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Whilst many dared to question whether Lionel Messi would have been able to perform at the peak of his powers in the Premier League, the legendary Argentine continued to prove those doubters wrong in the only way he knows how – by dominating England’s best sides.

Whether it was Manchester United at Wembley in the 2009 Champions League final or, more recently, against Liverpool in the first-leg of Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final tie – which they eventually lost in historic fashion – Messi has proven time and time again that a cold, rainy night in Stoke would be no problem for a man of his talents.

Manchester City

8

7

3

Arsenal

6

9

2

Manchester United

6

4

0

Liverpool

4

2

0

Chelsea

10

3

3

Tottenham Hotspur

2

2

0

In 36 games against England’s top six, Messi has scored 27 goals and created another eight. If there were any remaining doubts that he would have dominated the Premier League at a level arguably never seen before, then those numbers should bring those to an end once and for all.

Like most around European football, some of the Premier League’s best have often been in awe of Messi. Jamie Carragher, among those running out of superlatives for the magical playmaker, said: “There have been so many players we’ve thought that about in the past, but to go on and do what he’s done, it’s crazy.

“For me, he’s the best player we’ve ever seen play football. And you can’t predict that of any 19, 20-year-old when you’re looking at where they’re going to go.”

Whilst he has often terrorised English opposition, there has been occasions when Messi has been shocked by Premier League players taking their revenge, and he admitted that one player left Barcelona fearful.

Messi: Lampard was one of the best players in the world

Given that his record against Chelsea out of all of the Premier League’s top six is the worst, Messi’s praise for a Stamford Bridge hero should come as no surprise. He took the time to single out Frank Lampard ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League tie against the Blues in 2009, admitting that he admires the midfield great and that he was a “big threat”.

The tie itself lived up to the billing, but it was another midfield legend who stole the headlines as Andres Iniesta netted a last-gasp winner for Barcelona to take his side into the Champions League final.

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Messi’s praise still rings true, however. At the peak of his powers, Lampard was one of the most dangerous midfielders around and Messi had every right to be fearful of the threat that he often provided. All in all, Lampard scored 211 goals in 648 games for Chelsea.

Iconic Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson missed out on signing some legendary players during his 27-year stint at Old Trafford.

Ferguson’s best signings as Man Utd manager

The Scot enjoyed plenty of success with the Red Devils from November 1986 to May 2013, transforming United into one of the world’s most successful clubs.

Trophy

Years won

Premier League

1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013

Champions League

1999, 2008

FA Cup

1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004

League Cup

1992, 2006, 2009, 2010

FIFA Club World Cup

2008

UEFA Super Cup

1991

European Cup Winners’ Cup

1991

Intercontinental Cup

1999

Community Shield

1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

As well as bringing through Carrington’s best talent, such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville, better known as the Class of 92’, Ferguson also made some brilliant additions in the transfer market.

In attack, he signed the likes of Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, whereas in midfield he brought in long-serving captain Roy Keane. At the back, goalkeepers Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van Der Sar were incredible under Ferguson, as well as defenders Steve Bruce, Jaap Stam, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra.

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However, it could have been even better for the Scot during his time at Old Trafford after coming close to signing this XI made up of iconic footballers since the 1990s.

1 GK: Petr Cech

Before Petr Cech moved to Chelsea and won four Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge, he was a target for Man Utd and Ferguson.

Still a teenager at Ligue 1 side Rennes, Ferguson decided against a move, with Cech going down as one of the greatest goalkeepers the top fight has seen with the Blues.

Ferguson said: “I went to see Petr Cech when he was at Rennes. He was 19 at the time and I said to myself, ‘He’s too young’.”

2 RB: Philipp Lahm

German icon Philipp Lahm never played in England, but if Ferguson had his way, the versatile right-back would’ve been a Red Devils player.

Former Bayern Munich coach Hermann Gerland once said: “It was not easy to arrange. But at Stuttgart, Philipp could play in the Champions League. After three months he was the best player on the field against Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson wanted him in England, I think that says enough.”

3 CB: Paolo Maldini

Arguably one of the greatest defenders of all-time, Paolo Maldini was wanted by Man Utd and Ferguson spoke to his father in Italy.

Ferguson said: “Well I did try. But when I met his father he was quite formidable. I got a shake of the head. That’s all I got. He did say ‘my grandfather was Milan, my father’s Milan, I’m Milan and my son is Milan. Forget it’.”

4 CB: Vincent Kompany

Man City legend Vincent Kompany could so easily have been on the red side of Manchester back in 2004, with the centre-back top of Ferguson’s wishlist.

However, a move failed to go through, and four years later, Kompany would move to the Etihad where he would win four Premier League titles.

5 LB: Bixente Lizarazu

With Man Utd on the search to replace Denis Irwin at Old Trafford in 2002, they targeted France left-back Bixente Lizarazu, who was one of the best at the time.

He was a Bayern Munich player at the time, and the German giants refused to sell Lizarazu to Ferguson and co.

Lizarazu said: “I had the chance, I think in about 2001 or 2002, to go to Manchester United, but it stopped very quickly as Bayern said no. Ferguson was keen to sign me and United had talks with Bayern, but Bayern said there was no question that I’d be leaving and so I was staying with them.”

6 CM: Zinedine Zidane

Ferguson had the chance to sign France legend Zinedine Zidane before his move to Juventus in 1996, however, he stayed loyal to Eric Cantona.

The boss felt there wasn’t room for both Zidane and Cantona, but looking back, Ferguson may have wished he made room for the French duo.

Former chairman Martin Edwards once said: “When Zidane was at Bordeaux, Les Kershaw, the chief scout, was telling me we should be interested in him and I mentioned it to Alex. Alex said that Eric had also mentioned Zidane to him but Alex felt Zidane played in the same position as Eric.

“Having gone over to France to persuade Eric to re-sign for us, after the Crystal Palace incident [with Cantona banned for eight months for his kung-fu kick], he felt that, if he had brought Zidane in, it may have affected Eric’s position, so he stuck with Eric.”

7 CM: Paul Gascoigne

A year into Ferguson’s Man Utd tenure, he would be left gutted after missing out on Paul Gascoigne’s services.

The talented midfielder was on the way out of Newcastle and looked to be heading to Old Trafford before Tottenham came in and hijacked a transfer. Spurs even bought Gazza’s parents a new house which may have swayed a move.

8 RW: Arjen Robben

Tricky Dutch winger Arjen Robben would eventually move to the Premier League with Chelsea, however, he could have done before after having dinner with Ferguson and being shown around Man Utd’s facilities.

Robben said: “I had a very good conversation with [Ferguson] over dinner in Manchester and we spoke about football and life. I also went and had a good look around the training ground and everything was good.”

He admitted he would have signed for the Red Devils there and then, but no offer was made.

9 LW: Ronaldinho

In 2003 and heading towards the peak of his powers, Ronaldinho could have swapped Paris Saint-Germain for Man Utd.

The Brazilian icon would instead move to Barcelona and Ferguson claimed former chief Peter Kenyon failed to get a deal for Ronaldinho done.

“There was a problem with his brother, who was his agent. But Peter Kenyon, who was chief executive then, didn’t get the job done.”

10 ST: Robert Lewandowski

In 2012, Man Utd were looking to sign Robert Lewandowski after two impressive seasons at Borussia Dortmund.

However, despite the Poland scoring machine being keen on a move, Dortmund were less so, resulting in the Red Devils signing Robin van Persie instead.

Lewandowski said: “After my second year in Dortmund, I had a conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson. He wanted me to come to Manchester. I was very interested. I can even say I was ready. But Dortmund didn’t want to let me go.”

Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar, both returning after injuries, are fit to play the first ODI on Sunday, Harmanpreet confirmed

Srinidhi Ramanujam15-Jun-2024India captain Harmanpreet Kaur is all in favour of the points system in multi-format series, saying that it will make things “more challenging”.India’s home series against South Africa begins with the first of three ODIs on Sunday in Bengaluru, following which a one-off Test and three T20Is will be played in Chennai. The points system is not in place for the exchanges.”It’s totally up to BCCI or ICC [to decide],” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the series opener. “But as a player, if these things are there, players are more into the game and players are more pumped up. If the points system is there, it’s more challenging and will be good to have.”Currently, the women’s Ashes series uses a points system with four points up for grabs for Tests (four for a win and two for a draw), and two for a limited-overs match. Whoever finishes with most points win the Ashes. This system was first introduced in the 2013 series in England to keep the whole series relevant.Related

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In 2021, the points system was also used for India’s tour of England, the first time it had been used outside of the Ashes. India lost the series 10-6 on points. India’s last all-format series – against Australia at home in December 2023-January 2024 – did not use the points system with each format treated as separate.It was also the last time India played an ODI as the focus has largely on the next T20 World Cup, to be played this October in Bangladesh.Sunday’s match will only be India’s seventh ODI since the start of 2023 . As far as the next year’s ODI World Cup is concerned, they have already gained automatic qualification as hosts. However, in order to shake off the rust in the format, India had two separate camps in Bengaluru and Mumbai in the lead-up to the South Africa series, playing a few practice games while at it.”We take it as an opportunity,” Harmanpreet said. “Nowadays we are playing more T20 games but ODIs are something that, as a player, you have more time to assess yourself and even the conditions. It’s good for us that we are getting more matches to express ourselves.”It’s good for us that we are getting more time in the middle and getting to play all three formats as players.”There was good news for India ahead of the first match with Harmanpreet confirming that both Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar were fit for selection. Rodrigues missed the recent tour of Bangladesh with a back niggle, while the nature and status of Vastrakar’s injury were not clear when the BCCI announced the squad.

It is no secret that Leeds United will be in the market to sign new players in the summer transfer window ahead of the Premier League next season.

Fabrizio Romano gave the Championship champions a ‘here we go!’ on Saturday when he confirmed that Jaka Bijol has signed his contract to join the club from Udinese.

The Whites are set to pay a fee in the region of £19m to sign the central defender from the Italian side to bolster their options at the heart of the defence.

Bijol started 34 matches in the Serie A for Udinese in the 2024/25 campaign, which means that he is set to arrive at Elland Road with plenty of experience in one of Europe’s major leagues.

The Slovenia international will now be due to compete with the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Max Wober, Joe Rodon, and Pascal Struijk for a place in the starting XI next season.

What Jaka Bijol could bring to Leeds

Bijol is a strong defender in the prime years of his career, at the age of 26, and could provide Daniel Farke with an aerially dominant option at the heart of the defence.

The Slovenian colossus was particularly impressive in the air for Udinese in the Serie A, using his height and frame to tussle with opposition strikers to win key defensive duels.

Aerial duels won

3.31

Top 6%

Aerial duel success rate

67.7%

Top 17%

Interceptions

1.15

Top 41%

Clearances

5.53

Top 14%

Passes blocked

0.61

Top 42%

As you can see in the table above, he ranked very highly among central defenders in the Italian top-flight when it came to competing for headers at the back.

His 68% aerial duel success rate was higher than Struijk (62%) and Rodon (60%) managed in the Championship for the Whites, which suggests that he would improve the Leeds defence from an aerial perspective.

Leeds did, however, have the best xGA (29.6) record in the second tier this season, which suggests that their defence was not a major cause for concern, albeit they have still opted to strengthen in that area of the pitch.

Instead, a bigger issue for the Whites to resolve, on paper at least, is finding a new number one goalkeeper, after Illan Meslier was left on the bench for the final seven games of the 2024/25 season.

Farke needs to find a replacement for the French goalkeeper to start between the sticks in the Premier League next term, and the door is seemingly open for them to sign one from a relegated side.

Door open for Leeds to sign Southampton star

Southampton owner Dragan Solak has opened the door to Aaron Ramsdale moving on from Elland Road before the end of the summer transfer window, after the Saints were relegated from the Premier League.

Speaking to the Daily Echo, as relayed by LeedsLive, Solak said: “We unfortunately are not sure that Ramsdale is going to stay, even though he loves the club. He’s a great young man, everybody loves him, but he wants to get his place in the national team and it’s not easy to get there in the Championship.”

Transfer Focus

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

LeedsLive reports that signing a new goalkeeper is one of the priorities on the club’s transfer agenda, as they go in search of a number one for next season.

Earlier this summer, it was reported that the West Yorkshire outfit have eyed up Ramsdale as a potential target to arrive at Elland Road as Farke’s new shot-stopper.

Solak’s comments show that the door is open for the £25m England international to sign for Leeds, and it is now down to the club to pursue a deal that could be even more important than the one to sign Bijol.

Why Leeds should sign Aaron Ramsdale

As aforementioned, Leeds enjoyed a strong defensive record in the Championship this season and were not in desperate need of a player like Bijol, as much as he could improve Farke’s options at centre-back.

Whereas, the Whites are in desperate need of a new number one to replace Meslier next season because the French dud is, simply, not good enough for the top-flight.

The left-footed flop was dropped by Farke after he made three errors that directly led to goals for the opposition and had a goals prevented of -2.73 in 39 appearances in the Championship.

24/25 (Championship)

-0.4

23/24 (Championship)

-3.1

22/23 (Premier League)

-12.4

21/22 (Premier League)

-16.2

20/21 (Premier League)

-3.4

As you can see in the table above, Meslier was also a liability as a shot-stopper in his three seasons in the Premier League with the Whites in the past, as he let in significantly more goals than he should have, based on the post-shot xG of the shots against his goal.

Ramsdale, however, prevented 0.14 goals in 30 outings in the Premier League and did not make a single error that led to a goal, which shows that he outperformed Meslier whilst playing at a higher level.

The 27-year-old stopper, who was once hailed as “magnificent” by reporter Charles Watts, has 183 appearances in the Premier League in his career to date, which suggests that he could hit the ground running at Elland Road as a player who already knows the division well.

His statistics in the top-flight for the Saints also suggest that he would be a huge upgrade on Meslier, given his more impressive showings as a goalkeeper at a higher level.

That means that he would solve a huge problem for Leeds, given the Frenchman’s dismal performances in recent years, and provide Farke with the goalkeeper that he desperately needs.

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Therefore, he would be an even more important signing for Leeds than Bijol because finding a quality goalkeeper is a more pressing matter than replacing Rodon and Struijk, who impressed as a pairing in the Championship.

Celtic look set to lose one of their top talents within the next week or so as Nicolas Kuhn is closing in on a permanent exit from the Scottish Premiership champions.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph claims that the club have agreed a fee of around £16.5m with Italian side Como for the left-footed sensation.

The journalist adds that the former RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich youth prospect has already agreed to sign a long-term contract with the Serie A outfit this summer.

Kuhn has reportedly turned down a potential return to Leipzig, who were interested in signing him, and has a medical scheduled with Como for next week, which suggests that an official confirmation is not imminently expected.

It does appear, though, that it is only a matter of time before Celtic confirm that the German winger will not be playing for the club next season, which will come as a blow to Brendan Rodgers.

Why selling Nicolas Kuhn is a blow for Celtic

Whilst the Hoops are set to rake in a significant sum of money for the 25-year-old talent, it is always a blow when a high-quality player moves on, and that is what he is.

The 2024/25 campaign was his first full season in Glasgow, having joined from Rapid Vienna in the January transfer window last year, and he really hit his stride on the right flank.

Kuhn ended the season with a return of 21 goals and 15 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which shows that he provided quality in the final third on a regular basis for Rodgers.

The left-footed magician’s form in the Premiership, as Celtic won the league title, was particularly impressive, as the forward showcased his ability to both score and create goals.

xG

0.46

Top 10%

Goals

0.62

Top 8%

Shots on target

1.30

Top 14%

xA

0.34

Top 10%

Assists

0.43

Top 10%

Chances created

2.49

Top 12%

As you can see in the table above, Kuhn ranked very highly among his positional peers in a host of key attacking metrics, which shows that he scored and created goals at an exceptional rate.

These statistics illustrate why it will be a big blow for Rodgers when this sale goes through, because he is losing a player who has proven that he can make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch for Celtic.

The Hoops have, of course, already signed Benjamin Nygren on a permanent deal to bolster their options on the flanks, but he does not have the creative quality to fully replace what Kuhn offered.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the Sweden international only managed a return of two assists in 30 Superliga appearances, to go with his impressive haul of 15 goals.

Therefore, Celtic may need to dip into the market to sign another wide option who can provide creativity as well as a goal threat, now that Kuhn appears to be on his way out of the club.

Earlier this summer, it was reported that the Scottish giants are interested in Stoke City forward Million Manhoef, who is valued at £10m by the Championship side, and they should now reignite that interest.

Why Celtic should sign Million Manhoef

The Premiership champions could brilliantly replace Kuhn ahead of the 2025/26 campaign by pushing ahead with a swoop for the Netherlands U21 international, as he would arrive with a similar profile.

Like the German star, the Stoke attacker is a diminutive left-footed right winger who has the quality to both score and create goals in equal measure, as evidenced by his form for the English side last season.

He has not delivered the kind of numbers that Kuhn managed for Celtic yet, as he has not had the chance to play in a team that is as dominant domestically as the Hoops are, which means that there would be a degree of risk.

However, Rodgers can afford to take more of a risk with a player like Manhoef because the club have already brought in Nygren to potentially play on the right wing and, as aforementioned, his haul of 15 goals last season suggests that he could be a good option.

The Stoke star ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of five goals and five assists in 28 Championship starts, but it is his underlying numbers behind those headline statistics that are even more promising for Celtic.

xG

7.74

Top 9%

Goals

5

Top 21%

Shots on target

26

Top 9%

xA

4.83

Top 14%

Chances created

52

Top 9%

Assists

5

Top 20%

As you can see in the table above, Manhoef excelled at getting into goalscoring positions and at creating chances for his teammates, ranking highly among his positional peers, but was not clinical enough with his finishing.

Pundit David Prutton claimed it would be a “tremendous” move for Manhoef to sign for Celtic, and these statistics suggest that the potential is there for it to be a tremendous move for all parties.

The Dutch wizard, who only recorded five assists from 12 ‘big chances’ created in the Championship, could thrive in a team that dominates games week-in-week-out, as Celtic do.

He has been playing for a midtable team, in Stoke, who do not challenge at the top end of the division in the second tier in England, which suggests that he has not had the opportunity to play in a side that is consistently on the front foot.

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Therefore, Celtic could brilliantly replace Kuhn by gambling on a swoop for Manhoef, who appears to have the potential to explode as a scorer and a creator of goals in a better team than the one he is currently playing in.

Australia batter looks forward to Hundred return, but believes more boundaries need to be pushed

Andrew Miller24-Jul-2024Beth Mooney, Australia’s opening batter, says that women’s cricket must “keep pushing the boundaries” when it comes to demanding equal pay for global competitions, as she prepares to return to the Hundred after a year’s absence, this time as Manchester Originals’ star overseas signing.Mooney, 30, was Originals’ first pick in this year’s draft, landing herself a top-tier £50,000 deal, two years after her only previous stint in the competition, for London Spirit in 2022.Although that sum was a significant increase on the £31,250 that the ECB had established as the top salary bracket for the 2023 draft, it pales in comparison to the men’s top-tier salary of £125,000 – let alone the £200,000 that Mooney picked up from Gujarat Giants in the inaugural WPL auction in February 2023.And so, while the overall direction of travel is positive, Mooney is not about to buy into any premature self-congratulations about the state of women’s cricket in England, even though she acknowledges that the Hundred, with its shared facilities and double-header match-days, is one of the trendsetters in terms of offering equal opportunities for the men’s and women’s tournaments.”I’m not sure it’s quite equal billing, because the men still get paid more,” Mooney told ESPNcricinfo during a KP Snacks event at Cheetham Hill. “But yeah, in terms of the exposure, and the fan base, and the quality of the tournament, it’s certainly up there with one of the best going around. It’s doing a great job with getting more opportunities for women in this country to play cricket but, as with any women’s sport, we’re not quite there with equal billing.”Last summer, a wide-ranging report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) recommended that English cricket needs to be in a position to offer equal salaries for the Hundred by 2025. The ECB pushed back on that commitment, however, arguing that the commercial and media value of the women’s game still falls significantly short of that of the men’s.Beth Mooney (left) at a KP Snacks event at Cheetham Hill, the site of one of 100 all-weather community cricket pitches they will install across England and Wales by 2025•WassermanMooney agreed that that was still the case. “I don’t know if it’s quite an achievable goal,” she said. “The men obviously bring in a lot of revenue across the world, in terms of the viewership and the broadcast and things like that, so the remuneration piece is always a bit of a tough one.”But we’ve got to keep pushing the boundaries a bit,” she added. “I think we’ve got to keep asking the right questions of the ICC, and of each of the different boards of the countries, and make sure that we’re still striving to get, first and foremost, more girls in the game, but making sure there’s equal opportunities across the board for each country and the females as well.”This time last year, a glut of Australia’s top female talent pulled out of the Hundred, partly as a consequence of their windfalls at the WPL – the average spend on the 14 Australians picked up at the auction was more than £100,000 each – but also because their major focus for their off-season had been the Women’s Ashes in June and July. This turned into a tussle for the ages, as England squared the multi-format series at 8-8 after four wins out of six in the white-ball legs.After years of dominance across formats, this was the closest Australia had come to relinquishing the Ashes since 2013-14. However, with the T20 World Cup looming in Bangladesh in October, Mooney was phlegmatic about the challenge to her team’s pre-eminence, arguing that it was the natural upshot of the huge growth in popularity of women’s cricket globally.”I don’t know if there’s really such thing as a gap, to be honest,” she said. “I think every team in the world has been getting better, just like we have. We play a lot more cricket now, so there’s always going to be times where different teams beat each other. We’re just fortunate to have those opportunities to put the game out there, and play competitive cricket.”Either way, she doesn’t envisage the sort of situation that has begun to crop up in the men’s game, whereby team-mates in franchise tournaments – such as Kuldeep Yadav and Tristan Stubbs at Delhi Capitals – are reluctant to face one another in the nets and give away secrets ahead of international tournaments.Two of England’s key bowlers, Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Filer, will be lining up alongside Mooney at Manchester, but she’s fairly confident that that won’t be an issue at practice.”You’d have to ask them, to be honest, but I don’t know if there’s really any chat about that in the women’s game,” she said. “We play so much franchise cricket now, and a lot of us are really good mates. And there really aren’t any secrets in the global cricket game anymore, because there’s so much vision on everyone. There’s nothing that I’m going to do that they’re going to be overly surprised about, whether it’s in the nets or in a game.”She knows, however, that there will be high expectations surrounding her Hundred return, partly as a consequence of her price tag, but also due to lingering memories of her maiden Hundred appearance in 2022 – 97 not out from 55 balls for London Spirit against Southern Brave, at the time the highest score in the competition’s history.”I mean, I’m here to score runs and help the team win games of cricket, and hopefully give bits of advice to different players along the way,” she said. “I certainly don’t look at it as anything more or less than that. Like any tournament I play in, whether it’s for Australia or back home in the Big Bash, I’ve got a job to do, and that’s that doesn’t change, no matter what colour shirt I put on.”There are certainly high expectations from my point of view. But I also know that cricket is a fickle game, and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. So, at the end of the day, you can’t hang your hat on the number next to your name, because that isn’t always a measure of success in my eyes.”KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, is continuing its initiative to build 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales, with 35 brand new pitches going down in 2024. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, visit www.everyonein.co.uk/pitchfinder

The left-arm seamer took 17 wickets in last season’s competition and has full availability

Andrew McGlashan23-Aug-2024Allrounder Paul Walter, who was a key figure in Brisbane Heat’s BBL title success last season, could be in line for a return to the competition after he was confirmed among the latest batch of nominations for next month’s draft.Walter, a left-arm seamer and hard-hitting batter, became a cult hero for Heat as he claimed 17 wickets, celebrating with a trademark aeroplane each time, and was named in the team of the tournament voted for by the eight head coaches.Related

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Shamar Joseph nominates for BBL draft; Harmanpreet confirmed for WBBL draft

Ollie Pope signs for Adelaide Strikers, Akeal Hosein joins Sydney Sixers

Heat have retention rights for Walter should they want to bring him back and another team tries to select him. A key factor is he has full availability including the finals and he would again seem a good fit for them after supplementing their varied attack which includes Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson plus spin twins Matt Kuhnemann and Mitchell Swepson.”I think we’ve got the best bowling unit in the competition,” he told ESPNcricinfo during last season’s campaign. “I feel like I complement the rest of the attack quite well and we’ve been good at managing games. Kuhny and Sweppo have bowled so well through the middle that teams have come hard at me, which is probably what you want with my style of bowling.”I’ve worked a lot on my defensive bowling, trying to figure out how to get batters off strike and trying to keep the ball away from the shorter pockets. I normally bowl the overs where the right-handers are hitting to the short leg side, so I’ve had to get quite clever with getting them to hit to the other side of the ground. I do a lot of work off the field figuring out what I’m going to do in different situations.”English cricketers dominated the list of names released on Friday although most only have availability for between six and nine games. England have a Test series in New Zealand that finishes three days after the BBL begins and then have a limited-overs tour of India starting on January 22 next year. A significant number of players also have ILT20 or SA20 deals.However, some will likely attract interest including Olly Stone, Dan Lawrence, Jordan Cox and Joe Clarke. Legspinner Rehan Ahmed, who was initially drafted by Sydney Sixers last season before withdrawing when he was selected to tour West Indies, has again nominated.Pakistan allrounder Imad Wasim, who Melbourne Stars have retention rights for, has full availability as does slingy fast bowler Zaman Khan who played for Sydney Thunder last season.England players are also strongly represented in the latest WBBL nominations. Dani Gibson, who played a defining role in the Hundred final last week and earned praise from captain Heather Knight, impressed for champions Adelaide Strikers last season striking at 147.43 in the middle order and claiming ten wickets. She is currently down as having full availability although England have a T20I series against South Africa which overlaps with the WBBL finals.”We saw the game she played at Lord’s, a reverse-sweep to go and win the game against Australia last year, and that’s the sort of mindset that we want in that England side: the willingness to take risks, take the game on and express what your talent, and Dani epitomises that,” Knight said.South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt, who was announced among the initial batch of nominations and has been a regular for Strikers, now has availability of six to nine games rather than the entire tournament.Strikers in the WBBL are the only club yet to name a pre-draft signing although they are expected to fill that spot next week. Each club across BBL and WBBL can sign one player ahead of the draft. In the draft, a club can use their retention option once and only if they have not already selected the player in the relevant round.Current BBL nominations by retention clubsAdelaide Strikers: Adam Hose, Jamie Overton, David Payne
Brisbane Heat: Paul Walter, Tom Banton
Hobart Hurricanes: Corey Anderson, Sam Hain
Melbourne Renegades: Joe Clarke, Jordan Cox, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Melbourne Stars: Dan Lawrence, Imad Wasim, Liam Dawson, Olly Stone, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf
Perth Scorchers: Zak Crawley, Stephen Eskinazi, Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills
Sydney Sixers: Izharulhuq Naveed, Rehan Ahmed, James Vince
Sydney Thunder: Alex Hales, Zaman Khan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Nominations with no retention club: Jason Roy, Lockie Ferguson, Shadab Khan, Shamar JosephCurrent WBBL nominations by retention clubsAdelaide Strikers: Dani Gibson, Georgia Adams, Laura Wolvaardt
Brisbane Heat: Bess Heath
Hobart Hurricanes: Shabnim Ismail, Bryony Smith
Melbourne Renegades: Eve Jones, Harmanpreet Kaur
Melbourne Stars: Alice Capsey, Sophia Dunkley
Perth Scorchers: Amy Jones, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt
Sydney Sixers: Suzie Bates, Sophie Ecclestone, Jess Kerr, Chloe Tryon, Linsey Smith
Sydney Thunder: Heather Knight
Nominations with no retention club: Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues

Tottenham Hotspur now face stiff competition from a rival Premier League side in the race for a “playmaker”, according to a report, with Thomas Frank looking to reinforce his squad in a few key areas ahead of his first full season in charge.

Tottenham may hijack Nottingham Forest bid for "unbelievable" £50m forward

Spurs are in the race for a major Nottingham Forest target…

ByDominic Lund Jul 13, 2025

Spurs have made a splash in the summer market already with their £55 million deal for winger Mohammed Kudus, which ended a 14-year unofficial transfer embargo between West Ham and their London rivals.

Kudus has been pictured in Lilywhites training as the club prepare for their first pre-season game of the summer against Reading this weekend, with the Ghanaian joining Mathys Tel and Kota Takai as Daniel Levy’s first three official signings of the summer.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

In an ideal world, Kudus would’ve been joined at Hotspur Way by Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, who was expected to undergo a medical last Friday before a £60 million switch from the City Ground.

However, in a very unexpected turn of events, the Englishman’s transfer is being significantly delayed, with Forest taking legal action over what they believe was an illegal approach from Tottenham for their star attacker, as first reported by Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.

That being said, some confidence remains that Gibbs-White will eventually seal a move to Spurs (Alasdair Gold), so their potential £115 million double-swoop for the 25-year-old and Kudus is still alive.

Forest are complaining to the Premier League, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side raising concerns over how Spurs became aware of ‘confidential details’ in his contract (Standard Sport).

Interestingly, Forest are “adamant” that Gibbs-White is not for sale (Sky Sports), but Spurs are still hopeful of doing the deal.

As Spurs wait for the green-light to sign-off on Gibbs-White’s transfer, they do have their eyes on other transfer targets, with Levy reportedly after a holding midfielder and a number six as well (TBR Football).

Journalist Graeme Bailey reported last week that Tottenham have held talks with £138,000-per-week Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz’s representatives, and the Old Lady will allow him to leave Turin this summer after a lacklustre debut campaign in Serie A.

Everton threaten to hijack alleged Tottenham talks with Douglas Luiz

Now, according to Calciomercato, Spurs may not have a free run at signing the Brazilian, with Everton threatening a move of their own.

The Italian news outlet states that Everton are ready to bid for Luiz after his alleged talks with Tottenham, and the Toffees have initiated club-to-club discussions as they attempt to back manager David Moyes for his first full season back on Merseyside.

Juve want around £35 million to part company with Luiz, and will not entertain any form of loan, as Igor Tudor’s side seek to sell him immediately and reinvest that money in their own summer recruitment drive.

Aston Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, tipped him to kickstart his career at Juve earlier this year, but it appears the South American could seal a quick-fire return to England instead.

“He’s playing less than we all expected, but we’re talking about a strong player,” said Monchi about Luiz to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“There are guys who arrive and impose themselves, others who need time. Patience is needed, but Douglas’ qualities are beyond discussion. He will become important for Juve.

“He’s a playmaker and every ball that comes out of his feet has a meaning: last year he played 90% of the games with us. He was decisive.”

Tour arrangements finalised at last minute with England due to depart within fortnight

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2024England’s Test tour of Pakistan next month will comprise back-to-back fixtures in Multan and a series finale in Rawalpindi, with the PCB finally giving the go-ahead to its revised schedule after a protracted delay.The original itinerary for the three-Test series, which forms part of the ICC World Test Championship, had involved a second Test in Karachi – the venue where England secured a historic 3-0 clean sweep on their most recent visit to the country in December 2022.However, the National Stadium in Karachi is currently undergoing major renovation work to prepare it for the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025, and with Rawalpindi unavailable for the second Test due to a major international conference in neighbouring Islamabad from October 15-16, the series had at one stage seemed set to be relocated to the UAE, with Abu Dhabi raised as a possible venue.Now, however, an agreement has been reached that the series will begin and end in Multan and Rawalpindi as originally scheduled, but the teams will remain in Multan for the second Test as well.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland are due to arrive in Multan on October 2, with Pakistan’s squad set to assemble in the city on the same date. The first Test gets underway from October 7-11, with the second following four days later, from October 15-19. The teams will then relocate to Rawalpindi for the third Test from October 24-28.”PCB is thrilled to welcome the England men’s cricket team back to Pakistan,” Usman Wahla, PCB Director, International, said. “Despite minor adjustments, we are committed to supporting fans and ensuring a memorable tour. We look forward to a fiercely competitive Test series and showcasing Pakistan’s renowned hospitality.”The announcement ends weeks of uncertainty surrounding the series, for which England last week named an unusually large touring squad of 17 players. Speaking ahead of the recent third Test against Sri Lanka, England head coach Brendon McCullum pointed out his side needed to know the venues in advance to be able to pick a squad that suited the conditions.The delay has been a huge frustration to England’s fans, with a number of tour operators cancelling their arrangements amid the lack of logistical arrangements.Revised itinerary
7-11 Oct First Test, Multan
15-19 Oct Second Test, Multan
24-28 Oct Third Test, Rawalpindi

Celtic were dealt a big blow earlier this month when Nicolas Kuhn officially completed a move to Serie A side Como for a reported fee of £16.5m.

The German forward, 25, produced 13 goals and nine assists in the Scottish Premiership for Brendan Rodgers last season, which means that the club have lost a scorer and a creator of goals.

Kuhn’s exit has left a hole in the squad in the right wing position ahead of next season, but the Hoops also have a hole to fill on the left flank because Jota may be out until the start of next year with a knee injury.

According to the Daily Record, Celtic are set to push to sign Belgian forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha on a permanent deal to take up that place on the left wing.

The report claims that the club have been in talks with Royal Antwerp in recent weeks and that they are now hopeful that a deal can be struck for the 24-year-old attacker.

Why Balikwisha would be an exciting signing for Celtic

Balikwisha would come in as a like-for-like replacement for Jota as another right-footed left winger who likes to drift inside onto his favoured foot to score and create goals.

The 24-year-old talent has caught the eye with some impressive performances in the Pro League for Royal Antwerp, and his statistics suggest that he would be an exciting player for supporters to watch at Parkhead next season.

Starts

27

12

xG

6.46

2.65

Goals

7

4

Big chances created

6

7

Key passes per game

1.5

1.6

Assists

5

3

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha is a winger who offers a threat in front of goal as a scorer, whilst also creating three chances every two games on average.

This shows that the Belgian sensation is constantly looking for that killer pass to provide his teammate with a high-quality chance to score, which means that fans could get excited when he gets the ball at his feet, knowing that the forward will be aiming to make something happen.

The Royal Antwerp star did miss 29 matches through injury last season, though, so there may be some concerns over whether he will be available week-in-week-out, but his form in Belgium suggests that the forward will be an exciting player when fit.

If Celtic are able to strike a deal for Balikwisha in the coming days, there is still a hole to be filled on the right flank after Kuhn’s departure and the club are reportedly keen on a winger who would be just as exciting as the Belgian whiz.

Celtic in the race to sign free agent forward

According to Football League World, Celtic are among a number of teams that are interested in a deal to sign Tyrhys Dolan on a free transfer this summer.

He has been a free agent since his contract with Blackburn Rovers expired at the end of last month, and there is a fairly long list of suitors aiming to sign him.

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The report claims that Celtic, Rangers, Bristol City, and Espanyol are all among the contenders to secure a deal for the right-sided attacker in the coming days or weeks.

It adds that he has strong interest from several unnamed clubs in the English Championship and that he has had offers from teams overseas, alongside the four teams mentioned in this latest report.

This shows that there is plenty of competition for his signature and that the Hoops will need to move swiftly and convincingly to secure his signature ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Why Celtic should push to sign Tyrhys Dolan

The Scottish Premiership champions should push to win the race for Dolan’s services this summer because he would be a valuable signing who would be just as exciting as Balikwisha at Parkhead.

Despite the modern trend of inverted wingers cutting in onto their favoured foot, the English forward is a right-footed player who predominantly plays on the right wing, which means that he could fill the spot left by Kuhn’s exit in that position.

Dolan is a versatile player who is not limited to one position, though, as he has also started 18 or more career games as a left winger, a right winger, an attacking midfielder, and as a striker, showing that Rodgers would be able to call on him in a multitude of roles.

His durability is also something that may be attractive to Celtic. The 23-year-old star has not suffered a single significant injury in his career, to date, and has already racked up 210 first-team appearances for Blackburn, playing 44 of their 46 league games last season.

Dolan’s performances for Blackburn, in a midtable team that failed to make the play-offs in either campaign, also suggest that he would be an exciting player for supporters to watch in action in the Premiership.

Appearances

36

44

Touches per game

37.6

38.1

Goals

5

7

Conversion rate

15%

14%

Big chances created

7

7

Key passes

40

44

Assists

4

6

As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old talent has scored 12 goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ in the last two seasons in the Championship, and has been unfortunate to only register ten assists from those 14 ‘big chances’.

These numbers may not be mind-blowingly amazing, but they are impressive within the context of him playing for an average team in the Championship, because at Celtic he would be in a dominant team that puts him in more positions to shine in the final third.

Dolan, once praised as “outstanding” by former manager John Eustace, could thrive in a team that has won their domestic title in each of the last four seasons, in the same way that Balikwisha could do on the opposite flank.

He'd revive Yamada: Celtic in ongoing talks to sign "creative" £5m star

Celtic remain in talks to sign a star who could help to revive Shin Yamada as a regular goalscorer.

ByDan Emery Jul 21, 2025

Both players have shown potential as both scorers and creators of goals from their respective wing positions, which is why both of them would be exciting signings if the club can pull them off.