The Red Sox are reportedly in the mix to acquire free-agent slugger Juan Soto—but that doesn’t mean getting him to sign on the dotted line will be easy.
In fact, one MLB insider says they may have to over-pay for the 26-year-old—or any free agent for that matter.
"One market factor that shifts cyclically is how some teams become a preferred destination for players, while other teams lose ground in the perception game," ESPN's Buster Olney shared on Twitter (formerly X) on Wednesday morning. "Boston is aggressive with dollars now, but the Red Sox will have to pay extra to overcome a negative player perception that really started growing when the team wouldn't pay Mookie Betts."
After drafting and developing him into a top-tier MLB player, Boston infamously traded Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2020 season in exchange for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs. He's since won two Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and has been named to the All-MLB First-Team three times.
Oh yeah—and he's led them to two World Series titles.
The Red Sox also let fan-favorite Xander Boegarts walk after the 2022 season in an effort to cut payroll. Said decisions have led them to just one postseason appearance in the past six seasons, and three last-place finishes in the AL East.
In combatting this negative player perception, the Red Sox have reportedly stepped up their efforts to convince Soto to sign with them—a pitch that has included his fit with the franchise, their history with Dominican players, and his ability to have success hitting as a lefty in Fenway Park.
In pursuit of a deal potentially worth upwards of $600 million, Soto has reportedly received offers from the Red Sox, Dodgers New York Mets, and New York Yankees.
Boston was also reportedly in talks with lefty pitcher Blake Snell before he signed with the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa narrowly missed out on earning a $200,000 performance bonus this season after he was not in the lineup for the team’s final game against the New York Yankees on Sunday, but the 29-year-old said after the game that he had been given the option to play in the game and decided against it.
Kiner-Falefa’s contract included a clause that would pay him $200,000 if he made at least 500 plate appearances during the season. After batting leadoff in Saturday’s game in the Bronx, he was sitting on 496 plate appearances. If he had been slotted into the same spot in the lineup for Sunday’s season finale, he almost certainly would have gotten the requisite number of plate appearances to earn the bonus. But Kiner-Falefa wasn’t in Sunday’s lineup—partly due to his own choice.
Kiner-Falefa said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show that he had seen the lineup for Sunday’s game the night before and when he saw he wasn’t in it, he “had no problem with it.” About an hour before the game was set to start, once the team realized how close he was to triggering the bonus, he was offered a spot in the lineup. Kiner-Falefa passed it up.
“At that point, I had kind of already checked out,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I didn’t think it was fair to take Peggy [Liover Peguero] or one of the young guys who hasn’t had the opportunity to play at Yankee Stadium away from them.
“I got hurt this year and missed a month. If that doesn’t happen or we’re actually in a real (playoff) race, I crush those incentives by a long shot. At the end of the day, I feel like I didn’t deserve it. From that aspect, it was nothing the team did. They tried to make it right at the end. That meant a lot to me right there.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said he was impressed with how Kiner-Falefa handled the situation.
“When I did find out about that situation, I called him in and said, ‘Hey, you’re this close. I’ll be more than happy to adjust the lineup,’” Shelton told SportsNet Pittsburgh. “I think that speaks to the leader that he is. He said no. We had multiple conversations about it. I wanted to make sure that he was in a spot that he understood that we would make that adjustment, that I would make that adjustment.”
Kiner-Falefa’s pursuit of the bonus drew extra attention because the Pirates released first baseman Rowdy Tellez last week when he was just four plate appearances shy of triggering a $200,000 bonus. General manager Ben Cherington said the looming bonus had “zero factor” in the decision to cut Tellez, who batted just .116 in the month of September.
Kiner-Falefa was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays just before the deadline. He is under contract for one more season and will earn $7.5 million next year.
This summer has felt like a whirlwind for Arsenal.
During the first few weeks of the transfer window, it looked like the club were standing still and allowing their rivals to get further ahead of them, but over the last few weeks, everything has changed.
For example, the club have already announced the signings of Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, and Noni Madueke, and it’s just a matter of time until they announce the arrival of Cristhian Mosquera.
Arsenal manager MikelArtetaduring a lap of appreciation after the match
Add to that the imminent arrival of goalscoring extraordinaire Viktor Gyokeres and the persistent links to Eberechi Eze and Mikel Arteta’s side could be competing on all fronts next year.
Yet, there is another international ace heavily linked with a move to the Emirates, someone who’d be a more exciting signing than the Crystal Palace star.
Arsenal target international star
Eze has long been on Arsenal’s radar, with stories touting his return to the club emerging as far back as last summer.
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Those stories have returned in a big way this summer, with the current state of play seeming to be that club have spoken to the player, want to bring him to the Emirates, but do not want to pay his entire £68m release clause.
The 27-year-old star would be a great addition to the squad, but the Gunners might need to get a move on if they really want him, as London rivals Chelsea have also been credited with concrete interest in him.
Crystal Palace's EberechiEzeposes with the player of the match trophy
With that said, Arteta and Co might have gone cold on the whole deal, as it now looks like the club are looking towards another, more exciting winger.
At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Arsenal are still incredibly interested in Rodrygo.
In fact, the report goes a step further, revealing that the North Londoners are now preparing to test the waters with an offer of around €80m, which is about £69m.
However, while Real Madrid are willing to let the Brazilian leave this summer, they would only do so for a fee of around €100m, which is about £87m.
It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but Rodrygo would be worth it, and a more exciting signing than Eze at that.
Why Rodrygo would be more exciting than Eze
The first thing to note is that both players are incredibly talented and would make for truly exciting signings this summer.
However, in Arsenal’s case, there are a few reasons why Rodrygo would be that bit more appealing.
Real Madrid's Rodrygo
Firstly, while Eze has Premier League experience and played a key role in Palace’s FA Cup triumph last season, the Brazilian has significantly more experience playing at the very top of the game, in the Champions League.
For example, in his 64 appearances in the competition, totalling 3883 minutes, the former “world-class superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists.
Appearances
64
Starts
43
Minutes
3883
Goals
25
Assists
14
Goal Involvements per Match
0.60
Minutes per Goal Involvement
99.56′
That comes out to a goal involvement every 1.64 games, or every 99.56 minutes in the most prestigious competition in club football.
Moreover, he hasn’t just been statpadding in meaningless games either, as of his 25 goals, eight have been game-winning and eight have come in the knockout rounds.
In other words, he is just the sort of player this Arsenal team need to really get over the final hurdle and win the major honours, and we can’t say for certain that the Eagles ace could be the same.
Add to all of that the fact he’s three years younger than the former QPR star, and it’s scary, or exciting, to think about how good he could be when he hits his peak a few years from now.
Finally, there is also the superficial, but unavoidable, argument that signing a star from Real Madrid is simply always going to be more exciting than signing one from Palace.
Ultimately, if Arsenal can get both players, they should, but if they cannot, then it makes more sense to splash the cash on the younger but more experienced top-level international in Rodrygo, who’d be a far more exciting addition.
Madueke upgrade: Arsenal set to start talks to sign "world-class" £43m star
AB de Villiers and JP Duminy were not content to take singles in the middle period of the innings and made a statement by taking the Powerplay after just 27 overs
Firdose Moonda at Kingsmead12-Jan-2011When JP Duminy joined AB de Villiers at the crease with South Africa 82 for 3 in 13.3 overs, it could easily have been time for an afternoon siesta. It’s not necessarily the two batsmen at the crease who might have acted as dream catchers, but the start of a particular period in ODI cricket matches, coupled with the situation South Africa were in, that would have prompted the lullabies.Usually the time between overs 15 and 40 of an ODI is similar to an episode of a television soap opera: you can come back after an extended break from watching and still know exactly what’s going on. With South Africa three wickets down after a start that was high on ecstasy, the middle overs could well have proved to be the downer.Hashim Amla gave South Africa an ideal start. He played a few risky shots but was also handsomely rewarded by poor bowling from India and was allowed to race to a half-century. Amla was punishing everything, using every tool at his disposal. He pulled, drove, glanced and sometimes just smashed, paying almost no attention to the shocking shots that both Graeme Smith and Colin Ingram played that led to their downfall. The start he gave South Africa was frenetic and when he got out it was a time for everyone to catch their breath and reassess.That was when JP Duminy walked in and with not much in the way of recognised batsmen left in the line-up it was a time for caution. Duminy and de Villiers had to adopt a safe approach to ensure that South Africa did not crumble.They could have done exactly what Jacques Kallis did in the 2007 World Cup group stage match against Australia. South Africa were chasing 378 to win the game in St Kitts and Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers gave them a blazing start, getting to 160 for 1 in the 21st over. de Villiers was run out and Smith went off with cramps and that was Kallis’ cue to turn to stone. For no apparent reason, he went into defensive mode, playing the same bowlers who had been battered around the small West Indian ground with far too much watchfulness and respect. By the time he was out, South Africa were 277 for 7 and had just under seven overs left to score 101 runs. Of course, they haven’t approached the middle-overs quite so passively since, but it serves as an example of how sombre that period can be.Luckily, Duminy did not bring a middle-overs mindset to the crease with him. He understood that a small period of introspection was required and he and de Villiers spent a few overs watching and assessing. The two then began to play a cat and mouse game with the India bowlers, turning the strike quickly and easily while settling into a comfortable five-runs-per-over pattern. They would have almost been expected to carry on like that for as long as they could.The pair were playing Harbhajan Singh particularly effectively, and in the 26th over, a statement of intent was made. de Villiers connected bat with ball so well that what looked like a mistimed shot ended up going over the straight boundary for six. In the next over, Duminy announced his authority with a six off Yuvraj Singh. Instead of simply enjoying the two big hits, South Africa carried to completion their positivity. In the next over, they took the Batting Powerplay.de Villiers and Duminy scored 45 runs in the five Powerplay overs, taking the run-rate from 5.48 to 6.03 by the time it was over. They had managed to up the scoring rate significantly without looking as though they were stretching themselves to any great degree. They were helped by some poor bowling and fielding but that doesn’t overshadow the refreshing way in which South Africa dealt with the middle overs. With two established batsmen in the middle, they didn’t stash away the Powerplay for the end, instead using it when its effect could be maximised.With de Villiers and Duminy at the crease, South Africa looked set to post a score in excess of 320. Both of them were dismissed and the total ended up falling short of 300. In the end, those 30-odd runs didn’t matter at all; neither did the fact that the batsmen after Duminy all failed to impress. The approach and the attitude from the two in the middle had set the tone for an emphatic South African victory. There are still questions that need answering. David Miller has been unreliable and if Johan Botha and Wayne Parnell both fail with the bat, the tail gets too long. It means South Africa still have a soft underbelly to deal with, but if their upperbelly holds them up as it did in Durban that may not be too serious a concern.
Glasgow Rangers will have a number of big decisions to make throughout the summer transfer window, with players coming in and out of Ibrox.
Head of recruitment Nils Koppen has already been hard at work on the former, with deals for Oscar Cortes, Jefte, and Clinton Nsiala already agreed.
FAR Rabat attacker Hamza Igamane is also reportedly closing in on a permanent move to the Scottish giants to bolster Philippe Clement's attacking options.
Meanwhile, John Lundstram, Borna Barisic, Jon McLaughlin, Ryan Jack, and Kemar Roofe have left the club to become free agents, after their contracts expired at the end of last month.
Borna Barisic
There may, however, be further exits from Glasgow as the Light Blues could look to cash in on some of their contracted players to generate funds for more new signings to improve the team before the window slams shut at the end of August.
One current first-team star who could be moved on to make way for a replacement in his position is experienced central defender Connor Goldson, amid links to an addition in that area of the park.
Rangers' interest in £4m colossus
It was recently reported by Austrian media, via The Scotsman, that the Gers are one of the sides interested in a swoop to sign Salernitana defender Flavius Daniliuc this summer.
The report claimed that both Old Firm sides – Rangers and Celtic – are eyeing up the 23-year-old colossus, who was signed from Nice for £4m in 2022, to bolster their defensive options ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
It stated that both of them are in the market to add new centre-backs to their ranks as they look to protect their respective goalkeepers more next term.
Daniliuc spent the 2022/23 season on loan with RB Salzburg in his home country but it has been reported that they have decided not to take up their option to sign him on a permanent basis, although they may look to agree another deal for him later in the window.
Meanwhile, Football Insider have reported that Steven Gerrard is pushing to snap up Goldson from Rangers to improve his Al-Ettifaq squad in Saudi Arabia.
The outlet stated that the Gers do not want to lose the veteran defender but could be forced to cash in on him if a 'big' offer arrives on their desk from the Pro League side.
Football Insider added that Nsiala's arrival would help to replace Goldson but that a more experienced option would be required, and that is where Daniluic could come in and allow Clement to brutally ditch the Englishman.
Why Rangers should cash in on Connor Goldson
The 31-year-old central defender enjoyed a solid season at the back for the Gers in the Scottish Premiership but this could be the ideal time to cash in on him.
At the age of 31, the English battler is heading into the final throes of his playing career and may not have much development, if any, left in him, which means that his value may not be any higher than it is now.
Connor Goldson and James Tavernier
With two years left on his contract, the Light Blues would also be in an uncomfortable position next summer as he would only have one year left and they would risk losing him for nothing the following year if they did not sell him for a cut-price in 2025.
Therefore, this summer could be the optimal time to sell the former Brighton & Hove Albion man, particularly amid interest from Al-Ettifaq and Gerrard, as the Pro League side could offer them a chance to rake in some cash that they can then reinvest before the end of the window.
Starts
30
Tackles per game
1.5
Interceptions per game
0.3
Ball recoveries per game
5.5
Ground duel success rate
73%
Aerial duel success rate
67%
As you can see in the table above, Goldson was an important player for Rangers in the Premiership this season as he started 30 of their 38 league games.
The right-footed titan showcased his physical dominance by winning the majority of his contests on the deck and in the air against opposition players.
However, Clement can now brutally ditch the experienced star by signing Daniliuc to replace him, which would allow the Scottish giants to cash in on him amid the interest from Gerrard's team.
Why Rangers should sign Flavius Daniliuc
Firstly, the 23-year-old is eight years younger than Goldson and would arrive at Ibrox as a player with the potential to be a key defender for many, many, more years to come.
If he can adapt to Scottish football and establish himself as an important piece in Clement's system, Rangers could have a starting centre-back for a very long time unless they opt to sell him on at a later date.
His form in the Austrian Bundesliga during the second half of the season and the Serie A during the first half of the campaign suggest that the potential is there for him to be a strong addition to the squad.
Passes attempted
53.86
49.72
Progressive passes
3.43
4.48
Progressive carries
0.14
0.97
Successful take-ons
0.00
0.12
Shot-creating actions
1.14
1.21
As you can see in the table above, Daniliuc could come in and offer more in build-up play than Goldson, as he has averaged more progressive passes, shot-creating actions, and progressive carries per 90 over the last year, despite attempting fewer passes.
This suggests that Clement could improve how frequently his team can build attacks by progressing the ball out from the back by signing the Salernitana ace to bolster his backline.
The Austria international also won 52% of his duels in the Bundesliga and 57% of his aerial battles in the Serie A, which shows that he can win the majority of his battles on the pitch, albeit not as efficiently as the current Gers titan.
Back in 2021, U23 scout Antonio Mango hailed him as a "generational" talent and "Rolls Royce" for Nice, before his move to Salernitana, and the Light Blues could hope to unlock that potential at Ibrox.
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The 23-year-old's statistics suggest that the quality is there for him to hit the ground running as an excellent replacement for Goldson, particularly with his use of the ball, whilst the young defender could also grow and improve under Clement over the years to come.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 163 and Mominul Haque’s 127 help Bangladesh reach a formidable position
Mohammad Isam22-Apr-2021Stumps Bad light ate away the last 90-odd minutes of play on the second day, leaving Bangladesh very much in control with 474 on 4 on the board, even though they hardly moved the run-rate needle with their 172 runs in 65 overs on the day. On a pitch where bowlers have found almost no joy, the Bangladesh batters haven’t shown any interest in forcing the pace, or get to a position where they can declare.Sri Lanka wouldn’t mind putting their feet up after nearly two full days out in the field in searing heat and humidity. In fact, the extra minutes in the shade could even be advantageous for them, as it takes away more time on a pitch that might grip and turn a bit more on the remaining days.On the day, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque continued to be Bangladesh’s batting stars, the former taking his maiden Test century to 163, while Haque reached his first overseas hundred.Shanto struck 17 fours and a six during his eight hours and 53 minutes at the crease, with most of those boundaries coming in the arc between point and mid-off. He took a liking to Dhananjaya de Silva’s offspin, hitting him for eight boundaries while he was generally watchful against the pace trio of Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara, who eventually sent him back caught and bowled. Shanto and Haque added 242 runs, a record for Bangladesh’s third wicket, after Shanto and Tamim Iqbal had put on a brisk 144 for the second wicket on the first day.Haque was caught at slip trying to force a drive off de Silva not long after Shanto’s fall. This was an important knock for the Bangladesh captain, who held the record for scoring most Test hundreds without getting a single one of them away from home – it was 10/0 before this one. Haque was more inclined towards picking the gaps around point and cover – most of his 11 fours came through point and cover – while he dealt mostly in singles when it came to the leg side.Mushfiqur Rahim took his time to get going after coming in following Shanto’s fall. A Sri Lankan review for lbw off Kumara first ball went in his favour courtesy an inside edge, and he had one overturned not long after when given out lbw by umpire Kumar Dharmasena off Wanindu Hasaranga. But he settled down to end the day unbeaten on 43 off 107 balls. Liton Das was with him on 25 off 39 balls with two fours and a six.Vishwa had taken two wickets on the first day, and on the second, there was one each for de Silva and Kumara, just rewards for the young fast bowler who hit decent speeds for most of the day. Lakmal and Hasaranga were both impressive in terms of staying disciplined, but they went wicketless in 64 overs combined.
Glasgow Rangers haven’t really produced a standout academy talent in the Ibrox ranks since Alan Hutton, who was sold 16 years ago.
Hutton broke through into the first team during the 2003/04 campaign, going on to play over 100 times for Rangers before Walter Smith accepted a bid of around £9m from south of the border in January 2008, which saw the defender leave.
Alan Hutton
There is a case for Nathan Patterson to be included in the list of finest academy graduates since Hutton’s departure, but he failed to dislodge James Tavernier from the coveted right-back position in the Gers side.
His potential saw Everton come in with a total bid of £16m, which was obviously far too good for the club to turn down.
Philippe Clement signed just two Scotsmen during the summer – Connor Barron and Liam Kelly – with the bulk of his transfer dealings coming from abroad.
It is no secret that a strong Scottish core not only helps with the European squad quotas but also helps with the club’s identity. Smith’s excellent nine-in-a-row side from the 90s had the likes of Andy Goram, Richard Gough, Ian Durrant, Ian Ferguson and Ally McCoist leaving a lasting impression.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, could Clement perhaps lure one of Scotland’s finest young talents to Ibrox?
Rangers eyeing one of Scotland's best talents
Links to both sides of the Old Firm were natural given Liam Miller’s rise, as he has emerged as arguably the brightest talent Scotland have produced in recent years, certainly in the midfield.
Indeed, according to the Daily Mail, both Rangers and Celtic are showing plenty of interest in Miller, who could cost around £4m as Motherwell hold out for the best possible fee for their prized asset.
It is inevitable that the Steelmen will have to sell sooner rather than later, but who can begrudge them wanting the highest fee possible?
This means Clement will need to open up the coffers to lure the midfielder to Ibrox. Given Celtic’s domestic dominance, allowing them the chance to play in the Champions League, they have the upper hand, that’s for sure.
If the opportunity is there, however, the Gers must go all in for the 18-year-old.
Lennon Miller’s statistics for Motherwell this season
Since making his debut in 2022/23, Miller has already made 55 appearances for the Premiership side, scoring five goals and grabbing six assists.
It has been a remarkable rise for the youngster, who has yet to make his international debut, despite captaining his club and featuring in every single one of their games this term, registering seven goal contributions in the process.
11 games
2 goals
3 assists
5 big chances created
2.1 key passes*
73% pass accuracy*
1.5 tackles*
1.5 interceptions*
6.5 balls recovered*
50% total duels won*
16x possession lost*
Miller has also created five big chances, averages 2.1 key passes, 0.9 successful dribbles and wins 5.1 total duels per game in the top flight for Motherwell.
He is certainly showing maturity well beyond his tender age and there is no doubt he is going to be a future star for club and country.
If Rangers allow Celtic to snatch someone of Miller’s quality away from their grasp, then it would represent a massive, missed opportunity for Clement, especially as he could generate a profit for the club after a few years, such is his incredible potential.
Players such as Cole McKinnon, Alex Lowry and Leon King have shown glimpses of their vast talents in recent years, but they now need more chances to grow and demonstrate that they can deliver on the senior stage.
Leon King
Is there a youngster at the club who has a bigger ceiling than the three aforementioned players? Indeed, might he even be an even bigger talent than Miller?
Rangers' very own Liam Miller
The player in question here is Bailey Rice, who ironically joined the Glasgow side from Motherwell in the summer of 2022, rejecting an offer of a professional contract at the club to move to Ibrox.
Journalist Mark Hendry hailed the young midfielder as a “prospect” even before he linked up with the Light Blues, as Manchester City were also displaying a keen interest in bringing Rice south of the border.
Player
Age at time of debut
Derek Ferguson
16 years, 24 days
Bailey Rice
16 years, four months and 14 days
Tom Walsh
16 years, four months and 27 days
Paul Nsio
16 years, five months and 15 days
Zak Lovelace
16 years, seven months and seven days
Rangers was the next step for the Scot, as he would be given the chance to train alongside better players, while also having a chance to make inroads into securing minutes in the senior squad over the next couple of seasons. It didn’t take long for him to make an impression.
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The 2022/23 campaign saw Rice make 21 appearances for the B side in the Lowland League and UEFA Youth League, where he scored twice and grabbed an assist too.
Later that season, Michael Beale gave Rice his senior debut against Livingston, coming off the bench in the dying minutes. What makes this even more remarkable is the young midfielder had captained the Scotland U17 side to a 7-0 victory over Switzerland in Spain just 24 hours prior.
He jetted back to Scotland in order to join the first-team squad, thus becoming the youngest player in the post-war era to make his league debut for the club.
Two more league appearances followed last season, as Rice continued his development, slowly easing into more senior training.
The defensive midfielder has a ridiculously high ceiling, although he hasn’t managed to play any minutes in the first team this season, despite being included in the matchday squad five times.
The rise of Miller is due to him being trusted in the Motherwell starting XI, and they are now being rewarded with a player who is capable of special things.
The same could be said for Rice if he could secure some consistent minutes under Clement. There is a fine player ready to be unearthed in the 18-year-old, but unless there is a significant injury crisis, he may have to wait for his next opportunity.
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ICC Ex-Co head Wally Edwards on his preferred structure for the first stage of the showpiece tournament, his idea to rebrand ODIs as World Cup Cricket, and more
Daniel Brettig27-Jul-2015Wally Edwards is tired. It is early afternoon on what should have been day five of the Lord’s Test, and his usually jovial visage is clouded over with the effect of a week’s meetings, lunches and dinners. He has just been out in Kensington with his wife Kerry, and is soon to leave London for Taunton and the start of the women’s Ashes.As we meet, Edwards is trying to figure out why the final round of the Open and its bevy of Australian challengers is not yet available on his television set. Weather has delayed the tournament’s conclusion, but it seems strangely absent from broadcast. Cueing up my voice recorder, I tell him that the BBC’s coverage isn’t commencing until around 2pm.Resigned to the fact he will not be seeing any of Jason Day, Marc Leishman or Adam Scott anytime soon, Edwards settles in to speak about the other reason he’s tired: four years as Cricket Australia chairman, and near enough to two as chairman of the ICC’s all-powerful Executive Committee, or ExCo. He has been widely praised for his work in the first role; almost as widely pilloried for his choices in the second.He was mentioned in, but not interviewed for, a documentary, , that unpacks cricket’s turbulent past few years through the prism of the men in suits who preside over it. While Giles Clarke comes across badly and N Srinivasan inscrutably, Edwards isn’t there at all. It is a pity, for his plain speech and happiness to debate points could have served the story well, just as it has the effective operation of CA and the ICC.But Edwards’ adamant view about the way the game is developing stands at odds with that of the documentary’s creators. For a start he thinks that Srinivasan, cleared of any direct link to corruption at the now suspended Chennai Super Kings, is doing a fine job. “He’s divested all his shares in CSK, so there’s no issue hanging over him to my knowledge,” Edwards says. “The Supreme Court [of India] came out with a positive affirmation many moons ago that he could become chairman of ICC, and that’s what he is. He’s doing a fantastic job.”
“What we need is 20 competitive cricketing nations and then you can have a 16-team World Cup, which is the best World Cup in terms of format”
Edwards’ relationship with Srinivasan began within days of his official beginning as CA chairman at the 2011 AGM. The board received correspondence from the BCCI indicating that India’s 2011-12 tour of Australia would only cover two Tests instead of the scheduled four. Rather than thundering down the phone at Srinivasan, Edwards flew to Chennai in what proved a successful effort to have the tour played as originally scheduled, and thus began a relationship that culminated in the “Big Three” reforms.The major criticism of Edwards’ role in this change to cricket’s governance was that he too readily went along with India rather than challenging their view of where and how ICC revenues should be distributed. He has spoken previously of the climate in which those discussions took place, and of what was at stake, but he also feels that without the changes made in 2014, any thought of evolving into the kind of structure outlined in Lord Woolf’s review would have been impossible.”We’ve done really poorly in the last 40-50 years in terms of developing cricketing nations,” Edwards says. “You could say only really Sri Lanka has come in and been competitive. Bangladesh are showing good signs now, and that’s what I’ve been preaching to them for the last three years: get back and get your cricket better, don’t be trying to worry about opening the door to other nations coming in simply to protect your position; go and get your cricket better.This dovetails into discussions about the World Cup, a matter Edwards has been heavily involved in.”What we need is 20 competitive cricketing nations and then you can have a 16-team World Cup, which is the best World Cup in terms of format. You go to 14 and it doesn’t quite work. To have a 14-team World Cup, you need 16 or 18 competitive nations, and I think we’ve got 12 at the moment. That’s why a ten-team World Cup still makes sense.Cricket at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Edwards hopes the game can feature beyond the opening-day formalities in the near future•Getty Images”I can understand all these nations [being unhappy], but don’t forget the ten teams are the ten best teams. It’s not barred to anybody, and in fact in the new rights cycle, in the third year there’s no ICC event other than a World Cup qualifier, and we’re hoping that will become a significant event in the broadcaster’s calendar.”This qualifying event, scheduled to take place in 2018, is yet to be completely settled in terms of format. Debate has intensified over how many Full Member countries should be required to qualify.”I hope I get my way – but I wouldn’t guarantee it – which would be four Full Members having to qualify in that tournament after the first six qualify on the rankings,” Edwards says. “I think that would be a fantastic tournament, a lot of interest. But I’d say the view is eight, because no one wants to put themselves on the line. That’s part of the club mentality that has been there for 100 years that I’ve been working hard to try to break down.”The beauty of having ICC events without having to have India, Australia, England or South Africa playing is good, because they’re the teams who are overloaded in terms of their annual calendars. So to be able to bring those other nations to the top of the pile [in a qualifying event] is good.”On the subject of formats, I counter that the number of guaranteed games for India is clearly the central consideration, otherwise why would cricket be the only global sport to deliberately shrink the size of its World Cup?
“Poor old India sits there. Everyone wants them to tour and do this and that, and they do. If you did the analysis, most nations owe them games – Australia do – so they’re very generous and they understand the world needs them to tour”
“The debate is a quality debate,” Edwards says. “The World Cup in Australia was great, the smaller nations did okay, but really Scotland and UAE didn’t do much. It was nice to have them there, but if you did the numbers, 12 of the first 39 games were between nations in the top eight. That’s not ideal, I don’t think. Really in a World Cup you want hard, well-fought cricket. It’d be great to have 16 in there, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to lift the quality.”The reality is the world of cricket relies on India, and the discussions that are happening are: How can we grow the market outside of India? What will generate more interest outside of India. Poor old India sits there, everyone wants them to tour and do this and that, and they do. If you did the analysis, most nations owe them games – Australia do – so they’re very generous and they understand the world needs them to tour.”A stumbling block for any rise in global quality is the way the ICC’s global development pie has been re-cut by the Big Three. While funding for Associate and Affiliate nations has risen relative to the previous set of commercial rights deals, it has shrunk enormously as a percentage of total funding, as India, England and Australia take the lion’s share of the proceeds.Cricket’s inclusion at the Olympics and its subsequent attraction by way of major government grants for major nations such as the USA and China would be a significant counterbalance to this, and Edwards believes headway might finally be made.”Australia’s position is very simple – we believe cricket should be an Olympic sport in T20,” he says. “But we haven’t got a majority around the board table, so that debate will go on. I think it’s got to be resolved by 2017 for the 2024 games. It was good to see England make some positive comments after the MCC meeting, because they were certainly against it, because they just see it interrupting their cricket summer.”The World Cup in Australia, if you did the numbers, 12 of the first 39 games were between nations in the top eight. That’s not ideal”•International Cricket Council”It should happen in the future, but these things take time. Debates happen, they’re voted on, and if you don’t win, you don’t win. There’s many things I’ve lost over the last four years, many debates, even though I think they’re bloody good ideas. But we’re in a conservative industry too, things don’t change quickly.”Of all Edwards’ ideas, the one he would most like to bequeath to world cricket is that of a calendar where every match has a reason for existing that is competitive rather than financial. His proposal for limited-overs cricket to be played to a harder ranking system for World Cups – he would like to see the 50-over game labelled World Cup CricketTM – is progressing with a view to presenting it to broadcasters for the next rights cycle.”Realistically it would start after the next World Cup if we get somewhere, which I think we will,” Edwards says. “It’s rolling now, it could never have rolled without the reforms at ICC, we’d have gone nowhere. I tried debating it in the good old days and you couldn’t even get it on the agenda. But now ICC are working on it, it’s coming through ExCo, my committee, and I’m driving it. We had good discussion in Barbados about it.”Such a proposal would work better with a greater number of nations performing strongly and thus becoming more attractive as touring teams. The current patchwork of bilateral agreements is predicated almost purely on money, and has effectively left Test cricket, in particular, to be played among the favoured few. Not for the first time, Edwards stresses that better standards of play can drive the commercial side of the game, rather than things always being the other way round.”It’s not that simple because some nations play a lot more games than others. The FTP’s there until 2023, so there needs to be changes made to that, depending on what format you settle on,” he says. “The idea would be, every game you play would be going towards a table or ranking system so that every one-day game or World Cup Cricket game, which is what I want to call it, counts.”How we’re going to do it? There’s a lot to be done, and nothing can really happen until after the next World Cup, but that will come around quickly.”What has come around quickly is the looming end of Edwards’ term as CA chairman. Unlike Clarke, who has invented the post of ECB president to continue on at the ICC, Edwards has no desire to extend his time in the chair. Instead he is determined to give his best for whatever time he has left, and then leave the reins to others, including his CA successor David Peever. It is a lot to fit into four years – no wonder he’s tired.
One of Sunderland’s Championship promotion rivals are believed to be interested in signing one of their key players in the January transfer window, according to a new report.
Sunderland stuttering after flying start
After a blistering start to the season by Regis Le Bris’ side, there is no question that their campaign has started to lose a little bit of momentum in recent weeks.
On Saturday afternoon, Sunderland blew a 2-0 lead at home to a Coventry City side who sacked manager Mark Robins last week, eventually drawing 2-2. It was their third draw in a row in the league, and having led the way at the top of the Championship table by five points, they are now only ahead of Sheffield United on goal difference, following their 1-0 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday.
There is certainly no reason to panic for the Black Cats, who still looked primed for a promotion push this season, but an improvement in form is needed after the international break, with the absence of the suspended Jobe Bellingham acting as a blow.
It is imperative that Sunderland keep hold of their most influential figures between now and the end of the season, however, and possibly even make new signings in January, but a concerning update has now emerged regarding one current Stadium of Light hero.
"Fantastic" Sunderland ace wanted by rivals
According to a fresh claim from The Sunday Mirror [via Football League World], Leeds United are eyeing a move for Sunderland ace Dennis Cirkin in January, in what would be a shock exit from the Stadium of Light. The Whites are keeping tabs on the Black Cats hero, who has been an ever-present for his side in the Championship this season, starting all 15 of their matches in the competition.
The idea of Sunderland allowing Cirkin to join Leeds midway through the season is nonsensical, considering they would be both weakening themselves and strengthening one of their biggest Championship rivals this season.
The 22-year-old has excelled for the Black Cats in 2024/25 to date, scoring twice and assisting once from left-back, as well as averaging 3.4 tackles and 2.7 clearances per game.
Praise from his former manager, Lee Johnson, speaks volumes about what Sunderland would lose out on: “Fantastic player, he’ll have a top career. No question of a doubt but we need to accelerate that leadership and obviously we’re looking to do that. Communicating in his best way and if that’s having a lot of individual chats with players around him, to canvas, to make sure that connection is there, then so be it.”
The £10,000-a-week Cirkin is a player Sunderland simply must keep hold of, at least for the remainder of the season, or risk seeing their promotion hopes damaged.
Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season
Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.
ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025
At 22, there is still so much more to come from him too, so he should be viewed as an important long-term figure at the club by Le Bris.