If, like many industries, the business of football transfer speculation seemed to be heading into recession, Ilkay Gundogan did his best to give it a boost with his weekend tribute to Raul Jimenez. “I can imagine him playing with us,” he said of the Wolves striker.
None of which actually makes a move to Manchester City imminent. While Sergio Aguero’s contract expires in 2021, so does Pep Guardiola’s; predicting the Argentinian’s successor entails knowing if Guardiola will stay or who or what another manager may want.
Gundogan managed to rile some in the Midlands by saying: “He would get a chance in every top-six side.” As some Wolves fans were quick to point out, he is already in one. They are not, though, one of the supposed ‘Big Six’.
But the most pertinent part was his analysis of Jimenez. “For a striker he is so mobile, but also physically so good and talented technically on the ball,” the German said. It is the range of attributes that makes Jimenez arguably the best all-round striker in the Premier League.
While Aguero is more of a poacher, Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sprinters who flourish on the fringes of games and Roberto Firmino the workaholic whose goals have been infrequent, Jimenez offers something of everything.
He is durable enough to have played 44 times in all competitions this season and potent enough to have scored 22 times. He is persistent enough to have the third most shots on target in the Premier League. He has 13 goals and six assists in it, meaning only Kevin de Bruyne, Jamie Vardy, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been directly involved in more goals.
He is rarely the best at anything, but has a capacity to play a part in a variety of ways. Wyscout data, used by clubs, from the Comparisonator website shows that Jimenez is the most multifunctional centre-forward in England.
He ranks third among strikers behind Aguero and Gabriel Jesus for most shots per 90 minutes. He is seventh for most headers at goal and, highlighting Gundogan’s observations about his mobility, seventh for most successful dribbles.
For a striker he is so mobile, but also physically so good and talented technically on the ball
Jimenez is fourth for assists; perhaps, with better finishing by his team-mates, that could be higher as he stands second – behind only Heung-Min Son, in his sporadic outings as a centre-forward – for passes that lead to a shot.
His distribution can be in dangerous areas but he also has a passing range. Jimenez is fifth for successful passes in the final third and third for key passes but also top for successful long passes.
There are ways of illustrating that he can contribute to different types of attacks. Jimenez ranks seventh for ball recoveries that lead to a shot inside 20 seconds; setting up a quick counter-attack, in other words, which is a key part of modern football.
There is other evidence of his teamwork. Adama Traore has five assists for Jimenez goals this season, making them the second most productive combination behind De Bruyne and Aguero. When roles are reversed, the Mexican has three assists for Traore’s strikes. Indeed, he has three assists against City this season, helping Wolves do a double and, presumably, him catch Gundogan’s eye.
Goals against City, Liverpool and Tottenham, like last season’s strikes against Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs, indicate Jimenez is no flat-track bully. Whether a player who turns 29 in three weeks represents a long-term option and whether a club as rich as Wolves would sell are moot points, but the praise for player who is scorer and supplier, a menace in the air and a threat with the ball at his feet, feels earned.
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
UAE gold medallists:
Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOW TO WATCH
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
More on animal trafficking
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Company%20profile
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
