Club embraces mood of optimism as young players and old heads savour the ride

Andrew Miller13-Sep-2024A theme of regeneration and renewal is gripping English white-ball cricket at present, even if – on the early evidence of their T20I series with Australia – England’s rebooted team remains a work in progress. Down on the south coast, however, where one of the stories of the summer has been unfolding, Sussex have already shown how quickly teams can flourish when the right culture is put in place.Barely 18 months ago, Sussex were perceived as a club in crisis. Whether it was a conveyor-belt of departures at player, coach and executive level alike, or a grim first-class haul of three wins (and 19 defeats) in as many seasons, there was little cause for cheer among the deckchair-dwellers of Hove.Now, however, the mood has been transformed. Sussex are riding high at the top of the County Championship’s second tier, with promotion firmly in their own hands, and the confidence that has given to a young, pared-back squad has rubbed off on their T20 Blast campaign too. A solid second-place finish in the South Group, and a rousing quarter-final win over Lancashire, propelled them to Finals Day for the first time in three seasons. And now, as Paul Farbrace, the club’s head coach put it, Sussex aren’t just off for “a nice weekend in Birmingham”.Related

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“Yes, we’re delighted to be here, but we haven’t come to make the numbers up,” Farbrace said. “It’s very English to talk about, ‘oh, it’d be nice to do okay’ … we’re here to win the tournament, and we’ve got to win two more games to do that. If we don’t, and somebody beats us, well, good luck to them. They’ll have deserved to have won it. But we’re definitely here to win.”The current mood around the club is, quite literally, infectious. “We started well in the Championship, so that had a knock-on effect into the T20 side,” Farbrace said. “And then, when we went back from T20, we won the two Championship games in the middle. So the belief is there among the players, and there’s an expectation to win.”It’s a common theme among this year’s Finals Day attendees. With the exception of Gloucestershire, whose surge into the last four came at just the right time, the three other teams still in contention have enjoyed stellar seasons across formats. Surrey are still on course for a third consecutive County Championship title, despite Thursday’s thrilling loss to their closest rivals Somerset, who are themselves eyeing a rare treble, with the Metro Bank final against Glamorgan to come next week.”Sometimes you can say, well, we haven’t quite got the squad, so we can only compete in one format. No, you can compete in both,” Farbrace said. “And the expectation isn’t just about our first-team performances. The commercial team, the people in the office, the groundstaff … everybody is excited by the progress the team’s making. It makes their jobs a damn sight easier because they’re not getting stick from people that they might have done two years ago.”

“Once I’d put myself forward for the captaincy, it wasn’t with the aim to solidify, it was to win. And a lot of our players have surprised themselves with how good they could be in T20 cricket”Tymal Mills

Sussex’s turnaround in fortunes isn’t just down to luck, however. From the moment of Farbrace’s arrival in February 2023, the club focused on red-ball cricket as a means to shore up their basic discipline, but, after a season of steady improvement under Ravi Bopara, the appointment of Tymal Mills as T20 captain has gone on to turbo-charge their ambitions in the Blast.”There’s been a lot more role clarity, there’s been a lot more clear thinking, and clear planning,” Farbrace added. “We’ve got the right people in the right places, which is no disrespect to Ravi, because he scored an awful lot of runs and took a lot of wickets. But the addition of Dan Hughes [as overseas player] has been absolutely outstanding, and the non-selection of Ollie Robinson for England has helped us enormously.”But Millsy’s done a fantastic job on and off the field as captain. I think every game we’ve gone into, we’ve been exceptionally well prepared because of the work he did in the winter with Luke Dunning, our analyst, and James [Kirtley, T20 coach] … what needed to improve, the collation of all the stats, and talking to every player about what their game looked like, and where they needed to get to.”Mills, now 32, knows of what he speaks. In 2018, he played under Luke Wright as a key member of the last Sussex side to reach the Blast final, and though they lost on that occasion to Worcestershire, that team is still recalled as one of the greatest in the format’s history – featuring luminaries such as Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan and Rashid Khan, not to mention a young Phil Salt, England’s current (stand-in) T20I captain.”That team we had five or six years ago was an awesome team, and we turned up to every game expecting to win, because of the players we had on paper,” Mills said. “But it dissipated quite quickly, and it probably wasn’t a viable way of running a club the size of Sussex, with probably six or seven players only playing T20 cricket.”Daniel Hughes is currently the Blast’s leading run-scorer•Getty ImagesBut now, as a rare single-format squad member, he will arrive at Hove, as Farbrace puts it, “chomping at the bit” to get stuck into the competition, and making sure everyone is ready to raise their game.”The club rightly had to shift focus towards Championship cricket, but once I’d put myself forward for the captaincy, it wasn’t with the aim to solidify, it was to win,” Mills added. “And a lot of our players have surprised themselves with how good they could be in T20 cricket.”It is a game that you can’t just turn up and play, and hope to do well. Maybe 15 years ago, you could see how you go and have a laugh. But T20 is proper business now, and if you want to be good at it and you want to be successful at it, you’ve got to put in time, and you’ve got to put in effort, and you’ve got to think about it.”So that’s something that I think we’ve changed now at the club, especially with our batters, who have started to scratch the surface of what they can do in T20 cricket. The club’s in a good place, because the boys have started really well in the four-day stuff, so we had a lot of players scoring runs, taking wickets, winning games. That puts you in a good place, and you haven’t got half your squad who are out of form and nicking off, and not confident or comfortable with their technique.”One disappointment for Sussex is that they will be denied the chance to deploy one of the modern greats of T20 cricket during Finals Day, with Archer tied up on international duty. It’s a situation that Mills decried as “stupid” in the wake of their quarter-final win, but as Kirtley acknowledged, his absence isn’t exactly a novelty for the club.”Jofra is a world-class act and, realistically, he can’t be replaced,” he said. “But for 14 games, we played without him and qualified. So, it’s actually far easier to plan not to have him, and when he does play, it’s a bonus.”We also lost Danny Lamb, who was doing the workload up the hill at Hove… no one can replace those shoes. But, we’ve played some really good cricket, and different individuals putting their hand up at various times, and I expect them to do the same tomorrow.”Kirtley singled out Hughes for particular praise, not simply for his competition-leading haul of 595 runs at 42.50, but also for his calmness off the field and the manner in which he has helped to nurture other key performers such as Harrison Ward, his opening partner. And similarly, with Mills and Robinson providing the wise heads in the bowling attack, the team’s belief comes with some justifiably solid foundations.”You want to come to Finals Day, and the younger players will want to have a bit more of this,” he said. “Some of them have only just turned 20. This is what it’s about. These experiences of big days out can only bode well for Sussex in the future.”

Chelsea are now ready to offer Blues players as part of a swap deal for an “unbelievable” Premier League and England star, according to a report.

Blues set sights on another attacker

The Blues have already strengthened their forward options considerably this summer, with the likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens sealing moves to Stamford Bridge, but Enzo Maresca remains keen on adding another attacking midfielder to his ranks.

The west Londoners have ramped up their interest in a number of playmakers over the past few days, with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers being identified as their top target, although there are two other exciting options on the shortlist.

Target

Current club

League G/A in 2024-25

Morgan Rogers

Aston Villa

19

Xavi Simons

RB Leipzig

17

Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace

16

Maresca’s squad is arguably already bloated, meaning it could make sense to offload some unwanted players in swap deals for new signings, and a new report has revealed the Club World Cup champions plan to do exactly that.

Indeed, according to a report from The Boot Room, Chelsea are ready to offer players as part of a swap deal for Aston Villa’s Rogers, with Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile among the potential options.

Villa have also expressed an interest in Nicolas Jackson, as Unai Emery is keen on reuniting with the former Villarreal man, so it may also make sense to use the 24-year-old as a makeweight in negotiations.

The Blues can arguably afford to get rid of Jackson, given that Delap and Pedro have arrived this summer, with the latter playing a major role in their Club World Cup triumph, scoring three goals throughout the tournament.

Should a swap deal not be possible, Chelsea may have to spend big to get a deal over the line, with Villa reportedly looking to receive over £90m.

"Unstoppable" Rogers could be statement signing for Chelsea

The west Londoners should be in a strong financial position after winning the Club World Cup, having raked in around £85m, meaning they may be able to afford to make another statement signing this summer.

The Villa star would be exactly that, having performed remarkably well across the 2024-25 campaign, proving himself in his debut season in the Champions League by collecting four goals and three assists in 12 outings.

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Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has also been left impressed by the 22-year-old England international, describing him as “unstoppable”, and given the attacking midfielder’s age, he still has plenty of time to develop further.

Rogers could be a fantastic signing for Chelsea, and it would be an added bonus if they were able to get Jackson off the books as part of the deal, given that Pedro has already proven he is capable of leading the line next season.

Having already welcomed Kepa Arrizabalaga and with Christian Norgaard on his way, Arsenal have now reportedly scheduled “club to club” talks to sign another top target.

Arsenal pushing on with summer spending

After missing out on the Premier League once again last season, Arsenal always needed to spend big this summer, and it looks as though they’re prepared to do exactly that. With deals agreed to sign Kepa, as well as reportedly Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi, the Gunners have turned their focus towards attacking reinforcements.

Ultimately, Mikel Arteta’s frontline has been his biggest problem for at least 12 months. It’s a large reason why his side were blown away by Liverpool in the title race and it’s why the likes of Rodrygo and Viktor Gyokeres have been linked with a move to the Emirates this summer.

But as incomings potentially arrive in their frontline, the North London club could yet suffer a shock departure in the near future. With one year left on his current deal, Ethan Nwaneri’s future has been thrown into doubt amid reports that he wants guarantees over playing time.

Losing the young winger would be a major blow for Arsenal, there’s no doubt about that, but losing him to a rival would only add salt to their wounds.

It’s a situation that sporting director Andrea Berta must consider when turning towards the transfer market, but if the new club chief lands the likes of Rodrygo and one other Premier League rival then question marks will arrive as to whether Arsenal can guarantee Nwaneri his desired game time.

Arsenal schedule Noni Madueke talks with Chelsea

What wouldn’t help Nwaneri is the arrival of another winger. According to Fabrizio Romano though, Arsenal have now scheduled “club to club” talks to sign Noni Madueke from Chelsea, having already agreed personal terms with the England international.

In a deal that would see Madueke become the latest of a growing list of players to feature for both Chelsea and Arsenal, the Gunners could finally welcome backup for Bukayo Saka.

Whilst Madueke, valued at £50m, hasn’t always remained consistent with his output – scoring seven Premier League goals last season – he is still just 23 years old and represents the type of player who could realise his full potential in North London.

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Described as “fearless” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Madueke looks increasingly likely to cross the divide in London and swap blue for the red of Arsenal this summer.

على الرغم من الجدل الدائر حول ركلة الجزاء التي حصل عليها ريال مدريد لتسجيل هدف الفوز على أوليمبيك مارسيليا، إلا أنه كان هناك قرار آخر من تشابي ألونسو مدرب الفريق بإعادة البرازيلي فينيسيوس جونيور لدكة البدلاء.

وتعد هذه هي المرة الثانية التي يفعل فيها تشابي ألونسو ذلك هذا الموسم، حيث حل فينيسيوس محل رودريجو الذي تواجد في التشكيل الأساسي لريال مدريد.

ويعد هذا القرار مثيرا للجدل، وكان فينيسيوس لاعباً لا غنى عنه في ريال مدريد حتى هذا الموسم، ولكن لم يعد مكانه مضموناً الآن في النادي تحت قيادة تشابي ألونسو.

ونشرت صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية أن البرازيلي لم يظهر بشكل سعيد على الإطلاق خلال المباراة، وبدا مظهره فاتراً ولم يحتفل حتى بأهداف فريقه ريال مدريد كما لو كان منفصلاً عن المباراة تماماً.

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وأصبحت أنظار كثيرة مسلطة على كل حركة يقوم بها فينيسيوس جونيور بما في ذلك منشوراته على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي.

وجاء رد فينيسيوس الأول على كل ما حدث في صورة عبر حسابه الرسمي على إنستجرام حيث نشر صورة بالأبيض والأسود وهو يغادر الملعب ورأسه منحنيا ويقوم باستدارة ظهره، واختار أغنية بعنوان “مبادئ كرة القدم”.

وجاءت في الأغنية التي نشرها اللاعب بعض الكلمات مثل: “لقد بقيت على منصة التتويج والجوائز التي فزت بها لم تجعلني الأفضل، الحقيقة هي أن هناك دائماً من هو أكثر موهبة ولكن منذ صغري، كنت أنا من يبذل قصارى جهده، انتصرت بجهدي وأسكت أفواه الكثيرين الذين لم يقدموا لي شيئاً، ولم تصبح الحياة أسهل بل أصبحنا أقوى”.

وقد تم تداول هذه الرسالة بشكل سريع على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي وحاول كثيرون تفسير قصد فينيسيوس ومن كانت الأغنية موجهة له، ويبدو الأمر الوحيد المؤكد هو أن اللاعب لا يحظى بثقة ألونسو فقط وسيتعين عليه إثبات ذلك.

Besides from picking up Anthony Elanga for a whopping £55m, Newcastle United has been quiet with incoming signings this summer transfer window so far.

Unfortunately, multiple advances, away from securing the ex-Manchester United winger’s services, have fallen to the wayside, with James Trafford looking more likely to move to Manchester City now over relocating to Tyneside, alongside long-term Magpies target Hugo Ekitike also favouring Liverpool over St James’ Park.

Thankfully, time is still on the Toon’s side as the early September deadline is a month and a bit away, with Newcastle now wanting to press on with securing some other new additions, away from cursing any failed captures.

Newcastle send scouts to watch £34m star

Clearly, the Magpies want to add another exciting striker to their ranks this summer – even if Alexander Isak does remain put – as the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Yoane Wissa appear on Eddie Howe’s ambitious shopping list.

Reports do suggest that Sesko would cost an extortionate £78m to obtain, on top of Wissa being valued around the £40m mark, with far cheaper targets on Newcastle’s radar when trying to bolster their personnel defensively.

Indeed, as per a development from NUFC Blog, Newcastle are now interested in a £34m deal to bring Inter Milan centre-back Yann Bisseck to England, having even sent scouts out to Italy to watch him in action.

The report also states that further Premier League interest has come Bisseck’s way from Aston Villa, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur, but the Magpies will hope they can land the 6-foot-5 titan’s signature at the expense of their rivals, as they bid to replicate their Sandro Tonali magic with another gem from Italy.

How Bisseck can be a Tonali repeat

Much like Bisseck has managed at the San Siro, Tonali would rise from being a promising starlet at Inter’s foes in AC Milan to becoming a dependable first teamer worthy of a pricey move to English shores.

Tonali would tally up a promising seven goals and 13 assists on the books of the Rossoneri before St James’ Park came calling, and the battling 25-year-old has never looked back since, with the Toon number eight only missing two Premier League clashes all of last season as one of Howe’s first, concrete names on the teamsheet.

Four goals and two assists would also come Tonali’s way across those 36 top-flight outings, with this wonderfully struck effort the pick of the bunch from the efforts that were cannoned home.

Bisseck will pray that if a move to Newcastle gets off the ground, he can make similar strides and become a key first-teamer under Howe’s wing, with his numbers in the Serie A this season just gone pointing in the direction that he could soon make these dreams a reality.

Games played

27

Goals scored

3

Assists

2

Touches*

55.4

Accurate passes*

43.0 (92%)

Ball recoveries*

2.4

Clearances*

2.3

Total duels won*

2.9

Clean sheets

3

Looking at the table above, there is plenty to be encouraged by if Newcastle were to land the £34m titan, with Bisseck putting his towering 6-foot-5 frame to effective use when chipping in with three goals last season in Serie A action, on top of also being assured with the ball at his feet as an imposing presence with 43 accurate passes averaged per league game.

He does have room to improve, too, but he has also shown flashes of his “commanding” excellence – as he was once labelled by football analyst Ben Mattinson – in the Champions League with eight duels won in total across two legs versus Barcelona last season, whilst also silencing Man City menace Erling Haaland in a 0-0 stalemate versus the Citizens during a group stage affair.

Newcastle will be competing on Europe’s grandest stage again next campaign, meaning Bisseck might well be just the buy to pursue to improve Howe’s options as the fixture list grows in size, with a golden Tonali-like repeat hopefully in the offing.

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Next season is shaping up to be a massively important one for Tottenham Hotspur.

New boss Thomas Frank has the job of improving and stabilising the club in the Premier League, while also ensuring they put in a good showing in the Champions League.

Fortunately, things have been going rather well so far this summer, with a win in their first pre-season game against Reading and an excellent performance from new signing Mohammed Kudus.

However, with the window open for another month or so, the North Londoners need to do more business, and it looks like they will, with them looking to sign someone who could be their answer to Xavi Simons.

Spurs target their own Simons

Simons has been grabbing plenty of headlines over the last week or so, as it looks like he’ll be leaving RB Leipzig this summer.

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Spurs have been linked with him in recent days, but as things stand, it looks like London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal are the most likely to secure his services.

While seeing a talented player go to your rivals is never ideal, the Lilywhites faithful shouldn’t fret, as it appears that they’re going big for someone who could be Frank’s answer to the Dutchman.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Sébastien Vidal, who claims Spurs are still very interested in signing Morgan Gibbs-White.

In fact, the journalist has revealed that the North Londoners “are preparing a final offer of £65m” for the England international.

It remains to be seen whether this will be enough, as Nottingham Forest have made it clear they do not want to sell the midfielder, and have even threatened the European League champions with legal action after they ‘triggered a reported £60m release clause.’

It could end up being a complicated and costly transfer to get done, but Gibbs-White has proven he’s worth the hassle, especially as he could be Frank’s answer to Simons.

Why Gibbs-White could be Spurs' Simons

So, while it’s true that there are some differences between the two players, it’s also undeniable that they share a lot in common, such as their position.

For example, both players are now primarily viewed as attacking midfielders, but they can, and often do, play in other positions.

In the Dutchman’s case, he’s more than capable of playing across the frontline, while the Englishman can drop deeper into central midfield, or put in a shift on the right-wing, where he has 11 goal involvements in 24 games.

The second similarity is that both players are incredibly effective in their respective teams and look like they could reach another level in a better side.

For example, the “world-class” Forest ace, as dubbed by one Forest content creator, found the back of the net seven times and provided ten assists in just 34 league appearances last season, which works out to a goal involvement on average every other game.

Appearances

25

34

Goals

10

7

Assists

7

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.68

0.50

For his efforts, the former PSV Eindhoven star scored ten goals and provided seven assists in 25 league games, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.47 games.

Now, it’s certainly true that the 22-year-old’s numbers look better here, but it’s essential to take into consideration that the Premier League is comfortably the toughest league in the world, while the Bundesliga just about comes in as the third, and a distant one at that.

Finally, should the Lilywhites get their man, and Arsenal or Chelsea secure the former Paris Saint-Germain gem, then they’d both be making their way to a London-based ‘big six’ side, which will only invite more comparisons between them.

Ultimately, while it could prove difficult, Spurs should do what they can to sign Gibbs-White this summer, as he seems ready to explode at the right club, and he’d be a perfect answer to whoever signs Simons.

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يخوض فريق مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي أولى مبارياته ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا لموسم 2025-2026، اليوم الخميس، حين يلاقي نابولي الإيطالي.

ويستقبل مانشستر سيتي خصمه نابولي على ملعب “الاتحاد” في إطار مباريات الجولة الأولى لمرحلة الدوري ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويشهد مانشستر سيتي بعض الغيابات في صفوفه بداعٍ الإصابة، وعلى رأسهم المصري عمر مرموش لإصابة في الركبة.

كما يغيب عن مانشستر سيتي كل من، جون ستونز، ريان شرقي، ريان آيت نوري، بالإضافة إلى ماتيو كوفاسيتش.

ومن المتوقع أن يبدأ حارس المرمى الإيطالي جيانلويجي دوناروما أساسيًا، وستكون مباراته الأولى مع مانشستر سيتي في دوري أبطال أوروبا، بعد انتقاله للفريق من باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي في انتقالات الصيف. تشكيل مانشستر سيتي المتوقع أمام نابولي

حراسة المرمى: جيانلويجي دوناروما.

خط الدفاع: ريكو لويس، روبن دياز، ناثان آكي، جفارديول.

خط الوسط: رودري، برناردو سيلفا، تيجاني ريندرز.

خط الهجوم: فيل فودين، إيرلينج هالاند، جيريمي دوكو.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Captain Sam Whiteman and Josh Inglis scored brilliant centuries under pressure to lift three-time Sheffield Shield defending champions Western Australia out of major trouble against Queensland on day one at the WACA.WA started the season disastrously when Test aspirant Cameron Bancroft fell off the first ball of the match to trigger a remarkable opening spell from quick Michael Neser on a green-tinged surface.Neser claimed Jayden Goodwin on the next delivery and soon added Mitchell Marsh to leave WA reeling at 18 for 3. But Whiteman, who was made permanent skipper this season, survived the onslaught and combined in a 203-run fifth-wicket partnership with Inglis to turn the match on its head.Related

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Inglis was in a typically aggressive mood, pummelling 122 off 117 balls before falling to the part-time spin of Matthew Renshaw late in the day. Whiteman was more sedate, but equally effective to bat almost the entire day’s play.Neser, for some time on the Test fringes, inspired a late rally with the second new ball to claim Whiteman and Matthew Kelly. He finished with 5 for 48 from 22 overs.After Queensland skipper Marnus Labuschagne elected to bowl, all eyes were on Bancroft who last played Test cricket in 2019 but has re-emerged in the selection frame given the uncertainty over allrounder Cameron Green’s back injury.But Bancroft, the leading run scorer in the Shield over the past two seasons, was not even afforded a sighter from a pumped-up Neser, who was on the money from the get-go with a trademark back of a length delivery that had him nicking off.Some of the smattering of fans had not even nestled into their seats when Goodwin badly misjudged a delivery and was bowled by Neser on the next delivery.Green and his team-mates on the team balcony looked ashen-faced, while a number of WACA staffers quickly scurried after gathering on the ground’s famous grassbanks for the start of play.Marsh, playing as a specialist batter, scampered to the middle much earlier than expected but did manage to defy Neser’s attempts at a hat-trick. WA did not hit the scoreboard until the fourth over before Marsh decided to counterattack only to fall for 13 to Neser when he was caught on the crease and edged to third slip.Josh Inglis celebrates his century•Getty Images

Under overcast skies, Neser was almost unplayable from the Lillee-Marsh end and had the spectacular figures of 3 for 8 from six overs. But Whiteman found a willing partner in Hilton Cartwright, who broke the shackles with a huge six off legspinner Mitchell Swepson that landed in the ground’s construction area and caused a five-minute delay.As the sun broke out, batting became easier in the second session but Cartwright could not cash in after playing on to Swepson. Inglis was in glorious touch from the outset, stroking boundaries all around the wicket as he raced past Whiteman despite facing 100 deliveries less.Desperate for a wicket, Labuschagne resorted to himself as he unleashed a short-ball tactic with his seamers. But it didn’t rattle Inglis, who powered to his sixth first-class century off just 93 balls.Queensland’s attack struggled other than Neser, but first-class debutant Tom Straker bowled a lively initial spell. Part of Australia’s U-19 World Cup title team earlier this year, the athletic Straker’s run-up and smooth action had echoes of former quick Jason Gillespie.Both teams have entered the season with numerous injury concerns. WA’s depth has been tested with stars Aaron Hardie, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson and Joel Paris working their way back from injuries.Allrounder Cooper Connolly, fresh off his international debut during Australia’s recent tour of the UK, was picked ahead of veteran Ashton Turner, who missed most of last season due to a knee injury.Queensland are without quick Xavier Bartlett due a side strain he picked up during the UK tour.

Spinner is stand-out name in 15-player squad for event in Malaysia in January-February

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2024

Tilly Corteen-Coleman, the 17-year-old spinner who made a strong impression in this year’s Women’s Hundred, has been named in a 15-player squad for the Women’s Under-19 World Cup, which is due to take place in Malaysia early next year.Corteen-Coleman was still 16 when she made an instant impression on her Hundred debut for Southern Brave in July, catching Australia’s Meg Lanning off her own bowling for a notable maiden wicket. Domestically, she also impressed for South East Stars, claiming 5 for 19 against Northern Diamonds in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, including four wickets in five balls, before helping her team reach the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Davina Perrin is also included, having been a part of the England squad that lost to India in the inaugural Under-19 tournament in South Africa in January 2023. A captain is set to be named nearer the time.Sixteen teams will feature in the 41-match event, across 15 days of competition from January 18 to February 2, 2025, including the hosts Malaysia who will be making their maiden tournament appearance, as will Samoa.England have been drawn in Group B, alongside Ireland, Pakistan and USA, with all their group-stage matches set to take place in Johor.Chris Guest, who was last week appointed as Performance Lead for the women’s Under-19 set-up, oversaw that 2023 campaign as head coach, and looked forward to guiding another group of young players through their maiden global event.”What excites me most about working with the under-19 age group is the constant cycle of new talent and new groups coming through,” Guest said. “We’ve named a squad which features some players who have been involved at this age group before and some who haven’t.”This World Cup is a part of these players’ journey, not the end or the start and our message to them is to embrace the challenge, evolve ourselves and enjoy the ride. Naturally we want to do well but the programme is about developing these players in the future and for the long-term.”It was really exciting to see Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Hannah Baker, Seren Smale and Charis Pavely feature for the senior team in Ireland after representing the U19s in the first edition of this World Cup in 2023 and this acts as real inspiration for this group and demonstrates how important this tournament can be for a player’s development.”Guest will be joined by two assistant coaches, Dan Helesfay and Beth Morgan, the former batter who played a key role in England’s two World Cup wins in 2009, across the 50- and 20-over formats respectively. Morgan currently works as a Regional Talent Manager for Southern Vipers, while Helesfay is an assistant coach at South East Stars and Welsh FireRichard Bedbrook, Head of England Women Performance Pathways, said: “It is always an exciting time to be able to name an U19 World Cup squad and all those chosen, including the non-travelling reserve group, can be very proud of this achievement.”The quality in the group highlights the work of each of the regional teams across both their senior and Academy environments and I, plus colleagues, are indebted to them on the development work they continue to put in.”We hope each individual takes a huge amount from the experience they are about to have and uses it to continue developing themselves as a person and player.”This also goes for the staff group, a number of whom across various roles are also employees of the Regional teams and who will hopefully take huge amounts of experience and enjoyment from being a part of the programme.”Five non-travelling reserves have also been selected. The reserves won’t travel but will take a full part throughout the preparation phase and act as stand-by players should a replacement player be required:England Women U19 squad: Phoebe Brett (Central Sparks), Olivia Brinsden (Thunder), Tilly Corteen-Coleman (South East Stars), Trudy Johnson (Northern Diamonds), Katie Jones (Western Storm), Charlotte Lambert (South East Stars), Abi Norgrove (Southern Vipers), Eve O’Neill (Southern Vipers), Davina Perrin (Central Sparks), Jemima Spence (South East Stars), Charlotte Stubbs (South East Stars), Amuruthaa Surenkumar (Sunrisers), Prisha Thanawala (The Blaze), Erin Thomas (Northern Diamonds), Grace Thompson (Northern Diamonds)Non-travelling reserves: Maria Andrews (The Blaze), Sophie Beech (Central Sparks), Daisy Gibb (Southern Vipers), Poppy Tulloch (Southern Vipers), Annie Williams (The Blaze).

It’s been an absolutely frantic last 48 hours at Tottenham, and that isn’t just concerning their dramatic move for Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White after confirming the arrival of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham.

Tottenham talks held with £50m star amid Gibbs-White chase, Frank's a fan

Spurs have discussed another potential deal.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 10, 2025

Spurs announced Kudus’ signing in a deal worth £55 million on Thursday evening, with the versatile Ghanaian becoming the first player to swap West Ham for the Lilywhites since Scott Parker in 2011.

The 24-year-old has already promised to excite supporters on the field when speaking in his first interview as a Tottenham player, and there was a real expectation that Gibbs-White would immediately follow Kudus to N17.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Tottenham talks for the England international accelerated rapidly on Thursday, with reliable media sources reporting that the 25-year-old was all set to join Thomas Frank’s side and a medical had been scheduled for Friday (Fabrizio Romano).

However, in an absolutely stunning turn of events, Forest put a stop to the deal and are considering legal action against Spurs, over what they perceive to be an illegal approach for their star forward.

While Gibbs-White’s move could still happen, with the expectation being that Forest can’t completely block it, this transfer will at the very least be delayed, as first reported by Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett.

With Tottenham now braced for a legal saga surrounding their potential deal for Gibbs-White, the club do remain in the market for other transfer targets, and they still maintain a serious interest in Brentford striker Yoane Wissa.

Yoane Wissa pushing to leave Brentford amid Tottenham interest

Reports earlier this week claimed that Tottenham have made contact with Wissa’s representatives, with talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook now sharing an update on the situation.

Crook states that Wissa is keen to reunite with Frank at Spurs, and the Congolese centre-forward is now “pushing” for an exit from the Gtech Community Stadium as he seeks a high-profile move.

The 28-year-old is currently in his prime and in the form of his life, having netted 20 goals in all competitions last season, and this has motivated Brentford chiefs to slap a £50 million price tag on his head.

Brentford have already lost a few key men this summer, including Frank, with Christian Norgaard joining Arsenal and Man United still locked in talks over a deal for Bryan Mbeumo.

The Bees will likely dig their heels in when it comes to letting yet another “exceptional player” leave, but Wissa would come as an excellent potential replacement for Richarlison, who’s reportedly attracting interest from Brazil.