After seeing how effective Peter Crouch's height can be in the Premier League, you can understand why Alex McLeish, the Birmingham City manager, sanctioned a £6 million (Dh35.1m) move for Nikola Zigic, the 6ft 7ins-tall Serbian striker, who arrived from Valencia in the summer.
The three-time Serbian Footballer of the Year, 29, was the tallest player in the World Cup in South Africa and is capable of beating anyone in the air - a useful tool in the physical English league, though he admits his height does have its drawbacks.
"It suits me to receive balls from the side or through the centre in the air, rather than the ball at my feet," he said.
"I can beat smaller players in the air all the time, but the disadvantage is that I'm not as fast as some of the players who have a burst of pace.
"Smaller players react quicker than me and I prefer to play against taller players. Though I am fairly fast considering my height."
He will meet many giants in the Premier League and his career needs a lift after the chastening experience he had at Valencia.
Signed for a huge ?20m (Dh96m) fee from Racing Santander in 2007 - they had bought him from Red Star Belgrade a year earlier - he appeared fitfully and did not fit in with Valencia's strike force of the two Davids (Villa and Silva) plus Juan Mata.
Zigic started 15 games in his first season and only eight in his second before being loaned back to Racing, where he again excelled, forming a formidable partnership with the diminutive Pedro Munitis, scoring 13 times in 19 games. Yet when he returned to Valencia for the 2009/10 season, he started just five times.
Backed by wealthy Chinese owners, Birmingham impressed by finishing ninth in the Premier League last term after promotion the year before.
A repeat will be difficult, but not impossible if they can get the most out of Zigic.
The%20stats%20and%20facts
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
if you go
New schools in Dubai
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20profile
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
AIR
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Tiger%20Stripes%20
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Company%20Profile
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Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Tottenham (Alli 61'), Davies (70')
Red card Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office