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Celtic are keen to appoint a permanent successor to Martin O’Neill and now look to be well down the road in that regard, as fresh details over Wilfried Nancy’s arrival and potential backroom team emerge.

The Bhoys enjoyed a productive weekend of Scottish Premiership action, even if it was a little fortuitous, claiming a dramatic last-gasp victory over St Mirren before Heart of Midlothian lost out at Aberdeen to narrow the gap at the top of the table.

Four points separate the top two heading into a busy schedule, with Celtic holding the advantage of a crucial game in hand against Dundee United days after they collide with the Edinburgh side in a blockbuster clash at Parkhead in a couple of weeks.

From a position of real uncertainty, the Bhoys have edged their way back into title contention and will hope to capitalise as Hearts continue to falter, albeit O’Neill made it clear after their win in Paisley that he isn’t sure how much longer he will be in interim charge alongside Shaun Maloney.

He said: “There’s relief as much as anything else, but you enjoy winning football matches – that’s what it’s about. It keeps confidence alive as much as anything else and keeps momentum going.

“At this minute, I haven’t heard anything more. I would reckon I would probably be on the plane for Rotterdam and maybe not much longer. If the board announce a new manager in the couple of days, I will walk into the sunset.”

O’Neill looks likely to be in charge for Celtic’s trip to face Feyenoord on Thursday in the Europa League and could be in situ for their match against Hibernian on Sunday. However, it doesn’t look like he will be sticking around for long after that.

Viduka 2.0: Leeds plotting move for £21m star who's "built like a brick"

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing a star who could be Mark Viduka 2.0 for the club.

ByDan Emery Nov 22, 2025 Wilfried Nancy set to add four new faces to Celtic backroom staff

Previously, it became clear that Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy is set to take over at Celtic after his side bowed out of the MLS Cup playoffs, though there has since been quiet over the details of his arrival.

Now, PLZ Soccer report that Nancy is set to begin his journey at Parkhead from the start of December, if not before then, with the Bhoys’ home clash against Dundee on the third day of the month likely to be his first game in charge.

Four of Nancy’s own staff are set to take on new roles in Glasgow over the next week, should their contracts be signed off, with Dermot Desmond sparing no expense making the new boss feel at home in the face of recent fan pressure. Kwame Ampadu is likely to be one of the new faces following his work alongside the 48-year-old in the United States.

Wilfried Nancy’s record at Columbus Crew

Matches

136

Wins

71

Draws

32

Losses

33

Trophies

MLS Cup (2024)

It remains to be seen whether Maloney will form part of the Frenchman’s backroom team after his sterling efforts during his period as interim assistant.

Celtic fans have had to wait nearly a month to find out the identity of their new permanent manager, though they will be relieved to see that the hunt for a new boss is finally nearing an end.

The effect of the return of saliva and reverse-swing is there to see: fuller lengths have been more economical than shorter lengths for the first time in this decade this IPL

Karthik Krishnaswamy17-Apr-20251:38

Bishop: We saw the best of Starc tonight

“Why don’t they just bowl yorkers?”It’s a refrain you might hear from a disgruntled uncle watching fast bowlers get walloped in the end overs of a T20 game. You even hear it from TV commentators sometimes.The yorker remains the hardest ball for most batters to hit, but it’s one with a low margin for error. Err with your length a little bit, and you’re delivering two of the easier lengths for batters to hit: full-tosses and half-volleys.And over the years, events around white-ball cricket have made it harder and harder for bowlers to trust their yorkers. With the use of two new balls in ODIs, and the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, reverse-swing began to go out of the game.Related

Axar Patel: 'I am not following a template' as captain

Did RR choose the wrong batters for the Super Over? Bishop and Pujara think so

Axar hopes to have du Plessis back for DC's next game

DC win an IPL classic in Delhi after Super Over drama

Samson on Starc: 'One of the best guys around in the world'

It’s coming back now, though, at least in the IPL, where saliva is legal again. Mohit Sharma believes it’s contributing to the ball reversing in 70% of games in IPL 2025, and Delhi Capitals’ (DC) match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday night was certainly one of them.The ball showed signs of reversing as early as the fifth over of RR’s innings, when Mohit swerved two yorkers into Sanju Samson, with replays suggesting that the ball swung against the orientation of the seam, which was canted towards slip. This early reverse has happened in other games too – for example, in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on April 12, when Eshan Malinga got the ball to reverse consistently, starting from the seventh over.Wednesday’s most dramatic moments of reverse came late in the game, though, when Mitchell Starc swung the contest in DC’s direction over the course of three overs. First, with RR needing 31 off 18, the left-arm quick conceded just eight runs in the 18th over and dismissed half-centurion Nitish Rana with a wickedly tailing yorker; an inside edge off the next ball saved Shimron Hetmyer from being bowled by a similar delivery. Then, with RR needing nine off the last over, Starc forced the game into a Super Over, curtailing Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel with ball after ball speared into the base of the stumps and landing there or thereabouts with late bend in its path.Quite naturally, DC entrusted Starc with the Super Over, and once again he showed an unwavering faith in the yorker. Despite bowling a no-ball when he cut the return crease while going round the wicket to the right-handed Riyan Parag, he kept RR to 11 runs, and induced enough panic for them to lose both their wickets to run-outs with a ball left unused. DC chased down their target in just four balls, and a match that had seemed lost was theirs, moving them back to the top of the IPL table with five wins from six games.Mitchell Starc induced enough panic for Rajasthan Royals to lose both their Super Over wickets to run-outs with a ball left unused•BCCIHere’s how much Starc swung the old ball: 1.2 degrees on average across the 18th and 20th overs, and 1.8 degrees in his Super Over (old balls are used for Super Overs, with the fielding captain allowed to choose from a box of used balls). He had bowled the first and third overs of RR’s innings and swung the new ball just 0.8 degrees.When you’re as quick as Starc and as good at executing the yorker as he is, the decision of what option to go for at the death becomes far easier to make when the ball is reversing.”I’ve played long enough that everyone pretty much knows what I’m going to do,” Starc said while receiving the Player-of-the-Match award. “If I can execute more often than not, it’s going to be okay.”I mean, you could play that [20th] over ten more times and do ten different things and it might be ten different results, so as I said, a bit of luck goes a long way, and fortunately I executed well enough to get us to a Super Over and then, yeah, we were on the right end of it.”It also helped Starc that left-hand batters Rana and Hetmyer were on strike for eight of his 12 balls across the 18th and 20th overs, which made his stock ball, swinging into the batter from over the wicket, an easier one to execute and set a field to.1:16

Pujara surprised by RR’s Super Over line-up

Starc was surprised, then, that RR chose to send out Hetmyer as one of their openers in the Super Over, and had another left-hand batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal, at No. 3.Starc’s problems came when the right-handed Riyan Parag came on strike. He went around the wicket and bowled that back-foot no-ball – he also erred in line with that ball, bowling wide of off stump with four of his five boundary fielders out on the leg side. Having given away five runs without bowling a ball, he overcompensated with his line off the next ball, with a brush off Parag’s pad stopping it from becoming a leg-side wide. An attempt to steal a leg bye, however, resulted in the first of two run-outs off successive balls.”Yeah, I was probably a little surprised they had left-handers with the ball tailing in and my angle,” Starc said. “Probably got two [balls] wrong there and obviously stepped on the wide line a bit, so yeah, I may even have got away with a couple there, but we obviously had the batting depth to chase the runs, so yeah, solid win in the end.”In his press conference after the match, Rana spoke of the difference that the return of saliva had made to the game.”The difference that comes from applying saliva, the reverse-swing that we got to see from Starc – obviously the credit goes to Starc, but the saliva makes a lot of difference,” he said. “We didn’t use saliva at all in the last two-three years, and we didn’t do this type of batting even in the nets, because reverse-swing had completely gone away from cricket, whether it was red ball or white ball. Suddenly, if someone can execute 11 yorkers in 12 balls at a 145 [kph] pace, then you have to give Starc the credit.”

“Getting reverse-swing is one thing, but executing it is very important. It was reversing, but at that time, under pressure, he [Starc] was executing it. I was just reminding him to be clear with his plans, and trust himself. I was getting the same response: ‘Don’t worry, skip. I’ll do it’Axar Patel

While acknowledging the role of saliva in the return of reverse, DC captain Axar Patel also highlighted the lack of grass on the pitches used in the IPL, which accelerates wear and tear on the ball.”Because we can use saliva this season, and since there isn’t much grass on the surface, you can get the ball to reverse,” Axar said in his post-match press conference. “I feel it’s fair for bowlers, given how the grounds are, and how batsmen’s bats are, and how runs keep flowing.”We’re getting 180-190 scores, and it’s fun when that happens, because it’s competitive cricket, and it’s not as if there’s nothing in it for the bowlers. So I feel we’re able to get reverse-swing because of the use of saliva.”And getting reverse-swing is one thing, but executing it is very important. It was reversing, but at that time, under pressure, he [Starc] was executing it. I was just reminding him to be clear with his plans, and trust himself. I was getting the same response: ‘Don’t worry, skip. I’ll do it’.”ESPNcricinfo’s data bears out the effect that the return of saliva and reverse-swing have had on the end-overs yorker in the IPL. While the overall economy rate of fast bowlers in the death overs has continued its season-by-season increase, the fuller lengths (full-toss, yorker, full) have become more economical than the shorter lengths (length, short-of-good length, short) for the first time in this decade.This could mean that batters are getting better at handling shorter lengths at the death; it could also, of course, just be the effect of reverse-swing encouraging bowlers to attempt yorkers more often and set fields accordingly, leading to shorter lengths suffering greater punishment. Or it could be a combination of the two.In any case, successive matches in Delhi have shown the value of the newly re-weaponised yorker, swinging games away from chasing teams in dramatic fashion. First it was Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah for Mumbai Indians (MI) against DC; now it’s Starc for DC against RR. Given that batters are still getting used to all this, we could yet see a few more end-overs heists before the pendulum swings back.

India roll over for 93 in their chase of 124 with their captain Shubman Gill absent with a neck injury

Sidharth Monga16-Nov-20252:52

Philander: South Africa found ways to get a win

South Africa started the day staring at defeat, only 63 ahead with three wickets in hand, but registered a stunning win, their first in India in 15 years and the second-smallest successful defence in Asia. The whooping and cheering among the South Africa players echoed amid a shocked Sunday crowd at Eden Gardens as the visitors bowled India out for 93 in the absence of their injured captain Shubman Gill.Temba Bavuma was ever present, scoring the only half-century of the match and taking South Africa to a lead of 123 on a pitch with extravagant sideways movement and variance in bounce. He was helped a little by some ordinary spin bowling on the third morning, but he had earned the errors after defending resolutely on the second evening.Related

• Kolkata minefield: Bavuma stands tall, Washington stands longer

• 'I don't buy this' – Pujara won't accept transition as excuse for losing Tests at home

• 'Job's far from done' – Conrad eyes series win

• With 'small hands' and strong instincts, Bavuma shows self-assurance of a player at his peak

• Stats – South Africa's first win in India since 2010

The target of 124 was always going to be tricky with Simon Harmer outbowling India’s spinners in the country where he had a forgettable tour in 2015-16. The uneven bounce made Marco Jansen a handful, causing the double jeopardy you need to defend small totals.India began the day in the ascendance but not with bowlers likeliest to take a wicket. Axar Patel opening the day was a surprise, and as the singles flowed with ease you could sense panic. Rishabh Pant, who had been excellent with his rotation of bowlers and field placements on the second evening, began to change bowlers too quickly and also took a desperate review against Bavuma when Ravindra Jadeja had clearly pitched outside leg from over the wicket.That Jadeja was bowling over the wicket in itself was a sign of desperation when all you really needed to do on this surface was bowl a good length and shut the scoring. Jadeja, who until day two was the best player of the match, just struggled to maintain that length and bowled seven overs for 21 runs. Washington Sundar, one of the three spinners in the last four home Tests, was not used at all.Temba Bavuma and Corbin Bosch added crucial runs in the morning•Getty Images

Bavuma’s defence found an ally in Corbin Bosch’s big hits, which he deployed mainly against Kuldeep Yadav. The two added an invaluable 44 for the eighth wicket, 25 of which came off Bosch’s bat. Eventually it was the fast bowlers that kept India alive. Jasprit Bumrah hit the top of Bosch’s off, and Mohammed Siraj, in only his second over of the innings, got the better of Harmer and Keshav Maharaj with reverse swing.It was always going to be a tough target on this pitch, but India had hope in South Africa’s selection of only two spinners, one of whom, Maharaj, had gone for 16-1-66-1 in the first innings. Jansen, though, stunned them at the start in his first two overs to send back the openers. Both these balls jumped off a length, got big on the batters, and took the outside edge.Simon Harmer was unplayable at times•BCCI

Washington, India’s newest No. 3, played resolutely again, mirroring the first half of Bavuma’s innings and facing the most balls in the match, but as it tends to happen on these pitches, Dhruv Jurel put a long hop into the hands of deep midwicket. The ball did stop on him as it tends to happen on these pitches.Harmer might have got on the board with this fortunate wicket, but he bowled beautifully to earn that stroke of luck. Ten years after a crushing tour of India, he is back a much-improved bowler. He could change his trajectory subtly, most of the times able to bowl a good length at different paces. It showed in how he completely tied up the most dangerous batter in the India line-up, Pant, and eventually earned a return catch with dip and turn.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

At 38 for 4, Washington and Jadeja added 26 runs, looked comfortable, but this is when Jadeja’s old-school method of defending with the bat behind the pad came back to haunt him. Just like in the first innings. Once again out lbw pad-first to Harmer, Jadeja ended forgettably a Test he had been largely good in, one during which he became only the fourth man to take 300 wickets and score 4000 runs.Aiden Markram reminded India of the nightmare Glenn Phillips had been on lottery pitches last year when he came on and finally got the edge of a distraught Washington, who scored 31 off 92 to go with his 29 in the first innings. Harmer then spun one past Kuldeep when he slowed it down tantalisingly.At 77 for 7, India were left needing a miracle from Axar, who threatened one when Bavuma gave him a sighter against Maharaj. He hit two sixes and a four, but when he happened to mishit he found a calm Bavuma making a difficult over-the-shoulder catch look ridiculously easy.Siraj lasted only one ball, triggering wild celebrations, the loudest from Kagiso Rabada, who has tasted only defeat on two previous tours of India and was missing this Test with a rib injury.

Rangers are heading into their most hectic period of the season with a depleted squad, making Danny Röhl’s already difficult task even more daunting.

During the international break, first-choice centre-back duo John Souttar and Derek Cornelius both suffered long-term injuries, while Mikey Moore and Youssef Chermiti also missed Saturday’s narrow 2-1 victory over Livingston.

On Thursday night, the Gers will welcome Braga to Ibrox in the Europa League, very much in need of a victory, considering they sit rock bottom of the gigantic table, without a point to their name.

Given all the injury issues, which “colossus” will be starting this pivotal European tie, hoping to replicate a recent Rangers legend?

Connor Goldson's Rangers career

Plenty of figures have been key to the success Rangers have enjoyed in the last decade.

Steven Gerrard delivered the only Premiership title since 2011, Giovanni van Bronckhorst led the Gers to the Europa League Final while, in terms of players, captain James Tavernier as well as Connor Goldson were central figures for many seasons.

When the then-26-year-old defender arrived in 2018, he was not very well-known and had hardly any top-level experience.

Goldson’s time at Brighton & Hove Albion was derailed by a heart defect detected during a routine screening, requiring preventative surgery, eliciting fears that he may never play again, thereby making just three Premier League appearances for the Seagulls.

Nevertheless, after making the move north of the border, he would become a rock at the heart of the Light Blues’ defence, representing the club 309 times, winning all three domestic trophies.

The centre-back scored plenty of crucial goals, bagging both during a 2-0 victory at Celtic Park towards the start of the title-winning campaign, before departing to join Aris Limassol in the summer of 2024.

Given that Wes Foderingham, Leon Balogun and Ross McCausland also now ply their trade at the Alphamega Stadium, whoever is Aris Limassol’s head of recruitment must enjoy watching Rangers season review DVDs.

Chalkboard

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

Fast-forward to the present day, Rangers have not had a dominant, reliable centre-half since Goldson’s move to Cyprus, but could that be about to change?

Rangers' new Connor Goldson

With Souttar and Cornelius sidelined until Christmas at least, this has presented opportunities for others, with forgotten man Emmanuel Fernandez at the front of the queue.

On Saturday, the man who joined from Peterborough United in the summer for a reported fee of £3.5m started for the first time since August, marking the occasion by breaking the deadlock inside nine minutes; his towering header did not give Livingston goalkeeper Jérôme Prior a chance.

Overall, Fernandez’s statistics at the weekend made for impressive reading.

As the table documents, Fernandez put in a dominant display against Livingston, ranked first for defensive actions, blocks, duels won and aerial duels won, while only Nicolas Raskin completed more passes.

As already alluded to, this was just the centre-back’s third start for the club, scoring on debut against Alloa and then in the lineup at St Mirren the following weekend, but he had seen just a solitary minute of action since 24 August beforehand.

Nevertheless, he certainly staked a claim for more involvement in Röhl’s team and, well, considering the scarcity of alternatives, the German coach does not have much choice.

The Englishman was certainly popular at his former club, with Peterborough Chairman Darragh MacAnthony labelling him a “colossus” and a “gentle giant”, also adding that he is a “great organiser and talker”.

Like Goldson, the majority of Fernandez’s experience prior to arriving at Rangers has come in the EFL, even representing non-league clubs Sheppey United, Margate and Spalding United.

Thus, joining the Glasgow giants is the 24-year-old’s massive move, now looking to take a gigantic step forward in his career – just as Goldson did before him.

So, after seeing very limited opportunities up until this point, he will be thrust into the limelight, poised to make his European debut when Braga visit Govan on Thursday night.

Rohl's own Maeda: Rangers begin talks to sign "very pacy" sensation

With Rangers set to heavily invest in January, they have reportedly began talks to sign a “very pacy” star who would be Danny Röhl’s own Daizen Maeda.

By
Ben Gray

Nov 21, 2025

She has always been a matchwinner, but with the addition of her early intent, she has leveled up once more

S Sudarshanan12-Mar-20256:16

Mithali Raj: Harmanpreet finds a way to score against Giants

Harmanpreet Kaur is among the few batters in the women’s game who do not need a free hit to get going. When she got one in Mumbai Indians’ (MI) opening match of WPL 2025, she took full toll. She waltzed down the track and smacked Radha Yadav over the long-off boundary for a 74-metre hit. It was just the ninth ball Harmanpreet had faced; little did we know it was a sign of things to come.Ever since Harmanpreet’s international debut in 2009, her strokeplay has attracted attention. Her unfettered bat-swing is a thing of beauty and there is something alluring about watching her play without the stress of keeping up with the chase. Her confidence, and the fact that she comes through more often than not, makes it seem like the bowlers are under ten times more pressure.However, with captaincy comes responsibility, so much so that batters sometimes end up curbing their attacking instincts far too much. It seemed to be the case with Harmanpreet in recent times. In the aftermath of India’s early exit from the T20 World Cup in 2024, focus shifted to the shots she can play to why she wasn’t playing them. Her first-ten-ball strike rate in T20Is had fallen to 83.56 in 2024, her lowest in three years.Related

• A Harmanpreet masterpiece blows Delhi Capitals away

• Gujarat Giants face bogey team Mumbai Indians in bid for final spot

• Harmanpreet: 'If a player can handle the pressure in the WPL, they can handle it anywhere'

• Priya Mishra spins her way into the spotlight

Like India, MI rely hugely on Harmanpreet, and Nat Sciver-Brunt. The team’s results often mirror the duo’s performances, which does explain Harmanpreet’s safety-first approach with the bat and that method did deliver them a WPL trophy – MI won the inaugural season – but it wasn’t entirely foolproof.MI narrowly missed out on a spot in the final in 2024. That five-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator hurt her. She scored a 30-ball 33 and fell leaving MI needing 16 off 12. The remaining batters could not get those runs.Only a game before that, Harmanpreet had found herself in a similar situation, but that time she had escaped, thanks to some sloppy fielding from the opposition. MI needed 91 off 36 balls against Gujarat Giants (GG) to make the playoffs; Harmanpreet was on 20 off 21 before she was dropped. She blasted 95 not out off 48 balls to take MI over the line. Harmanpreet’s method of taking it deep was seemingly counter-productive, especially if she fell before landing the killer blow.Harmanpreet was dejected after MI’s loss in last season’s WPL eliminator•PTI Ahead of WPL 2025, Harmanpreet and Devika Palshikar, MI’s batting coach, had a chat about changing her approach. The conversation stemmed from the narrow defeat that ended their campaign last season, and the idea was for Harmanpreet to attack from an early point, but not recklessly. It is still a work in progress – and therefore liable to backfire – but there is no denying that it is making one of the world’s most dangerous batters dangerous again. Her first-ten-ball strike rate in WPL 2025 is 122.58, which is a massive jump from 93.98 in 2024 and 73.68 in 2023.That six off Radha was the earliest point Harmanpreet has hit one in the WPL. In the same game, she hit the first four balls of the 11th over, bowled by Annabel Sutherland, for 4, 4, 6, 4 but was out on the following delivery.Aggression like this always has a trade-off. In the first two seasons of the WPL, when Harmanpreet took fewer risks, she was dismissed inside 20 balls five times in 16 innings. She has already matched that now in 2025. But her team is still in the playoffs and she is their third-highest run-getter. The price she is paying seems to be worthwhile.”We’re finding her much better this season,” Palshikar said after Harmanpreet’s Player-of-the-Match effort against GG in Mumbai earlier this week. “If you remember last year’s Eliminator, which we lost by five runs, it was a close game. We had a long chat then and before starting this season that one of Nat and Harman should be there throughout the innings. She practises a lot against spin also and pace also. It is a very focused practice, where she knows she needs to be there till the end. She is finding ways to do that and that’s why you can see a major difference in her batting.”Looks like Harmanpreet is trying to do both but with an increased focus on getting off the blocks quickly. She has always been a matchwinner. But this season, she has been pushing herself even harder, testing the limits of her talent, and it has led to a situation where one of the world’s best hitters has realised she doesn’t really need to hold back like she did before.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson reveals he has not spoken to team-mate Mohamed Salah following the Egyptian's public outburst against the Reds and manager Arne Slot. After being left out on the bench for the third consecutive Premier League game against Leeds United last weekend, the Reds star went on an explosive rant in front of the media as he hinted he could even exit Anfield in January.

Salah experiencing difficult 2025-26 season

After years of consistency in terms of scoring goals and breaking multiple records for Liverpool, Salah has experienced a sudden dip in form in the 2025-26 campaign. So far this season, Salah has scored five goals and provided three assists in 19 matches across all competitions.

His dip in form prompted Arne Slot to drop the star winger from the Reds' starting lineup in their last three Premier League fixture. The experienced attacker remained silent and waited patiently for his opportunity until the Leeds United clash. After being left out as an unused substitute in yet another game, Salah burst out in front of the media as he said: "I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. 

"Now I'm sitting on the bench and I don't know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That's how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don't have any relationship. I don't know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn't want me in the club."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportAlisson reveals he has not spoken to Salah since Saturday

Speaking about the incident, Reds' star goalkeeper Alisson said: "This isn't a situation that makes us happy. On a personal level we all love Mo and he's a hugely important player for the team. He is a wonderful human being and a spectacular footballer. He has been very important for the club and has produced some incredible numbers. He's won everything there is to win in his career. The situation isn't nice. We were a little bit caught by surprise but we know it's a personal situation, so we are leaving it to him and the club. It doesn't matter what we think. 

"What we want is for him and the club to reach an agreement which is in the best interests of him, the club and all of the playing staff. As for tomorrow night's match, we want to play our best. You can expect a Liverpool side that wants to show the will to win and improve the current situation. Play good football and winning football. It won't be in any way easy, we are well aware Inter are a very good side. We know it's a huge challenge."

Alisson also showed support for Arne Slot, amid talks that the Dutch manager could face the axe, as the Brazilian said: "Of course, yes. The Premier League last season. Before Arne came in, everyone was talking about the huge challenge. It looks like everyone takes for granted what we achieved last season. That should be enough but we believe in his knowledge, his style of playing, that he is capable of helping us to turn around this situation. It's not only about ourselves but that's the situation with the club as well, they trust him. It's not only his responsibility, as a player, I also share it with him. Of course, he's the man responsible for how the team plays, but we are taking the responsibility and are the ones who take action and can change everything. It doesn't make the situation any easier, but we are trying to do that. We have the desire to change the situation and the manager does as well. To get us back on track for the football we were playing last season."

Salah left out of Champions League squad

Following his rant against the club and manager, Liverpool have taken the extreme step of omitting Salah from their travelling squad to Italy for the Champions League fixture against Inter in midweek. The Premier League champions have made clear to their star player that everybody – regardless of their standing at Anfield – must earn their place in the team. Salah will be left to reflect on that stance when his team-mates line up against Inter on Tuesday. 

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Getty Images SportSlot responds to Salah's comments

Reacting for the first time since Salah's outburst, the Dutchman told reporters: "I don't feel that my authority has been undermined. It's not the way I feel it. It's not about me, if my life is difficult, yes or no, that's not very important in a situation like this. It's if it is more difficult for the team and for the club. No one likes us to be in the situation we're in at the moment. First of all, it's difficult to see staff members who work so hard affected by the situation we're in now. Mainly because of the results. I'm the manager, I have to pick a team so to a certain extent I'm important, but my focus is on the team and not on me."

Devine and Amin have also moved up, to No. 8 and joint No. 10, after their exploits with the bat at the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2025

Tazmin Brits goes rough-and-tumble to hit the ball fine during her century•Getty Images

Tazmin Brits’ match-winning 89-ball 101 against New Zealand in the women’s ODI World Cup on Monday night has placed her in the top five of the ODI rankings for women batters, where she is joined by Ash Gardner, who scored a century of her own, 115 in 83 balls, also against New Zealand at the World Cup, last week. Gardner is at No. 5.For Brits, it was a jump of two spots, while for Gardner, there was a seven-spot gain. Smriti Mandhana, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Beth Mooney remain the top three, but the rise of Brits and Gardner has pushed down Ellyse Perry, Laura Wolvaardt, Amy Jones, Hayley Matthews, Alyssa Healy and Marizanne Kapp.Also on the rise are Sophie Devine, up seven places to No. 8, and Sidra Amin, who has moved up three positions to joint No. 10 with Chamari Athapaththu. Amin is in sixth place on the World Cup run-scorers’ table following her 81 against India.ESPNcricinfo LtdFor the record, Brits, Gardner and Devine are the only century-makers at the World Cup so far, and Devine is currently the leading run-scorer, despite New Zealand losing both their games in the tournament, with 197 runs in two innings. Gardner is a distant second with 115 runs.It was the fifth century in 2025 and fourth in five innings for Brits. Her prolific run-scoring form took shape in April when, in her first ODI of the year, she scored 109 against India in Colombo.Five games followed without a three-figure score, though there was a 57 against West Indies in Cave Hill in June, but then came the magical sequence of 101, 101*, 171*, 5 and 101, the blip coming against England in South Africa’s World Cup opener. No woman has scored five centuries in ODIs in a calendar year before Brits.

With only nine Premier League wins under his belt as a manager in the top flight, it’s fair to say Daniel Farke has his work cut out for him right now to arrest the current Leeds United slide.

With four defeats from their last five league clashes, Leeds now sit just one point above the depressing relegation zone, as Sean Dyche’s equally relegation-troubled Nottingham Forest sucked the Whites deeper into the relegation pit by beating them 3-1 at the City Ground before the international break.

Yet, despite the West Yorkshire outfit hanging on for their lives, and Farke’s wretched record in the top division, it appears as if the ex-Norwich City boss will be kept on, for the time being at least.

Surely, though, if the results continue in their gloomy downward trajectory, the plug will have to be pulled.

But, until then, the under-pressure German has some big decisions to grapple with to try and save his job in the long run.

Decisions Farke needs to make to save his job at Leeds

Sack season is also in full swing now in the Premier League, with bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers getting rid of Vitor Pereira recently, after extending a vote of confidence his way.

Farke will hope he doesn’t follow Pereira in being the next managerial casualty, with the German now facing the decision to make a number of changes to his regular starting lineup.

One of those includes dropping the likes of Brenden Aaronson if he is to remain in the Elland Road dug-out moving forward.

Unfortunately, Farke does appear to be staunchly loyal to certain members of his camp, even when they’re obviously falling below their expected standards, with Aaronson selected now by the German a high 59 times, to hit-and-miss results.

Only one of his ten goals for the West Yorkshire giants under Farke has fallen in the Premier League, and with both Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto waiting in reserve, switching out the ex-Union Berlin playmaker for either the Welshman or Italian could seriously boost the relegation-threatened side in attack.

Farke might also help the wins to start flowing if he selects Lukas Nmecha as his sole striker more often, heading into crunch games this November and December, with the ex-Wolfsburg striker stylishly putting away a goal against Forest, which is his second for the club already, despite only amassing 279 minutes of total league action.

The German will also know he needs to change up his defence, with Jaka Bijol receiving plenty of pelters for his recent performances.

However, Farke didn’t exactly help out his tiring defence at the City Ground.

Bielsa signing must be given the boot by Farke

Another compelling argument to get rid of Aaronson from the first team picture, away from his hot-and-cold reputation, is the fact that he’s a remaining relic of the dismal 2022/23 squad that was relegated to the Championship.

The only other dire member of that team that featured against Dyche’s hosts was Jack Harrison, who is somehow still getting minutes under Farke, many years on from his Leeds peak.

25/26

11

0

22/23

40

6 + 10

21/22

38

10 + 2

20/21

37

8 + 8

19/20

49

6 + 8

18/19

42

4 + 4

Indeed, looking at the data above, it’s clear that the former Manchester City youth product was a dependable first-teamer many moons ago at Elland Road, with an impressive collection of 66 combined goals and assists for the Whites.

Leeds managerial great Marcelo Bielsa even once hailed Harrison as a “big influence” during his heyday down the left channel.

But, right now, the 28-year-old needs to be put out of his misery, on his subdued return to the Whites first team fold, after a two-season-long loan stay at Everton.

Last time out versus Forest, when strangely placed into the side at left-back, Harrison would clatter into a Forest shirt late on, clumsily, to gift Elliot Anderson his game-clinching penalty.

Moreover, away from that moment of stupidity, the below-par number 20 still manages to pocket a steep £90k-per-week salary at the Premier League newcomers, despite having no goals or assists to shout about this season from 11 forgettable outings.

Recent reports have also suggested that Harrison could be sold in January if Leeds can win themselves some more reinforcements in attack.

Still, if Farke wants to send out a message that he isn’t going to stand by and watch standards slip, he will try to offload the shoddy winger in the transfer window, anyway, as he attempts everything in his power to keep his precarious position.

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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.’

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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.

Newcastle United fans will be growing extremely restless with how poor their beloved side’s away form continues to be.

The inconsistent Magpies must wish they could play in front of their passionate St James’ Park masses every week, with another away day loss in the Champions League against Marseille meaning the Toon have lost their last four matches on the road.

In stark contrast, Eddie Howe’s men have won their last six matches in a row back on home soil.

Of course, home advantage is a common phrase uttered in football – hence the labelling of certain home grounds as fortresses – but this Jekyll and Hyde form will seriously be worrying Howe, with TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole saying “there’s too much of a gap” between the strugglers at their very best and their very worst, after the defeat in France.

Anthony Gordon is seriously letting his side down wherever they’re lining up at the moment, though, with a regret now possibly in the air that PIF didn’t cash in on the up-and-down performer when they could’ve.

Latest on Gordon's future at Newcastle

Indeed, during the summer of 2024, Liverpool were reportedly keen to tempt the England international to Anfield, with last summer also seeing them come back with more interest, as he was touted to have a bumper £100m price-tag above his head.

Gordon warranted all this fervent interest, too, with 37 goals and assists coming his way across two campaigns for Howe’s men.

His confidence was so sky-high that the Liverpool-born forward even labelled himself a “nightmare” for defenders to contain, amid interest also coming from top-flight rivals Arsenal.

Now, however, he has thudded back to reality, with zero goals or assists coming his way from seven Premier League games so far this season, with just 40% of his dribbles accurately completed, as per Sofascore, as he continues to look a worrying shadow of his former self.

Consequently, Liverpool have moved on to another batch of high-profile targets in attack in the form of Michael Olise and Antoine Semenyo, with writer Thomas Hammond stating that a forthcoming sale of Gordon would be “favourable”, just to get him off the books, concerning his ongoing no-shows.

While he has contributed massively to his own downfall, his Newcastle career could be in even more tatters by the emergence of this promising star on Tyneside, who PIF signed on a free transfer earlier this year.

The "explosive" star who can end Gordon's career

Howe could soon have to be bold with what he does in the St James’ Park hot seat, with the current state of affairs unfolding, leading him down the unwanted path of a dismissal.

For the tie at the Orange Velodrome, Howe did bravely decide to gift 16-year-old Sam Alabi a chance from the substitutes bench, with Antonio Cordero another promising star that might be in line for some first team chances soon, partcularly if Gordon continues to frustrate.

For the time being, the former Malaga winger is out on loan in Belgium with KVC Westerlo, but when he returns, he will have even more senior action under his belt, as he attempts to unsettle Gordon, with his standout time in the senior squad at Malaga, leading to one analyst page hailing him as an “explosive” talent.

Despite only being 19, Cordero – who has also been labelled as “exciting” by former Magpies sporting director Paul Mitchell – managed to tally up a weighty 60 appearances for the senior side, with goals and assists aplenty also coming his way.

LW

33

5 + 6

RW

16

2 + 3

AM

2

0

RM

1

0

Looking at the table above, Cordero would manage to tally up a blistering 11 goal contributions for his former employers down Gordon’s usual left-hand side from just 33 appearances.

The hope will be that Newcastle landing the teenage sensation for nothing proves to be a masterstroke in time, with Cordero further capable of also playing as a right winger, or as a number ten if needed.

The promising youngster has even been noted as being “like Gordon” by analyst Ben Mattinson, with Newcastle perhaps better served now to look to the future and put their energy into the Spaniard, than persisting with Gordon to come good.

In a few years, he might well be a household name on Tyneside, with the ex-Everton attacker off the Magpies roster, subsequently.

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