Zak Crawley settles the nerves as he bounces back from Perth pair

Opener produces vital half-century to help revive England from another wobbly start

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2025After their combined tally of eight runs in four innings at Perth, it proved to be a day of revived fortunes at the Gabba for two of the most scrutinised batters in England’s ranks. While Joe Root secured the plaudits for his magnificent maiden century on Australian soil, Zak Crawley’s bounce-back from a first-Test pair proved a similarly cathartic display.Though he fell when well set, gloving a pull off Michael Neser shortly after the first interval, his 76 from 93 balls was nonetheless a crucial contribution, coming as it did after his first-Test nemesis Mitchell Starc had again struck hard with the new ball, dismissing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope for ducks in his first two overs.Crawley, by then, had already driven Starc through the covers for four, to bring up his first runs of the series, and he carried on in a similar vein, picking off a total of 11 boundaries, the majority coming when Australia’s bowlers strayed into his arc.”I did feel good, to be honest,” Crawley told TNT Sports at the close of the first day’s play. “I felt much better than Perth. I was just trying to keep it simple, just trying to score straight on the leg side, and then if it was really full, maybe on the off side. Yeah, I was happy with my knock.”Crawley’s relative watchfulness outside off was the key feature of his innings, and a tribute to the hours in the nets that England have put in (in between some notable moments of downtime) since their two-day defeat in the series opener.”I think it’d have felt a long break if I’d have got two hundreds, to be honest,” he said. “It was big old gap after a two-day game. But yeah, it’s a good chance to get some practice in. And I felt comfortable. I felt calm today, and managed to settle the nerves. So I was pleased with how I played.”I had a clear plan and I stuck to it. There were still a couple of loose shots in there, as I tend to do, but got away with them, and I played nicely down the ground as well. By trying to score on the leg side, that made me leave a bit better outside off with the extra bounce today, and then when I got in, the ball started doing a bit less.”England’s close-of-play score of 325 for 9 looked significantly more healthy thanks to an unbeaten tenth-wicket stand of 61 between Root, who finished unbeaten on 135, and Jofra Archer, whose 32 not out was his highest Test score, in just his second innings at No.11.Until Australia have batted, it will be hard to tell how good that score actually is, but after the groundstaff had given the pitch a final trim to 3mm of grass before the match, Crawley knew it had been a good toss for England to win, notwithstanding their early collapse to 5 for 2.Related

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“The last few days, it’s been really green here. So we all thought it’s going to be a green nipper again. And they obviously shaved it this morning, so it looked like a great wicket to bat on, with the overheads as well.”I was gutted to get out when I did, the pitch was just getting a bit flatter there,” he added. “But obviously we finished the day well with Rooty and Jof at the end there. So it’s good day.”At 264 for 9 with approximately half an hour of the day remaining, there had been some speculation that England might declare to insert Australia under the lights, much as they had done in their previous pink-ball Test against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui two years ago. But with Root going strong, and with memories of England’s infamous declaration at Edgbaston in 2023, Crawley said a repeat scenario had not been on the cards.”No talk of declaring,” he said. “We were talking about boys going really hard, and if they got out, then it was kind of a win-win situation. So they went hard, and they came off, and there’s a valuable 50 runs there for us.”Root will be on strike when day two gets underway, and will have the chance to extend England’s innings into the morning session, with six overs to come until the new ball is due. For now, though, he will have a chance to savour a significant landmark in his career, and one that may just confirm his credentials as England’s greatest Test batter.”I’m chuffed for him,” Crawley said, after Root’s 40th Test hundred and his first in Australia. “He hasn’t been speaking about it at all to us, that’s just the outside noise. He’s just very focused on just getting whatever score is needed on the day, and proved to be a hundred today.”But he’s the best player I’ve ever played with, or probably against as well. And he’s a champion bloke. I’m chuffed to bits for him.”

موعد والقنوات الناقلة لمباراة تونس وسوريا اليوم في كأس العرب 

يستعد منتخب تونس لمواجهة نظيره سوريا، في دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب قطر 2025. 

وتنطلق بطولة كأس العرب اليوم الإثنين وتستمر حتى 18 من شهر ديسمبر الجاري في الأراضي القطرية الدوحة.

ويقع تونس في المجموعة الأولى في مجموعات كأس العرب رفقة منتخبات قطر وسوريا وفلسطين. 

طالع.. أحمد حسن عن أزمة أحمد عاطف: اللاعب أساء لنفسه.. وتصريحاته غير مبرّرة

يذكر، أن هذه النسخة هي الثالثة في تاريخ البطولة، حيث سبق وأقيمت بطولة كأس العرب في موسمي 1998، و2021. 

ومن المقرر ان يلتقي منتخب تونس نظيره تونس، في الجولة الأولى من المجموعة الأولى من بطولة كأس العرب.  موعد مباراة تونس وسوريا اليوم في كأس العرب 

وسيواجه منتخب تونس نظيره منتخب سوريا، في تمام الساعة الثالثة عصر اليوم الإثنين بتوقيت القاهرة، والرابعة بتوقيت السعودية والثانية ظهرًا بتوقيت تونس والرابعة بتوقيت سوريا على ملعب أحمد بن علي. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة تونس وسوريا 

وسوف تذاع مباراة منتخب تونس أمام نظيره سوريا، على قناة beinsportshd، وbein xtra 1، وقناة الكأس 2، وقناة أبو ظبي الرياضية وقناة دبي الرياضية. معلق مباراة تونس وسوريا في كأس العرب 

وأعلنت قناة الكأس القطرية عن إسناد مباراة تونس وسوريا إلى الثنائي خالد الغول وسعود الحريري للتعليق على المباراة. 

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنـــا

Mandhana: 'Huge belief in the whole team that we can win from any point'

On a day when Australia posted their joint-highest ODI total, of 412, Smriti Mandhana gave India a strong chance to chase it down with a 63-ball 125. Her 50-ball hundred was the second-fastest in all Women’s ODIs.Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma made half-centuries from No. 4 and 5, but the chase eventually fizzled out, with India bowled out for 369. India lost the three-match series 2-1.Related

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Mandhana, who also scored a match-winning century in the second ODI and finished the series as its highest run-getter (300 runs), did not feel she was under too much pressure to do the heavy lifting at the top of the order, and rejected the idea that India’s batting line-up is overdependent on her.”Everyone [in the Indian side] is a match-winner – not only [the] 11 but all the 15 who are part of the team are match-winners,” Mandhana said. “I never look at anyone thinking that they are adding any pressure on me or anyone, for that case.”Secondly I have a huge belief in the whole team, that from any point we can still win the match. That is never going to change with one or two results. If you see in the last 12-odd months we’ve got 300 or 300-plus even when I’ve got out so that doesn’t really say anything about the batting reliance on anyone. Pratika [Rawal], Harleen [Deol], Jemimah [Rodrigues], Harman, everyone’s got a hundred in the last 12 months.”‘Not only [the] 11 but all the 15 who are part of the team are match-winners’•Getty Images

Mandhana, India’s vice-captain, pointed to fielding as an area India will look to work on heading into the upcoming World Cup. India were sloppy on the field throughout the three ODIs, dropping as many as 15 catches.”Australia is a great opposition to test ourselves [against] in terms of where we are lacking,” Mandhana said. “[…] It was a good series in terms of understanding our strengths and where we are lacking. There’s a lot of difference [between the teams] in the fielding. Fielding part is one thing which as a team we are on a rise but we also feel there are days where we look like a [good] fielding side and there are days where we don’t.”That’s about how we find the consistency in the team in terms of fielding as a unit and not individual brilliance, but fielding together as a team. That’s one thing which we thought we have to address before the World Cup. Otherwise, for everyone, it was just about [getting] the feel of the Indian conditions and how we really want to go forward.”The biggest positive from the series for India, according to Mandhana, was the “willingness” shown by the younger players to improve themselves.”The series was not like it was going to make us believe that we’ll win the World Cup. That belief is always there,” Mandhana said. “This series is just for us in terms of understanding what is going right and what’s going wrong because Australia is the best opposition to test it out [against].”We’ve had a great 12 months at home but we did not play Australia at home in the last 12 months. [We have taken back] a lot of positives, a lot of things in terms of what we want to work on. As long as that willingness to work hard is there, I feel the battle will be won. I see that a lot in the girls – that willingness to win, the willingness to learn and the willingness to grow. It’s a young team but the will level is very high.”

Mark Kotsay Delivers Emotional Speech to Cap Off Final A's Game at Oakland Coliseum

Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" blared over the Oakland Coliseum speakers one last time on Thursday afternoon, as the Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 3–2 in their final home game in Oakland.

Shortly after closer Mason Miller slammed the door on the Rangers in the ninth inning, A's manager Mark Kotsay walked on the field and grabbed a microphone to deliver a speech to the sellout crowd of 46,889 fans.

"There are no better fans than you guys," Kotsay said. "Thank you all for loving the game of baseball. Thank you for your lifelong support of the Oakland A's."

Kotsay then led the crowd on one final "Let's go Oakland" chant at the Coliseum. Many A's fans were seen getting emotional in the stands on the NBC Sports California broadcast.

The A's spent 57 years playing in the Oakland Coliseum after arriving in the Bay Area in 1968. They won four World Series championships—including three straight from 1972 to '74—and won 17 AL West division titles, most recently in 2020.

The franchise will now play the next three seasons in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park, the home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. Owner John Fisher aims to move the franchise to Las Vegas by the 2028 season, although it's worth noting no shovels have hit the dirt yet in Southern Nevada on the proposed $1.5 billion ballpark.

Dorival Júnior compara James Rodríguez a Arrascaeta e explica espaço do jogador no São Paulo

MatériaMais Notícias

Dorival Júnior comparou as características de James Rodríguez a Arrascaeta, do Flamengo. O treinador também explicou que, em termos de participação no elenco do São Paulo, o colombiano está apresentando uma boa evolução e ‘se sentindo bem’.

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Sobre a comparação com Arrascaeta, Dorival justificou dizendo que ‘teoricamente falando’, não teria porque não usá-lo. Vindo como um reforço em julho, James Rodríguez esteve presente em nove jogos até o momento. Para o treinador, é preciso ter paciência, uma vez que o jogador ‘ficou muito tempo sem jogar’. Antes de chegar ao Tricolor, James não entrava em campo desde maio.

– James Rodríguez tem as características do Arrascaeta, teoricamente falando. Não tem por que não usá-lo. Participação ele vem melhorando, James ficou muito tempo afastado de partidas, temos que ter paciência. Ele próprio está tentando que vai ser importante em determinado momento – disse Dorival Júnior em entrevista ao programa ‘Bola da Vez’.

+ Transforme sua paixão pelo futebol em profissão. Descubra o caminho com o curso Gestor de Futebol!

Segundo Dorival Júnior, pelo nível que o atleta apresente, é normal que ele queira mais espaço. Mas acompanhando o dia a dia, o técnico disse que é notável que ele está encaminhando para conquistar. Entretanto, o treinador afirmou que não existem tratamentos diferentes no elenco.

– É natural um jogador desse nível quer jogar a todo instante. Ele se sentindo bem quer estar participando. Mas a mesma lealdade que uso com o James, uso com o garoto da base. Tem o seu momento, vai chegar – concluiu.

New Rangers manager could lose Ibrox star as soon as January window opens

In an early blow for the next Rangers manager, one Ibrox star has been handed an exit route to a major European club as soon as the January transfer window opens.

Rangers take key step in manager hunt

It’s been a busy week for Rangers. The Gers brought an end to Russell Martin’s tenure after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership and the full focus has been on their next manager ever since.

A number of names have been mentioned, including Hearts boss Derek McInnes, but Steven Gerrard has remained the favourite. Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, positive talks have been held with the Liverpool legend about a return to Ibrox for the first time since he left for Aston Villa in 2021.

If Rio Ferdinand’s verdict is anything to go by then Gerrard will be delighted to have received the call from the 49ers. The Manchester United legend, who recently interviewed his former rival, told talkSPORT: “I have to say when I interviewed him, he left me in no uncertain terms that he wants to be a manager and he’s got full confidence in doing that.

“He’s itching to get back in now. He never said this to me, but I personally think just the energy that I felt in that room, that if Rangers came calling he’d go or at least have that conversation.”

That said, as excited as he may be to potentially step back into the Ibrox technical area, there’s no doubt that Gerrard will have quite the task on his hands if he takes the job, especially if one player decides to leave.

Besiktas ready to offer Raskin Rangers exit route

As reported by Turkish outlet Aspor and relayed by Sport Witness, Besiktas are now ready to sign Nicolas Raskin as soon as Gerrard potentially arrives. The Belgian rarely saw eye-to-eye with Russell Martin and failed to get his move in the summer, but could now get his way when the winter window arrives.

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What sums up the relationship that Raskin had with Martin are the words of his father, who said that the former Rangers boss has an “oversized ego” in a scathing review earlier this season.

Those at Ibrox will hope that the start of a new era will change Raskin’s mind. There’s no doubt that the midfielder has the quality to play an important part in Scotland, having been dubbed “clever” by former Rangers manager Neil McCann last month.

Not Wirtz: Liverpool star is in danger of becoming the new Naby Keita

Liverpool slipped to back-to-back defeats in the Premier League for the first time under Arne Slot on Saturday when they lost 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

A last-gasp finish from Willian Estevao secured all three points for the home side in a game that they deserved to win with their front-foot approach.

More and more questions will be asked of the club’s recruitment work during the summer transfer window, as Florian Wirtz came on at half-time and failed to turn the game in Liverpool’s failure.

The Germany international arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in a £115m deal in the summer, but he is still searching for his first goal contribution in the Premier League.

Wirtz lost six of his eight duels and created one chance in 45 minutes against Chelsea, per Sofascore, which shows that he struggled off the ball and did not add much to the team in possession.

Given that he came in from the Bundesliga for a gigantic transfer fee, there may be some comparisons drawn to the signing of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig, but that may not be fair.

Why Florian Wirtz is not the next Naby Keita

The Reds paid £52.75m to sign the central midfielder, who officially joined the club in 2018, from Leipzig, and he failed to live up to his price tag.

In five seasons at Anfield, Keita produced just 11 goals and seven assists in 129 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he did not provide consistent quality at the top end of the pitch.

He had scored 17 goals and provided 15 assists in 71 matches for Leipzig in Germany, which means that he was unable to translate his form from his previous club over to his time with Liverpool.

Whilst Wirtz has not had the goals and assists that he would have wanted by this point, the German star’s underlying numbers suggest that he is not on course to be the next Bundesliga flop, like Keita was.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder is doing the right things at the top end of the pitch, but needs something to go his way to start racking up goals and assists on a regular basis.

25/26 Premier League

Florian Wirtz

Percentile rank vs AMs

Goals

0

Bottom 3%

xG on target

0.83

Top 27%

Assists

0

Bottom 3%

xA

0.87

Top 18%

Chances created

11

Top 10%

Successful crosses

5

Top 16%

Touches in the opposition’s box

26

Top 14%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, Wirtz ranks highly among his positional peers for input, with chances created, xA, and xG on target, but the output, goals and assists, is not quite there yet.

If he continues to take high-quality shots and create chances for his teammates on a regular basis, the goals and assists will follow and he will not be deemed to be the next Keita at Anfield.

This is why Wirtz, who assisted Hugo Ekitike on his debut in the Community Shield, is not going to be the next Keita, because he is on the right path to becoming a success at Anfield.

However, there is another summer signing for Liverpool from the Bundesliga who may be in danger of becoming the next version of the Guinea international after a rough start to life on Merseyside.

Chalkboard

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

Liverpool splashed out £29.5m to sign Netherlands international Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer in an attempt to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, who departed on a free transfer to sign for Real Madrid.

Unfortunately, the former Manchester City and Celtic full-back has had a difficult time of things since his return to English football, and is now in danger of becoming the new Keita.

Why Jeremie Frimpong may be the next Naby Keita

As aforementioned, the former Leipzig midfielder was a flop from the Bundesliga at Anfield as he failed to translate his attacking form in Germany over to the Premier League with the Reds.

Frimpong delivered 30 goals and 44 assists in 190 appearances in all competitions for Leverkusen during his time with the Bundesliga side, playing as a wing-back more often than not.

His output in the final third led the official Bundesliga YouTube channel to question whether or not the Dutch dynamo was the best attacking full-back in the world earlier this year.

Slot, however, does not play with traditional wing-backs, and Frimpong has found the transition back to playing as a regular right-back, which is the role he played for Celtic earlier in his career, a difficult one.

The 24-year-old star has found himself third in the pecking order at right-back at this moment in time, as he was an unused substitute in the defeat to Chelsea that saw Connor Bradley start the match and Dominik Szoboszlai end the game at right-back.

Frimpong, who was described as a “breathtaking” talent by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has only started one match in the Premier League so far this season, and has been an unused substitute on two occasions.

25/26 Premier League

Jeremie Frimpong

Appearances

3

Starts

1

Goals

0

Big chances created

0

Key passes

0

Assists

0

Ground duel success rate

44%

Aerial duel success rate

0%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Dutchman has struggled on and off the ball in the top-flight so far this season, losing the majority of his physical duels whilst also failing to create a single chance for his teammates in three appearances.

The former Man City academy graduate was given an opportunity to start on the right wing against Galatasaray in the Champions League, but he ended the game with no goals, no assists, and seven out of nine duels lost, per Sofascore.

These statistics, in the Champions League and the Premier League, show that Frimpong has struggled with a new role and the increased physicality of English football, which is why he is in danger of becoming the next Keita.

Liverpool star slammed after fewest touches and "dire" display vs Chelsea

It was a hard watch at Stamford Bridge.

ByHenry Jackson Oct 5, 2025

Unless he is able to turn his form, in and out of possession, around in the weeks and months to come, the Dutchman may end up being the next Bundesliga flop at Anfield.

Josh Cobb retires from professional cricket to take up Warwickshire academy role

Two-time player-of-match winner in T20 Blast finals moves into age-group coaching at Edgbaston

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2025

Josh Cobb (left) with his Northants team-mate Alex Wakely celebrate victory in the T20 Blast in 2016•Getty Images

Josh Cobb, the only man named player of the match in two T20 Blast finals, has retired from professional cricket to take up a new role as boys academy lead at Warwickshire.Cobb, 34, played 448 professional games across a career which started at Leicestershire in 2007 and has seen him represent two other Midlands counties in Northamptonshire and Worcestershire. He was also a Bangladesh Premier League winner with Dhaka Gladiators in 2013, and has captained Welsh Fire in the Hundred.A powerful top-order batter, Cobb won his first match award in a Blast final for his bowling, taking 4 for 22 as Leicestershire beat Somerset to the title in 2011. Five years later, his innings of 80 off 48 balls secured Northamptonshire’s second T20 title as they beat Durham at Edgbaston – the ground he will now call home in his new role.Cobb spent two weeks working with Australia’s players as a consultant coach during their ODI series in England last September, an opportunity that was the result of his relationship with Andrew McDonald, his former Leicestershire team-mate. He is following his father Russell – who runs the UCCE set-up at Loughborough University – into coaching.”Since making my debut 18 years ago, it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable ride with plenty of ups and downs,” Cobb said in a statement on Tuesday. “I’m immensely thankful for the people I’ve met, places travelled, and memories created over the years. Cricket has given me so much. Scoring my first hundred at Lord’s aged 18 and winning the T20 Blast Finals twice are just some of the memories I’ll cherish.”Recent graduates of the Warwickshire academy include Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley. “My challenge is to keep developing homegrown players that can go on to play for the Bears and England,” Cobb said. “I’m excited at the chance to lead an academy at such a great club like Warwickshire, one that’s had a lot of success over a number of years.”

يانيك فيريرا: الزمالك كان يستطيع تسجيل 12 هدفًا أمام ديكاداها

علق البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، على الفوز على ديكاداها الصومالي بسداسية في كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

وقال يانيك فيريرا لقناة “أون سبورتس”: “بالطبع، عندما تكون في نادي الزمالك، يكون الهدف دائمًا الفوز في جميع المباريات، بغض النظر عن البطولة”.

وتابع: “ندخل كل لقاء بعقلية الانتصار، ونعمل طوال الأسبوع للاستعداد الذهني والبدني بأفضل شكل ممكن، الحمد لله، اليوم توجنا مجهود الأسابيع الماضية بأداء جيد ونتيجة مرضية، ونتمنى أن نواصل هذا المستوى في المباريات القادمة”.

طالع | يانيك فيريرا: أداء لاعب الزمالك كان مشجعًا لي.. ولسنا أفضل فريق في العالم

وأضاف فيريرا: “سجلنا الهدف الأول مبكرًا، وتبعه الهدفان الثاني والثالث سريعًا، ما أثر نفسيًا على الخصم، لكن بعد الهدف الثالث، لاحظنا بعض التراخي في نهاية الشوط الأول”.

وكشف: “في الشوط الثاني، استعدنا الحماس وصنعنا فرصًا كثيرة، وكان من الممكن أن تنتهي المباراة بنتيجة كبيرة، ربما 10 أو 12 هدفًا”.

وواصل: “سيف الجزيري أحرز هدفًا رائعًا، مكافأة على التزامه وجهده في الفترة الماضية، كذلك سيف جعفر قدم مباراة قوية، وواصل تطوره، محمد السيد وبارون في أول مشاركة له أظهرا أداءً طيبًا، وشارك اللاعبون الشباب بشكل مميز، وهو أمر يسعدنا كثيرًا”.

واختتم: “بشكل عام، معظم اللاعبين قدموا أداءً رائعًا، ونحن راضون عن النتيجة والمستوى”.  

West Ham starlet looked a bigger talent than Rice & Paqueta, now he's got no club

While the results and honours haven’t always followed, West Ham United have always been a team that can boast a genuine superstar or two in their side.

A few years ago, it was Declan Rice who was grabbing the headlines for the Hammers and representing them in a Euros final for England.

Nowadays, it’s Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta who are the standouts in the team, with the latter making it very clear he wants to remain in East London with his celebration against Nottingham Forest.

However, before either he or Rice had made their names in Claret and Blue, there was an exciting prospect who looked like an even bigger talent than both.

Rice & Paqueta's West Ham careers

Now, there may still be some ill feelings about where Rice moved on to a couple of years ago, but it would be impossible to deny that he gave an awful lot to West Ham over his time with the club.

Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen for West Ham

He made his senior debut for the club against Burnley in 2017 and went on to make 245 appearances for the club, totalling an astonishing 20,580 minutes.

Despite playing in defensive midfield and even at the back at times, the Englishman managed to score 15 goals and provide 13 assists for the Hammers during his time in East London.

Moreover, he captained the club to Conference League glory in his final game – an achievement that has enshrined him in the club’s history books forever.

Paqueta, on the other hand, only joined the Irons from Lyon in the summer of 2022, but has still played a massive role at the club.

He was also part of the team that secured the Hammers’ European glory, and has amassed an impressive tally of 21 goals and 14 assists in 124 games.

However, for as brilliant as Rice and Paqueta are, there was an academy gem who, a decade ago, was being looked at as an even bigger talent, but is not without a club.

The West Ham gem without a club

Cast your minds back to the distant year of 2015 and West Ham’s Premier League opener away to Arsenal.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

It was a game to forget for the hosts, but a memorable win for the travelling Irons, and one youngster in particular: Reece Oxford.

It was the then 16-year-old’s competitive debut, and instead of making a fool of himself against a pretty stacked Gunners side, he looked incredible and practically pocketed a prime Mesut Özil.

Reece-Oxford-and-Slaven-Bilic

It was a performance that more than turned heads, with then-manager Slaven Bilic proclaiming afterward that the youngster “has everything.”

Later on, the Croatian would tell the press that, at the time, “I couldn’t move around the place without hearing that Reece Oxford was going to be the next big thing.”

Moreover, in an interview with The Athletic, former West Ham trainee Lewis Page revealed that during his early days, Rice was unsure if he’d get a scholarship as Oxford “was the main talent at centre-back, and I’m not sure if the club thought Dec was good enough to play in midfield.”

Unfortunately, the former Hammers gem didn’t go on to become a world-beater, and after several loans, he left the club with just 17 appearances to his name to join Augsburg in the summer of 2019.

Oxford’s senior career

Club

Games

Goals

Assists

Augsburg

80

3

2

West Ham

17

0

0

Mönchengladbach

8

0

0

Reading

5

0

0

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Things went reasonably well for the youngster out in Germany for a while, but persistent injuries followed with a severe case of long COVID that prevented him from really kicking on.

In all, the 26-year-old made 80 appearances for the club, but his last senior professional game was all the way back in November 2022, and he’s been without a club since July 1st of this year.

Ultimately, while Oxford was never able to live up to the hype, he did carve out a decent career for himself in the Bundesliga, and we can only hope he finds himself a new team soon.

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