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New South Wales allrounder Jack Edwards has been called into his first international squad after being added to Australia’s ODI side for the final match in Sydney while Glenn Maxwell and Ben Dwarshuis are fit to return for the latter stages of the upcoming T20I series against India, with young WA quick Mahli Beardman also called up for the T20Is.Cricket Australia confirmed a host of changes to the two white-ball squads on Friday with Marnus Labuschagne released from the ODI squad ahead of the final game in Sydney on Saturday to prepare for Queensland’s Sheffield Shield clash with NSW that starts on Tuesday at the Gabba.Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott will both miss the back-end of the T20I series against India in order play the round four Shield match for NSW against Victoria which starts at the SCG on November 10. Hazlewood will only play the first two T20Is while Abbott, who is recovering from split webbing in his hand, will leave Australia’s squad after the third T20I in Hobart.Related

• Australia aim for historic ODI sweep against India

• Mahli Beardman: 'Think I can hit the magical 150 mark'

• Abbott first to be subbed out under new Sheffield Shield injury rule

• Maxwell hopes to be fit for back-end of T20I series against India

Matthew Kuhnemann, who played in the first ODI against India in Perth but then missed the second in Adelaide when Adam Zampa returned, was recalled to the squad for the third game in Sydney alongside Edwards. Josh Philippe, who also played the opening ODI and then was left out of the second when Alex Carey returned, was added to the T20I squad as the spare wicketkeeper with doubt remaining over Josh Inglis’ fitness as he is yet to return from a calf strain.Maxwell will return for the last three matches of the T20I series having been ruled out of the first two after fracturing his wrist while bowling in the nets in New Zealand late last month. Dwarshuis was ruled out of the ODI series and the first three T20Is with a calf injury but has been named to return for the fourth and fifth matches in Queensland.Mahli Beardman has been called up to Australia’s T20I squad•CA/Getty Images

Beardman, 20, is a surprise call-up for the last three T20Is. The former Australia Under-19 quick was a shock inclusion as an injury replacement on Australia’s 2024 white-ball tour of England having played only one List A game for Western Australia. He is also coming off stress fractures over the winter but he has made an impressive start to his T20 and List A career for Perth Scorchers and WA. He took 3 for 17 in his second BBL game, his last T20 appearance in January, and has 12 wickets at 17.75 with an economy rate of 5.75 from his first four List A games for WA, including 3 for 48 and 2 for 55 in his only two games so far this season coming back from injury.Edwards’ call-up to the ODI squad has come on the back of some excellent performances for Australia A on the recent tour of India. He made 88 in the second four-day game in Lucknow and then took 4 for 56 and 89 off 75 in the second and third 50-over matches in Kanpur respectively while captaining Australia A.His addition to the squad does provide Australia the opportunity to extend their batting and trial an allrounder heavy line-up in the dead rubber in Sydney. Such an XI would present the selectors with the chance to rest either one or both of Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc given there is just one day of rest between the second and third ODI.

Australia ODI squad for the third ODI vs India

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Australia T20I squad vs India

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott (first three matches only), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman (last three matches only), Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (last two matches only), Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood (first two matches only), Glenn Maxwell (last three matches only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

His 7 for 69 from 24.3 overs follows Kasey Aldridge’s 180 and allows Somerset to enforce follow on

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Sep-2025Hampshire 172 (Leach 7-69) and 35 for 1 (Middleton 8*, Vaughan 1-18) f/o trail Somerset 454 for 8 dec. (Aldridge 180, Abell 118, Overton 50*) by 247 runs A spin bowling masterclass from Somerset’s Jack Leach plunged relegation-threatened Hampshire into deeper trouble on the third day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.After the hosts had increased their first innings total from an overnight 381 for 7 to 454 for 8 declared, the left-arm spinner, overlooked in recent times by England, claimed 7 for 69 from 24.3 overs to help bowl out Hampshire for 172 and make them follow on.Kasey Aldridge was last man out in the Somerset innings for 180, having begun the day on 149, while Craig Overton finished unbeaten on 50.Hampshire made a better fist of things in their second innings, reaching 35 for 1 before rain and bad light ended play 15.1 overs early, but still face a backs-to-the-wall fight tomorrow to avoid what might prove a hugely damaging defeat.The first ball of the day, bowled by Keith Barker, saw Aldridge nudge the single needed to take him to a maiden 150, having faced 207 balls and hit 16 fours and five sixes. He and Overton were positive from the outset.Aldridge cut a boundary off James Fuller to take Somerset’s score past 400 and followed up with an upper cut six off the same bowler. Overton cleared the ropes off Abbott and Washington Sundar as the pair took their entertaining partnership to the century mark from 90 deliveries.The next target was to take the score to 450, which they achieved in the 103rd over to secure maximum batting points. Overton went to fifty off 42 balls and the only remaining question was the timing of the declaration.It came when Aldridge was run out by Nick Gubbins’ direct hit at the bowler’s end attempting a quick single to mid-off. The tall all-rounder, bound for Durham next season, had batted for more than four and a half hours, facing 233 balls and extending his boundary count to 20 fours and six sixes.Hampshire’s reply had reached 13 after five overs when Leach was introduced from the River End. His first over saw Ali Orr bowled between bat and pad by a delivery that turned considerably from outside the left-hander’s off stump.Soon it was 27 for 2 as Gubbins reverse swept Leach straight into the hands of Archie Vaughan at short third and three runs later Fletcha Middleton had his off stump clipped by Leach from a delivery that pitched on middle.Toby Albert launched two defiant sixes off Vaughan in moving to 29 before driving at a wide ball from the off-spinner and offering a straightforward return catch. Lunch was taken with Hampshire 61 for 4.Vaughan struck again after he and Leach had swapped ends in the afternoon session, bowling Ben Brown, on 21, as he attempted to cut.The accurate Leach was bowling some rippers and one accounted for Sundar. Having battled his way to 23, the India Test player pushed forward defensively to a ball that spun back through the gate and bowled him to make the score 102 for 6.Fuller tried to counter-attack and had made 24 off 17 balls when becoming Leach’s fifth victim, lbw sweeping. Barker was bowled for 19 attempting to reverse sweep Leach and Felix Organ top-edged a pull off a Vaughan long-hop to be caught at midwicket before Abbott lofted a catch to wide long-on to end the innings and give Leach season’s best figures.Tea was taken before Somerset enforced the follow-on. The tireless Leach, who played the last of his 39 Tests for England almost a year ago, took the new ball in tandem with Vaughan, while Tom Abell was off the field having suffered a jolting blow on the helmet when fielding at short-leg.Orr and Middleton took the score to 35 in the 22nd over when Orr fell for 27, struck on the back pad by a ball from Vaughan. Before the game could restart, the rain which had been forecast for much of the day finally arrived, much to Hampshire’s relief.

The Maharaja T20 has been moved to Mysuru, after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) failed to obtain clearance from the Bengaluru police to stage their franchise-based T20 competition at the M Chinnaswamy stadium from August 11 to 27.All the franchise owners were notified of the change earlier this week, leaving them with just a few days to finalise logistics. Most teams, barring Mysuru Warriors, have been training at different venues across Bengaluru over the past week.The failure to obtain permission to host games at the Chinnaswamy could potentially be a big blow to the KSCA, given the stadium is slated to host five matches of the Women’s World Cup – including the tournament opener and one semi-final – starting September 30. However, ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC isn’t overly worried just yet about the possibility of moving the games out of Bengaluru.The KSCA has been in the eye of a storm ever since 11 people died and over 50 others were injured around the premises of the Chinnaswamy stadium, during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4. The stampede also forced two KSCA office bearers to resign, citing moral responsibility.A stampede ensued at Chinnaswamy stadium during RCB’s victory celebrations•AFP/Getty Images

Late last month, a committee tasked by the state government to investigate the stampede deemed the Chinnaswamy “unsafe” for large-scale events. The commission “strongly recommended” that large-scale events be relocated to venues that are “better suited” to handle significant crowds.Initially, the Maharaja T20s were supposed to be held behind closed doors in Bengaluru. But once the committee’s ruling came in, getting permission to play at the Chinnaswamy – with or without a crowd – became untenable. The KSCA’s focus now is on making sure things go smoothly in in Mysuru. They have been putting up makeshift stands, preparing pitches, squares, as well as temporary broadcast facilities at the Wadeyar Stadium.The Maharaja T20 is set to feature a number of high-profile Karnataka stars, including Karun Nair and Prasidh Krishna, who will feature for Mysuru Warriors following their return from India’s Test series in England.Nair is understood to have injured his finger while batting in the second innings of the fifth Test which ended three days ago, and could sit out the first few matches. Prasidh, who picked up eight wickets in India’s series-levelling win at The Oval, has been prescribed rest. The pacer is expected to join the squad mid-tournament.Some of the other big players in the mix include Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal, and Devdutt Padikkal, as well as the younger crop, led by R Smaran, Vijaykumar Vyshak, KV Aneesh and Nikin Jose.Elsewhere, the Maharani T20, KSCA’s women’s competition which began on August 4, will continue to be played in Alur, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Thomas Frank issued a concerning injury update on Mohammed Kudus ahead of their Manchester United clash this weekend. The Ghanaian playmaker, who joined Spurs from West Ham United in a £55 million ($72.5m) summer move, has become one of the club’s most consistent performers this season. He has scored once and set up five goals across 15 appearances. But just as he seemed to gain momentum, disaster struck again.

Spurs sweating on Kudus fitness

Kudus picked up a knock during training last week, ruling him out of Tuesday’s emphatic 4-0 Champions League win over FC Copenhagen. Now, his participation against United is also uncertain. 

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Frank cut a cautious figure and said: "Kudus is touch and go for tomorrow, we’ll see."

In Kudus' absence, Brennan Johnson, who started on the right flank in midweek, is expected to retain his spot. The Welshman impressed with his intensity against Copenhagen and should be a handful for United defenders. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTottenham's injury list grows longer

The north London side’s growing injury list continues to stretch the squad thin. Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison all remain long-term absentees, while Yves Bissouma and summer recruit Kota Takai are still awaiting their first minutes of the season. To make matters worse, promising youngster Lucas Bergvall will sit out the United game after suffering a concussion during last weekend’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. 

Frank also offered an update on Dominic Solanke’s slow recovery. The striker has been limited to a total of 59 minutes this season. Solanke’s ankle problems have kept him sidelined since pre-season, and he even underwent a minor surgery on October 1. And while his rehabilitation is progressing, Frank insists the club won’t rush his return.

"I think the international break will be the big decider, because we have two weeks there, to push with the next steps," said Frank.

"It was clear that he was not ready before the international break, it’s more that we look after the international break, that’s what we’re aiming for. I think you always want to get it right, I think it’s important to get it right so he’s out there, can help the team, and we need him back." 

However, he did offer some positive updates as well. 

"The ones that have been out for a small spell, Cuti (Cristian Romero) and Destiny (Udogie), responded well, so fit and available," he said. 

Amicable resolution with Van de Ven and Spence

Frank has also had to manage an internal situation involving defenders Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence. In the aftermath of the disappointing defeat to Chelsea, the Spurs head coach encouraged his players to perform a lap of appreciation for the fans. However, television cameras caught Van de Ven and Spence walking away, apparently ignoring the manager’s request. At the time, Frank refused to publicly criticise the pair, choosing instead to defuse the incident.

"All the players are, of course, frustrated," he had said after the match. "They would like to do well, they would like to win, they would like to perform. I understand that. I think it’s difficult to be consistent in good times and bad times, that’s why I went around to the fans as I did, it’s more fun when we win, I can tell you that."

He added, "I understand why you ask the question. But I think that’s one of, how you can say, small issues. We have Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence doing everything they can. They’ve performed very well so far this season. Everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, I don’t think it’s a big problem."

However, the two players have apologised to the manager to reach an amicable solution.

"Micky and Djed came into my office yesterday and just said they wanted to say sorry for the situation," he informed. "They didn't want it to look bad or any misconception that you can get in this beautiful media world. So there was no disrespect meant at all towards me or the team. They were just frustrated with the performance from us and the booing during the game."

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Getty Images/GOALA pivotal match for Spurs

Tottenham’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea was another frustrating afternoon for the fans, who voiced their displeasure at full-time. Saturday’s showdown against United now carries enormous weight for both sides. A win could reignite Tottenham’s momentum and strengthen their Champions League ambitions. They remain sixth in the Premier League table with 17 points from 10 games and are level with Manchester United but eight behind leaders Arsenal.

After losing three-consecutive games for the first time under Arne Slot, Jamie Carragher has told the Dutchman that he may have to copy Real Madrid to solve his current problem at Liverpool.

Slot points out "small margins" in Chelsea defeat

Last-gasp defeat against Crystal Palace saw the cracks begin to appear, but that could have been put down to a bad day at the office rather than a pending problem. Defeat in midweek against Galatasaray then sparked some uncomfortable questions, before Chelsea’s late winner handed Slot his biggest problem yet as Liverpool manager.

Klopp sold Liverpool star for £9.5m, now he's outperforming Salah & Wirtz

Liverpool must rue selling a star who is outplaying Florian Wirtz and playing like Mo Salah.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 6, 2025

After spending £400m in the summer, the Reds have looked a shadow of the Premier League champions that they became last season. Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong have all endured particularly slow starts, whilst long-term stars such as Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister have failed to reach the levels they’re known for at Anfield. It has been an exposing seven days for Liverpool.

It’s now a big couple of weeks for Slot, who must solve his side’s current problems in the international break before welcoming Manchester United to Anfield. To do exactly that, Carragher has told the former Feyenoord boss that he may need to copy Real Madrid.

Carragher tells Slot to copy Real Madrid as problem emerges

Having his say on Liverpool’s current form, Carragher told Slot that he may have to copy Real Madrid to solve the “problem” of getting all his star men in the same, thriving team. The former centre-back even suggested that the Dutchman could need to become the “ultimate Real Madrid manager” after the Reds’ Galactico-esque summer.

Carragher said on The Overlap: “Because it’s being a Real Madrid summer in terms of buying big players, does Slot almost need to be like the ultimate Real Madrid manager? And I always think of Ancelotti, and I feel like Ancelotti every summer, you’d almost be thinking, ‘what’s he going to do with that?’

“Even last season there was, ‘how can he get Mbappe and Vinicius in the same team?’ But even go back to his AC Milan teams, or his Real Madrid teams, that was his greatest strength as a manager, he’d find a way whatever system, and he’d just get the best players on the pitch where they wanted to play and almost do it for the players.”

Du Plessis captains DC in Axar’s absence

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-20252:58

Cricinformed: Bumrah, the gold standard for a T20 bowler

Faf du Plessis, captaining Delhi Capitals in Axar Patel’s absence due to a bad flu, won the toss and chose to bowl. Speaking about Axar at the toss, du Plessis said, “Unfortunate for him, really sick the last two days. Bad flu. We wish him all the best. Will definitely miss him today.”Madhav Tiwari and Mukesh Kumar have replaced T Natarajan and Axar for DC. Tiwari, a seam-bowling allrounder from Madhya Pradesh, was part of DC’s XI in their abandoned game against Punjab Kings but will be on debut as that game will be replayed on Saturday. KL Rahul has been named in the Impact Players bench after being hit on the knee in training on match eve and is most likely to be subbed in for the second innings.DC will be out of the playoffs race with a loss today. MI, on the other hand, will go through with a win. Hardik Pandya, MI’s captain, said he would have liked to bowl as well. Mitchell Santner replaces Corbin Bosch. One of Ashwani Kumar and Karn Sharma, who were part of MI’s previous game, will miss out tonight.So far this season, the average score batting first at the Wankhede stadium has been 174 for 7 and the chasing team has won four out of the six games.Mumbai Indians XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, N Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (capt), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit BumrahMI Impact Players bench: Ashwani Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Karn Sharma, Raj Bawa, Satyanarayana RajuDelhi Capitals XI: Faf du Plessis (capt), Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh KumarDC Impact Players bench: KL Rahul, Sediqullah Atal, Karun Nair, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar

Celtic are looking to bolster their options in the number nine position before the end of the summer transfer window tonight, with Adam Idah possibly on his way to Swansea City.

The Hoops are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Anderlecht number nine Kasper Dolberg as a replacement, of sorts, for the Ireland international.

He has scored 22 goals in all competitions for the Belgian side since the start of last season, per Sofascore, and could be the main man up front for Brendan Rodgers this season.

Ligue 1 forward open to Celtic move

Dolberg may not be the only number nine to arrive at Parkhead before the deadline passes this evening, though, as the club are looking at another option in that position.

Transfer Focus

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

According to journalist Mark Hendry, via his Substack, Celtic are keen on a deadline day move to sign Strasbourg striker Sekou Mara on a season-long loan.

The reporter claims that the former Southampton attacker is open to a move to Parkhead after failing to feature in any of his side’s matchs so far this season.

Hendry adds that Mara, who joined Strasbourg from Southampton for around £10m, is one of the options that the club are tracking as they look to sign two new centre-forwards today.

Why Sekou Mara could be Moussa Dembele 2.0

This potential deal, albeit only a possible loan, is giving off shades of the signing of Moussa Dembele, and we all know how that eventually played out in Glasgow.

The French marksman signed for Celtic from Fulham in the summer of 2016 after he had come up through the youth ranks in France before experiencing Championship football with the Cottagers.

Celtic

94

51

Fulham

64

19

Fulham U21

12

7

Fulham U18

4

5

As you can see in the table above, Dembele caught the eye as a goalscorer with Fulham, after joining them from PSG, and then went on to be an incredibly prolific striker for Celtic.

Mara has a similar set of experiences under his belt. He came through the youth ranks at Bordeaux in France and then played for Southampton in the Premier League and the Championship, as Dembele did with Fulham, before ending up in France again with Strasbourg.

The 23-year-old star, who was described as a “dangerous” forward by U23 scout Antonio Mango, produced six goals and two assists in all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign for the Saints, and scored one goal in seven starts for Strasbourg in Ligue 1 last term, per Sofascore.

He may not appear to be an obvious Dembele repeat from his recent goal return, but a 23-year-old talent who has been deemed good enough to play in the Premier League and Ligue 1 as a striker already, and to be signed for £10m last year, is an exciting prospect.

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If Celtic and Rodgers can get this deal done and help him to fulfill his potential by handing him regular minutes in Scotland, the Hoops could have their next superb French number nine on their hands.

Manchester United’s summer rebuild continues at pace as they search for the final pieces to complement Ruben Amorim’s evolving side.

Having already spent in excess of £200m on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško, United have shown clear intent to strengthen in attack.

Yet despite the influx of firepower, questions remain over midfield balance – particularly in terms of athleticism, ball progression and controlling matches against top opposition.

Amorim has made no secret of his desire for an additional central midfielder capable of dictating tempo while also providing physicality.

Amorim's midfielder of choice

Brighton’s Carlos Baleba was initially earmarked as the prime candidate, but with the Seagulls demanding £100m, United have turned to other options.

Sevilla’s Lucien Agoumé is also on the radar, but the most intriguing development concerns a young English midfielder whose calmness and intelligence on the ball has already drawn comparisons with Michael Carrick.

That comparison is telling. Carrick was never the most dynamic in terms of pace or power, but his ability to anticipate danger, dictate tempo and distribute with precision underpinned Manchester United’s dominance during his time at Old Trafford.

Amorim’s side currently lack that kind of conductor, and the search to fill the role has led them towards one of the Premier League’s most exciting emerging talents.

According to reports, via the Daily Mirror, Manchester United are among a host of clubs interested in signing Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton.

The 21-year-old has made a rapid rise since leaving Blackburn Rovers and has quickly established himself as a key figure at Selhurst Park.

Wharton’s composure in possession and ability to dictate rhythm have earned him plaudits from across the game.

Palace content creator HLTCO recently described him as a “truly special talent,” while his mature displays have already secured him three England caps and a place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.

Transfer Focus

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

After losing Eberechi Eze in a £60m deal to Arsenal, any move for Wharton is expected to cost £100m.

Manchester United are not alone in their pursuit. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool are also tracking his progress, a reflection of the scale of his potential.

The competition means this would be a complex transfer to complete – particularly for a club still finding its feet under Amorim.

Wharton's profile and the Carrick comparison

What makes Wharton so appealing to Manchester United is not only his technical quality but also the style of player he represents.

Unlike the archetypal modern holding midfielder defined by athleticism and pressing intensity, Wharton operates with intelligence, positional awareness and an assured passing range.

That profile naturally recalls Carrick, who joined United in 2006 and went on to form a formidable midfield partnership with Paul Scholes.

Carrick’s value lay in his vision, distribution and ability to anticipate play rather than raw physicality.

He dictated matches through composure and passing variety, and Wharton is beginning to show signs of a similar profile.

Statistically, the Palace man already ranks impressively among his positional peers.

According to FBref, last season he was in the 91st percentile compared to positionally similar players for both key passes (1.78 per 90) and progressive passes (7.31 per 90), while also hitting the 93rd percentile for shot-creating actions (4.03 per 90).

His defensive contribution is equally notable, with 96th-percentile numbers for ball recoveries (6.97 per 90) and 93rd percentile for completed challenges against dribblers (3.00 per 90).

These figures highlight his ability to influence matches at both ends of the pitch.

Matches Played

20

Starts

16

Assists

2

Progressive Carries

14

Progressive Passes

107

Pass Completion Rate

75.6%

Recycling possession, breaking up attacks, and advancing the ball into dangerous areas.

It is this blend of composure and progression that makes him stand out in a Premier League environment where many holding midfielders are primarily destructive.

The challenge for United would be extracting Wharton from Palace at a fee that reflects both his current impact and potential ceiling.

With Eze already gone and Wharton tied to a long contract, Palace will feel under no pressure to sell unless an extraordinary offer is made.

That said, the parallels with Carrick are significant. When Sir Alex Ferguson sanctioned the £18m deal to bring Carrick from West Ham nearly two decades ago, many questioned the outlay. In hindsight, it proved one of his most important transfers.

United’s recent midfield struggles underline why a player of Wharton’s profile could be transformative.

Amorim’s side ended last season in 15th place and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, a campaign that exposed both a lack of control in possession and an over-reliance on moments of individual brilliance.

While Cunha, Mbeumo and Šeško should add cutting edge, without balance in midfield their contributions may be undermined.

Wharton is not a guarantee of success, nor would he single-handedly fix United’s issues. But his intelligence, progressive passing and reading of the game make him a rare commodity, and one who could grow into the type of midfield fulcrum United have lacked since Carrick’s retirement.

Whether they can persuade Palace to part with him remains to be seen.

For now, though, Wharton has already done enough to make Old Trafford dream of a midfield once again built on control and composure.

Better signing than Baleba: "Phenomenal" star now wants to join Man Utd

Manchester United could make an even better signing than Carlos Baleba by landing this star.

ByDan Emery Aug 25, 2025

West Ham United have now held talks over signing a £15m “animal” as a replacement for Nayef Aguerd, who is heading to Marseille.

West Ham eyeing defender to replace Aguerd

Despite Graham Potter’s desire to keep hold of the centre-back, Aguerd now looks set to complete a move to Ligue 1, having refused to take part in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

In fairness, West Ham didn’t look like they missed the Moroccan defender at all, keeping a clean sheet for the first time this season, with Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos being given the nod at centre-back.

However, Potter will be a little short on options when Aguerd departs, meaning work has now started on bringing in a replacement, with Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell on the radar.

However, another transfer target from much closer to home is now emerging, with Fabrizio Romano taking to X to reveal the Hammers are now “exploring a move” for Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Igor Julio.

There is no agreement in place just yet, but talks over a deal for the Brazilian have already taken place, with Romano also confirming Aguerd is set to sign for Marseille.

It is unclear what sort of fee Brighton would be looking for, but the Seagulls are known to have forked out £15m to sign the 27-year-old from Fiorentina back in 2023, while Crystal Palace are also heavily linked with a deal which could drive the price up.

The Eagles are searching for a replacement for captain Marc Guehi, who is strongly linked with a deadline day move to Liverpool, and it now appears like a two-way race between the London teams for Julio’s signature.

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ByKelan Sarson Sep 1, 2025 "Animal" Igor could be good fit in Potter's system

While he has struggled to do so, Potter has attempted to implement a possession-based style of football since his arrival at the London Stadium, and the Brighton defender could be an ideal fit for the West Ham boss.

Over the past year, the former Fiorentina man has vastly outperformed Kilman in terms of passes attempted, progressive passes and pass-completion rate per 90.

Average per 90

Max Kilman

Igor Julio

Passes attempted

52.26

68.37

Progressive passes

2.96

4.59

Pass completion %

87.1%

91.9%

Former Brighton and Hove Albion coach Inigo Calderón has also praised the Brighton ace for his passing ability, saying:

“The first thing that comes to mind is that Igor is an animal, a centre back I really like for many reasons. He wins duels and has a good footwork for releasing the ball, both passing and dribbling.”

There may be some concerns over the fact Igor is a bit-part player at Brighton, having made just 13 appearances in the Premier League last season, but he could be a good fit in a Potter system, so it is worth taking a chance on the defender.

Head coach says outdoors lifestyle down under is key factor in producing natural athletes

Andrew Miller24-Jan-2025

Jon Lewis, England Women’s head coach, has issued a robust defence of his team’s fitness levels, after they slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat of a troubled Ashes tour, but believes that cultural issues may be at the heart of Australia’s perceived edge in athleticism.Despite their best performance of the tour, England’s rain-affected loss in a closely fought second T20I in Canberra continued Australia’s dominance of a series in which they have now claimed the Ashes for a sixth consecutive series dating back to 2015. And with just two matches to come, including the one-off Test at the MCG next week, the prospect of a whitewash is looming large over the squad.The tour has also been overshadowed by an off-field row involving Alex Hartley, the BBC commentator, who claimed she had been refused a TV interview with Sophie Ecclestone after the first T20I, ostensibly due to her suggestion, in the wake of their T20 World Cup exit in October, that certain individuals were “letting the team down when it comes to fitness”.Though Lewis said he disapproved of Ecclestone’s reasons for turning the interview down, and that he would have encouraged her to do it had he known about the incident at the time, he was adamant that the squad could not realistically be expected to work harder on their fitness levels than they already do.”You guys need to come watch them. I promise you. I cannot defend them more around how hard they work on their physicality,” he said. “They are incredibly dedicated to what they do. I’ve never seen a cricket team work like this cricket team, and I’ve worked in professional cricket for 31 years.”Instead, he suggested the outdoors lifestyle in Australia was more conducive to producing natural athletes, and cited a recent trip to Bondi Beach in Sydney as an example.”On Sunday morning, pretty much every Australian in the eastern suburbs was in the water,” he said. “There’s about a million kids down there, and they were doing Surf Lifesaving, or playing touch rugby.”For me, that’s a cultural difference. I definitely think Australia have an advantage in terms of athleticism, and also our talent pool at the moment is small, so it’s important for us to grow the game.”However, Lewis also insisted that the gulf between the two teams was not as wide as the current 10-0 scoreline suggested, and that Australia’s seizure of key moments in each of the five matches to date had been the difference between the teams.Related

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“The space on the tour we didn’t get right was around the first two games,” he said. “Australia are a really strong team, obviously on their own patch. We knew that when we got on the plane. But in every game, there’s been moments where we feel that we’ve been in the game and had a good opportunity to try and push home a strong advantage. And we haven’t quite got those moments in the game right, and the opposition have.”Whilst it is 10-0, and whilst the margins of victory in the game have been at times large, I think the difference is isn’t as big as the margin suggests in terms of results, in terms of the performance.”The ECB are due to conduct a full review of the series at its conclusion, in which the roles of both Lewis and captain Heather Knight are sure to come under scrutiny. Despite a fighting innings of 43 not out from 19 balls in Canberra, Knight has now overseen five failed Ashes captains since taking over as captain in 2016, and at the age of 34, Lewis was unable to give her his unequivocal backing.”Like any selection, we make those decisions after the tour,” he said. “We will spend some time reflecting and make some rational decisions, and think about what the right thing is for the team further down the road. I don’t think now is the right time to consider that, to be honest,”We’ve got a game to play tomorrow, Heather’s in charge, and we’ve got Test match next week, which we need to get our heads round. And then after the tour, we’ll sit down, we’ll think about what the what the right thing is for team, and how we know we move forward, like we would do with every other selection.”On his own future, Lewis – who has been in the position since 2022 – was more forthright. “I’m really comfortable with the job that I’m doing,” he said. “I’ll continue to work to develop this cricket team as best as I can until someone tells me that it’s not the right time for you to do this anymore. I’m really excited about what the future holds for this team, and I feel like I’m the right person to coach it.”In the meantime, England have pride to salvage across their final two fixtures, starting with the third T20I in Adelaide on Saturday. Australia’s Grace Harris has already declared that her side will be gunning for a 16-0 points whitewash, adding that the aim was to “embarrass” their opponents. Lewis, however, argued that she had delivered his motivational speech for him.”I think Grace probably did my job for me,” Lewis said. “I’ll give her a pat on the back when I see her. The players are really aware that they need to win some cricket matches. They’re working incredibly hard to do that.”