There might be another 90 minutes to play, but for most Arsenal fans, the season is now done.

Instead of looking forward to what is now a pretty meaningless Premier League game on Sunday afternoon, supporters are beginning to dream about what the club might do in the summer transfer window.

After all, after last year, new Sporting Director Andrea Berta has a big job on his hands convincing them that the board are prepared to go all in to finally get the club over the line next season.

Fortunately, recent reports have now touted an international superstar for a move to the Gunners, someone who is just the sort of signing fans have been crying out for and someone who’d be a dream addition for Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal transfer news

The last few weeks have seen Arsenal linked to a plethora of incredibly talented footballers, such as Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze.

Transfer Focus

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

The former could end up costing the club as little as £55m if reports are to be believed, which may well be one of the deals of the summer, as in just 51 games this term, he has scored 53 goals and provided 13 assists.

Eze, on the other hand, will cost around £68m due to a release clause in his current deal, although again, thanks to his ability to play in multiple positions and the fact he’s racked up 25 goal involvements in 42 games this season, makes that fee seem more than reasonable.

However, to really help take the team to another level and across the finishing line next season, Arteta and Co may want to sign a bonafide superstar, someone like Rodrygo.

According to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are “now seriously considering” moving for the Real Madrid star.

The journalist has revealed that talks have already “begun behind the scenes” and that the deal is “on.”

The report does not mention a price, but according to other stories from earlier this month, the Brazilian winger could be available for around £85m.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get done, but given Rodrygo’s stature and ability, it’s one worth pushing the boat out for, especially as it would seriously help Saka as well.

Why Rodrygo would be a dream signing for Saka

So, if Arsenal are able to get the deal done and bring Rodryo to the Emirates this summer, just why would his signing be such a good thing for Saka?

Well, the first thing is that he’d finally be able to take some of the burden off his shoulders, as not only is he a natural left-winger, but he’s one who knows just where the goal is.

Said to be among the “best players in the world” by Carlo Ancelotti, in 52 appearances last season, he scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 52 games, which worked out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.92 games.

Then this season, even though Los Blancos have struggled more, he’s still managed to put up impressive numbers of 13 goals and 10 assists in 50 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.17 games.

For context, Gabriel Martinelli has scored ten goals and provided six assists in as many games, and Leandro Trossard has scored ten goals and provided nine assists in 55 games.

Appearances

50

50

55

Minutes

3290′

3493′

3428′

Goals

13

10

10

Assists

10

6

9

Goal Involvements per Match

0.46

0.32

0.34

Minutes per Goal Involvement

143.04′

218.31′

180.42′

So, with someone as effective as the Brazilian off the left, the Gunners mercurial number seven wouldn’t have to do quite as much himself, which could help him perform better.

The next significant benefit to signing the Real ace is that he’s more than comfortable playing off the right as well, so Arteta could more easily rest the Hale End superstar and help prevent him from suffering any more serious injuries.

Finally, during his time in Madrid, the Osasco-born dynamo has won everything there is to win in the club game, from league titles to the Champions League, so his know-how in those tense must-win games could finally help the North Londoners get over the line next season, and in turn, help Saka achieve his dreams of leading the team to glory.

Ultimately, while he’ll cost them a pretty penny, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign Rodrygo this summer, as not only would he help elevate the whole team, but he could also be the perfect teammate for Saka.

Arteta has struck gold on Arsenal star worth millions more than Mbeumo

Bryan Mbeumo has been linked with a move to Arsenal this summer.

ByJack Salveson Holmes May 21, 2025

Celtic made a bold decision in the January transfer window at the start of this year when they opted to sell Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes for a reported fee of £10m.

The Japan international scored 85 goals in 165 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants during his time at Parkhead, including 34 goals in the 2022/23 campaign.

Despite losing the prolific goalscorer midway through the campaign, the Hoops opted against dipping into the market to sign a replacement for him, although they were linked with an interest in Danish forward Mathias Kvistgaarden.

What Mathias Kvistgaarden could bring to Celtic

The Scottish Premiership champions reportedly made an approach to sign the Brondby striker in January, but failed to get a deal over the line for him, and are reportedly looking at him once again ahead of the summer.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

If the Hoops do decide to go through with a swoop for him ahead of next season, Kvistgaarden could be an exciting addition to the squad, considering his impressive record in Denmark.

The 23-year-old striker has scored 16 goals, and missed 14 ‘big chances’, in 24 starts in the Danish Superliga, and scored 22 goals in all competitions for Brondby, which suggests that he could arrive as a big goalscoring threat at an age where he still has time left to develop and improve.

His form has led to Transfermarkt valuing the forward at £6.7m at the time of writing (20/05/2025), which is even lower than the player Celtic essentially replaced Kyogo with, Daizen Maeda.

Rodgers has hit the jackpot with Daizen Maeda

The Japan international has played on the wing for the majority of his Celtic career, but Kyogo’s move to Rennes in January provided him with an opportunity to play more games as a striker.

He had only played two matches as a centre-forward in all competitions before the turn of the year, and has since played eight times in that role, splitting number nine duties with Adam Idah.

As you can see in the table above, that change in position has been a masterstroke by Brendan Rodgers, who has hit the jackpot with the forward, because he has been directly involved in 18 goals in just ten games as a striker.

His market value has also soared as a result of that change. Maeda was valued at £6.7m, as much as Kvistgaarden, in December 2024, and is now valued at £9.3m by Transfermarkt at the time of writing, which shows that the versatile star is now worth even more than the Celtic transfer target.

The Japanese whiz, who was described as “unbelievable” by Rodgers, has thrived due to the positional change that the manager opted to make after Kyogo left, and has proven himself to be more than capable of being a starting centre-forward for Celtic.

Therefore, the Hoops have hit the jackpot with the 27-year-old star, who may have just alleviated the need to splash the cash on Kvistgaarden this summer, as the club now have him and Idah available to lead the line heading into next season.

Worse than Scales: Rodgers must axe Celtic flop for the cup final

Rodgers must drop this Celtic flop who was even worse than Liam Scales.

By
Dan Emery

May 17, 2025

The alleged incident happened during the 2023 ODI World Cup, for which he has been suspended for two days and will be “terminated immediately” after; Phil Simmons takes over his role

Mohammad Isam15-Oct-2024

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has been sacked by the BCB for the alleged “assault” of a player during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He has been suspended for 48 hours in lieu of a notice period, and he is to be “terminated immediately” after that period. He was also served a show-cause notice by the board.The BCB also announced the appointment of Phil Simmons, the former Zimbabwe, Ireland, West Indies and Afghanistan head coach, as Bangladesh’s interim head coach until the Champions Trophy in February 2025.”Hathurusinghe has two counts of misconduct,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed said at a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday. “First is about an assault on a player. Secondly, he took too many leaves, more than what was in his contract.”The suspension-cum-sacking is because of an incident at the 2023 World Cup when, during a match against New Zealand in Chennai, Hathurusinghe allegedly hit a player during one of the drinks breaks. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the player had had a slightly delayed reaction to the drinks break – he had been tasked with taking drinks out to his batters in the middle – prompting Hathurusinghe’s reaction. Apparent eyewitnesses reported the incident to the BCB’s higher-ups in Kolkata two weeks later, but it went unaddressed.Ahmed also said that Hathurusinghe was guilty of misconduct as a BCB employee because of all the extra leave he took. ESPNcricinfo understands that Hathurusinghe’s contract with the BCB capped his leave at 45 days per year, but he took 112 days in 2023 and 59 days till date in 2024.The BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury handed over a letter to Hathurusinghe, informing him of the decision, at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, hours before Ahmed’s media announcement.”There were couple of incidents about the current coach which, for me as a former player, were quite painful,” Ahmed told the media. “As it doesn’t set a good example for the Bangladesh team, we have served him with a show-cause notice and suspension from duty as head coach today. His suspension is for a 48-hour notice period, which we are not bound to give him. But we did it out of courtesy as he is an international figure. We have suspended him, and with immediate effect afterwards he will be terminated.”There was a misconduct with a player, and misconduct as an employee. He also spent more than three months [on leave], that is also a large part of his misconduct. He informed us in a scattered way, in one or two emails, that he has to go home. It can’t be for more than three months. Even as a board president, I cannot do what I want. I am guided by some rules. It is the norm. So there was a serious breach in that regard.”BCB not naming player involved in incident: ‘The victim is not very comfortable about it’Ahmed would not name the player involved in the alleged assault incident. “It was a sad incident for the particular player. I am not defending anyone, anything might happen in the heat of the moment, but you cannot hit a player. It is not on. This is the right punishment. It should have happened some time ago,” he said.”The victim is not very comfortable about it. I will not mention his name. We will only talk about the misconduct. This incident shouldn’t have happened.”Ahmed said he had read about the incident before he became the BCB chief, and he started an investigation after being elected to the post in August.”I investigated myself. I spoke to the victim. I spoke to the eyewitnesses,” Ahmed said. “Both of their versions are already in the report. [The incident] was mentioned in a previous report.”I remember feeling really disappointed when I read about the incident last year. I felt something should have be been done about it at the time. The ICC is quite strong about racism and abuse. They would be more serious about assault.”Hathurusinghe returned for his second stint as Bangladesh coach in February 2023. In August this year, shortly after Ahmed was appointed as board president, he had said that Hathurusinghe should no longer continue as Bangladesh’s head coach. Ahmed said Hathurusinghe’s sacking had nothing to do with “personal reasons” though.”When I spoke about Hathurusinghe previously [before being elected BCB president], I spoke as a former player who was assessing a coach. I said at the time that he doesn’t have much more to give to Bangladesh. My decision today isn’t influenced by personal reasons.Under Hathurusinghe, Bangladesh produced underwhelming performances during last year’s ODI World Cup and this year’s T20 World Cup. His biggest achievement in this stint was Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan in August. It was their maiden win in Pakistan, and first overseas Test series win in 15 years. However, following that, in India, they lost 2-0 in the Tests and 3-0 in the T20Is which included a 133-run thrashing in the third match.Simmons appointed after BCB speaks to ‘a number of coaches’Ahmed expressed satisfaction at Simmons being appointed interim head coach. He said that they got a coach with a good track record, who has worked in several countries and with several franchises. He said that Simmons will be the head coach from the home Test series that starts against South Africa starting next week, running up till the Champions Trophy in February 2025. In this period, Bangladesh will also play an ODI series against Afghanistan and tour the West Indies for an all-format gig.”We have appointed Phil Simmons for the interim period. His initial contract is up to the Champions Trophy. He was head coach in different countries. He has a very good track record. He has worked with many franchises, including tournaments like the Pakistan Super League and Major League Cricket.”He has had a healthy career as a coach. We spoke to a number of coaches, and we got a really hard-working guy.”

da pinnacle： Chelsea are set for a hectic next few days, as they attempt to take advantage of this unique registration period and sign new players before the June 10 deadline.

Chelsea attempting winger signing before Club World Cup

da mrbet： Despite reported talks for targets in other positions, there is a belief among some reliable media sources that Chelsea hold a serious desire to upgrade their wide options after completing a deal for Liam Delap.

Related £80m forward clear he wants to join Chelsea with "positive talks" held

Enzo Maresca’s side are very active in the market right now.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jun 6, 2025

Chelsea haven’t given up on signing AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan, who’s told the Rossoneri he wants a move to Stamford Bridge, but plans to bring in a winger have also been accelerated after the departure of Jadon Sancho.

Sancho returns to Man United after Chelsea failed to agree personal terms with the £300,000-per-week forward, and they will now pay a £5 million penalty fee to Ruben Amorim’s side after opting out of the obligation to buy in his contract.

This leaves Maresca a wide-man short, and Myhkailo Mudryk also remains ineligible due to his on-field ban for failing a drugs test.

“Chelsea’s next priority after Liam Delap is a right-footed left winger,” said reliable journalist Ben Jacobs on X this week.

“Alejandro Garnacho, Nico Williams and Jamie Gittens are three names under consideration. The desire to add another winger is more with Mykhailo Mudryk’s absence in mind. Process likely to take time regardless of the outcome.

“Another forward is also possible as Christopher Nkunku is expected to leave. This could be another number nine, despite faith in Nicolas Jackson. Or it could be a versatile attacking midfielder. Chelsea will be opportunistic should Morgen Rogers become available, but Aston Villa have no intention to sell even with a tight PSR position.”

Movement has occurred behind-the-scenes in Chelsea’s pursuit of some targets, mainly Williams and Gittens.

Chelsea have informed Williams’ agents that they’re prepared to pay his £50 million release clause, and have been pushing for Gittens as an alternative to the Spain winger recently (Simon Phillips).

Chelsea propose swap deal in discussions for Mohammed Kudus

According to reports from the last 24 hours, Maresca’s side do have another option – West Ham United star Mohammed Kudus.

The Ghanaian’s contract includes an £85 million release clause, which becomes active in July, but the Hammers are open to entertaining other offers.

That is according to The Mirror and journalist Ryan Taylor, who report that Chelsea have held talks with West Ham over Kudus. The Blues are said to have proposed a “multi-player-package deal” during these discussions, meaning they’re prepared to use more than one squad member as makeweights to bring the African’s price down.

However, West Ham are not interested in a transfer of this nature, meaning Chelsea may have to go back in with another proposal if they’re to strike a deal for the 24-year-old.

Kudus is widely expected to leave the London Stadium, two years after Chelsea tried to sign him from Ajax in 2023, and despite a mixed 2024/2025, the former Eredivisie starlet has still impressed in flashes during his time at Rush Green.

“He’s a top, top talent and I think we haven’t seen the best of him yet,” said teammate Aaron Cresswell.

“I won’t go near him in training because I know if I’m going to try to knock him off the ball. I had better make sure he’s not looking and doesn’t see me coming. You just can’t get near him. He’s so strong, so quick, so sharp.”

Yorkshire dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on a four-wicket Vitality County Championship victory over Division Two pacesetters Sussex at Scarborough during the fourth morning to boost their hopes of promotion.Resuming on 28 for 2 from 10 overs in pursuit of 103, the home side clinched a 21-point haul in exactly an hour’s play despite losing four wickets to offspinner Jack Carson.Opener Adam Lyth top-scored with 40 as Yorkshire claimed their third successive Championship victory dating back to June, consigning the league leaders to only a second defeat in 10 matches this season. The excellent Carson claimed his four consolatory wickets to finish with a career-best 9 for 120 in the match.Yorkshire started this fixture in third, 27 points behind Sussex, but are now only nine adrift with four rounds remaining.The White Rose county have won three Championship matches in a row for the first time since the early stages of 2021 when they beat Kent and Sussex away and Northamptonshire at Headingley.Upon clinching victory, Yorkshire moved to second in the in-play Division Two table – but dropped back to third after Middlesex beat Northamptonshire at Merchant Taylors’ School.Yorkshire and Middlesex face each other at Headingley from Thursday. Sussex, meanwhile, host Derbyshire at Hove next as they look to bounce back from a first defeat since May.Lyth set the tone in the day’s third over when he took back-to-back boundaries off Jaydev Unadkat’s left-arm seam – one flicked to fine-leg and the other cut through backward point.He then pulled Carson over midwicket and cut Ollie Robinson over backward point for sixes in the following two overs, taking the score to 59 for 2. The writing was on the wall for Sussex.They actually started the day minus three on the over rate, with counties deducted a point for each over they are behind the rate.So it was no surprise to see Carson employed early by captain John Simpson in a bid to speed things up. Realistically, improving that was their main target for the day, and they achieved it.Although Lyth led the way, he was importantly helped out by nightwatcher Dan Moriarty, who contributed 17 to a third-wicket partnership of 51. They came together at 18 for 2 late on day three and extinguished Sussex’s slim hopes of a turnaround.Moriarty, Yorkshire’s regular No. 11, was lbw to Carson – 69 for 3 – before the same bowler had Lyth caught behind down leg at the second attempt by Simpson with a further seven runs added to the total.Carson also trapped James Wharton lbw to bring Jonny Bairstow to the crease with only eight to win, and he holed out to deep midwicket for a two-ball duck. Yorkshire captain Jonny Tattersall hit the winning runs.

This is a friendly interruption of your day by our England-loving World Cup enthusiast

Alan Gardner29-May-2019() “It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming…” Yes, that’s right, sir. Cricket is coming home this summer!Sorry, what’s that? Cricket is coming home! England are favourites to win the World Cup for the first time, and in their own backyard (apologies, Wales), thus banishing the painful memories of when it was last held here 20 years ago and they went out before the tournament song had even been released… I assume that’s why you are in such a jovial mood despite the pervading air of gloom above these Brexit Isles?Actually, I was thinking about the upcoming women’s football World Cup in France, where Phil Neville’s brave Lionesses are gunning to bring back the trophy… Ah, okay. Well, that is another upcoming global sporting event, you’re right. But I’m here to tell you about the men’s cricket World Cup, the pinnacle of the game!Do you have to? Now, don’t be like that. England is the cradle of cricket, the guardian of its spirit and traditions, the birthplace of The Hundred… Plus, it’s my job to pique your interest during the following informal/informative chat.Hang on, wasn’t there a World Cup here a couple of years ago, that England won…? Umm, yes. That was the women again. They have won it several times, in fact. But now the men have a good team too, so get ready for wall-to-wall coverage.This isn’t a test? No, don’t worry, you’re not being scored. It’s just for fun!No, I mean, this isn’t Test cricket? Red ball, white clothing, background of indistinct chatter about cake… Oh, right. No, this is 50-over cricket, the one in the middle. All takes place in a day, bit more to chew on than T20.Okay, I get the picture. So how long is this tournament on for? Sit back and strap in, because we have more than six weeks of crickety goodness to pour all over you. The first game is on Thursday, with England taking on South Africa, and the final will take place at Lord’s on July 14.Who said England haven’t won a World Cup before?•AFPLord’s – I’ve heard of that one. Sounds a bit hoity-toity… Yep, it’s pretty famous. aka the Home of Cricket, or HQ (although the fancy moniker is actually a coincidence, since the ground is named after its original 19th century owner, Thomas Lord). It is one of 11 venues being used during the World Cup, the others being: The Oval (also London), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Trent Bridge (Nottingham), Headingley (Leeds), Old Trafford (Manchester), Southampton, Cardiff, Bristol, Taunton and Chester-le-Street.The World Cup goes on for a month and a half? It must involve so many teams! Aahh, well… no, and that’s kind of a sore point. There are only ten teams participating in this one, the smallest number since 1992. The format is everyone-plays-everyone, thereby guaranteeing India, cricket’s most lucrative market, at least nine gam… () Sorry, what I meant to say was it’s a format in which we get all the best teams playing each other in a series of crunch matches with only the top four teams qualifying for the knockout stage.And England are the favourites, you say? () That’s right! They are the No. 1-ranked team, on home soil (host teams have won the last two World Cups), and the bookies fancy them too. We’ve not quite got to the stage of the ).Any other contenders? You can never discount Australia, I suppose. And New Zealand could be handy in English conditions. South Africa have a strong side, even without the retired AB de Villiers, and West Indies seem to have hit form at the right time. This should actually be a really open tournament – although there won’t be many people putting a bet on Sri Lanka, who will wear a kit made from recycled ocean plastic, and sadly, may play like rubbish too.Okay. What about juicy subplots? We’ve got the return to international competition of Steven Smith and David Warner, after their 12-month bans for ball-tampering. Don’t let the sandpaper gags wear you down. Can a team score 500? This country has been the home of huge ODI totals in recent years, and Kohli has suggested England are “obsessed” with becoming the first team to break that mark. Will the white Kookaburra ball swing? (Answer: no).It would be nice if you could guarantee the weather too! We’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope global warming helps us out there. Last summer was an absolute scorcher, so Sod’s Law it will rain throughout June and July. But the semi-finals and final, at least, do have reserve days.So, in summary, it’s a global cricket tournament that England have a genuine chance of winning? Feels odd to me. You’re right, but England’s 44-year-old World Cup virgins have somehow morphed into the sexiest thing one-day cricket has seen. And if they don’t win, just think how good the schadenfreude will be for neutrals.Is there a German word for the feeling when you get stopped by a stranger in the street and force-fed information about the men’s cricket World Cup? Ha. Ha. You don’t get extra points for sarcasm.But I can go now? Yes, you can. I’ve got some healing chants I need to do in front of a life-size effigy of Mark Wood.

Dominance of legspinner in the powerplay establishes agenda in comfortable England win

Matt Roller16-Mar-20211:53

Gambhir: Buttler one of the best T20 batters in the world

Close your eyes and think of Jos Buttler batting in a T20 game. Which shot is he playing: shuffling across to the off side and scooping over fine leg? Or creaming a reverse-sweep through backward point?Based on his innings in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night, it should be skipping down the pitch and crashing a legspinner over long-on. While Buttler is best known for his unorthodoxy in limited-overs cricket, it was his dominance while playing conventional shots that put England ahead of the game in their run-chase, and kept them there throughout their cruise to an eight-wicket win.Buttler’s record against Yuzvendra Chahal has been a mixed bag across his T20 career. He has struggled to score fluently against him in the IPL in particular, scoring at less than a run a ball, and in the first match of the series, Chahal trapped him lbw with the second ball he bowled to him.In that light, it was no surprise to see Virat Kohli bring his legspinner into the attack early, with England 16 for 0 after three overs and India searching for an early wicket to help defend a middling target of 157. Perhaps the expectation was that Buttler would look to get off-strike by nudging him around, knowing he had never taken him down in the past, but he saw things very differently.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”I felt it was a great opportunity to try and attack him,” Buttler explained. “The ball had swung a little bit for the seamers and was standing up so I felt like spin was going to be the best time to attack in the powerplay. With the fact that he’s had success against me before, he might not have expected me to attack him, so it felt like the right thing to do and I was confident to take him on.”Chahal’s first ball pitched on a good length, seemingly looking to draw an edge to slip from a defensive steer. Buttler shimmied down the pitch, turning it into a half-volley, and dumped him over long-on with disdain, as though he was range-hitting against a net bowler.Four balls later, after Jason Roy had been caught reverse-sweeping, he repeated the trick: Chahal went a fraction fuller and wider outside off, but Buttler backed his hand-eye coordination, again skipping down to clout him over the sightscreen. As he lifted his back leg in the mould of Kevin Pietersen, Buttler’s ability to innovate seemed irrelevant: this was a clinic in T20 hitting.After he was beaten by a sharply-spun legbreak off the final ball of Chahal’s over, Buttler reasoned that he ought to keep attacking. So as Shardul Thakur strayed down the leg side, he used a low, stable base to flick him off his pads for four, before pulling him for four more off a slower ball and repeating the same shot with more power to clear square leg two balls later.Related

Buttler: 'No perfect answer to current schedule'

Shift in Buttler's approach shows evolution of T20 batting

Buttler, Wood deliver another win while chasing for 2-1 England lead

In Chahal’s second over, Buttler decided it was time to unfurl his unorthodoxy: Chahal fired one in at 63mph/101kph on his pads, spotting his premeditation, but Buttler dragged the ball through point regardless, reverse-sweeping with strong wrists. Off the final ball of the powerplay, as Chahal dropped too short, Buttler rocked back and carved him through the leg side. In the space of three overs, he had added 36 runs to his own score while facing 11 balls, and had broken the back of the chase single-handedly.”You always want to get off to good starts, chasing any target,” he said. “Chasing 160 can be one of those in-between scores where if you start slow the rate can creep up and you create pressure on your own team and others that you may not necessarily need to.”If you look at the two powerplays today, as a bowling unit we bowled fantastically well and kept them well under par in the powerplay. And then we got off to a nice start, which really set us up to allow us not to have to take too many risks as the game went on, and get home pretty comfortably in the end.”Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler walk off after sealing England’s victory•Getty ImagesAs Buttler suggested, the main contrast between the two innings was the six-over scores: India were 24 for 3 at that stage after a superb new-ball burst from Mark Wood in particular, while England were 57 for 1. Having pummelled 43 off 17 balls in the powerplay, Buttler simply milked the ball around from that point on, scoring 40 off his next 35 as India bowled defensively to him, looking to contain rather than attack.When Washington Sundar eventually tossed one up, hoping to draw a big shot, Buttler calculated that a full offbreak in his arc was exactly the sort of ball he should take on: he promptly swung him over the fielder at long-on, and into the lower tier. He did have a late let-off when Virat Kohli spilled another reverse-sweep off Chahal’s final ball, but by then he had 76 to his name and the rate was down to a run a ball.Buttler’s innings provided yet another reminder as to why England have chosen him as an opener in 16 successive games in this format. After his unbeaten innings of 83 – his highest score in the format for England – he averages 51.23 with a strike rate of 153.10 opening in T20Is; just as importantly, England have won 13 out of the 17 games they have played with him in that role. Nobody doubts the ability Buttler has to change games from the middle of the batting order, but when he is at the top, he has the opportunity to dominate them.”People seem to quite enjoy talking about it and I certainly sometimes feel the pressure of that,” he said. “There’s obviously loads of us who can open the batting in this team, but I’ve got the full backing from Morgs to go and do that and that gives me a lot of confidence. I really enjoy the role. It is my preference in T20 cricket – it’s the best place to bat. I know Morgs is keen for me to open, and I’ll do that with his backing.”

Bates will replace Danni Wyatt-Hodge for the last three games of the tournament plus finals if Hobart qualify

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2024New Zealand batter Suzie Bates will play for Hobart Hurricanes for the first time in the WBBL after being signed as an overseas replacement player for the back end of the tournament.Bates, 37, has played 100 WBBL matches representing Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers across eight seasons. The all-time leading women’s T20I run-scorer was not selected at this year’s WBBL draft.But with England’s players set to be withdrawn from the back end of the WBBL due to a tour of South Africa, Bates has been signed by Hurricanes as a replacement for Danni Wyatt-Hodge. England’s T20 players are expected in South Africa on November 17 which would see Wyatt-Hodge miss the last three games of the WBBL plus the finals if Hurricanes qualify.Related

• England players to miss end of WBBL due to South Africa tour clash

• Draft takeaways: Adelaide Strikers' Mandhana bargain; and who is Jafer Chohan?

• WPL and WCPL mates Rodrigues, Jonassen and Pandey reunite for Brisbane Heat

Hurricanes general manager Salliann Beams was thrilled to add Bates to the squad alongside Chloe Tryon and Lizelle Lee.”Bringing Suzie into our WBBL squad just made sense as soon as we saw she was not selected in the draft, we thought she would be the perfect replacement for Danni once we knew her availability,” Beams said.”She provides more than 130 games of T20I cricket [167] and will give us an experienced operator when we lose someone of Danni’s ability in our line-up.”

Hobert Hurricanes WBBL squad

:Suzie Bates (overseas), Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee (overseas), Hayley Silver-Holmes, Tabatha Saville, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Chloe Tryon (overseas), Elyse Villani, Callie Wilson, Danni Wyatt-Hodge (overseas)

All Leeds United fans will be crossing their fingers now that the Whites can maintain a Premier League position for the foreseeable.

Daniel Farke’s side do jump back up the unforgiving league dripping with confidence, having just lifted the Championship title with a colossal 100 points, but the West Yorkshire outfit will be very aware of how challenging the step up can be.

The Whites unfortunately tasted the bitterness of relegation at the close of their dire 2022-23 season, with another relegation also on their record way back in 2004 when Mark Viduka was still leading the line.

To avoid a hat-trick of slip-ups, Leeds will now be in the market for a whole host of players to enhance their options in the Premier League, with this defensive target one body who could really boost Farke’s side.

Leeds now ready to sign £1.2m defender

As per a report in the Express journalist Charlie Gordon, Leeds are readying a move for Millwall star Japhet Tanganga with his transfer valuation all the way down at a meagre £1.2m.

This is the case as Tanganga has a release clause around this slim amount for all Premier League clubs, which has alerted Farke’s men back to his services, who would be more than happy to fork out this reasonable fee. However, they are not alone in their advances.

As is revealed above, Crystal Palace view the ex-Tottenham Hotspur defender as a cost-effective possible replacement for Marc Guehi, with both Sunderland and Burnley also keen on Tanganga’s services after their own jubilant promotion stories.

If Leeds were to win the services of the cheap 26-year-old, they could be about to land their next Ethan Ampadu, with Ampadu now viewed as a successful bargain in his own right after repairing his career in the EFL.

How Tanganga could be Ampadu 2.0

Ampadu would join the Elland Road ranks for around the £7m mark in the summer of 2023, having failed to ever make an impression at Chelsea.

The Welshman won’t be plagued with any lingering disappointment in the here and now as to how his Stamford Bridge tale ended, however, with the 24-year-old going on to be a key part of Farke’s camp. Last season saw Ampadu notch up a formidable 16 clean sheets from 29 league appearances, on top of looking ice-cold with the ball at his feet with a 90% pass accuracy averaged per clash.

Tanganga will hope he can be as pivotal to Leeds’ defence if he relocates from the Den to West Yorkshire shortly, with the 6-foot defender also having to get over the dismay of walking away from Spurs, much like Ampadu at Chelsea, to be the imposing option at the back he is today.

He will already be known to Leeds fans for this poked finish he managed against Farke’s champions last season, but away from silencing the Whites masses in this instance, he could soon be cheered in the same manner as Ampadu for his similarly classy yet dominant performances.

Games played

40

Goals scored

2

Assists

0

Touches*

49

Accurate passes*

26 (78%)

Tackles*

1.4

Ball recoveries*

3.8

Clearances*

5.4

Total duels won*

5.8

Clean sheets

14

As can be seen glancing at the table above, the Hackney-born target operates in a very similar vein to Ampadu, with Tanganga an equally capable performer on the ball when looking at his passing statistics, on top of his ability to rise valiantly into duels with 5.8 won on average. To add context, his Welsh counterpart won less at 5.1 on average, even as promotion was sealed.

The former Spurs youth product was even hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Premier League icon Alan Shearer when starring for the North London titans previously, with Tanganga actually already boasting 27 top-flight appearances on his career resume.

Pundit Carlton Palmer also claimed that the defender is “capable of playing in the Premier League” because of his “tremendous recovery pace”.

He could well be a perfect fit in West Yorkshire, therefore, as Farke’s men continue to hunt down Premier League-ready talents.

Better than Bijol: Leeds targeting "best CB outside the top five leagues"

Leeds United can forget about Jaka Bijol with a move for another star defender.

ByEthan Lamb Jun 14, 2025

Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admitted he was an “inch” away from signing a player who would go on to become an “all-time great” at Arsenal.

Mourinho is already regarded as one of the best bosses there has ever been, enjoying plenty of success and winning major honours with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Man Utd and AS Roma.

FC Porto

Champions League

2004

UEFA Cup

2003

Liga Portugal

2003, 2004

Taça de Portugal

2003

Portuguese Super Cup

2003

Chelsea

Premier League

2005, 2006, 2015

FA Cup

2007

League Cup

2005, 2007, 2015

Community Shield

2005

Inter Milan

Champions League

2010

Serie A

2009, 2010

Coppa Italia

2010

Italian Super Cup

2008

Real Madrid

La Liga

2012

Copa del Rey

2011

Spanish Super Cup

2012

Manchester United

League Cup

2017

Community Shield

2016

AS Roma

Europa Conference League

2022

Cristiano Ronaldo even called Mourinho the best manager he has ever worked with back in 2015, saying: “I would put him at the top, I always say that. He’s a good coach, he did many good things and won many trophies for other clubs.”

During his career, the Portuguese tactician has entertained the footballing world with some brilliant quotes and touchline moments, and he has also struck gold on numerous players in the transfer market.

Jose Mourinho’s best signings in pictures

From defensive stars at Chelsea in Ashley Cole and Petr Cech to attacking icons in Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, there have been plenty of high-profile names Mourinho has persuaded to join him down the years.

However, one of the near-misses Mourinho had in the early days of his coaching career was with Thierry Henry, who would go on to become an Arsenal icon.

9 of the best Jose Mourinho quotes

The Special One has had a way with words over the years.

ByBarney Lane Dec 2, 2024 Mourinho and Robson nearly signed Henry for Barcelona

Now Arsenal’s record goalscorer after a memorable eight-year spell in north London, Henry was signed from Juventus in 1999.

He won two Premier League titles at Highbury and lifted the FA Cup on three occasions, going down as one of the best players the top flight has ever seen.

Juventus only had the French forward for a matter of months before selling him to the Gunners, and they signed him from AS Monaco.

It could have been so much different, though, with Mourinho revealing in 2014 that during his time as Barcelona assistant manager to Sir Bobby Robson, the Catalan giants were an “inch” away from signing Henry from Monaco.

Henry would come up against Mourinho on numerous occasions but never worked under the Portuguese boss, who called Henry “one of the all-time greats”.