"We have signed a player whose abilities will give our attack even greater flexibility," Eintracht Frankfurt CEO Markus Krösche announced in the summer of 2023, sitting side by side with the club's new arrival: Egypt international forward Omar Marmoush. "Omar has already proven his qualities in the German Bundesliga, but at the same time he still has great potential to develop further. We're pleased that we were able to bring such an exciting and talented player to Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer."

It reads like the most generic club statement you'll see. But you can forgive Eintracht for rolling out some stock phrasing, as they'd just signed a 24-year-old on a free transfer from VfL Wolfsburg who had spent two of the past three seasons on loan, with the other seeing him make more sub appearances than starts. So expectations were surely not much any higher than normal.

Eighteen months on, whatever those expectations were, Marmoush has surpassed them and then some. With 27 Bundesliga goals and 15 assists across 1 seasons at Eintracht, plus a handful more of each in Europe, the forward reveled in the spotlight and leads the league for goal contributions this season, outpacing megastars such as Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz.

Naturally, that form sparked host of interest from club in the January transfer window, but Manchester City swooped in first, parting with 60 million ($62.1m) to make him the face of their midseason rebuild.

But what paved the way for Marmoush's late rise to stardom?

Coaches couldn't figure him out

Marmoush's incredible ability was always recognised in Germany. The problem was, no one quite understood how to harness it.

"He was always considered an outstanding talent, but one that needed a lot of polishing," ESPN's Bundesliga correspondent Constantin Eckner says. "He was a gifted baller, a street footballer, so coaches had a hard time figuring out how to use him correctly."

That much was clear in the way Wolfsburg brought him off the bench (26) more times than they started him (15) over four separate seasons. They also sent him out on loan twice, to St. Pauli and then Stuttgart, during that time too. "Wolfsburg did not handle Marmoush correctly, in my opinion," Eckner says. "Because of these loan spells, he never had time to establish himself anywhere."

ESPN Africa correspondent Ed Dove agrees, pointing to the sheer number of different systems, positions and instructions he received during that time.

"There are possible parallels with Ademola Lookman [now of Atalanta] at this point," he says. "You have a guy who is highly regarded, has shown quality in flashes, but he's played for three different clubs in three different divisions in the space of just over two years."

Things looked like they would fall into place for Marmoush in 2021-22, during his loan at Stuttgart, as he rose above several disruptions (including a foot injury and Africa Cup of Nations duty) to be named on the short list for the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year award. But after he arrived back at Wolfsburg the following season, friction between him and coach Niko Kovač derailed their campaign.

"Marmoush and Kovač did not always see eye to eye," says Dove. "Kovač once brought him on as a half-time substitute against Bochum only to sub him off again 19 minutes later, citing unhappiness with his defensive work rate. Once it became clear that Marmoush wouldn't be extending his contract at Wolfsburg, Kovač effectively phased him out."

So, at 24, Marmoush became a free agent in the summer of 2023. He'd shown flashes of his exceptional talent and potential since 2020, but a topsy-turvy couple of years and a rocky relationship with Kovač had diminished his stock at just the wrong time and he was forced to rebuild his career.

Exploding into life at Eintracht

There's no doubt that Eintracht took a gamble on Marmoush in 2023. But since then he has exploded into life, scoring and assisting at will, thrilling audiences and even drawing stylistic comparisons to Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah (though the fact they are both Egypt internationals may have played a part).

Marmoush began his career at Eintracht playing as a lone, counter-attacking striker, but soon moved into a front two alongside former PSG striker Hugo Ekitike. The pair are both clever players who have enjoyed complementing each other and interpreting each other's movements, while Ekitiké's ability to drop deep, receive the ball and find a pass, allows Marmoush to stretch his legs and look to run in behind the defence.

He is fast, strong and confident bearing down on goal. But he can also drop deep and receive the ball, turn and push forward himself. He's smart enough to find pockets of space to exploit and more than willing to play a pass to get his teammates involved. In fact, when he does start to knit play together, he sparks some wonderful combinations, as he thinks and plays very fast even when in tight areas.

"Salah comparisons were inevitable," says Dove. "But there's also a hint of young Wayne Rooney in Marmoush's awareness of space, of time, his balance, tenacity, and that ineffable ability to negotiate obstacles -- and a ball in motion -- when in full flight."

Salah himself has poured scorn on the comparisons, though mostly to take the pressure off his international teammate, but they do at least share a "single-minded focus on finding a line of sight and fashioning a shot at goal," according to Dove.

That desire to score has led to an incredible showreel of goals over the last 18 months. He never really does tap-ins, and his one-on-one finishing feels inevitable, with the placement of his shots superb, always arrowed towards the corner. Perhaps that shouldn't come as a surprise given he's such an expert set-piece taker, and in November scored three free-kicks in three consecutive games, each from progressively further out. The final effort, against Stuttgart, was a full 35 yards from goal, but it was his second against Slavia Prague that impressed the most, as it smashed in off the bar.

"Marmoush's confidence has grown visibly," Eckner says. "The way he sets his shots up looks cleaner and more composed than before." Some credit belongs to Eintracht manager Dino Toppmöller for that, who worked closely with the Egyptian on the mental elements of clam finishing.

The answer for Manchester City's attack?

While 60m may seem a lot to pay to sign a player who has only got 18 months of top form under his belt, there is a pleasing variety to Marmoush's attacking skill set that suggests he will settle well under Pep Guardiola's guidance.

Indeed, he's exactly the sort of attacking spark that City have looked desperately in need of this term. The statistics have made for grim reading: They're averaging fewer goals per league game (2) than in any other season since Guardiola took the reins; Erling Haaland has 17 goals, but outside of him there have been struggles -- Phil Foden (6) tripled his season's tally in the last two weeks, then next is holding midfielder Mateo Kovačić, and defender Joško Gvardiol (4).

There have been times where City have simply looked a bit old and a bit slow, and that bears out in another statistic: Their successful take-on rate per 90 minutes is 48.4%, again the lowest of the Guardiola era.

Perhaps Marmoush can change that. He's in the 99th percentile across Europe's top-five leagues for assists and shot-creating actions, and the 97th percentile for successful take-ons.

"He can be the antidote," Dove said. "He's adept at picking the ball up in deep positions and running at defenders. He utilises his speed and strength to make space before shaping up to shoot, but his anticipation, awareness and acceleration also ensure he's dangerous when running in behind."

Of course, he will have to get used to playing behind a central striker (Haaland), most likely from the wing in Guardiola's 4-3-3 system, rather than in a front two, but if he can come close to replacing the much-missed Julián Álvarez (who signed for Atletico for an initial 75m in the summer) then City will be happy.

The next step

It's been a circuitous route to the top for Marmoush, but he's finally arrived. He will now have to prove himself all over again, on an even bigger stage, and learn the differences between playing in the Bundesliga and the Premier League -- and between playing for Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester City -- very quickly.

"How he performs in a possession-focused system remains to be seen," admits Eckner. "Frankfurt are a very strong out-of-possession side who look to create transition attacks. He could play as a winger for City from time to time, but in my opinion, the magic happens around the penalty area."

Dove agrees: "There are unanswered questions. But he's an excellent and exciting addition to Guardiola's team."

Marmoush certainly looks ready, and there's no doubt the difficulties he faced between 2020 and '23 have helped forge an incredibly determined character that will stand him in good stead for the challenge ahead. Only time will tell if he can prove the solution to City's struggles this season.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 54 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 123-114 on Wednesday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander made 17 of 35 field goals and 17 of 18 free throws to surpass his previous career best of 45 points. He also tallied 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

"It's always fun, I guess, to get career highs, always fun to knock things off your list," he said. "And to have the support of the city behind you is special for sure."

Gilgeous-Alexander is the first Thunder player with a 50-point game since Russell Westbrook posted 50 in 2017 against the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN Research. He is also only the fourth player in Thunder history to record 50 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a game, joining Westbrook (four times), Kevin Durant and Ray Allen.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points in the first half to help Oklahoma City take a 57-55 advantage at the break. He put up 18 points in the third quarter as the Thunder took a 95-89 lead.

Gilgeous-Alexander took a break to start the final quarter, and the Thunder led 102-99 when he checked back in. He hit a 3-pointer that gave OKC a 115-106 lead and secured his career night. He then scored his 50th point on a pull-up jumper over Lauri Markkanen with 1:28 to go that gave the Thunder a 119-110 lead.

After it was all over, Gilgeous-Alexander was content with his performance but said he could have scored even more.

"I felt like I could've had a lot more, and I know that's going to sound very spoiled," he explained. "I feel like I didn't really have that great of a night, left a few on the table; but there's room to improve, and that's a good thing."

Jalen Williams added 25 points for the Thunder (36-7), who are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA's best record.

John Collins had 22 points and 12 rebounds, Collin Sexton registered 18 points and 9 assists and Walker Kessler added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz (10-32), who lost their fourth straight.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

LOS ANGELES -- Roki Sasaki donned a No. 11 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey atop a makeshift stage Wednesday afternoon and called it the culmination of "an incredibly difficult decision."

When Sasaki was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines in the middle of December -- a development evaluators have spent years anticipating -- 20 major league teams formally expressed interest. Eight of those clubs were granted initial meetings at the L.A. offices of Sasaki's agency, Wasserman. Three were then named finalists in the middle of January, prompting official visits to their ballparks. And in the end, to practically nobody's surprise, it was the Dodgers who won out.

The Dodgers had long been deemed favorites for Sasaki, so much so that many viewed the pairing as an inevitability. In the wake of that actually materializing, scouts and executives throughout the industry have privately complained about being dragged through what they perceived as a process that already had a predetermined outcome. Some have also expressed concern that the homework assignment Sasaki gave to each of the eight teams he initially met with, asking them to present their ideas for how to recapture the life of his fastball, saw them provide proprietary information without ultimately having a reasonable chance to get him.

Sasaki's agent, Joel Wolfe, admitted he has heard some of those complaints over the past handful of days.

"I've tried to be an open book and as transparent as possible with all the teams in the league," said Wolfe, who has vehemently denied claims of a predetermined deal from the onset. "I answer every phone call, I answer every question. This goes back to before the process even started. Every team I think would tell you that I told each one of them where they stood throughout the entire process, why they got a meeting, why they didn't get a meeting, why other teams got a meeting. I tried to do my best to do that. He was only going to be able to pick one."

Sasaki, 23, is considered one of the world's most promising pitching prospects, with a triple-digit fastball and an otherworldly splitter. Through four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sasaki posted a 2.10 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and 505 strikeouts against just 88 walks in 394 innings. But he has openly acknowledged to teams that he is not yet fully formed, and many of those who followed him in Japan believed his priority would be to go to the team that had the best chance of making him better.

Few would argue that the Dodgers don't fit that description. Their vast resources, recent run of success and sizeable footprint in Japan made them an obvious fit for Sasaki, but it was their track record of pitching development that landed them one of the sport's most intriguing prospects.

"His goal is to be the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young, and he definitely possesses the ability to do that," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We're excited to partner with him."

Sasaki will join a star-studded rotation headlined by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, decorated Japanese countrymen who signed free agent deals totaling more than $1 billion in December 2023. The Dodgers went on to win the ensuing World Series, then doubled down on one of the sport's richest, most talented rosters.

Over the past three months, they've signed starting pitcher Blake Snell for $182 million, extended utility man Tommy Edman for $74 million, given reliever Tanner Scott $72 million, brought back corner outfielder Teoscar Hernandez for $66 million, added another corner outfielder in Michael Conforto ($17 million) and struck a surprising deal with Korean middle infielder Hyeseong Kim ($12.5 million). At some point, they'll finalize a contract with another back-end reliever in Kirby Yates and will bring back longtime ace Clayton Kershaw.

But Sasaki, who has drawn the attention of Dodgers scouts since he was throwing 100-mph fastballs in high school, was the ultimate prize.

"As I transition to the major leagues, I am deeply honored so many teams reached out to me, especially considering I haven't achieved much in Japan," Sasaki, speaking through an interpreter, said in front of hundreds of media members. "It makes me feel more focused than ever. I am truly grateful to all the team officials who took the time to meet with me during this process.

"I spent the past month both embracing and reflecting on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to choose a place purely based on where I can grow as a player the most," Sasaki continued. "Every organization helped me in its own way, and it was an incredibly difficult decision to choose just one. I am fully aware that there are many different opinions out there. But now that I have decided to come here, I want to move forward with the belief that the decision I made is the best one, trust in those who believed in my potential and (have) conviction in the goals that I set for myself."

Major League Baseball heard complaints from rival teams about a prearranged deal between Sasaki's side and the Dodgers before he was posted, prompting an investigation "to ensure the protocol agreement had been followed," a league official said in a statement. MLB found no evidence, prompting Sasaki to be included as part of the 2025 international signing class.

Because he is under 25 years old and spent less than six seasons in NPB, Sasaki was made available as an international amateur, his earnings restricted to teams' signing-bonus pools. The Dodgers gave him $6.5 million, which constitutes the vast majority of their allotment, and will control Sasaki's rights until he attains the six years of service time required for free agency. Sasaki said his immediate goal is to "beat the competition and make sure I do get a major league contract."

Sasaki combined to throw barely more than 200 innings over the past two years and is expected to be handled carefully in the United States. The Dodgers won't set a strict innings limit for him in 2025 but will deploy a traditional six-man rotation, which also makes sense with Ohtani returning as a two-way player. The Dodgers' initial meeting with Sasaki saw them tout the way their training staff, pitching coaches and performance-science group work in harmony. In their second, they brought out Ohtani, Edman, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Sasaki's catcher, Will Smith, in hopes of wooing him. And in the end, it was Ohtani who broke the news to the Dodgers' front-office members, letting them know they landed Sasaki in a text before his agent could get around to calling.

Friedman described it as "pure excitement." Many others, however, rolled their eyes at what they felt was inevitable. Wolfe denied that, saying, "I don't believe [the Dodgers] was always the destination." But then he went on to describe how prevalent the Dodgers are in Japan. Their games are on every morning and rebroadcast later at night. Dodgers-specific shops outfit stadiums throughout the country.

"They're everywhere," Wolfe said. "And I think that all the players and fans see the Dodgers every day, so it's always in their mind because of Ohtani and Yamamoto. But when (Sasaki) came over here, he came with a very open mind."

This year's Six Nations will use 20-minute red cards for the first time.

The trial was in place for the Autumn Nations Cup in November and has been extended to this year's men's, women's and Under-20s Championships.

Lawmakers say the 20-minute red card is designed to "punish the player and not the team", with sides able to replace a dismissed player after 20 minutes.

The men's Six Nations starts on Friday, 31 January with France hosting Wales in Paris.

While referees are still able to award a full and permanent red card for "deliberate and dangerous acts of foul play", the 20-minute red card constitutes a major change to rugby union's disciplinary process.

A crackdown on head contact has been in place since January 2017, with a number of the sport's biggest recent matches affected by red cards.

The losing side in the past two Rugby World Cup finals - England's women against New Zealand in 2022 and the All Blacks against South Africa in the 2023 men's showpiece - played the majority of the match with 14 players, as did Bath when beaten by Northampton in last year's Premiership final.

"Across the game, everyone is working together to ensure we are exploring new and innovative ways to make the game as safe as possible, alongside ambitions to enhance the spectacle for fans, and the experience for players," said Six Nations chief of rugby Julie Paterson.

There are two global law trials which will also come in during the 2025 Championship, with scrum-halves being given more protection at the base of rucks, mauls and scrums, while throws that aren't straight when the line-out is uncontested will not be penalised.

Reduction in the time allowed for conversions as well as quicker formation of scrums and line-outs - introduced in the autumn - will also continue into all three championships, as will referees broadcasting key decisions over the public address system for the benefit of fans in the stadium.

The mathematics were still causing a few heads to be scratched after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, but Declan Rice gave the new Champions League format a thumbs up.

"It's been really, really good. It's the first time trying it out and I think everyone was a little bit confused how it would work when it first got announced, but playing in this format has been really interesting," the midfielder said.

"Playing big teams, coming up against different opposition, I've really liked it."

Rice scored the opener as Arsenal made it a virtual mathematical certainty that they will finish in the top eight of the 36-team group stage which this season replaced the established format of eight groups of four.

They are in third place with 16 points and in reality can already start planning for the knockout phase, even if manager Mikel Arteta could not bring himself to say it.

"We haven't been told. I know we're in a really strong position," the Spaniard said after Arsenal extended their unbeaten home run in Europe to 15 games.

Kai Havertz took his season's tally to 14 with Arsenal's second goal and Martin Ødegaard poached his first goal since November in stoppage time to wrap up a comfortable win.

"Overall, we got the job done and well done. We didn't concede a shot on target which is really positive again. It shows that the team is really well-rounded," Arteta said. "Overall, scoring three goals, winning in the Champions League at home, another clean sheet at home -- four in a row -- and having made some changes as well.

"We rotated players that didn't play that many minutes and they responded really well."

Avoiding a Champions League playoff will also guarantee the Arsenal squad some winter sunshine as Arteta said a break is now likely to recharge batteries seeing as they are already out of the FA Cup, which continues on Feb. 7-11.

"It was very helpful [last season] and with the schedule that we've had for the last three months, you can have a break, reset a little bit and work on things and rest some people, while some people are back, that would be great," he said.