Arsenal are losing patience in their pursuit of Benjamin Sesko with the Slovenian's wage demands currently proving too costly.
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In a recent five-match T20I series, Namibia had beaten Oman but only just, winning 3-2
Abhimanyu Bose02-Jun-20243:02
A big task ahead for Oman against confident Namibia
Wayne Morton was dismissed in December 2021 after 38-year association with club
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2024Yorkshire have issued a public apology to Wayne Morton, their long-standing physiotherapist, as part of an out-of-court settlement after he was one of 14 people sacked in December 2021 at the height of the club’s racism crisis.Morton, 62, was dismissed from his role as head of sports science and medicine by the club’s former chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, after putting his name to a joint letter criticising Yorkshire’s handling of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations about club culture, and accusing Rafiq of being on “a one-man mission to bring down the club”.The case of Morton’s company, Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic Limited, was settled by Yorkshire for an undisclosed fee earlier this week, ahead of a scheduled High Court hearing on March 8. This brings closure to a chapter of the club’s history that is thought to have cost them close to £3.5 million in legal fees and severance payments.”The club can confirm that it has agreed a settlement agreement in respect of the ongoing civil claim brought against the club by Pavilion Physiotherapy Clinic Limited (‘Pavilion’),” Yorkshire said in a statement. “Pavilion has received a sum in damages and its legal costs. The amount is confidential between the parties and will not be disclosed.”The club apologises to Pavilion, Mr Morton and any other parties that may have suffered distress since and as a result of the termination of the contract with Pavilion by the club. The club acknowledges that Mr Wayne Morton of Pavilion worked with the club for approximately 38 years. The club thanks Mr Morton for his service to the club and wishes him and Pavilion well for the future.”Writing on Facebook in the wake of the settlement, Morton claimed he had been the victim of “horrendous, scurrilous untruths”, and thanked Colin Graves, the returning chair whose takeover of Yorkshire was ratified earlier this month, for overseeing the end of the legal stand-off.”Thankfully, the return of someone with integrity and a genuine love of Yorkshire cricket has seen the end to this monumental waste of money,” Morton wrote.”Sadly, it took over two years and over £400k in legal fees to end this nonsense that should have been sorted within weeks of the ending of my contract and the sacking of the employed staff.”With Graves set to take charge again, Yorkshire have opened nominations for member-nominated directors to join the board, with the club actively seeking to “encourage nominations from members from groups that are currently under-represented at the club or more broadly across the sector”. The process is expected to see two candidates nominated for election to the board at the AGM in April.Yorkshire have also announced the signing of South Africa allrounder Donovan Ferreira as one of their overseas players for 2024. Ferreira, who can bat, bowl and keep wicket, has been capped twice in T20Is and smashed an 18-ball half-century in the recently completed SA20.”I’m pleased to have secured Donovan for the T20 Blast,” Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s managing director of cricket, said. “He is an exciting addition to the team, and his all-round abilities and consistent performances in various international franchise leagues are indicators that he has a significant career ahead in cricket.”We hope he will play a big part in Yorkshire’s T20 campaign, and we are looking forward to welcoming him to Headingley.”
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.
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
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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.
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
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.
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%).
Hampshire allrounder in line for late call-up as England find themselves short of reliable spin back-up
George Dobell in Bristol14-May-2019Every side wants an unplayable legspinner. But not unplayable in this sense. Eoin Morgan’s decision to pull Joe Denly out of the attack after just one over of the Bristol ODI surely ended the player’s hopes of featuring in the World Cup. It suggested the captain had little faith in Denly’s abilities. It suggested he had seen enough.You couldn’t really blame Morgan, either. There were three full tosses in that Denly over and, while it cost an unremarkable nine runs, it’s hard to set a field to that sort of bowling.Nor was this a unique experience. Morgan had also felt it necessary to remove Denly from the attack in Cardiff after just one over. On that occasion, Denly had started with two long-hops that were pulled for six.Shortly after his spell in Bristol ended – if you can term one over a spell – CricViz produced a statistic stating that Adil Rashid and Denly had both bowled four full tosses in ODI cricket this year. The difference is that Rashid has delivered 270 balls and Denly just 36.If Denly were in the squad primarily for his batting, England might be able to ignore such statistics. But he has been selected primarily to ensure England have cover should either of their two main spinners suffer injury: he had been slated at No. 7 in this rejigged line-up. On the evidence we have available to us – and, to be fair to Denly, he hasn’t had as much opportunity to bowl as he might have expected – he is not up to the job. There is no way England could go into a World Cup game expecting Denly to get through 10 overs. Even four or five would seem to constitute a huge risk.There were repercussions for Denly’s struggle here. It meant that England bowled relatively little spin – only seven overs in total – which contributed to their over rate being horribly slow. The Pakistan innings finished 29 minutes later than scheduled which seems certain to lead to heavy fines and perhaps even a suspension for Morgan, who was also penalised for a slow over-rate after the second ODI in Barbados.The ICC’s regulations ensure that Morgan’s involvement in the World Cup will not be compromised – suspension and demerit points from bilateral series are not carried over into global tournaments – but it would not be ideal to be without the captain in the final stages of the planning process.It also underlined how important Rashid is to England’s World Cup hopes. It’s not just the variation and wicket-taking threat he offers, it’s also the fact that he helps England get through their overs in an acceptable timeframe. He remains integral to their hopes.Still, Morgan could have made more of the spin resources he had available. Moeen delivered only six overs, despite being England’s most economical bowler, while Joe Root was once again not asked to bowl at all. The short straight boundaries may well have influenced Morgan’s decision but the absence of spin rendered England’s attack – full of seamers operating at around 81 mph – a little samey. Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Rashid might all have added some variety.The other repercussion may well be a call-up for Liam Dawson. He is, in many ways, an unlikely saviour. But he is a far more experienced and proficient spin bowler than Denly and an almost equally proficient batsman and fielder. It would be brutal to make such a change in mid-series but, with only two more ODIs – and two more warm-up matches – ahead of the World Cup, there is no time to be wasted in familiarising Dawson to England’s game plans and allowing him some acclimatisation time.Denly is a fine cricketer in many ways and may yet return to the England side for the Ashes. But there was always an element of wishful thinking involved in casting him in the role of legspinning all-rounder and for the selectors to continue to ignore the evidence would be obtuse and damaging.There could be another way. Rather than playing a utility player like Denly, England have the all-round strength – they utilised seven bowlers in this game – to play a specialist keeper in Ben Foakes who might be more willing and able to stand up to the stumps to the seamers. Had a keeper been able to do that here, it may have forced the batsmen to think a little harder before they skipped down the wicket to hit the seamers off their lengths.It was a tactic employed successfully by Jack Russell when Gloucestershire won a limited-overs treble, by Keith Piper when Warwickshire won six trophies in 25 months and in the 2012 CB40 final when Michael Bates memorably stood up to Kabir Ali. There seems no chance whatsoever of it happening now, but it might be worth thinking about ahead of the T20 World Cup next year.In the short-term England have more pressing matters to think about. Denly’s inclusion currently looks like a weak link in an otherwise well-constructed squad. There’s still just about time to call up Dawson, but they have to act decisively and immediately.
Leeds United are currently deep in the race to win automatic promotion up to the Premier League with only eight games left before the regular Championship campaign is up.
Therefore, any speculative talk about transfers has rightly taken a back-seat, with the level of incoming Leeds could afford to go after heavily dependant on whether they leap back up to the top-flight or disastrously stay put in the second tier.
Farke triumphantly pulling off the first outcome may well result in a whole host of statement signings entering the door, which could include bringing back one of their former promotion heroes.
"Formidable" star pushing for Leeds switch
Last week, it was reported that Leeds already have a verbal agreement with Kalvin Phillips, to return to Elland Road if Farke’s side secures promotion.
Now, as per a report by Football Insider this week, Phillips is amazingly pushing for a return to the club where he learnt his trade.
It clarifies that Manchester City want to get rid of the £45m flop straight after his Ipswich Town loan deal expires.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Consequently, Pep Guardiola’s men would be prepared to take a hit financially to get rid, meaning the promotion-chasing Whites could win the ex-England international for a cut-price way below that mammoth £45m price tag, although it won’t be completely straightforward to get done.
Indeed, Farke and Co will have to get to the top flight before any move is then potentially sanctioned, upping the pressure on Leeds’ shoulders even more to get over the line.
With Joe Rothwell set to leave the club this approaching summer too when his own loan stint runs out, adding in a new fresh midfielder will be a priority.
A deal on the table to bring back the “formidable” ace – as he was once labelled by Man City director of football Txiki Begiristain – could well also go down as one of the best purchases the club has made since Raphinha graced the Elland Road turf, if everything runs smoothly.
Why Phillips could be the best signing since Raphinha
Leeds fans must have been taken aback by the sheer quality of the Brazilian attacker when he first pulled on a Whites jersey, with Marcelo Bielsa even lauding Raphinha as a “special” talent when the pair were both amazingly situated at the club.
29 total goal contributions from 67 games certainly made the £17m they once forked out on his services look worthwhile, with the Elland Road outfit arguably struggling to replicate such a successful move since.
While the likes of Ao Tanaka have settled into his new environment with ease and Joel Piroe is now the Championship’s second-top scorer on 15 goals, no one has dazzled the Leeds masses quite like the signing of Raphinha.
Well, enter, or re-enter Phillips. The Leeds academy graduate has had a tough time of things since departing Yorkshire but with an England re-call now the aim, perhaps he is ready to get back to his best at his hometown club if a deal is soon signed.
Importantly, Phillips has shown flashes of his brilliance from the middle of the park for Ipswich this season, with the effort above gifting him his first-ever Tractor Boys goal back in January.
Moreover, in the bread and butter of the Premier League, the Leeds-born midfielder hasn’t looked completely out of his depth, winning 3.8 duels per game when lining up for Kieran McKenna’s lowly side.
Matches played
20
Goals scored
0
Assists
1
Touches*
62.1
Accurate passes*
38.9 (82%)
Tackles*
2.7
Total duels won*
4.9
It would all be resting on Farke being able to restore Phillips back to the shiny model he once was at Elland Road, with the 29-year-old’s final campaign at the club seeing him win far more duels on average at 4.9. To add context, Ilia Gruev in the second tier this campaign has won just three.
With Josuha Guilavogui also only a short-term body centrally, Farke will be crying out for more midfield options very soon, with the potential here for Phillips to strike up a fantastic working relationship with Tanaka.
After all, if this signing was a rip-roaring success, Phillips would be able to finally break free of his tag of being an expensive flop at the Etihad, with the 29-year-old’s presence – much like Raphinha gifted to the Whites – helping Leeds to succeed in the top-flight again.
What a signing this would be. What a story it would be for Leeds supporters.
Leeds are brewing a mini Raphinha at Thorp Arch who could replace Solomon
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1 ByKelan Sarson Mar 18, 2025
Pundit Robbie Savage has criticised comments made by Chris Sutton on social media after Rangers beat Celtic 3-2 over the weekend, describing them as “absolutely pathetic”.
Rangers seal superb win at Celtic
The Gers may only have an extremely slim chance of going all the way in the Scottish Premiership this season, but they earned bragging rights over their rivals on Sunday afternoon.
Hamza Igamane’s superb late strike won it for Rangers to stun the Celtic supporters, with the visitors initially going 2-0 up before being pegged back in the second half.
For Barry Ferguson, it was a great moment, as he continues to impress in interim charge of the club he used to captain during his playing days, but his side still have a 13-point deficit to make up on the Hoops.
Writing on X after the game, former Celtic striker Sutton couldn’t help but have a dig at Rangers, saying: “Superb advert for the Scottish game. Igamane took his goal superbly and deserved of winning any game. Bottom line is the gap at the top is 13 points with 8 games left. I know who I’d rather be. Fair play to Rangers who play well when the pressure and expectation isn’t on them…”
Savage slams Sutton's comments as "pathetic" after Rangers win
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday [via Ibrox News], Savage slammed Sutton’s dig at Rangers after their victory at Parkhead:
“I’ve got to say, Chris, before you talk about anything else, I’ve seen your tweet earlier. Absolutely pathetic. Give Rangers a bit of credit, they’re the form team in Scotland right now.”
In truth, this is something that Rangers fans have simply come to expect from Sutton, given his time as a Celtic player during the 2000s.
The former striker can’t seem to give the Gers any genuine praise without having a dig at them at the same time, but supporters are unlikely to be too perturbed after a win away to the Hoops.
As for Savage’s comments, he makes a genuine point when saying that Ferguson’s side are the “form team” in the country currently, with Sunday’s victory further proof of that.
He should be captain: Rangers star has become an "animal" under Ferguson
Rangers secured their first win over Celtic at Parkhead since 2020 on Sunday.
ByRoss Kilvington Mar 17, 2025
Rangers find themselves in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, following last week’s penalty shootout triumph over Fenerbahce, so there is still hope of them going all the way in the competition.
Granted, there have been many times when Celtic have been clearly superior this season – they beat the Gers in the Scottish League Cup final and Rangers were poor too often under Philippe Clement, for example – but their adversaries have found an extra gear in recent weeks, aided by the arrival of Ferguson.
Rangers supporters could be split when it comes to wanting the 47-year-old to get the job on a permanent basis at the end of the campaign, but on this current evidence, he is doing his chances no harm whatsoever.
MatériaMais Notícias
da dobrowin： O Campinense entra em campo neste sábado pela Copa do Nordeste atrás de sua primeira vitória na competição. Recém-contratado pelo clube paraibano, o lateral-direito Thiago Ennes destaca a relevância de se alcançar um bom resultado diante do Fluminense no Piauí.
– Eles (Fluminense) empataram com duas boas equipes, CSA e Santa Cruz. Assim como nós, buscam a primeira vitória no torneio. Temos uma sequência de duas partidas fora e precisamos pontuar bem para reagirmos no campeonato – disse.
Revelado pelo Flamengo, Ennes admite que o time não começou o torneio da forma como esperava. Segundo Thiago, a equipe enfrentou três fortes concorrentes nas primeiras rodadas, mas está tentando evoluir na competição.
– Não iniciamos tão bem como gostaríamos, mas é importante lembrar que nos confrontamos com três dos cinco melhores times da competição. Estamos buscando a evolução e temos, portanto, todas as condições de obter uma posição bem melhor na classificação – encerrou.
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Arsenal are now leading Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign an “extraordinary” striker, who has emerged as Mikel Arteta’s top target ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a report.
Arteta's striker search
Arteta was known to be keen on signing a striker in January, with the likes of Ollie Watkins and Dušan Vlahović among the players linked with moves to north London, but it ultimately wasn’t possible to get a new forward through the door.
Since then, the Gunners’ title hopes have been seriously dented, with Kai Havertz being ruled out for the season, and they have now started to work on bringing in a new striker in the summer.
Plans have been put in place to hold talks with Inter’s Lautaro Martinez, who reportedly incoming sporting director Andrea Berta is believed to be a big fan of, while Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is also known to be a target, with a number of Premier League clubs keen on the Nigerian.
Arsenal promise club they will make offer for £168 million Brazilian
The Gunners have pledged to submit a bid.
ByEmilio Galantini Mar 8, 2025
Another striker who has attracted widespread interest is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, with it recently being revealed that Arsenal are set to battle Tottenham for the forward’s signature.
However, according to a report from Football Insider, the Gunners have the edge over Spurs in the race to sign Sesko, as they have now moved ahead of their rivals in the race for his signature.
The north Londoners are said to be among the favourites to sign the Slovenian, who has now emerged as their top target for the summer transfer window.
Although the Leipzig star is contracted until 2029, there is a £58m release clause in his contract, which makes a summer move more likely – and he would prefer a move to Arsenal over Spurs.
Man Utd (a)
March 9th
Chelsea (h)
March 16th
Fulham (h)
April 1st
Everton (a)
April 5th
Brentford (h)
April 12th
"Extraordinary" Sesko impressing in Germany
The 21-year-old has scored 17 goals for Leipzig in all competitions this term, including four in the Champions League prior to his side’s exit from the competition, but he is far more than just a goalscorer.
Tony Cascarino has also praised the former RB Salzburg man for his dribbling ability, saying: “He will run at people and he will literally go around them.
“That’s the extraordinary thing he has got, I have not seen a 6 foot 5 player play like him. I have seen him in wide positions. He is not as traditional as a No 9, but he can certainly go into a deep area and pick up the ball and he will go past people.”
As such, it is exciting news that Arsenal are seemingly in a strong position to win the race for Sesko, and a release clause of just £58m seems very reasonable, given that he is young enough to lead the line for the Gunners for the next decade.
As many as eight spinners will make the trip, including Rehan Ahmed and Josh De Caires
Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Oct-2023The ECB has announced a spin-heavy England Lions training squad for a winter training camp in the UAE next month. Ten players have been drafted into the second-tier set-up for the first time.With the England men’s Test side travelling to India for a five-match series in January, eight spinners have been selected for this trip. These include Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed, who made his Test debut against Pakistan last winter, and Middlesex offspinner Josh De Caires, earning his first Lions call after taking 27 Division One wickets at 25.59.Other notable inclusions are Tom Lawes, whose 30 dismissals helped Surrey to the County Championship, and Somerset’s James Rew, who struck five centuries among 1086 runs, which earned him the PCA Young Player of the Year award. Fast bowlers Matthew Fisher, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse, all of whom have international caps to their name, will also attend the camp, which runs from November 16 to December 7.The aim of the three weeks is as much to reward performances over the last season as it is to understand the depth of England’s pathway. Those selected are deemed “high potential players” and will focus primarily on developing red-ball skills, closely aligned to England’s future requirements ahead of the subcontinent tour at the start of 2024. Lancashire’s Tom Hartley and Sussex’s Jack Carson – left-arm orthodox and offbreak bowlers, respectively – are two such players who could be considered for the Test tour. Hartley made his England debut during the recent ODI series with Ireland, while Carson took 31 wickets this season.The focus on spinners in the short term is vital given the lack of options following Moeen Ali’s Test retirement at the end of the Ashes, and with Adil Rashid focussing solely on white-ball cricket. Lead spinner Jack Leach is continuing his recovery from a back stress fracture sustained at the start of the summer.Players and counties were consulted around selection, with several players not selected either because of pre-existing commitments or other opportunities overseas deemed more beneficial to their individual needs.England men’s performance director Mo Bobat said, “At the end of an enjoyable season and after close dialogue with players and counties, it’s exciting to confirm our group that will travel to Abu Dhabi for a training camp later this year.”The camp will provide an excellent opportunity for the players to develop their red ball game and allow us to learn more about them as people and players.”In selecting the group, we’ve carefully considered England’s short and long-term needs in Test cricket, particularly with sub-continent challenges in mind.”It’s quite a large group and it’s great that we can support player development in this way for what should be a fun camp.”The coaching and mentoring group accompanying the party will be announced in due course.England Lions training group: Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), George Balderson (Lancashire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jack Carson (Sussex), James Coles (Sussex), Josh De Caires (Middlesex), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire), Tom Lawes (Surrey), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Callum Parkinson (Durham), Matthew Potts (Durham), Rishi Patel (Leicestershire), Ollie Price (Gloucestershire), James Rew (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Durham), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), John Turner (Hampshire)