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Liverpool’s relentless march to the Premier League title continued with an excellent 2-0 victory over an in-form side Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.

Arne Slot would have been wary of the threat the Cherries possess, especially after they shocked Nottingham Forest in midweek, scoring five goals against the side that sit third in the Premier League table.

Knowing that his side would go nine points clear of Arsenal with a win at the Vitality Stadium, the Anfield outfit delivered a professional performance on the south coast.

It comes as no surprise that Mohamed Salah was the hero, scoring both of Liverpool’s efforts to reach 178 Premier League goals, overtaking Frank Lampard to become the sixth-highest scorer in the history of the competition.

A new contract for the Egyptian talisman hasn’t materialised yet, but surely it won’t be long before Slot presents an offer.

Mohamed Salah’s game in numbers vs Bournemouth

Salah was as influential as ever for the Reds. His first goal was a well-taken penalty after just 30 minutes before he netted a delightful curling effort in the second half to secure his brace and ensure Liverpool took home three points.

He also made two key passes, registered four shots, delivered one accurate cross and succeeded with two of his three dribble attempts throughout the game.

Metric

Highest-Ranked

Accurate passes

Illia Zabarnyi (48)

Key passes

Dominik Szoboszlai (3)

Tackles

Ryan Gravenberch (7)

Ground duels won

Ryan Gravenberch (9)

Shots on target

Mohamed Salah (3)

Who knows where the club would be without their star man and if he remains fit and in this sort of form over the coming months, the Anfield side could win a couple of major trophies.

It is a team effort, however. As such, Ryan Gravenberch is the fulcrum behind their title charge, no doubt about that.

The Liverpool star who's driving the title charge

The Dutchman has started every single top-flight game for the Reds this season, signifying his importance to the cause as Slot aims to win the title in his first season as manager.

He may have registered just two assists, but his job in controlling the midfield has been crucial during the club’s title charge over the previous few months.

Against the Cherries, Gravenberch not only succeeded with 93% of his passes, but the midfielder also won nine ground duels, lost possession on just three occasions and made a staggering seven tackles throughout the 90 minutes.

Salah may have got the goals, but Gravenberch deserves the plaudits after another flawless display.

The 22-year-old received a match rating of 7/10 from Danny Gallagher at the Anfield Watch, who stated that ‘a big, elegant, statue of ball-playing midfielder is exactly what you want on gritty afternoons like this, and the Reds’ most-improved player of the season delivered’.

Deliver he did. If Liverpool go on to win their 20th domestic title in May, Salah’s goals may well prove to be the deciding factor. But in Gravenberch, they have solidity in the midfield area, which, during tight games like today, helps massively.

Dream for Salah: Liverpool keen on £67m star who's "destined for greatness"

Liverpool are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Bundesliga sensation.

ByDan Emery Jan 31, 2025

توج فريق الغرافة ببطولة كأس أمير قطر للموسم الحالي 2024-2025، بالفوز على الريان، بنتجية 2-1، في المباراة النهائية للمسابقة.

وتواجه فريقا الريان والغرافة، في المباراة النهائية لبطولة كأس أمير قطر، اليوم السبت، على ملعب استاد خليفة الدولي.

وسجل هدف الغرافة الأول التونسي فرجاني ساسي بعد متابعة عرضية مرسلة من الجانب الأيسر سددها مباشرة في المرمى بالدقيقة 4. هدف الغرافة الأول أمام الريان.. فرجاني ساسي

وأضاف الهدف الثاني، اللاعب الإسباني خوسيلو في الدقيقة 18 برأسية رائعة من جانب المرمى. هدف الغرافة الثاني أمام الريان

طالع | متفوقًا على محمد صلاح.. تريزيجيه يتصدر قائمة أفضل اللاعبين في تصفيات كأس العالم

وقلص الفارق لفريق الريان، المهاجم البرازيلي روجر جيديس من ركلة جزاء نجح في تسجيلها عند الدقيقة 50. هدف الريان الأول أمام الغرافة في كأس قطر

وشهدت المباراة مشاركة المصري محمود حسن تريزيجيه، في اللقاء الأخير له مع الريان قبل الانضمام إلي الأهلي خلال الفترة القادمة.

وكان الأهلي قد أعلن عن التعاقد مع تريزيجيه في شهر يناير الماضي، لمدة 5 سنوات تبدأ من يونيو المقبل.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo eliminou o Altos-PI pela terceira fase da Copa do Brasil com um placar agregado de 4 a 1, mas um jogador do time piauiense, após o confronto da última quarta-feira, em Volta Redonda, conseguiu levar o seu filho às lágrimas de felicidade graças ao encontro. O jovem Davi se emocionou ao saber que o atacante do Fla deu a sua camisa ao seu pai, o lateral Dieyson, ao fim da partida no Raulino de Oliveira. Assista à reação no vídeo acima.

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O próprio perfil do Altos compartilhou as imagens, registradas porMarcella, mãe de Davi, escrevendo o seguinte:

-O filho do nosso lateral Dieyson ficou emocionado ao saber que o papai conseguiu a camisa do Gabigolno final do jogo de ontem.

JáDieyson, nas redes sociais, destacou: “Nunca será só futebol”.

GABIGOL RESPONDEU

Nesta tarde, ao ver o vídeo postado pelo Altos, o próprio Gabi utilizou o seu perfil no Twitter para deixar uma mensagem a Davi:

– Que legal, meu amigão!! Vc me emocionou!! Que essa camisa possa ser tão importante para você quanto é pra mim!! – escreveu Gabi.

> Veja a tabela do Brasileirão

Agora o Flamengo de Gabi viajará à capital cearense para enfrentar o Ceará, neste sábado, às 16h30, pela sexta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Já o Altos recebe o Atlético-CE no mesmo dia, às 15h, também pela sexta rodada, mas em confronto válido pela Série C.

حدد لويس دياز لاعب نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي، وجهته المقبلة إذا قرر مغادرة الريدز، رغم تصريحاته التي أدلى بها مؤخرًا.

ويمتد عقد لويس دياز الحالي حتى صيف 2027، وقد يصل ليفربول إلى مرحلة تتطلب إما تجديد عقده أو بيعه.

اللاعب الكولومبي سبق وأشار إلى سعادته بالتواجد في صفوف ليفربول، وأوضح في تصريحاته الأخيرة أنه سيناقش مستقبله مع النادي الإنجليزي ومسألة تمديد العقد (طالع تصريحاته كاملة).

وتذكر صحيفة “ميرور” البريطانية في تقرير لها، أن دياز قد اختار ناديه التالي بالفعل، إذا تعثرت مفاوضات تجديد عقده مع ليفربول.

في ديسمبر الماضي، ارتبط دياز بالرحيل عن ليفربول، مع أنباء عن اهتمام برشلونة وميلان وباريس سان جيرمان به.

وتذكر “ميرور” أن برشلونة هو وجهة لويس دياز المفضلة، حيث إن أن النادي الكتالوني هو نادي أحلامه ولطالما كان مشجعًا له.

وأوضح والد لويس دياز في تصريحات سابقة: “في الحقيقة، لا أعرف الكثير عن برشلونة حاليًا، صحيح أن لويس مشجع مخلص لبرشلونة، وسيكون حلمه الانضمام إلى هناك”.

مضيفًا: “لن تكون هناك مشكلة لو انضم لويس إلى برشلونة، فهو فريقٌ من الطراز الأول، وأحد أفضل الفرق في العالم”.

Fair to say, Celtic’s Tuesday night visit to Dens Park was a lot more eventful than anyone could’ve forecast.

When Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan headed home the opener against his former club inside five minutes, most assumed the champions would cruise to a comfortable victory in the City of Discovery.

However, Dundee hit back not once, not twice but three times, Cameron Carter-Vickers the scorer of an unfortunate own goal mere seconds after Yang Hyun-jun had nodded the Hoops in front, the visitors thereby requiring a 93rd minute Arne Engels spot-kick to salvage a draw.

Brendan Rodgers was clearly fuming at full time, but the two points dropped has little tangible consequence, with Celtic now 16 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, ahead of Rangers’ clash with Aberdeen on Wednesday night.

When asked for an update about January transfers post-game by Sky Sports’ Luke Shanley, Rodgers said “nothing as of yet, I’ll probably find out over the next couple of days”, so could the Celts’ first signing of the window be imminent?

Celtic chasing a highly-rated teenager

As first reported by Mark McCadden of the Irish Mirror, Celtic are “leading the race” to sign St Patrick’s Athletic striker Mason Melia.

This came after Melia visited Glasgow last week for talks, having accepted a similar invitation from Tottenham before Christmas, while Serie A side Bologna are also mentioned as “eager” to sign him, with further interest from Bundesliga and Belgian clubs.

So who is Melia, and why is he so sought after?

Mason Melia's record at youth level

Still only 17-years-old, he’s made 54 appearances for League of Ireland side St Pat’s, scoring ten goals, helping the Red Army finish third last season.

Transfer Focus

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

Back in November 2023, he came off the bench as St Patrick’s Athletic beat fierce Dublin rivals Bohemians 3-1 in the FAI Cup Final.

The match was played in front of 43,881 supporters at the Aviva Stadium, a record-breaking attendance for an Irish cup final, with Melia becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in a FAI Cup Final, doing so at the age of just 16 years and 50 days.

Journalist Conor McEvoy described Melia as a “terrific talent”, with Mark Gallagher of Extra Ireland believing he is valued at €1m (around £835,000), which would smash the League of Ireland record, currently held by Liam Scales, who joined Celtic for €600,000 from Shamrock Rovers in 2021.

As noted by Football Insider, due to Brexit regulations, Melia cannot join a British club until after his 18th birthday, meaning no move will take place until January 2026 at the earliest, but that does not mean Celtic, or anyone else for that matter, cannot agree a deal now.

How Mason Melia would fit in at Celtic

Should the teenager choose to make the move to Parkhead, he would face tough competition for a starting spot from fellow strikers Kyōgo Furuhashi and Adam Idah.

Idah became an instant Celtic hero by scoring a 90th-minute winner against Rangers in last season’s Scottish Cup Final, but has not lived up to these lofty expectations since his move from Norwich was made permanent, at the huge cost of £9.5m.

He came in for scathing criticism from Sky Sports pundits Kris Boyd, Neil Lennon and James McFadden after Tuesday’s game, with Boyd saying “he doesn’t seem to be the same player” as last season, adding “he needs to do more”.

So, perhaps there would be room in the squad for Meila to make an impression?

Regardless of current form, Idah, as well as the aforementioned Scales, are simply the latest in a long line of Irish Celtic players, 22 have made a senior appearance to be exact, some of whom are amongst the club’s biggest legends.

Pat Bonner

1978–97

646

0

12

Patsy Gallacher

1911-25

464

192

13

Sean Fallon

1950–58

254

14

6

Aiden McGeady

2004-10

252

37

7

Anthony Stokes

2010-16

192

77

7

Charlie Gallagher

1958–68

171

32

6

Chris Morris

1987–92

160

8

3

Billy Cook

1930-32

109

0

2

Tommy Coyne

1989-93

105

43

0

Mick McCarthy

1987-89

55

8

3

Roy Keane

2006

13

1

2

Robbie Keane

2010

19

16

0

Some all-time legends are on this list, none more so than Pat Bonner, only five players have made more appearances than him in the club’s entire history, while Roy Keane and Robbie Keane are at the other end of the scale as football greats, if not so much when bedecked in green and white hoops.

So, if Melia does move to the Scottish champions, he’ll be following in the footsteps of plenty of Irish legends… and Shane Duffy, but we don’t mention him.

Palma replacement: Celtic plotting to sign Hooper 2.0 in club-record move

Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the talented English forward.

ByDan Emery Jan 14, 2025

Rajasthan Royals are happy to have four No. 11s in their line-up. And this is why. Each of them – led by Trent Boult – produced a match-winning contribution and this one will taste ever so sweet because it takes them close to a place in the IPL playoffs. They knocked the stuffing out of Lucknow Super Giants, who in all likelihood will be one of the teams they will meet in those knockout matches later this month. So this win – defending 178 – isn’t just that, it’s something to carry forward.The Royals promise
A young batter with a power game is one of the most exciting things in cricket. Yashasvi Jaiswal (41 off 29) certainly lived up to that billing tonight.At one point, he was beaten by Avesh Khan, the ball storming past his outside edge like it was offended he had even tried to hit it. In the next over, as if deciding enough was enough, Jaiswal made the darn thing disappear.That six into the crowd behind square leg in a Dushmantha Chameera over that cost 21 runs, combined with Sanju Samson’s takedown of Ravi Bishnoi in the eighth over, threatened something special.Trent Boult bagged two new-ball wickets after biffing an unbeaten 17 off 9•BCCI

It’s good to have options
This game was all about punch and counterpunch.The first part of that equation is a given. Batting teams in T20 cricket seldom hold back. But for a bowling team to respond, it takes either a lot of effort, or a lot of options.Super Giants had a LOT of options.Five balls after Samson pwned Bishnoi, he fell to Jason Holder.So in came Devdutt Padikkal, who hit five of the first 10 balls he faced to the boundary.One ball after that run-spree, Ayush Badoni dismissed Jaiswal.KL Rahul used eight bowlers, all of whom combined so well that by the start of the 17th over, the opposition’s finisher James Neesham was batting with just R Ashwin for company and those four No. 11s to come.A mix-up, and a botched attempt by the less recognised batter to sacrifice his wicket, left Ashwin and Boult at the crease with 14 balls still remaining, but they managed to biff 26 off those 14 balls. Who needs batting depth?Lightning Boult
A Brabourne pitch that offered movement + Boult = Magic.The Royals new-ball phenom took two wickets in the third over – Quinton de Kock caught off a long hop and Badoni lbw with mesmerising inswing.Prasidh Krishna took out Rahul from the other end – cramping the batter for room as he tried to play the cut – and that virtually was the game.Super Giants have relied heavily on their captain this season. More than 30% of their runs (421) in winning causes have come off his blade. But here, he was gone with 14.3 overs still to play.Deepak Hooda struck a 33-ball fifty•BCCI

Chahal vs Hooda
Super Giants were on the mat. They were 34 for 3 at the end of the powerplay. They hit just five boundaries in the eight overs that followed. Royals were squeezing the life out of them thanks to Ashwin (4-0-24-1) and Obed McCoy (2-0-16-0)Deepak Hooda (59 off 39) tried to break free of this strangle and he chose to do so against the highest wicket-taker in IPL 2022. Yuzvendra Chahal was hit for a six and a four to start the 11th over. But this is not a bowler who backs down. He didn’t against Glenn Maxwell. He didn’t against Kieron Pollard. He didn’t against MS Dhoni. And he didn’t against Hooda either.The game itself was long since over, but this head-to-head was still simmering.Hooda has been one of the IPL’s perennial itinerants, never establishing his place in any of the teams he’s played for.A player with so many gifts, foremost among them his long reach and plenty of power, should be dominating this tournament. But on occasion his decision-making has let him down.At Super Giants, it seems he’s been given the confidence to play the way he likes. He’s been given responsibility too, batting at No. 3. When you’ve spent a long time on the fringes, and suddenly someone comes along and gives you that kind of trust, you will never want to let them down.Hooda did what he could but in the end, it was just too much. He charged at Chahal once again in the 16th over, but this time the legspinner angled the ball into his pads, denying him the room to free those hands, and had him stumped off an inside edge. Everyone just went through the motions after that.

Pacer picks four wickets on debut while the opener scored his maiden ODI ton

Himanshu Agrawal29-Mar-2022

Will Young celebrates his maiden ODI hundred•AFP/Getty Images

New Zealand hadn’t played an ODI for over a year, had as many as 12 first-choice players plying their trade in the IPL, and were playing Netherlands in the format after 26 years. Still, debutant quick Blair Tickner, and top-order batters Will Young – who got to his maiden ODI century with an unbeaten 103 – and Henry Nicholls combined to ensure the hosts comfortably took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.After Tickner became the fourth New Zealand bowler to take four wickets on ODI debut to restrict the visitors to 202, Nicholls and Young kept New Zealand motoring along in a second-wicket stand of 162 before Nicholls fell for 57, as they completed the chase with more than 11 overs to spare.Young got to his hundred after dancing down the pitch to loft over mid-off in what turned out to be the winning runs for his side. He had reached fifty off 54 balls in the 19th over, by which time he had slammed five fours and two sixes. Three of those fours came off successive deliveries in the eighth over off Logan van Beek: first a pull behind square, then a perfectly-timed push between cover and mid-off, and finally another pull but this time in front of square.Related

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But the shot of the day came in the 18th over when Young skipped down the track to left-arm wristspinner Michael Rippon, and effortlessly lofted the ball for a big six over long-off. However, that remained the only boundary hit from the 11th to the 24th over, as Rippon and captain Pieter Seelaar kept things quiet.While Rippon sent back Nicholls to break the massive stand, he also got Ross Taylor with a beauty: he tossed the ball up from around the wicket, inviting Taylor to drive, but the ball landed right in between his bat and pad, and spun back in to hit the stumps.Earlier, it was the pair of Rippon and Seelaar that had rescued Netherlands with the bat after they were reduced to 45 for 5 by the New Zealand pacers at the end of the 13th over. Tickner had got two of those wickets, with one each having gone to Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry and Colin de Grandhomme.Jamieson was the first to strike when he had Max O’Dowd gloving down the leg side to wicketkeeper Tom Latham in the third over of the innings, while three overs later, Henry had Stephan Myburgh edging to Martin Guptill at gully, where the latter took a good low catch.And while New Zealand’s debutant shone with the ball, Netherlands’ own debut batter Vikramjit Singh impressed with the bat, albeit only for a short while. Before becoming Tickner’s maiden ODI wicket, left-hand batter Vikramjit had shown signs of a young Darren Bravo with his compact technique, hitting four pleasing boundaries on his way to 19.He used soft hands to collect the first of those, before gently driving Henry down the ground and punching him with a short-arm jab through the covers for four. But from 41 for 2, Netherlands slipped further to lose another three wickets for as many runs as Tickner had Vikramjit caught at third man while Scott Edwards gifted a return catch to de Grandhomme, and Bas de Leede, whose father Tim was part of the only previous ODI meeting between the sides in 1996, also found third man off Tickner.That is when the union between captain Seelaar and Rippon began. Happy to nudge and tuck the ball to keep the scoreboard ticking, they slowly but steadily took their side towards hundred, as legspinner Ish Sodhi and debutant allrounder Michael Bracewell kept things tight. Seelaar swept them once each for four, but when on 43, ended up tickling down leg off Tickner to end the 80-run partnership.Rippon, who been pretty quiet until then, soon found the boundary and reached his half-century in the 45th over before being the last man out for 67. He kept dragging Netherlands by regularly running singles, and was involved in crucial partnerships with the tailenders to push his team to a respectable total. A cameo from van Beek and contributions from Philippe Boissevain took them past 200, but that would prove easily gettable for New Zealand in the end.

Ron Kalifa emerges as favourite as ECB prepares to unveil Rob Key and name Ben Stokes as captain

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2022The power vacuum at the top of English cricket looks set to extend throughout the home summer, after the ECB was forced to restart the recruitment process for its new chairman, amid reports that Ron Kalifa – the man leading the nominations committee – is set to be put himself forward for the role instead.And in a further blow to the ECB’s hopes of a smooth transition, Barry O’Brien – who has been standing in as interim chair since the resignation of Ian Watmore in October – has chosen to stand down due to ill health, with Martin Darlow, the current deputy chair, stepping up as the stand-in’s stand-in.The chaotic scenario comes on the eve of Rob Key’s unveiling as the new director of men’s cricket, with Ben Stokes also set to be named as Joe Root’s successor as Test captain. Simon Katich and Gary Kirsten are among the names being touted for the head coach role – a job that the ECB has confirmed will be split between red-ball and white-ball following the publication of separate job adverts – but none of the team appointments yet know who they will be reporting to in the long-term, with the governing body in a state of paralysis.Related

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Kalifa, who has been on the board since November 2020, withdrew from the nominations committee at a board meeting on Tuesday, with his fellow non-executive director Brenda Trenowden taking over as chair.Kalifa is understood to have the support of several key executives within the ECB, and could pave the way for Andrew Strauss to be put forward as the new chief executive. However, with the process set to extend into the summer months, the likelihood is a stay of execution for the incumbent CEO, Tom Harrison, who had been expected to step down after seven years in charge, but may now be required to stay in office as the only experienced executive on the board.”The ECB Board met last night and has agreed to restart the process for recruiting its next permanent chair,” read a statement released on Wednesday.”Following an ongoing process involving a number of strong candidates undertaking interviews with both the Nominations Committee and a Cricket Panel it was felt that no single candidate was able to fully meet the criteria to become next chair.”In light of this, the board decided that the process should now be restarted. A new Nominations Committee will be appointed, chaired by senior independent director Brenda Trenowden, to run the new process.”In light of extending timelines in appointing a new ECB chair, Barry O’Brien, who has been standing-in as interim chair since October, will now step-down from the role due to ill health and hand over to deputy chair, Martin Darlow.”Stokes, meanwhile, is believed to have spoken to Key in recent days, with a view to taking over the Test captaincy following Root’s resignation earlier this month.He had been favourite to take charge, having served as vice-captain under Root, and is reportedly keen on the role despite the addition to his workload as a key allrounder and one of the Test team’s few default picks. Stokes is currently working his way back from a knee problem but could make a playing return for Durham in next week’s round of Championship matches.Key is set to be unveiled at Lord’s on Thursday, with the appointment of Stokes high up a to-do list that also includes recruiting for several vacancies in the wake of England’s Test series defeats in Australia and the Caribbean.

Tottenham Hotspur officials are concerned that a “real force” in their squad could be missing until next year, alongside winger Wilson Odobert, who recently underwent surgery on his right hamstring.

Odobert tipped for lengthy absence after Spurs surgery

Spurs officially announced that Odobert had a successful procedure on his hamstring last weekend, with the £25 million winger signed from Burnley now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines as he begins his recovery.

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Odobert has endured a pretty unlucky start to his Lilywhites career since making the move from Turf Moor, missing their last seven Premier League games with a combination of hamstring and thigh problems, and he’s managed just 272 minutes across all competitions as a result.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League games

Date

Man City vs Tottenham

November 23

Tottenham vs Fulham

December 1

Bournemouth vs Tottenham

December 5

Tottenham vs Chelsea

December 8

Southampton vs Tottenham

December 15

The Frenchman is now set to miss even more game time following his surgery, with ex-Spurs scout Bryan King predicting that he could be out until late February at the earliest.

“I can’t see him returning before the end of February,” said King to Tottenham News earlier this week.

“That is quite a serious operation that he has had. For someone to have it at this age, it is very hard on him, he was progressing quite well. Now he has had to undergo surgery which will leave him out for quite some time.”

Odobert’s absence, and manager Ange Postecoglou’s resulting selection headache, is compounded by mainstay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game domestic ban, which will result in the Uruguay international missing an array of crucial Premier League games and their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Man United.

Bentancur isn’t eligible for a single domestic match until Boxing Day, but he is at least permitted to play European matches during his English ban.

On top of this, Postecoglou is also set to be without striker Richarlison, who has been sidelined with his own hamstring problem. The Brazil international’s struggles with injury have resulted in him missing 10 games across all competitions already this term, which is a crying shame for Richarlison after his decision to reject a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer and fight for his place at Spurs (ESPN).

Tottenham worried Richarlison will be out injured until next year

According to GiveMeSport, it gets worse for the £60 million forward. Those within Tottenham are worried that Richarlison will be out injured until next year, and that could significantly affect his market value, as chairman Daniel Levy ponders whether to cut his losses on the ex-Everton star.

Spurs are apparently hoping he makes a swift recovery and returns to form, so Richarlison can tempt interested parties into bidding. The 27-year-old enjoyed a terrific purple patch under Postecoglou midway through 2023/2024, and that kind of run would work wonders to secure him a move away in 2025.

“I’ve never thought in those terms because if you do, you box yourself in,” said Postecoglou on Richarlison last season.

“What I want is for Richy to keep improving, and keep developing his football and becoming a real force for us, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Still searching to fill their managerial vacancy, Coventry City owner Doug King has confirmed the reports that he has a former Premier League manager who won countless trophies as a player on his shortlist of candidates.

Coventry's managerial candidates

The Sky Blues shocked the rest of the Championship when they sacked Mark Robins, who was one VAR decision away from taking his side to the FA Cup final and defeating Manchester United last season. After seven years in charge, the manager was dismissed with Coventry in an unexpected relegation scrap in the early stages of the campaign.

Coventry close in on "exceptional" manager who's a dream for Wright

Coventry City could appoint this Mark Robins successor very soon who would be a dream for Haji Wright.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 11, 2024

To their credit, even without a permanent manager and left with interim boss Rhys Carr to take charge, Coventry managed to get the post-Robins era underway in impressive fashion, having rescued an unlikely point against Championship leaders Sunderland last time out.

With the international break now underway, however, Carr may not be in charge for much longer as Coventry look to officially get a new era underway. The likes of Lincoln City’s Michael Skubala have already been linked with a move to take the vacant, but Coventry owner Doug King confirmed that one particular name is on his shortlist.

As confirmed by King, Frank Lampard is among the candidates to replace Robins with the owner now assessing his options. He told Sky Sports, as relayed by BBC Sport: “We’ve received a huge amount of CVs from high quality people, of which Frank is one. We’ve done nothing on that process.

“Clearly we’re in the international break. We’ll be assessing everything. We’ll work out who’s going to make the shortlist and we’ll go from there.”

Out of a job since leaving Chelsea at the 2022/23 campaign, Lampard may finally get the chance to restore some credit to his managerial career.

"Tremendous" Lampard isn't without risks

To go from the experience of Robins – a man who was the heart and soul of Coventry at times – to a manager who has always fallen just shy of truly impressing as a coach would be the ultimate risk for the Sky Blues.

Birmingham City should be the first example that they look at in this current moment in time. They decided to controversially part ways with John Eustace in favour of appointing Wayne Rooney, only to drop from the top half to relegation into League One as a result.

Currently sat 17th and just one point adrift of the bottom three, Coventry cannot afford to make a similar mistake so close to the busy festive period, which can make or break a season. In a vital two-week period, King must get his next appointment right even if that means denying Lampard a chance to step back into management.

Former Premier League manager and current Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho is among those to have praised Lampard in the past – dubbing his ex-midfielder a “tremendous professional” – but he may be forced to wait for his return to the technical area despite Coventry’s opening.