Fresh off toppling England again, Afghanistan face Australia with a semi-final place at stake

Andrew McGlashan27-Feb-20251:44

Shahidi: We have planned for the entire Australia team

The last time Afghanistan faced Australia in an ODI, Glenn Maxwell produced arguably the greatest innings the format has ever seen with his unforgettable double century to secure a remarkable chase in Mumbai.It ripped away a game that appeared a certain Afghanistan victory when Australia were 91 for 7 chasing 292, but they have insisted there is no extra focus purely on Maxwell ahead of a winner-takes-all clash in Lahore with a semi-final spot on the line.Related

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A significant reason for that is Afghanistan know they beat Australia: last year at the T20 World Cup they prevailed by 21 runs despite Maxwell’s 59 off 41 balls. His dismissal to Gulbadin Naib was the defining moment of the game”You think we will come only to play with Maxwell?” Hashmatullah Shahidi said when asked about the 2023 World Cup meeting. “We have planning for all Australian team. I know that he played really well in 2023 World Cup, but that’s part of the history.”After that, we beat them in [the] T20 World Cup. We think about all [the] opposition team, we are not coming to the ground to plan on [an] individual player. We will try our best to come with the planning and we are not playing only Maxwell – we are playing Australia.”Afghanistan were the winners of this fixture at last year’s T20 World Cup in West Indies•ICC/Getty ImagesA second consecutive ICC tournament semi-final beckons if Afghanistan prevail on Friday, but they insist their minds won’t wander that far. “We will try to play positive game – just like we defeated England today, we hope to beat Australia as well,” Shahidi said. “We won’t put that pressure on ourselves by thinking too much about the semi-final qualification.”Afghanistan will enter the match less than 48 hours after the eight-run victory over England highlighted by Ibrahim Zadran’s magnificent 177. He also has good memories of facing Australia having scored 129 in that Mumbai match then 51 off 48 balls in the T20 World Cup victory in St Vincent.”It’s never easy for a player to return from injury and make such a strong comeback in a high-stakes match,” Shahidi said. “I am extremely happy for him because he is a very talented and hardworking player. When players like him perform well, as a leader, it makes me very happy and hopeful for the future. Ibrahim played a brilliant innings, and I pray that he continues to perform like this always.”The two matches so far in Lahore have seen all four innings pass 300 with Australia chasing down 352 against England in their opening match. Pace bowler Azmatullah Omarzai was Afghanistan’s match-winner yesterday with 5 for 58, but there was enough assistance for the spinners to provide encouragement. Noor Ahmad conceded just 51 from his 10 overs.”There was support,” Shahidi said. “I think the spinners bowled also really well. In this kind of condition our spinners are very good, and if they have a little bit help, I know they will do it for the team.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Ceará volta a campo pela Série B na noite deste sábado, às 19h30, para enfrentar o CRB, às 19h30, na Arena Castelão. A partida é válida pela 12ª rodada da competição. O Vozão é o sétimo colocado, com 19 pontos, e já mira o G4. Já o time visitante é apenas o 14º, com 11 pontos.

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CEARÁ X CRB

Data/Horário: sábado, 10 de junho de 2023, às 19h30
Local: Arena Castelão, Fortaleza (CE)
Árbitro: Luiz Flávio de Oliveira (SP)
Auxiliares: Daniel Paulo Ziolli (SP) e Diego Morelli de Oliveira (SP)
Onde assistir: SporTV e Premiere

Manchester United are weighing up making a £65 million move for Everton centre-half Jarrad Branthwaite in a bid to shore up their leaky defence. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the English defender before, but were unwilling to meet the Toffees' asking price previously. United, desperate for defensive reinforcements, may look to make a move for the defender as soon as January.

• Interest in Branthwaite keeps growing

  Branthwaite had appeared to put to bed all rumours of him leaving Everton when he signed a new contract at the club in June, but this has not stopped players agitating for moves in the past. United added Wolves' Matheus Cunha this summer, despite the Brazilian signing a new deal at the club and having a rather exuberant extension announcement in January. The Red Devils may be looking to replicate that with the English defender.

  Branthwaite has developed into one of the brightest defensive prospects in the Premier League and his partnership with James Tarkowski in front of Jordan Pickford between the sticks has become quite the impenetrable wall at the back. Branthwaite, a left-footed defender, has emerged at the top of a number of clubs' shopping lists owing to his blend of physicality and ability on the ball, fitting of a modern style centre-half.

  According to the , Branthwaite is United's first choice option to replace 33-year-old Harry Maguire, whose contract expires next summer, but will face competition from bitter rivals Liverpool. The Reds have earmarked Branthwaite as a potential long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk and could replace Ibrahima Konate who is being tipped to complete a Bosman move to Real Madrid next year. Yet, it is unclear whether Branthwaite would be keen to switch the blue of Merseyside for the red.

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  United's defensive frailties laid bare yet again

  The plight of Ruben Amorim's United continues to deepen and there is little sign of things getting better at Old Trafford any time soon. The Portuguese coach has maintained his faith in his 3-4-3 formation throughout his tenure, despite it earning him just nine wins from 33 games, and is yet to find what his strongest starting line-up is. The inconsistent team selection and performance of his defenders have created huge gaps at the back, exposed ruthlessly by Brentford on Saturday. Igor Thiago capitalised on lacklustre defending by the Red Devils to score a brace and Mathias Jensen added a third to take United's goals conceded tally to 11 from just six Premier League games. The Red Devils have had a number of defenders slot into the three available defensive slots, each with mixed success, and their pursuit of a reliable presence at the back seems never ending. Everton's Branthwaite could prove to be the ideal option at the back to fill the holes so often found in the heart of United's defence, but persuading him to join may be tricky.

• The grass is not always greener

  Branthwaite won't have to look too hard to find someone who found life in Manchester difficult. The defender has recently been joined at Everton by Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester CIty, who has been enjoying a resurgence at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The English winger made a £100m switch to City following a number of spectacular seasons for Aston Villa, but, after goals dried up and he was pushed out of the team, struggled to impose himself in Pep Guardiola's squad. He has admitted that his off-pitch antics did not help, but since his move to Everton, Grealish is a player transformed. Branthwaite may take one look across the dressing room at Grealish and realise a move to a bigger club may not be the right move for him at the moment.

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  Everton hoping to avoid the Nuno manager bounce

  Everton would have spent the last week preparing for Graham Potter's West Ham arriving in the north-west, but may now have to adjust their preparations following the dismissal of the former Chelsea and Brighton boss. The Hammers have brought in former Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo immediately, desperate for the Portuguese coach to kick start their poor start to the season.

  Monday’s clash also sees David Moyes come up against his former side. The Scottish manager oversaw West Ham’s success in the Europa Conference League and will be once again determined to show his former employers that they were wrong to dismiss him so easily. The Toffees could climb into European qualification spots with a victory over the Hammers.

Harry Kane scored his 100th goal for Bayern Munich in record quick time as Vincent Kompany's team eased to a 4-0 win over Werder Bremen. The England international brought up his century for the Bundesliga leaders with a brace to make him the fastest player in Europe's top five leagues to reach that milestone. And goals from Luiz Diaz and Konrad Laimer either side of his efforts sealed a thumping victory.

BAYERN EXTEND WINNING RUN

After winning seven matches in a row in all competitions, Bayern, naturally, began this fixture in confident fashion, and had it not been for an inspired display from Arsenal loanee Karl Hein, Bremen would have been cut adrift in the opening 45 minutes.

Kane uncharacteristically dragged a shot wide early on, but was then brilliantly denied by the Estonian stopper when the England captain was through on goal. He could do nothing, however, when the irrepressible Michael Olise fired in a teasing cross and Jonathan Tah's backward flick ricocheted off an unsuspecting Luis Diaz in the 22nd minute to make it 1-0.

Hein once again denied former Tottenham star Kane when he seemed certain to score, but he was unable to keep out the 32-year-old's penalty after Marco Freidl clumsily brought him down in the box on the stroke of half-time. The visitors fired a warning shot of their own when full-back Yukinari Sugawara stung the hands of Manuel Neuer from a tight angle but in the 66th minute, it was 3-0 when Kane swept the ball home after Diaz's shot from the edge of the area was blocked.

The away team thought they pulled a goal back through Wisdom Mike but the forward was adjudged to have been offside, and then to make matters worse, Konrad Laimer danced past a challenge and scored from a tight angle three minutes from time.

This was a night to remember for Bayern as they went five points clear at the top of the table and Kane made history with his 100th goal for the club in record time.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE MVP

While former Crystal Palace star Olise looked the most dangerous and exciting player on the pitch, it was Kane's goals that ultimately got the job done. On another day, the Bayern striker could have had five of them, had it not been for the excellent Hein, but a 10th of the league season may keep him content for now. With this double, the forward took his tally for the campaign as a whole to 15 in just eight appearances in all competitions. 

Incidentally, before the game, manager Kompany explained how Kane has taken his game to the next level.

"Harry Kane has always been a goalscorer, but I think he has opened up his game even more! The way he drops back, gets between the lines. In the end, that allows him to escape the attention of defenders," he said.

THE BIG LOSER

While Bremen were always likely to lose this game, especially after going behind through Diaz, captain Friedl may have put the game out of reach for his side with his sloppy foul on Kane. The England ace wasn't in a particularly threatening position, even for a player of his quality, but the 27-year-old stuck out a lazy leg, and Kane duly went over it to win the penalty. A comeback never looked likely and Bayern scored two more to romp to victory. But it could have, potentially, been a different story if Friedl had shown a bit more defensive care.

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Getty Images SportWHAT COMES NEXT?

Bayern – who are five points ahead of second place Borussia Dortmund, although BVB do have a game in hand – take a break from the Bundesliga on Tuesday when they travel to Cypriot side Pafos in their next Champions League game. After beating Chelsea 3-1 in their league phase opener, Kompany's players will hope to build on that impressive victory when they head to Cyprus. After that, they return to the German top flight for a tricky game against Eintracht Frankfurt on October 4, in what is their last game before the latest international break.

Defending champions yet to name their captain with season starting on March 22

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-20251:24

Venkatesh: There’s no ambiguity if captaincy comes my way

India and Madhya Pradesh allrounder Venkatesh Iyer is “definitely ready” to captain Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in case the job is offered to him. The defending champions, who will play the first match of IPL 2025 on March 22 at Eden Gardens against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are yet to appoint their new captain after releasing Shreyas Iyer, who has assumed the leadership position at Punjab Kings (PBKS).KKR have not yet made public who their new captain will be, but Iyer, who was bought back for a record sum of INR 23.75 crore (US$ 2.83 million approx.), is learned to be among the top contenders along with former India captain Ajinkya Rahane.Although Iyer, who is 30, has never led in competitive cricket, he is eager for the experience. “Definitely. Definitely, I’m ready,” he said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo recently. “Again, I’ve always said this: captaincy is just a tag. I believe in leadership. That is a bigger role to play, being a leader.Related

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“You don’t necessarily need the tag of a captain to be a leader in your dressing room. You need to set examples. You need to be a good role model, both on and off the field, which I am doing right now in MP. I’m not the captain of the MP team, but my opinions are respected and I really love to be in an atmosphere where every individual – again, new or experienced, 20 lakhs, 20 crore, whatever – you just need to have the freedom to voice your opinion. Or you just need to have the freedom to give opinions and give suggestions and them to be taken in the right spirit.”I’ve always wanted to be that person. And if captaincy comes my way, I would definitely want to do it. There’s no ambiguity surrounded to this. I’ll definitely do it, if it comes my way. There is no reason not to do it.”Iyer made his IPL debut in 2021 and was instrumental in turning around KKR’s fortunes that season. They began with four losses in six games, but recovered in dramatic fashion, putting up seven wins in nine games to make the final. Iyer’s installation at the top of the order played a part in the upswing but his role has since diversified. He shifted to No. 3 (and lower) last year and has also chipped in with the ball when needed. In total, Iyer has contributed 1326 runs in 51 matches for KKR with a strike rate of 137. It is the only franchise he has ever played for.One potential reason KKR haven’t announced the captain for IPL 2025 could be the busy Indian domestic schedule. At the time of the mega auction, which was held late November, Iyer was among several KKR players featuring in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where Madhya Pradesh lost in the final to Mumbai. The second leg of the Ranji Trophy followed, with the final on February 26.Iyer said he was happy KKR did not want to bother the players while the domestic season was on. “It’s good that they’re giving players their space and letting them focus on domestic cricket. Whenever it comes, we’ll see about it.”

Yuzvendra Chahal will return to Northamptonshire this summer on a contract running from June until the end of the 2025 season.The Indian leg spinner will be available for the county’s County Championship and One-Day Cup campaigns. The deal is reminiscent to the one that brought the 34-year old to Wantage Road last summer.Chahal ended up taking 5 for 14 on his List A debut for the club, against Kent, who he joined in 2023, before helping Northamptonshire to a fourth-place finish in Division Two with 19 Championship wickets in four matches, at an average of 21.10. He also managed two five-wicket hauls, with 5 for 45 against Derbyshire making up career-best first-class match figures of 9 for 99.Though Chahal has not featured for India since 2023 – he was an unused member of the successful 2024 T20 World Cup squad – he remains a sought-after wrist spinner. In November, he became the most expensive spin bowler at IPL auctions when he was signed for INR 18 crore (£1.6 million) by Punjab Kings ahead of the 2025 season, which finishes on May 25.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time here last season so I’m very happy to be coming back.” Chahal said.”There are some great people in that dressing room, and I can’t wait to be part of that again.”We played some great cricket towards the back end of the season so hopefully we’re able to replicate that and big up some victories.”Northamptonshire’s recently-appointed head coach Darren Lehmann lauded the the re-signing of Chahal: “I’m really excited that one of best leg spinners in the world is returning to Northamptonshire this season.””He brings invaluable experience and he’s an absolute gentleman who loves the game. Having him available from mid-June until the end of the season will be fantastic for us.”

Whilst it has been a frustrating summer for all involved at Aston Villa, those in the Midlands have now reportedly been handed a golden opportunity to sign an impressive Leon Bailey upgrade.

Morgan Rogers wins Young Player of the Year

Although many at Villa Park will be frustrated by their inability to welcome a number of new additions as well as Jacob Ramsey’s sale coming as a consequence of their PSR shortcomings, Morgan Rogers represents a reminder of just how talented Unai Emery’s squad still is. The former Middlesbrough midfielder officially picked up the PFA Young Player of the Year award in deserved fashion earlier this week.

After winning the award, Rogers told reporters: “Later down the line, I want to be one of those incredible players people speak about, so to do that I have to do what they did and what they followed after. It’s a nice recognition, but there’s more to win and I can’t wait.”

It’s hard to argue that it wasn’t deserved. The 23-year-old enjoyed an excellent season and, like the rest of his Aston Villa teammates, only missed out on a place in the Champions League on the final day after a controversial refereeing decision against Manchester United.

Appearances

37

Goals

8

Assists

11

Having returned to full fitness just in time to face Newcastle United in an opening day draw last time out, Rogers will now be hoping to leave his mark for the first time this season against Brentford.

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Emery is a huge admirer…

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Meanwhile, away from the pitch, Aston Villa could yet take hold of a golden opportunity to secure their signing of the summer. The sale of Ramsey has given them some breathing room on the PSR front and that could yet see one star man arrive.

Aston Villa handed chance to sign Lookman

According to The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Aston Villa have been handed a golden opportunity to sign Ademola Lookman after receiving contact from his representatives. The Atalanta winger has been desperate to leave the club all summer long and after seeing a move to Inter Milan break down, has now set his sights on a Premier League return.

Aston Villa, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have all reportedly held conversations with Lookman in recent days to potentially ignite a late race to secure an excellent coup.

With 20 goals and seven assists to his name last season, Lookman would be a major upgrade on the departing Bailey at Villa Park and could even be enough to take Emery’s side back into the Champions League places. Simply put, Villa should be going all out for his signature this month.

Arsenal and sporting director Andrea Berta are somehow not done in the summer transfer market, despite spending over £250 million already this window.

The Gunners’ ambition to end their two-decade-long wait for a Premier League title is crystal clear from their excellent deals for Kepa, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze, with Mikel Arteta backed to the hilt.

Their transfer spending since Arteta took charge has now surpassed the £900 million mark after their sensational hijack of Tottenham’s deal for Eze, so failure to win the league gives Arteta no place to hide.

Arsenal have made a perfect start to the new campaign – scoring six goals in two games whilst conceding none – with current English champions Liverpool awaiting them at Anfield on Sunday in what will be their arguable toughest test of 2025/2026.

With deadline day just four days away, following a phenomenal debut summer for Berta as their main transfer chief, all that’s left to do now is to ensure Arsenal finish it as strongly as possible.

Arteta cannot afford to be weakened by outgoings, and they have a plan to replace Jakub Kiwior, who’s on the verge of joining FC Porto on loan with an obligation to buy in 2026.

With Kiwior preparing to depart for Portugal, Arsenal have entered talks for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie.

Bayer Leverkusen working to replace Piero Hincapie after Arsenal pact

According to reliable media sources, the Ecaudor international has already agreed personal terms on a move to Arsenal and wants to join Arteta’s side, with Fabrizio Romano now confirming that they’re in club-to-club negotiations too.

Romano, speaking on Kraken earlier this week, has also said that Arsenal want to sign Hincapie on an initial loan deal with the obligation to buy, and before Leverkusen potentially agree to these terms, Erik ten Hag’s side are looking to source a replacement.

They’ve already made an approach for Newcastle United star Sven Botman as a candidate, but a deal for the Dutchman is seen as very difficult considering Eddie Howe and co are not keen on selling the player this late on.

The obligation to buy, according to BILD, could even be as low as £39 million, and there are many reasons why this could be deemed a bargain.

Hincapie was a mainstay of Leverkusen’s backline last year, and the versatile 23-year-old, who can play in multiple defensive areas, has long been linked with a move to the Premier League.

They might not have looked great on Sunday, and we’re still unsure of the extent of Kai Havertz’s injury, but the Arsenal fanbase is still jubilant.

After believing the club had missed out on the incredibly talented Eberechi Eze to Tottenham Hotspur, the update that Arsenal had hijacked the deal on Wednesday has utterly transformed the mood around the club.

While it’s not 100% official just yet, the move has received the ‘here we go treatment’ and the Englishman is supposedly having his medical today.

It’s a potentially game-changing signing for the Gunners, and in even more good news, the club are now being linked with someone who could help Eze reach another level entirely at the Emirates.

Arsenal target dream teammate for Eze

Even before the Eze news broke, it would be fair to say that Arsenal were having a good window.

Transfer Focus

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

On top of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi, who look ready to transform the starting lineup, Andrea Berta and Co have also massively improved the depth of Mikel Arteta’s squad with players like Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera.

Yet, even with the Crystal Palace star to come, the North Londoners could be making another major signing this summer, one that could help the Englishman reach another level entirely.

At least that is according to a recent report from Graeme Bailey, who has claimed that Arsenal are still in the mix for Rodrygo.

Bailey has revealed that the Brazilian’s potential move to the Emirates this summer “still has some legs” and that should he continue not to get minutes this weekend, then his future is “really going to come into focus.”

A price is not mentioned in the report, and while some stories this summer have talked about a potential loan move, others have claimed that a fee of around £78m would be enough to tempt Real Madrid into selling.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but Rodrygo would be more than worth the effort for Arsenal, especially as he could help Eze reach another level this season.

Why Rodrygo would be the perfect teammate for Eze

The first reason Rodrygo would be a dream teammate for Eze at Arsenal is down to his output.

Across the 23/24 and 24/25 campaigns, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, was able to rack up a sensational tally of 31 goals and 20 assists in just 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

That means the former Santos gem was averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes in that period, which is made all the more impressive by the fact he was playing everywhere but his preferred position of left-wing.

Rodrygo’s recent record
Season	23/24	24/25
Appearances	51	54
Minutes	3707′	3452′
Goals	17	14
Assists	9	11
Goal Involvements per Match	0.50	0.46
Minutes per Goal Involvement	142.57′	138.08′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

So, just imagine the numbers he’d be able to put up playing there in this Arsenal team, with Bukayo Saka on the other wing, Viktor Gyokeres down the middle and Eze behind him.

The Brazilian would be a huge goal threat and, in turn, help send the former Palace star’s assist tally to the moon.

On top of simply supercharging his numbers, the often “unstoppable” game-changer, as dubbed by Madrid columnist Kiyan Sobhani, would also be a key teammate in Europe.

For example, in his 64 Champions League appearances, totalling 3883 minutes, the Osasco-born ace has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, which comes out as a staggering average of a goal involvement every 1.64 games, or every 99.56 minutes.

Moreover, eight of his goals have been game-winning strikes, and another eight have come in the knockout rounds.

In other words, the Greenwich-born maestro would be able to rely on the Los Blancos star to step up in the most intense and pressureised moments, which should help him to play at his very best and achieve his goals of European glory.

Ultimately, from outrageous numbers to how well he copes in the biggest games, it’s clear that adding Rodrygo to this team would help Arteat and Co get even more out of Eze.

Therefore, even if it costs an arm and a leg, Arsenal should do all they can to add the Brazilian to the squad before the window slams shut next month.

As much potential as Eze: Arsenal chasing late move for £35m "game-changer"

The tremendously exciting youngster could be just what Arsenal need after signing Eze.

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Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 22, 2025

Nottingham Forest have a new manager at the helm in Ange Postecoglou, and he may already be about to sanction his first major piece of business since arriving at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou speaks after appointment

Nuno Espirito Santo has now left the East Midlands after his public fallout with Evangelos Marinakis proved to be the final nail in the coffin for their relationship, in a development offset by Edu Gaspar’s appointment as sporting director.

Ultimately, the Tricky Trees opted to go in a different direction, and they didn’t wait long to secure their replacement. Postecoglou arrives with a Europa League title to his name and the question now surrounds how his high-octane style of play will take shape on the River Trent.

Speaking ahead of his first match in charge of Nottingham Forest against Arsenal, the Australian manager made it clear that his attacking mode of operation will be a key feature of his next career step in the Premier League, even if it isn’t the only trick up his sleeve.

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Mikel Arteta’s side are facing him this weekend.

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With anticipation growing surrounding how Postecoglou will take to life in his new role, he may have already sanctioned his first piece of transfer business at the club.

Nottingham Forest's Jota Silva set to sign for Besiktas

According to Fabrizio Romano on social media platform X, Nottingham Forest winger Jota Silva is set to join Besiktas on an initial loan deal with an option for the Turkish giants to purchase the Portugal international.

In a transaction that could see the Tricky Trees earn £17 million between the fee for his loan agreement and future permanent transfer, Marinakis may earn some funds for Postecoglou ahead of the January window once all is signed and sealed.

With the former Vitoria Guimaraes man flying to Turkey today, he will bring the curtain down on his time in England, which resulted in four goals and three assists in 38 appearances across all competitions.

Dan Ndoye’s arrival has left Nottingham Forest well-stocked in the wide areas, so being able to offload a spare part for a healthy sum is a pleasing development for supporters.