India are going to announce their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy on Saturday

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jan-2025

Jasprit Bumrah did not bowl on the final day of the Sydney Test•Getty Images

Jasprit Bumrah could make it to India’s Champions Trophy squad subject to him being fit in time for the tournament that begins on February 19.ESPNcricinfo has learned the injury that prevented Bumrah from bowling on the fifth day of the Sydney Test is stress related. Though the first round of tests did not reveal a stress fracture in the back, it is understood the discomfort Bumrah suffered was related to his workload in the five Tests in Australia. He bowled 151.2 overs in nine innings, taking 32 wickets at an average of 13.06 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.Accordingly, on advice from medical experts, the BCCI decided to allow Bumrah rest for at least five weeks (the Sydney Test finished on January 5) after which he will undergo another scan to determine if he can return to action.Related

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If Bumrah is cleared of injury, his match fitness is likely to be tested in the final ODI of the home series against England on February 12. The deadline to submit the final Champions Trophy squad to the ICC is February 11.As it stands, Bumrah is likely to be named in India’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy that will be announced on Saturday, with an asterisk against his name, implying his inclusion is subject to fitness.India play three ODIs against England on February 6, 9 and 12 – their first ODIs since the tour of Sri Lanka in August last year – before the Champions Trophy begins on February 19. India are in Group A in the Champions Trophy and begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, after which they play Pakistan on February 23, and New Zealand on March 2. India play all their matches in Dubai because their government refused to let the team travel to Pakistan.

Scottish boss Russell Martin has plenty of things to deal with early on in his tenure as Glasgow Rangers’ new head coach ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The former Southampton manager has to build a squad that can challenge for the Scottish Premiership title, and has already had Lyall Cameron added to his midfield options.

However, Martin will also have to deal with the prospect of some of his best players moving on from Ibrox if teams come in with big-money offers for them during the summer transfer window.

Fiorentina and Marseille are reportedly keen on Nicolas Raskin, who is valued at £20m by the 49ers, and up to six English teams are said to be eyeing up Mohamed Diomande ahead of a possible swoop for his services.

The Light Blues are no stranger to cashing in on their top talents over the years, though, as players have moved on from Glasgow to pursue other options in Europe many times in recent seasons.

One deal that the Scottish giants hit the jackpot with, though, was the sale of Joe Aribo to then-Premier League side Southampton in the summer of 2022.

Why Rangers hit the jackpot with Joe Aribo

The Nigeria international was a terrific player for Rangers during his time at Ibrox, having spent three years at the club after joining from Charlton in the summer of 2019.

Aribo racked up 26 goals and 25 assists in 149 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues in those three seasons, and his final goal contribution was a goal in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

The left-footed star’s form for Rangers attracted attention from down south and he sealed a move to then-Premier League outfit Southampton in the summer of 2022.

A reported fee of £10m was agreed between the two clubs for the attacking midfielder, who was reportedly being eyed up by other teams in the English top-flight, and that has turned out to be a brilliant deal for the Gers.

July 2022

Reported £10m deal

November 2022

£12.8m

June 2023

£9.4m

October 2023

£6.8m

December 2023

£5.1m

May 2024

£4.2m

December 2024 – present

£5.1m

As you can see in the table above, Aribo’s value has plummeted down to just £5.1m, as per Transfermarkt, in the three years since the midfield star decided to move on from Ibrox.

The 28-year-old, who has scored nine goals and provided one assist in 109 games for Southampton, has not kicked on during his spell in England, which suggests that the Gers hit gold with the deal they got for him in 2022.

Rangers could repeat that masterclass this summer amid speculation that another one of their forwards could leave the club in the coming weeks.

Rangers striker set to move on from Ibrox

According to Soccernet.ng, Cyriel Dessers is poised to complete a permanent exit from Rangers before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Nigeria international is ‘set’ to sign for Greek giants AEK Athens, after he ‘set sights’ on a move away from Ibrox ahead of next season.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Soccernet.ng adds that the striker has already verbally agreed to sign for the Greek team and has mapped out a £30k-per-week contract to sign if the transfer goes through this summer.

The outlet reveals that the two teams still need to come to an agreement on a transfer fee for the player before a deal can be finalised, and it does not mention how much money it would take to get it done.

However, The Scottish Sun recently reported that the Gers are holding out for a fee of around £5m for the striker, who they paid £4.5m to Cremonese for in 2023.

If the Light Blues can agree a £5m deal to sell Dessers to AEK Athens, who Soccernet.ng claims is set to join them, then it could be an Aribo repeat.

Why Dessers could be an Aribo repeat

The 30-year-old number nine could follow in Aribo’s footsteps as another star performer who could decrease in value after leaving the Scottish giants.

His value has already dropped from £4.2m at the time of his Ibrox arrival to £3.4m at the time of writing (19/06/2025), as per Transfermarkt, which immediately suggests that a fee of £5m would be a great deal for Rangers.

That is in spite of a very respectable goalscoring return of 51 strikes in 109 matches for the Light Blues in all competitions over the past two seasons.

His value at AEK Athens, should a transfer go through this summer, could fall even further on Transfermarkt, despite a potential fee of £5m, because he may not have the chance to score as many goals.

The Greek side finished fourth in the Super League and only scored 48 goals, whilst Rangers finished second in the Premiership and scored 80 goals.

Appearances

47

46

Goals

21

18

Shots

110

103

Shots on target

52

51

Big chances missed

29

31

Assists

6

4

As you can see in the table above, the Nigerian striker missed a staggering 60 ‘big chances’ in the Premiership, Europa League, and Champions League combined in his first two seasons at Ibrox.

Dessers, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed is “awkward” to play against due to his physicality, scored a decent number of goals for Rangers because he was in a team that was constantly creating chances for him, as evidenced by how many huge opportunities he spurned.

Therefore, he may struggle to have the same impact in an AEK Athens team that did not create or score anywhere near as much as Rangers did in the 2024/25 campaign, which could expose his wasteful finishing in a side that does not create loads of ‘big chances’.

This means that Dessers’ output in front of goal could diminish as a result of signing for the Greek side, which is why his value could also plummet as a result of the move, particularly now that the striker is also in his 30s and heading into his latter years.

He's Vaclav Cerny 2.0: Rangers are now set to sign "unplayable" star

Rangers are reportedly set to complete a deal for a star who could be Vaclav Cerny 2.0.

ByDan Emery Jun 16, 2025

Selling the experienced forward to Athens for £5m, if a deal can be agreed at that price, could be an Aribo repeat for Rangers as another player whose value could plummet after leaving.

India batter Tilak Varma has become the first player – male or female – to hit centuries in three successive innings in T20 cricket. He achieved the feat when he struck 151 off 67 balls in Hyderabad’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 opener against Meghalaya in Rajkot.Tilak, 22, headed into the domestic T20 competition on the back of consecutive hundreds in South Africa – 107 not out in Centurion followed by an unbeaten 120 in Johannesburg. With his knock for Hyderabad, he became the first Indian male cricketer to have a 150-plus score in T20s. Kiran Navgire, who now plays for Maharashtra, had scored an unbeaten 162 playing for Nagaland against Arunachal Pradesh in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in 2022.Tilak batted at No. 3 against Meghalaya and finished with a strike rate of 225.37 after walking out in the first over, hitting 14 fours and 10 sixes before falling on the last ball of the innings. He was severe on medium pacer Dippu Sangma, off whom he scored 50 off 18 balls with six fours and three sixes. He added 122 for the second wicket off just 48 balls and that formed base for Hyderabad’s 248 for 4, their highest score in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It is also the fifth-highest total in the history of the competition.Tilak was one of five players Mumbai Indians retained ahead of the auction for IPL 2025, having played for them for the past three seasons.

Aston Villa have now submitted a proposal to sign a “world-class” player, who is desperate to seal a move to the Premier League this summer, according to a report.

Aston Villa set sights on midfielder amid McGinn uncertainty

John McGinn has been a fantastic servant to Villa, with the captain joining the club ahead of the promotion-winning 2018-19 season, but there is now doubt over his future, amid interest from Premier League rivals Everton.

However, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has been quick to play down suggestions McGinn could move on this summer, saying: “I am told that Unai Emery loves working with him and he is one of his key lieutenants in the squad, he is not just a normal player.

“Villa were shocked to hear him linked – not surprised but, as it stands, there are no plans to move on from him – as he showed last season, he has plenty to offer.”

Regardless of whether the Scotland international ends up departing the club, it appears as though Emery is keen to bring in a new midfielder, and a proposal has now been made for one of the Spaniard’s former players.

That is according to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), which states Aston Villa have now been in touch with Juventus over a loan deal for Douglas Luiz, who joined the Italian club for a fee of £42m last summer.

Juventus would rather hold out for a permanent deal, but a loan deal could be a more practical solution, considering they would only be able to sell Luiz at a big loss, as the Brazilian has failed to kick on since making the move to the Serie A.

Aston Villa now set to advance for "top class" £138k-p/w ace loved by Monchi

The Villans could bring a proven Premier League operator to Villa Park.

BySean Markus Clifford Jul 8, 2025

Having failed to adapt to the Italian league, the midfielder is thought to be desperate to return to the Premier League this summer, and a return to Villa Park is very much on the cards.

McGinn would be delighted by "world-class" Luiz returning

It appears as though McGinn is likely to remain at Villa Park, with the Scot still considered an important player by Emery, and he would surely be delighted by Luiz returning to the club, having once described his former teammate as “world-class”.

Villa fans will be well-aware of the central-midfielder’s abilities, with the maestro displaying a keen eye for goal during his final season at the club, picking up a total of nine goals and five assists in 35 Premier League outings.

The Rio de Janeiro-born midfielder also memorably scored directly from a corner against Arsenal in the 2022-23 campaign.

With Luiz keen to return to the Premier League, a move back to Villa Park may be ideal, and signing him on loan could be perfect for Aston Villa, considering their PSR concerns.

Manchester United face a dilemma over Rasmus Hojlund after Fulham contacted the Red Devils about a potential deal for the Denmark striker.

Fulham make Hojlund enquiryUnited expected to move striker onAC Milan previously tipped with interestFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

United would prefer to sell unwanted striker Hojlund to a foreign team rather than a Premier League rival, according to . The Danish forward is expected to leave Old Trafford during the final few weeks of the summer transfer window following the arrival of Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, having endured two difficult seasons after joining the Red Devils from Atalanta.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Fulham may be in for a new striker if Rodrigo Muniz – who earned the Cottagers a point at Brighton on Saturday having been heavily linked with Atalanta – moves on during the next fortnight or so, but the Red Devils would prefer to strike a deal with a club from abroad. AC Milan are thought to be one such interested party, with the Italian giants' sporting director recently admitting the 22-year-old is "a good option for us".

DID YOU KNOW?

Hojlund himself previously asserted his desire to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, though his measly haul of four Premier League goals last season coupled with Sesko's signing seems to suggest manager Ruben Amorim is forging a path forward without him. He was also completely left out of the United squad that lost 1-0 to Arsenal on Sunday.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HOJLUND?

United are thought to want around £40 million (€46.3m/$54.1m) to part ways with Hojlund this summer but there's every chance the Dane is sent out on loan temporarily if no permanent deal materialises soon.

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.”

With the summer transfer window well and truly back open, Aston Villa have a huge few weeks ahead.

After failing to qualify for the Champions League after defeat against Manchester United on the final day of the season, the West Midlands side find themselves in the Europa League.

That surely makes them less appealing to top players they are looking to sign, and also means they have less money, which could make it tough to turn the loan moves of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford into permanent deals. Spain international Asensio did not have a buy clause in his loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and it is unclear if he will come back.

Well, if it turns out that Asensio doesn’t re-sign for Villa, they seemingly have a replacement in mind.

Villa's potential Asensio replacement

It would certainly be a huge blow for Villa if they were to lose Asensio, who had a great impact and brought lots of technical quality in attacking areas to their squad. However, they seem to be targeting a fellow Spaniard to replace him.

According to a newspaper in Spain, via Caught Offside, Unai Emery and his side are seemingly targeting a move for Real Betis attacker Jesus Rodriguez. He reportedly has a release clause worth £30m in his current deal, but Betis are negotiating a new contract with the view of increasing the price of that release clause to around £43m.

Of course, the release clause makes this a complicated situation, and on top of that, Betis are thought to be set on keeping Rodriguez.

However, Villans’ sporting director Monchi ‘is determined to sign’ the attacker, and ‘will be leading negotiations to get the deal done’ this summer.

Why Rodríguez would be a good signing

Despite being just 19 years of age, Rodriguez had a strong second half of the campaign with Betis, after breaking into the first team under Manuel Pellegrini following a stint in the youth team until December.

The Seville-born sensation played in 32 senior games last season for the club, scoring three times and grabbing one assist. He played a lot of first-team football, too, notching up 1739 minutes, the equivalent of 19 full 90-minute games. If anything, that shows the trust Pellegrini has in him already.

The 19-year-old attacker performed well in the UEFA Conference League last season, too. Although Betis lost in the final to Chelsea, he had an important role in their quest to the final, playing eight games and scoring against Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.

There is no doubt about it, Rodriguez stepping into Asensio’s shoes at Villa Park would be no mean feat. Not only is he ten years younger and therefore far less experienced, but the impact he had at Villa would be tough to recreate.

Even Asensio himself struggled to continue the form he showcased during the early part of his career in the West Midlands. He scored eight times and grabbed one assist in 21 games, but after a rapid start, couldn’t keep up his hot run of form past the start of April.

When looking at the underlying stats on FBref last season for both Rodriguez, a Spain U21 international, and Asensio, there are some numbers that stack up well against each other. One of those is goal-creating actions, in which the Betis man averaged 0.41 per game compared to the Villa loanee’s 0.66, showing they are both involved in their team’s goals regularly.

Described as an “explosive” player by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Rodriguez will certainly bring dynamic ball-carrying to Villa Park, more so than Asensio of the stats are anything to go by. The 19-year-old averaged 4.31 progressive carries each game last season, compared to Asensio’s 2.72 per 90 minutes.

Rodriguez and Asensio key stats compared
Stat (per 90)	Rodriguez	Asensio
Goal-creating actions	0.41	0.66
Progressive carries	4.31	2.72
Carries into penalty area	3.17	0.93
Take-ons completed	2.44	1.06
Ball recoveries	4.72	3.05
Stats from FBref

It is not hard to see why Rodriguez will be Emery’s new Asensio. Not only are they both Spanish attackers who can play across the frontline, but he has the technical quality of the former Real Madrid star, combined with the habit of being involved in goals, even if that is not directly.

This seems like a deal Monchi wants to get over the line, and for £30m, the value of his current release clause, it could be an excellent piece of business for the Villans.

He's scored at Villa Park: Aston Villa racing to sign "fantastic" £42m star

Only Jacob Murphy, Mohamed Salah and Anthony Elanga assisted more goals than him last season…

1

By
Tom Cunningham

Jun 12, 2025

The stakes are higher than ever, and the stage is set for Jonny to be Jonny

Vithushan Ehantharajah04-Jul-2023The international schedule rightly gets a hammering for matches backing up on to one another. But all praise to it for ensuring we only have one more day of “spirit of cricket” discourse.Alex Carey’s Sunday stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s will have ideally run out of fumes by the time the third Test gets underway on Thursday. The actual cricket could not come back soon enough.That will certainly be how both protagonists feel. And though Carey might be the man in the sightlines of the frothier pearl-clutchers, he has the best insulation. The laws help keep the conscience clear, the 2-0 scoreline gives comfort of a job well done. One win away from enacting Australia’s first overseas Ashes win since 2001 keeping him focused.For Bairstow, things are not quite as clear cut. His mood is said to be pretty much as you would expect. And as such, his England team-mates are getting around him. On Tuesday evening, they head over to his house for a barbecue, which has become a loose tradition when the squad is up in these parts. Having numbers over will provide relief from the noise. But it would not be a surprise if some of them use the opportunity to wind him up a little further. Such is the situation England find themselves in, with three must-win games in a row, they need the angry Bairstow more than ever.Related

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“Jonny does thrive off things like this,” Joe Root said on Tuesday at Headingley, a homecoming for both of them as well as Harry Brook. “Playing at his ground, I’m sure he will want to entertain the local crowd. I think it is set up nicely for him but you have still got to go and do it. You can bet your bottom dollar he will have the bit between his teeth.”When asked of Bairstow’s current mood, Root, who has played alongside Bairstow since Under-12 level at Yorkshire, opted for sarcasm: “No, he has been really placid,” before adding, “you can spot him from a mile off.” No one wears anger as obviously.The general awareness of Bairstow’s frame of mind is a good thing at a time like this. “Jonny is Jonny” is a phrase you often hear when asking after him. Essentially, an answer acknowledging the motivation of the question, with a knowing nod to how things are. Not too dissimilar from “it is what it is”.A rekindling of his talents in 2022 – 681 runs for the summer, four centuries, at an average of 75.66 – was down to Ben Stokes’s empathy, recognising exactly what Bairstow needs to thrive. After an eight-month spell out with a broken leg, Bairstow’s belief and ball-striking remain undimmed. But a reaction is needed from the most pugnacious cricketers going. No one wants it more than him, partcularly against these opponents.Bairstow has one of the more peculiar relationship with Australia. On statistics alone, they are a bit of an oddity, averaging more there (32.29) than he does over here (27.45). Both of his Ashes hundreds have been scored in Australia, a place where few modern English batters have excelled.His first taste of this rivalry came in 2013, playing the first four Tests in a forgettable 3-0 England win. A second, more bitter taste was around the corner during the 2013-14 whitewash. Bairstow, who replaced Matt Prior behind the stumps for the final two matches, was so on the periphery as England’s most successful collection of players of the modern era tore themselves apart that he often got mistaken for a Barmy Army supporter when walking the streets in team stash.Jonny Bairstow is back on home turf at Headingley•Getty ImagesThen there was the “headbutt” that wasn’t to Cameron Bancroft at the very start of the 2017-18 tour. A quieter 2019, saw him pitch in with an underrated 36 during the great Headingley heist, outscoring Stokes in a partnership of 86 for the fifth wicket.And then there was last Ashes, in 2021-22, when Bairstow was heckled and told to lose weight by an Australian fan as he returned to the pavilion at Sydney. He went on to score the only England century of the tour.The on- and off-field incidents of this series could end up trumping the lot. A fine opening knock of 78 was overshadowed by some lacklustre glovework, allowing Australia to triumph by two wickets in the first Test and restarting the Ben Foakes bandwagon.An over into the second, he was carrying a Just Stop Oil protester back to the Grandstand with one hand. Between that and idly strolling out of his crease was another tough spell as keeper, taking his byes this series to 31. He failed to make those runs up in front of the stumps, with an avoidable dismissal in the first inning as he punched Josh Hazlewood to mid-on for 16.Have we ever been more certain that Bairstow is going to do something this week in what will be his 93rd Test cap? His team-mates believe something special is in the offing.”You want to be watching every ball this week,” Root said. “There is always something in these big series and this is it I guess. And it would have to involve Jonny. What a week he had.”It was last year at Edgbaston that Bairstow previously dialled himself up to 11. He walked out against with England 44 for 3 after India had posted 416 in their first innings. Virat Kohli decided to engage Bairstow in some typically frosty back and forth. Bairstow responded with a 72-ball century and followed it up with an unbeaten 114 in the second innings to chase down 378.This time around, the stakes are even higher. An Ashes on the line, Australia and Australians gunning for him, Bairstow will step into his home ground with every corner mimicking the fervour of the Western Terrace knowing his country needs him more than ever before.The stage is set for Jonny to be Jonny.

Wrexham have been handed an audacious transfer boost as Tottenham star Ben Davies refused to commit his future to Spurs. The experienced Wales international, who has been a fixture at Spurs for over a decade, has acknowledged that decisions about his next move may soon be out of his hands.

• Son & Davies in final year of their contracts
• Defender has been linked with Wrexham
• Could also move to Elland Road

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Davies has been a stalwart at Tottenham since his arrival from Swansea City in 2014. Over the years, his dedication and adaptability have made him a trusted figure under several managerial regimes, from Mauricio Pochettino to Thomas Frank. Now in the twilight of his Spurs tenure, Davies finds himself in the final 11 months of his current deal. Although the club recently exercised their option to extend his contract for another season, the absence of long-term renewal talks suggests the possibility of a summer departure with Wrexham and Leeds United among the possible destinations. 

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham, currently on a rapid rise through the English football pyramid, are chasing a fourth consecutive promotion and are just a step away from realising their ultimate dream of playing in the English top flight. Backed by significant investment thanks to Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and global exposure through their Disney+ documentary series, the Welsh club has lofty ambitions and acquiring a Premier League-calibre defender like Davies would be a major coup.

• WHAT DAVIES SAID

  While on pre-season duty with Spurs in Hong Kong, Davies was asked whether he expected to see out the final year of his contract. The 32-year-old said his current priority was to help Tottenham this season, but remained non-committal when asked directly about seeing through the full term. 

  "That one is not necessarily under my control. I reported for pre-season and I’m excited to be here," he told

  "My focus is now on how I can help this club this year, and if something changes, I’m sure I will be picking up that phone call, but right now I don’t see anything else."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Adding to the intrigue at Spurs is the status of Davies’ closest friend at the club, Son Heung-min. The South Korean superstar, who recently completed ten seasons with Tottenham, is also entering the final year of his contract. Like Davies, Son had his deal extended by the club earlier this year, but his long-term future remains in flux.

Mark Wood and Sam Billings stood out but tourists continue to be weighed down by their baggage

Andrew Miller15-Jan-2022If Chris Silverwood hadn’t played his cliché at precisely the wrong moment, in the wake of England’s pitiful surrender at Melbourne, this might well have been a day for focusing on the “positives” – namely, the extraction of seven Australian wickets for 99 runs across two innings and two distinct periods of the pink-ball life cycle, a performance that reinforced the very adequacy upon which England’s fleeting pre-series hopes had been founded.Unfortunately, in shipping their own innings in 47.4 overs – the sort of attrition-rate that would attract scorn in an ODI, let alone a Test match – England left themselves no option but to double down once more on their most deep-seated failings. Not since 1958-59 has an England team travelled to Australia and failed to make 300 in at least one innings. With their tenth and final effort likely to get underway some time on Sunday, the book on that one is all but closed.This was another day of thoroughly processional batting from England – their essential flimsiness put into stark relief by Scott Boland’s heroic display as Australia’s nightwatchman in the face of another gut-busting show from Mark Wood. Boland’s 25 balls of stoic line-holding was longer than four of England’s top six managed in friendlier conditions, and he has the chance to extend that further still.Related

• Pat Cummins takes four as England stutter again on 17-wicket day

• Travis Head and Cameron Green flourish under pressure to show their Test pedigree

• As it happened – Australia vs England, 5th Test, Hobart, 2nd day

With a lead of 152 overnight, and the pink Kookaburra already approaching the 20-over mark of its life cycle – the point at which all movement for England’s bowlers appeared to vanish in the first innings – it’s hard to envisage how England will not be made to rue, once again, the all-too-frequent lapses that have exacerbated Australia’s dominance of this campaign.”Australia have been brilliant with the ball, there’s no doubt about that,” Sam Billings said at the close. “But the most disappointing thing was, whenever we wrestled back a bit of momentum, we lost a wicket at crucial times. It was a real eclectic mix of dismissals as well. It wasn’t just a set way of getting out.”Despite being granted the most favourable batting conditions so far, no England batter made more than Chris Woakes’ 36, and he only lasted that long thanks to two dropped slip catches off Boland, as if karma was decreeing that his then-Test bowling average of 8.64 was already quite sufficiently ridiculous, thanks very much. (It’s been stretched back out to 10.26 now – which means he isn’t even topping Australia’s averages anymore.)That glimmer of Australian sloppiness even extended to their appealing. Rory Burns and Dawid Malan both survived non-reviewed caught-behinds early in their stays – though had Burns’ reprieve been much earlier it would have been pre-natal. He hadn’t even had a chance to capitalise on his good fortune from Mitchell Starc’s sixth ball of England’s innings, when Zak Crawley called him through for a sharp but feasible single, and off he trooped for his eighth duck in 22 innings. At least the refrain from the commentators was less focused on his idiosyncratic technique this time, and more on his failure to fling himself headlong for the crease.Ben Stokes can’t believe his dismissal•Getty ImagesSo much has been made of England’s exhaustive preparation for this series, but just as they went into the Brisbane Test with a bowling attack that had never before taken the field together (and Stuart Broad’s deliverance of David Warner’s second Ashes pair in consecutive series was another tart rejoinder to that particular call), so too were Crawley and Burns opening together for the very first time – little wonder they lacked the sort of telepathic understanding that you’d expect from a more seasoned alliance.Rather than exhaustive, Ben Stokes just looked exhausted after wincing his way through 75 rib-bruising overs in the field. A Test tour of the Caribbean is looming in two months’ time – a venue where, for all the disparagement that West Indies cricket tends to receive these days, England have won just one series since 1968. It doesn’t require hindsight to point out that picking an injured player for such a long-dead rubber (Broad’s exhortation to “win the battle in front of you” notwithstanding) isn’t exactly the smartest way to get such a crucial performer back into the groove.Besides, it’s too late to expect any remarkable twist to this particular narrative. England are bound to be goaded by memories of Headingley 2019 come the fourth innings, but that performance stands out – like its 1981 predecessor – precisely because of its once-in-a-generation status. So long as England consider even a half-fit Stokes better than no Stokes at all, they will be inviting precisely the sort of decades-long hangover that Ian Botham’s heroics caused in the 1980s and 1990s, while providing a performative smokescreen. Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has been doing the rounds in this Test, dressing up an abject battering as a “brilliant opportunity” for a reboot.Joe Root hasn’t had the same physical pain to deal with as Stokes (not lately at least…), but he too has dug about as deep as he can manage on this trip. Inevitably, Root was England’s most composed performer but – as has become equally inevitable the longer this series has gone on – he failed to push on from the promise of his beginnings. The dream of that maiden hundred in Australia has waned to the mere hope that he can get back to reaching fifty on a once-a-match basis. Instead, after enduring another onslaught that left the broadcaster’s heatmap resembling an advert for Rennies – targeted directly at his pit of his stomach – he played too deep to the pad-thumper from Cummins, and trooped off for his series average of 34.Mark Wood roars after removing Usman Khawaja late on•Getty ImagesOnly two England players, in fact, could genuinely be said to be enjoying themselves. One was the effervescent Wood, who still can’t quite persuade his average to match his endeavours, but whose reversion to a more pitch-battering length at least put him out in front as England’s leading wicket-taker. And the other, as if to prove that preparation is folly and living in the moment is the only way to go, was the debutant Billings, whose glee at being involved was palpable.”Did it look like I was having fun? I loved it,” Billings said, having driven 500 miles and nine hours to link up with the squad instead of fly home to the UK ahead of next week’s white-ball tour. “It’s far better than being sat on the sofa, waiting to board the plane.”Billings is a curious type of Test debutant – a veteran of England tour parties, if not of actual matches, having featured in barely a quarter of the white-ball games that have taken place since his first cap in 2015, and a man whose arrival has added “a bit of experience around the group”, as he put it.He’s clearly not wrong, and his exuberance behind the stumps has been a clear injection of energy in the field, certainly compared to Jos Buttler’s troublingly catatonic displays in the first four games.But you have to wonder how Dan Lawrence, for example, must feel at being leapfrogged in this manner – not least given how excited the ECB (and Mo Bobat, the influential performance director, in particular), had been about his displays on the Lions tour two years ago.That trip, featuring a maiden England Lions victory over Australia A at Melbourne, was trumpeted at the time as proof of England’s long-term Ashes vision. Now, the stand-out batting star of that campaign can’t even get a gig in the fifth Test of a long-lost tour, while the key bowler, Ollie Robinson, gets thrown under the bus for his lack of fitness. No, it’s only fair to reserve judgement on the positives for now, and wait for the inevitable inquests.