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Tottenham Hotspur may end up waving goodbye to another fan-favourite star before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

At the start of June, The Telegraph reported that club captain Heung-min Son could move on from London after leading the team to the Europa League trophy this season.

The outlet claimed that the South Korea international could be sold by Spurs in order to generate funds to bolster the squad ahead of their return to the Champions League, amid interest from teams in the Saudi Pro League.

Son has racked up an eye-catching haul of 173 goals and 101 assists in 454 appearances in all competitions for the club since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015.

The experienced forward’s departure this summer would mean that all three of Mauricio Pochettino’s iconic attacking line-up will have moved on, following Dele Alli and Harry Kane’s exits from the club in recent years.

All three stars were key players for the former Spurs head coach at the top end of the pitch, and Alli’s contributions should not be overlooked.

Why Dele Alli was a star for Spurs

The London-based club reportedly splashed out a fee of £5m to sign the attacking midfielder from League One outfit MK Dons in 2015, and Pochettino brought him into the first-team squad for the 2015/16 campaign.

Alli hit the ground running in the Premier League, bypassing the Championship, with a return of ten goals and eight assists in 33 top-flight games in his first season with Spurs.

The England international went on to plunder 67 goals and 59 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham before his move away from the club in 2022.

These statistics show that the former MK Dons talent provided plenty of quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Spurs during his time in London, whilst he also offered Pochettino a lot of flexibility in the way that he could be deployed within the starting line-up.

Attacking midfield

158

42

40

Central midfield

48

9

5

Left midfield

36

14

8

Centre-forward

8

2

1

Defensive midfield

2

0

2

As you can see in the table above, Alli was deployed in several different positions for Tottenham, mainly playing as a central or attacking midfielder, or off the left flank.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who now plays for Como in Italy, was a star for Spurs due to both the quality he provided at the top end of the pitch and the versatility he offered the manager.

Spurs may now be about to unearth their next version of Alli, who was a key member of the attack that included Son and Kane under Pochettino, as they are expected to sign a Premier League star.

Spurs expected to sign Premier League midfielder

West Ham United outlet HammersNews reports that the Premier League side expect Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jacob Ramsey to sign for Tottenham this summer.

The Hammers are interested in a deal to sign the former England U21 international to bolster their own squad this summer, but the club believe that the 24-year-old talent is on his way to another team in London.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Speaking to HammersNews, the ‘top spokesman’ for the West Ham owners said: “I think the player (Ramsey) is going to Spurs.”

Spurs were recently linked with an interest in the Villans starlet, who could be on his way out of Villa Park this summer, and this latest update suggests that they are set to win the race for his signature.

Earlier this year, The Boot Room reported that Manchester City are also interested in the attacking midfielder, who is valued at a fee of around £50m by Aston Villa.

However, it remains to be seen exactly how much Spurs will end up paying for the English talent if they do end up signing him, as West Ham expect.

Why Spurs should sign Jacob Ramsey

The Lilywhites should push ahead with a deal to sign the 24-year-old star in the coming weeks because he could arrive at the club as Thomas Frank’s own version of Dele Alli.

Ramsey may not seem like an obvious signing for Spurs, given that he has only scored two Premier League goals since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, but his form in the past for Villa suggests that there is a quality player who could be unearthed.

The Villans maestro’s performances in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns suggest that he has the potential to develop into a top performer for Tottenham if Frank can get the best out of him.

Ramsey, who was once dubbed “sensational” by Seb Stafford-Bloor, plundered 12 goals and eight assists in those two seasons, and was particularly impressive in front of goal in the 2022/23 campaign, with six goals and seven assists to his name that term.

Non-penalty xG

0.20

Top 16%

Non-penalty xG

0.17

Top 14%

xAG

0.17

Top 14%

Assists

0.24

Top 6%

Shot-creating actions

2.77

Top 40%

Progressive carries

3.21

Top 9%

As you can see in the table above, the English star caught the eye as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Villans, ranking highly among midfielders in the Premier League in several key attacking metrics.

Like Alli, Ramsey’s top three most played positions are central midfield, attacking midfield, and left midfield, which means that he can offer Frank the same positional flexibility that the former Spurs star did for Pochettino, as a playmaker who can play centrally or come in off the left.

His form in the 2022/23 season also suggests that he has the potential to provide an impressive threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from those three positions, which is exactly what Alli did throughout his time in North London.

Therefore, Frank could unearth his own version of the former England international by securing a deal for Ramsey, before helping him to get back to the kind of form he displayed at the start of his Villa career.

A bigger talent than Eze: Spurs make enquiry for "sensational" £40m star

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be making a move for another Premier League talent.

1 ByEthan Lamb Jun 28, 2025

As Manchester United look to follow up on the arrival of Matheus Cunha with more fresh faces, INEOS are reportedly readying an opening offer worth £25m to sign a Ligue 1 defender for Ruben Amorim’s side.

Man Utd complete Cunha signing

Kicking off the summer in style, the Red Devils have officially secured the arrival of Cunha, triggering his £63m release clause at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazilian’s arrival should go a long way towards solving their attacking problems in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, having scored 17 goals and created a further six in all competitions last season.

Cunha has already received the approval of many around Old Trafford, including club legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who said: “Cunha’s the type of player that suits this system that Ruben Amorim wants to play.

“They’ve lost three players who play in that type of position so they need to fulfil that, they’ll need to fill those roles definitely or else they’re going to struggle. They need to score goals.

“Ruben Amorim said at the weekend that they’re just struggling to score goals, so you need players who can take risks, good in the final third, and Cunha’s got a lot of ability.”

Man Utd want Premier League target man to play up front with Mbeumo and Cunha

The Red Devils have already signed Cunha and submitted a bid for Mbeumo.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 6, 2025

INEOS are reportedly not done there, either. Recent reports have revealed that Manchester United have now submitted an opening bid to sign Bryan Mbeumo, who is prioritising a move to Old Trafford this summer.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils have also reportedly set their sights on adding a defensive boost to their list of summer arrivals as they look to rebuild their squad in Amorim’s vision.

Man Utd readying £25m Vanderson offer

According to reports in Spain, INEOS and Manchester United are now readying a strategic €30m (£25m) offer to sign Vanderson from AS Monaco. The talented right-back would instantly hand Amorim another wing-back option and could compete with Noussair Mazraoui for a starting place in a crucial position in the manager’s system.

Minutes

2,064

2,838

Assists

3

1

Tackles Won

48

68

Ball Recoveries

153

149

Described as “unique” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Vanderson would push Mazraoui all the way for a starting place. The Monaco star, as the stats highlight, particularly impressed last season when recovering possession and also created more than Mazraoui going forward.

It’s the type of depth that Amorim needs in his squad if he is to turn what has been a disastrous start into a long and successful Old Trafford tenure. For just £25m too, Vanderson’s arrival would crucially not break the bank at a time when Manchester United’s finances are delicate.

It looks set to be a busy summer for the Red Devils, who are aiming to get their business done as early as possible.

It’s been a strange old season for Liverpool, who have been crowned Premier League champions but feel to have faced an inordinate amount of adversity for a team succeeding in winning the country’s biggest prize.

For most of the campaign, Arne Slot’s side have resembled the committed, composed and cultured team of champions, beating off so many opponents and looking, even before Christmas, to be nailed on for a first-place finish.

Mohamed Salah has been the architect, rampaging his way through the season as he made good on a promise and delivered another top-flight title to the Reds fanbase. Excitingly, the story’s not over after his two-year contract extension.

Sadly, Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be joining the rest of Anfield’s superstars for the next phase of the Slot era. Instead, the vice-captain is leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season, with Real Madrid the destination.

Liverpool's painful divorce

Maybe you could argue Alexander-Arnold represented the totemic image of the Jurgen Klopp era; you could stake compelling cases for Virgil van Dijk and Salah too.

This has been a season of many parts for those paying attention at Anfield. Last summer’s upheaval threatened everything, but a Salah-led season has reaped the biggest reward, with the Egyptian King incredibly scoring 33 goals and providing 23 assists across all competitions.

But now Alexander-Arnold’s legacy has been shifted and swirled into a new pattern, one which, for some supporters, is irretrievably broken, unalterably damaged by the decision to leave for Real Madrid and conduct his business, in the long, quiet build-up, with the undeniable air of slyness.

Ah well, we’ll get over it. The fact that Slot has won the Premier League trophy in his first season helps, after all. But the coach will hardly want his own legacy to be defined by a flash-in-the-pan title success, driven by Salah’s absurd season. This is a long-term project.

FSG have their foibles, but they are swift and shrewd and savvy in the transfer market. Is it any surprise that Alexander-Arnold’s successor is already being lined up?

Liverpool open talks for Trent successor

Recent reports suggest that Salah’s set to have a new partner down the right flank, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong emerging as the primary target to bolster Liverpool’s looming gap at right-back.

It’s claimed that an agreement (in principle) is in place with the Netherlands international regarding a transfer this summer, with a five-year contract slated.

Sky Germany have corroborated the claims, revealing that the 24-year-old’s release clause in the region of €40m (about £34m) should see a deal run smoothly if Liverpool are indeed ready to replace Alexander-Arnold with a new right-sider.

Why Jeremie Frimpong would suit Liverpool

Conor Bradley tempers the need for an Alexander-Arnold replacement, but the Northern Irishman is raw and lacks completeness. However, he has the properties to reach that level.

Frimpong would simply add a string to the bow, one which Slot could use to fire his Liverpool team further into the ascendancy by adding a very unique dimension.

As per FBref, Frimpong ranks among the top 6% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues this season for goal involvements, the top 2% for progressive carries and the top 20% for crosses per 90. He has the talent to succeed Alexander-Arnold, not least because he won an invincible domestic double under Xabi Alonso’s wing last year.

His progress in Germany has been quite a thing, leaving Celtic in January 2021 and since becoming “one of the best wing-backs in Europe,” as commented by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Jeremie Frimpong at Bayer Leverkusen (all comps)

Season

Apps

Goals

Assists

24/25

48

5

12

23/24

47

14

12

22/23

48

9

11

21/22

34

2

8

20/21

13

0

1

Stats via Transfermarkt

Operating within Slot’s system would also dispel the myth that he’s deficient in a defensive capacity. While Frimpong’s bursts of pace and almost possessed hunger for goals and assists suggest he lacks at the back, there’s evidence to point toward the contrary.

Picture this: it’s Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, before Alonso took over and lifted the club to heights simply unimaginable, even from the most optimistic of ultras. Under Alonso, Frimpong has played a half season, and then a full one, and now he’s a few months deep into his second.

At this stage, the Dutchman plays a more conventional full-back’s role, settled onto the right wing of the backline but with a license to dart forward with menace when chances arise.

Hailed as a “flying machine” by journalist Kevin Hatchard and described as an “insane” player in the final third by analyst Ben Mattinson, the concerns relating to the defensive issues that may arise from Frimpong’s signing, especially in piling a defensive burden back onto Salah, are understandable, but the wing-back will likely prove a few wrong if he winds up on Merseyside.

For example, his ground duel success in the German top flight is 45% this season, 49% across the last Bundesliga term (as per Sofascore). However, given he spends most of his time in the attacking half, he wouldn’t be expected to win the lion’s share of his challenges.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, who bears a similar heatmap this year, has won 51% of his ground battles, regarded as one of the most combative attacking profiles in the business.

Back in 2021/22, the last full season Frimpong spent as an actual full-back, he won 59% of such duels, of which he averaged five per game. He averaged two tackles and interceptions per fixture too.

He could prove a few wrong as the new star of the show at right-back, a bit like when Salah arrived in 2017 and took Phil Coutinho’s mantle as Liverpool’s star attacker. Of course, it’s not quite the same, for the Brazilian playmaker completed half a season alongside Salah, but he tried to force his way out in the summer of the 32-year-old’s arrival.

Losing Coutinho was a bit like losing Trent. It felt like the world was ending for Liverpool, who had just started to really get going for Klopp and had lost one of their prized and unique superstars.

Liverpool endured and ended up being better for it. But therein lies the point of difference. Alexander-Arnold is leaving on a free transfer, and the only benefit FSG are receiving is the easing of the wage bill after Van Dijk and Salah’s bumped-up salaries.

Salah’s commitment to the cause is one of the principal reasons behind his matchless standing within the Liverpool community. Bringing in a personality such as Frimpong could certainly help the Reds forget about Alexander-Arnold and advance Slot’s vision.

The £65k-per-week Frimpong really could prove to be Slot’s very own Salah signing, replacing a club icon and actually going on to help Liverpool reach the next level. While it’s unlikely Frimpong would reach the same giddy heights as his predecessor, he could thrive in a tussle for the top spot with Bradley.

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Celtic find themselves on track to complete a domestic clean sweep, but Brendan Rodgers is already reportedly plotting squad changes ahead of the summer window.

Celtic's setback in Perth shows need for summer window considerations

Heading into last weekend’s clash away to St Johnstone, Brendan Rodgers knew that three points would set up a title-clinching clash at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday.

However, Daniels Balodis delivered the decisive blow as the Hoops suffered a shock 1-0 defeat in Perth, delaying their inevitable Scottish Premiership triumph for the time being.

Post-match, Rodgers warned Celtic that complacency is not an option moving forward, stating: “It’s happened too many times. I’ve seen a trend now with us, and it will be interesting between now and the end of the season in terms of mentality.”

Nevertheless, there could be some solace for the Irishman this weekend if certain permutations fall the way of his side to guarantee a fourth successive league title at Parkhead.

When can Celtic officially be crowned Scottish Premiership champions?

Earliest possible opportunity – Sunday, April 13th

If Celtic defeat Kilmarnock this weekend and Rangers lose to Aberdeen, they will be champions.

What happens if Celtic win vs Kilmarnock and Rangers win/draw at Pittodrie?

If Rangers triumph at Pittodrie, Celtic will need a win in their first post-split fixture. They only need a point if their rivals draw at Aberdeen.

Ahead of the summer window, Celtic are already in pursuit of targets such as Augsburg midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj, illustrating that Rodgers isn’t hanging about in his quest for reinforcements in the lead-up to next season.

Departures will be necessary to create room for fresh blood in Glasgow’s east end, so it will come as no surprise to hear the Bhoys could now offload one of many fringe stars once the window opens for business.

Celtic star Luis Palma offered an unexpected escape route

Last week, it became apparent that £16,000 per week earner Luis Palma has no intention of staying at Celtic amid rumours that he could be set to join Olympiacos on a permanent deal upon the conclusion of his loan spell.

Now, reports in Ukraine via Sport Witness claim Palma has been offered to Dynamo Kyiv and there may be scope for the Honduran to consider the proposal before coming to a final decision.

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ByDan Emery Apr 8, 2025

Initially impressing at Celtic, the 25-year-old has scored ten goals and registered ten assists in 48 appearances for the Scottish champions. However, his style of play eventually became out of sync with Rodgers’ tactical framework.

Labelled a “very good techician” by his parent club’s boss, the former Aris man has followed that up with a goal and assist in ten outings for Olympiacos.

Nevertheless, Celtic and Palma look set to shake hands and move on once the summer window comes around. Realistically, all parties are now in the process of figuring out where he will play his football next campaign.

The two came together at KKR in the IPL some years ago, and Brendon McCullum played his part in shaping the Shubman Gill that’s been the star of the England vs India series so far

Matt Roller09-Jul-20251:45

Monga: Gill set the example for India’s batting success at Edgbaston

“A saying that I’ve used throughout my career is that, ‘If you can’t change a man, change the man’,” Brendon McCullum said, chewing over a defeat in the eerie setting of a massive empty stadium in Ahmedabad during IPL 2021. “We’ll probably have to make some changes and try and bring in some fresh personnel who will hopefully take the game on a bit more.”McCullum’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had just been thrashed by Delhi Capitals, and his frustrations focused on their top-order batters. “You’re not always going to be able to hit every ball for four or six, but you can have the intent to do so,” he said. “It’s very difficult if you don’t play shots to score runs, and unfortunately tonight, we didn’t play enough shots.”Both openers were in the firing line: Nitish Rana made 15 off 12 balls, but Shubman Gill’s 43 off 38 was particularly painstaking. After striking at 117.85 across the first seven games of the season, Gill was widely assumed to be the opener who would make way – until the second Covid-19 wave worsened, pausing the IPL season for five months.Related

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“There was a clear disconnect between the style of play the management wanted and what was being produced on the field in the first half of that season,” recalls one insider. McCullum and his captain Eoin Morgan made a point of giving their players free licence to play their shots, but they had overseen two wins in seven games when the league was suspended.But when it resumed in the UAE, both players kept hold of their spots. Rana was pushed down into the middle order, with Venkatesh Iyer making his debut as Gill’s opening partner, and his form – 370 runs in ten innings – was a major factor in KKR’s resurgence, winning five of their last seven group matches and eventually falling just short in the final.McCullum had been an early advocate of Gill, adding him to KKR’s leadership group as a 20-year-old; Dinesh Karthik, Morgan’s predecessor as captain, recalled on the Sky Cricket podcast this week that Gill had been sufficiently headstrong to tell him, “DK , I think it’s time I can open now,” after a run in the middle order.Brendon McCullum was Shubman Gill’s coach at KKR during IPL 2021•BCCIThe trouble was, ahead of the 2022 mega auction, KKR could only retain a maximum of four players. Keeping hold of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy was a no-brainer; for the fourth spot, KKR decided Iyer was their man. “It was disappointing to lose Shubman Gill,” McCullum said before the auction. “But that’s the way life is sometimes.”Gill became one of the first signings for Gujarat Titans, where he has become an IPL superstar. He won the title in 2022, the Orange Cap in 2023, and became captain last year. A KKR official told ESPNcricinfo that Gill did not actively agitate for a move, and that his release owed simply to a familiar situation where the franchise wanted to retain more players than was permitted.He has rarely addressed his change of franchise publicly beyond a light-hearted comment last year. Gill was filming promotional content with British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and Indian comedian Tanmay Bhat when Sheeran mentioned his dinner plans with Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood superstar and KKR co-owner. “Ask him why they did not retain me,” Gill said, before bursting out laughing.McCullum only had one more season with KKR, leaving to take up the England job after the franchise missed out on the playoffs in 2022. Gill has come up against him in eight Tests and three ODIs since, and McCullum has watched the player that he helped shape consistently prove himself to be a thorn in England’s side.Gill scored 430 runs in the Birmingham Test•Getty ImagesEighteen months ago, Gill scored hundreds in Visakhapatnam and Dharamsala in India’s 4-1 series win, averaging 56.50 and winding England’s bowlers up. “I said something to him like, ‘Do you get any runs outside India?’ and he said, ‘It’s time [for you] to retire,'” James Anderson recalled; a few weeks later, McCullum told Anderson that England were moving on from him.Anderson’s comment hinted at the popular perception of Gill as a home-track bully, and before the current England tour, he averaged just 27.53 outside of India. But he has been faultless over the first two Tests, with 585 runs in four innings: “Shubman Gill was batting at an elite level,” McCullum said after his 430-run match in Birmingham last week.As captain, Gill has worked closely with two coaches who are very different to McCullum in Ashish Nehra and Gautam Gambhir. There have been small hints of McCullum’s influence when he has spoken about leadership, and his focus on “making players feel secure” in their positions with consistent selection, but he is proving to be his own man.England will have to find a way to combat him this week – not that Ben Stokes was giving much away on Wednesday. “Very good players are allowed to play well, and he has played very well in the first two games,” Stokes said. McCullum knows that all too well: now, his challenge is to cut the monster he helped create back down to size.

A repeat of chaotic glory like in 1992 and 2017, or a well-oiled team falling short like in 1999 and 2011?

Osman Samiuddin05-Oct-20232:59

Middle order and spin department a concern for Pakistan

Which one is it going to be?Each day that we get closer to the start of any global ICC event, it feels like the most relevant question to ask of Pakistan. Sure, it’s a slightly flippant way to look at it, a little ludicrous even, because this is not how you assess the chances of a team at a world event. Not in this day and age anyway. It’s always the fiddly things you look at, the SWOT analysis – the depth and composition of a squad, recent form, experience, all the stuff that actually wins and loses matches.And of course, all of it is terribly important, and we will get to it. But I know I want to put this out there and I’m pretty sure you do as well, so let’s just get it out of the way.Which one is this going to be?Related

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Which legendary and/or infamous previous Pakistan campaign will this World Cup play out like the most? Are we in for the despair and elation vortex of ’92, ’09 and ’17, with title surges forged from total dirges? The arrival of an unheralded kid, fast bowlers fast bowling, stars starring, Pakistan Pakistaning?Or should we prepare for the unnervingly smooth(ish) ride but knockout traumas of ’99, ’07 (the T20 World Cup obviously, because why would you even want to invoke the other global tournament that year?) and ’11? Pakistan being slightly unPakistan, playing to plans and patterns, maximising skill and talent and OMG they’re going to win this like peak Australia and… oh this feels like South Africa trauma.On the surface, this side doesn’t seem given to the swings and roundabouts of the first type of campaign, or perhaps that’s because of the temptation to see them in the image of their leader. This is Babar Azam’s time and it is Babar Azam’s team and Babar Azam is an unflinchingly equable man, in personality and in performance. History is yet to record an unequable public utterance from his mouth, just as it is yet to record (at least since he broke through in Tests back in 2018) a sustained, unequable run of form. His sides have been ranked No. 1 in ODIs, they have made the semi-finals and the final of the last two T20 World Cups. This side, with a settled core, does consistency, and evenness of performance.Which would leave the second kind of campaign (the 2021 T20 World Cup for example), except… except that at the last ODI World Cup they did the nearly-92, marginally mistiming their surge and little bits of the universe not playing ball in conspiring to get them through to the last four. Six members of that squad are here. Last year, at the T20 World Cup, they did a hybrid version (and you thought you’d heard the last of that word for a while), where a 1992-esque run ended in a final trauma. And remember four members of this squad were part of the 2017 Champions Trophy win, the most ’92 tournament win they have had outside of 1992.But the team is in a weird place right now, and it’s impossible to predict which way they might go. Until less than a month ago, just before the second game against India in the Asia Cup, they looked a proper threat for this World Cup. They had as good a pace attack as any, a top-heavy but successful batting order, six matchwinners, and a fielding unit about which nothing much needed to be said – because it was perfectly efficient.2:52

Shastri and Harbhajan predict their World Cup semi-finalists

Since that game, though – and how much that reserve day their board fought for has cost them – it feels like a different side, a little less sure of itself, a little more in flux. Those little fiddly details, a key player not firing, another one missing, holes that still need plugging elsewhere, are all looming slightly larger now and more urgently, a day out from the start of their campaign.Forget which one this will be and maybe start panicking that it may be neither?Well not just yet because it is worth putting some of the details into perspective. Fakhar Zaman’s loss of form, for instance, is not, strictly speaking, a loss of form. For a start, as recently as April he hit three hundreds in consecutive ODIs. Since then, in ten innings, he is averaging 19 but he’s only been out in single figures twice; he has five scores between 20 and 33. A plummeting strike rate during that run suggests doubt has crept in, but the sense remains that if he can get himself to some kind of a landmark, say a scratchy, lukewarm 50, there could be riches on the other side.In any case, Pakistan will need to show faith because he is the wildcard in what is a pretty straight-laced if high-functioning top order. It’s not rocket science: Fakhar’s the man who turns 280-300 into 330-350. Pakistan have scored 330-plus 12 times in ODIs since Fakhar’s debut in 2017. He’s hit four hundreds and three fifties in those games, averaging 92.30 with a strike rate of 114.80.On the other hand, putting Shadab Khan’s recent form into perspective is not going to lessen that panic. Not least because over the last couple of years, he has been the absolute barometer of Pakistan’s white-ball teams. If he is having a good day in the field, Pakistan soar. A bad one, as at the Asia Cup, and Pakistan flounder. He bowled as poorly in that tournament as he has at any stage in his career, but even if it is unlikely he will be that poor again, the most striking impression was that his bowling has perhaps not evolved in the 50-over format in the same way it has in T20s.In large part, put that down to cricket’s wonky scheduling in these pandemic years. If Shadab has not grown, it could be because he’s barely played any ODI cricket: only 23 matches since the last World Cup. Tom Latham has played 17 this year alone. Shadab himself played nearly twice as many ODIs in the first bit of his career, two years from his debut to the 2019 World Cup. But after that World Cup he’s played nearly six times as many T20s.Has Fakhar Zaman really lost his form?•Associated PressThe conundrum for Pakistan is that he is, by default, their lead spinner without being the kind of specialist, wicket-taking spinner – at least not yet – that almost every other successful side possesses. He’d make for a great second spinner except Pakistan have rarely played a specialist spinner alongside him. Usama Mir, who is in the squad, is the only one since the last World Cup and he’s only played three ODIs alongside Shadab. All of which is why Abrar Ahmed could have been a big, but very tantalising, punt.The steadier uptick in Shadab’s batting is why he should play though. He’s gotten relatively more opportunities to bat since the last World Cup and though his average has only inched up (25.92 to 26.46) the strike rate has bolted (68.63 to 102.84). Plus, he makes it to the side for his fielding alone.For the loss of Naseem Shah, it’s difficult to keep any perspective. It is a deep wound for Pakistan, made deeper still by persistent muttering that it was preventable, that he had been complaining of shoulder pain and in need of rest. Shaheen Shah Afridi is the bigger star but, across an entire innings and across formats, Naseem has been the bigger bowler this year. Mohammad Wasim and Hasan Ali are capable, and their good days can be electric, but hope currently outweighs expectation with both.Anyway, the optimist will see the signs they want to see from this. Waqar Younis on the eve of the you-know-which World Cup. Poor warm-up games back then as well. A little bit of disarray on the field. Plenty off it back at Gaddafi Stadium. Two new balls, the same format as that World Cup (with one extra team), you know this drill.And it’s ok to admit this is the campaign we’re all rooting for, even if it means there will be pain before the possibility of joy. Even if it feels churlish, at this stage, to point out that with the cakes that keep on coming and all that Hyderabadi biryani, it’s clearly not Ramadan. Which, IYKYK.

Also: who were the two uncapped players who played in the World XI in 1971-72?

Steven Lynch25-May-2021The Dutch batter Max O’Dowd just scored his third half-century in three ODIs. How many people have started like this? asked Mike Kramer from Belgium

The New Zealand-born Netherlands batter Max O’Dowd started his one-day international career with 86 not out and 59 against Zimbabwe in June 2019, and added 82 against Scotland in Rotterdam last week (his sequence ended when he was out for 8 in the next game).Remarkably, the only other man to make half-centuries in his first three ODIs also played for the Netherlands – Tom Cooper began with 80 not out and 87 against Scotland, then 67 against Kenya in 2010. The Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu hit half-centuries in his first three ODI innings, but that sequence included a match in which he did not bat.In the women’s game, Hayley Matthews of West Indies made 55, 89 and 60 in her first three ODIs, against Australia in November 2014. I believe there has been one first-class hat-trick in which all three victims were stumped. When was this? asked Naval Patel from India

The match concerned was a long time ago – in the early days of the official County Championship, in August 1893. During a game in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire’s amateur wicketkeeper William “Sam” Brain ended Somerset’s second innings by stumping three batters off successive deliveries from Charles Townsend, a big-turning legspinner who was only 16 years old at the time. Wisden called it “a sensational incident”, while the Times noted that “the innings was finished in a summary manner by young Mr Townsend”. Six years later, he played two Tests in the 1899 Ashes series.In all, Brain made five stumpings in the match, four of them off Townsend’s bowling and the other off WG Grace. This was Brain’s final season of county cricket, though he remained active at club level. He joined the family brewing business (which still survives), eventually becoming its chairman.Is Khokhan Sen the only player who was born in what is now Bangladesh who played Test cricket for another country? asked SM Nazmus Shakib from Bangladesh

The Bengal wicketkeeper Probir “Khokhan” Sen, who played 14 Tests for India, was born in 1926 in Comilla, which was then part of India but is now in Bangladesh. The only other male Test player I can see who was born in present-day Bangladesh appeared in the very first Test of all, for Australia against England in Melbourne in March 1877; Bransby Cooper was born in Dacca, as Dhaka was known at the time. Cooper had played county cricket in England for Kent and Middlesex before moving in 1871 to Australia, where he worked in the Customs department.The Pakistan fast bowler Niaz Ahmed, who won two Test caps in the late 1960s, played for East Pakistan before it became Bangladesh – but he was actually born in Benares (now Varanasi), in Uttar Pradesh in India.Tony Greig (middle row, third from left) and Hylton Ackerman (middle row, extreme right) had not made their Test debuts when they played as part of the World XI in 1971-72•Fairfax DigitalApparently there were two uncapped players in the Rest of the World team that toured Australia in 1971-72. Who were they? asked Chris Beckett from Australia

The World XI you’re talking about undertook a full tour of Australia in 1971-72, replacing a trip by South Africa which was cancelled owing to the political situation there at the time. Garry Sobers reprised his role as World XI captain from 18 months previously in England, but this team was not as strong as that awesome 1970 line-up. After some criticism of his side’s approach – they were bowled out for 59 in the second unofficial Test in Perth – Sobers unfurled one of the greatest innings of all in the next match, in Melbourne, spanking a memorable 254. “The innings was probably the best seen in Australia,” said the watching Don Bradman, who played a few useful innings himself. “The people who saw Sobers have enjoyed one of the historic events of cricket. They were privileged to have such an experience.”The 1971-72 touring party included two players who had not appeared in official Tests at the time. One was Tony Greig, who had played against the Rest of the World XI in 1970 in matches later ruled as unofficial Tests. Greig made his full debut for England a few months after this series in the 1972 Ashes, and went on to win 58 caps. But the other man remained uncapped, thanks to South Africa’s sporting isolation: opener Hylton Ackerman had a long career with several provincial teams at home, and spent some time with Northamptonshire. His son HD Ackerman did win four Test caps.Further to last week’s question about centuries in successive Tests, who has the similar record for centuries in the most consecutive innings? And what about five-wicket hauls? asked Adam Wilson from England

The great West Indian Everton Weekes, who died last year, is the only man to score centuries in five successive Test innings, against England in 1947-48 and India in 1948-49 – the sequence was ended by a questionable run-out decision when he had scored 90 in the fourth Test in Madras (now Chennai). By coincidence, the wicketkeeper who whipped the bails off was Khokhan Sen, who is mentioned above. Weekes recalled: “I went forward and started running but came back into my crease and watched the whole thing happen. The umpire might have thought he had seen enough of me for the series…”Jack Fingleton (Australia), Alan Melville (South Africa) and Rahul Dravid (India) all scored centuries in four successive innings.As far as the bowlers are concerned, the old Australian Charles “Terror” Turner is alone is recording six successive five-fors, all against England during 1888. Three bowlers have managed five in a row: the Surrey and England seamers Tom Richardson and Alec Bedser, and rather more recently, the West Indian offspinner Shane Shillingford.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Aaron Judge launched home run No. 50 on the season during Wednesday's game against the White Sox, and in doing so, he joined a select group of sluggers in MLB's history books.

2025 is now the fourth season of Judge's career in which he's hit 50 or more home runs. Only three other players in MLB history have ever done that: Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and the legendary Babe Ruth. The Yankees' star finds himself in the mix with some of the greatest sluggers of all time, and deservingly so.

Judge has hit 50 or more homers in three of the last four seasons, and achieved the feat for the first time back in 2017, his first full season in MLB.

He's now up to 365 homers for his career, having reached that milestone in just 1,140 games. Judge was the fastest player in MLB history to hit 350 home runs, needing just 1,088 games to do so, and he hasn't slowed down since checking off that achievement in July.

Judge, an AL MVP candidate, owns the American League record of 62 home runs in a single season, though it's possible Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, with whom Judge is competing for MVP, could dethrone that mark this year.

There has now been a new update on Crystal Palace’s pursuit of a “true warrior”, with it being revealed a “good value” January deal is possible.

Palace on course to push for Europe

Palace remain in a strong position to push for European qualification, having taken 20 points from their opening 13 Premier League games this season, although they will be frustrated about Manchester United coming from behind to win at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

The Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ruben Amorim’s side, but they will have the opportunity to put things right tonight, when they travel to Turf Moor to take on an out-of-form Burnley side, who have lost their last four Premier League matches.

However, with the likes of Sunderland, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion all in European contention after impressive starts to the campaign, it is getting congested at the top of the table, and Oliver Glasner’s side are now looking at new additions for the January window.

Last week, it was revealed that a concrete offer had been made for Bayern Munich’s Sacha Boey, who Glasner is a big fan of, according to a new update on their pursuit of the defender from TEAMtalk.

In an interview, journalist Dean Jones said: “Palace have been made aware that there could be a possibility for this one on a permanent deal and it actually could be a good value one. I’m told that is the preference at the moment.

“They [Bayern] don’t have much interest in letting him out on a loan. In the case of a loan offer they may well just hold on to him until the summer instead.

The journalist also went on to clarify that negotiations aren’t currently at an advanced stage, saying: “At this stage I think Palace are just feeling out the terms and understanding the player’s situation.”

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Posts ByHenry Jackson Nov 25, 2025 "True warrior" Boey could be exciting addition for Palace

The right-back certainly caught the eye during his time with Galatasaray, having been hailed as a “true warrior” by members of the Turkish media, and he is very assured in possession of the ball, as displayed by his performance across some key metrics over the past year.

Sacha Boey’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Passes attempted

73.18 (97th percentile)

Pass completion %

90% (99th percentile)

Progressive passes

6.31 (95th percentile)

That said, the 25-year-old, who rakes in £80k-a-week should probably seek a move this winter, given that he has fallen down the pecking order considerably, being benched for the last three Bundesliga games.

With Palace competing in Europe this season, it would be a smart move to bring in additional strength in depth at right-back this January, and a long-term replacement for Daniel Munoz may be needed regardless, amid interest from Chelsea and Barcelona.

As such, Glasner’s side should make a move for Boey, and it is promising news that a deal could be possible for a reasonable price.

Aston Villa are now believed to be eyeing a surprise January move for one of Chelsea’s summer signings, according to a new report.

Chelsea prepare for Bournemouth after humbling Leeds defeat

Chelsea make the journey to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, desperate to bounce back from their humbling 3-1 defeat at Leeds United, with Enzo Maresca insisting his side have no fresh fitness worries.

The Blues are forced to navigate another difficult fixture without suspended £150,000-per-week midfielder Moises Caicedo, though, who was a sore miss at Elland Road as Daniel Farke’s side exposed their fragility minus the Ecuadorian.

Maresca addressed the media on Friday morning ahead of the Vitality Stadium encounter, confirming Caicedo will serve the second match of his three-game domestic ban following his dismissal against Arsenal.

The star’s absence continues to leave Chelsea light in central midfield, particularly with Roméo Lavia and Dario Essugo both ruled out through injury problems of their own.

Maresca provided a concerning update on Lavia’s condition, revealing the midfielder faces an indefinite spell on the sidelines due to muscular issues.

When pressed on whether the problem was short or long-term, the Italian offered little reassurance, stating only that it represents “a muscular problem” with no clear return date.

The setback compounds Lavia’s frustrating Chelsea career, having missed the entirety of last season and significant chunks of this campaign through various fitness issues.

Essugo’s situation offers similarly grim reading for Maresca.

The Portuguese youngster appeared close to rejoining training sessions last week but has since suffered a setback that will keep him sidelined against Bournemouth.

Long-term absentee Levi Colwill remains unavailable as he continues rehabilitation from his ACL injury sustained during pre-season.

One positive emerged from Maresca’s briefing regarding Cole Palmer’s availability. The England international returned for the final 30 minutes at Elland Road on Wednesday evening after two months absent through groin and toe injuries, though whether he starts on the south coast is unclear.

Related Chelsea hold talks with defender's camp as Moises Caicedo offers thoughts on signing

The midfielder is playing a role in this potential transfer.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Dec 5, 2025

The widespread absences have forced Maresca into makeshift solutions, with captain Reece James and Malo Gusto both deployed in central midfield roles recently.

Maresca quite simply needs every man he can count on as Chelsea look to put that Leeds defeat behind them, making Villa’s interest in Liam Delap quite a surprise.

Aston Villa eyeing January move for Chelsea striker Liam Delap

The former Ipswich and Man City striker joined Chelsea six months ago in a deal worth around £30 million, spending much of the early campaign out with a hamstring problem before returning to the fold.

Delap finds himself behind Joao Pedro in the pecking order, with Football Insider’s Wayne Veysey now reporting that Villa are keen to capitalise and move for Delap in January.

It is believed Unai Emery’s side are eyeing a potential winter move for the 22-year-old amid their search for a prolific striker to complement Ollie Watkins, and could try to tempt him with a more ‘prominent role’.

It is unclear what Chelsea would demand for their new striker, but it’s far more likely they just won’t entertain a sale, period.

Delap’s first Chelsea goal arrived against Esperance in the Club World Cup, offering a glimpse of the predatory instincts that convinced BlueCo to invest in his services.

The highlight of Delap’s opening months came in November when he scored his maiden Champions League goal for Chelsea during their commanding 3-0 victory over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge.

Delap would arguably have more to show for his efforts if not for that hamstring injury, and it is very hard to envisage a scenario where Maresca could be open to selling the number nine already, especially amid their push for silverware and hectic fixture calendar.

That being said, in today’s footballing landscape, you can never rule anything out.