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An assistant to the agent of striker Viktor Gyokeres has revealed that Manchester United agreed a higher fee than what Arsenal paid for the Swedish hitman. The Gunners won the race to sign Gyokeres earlier this year having been linked with the former Sporting striker and now-United star Benjamin Sesko. However, Sporting would have preferred to sell to United, who offered more for the player than Arsenal.

Getty Images SportGyokeres turned down Amorim reunion

Arsenal won the race for Gyokeres, who went on strike to force through a move to the Emirates in the summer transfer window. The Gunners agreed a reported £64 million fee with Sporting for the powerhouse Sweden international, who scored 39 league goals last season.

Many felt Gyokeres would opt for a move to Old Trafford, where he'd have reunited with former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim. The 27-year-old, though, favoured a move to the capital, turning down the opportunity to link up with the Portuguese boss once more and moving to the Gunners. 

Meanwhile, Manchester United ended up splashing out £74m to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig instead, adding the forward to the squad along with fellow new attackers Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.

Advertisement'United offered a higher transfer fee'

Jonathan Chalkias, an assistant to Gyokeres' agent Hasan Cetinkaya, has now claimed that Sporting would have preferred to sell the forward to United, claiming that the Premier League powerhouse had agreed to pay over the odds for the former Coventry man.

"There were crazy amounts offered from Saudi Arabia. We're supposed to act in our best interest," Chalkias told the Studio Allsvenskan podcast via the Daily Mail. "Do we have also have a percentage (of any fee)? Of course. It's a lot of money. Maybe Viktor should respond to that some day.

"I don't think we pressured him once to accept the offer. At the end of the day, money comes and goes and this move to Arsenal brings us a lot of marketing. They (Sporting) had concluded a deal with Manchester United behind our backs, that was a problem. United offered a higher transfer fee."

Getty Images SportGyokeres faced criticism from Sporting supremo Varandas

Gyokeres' efforts to force a move away from Sporting over the summer also drew criticism from Sporting President Frederico Varandas, who condemned the 'strategy' of the player and his entourage in order to secure a summer transfer. Varandas had threatened to hand Gyokeres a 'hefty fine' for his perceived lack of respect towards the defending Liga Portugal champions.

"If the geniuses who are devising this strategy think that this puts pressure on me to make it easier for him to leave, not only are they completely wrong, but they are also making it more complicated for the player to leave," Varandas said.

"No one is bigger than the club."

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Agent hits back at Sporting president

Chalkias, though, hit back at Varandas' criticism, stating: "If (Hugo) Viana were still at Sporting, the deal would have been done within an hour. Everything was written but we didn't have time to start a legal battle. I don't understand how a player who scored so many goals and won three trophies didn't deserve more respect.

"The industry is about trusting people. The sacrifices we made were probably the turning point in getting the deal done. They offered him to Real Madrid, made headlines with Madrid and even United, but from day one there was a commitment to Arsenal."

Gyokeres has made an indifferent start to life at Arsenal having scored just three league goals in his opening seven appearance for the Gunners, two of which came in a resounding home win over Leeds back in August.

Arsenal return to action after the international break against Fulham on Saturday, October 18th, while Manchester United face a huge clash at Anfield against bitter rivals and defending Premier League champions Liverpool.

It is fair to say that Celtic need to improve their options at the top end of the pitch before the summer transfer window officially comes to a close this evening.

The Hoops have failed to score a goal in three of their last four matches in all competitions, including in both legs of their Champions League play-off loss to Kairat on penalties.

TEAMtalk reports that Celtic are closing in on a deal to sign Anderlecht centre-forward Kasper Dolberg in an attempt to improve the options at Brendan Rodgers’ disposal in the final third.

Celtic confident of deal for winger

The Denmark international may not be the only attacking addition to come through the door before the end of the summer transfer window tonight, though.

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 TEAMtalk’s report, Celtic are confident that they will win the race to seal a deadline day deal for Crystal Palace forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.

The outlet claims that the Scottish Premiership giants are in a battle with Rangers and Leicester City to sign the left-footed star on loan for the season.

It adds that Celtic feel they are well-positioned to win the race because of the regular first-team football and European matches that they can offer the 22-year-old starlet, who has been described as “devastating” by U23 scout Antonio Mango.

What Rak-Sakyi would bring to Celtic

The English winger would provide a real goal threat from the right flank to finally replace what they lost when Nicolas Kuhn completed a move to Como earlier this summer.

Celtic have struggled for goals in the early parts of the season and the signings of Dolberg and Rak-Sakyi, if they can get them over the line, would go a long way to solving their issues in that department.

Rak-Sakyi spent last season on loan at Sheffield United in the Championship, and previously impressed on loan at Charlton in League One in England.

Appearances

43

34

Starts

40

22

Goals

15

7

Minutes per goal

233

248

Big chances created

5

3

Key passes per game

1.3

0.9

Assists

8

2

As you can see in the table above, the Palace youngster has scored 22 goals in his last 62 league starts in the Championship and League One combined, which shows that he can provide a regular source of goals when picked week-in-week-out.

Dolberg, meanwhile, has scored three goals in six matches this season and plundered 19 goals in 40 games in the 2024/25 campaign for Anderlecht, per Sofascore, as the main number nine for the Belgian side, showing that he is in-form and could hit the ground running in Glasgow.

This means that, in Dolberg and Rak-Sakyi, Celtic appear to be closing in on two new signings who could add a spark to what has been a dull attacking set-up at Parkhead so far this season.

Of course, it is now down to the club to ensure that they can get these deals done before the deadline to avoid missing out on the huge boost to their attack that this duo could provide them with.

Worse than Nygren: Rodgers must drop Celtic flop who "offered little"

Celtic must drop their flop who was even worse than Benjamin Nygren against Rangers.

ByDan Emery Aug 31, 2025

Discussions have been held between SA’s premier and the Australian Football League to have the game played at Adelaide Oval in the week between football fixtures

Alex Malcolm09-Mar-2025

Adelaide Oval could host the Sheffield Shield final despite the football season having started•Getty Images

South Australia’s dream of hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval is one step closer to reality after they confirmed hosting rights thanks to a win over Victoria. Coach Ryan Harris said his side wants to play at the venue with it becoming a strong possibility as discussions have reached the state premier’s office amid a juggling act with the Australian Football League (AFL), which could see the dates of the decider shifted.South Australia will host their first Shield final since 2016 after locking up top spot on the table with an outstanding four-wicket win at the Junction Oval, after chasing down 300 in the fourth innings thanks to a superb unbeaten century from Jake Lehmann.Whispers that the final could be held at Adelaide Oval began to circulate after the win over Western Australia in Perth last month but nothing could happen officially until South Australia confirmed they would host the final.Related

South Australia prevented from hosting Shield final at Adelaide Oval

Queensland revive final hopes with thumping victory

Lehmann and Scott lead South Australia to home Shield final

The final is currently scheduled to run from March 26 to March 30. One major issue is that Adelaide Oval’s drop-in pitches have already been removed from the venue ahead of AFL club Adelaide Crows first home game on March 16. South Australia’s other AFL club, Port Adelaide, play their first home game at the venue on Saturday March 22.If the Shield final were to be staged at Adelaide Oval, it would need to be moved forward two days to be played between Monday March 24 and Friday March 28, sandwiched between weekend football fixtures with Crows playing at home again on March 30.It is understood that a single drop-in surface could be put in place after the AFL game on March 22 is completed. The pitch would have already been prepared elsewhere and would be ready for play on March 24 with the outfield cut to an acceptable level.”We’re in now. I think that was part of the step,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo after the win over Victoria on Sunday. “I’ve left that up to the people above me, but it’s gaining momentum, I believe.”I think there are a few small bridges to cross coming into this week. But I think now that the fact that it’s been confirmed that we’re in Adelaide I guess we’ll hear over the next couple of days, what goes on there.”But I mean we want to play there. We love it there. It might be a little bit different. The outfield might be a little bit slower, but when we play early games in September, October, it’s generally quite slow anyway, so I don’t think it’s going to be a lot different.South Australia have been the dominant team of the season•Getty Images

“But ultimately if we can get out there, it’d be great. But obviously, we understand as well the agreement football have. But as far as I know, the conversations have been really positive so we’ll wait and see over the next couple of days.”A Shield final has not been hosted at Adelaide Oval since 1996 with South Australia’s last home final played at Glenelg Oval. The encroachment of the AFL season into March over the last 15 years has meant venues that host both first-class cricket and Australian Rules Football such as the Adelaide Oval, the MCG, the SCG, the Gabba and Perth Stadium have been unavailable to host Shield finals due to football being prioritised once the winter code begins it’s season.A Shield final has not been played at any of those venues since 2012 when Queensland hosted the final at the Gabba. Since then Victoria has hosted finals at Alice Springs and Hobart while New South Wales hosted a final in Canberra before Junction Oval and Cricket Central became viable grounds. Queensland host two finals at Allan Border Field in recent years.South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas has even got involved and has already spoken to the local AFL clubs about the issue.”This issue has been drawn to my attention, I did spend a bit of time on the weekend making a few calls,” Malinauskas told ABC radio last week. “I’m pretty optimistic that with some hard-headed reason, there’s a compromise to be had here that would allow it to be played at Adelaide Oval.”But everyone is going to have to give a little bit. There’s a whole bunch of moving parts to this, but after the calls I’ve made, I’m pretty optimistic we’re going to get the right outcome if wiser heads prevail. I think the Crows have an appetite for pragmatism here, and that is to their great credit. The AFL’s got a role to play.”South Australia’s final Shield game of the home and away season starts on Saturday March 15 but it was already scheduled to be played at Karen Rolton Oval.The AFL are receptive to allowing the final to be played in between weekend football games with AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon saying that the league was open to co-operating.”Like we do with other sports where we have a scheduling clash, we’re fortunate to play in the best stadiums in Australia across all of our capital cities and we know those stadiums get built and operate because they are multi-sport,” Dillon said at a press conference on last week. “So if it can be accommodated within our schedule, we absolutely would look at that.”Playing the final at Adelaide Oval would shorten the turnaround from the last regular-season round from seven days to five for whichever travelling team qualifies. Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria all still a chance depending on the results of the final round.Lehmann, Alex Carey and Travis Head are the only current South Australian players who played in their last Shield final. Lehmann, whose father Darren played in the state’s triumph at Adelaide Oval in 1996, said he would love to play the decider at the ground.”If that arises, that’d be awesome, because I think the last time we played in the Shield final at home was at Glenelg,” Lehmann said. “We actually got a pretty good crowd there, and it was good. But also, I love Adelaide Oval. I think it’s the best stadium in the world. You know, it just produces good wicket good cricket wicket, great stadium. so I’d love to be able to do that.”Meanwhile, Harris confirmed that Carey will be available for both South Australia’s final Shield game of the season against Queensland and the final.”As far as I know, he’s back next week, and for the final now,” Harris said. “That’s huge. Getting a player who’s playing pretty well at the moment. I watched his innings the other night in the Champions Trophy, I don’t think I’ve seen him bat as good as that.”But Head is not going to be around. Having captained South Australia in their last two Shield finals, Head is committed to playing in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and their first game is on March 23. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson, who both played Shield games this season for South Australia, are also IPL bound.”All fine with that,” Harris said. “That’s what they want to do. I think they’re probably having a bit of FOMO now and would want to be here. But that’s alright.”

Injury-hit Australia retained the Women’s Ashes after Beth Mooney’s assured innings led them to a thumping 57-run victory in the first T20I at the SCG.A spirited 59 off 30 balls by Sophia Dunkley kept England in the contest with superb placement and power after they were asked to equal their highest successful run chase in T20Is. But spin duo Alana King and Georgia Wareham claimed five wickets between them as England were bowled out for just 141 in 16 overs.The hosts were missing regular captain and keeper Alyssa Healy, who was ruled out with an injury to the same right foot in which she ruptured the plantar fascia at the T20 World Cup in October, and Ashleigh Gardner, the star of their 3-0 ODI series sweep, to a calf strain.It was the first time Australia had played a T20I without both Healy and Gardner in their XI in 12 years and the first international match both had missed since an ODI in February 2016. That gave young opener Georgia Voll her T20I debut after she had impressed in Australia’s ODI series against India in December, replacing Healy who had a knee injury at the time.But it was Mooney, also standing in as wicketkeeper for Healy, who anchored Australia to an impressive 198 for 7 in their 20 overs with her 51-ball 75 amid a spate of sloppy fielding from England. Tahlia McGrath was Australia’s next-best batter with a rapid-fire 26 from nine deliveries. Mooney also claimed two catches.With Australia now holding an eight-points-to-nil lead, the best England can hope for is to win both remaining T20s and the Test to draw the series, which would still see the hosts retain the trophy.While a crowd of 9,279 turned out on a pleasant Monday night in Sydney during the summer school holidays, the lopsided Ashes contest overall doesn’t auger particularly well for Cricket Australia’s hopes of luring a big crowd to the MCG for a day-night Test that could well be a total dead rubber.

Handy replacement

Voll planted her front foot and heaved the fourth ball she faced in T20Is – off Freya Kemp – powerfully over mid-on for four. A couple of fielding errors by England were exacerbated when Lauren Bell dropped Voll on 13. Bell couldn’t look as the ball ran down to fine leg for a second of three consecutive fours off Charlie Dean, bookended by two convincing slog-sweeps through square leg.But Bell made amends when she pinned Voll in front of leg stump for 21 off just 11 balls in the next over with the Australian burning a review in the process. Voll’s exit brought Phoebe Litchfield to the crease and, as she foretold in the lead-up to the match, she took a liking to England’s spin attack. She slammed legspinner Sarah Glenn’s third ball through cover for four, followed immediately by a stunning switch-hit for six over cover point.Beth Mooney swings into the leg side•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Mooney shines

Mooney, meanwhile, rode her luck, dropped by wicketkeeper Amy Jones on 16 after overturning an lbw decision, she skied the last ball of Glenn’s opening over towards cover only to see the two close-by fielders watch it fall to the ground between them. But then Heather Knight saved England’s blushes straight after the drinks break with an excellent direct hit from mid-off to remove a diving Litchfield at the non-striker’s end as she chanced a single.England’s fielding picked up for a time, albeit from a low base, with Jones completing a sharp stumping to remove Ellyse Perry, Danni Wyatt-Hodge proving reliable running in from deep midwicket as Annabel Sutherland holed out and Maia Bouchier almost coming to grief with a good diving effort at long-off to prevent a four by McGrath. Bouchier appeared to hurt her shoulder badly but recovered to remain on the field. All the while, Mooney kept the Australian innings going apace. She brought up her fifty off 37 balls and she and McGrath helped themselves to 17 runs off Bell’s third over. While Sophie Ecclestone ended McGrath’s innings with an excellent delivery that dipped and skidded onto the stumps between the batter’s legs, Mooney pressed on until she was stumped strolling past a Kemp delivery, by which point, her work was done.Georgia Wareham and Alana King took five wickets between them•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Dunkley keeps England in it

England’s pursuit began poorly when Bouchier sent the second ball of the innings, from Megan Schutt, straight to deep backward square and Wyatt-Hodge followed driving a Kim Garth outswinger to Litchfield in the slips. Dunkley picked off three sixes and 22 runs in all off Garth’s next over though. King, playing her first T20I in nearly two years, struck with her first ball, a short legbreak that beat Nat Sciver-Brunt’s attempted pull and clattered into middle stump. But Dunkley’s timing was superb as she picked gaps with precision and cleared the boundary four times. She raised her fifty off just 24 balls, the second-fastest scored against Australia in T20Is and equal to second-fastest in the format.King claimed her second wicket straight after drinks when Australia appealed to the DRS to remove Knight lbw trying to reverse-sweep and McGrath’s cutter crashing into Dunkley’s leg stump felt like the end for England. So it proved as the visitors lost their last five wickets for 25 runs in 3.1 overs with Wareham removing Jones, Ecclestone and Dean.

Will Aston Villa soon make their maiden first-team signing of the summer?

So far, teenager Yasin Özcan has arrived from Kasımpaşa for a reported fee of around £5.8m, albeit he was immediately loaned out to Anderlecht, while veteran goalkeeper Marco Bizot and 19-year-old winger Zépiqueno Redmond have both joined on free transfers.

Thus, right now, ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United, Unai Emery will not have any high-profile new signings to showcase, but could that be about to change?

Aston Villa transfer news latest

Speaking on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, Dan Bardell notes that Aston Villa have so far been unable to spend money in this summer window due to their lack of PSR headroom, but forecasts that they will be active and “opportunistic” in the coming weeks, having to date kept their powder dry.

This was exactly the strategy that saw the Claret and Blue Army land both Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan in January, but the pair will need replacing, with the Englishman having joined Barcelona, while it appears unlikely that the Spaniard will return to Villa Park either.

Thus, as they target attacking reinforcements, with Alan Nixon revealing on his Patreon that Aston Villa had joined the race to sign Evann Guessand, and were willing to outbid Crystal Palace, who have long been viewed as the front-runners to secure the Ivorian’s signature.

That has since been followed up by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that the Midlands has reached a “verbal agreement” with Nice, having lodged a bid of around €30m (£26m), plus add-ons.

That comes after it was previously noted that the forward was valued at around £22m by the Ligue 1 outfit.

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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So, Guessand looks set to become just the second player from Côte d’Ivoire to call Villa Park home. Jonathan Kodjia is the first, and so far only, in case you were wondering!

What Evann Guessand would bring to Aston Villa

Guessand, who is still only 24 years old, joined Nice at the age of 15, but only became an outstanding figure in les Aiglons’ first-team as recently as last season.

He spent time out on loan at Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and then Nantes in Ligue 1, scoring five goals for la Maison Jaune, most notably bagging a stoppage-time winner against Olympiacos in the Europa League, sparking wild scenes of celebration at Stade de la Beaujoire.

He has returned to Nice for the last two seasons, very much a key figure for his boyhood club, scoring six goals in Ligue 1 in 2023/24, before bagging 12 during the most recent campaign, firing Franck Haise’s side to a top four finish and possible Champions League qualification; they face Benfica in the first leg of a qualifier this week.

The table below emphasises Guessand’s impressive form in Ligue 1 last season.

Evann Guessand Ligue 1 statistics 2024/25

Statistics

Guessand

Ligue 1 rank

Goals

12

10th

Assists

8

6th

Shots

27

10th

Goals – xG

+2.8

9th

Shot-creating actions

91

23rd

Goal-creating actions

17

8th

Attempted take-ons

103

15th

Progressive carries

87

19th

Average SofaScore rating

7.23

7th*

*among forwards only.

Statistics courtesy of FBref.com and SofaScore

The table outlines that Guessand is an all-round attacker, ranked highly when it comes to both goals and assists, but also chances created and dribbling, overperforming his expected goals figure by almost three, underlining his clinical edge.

Alex Barker of The Athletic is certainly a fan, labelling him a “real physical handful” as well as being an “agile” forward who is capable of creating “high-quality chances” too, concluding that his ability to do it all makes him “Bruno Fernandes-esque”.

Venkatanarayanan of Total Football Analysis agrees, noting that he is a ‘good dribbler’, which is surprising given that he is 6 ft 2 in (188 cm).

Meantime, Mohamed Fathall of Breaking the Lines states that he thrives when able to ‘support a central striker’, adding that he is ‘constantly looking to take on defenders’, using his ‘intelligent movement’ to get into goal-scoring positions.

Well, this makes him the ideal strike partner for Ollie Watkins who, as documented by Ahmed Walid of The Athletic, only truly started scoring goals with impressive regularity at Aston Villa after Emery had coached him to remain within the width of the penalty area.

Watkins has reached double figures for goals in each of his five Premier League campaigns, although such consistency could be maintained if fed by the Fernandes-esque talents of Guessand, considering he created 12 ‘big chances’ in Ligue 1 last term, as per Sofascore.

For context, Manchester United’s skipper was only just ahead with 16 ‘big chances’ created in the Premier League.

With Villa’s number 11 thus able to pounce on regular, quality service, Guessand and Watkins could form a deadly attacking partnership, as Villa target a top five finish and Europa League glory in the season ahead.

Related Emery's own Benteke: Aston Villa eyeing deal for "terrifying" £51m ace

Unai Emery could soon have his own Christian Benteke at Aston Villa if this signing is secured.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Aug 4, 2025

Former Australian coach leaves assistant roles with a year to run on his contract for a radio commentary job with ABC Sport

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2024

Darren Lehmann has resigned as Brisbane Heat assistant coach•Getty Images

Former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann has abruptly resigned from his roles as a Brisbane Heat and Queensland men’s assistant coach to take up a full-time radio commentary job with ABC Sport for the upcoming summer of cricket in Australia.Lehmann, 54, had a year to run on his contract as an assistant coach with Heat and Queensland having been part of the Heat coaching group that won the BBL title last year, which was the Heat’s first title since he coached them to their inaugural trophy in 2012-13.Lehmann was set to continue his role under new head coach Johan Botha, following the departure of Wade Seccombe earlier this year, but elected to leave his role on the eve of the 2024-25 season in order to take up a commentary gig with ABC Sport for the summer which will include coverage of the Border-Gavaskar series and the BBL.Related

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It might signal the end of Lehmann’s coaching career after he applied for both the Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades head coaching jobs but missed out to Tim Paine and Cameron White respectively.”I’ve had a great time over the journey, with so many fond memories from that time,” Lehmann said.”I wish nothing but the best for the future for all at QC and the Heat and thank each and every member of staff and the playing group for making my time at QC so enjoyable and fulfilling.”Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson paid tribute to Lehmann for his impact on Queensland cricket.”Throughout his long involvement with us, whether as a team coach with the Bulls and the Heat, or assisting individual players with their development, Darren has been a positive and proactive influence on cricket in the state,” Svenson said.”Being part of the group that won the BBL last summer is a fitting way to farewell him, and while we were looking forward to having him with us again this summer, we wish him every success in the commentary box with ABC Sport.”Andy Bichel will be the only remaining member of the coaching panel at both Queensland and Heat as a new era begins under Botha and general manager of high performance Joe Dawes.

The Northern Territory aims to bring Australia back for winter cricket

AAP21-Aug-2024

Darwin last hosted international cricket when Australia played Bangladesh in 2008•Getty Images

The Northern Territory has set its sights on Australia’s white-ball series against South Africa next winter as their chance to end a 16-year wait for international cricket in Darwin.Darwin hosted the last of its four ODIs in 2008. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also played Tests in the city in 2003 and 2004.Since then, two drop-in wickets have been installed at the ICC-accredited TIO Stadium and the Top End T20 series launched, as part of the all-year Cricket 365 branding in the Territory.The Top End series last week brought in four Big Bash clubs, Tasmania, the ACT and teams from Pakistan and Bangladesh, with eyes to expand further in the future.Ten past or present Test players attended, including the likes of Jhye Richardson playing for the Perth Scorchers, and Marcus Harris with the Melbourne Renegades.But also on the horizon is international cricket, with Australia slated to host South Africa in three ODIs and three T20Is next August, and negotiations ongoing between the NT government and Cricket Australia.”I want that content. I don’t expect all of it, and I don’t expect any of it, but I want some of it – and I’m going after it,” NT Cricket CEO Gavin Dovey told AAP. “We are putting the foundation in place to be ready. We have the infrastructure and it has had exceptional cricket on it [with the Top End series].”It’s not the Big Bash or international cricket, but we have shown we have that calibre of players playing on these wickets. We have the venue and it is ICC-accredited – and we have the weather.”Dovey spent time holding a national team training camp in Darwin in his former life as Australia’s men’s team manager, before taking up the NT role last January.He is keen to make Darwin a consistent option for international fixtures, given only the Territory and North Queensland can host winter matches in Australia and are more likely to be held in the country in 2026.”It makes sense to get some T20s. We’ve never hosted a men’s T20, and there has been over 100 played in Australia,” Dovey said. “I’m not particularly after content every 10 years. I don’t see the legacy in it. Consistent content every year or two would mean kids don’t have to go a decade before they meet their BBL heroes or national heroes.”Dovey’s plan for growth is two-fold, with a desire to expand the Top End series to up to 12 teams, with more Big Bash franchises and overseas sides.Nearly 700,000 people watched this year’s nine-team, 30-match tournament via YouTube, while that number sat at 10.6 million last year once overseas broadcasters were included.Dovey is hopeful of adding teams from New Zealand and Nepal next year, along with the big lure of appealing to IPL franchises.”It’s in an August window where no one else can play. The wickets wouldn’t be like ours with the weather [elsewhere],” he  said. “It’s an incredible window to the subcontinent, where you can’t play easily this time of year either.  The event is awesome and has a point of difference with the international teams.”

Newcastle United await Champions League football next season, with the fifth-place Premier League finish in 2024/25 proving huge in the efforts to drive St. James’ Park to the forefront of domestic and European football.

Financially and from a sporting standpoint too, United are in a fantastic position, positioned to sign high-profile targets while keeping their prized assets on Tyneside.

The Times have reported that PIF are willing to make Alexander Isak the highest-paid player in Newcastle’s history to fend off interest from suitors like Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona, and if they succeed, Eddie Howe can turn with greater security toward the wide flanks.

Newcastle open talks for Elanga alternative

While Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga might be the talk of the Toon right now after a £45m offer was rejected earlier this week, the Magpies have actually been reported to have established contacts with an exciting alternative.

Transfer Focus

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

As per TEAMtalk, Newcastle have been in contact with the representatives of Malick Fofana as they look to cover themselves if unsuccessful in their bid to sign Elanga.

The talented Belgian winger is set to leave Lyon this summer after his side’s relegation to Ligue 2 due to financial difficulties, and a host of suitors, including Chelsea and Liverpool, have emerged.

Fofana is valued at around €50m (£43m), although Lyon’s imperilled position may work to Newcastle’s advantage in building a cheaper package.

Why Newcastle should sign Malick Fofana

While only 20, Fofana has already proved his potential on the major stage, becoming an important player for Lyon – who finished sixth in Ligue 1 last year – after joining from KAA Gent in January 2024.

His return of 11 goals and six assists across the 2024/25 campaign certainly underscores his potential as a high-level winger, especially as he notched nine goal contributions from only 16 starts in the league. Moreover, Fofana played a big role during Lyon’s Europa League campaign, scoring six goals.

Principally left-sided, Fofana scored twice from just two matches as a right winger, also laying on one assist. Given his pace and such fledgling potency, this suggests he could prove an even better signing than Elanga, especially since Forest are looking for something in the region of £60m for the Sweden international.

Matches (starts)

29 (16)

38 (31)

Goals

5

6

Assists

4

11

Shots (on target)*

1.1 (0.5)

1.2 (0.6)

Big chances missed

4

6

Pass completion

84%

78%

Big chances created

6

9

Key passes*

0.9

1.3

Dribbles*

0.8

0.7

Tackles*

1.1

0.5

Duels won*

2.9

3.0

Neither player has perhaps maximised their potential across ball-carrying and creative metrics. Elanga, for example, has named himself “one of the fastest players in the Premier League”, while Fofana ranked among the top 2% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.

He also ranked among the top 10% for non-penalty goals scored per 90, emphasising an innate scoring ability that is backed up by a steady stream of creativity.

Elanga, 23, is probably the more polished man, but Fofana’s ceiling stretches higher, and he’s already demonstrated that he has a fleet-footed nature to match.

This two-sided winger could prove a stunning acquisition for a Newcastle side already complete and rounded, just in need of some more depth.

Already noted to be a “game-changer” by journalist Antonio Mango, Fofana is the real deal, and with interest in his services swelling now that Lyon have been relegated from France’s top division, Howe will want to get such a deal done promptly.

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Sunderland are now “increasingly likely” to complete the signing of a defender in the summer transfer window, according to a promising transfer update.

Le Bris bullish about Sunderland's summer

The Black Cats are still basking in the glory of being promoted back to the Premier League from the Championship amid joyous scenes at Wembley last month. Regis Le Bris made it clear that he is already focusing on new signings, however, saying how he expects the summer to pan out at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland have been linked with a move for young Liverpool striker Jayden Danns, with talks even reportedly held over a move to the club. The Englishman joined the Black Cats on loan in January, but a back injury put paid to his chances of even playing a single minute.

Elsewhere, former defender Wes Brown has also talked up Sunderland’s chances of bringing Jordan Henderson back to his old club: “Going back to Sunderland would make sense. He’d understand that he might not play every week, but when needed, definitely show the heart.”

Sunderland "increasingly likely" to sign defender

According to Africa Foot [via Sport Witness], Sunderland are now “increasingly likely” to have a chance of signing Reims defender Cedric Kipre, as he expects to leave his current club this summer. Le Bris is thought to consider the 28-year-old a “serious option” for his side, no doubt knowing that he needs to bolster his defence ahead of the return to the Premier League.

Kipre is a player who already has a wealth of experience in British football, having racked up a total of 206 appearances in the Championship and Scottish Premiership combined after leaving PSG’s academy, during spells with the likes of Wigan Athletic, West Brom, Cardiff City and Motherwell.

He won the Baggies Supporters’ Player of the Season award in 2023/24, starting all 46 matches in the Championship and averaging 3.6 clearances and 2.3 aerial duel wins per game in the competition that year.

This all highlights what a strong option Kipre could be for Sunderland, even though he hasn’t yet played in the Premier League, with his experience of Ligue 1 no doubt helping him.

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The Ivorian could provide great competition for minutes to the likes of Dan Ballard and Luke O’Nien, potentially even being a starter from the off, and the fact that his exit from Reims looks likely could only be a good thing for the Black Cats.

Manchester City are reportedly in pole position to pip Liverpool to the signing of an “excellent” player in the summer transfer window.

Busy summer of transfers expected at Man City

By City’s high standards, this season has been a huge disappointment, even though there is an FA Cup final against Crystal Palace to look forward to later this month. Pep Guardiola’s side’s defence of their Premier League had faded by Christmas, and they also failed to reach the Champions League knockout rounds.

For that reason, a big summer is needed when it comes to new signings, as City look to bring in fresh faces who can take them back to the top of the league, with older heroes such as Kevin De Bruyne moving on.

Monaco youngster Eliesse Ben Seghir has been linked with a move to the Etihad ahead of next season, with the 20-year-old winger already scoring 15 times in 80 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.

Meanwhile, Hugo Larsson has been mentioned as an option to bolster City’s midfield, with younger legs required after a tough campaign for the likes of De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic. The Eintracht Frankfurt ace has been a key man this season, averaging 1.4 tackles per game across 30 Bundesliga outings as well as providing goals from midfield.

Man City leading race to sign "excellent" defender

According to a new report from Football Insider, Manchester City are leading the race to sign Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso this summer, sitting in pole position ahead of Liverpool, who attempted to hijack the deal in recent days.

The update states that Guardiola’s men are “in the driving seat over the deal as things stand and have been working on the deal behind the scenes since January”.

The £73,000-a-week Cambiaso could be a fantastic signing for City, given his ability to play in either full-back position, as well as being able to drift into midfield and affect games.

The 25-year-old Italy international has a 91.8% pass completion rate in 30 Serie A appearances this season, with his quality on the ball ideal for Guardiola, and journalist Zach Lowy has described him as “world-class”.

Full-back is a position that must be targeted by City in the summer window, with Kyle Walker’s best days behind him on the right and Josko Gvardiol not necessarily a natural left-back despite his brilliance, and Cambiaso fits the bill to perfection.

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He is technically superb, versatile and at a good point in his career, and if Guardiola can sign him over Liverpool, it would be a statement of intent ahead of next season.