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TalkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan believes that it is now or never for Marcus Rashford's career, suggesting he should leave Manchester United immediately.

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Rashford told to leave Man Utd Has lost place as starter for England Simon Jordan calls him 'not world-class' GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Rashford has all but lost his place as a starter in Gareth Southgate's plans for England at Euro 2024 and Jordan believes that the forward has to leave the Red Devils this summer if he doesn't want his career to stagnate even further than it already has.

AdvertisementWHAT JORDAN SAID

Writing for Daily Mail, the talkSort pundit said: "He came off the bench for 15 minutes against Brazil and didn’t get on against Belgium. He’s not been a central figure for some time and his career appears to be going backwards. He’s become an impact substitute, someone who can come on for the last 20 minutes when the game is stretched. He might not like it but that’s where he is at the moment.

"I do, however, find a lot of what has been said about Rashford unfair. He’s not a world-class player so I always felt that judging him by those standards put him in a position where he’s always going to fall short. What he needs to do is apply himself, look like he’s interested, engaged and motivated again otherwise he may never reach the levels we saw from him at the beginning of his career.

"For whatever reason, whether it’s the life that he leads or the way he views the world, the pressure of playing for United or having too much money and too many distractions, I don’t see a player who has evolved," he continued.

"The best we saw of him was at the start of his career and a brief rally last season. It’s certainly hard to argue he has become a better player in the last five years. I think he’s got worse, I don’t see any area of his game that has developed. Normally when you get older and move into your prime in sport, and in life, you get better or you find your level. I would suggest he’s found his level.

"For a man who protests to love Manchester United so much it’s a difficult situation but I think it’s perhaps time for him to move on. He’s run his course at Old Trafford and could flourish again at a new club," he explained.

"There has been endless links to Paris Saint-Germain which could be an option if it’s a move he’d be interested in. He won’t go short of a bob or two in France, he’ll win league titles, play in the Champions League and be away from the goldfish bowl of United and the British media. That has its benefits. But I don’t see him moving to a top-six rival which speaks volumes about where both he and United currently are, so he’s limited to potential interest from overseas."

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Rashford broke onto the world football scene in 2016 having come up through Manchester United's academy. On his debut with the club, he scored a brace in the Europa League and followed it up with a winner on his Premier League debut against Arsenal three days later. He also scored in his first Manchester derby, as well as on his Carabao Cup and Champions League debuts. However, Rashford's career has seen multiple ups and downs due to inconsistency in form.

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WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

The 26-year-old will now work hard until the end of the club season with Manchester United as he hopes to regain his lost form before he joins Southgate's England side for the European Championship in Germany.

The Bavarians are no strangers to pinching talent from their domestic rivals, but hiring the Bayer Leverkusen manager would be on another level

By all indications, Xabi Alonso will leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season. The team that he has built and fine-tuned seems set to collapse after its greatest achievement – the eyes of big-spenders all over Europe turning their gaze to the presumptive Bundesliga champions.

This, of course, will be a shame. Leverkusen are an immensely exciting team to watch and have destabilised what was becoming a dull, well-established order at the top of the German top flight. They could yet finish the season unbeaten in all competitions, with three trophies well within their grasp. And even if things go awry, Alonso has still coached Leverkusen to one of, if not the great season in club history.

Bigger things, therefore, will soon beckon, though Alonso next move isn't yet clear, with it still a toss-up between Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich and Premier League title-chasers Liverpool as to which of his former clubs he will take charge of this summer.

Still, there is an ominous sense that Bayern are pulling narrowly ahead in the race to hire Europe's most coveted coach. If they pull it off, it will be the ultimate coup in a lengthy history of the club picking off best talent from their domestic rivals.

Getty ImagesEurope's most wanted

It's hard to remember a summer where there is expected to be so much managerial change at the very top of the game. Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona all already know that they need to be looking for new faces in the dugout, while Manchester United and Chelsea could yet join them in that search. Factor in potential departures from top international jobs following the European Championship and Copa America, and the number of elite-level vacancies could be at an all-time high.

With a finite number of top-tier candidates to go around, Alonso would seem to be the best. Barring a legendary collapse, the Spain legend will end Bayern's 11-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga, all while playing eye-catching football on a limited budget.

When he took over just 18 months ago, Leverkusen were in the relegation zone, were poor defensively and had no real attacking direction. Since then, despite losing some of his top talents, Alonso has reinvented the team. They are yet to lose this season, will probably claim the league crown by at least 10 points, and are among the favourties to win the Europa League, too.

The Spaniard has united a disillusioned fan base, got the best out of some of Europe's best young talents, and found the kind of value in the transfer market that big clubs across Europe consistently fail to seek out. It is only natural, then, that Alonso is the manager everyone wants. In a game that relies so heavily on marginal gains and minute advantages, Alonso would seem to be the kind of coach that could get the best out of any team.

Advertisementgetty imagesBoost for Bayern

For Bayern, then, hiring Alonso would make a lot of sense. For all of their domestic success, it has been a tricky two years in Bavaria. Julian Nageslmann never truly convinced as a manager, and things had become unsustainable when he was sacked in March 2023 – despite the fact that he had the side alive in domestic and European competitions.

Thomas Tuchel seemed set to turn things around. The smart tactician worked wonders at Chelsea, and was handed the kind of squad at Bayern that could not only retain their Bundesliga crown with ease, but also push for European success. The reality proved somewhat different; Bayern were handily beaten by Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals and required a remarkable Borussia Dortmund collapse to snag the Bundesliga title in the dying stages of the final day.

And they haven't improved since then. Losses in cup competitions and inconsistent league form have them out of the picture for a domestic prize. European success would also seem unlikely at this point, with first Arsenal and then either Man City or Real Madrid in their path when it comes to reaching the Champions League final.

There is a real chance this could be a trophy-less season at the Allianz Arena, and Tuchel has already agreed to leave at the end of the campaign. Bayern need a new manager, and Alonso is the best available.

GettyLiverpool's interest

But they're not the only club looking to snag Alonso. The next few months are poised to be the playing out of a high-profile race between two of the manager's former clubs to secure his services as Liverpool, too, are looking for a new face in the dugout after Jurgen Klopp announced his intent to leave at the end of the season.

The Reds would seem to have similar criteria for a new manager. Not only are they looking for a clever tactician, they also require a prominent leader, one that can connect to a fanbase that will undoubtedly have questions following the departure of such a legendary figure in Klopp. Alonso is perhaps the only manager on the market who would fit both remits.

Early reports suggested that he was the most likely man to take the job – and was leaning towards a move to England at the end of the season, but talk of him favouring Bayern has since gathered steam, as have reports of Liverpool considering alternatives. Alonso, for his part, has stayed quiet, denying links to both clubs.

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Getty ImagesBayern's BuLi robberies

Looking within the Bundesliga for their next game-changer is hardly new territory for Bayern, who have made it part of their business model to bring in the best talents from their domestic rivals.

Klopp knows that all too well. In April 2013, Mario Gotze, Borussia Dortmund's attacking midfielder and presumed next star of the Bundesliga, agreed to join Bayern in a €37 million deal, making him then the most-expensive German player of all time. The transfer severed already fractious relations between the two clubs, and Klopp implied that the timing of the deal – breaking just 24 hours before his side's Champions League semi-final – was engineered to destabilise his team's season.

Gotze wasn't the only one, though. Robert Lewandowski followed him the following year, agreeing to join Bayern on a free transfer after Dortmund refused to sell him in the summer of 2013 – even though they knew he had no plans to sign a new contract the following year.

And that pattern has only continued since. Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Niklas Sule, Mats Hummels and Benjamin Pavard were all stolen from Bayern's domestic rivals, while even further back in time, Michael Ballack and Manuel Neuer also arrived from key competitors.

With wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow ruled out, Trevor Bayliss admitted England have yet to decide on their team for the Galle Test

George Dobell in Galle04-Nov-2018Head coach Trevor Bayliss has admitted England have “some thinking to do” before deciding on their team for the Galle Test. With Jonny Bairstow now confirmed as an absentee for the first Test, which starts on Tuesday, England still have to decide who will keep wicket, who will bat at No. 3 and on the balance of their side.They arrived at the ground on Sunday and were surprised to find just a little moisture in a pitch that otherwise looked pretty good for batting. With heavy rain again curtailing training, the ground was covered raising the prospect that the surface may not dry out as much as was previously expected. As a result, England are hesitating before confirming the selection of all three spin bowlers on a pitch that usually provides copious assistance for such bowlers.”We’ve got a bit of thinking to do,” Bayliss told Talksport. “We’re not committing to an absolute 11 at this very moment. We’d be silly to do that in these weather conditions.”The pitch has a little moisture in it at the moment but there’s still two days to go. If the covers are down for a little while it might hold some of that moisture but I still expect it to dry out and spin as the game goes on.”It’s a harder selection from the point of view that we’re not discussing one position. We’re discussing three or four positions. So it’s very hard.”With Bairstow ruled out of this game – but back in training and understood to have a good chance of returning for the second Test – Bayliss confirmed that either Jos Buttler or Ben Foakes will keep. While Foakes has yet to play international cricket, he is the higher-rated keeper, with Buttler admitting towards the end of the limited-overs series that he had not been satisfied with the level of his own keeping in recent times.”I think Jos would be the first to agree he’s kept better at different times,” Bayliss said. “We know he is a good keeper but sometimes here, on these different wickets, it doesn’t come through quite so well and it shows up a little bit of footwork. But he’s been in the nets and working very hard over the last week or so and gloved them pretty well in the practice game.”Buttler and Foakes are both still very much in our thinking. Definitely one of them will be keeping but how we structure the batting order and what combination of bowlers we put in to the team could determine who eventually gets the gloves.”We’ve got to pick a team we think can take 20 wickets on some of these pitches in Sri Lanka.”Among the options to be considered by Bayliss and Joe Root – Ed Smith is in Galle but does not select the final XI – is playing either Moeen Ali or Ben Stokes at No. 3. But there are concerns that their workload as bowlers could prove too onerous. As a result it remains possible England could also play Sam Curran and Chris Woakes among an allrounder-studded line-up that includes four seamers and three spinners. In that eventuality, Buttler would have to keep and bat No. 6.”Yes, that’s been one of the discussion points,” Bayliss said. “Moeen batted at No. 3 in the last Test at home. But his bowling workload is a concern if we want him to bat at three. How will he handle bowling maybe 40-plus overs in an innings?”It might give the allrounders a break [if we played seven bowlers]. Ben Stokes, for example, is in the team because he bats. It’s a bonus that he bowls. It’s a little bit the same with Moeen, too, even though he probably bowls a little more. It just allows us the opportunity to put in the extra bowler or an extra batter when we want to, depending on the conditions. And if we do go with three spinners we’ve got right arm offspin, left-arm orthodox and legspin. We’ve got all bases covered.”But we certainly haven’t finalised an XI yet. We want a final look at the wicket over the next 24 hours. I think we’re getting closer but I think we’d be silly to make a decision now two days out.”1800 GMT – This story was updated with embargoed quotes

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that the club will bring in another central defender before the transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

The Hoops swooped to sign Hayato Inamura on a permanent deal earlier this month, but the Japanese defender is one for the future and another option in that area of the pitch is expected.

Rodgers already has Auston Trusty, Liam Scales, Dane Murray, Stephen Welsh, and Cameron Carter-Vickers in the centre-back positions, on top of the signing of Inamura, and they are looking for another.

CelticWay have reported that the club are weighing up a possible move to sign Dutch central defender Justin De Haas from Famalicão to add to their ranks.

The 25-year-old, left-footed, titan is valued at £3m by the Portuguese outfit, and could come in to compete for a place at the heart of the Hoops defence.

The role that Justin De Haas could play for Celtic

The potential signing of the Famalicão titan is an interesting one for the Scottish giants, because it would leave Rodgers with three left-footed centre-back options, in him, Scales, and Trusty.

Last season, the manager said that he prefers to play centre-backs on the side of their stronger foot because it “allows you to get through the pitch quicker and have more speed playing forward”, which suggests that De Haas will be competing with Trusty and Scales.

Based on their respective performances at league level in the 2024/25 campaign, De Haas’ biggest hurdle to making the starting XI could be the Ireland international.

Trusty joined from Sheffield United last summer and endured a difficult campaign in Scotland, as he ended the season as a back-up option behind Scales, and the Dutch star could come in as an upgrade on him.

Appearances

29

22

26

Goals

2

1

2

Tackles + interceptions per game

3.0

2.3

1.9

Dribbled past per game

0.3x

0.5x

0.2x

Clearances per game

5.4

4.0

4.8

Error led to shot

0

4

1

Error led to goal

1

1

0

Penalties committed

0

0

1

As you can see in the table above, De Haas could even offer more to the team than Scales, with more defensive actions and fewer errors leading to shots, goals, or penalties overall.

This suggests that he could be a starting-calibre left-sided centre-back option for Celtic if he can translate his form over to the Scottish Premiership, but there is also the possibility that he is a second-choice to Scales, with Trusty demoted to a reserve.

Overall, given he will need to adapt to the league, De Haas could be a back-up centre-back at first, which is why their pursuit of a new winger is an even more exciting prospect.

Celtic in talks to sign new winger

According to the Daily Record, Celtic want to spend the money they are set to rake in from Como for Nicolas Kuhn to sign two new wingers this summer.

The German forward is set to sign for the Italian side for a reported fee of £16.5m, which will provide the Hoops with funds to dip into the market themselves.

Transfer Focus

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

This latest report from the Daily Record states that the Scottish Premiership champions are locked in talks with Royal Antwerp over a deal for Belgian winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

The outlet states that Royal Antwerp value the forward at a fee of around £5m, but they may lower it in order to push a transfer through in the coming weeks.

It adds that the 24-year-old attacker, who predominantly plays on the left flank, is keen on a switch to Parkhead this summer, which suggests that personal terms would not be too much of a problem if a fee can be agreed.

Why Balikwisha would be an exciting signing

Balikwisha would be an even more exciting signing than De Haas for Celtic this summer because he could slot straight into the starting XI from the first match.

Jota is set to miss the first half of the season with a knee injury, having suffered an ACL blow last term, and that has left a vacant spot on the left wing ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Until a new senior centre-forward is in the building, Daizen Maeda could continue where he left off as the starting number nine, which means that he would not be the starter on the left flank. Therefore, Balikwisha could have a free run at the left wing position to be a starter in the Premiership.

This means that, unlike De Haas, Celtic supporters could expect to see the Belgian wizard in the starting line-up when the Hoops host St Mirren at Parkhead on the opening day in August.

As well as being a potential frontline starter, which the Dutch defender may not initially be, Balikwisha could also be a more exciting signing because he is an attacking player who has the potential to deliver goals and assists.

Starts

27

12

xG

6.46

2.65

Goals

7

4

Big chances created

6

7

Key passes per game

1.5

1.6

Assists

5

3

As you can see in the table above, Balikwisha has produced 11 goals and 13 ‘big chances’ created in his last 39 starts in the Belgian top-flight for Royal Antwerp.

The 24-year-old star was described as a “creative” talent by analyst Will Glavin, which is backed up by his return of seven ‘big chances’ created in 12 starts in the Pro League last season.

Balikwisha is a winger who has shown that he has the ability to deliver goals and assists at a fairly impressive rate in Belgium, which suggests that he could thrive in a dominant Celtic team that wins week-in-week-out.

The £5m-rated star could get supporters off their feet with his quality in the final third, as the anticipation could build whenever he picks the ball up in space out on the left flank.

Celtic can sign a better ST than Kvistgaarden in "complete" £6.8m star

Celtic could forget all about Mathias Kvistgaarden by signing this striker this summer.

1 ByDan Emery Jul 6, 2025

Therefore, the Royal Antwerp wing wizard could be an even more exciting signing than De Haas due to his potential to be an immediate starter, as well as him being an attack-minded player, rather than a centre-back.

Kent slip six down in reply despite fifties from Feroze Khushi and Jack Leaning

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2024James Vince completed his fourth Vitality County Championship double-century before Hampshire’s bowlers cemented the host’s advantage on day two.Hampshire captain Vince showcased the very best of his aesthetically pleasing batting to go from 149 overnight to 211. He was able to declare on 505 for 8, following attacking duo James Fuller’s 41 and Keith Barker’s 43, before Barker, Mohammad Abbas and Kyle Abbott chipped away with wickets.Feroze Khushi and Jack Leaning bagged contrasting fifties for the visitors but they ended the day still 299 runs behind on 206 for 6.Vince had turned the shape of day one with a mesmerising century, and came out for a swaggering encore. He reached 150 with the third ball of the day via the first of eight cover drives, each caressing the middle of the bat and whistling to the boundary.It was the kind of Vince innings which had it taken place a decade ago would have created a clamour for an England call-up. But despite 1000 runs last season and back-to-back hundreds, his Test days appear behind him.Ben Brown took his partnership with Vince to 259 – Hampshire’s all-time best against Kent for the fourth wicket – before inside edging onto his pads to loop to second slip, before Liam Dawson was bowled by Joey Evison.Despite Vince’s prowess, this was the first time since 2018 that he had scored two Championship centuries in a season, and he continued to smash the ball around Utilita Bowl. His 200 came up in 262 balls, with only Phil Mead, Gordon Greenidge and Jimmy Adams scoring more doubles for Hampshire.Vince was only quelled on 211 when the tireless Grant Stewart found a trampoline on a length to take the shoulder of the bat through to second slip.James Fuller and Keith Barker took on Vince’s mantel and further upped the run-rate with some aggressive batting either side of lunch. The pair put on an entertaining 69 with both crashing scores in the 40s to keep Kent’s bowlers in the dirt. Both were bowled before Vince called Felix Organ and Kyle Abbott in after an unbroken 35 partnership to declare on 508 for 8.Feroze Khushi, on loan from Essex, was eye-catching in reply. Whether it was the shot a ball, having the ball thrown at him by Mohammad Abbas – who was docked five penalty runs – or insisting that a ball hadn’t carried to third slip.The piece de resistance was a see-it-to-believe-it whipped six over square leg on his way to a 38-ball fifty.But wickets kept falling. Ben Compton was leg before in the third over to Barker while Abbas ended his first four overs having gone for 31 but hit back with a snorter to have Daniel Bell-Drummond caught behind in a wicket maiden.Khushi fell over a full Barker delivery, Evison edged Abbas behind before Barker picked up his third when Tawanda Muyeye dangled to Ben Brown. But throughout, Leaning bedded in and found little problem to slowly take his side away from a complete collapse. His fifty coming in 89 balls and ended the day unbeaten on 73.Harry Finch was sharply caught and bowled by Abbott off the final delivery of the day with Kent miles from avoiding the follow-on.

Sunderland have had some of the Premier League’s most iconic strikers down the years, but one man in particular has been praised as one of the best talents of his era.

No one at the Stadium of Light will forget the name Tommy Watson in a hurry regardless of how his move to Brighton pans out, but as the dust settles on a memorable campaign and that stunning late win at Wembley, the Black Cats must now turn their attentions to building a squad capable of surviving football’s toughest task.

Sunderland's promotion season in pictures

Regis Le Bris’ side were the lowest scorers in the Championship’s top six, with 58 goals to their name in 46 games, as Wilson Isidor (13) and Eliezer Mayenda (10) were their only players to score more than five league goals.

And it’s fair to say this is a club who have lived off the backs of great number nines down the years, with the likes of Jermain Defoe, Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn all thriving on Wearside.

1. Kevin Phillips

61

2. Jermain Defoe

34

3. Niall Quinn

29

4. Kenwyne Jones

26

5. Darren Bent

24

6. Steven Fletcher

23

7. Adam Johnson

19

8. Stéphane Sessègnon

17

9. Fabio Borini

14

10. Kieran Richardson

14

Many of the club’s most iconic moments have come from their front men, from Darren Bent’s famous ‘beach ball goal’ against Liverpool to Fabio Borini’s incredible late effort to sink Alan Pardew’s Newcastle.

But while no one comes close to “Super Kev” Phillips from a statistical standpoint, few would argue that Defoe is right up there alongside him as one of the most talented players to ever put on the red and white shirt, and England legend David Platt once revealed he may be even better than that.

Platt: Defoe was as good as Michael Owen and Luis Figo

Speaking about his time as Defoe’s manager in the England Under-21 set-up, Platt, who earned 62 caps for the Three Lions himself, once revealed a 19 year-old Defoe was one of the greatest talents he had ever seen.

Defoe scored 163 Premier League goals in total, placing him inside the division’s top ten and behind only six other Englishmen – Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Andrew Cole, Frank Lampard and Robbie Fowler.

While his longest spell in England’s top flight came with Tottenham Hotspur, some of his most iconic moments were produced in a Sunderland shirt, most notably that stunning strike against Newcastle at the Stadium of Light, and fans will also never forget his relationship with Bradley Lowery.

Defoe’s love for the club hasn’t waned either, as the 42 year-old was spotted at Wembley celebrating their promotion, also praising Le Bris for the impactful substitutions of Patrick Roberts and Watson: “We spoke before about the manager not panicking, and the substitution, Patrick Roberts came on and done his thing.”

Sunderland lining up centre-back signing who Van Dijk said is "outstanding"

He could be perfect for Regis Le Bris.

ByHenry Jackson Jun 3, 2025

It’s hard to imagine the likes of Isidor and Mayenda will be able to replicate the Englishman’s stunning influence in the North East, but the young Spaniard’s equalising goal against Sheffield United was certainly a good start.

The ten franchises have a total of 77 slots to fill at the auction on December 19 in Dubai

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Dec-20231:07

Moody: Langer will want to retain stability around Lucknow Super Giants

Seven of Australia’s ODI World Cup winning squad – Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott – are among 25 players to enter the 2024 IPL player auction with a base price of INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approximately).The auction will take place on December 19 in Dubai, the first time it has been held outside India.New Zealand batting allrounder Rachin Ravindra, who scored 578 runs at a strike rate of 106 and took five wickets at the World Cup, has listed his base price at INR 50 lakhs (USD 60,000 approximately).Some of the other significant players in the highest base price band are fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, who was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker at the World Cup, and England batter Harry Brook, who was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, along with Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Kedar Jadhav.Related

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The ten franchises have a total of 77 slots to fill, of which 30 can be overseas players. Based on skillset and performance at the recent ODI World Cup, Starc, Head and Ravindra are being tipped to spark fierce bidding among the franchises. If Starc gets bought, he will be returning to the IPL after eight years, having last played the 2015 season for RCB. He did enter the 2018 auction, where he was bought for INR 9.4 crore by KKR, but missed the season because of injury. This time, however, Starc is keen to utilise the IPL as preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June.Head was the Player of the Match in the semis and finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup last month. He hasn’t played the IPL since 2017, when he was part of RCB and played ten games across two seasons, scoring 205 runs at a strike rate of 138.51.Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc: will they go for big bucks at the 2024 IPL player auction?•ICC/Getty ImagesOn Friday, the IPL shared with the franchises a long list of 1166 players who had registered for the auction. The final pool, however, will be much smaller after the teams submit the names of players they are interested in to the IPL. The long list includes 45 players from Associate nations, 909 uncapped players of which 812 are Indian, and 18 capped Indian players.The likes of Harshal, Wanindu Hasaranga, Brook, Thakur along with uncapped Indian batter Shahrukh Khan will once again remain confident of attracting strong interest from more than one franchise. Both Harshal and Hasaranga, who were bought for the same price – 10.75 crore – were released by Royal Challengers, mainly because of their weak numbers at M Chinnaswamy stadium, the franchise’s home base.Brook was bought by Sunrisers for INR 13.25 crore, making him the most expensive overseas buy at a mini auction by the franchise. Brook, though, failed to make any impact barring a century early on last IPL, forcing Sunrisers to re-think their investment.Thakur, too, was bought for 10.75 cr in a trade before the 2023 auction from Delhi Capitals. However, Thakur managed just seven wickets in 10 matches at an economy of nearly 11 and an average of 31.42. Thakur failed to make any impact with the bat, too, scoring 113 runs in 10 innings.Shahrukh, who plays for Tamil Nadu, made his IPL debut in 2021 when Punjab bought him for 5.25 cr. A year later he was released ahead of the mega auction but bought back for 9 crore. However, just one Player-of-the-Match award proved disappointing for the player and franchise, who finally released him. Shahrukh has put his base price at 40 lakhs and would be keen to see his hometown franchise, Chennai Super Kings, interested in bagging him.Base Price INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approximately): Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Mustafizur Rahman, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Lockie Ferguson, Gerald Coetzee, Rilee Rossouw, Rassie van der Dussen, Angelo MathewsBase price INR 1.5 CR (USD 180,000 approximately): Mohammad Nabi, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Daniel Worrall, Tom Curran, Marchant de Lange, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Phil Salt, Corey Anderson, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Southee, Colin Ingram, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jason Holder, Sherfane RutherfordBase price INR 1 CR (USD 120,000 approximately): Ashton Agar, Riley Meredith, D’Arcy Short, Ashton Turner, Gus Atkinson, Sam Billings, Michael Bracewell, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Alzarri Joseph, Rovman Powell, David WieseESPNcricinfo Ltd

Andy Robertson labelled Liverpool target Florian Wirtz an "exciting talent" as the Reds aim to wrap up a deal for the exciting Germany playmaker.

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Liverpool step up Wirtz pursuitReds ready to shell out club-record feeRobertson spoke out on potential signingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 22-year-old playmaker is on the verge of joining the Reds in what could become the most expensive transfer in British football history. Although negotiations are still ongoing between Liverpool and Leverkusen, reports indicate that a deal has been struck, with only the payment structure left to finalise.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Should the €150 million (£127m/$171m) deal be completed as expected, Wirtz’s move to Anfield would eclipse the £115m Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo, setting a new benchmark in Premier League transfer spending. He had a sensational campaign in Germany, scoring 16 goals and assisting 15 times, spurring the Merseyside club to break the bank for the Germany international.

WHAT ROBERTSON SAID

Speaking to , Robertson shared his thoughts on the player Liverpool fans hope to soon welcome to Merseyside.

"He was excellent against us (Scotland, at Euro 2024) I do remember that," he said.

"Obviously that game was extremely tough for us, but he was excellent, he was the one causing us problems in the half-space, running in behind, he can mix it up. I haven't seen too much of him but I have played against him and that was enough to see he was going to be a top player. We played Leverkusen in the Champions League this year as well and we dominated that game a bit more as well, so it was probably a bit more difficult for him, but certainly in the German team against us he was excellent.

"We're certainly linked with him, that's for sure! You can't miss it, you can't not see it. But if we get him through then an exciting talent is through the door. We've already got a lot of exciting talent in there. He's a right good player. He'll only help us, and if he does get through the door then we'll be excited to play with him."

DID YOU KNOW?

Liverpool’s triumph in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign took many by surprise. Now, with the club crowned champions once more, Robertson acknowledges the shift in expectations heading into next season.

"I think that [pressure] is something that we're going to need to deal with," Robertson said. "The lads that have been there for a while. Me, Virgil, Mo and Ali, after we won the league the last time, we were kind of used to the pressure.

"For a lot of the lads that won it for the first time this season, and the lads coming in, they'll feel the pressure for the first time. We'll be favourites and there will certainly be more expectation on us than there was at the start of last season. That kind of suited us last season, we could go under the radar, get off to a good start, and by the time people took us seriously we were probably too far ahead!"

Chelsea haven’t been in the same high-flying form they started this Premier League campaign with, losing four of their last eight games in all competitions, including a 1-0 loss against Arsenal, a 2-1 loss against Aston Villa and back-to-back losses against Brighton.

However, despite their poor run of form, Enzo Maresca’s side still find themselves fourth in the Premier League table with nine games left to play as they enter the final stretch for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Chelsea are the Premier League’s joint-fourth top scorers, netting 53 times in 29 games so far, but whilst their defensive numbers have improved this season, Maresca will still be keen to refine this area of the pitch next season, looking to add personnel that fits his tactical ideas both on and off the ball.

Chelsea want to sign Premier League defender

Having kept a clean sheet in three of their last six games in all competitions, signing a new defender may not top Maresca’s bucket list this summer but they are on the lookout for a new centre-back, nonetheless.

Transfer Focus

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

The Blues have been linked with a move to bring Marc Guehi back to Stamford Bridge from Crystal Palace but he’s not the only Premier League star on the club’s radar.

Indeed, according to reports from Spain, via SportWitness, Chelsea are in the race for Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, and will challenge the likes of Real Madrid for the 19-year-old defender’s signature in the summer transfer window.

The report mentions that Maresca will be a key figure in this deal, with the Italian reportedly being in “direct contact” with the defender’s entourage for “years” after playing for Malaga in Spain, the same academy Huijsen was with from 2015-2021.

Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that the Spanish defender has a £50m release clause, which will become active in the summer, valid for all clubs with no limitations around the deal. Romano also stated, ‘movements around the defender have already started.’

How Dean Huijsen compares to Fofana & Colwill

Bournemouth made the signing of Huijsen for a fee of around just £12.6m, with add-ons potentially taking the deal to a total of £15.2m.

That has proven to be a bargain with the 19-year-old making 27 appearances for the Cherries this season, scoring twice and contributing to six clean sheets in his 2,093 minutes played.

The number of minutes he’s played is particularly important here. That’s because no other teenager in the top-flight this term has played more often than him.

So, what could he offer to Maresca’s set-up and how would he improve the make-up of this Chelsea backline?

Well, when comparing Huijsen to both Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana, you can see the Bournemouth defender is a combination of the two.

Goals + Assists

0.12

0.00

0.07

Progressive Carries

1.38

1.46

0.37

Progressive Passes

4.20

2.46

4.04

Pass Completion %

83.5%

90.2%

89.6%

Passes into Final Third

5.80

4.15

4.70

Tackles

1.49

1.00

1.26

Blocks

1.70

1.08

1.07

Interceptions

1.92

1.08

1.04

Aerial Duels Won

2.55

2.08

2.52

Indeed, Huijsen provides the aggressive duel qualities to win aerial and ground battles, make tackles and blocks, but also has the on-ball silk to pick passes, making 5.80 passes into the final third per 90 minutes.

Notable scout Jacek Kulig has labeled the 19-year-old as a “phenomenal” young centre-back who has “maturity far beyond his years” and it is clear to see why he has such a long list of suitors with these qualities.

The Spain international has the ability to partner either one of Colwill or Fofana next season, possessing both the on-ball qualities needed in Maresca’s back line – usually acquired by Colwill’s inclusion – and also having the defensive capability to step up, defend high and win his duels.

Having these three as centre-back options next season could give Chelsea and Maresca a much better chance of taking that next step and eventually challenging for a title.

Maresca can forget Neto & Nkunku by starting Chelsea "genius" in new role

Enzo Maresca could have a solution to his current Chelsea centre-forward issue.

ByEthan Lamb Mar 27, 2025

He went from being their top wicket-taker to being benched in the space of two IPL seasons, but the mystery spinner believes this is his year to bounce back

Deivarayan Muthu31-Mar-2023Varun Chakravarthy burst onto the cricketing scene in 2018 as a mystery spinner with a bagful of variations, but his life – and career – has had more twists and turns than there are variations in his repertoire.He started his career as a wicketkeeper-batter who wanted to become the “next Dinesh Karthik”, then had a cameo as an actor in a Tamil movie, , when he was trying to break through as an assistant director. Somewhere along the way he ditched cricket and movies for architecture. He then returned to cricket again as a mystery spinner who could turn the ball both ways at a quick pace.Related

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It was those abilities, a prized and uncommon skill set, that gave Kolkata Knight Riders’ attack a potent point of difference in the 2020 and 2021 IPLs. Soon after, Varun played for India in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. However, in IPL 2022, his form and rhythm plummeted so much that he was benched for three games. The ball wasn’t quite turning both ways or he wasn’t giving it much of a chance to do so by uncharacteristically tossing it up too full, which allowed batters to get underneath the length and pump him over the top. The mystery in his bowling seemed to have disappeared.

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There is one constant theme in Varun’s life: he has bounced back from setbacks – both on and off the field. In 2017, for example, he started his own architecture business, but the floods in Chennai that year damaged his sites, resulting in heavy losses. He managed to find a way to overcome that disappointment. If anything, setbacks have been catalysts for him to bounce back. Just like when he decided to switch his career path to cricket from architecture.Having experienced such lows in life, Varun didn’t allow a few bad games in the IPL last season to send him into a shell. “Yes, obviously, I take the lessons [from life],” he says. “Cricket is part of my life and whatever happens in life also affects cricket. So I try to implement life lessons into my cricket as well and what I have understood is that even during your ups and downs, you should be level, and the only people who will always be with you are your family.Varun went wicketless in the three T20 World Cup matches he played in the UAE in 2021•Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images”I know that I’m not foolproof or damage-proof and I was expecting this kind of an [IPL] season at some point. Everyone will go through a low time, but it’s about coming back.”Sriram Krishnamurthy, Varun’s coach at Madurai Panthers in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and a former coach with Northern Brave Men in New Zealand, credits Varun with maintaining an equilibrium in both his cricket and life. “Even though he had that IPL season he had, one good thing about Varun we’ve seen from day one is, he never gets too high and never gets too low,” Sriram says. “While his confidence was dented after the last IPL, he wasn’t broken, and that comes down to the person that he is. He’s very practical and realistic about understanding the game and life per se. That’s a big strength of his because I feel like for someone who has had the life he has – being a late entrant into cricket – and how far he has gone, for anyone else, it could have taken them away from reality. We’ve seen other players get lost after this sort of quick success, whereas I feel with Varun, he is always focused on what he has to do and I feel the mental element of bouncing back from failures is there with him.”

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What went wrong with Varun last season?Having worked his way up from a tennis-ball background, he previously hadn’t played or practised as much as he did in the last five years. As a result, he veered away from his strengths and some undesirable technical changes also crept into his bowling. His run-up became slower, his lengths fuller, and overall his bowling lost some of its fizz.In the UAE, Varun got some of his fuller ones to skid or hold off the pitch, but on fairly easy-paced hit-through-the line Indian tracks last season, batters lined him up easily. According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, he conceded 107 runs off 48 full balls last IPL.Around the time he was relegated to the sidelines by the Knight Riders, he sat down and watched his old videos to remedy his bowling. “After those games, I had a break,” Varun says. I was basically trying to flight the ball, which was not my expertise. I [now] bowl quicker and that has worked for me. It was better sticking to that. Personally, I worked on my run-up as well. I realised it quite late, but I came to know that was a mistake.Sriram Krishnamurthy, Madurai Panthers coach: “If, with his pace, Varun ensures the batsman doesn’t have much time to think, I feel that will set him up well”•BCCI”I [had] just started running slower because… if a cricketer practises for a long time again and again, there are a few basics you might forget, which you usually get right. It was a case of that and then when I watched previous videos of my bowling, I realised I was running slow. Then my run-up was quicker, like what it was before, and I feel that was the difference. The last three matches for KKR went well for me after the break.”Once he returned to action for Knight Riders in the last stretch of IPL 2022, Varun hit the pitch much harder, increased his pace, dragged his length back, and denied batters easy access to the boundary. He stuck to his guns in the TNPL 2022 that followed and he and Sriram tried to recreate what had worked for Varun when he first broke into the IPL.”I remember having a conversation with him about what he was doing well when he was going well, in terms of the pace and length he bowled,” Sriram recalls. “By being slower through the air and bowling fuller, he was also giving batsmen an opportunity to sort of get to the pitch of the ball, and when you’re doing that you take away the element of [doubt about] which way the ball is going to go. From that perspective, we discussed how he was successful by bowling that length or slightly back of a length, which made the batsmen play him pretty much only off the pitch. The quicker pace with which he bowls means batsmen will have slightly less time to react.”He did go towards doing something different in the last IPL. For a player to evolve, he has to constantly keep working, and that was probably the journey Varun was going on as well. On the basis of performance, it didn’t necessarily reflect too well on how he did for KKR in that IPL, which again dented his confidence a little bit. But again, the clarity he had about his own bowling and whatever the conversation we had was not about me telling him what to do, but it was a process of rediscovering what he did well before, and to his credit, he was fully aware of his strengths. So he recreated that confidence. [Also] there is a difference in the quality of batting in TNPL and IPL. So it gives him a bit more space and time to get his confidence back, so to say.”With the IPL returning to the home-and-away format, Varun is set to play for KKR at Eden Gardens for the first time. He is usually not a big turner of the ball and particularly relishes bowling on bouncier or even flatter pitches. With Eden Gardens no longer the turner that it once used to be, Sriram thinks Varun has the tools to be penetrative at the venue.After his three-game break in the IPL last year, Varun returned to take two wickets in two games•BCCI”Varun is slightly taller than most average spinners and the other thing is his high release point,” Sriram says. “That release point helps him get bounce off the wicket. He has to bowl that length to extract that bounce. If he uses his height and release point… like he said, maybe he’s not a massive turner of the ball, but he turns the ball enough. If he ensures that the batsman doesn’t have too much time to sit back and think, which comes down to the pace at which Varun bowls, then I feel that will set him up well.”Varun has tuned up for the new IPL season after getting ample game time with Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Madurai Panthers in the TNPL, and Vijay CC in the Chennai league during the city’s oppressive summer.”At Tamil Nadu and in the TNPL, they’ve been using me as a death bowler, so it’s something that challenges me and hopefully I’ll be able to do the job in the IPL as well,” Varun says. “KKR have shown a lot of faith in me, which is important for any player. The KKR management has always been in constant touch with me on how I’m doing and all those things. I’ll always be grateful to KKR for what they’ve bestowed upon me and the responsibility that they’ve given me.”Right after the end of the IPL, we had another camp at the KKR academy. Normally people have a camp before the IPL, but the same players were part of another camp. You don’t know if you will be retained or not, but still we trained with the same bunch of guys. That’s something I liked about what they did last year, and it basically helped our preparation for Syed Mushtaq Ali [Trophy]. Regardless of whether they’re going to retain that player or not, they called all the Indians for the camp again. Hopefully, I can live up to the expectations this IPL.”As a retained player, the expectations on Varun to deliver are even greater this IPL and whichever way this season goes, it could well add another twist to his career.