All posts by h79snht.top

Decision to grant home side a replacement during Sri Lanka’s second innings tips balance

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Aug-2024

Ollie Pope discusses the ball change with the umpires•PA Photos/Getty Images

Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s top-scorer on day three at Emirates Old Trafford, says that more rigorous rules need to be enforced regarding replacement balls in Test matches*, after England found themselves on the right side of a ball change for the second time in as many Test summers,After the 41st over of Sri Lanka’s second innings on day three of this first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, standing umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel agreed to the hosts’ request to swap out a raggedy Dukes ball. At the time, Sri Lanka were 146 for 4, nursing a slender lead of 24, but with Mathews not out on 59 and Kamindu Mendis on 33.A firmer ball with a prouder seam brought the quicks back into the game. The prized wicket of Mathews came in the 10th over with the replacement ball as the veteran was squared up by Chris Woakes and caught at gully to end the fifth-wicket stand on 78.”It looked like they were running out of plans but unfortunately the ball was changed,” Mathews told Sky Sports before the start of the fourth day’s play. “We were told they didn’t have old enough balls to replace. It changed the entire momentum of the game. You work so hard to get rid of that shine, and we did that. Once the ball was changed, it was a whole different game.”Though England would only go on to take one more wicket before the close, they did create a host of chances with the replacement ball. Mathews (on 65) and Kamindu (39) were dropped by Joe Root and Gus Atkinson at first slip and gully respectively, both off the bowling of Matthew Potts. The extra movement into the left-handers also saw two lbw decisions go in Woakes’ favour, only for reviews to find inside edges from Milan Rathnayake and Kamindu, who remained unbeaten overnight on 56.Coincidentally, Woakes was also the main beneficiary of last season’s controversial ball change during the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Kia Oval, which turned a tense final innings England’s way to secure a 2-2 series draw. Australia opener Usman Khawaja queried the switch to a newer, harder ball at the time, which did not reflect the one that had been in use for the previous 37 overs.Related

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Joe Root drops anchor as England go 1-0 up over spirited Sri Lanka

Ricky Ponting went as far as to call the change “a huge blunder that needs to be investigated”. Dilip Jajodia, the owner of British Cricket Limited, the company which manufactures the Dukes ball, vowed to investigate the complaints himself while attempting to quash theories that a five-year-old replacement ball might have been used.”I don’t know which year the balls were,” Mathews added. “You’ve got to have a set of rules where you determine how the ball is going to be changed… I really don’t know, but it can be really disadvantageous for the batters.”Ian Bell, Sri Lanka’s batting coach on this tour, struck a more conciliatory tone at stumps on Friday. “[It is] unfortunate, but the team are in good spirits,” Bell said. “I don’t think they worried too much about that or are moaning about that. I think it’s about accepting that and trying to put as many runs on tomorrow to put England under a bit of pressure in the last innings.”The lights did come on. The clouds rolled over. And that’s the beauty of playing cricket in England – you have to adapt to conditions. But again, England put the ball in the right areas.”In England that can happen. All you ask for is that [it] is consistent for both teams. I know we tried to change it a couple of time in the first innings, but they didn’t. But the seam did look pretty awful on that last ball, and unfortunately, you have to accept in these conditions a ball change can swing around.”England centurion Jamie Smith, who had a good gauge on the new ball from his position as wicketkeeper, echoed Bell’s sentiments. He also credited Woakes for making the best use of conditions.”It’s hard to gauge because once the ball was changed, the overheads came into play and the lights came on, and it sort of coincided with both factors. If there’s one man to exploit them conditions, it’s Chris Woakes. Any extra zip, it’s him who was going to find it.”*August 24, 11.15 BST – This story was updated following Angelo Mathews’ comments on Sky Sports

An “important” Glasgow Rangers player has been offered to another club this summer, with his Ibrox future looking in serious doubt.

The Gers know the importance of keeping hold of their most important players this summer, as they look to bridge the gap on Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race.

One player whose future is reportedly up in the air is Nicolas Raskin – the likes of Aston Villa and Wolves have been linked with signing him – but manager Russell Martin has spoken about improving his game moving forward, suggesting that he doesn’t see him leaving.

“We can get more end product out of Nico by doing a bit less. He has big character, he wants to take the ball but I think he’s had to do a lot in the previous season, whereas now we’re going to ask him to do a bit less, and when he does have to stuff, to do it with real quality, intensity and aggression. So, hopefully, we’ll be able to bring out a more impactful Nico.”

While Rangers supporters may be buoyed by Martin’s comments, a worrying new update has now emerged regarding his future at Ibrox.

Raskin's agent offers deal to Real Betis

According to a fresh update from Estadio Deportivo [via Sport Witness], Rangers midfielder Raskin’s agency, Libera Sports, “offered” him to Real Betis in the last few days, as well as Saint-Etienne striker Lucas Stassin.

The Gers ace is valued at around £8.6m, however, and the report states that it will be difficult for Betis to acquire his signature for a “modest price” this summer. Meanwhile, Radio Sevilla also claim that sporting director Manu Fajardo sees the Belgian as high up on the list of midfield options to come in.

Retaining Raskin’s services has to be seen as priority business for Rangers in the coming weeks, considering what a key part of their midfield he has been since arriving from Standard Liege back in 2023.

The 24-year-old is an influential figure in so many ways, bagging six assists and also winning an average of two aerial duels per game in the league last season, being hailed as “important” by Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia.

Martin has to do his utmost to show Raskin that he is ready to build something special at Ibrox, making the Belgium international a vital part of his plans and building the team around him.

Related Fernandez upgrade at Ibrox: Rangers want to sign "quality" star for UCL tie

Rangers are still pushing to sign Russell Martin’s top target.

Posts ByBen Gray Jul 18, 2025

A new contract for the midfielder would arguably feel as important as new signing that comes in for the Gers this summer, but that feels like far from a guarantee currently.

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، عن تغيير جذري فيما يخص التوقف الدولي الخاص بمباريات المنتخبات، سواء الودية أو الرسمية، بدءًا من عام 2026، حسبما جاء عبر موقعه الرسمي.

ومن المعروف أن المنتخبات تخوض مباريات في فترات توقف دولي، خلال أشهر سبتمبر، أكتوبر، نوفمبر ومارس من كل عام، حيث تتوقف مباريات الفرق في أيام محددة من الأشهر المذكورة.

ولكن الأمر سيتغير بشكل ملحوظ بدءًا من عام 2026، حيث ستقتصر فترات التوقف الدولي على 3 مرات فقط خلال الموسم، ولكن إحداها ستكون أطول من المعتاد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. منتخب مصر يصطدم بلوائح “فيفا” قبل موقعة الحسم أمام جيبوتي

وللتوضيح، وحسبما جاء عبر موقع “فيفا”، فإنه سيتم دمج فترتي توقف شهري سبتمبر وأكتوبر في واحدة فقط، حيث ستتراوح بين 21 سبتمبر و6 أكتوبر.

هذا الأمر يعني زيادة عدد المباريات التي سيخوضها كل منتخب في فترة التوقف المذكورة، لتصبح 4 بدلًا من 2 كحد أقصى، عكس المعتاد، حسبما جاء عبر موقع فيفا.

ولكن يبقى الأمر كما هو عليه في فترة توقف نوفمبر ومارس بشكل طبيعي، حيث سيخوض كل منتخب مباراتين، كحد أقصى.

County successfully appeals “disproportionate” punishment for outsized bat during Blast match

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2024

An aerial view of New Road•Getty Images

Worcestershire have received a suspended two-points deduction for the next season’s Vitality Blast, after their allrounder, Josh Cobb, was deemed to have used an illegally-sized bat in their North Group match with Durham in July.Cobb admitted a breach of ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3 after his bat failed a bat-gauge test during the Durham match, at which stage he had not yet faced a delivery. The Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) adjudicator originally imposed a straight points deduction, but this was amended on appeal to a suspended penalty, which will be imposed if Worcestershire commit a further breach of this nature.It is the second such penalty to be levelled in county cricket this summer, following the 12-point deduction that Essex were last month handed in the County Championship, following Feroz Khushi’s breach of the regulations during their opening fixture of the season, against Nottinghamshire in April.Essex issued a scathing riposte to that verdict, with Keith Fletcher, the club president, decrying it as “stupid”, not least because it wrecked the club’s hopes of challenging for the County Championship, with their final match of the season, at home to Surrey – who have already been crowned champions – taking place this week.Worcestershire were similarly aghast at the original verdict, and explained in their appeal that the loss of two points could mean the difference between reaching the knock-outs of the Vitality Blast and an early elimination.”Being docked points next year potentially/effectively puts a club of our size, with our resources, out of contention for qualification to the later rounds in 2025,” the club wrote to the adjudicator, Chris Tickle. “This has an impact on next year’s squad, coaching team, sponsors and, therefore, the club’s finances. This impact is potentially devastating to us and is disproportionate.”In his amended verdict, Tickle wrote: “Given those circumstances, I am persuaded that it is in the interests of justice to review my decision.”Dave Lewis, the interim director of the Cricket Regulator, said: “I am pleased that we were able to work with Worcestershire CCC and the Cricket Discipline Commission and that the adjudicator was able to reconsider their original decision in this case.”We also note that this is the second oversized bat case this year, and the Cricket Regulator will be working with counties, players, and officials to inform them about the issue with a view to preventing a recurrence next season.”The Cricket Regulator is the independent body which enforces the rules for domestic professional cricket as well as working to educate participants and prevent potential breaches. The Cricket Regulator investigates and prosecutes cases but does not decide on any penalties.The Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) is the independent adjudication body which hears cases, rules on responsibility for breaches of rules and issues penalties to teams and participants.

West Ham United’s pre-season schedule is now underway.

On Saturday, in a behind-closed-doors fixture in Zürich, the Hammers beat Grasshoppers 3-1; Andy Irving, Callum Marshall and Lucas Paquetá the scorers.

Next up for Graham Potter’s team, they’ve travelled stateside for the Premier League Summer Series, facing Manchester United in New Jersey this weekend, before games against Everton in Chicago and then Bournemouth in Atlanta.

With the start of the proper season fast approaching, will the Irons get their hands on a new attacking midfielder?

Latest on West Ham's transfer activity

Fair to say, West Ham supporters were not best pleased about the news that star winger Mohammed Kudus had joined fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur for £55m, the first player to make the controversial move since Scott Parker 14 years ago.

In terms of arrivals, the Hammers have bolstered their full-back options, signing El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague for a reported fee of £19m, while Kyle Walker-Peters has joined from Southampton on a free transfer.

Nevertheless, Kudus’ departure means Potter will be demanding new signings in forward areas, hence why Sébastien Vidal of Weekend Sports is reporting that West Ham “have opened initial talks” to sign Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar Donetsk.

They add that the “creative midfielder” is valued at around £30m by the 15-time Ukrainian champions, with the Hammers “looking to accelerate the deal” and finalise the move as soon as possible.

Transfer Focus

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

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So, could he soon become the third Ukrainian to represent West Ham United, after current national team head coach Serhii Rebrov and the country’s second-highest goalscorer of all time, Andriy Yarmolenko?

How Georgiy Sudakov would improve West Ham

After spending three years in Metalist Kharkiv’s academy, Sudakov joined Shakhtar Donetsk as a 15-year-old, before making his senior debut in 2020, this coming off the bench during a famous Champions League victory over Real Madrid at Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano no less.

Subsequently, the 22-year-old has accumulated 140 appearances for Shakhtar, scoring 35 goals and registering 24 assists, including netting against Barcelona, Young Boys and Stade Brestois in Champions League ties.

Despite being linked with a move away, Sudakov featured in both legs of his team’s Europa League qualifying victory over Ilves earlier this month, starting the first leg, a 6-0 demolition in Ljubljana; it’ll therefore be interesting to see if he’s involved in Thursday night’s second qualifying round match against Beşiktaş in İstanbul.

Having also already won 29 international caps, starting all three of Ukraine’s fixtures at Euro 2024, Sudakov has earned plenty of high praise.

Andy Jones of the Athletic labels him one of the ‘most exciting prospects’ and ‘brightest young talents’ in Eastern Europe, adding that he is a ‘versatile midfielder’ who operates best as a number ten, given that he is ‘technically gifted’ and poses ‘creative threat’.

Meantime, Shakhtar Donetsk sporting director Serhiy Palkin stated back in April that his star man “will definitely move to a top European club this summer”, with aforementioned national team manager Rebrov asserting that he has “a bright future”.

On top of this, analyst Ben Mattinson describes him as “exciting” and “unpredictable”, tipping him to replace Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen. The 22-year-old German has just joined Liverpool for £116m, a Premier League record fee, so let’s assess how the duo compare.

Georgiy Sudakov vs Florian Wirtz 24/25 UCL comparison

Statistics

Sudakov

Wirtz

Appearances

8

9

Minutes

702

764

Goals

2

6

Assists

1

1

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:

Shots

1.3

2.6

Shots on target %

40%

63.64%

Chances created

1.5

3.0

Passes

46.3

52.4

Pass completion %

83.1%

88.29%

Forward passes

11.2

9.8

Take-on success %

66.67%

46.15%

Touches

62.2

75

All statistics courtesy of Squawka

Of course, Wirtz does come out on top for the vast majority of statistics included, but this shouldn’t be too surprising, given that he is the one making a record-breaking move to the Premier League champions.

The caveat for the table above is of course the fact that Sudakov was playing for a Shakhtar Donetsk side who finished 27th in the gigantic Champions League table, winning only two matches, while Bayer Leverkusen ended up sixth with five victories to their name.

Nevertheless, Sudakov does have the edge when it comes to forward passes and take-on success %, and his numbers are pretty comparable to those of Wirtz across the board, especially in terms of chances created.

Thus, it is clear that the Ukrainian international is a player of vast potential and one West Ham should do everything in their power to get their hands on, before an even bigger European juggernaut comes calling.

Related Bowen 2.0: West Ham plotting offer for £6m star who “has got everything"

West Ham United could be about to land their second coming of Jarrod Bowen by making an offer for this £6m attacker.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Jul 22, 2025

تقدم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي بيراميدز، بالهدف الأول في شباك فريق زد، في لقاء يقام ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويخوض بيراميدز مباراته أمام زد، اليوم الخميس في تمام الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية على أرضية استاد الدفاع الجوي في الجولة السابعة من بطولة الدوري المصري.

طالع| تشكيل بيراميدز أمام زد في الدوري.. مروان حمدي يقود الهجوم

وجاء هدف بيراميدز عن طريق اللاعب مصطفى زيكو في الدقيقة 73 بعد عرضية من محمد الشيبي قابلها زيكو برأسية في الشباك.

ويحتل بيراميدز المركز التاسع في جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري برصيد 8 نقاط من فوزين وتعادلين وخسارة.

ويدخل بيراميدز، اللقاء بمعنويات مرتفعة بعد الفوز على الأهلي بهدفين نظيفين في آخر ظهور محلي، والانتصار على أوكلاند بثلاثية نظيفة في كأس القارات “إنتركونتينتتال”. هدف بيراميدز الأول أمام زد

يستعد ليفربول لمواجهة أتلتيكو مدريد خلال اللقاء الذي سيجمع بين الفريقين في تمام العاشرة مساء في الجولة الأولى بمرحلة الدوري لدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وقد تحدث أندي روبرتسون ظهير ليفربول قبل انطلاق مواجهة الفريق ضد أتلتيكو مدريد، حيث سيبدأ نائب قائد الفريق في التشكيل الأساسي في خط دفاع الريدز.

ويعتمد سلوت على تشكيل لفريق ليفربول مكون من: أليسون، فريمبونج، فيرجيل فان دايك، إبراهيما كوناتي، روبرتسون، سوبوسلاي، فيرتز، جرافينبيرخ، إيزاك، محمد صلاح، جاكبو.

أقرأ أيضاً.. محمد صلاح على بعد هدف واحد من رقم قياسي جديد يفك الصراع مع تييري هنري

وقال روبرتسون في تصريحات نقلتها “ذا أتلتيك” البريطانية: “ليالي أنفيلد مميزة، أنا محظوظ جداً لوجودي هنا لثماني سنوات”.

وأضاف قبل لقاء الفريقين في دوري أبطال أوروبا: “عشت في أنفيلد ليالي رائعة، دائماً ما يجعل الجمهور ليلة دوري أبطال أوروبا مميزة ونأمل أن يكون الأمر نفسه اليوم”.

وختم الظهير الأسكتلندي تصريحاته: “نريد أن نبدأ بداية جيدة، لقد قدمنا مستويات جيدة في مرحلة الدوري بالموسم الماضي ثم خرجنا من دور الستة عشر، نعلم أننا بحاجة لبداية جيدة لنكون بين الثمانية الأوائل لضمان التأهل للدور التالي”.

Only 15.2 overs possible as attention turns to Lancashire’s progress in Worcester

ECB Reporters Network26-Sep-2024

Oliver Hannon-Dalby took his Championship wicket tally to 49 for the season•Getty Images

The first day of a Vitality County Championship meeting at Trent Bridge between two sides still stalked by relegation was played by both with one ear cocked for developments 85 miles west, beside the Severn. Over in Worcester, Lancashire will escape if they can take 15 more points than Nottinghamshire can muster in this match, or 20 more than Warwickshire.With only 15.2 overs possible in all, Warwickshire made the better of what progress there was by the Trent, after a 1.10pm start and a long frustrating wait without cricket shortly after. At the close Nottinhamshire, put in, were 33 for 2.In difficult conditions throughout, the damage might even have been worse and they will have greeted the premature close with much relief. Warwickshire’s two new-ball bowlers, Olly Hannon-Dalby and Ed Barnard shared the spoils, such as they were, on a day tasting truly of autumn.Finding repeated movement off a pitch subject to endless rain over the last week, Warwickshire, winning a good toss, struck in the sixth over when Barnard nipped one back to hit Haseeb Hameed’s off stump.Out for 7, the captain was replaced by Freddie McCann but he had faced only 15 balls before bad light proved the prelude to a heavy shower, with lightning flashing to the south. In 44 minutes’ play up to the stoppage, Nottinghamshire moved shakily to 27 for 1.Off the field, they soon learned that Lancashire had won a late toss in their own game, bowled and claimed both openers in the first four overs. And the pressure, on Notts especially, steadily intensified as Lancashire continued to bag wickets.By the time the umpires could make their second inspection of the afternoon at 3.45pm, Lancashire had already claimed seven in Worcester and were looking set for the full three bowling points when Nottinghamshire resumed 30 minutes later.Alas this proved to be for one ball only, duly left by Ben Slater, before bad light again intervened. Thankfully, brighter conditions allowed a re-start twelve minutes later, four slips being immediately posted for McCann.It was Slater, however, who went to a fine, sharp catch by Will Rhodes at first slip to give Hannon-Dalby his 49th wicket of the summer and leave him as the third most-successful first-division seamer this season. Two balls later, though, the umpires again decreed bad light and rain followed once more at 4.47pm.In these conditions, it is already looking a tall ask for Nottinghamshire to reach 300 and claim two batting points. Should Lancashire take only the three bowling points against Worcestershire but still go on to win it would leave Nottinghamshire having at least to draw to cheat the drop.If Lancashire do only manage 19 points, safety would be assured for Warwickshire. But the forecast is far better for Friday and Saturday and there is a long way yet to travel in both the key games before final fates became clear.

Blackburn Rovers have now registered their interest in signing a “pacey” £15,000-a-week ace who would replace Callum Brittain, according to a new report.

Derby agree deal to sign Callum Brittain from Blackburn

Rovers have already seen some big-name players leave Ewood Park in this transfer window, as Joe Rankin-Costello, Tyrhys Dolan, Andreas Weimann, Dilan Markanday, and Danny Batth have all left on free transfers, and now, while it may not be a free, another key individual looks set for a move away.

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Posts ByBrett Worthington Jul 23, 2025

EFL Analysis’ Graeme Bailey revealed earlier this week that Derby had agreed a deal with Blackburn to sign Brittain. Rovers placed a £3 million asking price on the defender’s head, and the Rams have agreed to pay that, including add-ons.

However, they are not the only side chasing the fullback, as Middlesbrough have already seen a bid rejected and are now expected to match Derby’s offer, meaning it will be down to the player where his future lies.

Brittain has been at the Lancashire side since 2022 and has been a key performer for the club in his three years there. However, with his time now coming to an end, Rovers are having to look at possible replacements for the defender.

Blackburn register interest in signing a £15k-p/w ace

According to EFL Analysis, Graeme Bailey, Blackburn are now keen on signing Bali Mumba from League One side Plymouth Argyle.

Bailey has revealed that Rovers have let their interest be known with an initial enquiry, but they could face competition from Boro, who looked at signing Mumba back in January.

Bailey said: “Plymouth want to keep hold of him, though. So again, unless someone comes up with the money there, it won’t necessarily be easy to get him out.

“But I’ve heard he’s wanted by Blackburn as well, maybe to replace Brittain. There are a few options for Mumba.”

It is unclear how much the Pilgrims would be looking to get for Mumba, but the versatile defender is under contract until 2027, so they are not under pressure to sell in this transfer window. The 23-year-old, who has been dubbed “pacey” by former manager Daniel Farke, has made a good impression in the last two Championship seasons despite Plymouth’s struggles, as he scored three goals and recorded five assists in 86 games combined.

Bali Mumba’s 24/25 League stats compared to Callum Brittain

Mumba

Brittain

Apps

43

33

Starts

37

30

Goals

0

2

Progressive carries

66

63

Progressive passes

121

90

Progressive runs

102

141

Shots per 90

0.58

0.61

Passes attempted

1465

1562

Passes completed

1156

1209

Tackles (won)

84 (55)

56 (34)

Blocks

31

36

Clearances

90

129

Since joining Plymouth, Mumba, who earns a weekly wage of £15,000, has been very impressive in the EFL, as in their 2022/23 League One campaign, where they earned promotion, Mumba scored six goals and registered seven assists. The fact he can operate anywhere across the back four as well as in midfield adds more appeal, as Blackburn look to strengthen in a few areas of the pitch.

Will West Ham United be busy in the remaining weeks of the transfer window?

Their supporters and Graham Potter alike will certainly hope so.

So far, the Hammers have brought in both Callum Wilson and Kyle Walker-Peters on free transfers, also spending a reported £19m to sign El Hadji Malick Diouf from Slavia Prague.

Nevertheless, a lot more needs to be done if the Irons are going to improve on last season’s 14th place finish, so could they be about to make a splash in the market?

West Ham's need for firepower

The most noteworthy transfer from West Ham’s summer so far, sadly for them, is an outgoing, with Mohammed Kudus controversially sold to fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of £55m.

Kudus scored 19 goals and registered 13 assists during 80 appearances for the Irons, winning the Europa League goal of the season award for this stunning sole effort against Freiburg in 2023/24, so the Ghanaian leaves a rather large void at the London Stadium.

As they seek to replace him, Daniel Feliciano and Dean Jones of Give Me Sport report that Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey remains West Ham’s ‘top target’, willing to spend £30m to secure the signature of a 24-year-old they label a ‘dynamic midfield player’.

Well, Mark Brus of Caught Offside claims that Ramsey is valued at closer to £43m by the Villans, with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham also interested, the latter in the race after it was confirmed on Thursday that James Maddison had suffered a long-term anterior cruciate ligament rupture during a pre-season friendly in Seoul.

Transfer Focus

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

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Speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Dan Bardell notes that Aston Villa will almost certainly need to sell a “big player” to comply with the Premier League’s Profitability & Sustainability rules this summer, thereby suggesting Ramsey could be sacrificed, so could he swap Villa Park for East London?

What Jacob Ramsey would bring to West Ham

Ramsey joined Aston Villa at the age of six, making his senior debut for the club against Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion in the EFL Championship in February 2019; Villa have come along way since then!

Overall, he’s accumulated 17 goals and 19 assists for the club in 167 appearances, bagging six Premier League goals during both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns, his progress blighted by various injuries more recently.

Nevertheless, David Astill of Total Football Analysis praises his versatility and ability to create from numerous positions on the pitch, while Joseph Odell of Breaking the Lines is impressed by his ‘brilliant footballing intelligence’ as well as his ball-carrying ability and capacity to ’cause chaos’.

So, let’s compare him to the player he could be replacing at West Ham, Kudus.

Jacob Ramsey vs Mohammed Kudus 2024/25 comparison

Statistics

Ramsey

Kudus

Appearances

45

35

Minutes

2,274

2,721

Goals

4

5

Assists

7

4

All statistics below are on a per-90 basis:

Shots

1.1

1.6

Chances created

1.7

1.1

Big chances created

0.37

0.14

Attempted passes

33.5

26.7

Forward passes

7.2

3.2

Take-on success %

70.4%

48.4%

Touches

48

52.2

Average SofaScore rating

6.93

6.82

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, Squawka and SofaScore

As the table outlines, despite playing around 500 fewer minutes across all competitions, Ramsey’s statistics were, pretty much, more impressive than those of Kudus across the board last season.

The Englishman provided more assists and created exponentially more chances and big chances, as well as completing a significantly higher proportion of his take-ons.

What is also made clear is the fact that the duo are, stylistically, quite different, with Kudus liking to operate high and wide, while Ramsey is more of a box-crashing central player.

One player he is similar to is a certain Jude Bellingham, who was born just 18 miles west across the Midlands. That likeness has been noted by journalist Ryan Taylor, who said Ramsey is of “similar ilk” to his Real Madrid-based compatriot. With that in mind, let’s compare this pair.

Jude Bellingham vs Jacob Ramsey: FBref Scouting Report

Statistics (vs attacking mids & wingers)

Bellingham’s percentile

Ramsey’s percentile

Goals

54th

7th

Assists

79th

65th

Progressive carries

23rd

54th

Progressive passes

94th

52nd

Goals-per-shot

70th

23rd

xG per shot

97th

70th

Pass completion %

99th

98th

Tackles

94th

68th

Interceptions

97th

67th

Take-on success %

98th

99th

Ball recoveries

45th

73rd

All statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As the table underlines, while Bellingham’s percentiles are, for the most part, higher than Ramsey’s, they’re both all-action midfielders who contribute all over the pitch.

Ramsey ranks higher for progressive carries, percentage of successful take-ons and ball recoveries, simply needing to increase his attacking output to be on-par with one of the world’s very best midfielders.

With that in mind, he would represent a massive coup for West Ham, if they’re able to convince him to join.

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Posts ByBen Gray Aug 5, 2025