Andrea Radrizzani’s proposed sale of Leeds United may be put on hold if the Whites suffer relegation from the Premier League this season.
What’s the latest?
That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that, should Jesse Marsch’s side fail to secure survival on the final day of the Premier League campaign, Radrizzani will likely put his plans to sell to the club to the San Francisco 49ers enterprise on hold, as the Italian would not be able to command anywhere near the reported £475m figure that had previously been stated as Leeds’ price.
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In the article, Mike Keegan wrote: “Longer-term projects, such as the expansion of the stadium, may have to be put on the back burner. And plans to sell the club will also take a back seat. Having done the hard work in lifting them out of decades of Football League gloom, Andrea Radrizzani would not be able to command anywhere near the price he would be looking for with the club in the second tier.”
Supporters will be fuming
Considering the fact that the 49ers are expected to invest a significant amount of funds into the club upon their proposed takeover of the Whites, in addition to the fact that the Elland Road faithful made their feelings abundantly clear regarding Radrizzani’s position as the owner of the club during the 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion last time out, the news that a takeover would be put on hold in the event of relegation is sure to have left supporters fuming.
Indeed, many of the Leeds faithful have been frustrated by the lack of investment from the Italian both last summer and in January, and, considering the club’s precarious position towards the bottom of the Premier League table, it is not difficult to understand why, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, the vast majority of the Whites’ fanbase revealed they would like for Radrizzani to sell up this summer.
As such, with Jesse Marsch’s side simply having to secure all three points against Brentford this Sunday if they are to have any hope of remaining in the Premier League come 2022/23, it would now appear that it is not only the club’s status on the line but also their long-term ownership – making the crucial trip to west London all the more important.
AND in other news: Huge setback: Leeds dealt further big blow in relegation fight, Marsch will be fuming
TalkSPORT journalist Alex Crook has now claimed a ‘beast’ of a player could now be open to joining David Moyes at West Ham United this summer.
The Lowdown: Hammers eye striker…
As per reliable reports, the Hammers are eyeing a new forward for manager Moyes after the club failed to seal the deal during what was a whirlwind January transfer window.
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Last minute moves for the likes of Darwin Nunez (Benfica) and Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) fell through, leaving West Ham with just Michail Antonio as their only natural senior striking option for the remainder of the Premier League campaign.
For next season, club owners GSB and head of recruitment Rob Newman will be looking to change this as they reportedly set their sights on attacking targets.
One of them is Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah with the Englishman set to leave north London as a free agent past 2021/2022.
The Irons are apparently in pole position for Mikel Arteta’s ace, according to The Mail, with Crook now also making an enticing claim.
The Latest: Crook makes claim…
Speaking to GiveMeSport, the talkSPORT reporter says Nketiah could be open to joining West Ham and a move ‘would appeal’.
He explained, when asked if the 22-year-old could eye a London Stadium move:
“Yeah, I do, because obviously he’d still be in London, still a big club, could go there and be the main man, play European football. I think that would appeal to him.
“How do you find a role for him and [Michail] Antonio in that team? I think because Antonio is not a natural centre-forward and his goals have dried up a bit since the turn of the year, I think that [bringing in Nketiah] would still work.”
The Verdict: Finalise it?
The forward, called a ‘beast’ in training by Arteta, may well be a decent option for West Ham at zero cost.
He’s still young, a hungry player and has finished this season in fine form – scoring four goals in his last six league matches as Arsenal hope to somehow usurp Tottenham in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
It’s quite a risk free move and one that surely must be considered by Moyes.
In other news: West Ham now believe they can sign phenomenal international with agents set for imminent club talks…find out more here.
Celtic ended their season as Premiership champions last weekend in Ange Postecoglou’s debut campaign in charge of the Hoops.
As result of their title win and their inclusion in next season’s Champions League group stage, the Bhoys will reap a tidy sum of £40m.
Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though a clue has emerged regarding what the Hoops could do with that prize money ahead of the 2022/23 season.
What’s the talk?
Speaking to Football Insider, former Celtic player Frank McAvennie was discussing the upcoming summer transfer window and the potential business that the Hoops should be looking to execute.
He said: “New players have to come in, that’s for sure. We have a pretty good squad at the moment, but we saw how stretched it got when we were playing in Europe.
“It will be even harder in the Champions League next season as well so new players will have to come in. I think four players, around that number, hopefully more. Four players who can challenge for a starting spot or of that quality to start every week.
“We are getting that money so hopefully Ange gets a bit to spend. I’m sure he will because he has worked wonders with this squad.”
Great news for Celtic fans
Last summer’s transfer window proved that Postecoglou is not slow to make significant changes to his squad if he feels it is needed.
Taking into account how successful the Hoops were in the league in terms of not only winning the title but ending the campaign with the best attack and defence in the top flight, the prospect of further transfer business at Parkhead this summer should be a very exciting one for Celtic fans.
With the likes of loanees Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers set to see their deals expire soon, an immediate priority for Celtic should be to sort their futures out before thinking about bringing in new players.
Also, with not only the league title to regain but the Champions League to tackle once more, the 56-year-old will want to ensure that his squad has the depth and quality to pick up as much silverware as they can.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another busy summer transfer period at Lennoxtown in the coming weeks and months.
In other news – Worth £473k in 2020, now valued at £3.6m: Ange played a blinder on “crucial” Celtic star
Leeds United have been credited with an interest in Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, known as Bono.
The Lowdown: Bono profiled
Bono was born in Canada but is an established Morocco international with 44 senior caps.
The 31-year-old has plied his trade in Spain over the last ten years and made a permanent move to Sevilla back in 2020.
He’s made 111 appearances for the club and is now at the top of his game with a career-high £16.2m by Transfermarkt, and it looks as if the Whites are keen on his services.
The Latest: Leeds links
According to one reports in Spain, Leeds and West Ham are both interested in bringing the goalkeeper to the Premier League.
They describe Bono as ‘one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga for several years’, with the player under contract until 2024.
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The Verdict: Unlikely?
Leeds bolstered their goalkeeper ranks over the summer by bringing in Joel Robles to provide cover to first-choice Illan Meslier.
Meslier has gone from strength to strength in Yorkshire and is under contract at Elland Road until 2026, meaning Leeds will be under no pressure to sell the player in the next 12 months.
Therefore, if the Frenchman stays with Leeds, then a move for Bono may well be unlikely, but if the Whites cash in on the 22-year-old, he could prove to be the possible replacement.
Everton will return to action in the Premier League this weekend at Goodison Park, and Frank Lampard will be hoping that his team can remain unbeaten in the top flight.
Whilst the manager will be happy that the side are picking up points, they still remain winless in the league and turning those draws into victories is essential if they are going to compete comfortably over the season ahead.
Lampard will be thrilled that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in full training after suffering from a knee injury leaving him out of the team for the entire campaign so far and leaving the manager without his star centre-forward which has definitely contributed to Everton’s struggles in picking up a win.
Although Calvert-Lewin will be a fantastic asset to return, there is another player who can play a vital role in improving the attacking threat for the Toffees, with Abdoulaye Doucoure also featured in the team training sessions after recovering from an injury.
The £120k-per-week attacking midfielder has been a consistent and reliable performer over his time at Everton, and last season proved that he is an important part of the team with his performances in the centre of the pitch.
Over 30 appearances, Doucoure scored two goals, four assists and created three big chances, making 2.5 tackles, one clearance and winning 4.9 duels per game, as well as successfully completing the majority of his dribbles (51%), proving that he is the complete midfielder both effective in defensive and offensive play.
The 29-year-old titan was hailed “under-rated” by Jamie Redknapp with the Sky Sports pundit claiming that Doucoure doesn’t “shy away” from tackles, which makes him the perfect player to come up against West Ham this weekend.
Everton are showing quality and resilience after picking up four consecutive draws but just need that final push, extra creativity and powerful presence to turn their equalisers into winners, something Doucoure could offer the team if he makes an appearance on Sunday.
With that being said, Lampard must unleash Doucoure against West Ham to add some much-needed Everton experience into a newly assembled midfield at Goodison Park and the manager will surely be hoping that his return to the team can spark positive results ahead.
Crystal Palace’s deal to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United for £50m has proven to be a masterclass, as his value has fallen through the roof during his time at Old Trafford.
Wan-Bissaka was a product of Palace’s academy and did superbly well to establish himself as a regular at Selhurst Park, first impressing in the 2017/18 campaign before becoming first-choice in the 2018/19 campaign.
The right-back would feature 35 times in the Premier League for Palace, averaging an impressive 7.27 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which were enough to convince United that he was well worth big money.
While he has generally been solid from a defensive perspective at United, his attacking frailties have come to the fore, as he managed no goals and no assists in 20 Premier League appearances last season.
This earned him a less impressive 6.91 rating from WhoScored – the worst season average of his career thus far, and it was seemingly enough to convince those at United that Diego Dalot was the better option on the right-hand side.
Ex-Red Devils midfielder Paul Scholes did not hold back in his criticism of the 24-year-old after a disappointing display in a derby defeat against Manchester City.
He said:
“I said before the 3-5-2 doesn’t suit the players in the team. Wan-Bissaka is useless on the ball — brilliant defender but useless on the ball at right-back.”
Erik ten Hag’s arrival as manager has seen Wan-Bissaka drop out of the team entirely and he has just four minutes of Premier League action to his name so far this season.
The Dutch manager was reportedly keen to move on the right-back during the summer and Crystal Palace were touted as a potential destination for the defender, although it was also reported that the Eagles were only willing to pay £10m, a decrease of 80% from what they paid.
It has been a huge fall from grace for Wan-Bissaka in recent years and had United sold him for £10m back to Palace, it only would have emphasised further how well Steve Parish did to sell him for £50m back in 2019.
Vasco e Flamengo empataram em 0 a 0, neste domingo (4), pela 6ª rodada do Campeonato Carioca. Léo Jardim se consagrou e foi o grande nome da partida ao defender um pênalti cobrado por Gabigol.
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Com o resultado, o Rubro-Negro e o Cruz-Maltino chegam a nove pontos conquistados, mas seguem fora do G4. A equipe de Tite ocupa a 6ª colocação, enquanto o time dirigido por Ramón Díaz está em 7º lugar por conta do saldo de gols.
➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte
⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA? Os primeiros 45 minutos proporcionados por Vasco e Flamengo foram completamente sem emoção. A melhor chance foi a do Cruz-Maltino antes dos acréscimos. Piton cruzou na medida para Vegetti cabecear com perigo. Rossi passou batido no lance, e Léo Pereira salvou em cima da linha.
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Tudo estava se encaminhou para um magro 0 a 0. Até que João Victor comete um pênalti em cima de Arrascaeta. Gabigol cobrou, e Léo Jardim defendeu. Vegetti ainda teve a chance de fazer o Vasco vencer no início do segundo tempo.
✅ O QUE VEM POR AÍ? O Vasco volta a entrar em campo na quinta-feira (8), às 21h15, para enfrentar o Audax, na Arena da Amazônia. Já o Flamengo faz mais um clássico. O Rubro-Negro encara o Botafogo, às 21h30 de quarta-feira (7), no Maracanã.
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VASCO 0 X 0 FLAMENGO CAMPEONATO CARIOCA – 6ª RODADA
Local: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) Data e hora: Domingo, 4 de fevereiro de 2024, às 19h (de Brasília) Árbitro: Wagner do Nascimento Magalhães Assistentes: Luiz Cláudio Regazone e Gustavo Mota Correia
Cartões amarelos: Léo, Paulo Henrique, João Victor, Payet, David e Matheus Carvalho (VAS); Pulgar e Gerson (FLA) Cartões vermelhos: –
Question marks over recruitment have littered the Glazer era at Manchester United, with a handful of summer windows, in particular, looking like defining moments in hindsight.
Take 2009, for instance, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez replaced with Gabriel Obertan, Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen. Take 2013, a summer that began with new boss David Moyes chasing the likes of Gareth Bale and Cesc Fabregas, albeit with the deadline day arrival of Marouane Fellaini proving to be the only senior addition.
While perhaps not quite as infamous as both of those, the 2023 summer window also requires significant critique in retrospect, with United failing to capitalise on what had largely been a positive first season for Erik ten Hag, culminating in a third-place Premier League finish and Carabao Cup glory.
Talk was rife regarding the Dutchman’s interest in the likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice, although the Red Devils ultimately turned to Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount instead, with Inter’s Andre Onana completing that trio of major marquee additions.
At a time when United could well have kicked on under the ex-Ajax boss, all three of those deals backfired to differing degrees.
While now a firm favourite of Ruben Amorim, Mount has scored just five times in 53 games across an injury-hit two years at Old Trafford. Onana, meanwhile, has been shipped out on loan to Turkey, having made as many as five errors leading to a goal in the Europa League and top-flight alone last term, as per Sofascore.
As for Hojlund, the 22-year-old is now the new golden boy of Napoli, albeit after scoring just 26 goals in 95 games in Manchester. Just imagine if Kane had arrived instead…
Why United signed Hojlund over Kane
There was a feeling that had it been during the golden days of Sir Alex Ferguson, Kane would have almost certainly been snapped up by the legendary Scotsman, having repeatedly raided the top-flight for the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole.
Almost a guarantee of goals, having become the all-time top scorer for both Tottenham Hotspur and England, the playmaking striker had reportedly emerged as Ten Hag’s top target ahead of that 2023 window, with a new number nine a necessity at Old Trafford.
With just a year left on his contract, Kane – who had angled for a move to Manchester City two years earlier – appeared to be gettable, albeit with reports indicating that United were wary of doing business with the typically stubborn Daniel Levy.
There were reports which also claimed that Levy was unwilling to sell his prized possession to a top-flight rival, with then-United first-team coach Benni McCarthy since revealing that the club were hesitant to fork out £100m for a player in his 30s.
Frustratingly, Kane ultimately moved on to Bayern Munich for a fee of around £86m, while United turned to a player ten years his junior, splashing out an initial £64m on a 20-year-old Hojlund from Atalanta.
At the time, the promising Dane had scored just 27 club career goals at senior level, as per Transfermarkt, having since only added a further 30, across his time in Manchester and now in Naples.
For comparison, since departing for Munich, Kane has already reached 103 goals for the Bundesliga side in just 106 games, becoming the quickest player this century to reach triple figures for a club in Europe’s top five leagues.
A mistake, as is clear, was made that summer. The problem is, the Red Devils have since repeated it.
Man Utd's 'new Kane' is now another Hojlund
In defence of the United hierarchy at the time, the club had witnessed a string of short-term, veteran strikers come and go in the years prior, namely Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with a more long-term solution perhaps needed.
Hojlund (Serie A) vs Kane (Bundesliga) – 25/26
Stat (*per game)
Hojlund
Kane
Games
4
6
Goals
2
11
Mins per goal
153
45
Big chances missed
1
3
Goal conversion
50%
52%
Assists
0
3
Big chances created
0
5
Key passes*
0.5
2.2
Total duels won*
54%
57%
Stats via Sofascore
That said, the argument – which McCarthy also puts forward – would be that a more canny operator would have parachuted in a player like Hojlund in order to serve as a deputy or successor to an experienced striker like Kane, rather than heaping unnecessary pressure on the youngster to solely carry the goalscoring burden.
In a way, the club did try to rectify that move by snapping up Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna a year later, with the Dutchman joining on a £36.5m deal, having been named Serie A’s Young Player of the Year the previous season.
At the time, analyst Ben Mattinson had suggested that Zirkzee could be a “natural successor” to Kane at Bayern, amid reports that the 6 foot 4 striker was in line to return to Munich.
Also described as “so similar” to the England skipper, United’s new man looked like an ideal alternative to Hojlund, operating as a self-described ‘nine and a half’ rather than an out-and-out centre-forward.
The problem was, however, that Zirkzee evidently didn’t possess the clinical quality of Kane in front of goal, having actually only scored 11 Serie A goals in 2023/24 – only two more than Hojlund achieved at Atalanta the year prior.
Unsurprisingly, much like the Dane, a player with no track record for scoring at a prolific rate has, well, not scored at anywhere near a prolific rate for United, ending his debut campaign with just seven goals in all competitions – just three of which came in the league.
There is something of a cult hero vibe to the fleet-footed forward, having impressively fought his way back from being jeered off against Newcastle United, although on current evidence, he is heading the same way as his former colleague.
Seemingly getting the Kobbie Mainoo treatment under Amorim, following an injury-hit summer, the 24-year-old has featured for just 82 minutes so far in 2025/26, failing to even start a single Premier League game.
With rumours rife over a swift January exit, and with Benjamin Sesko now the go-to man, Zirkzee looks set to follow Hojlund in not lasting any longer than two seasons at Old Trafford.
Like the new Napoli star, United’s number 11 has been unable to translate his Serie A form into English football, with those prior Kane comparisons now somewhat forgotten amid his goal-shy tendencies.
There is a talent in there, but as was the case with Hojlund, Amorim and co simply don’t have the time to wait around for such potential to be realised.
Man Utd already sold Hojlund 2.0 who's "one of the best ST's in the world"
Selling a striker who’s now flourishing in Serie A? Manchester United know all about that…
O Corinthians tem problemas na zaga para o jogo contra o Grêmio, nesta segunda-feira (18), pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. Somente dois atletas da posição estão disponíveis para a partida: Caetano e Lucas Veríssimo. Bruno Méndez e Gil receberam o terceiro cartão amarelo na derrota corintiana para o Fortaleza, na última quinta-feira (14), e cumprirão suspensão automática contra o Tricolor Gaúcho.
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A situação no Brasileirão alerta para um problema da equipe alvinegra próximo à semifinal da Sul-Americana, contra o próprio Leão do Pici. O Timão tem somente quatro zagueiros no elenco principal, sendo que um deles, Bruno Méndez, também é o reserva imediato da lateral-direita. Além do mais, o técnico Vanderlei Luxemburgo costuma montar o sistema defensivo com três atletas em algumas oportunidades.
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A solução tem sido usar as categorias de base. Renato Santos tem sido chamado para compor elenco e até mesmo foi relacionado para algumas partidas nesta temporada. Porém, no treinamento deste sábado (16) os escolhidos foram Alexandre, Fernando Vera e João Pedro Tchoca, para que Renato não fosse tirado do jogo contra a Portuguesa, pelo Paulistão Sub-20.
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De toda forma, a tendência é que Renato Santos seja o escolhido para compor o banco de reservas contra o Grêmio, na segunda-feira (18).
ROTATIVIDADE NA DEFESA
Recentemente, o Timão modificou bastante as peças do seu sistema defensivo. A equipe do Parque São Jorge terminou a temporada passada com as seguintes opções para o setor: Balbuena, Bruno Melo, Bruno Méndez, Belezi, Gil, Raul Gustavo, Robert Renan e Robson Bambu. Desses, apenas Gil e Méndez permanecem.
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Bruno Melo, Belezi e Robson Bambu deixaram o Corinthians no fim do ano passado. O período de contrato deles encerraram e eles não ficaram.
Não foi do interesse da diretoria corintiana renovar o empréstimo por Melo e Bambu, que foram cedidos novamente pelas suas equipes, dessa vez para Goiás e Vasco, respectivamente.
Já o garoto Lucas Belezi, que chegou a ser relacionado pelo então treinador corintiano Vítor Pereira, mas nunca entrou em campo profissionalmente, não aceitou a proposta de renovação oferecida pelo time do Parque São Jorge e viu a situação ser resolvida após seis meses, já que o Timão tinha a prioridade no primeiro contrato profissional do atleta, que, após acordo, foi contratado pelo Athletico-PR, com o Coringão mantendo 30% dos direitos econômicos do profissional.
Em janeiro deste ano, Raul Gustavo foi emprestado ao Bahia, e Robert Renan foi liberado para o Zenit, da Rússia, envolvido na compra do centroavante Yuri Alberto pelo Timão.
Em junho, encerrou o vínculo de empréstimo do paraguaio Fabián Balbuena, que estava cedido pelo Dínamo de Moscou. Campeão brasileiro com o Corinthians em 2017, o jogador não teve o mesmo sucesso na segunda passagem e foi devolvido aos russos.
Por sua vez, Caetano, que estava emprestado ao Goiás, voltou ao Timão, que decidiu aproveitá-lo após cedê-lo temporariamente a cinco equipes diferentes entre 2019 e 2022. Além do Esmeraldino, o jogador defendeu Oeste, Coritiba, São Caetano e CRB.
Outro cria das categorias de base corintiana que ganhou espaço foi Murillo, que em fevereiro assinou a sua renovação com o clube alvinegro e foi integrado definitivamente entre os profissionais, após disputar a Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior no mês anterior.
Ainda assim, com as saídas de Robert e Balbuena no primeiro semestre, a diretoria do Corinthians entendeu ser necessária a contratação de um quinto jogador para a zaga. E assim acertou a contratação por empréstimo de Lucas Veríssimo até junho do ano que vem.
No entanto, no fim da janela de transferências, o clube do Parque São Jorge negociou a venda de Murillo ao Nottingham Forest, da Inglaterra, por 12 milhões de euros (R$ 64,4 milhões) mais 2 milhões de euros (R$ 10,7 milhões) atrelados a cumprimento de metas. O Timão manteve 10% dos direitos econômicos do jogador, podendo lucrar ainda mais com possíveis novas vendas.
Assim, o Corinthians terminará o ano com quatro zagueiros no elenco profissional: Caetano, Bruno Méndez, Gil e Veríssimo. O período de inscrições para novos atletas até o fim desta temporada se encerrou na última sexta-feira (15).
Dois integrantes do quarteto remanescente, no entanto, podem não permanecer no Timão na próxima temporada. Os contratos de Bruno Méndez e Gil terminaram em dezembro deste ano.
No caso do uruguaio, as conversas para renovação foram abertas ainda no primeiro semestre, e a diretoria aguarda a resposta do estafe do atleta nos próximos dias. Atlético-MG, Flamengo e Internacional monitoram a situação do jogador. Enquanto a situação de Gil dependerá da próxima diretoria, que será eleita no fim deste ano e assumirá em janeiro. A alta idade e as oscilações do defensor durante as últimas temporadas fazem com que a atual administração considere um risco a renovação, passando a responsabilidade para a gestão seguinte.
Debutant sets tone with brisk knock as hosts set in touch with the pack in North Group
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Worcestershire’s young guns impressed in a key victory•Getty Images
Worcestershire 156 for 4 (Brookes 51) beat Durham 155 for 6 (Rhodes 58*) by six wicketsWorcestershire Rapids had youngsters Isaac Mohammed and Ethan Brookes to thank as their brilliant cameos saw them to a comprehensive six-wicket win over Durham.Durham set a target of 156, with only Will Rhodes, 58 not out, able to cash in against a well-drilled Rapids attack.The reply sizzled from the outset, with 17-year-old Mohammed blasting 32 from just 15 balls, as his cameo put the Rapids in a good position after the powerplay.Coming in at 89 for 3, Brookes stole the show with a blistering 51, in an innings that included eight boundaries, to see his side to victory with two overs to spare.After being asked to bat first in idyllic conditions, the Durham innings stuttered during the powerplay as both Graham Clark and Ollie Robinson departed without, as their side were restricted to 37 for 2.Skipper Alex Lees looked good for his 28 but failed to kick on when he clipped a Brookes delivery straight to the hands of Ben Dwarshuis in the deep, as the visitors reached the halfway point of their innings 65 for 3.Jacob Duffy opened proceedings with a searing yorker, before the impressive Dwarshuis (1 for 28) had Ollie Robinson caught for one.Colin Ackermann struck a couple of lusty blows in his 21-run cameo but failed to capitalise on his start when he fell in underwhelming fashion, chipping the ball straight to debutant Mohammed at backward point.The Rapids’ impressive bowling performance continued to stifle the Durham run rate, as Matthew Waite (2 for 20) picked up the key wicket of Jimmy Neesham, for just five, as Rhodes continued his salvo at the other end.The cohesive display in the field and with the ball saw the Rapids on top heading into the final stages of the innings, before a 41-run partnership between Rhodes and Ben Raine was ended when Waite removed Raine in the 19th over.Dwarshuis, returned to finish the innings, as Rhodes brought up his counter-attacking half-century, as he carried his bat for a well-made 58 off 33 balls, as Durham were restricted to 155 for 6.It was debutant Isaac Mohammed, who took centre stage in the early stages of the reply, as his exhilarating knock got the Rapids off to a flying start.His 32 off just 15 balls included six boundaries, but the entertainment was brought to a close when the veteran Neesham, beat his defences with an accurate yorker.Kashif Ali joined Jake Libby, as the pair continued the fast start, with Ali helping himself to four successive boundaries in the final over of the powerplay, as the home side reached 63 for 1.The pair added 48 for the second-wicket, before the visitors struck twice in two overs, when Raine trapped Ali lbw for 25, and Callum Parkinson had Libby caught for 21, with the Rapids needing 67 to win off the remaining seven overs.Brookes then put his foot on the accelerator, taking the returning Potts for 21 off his second over, blasting three sixes in the process as he took his side to within touching distance of a memorable victory.Brookes couldn’t quite see his side home, as he fell for a brilliant 51 from just 24 balls, but with just two required for victory, a comfortable six-wicket win was wrapped up in the 18th over.