Being one of the biggest clubs in England, Arsenal have been blessed with a plethora of simply sensational players over the years.

The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira came to define an era of Premier League history thanks to their incredible exploits at Highbury.

Even though they couldn’t bring the same kind of success to N5, the likes of Mesut Özil, Alexis Sanchez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all got the fans on their feet at the Emirates.

However, alongside signing senior players and turning them into superstars, the North Londoners have a proud history of bringing in youngsters and giving them a chance to shine in the first team, including one international superstar who was eventually sold on for a mammoth profit.

Hale End's modern star

Due to its success in producing unreal talents, there is a massive list of players you could choose from to represent Hale End, but in terms of the current day, there can only be one: Bukayo Saka.

The now 23-year-old has become the poster boy of this Arsenal team, and while that’s in no small part down to his outrageous ability and output, it’s also thanks to the fact that he’s come up through the academy and spent his whole career at the club, helping to build a stronger connection to the fans and local community.

Despite being so young, the firm fan favourite has already made 236 appearances for the club, in which he has scored a staggering 61 goals and provided 60 assists, equating to a world-class average of a goal involvement once every 1.95 games and solidifying his place as the best player to come out of the academy in modern history.

This incredible form has seen his valuation soar up to €140m – £116m – per transfermarkt, but given his connection to the fans, the regard Arteta holds him in and the fact he is an essential piece of this new Arsenal side, it feels tremendously unlikely that he would ever be sold, even for twice that amount, which is just one of the things that separates him from a previous academy star who netted the North Londoners a massive profit over 13 years ago.

Cesc Fàbregas' career

Yes, the player in question is Cesc Fàbregas, who cost Arsenal around £2m in 2003 when fees and compensation were considered, and while the Spaniard joined the club as a 16-year-old, he spent a short period in the academy set-up before progressing into the first team.

However, once the incredible talent had established himself in the starting lineup, he was there to stay.

During his time in North London, he made 303 appearances under Arsène Wenger, in which the “astonishing talent”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored 57 goals and provided 95 assists.

Fabregas’ Arsenal record

Appearances

303

Goals

57

Assists

95

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

FA Cups

1

All Stats via Transfermarkt

This means that despite still being a teenager when he broke through, the Arenys de Mar-born gem averaged a goal involvement once every 1.99 games, lending serious credence to Kulig’s claim that he was “one of the best U21s in Premier League history.”

Unfortunately for the Gunners, the Spaniard’s unreal performances eventually caught the eye of his former side, Barcelona, who made him one of their primary transfer targets.

In the summer of 2011, the then-24 returned to the Catalan club for a massive fee of up to £35m, and while the fans would surely have rather kept him, the fee was at least 1150% more than he cost the club, which was especially important at the time given the construction of the Emirates.

Over the next 12 years, the incredibly successful international would make 151 appearances for Barcelona, 198 for Chelsea in a move that burned what few bridges he had left, 68 for AS Monaco and 17 for Italian outfit Como, where he is now the manager.

Overall, Fabregas remains one of the most talented players to have played in the academy and first team at Arsenal, and while his exit and subsequent move to the Blues may have tarnished his reputation among some fans, he did at least make the club a significant profit when he left 13 years ago.

Related Arteta loves £161k-per-week Barcelona star as Arsenal look at possible move

The Spaniard is a big fan.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Oct 24, 2024

Ruben Amorim believes he is under more pressure than Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou as Manchester United are a 'bigger club'.

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Amorim and Postecoglou both facing scrutinyMan Utd and Tottenham in bottom halfRed Devils travel to Spurs on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Manchester United travel to Spurs in the Premier League on Sunday with both sides looking to climb up the table. The Red Devils head into the weekend in 13th, and their hosts are one place and two points behind them.

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With both teams toiling at the wrong end of the standings, scrutiny has been firmly placed on the shoulders of Amorim and Postecoglou, who have both continued to stand by their footballing principles and ideals in hope of longer-term success rather than short-term gain. However, while the Portuguese coach has been complimentary of his Australian counterpart, he also claimed managing United comes with a completely different set of challenges.

WHAT AMORIM SAID

At a press conference on Friday, Amorim told reporters: "He wants to play football in the right way and that's a good thing. We know when we choose this profession, there are a lot of good things, but you have to feel the pressure when you don't win.

"I am a huge fan of Ange Postecoglou. He is a good guy, a very good coach. I understand the connection with me and Ange. We have the same problem. In my opinion, and with respect, I am at a bigger club, with bigger pressure, and I think coaches must follow their principles."

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Postecoglou is unbeaten in his four matches against United as Tottenham boss, with this record including one win against Amorim in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup back in December. On that occasion, Spurs emerged as 4-3 victors.

Unai Emery has publicly admitted that one Aston Villa player has dropped his levels compared to last season. The Villans were in Carabao Cup action this week as they were knocked out of the competition courtesy of a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

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The Carabao Cup represented an opportunity for Villa to end their trophy drought, but Emery’s decision to make changes to the starting XI backfired as they failed to make it to the last eight.

After the game, Emery was asked about his decision to change the team, but the Spaniard stuck by his decision: “We started with 11 players in the first-team squad. We started with Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos; they can play in the starting XI playing against Bayern Munich.

“We started with [Ian] Maatsen and Kosta [Nedeljkovic]. We started with [Boubacar] Kamara, with John McGinn, Leon Bailey, Jaden Philogene, Jhon Duran, and [Emiliano] Buendia. I don’t know if I can have some regret.

“We are with our way, building the team, building the structure. Today we competed, but we lost. Of course, I am disappointed and frustrated, but we competed with the players to get the performance. If I am repeating this match 100 times, I am playing with the same players.”

While Emery stands by the decision to make changes to his starting XI, he was also quite vocal about one Villa individual after the game, stating his levels now are not what they were this time last season.

Unai Emery not impressed by Aston Villa star

As reported by Jacob Tanswell, speaking after Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, Unai Emery gave an honest assessment of the performances of Leon Bailey. The 27-year-old joined the Midlands side back in August 2021 from Bayer Leverkusen and has been a key individual for them since, with last season being his best in a Villa shirt.

Bailey, who is on a weekly wage of £120,000 at Villa Park, scored 10 goals and recorded nine assists in 35 Premier League games last season, as he played a very important role in the club reaching the Champions League.

The Jamaica international has struggled to make the same impact in this 2024/25 campaign, as he’s yet to get on the scoresheet in the league.

2023/24

2024/25

Goals per 90

0.44

0.00

Assists per 90

0.39

0.42

xG per 90

0.27

0.08

xA per 90

0.40

0.21

Bailey has featured in eight of Villa’s nine Premier League games this season, starting six, and his only contributions going forward have been two assists, which he got against Ipswich Town and most recently against AFC Bournemouth. This time last season, Bailey had three goals and one assist to his name after the same number of league games.

Leeds United went into the international break off the back of a 2-2 draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last week, after a 97th minute howler from Illan Meslier cost them two points on Wearside.

Daniel Farke will now be hoping that his players who have jetted away to play for their respective countries all return without any injury issues, after long-term blows for both Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rothwell in recent weeks.

The Whites head coach will also, surely, be hoping that those stars enjoy strong performances during the break and bring that confidence back to Elland Road.

One player who has already caught the eye with his work for his country is centre-forward Mateo Joseph, who was in electric form for Spain’s U21s on Thursday.

Mateo Joseph's performance for Spain

The 20-year-old centre-forward was selected to start the game against Kazakhstan’s U21s ahead of Porto centre-forward Samu Omorodion, who has a whopping €100m (£84m) release clause in his contract with the Portuguese side.

Omorodion, who saw a move to Premier League side Chelsea collapse due to financial complications with his contract in the summer, has scored seven goals in seven games across the Liga Portugal and Europa League this season, but Joseph was picked ahead of him from the start.

The Leeds youngster justified his selection with a stunning first-half hat-trick for the Spanish youth side in a dramatic 4-3 victory in the U21 Euros qualifier.

His first goal was a simple finish from close-range from Roberto Navaro’s ball across the box, before a similar second goal as he reacted first to a cutback from Navaro to find the back of an empty net.

Joseph completed his hat-trick in the 44th minute by evading his marker at the back post to get on the end of a cross and head the ball in for his third goal.

Omorodion came on for the Leeds star in the 59th minute but was unable to register a goal or an assist in his 31 minutes on the pitch for Spain.

Mateo Joseph's form for Leeds

The academy graduate started the 2024/25 Championship campaign as Farke’s first-choice centre-forward option but struggled to offer a regular goal threat, with one strike in nine games.

Joel Piroe was selected ahead of him in the clash at the Stadium of Light last week and found the back of the net with a header in the first-half, which may keep the Spaniard out of the team for now.

However, his astonishing performance for Spain’s U21s should boost his confidence and may convince Farke to bring him back into the starting XI, in order to capitalise on that positive momentum.

Appearances

9

Starts

8

xG

1.91

Goals

1

Big chances created

4

Assists

3

As you can see in the table above, the former England youth international has showcased his creative quality in the league, with four ‘big chances’ created and three assists in eight starts.

However, a return of one goal from 1.91 xG in nine games does not suggest that he has been in good enough form to lead a team to promotion, which is why his performances in front of goal need to improve.

His astonishing first-half hat-trick for his country this week is a positive sign and, hopefully, his clinical edge in the final third carries over to club football after the break.

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ByDan Emery Oct 9, 2024

Stand-in captain explains rationale behind their intent to attack India’s spinners

Sidharth Monga06-Dec-2021It is the nature of cricket conversations that when you get bowled out for 62 and 167 all the focus is on the batters, who essentially just respond to the conditions and the opposition bowling. It isn’t so much around the bowlers who allow the opposition to score 325 and 276 for 7 on the same surface.When you are faced, as a traveling team, with such conditions and the bowling of India’s quality, there is not much the batters can do really if the bowlers allow the hosts to score above-par scores.Tom Latham, New Zealand’s stand-in captain, though, found himself talking about his batters extensively, and Ross Taylor in particular. Taylor’s approach in the second innings, where he tried to attack the spinners and failed to do so, came in for sharper criticism than Will Somerville’s returns: the only spinner to have bowled 50 overs in a series in India without a wicket.Watch highlights on ESPN+ in the US

You can subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to highlights of day four of the second Test in English and in Hindi

“Ross obviously had the approach where he tried to put their bowlers under pressure,” Latham said. “As soon as you do that, subcontinent teams tend to take players from under the bat pretty quickly. Unfortunately for Ross, it didn’t quite work out for him. That was the plan Ross had going into that innings.”In these conditions, you can’t just allow them to bowl. They are very good. They are very accurate, and they don’t give you much to hit. For us it was about trying to put a little bit more pressure on them to get a few more fielders away from the bat. Because you know they don’t miss that often.”For us it was about guys having a certain plan and being able to stick to that. If you have a plan and you get out, that’s just the game of cricket. It’s up to individuals how they approach their innings.”Latham said there wasn’t much they could have done differently when they got bowled out for 62. “One of those things in cricket where everything you do doesn’t tend to work,” Latham said. “One of those days that happens in cricket. We have done that to teams at different times around the world. Unfortunately it was our time and things didn’t quite unfold the way we would have wanted.”From our point of view, you have to take a lot of learnings from it. The way we came out in the second innings, and the guys sort of changed their game plan a little bit and put a bit of pressure on their bowlers… [but] as we know in India, the longer you go, the harder it gets to bat. One of those games where we unfortunately couldn’t get the right result.”There were small positives on the Test tour, but far from a finished product. “Those three guys you mentioned [Ajaz Patel, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra], their first time in this part of the world, for them to step up at different times for us, and to make contributions throughout the series was outstanding,” Latham said. “It is great for the depth of New Zealand cricket to have more exposure in these conditions.”The more you play in this part of the world, the more you sort of learn and are able to grow your game. Obviously pleasing for those guys but also for everyone else there are learnings to take. So that the next time we are here, those learnings will be put to practice.”

Unbeaten life in a post-Erik ten Hag world continued for Manchester United following their 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Chelsea. There have been exciting games in the 4:30pm slot this season, yet a final, action-packed 20 minutes ensured it did not end up as the dire 0-0 it seemed destined to be.

United took the lead in the 70th minute, with Rasmus Hojlund cleverly winning a penalty, brought down by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Red Devils skipper Bruno Fernandes made no mistake from 12 yards to give United a lead.

There were just four minutes and 19 seconds between United’s goal and Chelsea’s equaliser, which came courtesy of Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian midfielder struck a volley sweetly from the edge of the penalty box, and it nestled into the back of the net past Andre Onana.

There were some chances to win it late on for both sides, but the game eventually petered out in a 1-1 draw. Although the standard of the game was quite underwhelming on the whole, there were still some standout performers for United.

United’s best performers vs. Chelsea

Undoubtedly the standout player for the Red Devils at Old Trafford was defender Noussair Mazraoui. The Morrocco international has played at right-back for much of the season but started on Sunday at left-back and did not look out of place. He defended well against the dangerous Noni Madueke and was impressive going forward.

He received a 7/10 rating from the Manchester Evening News’ chief United correspondent Samuel Luckhurst, the highest of the day. He was praised for being the Red Devils’ ‘only good performer’ in a poor first half overall.

Another player who stood out against Enzo Maresca’s side was Fernandes. It has been a poor start to the season for the talismanic United midfielder, but he has been much more his usual self in the last two games, scoring a good penalty and showing his creative side.

The Portugal international has some impressive stats, courtesy of Sofascore. The 30-year-old created four chances against the Blues and won an impressive nine from 14 ground duels. It was certainly a good showing from the United skipper.

As good as both Mazraoui and Fernandes were against Chelsea, there were some disappointing performers in a United shirt. Alejandro Garnacho was one player who struggled.

Garnacho’s stats vs. Chelsea

After a fast start to the season for Garnacho, he put in a lacklustre performance against the West London side. It was not for lack of trying. The 20-year-old’s effort cannot be faulted. However, his decision-making was frustrating at times, and he wasted some big chances.

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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Argentina international had two huge opportunities which could have snatched all three points for his side. The first one saw him well teed up by Fernandes, with lots of time and space to pick his spot. However, Garnacho could only send a soft shot into the gloves of Sanchez.

The second was tougher, a first-time volley which sailed over the bar, but perhaps a pass would have been the better option.

His stats show just how poor Garnacho’s performance was. The youngster had just 42 touches, fewer even than Onana. He managed to complete just 76% of his passes and completed one of four dribbles. Off the ball, the winger won just one from nine attempted duels.

Touches

42

Pass accuracy

76%

Passes completed

19/25

Dribbles completed

1/4

Ground duels won

1/6

Aerial duels won

0/3

Possession lost

11x

Shockingly, Luckhurst gave him a 4/10 rating for his efforts against the Blues. He described Garnacho’s afternoon as ‘possibly his weakest performance of the season’, criticising him for the underhit chances he had.

It was a tired performance from the winger, who has played lots of football this season already. With two games left of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim spell, he may well decide to rotate the 20-year-old out of the side.

The likes of Amad Diallo are knocking on the door for a start, and that is something the legendary Dutchman might do to freshen things up.

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Leeds United have successfully got over the losses of many of their former star men from the summer, with a mass exodus from Elland Road definitely hurting Daniel Farke’s camp at the moment.

Now, there is a new freshness to proceedings at Elland Road that Farke will hope can lead to promotion from the Championship being won, with the likes of Mateo Joseph among others attempting to become new heroes for their side after the notable departures of Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville.

One new star could even end up being Leeds’ next Raphinha if everything goes to plan, with the Brazilian attacker dazzling supporters and opposition defences alike in West Yorkshire throughout his short but sweet stay at the club.

Raphinha's time at Leeds

Raphinha would have certainly been viewed as a coup when he left Ligue 1 outfit Rennes behind in 2020 for pastures new in England after the South American forward had left his lasting impression on the French top division.

With a promising return of eight goals and seven assists from 36 games playing for Rennes, Leeds must have taken a liking to the tricky footwork on display by the winger, with the decision to go after the audacious 5 foot 9 gem for a £17m transfer fee proving to be an unbelievable masterstroke.

The constantly entertaining winger would slot straight into the Leeds set-up effortlessly under Marcelo Bielsa, firing home six goals and picking up nine assists during his debut season to instantly become a firm fan’s favourite.

It was his second, and final, campaign for the Whites where he really stepped it up a gear, however, as the Brazilian notched up double digits in terms of goals with 11 top-flight strikes, leading to giants of the game such as Barcelona sniffing around for his coveted services.

Leeds wouldn’t let Raphinha leave without getting their money’s worth, as the Spanish titans splashed out a bumper £55m fee to land their desired target, as the Whites then slipped down to the Championship without their spellbinding number ten.

Now, the second-tier promotion hopefuls could have stumbled across their next Raphinha in the making in Largie Ramazani, who even faced off against the former Leeds man’s new club last season playing in La Liga.

Leeds' next Raphinha

Much like the current Barca captain managed when making the move to England, Ramazani has taken to his fresh surroundings well so far donning his new Leeds jersey.

The exciting Belgian already has two goals and an assist next to his name playing in the tough demands of the Championship from six games, including a confident breakaway strike against Cardiff City last month which opened his account for the club.

Following that up with a calm finish under pressure away at Norwich City to gift his side a share of the points at Carrow Road to start October, plenty more will be expected of the “outrageous” winger – a label that was once handed to him by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – as he becomes even more confident playing in England, potentially reaching the same heights Raphinha was once capable of.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Equally daring on the ball and prepared to run himself into the ground like Raphinha, with an astonishing 16 attempted duels against the Canaries showing off his boundless drive, Farke will also pray that Ramazani’s capture means the more immediate void left behind by Summerville has been filled up too.

Of course, for the ex-Almeria man to fully replicate the Brazilian’s excellent spell, he will have to show off the best of his skillset in the Premier League.

Ramazani will hope that will come very shortly after his exploits play a big role in the Whites returning up to the promised land of the top-flight.

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Dan Emery

Oct 8, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

Michael viveu o seu último dia como atleta do Flamengo nesta sexta-feira, quando esteve no Ninho do Urubu para se despedir dos companheiros rumo à Arábia Saudita, onde defenderá o Al Hilal pelas próximas três temporadas.

E, assim como Bruno Henrique mais cedo, outros jogadores postaram mensagens de despedidas, além de Lluís Sala, preparador físico espanhol da nova comissão técnica de Paulo Sousa, que conviveu pouco tempo com o atacante, mas o suficiente para criar um laço afetivo:

RelacionadasFlamengoBruno Henrique se despede de Michael, de saída do Flamengo: ‘A favela venceu’Flamengo28/01/2022Flamengo‘Agradeço às comissões técnicas, mas não todas’, diz Michael ao se despedir do FlamengoFlamengo28/01/2022Núm3ros da bol4Marinho x Michael: veja os números dos dois jogadores nos últimos anosNúm3ros da bol427/01/2022

– Muito obrigado, Michael, por este tempoque você esteve conosco. Sentirei falta da sua alegria, da sua felicidade, da sua autenticidade e da sua loucura. Não perca isso! Boa sorte em sua nova aventura. Te desejo o melhor. Um abraço forte – postou Sala.

Ainda não é assinante do Cariocão-2022? Acesse www.cariocaoplay.com.br, preencha o cadastro e ganhe 5% de desconto com o cupom especial do LANCE!: GE-JK-FF-ZSW

Diego Ribas, Rodinei e Pedro também compartilharam o seu sentimento de torcida e saudade com a saída de Michael para o futebol árabe. O camisa 10, por exemplo, escreveu o seguinte:

-Muito mais que futebol, é sobre pessoas que com coragem enfrentam as dificuldades, lutam pelos seus sonhos, evoluem e desfrutam da caminhada juntos! Michinha, foi uma honra, meu amigo! Continue voando alto!

Muito mais que futebol, é sobre pessoas que com coragem enfrentam as dificuldades, lutam pelos seus sonhos, evoluem e desfrutam da caminhada juntos! Michinha, foi uma honra, meu amigo! Continue voando alto! pic.twitter.com/UZIiTNS8d5

— Diego Ribas (@ribasdiego10) January 28, 2022

O lateral-direito Rodinei também postou um vídeo, porém o registro foi de uma resenha extrovertida nos bastidores:

Michinha vai fazer falta 🙏🏿🙌🏿 pic.twitter.com/J7wrUfmywq

— Rodinei (@pretinhorodi) January 28, 2022

Também contratado para o início de 2020, Pedro postou o seguinte:

-Sentiremos sua falta.

Todo sucesso do mundo, @michael19real. Sentiremos sua falta 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/U44UiBWHbv

— P9 (@Pedro9oficial) January 28, 2022

> Veja a tabela do Cariocão

Negociado por cerca de R$ 46 milhões, Michael encerrou o último ano o ano como um dos nomes mais decisivos do time, com 19 gols e dez assistências. Ao todo, Michael somou 105 jogos pelo Flamengo, com 23 gols e 14 assistências.

Former Arsenal star Ian Wright showed solidarity with Manchester City's Khadija shaw after she was subjected to vile abuse.

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• Wright backs Shaw after racist attack
• Sent out an X-rated message in support
• Shaw pulled out of Arsenal clash last week

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The City star was subject to vile racist and misogynistic abuse during the club's Women's Super League clash against Arsenal on February 2. The Cityzens were then scheduled to meet the Gunners once again on February 6 in the semi-final of the League Cup, but after the incident, Shaw decided to voluntarily pull out of the game for the sake of her mental well being.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After the incident, City released a statement condemning the behaviour of some Arsenal fans and later that week they confirmed that Shaw had returned to training after taking a brief break. Now Gunners icon Ian Wright has come into the City player's defence as he sent out an X-rated message on Instagram.

• WHAT IAN WRIGHT SAID

  In a long rant on his Instagram story, Write conveyed: "Strength and love to Bunny. Watched Cyril's entire generation go through it and have to take it. Went through it myself with the rest of the brothers, saw the generation after us go through it, then had to watch Marcus, Bukayo, Raheem, Jadon, Pogba etc go through it. Past few days it's Joe Willock, Myles and Bunny going through it. Man's tired. Don't have the fight left to go sit on fucking shows and tables trying to convince or explain or educate these people that it's racism. They do not care. I'm not telling people especially young people that it's going to get better, rather let's get them ready for it because it's coming. 61 big years here and all still the same. And now you bring it up again on shows and start all over again with bringing heat to the people who are the actual victims. F*cking sh*t cycle. It's exhausting man. I've said what I can say and done what I could do."

  IG:@wrightyofficial

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  Gareth Taylor's side will be back in action on Sunday as they take on Liverpool in a crucial WSL fixture at home.

English import Joe Clarke is preparing himself for an unfamiliar role in the upcoming BBL as he is set to be Melbourne Stars’ wicketkeeper for most of the tournament.Stars’ local wicketkeeper Seb Gotch is battling a career-threatening finger injury and is likely to be unavailable for the entire tournament.They had searched far and wide for a wicketkeeping option including big-name overseas players. West Indies wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran did a short stint with Stars last season but was unable to return. The job is set to fall to Clarke who has kept just 11 times in his six-year professional career, and only five times in T20 cricket, all of which were in this year’s PSL for Karachi Kings.Related

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He kept in one County Championship fixture for Nottinghamshire this year and is predominantly a part-timer behind first-choice Tom Moores but Clarke said he is looking forward to the challenge.”Obviously my keeping was something that has sort of been on the on the backburner last couple of years,” Clarke said. “I went to Pakistan to play in the Pakistan Super League and was keeping for that. It’s something that I’m looking forward to doing as well over here.”Clarke will have his hands full keeping to legspinning duo Adam Zampa and Qais Ahmad, but he completed a sharp stumping during one of two practice matches he played in on Tuesday.Coach David Hussey was concerned about the lack of keeping knowledge on his coaching staff and has signed former Australia Test wicketkeeper Peter Nevill as a back-up playing wicketkeeper. Nevill will also be leaned on in a coaching capacity and will assist with Clarke’s preparation. But Clarke was comfortable he would be able to get the preparation work that he needs with Hussey and assistant coach Ben Rohrer.”I’ve really enjoyed working with them so far,” Clarke said. “Although obviously [they] didn’t do too much with keeping in their day, [they] just facilitate with me and do the drills that I do back home and stuff like that and just make me feel as best prepared as I can be.”Hussey has no concerns about Clarke’s batting ability and is keen for him to form a formidable opening partnership with Marcus Stoinis.”Joe Clarke’s been outstanding for Notts for many a year opening the batting,” Hussey told ESPNcricinfo. “So hopefully they gel very, very quickly and they can open the batting and set a nice foundation for our middle order players.”The pair gelled nicely in the afternoon practice game on Tuesday at the Junction Oval against Renegades sharing a 95-run opening stand off 11.4 overs. Clarke made 64 off 40 balls as he rounded off his preparation ahead of his second stint in the BBL.He played three games for Perth Scorchers last summer as an early-season replacement player prior to Jason Roy’s arrival. His 34 off 16 balls against Stars undoubtedly played a part in his recruitment.”I loved it,” Clarke said. “Obviously I would have loved to have played some more games. But just get a taster for the Big Bash and how the competition goes was actually good fun.”