Category Uncategorized

It wouldn’t be controversial to say that the last few years have been nothing short of a roller coaster for Tottenham Hotspur, and their squad building has reflected that.

Yet, for all the problems he had to contend with, plenty of which were of his own making, Ange Postecoglou led the club to their first trophy in 17 years last season, but that still was not enough to save his job.

So, new boss Thomas Frank has to somehow live up to the Australian’s European record, while rebuilding the squad into one that can seriously compete in the Premier League and the domestic cups.

Fortunately, Daniel Levy and Co have already splashed £30m on making Mathys Tel’s deal permanent, and if reports are to be believed, the club have several exciting targets for the rest of the summer.

So, here’s what Spurs’ dream squad could look like if everything goes according to plan this summer.

The Goalkeepers Guglielmo Vicario keeps his place

After starting brilliantly for the club in the 23/24 season, it would be fair to say that Guglielmo Vicario wasn’t at his best between the sticks for all of last season.

Granted, he did miss a sizable portion of the campaign through injury, but according to FBref, he was in the bottom 24% of keepers for save percentage in the league.

Unfortunately, it was just as mixed a campaign for new signing Antonin Kinsky. While he impressed in his first game against Liverpool, he then made mistakes away at Anfield in the League Cup semi-final which reminded everyone he’s still a young, developing shot-stopper.

Lastly, Brandon Austin should remain the third choice, as he performed well enough in his three appearances last season.

Full list of goalkeepers: Guglielmo Vicario, Antonin Kinsky, Brandon Austin.

The Defence Spurs keep their incredible partnership

While it’s impossible to ignore the performance-related problems that severely hampered Spurs’ last season, and the often absurdly high line that led to many a goal for opposition sides, the biggest issue regarding the defence was fitness.

For example, Micky van de Ven missed a whopping 32 games for club and country, while Cristian Romero missed 27.

If the North Londoners can keep them fit, alongside the likes of Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, and integrate the young Ashley Phillips and Luka Vuskovic, then there is every chance their defensive record will be streets ahead next season.

In terms of transfers, Frank and Co. need to ensure they keep hold of Romero, as Atlético Madrid continue to circle. Additionally, bringing in Antonee Robinson would add some brilliant depth.

The USMNT ace has been linked with a £40m move to N17, and while he might not be the biggest name around, he enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Fulham last season, racking up ten assists in just 36 league appearances.

Full list of centre-backs: Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso, Ashley Phillips, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies, Luka Vuskovic.

Full list of right-backs: Pedro Porro, Djed Spence.

Full list of left-backs: Antonee Robinson, Destiny Udogie.

The Midfielders Spurs battle Arsenal for international star

We have made it to the area of the team where Spurs have the most talent: midfield.

In fact, the North Londoners are blessed with so many brilliant players that Frank and Co should be looking to sell at least one in the coming weeks: Yves Bissouma.

That would still leave Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur to compete for the number six role, and then Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr as the specialist central midfielders.

The wealth of talent continues in the more attacking roles, as Dejan Kulusevski racked up 21 goal involvements in 50 appearances and James Maddison managed 23 in 45 games.

Appearances

50

45

43

Minutes

3450′

2718′

3303′

Goals

10

12

14

Assists

11

11

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.42

0.51

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

164.28′

118.17′

132.12′

They might not be alone either, as this summer has been yet another in which the club have been linked with Eberechi Eze.

The Crystal Palace star might appear closer to joining Arsenal as things stand, but with a £68m release clause, there is still a chance Levy and Co could finally sign the incredible international.

Moreover, considering he was able to produce 25 goal involvements in 43 games last season, we have no doubt he’d be a smash hit.

Full list of midfielders: Archie Gray, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Pape Matar Sarr, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall, Eberechi Eze.

The Attackers Spurs go big on the frontline

For all their problems last season – and there were plenty – Spurs were still a relatively effective attacking outfit, and ended the campaign as the league’s eighth top scorers.

Yet, sometimes the best course of action is to build upon your most significant strengths, and that might just be the approach Levy and Frank take this summer.

With that said, before getting to those who could come in through the door, let’s look at those who could leave, starting with Son Heung-min.

The captain solidified his status as a legend by lifting the Europa League last season, but it’s impossible to refute the fact that his impact on games has waned. Therefore, it could make sense for the club to act on the links to LAFC and Saudi Pro-League sides.

Likewise, following his successful season with Leeds United, it appears that the Lilywhites will cash in on Manor Solomon. At the same time, Dane Scarlett, Min-hyeok Yang, and Alejo Veliz would all benefit from another set of loan moves.

Transfer Focus

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

With that out of the way, it’s time to look at who could be coming in for Spurs this summer, and there are some seriously exciting names.

The first, and the one that feels most likely, is Mohammed Kudus, who has already been the subject of a failed £50m bid, but could be available for just £65m.

The “generational talent,” as dubbed by journalist Gary Al-Smith, didn’t have the best of campaigns last season, but was simply sensational in 23/24, scoring 18 goals and providing ten assists in 48 games.

The Ghana international will be excellent competition for Brennan Johnson, who was the club’s top scorer last season, and the young Wilson Odobert, who will be hoping for an injury-free year.

The opposite flank brings us to another genuinely exciting and young addition to the squad: Xavi Simons.

The Flying Dutchman, who could cost £60m, might’ve been described as “one of the best 10s in the world” by one data analyst, but his most played position last season, and across his career to date, is off the left – where he has scored 18 goals and provided 17 assists in 59 appearances.

Competing for the same starting berth should be Tel, who did just enough last season to convince Levy to sign him, and the potential superstar in the making, Mikey Moore.

It is probably still too early to see the Hotspur Way product start too many games next season, but like Ethan Nwaneri up the road last season, it could be the year rival fans really begin to take notice.

Finally, we’ve made it to the centre-forward position, and this could be particularly interesting next year.

The man most likely to retain his place leading the line is Dominic Solanke, as, although he wasn’t exactly prolific last season, the club-record signing was still effective, scoring 16 goals and providing eight assists in 45 games.

Appearances

45

40

34

Minutes

3393′

2871′

942′

Goals

16

20

5

Assists

8

7

2

Goal Involvements per Match

0.53

0.67

0.20

Minutes per Goal Involvements

141.37′

106.33′

134.57′

However, he could have his work cut out to keep the position, as the North Londoners have been linked with a £50m Atalanta star, Ademola Lookman.

The former Everton star can play out wide, but has become more and more of a central striker in recent seasons, and to say he was effective for the Bergamo side last year would be a serious understatement.

In his 40 games, the “world-class” attacker, as dubbed by journalist John Bennett, scored 20 goals and provided seven assists, which works out to an incredible average of a goal involvement every 1.48 games.

Finally, as it looks like he won’t be sold at the moment, keeping Richarlison as the third-choice striker and to help cover other areas across the frontline seems the smart thing to do.

Full list of wingers: Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Mikey Moore, Mathys Tel.

Full list of strikers: Dominic Solanke, Ademola Lookman, Richarlison.

Spurs' answer to Gyokeres: £65m star is Frank's "top target" this summer

Spurs could seal their own game-changing signing this summer.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 7, 2025

After officially welcoming Kyogo Furuhashi and sealing the return of Demarai Gray, Birmingham City have reportedly set their sights on two more arrivals this summer.

Kyogo instantly sets sights on Premier League

Whilst things didn’t work out at Rennes, Kyogo remains undeniably talented. It wasn’t so long ago that he was the star of the show at Celtic and even earning reported interest from Manchester City. Now, however, he is set to take St Andrew’s by storm after arriving in a deal that could eventually cost Birmingham around €12m (£10m).

The Japanese forward has instantly set his sights on the Premier League too, telling Birmingham’s official website after putting pen to paper: “I’m very happy to be here. I’m looking forward to working together with you all.

“I get fired up more in bigger games, but I score goals because of team-mates, so I’m grateful for that. I’d like to achieve the same here, and hopefully my goals will make everyone happy.

“I have good memories (from Celtic) with lots of titles, so it was a wonderful three and a half, four years. Lots of fans still say hello to me, so I felt I was really lucky. But this is a new place, and I’d like to do my best here.

“I’m here to help the team. I’d like to express what I can do on the pitch. I don’t want to talk a lot, but there’s a chance that we can go up to the Premier League. We all want to aim for that and after nine months, it will be great if we share the happiness of achieving that.”

What would once be a dream target could yet become realistic for the Blues next season, as Tom Brady and Tom Wagner reportedly turn their focus towards two more potential arrivals for Chris Davies.

Birmingham now eyeing Hara alongside free agent

As reported by Caught Offside, Birmingham and Wagner are now eyeing a move to sign Taichi Hara from Kyoto Sanga as well as an unnamed South Korean winger who is close to becoming a free agent. Both could yet arrive and take the Blues’ list of incomings to as many as 11 in another transformative summer at St Andrew’s.

Dream squad Birmingham could build: 11 signings & "phenomenal" CF arrives

Birmingham City’s squad could be littered with plenty of brand-new buys come the end of the transfer window.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 10, 2025

Named target Hara has already featured in Spain with Alaves and in Belgium with Sint-Truiden, but currently plies his trade in Japan with Kyoto Sangra. It’s there that he has earned plenty of praise from Japanese Football, with the X account taking the chance to speak about the forward’s “great” form back in September.

At 26 years old, Hara could now get the chance to add English football to what is a diverse CV if Birmingham push on with their interest and make their move this summer.

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet7k： Após deixar a Seleção Brasileira depois da Copa do Mundo de 2022, Tite está próximo de voltar a treinar um clube no Brasil. Com a saída de Jorge Sampaoli do Flamengo, Tite aceitou a proposta do Rubro-Negro e deve assumir o time carioca na reta final da temporada 2023.

RelacionadasFlamengoFlamengo: Allan passará por procedimento cirúrgico nesta quintaFlamengo05/10/2023FlamengoEm dez anos, Flamengo valoriza camisa em 277% e pode ter ganhos ainda maiores em 2024; veja valoresFlamengo05/10/2023Fora de CampoTorcedor do Flamengo vai ao Beira-Rio para apoiar Internacional contra o Fluminense, na LibertadoresFora de Campo04/10/2023

da bwin： + Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

Ao longo de sua carreira, Tite conquistou 15 títulos. O primeiro deles foi a Série A2 do Campeonato Gaúcho, sob o comando do Veranópolis. As maiores conquistas do treinador aconteceram em 2012, quando ele levou o Corinthians ao título da Libertadores e Mundial de Clubes.

O Timão abriu conversas com Tite após demitir Vanderlei Luxemburgo, mas as negociações não evoluíram e o treinador recusou o Corinthians pela quarta vez. O último título conquistado por Tite foi a Copa América de 2019, com a Seleção Brasileira.

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

VEJA TODOS OS TÍTULOS CONQUISTADOS POR TITE

➤ Campeonato Gaúcho A2: 1993 (Veranópolis)
➤ Campeonato Gaúcho: 2000 (Caxias), 2001 (Grêmio) e 2009 (Inter)
➤ Copa do Brasil: 2001 (Grêmio)
➤ Copa Sul-Americana: 2008 (Inter)
➤ Campeonato Emiradense: 2010 (Al-Wahda)
➤ Supercopa dos Emirados Árabes: 2011 (Al-Wahda)
➤ Libertadores: 2012 (Corinthians)
➤ Mundial de Clubes: 2012 (Corinthians)
➤ Campeonato Paulista: 2013 (Corinthians)
➤ Recopa Sul-Americana: 2013 (Corinthians)
➤ Campeonato Brasileiro: 2011 e 2015 (Corinthians)
➤ Copa América: 2019 (Brasil)

It has been all but confirmed that Matheus Cunha is going to depart Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer.

Their talismanic number ten seems set to join Manchester United for £62.5m, the value of his release clause, with Fabrizio Romano giving the move the famous “Here We Go” as recently as Tuesday.

For the Old Gold, losing a player as impactful as Cunha will be a huge blow. He has been pivotal in the past two seasons, helping to keep them in the Premier League. In the top flight in 2024/25, the Brazilian scored 15 times and assisted six goals in 33 appearances.

Dealing with such a sale will not be easy for the West Midlands outfit. However, he might not be the only key player set to leave Molineux this summer. Nelson Semedo could also be on his way out.

The latest on Semedo’s Wolves future

Just like Cunha is going forward, Semedo is pivotal for this Wolves side defensively. The Portugal international has also had a huge part to play for the Old Gold’s survival this season, but could be in line to depart the club, too.

According to a report from A Bola last Tuesday, a Portuguese news outlet, the player has ‘confirmed that Benfica is trying to sign him’ this summer, on what would be a free transfer. His deal at Molineux expires in a few weeks.

Indeed, the report suggests that Semedo has explained a return to his former side is something that ‘appeals to him’ this summer. He came through the academy as an As Aguias player, and was born in Lisbon.

There is no doubt that losing Semedo would be a blow. He played 34 times for the club in the Premier League in 2024/25, grabbing four assists and taking over the captaincy in the second half of the campaign.

He is also one of the highest earners in the squad, on £80k-per-week. If anything, that reflects his importance on the Old Gold, and given Cunha earns £90k-per-week, that seems to be a trend throughout their squad, for the most part.

There is one example of a high earner whose performances at Molineux do not match up to how much he earns. In fact, he is earning even more money per week than Semedo.

The Wolves player earning more than Semedo

Wolves have put in some disappointing performances at times over the past few years, almost getting dragged into relegation fights in the Premier League. One man who has never really shown his best form for the Old Gold is Goncalo Guedes.

Over two seasons for Wolves, the former Benfica academy star has played just 51 times, having been loaned out back to his boyhood side, and Spanish side Villarreal. He has managed just seven goals and six assists in those appearances.

This season was another frustrating campaign for the 28-year-old, who was once said to be “two years ahead of his age” by former Benfica boss Jorge Jesus. He made 29 Premier League appearances, but could only muster five goals and five assists. He also scored twice in the Carabao Cup against Burnley at the start of 2024/25.

Incredibly, Guedes is one of the players at Molineux who earns more per week than Semedo. Like Cunha, he is on £90k-per-week, although it certainly feels like it is not as reflective of performance as it is for their outgoing number 10.

Wolves – top five highest wages
Player(s)	Weekly wage	Yearly wage
Goncalo Guedes, Matheus Cunha, Pablo Sarabia	£90k	£4.68m
Nelson Semedo	£80k	£4.68m
Hee-chan Hwang	£70k	£4.16m
Boubacar Traore	£55k	£2.86m
Matt Doherty	£50k	£2.6m
Figures via Football FanCast

It certainly seems like Wolves should look to cash in on Guedes this summer. His returns have not quite been what they would have wanted, and they could recoup some of the £27.5m fee they paid for him, whilst also saving money on wages.

If he does depart Molineux, it seems he will not be the only high-earner to leave. With that being said, it does feel like a case of what could have been for Guedes in that famous Old Gold shirt.

Wolves flop who left Pereira "furious" must never play for the club again

Wolves could be busy during the summer transfer window

By
Ross Kilvington

May 27, 2025

A career-best innings led his team to a position of dominance and suggested du Plessis still has a role to play

Firdose Moonda28-Dec-2020It was right there. Faf du Plessis’ first Test double-ton was just over Dimuth Karunaratne’s head. He could see it when he tried to hit Wanindu Hasaranga over the top for the money shot that would have taken him to 200.So he stepped forward and struck the ball and may have already imagined it clearing Karunaratne, bouncing a couple of times until it bobbled over the boundary, at which point he would have stretched out his arms, taken off his helmet and soaked in the satisfaction.But no… du Plessis had put a foot wrong, for only the second time in his innings. The first was 21 deliveries earlier when he raised his back foot as Niroshan Dickwella attempted a stumping. A review could not conclusively prove whether his foot was sufficiently off the floor at the moment the bail lifted and he was afforded the benefit of the doubt. He was on 191 at the time and quietly worked his way in ones and twos to 199, and the moment of presumed glory. When it came, he moved down the track, but didn’t get to the pitch of the ball. The catch was simple and the result, for the South African change-room, stunning.Dean Elgar, who is also among the small club of batsmen to be dismissed on 199, sat with his head cradled in his arms. Mark Boucher rocked back in his chair and shook his head. Quinton de Kock covered his mouth with his hands. Morne Morkel, who grew up on this ground and called du Plessis getting a double on social media shortly after he reached his hundred, may have shuddered from his new home in Australia. And du Plessis gritted his teeth and glanced at where Karunaratne had taken his 200 from him before walking back a warm applause from almost everyone the stadium, the Sri Lankan fielders included.Related

'Time is right to walk into a new chapter' – Faf du Plessis retires from Test cricket

'I've batted better' – Faf du Plessis on 199 against injury-hit Sri Lanka

SA seize moment but long waits for glory aren't over yet

Faf du Plessis 199 hands South Africa iron-grip on Test against depleted Sri Lanka

Mickey Arthur keen for ICC to discuss injury subs after Sri Lanka's absentee list grows

There isn’t much use ruing what could have been, except for that there may not be a better opportunity for du Plessis. This was the day that South Africa put up the highest score at SuperSport Park, established two new partnership records against Sri Lanka, for the fifth and seventh wickets, had two other batsmen secure career bests and were facing an opposition that, at one stage, had only two bowlers at their disposal.No disrespect to Sri Lanka – in fact only sympathy because bad luck and maybe enforced bad planning as a result of the pandemic left them severely depleted – but the quality of their bowling was compromised. Suranga Lakmal was ruled out of this match, and Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara could only play limited roles, leaving it to Vishwa Fernando to carry the pace-bowling load.Maybe that’s what it needed for South Africa to start to rediscover their batting rhythms. After Aiden Markram and Elgar translated their domestic form onto the international stage once again, Temba Bavuma broke a 14-innings half-century drought (and probably should have gone on to break his soon-to-be-five-year century drought but walked) and du Plessis, who has not played a game of red-ball cricket since he stepped down as Test captain in January, showed why South Africa can be damn grateful he didn’t retire as well.That du Plessis still has it we knew that from the recent IPL, as well as the subsequent T20 series against England. He seemed to have lost it a little in Tests, though. In 14 innings since the 2018-19 series against Sri Lanka, he had scored two half-centuries and, in the last 11, failed to cross 36. But he had other things on his mind.Series in India and at home to England – his last as captain – came and went amid a turnover of coaching staff. He also became embroiled in a race controversy after using the controversial phrase “we don’t see colour” when explaining why Bavuma had been dropped. While that may sound benign, in South Africa, where colour has been definitive in deciding opportunity for centuries, it was a naive and careless statement to throw out and it haunted du Plessis. He struggled for runs, he struggled for consistency and in the end, it seemed he was struggling to justify why he was putting himself through it all.

Becoming a daddy can make a big difference to someone’s priorities and character, and maybe scoring daddy-hundreds could do that too

He stood down and stepped away, which seems to have done him as much good as it has others who have relinquished the captaincy. Look no further than the last South African to score a double-hundred – Hashim Amla in the New Year’s Test against England in 2015-16. Amla was still the captain in that game but had already decided he was going to resign and his breezy innings was a demonstration in being unburdened. After that match, Amla spoke freely for the first time about the difficulties of being a player of colour in a largely white team in the early 2000s. Letting go of the leadership seemed to liberate Amla, and it may do the same for du Plessis.Before this innings, du Plessis had nine Test hundreds to his name, all of them under 150. Of all the things he has done in whites, which include leading South Africa to series wins against Australia home and away, daddy-hundreds eluded him.But just a few months ago, du Plessis became a father for the second time. When his first daughter, Amelie, was born, he spoke about how having a child changed him. With his second, Zoey, there has also been a profound impact with his wife Imari describing their youngest child as the “woman who can command him”. Becoming a daddy can make a big difference to someone’s priorities and character, and maybe scoring daddy-hundreds could do that too. Supposedly, they are the hallmark of a great player, rather than just a good one.If there’s one thing South Africa need now, it’s greats. They have lost their golden generation that lifted the Test mace in 2012 and are in a process of rebuilding. Going into this match none of their batsmen averaged over 40 and their seam attack had just 12 caps between them. They are favourites to win this match, but there is still much work to be done.Some of that work is the ushering of younger batsmen through the rigours of international cricket. du Plessis shared in significant partnerships with Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj. Even if he didn’t say much, by watching du Plessis and feeding off him, all three would have learnt a little more about what it takes to perform at this level. In that, du Plessis is doing more than just enhancing his reputation in the twilight of his career, he is doing the job of mentoring the next generation, which will be worth more to South Africa than the difference between 199 and a double-hundred.

Mascherano’s team reached 41 points, climbing to fifth place in the Eastern Conference

Messi scored another braceThe Argentine played the full 90 minutesThey will face Cincinnati next SaturdayGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?

After Lionel Messi had two goals and two assists to lead Inter Miami to a commanding 5-1 win over the New York Red Bulls, manager Javier Mascherano said the forward is in rare company and pointed to the fan appreciation shown in Harrison, N.J., for the Argentine.

“I was with him for eight years at Barcelona, with the national team, at airports, hotels – especially in places he hasn’t visited often, people go crazy," Mascherano explained. "He generates all of this. I think the admiration is total, but it’s not just because of the kind of footballer he is. I think he’s a role model, someone who transcends the sport. Any sports fan feels admiration for athletes like Messi, Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal — people who have made history in their sport. We are very privileged to witness this up close.”

The manager was relieved after the victory saying the upcoming full week without matches will be key for players to recharge after a demanding stretch. Mascherano is well aware of the marathon run of games ahead following their Club World Cup participation.

“This was a difficult period with all the travel and little rest – the match against Cincinnati reflected our fatigue. Now we have a long week, and we’ll use it to let the guys who are most tired get some rest,” the coach said.

He admitted there are defensive issues that still concern him:

“If you want to be competitive, you have to be very solid defensively. We've been okay, but we need to improve.”

The Herons thrashed the New York side on the road thanks to braces from Messi and Telasco Segovia, along with a goal from Jordi Alba – securing their sixth win in their last seven MLS matches.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT TELASCO SEGOVIA SAID

The Venezuelan, who scored twice on the night, expressed his excitement: “I’m happy for the goals – even more for the win. We want to win everything: MLS, Leagues Cup. We’ll fight for both. We have the greatest player in history on our side, and with him, anything is possible.”

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

Messi extended his tally to 18 goals this season and has now contributed to 25 of Inter Miami’s goals. He also recorded his sixth brace in the team’s last seven games.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

The Herons will take a short break due to the MLS All-Star Game, especially after a stretch of midweek matches following their Club World Cup participation. The not-so-great news is that Messi has been called up for the All-Star event, meaning he won’t get the rest Mascherano would have preferred. Even so, Inter Miami will return to action next Saturday at home against FC Cincinnati — the team that defeated them 3-0 last Wednesday.

The left-arm pace bowler has earned his first national call-up ahead of a possible England tour

Andrew McGlashan23-Jul-2020The postponed men’s 2020 T20 World Cup is an unfortunate outcome of the chaos in the sporting world created by Covid-19, but for a player like Daniel Sams it could yet work in his favour with the chance of another Big Bash season to push his claims.Sams, the 27-year-old left-armer who plays for the Sydney Thunder and New South Wales, was one of three uncapped players named in Australia’s enlarged 26-man training squad ahead of a potential tour to England in September.He earned his call-up on the back of a prolific BBL last season where he claimed 30 wickets for the Thunder – comfortably ahead of the next-best haul of 22. The BBL’s recent expansion to a full home-and-away season makes record hauls of wickets and runs somewhat skewed, but Sams’ success is put in further context by the fact that only four players have ever taken more wickets in a T20 league anywhere.ALSO READ: Australia’s limited-overs squad: hopes of a recall, and an eye to the futureWhether he makes the final cut for the England trip which will include three T20Is – should that tour get confirmed as is expected – will be decided in the next few weeks when the squad is trimmed to 18-20 players but even if he doesn’t make it, Sams knows he’s firmly in the mix and has the next BBL season up his sleeve.Daniel Sams has been compelling with his left-arm pace•Getty Images and Cricket Australia”It doesn’t hurt me, put it that way,” he told ESPNcricinfo of the extra year he now has in hand. “It gives me more opportunity to put performances on the board. If I can have another good BBL, it pushes my case forward a bit more so probably does advantage me a little bit more.”The chance to play international cricket in the next couple of months is something that took Sams by surprise when he received the phone call from national selector Trevor Hohns while he was on a week off from New South Wales training.T20 has been his dominant format so far with just 11 one-day and five first-class matches under his belt. He began with the Sydney Sixers in 2017-18 as an injury replacement, taking what remains a career-best 4 for 14 on debut, before switching to local rivals the Thunder where the last two seasons have brought 45 wickets.”My biggest goal is to get to the Australian team, however that looks, and at the moment that looks like white-ball,” he said. “That isn’t to say I don’t want to get there with red ball, that could be a little bit away, but I want to play for Australia so am trying to take this opportunity as far as can.”Learning how to stay “level” in the middle has been a key part of his development and before last season, he started focusing a lot more on the mental side of the game which he believes has been a significant help.”I’ve always done a little bit of it, but I really started to get into it at the start of last season,” he said. “Working on mindfulness and awareness, being aware of what your body is feeling whether that’s at home or on the cricket field and they need two runs to win off the last ball. If you can be aware of what’s going with your own body, you are aware if there’s tension and you may not perform.

The coach made a significant departure from his “character over cover drives” mantra, homing in on issues of batting technique

Daniel Brettig in Abu Dhabi20-Oct-2018For all the statistical measures of Australia’s batting decline, nothing has spoken as loudly as the philosophical shift in focus suggested by Australia’s coach Justin Langer at the conclusion of his first Test series in charge. Talking technique may not sound like a big deal for the head coach of the national team, but coming from Langer it was a marked departure from much of what he is known for.Over comfortably more than a decade, Langer has been synonymous with the phrase “character over cover drives”. So much so that it could easily be the title of one of his books. His achievements as a batsman and as a coach of Australia’s domestic sides have appeared to go hand in hand with a philosophy grounded in personal discipline and growth, as much if not more so than the MCC coaching manual.But since his appointment as the national coach in May, Langer has seemed to be wrestling with the loss of plenty of former certainties as the sheer complexity of his task has become clearer. In the aftermath of Australia’s 373-run hiding in Abu Dhabi to lose the UAE series to Pakistan, he made a significant departure from that “character over cover drives” mantra, homing in on issues of batting technique as the key to arresting Australia’s wretched recent history of collapses.In assessing how the touring team’s two first innings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi essentially cost them any chance of winning the series, Langer pointed out that in the concurrent Sheffield Shield round, a host of other batting collapses had also taken place, and recalled a conversation with the former professional golfer Lyndsay Stephen about mental skills being subservient to technical limitations.
“If you look at this round of Sheffield Shield cricket, I know a number of the states have also had some big batting collapses as well,” Langer said in Abu Dhabi. “I’ve been in the State system for a long time and I’ve watched this and I think what I’m really intrigued about is you’re not allowed to use the word technique anymore.”Lyndsay Stephen, the golfer, I remember having dinner with him and everyone says it’s all mental, it’s all mental. It’s all about the mental side of the game and I thought that’s interesting, yeah that’s what everyone says. But Lyndsay Stephen told me, ‘I’d rather have a guy with a good technique who is a bit softer mentally, than a guy who is really mentally tough with a really bad technique’. This is in golf. I said ‘what do you mean?'”He said, ‘If you’ve got a good technique, you’ll hit most balls down the middle of the fairway and over time you’ll develop some confidence and you can learn concentration and that’s how you get mental toughness. If you’ve got a bad technique and you’re hitting the ball behind the trees or in the rough, it doesn’t matter how mentally tough you are, eventually you’re not going to be able to hitting it into the hole that often’.”Haris Sohail takes a catch at first slip to dismiss Shaun Marsh•Getty ImagesTurning his focus from golf to cricket, Langer indicated that it was now necessary for many Australia batsmen to look more closely at the technical underpinnings of their approach to batting, in a manner that would allow them to retain the skills that would keep them in the middle for long periods against a moving ball. In this, Langer essentially suggested that many players in the current system were playing for their state and country without the basic fundamentals that were once self-evident.”I was brought up in Australian cricket where we did a lot of bowling machine work and we did a lot of talk on technique,” he said. “Technique to me is about footwork patterns and playing forward when it’s full, and [playing] back when it’s back. So they’re just really basics of the game particularly in footwork patterns and you talk about the great Australian players [how] they moved their feet like boxers, every one of them. They had footwork patterns and then from there you have the skill of run-scoring. And it’s a really important thing.”The technique is really important and I think now there’s a lot of talk because of white-ball cricket that you just have wide stances and you just stand and deliver. Well that’s okay, but even in T20 cricket or one-day cricket and most certainly first-class cricket and Test cricket when the ball starts moving around, if you don’t move your feet, then you’re going to come unstuck. And that’s something we all have to do in Australian cricket. There wouldn’t be a state coach out there who would be saying it’s all rainbows and butterflies out there after this weekend’s cricket, because of the collapses.”In charting a path forward, Langer argued that all players needed to learn to become better problem-solvers, aware of the intricacies of their own methods and able to tinker with them whenever problems arose. “After day two, I was up until about midnight watching batting videos, looking at ways we can get better,” he said. “What I know about Test cricket, I’ve been through all this before in a sense as an individual player. You come in, it’s really hard, and the only way you work it out is by problem-solving, and working hard.”That was my formula as a player, and all the great players, the great players I’ve been lucky to play with, they’re just really good problem-solvers, they work it out, they work really hard, and they’re brilliant at concentration, so if I can take the lessons I learnt as a player into problem-solving of making the team better, then hopefully we’ll go okay.Aaron Finch gets forward to defend•Associated Press”There’s certainly some focus we have to have. As we see just this week. We’ve got to work out, we’ve got a Test match here, first-class cricket, some T20s coming up. Then there’re some one-dayers. So the schedule is what it is. But the great players are able to adapt and most of them have got a good batting technique and the skill of scoring runs, so we can’t sugarcoat it any longer. If I’m a young batsman in Australia, it’s a pretty exciting time. If you work really hard on your basic game and you learn how to make runs, then there will be a huge opportunities in the Australian cricket team.”Assessing the performances of Australia’s batsmen, Langer was warm in his praise of Aaron Finch, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja in particular. We’re in a much different stage of Australian cricket history, aren’t we,” Langer said. “You guys have heard me say it before, it’s usually harder to get out of the side than it is to get into the side. It used to be a beautiful thing, if you were the hunter, it used to be a shocking thing when you were playing. If you were the hunted, well that’s sort of good, but you knew there were hunters coming at you all the time. There was always pressure.”And in this instance, I thought Finchy played pretty well, he did really well, and he’ll learn a lot from this series. I was really impressed with Finchy. I thought Marnus played particularly well in this innings. He had a brainfade in the first innings. You’ve never seen anything like it. Two in two days. I’ve seen some stuff on the cricket field, but I’ve never seen that ever.”And Marnus knows, so I’m not burning him, it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life until what happened yesterday. I thought Marnus played well, and his leg-spin was a real revelation for us. As a young leg-spinner, there’s huge upside to that. Obviously Uzzy played really well, and he’ll have his knee operated on, hopefully sooner rather than later, so hopefully he’ll be right for the first Test match [against India in December].”When he reached Travis Head, one of three Australian debutants in Dubai, Langer returned to his technical theme, by noting how much he could see the young South Australian evolving in his first Test series. “What I liked about Travis Head is his development – he’s working hard on his game,” Langer said. “The way everyone used to say he can’t play spin, well he has worked hard on that. He played a cut shot today. I’m getting a bit technical here, but we’re talking batting here, which I love.”I love batting, that’s why it’s killing me at the moment. But he usually plays his cut shot from leg stump, today he played a beautiful cut shot, [like] Sir Donald Bradman, he got right across, he played that late cut for four. And obviously Shaun [Marsh] and Mitch [Marsh] haven’t had their best series, but we also know they’re good cricketers who have had a tough time. So there are opportunities for guys in the team, and there are opportunities for guys who are good blokes and make a lot of runs.”