New Zealand will make a late decision on the availability of captain Sophie Devine for the T20I decider against Australia after she withdrew from the game in Napier suffering from fatigue at the end of a long season.Ahead of yesterday’s game it was announced Devine would not be playing due to waking up feeling ill and in a statement on Wednesday NZC said Devine did not think “she could do justice to the team or herself”. Amy Satterthwaite took over the captaincy in a contest New Zealand won off the last ball to level the series.Related
Who played how much (the pandemic edition)
Devine has been playing regular cricket since the end of September when New Zealand toured Australia for T20Is and ODIs. That was followed by the WBBL with Perth Scorchers before returning home for the New Zealand domestic season – which involved two weeks in managed isolation – then this visit by Australia.”After an extensive season that started back in September 2020, Sophie will look at how she can best balance her cricket commitments with the need to rest and recover over the coming days,” an NZC statement said.New Zealand coach Bob Carter added: “Simply put, at times like this we always need to focus on what our people need to be at their best and cricket must come second.””She’s traveling with the side to Auckland and we won’t be making any decisions on her availability for the third T20 until late in the piece.”Devine’s last seven international scores against England and Australia have been 16, 6, 15, 2, 8, 0 and 17 although between the two series she struck 97 and 74 on return to domestic action for Wellington. Her form for New Zealand was enough for Kirsty Bond, the former player and selector, to suggest it could be time for a change of captaincy.
Após a vitória do Flamengo sobre o Barcelona de Guayaquil por 2 a 0, pela semifinal da Libertadores, o técnico Renato Gaúcho comentou as críticas direcionadas a Isla, que fizeram o jogador desabafar no Instagram. O treinador afirmou que as redes sociais são “um problema” e ressaltou que, muitas vezes, não é possível saber se a crítica vem mesmo de um rubro-negro.
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> ATUAÇÕES: Andreas, Bruno Henrique e Gabi comandam vitória do Flamengo
No Maracanã, Isla recebeu o apoio dos torcedores, que gritaram seu nome. Renato parabenizou a torcida pelo feito e frisou que Isla é querido pelo grupo e pela comissão. Além disso, o treinador afirmou que o lateral se entrega tanto nos jogos quanto nas partidas.
– Sem dúvida (reação do torcedor apoiando). Ele tem todo apoio do presidente, da diretoria, da comissão técnica, do grupo de jogadores e, pode ter certeza, de quase toda a torcida do Flamengo. As redes sociais são um problema. Às vezes você recebe uma crítica que nem sabe de onde vem, você nem sabe se é torcedor mesmo do Flamengo – disse Renato, que ainda completou.
– O torcedor está de parabéns pela resposta que deu hoje, gritando o nome dele, incentivando. É um jogador de grupo, é um jogador que se entrega nos treinamentos, se entrega nas partidas. Ele é querido pelo grupo, pela comissão técnica. É um jogador que faz parte do grupo do Flamengo, jogador que vem nos ajudando. Volto a repetir, parabéns à torcida do Flamengo, a melhor resposta foi a manifestação por parte do torcedor hoje no Maracanã – concluiu.
> Fla joga no domingo! Veja a tabela do Brasileirão
Agora, o Flamengo vira a chave para o Campeonato Brasileiro. O Rubro-Negro volta a campo no próximo domingo, às 11h, no Independência, para enfrentar o América-MG. A partida é válida pela 22ª rodada da competição e terá transmissão em tempo real do LANCE!.
Paul Pogba has reunited with former Manchester United team-mate Timothy Fosu-Mensah as speculation over his return to football continues.
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Pogba's doping ban reduced
Can play football again in 2025
Fosu-Mensah also without a club
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Pogba is biding his time as he prepares to return to football next year. His doping ban has been reduced from four years to 18 months, opening the door to a comeback in March of 2025. Reports suggest that he is set to leave Juventus, with his contract to be terminated, and he could then find a new club. In the meantime, he has reunited with former United ace Fosu-Mensah.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The pair played together 14 times in total for United, across the 2016-17, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, with seven of them ending in victories. Now, Fosu-Mensah has shared a pair of pictures of him enjoying an intimate dinner with his old pal.
DID YOU KNOW?
Fosu-Mensah was on the books at Bayer Leverkusen and played for the club 30 times in total, but he was released in July and has been without a club since. He has yet to find a new employer, so is in a similar boat to Pogba.
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WHAT NEXT?
Both will hope to find pastures new, especially if Pogba does leave Juventus. Fosu-Mensah is 26 and has three caps for the Netherlands.
Over the years, there have been several players who have played for Manchester United and Leeds United. The two sides have one of the biggest rivalries in English football, and it is fair to say there is no love lost between each set of fans.
However, there is a select group of players who have played for both sides, including some of the best players to wear each club’s shirts.
Perhaps the most famous name on this list is Eric Cantona. The Frenchman is a United legend, having played 183 times for the club, scoring 82 times and registering 61 assists. They signed him from Leeds at the start of the Premier League era, in 1992, and the rest is history.
The other notable name on this list is Rio Ferdinand, who played 455 times for the Red Devils, having joined from Leeds in 2002. The £30m United paid for the then 23-year-old was a world record for a defender at the time.
Other notable names to have played for both United and Leeds include Alan Smith, Gordon McQueen, Denis Irwin, and Lee Sharpe. Now, with the transfer window upon us, there might be another player to add to that list soon, with United linked to a current Leeds starlet.
Man Utd target Leeds midfielder
The player in question here is Leeds’ 18-year-old versatile midfielder Archie Gray. With the Championship side failing to get promotion back to the Premier League last season, Gray could be one of a number of players to leave Elland Road, with United a potential destination.
At least, that is according to a report from TEAMtalk. It explains that United “have spoken about” signing Gray internally and notes that 'their interest has been registered' in signing the talented youngster.
However, the Red Devils will not be the only side vying for the services of Gray this summer. The report states that United’s Mancunian rivals Manchester City, North London pair Tottenham and Arsenal, and West Londoners Chelsea are also interested in adding Gray to their squad ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Interestingly, Brentford had a deal agreed with Gray, with a medical all penciled in, according to David Ornstein. However, just hours later, the Bees saw their bid of £35m rejected by Leeds, as confirmed by The Athletic.
TEAMtalk explains that Gray is currently happy at his boyhood club, and it would not be an easy deal for United to do given the rivalry between the two sides.
Why Gray would be a good signing
One of the great things about 18-year-old Gray is his versatility. Primarily, the youngster is a midfielder. However, last season under Daniel Farke, Gray often played as a right-back, inverting into midfield when his side had the ball. He featured in 44 games last season in the Championship, with many of them coming at right-back, as well as in midfield.
Gray positions played 2023/24 (45 mins minimum)
Position
Games played
Right-back
30
Centre midfield
10
Defensive midfield
6
Attacking midfield
3
Stats from Transfermarkt
This is an attribute of Gray’s game that Erik ten Hag would really value; as we saw from Diogo Dalot last season, the Dutchman likes his right-back to be comfortable on the ball and able to tuck into midfield in possession, at times making bursting runs into the last line. These are certainly boxes that Gray ticks.
When on the ball, he looks like a Barcelona midfielder who has received his footballing education at La Masia. He is wonderful on the half-turn and has such a calm head on his shoulders.
Archie Gray
On the ball, Gray is superior to Dalot in several different metrics, according to Fbref. The Leeds man averages 4.15 progressive passes per 90 minutes, and 4.20 passes into the final third, compared to just 3.51 progressive passes and 3.03 final-third passes from the Portugal international. On top of that, Greay’s pass accuracy of 82.8% is slightly better than Dalot’s 81.2%.
With that in mind, Ten Hag may well view Gray as a better option at right-back than Dalot, if he values on-the-ball qualities more than off-the-ball qualities. That is not to say Gray is bad out of possession; his 3.05 tackles and interaction per 90 minutes are only slightly fewer than Dalot’s 3.34. However, the Portuguese right-back is certainly more accomplished off the ball.
Football analyst Ben Mattinson called Gray a “future £100m” player, and his most recent season in the white shirt of his boyhood club shows why. He could be Ten Hag’s dream right-back, given how he likes his fullbacks to play in possession, and it may well be the case United go all out for him.
Perhaps Gray will join the illustrious list from earlier, and add his name to the hall of fame which includes Cantona and Ferdinand to become the next great player to play for both Leeds and United, ousting Dalot in the process.
Stuart Broad has said that he “got lucky” against David Warner in the 2019 Ashes, when he dismissed him seven times in the space of 104 balls.Broad had analysed Warner’s Test methods extensively before the series, and had made a conscious effort to bowl fuller and straighter after discovering at Nottinghamshire from head coach Peter Moores and analyst Kunal Manek that his success was closely linked to the percentage of balls that batsmen left against him.But speaking to The Analyst’s Virtual Cricket Club – an initiative set-up by Simon Hughes to support the Professional Cricketers’ Trust – Broad said that conditions and the timing of the series had created a perfect platform for him to succeed.ALSO READ: How Broad owned Warner“I got lucky, in the sense that it was a really good summer to bowl with a brand-new ball in England,” Broad said. “It had that dryness of pitches – probably due to the World Cup – that just nipped off the seam. I was fresh, I was buzzing, I was excited because it was my first international cricket of the summer – for guys who had played in the World Cup, it was maybe a different story.”I had a lot of time to do research while the World Cup was going on. I’ve always found [Warner] a very difficult batsman to bowl at, particularly in the third innings when you’re tired: he’s very good at punishing shorter bowling and width. I did a lot of research on how he gets out and said: ‘I’m going to try and hit his stumps all the time and make him play every ball. If he hits me for four down the ground, I’m winning; if he cuts me through point, I’m losing.'”I had all my energy focused on hitting the stumps, and by the time I got him twice, he was then unsure whether to play me or leave me, because balls were nipping back at the stumps. We had a bit of a chat after I’d got him out in the first innings at Lord’s. I’d got him out three times – lbw, caught behind, bowled – and we were just walking out of the pavilion at the same time.”He asked me: ‘how did you nip it back up the slope? Was it deliberate?’ I knew I had a bit of an advantage there, when he was asking if I’d deliberately nipped it back. I’m looking to hit the stumps, but I don’t know which way it’s nipping.”Broad has not been the only English bowler with a stranglehold over Warner in the last 18 months. After dismissing him three times in the Ashes, Archer removed Warner four times in five white-ball innings at the end of the English summer, and got him out twice in the 12 balls he bowled to him in the ongoing IPL season.Broad said that he had been watching Archer’s success against him with a keen interest, but that he had no doubt that bowling against Warner on Australian soil in the 2021-22 Ashes series would prove a different challenge.”Just watching Jofra bowling at him in the white-ball stuff, in the IPL and England vs Australia at the end of the summer… when it’s nipping across him and brings the slips in, that is the danger ball.Jofra Archer dismisses David Warner…again•Getty Images
“David Warner is a proven, world-class player: you just look at his Test, one-day, IPL, T20 record. In 18 months’ time, he’ll have done a lot of thinking about how to combat Jofra and me, the way we move the ball. He’ll have a different plan. That means come the end of next summer, Jofra and I will look at how wickets fall in Australia, practise with the Kookaburra ball, and have to find a slightly different way to bowl at him to try to counteract what he’s doing.”Pitching the ball up and trying to hit his shin in Australia might be a pretty risky strategy, because it doesn’t nip at the MCG like it might do at Headingley. That’s the sort of battle I love about international cricket.”Broad also reiterated his stance that English cricket’s emphasis on express pace being key to winning in Australia was misguided, describing the idea as a “myth”. While many have suggested that Archer and Mark Wood’s ability to pass 90mph will be crucial if England are to win back the Ashes in 2021-22, Broad said that a failure to post consistent scores with the bat had been their biggest problem in recent defeats.”We sometimes get caught up in this idea that you have to take 90-95mph bowlers and that they’ll win you [a series] in Australia,” he said. “But actually, in my opinion, it’s runs.”When was England’s last success [there]? 2010-11. Cook? Series of his life. Trott? Hundreds. Strauss? Hundreds. KP? Big hundreds. Bell? Hundred. Prior? Hundred. Who were the bowlers? Jimmy Anderson had good success, Bresnan, Tremlett – all 82, 83mph. In my opinion, this myth of you need 95mph [bowlers] to win there… you don’t, you need 550 on the board. Let’s see how the Australian batsmen play with 550 on the board.”
Aston Villa will be required to make at least one sale during the summer transfer window, otherwise they could fall foul of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Douglas Luiz has been earmarked for a move away from Villa Park due to his wonderful displays in the top flight last season – registering 14 goal contributions – and it appears as though Arsenal are keen on luring him to London, although it will cost them around £50m to do so.
Douglas-Luiz-Aston-Villa
The Brazilian may be one of Unai Emery’s most prized assets, yet might the Spaniard move on someone else who has been attracting interest recently?
Aston Villa could now sell 15-cap international
Due to a stunning 2023/24 campaign which saw the Midlands side secure a spot in the Champions League next season, it is only natural that several first-team players have attracted some interest.
While clubs have shown obvious admiration for someone like Luiz, Matty Cash’s displays weren’t exactly at the same sort of level.
Matty Cash
Yes, he may have scored five goals and grabbed three assists for the club last term, but his lack of consistency could give Emery the perfect opportunity to move him on without much of an afterthought.
According to reports in Italy (via Caught Offside), Emery is more than happy to let the English-born Poland international depart the club this summer, looking for a fee of around £17m from any prospective buyer.
AC Milan are the team that appear to be showing the most interest in the right-back, and it could be the perfect time for Villa to cash in – pardon the pun – on the player.
He does have three years left on his contract, but with a point deduction looking possible if Villa don’t raise funds via player sales, a deal to move him on may be welcomed in the coming weeks.
Metric
Premier League
Conference League
Goals
2
1
Assists
2
1
Key passes per game
0.4
0.7
Big chances created
6
0
Pass success rate (%)
84%
88%
Tackles per game
1.9
1.1
Total duels won per game
3.6
2.6
Via Sofascore
With tougher challenges awaiting the club in Europe’s premier club competition next season, it is clear that the manager must strengthen his team accordingly, which means an improvement on the right side of the defence.
As a result, Emery could target a swoop for a Dutchman who has made 30 appearances in the Champions League during his career.
Who could replace Matty Cash at Aston Villa
According to Inter Live last week, Villa are getting ready to make an offer for defender Denzel Dumfries in a bid to bolster their squad this summer.
With his contract expiring next year, the Serie A side could allow him to leave for a fee of around £25.5m, which could turn into a bargain should he replicate his form for Inter in the Premier League.
Dumfries would be a huge step up at right-back compared to Cash, and he is exactly the sort of signing Emery will be keen to make during the transfer window.
At 28 years old, the former PSV Eindhoven dynamo is in the peak years of his career. Having won several trophies with both Inter and PSV, Dumfries could bring an elite mentality to Villa which may just see them end their near 30-year wait for a major trophy during the 2024/25 campaign.
Denzel Dumfries’ season in numbers
Last season, Inter won their second Serie A title in three years, finishing 19 points ahead of their city rivals AC Milan.
It was a stunning campaign by the club and Dumfries certainly contributed well. In 31 league matches, not only did he score four goals, but the Netherlands international registered five assists, chipping in with vital goal contributions as the club romped to another league crown.
He has played all of his matches on the right side of the midfield, yet he has operated as a right-back over 200 times during his career to date, meaning Emery should have no problem playing him as part of a four-man defence should he join the club.
His main asset is his attacking abilities, which the Spaniard will be keen to utilise at every given opportunity.
When compared to his teammates, Dumfries ranked sixth for successful dribbles per game (0.5) along with ranking eighth for big chances created (six) and for key passes per game (0.8), solid enough stats for a midfielder.
It wasn’t just in his own squad that the player shone, however, also impressing when compared to positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues.
Indeed, the 28-year-old ranked in the top 3% for non-penalty goals (0.18) and touches in the attacking penalty area (3.85) per 90, while also ranking in the top 7% for total shots (1.37) per 90 and for progressive passes received (7.65) per 90, clearly evidence of his regular forays into the final third of the pitch.
According to WhoScored, Dumfries’ main strengths are key passes and aerial duels, which indicate that he can tear open the opposition's defence with a single pass while also being able to hold his own when faced with a one-on-one aerial battle. These strengths will allow him to shine in the physically imposing Premier League, no doubt about that.
Manchester United transfer target Denzel Dumfries at Inter Milan.
Rio Ferdinand praised the defender during the 2022 World Cup, a tournament in which he shone for the Netherlands, saying:
“He’s not putting balls in willy-nilly, he’s picking people out, those cutbacks have been ever so dangerous. He doesn’t mind working at the other end of the pitch, as well. He’s been a breath of fresh air for them and a very important player.”
High praise indeed from a Premier League legend and if Emery could secure his signature for a fee around the £25m mark, then it could be a wonderful piece of transfer business.
With plenty of experience at winning trophies and playing in the Champions League, Dumfries is the ideal signing in order to take Villa to the next level.
First, Emery will need to move on a player or two. With Milan leading the chase for Cash, selling the former Nottingham Forest defender is the first step to making a more concrete effort at luring Dumfries to the Midlands in the next few weeks.
What Aston Villa’s starting XI could look like after £105m spending spree
Aston Villa will be looking to build on their momentous 23/24 campaign, having qualified for the Champions League.
West Bromwich Albion didn't mess around after exiting the Championship play-off semi-final stages, revealing their retained list five days after their 3-1 second-leg defeat to the Saints, with seven senior Baggies players released in the process.
Out of all those chucked to the scrapheap, Matt Phillips' exit would have stung the most, considering the experienced 33-year-old had accumulated 255 appearances for the Baggies in total across eight memorable seasons, before being greeted with this news after an injury-heavy 2023/24 campaign personally.
Still, the ageing attacker registered 26 appearances when fit for Carlos Corberan's men and played his part somewhat – picking up six goal contributions along the way – but will now find he's a free agent come the end of this month regardless.
This could mean West Brom are in the market for many a winger to fill gaps in the areas down the flanks at the Hawthorns, which is why the promotion nearly-men are looking at this potential capture to soften the blow of the 33-year-old leaving for nothing.
West Brom still in the hunt for "fantastic" forward
Fresh off the back of a "fantastic" season with Oxford United, as it was described by football pundit Carlton Palmer recently, Josh Murphy now has a major decision to make, with his contract situation at the Kassam Stadium unresolved.
The Sun reported back in April that the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Southampton, Queens Park Rangers and more were going after the electric winger's services, who bagged ten goals from 38 games in total for the U's on the way to promotion being sealed.
Two of those ten strikes came during his side's victorious play-off final win over Bolton Wanderers at Wembley, as Murphy's tricks and flicks down the left wing proved too much for the Trotters to handle on the day, who collapsed on the big stage for Des Buckingham's men to win 2-0 to pull off a shock promotion.
Still hopeful that their ex-Norwich City man could stay put in Oxfordshire for his side's exciting voyage up to the Championship, with contract talks currently underway, the Baggies will still have their fingers crossed they can tempt him to relocate to the West Midlands instead, to possess a player in a similar ilk to Phillips again.
Why Murphy would be a strong Phillips replacement
Despite being more of a natural left winger, which is a position that also needs filling in Corberan's camp with Mikey Johnston returning back to Celtic, Murphy can still be a Phillips replacement in terms of what he offers to West Brom even whilst operating on the left flank.
Both content with twisting and turning defences with slaloming runs when darting forward, as can be seen in the table below, Murphy's ten goal contributions just in the regular season – all of which came in 2024 – wasn't far off being eclipsed by Phillips' six either, despite the soon-to-be free agent playing two games less as a regular absentee to the Hawthorns treatment room.
Phillips vs Murphy – head-to-head stats
Stat – per 90 mins
Phillips
Murphy
Games played
26
28
Goals scored
3
6
Assists
3
4
Big chances missed
4
6
Big chances created
3
7
Successful dribbles
0.7
1.0
Stats by Sofascore
Bettering Phillips on a number of their comparative attacking statistics, however, Murphy could be viewed as the perfect replacement for Phillips, as well as bolstering the left channel for Corberan's men, with Johnston also departing meaning the Baggies need a new hero there.
Corberan's immediate future in the Baggies hot-seat isn't even secure at the moment though, but they'll hope he stays put in the dug-out for next season, with Murphy shining brightly potentially for a side who could go one better and win promotion next campaign.
West Brom could seal a "very special" signing to transform Thomas-Asante
West Bromwich Albion will hope Brandon Thomas-Asante is back firing in the goals next season regularly alongside this new recruit.
Across the space of three days in 2011 playing for Queensland, Sammy-Jo Johnson dismissed Alyssa Healy twice.It wasn’t long after she had been told there wasn’t a place for her with New South Wales. Now, nine years later, the stars have aligned to bring her back to Sydney as she pushes her case for Australia selection.Her partner, Brian, found work in Sydney and after he had done so much to support Johnson’s career, it was a chance to repay the favour. And it just so happened that New South Wales had vacancies in the pace department following the retirements of Rene Farrell and Sarah Aley.”As a young teenager the dream was to play for the [NSW] Breakers,” she told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t think I’ve really come to terms with it. I don’t regret playing for Queensland; I’ve loved the opportunity, I’ve had nine years and they’ve helped me become the person I am today. I wouldn’t be where I am without Queensland Cricket. But it is nice to come back – this was a dream, now I get to do it when I’m at the top of my game and hopefully, it might give me a chance to put on that green and gold shirt.”ALSO READ: All the Australian state squads for the 2020-21 seasonHowever, the journey has been far from easy. Her father died in 2012, there followed two years where she didn’t represent Queensland and jobs were lost, leaving the battle to scrape together a living and find somewhere to live. It appeared as though the cricket career could fade away.”You come across adversities – everyone goes through different things – and experiencing what I did at the ages I did has made it so much easier when you are in a professional environment, because you know when you have a bad day. I’ve always got the outlook that there is more to life than cricket, but you enjoy it while you can,” she said. “Every day I get to put on the kit of whatever team I’m playing for, I just enjoy it, have fun. I’m a pretty laid-back person. I’ve also said it’s not a right, it’s a privilege to put on a shirt and that’s what I live by.”Early doors I thought this is awesome – I want to play for my country – then life hits you smack bang in the face and you go, ‘hang on, am I good enough?’ You go through some ups and downs, start second-guessing your skill. I was driving three-and-half hours each way from Lismore to Brisbane three times a week to train, off the back of not a lot of money in women’s cricket. The love and passion for the game is what drives most of us, because anyone [of] my age realises it’s not about the money. We do it because we love the game and play with our mates.”Johnson has pushed hard for that international debut over the last two years, earning regular Australia A selection and performing impressively for the Brisbane Heat in the WBBL. Where she plays her Big Bash cricket next season still remains to be confirmed due to the contract embargo currently in place, but her last two summers have brought 38 WBBL wickets while in 2018-19, she also hit 260 runs at a strike-rate of 139.78.Sammy-Jo Johnson celebrates her half-century•Getty Images
“My first [Australia A] tour was to India so that was very eye-opening,” she said. “I was actually very nervous because I’d never been to the subcontinent. You start second-guessing yourself a little – am I fit enough, am I strong enough? – but I played really well, and really enjoyed the experience. That set me up for WBBL 4. I just had self-belief and it’s funny what a bit of self-belief can do for you.”Last year, Johnson closed up the gardening business she co-owned so she could focus more on her cricket and that international ambition. She is currently employed part-time with Rebel Sport, a job that allows her the freedom to focus on training and playing when needed.”Trying to play cricket at this level, traveling, touring, it got too hard trying to run the behind the scenes stuff,” she said. “If I really want to give playing for Australia a red hot crack, I needed to commit those extra hours that I’m spending on paperwork and admin, into recovering and making sure I’m ready for my next session or game.”I think [Australia] is the hardest team in the world to get into at the moment because they are so successful and everyone plays their role. You don’t want people to get injured, but I feel like it’s your only foot in the door at the moment – which is good because you want that competition. If I can keep churning out consistent performances with the ball and bat I’m hoping going to give the selectors no reason not to pick me.”However, there is another challenge to moving to the next level: playing enough cricket. That is particularly relevant approaching a 50-over World Cup, which is due to take place next February and March in New Zealand, with the Women’s National Cricket League consisting of eight round-robin matches per team and a final. In May, when domestic cricket was briefly threatened with cuts amid Cricket Australia’s problems, Australia’s wicketkeeper Healy spoke out about the imbalance in the game, and Johnson believes the WNCL should be expanded to a full home-and-away season campaign of 12 matches.”We train for so many months of the year and we’ve only just got to eight WNCL games,” she said. “Myself and all the players in other states want to be playing more cricket. The WBBL is fantastic, I think we have the right number of games for that and it now has its own window. I hope off the back of the T20 World Cup final that women’s cricket will only get bigger, but for the young kids coming through it’s not just about 20-over cricket. There’s a one-day World Cup next year and we need more 50-over cricket so the girls can continue to show their skills to put pressure on for the Aussie team.”Come the new season, Johnson will be taking every chance she has to do just that.
Aston Villa could be set to swoop for a Turkish league star this summer after Unai Emery personally approved the move, according to reports.
Villa and NSWE backing Emery
After the incredible progress made by Aston Villa, they would be silly not to back the Spaniard. Taking over with the club battling relegation, he has transformed them into a Premier League powerhouse once more, and they look set to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 1980s, with a seven-point advantage over 5th placed Tottenham with Ange Postecoglou's side having just three games left to play.
They could also still record silverware, though they will need a historic result against Olympiacos in Athens on Thursday after falling to a 4-2 defeat to the Greek side at Villa Park in the UEFA Conference League semi-final.
Aston Villa under Unai Emery
Games
80
Win %
55%
Goals scored per game
1.9
Goals conceded per game
1.34
Points per game
1.84
That would set up a final against one of Fiorentina and Club Brugge, and would crown what has already been an incredible campaign in the Midlands.
Transfer plans have already been put in place, with Villa seemingly set to pounce upon Spanish free agent Mario Hermoso at the request of Emery. They have also reportedly sent scouts to watch Alex Baena ahead of a potential summer transfer, with the Villarreal man having played for Emery before, though it is understood that the Villans would have to trigger his reported €60m (£52m) release clause to make any deal happen this summer.
Mario Hermoso
Muci bid gets Emery seal of approval
A new target comes in the form of Besiktas midfielder Ernest Muci, who Villa have reportedly had a long-term interest in. The attacking midfielder has scored twice in seven outings for Besiktas, but Villa fans will remember him for the three goals he grabbed in two games against them earlier in the season while plying his trade for Legia Warsaw.
Aston Villa target £52m Emery favourite who plays like Grealish
Unai Emery’s team would solidify their hopeful status among Europe’s elite with this ambitious signing.
ByAngus Sinclair May 7, 2024
Besiktas president Hasam Arat has claimed that he has rejected one offer and is keen to keep the Albanian beyond this summer.
The 9-cap Albania international is under contract until 2027, and taking home £49,000 per week, has shown no intention of changing clubs six months after arriving.
But that has not stopped Villa from trying, with reports from Turkey now claiming that "an official offer" is "on the way" for the midfielder, though that offer is expected to be around 15m euros, which is likely to be rejected given that a bid of 20m euros has already been turned down.
However, the deal is being pushed after Emery "gave his approval" to the deal, who could replace loanee Nicolo Zaniolo in the Aston Villa midfield. With this in mind, and given how much Emery has already had his way at Villa Park, the Midlands outfit could up their offer to get Emery his man.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has fuelled speculation Raheem Sterling could leave after dropping the winger from his squad to face Manchester City.
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Sterling dropped from Chelsea squadWinger demands clarity on his club futureMaresca admits exits are neededWHAT HAPPENED?
Sterling's future at Chelsea has been plunged into fresh doubt after new boss Enzo Maresca dropped the winger from his squad to face Manchester City. The move was met with a swift reponse from Sterling's camp. His representatives issued a statement demanding "clarity" on his future and making it clear he had been expecting to feature against Pep Guardiola's side.
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The situation has already attracted criticism from Chelsea fans who have been left unimpressed with Sterling's attitude. A possible move away from Chelsea does now appear a strong possibility for Sterling, with Maresca's comments on the winger likely to fuel speculation further about a summer exit from the club.
WHAT MARESCA SAID
The Chelsea boss had the following response when asked if he wants Sterling in his squad. He told reporters: "I want all 30 players but there is no space for all of them so some have to leave."
Maresca also spoke about Sterling's statement in an interview to BBC Match of the Day: "To be honest, I didn't see the statement. I have nothing to say. It was a tactical decision, no more than that. in the next day, we will clarify in case we need to. I have been clear, it's a tactical decision. I didn't see it."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Sterling's absence against Manchester City meant that the former Liverpool winger failed to feature in his club's first game of the Premier League season for the first time since 2012-13.