Capitals will have to clear RT-PCR testing on the morning of the game for the match to take place

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Apr-2022Wednesday’s match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals will take place in Mumbai instead of Pune, subject to Capitals clearing RT-PCR testing on the morning of the game. In case the match cannot take place as scheduled on April 20, the IPL will reschedule it.By late afternoon on Tuesday the prospect of the match taking place as scheduled brightened as Capitals were given permission to conduct a training session. The IPL, though, laid down the condition that only the players and the coaches would be allowed for the session which would be at the BKC ground on Tuesday evening.ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the decision to change the match venue was taken by the IPL at a meeting on Tuesday, in the wake of several members of the Capitals’ contingent testing positive for Covid-19. In a media release, the IPL said it has shifted Wednesday’s match from the MCA stadium in Pune to the Brabourne stadium “to avoid any further incident due to any undetected case during a long-distance bus journey in a closed environment.”Related

Capitals-Royals clash moved from Pune to Wankhede Stadium

Inconsistent Capitals and Kings clash under Covid-19 cloud

Delhi Capitals allrounder Mitchell Marsh tests positive for Covid-19

The IPL also said there were five confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Capitals contingent: Patrick Farhart (physiotherapist, tested positive on April 15), Chetan Kumar (massage therapist, tested positive on April 16), Mitchell Marsh (tested positive on April 18), Abhijit Salvi (team doctor, tested positive on April 18), and Akash Mane (social-media content team member, tested positive on April 18).On Monday, Capitals issued a statement confirming Australia allrounder Marsh was hospitalised, after testing positive for Covid-19, while the rest of the cases were asymptomatic.It is understood that Marsh was moved to hospital as a precautionary measure after he reported feeling unwell, including experiencing chills. The others who tested positive have been moved to a separate facility outside the team hotel because the hotel where the Capitals are staying had laid down the condition that anyone testing positive, including those that are asymptomatic, would need to move out of the premises.The IPL became concerned as soon as Farhart became the first known Covid-positive case this season. Ahead of Capitals’ clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore last Saturday, the IPL had asked both teams to not physically mingle after their match at the Wankhede Stadium. Both teams were seen waving at each other from a distance after the match, which Capitals lost. Doubts over Capitals’ game against Kings grew as additional cases emerged and the Capitals’ contingent was asked to isolate in their rooms on Monday.Since April 16, the IPL said, all members in the Capitals’ bubble have undergone four rounds of RT-PCR tests. In the latest round, conducted on Tuesday morning, all members outside of those that tested positive, had returned negative results. As per the protocol, all those that have tested positive will need to isolate for seven days and then return negative results on the last two days after which they would be able to rejoin the bubble.While IPL has managed to create a Plan B for Wednesday’s match, it will closely monitor the development, considering a Covid-19 outbreak had forced the suspension of the league at the halfway stage in 2021. Back then, there were multiple points within the IPL bubble that were identified to be vulnerable. This time, too, there were concerns around the bubble being breached, considering all teams, barring Mumbai Indians, are staying at hotels where other guests are allowed. While teams are staying on separate floors, where no one outside the bubble is allowed, players and support staff are allowed to use public spaces like the swimming pools within restricted timings.GMT 1210 The piece was updated with news of Capitals getting permission to conduct a training session.

Antonio Conte was manager at Tottenham Hotspur for around 16 months, but it did not quite go how people may have hoped. The Lilywhites first appointed the experienced Italian coach in November 2021, but he left in March of 2023 by mutual consent.

He had a respectable record as manager of the club, despite never really challenging for any trophies. He coached Spurs for 76 games, winning 41 times and losing 23.

In the domestic cups, he failed to get the North Londoners to any finals, reaching the Carabao Cup semi-final in his first season and the FA Cup fifth round in both campaigns.

The second season was particularly disappointing, given the money Conte had to spend in the summer of 2022.

Spurs’ 2022 summer transfer window

The Lilywhites’ summer transfer window in 2022 was certainly a season in which they were well-backed. They made eight signings, although one of those was a loan deal which saw Clement Lenglet join the club from Barcelona. Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster also joined on free transfers.

There were five other major signings made that summer, although one of those, Destiny Udogie, spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Udinese, from where he joined Spurs. Another player also moved from Serie A. Cristian Romero joined the Lilywhites on a permanent deal for £42.5m, after joining the club on loan the previous season.

There were also two deals made for players within the Premier League. One of those saw Everton striker Richarlison make the move from Merseyside to North London.

He cost the club £60m, although he has struggled to make a real impact so far. He did score twice against the Toffees in February 2024 in a 2-2 draw.

Yves Bissouma also joined Spurs in 2022, signing from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee in the region of £25m up front and a further £10m in add-ons. He is still an important player in Ange Postecoglou’s side today.

The eighth signing made under Conte that summer has not really worked out for either party, although he does still play for the club. That player is Djed Spence.

Djed Spence’s Spurs career

After an incredibly successful 2021/22 campaign on loan with Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough, Spurs took a punt on Spence ahead of Conte’s first full season in charge. He cost £12.5m up front and a further £7.5m in add-ons from Boro.

The right-back was fantastic in Forest’s promotion success in 2021/22. He was an influential member of Steve Cooper’s squad, playing 39 times in the Championship, scoring twice and grabbing five assists.

He also played every minute in the play-offs as Forest beat Sheffield United in the semi-final and Huddersfield in the final.

Spence’s Lilywhites career has been incredibly tough so far. He has played just 11 games for the club across two seasons, having gone on loan in the 2023/24 campaign to Leeds United for the first half of the season and Italian outfit Genoa for the second half.

Season

Competition

Games

Minutes

2022/23

Premier League

4

5

2022/23

Carabao Cup

1

25

2022/23

FA Cup

1

13

2024/25

Premier League

4

64

2024/25

Carabao Cup

1

45

Just weeks after the former England under-21 international made the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Conte revealed it was not a signing he wanted to make. The Italian manager said the “club decided to buy him”, but explained that he hoped he would “become a good, important player” for the club. Sadly, it has not quite worked out like that for the wing-back.

It remains to be seen where Spence’s future lies. Postecoglou may well decide to keep the wing-back at the club, but at this stage it does not seem like he is in his plans.

Once touted as “Premier League quality” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, he will surely be desperate to get his career back on track, be it at Spurs or a different club.

He's outscoring Son & Kulu: Spurs must rue losing their own Saka for £0

The incredible talent is now tearing it up for one of Spurs’ biggest rivals.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 30, 2024

GOAL selected the 50 best footballing talents from around the world born on or after January 1, 2001 – but are they living up to their potential?

Since NXGN's launch in 2016, GOAL has profiled the 50 best footballing wonderkids on the planet on an annual basis. Some of those recognised for their talent as teenagers are now household names, but others have not yet realised their potential.

So, after theNXGN 2025 list was revealed, check out where the stars of 2020 are now:

Every NXGN list

Dembele, Tielemans & 2016's best wonderkids

Mbappe, Donnarumma & 2017's best wonderkids

De Ligt, Kluivert & 2018's best wonderkids

Haaland, Sancho & 2019's best wonderkids

James, Oberdorf & 2020's best women's wonderkids

Pedri, Ansu Fati & 2021's best wonderkids

Le Tissier, Bennison & 2021's best women's wonderkids

Bellingham, Musiala & 2022's best wonderkids

Dumornay, Fowler & 2022's best women's wonderkids

Gavi, Garnacho & 2023's best wonderkids

Shaw, Thompson & 2023's best women's wonderkids

Yamal, Mainoo & 2024's best wonderkids

Caicedo, Moultrie & 2024's best women's wonderkids

Getty Images50Pablo Moreno (Juventus)

2020: Having scored more than 200 goals at youth level for Barcelona, teenage forward Moreno was beginning to make a similar impact in Turin, while having also earned a place on the first team's bench during the 2019-20 campaign.

2021: Moreno joined Manchester City in a swap deal in the summer of 2020, before being sent on loan to Girona. He managed 26 appearances in the Spanish second tier, scoring twice.

2022: The forward was loaned back to Girona for a second successive season, but struggled for game time, starting just once in the league all campaign. He left City to join Portuguese side Maritimo in the summer of 2022.

2023: Moreno made 22 appearances across all competition in 2022-23, but failed to find the net as Maritimo suffered relegation. His contract was terminated, and he returned to the Spanish second division with FC Andorra.

2024: The attacker started just one league game through the 2023-24 campaign as he continued to struggle in getting his career going.

2025: Moreno joined Osasuna B in the Spanish third tier over the summer, but he has yet again failed to make any kind of positive impact.

Advertisementasianadotmy49Luqman Hakim (Selangor)

2020: Already a Malaysia Under-23s international at the age of 18, Hakim had seen a move to Belgian side KV Kortrijk be put on hold due to Covid-19 restrictions.

2021: Hakim eventually arrived at Kortrijk in the summer of 2020, but made just one appearance in his first season with the club. He did, however, make his full international debut in May 2021.

2022: The forward failed to make a first-team appearance in 2021-22 as reports began to swirl that he might return to Malaysia in a bid to earn minutes at the senior level.

2023: Hakim did manage two appearances for Kortrijk in the first half of 2022-23, but was loaned to Icelandic second division side Njardvik on a year-long deal in February 2023.

2024: In January 2024, Hakim joined Japanese third-tier side YSCC Yokohama in a bid to gain regular first-team minutes.

2025: Those minutes weren't forthcoming, as Hakim made just one league start during the 2024 season, and he is now back at Kortrijk as he contemplates his next move.

48Luca Unbehaun (Borussia Dortmund)

2020: Having been snapped up from Bochum in 2016, Germany youth international Unbehaun was working his way through the youth ranks at Dortmund.

2021: The first-choice goalkeeper for Dortmund's reserve side, Unbehaun did make the first-team bench on a number of occasions.

2022: Unbehaun missed a lot of the 2021-22 season with a hand injury, but remained the No.1 for Dortmund's reserves, who played in the German third tier.

2023: The goalkeeper's wait for a first-team debut at Dortmund went on, though Unbehaun was named on the bench for a number of Champions League matches. At the end of the season, he left BVB having never made a first-team appearance, joining third-division side SC Verl.

2024: Unbehaun was first-choice at Verl as he looked to finally get his career moving in the right direction.

2025: A move to the Dutch second tier followed for Unbehaun, as he joined FC Emmen ahead of the 2024-25 season, and he has been the club's first-choice goalkeeper through the campaign.

Getty Images47Naci Unuvar (Ajax)

2020: Having become Ajax's youngest-ever goalscorer at the age of 16, Unuvar was being tipped to eventually replace Hakim Ziyech in the first team, despite reports linking him with Barcelona.

2021: Unuvar endured a difficult campaign, as he struggled to kick on in Amsterdam, and played solely for Jong Ajax in the second division.

2022: Unuvar performed much better for Jong Ajax in 2021-22, racking up double-figure totals for both goals and assists, while also earning a couple of first-team appearances.

2023: The winger spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Turkish champions Trabzonspor, but he started just one league match for the club. Ajax then sent him back out on loan, this time to Twente, in the summer of 2023.

2024: Unuvar started just two Eredivisie games for Twente, though he enjoyed a couple of eye-catching cameos over the course of the season. He was then sent on loan to Espanyol in Spain during the summer that followed.

2025: Having managed just two substitute appearances in La Liga, Unuvar's loan was cut short, and Ajax cancelled his contract in January. Twente picked him up shortly after, and he has taken up a similar role as an impact substitute since his return to Grolsch Veste.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Internacional não abaixa a guarda na janela de transferências e olha atentamente as oportunidades de mercado.Após contratar Wanderson, o Colorado está de olho no zagueiro Vitão e o meia-atacante Alan Patrick.Vitão foi revelado pelo Palmeiras e mesmo garoto foi negociado com o Shaktar Donetsk, onde desenvolve a sua carreira.

No caso de Alan Patrick, o meia-atacante já teve uma passagem no Internacional e aconteceu em 2014. Ele foi campeão estadual naquela temporada.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE A DO BRASILEIRÃO
​
Vitão e Alan Patrick estão na lista da FIFA de jogadores que atuam na Ucrânia e Rússia, que estão liberados para acertar com outros times até junho ou por períodos mais longos.

RelacionadasInternacionalWanderson é apresentado como reforço do InternacionalInternacional15/03/2022BahiaBahia estaria próximo de anunciar a chegada de Vitor JacaréBahia15/03/2022Campeonato PaulistaÁrbitro de 23 anos é escalado para apitar o Dérbi entre Palmeiras e CorinthiansCampeonato Paulista15/03/2022

Durham left to rue rain earlier in match as Glamorgan recover from top-order wobble

ECB Reporters Network10-Apr-2022

Chris Cooke held firm as Glamorgan rallied for the draw•Getty Images

Despite a flurry of wickets in the morning session, the final day of the LV=Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Durham in Cardiff finished in a draw after half centuries from Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke took the home side to safety.The day started with seven Durham wickets falling for 32 runs as Andrew Salter claimed career-best figures. Durham had a first-innings lead of 149 with Alex Lees finishing undefeated on 182.Four early Glamorgan wickets gave Durham some hope of claiming victory but the stand between Cooke and Carlson took the home side to safety with the teams shaking hands with 16 overs un-bowled.Durham will be left ruing the bad weather that took so much time out of this game on the first two days as they were the team best placed to push for a positive result.Durham resumed their first innings 114 runs in front with seven wickets in hand. In a madcap first hour they went from 351 for three to 383 all out. The destroyer-in-chief was Salter who finished with 7 for 45, his first five-wicket haul in the format, as the Durham middle and lower order attempted to press home their advantage with quick runs.Salter dismissed David Bedingham in the second over of the day, well stumped by Cooke with a ball that appeared to swing away from the batter. What followed was a succession of Durham players giving away their wickets with attempted big shots.As his side collapsed around him Lees stood firm, carrying his bat for the second time in his career on his way to his highest first-class score for Durham. While a quick conclusion of the Durham innings may not have been their plan as they started out the final day of this match, it did give them more time to claim the ten Glamorgan wickets they needed for victory.In the 14 overs they bowled before lunch, Durham claimed three Glamorgan wickets with the home side still trailing by 116 at the break. It could have been four wickets before the interval but Paul Coughlin put down a relatively simple chance at third slip that would have dismissed Colin Ingram without scoring.While the morning session was hectic, things settled down after lunch. Durham had Glamorgan 66 for four when Ben Raine had Ingram bowled but a partnership of 90 between Carlson and Cooke took Glamorgan into the lead.It was a breakthrough year for Carlson in 2021 with the Welsh batter scoring 928 first-class runs at an average of 48.84 and he was playing exceptionally before edging one through to the wicket-keeper on 61 off the bowling of Matthew Potts. Glamorgan will be hoping for more eye-catching innings like this one in 2022.Cooke made 59 in the first innings and was 85 not out in the second, those runs combined with the 205 not out he made in the last match of the 2021 season it is an impressing run of scores for the Glamorgan wicket-keeper.Durham take 15 points away from this match while Glamorgan claim 11.

Tim David was finally recalled by Mumbai Indians but it was a largely quiet week for those in the IPL

Alex Malcolm02-May-20223:35

Can David be Pollard’s successor for Mumbai?

County cricket
The world’s No.1 ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne returned to his run-making best for Glamorgan with scores of 130 and 85 in a cracking division two clash against Derbyshire. Labuschagne’s century in the first innings helped edge Glamorgan to a lead but he made a sensational near run-a-ball 85 in the second as Glamorgan fell just 21 runs short of chasing 331 in 55 overs on the final day. They held on for a draw. Michael Neser took 4 for 63 in the first innings at Derby.Matt Renshaw made a statement for Somerset scoring 129 in their innings rout of Warwickshire at Taunton. The left-hander was the only player in the match to pass 71 as he set up Somerset’s match-winning score of 458. It was Renshaw’s 14th first-class century and his first as an opener since his last century for Somerset at Taunton back in 2018. Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey took notice of his return to form at the top of the order after he was named in the Australia A squad to tour Sri Lanka.Related

Labuschagne, Northeast drive Glamorgan as thrilling chase proves just out of reach

Versatile Renshaw rising back up Australia's ranks

Pat Cummins rested for Sri Lanka T20Is; big guns return for white-ball leg

Not to be outdone, Marcus Harris produced his second century of the English summer in a run-feast against Surrey at Bristol. After Surrey piled up 603, Harris made 124 in reply for Gloucestershire sharing in a 296-run opening stand with Chris Dent. Harris has scores of 136, 67 and 124 in his first three county matches of the season, although his first two performances came on far tougher surfaces, as Gloucestershire and Surrey scored 1046 runs in three days for just 12 wickets in the draw before rain washed out the final day.Mitchell Marsh lofts one over the off side•BCCIIPL
It wasn’t a great week for the Australians at the IPL with very few outstanding performances. Mitchell Marsh produced his best score of the tournament to-date after an interrupted start due to injury and Covid-19. He looked in superb touch as he smashed 37 off 20 balls on Sunday for Delhi Capitals against Lucknow Super Giants. He feasted on Jason Holder and Dushmantha Chameera with three cracking sixes but fell to the spin of Krishnappa Gowtham as Capitals fell short in the chase. David Warner missed out making just 3 while Marcus Stoinis made 17 not out of 16 deliveries in a far from fluent display. He struck a boundary first ball and a six off his penultimate delivery but scored just seven runs off the bat from the other 14 balls he faced and was dropped at deep midwicket. Stoinis managed just 1 off four balls in his previous outing against Punjab Kings.Warner’s low score was his first in six matches after smashing 42 off 26 balls with eight boundaries in Capitals’ win over Kolkata Knight Riders last week. Marsh made 13 off seven in the same game but Aaron Finch, on return from a shoulder issue, missed out for KKR, clean bowled for 3 off seven trying to launch one across the line.Tim David was finally picked for Mumbai Indians, having been left out of the previous six games, and delivered with a match-winning 20 not out from nine balls to guide Mumbai home to their first win of the tournament over Rajasthan Royals. He struck two fours and a six and was out there with Daniel Sams as he hit the winning six in the final over. Sams took 1 for 32 from his four overs with the ball. Riley Meredith also bowled superbly taking 2 for 24 from his four overs to help restrict Royals to just 158 for 6.Glenn Maxwell produced a special cameo for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Gujurat Titans cruising to 33 from 18 balls. He launched Mohammed Shami over square leg twice for six and then switch-hit Rashid Khan for four over cover, with the ball landing just short of the rope. He then sliced a Lockie Ferguson yorker over backward point for four but fell trying to go again in the 19th over. However, RCB were unable to defend 170 with Josh Hazlewood delivering a rare expensive spell giving up 36 runs in 3.3 overs without a wicket. This came after he took 2 for 19 against Royals last week including the prized scalp of Jos Buttler in a wicket-maiden. But RCB failed to chase 145 with Maxwell falling for a first-ball duck.Did you see?
Pat Cummins has been running the drinks in KKR’s last two matches. He was left out of the loss to Gujarat Titans last week with suggestions he was being rested due a niggle. But he was not selected for KKR’s clash against Delhi with Tim Southee preferred after Cummins had been too expensive with the ball in his first four games of the tournament. He is also going to be rested from Australia’s T20I series on the multi-format tour of Sri Lanka in June.Injuries
Finch did have a shoulder issue that had forced him out of KKR’s line-up last week for one match after making a half-century against Royals. But he recovered quickly to take his place in the side against Capitals and there are no concerns long-term.Matt Renshaw set up the innings with a hundred•Getty ImagesPerformance of the week
Renshaw’s century for Somerset was the standout performance of the week, in both the context of the game and of his career. He was the only player in the match to pass 71 making 129 in a game where only four other half-centuries were scored across three innings. But it was significant in that it was only his third innings back opening the batting having spent the past two years batting at Nos. 3-5 after he was dropped from Queensland’s Sheffield Shield team back in 2019 and took a break from cricket. With a Test hundred under his belt in 2017 as an opener, and Australia’s current opening pair of Warner and Usman Khawaja both set to turn 36 this year, the 26-year-old is returning to his best at the right time.

Wolves have now been offered the chance to sign a club’s mainstay star, and one who Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are allegedly in talks for ahead of the looming January window.

Wolves decide to back Gary O'Neil despite 'El Sackico' loss on Monday

Their clash with West Ham on Monday, dubbed the ‘El Sackico’, was seen by many as a crucial game to determine the immediate futures of both O’Neil and Julen Lopetegui.

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1 ByBen Gray Dec 14, 2024

However, despite Wolves’ boss subsequently losing the clash in east London, chairman Jeff Shi and the club’s board have decided to carry on backing O’Neil – as they look to address other problems like squad balance.

“Understand Gary O’Neil retains the backing of Wolves’ board following the loss to West Ham,” wrote GiveMeSport reporter Ben Jacobs on X, formerly Twitter, early this week.

“Chair Jeff Shi wants to support O’Neil. Wolves’ leadership team doesn’t attribute this season’s challenges to the head coach and are committed to providing him with the necessary tools to turn form around. This includes having a productive January.

West Ham 2-1 Wolves

Everton 4-0 Wolves

Wolves 2-4 Bournemouth

Fulham 1-4 Wolves

Wolves 2-0 Southampton

“Wolves are believed to be actively addressing other issues, including squad balance, and believe results can be turned around. Wolves’ leadership remain calm and will draw on previous experiences to try and get this season on track. Also no chance star players depart in January. Wolves not open to a mid-season Matheus Cunha exit.”

With O’Neil’s future secure for now, the club’s owners must find another way to galvanise his squad, and January appears like a solid solution.

The winter window represents a chance to strengthen in key areas, as Wolves look to avoid the Premier League drop zone and maintain their top flight status.

O’Neil himself has suggested that Wolves’ hierarchy are prepared to dip their toes into the winter transfer market, which comes as good news for supporters ahead of a crucial rest of this campaign.

Targets keep emerging for Wolves as the window opens for business in just over a fortnight, and one player now being mentioned is Getafe centre-back Omar Alderete.

Wolves offered chance to sign Getafe star Omar Alderete by agents

According to The Boot Room, Wolves have been offered Alderete by intermediaries, alongside other Premier League sides, as the Paraguay international potentially looks to seal a dream move to England.

This comes amid other claims that Tottenham are already in talks to sign Alderete, with Ange Postecoglou currently dealing with an injury crisis of his own and having just one natural senior centre-back available right now.

The player’s release clause stands at around £13 million, which could be deemed a bargain considering he’s made more blocks and clearances on average than any other player in Getafe’s squad this season (WhoScored).

Given Celtic’s business model of buying young players at a low cost, providing them a platform on which to perform and ultimately selling them on at a profit, the Hoops experience more squad turnover than most.

Matt O’Riley is a prime example of this transfer strategy, arriving from Milton Keynes Dons for just £1.5m in January 2022, before being sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £25m last summer, a joint-record sale for a Scottish club, alongside Kieran Tierney’s move to Arsenal in 2019 and Jota who joined Al-Ittihad in 2023.

This merry-go-round has seen plenty of top-quality strikers donning the famous Hoops during the last decade or so, including Moussa Dembele, Odsonne Edouard, Giorgos Giakoumakis and current first-choice centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi to name but a few.

Celtic do often get their recruitment right, particularly at the top end of the park, but this certainly isn’t always the case.

Celtic's worst-ever transfer window?

Following the summer window in 2020, Celtic put out this now infamous “Just sitting there thinking… what a window” tweet, mocking former striker Charlie Nicholas, who had criticised the club’s recruitment, but it turned out he was right.

Of the players pictured, Vasilis Barkas, Shane Duffy and Albian Ajeti were massive flops, Diego Laxalt was underwhelming, David Turnbull was decent, albeit but didn’t live up to his potential, and Mohamed Elyounoussi was sporadically impressive, but without much consistency.

The Hoops’ poor recruitment in 2020 actually extended back to the pre-pandemic January window too, paying £2m for Ismaila Soro’s services from Bnei Yehuda, while Patryk Klimala arrived from Jagiellonia Białystok for £3.5m.

Given that the world shut down and football was suspended mere weeks after his arrival in Glasgow, Klimala made just four appearances, totalling 101 minutes, during his first half-season at Celtic, but there was optimism he could have an impact the following year after an impressive showing in pre-season, most-notably scoring the goal below against Nice.

He then netted on the opening day of the Premiership season as the Bhoys hammered Hamilton Accies 5-1, on target shortly after being introduced as a substitute.

This though, was very much not the start of something, with Klimala scoring just three times in 28 appearances during what proved to be a catastrophic campaign, as Neil Lennon’s team ended up trophyless, finishing a whopping 25 points behind Rangers, with 20/21 still the only campaign since 2010/11 in which Celtic have not been crowned champions.

The Polish striker unceremoniously departed in April 2021, described as “surplus to requirements” by Noel Whelan in Football Insider, sold to New York Red Bulls for $4.8m, with Celtic remarkably getting their money back, despite his unnoteworthy stint in Glasgow, with Klimala becoming something of a globe trotter subsequently.

Patryk Klimala's post-Celtic career

Similar to Celtic, the New York Red Bulls almost certainly regret paying £3.5m for Klimala’s services.

He was actually their top-scorer with eight in 2021, as the New Jersey-based franchise finished 14th in the overall Major League Soccer standings, scoring just 14 goals in 63 appearances overall, losing his starting spot as RBNY improved in 2022.

As a result, the following January, he was sold to Israeli-based club Hapoel Be’er Sheva, scoring a miserly four goals in 23 outings, before his contract was mutually terminated towards the end of 2023 following the escalation of the Israel–Hamas war.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

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Śląsk Wrocław, back in his native Poland, took a chance on Klimala, but this did not pay off, failing to score in any of his 11 Ekstraklasa appearances for the Militarians, so much so that he was disregarded to their reserve side, who ply their trade in the Polish fourth-tier, unsurprisingly scoring four in four at that level, including a hat-trick against Górnik Polkowice, but this would prove to be just the start of his scoring spree.

In September 2024, Klimala joined A-League side Sydney FC and, despite now plying his trade on the other side of the world, he appears to have found a home.

Now 26 years old, he’s scored seven goals in 11 outings for the Sky Blues, bagging the winner on his A-League debut, which just so happened to be a Sydney derby against Western Sydney Wanderers.

He was on target in another Sydney derby victory in late November too, before continuing his scoring spree in defeat at Central Coast Mariners on Sunday, as the Sky Blues sit sixth in the A-League standings.

Patryk Klimala’s career by numbers

Club

Goals

Minutes per goal

Jagiellonia Białystok

11

211

Celtic

3

227

New York Red Bulls

14

289

Hapoel Be’er Sheva

4

281

Śląsk Wrocław

0

N/A

Sydney FC

7

135

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As outlined by the table, the striker has flourished at the start of his life Down Under so, while this doesn’t suggest Celtic should have kept hold of him, it does emphasise that just because a player doesn’t work out at one club, or four in this case, it doesn’t mean they won’t thrive at the right level and in the right environment.

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Posts ByRoss Kilvington Dec 8, 2024

The South Africa head coach says the batters lacked intent and belief

Mohammad Isam24-Mar-2022

Boucher on South Africa’s batting – “It was almost like we went out with the fear of getting out, rather than going out to set a total”•Getty Images

South Africa’s head coach Mark Boucher has said that his side’s “fear of failure” played a role in their defeat in the ODI series against Bangladesh. Boucher repeated the phrase several times during the post-match press conference, adding that the team lacked belief in playing spin, something that he considered they did well in Sri Lanka last year.The home side were bowled out for 154 in 37 overs, with offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz getting Bangladesh the initial breakthrough of Quinton de Kock’s wicket, while Shakib Al Hasan kept things steady later in the innings. Taskin Ahmed took eight wickets in both of South Africa’s losses, but Boucher believed that if they handled Mehidy and Shakib better, they could have won this series.Related

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“We lacked the intent today,” Boucher said. “After we got off to a very good start today, we went to sleep. It is certainly not the way we want to play. We wanted to take the game forward after a good start. We just didn’t manage to do that. I think they bowled well but you have to take some risks to create scoring opportunities. It was almost like we went out with the fear of getting out, rather than going out to set a total. The way the wicket played, it was over 300.”I think (the ODI side needs) belief in the way we want to play. We played spin well in Sri Lanka, but when we came to South Africa where the conditions helped the spinners, we went back to the old way of playing. We are still having a lot of chats, to try to get the guys to believe that this is the way to play spin in turning conditions.”It was almost Indian-sort of conditions in our home country. We want the guys to be proactive, but they didn’t do it today. We have been working on our shot selection. The guys know they have the armory to do that, but it is one thing to understand that you got it, but it is another thing to execute it. There seem to be a little bit of a block and fear of getting out, rather than understanding that the game is about runs and try to put the fear of failure out of your mind.”Boucher said that that the lack of pace offered by Bangladesh’s spinners was the key difference between how they played spin in Sri Lanka, and against India at home, and how they handled Bangladesh.”If you look at where we have come from, we always had problem playing spin. We worked hard to score all around the wicket. We have to be nice and aggressive, but also smart when playing spin. Certain players like Rassie (van der Dussen) did it against India in Paarl.”He took the game on, and it changed the whole state of the game. Bangladesh’s spinners bowled really slowly against us, so it is always difficult to run down and hit the ball over the top. We have the skillset to do it. I just think that the belief was not there maybe against this type of bowling. We almost went into our shells in this series.”Boucher, however, conceded that South Africa were outplayed by Bangladesh, which has set off some alarm bells for their direct qualification to the 2023 World Cup. Currently, South Africa are in ninth position in the ICC ODI Super League points table.”The alarm bells are always there. We are putting ourselves under pressure but we have to come to the party. I certainly believe that if we rock up, we stick to our game plans, we arrive with confidence, we can beat anyone in the world. We have shown that in the T20 World Cup.”It is basically the same personnel in our one-day team as well. We have a lot of things to talk about. We have beaten those teams (India, England, Australia) before. We have to beat them again to qualify (to the World Cup).”

Hardik Pandya led from the front in all three departments – scoring an unbeaten 87 off 52 balls, picking up a wicket and effecting a run-out – to set up a 37-run win for Gujarat Titans at the DY Patil Stadium. With four wins from five games, Titans are now at the top of the points table in IPL 2022.After being put in, Pandya and Abhinav Manohar added 86 off 55 balls for the fourth wicket to pull things away from Rajasthan Royals. Pandya and David Miller then ransacked 47 off the last three overs to further widen the gap.Jos Buttler started the chase in style, but the other Royals batters failed to turn up. Lockie Ferguson was superb, picking up 3 for 23. Rashid Khan was economical, giving away only 24 from his four. And IPL debutant left-arm seamer Yash Dayal finished with 3 for 40 after going for 33 in his first two overs.The only worry for Titans, at the moment, will be Pandya walking off the field with a thigh issue in the middle of his third over, the 18th of Royals’ innings.A mixed start for Titans
With Trent Boult missing out with a niggle, James Neesham opened the bowling for Royals. Matthew Wade took advantage of that and struck three fours – two off full tosses on either side of the pitch and the third off a short and wide delivery.Royals, though, had him run out in the very next over when Shubman Gill pushed one towards cover for a quick single but Rassie van der Dussen charged in, swooped low and nailed the direct hit at the striker’s end. Wade was well short.Kuldeep Sen had a returning Vijay Shankar caught behind but Pandya took him on, smashing him for three successive fours in the fifth over.As soon as the powerplay ended, Sanju Samson tried to sneak in an over from Riyan Parag as well. Pandya welcomed him with a straight six before Gill pulled him to the square leg boundary for four. But Parag had the last laugh when Gill got too greedy and holed out to long-on.Hardik Pandya scored his second straight unbeaten half-century•BCCI

Pandya-Manohar stand revives Titans
At 53 for 3 in the seventh over, Royals seemed to have the upper hand. More so when the next four overs went for only 24. But Pandya and Manohar then stepped on the gas. In the 13th over, Manohar hit Yuzvendra Chahal’s consecutive balls for a four and six. In the 14th, Sen ended up conceding three fours, the second of which brought up Pandya’s fifty off 33 balls.R Ashwin too, came in for the punishment. Pandya launched him for back-to-back sixes. Chahal removed Manohar for a 28-ball 43 after conceding another six but now the stage was set for Miller. Sen paid the price of that as Miller hit him for three fours and a six in a 21-run 19th over. Pandya then struck a six and four off Prasidh in the final over to apply the finishing touch.The Buttler show
Buttler got Royals to a flier, hitting Mohammed Shami for three fours in the first over of the chase. Dayal was next in the line. Buttler hit him for two fours and a six over fine leg, but Dayal responded by having Devdutt Padikkal caught at slip for a first-ball duck.After a quiet third over, Buttler once again got stuck into Dayal, this time hitting him for three fours and a six. At the end of four overs, Buttler had scored 48 out of the 49 runs Royals had on the board.Lockie Ferguson bowled a rampaging Jos Buttler with a slow yorker•BCCI

Ferguson turns the tide
Ashwin, who was promoted to No. 3, launched Rashid for a straight six. However, Ferguson sent him back – courtesy of an excellent, low catch from Miller at cover – for a run-a-ball 8. Four balls later, Buttler shuffled across and helped Ferguson over fine leg for a six, bringing up his fifty off just 23 balls. But Ferguson struck again, this time with a slower yorker to castle Buttler. That left Royals 65 for 3 after the powerplay.Another excellent piece of fielding saw Samson’s back. The batter punched one towards mid-off for a quick single but couldn’t beat Pandya’s direct hit. After three boundary-less overs, van der Dussen edged Dayal behind, leaving Royals 90 for 5 in the 11th over.Shimron Hetmyer tried to keep the chase alive, hitting Shami for a six and a four before holing out to long-on in the same over. In the last seven overs, Royals needed 76 with Parag and Neesham at the crease. But Ferguson returned in the 16th over to dismiss Parag. Two overs later, Pandya had Neesham caught and bowled with a slower one to all but seal the game.