With long-time leaders Arsenal looking likely to lose out to Manchester City, the Gunners of 2022-23 can be added to this rather ignominious list…

At times during the 2022-23 season, Arsenal have been as many as eight points clear at the top of the Premier League. Dreams of a first league title since 'The Invincibles' in 2004 have taken over the Gunners' campaign, with Mikel Arteta's team playing the most thrilling football the Emirates Stadium crowd has seen from the home side.

However, after their 3-0 home defeat to Brighton, it now seems certain that Arsenal will miss out on the title, with Manchester City's superb winning run having moved Pep Guardiola's side clear at the top. City's win over the Gunners in April will perhaps be seen as the result that turned the tide, but Arsenal's three successive draws that preceded that 4-1 loss played as much of a part, if not bigger.

That run and subsequent surrendering of top spot has led to talk of Arsenal having 'bottled' the title, but would such talk really be fair, given Arsenal have surpassed all of their pre-season expectations? Let's not also forget they are going up against a state-backed club that has twice accepted UEFA sanctions for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and is presently facing more than 100 breaches of Premier League rules?

So, despite their late-season wobble, would they really deserve inclusion on the list of the most infamous title-race collapses in the competition's history?…

Newcastle 1995-96: 'LOVE IT!'

Even now, Kevin Keegan's infamous post-match rant against Alex Ferguson is a little tough to watch. There's so much passion on show, but also so much pain. It's a visceral display of defiance, but from a man clearly beginning to realise that he's fighting a losing battle.

For the majority of the 1995-96 season, Keegan's Newcastle looked destined to win their first league title since 1927, with a side which quickly became known as 'The Entertainers' sweeping all before them with a thrilling brand of football. At one point, they were 12 points clear.

However, United slowly began to close the gap and when Newcastle lost 4-3 to Liverpool in the greatest game in Premier League history, Keegan was disconsolate, the sight of him slumped over the advertising boardings at Anfield becoming one of the defining images of the season.

Just a few weeks later, though, he produced an even more memorable moment. After a 1-0 win at Leeds, Keegan let rip at Ferguson, who had publicly questioned whether opponents would fight as hard against Newcastle as they had against his United team.

"I've kept really quiet, but I'll tell you something, he went down in my estimation when he said that," Keegan fumed on Sky Sports. "We have not resorted to that, but I'll tell you, you can tell him now if you're watching it, we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and… and… I'll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them, LOVE IT!"

Unfortunately for Keegan, United did go to Middlesbrough and get something; three points, in fact. And they ended up winning the title quite comfortably in the end, with Newcastle drawing their final two fixtures.

Both Keegan and his team had been broken by Ferguson's masterclass in the art of mind games.

AdvertisementMan Utd 1997-98: Fergie's fury

People might not remember the name but everyone remembers the face. When Arsenal beat Premier League leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford on March 14, 1998, the coverage cut from the pitch to the crowd, where a curly-haired Gooner called Barry Ferst looked like he was almost about to explode with joy.

His excitement was understandable. Because of Marc Overmars' late goal, Arsenal were just six points behind United – and with three games in hand.

A clearly rattled Alex Ferguson tried to play down the significance of his side's defeat by questioning both Arsenal's quality and composure.

"If they win their games in hand they will go ahead of us, but they will find out they start dropping points towards the end of the season, there's no question about that," the Scot declared.

"They played well today but I don't think they are as good a football team as us."

Ferguson was wrong, though. His side ran well down the home straight but their title rivals never broke their stride until the race was won.

Indeed, that victory at Old Trafford proved the second of 10 consecutive wins that saw Arsenal win the title with two games to spare.

Arsene Wenger then capped off a remarkable first season in charge by leading his side to a 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the FA Cup final, thus completing only the second domestic double in the club's history.

Ferguson, meanwhile, was furious. United had led by 11 points after beating Chelsea in February – one Manchester bookmaker even paid out on them winning the title after that win – and blew the chance to move 14 points clear after suffering a shock loss at Sheffield Wednesday, which was followed by a 1-1 draw at West Ham.

The reigning English champions eventually finished their campaign without a major honour, which was unthinkable before the Arsenal loss, but that Overmars goal changed everything. And Ferst and his fellow fans knew it too.

Arsenal 2002-03: 'Hard to take'

Arsene Wenger was enraged by the portrayal of Arsenal's 2002-03 Premier League campaign as a "failure".

"Of course, we want to win the title but I think the most difficult thing for the club is to be consistent and we have been remarkably consistent," he argued.

"We lost the league to a team who spends 50 percent more money every year – last year they bought a player for £30m pounds when they lost the championship.

"They will do the same next year and we [have] done miracles just to fight with them."

In terms of Manchester United's financial might, Wenger had a point about the disparity between the two sides. However, there really was no denying that a star-studded Arsenal side had imploded during the title run-in.

After beating Charlton on Match 2, 2003, they were eight points clear, albeit having played one game more than United.

However, what followed was a disastrous run of results, with Arsenal winning just two of their next seven games, and a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Leeds on May 4 effectively ended their hopes of retaining their title.

During that costly spell, the Gunners had been held at Highbury by United, with Ryan Giggs earning the visitors a 2-2 draw.

It was another 2-2 draw, though, that really seemed to strip Arsenal of their remaining self-belief, with Wenger's side conceding twice in the final 15 minutes of a game against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

As the Frenchman conceded himself that day, "For the first time, it is out of our hands, which is hard to take."

Unfortunately for Arsenal, it was a blow from which they never recovered, with the fatal Leeds loss coming just eight days later.

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Arsenal 2007-08: Gallas breaks down at Birmingham

Arsenal's collective loss of concentration on an infamous afternoon at St Andrew's in February 2008 was understandable. After just three minutes of their game against Birmingham, they had seen team-mate Eduardo suffer a horrific broken leg after a terrible tackle by Martin Taylor.

However, William Gallas' late meltdown was utterly inexplicable, and arguably unforgivable.

Granted, the Arsenal captain had seen his side blow a 2-1 lead against 10 men, with Birmingham's equaliser coming via the penalty spot in the fifth minute of injury time.

And one could perhaps see why he felt compelled to take his frustration out on the advertising boards.

However, there was simply no excuse for what followed at full-time.

At a time when the Arsenal skipper should have been trying to rouse his disappointed team-mates, he was instead sitting on the pitch, having the mother of all strops.

It wasn't until Arsene Wenger appeared that Gallas belatedly decided to leave the field.

With that kind of leader, it was hardly surprising that Arsenal subsequently collapsed.

They had arrived in Birmingham five points clear at the top of the table thanks to a 10-game unbeaten run that featured eight wins.

However, they only managed to win one of their next seven games and eventually finished third, four points behind champions Manchester United.

Eduardo's dreadful injury obviously hadn't helped their cause but Gallas' pathetic display of petulance arguably proved even more damaging.

India captain Virat Kohli praised Yuzvendra Chahal as someone who “never says no” to bowling in any situation after the legspinner took 6 for 25 in India’s 75-run win over England at Bangalore

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore01-Feb-20172:05

‘We fought fire with fire’ – Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli has hailed the emergence of his side’s youngsters after they trampled England by 75 runs in the decider of the three-match series in Bangalore to add the T20 trophy to the Test and ODI series wins over the past three months.”We got the results we wanted,” Kohli said. “Obviously winning all three series feels really, really good right now because we’re up against a top-quality side. We understand that and to come on top after the end of all three series is a great feeling altogether knowing that we didn’t have that much experience in our teams.”The Test team is almost as good as new. Even in the one-day circuit, we have 3-4 experienced guys, but rest of the guys who stepped up are all youngsters, which is, I think, is a massive, massive boost for Indian cricket.”Kohli singled out wristspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who led the hosts to a series win in Bangalore with figures of 6 for 25, an Indian record, for special praise. He was also pleased with the depth in the spin group, led by R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who were both rested for the T20 leg.”The key today was to take wickets in the middle overs,” Kohli said. “Chahal didn’t do such a bad job with that. I always back someone like Chahal. In the IPL too, I use him in most of the matches. He never says no to bowling with the new ball or bowling in the middle overs, so I mean having a guy like this is great. He doesn’t say no to any situation.”It was Amit Mishra who set the stage for Chahal by removing Jason Roy with a loopy legbreak in the seventh over before finishing with 1 for 23. Mishra’s last over in the 13th, which cost India just three runs, preceded Chahal’s third over in which the latter took down England’s big guns – Joe Root and captain Eoin Morgan. Kohli said that the wicket-taking ability of Chahal and Mishra would allow the management to rest Ashwin and Jadeja “whenever” they want.”See guys like Chahal and Mishy, who has done well for us in limited-overs and in Tests also,” Kohli said. “Jayant [Yadav] too came in beautifully and did very well for us in the Tests. It gives us an opportunity to rest Ashwin and Jadeja whenever we want. There is no harm in using them as Test specialists and keeping them fresh. Guys like Chahal and Mishra and even [Parvez] Rasool are bowling so well. So we have a lot of spinners who are not only run-containing bowlers but also wicket-taking bowlers.”Chahal and Mishra both have an attacking mindset. All I tell them is go for the wickets, even if you get hit for a six, no big deal. Having them as the next line of spinners is a great thing for us.”Suresh Raina, arriving in the second over of the match after Kohli was run-out for 2, showed that attacking mindset with the bat to lay the groundwork for India’s score of 202 for 6. He set off with a flair-dripping inside-out six over the cover-point boundary and often flitted around the crease to throw the bowlers off their lengths, a departure from India’s recent safety-first approach with the bat in T20s.”The way we batted was again a revelation,” Kohli said. “Even after me getting out initially, Raina and KL [Rahul] didn’t stop their instincts, which is needed in T20 cricket. To reveal themselves, to find their characters, players need to play that way. They don’t need to think about what has happened. They need to keep thinking and looking ahead. That’s exactly what we did this game.”Kohli also credited MS Dhoni and senior seamer Ashish Nehra for offering their inputs during various stages of the limited-overs series.”I take a lot of advice from MS and am always speaking a lot to Ashish Nehra too,” Kohli said. “In the ODI series, I was talking to MS a lot. Although I have captained in the Test format for a while, ODI and T20 games move very fast. So to take advice from a person who has captained the side at this level for so long and understands the game really well is never a bad idea in crucial situations.”Kohli revealed that he was looking to squeeze an over from allrounder Hardik Pandya and widen the equation further after exhausting Chahal’s quota, but instead turned to a strike bowler in Jasprit Bumrah after discussing with Dhoni and Nehra. Bumrah responded by sewing up the game and the series with two wickets in three balls.”Bringing on Bumrah right after that over from Chahal, I was thinking of giving [Hardik] Pandya another over instead,” Kohli said. “[Dhoni and Nehra] suggested that let’s not wait till the 19th over and instead bring on the main bowlers. So these things really help when you are a new captain in the limited-overs format. But again, I am not new to captaincy, but there has to be a balance between understanding the skills needed to lead in shorter formats. MS has been helping a lot on that front.”

Mehul Patel took his second five-wicket haul and career-best figures of 5 for 35 to help Gujarat snatch the first-innings lead against Railways in Lahli. Gujarat had been bowled out for 187, after which Railways were brought down to 63 for 7 as 17 wickets fell on the opening day. Railways were shot out for 124, before Gujarat responded strongly in the second innings, ending the day on 295 for 3 for an overall lead of 358.Railways resisted when play resumed, with Karn Sharma and Anureet Singh, the overnight batsmen, adding 52 for the eighth wicket. Mehul then dismissed Anureet for his fifth, before Rush Kalaria wrapped up the innings with two wickets in the 44th over. Karn scored 48 and Anureet made 27, finishing as two of only three batsmen to record double-digit scores.Priyank Panchal scored 101 and shared a second-wicket stand of 141 with Bhargav Merai (70) to sink Railways. Parthiv Patel, the Gujarat captain, and Manpreet Juneja added 98 unbeaten runs for the fourth wicket before stumps were drawn. Parthiv was not out on 39 and Juneja had made 59.Madhya Pradesh snuffed out two Mumbai wickets to end the second day in Raipur in a dominant position. After MP’s first innings ended on 445, Mumbai were reduced to 38 for 2, trailing by 407 runs.MP had ended the opening day on 239 for 2 with Rajat Patidar unbeaten on 83 and Devendra Bundela on 36. Patidar batted on and raised his century before being dismissed for 106, while Bundela scored 60. Patidar, Harpreet Singh and Bundela fell for the addition of 16 runs, before MP were buoyed by Shubham Sharma (83 not out) and Ankit Dane (47), and the duo’s sixth-wicket partnership of 102. Vijay Gohil and Tushar Deshpande took three wickets each.Mumbai lost Kaustubh Pawar and nightwatchman Balwinder Sandhu in their reply. Akhil Herwadkar played out 58 balls and stayed not out on 29.Uttar Pradesh piled on a mammoth 524 before taking a Tamil Nadu wicket late in the day at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Tamil Nadu ended the day on 34 for 1, behind by 490 runs.UP began the day on 207 for 1, with Samarth Singh having struck his maiden century in only his second first-class match. Samarth added 72 more to his overnight tally, before being dismissed 13 short of a double ton. Umang Sharma, who resumed on 36, added only 10 more to his overnight score, but UP were lifted by contributions all around, including half-centuries from Eklavya Dwivedi, the captain and wicketkeeper, who struck 60, and Saurabh Kumar (51). T Natarajan, the left-arm medium pacer, inflicted the bulk of the damage, taking 4 for 83.Sandeep Sharma added two wickets to his overnight tally to finish with 4 for 96 as Bengal‘s first innings ended on 404 against Punjab at the Lohnu Cricket Ground in Bilaspur. Amit Kulia, Bengal’s new-ball bowler, then struck thrice in 16 overs as Punjab went into stumps on 168 for 4, behind Bengal by 236 runs.Bengal began the day on 332 for 5, with Pankaj Shaw unbeaten on 11 and Pragyan Ojha on 2. While Ojha fell on the same score in the 10th ball of the day, Shaw batted on and raised a half-century. He was the last man dismissed, for 55. Sandeep Sharma was supported by Vinay Choudhary, who took 3 for 75.Punjab lost Manan Vohra and Jinwanjot Singh early, while Yuvraj Singh, the captain, and Gurkeerat Singh got off to starts, but couldn’t convert them. Uday Kaul held up his end and scored an unbeaten 73, and in the company of Taruwar Kohli (26 not out) prevented further damage. Kulia finished with 3 for 44, while his opening partner Ashok Dinda took the other wicket.

Leeds United reportedly see West Brom boss Carlos Corberan as a possible ideal option to be their next manager moving forward.

Has Corberan been linked with Leeds job?

The 40-year-old has done a hugely impressive job at the Hawthorns during his short spell there to date, having arrived when they were second-bottom of the Championship late last year.

West Brom ended up coming close to finishing in the playoff positions, however, and if Corberan had been in charge a little longer, chances are they would have achieved that goal.

Since Sam Allardyce's exit as Leeds manager was confirmed last week, numerous names have been linked with replacing him in the Elland Road hot seat. Steven Gerrard and Brendan Rodgers have emerged as high-profile options, but Corberan's name has also been thrown into the hat.

The Whites seemingly consider the Spaniard as a strong choice to come in, having seen the job he is doing with the Baggies, but it remains to be seen if he will eventually be the man to be handed the reins.

Is Corberan really a target?

According to Football Insider, Corberan is indeed "on the shortlist" at Leeds currently, and it is unlikely that they will look to bring in a "traditional figure" in the mould of Allardyce.

Interestingly, the West Brom boss is seen as "ideal" by those high up at the club, should they want to bring in a long-term appointment who can build something special over time.

Leeds are further boosted by a claim in the report that states that Corberan's future with the Baggies is also in doubt "amid a backdrop of financial issues at the club".

It is so important that the Whites get this decision spot on, avoiding the same ludicrous situation they have found themselves in this season, with Jesse Marsch, Javi Garcia and Allardyce all in charge at some point in the campaign.

Corberan may still be a young manager – one who isn't as proven or well-known as the likes of Gerrard and Rodgers – but the progress he has made at West Brom has been bordering on astonishing, and he has even reportedly been inspired by the style of former Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa.

The fact that Corberan has worked at Leeds in the past is also a bonus, having spent three years in charge of the Under-23s between 2017 and 2020, and he will have learned plenty from Bielsa in that time.

Arsenal have scheduled talks to sign Galatasary right-back Sacha Boey this week and are "expected to shake hands" on his price tag, according to reports.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

The Gunners and manager Mikel Arteta are to begin preparations for what will be an all-important 2023/2024 Premier League campaign.

Arsenal, after narrowly missing out on their first league title in nearly 20 years to Man City, must now shore up key areas of the squad and strengthen sufficiently.

Sporting director Edu, commenting on the club's transfer plans in April, confirmed there has already beem movement in this regard.

"Our planning has already been done," said Edu to ESPN (via 90min).It has already reached the owners. Now, we're taking things step by step. We're focused on how we will finish the season, but we've put in the planning and I'm very excited."

Arsenal are eager to reinforce in central midfield especially with reports suggesting they could make as many as two major signings in that position. As well as there, the Gunners are believed to be chasing a new full-back, leading to links with Man City's Joao Cancelo.

Boey, who has been impressing in Turkey for Galatasary, is also regularly mentioned as a target for Edu.

Newspaper Takvim on Tuesday, via Sport Witness, has some very interesting news on Arsenal and their links to the Frenchman. According to their information, the north Londoners "will hold a meeting" with Galatasary this week, and "negotiations" will take place over Boey's signing.

Despite some differences over price, with Galatasary previously asking for £22m, there is now belief that the two clubs are "expected to shake hands at €20m (£17m)".

Who is Sacha Boey?

As per WhoScored, Boey stood out as one of Galatasary's crucial players over 2022/2023, with only Mauro Icardo managing a higher match rating per 90 than the 22-year-old.

The starlet's defensive stats were solid – averaging their joint-highest rate of tackles per 90 and second-highest rate of interceptions in the Turkish Super Lig last season (WhoScored).

He could be an exceptional acquisition for Arsenal at just £17m, with former defender Bacary Sagna believing Boey is perfect for Arteta.

“Galatasaray’s Sacha Boey is a player I really like," said Sagna.“I think he will fit perfectly into Arsenal. As a right-back too, I have to say I think he’s great. I’m sure many clubs have Sacha Boey in mind.“There is a contract to sign.”

As several iconic players are phased out, the USWNT's next generation will soon begin their takeover

A new era is coming. With the United States women's national team's loss to Sweden, the rebuild has officially begun. The back-to-back World Cup titles are officially in the past. The USWNT are no longer defending champions, so onto the next.

Several key figures will be phased out in the coming years as the U.S. looks to move on from the team that was so successful in 2015 and 2019. The good news, though, is that there are plenty of rising stars worth being excited about as that new era begins.

Some are familiar faces, key players from this World Cup team that got a taste of the bright lights in Australia and New Zealand. Others are a bit further away from breaking through, young prospects still a few years from really making the leap from starlet to superstar.

But who are they? GOAL takes a look at the USWNT rising stars to keep an eye on in the coming years:

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  Sophia Smith

  Sophia Smith offered a glimpse of her ability this summer, even if she never quite got going in the way many expected her to. But Smith is still just 22 years old with the world at her feet – who knows how good she'll be in four years time?

  The Portland Thorns star and reigning NWSL MVP could very well be starting in a different spot by the time the 2027 World Cup rolls around, as it seems likely she'll eventually be moved to striker after playing on the wing this summer.

  Smith will remain a key player for the USWNT for some time and could very well grow into one of the team's leaders by the time the next World Cup kicks-off.

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  Alyssa Thompson

  The world got a glimpse of 18-year-old starlet Alyssa Thompson this summer, which is a major achievement in of itself. The fact that she's already at that level is incredible, and Thompson is just getting started.

  Thompson is in her first year as a professional with Angel City and will only just be entering her prime when the next World Cup kicks-off. It's a scary thought considering how good she is already. She was an impact sub this time around, but she likely won't stay in that role for long; Thompson should be a regular in the USWNT XI very, very soon.

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  Trinity Rodman

  Another young player that played a key role this summer, Trinity Rodman isn't going anywhere. The 21-year-old winger is just scratching the surface of her potential, which she showed glimpses of during the USWNT's four-game run. She started three of those four games and was one of several standouts in the opener for the U.S.

  She's already been an NWSL best XI selection and has 22 U.S. caps to her name, while she doesn't turn 22 until next May. Rodman seems well on her way to being one of the best wingers in the world.

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  Catarina Macario

  What would the USWNT have looked like if Catarina Macario was healthy? The midfield superstar missed out due to injury, leaving the U.S. without perhaps the team's best creative player. Without Macario, the U.S. simply didn't have the right balance in the attack, proving just how vital she is to how this team plays.

  Having left Lyon to join Chelsea this summer, she'll be back in action soon and will play a big part under whoever the next national team coach is. Few players in the world can take over a game like Macaraio, and the USWNT will be glad to see her back doing that once healthy.

A Round up of the Super Smash matches held on December 23, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2016Ben Hilfenhaus finished with career-best T20 figures of 5 for 23, complementing the 109-run partnership between Peter Fulton and Henry Nicholls, to secure Canterbury’s seven-run win over Otago at Hagley Oval.After choosing to bat, Canterbury’s Fulton and Nicholls each struck half-centuries in their 71-ball third-wicket stand, which rescued Canterbury from 8 for 2 in the third over. Fulton, who scored 64 off 43 deliveries, reached his half-century off 36 balls, while Nicholls took one ball more to the landmark, eventually falling for 52 off 40 balls. Nicholls’ fifty was his third in five Super Smash matches. Their partnership came at close to 10 an over and had set Canterbury up for a strong total, before they lost 5 for 35 to close their innings. Fulton’s wicket, taken by Christi Viljoen, stemmed Canterbury’s scoring rate as they could add only 40 more in their last six overs and finished their innings on 157.Like Canterbury, Otago lost two early wickets – Anaru Kitchen and Neil Broom were caught behind off Matt Henry and Hilfenhaus respectively – before a third-wicket partnership of 60 between Michael Bracewell (38) and opener Hamish Rutherford (38) steered their chase. However, following Bracewell’s run-out, Otago fell swiftly from 70 for 2 in the 12th over to 94 for 5 by the 15th.Hilfenhaus took two of those wickets and followed it up with two more scalps in the 19th over to finish with a five-for. Needing 18 off the last over, Otago managed only 10 runs and finished seven runs short of Canterbury’s total. The win took Canterbury to fourth, tied on 12 points with Otago.Mitchell Santner followed up a 21-ball 45 with three economical overs to help Northern Districts defeat Central Districts by ten runs at Seddon Park.Having been put into bat, the Northern Districts scored 57 before the opening stand was broken off the last ball of the fielding restrictions when Dean Brownlie (36) was dismissed. Contributions from BJ Watling (35) and Corey Anderson (28) carried Northern Districts along at a fast lick before Santner and Scott Kuggelijn (23 off 10) provided a late surge to lift them to 197 for 5.Central Districts’ reply was led by Mahela Jayawardene, who had earlier bowled for the first time since March 2010 and gone for 15 runs in his solitary over. He followed up his century in the previous game with 64 off 36 deliveries in an opening partnership of 84 that took just 8.2 overs. He was dismissed by Santner, who then put the brakes on the Central Districts, conceding only 12 runs off his three overs. Central Districts managed only 58 runs in the 7.5 overs after their opening stand, and even an unbeaten 16-ball 37 from Josh Clarkson wasn’t enough as they fell short by ten runs. The win, Northern’s second in the series meant they remained on fifth while Central were on second place.

Tamim Iqbal has said Bangladesh have to shake off any satisfaction of having been competitive in Chittagong against England in order to focus on the second Test in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur26-Oct-2016Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has said the team has to shake off any satisfaction of having been competitive in the Chittagong Test against England in order to focus on the second Test in Mirpur. The buzz from the 22-run defeat was still present, however, as the team trained on Wednesday.”Everyone is saying that we played well but we have discussed as a team that we cannot be so happy with so little,” Tamim said. “We won’t be able to improve if we have that mentality. I know we were competitive but we should have won the game. We can take positives from the first Test, like we competed for five days. It would have been a different story had we won the game.”I know our Test record isn’t great but we will try our best in every way to win the next game, which is a belief that is held by every cricketer who plays for Bangladesh. We will try to do our job properly from the first to last ball.”The Chittagong Test was Bangladesh’s narrowest loss in terms of runs, the previous being the 77-run defeat to West Indies in 2012. Tamim, who made 78 in the first innings, said being competitive wasn’t enough anymore; Bangladesh have won only seven out of 94 Tests.Tamim said the team was less focused on the toss, the pitch, or DRS ahead of the second Test, and more on improving the batting and bowling.”I think the less I talk about the last game, the better,” he said. “It was a good Test match, but we lost in the end. Five years from now, it will read that we lost the game. We should stick to the processes and planning that we have. We are discussing more on what we can do with bat and ball, not on the wicket or the toss.”It is not easy to return to cricket after 14 months but I think the players adapted very well. The batsmen moved from T20s to ODIs to Test cricket. We have a number of Tests in the next six months, so we want to use the rhythm from the Chittagong Test for the future.”Tamim said Bangladesh should do better in favourable conditions and batsmen should look to score more runs after they were set. “The wicket in Chittagong was in our favour but we still lost the game. We have to reduce our mistakes and bowl according to the wicket.”Batting wasn’t easy on that wicket but we had our moments. I think we should have stretched those moments a bit. If the wicket remains the same in Dhaka, the batsman should score 20-25 runs more after they are settled.”The second Test against England begins in Mirpur on October 28.

Arsenal have made an "official offer" of £12 million for defender Sacha Boey after meeting with Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur in London, according to reports out of Turkey.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

Despite missing out on a first league title in nearly 20 years to Man City, last season was one of real promise for Arsenal, who challenged for much of the 2022/2023 campaign.

Injuries to the likes of William Saliba, a key player in the run-in, arguably scuppered Mikel Arteta's hopes of ending Arsenal's long wait for a domestic crown – but the looming summer transfer window hands them a real opportunity.

Sporting director Edu, speaking back in April, already confirmed that plans are well underway to strengthen Arsenal's ranks in an attempt to keep pace with England's elite.

"Our planning has already been done," said the Brazilian to ESPN (via 90min)"It has already reached the owners. Now, we're taking things step by step. We're focused on how we will finish the season, but we've put in the planning and I'm very excited."

As well as central midfield signings, with the Gunners targeting West Ham's Declan Rice, Arteta also apparently wants new full-backs in his squad.

Real Valladolid's Ivan Fresneda and Boey have been linked to joining Arsenal, and a report by Hurriyet (via Sport Witness) has some news on the latter man.

According to their information, Arsenal and Galatasary vice-president Timur held a meeting in London recently where they discussed Boey's potential move.

After these talks, it is believed the north Londoners made an "official offer", which amounts to around £12 million. However, £17 million is their asking price, and Arsenal are expected to increase their bid for Boey as a result.

As of yet, it is unclear what Arteta's side could be willing to pay for him, but they could apparently offer out more cash.

Who is Sacha Boey?

The 22-year-old has been a key player for Galatasary and ranked as one of their best-performing players per 90 last season in the Turkish top flight.

Boey, who averaged Galatasary's joint-highest rate of tackles and second-most interceptions per 90 over 22/23, has also been seriously endorced by former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna.

“Galatasaray’s Sacha Boey is a player I really like," said Sagna.“I think he will fit perfectly into Arsenal. As a right-back too, I have to say I think he’s great. I’m sure many clubs have Sacha Boey in mind.“There is a contract to sign.”

Erik ten Hag has a long list of potential skippers after stripping Harry Maguire of the armband

No one should have been surprised by the news that Harry Maguire is no longer the captain of Manchester United. The defender was only skipper in name after slipping all the way down the pecking order to fifth-choice centre-back last season, and it had long been reported that Erik ten Hag was going to officially strip him of the armband this summer.

Maguire had been an able if unremarkable captain during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer years and was particularly important in United's run to second place and the Europa League final in the 2020-21 season. But after his form dramatically declined over the next two campaigns there were always going to be doubts about his position in the long term.

And it made no sense for a player who started only eight Premier League matches last season to have such a prestigious role. Indeed, Maguire was only brought on in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle so that he could lift the trophy. That was a nice touch from Ten Hag but it also served to highlight the fact Maguire was no longer a suitable captain due to his declining presence in the team.

Maguire didn't even get on the pitch in the FA Cup final against Manchester City and towards the end of the season, Ten Hag started to refer to Bruno Fernandes as captain even though the England defender was still officially skipper.

Fernandes is the No. 1 candidate to succeed Maguire permanently, but there are a number of other contenders for the role. GOAL runs through the choices…

Getty Images8Mason Mount

Mount probably saw himself spending most of his career at Chelsea. But the relationship soured as the club focused on making as many new signings as possible without looking after one of their own.

Mount was determined to move to United and seems utterly delighted to be there. It would be a bold choice to give the club's brand new signing the armband but it would also be a huge vote of confidence in the midfielder and give him responsibility early in his Old Trafford career.

AdvertisementGetty Images7Christian Eriksen

Eriksen's career was practically written off after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020, with Inter ending his contract soon after.

But Brentford took a chance on him and a few months later the Dane earned the biggest move of his life by joining United. The midfielder took no time to settle into the team and formed a formidable axis in the middle of the park with Fernandes and Casemiro.

Few players in the squad can match his wealth of experience and it takes a hell of a lot of character to rebuild your career in the way he has. He is certainly captain material.

Getty Images6Luke Shaw

Shaw is United's longest-serving player now that David de Gea has departed. And that would be enough to make him captain at many of Europe's top sides.

The left-back is a leading voice for club and country, as well as being one of the team's most consistent performers. He is also fully committed to United after recently signing a new contract until 2027.

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Getty5Raphael Varane

You can't argue with the Frenchman's CV: four Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and a World Cup winner's medal. Varane has seen it all, working with some of the best managers in football including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane and Rafa Benitez.

He is not a tub-thumping leader but he has always done his talking on the pitch and led by example. He is also fluent in three languages, making him a suitable captain of a modern, international dressing room such as United's.