They might be lagging behind their rivals in the market at the moment, but it feels like things are finally starting to pick up for Arsenal.

The Premier League runners-up look set to secure the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga for just £5m in the coming days, and more exciting than that, Martin Zubimendi’s move is finally almost wrapped up.

Moreover, Mikel Arteta’s side continue to see themselves linked with the utterly superb Rodrygo, who could be a serious needle-mover in attack.

And now, if recent reports are to be believed, the club are linked with a Premier League star who would be a dream teammate for the Real Madrid winger.

Arsenal plotting attack overhaul

The sagas around Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres might be what’s being talked about most regarding Arsenal this summer, but just behind them, the links to Rodrygo have been exciting fans.

Transfer Focus

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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While the first links to the Brazilian winger originated last year, the more substantive stories started to spring up early last month, with some claiming that approaches had been made and fees of around £85m being banded about.

In recent days, the supposed fee needed to secure the former Santos gem has dropped ever so slightly to anywhere from £70m in some cases to £77m in others, and for a Champions League winner who’s racked up 25 goal involvements in 52 games this season, that doesn’t seem too bad.

In short, it’s hard to imagine Rodrygo joining Arteta’s side this summer and not making a massive difference next season, especially if the North Londoners are also keen on Eberechi Eze.

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, the Crystal Palace star is eager to leave the South London outfit, and his camp has been in discussions with several teams, including Arsenal.

However, there are two potential obstacles to this deal, the first being his £68m release clause and the second being the fact that the player supposedly wants to join Tottenham Hotspur.

With that said, the Gunners have shown a willingness to spend big in the past, and if they went all out for the Englishman and showed him where he’d fit in, we don’t doubt they could hijack the Lilywhites’ potential deal. After all, they will be challenging on all fronts again next year.

It will be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but it’s one Arsenal should be fighting to get done, as Eze would be an excellent addition to the squad and a dream teammate for Rodrygo.

Why Eze would be an excellent teammate for Rodrygo

Fundamentally, the primary reason Eze would be a dream teammate for Rodrygo is the same reason why Bukayo Saka and whoever leads the line for Arsenal next season will also love playing with him: his output.

In 43 appearances for Palace this season, totalling 3303 minutes, the Englishman was able to amass a brilliant haul of 14 goals and 11 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

Just imagine how dangerous the Real Madrid star could be with someone as adept at scoring and creating chances behind him in the number ten position.

It would surely send his own goal and assist numbers soaring.

Additionally, the Greenwich-born “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, would be a serious upgrade on Martin Odegaard, who was only able to score six goals and provide 12 assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3447 minutes, which comes out to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.5 games, or every 191.5 minutes.

Eze vs Odegaard

Players

Eze

Odegaard

Appearances

43

45

Minutes

3303′

3447′

Goals

14

6

Assists

11

12

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

0.4

Minutes per Goal Involvement

132.12′

191.5′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Furthermore, on top of being a reliable source of goals and assists, the former QPR star is also a player who tends to favour the left-hand side of midfield – as we can see in his heatmap for this season – so he’d be playing reasonably close to the Brazilian and therefore could form an even closer partnership with him – to the benefit of both.

Ultimately, Rodrygo would be a game-changing signing for Arsenal this summer, but if Arteta and Co want to help extract even more out of him – and the rest of the attack, for that matter – they should be looking to bring in Eze as well.

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Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jun 25, 2025

Crystal Palace hold a strong interest in an “explosive” forward, and they are now ready to submit a £7m offer to complete a deal, according to a report.

Palace eyeing new signings amid Europa League uncertainty

Palace secured qualification for the Europa League for the first time, courtesy of their FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City, but they are now at risk of being kicked out of the competition, due to issues surrounding multi-club ownership.

John Textor has since admitted that he is trying to sell his majority stake in the club, in order to allow the Eagles to compete in Europe next season, saying: “We are trying to help separate it and sell. We wanted to buy but it’s become clear that isn’t going to happen and so we’re trying to help Palace and the situation with UEFA. That’s about all I can say.”

Textor also adds that a “good meeting” was held with UEFA, which suggests there is hope that Oliver Glasner’s side will take part in the competition, but there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Eberechi Eze exit stance as Arsenal and Tottenham eye Crystal Palace star

The England international is a wanted man this summer.

ByEmilio Galantini May 31, 2025

The lack of clarity could also affect summer transfer plans, as Selhurst Park will not be as attractive a destination without European football on offer, but the south Londoners continue to run the rule over potential new signings.

According to a report from Africa Foot (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace hold a strong interest in Watford winger Kwadwo Baah, who spent four years at Selhurst Park as a youth player from 2013 to 2017.

Such is Palace’s level of interest, they are now ready to submit a €8m (£7m) offer to complete a deal for Baah, although it is unclear whether Watford would accept a bid in that region, or hold out for a higher amount.

The winger’s versatility is of particular appeal to the Eagles, having regularly featured in both attack and right wing-back throughout the 2024-25 campaign.

"Explosive" Baah could be ready for Premier League move

The German’s time at Selhurst Park as a youth player didn’t work out, but he has managed to work his way up the football pyramid, spending time with Rochdale and Burton Albion in League One before making a name for himself with Watford.

The 2024-25 campaign was the 22-year-old’s most impressive to date, collecting four goals and three assists in the Championship, and displaying his versatility by featuring in a range of different attacking positions, including striker.

Former manager Tom Cleverley was also impressed by the forward, saying: “He is so skilful, so explosive, so powerful and direct. He’s been excellent for us this season.”

As such, Baah could now be ready to test himself in the Premier League, and a move to Selhurst Park would surely be of great appeal, particularly if UEFA sanction Glasner’s side playing in Europe.

Australia lost to India in St Lucia, and are now left hoping that Bangladesh beat Afghanistan but don’t surpass them on NRR

Matt Roller24-Jun-20241:45

Manrjekar: Head’s knock arguably the best of the tournament

Australia’s bid to become the first team to hold the World Test Championship, 50-over World Cup and T20 World Cup titles simultaneously is hanging by a thread, and relies on Bangladesh beating Afghanistan in St Vincent on Monday night. Even then, Bangladesh’s margin of victory cannot be too big – otherwise they will progress at Australia’s expense.After five consecutive wins to start the tournament, Australia were beaten by Afghanistan on Saturday night and were then caught cold by India on Monday morning in St Lucia. They dragged things back after Rohit Sharma’s onslaught, but still fell short in their attempt to chase down 206, leaving Mitchell Marsh to simply joke: “Come on, Bangladesh.”Travis Head, who top-scored in the run chase with 76, said the prospect of elimination felt “raw” immediately after the defeat, while Josh Hazlewood called it a “strange” feeling.Related

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“You’ve got to wait until late tonight to find out,” Hazlewood said. “We obviously can’t do anything else than what we’ve done, and we’re hoping that Bangladesh can get the job done.”Australia’s squad plans to watch the game together at their team hotel in Rodney Bay Marina, but face a long wait to find out their fate.”It would be nice for it to start at 1pm, but 8.30pm is pretty late to sort of wait on pins and needles,” Hazlewood said. “I assume we’ll be pretty much together watching that game, and hoping for the best.”It has been a sudden reversal for Australia at this World Cup: on Saturday afternoon, they looked well-placed to qualify for the semi-final but, 48 hours later are on the brink of elimination. They were the only team in the Super Eight phase to play a night match, travel the following day and then play a morning game, but refused to blame the schedule.”We knew it was coming,” Head said. “Everyone did what they needed to do, and I think we played a very good cricket team today. I felt like we were pretty good for 90% of it. Seeing how the guys came out, the energy this morning, I don’t think you can look too much into it. It’s what it is. We knew it was coming, so you deal with it.”Josh Hazlewood cited tight turnarounds as a contributing factor to Australia’s sloppy fielding•ICC/Getty Images

However, Hazlewood did cite tight turnarounds as a contributing factor to Australia’s sloppy fielding. “The guys are always working as hard as ever on their fielding at training, but there might not be as many opportunities to work on it at these tournaments,” he said. “You’re always travelling and playing. But it hasn’t been good enough for the last few games in particular.”Hazlewood also suggested that the breaks between Super Eight games could have been longer. “You could just balance them out with similar breaks. I can understand they want to create hype during the Super Eights and get a lot of games back-to-back,” he said. “It all comes to a head pretty quickly with a lot of eyes on it. But I think every tournament can be improved when you look back at it, so no doubt this one will be the same.”He said that the prospect of a “cut-throat” elimination was simply the nature of T20 World Cups. “I remember the last two World Cups: we probably had one bad day in each one, and we won one and didn’t make the semis in the other. It’s pretty cut-throat. I definitely like the new format, how you get a bit more of a run at it. It’s not sudden-death straight off.”But even South Africa, if they lost last night, they were out basically – so that could be how cut-throat it is. They win six games in a row, lose one and they’re out. I guess that’s the nature of T20 as well: you’ve got to be on your game every day that you turn up. It’s disappointing, but who knows what happens tonight?”It is not uncommon in T20 leagues for teams to watch other matches knowing that they are relying on a certain result. Both Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell were part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad in 2022 that qualified for the IPL knockouts, thanks to Tim David leading Mumbai Indians to a win which eliminated Delhi Capitals at RCB’s expense.But Hazlewood said that it was not something he had experienced before while playing for Australia. “I think it’s a first for me: maybe in an IPL, but never for international cricket,” he said. “It’s a strange one.”

Williamson admits “it’s very frustrating” to start the tournament with such a big loss

Vishal Dikshit08-Jun-20243:17

Rashid: Cricket the biggest source of happiness for Afghanistan fans

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has called their 84-run thrashing of New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2024 as “one of the greatest performances” from them in T20 cricket. Afghanistan made their defence of 159 a very one-sided affair by bundling New Zealand out for just 75 with four-fors from Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid himself.”It’s one of the greatest performances from us especially in T20s against a big team, New Zealand,” Rashid said at the presentation. “It is all great team effort. It’s not just about the bowling. It’s the batting, the way Ibrahim [Zadran] and [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz started. Again, the wicket wasn’t easy to score on. But the way they played, they didn’t throw away their wickets early on when they had a few dot balls from overs seven to nine. I think that was the time when they thought about taking it deep and overall it was a great effort, great win for Afghanistan and it’s a great feeling to be leading this side and winning against New Zealand.”Related

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Afghanistan show they are more than just their spinners

Rashid, Farooqi and Gurbaz the stars as Afghanistan crush NZ

Afghanistan now top the Group C table after their second straight win, scripted by a second straight century opening partnership between Gurbaz and Ibrahim. New Zealand, meanwhile, are at the bottom with a net run rate of -4.200 after losing their tournament opener by a big margin. They now have a challenging path to qualify for the Super Eights because their next game is against co-hosts West Indies in Tarouba.Rashid further said a score around 160-170 was going to be par on this surface because he had confidence in his bowling attack, even though Mujeeb Ur Rahman was out with a hand injury.”It’s something we have discussed before coming into the competition,” he said. “Anything around 160-170 we score on this track, with the bowling unit we have, we will give tough time to the opposition. We knew there was support for the bowlers in the wicket. As long as we keep things simple and hit the right areas consistently, it was going to be more effective for us, and that’s what happened. The spinners and especially the seamers, the way they started bowling and then Nabi bowling the second over – that gave us a very positive sign for the spinners that the ball is turning. Dew was there but still bowling tight, wicket to wicket, and the skills as a bowling unit we have, if we use our skills [to the potential], it’s going to be very hard for the opposition to score 160.”2:08

Williamson: ‘We were outplayed by Afghanistan’

Most frustrating part was fielding, says WilliamsonNew Zealand captain Kane Williamson also conceded they were “outplayed” in all facets of the game on a slow and tough Providence surface. Williamson also lamented several fielding lapses from New Zealand which allowed Afghanistan to accelerate after a cautious start.They also have plenty of errors to rue about, especially the two catches they put down and a run-out and stumping chance they missed. Williamson also felt the Afghanistan batters “played beautifully” to get to a total of 159 on a “fiddly surface”.”The most frustrating part, I think, was the fielding in the first ten overs,” he said. “It’s difficult on a wicket like that when you are not putting it together in the field, to restrict opposition teams. We certainly had opportunities in that first half and we didn’t take it.”They simply outplayed us in all facets of the game,” Williamson said of Afghanistan. “To get a total like that on a fiddly surface, they kept wickets in hand and played it beautifully. From our perspective, it wasn’t good enough in terms of starting a tournament. It’s very frustrating, but it’s a quick turnaround for us now, we have to regroup quickly and move on to our next challenge.”New Zealand will now fly to Tarouba before their next game on June 11. If West Indies beat Uganda by then for their second win, New Zealand’s qualification for the next stage will get even tougher.”I think it is about taking a step in the right direction first,” Williamson said of their next match. “Our performance was not good enough and we expected more from ourselves, and we know we are better than that. We know we’ve got another big challenge coming up, and the West Indies are playing fantastic cricket. For us it is about putting together a performance we can be proud of and gives us the best chance.”It’s the opportunities we had and we didn’t take and on a surface like that, it goes a long way to changing the score and the outcome. We had a couple of overs to perhaps keep it something defendable but we needed to get a lot right in the second innings with what was on offer and they executed really well.”

Every passing day at St. Andrew’s seems to throw up another gigantic transfer rumour involving Birmingham City.

This time, Bright Osayi-Samuel is the main name being linked with an ambitious switch to the West Midlands. The Blues are allegedly closing in on a deal to land the ex-Fenerbahce man on a free transfer, as per journalist Mike McGrath.

The non-stop rumour mill is unlikely to grind to a halt here when it comes to dishing out notable figures who could soon call Chris Davies’ side home, with plenty of other EFL-ready stars tipped to relocate to the Blues very soon.

Latest on Birmingham's transfer search

Having spent £15m just on Jay Stansfield alone last season when plying their trade in League One, it’s not the greatest shock in the world to see Birmingham flexing their muscles once more in terms of incoming signings.

Indeed, the mega-rich Blues are reportedly close to adding both Tommy Doyle and Demarai Gray to their expanding camp, with reports even suggesting that the Birmingham-born winger could cost around £8m to obtain.

Joining the aforementioned trio through the door very shortly could also be Kieran Dowell, with an exclusive report from GIVEMESPORT stating that a proposal has been made on the end of the newly promoted side to bring their former loanee back to St. Andrew’s.

However, it’s stated that this proposal is up in the air at the moment as new Rangers boss Russell Martin continues to assess whether Dowell is part of his long-term Ibrox plans or not.

With Ben Davies also on their agenda, according to GIVEMESPORT, it’s clear that adding in Championship experience by the bucket load is a huge priority, as Birmingham navigate the treacherous, but thrilling step back up to the second tier.

In Dowell, the Blues might well be winning themselves another adaptable and exciting presence at the level that’s very similar to Osayi-Samuel, as both potential new signings aim to help Birmingham soar to even greater heights in their fresh surroundings.

Why Dowell can be another Osayi-Samuel

Last season was a clear example for all those watching on at St. Andrew’s that the 27-year-old attacking midfielder is an accomplished performer in the EFL, as seen in his five goals and four assists from just 19 League One runouts.

Amazingly, he should only up his performance standards if he sticks it out for Birmingham’s move up to the Championship, with fans of clubs such as Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, and Wigan Athletic knowing all too well what the former England U21 international is about at the intimidating level.

In total, playing for those myriad clubs in the Championship, Dowell has managed to tally up a mightily impressive 26 goals and 12 assists from 123 clashes, with Osayi-Samuel not lagging too far behind with his own hefty output.

Indeed, the soon-to-be Birmingham presence can boast his own healthy total of 23 goals and assists across 109 Championship games, with the correlations between the seasoned pair not just ending there, as seen in their similar abilities to line up for their team across various positions if needed.

Dowell’s career numbers by position

Position played

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

AM

120

31

12

RM

50

9

10

CM

25

2

1

RW

19

7

5

LM

17

2

1

SS

2

0

0

LW

1

0

0

DM

1

0

0

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Across the ex-Queens Park Rangers man’s varied career to date, he has staggeringly lined up in ten different spots on the field, with a makeshift striker role even being taken up by the Nigeria international on occasion.

Dowell can show off the same levels of flexibility when looking at the table above, with the one-time Championship title winner more than capable of playing down the left or right wing, away from excelling as a number ten.

Even hailed as a “high-quality” performer by Davies last season, it does feel as if Dowell would jump at the opportunity to return to such a familiar stomping ground in the second tier, particularly after a challenging Rangers spell.

Both Dowell and Osayi-Samuel joining the Blues camp would show that the newly promoted side means business heading up a league, with another promotion not the craziest shout if everything clicks into place.

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Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin may have to deal with some of his top performers moving on from Ibrox before the end of the summer transfer window.

One club have reportedly made a bid of up to £10m to sign Mohamed Diomande from the Scottish Premiership giants, and his future in Glasgow remains uncertain.

Belgium international Nicolas Raskin, meanwhile, is a reported target for Premier League teams in England this summer.

This shows that the Rangers boss has to be concerned about whether or not he will have his key midfielders available when the real action gets underway later this month.

However, there will also be players whom Martin and the club more broadly will want to see leave before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

One such player the Gers may want to sell could be central defender Robin Propper, who has been linked with a move away from Ibrox in recent weeks.

Why Rangers should sell Robin Propper

Rangers only signed the Dutch centre-back from FC Twente last summer, as Philippe Clement brought him to Glasgow to bolster his defensive options, but they should move on from him already.

FC Twente have already reportedly held talks with the veteran central defender over a potential return to the Netherlands, and the Light Blues should take advantage of their interest.

The Eredivisie outfit being keen to bring Propper back to the club means that the Gers have an opportunity to recoup some of the money that they spent on him, and save money on his wages for the upcoming campaign.

Rangers should be looking to cash in on the 31-year-old flop before the end of the summer transfer window because he simply did not adjust to the physicality required at Ibrox.

In the 2024/25 Europa League, for example, the centre-back lost 55% of his ground duels and 56% of his aerial battles, which shows that opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him on the deck and in the air in physical contests.

Fenerbahce

Unused substitute

Celtic

34 mins

Dundee

Unused substitute

Hibernian

Unused substitute

Athletic Club

13 mins

Aberdeen

90 mins

St Mirren

90 mins

Aberdeen

Unused substitute

Dundee United

Unused substitute

Hibernian

80 mins

As you can see in the table above, Propper became a bit-part player by the end of the season, starting just three of his last ten appearances in the matchday squad.

Therefore, the Dutch flop, despite managing a goal against Celtic, should be dispensable this summer and allowed to return to FC Twente.

English club bid for Rangers flop

As well as selling Propper, the Scottish Premiership giants may be able to cash in on another flop before the summer transfer window slams shut, amid interest in one of their midfielders.

Transfer Focus

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

According to GIVEMESPORT, Birmingham are eyeing up a move to sign attacking midfielder Kieran Dowell on a permanent deal from the Light Blues.

The report claims that the Championship side, who won the League One title last season, have tabled an offer to bring the £16k-per-week earner back to St. Andrew’s for the 2025/26 campaign.

It states that the Blues are waiting on a decision from Rangers after submitting their bid, as it remains to be seen whether or not Martin will want Dowell to be a part of his plans next term.

Why Rangers should sell Kieran Dowell

The former Scotland international must decide that the attacking midfielder is not a part of his plans for next season and tell Kevin Thelwell to agree a deal with Birmingham after the English side submitted a bid for his services.

Dowell should be viewed as being as dispensable as Propper at Ibrox this summer, given what he has produced in a Rangers shirt up to this point.

The 27-year-old dud arrived in Glasgow on a free transfer from Norwich City in the summer of 2023 and has only produced two goals and two assists in 32 appearances for the club in all competitions to date.

These statistics show that Dowell has not delivered anywhere near enough quality in front of goal for a player who is tasked with making an impact as a scorer and a creator in a number ten or wide position.

His performances in the Premiership during the first half of the 2024/25 Premiership campaign for Clement led to him being moved out on loan to Birmingham in January.

Appearances

12

Starts

2

Goals

0

Key passes per game

0.7

Assists

0

Ground duel success rate

46%

Aerial duel success rate

43%

As you can see in the table above, Dowell did not earn a place in the starting XI on a regular basis, and failed to contribute a single goal or assist, before his temporary exit.

Rangers must now, therefore, make his exit a permanent one by accepting Birmingham’s offer to sign him this summer, as he has failed to prove that he has what it takes to deliver consistent quality for the Light Blues at Ibrox.

The former Canaries star does not appear to have the potential to be a key player for Martin moving form, given what he has shown in Scotland so far, which is why the midfielder should be as dispensable as Propper.

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ByDan Emery Jul 1, 2025

فاز منتخب مصر الثاني المقرر مشاركته في بطولة كأس العرب، على تونس، بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، في المباراة الودية التي أقيمت بينهما يوم الثلاثاء.

ولعب منتخب مصر ضد تونس، على ملعب هيئة استاد السويس، وديًا، في إطار الاستعدادات للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب 2025.

وسجل هدف منتخب مصر الأول، اللاعب يحيى زكريا الظهير الأيسر بتسديدة يسارية قوية من على حدود منطقة الجزاء، في الدقيقة السادسة.

وأضاف الهدف الثاني، اللاعب مصطفى سعد ميسي بتسديدة رائعة من داخل منطقة الجزاء عند الدقيقة 18، واختتم الثلاثية ميدو جابر في الدقيقة 66 بتصويبة قوية.

طالع.. فيديو | يحيى زكريا يسجل هدف مصر الأول أمام تونس أهداف مباراة مصر وتونس وديًا 3-0

وبذلك يختتم منتخب مصر الثاني بقيادة حلمي طولان، معسكره الحالي، الذي أقيم من الفترة من 1 حتى 9 من شهر سبتمبر الجاري.

وخاض منتخب مصر مباراة أولى مع تونس، وذلك يوم السبت الماضي، وفاز أيضًا بنتيجة هدف دون رد، سجله محمد مجدي أفشة.

يذكر أن بطولة كأس العرب، في قطر ستنطلق في الأول من شهر ديسمبر المقبل، وأسفرت القرعة عن تواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثالثة مع منتخبات الأردن والإمارات والفائز من (الكويت ضد موريتانيا).

Opening pair combine for club-record 259-run partnership to set up huge win

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2024Centurions Ed Pollock and Gareth Roderick rewrote the record books in spectacular style for Worcestershire during their 183-run Metro Bank One Day Cup triumph over Middlesex at New Road.The opening pair smashed 259 off just 35.2 overs, Worcestershire’s highest first wicket List A partnership, in a total of 371 for 3 from 48 overs. Their stand surpassed by the 243 made by Brett D’Oliveira and Jack Haynes against Essex at Chelmsford three years ago.Pollock went onto amass 180 from 138 balls with five sixes and 21 fours, his second century in four days after his 120 not out against Wales in a warm-up match. It was the joint second-highest individual score for Worcestershire in List A cricket alongside Tom Moody with only Callum Ferguson (192) ahead of Pollock.Roderick was the perfect foil to Pollock during the initial phase of his innings but then accelerated to such an extent that he scored his 115 off only 104 balls and also with five sixes in addition to 10 other boundaries.A three wicket burst with the new ball by Harry Darley, one of six Worcestershire One-Day Cup debutants, pressed home his side’s advantage. Another in Jack Home then chipped in with three wickets and, Middlesex who lost half of their side for 118 despite Mark Stoneman’s powerful 75 off 37 balls, were bowled out in just 25.4 overs.Worcestershire fielded arguably the most inexperienced attack in their history after being decimated by injury and illness. Their absentees were Joe Leach, Adam Finch, Nathan Smith, Ben Gibbon, Matthew Waite, Yadvinder Singh, Josh Cobb, Kashif Ali and D’Oliveira.Six players made their One-Day Cup debuts in Home and Darley, Rehaan Edavalath and three new short-term signings from National Counties cricket in Tom Hinley (Oxfordshire), Hishaam Khan (Staffordshire) and Tommy Sturgess (Berkshire). Middlesex had five players absent due to the Hundred in Stephen Eskinazi, Max Holden, Leus du Plooy, Ryan Higgins and Tom Helm, and handed first One Day Cup starts to Nathan Fernandes and Noah Cornwell.Worcestershire were put into bat and Pollock and Roderick gave them a flying start with a century stand in 16.3 overs. Pollock was the dominant partner initially and raced to his half century off 45 balls. But Roderick gradually stepped on the accelerator in supporting the left-hander as boundaries flowed constantly and he completed a 62-ball fifty.Pollock moved into the 90s with a six backward of square off Blake Cullen and then a steer to third man off the same bowler enabled him to complete a superb hundred. Roderick swept Fernandes for another maximum – his fourth – in completing a 92-ball hundred which also contained nine fours.The stand was worth 259 in 35.2 overs when Roderick attempted a similar shot against Fernandes and was bowled. But then Rob Jones provided staunch support in adding 93 in just 10.2 overs with Pollock.. His memorable effort finally ended when he went for another big hit against Fernandes and was caught at long-on.Darley, who made his senior debut with four appearances in the Vitality Blast, struck a trio of early blows with the new ball when Middlesex launched their reply. His second legitimate delivery nipped back and bowled Sam Robson and then a similar ball hit the top of Joe Cracknell’s off stump.There was more joy for Darley when Fernandes aimed a leg-side blow and popped up a catch to captain Jake Libby at cover. Home came into the attack and struck when Jack Davies top edged a skier to fellow keeper Roderick. He then had Stoneman caught behind when driving and Martin Andersson holed out to third man and the innings quickly subsided.

Fulham have now made an approach to sign a “top striker”, having expressed a “concrete interest” in securing his signature, Sky reporter Sacha Tavolieri has revealed on X.

Cottagers eyeing new striker amid Rodrigo Muniz uncertainty

Rodrigo Muniz’s future at Craven Cottage is in doubt, with the striker attracting interest from Premier League rivals Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, with Thomas Frank’s side said to have made an offer for the Brazilian.

Losing the 24-year-old could be seen as a real blow for Marco Silva, given that he was a regular starter throughout the 2024-25 campaign, picking up a total of eight goals and one assist in 31 Premier League appearances.

However, the Cottagers should be able to pocket a tidy fee for the forward, should they choose to sanction a departure, given that Spurs’ bid was believed to amount to £32m, which would provide them with adequate funds to sign a top replacement.

Talks held: Fulham now approach agents of "incredible" £34m UCL finalist

The Cottagers have come forward to sign a midfielder…

ByDominic Lund Jul 2, 2025

In a recent update on X, Tavolieri has now revealed that Fulham are assessing potential options to replace Rodrigo, stating they hold a “concrete interest” in signing KRC Genk striker Tolu Arokodare, but there could be competition for his signature.

Alongside Fulham, a number of other Premier League clubs have made approaches for Arokodare, although the Sky Sports reporter appears to indicate Silva’s side are leading the race for his signature, with a move to Craven Cottage deemed the “most concrete possibility”.

A move may hinge upon Muniz leaving the club, however, with the Nigerian viewed as a “serious option” in the event of the former Flamengo man exiting Craven Cottage this summer.

"Top striker" Arokodare could be ideal replacement for Muniz

The Genk striker is yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s top leagues, but he has maintained a solid goal record throughout his career so far, and the 2024-25 campaign was by far his most prolific to date.

Season

Appearances

Goals

Assists

2021-22

40

13

2

2022-23

34

10

4

2023-24

52

15

3

2024-25

45

23

7

The Nigeria international’s exploits last season suggest that he could now be entering his prime, indicating he could make an instant impact at Craven Cottage, and Genk manager Thorsten Fink clearly holds his star player in very high regard.

Fink said: “Tolu is a top striker. He is fast, strong in the air, left and right-footed, and he scores. What more could you want as a coach? Moreover, he now also carries out his defensive duties, which he didn’t do before.”

With Genk looking to hold out for a fee of £25m, a deal for Arokodare will be affordable, should Fulham decide to cash-in on their Brazilian star this summer, and he has all the tools to be a success in west London.

Australian allrounder follows 63 not out with 4 for 11 in 82-run hammering at The Oval

ECB Media02-Aug-2024

Annabel Sutherland followed up her 63* with a 4 for 11 to give Northern Superchargers their first win of the season•ECB via Getty Images

Annabel Sutherland inspired Northern Superchargers to their first victory of the Hundred with a sterling all-round performance at The Kia Oval.The powerful Australian made 63 from 40 balls to take her team to an imposing total of 146 for 4, before taking 4 for 11 with the ball to wrap up the win. Her four wickets were all clean bowled, and came from the last six balls of the match to ensure it was a game very much defined by her abilities.After a loss and a tie, Sutherland’s heroics provided Hollie Armitage’s team with their first win of the campaign and further opened up the table in a year that has seeing every team lose at least once.”It is so nice to get a win on the board,” Sutherland. “I don’t think we were that far off last game with the tie. We’ve felt pretty good as a group. We’ve bowled very well, we just haven’t quite put it together with the bat, so it was nice to do it out there.”Needing a win, Davina Perrin set the tone for the Superchargers with two early boundaries – and though her stay was a short one, caught superbly by Amanda-Jade Wellington off the bowling of Rachel Slater, her aggression gave an indication of what was to come from the visitors.Phoebe Litchfield took on the mantle, backed up by England wicket-keeper Bess Heath, but it was Sutherland’s innings – featuring three long-levered sixes into the sun-drenched crowd – that stood out.Oval Invincibles’ 100 per cent record in the competition so far would have given them hope of chasing down Superchargers’ 146, and so too would the introduction of Chamari Athapaththu, the Sri Lankan skipper making her first appearance in this year’s competition after her country’s Asia Cup success.But Athapaththu wasn’t to last long, dismissed on the 20th ball of the innings, caught smartly by Kate Cross off the bowling off Linsey Smith. Two balls later, Invincibles were five down when Cross bowled Mady Villiers, the second of her two wickets having earlier trapped Winfield-Hill in front.Smith also accounted for Alice Capsey, with Marizanne Kapp undone by a run-out, and at 23 for 5 the contest was as good as done.Paige Scholfield and Wellington re-built for Invincibles, without ever threatening Superchargers’ total, and then Sutherland returned to take four in six and put Superchargers on the board.