Tag Futebol

Curran, Topley, Jacks among key omissions as McCullum leans on Test squad for first white-ball campaign

Andrew Miller22-Dec-20242:09

What England’s Champions Trophy squad tells us about white-ball Bazball

Joe Root has been recalled to England’s ODI squad for February’s ICC Champions Trophy, as well as the 50-over leg of the India series that precedes it, in the first big call of Brendon McCullum’s tenure as head coach across red- and white-ball formats.Root, who turns 34 later this month, is set to finish 2024 as the No. 1-ranked Test batter in the world, after a stellar personal year in the format in which he racked up 1556 runs at 55.57, including six centuries.However, he has not featured in the white-ball set-up for more than a year, since England’s disastrous World Cup defence in India in October and November 2023. He made 276 runs at 30.66 in the team’s group-stage exit at that event, well below his career average of 47.60 in the format, but in keeping with a clear dip (666 runs at 28.95) in 28 ODIs since his pivotal role in the 2019 World Cup win.Related

PCB open to hybrid model Champions Trophy, but wants same for events in India

Brendon McCullum: Jacob Bethell's emergence is 'a good problem to have'

England rekindle the joy after Bazball's year of transition

Hybrid model agreed for Champions Trophy and ICC events from 2024-27

The resolution of the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy standoff was a win? Not by a long shot

Ben Stokes, Root’s Test captain and fellow World Cup winner, might also have been in the frame for a recall but was not considered for selection following the left hamstring injury that he sustained during England’s 423-run defeat against New Zealand in last week’s third Test in Hamilton.However, in a strong indication of McCullum’s desire to unite the philosophies of his red- and white-ball squads, the 15-man party features a total of eight players who made appearances in the Test team this year, while each of the squad’s five fast bowlers is capable of speeds in excess of 90mph. These include Jofra Archer, whose injury-free return to action in 2024 has encouraged the belief that he too could make a red-ball comeback next summer.Mark Wood, England’s fastest bowler, is back in the set-up, having been forced to miss England’s winter Test tours after sustaining an elbow injury in the summer. Like Gus Atkinson, another inclusion, he has not played ODI cricket since the tour of West Indies in December last year, having also played a part in the 2023 World Cup campaign.England Champions Trophy squad•ESPNcricinfo LtdBrydon Carse, the outstanding fast bowler of England’s Test winter, has been given the chance to build on his impressive form, as has Saqib Mahmood, who confirmed his return to full fitness in the Caribbean last month, after twin stress fractures of the back in 2022 and 2023.Jamie Overton completes a notably heavy-duty pace-bowling contingent, with England’s determination to manage him through his own recent stress fractures meaning he even played as a specialist death-overs batter in several recent white-ball contests. He is known to McCullum too for his batting, having made 97 as a nightwatcher in his only Test to date, against New Zealand at Headingley in 2022.Tellingly, there is no place for Sam Curran, England’s player of the match and tournament when they won the T20 World Cup in 2022, but who voiced his concern earlier this year that, as a sub-6ft medium-pacer, he didn’t “fit that mould” that McCullum’s regime is currently looking for.Reece Topley, another left-armer who has been a staple of England’s recent white-ball squads, has also been overlooked after a luckless run of injuries, while fellow seamer Matthew Potts, who has impressed in his intermittent outings across formats but is arguably a notch below the pace of England’s chosen quicks, has also missed the cut.Adil Rashid retains his place as England’s premier spinner, with back-up likely to come from Root, Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell, who has been selected for his first major tournament, having last month been handed a two-year ECB central contract in recognition of his rapid rise to prominence. Rehan Ahmed, Rashid’s heir apparent, will travel to India for the T20Is in January, with Root sitting out that leg of the tour.Joe Root made three half-centuries during England’s World Cup campaign in India in 2023•ICC via Getty ImagesPhil Salt and Ben Duckett are England’s probable opening partnership, having combined with some success against Australia in September. Will Jacks is the notable omission among top-order options.Jamie Smith – who missed England’s Test tour of New Zealand for the birth of his first child – returns as a middle-order batter and could keep wicket too, if captain Jos Buttler chooses to relinquish the gloves, as he did for the recent T20I series in the Caribbean.Much remains to be seen when England line up for their first ODI against India at Nagpur on February 6, where Buttler – like so many of the squad – will be playing his first ODIs in more than a year, having missed the English home season with a calf injury.England’s exact schedule for the Champions Trophy is awaiting confirmation, following the long-standing dispute over Pakistan hosting India fixtures that resulted last week in the adoption of a hybrid model for future ICC events. However, the squad departs for India on January 17, ahead of the first of five T20Is in Kolkata on January 22.England ODI squad for Champions Trophy and tour of India: Jos Buttler (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark WoodEngland T20I squad for tour of India: Jos Buttler (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood

Chelsea have a “new attacking priority” for manager Enzo Maresca as talks begin with his club, and it is believed the man in question is also very keen on joining.

Related Chelsea want to replace £195k-a-week star as Newcastle eye "surprise" move

Eddie Howe’s side are now looking into him.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jul 22, 2025

Maresca recently pinpointed the attack as his next main area of improvement, regardless of their near-£150 million triple deal for Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro, mainly due to Chelsea’s struggles against the low block last term (Simon Phillips).

It’s practically indisputable that Maresca’s side will come up against sides set up to defend that way time and time again next season.

Their lower-profile Premier League opponents are now perhaps even more wary of Chelsea’s attacking talent, following impressive Club World Cup and Conference League triumphs in the last few months, which sent a real statement of intent to the rest of England that they could challenge for the title next season.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season

Average match rating

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Taking this into account, Chelsea are believed to be in the market for another central attacking midfielder, even amid their need to trim Maresca’s bloated squad after a recent settlement with UEFA (Kaveh Solhekol).

Chelsea held talks with Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze last week in their pursuit of more final-third creativity, but according to more recent reports, RB Leipzig sensation Xavi Simons is now moving ahead of him in the transfer target pecking order.

The Netherlands international is prepared to leave Leipzig this summer, despite only just joining the Germans on a permanent deal in January after one and a half seasons on loan, and super agent Ali Barat is expected to help Simons facilitate a move away.

As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea are the most concrete option for him, and talks have already been held with the player’s representatives amid “serious” interest from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea open talks with RB Leipzig over signing Xavi Simons

Now, reporter Simon Phillips has a pretty encouraging update on the situation, sharing further news via his Substack.

Chelsea have now opened club-to-club talks with Leipzig, which happened on Monday this week, and the 22-year-old is apparently pretty eager to join Maresca’s side, who’ve already secured the player ‘buy-in’.

What’s more, despite reports to the contrary that he’s valued at around £65 million, BlueCo could actually end up striking a deal for Simons closer to the £40 million mark.

“SPTC sources are now hearing that Chelsea opened talks with RB Leipzig regarding signing Simons on Monday this week,” wrote Phillips.

“Talks on the player side have already happened and Chelsea have the player buy in. As we reported earlier this week, Simons is keen on joining Chelsea in more of our news that has since been backed up by other big sources out there now.

“Personal terms are not expected to be an issue, and now Chelsea are speaking to the Bundesliga to understand what sort of fee they will be looking for. We have not yet heard their asking price for Simons, but it is not expected to be as high as what has been reported out there at the moment, which is £65m. We expect it to be under £50m and perhaps even closer to £40m. Let’s see after these talks how much it will cost for Chelsea to sign Simons.”

Simons has been a revelation at Leipzig over the past two seasons – bagging 21 goals and 23 assists in total for them – and this form even prompted the club to make him their highest-ever paid player.

Unlike Eze (27), the former PSG starlet has more time on his side as well, with his age suiting BlueCo’s typical transfer policy down to the ground.

Maiden first-class hundred for former England Under-19s captain

ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2024A magnificent maiden first-class century from Ben McKinney and a dogged hundred from Alex Lees put Durham in a dominant position on day one of their Vitality County Championship clash with Nottinghamshire.McKinney, who is playing in just his second County Championship match, smashed an experienced Notts bowling attack around the park at the Seat Unique Riverside after Haseeb Hameed put the hosts into bat at the toss, while Lees anchored the Durham innings to reach three figures for the third time this season in the County Championship.McKinney was very much the aggressor in the early stages of the day as the pair put on 189 runs for the first wicket, the hosts’ highest opening stand of the season. The visitors then made a mini-fightback and picked up three wickets for 58 runs, but Lees combined with Ashton Turner for a partnership worth 122 to leave the hosts 393 for 5 at close.McKinney, who was part of the England Lions side that beat Sri Lanka last week, was excellent throughout his innings and laid a fantastic foundation for Durham in this mid-table battle. The 19-year-old dominated with some great shots, particularly on the off side, while Lees offered few opportunities as he went through the gears on the way to a 15th first-class century for Durham.Meanwhile Notts skipper Hameed will be scratching his head after his decision to bowl first allowed the hosts to post a big total. As a result his side already look like having a mountain to climb.On the opening morning at Chester-le-Street Durham managed to negotiate a tough period of opening bowling from Olly Stone, who was released from the England Test squad to play in this game, and Brett Hutton, but McKinney and Lees looked in good touch.Once he made it through the opening exchanges, McKinney looked to attack whenever he could and he hit two glorious boundaries on the off side from a Stone over. The tall left-hander passed fifty for the second time in his first-class career with a cover drive for four while Lees kept the scoreboard ticking at the other end to take the partnership past 100 just before lunch.McKinney continued where he left off after lunch as he remained positive and he picked up several boundaries including a lovely pull shot off the bowling of Hutton.Then came a flurry of milestones for the hosts with Lees reaching his fifty from 114 balls and former England Under-19s skipper McKinney brought up his maiden hundred from 117 balls with a beautiful cover drive. He then hit Freddie McCann for the first six of the match over the long-off boundary, but his excellent knock didn’t last much longer as he chipped a McCann delivery straight to midwicket and had to depart for 121.Scott Borthwick looked in good touch but Lyndon James bowled him for 26 after he left one which clipped the top of off stump and the Notts bowler struck again soon after, removing Ollie Robinson for 13, which gave the visitors some hope.While wickets were falling at the other end, Lees remained firm and joined McKinney in getting a century after tea, albeit in a somewhat different style with the former England man’s milestone coming from 223 balls with just seven boundaries.Turner, who is making his first-class bow for Durham, came to the crease and ran well between the wickets with Lees as they accumulated runs and passed 300. Turner then played a delightful pull shot for four and Lees got in on the act as he dabbed a Stone ball to the third man boundary as the hosts piled on the runs.The second new ball initially couldn’t help Notts in their pursuit of wickets as Turner reached his fifty from 70 balls. However, Hutton then bowled Lees for 145 to end a fine innings and give the visitors a sniff in the final stages of the day.James picked up his third of the day as Graham Clark went for 7, but Turner remained unbeaten on 62 at stumps.

Foakes, Bairstow out in the cold as Shoaib Bashir is also preferred ahead of Jack Leach

Andrew Miller01-Jul-20241:10

Rob Key explains why Pennington got nod over Robinson, Wood

Rob Key, England men’s managing director, says he is picking as much on potential as performance in turning to Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir as the Test wicketkeeper and specialist spinner respectively for the upcoming series against West Indies, despite the fact that neither player is a first-choice option for their counties.Smith, who will turn 24 on day three of the Lord’s Test, made a century for Surrey in their ongoing County Championship fixture against Essex at the Kia Oval, just hours after it was confirmed that he would be taking over as England keeper from his county team-mate, Ben Foakes, who remains Surrey’s preference in the role.Likewise, Bashir, 20, has been retained as the solitary specialist spinner in England’s 14-man squad for the first two Tests against West Indies, having claimed 17 wickets in three Tests on a breakthrough tour of India in the spring. This comes despite him having to move to Worcestershire on loan this season, with his England team-mate Jack Leach, who left the India tour early through injury, remaining the No. 1 spinner at Bashir’s home county of Somerset.Speaking in the wake of the squad announcement, Key defended the right of counties to pick the teams that suit their specific requirements. In Surrey’s case, they are chasing a third consecutive County Championship title with a team that includes Foakes batting at No. 5 and with Dan Lawrence – whom Key specifically named as the “reserve batsman” in England’s Test squad – playing as their frontline spinner.However, Key also made no apology for his insistence that the standard required at international level means that tough judgement calls needed to be made on the ceilings of certain players. And this included an uncompromising verdict on both of Smith’s two immediate predecessors as wicketkeeper, Foakes and Jonny Bairstow, who has also been dropped from the set-up after playing his 100th Test in Dharamsala in March.”People are never happy when they’re dropped, and I never want them to be,” Key said, adding that Brendon McCullum, the Test coach, had made the initial calls to inform both players of their omissions.”Jonny just needs to get back to what he was a couple of years ago,” Key said, referencing Bairstow’s astonishing run of form in the original “Bazball” summer of 2022, when his four hundreds in five innings propelled a stunning turnaround in the Test team’s fortunes.Jamie Smith made a century on the day his England call-up was announced•Surrey CCC/Getty ImagesSoon after that, however, he suffered a freak broken leg while playing golf, and while he recovered sufficiently to reclaim his place in both the Test team and the T20 World Cup squad, his mobility in the field has repeatedly been called into question, especially when selected as wicketkeeper during last summer’s drawn Ashes series.”Generally his form, in all formats, has just been going slightly in the wrong direction,” Key said. “You want him to get back to what he was when Brendon and Ben [Stokes] started out. It’s an arduous task being a keeper. You want someone who can back up series after series, and we weren’t convinced that Jonny would be able to do that, especially at the stage of his career that he’s at.”By contrast, there are no complaints about Foakes’ glovework, which is routinely considered to be among the best in the world game. However, his batting on the recent India tour lacked the dynamism expected of the current Test team, with his 205 runs in ten innings coming at a strike-rate of less than 40, including an innings of 17 from 76 balls in Ranchi, at a time when England’s innings was crying out for a counterattack.”Ben Foakes is an excellent keeper, his keeping’s not in question at all,” Key said. “But we want someone who can just up the ante at times when required. We feel that he can soak up pressure, and when he’s batting with a batsman at the other end, he’s more than capable. But his challenge is to bring that other side to his game.”It’s not just about having one or the other. We want someone who can have both those forms of batting, and we feel that Jamie Smith can do that.”Sometimes you’re selecting people for what they’re going to be, and where you think they can progress to,” Key added. “We’ve been watching Jamie Smith for quite some time. He was on the Lions a couple of years ago when I watched him out in Sri Lanka, and he looks a rare talent.”Related

Holder, Seales back as West Indies name 15-member squad for England Tests

Knee injury rules Roach out of West Indies Test tour of England

Jamie Smith, Dillon Pennington win first England Test call-ups

Robinson sends England reminder as Northants routed for 97

Smith marks England call-up with century to steer Surrey's challenge

England have made some peculiar calls with the wicketkeeper’s role in recent years, notably in 2021 when James Bracey – a Gloucestershire top-order batter with limited experience behind the stumps – was thrust into the role at short notice after Foakes suffered a freak dressing-room injury, and visibly struggled in his two Tests against New Zealand. Ollie Pope has also performed the role as a stopgap, most recently in Pakistan in 2022.Key, however, had no doubts that his new selection would step up to the standards expected of a Test-class wicketkeeper.”Obviously we don’t get to see much of him keeping in county cricket, but he’s more than a stopgap keeper, that’s for sure. It’s very much the start for Jamie Smith, and we feel that he’s going to be a fantastic international cricketer. He just needs his opportunity, and he’ll get it.”A similar rationale explains the preference for Bashir over Leach, who has been a linchpin of England’s Test attack in recent years, and a trusted lieutenant of Stokes in particular, not least since his crucial support role with the bat in England’s miraculous win at Headingley in 2019.Key, however, said he could not ignore the character that Bashir displayed in his maiden series in India, where he arrived with a record of just ten first-class wickets in his limited opportunities with Somerset, and departed with two five-wicket hauls.”I love watching what he did in India,” Key said. “That was a tough task for someone to come in and do what he did. And when you watch him bowl, you just think he’s got everything, really, as a spinner. And he will get better.”He’s right at the beginning of his career now, so we’re backing him to grow as time goes on. But this doesn’t mean that Leach’s time is done with us. If there’s ever a time when we need a second spinner, in places like Pakistan, I’d imagine that would be Jack Leach.”Shoaib Bashir enjoyed a breakthrough tour of India this winter•BCCISussex’s Ollie Robinson is another notable absentee from the Test set-up after a lacklustre tour of India. And while Key said he took no notice of the record 43-run over that Robinson served up to Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber last week, he warned that the wealth of fast-bowling options in county cricket – including this week’s new selection, Dillon Pennington, meant that the onus was on Robinson to prove he’s ready to earn a recall.”Ollie Robinson has got back to his best in the last couple of games, we just need to see that more often. It’s not a time to be taking your foot off the gas at all, because there’s some really good bowlers out there.”Dillon Pennington probably wasn’t on our radar at all, but I’ve loved watching him bowl this summer. He has that little bit of pace, he’s relentless in his consistency, the angle that he bowls as well. He’s really kicked on this year. And we’ve enjoyed it.”The Lord’s Test is set to be dominated by the impending retirement of James Anderson, but it will not be the last that the squad will see of him, with Key confirming that he would be staying on for the rest of the summer, in an exploratory mentor role.”Jimmy will continue in our set-up, and he’ll help as a bit more of a mentor,” key said. “We’re trying to set up an elite coach development programme, which Jimmy wants to do, but we’ll have a look at the end of the summer.”It might be something that he doesn’t enjoy, or it might be something that he absolutely loves. But he’s got so much to offer English cricket, so we don’t want to see that go. But it is going to be quite an occasion with him bowing out at Lord’s.”

Chelsea are showcasing themselves as one of the busiest Premier League sides in the transfer market this summer, and many outgoings are also expected at Stamford Bridge.

Renato Veiga, Lesley Ugochukwu, Raheem Sterling, João Félix, David Datro Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell, Armando Broja and Axel Disasi are all expected to leave Cobham this summer (The Athletic), as BlueCo seek to trim the wage bill and help fund Chelsea’s recruitment drive.

£47m star has already agreed to join Chelsea with club talks "to follow"

Enzo Maresca’s side are busy behind-the-scenes amid their Club World Cup campaign.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 17, 2025

£150,000-per-week outcast Kepa Arrizabalaga is also on his way to Arsenal (David Ornstein), but he’s not the only keeper who could quit Chelsea in the coming months.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Chelsea want to sell both Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez, according to reports, and could revisit a deal for AC Milan number one Mike Maignan after missing out on a pre-Club World Cup deal for the France international.

Club chiefs will be very keen to find new homes for Chilwell, Sterling and Felix in particular, considering the out-of-favour trio are on a combined salary of around £655,000-per-week.

There are some suggestions that key first-team players aren’t entirely safe either.

Chelsea may well decide to sell Trevoh Chalobah (Matt Law), despite his renaissance during the second half of 2024/2025, where he stood out as one of Maresca’s key men after returning from a loan spell at Crystal Palace.

Chelsea prepared to sell Noni Madueke this summer

As well as Chalobah, it is believed that mainstay winger Noni Madueke isn’t deemed untouchable by any means.

The England international, who earned praise from Thomas Tuchel during the Three Lions’ last round of international matches, started 27 Premier League games under Maresca last season, and it would’ve been more if not for injury.

Maresca even called Madueke one of Chelsea’s “best players”, but according to journalist Simon Phillips, the 23-year-old winger could still be sold in the coming months if a suitable offer arrives.

“Chelsea have reportedly made contact with Malick Fofana of Lyon as they weigh up winger options,” said Phillips, via his Substack.

“I get a sense that they are perhaps putting this name out there to help strengthen negotiations to sign Jamie Gittens of Dortmund. I am sure they do have interest in Fofana, absolutely, and you know what? Maybe they even look to end up bringing in two more out-and-out wingers, and they may well need them depending on the future of Noni Madueke as well, who Chelsea will listen to offers for.”

Of all the Chelsea players who absolutely need to be sold, Madueke surely isn’t one of them, regardless of their chase for new wide players.

“Noni has been excellent out there [on the left wing],” said pundit Jason Cundy on talkSPORT.

“The thing I love about Noni is whenever he picks the ball up, he looks that way [forward]. His first instinct with his first touch, ‘How can I get beyond you? How can I get in behind you?’

“What I noticed he did against Liverpool, and he does this very well on the right-hand side, but he will come inside on his right. Most left-footers out there tend not to. Left-footers love it on the right.

“When you’ve got a winger that can go both ways and threaten, as a full-back now you’re asking questions. He does that; Saka’s one of the best, goes out on the right and comes inside. You need to threaten both [ways], Noni has been really good, really impressive.”

Although their fate is yet to be decided in pursuit of Champions League football, Aston Villa have already reportedly reached the closing stages of negotiations to sign one particular star.

Aston Villa's late push to secure Champions League football

Aston Villa have hit form at the perfect time and could yet be in a position to take full advantage in the final two games of the Premier League season. Victory over Bournemouth last time out made it four wins in their last five league games in a run that includes a 4-1 thrashing of top five rivals Newcastle United. Now, with two games remaining, Unai Emery’s side only sit behind Chelsea on goal difference.

Liverpool (C)

83

46

Arsenal

68

33

Newcastle United

66

23

Manchester City

65

24

Chelsea

63

19

Aston Villa

63

7

Nottingham Forest

62

12

With Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to play – two sides who have nothing to play for following disastrous Premier League campaigns – there’s every chance that Villa could yet sneak into the Champions League places in dramatic fashion.

Emery reiterated that Aston Villa must keep going after victory at Bournemouth, telling reporters: “It’s very good. I’m very happy and proud but we can’t stop now. We have to keep going.

Their new Grealish: Aston Villa plotting £50m move for "phenomenal" talent

Aston Villa are chasing a current Premier League midfielder

2 ByRoss Kilvington May 12, 2025

“We got Europe last week against Fulham at home and today against Bournemouth, teams that are competing very well and performing very well. They were fighting with us as their opponent.

“They were an opponent for us to get Europe. Now we’re in the run in with the teams fighting for Champions League after the way we did last week and the win we did today. We’re deserving to play the next match against Tottenham having the possibilities to be there, taking even more in Europa League or Champions League.”

Aston Villa closing in on Asensio deal

Away from the action on the pitch, meanwhile, those in the Midlands have already reportedly set their sights on their first reinforcement of the summer. According to Estadio Deportivo, as relayed by Sport Witness, Monchi is now in the closing stages of a deal to sign Marco Asensio on a permanent basis for Aston Villa this summer.

The Villans are reportedly set to offer Paris Saint-Germain around €15m (£13m) to sell the Spaniard in a deal that Emery is reportedly personally pushing Monchi to complete. Given that PSG are keen to sell Asensio too, it seems likely that Villa will be in the perfect position to secure their move.

Asensio certainly has plenty of fans around the Midlands following a successful loan spell. And Emery is among those fans, having told reporters when questioned on the winger’s quality: “For him as well, it is a very huge challenge, to show here his capacity to help us. But every match, of course, he is doing a fantastic job, and his adaptation was going very quick.”

When it comes to superstars, few clubs in England have had more than Arsenal.

With the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Mesut Özil and most recently, Bukayo Saka, the Gunners have long been a club that can boast a tradition of fielding icons of the game.

However, the North Londoners have also had more than their fair share of cult heroes over the years, from Santi Cazorla to Emmanuel Eboue and Lukas Podolski.

The former German international didn’t spend much time with the club, but he certainly ingratiated himself with the fans, and based on recent reports, the club could be about to sign a player who could be a repeat of the powerful ace.

Arsenal's summer plans

It’s no secret that the one position Arsenal need to strengthen above all others this summer is striker, and based on reports from the last few weeks or so, that’s where most of their attention seems to be at the moment.

For example, just a couple of days ago, The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed that the club were developing a ‘strong interest’ in Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Just a day later, reports claimed that the North Londoners were also incredibly keen on RB Leipzig’s up-and-coming Benjamin Sesko, who has scored 23 goals in 37 appearances this season.

That said, while a new striker is of paramount importance, it’s not the only area of the frontline that needs to be addressed, nor is it the only position the club are looking to bolster.

According to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are interested in signing Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané.

Plettenberg claims that while the winger wants to stay in Bavaria and is negotiating a new deal, he has also held “concrete talks” with the Gunners regarding a free transfer in the summer.

However, according to other reports, North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have also held talks with the player’s camp, so moving fast could be imperative to seal a deal.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Sané’s ability and experience, it is worth fighting for, especially as he could be Arsenal’s next Podolski.

Why Sane would be Arsenal's new Podolski

So, to kick things off, the pair would have joined the Gunners from the Bundesliga, with Podolski moving to the Emirates in a £10.9m deal from FC Koln in the summer of 2012.

Moreover, the Gliwice-born star also spent a few years playing for FC Hollywood, scoring 26 goals and providing 20 assists in 106 appearances between July 2006 and July 2009.

In addition to their similar careers at club level, the pair are also left-footed attackers who have amassed an impressive number of senior caps for Germany.

The former Manchester City star is now on 69, and the Górnik Zabrze ace retired from international duty with 130.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the pair are both positionally versatile players who can thrive out on the left and have an impressive track record of scoring and providing assists in their careers.

Appearances

403

678

Goals

111

227

Assists

101

136

Goal Involvements per Match

0.52

0.53

For example, in 403 senior appearances, the Bayern star has scored 111 goals and provided 101 assists, which comes out to a stellar average of a goal involvement every 1.90 games. Is it really any surprise that Julian Nagelsmann once proclaimed he was “one of the best players in Europe.”

The former Gunners star, on the other hand, has scored 227 goals and provided 136 assists in 678 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.86 games, which is remarkably similar to his younger compatriot.

Ultimately, Arsenal need more than just a striker this summer, and Sane looks like he could provide them with more threat off the left, just like Podolski did during his time with the club.

Arteta can finally axe Merino by unleashing Arsenal's £27m "wizard" up top

The dangerous international could be the answer for Arsenal.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 1, 2025

Edgbaston six-for just reward for Mohammed Siraj, who assumed seniority in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence

Sidharth Monga04-Jul-2025

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have a chat before the third day’s play•AFP via Getty Images

A quirky, curious statistic kept assuming bigger proportion through the third day’s play at Edgbaston. Especially when Mohammed Siraj began taking wickets with the second new ball to go with his double-strike in his first over of the day.Here are the numbers. Mohammed Siraj has played 23 Tests with Jasprit Bumrah, and averages 33.82 in them. His average in 15 matches without Bumrah now reads 25.20. Siraj has played nine Tests with Mohammed Shami; he averages 34.96 in them. He has played six Tests with both Bumrah and Shami, and he averages 33.05 in them. In the 12 matches that Siraj has played with neither Bumrah nor Shami in them, Siraj averages 22.27.When put that way to Siraj in a spot interview with no time to reflect on it, Siraj said he loves the responsibility. But it is what it is: an oddity. Unless Siraj himself tells you when he plays with Bumrah he bowls for Bumrah. Until then it’s all pop psychology.Related

Soft balls and hard times – Test cricket is facing a midlife crisis

Stats – Two 150s, a 303-run stand, and six ducks on a topsy-turvy day at Edgbaston

Siraj six-for hands India huge lead despite Smith and Brook hundreds

When Siraj is the third bowler, you can probably look for some causation, in that you don’t get the new ball, you bowl more with a softer ball, and possibly have to play a containing role. When you are the second quick, you probably don’t get an end of your choice, you are just as attacking as when you are the first.A non-quirky fact is that Siraj is a fine fast bowler with good control, an outswinger that can at times go missing, a wobble-seam ball, and a big heart. He has been bowling well since the start of the Australia tour, but hasn’t really had the luck to get him wickets.Cricket is a messy sport. At Headingley, outside that first spell when he struggled running uphill for three overs, Siraj bowled roughly as many good balls as Bumrah, roughly at the same pace, drew roughly a similar percentage of false shots, but had nothing to show for it.Mohammed Siraj leads India off the field•Getty ImagesOf course Siraj is no Bumrah. That’s why he said he only believes in Jassi , resulting in memes where Bumrah was shown saying “I only believe on Miyan .” Still he was far from ordinary in Australia, but took 20 wickets at an average of 31.15 in a seam-dominated series. If this keeps happening for long, even the most empathetic of observers start pointing at your career average: 31.83 at the start of this series.The beauty of this messy sport is that when everybody has been worried about Bumrah’s absence, on comes Siraj, starts as the second bowler behind Akash Deep with both the new balls, makes no causal change to the way he bowls and ends with a six-for. His lengths didn’t become more attacking or shorter, he extracted much less seam, and he swung the ball as much as he did in Leeds.The one change he made, though, was move his lines straighter, which you can afford to do when the pitch is slower and lower. From 47.5% balls in the channel in Leeds, his channel deliveries came down to 42.9%. His straight lines went up from 22.5% to 33.8%. These, though, are fine changes that bowlers regularly make to adjust to different pitches and match situations.1:53

What worked for Siraj and Akash Deep?

Siraj himself is no stranger to the quirks of fate in cricket. “I have been waiting for a year for a five-for,” he told Jio Hotstar. “I was getting stuck at four. I was bowling well but not getting wickets. This is a very special moment. Especially because I had only four-fors in England.”It is just that bit extra special because of the kind of lifeless pitch it has come on. The pitch has only got slower during the Test with no seam movement. There have been long periods, especially after the ball ages past 30 overs, when it is hard to see where the next wicket will come from. In such conditions, Siraj was just fire with the new ball. As was Akash Deep.Despite bowling the fewest overs among fast bowlers – not counting Prasidh Krishna because he bowled a spell full of bouncers – Siraj attacked the stumps most often, projected to hit the stumps 28 times. He got three wickets in those balls. In just 26 false shots, he got six wickets. At Headingley, he got two in 69. Control data might not be gospel, but this is stark.Siraj knows it. He lives with these quirks of the game. That’s why he can keep running in with the same spirit after a run of barren Tests. He will do the same in the second innings. Have some patience if he doesn’t get same results.

Takeaways: Fringe players make a mark, Mandhana doesn’t, fans have their say… there is change in the air all right

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2023More than just the cricket
India’s women cricketers now know what it is like to play with a fan base in place, or how it feels to play in front of packed stands, or have your social media notifications blowing up. This wasn’t new for the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur or Smriti Mandhana, but certainly a different experience for the D Hemalathas and the Shreyanka Patils.India’s domestic structure is still a little old school, where coaches are taught to go by a rule book that players follow. So it was refreshing to see not-too-experienced players challenged by top-level coaches or elite players.Someone like Jammu & Kashmir’s Jasia Akhtar learnt to deal with success and failure from Meg Lanning. Anjali Sarvani improved the mechanics of her bowling action thanks to Ashley Noffke.From Alyssa Healy saying she was at the WPL to develop Indian talent, to World-Cup winning captain Heather Knight picking Richa Ghosh as the team-mate she wanted to get to know, the WPL threw up a variety of intangibles that players will benefit from.2:47

Healy: I like to lead from within the group and empower players

Fringe players make a splash
Shreyanka Patil, on debut, walked out with Royal Challengers Bangalore six down against a rampaging Mumbai Indians, and crunched a pull for four first ball. She found the boundary three more times in an enterprising 15-ball stay.In the next game, against Gujarat Giants, she didn’t shy from tossing it up in her first over to an all-guns-blazing Sophia Dunkley and prised out her first WPL wicket; later, she bowled a nerveless 20th over where she accounted for Harleen Deol – the game’s top scorer – and conceded just nine runs.In the reverse fixture against Giants, she got the ball for the first time with the scoreboard reading 135 for 2 after 16 overs, and Laura Wolvaardt and Ashleigh Gardner in full flow. She dismissed both and gave away only 17 from her two overs.Two days later, Parshavi Chopra – just 16 and playing only her second game – too was tasked with bowling the 17th and 19th overs with D Hemalatha and Gardner threatening to take Giants towards 200. Unafraid to flight the ball, Chopra got both of them out – with Gardner fooled by a legspinner’s dream delivery.Hemalatha herself, through the tournament, was handed the thankless role for a specialist batter, almost exclusively walking out either with her top order having collapsed or with less than five overs remaining. Sample some of her scores: 29* off 23, 21* off 13, 16 off 7, 16* off 6. The one time she entered at a better stage, with Gujarat 50 for 3 in six overs in their last outing, against UP Warriorz, she smashed 57 off 33.Three players, at different stages of their careers, with different storylines. The common thread? None of them was too well known to the wider audience. Given difficult roles, they showed signs of blossoming. And they weren’t alone. Long may it continue.3:29

Meg Lanning: WPL made it easier for young girls to see what is possible

A learning experience for Mandhana
Mandhana had a most forgettable WPL. Five losses to start the campaign as captain of Royal Challengers, finishing nearly at the bottom of the table, and for a change, struggling to get into a free-flowing rhythm at the top. That is one of the purposes of tournaments like the WPL: provide such learning experiences even for some of the established names.Apart from in domestic cricket, Mandhana had led India and Trailblazers in the past. But not like this. The WPL was a different deal because it gave her the captaincy for an entire tournament. It came with a lot more limelight and pressure compared to the Women’s T20 Challenge and might have put some price-tag pressure on her (she was the most expensive player at the auction). It may have also put her under constant scrutiny as captain and player, like every time she batted against an offspinner. She was also, for the first time, leading several stars in her team, such as Sophie Devine and world champions Ellyse Perry and Heather Knight.At the end of it, Mandhana will likely emerge as a much stronger player and captain, and could be more at ease in high-pressure situations to serve Indian cricket in the future. She is just 26, after all.1:32

Harmanpreet Kaur: Real benefits of WPL will be visible only in two or three years

Fans embrace the WPL, and how!
When the WPL began, there was a bit of uncertainty about in-stadium attendance.The hope was that free entry for women and nominal ticket prices on the whole would sell out tickets, but that was no guarantee of footfalls. To expect Mumbaikars to travel to far-flung venues daily for women’s cricket was an ask irrespective of ticket rates.Related

Next WPL could be in home-and-away format, possibly around Diwali, says Jay Shah

With the WPL, women's cricket is no longer just an idea

Ishaque, Chopra, Patil – New faces make a mark in WPL team of the tournament

WPL opens a whole new world for women's cricket in India

Mumbai Indians, the maximum team of the WPL

By Sunday, March 26, it felt like Brabourne Stadium didn’t have enough seats. But what stood out most was the diversity of the fans. Though predominantly male, there was a good mix.There were men in the old Mumbai Indians men’s jerseys, middle-aged women purchasing knock-off kits outside the venues, parents with little children headed to the venues in trains and buses, young girls in their club-cricket uniforms, housewives who play recreationally, students who have travelled from neighbouring towns like Pune and Kolhapur, and even stragglers in the hope of an unwanted, or unbought, ticket.The atmosphere the fans created was rare for women’s cricket in India and it was special to see packed stands even on weekdays. There were traditional Mumbai stadium chants and new, innovative ones. In Royal Challengers games, you would know where Ellyse Perry was fielding just by the cheer in that section. Delhi Capitals’ Shafali Verma was as good as a home player.So there is an audience. And the BCCI has been able to build on their pilot project of ticketing attendances during the India vs Australia series in December. Now for the next step.The atmosphere the fans created was rare for women’s cricket in India and it was special to see packed stands even on weekdays•BCCI2013 to 2023 – the change couldn’t be starker
It’s a little embarrassing to think of it now, but for long, cricket boards the world over marketed the women’s game like a buy-one-get-one-free scheme with the men’s game.During the 2013 Women’s World Cup, the ICC sent out nearly 10,000 invites to as many as 50 schools in Mumbai for the opening game, held at Brabourne, and when not even 2000 seats were occupied, it left the ICC and the BCCI red-faced.A decade later, the contrast is stark. Both WPL venues – Brabourne and DY Patil Stadium – were sold to capacity several times over. Sure, women were awarded the privilege of watching games for free, but that the BCCI earned from gate receipts, even if it may cobble up to be a minuscule portion of their overall WPL earnings, was a heartening sign.It was also equally heartening to see media attendance reach unprecedented levels. There have been several instances over the past decade where thin attendances have forced organisers to instruct players to look left and right while answering questions from the same source, making it appear as if they were fielding questions from different corners of the room. But this time, when it was announced loud and clear that only one question would be allowed per journalist, it was bittersweet.Women umpires get a taste of the big time too
Like it was for the players, the WPL was also a platform for less-experienced umpires to get a taste of cricket played under intense scrutiny. There were a number of women umpires in action, too – N Janani and Vrinda Rathi stood in the final. Of them, Rathi was part of the Commonwealth Games last year too.The level-up was not all hunky-dory. There were some errors that led to an increased level of scrutiny on the officials. But all said, the experience they gained is a good start which the BCCI should try and build on by having them officiate more regularly, perhaps even in senior men’s domestic matches, in the Ranji Trophy and other big-ticket competitions.

To be an ODI regular beyond the Sri Lanka tour, Pandey must go past Iyer, Yadav and Kishan

Varun Shetty16-Jul-2021Manish Pandey’s most memorable innings in Indian colours is probably his unbeaten 104 in Sydney in 2016, when India chased down 331 to avoid a 5-0 series defeat against Australia. It was only his fourth ODI appearance, an opportunity that had come seven years after he became the IPL’s first Indian century-maker in the 2009 edition.It seemed like a breakthrough innings at a time when India had four ODI heavyweights – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and then captain MS Dhoni – and little else in their batting order, a kind of innings that Dhoni said, “gives you [an] extra 15 games to settle in and start to do what you need to do”.Getting 15 ODIs – numbers will tell you 50 overs is the limited-overs format that suits him more – in a row has remained an unfulfilled dream for Pandey, who has played a total of 26 matches in five stints. But, as unsurprisingly, it is not over for him yet. During the Sri Lanka tour starting this Sunday, Pandey will make another comeback, just months after being omitted from BCCI’s annual contracts’ list, in a year where he missed most of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 50-over tournament because of an injury and returned unremarkable numbers in the IPL.Related

• Bhuvneshwar: I'm not prioritising white-ball cricket over red-ball cricket

• 'No choice, I have to be good with it' – Pandey on batting at No. 6

• Pandey shows he is a level above in Vijay Hazare Trophy

• 'I can deliver a lot more than what I am right now' – Pandey

Pandey played in India’s next eight games after that Sydney match – his second go with the ODI side. In the three games in Zimbabwe, where India’s top three were so dominant, he only batted two balls all tour. The next gig – five ODIs against New Zealand at home – was his first full series for India. It was India’s penultimate series before the Champions Trophy in 2017.Pandey started the series at No. 4 and made starts on which he didn’t build. In the next three games, he was used between Nos. 5 and 6 and made his highest score of the series – an unbeaten 28 in a chase alongside Virat Kohli in the third ODI – before tapering off and finishing with a duck in the fifth match. That was in October 2016, and he didn’t play another game for almost a year. In the intervening period, Kohli took over as India captain and brought back a 35-year-old Yuvraj Singh, who made a roaring comeback before being left out a series after the Champions Trophy. Pandey was withdrawn with injury, and the two middle-order spots were taken by Singh and Kedar Jadhav.In October 2017, Pandey was back in the Indian squad touring Sri Lanka. He made the XI in the last two matches and struck an unbeaten 42-ball 50 in a partnership of 101 with Dhoni in the fourth ODI, and then scored 36 in a partnership of 99 with Kohli in the final ODI.This resulted in his second full series for India, the five matches against Australia at home. Once again, Pandey began the series at No. 4 and failed, before being pushed down to No. 6, where he made crucial 30s, one in a successful chase, and one where India just fell short.

Pandey’s return, with India’s 25 best players in England, has all the makings of yet another brief fling. It does have a whiff of a lucky break to it. What it doesn’t seem to have is a suggestion of a long-term plan.

In the next month, Pandey found himself out of the XI again for a series against New Zealand, losing his place to Dinesh Karthik, who had originally replaced KL Rahul from the squad that had played Australia. Later in the year, he played all three matches against Sri Lanka at home, batted once, and made 2 during India’s infamous slide to 29 for 7 in Dharamsala.After that series, Pandey has played in four matches for India, three of them early last year against Australia and New Zealand, despite missing out in the race for a World Cup spot in 2019, with the team management preferring batters like Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant at the time. In the year leading up to the 2019 World Cup, India tried seven batters at No. 4, but Pandey wasn’t one of them. He played only a single match during that period, at the Asia Cup.The reason he keeps coming back, perhaps, is that since the start of 2015, he averages 60.28 in 83 List A innings and strikes at 95.93, leaving selectors little choice but to keep him in mind. The pattern is almost set: he becomes undroppable through his performances at domestic and representational level, but misses out on the XI through various reasons, and then makes another case with another bumper domestic season.Is his average of 25.91 in 18 ODI innings since that hundred in Sydney a consequence of that uncertainty or is that uncertainty a result of his performances?Manish Pandey scored a century in Sydney in what was only his third ODI innings•Getty ImagesThere aren’t a lot of Pandey media interactions on the internet. The ones that exist have a general theme of him trying to be mentally strong, not looking too far ahead, and accepting that this is, perhaps, the toughest era to break into an Indian XI in your desired role. During India’s tour of South Africa in 2018, he “half-joked” that he had to see a doctor because of the uncertainty.Trying to understand what has happened, or, indeed, what the plan was, is difficult because India’s selection policy itself has been haphazard, particularly when major tournaments are around. Singh’s return in 2017 is a case in point. It sent a message that they would not mind picking a decent option with experience over an exciting option with potential, but then they went the opposite way with Ambati Rayudu just before the 2019 World Cup. In the time between those two tournaments, batters like Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina found themselves in the mix while IPL performances also started to count for ODI selection.Pandey’s return, with India’s 25 best players in England, has all the makings of yet another brief fling. It does have a whiff of a lucky break to it, one you wouldn’t grudge him given how his career has gone. What it doesn’t seem to have is a suggestion of a long-term plan. To play limited-overs cricket beyond this tour, Pandey will have to go past Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan.Perhaps, this is an endeavour to give him match time in a T20 World Cup year – a format in which current form often trumps long-term planning – but like any other point during the last five years, the uncertainty continues to linger.