Broadcaster set to move across from President role in October, following Bruce Carnegie-Brown’s tenure

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Mar-2024Mark Nicholas is set to take over as MCC’s chair when his one-year term as President expires in October, after being recommended as Bruce Carnegie-Brown’s successor in the role.Nicholas, 66, will be recommended as the new chair at the club’s AGM in May, working in conjunction with the chief executive, Guy Lavender. He has been a member of MCC since 1981, and has served on the club’s Cricket, Marketing and Main Committees since the 1990s.In his playing days, Nicholas scored over 25,000 runs and took 173 wickets in a professional career spanning over two decades. As captain of Hampshire, he guided the side to four trophies between 1986 and 1992, including three victories in Lord’s finals, and he also captained England A.The position of MCC chair has existed since 2000, and Nicholas is set to become its seventh incumbent, but the first former professional cricketer in the role. In the course of his presidency, he has expressed the opinion that MCC should take over the ownership of the Lord’s-based Hundred team, London Spirit, and this move may be an indication of the club’s ambition on that front.Nicholas is currently chair of the Hampshire-based Southern Brave team; a non-executive director of the media rights agency, River Media Partners, and co-founder/director of Century Cricket which runs IPL-style T20 tournaments for club and junior cricketers in Australia.In 2005, he co-founded Chance to Shine, the cricket charity that has helped to re-introduce the sport to 4,000 state schools in England and Wales, and given 6 million children a chance to play the game. His long and successful media career is synonymous with the Ashes summer of 2005, for which he anchored Channel 5’s coverage. He has worked extensively with Channel 9 in Australia, Supersport in South Africa, and also writes columns for The Telegraph and ESPNcricinfo.”The role of MCC chair is a huge responsibility and I am honoured to have been named as the Committee’s recommendation to the membership,” Nicholas said. “Amongst many aspects of the club’s immediate future, is the need to engage more with Members. In addition, we are embarking on many new projects and opportunities as we look to embrace this ever-changing game. I hope to ensure that we can play our part in cricket’s development over the coming years.”Chris Rogers, MCC Treasurer, said: “The Nominations committee found that Mark was the outstanding candidate for the role, noting that he has a deep and personal knowledge of the game. In making its recommendation, the MCC Committee feels that his experience, as a player, broadcaster, journalist and administrator, would be of huge benefit to MCC.”

‘Build pressure and try and get wickets that way,’ says the New Zealand left-arm spinner of his plan against England in the World Cup final

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's13-Jul-2019Mitchell Santner will be up against it at the World Cup final, where New Zealand will face the might of England; all England, really, as the stands at Lord’s are going to be rooting for Eoin Morgan’s men. And when it comes to Santner, England have hurt him in the past, and got away with it too.The left-arm spinner’s overall average against England’s top-six batsmen is 61, and his economy rate is 6. All of England’s batsmen have strong numbers against left-arm spin in the last four years, since the 2015 World Cup, and Lord’s can be unkind to spinners, especially finger spinners.But there are few players that can absorb pressure better than Santner. Two examples from the recent past. The first: on a sweltering April evening in Jaipur, on a day when even the coolest mind in cricket, MS Dhoni, lost his temper, Santner sealed victory for Chennai Super Kings with a last-ball six.ALSO READ: The serenity and resilience of being New ZealandThe second, last Wednesday, when Santner choked the Indian middle-order in a spectacular first spell. Making use of a two-paced pitch that was taking spin, Santner built pressure with his dot balls. Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya had slowly started rebuilding the innings after a series of early setbacks. His first over to Pandya was a maiden. In his second, he kept Pant rooted to his crease on the first four balls. Next delivery, Pant walked out, and slogged into the hands of deep midwicket. Pandya, too, would pay the price for impatience soon. Santner’s first spell read 6-2-7-2. It was match-wining spell that not just suffocated India, but also broke their confidence and momentum. Matt Henry won the match award, but Santner got a “world-class” badge from his captain Kane Williamson and head coach Gary Stead.Now, Santner has to do it all over again. Against the most feared batting line-up, one that, seemingly, never ends. Santner’s quota is key, and New Zealand would want to bowl all of it, as that will take some of the pressure off Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme, whose medium-slow deliveries England might have identified as the weakest link.Of the 141 overs bowled at Lord’s this tournament, spinners have managed just 13 wickets, while bowling just two maidens. But Santner will gather confidence from the fact that the economy rate for spinners at Lord’s has been a good 4.97. It is closer to his own World Cup 2019 economy of 4.87 – his corresponding career number is 4.89 – which is only behind the Afghanistan pair of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi for spinners in the tournament (minimum 40 overs).Mitchell Santner has an economy rate of 4.87 at the World Cup•Getty ImagesSantner is not a big tweaker of the ball. His strength is in his smart lengths. He judges the pitch, and the best pace for each surface, as he did against India, and varies his lengths accordingly. He has a good arm ball, and if he can float it at different speeds, he might make the English batsman think twice.”Over here, there is a not a lot of spin, especially for a finger spinner, so my role through the middle is to build pressure and try and get wickets that way,” Santner told ESPNcricinfo on Friday.But, as mentioned before, the English batsmen like Santner. His most expensive figures at the World Cup came against them during the group phase, when he finished with 1 for 65, having bowled the first over of the match in which he conceded five runs.He knows England might target him, but spots an opportunity there. “It can go one or two ways. That means you are always in the game rather them trying to block it out,” he said. “It is a going to be a tough test. The role of spinner is bring your length back, bowl in to the wicket, rather than overpitch. Spinners get hurt when they overpitched, especially to Jason Roy, who can hit it 30 rows back. On smallish grounds, you have got to be real, real tough with your length.”It is not just Roy. Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Morgan, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler all play spin well, and run well. When not trying to smash it, they would look to manoeuvre the ball into the gaps and rotate strike and build pressure.It’s a bit like T20 cricket, and Santner admitted that he would make use of the experience of bowling in the IPL recently, where the pressure is constant across the 24 deliveries. “If you can build pressure, build dots in those shorter formats… the way England play it is a bit like that,” he agreed. “So if you get a couple of dots and you are thinking, ‘Hey, what’s he gonna do? Is he going to charge? What’s my best to ball to get hit for one even, rather than going for a six or a four.'”It is this understanding of not just his own game but the game itself, how to be smart in different match situations, that Stead feels makes Santner stand out. “He is a special bowler for us,” Stead said on Friday. “He has got really good control of line and length. His ability in T20 cricket helps him in 50-overs cricket as well: being able to defend himself when people come after him.”On Sunday, at Lord’s, Santner and his team-mates will get live their schoolboy dream of playing the World Cup final. Santner is not nervous. He knows his role well – honest defence; keep it tight, build pressure.

The U.S. No. 1 is said to be on the move, set to join fellow American Tanner Tessmann with the Ligue 1 outfit

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• USMNT's Turner reportedly set for Lyon move
• Spent 2024-25 campaign on loan at Crystal Palace
• Goalkeeper searching for starting minutes year out from World Cup

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Matt Turner is set to sign for Ligue 1 side Lyon, in a $9.1M (€8M) move from English Premier League side Nottingham Forest, according to

  Turner, 30, spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Crystal Palace, where he made four appearances en route to winning the FA Cup with the .

  The move materialized quickly, according to the report, with Turner searching for regular first-team minutes at a club playing at a high level. Lyon's current starter, Lucas Perri, is reportedly the subject of transfer speculation and is expected to leave the club this summer – making room for Turner as the No. 1.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Turner has 51 caps with the USMNT and remains the starting goalkeeper roughly one year out from the 2025 FIFA World Cup. He is currently with Mauricio Pochettino's squad, participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup camp.

  The 30-year-old was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021 with the New England Revolution, which earned him a move abroad to England with Premier League side Arsenal, where he made seven appearances.

  He then moved to Forest, where he was expected to be the starting goalkeeper, but after 17 matches, he lost his starting role to Matz Sels. He then went on loan to Palace, where he struggled to break into the team outside of their early run in the FA Cup.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Turner would join fellow U.S. international Tanner Tessmann at the club, should the deal go through.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TURNER?

  The USMNT plays Switzerland Tuesday in an international friendly in their final tune-up ahead of the Gold Cup. Turner is available for selection. Matt Freese started Saturday as Turner went unused as a substitute Saturday against Turkey, a 2-1 defeat.

Manchester United are boosted by the return of two players ahead of their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Ineed, tThe Red Devils will see defensive pair Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro return to the squad for the trip to the high-flying East Midlands outfit.

However, left-back Luke Shaw, who has been out for several months, is still not ready to return, despite making progress with overcoming his injury. Youngster Ayden Heaven will also miss the trip to Forest due to injury and Kobbie Mainoo is also making progress but isn’t ready for a return to the squad.

Another player who won’t be available for the trip to the City Ground is young Bendito Mantato, due to his involvement in United’s FA Youth Cup tie.

Bendito Mantato's progress this season

17-year-old Mantato has been tipped for big things in a United shirt. According to a report from Academy Scoop, he ‘is set to sign his first professional contract’ at Old Trafford in the coming days.

The report goes on to state that the England U17 attacker is ‘held in high regard by the club’ before explaining that Ruben Amorim wants to give him a first-team debut before the season is out.

Well, that is certainly exciting for United fans. The wing-back has been a key player for the Red Devils in the U18s Premier League this term, scoring six times, all of which have come from the right wing, across ten appearances.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

However, there is evidence to suggest that the youngster could break into the first team as a wing-back. He has played as a left-back for England U17s, with Statman Dave suggesting that his “profile is perfect for Amorim’s wing-back role”.

Well, whatever the case, he won’t be involved for United against Forest after playing in the FA Youth Cup. However, there is another youngster whom Amoirm could unleash at wing-back.

Man United's Mantato alternative

Few things are as important in a footballer’s career than their first-team debut, especially when that comes on your 18th birthday.

That was the case for London-born Harry Amass, who made his first senior appearance in United’s last game before the international break away to Leicester City.

Against the Foxes, the youngster was impressive in his 21-minute cameo. One of the key features of his game was his “phenomenal” technical ability, something United fan and host of The Overlap: The Breakdown H described.

His stats from the game, courtesy of Sofascore, show just how well he performed in that demanding wing-back role. Amass had 30 touches of the ball, completed 91% of his passes, and won two from three attempted tackles.

Amass stats vs. Leicester City
Stat (per 90)	Number
Minutes played	21
Touches	30
Pass accuracy	91%
Passes completed	10/11
Duels won	3/7
Tackles won	2/3
Interceptions	1
Stats from Sofascore

This term, Amass has featured 21 times for United’s academy, a total of 1756 minutes. In that time, he’s grabbed four assists, mainly playing in a more orthodox left-back role rather than as a wing-back like he did for the first team.

The youngster can certainly play a big role for the Red Devils going forward, having already impressed at wing-back in a short space of time.

If given more minutes, he could grab that chance with both hands and become a serious challenger for United’s first choice on that side, Patrick Dorgu.

Dream Gyokeres alternative: Amorim pushing Man Utd to sign £84m "monster"

Man Utd boss Amorim is pushing for the signing

By
Joe Nuttall

Mar 31, 2025

da stake casino： Manchester City’s strong end to the season continues.

da esoccer bet： On Friday night, the Sky Blues beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 at the Etihad with, who else, Kevin De Bruyne the only scorer.

Having now won four Premier League games on the spin, Pep Guardiola’s team now have second place well within their sights, widely expected to continue their winning streak on Saturday, considering they’ll be facing rock-bottom Southampton.

Despite this recent upturn in form, which includes reaching a third successive FA Cup Final, Guardiola still insists that this season has been a disaster, hence why he’s planning to spend big this summer, so could he go shopping within the league?

Manchester City's midfield target

The Blues are lining up a big-money move this summer with the likes of £100m-rated Morgan Gibbs-White now in their sights and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz also a target.

That said, could it be another Premier League star who Pep and Co turn to?

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

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Indeed, according to a report in Spain, Manchester City ‘have submitted’ an offer of £55m to Tottenham Hotspur for the services of James Maddison, who they claim is viewed as the long-term ‘successor’ to the outgoing De Bruyne.

Maddison would surely add a touch of creativity and vision to Man City’s midfield, something that has been lacking throughout this season.

The 28-year-old England international joined Spurs from Leicester City for a reported fee of £40m two summers ago but, with Tottenham currently down in 16th, no European football next season could force them to sell key assets, unless they’re able to win the Europa League of course.

So, would Maddison be a good signing for Manchester City, and which recent move would this be reminiscent of?

How Maddison compares to Jack Grealish

Of course, the Sky Blues are no strangers to signing high-profile English international attacking midfielders from within the Premier League, breaking the then-British transfer record to secure the services of Jack Grealish for £100m in 2021.

Now coming towards the end of his fourth season at the Etihad, Grealish’s Man City career can be split into two distinct parts, as the table below outlines.

Grealish’s Manchester City career in numbers

Statistics

21/22

22/23

23/24

24/25

Appearances

39

50

36

31

Minutes

2,730

3,487

2,114

1,520

Goals

6

5

3

3

Assists

4

11

3

5

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the numbers emphasise, during Grealish’s first two seasons in Manchester, he was a regular starter and key contributor, but this has certainly not been the case during this campaign or the last, starting only one Premier League fixture since Christmas.

So, would Maddison be able to replicate the form of great Grealish should he make the move to the Etihad?

Well, let’s compare the duo this season to help answer that question.

Grealish vs Maddison 2024/25 comparison

Statistics

Grealish

Maddison

Appearances

31

45

Minutes

1,520

2,717

Goals

3

12

Assists

5

11

Goals – xG

+0.1

+4.2

Shots on target %

32.3%

46.6%

Pass completion %

87.7%

81.5%

Attempted take-ons

37

106

Take-on success %

37.8%

41.5%

Big chances created

3

8

Progressive carries

92

62

Progressive passes

71

221

Touches per 90

36

66

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBref.com and SofaScore

As the table highlights, Maddison’s statistics this season are almost universally more impressive than Grealish’s for every metric included.

He’s certainly a more progressive passer, while simply on goals and assists alone, the Spurs star – who is “unbelievable” in the eyes of Sky Sports pundit Darren Ambrose – has a lot more end product.

The one problem could be that Maddison’s season may actually be over.

Ange Postecoglou stated that he is “concerned” his star midfielder could require knee surgery, which would be a major blow because, as Jack Pitt-Brooke of the Athletic argues, he might just be Tottenham’s most-important player, given ‘how good he is at finding those pockets of space’.

Thus, any potential summer sale would be a massive blow for Spurs but, on the flip side, this would be a major coup for Man City.

Related He'd be amazing with Haaland: Man City pushing to sign £100m "magician"

Erling Haaland could be boosted in attack if Manchester City snap up this exciting star.

Posts ByKelan Sarson May 4, 2025

The Gabba continued to be a fortress for Australia in Test cricket, at Pakistan’s expense

Gaurav Sundararaman24-Nov-201931 – Consecutive matches in which Australia have been unbeaten at the Gabba. The last time they lost a Gabba Test was way back in 1988 against West Indies. This is their seventh successive win there. Their last draw at the venue was against South Africa in 2012.ESPNcricinfo Ltd13 – Consecutive losses for Pakistan in Australia – this is the longest streak for any touring team in a country. The previous longest streak was nine by India in Australia between 1948 and 1977, and West Indies in Australia between 2000 and 2009.18 – Wickets for the Australian pacers in this Test – the most in a Gabba Test since 2009. Mitchell Starc took seven wickets, Josh Hazlewood took six and Pat Cummins took five in the match.50.82 – Nathan Lyon’s average against Pakistan – his worst against any country he has played against. Lyon does not have a five-wicket haul against Pakistan and has a strike rate of 92.7. Lyon’s stats are not heavily influenced by his record in the UAE. His record at home against Pakistan is also poor – at home he has taken 13 wickets from eight innings against them, at an average 47.38.3 – Centurions for Pakistan at the Gabba. Babar Azam joined Saeed Anwar and Asad Shafiq on the list. All three centuries were scored in the second innings, but in a losing cause.36.21 – Babar Azam’s average at the end of his 22nd Test; he has 1340 runs at an average of 36.21 with two centuries. That’s up from an average of 25.94 at the end of his first 10 Tests.95 – Highest score made by a Pakistan wicketkeeper in Australia in Tests. Mohammad Rizwan’s 95 went past the unbeaten 72 scored by Sarfaraz Ahmed in Sydney in 2017.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betobet： Após a derrota do Corinthians para o Goiás, o presidente Duílio Monteiro Alves afirmou que se reuniu e conversou com o elenco feminino no sábado sobre a contratação de Cuca. As jogadoras e o técnico das Brabas, Arthur Elias, postaram uma mensagem nas redes sociais neste domingo (23) exaltando o movimento “Respeita as Minas” e indiretamente criticando a chegada de Cuca.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansVÍDEO: os melhores momentos da vitória de virada do Goiás sobre o Corinthians no BrasileirãoCorinthians23/04/2023CorinthiansCuca assume responsabilidade pela derrota do Corinthians e cobra mudança de postura na Copa do BrasilCorinthians23/04/2023CorinthiansFábio Santos vê perda de confiança do Corinthians e mira decisão na Copa do Brasil: ‘Esquecer tudo e melhorar’Corinthians23/04/2023

da aviator aposta： + Róger Guedes é único destaque, e defesa é grande culpada em derrota do Corinthians

Em pronunciamento na zona mista da Serrinha, o mandatário corintiano destacou o caráter democrático do clube e aceitou o pensamento contrário.

– O Corinthians é um clube democrático, é o clube do ‘Respeita As Minas’. Elas têm todo o direito de se posicionar. Estive com elas, conversamos por mais de uma hora e meia ontem, foi tudo conversado, explicado e elas têm todo o direito de colocar a posição delas. Não sei se dá pra entender como protesto, mas dá pra entender que isso reforça o que é o Corinthians, que é o clube do ‘Respeita As Minas’ e nós vamos continuar tratando e fazer tudo que for possível, para que a gente ajude na campanha das mulheres – iniciou o dirigente em entrevista aos canais “Meu Timão” e “Central do Timão”.

+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o Timão!

Antes de contratar Cuca, Duílio consultou o departamento jurídico do Timão sobre a condenação do treinador por atentado ao pudor com uso de violência contra uma garota de 13 anos durante uma excursão do Grêmio, time em que o profissional defendia à época, ainda como jogador, na década de 80.

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O compliance concluiu que a contratação de Cuca seria de alto risco institucional ao Corinthians, algo que foi assumido pela direção corintiana, que, por sua vez, entendeu a necessidade esportiva em contar com o treinador.

+ Veja tabela e a situação do Timão no Brasileirão

– Muita gente que fala que é marketing o “Respeito às Minas”, mas nos meus dois anos e meio de gestão nunca teve campanha, mas sim um apoio incondicional ao futebol feminino, tivemos a implantação da base no feminino e profissionais trabalhando em todas as áreas do clube – concluiu Duílio sobre o tema.

Durante a derrota por 3 a 1 contra o Goiás, alguns torcedores corintianos levaram faixas pedindo a saída de Cuca.

Home side blown away for 101 as Birmingham get campaign started with comfortable win

ECB Reporters Network31-May-2024A brilliant bowling performance from Birmingham Bears gave them a win in their Vitality Blast opener as they beat Durham by seven wickets at the Seat Unique Riverside. Hasan Ali and Richard Gleeson led the attack with exceptional performances as the experienced seamers picked up five wickets between them and helped restrict the hosts to 101 all out.The visitors led by Rob Yates and Sam Hain chased down the target with minimum fuss and won with plenty of time to spare.It was a case of different day, same problems for Durham with this game coming hot on the heels of another poor batting performance at Lancashire on Thursday. The North East side have scored just 176 runs in their two matches so far and will look to improve that when they face Leicestershire Foxes next Friday, while there’s a quick turnaround for Birmingham as they host Notts Outlaws on Saturday.Having been put into bat by Bears, Durham got off to a flier with Alex Lees and Graham Clark scoring 25 from the first two overs. Clark’s positive start didn’t continue for much longer with Dan Mousley removing the opener for 14.Lees then followed his opening partner into the pavilion with the Durham skipper being stumped for 14 after coming down the pitch to Danny Briggs. Colin Ackermann then miscued the ball straight to backward point for one after being deceived by a slower ball from Pakistan international Hasan.Ollie Robinson skied one from Hasan straight to the man at the square leg boundary to depart for 6. And the wickets kept on coming as Ben Raine clipped a George Garton ball into the air and it was met by a diving Yates who took a sublime catch.Ashton Turner and Michael Jones did offer some brief resistance but the Australian was then bowled by the impressive Briggs for 17. Jake Lintott then got in on the act and bowled Durham’s Australian overseas signing Ben Dwarshuis for 2.At the other end Scottish international Jones stuck to the task alongside Matthew Potts, with the batsman hitting Hasan for the first six of the night with a heave to the square-leg boundary.Jones’ defiance ended on 29 as he smashed a Gleeson ball straight to the safe hands of Lintott, then the next ball saw the end of Nathan Sowter for a golden duck. The impeccable Hasan then bowled Potts for 7, giving him figures of 3 for 20 and Durham were all out for 101.The Bears reply almost got off to a bad start as Yates edged a Dwarshuis delivery but it escaped the diving Turner at slip. Alex Davies then turned on the style as he ramped a Dwarshuis ball for six, the first of the Bears innings.Yates chipped away at the target as he hit Callum Parkinson for three fours but the left-arm spinner got his revenge and bowled the opener for 29.Davies was then run out for 13 as Raine hit the stumps while the Bears skipper was backing up and he was short of his ground.Raine was in the thick of the action once again as he got Mousley lbw for 8 to give the Bears a slight scare. Jacob Bethell was removed by Potts for 18, but Hain, who finished unbeaten on 27, anchored the chase and saw his side home comfortably.

Manchester City's spending spree means the club "must know" the outcome of their 115 charges case, according to former Liverpool star John Aldridge.

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• Verdict still awaited on 115 charges
• Man City have since been spending big
• Theory merges on club's transfer activity

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Pep Guardiola's side are still waiting to hear the verdict on their 115 Premier League charges case for breaching financial rules. The Manchester City boss admitted earlier this year he was expecting a ruling by March but no decision has yet been made. Meanwhile, the Cityzens have been busy spending big on players with the likes of Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders all arriving at the Etihad Stadium.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Guardiola has sought to reshape his squad after seeing his players endure a trophyless campaign, but Aldridge believes that the rash of signings also suggests the club already knows the verdict of their case. The former Liverpool star also believes it points towards a favourable conclusion for the Cityzens.

• WHAT ALDRIDGE SAID

  He wrote for the : "I can’t believe it has taken this long to come up with a verdict and City’s huge spending in the transfer market since the start of 2025 leads me to suspect they know what is likely to happen. Either they are making pre-emptive moves to sign players in case they are hit with a transfer embargo or they know they are going to be found not guilty and are planning a new era of domination. Nottingham Forest and Everton were docked points for breaking the Premier League’s financial rules, but City’s charges were far more serious, and that fuelled the rumours that their punishment could be huge. I’d imagine Pep Guardiola would not have signed his new contract with the club last November if he thought they were going to get hammered with a points deduction or a transfer embargo. Clearly, he was also promised that City would find a way to spend huge sums in the transfer market to rebuild his ageing team."

• TELL ME MORE…

  Aldridge also hit out at the length of time it is taking to reach a conclusion on the situation. He added: “The football world has been waiting to find out what is going to happen with the 115 charges of financial irregularity they face, and the Premier League will have a lot to answer for if they can’t prove they are guilty. When this long charge sheet was announced in February 2023, the feeling was that City were in big trouble and may even get thrown out of the Premier League. They could have titles stripped from the years when they were breaking financial rules, and it felt like they were finally going to be stopped in their tracks after years of appearing to manipulate the system. More than two years later and the story has not reached a conclusion. The Premier League case appears to be stuck in legal red tape. Most of us suspect City have been bending a few rules to effectively take over English football and win trophy after trophy, but it’s up to the Premier League’s legal chiefs to prove it – and that appears to be a problem."

Wrexham have announced the return of former goalkeeper Danny Ward ahead of life in the Championship.

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Wrexham sign Ward on free transferKeeper returns to Welsh sideSecond signing of the summer Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Welsh international began his career at Wrexham but never made an appearance for the Red Dragons. But after 13 years away, the 32-year-old is back at the Welsh outfit following his release from recently relegated Premier League side Leicester City.

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He told Wrexham's website: "It’s an exciting time and an amazing feeling to be back at the Club. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity that the Club gave me at an early age and I hope I can repay that."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

After a historic three-straight promotions, Wrexham are preparing for life in the Championship. In addition to summer signing Ryan Hardie from Plymouth Argyle, the 6ft 3in stopper brings much-needed experience and will compete with Arthur Okonkwo for the number one spot.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Ward will link up with the Wrexham squad soon as they prepare for the new season.

Manager Phil Parkinson added on the move: "We’re delighted to welcome Danny back to Wrexham. He’s a keeper with a lot of experience and he’s going to be a great addition to the squad."