It's a wild ride and impossible to take your eyes off them OLIVER HOLT: Give me this England adrenaline shot any day.You suckers! Steve Smith admits he can't believe Ben Duckett and his England team-mates fell for Australia's short-ball ploy which cost Ben Stokes' side three wickets at crucial point in second Test.Mystery surrounds Man City payment as they are accused of taking £30m disguised as sponsorship funding from an Abu Dhabi based individual in 20 amid 115 Premier League charges.Big question marks hang over whether the defender will be able to perform at this level. For all of his achievements and important goals, Funes Mori remains a popular figure with River Plate supporters but making the step-up to Premier League football is another matter. That is not to say that he is lacking in supporters as Marcelo Gallardo has always shown huge faith in him during a period of enormous success, the River fans hold him in high regard since scoring a winning header in La Bombonera last year and Argentina manager, Gerardo Martino has just this week called him up for this forthcoming squad claiming he is the best central defender in the domestic league. At present, Funes Mori falls into this category and although his desire and his commitment can never be faulted, his rashness prevents him from being a top defender. There are countless examples in world football of those defenders who have all the attributes to excel and are capable of producing sound performances for 89 minutes only to switch off and be culpable for a goal. Still relatively young, any watching scouts might hope that with further coaching these mistakes will be ironed out of the 24-year-old but that is a risk. However, Funes Mori is guilty of lapses in concentration and defensive errors and at times is reliant on his defensive partner. He is also comfortable on the ball and illustrated earlier in the season that he is capable of hitting a decent free-kick with a superb left-footed strike against Temperley. At 6 foot three, Funes Mori is a powerful and aggressive central defender who poses an aerial presence in both penalty boxes. In the past two years he has played a crucial role in River lifting a 35th league title, the Copa Sudamericana, the Recopa Sudamericana and most recently the Copa Libertadores. Ramiro Funes Mori made his debut for River in 2011 while the Buenos Aires giants were competing in their only season outside the top flight and although he briefly lost his place under Ramón Díaz to talented Colombian Éder Álvarez Balanta he has since forged an excellent partnership with Jonathan Maidana at the heart of River’s defence. The Toffees have a strong first-choice pairing in Phil Jagielka and 21-year-old, Chelsea target, John Stones and Martínez will hope that Funes Mori will provide competition and cover as the season progresses. Roberto Martínez’s Everton are in need of central defensive reinforcements having sold Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz earlier in the window and have been linked with Funes Mori for the past couple of weeks. However, with a more than able deputy in Éder Álvarez Balanta still at the club and $8 milllion in exchange it was impossible for River to deny the move. With a league title challenge still on-going, a defence of the Copa Sudamericana and the World Club Cup still to play before the end of the year, River would ideally have kept Funes Mori at the Monumental for another six months. The 24-year-old has been a central figure in River’s recent successes under manager Marcelo Gallardo and scored in the Copa Libertadores final just two weeks ago. After achieving virtually everything with River, Funes Mori was also said to be keen on the move and is now expected on Merseyside to complete a five-year deal with Roberto Martínez’s side. Ramiro Funes Mori is set to travel to England after Premier League club, Everton met River Plate’s asking price of $8 million and despite not wanting to see the 24-year-old defender leave, it is an offer that simply cannot be turned down.
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