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Leeds United are in the market to land a new winger to replace Crysencio Summerville before the summer transfer window slams shut at the end of this month.

The Whites cashed in on the Dutch wizard, who moved to Premier League side West Ham United, and are now looking at players who could come in to bolster Daniel Farke's options out wide.

One player who does not look set to end up at Elland Road, though, is Norwich forward Jonathan Rowe. Marseille are reportedly poised to agree an £8m deal to sign the England U21 international amid interest from Leeds.

That news could force Farke to look elsewhere to find a new winger to come in and take Summerville's spot in the team on the left flank, and that could open the door to a swoop for one of the club's other reported targets in that position.

Leeds' interest in Dutch forward

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Whites are one of the teams eyeing up a swoop to sign NEC Nijmegen forward Sontje Hansen this summer.

It was claimed that Leeds and Birmingham City are both keen on a potential deal to sign the 22-year-old forward before the window slams shut.

However, the Dutch side are in a strong position with his contract, as he is not in the final 12 months of his deal, and that means that they can demand a sizeable fee, although the report did not mention an exact price.

Leeds could now repeat the masterclass they played with the initial signing of Summerville by swooping to land Hansen to bolster their wide options.

Why Hansen could be Summerville 2.0

In the summer of 2020, the West Yorkshire outfit moved to sign the right-footed Dutch left winger from Feyenoord on a permanent basis, after he had produced two goals and six assists in 21 appearances for ADO Den Haag on loan in the Eredivisie during the 2019/20 campaign.

Leeds gambled on him being able to make the step over to English football and to develop further, and it was one that paid off big time, as Summerville produced 19 goals and nine assists in the Championship last term.

Hansen could now follow in his footsteps as another right-footed Dutch left winger who can chip in with both goals and assists on a regular basis, if he can take his game to the next level.

23/24 Eredivisie

Sontje Hansen

Starts

25

xG

3.72

Goals

6

Big chances missed

4

Big chances created

7

Assists

4

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the 22-year-old whiz caught the eye as a finisher with six goals from 3.72 xG and as a creator with seven 'big chances' created for NEC last season.

The £5.9k-per-week star, who was once lauded as "prolific" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, produced more goals and more assists than Summerville did in the Eredivisie before his move to Elland Road.

He also impressed at youth level for Ajax earlier in his career, with 21 goals and 13 assists in 58 appearances for the Dutch giants' academy.

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This suggests that the potential could still be there for Hansen to take a leap in his development to become a regular provider of goals and assists from a left wing position at Leeds, which is why the club could repeat their Summerville masterclass by bringing him to England.

Next season, Everton will be hoping to build on what ended up being a good campaign during the 2023/24 season. The Toffees finished 15th in the Premier League, after a relegation battle the previous term.

Their eventual tally of 40 points was enough to keep them clear of Luton in 18th place, who finished on just 26 points. Not only that, Sean Dyche’s side survived the drop having had eight points deducted for two separate breaches of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Had they not had those eight points taken away, they would have finished in 12th.

It has already been a busy summer for the Toffees, with two permanent deals through the door. The first was Aston Villa youngster Tim Iroegbunam, who signed for a fee of £9m. They then signed Iliman Ndiaye from French side Marseille, paying the former Champions League winners £15m to acquire his services.

With many more deals still to complete at Goodison Park, the Toffees have recently been linked with another Premier League player to add quality depth to their squad.

Everton target Premier League midfielder

The player in question here is Chelsea and French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. The 20-year-old has only been at Stamford Bridge for a year but did not feature much, and has now been linked with a move away from the club.

According to a report from French outlet Foot Mercato, Everton are one of the sides who are 'among this list of suitors' for Ugochukwu this summer.

However, they are not alone in their interest of the youngster, with an unspecified amount of unnamed clubs from around Europe, including one from Ligue 1, are also interested in acquiring his services.

At this stage, a loan deal seems like the most likely outcome for the young midfielder. However, if Everton or another club were to have a buy clause inserted into the deal, it could be anywhere from £12m upwards, given that is his value according to Football Transfers.

Why Ugochukwu would be a good signing

The young Frenchman’s involvement under Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge last season was sparse. This is partly due to a lack of game time, but also a hamstring injury that kept him out for 30 games. In total, the youngster only played 12 matches in the Premier League.

Should they sign Ugochukwu this summer, Everton could view him as the replacement for Amadou Onana, who is set to depart the club and join Aston Villa for £50m, as confirmed by David Ornstein. The young midfielder is certainly talented; football talent scout Jacek Kulig compared him to Patrick Vieira, as well as calling him an “absolute monster in the making”.

The young Frenchman, who will be at the Olympic Games under the tutelage of Thierry Henry, is a wonderful ball winner. He stands at 6 foot 2, just slightly smaller than the 6 foot 3 Onana, and like the Belgian, is able to use his frame to his advantage, overpowering players on the ball to dispossess them.

This is also reflected in his FBref stats, for which Ugochukwu’s 2022/23 seasonal numbers have been used. That tern, the youngster made 3.85 combined tackles and interceptions, compared to Onana’s 3.97 per 90 minutes. He is not afraid to put his body on the line, and this shows in his 1.62 blocks made each game, with Onana averaging slightly fewer, specifically 1.08.

However, the soon-to-be Villa midfielder also brings great quality on the ball as well as being a superb ball-winner. Last season, Belgium international averaged 4.61 progressive passes and 4.40 passes into the final third per 90. Luckily for Everton, the Frenchman also possesses quality on the ball. He averaged 3.38 progressive passes and 2.91 passes into the final third per 90 minutes.

One area Ugochukwu trumps Onana is his take-ons. The 20-year-old averages 0.95 successful take-ons, with a 63.6% success rate, whereas Onana averages a great deal fewer, completing 0.52 each game with a 44.4% success rate.

In terms of an Onana replacement, Everton might not have to look any further than Ugochukwu this summer. He has a similar frame to the Belgian, and is just as capable of a ball-winner without losing much, if any, quality on the ball. Whilst it is a blow losing their main destroyer in midfield, replacing him with the 20-year-old Frenchman would be a superb piece of business.

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Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf, who is known for his pace, has said he can’t afford to be “predictable”. Rauf believes the amount of cricket that is played requires him to keep evolving around the stock balls and variations in pace, and said he wouldn’t like to tone down his “natural” aggression.”I have a clear mindset with my pace and 140+ [kph] is my average speed,” Rauf said at a press conference held on Monday. “But with Waqar Younis [Pakistan’s bowling coach], I think he is all in for pace, [and he] keeps on empathising [with me] while making me work on my line and length. There are so many things I am learning from him – like bowling yorkers using the crease, and he was best at it.”I understand these days [with] the kind of cricket being played, I can’t be predictable with my pace. You obviously have to keep on evolving with the other stocks. Bowling with pace is okay, but bowling slower ones with different lines are the points of discussion with Waqar . I am learning in practice and applying in games.”Rauf’s aggression while bowling has also often been a talking point – he became a subject of criticism for his controversial throat-slicing wicket celebration in the BBL last year – and exuberant celebrations have at times seen him part with some of his match fee.”Aggression is important as a fast bowler and it comes naturally,” Rauf said. “I am not wearing it, it’s just there and I play with it. Sometimes I react, because as a bowler you get hurt when you concede a boundary. It’s not like I am unhappy with the batsman, but it’s basically something that I am not happy with myself.”It’s how a fast bowler works; it’s just natural. I am happy the way my career is being worked out and I want to be remembered as a renewed fast bowler who has done well for this country. I am fully focused on my cricket and performances.”Rauf can regularly touch the 150kph mark, with his sheer pace catching the eye of the PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars in their player-hunt program. His development became a success story instantly when he signed a BBL contract with the Melbourne Stars last year, for whom he grabbed 20 wickets in ten games, including 5 for 27 against the Hobart Hurricanes and a hat-trick against the Sydney Thunder. His elevation was quick and unorthodox, not having climbed the usual ladder of the domestic set-up.Rauf’s abilities were only discovered in 2018 by which time he was 25. A T20 specialist, he has so far played 52 T20s and taken 78 wickets at 19.37. His form led to a surprise call-up to the Pakistan side for the home T20Is against Bangladesh this January, and even made his debut in the first game in Lahore. Since then, he hasn’t missed any of Pakistan’s T20Is, having played all eight games and picked up 11 wickets at 23.63. With that success, his ODI debut also followed this season in the first match against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi.But despite his pace, Rauf says he doesn’t want to be a one-dimensional fast bowler. “Pace is always a requirement in international cricket, and all I want is to maintain my pace and never let it go down,” he said. “That is one thing where you always have a chance against any good batsman in the world and give him a tough time.”He is presently with the Pakistan team in New Zealand, training and making most out of the time during the 14-day quarantine period. Though Rauf has never played in New Zealand before, he is relying on the inputs provided by Younis when it comes to assessing the New Zealand pitches. He also quashed any sense of under-preparedness with the side having to deal with an extended quarantine, instead saying he got enough practice during their available sessions to work on his skills, while also discussing about the pitches and the conditions.”I obviously haven’t played cricket in New Zealand, but Waqar is there with all the experience to guide me,” he said. “I played some cricket in Australia last year [during the 2019-20 BBL], and pitches [here] are similar [to Australia]. [They] help pacers, but conditions [in New Zealand] are definitely cold. Following the time in quarantine, we all had a good training session and [also] three scenario-based matches in Queenstown.”[The] time [available] wasn’t as much as we [were] supposed to get, but we tried to squeeze everything within what we got and made sure we covered everything. New Zealand is a good team playing at home in their own conditions, but you will see a competitive series. I know their players… how well they play at home. But we also have a good history playing in New Zealand. We did well in the past and have the capacity to do well this time too.”

So many great players have helped Germany's most successful club stay at the top in the past quarter-century, but how many will go down as legends?

Bayern Munich have won 42 trophies since the turn of the millennium, including 17 Bundesliga titles and 10 DFB Pokals. They have set extraordinary new standards of dominance in Germany, while also lifting the Champions League three times, enhancing their status as one of the biggest clubs in world football.

In the 20th century, Bayern were blessed with world-class players such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Paul Breitner and Lothar Matthaus – all of whom played vital roles in building a lasting dynasty. They set the bar impossibly high, but new heroes have emerged over the last 25 years to ensure that Bayern have continued to reach the same giddy heights.

These players have embraced the club's 'Mia san Mia' ('We are who we are') motto with every fibre of their being. Talent can get you through the door, but only those with an iron-strong will and insatiable hunger to win leave a lasting mark at the Allianz Arena.

GOAL has thus ranked the top 25 Bayern players of the 21st century so far who fit into that bracket, including some who are still building their legacies in Bavaria…

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty25Mehmet Scholl

Mehmet Scholl earned a cult following at Bayern across his 15 trophy-laden years at the club, with many of his best performances coming in the second half of his career. An elegant playmaker who could dribble past any defender and had ice in his veins in front of goal, Scholl made everything on the pitch look easy.

The former Germany international was also a wizard from free-kicks, and always showed fierce loyalty to Bayern even when attracting attention from just about every top club in Europe. Bayern probably wouldn't have won four of the first six Bundesliga titles of the 21st century without Scholl, who also racked up seven goal contributions during their run to the 2000-01 Champions League crown.

AdvertisementGetty24Stefan Effenberg

Steffen Effenberg qualified for this list despite only being on Bayern's books for two years in this century, which is a testament to the colossal impact he had at the club in a relatively short period. Controversy off the pitch overshadowed Effenberg's career somewhat, but on it, he was a fierce competitor and a natural leader. The tough-tackling midfielder also boasted an underrated passing range, and had a penchant for the spectacular, often demonstrating immaculate ball-striking skills.

Bayern could always count on Effenberg in the most crucial moments, including in the 2001 Champions League final against Valencia, when he coolly converted a penalty to level the scoreline and ultimately set his team up to go on a clinch the trophy. As former Bayern boss Omar Hitzfeld once said: "When others are looking for a hiding place, that's when Effenberg steps forward."

Getty23Harry Kane

Harry Kane showed great courage to leave his Tottenham comfort zone and head to Bayern in August 2023. The England captain put the chance to win silverware ahead of potentially breaking the all-time Premier League goal record, embracing a whole new culture and lifestyle to make it happen.

Bayern finally found their replacement for Robert Lewandowski, and Kane more than lived up to his €100 million (£84m/$109m) price tag in his first season, scoring 44 goals in 45 appearances across all competitions to land the European Golden Shoe. Unfortunately, though, Kane's brilliance couldn't prevent Bayern from slumping to their first trophy-less season in 12 years.

Kane was unfairly made a scapegoat after struggling in the biggest matches, but he carried Bayern's charge on domestic and European fronts almost single-handedly. The 31-year-old has picked up from where he left off in 2024-25, and it won't be long before he finally breaks his trophy curse, because it's impossible for Bayern to keep failing with the world's most complete striker leading the line.

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Getty22Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso is best known for his spells at Liverpool and Real Madrid, as he won the Champions League with both clubs while establishing himself as an elite midfielder. But the former Spain international spent the final three years of his career at Bayern Munich after getting a call from Pep Guardiola, and oozed class in a conductor role for the German giants.

Everything went through Alonso as Bayern followed the same 'tiki-taka' philosophy that had garnered so much success for Guardiola at Barcelona. In a 2-0 win over Koln on September 14, 2014, Alonso smashed the record for the most touches in a Bundesliga game (204), and he was the unsung hero behind Bayern three successive title wins under Guardiola.

"I was so lucky to have him in Munich," Guardiola admitted after Alonso announced his retirement in 2017. "One of the best midfielders I've ever seen in my life." Bayern didn't have Alonso in his prime, but that just makes the influence he had all the more remarkable.

تحدث حمادة عبد اللطيف لاعب الزمالك السابق، عن فوز الأبيض في مباراة اليوم أمام الاتحاد السكندري، التي انتهت بالفوز بثنائية دون رد، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري.

والتقى الزمالك مع الاتحاد السكندري، مساء اليوم، على استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار مباريات الجولة السابعة لمسابقة الدوري الممتاز.

وقال حمادة عبد اللطيف في تصريحات عبر قناة “الزمالك”: “الشوط الثاني كان ممتعاً لوجود قائد اسمه عبد الله السعيد يجب أن يحصل على حقه، هو أسطورة ومن أساطير كرة القدم في مصر لاعب على أعلى مستوى، ومباراة بعد مباراة يثبت أنه ترمومتر الزمالك.

طالع أيضاً.. رجل مباراة الزمالك والاتحاد السكندري في الدوري المصري

وتابع: “الهدف الأول يدل على كرة الزمالك والمتعة، سعيد بـ أداء اللاعبين والروح المتواجدة، نريد مزيداً من الانتصارات، نريد الزمالك في المقدمة والبطل، اللاعبون أدوا ما عليهم وسعيد بذلك، عودة مدرسة الفن والهندسة”.

وأتم: “الزمالك تسيد الشوط الثاني أمام الاتحاد وكان من الممكن أن يسجل أهدافاً أكثر من ذلك”.

Liverpool are plotting a bid for Borussia Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi as the Reds prepare for life without Mohamed Salah.

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Liverpool scouts watching AdeyemiWinger seen as possible Salah successorReds could offer €50m for himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Adeyemi has impressed since joining Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg in 2022 and is in fine form this season. His hat-trick in Tuesday's 7-1 win against Celtic in the Champions League took his tally up to five goals in eight matches.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Liverpool have sent scouts to monitor the 22-year-old winger several times and are prepared to pay around €50 million (£42m/$55m) to bring him to the Premier League, according to The Merseyside club could see star forward Salah leave next summer when his contract expires, and view the Germany international as a possible replacement.

DID YOU KNOW?

Salah has indicated he will not sign an extension and that this will be his last season with the Reds, though his agent recently hit out at claims surrounding a possible transfer for the Egypt star. Adeyemi is not the only player Liverpool have identified as a possible successor, with Christian Pulisic said to be on their radar.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Salah already has eight goals in five games so far this season and the 32-year-old will hope to improve on that record when Arne Slot's team meet Bologna in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Keep track of all the BBL player movement ahead of the new season

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2020Adelaide StrikersLast season KnockoutCoach Jason GillespieSquad Danny Briggs (Eng), Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Travis Head, Spencer Johnson, Rashid Khan (Afg), Michael Neser, Harry Nielsen, Liam O’Connor, Matt Renshaw, Phil Salt (Eng), Liam Scott, Matt Short, Peter Siddle, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald, Daniel Worrall, Jon WellsIn Danny Briggs, Spencer Johnson, Matt Renshaw (Heat), Liam Scott, Daniel Worrall (Stars)
Out Jake Lehmann, Billy Stanlake (Stars), Cameron White, Nick Winter (Hurricanes)Brisbane HeatLast season 7thCoach Darren LehmannSquad Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Max Bryant, Joe Burns, Tom Cooper, Lewis Gregory (Eng), Sam Heazlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Ben Laughlin, Dan Lawrence (Eng), Chris Lynn, Simon Milenko, Morne Morkel, Jimmy Peirson, Lachlan Pfeffer, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afg), Mark Steketee, Connor Sully, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Matthew Willans, Jack WoodIn Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Tom Cooper (Renegades), Lewis Gregory, Dan Lawrence, Simon Milenko (Hurricanes), Morne Morkel (Scorchers), Lachlan Pfeffer, Connor Sully, Jack Wildermuth (Renegades), Matthew Willans, Jack Wood
Out Ben Cutting (Thunder), Josh Lalor (Renegades), Zahir Khan (Stars), Matt Renshaw (Strikers), James Pattinson (Renegades), Jack Prestwidge (Renegades), AB de Villiers, Tom Banton, Cameron Gannon (Scorchers)Hobart HurricanesLast season EliminatorCoach Adam GriffithSquad Scott Boland, Johan Botha, Tim David, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, James Faulkner, Peter Handscomb, Colin Ingram (SA), Will Jacks (Eng), Caleb Jewell, Sandeep Lamichhane (Nep), Dawid Malan (Eng), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, David Moody, Mitch Owen, Tim Paine, Wil Parker, Keemo Paul (WI), D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Nick Winter, Mac WrightIn Johan Botha, Tim David (Scorchers), Peter Handscomb (Stars), Sandeep Lamichhane (Stars), Colin Ingram, Will Jacks, Dawid Malan, Mitch Owen, Tim Paine, Wil Parker, Keemo Paul, Nick Winter (Strikers)
Out George Bailey, Jarod Freeman, Simon Milenko (Heat), David Miller, Qais Ahmad, Tom Rogers (Sixers), Clive Rose, Aaron SummersMelbourne RenegadesLast season 8thCoach Michael KlingerSquad Noor Ahmad (Afg), Cameron Boyce, Brody Couch, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Peter Hatzoglou, Jon Holland, Benny Howell (Eng), Josh Lalor, Shaun Marsh, Mohammad Nabi (Afg), James Pattinson, Mitch Perry, Jack Prestwidge, Kane Richardson, Rilee Rossouw (SA), Will Sutherland, Imran Tahir (SA), Imad Wasim (Pak), Beau WebsterIn Noor Ahmad, Brody Couch, Benny Howell, Peter Hatzoglou, Josh Lalor (Heat), James Pattinson (Heat), Mitch Perry, Jack Prestwidge (Heat), Rilee Rossouw, Imran Tahir, Imad Wasim
Out Dan Christian (Sixers), Tom Cooper (Strikers), Jack Wildermuth (Heat), Harry Gurney, Richard Gleeson, Joe Mennie, Samit Patel, Andrew Fekete, Tom Andrews, Brayden Stepien, Nathan McSweeneyMelbourne StarsLast season Runners upCoach David HusseySquad Hilton Cartwright, Jackson Coleman, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Dunk, Andre Fletcher (WI), Seb Gotch, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Dilbar Hussain (Pak), Zahir Khan (Afg), Nick Larkin, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jono Merlo, Lance Morris, Tom O’Connell, Nicholas Pooran (WI), Will Pucovski, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Adam ZampaIn Andre Fletcher, Liam Hatcher (Thunder), Nicholas Pooran, Billy Stanlake (Strikers), Will Pucovski, Zahir Khan (Heat)
Out Peter Handscomb (Hurricanes), Daniel Worrall (Strikers), Haris Rauf, Sandeep Lamichhane (Hurricanes)Perth ScorchersLast season 6thCoach Adam VogesSquad Ashton Agar, Fawad Ahmed, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Joe Clarke (Eng), Cameron Gannon, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Liam Livingstone (Eng), Mitchell Marsh, Colin Munro (NZ), Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Jhye Richardson, Jason Roy (Eng), Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam WhitemanIn Joe Clarke, Cameron Gannon (Heat), Colin Munro, Jason Roy
Out Tim David (Hurricanes), Liam Guthrie, Nick Hobson, Chris Jordan, Jaron Morgan, Morne Morkel (Heat)Sydney SixersLast season ChampionsCoach Greg ShippardSquad Sean Abbott, Jake Ball (Eng), Nick Bertus, Carlos Brathwaite (WI), Jackson Bird, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Moises Henriques, Jason Holder (WI), Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Ben Manenti, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Steve O’Keefe, Josh Philippe, Lloyd Pope, Tom Rogers, Gurinder Sandhu, Jordan Silk, Mitchell Starc, James Vince (Eng)In Jake Ball, Nick Bertus, Carlos Brathwaite, Dan Christian (Renegades), Jason Holder, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Tom Rogers (Hurricanes), Gurinder Sandhu (Thunder) Mitchell Starc
Out Tom Curran, Daniel Fallins, Josh Hazlewood, Steven SmithSydney ThunderLast season ChallengerCoach Shane BondSquad Sam Billings (Eng), Jonathan Cook, Ben Cutting, Oliver Davies, Brendan Doggett, Callum Ferguson, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales (Eng), Baxter Holt, Usman Khawaja, Nathan McAndrew, Adam Milne (NZ), Arjun Nair, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Chris TremainIn Sam Billings, Ben Cutting (Heat), Baxter Holt, Adam Milne
Out Liam Bowe, Jay Lenton, Chris Morris, Gurinder Sandhu (Sixers)

New South Wales coach Phil Jaques believes splitting the Sheffield Season between two types of balls was a good way of challenging the players to improve.Since 2016-17, the second half of the season played after the Big Bash had used a variation of the Dukes as part of Cricket Australia’s plans to give players more exposure to that type of ball ahead of last year’s Ashes where the urn was retained in England for the first time since 2001.Now the season will again be played with the Kookaburra throughout although the manufacturer has made some small tweaks and the feedback from the altered version which was trialled last season was positive.ALSO READ: Cricket Australia spin chief: Sheffield Shield pitches, not the ball, need to change“I think it’s created some good competition among the manufactures, and from a skills perspective for the players, it’s a good thing to have exposure to different things,” Jaques told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s been a really worthwhile experiment. CA have made the decision to go to one ball which will give the players some continuity but from a coach’s perspective, I thought the contest with the Dukes was also good and brought different skillset.”I didn’t mind having a slightly different ball for half a season, it’s good to keep stretching your players. But we’ve gone with the Kookaburra and the improvements they’ve made this year with the feedback they had has put them in good stead to be a better contest as well.”One of the reasons given for the return to the Kookaburra throughout the season is an attempt to bring more spin back into the Sheffield Shield although their numbers with the Dukes overall were marginally better than with the Kookaburra but the volume of overs had become an issue. The broader theme emerging about how to boost spin bowling is that it will come down to the nature of the surfaces. At the moment, only the Shield pitches used in Sydney offer much encouragement to spinners.”I’m sure the spinners around the country would like to play a greater role, from a development perspective it’s important that they do,” Jaques said. “I think it’s important that the New South Wales wickets always spin because otherwise there will be no wickets that really turn and when we do go to the subcontinent or anywhere else where it spins, the players don’t have the exposure to it. I’d personally like to see a bit more exposure to spinning wickets around the country but the make-up at the moment it’s how it is.”ALSO READ: All the Australian state squads for the 2020-21 seasonNew South Wales’ spin department, which includes Nathan Lyon when not on Australia duty, will have a new look this season with the retired Steve O’Keefe replaced by Adam Zampa after his move from South Australia while offspinner Arjun Nair has a rookie contract along with 18-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha.Zampa has spoken about a major part of the move being to revitalise his first-class career to push for a Test cap but there won’t be an open door to the starting XI. “We had an informal chat about where he wants to head and how he sees himself,” Jaques said. “From my perspective, there’re certainly opportunities for him to achieve what he wants to. He’s come to state on no promises, like everyone else he’ll have to earn his position and Adam’s very much up for that and wants to progress his game.”New South Wales secured the Sheffield Shield in strange circumstances back in March when the season was curtailed due to Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown meant there was no squad celebration.”We are planning to do something. We’ll certainly celebrate it,” Jaques said. “You don’t get the opportunity to win a Sheffield Shield that often so think it’s important that we recognize it then we work really hard towards building a sustainable, successful team.”