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Arsenal are one of the many clubs looking towards the January transfer window to bolster their squad, as Mikel Arteta aims to keep his title-challenging trajectory going in preparation for the second half of the 2023/24 season.

The Gunners have struggled with injury considerably after just 12 Premier League games played, leaving the manager and Edu in a position to once again consider the depth in quality at the club.

A host of names have been speculated to be of interest to the north Londoners, with a report from the Mirror explaining that Arteta will hope to strengthen his side’s midfield in particular this winter.

Arsenal transfer targets – Joao Neves

According to news in Portugal, Arsenal are one of the clubs to have been ‘seduced’ by Benfica teenager, Joao Neves, who is excelling in defensive midfield in Liga Portugal.

A report from O Jogo, relayed by Paisley Gates, claimed that both the Gunners and Liverpool are impressed by the 19-year-old’s rise to prominence with the Eagles, however, his talents won't be easy to come by.

In January 2022, the Portuguese champions reaped the benefits of selling to English clubs, as Benfica received £106.8m from Chelsea for the signing of Enzo Fernandez, with Neves’ price set to be of a similar calibre.

As relayed by O Jogo, the teenager has a release clause of €120m (£105m), with the club making it clear that such figure is the only price they would allow their starlet to depart for, but why is he worth so much?

What Joao Neves could offer to Arsenal

In the 2023/24 edition of Liga Portugal, no midfielder averages more touches per 90 (97.07) than the Portugal international, and as a player who loves to be on the ball, the defensive maestro has a lot to show for it.

Lauded as a “sensational” asset to his boyhood club by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Neves, with his playing style credited as that of a “box-to-box phenomenon” by talent scout Jacek Kulig in his scouting report of the teen.

Described as a “perfect midfielder” by Kulig, the 2004-born dynamo is hailed for his ability to hold himself in physical battles, as well as staying “one step of the opposition” when it comes to progressing play.

For Arsenal, the signs shown by the youngster make for encouraging viewing, particularly with reference to the individual the Gunners seek to complete their midfield.

After signing Declan Rice in the summer, there was hope that the Englishman could thrive alongside Thomas Partey, however, his Ghanaian counterpart has struggled to stay fit, with rumours also rising to suggest his future in north London is under threat.

Joao Neves

Declan Rice

88.0%

91.2%

7.07

6.96

1.56

1.41

1.80

0.53

3.12

2.11

0.96

1.41

2.16

1.50

1.92

0.97

As portrayed in the table above, Neves could be the perfect suitor to partner the £105m star going forward, with his ability to progress and act as the anchor putting the Benfica starlet in good position to be Rice’s partner in the engine room pivot at the Emirates.

The Tavira-born sensation treasures his strengths in progressing into the final third, as well as being an accomplished tackler, holding the keys to allow the Englishman to roam forward – something that could well take him to the next level as a midfielder.

Kulig stressed that it could be “incredible to think” of just how good the 19-year-old could become, making Arsenal’s reported interest an exciting prospect, as the eye-capturing midfielder continues to showcase his fearless edge in his homeland.

Ange Postecoglou has now heaped praise on a very hard-working young star at Tottenham.

Spurs fixtures and results

The north Londoners look a completely transformed side after the departure of Antonio Conte earlier this year. Postecoglou was appointed to replace the Italian, and while doubts surrounded his appointment initially, it's safe to say the former Celtic boss is putting them all to rest.

Spurs have already won eight Premier League games out of a possible 10 so far this season, remaining unbeaten in that time over the best start ever made by a new manager in the division. The Lilywhites have beaten Bournemouth, Man United, Burnley, Sheffield United, Liverpool, Luton Town, Fulham and Crystal Palace, drawing 2-2 against both Arsenal and Brentford.

This series of impressive results could be bettered against Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea on Monday, and if they were to inflict more pain on their ex-boss, it would be hard to not get excited over the prospect of a Champions League qualification place at least. James Maddison and Son Heung-min have been praised for their deadly new partnership in the attacking areas, while both Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr stand out as unlikely beneficiaries of Postecoglou's new set-up.

Ange praises hardworking Sarr

Speaking ahead of Tottenham's home clash against Chelsea, Spurs' manager held some real praise for Sarr who he says is very hardworking. The 21-year-old youngster has partnered Bissouma regularly in midfield after previously being outcasts under Conte, with Postecoglou now suggesting the sky is the limit for him. Indeed, the midfielder's versatility is also a big plus point, as the Tottenham boss points out just how "enormous" Sarr has been.

"The good thing is that he can run and play all three at once. I think with Pape when you consider his age, it is just his ability to embrace the challenge of playing in a midfield role, particularly for us when it is quite multi-functional in terms of what's needed from him," said Postecoglou on Sarr to the media (via football.london).

"He has this great capacity, for him it's a great strength to just run and provide energy in all different areas. I think just having him there helps because sometimes he is a six, sometimes he is an eight, sometimes he's a 10, sometimes he's a full-back and he does all that with ease, which is not easy to do because it does require some real energy and a really strong work ethic.

"I think as he gets more experienced he'll refine some areas of his game. Sometimes his decision-making is a little rushed but geez, for where he's at in his career, what's providing for us is enormous at the moment."

The Senegal international, according to WhoScored, ranks among Spurs' top ten best-performing players per 90 and has played every single match of their league campaign. Bagging a goal and assist to boot this term, his transformation has been truly brilliant. An FC Metz player just two seasons ago, Sarr is now an established member of Postecoglou's table-topping Tottenham.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright slammed the club's women's side for displaying a soft performance against Chelsea.

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• Wright left 'embarrassed' by kit clash
• Accused Arsenal of being soft against Chelsea
• Chelsea thrashed Arsenal 3-1

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Gunners and England forward was left "embarrassed" by the kit clash of Arsenal and Chelsea that forced a delay of the crucial Women's Super League clash on Friday at Stamford Bridge. Wright also described Arsenal's performance against the Blues as "soft" after they went down 3-1.

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• WHAT IAN WRIGHT SAID

  On X, Wright posted a video of himself analysing the game as he said, "I am just very disappointed watching an Arsenal performance that was soft. No one took the initiative and made anything happen. We lost everything in that game. Everything. No second balls, no challenges, no nothing. We were soft."

  Regarding the sock clash gaffe, Wright had earlier written on X, "Embarrassing this. Ridiculous."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Former England international Karen Carney also spoke about the "embarrassing" kit clash incident as she told Sky Sports, "People make mistakes but the game does not need this and it's frustrating. We've waited so long to talk only about football in the women's game. Clearly it's a human error, a mistake, but it's embarrassing.

  "It's embarrassing for the players and I'm frustrated. This is a massive crowd, a massive game. It's a simple thing, a kit and we have got it wrong. We will move on and have to, but it does not look good for the game. Arsenal this season, off the pitch, have been magnificent, they have led the way in terms of crowds, attendances, marketing, it's just a mistake from them."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  After Friday's loss, the Gunners stay put in third position in the league but are six points behind league leaders Chelsea. They will next take on Aston Villa in the WSL on March 24.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to offer a "magician" of a player around eight-times his current wages to join Ange Postecoglou at Spurs.

Spurs form under Postecoglou

The north Londoners are enjoying one of their best ever starts to a season under Postecoglou, and their most fruitful since the 1960/1961 campaign. Spurs actually won a domestic double that year, prompting real excitement at their drastic change in fortunes since chairman Daniel Levy's new manager arrived from Celtic in June. The Australian has taken everyone by surprise. Postecoglou, speaking to the media recently, also heaped praise on his players for wanting to change the "destiny" of their club.

"I don't think it is fair to compare to last season, and speak about what happened then. It is all credit to the players, the way they have bought into what we are trying to do.

"We are really tight as a group, which you see because not only are we winning games, but apart from the football, which has been good, the resilience we have shown has been great. The players want to change the destiny of this club and that is what they are trying to do on the pitch."

Tottenham's electric form has also motivated praise from some pundits, like a former Arsenal striker and Gunners legend, who said the "underrated" Postecoglou has shocked everyone.

"It’s underrated,” said Ian Wright to Premier League productions recently.

“It’s an underrated effort he is doing, at the minute. Major Ange Postecoglou fans. I remember people saying at the start that ‘he needs to start well’. With the players he has got, you want them to do well and win some games and stuff. But I didn’t expect it to be in the grove it is now and so quickly."

While the Postecoglou hype is well and truly in full flow, there are still suggestions that Tottenham may look to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window. Their lack of depth behind in-form centre-back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven has led to reports that the likes of Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, Juventus star Gleison Bremer, Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly and Bayer Leverkusen star Edmond Tapsoba are being considered as new defensive options.

Brentford's Ivan Toney has been mentioned as a target to potentially replace star striker Harry Kane in 2024, with Postecogolou also reportedly keen to sign a foil for Dejan Kulusevski. The likes of Al-Ittihad winger Jota and Galatasaray star Kerem Akturkoglu are linked, and a new report from Turkey has news on the latter.

Kerem Akturkoglu transfer update

Sharing an Akturkoglu transfer update, FotoSpor suggest that Spurs could now be prepared to offer eight times the midfielder's £5,000-per-week salary to join Postecoglou in north London. This comes after the "magician", as translated in the report, rejected the offer of a new deal at his current club. It is believed an offer could come in from Tottenham to Akturkoglu of around £40,000-per-week, which would dramatically upgrade his current terms.

The 24-year-old, who's currently playing alongside former Lilywhites defender Davinson Sanchez in the Turkish Super Lig, has netted three goals and assisted four others in the top flight alone so far this season. However, Tottenham are not alone in their admiration of Akturkoglu, as West Ham may also consider offering the Turkey international a huge pay rise.

Surrey coach Michael Di Venuto said it would be “mad” not to consider either of the pair if the ECB allowed such a move

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2018Surrey head coach Michael Di Venuto has left the door ajar for David Warner and Steven Smith to play for the county during their ball-tampering bans if the ECB were to permit the pair to be available for the English domestic game.Di Venuto is a former Australia batting coach, having held the role from 2013 to 2016, and said it would be “mad” not to consider signing either of the duo should it be allowed. The bans handed down by Cricket Australia only cover Australian international and domestic cricket, although any position in the county game would need ECB sign-off.”From an Australian perspective, it is probably important that they play a bit of cricket at some stage,” Di Venuto said. “I don’t know if they are allowed to play in this competition. I know what it states in their sanctions that they can’t play domestic cricket in Australia.”If they are in the right mental state to play cricket and the ECB will have to allow it to start with, then we’d be mad not to look at some of the world’s best players potentially playing.”The pair have already lost their IPL deals following the events in Cape Town last month while the third player involved, Cameron Bancroft, who was handed a nine-month ban, had his deal with Somerset scrapped.Surrey had been due to have the services of allrounder Mitchell Marsh but he required ankle surgery following the South Africa tour which scuppered his summer in county cricket. Dean Elgar, the South Africa opening batsman, has been signed for the first two months of the season.”We have got a relationship with Mitch to see how he goes with his ankle but we have got a spot we have got to fill as well,” di Venuto said.

Leeds United continued their mixed start to life back in the Championship with a 0-0 draw away to Hull City on Wednesday night, with the Whites having now won just two of their opening seven league games to leave them two points outside the playoffs.

The Yorkshire giants' hopes of securing a second successive victory were no doubt hampered, however, by the loss of summer signing Joe Rodon to a red card on the hour mark, although the 25-year-old wasn't the only Welshman to have been culpable as Daniel Farke's men failed to clinch a much-needed three points – with Daniel James also failing to impress from the flanks.

How did Dan James perform against Hull City?

The former Manchester United man – who was once part of Hull's academy set-up – was unable to build upon his late cameo appearance in the 3-0 win over Millwall last time out, having teed up Georginio Rutter for his second assist of the season at The Den.

There was to be no such notable contribution this time around, however, as the "headless" speedster – as previously described by pundit Darren Bent – was rather ineffective in his right-wing berth, having been restricted to just 27 touches in total on the night.

The 45-cap international also made just 12 passes in total as a marker of his inability to get on the ball and pose a threat to the hosts' back line, with that tally lower than what both Ryan Allsop and Illan Meslier achieved in either goal, the pair having racked up 43 and 36 passes, respectively.

While James was eventually withdrawn following his compatriot Rodon's dismissal, his woes prior to that were further laid bare by the fact that he won just 50% of his ground duels and was dribbled past on three occasions, hardly helping out Luke Ayling behind him in that right channel.

Such a limp showing from the £50k-per-week menace ensured it was a 'night that made him look like a better option to make an impact off the bench' – as per Leeds Live's Beren Cross – with his 'end product' having been 'lacking', in the words of Yorkshire Evening Post journalist, Graham Smyth.

How has Dan James performed this season?

Prior to yesterday's stalemate, it had proven a relatively promising start to the campaign for the £25m man, with James having made his presence felt after returning from his loan spell at Fulham last term, where he scored three goals in just 23 appearances for the west London side.

Now back at Elland Road, the one-time Shrewsbury Town loanee was particularly impressive in the draw with West Bromwich Albion last month, with Cross writing that it was 'one of his best games for Leeds in a very long time', as he got off the mark with a late assist.

An injury setback subsequently ruled him out for the meetings with Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday, while the diminutive talent only returned off the bench at the weekend, with it having been an unhappy recall to the starting XI against the Tigers.

With Farke blessed with attacking alternatives such as Jaidon Anthony and Crysencio Summerville – the latter man having been described by Cross as 'by far the best attacking outlet on the night' – it would be wise to consider ditching James from the side moving forward, after he simply failed to take his chance.

There is no denying that the winger's "raw pace" is an asset, yet he doesn't appear to have the "knowledge or the know-how" – according to former Leeds man Ian Harte – hence why Farke should look for another solution in those wide berths.

Chelsea and Luton Town have been playing one another on and off for almost 100 years, with the first match taking place back in January 1927. Football FanCast has everything you need to know about this fixture before the Blues host the Hatters tonight in what will be the first time the two sides clash in the Premier League.

While it's still far too early to make any wild assumptions about form going into this weekend's round of fixtures, things are looking much less rosy in West London compared to this time last week. Chelsea followed up their brilliant opening day performance against Liverpool with a tepid 3-1 defeat to West Ham United, a game that saw record-breaking Moises Caicedo concede a penalty on debut.

Things don't look much better for Luton, either. In their first-ever Premier League game, the Hatters fell to a 4-1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. That said, there were glimpses of quality from the league's new boys, but not enough to salvage anything from the match. Their second game – a home tie against Burnley – had to be postponed as Kenilworth Road still requires work to reach League standards.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: After previous matches, what's their head-to-head record?

Chelsea and Luton have met 44 times in all competitions since that first meeting almost a century ago, and unsurprisingly, the Blues have come out on top more often than not. Although, it's closer than most might assume, due in part to many of their clashes coming well before Chelsea's takeover in 2004.

In all, the West Londoners have won almost half of their encounters with the Hatters, while Luton have only just edged out the number of draws.

Chelsea wins: 19 Draws: 12 Luton Town wins: 13 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their record at Stamford Bridge?

When it comes to games in the West End, it's clearly advantage Chelsea. The Blues have hosted Luton 22 times at the Bridge and come out as victors over half the time, with 12 wins under their belt.

On the other hand, Luton have quite the miserable record away from home, having won just four times when making the trip to Chelsea, coming away with a single point six times.

Chelsea wins: 12 Draws: 6 Luton Town wins: 4 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their record at Kenilworth Road?

Home advantage evidently means something to Luton. In their 21 home matches against Chelsea, the Hatters have come out as victors in almost half of them, while the West Londoners have only managed to win as many games as they have drawn when journeying to Bedfordshire.

With the Premier League full of modern, spacious and state-of-the-art stadia, can Luton utilise Kenilworth Road's old-school and claustrophobic nature to get something out of the reverse fixture later in the season?

Chelsea wins: 6 Draws: 6 Luton Town wins: 9 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their record at neutral grounds?

Chelsea and Luton have only met once at a neutral ground, with the majority of their clashes coming in either the league or early rounds of the FA Cup, but this wasn't the case in April 1994 when the pair met at the Old Wembley for an FA Cup Semi-Final.

The Blues were hoping to reach a first FA Cup final since they had last won the competition in 1970. For Luton, it was the opportunity to make a second cup final appearance since their defeat in the 1959 final at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

Ultimately, the West Londoners won out in the end thanks to a brace from Gavin Peacock that saw him score in both halves to deny Luton Town.

Chelsea wins: 1 Draws: 0 Luton Town wins: 0 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their First Division record?

With the Premier League coming into being at the start of the 1992/93 season, Luton Town have actually never played in the competition, having been relegated from the old First Division in the 1991/92 season.

That said, the two clubs have faced off against one another plenty of times in England's top flight over the years, and whilst Chelsea have been the more dominant side overall, the Hatters have given a good account of themselves.

Chelsea have won just under half of the side's clashes in the First Division, with Luton picking up a win in less than a third of their games.

Chelsea wins: 12 Draws: 7 Luton Town wins: 7 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What's their Second Division record?

While the sides have played one another 26 times in England's top flight since 1927, they have also clashed 12 times in the country's second tier, with the most recent example of this coming in May 1982, with Luton winning 2-1.

In fact, the Hatters were the more dominant side when it came to playing in the second tier. In their 12 matches, the Bedfordshire side won five times, while Chelsea only won on three occasions, with the other four games ending in a tie.

Chelsea wins: 3 Draws: 4 Luton Town wins: 5 Chelsea vs Luton Town: Which team has the most goals?

With the fixture generally going the way of Chelsea more often than not, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to hear that they have also outscored their new Premier League rivals over their shared history.

In all competitions, the Pensioners have found the back of the net 73 times when playing against the Hatters. On the other hand, Luton have only been able to respond with 57 goals of their own. That said, there isn't a huge disparity there, and again shows that whilst Chelsea have had the edge in this fixture, it hasn't been totally one-sided throughout.

Chelsea goals: 73 Luton Town goals: 57 Chelsea vs Luton Town: What is Luton Town's biggest win?

Despite losing more games against Chelsea than they have won, Luton have enjoyed some significant wins over their West London opponents over the years, with the biggest coming in December 1976, when the Hatters put four past them to no reply in the old Second Division.

It was a bitterly cold winter's day with snow completely covering the pitch, but with 17,000 fans in the stands, the game kicked off. Lil Fuccillo – now chief scout of Crawley Town – opened the scoring for Luton, with Brian Chambers adding another before 12 minutes had even been played.

Another one from Jimmy Husband and a penalty from Steve Buckley gave the home side the victory.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: What is Chelsea's biggest win?

When it comes to Chelsea's biggest victory over their Bedfordshire opponents, two games share that accolade, and both are again 4-0 scorelines. The first instance came in the very first meeting between the two teams in the 1927 edition of the FA Cup.

The match was held at Stamford Bridge, and as the scoreline suggests, it was a totally one-sided affair. It was 27 year old forward Albert Thain who opened the scoring for the hosts before grabbing another not long after that. It was then the turn of 32 year old Robert Hamilton Turnbull to grab a brace of his own to take the game away from Luton entirely.

The same scoreline would once again emerge from the team's clash at Kenilworth Road exactly 30 years later, in what was the old First Division at the time. Once again, two braces won Chelsea the game, this time with Jim Lewis grabbing two before Ron Tindall did the same.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: What are the recent results?

Across the last five fixtures, it has been pretty much all Chelsea. The most recent match – an FA Cup tie in March 2022 – ended 3-2 to the visiting Blues, thanks to goals from Saul Niguez, Timo Werner, and Romelu Lukaku, all players that have either left the Bridge or have been frozen out.

The game before that – in January 2021 – was another FA Cup match in which the Pensioners emerged as the victors thanks to a hattrick from Cobham graduate Tammy Abraham. However, the three games prior to that one all took place in the early 1990s, and so there isn't a lot we can go off to predict how the two teams will fair this weekend.

Chelsea vs Luton Town: When is it?

Chelsea host the Premier League debutantes tonight, Friday 25th August at 8pm British Summer Time, and while it isn't one of the league's most illustrious fixtures, it could well be a cracker.

Both sides have an enormous amount to play for this year, and with Chelsea's miserable showing against West Ham last week, the Hatters might be able to spring an upset and put more pressure on Mauricio Pochettino before his tenure truly gets underway.

There is also the chance that the Argentine could give new £115m man Caicedo his full debut on Friday night, and after his personal contribution to the defeat against the Irons, he'll want to lay down a marker as well.

Rob Edwards will also have a new signing of his own, as Ross Barkley could be given his debut against his former club, having joined the side on a one-year deal just a couple of weeks ago.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva, na tarde desta segunda-feira, julgou o atacante Jô, do Corinthians, por conta de uma suposta agressão ao zagueiro Diego Costa, do São Paulo, em clássico que ocorreu no fim do último mês. Por maioria de votos, o órgão decidiu desclassificar a denúncia da procuradoria para “ato hostil” e puniu o centroavante corintiano com duas partidas.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansSúmula relata xingamentos de Vilson após derrota do CorinthiansCorinthians14/09/2020CorinthiansCorinthians repudia intimidação de torcedores ao elenco em aeroportoCorinthians14/09/2020CorinthiansElenco do Corinthians volta a SP sob protesto de torcedores em aeroportoCorinthians14/09/2020

Jô foi denunciado por praticar agressão física, infração prevista no artigo 254-A do Código Brasileiro de Justiça Desportiva, que geraria uma punição de quatro a 12 jogos, no entanto o relator do caso pediu a desclassificação para o artigo 250, que se refere a ato hostil, prevendo sanção de uma a quatro partidas.

A denúncia e a desclassificação foram acolhidas por maioria dos votos, já que um dos votantes pediu a absolvição do atleta. Já a quantidade de jogos na punição também foi decidida por maioria de votos, que definiu uma sanção de duas partidas ao ídolo alvinegro. Um auditor chegou a pedir punição de apenas um jogo e que ela fosse convertida para apenas uma advertência.

Pesou a favor de Jô a falta de imagens mais conclusivas para a análise do lance. Segundo os auditores, não fica claro que o atacante desferiu um soco em Diego Costa. Além disso, foi considerado na atribuição dessa pena o fato de o corintiano não ser reincidente nem ter um passado que o condene.

Com a sanção de dois jogos, Jô vai desfalcar o Corinthians nos duelos com o Bahia, na próxima quarta-feira, pela 11ª rodada do Brasileirão-2020, e no dia 23 de setembro (quarta-feira da próxima semana), diante do Sport, fora de casa, pela 12ª rodada. Diante do desfalque de Boselli, por lesão, Dyego Coelho pode não ter centroavantes de ofício para escalar nessas duas partidas que virão.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians teve dificuldades para empatar com o Botafogo, neste sábado, na renomeada Neo Química Arena. O gol de Jô, que decretou o 2 a 2, saiu já aos 48 minutos do 2º tempo, garantindo ao menos um ponto para a equipe paulista. O atacante já havia carimbado a trave em uma outra oportunidade.

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Com o tento anotado, Jô se isolou como o 4º maior artilheiro do Corinthians na história do Campeonato Brasileiro, com 34 gols. O camisa 77 deixou para trás ninguém menos do que Neto, ídolo do clube e campeão brasileiro em 1990, que marcou 33 vezes. Confira o top 10:

MAIORES ARTILHEIROS DO CORINTHIANS NA HISTÓRIA DO BRASILEIRO

1º – Marcelinho Carioca – 52 gols em 127 jogos
2º – Sócrates – 41 gols em 59 jogos
3º – Geraldão – 35 gols em 112 jogos
4º – Jô – 34 gols em 122 jogos
5º – Neto – 33 gols em 88 jogos
6º – Gil – 31 gols em 134 jogos
7º – Luizão – 29 gols em 42 jogos
8º – Casagrande – 28 gols em 97 jogos
9º – Jadson – 27 gols em 136 jogos
10º – Rivelino – 26 gols em 66 jogos

Jake Ball has earned a white-ball contract but fellow pace bowlers Wood and Steven Finn have both slipped down the pecking order

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-20171:12

The winners and losers from England’s contract shake-up

Ben Stokes and Alex Hales have been retained on England’s list of contracted players for 2017-18, in spite of their current unavailability for selection in the wake of Stokes’ arrest in Bristol last month.Stokes’ inclusion among five players to have been handed both Test and white-ball contracts comes as it was announced that he would not be on the plane to Australia “as it stands” although a final decision on taking any part on the tour will be made once the police decide their course of action.Although he was retained as England’s vice-captain after being named in the squad two weeks ago, the ECB are still awaiting the outcome of an investigation by Avon and Somerset Police before they confirm the length of his absence.The notable absentee from the eight players who have been handed Test contracts is the Durham fast bowler, Mark Wood, precisely the type of explosive but injury-prone cricketer that the contracts system might have been designed to protect. However, having missed out on selection for England’s Ashes party, he has instead been downgraded to a white-ball contract.ECB contracts

Test match
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
ODI/T20
Moeen Ali, Jake Ball, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, Liam Plunkett, Joe Root, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Incremental
Toby Roland-Jones

Wood returned to action at the start of the 2017 season after a third operation on his troublesome left ankle, and bowled with pace and impact throughout England’s early-season 50-over campaigns, including their run to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy.However, he was notably less effective on his return to Test cricket after an 18-month absence against South Africa in July, when he claimed a solitary wicket in two Tests before succumbing to a bruised heel – caused, he said, by the failure to insert the correct insoles into a new pair of bowling boots.He will, however, remain on the fringes of England’s Ashes plans, having been selected for the Lions squad that will shadow the main party in November and December, and could yet come back into the reckoning if he can prove his fitness during a two-week camp in Brisbane in the build-up to the first Test at the Gabba on November 23.Steven Finn, who had a Test contract last year, has also slipped off the list although has been added to the Ashes squad as a replacement for Stokes.Toby Roland-Jones, who missed out on the Ashes tour after suffering a stress fracture of his back at the end of the season, has earned an incremental contract. He took 17 wickets at 19.64 in his four Tests against South Africa and West Indies.Jake Ball, the Nottinghamshire pace bowler, has been handed his first contract after earning a white-ball deal. Ball took 5 for 51 on his ODI debut against Bangladesh and was part of the Champions Trophy squad but has conceded more than 80 runs four times in his 16-match career, including 1 for 94 in his most recent outing against West Indies at The Ageas Bowl.England’s squad for the one-day series against Australia in January will be named in November.