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Sunderland managed to leap up to the top of the Championship standings with a narrow victory away at Hull City on Sunday, with many star performers standing out for Regis Le Bris’ men.

The Black Cats had to be patient and wait an extra day to get back into the thick of it in the second tier, with all other Championship teams playing on the Saturday, but a win was secured all the same courtesy of a second half strike by summer recruit Wilson Isidor.

The new loan signing from Zenit St. Petersburg is proving to be a hit with the Sunderland faithful early on, with this goal continuing his on-fire streak in league action.

Isidor's performance vs Hull

Isidor’s breakaway winner against the Tigers means the 24-year-old attacker has now found the back of the net three times in his last four second tier encounters, as Sunderland begin to uncover a first-team option up top they can rely on.

This strike away at the MKM Stadium is surely the pick of the bunch from his early Black Cats back catalogue, as the confident Frenchman galloped forward with pace to burn before delicately chipping Ivor Pandur in style, with the unbelievable counter-attack move sending the away masses into pandemonium.

Away from the goal, Isidor wasn’t the most involved in the action – with only nine touches of the ball coming his way – but Le Bris will love how deadly the 24-year-old is in decisive moments, with that strike sending his team back to the top of the ever-changing Championship summit.

The three points were also secured due to a valiant defensive effort from Le Bris’ visitors, away from Isidor’s heroics up the other end, with another loan face in Chris Mepham taking all the plaudits at the full-time whistle for his team’s dogged clean sheet.

Mepham's performance in numbers

Mepham has managed to make Daniel Ballard’s absences from recent line-ups feel less notable, with the AFC Bournemouth loanee slotting into the heart of defence seamlessly so far.

Amassing 65 touches of the ball, the experienced Welshman – who has 94 appearances in the second tier under his belt – was calm and controlled under pressure, with only six of his 51 passes going astray to keep an impressive 88% passing accuracy in-tact, alongside also battling well when it came to asserting himself into duels.

Mepham’s numbers vs Hull
Stat	Mepham
Minutes played	90
Goals scored	0
Assists	0
Touches	65
Accurate passes	45/51 (88%)
Clearances	5
Interceptions	1
Total tackles	1
Total duels won	4/4
Stats by Sofascore

It was an all-round superb display by the brand new Black Cats number 26, with Mepham winning every single duel that came his way to continually thwart Hull in attacking areas, which led to Tim Walter’s home side accumulating zero shots on target across the full 90 minutes.

Mepham was rewarded for his efforts in the 1-0 win with a positive 8/10 match rating after the game by Roker Report journalist Andy Tomlinson, who labelled his display as “accomplished” and even further stated that he is beginning to strike up a formidable centre-back partnership with Black Cats captain Luke O’Nien.

He was, therefore, even better than Isidor as he was superb in all of his work throughout the game and helped to provide the platform for the striker to go and win the match.

That is now three clean sheets from five league games for the 6 foot 4 star since making the loan switch to the Stadium of Light happen, with Le Bris presumably confident that more imperious displays will come from the Welshman as the season drags on.

Now, Sunderland will be aiming to make it it two victories from two on the road when travelling to Luton Town this Wednesday night, in order to tighten their grip on top spot even more.

Sunderland wasted £10m on Black Cats dud who earned more than Ballard

Sunderland fell victim to lot of a transfer blunders around this time.

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 18, 2024

The last few years have been incredibly turbulent and full of change for Tottenham Hotspur.

The North Londoners have employed four full-time managers in as many years, with the likes of José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo, and Antonio Conte all unable to deliver the success or brand of football the fans desire.

Now, while it’s too early to comment on the success side of things, the latest man in the hot seat, Ange Postecoglou, has undoubtedly been able to bring the style of football back that the fans so desperately wanted, and all without arguably the best player in the club’s history, Harry Kane.

However, the good news is that should the Australian stay in the job long enough, he could have his own version of the Englishman, as one of the club’s most exciting academy graduates looks like he could develop into a goalscoring machine in the not-too-distant future.

Kane's Spurs legacy

Kane made his Spurs debut in August 2011, starting in the second leg of a Europa League qualification round against Hearts in a game that ultimately ended goalless.

The next few seasons would see the Walthamstow-born poacher move around the country on loan, joining Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and then finally Leicester City for the 12/13 campaign, where he was actually quite underwhelming, scoring twice in 15 appearances.

Upon his return to White Hart Lane, the Englishman made a few appearances for the U21 side but was finally integrated into the first team towards the end of the season. He ended the year with four goals and two assists in 19 appearances across the Premier League, League Cup, Europa League, and FA Cup.

We all know what happened next, as after years of grafting and fighting for his chance, the future England captain finally had it. In 51 appearances in the 14/15 season, he scored a whopping 31 goals and provided five assists; the rest, as they say, is history.

When the Lilywhites icon finally left the club for Bayern Munich last summer, he did so with an astounding record of 280 goals and 61 assists in 435 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.27 games.

While that seems like an impossible level of output to replace, Hotspur Way may be in the process of producing their next Kane.

And before you think it might be the hugely exciting Mikey Moore, it’s not. Step forward another hot property in the academy…

Why fans should be excited about Will Lankshear

So, the youngster in question is the incredibly exciting 19-year-old centre-forward Will Lankshear.

The young Englishman is probably a familiar name to a number of Spurs fans, and for good reason. In the youth teams, he has shown that he is a striker with a real eye for goal and one who looks to have a bright future ahead of him.

For example, in 41 appearances for the North Londoners’ various junior sides over the last few years, the Welwyn Garden City-born marksman has found the back of the net 31 times and provided five assists for good measure.

Lankshear’s youth record
Team	U18s	U21s	Youth League
Appearances	5	34	2
Goals	4	26	1
Assists	2	3	0
Goal Involvements per Match	1.2	0.85	0.50
All Stats via Transfermarkt

This means that the promising teenager, who Spurs expert Jon Wenham described as “an absolute unit for his age,” is averaging a goal involvement once every 1.13 games in the academy, and while that doesn’t mean he’ll be able to do the same in the first team, it’s very promising.

Moreover, while it would be unfair for the club to expect the “powerful” forward, as dubbed by Wenham, to eventually put up the numbers Kane did, the England captain wasn’t exactly the hottest goalscorer around when he came through, scoring a total of nine goals in his 13 youth team appearances, although he did rack up nine assists to go with that as well.

Ultimately, while fans cannot and should not expect to see Lankshear tearing it up for the first team on a regular basis this year, they should be very excited about the player he could develop into in the coming years. Even if he can become half the player Kane was in North London, Postecoglou will have a serious talent on his hands.

Spurs wanted to sign £55m star for Ange but ended up with Brennan Johnson

The North Londoners could have ended up with another winger entirely last summer.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 1, 2024

As if the likes of Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins didn’t already hand Unai Emery enough firepower going forward, Aston Villa have now reportedly made contact with the camp of an exciting forward target over a potential move.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans have picked up where they left off to enjoy another excellent start in the Premier League. And if there were concerns that Emery’s side would simply be brushed aside by Europe’s elite in the Champions League, then their 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich has since proved otherwise. It was once again Jhon Duran who stole the headlines after sensationally lobbing Manuel Neuer from range to seal a shock three points for his side.

Both Tuesday’s match-winner and Ollie Watkins have enjoyed fine starts to the season, handing Emery quite the selection headache, with the former scoring four Premier League goals in 163 minutes and Watkins netting four from six starts.

Emery’s headache could yet be worsened (or bettered) by another option, however. According to reports in Spain, Aston Villa chiefs have made contact with the camp of Hugo Duro in a battle to secure his signature ahead of West Ham United following interest from both the Villans and Hammers.

Valencia are certainly keen to keep hold of their forward though, and their reported €20m (£17m) price tag has forced both Premier League clubs to reassess their pursuit, given that they reportedly see Duro as a player worth around the €15m-16m (£12.5m-13m) mark.

£140k-p/w Aston Villa star may now miss Man Utd game alongside five others

The Villans are short on options ahead of this weekend…

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 4, 2024

When the January transfer window swings open, it will be interesting to see just how much Villa’s stance changes. As they balance European and domestic football, completing their attacking options with the addition of Duro wouldn’t exactly be unwise.

Duro would complete Aston Villa's attacking depth

Whilst Duro would be a third-choice behind two elite options in Duran and Watkins in Emery’s pecking order, he would at least ensure that the Villans have that extra option to turn to when the time comes. Just 24 years old, there’s no reason why the forward wouldn’t develop under Emery, either, in what could prove to be a shrewd piece if investment of those in the Midlands pull the trigger.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)	Hugo Duro	Jhon Duran	Ollie Watkins
Minutes	451	163	440
Goals	2	4	4
Assists	0	0	2
Expected Goals	1.2	2.1	3.5

Three players who have outperformed on the expected goals front so far this season, Villa could suddenly have one of the most reliable set of attacking options in the Premier League if they changed their mind and met Valencia’s price tag for Duro.

Earning a reported £67,000-a-week at Valencia, signing the 24-year-old forward is unlikely to disrupt Aston Villa’s wage bill either. When the January transfer window opens, all signs are pointing towards Duro being a man in-demand who those at Villa Park would be wise to battle alongside West Ham to sign.

The exercise will be a rehearsal for both the local governments in the UAE and the BCCI for the T20 World Cup

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Sep-2021Crowds will be allowed at the IPL for the first time since the 2019 edition. ESPNcricinfo understands IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin relayed that information to the franchises on Tuesday, saying fans will be back for the second half of the IPL in “reduced capacity”. The IPL, which was suspended in early May, resumes from September 19 and will be played at three venues in the UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.While the IPL issued a media release on Wednesday, calling the return of fans a “momentous” occasion and adding that it would allow “limited seating” at the three venues due to the UAE government’s regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic, it did not specify the percentage of tickets that would be put on sale. The exercise, though, will be a rehearsal for both the local governments in the UAE and the BCCI for the 2021 men’s T20 World Cup, which starts on October 17. While the first round of the World Cup will be played in Oman, the Super 12s and the knockouts will be hosted by the UAE.Related

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Dhoni vs Rohit to kickstart IPL's UAE leg from September 19

This is the second edition of the IPL to be played during the pandemic. In 2020, too, the BCCI had shifted the IPL to the UAE where the entire tournament was played behind closed doors. This year’s IPL started in India on April 9, also behind closed doors, but was suspended indefinitely on May 3 after several members from four different franchises at two different venues tested positive for Covid-19. With the prospect of the outbreak growing further, the BCCI was forced to suspend the tournament after 29 matches.The primary reason behind bringing back crowds could be the fact that the vast majority of the public in the UAE has been fully vaccinated. While it is not clear what the various conditions put in place for overseas fans will be, one mandatory rule is likely to be that they need to be fully vaccinated.Fans can buy tickets for the remainder of the tournament, from September 16, on the official website or on .

The multi-million-pound training ground being constructed by Wrexham was reportedly subjected to a Christmas break-in, with a tractor being stolen.

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Red Dragons constructing training groundHollywood co-owners helping to fund projectIntended to help club reach Premier LeagueFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been helping to fund another ambitious project that is intended to help the Red Dragons achieve their ultimate goal of reaching the Premier League. A state-of-the-art training centre is considered to be integral to those plans.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Another setback has, however, been suffered there, with reporting on how the site in question was broken into over the festive period – some time between December 20 and January 3. The raiders made off with a valuable John Deere tractor and Bateson trailer, along with other items.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

A spokesperson for the League One outfit has confirmed that a police report has been filed, with efforts being made to recover costs from insurers. A spokesperson for North Wales Police said: “Enquiries into the incident are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact officers on 101, or via our website, using reference number 25000008049.”

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WHAT NEXT?

Wrexham’s plans to build a new training facility have been hit with a number of problems, with initial building work having taken place before the relevant planning permissions were secured. A green light was given by Wrexham Council in December despite objections from neighbours regarding the supposedly “brutal” appearance of the scheme – which is taking place close to Darland High School in the village of Rossett.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou sees no long-term future for a "quality player" in his squad, and his levels are said to have "significantly" dropped behind the scenes.

Tottenham vs Arsenal – team news and injury updates

Spurs supporters will be anxiously waiting for Postecoglou's official team sheet ahead of their looming North London Derby on Sunday, with the Lilywhites set to host cross-city rivals Arsenal in a mouth-watering clash right after the international break.

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Both teams come into the contest on a similar run of form, with Tottenham winning one, drawing one and losing one of their opening three Premier League games so far. An opening weekend draw away to Leicester City was followed by a dominant 4-0 win over Everton, but Newcastle continued to be an unhappy stomping ground for Spurs, with the Magpies inflicting a 2-1 defeat on Postecoglou's men at St. James' Park.

Arsenal were dealt their first dropped points of the new campaign a fortnight ago, drawing 1-1 with Brighton at the Emirates, which will encourage Postecoglou – alongside Mikel Arteta's array of absentees this weekend.

Timo Werner

RB Leipzig (loan)

Dominic Solanke

Bournemouth

Archie Gray

Leeds

Wilson Odobert

Burnley

Lucas Bergvall

Djurgarden

Min-hyeok Yang

Gangwon FC

Declan Rice won't be involved through suspension, while Arsenal summer signing Mikel Merino is also set to miss their trip to Tottenham after picking up a shoulder injury in training. Gunners captain Martin Odegaard could be sidelined for the next four weeks with an ankle injury too, so he won't be playing any part in north London.

For Spurs, there is optimism that Postecoglou could have a near-fully fit squad at his disposal. Star defender Micky van de Ven, summer signing Dominic Solanke and Richarlison missed their loss to Newcastle, but at least two of the aforementioned men could feature against Arsenal.

Postecoglou stated before their trip to the North East that Richarlison could be out for weeks after a training injury, but both van de Ven and Solanke may return for Spurs this weekend. However, there is a worry surrounding midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Bissouma was hauled off injured in midweek, during Mali's 1-0 win over Eswatini, and some reports suggest he could be a doubt to face Arsenal, depending on the severity of his issue.

Postecoglou could freeze Sergio Reguilion out at Tottenham

There is also a debate whether Postecoglou will call upon Sergio Reguilon for his matchday squad, with the Spaniard yet to feature this season after failing to seal a summer move.

The left-back, reported to be on around £120,000-per-week, could still seal a move to Turkey with their transfer window open at the time of writing, but he is running out of time.

GiveMeSport claim that Postecoglou sees no long-term future for Reguilon at Tottenham, and it is believed that the 27-year-old's levels have "significantly" dropped behind the scenes, which won't do him any favours.

Jose Mourinho's Fenerbache are reportedly interested in Reguilon, coming after the Portuguese originally brought him to Spurs from Real Madrid in 2020, but it is unclear whether the former Sevilla starlet will get a Süper Lig lifeline so late in their window.

Called a "quality player" by former Leeds striker Noel Whelan, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Reguilon, and whether a move could open up for him in January instead.

Manchester City opened their Premier League season with a comfortable and assured 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic either side of half-time were enough to secure all three points for the Cityzens, who are looking to defend their title once again.

Enzo Maresca, one of Pep Guardiola's former coaches at The Etihad, failed to get the better of his former colleague, as the Blues rarely caused too many problems.

Man City's only senior addition to the first-team squad in the summer transfer window so far has been Brazil international Savinho, and he enjoyed a strong debut in London.

Savinho's Premier League debut in numbers

The 20-year-old winger was given the nod to start the game by Guardiola, despite the likes of Jack Grealish and Phil Foden being in the squad, and caught the eye in the opening 45 minutes.

He was withdrawn with a minor knee problem, that should not cause him to miss any matches, but impressed with the minutes he did get, showcasing his direct play and creative threat on the right flank for the Premier League champions.

Wearing 26 on his sky blue jersey, you could be forgiven for thinking that City had brought Riyad Mahrez back to the club with the way he dribbled past players with ease.

As you can see in the image above, the left-footed starlet completed all of his attempted dribbles and created three chances for his teammates in just 45 minutes.

It was an impressive debut from the Brazil international and Guardiola could now land a dream signing for the former Girona star by landing another dynamic attacker before the end of the window.

Why Man City should sign Premier League wizard

TEAMtalk recently reported that the Cityzens are considering a late approach to sign Crystal Palace wizard Eberechi Eze, who is valued at around £60m by the London club.

As a right-footed attacking midfielder, the England international could line up as one of the two eights in Guardiola's side, with Kevin de Bruyne on the left, and use his preferred side to open up and feed the ball to Savio down the flank.

23/24 Premier League	Eberechi Eze
Appearances	27
Goals	11
Key passes per game	2.0
Big chances created	7
Assists	4
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Eze carries his own attacking threat as a scorer and has the quality to consistently create chances for his teammates, with 2.0 key passes per game.

The 26-year-old ace also ranked within the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for shot-creating actions per 90 (4.82), and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90 (3.02).

This suggests that Eze, who was dubbed an "entertainer" by analyst Ben Mattinson, has the ability to constantly find his teammates in shooting positions whilst also being able to take opposition players out of the game.

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He was crucial for his side last season

By
Joe Nuttall

Aug 18, 2024

Therefore, the English whiz could be a dream for Savinho as he could carry the ball forward and open up on his favoured right foot to consistently feed the ball to the Brazilian winger, giving him plenty of opportunities to drive at his man and make things happen out wide.

Tottenham are keeping a close eye on a former Premier League defender as they look to bolster their ranks ahead of the transfer window slamming shut.

Spurs stumble in season opener

Ange Postecoglou's side looked as though they were set to thrash Leicester City on Monday night as they rounded off the first weekend of Premier League action, but were wasteful and duly punished by evergreen striker Jamie Vardy, which forced them to settle for a draw at the King Power Stadium.

"It is a disappointing outcome. We were very dominant first half but really wasteful in front of goal. We started the second half similar", Postecoglou explained after the game.

"But you know at 1-0 there is always an opportunity for the opposition to come back into the game. That's what happened and we lost our way for 15 or 20 minutes. We lost our composure and the crowd got behind them, but again we finished strong.

"I am just really disappointed as we lacked a little cutting edge in the front third and made some poor decisions. We lacked some composure and didn't get the reward our football deserved."

Tottenham hold talks to sign £50,000-a-week forward who Pep called incredible

Spurs face competition from a Billionaire-owned club.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 12, 2024

So far, Spurs have added six new faces to their ranks this summer, breaking their transfer record to bring Dominic Solanke to the club and also shelling out on Championship talents Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert from Leeds United and Burnley respectively.

Tottenham's transfers this summer (via Transfermarkt)

Player

Fee

Dominic Solanke

€64.3m

Archie Gray

€41.25m

Wilson Odobert

€29.3m

Lucas Bergvall

€10m

Min-Hyeok Yang

€4m

Timo Werner

Loan

Now, they have been linked to add another in the final days of the transfer window in a surprise move.

Tottenham and Man Utd eyeing move for Barcelona defender

That comes courtesy of reports from Spanish outlet Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, who claim that Spurs are one of the sides keeping tabs on Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen in what they describe as a surprise target.

The ex-Chelsea man is on the market as Barcelona look to trim their squad, with the report revealing that both the Dane and Eric Garcia are candidates to depart before the end of the transfer window, depending on the offers received for the pair.

Though Barcelona want to make more signings, they must sell first and value Christensen at €25m (£21.2m), while some reports claim that they cannot even register new signing Dani Olmo until they have made further sales.

This mess has caught the eye of Manchester United and Tottenham, both of whom are said to be "on the lookout" for the Danish defender and could move before the end of the summer window.

As it stands, Tottenham have Cristian Romero, Micky Van de Ven and Radu Dragusin on their books, as well as out of favour defender Ben Davies and young talent Ashley Phillips, who is expected to leave on loan in the final days.

Though his Chelsea links may well count against him, should Spurs be able to land favourable terms for the Danish international, it could be a shrewd move with Postecoglou's side back in Europa League action this season and likely to need more cover at the back.

Bans backdated to October 16, 2019, when the two UAE players were provisionally suspended

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2021Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar, the UAE players who the ICC had found guilty of offences relating to attempted match-fixing during the 2019 T20 World Cup qualifying tournament, have been banned from all cricket for eight years each by the game’s governing body. The bans have been backdated to October 16, 2019, when they were provisionally suspended.Following a hearing and presentation of written and oral arguments, the ICC’s anti-corruption tribunal found the two senior UAE players guilty of:Related

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'I feel guilty' – Naveed accepts he failed to report corrupt approach

Article 2.1.1 – for being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspect(s) of a match or matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019. Article 2.4.4 – for failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019.Additionally, Naveed, the former UAE captain, was also found guilty of breaching two counts of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code for Participants of the T10 League 2019: Article 2.1.1 – for being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspect(s) of a match or matches at the T10 League 2019. Article 2.4.4 – for failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code at the T10 League 2019.The two had been pronounced guilty of of corruption by the ICC in January this year.”Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar represented their adopted country, the UAE at the highest level in cricket. Naveed was the captain and leading wicket taker. Anwar was the opening bat. Both had long international careers and were well versed in the threat from match fixers,” Alex Marshall, the general manager of the ICC’s integrity unit, said in a statement. “That they both chose to engage with this corrupt activity was a cynical betrayal of their positions, their teammates, and all supporters of UAE cricket.”I am pleased that the independent Tribunal has imposed significant bans from all forms of cricket and this should serve as a warning to any cricketer who considers taking the wrong path.”In a statement released shortly after the ICC verdict became public, the ECB acknowledged the work done by the authorities, and reiterated that it remained “firm in its stance denouncing any activities of corruption and those undertaken by the players in this anti-corruption case”.As pointed out by Marshall, the two were among UAE’s most experienced international cricketers. Anwar, just past his 42nd birthday, has been their highest run-getter across the ODI and T20I formats, and 33-year-old Naveed their most prolific wicket-taker in ODIs and second from top in T20Is..Naveed and Anwar were charged under the ICC anti-corruption code in October 2019, and suspended days before the start of the qualifiers in the UAE. Naveed, who was UAE’s captain at the time, was stood down from the post. At the time, Naveed had accepted that he had failed to report a suspicious approach during the tournament, but claimed he had ended the conversation when he realised the person he was meeting was a “fixer”.

Malhotra will be in charge of game development and operations

PTI12-Feb-2021Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra will replace Saba Karim as the BCCI’s General Manager. He will be in charge of game development and operations.Malhotra, who has been in the cricket industry for more than two decades, has also held senior positions at the ICC and has been responsible for overseeing cricket operations of various ICC events.”Yes, Dhiraj Malhotra has been formally appointed as GM (Game Development). He will be joining from Monday, February 15,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on Friday.Karim’s three-year stint had ended last month after being on six-month notice period.Malhotra will be responsible for determining and monitoring the match playing regulations, standards of venues, including pitches and outfields, besides the administration of the Domestic Tours Programme. The BCCI brass is confident that Malhotra’s extensive work in ICC operations and as Delhi Capitals chief executive will come in handy.”Dhiraj’s joining Delhi franchise coincided with two of their best seasons, including a playoff and a second-place finish,” the source said. “Also, when he was with DC, he was asked to help out at the ODI World Cup in England due to his vast knowledge.”