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The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) has called for a reduction in both County Championship and Men’s T20 Blast games, urging county chairs and CEOs to “prioritise the welfare” of players ahead of a vote on restructuring the domestic game from 2026 onwards.A majority of male county cricketers in England and Wales favour reducing the number of Championship games played from 14 to 12, according to data collected by the PCA. The players’ union is also recommending a cut to the Blast schedule to help ease the number of back-to-back fixtures which it believes put players at risk.Players would also back a proposed move to a conference system for the Championship with a 12/6 split – two upper divisions of six above a lower division of six, with promotion and relegation as well as a grand final between the conference winners.Related

• Counties agree to cut in men's Vitality Blast games for 2026

• PCA reiterates fatigue concerns ahead of county domestic review

• Reduced County Championship on agenda for latest domestic review

England allrounder Chris Woakes, the PCA’s England Men’s representative, said the call for change was not about playing “less cricket because they don’t want to – it’s about being able to produce the best cricket on the field as possible”.”Welfare is extremely important and not just players but coaches and staff,” he said. “We need to get the scheduling right to give players the time to prepare, recover and make sure they’re in the best state physically and mentally.”The game is now played at a greater intensity and faster rate, especially in white-ball cricket. When you’re having to play back-to-back games it’s almost impossible to be at 100%. Having gaps between games and with safe travel is very important.”The ECB announced on the eve of the new season a review into the domestic structure – the third in the last seven years – overseen by the Professional Game Committee. Consultation has been ongoing, with a vote on the proposals expected later this month.Recently, a number of counties have begun making their preferences public: Surrey and Somerset have called for maintaining 14 Championship games, with a return to eight teams in Division One and 10 in Division Two; Durham and Lancashire support the 12/6 conference plan, while Middlesex have backed sticking with the Championship as is, with two divisions and 10 teams in the top tier.The PCA expressed concerns about the current schedule at the start of the summer, saying 83% of respondents to a survey cited physical concerns over their workload and 67% called the fixture list detrimental to their mental health.Olly Hannon-Dalby, PCA chair, suggested that “a change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option” and that it would “breathe new life” into the competition.”We are at a critical moment regarding the future of professional cricketers in England and Wales,” he said. “The schedule has always been a contentious issue and we have seen too many reviews with no change but the feeling in recent seasons due to ever-increasing intensity of fixtures has led the game to a position where positive action has to be taken immediately and as an opportunity for the game to grow.”We understand the process is not straightforward and all counties have their own prerogative, however, the game needs to come to a consensus on a way forward to prioritise a duty of care to its players who are asking for reform, not just for their own health but also for an improved product on the field.”We have over 400 male players and we recognise the different career paths available … to protect the majority, a change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option and would breathe new life into what I believe would become the best red-ball competition in the world.”Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s chief executive, said: “Cricket has always been an incredibly innovative sport and relaunching the Blast and Championship with an optimum schedule would see clubs, supporters and players benefit from being involved in world-leading domestic cricket.”We have been pleased the consultation has provided space for player views to be heard and there is a consensus that back-to-back Blast games need to be drastically eased with the aim for the competition to change to 12 regional group games.”With the One Day Cup to stay alongside The Hundred, the congestion of the intense schedule cannot be improved enough by losing two 20-over games across a six-month season alone.”As employers, every county needs to understand the player concerns while looking at the positive outcome a 12/6 split would have in the Championship. The welfare of the players should be at the heart of the decision-making process and we urge all county Chairs and CEOs to consider this when taking their vote.”Ultimately, the right decision would serve to future-proof our game with clarity and commitment to a new era.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet vitoria： O Palmeiras sofreu sua primeira derrota no Paulistão, justamente no primeiro jogo da final, contra o Santos, que venceu o clássico por 1 a 0. O gol foi marcado por Otero, após bela jogada de Guilherme, que deixou Marcos Rocha no chão na jogada. O palmeirense não foi poupado das críticas por parte de alguns torcedores nas redes sociais. Confira:

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSantosSantos entra na disputa com Palmeiras e faz proposta por Gabigol, do FlamengoSantos29/06/2024

da betway： Marcos Rocha, o Leão de jogo pequeno

Nos jogos grandes sempre entrega

— Central da SEP | Fan Account (@CentralDaSEP) March 31, 2024

O Romulo acabou com o Marcos Rocha na quinta, hoje é a vez do Guilherme

Todo mundo sabe o caminho pra atacar o Palmeiras, é só ir nas costas do idoso

— Ragaço (@ragacosep) March 31, 2024

O Guilherme tá AMASSANDO o Marcos Rocha!

Ganha todos os duelos individuais!

Impressionante!

— João Paulo Cappellanes (@capelareal) March 31, 2024

Marcos Rocha errou TUDO hoje

— Diário 1914 (@diario1914) March 31, 2024

Crystal Palace are in the market for attackers this summer and have now received a reply to a bid for a freescoring star who could add another layer across the front four positions, according to reports.

Crystal Palace move on after stalemate with Chelsea

Despite the odds being stacked in Chelsea’s favour, Crystal Palace emerged with a deserved goalless draw at Stamford Bridge over the weekend and will feel a little unfortunate not to have claimed all three points amid Eberechi Eze’s disallowed free-kick.

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Nevertheless, getting off the mark in the Premier League standings will come as a relief to Oliver Glasner, who delivered praise to his side and their core members despite speculation over the future of several first-team stars.

He told Sky Sports: “The 15, 16 players who had the most minutes last year are still here. There are a lot of rumours about Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi but they were 100 per cent with this group in Crystal Palace and they have proved that in a big way.”

Without doubt, transfer activity will be what fans want to see at Selhurst Park. Contact has been initiated to sign Arsenal academy graduate Dan Casey, albeit he is unlikely to be an immediate fixture for the Eagles’ if he does cross the London divide.

In a separate sequence of potential events, Jakub Kiwior could join Crystal Palace if Eze moves to Arsenal, though a swap deal scenario would have to occur in order for both players to head in separate directions.

Glasner has somewhat shot down Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in the England international, and the Eagles boss could now be about to open his own transfer chequebook as the FA Cup holders make inroads on the market.

Crystal Palace could return for Christos Tzolis after bid rejected

According to reports in Belgium via Sport Witness, Crystal Palace have seen a £27.6 million bid turned down for Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis as they look to beef up their forward line.

Regardless, the Eagles could return with another offer, albeit the Belgian giants have no intention of selling the Greece international as they are in a comfortable position to retain his services.

Crystal Palace want to sign £26m star from under nose of Nottingham Forest

The Eagles are keen to get one over their divisional rivals…

BySean Markus Clifford Aug 11, 2025

Labelled “excellent” by Stephen Kountourou, the 23-year-old delivered 21 goals and 16 assists across all competitions inside 56 appearances last term.

Continuing that theme, he has put up five goal contributions in seven 2025/26 matches and continues to be a major attacking threat off the left flank for club and country.

Crucially, Tzolis isn’t opposed to a move to the Premier League and if he decides to agitate for a move, Club Brugge may be forced into action, leaving Crystal Palace in a position to try and zone in to land their man.

Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen has put pen to paper on a bumper five-year deal, with the option to extend it by another season. It’s a massive show of faith in the 25-year-old, who rattled in 14 goals on loan from Celta Vigo last season before sealing a £23 million ($34m) permanent move in July. Now, despite heavy interest from Newcastle United, Wolves have made sure their star man isn’t going anywhere without a fight.

• Pereira commits, Strand Larsen follows

  It’s been a week of loyalty pledges at Molineux. Just a day before Strand Larsen inked his new contract, manager Vitor Pereira signed his own three-year extension. The message is crystal clear: Wolves are building for the long haul, with stability at the heart of their vision.

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• Strand Larsen speaks from his heart

  “I’ve been incredibly happy here at Wolves,” Strand Larsen said in a statement. “Signing a new deal shows that my commitment is here, I’m happy here, I love all my friends and teammates, the fans are amazing, and we just want to make it a better season than last year. The most important thing for me is to come back to the pitch and for us to start winning and get out of the bad start we had.”

• When Newcastle were left fuming

  The Magpies came knocking hard in the summer, testing Wolves’ resolve with two offers, the biggest valued at £55m ($74m). But the Midlands club held firm, batting away the interest and doubling down with a fresh deal for their talisman.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Back from the treatment table

  The challenge for Strand Larsen now is to kick on. Last year’s haul of 14 goals and four assists proved he can deliver in the Premier League. Moreover, the timing of the extension couldn’t be better. Strand Larsen has been sidelined for the past two games with an Achilles injury, but he’s expected to make his return this Saturday against Leeds United.

Tottenham are now thought to be the most serious side about signing a £70 million defender who's been called "similar" to star centre-back Micky van de Ven.

Ange admits Spurs could sign another centre-back after Dragusin

The £25 million signing of Radu Dragusin from Genoa in January was thought to be a significant deal for Spurs, as they were starved of quality alternatives to van de Ven and Cristian Romero at the time.

Tottenham could now offer Gil in swap move for prolific £17 million striker

This is an “attractive” proposal.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 12, 2024

The latter star's hamstring injury last November seriously exposed Spurs' lack of defensive depth. Indeed, van de Ven's absence midway through 23/24 prompted a brief but poor run of form, and perhaps alerted Lilywhites transfer chiefs to the glaring weakness in Ange Postecoglou's squad.

A move for Dragusin was then swiftly completed in the winter window, with the Romanian seriously helping to bolster Postecoglou's back line. His presence also allowed Spurs to cover for the injured Destiny Udogie at the end of last season, with van de Ven moving to left-back and Dragusin taking his usual spot in the centre.

Sheffield United 0-3 Tottenham

6.98

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6.67

Tottenham 2-1 Luton Town

6.61

Tottenham 0-2 Man City

6.49

Fulham 3-0 Tottenham

6.28

However, despite the 22-year-old's arrival at N17, Postecoglou has previously admitted that Spurs could look to sign another centre-back this summer – as they eye even more cover.

“If you’re saying, ‘Is it an area we can strengthen?’, yes it’s an area we will probably look at”, the Tottenham manager said.

“With all these things, it’s about trying to strengthen the group as much as anything else. If you think about when I first arrived, we had maybe six or seven centre-backs at the club. So it’s not just numbers. It’s more about the ability of those players to play the football we want and to fit in to what we’re trying to build here.

“I think it is an area of the park we will look to strengthen, but I think we’ll look to strengthen all areas of the park come the end of the season. That is planning that’s already underway, and other people are in charge of it at the moment.”

Tottenham made an offer to Tosin Adarabioyo before he joined Chelsea, as revealed by club insider Paul O'Keefe at the time. Spurs also held an interest in signing Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer from Bournemouth, but the Englishman is on his way to Newcastle United instead (Simon Stone, BBC).

With both free deals out of the window, Spurs apparently have their eyes on a far more expensive option in Nottingham Forest star Murillo.

Tottenham most serious side in race for Murillo

The Brazilian, who starred for Forest over his 32 Premier League starts, is also being chased by their north London rivals.

That is according to Football Transfers, who also claim that Tottenham have shown the most interest in signing Murillo at this point. They may need to stump up a considerable transfer fee, though, and it could be as high as £70 million.

FT have also called Murillo "similar" to van de Ven, which is an enticing comparison when considering just how crucial the 23-year-old is to Spurs.

The LSG captain said they were “20-25 runs short” after making 171 at the Ekana Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-20252:13

Rapid Fire: How big a concern is Pant’s form?

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) started IPL 2025 with two big totals in away games – even though one resulted in a very slim loss – but when they got to Lucknow for their first home game, they fell “20-25 runs short” after they were put in to bat because they are “still assessing” the conditions at the Ekana Stadium and captain Rishabh Pant said he is “still figuring out a lot of things for the team.”LSG managed 171 for 7 against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and saw the visitors chase that down in just 16.2 overs with eight wickets in hand.”Definitely [our total] wasn’t enough, we were like 20-25 runs short but that’s part and parcel of the game,” Pant said after the game. “It’s our first home game so still assessing the conditions.”LSG went for a track on the slower side, but it came back to bite them after they were asked to bat by PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer. The hosts stuttered to 35 for 3 in the fifth over as Pant fell for a third low score of 2 off five balls to follow a duck and 15 in the first two outings, and finished the first six overs with just 39 on the board, their slowest powerplay of this IPL.”Definitely it’s always going to be tough to get a big total when you lose early wickets, but that’s how the game progresses every day, like you can’t control everything,” Pant said. “Each and every player is trying to take the game forward from there.”When it was time for LSG to defend their below-par total, Pant used three overs of spin – two from Digvesh Rathi and one from Ravi Bishnoi – hoping that the slowness of the track would get him success, but only Rathi got the wicket of Priyansh Arya while Bishnoi was taken apart for 15 runs by Prabhsimran Singh.”The idea was to get a slower wicket because we felt that it was a home game, it’s going to stop a little bit. And I think when you were bowling slow into the wicket, they were still sticking in but we weren’t good enough on the given day. We going to learn from it and move forward.”LSG now have two losses from their first three games but have three more home games out of their next four to get used to the conditions at Ekana.”It’s early in the tournament, can’t say much, still figuring out a lot of things for the team but hopefully it’s going to come nicely for us.”2:11

Aaron: Bishnoi needs to take more responsibility

After Prabhsimran set the base with a 34-ball 69, Iyer sealed his side’s second straight victory, staying unbeaten on 52 off 30 balls. Nehal Wadhera, who was not out on 43 off 25 at the other end, said “all the credit” went to Iyer for the way he is leading them.”All credit goes to the way he’s captaining us and also the way he is boosting our confidence and the way he was telling me things, like, ‘play your natural game, just go with the flow,’ and I just love playing like that,” Wadhera said.Wadhera came on as an Impact Player, in place of Yuzvendra Chahal after he had bowled out, and said he didn’t even know when he reached he ground that he was going to play and was carrying just the one kit for the day. Wadhera was bought by PBKS after playing for two seasons for Mumbai Indians, and is now under a new captain and a new coach, Ricky Ponting.”He’s one of the best coaches I have ever worked under,” Wadhera said. “I’ve never heard any negative talk ever from his mouth and that’s the best thing about him. He just talks positive and when a coach gives you such positive remarks, that automatically boosts your confidence.”

Majestic batting from Nat Sciver-Brunt, middle-overs acceleration from Hayley Matthews, and power-hitting from Harmanpreet Kaur helped Mumbai Indians post a daunting total of 213 in the Eliminator. That proved to be too much to chase down, and Mumbai’s 47-run win extended their head-to-head dominance over Gujarat Giants to 7-0 and powered them into their second WPL final in three years. On Saturday, they will face Delhi Capitals in a repeat of the 2023 finale.Giants were without Deandra Dottin for their first knockout game in three WPLs after the allrounder hurt herself only five minutes before the toss, and was replaced by England’s Danielle Gibson. Giants didn’t do themselves any favours as they misfielded through the innings and put down four catches that cost them heavily. In the run chase, they lost their three top-scorers this season – Beth Mooney, Harleen Deol and Ashleigh Gardner – in the powerplay as Mumbai held on to their catches and effected run-outs.Phoebe Litchfield scored a quickfire 31 off 20 balls, but once she was stumped off Amelia Kerr, Giants were all but out of the chase at 107 for 5, with the asking rate above 13 an over.

Matthews, Sciver-Brunt set solid platform

Put in to bat, Mumbai went back to opening with Yastika Bhatia, but it didn’t change her fortunes. After collecting three boundaries in her 14-ball stay during a sedate powerplay in which MI didn’t take too many risks, Bhatia pulled Gibson to midwicket to fall for 14.The wicket brought out the in-form Sciver-Brunt, who didn’t bat an eyelid to get going alongside Matthews, who started with only 17 runs off her first 22 balls before taking off. Sciver-Brunt took the aerial route straightaway. She ended the seventh over with consecutive boundaries, which Matthews followed up by smacking three of her own off the next three balls from Priya Mishra to power the run rate past eight an over. Three of those five consecutive fours came off short deliveries, a length the Giants bowlers often bowled and got punished for.Their sloppy fielding didn’t help either, leading to a number of boundaries. The first came in the ninth over when Sciver-Brunt drove to deep cover, where Simran Shaikh let the ball go through her. Soon after, Sciver-Brunt reverse paddled Gardner for her fifth boundary in 12 balls. Kashvee Gautam then let one through at point when Matthews cut one square. By then, Matthews had started to find her A game, and a six off Tanuja Kanwar’s short ball brought her fifty up off 36 balls, and the team’s 100 in 11 overs.With Mumbai at 111 for 1 after 12 overs, Meghna Singh and Mishra brought some sort of balance back by conceding only 13 runs in two overs. But from the cushion of 124 for 1 with six overs to go, it was time to floor the pedal.Harmanpreet Kaur smashed 36 off just 12 balls•BCCI

Harmonster demolishes Giants again

Harmanpreet already had her helmet on in the dugout, and was shadow-practicing her big swings while waiting for her chance. Sciver-Brunt deposited Gibson over deep midwicket and long-on to raise a 29-ball fifty. Giants, meanwhile, continued their wretched run on the field when the reliable Gardner dropped Matthews on 57 straight down the ground.Matthews made them pay immediately, hitting Mishra for back-to-back sixes over long-on and cover with deft footwork. Such was Mumbai’s luck that even a top-edge off the next ball went for four. But that luck ran out when Matthews edged Gautam behind for 77 off 50 balls, and Mooney took a sharp catch standing up.Harmanpreet averaged nearly 79 against Giants before this game, and the number could have fallen had Mishra held on to a catch at midwicket when she was on 1. But Mishra didn’t, and Harmanpreet became Harmonster. She went deep in the crease and opened her stance to cart the ball around, whether it was in the slot or not.Harmanpreet started the 18th over by hammering Kanwar for 6, 4, 4 – even that sequence included a misfield – before ending the over with her trademark slog-sweep for six. That over went for 22 in all. Sciver-Brunt also got a life in the next over – sandwiched between two boundaries off Gibson – when Kanwar made a mess of a skier. Giants were punished yet again next ball, but finally ended the partnership when Litchfield caught one at deep midwicket, leaving Sciver-Brunt seven short of 500 runs this season, and three short of 1000 in the WPL overall.Harmanpreet was gifted two balls in the slot at the start of the last over, and she happily collected sixes off both. Meghna, however, finished well, giving away just two off the next three balls before nailing a yorker that led to Harmanpreet being run out for 36.Danielle Gibson’s dive wasn’t enough for Amanjot Kaur’s flat throw from the deep•BCCI

Mumbai’s fielders show how it’s done

It took only five balls for the hosts to show their superiority in the field on the night, despite the presence of dew. When Shabnim Ismail drew Mooney’s edge, Matthews leapt to her right from first slip to grab the ball with both hands. When Harleen Deol and Gibson got into a mix-up in the fifth over, 20-year-old Sanskriti Gupta put in a dive at point and hurled the ball quickly to the wicketkeeper to find Deol short. And just before the halfway mark, Gibson also fell short when attempting a second run, and her dive wasn’t enough to beat Amanjot Kaur’s flat throw from the deep.In between, Gardner lost her off stump against Matthews, which meant Giants were 43 for 3 in the powerplay. Litchfield was their only hope and she used her feet regularly against Kerr and struck two boundaries against Ismail that showed her class on either side of the wicket. But when Litchfield ventured out of the crease against Kerr once again and missed, Bhatia did the rest to leave Giants 107 for 5.

Another run-out and Giants go down

Giants hardly had any steam left in their tank, and their poor running added to their misery. Next to fall short was Gautam, who was sent back when she hurried out for a quick single after drilling the ball to cover, from where Harmanpreet fired the ball back for the sixth wicket.With another 102 runs to get from the remaining 42 balls, and their top five back in the hut, Giants’ only hope of getting anywhere close to their target was Bharti Fulmali. She started with a straight six off Amanjot, dispatched Kerr to the leg-side boundary, and flayed Matthews for consecutive boundaries behind square. But when Fulmali backed away looking for a third boundary in a row, Matthews beat her attempted cut and knocked the stumps over.Mumbai continued their stellar fielding display as Harmanpreet took a diving catch to send Shaikh back, and Sciver-Brunt ran to her left at deep midwicket to seal victory in the last over.

تمكن فريقا الزمالك والبنك الأهلي من تسجيل هدفين في 3 دقائق خلال اللقاء الجاري الآن ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع البنك الأهلي، على استاد السلام، في الجولة الافتتاحية من مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز موسم 2024 – 2025.

طالع..فيديو | ناصر ماهر يسجل هدف الزمالك الأول أمام البنك الأهلي

وسجل محمد هلال هدف تعادل البنك الأهلي في الدقيقة 50، من عمر المباراة من ركلة جزاء تحصل عليها ياو أنور.

وفي الدقيقة 53 سجل ناصر منسي، هدف الزمالك الثاني من كرة رأسية بعد عرضية رائعة من ناصر ماهر.

وكان ناصر ماهر قد أحرز هدف الزمالك الأول، بعد عرضية من عبد الله السعيد قابلها ماهر بتسديدة داخل الشباك في الدقيقة 38.

يذكر أن الموسم الماضي من بطولة الدوري احتل الزمالك المركز الثالث برصيد 60 نقطة، جمعها من خلال الفوز في 17 لقاء وتعادل 9 مرات وخسر 8 مواجهات.

ويشهد هذا الموسم تغييرًا في شكل ونظام بطولة الدوري المصري، حيث سيُلعب من دور واحد، على أن يتم تقسيم الدور الثاني لمجموعتي حسم اللقب والهروب من الهبوط، بواقع 9 فرق في كل منهما، ليصبح عدد مباريات كل فريق 25 مباراة بدلًا من 34. هدف تعادل البنك الأهلي أمام الزمالك

  هدف الزمالك الثاني أمام البنك الأهلي

da dobrowin： Southampton would have come away from the 2-1 win at Leeds United on the action-packed final day in the Championship full of confidence again, having lost their last three league encounters before this joyous trip to West Yorkshire.

da esoccer bet： The Saints constantly troubled a nervous Leeds side on their own turf, with Kyle Walker-Peters' awareness for Southampton's second on the day showing the desire of Russell Martin's men in spades with the right-back gambling on the ball not going out of play, to then tee up Will Smallbone to fire home.

Not everything went swimmingly, however, despite the positive final scoreline with Che Adams limping off in the second half with a worrying knock.

This would be a major blow for Martin's men if the Saints goal machine isn't fit enough for the drama of the playoffs, having come into his own in recent months up top for the promotion-chasers.

Che Adams' numbers this season

Often seen in the shadow of Adam Armstrong's immense goalscoring numbers at St. Mary's, with the experienced former Newcastle United man bagging 21 goals this season, Adams is standing out in his own right now for Martin's side.

With Armstrong drafted out to the right wing for large portions of this campaign, the Scotland international has led the line as the lone striker predominantly with his prolific edge in front of goal shining in the process.

The 27-year-old forward is only four goals behind his deadly teammate, with five of his 15 second-tier goals for the season coming in a fruitful April for the ex-Birmingham City man.

If Adams' knock is a serious one, the composed Saints number ten would leave a gaping hole in attack when such crunch matches are crying out for the 5 foot 9 striker to excel in.

Still, the absence of Adams could prepare Southampton for an uneasy summer to come with the 27-year-old out of contract and waiting to be snapped up by many a Premier League suitor.

This could give another striker in the Saints camp the impetus to make the gaping hole left by Adams their own if he isn't fit for the matches to come, with one returning attacker desperate to make an impression.

The players who could replace Adams

One bold candidate to take Adams' place could be Ross Stewart, with the former Sunderland man finally tasting more second-tier action for the South Coast club against Leeds after being in the treatment room for most of this campaign.

This seven-minute run-out could well have been Martin assessing whether or not the Scotsman still looked rusty, with the forgotten 27-year-old going on to win 100% of his ground duels as a lively late option in West Yorkshire.

Having netted six goals in Scotland with Alloa Athletic and with Sunderland in their respective playoff structures, Stewart could thrive under the intense strain of the tense matches to follow if given a chance by Martin.

The safer play by the 38-year-old boss against West Bromwich Albion over two legs could be to reintroduce Sekou Mara into the first-team fold, with the Frenchman deemed not fit enough for a spot on the bench against Leeds but should be ready for the playoffs.

Mara has starred in flashes for his promotion-seeking side this season, with six goals managed in all competitions from 33 matches.

Yet, there must be some temptation on Martin's end to throw Stewart in at the deep end instead with one of his ex-Sunderland teammates Alex Pritchard describing the striker as "unbelievable" when securing the Black Cats promotion to the second-tier back in 2022. Could he fancy another big promotion moment on his CV?

Arsenal head into their crunch clash with Manchester City on Easter Day sat top of the Premier League.

A win for Liverpool a few hours before may well bump them down but the fact remains, this is a pretty good time to be a fan of the Gunners.

They have recovered from a mini-slump around the New Year period to crash home a bucket load of goals in their pursuit of domestic and continental glory.

Mikel Arteta and Edu have also concluded some important business behind the scenes over that time, tying down defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben White to new contracts.

White now sits on a pretty pay packet of a reported £150k-per-week, extending his stay in north London until 2028 at the least.

That said, PR surrounding White hasn't all been positive over the last fortnight with his unwillingness to play for England being revealed by Gareth Southgate.

Ben White's situation with England

To date, White has only earned four caps for the England national team but it doesn't appear as though he'll be adding to that total anytime soon.

The right-back was part of the squad for the last Euros and was also part of the World Cup squad in Qatar, a richly deserved call-up for his progression with Arsenal.

Sadly, the 26-year-old didn't feature in either tournament and as has been well documented now, left the World Cup early.

The reason? Well, an alleged altercation of sorts with one of Southgate's coaches, Steve Holland.

The Athletic believe that Holland wasn't a great fan of White's attitude, with the coach reportedly calling the defender out for not taking things seriously enough. Southgate denies any disagreement staunchly, but it's led to the £50m man making himself unavailable for his national team.

That said, speaking in his pre-international break press conference, the England boss is still open to a return to the setup for the Arsenal star.

He commented: "On form, I can't sit here and say [White] doesn't deserve to be in. John McDermott [technical director] had a call from Edu last week to say Ben didn't want to be considered for England squads at this time.

"That's a great shame, he's a player I really like, he's a player we took to the Euros when he was at Brighton, to the World Cup. I spoke to him post-Qatar, because I wanted to pick him. There was clearly reticence from his side, I don't know fully why that is."

The reaction has been quite something with some in the footballing sphere criticising the defender. However, some, like Lee Dixon have shown a little more understanding of the situation.

What Lee Dixon has said about Ben White

Speaking to Football FanCast on behalf of BetVictor Casino Dixon wasn't too critical of White's decision.

The well-known pundit said: "He might be sitting there in 15 – 20 years time and going 'oh, I wish I would have played for England' but that’s up to him.

"I’ve gone on record before as saying if he doesn't play, we don't know the full reasons and we might never know the full reasons, that’s up to him. If he doesn't want to play. Okay, fine. Well, thanks for trying. Who's next? That's exactly where I sit with it."

The former Arsenal man followed that up by suggesting the pressure of playing for your country could have been a further reason behind White's decision, using his own playing career as an example.

Like Arsenal's current number 4, Dixon never appeared at a major tournament for England, having made the first of his 22 caps in April 1990. He endured a period of international exile between 1994 and 1999 when he made his final outing for England in a 2-0 defeat against France.

Detailing that experience, the 60-year-old warned White that the pressure may well be even greater if and when he does play for the Three Lions again: "When I came back to play for England when I was in my late 30s and I got called back by Howard Wilkinson the pressure that I was under then after seven years out was huge. I didn't enjoy it. I played one game and I really didn't enjoy it.

"I was at a time in my career – he’s not at that – he’s a lot younger and it's different, but I can relate to it if it is a pressure thing. I felt that when I first played for England it’s a different pressure because you want to play and I would always want to play for England, but he doesn't so fine. There's the line, thanks a lot, shake his hand and get on with it."

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By
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