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“While we have been enjoying ourselves, he has been focusing on his bowling, spending time at training,” India’s captain says of Raj Bawa

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2022When it was time to shine, Raj Bawa sparkled. In the Under-19 World Cup title bout against England. In the 25th over, England were 91 for 7 after electing to bat, and Bawa had four of those wickets. He ended with 5 for 31. “He is very strong mentally, he knows what to do in crunch situations, and he is very confident about his game,” Yash Dhull, the captain, said of his star of the final after India’s four-wicket win. Unsurprisingly, Bawa was the Player of the Match. Not just for the wickets, but a crucial 35 in a tricky situation during the chase.A look at the scoreboard for India’s first game, against South Africa, shows 4 for 47 against Bawa’s name. But his first over, of eight balls, had gone for 17 runs. “He is a bit different,” Dhull said. “While we have been enjoying ourselves, he has been focusing on his bowling in a big way, spending more time at training, speaking to the coaches, speaking to VVS (Laxman) sir. So the improvement showed.” Especially with his use of the short ball, which Dhull said the bowler used sparingly to “surprise the batters”. One of them went off Rehan Ahmed’s edge on to his helmet, and another one accounted for George Bell, whose fend off his grille went behind to Dinesh Bana.BCCI to reward world champions

The BCCI will extend cash rewards of INR 40 lakh [US$ 53,500 approx.] to each member of the India team that won the Under-19 World Cup. The support staff will receive INR 25 lakh [US$ 33,500 approx.] each.

“While their on-field performances were fantastic, the team also showed grit, determination and courage to bounce back strongly despite the Covid-19 cases in the camp,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said in a statement.

“I must also appreciate the efforts put in by the Head Coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar along with his members of the coaching group, support staff and VVS Laxman – Head Cricket at the National Cricket Academy – for the way they kept the team in good spirits and guided them to victory.”

“The ball he bowled to George Bell, first ball, I don’t really know how he could have played that,” Tom Prest, the England captain, said. “He obviously bowled really well, so credit to him, we really didn’t have an answer today.”Bawa was all the talk after India took a record fifth Under-19 World Cup title, but it certainly wasn’t about him alone. Ravi Kumar picked up four wickets. The spinners gave almost nothing away even when England fought back with a 93-run stand for the eighth wicket. And then, when India were 49 for 2 and later 97 for 4 in their chase of 190, the batters rose to the occasion: Shaik Rasheed (50) and Dhull (17) first put on 46 for the third wicket, and Nishant Sindhu (50 not out) and Bawa added 67 for the fifth.”The medium pacers have been doing well since the Asia Cup, giving us good starts with the ball, and that has made it easier for the spinners when they bowl to the middle order,” Dhull said. “Ravi and Bawa gave us a good start today, and (Rajvardhan) Hangargekar has been doing well all along. It was a good performance.”When they [England] had a partnership, between a left-hander and a right-hander [James Rew, who scored 95, and James Sales, who hit 34 not out], and the pitch had improved. They were batting well then, so we focused on dot balls.”We knew there would be a partnership somewhere, they are a good team, but we didn’t feel any pressure, because we were prepared for everything.”

“It means I need to work on my game more, focus more, train more, so I can touch that level, achieve at that level. My training will double. It will be a higher level, so I have to work hard to match them”Yash Dhull, on moving to the next level after his Under-19 success

Then came the stutter during the chase. “We were normal. We knew we had a lot of batters. Even Ravi can bat. We have a lot of allrounders. So we were confident. We felt things were normal and we were in control,” Dhull said. “While batting, the pitch had improved. So we knew that if we batted deep, we would get there. We just needed to bat till the end.”India’s confidence was sky-high when their captain was batting with Rasheed. “We are good friends, we spend a lot of time together, we eat a lot of our meals together. So… when batting, we thought we would bat deep and finish it off. But I got out unfortunately, and then Sindhu came and batted well. Then Bawa and Bana finished it off.”The setbacks, before and during the World Cup
The build-up to the tournament was far from straightforward. Not just for India. All the teams struggled to get enough games because of the pandemic. For India, it got worse after the tournament started, as Dhull and quite a few others tested positive for Covid-19 and, at one stage, were struggling to put an XI on the field.”It’s a sign of a good team, that it backs players when they are down, and they are not made to feel that they had been away,” Dhull said. “When we came back, it felt like nothing had changed, and we continued playing positively and got the results.”It’s a proud moment. For me and the team, and for the country. After a lot of struggles, we stayed strong, all the boys remained confident, we achieved what we did because we were strong, and we believed in ourselves.””We didn’t think about the result, just played positively, and we got the result we wanted”•ICC via GettyDhull has now joined Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw as captains to have led India to Under-19 World Cup glory. Indeed, India have such a good record at the tournament that cricket followers in the country expect them to win it each time, even second-best is not good enough.That, well, means pressure. Or not, for Dhull.”We won the Asia Cup final too, and that’s because we played positively, and took it match by match,” he said. “This was just another match too. And we played it like it the way we play every match. We didn’t think about the result, just played positively, and we got the result we wanted.”The future’s so bright…
Now, though, life changes. The Under-19 World Cup is, after all, only a stepping stone.”I will play cricket in the future too, so the conversations with (Laxman) sir and others is that the focus has to be on the cricket, and everything else will take care of itself. The main thing is the mindset. If I am strong, I will be focused, and take it match by match whatever opportunities I get,” Dhull said – there’s an IPL auction coming up and, possibly, a bit of cricket for Delhi in the domestic circuit, maybe even the Ranji Trophy.”I am excited, because it will be the first time for me. But for me, it means I need to work on my game more, focus more, train more, so I can touch that level, achieve at that level. My training will double. It will be a higher level, so I have to work hard to match them.”That has to wait, though. It’s time to soak it all in, “enjoy”, like he keeps saying.The trophy will stay in his hotel room, Dhull said with a laugh. And the celebration? It started with some ice-cream – remember, these are still boys! “Ice-cream has been sent to all our rooms, so we will enjoy that for now. Because, for a long time, we have had a strict diet, and we stayed away from things we like. So it’s time to enjoy ourselves.”

Hollywood superstar Timothee Chalamet has used Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal to help promote his new film ‘Marty Supreme’, with the teenage forward living proof that you should always 'dream big'. Chalamet has shared an iconic image of teen sensation Yamal alongside Argentine GOAT Lionel Messi to help hammer home his point that anything is possible.

Heir to Messi: Yamal following in illustrious footsteps

Yamal famously starred in an advertising campaign with Barcelona legend Messi when just a baby. That picture has resurfaced on countless occasions since, with it remarkable to think that that new arrival to the world is now following in the most illustrious of footsteps.

Having made his own way through the fabled La Masia academy system, making his senior debut at just 15 years of age, Yamal is now considered to be a suitable heir to Messi’s crown as the king of world football.

AdvertisementSuperstar status: Yamal is now a global icon

Yamal’s exploits have, just like Messi, attracted interest from across the globe. His level of celebrity already transcends his chosen profession, with the youngster much more than a football player. He boasts support in every corner of the planet.

That includes Hollywood, with famous faces in the United States fully aware of who Yamal is and what he is capable of. His story is an intriguing one and helps to showcase what can be achieved through a mixture of ability and hard work.

Yamal helps Chalamet to promote new movie

Chalamet – the star of blockbuster movies such as ‘Wonka’ and ‘Dune’, who is dating Kim Kardashian’s sister Kylie Jenner – is among those to have been taken in by Yamal’s remarkable rise to prominence.

He is, as an A-list actor, somebody that appreciates an inspirational true story. He is proving as much after returning to the big screen in ‘Marty Supreme’ – a tale loosely inspired by American table tennis player Marty Reisman and his pursuit of fame in 1950s New York.

Chalamet is driving interest in that production, which hits cinemas on December 25, with a global promotional tour. He has drafted in assistance from Barcelona talisman Yamal, with the 18-year-old seen sporting the viral ‘Marty Supreme’ jacket.

Chalamet has shared an image of Yamal in that merchandise alongside a “DREAM BIG” message. He has also made a point of including the aforementioned photo of Yamal with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi in an Instagram carousel.

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social gfx/ Getty ImagesThe story of Yamal baby picture with Messi

The picture in question was taken back in 2007 as part of a photoshoot for UNICEF. Joan Monfort, a Barcelona-based freelance photographer for the Associated Press, took the snap – which took on a life of its own after being shared on social media by Yamal’s father Mounir Nasraoui alongside the tagline: “The beginning of two legends.”

Monfort has since said of capturing an iconic moment: “UNICEF did a raffle in the neighbourhood of Roca Fonda in Mataro where Lamine's family lived. They signed up for the raffle to have their picture taken at the Camp Nou with a Barca player. And they won the raffle.

“He [Messi] didn't even know how to hold him at first. Messi is a pretty introverted guy, he's shy. He was coming out of the locker room and suddenly he finds himself in another locker room with a plastic tub full of water and a baby in it. It was complicated.

“It’s very exciting to be associated with something that has caused such a sensation. It’s been really surprising, all this. We take so many photos, so many images. Some of them will remain.

“For Lamine to grow up to be a footballer, and to have this photo, I’m just really happy it happened. It’s especially nice in today’s football, when so much is to do with money and power.”

Yamal has sought to distance himself from the Messi comparisons that he continues to generate, with there a desire on his part to forge a unique legacy of his own. He is already a La Liga and European Championship title winner with Barcelona and Spain, with the expectation being that he will continue to “dream big” in the not too distant future when landing a first Ballon d’Or.

Four things Sri Lanka might have learned from their T20 February, with an eye to the World Cup

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Feb-2022They have a top threePathum Nissanka’s strike rate across these eight matches was 117, but he stuck it out for 260 runs. For now, Nissanka is not necessarily a match-winning T20 opener, but in the context of a hilariously fragile Sri Lanka top order, his tenacity is useful. Plus, at age 23, there’s an element of investing for the future here.Kusal Mendis, meanwhile, hit 100 runs in the three innings he got in Australia (he was injured for the India series), and hit a good 69* in Melbourne to top score in Sri Lanka’s only victory in this stretch.Charith Asalanka was not quite at his best this month, but given his runs at the T20 World Cup last year, he’s hard to displace.The likes of Danushka Gunathilaka, Janith Liyanage, and Kamil Mishara didn’t make enough of an impact to break into that top three.Kumara could still be a good T20 bowler (just not at the death)Lahiru Kumara played just five of the eight matches, but got nine wickets – as many as Dushmantha Chameera, who played all eight. This is a slightly unfair comparison, since Chameera bowls more often at the difficult stages of an innings – the death in particular – and Kumara has been given easier conditions. But if Kumara can be a wicket-taking threat through the early and middle overs, that’s enough, for now.Through the course of those five matches, Kumara has often been the quickest bowler on show (across both teams), and roughed opposition batters up with his bouncers. If he stays fit, and keeps working on those skills, the quicker tracks in Australia could suit him nicely in October.Related

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Shanaka the big-hitter emergesNo one wanted to say it. But although the T20 team was doing better under Dasun Shanaka than it had under several previous leaders, the captain’s own form had been awful. In 20 innings as captain until the first match of this India series, Shanaka had hit just 334 runs at a strike rate of 107.Just in the last two games at Dharamsala though – one of the bounciest tracks in South Asia – Shanaka has found his range. He bashed 47 not out off 19 in the second match, then a stunning 74 not out off 38 in the third, having come in at 29 for 4.Sri Lanka had lacked lower-order firepower in the last T20 World Cup. They need Shanaka to continue his big-hitting into October and November.The Chandimal experiment is over. Right?Dinesh Chandimal has played 61 T20 innings, striking at 104. Let’s not sugarcoat it. These are appalling numbers. When it comes to Chandimal, though, there always seems to be hope that he can resurrect the hyper-aggressive past version of himself, and this is what the selectors thought when he tore up the Lanka Premier League in November last year, hitting 277 runs at a strike rate of 151, as a finisher.Sadly, he has not even come close to replicating those numbers in the seven T20I innings he got in February, making just 112 runs, at a strike rate of 97. He’s got to be done, right? No way the selectors can pick him in this format. That is until he carves up another domestic season.

Recruitment has been rather hit-and-miss at Goodison Park over these past several years. Everton know that improvements are needed, and will hope that The Friedkin Group will turn the ship around when they complete their purchase of Farhad Moshiri’s 94% stake.

One of the most pressing concerns, aside from Sean Dyche’s future as first-team manager, has got to be the club’s attacking threat – or lack thereof.

Everton's attack needs a rehaul

Everton have been one of the least effective attacking outfits in the Premier League this season, and though Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t scoring, having blanked across eight matches, Dyche’s pragmatic tactics have failed to inspire synergy or success from a frontal standpoint.

15.

Newcastle

10th

13

15=

Man United

12th

13

17=

Ipswich Town

18th

13

18.

Everton

16th

10

18=

Crystal Palace

19th

10

20.

Southampton

20th

9

Everton desperately need to conjure up some fresh inspiration from somewhere, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be from Calvert-Lewin. Beto carried a threat of sorts, but he too doesn’t emit the kind of aura that suggests he will shape into a free-scoring phenomenon.

Everton actually signed an up-and-coming talent over a year ago to bolster their frontline, but Youssef Chermiti’s time at Goodison Park has been ineffective thus far.

TFG should brutally cash in on Youssef Chermiti

Chermiti had surgery on a foot injury at the start of August, just before the start of the 2024/25 season, in what has proved to be a detrimental blow to his chances of making a positive impression at senior level so far.

Last term, Chermiti completed 20 appearances for Everton but only started once in the Premier League and failed to score a single goal – though he did pick up four yellow cards. Though he was viewed as a project-type signing, the £15m fee paid to Sporting Lisbon should provide Dyche with a greater return.

Already, the 20-year-old striker is showing little promise of cementing a starring role in Everton’s first team in the years to come, though fans will hold onto hopes of an exciting return to action soon, with Dyche confirming that he is back in training.

When Chermiti joined the Merseysiders, he claimed that it was “a big move for me,” but now he faces a fight to even secure a future at the club, with Everton’s decision to sign Armando Broja from Chelsea in the summer something that could thwart him in establishing himself.

As per Football Transfers, the Portuguese talent, who stands at 6 foot 4, is currently worth just £3m, marking a steep decline from the fee that was forked out for his services only one year ago.

Let’s see how it pans out, but Everton may well have put Chermiti on the backseat already, with his dropped market value hardly an indicator of things going well.

With the January transfer window looming, it remains to be seen whether a loan exit could be on the cards in the New Year, with journalist Chris Beesley predicting back in September that the struggling striker may “now be loaned out in the second half of the season”, when he is back to full fitness.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Whatever occurs in 2025, the £15m signing certainly needs something to help kickstart his floundering Toffees career.

Everton need to sell a star who Richarlison thought was "like Ronaldo"

Regardless of Sean Dyche’s fate, this Everton star needs to be sold in January.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 27, 2024

“Still an element of that that might be getting a little bit overlooked from people outside of the cricket environment”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2022Kate Cross has warned that the difficulties of being required to live in bio-secure bubbles in order to play cricket “might be getting a little bit overlooked”, as England approach a critical juncture in their World Cup defence out in New Zealand. Though bio-security protocols in the world tournament in New Zealand allow players to eat outdoors within Covid-safety guidelines and even visit beaches, Cross stressed “the need to have your ways of getting away from cricket”.Narrow defeats in their opening two games, against Australia and West Indies, have left England needing to deploy what captain, Heather Knight, called a “knockout mindset” if they are going to progress from the round-robin group stage, starting with a fixture against South Africa – the team they beat in dramatic circumstances at the semi-final stage of the 2017 competition, before going on to lift the trophy at Lord’s.England have had a few days to regroup after a seven-run loss to West Indies in Dunedin, having moved up to the north island for their next three games – South Africa and India in Mount Mauganui, followed by the hosts in Auckland. Cross, who was run-out in unfortunate circumstances after a 61-run stand for the ninth wicket with Sophie Ecclestone had taken England to within sight of victory, said it was important for the players to find ways to get away from the game.Related

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“We have had a tough start to the tournament,” Cross said. “I don’t think we can come too far away from saying anything other than that. I think coming here to Mount Maunganui has actually been a really refreshing stage of the tournament for us because we’ve been away for a long time now, obviously, the Ashes on to the start of this tournament. So it was nice to get a little bit of space have a little bit of time off without all the travel days that we’ve been having.”The mood’s good… It would be very easy for us to go into our shells at this point. But we know that we’ve got a lot of improvements to make in order to win these games. And the beauty of it is that we’re only losing them by small margins. So if we can play our best cricket, which I’ve no doubt that we can, then things could very quickly change for us.”It is more than two months since England’s squad travelled halfway around the world for the Ashes, before going straight on to the World Cup. During that time they have had to deal with the tighter restrictions laid down by authorities in Australia and New Zealand – having spent almost two years playing in biosecure bubbles due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”You’ve kind of got the beach on your back doorstep here, it’s a lot more refreshing,” Cross said of their current surroundings. “[But] we still are confined. Obviously we’re confined to our hotels and to not being able to go out to eat in restaurants and stuff, so I think there’s still an element of that that might be getting a little bit overlooked from maybe people outside of the cricket environment who don’t quite understand it. And we’re pretty much two years now that we’ve been in these environments. So it’s very strange as well to think that when we go back home, there’s absolutely no Covid restrictions and there’ll be no testing for it either.

“When we can start stringing performances together in terms of the batting unit and the bowling unit and the fielding unit together, then I think we can start getting some wins on the board”Kate Cross

“So it is a big part of the game. I think we’ve realised that from having to go through so much of it in the last few years that it is difficult, and you need to have your ways of getting away from cricket and being able to kind of refresh yourself. And like I said, hopefully that’s what Mount Maunganui has done for us in the last couple of days because we’ve had a rare day off, which was very, very nice.”While defeat to Australia, the favourites for the tournament, saw England make the second-highest score batting second in a women’s ODI – and featured Nat Sciver’s scintillating 85-ball 109 not out – there were fewer positives to take from the West Indies game. Afterwards Knight called for an improvement in catching, after England put down seven chances in Dunedin, as well as the team’s death bowling.Both Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole, the World Cup-winning leaders of England’s attack, experienced off days against West Indies, but Cross said there was no doubt about their ability to make a difference when it counts. With five teams above them already on four points or more, that time is approaching fast.”I think we actually bowled better against the West Indies,” she said. “We probably let ourselves down a little bit in the field, which again is going to be something that we’re going to rectify on Monday, and make sure we bring in that energy and look to be positive. I think sometimes when you lose, it’s very easy to go into your shells, especially in a tournament like this where there’s a lot of eyes on you and a lot of scrutiny, but I think if we can still play that really positive brand cricket that we’ve played for so long now, we can stand ourselves in good stead.”As a bowling unit it’s important that we remember why we’ve been so successful in the past 18 months. We might have gone away from those plans a little bit too soon. You’ve got a bowl your best ball for as long as you can really in one-day cricket. But yeah, Katherine and Anya have obviously got a record that speaks for itself and you know that they’ll come into their own when we absolutely need them. And that’s again, an exciting thing for me, is that we’ve not quite seen our bowling unit at its absolute best yet.”So I think when we can start stringing performances together in terms of the batting unit and the bowling unit and the fielding unit together, then I think we can start getting some wins on the board.”

Arguably, the most challenging position to replace in the modern game is striker, and up until very recently, that wasn’t something Tottenham Hotspur had to worry about.

For years, the North Londoners knew they could rely on the incredible Harry Kane to put the ball in the back of the net, so the most they had to worry about was finding a good backup.

That wasn’t the case in the seasons before the Englishman became the star he is today, and so, under former manager André Villas-Boas, they signed who they hoped would be the player who’d lead the line for years to come.

Unfortunately, that’s not near what happened, and to make things worse, the player in question earned more than summer signing Dominic Solanke earns today, and by all accounts, he looks set for success in N17.

Dominic Solanke's journey to Spurs

Solanke has endured a fascinating journey to where he is today, a journey that started at Chelsea’s Cobham academy, where he was part of the England U20 World Cup winning team of 2017 alongside the likes of Marcus Rashford, Dominic Calvert Lewin and even Ademola Lookman.

That same summer, the Basingstoke-born marksman opted to join Liverpool on a free, hoping for more opportunities in the first team.

However, after 27 middling displays, the Merseysiders felt it better to sell the young striker to Bournemouth in January 2019 for an enormous profit of £19m.

Unfortunately, the forward’s career on the south coast did not get off to a great start.

In his first season and a half, the Englishman scored just four goals and provided two assists in 46 appearances and was relegated to the Championship.

Fortunately, life in the second tier allowed the promising talent to get better, and over the following two campaigns, he racked up an impressive tally of 45 goals and 16 assists in 93 matches and played a vital role in the club’s promotion in 2022.

Once back in the top-flight, the former Chelsea prospect needed time to adapt, and after producing a reasonable haul of 14 goal involvements in 22/23, he exploded in 23/24, scoring 21 goals and providing four assists in just 42 games for the Cherries.

This impressive form led to the Lilywhites splashing £65m on him in August, and considering he’s already scored six goals and provided three assists for the club, it would be fair to say he’s more than justifying his £90k-per-week wages, which is not something that can be said about the costly flop signed by AVB in 2013.

The costly Spurs flop signed by AVB

So, it might not come as a surprise that the player we are talking about is, of course, Roberto Soldado.

The former Spanish international joined Spurs in the summer of 2013 for a then-club-record fee of £26m, and while that sounds like too much today, it made sense at the time.

See, across the two prior campaigns, the Valencia star had scored a whopping 57 goals and 11 assists in 97 matches, which worked out to a goal involvement every 1.42 games on average.

Unfortunately, as many fans will remember all too well, that form did not follow him to England, and throughout his two seasons in North London, he could only muster up a tally of 16 goals and 11 assists before he headed back to Spain to join Villarreal.

What made his disappointing stint with the Lilywhites even worse was the money involved, as the Valencia-born star was paid around £106k-per-week, which looks outrageous now we know how ineffective he was and how much the club are currently paying Solanke.

Transfer Fee

£26m

Wages

£11m

Total

£37m

Appearances

76

Cost per Appearance

£486k

Goals

16

Cost per Goal

£2.3m

Assists

11

Cost per Assist

£3.3m

Goal Involvements

27

Cost per Goal Involvements

£1.37m

When added up, he cost around £11m in wages, so when we include his fee as well, the 39-year-old ended up costing Tottenham a massive £37m.

When broken down, that comes to around £486k-per-appearance, £2.3m-per-goal, £3.3m-per-assist and £1.37m-per-goal-involvement, which cannot be described as value for money in any way whatsoever.

Ultimately, Spurs have signed their fair share of disappointing forwards in their time, but given his form in the seasons before and the money he cost, Soldado has to be right up there as one of the worst.

Spurs star who got sold by Poch for big money has become an 'embarrassment'

The veteran international has not had a great season so far.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 26, 2024

Harry Kane has stressed the importance of staying "focused" for a whole game after Bochum's shock comeback win against the 10 men of Bayern Munich.

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Bayern lose 3-2 after going 2-0 upBochum pounce on Palhinha red card Kane sends message to his team-matesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

A much-changed Bayern looked to be cruising to victory after Raphael Guerreiro's brace inside the opening half hour, but Jakov Medic's goal and Joao Palhinha's red card shortly before the break changed the course of the game. Ibrahima Sissoko and Matus Bero completed an unlikely turnaround for Bochum on Saturday, something second-half substitute Kane is eager not to see repeated.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT HARRY KANE SAID

He said after the game: "We started the game well and did everything we needed to take the lead. Then they scored and the momentum shifted. After the red card, it shows that at this level you have to stay focused for 90 minutes or you can be punished – and that's exactly what happened today (Saturday)."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Fortunately for Bayern, second-placed Bayer Leverkusen also suffered a surprise Bundesliga defeat, meaning Vincent Kompany's side remain eight points clear at the top of the table. Despite this setback, Kane's hunt for a first-ever trophy is very much alive.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Kane will hope his Bayern side can return to winning ways when they travel to Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

From You'll Never Walk Alone to Blue Moon, the Premier League is packed with walk-out songs that electrify the crowd and set the stage for kickoff.

Football and music are inseparable, with songs serving as the soundtrack to a club’s identity. Whether it’s terrace chants passed down through generations, stadium DJs setting the mood before kickoff, or tunes adopted by supporters, music plays a crucial role in the matchday experience.

One of the sport's most cherished traditions is the walkout song—a track that sets the stage as the home side and their opponents emerge from the tunnel. More than just a pre-match ritual, the right song fuels the crowd’s passion and sends a message to the opposition. It’s the first thing visiting players hear as they step onto unfamiliar turf, so it needs to make an impact. That’s why clubs stick with signature tracks, ensuring the same charged atmosphere greets every kickoff.

The Premier League is home to some of the most iconic walkout anthems, with clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal boasting tracks that resonate through the stands. However, not every team gets it right—some pre-match choices miss the mark.

From Manchester City's "Blue Moon" to Liverpool's "You'll Never Walk Alone," the league is full of songs that define a club's identity. GOAL has compiled a list of the walkout music for all 20 top-flight sides.

Liverpool | You'll Never Walk Alone | Gerry and the Peacemakers

One of football’s most legendary walkout songs, Gerry and the Pacemakers' rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone became synonymous with Liverpool in the 1960s. Its influence grew so strong that the club officially incorporated its title into their crest as their motto in 1992.

Read more about the You'll Never Walk Alone Liverpool FC chant here.

AdvertisementArsenal | The Angel – North London Forever | Louis Dunford

has emerged as Arsenal’s go-to anthem in recent years. Although tracks like , Fatboy Slim's hits, and Eminem's music have featured in the pre-match buildup at the Emirates, Louis Dunford's tribute to the Gunners has taken center stage since its release in February 2022.

West Ham | I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles | John Kellette

Originally released in 1919 by American musician Ben Selvin, this classic tune found its way into West Ham’s identity between the 1920s and 1940s, cementing itself as one of English football’s most recognizable anthems. At the London Stadium, the song sets the stage for kickoff, accompanied by a spectacle of bubbles drifting across the pitch.

The tradition took hold after former manager Charlie Paynter introduced the song, and it has since become an inseparable part of the club's heritage.

Chelsea | Liquidator | Harry J Allstars

Many clubs across English football have adopted the instrumental track by Jamaican band Harry J Allstars for their pre-match walkouts, but Chelsea proudly claim to be the pioneers, having introduced it at Stamford Bridge back in 1969. Over the years, the tune has echoed through various stadiums, with clubs such as Wycombe Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Yeovil Town, and St. Johnstone also making it their own. However, it remains most closely associated with the west London giants.

Celtic are in pole position to complete the signing of a “powerful” Premier League player, according to an exciting new transfer report.

Celtic transfer news

The Hoops are flying in the Scottish Premiership title race, showing no sign of slowing up and giving the likes of Aberdeen and Rangers little hope of closing the gap on them. On Saturday, Brendan Rodgers’ side won 3-0 at home to Hibernian, meaning they have now opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the table.

Despite this, the Scottish giants mustn’t rest on their laurels, especially in terms of their success in Europe, so new signings are unsurprisingly being mooted.

One player who has been linked with a move to Celtic is Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka, who has struggled to become an important part of Enzo Maresca’s plans in west London so far this season, not appearing once in the Premier League and playing one solitary game in the EFL Cup, totalling just 14 minutes.

Celtic have also been linked with an audacious move for Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen, although a transfer likely wouldn’t materialise until the end of the season. The 32-year-old isn’t at his peak anymore, but he could still be a fantastic option for the Hoops.

Celtic in pole position to sign "powerful" ace

According to a new report from Calciomercato, Celtic are leading the battle to sign Chelsea midfielder Chukwuemeka in the January transfer window. The 21-year-old is also wanted by AC Milan, but the Hoops are currently ahead of the European giants in the pecking order, having “gained pole” in the race. A loan move with an option to buy is mooted for the £100,000-a-week ace.

Chukwuemeka may be struggling to make an impact at Chelsea, but in fairness, there is no shame in that, considering he is being kept out by the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, all of whom cost huge amounts of money.

The young Englishman could be a brilliant signing for Celtic midway through the campaign, though, with Graham Potter praising him during their time together at Stamford Bridge: “Well, if you look at these attributes, he’s a big powerful boy that can run and run away from people, and in a game like Brentford, you’re often in duels and need physicality.

“I thought he and Christian did well when they came on. They affected the game. That was just the thinking. He’s a young player, but he’s got exciting attributes. We just need to help him reach his potential because his potential is exciting.”

A move to Celtic could ultimately be the best outcome for all parties, allowing Chukwuemeka regular football and ensuring the Hoops have additional quality in the middle of the park.

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The Chelsea ace has been capped for England across four different age groups, winning a combined 23 caps, and a switch to Scotland could give him a new lease of life. If there was an option to sign him permanently, that would be even better.

Nitin Pandit called three tight wides in the 19th over of KKR’s chase, leaving Royals captain Samson visibly frustrated

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Should reviews be allowed for wide and no-ball calls?

ESPNcricinfo experts Daniel Vettori and Imran Tahir have called for wides and height no-balls to be available for reviews even if they haven’t resulted in a dismissal. Vettori originally made the statement on the show Mute Me last week, and repeated it on the T20 Time:Out post-game show on Monday night, after the 19th over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ chase left Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson frustrated with umpire Nitin Pandit for calling three wides when he contended that the batter had moved around in the crease even before the bowler Prasidh Krishna had released the ball.At one point, Samson went ahead and reviewed a wide for a catch, possibly as a mark of a protest. “I don’t think there was any thought of it actually being out,” Vettori said. “Absolutely [players should be allowed to review wides]. The players should be able to decide in such crucial matters.Related

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“Today it is a little bit different where it always looked like KKR are going to win. But we have sat here so many times and seen decisions go against bowlers that are so close and the umpire has got it wrong. So therefore the players should have some avenues towards rectifying those mistakes. That’s why DRS was brought in: to rectify mistakes. I would like to see that happen. And players are very good judges of that. They get it right more often than not.”Vettori has coached in the IPL and continues to coach in the Big Bash League. Tahir, who is still active as a player, agreed with Vettori. “Yeah why not?” Tahir said when asked if the players should be allowed to review what are essentially judgement calls. “There is not much for bowlers in the game. When batsmen are hitting you all over, you don’t have much choice than bowling wide yorkers or bowling wide legbreaks. If that becomes a wide, you are in trouble.”But look, it was a close call. Samson was a little bit frustrated. It was a 50-50 thing. I don’t think it should be a big issue. Kolkata played well, and they were going to win it. But yeah there should be a review that a player can go for.”Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara conceded that the wide calls were not that crucial but called for consistency in those calls. “I think consistency is the most important thing in terms of calling wides,” Sangakkara said in his post-match press conference. “I think there are some new rules. You can’t create a wide but you can destroy a wide by moving around the crease. Before the delivery is made, any movement you make becomes the starting point for the wide line to start moving.”It is what it is at the end of the day but at the same time we have got to realise we didn’t play good enough cricket in the last two games to be on the winning side. But sometimes these one-percenters do count. In a high-pressure situation, when things go your way or don’t go your way, tempers can get frayed, and agitation comes about but it’s all in good spirit. We have got to get better as a side.”The debate remains if there should be two extra reviews available to each side, which will slow the game down, or if players should be allowed to review any decision they want provided they stay within their original two-review limit. Also there is an element of expert judgement involved in wide calls as the line is just a guide and moves if the batter moves laterally before the ball is released. Vettori is of the view that the on-field umpire could be fed all the information – how far the batter had moved at the time of the release of the ball, how wide the ball was when it went past the wicket etc – and then be allowed to make a more informed decision in the case of a challenge.