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Chris Read called Alex Hales’ innings the best he had seen for Nottinghamshire after their Royal London Cup triumph

Alan Gardner02-Jul-2017After watching Alex Hales clobber Surrey’s bowlers all around Lord’s to record the highest List A score on the ground, Chris Read was in no doubt about where the innings ranked: “Number one, pure and simple.”Hales’ imperious, unbeaten 187 – having been dropped on 9 – allowed Nottinghamshire to get home with 13 balls to spare in their chase of 298 and claim the Royal London Cup. His innings spanned a 137-run sixth-wicket stand with Read, Nottinghamshire’s captain, who was able to lift a one-day trophy at Lord’s for the second time in four years, in his final season before retirement.”Apart from the one he belted straight at cover early on,” Read added, with a laugh. “That aside, it was chanceless, but also the tempo of the innings. The one thing that made it easy for me, is all I needed to do was build a partnership, run rate was never an issue, throughout the time we were out there. All it meant was I had to be there, that was my role, because he did what he did. To be there at the end was special.”With Hales batting aggressively from outset, Nottinghamshire just needed someone to stick with him. When Steven Mullaney fell at the start of the 26th over, Notts were 150 for 5 with Hales having scored 114 and Brendan Taylor the only other batsman to reach double-figures. Having been told early on by Michael Lumb that Hales was on for a big one, Read knew he “just had to stay there and knock it around”.”I was acutely aware that the partnership needed to be built, which we’d failed to do,” Read said. “One bloke was on a hundred and we’d only managed to get one other bloke into double-figures, so what it needed was a partnership. The way he was playing, Lumby came to me shortly after he got out – Alex and Lumby know each other very, very well, they’ve opened for a long time – and he said: ‘He’s on today’. Well, if he says that… and you saw it. When he’s on, he’s as good as there is.”The day had not started well for Notts, after Gareth Batty won the toss and chose to bat first in Surrey’s third consecutive Royal London Cup final. Jason Roy was dropped off the first ball of the morning and Surrey had reached 83 for 0 after 11 overs, before Read turned to Samit Patel – Man of the Match for his 3 for 21 in Notts’ YB40 win in 2013.”The first ten overs was pretty awful,” Read said. “The wicket for Samit, who’s done so well with the ball here, he seems to make things happen… To get a wicket with his first ball, soon after the Powerplay. I had a little chat with the guys and said ‘look, we probably need to start now, let’s just scrap those last ten overs’. We got back on track and I thought, particularly through Mullaney and Samit, pace off worked well for us for a while and we managed to keep the run-scoring in check.”After that ten overs I never felt out of control, the run rate never felt like it was getting away from us, which is important. Also having played in a semi and quarter-final where runs seemed to flow at will, we accept that good balls, bad balls can go for boundaries, we get over that, do our utmost in the field and back ourselves to chase whatever they got. We were disappointed at halftime about the way we fielded but ultimately we believed that 297 was very chaseable.”Read is due to play at Lord’s again next week, in an MCC fixture against Afghanistan. He laughingly referred to “ducking Cairns’ slower ball”, in his second Test back in 1999, as one of his less enjoyable times on the ground but described the Royal London final as a “fairytale” finish to his one-day career.”It’s brilliant, what a day. I came here in 2013, we had the Yorkshire Bank 40 final and that was my first Lord’s final. I was blown away by what a day it is. It’s an emotional day because of everything that’s going on. It’s a big moment in your career.”The fans make it to a degree, when you hear them chanting. We get well supported at Trent Bridge and in T20 we get good crowds but when they make the effort to come to London to have a day out and cheer all day, that’s what brings it home. Today was a very special moment. We were party to one of the finest one-day innings that I’ve ever witnessed and it was just a pleasure to be at the other end for a decent chunk of that.”I’ve some great times here, brilliant times. Some less so, obviously right at the start of my career, ducking Cairns’ slower ball, that wasn’t so good. Mostly past that has been great. Winning in 2013, the MCC bicentenary game, playing with the legends of my era, and then today. So yeah, it’s a fairytale.”Read, whose next assignment alongside Hales could be in a 2nd XI match at Grantham to prepare for the start of the NatWest T20 Blast, was also positive about the decision to move the 50-over competition into the first half of the season, with the final played in July rather than September.”The overhead conditions were for the most part great but the pitch was a beauty, which potentially we haven’t seen in 50-over finals of late because they come so late in the season on a potentially tired square. Also having that final in the middle of summer, it’s nice to get that out of the way, played that in a clump, now we can focus on T20, then the Championship reaches its finale towards the end, so I think there’s a good balance. Good pitches, nice weather, high-scoring games… I think 50-over cricket has definitely got a place in the future.”

Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to make their first offer for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, who is also being targeted by Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea, according to a recent report from Italy.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham?

Tottenham have now offered striker Harry Kane a massive new contract, with chairman Daniel Levy looking to bring the transfer saga involving the 29-year-old to an end, however he has made no immediate decision on his future.

Bayern Munich remain in the hunt for the England captain, having recently submitted an offer of £70m plus add-ons, but Levy is expected to stand firm unless a £100m package is tabled, meaning the German side are still some way off in their valuation.

While no Spurs fan will want to see Kane leave this summer, the club have started to identify some potential options to replace him, with Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins previously being named as one of the targets.

Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi was also linked with a move to north London, however he has now put pen to paper on a new four-year contract at Parkhead, which indicates he will not be reuniting with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Vlahovic is also a target for the Lilywhites, with a report from Sport Mediaset (via Sport Witness) detailing that they are now ready to make an initial bid of at least €65m (£56m) for the striker, a figure that would make Juventus consider selling him.

However, there will be fierce competition for the Serbian's signature, with Chelsea and Man United also "at the window", ready to make an offer of their own this summer.

Sport Witness also relay a report from Il Giornale, which suggests Juventus are set to hold out for a fee of €80m (£68m), so Spurs may be some way below the asking price at present.

It is clear that the Italian club would be willing to sanction the 23-year-old's departure for the right price, with 90min reporting manager Max Allegri has given his blessing to sell him this summer, after he handed in a transfer request in June.

How many goals has Dusan Vlahovic scored?

The former Fiorentina man has an impressive goal record at both club and international level, scoring 75 goals in 198 games across spells with Partizan Belgrade, Fiorentina and Juventus, while also picking up 12 in 21 for national side Serbia.

Sports journalist Siavoush Fallahi hailed the 6 foot 3 striker in September last season, however he also indicated he is not being used correctly at the Allianz Stadium, saying: "Vlahovic is a beast. Half chance, wrong foot, against two and scores. Offside but insane how little allegri-ball is serving a world class striker. He’s like an animal in a cage."

It is no wonder the Juventus marksman wants to leave, but there are doubts about whether he is a necessary signing for Tottenham, if Kane remains at the club this summer.

Vlahovic is unlikely to want to play second fiddle, and he will not come cheap, with Juventus holding out for £68m, so Tottenham should only target the forward if Kane departs.

Bangladesh will need an extraordinary turnaround in fortunes to compete and level the series on one of the more livelier surfaces in Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo14-Mar-2017Match factsMarch 15-19, 2017
Start time: 10am local (0430GMT)3:28

Fernando: P Sara Oval the most result-oriented venue in the world

Big pictureThe bigshots of the Bangladesh Cricket Board are arriving to much fanfare, soaring rhetoric about South Asian “brotherhood” abounds. Mementos are being polished, showmen are practicing their lines for the presentation: the celebrations for Bangladesh’s 100th Test are all set to go, but after the politically-minded have lavishly slapped each other on the back, there is some cricket to be played as well.It is the plight of Mahmudullah that will have most Bangladesh fans aflutter. He has been dropped from the Test squad but will continue to stay in the country. So will he play in the limited-overs series? Has the board overridden a coaching decision? Has a senior batsman been dealt with too harshly here? Whatever unfolds over the next 48 hours, Mahmudullah will not play, which means Bangladesh will make changes to the batting order that misfired in Galle – bringing in Sabbir Rahman or uncapped 21-year-old Mosaddek Hossain. Imrul Kayes is likely to replace Mominul Haque as well.Bangladesh will need a stronger top order, because they are about to play on perhaps the most reliable result pitch in Test cricket. It has been 11 Tests and almost 14 years since a Test at P Sara Oval was drawn. The seamers generally gain good bounce early in the match, and the spinners run riot late in the game. Generally, there are precious few sessions where batsmen can claim to have had favourable conditions.If Sri Lanka field the same attack, they may pose varied questions to the opposition. Lakshan Sandakan was wayward, but turned the ball viciously at times, while Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera were agents of guile and control. In Lahiru Kumara, Sri Lanka also have a quick who will relish bowling on a track that has a bit of zip.Their own top order, however, is not quite as formidable as a flattering Galle surface made it seem. If Bangladesh are to level the series, here is the weakness they must exploit.Form guideSri Lanka WLLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLLWIn the spotlightHaving batted largely at no. 4 through the Australia series last year, Kusal Mendis is seemingly back for a long stint at first drop. In Galle he produced an innings that showcased why he is so highly rated by coaches, working his way through tough early spells, before opening his shoulders and setting the match up for Sri Lanka. He did, however, benefit from an early reprieve in that innings, and it is that looseness outside off stump that presently appears to be his greatest obstacle. On a Colombo track expected to be better for seam bowling than the previous pitch had been, Mendis may profit from a more discerning outlook at the start of his innings.His teammates keep throwing their wickets away, and there have been three last-day collapses in the last four Tests, but consistently providing the innings with a spine this year is Mushfiqur Rahim. So far he has two hundreds and a fifty in six innings in 2017. Among the times he didn’t reach a half-century was his defiance of New Zealand on day five in Wellington, where he was battered with bouncers, while he batted with an injured hand. If there is to be more substance from the Bangladesh top order in this Test, they could do worse than follow the example their captain has set.Bangladesh should look to exploit Sri Lanka’s batting weakness on a lively P Sara deck•AFPTeam newsHerath was tightlipped about Sri Lanka’s combination before this match, but there may be little reason to change the winning XI. There is a chance Dimuth Karunaratne’s is under pressure from Dhananjaya de Silva. It is also possible Sandakan is left out in favour of an extra batsman.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karuanaratne, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dilruwan Perera, 8 Rangana Herath (capt.), 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lahiru Kumara, 11 Lakshan SandakanImrul and Sabbir are the likeliest batsmen to enter the XI, but there could also be a bowling change in the offing. Subashis Roy claimed only 1 for 137 in Galle, so it is possible Taijul Islam replaces him. Liton Das has been ruled out after suffering a fractured rib while batting in the nets on the eve of the game. That means Mushfiqur Rahim will take the gloves again.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mosaddek Hossain, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Taskin Ahmed, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Kamrul Islam Rabbi/Rubel HossainPitch and conditionsThis track may be a little more batting friendly than the usual P Sara surfaces, but expect regular breakthroughs nonetheless. Daily pre-monsoon thunderstorms in Colombo may also make an appearance – evening sessions are particularly vulnerable.Stats and trivia Each of the last 14 Tests in Sri Lanka have yielded a result Rangana Herath is three wickets shy of a first-class tally of 1000 Bangladesh’s three previous Tests at this venue have ended in innings defeats – their lowest Test total of 62 coming here in 2007 Mushfiqur has scored 441 runs at an average of 88.20 in 2017. He needs only 51 further runs to make this his most successful batting year.

أكد بوكايو ساكا مهاجم آرسنال الإنجليزي أن التأهل لربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، سيمنح الفريق دفعة قوية في المرحلة المقبلة من الموسم.

وتأهل آرسنال بركلات الترجيح لربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، على حساب بورتو البرتغالي.

وقال ساكا في تصريحاته إلى “TNT Sports”: “أنا سعيد جدًا، وفخور بالفريق، لقد أظهرنا الكثير من الشخصية”.

وأضاف بشأن ركلات الترجيح: “أجهز نفسي وأتدرب كثيرًا على ركلات الجزاء، لقد كنت أكثر من جاهز”.

وتابع ساكا: “في الوقت الحالي، نحن في صدارة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز ووصلنا إلى دور ربع النهائي بدوري أبطال أوروبا”.

وأشار إلى التأثير الإيجابي للتأهل لربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، قبل مواجهة مانشستر سيتي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، على ملعب “الاتحاد”.

اقرأ أيضًا | أوديجارد عن منافس آرسنال المحتمل في دوري الأبطال: لا يمكننا التفكير بهذه الطريقة

واستطرد: “هذا يمنحنا الكثير من الإيمان بأننا نستطيع الذهاب إلى ملعب الاتحاد وتحقيق نتيجة، هذه هي المباريات التي نلعب كرة القدم من أجلها”.

وأتم: “الليلة كانت جميلة، كنت أعلم أنها ستكون ليلة خاصة، مدربنا أرتيتا متحمس للغاية، وهو سعيد للغاية من أجلنا”.

ويتصدر آرسنال ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز ويتساوى معه ليفربول في عدد النقاط، ويتقدم كلاهما بفارق نقطة عن مانشستر سيتي.

Celtic have officially confirmed that they have completed a deal to bring Brendan Rodgers back to Parkhead for a second spell in Scotland.

Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has been in the market to find a replacement for Ange Postecoglou, and has now settled on the Australian's successor.

Rodgers will be thrust straight into the hustle and bustle of the summer transfer window and could secure the first masterclass of his second stint with the Glasgow giants by striking a deal with his former club Liverpool.

Who is Caoimhin Kelleher?

Celtic have been linked with an interest in Jurgen Klopp's back-up goalkeeper and Republic of Ireland international Caoimhin Kelleher this summer.

He is a talented young shot-stopper who could be an excellent addition to the squad and the 50-year-old manager must use any remaining contacts on Merseyside to land the 24-year-old, who has valued at £30m by the Premier League outfit, whether that is on loan or on a permanent basis.

The 6 foot 2 titan's international manager, Stephen Kenny, recently backed the talented ace, who he once dubbed "exceptional", to move on from Anfield in search of regular game time:

"I think it will happen this summer. It is not right normally to talk about a player moving, but at Liverpool, he is behind one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It is not going to get any easier and you can't improve when you aren't playing."

Celtic must take advantage of his potential availability as the promising stopper has the potential to be an upgrade on current number one Joe Hart.

The former England international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.77 across 37 Scottish Premiership outings in 22/23 and made four errors directly leading to shots from the opposition.

Kelleher, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.53 and did not make any direct errors across his three outings in the Premier League and League Cup combined for Liverpool, as he spent the majority of the campaign behind Alisson, one of the top goalkeepers in the world.

The Irish colossus also averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.72 and made zero blunders over six outings in those two competitions in the previous season, which shows that the Reds academy graduate has been exceptional whenever Klopp has called on him and is not as error-prone as Celtic's first-choice.

These statistics indicate that Kelleher would be a major upgrade on Hart if the 24-year-old can translate his form for Liverpool in recent years to consistent performances over the course of an entire season's worth of matches, due to his superior ratings and absence of mistakes.

Therefore, Rodgers could seal a masterclass by using his relationship with the Premier League side to iron out a move for the talented monster, who could improve the team tenfold next term.

Leeds United could potentially be set to offer midfielder Adam Forshaw a new deal at the club this summer, according to a fresh claim regarding his future.

What is Forshaw's contract situation?

The 31-year-old has been a popular player down the years, providing plenty of bite and heart in the middle of the park since joining from Middlesbrough in 2018. He has also overcome a serious, career-threatening hip issue – one that saw him miss around two years of action – and still remained a strong performer.

Forshaw was again dogged by fitness problems in 2022/23, only managing five starts in the Premier League, so he was unable to help them too much as they were relegated to the Championship. With his current Leeds deal expiring at the end of the month, the consensus has been that the £20,000-a-week Englishman would move on and enjoy a new challenge in the autumn of his career.

A significant update has now emerged, however, with the Whites looking set to extend the Englishman's stay at Elland Road moving forward.

Could new deal be coming Forshaw's way?

According to Football Insider, Leeds are now "considering" giving Forshaw a new contract at the club, with the club having the option of triggering a 12-month extension clause. The report goes on to add that the player's "impressive performances towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign mean club chiefs are coming around to the idea of handing him a renewal."

Had the Whites stayed up on the final day of the Premier League season, he would have definitely been sold, but given their newfound Championship status, he could now stay on.

Forshaw has gone through such a hard time in his career that it would actually be heartwarming to see him given an extension, having been such a stalwart for Leeds, not to mention being described as a "player of a very good level by former manager Marcelo Bielsa.

This wouldn't just be giving him a new contract for the sake of it – football is a ruthless business, after all – and the midfielder merits remaining at Elland Road for another year, with journalist Phil Hay claiming he was "the only player pulling any sort of strings" in last weekend's grim 4-1 defeat at home to Tottenham.

Forshaw has lots of Championship experience, appearing 123 times in the competition, so he could be a key figure next season, assuming he avoids injuries.

Cape Cobras coach Paul Adams will keep his job after the Western Cape Cricket Board (WCC) offered their support despite a complaint lodged against him by 14 contracted players at the end of last season. The board held a meeting on Monday after a deadlock last Thursday to discuss Adams’ future.Adams’ recently-issued two-year contract extension remains in place. The players were not involved in the meeting.Instead, WCC studied a report compiled by former South Africa conditioning coach Paddy Upton, who was appointed a mediator in the matter after an independent panel was convened to assess the players’ grievances. WCC did not divulge the contents of the report or confirm whether they acted on it, but revealed that Upton had not followed through on his mandate to speak to all contracted players.WCC chairman Angelo Carolissen insisted his office “deeply respects the concerns raised by the players,” which are believed to be centered on Adams’ management style.”We have no doubt that he possesses the vision and leadership abilities to propel the Cobras to the summit of all three domestic logs and return them to their trophy-hugging ways,” Carolissen said.The 2015-16 season was the first in eight years that Cobras did not win a trophy, and Adams’ only barren season since taking over in 2012. At 35, he was franchise cricket’s youngest coach and he enjoyed immediate success. The Cobras won two competitions in Adams’ first summer in charge and went on to collect three more trophies in the next two seasons.Lack of success last season brought rumblings of discontent, which Adams was made aware of as soon as the complaint was laid. He underwent a leadership course over the winter and has had his support staff bolstered with the addition of two former internationals in Ashwell Prince as assistant coach and Alan Dawson as convener of selectors. With the additional resources, Adams is confident he can return the franchise to winning ways.”I respect the players and have taken the learnings from this past winter to heart. I feel we will have a better understanding of each other going forward,” Adams said. “Part of my strategy to turn around the fortunes of the team was to secure the services of Ashwell Prince and Alan Dawson. It excites me to be working together with the two former players who will bring vast experience and I am sure will add value to the Cobras. I have also committed to up-skilling myself to ensure effective leadership and to produce and maintain the quality and brand of cricket that the Cobras are synonymous for.”There has been no statement from the players, although there was an indication that if Adams was retained, several senior squad members may leave the franchise. With the new season two weeks away, that appears unlikely to occur just yet.The Cobras’ 2016-17 season begins on October 5 with a first-class match against Lions in Johannesburg.

Liverpool target Mason Mount will decide on his future at Chelsea in the 'next few weeks' as speculation continues to swirl over his future, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest transfer news involving Mason Mount?

As per Football Insider, Chelsea will elect to sell Mount this summer if he doesn't agree a new contract at Stamford Bridge despite prospective manager Mauricio Pochettino's efforts.

Pochettino will not have control of the 'financial package' offered to Mount as the Blues try to tie down the £80k-a-week ace to an extension to his deal that is set to run out in 2024. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are all said to be keen on offering the England international an escape route from Chelsea in the off-season.

The Sun report that relations between Chelsea and the player have deteriorated, with a source telling the outlet: “It feels like it is too late now for Mason. Pochettino is good but he can’t work miracles. If he had been brought in when Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel in September then maybe it would be a different story. But in ten months there hasn’t been any resolution and other clubs want him. Good luck to Poch and Mason but we’re not hopeful.”

Liverpool are known to be in the market for reinforcements in the middle of the park in the forthcoming window and have also confirmed that quartet Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave on free transfers upon the expiration of their deals at Anfield.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that Mount will decide on his future at Chelsea sooner rather than later.

Jacobs told FFC: "Mason Mount is still there as well and I think that there's a very high likelihood that in the next few weeks, that situation becomes clearer. Chelsea haven't moved again, after the parties were far apart in their valuation, and always said they wouldn't do so until the end of the season, which is why the next few weeks are key. They haven't given up on keeping Mount, but there's not been a huge amount of optimism since the point when Mason Mount rejected more than one offer. In that window Liverpool, and even some other Premier League clubs have had the opportunity to pitch to Mount and the Liverpool pitch is just a little bit clearer in terms of pathways."

Would Mason Mount be a good addition to the Liverpool midfield?

Mount, who has previously been hailed as a "superstar" by Rob Guest, is an established Premier League midfielder and has become an important player for Chelsea over the years, racking up 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 appearances for his boyhood club, as per Transfermarkt.

This season, FBRef note that the Englishman has still been productive in being able to lay on opportunities for his teammates, managing to successfully complete 83 shot-creating actions.

WhoScored also details that Mount has had an average of 1.4 shots per patch in the Premier League this term, demonstrating his eye for goal from the middle of the park.

Liverpool have a midfield in need of surgery this summer and Mount could be a quality signing at Anfield if they can force a deal over the line for his services.

كشف منتخب تونس عن تشكيلته لمواجهة جنوب إفريقيا، مساء اليوم الأربعاء، في المباراة التي تجمعهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2023.

منتخب تونس يواجه جنوب إفريقيا، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثالثة من عمر مباريات دور المجموعات لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا المقامة بكوت ديفوار.

وقرر جلال القادري مدرب نسور قرطاج تواجد علي معلول ظهير أيسر النادي الأهلي على مقاعد البدلاء.

طالع | تونس تتقدم بشكوى لـ كاف بسبب مباراة مالي في كأس أمم إفريقيا

منتخب تونس ومعه جنوب إفريقيا يتواجدان في المجموعة الخامسة بـ كأس أمم إفريقيا بجانب منتخبات مالي وناميبيا.

وكان منتخب تونس قد استهل مشواره بالخسارة أمام ناميبيا بهدف دون رد، وتعادل في الجولة الثانية أمام مالي بنتيجة 1-1.

على الجانب الآخر، جنوب إفريقيا نالت الهزيمة أمام مالي بهدفين دون رد، وفازت أمام ناميبيا في الجولة الثانية بأربعة أهداف دون رد.

وتشهد المواجهة مقابلة خاصة بين ثنائي الأهلي علي معلول مع تونس وبيرسي تاو مع منتخب جنوب إفريقيا. تشكيل تونس أمام جنوب إفريقيا

حراسة المرمى: البشير بن سعيد.

خط الدفاع: وجدي كشريدة – علي العابدي – ياسين مرياح – منتصر الطالبي.

خط الوسط: حمزة رفيع – إلياس السخيري – عيسى العيدوني – أنيس بن سليمان – إلياس العاشوري.

خط الهجوم: سيف الدين الجزيري

Todd Boehly has shown that he has no problem with shelling out huge fees on new players as he looks to turn Chelsea into one of the top sides in Europe, but the American must avoid another transfer disaster with Joao Felix.

How has Felix performed at Chelsea so far?

Chelsea signed the Portugal international on loan from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, with the Blues paying a £10m loan fee as well as the forward's wages in order to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Boehly was desperate to add attacking quality at Chelsea given the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling had struggled for form in the first half of the season, with the two experienced attackers managing just five goals and two assists between them in the Premier League so far this campaign.

Felix arrived with a big reputation despite never really living up to his potential in Madrid, notching just 34 goals and 18 assists in 131 appearances following a £113m switch from Benfica in 2019.

Sadly, he has shown little to prove that he would be a worthwhile signing at Chelsea this summer, with the 23-year-old unable to turn the Blues' goalscoring woes around, with just two goals and zero assists in his 11 Premier League outings thus far.

WhoScored has awarded the versatile attacker a disappointing 6.68/10 rating for his performances in the top flight, and that sees him ranked as the 11th-best performer in Frank Lampard's squad, which again suggests that he would not be worth signing on a permanent basis this summer given his price tag.

It is perhaps understandable that Felix has struggled so much when you consider that the Blues have managed just 30 goals in 31 Premier League fixtures this season, but the former Benfica man has been one of the most culpable strikers, as he has averaged 3.3 shots per game – the most of anyone in Chelsea's squad.

Should Chelsea sign Felix permanently?

He has an expected goals ratio of 3.6 goals in the Premier League, which suggests that he is also guilty of missing big chances, and the Blues cannot afford to be so wasteful in front of goal again next season if they want to re-establish themselves as a top-four club.

Frank Leboeuf was less than impressed with the Portuguese forward's performance in the 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu when speaking on ESPN.

He said (via BeSoccer): "Some [Chelsea] players did well, but most of them switched off, I'd say. What happened to Joao Felix today? It was not a derby between Atletico and Real Madrid. It was Chelsea. Yet he disappeared."

Considering the 23-year-old could set Boehly back around a reported £125m this summer, we think the American must focus his attentions elsewhere and ensure that he spends his money wisely, or else risk another disastrous season.