Days after Trent Boult expressed his desire to feature in the 2023 ODI World Cup, New Zealand Cricket’s outgoing chief executive officer David White has said he will be “surprised” if the left-arm quick does not represent New Zealand in the tournament later this year.Boult was released from his central contract last August at his own request in order to spend more time with his family and increase his availability for franchise leagues around the world. However, White, who had taken NZC’s charge in 2012, said that centrally contracted players would be at the front of the selection queue.”We have made it very clear that priority is given to centrally-contracted players,” White told New Zealand radio station this week. “That was the case during the summer. It is very important for the integrity of the competition and of the contracting model that we give priority to our centrally-contracted players.”Related

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• Boult still has a 'big desire' to play ODI World Cup in India

White revealed that NZC had kept the communication open with Boult, hinting the seamer was likely to be on the flight to India for the World Cup.”In saying that, we’ve had a lot of conversations with Trent over the last few weeks and months,” White said. “I’d be very surprised if he wasn’t representing New Zealand in the World Cup, and we’re having very positive conversations with him.”Boult has not played international cricket since New Zealand’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to Pakistan in November 2022 and has not played a Test match in nearly a yearIn February, New Zealand’s coach Gary Stead said he had spoken to Boult ahead of the two-Test series at home against England and explained why he would not be in contention despite injuries to Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson at the time. Even then, Stead had left Boult optimistic for future New Zealand assignments.”It does not mean we have ruled Trent out from anything in the future,” Stead had said. “There will be ongoing discussion and we’re not sure what the landscape of the cricket world will look like in six months. It might change again.”Boult, who is currently playing in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, told ESPNcricinfo in a recent chat that he remains hopeful about playing another ODI World Cup, a desire which took seed as soon as New Zealand lost the 2019 World Cup in a heart-breaking finish. “I remember after the 2019 final, I said to Kane [Williamson] that we’ve got to be there again, come 2023 in India. One hundred percent, I’ve got that desire to be out there.”

‘Representing country still the pinnacle’

T20 leagues like the IPL offer big money and a better work-life balance, which force players to reconsider their career paths. Along with Boult, New Zealand allrounder James Neeesham too had declined a central contract, while Colin de Grandhomme retired from international cricket.But White felt a lot of present-day cricketers still preferred representing their country over playing in franchise cricket.”I think that the players still say that Test cricket and representing their country is still the pinnacle,” he said. “[With] the majority of the players, that is certainly the case. It would be fair to say that a lot of the players that are going into leagues are former [internationals], or [are] towards the end of their career. So I am not so concerned about that.”The really positive thing about cricket compared to a lot of other sports is that it’s being bankrolled primarily by India, which is now the most populated country in the world. There are huge resources and a lot of revenue, which is good for cricket. So it’s just important that New Zealand Cricket ensures that we stay relevant. That way we influence the international game at the ICC level, and we can compete at the highest level.”I think over the next year or two, there’ll be a little bit more certainty about where that goes. But the international game is strong. I think we are very well-positioned, and I’m very proud of what we have achieved over my tenure.”

Tottenham Hotspur are now monitoring an “insane” midfielder, with a summer transfer possible if they are willing to pay the £50m+ asking price, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

Tottenham planning midfield rebuild

Tottenham are planning to rejig their midfield in the summer transfer window, with manager Ange Postecoglou now making the call to cash-in on Yves Bissouma, in order to fund a move for Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, who is expected to cost around £66m.

Bissouma has attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs, namely Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Everton, and the 28-year-old’s time in north London could be coming to an end, having played a more sporadic role in recent weeks.

Wharton is not the only midfielder on the shortlist, however, with AS Monaco’s Lamine Camara also of interest, while Spurs are also in the race to sign Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham, who could be allowed to leave the Championship club for a big fee this summer.

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Not only are Tottenham in the running for the Sunderland star, but they are also one of the clubs keen on signing a player who’s drawn comparisons to his brother Jude.

Plettenberg has recently confirmed Spurs are now “monitoring” Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson, who is attracting widespread interest ahead of the summer transfer window, with Arsenal, Liverpool and several other unnamed teams also keen.

A summer move is said to be a possibility, should Frankfurt receive a fee of at least €60m (£50m), with the German club expecting “concrete offers” to be put forward.

Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming fixtures

Date

AZ Alkmaar (a)

March 6th

AFC Bournemouth (h)

March 9th

AZ Alkmaar (h)

March 13th

Fulham (a)

March 16th

Chelsea (a)

April 3rd

"Insane" Larsson could be an excellent signing

Freelance scout Ben Mattinson has lauded Larsson as being “very similar to Bellingham”, while also praising him for his engine and ability to drive the ball forward.

Postecoglou is well-known for his high-pressing, attacking style, which means it is important to have players with good stamina, indicating the Frankfurt star could be a perfect fit for the Australian’s system.

Not only that, but the Swedish midfielder has also proven himself to be a consistent goal threat, ranking in the 89th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, when compared to his positional peers.

At just 20-years-old, Larsson could be a fantastic long-term addition to Postecoglou’s squad, so it is promising news Tottenham could be in the race for his signature this summer.

Liverpool are well down the line in their hunt for the Premier League title and could look to back up their impressive season by producing an exciting summer transfer window.

Liverpool's competitiveness on all fronts set to entice new arrivals

Liverpool managed to ride the storm against Paris Saint-Germain and performed a smash and grab late on to ensure they took a 1-0 lead over the Ligue 1 champions back to Anfield for the second-leg of their Champions League Round of 16 affair.

Harvey Elliott popped up late on to spark jubilant scenes in the away end – Arne Slot’s side showed a different side to their game in the French capital, which has bred optimism that they could go on to claim a sixth crown in Europe’s premier competition.

With the Premier League and Carabao Cup firmly in sight, the Reds are one of the most attractive destinations worldwide for potential new arrivals come the summer. Despite their immediate priority being silverware, plenty of work is going on behind the scenes as the Merseyside giants aim to build on their recent success.

Bournemouth star Milos Kerkez has recently emerged as a Liverpool target following his brilliant form on the south coast this season. If circumstances align, Kostas Tsimikas could depart to make way for the Hungary international.

Liverpool’s top scorers across all competitions
Mohamed Salah	30
Cody Gakpo	16
Luis Diaz	13
Diogo Jota	8
Dominik Szoboszlai	7

Furthermore, contact has been made with Alexander Isak’s representatives over a move to Anfield. Darwin Nunez has cut an unconvincing figure through the middle, heightening the need for attacking reinforcements.

Speculation surrounding incomings at Liverpool is starting to escalate as the season reaches its business end, and the Reds have now made contact over an energetic figure who could add extra steel in the engine room.

Liverpool make contact over Atalanta midfielder Ederson

According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool have registered their interest in Atalanta midfielder Ederson, making contact to find out his situation with the Europa League holders. The outlet state that the Brazil international remains a long-term priority target for Manchester City and specify that a fee in the region of £50 million may be enough to secure his signature this summer.

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Manchester United may also enter the race to replenish their ageing midfield. Labelled “versatile” by Tim Vickery, Liverpool have previously scouted Ederson, who has registered four goals and two assists in 39 appearances this season for Atalanta.

Famed for his tenacity, the 25-year-old has won 132 duels and made 142 recoveries in Serie A across 2024/25. On the creativity front, he has also fashioned 23 chances alongside recording a pass accuracy rate of 87.8%.

Liverpool wants to establish themselves as the dominant force in English football for years to come, so it makes sense to try to pip their rivals where possible to ensure quality reinforcements arrive at Anfield ahead of next season.

يستعد فريق بايرن ميونخ لخوض مباراته الثالثة والأخيرة في دور مجموعات بطولة كأس العالم للأندية، مساء أليوم الثلاثاء، ضد نظيره بنفيكا.

ويلتقي الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور مجموعات البطولة على ملعب “بنك أمريكا”، وذلك لحساب المجموعة الثالثة.

ويتصدر بايرن ميونخ المجموعة مؤقتًا برصيد 6 نقاط، حيث تأهل بالفعل إلى دور الـ16، في حين أن بنفيكا لديه 4 نقاط في المركز الثاني.

ولم يحسم بايرن ميونخ صدارته بعد، حيث يحتاج إلى نقطة فقط أمام بنفيكا من أجل حسم الأمر.

في حين أن بنفيكا يحتاج إلى نقطة من أجل التأهل إلى الدور المقبل، خاصة وأن بوكا جونيورز لديه أمل في حسم البطاقة الثانية من تلك المجموعة عند مواجهة أوكلاند سيتي.

وفي حال فوز بنفيكا على بايرن ميونخ، فإنه سيتأهل كمتصدر للمجموعة، في حين سيتراجع الفريق الألماني إلى الوصافة.

أما إذا تعرض بنفيكا للخسارة، فإن أمر تأهله سيعتمد على نتيجة مباراة بوكا جونيورز وأوكلاند سيتي في التوقيت نفسه.

ويواجه متصدر المجموعة الثالثة نظيره وصيف المجموعة الرابعة، في حين أن الوصيف سيواجه متصدر الأخرى.

وتضم المجموعة الرابعة كلًا من فلامينجو البرازيلي الذي تأهل كمتصدر بالفعل، تشيلسي الإنجليزي، الترجي التونسي ولوس أنجلوس الأمريكي.

ويمتلك تشيلسي والترجي فرصة التأهل كوصيف المجموعة الرابعة، وسيُحسم الأمر خلال مباراتهما سويًا فجر الأربعاء. موعد مباراة بايرن ميونخ وبنفيكا اليوم في كأس العالم للأندية

ستنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة بايرن ميونخ وبنفيكا اليوم في كأس العالم للأندية

تذاع المباراة عبر شبكة “DAZN”، وكذلك قناة mbc action.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Everton are gearing up for a summer of bustling activity.

Not only are the Toffees set to leave their hallowed Goodison Park and move to Bramley Moore, but with new owners, The Friedkin Group, looking to bring the club back to prominence, back to the top half of the Premier League, exciting investment is anticipated.

David Moyes has reportedly been handed greater transfer powers than his predecessors and will look to bring a range of signings in to strengthen the various parts of the Everton engine.

Of course, some exits will need to be enforced too, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin perhaps the biggest name expected to depart this summer.

Why Everton need to part with Calvert-Lewin

Everton are approaching a new era, and while Moyes’ arrival felt like a reprieve for Calvert-Lewin after his struggles under Sean Dyche this year, a fresh hamstring injury sustained in January against Brighton & Hove Albion has sent him spiralling back into the shadows.

The 27-year-old did score during the thumping win over Tottenham Hotspur one game before, but this snapped a 16-match goalless run in the Premier League.

Taking the variables into consideration, there’s a sense it would be rather imprudent to tie the injury-prone, goal-averse striker to a new deal as he enters the final few months of his current contract.

Earning £100k per week, the England international has been a Toffee for a long time, enjoyed highs and lows, but it’s the right time for him to move on, especially with Beto going from strength to strength since Moyes arrived.

Calvert-Lewin: Everton Stats by Season (PL)

Season

Apps (starts)

Goals

Assists

2024/25

22 (19)

3

1

2023/24

32 (26)

7

2

2022/23

17 (15)

2

1

2021/22

17 (15)

5

2

2020/21

33 (32)

16

1

2019/20

36 (30)

13

1

2018/19

35 (19)

6

2

2017/18

32 (18)

4

5

2016/17

11 (5)

1

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

Beto can’t do it all alone though, as recent fixtures have demonstrated for the Bissau-Guinean. Everton need a new striker, and the perfect up-and-comer may well have been lined up.

Everton lining up DCL upgrade

According to transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Everton are preparing a bid for Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha, who has enjoyed prolific success in Ligue 1 this season.

Transfer Focus

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

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The report states Emegha, 22, wants to move to the Premier League. Incoming Toffees Director of Football, Angus Kinnear, will have his work cut out, for Newcastle United and West Ham United have also been named as suitors.

It’s uncertain what Strasbourg are looking to bank through the sale of their star striker, but it is suggested they are willing to do business, cashing in while his stock is high.

What Emanuel Emegha would bring to Everton

Moyes has already showcased his tactical prowess through rejuvenating Beto, and with the power to pick a new forward who he chooses (within reason, of course) Emegha might just be the perfect long-term option for the number nine spot at Bramley Moore.

Strasbourg signed Emegha from Austrian club Sturm Graz in July 2023, actually beating Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan to his signature for a reported €13m (roughly £11m) fee.

He gave a good account of himself last year, notching eight goals in the French top flight across just 23 starting appearances.

This year, it seems the Dutch-born striker has taken the next step in his development, refining his shooting to chalk up 11 goals from 21 matches, also creating four big chances for his teammates.

Standing at a towering 6 foot 5, there’s also the matter of Emegha boasting the aerial prowess to take Calvert-Lewin’s – one of the best headers of the ball – mantle.

Hailed for his “simply phenomenal” season by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Emegha is endowed with all the properties of a high-level centre-forward, also boasting a profile that Everton have been known to desire in the past.

Let’s explain. As per FBref, Emegha ranks among the top 9% of central strikers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 20% for clearances made per 90, illustrating his technical skill and willingness to get back and scoop away danger when under the kosh.

It’s such a varied style of play that Moise Kean – now of Fiorentina and a player Evertonians know well – is listed as Emegha’s most similar player in Europe’s top five leagues via the same stats-led source.

Everton welcomed Kean to Goodison Park from Juventus when he was just a teenager, for a hefty £25m fee. He was sold for a similar £25m figure in 2023, mitigating the frustration that it didn’t work out, but after just two goals from 32 matches in the Premier League and a series of loan spells, it’s one to cast a rueful eye back on all the same.

But his exploits since have proved his worth, proved Everton’s reasoning behind breaking the bank to bring him in before he had fully hit his stride.

Indeed, having now left Juventus for Fiorentina, the Italy international, now 24 years old, has scored 20 goals across 34 appearances this season, with La Viola idol Luca Toni claiming the club are “doing something extraordinary” in unlocking Kean and turning him into an elite-class striker.

Now, Everton are moving to sign the newer version in Emegha, a player whose profile has already been scouted and pursued by the likes of Tottenham and might just prove to hand Moyes a new striker, his own Kean, to propel Bramley Moore into some lofty conversations, challenging at the top end of the table for a place in European competition.

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Leeds United are currently competing to land promotion from the Championship back to the Premier League at the second time of asking this season.

The Whites are two points clear at the top of the table and four points ahead of Burnley in third place, which means that they have a good grasp on an automatic promotion spot.

Daniel Farke’s side fell just short of promotion in the 2023/24 campaign when they lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final, having finished third in the second tier.

The West Yorkshire outfit beat Millwall 2-0 on Wednesday night to put themselves clear of Sheffield United and Burnley, who were both held to draws on Tuesday night.

Manor Solomon forced an own goal from Jake Cooper in the third minute of the match, before Ao Tanaka wrapped up the three points with five minutes of normal time to go.

Whilst it may not go down as a goal or an assist, it was another contribution to a goal for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon, who has been in terrific form this season.

Manor Solomon's form this season

The Whites swooped to bring the Israel international to Elland Road last summer after the likes of Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville were sold, as their departures left the team needing to find goals and assists from elsewhere.

Solomon had a fairly quiet start to life with the Championship side, with zero goals and one assist in eight appearances, but has now emerged as a reliable performer for Leeds on the left flank.

The 25-year-old winger has started 21 of his 30 appearances in the second tier for the Whites, which shows how much Farke has trusted him, and has recorded seven goals and seven assists in that time.

Solomon is also, somewhat, unfortunate to have only recorded seven assists because he has created 12 ‘big chances’. This suggests that his teammates have let him down at times with their wasteful finishing, as they have not made the most of the high-quality opportunities that the Spurs loanee has created for them.

Non-penalty goals

0.34

Top 14%

Assists

0.34

Top 7%

Expected Assisted Goals

0.34

Top 1%

Shot-creating actions

5.10

Top 1%

Successful take-ons

2.60

Top 3%

Progressive carries

4.80

Top 6%

As you can see in the table above, the former Fulham man ranks incredibly highly among his positional peers in the Championship in a host of key attacking metrics.

These statistics illustrate how productive the Leeds star is in the final third and as a dribbler who can get his team up the pitch, which also may be why the club are reportedly interested in signing him permanently.

Leeds interested in signing Manor Solomon

The Whites currently have Solomon on a season-long loan deal that is due to expire in the summer, and they do not have an option to make it permanent ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Journalist Ben Jacobs recently confirmed, however, that the club do want to sign the Israel international on a permanent basis if they get promoted to the Premier League this year.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “The priority is to get promotion and then assess what targets are possible. Leeds are more focused on finding a playmaker and trying to buy Manor Solomon, while Cameron Archer remains on their radar.”

Jacobs has revealed that they will try to buy him, as well as Southampton centre-forward Cameron Archer, but they must first focus on landing automatic promotion out of the Championship in the next two months.

The Tottenham forward is currently valued at €9m (£7.5m) by Transfermarkt, but it remains to be seen exactly how much Leeds will need to pay to land the exciting forward this summer.

Farke, meanwhile, has already hit the jackpot with another Leeds attacker who is already worth even more than the £7.5m that Solomon is valued at – Joel Piroe.

Leeds struck gold with Joel Piroe

The German head coach arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 2023 and immediately decided to recruit a new centre-forward to bolster his squad.

Market Movers

Leeds eventually swooped to sign Dutch number nine Joel Piroe from Championship rivals Swansea for a reported fee of at least £10m ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, after he had scored 19 goals in the league in the previous season.

The Dutchman, however, made 23 of his starts as an attacking midfielder for Leeds last season, compared to 14 as a striker, and contributed with 14 goals and three assists in all competitions across both positions.

This term, Farke has relied on him as the go-to centre-forward option for the club, in his natural position, and his output at the top end of the pitch has improved as a result of that decision.

Piroe, who was described as “dangerous” by journalist Josh Bunting, has racked up 15 goals and six assists in all competitions for the West Yorkshire outfit, which means that he has already produced more goals and more assists – with two months of the season to go – than he did in the 2023/24 campaign as an attacking midfielder.

The left-footed star’s market value has increased as a result of his impressive form on the pitch for Leeds in the last two years, and his improvement in the current campaign, as it has soared beyond the £10m that was initially paid for him in 2023.

At the time of writing (14/03/2025), Transfermarkt values Piroe at €14m (£11.7m) and this means that his value has gone up since Farke brought him to Elland Road from Swansea last year, and that he is worth significantly more than Solomon.

The Whites have, therefore, hit the jackpot with the 25-year-old star because he has been a terrific performer on the pitch, whilst his value has soared off it.

At the age of 25, Piroe also still has plenty of time left to develop and improve over the years to come, which means that there is time for his value to skyrocket during the remainder of his spell in Yorkshire.

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He is already worth even more than Solomon is at the moment and could be worth millions more, potentially, if Leeds are promoted to the Premier League and he can translate his goalscoring form over to the top-flight.