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It’s been a relatively quiet transfer window for Liverpool this summer, with the club’s dealings only ramping up over the last seven days.

Arne Slot’s side completed a deal to sign Georgian international goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, with the 23-year-old spending the remainder of the campaign at Valencia – joining the Reds in the summer of 2025.

They also clinched a deal to sign Italian winger Federico Chiesa from Juventus over the last couple of days, spending £12.5m including add-ons – bolstering the attacking options at Slot’s disposal.

However, as of yet, the club are yet to sign the midfielder they’ve been desiring all summer after Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi rejected the chance to move to Anfield.

It’s since been quiet on the club’s hunt for a new deep-lying talent, but that could be about to change on deadline day, with one player linked with a move to Merseyside before the closure of the window in less than 12 hours time.

Liverpool interested in £75m midfield talent

According to TyC Sports, Liverpool have had an attempt to land Porto’s Argentinian midfielder Alan Varela after previous interest in the talent.

The 23-year-old, who’s been on the club’s radar for some time, has been subject to discussions over a potential move to Anfield, with the hierarchy holding a huge interest in the youngster.

However, Varela has a €90m (£75m) release clause in his current deal, with the Portuguese side unwilling to let him leave unless the Reds trigger the deal in his contract.

He would be a huge addition for Slot’s side, potentially completing his midfield trio and following in the footsteps of his compatriot who’s currently plying his trade on Merseyside.

Why Varela could be Mac Allister 2.0 for Liverpool

Argentinian star Alexis Mac Allister enjoyed a successful debut campaign at Liverpool last season, featuring in 33 Premier League matches, achieving a total of ten combined goal contributions.

He joined the club in a £35m deal from fellow English side Brighton – a bargain for a player of his quality – with the 25-year-old cementing his place as a regular starter at the heart of the Reds side.

Mac Allister could be joined by compatriot Varela before tonight’s deadline, with the duo potentially able to form an excellent partnership in the middle of midfield, handing the club a huge boost in their pursuit of a successful first season under Slot.

When comparing their respective stats from 2023/24 on FBref, the pair are very similar, with the Porto star matching or even bettering the Reds’ number 10 in various key areas.

The “monstrous” talent, as described by analyst Ben Mattinson, may have registered fewer goals and assists, but he did manage to achieve a higher pass completion rate and complete more progressive passes per 90 – showcasing his excellent ability at moving the ball into forward areas.

Games played

30

33

Goals + assists

5

10

Progressive passes

7.3

7.2

Pass accuracy

88%

87%

Take-on success

70%

53%

Interceptions made

0.9

1.2

Clearances

1.1

0.9

He also completed more take-ons than the current Liverpool ace, demonstrating how effective he would be at keeping the ball in Slot’s possession-based system.

Defensively, Varela has also impressed, completing more clearances, and providing that added defensive cover in front of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahim Konate that the club have been searching for.

Whilst £75m is a huge figure for an unproven Premier League player, he would provide serious quality to the midfield department, allowing the Argentinian to link up with his compatriot at Anfield.

With less than 12 hours left in the window, Slot’s side will have to move quickly to secure a deal for the youngster to avoid a repeat of a collapsed move for Zubimendi, with it a chance to potentially end the search for a No.6.

After Chiesa: Liverpool eye up last-gasp move for £17m Zubimendi alternative

Things are ramping up on Merseyside…

1 ByAngus Sinclair Aug 30, 2024

Paul Mullin broke his own personal goal drought with a sensational volley in Wrexham's comeback 2-1 win over Blackpool in League One

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Wrexham beat Blackpool 2-1Mullin scores unreal volleyRed Dragons stay thirdFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

With Wrexham a goal down thanks to Ashley Fletcher's early effort, striker Mullin came up trumps when his left-footed volley flew into Blackpool's goal in the 24th minute on a misty day at Stok Cae Ras.

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Wrexham then went on to claim all three points on Thursday thanks to Steven Fletcher's late penalty as the Red Dragons stayed within two points of second-placed Wycombe Wanderers and three adrift of table-toppers Birmingham City. That was also Mullin's first League One goal for more than two months, with his sole goal of the campaign coming away to Rotherham United on November 19.

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Mullin will hope to be on the scoresheet again when his Wrexham side round off 2024 with a home clash on Sunday against Wigan Athletic.

The ICC’s acting CEO has said teams will continue to be ranked based on percentage of points contested

Nagraj Gollapudi14-Jun-2021The shift to a ranking based on the percentage of points contested, which came about thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, will extend into the second (2021-23) edition of the World Test Championship, with one caveat. Instead of 120 points being available over each series, independent of the length of the series, every Test match will now carry an equal number of points. At the end of the WTC cycle, teams will be ranked based on the percentage of points accrued over all the matches they have played.The above points system was revealed by Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s acting chief executive officer, during a media chat organised by the ICC on Monday. As a consequence of several series in the first cycle of the WTC being postponed due to the pandemic, the ICC altered the points system last November, deciding to rank teams based on the percentage of points won from the series they contested.Related

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That shift allowed New Zealand, which was behind India, Australia and England in the points tally at the time, to leapfrog those teams and become the first team to make the inaugural WTC final after consecutive home series wins over West Indies and Pakistan. India’s historic 2-1 win in Australia, followed by a 3-1 victory at home against England, allowed them to book the second finalist’s slot and eventually finish on top of the WTC table.During the 2019-21 WTC cycle, every series – regardless of length – had 120 points up for grabs•Ishita Mazumder/ESPNcricinfo LtdFour days before the WTC final, Allardice said the ICC had decided to stick to the percentage-of-points-won methodology as it provided twin benefits. “We are going to stick with the percentage-of-points-won method to rank teams,” Allardice said. “When we looked at the first 12 months of the competition you had teams on a number of points, but it was all relative to how many series they had played. So one of the ways to compare teams on an ongoing basis is what proportion of the points that have been available in the matches they played have been actually won. And that percentage served us well in the second half of the Championship.Watch cricket on ESPN+

The WTC final is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

“The other thing is if we are using the percentage of points won we can put a standardised number of points per Test match. So it doesn’t matter if it is a two-Test series or a five-Test series, the same number of points will be available for each match that’s played, but every team would be judged on the percentage of those points it wins, not on total.”The alteration in the points system was originally devised and recommended by the ICC Cricket Committee, which is headed by former India captain Anil Kumble. However, not everyone was impressed by the ICC’s move. Ahead of the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, India captain Virat Kohli said the amended points system was “confusing”. India had played four out of their six scheduled series in the WTC cycle at that point and were leading the table with 360 points. However, Australia, who had earned 296 points from three series, toppled India after the revision, with 82.22 percentage points (296 out of 360) compared to the latter’s 75 (360 out of 480).Allardice understood the critics’ view, but said the ICC had had no option but to change the system. “The principle that we had when we created the competition was that every match in a series that was played as part of the Test Championship should count. The point system was also to try and reflect that a two-match series is worth the same as a five-match series. That was trying to make sure that everyone was playing for the same number of points in total, everyone was playing for the same number points home and away.The points system for the inaugural WTC was changed midway through the competition due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic•Getty Images”One of things that happened during this cycle is that it became evident that not everyone was going to complete their six series as a result of some of the postponements due to Covid. So we left the final in the spot in the calendar where it was originally scheduled. But because we are going to have teams playing uneven number of series we needed to tweak to the points system to try and make it as fair as possible and to make sure it reflected the matches that they did play rather than too heavily influenced by they didn’t play.”As it turned out it was a fair system. New Zealand didn’t play one series as a result of the Covid disruption las year, but they’ve still been able to qualify for the final through the strength of their performances in other series. So we prefer not to have changed the points system in the middle of a tournament but due to the circumstances of Covid and the need to ensure that the best two teams got to the final we thought it was necessary that it was approved at the end of last year.”Best-of-three final not “realistic”
Allardice also said the suggestion of India coach Ravi Shastri to have a best-of-three final to determine the winner of the second edition of the WTC – was a good one but not “realistic”, due to the lack of a free window for such an event in the cricket calendar.”In a perfect world a three-Test series would be a great way to decide the World Test Championship,” Allardice said. “But the reality (of) the international cricket schedule is we are just not going to have [a situation where] blocking out a month or so for all the teams in the tournament for the final is realistic. That’s why one-match final was decided upon. Why it is quite exciting is because it brings something new. Here were are – we’ve got a one-off Test match to decide the best team in the world over this two-year cycle.”Draw “certainly a valid result”
Allardice was asked whether it was fair on the two finalists in case the match were to end in a draw due to rain interruptions. Announcing the WTC prize money on Monday, the ICC said both teams would share the Test mace, and the pot of USD 2.4 million, in case of a draw.”One of the idiosyncrasies of Test cricket is that the draw is a result,” Allardice said. “One of things while talking about the structure of the competition was to we didn’t want to start the final with one team having to win and one team having to draw, so both teams start on Friday even. They have five playing days to get a result. We have set aside a reserve day so that if time is lost during those five days it can be further made up on the reserve day. It isn’t a six-day Test match.”And if after those five days the result is a draw, then the view was that the fitting result is that the Championship is shared. Whether we like it or not a draw is certainly a valid result in Test cricket.”

Newcastle United may have enjoyed a solid start to the 2024/25 campaign, yet Eddie Howe must still be stewing after failing to strengthen his side much during the summer transfer window.

The Magpies missed out on several key targets which would have bolstered their starting XI, thus potentially giving them a better chance of returning to the top four of the Premier League this season.

One of the main transfer sagas was that of Marc Guehi, with the club showing plenty of interest, but a move failed to materialise in the summer.

The Marc Guehi saga

As the transfer window was approaching the final few weeks, Newcastle made a third bid of around £60m which was rejected by Crystal Palace.

The English centre-back remains at the London side, until January at least, and his value could potentially drop if he forces a move North.

Guehi has played in all three of Palace’s league matches so far this term, winning a staggering 76% of his total duels per game, while being dribbled past on just 0.3 occasions each match, showcasing his defensive abilities.

Despite the good start, Howe will always be looking to strengthen his squad and Guehi represents an upgrade to several of his current defenders.

Accurate passes

48.3

Tackles

1

Interceptions

0.3

Clearances

6.3

Total duels won

5.3

Possession lost

8.7

Will he make another approach in January? Only time will tell. The Magpies did sell a centre-back a few years ago who, interestingly, would be worth the same value as Guehi in 2024 money – Jonathan Woodgate.

Jonathan Woodgate’s value in 2024 money

After spending just 18 months at St James' Park, Woodgate was attracting attention from Real Madrid in the summer of 2004.

Hailed as a “perfect” signing when Bobby Robson brought him to the club in January 2003, it was clear the advances of La Liga royalty weren’t going to be swatted away.

An offer of £13.4m was too good to turn down, which saw the English defender swap Newcastle for Madrid.

It wasn’t to be the best of spells for him in Spain – notably scoring an own goal and being sent off on debut – but it was evident that the Toon hit the jackpot on Woodgate, particularly when you consider what his value would be in the modern market. How have we established that? Well, the guys at Totally Money have lent a hand.

So, in 2024 money, this lowly £13.4m transfer fee would now be worth a staggering £60m if he made the same move just now.

Although Palace rejected Newcastle’s £60m bid for Guehi, they could be tempted to do a deal at that price in the next few months, which would see him valued the same as Woodgate was 20 years ago.

Despite making only 37 appearances during his time on Tyneside, Robson struck gold by selling him for more than he paid just 18 months prior.

Woodgate played just 14 times during his spell in Madrid before returning to England where he finished his career.

The future of Guehi is still unclear. If he goes on having another solid few months at Palace, it surely won't just be Newcastle banging on the door at Selhurst Park.

Newcastle could regret selling £1.8m ace who outscored Gordon in 23/24

He’s gone on to have a successful career away from St James’ Park.

1 ByEthan Lamb Sep 8, 2024

Liverpool's owners reportedly have 'no appetite' to sell the club despite Elon Musk's father claiming the billionaire wants to buy the Reds.

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Musk interested in buying LiverpoolNo contact between billionaire & the clubFSG won't sell Reds to X & Tesla ownerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After Musk's father, Errol Musk, said his son would "like to" purchase Liverpool from Fenway Sports Group, claim the Tesla and X owner has not contacted the American owners. Moreover, insiders allegedly say there is no desire to have any talks as a result of a radio interview as it lacks seriousness.

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Musk is the world's richest man, with an estimated wealth of £340 billion ($424.6bn). While FSG sold a minority stake to United States investment firm Dynasty Equity in September 2023, it seems they will not entertain an approach from Musk – even if he presented them with a lucrative offer.

WHAT ELON MUSK'S FATHER SAID

When asked on  if his son wanted to buy Liverpool, he replied: "I can’t comment on that, they’ll raise the price! Oh yes, [he has expressed a desire], but that doesn’t mean he’s buying it. He would like to yes, obviously. Anybody would want to – so would I."

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Away from takeover speculation, Arne Slot's Liverpool take on Tottenham on Wednesday in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

As if Everton’s start couldn’t get any more frustrating this season, the Toffees are now set to be without one of their star men against Leicester following a “strange” injury setback to an existing problem.

Everton injury news

After squandering a 2-0 lead either side of the international break to lose 3-2 against both Bournemouth and Aston Villa, Everton hosted Southampton in the Carabao Cup in search of a reprieve that never came. Instead, those at Goodison Park witnessed yet another defeat, with Sean Dyche’s side knocked out of the cup on penalties following a 1-1 draw with their fellow relegation contenders.

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Without a win in the Premier League after four games and now out of the cup, Everton’s next game up against Leicester suddenly feels increasingly important. Lose the relegation six-pointer and questions will likely begin to come over Dyche’s ability to turn things around, whilst victory would finally stop the rot for the Toffees.

In such a crucial game, Dyche could do with his strongest squad available, but will be forced to play without arguably his best player following another setback in his return. As quoted by Patrick Boyland of The Athletic, Dyche revealed that Jarrad Branthwaite is set to miss the Leicester game through a “strange” setback that is keeping his recovery back longer than expected.

Of course, if Branthwaite’s importance wasn’t highlighted enough as Everton survived another relegation scrap last season, then it’s been there for all to see with Everton without a single point in his absence so far in the current campaign.

Everton's glimpse at life without "imposing" Branthwaite

For the rest of the campaign after the Leicester game, Everton will hope to at least have Branthwaite back and ready to make the difference, but his absence has given them a stark reminder of what their reality could look like if he departs next summer. Having been linked with a move away in the summer, the rumours have already started over his future in 2025 and Everton may not be so fortunate to keep hold of his services next time big clubs come calling.

It’s an important year for Branthwaite in his second real season at the top level of English football and one that should result in a first England cap. Interim boss Lee Carsley is certainly a fan of the centre-back, having handed him the captain for the U21s and praised him highly in the past.

He said via the Liverpool Ehco last November: “There were a few players that could’ve worn the armband. It was a way of showing Jarrad how well we think he’s doing at present as well. I think it’s part of the game he can add to in terms of leadership.

“He leads by example, he’s not too loud, he’s quite a quiet guy but the way he plays, he’s very imposing. I thought he was excellent tonight and it’s something that he should be proud of to lead the team out.”

The wicketkeeper-batter is flying back to Dhaka for “family reasons”

Mohammad Isam14-Jul-2021Mushfiqur Rahim will miss the remainder of Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe for “family reasons”, according to the BCB. He will travel back to Dhaka today from Harare. The visitors have an ICC Super League ODI series scheduled from July 16, and a T20I series from July 23.”The Bangladesh Cricket Board requests that all respect the privacy of Mushfiqur and his family at this time,” a BCB release said.Related

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Mushfiqur Rahim's break in doubt due to Australia series quarantine rules

Rahim played the one-off Test in Harare last week but, having injured his hand while batting, stayed off the field for most of the game. He was also initially supposed to skip the T20I series after the board granted him leave.He wasn’t named in the T20I squad against Zimbabwe but on Tuesday, chief selector Minhajul Abedin had said Rahim could be among the ODI squad players to stay back for the T20Is due to quarantine rules for the upcoming T20I series against Australia at home.The BCB and CA have agreed that everyone involved in the series must be in quarantine for ten days prior to entering the tour’s bio-bubble in Dhaka. As such, the selectors wanted Rahim and another player to be part of the bio-bubble in Harare, which is being considered as part of the ten-day quarantine.

Todd Boehly is a man who has shown huge ambition during his two-year tenure owning Chelsea Football Club – spending over £1.1bn on new transfers to try and overhaul the playing squad.

Whilst some of his signings have been erratic, to say the least, many of them have proven to be excellent additions, providing added quality to new boss Enzo Maresca.

Cole Palmer undoubtedly has been the American’s best investment during his time at the helm, splashing out £40m on his services – registering 45 goal contributions in his 51 appearances for the Blues.

Fellow forward Christopher Nkunku hasn’t been able to make as great an impact as he would’ve envisaged due to his injury concerns, but he has posted a tally of six goals in 20 matches.

One other player has also enjoyed a great start to life at Stamford Bridge, taking his form at the club to the next level after the arrival of Maresca during the off-season.

Noni Madueke’s stats for Chelsea

Winger Noni Madueke made the move to Chelsea back in January 2023, joining from Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven in a £29m deal.

He had to bide his time under former boss Mauricio Pochettino before he could make an impact in West London, only making 13 starts in the league last season.

However, he still managed to post a tally of five goals in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign – ending his first full season at the Bridge as the club’s fourth top scorer.

The arrival of Maresca has allowed for a huge upturn for the 22-year-old, starting all but one league outing so far, excelling with his increased game time on the pitch.

He’s already scored three league goals this season, bagging himself a hat-trick in the 6-2 demolition of Wolves – subsequently earning him his maiden call-up to the England national side during the recent international break.

However, despite his recent form, he’s been outperformed by one player who was allowed to leave the club 12 months – with potential regret now creeping in after his recent form away from the Bridge.

The former Chelsea ace who’s outperformed Madueke after leaving

Winger Callum Hudson-Odoi looked to be one of the biggest young talents in Europe a couple of years ago – breaking through Chelsea’s academy before featuring for the first team before even being subjected to £70m interest from Bayern Munich.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

However, a torrid spell with injuries saw the Englishman rapidly drop down the pecking order, losing his place in West London and in desperate need of a fresh start to reignite his once-promising career.

The attacker is still only 23, but he secured a £5m move to fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest last summer – an absolute bargain, especially when considering his recent form at the City Ground.

Hudson-Odoi notched eight league goals last season, before firing home the winner against Liverpool for the Reds last weekend – with the youngster outscoring Madueke in the same time period, having notched nine league goals to Madueke’s eight since the start of 2023/24.

Games played

29

Minutes played

1854

Goals scored

8

Assists

1

Pass accuracy

85%

Dribbles completed

61%

Touches in opposition box

80

He’s already been touted with a £40m move to Tottenham Hotspur in recent months, further proving how cheaply the Blues allowed the “sensational” forward – as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango – to depart his boyhood club.

The attacker’s recent form in England’s top flight is evidence that he still has all of the qualities to thrive at the top level despite his recent injury worries.

Whilst Madueke has undoubtedly been a superb addition for the club, they may have been better off putting trust in Hudson-Odoi, with his goalscoring exploits already better than that of the £29m signing.

Chelsea thought they had the new Drogba, then Boehly sold him for £30m

Chelsea’s heir to Drogba never quite worked out

1 ByConnor Holden Sep 18, 2024

Lucy Bronze boasts plenty of happy memories at Wembley, but the Chelsea star is setting another trophy target at the home of English football.

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Won Euros with England in 2022Represented Lionesses on a regular basisChasing down honours at club levelFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Back in 2022, Bronze helped the Lionesses to savour European Championship glory on home soil. She has figured regularly for England during their outings at the most spectacular of international venues – with her senior cap haul standing at 127 and counting.

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Bronze returned to her homeland in the summer of 2024 when joining WSL title holders Chelsea from Champions League winners Barcelona. The plan is to add to her medal collection over the coming months, particularly when it comes to an FA Cup competition that she has emerged triumphant in on two previous occasions with Manchester City.

GettyWHAT BRONZE SAID

Bronze has told Chelsea’s , with another cup quest set to get underway on January 12 against Charlton: "I hope we go on a good FA Cup run. It’s always been a trophy that I’ve been in love with. I played my first final when I was 16 playing for Sunderland which is where I was from, and against Arsenal. It was my first taste of a big game.

"I’ve got so many different fond memories of FA Cup runs. Especially coming back to England from playing abroad, the FA Cup is definitely a big one. Every time I have played abroad, I’ve always been at Wembley watching the final. I love playing at Wembley, so it would be nice to play there with Chelsea."

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Bronze has helped Chelsea to claim 15 wins during a 16-match unbeaten run this season and is starting to feel more settled as part of a star-studded squad in west London. The 33-year-old defender added: "Coming in I don’t think I was viewed as much as a new player because I’m English and being a bit more established. But, at the start, I was definitely finding my rhythm and my place in the team.

"Once I got my feet on the ground, got settled living here and everything like that, it just felt like I had been here forever. After the first couple of months, I felt really settled in and started to see that both on and off the pitch. I was definitely feeling more and more at home."

The pair have been given a chance to push for England Test selection

Matt Roller15-Jul-2021James Bracey and Haseeb Hameed will be given the chance to stake their case for inclusion in England’s Test squad after being named in a County Select XI to play India in a three-day match at Chester-le-Street next week.Bracey did not make an impact in his maiden Test series against New Zealand in June, making scores of 0, 0 and 8 and struggling with the gloves as a stand-in wicketkeeper following Ben Foakes’ injury. But he has been around the England squad for the last year and remains under consideration as a back-up top-order batter, not least with Ollie Pope an injury doubt for the first Test against India.ESPNcricinfo LtdHameed, meanwhile, has not played Test cricket since his maiden series against India in 2016-17, when he made 219 runs in six innings as a 19-year-old opener. His form nosedived over the next three seasons playing for Lancashire, but he has been much more successful since joining Nottinghamshire ahead of the 2020 season, where he has averaged 42.43 in first-class cricket. He was an unused squad member for the New Zealand series.The 14-man squad will be captained by Warwickshire’s Will Rhodes, and is comprised of players who were not signed for the inaugural season of the Hundred and were made available by their counties. The three Warwickshire players involved will miss the opening game of the Royal London Cup against Hampshire. According to an ECB statement, the squad will “bridge into a team environment and undergo Covid testing before being cleared to play”.Related

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Top-order batters Jake Libby (Worcestershire) and Rob Yates (Warwickshire), Nottinghamshire allrounders Liam Patterson-White and Lyndon James, seamers Ethan Bamber (Middlesex), Zak Chappell (Nottinghamshire) and Craig Miles (Warwickshire), and the Sussex offspinner Jack Carson are all included. There are also three teenagers in the squad who are yet to make their first-class debuts: Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed, Lancashire’s Tom Aspinwall, and Somerset’s James Rew.The County Select XI will be coached by Richard Dawson, England’s elite performance pathway coach, and will be staged behind closed doors from July 20-22. The fixture was confirmed on Wednesday night following India’s request for a warm-up match ahead of the Test series, which starts on August 4 at Trent Bridge.