From being called up for the Ashes to freak injuries and an inaugural Hundred title, he has had an up-and-down career that may truly take off at the IPL this year

Vishal Dikshit29-Sep-2021An out-of-nowhere Test call-up at the age of 20 for the 2017-18 Ashes. A freak injury at the Los Angeles Airport in 2018 while picking up a suitcase to rush for a connecting flight. An ODI call-up in the summer of 2021 but still no England cap. A Hundred trophy for Southern Brave in its inaugural edition. And now a prospective IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore.If there was a rollercoaster to be opened in Sussex any time soon, it could be named after their 24-year-old bowling allrounder George Garton.Garton is a left-arm quick who could possibly slot into the No. 7 position for Royal Challengers. It’s a batting position they did not need in the first leg of the 2021 IPL and a bowling spot they would want to get all four overs out of, especially in the absence of Washington Sundar and Daniel Sams. As AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell and are going to be two obvious overseas picks, Garton will have to fight for a spot with a proven name in Kyle Jamieson, but will bring that X-factor of a left-arm quick that the franchise has lacked for a while.Like Sams, Garton can bowl in the powerplay, something he did with aplomb in the Hundred recently with a dot-ball percentage of over 54 (minimum 30 balls), only behind Adam Milne’s 62%, and he can even add some value with the bat down the order.In the Hundred Eliminator against Trent Rockets, for example, Garton sent back the hard-hitting top order of Dawid Malan, Alex Hales and D’Arcy Short single-handedly to take home the Player-of-the-Match award. Malan was undone by extra bounce which Garton’s height and unique action extract, Hales was deceived by a slow cutter, and Short spliced a catch to midwicket, also possibly because of bounce.The night before the IPL resumed this month, Garton delivered in yet another knockout match, but in a lost cause for Sussex against Kent with a first spell of 2 for 12 from three overs by dismissing Zak Crawley (off a slower ball again) and Joe Denly. He later smashed a 23-ball 41 with some big swings, sweeps and reverse sweeps to hammer four fours and three sixes.George Garton leaps in celebration•Getty ImagesGarton’s knack for removing the big fish began well before the Hundred though. In April this year, he dismissed Joe Root with a late inswinger in a county match and a format the batter is unmatchable in many ways around the world. Just a week before that, Garton scored a career-best 97 against Glamorgan to further add to his batting credentials. And against Essex in last year’s Bob Willis Trophy, his maiden first-class five-for – in a total of nine wickets in the match – included the scalps of Alastair Cook and Dan Lawrence, his Under-19 team-mate from the 2016 World Cup in Bangladesh.With the wickets of a former and current England captain in the bag, it’s somewhat fitting that he has landed himself a contract with a team led by India captain Virat Kohli, thanks to a call team director and acting coach Mike Hesson made at the back-end of the Hundred. Some of Garton’s intense celebrations – a leap with a clenched fist in his follow through – are already a perfect match for the on-field gesticulations a forthright and passionate character like Kohli believes in.”I’m a very competitive person myself, being upfront and honest. And that seems exactly like how he is,” Garton said of Kohli before leaving the UK for the IPL. “He’s one of the icons of the game worldwide, so it’ll be brilliant to share a dressing room with him. People like him and AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, who is a proven T20 player all around the world…It’s certainly a star-studded team who I’m looking forward to tapping into a bit of knowledge when I can and just being around them.”What makes Garton stand out, apart from the value he will add as a sought-after left-arm quick, is his repertoire and the adaptability to mould his skills for the five formats he has played. Yes, five: the Hundred and T10 to add to the usual three. Since he was fast-tracked into the Ashes set-up nearly four years ago via the Lions route, Garton has excelled with the white ball too. He was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019 Abu Dhabi T10 and more recently joint-seventh in the Hundred with 10 wickets.George Garton claimed two in two balls•Getty ImagesBowling around the 135kmh-mark, Garton is a smash-the-deck-hard kind of bowler with his back-breaking action, releasing the ball like a vertical slingshot that gets him extra bounce. His slower delivery can dip below 120kmh and the offcutter moving away from right-hand batters makes the angle tougher to tackle. If he gets a good run with Royal Challengers, Garton’s skillsets could come in handy the way James Pattinson’s did last year for Mumbai Indians on the same UAE surfaces – tie up the oppositions with pace and bounce from hard lengths in the powerplay and slip in some cutters in the middle overs.”I think there’s a lot more to bowling than just trying to bowl fast and I think especially with the white ball, I guess all cricket is now the faster you bowl, the faster you go to the boundary if you don’t put it in the right place,” Garton said. “It’s certainly learning more about my skills, being more accurate and you just have to look at someone like Jimmy [Anderson] who, at the age of 39 is, probably as skilful as he ever has been and that’s probably why he’s taking more wickets than he has at a better average. So there’s certainly more to bowling than just raw pace but it’s nice to be able to fall back on that for sure, and go, ‘ok, well, I might be struggling a little bit today with my skills so just ramp it up a bit and put some pressure on the batters that way’.”Developing his array of skills and maturing with his mentality is something Garton worked on since almost getting a taste of international cricket in 2017, when he couldn’t convert a trial with Rajasthan Royals before the 2020 IPL into a contract.”I think I’ve developed massively, both on and off the pitch,” Garton said remembering his Ashes call-up. “I’m not just an angry fast bowler that runs in and tries to bowls fast. There’s a few more strings to my bow – batting has come on a lot, my knowledge of my bowling, when to turn it on and when to bowl within myself, my skills around red-ball cricket as well. I feel like I’m developing nicely, I’m still got a long way to go but definitely if I look back to the bowler I was or the cricketer I was three years ago, there’s been big developments.”In these years, Garton has had to cope with the sudden pressures of being fast-tracked into the Lions and England’s international set-up, but sometimes not even finding a place in the Sussex XI which already had Jofra Archer, Ollie Robinson, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills and Reece Topley in the ranks. Whether getting game time or not, Garton also tapped into his team-mates’ wealth of experience, especially taking death-bowling tips and tricks from Jordan and Mills.”Off CJ it’s just staying calm and collected and really picking your moments and try and take wickets but also picking your moments to try and take a medicine and go for a single,” Garton says of his conversations with Jordan. “CJ is brilliant, especially in the death overs, very experienced. Millsy has got the best record I know of bowling in the death as well. So they’re two pretty good people to tap into for the death. It means I don’t bowl too much at death for Sussex but definitely in the nets I tap into them as much as possible. I’ve learnt a lot from those two and Jof as well, Ollie in the powerplay so we’re very lucky to have such a good bowling unit to tap into.”George Garton took Sussex across the line•Getty ImagesMore death-overs experience in Garton is something Royal Challengers might have valued, but being in red-hot form in recent years and the ability to think on his feet is what his IPL team bought him for.”Recently I’ve been thrown the ball in the powerplay a lot and I think wickets in the powerplay is the biggest thing,” Garton says. “My mindset in the powerplay is to be as aggressive as possible, try and take wickets because that really sets the game up in your team. If I’m coming in the middle and towards the death then you have to assess, are there two set batsmen, is there one in and one not? Can I get that bloke off strike and then looking at the opportunity to take wickets as well? I think shorter-format cricket, the more wickets you take the better off you are but you also have to sometimes concede and take your medicine and try and be smart as well.”This, being a gun fielder, and a handy batter down the order to become a “genuine allrounder” has drawn Garton a lot of praise from several coaches he has played under. A “real gem,” Sussex bowling coach Jon Lewis called him. “Great package,” said Mahela Jayawardene for Brave in the Hundred.”He is one of several players that we see as pillars of our side in the years to come,” Sussex’s T20 head coach James Kirtley said recently. “He adds great balance to any side and is one of the best fielders in the world.”Garton says he is in a “really good space physically and mentally” before the IPL, which, in some ways, is like his third coming even before his career has taken off on the big stage. He may not have an England cap yet but a Royal Challengers and IPL debut could do justice to the hype that has been built around him.

da bet7k： Tottenham Hotspur are set for a very intriguing summer transfer window, which has been made all the more important after their qualification for the Champions League next season.

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da gbg bet： Spurs were handed a monumental boost both on and off the field after their triumphant Europa League final win in Bilbao last month, with Thomas Frank set to reap the rewards as he prepares for his first-ever job managing an elite-level club.

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025

Average match rating

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The financial windfall gifted to Tottenham, not to mention the greater player-pull they now possess as a result of competing in Europe’s most prestigious competition, will play an absolutely pivotal role in attracting the club’s top transfer targets to N17.

However, that isn’t to say that they’re guaranteed to keep their best players.

Son Heung-min may well have already played his final game for Spurs, with sides in Saudi Arabia expressing a serious interest in the South Korean, while Atlético Madrid continue to sniff around star defender Cristian Romero.

The 27-year-old was crowned UEFA’s official Europa League Player of the Season and was vital for Ange Postecoglou throughout the tournament, helping Spurs to end their 17-year wait for a piece of major silverware.

Romero is also a leader in the dressing room, according to teammates like Micky van de Ven, who showered praise on the Argentine for helping his transition to Premier League football.

“For me, he is world-class. He is a leader. He is always one hundred per cent. He is a top-class player with the ball and without the ball when defending,” said van de Ven to Optus Sport.

“I can promise you he is not scared of anyone. He keeps going every game. From day one here he has helped me. He is just a world-class player.”

With Tottenham facing the prospect of losing their imperative defender, who’s reportedly told chairman Daniel Levy he’s keen to leave the club this summer (Marca), reliable football.london journalist Alasdair Gold has taken a look at who could replace him.

Tottenham could replace Cristian Romero with Marc Guehi

As per Gold, Tottenham have been fans of Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi for a “long time”, and he’s a potentially “obvious” candidate to step into Romero’s shoes.

Spurs made a very public £70 million bid for the England international in January, which was rejected out of hand by Palace chairman Steve Parish, who had precious little time to source a replacement for the defender.

Gold warns that, while Tottenham could offer Guehi Champions League football, any move would depend on defensive sales as Frank is currently stocked with centre-backs, and by the time they agree to some sales, the 24-year-old may have already found a new club.

Arsenal are believed to be “very keen” on Guehi, as are Liverpool, so Spurs may even have their work cut out for them in this instance. He’s about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Selhurst Park, but Palace will still demand around £50 million, according to GiveMeSport.

The 2024/25 Premier League season was disappointing for West Ham United with the Hammers coming 14th in the Premier League.

Whilst they were never in any real danger of relegation, they would have been hoping for a much better performance across the board. They lost 17 games in total in the top flight.

It could be all change for Graham Potter this summer with some big outgoings on the cards. One of those is Mohammed Kudus, who, as recently as the 6th of June, was reportedly offered to Chelsea, according to Sky Sports.

If someone as prominent as Kudus does leave the London Stadium this summer, they will, of course, need a replacement.

West Ham's potential Kudus replacement

It does indeed seem like Kudus could be on his way out of West Ham this summer and considering his performances since moving to the English capital, he will be hard to replace.

Fortunately, the Irons seem to have someone in mind already.

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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.

Indeed, if the Ghanaian attacker does leave West Ham in the next few weeks or months, they could be set to replace him with Anderlecht attacking midfielder Mario Stroeykens.

A report from Belgian outlet Votebal Belgie suggests that he has been on the Hammers’ ‘wish list for some time’.

In fact, they are already believed to have made a bid for the talented 20-year-old.

The report suggests West Ham made an £8.5m offer, which was promptly rejected by the Belgian giants. Instead, they could ask for as much as £17.1m to make a deal happen.

Why Stroeykens would be a good signing

Belgium U21 international Stroeykens has certainly made a big impression for Anderlecht last season. After coming through the club’s youth academy, the attacking midfielder has gone on to become a key player.

Last season in all competitions, Stroeykens featured 39 times across all competitions, contributing to five goals and seven assists. After starting the season strong with nine goal involvements in 13 league games, he suffered from a ligament injury, which slowed his progress.

The 20-year-old, who was born in Zellik, just outside of Brussels, would also bring European pedigree to the London Stadium. He played 430 minutes in the Europa League last term, both scoring and assisting in that time. The goal he scored was a sublime effort, showing his excellent technical quality.

Replacing the 24-year-old Kudus would not be easy for Stroeykens. The Ghana international has impressed for the Hammers in the 80 appearances he has made, scoring 19 times and registering 13 assists.

His first season in Claret and Blue saw him score and assist 23 times, including five goals in nine Europa League appearances. However, last term was not as fluid, with the Hammers’ number 14 managing just nine goal involvements.

Despite the struggles Kudus endured last season, there is no doubt about his importance to Potter’s side when at his best. That leaves Stroeykens with a big job to replace him, but as football scout Antonio Mango said, he is a “creative force” and can certainly look to match the output of the Ghana star.

The underlying stats via FBref suggest that the Belgian youngster, who tends to operate as a number 10, can indeed step up in Kudus’ absence.

For example, last term he averaged 1.54 key passes and 6.63 progressive passes each game, compared to 1.08 key passes and 2.74 progressive passes per 90 minutes for the Hammers star.

Goals and assists

0.41

0.28

Key passes

1.54

1.08

Progressive passes

6.63

2.74

Shot-creating actions

4.02

3.72

Goal-creating actions

0.77

0.35

Ball recoveries

5.21

4.79

Those stats highlight the creativity that Mango was talking about. They certainly suggest that Stroeykens has the ability to step into Kudus’ boots and take on some of the creative burden that will be there if, or when, he leaves.

For just £17m, this could be a brilliant addition for the Hammers, who will be hoping Stroeykens can become a key player for the club in the long term.

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It’s safe to say that Liverpool fans will have very little care for the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States of America. In fact, not many football fans in general have tuned in for proceedings just yet.

Chelsea’s opening game with LAFC was played in front of a minuscule crowd considering how big the stadium actually was.

Despite that, there are some talking points on the pitch, none more so than Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Real Madrid got their campaign underway against Saudi side Al Hilal on Wednesday and could only manage a 1-1 draw. Perhaps the gap to Saudi’s top sides isn’t as big as we may think.

How the media world reacted to Trent’s debut

It doesn’t feel like long ago now that Alexander-Arnold announced to the fanbase that he’d be leaving his boyhood club behind in favour of the Spanish capital, Madrid.

After he let it be know that he’d be departing; the right-back was understandably greeted with a chorus of boos. For one of the club’s most infamous academy graduates, this was surprising.

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Yet, once all was said and done, the right-back didn’t actually end up leaving on a free transfer.

Before the aforementioned Club World Cup got underway, there was a frenzy in the transfer market as a plethora of teams tried to get early deals over the line.

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By
Charlie Smith

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At Chelsea, it was striker Liam Delap arriving while Manchester City confirmed the additions of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki. Not bad at all.

As far as Madrid were concerned, they ended up parting ways with around £8m in order to bring Alexander-Arnold to the club in time for the beginning of this summer’s tournament in the USA.

Well, after his debut on Wednesday evening, Florentino Perez and Co may well be wishing he hadn’t officially signed yet.

This clearly wasn’t Madrid at full strength but it was a horrible afternoon for the Merseyside defender.

He was slapped with a 5/10 match rating from one Real-based outlet, who noted the full-back had ‘some problems’ in the first half and was rather ‘discreet’ throughout.

Another Spanish publication, Football Espana, weren’t too kind either, also giving Trent a rating of 5/10. They were also damning of his abilities, writing that it was an ‘underwhelming’ debut where he was ‘not at his best defensively’. Now, isn’t that a surprise?

Closer to home, 90min gave the new signing a 4/10 rating, making note of how he ‘sometimes forgot’ his marking duties.

How Trent compares to Huijsen on debut

Also making his debut for Madrid in the game with Al Hilal was Dean Huijsen.

The Spaniard was the subject of interest from a plethora of Premier League clubs before the window got underway with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in particular chasing their signature.

The Reds were reportedly one of the favourites to prise him away from Bournemouth but like Alexander-Arnold, Madrid was an offer he could not refuse.

As it happens, the centre-back enjoyed a far better maiden game in Real colours, handed a 7/10 rating by Football Espana.

They wrote that, ‘in contrast to Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen looked assured in his debut. He helped a lot in build-up, which would have pleased Alonso.’

Despite the setbacks of not signing Huijsen and losing Trent, Liverpool appear to be in a good place, having confirmed the arrival of Jeremie Frimpong and reportedly on the verge of signing Florian Wirtz in a British record deal and Milos Kerkez.

Therefore, it’s unlikely they’ll be losing too much sleep over the Alexander-Arnold situation now.

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3

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 11, 2025

Former captain Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz have been omitted from the PCB’s new batch of central contracts announced on Saturday. Sixteen players were announced in the new contracts, with Fatima Sana, who took over from Dar as captain, moving up to Category A.Dar was in Category A in last year’s contracts, while Riaz had been demoted to Category B, though their omissions are not entirely unexpected. As well as dwindling form, there are believed to have been concerns about their attitude within the team set-up that were discussed with PCB hierarchy.Eyman Fatima, Anoosha Nasir, Sidra Nawaz and Shawaal Zulfiqar also miss out on contracts this season, while Bismah Maroof’s retirement earlier this year means she no longer features. The board said, “these players will remain available for selection, as the PCB shifts its focus towards developing the next generation of cricketers in alignment with the ICC’s Women’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) for 2025-29.”Getty Images

Twenty players were awarded two-year contracts last year, with a significant pay bump, but with the proviso that performances would be reassessed after a year.Sana’s promotion is a reward for a series of outstanding all-round performances in the run-up to, and at the T20 World Cup in the UAE. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka at the tournament but lost their three other group games to India, Australia and eventual champions New Zealand.Muneeba Ali, the wicketkeeper-batter, has also been promoted to Category A, joining Sidra Amin who retains her position. Gull Feroza and Rameen Shamim return to the central-contracts list for the first time since 2018 and 2022-23 respectively, while Tasmia Rubab is included for the first time.The contracts have been pending approval for some time now, having run out at the end of July. Players, however, will be paid backdated amounts from then. The delay in the contracts is part of a general trend of upheaval and uncertainty in Pakistan women’s cricket where the PCB has struggled to get projects off the ground. Most notable among them is the long-promised women’s PSL, which Ramiz Raja first promised as chairman nearly three years ago but is yet to materialise. Tania Mallick, Head of Women’s Cricket since October 2021, told ESPNcricinfo earlier this year she expected a women’s PSL to happen within the next 12 months. Last month, however, she quit the role, with no signs of that tournament being introduced in the near future.”The 2024-25 central contracts reflect our forward-looking strategy as we prepare for the new ICC Women’s Future Tours Programme,” the PCB’s new Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmad Syed said. “By further investing in established players through significantly enhanced retainers and offering clear pathways to the emerging cricketer, we aim to strike a balance between nurturing future stars and sustaining competitiveness at the highest level.”Pakistan contracts list:
Category A: Fatima Sana, Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin
Category B: Nashra Sundhu, Sadia Iqbal
Category C: Diana Baig, Omaima Sohail
Category D: Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani

Lee Dixon says he has a 'good feeling' about new Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres as the Gunners attempt to win the Premier League title in 2025-26.

Dixon backs Gyokeres to succeedArrives as Arsenal's long-awaited strikerScored goals for fun at Sporting CPFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Former Arsenal and England star Dixon says he believes Gyokeres has all the ingredients of a good signing for the north London giants. The Sweden international arrived from Sporting CP in a £64 million (€74.3m/$86.9m) deal after some goal-laden years in Portugal, bagging 97 strikes in 102 appearances for the Lisbon giants.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Arsenal have been crying out for a new striker in recent years, with many pundits and fans believing it was the missing piece as Mikel Arteta's side went close but came up short in previous Premier League title challenges. Gyokeres is hoped to be the signing that brings it all together for the Gunners and Dixon has claimed the 27-year-old can still improve as a player at his new club.

WHAT DIXON SAID

Dixon told : "It’s easy to look at the numbers and see how many goals he got for Coventry, and how many at Sporting, but what’s important is the little nuances when he’s not scoring. How does he handle three or five games without scoring, and the pressure that comes with that, with everyone on his back? If you see what he’s doing and you can tell he’s focused, making the right runs, maybe just being unlucky, then you can be confident it’s just a matter of time. But I've got a good feeling about him."

TELL ME MORE

The former defender added: "I don’t think Mikel would have gotten away with ignoring bringing in a striker again. It seems like everyone wanted a striker this summer, and Arsenal weren’t the only ones, we've seen a lot of forwards signed by clubs this summer. 

"It’s always a little bit of a gamble, and it dragged on for a bit with Gyokeres, but I like him as a player. I think he’s got a dimension to him that really suits how we play. 

"And only time will tell whether he gets the goals, but they're all gambles, centre-forwards. If they don't score goals, it's a failure. It's as simple as that. 

"Then we need to see how he fits in. There's been a lot of criticism over the last few years with Haaland, that he doesn't do this and he doesn't do that, but he's a proven, pure goal scorer. He gets his fair share and all the criticism about the rest of his game goes out the window. 

"But not all centre-forwards are like that, they’re not all just about the numbers. Gyokeres can offer a bit of both, he can be an all-round contributor. He can definitely develop as a player under the coaches at Arsenal."

Tottenham Hotspur could make a “marquee signing” of a £68m Arsenal target as an alternative to Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, it has been revealed.

Spurs' Gibbs-White pursuit hits snag

Tottenham had been expected to complete a deal for Gibbs-White, after triggering the £60m release clause in the attacking midfielder’s Nottingham Forest contract, but his current employers are holding up the move.

Forest are adamant that an illegal approach was made for the England international, consequently reporting Spurs’ alleged wrongdoing to the Premier League, meaning little progress has been made over the past few days.

Alasdair Gold has suggested the Tricky Trees may be powerless to stop the move going through, however, saying: “It’s difficult to predict right now with complete certainty as it’s an unusual situation, and that’s reflected in media coverage across the board, but the feeling among many at this early stage seems to be that Forest are more likely to hold up the deal than prevent it.”

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Regardless, it is still worth planning for the worst-case scenario, and Tottenham News have revealed that Spurs could revive their interest in Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, who is also a firm target for north London rivals Arsenal.

The outlet also spoke to iconic commentator Ian Darke, who said: “There are a lot of mentions with Spurs and Eberechi Eze, whose release clause I am told is somewhere around £60-68million, that would be a marquee signing for whoever got him.

“I think he is a wonderful player to watch and looks to be moving on a level. It would be a marvellous signing if they could get him.

“Forest are upset about how Spurs have gone about it, so it looks like they will play hardball even though the release clause has been met, Eze would be a brilliant substitute deal but they will hope to revive this one because Gibbs-White would be an exciting statement signing.”

"Unbelievable" Eze could be ideal Gibbs-White alternative

The Crystal Palace star is available for a similar price as Gibbs-White, while he also flourished in an attacking midfield role for the Eagles last season, amassing 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.

Most famously, the England international scored the only goal of the game in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, securing Palace their first ever major trophy in the process.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner has also been left very impressed by the forward in the past, saying: “He’s always dangerous because he has the quality and ability at 1-1, he’s such an unbelievable finisher, in some situations he can improve, he’s a guy who can always score and he’s someone who everyone likes.”

That said, the rival interest from Arsenal could pose a major problem for Tottenham, with the 27-year-old keen to move to the Emirates Stadium, so their number one priority should be to get a deal for Gibbs-White over the line.

The incumbent No. 3 will be the batter under pressure ahead into the World Test Championship final in June

Andrew McGlashan13-Feb-20252:15

Marnus in or out? Finch and Clarke pick their WTC Final XIs

Aaron Finch believes Australia should drop Marnus Labuschagne for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June with his lean run having extended too far to be accommodated.Australia face some tough selection calls for the final following the recent successful debuts of Sam Konstas, Beau Webster and Josh Inglis which has led to a battle for batting spots.Related

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• Australia face Labuschagne call amid batting squeeze

Travis Head, who opened in Sri Lanka, said he expected Konstas to regain his position at the top of the order against South Africa while Cameron Green is in the frame to play as a specialist batter as he recovers from the back surgery that ruled him out of this season.It leaves Labuschagne, who has one century in his last 51 Test innings and an average of 31.54 since the start of the 2023, under significant pressure for his spot for the first time since establishing himself in 2019.”I’ve gone with Cameron Green or Josh Inglis. They’re at No. 3,” Finch said on ESPN’s when the panel was asked to pick their XIs for the WTC final.”And the reason is, I just think that [Labuschagne’s form] is such a concern because it’s been over four series. If it’s over two or three, I think that you can say, you know what, he’s just around the corner. But the fact that it’s been four, to me, that’s a really alarming sign.Marnus Labuschagne is the Australia batter under scrutiny•Getty Images

“Josh Inglis, I think to get him into the side, he will get that opportunity. Or if Cameron Green is healthy, he just provides so much extra to that bowling line-up as well as with the batting. He’s got the ability to bat anywhere in the order.”However, Michael Clarke and Callum Ferguson retained Labuschagne in their sides for the decider although Clarke said it could be make or break.”I hope they pick him for the Test Championship [final],” Clarke said. “It’s completely different conditions against a different team. He’s played a lot of county cricket. He knows English conditions as well as anyone.”Remember, he bats in the hardest place as well. I think No. 3 is the hardest place to bat in Test cricket. You’re right, the numbers don’t tell a lie. He’s out of form. He’s due.”And to me, I reckon the Test Championship…could be his last opportunity. Going to West Indies, I would like to think that’s an opportunity to give a young player a go if Marnus makes no runs in this Test Championship. If he does, then no doubt he holds his spot because he’s been a wonderful player.”Ferguson, meanwhile, would include both Labuschagne and Green with the latter batting at No. 6 and backing for frontline bowlers.”I’m backing the four bowlers in to get the job done in a one-off hit out in a Test match,” he said. “We didn’t use Mitch Marsh a lot over the last few years. He’s been in that No. 6 position. So we’ve played effectively without that stone cold all-rounder in that position, bowling 10 overs a day. So that’s how I see it.”Stand-in captain Steven Smith backed Labuschagne to emerge for his slump, seeing similarities in how he was low on runs before making four centuries in his last five matches.”Marn’s similar to me, in a way,” Smith said. “I’ve said this a lot of times about myself, there’s a difference between being out of form and out of runs.”I don’t think he’s out of form, personally. I’ve watched him train, I’ve watched him play and a lot of the things that he’s done so well are there. He knows he’d love to score more runs, we’d love him to score more runs, but in my opinion, it’s just around the corner.”

Vice-captain hopes England can bounce back in clearer conditions in Chennai on Saturday

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2025

Harry Brook, England’s vice-captain, says that his team’s hopes of combatting India’s spin bowlers in the first T20I were hampered by an unusual but familiar foe to English touring sides – a thick layer of smog hanging over the ground in Kolkata.Brook made 17 from 14 balls before being bowled by a wrong’un from India’s legspinner, Varun Chakravarthy, who then dismissed Liam Livingstone in near-identical fashion two balls later. England collapsed from 65 for 2 to 109 for 8, and ultimately 132 all out, with India’s spinners claiming five wickets in all. Abhishek Sharma’s 79 from 34 balls then condemned them to a seven-wicket defeat with a thumping 43 balls to spare.Chakravarthy was the pick of the attack with 3 for 23 in his four overs, although his fellow legspinner Ravi Bishnoi proved every bit as tough to get away as he returned figures of 0 for 22. And speaking on the eve of the second T20I in Chennai, Brook suggested there had been an atmospheric reason for England’s struggles to pick their variations.”I didn’t face Bishnoi but Chakravarthy is an exceptionally good bowler,” he said. “He’s tough to pick. I think actually with the smog the other night, it was a lot harder to pick as well. Hopefully, the air is a bit clearer here and we can see the ball a bit easier.”He’s an exceptional bowler and has got a lot of skills with extreme accuracy as well. Their spinners are their key threat, so we will look to put pressure on them, take them down, put as much pressure as we can on them, and hopefully they crumble from there.”It’s a familiar refrain from England touring sides. On their 1992-93 visit to India, England’s then-chairman of selectors, Ted Dexter, famously attributed his team’s emphatic defeat in the first Test, also at Eden Gardens, to smog. Though he was widely lampooned for his remarks, the issue has taken on a more serious aspect in recent years, with India’s Test against Sri Lanka at Delhi in 2017 having to be stopped after several players vomited due to the pollution.Related

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England are set to make at least one change to the XI in Chennai, with Brydon Carse included as a pace option in place of Gus Atkinson, who endured a night to forget with bat and ball at Kolkata. Jamie Smith has also been included in a 12-man squad, and could step in for Jacob Bethell, who missed training on Friday with illness.The emphatic loss on Wednesday marked a low-key start to Brendon McCullum’s tenure as England’s white-ball head coach, albeit he had warned “there’ll be some times we don’t quite get it right” during his pre-series comments to the media last week.Nevertheless, his appointment of Brook as Jos Buttler’s vice-captain is further proof of his desire to unite the red- and white-ball squads under a single philosophy, and with as many cross-over performers as possible. And the informal attitude that has powered the Test team’s displays in recent seasons was in evidence in the manner with which Brook was offered the deputy’s role.”We were sat in the bar the other night and Baz texted me from across the other side of the room,” he said. “He just said ‘Congrats, you’re the vice-captain’ and I just put: ‘Beautiful, thanks.’ There wasn’t really much conversation.”Obviously, I captained the ODIs in the summer so I kind of knew that it was going to happen. You don’t have to do too much as a vice-captain; Jos is extremely experienced, I’ll give him a few suggestions here and there and if he comes to me, I’ll give him my opinion but it’s up to him whether he takes it or not.”

Chelsea have made a proposal to sign an “insane” attacker who’s England’s “biggest talent”, and BlueCo have now received a response, it has been revealed.

Blues looking to reshuffle attacking options

The Blues have been very busy in the opening stages of the summer transfer window, having already confirmed the arrivals of the likes of Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro, which means they may need to offload some current players to create space in the squad.

Fabrizio Romano has now revealed the west Londoners may have the opportunity to sell one of their wingers to a rival club, with the transfer expert stating that Arsenal are making moves to secure Noni Madueke’s signature.

Having already agreed personal terms on a move across the capital, it is clear Madueke is keen on joining the Gunners, which means the last remaining hurdle is for the two clubs to agree a suitable fee.

HandofArsenal have now revealed that Chelsea have floated the idea of signing Max Dowman in preliminary talks over the deal to sell Madueke (via Sports Mole), but BlueCo did not receive the response they would’ve been hoping for.

The Blues’ proposal to sign Dowman has been knocked back by Arsenal, given that he is very highly regarded by the north Londoners, meaning the deal to offload Madueke will need to be of a different nature.

Bigger talent than Gittens: Chelsea expected to bid big for £85m superstar

Despite signing João Pedro and Jamie Gittens in the last week, Chelsea are now expected to bid £50m+ for a Premier League “superstar”.

ByBen Gray Jul 7, 2025

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has revealed the winger is valued at around £52m by the Blues, meaning they could be in line to pocket a tidy fee for his services.

"Insane" Dowman could be England's "biggest talent"

Although he is still only 15-years-old, the teenager has been tipped to go on and have a very successful career, with Arsenal insider Will Balsam dubbing him the “biggest talent in England”.

Scout Ben Mattinson has also been left extremely impressed by the young attacking midfielder’s performances at youth level, claiming he could go on to make his Premier League debut in the near future.

As such, it is disappointing that Arsenal have no interest in letting Dowman leave this summer, but it is good news that Chelsea could be set to receive a big fee for Madueke, with Enzo Maresca well-stocked in attacking areas and definitely in a position to sanction the winger’s departure.