New Everton boss Frank Lampard has already brought through a number of youth team players despite his relatively short time spent as a head coach after stints at Derby County and Chelsea.
While Anthony Gordon has already made giant strides this season and is showing great potential, Lampard will likely also be looking to find his new Mason Mount, someone who can create from deep but also play across the attacking-midfield positions too.
Bristol City’s 18-year-old sensation Alex Scott could be that man, after showing some incredible development across this season and turning into one of the Championship’s finest prospects – the same league where Lampard gave Mount his first minutes in English league football.
What’s the news?
According to the Daily Mail, Everton are just one team on a lengthy list of clubs interested in acquiring the teenager’s services in the summer, including the likes of Tottenham, West Ham and Leicester.
While Spurs are now believed to be the ‘front-runners’ for Scott’s signature, the possibility of working with Lampard, who himself was a world-class complete midfielder that loved to attack, would surely be tempting.
Lampard must develop youth
Dubbed the “the next Grealish” by a prominent West Ham insider also reporting the story, the England U19 international is a technically sound and versatile player, who has scored three goals and set up another two in 28 appearances, as well as winning over 50% of his duels across the season and averaging around 74% for completed passes.
Thus, with his ability to score and create consistently, comparisons with Mount start to emerge, someone that Lampard played a pivotal role in developing.
Should Scott choose the Toffees in the summer, he could well become another one of the top young players in the Premier League under the stewardship of the former Chelsea legend.
Furthermore, with the prospect having a market valuation currently at £270k (albeit Bristol City are likely to demand far more than that), not only could Everton gain a future profit, but the signing could facilitate the sales of current deadwood like Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes, who are on far too high wages for the amount of playing time they receive.
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The likes of Marc Guehi, Tariq Lamptey and Fikayo Tomori were all developed by Lampard during his time at Stamford Bridge, and have since made permanent moves to top tier clubs for a combined £45m.
If Lampard could replicate this at Everton, who have had close runs with financial fair play troubles this season, he would not only surely re-establish himself as one of the top up-and-coming managers in world football, but also potentially begin to turn things around at the club.
In other news: Everton’s “embarrassing” £34m mistake could now finally be revitalised under Lampard
At least four England supporters suffered minor injuries on the final day of the first Test at Kandy, when the corrugated-iron roof of their stand blew off in high winds and landed on the seats below. According to eye-witnesses, one male supporter was taken to hospital with a gash to his chest, while three others suffered minor cuts and bruises.”To be honest, I’m feeling nervous sitting here,” said Steve Lindley, an England fan out here for all three Tests, who was hit in the small of the back by the falling sheets of iron. He and his fellow fans had been sitting in the special enclosure at the Hunnasgiriya End of the ground, which was quickly evacuated after the incident.”There was no real sign that they were going to come off,” Lindley told Cricinfo. “We were looking towards another stand where they were starting to blow off, but then there was a gust and three sheets all came off together. They came straight down onto the group of us sitting there.”One girl was taken for a medical check-up after receiving a gash to her shin, while another male supporter cut his leg on a concrete support in the rush to clear the seats. None of the injuries arebelieved to be serious, but Lindley intended to get a check-up during the lunch interval. “My back is quite sore now, and if at any point it gets worse … you never know with bruising.”The area was soon cleared, as local maintenance men set about removing the other loose sheets on the roof. “They went up there with bare feet, no safety equipment, and just dropped them down,” said Lindley. “One lad nearly dropped a sheet on his mate. There was no regard forsafety. “
ScorecardSulakshana Naik and Thirush Kamini struck half-centuries to steer India to a resounding ten-wicket victory against Sri Lanka at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur. The opening pair shared an unbeaten 151-run stand for the first wicket after the Indian bowlers restricted Sri Lanka to 145 for 8 from 50 overs.Naik struck 11 fours and a six during her 79 and Kamini’s 60 included five fours as the pair finished the run-chase in just 31.3 overs. The ground work for the victory, however, was laid by a splendid bowling effort after Mithali Raj asked Sri Lanka to bat.Jhulan Goswami and Amita Sharma bowled miserly opening spells and did not allow Sri Lanka to build any momentum. Preeti Dimri took three vital top-order wickets and prevented partnerships to build. She finished with figures of 3 for 14 off eight overs and received support from Kamini who chipped in with 2 for 38 to go with her excellent innings.Shashikala Siriwardene, the captain, top-scored with 40 but there was a shortage of support from the other end as Sri Lanka struggled to reach 145 off their 50 overs.
As England faced up to the prospect of their first series defeat in two years, Ian Bell vowed that the pride in the team’s dressing-room would be enough to prevent a capitulation on the final day of the third Test at Lahore. By the close on the penultimate evening, England had fought their way to 121 for 2 in the second innings, with Bell himself leading the resistance with his third half-century of the tour.”We can’t win the series, but we don’t want to lose, and I’m very confident we can save the game,” Bell told reporters at the close. “It’s a good pitch and I’ll take every ball as it comes, break it down, play very straight, and do what Pakistan did in their first innings. The secret is not to give your wicket away or sell it cheaply.”England still need the small matter of 227 runs to make Pakistan bat again, and so the ideal scenario would be for Bell himself to do what he does best, and occupy the crease from dawn till dusk.”I’m not going to get carried away [by such thoughts],” he emphasised. “The key for me tomorrow is to break it down as much as I can. I’m not looking to bat until a certain time at night, I’ll be taking it ball by ball. But it’s been a very good wicket all through the Test match. Our target is to bat all day, so if we stick to our gameplans and play straight, then there’s no reason why we can’t.””Play it straight” is something of a mantra for Bell, which made his first-innings aberration all the more unfortunate. He was one of four batsmen to fall to the sweep shot, but he was adamant that the shot would remain in his armoury.”I know my game,” he insisted. “I know I can’t do certain things that Kevin Pietersen or Andrew Flintoff can do, so I’ve got to play in my way, and knock it round. The shot I got out to, I was purely trying to get off the strike and not trying to hit it out of the ground. It was well within my gameplan to get a single. I’ve played reasonably well all series and made one mistake, so I’ve got to capitalise when set.””I think it depends on who’s bowling and what the field placings are,” he added. “A lot of the time when we play the shot, it is to move a fielder. That’s in our gameplan so we’re not going to change that.” But Bell did concede that the match situation would have some impact on their approach. “We’re just looking to bat all day tomorrow, and the pitch has dried out a bit and become a bit skiddier. There’s not as much turn for the offspinner, so there’s an opportunity to play straight down the ground.”For the second time in the series, Bell’s major alarm of the innings came courtesy of Shoaib Akhtar’s slower ball. But whereas the one at Multan dipped out of the press-box windows and bowled him between his legs (only to be called no-ball), this time was rather more dangerous, as it hurtled head-high towards his helmet and struck his forearm as he flinched defensively.Shoaib apologised instantly and the moment was soon forgotten after some brief treatment from the physio, but Bell admitted to a moment of alarm. “For a split second I thought it was a quicker one, and I didn’t see it at all. But credit to him, he’s bowled it really well, and manages to get a real dip on it so that when it goes above that sightscreen it’s tricky to pick up. As soon as it goes up, you lose it and start to worry.”For Bell, the final day provides an opportunity to put his personal seal on an important learning experience. He had not been expected to play in the first Test, but instead has chipped in with valuable scores in all three matches, and could yet finish as England’s leading run-scorer. “My goal was not only to get into the side, but to find consistency as well,” he explained. “If you want to be a top player that’s got to be in your game.”India awaits for England after Christmas, and Bell is hopeful that the lessons learned here will stand the squad in good stead. “A few of the guys are in the same boat,” he said. “This is our first senior trip to this part of the world, and it’s been a big experience for me. We’ve been playing some good quality spinners, and people who know how to bowl in these conditions. It’s not only about going to India but our overall cricket development. We will be better players after this.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board has clarified that it will not initiate any investigation into the rape allegation against one of its players, which came to light yesterday. In a press release, the board said that a preliminary inquiry had been conducted by the team management, and stated that since no formal complaint had been made about the incident, the board wouldn’t press charges. It also warned that legal action would be taken against any report which made “defamatory references” against a player.”Despite the passage of a month, no formal complaint has been lodged either with the police or with the female harassment centre against any member of the team,” the press release stated. “In the absence of a formal plaint there is no legal basis to press further charges.”Legal opinion has been obtained through the Pakistan High Commission in Canberra and the team management on the uncorroborated and sensationalist reports by a small section of the Australian press and it is confirmed that legal notice will be served for any defamatory reference to the team or to individual players regarding an incident that has no basis in law. Cricket Australia have also been informed of the developments.”The press release went on to dismiss the allegation by stating that it could be a plot to demoralise the Pakistan team. “It is generally known that the tabloid press across the world has sometimes reported sensationalist items about visiting sports stars to undermine their morale. On other occasions the complainants seek personal publicity and notoriety by reporting such events to the press.”In a separate release, the board also clarified that Shoaib Akhtar’s return to Pakistan had nothing to do with this incident. Certain sections of the media had linked the two, but the PCB emphatically denied it: “The PCB wishes to clarify that the decision to recall him was taken in order for him to achieve full fitness in readiness for the India tour. His recall has no connection whatsoever with the uncorroborated and sensationalist reports relating to an incident in Melbourne.”The allegation first came to light on January 21, when it was revealed that the woman involved had reported the incident to a suburban Centre Against Sexual Assault, but had not made a formal police complaint. The incident was alleged to have happened during the team’s stay in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test.
It was a day of mixed emotions at The Oval where Surrey announced Adam Hollioake’s decision to retire from first-class cricket at the end of the 2004 season, and that Graham Thorpe had signed a new two-year contract with the county.It had been common knowledge that some of the spark had gone out of the game for Hollioake lately, especially since the death of his brother, Ben, last year. He explained that he wanted to devote more time to other things, particularly charity work for the Ben Hollioake Fund and his own business interests in Perth. “I have had a marvellous 14 years at Surrey,” he said, “and in the last seven years as captain, I feel we have achieved many things of which I am immensely proud. I will continue to give everything I can to the club in the next 12 months, and in the years to come.”Under the 32-year-old Hollioake Surrey have enjoyed their most successful period since the halcyon days of the 1950s, winning eight trophies, including three championship titles. In 2003 they completed the one-day double by winning the Twenty20 Cup and National League.Melbourne-born Hollioake played four Tests and 35 ODIs for England , captaining the one-day side 14 times between 1997 and 1999. He made his Surrey debut in 1993, scoring 123 in the second innings, and was named Surrey Young Player of the Year that season.Hollioake will remain as captain for the 2004 season, which is also his benefit year.But the news that Thorpe had agreed new terms with Surrey helped to offset the feeling of disappointment. Coupled with his triumphant return to the England side last month, it brings an end to a troubled period in his career. “I am delighted to have signed a new two-year deal with the county with whom I have grown up with in cricketing terms since I was nine,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else or ever playing against Surrey.”Thorpe is Surrey through and through. He was born in Farnham and made his first appearance for the county’s youth side in 1978. His first-class debut followed in 1988.
Zimbabwe successfully recovered from their chastening 38 all out on Saturdayto defeat a West Indies side that looks ill at ease after a spate ofinjuries, disciplinary problems and a three-Test drumming by Sri Lanka.The four-wicket victory, played out in front of empty Sinhalese Sports Clubstadium, ended a 28-match run stretching back 10-months in which Zimbabwehad not beaten any team bar Bangladesh.Indeed, so lackluster does the West Indies team now look, that one wouldfear for them in a series against Bangladesh. Their batting was sloppy,fielding nervy and bowling unthreatening, which was hardly unexpected aftertheir best two bowlers, Dinanath Ramnarine (side injury) and Mervyn Dillon(disciplinary reasons), had been sent home.West Indies – unsurprisingly asked to bat first when Zimbabwean captainStuart Carlisle won the toss for the first time all tour – failed tocapitalise on an easy-paced pitch that had long since lost the moisture thathad assisted Chaminda Vaas yesterday, as they were bowled out for 173 byZimbabwe’s makeshift spin attack and plodding seamers.Zimbabwe too looked short of confidence and edged towards the winning targetwith the uncertain air of a side too used to failure. However, thanks to achancy 30 from Grant Flower, a responsible 47 from Carlisle and an unbeaten48 from Andy Flower, they eventually secured victory with 1.5 overs tospare.West Indies batting faltered right from the start as Chris Gayle recordedhis fourth duck in consecutive international matches; a slump that stretchesback to the second Test in Kandy. This time, though, it wasn’t his techniquethat was at fault, but his running, as Dion Ebrahim threw down the stumpsfrom backward point.Heath Streak then managed what the Sri Lankans have failed to do all tour:dismiss Brian Lara cheaply. The star left-hander walked across his stumpsand was trapped lbw for two (nine for two).Ramnaresh Sarwan and Daren Ganga rescued the innings with a forthright 57run partnership for the third wicket. Ganga went on to score 59, his fifthone-day fifty, but Sarwan, uncharacteristically, threw away his wicket withan ungainly swipe across the line to be clean bowled for 36 (66 for three).Carl Hooper was then run out for five after Ganga tried to nudge a quicksingle on the off-side, only to see his plan anticipated by the energeticHenry Olonga, who fielded in his follow through and knocked down the stumpswith an underarm flick (77 for four).Ganga partially made amends in a 60 run stand with Marlon Samuels beforeGrant Flower’s innocuous looking spinners swung the match firmly towardsZimbabwe, as Samuels (32) chipped a catch to mid-wicket and Ganga was caughtand bowled (152 for six).Thereafter, Zimbabwe’s fast bowers chipped away at the lower order. RidleyJacobs tried to rally but, running out of partners, was eventually last man outfor 20 as Streak took a smart, juugling catch on the mid-wicket boundary.Zimbabwe’s start didn’t engender great confidence, as Dion Ebrahim wastrapped lbw for his second consecutive golden duck to the first ball of theinnings.But Grant Flower, missed on 19 when wicket-keeper Jacobs should have divedin front of first slip and on 26 when Ganga dropped a dolly at mid-on, added59 with Carlisle to steady dressing room nerves.Those nerves started to fray again when Carlise was third man out for 47 (96for three) as Craig Wishart (12), Douglas Marillier (5) and Tatenda Taibu(0) were dismissed cheaply.However a calming innings from the prolific Andy Flower, coupled with somesolid lower order support from the experienced Heath Streak (19*), saw theZimbabwean’s home.
A brittle Indian top order collapsed to some good seam bowling fromKiwi opening bowlers T Robin and I Butler. Ravneet Ricky (15), ManishSharma (9), Mohammad Kaif (0) and Reetinder Sodhi (5) were out beforeIndia had 40 runs on the board. After that, a swashbuckling innings of68 off from Yuvraj Singh saved the day for India.The South paw played some solid shots in his innings that included 12boundaries. He took the New Zealand bowling apart, hammering the ballto all parts of the ground. His sense of timing was not impeccable,but he hit the ball with such raw power that anything off the middleof the bat raced to boundaries. When he was dismissed by Irwin, theIndians once again began to falter. A useful 25 from Patel saw Indiathrough to 199.Robin was the pick of the bowlers with 4/26 off his 10 overs.The Kiwis began their response well, though they lost Bredon McCullumfor just 6. Probably the two best batsmen in the New Zealand team,James Franklin and JP McNamee came together to give New Zealand aserious chance of victory. The two hit the ball crisply and scoredfreely gainst the Indian mediumpacers. After the spinners wereintroduced, the scoring rate dropped. Yuvraj Singh got into the attackagain and removed McNamee after he had made exactly 50 runs.At this point the Indian spinners tightened the screws on the Kiwisand closed the match out. The Kiwis lost wickets at regular intervalsand were finally dismissed for 171 off 49.3 overs.
With the winter transfer window slowly drawing nearer and as Liverpool continue to fail to make it into the top half of the Premier League table, the Merseyside club have been linked with a number of English strikers to bulster their ranks. It seems everyone has forgotten about the injured Fabio Borini as Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool fans and TV pundits alike continue to mention “Liverpool only have one striker” – the very in form Luis Suarez, who has been labelled by tabloid gossipers with a price-tag somewhere between £40million and £60million. It has even been rumoured that the Uruguayan will be on the move to Stamford Bridge to replace the shadow of a player that used to be Fernando Torres, although that seems unlikely following the appointment of Rafa Benitez.
Brendan Rodgers has already warned fans that there won’t be a huge kitty provided by the American owners to drastically change the team’s fortunes, but it is hard to believe Liverpool aren’t in the market for a goal-scorer. Once again, the club have been linked with English talent as their main transfer targets, most notably disgruntled Englishmen Theo Walcott, Daniel Sturridge and Darren Bent, as well as Championship stars Wilfried Zaha and Charlie Austin.
But I believe it’s time for a word of warning – Doesn’t Liverpool buying English “talent” (and there is a reason I have used quotations) seem awfully familiar? Wasn’t buying English the transfer policy that essentially landed the club in the poor position it’s in now, as well as the sacking of club legend Kenny Dalglish?
Looking at the clubs recent signings, it seems that buying English simply doesn’t work, and much more than that, English players, regardless of their ability, come with a huge price-tag. Jordan Henderson cost the club around £16million, but the midfielder has hardly made a name for himself since moving from Sunderland in summer 2011. Last season, Henderson was statistically outshone by Charlie Adam, a player who cost £10million less and was sold for scrap to Stoke City at the start of the season. Adam made more tackles, won more headers, took more shots, created more chances, recorded more accurate crosses, made more interceptions, dribbled successfully more times and lost possession less than Henderson.
Despite Rodgers being known as a coach who favours young talent, and is expected to use the youth available at Liverpool to build a team that will effectively return the club to its past glories, the 22-year-old has been used on the most-part in the Premier League as a substitute by the Liverpool boss, but has made a fair few starts in the Europa League.
Similarly, the story of Andy Carroll is well known. The forward’s deadline day transfer almost two years ago saw the Reds fork out £35million for a striker who has now been exiled to Upton Park. And who could forget about Stewart Downing. Still yet to score or create a goal in the Premier League in two seasons at the club, the £20million signing has now been shifted to emergency left-back as he continues to make absolutely no attacking contribution and his Anfield career maintains its sharp nosedive towards becoming a complete disaster.
Of course there are some positives of filling a team with Englishmen, in fact it is fast becoming a rarity in the Premier League and credit is due to Liverpool as they give English players the chance to play at a higher level, although the Reds table position wouldn’t suggest that at this moment in time. Furthermore, the club’s youth system has produced promising talent that could one day play for the Three Lions; Jon Flanagan, Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom and Martin Kelly are four players who have managed to hold a place in the first team based on merit over the past few seasons.
But it is no secret that foreign players are on the whole cheaper than their English counter-parts, and often come with skills and attributes that young home-grown talent are often lacking. It is not hard to find examples of overseas players who have performed much better than the likes of Henderson, Carroll, Downing and the wage-budget busting Joe Cole.
Look at some of the transfers this summer alone: Dimitar Berbatov, £5million, Santi Cazorla, £16million, Kevin Mirallas, £5million, Steven Pienaar, £4.5million, Lukas Podolski, £11million, Moussa Dembele, £15million, Emmanuel Adebayor, £5million and Jan Vertonghen, £10million. These are all players that a club of Liverpool’s stature should be able to attract, and appear to be much better deals than the English signings that have moved to Anfield over the past few seasons, and furthermore are much better deals than some of the English transfers this summer; Scott Sinclair, £9million, Jack Rodwell, £12million, Jay Rodriguez, £6million, Adam Johnson, £10million.
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Having an English core to a team is a value of integrity, especially in the modern game. But if Liverpool wish to escape the rut they are currently in – not losing games is all well and good but if the Reds are to climb up the table they must start taking all three points, especially from home games – they should avoid the pricey Englishmen in the January transfer window.
It would be fantastic to see an English contingent, or even a single English player driving a top Premier League team forward, but if Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers wish to achieve anything, they must learn from the clubs at the top of the table. Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea – although they have English stars in their team, for example, John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole, the Englishman is used predominantly as a squad player, such as James Milner, Gary Cahill or Joleon Lescott. There is a reason for this, it is the same reason the England squad has been underachieving- English players are on the whole not good enough to be the majority of a trophy-winning team, and cheaper more efficient players can be found in abundance abroad.
Therefore, my warning to Liverpool: Don’t buy English!
India’s win against West Indies in the second Test at Sabina Park not only gave them a 2-0 series sweep and the top spot on the World Test Championship table, but was also their 28th Test victory under Virat Kohli, making him the winningest Indian Test captain, going past MS Dhoni’s 27.Kohli, however, said that the captaincy achievement was just a by-product of the team, and the bowlers, that he had.”Captaincy is just a ‘c’ in front of your name honestly. It’s the collective effort that matters,” Kohli told Ian Bishop in the post-match presentation. “It’s a by-product of this quality team that we have here. If we didn’t have the bowlers that we have, I don’t think the results would have been possible.”Yes, you can score as many runs as you want, but if you look at these guys running in and putting their heart in – I mean [Mohammed] Shami’s spell today, [Jasprit] Bumrah after having a small niggle, Ishant [Sharma] bowling his heart out, [Ravindra] Jadeja bowling a long spell… I don’t think without these bowlers it would have been possible. So I think all the credit has to go to the whole team.”India’s win in the second Test came in the second session on the fourth day, and Kohli was lavish in his praise for Man of the Match Hanuma Vihari, who made 111 and 53 not out to be the standout batsman in the game. One of the features of Vihari’s batting was how well he left the ball and the patience he showed that ultimately resulted in the ball coming to his scoring areas.”You have to be patient on this wicket, select the balls which are in your area to score runs,” Vihari said of his approach. “Because there’s something for the fast bowlers, and it’s very important that you leave well outside off stump and wait for the areas… wait for them to come to you.”Virat Kohli has overtaken MS Dhoni to become India’s most successful Test captain•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Kohli agreed that the pitch dictated the batting game plan, and said Vihari brought calm to the dressing room.”According to the surface, I think it was a top-class innings,” Kohli said. “He’s a guy who’s very sure of his game and it shows when he plays. He looks confident and the dressing room feels really calm watching him bat. I think that’s a quality he possesses naturally because his game is so correct. He’s always willing to improve and is accepting of his mistakes and corrects them immediately, and he’s getting the results pretty quickly.”He plays with a lot of heart, always up to do anything for the team, and that’s why he invariably ends up playing crucial innings for us. It’s a very young career so far, but he’s shown why he’s been backed and selected in this team.”India have been ranked No. 1 in Test cricket since October 2016, with Kohli having led them all through except when he sat out through injury. He assumed Test captaincy full-time when Dhoni announced his retirement midway through India’s tour of Australia in 2015-16, having led in the first Test of the series with Dhoni injured, and then in the last match following Dhoni’s departure. Before the win in the Caribbean, he had led India to their first-ever series win in Australia in 2018-19.