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Mikel Arteta urged Arsenal fans to eradicate "hatred" after Michael Oliver received threats following a controversial red card to Myles Lewis-Skelly.

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• Oliver showed a harsh red to Lewis-Skelly vs Wolves
• Referee received threats from Arsenal fans
• Arteta wants to "get it out" from the "game" culture

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The backlash against Oliver began after he sent off Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly for a challenge on Matt Doherty during the Gunners' clash with Wolves last Saturday. Despite VAR official Darren England upholding the decision, Arsenal swiftly lodged an appeal to revoke the player's three-match ban. The Football Association reviewed the case and overturned the red card on Tuesday, concluding that it was a wrongful dismissal.

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  WHAT ARTETA SAID

  The situation further escalated which forced the police to launch an investigation into the threats directed at Oliver, leading to law enforcement placing his home under guard.

  Reacting to the developments, Arteta called for greater efforts to eliminate such behaviour and told reporters: "Every time I talk about this topic [my view] is the same, regardless of whether it is a player or a coach or a referee. We have to really work harder to try to eradicate that part of the game that brings nothing but bad stuff, bad taste and it makes people’s lives more difficult.”

  When asked if his message was directed at Arsenal supporters specifically, Arteta clarified that his appeal was meant for all involved with the sport.

  “For everyone in football. It should not be ­permitted. We don’t want it, we don’t need it, it can only damage our sport, so let’s get it out," he said.

  “We’re always putting a lot of emphasis on evolving, on where football is going in the next five, 10 years, on the rules, and all that sort of thing. But one of the most important things we can do to evolve is create an environment that’s much better at a social level, one that’s healthier, that’s nicer, in which we reward things that are not only winning, that when people make mistakes they have the chance to make amends.

  "We shouldn’t be here with this hatred, these things we see, because they affect everyone and in the end, they take away the joy of this sport, the reason for it – which is to enjoy ourselves, have good moments. We are all talking about it, but no one seems to be moving strongly enough and bringing people with them to get that out of the game, because it’s just unacceptable.”

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  Despite the dramatic days following his red card, Lewis-Skelly remained unfazed as the young midfielder was found sleeping when the news came through about the decision being overturned.

  “He was sleeping on the plane when I looked back and I got the news,” Arteta said. “I haven’t spoken to him. I was ­working and he was at the back, so I didn’t [wake him up]. We are ­obviously very happy that the decision has been made and that Myles is going to be able to play for us again in the next few games.

  “I am not an expert in the field. The club has put all the evidence and everything that they could put together to defend our position, and it was pretty fast. [It’s] so good to know today, that’s helpful, so thank you. It does affect us because we had a lot of uncertainty, not only for Sunday but for tomorrow and the next few games as well. So now we have more options, he’s going to be available, which is something very positive for the team.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LEWIS-SKELLY & ARSENAL?

  The successful appeal is a significant boost for Arsenal, who face a packed fixture list in the coming weeks. After honouring their Champions League assignment against Girona on Wednesday, the Gunners will take on Premier League champions Manchester City this Sunday in a crucial league encounter. Subsequently, they will shift their attention to the Carabao Cup where they will look to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Newcastle to secure a place in the final.

Leeds United have now suffered a fresh injury blow alongside Ethan Ampadu before the clash with Norwich City, as reported by journalist Beren Cross.

Leeds hit by Ampadu blow before Norwich

The Whites face an important Championship assignment on Tuesday evening, making the trip to a Norwich side who are expected to be among the promotion hopefuls this season, along with Daniel Farke’s side. The Canaries are 10th in the table currently, but their form has improved of late, following three wins in their last four league games, so this could be a big challenge for Leeds.

The Whites’ task hasn’t been made any easier by the news that Ethan Ampadu is facing around 10 weeks on the sidelines after suffering a knee problem in last Saturday’s 3-0 win at home to Coventry City. On the plus side, the midfielder doesn’t require surgery, but he may not return to the pitch until the New Year.

Injuries can have the potential to derail any team’s season and that is threatening to be the case at Leeds all of a sudden, with another negative update emerging on Monday.

Leeds hit with another knee injury

According to Cross on X, Leeds will be without Max Wober against Norwich because of injury, with a six-week absence on the cards and surgery required, having not featured at all in the Championship yet this season. He will be the fifth player on the injury list alongside Amapdu, Dan James, Manor Solomon and Isaac Schmidt.

This arguably isn’t as big a blow as the Ampadu news because Wober hasn’t been such a fixture in the team this season – his absence also isn’t as lengthy – but it still acts as an undoubted setback, added to the fellow absentees mentioned by Cross, particularly James and Solomon.

The 26-year-old Austrian can still be a key figure, however, with former Leeds midfielder Carlton Palmer claiming as much during the summer, backing him to play a big role in his side’s promotion push after they retained his services.

“This decision makes perfect sense – I believe that Daniel Farke wasn’t too happy when Wober left the club on loan following relegation. He’s still only 26, he’s got three years left on his contract and he should be a Leeds United player for the foreseeable future. Ethan Ampadu is expected to return to a midfield role for the season ahead, so Wober could play a key part as Leeds look to get back to the Premier League, especially as Liam Cooper has departed after his contract ended.”

Hopefully, Wober can make a speedy return to the Leeds setup, at which point the busy autumn schedule will be in full swing, playing a part in helping Farke’s men rise further up the Championship table and eventually sealing automatic promotion.

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After a season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, he is looking to fully find his feet again, but there is no reason why he can’t become more of an influential player once he’s back in the fold.

The American set up Juve's opening goal, but the Bianconeri were unable to hold onto their advantage in a 1-1 draw

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Weston McKennie provided tidy assist for Pierre KaluluAtalanta equalized in the 78th minuteJuventus draw for the 13th time this seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Weston McKennie made an impact for Juventus once again, but his side continued their frustrating Serie A campaign, settling for a 1-1 draw against Atalanta. Neither side looked like scoring in the first half, although the USMNT star offered a spark as a No. 10 – used in a more natural position than his recent outings at full back.

Things came alive in the second, though. McKennie set up the opener, feeding Kalulu with an inch-perfect pass, which the forward dutifully tucked past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Juve tried to dig in and defend the lead. And for 77 minutes, they equipped themselves well. Then, in the 78th, Mateo Retegui reacted first to an awkward cross and headed past Michele Di Gregorio to level things.

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The game continued a solid run of form for McKennie, who has been a consistent performer for Juve at a variety of positions this year. Fellow USMNT player Tim Weah, who has struggled to establish himself under new manager Thiago Motta, was an unused substitute.

DID YOU KNOW?

Juventus are the only team yet to lose in Serie A this season, but have 13 draws to their name. Udinese set a new league record last year with 19 draws.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?

The Bianconeri's attention now turns to Saturday, where they will face Milan in a marquee clash. They are fifth in Serie A, two points behind fourth-placed Lazio.

Matt Taylor’s unbeaten 51 rescues Gloucestershire but can’t prevent visitors from taking points

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2021Danny Lamb claimed career-best figures of 5 for 30 to inspire Lancashire to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Gloucestershire in a one-sided Royal London One Day Cup contest at Bristol.Lancashire won the toss, inserted the hosts on a drying pitch beneath leaden skies and, with Preston-born seamer Lamb to the fore, dismissed Gloucestershire for 171 in 48 overs. Only lower-order resistance from Matt Taylor, who top-scored with 51 not out, and George Scott, who contributed 43 runs to a swashbuckling eighth-wicket alliance of 69 in 16 overs, prevented an even heavier defeat.Keaton Jennings registered a patient 47 to afford the reply solid foundations, while Josh Bohannon, Luke Wells and Rob Jones all weighed in with useful cameos before Steven Croft and George Balderson helped Lancashire attain their target with 6.2 overs to spare. Gloucestershire’s most-effective bowler, Josh Shaw took 4 for 36 in a losing cause.Gloucestershire were on the back foot from the very outset, openers George Hankins and Ben Charlesworth falling inside five overs to new-ball bowlers Liam Hurt and Tom Bailey respectively.Any prospects of Graeme van Buuren and Tom Lace redressing the balance were dashed when their stand, worth 41, was terminated by the advent of Lamb, who claimed three wickets in 11 balls as the home side lurched from 56 for 2 to 63 for 5 in the space of three calamitous overs. Lamb induced Lace to mishit a drive to mid-off for 15, van Buuren became the latest batsman to play himself in and then surrender his wicket cheaply when slicing to point for 17, and Jack Taylor was pinned inside his crease as Lamb took a wrecking ball to the top and middle order.Introduced from the Pavilion end at the mid-point of the innings, England Under-19 slow left armer Jack Morley made an instant impression, bowling debutant Ben Wells with his first ball, then hurling himself low to his right to take a startling return catch and send back Tom Smith on his way to incisive figures of 2 for 22 from 10 overs.Deep in trouble at 89 for 7 in the 29th over, Gloucestershire were indebted to Scott and Matt Taylor, these two carrying the fight to the red rose county and at least restoring a semblance of respectability. Between them, they amassed 10 boundaries, more than the rest of their team-mates combined, and the visitors breathed an audible sigh of relief when Scott edged a catch behind off the returning Lamb and departed for an 84-ball 43.Matt Taylor went to his fifty in the grand manner, hoisting Bailey high over deep square leg to register his third six, and finished unbeaten on 51, made from 64 balls, while Lamb bowled Shaw to claim his first List-A five wicket haul and wrap up an innings which never quite recovered from the loss of early wickets.Forced to set attacking fields in pursuit of early wickets, Gloucestershire made a breakthrough in the eighth over, Scott taking off at point to hold a marvelous catch and send back Bohannon for 24 off the bowling of Shaw with the score on 36. Smith took an equally thrilling catch at deep point as Wells succumbed to Shaw for 31, but Jennings proved unmovable in his role of anchor, the former England opener chiseling 47 from 84 balls and raising 51 for the third wicket with Jones to usher Lancashire to within sight of victory.The returning Shaw denied Jennings a half century and then accounted for Jones as the visitors experienced a slight wobble, but Croft and Balderson calmed any nerves in an unbroken stand of 41 for the fifth wicket.

Arish Ali’s four-for on debut in vain for Quetta Gladiators, who finish season with only four points

Varun Shetty19-Jun-2021Karachi Kings completed the win they needed to make it to the qualifiers, edging Lahore Qalandars on net run-rate after they swept Quetta Gladiators aside by 14 runs on the last day of the group stage. After putting up 176, the Kings needed to defend 32 off the last over with Jack Wildermuth on strike; a delicious bit of symmetry after Danish Aziz had smoked 32 off the bowler during their batting innings – in a 33-run over – to completely change the course of the game. That blitz, a 13-ball 45, propelled the Kings to a total that was too much for the Gladiators, who finished the season with only two wins in ten games.Naseem goes off, Danish goes boom
After taking the ball to start the 19th over, the Gladiators’ Naseem Shah began hobbling immediately. He could barely get a few steps into his run-up, possibly because of cramp on a hot day, and the ball eventually went to Wildermuth, who had struggled early on and struggled once again.Danish, who got an inside edge for four first ball, took complete control – hitting the next four balls for six. The last of them came off a slower-ball-turned-beamer as Danish managed to hoick it over the long leg boundary. It was 29 off four balls at the point, and suddenly there was a very real possibility of six sixes in a row, not to mention an over going for 41 runs. Wildermuth might have been pleased those deliveries ended up going for only four. But the match had swung – 136 for 5 in 18 overs became 176 for 6 in 20.A chase that never took offThe Kings began their defence with captain Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir, who went for a combined seven runs. That seemed to set the tone right at the start, as the Gladiators never looked like challenging the bowling till the very end. Sarfraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 51 off 33 was a good knock, but neither he nor anyone else in the middle order looked capable of breaking the shackles through the middle overs. The Kings’ spinners didn’t extract as much turn or gain as much control as the Gladiators’ spinners had done. Instead, the win was rooted mostly in the performances of their frontline pacers – Amir, with his economy and a second consecutive slog-overs performance of high quality; Mohammad Ilyas, who picked wickets almost every time he came on; and Arshad Iqbal, whose skiddy, back-of-a-length plan that looked unplayable in the early stages of the innings.The wickets always seemed to be around the corner, despite a rather safe approach to the chase. The one instance of a batter being fearless came late, with Hassan Khan swinging his bat around for a 15-ball 24; but even after that injection of momentum, the score was 123 for 5 in 16.5 overs when he fell. That was indicative of the Gladiators pretty much always being behind the rate in chase.All spin and a dream debut for Arish AliA lot of the Kings’ early runs and momentum came with sixes from Sharjeel Khan, even though both he and Babae Azam struggled for fluency during their 71-run stand. The pitch wasn’t one for free-flowing shots, and Sarfraz brought offspinner Abdul Nasir on in the sixth over. Until the 17th over it was only spin, with left-arm spinners Hassan and Arish Ali filling bowling out their overs. Only 83 came in those 12 overs.The Gladiators came into this game with nothing to play for, which allowed them to play a second emerging player in the XI alongside Khurram Shahzad. Arish hadn’t played at senior level before, but went away with an impressive haul and a statement before the next season.Arish came on in the 11th over, after Abdul Nasir had strangled the Kings and dismissed Azam the previous over. Martin Guptill gave him a wicket off his very first ball, lofting a full one straight to long-off. Sharjeel was already in at this point, and was looking to push on against the left-arm spinner. But he only managed a chopped four past short third before playing on attempting the same shot again, the result of a simple plan from Arish – spin it in from outside off against the left-handers on a pitch that was offering grip and turn.With the Kings trying to rebuild, Arish was in his element. In the end, Najibullah Zadran chopped him on trying the late cut as well. With the way he was going, Sarfraz even asked him to come on in the 17th for his last over – and that resulted in the wicket of Imad, caught at long-on. That made it three left-handers dismissed on his first day in senior cricket.

Regis Le Bris will be raring to go ahead of this weekend's next set of Championship fixtures, hopeful that his Sunderland side can make it four wins in a row without tasting defeat when travelling down to Portsmouth.

Before that, however, the Black Cats have the frantic occasion of transfer deadline day to deal with, as many new targets now begin to be linked with the early second-tier pace-setters.

It has been well publicised this hectic transfer window the twists and turns that have come from Alexandre Mendy's uncertain future at SM Caen and Sunderland's reported admiration, but any last gasp deal for the Ligue 2 sharpshooter looks to be very much dead in the water now.

Instead, the promotion hopefuls have set their sights on other targets in the centre-forward spot, including this bright attacker from the Premier League.

Sunderland's search for a striker

As per a report by Sunderland Nation, Le Bris' men are now working on a potential loan swoop involving Chelsea youngster David Datro Fofana, in a bid to bolster their striker spots before the close of the window later on today.

It is reported that Chelsea are keen to offload Fofana to try and trim down their over-populated squad, with Sunderland keen on adding the Ivorian to their ranks as a result, after the 21-year-old showed signs of his potential out on loan with Burnley last campaign.

Displaying flashes of his brilliance for the Clarets, even as they stared relegation in the face, Fofana could be able to take to the demands of the Championship well.

He might well even be seen as an upgrade on Mendy, with the Caen man nine years older than his counterpart, on top of only ever playing in his native France and never in the hustle and bustle of the English game.

What Fofana could offer Sunderland

The 21-year-old would only make 15 appearances last season for Vincent Kompany's men in the Premier League, but he will largely be held in high esteem by those with connections to Turf Moor based on what he gave to the Clarets even in those fleeting moments.

Fofana would bag four strikes in total in league action, alongside picking up a further assist, as the ex-Burnley number 23 then returned back to Stamford Bridge somewhat proud of his efforts in Lancashire.

Club played for

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

Burnley

15

4

1

Chelsea

4

0

0

Union Berlin

17

2

1

Molde FK

65

24

10

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Chelsea didn't just splash the cash to acquire Fofana last year for a fee around £10m on a whim, however, with the 21-year-old a revelation at his former employers in Molde FK, with a mightily impressive 34 goal contributions managed from just 65 games in Norway.

Yet, the bumper move to West London just hasn't gone to plan for Fofana so far, with Le Bris perhaps the best manager to get more out of the £30k-per-week youngster now – as per Capology – having already managed to get two goals out of Eliezer Mayenda this fresh Championship campaign, after he fired blanks under previous Black Cats bosses.

Labelled as being an "outstanding" talent by now ex-Clarets manager Kompany after scoring this screamer versus West Ham United last campaign, this also feels like a purchase that suits the Sunderland ethos of developing young and hungry gems more so than forking out wads of cash to sign Mendy.

The 31-year-old does boast an unbelievable goal return of 101 goals from 291 professional appearances, but Sunderland are now going full steam ahead to find a striker away from their previous interest in the Caen man, as a move for Fofana potentially goes down to the wire.

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India’s batsmen “weren’t aware enough of what we had to do on that kind of pitch,” Virat Kohli has said after the hosts managed a below-par 124 for 7 in their eight-wicket drubbing against England in the opening T20I in Ahmedabad. India’s batsmen came a cropper against England’s fast bowlers who regularly breached the 140kmh mark – and Mark Wood even crossed 150kmh a few times – as India’s top three scored only five runs together, and Shreyas Iyer was the only one to cross 25 with his 67 off 48.Kohli said they would have to come up with “clarity of plans” for the next game, which will be held at the same ground on Sunday.”We just weren’t aware enough of what we had to do on that kind of pitch, I think lack of execution of the shots that we tried to play out there in the middle is something we have to address as batsmen that it wasn’t an ideal day on the park,” he told Star Sports at the post-match presentation. “You have to accept your faults, come back in the next game with a bit more intent, clarity of plans, what are the areas you want to hit.”It was a strange kind of a start for us. The wicket didn’t allow you to hit the kind of shots you wanted to. Shreyas’ innings was an example of how you could use the depth of the crease, ride the bounce because there was variable bounce at times, and hit the areas square of the wicket which others failed to do. It was just a below-par batting performance from us today and England made us pay for it.”Related

• Quicks hit straps as England canter to victory

• India to shed caution for aggression, says Kohli

• Kohli rules out Ashwin's white-ball return

Like he had said on the eve of the match, Kohli said the batsmen tried a new approach in this game by batting more freely as India use this five-match series to prepare for the T20 World Cup later in the year, but also said they “probably didn’t spend enough time in the middle to assess the conditions”. Shikhar Dhawan was bowled while hitting across the line against Wood’s express pace for 4 off 12, KL Rahul chopped on, while facing Jofra Archer, for 1, and Kohli slapped Adil Rashid straight to mid-off for a second duck in a row in international cricket.”We looked to try a few things, but having said that as a batting side you have to accept the conditions,” Kohli said. “If the pitch allows you to play those kind of shots, you can be aggressive from ball one. But we got ahead of ourselves a little bit, probably didn’t spend enough time out there in the middle to assess the conditions. Shreyas did that but there were too many wickets down at that stage to get past 150-160 and had we got, say, eight wickets in hand at the end of 10 overs then we could have got a few more runs and made a game out of it.”Kohli said falling without scoring was a part of the “ups and downs” in international cricket and even switching formats from Tests to T20Is could not be used as a reason for the loss on Friday.”It’s not tough (changing formats), we’ve done that in the past,” he said. “I don’t think that that should be a factor within the group. We take a lot of pride playing good white-ball cricket, we have done that in the past, we have won the T20 series we played, and the one before that, and the one before that as well. These five games are the only ones we have before the T20 World Cup, so we need to try a few things as well, but having said that we can’t take anything lightly especially against a team like England which is so strong.”

Jose Mourinho is said to be willing to leave Fenerbahce to take over as West Ham coach amid pressure on current manager Julen Lopetegui.

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• Lopetegui under pressure at West Ham
• Mourinho open about frustration in Turkey
• Portuguese interested in England return

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mourinho is already being linked with a return to the Premier League despite only taking charge of Fenerbahce during the summer. The Portuguese coach has complained about the standard of refereeing in the Super Lig, going on a massive rant about the officials with his side falling five points behind leaders and rivals Galatasaray. Everton and Newcastle have been linked to Mourinho, but a return to London has also been suggested for the ex-Chelsea and Tottenham manager.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  West Ham appointed Lopetegui in the summer but he is under fire already having won just four matches in the Premier League so far this season. Should the London side dismiss the former Real Madrid and Spain coach, ex-West Ham scout Mick Brown says Mourinho would be happy to replace him.

• WHAT MICK BROWN SAID

  "From what I’ve heard, he’d be very interested. He’s still got a house in London, so that would make things a bit easier for him," he told .

  "If the opportunity arises for him to go back to a London club, I’m told he’d jump at it. We all know he wants to return to England anyway, so I don’t think it would be an issue persuading him to make the move back from Turkey. Obviously it depends on what they decide to do with Lopetegui and who they then decide to bring in. But I think it’s one he would be keeping an eye on because there’s a lot of uncertainty, and it could present an opening for him to make that return. But I think the board would be frightened to death of Jose Mourinho, because he wouldn’t put up with what everybody else has had to put up with."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MOURINHO?

  Before he considers taking on a new job, Mourinho will have his attention on the Turkish side's Europa League match against Slavia Prague on Thursday. Lopetegui, meanwhile, is preparing for a big game against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

Devon Conway climbs 46 spots to No. 17 in the batting rankings after his 99 not out against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2021New Zealand’s Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner have moved up to No. 6 and No. 7 in the T20I bowling rankings after their performances in the first two T20Is against Australia.Southee produced impressive figures of 3-0-10-2 in the first T20I to help New Zealand restrict Australia to 131 in a chase of 185, and Santner claimed 4 for 31 in the second match – a game in which Australia almost scripted a heist, going from 113 for 6 in 13 overs to 215 for 8, ending five runs short of their target.There were no other changes in the top ten in the latest rankings, but a number of others made gains outside the elite group of performers. Devon Conway was the biggest gainer, climbing 46 spots to No. 17 in the batting rankings after his unbeaten 99 in the first T20I. Martin Guptill, who made 97 off 50 in the second game, moved up three spots to No. 11.Australia’s big-hitting allrounder Marcus Stoinis also made a big leap on the table after smacking 78 off 37 in the second game to almost snatch it from New Zealand’s grasp, but remained outside the top 100 – he moved up 77 places to 110.The rankings were released before Australia’s big win in the third T20I on Wednesday, which kept the five-match series alive. The final two matches will be played in Wellington over the weekend.

Ipswich Town will want to walk into their new environment of the Premier League next season and not feel overwhelmed by the gigantic step-up in quality, having thrived as underdogs last season.

Still, the top division has the potential to swallow newly promoted teams whole – seen in Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United only surviving one season at before falling back down to the Championship – and so Ipswich won't want to give in to this worrying trend.

The Tractor Boys will want to prove they belong at the level instead, with defensive reinforcements being reportedly eyed up to help shore up the back four, ahead of facing off against the likes of a daunting Erling Haaland among other world-class attackers in the top-flight.

Ipswich looking at Championship star

According to a report in the Telegraph, Ipswich now have a "first-choice" target in the centre-back position, in the form of Hull City star Jacob Greaves.

The towering 6 foot 4 defender shone last campaign for Hull, with the Suffolk side clearly keen admirers from afar, as Kieran McKenna and Co look to go all in for the Tigers man to strengthen a sometimes lax defence that leaked 57 goals in the second-tier.

This pursuit of Greaves, who has also been on the radar of Everton, could make a potential Ipswich move for Celtic centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers redundant, with the Tractor Boys also previously eyeing up in-demand former Leeds United loanee Joe Rodon to bolster their back four.

Greaves could well be their desired man instead, therefore, with the Hull number four more than ready for the challenge of the Premier League, having shone at the MKM Stadium for a number of seasons now.

Why Greaves could be better than Carter-Vickers

Both rock-solid centre-backs in their own right for their respective clubs last campaign, there could be an argument that Greaves would excel more for Ipswich next season than Carter-Vickers, having consistently delivered for Hull in the hustle and bustle of the Championship for three seasons on the bounce.

The 23-year-old has only been missing from action five times over the last three second-tier campaigns, with his Celtic counterpart far more susceptible to picking up an injury niggle, as Greaves notched up six goals and six assists playing out from the back from these 133 clashes, with Second Tier Podcast host Ryan Dilks labelling him as "top-class" subsequently.

Games played

43

25

Goals

2

1

Assists

4

1

Touches*

91.8

92.8

Accurate passes*

67.6 (89%)

77.0 (91%)

Big chances created

4

1

Clean sheets

11

8

Duels won*

7.3

5.8

Interceptions*

1.0

0.6

Tackles*

1.8

0.8

Balls recovered*

4.4

5.7

Clearances*

4.3

3.4

As well as being a more dependable first-team presence for his current employers, Greaves also betters Carter-Vickers in a number of different areas when comparing the two centre-backs in the table above. Most impressively, the Tigers colossus won a staggering 7.3 duels on average last season per match.

The Celtic number 20 has also struggled in the English second-tier in the past, in a division that Greaves has excelled in, with a loan spell at AFC Bournemouth during the 2020/21 season resulting in the USA international only picking up five clean sheets from 21 games.

Therefore, even if Ipswich do drop straight back down to the Championship, they'll know they have one of the division's most forceful defenders at their disposal in Greaves, who will be champing at the bit for a chance to shine in the league above.

That opportunity could soon come his way at Portman Road, as Ipswich begin to look to make tweaks to their promotion-winning squad, to try and survive in the Premier League against all the odds.

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