Birmingham City star Bright Osayi-Samuel has revealed his terror at meeting Tom Brady for the first time on a Zoom call.

Birmingham star met Brady virtuallyHas fought hooligans beforeWas intimidated by NFL greatFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Osayi-Samuel joined Birmingham in the summer from Fenerbahce, as Brady and his fellow club owners aim to build a squad that can reach the Premier League. The defender was confronted with hooligans in the Turkish Super League and even punched a Trabzonspor fan in March. However, he has claimed that he was "scared" when confronted with the chance to meet Brady on Zoom. 

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Brady, obviously, is an NFL legend, winning the Super Bowl no fewer than seven times, and being voted a five-time Super Bowl MVP. Osayi-Samuel says he was so amazed by the prospect of meeting him, he considered taking a screenshot of his PC screen during the Zoom call, but eventually bottled it in case Brady found out. 

WHAT OSAYI-SAMUEL SAID

Per The Sun, he said: “I remember the first video call with him. The majority owner Tom Wagner was also on it.

“The minute the call was done, I called my friends and said, “I’ve just had a video chat with Tom Brady’ but they didn't believe me.

“So I was annoyed I hadn’t gone ahead and screenshotted it as evidence — but I was so scared he might see me doing that!

“He was straight to the point, not pulling any punches, and said, ’If you want to join a club that wants to go to the Premier League, this is it.’

“And you cannot argue with what they’ve done over the last year. After going down to League One, they invested in quality players, got promoted with a record 111-points and added to the squad again. The only talk here is, ‘We’re going to be in the Premier League this time next year.’ I like that. It convinced me to sign.”

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Osayi-Samuel has signed a three-year deal and could make his official debut for Birmingham against relegated Ipswich Town this weekend. 

Bangladesh escaped the frying pan with four quick wickets to bowl India out early on the second morning, but jumped straight into the fire of the relentless Indian bowling attack, getting bowled out in just 47.1 overs. India chose to bat on despite a lead of 227, and led by 308 with seven second-innings wickets in hand by stumps on day two.Even though India bowled in considerably less helpful conditions than day one, there was no respite for the Bangladesh batters. Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj took eight between them when there was assistance for the pacers, while Ravindra Jadeja broke Bangladesh’s biggest partnership when conditions eased off.The day started on a positive note for Bangladesh. Taskin Ahmed used the second new ball much better than the first for three wickets, Hasan Mahmud completed Bangladesh’s first five-for in India, and they let India add only 37 to their overnight score. However, a quick reminder followed that their bowlers had committed too many errors on day one already. India’s fast bowlers were on the money immediately, bowling testing spell after testing spell, drawing an error once every three balls to reduce Bangladesh to 40 for 5.Shadman Islam was cleaned up by Jasprit Bumrah•BCCI

Bumrah began over the wicket to the left-hand openers, moving the ball away consistently, but went around for the last ball of the first over. Shadman Islam left him, probably because all the previous five balls had moved away, but this one seamed back in to hit the top of off. Zakir Hasan survived an lbw call that both the umpire and the India captain misjudged, but Deep proved to be too good for him and Mominul Haque.The first over from Deep, immediately around the wicket, wasn’t the greatest, but in his second he got the ball to seam in from a good length just outside off. Zakir was beaten completely while Mominul managed to get his pad in line only for the ball to ricochet into the wicket. He would have been lbw anyway. Mushfiqur Rahim edged the hat-trick ball towards gully but it fell short.Post lunch, India went back to their top two bowlers, who had only bowled short spells before the interval. Siraj, who had lost out on Zakir’s wicket earlier, was the most accurate of the three. Najmul Hossain tried to walk at him to counter the movement, but still managed to only edge to second slip as a wobble-seam ball seamed away from him.Akash Deep’s two-in-two rattled Bangladesh before lunch•BCCI

Bumrah kept testing Mushfiqur before he bowled a rare delivery that swung after pitching. You can’t mean to do that but it sometimes happens – mostly when the seam is upright – that the ball starts to swing after going past the batter. This one started to go even before it went past Mushfiqur, who had the angle covered otherwise. It took the edge, went quickly to second slip, and began to swerve away from KL Rahul at the last moment. Rahul’s upper body turned with the ball, and his soft hands meant the catch was taken.By now the movement began to settle down, and Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan put together a quick stand of 51 with some good-looking drives. Then India’s spin twins came on and gave away nothing despite little assistance for them from the pitch. In trying to dominate them, Litton ended up playing a slog-sweep much squarer than he would have liked, offering a catch to deep square leg. Shakib unfortunately reverse-swept Ravindra Jadeja straight into his boot for a lob to Rishabh Pant.Just before tea, India brought back the threat of Siraj and Bumrah. Siraj found the edge immediately but it didn’t carry, but with what proved to be the last ball before tea, Bumrah got the better of Mahmud. Bangladesh were still 65 short of avoiding the follow-on. The last two Bangladesh wickets hung around for three quarters of an hour, including a boundary off Bumrah that clearly set something off. Bumrah softened Taskin Ahmed up with short balls, hitting him on the helmet and the glove, before cleaning him up with a pinpoint yorker.After a first-innings duck, Shubman Gill got going in the second•BCCI

The tall Nahid Rana didn’t quite fancy getting behind the line of Bumrah either but managed to somehow deny him the five-for, also hitting him for two boundaries. Eventually, he played Siraj on as he slogged at one, giving him his second wicket. India had more than an hour and a half to bat before stumps on day two.So far ahead in the game were they, India came out swinging. Yashasvi Jaiswal took 10 runs off the first over, Rohit Sharma flicked the first ball he faced for four, but they soon discovered the pitch was still not flat enough to be toying around with the bowling. Their wickets made it the most – 16 – in a single day’s play at Chepauk. Shubman gill and Virat Kohli then batted to the merit of the bowling, but a rare dismissal – a right-hand batter getting out lbw to an offspinner playing forward – made it 17 wickets in the day. It was Kohli, who did not review it, and Ultra Edge then suggested an inside edge. By stumps, India were more than 300 ahead.

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After watching on as Liverpool seemingly jumped ahead of them in the race to sign Florian Wirtz, Bayern Munich have reportedly turned their focus towards payback in the form of recruiting one particular Anfield star this summer.

Liverpool submit first Wirtz offer

Whilst it was Manchester City and Bayern who found themselves battling for Wirtz’s signature, it has been Liverpool who have grabbed hold of the headlines. Sending shockwaves through Europe, the Reds have stolen a march on their rivals and are reportedly set to sign the Bayer Leverkusen star in what could quite easily be the deal of the summer in all regards.

Having already lifted the Premier League in their first season under Arne Slot, it’s clear that those at Anfield mean business after deciding against splashing the cash last summer.

Alongside Wirtz, rumours have also indicated that Liverpool are pushing to sign the midfielder’s Leverkusen teammate, Jeremie Frimpong, to replace the Real Madrid-bound Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez.

Liverpool’s interest in Wirtz is a fairly open secret already and Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes had his say on the potential move earlier this week, telling reporters: “There is concrete interest from Liverpool, but there’s no more to say right now. Florian is our player.”

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Meanwhile, on Bayern Munich’s end, they’ve been left with no choice but to turn their attention elsewhere. And that could yet deal the Premier League champions a frustrating blow amid rumours that the German giants have set their sights on signing an Anfield star who Slot loves.

Bayern make contact to sign Cody Gakpo

According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Bayern Munich have now made contact to sign Cody Gakpo. Club chief Max Eberl is reportedly a fan of the Dutchman and has now added him to a list of left-wing options which already includes Rafael Leao and Brighton’s Karou Mitoma.

What’s more, given that they’re set to welcome Wirtz this summer, Liverpool and FSG are open to selling Gakpo if the right offer arrives. Whether Slot would approve such an exit is the big question. Gakpo has been a man transformed under his countryman, scoring 18 goals in all competitions and claiming a spot in Liverpool’s front three as a result.

Slot hasn’t hesitated to praise the former PSV man, either. He told reporters when asked about his winger earlier in the season: “In the second half of last season Cody scored a lot of goals so he’s been a good player for Liverpool for a long time now. He continues doing that and that’s a good thing. For me, he is a regular starter.”

Also dubbed “excellent” by former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole back in October, Gakpo is not someone that Liverpool should be keen to lose in the coming months.

With T20I and ODI World Cups looming, her ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing full all-round role in T20s

Andrew McGlashan13-Aug-2024Marizanne Kapp has revealed that she had decided to retire from international cricket earlier this year, but was talked out of it and is now grateful she didn’t go through with it as she feels at the peak of her powers.The toll of balancing franchise cricket with being a vital all-round cog in a rebuilding South Africa side, alongside the fitness controversy around her wife Dane van Niekerk, had become almost too much.But CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe urged Kapp not to rush into a decision. They have since worked together to look at her workload, and Kapp is now committed to South Africa for the foreseeable future, which includes T20I and ODI World Cups over the next 12 months.Related

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“I did retire earlier this year – or asked to retire – and luckily I didn’t,” Kapp told ESPNcricinfo. “I spoke to the director of cricket, and he actually asked me to just hang on, think it through, [and] don’t make decisions too quickly, and I’m glad that I didn’t go through with it because I feel like I’m at the peak of my career.”The older I get, I’m getting better. So it would be a shame to have worked for all those years, and now [when] I’m at my peak, I retire from international cricket. I’ve loved playing in all these leagues, but playing for your country and at World Cups is a different level. CSA have been so good to me in helping manage my workload. Now I’ll play for as long as I can contribute.”Had Kapp, who had produced an all-round display in South Africa’s first ODI win over Australia in February, retired, it would have continued a significant loss of big names from South Africa in recent years, including van Niekerk, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee and Shabnim Ismail.Kapp’s ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing a full all-round role in T20s for both – her franchise sides and her country. She has committed to playing all ODIs which are part of the Women’s Championship and count towards World Cup qualification, but will miss some T20Is including November’s series against England, which overlaps with the end of the WBBL, where she has signed a three-year deal with Melbourne Stars.Marizanne Kapp on her Test hundred in 2022: “When I had that big knock, it was like, ‘I can do this, I don’t have to prove myself'”•Getty Images”They [CSA] have been so good to allow me to play in the leagues where I can,” she said. “With T20, it’s not too hard to manage [the workload]. But in ODI cricket, I’m not 20 anymore, and my workload has been so high with the bat that it makes it impossible to continue to bowl ten overs [in every game].”If you look at the make-up of the South African team, we are a bit light on the batting front. So I am needed more with the bat. So the bowling will probably take a bit of a backseat just in ODIs.”A major factor in Kapp’s three-year deal with Stars was working with coach Jonathan Batty and playing alongside Meg Lanning – all three are part of Delhi Capitals in the WPL. The long-term offer was also key for her to have a chance to settle with one team. Last WBBL season, she was picked up by Sydney Thunder as the No. 1 draft pick, after Perth Scorchers opted to retain Sophie Devine ahead of her, but endured a torrid campaign, averaging 9.40 with the bat and taking ten wickets at 37.40.”I’m a player that’s actually very insecure, to be honest,” Kapp said. “Moving [is hard] because I always feel like you now have to prove yourself. Then you try too hard, and things get worse and worse. Unfortunately, last year when I got to Thunder, I was ill, [and] missed a lot of training. And am the type of player that if my preparation is good, then I have more confidence.”So I was low on confidence. Then you are in a new team, so it was nothing on the club or coaching staff; they were amazing to me. It’s probably not my strongest attribute, but I’m just happy I know I’m going to Stars, and they are people I’ve worked with before.”

“My faith has been a massive part of it as well, having struggled with off-field matters, everything that happened with Dane, and with Covid. I spent so much time in my room reconnecting with the Lord”Marizanne Kapp

Overall, though, Kapp’s belief that she is at the peak of her career is backed up by numbers, particularly with the bat: in all T20s this year, her average is 33.06 and her strike rate at 142.97, both considerably up on her career figures, with Kapp saying strike rate had been a particular focus for her.Meanwhile, in ODIs since 2023, she is averaging 62.63. She traces the success back to the Test century against England in 2022, but admitted it had been a difficult journey.”It’s probably been my toughest couple of years; it’s not been easy,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed my batting… but [I used to] feel like the world was always so focused on my bowling and wouldn’t speak about my batting, and that makes you lose confidence. When I had that big knock, it was like, ‘I can do this, I don’t have to prove myself’, and from there on, I’ve had a different confidence in my own ability.”My faith has been a massive part of it as well, having struggled with off-field matters, everything that happened with Dane, and with Covid. I spent so much time in my room reconnecting with the Lord.”

Chelsea have certainly ruffled the feathers of England’s top clubs over recent seasons, with their outlandish spending and recruitment capturing the headlines.

Huge money being spent in the modern game is no surprise, but very few have matched the Blues’ levels of around £1.3b in the last three years alone, which would surely raise questions about their PSR standing, right?

Well, actually no, as Enzo Maresca’s side currently sit in the best position out of any side in the Premier League at present, sitting £300m in the green, after sales of their women’s team and other assets in and around Stamford Bridge.

There’s no denying the loopholes surrounding the current regulations are there for all to see, but no team has quite taken advantage quite like the Blues – enabling them to continue their heavy spending this summer.

With three deals completed since the window opened less than 10 days ago, that would make a solid summer market for many teams in the division – but not Chelsea – with plenty more names still in the mix for a move to the Bridge this summer.

Chelsea’s pursuit to make more signings this summer

After a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League, many sides would be content with limited business, but not Maresca’s men, leading to various areas of the pitch subject to investment this summer.

Hugo Ekitiké has been a name mentioned within the attacking department, with the likes of Eberechi Eze and Fermin Lopez targeted and reinforcements in the middle of the park.

However, the backline hasn’t been forgotten about, with centre-back Ousmane Diomande once again on their radar after previous interest this summer, according to O Jogo via CaughtOffside.

The report claimed that the 21-year-old is seen as an immediate and long-term acquisition at the heart of the backline, but face tough competition from Arsenal for his signature.

It also states that the Sporting CP youngster also has a €80m (£67m) release clause in his deal, but doesn’t mention if they would be open to negotiating a deal for a cheaper price.

Why Diomande would be a better signing than Guehi for Chelsea

Marc Guehi is a centre-back who has been a leading option in the Premier League, leading to multiple England call-ups, even featuring in the Euros final back in 2024.

The 24-year-old has also enjoyed a season to remember for Crystal Palace, leading the Eagles to their first major trophy in their history, beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley – securing Europa League football for 2025/26.

He could’ve been plying his trade at Stamford Bridge to this day, but they prematurely offloaded him to the Eagles back in 2021 for a fee in the region of £18m.

However, the Blues have been firmly in the race to land him this summer, leading to continuous rumours over the England international’s future, especially considering he’s set to enter his final 12 months of his current deal.

Despite the interest in the Cobham academy graduate, they should look to steer clear of a reunion and prioritise a move for Diomande, who’s been labelled a “hybrid” of Arsenal centre-backs Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba by analyst Ben Mattinson.

The pair have often been the leading pair in England’s top flight over recent seasons, helping the Gunners concede just 34 times in 38 matches – the lowest in the division – highlighting how big of a compliment Diomande has received from Mattinson.

When comparing his stats to those of Guehi, he’s outperformed him in key areas, including passes completed and progressive passes made – handing Maresca an added ball-playing option from the back.

Games played

31

34

Pass accuracy

94%

83%

% of tackles won

79%

66%

Interceptions made

1.2

0.8

Recoveries made

5.1

4.2

Aerials won

67%

54%

Progressive passes

3.9

2.9

He’s also managed to dominate defensively, winning more of the tackles he’s entered, whilst making more interceptions – potentially bolstering the defensive department and replicating the success of local rivals Arsenal in such a department.

Whilst a reunion with the Englishman would be a dream for numerous supporters, the club desperately need to look past Guehi in favour of a move for Diomande.

The Ivorian is a younger prospect with a much higher ceiling, potentially blossoming into one of Europe’s leading stars over the next couple of years should he make the jump to West London.

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