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This summer is shaping up to be something really quite special for Arsenal.

Following the underwhelming business conducted by his predecessor last year, Sporting Director Andrea Berta is wasting no time at all in his bid to turn Mikel Arteta’s side from serial runners-up to Premier League champions next season.

The Italian has already clinched the signings of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Christian Norgaard, while Noni Madueke is set for a medical at London Colney this afternoon.

Yet, in perhaps the most exciting development of all, the club now appear to have secured the services of Viktor Gyokeres, and if reports are to be believed, they’re also targeting a winger who he’ll love.

Arsenal target Gyokeres' dream teammate

Gyokeres has long been on Arsenal’s radar, as he was touted for a move to the club for much of last summer, and then again in January.

Transfer Focus

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

However, when the window reopened this summer, it looked like Benjamin Sesko was going to be the Gunners’ new number nine, although once RB Leipzig demanded £85m, attention swiftly turned back to the Swede.

After a week or so of further talks, and a strike from the player himself, The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirmed that an agreement in principle has been reached with Sporting CP that will see them paid an initial fee of £55m, with £9m of performance-related add-ons.

It could be the signing that will help revolutionise the team’s frontline, and as if that wasn’t enough, the Gunners are now being linked with someone Gyokeres would love to play alongside.

At least that is according to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, who has revealed that Arsenal are one of the teams interested in Kaoru Mitoma.

Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that Chelsea and Bayern Munich are keen on the Brighton & Hove Albion star, who now has just under two years remaining on his £80k-per-week contract.

A potential price is not mentioned in the report, but according to stories from earlier this summer, the Seagulls could demand a fee of up to £80m.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Mitoma has the ability to make a significant impact at Arsenal, and he could be a dream teammate for Gyokeres.

Why Gyokeres would love Mitoma

So, to assess the sorts of players that Gyokeres would love playing alongside, it’s important to look at his playstyle.

We know the Sporting star is a lean, mean goalscoring machine, but when we take a look at his league heatmap this season, we can see that he is very much a number nine who likes to spend most of his time in the penalty area.

We can see this even more clearly when looking at where he took his shots in the Champions League last season, as 19 of 24 were from inside the penalty area.

Therefore, be it through passing or dribbling, the former Coventry City man is going to love playing with attackers who can get the ball to him in these dangerous areas, and as many will be aware, Mitoma is a real threat with the ball at his feet.

The Japanese international famously wrote a university dissertation on dribbling, and it looks like it paid off, as, according to FBref, he was in the top 8% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for carries into the final third last season and the top 10% for progressive carrying distance, per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals per Shot

0.16

Top 7%

Blocks

1.66

Top 7%

Shots on Target %

47.4%

Top 8%

Goals/Shot

0.18

Top 8%

Carries into Final Third

2.84

Top 8%

Progressive Carrying Distance

135.05

Top 10%

Progressive Carries

5.05

Top 12%

However, the Seagulls ace is not just a carrying machine; he’s more than capable of chipping in with goals and assists.

In fact, in 36 league appearances last season, the “insane” talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, found the back of the net on ten occasions and provided four assists for good measure.

In other words, the 28-year-old, who “finishes like Thierry Henry,” according to former teammate Christian Burgess, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 2.57 games.

Just imagine what his assist tally could look like playing with a striker who scored 54 goals in 52 games last season.

Moreover, as the Swedish international is such a goal threat and someone who loves to spend time in and around the penalty area, that could allow the Japanese international more space to whip in those Henry-esque curling shots from the left.

Ultimately, while he won’t be cheap, Mitoma is just the sort of winger who could facilitate Gyokeres’ game, while also thriving off of it.

Zubi will love him: Arsenal have agreement to sign £17m star after Gyokeres

Arsenal’s busy summer window now appears in full swing after Martin Zubimendi’s arrival.

ByEthan Lamb Jul 13, 2025

Paceman working on variations as he regrets the no-ball wicket that got away against Scotland

Melinda Farrell05-Jun-2024Only 60 balls were bowled in England and Scotland’s washed-out match in Barbados but there was more to glean about the defending champions than there was about their opponents, other than that Scotland have aggressive openers who fear neither express pace nor spin, whether it be the off or leg variety.That an experienced and skilful bowling attack created just one chance in half an innings was notable, alongside an appreciation of Michael Jones’ drives and pulls and George Munsey’s bag of sweeps.Scotland were 31 for 0 in the fifth over when Munsey skied a miscue off Mark Wood that eventually landed in Jos Buttler’s gloves, but a no-ball call from the third umpire halted celebrations. It was just the second front-foot no-ball of Wood’s T20I career, prompting an unfamiliar sensation of dismay.”I was panicking,” Wood admitted, speaking the morning after the match. “You just don’t want it on your mind… I bowled 13 balls yesterday, and one of them is a wicket and it’s the one I’ve no-balled. If any of the others was the no-ball, I’m probably sitting here thinking, I’ve got one-for whatever, it’s not a problem, but because I’m getting the wicket off that ball, it hurts the team.”That’s what disappoints me. If [Munsey] goes on … he reverse sweeps Rash and every time that’s happening I’m thinking, ‘oh no, that’s my fault again’. That’s the feeling I don’t like, letting down my team-mates. I’m come in feeling, ‘oh no, I’ve overstepped, I can’t believe I’ve done that’. I very rarely overstep. In practice I’m diligent with it. [Neil Killeen, England’s bowling coach] is going, ‘It’s fine man, move on. You haven’t a problem’. To have 0 for 11 off two overs in T20, you’d think that’s not bad. But if I was a touch more on it, one for 10 looks a lot better. We were just fractions off yesterday.”Wood was selected ahead of Reece Topley and was handed the ball for the first over of the match, with both decisions raising a few eyebrows. It was a rare occurrence; the only previous time he had bowled the opening over for England in a T20I was a week earlier against Pakistan at The Oval.”I was disappointed with the new ball and felt it could hurt the team,” he said. “I will address it in training before the next game. It will be a squad effort, this. Whether we mix and match next game, I will be ready whenever the captain or team needs me.”Related

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Wood doesn’t expect to play every game of England’s campaign, as conditions and match-ups influence selections. He has been working on a slightly-slower-ball variation which he pulled out in his second over against Scotland. Munsey punched the first of these through the covers, the second time the ball hit the splice of his bat off a good length.”That seemed to go okay,” he said. “I thought yesterday’s wicket was going to be different, when you stood on it it was hard but when you bowled the ball stuck in the wicket a bit, quite slow. So it made the cutters more effective, not the slower-ball ones but the fast cutters. Munsey played one off the back foot for two and patted one back to me that gripped a little … so it’s adapting my game a little bit so it’s not just out-and-out quick as I can – I obviously like doing that – but having a bit more skill around it as well.”Wood has yet to unveil the other variation he’s been developing (“You will see it when I bring it in!”) but agrees that cross-seam bowling of the type mastered by Liam Plunkett in the 2019 World Cup could be key on Caribbean pitches.”‘Pudsy’ did that well in most conditions. But not necessarily a slow slower ball, maybe a drop in pace of 6-7 mph where you’re still driving it in [to the pitch] but it spits or holds a little. That’s what I tried yesterday and felt good with it, so maybe do it again and land it in a decent area.”I’ve bowled them before but not to the extent where I am as accurate with it, so I’m working on being more pinpoint, so not just bowling it and expecting something to happen – the best players pick up everything – but you have to land it in a good place as well.”Wood’s only previous experience playing in the Caribbean was England’s tour ahead of the 2019 World Cup, during which he took his first Test five-wicket haul and was player of the match for the third Test in Saint Lucia. Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer have provided him with local knowledge, as has Kieron Pollard, who – along with Andrew Flintoff – has joined England’s coaching staff as a specialist consultant for this tournament.”I think he’s still feeling his way into the group,” Wood said of Pollard. “But the little bits he has spoken about, everyone’s listened. He carries an aura and is very respected in the group because he’s done so much and I think knowing the conditions is going to be vital going forward. He had mentioned about the pitch yesterday about bowling cutters and the fact that, if you just sort of dib it there, it doesn’t react. You need to drive it in. It’s just little things. It might seem so obvious but those little things people say – the one-percenters – can make a big difference.””[Flintoff] comes up to people individually, pulls them aside and keeps things very simple. He mentioned to me that he didn’t have a slower ball. And I was thinking I very rarely bowl slower balls. He told me had three balls – a bouncer, a fast yorker and a hard length. He’s great to have around the group, easy to talk to and carries that natural aura. He’s a big guy, it’s a clash of the titans with him and Pollard together!”Speaking of big clashes, the shared points with Scotland could have huge implications for Group B and Saturday’s match against Australia.”It puts a different spin. If we win that game compared to losing, it has a different look and feel. Lose, and I’m sure for you guys in the media there will be questions asked like the last World Cup in India, so it’ll be an important game for us and one we’ll be desperately trying to win.”

Arsenal’s pursuit of a new striker is set to be the main talking point of their expectedly busy transfer window, and if you ask any fan, the addition of a prolific centre-forward would be their top priority.

Arsenal working on Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres deals

At the time of writing, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko and Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres stand out as Arsenal’s top two targets for the role.

Related Ian Wright urges Arsenal to sign "top" £42m forward after alleged talks

The Gunners hero hopes they can do a deal.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jun 5, 2025

Sesko finished 2024/2025 with a modest goal return of 21 in all competitions, which is just six more than Kai Havertz who spent half of last season out injured. However, the 22-year-old is a long-term target for Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

Arsenal had a proposal to sign Sesko last summer rejected, with the Slovenia international choosing to sign a contract extension and shaking hands on a gentlemen’s agreement with Leipzig that he can leave this year or next year instead.

Arsenal also tried to sign Sesko in January, but the player and his club wanted him to see out the Bundesliga season (Ben Jacobs).

Gyokeres, meanwhile, has just fired Sporting to their first domestic double in two decades with a sensational 54 goals in all competitions – so the Swede’s appeal to Gunners director Andrea Berta is glaringly obvious.

According to the BBC this week, Arsenal were simultaneously working on deals for both Sesko and Gyokeres, before making a final decision on which centre-forward to formally pursue.

Now, it appears they’re favouring Sesko, with talks advancing on that front, according to Fabrizio Romano and other reliable media sources.

Before Sesko, it was reliably reported that Newcastle United star Alexander Isak was actually Arsenal’s “dream” signing.

Arsenal back off in race for Newcastle United star Alexander Isak

However, the striker’s reported £150 million-plus price tag and Newcastle’s qualification for the Champions League make this deal incredibly difficult.

There is also the matter of Liverpool, with journalist Graeme Bailey telling The Boot Room that Arsenal are backing off in the race for Isak, partly because the north Londoners theorise that Arne Slot’s title-winners are in “pole position” if he does leave St. James’ Park.

“Isak is the dream, and I think because Liverpool’s confidence, that’s where Arsenal’s interest is waning slightly,” said Bailey.

“I’ve been told Liverpool are in pole position. If Isak leaves, Liverpool are in pole position, and I think Arsenal learned that and that’s why they backed off slightly as well. Not just because they can’t afford him, because Arsenal probably could if they wanted to.”

Isak’s 27 goals in all competitions tell just half the story, with Eddie Howe’s Swede proving an absolute nightmare for defences to deal with across 24/25.

It would surely take something very special to convince Newcastle to sell the 25-year-old, and even a record-shattering bid might not be enough.

Today is the day that Celtic could be crowned champions of the Scottish Premiership if they manage to avoid a defeat to Dundee United at Tannadice Park.

The Hoops only need a point to claim the title for the fourth year running, beating their city rivals to the crown once again, in the early kick-off this afternoon.

Brendan Rodgers is looking to seal his second title in as many seasons since his return to Parkhead, and could be ruthless with his team selection by dropping Adam Idah to the bench.

Why Adam Idah could be dropped

The Ireland international was given the nod from the start to play as the number nine against St. Johnstone at Hampden Park, with Daizen Maeda and James Forrest on the wings.

Idah got on the end of a perfect cross from Reo Hatate to bundle the ball in from close range in the 5-0 win over the Saints in the SFA Cup semi-final.

However, the former Norwich City attacker has failed to provide a goal or an assist in his last seven appearances in the Premiership, which shows that he has not been good enough at league level in recent weeks.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With this in mind, Rodgers could ruthlessly ditch the striker from the team, despite his goal against St. Johnstone, and that would open up space for Jota to come back into the side on the wing.

Why Celtic should unleash Jota

The Northern Irish head coach could move Maeda back into the number nine role and that would free up the Portuguese attacker to play on the left side of the front three.

Jota, who came off the bench to score the fifth goal against the Saints, re-joined the Scottish giants in the January transfer window when he signed from Rennes on a permanent deal.

Since his return to Parkhead, the 26-year-old wing wizard, who Michael Stewart claims “raises the bar” and is a “game-changer” for the club, has hit the ground running with a return of four goals, three ‘big chances’ created, and two assists in six starts in the league.

This shows that, unlike Idah, Jota has been in fine form in the Premiership of late, with his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis from a wide position.

As you can see in the table above, the former Al-Ittihad forward stacks up incredibly well against his positional peers in the Scottish top-flight, due to his impressive return of goals and assists.

These statistics show that Jota is an attacker who can make a big impact on a regular basis at the top end of the pitch, which is why Rodgers should bring him into the starting XI for this clash with Dundee United today.

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He has the game-changing quality that Celtic could need to get the point that will seal the Premiership title, which would be the Portuguese star’s third in his Hoops career.

Manchester United are keen on signing an “exceptional” attacking midfielder who is now looking likely to leave his club this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Man Utd eyeing new attacking talent amid Hojlund struggles

It would be fair to say Rasmus Hojlund isn’t enjoying the best of seasons, with the Dane scoring just three goals in the Premier League, while fellow striker Joshua Zirkzee hasn’t exactly been much help either.

As such, a new striker is being targeted ahead of the summer transfer window, with an audacious move for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak being considered, although the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Samu Aghehowa may be more reasonable targets.

Not only is a new striker on Ruben Amorim’s shortlist, but the manager is also keen to bring in new attacking midfielders, having perhaps overrelied on captain Bruno Fernandes this season.

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The Red Devils have made contact over a move for Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, who has 18 assists to his name already this season, while they have also set their sights on Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard as a potential option.

In a new report for GiveMeSport, Romano has now detailed that Man United are also keen on signing RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, with there being a concrete chance the attacking midfielder leaves the German club this summer.

Simons is open to an exit at the end of the season, and there is a feeling his price tag could be between £58m – £62m, amid interest from a whole host of Premier League clubs.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are also keen on the £97,000-a-week Dutchman, and there is seemingly a good chance a move to England could be on the cards, with the Premier League said to be one of the top destinations in the attacking midfielder’s mind.

"Exceptional" Simons could be United's next Bruno

Successful signings have been few and far between in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, but Fernandes hit the ground running right from the off, and the Portugal international has been very impressive this season, with 16 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.

However, the 30-year-old can’t be expected to do it all by himself, and with Real Madrid eyeing a move for the United talisman, the need to bring in another creative attacking midfielder this summer may be exacerbated.

Simons’ performances in Germany indicate he could well fit the bill, having racked up a remarkable eight goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga last season, while he already has seven goals to his name this term.

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund has also given the 21-year-old very high praise, saying: “I think he’s going to have a really good career at the highest level. He has everything, mentality, character and is just an exceptional player.”

Simons could be a fantastic signing for Man United this summer, particularly as many would agree the squad needs a bit more of that “mentality and character”. However, it could be very difficult to win the race for his signature if they don’t have Champions League football on offer next season, given the level of interest in his signature.

The 29-year-old has had an up-and-down India career but that has worked in her favour

Sruthi Ravindranath15-Jun-2024D Hemalatha’s life was going exactly as she had planned. It was the 2015-16 season and she had started playing cricket only three years prior. But she rose through the ranks and was already on the verge of being called up to the Indian team. But a motorcycle accident left her with a broken wrist. She had injured her top hand. She was advised to take a year or two off from playing cricket. Excessive hand movement may aggravate the injury, she was warned.”‘ (that was the biggest setback of my life),” Hemalatha, who was only 20 at the time of the event, said to ESPNcricinfo. “I couldn’t digest the fact that I was going to lose two years to this. I was at my peak age. I was in form. In cricket, not playing for 2-3 months is seen as a setback, and one or two years was drastic, especially at the start of my career.”Even with her wrist bandaged, she was itching to hold her bat. She would check the grip every time she walked past it. In just one and a half months after the accident, she took out the bat, swinging it around with her bottom hand. And within seven months, she was back to playing full-time. She owes all of it to her ‘love’ for cricket.”Every time I looked at my bat, I’d want to pick it up. I was mentally stressed just thinking about it. It’s probably [the thing] that pushed me to recover within seven months. But that was the time I worked on my mental strength. It’s only during those hard times you’ll think more. The way you speak to yourself, the reason you’re working to achieve. The hard times taught me how to grow mentally. That’s my life lesson.”Hemalatha was forced to start from scratch again after her accident, but very soon found herself in the India A mix. Following a couple of impressive performances for India A against the Australia and England A sides, she earned a maiden call-up to the senior side in March 2018. She eventually made her India debut in July that year against Sri Lanka following which she also found a place in the T20 World Cup squad in 2018.Even after making the India squad, her career continued on an up-and-down course. After the Women’s Asia Cup in October 2022, she spent the next 16 months out of the team.Hemalatha: My strike rate should be more than 100, I focus on that•ECB via Getty ImagesIt was the “mental strength” Hemalatha had cultivated during these difficult times that played a big role in her comeback into the Indian team this time around. After sitting out of the senior side for 16 months following an average run, she was called up for the T20I series against Bangladesh in April-May this year. Her superb outing in that series has also earned her a spot in the white-ball sides for the South Africa series. And it’s an opportunity she is not taking for granted.”When I realised I’m getting a chance again [with the Indian team], I told myself I wanted to make use of the opportunities,” she said. “It doesn’t matter at which level you play, you need that mental strength. Playing for India is a big goal, but only if I perform in these smaller games I can get there, and for that too you need mental strength. Even when I made my India comeback, I didn’t take it easy. It was not my end goal. I never thought ‘there’s nothing bigger than this’. Even after getting there, I was focused on giving my best for the team, was thinking of all the ways to win a game.”Hemalatha says they were small games but in actual fact, those games, and her performances in them were anything but small. She scored 199 runs in six innings at 49.75 for Railways in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy last year. She scored two fifties and played a part in Railways’ title win in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy this year and then went on to win the Women’s Inter-Zonal ODI Trophy with Central Zone. She shone brightly in Gujarat Giants’ otherwise dull season in the WPL, her 74 off 40 against Mumbai Indians being one of the highlights.With Jemimah Rodrigues and Yastika Bhatia out due to injuries and Hemalatha showing the kind of consistency that could no longer be ignored, India gave her the No. 3 role in Bangladesh and she didn’t disappoint.During her comeback match, the second T20I in Sylhet, she showed off just how well she strikes the ball, coming down the track to middle offspinner Sultana Khatun over cow corner for her first big hit of the day, ending with 41 off 24 balls. Over the course of four games, she showcased a fine range of shots, from picture-perfect cover drives to lofts down the ground to sweetly-timed sweeps to finish with a series-highest strike rate of 141.55D Hemalatha was a bright spot in an otherwise dull 2024 WPL campaign for the Gujarat Giants•BCCI”My strike rate should be more than 100, I focus on that,” Hemalatha said. “I work on my basics and that helps with my hard-hitting. Batting is all about timing, so I work on that. If you have good timing, the ball will go long. I have been working on my range-hitting as well. Even during the WPL I worked on it. I don’t focus only on that in my training though, if there’s a requirement for me to hit it, I will. But if there’s a situation where I need to stay at the crease, I will stay. I can play both. I never plan my innings before.”Hemalatha got to know women played cricket professionally only before she got into college in 2012. She was excited about the prospect of making a career out of it. Her parents, initially hesitant about her new career path, eventually encouraged her to take it up. Her father had one piece of advice for her: ‘Whatever you do, put your heart into it’. She learnt her basics from her coach, Sriram, in her neighbourhood. Once she got selected for the Tamil Nadu state team, she started training under Peter Fernandez, a well-known cricket coach in Chennai.She then moved from Tamil Nadu to the Railways domestic team, where she played with Mithali Raj, one of her idols. They played together in the Indian team as well and were reunited at the WPL where Mithali is Giants’ mentor.”Mithali is a legend,” Hemalatha said. “You can ask her anything – about the game, mindset, how to go about the match… just anything. She has all the answers. It has helped me tremendously on and off the field. She knows what my strengths are. She talks to me about plans against specific bowlers, how to hit on a specific pitch, she gives so many inputs. We discuss even during practice. Even after I come back from batting we have a proper chat.”Hemalatha expects a lot from herself. In the middle of that breakthrough series in Bangladesh, she was certain she was playing an innings that she didn’t like only to arrive in the dressing room and be celebrated for her strokeplay.”Harmanpreet [Kaur, the India captain] is a fighter, she’s very aggressive on the field” Hemalatha said. “Off the field she’s very friendly and amazing. After the second T20I, she came up to me and told me that I have beautiful shots. Only then was I convinced that I actually played well. When I came out after batting, everyone was full of praise. When I was playing, I wasn’t too satisfied. But when the team told me I played well, I got convinced.”From here, Hemalatha will be keen to take all the motivation and confidence she has gained over a career that has had plenty of highs and lows to make her spot in the India side permanent.

Even dead rubbers are hugely important for players seeking franchise contracts

Cameron Ponsonby24-Aug-2022Women’s cricket is changing. Money is entering the sport with players such as Lizelle Lee and Deandra Dottin walking away from the international game with a living possible purely from the money made on the domestic circuit.As decisions, they each carry their own sadness, nuances and complications, but even so, each can still be taken with a pinch of sugar as opposed to salt in regards to how it evidences the progress of the women’s game. In 2014, England women were the first ever professional women’s cricket team. And less than a decade later it is possible to make a living in the sport away from the international circuit.It also means that in games like today between London Spirit and Welsh Fire (in other words, dead rubbers) that context still exists. It’s just that rather than doing so on a team basis, it does so individually. No one’s winning any team prizes here, but they may earn themselves a contract somewhere else.”It’s obviously a really exciting time for all of women’s cricket”, said Freya Davies at the close after taking an ultimately match-winning 3 for 25 for London Spirit. “All of those domestic tournaments around the world, and yeah I’d love to go to the Big Bash, but the focus at the moment is just putting in performances and winning games for Spirit.”Related

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It is a quirk of progress in the women’s game that as the sport moves forward, some of the traits we deride in other aspects of sport will come to the fore. We want our players playing for nothing but the passion and love of the game, but passion and love don’t pay the bills. A sign-on fee and a bonus for 500 runs, however, does.We want every game played as if it’s their last, but the truth is that as the sport progresses, the women’s game will follow the tracks of the men, with players turning out at so many competitions that the value of a title at each one slowly subsides further and further, with the real prize not being the runs you score today, but the contract they earn you for the next.”You definitely need to keep putting in those performances and you want to do well,” said Welsh Fire’s Sarah Bryce after scoring 33 off 25 balls. “You don’t really think of it whilst you’re out there playing but if it can open up those opportunities, that’s truly exciting.”A couple of years ago, the match you played in was in front of your parents and maybe a few friends, so the fact you’re playing in front of thousands of people definitely makes a difference and you feel that.”Both the floor and ceiling of the sport is lifting. And not steadily either, but in the same way that a grandparent looks on in disbelief as the 4’3″ child that left them at Christmas returns the following year a 6ft7in teen. The grandparent in shock. The teen bemused. Unaware of how dramatic a change they have been through in such a short period of time.”I think sometimes you can forget,” said Davies who, having spent over a decade in the game already, has been baked into the growth spurt of the sport rather than witnessing it from afar. “But then we play here and there’s a massive crowd and it’s something that women’s cricket wouldn’t have dreamed of two years ago.”The range of reasons why it is important that each game of the Women’s Hundred is broadcast exemplifies how unique a period this is in women’s cricket as it seeks to continue to lay its foundations with one hand, whilst also reaching for the prizes of the top shelf with the other.On a national level, it is important that each game is broadcast as the game is still growing in the country, with a generation of young players available and ready to be inspired under the mantra of, “you can’t be what you can’t see.”And yet at the same time as that is true at one end of a sport, for the players every game being broadcast is important for another reason. Just as youngsters can’t be what they can’t see, neither can franchise owners across the world sign what they can’t see.”Runs on Sky count double” is an apocryphal saying that has existed in cricket quarters across the land for a long time. Years ago, when watching a Blast game with a friend, a former teammate of his hit a rapid fifty on telly in an otherwise lean season. But people saw. Ex-players tweeted. And a new deal was signed. The result of the game wasn’t important, and yet it changed the player’s life.Similarly, as the two teams walked out at Lord’s today, there was nothing on the game for either side. But thanks to the growth of the women’s game, for each of the 22 individuals who took the field, it was a potentially life-changing stage.

He’s shown the class of Pooran, timing of de Villiers and finishing of Dhoni. All he needs is more time in the middle

Saurabh Somani30-Oct-20203:15

Ian Bishop on Jadeja: ‘He must get more than eight balls to bat’

“I’m not sure he’s missed training since we’ve been here.” – Stephen Fleming, the Chennai Super Kings coach, on Ravindra Jadeja.”I was hitting well in the nets also so I just kept thinking of that, that how I’m hitting in the nets and I was hoping to do it in the match.” – Jadeja after his innings of 31* off 11 balls to win a last-ball thriller against the Kolkata Knight Riders.Hitting the ball well while training while not having missed a single training session in the two months that the Super Kings have been in the UAE is a of balls hit well. IPL 2020 hasn’t gone the way the Super Kings had planned, but it has heralded the arrival of Jadeja the batsman in the shortest format.In the past three years, he had already lifted his Test batting to have numbers specialist batsmen would be happy with, averaging 48.61 over 24 matches. But, in the shortest format, Jadeja’s batting had never reached those heights on any consistent basis. Before this tournament, his IPL batting average (24.08) and strike rate (122.66) were fairly ordinary.This year, those numbers are out of sight. His batting average of 46.40 and strike rate of 171.85 are the best for his team. Better than Ambati Rayudu and Faf du Plessis, faster than Sam Curran and MS Dhoni. Looking at his Smart Stats, the value of his quick scoring is starkly apparent: Jadeja’s Smart Strike is 195.27, the fourth best in the entire league. He’s ahead of Hardik Pandya, and behind only Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran and AB de Villiers. Or put another way, his batting has been as effective as those gents.Jadeja, the batsman, has been among the best finishers in IPL 2020 by almost any measure. In a team beset by batting worries, he’s been an unheralded superstar.”This season he has been fantastic,” Dhoni said after the win against the Knight Riders. “He has been the only person in our team who has taken that job of scoring runs in the last few overs. The good thing is, he’s very balanced at the end. He knows, and believes in the kind of talent that he has, and he has looked to score everywhere. He’s not just using his power, at times he has scored through the point region if the field is up.”I feel he needed somebody else with him throughout the season, then we could have been good. Most of the sides have at least one or two hard-hitters down the order who can capitalise in the last three or four overs.”Jadeja connects with one on the pads•BCCIJadeja has done this despite batting mostly at No. 6 this season. Unlike Pollard, he hasn’t had the luxury of a top order that’s also firing. Unlike Pooran and de Villiers – when not shielded against leg-spin – he hasn’t had the luxury of time in the middle before exploding. Despite that, he’s been in their league.That he’s not had enough time could be one for the Super Kings post-mortem of the season when they sit back to dissect what went wrong. Jadeja has batted 135 balls so far in 11 innings, but been dismissed only five times. He gets to face just over 12 balls per innings on average, while being dismissed once every 27 balls. Scoring at that rate, and getting out as infrequently, should lead to a promotion in the batting order so that the team can maximise his utility, but that hasn’t happened.The Super Kings did act on the inherent logic of this, which is why Curran earned promotions. But perhaps they missed a trick by not promoting Jadeja too. Dhoni, for example, has been batting ahead of Jadeja in almost every game, and there is a vast gulf in their numbers.Jadeja came in at No.7 in the Super Kings’ first defeat against the Knight Riders, with 39 to get in 2.5 overs. He ended up hitting 21* off eight balls.In the Super Kings’ second match against the Delhi Capitals, he was at No.6, and walked in 3.3 overs remaining in the first innings. He hit 33* off 13 in a match the Capitals won off the penultimate ball.Even on Thursday, by the time Jadeja walked in, only 2.4 overs remained and the Super Kings needed 33 to win. “I think it was game where the climax went in our favour,” Dhoni would smile and say after the match. But could more than one have gone in their favour by utilising their resources – in this case a batsman in prime form – better?There is something to be said for keeping a player back and sending him in when there is limited time left in the game because of how individuals work. You can bat with a free mind, and be at your most effective perhaps when you know there is only one way to play. That certainly has been true of Dinesh Karthik, for example, who has averaged 50.5 at 183.6 when coming in after the 15th over against 18.88 at 127.8 when coming in before the 15th over since IPL 2019.”The last 12 balls you don’t have to think too much, just see the ball and hit the ball,” Jadeja would say after his latest innings. “I knew that if they bowl in my arc I would definitely look to hit a six. That was the simple planning behind it.”Fleming seemed to echo a similar sentiment, almost hinting that too much time in the middle might be counter-productive. “He’s very free,” Fleming said. “At times he’s almost tried to play too smart but now he’s just playing free and seeing the ball and just hitting it beautifully.”On the other hand, in IPL 2020 itself Jadeja has shown he can bat long too. He got the opportunity to do so after top-order collapses. He had 50 off 35 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and 35* off 30 against the Rajasthan Royals. In a format where batsmen are far more likely to fail than succeed, an effect that is magnified when you bat at No.6, Jadeja’s successes have been remarkable.The Super Kings have only one match left, but even if it won’t affect qualification, it’s worth investing a little more in Jadeja, the batsman.

The New York Yankees could be looking to bolster their lineup at the 2025 trade deadline, and there are a number of areas the team may attempt to shore up before making a push for a World Series.

One team the Yankees figure to be monitoring as July looms closer is the Arizona Diamondbacks. According to ESPN's MLB insider Buster Olney, if the D-Backs decide to sell at the deadline, New York would be "in on" slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez.

Suarez is currently in the final season of his contract and will hit unrestricted free agency next offseason. He's had a hot start to the year, recording a .834 OPS with 21 home runs and 57 RBIs. He'd be a welcome addition to New York's lineup, and the team has a need at third base having slid Jazz Chisholm Jr., a natural second baseman, over to the position.

Olney also floated the possibility of the Diamondbacks offloading other veterans such as Josh Naylor, Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen.

This all, of course, stems on whether or not Arizona can make a push between mid June and the trade deadline. The Diamondbacks are currently in fourth place in a stacked NL West division with a 36–35 record. As it stands, they're three games back of a wild cart spot in the National League.

Ruben Amorim complained earlier this season that his 3-4-3 formation is always to blame whenever Manchester United lose but on the rare occasion they win, his tactics are not credited. The coach's system has been the No. 1 talking point since he took charge of the Red Devils, with many believing it cannot work in the Premier League. But Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is proving otherwise.

Glasner has been playing the same formation as Amorim since he succeeded the beloved Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park in February 2024, with the team sitting 15th in the Premier League. But rather than being the straitjacket that it often seems to be for Amorim's United, the 3-4-3 shape has led to Palace enjoying one of the club's greatest ever spells.

In less than two years in charge he has led Palace to win the FA Cup (their first major trophy), consequentially taking them into Europe for the first time. He has also overseen the club's longest ever unbeaten run, spanning 19 games in all competitions and six months, and won this season's Community Shield. Palace are currently fifth in the Premier League, enjoying their best run in the division and their best season since finishing third in the old First Division in 1990, when they also reached the FA Cup final.

It is quite a different story for Amorim, who last season oversaw United's lowest league finish in 51 years and whose team were incapable of beating 10-man Everton in their last game despite having a one-man advantage for 77 minutes. As United head to south London to face Palace on Sunday, GOAL looks at six things Amorim could learn from Glasner in his long quest to make his formation finally work…

Getty Images SportPick formation based on players

Amorim and Glasner may be the two most famous exponents of 3-4-3 in the modern game but only one of them has made it their hallmark. While Amorim began playing the formation as early as his fourth game in charge of semi-professional side Casa Pia, his very first job, Glasner only started adopting it when he became Eintracht Frankfurt coach as it had worked for his predecessor.

"In my career, I have used every single system," Glasner told . "I got promoted in Austria with a 4-4-2, then we switched to a 3-4-3. In Wolfsburg, we reached the Champions League with a 4-2-3-1. In Frankfurt, they played with three at the back before and it fit the squad. I always look at what system might suit the players we have best. My favourite system is 4-4-2, but do we have the right players for this?"

Amorim's mistake was to land at Old Trafford hell-bent on playing his formation even though the squad he inherited was stacked with traditional wingers and shorn of good full-backs who could become effective wing-backs. Against Everton he stuck with the formation even when the circumstances demanded a tactical tweak, showing a concerning rigidity contrasting with Glasner's pragmatism.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFocus less on possession

Pep Guardiola's Barcelona made every team obsessed with having lots of possession but the game has shifted back towards a more equal balance in recent years. United's defeat against Everton was the most flagrant example that dominating the ball does not always win you games: they had 70 percent of the ball overall and 75% in the second half. 

Palace are showing just what you can do with less of the ball. They rank third-bottom in the Premier League for possession but are fifth in the table. United are ranked eighth for possession but are 10th in the table. Indeed, throughout this season United have tended to get better results when having less of the ball. 

They beat Liverpool with 36.5% possession and also had less of the ball when they beat Brighton and Chelsea, remarkably only having 41% of the ball against the Blues despite having a man advantage for most of the first half. The only game they have won while dominating the ball was against Burnley, who have the lowest possession count in the league, while they had marginally more possession when they beat Sunderland (50.2%).

When Amorim's Sporting CP thrashed Manchester City after he had accepted the United job, the coach warned: "United cannot play the way we play, they cannot be so defensive." But that is not the case any more. What United fans want right now is results and to climb up the table. When long-suffering supporters were celebrating their first win at Anfield in a decade, no one in the away end was grumbling about their lack of possession.

Getty Images SportHave a reliable centre-forward

The last time United played Crystal Palace, Jean-Phillipe Mateta gave a clinic in centre-forward play which was juxtaposed by the absurdity of Kobbie Mainoo starting as a false-nine for the Red Devils. It was a game which underlined the importance of having a streetwise, Premier League-tested centre-forward leading the line. But United did not learn any lessons from it. 

While Mateta was being touted as a smart option for United in the summer, they instead paid £74m ($98m) for Benjamin Sesko, despite him having the same flaws as Rasmus Hojlund, the player he was replacing after the Dane proved ill-equipped to cope with the demands of the Premier League and the pressure of playing for United. Sesko, who is in the middle of an expected six-week lay off with a knee injury, has scored two goals so far and it says a lot that Amorim opted against starting him against Liverpool and Tottenham, playing Matheus Cunha as a false nine instead. Joshua Zirkzee got his big opportunity against Everton but failed to take it.

Mateta, meanwhile, has scored six goals this season, making him the joint-fourth top scorer in the league. In the last two campaigns he scored a combined 30 goals. No one in United's squad came close to those numbers. Mateta is still not an elite-level striker and it should not be forgotten that in his second season at Palace he started only six league matches, being Hodgson's second-choice behind Odsonne Édouard. He has steadily learned the trade of what it takes to be a Premier League forward and even when he doesn't score he gives his team a clear focal point, something United clearly lack despite spending close to £184m on three strikers since 2023.

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Getty Images SportPlay wing-backs on correct wings

Wing-backs are utterly essential to a 3-4-3 system and Amorim has struggled to get a tune out of the men he has chosen to perform the role. Amad Diallo is the one exception as he has been one of the few players to continue to shine over the last year although playing at wing-back does not really suit his strengths.

While Amad has been able to demonstrate his attacking quality as an inverted wing-back and has struck up a promising partnership with Bryan Mbeumo, playing further back than his natural role as a right winger has its pitfalls. His defensive shortcomings were exposed against Nottingham Forest and he is not helped by being forced to defend on his weaker right side. 

The same is true of Diogo Dalot although for different reasons. Dalot is naturally right-footed but is often deployed as left-wing-back, meaning he struggles to cause damage going outside defenders and routine goes inside, making it easier to defend against. Gary Neville was furious with Amorim for bringing Dalot on against Everton to replace Patrick Dorgu, while Jamie Carragher previously said of the Portugal international in this position: "He can't beat a man. He's not going to play a clever pass, he's not going to get a cross in."

Glasner has gone for a simpler approach, playing the right-footed Daniel Munoz at right-wing-back and the left-footed Tyrick Mitchell on the opposite flank. Munoz has contributed to 17 Premier League goals since joining Palace in January 2024. Mitchell has 11 goal contributions since the start of the 2023-24 campaign. 

The numbers only tell half of the story though: the wing-backs' legs and lungs are a big reason why Glasner's team are so dangerous going forward on the break. Mitchell and Munoz both currently rank in the top five in the Premier League for distance covered, according to OPTA.