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Liverpool are basking in the glory of clinching the Premier League title and could now put forward an offer for an elite midfielder to bolster their engine room, per reports.

Liverpool look to build on claiming Premier League title

Summer is around the corner and Arne Slot likely won’t be hanging around as he seeks to build a dynasty at Anfield that keeps his side at the top of the English football pyramid.

Everyone associated with the Reds will carry immense pride when looking back on their Premier League title victory, but standing still isn’t an option for FSG and company, who are likely to face a rejuvenated set of divisional rivals in 2025/26.

Looking to make a mark in the market, Liverpool could land Genoa midfielder Morten Frendrup for little over £25 million after the Serie A outfit decided to put the Denmark international up for sale.

Stuttgart star Angelo Stiller is also on Slot’s radar, lending credence to the idea that strengthening the engine room is a key priority for the Dutchman in his mission to balance both their domestic and European exploits.

Momentum is an important quantity in football and something Liverpool will be desperate to maintain, though refreshing a squad is sometimes necesarry to ensure hunger doesn’t wane during the second year of a project.

Liverpool’s minimalistic transfer approach in 2024/25

Federico Chiesa

Arrived from Juventus

Giorgi Mamardashvili

Arrived from Valencia (loaned back)

Inriguingly, Slot chose to go with the options already at his disposal, bar Federico Chiesa, upon his arrival. His bravery to stick with a tried and tested bunch proved to be a masterstroke, but there is always room for further enhancement.

With that said, Liverpool are now preparing an offer for one of Europe’s most well-known midfielders in a pursuit that could make headlines across Europe.

Liverpool prepare to submit offer for Frenkie de Jong

Per reports in Spain, Liverpool are preparing to submit an offer just over the £34 million mark for Frenkie de Jong in light of his uncertain situation at Barcelona.

The La Liga giants are said to be open to a sale in light of their economic circumstances, which has alerted the Reds alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.

Man City set to fend off Liverpool hijack and win race for £73k-a-week star

They have been working on a deal since January.

ByHenry Jackson May 3, 2025

Slot values De Jong’s fluidity in possession and potential to anchor the midfield with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister highly, and the fact he is out of contract in Catalonia come 2026 may hasten the process. Labelled “incredible” by Marc Casado, the former Ajax man has registered two goals and two assists in 40 appearances across all competitions this campaign.

Reported to earn £310,000 per week at Barcelona, De Jong is an experienced operator with experience of thriving at the highest level, making him a logical target for Liverpool should he fancy the prospect of a new challenge.

Ultimately, his current employers’ finances may dictate how this story develops, but it is definitely one to keep an eye on in light of Slot’s growing Dutch contingent of players at Anfield.

With The Friedkin Group looking to make their mark at the beginning of a new era at Everton, the new owners have now reportedly submitted an opening offer to sign an in-demand defensive target.

New era approaching at Everton

Preparing to bid farewell to the historic Goodison Park in the coming weeks, it’s all change at Everton and they’ll be desperate to commence a new era in fine fashion this summer. Attempting to add the signings to match an impressive new stadium, the Toffees have already reportedly set their sights on the likes of Liam Delap and Vangelis Pavlidis.

The former will reportedly be available at the bargain price of just £30m if Ipswich Town are relegated back down to the Championship this season, which is beginning to look like an inevitability. If Friedkin are looking for a statement of intent, then winning the race to sign the impressive forward would certainly provide exactly that this summer.

It’s not just attacking reinforcements that David Moyes will need if he is to take Everton away from the misery of relegation battles once and for all, however. The former West Ham United manager will also need some fresh faces within his backline, especially in the face of Michael Keane’s likely exit as a free agent this summer.

Friedkin not messing around: Everton join £80m race to sign 24-goal striker

He’d be an instant upgrade.

ByTom Cunningham Apr 10, 2025

Just what Friedkin’s budget will be ahead of the summer window remains to be seen, but it looks set to be a busy one for Everton, who have already reportedly submitted an opening bid for one star.

Everton submit opening bid to sign "perfect" Hancko

Looking to commence their summer transfer window with a bang, those in Merseyside have reportedly made their first move. According to Tuttomercatoweb, Friedkin have now submitted an opening offer worth €25m (£21m) to sign David Hancko this summer, only for Feyenoord to reject that opening bid in pursuit of around €30m (£26m) for their defender.

Whether Friedkin will be keen to up their offer will certainly be interesting to see, especially given how close they already are to Hancko’s reported valuation and amid competition from Bayer Leverkusen.

A player who has the “perfect profile” to act as the modern-day hybrid between a centre-back and full-back according to analyst Ben Mattinson, all signs are pointing towards a move away from Feyenoord for Hancko this summer whether it’s to Everton, Leverkusen or elsewhere.

All his experience and self-belief told R Ashwin at the end of day two that the Rajkot Test was more delicately poised than the scoreboard suggested. Here’s why

Karthik Krishnaswamy16-Feb-20242:48

Manjrekar: ‘Ashwin is a really gifted cricketer’

When you watch a game of cricket, you’re always watching two games at the same time. There is, of course, the game as it unfolds on the scorecard: runs, balls, wickets. Then there’s the game that’s shaped by all the subjectivities you bring to it: your nationality, your affection or disaffection for players and teams, the expectations you have from them, and a thousand other things including the pleasure or disgruntlement caused by your most recent meal.There are always two games in play at any given time, and apart from everything else Bazball has done to Test cricket, it has also, perhaps, widened the gap between the game on the scorecard and the game perceived by its viewers.Day two of the Rajkot Test ended with England two down and 238 runs away from India’s first-innings total of 445, with a centurion at the crease.Related

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Reactions to the 500: 'Relentless in his pursuit for excellence'

A lot of Test matches have reached this sort of position, but very, very few have reached it in quite this manner. England have taken just 35 overs to get to 207 for 2. They have batted in a rare and thrilling manner, a manner that may lead the viewer to conclude, via extrapolation of their rates of scoring and losing wickets, that they are in a position of great dominance.The scorecard, though, still says they are two down and 238 runs away from India’s first-innings total. As breathtaking as the rush of their scoring has been, it has been the outcome of heightened risk-taking. The risks may have come off spectacularly so far, but they remain risks, with no guarantee of sustained reward.This is how India view the state of the Test match, going by the words of R Ashwin, who picked up his 500th Test wicket in the midst of England’s charge.”It depends on what the yardsticks are,” Ashwin said, when asked if England’s batting approach had left him feeling more challenged than ever as a spinner. “Honestly, I mean, the yardstick that I would apply is, how well one is bowling, how it is coming out of the hand, how much risk a batsman is having to take.”He took the example of a boundary Ollie Pope hit off Ravindra Jadeja, a squatting, overhead reverse-scoop off a good-length ball on the line of the stumps.Jasprit Bumrah hugs R Ashwin after his 500th wicket•AFP via Getty Images”If you see a batsman sitting down and hitting the ball over slip, you would probably admire [it] yourself and say, that’s the shot he wants to play if he wants to get to me, and all credit to them for doing it. They’re able to take the risk and spread the field and get the singles going. But that’s the way they want to play. We [batted for] four and a half sessions; [if] they want to get it done in two, so be it.”Whether it’s [the bowler] being challenged is how you want to look at it, and honestly, I don’t think it’s flustering us much. And even if you saw, I don’t know how it looks from the outside, [but] when it was 200 for 2, I think [our] guys were pretty relaxed. You know, in a session, there is [the chance of] four or five [wickets] that could come your way.”This is how Test innings often progress. There are long partnerships and periods of bat dominating ball, but one wicket can quickly bring another. Three partnerships accounted for over 80% of India’s total. They believe England’s innings could still follow this sort of pattern, and control figures support their belief.Over their innings, India’s batters managed a control percentage of 86, approximately, while losing a wicket (not including the run-out dismissal of Sarfaraz Khan) every 12 false shots they played. England, so far, have gone at a control percentage of 82, and lost a wicket every 18.5 false shots. That luck may not hold over their entire innings.There have already been clear moments that could have gone India’s way on another day. Jasprit Bumrah nearly found a way through Ben Duckett with a searing yorker but the toe-end of his bat saved him from lbw. Ashwin, in the last over of the day, produced an lbw shout that wasn’t given on field, and, upon review, returned an umpire’s call verdict on pitching line.

“If I have to judge and see the way I am bowling, I wouldn’t be too flustered because they haven’t been able to hit me to different parts [of the ground], which is what will [worry me].”R Ashwin

Ashwin believes these moments will keep coming, and that enough of them could still go India’s way to keep them in the game. He even suggested that the bargain of Bazball – faster scoring at the expense of a certain amount of control – could lower the workload of India’s bowlers.”They are showing a lot of intent, playing like how they would play in a T20 or one-day game,” he told the host broadcaster. “Given us less time to think and also less labour. Have to bowl good balls and expect one of those airy-fairy shots to go to hand.”The dictionary definition of airy-fairy is “impractical and foolishly idealistic”, but Ashwin’s intended meaning was probably just edged or miscued shots. India, he seemed to suggest, would have to keep bowling good balls and producing moments of mis-control.It can be hard for a bowler to know what a good ball is, of course, when any line or length is liable to disappear to the boundary. It takes self-belief and experience, qualities Ashwin has in abundance, to be able to separate process from outcome.In the face of an assault such as England’s on Friday, which left every India bowler bar Bumrah nursing economy rates north of five an over, they almost have to assess themselves like T20 death bowlers: I know I went for a few, but did I bowl to my field and make the batter take risks to access the boundary?”If I have to judge and see the way I am bowling, I wouldn’t be too flustered because they haven’t been able to hit me to different parts [of the ground], which is what will [worry me],” Ashwin said in his press conference. “I am clear on picking where they have to take a risk, such that I’m still bowling my best balls, and I thought even today, I got a really good spell going from the [Pavilion End].Ben Duckett took risks and they paid off handsomely on the day•AFP via Getty Images”Spinners have largely bowled from the Media Box end, and I think I just got one over [from there, and] there was a dismissal opportunity. So I have to try and create opportunities.”Ashwin referred here to the lbw shout against Duckett in the last over of the day. That ball disturbed the top surface of the Rajkot pitch and turned sharply past the outside edge, but Ashwin felt that sort of misbehaviour would remain a rare occurrence for the time being.”At the moment, it seems like the usual, typical Rajkot wicket,” he said. “And it will keep getting slower. The deviation that you’re seeing, the one that is turning, it’s going at a really slow clip. So yeah, I think the way the game is going, if the cracks don’t open up, I think the wicket will continue to stay pretty good for batting.”This has been the case to varying degrees in all three Tests so far in this series, with the pitches – certainly relative to those in other recent India home series – mostly on the flatter end of the spectrum. Ashwin felt this was helping England’s batters play in their preferred manner.”The conditions are dictating the pace of the play in this series,” he said. “Pretty much for the first 3-4 days in all the Test matches – barring that last day in Hyderabad, where driving became really tough – it’s been [the case that] you can literally plonk your foot down and drive on the up, and that’s been the kind of pitches [we have had].

“They are showing a lot of intent, playing like how they would play in a T20 or one-day game. Given us less time to think and also less labour. Have to bowl good balls and expect one of those airy-fairy shots to go to hand.”R Ashwin

“It is supposed to be that way, and [as bowlers you] cash in if there is a fourth-innings possibility and the wicket deteriorates. The way they are playing is high-risk cricket and [as bowlers] you would expect the rub of the green to go your way, like how it did in [the second Test in] Vizag [Visakhapatnam].”England, though, are doing everything in their power to try and keep the rub of the green going their way. They take a lot of risks, but they practice those risks assiduously, and tailor them to their batters’ individual strengths.Alex Carey reverse-swept compulsively when Australia toured India last year, but was out three times in 15 attempts at the shot. Pope has played 28 reverse-sweeps in this series without being dismissed – and this count doesn’t include the squatting reverse-scoops he’s pulled off on multiple occasions. Pope reverse-sweeps so well because he seems to have one for every occasion: he plays one variant with his front leg striding towards the ball and another with his back leg advancing, depending on the line of the ball and the intended direction of the shot.Duckett, similarly, cuts balls few other batters would dare play the shot against because he’s freakishly good at it, blessed with incredible hand-eye coordination to go with a 5’7” frame that turns good lengths into shortish lengths.England don’t just take risks, then, but make every effort to take better risks. But even the best of risks remain risks, particularly against bowling of India’s quality. England have as much faith in the collective efficacy of their risk-taking as India do in their potency with the ball. The scorecard says this match remains in the balance, and both teams know it in their bones.

Batting coach Siddons disappointed with left-handers being dismissed to balls angled in from around the wicket

Mohammad Isam10-Apr-2022There is no doubting that Bangladesh’s batters have the ability to fill all areas of a cricket field with their shots, but as they displayed in the first innings in Gqeberha, they can’t seem to decide on when to play which shot.Mushfiqur Rahim’s dismissal in particular, getting bowled by missing a reverse sweep soon after reaching his fifty, has brought sharp focus into the team’s decision-making. But there were several other shots, too, that came against the run of play.Bangladesh had promising knocks and put together two decent partnerships, but there was not much else. With Bangladesh batting the way they did, 217 was all they could muster in the first innings.South Africa conceded several boundaries in the first nine overs on the third morning, but as soon as they tightened up, Mushfiqur and Yasir Ali went into their shells. They scored only 12 runs in 10.2 overs after the initial free-scoring spree, and it resulted in both batters falling to ordinary shots.Yasir has showed the right intention in his early days in international cricket, but on Sunday, he overlooked the importance of the situation he was batting in. South Africa had lost their last review in the 60th over. It wasn’t a big one, but for a line-up five wickets down, this should have been a signal to bat with a bit more freedom.Instead, Yasir lobbed back a catch at Keshav Maharaj later in the same over. And his more illustrious partner at the other end made a graver error. One ball after he had reached his fifty, Mushfiqur missed with his reverse sweep and the angled Simon Harmer delivery banged into his off stump. One suspects that Mushfiqur had even telegraphed the shot to Harmer.It was, as a Bangladesh commentator likes to say, “an unnecessary shot”. Mushfiqur had already struck Harmer’s first ball of the day for four with a conventional sweep. He survived an lbw shout next ball, so the jury is out on whether the reverse sweep was even the right option.This is Mushfiqur’s fourth dismissal playing the reverse sweep in all formats since January 2021. Even though last year he called it one of his favourite shots, the reverse sweep hasn’t brought him much success. In fact, during this period, he has struck only two boundaries in 18 attempts playing the shot.At the end of the second day, batting coach Jamie Siddons had said that Mushfiqur wouldn’t let the spinners settle down, but he definitely didn’t mean encouraging such an approach with high-risk and low-yield shots.”We need to be aggressive against the spinners,” Siddons said. “We need to take some risks to take the bat-padders out of the game. Mushfiq is normally a great sweeper of the ball. There’s a bit of turn and bounce, but we haven’t lost a wicket sweeping yet. We lost wickets doing other things. You won’t see Rabbi sweep but you will see Mushfiq continue to sweep. It is his strength, and he is still out there. If he hangs around and pokes around, he will probably find himself out. So I think we encourage that. It may be high risk but that’s okay.”Bangladesh lost five wickets on the second day, four of them to incoming deliveries. The ones that had the most focus however were the three Wiaan Mulder wickets. Tamim Iqbal, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mominul Haque all got out lbw to deliveries angled into the stumps from around the wicket.Siddons said that the batters told him they were trying to hit those deliveries on to the leg side, when the prudent option would have been to play them straight.”I have spoken to two of the (dismissed) left-handers about their dismissals,” Siddons. “Both were trying to hit the ball to the leg side when they know that I talk about clearing their front pad and hit it back to where it came from (which is the off side). We need to work on that. It is a mental and technical mistake that can be easily rectified. We need to do that pretty quickly. It is a form of dismissal that shouldn’t happen with the bloke coming around the wicket.”Siddons, who had a huge role in the batting development of Tamim when he was Bangladesh’s head coach from 2007 to 2011, said that the left-hander just wavered from his plan to get his front leg out of the way against incoming deliveries for one ball, to pay the ultimate price.”I think Tamim was looking for a four to bring up his fifty. He forgot how he was playing the whole innings. He was playing beautifully straight, and not putting his pad across. I think his aggression, taking the fight to the bowlers, was excellent. It relaxed our change-room. I thought he played well for 47. It would be nice if he went on with the game though.”

Longtime first baseman and designated hitter Eric Karros had the Rockies' number over the course of his 14-year career—slashing .320/.380/.619 with 37 home runs and 108 RBIs in just 129 games.

On Tuesday, Colorado began to return the favor for all the damage the Karros family has done to it over the years.

With two out in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Rockies' game against the Dodgers, Colorado third baseman Kyle Karros—Eric's son—launched his first big-league home run over Coors Field's left-field wall. Eric was in the stands to witness the blast.

Kyle, a rookie out of UCLA, entered Tuesday having played in 11 games with the Rockies. He's slashed .273/.400/.364 with three runs batted in.

Eric, on the other hand, slashed .268/.325/.454 in 1,755 games played with Los Angeles, the Cubs and the Athletics. His 284 home runs rank 189th in history.

Though more of a doubles hitter than a home run hitter, Kyle has swatted six dingers in the minor leagues this year—so it was only a matter of time before he began his pursit of his dad.

Beau Webster will enter Australia’s Ashes Test squad in good batting form after guiding Tasmania to a four-wicket win over South Australia in a One-Day Cup match on Saturday.Webster didn’t bowl, letting an on-song Billy Stanlake do the damage as the Redbacks made just 195 in Saturday’s match in Kingston. He made his mark with the bat, though. Batting at No. 3 with authority, Webster’s 78 off 96 helped the Tigers home with more than ten overs and four wickets to spare.It was the Tigers’ fifth win from as many 50-over fixtures this year, pushing them well clear on the top of the table.Billy Stanlake celebrates a wicket with Riley Meredith•Getty Images

Webster fell with some work to be done, but Nikhil Chaudhary (19) and Nathan Ellis (20) guided them home.Earlier, Stanlake (3 for 31 from ten overs) made the most of the early movement to torment the Redbacks’ top order. He trapped Jake Fraser-McGurk on the crease for four and grabbed the key wicket of Jake Lehmann, bowled for 29.Nathan McSweeney (49 off 92) tried to steady the innings while Nathan McAndrew (40 off 29) provided some late fireworks.Webster will head west with the Australia team on Sunday, hoping there is room for him in the first Test XI.He’s made four fifties in 12 innings in his seven Tests, often arriving in tricky situations, while taking eight wickets at an average of 23. But he could be squeezed out if selectors opt to shift Cameron Green to No. 6, give opener Jake Weatherald a debut,. and reinstall Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3.

The hosts completed the highest ever chase in women’s ODIs to stun Australia and book their spot in Sunday’s World Cup final

S Sudarshanan30-Oct-2025

India won the semi-final after acing the highest ever chase in women’s ODIs•Getty Images

It was a movie India had seen many times. A tricky run chase. Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur with a rescue act. That raising the prospect of an upset win in a knockout game against Australia. Only, this time at the Women’s World Cup 2025, the ending was different.Rodrigues ran towards Amanjot Kaur. She lifted her up, and then bent down and lay next to the pitch. She was soon swarmed by her team-mates who came charging in, perhaps faster than the speed of light, as India made only their third World Cup final, their first since 2017.Related

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Importantly, India dealt Australia their first defeat in 16 ODI World Cup matches. Faced with a record run-chase in women’s ODIs, India rode on an unbeaten 127 from Rodrigues and an 89 from Harmanpreet to hunt down their target of 339 with nine balls to spare. This will be the first ODI World Cup final to not feature either Australia or England, as India will face South Africa on Sunday. The 34,651 at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday sure got their money’s worth.The end might have been vastly different had Alyssa Healy managed to hold on to a skier from Rodrigues when she was on 82. India needed 131 from 106 balls at that point.About three hours earlier, though, Phoebe Litchfield had put on an exhibition that left the crowd, bathed in blue, in awe and silence in equal measure for most of the afternoon. Her maiden World Cup century aided with half-centuries from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner helped Australia get to 338. India pulled things back by taking 8 for 118 towards the end, which proved to be vital.With a record chase in front, Smriti Mandhana walked out with a new (old) opening partner in Shafali Verma. The latter began in typical style, hitting Megan Schutt for a four off the second ball she faced. But the near-housefull crowd was silenced after Kim Garth trapped her lbw, with India also losing a review. It wasn’t until the seventh over that Mandhana hit her first boundary, a lofted straight six off Garth. Rodrigues, in at No. 3 after Harleen Deol was dropped, wasted little time in getting going. However, when India lost a second wicket in Mandhana inside the tenth over, you could hear a pin drop at the DY Patil Stadium. Given not out for a caught-behind down leg side, Australia used the DRS with Snicko returning the faintest of murmurs.India were 60 for 2 after the powerplay, as opposed to Australia’s 72 for 1. That is when Rodrigues and Harmanpreet set about with the rebuild. Rodrigues’ flow allowed Harmanpreet to get her eye in. And that was not at the cost of the scoring rate. India constantly scored at around six runs per over, never letting the ask get out of hand.Rodrigues got to a 57-ball half-century, and Harmanpreet got to hers in 65 balls. While the other captains have had vital contributions in this campaign, Harmanpreet’s best was her 70 against England, her wicket helping the opposition open an end up. But in the semi-final against Australia, she was not going to let another ripe chance go begging. She only hit her first six after her fifty – a loft inside out over extra cover off Tahlia McGrath. She followed that with another humongous hit off Gardner over midwicket in the next over. India needed only 150 in the last 20 overs, a regulation chase in this era.Jemimah Rodrigues and Amanjot Kaur embrace in the middle•ICC/Getty ImagesBut Harmanpreet’s wicket threatened to add a twist to the tale. Deepti Sharma was run out for 24 off 17. Richa Ghosh came in, hit two fours and two sixes to reduce the margin before she fell. But India were not going to let Harmanpreet and Rodrigues’ 167-run partnership off just 156 balls go waste. They were helped with another dropped chance – Tahlia McGrath reprieving Rodrigues on 106. The platform was set and this time, India wouldn’t miss out. Not with a determined Rodrigues, who scored her maiden World Cup hundred off 114 balls. She did not celebrate then because the task at hand was still not complete. In the end, nobody could stop her from celebrating.Earlier in the afternoon, Kranti Gaud had a scratchy Healy, returning after she missed two games with a minor calf strain, chopping on in the sixth over before a heavy downpour. A 15-minute delay completely changed the momentum, as Australia hit nine fours in the next 29 balls, one of them via an overthrow.If India expected spin to bring some respite, they were mistaken. Litchfield was batting as fluently as she has done all World Cup. She was ruled out caught when on 62 but an umpire’s review came to her aid. She reverse swept Shree Charani straight to short third but replays showed that it bounced just after she hit it. There was no looking back thereon as Litchfield got to her hundred off just 77 balls.Against spin, India had protection in the deep for her sweeps – point and square leg being back. And that played into the hands of Litchfield, who was happy to dance down and hit Charani and Radha Yadav in the arc between long-off and deep cover. And then there were back-to-back sixes off Deepti, one of them an incredible switch hit that sailed into the sweeper cover stands. She was dismissed when she missed a scoop off Amanjot Kaur.Perry rotated the strike well but also did not miss out on a positive match-up if an opportunity arose – she tonked Deepti over long-on in just her second over. She was set with her first fifty of the World Cup, but Australia struggled to find the next gear. During her 155-run partnership with Litchfield, India seemed to run out of ideas. But Australia lost 4 for 45 in the latter half of the middle overs, and it felt India regained control. Charani and Radha got enough grip to even trouble Gardner. But her 41-ball fifty helped Australia cross the 300-run mark.What looked like a tall chase was aced with absolute mastery. The contest had the makings of an epic, and it lived up to it.

Arsenal are set to be minus an “underrated” star for their looming North London derby against Tottenham and far beyond that, following some injury news out of the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s side host Spurs on Sunday in imperious form, but the manager is being made to sweat over several key players. The Gunners remain in pole position at the top of the Premier League table after a fantastic start to the campaign, which is made all the more impressive by the absences of numerous big-name attackers lately.

Arsenal currently sit top with eight wins, two draws and one loss from their opening 11 matches, boasting a phenomenal defensive record. They’ve conceded just five goals all season, the best of any team in Europe’s top five leagues, which has formed the backbone of their title challenge.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

However, the international break has brought fresh concerns.

Left-back Riccardo Calafiori returned early from Italy duty due to hip pain, but encouragingly, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Arsenal’s medical checks confirmed that Calafiori will be available for the derby with no injury issues, just overload.

Calafiori has become an undisputed starter this term, chipping in with one goal and two assists from 11 games, even thwarting Myles Lewis-Skelly for a consistent place in the starting eleven.

Meanwhile, captain Martin Odegaard is continuing his recovery from a knee injury that has plagued him since October. The Norwegian, before his country’s 4-1 win over Italy, told TV2 that his recovery is progressing and he “will hopefully be back soon” — though it remains to be seen whether that could be against Tottenham.

His creativity has been sorely missed in Arsenal’s midfield, and elsewhere in the squad, Viktor Gyokeres has been struggling with a hamstring injury sustained at Burnley. He’s missed their last two matches against Slavia Prague and Sunderland, as a result, with Gyokeres believed to remain a doubt ahead of Spurs.

Noni Madueke is approaching a comeback after being sidelined for almost two months due to a knee problem, while Kai Havertz continues his recovery from knee surgery with a potential return on the cards “towards the end of the year”, according to Julian Nagelsmann.

Gabriel Martinelli is racing to be fit for this weekend, but the game comes too soon for his compatriot, Gabriel Jesus, who’s expected to be the last to return after his ACL injury at the start of 2025 (Simon Collings).

Amid this wave of Arsenal team news, it is another Gabriel who’s been making the headlines recently.

Indeed, star defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who’s been equally vital going forward as well as at the back, was taken off with a thigh problem during Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates, and the early signs aren’t exactly cause for celebration.

Arsenal star Gabriel to miss "minimum four weeks" after thigh injury

According to journalist Sami Mokbel of The BBC, Gabriel could now miss a “minimum four weeks”, and some sources suggest that he could be out until January as the club wait for further scan results.

Gabriel has been the linchpin of Europe’s most water-tight defence, partnering both William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera to devastating effect and making him irreplaceable in Arteta’s system.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Arsenal face a crucial run of fixtures beyond just Tottenham, with Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Chelsea awaiting them right afterwards.

Beyond defensive stability, Gabriel already boasts five goal involvements in all competitions this season, including a vital late winner away to Newcastle in September, highlighting his importance at both ends of the pitch. The 27-year-old gifts Arsenal a major outlet, and has been a significant part of their outstanding set piece record this season.

With Gabriel set to miss this weekend, Mosquera or Piero Hincapie will likely come in to replace him, with the summer signings now given a baptism of fire.

Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2025

Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai struck half-centuries each to carry Afghanistan to 188 for 6 in the opening match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup. Hong Kong had their moments, their spinners in particular harnessing slow conditions well enough to frustrate their more pedigreed opponents. But the gulf in class eventually showed as Yasin Murtaza’s side dropped catches and committed misfields to hurt their own chances.Sediqullah has brought up each of this three T20I fifties in his last four innings, and as well as he looked out in the middle, standing tall at the crease and largely coping with the lack of pace, he benefited from three missed chances. A man who could’ve been dismissed in the very first over in the end batted through to finish on 73 off 52.Murtaza was involved in all three lives Sediqullah got – twice dropping the catch himself and once having to watch it go down off his own bowling. He did the best he could to make up for it, the three Hong Kong spinners giving the ball such little pace but so much air that this game looked straight out of the 90s. As such, the more modern day T20 batter wasn’t able to adjust. Murtaza, Ehsan Khan and Kinchit Shah picked up 3 for 75 in 11 overs.However, the arrival of pace in the 17th over changed the game with Atal and Omarzai targeting Ayush Shukla. Afghanistan scored 69 runs in the last four overs with Omarzai raising his first T20I half-century. From the simple clear-the-front-leg slog to the cheeky ramp past the keeper, the Afghanistan allrounder has shown impressive range on a difficult batting pitch and finished with a strike rate of 252.38.Should Hong Kong chase the target down, it would be their highest successful T20I chase.

The schedule for Euro 2028 has been released, with England – if they qualify – set to take in their first game of that tournament away from Wembley at the Etihad Stadium. The home of Manchester City will play host to the Three Lions after a competition opener that heads to Wales and the Principality Stadium – with the countdown on to an event that will also see fixtures take place in Scotland and Ireland.

GettyEngland in Manchester: Three Lions head to the Etihad

The Three Lions have made light work of recent qualification campaigns – last failing to reach a major international tournament in 2008 under Steve McClaren. They are now aware of what their path will be when chasing down continental glory in 2028.

England will be looking to reach a third consecutive Euros final there – having suffered heartache against Italy and Spain in the last two competitions. Their bid for the ultimate prize will be opened in Manchester – as the Etihad stages an England men’s game for the first time since May 2016, when the Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by Turkey in a friendly.

Said contest will take place on Saturday June 10, 2028. From there, England will return to Wembley Stadium for their two remaining fixtures in the group stage. If they were to top Group B then they will head to St James’ Park in Newcastle for a last-16 match, or Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium if they finish second in their pot.

AdvertisementEuro 2028: Nine host stadiums across UK & Ireland

Wales have been made aware that, if they are able to qualify, Cardiff will have the honour of hosting the opening game on Friday June, 9. The Republic of Ireland have games heading to Dublin, while Hampden Park will welcome fixtures to Scotland. Both semi-finals and the final will take place at Wembley in north London. Two automatic qualification spots will be held back for host nations that do not reach the finals through the normal routes.

Villa Park and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complete the list of nine host venues – with each of those set to figure in at least one knockout match. The quarter-finals will be split across the national stadiums of the four host nations. The qualifying draw will be held in Belfast, with Northern Ireland missing out on games after it was revealed that Casement Park could not be redeveloped in time.

GettyEuro 2028 final: Change to kick-off time

The final – on Sunday July, 9 – will kick-off at 5pm. That is three hours earlier than the last Euros showpiece to take place at Wembley in 2021 – with that clash between England and Italy being marred by fan unrest as supporters broke through barriers and forced entry.

The Football Association’s chair, Debbie Hewitt, has said of moving that game forward – in line with changes to Champions League final kick-off times: “It's easier to get there – we all know what happens to public transport late on a Sunday night.

“Also we hope that the fans will want to celebrate after the game and so it allows that to happen. And of course, you have safety and security too. So all of those factors come together and it's a common sense decision.”

She added on working with UEFA to ensure that ticket prices will be as fair as possible: “It will be a tournament for the fans and a festival of everything we love about the game – its passion and ability to bring people together.

“We're not a fan of dynamic ticketing pricing and I think UEFA have heard that loud and clear. There's been no pushback from UEFA. They're great partners. They understand, and have at their core, too, that we want to make this the most accessible Euros. So we're giving a lot of thought to ticket pricing, how we make sure that the accessibility metrics are delivered on.”

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Euro 2028: Dates for qualifying draw & group stage

The qualifying draw for Euro 2028 will be held on December 6, 2026. The group stage will then run from March 2027 until November 2027, with the play-offs being held in March 2028. Ultimately, 24 teams will take part in the tournament.