Sydney Thunder saw the chance to host a grand final slip away with a poor performance in Melbourne
AAP23-Nov-2024
Hayley Matthews led Melbourne Renegades’ dominant chase•Getty Images
Melbourne Renegades crushed the Sydney Thunder by nine wickets to take top spot on the WBBL ladder.Thunder were bowled out for 133 in 19.1 overs with Renegades spinner Sophie Molineux snaring 4 for 23 at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.Renegades then raced to the target from 14.2 overs with opener Hayley Matthews blasting an unbeaten 60 from 37 balls and Molineux capping a stunning all-round performance with an unbeaten 42 from 29 deliveries with the pair adding an unbroken 95.Renegades moved to 14 points, taking top spot from the Thunder (13 points). Brisbane Heat (12 points) will need a big win over Sydney Sixers on Sunday in the last match of the regular season to jump ahead of Renegades and host the grand final.Perth Scorchers (nine points) hold fourth spot ahead of their last game on Saturday night against the fifth-placed Hobart Hurricanes which will likely decide fourth place entering the finals – unless the Sixers (sixth, eight points) can upset Heat.Thunder struggled to gain traction with the top-order batters failing to capitalise. Phoebe Litchfield top-scored with 30, hitting six fours from her 17 deliveries while No. 7 Sammy-Jo Johnson made 21 from 19 balls.Openers Georgia Voll, Chamari Athapaththu and Georgia Adams all made 11, as Thunder slipped from 95 for 3 in 12th over and lost their last seven wickets for 38 runs.Molineux was superb with her four-wicket haul accompanied by a dozen dot balls in her four overs.
Jason Gillespie, the former Australia cricketer who recently quit as Pakistan’s head coach in Test cricket, said on Monday that he stepped down after being “completely and utterly blindsided” by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).Gillespie, whose contract was set to expire in 2026, resigned last week and he expressed his frustration over the lack of communication, which led him to feel that the Pakistan Cricket Board no longer wanted him in the role.Related
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Gillespie frustrated by lack of clear communication in role as Pakistan coach
“There were certainly challenges. I went into the job eyes wide open, I want to make that really clear. I knew that, you know, Pakistan had cycled through a number of coaches in a pretty short space of time,” Gillespie told “The straw that broke the camel’s back, I suppose, was, as a head coach, you like to have clear communication with your employer. I was completely and utterly blindsided by a decision to not have a high-performance coach.”As ESPNcricinfo originally reported, the PCB first did not renew the contract of Tim Nielsen, who was brought in on the recommendation of the Gillespie, as the high performance coach of the team. This had prompted Gillespie to have doubts about his own future.”Tim Nielsen was told that his services were no longer required and I had absolutely zero communication from anyone about that,” Gillespie said. “And I just thought after a number of other things that had gone on in the previous few months, that was probably the moment where I thought, ‘Well, I’m not really sure if they actually want me to do this job or not.'”Adding to Gillespie’s frustration was the fact that the feedback given to him regarding Nielsen and the team’s performance was positive.”I developed a really close relationship with the Test captain, Shan Masood, and felt we were certainly going in the right direction and things were going really well,” he said. “All the feedback that I’d got or the feedback the PCB got was just how effective, you know, Tim had been in his role as well and the players were getting a lot out of him.”Gillespie guided Pakistan to a 2-1 win against England in October, after losing the first match by an innings and 47 runs. However, after the loss in the first Test, he was informed that a new selection panel would be introduced, and he would not be a part of it.He felt his role as head coach was diminished and even suggested that he often didn’t know the team lineup until the day before a match. This lack of clarity and communication only deepened his frustration with the PCB’s handling of his position.”I felt I was basically hitting catches and that was about it on the morning of a game,” he said. “You want to be able to have clear communication with all stakeholders, with selectors, for instance, knowing what the team is as head coach well before the game, or before at least the day before the game.Aaqib Javed is the interim Test coach for Pakistan for the series in South Africa. He is also the interim coach of both white-ball sides after Gary Kirsten resigned in October.
Glasgow Rangers have been focused on bringing players to Ibrox during the summer transfer window, as they have brought in the likes of Thelo Aasgaard, Emmanuel Fernandez, Djeidi Gassama, and Max Aarons, among others.
However, Russell Martin and Kevin Thelwell also have to be wary of the size of the squad and the reality that some players will have to move on, amid interest in some of the fringe members of the team.
As you can see in the post above from Sacha Tavolieri, there are at least three teams interested in a deal to sign central defender Clinton Nsiala.
Martin has already admitted that the centre-back, who was not included in the squad to face Panathinaikos on Tuesday, could be on his way out of Ibrox this summer, and the former AC Milan man may not be the only one.
Two teams have major interest in Rangers forward
Nsiala is far from the only player on the fringes of the squad ahead of next season, as there will be plenty of people looking at their futures beyond this summer.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
According to the Daily Record, Rangers forward Ross McCausland is attracting interest from a number of clubs ahead of a potential move away from Ibrox.
The report claims that Aris Limassol and two teams in the MLS have a ‘major’ interest in snapping up the Northern Ireland international before the end of the window.
Ross McCausland for Rangers against Celtic.
It adds that they are weighing him up as a potential loan signing, whilst there are also unnamed teams from England monitoring his situation.
Why Rangers should allow Ross McCausland to go
The Light Blues should allow McCausland to leave, whether that is on loan or on a permanent basis, this summer because he is as dispensable as Nsiala, who Martin has already admitted could be on his way out.
Rangers forward Ross McCausland.
In the 2024/25 campaign, the French centre-back started ten of his 11 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, but ended the season as an unused substitute in the last two matches.
McCausland, meanwhile, only started four of his 13 appearances in the division for the Scottish giants, who have since signed Aasgaard and Gassama to play in the attacking midfield positions.
24/25 Premiership
Ross McCausland
Appearances
13
Starts
4
Goals
0
Big chances created
0
Key passes per game
0.6
Assists
1
Red cards
1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the academy graduate offered very little in the final third from a right wing position, with zero goals and zero assists in those 13 games.
He ended the season with more red cards (one) than goal contributions in the league, having been sent off for two bookable offences against Aberdeen in April.
Pundit Tam McManus criticised the “poor” Rangers flop after those mistakes, as McCausland made a rash challenge whilst already on a yellow card to end up being sent off.
The 22-year-old dud is, therefore, just as dispensable as Nsiala is this summer, as both players failed to nail down a place as a regular starter in the league last season, and are now attracting suitors from elsewhere.
Creates room for Rak-Sakyi: Rangers want to sell Dowell & "blistering" flop
Rangers can create space for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi as they look to sell several first-team players.
ByDan Emery Jul 17, 2025
If Martin is willing to allow Nsiala to leave, as he has suggested, then the manager should be willing to allow McCausland, who started even fewer games in the league last term, to go as well.
Smale, Morris half-centuries set up visitors with bat before Stars crumble in chase
ECB Reporters Network26-Aug-2024Thunder 250 for 8 (Smale 76, Morris 54) beat South East Stars 130 (Chathli 54, Cross 6-40) by 120 runsEngland’s Kate Cross took List A best figures of 6 for 40 as Thunder beat South East Stars by 120 runs in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham.Batting first, Thunder made 250 for 8 from their 50 overs, Seren Smale top-scoring with 76 and Fi Morris making 54. Ryana MacDonald-Gay was the Stars’ most potent bowler with three for 42 and she also claimed a run out, while Kalea Moore took 2 for 49.Cross, however, did the damage by claiming the key wickets of Bryony Smith and Alice Davidson-Richards in successive balls. Despite a batting 54 from Kira Chathli Stars never really looked like chasing down the target and they were all out for 130 from 36.4 overs.Thunder won the toss and chose to bat on a slow Beckenham track, putting on 53 for the opening wicket before Moore bowled Alice Clark for 23 in the 15th over.MacDonald-Gay bowled Emma Lamb for 24 in the next over, but Smale and Morris shifted the momentum with a 96-run stand that was only broken when the latter chipped a Moore full toss to Paige Scholfield at cover.MacDonald-Gay nearly had Smale for 43 in the next over but Chathli couldn’t hang on to an inside edge and she was joined by Ellie Threlkeld, who made 33 before she was cleaned up by MacDonald-Gay. At that point the Thunder were on 205 for 4 with seven overs left but they lost wickets too frequently to mount a serious charge during the death overs.MacDonald-Gay bowled Naomi Dattani for 14 and then ran out Danielle Collins for 1 as she chased a non-existent single, before Smale was smartly run out by Phoebe Franklin going for a second.It was impossible to say who were favourites at halfway but Scholfield was unable to bat in her usual slot due to an injury and the odds tilted further in the visitors’ favour when Cross intervened.Stars skipper Smith went for just 12, caught at extra cover by Clark and Cross’s next delivery bowled Davidson-Richards off the inside edge for a golden duck. Chathli survived the hat-trick ball at the start of the next over and was then dropped off the sixth ball by Dattani when she was on 2.Makeshift opener Chloe Hill made a useful 18 in a partnership of 45 for the third wicket until Sophie Morris had her caught by Clark. Moore was bowled by Dattani for 6 and when Aylish Cranstone was lbw to Fi Morris for 9 Stars’ hopes looked thin.They looked thinner still when the same bowler had Franklin caught for 2 at cover by Cross and wafer-thin when Cross returned at the City End to get Chathli caught at long-on by Fi Morris.In her next over Cross had MacDonald-Gay caught in the deep by Fi Morris for 13 and although Scholfield came in at No. 10, she was batting in visible discomfort and lasted just two balls before chipping Cross to Dattani for 1. An emphatic win was concluded when Cross bowled Dani Gregory for a duck.
India completed a splendid turnaround after losing the series opener
Sreshth Shah14-Jul-20243:43
Takeaways: India’s future bright as youngsters come good
Zimbabwe kept India to a par total of 167 despite a half-century from Sanju Samson, and they took the upper hand in the chase after a strong powerplay. However, Mukesh Kumar, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube hit back with the ball to sniff out any chance of a Zimbabwe victory, and India sealed a 42-run win to complete a splendid series turnaround in Harare after losing the opening fixture of the series.Sunday’s victory was India’s fourth win in a row, all completed in comfortable fashion.Jaiswal, Abhishek, Gill fall inside powerplayAfter Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza won the toss for the first time all series, he sent India in. Yashasvi Jaiswal began with two sixes off the first two balls of the match, including one off a Raza no-ball, but the opener could not maximise his start, and was bowled in the first over itself.That brought in Abhishek Sharma, but his stay was brief too, Blessing Muzarabani getting him caught behind with a length ball angling across him. Shubman Gill followed Abhishek to the hut when a Richard Ngarava short ball got big on him, and he sliced a mis-hit to mid-on.Samson lifts India’s inningsThe three top-order wickets left India at 44 for 3 after the powerplay and forced a rebuild from No. 4 Samson – he was pushed up in Ruturaj Gaikwad’s absence – and No. 5 Riyan Parag, who was batting for the second time this series. They batted together for 56 balls, and even though they added only 65 for the fourth wicket, they ensured India arrested a potential collapse. Parag made a 24-ball 22 and was out to legspinner Brandon Mavuta when he tried to up the scoring rate.Samson, though, made full use of the time he took to get going. At one stage he was on 17 off 18 balls, but when Mavuta bowled in his arc, he capitalised to up the scoring rate. Samson struck four sixes in all, and just the lone four, and when he fell in the deep in the 18th over trying to take Muzarabani on, he was out for a 45-ball 58.With 15 balls to go and India at 135 for 3, the base was set for an aggressive finish. Dube ruined Ngarava’s economy rate by smacking him for 4, 6, 4 in the 19th over in his 12-ball cameo of 26, and Rinku Singh hit a six in the 20th to ensure India finished above 160. Muzarabani picked up 2 for 19 in his four overs, and was the best of the five bowlers used by Zimbabwe.Mukesh Kumar finished with a career-best 4 for 22•Associated Press
Marumani, Myers put Zimbabwe on trackBack in the XI for the final game of the series, Mukesh continued his habit of striking early, taking his third first-over wicket in three outings. This time, Wessly Madhevere was the victim, chopping on off a ball that moved into the right-hand batter sharply to fall for a duck.Mukesh added a second when he tempted Brian Bennett (10) to play over the off side with a full ball swinging away, but the No. 3 could only slice to deep backward point, leaving the hosts 15 for 2 in the third over.Mukesh could have had a third, pegging back Tadiwanashe Marumani’s stumps after a tidy spell to the left-hander from around the wicket, but he had overstepped, and it briefly looked like an expensive mistake as Marumani and No. 4 Dion Myers (34) attacked seamer Tushar Deshpande and wristspinner Ravi Bishnoi.They went particularly hard against Bishnoi, a player Zimbabwe have struggled against all series, and the wristspinner began with a 16-run sixth over that took Zimbabwe to 47 for 2.Washington kickstarts Zimbabwe’s downfallWashington took the ball after the powerplay, and struck in his second over from around the wicket to Marumani, who was lbw trying to slog across the line. That dismissal forced a slowdown, allowing India to drag the game back into their favour with Bishnoi and Washington controlling proceedings.Dube chipped in with a solid shift, picking up a wicket apiece in the 13th and 15th overs, both with short balls. He first dismissed Myers, and then had Johnathan Campbell holing out. In the over in between, he ran Raza out with a direct hit at the bowler’s end. All this left Zimbabwe struggling at 90 for 6.Dube eventually finished with 2 for 25, while Abhishek and Deshpande also picked up a wicket apiece with the game going out of Zimbabwe’s grasp. Faraz Akram (27 off 13) entertained the home crowd with two fours and two sixes late in the innings before being caught behind off Mukesh in the 19th over. No. 11 Ngarava then had no answer to a full, fast delivery, and Mukesh finished with his best T20I figures – 4 for 22.Dube was adjudged Player of the Match for his 12-ball 26 and 2 for 25. Washington claimed the Player-of-the-Series trophy for his eight wickets at an average of 11.62 and an economy rate of 5.16.
With the 2024/25 season coming to a close, clubs have been fighting it out for the major trophies. The EFL Cup was wrapped up in February, with Newcastle United winning their first gong for 55 years, while the FA Cup went to Crystal Palace as they secured their first major trophy.
Both clubs overcame top opposition at Wembley to defy the odds on their way to silverware, with Liverpool and Manchester City on the wrong end of painful defeats under the arch.
Liverpool and Arsenal were the ones fighting it out for the Premier League crown, but it was the Reds who prevailed, in the process winning their 20th top-flight title.
And Tottenham Hotspur won the battle of the Premier League strugglers in the Europa League final, with their first major honour for nearly two decades coming at the expense of Manchester United, who will finish in the bottom region of the league table alongside the Lilywhites despite their progress in Europe.
Meanwhile, Chelsea lifted the Conference League and the first edition of the newly expanded Club World Cup.
Here, we take a look at the most trophies won by English clubs, with a detailed look at the top 11.
For this list, minor competitions like the Community Shield and the Intertoto Cup have not been taken into consideration, while ‘European cups’ does not include the UEFA Super Cup, though these are counted alongside honours such as the Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Rank
Team
League titles
Domestic cups
European cups
Others
Total
Liverpool
20
18
9
5
Man Utd
20
19
5
3
Arsenal
13
16
2
0
Chelsea
6
13
7
4
Man City
10
15
2
2
Aston Villa
7
12
1
1
Tottenham
2
12
4
0
Everton
9
5
1
0
Newcastle
4
7
1
0
Blackburn
3
7
0
0
Nottingham Forest
1
6
2
1
11 Nottingham Forest 10 trophies
Nottingham Forest'sMurillocelebrates scoring their first goal with Nottingham Forest's AnthonyElangaand Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood
Nottingham Forest enjoyed their finest season in decades, finishing seventh in the Premier League table and qualifying for Europe. They haven’t won a major trophy since the League Cup back in 1990 under the leadership of Brian Clough, the most successful manager in the club’s history.
He led the team to their first and only top-flight title in 1978, before claiming back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. Add in four League Cups, and it is no wonder why so many loved Cloughie. Forest have also won two FA Cups and a European Super Cup, taking their total to 10 major trophies won.
Competition
Times won
Last won
First Division
1
1978
FA Cup
2
1959
League Cup
4
1990
European Cup
2
1980
European Super Cup
1
1979
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Blackburn Rovers haven’t been in the top flight since 2012, but they rank joint-10th with Forest in terms of most successful English clubs.
All but two of their major trophies came before 1930, winning two league titles and six FA Cups. They ended an 81-year drought for a league title by winning the Premier League in 1995, while Graeme Souness won the League Cup during the 2001/02 season.
This remains the last time the club lifted silverware.
9 Newcastle United 11 trophies
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe reacts
Before winning the EFL Cup in 2025, Newcastle United had the longest drought of any club in England that has won at least one major trophy. Indeed, the last time Newcastle had lifted silverware before 2025, the Beatles were still together and the Vietnam War was ongoing as the Magpies won the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
The Toon have won four league titles in their history, along with claiming six FA Cup titles. The last of these came in 1927 and 1955 respectively.
Eddie Howe’s charges will now surely have their eyes on further success, particularly as they return to Europe and look to place themselves among Europe’s elite for the foreseeable future.
8 Everton 15 trophies
Everton have enjoyed brief periods of success during their history before going through long droughts.
Up until the 1940s, the Toffees had won five league titles and two FA Cups prior to enduring a quiet period. League titles in 1963 and 1970 sandwiched an FA Cup triumph in 1966.
Since then, only four more trophies have been won by the Goodison Park outfit, with the last one coming in 1995. They will have to wait until next year to end this drought.
7 Tottenham Hotspur 18 trophies
Much was made about Tottenham Hotspur’s trophy drought, which stretched back to 2008, as a club of their size should have claimed a couple of major honours since.
It took them 17 years to taste cup glory since Jonathan Woodgate’s winner saw them beat Chelsea in the EFL Cup final, with their 2025 Europa League final against Manchester United handing Ange Postecoglou the chance to break the club’s hoodoo – one that he took.
Brennan Johnson’s scrappy goal in Bilbao ended that long wait for major silverware, with Spurs lifting the Europa League trophy for a third time, with their latest triumph their fourth on the continent, having won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963.
Overall, Spurs have won 18 major trophies throughout their history, with their other 14 being domestic honours, including eight FA Cups. Almost bizarrely, they have not even been in an FA Cup final since 1991, yet have played in two European finals in the time that has followed.
Meanwhile, their league titles tally stands at two, with their last one coming in 1961. Only time will tell if their Europa League triumph proves to be a catalyst for more success in the future.
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ByRoss Kilvington May 22, 2025 6 Aston Villa 21 trophies
Aston Villa’s main period of success came during the late part of the 19th century and early years of the 20th century. The club won six league titles and six FA Cups during this period.
Arguably, their finest achievement has been winning the European Cup in 1982, defeating Bayern Munich in the final. This came after they had secured their seventh top-flight title the season before.
A total of 21 major trophies have been won by the Midlands side, but you’d have to go back to 1996 for the last time they lifted anything of note.
5 Manchester City 29 trophies
Manchester City have benefited from being taken over by wealthy owners as, before the takeover in 2008, City had won just nine major honours.
The last 17 years have seen the club claim eight league titles, three FA Cups, a Champions League title and six League Cup trophies.
Pep Guardiola turned City into arguably the finest team of the Premier League era, but the club’s struggles in 2024/25 were summed up by a second successive FA Cup final defeat – most recently to Crystal Palace – when victories would have seen them tie with Arsenal in the overall list.
4 Chelsea 30 trophies
Chelsea’s success during the first 20 years of the 21st century was undoubtedly down to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Between 2003 and 2022, the Blues won 20 major trophies, including five Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.
It wasn’t until 1955 that the club won their first league title, while they had to wait until 1970 to win the FA Cup. Recently, Enzo Maresca led the club to a Conference League triumph and the expanded FIFA Club World Cup title in his first season.
3 Arsenal 31 trophies
While Spurs and Newcastle get flak for their respective trophy droughts, Arsenal have won just one FA Cup in the last eight years.
Overall, though, the Gunners have won a total of 31 major honours since their formation in 1886, including a record 14 FA Cup wins.
Furthermore, they have also won 13 league titles throughout their history, along with two European trophies – the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.
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ByRoss Kilvington Oct 30, 2024 2 Manchester United 47 trophies
Manchester United rank second on this list, courtesy of winning a staggering 47 trophies in their history. Two managers won the bulk of these honours – Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Indeed, Busby won eight major trophies, culminating in the 1968 European Cup triumph, 10 years after the Munich air disaster. The Red Devils went through a slump until Ferguson managed to work his magic. By 2013, he had won 28 trophies throughout an iconic spell.
They have some work to do to reach number one, however…
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As they did at the start of this season, Arsenal will go into next year as one of the clear favourites to win the Premier League.
While such an expectation now feels entirely normal, it wasn’t just a few years ago, as the 22/23 campaign marked the first season in a long time that the Gunners mounted a serious challenge for the title.
Mikel Arteta’s side failed to even qualify for the Champions League the year prior but came flying out of the gate and came painfully close to becoming champions with the exciting wing play of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, two of the club’s stand-out players.
While the former has only improved since then, the latter has struggled to match the 22 goal involvements he produced in 46 games, but the board might be about to sign a centre-forward who could help him get back to his best.
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With Arsenal clearly needing another striker as far back as last summer, the club have been linked with a whole host of free-scoring forwards this year, from Alexander Isak to Benjamin Sesko.
Transfer Focus
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The former would probably be most people’s preferred option, as he’s proven in the Premier League and has been in incredible form this season, scoring 27 goals and providing six assists in just 40 appearances for Newcastle United.
However, with reports from earlier this year claiming that he could cost in excess of £150m, it seems incredibly unlikely that this is a deal that gets done.
Sesko, on the other hand, could cost around £58m this summer, and considering he’s managed to rack up a tally of 21 goals and six assists in 43 appearances for RB Leipzig, that might just be a reasonable fee.
Yet, as the Slovenian is still just 21 years old, the North Londoners might want a more senior marksman leading the line next year, which is where Viktor Gyokeres comes in.
According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have maintained their strong interest in the Sporting CP superstar ahead of the summer transfer window.
In fact, the report has revealed that the Gunners have now made an opening bid of €60m for the Swedish superstar, which is about £51m, and considered likely to be too low.
Sporting CP's ViktorGyokerescelebrates after the match
The good news is that the Portuguese giants are willing to sell him for less than his €100m – £85m – release clause, but the bad news is that the likes of Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan are also all keen to secure the 26-year-old’s services.
It would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Gyokeres’ immense ability in front of goal, it is one well worth fighting for, especially as he could get Martinelli back to his best.
Why Gyokeres could get Martinelli back to his best
Let’s say that Arsenal have their bid accepted, or they increase and get their man that way; why would Gyokeres help get Martinelli back to his 22/23 best?
Sporting Club's Francisco Trinaco and Viktor Gyokeres.
Well, while there are a few different reasons, they fundamentally all come back to one thing: his output.
For example, in 50 appearances last season, totalling 4169 minutes, the prolific “monster,” as dubbed by journalist Alex Turk, scored 43 goals and provided 15 assists.
Appearances
50
49
Minutes
4169′
3948′
Goals
43
52
Assists
15
12
Goal Involvements per Match
1.16
1.30
Minutes per Goal Involvement
71.87′
61.68′
That means he averaged 1.16 goal involvements per game for the entire campaign, or, in other words, he produced one every 71.87 minutes.
However, if that wasn’t good enough, he’s doing even better this season, as in 49 appearances, totalling 3948 minutes, the Stockholm-born sensation has scored 52 goals and provided 12 assists.
Such an incredible level of output means the 26-capped international is averaging 1.30 goal involvements per game at the moment, or one every 61.68 minutes.
Just imagine a striker as unbelievably efficient as him starting to the right of the Gunners’ number 11; his goal and assist numbers would explode.
Moreover, the sheer presence of someone so clinical in the frontline will force opposition defences to focus more attention on him, thus opening up more space for Saka and the rapid Brazilian to exploit.
Ultimately, Arsenal should do all they can to sign Gyokeres this summer, as not only would his goals make a significant difference on their own, but he’d also surely help Martinelli get back to his very best.
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Arsenal have a huge summer ahead of them if they are to finally make the step-up and end their generational wait for a Premier League title triumph.
Mikel Arteta has led the Gunners to a second-placed finish in each of the last two seasons, looking increasingly likely to finish in the same position once again this time around.
Additions are needed in the summer if they are to push for a title battle, with squad depth needed in key areas of the pitch to prevent a repeat of the situation that has occurred this campaign.
Arsenal manager MikelArtetareacts
Injuries have plagued the squad, leading to various players having to operate in unfamiliar roles, restricting the progress the Gunners have made under the Spaniard’s guidance.
However, with the summer rapidly approaching, new sporting director Andrea Berta has wasted no time in identifying targets to improve the squad and help mount their title ambitions.
The latest on Arsenal’s pursuit of new attackers this summer
In recent days, Arsenal have taken the lead in the race for Athletic Club’s Spanish forward Nico Williams, with Barcelona pulling out of the running to land the 22-year-old.
The youngster has been on the club’s radar over the last couple of years, but it appears Berta looks set to reignite interest in his signature over the coming months.
Athletic Bilbao'sNicoWilliamscelebrates scoring their third goal
A previous report has claimed that the Gunners are willing to trigger his £50m release clause within his current contract in an attempt to bolster Arteta’s forward line ahead of 2025/26.
However, other names have already been thrown into the mix, with Real Betis winger Jesus Rodriguez the latest name touted with a summer deal to the Emirates.
According to a report from CaughtOffside, Arteta’s men are leading the race for the 19-year-old’s signature but also face stiff competition from Liverpool and Chelsea for the star, who has a £42m release clause.
Why Rodriguez would be better than Williams for Arsenal
Williams will undoubtedly be top of many fans shopping list ahead of the summer transfer window, with his figures at the top level of LaLiga nothing short of sensational.
Spain star Nico Williams
He would undoubtedly provide the options which the manager has been hunting for in recent months, offering a solution to their ongoing injury issues.
However, the same could be said for fellow target Rodriguez, with the compatriot potentially a better and cheaper alternative than the Athletic Club sensation.
It’s been the 19-year-old’s breakthrough year as a professional, playing a key role in the club’s hunt to claim Europa Conference League glory come the end of the season.
When comparing their respective stats from the current season, Rodriguez has managed to outperform fellow target Williams in numerous key areas – highlighting how much of an impressive addition he would be in North London.
Games played
15
27
Goals & assists
1
10
Shot-on-target accuracy
37%
36%
Pass accuracy
72%
70%
Tackles won
1.6
1.2
Take-on success
97%
36%
Carries into final third
3.4
2.6
Fouls won
3.6
1.6
The winger, who’s been labelled “outstanding” by analyst Ben Mattinson, may have registered fewer combined goals and assists, but has managed to notch a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate – showcasing his clinical nature in attacking areas.
He’s also managed to complete more take-ons this season, whilst also registering more carries into the final third per 90, highlighting the threat he carries with the ball at his feet.
Rodriguez is a threat at both ends of the pitch, winning more tackles per 90, having the defensive quality and work ethic to regain possession should the Gunners find themselves under the cosh.
Either winger would massively bolster the attacking department in North London, certainly providing the reinforcements Arteta has craved over the last couple of months.
Real Betis'JesusRodriguezcelebrates scoring their second goal
But given the age difference and contrast in quality, the hierarchy must certainly push for Rodriguez’s signature, desperately needing to pursue a move to avoid missing out on him to an English rival.
Imagine him & Gyokeres: Arsenal leading the race to sign £50m sensation
Arsenal could be about to massively improve their forward line ahead of 2025/26.
Eighteen years ago, Delhi had to choose between two local players. They did not choose Kohli and the rest is history
Matt Roller26-Apr-20252:23
Will it be another happy homecoming for Kohli in Delhi?
When Virat Kohli walks out of the away team dressing room in the pavilion that bears his name at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, it will be tempting to wonder what might have been. As the IPL turns 18, Kohli remains the only player to have represented the same franchise in every single season – but it is not the team based in his hometown.It remains the biggest missed opportunity in IPL history. In February 2008, two months before the league’s launch, Delhi Daredevils (as they were then known) were lining up local players for their first squad. “In the mandatory under-22 category, we have identified Virat Kohli, Pradeep Sangwan and Tanmay Srivastava,” TA Sekhar, their head of cricket operations, said at the time.The move made perfect sense: Kohli was the India Under-19 captain, born and raised in Delhi, and had already represented the state team in the Ranji Trophy and in white-ball cricket. And yet, one month later, Kohli was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the inaugural IPL season. He has never left, and has declared that he never will.The chain of events started with a frenzied backdrop as the league hurried towards its launch. “Everything was done with an unhealthy rush,” recalls Charu Sharma, who was appointed chief executive of RCB by owner Vijay Mallya in early 2008. “The juggernaut started in late 2007… To get a league of this magnitude up and running in three-and-a-half months was just ridiculous.”Related
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Five ‘icon’ players were signed before the initial auction in mid-February, after which teams began to approach unsigned players directly. Franchises were told to sign a minimum of four Under-22 players, and a minimum of four from their local ‘catchment area’, prompting a race for the best young talent – including India’s Under-19s.Sharma reached out to Karnataka’s Manish Pandey, who fit both criteria for RCB, and asked him to commit to the franchise in writing. “It wasn’t a contract, just a two-liner to say, ‘It’s OK by me’ because we wanted to make it legitimate,'” Sharma says. “Manish said, ‘Thank you so much, I’m very happy,’ but a day or so later, I still hadn’t heard from him. I said, ‘What’s going on?'”Pandey was with India’s squad at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, and agents had caught wind of an opportunity. “He told me that agents had landed from India and were running around the hotel, promising people all sorts of things,” Sharma explains. “The boys were being pestered by these agents saying, ‘Sign with me, I’ll get you a better deal.’ It was quite disturbing.”Sharma escalated the matter to Mallya and his fellow CEOs at other franchises. The BCCI soon issued a diktat that, for the duration of the World Cup, the Under-19 players were strictly off-limits. In the meantime, a new system was proposed: they would be selected via a draft at a second, smaller player auction in mid-March, with each team picking up two players.The mechanism was straightforward: each team would have two picks in a double-draft, with the first team drawn at random picking first and 16th, the second team picking second and 15th, and so on. Salaries were capped at US$30,000 for the Under-19s – or $50,000 for those who, like Kohli, had already played for their state teams in the Ranji Trophy.Virat Kohli is playing his 18th IPL season for RCB•Associated Press”Lo and behold, the first name to come out of the bag was Delhi Daredevils,” Sharma says. “There was a collective groan, with everyone thinking, ‘OK, Kohli is gone.’ He was captain of the team, the best player, and he was from Delhi. And to everyone’s surprise, they got into a huddle, and after a few moments, they said, ‘We’ll take the left-arm seamer: Pradeep Sangwan.'”The decision had cricketing logic: the Daredevils squad was already stacked with batting. In the first auction, they had signed Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, AB de Villiers, Dinesh Karthik, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Manoj Tiwary; in the interim, they had recruited Shikhar Dhawan and Mithun Manhas among their ‘catchment’ players.Sangwan, another Delhi boy, was considered a star in the making. “He was touted as one of the next big things for India,” recalls Abhinav Mukund, who was part of the India Under-19 World Cup squad. “India was going through a left-arm pace obsession at that point with Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan. He bowled really well throughout that tournament, and had some pace too.”Sehwag, the Daredevils ‘icon’ player, was an advocate for Sangwan’s selection. They both grew up in the same western suburb, Najafgarh, and Sehwag had played a role in Sangwan’s call-up to Delhi’s state teams in 2007. Sekhar, the franchise’s head of cricket operations, had also played a prominent role in his development, working with him at the MRF Academy.When RCB had the second pick, they had no hesitation at all. “We took about a quarter of a quarter of a quarter-second, and said, ‘Virat Kohli, thank you,'” Sharma says, laughing. “I don’t think anybody knew that he would become a big global superstar, but he was certainly showing all the signs of being the best Under-19 player in India.”Even as he was fast-tracked into India’s national set-up, Kohli was not an immediate success at RCB. Across the first three IPL seasons, he averaged 21.75 and scored only two half-centuries, primarily batting at No. 5 or 6; it came as something of a surprise when he was the franchise’s only retention ahead of the 2011 mega-auction. But the fact remains that no other team since has ever had the opportunity to sign Kohli; it is unlikely they ever will.”I’ve been approached many times to come into the auction,” he told an RCB podcast in 2022. “[But] what this franchise has given me in terms of opportunity in the first three years, and believed in me, that is the most special thing.” Kohli has been retained for 17 consecutive seasons, and declared when quitting the captaincy in 2021 that he would be an RCB player “until my retirement”.Sangwan, meanwhile, started well at Delhi: in 2009, he took 15 wickets as the Daredevils finished top of the table in South Africa. But as Kohli soared, he never kicked on as intended: he struggled to get a game when he joined Kolkata Knight Riders, and served an 18-month ban in 2013-14 after testing positive for a banned steroid. Now 34, he has not played a professional game in 15 months.Kohli’s standing in Delhi is as strong as ever, no matter his association with a rival IPL franchise: when he made an improbable return to their Ranji Trophy side in January, crowds estimated at more than 10,000 came to watch. Sunday will be his first RCB game in the city since 2023, with both teams chasing a win which will boost their chances of a top-two finish.But in that regard, at least, Sangwan has the upper hand. For all that Delhi’s decision to sign him ahead of Kohli is remembered as the IPL’s greatest recruitment blunder, Sangwan has been part of two title-winning squads: at KKR in 2012, and with Gujarat Titans a decade later. Kohli, RCB and DC are all still on the hunt for their first IPL trophy.
He was, for most of us, not just a cricketing idol but a member of our family – one we could turn to for hope and comfort
Alagappan Muthu24-Apr-2023There is an essential component to fake news. The consumer has to want to believe it. So it needs to be something seductive. Something evocative. Something that feeds into the popular belief.When Barack Obama was the US president, a quote was once ascribed to him, where he wanted to understand why his country’s GDP went down every time Sachin Tendulkar went out to bat. (Presumably because all the Indian Americans were too busy watching cricket to be productive at work.)There is nothing in the public record to substantiate a single word of this. Yet it caught on like a college nickname. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make sense, it’s out there now and everybody else likes it.Somewhere in the meme-ification of this story is the truth of what one man meant to more than a billion people. We didn’t stop at any of the red flags. We saw a world leader known for being thoughtful and genuine praising our childhood hero and we wanted it to be true because it made us feel good.Sachin just made us feel good.It’s his birthday today. His 50th. And there is a thing he used to do whenever he reached that milestone on the field. He’d tilt his head to one side, raise his bat but not all the way up, just sort of shoulder-height, with the face tilted down. And if the sun caught him at the right angle, the shadow from the visor of his helmet would hide his eyes, giving off major boss vibes.Related
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It has been ten years since he retired, but the biggest batting records continue to bear his name. Most runs. Most hundreds. Most fifties. Some of those records might stand all the way until the end of time. And some of them are only under threat because, a) his successor is also ridiculously prolific, and b) the white ball don’t reverse-swing no more.Statistics, though, are only tools. They can, at best, guide us when there is a choice to be made. The decision itself comes from a far more primal place.Look and feel.And Sachin offered up a ton of both. Straight drives with so little fuss it felt like the fulfilment of a pact. “Just be a good ball and go for four, okay?” Back-foot punches that combined the grace of a ballet dancer with the power of a heavyweight fighter. And those flicks. If they could talk, they’d be like, “Come on, man. Don’t make it this easy.” He was geometric perfection. But also a bit cheeky. Sometimes, when the required rate was getting to him, he would play a shot that didn’t make sense even as it happened right before our eyes. An inside-out drive for six over cover to a ball pitching outside leg stump. That stuff was freestyle. That stuff was gangsta.Plus, he went and did all this to the best of the best. Wasim Akram. Shane Warne. Courtney Walsh. Glenn McGrath. Muthiah Muralidaran. This five-foot nothing prodigy made world-beating his day job, and that at a time when Indians didn’t fancy themselves capable of such audacity. This is how he made people who had no connection to him want good things for him. By that definition alone, he became like family. He became the stranger we kept calling by first name.Legitimacy helped. Especially when it came from the greatest batter in history. “I’ve only seen Tendulkar on the television,” Sir Don Bradman said, “And I was very, very struck by his technique and I asked my wife to come and have a look at him because I said, ‘I never saw myself play but I feel that this fella is playing much the same as I used to play’.”
Suddenly Sachin’s greatness started to make sense. He got so good because he wanted to make everybody – including himself – happy
Legendary innings helped. Sharjah 1998. Chennai 1999. Centurion 2003. But really, the relationship between a player and a fan – more specifically between Sachin and his fans – was personal. Some 19-year-olds right now probably owe their very existence to that six he hit off Shoaib Akhtar.I went to a house party in college. My crush was there. I was worried I’d spend the whole thing gawking at her and being weird. Fortunately the TV was showing a rerun of the CB Series final of 2008, allowing me to gawk at that and be weird in a less embarrassing way.I have not seen peak Sachin first-hand. The Perth century. The Qadir takedown. The Desert Storm. My memories of him are all of the accumulator that he became later in his career. The artist who became a technician, culling all the risk out of his game in order to increase productivity. But there was still some magic left. Like Chennai 2008, where his only Test-match-winning century in a chase came just a few days after a terror attack on his city.It was one of his more bespoke innings. He left nothing to chance. Not even the fate of his non-striker. For 42 overs, he was the voice inside Yuvraj Singh’s head. And when it was done, he dedicated the win to the people of Mumbai and hoped it might in some small way ease their pain. Stone-cold precision born out of warmth, feeling and empathy. Suddenly Sachin’s greatness started to make sense. He got so good because he wanted to make everybody – including himself – happy.He has tried to do the same after the end of his career as well, but it has probably not had the same effect. Mindful of the way the Indian media functions, grabbing anything he says and turning it into a headline, he exercises an abundance of caution in all of his public appearances. He tries so hard not to say the wrong thing that he ends up barely saying anything.We are pushing it, of course, asking a private citizen to be more vocal just because at one point he used to carry all of our hopes and dreams. And it feels very on brand that even on his birthday, we’re the ones asking for presents. It was deeply unfair for us to burden him that way in the first place and it was remarkable that he was able to shoulder that weight for so long. Sachin doesn’t belong to us anymore. He belongs to Anjali, Arjun and Sara now. And he’s earned the break. Twenty-four years of being at our beck and call is enough. Probably.