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Leeds United have been boosted by the news that a “special” transfer target could be allowed to leave his current club, amid their continued interest in him.

Leeds linked with "one of the best" midfielders in the world

The Whites continue to be linked with key signings ahead of their return to the Premier League after their Championship title win, with Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz an audacious target for Daniel Farke’s side, potentially coming in on a loan-to-buy basis.

He has genuine pedigree as a Brazil international and former Premier League player, with Sky Italia perhaps exaggerating a bit when he signed for Juve: “Douglas Luiz in that role is one of the best in the world ever – Signing Douglas Luiz is a global coup!”

Roma teenager Lovro Golic has also been mentioned as a summer target for Leeds, perhaps being seen as more of a long-term investment. While the 19-year-old centre-back is yet to make an appearance at senior level for the Serie A giants, he has featured 83 times across three youth teams.

Meanwhile, the Whites have reportedly submitted an offer for Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz, which could be an excellent piece of business, considering he has already proven himself in the top flight.

Leeds interested in 2x Premier League champion

According to The Boot Room, Leeds are among the clubs “interested” in signing Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez ahead of next season, with Crystal Palace and West Ham also thought to be in the mix.

While the Reds are “happy” to keep hold of the 28-year-old, the report also states that they would be willing to cash in if the player seeks more playing time. He has shown no signs of unhappiness yet, posting a social media statement celebrating his ten years at the club this week, but would need a starting role elsewhere to force his way into the England set-up for next year’s World Cup.

Gomez could be a perfect summer signing for Leeds, possessing a wealth of experience that has seen him win two Premier League titles with Liverpool. The £85,000-a-week Englishman has often had to accept a squad role, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate preferred, so from a Whites perspective, the hope is that he wants to be a regular somewhere else.

Gomez is a strong central defender with pace to burn, even after some serious injuries down the years, and Arne Slot hailed his attitude last season: “Last season he played many, many, many games – I think you could call him a starter that season – and in some other seasons maybe he was more of the second choice in every other position in the last line.

“For him to keep doing this probably tells you a lot about his mentality but also what he does on a daily basis in training sessions and at home to stay as fit as he is, because he’s incredibly fit and ready to perform. That is more special than people think it is, that’s definitely true.”

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Ultimately, the decision rests with Gomez, who may simply end up deciding to stay at Liverpool, but it appears as though Leeds have a chance of getting him, and Farke should view him as a top option.

Liverpool plan on defending their newly claimed Premier League title next season, having defied expectations to dominantly dethrone Manchester City after four years, brushing injury-hit Arsenal aside in the race for the top spot.

Few expected Arne Slot’s side to challenge this year, having just been dealt the bitter blow of Jurgen Klopp’s departure, the iconic manager stepping down after nearly nine years at the helm.

Football can be fickle, however, and the detractors will be out in force come autumn, waiting for the Merseysiders to stumble. That’s why FSG have moved incisively to back their head coach and strengthen a number of areas.

Liverpool’s full-back berths have been shored up, even with Trent Alexander-Arnold now playing in Real Madrid’s white jersey, and Florian Wirtz is on the brink of signing for the English giants.

Negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen have dragged on a bit, but all parties expect Wirtz to sign for the Anfield side, and for a British-record £120m fee at that.

And there’s even more still to come.

Liverpool's summer transfer plans

Wirtz is a one-of-a-kind attacking midfielder, regarded by sports media professional Cristian Nyari to be a “truly generational talent.”

However, he alone won’t restore the equilibrium of Liverpool’s frontline. Darwin Nunez is “planning to leave”, as per Fabrizio Romano, and Liverpool are doing due diligence on a number of strikers, the likes of which include Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig. Victor Osimhen’s name has also been mentioned.

Liverpool, furthermore, could lose one of their major attacking cogs, Luis Diaz, who is being courted by Barcelona and Saudi side Al Nassr. Barcelona have already seen an approach rebuffed.

Should Diaz, who is entering the second-to-last year of his contract, leave, Liverpool will need to source a replacement, and they might just have found the man for the job.

Liverpool plotting move for Premier League star

As per TEAMtalk, Liverpool are considering making their move for Newcastle United wide forward Anthony Gordon, who has been valued at £80m.

Transfer Focus

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

The winger is said to be ‘extremely happy’ at St James’ Park, although he would be ‘very keen’ on returning to Merseyside, with Liverpool ‘confident of striking a deal’, despite the lack of ‘club-to-club contact’ with the Magpies as yet.

It feels unlikely Gordon would arrive if Diaz stays put, but this could be a neat replacement for a 28-year-old who appears open to leaving, especially since, for Gordon, it would be a homecoming, having left Liverpool’s academy aged 11.

Liverpool will continue to prepare their offer until Diaz’s future is resolved, but should the Colombian leave, the Magpies ace is the top target.

Why Liverpool should sign Anthony Gordon

Last summer, Liverpool explored an opportunity to sign Gordon after his tremendous 2023/24 campaign for Newcastle, notching 28 goal contributions across all competitions.

However, the Magpies found alternative ways to avoid financial repercussions from the Premier League, and he stayed put.

Now, though, the potential sale of Diaz could see the Reds return, maybe enticing the boyhood Liverpool fan to make the move back to Merseyside and combine with a fellow new recruit in Wirtz, who might just hold the key to a new level of performance on the 24-year-old Gordon’s part.

Diaz can prove a tricky opponent for even the meanest of defences, and in that regard, Gordon could be the perfect replacement, having described himself as being “a nightmare for anyone”.

His pace and athleticism are exactly what Liverpool need to keep their left flank firing on all cylinders, and with Wirtz pulling the strings from the middle, it might be the start of a truly special partnership.

Wirtz’s blend of creativity, hard graft and dribbling is enough to raise the game of any forward teammates, including that of Gordon, who perhaps hasn’t reached the same heights on Tyneside across his second full season.

Injury and suspension have come together to prove a hindrance for the Three Lions star across the latter half of the season, but he’s now a Carabao Cup champion and played his part in pulling Newcastle back into the Champions League.

Moreover, there’s enough there to suggest Wirtz could elevate him to the next level. Indeed, former Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes has described the German international as being “probably the best midfielder in the world.”

Matches (starts)

35 (34)

34 (28)

Goals

11

6

Assists

10

5

Shots (on target)*

2.3 (0.9)

1.7 (0.6)

Pass completion

82%

81%

Key passes*

1.6

1.5

Big chances created

16

6

Dribbles*

1.5

1.1

Ball recoveries*

3.6

2.9

Tackles + interceptions*

1.8

1.1

Duels (won)*

5.3 (49%)

4.4 (52%)

So then, such a player would be perfect to bring Gordon back to life. The Leverkusen sensation, after all, ranked among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Bundesliga last year for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for progressive passes and progressive carries, and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

The high-level consistency across so many different metrics really does make a conclusive comment on the calibre of player Liverpool could be getting with Wirtz, and if fielded alongside Gordon, Slot could have a duo for the ages, capable of leading the club to another sustained spell of glory, challenging every year for the biggest prizes.

For now, we can only wait for the movements concerning Diaz’s future at Liverpool. But given the proactive start to the summer that sporting director Richard Hughes is overseeing, you wouldn’t bet against levers having been put in place to make a move for Gordon in the coming weeks, bringing him back to Anfield after so many years.

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Liverpool are making sweeping changes in the transfer market this summer.

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Liverpool have reportedly “identified” a “fantastic” replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer, with the player in question excelling in the Premier League this season.

Trent's Liverpool future still unknown

With Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk tied down to their respective new two-year deals in recent weeks, Reds supporters have been able to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

That said, there are still huge doubts surrounding the future of Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool, with the vice-captain heavily linked with a move from his boyhood club to Real Madrid.

The fact that the 26-year-old has done little to play down the rumours at any point suggests that his head may well have been turned by a high-profile summer switch to the Santiago Bernabeu, in a decision that would have the potential to harm his legacy at Anfield.

If Alexander-Arnold does leave Liverpool this summer, it is vital that a top-quality replacement comes in, with SC Freiburg’s Kiliann Sildillia mentioned as a target. Bayer Leverkusen ace Jeremie Frimpong has also been backed to join the Reds, having shone under Xabi Alonso for the reigning Bundesliga champions.

Liverpool eyeing "fantastic" Trent replacement

According to an update from Caught Offside on Sunday, Liverpool have “identified” Nottingham Forest right-back Ola Aina as a new target and option to replace Alexander-Arnold at the end of the season, assuming he leaves.

The 28-year-old has shone for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side throughout the 2024/25 campaign, proving to be a key player in their push for unlikely Champions League qualification.

The £40,000-a-week Aina is a strong option for Liverpool alongside the likes of Sildillia and Frimpong this summer, with his performances for Forest showing what an asset he could be.

The Nigerian has averaged 2.9 clearances and 0.4 aerial duel wins per game in the Premier League across 30 appearances, which is superior to Alexander-Arnold’s tallies in that area, as the table below illustrates.

Appearances

30

28

Starts

30

26

Minutes played

2575

2158

Goals

2

2

Assists

1

6

Clearances per game

2.9

1.6

Aerial duel wins per game

0.4

0.1

Interceptions per game

1.0

1.1

Aina has also been lauded for one attacking moment of quality earlier this season, with Glenn Murray full of praise for his goal against Aston Villa:

“Sometimes when you come on to a shot like that the temptation can be to leather the ball with your laces. But, it’s a side foot, it’s controlled and it’s a fantastic finish, it really is.”

At 28, Aina is two years older than Alexander-Arnold, however, and wouldn’t necessarily represent a long-term option for Liverpool, which is arguably the biggest negative against them signing him.

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The Reds would arguably be wiser to look at younger targets, such as those mentioned above, allowing them to sign someone with more scope to improve as the years pass.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly setting aside over £100 million to sign a Brazil international and his teammate this summer, amid criticism surrounding Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy’s transfer policy.

Levy defends Tottenham spending amid ENIC protests

Earlier this week, the Lilywhites released their latest set of financial results.

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The club announced a four per cent drop in revenue overall, with matchday income falling to £106 million and UEFA prize money down from £56 million to just over £1 million, due to their lack of European participation last season (Standard Sport).

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Chelsea (away)

April 3rd

Southampton (home)

April 6th

Wolves (away)

April 13th

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

Following these numbers released from Tottenham’s last financial year, amid fierce criticism surrounding the club’s transfer policy, Levy has moved to defend the north Londoners’ squad investment.

“Since opening our new stadium in April 2019, we have invested over £700 million net in player acquisitions,” said Levy in an official statement.

“Recruitment remains a key focus, and we must ensure that we make smart purchases within our financial means. We cannot spend what we do not have, and we will not compromise the financial stability of this club – indeed, our off-pitch revenues have significantly supplemented the lower football revenues this year, testament to our diversified income strategy.”

Ange Postecoglou is under mounting pressure in the dugout after a dismal 2024/2025 season, with reports heavily linking Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola with the potential Spurs job.

Levy also commented on the team’s league position, urging supporters to get behind the side ahead of a crucial next few weeks.

“We currently find ourselves in 14th position in the Premier League, navigating what has been a highly challenging season on the pitch,” said Levy.

“We are, however, in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Winning this competition would see welcome silverware and mean qualification for the UEFA Champions League. We must do everything we can to support the team in these final key stages.”

“I want to thank everyone who supports us through good times and bad. We are resilient and passionate about our Club. We shall aim to finish this season as strongly as we can and continue to build for success on the pitch.”

Tottenham plan to spend over £100m on Matheus Cunha and Joao Gomes

Interestingly, despite Levy’s caution when it comes to spending, a new report has now claimed Spurs are ready to seriously invest in the signings of Wolves duo Matheus Cunha and Joao Gomes.

CaughtOffside write that Tottenham are planning to spend over £100m on Gomes and Cunha, which would surely be a huge chunk of their transfer budget.

Postecoglou’s side pose a serious threat to Arsenal’s pursuit of Cunha as a result, with the Brazil internationals firmly on technical director Johan Lange’s radar heading into this summer window.

Cunha has starred for Wolves in a variety of attacking roles this term, scoring 15 goals and racking up four assists, and his contract will include a tantalising £62.5 million release clause.

Gomes, meanwhile, is a mainstay under Vitor Pereira. The 24-year-old has started 27 out of 29 Premier League matches for Wolves this term, averaging a very impressive 3.1 tackles per 90 at Molineux in that time (WhoScored).

India also joined West Indies and England as the only sides with two men’s T20 World Cup titles in the bag

Sampath Bandarupalli29-Jun-20241 – India became the first team to win the men’s T20 World Cup without losing a game all tournament. India won all eight matches they played in the tournament, and had one washout: the first-round game against Canada.India’s eight consecutive wins in completed games is the joint-longest winning streak for any team in the men’s T20 World Cup. Australia won eight successive games across the 2022 and 2024 editions, while South Africa was on an eight-match winning streak before Saturday’s defeat.8-1 – Win-loss record of the teams winning the toss in the finals of the men’s T20 World Cup. The only team to lose a final despite winning the toss was Sri Lanka against Pakistan in 2009.Related

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It is only the third instance of a team winning a men’s T20 World Cup final while defending a total. India against Pakistan in 2007 and West Indies against Sri Lanka in 2012 won the final while batting first.2 – India is now the third team to win the men’s T20 World Cup for the second time, having won the inaugural 2007 edition. West Indies were the first team with two titles, having won in 2012 and 2016, while England won in 2010 and 2022.9 – Players to be part of two men’s T20 World Cup final wins – Rohit Sharma was added to the list on Saturday. Eight West Indies players were part of their both title wins – Daren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree, Andre Russell and Denesh Ramdin.ESPNcricinfo Ltd176 for 7 – India’s total against South Africa on Saturday is the highest by any team in the final of the men’s T20 World Cup. Australia’s 173 for 2 in a run chase against New Zealand in 2021 was the previous highest. The 345 runs scored in Bridgetown is the joint-highest aggregate for a men’s T20 World Cup final.23 – Balls Heinrich Klaasen needed for his fifty against India, the fastest in any men’s World Cup final. The previous quickest was off 31 balls by Mitchell Marsh against New Zealand in the 2021 T20 World Cup final.16.95 – Per cent of the target that South Africa needed at the start of the 16th over with six wickets in hand – 30 runs out of 177. It is the second-lowest percentage of the target runs any team failed to chase in the last five overs (16-20) of a men’s T20I with six or more wickets in hand, where ball-by-ball data is available.New Zealand needed 15.06 % of their target at the start of the 16th over – 141 for 3 chasing 166 against South Africa in 2012. They ended up losing by three runs, finishing on 162 for 7.16 – Player-of-the-Match awards for Virat Kohli in the T20I format – the most for any player in men’s T20Is, surpassing Suryakumar Yadav’s 15. Eight of Kohli’s 16 match awards have come in the men’s T20 World Cup, while no one else has more than five.ESPNcricinfo Ltd37y, 60d – Rohit’s age on Saturday, making him the oldest captain to win a T20 World Cup. He is also the second-oldest captain to win an ICC tournament final, behind Imran Khan, who was 39 year and 172 days old when Pakistan defeated England in the 1992 ODI World Cup final.8-0 – Rohit’s win-loss record as captain in T20 finals – six with Mumbai Indians and two for India. Only MS Dhoni has won more men’s T20 finals as captain than Rohit, nine out of 15.This is also the 11th T20 final where Rohit was part of the winning side of the 12 he has played. Only Dwayne Bravo (17), Kieron Pollard (16) and Shoaib Malik (15) have more men’s T20 final wins than Rohit.49 – Wins for Rohit as captain out of the 62 T20Is where he led India, the most for anyone in men’s T20Is, surpassing Babar Azam’s 48. India have lost only 12 T20Is under Rohit’s captaincy, while another game ended in a tie, which India went on to win in the Super Over.2 – Number of players, including Kohli, to be part of the winning team in the finals of all three ICC white-ball events (ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy). MS Dhoni was the first to be part of all three, and he did it as a captain.

There are concerns elsewhere too: in taking on quality spin, and in assembling a solid pace attack if Shaheen Afridi isn’t good to go

Shashank Kishore13-Sep-2022The Babar-Rizwan conundrum
We have talked about this before. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have scored over 60% of Pakistan’s runs in all T20Is since the start of last year’s T20 World Cup and have been, over the last two years, a wildly prolific pair. But, like in the semi-final loss at the T20 World Cup last year, the Asia Cup has made it clear there’s merit in trying to break them up.Related

• Shaheen Afridi completes rehab for knee injury, to join Pakistan squad in Brisbane on October 15

• Fakhar Zaman out of T20 World Cup squad with knee injury, Shan Masood called up

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• Saqlain firm in 'faith, trust and belief' in Rizwan and Babar

• Asia Cup XI – Power up top, all-round options, fire with the ball

Rizwan top-scored at the Asia Cup, but he struck at just 117.57. There’s a growing chorus over how his approach might not be the most optimal for Pakistan. Where middling targets haven’t been that much of a problem – their World Cup game against India last year being a prime example – bigger targets have magnified their issue with strike rates.In the Asia Cup final, for example, Rizwan played 22 deliveries in the powerplay while striking at 72.72 – in a chase of 170. Iftikhar Ahmed’s 31-ball 32 sucked the air out of that chase as well and by the time Rizwan was dismissed for a 49-ball 55, the pair had left Pakistan with a few too many to get – 61 off 23.Babar, meanwhile, has just one half-century in seven T20I innings this year. That half-century was in a losing cause against Australia, where Pakistan collapsed around his 46-ball 66 and finished with a below-par total that was chased down comfortably. Questions about his striking in the powerplay have lingered for far longer than has been the case with Rizwan.For a pair, their run rate is the second-lowest among all Full Members, behind Danushka Gunathilaka and Pathum Nissanka. In 13 games, they have scored 401 runs at a strike rate of 122.27. On the face of it, it’s not too bad, but it has invariably put a lot of pressure on the middle order.2:59

Is middle-order batting Pakistan’s Achilles’ heel?

Given Pakistan play seven T20Is at home against England and a tri-series with New Zealand and Bangladesh, in New Zealand, in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, they could yet change the opening pair: one of the moves could be to have Fakhar Zaman open the batting, and one of Rizwan or Babar drop down the order.”I think they should [separate Babar and Rizwan],” Mickey Arthur, their former coach, said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out programme during the Asia Cup. “Fakhar hits the ball in different areas, it frustrates the bowlers a little bit. It is the different angles, you’ve got a left-hand and a right-hand. So, spread Babar and Rizwan and you put Fakhar Zaman back at the top.”More power for the middle
As things stand, because teams know the openers occupy the crease for a good length of time and score the bulk of the runs, there isn’t a lot below the top three, even though the middle order has typically scored their runs quickly enough.But there is a larger problem there – against spin.Versus Afghanistan, Pakistan’s move to promote Shadab Khan to No. 5 [with good effect] was largely to shield Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah from Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. In the Super 4s game against India, Ravi Bishnoi kept them quiet in the death overs. And if it wasn’t for Asif’s reprieve – after top-edging a slog off Yuzvendra Chahal – who knows how that game could have turned out? Such luck may not come their way all the time.Khushdil’s record at No. 4 across T20s is impressive, striking at 146 at an average of 27. But the disparity between his domestic T20 record [strike rate 138, average nearly 29] and his international one [strike rate 110, average 20] is vast and over an increasing sample size. He also has struggled against spin.Shan Masood is more comfortable as an anchor, but has reinvented himself in T20 cricket of late•Getty ImagesIn fact, Shadab’s record at No. 4 is stellar enough to wonder why he has never played there for Pakistan. In 19 innings, he’s averaging over 28 at a strike rate of nearly 160 . He was especially impressive for Islamabad United in the last PSL, until an injury disrupted his season.Other options include Haider Ali, who could be elevated from the bench, where he spent the whole of the Asia Cup. However, he hasn’t featured in any T20I since December last year. Having travelled with the national team, he has also missed out on any form of game time in the shortest format since March.Another option gaining traction among observers of Pakistan cricket is Shan Masood, who has been in the form of his life. Though uncapped in T20Is, Masood, the tall left-handed opener, has amassed 1257 runs in the format in 2022, striking at 136.68. He set tongues wagging at the Vitality Blast, where he was the fifth-highest run-scorer with 547 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 139.89 for Derbyshire.However, in the ongoing National T20 Cup, he is batting in the middle order, seemingly in a bid to make the T20 World Cup squad. But, like Rizwan and Babar, Masood is primarily an anchor. This may not work in the middle order, but the plethora of games in the lead-up could give him an opportunity to present a case for making the first XI in Australia.The real outside shots are Sharjeel Khan and Azam Khan, the latter currently playing in the CPL for Barbados Royals in the middle order.Sharjeel hasn’t featured in T20Is for over a year now, while Azam’s selection eligibility – given he has obtained a no-objection certificate from the PCB to play in the CPL rather than in the National T20 Cup – is unclear. On Monday, opening for Sindh, Sharjeel struck an unbeaten 62-ball 107 to help raze down Balochistan’s 158, with three overs to go. But, again, much of his success for Pakistan has been at the top.Pakistan would dearly love to have Shaheen Afridi back, and firing, at the T20 World Cup•ICC via GettyWhat happens if Afridi misses out?
Pakistan don’t have problems with their allrounders, with Shadab and Mohammad Nawaz certainties. But in the pace department, they are anxiously waiting on Shaheen Shah Afridi’s recovery from a knee injury.The nature and extent of that injury has only become clearer over time and Shaheen has now missed the Asia Cup and will likely sit out the seven T20Is against England as he undergoes treatment. If he returns, Pakistan have a gun pace attack with Shaheen, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, with all his BBL experience, being the top three pacers.If Shaheen misses out, Pakistan will be banking on one of Mohammad Hasnain, like they did at the Asia Cup, or Shahnawaz Dahani, who featured in just one game, against Hong Kong. If Mohammad Wasim doesn’t recover in time, it could mean Hasan Ali remains in the mix, even though he may have not played much cricket recently, leaving the back-up options a tad undercooked.Which is why drawing a balance between results and providing players opportunities against England will become all the more crucial.

He had a clean kaput of an exit, the completeness of a career with no lingering sense of unfulfillment

Osman Samiuddin20-Oct-2020Umar Gul has retired. This is not the precursor to an eventual u-turn. It is not a tantrum. It is not some power play to manoeuvre himself into captaincy. Umar Gul has retired and, with a degree of confidence, full-stop this sentence.This was always one of Gul’s most endearing traits: he is an uncomplicated figure. What you see is what you get is what he is, is what he said.One of the more illuminating stories about Gul comes from that turbulent period in 2009, when players were forever angling to remove whoever was the captain. Gul, not hitherto part of any faction, was pushed by a senior player to complain about the captain in one team meeting in front of everyone. He did, but when the captain countered and asked why he was complaining, Gul said that he wasn’t but that the senior player – present of course – had told him to and so he did. Rulers don’t come this straight.There was once an on-field squabble with Mohammad Amir over a dropped catch, and he recently – but gently – questioned the new domestic structure. But the PCB’s very vast archives of player disciplinary breaches don’t record an entry under ‘Gul, Umar’. Somehow he even came out untarnished from the Tours from Hell, Down Under in 2009-10, after which the PCB punished anything with a pulse.Putting all this front and centre may come across as a sideways dig at his bowling: his primary task, after all, wasn’t to be a nice guy but to take wickets. It isn’t intended to be. It’s just that we know Pakistani fast bowling is a fraught beat. It comes with aches and traumas, joys and bedlam, buts and if-onlys; some days it is only marginally about the bowling, and the rest of the time, it isn’t about the bowling at all. Almost none of it is good for the heart.With Gul, his bowling came with zero baggage. The rules were simple. He could be exceptional, good, ordinary, poor or awful and that was it. Pack your bags, day’s done, get on with your life, come back tomorrow. It may not always have been clear at the time, but with hindsight, that taste was sweet relief.

Underpinning it was the yorker which, if it didn’t carry quite the spectacle of Lasith Malinga’s, was arguably more effective. There was an unreal force around it, not least in how readily and accurately it was summoned.

Hindsight veers unevenly towards Gul with white ball in hand, with the canvas of the shortest format out in front at his mercy. Which is justified, but it’s worth lingering for a bit on his red-ball career, which now falls some way between forgotten or misremembered.No one can ever know what impact those stress fractures of the back had so early in his career. He’d taken 25 wickets in his first five Tests before the diagnosis, and he didn’t play another Test for two years. In fact, his last act in that sequence – the five-for against India – was the definitive modern Pakistani spell against India, until Mohammad Asif came along. Pakistan bluster was all pace but here was the bluff, a kid who wasn’t defined by pace, a kid with a natural length just back of good, who seamed the ball rather than swung it.It wasn’t so straightforward as that he wasn’t the same bowler after it (and actually his Test numbers, right until the end of 2007, were solid). But other bowlers arrived, a new format emerged, and the occasions on which he looked that potent again changed, both in manner and frequency. Often, as against a competitive West Indies side, he looked as good as he has ever done: movement with the new ball, reverse with the old, big-name wickets with big-time deliveries, and match-shaping spells. Against stronger opposition, with comedy support, he was manful, as in England in 2006.It says everything about Pakistan’s pace resources in that era that he only played three Tests with Shoaib Akhtar and none after April 2004. And he only played 17 Tests with Asif and/or Amir, the pair for whom he seemed the perfect condiment.Except it turns out he was better for their absence, even if Pakistan weren’t. Partnering either or both, Gul took less than three wickets a Test, at 40; on his own, he took nearly four wickets per Test, averaged ten runs lower, with a strike rate 14 balls lower. The numbers would suggest lead man rather than support, but even after Asif and Amir were gone, Pakistan turned to spin with such relish that Gul’s 11 wickets in the 2011-12 clean sweep of England come across as a clerical error.It all built into a tendency to dismiss him as a Test bowler, dimmed by comparison to those he bowled with, not shiny enough otherwise. And yet, to counter this, it feels necessary to point out that he is Pakistan’s highest Test wicket-taker in the post-Ws era by some distance. Given how this modern history has played out, an equally key stat would be that no Pakistani fast bowler has played more Tests than him, although, having himself played only 47 of 80 Tests, that makes him a poster-boy for the fragility of the era.To many, Umar Gul’s 3-0-6-5 remains the best T20 spell ever•PA Images via Getty ImagesNo such caveats or qualms with a white ball. Gul at the 2007 World T20 was one of the first movers in the format that spoke of a different sport, with different specialisations, with players not bound by their functions elsewhere. Credit Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s captain then – and Pakistani history – for the tactic of Gul coming on from the 11th over and strangling the life out of the back-end of an innings.But it needed Gul to execute and there was nobody better anywhere on the planet those first years. Just look at the table below, of bowlers in the last five overs of T20Is, until the end of 2012: highest dot-ball percentage, second-lowest economy, lowest average, most wickets. It’s not even a contest.

Bowlers in overs 16-20 in T20Is (till the end of 2012)

Bowler Inns Balls Econ Wkt Ave Dot%Umar Gul 45 472 7.34 46 12.56 38.61SL Malinga 34 348 8.39 24 20.29 37.29SCJ Broad 32 244 8.69 19 18.63 37.25TG Southee 24 252 9.47 19 20.94 34.67DW Steyn 22 204 7.29 16 15.50 34.21SR Watson 21 170 7.48 14 15.14 33.20RJ Sidebottom 15 152 7.89 13 15.38 32.58M Morkel 22 189 8.38 12 22.00 31.76DJ Bravo 16 122 10.08 12 17.07 31.20B Lee 16 125 7.77 11 14.72 30.65AR Cusack 12 120 9.25 11 16.80 30.17JW Dernbach 14 150 8.96 10 22.40 30.00JDP Oram 18 132 9.44 10 20.80 27.87TT Bresnan 16 124 9.38 8 24.25 25.79KD Mills 22 160 9.93 8 33.11 21.68KMDN Kulasekara 18 143 11.28 7 38.42 20.63Underpinning it was the yorker, which, if it didn’t carry quite the spectacle of Lasith Malinga’s, was arguably more effective. There was an unreal force around it, not least in how readily and accurately it was summoned. No moment in Pakistan’s recent history should have felt as frayed as the 19th over of South Africa’s chase in the 2009 World T20 semi-final. The entire country was under siege at the time, mostly from itself, and absolutely nothing about life in Pakistan felt secure. Neither would this moment have, except that it was Gul bowling it and at that precise point in time, the success of it was the one thing you could hang the fortunes of an entire country off. No way would Gul not pull this off and so he produced not only one of the format’s most nerveless overs, but also one of the most inevitable.ALSO READ: Top five – yorkerman Gul’s greatest T20 hitsPenultimate overs were not – at least publicly – acknowledged as the thing they are now but Pakistan’s use of Gul in that time suggests they knew it was. Until the end of 2012, Gul bowled that penultimate over nine times out of the 14 occasions that sides chased against him (and the final over, by comparison, four times).That kind of excellence, it is good to hear, might be put to use in a coaching capacity. He has gained qualifications, is keen for more and though you can never be certain about such things, instinct says he will make a good, empathetic coach. And if he doesn’t, then we’ll still have this clean kaput of an exit, the completeness of a career with no lingering sense of unfulfillment. It’s worth more than it sounds.

Test hopefuls Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster missed out for Tasmania as Australia squad member Brendan Doggett claimed 5 for 66

AAP10-Nov-2025Australia’s top six for the first Ashes Test became no clearer after Tasmania duo Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster failed to stake compelling claims against South Australia.South Australia pacer Brendan Doggett, also in the 15-man Ashes squad for Perth, showcased why he is regarded as next cab off the rank for Australia with 5 for 66 in a superb exhibition of seam bowling on a green Bellerive Oval deck.Weatherald, hoping to make his Test debut as an opener, fell for 23 in Tasmania’s total of 209 after being sent in to bat.Allrounder Webster has been superb in his opening seven Tests for Australia but his desire to hang onto his No.6 position in Perth next week was not enhanced by his knock of 13. The 31-year-old missed a month of cricket at the start of the summer with a calf injury and made just 11 and six in his only other Shield appearance this season.His chances of featuring in the Australia side for the first Test in Perth could depend on whether selectors opt to bat Weatherald or Marnus Labuschagne as an opener. If it is the latter then Webster would stay at No.6 with fellow allrounder Cameron Green likely slotting in at No.3.Weatherald dispatched Liam Scott for back-to-back boundaries and was aiming for a third but chopped an attempted cut shot onto his stumps.Webster had just struck a fierce pull to the boundary before attempting to hook Henry Thornton. He only succeeded in getting a feather through to Alex Carey.Tasmania skipper Jordan Silk brought up his 6000th Shield run in his innings of 64. Silk was severe through the off side and brought up his 50 with a rollicking slap through point off Nathan McAndrew straight after he had caressed a cover drive to the boundary.Brendan Doggett took 5 for 66•Getty ImagesDoggett dismissed Silk with a full delivery that moved off the seam and was brilliantly caught by a diving Carey. He then ripped through the lower order for his second five-wicket haul of the Shield season.South Australia were 88 for 3 at stumps. Australia No.5 batter Travis Head made just nine before falling to Webster. Carey had raced to an unbeaten 25 off just 20 balls and will resume on Tuesday alongside Henry Hunt.Australia chair of selectors George Bailey said there was “still some information to gather” from the fourth round of the Sheffield Shield before settling on the playing 11 against England.Bailey said Weatherald, who was aggressive in his knock on Monday, had the approach Australia’s brains trust admired.”There is a method [about his batting] that we like and that is complementary to the other players around him in the squad,” Bailey said.”We have been chatting a lot to Jake. He has been in quite a few [Australia] A teams and there has been a lot of communication with him throughout the summer. The feedback has always been to keep doing it his way.”That is what is attractive to us, that he scores at a nice rate and puts bad balls away. He is aggressive with his outlook without being over the top.”

برز نيكو شلوتربيك كواحد من أفضل مدافعي الدوري الألماني، وقد أثبت لاعب بوروسيا دورتموند نفسه كقائد حقيقي في خط دفاع العملاق الألماني.

ويتميز شلوتربيك بقدراته وبراعته الدفاعية والفنية إلى جانب سرعته، ويقدم اللاعب أداء ثابتا مع دورتموند منذ سنوات وجذب الآن اهتمام عدة أندية أوروبية كبرى بما في ذلك برشلونة.

واعترف سيباستيان كيل المدير الرياضي لبوروسيا دورتموند في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية عن اهتمام أندية مثل بايرن ميونخ وبرشلونة بخدماته: “أعلم أن نيكو يفكر جدياً في الأمر”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. موعد عودة فيرمين لوبيز للمشاركة في المباريات مع برشلونة

ويأمل كيل أن يوقع نيكو عقداً جديداً مع بوروسيا دورتموند نظراً لعلاقته الوثيقة مع النادي: “إنه مرتبط جداً ببوروسيا لذا أنا متفائل”.

واختتم: “هدفه هو النجاح والفوز بالألقاب، سنكون مرنين مالياً وسنبذل قصارى جهدنا ليبقى في دورتموند”.

ويثير شلوتربيك مدافع بوروسيا دورتموند إعجاب هانز فليك مدرب برشلونة ويرغب في ضمه لصفوف البلوجرانا كما أشارت تقارير صحفية، وقد يكون البديل المثالي للمدافع السابق إينيجو مارتينيز والذي انتقل لصفوف النصر السعودي.

Paul Scholes has admitted that he has been forced to use Manchester United touts in order to secure Old Trafford tickets for matchdays, as claims emerge that the Red Devils have frozen out legends such as fellow Premier League title winner Nicky Butt. The pair have revealed their experiences in dealing with the club in recent years, claiming that the club is "different" from the years when they were playing under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Scholes reveals Old Trafford ticket troubles

Scholes was speaking on podcast and touched on the issues he has faced in securing tickets to watch United play in recent years.

While he noted that it has now been 13 years since he hung up his boots and departed the club as a player – following a storied career in which he won 11 Premier League titles – he expressed a desire for a clearer line of communication to exist between the club and former players.

This revelation that he has used ticket touts to gain resold Old Trafford tickets paints an uncomfortable picture, which reflects the state of United as a club in recent times, something Scholes has often spoken out on.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Am I allowed to say that?' – Scholes explains embarrassing situation

"It's a very different football club to the club we knew," Scholes began. "I don't know about you Nicky, you worked there quite recently, but I don't really know anybody there."

Butt agreed: "I don't know anybody there."

Scholes continued: "I have four season tickets so we use them… my son uses them every single week. You get people asking [for tickets]. I've had a Salford lad who wants to go to the game this week – a couple of tickets. So I've had to ring a tout? Am I allowed to say that? Honestly, I know a tout."

Butt explains shocking season ticket threats

"My lad has got the same thing," Butt explained. "If you don't use them three times you get them taken off you.

"I've had an email saying ‘you're having your ticket taken off you’. So I rang them up and said can I speak to somebody about this please? And they go ‘who am I speaking to please?’, and I go Nicky Butt and they go, ‘OK, well who's that?’"

Scholes joked: "Who's that? Is that the one who used to play for Newcastle?"

"I couldn't really say it but I felt like saying: I played about 450 games for this club!" Butt concluded.

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The club is 'different', Scholes concludes

"I'm not complaining about that," Scholes said about not receiving special treatment. "That's just the way it is and the way it happens. Just because you played for the club, you're not entitled to stuff."

Host Paddy McGuinness interjected: "Hang on a minute! The amount of games you played, your life-long service as a player for United, you gave everything to the club."

Scholes replied: "Yeah, but we only played for them. You're going back 13 years now for the last time I played. We don't mind paying for them, we just don't know who to ring because the club is just different, it's a different football club."