There will be a player draft as well as a round of pre-draft signings ahead of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2025

The 13th edition of the men’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be held from August 14 to September 21 this year, Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the CPL announced on Friday. “Once again there will be no clash with West Indies international matches,” a CPL statement said.”We are pleased to have once again worked with Cricket West Indies to find a window that allows the very best players from across the region to take part in the CPL,” Pete Russell, the CPL chief executive, said. “The 2024 season was our most successful to date and we are looking forward to building on that success in 2025.”As has been the case since 2022, there will be 30 league-stage matches featuring the six teams, followed by four playoffs – the eliminator, two qualifiers, and the final. St Lucia Kings are the defending champions, and the tournament will feature losing 2024 finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors, Barbados Royals, Trinbago Knight Riders, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, who replaced Jamaica Tallawahs before the 2024 edition.Lynford Inverary, acting chief executive and chief operating officer of CWI, said, “While CWI continues to take a leading role in shaping our overall cricket calendar, the CPL remains a key part of our cricketing ecosystem, playing an important role in the development and promotion of the game throughout the Caribbean.”Specifics in terms of venues, fixtures, etc will be announced later. There will be a draft as well as a round of pre-draft signings for the teams to get their squads in place.

Real Madrid have rejected Borussia Dortmund's bid for academy product Diego Aguado, as coach Xabi Alonso views him as a key player for the future.

• Dortmund wanted to sign Madrid's Aguado
• Los Blancos consider him one for the future
• Castilla boss Arbeloa holds him in high regard

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The German club attempted to sign the 18-year-old defender but have been stopped in their tracks by Madrid, reports. Coming out of La Fabrica, the academy product is deemed a perfect Madrid player by Castilla's head coach Alvaro Arbeloa. Alonso also appreciates the player and took him to America trusting him enough to be a part of the Club World Cup squad.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  La Liga giants Madrid are not looking to part ways with the defender currently and want to keep him as a backup option while letting him develop under the guidance of Arbeloa. The versatile defender can play both as a centre-back and a left-back, making him a viable option should the club fall into an injury crisis. The Castilla coach also admits that few players embody the spirit of a Madrid player better than Aguado, making him a player the club is keen to keep around.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Aguado has moved through the ranks at Madrid, joining the youth academy in 2017 before moving to Madrid’s reserve team (Castilla) and then being promoted to the first team in 2024. He made his senior debut for Los Blancos in a Copa del Rey match in January this year and signed a long-term contract with the club, securing his future until June 2029.

• GettyImages
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR MADRID?

  Alonso's side are now packed in defence after the signing of Alvaro Carreras from Benfica. The team now want to offload Ferland Mendy to secure finances and give time to developing players like Fran Garcia and Aguado. Reportedly, Alonso wants to start the upcoming season with Garcia in the left after his impressive performance last season and in the Club World Cup.

Arsenal are extremely busy behind-the-scenes as they look to reinforce Mikel Arteta’s squad with proven quality, and it is believed yet another player has been given permission to join them by his club.

New sporting director Andrea Berta’s arrival has motivated plenty of excitement and anticipation among supporters for this summer window, with the Italian known to spin many plates at a time in pursuit of his preferred transfer targets.

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Berta’s track record at former club Atlético Madrid also makes him stand out as a proven replacement for ex-director Edu Gaspar, and the 53-year-old has already made a solid start to his tenure at the Emirates with a couple of completed deals.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

After months of talks, Berta has put the finishing touches on Arsenal’s move for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, with the Gunners set to pay £56 million for him. This is slightly above his release clause, but the fee will be paid in installments, with Zubimendi recently finalising his move to N5.

Arsenal also triggered Kepa Arrizabalaga’s £5 million release clause to make him Berta’s second summer arrival after Zubimendi (Fabrizio Romano), securing a solid and experienced back-up option for David Raya.

Brentford captain Christian Norgaard was linked earlier this week, as claims started to emerge that Arsenal were considering a shock move for the 31-year-old to replace Thomas Partey, and that deal has seriously intensified in the last 24 hours.

Following accelerated talks with Brentford, they’ve now agreed a deal worth an initial £10 million, plus an additional £5 million in potential add-ons (BBC), and the Denmark international is set to become Berta’s third signing of the window.

Christian Norgaard permitted for Arsenal medical after deal agreed

As per trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Norgaard has now been “authorized” to undergo his medical at Arsenal after a deal was agreed for the Scandinavian, so barring any physical complications, the midfielder will be Arsenal’s “next” completed deal.

With Partey set to leave as a free agent after June 30, Norgaard comes in as a like-for-like stand-in for the Ghanaian, and one who boasts similar attributes as a Premier League proven defensive midfield anchor.

Berta has moved swiftly to ensure that Arteta won’t be left short in the midfield department, and Norgaard has long been praised as a player who “goes under the radar” with his consistent performances.

“Norgaard is a better player than a lot of people give him credit for,” said former top-level scout Mick Brown to Football Insider recently.

“So interest from clubs like Arsenal might come as a shock, but he would be a good option for them. He’s a very consistent performer who goes under the radar a lot of the time, and that’s what these clubs are looking for, a solid, consistent player.”

Arsenal have been almost faultless this season, but on Sunday, their unbeaten run finally came to an end.

Mikel Arteta’s side once again came unstuck at the hands of Unai Emery’s Aston Villa and now sit just two points clear of Manchester City atop the Premier League table.

It wasn’t a dreadful showing from the league leaders, but it was a disappointing and potentially worrying one.

Moreover, it was another game in which a particular player flattered to deceive, a player who could end up being Arteta’s worst signing since Fabio Vieira.

What went wrong for Fabio Vieira at Arsenal

Arsenal fans largely remember the summer of 2022 as the window when Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko arrived from Manchester City and helped the team on their first title charge in a generation.

However, that summer also saw the club sign Vieira from Porto for around £34m, and while it was a surprise move, it was an exciting one.

After all, the Portuguese midfielder had just come off a campaign in which he produced 23 goal involvements in 39 games.

Unfortunately, aside from the odd moment of brilliance, the Santa Maria da Feira-born talent failed to make much of a mark during his first season in North London, racking up a tally of just two goals and six assists in 33 first-team appearances.

Things would only get worse the following season, as a combination of injuries, poor form and suspensions limited him to just 16 appearances, in which he scored one goal and provided four assists.

With two disappointing campaigns under his belt in as many years, the 25-year-old was sent back to Porto on loan for 24/25, where he did improve, but only marginally and ended the season with a tally of 11 goal involvements in 42 games.

The Portuguese giants did not want to bring their player back on a permanent deal this year, and so, with few other options, the Gunners agreed to send him on another loan, this time to Hamburg, with an option to buy.

Season

22/23

23/24

Appearances

33

16

Goals

2

1

Assists

6

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.24

0.25

In all, it’s clear that Vieira is a talented player, but it’s equally clear he is not, and never was, good enough to play for Arsenal.

Worryingly, the same might eventually be said about another of Arteta’s signings, someone who could go down as his worst since the Portuguese midfielder lest he improve, and quickly.

Arsenal star in danger of becoming Arteta's worst signing since Vieira

Overall, it would be fair to say that Arsenal’s summer business this year was a success.

Chalkboard

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

The likes of Eberchi Eze, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke, for example, have all looked good to great so far.

However, there is one signing who has divided opinion more than any other, and is in danger of being labelled a flop if he doesn’t improve: Viktor Gyokeres.

Now, before the pitchforks and torches come out, there is every chance the Swedish international will prove his doubters wrong and become the goalscoring monster Arsenal need him to be.

Unfortunately, there have been few signs of that happening so far this season.

For example, in 17 appearances so far, the former Sporting “powerhouse” forward, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has scored just six goals, which is not terrible, but it’s not enough for someone who wants to lead the line for a title-winning side.

Minutes

50′

Shots

0

Expected Assists

0.03

Key Passes

0

Touches

11

Lost Possession

6

Passes

4

Crosses (Accurate)

1 (0)

Moreover, the game against Villa on Saturday was another one in which he failed to stamp his authority on things.

The 27-year-old came on at half-time, but in his 50 minutes of action, he took just 11 touches, lost the ball six times, completed four passes, failed to take a single shot or create a single big chance.

It was a worrying display, and one that could easily see the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus leapfrog him in the pecking order when they are both fully fit.

Ultimately, while there is time for him to make his mark on this team, Gyokeres has underdelivered for Arsenal so far this year and is in real danger of becoming Arteta’s worst permanent signing since Vieira.

Arsenal hold initial talks to sign £88m Odegaard upgrade who's "Mbappe-like"

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NFL legend Tom Brady is eyeing an ambitious transfer swoop as he bids to see his Birmingham City side promoted to the Premier League.

Birmingham aiming for the Premier LeagueTargeting ambitious signingsHave made unbeaten start to seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Birmingham were promoted to the Championship last season after beating Wrexham to the League One title and are now just one rung below the dreamland of the Premier League. The Blues have now made a move to bring Premier League experience to the club in the shape of former Liverpool and Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, according to the . The midfielder is currently still with Turkish side Besiktas but is open to a return to English football.

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Oxlade-Chamberlain has already been tipped to leave Besiktas this summer on a free transfer as he is not part of the club's plans for the future. Leeds United have also been linked with a move for the 32-year-old, following their return to the Premier League, but Birmingham may also be a tempting choice for the former England international as they bid to return to the top flight.

DID YOU KNOW?

Birmingham have already been busy this summer in the transfer market, bringing in a host of players including Demarai Gray, Kyogo Furuhashi and Marvin Ducksch. 

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BIRMINGHAM?

Birmingham have opened up with four points from six at the start of the Championship season. The Blues are back in action on Saturday against Oxford United.

Former India captain feels Rodrigues could be the right person to lead in T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2024If India are looking at moving on from Harmanpreet Kaur as their captain, the time is now. That’s the opinion of Mithali Raj, following India’s group-stage exit from the women’s T20 World Cup. Harmanpreet has been in charge since replacing Raj in 2016 and has led the team at four T20 World Cups, but the latest one has been the poorest in terms of results – they made at least the semi-finals in the three previous editions.”If the selectors decide to change, I would go for a young captain,” Raj told . “This is the time [to change]; if you delay more then we have another [ODI] World Cup on the horizon [October 2025]. If you are not doing it now, then don’t do it later. Then it is too close to the World Cup.”Smriti [Mandhana, the vice-captain since 2016] is there but I think someone like Jemimah [Rodrigues], she’s 24, she’s young, she will serve you more. And [she] is someone who I feel on the field gets that energy. She speaks to everybody. I was very impressed by her in this tournament.Related

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Time for India to reboot after group-stage exit from Women's T20 World Cup?

“Despite playing those cameo roles, she never could convert her starts, but [she is] someone who really made an effort to build a momentum if there was no momentum; and if there was momentum, she tried to carry that momentum [forward].”Raj highlighted India’s inability to adapt quickly as the main reason for their poor show. India came into this tournament on the back of two months of camps and match simulation in Bengaluru, unlike Australia or New Zealand, who played each other, or South Africa, who scheduled a late tour to Pakistan.”Surprisingly, we took time to adjust to the slowness of the wicket,” Raj said. “Unlike an ODI World Cup, it is a short tournament, you don’t have a lot of time to adjust to the conditions. Someone like [New Zealand captain] Sophie Devine was able to score that many runs [57 not out] against us and she is not used to playing on slow tracks. We were not quick enough to adjust.”Looking at the bigger picture, Raj lamented the India team’s lack of “growth” over the past three years. She felt India had been “content” beating the lower-ranked teams and were “saturated” when it came to tackling big teams like Australia.

“Why does the men’s team do well? Immediately after a big series or a big tournament, they try others. If we are talking about depth, then when are we giving them chances?”Mithali Raj

“I feel that in the last two-three years, I’ve not really seen any growth in this team,” Raj said. “In the sense, like, I mean, beating the best side is what you always prepare for, but it seems like we are saturated in the sense we are beating other teams, and we are pretty happy in that. Every other team has shown growth despite limited depth, a case in point being South Africa. We have not.”Raj questioned some of the team management’s tactics in the lead-up to the World Cup too. Like at the Asia Cup, where India chose to field the regulars and did not give opportunities to fringe players.”I was doing commentary in the Asia Cup. To be very honest, I didn’t know what was happening,” she said. “I’m sure they were aware that Asia Cup is the last series of matches that they’re going to play before the World Cup. When you know that this is the last game time that you’re going to have before you enter the big tournament, you do at least 70% of your planning or 80% of your planning. Like who your No. 5 or No. 6 is, these are people who would walk in a particular situation. But there it seemed they were playing only for that tournament.Mithali Raj wants to see Jemimah Rodrigues given the reins of the T20I team•ICC/Getty Images”It didn’t seem like it was anywhere closer to… what we got to see in the World Cup. We could have given more opportunities to the bench against lower-ranked teams in Asia Cup, but we didn’t. Why does the men’s team do well? Immediately after a big series or a big tournament, they try others. If we are talking about depth, then when are we giving them chances?”Raj was also critical of the fitness levels of some of the players, which she felt contributed to them dropping catches. Against Australia, India dropped three catches and could have possibly converted two more half-chances.”Against Australia, I was very disappointed to see, other than Radha Yadav and Jemi to some extent, I don’t think there was anybody,” she said. “So we cannot have just two players out of 11 being good.”In terms of fitness, we need to have a benchmark. Honestly, how much can you work in a month? It’s something that you do around the year. It’s not like just before the tournament, you have a camp and it’s just going to really show the difference on the field.”

da fezbet： Glasgow Rangers are in talks to sign a new “highly-rated” player after manager Russell Martin gave the green light to an Ibrox transfer.

Rangers want more defenders as Aarons moves to Ibrox

da pinup bet： The Gers will be looking to win just their second Scottish Premiership title in 15 years in Martin’s first season at Ibrox, and the 49ers Enterprises appear willing to back the new boss in the transfer window.

After already securing the services of midfielder Lyall Cameron from Dundee, Rangers swopped to sign Max Aarons on loan from Bournemouth, with a transfer officially announced on Wednesday.

The right-back spent the second half of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Valencia and will now link up with Martin who knows Aarons from his time at Norwich City.

Talking after signing Aarons, Martin said: “Max is a player who I have always kept a keen eye on since he was emerging through the youth ranks while I was coming to the end of my time at Norwich as a player. He is a wonderfully talented player who is hungry to develop, improve and help deliver success for his side.

“We are pleased to bring him on board for this season, and I believe he will be a fantastic addition to the squad.”

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Alongside the 25-year-old, Rangers also want to sign a new centre-back, with the future of Robin Propper up in the air. There have been claims the Gers have even accepted an offer from FC Twente for the Dutchman after only joining 12 months ago.

Leicester City’s Conor Coady has been linked with moving to Glasgow as Rangers’ centre-back signing, however, a new name has entered the frame.

Rangers in talks for Peterborough defender Fernandez

According to reports from Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke, Rangers have opened talks to sign 23-year-old centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez.

It is added that Martin has ‘given the green light’ to a deal, with the 6ft 4 defender making 42 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring five times.

Fernandez is under contract until 2027 and was wanted by Norwich in the January window, but it looks as if Rangers are the side making moves in the summer.

Emmanuel Fernandez Peterborough stats

Games

61

Goals

7

Yellow cards

8

Red cards

2

Trophies

2

Rangers have also been after Peterborough star Kwame Poku, who is out of contract at the end of the month, but it looks as if the winger may move elsewhere and not Glasgow.

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony hailed Fernandez as a “colossus” last season, while also calling him the club’s “best defender”.

O’Rourke has also called Fernandez “highly-rated”, and it looks as if a deal could be one to watch following the journalist’s update.

كشفت تقارير صحفية استعدادات الإسباني لامين يامال، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة بعد الأداء السيء الذي ظهر به في مباراة الكلاسيكو أمام ريال مدريد ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

وتمكن ريال مدريد من الفوز على برشلونة بثنائية مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة العاشرة من “لا ليجا”، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

كان لامين يامال قد قدم مباراة دون المستوى ولم يظهر أداءه البديع ومهاراته على مدار الـ 90 دقيقة أمام ريال مدريد، حيث لم ينجح في أي مراوغة وكان بعيدًا تمامًا عن مستواه.

ومن المقرر أن يواجه برشلونة نظيره إلتشي مساء غدٍ، الأحد، على ملعب “مونتجويك” في تمام الساعة السابعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الثامنة ونصف بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

اقرأ أيضًا | هل يخضع لامين يامال إلى عملية جراحية بعد اللعب مصابًا أمام ريال مدريد؟

ووفقًا لصحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو”، فإن يامال يتبع خطة خاصة به منفصلة عن تدريباته مع بقية الفريق ليسترجع أفضل مستوياته مرة أخرى أمام إلتشي.

ويسعى لامين إلى استعادة مكانته في الفريق وإحداث الفارق الذي اعتاد عليه زملائه والجمهور، ففي غرفة الملابس الجميع مقتنعون بأنه سيحقق ذلك لأنهم يرونه حريصًا على إثبات نفسه مرة أخرى.

وأفادت الصحيفة بأن لامين ظهر وهو يتدرب بكامل طاقته ونشيطًا للغاية، يسدد الكرة دون حدوث أي ألم، على عكس ما كان واضحًا في مباراة الأحد الماضي ضد ريال مدريد، موضحة أن العمل المخصص له من جلسات العلاج الطبيعي قبل التدريب وبعده أثمر عن نتائج جيدة للغاية.

No batter has averaged as much going into his 100th Test, while his unbelievable six-year peak and his stats against the best bowlers make him one of the greatest

S Rajesh (with inputs from Shiva Jayaraman)05-Jul-2023When Steven Smith was dismissed for 34 in Australia’s second innings at Lord’s, it meant that he would miss out on being the first batter to go into his 100th Test with a 60-plus average – he fell short of that mark by 67 runs.That was an opportunity missed for Smith, but the mere fact that he got closer to this feat than any batter in Test history speaks of the staggering numbers he has racked up. Smith will enter his 100th Test with an average of 59.56; before him, the highest any batter had achieved going into the landmark game was 58.16, by Rahul Dravid. Dravid eventually finished with a career average of 52.31, which was still wonderful, but in his last 64 Tests, his average dropped by almost six runs.Can Smith maintain these exceptional standards all the way till the end of his career?ESPNcricinfo LtdThe dizzying highs
All top-class batters have periods in their career when they strike extraordinary form. With Smith, what stands out is how high that peak has been, how long he has maintained it, and the different conditions he has conquered during this period.Through a six-year period from 2014 to 2019, he averaged 72 from 56 matches, scoring 24 centuries, which works out to a hundred every 2.3 matches. Not bad for a player who started off as a legspinner, batted at Nos. 8 and 9 on debut, and bowled more overs (21) than he scored runs (13) in that Test. Since 2020, the numbers have dropped a bit, but he still averages very nearly 50 in those 27 Tests.