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يلتقي منتخب مصر لكرة اليد الأول “رجال” مع نظيره البرتغال، اليوم السبت، في مباراة ودية، ضمن الاستعدادات لبطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا القادمة.

ويخوض منتخب مصر الأول لكرة اليد، معسكرًا في البرتغال، خلال الفترة الحالية، ويلعب خلاله مباراتين أمام البرتعال يومي 30 أكتوبر و1 نوفمبر.

ولعب منتخب مصر ضد البرتغال، في المباراة الودية الأولى يوم الخميس، وانتصر المنتخب المصري بنتيجة 32-28.

طالع | موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر وألمانيا اليوم في نهائي كأس العالم لكرة اليد تحت 17 عامًا.. والمعلق

يأتي معسكر منتخب مصر في البرتغال من أجل الاستعداد القوي لخوض منافسات بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية المقرر إقامتها في رواندا خلال شهر يناير المقبل.

ويتولى تدريب منتخب مصر لكرة اليد الأول، المدير الفني الإسباني خافيير باسكوال. موعد مباراة مصر والبرتغال الودية اليوم

يلعب منتخب مصر لكرة اليد أمام البرتغال، اليوم السبت 1 نوفمبر، في تمام الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت مصر، 7 بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة مصر والبرتغال الودية اليوم

مباراة مصر والبرتغال، مذاعة عبر قناة اليوتوب Handgoal.. يمكنكم مطالعة القناة من هنا

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

You may not want to but let’s cast our minds back to March 2023. Arsenal are facing Sporting in a Europa League knock-out match and William Saliba has gone down injured.

The replacement that day was Rob Holding. Yes, it’s remarkable just how much this squad has progressed since that day.

Holding was a loyal servant to the club but he was never really Arsenal quality. The run-in during the end of the 2022/23 campaign, a season in which the Gunners played some scintillating football, showcased just that.

After that injury on the European stage, Saliba didn’t play another minute of the season, which meant Holding was forced into the side. It did not go well at all; the Londoners only won five of their last 11 league matches, missing out on the Premier League title.

The central defender did score against Manchester City, albeit it that came in a crippling 4-1 defeat a match where Jamie Carragher explained at full-time that Erling Haaland vs Holding was a “physical mismatch.”

That sequence of games has been a learning curve for Mikel Arteta and it perhaps still scars him to this day. Arsenal have signed a whole host of defenders since and the way with which they’ve dealt with Saliba’s latest injury setback is a testament to that.

Enter, Cristhian Mosquera.

Cristhian Mosquera's stunning form for Arsenal in numbers

Holding, who? The level of progression from Arsenal’s backline since the English centre-half departed for pastures new is remarkable.

The layers of depth Arteta now has at his disposal in defence speaks volumes. At left-back, he can call on Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Piero Hincapie.

In the middle, he can call on Calafiori and Hincapie again, although right-backs Jurrien Timber and Ben White also possess the ability to play as centre-backs should Saliba and Gabriel be absent.

There will be no more Holding situations, and Mosquera’s early-season form in London proves that.

Very rarely can a football player be described as a bargain in the modern market but the £13m that Arsenal spent on Mosquera certainly looks like that.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Valencia phoned the police to report a robbery, that’s how cheap his price tag looks.

That’s because his latest two outings demonstrate that if Saliba or Gabriel are missing, there won’t be a drop off in quality.

When the French central defender hobbled off early on in the defeat against Liverpool, every supporter feared the worst, but Arsenal’s new Spanish signing was a match for the likes of Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and Mohammed Salah.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Yes, the hosts may well have won at Anfield but Mosquera was phenomenal, completing 92% of his passes and winning four of his five duels.

Against Forest, he was arguably even better. Saliba was still missing but his young stand-in, aged just 21, didn’t put a foot wrong.

On this occasion, he kept a clean sheet, completed 91% of his passes and lost just one of his four duels. Impressive stuff indeed.

Remarkably, however, the Gunners may well be brewing a bigger talent in the Hale End ranks.

Introducing the best centre-back Hale End has produced

When Arsenal announced the arrival of Mosquera over the summer, Andrea Berta found it difficult to hide his admiration for the young defender: “We identified Cristhian as one of the strongest young defenders in European football, and he is an important signing for our future,” exclaimed the Italian.

Well, speaking of the future, there is a world where he could be partnered by one of the most promising talents in the club’s academy.

That player is Marli Salmon. Aged just 16, he’s already been described as the Max Dowman of defenders and while he is yet to appear in a competitive fixture for Arsenal, he did make his first team bow during pre-season.

Salmon looked miles above his age and really did stand out at the heart of Arteta’s backline, featuring against both Milan and Newcastle.

Versus the Italian giants, the young defender played the final 24 minutes of that encounter and completed 94% of his passes. Against Newcastle, he featured for just 13 minutes but once again looked at ease, this time completing 100% of his passes.

He’s certainly composed at the back and testimonies from those who follow Hale End more closely indicate that he could well be on Dowman’s level.

Currently being mentored by Saliba, insider Hand of Arsenal has noted that Salmon is “rated very very highly by everyone at the club,” while suggesting that he is “the best centre-back in his age group.”

Well, data analyst Ben Mattinson has gone a step further by suggesting that the teenager is “the best centre-back Hale End has produced.”

Possessing Saliba-like calmness in possession, Salmon’s talent looks immense and it would not be a surprise if we start seeing him playing more first-team minutes in a few years.

He’s not quite ready yet, but the fact he went on the club’s pre-season tour suggests Arteta likes the look of him. Those reviews suggest he could become an even bigger talent than Mosquera. Exciting times indeed.

He dropped a 10/10: Arsenal's "signing of the summer" could be Xhaka 2.0

Arsenal may have signed their new Granit Xhaka.

ByMatt Dawson Sep 14, 2025

Legendary manager Jose Mourinho picked his three greatest players in football history, choosing between modern-day icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese boss has worked with some world-class players during his managerial career, representing the home dugouts at Stamford Bridge, San Siro, Bernabeu and Old Trafford during his career.

As well as managing Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, Mourinho has also won European trophies with FC Porto and AS Roma.

The ‘Special One’ has also had a lot to say during his career, producing some brilliant quotes over the last 20 years.

9 of the best Jose Mourinho quotes

The Special One has had a way with words over the years.

By
Barney Lane

Dec 2, 2024

Mourinho was asked back in 2016 for his top three players of all time, and as to be expected, he didn’t shy away from giving an answer.

Jose Mourinho’s 3 greatest players in history

3

Pele

Brazil

One of Mourinho’s three GOAT’s is World Cup hero Pele, who broke goalscoring records during his playing days.

A forward for the big occasion with Brazil, records say Pele scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, with more than 600 of those coming for Santos.

Talking after Pele passed away in 2022, Mourinho paid tribute to the Brazilian, calling an interaction with him as one of his “proudest moments”.

“In 2005 I received the BBC award directly from the king’s hands, and to this day it’s one of my proudest moments. I was so so happy to have him in Manchester where we had such a nice chat and nice time. Rest in peace, King Pele, and thinking of his loved ones. I am very sad.”

2

Diego Maradona

Argentina

Also on Mourinho’s list is Diego Maradona, with the pair having a close relationship before the latter’s passing in 2020.

A classic number 10 who helped transform the game, the Argentine arguably single handedly won his country the World Cup in 1986. At club level, Maradona is best known for his time with Italian side Napoli but also played for Barcelona in the 1980s.

Mourinho said Maradona would regularly call him and has vowed to continue the attacker’s legacy.

“I made sure that my son knows a lot about him, even being born after he was a player. I know my son will make sure when he is a father he will not let his kids forget. It was a bit similar with Di Stefano; I never saw him play football, but my dad made sure I knew a lot about him.”

1

Lionel Messi

Argentina

Despite never working with Lionel Messi, coming up against him on numerous occasions during his time as Real Madrid manager, Mourinho has picked the Argentine over Cristiano Ronaldo.

Between 2010 and 2013, Mourinho and Madrid faced Barcelona and Messi 27 times but only won eight of those meetings against the Catalan giants.

“One in particular? I don’t have a player I can tell you. Messi has never needed a coach. Who tells you ‘I coached Messi’? It’s absurd. Messi knows everything, he was born with everything. You can only say that I had the honour of having trained him.”

Mourinho’s reply when asked for his three best players was:

“Can you just tell me how many overs were left?” Shreyas Iyer asked journalists, right at the top of his press conference. “Forty-five balls? Okay.””I think we could have won a bit earlier. It would have been a convincing win.”Uhh, what? Is a six-wicket win with more than seven overs left not convincing enough?There was almost no stage in their chase of 242 in which India appeared troubled, and almost no stage in the first innings in which Pakistan appeared capable of getting to a score that would test India.Related

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“But if we could have played more aggressively, we could have won a bit earlier,” Iyer said. He’d hit 56 off 67 balls.Through his innings, Iyer had to battle legspinner Abrar Ahmed, who was the most economical of Pakistan’s bowlers, taking 1 for 28 in his ten overs. That one wicket came from a spectacular delivery to Shubman Gill.Iyer had some good things to say. “I think Abrar bowled brilliantly. It was important and crucial for me to play out that spell and rotate the strike at the same time. It took some time and then once my eyes were set, I thought that sweep and reverse sweep would have been a great option to put them on the back foot. And I think that worked pretty well for me.”It wasn’t easy to take charge against Abrar. In that particular phase, it was important to take singles as much as possible and take the team to the end. Once we reach 30 or 40 runs, it is easy to charge on from there.”One of the things that the experts noted about Iyer’s innings against Pakistan was that he didn’t seem to find handling short deliveries too difficult.”When he came back [after playing domestic cricket] against England, the first innings that he played was flawless,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “It was like a huge difference between the Shreyas Iyer of before and this one, and especially with the short ball. How comfortable is he looking against the short ball [now]! He’s not played [shots] out of desperation or trying to get himself into a counter-attacking mode. He’s just playing that shot carefully and with lots of confidence.”Anil Kumble agreed that playing domestic cricket had changed Iyer. “Whenever he has batted [against] the faster bowlers, earlier on, he would move around in his crease very early in his innings, irrespective of what the situation was. But we have never seen that in today’s game.”This is the second match India have played in Dubai in this Champions Trophy, though this was a different strip from the one they had faced Bangladesh on. And the bowlers who took pace off the ball complicated Iyer’s progress.Shreyas Iyer scored an important half-century against Pakistan•ICC/Getty Images

“As we know, even in the previous game we played over here, the wicket is a bit slow,” he said. “It’s spinner-friendly, of course. The amalgamation of all their bowlers and the experience they possess brings a lot of clarity to their bowling.”India were chasing a modest target, but still, Iyer’s start had been somewhat slow – he made 12 off the first 28 balls he faced.”It’s important to attack, but it’s not easy to go in and straightaway start smashing the ball,” he said. “You need to see the pace of the wicket, and how it’s coming on to the bat. If you show that intent every ball, it’s difficult for a batsman, to be honest.”It’s better to take some time, see how it’s coming to you, and let the ball do the talking.”

Chelsea have now been in “direct contact” with a club’s “super boss” to discuss a move for a “fascinating” new signing in the final days of the market.

Blues' transfer activity hinges on outgoings

After a frantic start to the summer transfer window, there has been little recent activity at Stamford Bridge, with Todd Boehly focused on getting current players off the books before being able to bring in more new signings.

That has been the case for quite some time, with Fabrizio Romano nearly two weeks ago revealing the Blues are looking to sell both Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson before bringing in two new attackers.

Aston Villa have subsequently made Jackson their top target, while there is no shortage of interest in Nkunku, with Bayern Munich and Newcastle United being named as potential suitors.

Consequently, Enzo Maresca’s side should have little trouble sealing the departures of the two forwards, which would create space in the squad for both RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho.

According to an update from Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, Chelsea have recently engaged in fresh talks over a deal for Simons, having been in “direct contact” with RB Leipzig “super boss” Oliver Mintzlaff.

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The Blues will “remain keen” on signing the Leipzig maestro right up until deadline day, and he is said to have agreed a deal until 2031, but the west Londoners are still waiting to finalize the sales of Jackson and Nkunku before advancing the deal any further.

"Fascinating" Simons could excel at Stamford Bridge

Given his fantastic goal and assist record in the Bundesliga, the Dutchman received high praise from scout Jacek Kulig during the 2024/25 campaign.

Not only that, but the RB Leipzig star, who is expected to cost £60m, has been lauded by former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, who also revealed what he thinks the 22-year-old’s best position is.

Tuchel said: “I think his best position is half winger, half 10, so he can be free. He is technically strong, calm with the ball, and very good in front of goal.”

With Nkunku scoring just three Premier League goals last season, and Jackson massively underperforming his xG over the past year, Chelsea could do with a new attacker who is clinical in front of goal, and Tuchel seems to believe Simons fits the bill.

Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for three late-summer signings after missing out on Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, but time is quickly running out for chairman Daniel Levy and the Lilywhites recruitment team.

Spurs were forced to return to their transfer drawing board for a new playmaker yet again earlier this week, after their north London rivals hijacked a once-advanced deal for Eze.

The 27-year-old agreed personal terms to join Thomas Frank’s side, with the finances of a deal also struck with Palace, so it appeared only a matter of time before they welcomed the player to N17.

However, Kai Havertz’s injury prompted Arsenal to mount a sensational late move for their ex-academy gem after weeks of groundwork, despite initially hesitating, and once the Gunners came in, Eze’s choice was crystal clear.

It marks one of the stories of the transfer window, but for Tottenham, it is nothing but frustration.

Since the Eze humiliation, Spurs have been linked with a host of alternatives – including Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche, Como’s Nico Paz, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, Bournemouth midfielder (and boyhood Lilywhites supporter) Alex Scott, RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, Southampton sensation Tyler Dibling and Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss.

However, the likes of El Khannouss, Dibling and Simons are already in talks over moves to different clubs, so if they’re serious, Tottenham may need to pull off a late hijack of their own.

Tottenham eyeing late moves for number 10, winger and centre-back

To make matters more complicated, according to Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, Tottenham have other items on the agenda away from their search for a playmaker.

It is believed that Spurs are eyeing late signings of a number 10, winger and a centre-back before the deadline on September 1, so Levy has plenty to do, and with very little time to do it.

In terms of a winger and defender, Tottenham are expected to mount another push for Savinho from Man City, with the two sides going head-to-head today, and there is believed to be an interest in Brentford captain Nathan Collins.

It’s hard to remember a summer quite this hectic for Arsenal.

It was less than a month ago that fans were complaining about a lack of business, and now it’s hard to keep track of what’s happening every day.

Mikel Arteta and Co have seriously improved the squad with the additions of Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, and Kepa Arrizabalaga, and it feels like a matter of when, not if, Cristhian Mosquera is announced as well.

The same could be said for Viktor Gyokeres, who could be the answer to the Gunners’ goalscoring problems of last season, and if reports are to be believed, the club are interested in someone who’d be a dream signing for the Swede.

Arsenal target dream teammate for Gyokeres

While Arsenal have been linked with an absurd number of players this summer, it would be fair to say the most significant saga, if you can call it that, has been around Gyokeres.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The club switched focus from Benjamin Sesko to the former Coventry City star once it was clear the German side were not interested in negotiating a reasonable fee, and while things have been easier with Sporting CP, there have still been a number of delays.

However, it now appears that the only things left to work out before the 27-year-old can go off for his medical are the add-ons, as it has been widely reported that the initial fee the Gunners will have to pay is around £55m.

While the North Londoners might have called it a day following such a flurry of spending in the past, it now looks like they’re eyeing up another international ace, someone who’d be a dream teammate for Gyokeres.

At least that is according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, who has revealed that Arsenal are interested in Xavi Simons.

The Italian journalist has revealed that the Gunners made an enquiry with RB Leipzig at the start of the window, suggesting there is more than a passing interest.

While Romano makes no mention of how much the Dutchman might cost, reports from earlier this summer claim that a fee of around £68.8m might be enough to secure his services.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get done, but Simons is an incredible talent and worth the effort, especially as he’d be a dream for Gyokeres.

Why Simons would be a dream signing for Gyokeres

To understand why Simons would be a perfect signing for Gyokeres, we first need to understand how the Sporting star plays.

Interestingly, while he can play in several ways, he’s first and foremost a penalty area specialist, as evident from his heat map from last season and the locations where he takes his shots.

Therefore, to get the very best out of the Swedish poacher, Arsenal will need players who can get the ball to him in dangerous areas, be that through carrying the ball or passing it up the pitch.

Fortunately, the former Paris Saint-Germain gem can do both, as per FBref, he is in the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers for through balls in Europe’s top five leagues and the top 7% for passes into the penalty area.

Moreover, when compared to midfielders alone, the 22-year-old ranks in the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90.

On top of his clear ability to get the ball into goalscoring areas, the Amsterdam-born ace, who one analyst has dubbed “one of the best 10s in the world,” is also an output machine.

In 33 appearances last season, totalling 2763 minutes, he scored 11 goals and provided eight assists, which comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.73 games, or every 145.42 minutes.

Just imagine what those numbers could look like playing with a striker as prolific as the Sporting monster.

Ultimately, it’s clear that from his effectiveness in moving the ball up the pitch to his raw output, Simons would be an incredible teammate for Gyokeres, and therefore, Arsenal should do all they can to sign him this summer.

£69m star wants to join Arsenal by Wednesday, Berta expects breakthrough

The Gunners are attempting to strike a deal.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 18, 2025

Burnley will be very aware that possessing a feared striker will undoubtedly help their chances of staying up in the Premier League next season.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have that at their disposal during the 2023/24 campaign, which ultimately ended in relegation, leading to the goal-shy Clarets only firing home 41 strikes from 38 contests.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world if Scott Parker was now on the hunt for a fresh striker that can cause Premier League defences all sorts of bother.

Arguably, the promoted Lancashire outfit have struggled in this department ever since Chris Wood left Turf Moor in 2022, with the New Zealand international going on to bigger and better things at the City Ground, whilst his former employers attempted to plug his notable gap.

Wood's heroics at Burnley

Now, it goes without saying that the 33-year-old is a Premier League-recognised goal machine.

But when he joined the Clarets in the summer of 2017 for a club-record fee of £15m, he had only ever briefly played in the top division, away from regularly strutting his stuff in the Championship.

Yet, after five goal-heavy seasons donning a Burnley strip, Wood had very much announced himself to the Premier League, with the 33-year-old ending his successful stay with the Clarets by bagging 53 strikes in total from 165 games.

Therefore, it was always going to be a gruelling process to replace such a significant part of many a Clarets team, with a whole host of attackers failing to replicate or live up to Wood’s potency in the seasons that followed his departure to St James’ Park.

Whilst Zian Flemming did help himself to a sizeable 14 strikes last season on the way to promotion being sealed, the Clarets really have lacked a commanding striker presence in the top-flight ever since Wood’s exit, away from some competent performances here and there from the likes of Zeki Amdouni and Jay Rodriguez.

Parker’s men could change this ongoing narrative, however, by swooping in for this former star who has been tentatively linked with a switch back to familiar pastures.

How Burnley could land their their best ST since Wood

Alongside a deep desire to possess a goal machine in the Premier League again, the newly promoted side will also be desperate to consolidate themselves as a top-flight regular once more.

To help with that, the Clarets could look to bring back former star Danny Ings, with journalist Graeme Bailey stating that the 32-year-old dramatically returning to Turf Moor should not be ruled out amidst the veteran being looked at by Birmingham City and Wrexham.

After all, before the much-talked-about spell of Wood came to be, the “clinical” forward – as he has been previously praised by journalist Leanne Prescott – was the original poacher Burnley relied upon to get them out of sticky situations.

In total, the 5-foot-10 menace would tally up a hefty 43 goals for the Clarets across 130 games, bolstering his 72-goal record in the top division subsequently.

Therefore, whilst he is more known now for injury issue after injury issue at West Ham United, Burnley could be prepared to take a punt on their former striker coming good again in their pursuit to win a Premier League-proven star.

After all, Ings did manage to collect a healthy eight goals from 15 top-flight starts during the 2022/23 season for the Hammers and Villa, before his injury problems settled in.

He would also cost nothing to bring in, amid his expiring Hammers contract, meaning Parker and Co. might well look very smug down the line if he proves to be a hit once more in becoming their most prolific attacker since Wood’s dominance.

Parker has struck gold on Burnley star who's worth more than Brownhill

Burnley will hope this star can settle into Premier League life well after an impressive debut season at Turf Moor.

By
Kelan Sarson

May 23, 2025

Wolverhampton Wanderers have achieved what they set out to do after appointing Vitor Pereira as manager in December 2024 – avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Old Gold are on an excellent run of form that has seen them win their previous four league matches, taking them further away from the drop zone in the process.

Pereira will now be thinking ahead to the summer transfer window and just exactly how he can bolster his team for the 2025/26 season. There is no doubt that he has a squad capable of pushing towards the top half of the league table next season, although that much might depend on whether he can keep several key players.

Will Matheus Cunha depart in the summer? If so, the manager might have to spend big in order to find a suitable replacement.

In the January transfer window, Periera brought in players such as Emmanuel Agbadou, Marshall Munetsi and Nasser Djiga. Two of these signings were defenders, and it looks as though the Molineux side are targeting another centre-back when the window finally opens in a couple of months.

Wolves want to sign Ligue 1 defender

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, AJ Auxerre defender Clement Akpa is beginning to attract plenty of attention after enjoying an excellent campaign for the Ligue 1 side.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Wolves are just one team who are keen on the Ivory Coast international, with interest also coming from the likes of Everton, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim, and VfB Stuttgart monitoring his performances of late.

An asking price hasn’t been stated yet, but given their situation, Auxerre won’t be able to resist any team making a decent offer for the player.

The Old Gold have enjoyed plenty of success shopping in the French top flight since they were promoted back to the Premier League in 2018.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Boubacar Traore moved from France on permanent deals in the summer of 2023, while Mario Lemina and Pablo Sarabia linked up with the club in January 2023.

Arguably, the best signing from France, however, was that of Rayan Ait-Nouri, especially given the impact the defender has had in the Midlands.

Rayan Ait-Nouri’s Wolves statistics

Wolves signed Ait-Nouri from Angers on a permanent deal ahead of the 2021/22 campaign following a successful loan spell at Molineux.

“He proved last season that he’s a very talented player, with lots of potential – I thought he did well and kicked on towards the end of the season,” Wolves technical director Scott Sellars said, and the move has turned out extraordinarily well.

Indeed, the Algerian has since gone on to make over 150 competitive appearances for Wolves, registering 28 goal contributions in the process. Not a bad total for a left-back, that’s for sure.

Ait-Nouri has been highly influential for Wolves in the Premier League this term. His ten goal contributions – four goals and six assists – is his best in a single campaign for the club, showcasing his effectiveness in the final third.

The 23-year-old has also won 55% of his total duels contested in the top flight, along with making 2.5 tackles and recovering 4.2 balls per game. His all-around abilities have ensured he can contribute whether Wolves have possession or not.

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2023/24

38

3

4

2022/23

27

2

1

2021/22

27

1

4

2020/21

24

1

1

Via Transfermarkt

Ait-Nouri has also been attracting interest from elsewhere due to these impressive displays and it won’t be long before the club decide to cash in.

Could Akpa become the next version of the current Old Gold star? A player with immense potential who goes on to become a key player at the club?

Why Wolves want to sign Clement Akpa

Akpa has missed just three Ligue 1 games for Auxerre this season in what is their first season back in the top flight after winning Ligue 2 in 2023/24.

The club have exceeded expectations and currently sit 11th in the table and have even defeated Marseille twice while holding champions PSG to a 0-0 draw during the first half of the season.

Akpa has played a big part in this success throughout the current season. In Ligue 1, the 23-year-old defender has been a rock at the back. Not only has he won 64% of his total duels in the league this term, but the centre-back also lost possession just eight times while making two tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game for Auxerre.

When compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Akpa’s defensive qualities are further highlighted.

Indeed, he ranks in the top 8% for tackles (2.2), in the top 17% for interceptions (1.47) and in the top 18% for blocks (1.6) per 90 across the previous 365 days for his club.

Elsewhere, the youngster also ranks in the top 15% for progressive carries (1.08) per 90 when compared next to his peers, and it proves that while he is superb at the heart of the defence, Akpa is also able to bring the ball out of his own half with ease in order to start attacks.

French journalist Sebastien Denis hailed the player as a “defensive revelation” amid his superb season for Auxerre, and he could be a solid signing for Wolves this summer.

The likelihood is, Ait-Nouri may well be sold in order to secure a major profit on the former Angers starlet. If so, Pereira will have funds to spend this summer as he targets a top-half finish in the Premier League.

Akpa could go on to become Ait-Nouri 2.0 should he move from Ligue 1 to the Premier League in the next few months.

He still has to hit his peak, while exposure in one of the best leagues in the world will allow the defender to go from strength to strength.

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ByHenry Jackson Apr 18, 2025

Bangladesh’s most durable cricketer has finished 20 years in international cricket and joins the 100-Test club shortly

Mohammad Isam18-Nov-2025The fist clenched in glee. The cherubic smile. The hours and hours of training. The meticulous care invested in his batting every day. These are some images and qualities from a 20-year career that come to mind when you mention the name Mushfiqur Rahim.Through the good and the bad times, Mushfiqur has built himself into a Bangladesh legend, and is now on the cusp of becoming the first cricketer from his country to play a hundred Tests. Two decades of putting his head down, of running and batting and performing. As a measure of his pioneering presence, Bangladesh itself is only 25 years old as a Test nation and has played 155 Tests.When any long career approaches a major milestone, it calls for reflection. To last as long as Mushfiqur has in the tough terrain of Bangladesh cricket is an achievement in itself. It’s worth remembering that some of those he played alongside in his debut Test, at Lord’s in 2005, are currently administrators and coaches. One is an exiled political leader.Related

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Mushfiqur has gone from debuting as a teenager to becoming the country’s oldest Test cricketer. He is the longest-serving international cricketer currently active. And it feels like he might be among the last of a kind – one of a handful of cricketers from outside the Big Three to have played a hundred Tests, joining Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kraigg Brathwaite who achieved the feat in recent years.Together with Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur is one of the modern pillars of Bangladesh cricket. He went to school with Shakib, is close friends with Tamim, brother-in-law to Mahmudullah, and was a favourite of Mashrafe’s back in the day.Those four are gone from the international scene, and there have definitely been moments in Mushfiqur’s career when many believed he too would leave, particularly when he hung up his white-ball kit earlier this year. Instead, he has taken the speculation as a slight, responding with runs and hours of hard work. Talk to the players today and it’s clear Mushfiqur is still very much on the “why” segment of the retirement spectrum and not the “why not”.

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Mushfiqur was earmarked as a future Bangladesh cricketer in his early days at the BKSP, Bangladesh’s top sports institute. Faruque Ahmed, the current BCB vice-president, was the chief selector who picked Mushfiqur, only an age-group cricketer at the time, in Bangladesh’s squad for their maiden tour of England, in 2005.Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh’s coach in those years, remembers that handing Mushfiqur a Test debut was a big call, given he was only 16 at the time and lacked experience.Mushfiqur has reason to be fond of Galle, where he made his first double-hundred, in 2013, and where, four years later, he made 85 and 34•AFP/Getty Images”I saw a very talented young keeper-batsman,” Whatmore says. “Very young. But he had obvious ability with the bat, and after he hit a century the game before the first Test, we decided to pick him knowing it would be a baptism of fire. The one thing I recall even at that tender young age is his clear-minded preparation. I knew he would have a long career.”The series was indeed a trial by fire, for the side as much as for Mushfiqur. They were routed, and led to questions from some about Bangladesh’s Full-Member status. Others believed that young cricketers like Mushfiqur were the way forward.Faruque championed Mushfiqur, picking the 19-year-old ahead of veteran Khaled Mashud for the 2007 World Cup. When he became the youngest debutant ever at Lord’s, it had piqued interest, but this step up effectively threw Mushfiqur into the big time. He was one of three batters to get half-centuries in Bangladesh’s iconic win against India in the tournament. That his 56 came from No. 3 also went a long way to calming fans who were up in arms about Mashud’s exclusion.It still took him a bit of time to become a consistent performer, made all the more difficult in a team not used to winning. But alongside Tamim and Shakib, he showed enough glimpses for the selectors to begin relying on youth. When a group of top Bangladesh cricketers signed for the rebel Indian Cricket League, it heaped more responsibility on Mushfiqur and his young team-mates.Soon after that, in 2008, Bangladesh toured South Africa. In the second Test, in Centurion, Mushfiqur gave a great account of his ability. Tamim remembers the knock, to this day, as one of his best.”He struck Dale Steyn for two sixes and Steyn was on fire in those days,” Tamim says. “Innings defeats were the norm for Bangladesh. We were touring South Africa, where we lost badly on the previous tour. Mushfiqur showed great character against one of the best bowling attacks in the world.”By then Jamie Siddons had succeeded Whatmore. Like his predecessor, Siddons saw in Mushfiqur a young batter with tremendous work ethic, but also someone who could improve. He worked on Mushfiqur’s game against extreme pace and bounce, particularly his pull and cut, and on improving his backlift.Make mine a double: Mushfiqur celebrates in the 2018 Mirpur Test against Zimbabwe, where he finished with 219 not out in the first innings to level the series 1-1•Raton Gomes/BCBStill, those first years were tough for Mushfiqur and he was yet to truly settle into the consistency for which he became well known.

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The BCB thrust Mushfiqur into the captaincy when he was 24. Bangladesh had appointed younger captains in Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful but Mushfiqur was still trying to establish himself in the Test side. Less than two years later, however, he broke new ground by becoming the first Bangladesh batter to score a Test double-hundred, against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2013.Mominul Haque, who made his Test debut for Bangladesh in that match, remembers the innings for the transformational effect it had on the team. “I think when he made that double, it took Bangladesh’s batting to the next level,” Mominul says. “I rate that innings as Mushfiq ‘s best knock in Test cricket. To score big runs against that Sri Lankan bowling attack, it allowed the rest of us to dream big. I remember thinking, now we can also score a century in overseas conditions.”Mushfiq made life easier in partnerships. I have personally experienced it. It is not easy to make your batting partner feel comfortable, but these are the things that very experienced cricketers do. What he does is, he talks to the batter about everything that he knows about the pitch, conditions and opposition. Only the masters of the game can do this.”The double-century was soon followed by Mushfiqur’s first Test win, against Zimbabwe in Harare, although it wasn’t a tour he quite enjoyed. After Bangladesh lost the ODI series, he resigned from the captaincy, only for the board to convince him to reverse the decision a few weeks later.Mushfiqur, who has outlasted his more celebrated team-mates, with Tamim Iqbal in 2019•Getty ImagesMushfiqur’s captaincy coincided with plenty of highs and lows for Bangladesh cricket, from 2011 to the end of 2017. They achieved their first Test wins against England and Australia, and Mushfiqur had his most productive year as a batter in the last year of that span: he scored 766 runs at 54.71, with two centuries – in Wellington and Hyderabad – and three fifties. Bangladesh also won their first Test in Sri Lanka that year.That was Mushfiqur’s first batting peak. Tamim believes it owed to Mushfiqur figuring out his best way of training and keeping faith with it. “When he started his international career, he was an okay batter for a number of years,” Tamim says. “He had a lot of technical issues. He probably wasn’t scoring enough runs in those days. But to be a successful cricketer, the most important thing is to understand your game, your strength, and how you are going to prepare. It can be very different to others, even more different than the most successful cricketer in your team.”Mushfiqur led the team to seven wins and captained for a third of his career, 34 Tests. He averaged 41.44 with the bat as captain, slightly higher than his career average, but interestingly did better after letting go of the captaincy, with seven of his 12 hundreds coming in that time.The other major decision in his Test career was giving up the keeper’s role in 2019. That tough call paid dividends, as seen in the improved rate at which he converted fifties to hundreds, and the rise in his batting average from 37 to 45.In the five years starting with 2016, Mushfiqur scored 1763 runs, including two double-hundreds, and given that the bulk of that period fell after his captaincy, it shows he thrived when freed from the pressure of leadership.