Everton are now close to signing a “strong” £34 million player after agreeing personal terms, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Everton set to turn to alternative targets after missing out on Tete
Signing a new right-back has become one of David Moyes’ priorities in this transfer window, as the club decided to let Ashley Young leave, following the expiration of his contract. Seamus Coleman has signed a new one-year deal to remain, but Moyes wants more competition in that area of the team and earmarked Fulham’s Kenny Tete as a target.
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The Toffees were confident of landing the defender after discussing details over a contract, but instead, Tete decided to sign a new contract at Fulham and remain at Craven Cottage. The right-back has extended his stay until 2028 and believes Fulham is a “special club where he can develop”.
This news means Everton have to continue their search for a new right-back, and the BBC have reported that alternative targets for the Toffees could include Kyle Walker-Peters, who is a free agent after leaving Southampton, or Vladimir Coufal, who is also a free agent and knows Moyes well from their time at West Ham.
While they assess their options for a new right-back, the Premier League side appear to be closing in on their second signing of the summer.
Everton close to signing £34m Barry after agreeing personal terms
According to Romano, Everton are now close to signing striker Thierno Barry from Spanish side Villarreal.
The Italian states that the deal has advanced, as the Toffees and the player have now agreed personal terms; all that remains are the final details, and then this transfer is complete.
It’s been widely reported that Barry has a release clause worth £34 million, and Villarreal’s sporting director, Fernando Roig Nogueroles, has been clear that if the player is to leave, it will be for around that price.
He said: “We want the player, and if he were to leave, it would have to be, if not for the release clause, something very close to it. If not, he won’t leave.”
Apps
35
Starts
25
Goals
11
xG
12.41
Goals per game
0.3
Shots on target per game
0.7
Goal conversion
15%
Assists
4
xAG
1.95
Big chances created
7
The Toffees are said to be prepared to pay that sum of money but may look to pay in installments to reach that figure in total. The arrival of Barry, who has been dubbed a “strong physique”, has just got more important for Everton, as on Monday, Dominic Calvert-Lewin announced that he was leaving the club following the end of his contract, meaning options at the top end of the pitch have just become even lighter.
Barry’s expected arrival will likely see him become Moyes’ regular striker, as his physical presence and stature make him the perfect striker in a Moyes team.
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.
AFC Bournemouth's MilosKerkez
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.
Crystal Palace's MarcGuehireacts
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.”
Crystal Palace's MarcGuehicelebrates after the match
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.
Liverpool have a huge window ahead of them this summer to build on the superb work conducted by Arne Slot during his first season in charge at Anfield.
The Dutchman claimed the Premier League title at the first time of asking, doing so with four games to spare – highlighting the excellent work he’s overseen in recent months.
However, many teams in England’s top flight are likely to bolster their ranks during the off-season to mount a charge to knock them off the perch they’ve found themselves on.
Liverpool manager ArneSlot
Such actions will mean that the Reds will also have to strengthen to avoid being caught and left behind by their rivals, increasing their chances of retaining their title.
It’s pivotal that Slot and the hierarchy need to bring in the right players if they are to succeed once again in 2024/25, with work already being done to land key targets.
The latest on Liverpool’s hunt for new additions this summer
Various areas of the pitch appear to be in focus ahead of the summer window for Liverpool, but none more so than the attacking department, with countless names mentioned for a switch to Merseyside.
Benjamin Sesko, Victor Osimhen and Liam Delap have all been touted with a switch to join the club, as Slot looks to land a new talisman to provide the goods in the final third.
However, in an attempt to aid any one of the aforementioned stars in their attempts at the club, they’ve also entered the race to land Lyon star Rayan Cherki, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
The report claims that the Reds are keen on a move for the 21-year-old star, who’s registered a staggering 32 combined goals and assists in his 44 appearances across all competitions.
It also states that the French side would be willing to part ways with the forward for a fee in the region of £34m this summer, with the youngster keen on a move to the Premier League ahead of 2025/26.
Why Liverpool’s £34m target is the dream Wirtz alternative
Bayer Leverkusen’s attacking midfielder, Florian Wirtz, has emerged as a key target for Liverpool over the last couple of days, with a move to Anfield on the cards this summer.
It emerged that the German and his representatives travelled to Merseyside for talks with the club over a potential move to the club, but also face competition from Bayern Munich.
However, given his record of 30 combined goals and assists this season, it’s likely the 22-year-old could command a fee that would break their record transfer, currently standing at £85m for Darwin Núñez.
His tally represents that it would be a worthwhile deal, providing another level of creativity to the already impressive front line that fired the club to the title.
However, given the difference in fee, the hierarchy would be better off pursuing a move for Cherki, with the French star a much cheaper investment, subsequently allowing for further signings elsewhere.
Rayan Cherki
It may seem like a cost-effective solution, but when comparing the pair’s respective figures from the current campaign, the Lyon talent has managed to match or better him in numerous key areas.
Cherki, who’s been labelled “generational” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has registered more progressive passes and more passes into the final third – showcasing his creative nature with the ball at his feet.
How Rayan Cherki compares to Florian Wirtz in 2024/25
Statistics (per 90)
Cherki
Wirtz
Games played
30
31
Goals & assists
19
22
Progressive passes
9.1
6.7
Pass accuracy
79%
78%
Passes into final third
4.3
3.6
Shot-creating actions
6.4
5.6
Take-on success
51%
49%
Aerials won
33%
20%
Stats via FBref
He’s also produced more shot-creating actions per 90, along with more take-ons completed, having the ability to produce chances for himself but also his teammates.
The youngster’s talents don’t stop there, winning more aerial battles, and registering a higher shot-on-target rate – handing the Reds an all-round threat within attacking areas.
Given the potential difference in transfer fee, the club should look to pursue a move for the Lyon star, having just as much, if not more, of an effect than Wirtz in attacking areas.
At just 21, he has the potential to explode into life on Merseyside, potentially being a bargain and a player to star under Slot for many years to come – handing them a boost in their ambitions of further success.
Slot's next Mac Allister: Liverpool pursuing move for "ridiculous" £60m ace
Liverpool may land their next version of Alexis Mac Allister during the summer window.
His place in the side coincided with South African Test success, and his personality always made him stand out
Firdose Moonda22-Dec-2023There goes Dean Elgar and with him, the last link South Africa have to the team that became and stayed world No.1 in the early 2010s.There goes Dean Elgar, who scored his first Test runs at Newlands and plans to score his last there, a tribute to the format he has excelled in at the ground that hosted South Africa for more Tests than any other.There goes Dean Elgar, and with him a particular kind of cricketer from a particular period in time, the likes of which we may not see again.To call Elgar one of South Africa’s post-readmission OGs is not an exaggeration. His entire professional career coincided with the country’s golden age in Test cricket and when the gloss faded, he still shone. He will walk away from the international stage among his nation’s top 10 batters with hundreds against all but two of the opposition he played against, contributions to some of the team’s most celebrated victories and a member of the generation that were the best to represent South Africa in Tests.Between December 2006 and November 2015, South Africa played 30 Test series and only lost two, both to Australia at home. In that period, they beat England and Australia in away series twice. Elgar made his professional debut in 2006 and his international debut in 2012, in the second of the wins over Australia. By the time he and South Africa got to India in late 2015, the team had gone nine years unbeaten on the road. Kagiso Rabada, the next most capped player after Elgar in the current set-up, made his debut in that series, which South Africa lost 3-0 to begin an unravelling that some would argue has not yet ended. Though Temba Bavuma, the third-most experienced in this outfit, first made an appearance the summer before, it was in fact in that year – 2014 – that South Africa briefly lost their grip on the No.1 rankings.Elgar was the last to taste the real success of being on top even though his participation was limited to only two of their nine magical years. Still, his emergence on the international stage was evidence that South Africa’s domestic system produced high-quality players, who could have long, successful careers. As evidence of that, in the 2009-10 season, Elgar topped 1,000 first-class runs in the domestic competition but he was not the leading run-scorer of that summer. Rilee Rossouw scored 129 runs more than him and Stephen Cook just 47 fewer. Elgar is the last of the generation of players who played enough first-class fixtures to be able to accumulate numbers like that.As Elgar’s Test career matured and his seniors retired (and there was one in every year of Elgar’s career starting with Jacques Kallis in 2013), they were replaced by players who did not have his depth of experience. So the onus was on him to carry the responsibility of anchor and aggressor. He did both and he did it well. The lack of depth was evident on the domestic scorecards too as the last time anyone crossed 1,000 first-class runs was in 2015-16 (Heino Kuhn). That same summer, South Africa lost the No.1 ranking definitively when they were defeated by England at home. They have not got it back since.File photo – Elgar receives treatment after a blow to his helmet•Marco Longari/AFP/GettyBeing a left-hand opening batter, comparisons to Graeme Smith were unavoidable, especially as there were more similarities. Like Smith, Elgar’s technique was not aesthetic and the joy of watching him play was in seeing the success of the struggle.At the crease, he was stubborn and streetwise and when he decided to have a say on a game, he did. His most decisive statements came in Galle in 2014 when his 103 set up a first series win on the island in more than 20 years, and in Perth in 2016 when a defiant second-innings hundred set Australia an unchaseable target. That knock saw the ‘baby-Smith’ rhetoric soar but Elgar was always his own person. His most successful Test year was in 2017 when he scored five hundreds, including a 199, and finished as the world’s third-leading run-scorer. Like Smith, Australia was a favourite foe of Elgar’s and his 141 at Newlands was one of the final nails in the coffin of their misery in that series. His last great knock – 160 in Visakhapatnam – provided a sliver of hope on another South African tour of India that went horribly wrong.India were also an opposition Elgar thrived against. He led South Africa to a home series win over them in the 2021-22 season, one of the many false dawns that suggested things were getting back on track. By then, South African cricket was on the verge of complete derailment. The COVID-19 years and the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearings ravaged the game and in that time, Elgar was a symbol of consistency.Apart from his runs, he offered honesty from a player’s perspective at a time when Cricket South Africa (CSA) was trying to recover from an administrative upheaval that left it without sponsors or public confidence. Elgar spoke his mind about what he thought was a lack of support for team management during the SJN and later called the emphasis on the disciplinary proceedings which instituted against then-head coach Mark Boucher and director of cricket Smith as bullshit.His defence of Boucher came not because he had played with him, but because he played for him. Boucher was the Titans’ coach from 2016 to 2019; Elgar moved to the franchise in 2014 and played under Boucher’s guidance throughout his time there and the loyalty Elgar had towards him appeared immense. Not to mention that they were cut from similar cloth. Boucher, like Elgar, was known for being hard and uncompromising. Elgar seemed the same when he told Bangladesh to harden up after they complained of excessive sledging in 2022.”It’s a man’s environment,” Elgar said then, and it was the kind of mantra he lived by. He may also be among the last of this kind of boys’ club, one that creates old-fashioned environments of hierarchy and cliques that are becoming relics of a time before the T20 league circuit, which promotes camaraderie and skill-sharing.Why Elgar never made it on the white-ball stage remains a bit of a mystery. He was often among the top batters in the domestic scene, and the leading run-scorer in the franchise one-day cup in 2011-12. That earned him an ODI debut but modest returns against India meant he was dropped. But the runs kept coming. In the 2014-15 one-day cup, he was sixth on the run-charts and scored back-to-back centuries in the semi-final and final in the Titans’ run to the trophy.As recently as this season’s domestic one-day cup, Elgar was among the highest run-scorers and came in seventh but he has attracted no interest in T20 leagues, including the IPL. Perhaps it hasn’t helped that he was once quoted as saying he didn’t put his name in the auction because he couldn’t stand the “satisfaction of retiring in a few years because of a million dollar contract.” Neither did he get a team in South Africa’s SA20. Elgar always said he’d finish his career in England; with talk of a deal with Essex, he looks set to do exactly that.So there goes Dean Elgar, who may be among the last of those who will look for their final cricket-playing pay cheques on the county circuit as more and more players turn to T20 leagues instead. He is a certain kind of player, from a certain time, and the end of his international career marks the end of a certain era.
David Warner and Rashid Khan are no longer in the team, but Sunrisers boast a potent bowling attack. Will that be enough?
Shashank Kishore23-Mar-2022
Where they finished
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished last in a season where little went right. David Warner lost his place midway, with Kane Williamson taking over the captaincy. Then there were the off-field murmurs over their handling of Warner and benching of youngsters even after they were eliminated. All of this may have led to Trevor Bayliss’ exit along with a slew of other changes in the coaching staff. This season has started on a controversial note already with Simon Katich resigning as assistant coach after being unhappy over their auction strategy. Can the Sunrisers turn it around on the field?
Potential First XI
1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Umran Malik
Player Availability
Injury management, not player availability, is the bigger concern. Williamson has a long-standing elbow niggle. T Natarajan is returning from long stretches of rehabilitation for knee troubles. Washington Sundar is returning from a hamstring injury he picked up in February during the West Indies ODIs at home. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has also had a troubled two years with various injuries.Related
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Batting
For all their riches earlier, there was a sense of dependency around Warner and Williamson to do the heavy lifting. They’ve given a huge boost to Abdul Samad by retaining him, along with the likes of Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma, who have been bought back. Role clarity will be key for their younger players as they seek to identify a new template that helps them put behind the disappointment of 2021. Rahul Tripathi’s inclusion comes as a massive boost in their quest to identify this early.Aiden Markram and Washington give them multi-skilled abilities, while Pooran, who has had the experience of playing on Indian wickets for a while now, is expected to keep wickets and shore up the middle order.They also have the uniquely different Glenn Phillips. Apart from being an excellent keeper and a bristling batter, he can offer overs of offspin, both with the new ball and at other times, something he has done for New Zealand. This is a definite possibility because the Sunrisers’ squad composition allows them the luxury of picking primarily an Indian attack.Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for IPL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Bowling
Bhuvneshwar is the new-ball specialist, Natarajan the death-overs king. Umran Malik’s hustling pace adds to the exciting variety. They have the all-round abilities of Washington, Samad and Markram to boot. Marco Jansen is coming off an impressive maiden home season as an international cricketer, and will be looking to build on his initiation. If they go slightly left-field, they can look at Romario Shepherd, who offers a fast-bowling option and handy lower-order hitting.The absence of a pedigreed legspinner – no Rashid Khan, remember – could be a bit of an issue. They do have Shreyas Gopal in the line-up, but the Karnataka legspinner has been up and down on form, and hasn’t been the same potent force he was with Rajasthan Royals a few years ago. Although this could be an opportunity for him to make a name for himself.
Young Players to Watch Out for
Umran Malik was raw and unpolished when he burst into the scene late last year. Since then, he’s become more aware of his body, the technicalities of his action, load-up, follow through and other areas having trained for a better part of the last three months under National Cricket Academy coaches. He has also been a net bowler with the Indian team, and had a stint with Jammu & Kashmir during the domestic season. Can he build on his impressive initiation?Abhishek Sharma was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning batch of 2018, but hasn’t always garnered the same kind of attention as the more-established Shubman Gill or Prithvi Shaw. Having worked on his bit-hitting – he was always a clean striker – under Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek comes with renewed hope and confidence of impressing, like he has for Punjab in domestic cricket. Key to getting the best out of him will be to give him a role and back him with games, which hasn’t always happened in the past
Australia were halfway towards their target to launch a home World Cup campaign with a win before Yadav turned it around
Andrew McGlashan in Sydney21-Feb-20202:47
Spinners can always turn the game for us – Kaur
Alyssa Healy was back in the runs, Australia were halfway towards their target with a run-a-ball needed and eight wickets in hand to launch a home World Cup campaign a long time in the making. Then it all changed.The ball after bringing up her fifty with a six, Healy chipped a flighted leg-break back to Poonam Yadav who held her nerve following a big full toss. From there, Australia’s innings unraveled as she caused havoc with her googly. Yadav, the leading wicket-taker in T20Is over the last two years, picked up three more in her next 11 deliveries and was only denied a hat-trick when wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia made her one mistake on an evening where she was otherwise outstanding behind the stumps.The Law that denied Yadav a fifth wicket
Over 17.3: Poonam Yadav to Gardner, 1 no ball, what was that? Grubber, bounces twice, sneaks through the legs and rattles the timber. Gardner hangs on and chats to the umpire. Since it bounced twice before reaching the crease, it is a no-ball
Law 21.7: Ball bouncing more than once, rolling along the ground or pitching off the pitch: The umpire shall call and signal No ball if a ball which he/she considers to have been delivered, without having previously touched bat or person of the striker…bounces more than once or rolls along the ground before it reaches the popping crease
The fact Australia were all but out of the chase come the last over showed how complete the shift to India had been. In the moment it is easy to overstate the importance of something, but this had the feel of a very significant start to the tournament.With victory in front of a record-breaking crowd for a standalone women’s game in Australia of 13,432 – a healthy proportion cheering for the side in blue – India secured a sizeable step towards making the semi-finals. Conversely, if Australia are going to win a World Cup where there is so much expectation they are going to have to take a much harder route than many envisaged just a few weeks ago. They can’t afford another slip-up now.Not that the result itself should be considered a huge shock. Australia were favourites – rightly so – but only a couple of weeks ago India dusted them up in the tri-series (only to lose a final they probably should have won) and have now beaten them in the last three global events: the match at the 2017 World Cup is famous for Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171, the match at the 2018 T20 World Cup was less significant as it didn’t impact progression for either team – this one feels much closer to the former for impact, although they could yet have to do it again if they want to claim the title.
“She [Poonam Yadav] bowled the first over pretty regulation as a legspinner then slowed it up immensely after that. We probably didn’t adapt well enough.”Alyssa Healy
Yadav had not played in the tri-series earlier this month as she nursed an injured finger on her left hand that remained bandage as she smiled her way through the post-match press conference alongside Kaur. “It is painful, but when I play the match I forget it,” Yadav said. “Bowling-wise I was confident I could bowl at any time.”During her time sidelined, fitness has been her focus which has included a gluten-free diet that hasn’t exactly been to her tastes. “I am surviving on rice which I don’t like at all. [They] scold me saying, “no, you are not allowed to eat gluten.” They take it off my plate, but I understand that they are doing this for the sake of the team.”Poonam Yadav celebrates•Getty ImagesHer absence meant Australia had not seen her recently – last facing her in the group match at the 2018 tournament where she claimed 2 for 28 – and when the injury was referenced to Healy she admitted being unaware, saying she thought the tri-series non-selection may have been tactical. As it’s turned out, maybe it was a useful coincidence for India.”We prepared really well,” Healy said. “She bowled the first over pretty regulation as a legspinner then slowed it up immensely after that. We probably didn’t adapt well enough. We don’t get legspinners coming down at 60kph very often and she’s incredibly skillful.”While Yadav, who was held back until the 10th over, bowled beautifully after the early full toss, the Australians produced some poor batting and were unable to read her wrong ‘un – Rachael Haynes missed by a long way and Ellyse Perry, who slipped down to No. 6 in a curious reshuffle of the batting order, played a loose stroke across the line. Looped up at around 60kph, dipping late on the batters (and even being called no-ball for bouncing twice at one point which denied her a five-wicket haul), it preyed on their eagerness to put bat to ball on a surface that was sluggish and probably aided spinners more than the hosts would have liked.”We went out thinking it was a flat wicket and played some shots we shouldn’t have,” Healy said. “Most of the wickets that fell today were batters playing across the line in both innings, so for us we’ll have a look at that and say we didn’t adapt.””Poonam did a great job for us, credit goes to our bowlers – they trusted themselves and won the game for us,” Kaur said. “She is a very good T20 bowler, she always bowls for the team and it’s not easy to play, she is a little slower in the air. When you have to hit her, you have to show patience and very good skill.”Yadav praised the role played by Narendra Hirwani, the former India legspinner, who is on the team’s coaching staff. “Mentally he helps us a lot. He talks about understanding the bounce. He talks about we all have variations, but when to use them how to use the bounce and the right areas to pitch.”As it is for Australia, this is just one game for India, but given their victory was also fashioned after a top-order collapse, which was repaired by a career-best 49 from Deepti Sharma in the much-criticised middle-order, it was a win that made a statement. The next couple of weeks will show if they live up to it.
TORONTO — Remember, Shohei Ohtani wanted to remain an Angel. Freddie Freeman all but begged to stay in Atlanta. Mookie Betts thought he would spend his entire career in Boston.
Max Muncy was released by the A’s. Tommy Edman was traded while on the injured list. Blake Snell was available to anyone on the open market—twice.
And it’s the who are ruining baseball?
Sure, the money helps. The team that is headed to its second straight World Series, and fifth in the last nine years, with a chance to win three in that span, boasts, at $329 million, the highest payroll in the sport. After winning the World Series last season, they added $450 million worth of new players. Their local TV deal pays them $334 million a year, and this year they launched a paid fan club in Japan, with membership tiers ranging up to $500 per person.
But the No. 2 Mets ($323 million) didn’t make the playoffs. The No. 3 Yankees ($288 million) were bounced in the American League Division Series. And 48% of that TV money and 97% of that fan club money goes into revenue sharing, so everyone else is benefiting from it, too.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have given out only three of the top 30 most lucrative deals, and so far all three look worth it: $700 million over 10 years for Ohtani (and that is an unusual case, because 97% of the money is deferred, so the contract functions as a credit card), $365 million over 12 years for Betts and $325 million over 10 years for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani is the biggest star in sports. Betts is a three-time World Series champion, twice for the Dodgers, an eight-time All-Star and a finalist for this year’s National League Gold Glove at shortstop—a position he never played professionally before last season. Yamamoto is their ace and just threw a shutout in the National League Championship Series.
Mostly the Dodgers excel at evaluating players, and then they excel at developing them. And then, once they’ve done all that, they excel at keeping them.
Angels owner Arte Moreno, incredibly, reportedly balked at the deal structure Ohtani offered. Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos didn’t want to give Freeman the sixth year he sought. Red Sox owner John Henry—estimated net worth: $5.7 billion—wasn’t interested in coughing up the $350 million or so it would take to lock up the franchise’s best homegrown young player since Ted Williams. Those were all mistakes of evaluation.
Freddie Freeman is among the key members of the Dodgers who didn’t receive the offer he wanted with his former team and opted instead to make way for L.A. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Muncy had a good eye in Oakland but no power and no defensive home. The Dodgers adjusted his swing and played him everywhere. Now he’s perhaps their fourth most important hitter. Anthony Banda had a 5.69 ERA in parts of seven seasons all across the league. The Dodgers fixed his slider and told him to ditch his changeup. Now he’s a key left-handed fireman. Roki Sasaki came to L.A. in part because he had lost fastball velocity in Japan and wasn’t sure why. After a dreadful start to the season, the Dodgers told him to flex his back leg. Now he throws 100 mph again and gets nearly every crucial late-game out. That’s development.
And as for keeping players, they’re turning them away. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says he gets so many calls every winter that he could fill more than one roster—and that number only increases as the team continues its success.
“In 2015, our goal was to create a destination,” he says. “Somewhere our players don’t want to leave and other players are looking longingly that they want to be. It’s fragile, and it’s something that you have to continue to get better at every year, but that is the thing I’m most proud of—the inroads we’ve made on that front.”
Right fielder Teoscar Hernández, who signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Dodgers before 2024, all but begged to come back. Yamamoto essentially told other teams to stop offering him more money; he wanted to be in L.A. Relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates took less money for a better shot at a ring. Across the league, players perk up when they hear the Dodgers are asking about them; they know they’re about to get a lot better, and, as outfielder Alex Call put it shortly after he was dealt from the Nationals at the deadline: “I’m going to the World Series!”
The Phillies’ Bryce Harper had it right. “Only losers complain about what they’re doing,” he said this spring.
And that’s because they’re doing it the proper way. Betts turned himself into a Gold Glove–caliber shortstop by sheer force of will—and thousands of ground balls. Freeman, a 36-year-old father of three who has made almost $300 million, plays every day and scolds anyone who doesn’t. Clayton Kershaw treats February bullpens like World Series games.
“You can come early at Dodger Stadium or when we’re on the road, and watch our star players out here early, taking ground balls out in the field, doing everything to try to help them gain some edge for that night,” says Friedman. “And you can look across the field, and the team we’re playing—their players are not out.”
They’re not ruining baseball. This is what baseball is supposed to look like.
Are Manchester City rediscovering the form that made them simply unstoppable not so long ago?
In the Champions League, the Sky Blues have now accumulated seven points from nine matches, following Tuesday night’s commanding 2-0 victory over Villarreal; Erling Braut Håland and Bernardo Silva on target during the first half at Estadio de la Cerámica.
Meantime, in the Premier League, having collected 13 points from the last 15 available, the Citizens have climbed up to second, looking to continue their winning streak at Villa Park on Sunday.
Some may argue that Pep Guardiola’s team are over reliant on one player, although what a player to be reliant on, but could the return of an “extraordinary” talent make the goalbot himself truly unstoppable?
How Erling Haaland compares to Europe's best
We all already knew that Håland was a goal-scoring machine, but he may be taking this to a whole new level this season.
He has netted in each of his last nine international outings, scoring 17 times across these matches in total, while Tuesday’s opener in Spain took his tally to 15 club goals for the campaign already.
Håland is currently averaging a goal every 63 minutes in Manchester City colours this season and, at this current rate, he’ll bag 52 in the Premier League alone, annihilating his own single-season record of 36 set in 2022/23.
Across a top five European league and the Champions League, he is actually not the top scorer, level with Kylian Mbappé who also has 15, but both are being outshone by a certain Harry Kane, who is currently on 17.
Nevertheless, Håland’s importance to Manchester City is underlined by the fact he has scored 65% of their Premier and Champions League goals this season, while no other player at the club has scored more than a solitary goal across the two competitions.
So, one could certainly argue that Man City are overly reliant on Håland’s goal but, if you’ve got to be reliant on one player, he isn’t a bad choice.
So now, which forgotten sky blue star could make the Norwegian truly unstoppable?
Manchester City's new "extraordinary" talent
In 2025, Manchester City have spent around £385m on 11 new signings, the majority of whom have made little impact so far.
Omar Marmoush did impress after arriving in January, Gianluigi Donnarumma has instantaneously proved why he is considered to be a world-class goalkeeper, while Tijjani Reijnders has been a useful addition to midfield.
However, could Rayan Cherki, who joined from Olympique Lyonnais in June for £34m, prove to be the best of the bunch?
Since the start of this season, the Frenchman has seen just 80 minutes of action due to a thigh injury, but has come off the bench towards the end of the last two matches against Everton and Villarreal as he eases back to full fitness.
Having joined hometown club Lyon at the age of seven, Cherki has been touted as a talent to watch for many years, making 185 appearances for les Gones, scoring 29 goals and registering 45 assists, despite still only being 22 years old.
Last season was certainly his most productive in Ligue 1, as the table below documents.
Cherki Ligue 1 stats 2024/25
Stats
Cherki
Ligue 1 rank
Goals
8
25th
Goals – xG
+3
7th
Assists
11
1st
Expected assists
11.7
1st
Key passes
75
2nd
Big chances created
22
1st
Passes into area
77
1st
Progressive passes
206
5th
Shot-creating actions
146
1st
Goal-creating actions
20
2nd
Progressive carries
106
10th
Carries into final third
91
2nd
Stats via FBref & SofaScore
As the table highlights, while he is a goal threat and a high-quality dribbler, Cherki is primarily a creator.
In Ligue 1 last season, he ranked first in all sorts of metrics to support this, namely assists, expected assists, big chances created, passes into the opposition penalty area and shot-creating actions, second only to Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.
Following his arrival in the summer, Gillian Kasirye of Total Football Analysis asserted that Cherki is the natural heir to Kevin De Bruyne’s throne as Manchester City’s primary chance creator, ahead of existing players, namely Phil Foden.
Meantime, after the Sky Blues’ 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day of the season, the Frenchman marking his Premier League debut with a goal, Guardiola asserted that his talent is “unbelievable”, adding that his “creativity in the final third [is] extraordinary”.
Well, if this rocket against Spain during June’s Nations League semi-finals in Stuttgart doesn’t underline what Cherki is capable of, nothing will!
Thus, following an injury-blighted start to life in Manchester, the Frenchman, on his way back to full fitness, will be looking to start making a serious impact.
For now, he’ll probably become a mere member of the fabled “Pep rotation” alongside Foden, Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and others.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Nevertheless, based on his talent, Cherki should be right at the front of the queue for starting minutes and, if he rediscovers last season’s creative numbers, Håland will become truly unstoppable, if he isn’t already.
100% dribbles, 5 key passes: 8/10 Man City star showed he's "Sane-esque"
Manchester City beat Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and one of Pep Guardiola’s stars underlined that he is Leroy Sané-esque.
Liverpool have now received the green light to make their move for a defensive reinforcement in the January transfer window, according to reports.
Slot: Teams "think they can get a result" against Liverpool
It wasn’t a disaster at Anfield as Liverpool came from behind to rescue a draw against Sunderland, but it was hardly an inspiring performance from the Premier League champions yet again.
Despite breaking their transfer record to sign Alexander Isak in the summer, the Swede was back to his subdued ways just days after netting his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham United. And whilst Florian Wirtz at least played a part in the equaliser and looked bright throughout, Liverpool’s attack was a far cry from their scintillating best of past campaigns.
What should concern Arne Slot the most is his own admission that teams now believe they can “get a result” against his Liverpool side. That should never be the case at the home of the champions, but the Dutchman also denied that Anfield’s fear factor has evaporated this season.
He told reporters: “No, not Anfield. For sure. But it’s clear that teams that play us now think they can get a result. Not only think, because that has been shown this season.
“And even in the games we’ve won, they also fuelled the confidence for other teams like, ‘Hmm, something is possible’ because the wins we had at the beginning of the season weren’t easy ones as well.”
The only positive for Slot to take from the Sunderland game is that his side, whilst found wanting in attack, were harder to break down defensively. With fixtures coming thick and fast, that defensive foundation will be important but so will any depth that Liverpool add in that area in January, especially if they sign Joel Ordonez.
Liverpool receive green light to make Ordonez move
As reported by TeamTalk, Liverpool have received a green light to make their move for Ordonez after maintaining contact with the defender’s camp. Racing alongside Tottenham Hotspur in pursuit of the Club Brugge defender, the Reds could land an ideal alternative for Marc Guehi.
Fewer touches than Alisson & only 2 passes: Liverpool flop must be dropped
Arne Slot has a huge call to make about one player after his showing for Liverpool last night.
2 ByEthan Lamb Dec 4, 2025
Despite reportedly reopening talks to sign the Crystal Palace man, Liverpool may be forced to wait until next summer when his contract expires to secure his signature. If that does prove to be the case, then those at Anfield should turn to Ordonez.
Although Como scout Ben Mattinson aired caution around Ordonez’s “aggressive” nature last year, it’s the exact trait that Liverpool have been lacking this season. The Reds have been physically outmatched and the arrival of the 21-year-old would go a long way towards solving that problem.
Jamie Carragher slams £280k-p/w Liverpool star who had no "excuses" vs Sunderland
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy will have plenty of big decisions to make on Thursday night when Italian giants Roma come to Parkhead in the Europa League.
It will be the Frenchman’s second match in charge of the Hoops and his first ever game in a European competition, having only managed in the MLS previously.
The former Columbus Crew head coach implemented his 3-4-2-1 system in a 2-1 defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, and will have learned a lot about which of his players do and do not suit certain roles.
Ranking the worst Celtic performers against Hearts
Football FanCast have already suggested that the new manager should drop Arne Engels from the team, because he gave the ball away a staggering 23 times, per Sofascore.
The Belgian midfielder was hugely ineffective in the middle of the park, but he was not the only one, as Benjamin Nygren did not create a single chance for the team in 65 minutes on the pitch.
1
Arne Engels
2
Sebastian Tounekti
3
Daizen Maeda
4
Liam Scales
5
Benjamin Nygren
As you can see in the table above, we have ranked Daizen Maeda in third, despite missing two ‘big chances’ (Sofascore), because he did assist Kieran Tierney’s goal by winning a header.
Liam Scales was also among the worst performers on the day, losing 100% (1/1) of his ground duels, and losing possession 15 times as a centre-back, per Sofascore.
Sebastian Tounekti, meanwhile, was the second-worst performer after Engels. The Tunisia international was given a 3/10 player rating by 67HailHail, and he should be dropped against Roma, as Hyun-jun Yang has proven himself to be a better option.
Why Sebastian Tounekti should be dropped
The summer signing from Hammarby should be ruthlessly dropped by Nabcy because his performances have not been good enough of late for the Scottish giants.
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In the summer, journalist Anders Lindberg claimed that Tounekti has “the X Factor”. That was clear to see in his early outings for the club, as he completed five dribbles and created four chances, per Sofascore, on his debut against Kilmarnock.
Tounekti followed up on that promising debut with a goal against Partick Thistle in the League Cup in his second match for the Hoops, which only heightened the excitement around him at Parkhead.
Unfortunately, the 23-year-old forward has done very little since his first couple of appearances for Celtic. He is currently on a run of eight matches without a goal contribution, and has not assisted a goal in 18 matches for the club so far, per Sofascore.
Tounekti was subbed off after 59 minutes against Hearts so that Yang could switch over to the left side to play as the left wing-back, instead of on the right, and their recent performances suggest that he would be a better option there.
Goals
0
1
Key passes
2
1
Assists
0
0
Dribbles completed
3/13
6/10
Duels won
12/35
22/39
As you can see in the table above, the South Korean international has been significantly more effective in his physical duels and in his dribbles, which suggests that he is better suited to playing as a wing-back.
In this new role created by Nancy’s system, there is more of an onus on the player in that position to carry the ball up the pitch and to compete in more physical duels, which Yang is more equipped to do.
Tounekti, unfortunately, has failed to prove that he can be relied upon to be efficient in his duels or as an offensive threat, with his lack of goals and assists, as well as his struggles in physical contests with opposition defenders.
This is why he should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting line-up by Nancy for this clash with Roma on Thursday in the Europa League, with Yang moved over to the left.
Worse than Maeda: Nancy must drop Celtic flop who lost the ball 23 times
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy must drop this flop who was even worse than Daizen Maeda against Hearts.
ByDan Emery Dec 8, 2025
That would then open up a space on the right flank for another player to be brought in and given a chance to impress the new boss, who is still learning about his players.