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USWNT legend Alex Morgan is “soaking it all up” after becoming a mother of two, as she welcomed a baby boy

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Hung up her boots in September 2024Enjoying more family timeDaughter Charlie now has a brotherFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Two-time World Cup winner Morgan announced her retirement in September 2024. She hung up her boots having enjoyed a remarkable playing career that included 224 appearances and 123 goals for the United States.

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At 35 years of age, Morgan is now enjoying spending quality time with her former-MLS star husband Servando Carrasco and their growing family. They became parents for the first time in May 2020, when daughter Charlie Elena was born.

WHAT ALEX MORGAN SAID

Morgan announced the arrival of her newborn son. She has said in a post shared with her 9.8 million followers on Instagram: “Soaking it all up right now. Welcome to the world baby Enzo.”

WHAT NEXT?

Morgan continues to keep a close eye on how her former teams are faring. She will be among the interested observers as the USWNT, with Emma Hayes at the helm, take in friendly dates with Brazil, China and the Republic of Ireland over the coming months.

With the January transfer window well and truly underway, Manchester City have unsurprisingly wasted no time before turning their attention to some much-needed reinforcements for Pep Guardiola.

Man City transfer news

Sat outside the Premier League’s top four and entering 2025 off the back of just their second win in 13 games in all competitions courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Leicester City, the Citizens are enduring their worst-ever campaign under Guardiola. They’ve been hit from all angles, with an ageing squad catching up to them and injuries piling higher than they’ve ever done in the last nine years.

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Manchester City are interested in signing a player from Barcelona in 2025.

ByBen Gray Jan 2, 2025

For the first time in what feels like forever, Manchester City are desperate for reinforcements in order to turn their season around once and for all. Signing a replacement for the injured Rodri will undoubtedly sit top of their list of priorities, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi already threatening to steal the headlines as a result, but Guardiola needs more than one reinforcement this month.

All it takes is one glance at the Spaniard’s defensive options to realise just how much Manchester City could do with an overhaul. Kyle Walker is 34 years old and has shown signs that he could be past his best, John Stones remains injury-prone and is also now in his 30s, and the same will be able to be said about Nathan Ake this time next year.

So, one particular transfer rumour should come as little surprise. According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have now joined the race to sign Abdukodir Khusanov from RC Lens in the January transfer window.

Competing against a number of other top clubs, Guardiola and Manchester City will hope to convince the young central defender, valued at £25m, and commence a much-needed rebuild in the process.

"Excellent" Khusanov would ease Man City's defensive issue

Whilst it’s unlikely that Khusanov would come straight into Guardiola’s starting side if the likes of Stones and Ake were passed fit, recent injury issues open the door of opportunity for the young defender to instantly make his mark if he completes a January switch. At just 20 years old, he’d certainly solve City’s problem of an ageing backline in a deal focused on a future star who could play a part for years to come.

Khusanov has already earned plenty of fans throughout what is still a young career, including Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, who described Lens star as “an excellent” centre-back and “the future legend of Uzbek football” at the end of last year.

City have had no trouble in convincing players in the past and they may now look to use that pull power once again to win the race for Khusanov’s signature this month.

Broadcaster cites “multiple quality and standards breaches, CA “astonished” by the action

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2022Cricket Australia’s free-to-air television broadcaster Channel Seven has filed proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia to terminate their A$82 million-a-year broadcasting agreement which has two years to run citing “multiple quality and standards breaches.”The move by the network continues a long-running battle between Seven and CA that began in 2020 following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.Seven West Media, the owner of Channel Seven, released a statement on Thursday confirming they had escalated their position against CA.”Seven West Media Limited through its subsidiary Seven Network (Operations) Limited (Seven) has filed court proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against Cricket Australia (CA) in relation to multiple quality and standard breaches by CA of Seven’s Media Rights Agreement with CA (MRA),” the statement said.Related

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“The SWM proceedings will seek both: a court declaration that Seven is entitled to terminate the MRA on the basis of materialcontract breaches by CA which were not remedied; and damages arising out of past breaches. Seven previously obtained preliminary discovery proceedings in the Federal Court relating to the claims.”Seven’s intention is to terminate the MRA, conditional on the Federal Court granting a declaration that Seven is entitled to do so. Seven has the right to waive this condition. The damages action is not conditional. Seven will continue to perform its obligations under the MRA (in terms of telecasting Tests and BBL etc.) until terminated.”Seven has pursued the informal dispute resolution procedure under the MRA but the procedure failed to resolve the dispute.”Cricket Australia responded saying they would fight the action, stating they were “astonished” by Seven’s position after two seasons were delivered amid the challenges of the pandemic.”Cricket Australia (CA) is aware of reports that our broadcast partner, the Seven Network, has commenced legal proceedings against CA in relation to recent COVID-impacted cricket seasons,” the statement said.”CA delivered two very successful cricket seasons in 2020-21 and 2021-22, including every WBBL and BBL game (a total of 240 games over two seasons) and highly acclaimed international schedules, despite the enormous challenges presented by the global pandemic.”In the circumstances, CA is astonished that Seven has brought this unwarranted action which will be strenuously defended.”Seven signed a six-year deal in 2018 to be the free-to-air broadcast partner of CA alongside subscription provider Foxtel, but have been keen to terminate the deal in recent years. In late 2020, Seven took CA to an independent arbitrator seeking massive cuts to their A$82 million-a-year share of the A$1.18 billion deal signed alongside Foxtel in April 2018.The arbitrator, Justin Jameson of Venture Consulting, concluded that Seven should get only a A$5 million discount of the A$70 million reduction the network had been chasing.The “quality and standards breaches” are believed to be surrounding the BBL which has declined in popularity since Seven began broadcasting it in 2018-19 although ratings have remained relatively good compared to other Australian sports leagues.Part of CA’s push to revive the BBL this year, via initiatives such as the overseas draft, is with the next TV rights cycle in mind when the current deal with Seven and Foxtel ends in 2024.

Vinicius Jr labelled Cristiano Ronaldo as his "idol" after the Al-Nassr superstar hit another incredible landmark with his brace against Al-Hilal.

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Al-Nassr beat Al-Hilal 3-1Ronaldo scored twice on the nightVinicius expressed his admiration for the PortugueseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo once again took centre stage in the Saudi Pro League as Al-Nassr edged past fierce rivals Al-Hilal in a pulsating derby clash on Friday evening. The Portuguese icon delivered two goals – one just after the interval and another late on – to guide his team to a 3-1 triumph in Riyadh. The victory narrowed the gap between Al-Nassr and second-placed Al-Hilal to just three points, igniting fresh hope in the title race.

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Following his decisive display, Ronaldo took to Instagram to share his joy with his global fanbase. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner posted a series of celebratory images from the match and captioned them boldly: “RIYADH IS YELLOW AND BLUE!”

WHAT VINICIUS SAID

Among the thousands of fans and fellow players who engaged with the post was Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinicius Jr, who added a touching comment that reflected his admiration for Ronaldo. “Our very own idol!!!” wrote Vinicius, publicly acknowledging the role Ronaldo continues to play as a role model for young players around the world.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Vinicius has never hidden his appreciation for Ronaldo, and his latest comment reaffirmed the deep respect he holds for the football legend. And the Portuguese is deserving of all the praise as he hit another incredible milestone of scoring 20+ league goals in a season for the 15th time in his career, following his brace against Al-Hilal.

Whereas his incredible form in the 2024–25 campaign has taken him to 30 goals in all competitions for Al-Nassr. With the striker still hungry for more, he remains on track toward achieving his self-set goal of reaching 1,000 career goals – a target that would likely require at least two more years of consistent output at the highest level.

Chelsea are emerging as the main contenders to sign a new midfielder after reaching out to his club, and it is believed the west Londoners have been considering a deal for more than 12 months.

Chelsea working on new centre-back for January

Despite the odd report linking Enzo Maresca’s side with a new striker, the consensus is that Chelsea are prioritising a new centre-back in January.

Fabrizio Romano – Chelsea chiefs debate January deal for £50k-per-week star

The Blues are working on a potential winter signing.

ByEmilio Galantini Jan 7, 2025

Injuries to Wesley Fofana, who could be out for the rest of the Premier League season, and Benoit Badiashile have cut Maresca’s central defensive options in half – with there being many reported targets on Chelsea’s shortlist.

Tomas Araujo [Benfica], Antonio Silva [Benfica], Ousmane Diomande [Sporting], Illia Zabarnyi [Bournemouth] and Dean Huijsen [Bournemouth] are all centre-backs being considered by Chelsea, according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, but perhaps the most headline-grabbing one of them all is former player Marc Guehi.

Bournemouth (home)

January 14

Wolverhampton Wanderers (home)

January 20

Man City (away)

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West Ham (away)

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Brighton (away)

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The Crystal Palace stalwart, fresh off the back of an incredible 2024, is being eyed by Chelsea as an option for the club before February 3, even if a deal is described as difficult to do.

Chelsea chiefs have been internally debating a January deal for Guehi, according to Fabrizio Romano, but it is unclear just how much Palace will demand for the England international after rejecting a £65 million bid from Newcastle in the summer.

The 24-year-old has 18 months left on his deal at Selhurst Park, so perhaps Palace chairma Steve Parish could be forced to sell for a cheaper fee if Guehi pushes for a return to Stamford Bridge.

As rumours surround the potential arrival of Guehi, there are suggestions that Chelsea are considering a loan recall for Trevoh Chalobah as well, so Palace face the very real possibility of losing at least one defender this month.

Meanwhile, in terms of other positions, TEAMtalk report that Chelsea have looked at a January deal for River Plate sensation Franco Mastantuono.

Chelsea moving into pole position to sign Mastantuono

The teenager is fast earning a reputation as “one of the world’s best upcoming young stars”, as per TT, and he’s been in Chelsea’s sights for over a year.

Chelsea have been in contact with River Plate over signing Mastantuono in that period, and Maresca’s side are entering pole position for the Argentine ahead of other interested clubs.

However, while they’ve entertained the possibility of bringing the 17-year-old to west London as soon as this month, they will have to wait until the summer as things stand.

Mastantuono’s deal includes a unique release clause, currently set at around £38 million, but it is set to increase as January goes on. The clause could go as high as £43 million, and this has apparently prompted Chelsea to stall on moving for him until later in 2025.

In any case, TT state that Chelsea are “working hard” on his signing, as BlueCo carry on their trend of cherry-picking world football’s hottest emerging talents.

Williamson has only played two ODIs since the 2019 World Cup final, while Southee’s last one was in February 2020

Andrew McGlashan17-Aug-20220:58

Looking forward to moving into ‘life after cricket’ – Trent Boult

It’s 10 years since New Zealand have played an ODI in West Indies but they could, depending on final selection, field five players who were part of that team in St Kitts in July 2012.Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Tim Southee and Trent Boult are back as part of this tour – a mark of their longevity and success as international cricketers – as the side gears up for next year’s ODI World Cup which, for some, might be their last global tournament.For Boult there is even a question mark over that after his recent decision to step away from his central contract. Beyond this tour (and the upcoming T20 World Cup which he appears set to play) the criteria around his future selection remains to be decided.Related

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Boult’s previous ODIs came in March 2021 – they have been a scarce format for New Zealand until recently which has left them a lot of catch-up series to play over the next few months – but for some, it’s even longer since an appearance in the format.Southee is no longer a first-choice pick in ODIs, but it is still remarkable to think that his last appearance was before the pandemic was a reality – against India in February 2020.Williamson’s most recent outing came just a month later, in the first behind-closed-doors game at the SCG just as sport around the world was being shut down. That is one of just two matches he has played since the 2019 World Cup final owing to injury and rotation.Kane Williamson has not played an ODI since March 2020•Getty ImagesBarring Matt Henry’s injury which has ended his tour, New Zealand are at full strength for the series having explored their depth on the recent tour of Europe and over the last couple of years. A number of players have emerged during that time and some find themselves on this tour: opening batter Finn Allen, allrounder Michael Bracewell who produced some stunning performances in Europe, and pace bowler Ben Sears who has replaced Henry.”Sears [has] that bit of extra pace which is always nice to have in your side. Finn who has done really well in the Super Smash and over in Europe he played really well,” Latham said. “Both those guys are youthful and play an exciting brand of cricket.”With spin expected to play a significant part, there may only be room for two frontline quicks in New Zealand’s XI.”It will be interesting to see what the surfaces are like,” Latham said. “Looking at some of the scores in recent times here in one-day cricket they do vary a little bit so sure spin will play a part but we also have a bit of pace in our squad as well.”Having played just three of their World Cup Super League series, New Zealand have more ODI cricket than most between now and next March. After this series they head to Cairns in northern Australia in early September and after the T20 World Cup host India before heading to Pakistan. They wrap up their home season against Sri Lanka.”With the big picture of the World Cup not too far away so for us it’s about getting used to different conditions,” Latham said. “Somewhere here like West Indies, it might be similar to what we are faced with in India.”Any time you get the opportunity to play on different surfaces to home it’s important you take all the learnings and try to adapt the best you can. That’s something our squad has done really well of late, we’ve played over in Europe and here with the T20s so it’s all about trying to adapt as quickly as you can.”New Zealand ODI squad Kane Williamson, Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee