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Leeds United are looking to establish themselves as a Premier League outfit for the foreseeable future and could now swoop for an experienced marksman in January.

Leeds await players returning from injury after internationals

Out of everyone in the top-flight, there is an argument to say that the Whites have been dealt the cruelest hand due to injuries and Daniel Farke will be keen to see some key faces return after the international break.

Offering an explanation of where his crocked stars are at in terms of sharpness before his side took on Tottenham Hotspur, the former Norwich City coach laid out respective timeframes for them to return.

“James is out for a few weeks He rolled his ankle in training, Likely out for 4-6 weeks. We expect him back after November international break. If he was available before it would be a bonus. Not great news. Gnonto will miss this came with his calf problems, not back in team training. Back after international break.

“Question marks over Harry Gray, some problems with hip flexor after (youth) game on Monday. Lucas Perri is back in team training since yesterday. Good news but too early to involve him. International break is good for two weeks of training – we expect him out after that.”

While Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s impact behind the scenes at Leeds earns plaudits and Noah Okafor found the net again on Saturday, depth is so important in the top flight and Leeds will need to add to their squad in January if they want to position themselves in a comfortable predicament heading into the second half of the campaign.

Ultimately, only the strongest survive in the Premier League. The Whites have done a good job of making a fist of it so far, but they could take their fight to the next level by beating their domestic rivals to the signature of an experienced striker.

Leeds eyeing Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood

According to TBR, Leeds are eyeing a move for Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood to bolster their forward line, albeit both Everton and West Ham United also want to sign the New Zealand international.

Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at the City Ground has left the 33-year-old at a crossroads due to the Australian’s style of play, and a switch to Yorkshire may be a more suitable fit, given his physical attributes and previous affection for the Elland Road faithful.

Daniel Farke says Leeds have a "world-class" versatile player who he's not picking

He hasn’t been seen for a while.

ByCharlie Smith Oct 3, 2025

With a track record of 91 Premier League goals in 269 appearances to go with 45 in 86 at international level, Wood is an experienced campaigner and has just came off the back of a 20-goal season, following that up with three strikes from seven outings in 2025/26.

It remains to be seen whether Nottingham Forest would be open to offloading such a prolific member of their squad. On the flipside, his age coupled with the emergence of Igor Jesus may lead Postecoglou to cash in come January.

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Os planos do meio-campista Kayque mudaram. O meio-campista viajou para a Bélgica, onde assinaria contrato com o RWD Molenbeek. Porém, exames realizados no clube de propriedade de John Textor detectaram que o jovem tem uma lesão no menisco do joelho e fizeram com que ele retornasse ao Botafogo. A informação do “GE”.

No Alvinegro, o jogador de 23 anos e vai realizar o tratamento. A expectativa é de que ele faça tratamento e, posteriormente, viaje para a Europa em setembro, a tempo de ser inscrito no clube belga.

O meio-campista teria sofrido a lesão no primeiro treino no novo clube. Avaliado pelo departamento médico do Botafogo, o tratamento prevê uma artroscopia para correção. A expectativa é de que ele retorne em um mês.

Assim que estiver recuperado, Kayque fará as malas rumo à Bélgica, onde assinará contrato para atuar no futebol europeu. A janela de transferências da Bélgica fecha no dia 6 de setembro. No último dia 12, o jogador completou 23 anos e lamentou o momento vivido em um story nas redes sociais.

O objetivo do empréstimo é dar mais tempo de jogo e valorizar o meio-campista, atrás de uma série de jogadores no setor de meio-campo no Botafogo.

Lamine Yamal went out of his way to hype up his return to the Barcelona line-up for Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. The 18-year-old posted a clip on his Instagram account from the movie 'The Devil's Advocate' in which Al Pacino's character, John Milton, discusses the effects of pressure: "Some people, you squeeze 'em, they focus; others fold. Can you summon your talent at will? Can you deliver on a deadline? Can you sleep at night?"

Yamal then posted a picture of himself from Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, accompanied by the words: "Pressure? I'm back and the mission is back too." The mission in question was Barcelona's bid to prove themselves the best team in Europe – which Yamal's team-mate Pedri insisted they already were on the eve of the game against PSG.

Admittedly, there's nothing wrong with self-belief; on the contrary, it's absolutely essential at the highest level of sport. But there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and the problem with big talk is that it can make you look ridiculous if you don't back it up. Wednesday night was a perfect case in point.

Getty Images SportBarca's blistering start

One can certainly understand why Barca were in high spirits ahead of the visit of PSG.

After beating Real Madrid four times during last season's domestic treble triumph, they'd made an undefeated start to their Liga title defence, taking 19 points from a possible 21 to sit top of the table after seven rounds of action, while at the same time kicking off their Champions League campaign with an impressive 2-1 win over Newcastle at a raucous St. James' Park.

They'd also achieved all of this despite being shorn of the services of Yamal, their most wondrous attacking talent, for four matches in all competitions, so even accounting for the ongoing absences of Raphinha and goalkeeper Joan Garcia, Barca were in good condition going into the midweek match at Montjuic – unlike their opponents. 

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'A great statement' from a depleted PSG

We knew well in advance that PSG would be without their captain (Marquinhos) and entire first-choice forward line (Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue) for the game in Catalonia. However, they also had to make do without key midfielder Joao Neves, who pulled out during the warm-up.

The net result was PSG taking to the field without six members of the starting line-up that destroyed Inter in last season's Champions League final: one by choice (Gigi Donnarumma) but five others through injury. 

Consequently, the feeling before kick-off was that Luis Enrique's side was there for the taking; that Barcelona had a glorious opportunity to make a serious statement of intent just two rounds into the new Champions League season. As Vitinha pointed out, though, it was PSG who sent a message to all of the pretenders to their throne.

"It happens sometimes," the Portuguese mused after his team came from behind to win 2-1 at Montjuic. "There are often statements made before matches, it can happen. But we don't give a damn. We don't care, we just want to play the match and we won, so we're happy about that.

"I'm proud of this team because it's happened several times before that we've turned a game around. But you had five players who normally start who aren't here, so you have some kids who play or come on and do very well. Then, other players who play less often came on and gave a great response.

"We were behind against one of the best teams in Europe away from home, and even then, you manage to come through in the second half and turn the game around. It's a great statement from our team."

For Barca, though, it was a dressing down.

Getty Images SportBarca unable to build on strong start

The Blaugrana are a scintillating sight in full flight. In fact, they're arguably an even more exciting side to watch than PSG because Hansi Flick's high-risk approach makes goals a guarantee.

It, thus, didn't come as a surprise to see them score for a club-record 45th game in a row, on Wednesday evening. They began the game brightly, too, and Yamal really did look like a man on a mission. 

Just three minutes into the game, he danced past three PSG players wide on the right flank, while he was also involved in the lead-up to the game's opening goal, which came courtesy of Ferran Torres, who tucked away a lovely first-time pass from Marcus Rashford 19 minutes in.

Barca didn't build on their strong start, though – or perhaps more accurately, they weren't allowed to, because the longer the half wore on, the stronger and indeed bolder PSG became.

As Flick conceded afterwards, despite the best efforts of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, Vitinha & Co. took control of the contest from around the half-hour mark, and would never relinquish it.

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Getty Images SportMendes gets the better of Yamal again

Nuno Mendes winning his individual battle with Yamal was also key to PSG becoming the first team to win three consecutive games away to Barcelona. 

Just as he had during Portugal's Nations League win over Spain during the summer, the left-back frustrated the life out of the Ballon d'Or runner-up – so much so, in fact, that Yamal even tried to get the referee to give Mendes a second yellow card just after the hour mark, even though it was Fabian Ruiz who had felled the winger.

It was a classless show of weakness and reflective of the fact that Nuno was having a far bigger influence on the game – even from an offensive perspective.

Whereas Yamal failed to register either a goal or assist, Mendes created PSG's crucial equaliser just before the break with a stunning surge up the left wing and beautifully-weighted pass into the feet of goal-scorer Senny Mayulu.

Jackson Bird joined an elite group of bowlers to take 400 Sheffield Shield wickets as he propelled New South Wales to a victory that put them firmly in contention for a place in the final.Bird claimed 5 for 68 on the third day, making full use of a surface that was getting tougher to bat on, as Victoria were bowled out for 154 chasing 230, the margin only narrowed by a late dip from Todd Murphy who flayed 40 off 32 balls.Related

• Konstas calms himself but can't cash in as New South Wales take control

• Morris turns up to the heat as WA thrash Queensland

Scott Boland had earlier finished with 6 for 46 and a match haul of 10 for 102 as NSW lost their last six wickets for 31 but a fourth-innings chase was always going to be a tall order for the visitors.Bird’s first wicket of the final innings, finding the edge of Marcus Harris, took him to his milestone as he joined Clarrie Grimmett, Michael Kasprowicz, Andy Bichel and Jo Angel as the only bowlers in the 400-club.”It probably means I’ve been around a long time,” Bird said. “It’s nice to tick off the milestones along the way, but when you have a good win like that with a team, it makes it more special. So it’s a great team effort.”It’s nice to be in that [400] group. But the goal of mine now is to win a Sheffield Shield. I’ve never won a Sheffield Shield, so that’s more important to me at the moment and it’s what’s driving me to keep playing at my age.”Bird, 38, indicated that any decision on whether he would continue his career would be made at the end of the season. “I’m just taking it game by game at the moment,” he said. “I didn’t have much left in the tank after this afternoon. I don’t want to hang on too long. Whether I can mentally do another pre-season. If I do play next year, it’ll probably look different in terms of my availability.”None of Victoria’s top five reached double figures as they slid to 31 for 5 which effectively decided the contest. Bird had Tom Rogers taken at first slip, Harry Dixon miscuing a pull and forced Peter Handscomb to fend a viciously rising delivery into the cordon. He later returned to remove Fergus O’Neill for his fifth wicket and finished the game with a season’s tally of 30 at 13.96.Captain Jack Edwards was again impressive with the ball while Liam Hatcher chipped in with a brace.The victory pushed NSW into second place in what looks like a race to play South Australia in the final. It was Victoria’s third consecutive loss leaving them a tough route to the final with games against the leaders, SA, and an away trip to Western Australia.”Dropping Ollie Davies in the first innings cost us quite a bit,” coach Chris Rogers said. “With our batting we lost a number of wickets in and around breaks and just probably not up to the standard we needed to be if we’re going to win games of cricket. We’ve got a lot of questions we need to answer.”Playing our last Shield game against Queensland before the BBL break I didn’t imagine us being in this position. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. It’s frustrating and shows how competitive this league is. We’ve let too many moments slip and we need to question why that’s happening.”

Liverpool made Premier League history with another late show at Burnley. Mohamed Salah converted a 95th-minute penalty to earn the reigning champions three points at Turf Moor. No top-flight team has ever won four games in a row in such dramatic circumstances, with Arne Slot’s side making a habit of securing vital victories as the clock ticks down.

Started the season in style at Anfield

Liverpool opened the defence of their top-flight crown in 2025-26 with a testing home date against Bournemouth. They threw away a two-goal lead in that contest before seeing Federico Chiesa and Salah find the target beyond the 88-minute mark.

AdvertisementGettyDramatic victories over top-four hopefuls

Teenage wonderkid Rio Ngumoha then hit a 100th-minute winner in a five-goal thriller at Newcastle, before Dominik Szoboszlai struck a stunning 83rd-minute free-kick to secure a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Anfield.

Salah held his nerve at Turf Moor

It appeared as though points would be dropped during a visit to Burnley, but a moment of madness from Hannibal Mejbri saw him block the ball with his arm and concede a dramatic penalty. Salah made no mistake when slamming home from 12 yards.

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How Liverpool made Premier League history

Liverpool have become the first Premier League team to “win four consecutive games thanks to winning goals scored in the final 10 minutes or later”. They are certainly displaying the spirit of champions.

The three-match series begins at the MCG, with both teams building towards the Champions Trophy

Andrew McGlashan03-Nov-20241:41

Australia look for one final tune-up before Champions Trophy

Big picture: Pakistan’s year-long gap amid chaosAustralia’s top-order bat-off in Tests is front and centre. But before India arrive for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the men’s international season begins with a white-ball tour by Pakistan. That includes three ODIs and T20Is each, and starts in Melbourne on Monday.For the hosts, this provides the majority of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, with just a one-off game in Sri Lanka to follow in February. They remain largely settled in the format, barring the retirement of David Warner since the ODI World Cup, and are coming off a 3-2 victory in England in September.Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are missing the series against Pakistan on paternity leave, and Cameron Green is injured. But otherwise, the main names will be on show – at least for parts of the series – as the fast bowlers, in particular, continue to be managed ahead of the Tests. The big three, including Pat Cummins, who remains the ODI captain even though he hasn’t played a game since the World Cup final, are expected to feature in two out of the three matches.Related

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Shan Masood backs Babar Azam to make strong comeback

Despite the dwindling significance of bilateral ODIs, it still feels extraordinary that Pakistan have not played a game since their last outing of the World Cup nearly a year ago (so the form guide below is pretty irrelevant). Don’t for one minute, though, think that that means any lack of drama. Despite not facing a ball in ODIs during this time, Babar Azam resigned as captain, returned, and then resigned again.Having been dropped during the Test series against England, he’s back for this tour, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, while Mohammad Rizwan has been handed the captaincy – at least for this week – as they try to put a side together that can compete in a home Champions Trophy.White-ball coach Gary Kirsten is also gone without having had an ODI during his brief tenure. Jason Gillespie has been handed the job on an interim basis for this tour, creating an unexpected chance to come up against his home nation. It may be something of a trail run, given no coach has been named for the Zimbabwe tour which follows, although it’s understood to be unlikely that Gillespie will be offered the role full-time – and whether he would want it is another question entirely. A few weeks ago, though, it appeared he may be the first coach out of the door, until Sajid Khan and Noman Ali got to work on England.Form guide(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: WLLWW
Pakistan: LWWLLJake Fraser-McGurk has played only two ODIs so far•Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran GhulamWant another bat-off? Matt Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk have a chance to stake a claim to be Travis Head’s partner at the Champions Trophy. Fraser-McGurk made his international debut in the two ODIs he played against West Indies earlier this year, where he cracked 41 off 23 balls across two innings. He didn’t feature against England, but will now likely have all three games of this series to show his skills in the longer white-ball format. Fraser-McGurk has only played one game this season, a 50-over outing for South Australia, having been left out of the early Sheffield Shield rounds. But Pakistan have a strong pace attack, and could give his technique a working over.It sent a jolt through Pakistan cricket when Babar was omitted after the opening Test against England, but his replacement Kamran Ghulam started in grand style with a century on debut in Multan. He has a single ODI cap to his name, but that came as a concussion substitute against New Zealand last year when he replaced Haris Sohail after Pakistan’s batting innings was complete, and he wasn’t required to bowl. So, in effect, a game against Australia would be the proper start.Team news: Hardie includedCummins confirmed his first team of the season. Josh Hazlewood (Sheffield Shield) and Cooper Connolly (Australia A) are not available for the opening match. Lance Morris has been added as fast-bowling cover. Aaron Hardie impressed in England, and may have earned an opportunity slightly higher in the order.Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam ZampaIrfan Khan will make his ODI debut in the middle order while Pakistan have included four frontline fast bowlers. Mohammad Rizwan was listed at No. 4Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Kamran Ghulam, 6 Salman Ali Agha, 7 Irfan Khan, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad HasnainBabar Azam is one away from equaling Saeed Anwar for most ODI centuries for Pakistan•Getty ImagesPitch and conditionsThe pitch for the Sheffield Shield match last month had considerable help for the quicks, and it’s still relatively early season in Melbourne. The forecast is for a cool and an overcast day, but it’s due to stay dry.Stats and trivia Glenn Maxwell needs 66 runs to reach 4000 in ODIs. Maxwell’s strike rate of 126 is way higher than any of the 20 Australia batters to have scored at least 3500 runs in ODIs, with Warner’s 97 the next best. Babar needs one more century to equal Saeed Anwar’s record for the most ODI hundreds for Pakistan. Pakistan have beaten Australia only twice in the last 13 ODIs between the two sides, with both those wins coming in a home series in 2022. Overall, Australia have a 10-4 win record against Pakistan at the MCGQuotes”It’s a great way to kind of kick into the summer. Some of the young guys, seeing what they’re made of as they’re kind of starting out their international careers. And then in the longer-term context, we’ve got Champions Trophy coming up, which always has a good link into that.”
“We don’t want to prove anything. We’ll just play normal cricket. We will try our best to play against these guys. Yes, Australia is a good side, and they are in home conditions. Only one thing they have is the benefit of a home crowd.”

The Morgan Gibbs-White saga has officially concluded at Nottingham Forest, for now.

Indeed, Forest fans will all be breathing a collective sigh of relief as Gibbs-White has secured his short-term future at the City Ground at the very least, having penned a new three-year deal that runs until the summer of 2028.

That doesn’t mean a suitor won’t try their luck before that date, however, but it does at least mean Gibbs-White will be donning Forest red for the forthcoming Premier League campaign, over lining up in North London for Tottenham Hotspur.

Forest can now press on with other signings off the back of this distraction being put to bed, as a new attacker is eyed up to play alongside the much-talked-about 25-year-old.

Nottingham Forest on the verge of sealing new signing

Before this Gibbs-White situation kicked into gear, the Tricky Trees had been busy on the transfer front.

To date, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have welcomed two Brazilians to their camp this summer, with Igor Jesus sticking out as a promising buy up top from Botafogo.

Forest have now cast their net out to Serie A with a new report from Fabrizio Romano, indicating that Evangelos Marinakas is set to seal a new “top signing” to replace Anthony Elanga.

Indeed, the Italian transfer reporter has revealed that the Tricky Trees and Bologna have now reached a “verbal agreement” to sign Dan Ndoye for a fee of €40m (£35m) plus add-ons. The player is due to travel to England to have a medical on Tuesday.

On Ndoye’s expected arrival in England, he could go on to make Gibbs-White even more of a frightening beast to contain in the forward areas.

How Ndoye can make Gibbs-White even better

£35m is a lot of money for the Tricky Trees to splash out on one player, considering Gibbs-White was once a club record buy when he joined for an initial £25m fee.

However, he does justify such a steep price tag when looking at his consistent heroics in the Serie A, with 24-year-old now ready to take the Premier League by storm under Nuno’s wing.

The in-demand number 11 – who can line up down either flank as a versatile presence – has a bumper haul of 11 goals and eight assists next to his name from 75 Bologna outings, which included a stylish finish finding the back of the net against Napoli last season.

Whichever flank he decides to call home at the City Ground, he will be looking to link up with Gibbs-White to devastating effect.

Indeed, the “complete” forward – as he’s been donned by his agent Lodovico Spinosi is similar in approach to his new potential English teammate. He offers plenty of energy and skill, alongside chipping in with goals and assists for fun.

Ndoye vs Gibbs-White (24/25 league)

Stat (* = per game)

Ndoye

Gibbs-White

Games played

30

34

Goals scored

8

7

Assists

4

8

Touches*

39.5

51.1

Shots*

1.7

1.8

Accurate passes*

16.8 (78%)

28.8 (81%)

Big chances missed

7

3

Big chances created

8

10

Total duels won*

5.9

4.5

Stats by Sofascore

Away from offering Forest a lively winger in the wake of Elanga departing, Ndoye could also make Gibbs-White even more of a dangerous presence in attack, as seen in the Swiss forward creating a high eight chances in total last season in Serie A, despite only averaging a mere 16.8 accurate passes per clash.

This ability to carve out an opening in a flash from Ndoye might well mean Gibbs-White becomes more clinical, knowing the 24-year-old has that split-second eye for an assist, with the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder looking to reach the heights of his 21/22 season where he bagged ten strikes in total, away from hammering home seven goals last campaign.

The lively Ndoye will also be prepared to scrap for his side – as seen by winning 5.9 duels per game in league action – meaning Gibbs-White might well be more focused on joining in with attacks, as opposed to being a fierce battler for Nuno’s men alongside the likes of Elliot Anderson.

£35m is a handsome amount of money to part ways with, but if it results in Gibbs-White becoming even better after he dramatically decided to stay put, it will have been viewed as a sensible investment to have made.

Related Nottingham Forest now "join the race" to sign £50m+ Premier League forward

The Tricky Trees are now in the race for the signature of a forward, journalist Sebastien Vidal has revealed.

Posts 1 ByDominic Lund Jul 27, 2025

Johnny Grave, the chief executive of Cricket West Indies, hopes that memories of the team’s bio-secure tour of England in 2020 will help to advance the narrative about Test cricket’s revenue-share model, in the wake of his remarks earlier this year that the current system is “completely broken”.Speaking at Lord’s during MCC’s inaugural World Cricket Connects symposium – a gathering of many of the sport’s most influential players, administrators and media representatives – Grave expressed his hope that West Indies would once again prove a competitive force, just as they were in winning the first Test of the 2020 tour in Southampton, as well as each of their last two home series against England, in 2019 and 2022.But, he said, in the wake of CWI’s reported outlay of US$2 million to fulfil their tour of Australia in January and February, the onus was on cricket’s Big Three – India, England and Australia – to find a better means of propping up the economies of the sport’s less financially secure nations, rather than just sending their own teams on endless overseas tours, from which the host boards are able to replenish their coffers.”We don’t get any money at all from the Australian market, or from that tour, so it’s a double-whammy,” Grave said, in the wake of a Test tour on which West Indies again exceeded expectations with their thrilling series-levelling win at the Gabba in January.”There are a number of measures to ensure this competitive balance, and ensure that the three formats thrive. I think the easiest thing to do is say, well, this format doesn’t make money or isn’t sustainable in this market or that country, but if the game works together and has a collective mindset, there is plenty of money to go around to ensure the game can thrive.”Grave cited India’s ongoing T20I series in Zimbabwe, featuring a new-look team led by Shubman Gill, only days after their victory in the T20 World Cup in Barbados, as proof that the BCCI “cannot do more for the world game” in a pure playing capacity. Instead, he welcomed the suggestion voiced last year by Richard Gould, his counterpart at the ECB, that the time may be coming for touring teams to be paid a fee for fulfilling their overseas engagements.”Do we need to play more contextual, meaningful cricket? Absolutely,” Grave said. “But I think Richard’s point around being open to sharing revenue is a massive positive, because when we are talking about sharing revenue we are talking about three countries.Ben Stokes and Jason Holder hold microphones as they talk into a broadcast camera during the Covid series in 2020•Getty Images

“One country cannot play any more cricket, cannot do more for the world game than they are doing, and that’s the BCCI. England have been fantastic, they have toured us pretty much every year, bar a few, since 2017. Is there more they could do for us? Not really. So at that point you have to look at the model and the finances, and for leaders of the ECB, Australia and India to be even talking about it, I take it as a positive indication of a shift in mindset that needs to happen.”England’s vulnerability to the fragmenting international game was made abundantly clear in the Covid-blighted summer of 2020, when West Indies were instrumental in “keeping the lights on”, in the words of the then-ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.By agreeing to play their three scheduled Tests behind closed doors and in bio-secure environments at Old Trafford and Southampton, West Indies helped fulfil the ECB’s contractual obligation to Sky Sports, with each Test valued in the region of £20 million. This in turn helped mitigate the ECB’s losses that still ended up being in the region of £100 million.”I think what Covid proved was that you can’t play against yourselves, and that you need to have opposition,” Grave said. “The better that opposition is, and the more balanced the game is, the better the product is, because then there’s genuine jeopardy.”In Covid everyone had to come together. The fact that we were coming here and generating no revenue was irrelevant. We were trying to save the game, because none of us knew whether the game as we knew it would ever happen again.”West Indies’ Test tour comes just weeks after the completion of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Despite the hosts falling short of the semi-finals after a tight loss to South Africa in St Lucia, the sense of togetherness and expectation was palpable from a set of big-name players whose greatest financial opportunities still come on the T20 franchise circuit, but whose restored faith in CWI has been a notable aspect of Grave’s era as chief executive.Related

• ECB CEO Richard Gould backs India to be responsible partners amid revenue-disparity concerns

• India, Australia and England boards should do more for Test cricket – Johnny Grave

• Rob Key backs promotion for 'rare talent' as Jamie Smith earns maiden Test call-up

• Switch Hit: Bye-bye T20WC, hello Tests!

• Shamar, Motie miss WI's tour game after flight from Guyana cancelled

“We’ve had to find balance, which was initially struck by speaking to the players in a respectful way and creating two windows, in the IPL and the CPL,” Grave said. “We then tried to have balance and flexibility with our players in how we schedule bilateral cricket – we rarely play over that Christmas and New Year period because it’s important for our players to be at home with their families – while we’ve also tried to create windows for them to go to other leagues where the calendar has allowed it.”So it’s all about balance. And at the moment Darren Sammy and Rovman Powell, the leaders of our T20 team, have really got those players focused.”Now the attention turns to the Test series against England, starting with a first Test at Lord’s – a venue that West Indies haven’t frequented since 2017.”It’s probably the pinnacle Test series that we play, it’s the barometer of how the team are developing,” Grave said. “We’re coming off a high, obviously it’s a long gap since that amazing day at the Gabba, and for a number of the players this will be the first time they’ve ever played at Lord’s.”They’re playing for the Richards-Botham Trophy, the ultimate example of friendship and camaraderie between England and West Indies. So being here it’s always special, but I think for our players to hopefully announce themselves to the English audience with a Test series at Lord’s is fantastic.”

Newcastle United have spluttered their way into life this summer, starting to show signs of activity in the transfer market.

The feel-good factor was in full swing after Eddie Howe led the Magpies to a top-five Premier League finish, sealing United’s place in the Champions League, having also won the Carabao Cup back in March.

But the gears are indeed beginning to move. A £45m offer has been rejected for Nottingham Forest right winger Anthony Elanga, while efforts are ongoing for Brighton & Hove Albion’s versatile forward Joao Pedro, who is expected to leave the AMEX this summer.

Newcastle line up Joao Pedro alternative

Pedro, 23, would be a wonderful addition, having posted 30 goals and ten assists across 70 matches for the Seagulls.

His high-powered approach to the attacking game would see him act both as a foil for Alexander Isak and indeed a complementary force, sitting in behind or out on the left.

However, Chelsea are also keen, and an alternative pick has been drafted up.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to Football Insider, Newcastle are hoping to sign Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford on loan if INEOS fail to ship the England winger off on a permanent basis this summer and are advancing in their efforts to do so.

Valued at £40m, Barcelona are also interested in the £300k-per-week Rashford, who will need to take a pay cut if he is to leave Old Trafford.

However, Howe is curious about a deal, enticed by the 27-year-old’s versatility, capable both as a left-sided and central forward.

Why Newcastle should sign Marcus Rashford

Rashford has been through the wringer in recent years, but despite his trials and tribulations, he remains an immensely talented and explosive player.

If Howe can capture his natural qualities and direct them in a way befitting Newcastle’s project, he could secure an excellent addition to add depth and dynamism to his offensive ranks.

And given Rashford’s versatility, he might be the perfect alternative to Pedro, bringing a goalscoring predilection that has earned such acclaim in the past.

You need only look at his top-flight record through the years to see exactly how good a player the Toon would get if they got him back to his A-game.

Marcus Rashford – Prem Stats by Season (last 6 years)

Season

Apps

Goals

Assists

24/25

25

6

4

23/24

33

7

3

22/23

35

17

6

21/22

25

4

2

20/21

37

11

13

19/20

31

17

9

Stats via Transfermarkt

It’s true that the Three Lions star has lost his way, but Howe has one of the sharpest tactical minds in the country and has demonstrated over a number of years on Tyneside his ability to raise the level of his wide players.

Let’s not forget that across two seasons in his career, Rashford has recorded 17-goal hauls in the Premier League, and he was hailed as a “goal machine” by journalist Mazola Molefe only two years ago.

That player still exists, with a balanced and somewhat selfless version revealed at least in part during his short-term stint with Villa, hitting ten goal involvements from just 17 matches in all competitions.

As per FBref, Rashford actually ranked among the top 14% of positional peers in the Premier League last term for goals scored per 90 (0.38), emphasising the prowess that would surely be enhanced in such a fluent Tyneside system.

The Brazilian Pedro is a good player, but he hasn’t yet proved himself capable of reaching the heights we all know Rashford has in his locker.

Is he approaching the last-chance saloon? Maybe not, but he’ll know that Howe will demand plenty of him, and if it works out, it might just drive this incredible project toward the next degree of success.

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Aston Villa have made multiple attempts to sign a defender, submitting two bids, and they have now received a response, according to a report.

Villa keen to strengthen at the back

With Emiliano Martinez seemingly edging towards a summer exit, one of Unai Emery’s most difficult tasks this summer could be to bring in a new goalkeeper capable of replacing the Argentine, and the manager has his sights on several different targets.

Target

Current club

Potential cost

Aaron Ramsdale

Southampton

£25m

Joan Garcia

Espanyol

£25m

Caoimhin Kelleher

Liverpool

£40m

Lucas Chevalier

Lille

£40m

Signing a new goalkeeper could be viewed as a priority, given that it will be a tough ask to find a player on Martinez’s level, but Emery and NSWE are also keen to bolster the club’s defensive options this summer, with bringing in a new right-back on the agenda.

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That is according to a report from Panama, relayed by Sport Witness, which suggests Aston Villa are now very keen on signing Marseille’s Michael Amir Murillo, having already made two offers to sign the right-back, which have both been knocked back by the Ligue 1 side.

Having made multiple attempts to sign Murillo, it is clear Villa are determined to sign him, and a deal would be unlikely to break the bank, with the report stating that Marseille are looking to receive a fee of €25m (£21m).

It is unclear whether the Villans are willing to match the French club’s asking price, and the right-back’s arrival may depend on whether Matty Cash or Andres Garcia depart this summer, considering Emery is already very well-stocked in the right-back area.

"Unique" Murillo impressing under Roberto De Zerbi

The report highlights that the Panama international has received increased game time since Roberto De Zerbi’s arrival at Marseille last summer, and his versatility was on show throughout the 2024-25 campaign, often featuring at both right-back and centre-back.

As such, the 29-year-old’s arrival may not be dependent on Cash or Garcia leave this summer, given his ability to play in multiple positions, and he has clearly impressed De Zerbi, who said: “Murillo has unique characteristics. It is therefore not easy to replace him, especially with a player of similar quality.”

That said, given the versatile defender’s age, there could be doubts over whether he would be a necessary addition to the squad, particularly considering the fact that Emery has Cash and Garcia at his disposal at right-back, although the latter is yet to cement himself as a regular starter.

Not only that, but Emery is also well-stocked in the centre-back department, with Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa available, while Tyrone Mings was among Villa’s most consistent performers in the Premier League during the 2024/25 campaign.