Scrutiny remains on the M Chinnaswamy stadium which is due to host Women’s World Cup games in September-October

Shashank Kishore07-Aug-2025

The fourth season of the Maharaja T20 trophy begins on August 11•Maharaja T20

The Maharaja T20 has been moved to Mysuru, after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) failed to obtain clearance from the Bengaluru police to stage their franchise-based T20 competition at the M Chinnaswamy stadium from August 11 to 27.All the franchise owners were notified of the change earlier this week, leaving them with just a few days to finalise logistics. Most teams, barring Mysuru Warriors, have been training at different venues across Bengaluru over the past week.The failure to obtain permission to host games at the Chinnaswamy could potentially be a big blow to the KSCA, given the stadium is slated to host five matches of the Women’s World Cup – including the tournament opener and one semi-final – starting September 30. However, ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC isn’t overly worried just yet about the possibility of moving the games out of Bengaluru.The KSCA has been in the eye of a storm ever since 11 people died and over 50 others were injured around the premises of the Chinnaswamy stadium, during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations on June 4. The stampede also forced two KSCA office bearers to resign, citing moral responsibility.A stampede ensued at Chinnaswamy stadium during RCB’s victory celebrations•AFP/Getty Images

Late last month, a committee tasked by the state government to investigate the stampede deemed the Chinnaswamy “unsafe” for large-scale events. The commission “strongly recommended” that large-scale events be relocated to venues that are “better suited” to handle significant crowds.Initially, the Maharaja T20s were supposed to be held behind closed doors in Bengaluru. But once the committee’s ruling came in, getting permission to play at the Chinnaswamy – with or without a crowd – became untenable. The KSCA’s focus now is on making sure things go smoothly in in Mysuru. They have been putting up makeshift stands, preparing pitches, squares, as well as temporary broadcast facilities at the Wadeyar Stadium.The Maharaja T20 is set to feature a number of high-profile Karnataka stars, including Karun Nair and Prasidh Krishna, who will feature for Mysuru Warriors following their return from India’s Test series in England.Nair is understood to have injured his finger while batting in the second innings of the fifth Test which ended three days ago, and could sit out the first few matches. Prasidh, who picked up eight wickets in India’s series-levelling win at The Oval, has been prescribed rest. The pacer is expected to join the squad mid-tournament.Some of the other big players in the mix include Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal, and Devdutt Padikkal, as well as the younger crop, led by R Smaran, Vijaykumar Vyshak, KV Aneesh and Nikin Jose.Elsewhere, the Maharani T20, KSCA’s women’s competition which began on August 4, will continue to be played in Alur, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Arne Slot defended his decision to field a severely inexperienced side on Wednesday night as Liverpool were soundly beaten 3-0 by Crystal Palace to exit the Carabao Cup at the fourth-round stage. Only a handful of first-team regulars were involved and multiple played out of their natural position as Slot made 10 changes to his starting XI ahead of what the Dutchman called a "big week".

Liverpool dumped out of cup but Slot defends controversial selection

Speaking to Sky Sports at the full-time whistle, Slot claimed he had little choice but to give youth and fringe players an opportunity to start with a huge week on the horizon for his side. He said it would have been a "stupid choice" if a first-team regular had picked up an injury in the cup tie.

The Reds face Aston Villa, Real Madrid – including potentially the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold – and Manchester City within the space of eight days as they look to get their season quickly back on track, but a sixth defeat in seven games will have done nothing to help the atmosphere around the club after the Eagles left Anfield with a comprehensive three-goal victory.

Slot’s defensive selection was particularly striking, as third-choice Freddie Woodman made a debut in goal, Calvin Ramsay came in from the cold to start at right-back and both Wataru Endo and Andy Robertson started out of position in the centre of a back five alongside Joe Gomez. The fact that the underperforming Milos Kerkez was the only player to keep his place in the XI only raises further questions – though Palace boss Oliver Glasner claimed it would be "disrespectful" to claim Liverpool had fielded a weakened side.

Three teenagers were also handed a start, Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni earning a chance to impress while 18-year-old Kieran Morrison made his debut for the club. Several more young players came off the bench, including Amara Nallo – who was sent off to receive a second red card in two appearances and just 16 minutes for Liverpool’s senior side.

AdvertisementGettySlot responds to criticism and claims injury issues led to selection

"Everybody can have [their] opinion about it but with the squad we have – maybe 15, 16 first-team players available – this is the choice I've made," Slot told Sky Sports.

But he conceded: "It's not of Liverpool's standards to lose five out of six, or six out of seven.”

"Last time we played Southampton here in the League Cup, Giovanni Leoni got injured, and we don't have such a big squad as people might tell, because there was so much focus on the amount of money we spent [in the summer].

"People all of a sudden think we have 25 players available, but we mainly have 20 players then we have four injuries.

"I only have one right full-back, Conor Bradley, as an example, and every time I had to play him twice in three days or three times in seven days [last season], it led to him… that I had to take him off with a hamstring injury or something else.

"Are you willing to take that risk with such a big week coming up? Last time I played a player that wasn't fully prepared – we thought he was prepared but it was the first time – Alexander Isak, he got injured.”

Slot cites Southampton match as situation to avoid

"Last time we played Southampton Leoni was injured and it was a red card for Hugo Ekitike. Those are the things we can't use with a big week coming up," he added.

"But there's always a choice. What if I had played Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate], for example, if one of them got injured people would have said, 'what a stupid choice'.

"And also with them [the first-team players] it was very difficult for us, for our starters to beat Palace because it's not the first time we lose against them."

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AFPUpcoming fixtures could justify Slot's selection

With an important week coming up, Slot can be forgiven for making changes if his first-team stars return to winning ways quickly. It is with little doubt that the Dutchman’s selection will only have added to the increased pressure he could soon find himself under.

Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp said: "It was the wrong team. Make no mistake. He picked a team today that made it really difficult for himself. You've not helped the young players because of the players that are around them. You've made 10 changes from Brentford.

"You can't tell me that he's picked that team today and those subs thinking 'that will get me a result against a really good Crystal Palace'. You might hope you can. I didn't believe for one second they could beat them. He's made a mistake today.”

It’s all been rather quiet at Manchester City in recent weeks, but that is about to change.

In both January and early June, the Sky Blues were very active in the transfer market, getting players in ahead of the Club World Cup, with Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki all debuting stateside earlier this summer.

However, since Pep Guardiola’s team were ignominiously dumped out in the round of 16 by Al-Hilal in Orlando, not a lot to report either on or off the pitch.

James Trafford has re-joined the club from Burnley, taking the Citizens’ spend in 2025 to almost £350m, but could they be about to smash their club-transfer record, seeking a statement signing as they attempt to reclaim the Premier League title?

Manchester City aiming to bolster their midfield options

One of the most interesting aspects of Man City’s team in the early weeks of this season will be the reintegration of Rodri.

After rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Arsenal in September, Rodri was not seen again until 20 May, coming off the bench for a seven-minute cameo against Bournemouth.

The Ballon d’Or winner did feature in all four Club World Cup matches in June, albeit his only start came against Juventus, match practice that will help, but he’ll need to get up to speed quickly, ahead of Man City’s Premier League opener at Molineux.

As the season progresses, there are plenty of options to partner Rodri at the base of midfield, new signing Reijnders, Mateo Kovačić, Nico González, İlkay Gündoğan and Matheus Nunes, to name but a few, but could they make a move to sign one of the Premier League’s very best in that role?

Well, according to Julien Laurens of ESPN, Manchester City – alongside rivals Manchester United – are interested in signing Carlos Baleba, with Guardiola said to have ‘been a longtime admirer’ of the player.

Transfer Focus

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

Laurens adds that the Cameroonian international is valued at around £104m by Brighton, who are looking for an astronomically high fee, given that former club Lille are entitled to a 20% sell-on clause.

This comes days after David Ornstein of The Athletic reported that Man United had ‘made contact’ with the Seagulls over the possibility of signing the 21-year-old, so could Baleba end up in Manchester after all, only in a sky blue shirt rather than in red?

What Carlos Baleba would bring to Manchester City

Baleba joined Brighton & Hove Albion from Lille for a reported fee of £23m just two summers ago, and has certainly impressed all Premier League observers.

Ryan Adsett of Talk Seagulls describes him as an “agile powerhouse in midfield” who is a “serious talent”, while Matthew Avery of Breaking the Lines asserts that he will become ‘a world-class player’ given his ‘physical dominance’ and ‘elite line-breaking’ ability, concluding that his value in the transfer market will only continue ‘skyrocketing’.

Ahead of Brighton’s clash with Brentford in January, Thomas Frank stated that the “excellent midfielder will go to one of the bigger clubs in the future, for sure”, with Andy Naylor of the Athletic impressed by his ‘mobility​​​​​​​’ and ‘defensive positioning​​​​​​​’, noting that a ‘summer departure for Baleba cannot be discounted’.

Arguably, the youngster’s best performance of last season came against Manchester City in early-November, introduced as a half time substitute with the Seagulls 1-0 down, only to, as documented by James Gheerbrant of the Times, completely change the game as they roared back to win 2-1 late on, underlining that he is Brighton’s ‘most influential’ player.

Sam Blitz of Sky Sports believes that Baleba ‘could be inspired’ by Rodri, noting that the two nominally defensive midfielders are capable of impacting both ends of the pitch, so let’s analyse how the duo compare.

Carlos Baleba 24/25 vs Rodri 23/24 PL comparison
Statistics	Baleba	PL rank	Rodri	PL rank
Minutes	2,661	81st	2,931	45th
Completed passes	1,149	70th	3,365	1st
Pass completion %	87.4%	52nd	92%	11th
Passes into final 3rd	109	57th	378	1st
Progressive passes	118	67th	376	1st
Tackles	79	25th	70	27th
Blocks	47	21st	32	88th
Interceptions	46	11th	26	73rd
Ball recoveries	197	5th	235	2nd
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com

Firstly worth noting that, due to the fact he hardly featured in the most recent campaign, the 2023/24 season was chosen for Rodri statistics.

The table documents that the Spaniard is the pass master, ranked first for completed passes, attempted passes, passes into the final third and progressive passes; the fact his numbers are impressive shouldn’t be too surprising, as he did win the Ballon d’Or.

As for Baleba, his passing numbers are solid, if not quite as outstanding, but it is his defensive statistics that leap off the page, ranked in the top 25 last season for tackles, interceptions and blocks.

In the respective campaign analyses, both finished in the top five when it came to ball recoveries, suggesting they would form an impenetrable partnership.

Thus, as Rodri is eased back in, after a long spell on the sidelines, he’d surely love having Baleba alongside him, covering vast amounts of ground and doing a lot of the dirty work, so Man City should go all out and pay Brighton’s asking price, if they want to knock Liverpool of their perch.

Bad news for Doku: Man City preparing £87m bid for "world class" forward

As Manchester City seek to reclaim the Premier League title, they are preparing an £87m bid to sign a “world class” attacker who’s better than Doku.

By
Ben Gray

Aug 6, 2025

Celtic will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership when they take on Kilmarnock in their first match since the first international break of the season.

The Hoops travel away from home to face Kilmarnock in the fifth match of the campaign, having won three and drawn one of their first four outings in the division.

Brendan Rodgers may look to hand debuts to new signings Kelechi Iheanacho and Sebastian Tounekti, who both signed for the club after the 0-0 draw with Rangers last time out.

The Celtic boss will be without Alistair Johnston once again at right-back, though, because he was ruled out for 12 weeks after picking up a hamstring injury against Kairat last month.

Rodgers confirmed at the time that the club would not look to dip into the transfer market to sign a replacement right-back because of the injury, which is exactly how the rest of the window played out.

Instead of going for a new signing to fill that gap, academy graduate Anthony Ralston has stepped in once again to provide cover in that position.

Why Celtic should drop Anthony Ralston

The Scotland international should be ruthlessly dropped to the bench by Rodgers because he does not provide the attacking thrust and quality that the team need in that area of the pitch.

There were several moments in the bland 0-0 draw with Rangers when a teammate went to find Ralston with a pass but he was sat too deep and not on the front foot and ready to move forward to receive the pass.

He does not possess the attacking qualities that Johnston has or the front-footed mentality that his fellow right-back has, which is evidenced by his form in all competitions so far this season for the Scottish giants.

Appearances

5

Minutes played

332

Shots

2

Goals

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Assists

0

As you can see in the table above, Ralston has created one chance, and no ‘big chances’, in 332 minutes of action across five appearances this term, which speaks to his lack of quality on the ball.

Johnston, meanwhile, provided four key passes and created two ‘big chances’ in his two appearances in the Premiership this season before his injury, per Sofascore.

The Canada international also scored four goals, created 15 ‘big chances’, and delivered ten assists in 32 appearances in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore, which shows that he can provide a huge threat in the final third from a right-back position.

Celtic have clearly missed his quality down the right in the last two matches, as they created just two ‘big chances’ in 210 minutes as a team against Kairat and Rangers and failed to score a goal in either game.

Chalkboard

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

This is why Rodgers must drop Ralston to experiment with Reo Hatate in a brand-new role for him at right-back, inspired by Arne Slot’s decision to play Dominik Szoboszlai in a similar role for Liverpool in the Premier League.

Why Celtic should unleash Reo Hatate at right-back

It is not a completely unfamiliar position for the Japan international because he did play four times at right-back during Ange Postecoglou’s time at the club in the 2022/23 campaign.

However, he has not played a single match outside of central or attacking midfield in two-and-a-bit-seasons since Rodgers returned to the club in the summer of 2023, which means that this would be a brand-new role for him in the current system.

The Northern Irish head coach has utilised inverted full-backs in build-up for a lot of his time in charge of the club, with Greg Taylor and Johnston inverting into central midfield and Callum McGregor dropping between the centre-backs to create overloads in central positions during build-up.

Hatate could suit this role perfectly in the short term until Johnston is back from injury because he is a natural central midfielder, who is also combative and can hold his own defensively.

The Japan international, who was hailed as “incredible” by Rodgers earlier this year, was only dribbled past 0.6 times per game and won 53% of his attempted tackles, per FotMob, which shows that he can stop opposition players from getting past him fairly effectively.

Goals

10

Top 1%

xA

7.95

Top 3%

Assists

4

Top 11%

Dribble success rate

88%

Top 12%

Touches

2,101

Top 5%

Duels won

95

Top 32%

As you can see in the table above, Hatate is a well-rounded midfielder who is incredibly comfortable on the ball in midfield and in the final third, whilst he also excels at winning his duels.

This suggests that he could be well-suited to playing in an inverted right-back role under Rodgers because he has the defensive qualities and the possession-based attributes to pull it off effectively.

Of course, having a player who can make an impact at the top end of the pitch with goals and assists in that position would also improve the team’s chances of creating more in matches than they have with Ralston in recent weeks.

As aforementioned, Ralston has not done enough on the ball to make up for the attacking quality that has been lost through Johnston’s injury, which is why Hatate should be unleashed in this brand-new role in the meantime.

This move would also free up Luke McCowan, who scored eight goals and provided eight assists in the Premiership last season, to play in the middle of the park with McGregor and Benjamin Nygren.

Overall, Hatate’s qualities on and off the ball and his prior experience at right-back in a different system under Postecoglou could make him the perfect candidate to fill in for Johnston in a brand-new role under Rodgers against Kilmarnock on Sunday.

He's worth way more than Dolberg: Celtic nearly signed Haaland-esque striker

A star who once had trials with Celtic is now worth £25m more than Kasper Dolberg.

ByDan Emery Sep 10, 2025

This is why the Celtic head coach should ruthlessly drop Ralston from the starting line-up to see how the Japanese star fares in a new position this weekend.

Under past tenures, Everton weren’t exactly known as the most easy-on-the-eye watch.

Indeed, under Sean Dyche, the football was often a struggle to be entertained by, with just 21 goals finding the back of the net under the unpopular 54-year-old’s reign.

Now, however, with the likes of Jack Grealish leading the way under David Moyes, the Premier League side are a far more captivating sight to behold, with several striker options also available to the Scotsman that should see the goals continue to flow.

Moyes' striker conundrum in 2025/26

There was a drastic change in attack during the off-season.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin didn’t pen a new deal at the club after an injury-ravaged few years on Merseyside, culminating in the long-serving Toffees servant swapping the blue half of Liverpool for Leeds United on a free transfer.

To fill this huge void, Moyes and Co would swoop in for rising Villarreal star Thierno Barry, with the Frenchman costing a weighty £27.6m to get through the door.

While he is yet to get off the mark for his new Premier League side from his first three league clashes, the hope will be that the “menacing” forward, as he was labelled by U23 scout Antonio Mango, can grow into becoming a lethal finisher on English shores with time.

Indeed, he tallied up a standout 61 goals previously playing in Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland.

After all, Beto would regularly spurn chances towards the start of his up-and-down spell. Now, however, he’s the main man Moyes relies on up top, with two goals already next to his name this season.

Still, it could be deemed a risk to just rely solely on these two attackers to deliver the goods, with a homegrown Barry already up Everton’s sleeve. He’s now potentially ready for senior opportunities to boost their options.

Everton's "prolific" homegrown Barry

The high-flying Toffees do have a distinguished reputation for unearthing top gems through their academy in attack, with Moyes the manager who first handed Wayne Rooney a senior shot on Merseyside way back in 2002.

He also had a part to play in Ross Barkley’s rise up the ranks to senior stardom, with Omari Benjamin hopeful he can be the next in line for some first-team chances up top, having lit up the youth pitches at Everton for some time now.

Initially scoring goals by the bucket load at Arsenal in the U18 fold – with 18 strikes next to his name from 33 clashes – the 19-year-old Welshman has since made the switch to Everton and been equally as lethal.

Barry would very much be seen in the same clinical light when firing home ten goals in total for the Sochaux B team, with Benjamin even going as far as to be labelled a “prolific” threat by Arsenal youth reporter Jeorge Bird, before settling into life on Merseyside swimmingly.

CF

12

7

LW

4

1

LM

2

0

RM

2

1

RW

1

1

AM

1

0

As can be seen glancing at the table above, the 19-year-old has slotted into many different roles for the U21s and excelled, with the centre-forward spot his obvious preference overall, as seen in him bagging seven of his ten efforts to date from this position.

However, he can also line up down the left or right wing if needed, much like Barry, who has a sterling record of 14 career goals down either of these flanks.

Moyes might boldly want to insert Benjamin into his first team plans shortly; therefore, with this versatility, a standout attribute of his varied game, away from his red-hot goalscoring ability.

Yet, it could also be seen as a huge gamble to throw another raw and inexperienced striker into the mix, with Barry already very much a work in progress.

The former Villarreal number 15 will just need to shake off that first goal burden sooner rather than later, with Benjamin perhaps offering competition down the line as the revamped Everton attack aims to entertain supporters all season long.

Imagine him & Grealish: Everton may have Baines 2.0 in 19-year-old starlet

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ByWill Miller Sep 6, 2025

da lvbet： Tennis star Taylor Fritz has now revealed he is a “massive fan” of a Manchester United and Premier League legend.

Fritz gearing up for the Laver Cup

da bet vitoria： The eighth edition of the Laver Cup is set to get underway at San Francisco’s Chase Center this Friday, with Team Europe looking to retain their title, after defeating Team World in a thrilling encounter on home soil in Berlin last year.

Team Europe seemingly have a good chance of getting a sixth Laver Cup victory on the board, given that ATP World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz will be heading out to the USA, alongside Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli.

However, it must be noted that Team World also have a strong line-up, which features Reilly Opelka, Joao Fonseca, Alex Michelsen, Francisco Cerundolo, Alex de Minaur and Fritz.

With a current ATP ranking of No.4, the American is undoubtedly the stand-out player for Team World, and he heads into the competition off the back of a relatively strong showing in the most recent singles Grand Slam, reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open.

The 27-year-old is yet to win a Grand Slam, coming closest in the 2024 edition of the US Open, when he was defeated by Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the final.

Not only is the 2024 US Open finalist one of the best tennis players in the world, but he is also a big football fan, and he has previously named Manchester United and Premier League legend Cristiano Ronaldo as one of his inspirations.

Related "Massive fan" – Gerrard has named Man Utd legend among his "favourite players"

Steven Gerrard has made it clear he is a huge admirer of a former Manchester United star.

Posts ByDominic Lund Sep 16, 2025 Fritz right to take inspiration from Ronaldo

As pointed out by the tennis star, Ronaldo has faced accusations of arrogance throughout his career, but his mentality has led to great success, winning five Ballon d’Ors, three Premier League titles and five Champions Leagues.

The 40-year-old is also way out in front as the top goalscorer in Champions League history, scoring almost double the amount of Raul, who is fifth on the all-time list.

Player

All-time Champions League goals

Cristiano Ronaldo

141

Lionel Messi

129

Robert Lewandowski

105

Karim Benzema

90

Raul

71

The Portuguese forward is showing no signs of slowing down, scoring 95 goals in 109 games for Al-Nassr, and Fritz will be well-positioned to lead Team World to Laver Cup glory if he is able to replicate Ronaldo’s mentality.

MatériaMais Notícias

da apostebet： O Vasco ficou no lucro com o empate sofrido contra o Fortaleza no jogo de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil, no Castelão. Apesar da pressão dos donos da casa do iníco ao fim, o Cruz-Maltino soube sofrer para segurar no empate.

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da pinnacle： ➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Vasco

A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

A verdade é que ninguém esperava uma grande atuação do time carioca. O elenco contava com desfalques importantes como Payet e João Victor, além do pouco tempo de preparo com o novo técnico interino Rafael Paiva. Mas a esperança era sair com um bom resultado para levantar o astral e levar o jogo para a decisão em São Januário – objetivo concluído.

O Fortaleza tomou conta da partida e obrigou Léo Jardim a fazer defesas milagrosas que salvaram o resultado para o Vasco. Não à toa, o goleiro ficou com a maior nota do time no Footstats (8,9). Boa atuação também do trio de defesa montada por Paiva: Rojas, Maicon e Léo deram conta do serviço de fechar a zaga vascaína.

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Por outro lado, o Gigante da Colina tem sofrido muito com o ataque. A falta de eficiência no chute final fez o Vasco sofrer muito em busca dos resultados em 2024. Apesar do time finalizar muitas vezes, pouquíssimas bolas vão na direção do gol. Vegetti acabou ficando com a pior nota do elenco na partida (4,5), sendo seguido por Lucas Piton (4,7).

Tanto Rafael Paiva, quanto Ramón Diáz, não conseguiram chegar em um denominador comum em relação ao trio ofensivo. Vegetti parece ser a única unamidade, mas as pontas giram em todos jogos com Rossi, David, Rayan e Clayton. Além de Adson ainda entrar nessa briga.

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O meio-campo também preocupa. Desde a perda de Paulinho e Jair, parece que nada dá certo no centro do campo. Matheus Carvalho entra bem, mas oscila. Mesma coisa com Sforza e Galdames. O Payet, que antes parecia ser peça essencial no elenco, já não é unanimidade.

A perda de Gabriel Pec, Marlon Gomes e os dois principais volantes da última temporada deixam a impressão de que o time de 2024 piorou. E de fato, os resultados nas primeiras partidas do Brasileirão são piores. Ao fim da quarta rodada do Brasileirão 2023, o Vasco ocupava a 11ª posição com 5 pontos. Hoje, o Cruz-Maltino ocupa a 17ª posição com apenas 3 pontos.

O principal culpado pelo empate com o Fortaleza? A falta de eficiência e objetividade. O principal culpado pela crise que se instaurou no Vasco? A falta de planejamento da diretoria. A busca por um novo técnico e a chegada de reforços vão definir a história do clube da Colina este ano. Por enquanto, a torcida não vê muitos motivos para sorrir.

Tudo sobre

Copa do BrasilFortalezaVasco

Everton haven’t always come out the other side of a summer transfer window with instant hits on the pitch.

Nobody connected to the Premier League giants looks back on the summer of 2021 with much fondness when it comes to the capture of Moise Kean, with the Italian forward only managing to bag a poor four goals for the Toffees in total, before ripping it up back in Serie A.

This is, unfortunately, just part and parcel of being deeply involved in the beautiful game, with plenty of mishaps always possible. However, David Moyes isn’t experiencing that right now.

Instead, the much-loved Scotsman seems to have struck instant gold with most of his pick-ups in the window, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s positive start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium somewhat slipping under the radar.

Dewsbury-Hall's positive start at Everton

This is understandable, too, considering Dewsbury-Hall has been competing for the spotlight with Jack Grealish, who already has a stunning four assists next to his name on Merseyside.

Still, Grealish’s whirlwind introduction at Everton shouldn’t detract from his former Chelsea teammate looking equally revitalised, with the 27-year-old midfielder now looking to be back at his very best.

Indeed, after an ego-bruising experience at Stamford Bridge saw him line up just 13 times for the Blues in the Premier League, it was clear that the ex-Leicester City ace needed a reset, and that has successfully come his way under Moyes’ tutelage.

The hope will be that the Toffees’ number 22 can kick on even more after his bright start, though, with a promising goal and an assist heading his way in league action after creating a high eight big chances.

After all, seven goal contributions had fallen into his lap for the Foxes in the big time previously, despite only experiencing two seasons at the level, with a prolonged stay in the division perhaps getting even more out of the £25m signing in the long run.

Shockingly, however, one of Everton’s flops in the same vein as Kean is now performing with the same confidence Dewsbury-Hall has just obtained, after once being discarded by Carlo Ancelotti for a mere £12m.

The Everton flop now playing like Dewsbury-Hall

Everton fans will have pushed Ancelotti’s reign firmly to one side now, with the Italian showing flashes of promise here and there in the dug-out during his stint at Goodison Park.

Of course, it goes without saying that Ancelotti is an exceptional manager, with a mind-blowing five Champions Leagues in his managerial trophy cabinet, but even the very best are going to struggle if they have some middling duds to try and get a tune out of.

Davy Klaassen is one of those the well-travelled boss could never quite get on board with, with the Dutchman only going on to make seven forgettable Premier League appearances for the club, before the plug was pulled on his spell in England. Staggeringly, just one solitary assist is all Klaassen could shout about from 16 total appearances for the Toffees.

Everton would then have to stomach a loss when selling him to Werder Bremen in 2020, having forked out a reported £23.6m for his services, only to discard him a year later for far a lower £12m fee.

Games played

6

Games started

3

Goals scored

2

Assists

1

Touches*

36.2

Accurate passes*

24.4 (87%)

Total duels won*

3.6

He has since bounced back from his “complete dud” label at Everton, which was once handed to him by Joey Barton, with his early Eredivisie form for Ajax this season rivalling that of Dewsbury-Hall back in England, with three goal contributions coming his way from just three starts.

That likeness to the Englishman has also been noted by Football Transfers, with the pair deemed to be stylistically and statistically similar players. Indeed, both men appear to be at their best in a creative, advanced midfield berth, with Klaassen rolling back the years in that sense this season.

With 3.6 duels won on average, too, it’s clear that there is life still in the 32-year-old, with the Ajax veteran even going out of his way to state that he feels “right at home in Amsterdam” earlier this year, away from his misadventures elsewhere.

Certain players just suit certain clubs after all, with Klaassen now hopeful he can see out the rest of his up-and-down playing days in the Dutch capital.

For the time being, at least, Dewsbury-Hall will also want to stick it out at Everton, with the Merseyside Derby up next, another occasion where the 27-year-old can hopefully flex his creative prowess for Moyes and Co.

Not Dibling: Moyes may have Everton's next Grealish in "special" talent

Everton have completed a series of exciting signings this summer as Moyes looks to lift the Toffees for good.

ByAngus Sinclair Sep 16, 2025

A report into the tournament was presented to Cricket Australia this week and will now be considered further

Andrew McGlashan30-Jul-2025Private investment in the BBL has come a step closer after it was one of the recommendations put forward for the future of the competition, alongside the potential of a later start for the men’s tournament to avoid an extended overlap with Test cricket.Boston Consulting Group (BCG) had been commissioned by Cricket Australia (CA) to assess the current model and future structure of the BBL. They presented their findings to CA earlier this week and the report will now undergo further study over the coming months.BCG said that there was “significant existing commercial value” in the BBL and “strong potential for further growth.” Todd Greenberg, the CA CEO, said the report was a “strong validation” of what the BBL had achieved heading into its 15th season, but it was vital to keep the tournament at the forefront of the sport.Related

• CA bracing for 'generational' change amid tough financial calls

• SA20 not threatened by BBL's aim to be second-biggest league after IPL, says Smith

• CA exploring BBL investment 'unashamedly' to be second behind IPL

• Hundred's 'transition' year is relying on Test star Steven Smith as headline act

• MCG and SCG won't host WBBL games as Stadium Series is shelved for now

“The success of the T20 format has been a huge boost for the game globally in attracting new audiences and increasing participation,” Greenberg said. “We need to ensure that the Big Bash remains among the world’s top sporting competitions.”We will now undertake an exploratory process of the recommendations in this report to ensure any action we take achieves this potential and is in the best interests of Australian Cricket and cricket fans.”Among major T20 leagues around the world, the BBL has remained one of the holdouts against private investment, but it is now seen as highly likely that it will follow that path, especially with the sums of money that have been produced in the recent sale of Hundred franchises in England with the teams valued at £975milion amid significant interest from India and the US.The BBL has seen an increase in salaries in recent seasons – a top-level overseas player in the BBL can now earn AU$420,000 – but continues to be challenged by the SA20 and ILT20 which run concurrently. An injection of private capital would allow salary caps to rise further.But away from overseas players, one of the big challenges for the BBL has been availability of Australian Test stars given the significant overlap with the Test summer which runs from late November to early January.This season the BBL starts three days before the third Ashes Test in Adelaide although there is a clearer window after the series ends, which could potentially allow players to appear during January. However, in the 2026-27 season, Australia will head to India for five Tests from mid-January. The next Future Tours Programme for beyond 2027 is currently being finalised.Given the pressures on the calendar and the marquee Boxing Day and New Year Tests in Melbourne and Sydney it is unlikely the BBL will ever have a completely clear window. The other issue is trying to complete the tournament within the summer school holiday window which goes to late January – there was previously a failed experiment of extending the BBL into February.Expansion of the BBL was also put forward by the report as an avenue worth further consideration. Earlier this year New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that there had been informal talks about putting a team into the BBL while Singapore has been mooted as an expansion location. Cricket ACT has also made clear they would like to host a team in Canberra.The WBBL has largely been able to carve out its own window in October and November although this season the schedule has been squeezed by the Women’s ODI World Cup which means it will begin in early November with the final on December 13, the day before the start of the BBL.The BBL went through a difficult phase when it expanded to a full home-and-away season in 2018-19 coupled with the challenges brought by two years navigating the impacts of Covid-19. In 2023-24 the tournament was reduced to a 10-game regular season.”It is very important to understand that no decisions have yet been made, and that any action taken will be for the benefit of the BBL, WBBL, fans and Australian Cricket more broadly,” CA chair Mike Baird said. “That would include providing strong benefits across the game including investment in participation initiatives and player development.”

Ex-Newcastle midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has rejected the notion his former club can’t attract superstar players to the north east after a number of big-name summer signings elected to join rival teams in Manchester and London this summer. Shelvey believes it's a mistake to look down on the region and has spoken of the love players feel from supporters at St James’ Park.

• Frustrating transfer window for Toon

  Newcastle United endured a challenging 2025 summer window, missing out on several key targets despite Champions League qualification. One of the most notable players Newcastle failed to sign was Hugo Ekitike who joined Liverpool and they also missed out on Liam Delap, who opted to join Chelsea instead, as did Joao Pedro. Bryan Mbeumo chose Manchester United over Newcastle, further hindering efforts to strengthen their right-wing position. Another big target was Benjamin Sesko, but he penned a deal to join Ruben Amorim at Man Utd instead. In defence, Newcastle pursued Dean Huijsen, but he moved to Real Madrid and they also targeted goalkeeper James Trafford, but he rejoined Manchester City.

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  Fun on the Tyne for Shelvey

  Shelvey, who played for Newcastle between 2016 and 2023, told BBC Sport: "There's this debate about whether Newcastle are able to attract the big players compared to the Manchester clubs and the London clubs but, until you go there, you don't understand what it does to you. There are loads of things to do. I don't care what anyone says. If players are going to listen to this, it's a no-brainer to go there and play football. You will not find love at a football club like I found at Newcastle, with how they take to their players and how much they back you. But I've only got good things to say about my time at Newcastle. I loved it. Even when I first got the call about going there, I drove 12 hours from Swansea because of the traffic. I just wanted to get up there, get my medical done and get signed. I had experienced playing against Newcastle at St James' Park and you get a real buzz, but you never understand how big the club is until you are there."

• It wasn’t all bad news for Newcastle

  Newcastle actually had a busy summer transfer window, bringing in several players to strengthen the squad, particularly after the departure of star striker Isak. Woltemade, arrived as the club's record signing while Anthony Elanga and Yoanne Wissa were brought in to boost the attacking options, with Wissa in particular replacing Isak as striker. Malick Thiaw's arrival from AC Milan bolstered the defence, while Ramsey provided a creative presence in midfield. Ramsdale joined on loan to offer competition in goal. The signings of youngsters Cordero and Park represent a focus on long-term squad building. 

• AFP
  

  Positive outlook heading into Brighton clash

  Newcastle, currently 11th in the league, are looking for their first away league win of the season after drawing all three of their previous away fixtures 0-0. They can capitalise on the momentum of their most recent 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest, but will be without Lewis Hall (hamstring) and Tino Livramento (knee injury). Brighton are 12th and are in strong form at home, having lost only one of their last 11 Premier League home games. Meanwhile, Wissa is progressing towards fitness after suffering a devastating injury setback while on international duty with DR Congo, and hasn’t kicked a ball for his new club yet. But Howe has delivered a positive update, saying: "We have seen him back on the grass for the first time which is great to see, it is now a case of stepping him up gradually. In terms of timelines, it is similar to what I've said – nothing has changed."