Diogo Jota's family will be in attendance for Liverpool's clash with Bournemouth in their first competitive game following the Portuguese's death.
Jota and brother killed in car crashLiverpool face Bournemouth in PL openerFamily to attend Anfield gameFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Ever since Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in early July, tributes have flooded in for the former Liverpool forward, with the club repeatedly honouring the 28-year-old. Now, according to Reds boss Arne Slot, Jota's wife, Rute Cardoso, their kids, and family will be at Anfield on Friday night for the Bournemouth game.
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In Slot's programme notes, he said: "As I have said previously, the tributes that have been paid throughout the world, and especially within the LFC community, have been truly special and I know that tonight (Friday) we will come together to honour them once more. I believe that Diogo's wife, his children, and his family will be in attendance, and it is important that, as a club, we show that they will always have our love and support as they deal with this most tragic of situations. We are there for them always."
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Jota's death has rocked Liverpool and much of the footballing world. For his family, this will have been an unutterably difficult time but the way in which the ex-Wolves man has been honoured may bring them some solace. It will be an emotionally charged game at Anfield as the Reds try to win this match for Jota.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
More tributes are likely to take place before and during the game for Jota, who had his No.20 shirt retired by the club earlier this summer, as defending Premier League champions Liverpool host Bournemouth at 8pm (BST) at Anfield.
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP, with the Swedish international set to wear the iconic No.14 previously worn by legends such as Thierry Henry.
Arsenal sign Sweden internationalStriker signs long-term contractWill wear the No.14 shirtFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Gyokeres from Sporting CP, with the Sweden international signing a long-term contract at the Emirates. The Gunners have confirmed that he will wear the iconic No.14 shirt made famous by Thierry Henry.
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The Gunners can breathe a sigh of relief after capturing their top transfer candidate for the summer. After a drawn out transfer saga, which saw Arsenal reportedly withdraw their interest following the war between Gyokeres and Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas, the club will be happy to finally a natural striker and find the missing piece of the jigsaw under Mikel Arteta. Arsenal have paid £64 million (€74m/$86m) to Sporting CP, including bonuses related to appearances and goals/assists. The details regarding the length of his contract are unknown, although Arsenal did state in their official announcement that Gyokeres has signed a "long-term contract."
WHAT MIKEL ARTETA SAID
Speaking after the completion of Gyokeres' signing, head coach Arteta provided his thoughts on the transfer. He said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Viktor Gyokeres to the club. The consistency he has shown in his performances and availability have been outstanding, and his goal contributions speak for themselves.
“Viktor has so many qualities. He is a quick and powerful presence up front, with incredible goalscoring numbers at club and international levels. He brings a clinical edge with a high conversion rate of chances into goals, with his intelligent movement in the box making him a constant threat.
“We’re excited about what Viktor brings to our squad and are looking forward to start working with him. We welcome Viktor and his family to Arsenal.”
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
The 27-year-old will join Arsenal on their pre-season tour to Asia, and is expected to make his unofficial debut for the club against Tottenham Hotspur on July 31.
The Punjab Kings’ bowling coach talks about their newest recruits, finding balance in their attack, and their objectives for this IPL
Interview by Varun Shetty08-Apr-2021Damien Wright’s coaching has taken him all around the world, but this year will be his first at the IPL, as bowling coach for the Punjab Kings. He talks about his approach to analytics, and working with fellow-Australian IPL debutants Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson.Are you generally a coach who uses a lot of analytics and data? If it’s at your disposal, I think it’s very important. I don’t think it’s for all coaches and all players, but for me, I like to make a lot of notes, and take a lot of data down. It just helps you to look at areas to improve, and also what sort of attack we’re going to have. We’ve got some good options, so it allows you to go, “Oh at this ground we can go this way” and whatnot. So it is very useful.Is death bowling one of those key areas? Only the Rajasthan Royals had a worse record in the death overs last season. Last year, in Abu Dhabi, it was a little bit different in regards to conditions. We’re back in India now, and we have one of the greatest bowlers in the world, Mohammed Shami, in our team, who’s very helpful with that sort of information. It can help new [players like] Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson, [to know] about grounds and things like that. But yeah it was an area we had to improve, and it’s certainly no secret what we’re trying to do in our training. We’re also going to have options, with the two I just mentioned and Chris Jordan’s been such a fantastic cricketer for a number of years now. He’s also got so much experience in that area and will probably take a major role in that.Related
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As a coach are you partial to fast bowlers? () Yeah I have to say I probably am, a little bit.I do love working with the spinners. It’s such a great thing to experience over here, working with legspin, offspin, all of that. You see the ball move so much more in India than it does in my home conditions in Australia. I’ve had some great chats already with M Ashwin. [Ravi] Bishnoi is a young and enthusiastic guy who bowls a bit different to Ashwin – so it’s learning as you go with that stuff. But we’ve got Anil Kumble [director of cricket operations] here as a coach, so I think if I need to talk to anyone about some areas of spin bowling, I’ve probably got the best in the business to help me out.You’ve been coaching for about ten years now. Have you coached in these conditions before? What are the challenges, especially with fast bowling? I’ve come over and played a few times in India but I’ve also coached in the Champions League Trophy in 2014, with Hobart Hurricanes. I was head coach at the time, and we had a pretty successful campaign – we made it through to the last four and KKR knocked us out. It certainly is challenging, with fast bowling in particular. I think the ball in conditions here can swing a lot up front, at night, in humidity, so that’s something we’ve got to really utilise as a weapon.Mohammad Shami (right) and Ravi Bishnoi (left) were the top two wicket-takers for the Punjab Kings last season with 20 and 12 apiece, while Chris Jordan picked up nine•BCCIBut the other difficult part is a lot of dew. That is very common over here. We’ve trained at night a couple of times and you can already see how wet the ball gets and how difficult it is sometimes for the bowlers to hold it. They’re the little challenges for the pace bowlers.You played a fair bit of T20 towards the back end of your career. T20 looks a lot different these days. What does a modern coach in this format have to do to evolve? I don’t look at it like it’s really hard. It’s exciting, the game’s evolving all the time. I think we’re seeing so many different [versions] of even the shorter formats, you know? You’ve got the ten-over [T10] competition in Dubai, and The Hundred about to begin over in England. You’ve got to come up with your message and your styles and things that are going to work for you.Funnily enough, we had a chat with Anil at training yesterday and we had a game situation, centre-wicket if you like, and the good old yorker is still a pretty good delivery. The game might be getting shorter and changing more, but if you can show that you can execute your skills when you’re put in those situations, it’s pretty much all it comes down to.What makes the ideal T20 bowler? It can be broken down to the key areas of the game. There’s bowlers that are really fired up in the powerplay – that’s a very difficult time to bowl. Through the middle you’ve got your allrounders generally and spin bowlers that are able to hold things [together]. And the death, that’s the part where you have to have the execution on song, to be able to nail yorkers, or if you’ve got a very good slower bouncer, to get that right. It’s such a game of chess as it goes down.Ideally you’ve got to have somebody like Shami up front, swinging the new ball. And Jhye, specifically in those areas where the ball moves through the air. I think it’s really important to swing the new ball. In the middle you can have some good-quality spinners. Someone like Riley for us is a fantastic addition, to have that raw pace and to be able to take wickets. It’s really important to take wickets at every phase. And then at the end you want the best yorker bowler – [Lasith] Malinga, who’s unbelievable, has shown us how to do it over so many years. Somebody like that, ideally, in your perfect team.I can’t quite explain the exact bowler that I want – probably want about four of them! They’re all a little about those specific skills, if you know what I mean.From a coaching perspective, how do you train for something like that? Do bowlers specifically train for the phases they’re good at? You still have your good old-fashioned nets, for people to get ready to play the game. We’re very lucky with the set-up we have over here to prepare our players. Plenty of wickets – there’s centre wickets, there’s tired wickets, all sorts of stuff. You have a big group of people you’re training with, and specific training sessions as well. We’ve done a lot of game scenarios, different set-ups – chasing, defending – depending on what it is.Arshdeep Singh played eight of 14 IPL matches for the Punjab Kings last year, taking nine wickets. Wright thinks he has a “huge future” ahead of him•BCCIWhat you really want is for them all to be able to bowl in those periods when required, or needed. It’s not just, you know, someone’s going to play a part up front and that’s it. It might be a key area that you’re very good at [bowling at the start], and we’re going to improve you through the middle and at the end, if that’s the case, or the other way round. If you’re able to do that, then you can have a very balanced attack going into your tournament and you can throw the ball to anyone at any given time.The other teams are analysing your [attack] as well, so you’ve got to be able to throw a few curveballs, get ahead of the game a little bit and try to upset their rhythm and hang on as long as you can in a 20-over match.Is it hard getting that sort of a rapport when it’s a short tournament? Yeah it is, but at the IPL you’re mixing with the best in the world. And they’re all so used to being in these environments now, in this format, and going from one to the other. And what I’ve seen so far in training has been absolutely brilliant. They’ve come out of Test matches against England into one-dayers… just seeing the great players come back, they’re more than capable of going from format to format within a day or a night. It’s quite impressive. Richardson and Meredith are first-timers. Richardson is potentially going to lead the attack in his first season in the IPL. It’s good, it’s healthy competition too. In the auction they [the management] did a marvellous job in regards to where they needed a bit of strike power, and support for Shami. He was sort of the sole man last year, did an awesome job and you know he’s going to perform for you throughout this tournament. He just needs a bit of support from other fast bowlers to help him and I thought the two signings were terrific.I know Riley really well. Jhye I’ve seen progress through the Big Bash to play for Australia. So he’s going to bring great skills. I think the conditions here are going to suit both of them. I’m keen to see how they go, because I think they’ll really shine in this tournament.Could you tell us a bit about both of them, starting with Richardson? What’s really good about Jhye is that in specific roles for the teams he plays with – certainly with the [Perth] Scorchers, and he’s done a bit of it with Australia as well – he bowls the really tough overs. He’s asked to bowl up front with the new ball, then he’s asked to bowl in the different powerplays [in the BBL] – he’s bowling one of those overs already, and then he comes back and bowls one at the death. And his numbers are exceptional for somebody who has to do that every game. He knows his role and is able to execute. But he does swing the ball both ways, and that’s a hell of a weapon to have. He’s got a terrific slower ball and when he wants to bowl a bouncer, it’s a pretty good one. We’re really grateful and lucky that we’ve got him.Jhye Richardson was the BBL’s leading wicket-taker of the 2020-21 season. “He’s got a terrific slower ball and when he wants to bowl a bouncer, it’s a pretty good one,” Wright says•Getty Images Meredith is probably thought of as a tearaway fast bowler. Does he have a lot of variations? I’ve known Riley a long time. I coached him from his rookie seasons back when I was in Tasmania, and he was always destined to play at the highest level. It was very exciting to see a young fast bowler coming through the Tassie ranks – he was fast and had plenty of skill.It’s been done really well back in Tassie, how they actually progressed his cricket. He was well managed from the very start by Stewart Williamson, who is a great physio back at home. And that’s paid off beautifully for Riley and he’s doing really well, not just for the [Hobart] Hurricanes but for Australia. His tour of New Zealand was outstanding.He bowls at a good pace. He really knows one way, which is to attack. That’s probably one of the areas we’ll talk to him about, on what we’re going to do at the death or if he does bowl up front. He’s pretty comfortable doing so, but it’s probably the end of the innings where he’s going to have to work a little bit harder. But he brings so much in regards to exactly what we wanted, which is a bit of firepower.What are the other strengths of this bowling unit? The best way to describe this unit is, it’s versatile, very flexible. A lot of options, a lot of different ways we could go about things, and I think that’s the first time – certainly over the last couple of years – that we’ve been able to do that. There’s a chance to go all-out, strike with fast bowling, or to pull it back with spin options with an allrounder.It’s a well-balanced attack. [Apart from the] two we talked about [Richardson and Riley], there’s also Chris Jordan, who’s such a dynamic fielder, can hit the ball out of the ground late in the innings and also bowl a fantastic yorker. I’m really excited about the different ways we could go with our attack, supporting our No. 1 man Shami up front.You also have guys like Arshdeep Singh and Ishan Porel. Who from the domestic bunch has impressed you? Arshdeep has just arrived; he was in quarantine for a while. But I had a centre-wicket bowl with him, just him and I, last night, and mate, he was fantastic. I think having a left-armer in your attack is also a big tick. I’m really impressed already with the one or two sessions we’ve had so far – he’s got a huge future ahead of him.Riley Meredith was “always destined to play at the highest level”•Getty ImagesI think Ishan as well, we’ve had a good week together and he’s a terrific young fella who is keen to do well. You want people, young kids, who are really willing to work hard to get there. He’s bowled with good pace at training so far, good aggression.And Darshan [Nalkande], he’s a quality little allrounder. He’s another one who’s a bit hungry. You can tell from his eyes he’s keen to play, and if his opportunity comes, I know that he’ll grab it as well. Those three in particular have been great to work with.Would you say the fast bowlers are going to be carrying a major part of Punjab’s bowling this season? It’s a hard one. We’re stacked in that regard – we’ve got a quality pace attack now, with all the guys we’ve mentioned. That’s actually quite a nice place to be. But watching our legspinners bowl – I’ve taken the mitt to them – they’ve had terrific tournaments last year, both Bish and Ashwin. So we’ve got some quality spinners as well. I wouldn’t say we’re certainly going to go all pace. We can play to any conditions, and we’ve got a nice, balanced attack to choose from.What would a successful season look like for you, personally, in your first time here? Every team comes here wanting to win. So that is the benchmark. But for us, success would certainly be to make the semi-finals, the last four. I think they were unlucky last year to miss out by a game. And you can tell they’re really hungry to make amends for that.I think that’s great – to experience a little bit of disappointment and then to do what they’ve done in the auction and get it right. I think we’re going to see some exciting times from the Punjab Kings. I believe that’s where we want to go first. We want to get into that last four, and that would, for me, be the bare minimum that we want to achieve. And then, from there, let’s hope we can create a bit of history.Have you ever worked with anyone on this staff before? I’ve had a little bit to do with Andy Flower over the years, crossed paths with him. I’ve never with Andy before but we know each other well, so that was handy. It’s always nice to have somebody you’re familiar with. But I can say that getting involved with this team and this group, feels like I’ve known these guys for a long time. So that’s credit to Anil and his staff, and all the players we have here.
Everton are “working” on a potential deal for an “outstanding” defender in the summer transfer window, according to an update from journalist Graeme Bailey.
Moyes eyeing new signings for Everton
The Toffees continue to be linked with possible new signings this summer, with Greece and Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis emerging as an exciting option to make David Moyes’ side more of an attacking force.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed an excellent season, scoring a combined 21 goals in the Champions League and Primeira Liga, registering seven assists across those competitions.
Meanwhile, Everton have also been linked with a shock move for Liverpool winger Ben Doak at the end of the season, which would send shockwaves across Merseyside.
The Scot is on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough and there is no guarantee that he has a long-term future at Anfield, which could lead to Everton pouncing for one of their rivals’ most exciting young players.
Whether the Reds would allow him to join their arch-rivals is up for debate, though.
Everton want to sign "outstanding" left-back
Speaking to Everton News, Bailey said that Everton want to sign Sunderland left-back Dennis Cirkin at the end of the season, with other Black Cats players also mentioned:
“They are one of the teams who are looking at Dennis Cirkin, the left-back at Sunderland. We know Crystal Palace and Tottenham like him.
“Obviously, Everton are looking at Sunderland with Anthony Patterson, Chris Rigg and Dan Neil. The Championship is a division which David Moyes knows very well.
“Cirkin is someone on their list, and they are doing work on the full-back position, I know that.”
Cirkin may be a Championship player, but he could be a great addition for Everton, having been such a consistent performer for Sunderland over an extended period.
Prior to this weekend’s action, the 23-year-old has scored three goals and bagged two assists in the league this season, highlighting the quality he can provide from left-back, which is five times the amount of goal contributions Vitalii Mykolenko had managed in the Premier League (zero goals and one assist).
Stat
Cirkin
Mykolenko
Appearances
34
29
Starts
29
29
Minutes played
2632
2544
Goals
3
0
Assists
2
1
Clearances per game
2.6
4
Tackles per game
2.5
1.8
Aerial duel wins per game
1.2
1.5
Cirkin is a player with plenty of admirers, including former striker Sam Parkin, who has described him as an “outstanding” footballer, saying:
“I think he has been one of the most outstanding players in the division this season. When you watch him live, he is a very good athlete. I think he gets up and down; it is eye-catching, the way he moves with the ball, but his decision-making on the ball and his ability on the ball have been top-class this season.”
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At 23, Cirkin still has lots to offer, and the lure of the Premier League could be great if Sunderland fail to earn promotion, so Everton should be looking at him as an excellent option.
Phil Foden has failed to match the high levels of performance he produced for Manchester City last season, resulting in a decrease in game time over the last few months.
The England international notched a total of 39 combined goals and assists in his 53 appearances across all competitions, subsequently claiming the PFA Player of the Year award.
However, this time around, he’s currently only on 15 goal contributions, undoubtedly a contributing factor to the club’s drop in the Premier League, which has seen them struggle in large periods.
Pep Guardiola is tasked with the challenge of helping the 24-year-old return to the levels he’s previously demonstrated at the Etihad over the last couple of years.
He certainly will face more responsibility in the North West next season, especially after the news that emerged out of the squad earlier on this afternoon.
Kevin de Bruyne announces his City departure
It was confirmed earlier today that Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne would be departing City at the end of the season when his current contract expires.
The 33-year-old became the club’s record signing back in 2015 after joining in a ÂŁ54m deal from German side Wolfsburg – with the former Chelsea ace excelling beyond all expectations.
He’s racked up over 400 appearances in his decade as a Citizens player, scoring 106 times and registering 159 assists, cementing himself as one of the best midfielders to ever grace England’s top flight.
De Bruyne has been known for his phenomenal passing ability, but has unfortunately declined over the last couple of months, with injuries plaguing his final couple of seasons in Manchester.
However, his departure leaves Guardiola with the huge task of replacing the talent at the Etihad, something which may appear to be a tricky quest given his time at the club.
The player who could be City’s perfect KDB replacement
Whilst Foden would undoubtedly be the first choice to replace the Belgian in the current first-team squad, his form over the last couple of months could cast doubt over his ability to fill the void.
There’s no denying his quality, as seen by the numbers he produced last season, but he’s been unable to achieve such heights on a consistent basis.
Such form could allow fellow academy graduate James McAtee to stake his claim for a regular starting role – building on the progress he’s made over the last couple of months in 2024/25.
After multiple loan spells at Sheffield United over the last couple of years, Guardiola decided to keep the 22-year-old within his side, handing him frequent opportunities to impress – something which he has taken with both hands.
He’s made 23 appearances to date, scoring six times across all competitions, including two goals in the Premier League during his first year at such a level.
Manchester City's James McAtee in action withTottenhamHotspur's Radu Dragusin,TottenhamHotspur's CristianRomeroandTottenhamHotspur's Rodrigo Bentancur
McAtee, who’s been labelled “superb” by one analyst, is yet to start a single league outing this campaign, but given his output and underlying stats produced in 2024/25, he’s more than deserving of a consistent run next season.
Games played
11
Goals & assists
2
Conversion rate
29%
Pass accuracy
86%
Duels won
63%
Goals per game
0.2
Expected goals (xG)
1.37
De Bruyne’s place in the squad could free up the youngster to gain more valuable minutes to continue his upward trajectory, enabling him to showcase his talents further.
Whilst Foden will likely fill the void vacated by the Belgian, Guardiola must give McAtee a fair chance to stake his claim to make the position as his own – potentially saving the Citizens millions of pounds in the process.
The youngster has previously been subject to interest from various sides for his signature over the last couple of months, but it’s pivotal that the hierarchy stand firm and keep hold of the star who’s destined for big things in the future.
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The Argentine shared his favorite aspects of American culture in a lighthearted Instagram video, revealing preferences ranging from cities to sports
Pochettino names Chicago as his favorite American city while appreciating several othersArgentine picks with Teddy Swims as favourite American musicianNFL emerges as Pochettino's favorite American sport beyond soccerAFPWHAT HAPPENED
USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino participated in a rapid-fire Q&A about his favorite American experiences since taking charge of the national team. The Argentine manager named Chicago as his top U.S. city, though he also expressed fondness for Miami, Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, and Nashville. When asked about American music, Pochettino selected soul singer Teddy Swims as his favorite artist, while naming Chick-fil-A as his preferred American fast-food option.
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The video represents part of U.S. Soccer's ongoing efforts to build Pochettino's profile among American fans who may be less familiar with the former Tottenham, PSG, and Chelsea manager. By highlighting his engagement with American culture through cities, food, entertainment, and other sports, the federation continues positioning Pochettino as someone committed to understanding the country he now represents.
AFPWHAT’S NEXT?
The USMNT will participate in the 2025 Gold Cup as one of the co-hosts and will face Trinidad and Tobago in their first game of the tournament on June 14.
The selectors are again planning for the possibility of needing to call on fast bowling depth against India
Tristan Lavalette15-Oct-2024Australia fielding an unchanged frontline pace attack last summer might have been an “outlier” as selectors strategise over their seam options in the wake of losing allrounder Cameron Green.Emphasising their remarkable durability, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have played in Australia’s last nine Tests stretching back to the Ashes tour.Related
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Last summer they were aided by bowler-friendly conditions at home and in New Zealand where none of the seven matches went into a fifth day. In only three of the innings did Australia need to bowl more than 78 overs which helped them keep fresh.But India’s imposing batting line-up represents a different challenge with the expectation that Australia will be made to toil in the upcoming five-match series played over seven weeks. There are doubts over whether Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood can replicate what they did last season and play the entirety of what should be a gruelling series.Australia’s pace depth has been tested with several fringe bowlers working their way back from injuries. Quick Lance Morris, uncapped at Test level but a regular squad member over the last couple of years, suffered an injury setback having picked up a quad strain in training recently but should return before the end of the month.Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who had a five-wicket haul for Queensland against Western Australia to start the Sheffield Shield season, have overcome off-season niggles and will be part of Australia A’s upcoming red-ball series against India A.”If you look at the quicks last year we were certainly prepared that they might not be able to play all the Tests and they did,” George Bailey, Australia chair of selectors, said on Monday.”Potentially that might have been an outlier and again this summer we’ll be prepared that if we do need to make some adjustments throughout the summer that we are ready to go.”The triumvirate’s workload could increase with Green sidelined for the entire summer due to a stress fracture of his back. Green’s bowling has been cautiously utilised in his Test career, but he was set to play a bigger role with the ball against India.”Someone like Cam basically started in Shield cricket as a bowler but hasn’t had to bowl heaps in Test matches. Now he is a few years older, I think we will be leaning on him a bit more,” Cummins said in August.1:08
Can India risk taking Shami to Aus if he misses the NZ Tests?
Mitchell Marsh might be required to help cover Green’s absence, but has bowled just four overs – all of which were in the fourth ODI against England at Lord’s – since tearing his hamstring during the IPL. He blasted 94 at No. 4 for WA in their second innings against Queensland, but did not bowl in the match as he mostly fielded in the slips and occasionally helped carry the drinks.If selectors decide on a like-for-like replacement then Aaron Hardie and Beau Webster will be in the frame. Hardie did not play in the opening Shield round due to a quad injury he picked up at the end of the England tour, but he is set to return for WA’s next match against Tasmania at the WACA starting on October 20.Bailey believed having an allrounder was a “luxury” rather than a necessity. “Even looking at the three quicks that we generally play in Test cricket, they’ve played a lot of Test cricket together where they haven’t had an allrounder as well”, he said.”Think it certainly depends on the personnel that are available. Guess the role that Cam and Mitch have played is that they’ve been able to hold down a spot purely on the back of their batting and think that’s still fundamentally what’s most important in that top six.”Will continue preparing for Mitch Marsh to bowl some overs as well, that’s been part of his management for the last couple of months.”Australia’s hierarchy have carefully managed workloads of the quicks ahead of the India series, with Cummins missing the entire white-ball England tour to give him a break from bowling.Cummins is unlikely to play a Shield game before the India series and will instead prepare by leading Australia in their ODI series against Pakistan. But Hazlewood and Starc are set to play in at least one Shield match before the Pakistan series.”Pat’s obviously had an individual prep, but if you go through the Test team from the end of last year and their build up to the first Test this year, everyone’s slightly nuanced,” Bailey said.”There’s always an eye to the individual as to what their best preparation is for any Test summer. I think the proliferation of franchise cricket means that there are plenty of opportunities and temptations for players to fill gaps.”Pat, Mitch and Josh have been pretty amazing over how they’ve been able to select which franchise tournaments they play. And they always give themselves good breaks when it’s appropriate as well.”
Lamine Yamal this, Lamine Yamal that. Arsenal have their very own budding wonderkid in the effervescent Ethan Nwaneri.
Making his Premier League debut in 2022 at the age of just 15, making him the top-flight’s youngest-ever player, Nwaneri has now become a household, truly bursting onto the scene in 2024/25.
The teenager is now 18 and has cemented himself as one of the best young players in Europe, having scored nine goals in his 37 senior appearances last season.
He scored in the Champions League, he scored against Manchester City and now he’s rivalling teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly for the PFA Young Player of the Season award.
Nwaneri then crowned his campaign off by winning the U21 European Championships with Lee Carsley’s England a week ago.
So, surely he’ll go on to become a modern-day Arsenal great, right? Well, he could actually leave.
The latest on Ethan Nwaneri's future at Arsenal
Cast your mind back to the summer of 2023, before Nwaneri signed his first professional deal at the Emirates Stadium, and there were rumours that the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City could land the talented youngster.
Thankfully for those of an Arsenal persuasion, Nwaneri stayed to develop under Mikel Arteta’s watchful eyes.
However, his first pro deal actually expires in a year’s time and according to Fabrizio Romano, he wants assurances over game time before committing his future to the club.
It’s a worrying development for the Gunners, particularly as Romano actually reveals that Chelsea have been showing interest in the player and could move if he fails to agree a new deal in north London.
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Well, with assurances over playing time in mind, perhaps signing another creative midfielder might not be the best idea if they want to keep him.
Arsenal targeting move for a new no.10
One of the club’s main targets this summer has been Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze. Some reports suggest that personal terms have already been agreed but club-to-club talks are yet to take place.
A potential alternative could be RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons. That’s according to Italian journalist Orazio Accomando, who has revealed that Andrea Berta is ‘working to deliver another coup’ for Arsenal.
He reveals that ‘talks are ongoing’ with Leipzig over a deal and although no fee has been mentioned, previous reports have indicated it may take ÂŁ68.8m to prise him away from the Bundesliga.
Why Xavi Simons is bad news for Ethan Nwaneri
While a certain Emmanuel Eboue isn’t always the voice of football, he has delivered one statement that reveals why Arsenal need to do all they can to keep hold of Nwaneri.
“I think Ethan can be better than Yamal if he works hard and respects the game,” the former Arsenal defender once commented.
Whether or not you believe that remark, it shows the considerable amount of hype the teen has been generating.
“The touches he produces in and around the box, I don’t want to say it, but it’s like Messi,” Joe Cole also once said.
Losing him, therefore, would be a colossal blow. So, Arsenal need to present him with game time. Where is that most likely? Well, at the moment, he’s done a mighty fine job playing second fiddle to Saka on the right wing but he’s an attacking midfielder by trade, a central player blessed with close-touch control and a goalscoring ability.
During the 2023/24 season, his final as an academy player, Nwaneri played 18 times as a no.10 and scored 13 goals in the process. His best position is clearly there but he has to get past Martin Odegaard first.
Attacking midfield
45
20
7
Right wing
20
4
2
Centre-forward
9
11
2
Left wing
1
0
1
Despite scoring just three Premier League goals last term, the club captain isn’t going to be moved aside very easily. Thus, if the Gunners sign Simons too, Nwaneri surely isn’t going to get much of a look in his favoured role.
That isn’t to say the Dutchman wouldn’t be a good signing though. Born out of Barcelona’s famed La Masia, Simons was once a wonderkid with the world at his feet, just like Nwaneri.
Xavi Simons celebrates
However, after never making the grade as a senior pro at Barca and struggling for game time at PSG after moving to France, he’s gone the long way round to find a home in senior football at Leipzig.
During his time with the German outfit, the 22-year-old has cemented himself as “one of the best 10s in the world” in the words of one data analyst.
Why? Well, he’s not only a brilliant creator, but he’s also full of goals. In 2023/24, the young Netherlands international scored ten and supplied 15 goals. In 2024/25, he found the net on 11 occasions and registered eight assists.
Goals
0.42
0.40
Assists
0.40
0.20
Shots
2.09
2.42
Key passes
2.13
1.62
Progressive passes
5.86
3.33
Shot-creating actions
4.52
2.93
Progressive carries
3.56
4.65
Successful take-ons
1.38
3.74
On that evidence, he is the ideal player to provide competition for an out-of-form Odegaard.
Now, while he would certainly add an undoubted amount of extra quality to the Arsenal side, Arteta and Berta must weigh up what this move means for Nwaneri, particularly with Chelsea registering an interest.
The Gunners feel like they’re in a win the title at all costs scenario, but they must think of the long-term here too. Either way, it’s not as though Nwaneri, one of England’s best young prospects, couldn’t help them win a title now either.
Xavi Simons for RB Leipzig
Just look at Lewis-Skelly. Also aged 18, he is now a regular starter and starred in the Bernabeu as Arteta’s men defeated Real Madrid.
This will be an intriguing dilemma should Arsenal decide to further their interest in Simons.
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New Zealand had plenty of positives in the first Test, and will want to go one step further and square the series
Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Sep-2024Big picture – Teams hope to keep WTC final chances aliveNew Zealand lost their first ever Test in Galle by an innings and 16 runs, their next by 202 runs, the one after that by 10 wickets, the next by six wickets, and the match that ended on Monday by 63 runs. They might be zero for five here, but at least those margins have grown slimmer with each outing.With luck, they can close the gap even further in the Test starting Thursday. They could really do with a win here, though, to keep their hopes of making the World Test Championship final alive if nothing else; their next assignment is three Tests in India, which is very likely the toughest tour in the game.Related
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Southee pleased with O'Rourke and Ravindra despite defeat
Sri Lanka deliver in contrasting conditions to inch up WTC table
New Zealand weren’t especially far away in the first Test, either. If Daryl Mitchell – batting nicely on 57 at the time – hadn’t been run out on the second morning, they could have pushed on to a commanding first-innings lead. And then, on a wearing track, who knows how Sri Lanka would have responded? Sri Lanka are obviously a skilled team playing in familiar conditions, but through the likes of Ajaz Patel, Mitchell, Will O’Rourke and Rachin Ravindra, New Zealand brought plenty of skill on a dusty Galle surface.Sri Lanka, however, will be brimming with good vibes. They are on a bit of a hot streak under interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya. There was one disastrous Test at Lord’s, but before that, they had competed in Manchester, and won an ODI series against India for the first time since the late 1990s.Now, they have notched up two consecutive Test victories for the second time this year, having also defeated Bangladesh twice (away from home, no less) earlier in the year. Their bowlers have been the heart of this success, but the batters have found ways to contribute too.Another win at Galle will put their WTC percentage points at 56 – not very far away from Australia (62.5), who are second on that table at the moment.Form guide – NZ on a losing streakSri Lanka WWLLW New Zealand LLLWWIn six Test innings in Galle, Kane Williamson averages 16.50•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the spotlight – Dinesh Chandimal and Kane WilliamsonDinesh Chandimal has been asked to shuffle up the order to No. 3. He will have known he doesn’t have a stellar record in that position, having made just one fifty in eight innings before the first Test. But he took the spot anyway, to allow the team to make two other moves – sending Kamindu Mendis up to No. 5, and Kusal Mendis down, as wicketkeeper-batter, to No. 7.Chandimal has, however, made a strong start in his new role, producing a vital 61 in the second innings of the first Test. Dimuth Karunaratne, his partner for much of that knock, praised Chandimal for his positivity at the crease. It’s not often that batters with 15 hundreds on their record agree to move for less-established players. More good scores at No. 3, at a venue he generally likes, may put him in a better frame of mind for challenges to come.Kane Williamson has played with other New Zealand greats (and still does so long as Tim Southee is around), but the greatest predictor of a New Zealand victory over the past 15 years has been whether Williamson gets runs. He averages 81.86 when New Zealand win. This is largely backed by an immense record at home, but even in Asia, it holds true – he averages 71.70 in the six wins he’s played in on the continent. He hasn’t quite cracked Galle, though. In six innings at the venue, he averages 16.50. But then his two best scores here – 55 and 30 – came in the last match. Perhaps he is building to something big.Pitch and conditionsIt’s Galle. Expect another rank turner. But also, given the evidence of the first Test, expect O’Rourke, Southee and Asitha Fernando to dig up the pitch on one side, creating big footmarks outside the left-hand batters’ off stump (or right-hand batters’ leg stump) on either side of the pitch as the game wears on.And it’s southern Sri Lanka in September. Expect short, sharp showers.Milan Rathnayake has been brought into the Sri Lanka XI for the second Test•AFP/Getty ImagesTeam news – Rathnayake and Peiris come into Sri Lanka XIDespite their win, Sri Lanka have made two changes to their XI. Milan Rathnayake, who was impressive with bat and ball on his debut tour in England, has been included in the XI in place of Lahiru Kumara, who did not take a wicket in the first Test. They have also dropped Ramesh Mendis, who at times lacked control in the first Test. In his place, they have named a debutant in Nishan Peiris, another offspinner, aged 27. He has 172 first-class wickets at an average of 24.37.Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karuanaratne, 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Milan Rathnayake, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Nishan Peiris, 11 Asitha FernandoIf there’s a change New Zealand may be tempted to make, it is to swap out Mitchell Santner for Michael Bracewell. Santner had a modest first Test, taking 1 for 115 with his left-arm spin (Glenn Phillips felt like a more threatening bowler) and he made 2 in each innings.New Zealand (possible): 1 Devon Conway, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner/Michael Bracewell, 9 Tim Southee (capt), 10 Ajaz Patel, 11 Will O’RourkeStats and trivia Two of Ajaz Patel’s five career five-wicket hauls have come in Galle. He averages 22.35 at the venue. Roy Dias was the fastest Sri Lanka batter to 1000 Test runs, getting there in 23 innings. Kamindu has 822 runs from 12 knocks so far. Prabath Jayasuriya has an outside shot of becoming the equal-fastest to 100 Test wickets in the game’s history, if he gets 12 wickets in this match. The only bowler to get there in 16 matches was George Lohmann, who achieved the feat way back in 1896. Of Jayasuriya’s 88 wickets, 62 have come in Galle.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is certain to leave European champions Paris Saint-Germain after being excluded from their matchday squad that will face Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur in the midweek in the UEFA Super Cup. Donnarumma has been linked with a move away from PSG after refusing to put pen to paper on a new contract and his likely destination is the Premier League.
Donnarumma left out of UEFA Super Cup clashItalian goalkeeper likely to join an English clubPSG face Spurs on WednesdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to , Donnarumma has been left out of PSG's matchday squad by manager Enrique for their upcoming UEFA Super Cup clash against Spurs. The Italian goalkeeper will not travel to Udine in the midweek with the rest of the first team squad for the club's 2025-26 season opener.
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reports Donnarumma's exclusion from the squad is a clear sign he will exit the Ligue 1 giants, either this summer or next season. The relationship between the club and the player is completely broken after he refused to sign a new contract.
DID YOU KNOW?
While there is no clarity on Donnarumma's future yet, Romano further claims he is likely to head to England and join a Premier League team amid strong interest from Manchester United, who are looking for Andre Onana's replacement.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PSG?
After the heartbreak in the Club World Cup in the US this summer, Enrique's side will aim to bounce back and claim another European title on Wednesday when they face Spurs.