USWNT star Naomi Girma has completed a world-record transfer from the San Diego Wave to WSL giants Chelsea
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Chelsea sign Girma from San Diego WavePaid record fee for USWNT starSigned a four-and-a-half-year dealFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Women's Super League champions have confirmed the arrival of the 24-year-old American defender, who has put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year deal. The record-breaking deal saw Girma become the first footballer to break the $1 million (£801,746) transfer fee mark in women's football.
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After completing her transfer, Girma told the Blues' official website: "I’m so happy and really excited to be here. It doesn’t feel real. There are a lot of things about Chelsea that made me want to come here – the culture, the winning mentality, staff and players. It’s a top environment to learn and grow in. Right now, that’s what I’m looking to do. It was an easy choice for me."
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reported earlier in January that Chelsea were competing with the likes of Lyon and Arsenal to secure Girma's signature, however, the Gunners reportedly left the transfer race in the final round of negotiations. The Blues have now broken the previous world transfer record held by Racheal Kundananji, who was bought by NWSL side Bay FC from Madrid CFF in February 2024 for $767,600.
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Getty Images/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?
Girma was presented to Chelsea fans for the first time before their huge WSL match against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The USWNT star could make her debut for the Blues when they take in a trip to Aston Villa next weekend.
After two consecutive draws in the Premier League, Manchester City got back to winning ways against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium with a 3-2 victory.
The Cottagers did not make things easy for the eight-time English champions, but Pep Guardiola’s side got the victory. They are now unbeaten at home for the past 50 games in all competitions, a run which dates back to November 2022, as per Fabrizio Romano.
It was Marco Silva’s side who went 1-0 up, with Manchester United academy graduate Andreas Pereira putting a smile on the faces of Red Devils fans by giving Fulham the lead. Mateo Kovacic equalised for the Citizens six minutes later and gave them the lead just two minutes into the second half.
City got their crucial third goal through Jeremy Doku, who received the ball just outside the Fulham penalty box from Rico Lewis. He drove at the Cottagers’ defence before unleashing a shot which flew into the top corner. Fulham did pull one back through Rodrigo Muniz late on, but couldn’t find an equaliser.
It was a tough day at the office for City, but they ultimately managed to get over the line thanks to some standout performances from the likes of matchwinner Kovacic.
Kovacic's stats v Fulham
There is no doubt that Croatia international Kovacic has a big season ahead of him in Rodri’s absence; the Spaniard is likely to miss the entire season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Kovacic has started strongly, although instead of vital midfield contributions, he popped up with two key goals on Saturday afternoon.
His first goal was a volley following a corner, which was drilled into a mass of defenders and into the Fulham goal via a deflection. His second strike was a tidy finish from the edge of the area. Kovacic received a pass from Bernardo Silva before taking a touch to get the ball on his right foot and firing home into the bottom left-hand corner.
His performance today ensured the midfielder received a 7/10 rating from Simon Bajkowski from the Manchester Evening News, praising Kovacic for “two moments of quality” in front of goal.
It was a good day’s work for City No 8 and this was reflected in his stats on Sofascore after the match. He had 98 touches of the ball against Fulham, completing 90% of his passes – 77 from 86, to be exact. Along with his brace, the midfielder managed to win one duel and one tackle.
Kovacic can certainly be happy with his performance against Fulham, but there was another Citizen who was arguably even more of a standout. That player was Josko Gvardiol.
Gvardiol’s stats vs Fulham
If Kovacic put in a good shift, then fellow Croatia international Gvardiol was even better. He has never looked out of place at left-back since joining City last summer, and today was no different against Silva’s side.
The former RB Leipzig defender is a player who possesses great quality in possession, whilst also being extremely tough in duels thanks to his 6 foot 1 frame. That was certainly on show against the Whites, with Gvardiol showing complete control throughout the game.
His match stats certainly reflect such an impressive day at the office. The defender had a commanding, match-high 118 touches, with a 95% pass accuracy to go along with that, completing 95 from 100 attempts. Defensively, Gvardiol made four clearances and won three from four ground duels.
Stat
Number
Touches
118
Passes completed
95/100
Pass accuracy
95%
Clearances
4
Ground duels won
3/4
Long balls completed
3/4
Blocks
2
It was a dominant showing from City’s No 24 and received a post-match rating of 8/10 from Bajkowski. He complimented the defender for making several “excellent blocks and interceptions” that kept City in the game and ultimately got them over the line.
It was a dominant showing from Gvardiol, who keeps getting better in a City shirt. Guardiola will surely hope he can keep up that form following the October international break.
Azam Khan and Mohammad Hasnain have been dropped from the party, while Khushdil Shah is now in the reserves’ list
Danyal Rasool08-Oct-2021Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman and Haider Ali have all been included in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup following a rejig on Friday. Azam Khan and Mohammad Hasnain have, as a result, been omitted altogether, while Khushdil Shah has dropped to the reserves’ list, in place of Fakhar. The changes were announced by the PCB two days off from the deadline for the submission of the final squads for the tournament.While that completed the 15 afresh, there was a doubt on the availability of Sohaib Maqsood, the 34-year-old middle-order batter who sustained an injury during the ongoing National T20 Cup. The PCB said that a decision on his participation would be made after medical advice was available.Maqsood, the Southern Punjab player, underwent MRI scans for the lower back after the October 6 National T20 Cup match against Northern and missed Thursday’s Punjab derby against Central Punjab.ESPNcricinfo LtdSome changes had been expected to the squad, which had been announced on September 6, based on performances at the National T20 Cup. Haider’s call-up marked a swift turnaround for a player who, just two months ago, was sent home from the UAE after breaching Covid-19 restrictions. His form in the National T20 Cup, including three unbeaten half-centuries, have earned him a place in the final 15, while Azam’s indifferent form have led to Sarfaraz taking his place.Fakhar’s inclusion was perhaps less surprising, with the player already part of the travelling reserves in the initial squad. He took the place of middle-order batter Khushdil, who, while yet to get a sustained run at T20I level, has found it tough going at the National T20 Cup this year.X”The three in-form players [included] bring with them a wealth of experience and talent, and provide further stability, balance and strength to the side,” chief selector Mohammad Wasim said. “It must be tough for Azam, Khushdil and Hasnain for missing out, but they still have a lot to offer in their careers. They are in our future plans as a lot of cricket has to be played post the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and in the lead up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.”I am pleased with the intensity and high quality of cricket that we have witnessed in the National T20. It has not only provided the players excellent match practice in the lead up to the UAE competition, it has also given us the opportunity to closely monitor the player progress and then make decisions that are in the best interest of the side for what will be a cut-throat tournament.”The changes to the squad brought to an end mounting speculation about likely changes based on recent performances. Several names have been bandied about over the past fortnight, though not necessarily in official circles.Sahibzada Farhan, Aamer Yamin and even Shoaib Malik were thought of as chances for a call-up. While that’s off the table for now, injuries to the final squad members could well mean further changes later.Pakistan’s first game at the T20 World Cup takes place on October 24 against India, with fixtures against New Zealand, Afghanistan and two qualifiers to follow.
Glasgow Rangers fell further away from the top two teams in the Scottish Premiership last time out as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock.
Marley Watkins scored a late winner for the home side to seal a second defeat of the season already for the Light Blues, who are already six points behind their rivals.
Aberdeen and Celtic have won seven and drawn one of their opening eight games each and the title race already appears to be slipping away from the Gers.
The Ibrox giants, who only finished three points adrift of the Hoops in the title race last term, need a major uplift in form and have to hope that their two biggest rivals in the league, at the moment, start to drop more points to close the gap.
With the January transfer window still over two months away from opening for business, the board may be considering their short-term options to change things on the pitch.
It has been just over a year since the club opted to appoint Philippe Clement as the successor to Michael Beale, who had failed to win a single trophy during his time in Glasgow as the head coach, and they are now weighing up another change.
The latest on Philippe Clement's future
According to Football Insider, Rangers are preparing to sack Clement if results do not improve over the coming weeks, as the start to the season has been less than ideal.
The report claims that results have fallen below the expectations of the Gers board and that the Belgian head coach’s position is no longer secure, despite recently putting pen to paper on a contract extension at Ibrox.
It states that a decision on his future is not imminent, as in before the clash with FCSB on Thursday, but that they are preparing to pull the trigger on him if the poor results continue.
Phillipe Clement
Rangers have already, as aforementioned, lost two games in the Premiership and drifted six points off their rivals, whilst they also failed to reach the League Phase of the Champions League, losing to Dynamo Kyiv over two legs in their play-off clash.
Football Insider reports that the pressure is growing on Clement to turn things around, or risk losing his job, and this means that the ex-Monaco boss needs to try new things to get his team firing again.
The Rangers head coach may wish that he had a player like Alfredo Morelos to fire his team up the table, as the last Gers boss to win a title – Steven Gerrard – had.
Alfredo Morelos' Rangers goal record
The Colombian marksman, who left the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, enjoyed an incredibly prolific spell with Rangers under several managers.
Morelos racked up 124 goals and 57 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for Rangers, playing under the likes of Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and Beale.
The impressive centre-forward hit double figures for goals in the Premiership in all six of his seasons at Ibrox, which shows that he was a consistent and lethal striker for the club for many years.
In the 2020/21 title-winning campaign, Morelos produced an eye-catching 17 goals and 13 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions for the Gers – including 12 goals and five assists in the Premiership.
These statistics show that the Colombian sensation was a quality scorer and creator of goals from a centre-forward position for Gerrard that term.
His return of 12 goals, with only ten ‘big chances’ missed, in the Premiership also shows that he was an efficient finisher to help them to win the title.
Appearances
35
8
Goals
16
3
Big chances created
27
6
Conversion rate
16%
19%
Assists
4
1
As you can see in the table above, Clement has not had a reliable finisher or a creative player in the number nine position since he arrived just over a year ago.
Cyriel Dessers has missed a staggering 33 ‘big chances’ and only scored 19 goals in the Premiership since the start of last season, assisting just five goals in that time.
Clement could now save his job and get Rangers firing again by brutally dropping the Nigerian dud and unleashing a Morelos-like talent in Hamza Igamane.
Why Hamza Igamane could save Clement's job
The summer signing is in his first season away from his home country, Morocco, and has needed time to adapt and adjust to life in Scotland, which may be why he has not featured much so far.
Igamane has only started one of his six appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants and this maens that he has not had a chance to find his feet and gain confidence with a run of matches under his belt.
Former Dundee United goalkeeper Trevor Carson recently claimed on the Open Goal Podcast that there is “a wee bit of Morelos about him” in the way that he controls the ball with his chest and uses his powerful frame to push into the final third.
Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.
Ex-Rangers striker Kenny Miller also wrote for the Daily Record that the signing of Igamane reminded him of the move to sign Morelos from an obscure league, in Finland.
At the age of 21, the Moroccan youngster still has plenty of development left to go through and playing games will only help him to gain experience and improve as a player.
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In the 2023/24 campaign, he started 16 matches in the Botola Pro for FAR Rabat and contributed with seven goals and six assists, which shows that he can provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
The young whiz, who scored six goals in 18 matches in the Botola Pro as a teenager in the previous season, has created one ‘big chance’ in one Premiership start so far this term, but is yet to score his first goal for Rangers.
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It is now down to Clement to make the bold decision to drop the wasteful Dessers from the starting line-up to unleash Igamane on a regular basis, as the Morelos-like star appears to have the potential to develop into a lethal forward who can score and assist goals – improving the team’s attack and, ultimately, helping to save the manager’s job.
AC Milan join eFootball’s collaboration with Captain Tsubasa and the game will feature special Rossoneri cards
Pulisic, Hernandez and Co. feature in the collaborationMessi, Cantona, Neymar Jr, and others also have special edition cardsFormerly known as PES, eFootball has rebranded into free-to-play platformGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED
U.S. international Christian Pulisic is getting his own anime — well, at least an anime-themed card.
With the announcement that eFootball was set to launch a collaboration with in December 2024, a lot was expected and Konami delivered. The move to join hands with the hit manga proved to be the right one as the game shot to fame because of that. Things went so well, that eFootball has officially launched Volume 2 of its collaboration with — featuring Pulisic's Milan.
That features several special new cards including a host of AC Milan stars with Pulisic leading the charge alongside Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, and Mike Maignan. They’re not the only ones as recent Santos signing Neymar Jr. gets a special card, one that Yoichi Takahashi-sensei, the artist behind the hit football manga series, illustrates.
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This is not the first time a brand has used Pulisic’s popularity in North America as a marketing tool with the former Chelsea star featuring heavily in advertisements since his breakout at Borussia Dortmund. That includes ads with various American restaurants, Volkswagen, Gatorade, and several other brands over the course of his career.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that Konami used and Pulisic for Volume 2 of their collaboration with . Formerly known as PES ( in Japan), eFootball was completely rebranded and turned into a brand new product by Konami in 2021. The game was re-released in the same year as eFootball 2022 and has since been released every year. While it initially struggled to do well, the game has since picked up speed and become a staple in the market.
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Getty Images SportWHAT LIES AHEAD FOR AC MILAN AND CHRISTIAN PULISIC?
AC Milan have endured a tough time this season and currently sit eighth on the league table, 19 points behind current league leaders Napoli. That is despite a tight 1-1 draw against cross-city rivals Internazionale with managerial turmoil playing a key role. However, the club has already begun to show signs of improvement and has even signed reinforcements in the winter window in the form of striker Santiago Gimenez from PSV Eindhoven.
The same, however, cannot be said about Pulisic as the American is arguably one of the ’s better players this term. The 26-year-old is the club’s second top scorer, with six goals, behind only midfielder Tijjani Reijnders in the league (seven goals), and is tied for the most assists at the club at four.
Former England Ashes-winning captain denies he abused Rafiq during county match
ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2021Michael Vaughan, the captain of England’s 2005 Ashes-winning team, has admitted that he is the former player implicated in the investigation into Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism at Yorkshire.Vaughan, who represented the county from 1991 until his retirement in 2009, used his column in The Telegraph to deny Rafiq’s claims that, in his final season with the club, he had told Rafiq and two other Asian players that there are “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it”.The alleged incident occurred as Yorkshire were taking the field during a match against Nottinghamshire in 2009, Rafiq’s maiden season as a professional. In his column Vaughan told how he was approached 11 years later, in December 2020, to speak to the panel tasked with investigating the player’s claims of racism at the club.”This hit me very hard,” Vaughan wrote. “It was like being struck over the head with a brick. I have been involved in cricket for 30 years and never once been accused of any remotely similar incident or disciplinary offence as a player or commentator.”I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words,” he added. “I responded to the panel by saying I was gobsmacked … It was 11 years after the alleged event. Nothing at all was raised or said at the time of the game in question, or at any stage over the next 11 years until the night before I was asked to speak to the inquiry.”Vaughan’s revelation comes 24 hours after his former team-mate Gary Ballance admitted, via a statement issued by Yorkshire, that he had been the player who had used the racial slur “P**i” in conversations with Rafiq.Related
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That detail, reported by ESPNcricinfo, triggered a wave of condemnaton, including from the government minister Sajid Javid, which has since culminated in Yorkshire’s hierarchy being called before a DCMS select committee hearing on November 16, and a tranche of club partners, including kit suppliers Nike and stadium sponsor Emerald, severing their ties with the club.”As a lover of cricket and Yorkshire, and someone who has been a fan of Rafiq, it has been difficult to hear about the painful experiences he endured during his time at the club,” Vaughan added.”But as difficult as that process has been, I recognise that it is equally necessary. At an individual level, it is clear that Azeem has endured a lot. It is not only right but essential that his experiences and his perspective are heard. There are unquestionably lessons to be learned.”The statements made by Gary Ballance and others have laid bare awkward but necessary questions for cricket to answer regarding how dressing rooms, teams and individuals function in the modern era.”Vaughan added that he had been aware for some time that he had been named in the report, and had divulged as much to his BBC colleagues in the summer.”I felt uncomfortable that it could emerge and they would be asked some awkward questions,” he wrote. “Similarly, I am speaking now because it is right for people to hear my side and that I completely deny the allegations.”I accept Yorkshire have dealt with this terribly. They will be honest enough to admit that. It is a good cricket club and it is close to my heart. I hope I can be part of the movement to rebrand the club and people will eventually look back on this time and say it changed for the better.”I played professional cricket for 18 years between 1991 and 2009. All players in that period are now looking back on things that were said and admit they would not say them now. I never heard racist abuse but Yorkshire was a hard dressing room. As a second team player we had to knock on the dressing room door before entering. If you had a big nose, were bald or carried a bit of weight they would be commented on.”I was the first non-Yorkshire born player to play for the county and that was commented on a lot. I am not comparing those examples with racism but they are examples of previously commonplace behaviour which is unacceptable now. We cannot change what was said or happened in dressing rooms 10-15 years ago but we can learn from it.”
“New Zealand had better intensity, better body language, and they created pressure on us from the first over onwards”
ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2021Two matches into their T20 World Cup campaign, India are winless and on the brink of elimination. On Sunday, India only managed to post 110 in their 20 overs – a total that New Zealand breezed past with 5.3 overs to spare – and Virat Kohli, their captain, put it down to his team not being “brave enough” during the game. This, he explained, was characterised by their batters getting caught in two minds while looking to take risks.Related
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When India needed their captain to stand up, he stood tall
“Quite bizarre. To be very honest and brutal up front, I don’t think we were brave enough with bat or ball,” Kohli told the host broadcaster during the post-match presentation. “With the ball, I mean, obviously we didn’t have much to play with, but we were just not brave enough with our body language when we entered the field, and New Zealand had better intensity, better body language, and they created pressure on us from the first over onwards, really, and continued that through the innings.”Every time we felt like we want to take a chance [while batting], we lost a wicket. That happens in T20 cricket, but that’s most probably or most often the result of that little bit of hesitation with the bat, when you feel like should you go for the shot or not.”Playing for India in a global tournament always comes with the pressure of expectations from the biggest fanbase in the sport in the world, and Kohli suggested India hadn’t managed to overcome that pressure in their two games so far, against Pakistan and New Zealand.Watch cricket live on ESPN+
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“When you play for the Indian cricket team, you obviously have a lot of expectations, everyone knows that – not only from the fans but from the players themselves,” he said. “Wherever we play, we are watched, people come to the stadiums to support us, so there’s always going to be more with our games, that’s always been the case, and we’ve embraced it over the years, and everyone who plays for the Indian team obviously has to embrace that as well, and learn how to cope with it.”And when you cope with that as a team, you tend to overcome that pressure and those tough situations. And we haven’t, in these two games, and that’s why we haven’t won.”India are now in the awkward position of being all but out of the tournament, but still having to play three more matches in their group. Kohli said India would have to ensure they remained in a positive frame of mind through these three games.”There’s only one way to play T20 cricket – you have to be optimistic, you have to be positive, take calculated risks, and that’s what this format is all about,” he said. “Just because you’re the Indian cricket team and there’s expectations, doesn’t mean that you start playing the format differently.”So I think you have to disconnect from that a little bit and just back ourselves out there and take pride in performing for the team. As long as individuals are looking to do that, I think we’ll be fine. There’s a lot of cricket to play in this tournament, something that we all must look forward to, and certainly the team must look forward to, and go out with a positive frame of mind.”
Brazilian winger Willian has officially rejoined Fulham on a short-term contract, six months after parting ways with the club.
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Willian set to ply his trade at Craven CottageWill play with Fulham until the end of the campaignBrazilian is delighted to be back in EnglandFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Willian initially played for Fulham between 2022 and 2024, making 67 appearances and contributing 10 goals and seven assists. However, he left last summer to join Greek side Olympiacos. His time in Greece proved short-lived, as he terminated his contract in December after just three months and has since been a free agent. Fulham were then able to sign him outside the transfer window.
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Willian is no stranger to English football, having amassed 317 Premier League appearances over the years. His journey in England began when he joined Chelsea in 2013, where he spent seven years and won two Premier League titles. He later moved to Arsenal for a season before heading to Fulham in 2022.
WHAT WILLIAN SAID
After completing his move to Fulham, Willian said: "I'm completely happy, my family's happy. We are happy to be back, and I think we can do good things until the end of the season, so I can't wait to start with my teammates and do good things inside the pitch."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Before the confirmation of his Fulham return, Willian retraced his way back to Stamford Bridge on Monday night, to watch his former club Chelsea seal a 2-1 comeback victory over West Ham in the Premier League.
In recent years, Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais have developed a strong reputation for producing and developing some of the hottest talents in European football. Roazhon Park has previously been home to a host of young stars like Eduardo Camavinga, Ousmane Dembele, Jeremy Doku, Raphinha, Desire Doue, and Mathys Tel – all of whom were sold on to bigger clubs for huge sums of money.
This summer alone, Rennes sold over £115 million worth of talent, including midfielder Doue, who joined Paris Saint Germain in a deal worth £42 million. Now, a number of their current stars are again attracting attention from some of Europe’s most famous teams.
Rennes players in demand again
One of those Rennes players who is wanted elsewhere on the continent is striker Arnaud Kalimuendo. Previously linked with a move to Leeds United, the 22-year-old has in recent months been linked with a move to Serie A, with both Juventus and AS Roma understood to be among those interested. Another Rennes star who is in demand is defender Christopher Wooh.
According to TBR Football, the 23-year-old defender, who moved to Rennes from Lens in a deal worth £8.5 million in the summer of 2022, is wanted by Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. TBR Football claim that Wolves have been “keeping an eye on” the player, though it’s unclear how serious their interest is, nor how much Rennes would want for Wooh.
Wooh’s former Lens coach Franck Haise once described him as an “intelligent” player. “He has real potential for Ligue 1,” Haise said of the defender back in 2022. “I have complete confidence in him.”
Wolves need defensive reinforcements
While its unclear whether Wolves will move for Wooh, one thing that is clear is that the Midlands club desperately need some defensive reinforcements. Gary O’Neil’s side are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League having picked up one point from seven games, conceding a whopping 21 goals in the process – six more than any other team in the division.
Wolves lost central defender Max Kilman to West Ham in the summer, and their former captain has been a huge miss in the heart of their back four, with O’Neil now forced to rely on the veteran Craig Dawson, 34, and Portugal international Toti Gomes.
Colombian youngster Yerson Mosquera had been a regular feature along with Dawson up until September when he picked up an ACL injury in Wolves’ 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa. He’s now expected to miss the rest of the season.
Speaking about Mosquera’s injury at the time, O’Neil said, according to TBR Football: “He’s a great kid and I’m absolutely devastated for him because of the energy [he brings].
“No matter how things go each week, he gives absolutely everything and he always attacks things and does things in the right way,” he added. “It’s a big loss to us. It’s a big blow to the team but it brings an opportunity to others.”
Finch keen to play a support role for Maddinson in his first year at Renegades
Alex Malcolm18-Nov-2021Nic Maddinson will captain Melbourne Renegades in the upcoming BBL with long-time skipper Aaron Finch standing down to fill a role as a senior mentor.Maddinson has not played a game yet for Renegades after making the move from Melbourne Stars during the off-season. Renegades is the third BBL franchise he will play for after starting his career at Sydney Sixers. He has captained both the Sixers and the Stars, leading as a stand-in skipper in eight BBL games. He has also captained New South Wales six times in the Sheffield Shield.Finch, who has captained Renegades since 2012-13 and led the team to a BBL title in 2018-19, opted to stand down after a discussion with new coach David Saker.”That was a really easy one, to be honest,” Finch said on Thursday. “It was a chat I had with Sakes, probably two months, six weeks ago about I think just having a young family and I guess captaining every game that you play around the world.”It does take its toll and probably doesn’t allow you enough time at times to be able to work on your own game as much as you would like and I suppose in the Big Bash we’ve got a really young squad at the Renegades and I think to have the opportunity to work with the young players a bit closer as just as a player and not have your focus taken away from just helping them out as much as you can by meetings and strategy meetings and things like that, I think it will be really important.”Hopefully I can be a really important part of the transition with Maddo as captain as well. I think I wouldn’t like to leave the Renegades, say I play for two more years and I just captain right to the end of that and there’s been no real succession plan, I think that would be a bit unfair. So hopefully I can still have an impact with Maddo and sort of help him if need be.”Maddinson was pleased that Finch would be there to help him in his new role.”It’s a huge honour and a challenge I’m really looking forward to. It’s a great group of players with some young guys mixed in with experienced players,” Maddinson said.”Taking over from someone like Finchy is a huge task but having him around to help out and be that experienced head will be a great plus for me.”Maddinson is unlikely to be available for Renegades first three fixtures given he will almost certainly be playing for Australia A against England Lions in a four-day game in Brisbane starting on December 9. Renegades will also be without Marcus Harris due to Test duty while veteran Shaun Marsh looks set to miss a large chunk of the BBL after tearing his calf during Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland last week.Finch is also in doubt for the first match of the tournament after revealing his surgically repaired knee had caused him problems in the field during the T20 World Cup.”I pushed the rehab really hard and probably paid the price for it a little bit throughout the tournament,” Finch said. “Maybe a little bit more time off at the moment to just make sure I get that right.”I’ll wait and see over the next couple of weeks and not sure when our first game is for the Renegades [against] Adelaide but we’ll wait to see if I’m right.”Renegades’ first match is scheduled for December 7 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.