Diretor Financeiro do Corinthians comemora resultados do balanço e explica próximos passos

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O Corinthians promoveu nesta sexta-feira (6) uma entrevista coletiva virtual com o Diretor Financeiro do clube, Wesley Melo, que detalhou o balanço financeiro corintiano em 2021, divulgado pelo clube no último dia 29 de abril.

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> GALERIA – Veja todos os técnicos estrangeiros da história do Timão
> TABELA – Confira e simule os jogos do Corinthians no Brasileirão

Acompanhado de Frederico Gama Gondim, sócio da Falconi, parceira do Timão na consultoria financeira, há mais de um ano, Wesley comemorou o superavit de líquido de R$ 5,6 milhões e a redução de 4% do endividamento do clube, que declinou de R$ 949 milhões pra R$ 912 milhões.

Ainda assim, Melo se mostrou cauteloso quanto ao futuro, já que classificou o resultado do balanço financeiro referente ao primeiro ano da atual gestão é a ‘vitória de uma batalha, mas não da guerra’.

– Essa gestão, do presidente Duílio, a gente entende que atingiu os resultados financeiros do primeiro ano. Os desafios eram prioritariamente ter uma mentalidade de gestão do clube, e não é fácil fazer uma mudança de cultura importante. A gente queria estancar o crescimento da dívida, que é o nosso calcanhar de Aquiles, passar a ter superavit operacional e final, e conseguimos. Celebramos porque foi uma batalha vencida, mas não é a guerra. Temos muito o que fazer, a guerra continua e tamos confiante de estar no caminho certo – disse Wesley Melo.

No ponto de vista de Wesley, a redução de somente 4% no endividamento corintiano parece baixa, mas que no ponto de vista financeiro representa um valor importante, próximo a R$ 40 milhões. O Diretor Financeiro do Timão também deixou claro que a intenção do clube não é zerar o endividamento, mas gerar uma curva de redução maior do montante total.

– Redução de R$ 40 milhões de 2020 para 2021. Em termos percentuais parece pequena essa queda de 4%, mas é muito expressivo se considerarmos a inflação do período. Foi um resultado significativo que a gente e acabou celebrando. Precisamos seguir trabalhando para diminuir. Nunca vamos zerar, não é esse propósito, mas precisarmos ter uma curva de redução da dívida e crescimento da receita – explicou Melo.

Para acelerar a redução das dívidas no Timão, Wesley Melo destaca que dependerá do que sobrará financeiramente ao fim do ano.

– A redução da dívida vai depender do que sobra no final do ano. O superavit operacional, a classificação de curto e longo prazo, se tem ou não liquidez, tem algumas variáveis. O que a gente quer é reduzir essa dívida em 2022. O lucro operacional é de quase R$ 100 milhões, o lucro final de R% 10 milhões, o que sobrar disso é que a gente vai usar para abater o endividamento. Como vai ser o reflexo de números, não dá para prever agora. Têm algumas variáveis que não dão para controlar. Mas a ideia é seguir com a curva de redução, mais do que os 4%, o quanto mais não da para dizer. São 4%, mas R$ 40 milhões é muito dinheiro – explicou Wesley Melo

Em 2021, o Corinthians registrou um recorde em receitas operacionais, com R$ 502,6 milhões de entradas líquidas, mesmo em uma temporada em que o clube não arrecadou com vendas de atletas. A ideia do departamento financeiro corintiano é manter esse fluxo.

– Se somarmos as receitas extraordinárias e as correntes pela primeira vez na história o Corinthians superou a R$ 500 milhões. Quebra de paradigma porque com essa receita conseguimos ter o superavit operacional e final sem venda de jogadores. Esse lucro operacional é basicamente o resultado entre o que arrecadação e gastos, a gente esse propôs a gastar menos do que arrecada e efetivamente e conseguimos. Nos anos anteriores, 2020, a gente gastou mais, e em 2019 também tivemos resultado negativo. A gente comemora esse resultado, estamos falando de mais de R$ 100 milhões de fluxo de caixa positivo. Em dois anos a gente espera atacar esse fluxo de caixa para torna-lo positivo e tornar em R$ 200 milhões – destacou Wesley.

– Esse ano, a gente já construiu uma peça orçamentária junto com o Corinthians. Em 2021, entramos no meio do ano. Esse ano construirmos uma peça bem desafiadora. Se conseguirmos, vamos chegar a R$ 100 milhões. Os principais desafios estão incorporados. Eu acho que o principal desafio que temos agora é executar e controlar os resultados de acordo com o que planejamos. Estamos no caminho positivo e agora é questão de execução, disciplina e compromisso – acrescentou Frederico Gondim, sócio da Falconi, que elogiou a mudança de mentalidade de gestão da diretoria corintiana.

– Clube tinha maturidade em gestão muito baixa. A gente avalia em série de dimensão, começando como era definido o planejamento estratégico, não tinha a longo prazo, não era desdobrada em forma objetiva em áreas, processos básicos, como gestão de viagens, eventos, distribuição de materiais, não era bem controlado, os principais projetos para os anos seguintes não estavam bem definidos, não tinha controle, definição. E é exatamente isso que a gente vem trabalhando com o clube há pouco mais de um ano – explicou Frederico, que concluiu falando sobre a ‘virada de chave’ no último ano.

– A gente identificou e desdobrou as principais iniciativas aplicadas para melhorar resultados e estruturou governança de controle que a gente apresenta com as principais áreas do clube. Liderança para entender como os resultados vão evoluindo ao longo do ano. Esa mesma lógica está sendo utilizada em 2021 e 2022. Tudo isso em uma mudança cultural no time. Resultdos positivos, operacional negativo de R$ 116 milhões em 2020, e em 2021 ele passa para quase R$ 70 milhões positivo, nível de endividamento caiu, o operacional saiu do vermelho. Acho que tem todo impacto forte no resultado, e quando a gente avalia a maturidade em gestão do clube, vemos uma evolução significativa, um nível de maturidade em gestão de médio para alto.

No geral, o entendimento é que essa mudança de mentalidade somado ao aumento de receitas que o Corinthians tem registrado é o que reduzirá gradativamente o endividamento do clube.

-Dívida física em torno de R$ 350, 400 milhões de reais, importante porque tem juros mais altos, uma parcela atrasada de imposto chega a 20% e a Selic que está nas alturas. Então, é algo que nos preocupa. Não é nem o valor nominal do endividamento, mas o quanto representa na receita. Quanto menor for a relação entre dívida e receitam, melhor para gente. Nominalmente ter uma dívida de R$ 900 milhões é sufocante, mas temos que fazer redução. No momento, temos R$ 500 milhões em faturamento, a dívida caindo, daqui a apouco teremos mais, a dívida vai diminuindo e teremos algo mais administrável. Colocamos para esse ano uma despesa financeira de R$ 80 milhões, que é um numero grande, o bom é que isso caísse pela metade, seria algo razoável – explicou Wesley Melo.

Confira outras respostas de Wesley Melo e Fredrico Gondim na entrevista coletiva

-Teve redução importante de custos, linha de despesa com pessoal. Em 2020, a despesa de pessoal teve redução significativa e uma parte dela, por lei, a gente foi autorizado a reduzir os salários. Salários de jogadores conseguimos, por lei, durante três meses, durante a pandemia, sem afetar o contrato. O número base deveria ser muito maior. Despesa financeira ainda é o nosso calcanhar de Aquiles, mas teve uma queda em 2021. Os juros Selic, de fato, caíram de 2020 a 2021, mas em 2021 subiu, será um desafio para 2022 – Wesley Melo.

Metas de venda de jogadores em 2022

A venda de jogadores é importante. A gente precisa ter um lucro maior, abater a dívida, ter um fluxo de caixa positivo, a venda de jogadores é importante. A gente tem em uma meta de vender mais de R$ 100 milhões para ajudar no fluxo de caixa. Importante menos econômico e mais por fluxo de caixa. A gente tem um trabalho sério desenvolvido com Falconi e o time de futebol, que a gente conhece os jogadores, potencial de mercado, possibilidade de venda, emprestados e os que estão aqui, e isso moldou o orçamento de 2022, onde a gente coloca uma meta de pouco mais de R$ 100 milhões para venda de jogador – Wesley Melo.

Relação de investimento com as categorias de base

No nosso trabalho de gestão com o Corinthians estamos suportando toda a definição de resultados financeiros de forma perene. Fizemos estudos de receita, despesas e custo de forma que o clube tenha um resultado positivo e perene. A decisão de compra e venda de jogadores, mesmo na base, continua em ultima instância na alta do clube. A gente avalia o pipeline de formação dos atletas, como o fluxo está evoluindo, mas a decisão de compra e venda continua com o clube, suportada pelas informações e análises que a gente fornece para o clube. Essa análise de retorno para o investimento a gente faz com informações de como está esse investimento em atletas da base e vai suportando para a diretoria, para que eles façam esse investimento até aumentar o funil – Frederico Gondim.

-A gente investiu em 2021 R$ 27 milhões na base. No ano anterior foi cerca de R$ 17 milhões, e no outro, 2019, foi R$ 25 ou 26 milhões. Estamos retomando o nível de investimento de dois anos atrás, porque é importante. E é só ver o time escalado pelo professor, a quantidade de jogadores jovens que nos auxiliam desportivamente e financeiramente na hora da venda – Wesley Melo.

Dívida com Giuliano Bertolucci

-A gente tem essa dívida, o que teve foi uma negociação de R$ 16 milhões e uma alocação do que é curto e longo prazo. Curto a gente tem que pagar para ele em um ano, era R$ 8 milhões. A partir daí a gente deve mais R$ 8 milhões há mais de um ano. Foi só uma classificação de ativo e passivo de uma dívida que é única, mas a gente faz alocação de curto e longo prazo – Wesley Melo.

-Corinthians adotou a prática de não adquirir ativos, não fazer grandes investimentos em aquisição. A gente optou por jogadores mais experientes, livres de mercado, mas, mesmo assim, a gente tem que pagar alguma coisa quando adquire, em termos de luva que nos comprometemos com o jogador, que você pagaria de qualquer forma, mais os direitos federativos e as luvas parceladas. O Corinthians não tem um poder aquisitivo para grandes investimentos, então a gente deu prioridade para alguns jogadores que estavam livres no mercado e as luvas são pagas em contrato – Wesley Melo.

-Uma parte foi pago, pagamos muito em 2021, e renegociamos muita coisa para pagar para frente, A gente tem que usar todas as estratégias possíveis quando o tem o fluxo de caixa negativo e o endividamento é alto. Uma das táticas é renegociar e postergar o máximo de pagamentos que conseguirmos, e conseguimos renegociar com os principais atletas. R$ 41 milhões pode ser alto, direito de imagem é remuneração de jogador, eu penso ser pouco, se eu tivesse mais direito de imagem do que despesa de jogador, porque direito eu não tenho encargo, não podemos eliminar essa dívida porque é recorrente, mas deve ser menor de qualquer forma – Wesley Melo.

Bates' 91*, Devine's all-round show give New Zealand winning start

South Africa fought hard after conceding 167, with Chloe Tryon leading the charge, but a regular loss of wickets put their chase off the rails

Valkerie Baynes30-Jul-2022

Suzie Bates brought out a number of innovative shots during the course of her 91 not out•Getty Images

Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine showcased all their experience and class as they led New Zealand to victory over South Africa at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Saturday. Bates led the charge with the bat with an unbeaten 91, while Devine first hit 48 and then picked up three wickets.Related

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The duo of Bates and Devine set the foundation for the win with a 99-run opening stand for New Zealand, who handed international caps to Izzy Gaze and Eden Carson, plus a T20I debut to Fran Jonas. Devine fell two runs shy of her half-century, but then got among the wickets, including her 100th in T20Is, becoming the first woman and second overall – Shakib Al Hasan is the other – with 100 wickets and 2000 runs in the format.A fighting 39 off just 17 balls from Chloe Tryon failed to get South Africa over the line despite fleeting hopes of a tight finish as their stuttering start and a steady stream of wickets proved costly.Devine intervention
It was Devine who made the early running at Edgbaston, racing to 35 off 20 balls as New Zealand ended the powerplay on 49 without loss after being asked to bat. She unleashed a stunning slog sweep behind square off Nonkululeko Mlaba for six and almost fell next ball attempting the same, but keeper Sinalo Jafta couldn’t gather a tough bottom edge.Devine took 14 off the next over, striking Ayabonga Khaka for two fours, before depositing a waist-high full-toss over the square-leg boundary. She eventually holed out to Tryon at long-on from the bowling of Mlaba, having faced 40 balls in which she hit four fours and two sixes.Sophie Devine became the first woman – and second overall – to record the double of 100 wickets and 2000 runs in T20Is•Associated Press

Bates plays a gem
Women’s cricket is making its debut at a multi-sport event, but Bates has been here before, so to speak, having represented New Zealand in basketball at the 2008 Olympics.When on 22, she hit Delmi Tucker straight to midwicket, where Khaka managed only to parry the ball overhead. Then there was a chance to run Bates out after she and Amelia Kerr both turned back, but Mignon du Preez pulled out of her throw, possibly concerned that Shabnim Ismail was in the way or that there was a lack of back-up despite Tryon being behind the stumps, albeit standing a fair way back.Bates had started slowly, but she picked up speed as she went along, and brought up fifty pushing Anneke Bosch to deep midwicket and running two. It was her 22nd half-century in T20Is but first since February 2019, during India’s tour of New Zealand.She smashed a thunderous cover drive off Ismail for four to move to 67 and, three balls later, scooped her for six. In the final over, Bates sent a Khaka full-toss over the fence at deep square-leg, and then heaved a four through mid-on, and swung the penultimate delivery over fine leg for another six – her third of the innings. A total of 18 runs came off the final over, but Kerr was run-out on the last ball. By then, Bates had achieved her highest score in T20Is since her unbeaten 124 against South Africa in the 2018 tri-nation series in England.Chloe Tryon scored a dashing 17-ball 39•Associated Press

South Africa’s woes continue
South Africa endured a rocky lead-up to this tournament, with a multi-format series in England in which they were swept in both the ODI and T20I legs 3-0.After Hayley Jensen had Bosch caught at cover by Bates in the second over, and Tazmin Brits hit Hannah Rowe straight to Brooke Halliday at midwicket, South Africa were 15 for 2 after four overs.Du Preez was yet to score when she was put down at backward point by Carson off Lea Tahuhu, but her attempted sweep off Kerr sailed to Jonas at backward square and she was out for 26. Laura Wolvaardt made 28 off 30 balls before she fell, caught by Bates, running around to mid-on, off the bowling of Devine.It wasn’t all doom and gloom for South Africa, as they cashed in on some short bowling. Wolvaardt and, in particular, Tryon, made merry. Tryon smashed three sixes and three fours during her innings, helping herself to 17 runs off one Tahuhu over, which went for 21 in all. Largely through her efforts, South Africa were two runs ahead of New Zealand after 15 overs. But when Sune Luus flicked Jensen off her pads towards short cover and then sent Tryon back, Jensen gathered on her follow-through and threw down the stumps at the non-strikers’ end with Tryon short of her ground. That left South Africa needing 52 runs off 27 balls.Devine had Tucker caught by Carson at third for her 100th T20I wicket, and then had Luus caught by Halliday, to claim her third for the match. And, from there, the task proved too much for South Africa.

Better than Cunha: Arsenal make big proposal to sign "Europe’s best player"

The transfer window has been open for over three weeks now, and despite their recent struggles, Arsenal are yet to make a single signing.

Mikel Arteta’s side have won just two of six games this month, and with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus out with long-term injuries and Ethan Nwaneri only just coming back from a setback himself, fans have been understandably demanding that the club recruit in forward areas.

While nobody has come through the doors just yet, there have been a plethora of top talents touted for moves to N5, from RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško to Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović, but perhaps the most significant links over the last few days have been to Wolverhampton star Matheus Cunha.

Arsenal’s January form

Date

Competition

Opponent

Result

18th

Premier League

Aston Villa

2-2 (D)

15th

Premier League

Tottenham

2-1 (W)

12th

FA Cup

Man United

1-1 (5-3 L on Pens)

7th

League Cup

Newcastle

2-0 (L)

4th

Premier League

Brighton

1-1 (D)

1st

Premier League

Brentford

3-1 (W)

However, the Premier League star is not the only Brazilian that Arsenal are supposedly interested in, as recent reports have now linked them with one of the continent’s top talents who’d be an even better signing than the Wolves ace.

Arsenal target sensational winger

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have reignited their interest in Barcelona star Raphinha, but they are not the only English team tracking the exciting winger.

Transfer Focus

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Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Manchester City are now keen to land the Brazilian winger who has been utterly sensational for the Blaugrana this season.

Worse still, the report claims that the Premier League champions are prepared to offer around £84m for him in the summer, which would blow the North Londoners’ supposed bid of £67.5m out of the water.

Barcelona star Raphinha.

In all, it looks like the battle for Raphinha’s signature this year could be a challenging and costly one, but given his insane output this season, it is one Arsenal should be fighting to win, especially as he’d be an even better signing than Cunha.

How Raphinha compares to Cunha

Okay, so the first thing to talk about is that, yes, there is one significant difference between Cunha and Raphinha, which is that the former tends to start in central areas while the latter plays mostly off of the right or left.

However, as most Arsenal fans will attest, the North Londoners are in need of reinforcements across the entire frontline this month, so either player would be a welcome addition, but from what we have seen this season, we reckon the Barça star would be the better signing.

For example, in just 30 appearances, totalling 2477 minutes, the former Leeds United star has scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists, meaning he’s currently averaging a goal involvement every 0.90 games, or every 75.06 minutes.

In contrast, the Old Gold’s star attacker has racked up a haul of ten goals and four assists in 22 appearances, totalling 1717 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.57 games, or every 122.64 minutes.

However, it’s not just in raw output that “Europe’s best player,” as dubbed by journalist Dougie Critchley, comfortably beats the Wolves ace; he also comes out way ahead when we compare their underlying numbers.

Raphinha vs Cunha

Statistics per 90

Raphinha

Cunha

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

1.07

0.55

Actual Non-Penalty G+As

1.09

0.73

Progressive Passes

5.26

4.47

Progressive Carries

3.61

3.99

Shots

3.86

3.31

Shots on Target

1.53

1.26

Passing Accuracy

70.2%

70.8%

Key Passes

3.37

1.86

Passes into the Penalty Area

2.29

2.13

Shot-Creating Actions

5.95

3.93

Goal-Creating Actions

0.80

0.42

Successful Take-Ons

1.81

2.07

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 Season

For example, the Porto Alegre-born winger comes out on top in practically every metric, including but not limited to actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, shots and shots on target, progressive passes, key passes, passes into the penalty area, goal and shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Finally, while he’s been away from the league for a couple of years, Raphinha has plenty of experience playing in England, so Cunha’s advantage of knowing the Premier League is rendered meaningless in this comparison.

Ultimately, Arsenal are in desperate need of new attackers this month, and if they can only sign one, then they should go all out for the Barcelona star, as what he’s doing this season is nothing short of extraordinary, and if he could do that in North London, there’s every chance he’d fire the Gunners to the title.

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هنري: كنت واثقًا من ريمونتادا برشلونة أمام ريال مدريد في الكلاسيكو

أعرب أسطورة منتخب فرنسا، تييري هنري، عن إعجابه الكبير بروح فريق برشلونة تحت قيادة هانز فليك، بعد الفوز المثير على ريال مدريد بنتيجة 4-3، في الكلاسيكو الأخير ببطولة الدوري الإسباني.

وأصبح برشلونة قريبًا للغاية من حصد لقب الدوري الإسباني، حيث اتسع الفارق بينه وبين ريال مدريد إلى 7 نقاط.

وحضر هنري اللقاء من المقصورة الرئيسية في ملعب “منتجويك”، كما حرص على تبادل القمصان مع لامين يامال بعد المباراة، والتقط صورًا تذكارية مع عدد من لاعبي برشلونة.

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وقال هنري في تصريحات خلال حديثه مع قناة “Barça One” بين شوطي اللقاء، حين كان الفريق متأخرًا 2-0: “هذا الفريق يمكنه دائمًا فعلها، رأينا ذلك هذا الموسم أمام بنفيكا، إنتر ميلان، وفي أكثر من مباراة”.

وأضاف جناح برشلونة السابق بثقة: “كنت هادئًا تمامًا، وأخبرت أصدقائي أننا سنفوز بهذه المباراة، لأنني كنت أراها كذلك”.

وتابع: “في مثل هذه المواجهات، حين يكون الفريق متأخرًا في النتيجة، يتحول الأداء للأفضل، لقد رأينا ذلك طوال الموسم”.

كما استعاد هنري ذكريات الكلاسيكو التاريخي في موسم الثلاثية 2008/2009، قائلاً: “حدث الشيء نفسه في عام 2009، كنا نتقدم بفارق أربع نقاط قبل الكلاسيكو، قبل أن نتوج الثلاثية في نفس الموسم”.

واختتم: “نعم، سجلت هدفين، لكن الأهم أننا كنا نمتلك فريقًا لا يُصدق، والأهم من كل شيء، أن برشلونة فاز”.

Better than Rice: 8/10 Arsenal star just showed he could save KSE millions

Well, it wasn’t the most enthralling of football games last night, but Arsenal got the job done in the end.

Mikel Arteta’s side knew that a win against Dinamo Zagreb would all but guarantee them passage into the Champions League round of 16, and played out a comfortable 3-0 win.

There were several impressive displays from the hosts, such as Jorginho, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard, who finally found the back of the net.

Arsenal vs Zagreb

Arsenal

Statistics

Zagreb

3

Goals

0

63%

Possession

37%

2.30

Expected Goals

0.13

4

Big Chances

0

17

Total Shots

5

11

Corners

3

527

Passes

314

All Stats via Sofascore

However, two stood out above the rest: Declan Rice and another starter, who showed that he could save the Kroenkes a lot of money this month.

Declan Rice's game vs Zagreb

The last few weeks have seen Rice getting back to something close to his best of last season, and last night was one of his best displays of the campaign.

It took less than two minutes for the Englishman to open the scoring for the hosts, leathering the ball on the half-volley as if he were a world-class centre-forward.

Now, he should have added a second in the second half, but that doesn’t take away from how effective he was as the left-eight in both his attacking and defensive responsibilities.

It’s not just us who were left seriously impressed by the former West Ham United captain either, as football.london’s Tom Canton gave him an 8/10 match rating at full-time, writing that it was yet “another dominant midfield display” from the midfield machine.

Unsurprisingly, the 26-year-old’s statistics from the game more than back up the praise, as in 93 minutes, he produced a combined expected goal and assist figure of 0.82, took 62 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 91%, played one key pass, took four shots, won 100% of his ground duels, made one clearance, blocked two shots and made two tackles to boot.

Rice’s game in numbers

Minutes

93′

Expected Goals

0.66

Goals

1

Expected Assists

0.16

Touches

62

Passing Accuracy

41/45 (91%)

Key Passes

1

Shots

4

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (2)

Clearances

1

Blocked Shots

2

Tackles

2

All Stats via Sofascore

In all, it was a brilliant performance from the Gunners’ £105m man, but he wasn’t the only regular who grabbed the headlines, as Kai Havertz put in a display that could end up saving the club millions.

Kai Havertz's game vs Zagreb

Yes, the player in question is Havertz, who, after a few terrible weeks in which his place in the team was seriously questioned, put in another strong performance at the Emirates last night.

The German international did make his few, now customary, mistakes in the box, like holding onto the ball too long at times, but overall, he showed that he could be the man to lead the line for the North Londoners this season.

For example, the “magnificent” striker, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, was the one who stopped the ball and cushioned it just right for Rice to open the scoring in the first two minutes, but he wasn’t done there.

In the second half, when the team needed to extend their lead, the 25-year-old dynamo rose to meet an exquisite pass from Gabriel Martinelli and did just that, helping to quell any nerves that might have been slowly creeping in due to Saturday’s game.

Unsurprisingly, Canton was just as impressed with the former Chelsea man, awarding him another 8/10 on the night and writing that he ‘perfectly controlled’ the ball for the team’s opener.

Now, should this be the start of a goalscoring run from the Aachen-born forward, then the powers that be at the club might opt not to sign a new striker this month and instead invest elsewhere in the team, but whether that would be a wise decision is a debate for another time.

Ultimately, it wasn’t a swashbuckling display from Arsenal, but a comfortable and professional one that saw them come out as deserved winners, hopefully with some momentum heading into the rest of the season.

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Dhananjaya de Silva century cements Sri Lanka's upper hand

Pakistan, leading 1-0 in the series, have started their chase of 508 in positive fashion

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jul-2022

Dhananjaya de Silva brought up his ninth Test century•AFP/Getty Images

Stumps Sri Lanka gained a virtually unassailable position in the second Test, as Dhananjaya de Silva hit a ninth Test century, and Dimuth Karunaratne and Ramesh Mendis joined him in substantial partnerships.But they were only able to take one Pakistan wicket before bad light set in, and 26 overs were lost to the day. Perhaps because Pakistan had chased down 342 in the first Test, Sri Lanka had waited until their lead had stretched to 507 before declaring their second innings closed. They will now be under significant pressure to claim early wickets on day five, to give themselves a chance of leveling the series.The centrepiece of Sri Lanka’s second innings was de Silva’s 126-run stand with Karunaratne, who himself struck a half-century despite visibly struggling with a back sprain. The pair had come together with the score on 116 for 5 on the third day, and had put on 59 together by stumps.Early on day four, they each had a little luck. De Silva had mis-hit a cut shot against Hasan Ali in the second over, and the inside edge passed perilously close to the stumps. Karunaratne then played back to Nauman Ali’s first ball of the day, and would have been lbw had the umpire given him out on the field. In the end, Pakistan reviewed, and Karunaratne was saved by an umpire’s call on line.Eventually, though, the batters settled and the runs began to flow. De Silva used the sweep to excellent effect, once slogging Yasir Shah over midwicket for four, while Karunaratne used the reverse sweep to access empty space behind point. Largely, though, the batters preferred to use their feet to find the single options. Karunaratne brought up his half-century off the 97th ball he faced; de Silva off his 102nd, two overs later.File photo: Imam-ul-Haq was positive in Pakistan’s response•AFP/Getty Images

Karunaratne was out to an excellent reflex catch at short leg by Shafique, off Nauman’s bowling. But by that stage, the pair had delivered Sri Lanka to an incredibly strong position. De Silva went to lunch on 84, and needed only 16 balls to complete his century in the company of Ramesh, as he found square boundaries on either side of the pitch with relative ease against the spinners.Ramesh then attacked to speed Sri Lanka towards their declaration, which only came when de Silva was run out for 109 at the non-striker’s end, roughly 40 minutes into the afternoon session. Ramesh seemed to have called his partner through for a run, but sent him back when it was clear that Yasir Shah was swooping on the ball from midwicket. Yasir’s direct hit caught de Silva metres short.On a pitch that wasn’t taking substantial turn yet, Pakistan’s spinners were unable to put Sri Lanka under pressure consistently on day four. Seamer Naseem Shah, who had bowled an excellent spell at the start of the day, returned Pakistan’s best figures of 2 for 44 from his 12.5 overs.Pakistan made a bright start to the fourth innings, even if both Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq lived dangerously at times. Shafique was almost caught at short leg off the bowling of Asitha Fernando, although that delivery was deemed a no-ball in any case. Sri Lanka then raised strong lbw appeals against Imam, though none they were willing to review.Having been burned by Shafique in the first Test, Sri Lanka were thrilled to see him make a mistake in this fourth innings. Having seen out 50 balls, he ran at Prabath Jayasuriya to try and launch him over mid-off, perhaps in an attempt to force Sri Lanka to spread the field. Having not quite got to the pitch of the ball, he mis-hit it high into the air. Dunith Wellalage sprinted back from mid-on to get underneath the high, swirling catch, much to his teammates’ delight.Imam and Babar Azam saw Pakistan through until the light faded, frequently looking for runs, even if a Pakistan victory seems virtually impossible. By stumps Imam had moved to 46 off 80; Babar to 26 off 38.

Com passado no Timão, Mano Menezes é a aposta do Inter para vencer no Beira-Rio

MatériaMais Notícias

No próximo sábado, o Internacional volta a campo pelo Brasileirão e o adversário é o Corinthians, no estádio Beira-Rio.

– VEJA A TABELA DO BRASILEIRÃO

Além de toda a rivalidade entre os clubes, o técnico Mano Menezes será um personagem interessante no confronto.

Se atualmente o comandante está no Inter, o passado de Mano foi alvinegro e criou um grande laço com o time paulista.

Entre 2008 e 2010 e depois em 2014, Mano Menezes dirigiu o Corinthians, onde faturou a Série B, Campeonato Paulista e Copa do Brasil.

Retrospecto

Identificado com o Timão, Mano Menezes já encarou o Alvinegro 14 jogos após o sucesso no time paulista. O seu melhor momento foi em 2018, quando faturou o título da Copa do Brasil com o Cruzeiro em plena NeoQuímica Arena.

Apesar do auge com a Raposa, Mano Menezes também apresenta resultados negativos, como, por exemplo, em 2013, quando foi goleado por 4 a 0. Na ocasião, ele treinava o Flamengo.

No total foram 14 partidas, com cinco vitórias, quatro empates e cinco derrotas. Veja os duelos abaixo:

Corinthians 4 x 0 Flamengo – Brasileirão 2013

Corinthians 1 x 1 Cruzeiro – Brasileirão 2016

Corinthians 2 x 1 Cruzeiro – Copa do Brasil 2016

Cruzeiro 4 x 2 Corinthians – Copa do Brasil 2016

Cruzeiro 3 x 2 Corinthians – Brasileirão 2016

Corinthians 1 x 0 Cruzeiro – Brasileirão 2017

Cruzeiro 1 x 1 Corinthians – Brasileirão 2017

Corinthians 2 x 0 Cruzeiro – Brasileirão 2018

Cruzeiro 1 x 0 Corinthians – Copa do Brasil 2018

Corinthians 1 x 2 Cruzeiro – Copa do Brasil 2018

Cruzeiro 1 x 0 Corinthians – Brasileirão 2018

Cruzeiro 0 x 0 Corinthians – Brasileirão 2019

Palmeiras 1 x 1 Corinthians – Brasileirão 2019

Corinthians 3 x 2 Bahia – Brasileirão 2020

Better than Diomande: Newcastle offered chance to sign £96k-p/w "monster"

Newcastle United have yet to make a January signing and with just over a week before the window closes, time is running out for Eddie Howe.

The Magpies are in contention for a top-four finish in the Premier League amid a decent run of results of late, but a new arrival or two could certainly help this cause.

Newcastle United managerEddieHowe

Plenty of names have been linked with a move to St James’ Park, especially defenders. Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP is one player who Howe is keen on signing, but he could cost too much this month.

This could see the manager turn elsewhere for a new centre-back…

Newcastle's search for a centre-back

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign defender Eric Garcia, who is currently at Barcelona, having also played in the Premier League for Manchester City.

Transfer Focus

The 24-year-old has been scouted previously by the Magpies, according to Bailey, and with their need for another centre-back heightening throughout the transfer window, could they strike a deal this month perhaps?

His contract at the Catalan side expires in 2026, which means Howe will have to pay a decent fee in order to secure his signature before the end of the window.

FC Barcelona'sEricGarciacelebrates scoring their fourth goal

If so, would they be getting someone who is even better than Diomande?

Why Newcastle should sign Eric Garcia

The Spaniard won a league title during his spell with City, but it is while playing for Barcelona that the centre-back has really come into his own.

The 24-year-old has made nearly 100 appearances for the La Liga side, and he would almost certainly be a vital player for Howe, no doubt about that.

Eric Garcia’s statistics in La Liga this season (per 90)

Accurate passes

32.6 (92%)

Tackles

1.2

Key passes

0.1

Interceptions

0.4

Total duels won

3

Possession lost

4x

Via Sofascore

When compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Garcia currently ranks in the top 3% for shot-creating actions (1.64), the top 2% for progressive carries (1.86), the top 1% for progressive passes (8.05) and in the top 14% for tackles (2.05) per 90 over the previous 365 days.

These statistics prove that he is a forward-thinking defender who loves to play the ball out of the defence as often as possible, starting attacks from his own half.

In comparison, Diomande doesn’t show anywhere near the same level of performance across these metrics.

Indeed, the Sporting CP defender ranks in the bottom 92% for shot-creating actions (0.38), the bottom 85% for progressive carries (0.26) and progressive passes (2.29), along with ranking in the bottom 86% for tackles (1.02) per 90 when compared to his peers in Europe’s top five leagues.

This proves that Garcia may be the better option for Howe, especially as he could cost slightly less than Diomande.

The £96k-per-week star was even hailed as a “monster” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig during his spell with City, indicating how big a talent he was.

Barcelona's Jules Kounde andEricGarciacelebrate after the match

On the evidence presented, Garcia would be an excellent signing for Newcastle, especially if they hope to secure qualification for the Champions League.

Will Howe be able to get a deal done this month? Only time will tell.

Imagine him & Isak: Howe chasing £55m talent who’d be “ideal for Newcastle”

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ByAngus Sinclair Jan 24, 2025

Litton back, Mahmudullah left out of Bangladesh's T20 World Cup squad

Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Najmul Hossain Shanto are all back in the mix

Mohammad Isam14-Sep-2022

There’s no Mahmudullah in Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup squad, to be led by Shakib Al Hasan•ICC via Getty

Bangladesh have dropped Mahmudullah in one of five changes to their squad from the Asia Cup to the T20 World Cup that starts next month. One of those changes is forced following Mushfiqur Rahim’s recent T20I retirement. Nazmul Hossain, the BCB president, called it “a team for the future”, saying that the plan is to build towards the 2024 T20 World Cup.Apart from Mahmudullah, there was also no place for Parvez Hossain Emon, Anamul Haque, Mahedi Hasan or Mohammad Naim from the squad that returned without a win from the Asia Cup in the UAE recently. In their place, Litton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Najmul Hossain Shanto have been brought in.Related

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Mahmudullah’s omission, however, was the big news.

Mahmudullah, the fourth-most-capped T20I cricketer in the world, has struggled in the shortest format of late, which made his position vulnerable. His last T20I fifty was in the World Cup last year, and has scored 151 runs in eight T20Is this year, at a strike rate of 110.21. At the Asia Cup, he aggregated 52 runs at a strike rate of 106.12 in two innings.Minhajul Abedin, the selection chief, explained that the reason for Mahmudullah’s axing was that he didn’t fit into the plan given by technical consultant – and head coach of the T20I team – Sridharan Sriram.”Our T20 consultant [Sriram] has given us a one-year plan, which will take us in a different direction, and we have agreed with him,” Abedin said. “We haven’t been doing well in T20Is. We have also had to deal with plenty of injuries in the last six months. The decision to drop Mahmudullah was taken after speaking to everyone concerned.”

Sriram said that he had broken the news to Mahmudullah, and has been working on a succession plan.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“It is never an easy conversation – he is the most-capped T20 player in Bangladesh,” Sriram said. “:I have utmost respect for him. I have to be the bad man to have the conversation. I think it [the conversation] went well.”I think our cricket team needs to have a succession plan. I have always equated Mahmudullah with MS Dhoni with the role that he performs for the team. He batted at No. 6 just like Dhoni has done for India. He has finished off games. Dhoni cannot go on forever and ever, right?”You need to have a succession plan for who [next]. I think this was the right time to think of someone who can fill in Mahmudullah’s big shoes. You need someone. Unless we start playing players in that role, we won’t find them.”Mahmudullah was the Bangladesh T20I captain from November 2019 to July this year, when he was removed from the position. The understanding was that the BCB wanted Shakib Al Hasan back in the position, but there was a delay on that front as Shakib skipped the tour of Zimbabwe, and Nurul was elevated. Two matches into the T20I series, Nurul picked up an injury, and Mosaddek Hossain led the team in the third T20I against Zimbabwe. Shakib has since taken charge.Litton and Co. return from injuries
Litton, Yasir, Nurul and Mahmud are all back in the mix, as is Shanto, a bit of a surprise pick. He has had very little impact with the bat in his 13 ODIs [189 runs at a strike rate of 61.16] and nine T20Is [148 runs at a strike rate of 104.22]. He was even dropped for the Asia Cup after making just 72 runs in the three T20Is in Zimbabwe.Litton Das’ return from injury is great news for Bangladesh•Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty Images

“He is a very good player. He has the temperament for international cricket,” Sriram said. “From whatever little I have seen him bat or spoken to him, he has the temperament for international cricket. He has the game for the bouncy wickets. He has the tools with him for the impact we are looking for.”Litton’s return is crucial for the team, since Bangladesh look to him for big starts at the top. Yasir and Nurul would be expected to be the attackers in the middle-order. And Mahmud’s return should boost the fast-bowling attack, which also has Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain.Among those dropped, Mahedi might be the only one to feel a little aggrieved.”We have to select 15 players. I love Mahedi. He is a phenomenal character in the team,” Sriram said. “He brings the energy. We won’t be playing in spin-friendly conditions, however. We had to carry that one extra seam-bowling option.”It was very close between Mahedi and Nasum [Ahmed]. We picked Nasum as he has a great match-up with the top three of India and Pakistan. The left-arm spinner was ahead; we had other offspinners.”It was very unfortunate for Mahedi to miss out. He will be in every team that plays in Asia.”Mahedi, however, has been named in the list of four reserve players. The others are Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain and Soumya Sarkar.

سبورت: رغم تألقه.. لاعب برشلونة قد يفكر في العروض

يعيش لاعب برشلونة حالة من الترقب، بعدما تلقى النادي الكتالوني عدة عروض لضمه، لكنه أبدى رغبته في البقاء، بشرط أن يشعر بتقدير مالي يعكس قيمته داخل الفريق، خاصة بعد تألقه في النصف الثاني من الموسم.

بحسب صحيفة “سبورت” الكتالونية، برشلونة عرض على إريك جارسيا تجديد عقده، رغم امتلاكه عقدًا حتى صيف 2026، لكن المدافع يرغب في تحسين راتبه، كونه من أقل اللاعبين أجرًا رغم اعتماد المدرب هانز فليك عليه في أكثر من مركز.

جارسيا كان أحد أبرز المستبعدين مع المدرب السابق تشافي، واضطر للرحيل معارًا إلى جيرونا، لكنه عاد هذا الموسم ونجح في إثبات نفسه، خاصة مع تألقه في مركز قلب الدفاع، والظهير، وحتى كلاعب ارتكاز.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بيدري يسخر من فينيسيوس في احتفالات تتويج برشلونة بـ الدوري الإسباني

فليك تمسك ببقاء إريك جارسيا في يناير الماضي، ورفض فكرة خروجه مجددًا، وبدأ الاعتماد عليه تدريجيًا حتى أصبح أحد أكثر اللاعبين مشاركة، مع تقديمه لأداء متوازن وأهداف حاسمة في لحظات مهمة.

رغم ذلك، لم يتم تحسين راتب اللاعب منذ قدومه من مانشستر سيتي، ما يجعله يشعر بأن مجهوده لا يُكافأ بالشكل المناسب، وهو ما قد يدفعه للتفكير في العروض التي وصلته مؤخرًا من إيطاليا وألمانيا.

جارسيا يدرك أن مكانه الأساسي ليس مضمونًا في ظل المنافسة، لكنه يشعر بالراحة داخل غرفة ملابس برشلونة، كما أن فليك مقتنع بإمكاناته ويرى فيه عنصرًا مفيدًا للفريق في المدى القريب.

الإدارة الرياضية بقيادة ديكو لا ترغب في دخول الموسم الجديد بلا حسم لمستقبل جارسيا، وتسعى لتجديد عقده بشروط جديدة، خصوصًا وأن سياسة النادي ترفض الإبقاء على لاعبين بعقود قصيرة المدى.

المفاوضات ما زالت مستمرة، وقد تتأثر بخطط النادي في ضم مدافع جديد مثل جوناثان تاه، إضافة إلى رغبة برشلونة في التعاقد مع ظهير قبل انطلاق الموسم الجديد، ما قد يؤثر على حظوظ جارسيا في البقاء.

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