Category Uncategorized

Arsenal are attempting to sign another player with Brentford’s Christian Norgaard and Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, with the Gunners reliably reported to be closing in on deals for the latter two.

Agbonlahor slams "very odd" Arsenal transfer decision as Berta agrees deal

The Gunners are shopping “at Asda”.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 27, 2025

Earlier this week, following quick-fire talks with Brentford, Arsenal agreed a fee of around £10 million, plus an additional £5 million in add-ons, to sign the Denmark international as a replacement for Thomas Partey.

Norgaard has also been allowed to undergo a medical at Arsenal before signing his contract as the north Londoners’ third signing of the summer, following the reliably reported arrivals of Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Straight after sealing a move for the 31-year-old, sporting director Andrea Berta immediately began work on Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera too. Arsenal opened talks with the La Liga side over a deal for Mosquera on Thursday, and he could cost under £17 million given the player is entering the final 12 months of his contract.

The 21-year-old can play both as a right-back and centre-back, with Mosquera said to have already agreed personal terms over a switch to the Emirates Stadium. Amidst all of these negotiations, though, Berta is still trying to bring in a new striker for Mikel Arteta.

The Italian has been simultaneously laying groundwork on moves for both Sporting CP’s iktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, before deciding which transfer is most feasible for Arsenal to pull off (BBC).

News surrounding the centre-forwards has been more scarce than usual this week, thanks to Arsenal’s many other transfer deals, but an update has now come to light on their chances of signing Sesko.

Arsenal in ongoing talks for Benjamin Sesko who wants to join

As per Football Insider and journalist Pete O’Rourke, the Slovenia international wants to join Arteta’s side, and he’s posing absolutely no issues when it comes to agreeing personal terms, contrary to some reports that he wants high wages.

Arsenal remain in ongoing talks over a deal for Sesko, and negotiations are ongoing with both the player’s representatives and Leipzig themselves. O’Rourke’s sources insist that this potential move isn’t being held up by the 22-year-old’s demands, so the indication is it must be a club-to-club issue.

It’s an increasingly confusing situation, as while reports suggest Sesko has a release clause near £70 million, others state that Leipzig could still demand as much as £85 million to let their star striker leave.

He bagged 21 goals in all competitions last season, his best return to date since moving to Germany, and Sesko has been praised for his physicality in particular.

“Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player,” said former Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell.

“He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”

هنأ أحمد حسام ميدو، نجم الزمالك السابق، منتخب المغرب بعد تأهله رسميًا إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026، موجها رسالة خاصة للشعب المغربي، ورئيس الاتحاد فوزي لقجع.

وكان منتخب المغرب قد حقق فوزًا كاسحًا على النيجر بخماسية نظيفة، في اللقاء الذي أقيم مساء أمس الجمعة، على ملعب المجمع الرياضي الأمير مولاي عبد الله بالرباط، ضمن الجولة السابعة من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لكأس العالم.

وكتب ميدو عبر حسابه الرسمي بمنصة “إكس”: “مبروك لـ المغرب على كل شئ.. التأهل لكأس العالم وافتتاح الملعب الجديد وعلى النهضة التي يعيشها إخواننا في المغرب في كرة القدم على كل المستويات، تطور المدربين وتصديرهم للاعبين إلى أوروبا بعد تأسيس جيد في مشاريع تحت إشراف الدولة.. مبروك لـ فوزي لقجع ولكل الشعب المغربي”.

طالع أيضًا | المنتخبات الإفريقية المتأهلة لـ كأس العالم 2026 (محدث باستمرار)

وبهذا الانتصار رفع منتخب المغرب رصيده إلى 18 نقطة في صدارة المجموعة الخامسة، متقدمين بفارق 8 نقاط عن تنزانيا صاحبة المركز الثاني، ليضمنوا بطاقة التأهل إلى كأس العالم الذي تستضيفه الولايات المتحدة وكندا والمكسيك.

ويقع المنتخب المغربي في المجموعة الخامسة والتي تضم منتخبات تنزانيا وزامبيا والنيجر والكونغو وإريتريا. ترتيب مجموعة المغرب في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

1- المغرب 18 نقطة

2- تنزانيا 10 نقاط

3- زامبيا 6 نقاط

4- النيجر 6 نقاط

5- الكونغو نقطة

6 إريتريا 0 نقاط

It’s a good time to be a Liverpool fan. Here’s why.

Liverpool have just won the Premier League, in case you missed it, in the first season since Jurgen Klopp called it a day. FSG were ruled in the court of public opinion to have an impossible task on their hands, and few felt threatened when Feyenoord boss Arne Slot was appointed the iconic German’s successor.

But Slot is now champion of England, and he’s certainly being rewarded for his triumph in the summer transfer market.

Last week, Liverpool announced the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, having already raided the German side for Jeremie Frimpong.

Wirtz is one of the brightest number tens in world football, and his £100m fixed fee may rise to a British-record £116m.

Now, Milos Kerkez has alighted in Merseyside as he completes the finer details of his move to Anfield. The Bournemouth left-back will sign in a move worth £40m. He is touted as Andy Robertson’s successor.

The young Hungarian has leapt at the chance to sign for Slot’s Reds, but what is it about his take on the full-back game that has prompted FSG to barrel ahead and make him the most expensive wide defender in Liverpool’s history?

Why Liverpool have signed Milos Kerkez

Robertson is a legend, but there’s no question he’s been on the decline. The 31-year-old is being targeted by Atletico Madrid, and Kerkez, a decade his junior, is the perfect heir.

While Kerkez, 21, has only been in the English football for two years, he came into his own under Andoni Iraola’s wing last season, starting all 38 of Bournemouth’s top-flight fixtures, scoring twice and laying on five assists.

Athletic, energetic and unrelentingly intense, he’s the real deal, having also been coveted by Manchester City and Real Madrid. Liverpool were always a step ahead, and he’ll help take this wonderful team to the next level.

In a way, Slot has hit the jackpot with the squad he inherited, but we must not forget that Liverpool had gone four years without tasting the Premier League, and he fuelled the fire that hadn’t proved quite enough over the past several seasons.

He deserves a squad fashioned in his vision, and Kerkez fits the bill. However, Liverpool still need a centre-back, and sporting director Richard Hughes has just the player in mind.

Liverpool prepare bid for new defender

According to French journalist Sébastien Vidal, Liverpool are set to table their opening bid for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi “at the end of the week”, news which follows Fabrizio Romano’s confirmation that FSG are indeed keen after agreeing to sell Jarell Quansah to Leverkusen.

It emerged several days ago that the Merseysiders have a long-term interest in the England international, who is out of contract in one year.

They would be willing to pay £30m, but this is not expected to convince the Eagles to part ways.

Transfer Focus

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

However, Guehi, who is 24, has just helped Palace to glory in the FA Cup and wants assurances over his playing time, with Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur also considered suitors.

How Marc Guehi and Milos Kerkez could work in tandem

Guehi always had some degree of elite potential, having risen through the ranks at Chelsea’s Cobham academy before being sold to Palace for £18m in 2021 after two impressive loan spells with Swansea City in the Championship.

Now, he’s “England’s best centre-back” to some, and the online analyst who made that claim could certainly draw on data to substantiate his claim.

Indeed, Guehi won the FA Cup last year but has produced consistently quality performances over a series of years to attract Gareth Southgate’s attention, having featured prominently at Euro 2024, and now Thomas Tuchel’s too.

Solid as an ox and deceptively elegant on the ball, Guehi has the perfect style for ‘Slotball’, protecting Alisson Becker’s goal while subscribing to the ball-playing focus the coach expects.

It’s definitely a stylistic approach that could see him thrive with Kerkez, who has already proven himself invaluable alongside a ball-playing defender in Dean Huijsen, who Liverpool wanted before he signed for Real Madrid for £50m earlier this summer.

Guehi, as it goes, was recorded by data-focused site FBref to be one of the rising Spaniard’s most comparable players in the Premier League last season, ranked as he was among the top 11% of positional peers for goal involvements, the top 9% for through balls, and the top 21% for ball recoveries per 90.

It hasn’t just been a flash in the pan, though, with Guehi also standing out under Roy Hodgson’s wizened wing, injuries limiting his game in 2023/24 when Oliver Glasner first took the helm.

Matches (starts)

25 (23)

34 (34)

Goals

0

3

Assists

1

2

Touches*

61.6

64.9

Pass completion

87%

84%

Key passes*

0.3

0.5

Ball recoveries*

4.8

4.3

Dribbles*

0.3

0.4

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

2.6

Clearances*

3.5

4.6

Duels (won)*

3.6 (60%)

4.9 (59%)

He’s a top player, praised for his “incredible” footballing ability by teammate Eberechi Eze, and with a clear emphasis on progressing play through dribbling upfield or picking out calculated forward passes, Kerkez could find the dream long-term partner on the left side of defence.

Of course, Virgil van Dijk holds down the fort rather well in that area, but the skipper turns 34 next month as he entered the penultimate year of his Liverpool career, and, as analyst Ben Mattinson so neatly puts it, he’s “one of those versatile CB’s who can play both sides equally as comfortably.”

With such striking completeness and a blooming title-winning taste, Guehi would be a worthy addition to the Liverpool cause and the perfect left-sided partner for Kerkez to go from strength to strength under Slot’s watchful guidance.

The next Torres: Liverpool preparing huge bid to sign "frightening" striker

Liverpool aren’t messing around in the transfer market this summer.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Jun 23, 2025

Could Steven Gerrard be poised to return as Rangers manager?

Well, according to widespread reports, including from Martin McMillan of the Glasgow Times, the Liverpool legend is amongst the front-runners to be re-appointed this summer.

Gerrard has been out of work since being sacked by Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in January, with Jamie Braidwood of the Independent noting that he was regularly ‘met with boos and jeers’ by the club’s supporters for many months before his dismissal.

Nevertheless, the Englishman is significantly more popular in Govan, having been in charge for 192 matches between July 2018 and November 2021, winning 124 of them, leading the Gers to their only Premiership title since 2011.

With 49ers Enterprises, led by Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe, set to complete their 51% takeover of Rangers this summer, this is certainly an attractive job for someone to take on, and the investors, who plan to ‘inject additional capital’ into the club, could tempt Gerrard to return.

Next season will start early for Rangers, considering they will commence Champions League qualifying on 22/23 July, hence why they’ll be determined to get their managerial appointment and summer signings done early, so here is a potential dream lineup, should Gerrard choose to return.

1 GK – Liam Kelly

Up until very recently, Jack Butland had been Rangers’ undisputed number one goalkeeper, starting 88 of 94 Premiership or European matches between August 2024 and last month.

However, after a string of high-profile errors, Butland has been dropped to the bench by Barry Ferguson, with Liam Kelly getting the nod for the last four matches, including both legs of the Europa League tie against Athletic Club, notably brilliantly saving Álex Berenguer’s penalty at Ibrox.

At previous club Motherwell, for whom he made 154 appearances, Kelly proved he is a top-class goalkeeper, stating back in December that he fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition by making his Rangers debut, and the 29-year-old has done nothing so far to suggest he is not capable of donning the gloves long-term.

2 RB – James Tavernier

James Tavernier is unquestionably a Rangers legend, having now made 509 appearances for the Light Blues, only ten men have ever appeared more for the club, scoring 130 goals and providing 141 assists, remarkable statistics considering he is a full-back.

The captain has come in for widespread criticism this season, with Rangers legend Kris Boyd noting that “everybody goes on about the captain”, before refusing to blame Tavernier for the club’s miserable season.

So, potentially set to be reunited with Gerrard, for whom he starred, we believe now is not the time to move on Tavernier.

3 CB – John Souttar

Few players have been as unlucky when it comes to injuries as John Souttar, but this has certainly been his best campaign in a Rangers jersey, both in terms of availability and performance, notably missing only two of 14 UEFA competition fixtures.

The Scotland international is out of contract in the summer, with talks ‘on hold’ due to the club’s impending ownership change, but Souttar himself says that he hopes this is resolved soon, and his displays certainly merit an extension.

4 CB – Hjalmar Ekdal: new signing

Alongside, given that Leon Balogun is 36-years-old, Robin Pröpper has been very underwhelming and neither Clinton Nsiala nor Rafael Fernandes have offered very much, Rangers require a new signing at centre-back.

Well, according to a report by Anel Avdić of SportExpressen, this could be Burnley’s Hjalmar Ekdal. After not seeing a single minute of EFL Championship action for the Clarets, unable to displace either CJ Egan-Riley or Maxime Estève, the 26-year-old joined Groningen on loan in January, for whom he has impressed, starting their last ten Eredivisie matches.

Considering he’ll want to get back into Sweden’s squad ahead of next summer’s World Cup, Ekdal will likely be seeking a permanent move away from Burnley, so a switch to Glasgow, potentially linking up with Gerrard, would surely be appealing.

5 LB – Rıdvan Yılmaz

Summer signings Rıdvan Yılmaz and Jefté have seemingly been under a timeshare agreement for Rangers’ left-back spot this season but, of the two, it’s certainly the Turkish international who has impressed the most.

Before being appointed interim manager, Ferguson stated that the “little man has made a huge impression”, particularly impressed by Yılmaz’s output in the final third.

During Gerrard’s first spell, much of his success revolved around the attacking quality of full-backs Tavernier and the now departed Borna Barišić, meaning Yılmaz certainly fits the profile of what Gerrard would be searching for.

6 CM – Nicolas Raskin

Nicolas Raskin has been named both Rangers’ Player of the Year as well as the Players’ Player of the Year, stating that these individual accolades “mean the world” to him, fully deserving of this recognition, having been the club’s standout performer.

The 24-year-old has been a stalwart for the Light Blues this season, making 44 appearances, scoring during the win at Parkhead in March, and then becoming a full Belgian international a week later, debuting against Ukraine.

In an otherwise bleak campaign, Raskin has been one of Rangers’ best players, so they should certainly build around him.

7 CM – Mohamed Diomandé

Mohamed Diomandé and Raskin have formed quite a formidable partnership, with the Côte d’Ivoire international making 50 appearances across all competitions, scoring six goals and registering eight assists.

Ivory Coast manager Emerse Faé praised the 23-year-old’s “great season” in Glasgow, hence why he featured in both of les Éléphants’ World Cup qualifiers last month, so this midfield duo should certainly remain at the heart of Rangers’ rebuild.

8 RW – Václav Černý

Rangers’ most-productive attacker this season has been summer signing Václav Černý, scoring 17 goals and registering seven assists, netting six times in the Europa League, a tally only bettered by Kasper Høgh of Bodø/Glimt and Olympiacos’ Ayoub El-Kaabi.

The only problem for Rangers is the fact that Černý is only on loan from Wolfsburg, so they may have to spend big just to keep the Czech international in Govan.

Well, according to a report by Mark Walker of the National, the Bundesliga side would be willing to sell for £6.75m, which is obviously a lot of money for Rangers, but the 27-year-old has proved he is more than worth it.

9 CAM – Gio Reyna: new signing

During his two-year spell at Rangers, USA international Claudio Reyna played alongside future Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and would actually go on to name his son after the Dutch full-back.

Well, fast-forward 22 years and that son Gio Reyna is also a U.S. international, but one searching for a new club, having seen a miserly 603 minutes of action for Borussia Dortmund this season, out of contract with die Schwarzgelben in 12 months or so.

Well, according to recent reports, Gio – who is valued at £12m by Football Transfers – could follow in his father’s footsteps by moving to Ibrox, available for a cut-price deal, as Dortmund seek to move on the injury-prone forward.

Reyna’s creativity and attacking output could be exactly what Gerrard is looking for from a player in this position, while the American needs to join a club where he’ll be the main man, so this move could work for all parties.

10 LW – Ianis Hagi

Another injury-prone, mercurial attacker with a famous father, already at Rangers is Ianis Hagi, scoring five goals and providing seven assists since being reintegrated into the first team following a long-term injury in November.

Hagi, like Souttar, is out of contract in June, but he unquestionably played his best football in a Rangers jersey under Gerrard, so could his return convince both the club and the Romanian international himself to stay?

Looking to make the first big move of his Red Bull tenure, Jurgen Klopp is now reportedly personally eyeing Danny Rohl in what would deal Sheffield Wednesday an undeniable blow.

Rohl exit would compile Sheffield Wednesday misery

Whilst Sheffield Wednesday have now confirmed that their players and staff have received their March salaries, history cannot be rewritten for owner Dejphon Chansiri, who continues to endure financial struggles. This time, the club had temporary issues due to debt owed to the owner, who has had several issues in recent years.

The Owls have already been placed under a registration embargo across the last two seasons and that’s not the half of their financial problems in recent times. In 2019, Chansiri bought the Hillsborough stadium for £60m to ensure that Sheffield Wednesday didn’t breach any financial rules. When 2023 arrived, he then caused more controversy by asking fans to raise as much as £2m to help the club pay their HMRC debt and cover player wages.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

Still yet to sell the club despite those aforementioned issues, Chansiri is at risk of gradually taking Sheffield Wednesday down if a solution is not reached as soon as possible. What all of those problems do is add to the reputation of Rohl, however, who has taken the Owls towards Championship safety even as financial issues have continued.

He couldn’t hide his pride in his side despite their recent defeat against Hull City, telling reporters: “Big credit to my team, to take this tough week, to stay here and go again, to fight again for our club. It took time to come into it, but in the second half it was one direction.

“It’s hard, but the key message for me is that this team has big, big character and big, big belief. A lot of players take all the setbacks again and again and it makes me very proud.”

Jurgen Klopp targets Rohl for RB Leipzig

Rohl’s success at such a tough time has, of course, rightly attracted admirers and whilst Sheffield Wednesday managed to keep hold of the German amid Southampton’s interest earlier this season, the same may not be the case this summer. According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Red Bull chief Klopp is now personally eyeing a move to hire Rohl for RB Leipzig.

Having recently sacked Marco Rose, Leipzig are in search of a permanent replacement to take them back into the Bundesliga title race next season. And that could yet be a task handed to Rohl, who’d be getting a deserved step up into Germany’s top tier from the chaos of the Championship.

As the season nears a conclusion, Sheffield Wednesday could be in for a chaotic few months which may yet culminate in a frustrating farewell to their talented young manager.

Even at age 37, he continues to perfectly tailor his batting to Australia’s specific needs under the unforgiving bright lights of a World Cup

Alex Malcolm14-Nov-20231:53

Moody: ‘Warner bringing a T20 approach to ODIs’

“Everyone keeps writing me off.” These were David Warner’s words following Australia’s win over New Zealand after he had scored 163, 104 and 81 in three consecutive innings in this ODI World Cup.Asked if he was motivated by trying to prove doubters wrong, Warner added, “Nup. I just make everyone look stupid.”They were odd comments. Because no one in their right mind had ever doubted Warner as an ODI player. There had been criticism of his Test form over the last two years and his numbers over that period but even his doubter-silencing double-century had hardly made anyone “look stupid”.Related

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Warner: 'World Cups are what I get up for'

There might have been the odd eyebrow raised back in March when Warner batted at No. 4 in an ODI for the first time in his career on return from a fractured elbow to accommodate Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head. But the eyebrows were raised at Australia’s selectors, not at Warner, for thinking that arguably Australia’s greatest-ever ODI opener should bat anywhere else.His ODI form over the last three years has been exemplary. In 33 ODIs since October 2020, he’s never once gone more than three innings without scoring a half-century.While there have been queries about the amount of cricket England have played in 2023 as part of the reason for their early exit from the World Cup, Warner has shot that theory to pieces at age 37. He played a full IPL and six Tests in the English summer before being one of only two players to have played all eight of Australia’s ODIs in South Africa and India in the lead-up to the World Cup, where he peeled off a century and four half-centuries including three in a row against India.On the back of that mountain of evidence, many were predicting he could have a big World Cup given his love of India and the big occasion.And so it has been proven. Warner, who is starting a long goodbye from international cricket that is planned to be staggered across the three formats over an eight-month period culminating in the T20 World Cup in June next year, is finishing his ODI career in some style with yet another dominant World Cup performance.David Warner has had a sensational ODI World Cup•Associated PressWhilst Warner himself might be conflating criticism of his Test place with his ODI place, for no other reason perhaps than to provide fuel in his mind, it is important for those watching not to do the same.Warner deserves to be recognised as an all-time ODI great. In an era where the format has been left to wither and batters have struggled to find the right tempo, Warner has thrived. Of the 12 players with 22 ODI centuries or more, only AB de Villiers has both a higher average and strike rate than Warner.Among all the ODI greats Australia has produced, Warner stands head and shoulders above them, with the lack of matches he has played only further highlighting his extraordinary output.And in World Cups, when the pressure is at its greatest, he has elevated his performance to a level that only the very elite have achieved.What has been remarkable about this campaign in particular is that Warner has seemed ageless. He is as powerful yet more lithe than when he started his ODI career 14 years ago. Warner and Quinton de Kock are the only two players who are in the top five for both sixes hit (20) and twos scored (24) off the bat in this tournament. His ability to mix power and placement is what makes him so hard to contain.Even at the age of 37 David Warner is controlling hotspots on the field•Getty ImagesWarner’s adaptability and willingness to move with the times are also what sets him apart from the pack. In 2019, where he was the second leading run-scorer for the tournament, he struck just eight sixes compared to 45 twos. His strike rate was also just 89.36 for the tournament. Australia played a more conservative brand in that World Cup trying to weather the two new balls in swinging English conditions, and he played his role to perfection scoring three centuries in ten games. In this World Cup, he has struck at 105.49 as Australia have been intent on plundering the opening powerplay in every game. And he’s played his role perfectly again.His stroke-play has been as varied and as skilled as at any time in his career, and his batting IQ has reached new levels. Pakistan’s Haris Rauf tried to expose Warner around the wicket, as many have in his career, and he flicked him from the top of off stump onto the Chinnaswamy roof. Lockie Ferguson tried to bounce him at high pace in Dharamsala and Warner cut him over forward point, ramped him over deep third and pulled him over backward square for three separate sixes. Aryan Dutt and Netherlands tried to tie him down with offspin in the powerplay, just as they had with de Kock, and Warner cut him for four consecutive boundaries to take him out of the attack in the third over of the match.His attention to detail is such that he is using differently weighted bats in this tournament, calling for a lighter blade against pace and a heavier one versus spin, to maximise his scoring opportunities depending on who is bowling.On top of that, his fitness has set him apart. In a tournament played in extreme heat at times, when team-mates and opponents have suffered from cramps and exhaustion, Warner has looked indefatigable. Even in the field, with a throwing shoulder that is not what it once was in terms of power, he has still patrolled key spots in the outfield and taken vital catches for his team.There will be those who might not miss Warner when he’s gone. His bizarre comments about umpiring stats and sub-tweeting team-mate Glenn Maxwell regarding the Delhi light show are further proof that he is forever willing to stir the pot.But Warner’s exceptional ODI career might come to a close after Thursday’s semi-final or Sunday’s final, and it would be stupid not to appreciate it.

The agony and ecstasy of this part is really what differentiates T20 from every other form of the game

Jarrod Kimber16-Apr-2022Nicholas Pooran pulls a six, and it is such a powerful hit that it seems to change the recent perception that he is overrated by the T20 hipsters of the world. That is what big hits do. What big moments do. You smash a six to win a game, and people take notice. Sunrisers needed 28 from 18 against Gujarat Titans, and Kane Williamson was out and Rahul Tripathi had limped off. And it was Pooran and Aiden Markram who did the job.T20, like basketball or netball, is inclined to produce close games; a short-form sport where each team has an equal amount of opportunities to score, and so we get a lot of matches that finish near the end. Plenty of clutch moments, pressure-cooker finishes – all the clichés you hear about.And so when a player pulls off something like what Pooran did against Titans, it becomes the story for a little while.Related

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But last season Pooran was in another close match, and Markram was his partner again, albeit for a different team. In that game against Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings needed ten runs from 15 balls with eight wickets in hand.It should have been easy, as Chris Morris was bowling for Royals, and he got the yips and started bowling full tosses. He delivered three of them, one which almost bowled Markram as he ducked thinking it was going to hit him. Another one of those shocked Pooran so much that he could only push it for one.Then they needed eight from 12, and Mustafizur Rahman was bowling to Pooran, and bowled two deliveries from wide of the crease. So wide that the umpires probably should have checked for back-foot no-balls. Instead, Mustafizur got through the over conceding only four runs, and had Markram dropped as well. But it meant Kings needed four from the last over.Kartik Tyagi came on to bowl this last over. He had done this twice in the IPL before and gone for nine and 27 runs.Tyagi started with a full toss, Markram found a fielder and there was no run. Next ball, Markram tried to finish it in one hit from a full ball but tanked it to square leg for a single. The next delivery, Pooran tried to run one off the face, which he did successfully, but straight to the wicketkeeper. Deepak Hooda was the new man in, three off three were needed for Kings to win and ESPNcricinfo’s win predictor still had them at a 100% chance of winning.

With 3 balls to go, Punjab Kings had a 100% chance of winning https://t.co/RhYPYXTkAE | #PBKSvRR | #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/CkhHXrA7l9

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) September 21, 2021

TORONTO — The inside story of how the Toronto Blue Jays won the American League pennant begins where most stories do about the peskiest, most annoying and toughest-to-kill team to make it to the World Series in a decade: the batting cage.

It was about two hours before Game 3 of the AL Championship Series at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The Blue Jays trailed the Mariners two games to none, having fallen so flat in two home losses that they lost to two pitchers on short rest. Of most concern was the rare clunkiness of the swing of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the heartbeat of the offense and, at a freshly invested $500 million, of the entire franchise.

In going 0-for-7, Guerrero grounded out six times, three times in back-to-back games for the first time all year. Toronto is 19–33 when Guerrero is held hitless.

“Time to go to work,” hitting coach David Popkins said to Guerrero.

When Guerrero is right, he wields a Lamborghini of a swing. It is long (7.5 feet), fast (76.7 mph, eighth fastest in MLB) and sleek (at 1°, he has the flattest attack angle in MLB). He shifts smoothly through many gears to get it on time: step back, bat tilt, stride and crescendo. But it kept misfiring oddly in Games 1 and 2.

On the off day before Game 3, Popkins looked at the diagnostics and discovered the problem. It wasn’t the swing. It was a timing issue. Guerrero was making contact only a few inches or so farther in front of his body than ideal, turning line drives and long flyballs into turf-hugging grounders.

What Popkins needed to do was the equivalent of replacing the timing belt, chain and tensioner. Don’t overhaul anything; just re-set the timing.

Popkins brought Guerrero into the cage to hit against the curveball machine.

“It slows him down,” Popkins says. “Let’s him get a little confidence in his path.”

After Guerrero left the shop, he hummed through the remaining five ALCS games by slashing .526/.609/1.158 to win the ALCS MVP and continue one of the most sublime hitting performances in postseason history. Guerrero is the first player to slug as many as six homers in a postseason while striking out just three times. Barry Bonds (2002) and Albert Pujols (’04) whiffed a previous-low six times while banging six homers.

The story is instructive because of how the Blue Jays play offensive baseball as designed by a hitting coach who went undrafted out of college, played six minor league seasons without reaching Triple A, including three seasons with the Wild Things (of Washington, Pa.) and the Canaries (of Sioux Falls, S.D.), and who, after being fired by the Twins, was hired by Toronto manager John Schneider after meeting him for the first time. Turning 36 next month, Popkins is two months younger than Toronto DH George Springer.

“I’m a big fight fan,” Popkins says, “and you’ve got to be able to win different ways. You’ve got to be able to wear out the body … You’ve got to be unpredictable. And that's what we pride ourselves on.

“If we were a fighter, we’d be Jon Jones or maybe Floyd Mayweather. That’s the type of offense I say I want. It’s just this dynamic fighter. And we're going to face a great challenge in L.A.”

How the Blue Jays Match Up With the Dodgers

The World Series starts Friday in Toronto, not L.A., because the Blue Jays, fighters to the finish that they are, ground out four wins in their last four games to not only seal the AL East title but also wrest homefield from the Dodgers by one game. The series is blockbuster stuff if only for whatever jaw-dropping unprecedented greatness Shohei Ohtani has in store for us, this time against the Blue Jays, the team that thought it had a shot at signing him before the Dodgers closed the deal. Ohtani loves hitting at Rogers Centre (.288/.417/.610 in 16 games) because it reminds him of the Sapporo Dome, his former home with the Nippon Ham Fighters. In his first trip to Rogers Centre after signing with Los Angeles, Ohtani, for one of the rare times, was roundly booed—to which he responded by smashing a home run.

But for a baseball aficionado, the series is a fascinating contrast—to borrow from Popkins’s love of pugilism—of fighting styles. It’s the swing-and-miss stuff of the Dodgers’ pitchers versus the feint-jab-and-slug peppering of the Blue Jays. It’s an especially delicious matchup for Popkins, who went to minor league camp in 2019 with the Dodgers and coached in the Dodgers’ minor league system in ’20 and ’21.

“It’s going to be great,” Popkins says, “You know, I love those guys. They’re great, great players, a great staff, a great organization. I love those guys over there. And it's going to be a great, great matchup.

“Still to this day I still talk to a good amount of those guys and I can’t wait. I couldn’t be more happy that it’s them. This movie could not have written itself any better than this. I can’t wait.”

The Blue Jays blitzed the Yankees in the ALDS by hitting .338 and they sent Seattle home by putting the ball in play against the Mariners’ steady diet of in-zone fastballs. Toronto struck out only 40 times in seven ALCS games while Seattle fanned 71 times.

The Game 7 sequence for Toronto that turned a 3–1 defeat into a 4–3 win in the seventh inning was vintage 2025 Blue Jays when it came to throwing combinations. Leadoff walk (Addison Barger), 0-and-2 single (Isiah Kiner-Falefa), sacrifice bunt (Andrés Giménez), earth-shaking, roof-raising, drought-killing, jaw-dropping three-run bomb by George Springer. Gnats are less irritating than the Toronto lineup.

Seattle manager Dan Wilson kept bringing in fastball-pumping strike throwers: George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Eduard Bazardo. The Mariners chucked more heaters this regular season than any team (55.5%) and they boosted that percentage in the ALCS (59%). It did not work, not against the contact-heavy, ambush-happy Toronto lineup.

After the Giménez bunt, Wilson had eight outs to cover to get the Mariners to their first World Series. He had one more at-bat each with which to navigate against Springer and Guerrero. He chose to put the lead and those at-bats not in the hands of his closer, Andrés Muñoz, but a rubber-armed Bazardo.

Putting Bazardo on Springer meant Muñoz never faced Springer in the series but Bazardo would get him for a third time. The first pitch was a sinker that missed. Bazardo had thrown Springer eight pitches in the series. Seven were sinkers. Four of those were inside sinkers. What do you think Bazardo would throw at 1-and-0 on the ninth pitch? Yep, sinker inside.

At every turn, the Mariners could not shut down innings and get off the field without stress, if not runs. The Blue Jays struck out 1,099 times this year, the fewest for a full-season World Series team since the 2017 Astros, or, if you dismiss teams that cheat to steal signs, the 2015 Royals.

Dodgers pitchers are averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings this postseason. The Dodgers need only to make 17 plays in the field to win a game. They are not an elite defensive team. Their defensive efficiency (turning batted balls into outs) ranked 11th, their worst showing in a decade. They ranked below average in defensive runs saved. By putting the ball in play and turning the lineup over, the Blue Jays can pressure the Dodgers defense and the trigger of manager Dave Roberts as to when he goes to his bullpen.