The first day was washed out in Canberra

Alagappan Muthu30-Nov-2024

The first day of the two-day pink ball game between India and the Prime Minister’s XI was washed out due to persistent rain.Chances of play were remote with a steady drizzle bedding in from almost 10am right through to about 5.30pm during which time the covers stayed firmly on. The Indian team did come over to the ground but there wasn’t much reason for them to stick around.The rain did stop, briefly, late in the day, and there was a flurry of activity, with the covers being peeled off and members of both teams’ support staff being briefed by the two umpires. But when the groundstaff restored the covers, packed up and left at 6.30pm, it was clear that there would be no cricket. Much heavier rain came through at 7pm.The game is expected to resume as a 50-over affair starting from 2.40pm on Sunday. Tickets for Saturday’s play will be refunded.The day-night match was going to be India’s only chance of getting any game time with the pink ball under lights, especially or India captain Rohit Sharma who joined the squad after missing the first Test in Perth, which India won by 295 runs. Sunday could also be the return for Shubman Gill, who missed the first game because of a thumb injury and had returned to the nets in Canberra on Friday.The second Test is a day-night game from December 6 in Adelaide, where India were bowled out for 36 in their last outing there.

Former Manchester United flop Anthony Martial has completed a surprise transfer from AEK Athens to Liga MX side Monterrey Rayados, where he will link up with Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos. Martial joined the Greek club last summer on a three-year deal, but his stint ended after just one season as his contract was mutually terminated.

• Official: Martial joins Monterrey Rayados

  Martial has joined the Mexican club and a contract that will run until 2027 with an option to extend the deal by one more year. In Athens, the French forward scored nine goals and contributed two assists in 24 appearances across all competitions.

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  Martial's strange football journey so far

  Martial joined United in 2015 after an impressive season with Monaco, in a then record-breaking deal for a teenager worth €42 million (£36m/$48m). The French striker, however, did not live up to expectation and finally left the Premier League last year after spending nine years at Old Trafford, where he appeared in 319 games and scored 90 goals in all competitions.

• What did Monterrey say?

  In an official statement announcing the arrival of the Frenchman, the Liga MX side said: "Club de Futbol Monterrey informs fans and the media that French striker Anthony Martial is joining Rayados de Monterrey on a permanent transfer with a contract until 2027, with an option for an additional year."

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  When will Martial make his debut?

  Martial, who has now linked up with Ramos in Mexico, could make his debut for his new club in their upcoming Liga MX fixture against Queretaro on Sunday.

Harry Kane has delivered an update on how his German lessons are going, with the Bayern Munich superstar still in the process of becoming bilingual. The England captain stepped out of his professional comfort zone in 2023 when completing a move to the Allianz Arena. His communication skills are improving, but there is still work to be done on the linguistics front.

Farewell to England: Why Bayern move was made

Having become Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer, Kane sought a new challenge once it became apparent that major silverware would be difficult to come by in his homeland. He opted to go trophy-chasing with Bayern.

AdvertisementGettyCurse lifted! Kane scoring for fun in trophy triumphs

A first major honour of his career was secured last season, when becoming a Bundesliga title winner, with Supercup success being savoured since then. Kane has done much of his talking on the field, with remarkable individual standards being maintained in Munich.

Back to school: Language lessons being taken

He is, having relocated alongside his wife and children, doing his best to communicate with those around him in their native language. That is not a quick or easy process, with the 32-year-old striker happy to admit that he is still far from fluent.

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GettyCommunication skills: Kane understands some German

Asking about how his schooling is going when it comes to learning a new language, Kane told his channel: “The German is okay. I’ve got a lesson after training today. Just getting back into it. I pick up some words now and then and can understand a few things, but just have to keep practising.”

Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to meet a rival Premier League club’s demands and sign an “outrageous” attacker, according to journalist Sebastien Vidal.

Tottenham ramping up attacking midfielder pursuit after Maddison blow

With the new Premier League season set to get underway this weekend, Tottenham fans are justified in feeling a little disappointed by their activity in the transfer window, having made very few major additions to the squad this summer.

Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have completed permanent moves to north London after initial loan spells, but otherwise Spurs have been quiet, with Mohammed Kudus the only other high-profile addition.

Having secured Champions League qualification, it is frustrating that Daniel Levy & co haven’t been able to strike while the iron is hot and bring in some top players, missing out on Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White last month.

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Not only that, but the Lilywhites have now lost Son Heung-min and James Maddison, with the former joining LAFC and the latter set for a significant spell on the treatment table after suffering an ACL injury.

Consequently, there is an even more pressing need to bring in a new attacking midfielder, and Tottenham are now ramping up their interest in multiple players, with Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze named as potential options.

Manchester City’s James McAtee and Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott are also of interest, and Spurs are now “ready” to meet the Reds’ demands for the young Englishman, according to an update from Vidal on X.

The journalist states that Thomas Frank’s side are looking to “boost their attacking creativity”, and a move for Elliott could be on the cards, with the 22-year-old in line to receive regular game time if he moves to north London.

There is a feeling that Liverpool will sanction the England U21 international’s departure this summer, and a £40m fee has been touted.

"Outrageous" Elliott could be ideal Eze alternative

There is certainly no shortage of exciting options on Tottenham’s shortlist, with Eze perhaps chief amongst them, having outperformed the other targets in terms of attacking contributions in the Premier League last season.

Target

PL appearances

Goals

Assists

Eberechi Eze

34

8

8

Harvey Elliott

18

1

2

Bilal El Khannouss

32

2

3

James McAtee

15

3

0

However, the Crystal Palace star is also the most senior player at 27-years-old, meaning he received more game time, and it could be difficult for Spurs to win the race, given that Arsenal are thought to be closing in on a deal, having agreed a £55m fee.

Elliott could be the best option out of the remaining targets, given that he has been lauded as “outrageous” by scout Jacek Kulig in the past, while the Liverpool ace also has experience in the Champions League.

As such, it is exciting news that Tottenham are ready to meet Liverpool’s demands, and a fee of around £40m seems reasonable.

Nuno Espirito Santo and Nottingham Forest have had a unique summer in terms of planning their transfer activity. When the window opened, they were preparing a squad capable of playing in the domestic competitions and in the Europa Conference League following qualification via their 7th-place Premier League finish.

However, since UEFA’s decision to have them swap competitions with Crystal Palace, they now have to prepare a Europa League-quality squad. As a part of this, they have agreed a deal to sign Manchester City youngster James McAtee.

The 22-year-old has previously been spoken about glowingly by manager Pep Guardiola: “Macca has this quality… He has the ability to create chances, he is there”.

City are currently looking at shrinking their squad however, with club record signing Jack Grealish being loaned out to Everton, and Forest not only see this as an opportunity to sign McAtee, but also another young City talent.

Forest bid for Lewis in double City swoop

In addition to their pursuit of McAtee, Forest have submitted a bid to Manchester City of £25.8 million for Rico Lewis. This comes from reports from France via Get French Football News.

The offer is thought to be an initial £21.5 million transfer fee, and the rest consists of performance-related add-ons. This bid has been turned down, and Lewis remains under contract with City until 2028. Guardiola has praised Lewis’s versatility, saying: “He is an exceptional player, offensively and defensively. He can play in different positions; he helps us to play.”

Based on these comments in may take a large bid to convince the treble-winning manager to part ways with Lewis.

If Forest comes back in with a bid that City find acceptable, then they will open negotiations with Lewis’s agents. Lewis is with CAA Base LTD, who Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has extensive experience with in the past, as they represent current Forest players Chris Wood and Ryan Yates, as well as the club’s former manager Steve Cooper.

Forest recruiting for the club's future

Last season in the Premier League, Forest’s average age for their starting 11 was 26.1 years old. This put them pretty much mid-table for average age out of the Premier League teams. However, this summer, there has clearly been a conscious effort to buy young.

The permanent signings they have made so far this window are Dan Ndoye (24), Igor Jesus (24) and Jair Cunha (20) – if they sign Rico Lewis (20) and James McAtee (22), the average age of their signings this summer will be 22 years old.

Additionally, the oldest two players that they have brought in this window (excluding 29-year-old goalkeeper Angus Gunn on a free) are two years younger than the squad average last season.

While Alan Hansen’s famous quote of “You’ll never win anything with kids” didn’t age well, it does still encapsulate the trepidation many fans feel about relying on young players over more experienced ones, especially when Forest will be playing in four competitions this season. But While Forest’s new recruits are young, they’re all experienced and have at least a few seasons of football under them where they have matured into professional players.

This transfer strategy of young but proven players won’t only serve Forest this season but long into the future.

There has been some concern from sections of the Celtic fanbase in recent weeks about the role that Paulo Bernardo is going to play for Brendan Rodgers this season.

The Portugal U21 international has been an unused substitute in both of the club’s Scottish Premiership matches so far this term, with Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren, Arne Engels, and Luke McCowan all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Bernardo played 28 times in the league for the Hoops in the 2024/25 campaign, but only started 13 of those matches, and produced two goals and three assists, per Sofascore.

Rodgers has seemingly decided that he is his last option in the middle of the park, though, as five other central midfielders have been used ahead of him in the opening two matches.

Celtic told asking price for midfield target

It could get even worse for Bernardo before the end of the summer transfer window, as the Hoops appear to be looking at signing another player in his position.

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

According to Claret & Hugh, West Ham United central midfielder Andy Irving is a target for Celtic, as they look to further bolster their options in the coming weeks.

The report claims that the Scotland international is not going to get regular football under Graham Potter at the London Stadium, and is on an unofficial transfer list for the Hammers.

It adds, though, that the Hoops will have to pay a fee of around £3.5m to land a deal for the left-footed maestro, who they have already turned down a bid of £2.2m for this summer.

Celtic now have to decide whether or not they want to splash the cash to bring the Scottish midfielder to Parkhead before the end of the window.

Why this is bad news for Paulo Bernardo

The news of the club’s interest in Irving, and the relatively reasonable asking price, will come as bad news to Bernardo because the arrival of another midfielder would send him even further down the pecking order.

It seems unlikely that the Hoops would want to bring in another midfielder, much less one for £3.5m, if they did not plan for the player to play a key role in the side, which means that they would be signed with the view to playing instead of the Portuguese star.

This means that the arrival of Irving could leave Bernardo as the seventh choice central midfielder for the Hoops, meaning that he would not even make the starting line-up if Rodgers switched his midfield three up completely.

As you can see in the table above, Irving played regularly in Austria in the two seasons before the 2024/25 campaign, when he only started one game for West Ham in the Premier League, as per Sofascore.

These statistics suggest that the Scottish midfielder could provide a big threat at the top end of the pitch from the middle of the park as both a scorer and a creator of goals for his side when given the chance to play week-in-week-out.

The 25-year-old, whose football journey was described as “fascinating” by reporter Barry Anderson, could be an exciting addition to the squad as a homegrown, Scottish, talent who could provide quality depth behind the starters.

However, not everyone would be delighted by his arrival at Parkhead because it could force Bernardo to consider his short-term future at Parkhead with the summer transfer window due to close at the start of next month.

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The former Benfica starlet will not want to be the seventh choice in midfield for the 2025/26 campaign, as it may see him rarely feature on the pitch, and that is why the possible signing of Irving could result in the Portuguese talent moving on from Celtic.

تحدث البولندي فويتشيك تشيزني، حارس مرمى الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة عن زميله خوان جارسيا، وعلاقته به ومدى الترابط بينهما ونصيحة بوفون الذي تعلمها منه من خلال حواره عبر صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية.

وقال تشيزني عن زميله خوان جارسيا: “إنه حارس مرمى رائع، وبالنسبة لي هو بالفعل من بين الأفضل في العالم من حيث القوة البدنية”.

وعن خوض لقاء الكلاسيكو: “لا أعلم، أتمنى ألا يضطروا لرؤيتي فأنا أريد أن يتعافى خوان سريعًا من إصابته، أعرف دوري هذا الموسم وبالنسبة لي، سيكون أعظم إنجاز لي أن يقدم خوان جارسيا موسمًا رائعًا وناجحًا، لذلك من جهتي لا توجد منافسة أو تنافس بيننا، أحاول فقط دعمه بأفضل طريقة ممكنة، أستطيع لكنني آمل أن يعود في أقرب وقت ممكن، هذا لا يعني أنني كسول ولا أريد اللعب، أحب اللعب لكنني أتمنى فقط أن يعود قريبًا”.

وحول المنافسة على المشاركة أساسيًا: “أنا سعيد جدًا بما حققته في مسيرتي، ولذلك أتقبل بكل سرور أن أكون عونًا أكبر لحارس مرمى في بداياته، ثم أحاول إثبات جدارتي لعام آخر، عندما تتاح لي الفرصة أو في حالة طوارئ كهذه، يكون الجميع مصابًا، ألعب، وأكون سعيدًا باللعب، وأقدم أفضل ما لدي، ولكن كما قلت نضع أهدافًا في بداية الموسم”.

وأكمل: “الآن أريد أن أفعل هذا، أريد الفوز بهذه الكأس، أو تلك، هدفي الأكبر هو مساعدة خوان وأحاول القيام بذلك بأفضل طريقة ممكنة، مع كل الضغوط التي تصاحب اللعب لنادي مثل برشلونة، لا أعتقد أنه يحتاج إلى ضغط لاعب كبير يحاول المنافسة على مقعده”.

وعن الأشياء التي يريدها أن تتواجد بـ جارسيا: “لديه كل شيء تقريبًا، لا أريد أن أبالغ في الحديث عنه لأنه لا يزال أمامه الكثير من العمل ولكن من الناحية البدنية، فهو بالفعل من بين الأفضل في العالم، بالطبع يجب أن تكون في المكان المناسب ذهنيًا للتركيز في كل مباراة، كل ثلاثة أيام، هذه تجربة جديدة له لأنه من الأسهل بكثير اللعب يوم السبت”.

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واستطرد: “العقلية مهارة مختلفة للتركيز كل ثلاثة أيام ولعب 60 مباراة على أعلى مستوى لكن خوان ذكي وهادئ للغاية، لذلك أنا متأكد من أنه سيحقق ذلك وسيقدم موسمًا رائعًا وسأحرص على أن يكون أكثر هدوءً لأنني أعتقد أنه في هذا الدور تحت الضغط العالي، فإن الهدوء هو أحد أهم صفات حارس المرمى”.

وأوضح: “بدنيًا لا أستطيع تعليمه الكثير لأنه حارس مرمى أفضل مني مع ذلك، أحيانًا أثناء التدريب، تكون هناك تفاصيل حول التمركز أو أمور أخرى لكن لا يمكنني تعليمه الكثير إنه حارس مرمى رائع، ما أملكه ويفتقده هو الخبرة وأريد أن أنقلها إليه، إذا قرر النادي تجديد عقدي مع علمه بقدومي فربما لهذا السبب يعتقدون أنني أستطيع مساعدته ليصبح حارس مرمى أفضل، لذلك سأحاول فعل ذلك”.

وعما فعله بوفون معه: “أنا لا أتنافس أبدًا معه، جميعهم أصدقائي المقربون وعندما كنت ألعب، كانوا يدعمونني، وعندما كانوا يلعبون كنت أسعد لأجلهم، وجود بوفون معي كان قدوتي في صغري، ومشاهدته وهو يتدرب يوميًا وكيف كان يتصرف داخل الملعب وخارجه وكيف كان يتحدث مع زملائه كانت تجربة تعليمية عظيمة بالنسبة لي وربما كان هو من تعلمت منه أكثر من غيره، معه لم تكن هناك منافسة وكنا ندعم بعضنا البعض”.

وعن تكرار ما فعله بوفون معه تجاه خوان جارسيا: “قليلًا أعتقد، بعد تجربة وجود شخص كان الأفضل لي أنني أشعر بواجب رد الجميل لـ خوان، ربما لا تستطيع أن تتعلم مني بقدر ما أستطيع من جيجي لكن الأمر مشابه تمامًا”.

In a late transfer twist, Everton have now reportedly reached an agreement to sign one of their top targets in a big-money deal just under two weeks until the deadline.

Moyes "excited" about Hill Dickinson debut

Whilst his side’s opening day defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Leeds United left a bad taste, Everton boss David Moyes has quickly put that behind him to focus on what should be a special afternoon at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Squaring off against Brighton & Hove Albion in their first Premier League game in their new home, the Toffees will be keen to enjoy the occasion and pick up their first three points of the season.

There could also be a full debut for summer signing Jack Grealish after he came from the bench on Monday night at Elland Road. The Manchester City loanee, in a World Cup year, desperately needs to get back to his best and chose a move to Everton with that in mind.

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Alongside Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Thierno Barry, Adam Aznou, Carlos Alcaraz, Mark Travers and Tom King, Grealish represents a very solid summer of business from Everton. But The Friedkin Group are not done just yet and reports are now suggesting that their biggest move yet has been agreed.

Everton reach agreement to sign Dibling

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Everton have now reached an agreement to sign Tyler Dibling in a deal worth as much as £42m. The Toffees looked destined to miss out on the Southampton winger when they failed to match the Saints’ price tag earlier this summer, before those at St Mary’s lowered their valuation and allowed Everton to swoop in.

With Dibling, Moyes’ attacking options have suddenly been transformed compared to last season. From Jack Harrison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jesper Lindstrom, the veteran manager will now have a core of Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, Dibling and Barry at his disposal.

Described as “brave” by former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy, the best is still yet to come from 19-year-old Dibling, who is represented by the same agent as fellow Everton arrival Barry.

In a new era in a modern stadium, Friedkin have so far handed Moyes the tools to take Everton from relegation candidates into top-half hopefuls.

The opener will join Paarl Royals as a replacement for Joe Root who is heading to India

AAP31-Jan-2025Mitchell Owen has earned his first T20 contract since a dazzling display in the BBL final, joining South African franchise Paarl Royals.Owen scored a league-leading 452 runs for Hurricanes during the BBL, starting the summer as a relatively anonymous figure before announcing himself as a star. The highlight was his scarcely believable century in the final, coming off just 39 balls as he delivered Hurricanes their first title.Related

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Owen’s pressure-laden performance was widely expected to pique the interest of T20 clubs around the world, including the IPL. The 23-year-old will have to wait longer to find out if he will pocket a life-changing sum as a late call-up for the IPL.But the Royals have wasted no time in signing Owen as a replacement for former England captain Joe Root, who is linking up with his national squad in India and is unavailable for the rest of the SA20.League leaders Paarl and second-placed MI Cape Town, who have Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult and Rashid Khan in their squad, will square off in next week’s qualifier final.Ricky Ponting was among the good judges to lavish Owen with praise after his eye-catching knock in the BBL final. “There’s not many players in the world that can do that,” Ponting told AAP.Ponting noted discussion of Owen representing Australia in next year’s T20 World Cup was “inevitable”.Matthew Wade said Owen “can be anything”, adding “no stage really worries him too much”.

Tottenham are in dire need of attacking reinforcements as we fast enter the business end of this summer transfer window, especially after Son Heung-min’s departure to the MLS and a heartbreaking update on James Maddison’s knee injury.

Spurs announced on Thursday morning that the latter is set to undergo surgery on a ruptured ACL, which is expected to keep him out for a very large portion of 2025/2026, with Maddison joining fellow chief creator, Dejan Kulusevski, back on the sidelines after only just returning to action.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

It’s a hammer blow for Thomas Frank, who was banking on Maddison to be their star number 10 this season.

Having already been robbed of participating in the Europa League final due to that same right knee, the England playmaker will now watch from the side once again as Spurs try to forge ahead without him.

The pressure is now firmly on Spurs’ recruitment team, specifically chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange, to dig their heels in and source an immediate replacement for Maddison as soon as possible.

Reports have linked the club with a move for Eberechi Eze at points this window – an ideal fit stylistically, but with Crystal Palace digging their heels in and Arsenal pursuing a deal for the 27-year-old, it won’t be easy.

Tottenham have also contacted Man City over a move for Jack Grealish in recent days, according to Fabrizio Romano, but Everton are currently in more formal talks and ahead of Frank’s side in the race right now.

Harvey Elliott is another attacking midfielder who emerge as a target for Spurs, as per talkSPORT.

However, RB Leipzig are currently in discussions over the England Under-21 sensation, so Spurs will need to decide whether they’re going to potentially rival Ole Werner’s side pretty soon.

Frank is faced with the near-impossible task of somehow filling the voids left by Maddison, Son Heung-min and the injured Dejan Kulusevski, with a report by Turkish news outlet Takvim now claiming Tottenham could turn to the Süper Lig for answers.

Tottenham to make "official offer soon" for Galatasaray star Baris Yilmaz

As per the media outlet, Galatasaray forward Baris Yilmaz is of serious interest to the north Londoners.

The 25-year-old, who played in a variety of attacking roles last season, ended 24/25 with 14 goals and six assists in all competitions – starting on the right against Tottenham when the Turkish champions beat them 3-2 in the Europa League.

Now, Takvim states that the player’s agent recently met with Galatasaray chiefs to discuss his future at the club – sending them a clear message about Tottenham’s serious interest.

The unnamed representative informed Okan Buruk’s side, as quoted by Takvim, that Tottenham “will make an official offer soon” for Yilmaz.

Galatasaray are set to demand around £30 million for the Turkey international, who also played a key role during his country’s surprise run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals last year.

Yilmaz has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time, and members of the media believe he could be a “fascinating” option for any English side.

“Yilmaz is different,” said journalist Graeme Bailey to the Geordie Boot Boys in January.

“He’s a fascinating player. He can play anywhere across the front three and is a very clever footballer. He’s a good age. He’s an interesting one to keep an eye on. Nottingham Forest have looked, and there are others in the Premier League too.”