Manchester United are set to present their long-term striker plans to Benjamin Sesko as they prepare a formal offer for the RB Leipzig star. The Red Devils are determined to prove that the Slovenian is their No.1 priority this summer, amid rival interest from Newcastle. Sesko is expected to make a final decision in the coming days between the Red Devils and the Magpies.
Man Utd prepare formal bid for RB Leipzig striker Sesko
Red Devils to present striker project to convince Slovenian
Sesko weighing United and Newcastle offers ahead of decision
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported that Manchester United have informed RB Leipzig of their intention to submit a formal bid for Sesko. The Red Devils are also preparing to present a detailed plan to the player outlining how he fits into their future. Sesko is weighing up proposals from both Manchester United and Newcastle, with the Old Trafford outfit currently in pole position.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The move for Sesko is reportedly being pushed by Manchester United’s head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, despite manager Ruben Amorim preferring other options. The £64m-rated striker has become the Red Devils' top target following internal disagreements over striker priorities. INEOS sees Sesko as a key piece in their rebuild, and believes he could thrive alongside Rasmus Hojlund.
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TELL ME MORE…
Sesko is believed to favour a move to Manchester United, with Newcastle still hopeful of swaying the decision. Despite speculation, Hojlund is not expected to leave, and Amorim sees Sesko’s arrival as healthy competition for the Dane, who scored in United's 4-1 win over Bournemouth in a recent friendly and reaffirmed his commitment to the club.
WHAT NEXT FOR SESKO?
Manchester United are expected to submit their official bid in the coming days and present their project directly to Sesko. The striker will then make a final decision between the two Premier League suitors. RB Leipzig are open to selling if the valuation is met, paving the way for a potential transfer before mid-August.
The former South Africa batter and captain looks back at her career, ahead to the World Cup in her country, and league life after
Firdose Moonda08-Feb-2023Mignon du Preez broke cricket’s glass ceiling in heels. Sort of.”When people hear the word ‘cricketer’, they think you need to be a little bit more butch. They don’t think you can be a cricketer and be girly. They think if you’ve got your nails done, surely you can’t catch a ball. I tried to show that you can still be a girly girl and be competitive,” she says. “There was a definitely a time when people would think cricket and that it’s only for boys.”Du Preez was one of the “Iconic Women” who took part in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Trophy Tour recently. Now retired and hoping to start a family, she played international cricket for over 15 years in a career that spanned South African women’s cricket’s transition from amateur to professional. And she did it all with long blonde hair.Related
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“We had to change people’s perception,” she says. “There was lack of visibility. Nobody knew about us. Our games were not televised and girls’ cricket was not a mainstream sport in schools. The hardest thing was to get girls to take up the sport.”Her own primary school did not have a girls’ team, so, like so many from the pioneering generation of women’s cricketers, she played with boys. “There was one parent that had a complaint because there was a girl [du Preez] in the team and their son was not playing and I remember the coaches said, ‘But she’s better than him,'” she says.There was no arguing with that. Du Preez was only 12 years old when she struck 258 in a 40-over match and “kind of realised that cricket could be a career choice”.Five years later she made her international debut. “It was during the holiday time and one of the players got injured and I got a call-up,” she says.Du Preez holds up the World Cup trophy during a promotional event for this year’s tournament in South Africa late last year•Liezl Zwarts/ICC T20 Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour by NissanIt was only seven years into her career that South Africa’s matches were first televised. In September 2014, SuperSport screened the three-match T20I series between South Africa and England. Earlier that year the team du Preez led reached the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. The broadcast interest in them was reward for a decent campaign but they were unable to repay the faith immediately. South Africa were completely outplayed in the first two matches in England and also lost the third, though they put up more of a fight in that game.At the time du Preez was halfway through her captaincy, a role she was thrust into almost by accident at 22, when the regular captain was injured. “I was a very young captain, so tactically I felt like I kind of was thrown into the deep end and I didn’t really know much,” she says. “On the first couple of tours, I almost needed to have script notes for who is going to bowl when and where.”But what I thought I was really good at was people-management skills. I had an open-door policy and definitely wanted to get the best out of the players. We weren’t professional and so we were just trying to change perceptions.”That same year du Preez played her first, and only, Test, where she scored the century she describes as one of her career highlights, although not for the reasons you may think.”It was really special but also quite a challenging experience. What I remember most was how I got out in the second innings,” she says. “Because I did so well in the first innings, I just kind of hoped I would pick up where I left off. Poonam Yadav was bowling to me and I had this plan that if she tossed it up, I was going to use my feet and hit her. But then also, she’s a legspinner, so a sweep was a good option if she tosses it down leg. She ended up tossing it up and down leg, I double-stepped and missed it completely and got stumped. It was not your typical Test-match shot. Today you can get away with it, with a lot of innovative cricket being played, but then it was not the typical dismissal you would see in a Test.”Most South Africans would not even have been aware that the match took place. The women’s team didn’t become a big part of the national cricket conversation until 2017, when du Preez stepped down from the leadership but played in her 100th ODI and South Africa made the semi-final of the 50-over World Cup. “That’s when people started taking notice and our players started becoming role models. That was where the big change happened,” she said.Du Preez during a partnership with Celeste Raack of Ireland in the Fairbreak tournament in 2022. “What made that tournament special was the camaraderie,” she says. “It was where sport just united everybody”•FairBreak GlobalNow in 2023, South Africa find themselves in focus in women’s sport. Last month they hosted the inaugural Under-19 women’s T20 World Cup, and this month they host the senior event. In July-August, they will stage the netball World Cup, and the national women’s football team will compete in the World Cup for the second successive time – an incredible feat against the backdrop of the men not qualifying for the same event in 20 years (they qualified automatically as hosts in 2010).Du Preez is no longer involved in a playing capacity for South Africa but remains a keen observer from the sidelines, and is still a sportsperson through and through. On the day of this interview she was also in the nets.”It’s almost like riding a bike but sometimes it’s not like that,” she says. “The last time I didn’t play for a while, I struggled to get the timing because I was just so eager to get bat on ball and I’d be too early on every shot. But today I think it was a lot more relaxed. I think that comes with age. Practice is there to make mistakes and it ended up being fewer mistakes than I thought.”Like so many female cricketers, du Preez has put her name in the hat for the WPL auction, where she hopes to get what could be a life-changing deal. Although she recognises that the growth of leagues could be a threat to the international game, having spent so much of her career in the amateur era, no one will begrudge her cashing in. “These leagues pay their players really well but ultimately you want your best players to be available for national selection, and to do that you also need to ensure that you pay them well enough so that they want to play for their country,” she says.Essentially that’s part of the story for her own reasons for retiring. After she opted to step away from ODI cricket in April last year, du Preez was unable to keep her central contract because CSA do not offer single-format-only deals. With bills to pay, du Preez decided to call it quits completely and seek opportunities in franchise leagues.She won’t be lured into a national comeback for the World Cup but will be involved in the tournament in a commentary role. She will be rooting for South Africa, though.”If I think with my heart, I’m going to say they are going to win,” she says. “But if I think with my head, realistically, Australia have dominated women’s cricket in the last couple of years and they are just so far ahead. They’ve got a lot of talent to pick from. In South Africa we don’t have such a big pool. But I am excited to see a few other teams. England – they’ve also invested quite a bit – and then India, they’ve been really good recently and it will be really good if they do well because if India does well, women’s cricket does well.”Du Preez top-scored with 76 not out in the semi-final of the 2017 50-over World Cup but it wasn’t enough to get South Africa across the line•Getty ImagesClosing the gap between those top-tier teams and the rest is a subject that interests du Preez. She was involved in the inaugural Fairbreak T20 tournament in the UAE last year and has since become a marketing consultant for the organisation. She sees competitions like that one as a way to level the playing field.”Fairbreak gives opportunities to players that come from Associate nations to earn a living from cricket. They get their first professional contract and they get to play alongside their heroes. We had all the big names, from Stafanie Taylor and Sophie Devine to Marizanne Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka,” she says.And though events like Fairbreak are competitive, it’s less about which team wins or loses and more about individuals gaining from it. “What made that tournament even more special was the camaraderie. When you go to a World Cup or the WBBL or the Hundred, it’s really feisty and the competition is fierce. This tournament was where sport just united everybody. It was so good just to see the interaction between the players and how the players from the Full-Member nations shared their knowledge with the Associate players and how everybody was rooting for them to do well. I remember everyone cheering for Wini [Malaysia captain Winifred Duraisingam]. It’s growing and it’s going to offer more opportunities.”One of the players at the tournament was then 18-year-old Henriette Ishimwe from Rwanda, who went on to take four wickets in four balls at the U-19 World Cup, leading Rwanda to a historic first win at a major tournament. Well before Ishimwe achieved that feat, she had fans from her time at Fairbreak. “My husband actually asked me to speak to Henriette because he wanted her shirt,” du Preez says.And in doing that du Preez and her husband, Tony, shattered another glass ceiling. It’s only recently that female sportspeople, especially in team sports, have become role models and du Preez believes that as perceptions continue to change, that will only increase. “I was part of the commentary team for the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup and I was looking through the player bios and so many of the girls had women role models, and I was like, wow, we’ve done something right. Finally.”
Less than 24 hours out from ball one, Shan Masood and his team were still weighing up whether to play a spinner at the expense of a fast bowler in the XI
Danyal Rasool02-Jan-2025There’s a fine line between maximum preparation and cluelessness, and Pakistan are trying to make sure they tread the right side of it. With less than 24 hours to go before the second Test, Pakistan have not yet named a final XI, wanting to glean as much information as possible about what the Newlands surface will do. However, the later, they leave it, the harder it is to make the case the visitors have a side they will be comfortable with heading into the game.The captain Shan Masood admitted balancing the team was “tricky”. “We’d like to have one final look at the pitch,” he said. “Looks a bit different, less grass cover. South Africa have had the luxury of having a training session earlier than us. We’d like to take our time and see what the best possible XI is.”The Newlands surface is under scrutiny following what happened in the previous Test played here. In the first Test for new groundsman Braam Mong, India beat South Africa in a game which lasted barely 100 overs. Fast bowlers dominated the game, with uneven bounce between bat and ball, with no spin bowled; the pitch was given an “unsatisfactory” rating.Related
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With this being the same groundsman’s second Test, interest in the nature of this strip is high on both sides, with Temba Bavuma half-joking he was told he “wasn’t allowed to talk about the pitch”. Over the last couple of days, the strip that will see the Test played has had a significant amount of grass removed from it, with heavy rollers going over the surface multiple times.Either way, South Africa have named their side, with spinner Keshav Maharaj coming in. But it’s a bit more complex for Pakistan. Masood pointed out one of South Africa’s strengths was their seam bowling allrounders and deep batting line-up, saying it went right down to “Rabada at 10″, following his heroics in the fourth innings in Centurion.If Pakistan are to play a specialist spinner, it will invariably come at the expense of a seam bowler. That leaves them with just three seamers, which Masood appeared reluctant to commit to.”South Africa still have four seamers playing,” Masood said. “They have the luxury of quite a lot of allrounders in the squad. Mulder, Jansen, Bosch, so they can afford to make those decisions. For us, it’ll be slightly trickier. We still feel pace will have a large role to play in these conditions. There was a pattern that was successful for us where [Salman] Agha bowled really well in Australia and take that forward with us. We’ll have to see and probably make a decision in the evening.Further complicating matters, Aamer Jamal, who played the least significant role among the quicks in Centurion for Pakistan, is their only allrounder, with Masood effectively confirming his place in the XI.”Aamer links the team together. He’s a very important player in the Test team going forward. That No. 8 position where you can bat as a very decent batter and bowl like a proper fast bowler. Unfortunately, the situation of the match was such apart from his first spell at Centurion he didn’t really get a go. He was brought on at a time where we just took a gamble to have something different, maybe hit the wicket and force Rabada or Jansen to do something else. That was the reason behind that. But we hope he’ll bowl more on this surface.”It means whichever way Pakistan go, there will be compromises one way or another. But Masood said Pakistan had been taking heart from the way they competed against the side that are “No. 1″ in Test cricket. But with Pakistan letting slip a number of dominant positions over the last nine Tests, seven of which Pakistan lost, he understands belief in a side or a system can fall apart if results to prop it up aren’t forthcoming.”You want to compete against the best, and win against the best,” he said. “It’s heartening to compete, but we have to be ruthless, and we have to cross that line somewhere. There’s a lot of potential in that side, and if we’re not crossing the line, we’re not doing our talent and ability justice. That only comes from a place of care, and yes we all make mistakes and sometimes don’t cross this line, but I really believe this side has the ability, and people have seen there is a lot more to this side than the results suggest.”Moments after Pakistan finished training, the pitch was, unconventionally, given another heavy dose of watering under a hot sun. After that, the groundstaff threw a white sheet over the strip, and the two surrounding it. The secrets of this Newlands pitch remain concealed overnight, although, even when it stood exposed, few – especially in the Pakistan camp – seemed to really know what to expect from it.
The absence of Lasith Malinga could hurt them but they do have reliable back-ups to fill the hole
Vishal Dikshit17-Sep-20204:26
Will Rohit Sharma open for Mumbai Indians?
Where they finished in 2019: Champions, with a last-ball win over Chennai Super Kings in the final after having topped the league table.Potential XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Ishan Kishan, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Rahul Chahar, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan/James Pattinson/Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit BumrahBatting: With a solid top order and a power-packed middle order, Mumbai don’t have much to worry about. Sharma can continue to open with de Kock, who was their leading scorer last year, but Chris Lynn might have to wait, especially given his recent run of low scores and dismissals against spin (six out of nine) in the CPL – the pitches in the UAE are expected to be on the slower side. With Yadav at No. 3 followed by Kishan, the Pandya brothers and Pollard, they look pretty good even for slower tracks.Mumbai Indians full squad•ESPNcricinfo LtdBowling: Mumbai might miss Lasith Malinga, who is missing this IPL for personal reasons, because he might have proven even more dangerous than usual in the UAE with his experience and slower variations. He usually split the last four overs with Bumrah – this time Bumrah may either do Malinga’s job with Boult doing Bumrah’s, or Boult may just bowl the 18th and 20th overs with Bumrah sticking to his 17th and 19th overs.Boult had a terrific IPL in 2018 for Delhi Daredevils, especially on the slow Feroz Shah Kotla tracks, and his death-overs record will give Mumbai confidence in Malinga’s absence.For pace, they also have Coulter-Nile, who was bought for INR 8 crore ($1.1 million approx.), McClenaghan, Malinga’s replacement Pattinson, and Dhawal Kulkarni as options.Unlike the other teams, Mumbai lack a big-name T20 spinner in the squad. Krunal and Chahar will be expected to do the bulk of the heavy lifting and should they need a third spinner in the XI, they could leave out one of the overseas quicks for left-arm spinner Anukul Roy or the offspin of Jayant Yadav. Mumbai may also consider Pollard, who proved handy on slower tracks in the CPL, for a bigger role with the ball.Young player to watch out for: Mumbai have a habit of throwing unknowns at their oppositions and they have two young spinners for that sort of plan: left-arm spinner Anukul Roy and legspinner Prince Balwant Rai. Roy, from Jharkhand, played the 2018 Under-19 World Cup but is still an unknown entity in the IPL with only one game under his belt. Rai, 21, is yet to make his debut in senior cricket after playing for Punjab at the junior level.With spin expected to play a major role this time, Roy could come on against the right-hand batsmen, and Rai might get at least a few chances to show off what he has.Coaching staff: Mahela Jayawardene (head coach), Zaheer Khan (director of cricket operations), Shane Bond (bowling coach), Robin Singh (batting coach), James Pamment (fielding coach).
The 27-year-old right-hander was posted by the Saitama Seibu Lions of the Nippon Professional Baseball League and has until Jan. 2 to sign with an MLB team. It’s pretty clear he won’t be joining the Dodgers.
When asked about potentially joining Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki in Los Angeles, Imai was quick to point out that he wanted to do something different.
“I want to take them down,” Imai said in a recent interview, translated to English. “(Playing together with players like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, and others) of course, sounds fun, but I think beating a team like that and becoming world champions would be the most valuable thing in my life.”
That’s a bold proclamation from Imai, and he probably earned a bunch of new fans with his attitude.
Tatsuya Imai’s stats in Japan
Imai is a three-time NPB All-Star who just finished his eighth season in the league. In 2025, he made 24 starts and went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, and 178 strikeouts against 45 walks in 163 2/3 innings. He tossed five complete games and three shutouts along the way. He has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the past four seasons, and owns a career NPB ERA of 3.15.
The newly-posted righty debuted in 2018 at the age of 20, and has been one of the league’s top pitchers since 2021, when he went 8-8 with a 3.30 ERA. He has improved in every season since, peaking with his 2025 performance.
Tatsuya Imai scouting report
Imai is undersized for a pitcher by MLB standards. He stands at 5’11” and 176 pounds. It’s worth noting, Yamamoto is only 5’10” and 176 pounds, so the two are comparable in size.
He throws the ball out of a lower three-quarters arm slot, but he can still generate excellent velocity. Imai’s fastball can hit 99 mph, and it sits in the 95 mph range. He works off that four-seamer with an excellent mid-80s slider, and will toss in occasional splitters as well. He has a changeup and a sinker, but is mostly a fastball-slider guy.
He is an intriguing option for MLB teams this winter.
WA were 133 for 3 chasing 167 but lost 7 for 31 with McAndrew taking a career-best 5 for 40. Earlier, Bryce Jackson took the best-ever 50-over figures for WA of 6 for 31
AAP24-Sep-2024Western Australia have suffered an almighty collapse of 7 for 31 against South Australia, sparked by Nathan McAndrew’s five-wicket haul, to eventually lose by two runs and remain winless in the One-Day Cup after two games.Two days after being upset by New South Wales, Western Australia looked set for victory at 133 for 3 in pursuit of South Australia’s 166 at Sydney’s Cricket Central.But the three-time defending champions fell apart miserably, with McAndrew claiming career-best List A figures of 5 for 40 as Western Australia were all out for 164 in the 38th over.The loss leaves Western Australia with their worst start to a season since 2015, and the first time they have suffered back-to-back 50-over defeats in nine years.The defeat came despite the best efforts of quick Bryce Jackson, who claimed 6 for 31 and the best figures for Western Australia in the competition’s history.Jackson has long been touted as a potential talent in Western Australia, but a series of major back injuries denied him a debut until age 24 last summer.In just his second List A match, Bryce Jackson walked back with figures of 6 for 31•Getty ImagesThe right-arm quick took 3 for 67 in his maiden match against Tasmania in February, before taking his chance on Tuesday with Jhye Richardson rested.He had Henry Hunt caught behind with a ball that swung away in his first over, before getting Mackenzie Harvey and Daniel Drew in his next over.And after Liam Scott (46) and Daniel Drew (49) steadied the ship for South Australia, Jackson returned to get rid of both of them before beating McAndrew for pace on the hook shot.While Western Australia wobbled early in their chase, the competition heavyweights appeared to have the match under their control.With Ashton Turner going after Henry Thornton by cutting him for six and taking 16 off another over, a bonus-point win looked the most likely scenario.But the match swung viciously after Sam Whiteman pulled Wes Agar down the throat of Thomas Kelly at deep square leg on 48.Ashton Agar and Baxter Holt followed in similar fashion to McAndrew as the West Australians lost all control of the match.And when McAndrew had Matthew Kelly caught behind and clean bowled AJ Tye for a duck in his next over, Western Australia still required 10 for victory.Ben Manenti then landed the killer blow when he nicked off Turner on 53, leaving Lance Morris and Jackson six runs to get for the final wicket.Jackson was ultimately stumped trying to drive Manenti, denying him a dream day and handing South Australia their first win over Western Australia since 2017.
The appointment is understood to be a prelude to a role with the franchise at the PSL
Danyal Rasool01-Nov-2024
[File photo] Darren Gough and Sameen Rana with Lord Patel, chair of Yorkshire CCC•Lahore Qalandars
Darren Gough has been appointed head coach of Lahore Qalandars. His first assignment with the franchise will be the Global Super League (GSL) in Guyana, which starts on November 26.The appointment is understood to be a prelude to a more permanent role in Qalandars’ stock competition: the PSL. Aaqib Javed, who served as head coach and director of cricket operations for Qalandars for eight years, quit last month to focus on a new role at the PCB with Pakistan cricket: he is now a member of the selection committee for the Pakistan men’s national team.Qalandars won back-to-back PSL titles in 2022 and 2023 before stumbling this year, finishing bottom. Aaqib’s departure left a vacancy at the franchise, one they wish to ensure is filled well before the PSL begins in April next year. Gough, who retired in 2006 as England’s leading ODI wicket-taker (and is still No. 2 on the list behind James Anderson) is understood to be keen on the role, with the GSL seen as a useful opportunity to allow him to get his feet under the table before a permanent decision is made.”It’s an absolute honour to have been asked by the Lahore Qalandars to be the head coach for the upcoming Global Super League in Guyana,” Gough said in a statement. “I’m really excited about this opportunity because I’ve been fortunate to work with the Qalandars in Lahore on several occasions, assisting with their PDP [player development programme].”We know that Lahore Qalandars are all about giving young players opportunities they’ve never had before -developing their skills and shaping them into players who can go on to represent the Qalandars, and hopefully make Pakistan cricket proud.”Gough most recently served as managing director at his old club, Yorkshire, after being appointed in December 2021 following the racism allegations that rocked the club. He parted ways with Yorkshire in March this year. Before that, he had a stint as England’s bowling consultant in 2020. Not long after Gough joined Yorkshire in 2021, the club launched a partnership with Qalandars aiming to “nurture talent [by] reducing barriers to entry” following the racism crisis.Sameen Rana, co-owner of Qalandars, said Gough’s vision aligned “seamlessly with our commitment to player development”, referring to the appointment as an embarkation on “a new journey”.The GSL will be contested by five teams. Qalandars are joined by Hampshire Hawks from the T20 Blast, Rangpur Riders from the BPL, Victoria from Australia, as well as the hosts, Guyana Amazon Warriors. The final will take place on December 7.
Arsenal need a striker this summer but with Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko in Andrea Berta’s crosshairs, he’s also directing attention towards signing a new winger.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has been a name regularly linked with an Emirates Stadium switch this summer but whether that move happens remains to be seen.
One deal that is certainly unlikely to happen this summer is Nico Williams, with the Spaniard now reportedly closing in on his dream Barcelona move.
Why Arsenal will need a Nico Williams alternative
After a sublime campaign at Euro 2024 last summer, Williams has been the talk of the town with his club, Athletic Bilbao, even heralding him as “one of the best wingers in the world”.
That is certainly the case and it explains why Arsenal have found negotiating a deal difficult.
Athletic Bilbao'sNicoWilliamscelebrates scoring their third goal
Last winter, it was reported that Arteta was dreaming of signing the Spain international but at no point has a deal ever looked close.
Indeed, despite fresh interest this summer, it looks though the attacker is heading to Barcelona.
The latest was provided by the Athletic’s David Ornstein on Tuesday morning who claims that both the Gunners and Chelsea have ‘cooled’ their interest in the 22-year-old as ‘Barcelona step up pursuit & Bayern Munich consider move.’
Barca want to do a deal and have already made a contract offer to the young winger.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
So, with that move off the table, where will Arsenal’s attention turn next? Perhaps Anthony Gordon?
According to a report from the Athletic, Arteta and Co have had three names in particular on their shortlist to improve their ranks in the wide positions.
Williams was one of them, Rodrygo is the other and the final name is Newcastle United’s Gordon.
Arsenal are known to be long-term fans of the England international, with this report noting that he is ‘of interest’ to the north Londoners and that they are keen ‘admirers’ of his qualities.
Why Gordon could be even better than Nico Williams
You don’t attract the interest of Barca without being a mighty fine player and in Williams, you have Spain’s next hope alongside Lamine Yamal on the opposite flank.
Williams certainly isn’t as exciting as Yamal but he’s still one of the most promising young forwards on the European scene.
However, his numbers haven’t actually been too impressive in recent seasons. During 2023/24, the Bilbao star scored just eight times in all competitions. Impressively, he did register as many as 18 assists.
This season, he scored 11 goals while registering seven assists in 45 games with only five of those goals coming in LaLiga action.
In comparison, Gordon’s numbers aren’t otherworldly but they are on par and he’s already been producing it in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old scored nine times and posted seven assists in 42 outings during 2024/25, which wasn’t quite as impressive as his return the campaign prior. In what was the best season of his career, the former Everton man scored 12 and assisted 16 goals.
So, over the last two years, there isn’t a huge amount to separate them, but what do the other numbers say?
Goals
0.29
0.21
Assists
0.21
0.34
Shots
2.31
2.33
Key passes
1.82
1.84
Progressive passes
3.36
2.85
Successful take-ons
1.55
3.26
Progressive carries
4.38
5.52
Well, again there isn’t much to separate them. Williams is more carry-heavy, but if Arsenal are looking for goals, and they are, the “unbelievable” Gordon – in the words of teammate Bruno Guimaraes – is the better option.
Over the last few seasons, Arsenal have simply been too reliant on Bukayo Saka on the right flank to come up with the goods. In 2023/24, he was the club’s top scorer with 20 goals and this season, he was right up there again despite missing half of the campaign with a hamstring injury.
He ended the campaign on 12 goals, just three behind leading marksman Kai Havertz. As for Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, they suffered from long periods of inconsistency throughout the campaign.
The latter scored ten in 56, once every 5.6 games, while the former scored ten in 51, once every 5.1 outings. As for Gordon, he scored once every four matches two seasons ago and once every 4.6 appearances in 2024/25.
So, with Arteta clearly on the lookout for goals, Gordon could just be the man they need this summer. It’s just a pity he boasts an asking price of around £100m. That certainly makes it less likely to happen.
Not just Sesko: Arsenal in talks to sign £84m star who's like Nico Williams
Arsenal are looking to sign new forwards in the transfer market this summer.
Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy also likely to be retained by last season’s IPL finalists
Nagraj Gollapudi16-Oct-2024South Africa power-hitter Heinrich Klaasen is set to be the top retention for Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2025. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Klaasen will get INR 23 crore (US$2.74 million approx.) as the first retained player. The franchise has also finalised two other retention deals: Australian allrounder Pat Cummins, who was Sunrisers captain in 2024, at INR 18 crore (US$2.14 million approx.), and India allrounder Abhishek Sharma at INR 14 crore (US$1.67 million approx).It is understood that Sunrisers are also likely to firm up the retentions of Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy soon. The IPL set October 31 as the deadline for retentions ahead of the mega auction that will be held later this year.Cummins, who had captained Sunrisers to the final last season, will continue as captain in 2025.Related
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October 31 set as deadline for IPL teams to finalise retentions
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Recently the IPL decided that a franchise can retain up to six players – including a maximum of five capped players (Indian or overseas) and two uncapped Indians – from their 2024 squads. Franchises can hold on to their players via any combination of retention deals and right-to-match (RTM) cards at the auction.The purse for the 2025 auction is INR 120 crore. The IPL also set various retention slabs – INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore, and INR 11 crore for the first three capped retentions, and INR 18 crore and INR 14 crore for the next two, with uncapped Indians fetching a maximum of INR 4 crore – but franchises are allowed to divide the capped retention pot of INR 75 crore among five capped players as they wish.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Successful units have always looked to retain their core, and hence it is no surprise that Sunrisers have decided to go down this route. Cummins, who was the second-most expensive buy at the 2024 mini-auction (INR 20.50 crore or US$2.47 million approx.), made use of his leadership experience in international cricket and combined well with Sunrisers coach Daniel Vettori to help steer Sunrisers to the playoffs after three disappointing seasons. In monetary terms, Cummins gets a 12.2% reduction on his 2024 price.The freedom the Cummins-Vettori leadership group allowed youngsters like Abhishek and Reddy helped them to flourish in the company of Head and Klaasen. Head and Abhishek formed arguably the most dangerous opening pair ever seen at the IPL, with both consistently hitting 200-plus strike rates. Head finished the season fourth on the overall run-getters list, with 567 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 191.55.Klaasen provided equally robust finishing touches, with his six count behind only that of Abhishek’s. While Abhishek made 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.21, Klaasen scored 479 runs at a strike rate of 171.07.Klaasen’s burgeoning reputation as one of the best T20 batters going around is reflected in a 338% increase from the INR 5.25 crore Sunrisers paid for him at the mini-auction ahead of IPL 2023. He has aggregated 927 runs in 26 innings at a strike rate of 174 in his two seasons at Sunrisers so far.Abhishek’s successful year in T20 cricket sees him rewarded with a value hike of 115%. He earned an India T20I call-up on the back of his IPL 2024 exploits, and will earn more than twice of what Sunrisers paid for him at the mega auction ahead of the 2022 season (INR 6.5 crore).Abhishek has a T20 strike rate of 194.84 to date in 2024, which is the highest for any batter who has faced more than 200 balls in the format this year. At IPL 2024, too, he had the highest scoring rate among the tournament’s top-ten run-getters.Twenty-one-year-old seam-bowling allrounder Reddy – who debuted for India in the recently concluded T20I series against Bangladesh, smashing 74 off 34 in his second game – had proven a reliable support act for Sunrisers in 2024, with 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92 and three wickets.If Sunrisers firm up all five of these retentions, and do not add a sixth to their list before deadline day, they will have one RTM card at the auction, which can only be used for an uncapped Indian.