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He showed a new level of maturity, typified by his innings in the final when, despite the pressure of the occasion, he did not throw his wicket away

Andrew McGlashan09-Feb-2020Josh Philippe recalled the feeling of being “terrified” on his Big Bash debut two years ago, as he was named Player of the Match after producing the dominant innings of the 2020 final to lead the Sydney Sixers to the title.Philippe hit 52 off 29 balls in a game that was reduced to 12 overs per side – few expected a match to even be possible – which ensured the Sixers overcame a mid-innings stutter to post a total that proved well out of reach for the Melbourne Stars after their top order folded.It capped a golden finish to the tournament for Philippe who made three half-centuries in his last four innings, lifting his overall tally to 487 runs, after a period mid-tournament where he hit a lean patch.Philippe started his BBL career with the Perth Scorchers – he plays state cricket for Western Australia – and his debut was against the Sydney Sixers in 2017 before he was lured east to join the club with Steven Smith playing a significant part in the move.He began in the middle order before shifting up midway through last season and this year has shown a new level of maturity to his game, typified by his innings in the final when, despite the pressure of the occasion, the reduced overs and not getting a huge amount of strike, he did not throw his wicket away.”When I played my first Big Bash game I was terrified, so I definitely think after getting a few games under your belt you get used to a lot of the external pressure and noise that you don’t really get playing state cricket,” he said. “When there’s twenty or thirty thousand people compared to a hundred it’s a different feel. It’s definitely something I’ve worked on and comes with playing a lot of games.”I’ve had a few games this year where I haven’t [seen it through], I’ve got out and it’s really cost us. A few of them stuck in the back of my mind. I just knew if I was out there towards the back end, it’s funny it somehow gets easier, you might nick a four, and you get away and it’s a different game so I just try to take it as deep as I can.”Philippe said that the thought the game could be abandoned without any play – which would have given the Sixers the title as hosts of the final – perhaps helped reduce any pre-match nerves but he still surprised himself by how calm he remained.”I guess looking at the forecast it continued to get worse, we almost thought we probably weren’t going to get on at all. That’s not how we wanted to do it, we really wanted to play in front of our home crowd. When you aren’t expecting to play you don’t get especially nervous, I was actually incredibly calm last night and all day today. When we started I still remained calm which surprised me a bit.”The Sydney Sixers players soak in the win•Getty ImagesPhilippe’s growth this season was lauded by his BBL captain Moises Henriques as he showed the range of gears he has as a batsman.”What he has done this year, we’ve seen him bat in many different modes throughout the season,” he said. “We all know he can whack it everywhere around the park but you can’t score as many runs as he did throughout the season without composure and making the right decisions at the right times. Not only just whacking it around the park but knowing how to build an innings and get through some tough times through the 20-over period.”A season like Philippe has had in the BBL will continue the push for what feels like an inevitable Australia call-up before too long, although whether he can force himself into the planning for the T20 World Cup in October remains to be seen. He has a deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL which, if he isn’t sat on the bench, could be another important learning experience particularly in his development against spin.”The destiny is there – it is in his hands,” Henriques said. “He has definitely got the talent to go on but it is up to him. As I’ve said about the weather, you can’t predict the future. You don’t want to put any more pressure on young men than what they already put on themselves. He is just a great kid with a great head on his shoulders. If he keeps doing the right things, who knows what will happen.”For the player himself, he was just thinking about more short-term practicalities. He was due to fly back to Perth on Sunday afternoon before jumping on another flight on Tuesday as part of Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield squad with the competition resuming on Friday.”My game’s developed so much over the last year and I think I’m really learning how to handle myself in pressure situations,” he said. “You never know until you get the opportunity. I’m just going to try and get as many runs as I can and see what happens.”

Sergino Dest hopes to be back on the pitch in early 2025, shares 'excitement' about the future of the USMNT

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Dest shares target return date from ACL tearDefender "excited" for reported Pochettino hire23-year-old out for calendar yearWHAT HAPPENED?

On April 20, Sergino Dest suffered an ACL tear while partaking in a training session with PSV. The injury ruled him out of Copa America 2024, and sidelined him for the remainder of the calendar year.

The U.S. international is in recovery, and has now set a target date for a return to the Dutch club, while also delivering a unique and insightful perspective on the reported hire of ex-Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino as manager of the USMNT.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Speaking to ESPN, the 23-year-old fullback shared that he's targeting a return to competition in January 2025.

"I set in my mind end of January, but I have to see how it goes, step by step," Dest said. "So if it goes worse or whatever, for any reason, I have to wait. The thing that I have to make sure is that my knee is perfect and then I can play. So if I need a little bit longer, I will take it because this is a really big injury."

He last featured on the international stage with the U.S. in their March camp, as the USMNT defeated Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final under then-manager Gregg Berhalter. After missing out on Copa America over the summer, Dest is hoping to still be present in camps come this fall as the new regime gets into motion.

"I haven't been with the team in the last camp because obviously I'm injured so I have nothing to do there, but I will go probably in the near future, in October camp or November," he said. "I try to be with the team and will ask them to stay there with the chemistry and everything, to support them."

Like fellow internationals Antonee Robinson and Yunus Musah, Dest is excited by the expected appointment of Pochettino.

WHAT DEST SAID ABOUT POCHETTINO

"Yeah, it is [exciting]," Dest said of the possibility of playing under Pochettino. "Obviously, he's been a coach for big clubs and he's a well-known coach. That will be a nice experience to train under him.

"That's exciting. We'll see and hopefully it can help all of us … to have a really great result at the 2026 World Cup, you know? Because we are the home country. We need to take it step by step because he is not there yet."

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

The U.S. have a series of international friendlies to play in September, with matches against New Zealand and Canada. U20 manager Mikey Varas is reported to be the individual on the touchline for them both, even if Pochettino is officially hired.

West Bromwich Albion's reputation for having a staunch defence this season in the Championship has taken a beating in recent matches, with the lacklustre Baggies shipping three to Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

The Owls ended up overwhelming the shell-shocked West Brom back four by being clinical in-front of goal, scoring three of the seven shots on target that fell their way compared to the visitors being wasteful with zero goals managed from their eight on target.

Alex Palmer will hope he can get back to his best in-between the sticks if Carlos Corberan's men are to make the playoffs, knowing that he will have to be far more reliable in those possible crunch clashes to come to ensure the Baggies aren't breached in crucial moments.

There must now be some lingering regret that the West Midlands outfit couldn't keep a firmer grip on this ex-goalkeeper therefore, who has since become a dependable option in goal for his new Premier League employers.

Sam Johnstone's time at West Brom

Sam Johnstone was the fixed first-team goalkeeper for many seasons at West Brom before moving on to Crystal Palace two years ago, notching up 167 total appearances for the West Midlands side before uprooting to Selhurst Park.

That deal to Palace would have stung from a Baggies perspective, with the ex-Manchester United youth product joining the Eagles on a free transfer after West Brom had previously turned down a £10m bid from West Ham United for the services of their number-one shot-stopper.

Making the majority of his appearances in the Championship when still on the books at the Hawthorns, Johnstone would also shine in the top flight for his former team, showcased in this standout display away at Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in 2020 which helped his side pick up a shock 1-1 draw.

Collecting 45 clean sheets across the span of his Baggies career, with seven of those coming in the tough demands of the Premier League, West Brom must have worried in the immediate aftermath of his move to Palace that Johnstone would be extremely hard to replace.

Palmer has been a safe pair of gloves for the vast majority of the current second-tier campaign, keeping an impressive 17 clean sheets from 45 games to date, but there will be question marks over whether he could handle the step-up if West Brom were to seal promotion soon.

Johnstone has shown this season at Palace that he's a Premier League standard 'keeper for sure, which has seen his transfer value rise, according to Football Transfers.

Johnstone's transfer value in 2024

Oliver Glasner's Eagles will be aware that they hit the jackpot on Johnstone getting him in on a free, with the England international's valuation now standing at £4.7m.

That's lower than what West Brom paid for the 31-year-old back in 2018, splashing £6.5m on his services only to lose him for nothing four years later.

Keeping six clean sheets this campaign when thrown into action, Johnstone – who has been dubbed "sensational" by Gary Lineker – remains a steady head to thrust into the spotlight when needed away from his recent injury woes.

The Palace 'keeper's valuation in 2024 sees him come in as being worth double what West Brom attacker Grady Diangana currently is too, despite the ex-Hammers winger joining the Baggies for £12m in 2020.

Fading in and out of far too many contests this season for Corberan's promotion hopefuls, with none of his 15 goal contributions for the campaign coming in his faltering side's last four second-tier clashes, the 26-year-old will hope he can still produce a moment of magic or two in the upcoming playoffs despite seeing his value drop to a measly £1.7m.

West Brom will have to ensure they get there first, however, with a tense atmosphere expected at the Hawthorns this coming weekend in a showdown against Preston North End that will decide their fate.

West Brom struck gold selling star who'd be worth £23m in 2024 money

West Bromwich Albion cashed in on this former star at the best possible time.

ByKelan Sarson Apr 26, 2024

Centurion says he can’t describe the “pure emotion” of scoring his first hundred for South Africa

Firdose Moonda in Paarl29-Feb-2020It was here at Boland Park that Heinrich Klaasen endured one of the worst days of his career. Two months ago, on the morning of December 16, he found out that he had been dropped from the South Africa Test squad ahead of the series against England after a torrid debut in Ranchi on their trip to India in September. That evening, the Mzansi Super League franchise he captains, the Tshwane Spartans, lost the tournament final to the Paarl Rocks.Klaasen, who is not the most expressive character, cut a grim figure when he was asked about the compounding disappointments. “It’s not been a great week for me, but that’s part of the job,” he said then. “I need to go back and perform. I want to play Test cricket but there’s a lot of work that I have to do and put numbers on the board.”Now, a little more than two months later, it’s was at Boland Park that Klaasen enjoyed one of the best days of his career with his maiden ODI hundred in his 15th match. Asked whether he could describe the feeling when the milestone came up, Klaasen shook his head and grinned. “No I can’t,” he said. “It’s difficult to put in words. It’s just pure emotion that came out.”Measured, pure emotion. Klaasen’s celebrations, whether muted by the heat and smoke that hung in the air or by the knowledge that South Africa still needed a few more runs to get themselves into a properly dominant position, were quiet by most maiden hundred standards. There was no leap or air punch but a bat raise and a brief conversation with the heavens and then he was back in the zone, and continued to add to the total.Klaasen finished on 123 not out, and his partnership with David Miller was worth half the final score. Crucially, it took the pressure off Quinton de Kock, who has been South Africa’s top-scorer in five out of the last six series and has come to be relied upon to do the bulk of the line-up’s work. “It’s not the Quinton de Kock show,” Klaasen said.”He is an incredible player but we can’t put all the pressure on them. The coach has been asking for someone else step up. Quinton can’t bat for 50 overs on his own.”South Africa’s coach, Mark Boucher, was also Klaasen’s coach at the Titans for the past three seasons and it was under Boucher that Klaasen was earmarked as an international. He traveled with the Test squad on a tour to New Zealand in 2017, but only made his Test debut two years later, in India. The inevitable consequence of being on tour but not on the field was that Klaasen didn’t play a lot and when he was left out of the Test squad to face England at home, he was given the opportunity to put that right. “The selectors told me to go back to franchise and play more consistency; to spend a lot of time in the middle,” he said.Though he has not hit the lights out, his numbers are steady. In the first-class competition, Klaasen collected 413 runs from five matches at an average of 51.62, which included four fifties. He has 162 runs from four one-day cup matches at 40.50, with one fifty. And then he got the call-up for the white-ball leg of the England series and made a big impression with 66 at his home ground, Centurion, to set South Africa up for a score of 222 for 6. That they couldn’t defend it was not Klaasen’s concern. He did his bit.A hip injury prevented him from continuing to do it for South Africa’s next two T20 matches, but he was back in the XI as soon as he was fit, displacing allrounder Jon-Jon Smuts. That too tells a story. Instead of opt for a two-in-one player, South Africa have chosen Klaasen, demonstrating the faith Boucher has put in him. “It’s always good to know that your coach backs you,” he said. “We have got a good relationship, which changed in the last couple of months before he came up.”Boucher’s promotion meant Klaasen lost a mentor of sorts but he has been working with other former internationals like Albie Morkel and Jacques Rudolph and has tried to model himself on one of his franchise team-mates, Dean Elgar – specifically an innings for the Titans against the Cobras earlier this month, when Elgar took the team from 50 for 2 to 302 for 4. Klaasen also had assurance from Boucher that he was doing the right thing on a surface where run-scoring was tough.”The message came out from from the coach to say, ‘You are doing a good job,'” Klaasen said. “He said if we go three or four an over for the next 15 overs, he was happy. We didn’t have to worry about trying too many things, just take the low risk option.”In doing that, Klaasen made it difficult for Australia to tie him down, according to their captain, Aaron Finch. “He picked his moments in when to attack the bowlers. They rotated, they ran hard, that was a quality knock.” And that’s high praise as any Klaasen could expect to get in Paarl.

The state is seeking more clarity on the situation before agreeing to a funding reduction

Daniel Brettig26-May-2020Queensland’s chairman Chris Simpson has confirmed the state association remains allied with New South Wales and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) in questioning Cricket Australia’s chosen remedy for the financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, as all three organisations continue to push the governing body for more information.While Queensland Cricket announced on Monday that it would be cutting 32 staff from its books in anticipation of a 25% funding cut from CA, Simpson said this move was necessary largely because his state was in a far weaker position than NSW, the other dissenter. Queensland’s most recent annual report listed reserves of A$7.6 million among total assets worth A$18.3 million, far less than NSW or Victoria, to name two states, can call upon.At the same time, Simpson outlined that, as reported by ESPNcricinfo, Queensland’s board was trying to ensure that its agreement would see any reduction in distribution for 2020-21 revised back upwards if the summer produced a more favourable financial result than CA is currently forecasting.ALSO READ: Players’ association casts doubt on Cricket Australia’s financial warnings”We have not signed the agreement,” Simpson told . “We are trying to learn how long their proposed cuts run for. It is a bit ambiguous how they have presented it. We want clarity on the term and we also want to make sure 25% is the ceiling.”We also want to make sure that should things be better than what they are modelling – and every day we are getting more positive about the prospect of serious cricket content this season – we don’t want to lock into something that is to the detriment of the states.”Simpson’s words are similar to those conveyed by the NSW chairman John Knox and his chief executive Lee Germon to staff and stakeholders earlier this month. “As a result of the Cricket Australia proposal, some states have already reduced their commitment to community cricket, potentially impacting the long-term future of the game,” they said in an email. “We believe that any decision to reduce the agreed state distributions should be delayed until there is a better understanding of whether international cricket will be played next season.”The ACA has contacted states and indicated a willingness to preserve community staffing and programs via financial assistance from the “grassroots fund” carved out of MoU cash and overseen by both the ACA and CA. The fund has dished out almost A$4.5 million in funding for equipment and facilities since 2017, and is expected to have about A$3 million available this year. CA is due to give its latest indicative forecast of Australian Cricket Revenue – from which the players’ fixed percentage of revenue is derived – by Friday.Queensland’s cuts have included a major downsizing of the Brisbane Heat’s operation and the exit of the long-serving selector, coach and manager Justin Sternes. They have also seen community cricket programs significantly affected, but Simpson said the state had been left with little option.”We have been told for a long time how big a deal the Indian tour is, so to hear that optimism brings the depth of the cuts into focus,” Simpson said. “Eighty percent of our funding comes from one source [CA] and they have said they potentially have solvency issues, so it is our duty to act on that information. We disagree with a lot of the information provided but we still had to act. NSW have a very big book and they can ride it out. We can’t.”The Australia and NSW fast bowler Mitchell Starc, meanwhile, has given his strong support to the state’s own decision to push back against CA. “In terms of NSW they’ve been pretty strong in holding their position and I think from the little updates I’ve read from NSW, it’s a big part of their plan – to be part of growing the game in the state,” he said”That’s obviously where we have all come from, as international and elite cricketers, we’ve come from the junior clubs to grade clubs all the way to international cricket. Full credit to the NSW board in trying to, at this stage, hang onto all of their staff and their grass roots at the moment.”Cricket hasn’t lost any games yet in this country, obviously the Bangladesh [tour] has been postponed but there hasn’t been any cricket lost yet. So it’s going to be an interesting few weeks with state contracting then us all returning to training – I guess we’re going to see what staff we’ve got.”

Celtic attacking midfielder Matt O'Riley collected multiple trophies at the club's end-of-season awards night at the weekend after a sublime season from the star.

He won the Young Player of the Year, Men's Player of the Year, and Men's Players' Player of the Year awards for his contributions on the pitch this term.

It will now be interesting to see whether or not the Hoops can keep hold of the Denmark international, who was recently named as a player of interest to Italian giants Inter.

The Bhoys have made a profit on a number of players, who O'Riley could join this summer, over the years and one star they hit the jackpot with was goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

How much Celtic paid for Fraser Forster

The towering stopper initially joined the Hoops on loan from English Premier League side Newcastle United in the summer of 2010 and spent two seasons on loan from the Magpies.

In the summer of 2012, Celtic completed a reported £2m deal to sign the goalkeeper on a permanent deal from the English team, and then-manager Neil Lennon claimed that he would be a "magnificent" signing for the club.

Appearances

36

33

Minutes played

3,240

2,962

Goals conceded

22

20

Clean sheets

21

21

As you can see in the table above, his form over his two seasons on loan with the Scottish giants warranted them making a move to sign him permanently.

He caught the eye with a staggering 42 clean sheets in 69 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, conceding just 42 goals for the club in that time.

How much Celtic sold Fraser Forster for in 2024 money

After two more years with the Hoops, Forster's performances in Scotland were impressive enough to draw in interest from Premier League side Southampton.

When you adjust for the inflation of transfer fees in football over the subsequent years, per Totally Money's index, then the £11.2m the Saints paid to sign him in the summer of 2014 would be worth a staggering £20.2m in today's (2024) money.

This shows that Celtic hit the jackpot with Forster as they made a significant profit on the initial £2m they paid Newcastle to sign him, making £9.2m, and the fee they raked in from Southampton would be worth a huge £20.2m in the current day, which speaks to how expensive the deal was at the time.

The England international, who now plays for Tottenham Hotspur, later enjoyed another season on loan with the Hoops, from the Saints, during the 2019/20 campaign and has racked up 118 clean sheets in 234 appearances for the club in all competitions to date.

Forster was, as shown by the aforementioned statistics, a clean sheet machine for the Scottish giants with more than one shutout every other match on average.

Celtic's "pressing machine" was as good as O'Riley in the Old Firm

The Hoops star was unplayable for Brendan Rodgers against Rangers on Sunday.

ByDan Emery May 11, 2024

He was a colossal performer on the pitch, winning eight domestic trophies in total, and then made the Hoops a huge sum of money just two years after being signed for only £2m, which illustrates how much of a blinder they played with the titan.

Declan Rice shouldered responsibility for the bizarre red card he received against Brighton and admitted to a "sense of guilt" towards his team-mates.

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Arsenal held to a 1-1 draw by BrightonRice was sent off in the second halfThe Seagulls equalised soon afterWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international had to walk down the tunnel early in the second half after referee Chris Kavanagh issued him a second yellow card. Rice was deemed to have prevented Brighton's Joel Veltman from taking a quick free-kick which resulted in his dismissal. The match changed its complexion after he was sent off as Brighton made the most of their numerical advantage and cancelled out Kai Havertz's opener through Joao Pedro.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT RICE SAID

Following the match, a remorseful Rice publicly apologised to his teammates and the Arsenal supporters.

"I think from my behalf, that’s my first sending off in my career, so I just wanted to apologize obviously to my teammates, which I’ve done, and to the fans," Rice said. "When you get sent off, it’s never nice, you get a sense of guilt over you, and I was lucky today that my teammates really helped me out and we didn’t lose the game. I’ll learn from it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Rice admitted that he was surprised by the referee's decision to send him off, particularly given the nature of the second yellow card.

He added: "Yeah I was shocked, I think you could see in my face I was shocked. He's obviously gone over, I've not sprinted over and smashed the ball away, I’ve touched the ball with the outside of my foot.

"But look, this is the laws of the game. If you touch ball away, even a little bit, obviously it’s a red card after my challenge in the first half which I fully accept was a 50-50 that I didn’t win. But the second half one, especially with it being in the corner flag, they can't really progress anywhere from there. It was tough, it was harsh, but it's one of those things. I have to move on from it, I will be better for it and I can only praise the players for digging deep for me, and the manager for pushing everyone, and the fans as well who were unbelievable again this afternoon. That’s how I see it."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RICE?

As a result of the red card, Rice will be suspended for Arsenal's upcoming match against Tottenham in the first North London Derby of the season on September 15. Before that, Rice will join his England teammates as the Three Lions are slated to play against Republic of Ireland and Finland in the Nations League on September 7 and 10 respectively.

Cast your mind back to August 13th, 2023. Aston Villa had just been trounced 5-1 at St. James' Park to start their Premier League season off with a whimper, casting a dark blanket over a summer of excitement.

It has proved to be a match in isolation, but Sir Alex Ferguson's prophetic prediction about Unai Emery's side impressing him the most following the events of matchweek one has now come to fruition with thrilling resonance.

Villa rejoiced after Tottenham Hotspur were defeated against Manchester City in the English top flight this week as it confirmed their status as top-four finishers, securing a first-ever place in the Champions League in its modern format.

Emery has been the architect, turning the languishing outfit into an expertly wrought squadron of winners, and Ollie Watkins will be in with a confident shout for the club's Player of the Season award following an incredible campaign as the attacking focal point.

Last month, The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell hailed the England international as the "Premier League's second-best striker – maybe No 1, on current form," with Watkins scoring 27 goals and supplying 13 assists in all competitions.

His ascendency to the upper echelon of Europe's forwards is reflected through his market value, but he's not actually the most lucrative player in the Villa Park first team. That tag lies with Douglas Luiz, the true conductor of the Lions' success.

Douglas Luiz's season in numbers

Aston Villa signed Luiz from Manchester City for a fee of £15m in 2019. The Brazilian was not likely to break into Pep Guardiola's first team but had showcased his quality on loan at Girona in La Liga.

Having amassed 203 appearances for the Midlands-based side, the 5 foot 10 ace has now established himself as "one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders," also claimed by Tanswell.

He's a commanding, controlling general of a player and his energy and enterprise in the centre of the park has been a priceless part of Emery's machine, with Luiz playing 52 times in all competitions this season and posting ten goals and ten assists apiece.

His natural attacking prowess is among the highlights of his skill set, ranking among the top 10% of central midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 17% for assists and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

When considering that all these qualities belong to the same player, it's no wonder that Luiz has been said to do "everything that [Declan] Rice can do and better" by pundit Jermaine Pennant. It's a comment that would no doubt rankle a few but this remains a testament to the star's rise.

Matches played

34

37

Matches started

34

36

Goals

9

7

Assists

5

8

Pass completion

89%

91%

Big chances created

9

8

Key passes

1.5

1.2

Ball recoveries

5.3

4.7

Tackles

1.7

2.2

Duels won

4.3 (52%)

4.1 (53%)

Dribble attempts

0.7 (60%)

0.6 (53%)

It's important to remember that Arsenal fought to bring Luiz and offered three official bids in 2022 before accepting that NSWE had no interest in discussing their sensation's possible sale.

The Gunners' third-and-final offer totalled to £25m. This puny proposition was rightly batted away with the ferocity of a batsman chasing a match-winning innings.

One of the most formidable units in Europe, Arsenal are hardly going to regret the signing of Rice, but Pennant's claims might just hold some weight when comparing Luiz and Rice's statistics in the English top-flight this season, with the Villan coming out on top.

Villa can hardly say that they made the wrong call, especially when Luiz indeed perches atop the pile as Aston Villa's most valuable asset.

Douglas Luiz's transfer value in 2024

Inevitably, Emery and Monchi and all the powers that be at Villa Park will face a barrage of advances from rivals both domestic and abroad this summer.

Watkins, for example, is one of the Premier League's hottest forwards around and, as such, Manchester United have come a-calling, with talkSPORT's Alex Crook revealing that the Red Devils are plotting an audacious swoop for the Three Lions star this summer.

No transfer figure is mentioned but the 28-year-old would not come cheap, with CIES Football Observatory appraising him at £51m – though, in truth, a greater figure would be needed.

Luiz, however, is deemed to be worth closer to €80m (£69m) – according to the same source – thus outlining his increased importance to Emery's side, perhaps even ahead of Watkins.

The Brazil international is only contracted to Villa Park until 2026 but transfer insider Dean Jones stated in March that the chances of an agreement for new terms is growing – even despite reports that the one-time Girona man remains a target for the Gunners ahead of this summer.

And why not remain at the heart of a project that is just starting to stretch its roots into an illustrious sphere? Villa are demonstrating incremental growth and while there is plenty of work still to do, with Luiz continuing his journey as Emery's string-puller, there is no telling how high the ceiling is.

One thing is for certain: Aston Villa played a blinder rejecting Arsenal's advances two years ago. Standing firm has resulted in Aston Villa's place in the 2024/25 Champions League proper, with Luiz now one of the Premier League's most priceless jewels.

Emery must ditch Aston Villa flop who earns more than Duran

Aston Villa must cut their losses on this defender.

ByJoe Nuttall May 16, 2024

He cites 2005-06 incident in Australia, where South African players were racially abused

Firdose Moonda10-Jul-2020Former batsman Ashwell Prince has claimed that several South African players were racially abused on their tour to Australia in 2005 and the team leadership urged them to continue playing regardless. In a Twitter thread, “100% inspired by Michael Holding,” Prince called the South African system “broken,” and said “there has never been any unity” for the decade he was part of the national team.The incident Prince referred to has been well documented and occurred in Perth during the first Test of South Africa’s tour in 2005-06. Prince, Makhaya Ntini and Garnett Kruger were taunted with racial slurs from the crowd, while white players including Shaun Pollock and Justin Kemp were also subjected to heckling.At the time, the CSA management made an official complaint to the ICC match referee Chris Broad, but Prince said players’ concerns had been dismissed. “When we brought this to the attention of the team leadership at lunch, we were told, “ah it’s only some people in the crowd, not the majority, let’s get back out there,” Prince posted.Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach at the time, remembered, however, that the team management took the incident seriously. “We made a stand against it,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The team management went to Cricket Australia, who put extra security on the boundary. From my recollection, the team was upset about it as a whole. I don’t remember any player saying, ‘let’s just go back out there,’ flippantly. It affected us massively as a team.”Arthur added that he stands by the Black Lives Matter movement. “There is absolutely no room for racism whatsoever. Having been at Pakistan and Sri Lanka, whatever race, colour, religion everybody is, everybody is together.”In his thread, Prince also took broader aim at attitudes to the transformation policy in place, saying that “any form of transformation has been met with resistance,” and that, “real, authentic change, inclusivity and non-racialism has never been able to establish itself.”Prince has spoken out in the past on the issue, and he indicated his thread is ” only the tip of the iceberg,” and called for “tough, honest, uncomfortable conversation.” As coach of the Cobras, he has been critical towards Cricket South Africa over the ongoing player exodus.Prince’s Twitter thread adds to the ongoing discussions around BLM, specifically in a South African context. On Monday, Lungi Ngidi called for the South African team to “make a stand like the rest of the world,” over BLM. That prompted criticism from former international players including Boeta Dippenaar and Pat Symcox.On Thursday, the South African Cricketers Association threw their weight behind Ngidi and the concept of athlete activism and later that evening CSA issued a statement expressing their support for BLM.”Black Lives Matter. It is as simple as that,” CSA’s acting CEO Jacques Faul said. “As a national sporting body representing more than 56 million South Africans and with the privileged position of owning a platform as large as we do, it is of vital importance that we use our voice to educate and listen to others on topics involving all forms of discrimination.”

England interim manager Lee Carsley was impressed by Anthony Gordon's performance as England beat Ireland 2-0 in the Nations League on Saturday.

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England win in Carsley's first game in chargeRice and Grealish scored against IrelandBut coach singled out another attacker for praiseWHAT HAPPENED?

Although Declan Rice and Jack Grealish were the scorers as the Three Lions opened their Nations League campaign with three points, Gordon impressed in just his fifth senior appearance for his national team.

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The Newcastle star had three shots on target and set up two chances before he was replaced after 77 minutes, and impressed enough earn a special mention by new boss Carsley for the danger he posed at the Aviva Stadium.

WHAT CARSLEY SAID

"I thought they [Rice and Grealish] took their goals really well," he said. "Really well-worked moves and brilliant finishes. I think, moving forward, they can both add a lot more goals to their game. Jack definitely doesn't have anything to prove to us, we can see his quality, but today will have done him the world of good, getting another goal for England and hopefully he can continue that form. On a really dry sticky pitch, it's not ideal for dribblers but I thought Anthony [Gordon] was a real threat. He's carried on his form from last season and he looks a really dangerous player."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR GORDON?

Gordon will fancy his chances of getting his fourth start for England when they continue their Nations League campaign with a match against Finland on Tuesday.