Arsenal are in advancing talks to sign yet another player for Mikel Arteta, following an already-hectic last seven days when it comes to the club’s recruitment drive.

Agbonlahor slams "very odd" Arsenal transfer decision as Berta agrees deal

The Gunners are shopping “at Asda”.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 27, 2025

Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi was in London this time last week to formalize his transfer to N5 and sign all documents as a new Arsenal player (Fabrizio Romano), with the 26-year-old becoming Andrea Berta’s first signing as new sporting director.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Almost immediately after Zubimendi, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga also travelled to the English capital to complete his own Arsenal move, coming after Berta triggered the £5 million release clause in his Chelsea contract.

The Spanish duo were swiftly followed in their journey to N5 by Brentford captain Christian Norgaard as well, with Arsenal agreeing an initial £10 million deal, plus a potential £5 million in add-ons (Ben Jacobs), to sign the Denmark international as a replacement for Thomas Partey.

Norgaard has been authorised to have a medical at Arsenal (Fabrizio Romano), but according to recent reports, Berta may soon add yet another player to their growing list of very recent new additions.

Arsenal "set to sign" Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia

On Thursday afternoon, news emerged that Arsenal have opened talks with Valencia over versatile centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.

The 21-year-old could play at both right-back and at the heart of Arteta’s defence, if the Gunners can agree a potential £17 million deal, with Mosquera up for grabs at a cheap price considering he’s about to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

The news was originally shared by X account ‘HandofArsenal’, with credible media sources then reporting that Arsenal are now in pole position to sign the Spaniard ahead of RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich.

Now, journalist Graeme Bailey, writing in a piece for TBR Football, has shared a further update on the story.

Bailey reports that Arsenal are “set to sign” Mosquera, with talks reaching an advanced stage after “positive” negotiations, but it could spell the end for back-up defender Jakub Kiwior.

The latter impressed alongside William Saliba last season when Gabriel Magalhaes was out injured, but Mosquera’s possible arrival is “set to signal the departure” of Kiwior as he prioritises a return to Serie A.

Called a “sensational talent” by members of the media, Kiwior is apparently preparing to leave the Emirates as a result of this move for Mosquera, with GiveMeSport also reporting that personal terms have already been agreed.

While Mosquera will serve as a back-up option initially, Arsenal are said to believe that the defender has serious potential to become a first-team regular in the coming years.

The Amazon Warriors captain is only the third player to the landmark after Bravo and Narine

Deivarayan Muthu22-Sep-2024In his seventh season – and second as captain – at Guyana Amazon Warriors, Imran Tahir, now the oldest player in the CPL at 45, became the first overseas bowler to take 100 wickets in the league. Tahir reached the milestone when he had Antigua and Barbuda Falcons’ Hassan Khan holing out to Gudakesh Motie right at the edge of the midwicket boundary in Amazon Warriors’ successful defence of 135 on a Providence turner.Tahir cherished the landmark, saying it was a game-changing moment. When Hassan, who is adept at playing spin, holed out for 10 off 12 balls, Falcons were reduced to 41 for 3 in the eighth over and were eventually bowled out for 108.”I think he [Motie] took a really good catch,” Tahir said after Amazon Warriors secured their spot in the playoffs. “I was quite pleased because Hassan is very dangerous and can play spin really well, so getting him out at that time was really crucial for the team. I am just glad it came off and it was a totally great effort from Motie. For me, that was the turning point to get back into the game.”After Motie completed the catch, Tahir set off on a signature celebratory sprint and even mimicked Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siuuu’ celebration. In his next over, Tahir trapped Kofi James with another slider, for 27 off 23 balls.ESPNcricinfo LtdIt was not a popular move when Tahir, 44 then, was named captain of Amazon Warriors last season, but he led the team to their first title. Continuing as captain, Tahir faced a stumbling block this time when he was injured midway through the season, but he returned to action and marshalled Amazon Warriors into the playoffs once again.”I just wanna be really grateful to Guyana for giving me the opportunity over the years to come and play here in this beautiful country,” he said. “Look, it’s a personal achievement [100 CPL wickets] but I hope my achievement includes whatever I’ve helped for the team and that’s what I look to do always. It’s a very good milestone and I’m very pleased.”Tahir also credited Moeen Ali for his calculated 42 off 33 balls, which propped Amazon Warriors up to 135 for 7 from 85 for 5. While Moeen was circumspect against Chris Green’s offspin, he lined up left-arm fingerspinner Imad Wasim for an electric sequence of 4, 6, 6, 6, 0, 4 in the 19th over.Related

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Amazon Warriors’ batters have been particularly good at acing their match-ups this season. For instance, when they met Falcons in North Sound earlier this season, Romario Shepherd played out Fabian Allen and Shamar Springer, who has quite a few slower variations in his repertoire, and instead smashed Mohammad Amir for 15 off five balls.”We knew it was going to be difficult from the start,” Tahir said. “I think we wanted to have a better powerplay, to be honest, but I still think we were okay because we didn’t lose a lot of wickets. It’s actually totally different than last year – it’s quite tough for the batters to adjust themselves. I think Moeen played really, really well.”Obviously, he had a chance, but then, I think, he capitalised on that all the way and he was incredible. One over changed the game. We were still thinking we could have done better but we knew 135-140 we can defend as a bowling unit.”The Providence has been a fortress for Amazon Warriors: their win-loss ratio of 1.71 at this venue is the best among all teams at home in the CPL. While Amazon Warriors have always had a deep and varied spin attack, which suited these conditions, Tahir attributed their sustained success at home to the Guyana crowd.”The support we get here from people,” Tahir said, “they are always here every single game and it’s sold out. As a professional sportsman, you want to play somewhere where you really enjoy and that’s what we felt over the years. I’ve been very lucky to be part of this franchise for the last seven years. It’s been incredible and that’s the only thing I can think of. The skills are there and obviously you’ve done your homework, hard work, this and that, but I think it’s the support and I just want to thank all the people in Guyana and all over [the world] where Guyanese people are. It’s incredible and we love playing here.”Jewel Andrew, 17, is among the positives for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in CPL 2024•CPL T20 via Getty Images’Shoulda, coulda, woulda’ – Falcons captain Green reflects on the seasonAfter Falcons suffered a group-stage exit in their first CPL season, their captain Green was left with a tantalising thought: what might have been. With Brandon King injured at the start of the tournament, Green took as captain and oversaw four home defeats in five matches in North Sound. Though Falcons did the double over the mighty Trinbago Knight Riders, they had already fallen out of the playoffs race.”It [captaincy] was a good challenge,” Green said. “I found out at the very last minute that I would be doing it in Antigua. Fortunately, I’ve got some really good people around me in my team. We had so much fun together and we had some really close losses unfortunately in those first two games and reflection on the season: shoulda, coulda, woulda. We showed glimpses of what we could do at times and then we were really poor at times and probably our fielding let us down and lack of big runs let us down as well throughout the tournament.”Green, however, was buoyed by the emergence of Jewel Andrew, the youngest player to ever feature in the CPL, and the re-emergence of Justin Greaves and Shamar Springer.”You look at some individual performances. Justin Greaves coming in and opening the batting and having the tournament he did,” Green said. “Shamar Springer, another one with the ball, and unfortunately he was injured. I’d have loved to see him get up the wickets column and finish a great tournament that he deserved. And then the youngster – Jewel Andrew how he started in the tournament and it’s a pity he didn’t play in the back end as well but at 17 years of age to come out and play the way he did. That’s three off the top of my head. Just outstanding individual performances throughout the tournament and they have got bright futures ahead of them along with other guys in the team.”

Rajasthan beat Tamil Nadu by 19 runs in the pre-quarterfinal in Vadodara

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2025

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy strengthened his case for selection in India’s ODI squad by taking his second five-wicket haul in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, but his performance could not prevent Rajasthan from eliminating Tamil Nadu in the pre-quarterfinal stage of the tournament.While Varun finished as the top wicket-taker with 18 scalps in six matches, the knockout game’s defining performance came from Rajasthan opener Abhijeet Tomar, whose 111 in the first innings set the foundation for a 19-run victory. They will play Vidarbha in the quarterfinal on January 12.Rajasthan were on course for 300-plus after losing the toss, cruising at 182 for 1 in the 32nd over when Varun took three wickets in three overs to trigger a slide. He first bowled Mahipal Lomror for 60 with a wrong’un that drifted in, pitched and squared the left-hander to hit the top of off stump.Having broken the 160-run stand between Tomar and Lomror, Varun then bowled Deepak Hooda with a carrom ball as he attempted a mow towards the leg side. His third wicket was the centurion Tomar, holing out to long-on for 111 off 125 balls. He picked up two more wickets to finish with 5 for 52 in nine overs.Rajasthan lost nine wickets for 83 and were all out for 267 in 47.3 overs. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore and seamer Sandeep Warrier picked up two wickets each.Tamil Nadu responded with a rapid opening partnership of 60 in 6.5 overs before Khaleel Ahmed bowled the slower opener Tushar Raheja for 11 of 20 balls. N Jagadeesan raced to a half-century, hitting Aman Shekhawat for six fours in an over that included five wides to cost Rajasthan 29 runs. His dismissal for 65 off 52 balls, however, caused panic in Tamil Nadu’s chase.B Indrajith and Vijay Shankar kept the innings going and at the start of the 36th over, Tamil Nadu needed 83 runs with five wickets in hand. The run-out of S Mohammed Ali for a run-a-ball 34, however, swung the game Rajasthan’s way.Shekhawat, the fast bowler who had Indrajith caught behind, bowled Vijay Shankar for 49, and sealed the game by dismissing Varun for 18 in a close finish. He finished with 3 for 60 as Rajasthan, runners-up of the previous Vijay Hazare Trophy, entered the final eight by bowling Tamil Nadu out for 248 in 47.1 overs.

Shakib Al Hasan has said that he is unlikely to travel to Dhaka, the venue of the upcoming first Test against South Africa, because of protests against him in the city. Shakib was included in the Bangladesh squad for the first Test, which was going to be his final appearance in the format.”I am not sure where I am going next, but it is almost sure that I am not going home,” Shakib told ESPNcricinfo via WhatsApp.Shakib had earlier expressed concern about his safety if he came to Bangladesh, given the number of Awami League leaders being arrested since August 5, the day their government effectively resigned from power after 15 years. Shakib was a member of parliament from his hometown Magura. He was one of 147 people named in an FIR for an alleged murder during the unrest.Shakib, however, remains in the Bangladesh squad for the first Test according to chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain. He said that they haven’t received any further instructions from the BCB about Shakib. On Wednesday when announcing the squad, selector Hannan Sarkar said that they picked Shakib after getting a “green signal” from the authorities to select him.”We haven’t received any further instructions from the BCB or the cricket operations committee. It is a paused status at the moment. He is in transit in Dubai,” Ashraf said.While Shakib had reportedly been assured safe passage into Bangladesh, students started protesting his imminent arrival from Wednesday evening. A group recognising themselves as “Mirpur Chhatro Janata” informed the BCB that they will protest Shakib’s appearance in the stadium. Late into Wednesday evening, Shakib was reportedly asked to wait in Dubai where he was transiting from New York. Although Shakib’s flight is on Thursday evening, he is unlikely to come to Dhaka.Meanwhile, the chief adviser’s deputy press secretary Azad Majumder said that the decision is up to Shakib to return to the country. “Shakib can return to Bangladesh anytime. It’s his decision whether he will arrive here or not,” Majumder told ESPNcricinfo.According to , Youth and Sports adviser Asif Mahmud said in a statement that he had advised Shakib not to return home to ‘avoid untoward situations’.”I have advised Shakib not to come [to Bangladesh] to avoid any untoward circumstances. This decision was made to ensure the safety of players and to protect the country’s image,” Asif said.

Tottenham Hotspur still haven’t made headway in the summer transfer market, but Thomas Frank is at least in place as the new manager, and a forward plan is being put into place.

Of course, there’s no need for concern. Miles of transfer market activity still stretch in front of the Lilywhites, who are in a fantastic position after ending 17 years of searching for silverware with victory over Manchester United in the Europa League, thus securing a seat at the Champions League table.

How does Frank propel this Spurs side forward? Will the Danish tactician take the seeds from Ange Postecoglou’s chaotic, up-and-down tenure and plant them in fertile soil?

The Londoners have a lot to work out, but Frank’s track record denotes his potential at the Tottenham helm. His adaptable and dynamic coaching style will be expected to breed greater consistency than we’ve seen in recent years. To achieve this, his approach must see a big upswing in defensive security.

Why Frank needs to fix Spurs' defence

Last season, Tottenham’s woes were shaped by the defensive calamities which plagued Postecoglou’s system, preventing it from ever reaching its full capacity. That and an overload of injury problems, that is.

16.

Tottenham

17th

65

17.

Wolves

16th

69

18.

Leicester

18th

80

19.

Ipswich

19th

82

20.

Southampton

20th

86

While the loan signing of versatile defender Kevin Danso has been made permanent (along with forward Mathys Tel), Tottenham need to enforce a sharp turnaround in defensive stability and mentality.

Losing Cristian Romero will hamper that. The Argentina international is on Atletico Madrid’s radar and may leave the English capital this month, with Spanish outlet AS revealing the La Liga side are prepared to table a £61m offer.

What happens there is uncertain at this stage, but we do know Frank will have a contingency plan if he does lose his combative centre-half. Interest has been shown in Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi through 2025.

However, it’s not just central defenders needed to create a squad capable of competing across multiple fronts. Indeed, Daniel Levy and co are looking toward the flanks.

Spurs lining up new full-back

As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Tottenham have been in contact with Sunderland for Dennis Cirkin, four years after the left-back moved from Spurs to the Stadium of Light as a teenager.

Cirkin, now 23, has been an integral part of a Sunderland side that has stabilised itself in the EFL and will now return to the Premier League, though he might yet jump ship.

With Levy holding talks with Spurs’ divisional rivals, there’s a good chance this one might gather pace in the coming weeks, especially as the Black Cats are thought to be sounding out potential replacements.

Why Spurs want to sign Dennis Cirkin

Cirkin has never played a game in the Premier League, but he has established himself as “the best full-back in the Championship”, as has been remarked by journalist Josh Bunting.

After featuring prominently for Tottenham’s development sides, Cirkin has now made 116 appearances for Sunderland, of which 72 have come in the Championship, with eight goals scored and four assists placed.

While a robust physicality and a desire to get forward are staples of the Englishman’s skill set, his defensive roots are forked deep indeed, having averaged 2.5 tackles and 5.6 successful duels per league match last season, as per Sofascore.

His flair and roundedness, partnered with his development further down the English pyramid, even suggest that Cirkin could be Frank’s own version of Dele Alli, who was once such an indomitable force at Tottenham.

Dele joined Tottenham one decade ago, in 2015. He was highly touted, signing him from MK Dons for £5m and beating off fierce competition from clubs such as Liverpool.

An attacking midfielder, Dele transcended his role and became one of the greatest young stars that English football had ever seen, with his former manager, Jose Mourinho, even predicting he would become “one of the world’s best”.

This was hardly baseless; he was named the PFA Premier League Young Player of the Year across his first two seasons at Spurs, having notched 67 goal contributions across his first three seasons in the top division.

And like Cirkin, Dele was more than capable of a wonder strike.

Mourinho has also recognised the former prospect’s skills. Back when the Portuguese manager managed Tottenham, he singled Cirkin out for praise after watching the development side compete in the UEFA Youth League.

Mourinho said: “I couldn’t be at the game but I watched on video our youth team playing in the [UEFA Youth League], and we also have [Dennis Cirkin].

“OK, he’s 17, but he’s a kid with a lot of quality, and I look forward to bringing him to train with us, and to help his development.”

These are players greatly opposed as far as positional value is considered, and Cirkin is older than his teenage compatriot was when he first headed down N17, but Tottenham know the value of signing a player who has cut their teeth in the EFL and would arrive in the Premier League with the expectation that they would look firmly in place among the high-level competition.

Dele’s story might have been a poignant one in recent years, but there’s no question he proved to the masses that those who foster their talents below the Premier League can become superstars in the division.

Cirkin has the advantage of having graduated from Tottenham’s academy, but he’s now in with a shout for returning and jockeying with Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence (who would shift back to the right upon Cirkin’s arrival), and becoming a major player for an exciting new Spurs project.

Could be better than Mbeumo: Spurs submit bid for £65m Premier League star

Tottenham are looking to make some signings to kickstart the Thomas Frank era.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Jul 4, 2025

Pant walked off to rousing applause in his predecessor’s territory as he racked up his maiden ODI fifty

Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai15-Dec-20191:37

I’ve learnt that there is nothing called a ‘natural game’ – Pant

Chennai is MS Dhoni’s territory. You must have seen reception when Dhoni merely rocked up for training in the lead-up to IPL 2019. Dhoni isn’t here with India’s ODI squad in the city – well, he hasn’t been available since the 50-over World Cup earlier this year – but he’s everywhere in Chennai. There are posters and images of him – mostly in Chennai Super Kings’ yellow – on metro rails and airports among other places. He even has a street named after him in the city.On Sunday there wasn’t enough buzz in Chennai in the build-up to the ODI series opener against West Indies – possibly due to the absence of Dhoni in the side. This was Chennai’s first international in more than a year and first ODI in more than two years, but reports had emerged by the start of the game that some of the tickets were still unsold.Plus, rain had lashed Chennai in the past couple of days, wiping out both sides’ practice sessions on the eve of the match. The crowd began building up later in the afternoon, but West Indies’ left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell hushed them by nipping out both Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in the seventh over.Both batsmen were tricked by cutters as India slipped to 25 for 2. Rohit Sharma then holed out for 36 in the 19th over. Chennai is used to seeing Dhoni pulling off rescue acts not just in yellow but also in India colours. Remember, India v Pakistan in 2012 or more recently India v Australia in 2017?No Dhoni? No problem for India, at least on Sunday. Dhoni’s successor Rishabh Pant stepped up on a familiar, sluggish Chepauk pitch and raised the crowd from its stupor. He even unveiled his version of the helicopter shot and had the Chennai crowd chanting: “Pant! Pant! Pant!”.His maiden ODI half-century – 71 off 69 balls – masked India’s rare top-order wobble and hoisted them up to 288 for 8.

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When Pant had joined Shreyas Iyer, India were 80 for 3 and the pitch was throwing up some tricks. Some balls skidded from a length, while others stopped from a similar length. Pant was wary of the challenge and began by playing out five successive dots.Alzarri Joseph hit speeds north of 140kph and found extra bounce, but Pant smartly rode it and worked him square – or behind square on the leg side – to repair the innings along with Iyer. Pant then ventured to drive on the up, but the slowness of the pitch didn’t allow him to get the ball away. So, he wound up splicing Joseph much straighter as opposed to hitting it squarer on the off side.At the other end, allrounder Keemo Paul found some movement with his cutters and rollers, but Pant stood outside the crease to counter this threat.Having come to grips with the pitch, Pant knuckled down against the seamers and got to 12 off 22 balls. Offspinning allrounder Roston Chase then dropped a short offbreak that broke further away from Pant, but the 22-year old adjusted to it, delayed his pull, and swatted the ball away to the midwicket boundary.Pant opted to take more risks against Chase, including a slog-swept six against the turn over midwicket. All up, Pant took 18 off 13 balls from Chase. He was more circumspect against Paul’s variations, but when he sprayed one down the leg side in the 31st over, Pant helicoptered it Dhoni-style to the long-leg boundary and thrilled the crowd.West Indies captain Kieron Pollard then recalled Cottrell in search of a breakthough, but Pant saw him off too and reached his fifty off 49 balls. He celebrated the landmark by dashing down the track and thumping Chase flat over his head for four.”Pant is the kind of batsman who can change the momentum of the game and that’s what he did today,” Iyer told after India’s innings. “I just told him [Pant] to try and hit straight because you’ll get to know the wicket and know how you can play.”Pant was then reprieved by Cottrell on 56 and he managed to add only 15 to his tally before being dismissed by Pollard’s offcutter. However, his contribution and restraint in a 114-run fourth-wicket stand had armed India with a strong total on an ageing track.In recent months, Pant has come under immense pressure – both in front of and behind the stumps. When the wicketkeeper-batsman has missed chances, spectators have chanted Dhoni’s name to wind him up.On Sunday evening, however, Pant walked off to rousing applause and more chants of “Pant! Pant! Pant!” in territory.

The allrounder revealed she has been nursing an elbow problem after a matchwinning display to start the Ashes

Valkerie Baynes12-Jan-2025Confidence can go a long way, but it can be quickly over-run and Australia are well aware of both dimensions as they carry the first points of the Women’s Ashes into Tuesday’s second ODI in Melbourne.A four-wicket win led by Ash Gardner’s all-round effort and Alyssa Healy’s half-century in the series opener – worth two points – at North Sydney Oval gave the hosts an early upper hand.But, having gone 6-0 up in the 2023 Ashes in England only to draw eight-all, means this year’s hosts will be checking any natural instinct to feel like they’re properly on top. Adding to their caution will be the fact that England threatened – ever so fleetingly – to make what looked like a straightforward run chase for Australia more difficult than they would have liked.Related

• Calls for Women's Ashes to include three Tests

• Two teams with points to prove provides ingredients for Ashes epic

• Healy and in-form Gardner give Australia opening points of Ashes battle

Alice Capsey’s spilled catch off Ellyse Perry on 7 didn’t prove overly costly after Lauren Bell bowled the dangerous Australian allrounder for 14. But what might have been if Sophie Ecclestone hadn’t dropped Garder, having controlled the ball for a time at mid-off before she tumbled to the ground and it popped out of her grasp, will never be known.At the least it would have provided an intriguing twist if Gardner was dismissed on 31 with Australia needing 22 more runs for victory and what would have been three wickets in hand. As it was, Gardner remained unbeaten on 42 as she and Alana King reeled in the deficit with with 11.1 overs to spare.Gardner and King had also combined with the ball, taking 3 for 19 and 2 for 35 respectively after seamers Kim Garth and Megan Schutt had kept a lid on a nervy England start.For Gardner, it was a continuation of her fine form against India and New Zealand last month after a lean run by her standards with the bat. Against India, she scored fifty and took five wickets in the third ODI, her first international half-century in white-ball cricket since July 2023, her 49 for the Sixers against crosstown rivals Thunder her only innings of note in the most recent WBBL season, where she was more damaging with the ball. She went on to score 74 in the third ODI against New Zealand immediately before this series.”I’ve taken a lot of confidence out of what I was able to do in the New Zealand series,” Gardner said. “To contribute with both bat and ball was something that I wanted to do to start the series off well and take some confidence into the back end of this series. We know that there’s a long way to go in this Ashes series.”We realised that pretty quickly in England last time we were six-nil up and then that got chased down pretty quickly. We could be playing amazing cricket, but England is such a good team and they always find a way.1:19

Gardner ‘super excited’ by Australia’s Ashes potential

“They certainly fought really hard in that series and we know that they’re going to look at this game today and look at the things that they didn’t do too well and the things that they did do well. We know that they’re going to come back firing next game.”Gardner revealed that she has been nursing an elbow problem for a couple of months but insisted it wasn’t an issue.Healy, meanwhile, completed her comeback from a knee injury, scoring 78-ball 70 after returning to wicketkeeping duties for the first time since mid-November in England’s innings.”She’s going to take a lot of confidence out of today,” Gardner said. “Even just watching the way that she was batting through that New Zealand series, she was striking the ball really well and got some starts, but then I think today scoring 70-odd in front of her home crowd as well probably spurs you on as captain, she’s leading from the front.”But I know just from a body point of view that she’s going to take a lot of confidence out of keeping for as long as she did and then being able to back that up at the top of the order, so really pleasing for her and hopefully it’s some signs to come that she can score heaps more runs.”Sometimes you can get caught in chasing a low total, just chasing the total rather than actually just trying to bat properly, and we always speak about if you’re chasing small total, sometimes they’re the hardest to actually chase. Today it will just give our team a lot of confidence. People stood up in different moments, whether that was with bat or the ball, and going forward we can take a lot out of today.”Alyssa Healy made a controlled half-century in the chase•Getty Images

Gardner claimed the important wickets of England’s top-scorer Heather Knight and regular match-winner Nat Sciver-Brunt, both sweeping to Perry at deep midwicket, which will give the tourists something to think about ahead of the next game at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.In fact, it was Australia’s bowling combined with a rash of soft dismissals that restricted England to a below-par score and left them with things to work on.A record crowd for a women’s international at North Sydney Oval of 6236 was a fine start to a series with lofty ambitions for attendance, particularly at the day-night Test at the MCG which closes the contest from January 30.”This is my home ground, I’m from Sydney, I’ve played a lot of cricket here and I’ve played a lot of successful games of cricket here for either the Sixers or Australia,” Gardner said. “So I guess to start the series off in front of what that crowd was, hopefully it leads to more crowds like that throughout the rest of the series.”We are playing at some really cool venues, so to hopefully play some entertaining cricket throughout the series will, fingers crossed, draw people in to come and watch us and hopefully lead to some more success.”

Rangers will now have to pay £5m if they want to secure the services of an “incredible” player this summer, a new update has claimed.

Russell Martin on verge of becoming Rangers manager

An exciting era has started behind the scenes at Ibrox, with Kevin Thelwell beginning life as the Gers’ new sporting director, having arrived from Everton, and a new manager finally on the way.

Speaking upon his arrival, Thelwell addressed Rangers’ search for a new boss, promising that there will be an end to the saga sooner rather than later.

And while a deal is not yet confirmed – the likes of Davide Ancelotti, Steven Gerrard and Francesco Farioli have also been linked – it looks as though the new Gers chief is set to go for former Southampton boss Russell Martin.

The 39 year-old will want to be given plenty of funds for new signings, and an update has emerged regarding one target who could become his first capture in the Ibrox dugout in the coming weeks.

Rangers need to pay £5m to sign Metinho

According to The Daily Record, Rangers and 49ers Enterprises will have to pay £5m if they want to sign Troyes star Metinho this summer, having joined them for £4m from Brazilian side Fluminense in 2021.

The French club are “willing to cash in on the player this year before his contract expires next year”, as they look to avoid losing the 22-year-old on a free transfer at the end of next season. He was “identified” as a target before Thelwell came in, and an approach has already been made.

Metinho is a young player with so much potential, so the idea of Rangers snapping him up before next season is a mouthwatering prospect. The DR Congo-born ace spent this season on loan at Basel, assisting twice in 14 appearances, and scout Jacek Kulig has described him as “incredible”.

A central midfielder by trade, Metinho is also capable of excelling in a more attack-minded role, and he should be considered a leading option for Rangers this summer.

Premier League legend has now emerged as hugely exciting Rangers target

What a piece of business this could be.

By
Henry Jackson

Jun 2, 2025

The fact that he has only one year left on his deal at Troyes does force them into a decision, and the hope is that the Scottish Premiership side can pounce, possibly even getting him on the cheap if they end up desperate to sell.

Jose Mourinho has reportedly asked Fenerbahce to try and sign Real Madrid attacker Brahim Diaz – but that pursuit is likely to end in failure.

• Real Madrid expected to sell a first-teamer
• Mourinho wants Diaz at Fenerbahce
• Moroccan unlikely to leave La Liga side

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Amid claims Madrid are expected to sell at least one first-team player this summer, reports in Turkey, via Football Espana, state that Fenerbahce are interested in signing Diaz and that Mourinho has 'personally asked' the club to sign the 25-year-old.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The report, however, adds that Fenerbahce are unlikely to get their way on this as Brahim is 'almost certain' to stay at Madrid for at least one more season. The Morocco international is expected to sign a new deal with Los Blancos, despite the fact he is likely to be on the fringes of Xabi Alonso's side next season. So the Turkish giants may have to admit defeat on this one.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Brahim, who spent three seasons on loan at AC Milan before earning a more prominent role at Madrid from 2023, is expected not to play as much next season due to the summer arrival of Franco Mastantuono. Moreover, rising star Arda Guler could limit his game time further still.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The attacking midfielder, who can also play as a winger and scored six goals in 56 appearances for Madrid in 2024/25, is currently on a deal until 2027 but if he signs this new contract, that may make it much more difficult to recruit Diaz – particularly from a financial viewpoint.

كشفت تقارير صحيفة عن وقوع حادث مروع تسبب به حارس مرمى الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بأحد أندية الدوري الإيطالي الكبيرة.

ونشرت صحيفة “لا ريبوبليكا” أن حارس مرمى الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي إنتر ميلان، تسبب في دهس رجل مسن بسبب قيادته للسيارة بسرعة شديدة.

وقالت الصحيفة إن حادثة مروعة وقعت في إيطاليا تتعلق بجوزيب مارتينيز، حارس مرمى إنتر ميلان، إذ دهس الحارس رجلًا مسنًا على كرسي متحرك بسيارته، مما أدى إلى وفاته على الفور.

وقعت المأساة في تمام الساعة 9:30 صباحًا في فينيجرو بالقرب من مدينة كومو، وباءت كافة عمليات الإنقاذ بالفشل وتوفي الرجل، البالغ من العمر 81 عامًا في الحال.

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ووفقًا للتحقيقات الأولية، من المُحتمل أن يكون الرجل قد عبر الطريق المعاكس عن طريق الخطأ، مما تسبب في الحادث.

تم استدعاء طائرة إسعاف كومو، وسيارة إسعاف تابعة للقطاع الطبي في سارونو وقوات كارابينيري إلى موقع الحادث.

وكشفت الصحيفة أن حارس الفريق الإيطالي البالغ من العمر 27 عامًا لم يُصب بأي أذى لكنه شعر بصدمة بالغة جراء الحادث.

واختتمت أنه تم إغلاق الشارع لمزيد من التحقيقات بينما ألغى إنتر المؤتمر الصحفي لكريستيان كيفو ولن يشارك جوزيب مارتينيز في مباراة الفريق ضد فيورنتينا المقرر إقامتها غدًا.