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Favourites booked automatic place in final at Kia Oval, after one loss in group stages

Valkerie Baynes26-Jul-2025With a home T20 World Cup just a year away, the inaugural Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day offers an enticing stage for international and domestic aspirants alike.Surrey are the favourites on their home ground, especially as they are direct entrants to Sunday’s final, having lost just once all season (alongside a rain-affected tie with Essex). The team that beat them, however, are The Blaze, who take on the Bears in the semi-final.Bryony Smith, Surrey’s captain, is looking for a big score this season, having played 13 games for 225 runs at 17.30 with a strike rate of 125.00 and highest score of 44. But she knows she has it in her after a 33-ball 62 in a winning England Development XI against India, which acted as a warm-up to the international tour, which concluded on Tuesday.And while it won’t be at the forefront of her mind this weekend, Smith has set her sights on next year’s T20 World Cup as an opportunity to break into the senior England side. She played one ODI against West Indies way back in 2019 and 10 T20Is sporadically between 2018 and the tour of Ireland last September.Related

Kathryn Bryce stars as Blaze get back to winning ways

Surrey clinch Finals Day place defending 132 at The Blaze

Davina Perrin stars as Bears book spot at Finals Day

Chathli takes command as Surrey outmuscle Bears

Kelly, Boyce provide Blaze base for solid victory

“I feel like I’ve not had a real go at it yet,” Smith said. “I’ve been in and out of squads over the years, had that Ireland tour, but only ended up playing two games. So I see myself looking forward to the T20 World Cup next summer and that’s something I’m going to aim for.”I’m getting on with things here at Surrey and if England come calling that would be great but if not, we’ve got a good enough set-up here to play loads of games, so I’m happy doing that.”Danni Wyatt-Hodge, recruited by Surrey this season from the now-defunct Southern Vipers, is the third-highest run-scorer in the competition with 372 at 62.00 and a strike rate of 158.29. She racked up five half-centuries from eight games, played around her duties with England’s T20I side, with a best of 74 not out.Wyatt-Hodge was left out of England’s ODI squad this summer with a World Cup looming in October, and it won’t only be national head coach Charlotte Edwards who might be keeping an eye on Surrey’s gun fielder with a view to strengthening that department.”We’ve seen what Danni Wyatt-Hodge has done for us throughout the comp,” Smith said. “She played the first eight games for us and was leading run-scorer and to have her in your team is massive, not just with the bat but with the field as well.”She’s new to us this year but she’s fitted in so well and she loves batting here at The Oval, so we’re excited to see what happens.”Sarah Bryce and Kathryn Bryce were instrumental in the Blaze’s victory in last year’s Charlotte Edwards Cup, the previous T20 women’s competition•Getty ImagesThe hosts qualified for Finals Day when they defended 132 for 9 to beat The Blaze on July 11, Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Kalea Moore taking two wickets each to restrict The Blaze to 122 for 5 despite an unbeaten fifty from Kathryn Bryce.And while the win was arguably more gritty than pretty, Surrey got the job done and Smith believes her side’s all-round strength and depth has been their best asset.”We’ve had to use a lot of players so far this comp with England duties and England A girls away as well, so it’s been a real squad effort,” Smith said. “We’ve got top-class players throughout the order and we have that real trust in each other to go out and play your own game, no matter what the situation.”Some of the scores we’ve produced, we back ourselves to chase anything, and then we’ve got the bowlers and the fielders to back that up as well. We’ve been able to protect low scores.”You see that Blaze game… our fielders pretty much won us that game. We’ve got an all-round package and that closeness within the group is something that we really rely on.”The Blaze and Bears have won eight games each this season but the Bears have five losses against them compared to The Blaze’s two. The sides tied in the opening match of the season while the Bears won by 25 runs in the return fixture.The Bears boast the competition’s second-highest run-scorer, Davina Perrin, and the second-leading wicket-taker in left-arm wrist-spinner Millie Taylor with 19 at 16.10 and an economy rate of 7.46 with best figures of 3 for 13. Bryce is third on the wicket-taker’s list with 17 at 14.82 and 6.66 with a best of 4 for 13.Surrey defeated Warwickshire in a dead rubber in their final match of the regular season with Kira Chathli striking a timely half-century during a second-wicket stand of 93 with big-hitting Australian Grace Harris.That was before Harris’s sister, Laura, responded with a 42 off just 14 balls, although Surrey’s bowlers swung the match back in their favour to claim the upper hand ahead of the season’s showcase.

India are in transition but the leader of their attack in the West Indies stepped up big time

Alagappan Muthu24-Jul-20231:01

Dasgupta: Siraj led the pace attack under pressure

“In the morning, we chatted about it, that the wicket was tough to bowl on. It’s slow and nothing is happening, like seam movement or spin. At the end, there was some turn but overall it was very easy for batting.”Their batting was also very defensive. So there were no chances for us because they didn’t play any attacking shots. To sum up our effort, it was great from our bowlers and each one of them did what was expected of them.”A little over 12 hours after India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said all of that, he was watching his boys cut through the West Indies line-up.The missing link between India needing 67 overs to pick up four first-innings wickets on Saturday but only 7.4 to pick up five on Sunday was the new ball. It swung.This was a significant window of opportunity, which came with the catch that it was likely to be a small one. These are the moments that a good team seizes.India have been at this crossroads many times in overseas Test matches. Two of the more high-profile ones turned on the back of not so much the mistakes themselves but the timing of them. Their collapse on the sixth day of the first World Test Championship final and their letting Travis Head off the hook by never inviting him to hook when he was new to the crease in the most recent World Test Championship final.That hurt will never go away. Like 8-0 in 2011-12 never went away. In fact, a straight line can be traced from there to India having much improved fast bowling stocks. Perhaps in a similar way, the limitations that cost them those two ICC titles will now help them build once again.2:38

Siraj: Taking a five-for on a flat wicket isn’t easy

There were some good signs in Port-of-Spain, particularly from Mohammed Siraj. Did you know that he has been among the toughest quick bowlers to face in the last year? He has induced a false shot 211 times in 13 innings. And that’s while playing on the raging turners of Mirpur and Nagpur. The featherbed at Ahmedabad. And of course, this one here at the Queen’s Park Oval. The other quicks above him – there are 11 – the likes of Stuart Broad and Mitchell Starc and Matt Henry and Kagiso Radaba tend to play at venues much more suitable to their craft.Only a few minutes after Siraj walked back to the pavilion having bowled 3.4 overs for 13 runs and four wickets on the fourth morning, West Indies leaked 100 runs in 12.2 overs. This guy is that good and he has worked really hard for it. He didn’t rest on having a top-notch outswinger to the right-hand batters. He went out and found a way to bring the ball back into them. He knew that in order to be great, he had to test both edges of the bat. He had to create that uncertainty. In some of symmetry’s best work, two of his wickets came from balls leaving the right-hand batters and the other two from balls snarling back into them. Jason Holder’s downfall had the added subtlety of a bowler going wide of the crease to trick the batter into playing the angle, and therefore playing inside the line to be nicked off.Siraj is dangerously close to being a complete fast bowler. And he has only been playing Test cricket for two-and-a-half years.Mukesh Kumar looks a quick study as well. The control he offered on day three was crucial. The wickets he took were also significant. He had Alick Athanaze lbw with conventional swing. He used reverse seam – the ball moving off the pitch in the direction of the shine – to subdue Kirk McKenzie. And he hounded Kraigg Brathwaite on the front foot because he knew that’s the one place on a cricket field he doesn’t feel comfortable. On a quicker pitch, he might have had him lbw too.India have dominated this tour but that was expected when they were up against a team ranked eighth and a batting line-up that has routinely underperformed. Even so, the fact that they made what needed to happen happen – a collapse so that they can get in to bat early and set the pace in order to leave themselves enough time to bowl West Indies out again – will please the team management. They know they are in the middle of a transition but it is entirely possible that they’re relishing the hell out of it. Mhambrey’s smile as he greeted Siraj, who returned to the dressing room with the ball held aloft, was a dead giveaway.

They might not make it to the knockouts, but this generation of Namibia cricketers can certainly leave behind a legacy to be proud of

Peter Della Penna23-Oct-2021

Big picture

If making their first appearance in a T20 World Cup wasn’t enough of an achievement, Namibia have gone not just one but two better: a first victory over a Test-playing nation, and qualification to the Super 12s. At this stage, Namibia are playing with house money.Nobody will expect them to win three games to be in with a shot at qualifying for the semi-finals, at least not with group matches against Afghanistan, New Zealand, India and Pakistan, not to mention Scotland, the fellow Associates. Not having that burden of expectation just might give them the license to throw their chips on the table and let it ride.Players such as Gerhard Erasmus and Stephan Baard, both of whom have served as captains for Namibia at the Under-19 and senior levels, have been quoted in interviews saying how they were inspired as young boys growing up in Namibia by the deeds of Namibia’s 2003 50-over World Cup squad. It didn’t matter that they lost every game. What mattered was that they took the field to stand shoulder to shoulder, toe to toe, against the likes of Andy Flower, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar.Related

• Albie Morkel: 'Cricket was a dying sport in Namibia, but people have started watching again'

• Gerhard Erasmus expects 'nice momentum' to keep Namibia's dream run alive

• Namibia live out their desert dream

• Wiese passes Sharjah pitch test with flying colours

But whereas the 2003 Namibia squad was made up of players who were doctors and policemen, and held various other nine-to-five jobs, these players are full-time professionals. Securing ODI status in 2019 has opened the door for Erasmus to commit himself full-time to cricket, and delay a career putting his law school degree to use. Cricket Namibia is now reaping the rewards of that extra funding that could be invested in player development.The success against Ireland to vault into the Super 12s has instilled new-found belief into the likes of Erasmus and the rest of his charges. If he was inspired simply by seeing the likes of Rudi van Vuuren and Deon Kotze stand on the field against such illustrious names of the 2000s, one can only imagine what it may do for the next generation in Namibia if Erasmus’s men not only take the field against some of the Full Member heavyweights, but actually trump a team led by Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Babar Azam or Virat Kohli.

Recent form

For anyone sleeping under a rock for the last week, Namibia are riding high after taking two wins out of three in the opening round of the tournament. But that is just a continuation of their outstanding form in 2021. Namibia have won eight of nine T20Is in the calendar year, including three matches earlier in October against UAE, PNG and Scotland, the last of which was a dominant five-wicket win chasing a target of 138 with 14 balls to spare. Even though Scotland won their qualifying group, which included a win over Bangladesh, Namibia are arguably favourites in that Super 12 encounter before they square off against their Full Member slate.Gerhard Erasmus and David Wiese have been part of many good things for Namibia of late•ICC via Getty

Batting

This is the stronger side of Namibia’s game. One of the fascinating parts of Namibia’s win over Ireland to end the opening round was the on-air television commentary discussion centered on who should be promoted in the order to give the innings a spark after a slow powerplay. The main argument was that JJ Smit should have been sent in to crack a few boundaries and get the innings in gear. He wound up not even being needed after the tremendous partnership between Erasmus and David Wiese took Namibia home. Just as remarkably, Baard – who is their third-highest scorer in T20Is and second-highest in all T20s – was left out of the XI after a string of low scores throughout October. But when in form, Baard can be devastating, as can the versatile Craig Williams, who is one of just two Namibians – along with Louis van der Westhuizen – to have multiple centuries in their T20 career. The point is, this is not just a two-man band with Erasmus and Wiese.

Bowling

There isn’t anybody who would be characterized as express on the bowling side, but T20 has brought out their clever bag of tricks. The left-arm trio of Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann and Jan Frylinck can hit their cutters and yorkers when called upon and Wiese’s arrival has added a level of experience to take the pressure off some of the younger men in that group when sticky situational match-ups arise. Though Frylinck’s 3 for 21 was lost in the shuffle of the heroics produced by Wiese and Erasmus in the chase, it was no less pivotal in the win over Ireland. On the spin-bowling side, Bernard Scholtz was the leading spin bowler at the global qualifier two years ago in the UAE and resumed his quietly tidy and efficient spells in the opening round. Against sides packed with left-handers, the option to select Pikky Ya France as an offspinner is also open for Namibia to maintain balance in the side.

Player to watch

Most people might call on Wiese as Namibia’s trump card, but he himself said upon accepting the Player of the Match award in the win over Ireland that it should have gone to captain Erasmus. Groomed as a future captain from the time he made his senior team debut as a lanky 16-year-old against Ireland in Belfast in the 2011 Intercontinental Cup, Erasmus is the heartbeat of the squad. He bats with intelligence – no better evidence than his constant pursuit of pinching low-risk twos rather than slogging for boundaries on a tricky Sharjah surface against Ireland – but can ramp up the intensity when required as demonstrated by a memorable sequence of four sixes in a row against Singapore during the 2019 global qualifier. He’s their best player of spin, their best all-round fielder, and though he only bowled one over in the opening round, his handy part-time offspin could become an increasingly key factor in the Super 12s.

Key question

How to get the best out of Craig Williams?The 37-year-old stalwart was in red-hot form entering the tournament with four consecutive T20I fifties, and also top-scored with 29 against Sri Lanka. Prior to 2021, he spent his entire T20I career batting in the middle-order, but post-pandemic has shifted between opening and coming in at No. 3. He started off the tournament at No. 3, but due to Baard’s struggles was promoted to open against Ireland and made 15 off 16. If he does end up staying at the top, his success or failure will also depend on the ability of his partner to get Williams on strike. The few times Williams struck boundaries against Ireland, he struggled to stay in rhythm because Zane Green was blocking, leaving and chewing up dot balls at the opposite end. Whoever is batting with Williams needs to focus on singles and get off strike to let the old pro work his magic.Likely XI: 1 Stephan Baard, 2 Zane Green (wk), 3 Craig Williams, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (capt), 5 David Wiese, 6 JJ Smit, 7 Jan Frylinck, 8 Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, 9 Pikky Ya France, 10 Ruben Trumpelmann, 11 Bernard Scholtz

When the Blue Jays signed All-Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year, $500 million contract extension in April, the news was met with some mixed responses from the general baseball public.

Here was a homegrown star, a born Canadian who, with just one year left until free agency and after a lengthy and at times testy negotiation process, was pledging to spend the rest of his career in Toronto. For an MVP-caliber player entering his age-26 season, it was the kind of day that organizations dream about.

Except there was a way to view the decision as a desperation move, one made by a gambler who’s barely hanging onto their seat at the table deciding to push a dwindling chip stack all in. The Jays were coming off of a last-place finish that followed three playoff runs in four years, each ending with a wild-card round sweep. To some (including a certain writer), the organization’s contention window was closing, if not already shut. In gambling parlance, this was throwing good money after bad.

Four-plus months into the 2025 season, and it appears that Toronto’s big bet is paying off.

Entering play on Wednesday, the Blue Jays have the best record in the American League. Playoff odds that began at 40% on Opening Day, per FanGraphs, have soared to 98.7%. Barring a horrible collapse, Toronto will be alive and well in October, and has a good chance of earning a spot directly into the division series.

Beyond simply pledging half a billion dollars to Guerrero, the path to where the Blue Jays currently find themselves is paved with even more gambles on in-house talent returning to form and fueling Toronto’s surge.

For years, the Blue Jays have far too often (for their fans’ liking, at least) played the role of bridesmaid rather than bride. Highly publicized free agent chases of Shohei Ohtani (a private plane ride from California to Toronto carrying Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec of fame caused international confusion) and Juan Soto (agent Scott Boras said Toronto impressed the now-Met with a “great offer”) came up empty, as did bids at landing Corbin Burnes and Teoscar Hernández.

Toronto was looking high and low for reinforcements, but the big fish the organization chased weren’t biting.

And the ones that did end up joining the Blue Jays haven’t panned out as hoped. Anthony Santander, who inked a five-year, $92.5 million deal in January, managed a .179 average in 50 games before landing on the injured list. Closer Jeff Hoffman signed for $33 million, and has so far posted a 4.41 ERA with five blown saves. All-Star second baseman Andrés Giménez, acquired in a December trade from the Guardians, has battled injuries amid his worst offensive season (74 OPS+ in 62 games).

Instead of the cavalry coming to save the day, it’s been improvements from players already on the roster that have spurred the Blue Jays’ climb.

Arsenal are fielding enquiries for a ‘frustrated’ star in their squad ahead of the looming January window, and Premier League rivals Man City are one of the clubs keen.

Arsenal play Aston Villa in crucial Premier League title clash

Arsenal travel to the Midlands this Saturday to take on an in-form Aston Villa — a fixture that could prove pivotal in the early title race.

The Gunners arrive in pole position atop the table, buoyed by a recent 2–0 win over Brentford that extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to a remarkable 18 games.

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

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Brentford

Villa have surged into third thanks to a stunning 4–3 victory over Brighton in midweek, their sixth consecutive win across all competitions, so Unai Emery’s side will be no pushovers.

Historically, the matchup has been a tight affair. Across all competitions, the two clubs have met over 200 times — with Arsenal holding a slight edge.

However, in recent seasons, Villa have shown that they can be a thorn in Arsenal’s side.

The Villans completed a league double over Arsenal in 2023–24, including a 2–0 win in April that derailed Mikel Arteta’s title hopes and handed the Premier League crown to City.

Arteta will be fully aware of the danger they pose, especially on home turf, with Villa reigning victorious in five of their last seven home league games while boasting the joint-third best home record in the division.’

Declan Rice makes Cristhian Mosquera statement as Arsenal sweat over injury scare

Arteta is waiting on a definitive update.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 4, 2025

To trot out the old cliché, every game is like a cup final for Arsenal right now, so Arteta will need every man at their very best against a Villa side flying high on confidence.

The north Londoners’ strength in depth, following a near-£270 million summer spend, has paid dividends amid the club’s injury woes.

It has even allowed Arteta to rest some key personnel amid the hectic festive calendar, like he did against Brentford, with right-back Ben White getting a rare start ahead of first-choice Jurrien Timber.

The Englishman has barely been given any game time this season thanks to Timber’s form, with an update now emerging on his future ahead of January.

Ben White 'frustrated' at Arsenal as Man City make January enquiry

As per TEAMtalk and journalist Graeme Bailey, White — once a regular starter — is growing ‘frustrated’ with his limited minutes.

The 28-year-old has made only a handful of appearances so far this season, prompting concern about his long-term future at the club.

That frustration hasn’t gone unnoticed beyond North London. City, now exploring options at right-back, have reportedly marked White as a strong candidate to reinforce Pep Guardiola’s squad.

The Sky Blues are said to be one of a few clubs who’ve made enquiries, alongside Marseille, Como and Atlético Madrid, but Arsenal’s stance is pretty clear.

Arteta, alongside club management, are poised to reject any proposals for White in the January window, even amid mounting interest. This is because they don’t want to weaken the squad in any way shape or form amid their title challenge.

From White’s perspective, the situation is increasingly uncomfortable.

Once viewed as a defensive mainstay, he now finds his opportunities severely curtailed, and media sources suggest he’s unwilling to spend extended periods on the sidelines.

As things stand, White remains at Arsenal, but the coming months could prove pivotal.

If this current trend continues, and if City or other suitors persist, the defender’s exit may well be one to watch in the summer instead.

The international break is finally coming to an end this weekend, and West Ham United will be looking to continue their good form.

After a somewhat rocky start to life in the London Stadium dugout, Nuno Espírito Santo finally got a tune out of the Hammers before the break, beating Newcastle United and Burnley.

Those victories have done wonders for the atmosphere around the club, but even so, there is plenty of work to be done in the coming months.

Moreover, the board need to help the Portuguese coach overhaul the squad, and one way they can do that is by moving on one of Graham Potter’s worst signings, alongside Niclas Füllkrug.

The latest on Niclas Füllkrug

While some fans wanted Fullkrug to leave West Ham in the summer, the German decided to stay put and fight to turn things around.

However, like the rest of the team, he started this season in dire form and then, within two games of Nuno’s reign, tore a muscle, which has kept him out of the last four matches.

During that period, it became clear that the former Borussia Dortmund striker wanted to leave the club, and now, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that he will, and has already been in talks with sides from Germany and elsewhere.

On one hand, it could be seen as a shame that the Irons will be losing a German international after just a season and a half at the club.

However, on the other hand, this is a move the club need to facilitate for everyone’s sake, as describing the 32-year-old’s time in the capital as disappointing would be an understatement.

Appearances

20

7

Minutes

877′

385′

Goals

3

0

Assists

2

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.25

0.00

Minutes per Goal Involvement

175.4′

N/A

For example, since making his move to the club in the summer of 2024, he has scored just three goals and provided two assists in 27 appearances, totalling 1262 minutes.

Worse yet, he failed to score or assist a single goal in the seven appearances prior to his injury this season.

For whatever reason, the international marksman has looked like a totally different player in Claret and Blue from the one who racked up 25 goal involvements in his last season in Germany.

Therefore, getting rid of him in January would be best for all parties, which is unfortunately something that could be said about another international in West Ham’s squad.

The West Ham flop Nuno needs to axe

While it took a little while for them to settle in, it would be fair to say that most of West Ham’s summer signings have improved the squad.

Chalkboard

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

El Hadji Malick Diouf, for example, is a tremendous attacking full-back, Kyle Walker-Peters is great cover and even Callum Wilson has scored a couple of goals and is fine as a low-cost option.

However, one player who wasn’t low-cost and certainly has not improved the squad is Mads Hermansen.

Potter and Co paid Leicester City around £18m for the Danish international in the summer, and unfortunately, that fee is looking worse and worse with each passing game week.

For example, on his competitive debut for the club, he conceded three against Sunderland, then let in five at home to Chelsea the following week.

It was after the game against the West Londoners that Jamie Redknapp argued that he “needs to be changed”, and iconic commentator Ian Darke described the 25-year-old’s start to life in East London as “horrible.”

He then kept his first clean sheet against Nottingham Forest, but the next game saw him let in another three goals, this time at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

Since then, the 25-year-old hasn’t been anywhere near the starting lineup, and in his place, Alphonse Areola has reminded the club that while not the most spectacular of keepers, he can do a job.

Therefore, when the winter window opens, the board should be looking to recoup as much as they can on the former Foxes star, as he’s clearly not good enough to be the number one, and he cost too much and is too unreliable to be a number two.

Ultimately, it might be ruthless, but for the good of his own career and the squad, West Ham need to ensure Hermansen follows Fullkrug out the door in January.

West Ham flop was compared to Pirlo, now he's "National League standard"

He has shown no Pirlo-esque ability since moving to West Ham United.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

Sunderland returned to Premier League action after the international break with a whimper, instead of a bang.

Indeed, Regis Le Bris’ men lost 1-0 away at Fulham, which doesn’t seem like the demoralising result on first glance. But, on another day, Marco Silva’s hosts could have run away with the clash as resounding winners, having notched up a colossal 23 shots, to the Black Cats’ meagre five.

Le Bris will hope his side can return to winning ways in the top-flight when AFC Bournemouth come to Wearside next, before December kicks into gear, which sees huge contests such as the Tyne-Wear Derby arrive on the jam-packed calendar.

Before you know it, the January transfer window will also reopen to give Sunderland an apt opportunity to improve their ranks, ahead of a tough second part of the season, with some high-profile names already being linked to the Stadium of Light.

Transfer latest at Sunderland

Sunderland were very busy in the summer before jumping up to the big time in the Premier League, with a whopping £162m forked out on the likes of Granit Xhaka and Robin Roefs.

Therefore, it isn’t the wildest shout to suggest they could break the bank again if a tempting move comes their way in January, with recent reports from Spain suggesting that the Black Cats could boost their forward line with the acquisition of Real Madrid hotshot Gonzalo Garcia.

The biggest rumour of them all comes in the form of Matteo Guendouzi, the former Arsenal midfielder who worked under Le Bris at Lorient.

Keith Downie reported last week that the Mackems boss has not ruled out a move for the Frenchman as they potentially go about bringing another former ex-Gunner to the Stadium of Light.

He isn’t the only Lazio midfielder catching the eye, with concrete rumours emerging involving the Premier League newcomers being in the hunt for Lazio outcast Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

As per reports from Italy, Sunderland are named as one suitor taking a look at the ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder this January, with the centre of the park a clear priority position to improve.

Sunderland will hope, even if a move for Guendouzi isn’t forthcoming, that they can still clinch a deal for Dele-Bashiru to leave Serie A behind, as Le Bris potentially works his magic on another diamond in the rough, much like he did with Wilson Isidor.

How Dele-Bashiru can be Le Bris' next Isidor

Isidor hasn’t had the smoothest career up to this point, even if he is now four Premier League goals down in Sunderland red and white.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old attacker has had to bounce back from a lot of adversity already, so early into his playing days, with the Rennes-born striker never going on to score a senior goal for AS Monaco, before many loan moves to the likes of Lokomotiv Moscow came to fruition.

Thankfully, the nomadic marksman has now found a home that suits him in Wearside, after such a well-travelled career, with Dele-Bashiru’s career path looking very similar.

Like Isidor, the “special” midfielder as he’s been labelled in Nigeria, is well-travelled, having already played in countries such as Turkey and Italy, after failing to make the grade at Manchester City at youth level.

Much like Isidor, though, he has shone in the EFL previously – which is where the 6-foot-1 striker bagged 13 goals to seal Sunderland’s promotion out of the Championship – with seven goal contributions coming his way on the books of the Owls in League One, as a rising youngster in South Yorkshire.

The nine-time Nigeria international has also shone in spurts for Lazio, even if only four appearances have come his way this season, with five goals and three assists from 33 appearances perhaps standing him in good stead to acclimatise to the Premier League effortlessly, as Isidor has managed.

Away from possessing a similar eye for a goal and assist like his Rennes-born counterpart, Dele-Bashiru would also be a useful buy when you consider his versatility across his up-and-down career to date, with his Lazio teammate in Boulaye Dia even hailing him as a talent who “can do everything”, whether that be from a central role, down the flanks, or even as an unorthodox defender.

CM

99

14 + 9

AM

41

7 + 6

RW

7

1 + 0

LW

7

2 + 1

RM

2

0

DM

2

0

RB

2

0

Valued at around the £4.7m mark, which is the amount he officially joined Lazio for, this is a deal that would be really worth exploring, with Dele-Bashiru lining up across seven different positions during his bumpy career to date.

Isidor only cost around the £5m price range, as well, and in January, another Isidor-style deal could soon be wrapped up.

Sunderland chief in contact with 14-cap midfielder who Cesc Fabregas "loves"

The Black Cats could land another transfer coup in 2026.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 21, 2025

After a year outside of Major League Baseball, first baseman and designated hitter Trey Mancini appears ready to take another crack at a return.

Mancini is signing a minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a Friday afternoon report from Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The 32-year-old has not played in the big leagues since 2023, when he slashed .234/.299/.336 with four home runs and 28 RBIs in 79 games for the Chicago Cubs.

Mancini remains best known for his association with the Baltimore Orioles, for whom he played from 2016 to '22. He slugged 35 home runs and drove in 97 runs for the Orioles in 2019, providing one of the lone bright spots on a 54-108 team.

In 2020, Mancini was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer—an illness that cost him that season. He returned in 2021 with a 21-home run campaign that won him the American League's Comeback Player of the Year award. He later won a World Series with the Houston Astros after an Aug. 2022 trade.

The Diamondbacks are scheduled to open their season on March 27 against the Cubs.

Wednesday and Thursday give us a chance to take a breather before the second half of the MLB season begins.

Now is the perfect time to take a look at the list of odds to win each award this season. One of those awards is the American League Cy Young. We still have a half season to go but it's already Tarik Skubal's award to lose. The Tigers pitcher is the odds-on favorite. Can anyone catch him?

Let's find out what the oddsmakers think.

2024 American League Cy Young Odds

Tarik Skubal -130Corbin Burnes +300Logan Gilbert +1000Seth Lugo +1800Garrett Crochet +2500Tanner Houck +2500Luis Castillo +3500Cole Ragans +3500Jack Flaherty +3500George Kirby +5500Joe Ryan +8000Grayson Rodriguez +10000Tarik Skubal Set at Odds-On Favorite

Skubal is set as the -130 favorite to win the AL Cy Young, which translates to an implied probability of 56.52%. He leads the American League in ERA at 2.41 while ranking second in WHIP in 0.88. He also leads the league in WAR amongst pitchers at 4.4.

The next pitcher on the odds list is Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles, who comes in at +300. He's second in the AL in ERA behind Skuball at 2.43 but he ranks significantly behind him in both WHIP (1.04) and WAR (2.9).

The other two golfers with a realistic shot of making a run at the Cy Young in the second half of the season is Logan Gilbert (2.79 ERA) and Seth Lugo (2.48 ERA).

Logan Gilbert is a Solid Dark Horse Option

Gilbert of the Seattle Mariners may be behind Skubal in ERA at 2.79, but he leads all starts in MLB in WHIP at 0.87, a touch above Skubal.

He's a solid bet at 10-1 odds if you want a longshot wager, but he'll likely need to rack up some more wins if he needs to do it. Despite his strong analytics, his record sits at just 6-5 compared to Skubal who has an impressive 10-3 record on a lowly Tigers squad.

Gilbert may be worth a bet at his current price tag, but it's still Skubal's award to lose.

كشف مصدر داخل نادي الزمالك، موقف أحمد فتوح الظهير الأيسر للفريق، من خوض بطولة السوبر المصري بعد إصابته أمام طلائع الجيش في الدوري الممتاز. 

وكان أحمد فتوح قد خرج مصابًا في الدقيقة 86 من مباراة الزمالك وطلائع الجيش، محمولًا على نقالة بعد ارتطام الكرة في رأسه. 

طالع.. خاص | الزمالك يكشف سبب عدم استبدال أحمد فتوح رغم إصابته أمام طلائع الجيش

وتمكن فريق الزمالك من تحقيق الفوز على فريق طلائع الجيش بثلاثية مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ13 من الدوري الممتاز. 

الفوز رفع رصيد فريق الزمالك إلى 22 نقطة في المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري الممتاز، بينما تجمد رصيد طلائع الجيش عند 10 نقاط في المركز الـ18 في جدول الترتيب. 

وقال المصدر في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “أحمد فتوح أجرى آشعة على الرأس وأثبتت إصابته بكدمة بسيطة”. 

وأضاف المصدر: “أحمد فتوح سيكون جاهزًا للمشاركه مع الزمالك في بطولة السوبر المصري، والذي سينطلق في الفترة من 6 إلى 9 نوفمبر الشهر الجاري”.

ومن المقرر أن يلعب الزمالك ضد بيراميدز، يوم الخميس 6 نوفمبر، في دور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس السوبر المصري، المقام في الإمارات.