As the selectors look to blood younger players and give them a long lead-in to the next Ashes series, there is pressure on James Vince and Mark Stoneman to step up in Sydney

George Dobell in Sydney02-Jan-20181:57

‘Dreamed of playing in Sydney’ – Stoneman

The Ashes may have gone but, for several England players, the Sydney Test could have career-defining implications.The likes of James Vince (199 runs at 28.42 in the series) and Mark Stoneman (208 at 29.71) have had some decent moments in Australia without producing the performance that would have either cemented their place or changed the direction of a match. And with the squad for the series against New Zealand set to be announced on the morning of January 10 (Australia time) both have one last opportunity to impress.Stoneman is by far the more secure batsman. Despite a top score of only 56 after seven Tests, despite having scored only nine more runs than Vince and despite a record strikingly similar to that of Michael Carberry (who was dropped after he averaged 28.10 in Australia in 2013-14), Stoneman has impressed with his attitude and is an almost certain pick for the New Zealand tour. The fact that few other openers are pushing for his spot might well be a factor, too.But Vince needs a performance in Sydney. While he has, at times, looked a high-class player, he is another who has failed to produce the match-defining total. He has only two half-centuries after 11 Tests, and there is a growing sense of impatience over his contributions. He remains likely to make the squad for the New Zealand tour, but two failures here could change that.Counting against Vince, however, is that many of those players the England management like the look of – Joe Clarke, Liam Livingstone and Dan Lawrence – are vying for a middle-order spot. And as the selectors try to bring younger players into the side with a view to providing them a long lead-in to the next Ashes series, the pressure on the likes of Vince will only grow.Gary Ballance is another possible casualty before the squad for the New Zealand series is announced. Ballance has been given almost no chance to impress in Australia – he has scored 51, 1 and 45 not out in his three innings and has not played a first-class game – but may be squeezed out as the selectors look to the future.It is likely that Ben Stokes will be named in the squad. But that does not mean he is likely to make the tour. His name will appear, as it did in the limited-overs squad, as a legal nicety to ensure that the ECB is not seen to be prejudicing the on-going investigation into his actions outside a Bristol nightclub in September. Realistically it seems most unlikely he will make the tour.Toby Roland-Jones, who will go on the Lions’ tour to the Caribbean, is the likely beneficiary. Mark Wood and Craig Overton, who will not be considered for selection in Sydney as he recovers from a cracked rib, also look likely to make the New Zealand tour, with Jake Ball in danger of missing out. Steven Finn, who underwent surgery on his knee having returned home from the Ashes tour after a few days, is not thought to have regained the fitness required for selection.1:25

Starc’s absence showed in Melbourne – Stoneman

The shape of the England team for the Sydney Test is not yet completely clear. While it still appears likely that Mason Crane will make his Test debut, a first look at the pitch has caused some confusion. It is currently greener than expected and offers a decent covering of grass. That grass will be cut back, though, leaving a pitch that will essentially remain good for batting.As a result, the balance of probability suggests that Moeen Ali may retain his place at the expense of Tom Curran – although there are injury doubts over Chris Woakes who was sent for a scan on his left side on Wednesday morning and if he does not get through training on Wednesday, both Curran and Moeen could be included.Omission after one Test would be cruel luck for Curran who let nobody down with his performance on a horribly slow wicket in Melbourne. But the surface did show up his lack of pace and, as England try to juggle their need for some variation in their attack and some depth to their batting, Moeen may retain his place at No. 7 in the hope that his selection as a second spinner will allow him to relax and regain his best form.There were several new faces at England’s training session at the SCG on Tuesday. Three young county legspinners Matt Parkinson (Lancashire; currently playing Grade cricket for Gordon -the club Crane played for last year), Josh Poysden, (Warwickshire) and Matt Critchley (Derbyshire) were among them, while Stuart MacGill, the former Australian legspinner who had worked with Crane last year, watched on and offered advice.The other notable aspects of training were the long stint Joe Root had – he was dropped from the team for the Sydney Test in 2013-14 and is desperate to end this tour on a high – and a slightly jaded look to a couple of seamers. The huge workload they undertook in Melbourne – Anderson alone bowled 59 overs in the Test – may have taken a toll.”It’s been a pretty frustrating tour on a personal level,” Stoneman, who watched the 2006-07 Ashes Test here from the crowd, said on Tuesday. “Everybody knows the key to Test cricket is getting big scores on the board and if you’re only making 30s then you’re giving the opposition a chance to make inroads. If you give the Australian attack a sniff, they come pretty hard and take wickets in bunches.”On the flip side, as we saw from Alastair Cook the other day, if you’re out there for seven or eight hours, the attack will wilt a little bit. Given the nature of having to bowl 25 or 30 overs, big scores can be put on the board and gives you chance of winning games. It’s been frustrating from a personal point of view, but hopefully I can put that right here.”

On Shane Warne’s 50th birthday, here are 10 questions to test your knowledge on his celebrated cricketing career

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Can KKR maintain their season’s flavour without Salt? How big a miss will Buttler be for RR? Is this finally RCB’s year?

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-20241:41

Moody: Faf’s leadership important in RCB’s revival

Here come the IPL 2024 playoffs. It took a thriller on Saturday to decide which of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would complete the playoffs line-up, and till the very last league game – a washout in Guwahati last night – to know who would play whom exactly, but now we know. And it’s a completely different playoff line-up from last season, with none of 2023’s top four making the cut here.

Qualifier 1: KKR vs SRH, May 21, Ahmedabad

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come into the first qualifier as table-toppers, the first time they’ve finished the league phase at No. 1. They finished three points clear of anyone else on the table, despite having their last two games washed out. Will they be refreshed, or rusty? If SRH are any example to go by, a break from the cricket is a good thing: they came in after a 10-day break – partly down to the schedule and partly down to the weather – and aced a chase of 215 on Sunday against Punjab Kings. This was only the second time in IPL 2024 that SRH won a game chasing.Related

• Yash Dayal's year – stung by Rinku to stinging CSK

• How du Plessis-Kohli masterclass revived RCB after the rain

• Tripathi the link at No. 3 that SRH had been missing

Previous meeting: They’ve played each other only once this season, both team’s first game of IPL 2024. It was a high-scoring thriller that ended in a last-ball four-run win for KKR at Eden Gardens.Player availability: The England players who will be going to the upcoming T20 World Cup have withdrawn early from the IPL, and among them is one of KKR’s lynchpins this season: Sunil Narine’s big-hitting opening partner, Phil Salt.Weather forecast: “Very hot with plenty of sunshine” – that’s the forecast for Ahmedabad on May 21, and the heat will hardly relent as the lights come on for the evening match: it’s a minimum of 31C on the day. The forecast says there’s a 0% chance of rain.

Eliminator: RR vs RCB, May 22, Ahmedabad

On April 22, RR were top of the table, flying high, having won seven of their first eight games. At the other end of the table, RCB were languishing, having lost as many as RR had won, six of those defeats coming in a row. Fast forward to May 20, and the turnaround is stunning: RR have since won one in six and lost four in a row before Sunday’s washout. RCB have won six in a row, and thus go into this knockout encounter with all the momentum on their side.Previous meeting: They’ve played each other once this year, a convincing win for RR in Jaipur, where Virat Kohli hit a century only to be outdone by Jos Buttler.Player availability: This time, RR will be without Buttler, who’s part of the English T20 World Cup contingent that’s left the tournament. RCB will be without Will Jacks and Reece Topley for the same reasons.Weather forecast: The forecast doesn’t change much from Qualifier 1. Ahmedabad should remain hot and dry for the Eliminator.After a blazing start to IPL 2024, things have gone downhill for Sanju Samson and Co•BCCI

Qualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of the Eliminator, May 24, Chennai

Weather forecast: Some clouds are forecast during the day, but only a 5% chance of rain. A low of 29C, so another hot, sweaty evening in store for the players.

Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, May 26, Chennai

There’s a possibility of a first-time winner: RCB, ending a 16-year drought in the same season that their women’s team knocked off the Women’s Premier League title in its second edition.Is this, finally, RCB’s year?•Getty Images

Or RR could win their first title since the inaugural season when Shane Warne’s relatively unfancied team saw off MS Dhoni’s Super Kings in the final.For KKR it would be a first title since 2014, and their third overall. Quite the homecoming for Gautam Gambhir, that would be – he had captained KKR to both their previous titles, and played for them till 2017. This season, he shifted from Lucknow Super Giants back to KKR as team mentor.SRH’s only title (not to confuse them with the other franchise from Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, who won it in 2009) came in 2016 – can they add to that?Weather forecast: Not much change from Qualifier 2, but slightly hotter even (min. 30 C) and even less chance of rain (4%).

Diego Simeone is reportedly ready to raid Liverpool as Atletico Madrid eye a shock move in the summer transfer window.

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• Simeone wants Andy Robertson in Madrid
• Has just over 12 months on his Liverpool contract
• Atletico also pursuing Theo Hernandez

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Atletico have turned their attention toward Robertson, who has just one year remaining on his current deal with Liverpool. The club are also monitoring AC Milan's Theo Hernandez, but initial dialogue has already begun with Robertson’s representatives, and the Scotland international is also "keen" on a transfer to the Spanish capital.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Liverpool, meanwhile, appear to be laying the groundwork for life after Robertson. The club have been actively pursuing Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez, a promising 20-year-old left-back who has impressed since arriving in the Premier League. Bournemouth have reportedly placed a £45 million ($61m) valuation on the Hungarian international, and if the transfer does take place, it could open the door for the long-serving Robertson to explore new opportunities.

• WHAT ROBERTSON SAID

  Robertson has not shied away from the speculation. Speaking recently, the defender confirmed that he has held discussions with Liverpool about his future. He said: "We have discussed [my future], of course we have. We’ve had good discussions, me and the club, but what the future holds, I’m not sure.”

• DID YOU KNOW?

  If a move were to materialize, Robertson would not be the only Liverpool figure to take up residence in the Spanish capital. His close friend and long-time teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold recently made the switch to Atletico’s cross-town rivals, Real Madrid, which might further tempt him to head to La Liga.

تحدث الأوروجواني مارتن لاسارتي، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي الأسبق عن الإسباني بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي وسبب رحيله عن ريال سوسيداد ونجوم ريال مدريد ومدربهم تشابي ألونسو.

وكان لاسارتي قد قاد النادي الأهلي في عام 2019 وكانت فترته مختلطة بين الإيجاب والسلب، لأنه المدرب الذي تلقى أكبر هزيمة للأهلي في تاريخه بدوري أبطال إفريقيا أمام صن داونز بالخماسية الشهيرة، بينما هو نفس المدرب الذي فاز بأصعب بطولة دوري في القرن الجديد للمارد الأحمر.

وقال المدرب الأوروجواني من خلال حواره مع صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية عن سبب إقالته من ريال سوسيداد: “كانوا يبحثون عن نموذج مختلف، في ذلك الوقت، كان جوارديولا ملك كرة القدم الإسبانية، جميع الأندية أرادت أن تلعب مثل برشلونة وتحاول تقليده، تفهمت القرار لأن مصالح كل نادٍ وأفكاره مشروعة تمامًا”.

وعن اكتشافه لـ لويس سواريز، أوضح: “عندما رأيته، أدركت مدى براعته، كان لديه تعطش هائل لتسجيل الأهداف ولديه شراسة ملفتة للنظر، كان يغضب بشدة إذا لم يُسجل، وكان قادرًا على خلق الفرص بمفرده”.

وحول المقارنة بين جريزمان وسواريز، قال: “إذا كنا نتحدث عن الموهبة فبالتأكيد نعم هما متقاربين، كان أنطوان أكثر رقيًا في لعبه ومهاري أكثر، ولويس أكثر قوة بدنية، في الثامنة عشرة من عمره كان بالفعل ثورًا لكن كلاهما كان يتمتع بجودة عالية وكانا تنافسيين للغاية”.

وعن رأيه في زبيميندي وتأثيره مع ريال مدريد، أوضح: “أحبه، إنه صانع ألعاب رائع، أثبت جدارته في ريال سوسيداد، ويواصل ذلك مع آرسنال والمنتخب الإسباني، إنه مستعد للتحديات الكبيرة التي تتواجد في أندية القمة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | لاسارتي يكشف أفضل نادي دربه خلال مسيرته.. ويؤكد: تجربة لا تُنسى

وعن أفضلية مجيئه إلى ريال مدريد أردف: “ربما كان ذلك سيُناسبه تمامًا، مع أنه لا يوجد كروس آخر في أي مكان إلا أن أسلوب زوبيميندي كان سيُناسب تمامًا خط وسط ريال مدريد، إنه رائع”.

وبشأن رأيه في بدايات تشابي ألونسو، قال: “إنه مدرب ذكي وممتاز، البدايات صعبة للغاية خاصةً في نادٍ مثل ريال مدريد، تحدثت معه مرة، وهو رجل يجمع بين ضبط النفس والحزم والحكمة، كلها في تركيبة واحدة وستعود بالنفع الكبير على ريال مدريد، لديه قدرات ذهنية قوية جدًا ويتمتع بمواصفات القيادة ولكن يجب منحه الوقت وتركه يعمل، فلا شيء يأتي سريعًا”.

وعن مواطنه فالفيردي، استطرد: “هو قلب مدريد وروحها، إنه لاعب الفريق في أمس الحاجة له، ويحظى بتقدير كبير من أي مدرب، كما أنه شخصيته نضجت، تابعت مسيرته باهتمام منذ أن كان في أوروجواي، وكان تطوره رائعًا، إنه لاعب متعدد المواهب، دائمًا ما يكون في الموعد حينما يحتاجه الفريق ولا يفشل أبدًا، عندما يخطئ أحد أو لا يكون في مكانه، يكون فيدي حاضرًا لمساعدة الفريق، إنه لاعب مخلص، داعم، قوي، ويفهم اللعبة جيدًا”.

وفيما يتعلق بلاعبه المفضل في تشكيل ريال مدريد، صرح: “شخصيًا، سأختار مبابي، إنه ظاهرة لكنني أتوقع منه المزيد، صحيح أنه سجل 44 هدفًا في موسمه الأول، لكن علينا أن نتوقع المزيد لأنه قادر على تقديم أداء جيد بفضل مهاراته، إنه لاعب ريال مدريد الذي أحبه أكثر من أي لاعب آخر لأنه نجم”.

وعن ماستانتونو أتم: “لقد رأيته كثيرًا، سمعت عنه منذ مدة ورأيته يُبدع في ريفر بليت، لاعب يفوق عمره بكثير، سيتحمل المسؤولية الواقعة عليه كونه لاعبًا في ريال مدريد تدريجيًا ويتطور أداؤه، إنه لاعب رائع لكن لا يزال هناك متسع من الوقت ليُظهر أفضل ما لديه”.

Hilton Cartwright and Joel Paris powered Western Australia to a five-wicket win over NSW in the One-Day Cup final, securing a historic third straight title.The recent dominant force in domestic cricket, WA set up their latest limited-overs victory when they skittled the hosts for just 169 at Sydney’s Cricket Central on Sunday.Left-arm quick Paris led the rout in his first one-day appearance of the season, with Ashton Agar and Andrew Tye also claiming multiple wickets.However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing in the run chase as WA were given a huge scare, as they were reduced to 30 for 3 in the eighth over. NSW quicks Ben Dwarshuis, Jackson Bird and Jack Edwards all claimed early wickets before Cartwright joined opener Josh Philippe at the crease, and steadied the innings.Cartwright stepped up with his first half-century of the season – the eighth of his career – to lead all scorers and steer the visitors safely past the victory target with Nick Hobson. There were more than 16 overs to spare when Cartwright blasted the third six of his 80-ball innings.”NSW had the momentum when I walked out there to bat and at that time it was just about rotating the strike between me and Josh Philippe,” Cartwright told reporters post-match. “As soon as we grabbed that momentum we started running with it and got a small partnership.”We knew as soon as we got to 130 or 140 it would break the game open for us, so it was just about that initial break of momentum against their bowlers.”WA are only the second state to claim a hat-trick of one-day titles, and the first in more than two decades since NSW did it for the second time after their hat-trick in 2002-03. It was WA’s sixth one-day title in the last decade, and a record-extending 17th overall since the competition began in 1969.”A lot of us are getting towards the tail ends of our careers and you understand how much these moments actually mean,” Cartwright said. “I know it’s five of the last seven [titles] but in the moment it certainly doesn’t feel like that and you take them as good as gold.”NSW were sent in to bat and reached a healthy position when top-scorer Oliver Davies and Moises Henriques put on 74 for the fourth wicket. But captain Henriques fell when Agar claimed a sharp return catch off his own bowling, triggering a collapse. NSW lost their last seven wickets for just 34 runs and were bowled out in just 42 overs.Davies hit the only six of the innings when he hoisted Cooper Connolly over deep midwicket, and left a pair of WA fielders searching for the ball in thick scrub surrounding the venue.Henriques rued the missed opportunity to snare a title on home turf after a tough couple of years.”Given the state of NSW cricket over the last 18-24 months and everything that’s been written, a trophy in the cabinet would’ve been terrific,” he said. “A lot of the guys have maybe felt like they’ve been stepping on eggshells and it would’ve given a lot of the players, coaches and high performance staff a real kick in their step. Unfortunately we let them down today.”WA will go in search of more silverware when their Sheffield Shield campaign resumes in March, having won the four-day competition in each of the past two seasons.

Theo Hernandez has decided to join Al-Hilal from AC Milan this summer, despite initially rejecting the Saudi Arabian side's offer.

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Theo Hernandez verbally agrees to Al-Hilal offerFrench left-back to leave Milan after six yearsThe 27-year-old was not in Allegri's projectFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a report by , the full-back agreed to the switch after Al-Hilal offered an improved salary of €20 million ($23m/£17m) per season compared to the initial offer of €18m ($20m/£15m). The parties are currently working on the documentation to finalise the deal in the upcoming hours.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The France international had initially preferred to stay in Europe, but with his Milan contract entering its final year, the club were eager to sell him this summer. After turning down Al-Hilal's advances, Atletico Madrid made an attempt to snap him up but failed to match the Serie A side's asking price despite convincing the player to join. After the Spanish side walked away from the deal, Al-Hilal returned.

DID YOU KNOW?

Hernandez will leave Milan six years after joining from Real Madrid. The Italian giants recently appointed Massimiliano Allegri as their new manager and, per the report, the club told Hernandez that he is not considered to be a part of the 57-year-old’s project. Manuel Garcia Quilon, who represents the French left-back, was in constant contact with Federico Pastorello, an intermediary hired by Al-Hilal, and this helped in the path forward for the defender.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR HERNANDEZ?

The 27-year-old will now head towards his first move outside Europe, when he represents Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League and the AFC Champions League Elite.

Knight, Jones engineer recovery from 11 for 4 to set up 53-run victory at Edgbaston

Valkerie Baynes11-May-2024

Sarah Glenn and Amy Jones celebrate Nida Dar’s wicket•Getty Images

England overcame a terrible start against Pakistan via a match-saving partnership of 67 between Amy Jones and Heather Knight, followed by a four-wicket haul to leg-spinner Sarah Glenn to win the opening match of their home international summer.Jones and Knight rescued the hosts from 11 for 4 after 17 balls of the first T20I, in front of a crowd of 12, 241 at Edgbaston. A powerful 41 not out off just 21 deliveries from Dani Gibson helped lift England to 163 for 6, a total which had looked unlikely in the third over following a top-order collapse that will give England plenty to work on despite the result.Glenn, playing her first match in an England shirt since she was concussed during the recent tour of New Zealand, kept Pakistan in check after they made a spirited start to the run-chase. She ended with 4 for 12 from her four overs, while seamer Lauren Bell took three and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone and off-spinner Charlie Dean took one wicket each.England’s woeful startAlice Capsey’s drop of the head said it all. The ball had barely reached its zenith and begun to fall into the hands of Sidra Ameen but she knew the outcome, and its implications. England were 11 for 3 just 2.1 overs into the match and there was worse to come. Maia Bouchier carried plenty of hope into the middle after staking her claim as opener with an excellent tour of New Zealand in March, with Tammy Beaumont and Sophia Dunkley overlooked for this series. Bouchier tucked Waheeda Akhtar’s third ball to the fine-leg boundary but plinked the very next delivery straight to Nida Dar at mid-off. Danni Wyatt then spooned Sadia Iqbal to mid-on and Capsey followed, leaving England in dire trouble.England were without Nat Sciver-Brunt, who joined her team for the warm-up despite being ruled out on match eve to allow her to recover from a medical procedure. Her absence paved the way for Freya Kemp to walk in at No. 5, playing purely as a batter on her return from a back problem. But Kemp was part of terrible mix-up with Knight, who was unmoved as Kemp drilled an Akhtar delivery back towards the bowler and took off for a run, Akhtar throwing to wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali who whipped off the bails as Kemp retreated all too late.Middle-order rebuildAt 11 for 4, still in just the third over, it fell to Knight and Jones to rebuild. Jones, playing her 100th T20I and at her home ground, survived a tough chance at point off Akhtar when she was on 2 and, by the time she drove Fatima Sana through midwicket for four, she and Knight had dragged England up to 29 for 4 at the end of the powerplay. Jones then rocked back and pulled Akhtar for four in the next over and back-to-back fours off Rameen Shamim from Knight, clearing extra cover and swept through square leg, suggested the home side’s recovery was on track. Knight missed a reverse off Dar and was struck on the back knee but managed to overturn her lbw dismissal when the ball was shown to have hit her outside the line of off stump.Freya Kemp was run out despite a dive to cap a dismal start for England•Getty Images

Knight didn’t stop when wrist-spinner Tuba Hassan was introduced, thundering a drive over long-on while Jones pulled and swept Rameen for twin fours at the start of the next over, so that by the halfway point of the innings, England were 63 for 4. Jones had been excellent on the sweep but it proved her undoing when she top-edged a Sadia full toss to deep square leg, where Natalia Pervaiz took a cool-headed catch to end her innings on 37 from 27 balls.Knight cleared the covers to bring up England’s 100 and she and Gibson added 41 runs together before Knight fell one run shy of her half-century, Tuba making the breakthrough as Knight skied the ball to Gull Feroza at mid-on. Ecclestone was put down on 11 by Gull at deep midwicket and Gibson struck Rameen’s next ball to the deep square leg boundary for her fourth four, with another to follow through extra cover in the same over as Gibson made her impact felt. She and Ecclestone put on an unbroken stand worth 44 for the seventh wicket.Pakistan start chase brightlyGull punished Bell’s low full toss down the ground for four in the first over and picked the gap beautifully through the covers for another boundary two balls later. Dean struck with her fourth ball when she trapped Sidra Ameen lbw. But Gibson conceded 21 runs off the next over as Sadaf Shamas picked off five boundaries with a combination of cover drives, a powerful shot over point, a flick past square leg and a cut to backward point.Jones took a wonderful diving catch to her left to remove Gull via an inside-edge off Bell and she needed far less effort to gather Muneeba’s top edge as she attempted to reverse-sweep Glenn, leaving Pakistan 66 for 3 in the eighth over. Dar was still running a single as she called for a review of her lbw dismissal off Glenn, which was overturned as replays showed the ball came off her glove. Sadaf fell to an unnecessary run-out when Dar dabbed a Dean delivery to midwicket and set off for a single that wasn’t on. Capsey gathered and threw to Jones with Sadaf well short of her ground, prematurely ending a promising knock of 35 off 24.Visitors fall apartFrom there, Pakistan’s pursuit fell apart. Dar’s slog-sweep off Glenn sailed towards Bouchier, who ran across from deep midwicket to make a difficult catch look effortless in front of a delighted Hollies stand. Pervaiz’s attempted late cut off Ecclestone ended with a faint edge landing in Jones’s gloves as Pakistan lost three wickets for six runs in the space of 10 balls. Bell took her second wicket when Rameem Shamim sent one high to deep midwicket as Wyatt ran a long way in to take a superb catch diving forwards. Glenn claimed two wickets in three balls when she had Tuba caught behind and bowled Akhtar with a beautiful leg-break. Bell claimed the last as Sadia was caught by Kemp to wrap up victory with 10 balls to spare.

Leeds United are now readying a £6 million bid to sign a “complete” defender who is also wanted by Premier League side Everton, according to a new report.

Leeds’ transfer plans beginning to take shape

The Championship season has now come to an end for the Whites, so all focus will be on next season and what they would like to do in the summer to give them the best chance of staying in the Premier League. The transfer window has yet to open, but already the Yorkshire side are being linked with several players in a bid to strengthen their side.

Leeds can wave bye-bye to Firpo by signing "complete" £15m left-back

Leeds United may need to land a replacement for Junior Firpo this summer, potentially turning to one player as a result.

ByEthan Lamb May 7, 2025

Signing a new striker looks to be a high priority for Leeds, as they don’t want to rely on just Joel Piroe next season. The Whites are said to be one of a number of teams looking into signing Jamie Vardy this summer, as the veteran striker becomes a free agent after leaving Leicester City.

Meanwhile, Leeds have also held internal talks about signing Troy Parrott from AZ Alkmaar after his impressive season in Dutch football. However, this could be a costly purchase for the Championship winners, as he could cost as much as £20 million.

Another forward the Whites are interested in signing is Moussa Djenepo, who has a £1.7 million release clause, which Leeds are now willing to trigger. Djenepo is currently on loan at Turkish side Antalyaspor from Standard Liege, but he doesn’t want to make the switch a permanent one, meaning the door is open for Leeds to swoop in and get their man.

Leeds readying £6m bid to sign "complete" defender ahead of Everton

But it isn’t just forwards that Daniel Farke wants this summer, as according to Scouts in Attendance on X, Leeds are now ready to make a £6 million bid to sign Panathinaikos right-back Georgios Vagiannidis.

They share news from Greek media that Leeds officials will be there this weekend to watch Vagiannidis in action for Panathinaikos against rivals Olympiakos. It goes on to add that while they will be doing some scouting of his performance, Leeds are already willing to make a bid worth 8-10 million euros, which is roughly £6-8 million.

The Whites are not alone in their pursuit of the full-back, as it was reported over the weekend that Everton are in advanced talks to sign Vagiannidis after putting forward their proposal. However, Leeds will hope the fact they are back in the Premier League means they are on an even playing field when it comes to signing the defender.

Apps

103

Goals

3

Assists

5

The 23-year-old, who has been described as a “complete” defender by scout/writer Jacek Kulig, has played for Panathinaikos for most of his career, except for a short spell at Inter between 2020 and 2021 – he did not play for the Italian giants and was instead loaned out to Sint-Truiden.

Vagiannidis’ potential arrival at Leeds would see him join Jayden Bogle in fighting for the right-back spot.

Chelsea have already started their transfer business ahead of a busy summer window which leads straight into the Club World Club, as the west London side secured a Sporting CP duo this month, in the form of Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo.

The Blues are looking to get the majority of their business done early, according to Ben Jacobs, due to the “unusual and busy” summer schedule around the Club World Cup.

Essugo is set to join Chelsea next season, being a part of their first-team squad and becoming competition or cover for Moises Caicedo, whilst Quenda doesn’t join the Blues until 2026, spending next term with Sporting to continue his development.

How Quenda will fit in at Chelsea Chelsea

Enzo Maresca tends to play with two direct wingers, one on either flank, both of whom are tasked to enter 1v1 battles with their opposing fullback, attack and create chances.

One man who has thrived in this area is Noni Madueke, often being given the license to beat his man and attack the box in a direct fashion, with the Englishman registering 12 goals and assists in all competitions this season.

Quenda falls into this category of winger, a maverick style player who is fleet-footed and direct with his actions. The 17-year-old has made 44 appearances for Sporting this season, scoring two goals, providing eight assists and totalling 3,215 minutes played.

The Portuguese winger can play on both the right and left wing, giving Maresca plenty of options on how to integrate him when he arrives in 2026.

As exciting a signing as Quenda is, Chelsea actually let go one of their best talents years ago, who is now even better than Quenda and worth around £100m…

Chelsea offloaded £100m-rated Quenda upgrade

Michael Olise was at the Chelsea academy from 2009 to 2016, before leaving to join Manchester City’s academy on a free.

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The 23-year-old winger has now gone on to impress with Crystal Palace, earning himself a move to Bayern Munich, where he has continued his excellent form, establishing himself as “one of the best talents in the world”, according to former boss Oliver Glasner.

So far this season, Olise has made 40 appearances for the German giants, scoring 13 goals, providing 11 assists and totalling 2,621 minutes played.

Michael Olise vs Geovany Quenda comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)	Olise	Quenda
Goals	0.43	0.03
Assists	0.34	0.17
xG	0.41	0.06
xAG	0.35	0.16
Progressive Carries	4.57	3.13
Progressive Passes	7.63	4.25
Shots Total	3.17	1.60
Key Passes	2.66	1.50
Shot-Creating Actions	5.94	3.25
Successful Take-Ons	2.73	1.50
Stats taken from FBref

When comparing Olise’s underlying metrics this season to those of Quenda, you can see the lengths the young Portugal international still has to go to before he can be compared with the likes of Olise, as the Frenchman outperformed him in every metric analysed.

Olise was described as “magic” by analyst Ben Mattinson before his move to Bayern, and the French winger is now seen to be worth around £100m, with the Bundesliga outfit believing their £50m acquisition is worth around double that figure.

Chelsea did realise their mistake in letting Olise leave back in 2016, trying to re-sign him before he decided to join Bayern Munich in the summer, who were willing to pay higher wages than the Blues.

But in hindsight, Olise could have been worth breaking their wage structure for, seeing the heights he is already reaching at 23 years old.

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