Australia’s vice-captain David Warner has stuck firm to his assertion that the players are prepared to be absent from this summer’s Ashes if the current pay dispute drags into the six months beyond the June 30 expiry of the MOU between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association.”I stick firm behind it,” Warner said in London. “If we are unemployed we have no contracts, we can’t play. So, from my point of view and speaking to the guys, we would love to see something happen between now and July 1 and I am sure that it is in the capable hands of the ACA to get to the table with CA and come to some form of an agreement.”Warner was subjected to plenty of criticism in the wake of his earlier comments about the possibility that CA “might not have a team for the Ashes” if they continued to take a hardline stance on their efforts to break-up the fixed revenue percentage pay model that has existed for the past two decades.Subsequent reports focused on Warner’s handsome pay packet and its attendant extravagances of property and cars. He noted that a prickly past had prepared him for being able to brush those barbs aside while pushing to ensure that domestic and international players are not divided into separate camps as per CA’s current pay offer.”It comes with my background and my history with that kind of stuff. So you know, it is water off a duck’s back,” Warner said. “I have a verbal stance, to stick up for all our players, and we are always talking about a fair share and equality. And that’s what we are sticking to.”People have their own opinions and they can have those opinions, and for me, what has been written about me in the past or what gets written now, I don’t take any notice of that. My full support is with all the guys, and we’re all together.”We’ve always said from day one that all the support is behind the ACA 100%. They are doing a great job for us. Obviously, from a players’ point of view, we are pretty vocal and upbeat about it. We are pretty sure that they will come to an agreement. But as you know, we are going to be unemployed come July 1. So we have to wait and see and play it out from there.”In refusing to back down from his words about the Ashes, Warner said that the players were committed to letting the ACA act as their collective bargaining agent and were not entertaining the thought of any direct negotiations with CA. Instead, he said, members of the Champions Trophy squad were hearing of CA’s tactics via media reports.”Not really. It is only what we hear in the media and that’s how CA have been driving it the whole way,” Warner said. “They have been using the media as a voice and we get that message from there. As you said, we get a couple of emails.”A rusty display in the rain-curtailed opening match against New Zealand suggested Australia’s players may struggle to keep their minds focused in the midst of the dispute over their futures. However, Warner was adamant that events between the two negotiating teams over the next four weeks would not divert from efforts to win in England.”For us, we galvanise all the time – it doesn’t matter what is going on outside of the game,” he said. “It is a big thing that we could be unemployed but from us, our job is to play cricket and focus on winning the tournament and not letting our country down in that respect. So as I said, our full mental frame is toward the tournament.”

Heather Knight termed the last 18 months “manic” as England turned around their fortunes following last year’s World T20

Melinda Farrell at Lord's22-Jul-2017England will go into the Women’s World Cup final with a line-up unchanged (unless bad weather forces a rethink) from the previous few games.England will go into the Women’s World Cup final with a vastly different team to the side that slumped out of the Women’s World T20 last April.For the road to Lord’s didn’t start with England’s first match loss to India, it began in the throes of a defeat in Delhi, when Australia beat England by five runs. Their inability to chase down Australia’s score of 136 led to a scathing judgment of their fitness by coach Mark Robinson and the ensuing shake up saw the forced retirement of captain Charlotte Edwards. Lydia Greenway followed and, while others remained, they were left in no doubt that expectations would rise under the new regime.It’s not that the team is unrecognizable on paper from the line-up that took to the field in Delhi. Five of the players are batting in the same position while Nat Sciver and captain Heather Knight have swapped batting at four and five.Robinson has brought opener Lauren Winfield and, more recently, Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley into to the side and all three have repaid his trust.Perhaps most significantly, Knight has embraced the new standards and improved on her own form in what she describes as a “manic 18 months.””It wasn’t a nice day, that semi-final back in Delhi, but I feel it’s helped us as a team to be better equipped to deal with days like that,” said Knight, on the eve of the final.”The improvement the girls have made is testament to them and the work they have put in. The coaches have pushed us hard at times and challenged us but I think that’s really helped us develop.”The players have undoubtedly improved their fitness but it is the dynamic within the squad that has changed most dramatically, according to Knight and Robinson, with a more level playing field in the dressing room.”I just didn’t really know we were going to respond,” said Robinson. “I had great belief in the team and the potential and the feeling to grow, but it was handling the occasion.”The bowling attack was reasonably experienced but the batting, they’re all fresh and green to a degree. Watching Nat Sciver announce herself as a world class player, not just an international player, with two hundreds. It makes me feel really proud, proud of them all, such as young Alex Hartley who has only played a handful of games.”We’re probably ahead of schedule if we’re really honest but when the teams are as honest as they are and they play together and fight together, it’s always a good point. We’ve got some real talent there and it’s just beginning to blossom now.”In Delhi England couldn’t turn ones into twos and accelerate the run rate under pressure. But the difference in this new-look England can be seen in the two tight matches they won leading into the final; holding off a late charge from Australia and then chasing down South Africa’s total in the first semi-final with just three balls remaining. Knight believes the honesty Robinson speaks of has driven this change.”It’s been really pleasing, I think, that we’ve shown that sort of fight over the tournament and got over the line in those really tight games that have been great to watch as a neutral I guess but quite hard to watch as a captain and I’m sure a coach,” said Knight.”We’re a lot more honest as a squad in terms of how we approach games, how we deal with international cricket and also we’re better at telling team-mates when something is not quite right.”That’s been quite key. We’re a tight group and that means we enjoy spending time with each other but it also means we can challenge each other and pull someone up when it’s not quite going right.”It’s something that I think has made us tough and in general we are a tougher team. I think you’ve seen that throughout the competition. We haven’t been perfect, we’ve never said we are the finished article. We’re definitely not that. We’re not the perfect team. But we are a team that functions really well and plays for each other.”Ahead of schedule and not the finished article, perhaps. But the turnaround from Feroz Shah Kotla to Lord’s has been a significant one. And, win or lose on Sunday, there is a feeling within the England camp that this side’s rise has just begun.

West Ham United can be forgiven for being distracted by negotiations with Arsenal over a payment structure for £105m midfielder Declan Rice, but David Moyes' side are at risk of being left short come the start of the new Premier League season.

What new players have West Ham bought?

With five weeks to go until their trip to Bournemouth to kick off the 2023-24 season, West Ham have yet to make any signings this window.

That will surely frustrate manager Moyes, who will be fully aware that his squad is in need of freshening up, with May's Europa Conference League triumph papering over the cracks of a poor Premier League season.

A new central midfielder is top of Moyes' list of targets – or indeed a couple if a like-for-like Rice replacement cannot be found – with Ajax's Edson Alvarez, Manchester United's Scott McTominay and Everton's Amadou Onana all rumoured targets.

According to The Guardian, West Ham also hold an interest in Bristol City's Alex Scott, who is on the radar of fellow Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

How much is Bristol City's Alex Scott worth?

Scott may have spent his senior career to date in the Championship, yet he is reportedly worth at least £20m to Bristol City due to the fact he has two years to run on his Ashton Gate contract.

Despite being just 19 years old, Scott already has 81 Championship appearances under his belt, having been a regular for the Robins over the past two campaigns.

The teenage midfielder rose to prominence earlier this year after impressing Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in an FA Cup tie, with the Catalan describing him as an "unbelievable player".

As pointed out by football talent scout Jacek Kulig after Scott was named the Championship's Young Player of the Year, he has a "big future ahead" of him.

Scott cannot be expected to slot straight in and take over the role of Rice, of course. Then again, who could?

Instead, the Guernsey native can provide some versatility for Moyes, given he featured in defensive midfield, central midfield, attacking midfield and on both flanks last season, as per WhoScored.

Versatile he may be, but it is as a pure central midfielder that Scott thrives. The Englishman ranks in the top 11% of all midfielders in the eight competitions most similar to the Championship for progressive carries (2.34 per 90 minutes), as per FBref, and in the top 16% for successful take-ons (1.22).

In that aforementioned FA Cup tie with Man City last season, which Bristol City lost 3-0, Scott's five dribbles were the joint-most of any player on the field, level with opponent Phil Foden – quite the company.

As per WhoScored, Scott's pass accuracy of 83.3% that day was also the third-most of any Robins player to attempt 10 passes or more, which is made all the more impressive when you factor in he was playing as an attacking midfielder.

Scott is not exactly a hidden gem, which explains his price tag, but he could be a very smart option for West Ham to kick off their transfer business in the post-Declan Rice era.

Arsenal fans finally returned to the Premier League’s top four last season after six years outside of England’s elite. They pulled up the chair to the big table once again under Mikel Arteta, next to some familiar faces and some pulling up a seat for the first time.

That’s where the Gunners are out. And they deserve credit for that. They took Manchester City all the way in the title race, that cannot be disputed. What Arsenal are not, however, is in a position to be negotiating for Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, with all due respect.

One season back in the Champions League pulls up a chair to England’s elite, not Europe’s, where the North London club have never won that specific trophy. That’s without even speaking about the financial ramifications, too.

This hasn’t stopped some Arsenal fans from getting ahead of themselves, however.

What’s the latest on Kylian Mbappe?

Strap yourselves in, because the Mbappe transfer saga is set to go around the rollercoaster of the transfer window yet again this summer, with the Frenchman refusing to sign a new deal at PSG, making him a free agent next summer.

The forward has reiterated his desire to see out his contract at the French club, who would like to cash in on the player they initially splashed out a reported £166m for back in 2017. According to Fabrizio Romano, unless Mbappe signs a new deal, he will be on the market this summer.

Leading the way for his signature, as has always seemingly been the case, is Real Madrid, according to Romano, as the Spanish giants wait and see if they’ll be forced to wait a year for his services, or pick the World Cup winner up for a hefty price in the coming months.

Still, a report by FootballTransfers recently linked the Gunners with what would be an outrageous move for the Frenchman, claiming that Mikel Arteta might look to try and land him for free in 2024. While sporting director Edu Gaspar has even responded to some of the wild claims on Instagram too.

AFTV make outrageous Mbappe claim

Speaking on AFTV main man Robbie Lyle seemed to be reading an awful lot into all these recent rumours too.

Indeed, he said: “Is it too far-fetched to say that Arsenal could make a move for Kylian Mbappe. They’ve got a lot of money, Arsenal, they’ve got the wage bill right down at the club.

“If they have a good run in the Champions League and a good run in the league, they’ll have additional funds, they’ll be more attractive again to a player like Mbappe.

“His number one destination’s always been Real Madrid, but what I’m talking about, could Arsenal be in the conversation for a player like Kylian Mbappe come next season?”

It’s fair to say that Premier League fans have disagreed with the claim, too, taking to Twitter to react:

Argentina U17 starlet Claudio Echeverri recreated a Lionel Messi-esque finish to complete his hat-trick against rivals Brazil in the U-17 World Cup.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Echeverri recreated Messi's 2012 finish Both players scored a hat-trick in their respective matchesBrazil at the receiving end on both occasions WHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentine U17 starlet scored an incredible hat-trick in a win over Brazil to fire his side into the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Jakarta on Friday. He opened the scoring with a brilliant sole attempt just minutes before the half-hour mark and then doubled the lead in the 59th minute with a tight finish from the edge of the box. Whereas, his third goal was the cherry on the top as it not only helped him complete a hat trick but also closely resembled a 2012 finish of Messi. On both occasions, the forwards dribbled past the keeper and then pushed the ball into an empty net after latching onto a defence-splitting through ball from midfield.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIP@ArgentinaTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Echeverri's goal has some other uncanny similarities to Messi's strike over a decade back. Apart from the electric finish, both players wore the No. 10 shirt during their respective matches and Brazil found themselves at the receiving end of such a genius onslaught. In fact, Echeverri's hat trick was the first since Messi's 2012 heroics against their arch-rivals. Back in his homeland, comparisons are already being made with the 2022 World Cup winner but Echeverii believes that his style is more like Pablo Aimar who is a part of the national team staff.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Doc. LOC WCU17/BRYWHAT NEXT FOR ECHEVERRI?

The River Plate starlet will hope to carry on with his rich vein of form in the remaining two matches of the U-17 World Cup and emulate Messi by lifting the trophy in the finale on December 2.

Cricket Australia’s decision to rebuff the players’ calls for mediation to end the escalating pay dispute has been accompanied by another attempt to deal directly with some of the nation’s highest-profile players

Daniel Brettig27-May-20173:46

What exactly is the Cricket Australia-ACA pay dispute?

Cricket Australia’s decision to rebuff the players’ calls for mediation to end the escalating pay dispute has been accompanied by another attempt to deal directly with some of the nation’s highest-profile players.CA’s chief executive James Sutherland and his Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) counterpart Alistair Nicholson are set to cross paths in London over the next week, and it is clear a sharp change of course will be required to take the heat out of a dispute that is creeping perilously close to the June 30 expiry of the current MoU without any resolution in sight.After a week’s deliberation, CA chairman David Peever wrote to his ACA counterpart Greg Dyer on Friday to reject the mediation request while maintaining his view that the players’ association had not yet started to negotiate. It also emerged on Saturday that the team performance manager Pat Howard had written to Steven Smith, Meg Lanning, David Warner, Alex Blackwell, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Ellyse Perry to again press the board’s case.Peever’s letter to Dyer emphasised CA’s refusal to countenance any form of fixed revenue percentage model while accusing the ACA of not attempting to negotiate. “This is a regrettable approach because CA’s proposal features substantial increases in player payments while allowing greater flexibility to address the underfunding of grassroots cricket over the next five years,” Peever wrote.”You indicate that the ACA has offered flexibility within the negotiation process around certain issues. However, this does not address the significant problems with the current player payments model from CA’s perspective. While we fully respect the enormous contribution made by the game’s elite players, it is also true that player payments have grown by 63 per cent for international men and 53 per cent for domestic men over the past five years.”These words were echoed by Sutherland in a column in The newspaper, which also reported Howard’s approach to key players, which he said insisted CA’s offer was fair while also questioning whether the players had read its financial details for themselves.”During the player period at the NCC, it became clear to me that very few players have actually read the CA offer,” Howard wrote. “As leaders of Australian cricket, you need to review the actual offer and ask questions. My view as leaders of the game is that your duty is to cricket, not CA, not ACA, but cricket.”This year players will benefit from $79m, our offer next year is $91m. This is a pay rise of over $12m or over 15 per cent. I heard from some quarters that Cricket Australia was ‘screwing us’, as you can see, that is not the case. These are like-for-like numbers and include all male and female players.”BBL salaries will go up 6 per cent every year. Yes, we are trying to put a lid on big increases to state cricket; however, both BBL (6%) and state (1.4%) are going up. I don’t apologise for putting international players ahead of domestic players. (Under) our offer, Australian cricket wages are the highest in the world for males and females and the highest for any team sport in Australia. Something we are proud of.”Howard also expressed discontent that he had been unable to communicate more directly with the players about the pay issue, as distrust grows on both sides of the argument. In response, the ACA said the board was continuing to play “word games” while also questioning how the game’s grassroots could be so underfunded when CA retained 80 cents out of every dollar in the game’s revenue.”These are the word games and evasions of the last six months, and a window into the negotiations over the same period,” an ACA spokesman said. “The CA strategy is to refuse to deal with the ACA and go directly to individual players to try and break the model. This is despite the players’ repeated insistence for CA to respect their request and mediate with the ACA. To refuse mediation at a time when it’s the only sensible way forward shows a clear lack of common sense.”CA takes 80 cents in every dollar that comes into the game: that’s 80% of revenue, yet blames the players for under expenditure on grassroots. CA’s grassroots argument therefore has no factual basis. What CA forget is that the players themselves are the ones that have invested around $10million of their own money in to delivering grassroots programs. The most often asked question in this current climate is the right one: Where does all the revenue go?”The board’s public emphasis on the need for more grassroots facilities funding formed only a part of its formal pay offer to the players. That document also pressed the case for an expanded media production unit and game development staff to rival those of the AFL, and a desire to invest in “other projects” capable of generating more revenue for CA.

Manchester United legend Steve Bruce slammed Marcus Rashford for his poor body language on the pitch against Newcastle United.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Steve Bruce slams Marcus Rashford
• Performed poorly against Newcastle
• Has scored just two goals this season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former United defender was unhappy with the striker's attitude on the pitch as he produced another poor performance in a 1-0 loss at Newcastle on Saturday night. The England international was deployed on the right flank by Erik ten Hag, but was subbed off just after the hour mark as he had a night to forget against the Magpies.

Advertisement

• WHAT STEVE BRUCE SAID

  Speaking to , Bruce said: "The body language of some of the players doesn’t look right. We’ve been talking now and the first one you look at is why all of a sudden Marcus Rashford, after how good he was, how good he played for England a few weeks ago, [has gone] to what you see now. Is he not happy playing on the right, what is wrong? We aren’t going to know what has happened behind the scenes if anything has happened.

  "When he comes off, he shows that petulance, he is not happy. I think he needs to have a look at himself, to start with. It’s not just him, you look through the nucleus of the side and they have been blown away by Newcastle. That is the worry."

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ten Hag did not publicly criticise Rashford after the game but the Dutch manager said that he would have a chat with him directly in private.

  Among a series of criticisms, former Red Devils skipper Harry Maguire came to his colleague's support as he claimed that the 26-year-old is just experiencing a rough patch of form.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MARCUS RASHFORD?

  The English forward has managed to score just two goals in the 2023-24 campaign to date, in stark contrast to his brilliant run of form last season where he scored 30 goals across all competitions. Rashford is expected to be back in action on Wednesday when United face Chelsea in a crucial Premier League fixture.

Durham are hoping to complete the signing of Imad Wasim as an overseas player in the NatWest T20 Blast. Imad, who is currently rated as the best T20 bowler in international cricket, will join for five matches before departing for the Caribbean Premier League.Imad, who was born in Swansea, made his international debut in 2015 and was recently a member of the Pakistan team that won the Champions Trophy, playing in every game at the tournament.He has impressed with his left-arm spin in the Pakistan Super League, as well as during stints at the CPL, and will bring something extra to a thin Durham squad, who have lost two from two in the competition so far. Tom Latham, their main overseas signing, is currently out of action with a foot injury.Imad’s signing is subject to him receiving a work permit.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed Fabio Vieira is expected to be out for some time after undergoing surgery on a groin issue.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Arteta confirms Vieira injuryMidfielder has undergone groin operationWill now miss several weeksWHAT HAPPENED?

Vieira missed training ahead of Arsenal's Champions League clash with Lens on Wednesday, with Arteta subsequently confirming the 23-year-old is now facing weeks on the sidelines. The midfielder missed Arsenal's Premier League clash with Brentford at the weekend due to suspension but had been expected to return against Lens. However, the Arsenal boss has confirmed Vieira has been forced to go under the knife after picking up a groin injury.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Vieira's injury is a fresh blow to the youngster, following his sending off against Burnley which resulted in a three-match ban. The midfielder has made 13 appearances in all competitions so far this season for Arsenal but is now unlikely to play again this year. Vieira joins Jurrien Timber, Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey on Arsenal's injured list.

WHAT ARTETA SAID

"We've got a problem with him. He's been having some discomfort," he told reporters. "He wasn't improving and we sent him to a specialist, the advice was to have an operation which we did yesterday. We expect him to be out for weeks now."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR VIEIRA?

Vieira will now aim to recover as quickly as possible in a bid to return to fitness and gain more minutes at Arsenal. The midfielder has struggled to nail down a regular place in Arteta's side since his move from Porto in 2022. There has been speculation that Vieira could move out on loan in January, in a bid to play regular. football, although it's not clear yet if Arsenal would be willing to sanction a winter exit.

Glasgow Rangers have made seven summer signings under Michael Beale, however, the summer overhaul could now see a few players departing the Ibrox side during the transfer window and Glen Kamara appears to be attracting interest.

Will Glen Kamara be a Rangers' player next season?

Transfer insider Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT that “it does look like he will finally leave” amid the growing interest in Kamara from teams such as Southampton, Sheffield United, Stade Rennais and OGC Nice.

With the Gers reportedly slapping a £5m price tag on him ahead of any potential departure, according to Christopher Jack of The Herald, Beale stands to make millions on the midfielder who arrived at the Light Blues for a fee of just £50k back in January 2019, turning an impressive profit on the player.

According to Turkish outlet Sozcu, Besiktas are in the chase for the 27-year-old midfielder and the report claims that Kamara has asked to travel to Istanbul in order to thrash out a deal with the club.

Judging by the sheer volume of clubs who are interested in him, it certainly appears that he will finally depart the Gers after four and a half seasons at Ibrox.

What happened to Glen Kamara at Rangers?

The former Arsenal youngster was seen as one of Steven Gerrard’s finest signings when he arrived for the aforementioned £50k four and a half years ago from Dundee, adding some steel into the midfield at a bargain price.

After 18 months of bedding into the side, he became a key member of the team that went on to secure the 2020/21 Premiership title in record-breaking fashion, going the entire season unbeaten and conceding just 13 goals in 38 matches.

Although Kamara was impressive domestically, he took his game to the next level when appearing in Europe, and during the 2021/22 campaign, he was excellent in the stunning run to the Europa League final, ranking in the top ten across the squad for accurate passes per game, interceptions per game and key passes per game.

His form was already slipping domestically towards the end of that season, however, with Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie having dubbed him as “terrible” and he struggled again during 2022/23.

He made just 11 Premiership starts all season, falling out of favour with Giovanni van Bronckhorst and then the returning Beale, whilst his Champions League performances were a major disappointment given how solid he had been on the road to Seville.

Kamara was the worst player in the squad in Europe’s premier club competition with regard to overall Sofascore rating (5.9) and also ranked 15th for accurate passes per game, seventh for interceptions per game and key passes per game, clearly proving he was out of his depth at this level.

The £21k-per-week liability must now make the move away from Ibrox in order to get a fresh start to his career elsewhere. The talent is certainly there, displaying it across his first three years at the club, however, he doesn’t quite fit Beale’s tactical system.

Generating £5m for the midfielder would allow Beale to pursue other targets and significantly boost his squad for the challenges ahead next term.