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Everton have struggled all over the pitch this season and have fallen into a scrap to maintain their Premier League status amid the backdrop of regular protests at Goodison Park regarding how the club has been allowed to deteriorate on and off the pitch.

Beyond the summer, many of their regular first-team players will need to wait and see what the future holds with regard to their future, including the likes of Tom Davies, Yerry Mina and Abdoulaye Doucoure, who are all out of contract, with the latter having an option to extend his stay.

Key men Amadou Onana, Jordan Pickford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have also attracted transfer interest from elsewhere, potentially bringing around a long summer window as the Toffees try to plan for the long term beyond this season.

In modern times, Everton boss Sean Dyche must wish that he could rewind the clock or at least have someone close to embodying the talent of the late Alan Ball, who plied his trade at Goodison Park between the years of 1966 and 1971 and earned legendary status among supporters.

What did Alan Ball manage to achieve at Everton?

Ball arrived at Everton following a summer that saw England win their inaugural and only World Cup triumph to date in 1966, joining from Blackpool for a then-record fee of £110,000.

As the famous rendition of 'if you know your history' goes, the Farnworth-born hero then went on to form a midfield trio with Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey known as the Holy Trinity, which eventually led to a statue being built outside Goodison Park to commemorate their exploits on the blue half of Merseyside, as per The Liverpool Echo.

During his time at the Blues, Ball played a starring role in Everton's 1969/70 First Division triumph, in a campaign where Everton lost just five matches from 42 matches on their way to sealing their seventh top-flight title at the time.

The former England international, who was sold for what was a record fee of £220k, was the perfect archetype of a centre midfielder, strong in the tackle, energetic, with a great eye for a pass and a penchant for putting the ball in the back of the net, something he managed to do 71 times in 251 appearances for the club.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Paul Brown paid tribute to the World Cup winner in a recent interview, saying: "You could pick anyone from any of Everton's great sides and they would easily walk into this team in any position and make a huge difference. You could talk about either no Peter Reid or go back further to World Cup winner Alan Ball, you know. It's kind of fantasy football to imagine those guys playing in this team, but I would feel sorry for anyone that good being parachuted into a team this bad."

Southampton legend Mike Channon was close friends with Ball and gave an insight into his playing style speaking to The Daily Mail in 2017, stating: "He had a great football brain. Quick feet, quick brain. For a midfielder he scored a lot of goals. People just thought he was a running machine, especially in the early days with the World Cup and that. But he was a great footballer."

All in all, Ball was a sporting hero and would be an asset to any modern-day side in his prime as a footballer and he is rightfully still heralded as one of Everton's greatest ever players.

India opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 84 on the first day in Antigua, said that learning from past experiences contributed to a better judgement in the channel outside off

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-20161:20

‘Disappointed to get out when set’ – Dhawan

India opener Shikhar Dhawan had gone eight Test innings without a 50-plus score, before his 84 in the first innings of the Antigua Test. He had been susceptible in the channel outside off, often reaching for the ball with his hands, on earlier tours to England and Australia. At the training camp in Bangalore, ahead of the departure to the Caribbean, Dhawan had focused on his feet movement and judgement against away-going deliveries outside off, with batting coach Sanjay Bangar placing a fourth stump just outside off.The workout seemed to have reaped immediate reward, with Dhawan showing restraint outside off and laying the platform for India’s 302 for 4 on the first day. He was tested by fast bowler Shannon Gabriel – who had M Vijay nicking behind with a prancing delivery – in a fiery first spell, but Dhawan survived by adhering to attrition over attack.”I think opening is the toughest work and you need a big heart for it,” Dhawan said. “New wicket, new ball and they bowl with full energy and as an opener your technique should also be good because you have to leave a lot of balls and you need patience as well. Middle order needs it [patience] too but new ball has its own challenge. Vijay got a good ball, it was a very quick ball. I was luckier in that sense so Gabriel was bowling really well and with time you get that experience.”Now I know better from the past about which balls to leave and that is from experience and it helps improve the game and my shot selection and it showed in the partnership with Pujara and Kohli.”Dhawan felt India were in a “good position”, especially after sacrificing a batsman or an allrounder to beef up their bowling, and hinted at the team’s strategy of batting only once of a slowing surface.”We are in a good position especially because we are playing with only five batsmen,” Dhawan said. “So we are in a good position and we will want to bat as long as possible tomorrow, that will also tire them out. Good thing is we have Virat set and batting.”Dhawan lauded Virat Kohli, who scored his 12th Test century, with whom he shaped India’s progress with a third-wicket partnership of 105 in 27.1 overs.”He has played a tremendous knock and scored a hundred and continued scoring,” Dhawan said. “Hopefully he scores big runs and gets a double-hundred after 150. It feels good to bat with him and we were rotating strike and scoring runs at a good pace. I feel that made a difference because we made the partnership in 120 balls or something. That is a good thing and it is always a pleasure to watch Virat, the way he times the ball.”Dhawan also identified the importance of Cheteshwar Pujara’s contribution in blunting a disciplined West Indies attack, although Pujara only contributed 16 off 67 balls, before lobbing a leading edge to point off legspinner Devendra Bishoo.”My partnership with Pujara was also important because the ball was new at that time and it was important to leave the ball at that time,” Dhawan said. “The middle order got benefit of that because the ball was older and my partnership with Virat benefitted from that.”

Burnley face a battle to land Georges Mikautadze this summer, with a report from Footmercato stating that AC Milan are also ready to launch a bid for his services.

Who are Burnley signing this summer?

The Clarets have had a superb Championship campaign under boss Vincent Kompany, with the former Man City man taking the side to the top of the second-tier table in his first season. They stormed their way to glory, too – racking up 101 points and losing only three times.

Now, with the club gearing up for life back in the Premier League, their manager will be on the hunt for players that can help keep this upward trajectory going. The side won't want to be dumped straight back down a division and will therefore need to invest wisely to ensure their stay in the top flight is not a short one.

One of the names that has already emerged as a potential target for Burnley now is Georges Mikautadze. According to Footmercato, the Clarets have been "won over" by the player's performances this season but they could now face a struggle to sign the Metz ace.

That's because the same report adds that AC Milan are now also in the race to land the 14-cap Georgia man and could offer €10m (£8.7m) in order to secure his signature.

Who is Georges Mikautadze?

The striker currently plays for FC Metz in France and has had a sensational season with the club, bagging himself 23 goals in 33 league starts for the side, including a current run of nine goals in eight games. In addition, he managed a further eight assists, which led to a per-90 goal contribution rate of 0.96. It's a large part of the reason why the French outfit are currently sat third in Ligue 2.

He's also been gathering plenty of admirers along the way, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig calling him "The Georgian Killer." That's because of his goal rate for the side, and considering his age – he is just 22 years old – it makes his record even more impressive.

It's not the first time he has hit double-digit goal figures, either, having managed 19 when he was in his teens in Belgium. It means that this campaign is not a one-off for the striker – and if he does join Burnley and repeat the feat, it could go a long way towards keeping them in the Premier League next season.

Courtney Walsh, the former West Indies captain, has signed on as Bangladesh’s new bowling coach until the 2019 World Cup

Mohammad Isam31-Aug-20161:19

Courtney Walsh succeeded Heath Streak in Bangladesh set-up

Courtney Walsh, the former West Indies captain, has signed on as Bangladesh’s new bowling coach until the 2019 World Cup.Walsh, who is set to arrive in the country in the coming week, replaced Heath Streak, who served as bowling coach for two years until May.This would be Walsh’s first major coaching role in international cricket since retiring in 2001 as the then leading wicket-taker in Tests. He has since worked as a cricket administrator in various roles including West Indies selector, mentor with Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL, and as manager of the West Indies Under-19 team. Most recently, Walsh served as part of the West Indies selection panel.”Having watched Bangladesh cricket from afar over the years, they are a seriously talented bunch of players,” Walsh said. “Chandika Hathurusingha has done a wonderful job thus far as Head Coach so hopefully I can complement his skills and continue the positive progress.”Obviously the West Indies is my home but the chance to go in a new direction in coaching at the international level with a talented group, was one I couldn’t let that opportunity pass.”Walsh was the second high-profile West Indian in a coaching role with Bangladesh following Gordon Greenidge, the former West Indies opener, who had steered Bangladesh to the 1999 World Cup via victory at the 1997 ICC Trophy.”Bangladesh cricket at present is going through the best pace bowling phase in our history,” BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said, “And Courtney’s involvement, I am sure will take it to greater heights.”Bangladesh had had their best year in ODI cricket in 2015, when they won a series each against South Africa, Pakistan and India. The team also reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Aston Villa have scouted midfielder Habib Diarra with a view to making a potential move for the player during the upcoming summer transfer window, as manager Unai Emery aims to bolster his squad.

What’s the latest on Habib Diarra to Aston Villa?

According to The Sun, Aston Villa have sent scouts to watch Diarra in action for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg ahead of making a possible swoop for the youngster this summer.

As much as nine other teams are also keen on him however, among them are Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers. With a fee of just £20m looking like it could be enough to sign him, Villa are unsurprisingly not the only club monitoring his progress.

Could Aston Villa sign Habib Diarra in the summer?

Despite the intense competition for the 19-year-old, Villa have the means to lure him to the Premier League, especially if they qualify for European football next season.

The club have enjoyed previous transfer success from delving into the French market, with Boubacar Kamara joining the side last summer for nothing and has since gone on to be valued at €51.9m (£45m), with Villa clearly hitting the jackpot on the midfielder.

Although he has been restricted to just 20 league starts due to suffering a knee injury last year, he ranks in the top five out of the Villa squad for accurate passes, interceptions and tackles per game, certainly proving that he offers valuable defensive contributions while his passing ability has clearly been on show this term.

Diarra, then, could become Emery’s next Kamara. The 19-year-old has a greater positional versatility in terms of being able to operate either in the centre of the midfield or slightly deeper in a more defensive position, whereas Kamara tends to play deeper and dictate play from there.

The Strasbourg midfielder offers a greater attacking threat than the Villa player, scoring three goals compared to none for Kamara, while also creating 18 chances to Kamara’s seven, and this attacking output from the heart of the midfield could be a big bonus for Emery.

Kamara does have the better defensive stats however, with his experience proving to be the determining factor, winning more ground duels (101 to 61), making more clearances (23 to 11) and attempting more passes (909 to 523) which proves that the youngster still has much to learn.

Adding another player who is similar to Kamara would be a wise move from the Spaniard, especially with his undoubted potential. The current Villa star may be four years older than Diarra, but gaining experience in the Premier League will allow him to soon reach his level.

South Africa coach Russell Domingo has not yet been given a mandate about the targets his bosses expect him to implement for the upcoming New Zealand Tests

Firdose Moonda14-Aug-2016South Africa coach Russell Domingo has not yet been given a mandate about the targets his bosses expect him to implement for the New Zealand Tests. The two-match series is the first South Africa play since last month’s announcement that CSA will impose selection criteria relating to the number of players of colour in all national teams in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed with the country’s sports ministry.”There has been nothing officially documented to me at the moment. We will continue to do what we have always done and that is pick our best XI players,” Domingo said.South Africa have – officially between the late 1990s and 2002, and unofficially since then – adhered to a policy of an average of four players of colour in a starting XI. The most recent example of this application came during the 2015 World Cup semi-final when Vernon Philander, who had battled injury through the tournament, was picked ahead of the in-form Kyle Abbott after South Africa’s captain, coach and convener of selectors had met with the CEO, who reminded them of the need to pick the best XI “bearing in mind transformation guidelines.”In the immediate aftermath of the tournament, domestic targets in South Africa were increased. Each franchise was required to field at least six players of colour, of which at least two had to be black African, up from five players of colour the season before, but CSA maintained there was no pressure to do the same at the national level.However, in April this year, CSA became one of four national federations to be banned from bidding for or hosting major tournaments by the sports ministry as punishment for the slow rate of transformation. The ministry deemed teams that comprised 60% players of colour to be representative. Cricket fell short by 5%.In order to meet the 60% criteria, South Africa would need to field at least seven players of colour in the national team. The squad for the upcoming New Zealand series includes seven players of colour, of which two are black African, and Domingo insists all of them will play on merit. “We are fortunate in that it hasn’t been an issue for this particular side. If someone says to me Kagiso Rabada is playing because he is black, they can go and jump in the Indian Ocean because he is a world-class player,” Domingo said. “And if someone says Hashim Amla or JP Duminy or Dane Piedt is playing because of the colour of their skin, they are smoking something. They have proven themselves at domestic cricket and in international cricket. We are just going on business as usual.”However, several local media institutions have reported that CSA and the ministry have agreed on six players of colour as long as two are black African, which will present an additional challenge to team balance. Already, Domingo has indicated South Africa will field a specialist spinner, and with Piedt the only option in that department, he will fulfill that requirement while also filling up one of the players of colour slots.”We always want to lean towards playing a spinner. The wicket in Durban over the last five or six years has helped the spinners. Also, for the development of our team, it’s important that we give the spinner the opportunity to try and settle into that position,” Domingo said.With the top five settled – Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy – and filling up another two of the player of colour slots, the competition will come in the lower order and bowling department. South Africa have two options for the allrounder’s spot in Wayne Parnell and Chris Morris, although they may opt to use Vernon Philander in that position at the outset. They also have four bowlers to choose from, including Dale Steyn, Philander, Abbott and Rabada, with Abbott the most likely to miss out.Although both Steyn and Philander sat out a significant part of the previous season with injuries, Domingo indicated they were in line for recalls on reputation alone. “Welcoming Dale and Vernon back after a long time with their experience, to go with the excitement of Rabada, is good for us,” he said. “We are very glad to have Dale back. He gives the side a lot of confidence and a lot of belief. Also, it puts the opposition under a bit of pressure, knowing that Dale Steyn is in the line-up.”Perhaps the only thing that will push Abbott ahead is that Kingsmead was his home ground – he has since moved to Warriors at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth – although like everyone else, he may not know what to expect from the conditions in August. Never before has a Test been played in Durban at this time of the year, and Domingo is expecting some unknowns.”For five or six days out, the pitch looks pretty good,” he said. “They’ve got to take more time because there’s not as much heat as there is in summer, but it looks really good. I am a little bit concerned with the outfield, it doesn’t look too good. We also don’t know how much the ball is going to swing in the morning, or if the field will be dry when we start in the morning. Those are the things we need to consider.”

Chelsea are embroiled in an enthralling transfer race for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.

What’s the latest on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea?

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are one of three clubs that are tracking the 21-year-old in a hotly-contested tug-of-war.

The Ecuadorian attempted to force a move to Arsenal in the January window, but the Seagulls awarded him with a new contract and a promise that he could be sold in the summer in case of a good proposal.

We have now reached that time, and Caicedo has been an integral cog in a sensational Roberto De Zerbi outfit that secured European football for the first time in the club’s history.

The south coast side are reportedly holding out for more than £70m for the player, should his exit be sanctioned.

Why does Chelsea want Moises Caicedo?

The journey of this prodigy has been an endearing and magnificent spectacle. He has only made 53 appearances for Brighton, but he has established himself as a formidably consistent protector, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise to stardom.

This campaign, the 30-cap international has appeared in 37 Premier League games and his stats make for unbelievable reading – as he averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game, the highest in the Brighton squad.

It is not just within his own team that he ruthlessly excelled, as the £60k-per-week machine ranks in the top 12% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for tackles and interceptions, as well as the highest 6% for pass completion, according to FBref.

Since De Zerbi arrived in England, he has drawn huge attention to his tactical ingenuity by playing an attractive possession-based, that focuses on drawing the press and creating huge gaps in the forward areas for his dazzling playmakers to exploit.

This method creates huge pressure on the defenders and pivots within the team, but the all-round quality of Caicedo, embodied by his ability to play defence splitting-passes and act as the shield for his backline, is why he is so sought-after.

His former manager Graham Potter labelled the Ecuadorian talent as “fantastic” and that he “has all the attributes to play at the very, very highest level.”

For the incoming Mauricio Pochettino, though, the signing of this pivot could be a repeat of the magical Mousa Dembele era, who was a pillar of technique, physicality, and agility during an imperious seven-stay at Tottenham Hotspur.

At the peak of his powers during the 2015/16 season, the Belgian powerhouse recorded a mammoth 3.6 tackles and 2.9 dribbles per game – the highest total for both metrics in the side.

Chelsea’s new coach has previously described Dembele as a “genius”, whilst former Arsenal wonderkid Jack Wilshere said he “hated” playing against him.

Dembele and Caicedo share a similar tough-tackling tenacity and a press-resistant dominance on the ball, and the latter could emulate his elder’s extraordinary superiority at Stamford Bridge.

As the west Londoners seek to ignite their midfield revolution, securing this young Brighton ace would be an excellent first step as Pochettino could well unearth his next midfield monster.

Rob Newton and Alex Wakely made centuries for Northamptonshire but Gloucestershire came back smartly after tea to leave the home side 322 for 6 by the close

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2016
ScorecardRob Newton’s century powered Northants into the ascendancy•Getty ImagesRob Newton and Alex Wakely made centuries for Northamptonshire but Gloucestershire came back smartly after tea to leave the home side 322 for 6 by the close on the opening day at Wantage Road.Newton, out of contract at the end of the season, was never especially fluent but played a chanceless innings for his third century of the summer. He was productive backward of point and steered his side through the majority of the opening day, raising a hundred in 173 balls with his 14th four – cutting Jack Taylor past extra-cover.His stand of 196 with Northants captain Wakely put the hosts in control of the day shortly before tea. Wakely looked in excellent touch throughout his 179-ball century. In the morning he twice rocked back to pull Matt Taylor through midwicket and after lunch skipped down the wicket in Jack Taylor’s first over of offspin to strike him down the ground for four. Next over he lifted him over mid-on for six and drove another boundary past extra-cover.He clipped Matt Taylor down the ground for his 17th four to bring up his first century of the summer and fifth in first-class cricket. But trying to sweep Jack Taylor, he fell lbw three overs before tea and Northants never regained their commanding position.Having leaked 129 runs in 34 overs between lunch and tea, Gloucestershire fought back through the efforts of Liam Norwell, who had nibbled a ball away from Ben Duckett for the opening wicket in the sixth over of the morning, and returned to have Richard Levi splendidly caught by Gareth Roderick, running to his right and diving full length from mid-on. Two balls later, Newton finally departed for 130, as Norwell moved one off the seam to take an edge to the keeper.Norwell, fair-haired and running in with purpose, and David Payne, who has markedly improved his red-ball bowling this season, were excellent for the visitors throughout the day. Craig Miles recovered from a poor opening spell to provide good support – he picked up the wicket of Rob Keogh after tea and in the penultimate over of the day, a good-length ball squared Adam Rossington up to provide a fourth catch of the day for wicketkeeper Phil Mustard.

After Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss in Pakistan’s 400th Test, Azhar Ali hit an unbeaten 146 – his 11th Test ton – to help his side to 279 for 1 by the close

The Report by Sirish Raghavan13-Oct-2016Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAzhar Ali and Sami Aslam put on an opening partnership of 215•AFPPakistan dominated the first day of their 400th Test, piling on 279 for 1, after Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and opted to bat. Openers Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam made the most of the batting-friendly conditions in Dubai, sharing a double-century stand, before Asad Shafiq came in at No. 3 and lent his weight to a batting effort that deflated West Indies.In theory, both teams were in uncharted territory, playing their first day-night Test – and the second overall – at a time when the concept is still new, with the behaviour of the pink ball under scrutiny. In practice, the ball did not do much in the afternoon heat and, while there was a bit more for the West Indies bowlers under lights, they did not do enough to threaten the batsmen for sustained periods.The pink ball offered very little swing to the new-ball bowlers and very little reverse-swing as it got older. On both counts, West Indies did not help their own cause. At the start of the day, both Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder were too short to give the new ball a chance to swing. Miguel Cummins bowled fuller, but not consistently enough. As the ball grew older, West Indies seemed uninterested in keeping one side shiny to extract reverse-swing.Azhar was fluent almost from the outset, marrying a tight defence with a number of sumptuous drives. One such drive, wide of mid-off off Roston Chase’s bowling, brought up his 11th Test century, off 184 balls. He didn’t stop there, walking off at stumps on an unbeaten 146. His opening partner, Aslam, was the more circumspect of the two, but both batsmen were very strong on the cut when the bowlers dropped short.Aslam often skipped out to the spinners to hit them down the ground, but was equally impressive when leaving balls outside off. He also used the sweep shot quite effectively, but it was that shot that led to his eventual downfall – he got a bottom-edge onto the stumps off Chase to depart for 90 and end a 215-run opening stand.That brought Shafiq to the crease at No. 3. Though Shafiq has mostly batted at the No. 6 position in international cricket, he is a regular No. 3 in domestic cricket. Moreover, the adjustment from No. 6 to No. 3 is minimal when the openers have consumed more than 67 overs and the pitch has no terrors. Shafiq took his time to settle into his innings and calmly accumulated 33 runs, before walking back undefeated at stumps.While the first ball held its shape for the full 80 overs, it was quite discoloured and tattered by the time the second new ball was due. Holder, who had looked increasingly unimpressed with the state of the older ball, took that new ball immediately. Like the first new ball, though, it did not offer much in the way of swing and the second-wicket partnership steadily swelled to 64 by the close of play.It was Gabriel who had generated the first of two half-chances for West Indies in the first session. In his second over, he seamed one away from Azhar to induce an outside edge, but the ball fell short of Kraigg Brathwaite at second slip. Cummins generated the other in his second spell when Azhar slashed a short, wide delivery towards Leon Johnson at gully; the ball burst through Johnson’s hands and raced away to third man for a boundary.If the bowling was not sufficiently penetrative, the decision-making was also puzzling at times. West Indies used six bowlers before tea, but there was no discernible logic in the manner in which they were used. Brathwaite bowled three overs of gentle offspin before either Devendra Bishoo or Chase was introduced. By the time Bishoo was called upon, in the 21st over of the chase, Azhar and Aslam had grown in confidence and were finding the boundary with increasing regularity, pouncing whenever the bowlers erred.The one spell that came close to being penetrative was Holder’s spell immediately after the tea break. With a bit more bounce and carry under lights, Holder bowled with more intensity, troubling Azhar with some well-directed bouncers. Azhar fended a few of those in the air, but got away with it due to the lack of close-in fielders.When Holder went up for a big lbw shout against Azhar and reviewed the not-out decision, West Indies lost their first review. Replays showed ball would have missed leg stump. Thereafter, Gabriel and Cummins also found more pace, the former bowling some good bouncers to Aslam. Bishoo also created his closest opportunity under lights, wrapping Aslam on the pads, but the not-out decision was upheld upon review when HawkEye indicated that the ball would have gone down leg with the angle.Such fleeting moments of encouragement were all West Indies had to cling to on a deflating opening day in which the pink ball did not misbehave and the bowlers were largely unthreatening.

Burnley may have sauntered their way to promotion to the Premier League under the watch of impressive managerial rookie Vincent Kompany, but that is not to say some areas of the squad are not in need of addressing this summer.

According to LancsLive, one of the positions being looked at is right-back, with Leeds United's versatile Cody Drameh said to be of interest to the Clarets.

Who is Leeds United defender Cody Drameh?

Drameh has yet to make a name for himself at Leeds, being restricted to just four appearances across their three seasons back in the top flight, but he has impressed away from Elland Road.

Still aged just 21, Drameh did well during his half-season spell on loan with Cardiff City in 2021-22 and returned to the Championship in the second half of last season with Luton Town.

The former Fulham youth player was brought in during the January window and started 19 times for the Hatters as they earned a stunning promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

While predominantly a right-back, Drameh was asked to fill in on the right-hand side of midfield for the majority of his time at Kenilworth Road and chipped in with a couple of assists.

One of those came against Bristol City in March when setting up Carlton Morris for the only goal of the game. Luton boss Rob Edwards praised Drameh at the time for the way he quickly adapted to life at another new club, while also issuing the youngster a new challenge to develop his game further.

"Cody’s been really good since he's come in, but we encouraged him to be really brave and we wanted him to take some risks," Edwards said, as per LeedsLive. "I thought he was really on the front foot and he showed a lot of quality."

Where would Cody Drameh fit in at Burnley?

On the face of it, Burnley are not exactly desperate for a new right-back. That is a position, after all, that Wales international Connor Roberts thrived in last season.

However, Roberts played in a team-high 43 of Burnley's games last season, and Kompany could do with having another adequate back-up option ready to fill in.

Vitinho took up that role last season, featuring seven times at right-back, while also being used down the wing and on the opposite flank. That versatile nature is a big positive, and is something Drameh showed last season he can also provide.

There was little between Vitinho and Drameh last season in terms of creativity, with respective goals and assists combined per 90 minutes returns of 0.17 and 0.13, while they completed an almost identical number of passes per game (32.7 and 33.2).

However, Drameh outperformed Vitinha in terms of metrics such as shot-creating actions (3.50 per 90 compared to 2.53), tackles won (2.38 and 1.20) and aerial duels (1.13 compared to 0.90), suggesting he'd be a more solid asset on the right-hand side of the defence.

Vitinho has won the hearts of supporters at Turf Moor, and he may have a part to play in the Premier League, but it is clear to see why Drameh – valued as little as £4m by Football Observatory and with plenty of years of top-flight football ahead of him – is on the radar of Clarets boss Kompany.