All posts by h716a5.icu

Arne Slot has decided to leave both of his big new signings, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, on the bench for Liverpool's massive Merseyside clash against Everton. Wirtz has started all six games for the Reds this season, while Isak made a 60-minute debut for the Premier League champions in the Champions League earlier this week. Hugo Ekitike starts up top for Slot's side at Anfield instead.

Wirtz and Isak dropped for Everton clash

Liverpool are set to host their Merseyside rivals, Everton, at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, and Slot has shuffled the pack for the clash by leaving both Wirtz and Isak on the bench for the clash. While, criticism has been floating around the decision to bench the two biggest signings of the summer, Liverpool fans have labelled Slot's changes as 'clever' as the two stars will avoid the 'boxing match' against the Toffees.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLiverpool fans praise Slot's 'clever' selection

On X, Liverpool fan @CissiLeitet wrote: "I like this, start with physicality, cause the derby can get rough. Then have Wirtz and Isak to come on when Everton tire and there is more space. Clever selection imo."

@_AzeemP added: "First half is gonna be rough so we need people familiarized with the intensity of the derby, then Wirtz, Frimpong and Isak can kill them off in the 2nd half."

@ChinedumEmeana criticized: "After fighting hard to sign Isak and paying a record fee for Wirtz, they're now benched. If it were Chelsea, Carragher would be foaming in the mouth spewing inanities."

@LFCCommenter_ said: "Just shows the levels Grav and Dom have been playing at this season. Undroppable.  Everton gonna come out way physical, no sense in subjecting Wirtz to a 90’ boxing match. Much of it won’t be good football. Isak and Wirtz 60’ sub gonna hit like crack against those tired Blues."

Liverpool broke British transfer record twice for Wirtz & Isak

Liverpool broke the British transfer record twice over the course of the 2025 summer, as they first signed Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £116 million ($156m). However, they then broke their own record weeks later when they struck a deal on deadline day to sign Isak from Newcastle United for £125 million ($169.3m).

Getty Images SportWirtz and Isak set to come off the bench?

Wirtz will very likely be coming off the bench in the second half for Liverpool against Everton; however, Isak's appearance off the bench isn't guaranteed. The Swede's lack of pre-season has meant that Slot has been utilising the striker cautiously, and he recently played 60 minutes against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. As such, he may only be used if necessary in the match.

Quashes previous reports that said he had quit because of health concerns

Shashank Kishore13-Feb-2020J Arunkumar, the former Karnataka captain, has hit out at “baseless allegations” of ill-health being touted as the reason for him stepping down as Puducherry coach midway through the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy league phase.An official from Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) told on Wednesday that Arunkumar “hadn’t been keeping well and make frequent visits to hospital during the course of the season”. At the time of writing, ESPNcricinfo was still waiting for a comment from officials at Puducherry.Arunkumar said the allegations of ill-health were simply rumours, and that it was the “constant interference” from an official which created a “toxic team environment” which led to him resigning.

Thank u people for the concern & wishes. I’m hale & hearty & contrary to reports, I HAVEN'T resigned as head coach of the Pondicherry team due to my health. I quit due to constant interference from an official, which made the dressing room environment toxic to say the least.

— J Arun Kumar (@arunonline1975) February 13, 2020

It was suffocating to work in a system with constant interference in all matters related to the team. That said, I wish the boys the very best. They are a wonderful bunch.

— J Arun Kumar (@arunonline1975) February 13, 2020

Puducherry won five out of their seven matches under Arunkumar this Ranji Trophy, in addition to having previously topped the Plate Group in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and qualifying for the quarter-finals. This had also earned them a promotion to Group C next year.”There has to be a solid reason for someone to resign in these circumstances even though the team is on a winning spree,” Arunkumar told ESPNcricinfo. “Ill-health is just an excuse. I’m perfectly fine. I couldn’t work in an environment where I wasn’t given the space, team or an environment that allowed me to bring the best out of their players.”ESPNcricinfo understands the decision to make five changes to the Puducherry squad soon after their drawn fixture against Chandigarh on January 30 didn’t go down to well with Arunkumar, who quit after that game. He said, “I was neither given the team I wanted or allowed to instill confidence in a young group that was always afraid of failure.”Arunkumar, a former Karnataka batsman who scored 7208 first-class runs, had previously coached the state to a back-to-back double-treble, winning the Ranji Trophy, the Irani Cup and the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2013-14 and 2014-15.Apart from Karnataka, the side with which he won the Ranji Trophy as a player in 1995-96, Arunkumar has also had coaching stints with Hyderabad, the 2018 TNPL champions Siechem Madurai Panthers and IPL side Kings XI Punjab.CS Suresh Kumar, the former Tamil Nadu batsman, stepped in to coach Puducherry in an interim capacity in the wake of Arunkumar’s resignation, and was in charge during their previous league stage match, against Manipur. Suresh Kumar had been in charge of Puducherry’s Under-23 side until this development.

Manchester United have reportedly tabled a contract offer for Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt as they target a summer move for the Dutchman.

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Man Utd want Matthijs de LigtPut up contract offer for defenderYet to agree terms with Bayern Munich(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Erik ten Hag's second season at Manchester United did not go nearly as well as was hoped as the team struggled with multiple injuries throughout the campaign, especially in their already leaky defence. Following the departure of French World Cup winner Raphael Varane, the Red Devils have been on the hunt for a new centre-back and Ten Hag reportedly wants a reunion with yet another one of his former Ajax players in the form of De Ligt.

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As per Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Manchester United's top brass are on the same boat as Ten Hag and have tabled an opening contract proposal for De Ligt in view of a summer move for the Dutchman. As per the report, De Ligt will be offered a five-year deal upon signing with the Red Devils with other details yet to be known. However, Sir Jim Ratcliffe's side will first have to deal with Bayern Munich over a transfer fee for the 24-year-old who has a valid contract with Der Rekordmeister until 2027.

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

De Ligt moved to Juventus in the summer of 2019 from Ajax for a reported fee of €85.5 million (£72.5m/$92m) following an extremely successful season captaining Ten Hag's De Godenzonen as they made a spectacular run into the Champions League semi-final and won the domestic double. He then made the move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022. However, life hasn't been as kind to the 24-year-old since his exit from the Johan Cruijff ArenA as he has struggled for form and fitness.

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WHAT NEXT FOR DE LIGT?

The centre-back is currently plying his trade with Ronald Koeman's Netherlands side and will be in action in their last-16 clash against Romania on Tuesday, July 2.

Half-centuries from Ben Charlesworth and Oliver Price as Somerset made to toil

ECB Reporters Network05-Sep-2022Gloucestershire 320 for 6 (Harris 159, Charlesworth 56) vs SomersetMarcus Harris hit his third LV= Insurance County Championship century of the season as Gloucestershire controlled the first day of their Division One relegation battle with arch-rivals Somerset at Taunton.Invited to bat first on a benign Cooper Associates County Ground pitch, the visitors ran up 320 for 6, Harris leading the way with 159, off 263 balls, including 17 fours and a six. Ben Charlesworth contributed 56 to an opening stand of 126 with the Australian left-hander, while Ollie Price weighed in with 52 against a Somerset attack featuring Pakistan offspinner Sajid Khan, making his debut.Sajid found little assistance from the first-day wicket, while the seamers struggled for movement off the pitch or through the air.Somerset skipper Tom Abell must soon have been questioning his decision to field as Harris and Charlesworth coped comfortably with the new ball and scored at will on both sides of the pitch. Charlesworth was the more aggressive of the pair, striking eight fours in moving to a 79-ball half-century, while Harris was content to be patient in support of his younger partner.Sajid was introduced from the River End with the total on 58 and gave Harris his one moment of anxiety, on 33, when he survived a sharp chance to George Bartlett at short-leg.Gloucestershire’s opening pair brought up the hundred stand in the 29th over and by lunch had taken the score to 115 without loss. Harris was unbeaten on 47 and quickly moved to his fifty, off 99 deliveries, at the start of the afternoon session. Eleven runs had been added when Charlesworth mistimed a pull shot off Kasey Aldridge and directed a catch to Josh Davey at fine leg.The briefest of interruptions for rain followed. On the resumption, Harris hit the first six of the game, straight back over Sajid’s head.Price brought up the 200 with a sweet back-foot shot to the cover boundary off Sajid, who was finding his first experience of a Taunton pitch a testing one. A late cut for four off him took Harris to his 22nd first class hundred, off 174 balls, with 13 fours and a six. It had been a patient, no-frills effort.Marcus Harris anchored the innings with a big hundred•Getty ImagesAt tea, the scoreboard read 217 for one. With 20 added, there was another brief rain-break before Price brought up a 127-ball half-century, like Harris appearing untroubled.The 21-year-old looked bereft when aiming an extravagant drive at a full, wide ball from Tom Lammonby and edging through to wicketkeeper James Rew. Price had helped the unflappable Harris add 125 in 41 overs and at 251 for 2, Gloucestershire had the foundation for a big score.The second new ball was taken at 272 for 2 and accounted for Miles Hammond with nine runs added, the left-hander edging Davey to Abell at second slip, having made 7. Two balls later in the same over, James Bracey nicked a defensive shot to Rew and departed for a duck. And Somerset’s fightback continued when Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren was bowled shouldering arms to Lewis Gregory.Harris remained rock-like, reaching 150 off 246 balls. He was within eight deliveries of batting out the day when edging a back-foot shot off Jack Brooks to Gregory at slip. Still, Gloucestershire could feel satisfied with their efforts under mainly overcast skies.

Chelsea have identified a new transfer target amid a recent blow in their ongoing pursuit of Victor Osimhen.

The Blues came close to signing the Nigeria striker in the summer, but the deal couldn’t be pushed over the line before the close of the transfer window.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Chelsea had agreed a fee with Napoli for the 25-year-old in August, but he wasn’t willing to take a pay cut to move to Stamford Bridge, with the west London club having offered him a deal worth £3.3 million a year.

Osimhen instead joined Turkish side Galatasaray on a season-long loan, where he’s since scored eight goals in nine games.

Recent reports have suggested that Chelsea remain keen on the Super Eagles star, who won’t be staying in Turkey next summer and will be available for £63 million, but the Blues now face competition from Napoli’s Serie A rivals Juventus amid doubts over the future of Dusan Vlahovic.

Chelsea identify Osimhen alternative

With Juventus hot on Osimhen’s trail, Chelsea have now earmarked Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap as a possible transfer target for next summer.

That is according to The i, which reports that Delap’s performances in the Premier League this season have caught the eye of the Blues.

The 21-year-old, who joined newly promoted Ipswich from Manchester City for an initial £15m in June, is the Tractor Boys’ top scorer this term, having scored 6 goals in 12 games.

The i reports that Delap has rated “exceptionally highly” on Chelsea’s advanced transfer metrics, and that the club believe the young Englishman “would fit more readily into their wage structure” than Osimhen.

The publication notes, however, that City have a buy-back clause worth around £20 million for Delap, and that he’s also attracting interest from other “top sides”.

Murray hails "exceptional" Delap

Delap has received plenty of plaudits for his displays this season, including from former Premier League striker Glenn Murray.

During an appearance on Match of the Day 2 in September, Murray, who scored 37 top-flight goals across spells with Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Brighton, heaped praise on the Ipswich frontman.

“I think one of the things that’s thrown at newly promoted clubs is a lack of goals and that worry. He’s been exceptional.

“He’s always lively, always on the move. What I like about him is that he’s never really marked, he’s always moving and finding that yard of space.

“If he keeps putting in performances like that, he might just be the difference between Ipswich being a Premier League team at the end of the season and not.”

Delap's dream transfer: Ipswich could sign "explosive" £11m EFL star

The sensational talent would help make Ipswich’s star striker even more dangerous.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 20, 2024

Prior to moving to Ipswich, Delap spent the last two seasons on loan in the Championship with Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City, managing 12 goals in 70 appearances.

However, he’s taken his game to the next level since moving to Portman Road, impressing with his clinical finishing and powerful performances up top.

It’s easy to see why Chelsea would be interested, especially given that Christopher Nkunku could soon be leaving Stamford Bridge, although it’s unknown whether Delap would be able to compete with Nicolas Jackson as the Blues’ first-choice striker.

The Senegal forward has seven goals and three assists this term and has already surpassed Fernando Torres’ goalscoring record in the Premier League for the Blues, having found the net 21 times in 47 games.

Real Madrid are stuck in limbo as Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso remains silent on his future, despite expectations of an announcement.

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Alonso remains tight-lipped regarding his futureIt was expected he would reveal his decision this weekMadrid kept waiting for Leverkusen coach's responseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Alonso's future has been a hot topic of discussion, especially as the ongoing season nears its conclusion. Ahead of Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga game against Bochum on Friday, it was widely expected that Alonso would announce a decision. However, the former Spanish international shocked everyone when asked about his future, steering clear of the topic and refusing to provide any clarifications.

AdvertisementWHAT XABI ALONSO SAID

"I'm staying focused on this season. We're in an important phase and we don't want to speculate," Alonso told reporters on Thursday. "We don't want to think about anything other than football. I'm focused on this season, and nothing else. The situation is a different one. At the time [last year], there was something to decide. This time there isn't. That's the big difference."

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Alonso has a contract with Leverkusen until 2026 and has been heavily tipped to take over the head coach role at Madrid from Carlo Ancelotti, who also has one year left on his contract.

The Italian manager has reiterated his desire to continue at the Santiago Bernabeu beyond his current deal, but his future at the club could be in jeopardy should he fail to lead Los Blancos to a La Liga or Champions League title at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Alonso's statements are now going to keep Madrid in limbo, as the club reportedly met the Spanish coach's representatives earlier in the season to discuss his potential arrival ahead of the 2025-26 season.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BAYER LEVERKUSEN?

The reigning Bundesliga champions are currently six points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Alonso's troops will take on Bochum on Friday in hopes to cut the gap between them and the Bavarian giants.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made a £5 million bid to appoint an “unbelievable” manager, according to a new report. Gary O’Neil’s position as Wolves manager has been under threat for a large part of the season, but the pressure has been intensifying in the last week or so, given they have just won two league games and are four points adrift of 17th place Crystal Palace.

10x ball lost: The next Wolves boss must ruthlessly ditch 5/10 Wolves dud

Gary O’Neil could be relieved of his Wolverhampton Wanderers duties very soon.

ByKelan Sarson Dec 10, 2024 Wolves manager latest

Wolves’ defeat to the Hammers is likely going to pile the pressure on O’Neil even more, with many probably expecting the Englishman to have been sacked by now. However, reports have stated that O’Neil is expected to be in the dugout for the game against Ipswich Town at Molineux on the weekend.

It is likely seen as the last chance for O’Neil, as defeat to the Tractor Boys will surely end his time in charge at the Midlands side. Talk regarding who could replace O’Neil has been ongoing for a while now, as Graham Potter, Rob Edwards and David Moyes have all been mentioned as options.

Potter and Moyes are currently unemployed, with their last jobs being at Chelsea and West Ham, respectively. Meanwhile, Edwards is in charge of Luton Town, but it has been a difficult time for the Hatters of late, and he may relish the chance to manage back in the Premier League.

It has also been reported that Wolves may have another option in mind, and that is West Brom’s Carlos Corberan. The Spaniard has been impressive in management so far and has done a good job at the Hawthorns. That has caught the attention of Wolves, but it would be unusual for Wolves to go after a manager who is in charge of their arch-rivals.

Wolves make £5m bid to appoint "unbelievable" José Mourinho

According to Turkish outlet AS Marca, Wolves have made a £5 million bid to appoint Jose Mourinho as their new manager. The Portuguese is currently in charge of Turkish giants Fenerbahçe and has been since the summer, and given the fee involved this may be one to take with a pinch of salt.

Mourinho, who was dubbed “unbelievable” by former Chelsea captain John Terry, was in charge of Serie A side AS Roma at the start of the year but left that role after being sacked by the Italian side. The 63-year-old had to wait six months but got back into management in July, as he was appointed Fenerbahçe boss on a two-year deal.

Overall, it has been a relatively successful spell so far, as he’s overseen 23 games in all competitions, winning 14, drawing five, and losing four. Fener are six points behind leaders Galatasaray, having played the same games, while the Turkish side sits 15th in the Europa League table.

Games

363

Won

217

Drawn

84

Lost

62

Points

735

Points per game

2.02

This report claims that Wolves have made a £5 million bid to release Mourinho out of his Fenerbahçe contract. The Midlands side are apparently keen on bringing the Portuguese back to the Premier League as soon as possible. It remains unclear if Mourinho would be interested in a move back to England and especially a team second from bottom, as he stated to Sky Sports in October that he wouldn’t manage a team fighting relegation.

Mourinho said: “I’m never going to a team fighting relegation. I will never go. But I’m not going to fight relegation. It’s too hard! Honestly, I believe that has to be the hardest thing.

“It’s more difficult than playing for titles. It has to be very hard emotionally because it’s something that changes lives. I think it’s brave guys that do it.”

It remains uncertain whether Steven Smith will be among the Australia players involved

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2022Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne have re-signed for Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat respectively ahead of the BBL, with the pair among Australia’s Test players who will be available after the end of the South Africa series in early January, but Steven Smith is not yet certain to appear.Both Head and Labuschagne were expected to continue their associations with the clubs having played in previous seasons when international commitments have allowed, but confirmation is still a boost for the tournament which is set to lose a number of overseas players to the South Africa and UAE leagues from early January and with the fact some multi-format players will rest.The pair are among the Australia players whose schedule has been freed for a larger period of the BBL than would have been the case before South Africa withdrew from the ODI series that would have followed the Sydney Test.Both should be available for six regular-season games and then the finals if their teams make it that far.Related

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Last season Head was only able to play three matches for Strikers following his spectacular Ashes campaign where he was Player of the Series, while Labuschagne appeared just once for Heat who did not make the finals.David Warner’s major offer to return to Sydney Thunder is expected to be confirmed soon having last played BBL in 2013 after he had been linked to the ILT20 in the UAE. Smith was considered likely to return to Sydney Sixers but the reported that he had turned down an initial offer amid uncertainty over whether he’ll want to rest after the Test series.Mitchell Starc has already said he will use the period to rest during a hectic Test schedule that will see Australia play nine matches from late November to mid-March – two against West Indies, three against South Africa and four against India – having also been part of the T20 World Cup. Test captain Pat Cummins is expected to follow the same path while it remains uncertain whether Josh Hazlewood or allrounder Cameron Green will be part of the tournament.”This year I think we’re playing something like 16 tests; that’s a lot for our bowlers to take,” Labuschagne said. “And you’ve got people with young families, some with high workloads playing three formats all the time…it’s hard to expect those guys to always be available.”Australia’s white-ball only players will be available for the full duration of the competition.

Top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran and allrounder Sharafuddin Ashraf have also been included

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2025Rashid Khan will lead a strong-looking Afghanistan side at the upcoming men’s T20 Asia Cup in the UAE, with Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar and Mohammad Nabi completing a formidable spin-bowling attack along with their captain.Afghanistan, the second-best side from Asia at the last men’s T20 World Cup behind champions India, have not played a single T20I since the start of 2025 and no international cricket since the Champions Trophy in February. They have, in fact, played just three T20Is in the last 12 months, against Zimbabwe in Harare in December 2024, in a series they won 2-1. They will play a triangular T20I series in Sharjah against hosts UAE and Pakistan from Friday ahead of the Asia Cup.From the squad that made the Zimbabwe tour, top-order dasher Hazratullah Zazai and batting allrounder Zubaid Akbari have been dropped, while left-arm spinner Nangeyalia Kharote has been moved to the reserves. Coming in are top-order batter Ibrahim Zadran, allrounder Sharafuddin Ashraf and Ghazanfar, the mystery spinner who hasn’t made his T20I debut in his short career so far.ESPNcricinfo LtdGhazanfar has so far played 42 T20s since his debut in the format in April 2023. His ODI career – now 11 matches old – has been quite spectacular, though. At just 19, he has two five-wicket hauls already – the 6 for 26 against Bangladesh in Sharjah in November last year his best – and has been doing the rounds of the franchise T20 circuit, including at the IPL, the CPL, and the ILT20. He couldn’t make his IPL debut earlier this year though, as he picked up a back injury late last year on the tour of Zimbabwe, after being picked by Mumbai Indians for INR 4.80 crore (US$ 570,000 approx at the time).Related

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How a break from cricket helped Rashid rediscover his best

He joins Rashid, who had a poor IPL 2025 but was in stellar form for Oval Invincibles at the Hundred before cutting his stint short for national duty, and Nabi, who recently played the Shpageeza Cricket League (Afghanistan’s domestic T20 tournament), which ended on July 31 with Nabi’s team, Mis Ainak Knights, losing in the final to Amo Sharks, who had among the Asia Cup squad Mohammad Ishaq, Ashraf, Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi in their ranks.Noor, Chennai Super Kings’ star bowler at IPL 2025 and currently in action for Manchester Originals at the Hundred, Mujeeb, who is part of Barbados Royals at the CPL but not always a part of the starting XI, round off Afghanistan’s strongest department.The fast-bowling attack, meanwhile, is headlined by Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq, with Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib the fast-bowling allrounders.Ibrahim’s return gives the batting a strong look too, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal the other major top-order options. Darwish Rasooli and batting allrounder Karim Janat are the other top-order contenders.At the Asia Cup, Afghanistan are with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka in Group B, while India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE are in Group A. Afghanistan’s campaign begins against Hong Kong in the opening match of the tournament, in Abu Dhabi on September 9.Afghanistan squad for men’s T20 Asia CupRashid Khan (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Reserve players: Wafiullah Tarakhil, Nangeyalia Kharote, Abdullah Ahmadzai