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The duo shared an unbeaten 212-run stand at Adelaide Oval after the defending champions slumped to 58 for 3

AAP04-Oct-2025Centuries to Henry Hunt and Jake Lehmann have defending champions South Australia early control of their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at Adelaide Oval.Victoria captain Peter Handscomb’s decision to bowl looked the right call when Mitchell Perry took his third wicket in the morning session, leaving the home side in trouble at 58 for 3.That brought together Hunt and Lehmann, who steadily took the game away from Victoria and at stumps SA were 270 for 3. Hunt carried his bat through the day and scored a grinding 121 from 300 balls, with 10 fours and one six. Lehmann’s 107 from 180 balls, featuring only seven fours on a slow outfield, was his fourth century in as many Shield games going back to last season.Victoria could have had South Australia in even bigger early trouble. Hunt had reached 33 and the score was 114 when he drove at a wide delivery from pacer David Moody and edged straight to Blake Macdonald at first slip. But the chance was grassed and it proved costly for Victoria.It was the slowest of Hunt’s 11 Shield centuries and he said Lehmann’s innings had been pivotal.”The momentum shifted when he came out – his presence at the crease, to put some pressure back on [Victoria],” Hunt said. “To be 270 for 3, that’s almost a perfect day for us.”Perry finished with 3 for 61 from 20 overs while Test quick Scott Boland went wicketless from 18 overs and Fergus O’Neill also failed to a scalp from his 21 overs.

Ajax are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over Carlos Soler, with Luis Enrique ready to offload the midfielder after his West Ham loan spell.

• Ajax in discussions with PSG for Soler
• Talks focused on loan with mandatory purchase clause
• Midfielder not in Luis Enrique’s plans

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to ,Ajax have opened talks with PSG over a deal for Soler. The Spanish midfielder, who spent last season on loan at West Ham, is not part of Luis Enrique’s plans and is available for transfer. Discussions are centred around a loan deal with a mandatory purchase option.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ajax’s technical director Alex Kroes has shown strong interest in bringing Soler to Amsterdam, though financial challenges have made talks tricky. With Brian Brobbey seemingly set to join Stade Rennes, Ajax now have the room to put together a serious offer for the Spanish international. The chance to play Champions League football next season could prove decisive in luring him to the Johan Cruijff Arena.

• TELL ME MORE…

  The 28-year-old’s current contract at Les Parisiens runs until 2027, but the club are ready to cash in next summer after a potential loan. Ajax are expected to cover his full €4.8 million gross salary this season, with the exact mandatory transfer fee still under discussion. The midfielder, capped 14 times for Spain, played 31 games for West Ham last season, though he was often used from the bench. PSG originally signed him from Valencia in 2022 for €18m (£15m/$20m).

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  WHAT NEXT FOR AJAX AND CARLOS SOLER?

  Talks remain in the exploratory stage, but the Eredivisie club have already spoken to Soler’s camp, with the player open to the move. Both clubs will continue negotiations in the coming days, with Ajax needing to move fast if they want to finalise the deal before the window closes.

The drubbing at the hands of Australia suggests a £20m investment by the ECB cannot come soon enough

Matt Roller30-Jul-2019The inquest into England women’s thrashing by Australia is on in full swing, and the tone is predictably funereal. It would hardly be an Ashes drubbing without much weeping and gnashing of teeth by the defeated side, and this series has proved no different.The facts are there for all to see. Australia retained the Ashes at the earliest possible opportunity; they lead 12-2 overall with one game to play, and England are only on the board thanks to the quirk of the points system giving the teams two each, rather than none, for a drawn Test.Across the formats, Australia have four of the five leading run-scorers, and four of the six leading wicket-takers. Ellyse Perry has dismissed Amy Jones four times in the 25 balls she has bowled at her; Anya Shrubsole, the star of the 2017 World Cup final, has taken five wickets at 50.60. No matter where you look, the picture is bleak.But perhaps the most surprising thing about this defeat is that it has come as a surprise at all.Yes, England had won 14 white-ball games on the bounce, a record not to be sniffed at. But consider this: since 2018, Australia have lost two games in all formats – one of which was against India in a dead rubber at the World T20 – and won 29. They have five times the number of professional cricketers that England do. In Perry and Meg Lanning, they possess two of the game’s modern greats.Of course, losing five white-ball games in a row is nobody’s idea of fun – this is England’s worst run since 2007 – and the manner of the defeats at Grace Road and Chelmsford bordered on embarrassing.But heavy defeats do not spring about simply through a lack of application or talent: the simple truth is that England’s domestic structure is miles behind Australia’s.Before its first season in 2016, the Kia Super League was sold as a silver bullet, but has hardly produced many stars. The only two English players in last season’s top ten run-scorers were Heather Knight and Nat Sciver, both established internationals already; the best domestic bowlers were Sophie Ecclestone, who has been around the national squad for several years, and Kirstie Gordon, whose struggles in the Test at Taunton were there for all to see.The KSL was sold as a silver bullet, but overseas players like Rachel Priest (left) and Sophie Devine (right) have dominated•Getty Images

Meanwhile, the noise around a mooted domestic restructure has been a source of confusion. Plans to remove funding for county cricket were greeted with predictable dissatisfaction, and after a consultation process, the ECB will now run and fund a county T20 competition in 2020 and 2021.The headline, though, is that around ten regional teams will play 50- and 20-over cricket from next year, in a bid to give 100 or so players the opportunity to make a living from the game, while contracts for The Hundred are expected to be substantially more lucrative than what is currently on offer in the KSL.For now, there is no easy fix. The 21 players currently holding central contracts will continue to form the basis of the side for a few years yet, and England will continue to be dominant against most teams, and struggle against Australia.”We’re investing £20 million in the next two years into transforming the game for women and girls,” Claire Connor, the managing director of women’s cricket at the ECB, told after the second T20I at Hove. “We’ve got six priorities within the new strategy, and transforming the game for women and girls is one of those six.”We had a very important board meeting last week at which the full two-year plan as to how that £20 million of investment will all break down. That was all approved by the board last week so whilst this [Ashes series] was disappointing and there are huge lessons for us all to learn, we must be very optimistic about the opportunity that lies ahead for us.”[Australia’s] system over the last four or five years has put them in a really good position for this Ashes series, and whilst we’ve had the Kia Super League over the last four years, which has undoubtedly helped bridge the gap between our domestic game and the international game, there is a huge amount more we need to do. Australia have capitalised on the investment and the plan that they’ve made over the last four or five years and they’ve played some outstanding cricket this summer.”Tammy Beaumont, one of the few England players to come out of this series with her reputation enhanced, is of the same view. “You see how Australia have gone about their things,” she said. “The number of players that are coming into their squad – they’re 20-year-old superstars.”But it will take time, it’s not a quick fix by any means. At the moment we’ve got a lot of belief in the group we’ve got, we’ve got to change a few things and work really hard and come back stronger, but looking to the future in maybe four years, five years’ time, that’s what’s got to happen.”In the immediate term, the focus is on February’s T20 World Cup in Australia. An international system with such clear disparities between sides means that England can already be confident of reaching the semi-finals. With Australia, India, and New Zealand all drawn in the other group, England’s pool looks much the easier of the two, and a semi-final exit could hardly be considered an awful return.Until that point, the ECB will be keen to ensure that as many of the squad as possible plays in the WBBL this winter, before moving into a tri-series with Australia and India at the start of 2020.And the immediate focus is on winning Wednesday night’s game at Bristol: it is a dead rubber in theory, but England are desperate to register a consolation victory. If they do, the dreary mood about the side might finally start to lift.

A look behind the scenes of the first player draft in UK sporting history

Alan Gardner21-Oct-2019″Build it and they will come.” So goes the mentality that seems to be underpinning the ECB’s bold gamble with the Hundred, which still sounds like a dystopian futurescape survivalist gameshow – and to those tweeting with the #OpposeTheHundred hashtag on Sunday evening, that is exactly what this thin-edge-of-the-wedge exercise in marginalising the county game is.Nevertheless, the scaffolding is in place and an army of eager hands are scurrying about their business – nowhere more obviously than at Sky’s studios in west London, where a bespoke set had been constructed for the televisual extravaganza that was the Hundred draft. A black runway stencilled with neon runes and flanked by eight brightly lit plinths at which the decision-makers sat hunched over their touchscreens, picking and choosing their way through seven increasingly slick rounds of squad building.This was all an event in itself, some nine months ahead of cricket’s newest format being launched in the English summer of 2020. Sky threw open the doors – after a certain amount of security vetting – to the great and the not-so-good of the UK cricket media, as well as the “influencers” whom it is hoped will bring access to a brand-new fan base. Nothing says “we are taking this seriously” like asking in advance for journalists’ dietary requirements (which are normally limited to “anything we can scoff”).Speaking of scoff, there were the obligatory offerings from the competition’s snack-giant sponsor; appropriate, given the whole concept of the Hundred is product placement on a grand scale.ALSO READ: Hundred boosts England’s bid to retain World Cup – RootDoes the public want the product? That question won’t have an answer for a while yet, but we are now firmly on the route march to 100-ball cricket. Ever since the surprise/botched – delete according to prejudice – announcement in April 2018 of the ECB’s wheeze to grow the game, momentum has been slowly gathering. From promoted content lurking in social media feeds to being discussed on BBC Radio 4’s , as it was last week, the Hundred is coalescing before our eyes.”May you live in interesting times,” as the apocryphal Chinese curse has it. And there was undoubtedly plenty of interest in what amounted to a path-breaking moment – the first player draft ever to be held in UK sport. It may not have had the decadence of the IPL auction (the top price bracket for a contract was a mere £125,000) or the sheer grandiosity of the NFL draft, which Sky had sent presenter Ian Ward to observe in order to pick up tips, but it had a certain heft and zing of its own as the eight newly minted teams came together.Not that there weren’t some issues during the somewhat frenetic opening rounds. Trent Rockets, who had drawn the right to first pick, took around 15 of the allotted 100 seconds to confirm their preference for Rashid Khan – and then they were off, a domino effect of causality as each team’s management, usually including an analyst or data guru, scanned the ever-diminishing list of options and those on the Sky sofas struggled to come up with incisive commentary – mostly consisting of “So who should these guys pick?” “Would you have picked him?” and “That’s a good pick” on sugar-buzzed repeat.The fact that some of the slots – each team had two picks at seven different price bands, from £125,000 down to £30,000 – had already been filled by the ‘local icons’, selected behind closed doors earlier this month, contributed to the confusion. As the camera skipped quickly from Manchester Originals to London Spirit to Birmingham Phoenix, then suddenly back to Simon Katich’s Originals (because Spirit and Phoenix had previously signed up Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali), it became a struggle to keep up.It was at this point the Manchester hierarchy slipped in what was probably the most astonishing selection of the night, taking Lancashire captain (and Kolpak qualified “local”) Dane Vilas for £125,000 despite his not having set a reserve price. But no time to discuss that because Steve Smith! Mujeeb Ur Rahman! David Warner! D’Arcy Short! On we go!View inside the studio ahead of the Hundred draft•Getty Images

To be fair, after two or three rounds of flustered scribbling on the helpfully provided draft grid, things began to settle down into an understandable rhythm, with interviews and analysis – rather than hypothetical musing – interspersing the “action” in the main studio. Though how many of the casual audience, who could also follow online via the BBC, the competition’s other broadcast partner, will have stuck with it for the long haul remains unknown.By the end of the process, when Luke Wright became the 96th player to be given a Hundred handshake, you could argue that things had gone pretty well. There were no technical glitches or hold-ups, the teams professed to being happy with their selections (and it was hard to argue with the concentration of talent in each list), and all of the players present were on message – albeit Sky had only invited in those certain of deals. Beyond a certain amount of carping at the number of Kolpaks winning “domestic” spots or the lack of any Leicestershire player being picked at all, the most difficult moments came for the camera operators trying to avoid catching Sam Billings or Jofra Archer eating their dinner while filming segments in the canteen.There was even room for an announcement of marquee players for the women’s competition – though given the ECB has made a big thing of the Hundred putting male and female players on the same pedestal, this was an occasion heavily orientated towards the men’s game (and that is without touching on the issue of pay).Perhaps most importantly, this felt like a recognisably “cricket” happening – bubbling along with enthusiastic discussion about squad balance and tactical options. And who would begrudge the likes of Max Waller or Benny Howell the opportunity to become household names? For a few brief hours it was easy to forget about the whole 100-balls lark, as if this, finally, were the star-studded launch of England’s first T20 franchise league. Now there’s an idea.After the World Cup and Ashes summer just gone – reminders of which were regularly on show – it remains a nagging doubt that a fourth format will merely serve to complicate matters further. And on a day that began with emotional sporting scenes in Japan, as rugby union made great global strides with its own expansionist tournament, while in the UAE the T20 World Cup Qualifier continued to offer cricket a path for growth, it seemed instructive that the ECB is spending millions of pounds simply to drum up interest in its own territory.But here we are, on the road to the promised land – or, at least, the highly leveraged land. In these divided times, whether the Hundred turns out to be a field of dreams or a waking nightmare may simply depend on your point of view.

Chelsea are facing a "truly disastrous week" as the pressure piles on manager Mauricio Pochettino, following a dramatic EFL Cup final defeat to Liverpool in extra time on Sunday.

Gary Neville labels Chelsea "billion pound bottlejobs" after defeat

Virgil van Dijk's late winner over Chelsea at Wembley prompted Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to brand them the "billion pound bottlejobs".

Naples based journalist drops major Victor Osimhen claim for Chelsea fans

The Blues are now favourites to make the signing.

By
Tom Coates

Feb 26, 2024

A large portion of Liverpool's XI were on the very young side, to add insult to injury, with Pochettino claiming his star-studded team needed to feel the pain after what was a sore loss to take in London.

"We are very competitive and now we need to move forward," said Pochettino on Chelsea's defeat to Liverpool.

"They need to realise that we need to work more, do better things. We need to improve and compete in this level against a side that in the last five, six, seven years has competed for big things.

"It's about arriving here first and then feel what it means to play for a big trophy. I remember after three, four years they lost the Champions League [final], they lost the Europa League [final]. They keep believing in the project and in the next season [got] stronger until they got what they wanted.

"That is a good example, Liverpool. We want to challenge a team like Liverpool. [We should not be] frustrated today because we didn't get the trophy. We need to keep believing, as that is the most important thing."

Following the cup defeat, rumours are starting to re-emerge over Pochettino's position as head coach, coming after Chelsea were linked with a new manager like Xabi Alonso earlier this month.

Pochettino "facing the sack" if Chelsea lose to Leeds

Now, journalist Dean Jones has claimed Pochettino is "facing the sack" if Chelsea lose their FA Cup bout to Leeds tomorrow.

"This is a massive loss," said Jones to GiveMeSport.

"You don't get a better chance to beat Liverpool than to come up against a side missing as many players as they were at Wembley. They got away with Moises Caicedo's tackle and the Virgil van Dijk VAR goal, and when their chances came along they just couldn't take them. That's hard to accept – and made harder by the fact they didn't go for the kill in extra-time when Liverpool were fielding youngsters that many people literally would never have heard of.

"The late defeat has been described as pathetic and they are being labelled bottle jobs and now they have to take on Leeds United, one of their oldest rivals in the game. Leeds will come to London believing they can cause an upset and if they do then Pochettino is probably going to be facing the sack. It could become a truly disastrous week."

The league's latest social media feature highlights jaw-dropping skills and tekkers from Matchday 3

• “Moves of the Matchday" video spotlights best skills and tekkers from weekend games
• Latest compilation features standout moments from Matchday 3 action
• Clip features David Schnegg, David Martinez, Luis Suarez and more

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• WHAT HAPPENED

  Major League Soccer has set MLS fans ablaze with its latest "Moves of the Matchday" video, a mesmerizing compilation showcasing the most impressive skills and tekkers from the weekend's matches. Showing the league's top talent and most electrifying plays, this weekend’s action highlights included a lovely assist from Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez, LAFC’s David Martinez and his superb goal, DC United's David Schnegg's lung-bursting run and several others.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The "Moves of the Matchday" series is a testament to MLS's commitment to engaging fans through social media. By spotlighting the league's most skillful players and their eye-catching tekkers, MLS not only entertains its existing fan base but also attracts new viewers who might be drawn to the high level of technical ability on show. The league also produces other regular features such as the "Save of the Matchday" and "Goal of the Matchday," all aimed at highlighting different aspects of the game.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Following the end of Matchday 3, Philadelphia Union sits atop the combined table and the Eastern Conference with nine points and are alongside the Vancouver Whitecaps, the only two teams on a three game winning start to the season. Matchday 4 kicks off on March 15, starting with the New York Red Bulls hosting Orlando City and Chicago Fire going on the road to face Toronto FC.

Ecclestone’s 3 for 13 and Capsey’s 51 ensured England’s wobble didn’t cost them the win

Matt Roller13-Feb-2023England stumbled across the line against Ireland in Paarl, winning by four wickets with the better part of six overs remaining after Alice Capsey thrashed 51 off 22 balls.Capsey fell immediately after reaching a 21-ball half-century, the joint-fastest in Women’s T20 World Cup history, as England looked for a net run-rate boost in pursuit of 106. They stuttered after her dismissal, losing 5 for 33, but Ireland’s own collapse with the bat ensured there was never any scoring pressure on England.Ireland were aggressive with the bat after winning the toss. They reached 80 for 2 after 12 overs, with Gaby Lewis playing fluently after surviving a dropped chance off Lauren Bell in the first over. But they fell away dramatically, losing 8 for 25 in 35 balls. Sophie Ecclestone made the crucial intervention, dismissing Lewis in a double-wicket maiden which sparked a dramatic collapse.Ecclestone took a sharp, diving catch at mid-off in the following over to dismiss Louise Little and leave Ireland five down, before Sarah Glenn struck twice in her final over. Ecclestone yorked Ireland captain Laura Delany with her final ball to finish with 3 for 13, with Bell and Katherine Sciver-Brunt striking either side.Ireland needed early wickets – and got one, as Sophia Dunkley chipped to mid-on. But they bowled poorly with the new ball, with the nerves of a young team playing their first T20 World Cup fixture in four-and-a-half years.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Capsey was disdainful, swinging her way to England’s fastest fifty in this format – before lofting Arlene Kelly to long-off. Cara Murray took three wickets with her legbreaks after Danni Wyatt ran herself out to take the shine off England’s win, but they secured the two points with 34 balls to spare.

Gaby Lewis leads Ireland’s bright start

Ireland had not played in a Women’s T20 World Cup since 2018 but expectations were high after their victory against defending champions Australia in a warm-up fixture. They became higher still when they crashed four fours off the first nine balls of the innings, openers Lewis and Amy Hunter trading boundaries.Lewis, Ireland’s all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is, set the tone when she pounded the first ball she faced through backward point for four, though did benefit from some early luck. She cut her fourth ball straight to Wyatt, who shelled a straightforward chance at point.Heather Knight turned to spin in the third over on a dry, used pitch but Lewis continued to score fluently, reverse-sweeping and sweeping boundaries. Hunter holed out to deep midwicket off Charlie Dean, but Ireland raced to 42 for 1 off the six-over Powerplay.After two lengthy delays to fix a loose stump-camera cable, Orla Prendergast’s bright cameo ended when she was bowled by a ball from Glenn that kept low, but Lewis and captain Delany continued to tick over, reaching 80 for 2 at the end of the 12th over as they looked to build a platform for a late launch.

England’s spin squeeze

Ecclestone is Knight’s trump card, and she opted to play it in the 13th over, looking to break the burgeoning partnership between Lewis and Delany. It worked, as Lewis top-edged a sweep to Wyatt – who hung onto this low chance at deep backward square leg – and Ireland’s middle order was exposed.Eimear Richardson was trapped lbw, looking to paddle-sweep her first ball. Louise Little survived the hat-trick ball and lofted Dean back over her head for Ireland’s only six, but miscued her next delivery to Ecclestone at mid-off.Glenn struck twice in her next over. First, she trapped Waldron – playing her record 180th game for Ireland – lbw on the sweep and then crashed one into Leah Paul’s middle-and-off stump. Ireland had lost five wickets in 17 balls, and the game was over as a contest.

Murray sparks mini-collapse

England needed only 33 off 13 overs when Murray was introduced, and Delany must have rued holding her back so long. A wicket fell in her first over when Wyatt pushed to short cover and set off for a single that was never there, and Murray had her own first wicket with her seventh ball when Nat Sciver-Brunt holed out to long-off.Knight and Amy Jones both fell with the finish line in sight, Knight diverting a ball onto her own stumps via the glove and Jones chipping meekly into the covers. But Ireland never had quite enough runs to play with, and England’s implosion came a little too late to give Ireland any real hope.

WPL offers England sub-plots

Knight admitted before the tournament that the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction was “on everyone’s minds”, saying: “It would be naive to think it isn’t a slight distraction.” Before Monday’s game had started, three England players – Nat Sciver-Brunt, Dunkley and Ecclestone – had secured contracts, but Knight herself went unsold in the first round of bidding.By the innings break, three more players had deals: Capsey, Bell and Knight herself, with travelling reserve Issy Wong also picked up. The rest of the squad went unsold, and Knight will need to ensure players’ franchise contracts do not become a distraction across the rest of the tournament.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it could well prove to be a nervy month for those of a Celtic persuasion, with talk already rife regarding significant interest in emerging superstar, Nicolas Kuhn.

Reportedly on the list for the likes of Premier League side Brentford – amid suggestions of a £25m price tag – the German has caught the attention after a stunning start to the campaign, scoring ten goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 17 games in all competitions.

Having been signed for roughly £3m back in January this year, the Hoops look set to make a significant profit on the 24-year-old in the near future, albeit amid the hope of keeping the wing wizard on board for a good few years yet.

Debate over whether or not the former Rapid Vienna star will leave in the winter is perhaps for another day, with it instead best to celebrate the impact that Kuhn is making in the here and now.

Praise should most certainly be directed toward the recruitment team and manager Brendan Rodgers, with the club having enjoyed a fair few hits in the market of late, despite some early misses…

Rodgers' recent Celtic signings

The Northern Irishman’s second stint in charge at Parkhead began in auspicious fashion, with the summer window in 2023 going down like a lead balloon.

Among those signed, Gustaf Lagerbielke has since been shipped on loan to FC Twente – with Hyeok-kyu Kwon also now at Hibernian – while Marco Tilio returned to Australia faster than you could blink.

Equally, both Maik Nawrocki and Odin Holm have still yet to settle after making just four appearances combined this term, while Luis Palma has also tumbled down the pecking order after starting just two games so far in 2024/25.

Those may be the negatives, but it has been a largely positive tale since then, with Kuhn arriving in January, before the likes of Kasper Schmeichel were added in the most recent window.

The experienced Dane – who was acquired on a free transfer – has since kept 11 clean sheets in just 18 outings in all competitions, while ahead of him, young loanee Alex Valle has slotted in smoothly, with three assists to his name already.

More will be expected of £9.5m man, Adam Idah, in attack, after a return of just five goals thus far, although in the midfield ranks, the Matt O’Riley void has been somewhat filled with the additions of Arne Engels, Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan.

One further capture that certainly raised a few eyebrows was that of Auston Trusty, but the former Sheffield United man is swiftly repaying his £6m transfer fee.

The Celtic star who's on par with a £68m sensation

Celtic supporters may have been fearing a Lagerbielke or Nawrocki repeat when Trusty rocked up in Glasgow over the summer, with the centre-back ranks having endured something of a merry-go-round of late.

Early performances were hardly too inspiring either, with the United States international looking uncomfortable lining up in a right centre-back berth, in the absence of compatriot Cameron Carter-Vickers, having notably been part of the side that shipped seven away in Dortmund.

That said, ever since the heroic performance in Bergamo against Europa League holders, Atalanta – which pundit Frank McAvennie described as his “best game for Celtic” – the lanky left-footer has looked far more composed, having ousted the reliable Liam Scales as the starting partner to Carter-Vickers.

The Premiership may not always provide the strongest test, but Trusty has shown his class, and then some, on the Champions League stage, having also been “phenomenal” in the deserved 3-1 win over RB Leipzig earlier this month, as per Chris Sutton.

It is performances like that which have ensured that the one-time Arsenal man – who notably shackled a certain Benjamin Sesko when facing the Bundesliga side – now ranks as the top defensive centre-back outside of Europe’s top five leagues, as per the great minds at CIES Football Observatory.

Interestingly, that top ten list also includes Sporting CP sensation, Ousmane Diomande, with the Ivorian starlet placing just behind Trusty in third, having also dazzled in Portugal of late under Ruben Amorim’s watch.

Why is this important? Well, it is worth noting that Diomande – like Kuhn – is courting the attention of clubs across Europe, with the likes of Arsenal and Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur both chasing the 20-year-old, who boasts a £68m release clause in his contract.

Again, it is not as if the Old Firm side will – or should – be contemplating making a possible profit on Trusty so soon into his Parkhead stint, yet that comparison to Diomande illustrates the impact he is making in his new surroundings.

A £68m valuation is fanciful for the American machine, but what can be said is that perhaps the centre-back’s £6m fee no longer looks that hefty. Instead, if current performances are anything to go by, it could prove a bargain.

He's outscoring Kuhn: Rodgers could land his next Dembele at Celtic

Celtic are believed to be in the market for another centre-forward

By
Robbie Walls

Nov 14, 2024

Australia batter has been in discussions to play “three or four games” of county cricket at start of summer

Vithushan Ehantharajah13-Jan-2023Steven Smith is moving closer to a County Championship deal with Sussex in pole position to acquire the Australia batter on a short-term deal for the start of the 2023 season.A report in the on Thursday cited Hove as the likeliest destination for Smith, who has spent the last few months in discussions with county sides over a possible stint of “three or four games”. ESPNcricinfo understands Smith was ideally looking at joining a club in Division One, with Kent seen as an ideal given his links to the county following a stint in club cricket at Sevenoaks Vine CC in 2007, which led to a one-off second-team appearance at Canterbury. However, the club’s situation and Smith’s availability did not align. No contract has yet been signed with Sussex, who play in Division Two, with a decision expected in the coming week.The short-term deal would allow Smith to acclimatise to English conditions ahead of Australia’s likely appearance in the World Test Championship final at the Kia Oval in June, along with the Ashes series that follows, beginning at Edgbaston on June 16. The 33-year-old is forgoing this year’s IPL, a period he will use to return home after Australia’s four-Test series in India which finishes in the middle of March.Related

• Steven Smith signs for three Championship games with Sussex

• Sussex bring in Shadab Khan for Vitality Blast

• Neil Wagner signs up for Yorkshire Championship spell

• Smith on his future: 'I really can't say how long I'll play for'

• Khawaja: Australia's stability will serve them well in India

This would be Smith’s first red-ball experience in county cricket, and the pull of a player of his undoubted quality is all too clear. He averages 60.89 in Test cricket – a figure that only drops to 59.55 across 16 Tests in England – and has 30 centuries in the format. His previous dalliance with the English domestic game came in 2010 when he played five T20 matches for Worcestershire.However in 2007, Smith was presented with the opportunity of forging a long-term future in English cricket when Surrey offered him a full-time contract after he was scouted by their first team coach at the time, Alan Butcher. Smith has British citizenship through his mother, Gillian, who was born in London, and ended up playing two matches for Surrey 2nd XI, but turned down the offer with a view to continuing his progression at New South Wales. His one-off appearance for Kent 2nd XI came earlier that summer. As it happens, Paul Farbrace, the new head coach at Sussex, was Kent’s academy and 2nd XI coach at the time.Smith’s presence in the English domestic game will present a concern for the national team, offering vital preparation for a rival ahead of their attempts to reclaim the Ashes. Such a dilemma was put to Ben Stokes on the recent tour of Pakistan, and England’s Test captain was conflicted on the matter.”It’s good for the county game to see players of Steve’s calibre want to come over and play,” Stokes said. “But I don’t know. It’s one of those where you probably prefer them not to get any game time in England before the Ashes. It is what it is.”However, Mo Bobat, ECB’s performance director, insisted that the benefits of Smith’s presence on the county circuit would cut both ways.”You end up being fairly split,” he said. “Any good player coming to our domestic system will raise the standard of it. In many ways it’s good. It’s good for our bowlers to bowl at Steve Smith. It’s good for young batters to bat with him. There is upside.”Specifically with the Ashes. Yeah, you could say it helps him prep and that could be a disadvantage to England. I don’t spend too much time thinking about that. We just try to control what we can do. I think, and I’m sure that Brendon and Ben would be the same, if we play to our potential we know we are a match for anyone and can beat anyone, the way we are playing our cricket. We will focus on that.”At times it’s disappointing that our players aren’t afforded the same opportunities overseas,” Bobat added. “I’d love to get more of our players in first-class cricket overseas. It’s notoriously difficult. It’s not particularly easy in Australia, can’t really do it in India, we’ve done it at times before in Sri Lanka. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it would be nice if our players could sample a bit of that in red-ball cricket. It’s not easy, though.”Should Smith sign for Sussex, he will be a replacement for Jayden Seales. The West Indian quick was due to be the club’s second overseas player alongside India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, but has been ruled out of the start of the English summer after requiring surgery on an injury to his left knee.It is understood Sussex, who went through a turbulent period under the joint coaching team of Ian Salisbury and James Kirtley before the appointment of Farbrace, are also looking to bring in Australia allrounder Sean Abbott on an all-format deal, and Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan for the Vitality Blast.

A reunion between Neymar and Barcelona seems to have been ruled out, with the club aiming to sign a much younger attacker as a reinforcement.

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• Barcelona not keen to sign Neymar
• Brazilian doesn't fit Hansi Flick's plans
• Catalans eyeing three other forwards

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have no plans to pursue a surprise return for their former player Neymar despite reports to the contrary. Instead, the Catalan giants are said to have shortlisted several top names playing in Europe's top five leagues to strengthen their frontline.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Neymar rejoined boyhood club Santos on a six-month deal in January after terminating his contract with Saudi side Al-Hilal via mutual consent. In seven games back in Brazil, the 33-year-old has scored three times and assisted as many goals, showing glimpses of the player who shone at Barca between 2013 and 2017.

  However, the Blaugrana are currently showing no desire to reunite with one of their best ever forwards due to his age and the 'current level of his performances'. They are moving in a different direction and their top priority for the summer remains Newcastle United's Alexander Isak, who is valued at £150 million.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report from also reveals that the option for Neymar's return had been available in previous years but was never pursued. Moreover, Barca head coach Hansi Flick believes that the Brazilian would not be a good fit in his current system.

  As such, the club have also shortlisted two left wingers who they think would add a different dimension to their already staggering attack – Liverpool's Luis Diaz and AC Milan's Rafael Leao.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR?

  Should Neymar's impressive form continue for Santos, a move to one of Europe's top clubs could still be on the cards, even if it's not to Barcelona. However, Santos president Marcelo Teixeira recently asserted that he was confident about their star man renewing with the club to stay at least until the 2026 World Cup.