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Already thinking ahead to next summer, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly readying their biggest ever move to sign not one, but two Real Madrid stars for Thomas Frank.

Frank praises Tottenham for "massive" win at Leeds

It was far from routine, but Tottenham got over the line at Elland Road to defeat Leeds United courtesy of Mohammed Kudus’ first Premier League goal for the club. The summer signing cut inside before firing home beyond Karl Darlow just before the hour mark, as his side picked up what Frank described as a “massive” win.

Speaking to reporters, the Tottenham boss said in his post-match reaction: “It’s a massive win, honestly, a massive win. I just felt it before the game. Every game we want to win.

“Every game is a big three points, but before today, I just felt, three draws (Bodo/Glimt, Wolves, Brighton), plus the game before the international break, where we haven’t been able to win for a couple of years, for whatever reason.

“Then it’s Leeds away – they hadn’t lost here for over a year. It’s a difficult, difficult away ground, fantastic fans – and our fans, by the way, how good were they? Wow. Thanks so much for that.”

Agbonlahor says Frank should be worried about Tottenham star who gives "zero"

The pundit claims he can’t be relied upon.

ByEmilio Galantini Oct 4, 2025

The Dane isn’t wrong in his verdict, either. After winning just one of their last four heading into the Leeds game, Spurs needed to pick themselves back up and get back to winning ways.

Now sitting as high as third in the Premier League and just two points behind leading North London rivals Arsenal, Tottenham have so far given themselves every chance of pulling off an incredible transfer deal next summer.

Tottenham readying £250m+ Valverde and Vinicius moves

It would be the biggest move in their history, but one that they eyed when relieving Daniel Levy of his duties. According to reports in Spain, Tottenham are now readying a €300m (£261m) move to sign Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior next summer in a double deal for two Real Madrid stars.

They would both be transformative signings. The type that could finally bridge the gap from top four hopefuls into conversations for the top honours. Although there remain serious question marks over their ability to attract such stars.

Vinicius, alone, is one of Europe’s top stars. By the time that next summer arrives, he’ll have one year remaining on his Real Madrid deal and a form will be queuing for his signature. Spurs, despite all their efforts, are likely to be closer to the back of the line than the front.

That said, the Brazilian’s long-term future is certainly in question as his contract ticks down. Madrid, however, should do everything to keep hold of a player that former manager Carlos Ancelotti described as “decisive”.

The same, meanwhile, can be said for midfield star Valverde, who earns a staggering £280,000-a-week at the Bernabeu.

Celtic have endured a fairly disappointing start to the 2025/26 campaign across all competitions so far, in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe.

The Hoops sit second in the league table, behind Hearts, with five wins and two draws, whilst they are still looking for their first win on the European stage.

Brendan Rodgers has overseen one point from two Europa League matches after his team were beaten by Kairat in their Champions League play-off clash.

There have been several players in the squad who have not performed to the best of their ability this season, including central midfielder Reo Hatate.

Why Reo Hatate's form is a concern

The Japan international has gone eight matches without a goal or an assist to show for his contributions on the pitch, which is concerning for a player who typically provides creativity and quality on the ball in midfield.

Hatate delivered ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 37 appearances in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore, but he has failed to provide the same kind of quality at the top end of the pitch in the current campaign.

Reo Hatate (Premiership)

24/25

25/26

Appearances

37

5

Goals

10

1

Minutes per goal

241

373

Key passes per game

1.2

0.6

Big chances created

14

0

Assists

4

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese star’s output as both a scorer and as a creator of goals has decreased for the Hoops in the Premiership.

This is concerning because it shows that Hatate is not as influential or effective as he once was for the Scottish giants, but it has also provided other players with a chance to step up and shine.

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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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One star who has stepped up and is now looking like a Reo Hatate-type player is summer signing Benjamin Nygren in the middle of the park for Celtic.

Why Benjamin Nygren looks like Celtic's new Reo Hatate

The left-footed star was signed from Nordsjaelland for £1.3m in the summer and may have been expected by some to play on the right wing, as that was where he played the majority of his football last season and Nicolas Kuhn left to sign for Como.

Despite that, Rodgers has played Nygren as part of his midfield three more often than not, essentially taking Arne Engels’ spot in the starting line-up from the 2024/25 campaign.

The Sweden international, who was described as “fearless” by Alexander Isak, has started five of the club’s seven matches in the Premiership, which shows that the manager already trusts him to start consistently.

Nygren has also shown that he can be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position with four goals in five league starts, whilst no other Celtic player has scored more than two league goals for the club.

As well as being an impressive goalscorer, the summer signing ranks second in the squad for ‘big chances’ created (two) and first for key passes per game (2.6) in the Premiership.

These statistics show that Nygren has hit the ground running at Parkhead as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position, taking on the role that Hatate played last season with his ten goals and 14 ‘big chances’ created.

The Japan international has not been at his best in the current campaign, as evidenced by his aforementioned form, but the Swedish star has stepped up to carry the team on his back at times.

Related Cost £0, now worth more than Tounekti: Celtic hit gold on "phenomenal" star

Sebastian Tounekti has made an impressive start to life at Celtic, but a “prolific” attacker who arrived for free has a higher estimated market value.

Posts ByBen Gray Oct 10, 2025

There is still plenty of football left to be played this season, but the left-footed star’s form for Celtic suggests that he can be the new midfield star in the final third moving forward.

Nathan McAndrew’s 6 for 21 seals Sharks’ second win over Glamorgan this season

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay14-Jun-2025

Sussex Sharks completed a double over Glamorgan thanks to 6 for 21 from Australian international Nathan McAndrew to give the visitors a 27-run win at Sophia Gardens.A strong all round performance kept Sussex occupying an all-important top spot in the South Group of the Vitality Blast at the halfway stage.Harrison Ward set the tone for the innings for Sussex with 55 from 24 balls inside the powerplay despite appearing to pull a muscle in the innings which prevented him from fielding. All of Sussex’s top order contributed to send them to 199 for 7.Despite Dan Douthwaite’s quickfire 40 and Colin Ingram’s 21-ball 37 kept Glamorgan in the chase before they fell to 172 all out.Sussex began strongly after opting to bat first with the sun still beating down at Sophia Gardens. Ward’s season best despite being hampered came through a liking to Timm van der Gugten, taking 22 from the third over.Ward’s striking continued, particularly with destructive hitting straight and over deep midwicket, reaching a half-century in just 20 balls, his knock inside the powerplay thanks to van der Gugten getting his revenge with a bouncer.John Simpson found his rhythm for a well-managed 41 from 26 balls from five off seven. Similarly James Coles, who has helped the Sharks to three wins with two unbeaten half-centuries already this season, had a license to free himself, taking Mason Crane for 19 in an over on his way to a useful cameo.The Sussex scoring didn’t let up with 10-an-over the norm after the second over until the late fightback with three wickets in four balls courtesy of Glamorgan top wicket-taker Crane and Douthwaite in the 18th and 19th overs.Imad Wasim impressed on debut for Glamorgan and was pick of the bowlers, being the most restrictive in the powerplay, and he brought a wicket at an important time while the other spinners also played key parts with wickets and economy between them.In reply, Glamorgan struggled to string a partnership together when chasing their highest total so far this season.The hosts didn’t find the same destructive powerplay prowess as the Sharks did, however a free-flowing Ben Kellaway added to the newfound form of Ingram made sure run-rate was never an issue.Kellaway had to retire hurt when he reverse-swept a ball into his helmet after damaging internationals Ollie Robinson and Tymal Mills early in his innings with swats down the ground and exquisite cover-driving.South Africans Ingram and Chris Cooke kept Glamorgan afloat until Cook’s dismissal prompted Kellaway’s return. Shortly after though, Ingram and Kellaway were dismissed in the same over by McAndrew, conceding just three from the 12th over.Douthwaite entered with the equation: 93 from 8.3 overs, immediately after the mini-collapse. The all-action allrounder, together with Asa Tribe had already put on an unbeaten 64 partnership to see them home from an unlikely position in their T20 opener. Douthwaite’s five sixes in an 18-ball innings, left the equation at 41 to win from 3.5 overs.A collapse came once more with Glamorgan going out swinging in an unlikely attempt to chase after Douthwaite’s dismissal, giving McAndrew three wickets in the 19th and eventual final over.

Kohli stayed unbeaten on 73 to register his 67th fifty-plus score, the most by any batter in IPL history

Ashish Pant20-Apr-20257:26

Pujara: Kohli is the best when it comes to chases

Another away game, another Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) win in IPL 2025; it was their fifth in five matches and this one has taken them to ten points and third on the points table. Less than 48 hours after going down at home, RCB went up north to Mullanpur and exacted revenge from Punjab Kings (PBKS) in comprehensive fashion.The RCB bowlers hardly gave away anything as PBKS were restricted to 156 for 7. In reply, the chasemaster Virat Kohli was at it again as he recorded his 67th fifty-plus score in the IPL, the most for any batter. Devdutt Padikkal also recorded his first IPL fifty of the season as RCB romped home with seven balls to spare and by seven wickets.RCB had no hesitation in bowling on what Rajat Patidar called a “decent” surface. For the first six overs, it seemed that it was more than just decent as PBKS smashed 62 in the powerplay with Prabhsimran Singh going big.Related

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Then the RCB spinners came to the fore, and it was one-way traffic thereon. Krunal Pandya picked 2 for 25 in his four overs, Suyash Sharma returned 2 for 26 as RCB put a lid on the scoring in the middle overs. Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar then put on a death-bowling masterclass, hardly giving PBKS an inch.In the chase, Arshdeep Singh got Phil Salt for the fourth time in T20s, but Kohli and Padikkal added 103 off 69 balls for the second wicket to keep RCB on track. Even as Padikkal and Patidar fell, Kohli held his own to remain unbeaten on 73 off 54 as RCB kept their 100% away record intact.The chasemasterThere is an inevitability when it comes to Kohli and chasing middling totals. He seems to have the scoring all mapped out. How many runs to get, the required rate, when to attack, when to hold himself back. A 158-chase gave him all those liberties. He hit five fours in his first 20 balls, all inside the powerplay. Then for the next 24 balls, he hit none. He was content with taking the ones and the twos, handing back the strike to the more aggressive Padikkal, but ensured he stayed put. He struck two fours and a six after recording his fifty off 43 balls, and stayed unbeaten till the end to take RCB over the line with plenty to spare.Kohli’s 73* was his 67th fifty-plus score in the IPL, which is the most for any batter in the history of the league. That it came in an RCB win will please Kohli to no end.Devdutt Padikkal hit his first IPL fifty since May 2023•Getty Images

Padikkal’s welcome return to formIt’s been a patchy IPL 2025 for Padikkal. In fact, it’s been a patchy couple of years in the IPL. His last fifty in the league came in IPL 2023, incidentally against PBKS when he was playing for Rajasthan Royals. But when it mattered, he’s come good.Padikkal was beaten on the upper-cut first ball. That didn’t deter him, and he went again the next ball and carved Arshdeep over the keeper for four. With Kohli going strong, he took the aggressive route. There was an all-run four before he thumped Xavier Bartlett across the line for six. Harpreet Brar was spanked for four before Yuzvendra Chahal was whacked across the line for six. Padikkal raced to his fifty off 30 balls.He got a high-five from Kohli, and as he raised his bat, for the first time in 14 IPL innings and the first time since May 2023, there was a certain amount of relief on Padikkal’s face.He celebrated by going 4 and 6 against Marcus Stoinis before finally holding out to long-on for a 35-ball 61 but not before giving RCB a certain amount of cruise control in the chase.Virat Kohli was in a driving mood•AFP/Getty Images

PBKS’ powerplay to rememberThe story, however, looked quite different six overs into the match. Bhuvneshwar, who has a good match-up against Prabhsimran, started with a two-run first over. The next five, though, belonged to PBKS. Priyansh Arya’s pick-up pull off Yash Dayal got the hosts’ six counter running. He drove Dayal through covers again before Prabhsimran smashed Bhuvneshwar for three fours in the third over: a guide past short third, a slap through point and pull through midwicket.Arya and Prabhsimran took 23 off Hazlewood’s first two overs. Arya fell to Krunal, his top-edge going as far as mid-off but at 62 for 1 after six, the powerplay was PBKS’ all the way through.The middle-over squeezeRCB have often relied on their pacers for the wickets so far this season. On Sunday, it was the RCB spinners coming to the fore. Prabhsimran failed to clear long-on first ball after the powerplay and was caught by David at long-on. Shreyas Iyer then fell soon after for 6 caught splendidly by Krunal moving to his left from long-on with Romario Shepherd picking his first wicket for the season. It’s been an all-or-nothing season for Iyer. In eight innings, he’s had three fifty-plus and five sub-ten scores.A needless run out had Nehal Wadhera walking back before Suyash sent back Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis in a single over as PBKS slipped to 114 for 6 after 14. PBKS managed only 67 runs and lost five wickets in the middle overs (between seven to 17), and that was always going to hurt them.A death-overs masterclassBy the time the 17th over arrived, Marco Jansen and Shashank Singh were relatively set. Both these batters have an impressive death-overs strike rate and can hit a long ball. Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood though had other ideas.The duo put in a proper masterclass in death bowling and left PBKS nowhere. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, the duo landed eight yorkers in the last four overs, and gave away just one boundary – a six off the final ball of the innings. PBKS did not lose a wicket in these four overs but could only manage 28 runs, and that was never going to be enough.

Newcastle United have had a rough start to the Premier League season as they are one of only four winless teams and are only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference.

This season has already seen them lose their star striker to Liverpool on deadline day, although the British record transfer fee may go some way to soothe that pain, as well as seeing midfielders Joelinton and Sandro Tonali having to go off injured against Liverpool with what have now been revealed to be serious injuries.

However, in his last press conference before the international break, Eddie Howe was looking ahead to the rest of the season and the club’s return to the Champions League:

“We’re just going to try to attack the fixtures in the best way we can. I believe we are more ready than we were last time because there is more experience in the squad and we have been through more together.”

With the manager looking forward to European fixtures, the club, and by extension owners PIF, are looking forward to the January transfer window and another striker signing.

Newcastle eye Mateta as third new striker

Newcastle United are still eyeing up yet another striker in the January transfer window as they contemplate a move for Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Magpies are exploring this deal despite already having signed both Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade as Isak replacements in the final days of the transfer window.

Caught Offside have reported that Palace could be willing to let the French striker go for £40 million, and Newcastle, alongside Leeds United and Aston Villa, are the most interested parties and plan to make formal offers in the New Year.

Former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer has previously praised Mateta when he bagged a brace against West Ham in the 2023/24 season:

“A centre-forward masterclass, scoring two terrific goals that any striker would be proud of. What a revelation he’s been under Oliver Glasner.”

Mateta followed that performance up with another brace, this time against Newcastle in what turned out to be his only goal-scoring performance in nine attempts against the Magpies.

Newcastle's moneyball replacement of Isak

The term “moneyball” gets thrown around a lot in football, but Newcastle, in their handling of the departure of Isak, are enacting the transfer strategy in its truest form.

The initial concept of Moneyball came from Billy Beane’s management of the Oakland Athletics, where, in an off-season where major players departed the club, he tried to replace them not with another superstar but with several players who, aggregated, could reach the same level of output.

Spending the money they received from Liverpool for Isak on Wissa, Woltemade, and now potentially Mateta as well, it seems like they are trying to make up Isak’s goal contributions in the aggregate.

Goal Involvements 24/25 Season

Striker

G+A per 90

Isak

0.95

Mateta

0.54

Woltemade

0.78

Wissa

0.71

Neither of their new strikers nor Mateta on their own match Isak’s output, but they all still have individually impressive returns. All three of them together would almost certainly make up the deficit that Isak leaves behind, but the difficulty for Howe would be managing the three strikers’ desire for game time.

MatériaMais Notícias

46 dias se passaram desde que o Corinthians anunciou Vanderlei Luxemburgo como novo técnico do clube, e o “pofexô” acumula mais protestos da torcida do que vitórias em sua terceira passagem no Timão.

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Com apenas um treino antes de sua estreia contra o Independiente del Valle, na Libertadores, Luxa fez mudanças na escalação, mas não foi suficiente e o Alvinegro foi derrotado, em plena Neo Química Arena, por 2 a 1, deixando a situação na competição ainda mais complicada.

Irritada, as torcidas organizadas já haviam marcado um protesto na porta do CT no final de semana seguinte. Os líderes das uniformizadas conseguiram conversar com o treinador e deram um prazo de dez jogos para ele “arrumar a casa”.

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+ Todos os jogos doBrasileirãovocê encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!

Porém, Luxemburgo não conseguiu mudar a rota do clube e somou apenas três pontos em seus primeiros sete jogos, tendo o pior aproveitamento de um treinador corintiano no século.

A maré começou a virar no dia 28 de maio, quando o Corinthians venceu o Fluminense por 2 a 0 e deu esperanças à torcida que uma virada contra o Atlético-MG na Copa do Brasil seria possível. No final de maio Luxa viveu seu ápice no Timão, vencendo duas partidas consecutivas e avançando na Copa do Brasil.

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+ Ruan Oliveira entra no segundo tempo e evita derrota do Corinthians contra o Cuiabá; veja notas

Contudo, o momento positivo foi derrubado com a eliminação precoce na Libertadores e dois jogos sem vitórias no Brasileirão, contra América-MG e Cuiabá. Isso foi o suficiente para torcedores organizados protestarem novamente contra o elenco e diretoria após a derrota contra o Del Valle, em Quito. Dessa vez os atos foram mais agressivos, com fogos de artifício sendo atirados no CT.

A pausa da Data Fifa representaria um período de paz e tentativa de reconciliação entre clube e torcida, mas a Gaviões da Fiel seguia insatisfeita e foi novamente ao CT Joaquim Grava para conversar com Alessandro Nunes, gerente de futebol, e lideranças do elenco.

+ Timão se afasta do Z4? Veja tabela e os próximos jogos do Brasileirão

Em nota, a Gaviões da Fiel fez um apelo para que os atletas deixem de mostrar corpo mole nas partidas e deixou claro que chegou o fim o período de paz. O primeiro desafio de Luxemburgo pós-Data Fifa será no dia 21, quando Corinthians enfrenta o Santos, na Vila Belmiro, com o objetivo de se distanciar do Z4 no Brasileirão e abafar a crise com a torcida corintiana.

Pep Guardiola has hinted he is surprised Manchester City are "apparently" not one of favourites to win this season's Champions League. City get their 2025-26 European campaign under way on Thursday evening when they play host to Serie A champions Napoli at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City behind Liverpool & Arsenal on list of favourites

Ahead of City’s return to the Champions League, many bookmakers believe Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal have a greater chance of lifting Europe’s premier club competition. La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are also ahead of City in the bookmakers' odds.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportGuardiola indicates City are going under the radar

While opting not to delve too deeply into the discussion of favourites, Guardiola has indicated City are going under the radar as they prepare to launch their bid for a second Champions League crown. Guardiola led City to their first title just three seasons ago when they defeated Inter 1-0 in the 2022-23 showpiece.

What Guardiola said ahead of clash with Napoli

Speaking in a press conference ahead of Napoli’s visit to the Etihad, Guardiola said: "Apparently we are not [one of the favourites]. Enjoy the moment, the journey, we are happy to be here. In the past we have been [among the favourites]. We have won just once. It is a lot for the difficulty [of the competition] and we just focus on tomorrow, the game we have to play."

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City head into Napoli match on the back of derby delight

City head into the Napoli match in great spirits after downing rivals Manchester United 3-0 in the derby on Sunday. The result saw Guardiola’s men bounce back from successive Premier League defeats against Tottenham and Brighton before the international break.

England 395 for 9 dec and 236 (Knight 90, Mlaba 6-67) beat South Africa 281 (Wolvaardt 65, Kapp 57, Luus 56, Bell 4-49) and 64 (Bell 4-27, Ecclestone 2-7) by 286 runsEngland have won their first Test in 10 years and as many matches by beating South Africa by 286 runs in Bloemfontein. They dismissed South Africa for 64 in their second innings, their lowest Test total after setting them a target of 351.Lauren Bell, who registered a career-best 4 for 49 in the first innings, rewrote her own record and picked up 4 for 27 to finish with a player-of-the-match haul of 8 for 76. Lauren Filer and Sophie Ecclestone were also among the wickets as England bowled South Africa out in 19.4 overs to win inside three days.South Africa’s dismal batting overshadowed the good work they’d done with the ball, particularly the performance of left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba. She became the first South African to take 10 wickets in a women’s Test and is now South Africa’s second-leading wicket-taker in the format. South Africa may have time to reflect on that once the dust has settled on their massive defeat. Theirs was the third-largest by runs in women’s Tests.England’s win was set up by a captain’s knock from Heather Knight, who scored her sixth Test half-century. She fell 10 short of a third hundred as she anchored an England innings in which most of the middle-order got starts but only she converted. Her most profitable partnership was a third-wicket stand of 67 with Nat Sciver-Brunt which was three runs more than South Africa’s second-innings total. They had only one partnership worth 20 and six in single figures, while only ten batters made it to the middle after Ayanda Hlubi was ruled out of the match with a torn hip flexor.By the time she would have been needed, all the damage was done. South Africa lost their openers in the 5.2 overs they faced before tea, both lbw. Laura Wolvaardt was caught on the back foot by a delivery that seamed in from Bell and, after being on the receiving end of a poor first-innings dismissal, she could not complain about this one.Anneke Bosch had slightly more reason to be unhappy. She was given out to Filer, to one that kept low and could have been missing leg. But the biggest talking point took place after the break when Bell appealed for a catch off Annerie Dercksen at short leg. It was not immediately given out and the umpires referred, despite the explicit absence of DRS for this contest, before Dercksen was sent on her way.Bell continued to find movement and bowled Sune Luus through the gate. Nadine de Klerk was run out for a pair, and when Chloe Tryon was lbw to an Ecclestone arm-ball, also for a duck, England were into the tail. South Africa’s starts with Sinalo Jafta at No.8 and she too went without scoring, pinned on the pads by Bell’s inswinger, to leave the innings in tatters at 44 for 7. Three overs later, Marizanne Kapp, their last remaining batter, was wonderfully scooped up by Beaumont at silly point without addition, and the end came quickly.Earlier, South Africa would have been fairly pleased with their work with ball in hand. De Klerk and Tumi Sekhukhune started well and were disciplined upfront. They gave away only 12 runs in the first six overs, with Sekhukhune removing Beaumont for 12, lbw to an inswinger. On this occasion, the absence of DRS proved no problem as she looked out, and was given.Nonkululeko Mlaba claimed the first ten-for by a South African in women’s Tests•Gallo Images/Getty Images

Sekhukhune was replaced by Dercksen, but then South Africa went for double spin with Mlaba at one end and Tryon at the other. Given the turn on offer and amount Mlaba gets, she was expected to be a threat and should have had a wicket in her fourth over when Sciver-Brunt edged as she lunged forward to block but Jafta could not hold on to the chance. Sciver-Brunt, on 19 at the time, went on to hit Mlaba for three fours in the over and the floodgates opened.Mlaba got Sciver-Brunt when she chopped on after a delivery kept low, but that only brought Danni Wyatt-Hodge to the crease, with her penchant for finding runs behind square on the off side. She rattled along to a run-a-ball 23, before slicing Sekhukhune to the fielder at deep third. Amy Jones then partnered Knight, who had reached her fifty off 99 balls, to lunch, to end a successful session. Despite England’s slow start to the morning session, they scored a total of 136 runs in the 27 overs bowled before lunch, at a rate of just over five runs to the over.Mlaba switched ends post lunch and had success from the Willows End. Amy Jones got a leading edge to Wolvaardt in the covers, minutes before it was announced that the South African skipper had earned a demerit point for expressing “excessive disappointment” when she was given out lbw in the first innings.She had reason to keep being pleased in the field though. Mlaba picked up a third when Charlie Dean flicked her to short mid-wicket, and though Knight moved into the 80s with a strong sweep off Sune Luus, that shot would prove her undoing. One over after Sophie Ecclestone had fallen in the same fashion to Mlaba, Knight was beaten by a ball that turned into her and struck her on the pad. Of course, she could not review.Ryana MacDonald-Gay was bowled through the bat-pad gap to become Mlaba’s 10th wicket. England’s innings ended with half an hour to go before the tea break. They only needed 69 minutes after that interval to end the match.

West Ham United fans will be hoping Graham Potter finds his groove in the Hammers’ hot seat this coming Premier League season, after experiencing an underwhelming start to life in East London.

Potter won’t want another blunder damaging his managerial CV, akin to his Chelsea misfire, with only five victories coming his way last season from 19 games.

He will be nervous about what lies ahead, therefore, especially as he grows accustomed to not having Mohammed Kudus at his disposal, with the ex-Irons star costing London rivals Tottenham Hotspur £55m to snap up.

Still, there’s plenty of time for West Ham to make a splash in the transfer market with some of their own exhilarating signings, as a new £35m ace emerges on their radar.

West Ham weighing up £35m transfer

In all fairness, away from the disappointment of Kudus leaving, West Ham have made some impressive signings here and there.

Indeed, Jean Clair-Todibo has now made his Hammers move permanent this summer, alongside both El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters joining in quick succession to further bolster Potter’s options at the back.

Now, the task at hand will be to improve the attack at the London Stadium in the wake of Kudus upping and leaving, with reports now suggesting West Ham are weighing up a £35m move for Manchester City outcast James McAtee.

The Telegraph has stated that this is City’s asking price amid interest also coming from Nottingham Forest, but the Hammers and the Tricky Trees, who are pushing to seal his signature, would much rather do a deal around the £20m-25m price range instead.

Potter’s side might just have to bite the bullet if Pep Guardiola’s outfit isn’t willing to budge, with McAtee perhaps going down as a bigger talent to obtain than Harvey Elliott, who has also consistently been talked about as another West Ham target this summer.

How McAtee could be a bigger talent than Elliott

Both midfielders in question are at a crossroads in their careers, having been talked up as shining, homegrown talents once upon a time, only to now find themselves stuck on the periphery.

Between them last season, both McAtee and Elliott would only start a meagre five Premier League clashes, with a fresh move to the London Stadium just the switch the ex-Sheffield United loanee needs to show off his class on a more consistent basis.

Despite such limited opportunities, McAtee still managed to chip in with a high seven goals in all competitions, with three of those efforts coming his way in the bread and butter of the top-flight, on top of also managing to break his initial City duck in the illustrious Champions League.

Elliott falls just behind McAtee in his regard, with a slightly lesser five strikes managed on his end, with the hope now that the 22-year-old can come in and fill Kudus’ hole effectively, having displayed more of a flexibility across his fledgling career to date than his Reds counterpart has shown off.

AM

68

24

14

CM

47

26

14

RM

12

4

3

CF

8

3

3

RW

6

3

1

SS

4

0

1

LM

2

0

0

LW

1

0

0

McAtee could well morph into a new Kudus-like figure for Potter on his arrival, with the Salford-born talent an adaptable presence.

Indeed, he can line up as a number ten, as a right winger, or as a left winger, much like the Ghanaian, as seen in his impressive 38 goal contributions from the central number ten slot, on top of his equally high 40 goal-and-assist count as a traditional central midfielder, further highlighting his malleable nature.

On the contrary, the Liverpool number 19 has amassed just 12 goals and assists himself as an out-and-out number ten, with plenty more to frighteningly come from McAtee if he’s handed consistent minutes in East London.

The “incredible” number 87, as he’s been labelled previously by Guardiola, will be champing at the bit to be a leading man for a Premier League side – after also just lifting the Euros with the England U21s alongside Elliott – with West Ham perhaps gifting him that opportunity very shortly if £35m is coughed up.

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ByBen Gray Jul 18, 2025

Worker played for many years with Central Districts and Auckland, and had a short stint in international cricket between 2015 and 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2024Former New Zealand batter George Worker has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the age of 34 to take up a “fantastic opportunity” with an investment services firm.”After a fulfilling 17-year journey in professional cricket, I am announcing my retirement from the sport. This decision marks the end of an incredible chapter of my life and the beginning of a new adventure,” Worker, who started his professional career with Central Districts and ended it with Auckland, said. “Throughout the course of my career, I’ve forged some great friendships that will last a lifetime and memories I will cherish forever.”Worker had a short stint in international cricket, playing ten ODIs and two T20Is between 2015 and 2018, in which he scored 272 and 90 runs respectively. It started on a 2015 tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa where, on T20I debut, he won the Player-of-the-Match award for his 38-ball 62 in Harare. An impressive 2017 Ford Trophy, where he scored 659 runs in ten innings for Central Districts while averaging 82.37, put him back on the selectors’ radar. The ODI debut came on that same tour of Africa, and he got a bit of a run in his best format in 2017 when he played in Ireland and at home against West Indies, scoring all his three ODI half-centuries in that span.More recently, Worker earned a call-up to New Zealand’s ODI squad for their home series against New Zealand in March 2022, when Mark Chapman was ruled out with Covid-19, but he did not get an opportunity to add to his 12 international caps.Overall, in 169 List A games, he scored 6721 runs at an average of 43.64 and a strike rate of 79.85 with 18 centuries and 37 half-centuries. His first-class (6400 runs at an average of 29.49) and T20 (3480 runs at a strike rate of 123.57) numbers were less impressive.Worker debuted for Central Districts in the 2007-08 season and represented New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup soon after. More recently, he played a big part in Auckland Aces’ Ford Trophy 2021-22 title win, topping the overall run-scoring chart with 672 runs in ten innings, averaging 84.00 and hitting four centuries.A part-time left-arm spinner, Worker finished with 58 first-class wickets to go with 60 in List A cricket and 42 in T20s.”Whilst his immense leadership and experience will be sorely missed in the Aces environment, we’re hugely excited for him as he embarks on this next chapter in his career,” Auckland Cricket’s head of performance and talent Evan Jones said. “George will, of course, remain an important part of the Auckland Cricket family, and we look forward to seeing what that may look like in the future.”The immediate future will be far away from cricket.”As I close this chapter, I am excited to embark on the next phase of my life with Forsyth Barr, who have offered me a fantastic opportunity,” Worker said. “I look forward to bringing the same passion and dedication to my new role with them.”