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Leeds United will now have to significantly up their offer for a defender this summer, having seen an initial bid turned down.

Leeds eye defensive signings for Premier League return

The Whites are preparing for life back in the Premier League, as they look to achieve the increasingly rare task of remaining in the top flight and avoiding a speedy return to the Championship.

Defensive reinforcements are essential for Leeds, with world-class players coming up against them next season, and Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has been linked with a move to Elland Road, being seen as an upgrade on the hit-and-miss Illan Meslier. The 25-year-old was on loan at Strasbourg in 2024/25 and could jump at the chance to join a new club permanently.

Atletico Madrid left-back Reinildo is another potential addition for the Whites before the summer transfer window reaches its conclusion, being seen as a strong replacement for Junior Firpo ahead of his expected move to Real Betis.

Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Leeds are preparing a bid for Udinese centre-back Jaka Bijol, and now, another rumour has dropped regarding the defender.

Leeds need to pay £21.2m to sign defender

According to Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Leeds and 49ers Enterprises could have to pay as much as £21.2m to sign Bijol this summer after their first offer of £13.6m was rejected by the Serie A side. A bare minimum of £17m will be needed.

The 26-year-old is seen as a priority option for the Whites ahead of next season, with Daniel Farke being backed financially by the club’s owners.

Bijol stands out as a brilliant defensive option to come in, possessing lots of experience but also still having years in him at the top level.

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The Udinese ace already has 63 caps to his name for Slovenia, meaning he has a great chance of reaching the century milestone at some point in his career, and analyst Ben Mattinson has described him as a “joke”, such is his quality.

Last season, Bijol shone at the heart of Udinese’s defence, averaging 5.4 clearances and 3.2 aerial duel wins per game in Serie A, with the table below further highlighting what a dominant campaign he enjoyed.

Jaka Bijol’s 2024/25 Serie A stats

Total

Appearances

34

Starts

34

Minutes played

2965

Clearances per game

5.4

Aerial duel wins per game

3.2

Tackles per game

1.3

Interceptions per game

1.1

Pass completion rate

83.8%

There are few negatives to Leeds signing the Slovenian, even though he won’t arrive on the cheap, and it is a piece of business they should be prioritising.

Don’t worry, Arsenal fans; there is just one more game left of this dreadful season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are set to end yet another campaign without a trophy to their name, although it would be fair to say that injuries have been their biggest problem this time.

However, in more positive news, it does now look like new Sporting Director Andrea Berta and the rest of the board are intent on going big in the transfer market this summer.

One of the names most heavily linked with the Gunners over the last week or so has been Rodrygo, and while he would be a sensational acquisition, he’d have to hit the ground running to see his valuation even match one of his potential new teammates.

Why Arsenal want to sign Rodrygo

While the murmurings of Arsenal’s interest in Rodrygo stretch back to last week, the reports have become more concrete and exciting in the last few days, with some even claiming that the club are now leading the race for his signature.

Moreover, while there have been some discrepancies in reports over how much he might cost the Gunners, the figure most often reported is a cool £85m.

Now, while that is an awful lot of money to spend on one player, it’s not hard to see why Arteta and Co want the Brazilian international, as not only can he play across the frontline, but he’s also a reliable source of goals and assists.

For example, since the start of last season, the “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has scored 31 goals and provided 19 assists in 102 appearances, totalling 7,067 minutes.

In other words, the Osasco-born dynamo has maintained a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 2.04 games, or every 141.34 minutes across two years of football.

Appearances

52

50

Minutes

3777′

3290′

Goals

18

13

Assists

9

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.51

0.46

Minutes per Goal Involvement

139.88′

143.04′

With that said, even if he were to join Arsenal for the fee being reported, one of his new teammates would still be worth millions more than him.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Rodrygo

While Arsenal do have a number of very talented attackers in their squad, there aren’t many who could accurately be described as ‘more valuable’ than Rodrygo, apart from one: Bukayo Saka.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

Yes, the star in question is, of course, the Gunners’ talismanic number seven, who, according to the CIES Football Observatory, is currently worth up to €121m, which is about £101m, or a whopping £16m more than the Real Madrid man could cost the club.

Now, that is undoubtedly an eye-watering amount of money, but based on the Englishman’s incredible performances and importance for the North Londoners, it doesn’t feel inaccurate.

For example, even though he missed almost four months of football through a hamstring injury this season, the 23-year-old “legend in the making,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 36 appearances, totalling 2592 minutes.

That means the “world-class” Hale Ender, as dubbed by Rio Ferdinand, is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.38 games or every 99.69 minutes, which is frankly incredible.

With that said, how does he stack up against his potential new teammate when we take a look at their underlying numbers?

Well, somewhat surprisingly, while the Brazilian does well in some metrics, such as progressive passes and carries and successful take-ons per 90, it’s the Emirates’ favourite son who comes out comfortably on top.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.70

0.32

Non-Penalty G+As

0.79

0.51

Progressive Passes

3.54

5.05

Progressive Passes Received

13.1

11.8

Progressive Carries

4.97

5.28

Shots

3.39

2.52

Shots on Target

1.16

0.93

Passing Accuracy

75.5%

85.9%

Key Passes

2.96

2.29

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.90

1.21

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.63

0.09

Shot-Creating Actions

5.93

4.95

Goal-Creating Actions

1.22

0.42

Successful Take-Ons

2.12

2.29

For example, he does better in almost every single relevant metric, including, but limited to, expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, passing accuracy, shot and goal-creating actions, shots and shots on target, key passes, passes into the penalty area, and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, Arsenal should do all they can to sign Rodrygo this summer, but in Saka, they already have a winger who sits among the very best in the world and has a valuation to match.

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England international and former star Kalvin Phillips is reportedly interested in a move to Leeds United, who sealed their return to the Premier League on Bank Holiday Monday.

Leeds back in the big time

After a two-season hiatus from the Premier League, Leeds United sealed their return to English football’s top flight this week. Having thrashed Stoke City 6-0, Leeds then watched on as Sheffield United failed to beat Burnley in the afternoon kick-off, losing 2-1 at Turf Moor. That result confirmed the Blades’ place in the play-offs and, at the same time, ensured automatic promotion for both Leeds and Burnley.

Unsurprisingly, the promotion sparked widespread celebrations across the city, with thousands of fans gathering outside Elland Road to revel in the moment.

The players joined in the celebrations too, popping bottles of champagne and belting out the traditional chant: “We are going up!”

Speaking after the full-time whistle, Leeds defender Joe Rodon told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “For me it hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t think it will until the end of the season, but I’m just delighted for everyone involved with the club, the fans and what it means to them. It’s what everyone has worked for all season and I’m buzzing.”

Skipper Ethan Ampadu added: “It’s amazing. If you look at the scenes here, as it was after the final whistle, just pure excitement. Within ourselves we’ve got another target, so we can enjoy this now, but we’ve got another target we want to achieve. But right now, it’s very good.”

Phillips wants Leeds return

Just a day before Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League was confirmed, Football Insider reported that Kalvin Phillips is now interested in a sensational return to Elland Road on the assumption they would indeed go up.

Phillips, a product of the Leeds academy, made his name with the Whites before securing a £45 million move to Manchester City in the summer of 2022.

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The Whites are back in the top flight.

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Since then, however, the England international’s career has been on a steady decline. Despite earning over £20 million in wages thanks to his big move, Phillips failed to establish himself at the Etihad. Underwhelming loan spells at West Ham United and Ipswich Town followed, where he again struggled to make an impact, and City are now braced to accept a huge loss on the fee they paid.

Football Insider claims the 29-year-old is pushing for a return to Leeds in a bid to revive his career. He also reportedly hopes that a move back to Elland Road can reignite his chances of an England recall, having not featured for the Three Lions since 2023, before which he racked up 31 caps.

Speaking about Phillips’ potential return to Leeds, former Manchester United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider: “To me, he’s a Leeds United player, he suits the club and he’s comfortable playing there, the fans love him and he feels at home there.

“That’s why he’s struggled since the move away, so a return would make a lot of sense. We’ve seen similar before with Wilfried Zaha at Crystal Palace, some players suit certain clubs, they get the backing from the fans and it allows them to perform beyond their usual standard.”

اختار مارسيلو، أسطورة نادي ريال مدريد، لاعبه المفضل في تشكيل الفريق الملكي الحالية، موضحًا أنه كان يعاني من زيادة في وزنه خلال مسيرته.

مارسيلو يعتبر ضمن أفضل اللاعبين في تاريخ ريال مدريد، وقدم الظهير الأيسر عروضًا لا تنسى مع الملكي قبل الرحيل بنهاية موسم 2022 ومن ثم التوقيع مع فلومينينسي.

وقرر مارسيلو في نهاية المطاف وضع حد لمسيرته الكروية واعتزل في وقت سابق من هذا العام.

وأشاد مارسيلو في حوار مع أسطورة ريال مدريد، إيكر كاسياس، والذي نقلته شبكة ”Madridxtra” بنجم ريال مدريد، فينيسيوس جونيور، موضحًا أن الأخير هو لاعبه المفضل في جيل الفريق الملكي الحالي.

وقال مارسيلو عن مواطنه فينيسيوس: “أنا دائمًا أشجع فريقنا الحالي وسعيد لأجلهم، وخاصة فينيسيوس، لأنني رأيته منذ صغره”.

وعن تعرضه للانتقادات، أضاف: ”كنت دائمًا ممتلئ الجسم بعض الشيء، لم أملك عضلات كريستيانو طوال حياتي (يضحك)”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. حقيقة إصابة كامافينجا أمام أتلتيك بلباو

وأوضح: ”عندما تسوء الأمور يقولون إن السبب هو زيادة وزني، كان ذلك طبيعيًا، سألني ابني ذات مرة وقال لي أبي، لماذا أنت ممتلئ الجسم في فيديوهات نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا؟ ثم أجبته وقلت له هذا الرجل الممتلئ دائمًا ما كان يلعب بنفس الجسم ويفوز بالألقاب ويلعب في النهائيات، وكان حاسمًا فيها (يضحك)”.

وأردف: “كان رفع الكؤوس كقائد من أفضل التجارب، لأنك تتذكر ما كان عليه الحال مع سيرجيو راموس”.

ثم رد كاسياس على مارسيلو، وقال: “أتذكر، لم أحمل الكأس إلا لعشر ثوان”، وعاد مارسيلو ليرد على كاسياس: “كان سيرجيو يأخذها، ويضع عليها وشاحًا”.

كما كشف مارسيلو عن موقف طريف جمعه مع جوزيه مورينيو، مدرب ريال مدريد السابق، حيث أوضح: “لعبت بشكل رائع في هذه المباراة ثم جاءني جوزيه وقال، أنت الأفضل، رائع، ثم عدتُ إلى المنزل وكنت سعيدًا جدًا بكلام مورينيو”.

وأردف: ”في المباراة التالية قدمت أداءًا سيئًا، فقال لي أنت سيء، ماذا تفعل؟ (يضحك)”.

واختتم مارسيلو في حديثه: ”كما تعلم، عندما قال لي ذلك أعجبني كثيرًا، لأنني تعلمت منه الكثير”.

Jacob Bethell has admitted he “should have played slightly more” domestic cricket while he was England’s spare batter during their Test series against India.Bethell, 21, played only four matches – three in the T20 Blast, one in the County Championship – between the start of the Test series in June and his call-up for the fifth Test at The Oval, which began on July 31. He faced only 85 balls across those matches, and looked noticeably short of rhythm when scoring 6 and 5 during England’s narrow defeat after Ben Stokes was ruled out through injury.Specifically, he could have played some role in Warwickshire’s Championship fixtures against Sussex (which overlapped with the second Test against India) or Worcestershire (which clashed with the fourth), but decided in conjunction with England’s management that he should stay with the Test squad instead.Related

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Ahead of Sunday’s ODI in Southampton, Bethell had only faced 387 balls across the English summer, compared to 1,480 in the 2024 season. His lack of cricket has been discussed incessantly in the media in recent months, with suggestions he should have returned from the IPL early, or played for Warwickshire in the Metro Bank Cup instead of the Hundred.”There’s been a little bit of noise but I don’t listen to it much,” Bethell told Sky Sports. “If I’m honest, I probably should have played slightly more when I wasn’t playing in the Test matches, but that’s something that I’ll take and I’ll learn from that.”Even though I didn’t play much in that Test series, I was around the group for a lot of it, and just to watch a high-octane Test series like that was unbelievable. I got a chance in the last Test and unfortunately couldn’t go on there and put in a performance, but I’ve loved [the summer]. Playing for England is a dream come true and hopefully I can do it for a long time to come.”Bethell will play in England’s T20Is against South Africa next week before becoming their youngest-ever captain in Ireland a week later. He is then likely to be part of their white-ball tour to New Zealand, before travelling to Australia as the spare batter for the Ashes, and heading to Sri Lanka then India for a white-ball series leading into the T20 World Cup.”Now I’m looking at what I have ahead and there’s a lot of cricket, so that little gap where I didn’t play actually might be quite nice for me,” Bethell said.Marcus Trescothick, who will deputise as England coach in Ireland, said on Saturday that Bethell had a “great opportunity” to gain captaincy experience at a young age.”We’re very clear that he can step into that role and be very comfortable with that,” Trescothick said. “The attention has been outside of our circle. There’s been some media scrutiny around him playing and doing this job [captaincy], but within our circle that’s never been the case. We manage it accordingly and we’re not going to put anyone in a position that is not suitable to their character or their calibre.”

Member of the last successful men’s Ashes tour reflects on the harsh lessons he learned down under

Vithushan Ehantharajah12-Nov-2025Steven Finn knows what it is like to find yourself in the goldfish bowl of an Ashes tour. The parochial crowds, the unrelenting media circus. Even the barbs of a single Western Australian punter stick with you.”We were playing this warm-up game in Perth, England versus Western Australia in the 2010-11 Ashes, and there was this one fella sledging us the whole time,” Finn tells ESPNcricinfo. “He was one of the few spectators in.”I didn’t bowl particularly well, and he singled me out for stick, screaming and shouting, telling us it was a long summer and that we were going to get pumped.”During the third Test in Perth at the WACA, I took wickets but didn’t bowl particularly well. We got [Mitchell] Johnson-ed in that game. And there he was again, still going.”I’d go down to fine leg and he’d be screaming: ‘you were rubbish then and you’re rubbish now’. I got Phil Hughes out in the second innings, caught in the slips by Colly [Paul Collingwood] and gave him a big shush.”Related

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It remains, to Finn’s mind, the only time he had reacted to someone in the crowd like that. “I imagine he’ll be waiting for me to tell me I’m a rubbish broadcaster in the first Test this time around.”It is 15 years since England’s last series victory in Australia, when Finn kept a daily tour diary. Though a diligent note taker, it was the first time he had regularly documented his thoughts, something which he reprised on the 2013-14 tour. “The Ashes is just that bit different to any other cricket you play as an English player. The fact that I only kept diaries on those tours is probably a nod towards that as well.”They were, on the face of it, contrasting series. England left Australia with the urn for the first time since 1986-87, and then returned to suffer an ignominious 5-0 defeat. For Finn, however, both were about unique struggles of mind and body.Having taken 14 wickets at 33.14 in the first three Tests of 2010-11, he was benched for Tim Bresnan. Unused in 2013-14, lost in his own battles with his bowling, one-day coach Ashley Giles sent him home from the limited-overs series that followed deeming him “not selectable”.As such, Finn’s autobiography , which leans on both diaries – and is cowritten by ESPNcricinfo’s Matt Roller – is about a 36-capped Test fast bowler revisiting those moments introspectively. A very personal journey back in time led by the Ghost of Ashes past.

“If I was back in that moment again, I would say to myself, even though I’d been dropped for those last two games, soak this up and embrace enjoying what you’ve achieved here and what the team’s achieved because it’s monumental”Steven Finn on memories of 2010-11

Finn ranks himself as his own worst critic, even now as a commentator and pundit for both BBC and TNT, who he will be working for this winter. “The way that my mind works, I’m very good at focusing on the things that I’m not doing well and that I’m not very good at. If I’m broadcasting and I stumble on one word I don’t quite make my point as succinctly as I’d like to.”He was especially unkind to himself both as a 21-year-old on that maiden Ashes tour, and at 24, in an unforgiving environment, succumbing to tears in the dressing room as he lost his love for the game. With the benefit of experience and hindsight, how would Finn, 36, have dealt his younger selves?”I think in ’10-11 I’d have tried to help myself see the bigger picture. I was really disappointed that I didn’t play the fourth and fifth Test, so I maybe didn’t feel as much a part of the team at that stage of the series.”When I look back on it now 15 years later, I’m so proud that I played three Tests in that series because we won the Ashes away for the first time in a long time. And it was the right decision by the way – to bring Bresnan in, he bowled amazingly. But if I was back in that moment again, I would say to myself, even though I’d been dropped for those last two games, soak this up and embrace enjoying what you’ve achieved here and what the team’s achieved because it’s monumental.”In 2013-14, I would encourage myself to take a step back, allow yourself to be removed from everything that you’re doing. Being so focused on trying your hardest, chasing something the whole time – it meant that all my bad habits and all my intrusive thoughts just compounded across that tour. I’d say to myself, it’s okay to just take a small step back and try and remember the good things that you’re doing as opposed to always remembering the bad things.”Finn has become a respected broadcaster post playing career•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesIt would take Finn a year to get back to his best. The labour of building himself back up with the help of his then Middlesex bowling coach Richard Johnson allowing him to return in the home 2015 Ashes. He took eight wickets in his comeback at Edgbaston, including 6 for 79 in the second innings, leading to 12 in the series at 22.50.Liberated by comfort, encouraged by those around him, it was no surprise he was back in the groove. Nor that he regards the current environment of the England Test team cultivated by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as one he would have thrived in.To that end, he sees parallels with his 2010-11 cohort and what this current set-up are looking to achieve when the first Ashes Test kicks off in Perth next week.”I think in 2010-11, and I reflect on it in the book, we went there and when you get off the plane, scrub your boots, get cameras in your face and it’s like, ‘oh my God, you’re gonna get hammered, you’re gonna get battered, we’re gonna smash you five-nil!’ But then when you stand up to Australia in that moment and push back like we did in the second innings of that first Test in Brisbane… it would’ve been easy for us to fall like a pack of cards and then we’re off on that negative cycle again. But in that second innings, we broke the cycle by puffing our chest out.”Collectively as a team, we stood there, and said, ‘we’re going nowhere’. We were clearly a fantastic team, but we looked to embrace being in Australia. We didn’t hide away; we’d go to restaurants, we’d go to a bar and have a drink. We just embraced being there and being in what is an amazing country. It’s the best tour.”I think that this England, led by Ben Stokes, will have that attitude going into this series. Even if Australia do try and blow the house down, I don’t think England will let it fall. I think they’ll have the mentality to come back from those tough moments within games, which is not something that we can say of the teams that have toured there since 2010-11.” by Steven Finn (Orion Publishing Co) is available to buy now geni.us/AshesFiles

South Africa smashed England by 125 runs to qualify for their maiden ODI World Cup final

Valkerie Baynes29-Oct-20258:30

Fire and ice take South Africa through to the final

South Africa 319 for 7 (Wolvaardt 169, Ecclestone 4-44) beat England 194 (Sciver-Brunt 64, Capsey 50, Kapp 5-20) by 125 runsLaura Wolvaardt’s batting masterclass and Marizanne Kapp’s five-for propelled South Africa into their maiden World Cup final, off the back of a 125-run victory over England.Wolvaardt’s breathtaking 169 in the first semi-final in Guwahati carried her side to 319 for 7 from their 50 overs, the second-highest score in World Cup knockout matches.Asked to stage the second-highest successful chase in women’s ODIs – behind Australia’s 331 to beat India earlier in this tournament – England fell short in the face of the brilliant bowling of Kapp, who took 5 for 20. Those wickets included two in the first over of the reply, as England lurched to 1 for 3, and the prize wicket of Nat Sciver-Brunt who had built a century stand with Alice Capsey. Later in the innings, Kapp took two more wickets in as many balls to put South Africa on the brink of victory.South Africa face the winner of the second semi-final between Australia and India for the title on Sunday, which will be their third consecutive World Cup final, after they finished runners-up at the T20 events in 2023 and 2024.Wolvaardt was a class above in the South Africa batting line-up. Her innings was full of trademark elegant drives early on, followed by a brutal leg-side assault as she hit the accelerator in the closing stages. She was supported by Tazmin Brits, who scored 45, but later went off during England’s innings with what appeared to be a wrist injury after landing awkwardly in the field, followed by Kapp’s rapid 42 off just 33 balls. Wolvaardt shared a seventh-wicket stand worth 89 with Chloe Tryon, who finished unbeaten on 33 herself.Sophie Ecclestone overcame a shoulder injury suffered in the previous match against New Zealand on Sunday to finish with 4 for 44 but, apart from her bowling figures, and fifties for Sciver-Brunt and Capsey, there was little to celebrate for England. Only two others – Danni Wyatt-Hodge and tailender Linsey Smith – reached double figures.As if determined to model South Africa’s bowling performance on Wolvaardt’s batting masterclass, Kapp removed Amy Jones with a ball of the highest quality in the first over. A fuller delivery outside off stump jagged back in between bat and pad and clattered into off stump. Heather Knight was more complicit in her dismissal three balls later when, with leaden feet, she prodded at one that shaped away from outside off and edged onto her stumps. The dismissal gave Kapp figures of 2 for 0 from her first five balls.Ayabonga Khaka made it three England ducks in a row just two balls into the second over, when she drew a faint edge off Tammy Beaumont with one that straightened off the pitch for caught behind.South Africa let England off the hook somewhat, as Sciver-Brunt and Capsey took them from such a poor start to 108 for 4, when Capsey fell moments after reaching her maiden ODI half-century. Capsey had been dropped on 28 by substitute fielder Nondumiso Shangase at long on off the bowling of Sune Luus as South Africa struggled to make further inroads with Kapp off the field. Sciver-Brunt, meanwhile, narrowly avoided being run out as she retreated to the bowler’s end.Marizanne Kapp struck twice in the first over of the chase•ICC via Getty Images

No sooner had Capsey reached fifty, that she picked out Nadine de Klerk at mid-off with Luus the bowler once more. Either side of her dismissal, Sciver-Brunt reached her own half-century, powering Luus over long-off for six, while Brits put down a difficult chance leaping to her right at midwicket. She fell heavily, forcing her off the field in pain and clutching her arm.Kapp struck in the second over of her return spell to remove Sciver-Brunt, caught behind after she was enticed to drive at a length ball, which wobbled away ever so slightly off the seam and brushed the outside edge. In her next over, Kapp had Sophia Dunkley and Charlie Dean caught behind off successive deliveries. The energy with which she roared to celebrate her last wicket matched that of her first.Wyatt-Hodge, playing just her second match of the tournament after being brought in for Emma Lamb to bolster a struggling middle-order, faced just seven deliveries for 2 not out against New Zealand. With more time in the middle here, she managed 34 off 31. When she and Smith fell to Nadine de Klerk, however, it was all over for England.South Africa’s resounding victory was a result of their ability to get out of trouble. They fell from 116 without loss to 119 for 3, as Ecclestone took a sledgehammer to the excellent structure laid down by Wolvaardt and Brits, with two wickets in the space of four balls.Brits could have been out for 1 off what would have been the sharpest of return catches by Lauren Bell. She had attempted a reverse-sweep off Ecclestone’s fellow left-arm spinner, Linsey Smith, before ending up in an awkward heap as the ball struck her front pad well outside off stump. When Brits tried it again, it was her undoing, as Ecclestone speared one in full on middle and leg and drew a bottom edge onto the stumps.Anneke Bosch, brought into the starting XI to boost the batting which had failed so miserably against England last time these sides met, lost her off stump as she charged at Ecclestone, yorked herself, and departed for a three-ball duck.Bell put down another tough chance leaping to her left at short fine leg off Kapp, on 36 at the time. But Kapp added just a handful more runs before Ecclestone returned with immediate impact, with Kapp skying a fuller ball outside off stump high over mid-on where Dean ran back and settled underneath it.Another cluster of South Africa wickets fell when Annerie Dercksen, apparently having failed to learn from Brits’ downfall, tried to reverse-sweep Ecclestone. She hit the ball into the pitch outside off, then again through her swing. The second impact ricocheted into the stumps.Having lumped Dean for a massive 82 metre six over wide long-on, Wolvaardt bided her time through Ecclestone’s final over. She then helped herself to 13 of the 15 runs to come off the next, by Sciver-Brunt, including another six over long-on, followed by a pulled four through backward square.Sciver-Brunt conceded 14 off her next over, which also included Wolvaardt’s third maximum. This time, the shot was over deep midwicket, and she raised her 150 with a similar effort off Smith, who leaked 20 off the over, all but one of them to Wolvaardt.When Wolvaardt finally holed out to Capsey as she launched Bell down the ground, she walked off to warm congratulations from her opponents, as well as the gratitude of her team and the rapture of the crowd, who knew they had witnessed something special.

Foot fracture may delay first-class debut, but Smeed targets trophies after club’s triple near-miss last year

Valkerie Baynes29-Mar-2025Will Smeed’s plans for a first-class debut – three years after his retirement from red-ball cricket – have taken a minor stumble, but that has done nothing to deter him from targeting a major role in Somerset’s Championship campaign this year.A foot fracture suffered in South Africa, where he played four games for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 at the start of the year, could rule him out of the first match of the Division One season, home to Worcestershire from Friday.”I got it scanned when I got back and I’m just trying to make sure it heals properly before we up the workloads,” Smeed told ESPNcricinfo during Somerset’s pre-season media day. “I should be back playing in no time. I might miss the first week, but it should be fine.”It feels fine. I managed to play on it in South Africa so it’s a case of it would be fine to play on, but they just want to make sure I don’t do any proper damage though.”Related

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• Will Smeed signs new deal to play red-ball cricket for Somerset

Those workloads are indeed set to increase after it was revealed earlier this month that Smeed had backflipped on his fledgling career move to become a white-ball specialist.Smeed announced in 2022 that he would play only white-ball cricket as franchise opportunities beckoned, a move considered groundbreaking given that he had just turned 21 at the time. But after a hamstring injury ruled him out of last year’s Hundred, he found himself playing for Somerset in the Second XI County Championship and enjoyed it which, along with opening the door to more cricket, made a reversal “a bit of a no-brainer”.An explosive batter, who became the first player to score a century in the Hundred three years ago, Smeed doesn’t want to smother that part of his game too much when he finally makes his first-class debut. So far, he has played 105 T20s and just one List A game.Smeed is set for a first-class debut this summer•Getty Images”I definitely think keeping [aggression] as part of your game, but you probably have to be a bit smarter with how you use it and when you use it and obviously then tightening up my defence and things like that,” Smeed said. “A lot of red-ball cricket is about adapting to the ebbs and flows, figuring out when to put your foot down, when to hold back and soak up a bit of pressure. So there needs to be a big learning experience this year, but I’m really looking forward to it.”From a mindset, I’m just more keen to score runs now. I’m just desperate to spend time in the middle and I think that’s why the games at the end of last summer went okay. I think I just put more value on my wicket. I’m still figuring out my game in white-ball stuff, so that’ll be even more prevalent in the red-ball stuff. There might be a technical tweak here or there, but I think a lot of it’s just going to be the way I approach it and the mindset and the options I take and figuring out what works for me.”Somerset came close to a trophy in all three competitions in 2024, but ended up with none. Their loss to Lancashire in the penultimate round of the Championship ensured Surrey finished top of Division One and then Hampshire won their final-round game to seal second place, leaving Somerset in third.On Blast Finals Day, Somerset beat Surrey in the semi-finals but then lost to Gloucestershire in the final, with Smeed scoring a duck and 8 in those games respectively. Somerset also lost the final of the One-Day Cup to Glamorgan.Smeed was the first batter to make a hundred in the Hundred•ECB/Getty ImagesNow, Smeed says his main aim is to win trophies with Somerset, with their 2023 Blast title “still the highlight of my career”, while scoring plenty of runs, with four-day cricket offering ample opportunity for that.”It means I’m here all summer,” Smeed said. “That was a big thing I made clear to Somerset, that I wanted to commit to the whole summer here and I wasn’t going to flip off somewhere if the opportunity came about. I’m here now and it means I can just get stuck into the English summer and really get my head down and try and win some games for Somerset.”The last couple of years with my contract, I’ve been able to take anything that came my way, whereas now, having just fully committed to the summer with Somerset takes that distraction away I guess – or it’s one more decision that I don’t have to make should something come up.”It’s just going to be I’m here with Somerset and that’s me for the summer. Then in the winter hopefully there’s opportunities to go away again and play some stuff overseas.”And if the Blast doesn’t fully satisfy those white-ball urges, there is always the Hundred window in August, when Smeed will return to Birmingham Phoenix, who are still searching for their first title.Having gone all-or-nothing down one career path, perhaps now Smeed really can have it all.

After yet another international break, the Premier League returns this weekend, and Arsenal can continue their title charge.

Mikel Arteta’s side sit four points clear atop the table and will be desperate to make up for dropping points away to Sunderland last time out.

The Gunners weren’t necessarily poor at the Stadium of Light, but aside from a few players, they certainly weren’t at their best.

With that said, one of the starters who played well was Leandro Trossard, although if reports are to be believed, Arsenal might be set to sign someone who could be an upgrade on him.

Arsenal target Trossard upgrade

If you were to ask Arsenal fans who their best players have been this season, you would likely get a lot of the usual suspects, like Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

However, one player who has at least entered that conversation as of late is Trossard, who, unlike last year, is starting to influence games on a more regular basis.

For example, if he didn’t score that thunderbolt against the Black Cats, there is every chance the Gunners might’ve gone into the international break on the back of a defeat.

However, even though the Belgian has been a key contributor in the last month or so, the club appear keen on signing someone to compete with, or possibly replace him.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Arsenal have maintained their interest in Antoine Semenyo.

The report has revealed that, alongside the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool, the Gunners are vying for the Bournemouth star.

While the competition is far from ideal, the good news is that, according to another story from The Athletic, the Cherries star has a £65m release clause in his new contract, which will be active for part of January.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Semenyo’s immense talent, one worth fighting for, especially as he could be an upgrade on Trossard.

How Semenyo compares to Trossard

As they still produced the best defence in the league last season, Arsenal’s biggest problem, at least domestically, was their diminished goal threat.

Therefore, the first thing to compare between Trossard and Semenyo should be their output, as that is ultimately what a winger is judged on these days.

For his efforts so far this year, the Bournemouth star has scored six goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.33 games, and helps to justify Chris Waddle’s claim that he’s currently “the best winger in the country.”

The Belgian, on the other hand, has racked up four goals and four assists in 14 appearances, which works out to a less impressive tally of a goal involvement every 1.75 games.

Unfortunately for the former Brighton & Hove Albion star, he still comes out as a distant second best when looking at their output last season.

For example, he produced 20 goal involvements in 56 games for a far better team, while the Cherries star produced as many goal involvements in just 42 games.

Okay, what about when you take a look under the hood, which winger has the better underlying numbers?

Expected G+As

0.46

0.36

Non-Penalty G+As

0.73

0.56

Progressive Passes

3.55

3.38

Progressive Carries

3.18

2.82

Shots on Target

1.09

0.56

Shot-Creating Actions

3.28

2.94

Goal-Creating Actions

0.64

0.28

Tackles Won

1.00

0.42

Successful Take-Ons

1.91

0.99

Unsurprisingly, it’s the Ghanaian international who once again emerges victorious, coming out on top in key metrics like expected goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, successful take-ons, shot and goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Finally, there is also the simple fact that, at 25, the Bournemouth star has a lot more to offer compared to the 30-year-old, and would therefore be the smarter long-term option.

Ultimately, Trossard has been far better this season than last, but even so, it’s clear that Semenyo would be an upgrade on him, and therefore, Arsenal should go all out to sign the Cherries star in January.

Arsenal can forget Eze by unleashing the "biggest talent in England"

The sensational gem could be a huge star for England and Arsenal as he replaces Eze.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

Brandon King dropped; Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jediah Blades sidelined by injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2025Six years after he last played an ODI, West Indies opener John Campbell has earned a recall for the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Sunday. Fast bowler Johann Layne and seam-bowling allrounder Shamar Springer received their maiden call-ups to the ODI side, while quick Matthew Forde, who returned from a shoulder dislocation for the T20Is against New Zealand, also returned.The trio replaced spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, and left-arm quick Ramon Simmonds, who was injured, from the squad that played Bangladesh last month. Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jediah Blades also were sidelined by injuries.Campbell replaced fellow opener Brandon King from the Bangladesh series. King returned scores of 44, 0 and 18 in the series West Indies lost 2-1. His T20I form has also tapered off, with four single-digit scores in his last five outings across the Bangladesh and New Zealand series.Campbell was recalled following his strong performances in red-ball cricket, including an impressive century in the second Test against India in Delhi last month. He was Jamaica’s leading run-scorer in the Super50 Cup last season, with 278 runs in seven outings at a strike rate of 102.20. Notably, none of the top ten run-getters in that competition scored at a faster pace.Layne’s call-up follows his Test debut on the tour of India last month. While he has impressed in red-ball cricket, he has only 12 List-A appearances and 13 wickets to show in the format. Against New Zealand, Layne will complete the seam attack that features Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd apart from Springer, Forde and Justin Greaves.Ackeem Auguste, who made his ODI debut in Bangladesh, kept his spot alongside Keacy Carty and Alick Athanaze in the 15-member squad led by Shai Hope.New Zealand and West Indies play the opening ODI in Christchurch on Sunday followed by the second and third matches in Napier and Hamilton, respectively.

West Indies squad for ODIs against New Zealand

Shai Hope (capt), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Johann Layne, Khary Pierre, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer