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Shakib Al Hasan, has launched a scathing attack on Tamim Iqbal ahead of the World Cup, calling him “childish” and criticising Tamim for putting himself ahead of the team’s needs.Tamim has been in and out of the Bangladesh side, battling a persistent back injury, which on Tuesday was cited as the reason for his exclusion from the World Cup squad. Except, earlier today, Tamim took to Facebook to insist he would have been fit enough to take part in the tournament and that the reason he won’t be travelling to India is because he had grown weary of the BCB creating roadblocks for him. One of which, he said, was a top board official asking him to bat down the order.”I am sure someone who is authorized had said this (to Tamim),” Shakib, the Bangladesh captain, told the Dhaka-based TV channel T-Sports in an interview that was aired on Wednesday night. “I am sure whoever has said it, he thought of the team. A lot of things go into building a combination for a match. So if someone has said this to him, was it wrong? Or we can’t make such a proposal? I am just going to tell someone that you can do whatever you want. Is the team first or the individual?”Related

• Tamim Iqbal to 'wait till January' before deciding on his international future

• Hathurusinghe deflects Shakib vs Tamim talk, wants focus to be on making final four

• Shakib Al Hasan outlines his retirement plan

• Tamim hits out at BCB; claims he would have been fit in time for World Cup

In a sustained and unsparing critique, Shakib said Tamim was being selfish in not thinking of the team.”Someone like Rohit Sharma built his career from No. 7 to opener, scored 10,000-plus runs. If he sometimes bats at No 3 or 4, would it be a big problem? It is totally childish. It is my bat, I will play. No one else can play. A player should bat at any position for the team. Team first. It doesn’t make any difference if you have made 100 or 200, and the team loses. What can you do with personal achievement? You want to make a name for yourself?”You are not thinking about the team at all. People don’t understand these things. Why was the proposal given to him? It was for the team. What is wrong in that? You are a team man when you agree to such a proposal. Unless you are thinking along those lines, you are not a team man. You are playing for individual records, success, fame, and name. Not for the team.”Tamim’s troubles began in July during a home series against Afghanistan, where he said he was playing through a back injury, the same one that he is currently managing. It led to his missing the Asia Cup and the final match of his comeback series as well, against New Zealand, earlier this week.Shakib said he didn’t want to carry a player with a fitness question mark over him into the World Cup and even went to the extent of saying anyone playing without being 100% fit is cheating the team.Tamim Iqbal did not like being asked to bat down the order•AFP/Getty Images

“I didn’t discuss the subject with the particular player, medical team or selector. It is definitely the board’s decision. People might doubt my capability or capacity but someone like MS Dhoni, who has won everything and has the knowledge and sense, once said that the unfit player who is playing is cheating his team and country. I think we should accept it, and not just Tamim but every player (that you have to be fully fit when playing for the team or country).”Other teams have similar concerns, like New Zealand have named their captain Kane Williamson for the World Cup despite him not being 100% after an ACL injury. But there has already been clarity around the extent of his participation and the lack of certainty when it comes to Tamim appears to be a sticking point.”Kane Williamson won’t play the first two matches, but then he will start playing,” Shakib said. “If I knew something like this, I wouldn’t have any problems. But if I know that there’s uncertainty about him playing the seventh or the third or the first game, or that I will only know in the morning of the game, it will be difficult for me to select the team. I don’t think we need such a player.”There has been speculation that Tamim was only fit enough to play five matches at the World Cup and though the opener has refuted them as lies, not everyone is convinced.”I certainly heard that he will play selectively,” Shakib said. “A journalist can’t really tell you that he will come to the office an hour before he wants to come to office. If you ask me personally, if I was the company CEO, I won’t keep that employee. Although I never had any discussion about this matter.”Shakib also took a dim view of Tamim choosing to resign as ODI captain just two months out from the World Cup. “I have often heard in the dressing room that he is leaving the captaincy. Even a player once told him that ‘, leave it early so that the new captain gets a bit of time’. Exactly that’s what happened. The one who came in, didn’t get the time. Each and everyone knew including the selectors and board officials. Papon (BCB president Nazmul Hassan) certainly knew about it.”I don’t know why he didn’t leave it (earlier). He can tell you. It is like, your commander takes you to war but (Shakib mimicking a solider) after he has got you ready, the commander isn’t telling you to fire or retreat. Where will you go? We were in this situation in the last two matches against Afghanistan (in July).”The captain wouldn’t have changed ahead of the Asia Cup and the World Cup, unless he himself announced that he was resigning or retiring. It would have happened 18 months ago, when everyone knew what was about to happen.”

It would be fair to say that for much of this season, there has been very little for Tottenham Hotspur fans to celebrate.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have struggled for the majority of the domestic campaign, languishing in the second half of the Premier League table and already being out of both cups.

However, they’ve started to see a number of injured players return and, against Ipswich Town, picked up their third league win on the bounce.

Moreover, one of the surprise stars of this season could now replace one of Antonio Conte’s signings, who has struggled this year.

Conte's most important Spurs signings

Before we get onto the Conte signing, who could see himself replaced in the coming weeks, it’s worth looking at a few of the Italian’s Spurs signings who are still key members of the first team.

The first player who comes to mind is undoubtedly Dejan Kulusevski, who completed his 18-month loan move to N17 in January 2022.

While he has endured ups and downs in the capital, he is now arguably one of the most talented players in the entire squad and is frankly undroppable.

For example, in just 41 appearances, totalling 3030 minutes, the “world-class” dynamo, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored ten goals and provided ten assists, which comes to a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 151.5 minutes, and makes him the most productive player in the squad.

During his time in the hot seat, the former Chelsea manager welcomed Rodrigo Bentancur, who joined alongside the Swede, and Yves Bissouma, who joined the club from Brighton & Hove Albion for around £25m in June 2022.

Now, while neither one has been as effective as Kulusevski, they’ve still played prominent roles within the first team this season, with the Uruguayan making 28 appearances thus far and the Malian 32.

Finally, a player who is arguably just as important to the starting lineup but has barely played this season thanks to injury is Cristian Romero, as even though he completed his loan move to the club under Nuno Espírito Santo, it was under Conte’s management that he made his move permanent.

However, there are still two more signings made by the serial winner who are still in the first team picture, although one looks like he could be set to replace the other.

The Conte signings in competition at Spurs

In terms of surprise packages for Spurs this season, the first name that probably should come to mind is Djed Spence, who has fought his way back from being left out of the Europa League squad to being one of the most critical players in the team.

In fact, the Englishman, signed under Conte’s tenure for around £20m in July 2022, has been so impressive this term in attack and defence that he looks ready to replace another of the Italian’s signings at right-back: Pedro Porro.

In fact, with Destiny Udogie back at left-back on the weekend, that is what happened, as the former Middlesbrough player started off the right of the back four, while the £40m former Sporting CP star started on the bench.

Now, the Spanish full-back is most certainly a brilliant outlet going forward, as shown by his nine-goal involvements this season, but he has been something of a liability in defence at times, with his performance against Ipswich in the reverse fixture earlier this season earning him particular ire from journalist Mitch Fretton, who described him and Radu Dragusin as “absolute horror shows” at the back.

There have also been a few occasions this season in which he has been shown up by opposition attackers, such as in the FA Cup game against Aston Villa and by Leandro Trossard away to Arsenal.

Moreover, when we compare the 25-year-old’s underlying defensive numbers to the Englishman’s, it becomes increasingly apparent who the more reliable defender is.

Tackles

3.02

2.31

Tackles Won

2.50

1.67

All Blocks

1.77

1.62

Shots Blocked

0.73

0.60

Passes Blocked

1.04

1.03

Aerial Duels Won

1.15

0.43

For example, the “unbelievable” 24-year-old ace, as dubbed by the iconic Ian Wright, comes out on top for tackles and tackles won, all blocks, shots blocked, passes blocked, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, it’s hard not to look at Spence as the better full-back at the moment, as while he might be slightly less effective going forward, he can do his primary job to a much higher standard.

So, with stories touting Porro with an exit in the past, it might be time for Daniel Levy to stick with the Englishman and cash in on the Spaniard.

Tottenham's "future £100m" star could become their biggest sale since Bale

He could be worth an awful lot of money if Spurs cash in…

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 25, 2025

Manchester City have reached a verbal agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz but he is unsure about a move to the Etihad.

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Bayer and City reach verbal Wirtz agreementWirtz reportedly not interested in move to CityWould prefer a move to Bayern Munich or Real MadridFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Wirtz is labelled as one of the best talents of his generation, and after having spent the last five years with Bayer Leverkusen, the Germany international is considering leaving his 'comfort zone'. The 22-year-old has been linked with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

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Sky France's Sacha Tavolieri has now reported that Pep Guardiola and City are ready to convert their interest in Wirtz this summer and make a transfer move before other clubs try to strike a deal. The report has suggested that the eight-time Premier League champions have reached a verbal agreement with Bayer Leverkusen over a summer deal for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite the verbal agreement between Bayer Leverkusen and City, Sports Zone has reported that Wirtz himself is not convinced of a move to the Etihad Stadium this summer. The Germany international is said to prefer a move to Bayern Munich instead and would even be open to a move to Real Madrid.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WIRTZ?

The 22-year-old is likely to be taking part in his last match with Bayer Leverkusen when they take on Mainz on Saturday, May 17. Regardless of his reported decision to reject City, he is likely to be subject to a transfer move away from Die Werkself.

Newcastle United are preparing for life back in the Champions League in the 2025/26 season after a positive 12 months at St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe’s side ended the Magpies’ long wait for a trophy by lifting the EFL Cup, whereas they also finished in the top five in the Premier League to ensure a return to Europe’s biggest club competition.

As a result, PIF and co could be busy in the transfer market ahead of the new season, looking to ensure Newcastle can cope with their return to Europe.

Newcastle's most expensive sales of all time

A look at Newcastle’s 20 most expensive departures.

ByCharlie Smith Oct 5, 2025

Now, Grok, the AI tool on X, has predicted Newcastle’s starting line-up ahead of their first Premier League game against Aston Villa on August 16.

AI predicts Newcastle’s 2025/26 line-up 1 GK: James Trafford

Expected to finally arrive at St James’ Park this summer after months of rumours is goalkeeper James Trafford.

The Englishman starred at Burnley in 24/25, conceding just 16 goals in 46 games, and his ‘ball-playing ability suits Howe’s evolving style’, so he has been backed to cost £30m and start ahead of Nick Pope.

2 RB: Tino Livramento

After helping England win the U21 European Championships this summer, Tino Livramento is set to keep his place in the XI ahead of Kieran Trippier.

Grok says ‘Livramento has emerged as a dynamic option’ for the Magpies and is still under contract for another three years.

3 CB: Sven Botman

Described as a ‘cornerstone’ in Newcastle’s side, Sven Botman’s place in the side looks nailed on when he is fit.

The Dutchman only made eight Premier League appearances in 24/25, though, so he’ll be looking to put his injury woes behind him.

4 CB: Marc Guehi

Partnering Botman, Grok have predicted Marc Guehi to sign for Newcastle in a £46m deal this summer, despite interest from a number of other clubs.

The Crystal Palace captain has been on Howe’s radar for a long time now and may depart Selhurst Park with 12 months left on his contract.

5 LB: Lewis Hall

After making his loan move permanent in 2024, Lewis Hall has been a regular at left-back for Newcastle and has been predicted to keep his place in the XI.

Games

34

Assists

5

Yellow cards

4

Minutes played

2,661

Grok says Hall’s ’development into a key starter’ has been noticeable, chipping in with five assists last year.

6 CM: Bruno Guimaraes

Despite being linked with a move away from Newcastle once again this summer, Grok have predicted Bruno Guimaraes to remain at St James’ Park and play an important role once more.

The Brazilian’s ‘leadership and all-action style are vital’ in Howe’s side, and he still has three years remaining on his contract.

7 CM: Sandro Tonali

Alongside Guimaraes is a player he knows well in Sandro Tonali. The Italian ‘has proven indispensable’ under Howe and missed just two league games in 24/25.

Grok adds that Tonali’s ‘box-to-box energy complements Howe’s system’, but there may be no place for Joelinton in the XI.

8 AM: Eberechi Eze

Completing a three-man midfield in an attacking role is potential new signing in Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, with Newcastle keen on the Eagles star.

The Englishman has a release clause of £68m which may need to be triggered, and Grok have stated that Eze’s ‘versatility as a No. 10 or winger fits Howe’s fluid attack’.

9 RW: Mohammed Kudus

Another star linked with a move to Newcastle this summer is West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus, who has been backed to start on the right-hand side for the Magpies.

With the Hammers open to offers in the region of £60m, PIF may need to act fast with Tottenham and Chelsea also showing an interest in Kudus.

10 ST: Alexander Isak

Arguably Newcastle’s most important piece of business this summer will be keeping hold of star striker Alexander Isak.

After qualifying for the Champions League, Grok thinks Isak won’t be going anywhere, labelling him as ‘untouchable’ at St James’ Park.

Manchester United are weighing up a move which they believe will improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford after listening to fans' opinions.

Red Devils want to raise noise levels at stadiumSupporters stress importance of generating atmosphereFan survey will dictate whether measure is adoptedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils have written to season ticket holders to inform them of a proposal to play no music in the 15 minutes before the players come out of the tunnel at home games and after full-time. The club have been conducting post-match surveys and done research as part of the move towards building a new 100,000-seater stadium, hoping to understand attitudes on different aspects of the matchday experience. 

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Their research showed that creating an atmosphere to inspire the players was of utmost importance, which is why fan group The Red Army (TRA) has requested that music is turned off for a period in order to make the stadium as loud as possible. United currently play music during and after the players warm-up, while 'Glory Glory Man United' is played after victories. The club still plan to play unofficial anthem 'This is the One' by the Stone Roses when the players walk out of the tunnel, followed by the Premier League's official anthem – as is standard at all stadiums across the English top-flight – and then 'Take Me Home Country Roads' before kick off.

DID YOU KNOW?

Roy Keane complained about the declining atmosphere at Old Trafford in 2000 by saying: "Away from home our fans are fantastic, I'd call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the pitch. I don't think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell football, never mind understand it." Since then, Old Trafford has been known for its poor atmosphere, with Keane's comments leading to rival fans mocking United supporters by calling them 'the prawn sandwich brigade'. 

Getty WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

Fans have been asked to respond to a two-minute survey on the proposal by Friday afternoon. If the measure is backed then it could be implemented as soon as Sunday's Premier League match against Arsenal, giving Bruno Fernandes and Co extra encouragement for their blockbuster season opener with the Gunners. And if the move is a success then Old Trafford's previously flat atmosphere could be replaced by a cauldron of noise, as has happened at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta. 

Touring South African teams don’t generally fare well against spin, but not this one

Firdose Moonda17-Mar-2021It’s rare that a South African team can walk away from a series in India and claim superiority. The men’s side have won one out eight Test rubbers, one out of five bilateral ODI series and one of out of two T20s match-ups. Before Sunday, the women’s team had won one out of two ODI series in India. Now, not only have they successfully secured a second trophy, by the biggest margin a South African team has earned in India (4-1), but they did it by overcoming a national nemesis: spin.In losing 13 wickets to India’s spinners across the five matches at an average of 53.15 and a strike rate of 70.7 (one wicket to every 11.5 overs of spin) South Africa subjected the home tweakers to their worst result in a series where they have bowled at least 100 overs and significantly worse than the last time they played South Africa. Then, in a three-match series in 2019, India’s spinners took 18 wickets at 19.05, struck every 5.2 overs and squeezed South Africa at only 3.53 runs an over.”Two years back when we toured here India demolished us with their spin,” stand-in captain Sune Luus said. “But we had a Pakistan series before this and we played in Durban which is kind of subcontinental in its conditions. India bowled a lot of spin to us but we found ways to attack. We knew they were just going to throw a lot of overs of spin at us and we were mentally ready for that.”In January, South Africa hosted Pakistan for three ODIs and three T20s, all at Kingsmead. Against the likes of Nida Dar and Nashra Sandhu, they won the ODIs 3-0 and the T20s 2-1 and performed well against the spinners. In the ODIs,11 out of 26 South African dismissals in the series came against spin and they scored at 4.01 runs to the over. In the T20s, they lost six out of 11 wickets to spin and scored at 6.01.That preparation has proved invaluable and it also gave South Africa much-needed match-practice and the opportunity to develop the habit of winning.South Africa won the first two ODIs against Pakistan against by slender margins (three runs and 13 runs), both times defending totals. In this series, after two one-sided matches, the results got closer to each other. South Africa had to beat both India and the weather in the third match, recorded their highest successful chase in the fourth and snuck home in a low-scoring thriller in the finale.Sune Luus’ unbeaten fifty included five fours and two sixes•Getty ImagesAfter developing a reputation for falling at the final hurdle in heartbreaking performances like the semi-final of the last fifty-over World Cup in Bristol or the semi-final of the T20 World Cup last March in Sydney, it seems as though South Africa have found ways to hold their nerve in tense situations. “The more games you play, the more you get yourself into pressure situations which you need to get through, We’ve been in enough pressure situations to identify where we are struggling and where we can get better,” Luus said. “If you look at teams like Australia and England, they’ve played a lot of games and been in a lot of semi-finals and finals and they can handle pressure. We need to keep on getting into semi-finals and work through that to get to finals. We are a world class team that have been working hard for a lot of years and we really want to be on top of the world and to compete with Australia and England and I think we are there. The more games you play, especially against teams like India, Australia, England, the more you can learn how to deal with pressure.”All that would be ideal if the women’s World Cup was being played as originally planned, now. Instead, it has been pushed back to March 2022 and South Africa will want to maintain this form for another 12 months. Luus believes they can do that by continuing to find similarities between the matches they play now and big-tournament situations. “If we are looking towards the World Cup next year in New Zealand, they have high scoring grounds and so that’s (like the fourth match) type of totals we are going to be chasing or setting. It was a good experience now to get the feel for it and see how you manage a chase, when you start going, when you hold back and when you just rotate strike,” Luus said. “All five games were different scenarios and that’s the experience we are going to need for the World Cup.”South Africa’s victory in India puts them second on the ODI rankings, their highest to date, with Lizelle Lee on top of the batting charts, Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp at No.3 and 4 on the bowling list and Kapp the third-highest allrounder, their stocks are rising. This series also showed off several lower-profile players – Lara Goodall, Anneke Bosch and Tumi Sekhukhune – which suggests there’s depth in the talent pool and plenty for South Africa to work with.”We are so excited to win the series in India. It’s a very special achievement for our team. It’s never easy to play here and take the series away from the Indian team like we did.” Luus said. “We can go into the T20 series smiling because our fifty-over game is coming together very nicely.”

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) remain at loggerheads with the ECB over the men’s T20 Blast’s schedule. The union, which represents all professional players in England and Wales, has reiterated concerns about player welfare after only a small reduction in the number of back-to-back matchdays in the schedule for 2025 unveiled by the ECB on Thursday.The ECB heralded a reduction by “almost a third” in the number of back-to-back fixtures (down from 55 in 2024 to 37 in 2025) in the men’s Blast in a press release on Thursday. Neil Snowball, the ECB’s managing director of competitions and major events, said the reduction showed that they “have listened to the players” after “constructive conversations with the PCA”.But while the PCA are encouraged by the changes, they believe they do not go far enough. “There remains a significant number of fixtures on successive days which suggests little improvement compared to the 2023 schedule,” a spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “There is a lot more work needed to meet player welfare needs.”The counties generally prefer to play a majority of their Blast fixtures between Thursday and Sunday, citing a beneficial impact on ticket sales. But players have become increasingly vocal in the last 18 months about the drawbacks of that model, with back-to-back games heightening the risk of injury and diminishing the quality of cricket played.In May, a survey by the PCA revealed a startling 81% of county cricketers had been left fearing for their physical health due to their season-long workloads.The PCA are represented by interim chief executive Daryl Mitchell on the Professional Game Committee, who sign off on the domestic schedule and are involved in discussions around the fixture list ahead of its publication.The ECB’s revamp of domestic women’s cricket for 2025 will see the eight Tier One women’s teams compete in the Women’s T20 Blast and the ten Tier Two teams in a second tier. Every county will host at least one men’s and women’s joint-matchday, with a total of 52 double-headers due to be staged across 20 different venues.Related

• Paul Farbrace: Hundred windfall will enable counties to plan for 'cricket, not finance'

• Key battles loom in new Women's T20 County Cup

• Travel fatigue invites 'disaster' as PCA reveal damning player welfare survey

Snowball said that the Blast will be “bigger and better” in 2025, while Beth Barrett-Wild, the director of the women’s professional game, said the joint announcement of fixtures marked “the beginning of a new era” for English cricket: “It’s one of the clearest demonstrations to date of our aligned ‘one game’ approach to the delivery of men’s and women’s domestic cricket moving forwards.”The first women’s Blast Finals Day will take place at The Oval on July 27 while the men’s knockout stages will continue to be staged in September, six weeks after the conclusion of the group stage. England’s best white-ball players will again miss men’s Finals Day, which is set for September 13 and clashes with a T20I series against South Africa.The rest of the men’s county fixtures will be released by the ECB on Tuesday morning, with no change in the volume of County Championship and One-Day Cup matches. Fixtures for the Hundred are likely to be released early next year, with the tournament staged in its usual August window.Key T20 Blast fixtures 2025:May 29 – June 1 – ‘Blast Off’ weekend (opening fixtures)
July 18 – ‘Friday Finale’ (final group-stage matches)
July 26 – Women’s Tier 2 Finals Day (Northampton)
July 27 – Women’s Tier 1 Finals Day (The Oval)
September 3-6 – Men’s Quarter-Finals
September 13 – Men’s Finals Day (Edgbaston)

As NWSL returns, league-leading Kansas City Current reportedly get stronger by adding USWNT star Sentnor

• Utah will receive $600,000 in transfer funds
• Kansas City Current at the top of NWSL standings
• Sentnor selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NWSL draft

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  With the NWSL set to resume its season after the international break, the league leaders just got even stronger. The Kansas City Current acquired forward Ally Sentnor from the Utah Royals on Friday, according to The Athletic.

  Sentnor, 21, was named the 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. Kansas City are in first place in the NWSL standings, with an 11-2-0 record. Sentnor, who's been with the Royals since being drafted first overall in 2024, will leave the league's last-place team to join the club at the top.

  The Royals will receive $600,000 in transfer funds.

Advertisement

• Imagn Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Current have everything to gain with this acquisition. For one, their midfield will need some assistance with Vanessa DiBernardo now out because of her pregnancy. When Debinha is back,  Sentnor will have a dream midfield.

  Utah, on the other hand, is losing perhaps their only bright light this season. While Sentnor was able to produce some magic for the Royals, she was often limited without much help on all both of the ball. 

  For Utah, though, the funds could be instrumental in building out the team before the transfer window closes.

• Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Sentnor's impact on the senior national team has been nothing short of amazing. The Massachusetts native already has four goals in 12 appearances for the USWNT, and was also named the 2024 U.S. Young Female Player of the Year.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT'S NEXT FOR ALLY SENTNOR?

  Expectations are that Sentnor will join the Current soon, as the second-half of the NWSL season gets underway.

da roleta： Arsenal are in hot pursuit of fresh squad upgrades ahead of a crucial campaign for Mikel Arteta, with the pressure on for him to deliver major silverware.

Related Benjamin Sesko has now made "unusual" demand in Arsenal transfer talks

The Slovenia international wants something out of the ordinary.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jun 20, 2025

da betsson： It’s been five years since Arteta lifted his first major honour, which came at the end of his first season in charge of the Gunners. Since then, barring Community Shield wins, their trophy cabinet has remained barren, despite coming close on a number of occasions.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Man City edged Arsenal in each of the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 title races, with Arteta’s side battling Pep Guardiola until the very final day last year. However, it was close but no cigar, and Arsenal meekly surrendered the latest Premier League crown to Liverpool by a seismic 10 points.

After many seasons steadily building the project, Arteta has undoubtedly transformed the Gunners into an elite-level side, and this was evident in the Champions League last season when they put 15-time European champions Real Madrid to the sword.

The progress made has been clear, but Arteta has still come under fire for Arsenal’s lack of trophies over the last few years.

New sporting director Andrea Berta has been tasked with backing the Spaniard this summer, and Arsenal are set to sign both midfielder Martin Zubimendi and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (The Times) in what is a real boost.

However, their lack of a prolific striker is seen as a major elephant in the room. It is by far the position which supporters are most keen to see strengthened, with Berta working on deals for both Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

Viktor Gyokeres convinced he's going to join Arsenal

The former has been central to a tense transfer saga, with Sporting publicly denying claims that Gyokeres can leave for £60 million and their president, Frederico Varandas, taking aim at the player’s agent.

The “underrated” striker’s 54-goal haul in all competitions last season helped the Primeira Liga giants lift their first domestic double in two decades, and Gyokeres won’t be leaving for Sporting until one of his suitors meets his asking price.

Arsenal do possess a trump card, namely reliable reports that Gyokeres is prioritising a switch to the Emirates Stadium (Fabrizio Romano).

Now, as per talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Gyokeres is apparently convinced that he’ll join Arsenal, and has even made this clear to his close circle.

“I had a message 24 hours or so ago suggesting that Viktor Gyokeres has told friends and family he expects to join Arsenal,” said Crook on talkSPORT Breakfast earlier this week.

“We know that Manchester United are interested in signing him as well, obviously there is that pre-existing relationship with Ruben Amorim.

“But Arsenal can offer Champions League football, maybe can offer a tilt at the title next season. Sporting are going to play hardball, there’s been a fallout between Gyokeres and the club because his agent has suggested that they had a gentleman’s agreement he could leave for £60million, I think they’re looking for nearer £80m.

“Arsenal are juggling both him and Benjamin Sesko, they’ve opened talks with Leipzig as well but at the moment, I would say Gyokeres looks the more likely.”

The player’s willingness is crystal clear at this point, but Sporting’s demands remain a major roadblock, so it will be very interesting to see how this consistently evolving story unfolds over the coming weeks.

As the Royal London Cup comes to Gosforth, it is a reminder of the strength of the club scene in England’s north east

Paul Edwards29-Apr-2019″I tell you what, there’s still a lot of passion for cricket in the north east,” says Steve Chapman. “We have three Saturday teams, an Academy team on Sundays, a midweek/senior team, a women’s team, an Under-14s girls team, two Under -15s teams, three Under-13s, three Under-11s, Under-9s softball and we’re starting a women’s softball team this year.”Chapman is the director of coaching at South Northumberland CC and Durham’s batting coach. He knows whereof he speaks. And another manifestation of commitment will be seen on Tuesday when South North hosts Durham’s Royal London Cup match against Lancashire. The ground can be found at the end of Roseworth Terrace and the two ends are named Grove and Park. This is no exercise in pastoral irony. The club’s home is in Gosforth, one of Newcastle’s more prosperous and most blossomed suburbs. Until he was made Durham’s director of cricket last year Marcus North was chief-executive at South North, whose first-teams have won five national competitions since 2006. The club has a powerful claim to be the strongest in the country.But the immediate validity of that claim will be tested in less than a fortnight when South North meet one of their great rivals, Chester-le-Street, in the next round of the Royal London Club Championship. The Durham club’s Ropery Lane home is a few hundred yards from the Riverside and its players are also well used to September’s great stages, when trophies beyond the ambition of most recreational cricketers are handed out.

There is a legacy of the mining villages each having a football team and a cricket team and largely those clubs are still the focus of the communityJohn Windows, Durham academy manager

Yet when debates take place about the strongest club cricket in England how many people mention the north east of England? And how many of those are aware that while South North and Chester may currently be at the apex of the pyramid, there are a host of other clubs, some relatively small, who sustain the game in an area usually associated with the mania of its football supporters?”It’s a strong community,” says John Windows, the manager of Durham’s academy and a former Northumberland player. “There is a legacy of the mining villages each having a football team and a cricket team and largely those clubs are still the focus of the community. The pits have gone, the banks have closed but the clubs are still there and I think cricket in the north east is based in them. There are a lot of small clubs that give more opportunities to youngsters than might be the case elsewhere in the country. Durham’s been fortunate to reap the rewards of that talent and that system.”England, too, of course. Both Steve Harmison and Mark Wood learned their cricket at Ashington while a young Paul Collingwood quickly established his second home at Shotley Bridge. “I think it’s the biggest factor,” he said when asked by Stuart Rayner to identify what part league cricket played in the success of Durham’s academy. “My life was at Shotley Bridge…literally seven days a week. I’d come home from school, put down my bags and walk to Shotley, whether to help my dad on the roller, or to get into the nets.”Paul Collingwood grew up playing at Shotley Bridge CC•Getty ImagesRayner’s fine recent book painstakingly chronicles the building and rebuilding of Durham following their “rescue” by the ECB in 2016, It is littered with mentions of local clubs in the north east where Durham’s many home-grown cricketers learned their skills. However, this is not to say there is no distinction between Northumberland and Durham. Such carelessness could endanger one’s health in an area renowned for its deep allegiances. After all, Northumberland remains, in cricketing terms, a minor, although soon to be “national”, county as part of an ECB revamp, and when presented with a choice between representing their club in a national competition or their county, most players choose the former.”Wearing my Northumberland hat, I think we would have the right to say that if you decline to play for the minor county, you aren’t allowed to play for your club side,” says Gordon Halliday, who manages to combine being secretary of South North with chairmanship of Northumberland. “But in practice we’ve never enforced that. We encourage clubs to release their players and some are better at it than others. In two weeks’ time South North are playing Chester-le-Street, and I would expect that two lads won’t be available for Northumberland’s game against Cheshire. We do have some clubs whose main priority is to win national competitions.”It is not difficult to recognise South Northumberland as one the relatively limited number of sides in England who enter national competitions with a realistic chance of winning them. Roseworth Terrace boasts a five-lane indoor school which would be the envy of some counties. Chapman attests that over 30 clubs use the facility each winter and points out that the site effectively houses two businesses: the cricket club and the cricket centre. And he is quick to deny any suggestion that any players disrespect minor counties cricket.”South North, like every Northumberland club, is proud of the minor county and we try to support them as much as possible,” he said. “We are unique in the facilities we can offer and we extend the county as much respect and courtesy as we can. We look up to the county rather than look down on it.”Roseworth Terrace hosting an England U19s game•Getty ImagesPerhaps it is also fair to say that some clubs in the north east also look up to South North. Chapman, who was born in Crook, County Durham, identifies it as the establishment club, although its status has been earned by excellence rather than privilege. “We have four or five lads in our first team that would walk into North East Premier League first teams but they like to play at South North, they like what the club’s about,” he says. “It’s a bit old school because people think I’ll play in the second team and if I’m good enough for the first team, I’ll get picked for it.”Of course, it might be argued that old school is out of fashion and that changing leisure habits mean it’s less easy for captains of, say, third teams to put out competitive sides. The north east is not immune from those pressures but one is still impressed by the vibrancy of the club game in this area. And it is not absurd to think that when Roseworth Terrace welcomes Lancashire’s cricketers, the game will, in its way, symbolise the strength of cricket in a region paid too little attention by national media.That strength has a rich heritage; Halliday does not need too much prompting to talk of the era when Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop played for Tynedale. But the introduction of Premier Leagues has helped clubs in the north east to compete with the best that London, Yorkshire and the rest can put out. And if you want to be reassured that Durham will complete its recovery from the great duffing-up of 2016, you might do worse than visit Ashington, Hetton Lyons, Shotley Bridge. Or there is Gateshead Fell, Sacriston, Blaydon, Benwell Hill, Percy Main, Boldon. The collieries once associated with one or two of these places are gone but the cricket clubs remain. Their survival is a cause for celebration as we greet another glad season.