inconsistencies have plunged them into the drop zone, but a glass-half-full mentality would tell you that Nuno has claimed eight points from four games and the squad’s understanding in this new system is tightening, deepening.

But this is also a precarious and anxiety-inducing position. Former technical director Tim Steidten left much to be desired on the recruitment front, and now additions are needed up top and across the backline.

West Ham need to sign a striker

Niklas Fullkrug’s £27m transfer from Borussia Dortmund to the London Stadium has not gone to plan. Injuries have been the German striker’s biggest inhibitor, but he has scored only three times across 29 matches, and a winter exit, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, looks on the cards.

The 32-year-old has indeed been slated for a January departure, probably back to his homeland, and that leaves West Ham in a sticky position, with Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson in need of support.

Help may arrive in the form of Santiago Gimenez, with Italian outlet Il Messaggero relaying that the Mexican forward is destined for a move to the Premier League, with the Irons one of the clubs who could put forward a bid of around €30m (equating to £26m).

Sunderland are also interested, and given that Milan would be open to selling the 24-year-old for around that price, the Londoners will need to be snappy in getting a deal done.

What Santiago Gimenez would bring to West Ham

Gimenez stands at 6 foot 1 and is a physical and imposing attacking profile. In this, he would be the perfect profile to replace Fullkrug, whose physicality and focal command in the box are among the finest in Europe.

After joining AC Milan from Feyenoord last winter, Gimenez made a positive start to life in Serie A, scoring five goals and supplying two assists across the latter half of the 2024/25 campaign, playing 14 times and starting only seven of those games.

However, he has petered out under Massimiliano Allegri’s wing this season, yet to score in the Italian top flight. Gimenez is still relatively young and has the athleticism to succeed in the Premier League, and he could be the perfect presence to dovetail into the front of Nuno’s system, having been hailed as a “machine” in the box by talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past.

His particular approach suggests he would be perfect for Nuno’s West Ham project, Chris Wood would bear testament to that, having been the spearhead of the Portuguese tactician’s incredible tenure at the Nottingham Forest helm, prolific and talismanic.

Wood is among the most physical and commanding strikers of recent years; certainly, his blend of clinical shooting, steely hold-up play and intelligent movement has allowed him to blossom into “one of the best in the Prem”, as claimed by reporter Jamie Martin.

And his time in Nuno’s system proved a match made in heaven for both. Now, Gimenez could make his mark as the new version, especially if given the trust and care that have been lacking throughout his year in Italy.

Under Espirito Santo’s stewardship, Wood enjoyed arguably the most productive spell of his career, scoring 20 goals from 36 Premier League matches as the Tricky Trees secured a place in Europe.

Sean Dyche

165

53 (0.32)

Nuno Santo

60

32 (0.53)

Garry Monk

48

30 (0.62)

Nigel Pearson

62

20 (0.32)

Kenny Jacket

19

11 (0.58)

Chris Hughton

29

11 (0.38)

Gimenez could play a similar role in this West Ham team, the catalyst for attacking change after a tough chapter in the club’s modern history.

Finishes like Bowen: West Ham offered chance to sign "insane" Wilson upgrade

The international goalscorer could be just the player to spearhead Nuno’s West Ham project.

ByJack Salveson Holmes 6 days ago

The former captain was critical of George Bailey on the day the first Ashes squad was named

AAP05-Nov-2025Steve Waugh has accused Australia’s chief selector George Bailey of rarely having the appetite to make tough calls, adamant the transition of the Test team depends on it.One of the most reserved figures from Australia’s golden era, Waugh used a rare media appearance on Wednesday to question the handling of Australia’s ageing side.Bailey then insisted he and his panel were willing to make tough calls, and asked what they were meant to do while older players were still performing.Related

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Ashes squad talking points: Kingmaker Green to dictate Australia's plans

Steve Waugh sees his own career in Sam Konstas' early challenges

Australia’s 15-man squad for the first Ashes Test includes just one player aged under 30, with the regeneration of the team a hot topic in recent years.David Warner is the only player to have retired in recent years, with fellow opener Usman Khawaja to turn 39 next month.Quicks Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood will also all be 35 or older by the end of the summer, while Nathan Lyon turns 38 this month.One of Australia’s greatest ever captains, Waugh was on hand at the SCG on Tuesday to receive the MCC Waterford Crystal Ashes Trophy.Waugh retired at age 38 in 2004 before the last big transition of the Test team, with Ian Healy and Mark Waugh having been dropped in previous years.Asked how he felt the current transition of the Test side looked, Waugh said selectors needed to intervene to manage the process.”George Bailey’s going to have to make some tough calls,” Waugh said. “I think in the past he’s shown he hasn’t really had the appetite for that at times, so he’s going to have to step up to the plate with the other selectors.”The bowlers are in their 30s and some of the batsmen are getting on as well. That’s natural for every team. You just want to make sure that three or four players don’t go out at the same time. That leaves a big hole in the team. So they’ve got to just make sure that it is a transition, but not all at once.”Asked if that meant tapping players on the shoulder to suggest they retire, Waugh said the matter should be taken out of players’ hands.Steve Waugh with the crystal Ashes trophy•Getty Images”I’d like to see the selectors pick the sides, not the players,” Waugh said. “There’s been a lot of players recently picking sides and saying who should be in the team. That’s the selectors’ job.”Waugh’s comments came after Khawaja last week suggested Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne join him in Australia’s top three, which would have forced a squeeze elsewhere.Bailey on Wednesday defended players supporting their state teammates when asked questions by media, insistent those views never influenced the panel.And he maintained he and his panel of Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide had found other ways to blood young talent.”My question back, is there a tipping number once a player hits an age you move them on?” Bailey said. “Is that what it should be for all the guys in the team still performing? Should that be the most important criteria?”That’s not to say you’re not aware of the age profile of the team, but we see each and every Test as being important. You have Australia A tours, getting guys across to the sub-continent … getting guys in and around Test squads, utilising one-day cricket as an entry point.”Bailey also defended the selection of Khawaja and backed his experience, with the opener’s 232 in Sri Lanka in January one of just two scores above 50 in his past 26 Test innings.Australia are also yet to settle on the role of his opening partner since Warner’s retirement, with Steven Smith first going into the position.Youngsters Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas were both given chances last summer, with Labuschagne or Jake Weatherald likely to open in the first Ashes Test in Perth.