Novos campeões nacionais? Buscas nos bastidores aumentam expectativas por reconhecimento de título

MatériaMais Notícias

O desejo de registrar uma história vencedora fez quatro clubes se unirem para serem declarados campeões. Treze, Central, Inter de Limeira e Criciúma encaminharam o pedido para que sejam reconhecidos, em conjunto, como vencedores da Série B de 1986. O sonho de fazer com que o Torneio Paralelo ganhasse novo significado ficou mais acentuado há cerca de um mês.

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O reconhecimento de que o Torneio dos Campeões, vencido pelo Atlético-MG em 1937, é equivalente ao Brasileiro, deu mais fôlego para a união das equipes do Torneio Paralelo. Antes pleiteado com mais afinco pelo Galo da Borborema e a Patativa, o movimento teve a adesão do clube paulista e da equipe catarinense.

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– O Treze e o Central tomaram a iniciativa, cada um em sua federação. A gente escreveu ao Criciúma e à Inter de Limeira e, assim, a campanha conjunta foi ganhando forma – detalhou ao Lance! o presidente do Treze, Artur Bolinha, acrescentando:

– Procuramos a Federação (Paraibana) com uma argumentação para que pudéssemos solicitar o pedido à CBF. Nosso objetivo é mostrar que os quatro tiveram condições de estar em 1986 na elite do futebol. Caso houvesse uma disputa, todos teriam condições de subir como campeões da Série B. E agora, com esse precedente do Atlético, podemos mostrar que houve essa questão de não terminar a Série B – explicou.

Vice-presidente do Central, Sivaldo Oliveira frisou que uma eventual homologação servirá como registro.

– Os quatro clubes se classificaram para jogar a Série A no mesmo ano! É o campeão de cada grupo reivindicando um título, e isso não vai afetar o ranking da CBF. Cada um tinha o seu grupo e venceu. Esperamos que a entidade concorde – declarou.

Presidente do Conselho da Inter de Limeira, Paulo César Scaraviello Júnior apontou que a esperança da equipe paulista é por uma justiça histórica.

– Algum tempo atrás fomos convidados e pleiteamos esse título. Após o reconhecimento do Atlético-MG, ganhou corpo a situação. Por mais que haja quatro campeões na Série B, esse reconhecimento apagará um erro que foi não deixarem a Inter de Limeira disputar a Primeira Divisão de 1986. A equipe foi campeã paulista, mas logo depois teve de disputar o que era equivalente a uma Segundona. A única vantagem que tinha era a possibilidade de se classificar para a segunda fase, na qual poderia jogar com times da elite. A Inter mostrou sua força, foi campeã do grupo e isso deve ser reconhecido. Seria importante esse título, mesmo dividindo com três agremiações – afirmou.

Em pronunciamento oficial, o diretor de relações internacionais do Criciúma, Rodolfo Moretti, justificou o fato do clube se juntar aos demais.

– Seria um registro histórico de um feito considerável à época. Com isso, também resgatamos a história vencedora daquele time de 1986, campeão catarinense daquele ano e que também ascendeu à elite do futebol brasileiro – disse.

QUANTA HISTÓRIA: 1986, O ANO QUE AINDA DÁ O QUE FALAR

Originalmente, o regulamento da Copa Brasil (nome do Campeonato Brasileiro de 1986) não previa a disputa de uma Série B. Os quatro clubes que pleiteiam o título disputaram o Torneio Paralelo (veja os detalhes abaixo).

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AS ‘MARCAS’ DA COMPETIÇÃO

O Torneio Paralelo não deixou ps feitos das equipes que se classificaram para as fases finais do Brasileirão apenas na memória. Na fachada do Estádio Presidente Vargas, em Campina Grande, o Treze expõe a frase “Campeão brasileiro de 1986 – Série B”.

Em Caruaru, o Central também passou a estampar no concreto de seu estádio o posto de campeão da Série B do ano de 1986. Em 2019, ano no qual a Patativa comemorou seu centenário, um outro episódio em torno das memórias da competição chamou atenção.

Um torcedor entregou à diretoria da época uma réplica do troféu da Série B como presente, que tinha na base o escudo do Central e a inscrição de “campeão da Série B de 1986”. Mesmo com a CBF não declarando campeões naquela edição, dirigentes ergueram a “taça” no Estádio Lacerdão.

GALO DA BORBOREMA: SONHO ACALENTADO HÁ DÉCADAS

O Treze tenta há anos colocar no papel seu título de campeão da Série B de 1986. O mandatário Artur Bolinha vê a nova investida com otimismo.

– O reconhecimento trará apenas uma questão de justiça para os clubes que tiveram campanhas merecedoras de estar na Série A. Foram disputas muito difíceis. Isso vai coroar grandes times – afirmou.

Destaque do Galo da Borborema na época, Fernando Baiano vê com expectativa a possibilidade de se tornar campeão da Série B com décadas de atraso.

– Esse título deveria vir há mais tempo. Estávamos numa fase muito boa, fizemos uma campanha forte e devíamos ser congratulados. Éramos treinados pelo Waldemar Carabina e contávamos com jogadores de peso como Rinaldo, Cláudio Mineiro, Bill… Não é à toa que o (jornalista e ex-ténico da Seleção Brasileira) João Saldanha dizia que crescíamos quando jogávamos em Campina Grande – afirmou.

PATATIVA: BUSCA POR HOMOLOGAR SEU PRIMEIRO TÍTULO NACIONAL

Em Limeira, o clima é de que a homologação da Série B de 1986 fará jus a uma equipe histórica. A cidade não digeriu situações que rondaram o time que foi campeão paulista meses antes, ao derrotar o Palmeiras por 2 a 1 no Morumbi.

– O nosso incômodo não é ter de dividir título hoje. Incômodo foi um time campeão paulista não disputar a Taça de Ouro (nome dado na época à Série A). Nos deram essa consolação de disputar o Torneio Paralelo. A classificação veio, felizmente, e só mostraram a força da nossa equipe – disse o conselheiro Paulo César Scaraviello Júnior.

Meia do Leão de Limeira, Tato contou que, na época, a situação pegou a equipe de surpresa.

– Fomos campeões paulistas e não subimos para a primeira! Alguém pegou nossa vaga, pareceu muito estranho – declarou.

O ex-jogador destacou o empenho da equipe paulista no Grupo G.

– Tínhamos perdido muitos jogadores. O Kita foi para o Flamengo, Juarez para o Palmeiras. Mesmo assim, ficou uma base forte e fomos lutando até o final – contou.

Aos seus olhos, a equipe tem motivos para almejar o título na CBF.

– O Atlético-MG foi contemplado recentemente. A Inter de Limeira é um time grandioso. Seria bacana para nós – afirmou.

Presidente do Conselho, Paulo César Scaraviello Júnior acrescentou.

– Para a Inter de Limeira, um reconhecimento vai ser uma “reparação histórica”. Serão quatro campeões? Paciência! Mas a equipe mostrou que poderia chegar até a final se a Série B continuasse. Vamos ficar tão orgulhosos quanto no título de 1988 (a equipe de Limeira tem uma Série B no currículo). Caso ocorra, a homologação da Série B de 1986 pagará uma dívida eterna – disse.

TIGRE: ESPERANÇA NA DIRETORIA. MAS…

O Criciúma também se manifestou pelo quarteto se juntar em busca do reconhecimento do Torneio Paralelo como título da Série B de 1986. No entanto, nem todos apoiam a atitude de pleitear a conquista.

Lateral que mais tarde venceu a Copa do Brasil de 1991, Sarandi ressaltou.

– Sou de acordo com o que estabelecia o regulamento, que não especificava o Torneio Paralelo como título. Ele era um passo para disputar a sequência da Série A. Permitia que a gente fosse avançando, até que terminou no meio do caminho – disse, acrescentando:

– Naquele ano, fomos campeões estaduais. Depois, enfrentamos clubes do Sul. Conquistamos a vaga e fomos “guindados” ao Brasileirão – justificou.

Sarandi valorizou a maneira como o Tigre se consolidou para garantir a vaga à fase seguinte.

– Ficou a lembrança do início de uma instituição. Fomos campeões estaduais, fomos bem no Paralelo, bem treinados. Anos depois, veio a conquista da Copa do Brasil – afirmou.

Em compasso de espera, quatro clubes aguardam um aceno da CBF para saber se podem acrescentar uma estrela no peito.

Fleming on CSK's auction: 'We just haven't been able to get it right'

Following a seventh defeat in nine games in IPL 2025, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming traced their struggles back to the auction.”It is hard to say we got it completely right with the performances that we have had,” he said after CSK’s batting struggled once again to put up a decent total against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They were bowled out for 154 and lost by five wickets. “So we have been looking over that in detail just around our style of play. Also looking at how the game is evolving.Related

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“And it is not easy. And that is why we are proud of our record today. We have been able to be consistent for so long and it doesn’t take much for it to go another way. Other teams have got better and that is the point of the auction. But we just haven’t been able to get it right.”CSK had tried to compensate for that by using players outside of their usual roles, having Ravindra Jadeja bat up the order, using Shivam Dube as a finisher, trying R Ashwin in the powerplay and asking MS Dhoni to bat a lot longer than he is able to given he is 43 years old and his knees aren’t perfectly right.”So you take responsibility from the top down and then you just ask a little more of the players,” Fleming said. “But yeah, that has to be an area where we need to reflect and say it wasn’t as good as what it could have been or it hasn’t worked out how we wanted.”Stephen Fleming felt Dewald Brevis was ‘excellent’ on his CSK debut•PTI

CSK are at the bottom of the table on run-rates and boundaries hit and are near the top of the table on dot-ball percentage. They came into this game having used 20 of 27 players and here they handed Dewald Brevis a debut and pushed their youngest ever player, Ayush Mhatre, up to open the batting. Unlike in past seasons, when CSK assembled numerous champion teams filled with players with clearly defined roles, they have been unable to settle on a combination this season.”It is also not perfect science,” Fleming said. “The auction is a very fluid beast. It’s like buying [for] 25 hours and see it come away at the end of it mentally and sometimes physically exhausted. And to be fair, I still think we have got a good squad. We are not far away.”A couple of key injuries, just a bit of a lack of form. And we have just struggled really to nail a gameplan. We’ve chopped and changed too much. I think it was trying to look for something that perhaps we felt wasn’t there. So yeah, there is a lot of responsibility and soul-searching and it certainly starts with me at the top, 100%”There is a feeling that CSK are too set in their ways – preferring experienced players, structuring their innings to start slow and finish strong – and this season might be pushing them towards new ways of thinking.”I’m a believer that the game hasn’t evolved that much,” Fleming said. “So just trying to be smart and trying to be positive and give evidence that percentages still work. But all around there is a bit of chaos, isn’t there, with teams playing well [by targeting boundaries and playing high-risk shots]. And I think I said it in a grumpy interview a few weeks ago that we’ll see towards the end of the tournament which team will come through.’When they come to play for Chennai, one of the things they look forward to is being yellow in front of a yellow crowd’•AFP/Getty Images

“And it’s an intriguing watch to see settled sides and teams with younger sort of flair battling it out and watching the cream rise. And I will watch with interest to see towards the end what the highest run-scorers are and what teams are doing well, because that’s part of the reflection as you move forward.”Some of that has already begun. “We’ve tried to bolt things on all the time,” Fleming said. “I thought Brevis was excellent today [making 42 off 25]. Mhatre has been refreshing. We’ve given guys opportunities and that’s something that often doesn’t come along in an IPL. You don’t want it to come along. It’s an unwanted bonus. So we’ll work very hard on every game to try and find some more answers for next year.”A strong crowd turned up in Chennai once again, just as they have all around the country to watch CSK play even though they have been struggling this season.”Well, we are aware of the support and it is not just at home, it extends throughout India,” Fleming said “We understand the effect that MS Dhoni has with our support, but when we see the amount of yellow that turns up game after game, certainly here at Chepauk, but when we are around the country experiencing that, there is a responsibility that we feel and it is a heavy one. And to not reward that with performances weighs very heavy on the group.”When they come to play for Chennai, one of the things they look forward to is being yellow in front of a yellow crowd and to not perform up to our expectations, but more importantly the fans’ expectations, leaves us very empty.”

Dudu relata emoção ao ser relacionado no time principal do Athletico

MatériaMais Notícias

É bem verdade que o resultado do Athletico-PR no último fim de semana, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, esteve longe de ser satisfatório ao ser derrotado pelo Fortaleza, por 1 a 0, na Arena Castelão.

Entretanto, além do ponto a ser relevado do uso de equipe mista, pensando na Copa do Brasil, a comissão técnica do Furacão deu um ‘gostinho’ de ascensão ao meia Dudu por ter relacionado o jogador de 17 anos de idade, pela primeira vez, para um duelo da equipe principal.

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Cria do CT do Caju, ele não escondeu a felicidade com o que ele classificou como a ‘realização de um sonho’. Além do agradecimento, ele frisou que seguirpa buscando mostrar o seu melhor futebol para receber cada vez mais oportunidades semelhantes no Athletico:

– É um momento muito especial para mim, é a realização de um sonho. Vejo isso como reconhecimento do meu trabalho e como uma oportunidade de mostrar que estou pronto para ajudar o Athletico. Pois esse é o meu objetivo, ajudar esse clube que tanto fez por mim.

>Transforme qualquer TV em Smart e assista aos jogos do seu time do coração quando quiser!

– Foi uma honra estar com os meus companheiros e comissão. Agradeço ao clube pela confiança e vou continuar trabalhando forte para ir conquistando meu espaço. Como disse, estou aqui para ajudar no que for preciso e mostrar minha gratidãoaoAthletico – completou o jogador que, no último mês de abril, foi titular da Seleção Brasileira no título do Sul-Americano Sub-17, realizado no Equador.

"Absolutely fuming" – Pundit rages at Martin's latest Rangers decision

After his latest controversial decision, one Sky Sports pundit has admitted that he’d be “absolutely fuming” at Russell Martin if he was in the current Rangers squad.

Martin: Some fans didn't want me in the first place

Five league games, zero wins and sat in 10th place. That’s how dire things have been for Rangers under Martin. Their Champions League humiliation at the hands of Club Brugge could almost be excused – put down to simply being outmatched by better opposition – but that same excuse cannot be applied in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers have endured a historically poor start and the writing is arguably already on the wall for Martin, who admitted that some fans didn’t even want him at Ibrox in the first place after defeat against Hearts.

Up next for Rangers is the visit of Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final. As things stand, it looks as though Martin will be in charge for that game and maintains the support of the 49ers. Whether another defeat would change that is the question that everyone will be pondering.

What certainly hasn’t helped the manager’s case is the latest decision that he’s made, resulting in criticism from Jamie O’Hara.

O'Hara: "I'd be fuming" with Loch Lomond trip

When backs are up against the wall, managers often get creative with their approach and Martin is no different. In the middle of a dreadful run, the Rangers boss took his side to Loch Lomond for a team bonding trip, which featured wild swimming and a hike up a mountain. O’Hara, like many, has shared his opinion on the strangely-timed trip, taking aim at Martin.

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The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder told Sky Sports: “If I was a player, I’d be absolutely fuming. Why would I wanna go swimming in Loch Lomond as a team bonding session?

“Give me some golf clubs and we’ll go play Loch Lomond or get the fishing rods out and go out on the boat for the day, then fair enough. What are you talking about, go swimming in Loch Lomond?”

Only time will tell whether Rangers’ quite literal uphill climb results in an upturn in form, but for now it is the latest in a growing list of Martin’s decisions to come under fire.

'He was the first one to text me' – Everton star Beto issues touching tribute to Diogo Jota after Liverpool star's tragic death

Everton striker Beto has paid tribute to his compatriot Diogo Jota, revealing the late Liverpool and Portugal forward was the first person to text him following his move to Merseyside. The footballing world was left devastated after Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, tragically died in a car crash in the Spanish province of Zamora in July.

Beto presented floral tribute to Jota in the wake of the tragedy

In the wake of the tragedy, Beto – alongside then-Everton player and fellow Portuguese Youssef Chermiti – joined Toffees ambassador Ian Snodin as they presented a floral tribute outside Anfield in memory of both Diogo and Andre.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBeto pays tribute to Jota ahead of Merseyside derby on Saturday

And ahead of the first Merseyside derby of the 2025-26 season between Liverpool and Everton on Saturday afternoon, Beto has opened up about how Jota went out of his way to welcome him to the city after he joined the Blues from Udinese in 2023.

Beto reveals heartwarming Jota gesture after joining Everton

In quotes carried by the Liverpool Echo, Beto reflected on Jota's death, saying: “That day, the day that thing happened, I was at home in Portugal. That day I would travel to Manchester to come here for the pre-season.

“I was shocked. I was shocked because Diogo was a really good guy. We were not friends, but you know, when you play against Portuguese players and everything, we normally stop, we speak a little bit. You have Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, these guys, but when I signed for Everton, he was the first guy who texted me.

“He just texted me and said: ‘I'm happy for you. I'm happy for you. If you need anything on the city, everything, I can help you, just give me a shout'.

“After every game that we play against Liverpool, we’d talk a little bit. We were not best friends, you know, but we talk a little bit, he was a really, really good guy. I’d ask: ‘how is everything?’ 

“It was sad. It was really sad.”

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Jota scored final goal for Liverpool against Everton in 2025

Jota scored his final goal for Liverpool in last season's Merseyside derby at Anfield on April 2. The striker netted the only goal of the game as the Reds secured a crucial three points en route to claiming the 2024-25 Premier League title.

Corinthians tem trio convocado para o Mundial Sub-20, mas ainda não decidiu sobre liberação

MatériaMais Notícias

Três jogadores do Corinthians foram convocados para o Mundial Sub-20, que acontece entre os dias 20 de maio e 11 de junho: o meia Biro e os atacantes Giovane e Pedro. Através das redes sociais, o clube celebrou a convocação, mas isso não significa que vai liberar os atletas. A decisão sobre o aval será do novo treinador, que ainda não foi definido.

A tendência é que Biro e Giovane sejam liberados. Pedro, por sua vez, é uma incógnita. Os dois primeiros não são utilizados constantemente, ainda que integrados ao elenco profissional, e por isso devem ter a sua participação no torneio internacional permitida. Já o terceiro, vinha ganhando muito espaço com o técnico Fernando Lázaro, remanejado de cargo e que voltou a ser auxiliar técnico após a derrota corintiana para o Argentinos Juniors, pela Libertadores, há duas semanas.

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Para a diretoria do Timão, Pedro só não seria liberado se o novo comandante garantir que usará o atleta com constância. Fora isso, é do interesse do clube que o atleta participe da Copa do Mundo da categoria, porque seria uma ótima vitrine. O atacante é um dos ativos mais valiosos do Corinthians. Recentemente ele renovou o contrato com a equipe, com a multa rescisória colocada em 120 milhões de euros (R$ 665,8 mi, na cotação atual) para o mercado internacional.

A direção corintiana, inclusive, tem recebido sondagens de equipes do exterior que buscam mais informações sobre o atleta, mas nada que avance a uma proposta. Há a expectativa de que algo formal chegue na janela do segundo semestre, que abre no dia 3 de julho.

Biro, Giovane e Pedro já serviram a Seleção Brasileira sub-20 nesta temporada. Em janeiro, o trio fez parte do elenco campeão sul-americano da categoria, na Colômbia.

رونالدو: منتخب البرازيل لا يمتلك لاعبًا مثل نيمار.. ويجب عودته

طالب الظاهرة رونالدو المدرب الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي، المدير الفني لمنتخب البرازيل الأول لكرة القدم بعودة نيمار دا سيلفا للمشاركة مع السلساو.

كان أنشيلوتي قد أوضح في تصريحات سابقة له أنه تحدث مع قائد منتخب البرازيل بأن باب المنتخب مفتوحًا له في أي وقت وأنه يريد الاعتماد عليه.

ويغيب نيمار عن منتخب البرازيل منذ معسكر مارس 2023 إذ عانى من إصابات عديدة جعلته يغيب عن العديد من المباريات.

وقال الظاهرة رونالدو عن عدم استدعاء نيمار: “إنه لاعب حاسم في وليس لدينا لاعب آخر مثل نيمار ونأمل أن يكون جاهزًا تمامًا لكأس العالم”.

اقرأ أيضًا | أنشيلوتي يكشف مركز نيمار الجديد مع البرازيل.. وموقفه من تجديد عقده

وأوضح رونالدو الفارق بين تأثير نيمار في حضوره وغيابه: “إذا كان هنا، فسنحقق بالتأكيد نتائج أفضل بكثير مما لو لم يكن موجودًا”.

ودافع عن مواطنه الذي تعرض لانتقادات شديدة بسبب إصاباته المتكررة: “أي شخص يلعب كرة القدم يفهم جيدًا مدى صعوبة العودة من الإصابة واستعادة الثقة مرة أخرى والنسق الذي كان عليه”.

يُذكر أن نجم برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان السابق يعتبر الهداف التاريخي للمنتخب البرازيلي برصيد 79 هدفًا في 128 مباراة خاضها بقميص السلساو.

No regrets for Dickson as Somerset lose their third title in a week

Both teams happy to decide final on the field as shortened contest beats the weather

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network23-Sep-2024

Both Sean Dickson and Kiran Carlson were happy to contest the One-Day Cup final as a 20-over contest•Getty Images

After a first-day washout in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge, Glamorgan managed to beat both Somerset and the weather to regain the title that they last won in 2021, in a competition that was pragmatically reduced from 50-overs-a-side to 20 to maximise the prospect of a result.It was, as Sam Northeast, Glamorgan’s matchwinning batter, said: “the right thing to do in the circumstances”. That sentiment was echoed by Somerset’s captain, Sean Dickson, who insisted his over-riding emotion was one of pride even as his team saw a third title slip through their fingers in the space of a week, after their loss in the T20 Blast final at Edgbaston and Surrey’s County Championship triumph on Friday.”We hadn’t played any Twenty20 for a while so it was strange coming into a 20-over contest,” Northeast told the ECB Reporters Network, after top-scoring for his team with 63 not out from 49 balls. “We didn’t even know we were going to get a game at all, so the change from 50 to 20 overs, about 40 minutes before, meant we had to adapt as best as possible.”In the event, it started to rain just as we were coming off, so somebody was clearly looking down on us. I’m glad they did make the change. It was the right thing to do in the circumstances, to get the game on.”Somerset had made the early running after winning the toss and choosing to bowl, with Alfie Ogborne, their 21-year-old left-armer seamer, claiming two wickets in his first over. However, the team’s inexperience was exposed at key moments of the contest, particularly while Northeast, Billy Root and Timm van der Gugten were accelerating through the back-end of their innings to add 115 in the final ten overs.”We didn’t really know what a good score was,” Northeast said. “So from my point of view it was just about building partnerships, getting a bit of a platform and trying to accelerate once we had a feel for the pitch.”At one point we thought 160 might be okay but that little innings from Timm van der Gugten at the end gave us what we thought was a pretty good score, one that we knew would be competitive. Timm hit the ball really cleanly and Billy Root through the middle too, and the way Will Smale got us off to a bit of a flyer meant we had something to build on.”With Somerset choosing to back the players that had carried them through to the final, it meant they were missing 11 players who had featured in this year’s Men’s Hundred, which had run concurrent with the group stages. Their most experienced player on the day was England’s left-armer spinner, Jack Leach, but between the damp conditions and the List A regulation fields that limited the number of out-fielders through the middle overs, he did not get a bowl.”As a county, we’ve ended up winning nothing when we would have liked to finish with at least one or two trophies,” Dickson said. “But the bottom line is that we have just competed for three trophies and we are really proud as a squad that we have been able to do that.”In this competition, we have resisted the temptation to bring back guys that we lost to the Hundred, so I’m hugely proud that this squad in particular made it all the way to the final.”And we were much happier today to be able to go out and try to win on the field, rather than have had a total washout and shared the trophy. No one wants to share a trophy, everyone wants a bash at trying to be a winner.”We were fine playing it as a T20. We just wanted to get a game on, as did they. We had a discussion with the umpires, the match ref and the ECB ref that was there so we were all on board.”We could analyse all day where the game was won and lost but I think they obviously bowled better than us. With the fresh pitch, it definitely offered something with the new ball up top.”Our bowlers were slipping and sliding all over the place, which was unfortunate, but that’s what you get for choosing to bowl first and we just have to take our medicine and move forward.”

Done deal: Southampton have "agreed" £6.8m exit of "incredible" attacker

Southampton have “agreed a fee” with a club over the sale of an “incredible” Saints player, according to a fresh claim from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Will Still outlines plans as Southampton manager

Will Still has begun life as Southampton’s new manager, with the Englishman looking to back up his reputation as an exciting young coach with a big future in the game.

The 32-year-old has already spoken well since taking charge at St Mary’s Stadium, outlining what he wants to see from his team in a tactical sense.

“I don’t like to sit in and wait and be passive in what we do. I’d like our teams to dominate, to go and press, to be as aggressive as we can be. I don’t do that just for the fact of running and to say, oh, we’re going to be really aggressive. We want to be high up the pitch and in the opposition’s third as much as possible.

“It’s been entertaining. I want the players to enjoy it. I want the fans, obviously, to get on board and support it. But it’s (about) creating that environment where we’re here to win and we want to win a lot. We want to win consistently.”

The pressure will be on Still to guide Southampton straight back into the Premier League from the Championship, and he will know that new signings are vital. There are also players who will leave after Saints’ relegation, however, and a key update has emerged regarding one such figure.

"Incredible" Southampton attacker set to leave

Writing on X, Romano reported that Southampton have “agreed a fee” with Trabzonspor over the £6.8m sale of striker Paul Onuachu from St Mary’s.

Seeing Onuachu depart is a shame, given his popularity among Southampton supporters, with his giant stature and unique style making him something of a cult hero.

The Nigerian is a good footballer in his own right, however, scoring four Premier League goals last season and being lauded by Ivan Juric: “He’s an incredible guy, always training hard. He has some good things and some bad things he can do better, but he’s one of those guys that is always working hard.”

The fact that Onuachu only has one year remaining on his current Southampton deal means that selling him now is the sensible decision, though, allowing the club to receive a healthy amount of money that can be used on new signings this summer.

Southampton and Still want to sign new £4m+ forward with 11 goals in 24/25

The Saints are looking for a swift return to the Premier League.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

May 30, 2025

A new striker will be needed in his place, though, and Still has to nail his replacement, in order to give his side the best possible chance of a quickfire return to the top flight.

Nottingham Forest open talks to sign "elite" new star after Weah rejection

Wasting no time after being rejected by Juventus’ Timothy Weah, Nottingham Forest have now reportedly opened talks to sign another Serie A star this summer.

Weah rejects Nottingham Forest move

Looking to get their summer business officially underway, Nottingham Forest set their sights on Weah and would have been hoping to flex their European muscles for the first time. The American has since burst that bubble, however. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, the versatile winger has sent the Tricky Trees back to the drawing board after rejecting a move to the City Ground this summer.

His rejection comes at a time when Newcastle United have set their sights on Anthony Elanaga and that could yet deal Nottingham Forest a double blow. Whilst those at the City Ground have reportedly rejected a bid worth around £45m for the Swede, it can’t be ruled out that the Magpies return with a second offer before the end of the summer.

Although Elanga remains a Nottingham Forest player, the Midlands club would be wise to think about a potential replacement. Already, it looks as though Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus are on their way to add more firepower fresh from an impressive Club World Cup campaign with Botafofo, but Forest will not be done there.

With European action to balance alongside any domestic responsibilities, squad depth will be the key to any success at the City Ground. Weah would have helped on that front, but now that Forest are back to the drawing board they could welcome an option who is an even greater talent than the winger.

Nottingham Forest open talks to sign Musah

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Nottingham Forest have now opened talks to sign Yunus Musah from AC Milan this summer. The American international initially looked destined to be on his way to Napoli before a move ultimately broke down to open the door for Forest to make their move.

Nottingham Forest join race for one of the rising stars of U21 Euros

Anderson already knows all about his quality…

ByTom Cunningham Jun 26, 2025

At 22 years old, the American international, who came through Arsenal’s academy, already has some impressive experience under his belt in La Liga with Valencia and in Italy with Milan. Now, he could be on his way back to English football to offer Nuno Espirito Santo a versatile star who can play as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder and right midfielder.

Particularly standing out at the 2022 World Cup, Musah was described as a “hardworking” player with an “elite engine” by scout Jacek Kulig and those are just two traits that he could now bring to Nottingham Forest this summer.

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