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The yin and yang styles dovetailed perfectly after Namibia had looked to be taking charge

Melinda Farrell07-Jun-20244:19

Finch: Berrington showed his experience and class

Scotland were in a wee spot of bother, to say the least.George Munsey and Michael Jones, the openers who had fearlessly faced down England’s fastest bowlers and wiliest spinners before the rains came, were back in the dressing room. Brandon McMullen soon followed.Gerhard Erasmus and Bernard Scholtz were threatening to squeeze the life out of the chase with their right and left-arm spinning combination and, with ten overs left and 87 runs needed, the momentum was shifting Namibia’s way.Related

• Scotland captain admits 'frustration' as rain wrecks finely poised contest

• Berrington and Leask launch Scotland to landmark victory

Matthew Cross attempted to up the ante after a string of dot balls and singles increased the pressure further, but a wild sweep intended to cut the rope was misdirected and he trudged off the field to join the top order as spectators after the ball clattered into his pads.In the three times the two sides had met in T20Is, Namibia had walked away with victory. A fourth would leave Scotland’s hopes of progressing to the holy land of the Super Eights hanging by a fraying thread.Richie Berrington, his right eye blackening from an errant dive in the field, had scratched his way to 5 off nine balls and Scotland were four down, still needing 83 from 54 deliveries, when Michael Leask strode to the crease.Anyone who has seen Leask hold a bat knows he likes to swing it; he swung it magnificently in Bulawayo last July, smashing 48 off 34 to set up Scotland’s victory over Zimbabwe in the ODI World Cup qualifiers. He did the same in losing causes against Namibia and New Zealand at the T20 World Cup in the UAE; his reputation as an aggressive finisher is well earned.

Berrington’s sweet spots are square of the wicket, leaning on the back foot and lacing the ball through point with a kind of ferocious finesse, or timing his sweeps and slog-sweeps with the precision of an atomic clock

But coming into this tournament his form was somewhat patchy. Across six innings in Scotland’s series against UAE and the tri-series with Ireland and the Netherlands he had scored 81 runs, passing 20 just once. At Kensington Oval, his captain and his country needed him to unlock the best he had.Leask has a kinetic, frenetic energy, both on and off the field; a “hyper dafty who puts his heart on his sleeve” is how he describes himself. He’s a friendly chatterbox and a cricket badger who is, at the very least, as fiercely proud of his Scottish heritage as anyone in the squad.You see it in the field as he attacks every ball and screams encouragement, when he’s appealing for an lbw or celebrating a wicket, a jack-in-the-box bursting with fireworks.But the ignition spark is hard to find as he begins his partnership with Berrington and the required run rate is climbing steadily.Berrington is Leask’s polar opposite in character and style. Scotland’s captain is measured and reserved; he speaks softly and is a shrewd observer of people and match situations alike. When he does speak, his team-mates listen and he inspires fierce loyalty among them. He’s borne the responsibility of being the most public face of cricket in Scotland through the game’s most tumultuous off-the-field turmoil and has done so with a quiet dignity.Richie Berrington and Chris Greaves celebrate victory•AFP/Getty ImagesTheir contrasting personalities are epitomised by the way they bat. Leask is a v-man, his slender frame generating colossal power through a straight bat as he plunders the ball in front of the wicket. There is nothing of fancy or fuss, just the sheer bloody-minded determination to send the ball packing to another time zone.Berrington’s sweet spots are square of the wicket, leaning on the back foot and lacing the ball through point with a kind of ferocious finesse, or timing his sweeps and slog-sweeps with the precision of an atomic clock.In the 13th over it was Berrington who dropped the hammer and dropped to one knee, the favoured slog-sweep launching Tangeni Lunganeni’s over the deep-midwicket fence. The next ball was lofted over the covers for four and the momentum marching Namibia’s way paused and looked back over its shoulder.What it saw was Leask, locked and loaded and always trigger-happy. The merest hint of width was all he needed to smash the shackles and the ball from Erasmus into the Bridgetown sky and over midwicket to land on the groundsman’s shed. At least it was still in the Caribbean time zone.Light and dark, night and day, Berrington and Leask yin-and-yanged Scotland towards victory. They found gaps in their own peculiar ways and ran hard to eliminate the deadly dots.Scotland had been under significant pressure•Getty ImagesIn their individual fashions, they took to David Wiese, Namibia’s Super Over bowling hero against Oman four days earlier; laser calibrated, Berrington’s swipe across the line that crossed the rope between two boundary riders was bookended by a brace of Leask bludgeons over his beloved deep-midwicket for six.The longest blow of the afternoon was Leask’s, of course, a 101-metre monster off Ruben Trumpelmann over wide long on. It was into the wind, it was in the stands and the crowd was in a delirious rapture.When he holed out four balls later the damage was done, his 17-ball 35 ensuring momentum was encamped in Scotland’s corner, wrapped in the Saltire and taunting Namibia .The shiner didn’t impede the skipper’s vision as he sealed the chase with a final, emphatic, six that catapulted Scotland to the top of Group B. From there they can glimpse the knockouts on the far horizon; it will take more heroics to bring them more sharply into view.But if ever there was inspiration to be found, a reminder that the sum is greater than its parts, Scotland can find in the deeds of their own odd couple. The classy Berrington and the mighty Leask.

He’s lost three Ranji finals, his body aches and he is a sitting minister – but Tiwary has not stopped dreaming of that elusive title yet

Shashank Kishore04-Jun-2022For the past year, Manoj Tiwary, a sitting minister for youth affairs and sports in West Bengal, has visited his constituency in Shibpur, near Howrah, four days a week. The only exceptions have been for a short while in February-March, for the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, and now, for three weeks, ahead of the quarterfinals.Bengal have made the knockouts for the second straight season. In March 2020, they came heartbreakingly close to winning their first title since the 1989-1990 season, when they had beaten a star-studded Delhi. That 1990 season is remembered for Sourav Ganguly’s grand entry in the final, at the expense of his older brother Snehasish, and current coach Arun Lal’s rich run of form.Two years since the Saurashtra heartbreak, Bengal are trying go one step further and make up for what they couldn’t in Rajkot two years ago. It’s this itch of trying to get his hands on silverware that has kept Tiwary going, despite a wonky back, aching knees, and broken cartilages.Playing the politician – Manoj Tiwary on his campaign run•Manoj TiwaryThe 45-minute drive from Tiwary’s residence in upscale DC Dey Road in EM Bypass to his office at the Secretariat building takes him past Eden Gardens. The glass facade outside the iconic venue has a small photo of the Bengal Ranji champions in a small corner. He wants to put the current team’s photo there.Related

• Experienced Tiwary, talented Shahbaz combine to keep Bengal's hopes alive

• Karnataka's Manish Pandey: 'This is where I look forward to coming back the most. I'm at my best here'

• Life in politics: Tiwary, Dinda on being MLAs in West Bengal

• Saha 'not willing to play' Ranji Trophy knockouts for Bengal

• Ranji knockouts: Mumbai are doing Mumbai things again

“This desire to win the Ranji Trophy is still burning bright, it’s that strong sense of achievement and purpose that has kept me going” Tiwary tells ESPNcricinfo. “Growing up, I dreamt of leading Bengal to the title. That couldn’t happen. I then wanted to simply be part of a winning team. We came so close in 2020, but there’s still some unfinished business. I hope we can do it this time. That is my biggest motivation at this stage of my career.”Tiwary has been part of three finals now. In the first in 2005-06, he saw Bengal losing because of a 14-run first-innings deficit to Uttar Pradesh. In 2006-07, they suffered stage fright against Mumbai’s might; Tiwary’s two substantial contributions were the only positives for Bengal in a 132-run defeat.In 2019-20, Tiwary battled with an injured finger after copping a blow trying to evade a short ball. Until the eve of the final, he was withering in pain and had to take painkillers to take the field. Pulling out wasn’t an option, and so he took the field against Saurashtra with pain.”I wanted to play, come what may,” he says. “I have had so many injuries in my career over the years that pain had become second nature by then. I knew if I keep thinking of pain even now, I’m not going to do myself or the team any justice. I did whatever it took to be ready. And similarly, over the last two years, I haven’t let injuries and niggles come in the way of my training.”Even for someone as determined as Tiwary, his body gave him signs to slow down. Late in 2020, a knee injury while in the middle of a weight-training session flared up when his cartilage broke into two fragments. “It was a two-inch piece that broke and was floating inside,” he says. “I took injections to manage the pain and play, but it was really painful. While batting, it hampered my feet movement. I just couldn’t move.”Tiwary gave up playing 50-overs cricket that season to keep himself ready for the Ranji Trophy. Once it became evident the first-class season was going to be a non-starter, he started thinking of other avenues. One of them was IPL commentary in Bengali. While he enjoyed the preparation and the “fun of it”, it “wasn’t the same as playing in it.”Tiwary during his regional IPL commentary gig for Star Sports in Bengali•Manoj TiwaryThis was around the time he got a call from Mamata Banerjee, the current chief minister of West Bengal, to contest in the elections. Over the next four months, he poured in hours and hours of campaigning, often starting at 6am and going on well past midnight, only to repeat the same routine for 45 days at a stretch. It all came to fruition when he was elected as a Member of Parliament from Shibpur, the place he grew up near Howrah.Playing active role in politics while also being a cricketer is unheard of. There have been numerous examples of Indian cricketers entering politics post their playing days – Navjot Sidhu, Kirti Azad and Mohammad Azharuddin come to mind immediately. Tiwary felt he could manage his time well, and the pandemic only helped him set routines that have helped.”I still go through all the files, keep track of work that has been initiated in the constituency, and keep monitoring progress through my team of assistants,” he says. “I’m never switched off that way, even if I’m far away, like now in Bengaluru. I’ve set a routine and my team ensures most things are up to speed. They don’t come to me for every little thing. That allows me to also stay focused on cricket.”Amid his training sessions and constituency work, Tiwary ensures the evenings are free to spend time with his young family. While on tour, it’s his chance to catch up with his mates, many of whom look up to him as an elder brother, for advice. Tiwary, on his part, keeps things light.”You don’t want to keep things too process oriented all the time,” he says. “We enjoy a bit of downtime on tour. We enjoy doing things we like, we bond well. The team spirit and atmosphere within the camp is really good. The previous campaign got us all so close together. We’re a young team and as a senior player, it’s my duty to help them and guide them along the way. I know we’re on the right track. Yes, we didn’t win the trophy two years ago, but if we keep doing what we’ve done so far, it’s just a matter of time.”

Matchwinner Mignon du Preez says England win gives South Africa belief they can go all the way

Annesha Ghosh at the WACA Stadium23-Feb-2020“Shosholoza
Ku lezontaba
Stimela si qhamuka e South Africa
Stimela si qhamuka e South Africa…”
The media centre at the WACA, like most press boxes in cricket stadiums around the world, denies its occupants many aural pleasures that lay at the heart of the game’s visceral appeal. On Sunday night, when South Africa’s women beat England for the first time at a T20 World Cup, the best part of the sounds of South Africa’s historic victory remained on the other side of the glass. One of the few that consistently penetrated through the gaps of its two doors was verses of “Shosholoza”, emanating from the Bradman Room, adjacent to the media centre.”That was the main song we were singing all through this game,” said Mapumi Mabuza, general manager (stakeholder relations) at Brand South Africa, a government-owned agency, who was among the 60-strong South Africa contingent in the Bradman Room, singing away, raising toasts. “It’s like an anthem of unity. Used back in the day by migrant labourers, South Africans sing it to encourage each other, cheer them on. And it seemed to have worked for our girls today, in the presence of such a strong South Africa support.”I found out recently from the high commissioner that the estimate [of the number of South Africans living in Australia] is about close to half a million. A lot of them have lived here for a while, some have come here for work. For our girls to win for the first time… it’s a proud, proud day for all of us present here, and back home too.”ALSO READ: Du Preez holds nerve in 100th T20I to seal thrillerAs celebrations among the Brand South Africa revellers picked up, Mignon Du Preez, barely catching her breath back from the thrill of the six and four she struck off the last two balls to seal South Africa’s chase, went about a string of post-match interviews near the boundary overlooked by the Bradman Room.In the lead-up to the game, too, much of the focus had been on du Preez. In a career spanning over 13 years, with more than 200 international caps across formats and appearances in all six editions of the T20 World Cup prior, du Preez, a former captain and senior batter in the side, was to become the first South African woman to play 100 T20Is. It was fitting therefore that standing atop a national record, she should go down on a knee to reflect for a moment after top-edging the third ball in the last over, with the six putting South Africa one run shy of victory.”Everybody who knows me knows that religion is very important for me, so before I go to bed, I say, ‘God gave me the story and he got me on the bus, now play for him’,” du Preez said after the match. “And in that moment also, I just said, ‘Please, just be with me. And thank you for being with me before, when I hit the six, because that was probably the hard part but now stay with me to make sure that and finish it off for the team.'”In her 99 T20I matches prior, only three times had du Preez struck the winning runs. Here then was an opportunity for her to not only make her milestone match a historic one for her team, but to also overcome an opponent that thwarted their progression to the final and semi-final in the last two world tournaments.

This will give us the boost we need to go one step further than the semi-finals and take a World Cup trophy home. We know we’re good enoughMignon du Preez

“I’ve played enough games in my career to be able to step up in crucial moments and I think to finally do that and contribute to the team is really special,” du Preez said. “It’s nice to finally beat them in an ICC tournament. This is the seventh one I’ve played in and we’ve never got close before. To put that behind us and move forward is really exciting.”We’ve always known how strong we are and that within the team we have match-winners but we had a monkey on our back. This will give us the boost we need to go one step further than the semi-finals and take a World Cup trophy home. We know we’re good enough, we just have to play well and enjoy it.”South Africa’s landmark win also coincided with the WACA recording its highest attendance – 2008 – for a women’s match. Sunday’s figures surpassed the combined numbers from Saturday’s double-header (ticketed as one game) by a count of four, the spectators including a strong travelling contingent from the UK, including families of players and members of the Barmy Army.The turnout at the WACA on Sunday was only a fraction of the 16,000-plus attendance at the Sydney Showground Stadium, where India stunned defending champions Australia two days earlier in the tournament opener. However, South Africa sinking a higher-ranked England has only underscored just how closely contested a world tournament this could be, and just how important for teams to hold their nerves.”At the halfway…she [Dane van Niekerk, the captain] said she wants every batter that walks into the crease tonight to bat themselves and know they’ve got a job to do and they can finish it off,” du Preez said. “The way she and Kappy [Marizanne Kapp] set the example, the brilliant partnership [of 84 for the second wicket] in the middle, that definitely got us close to what we needed.”We know we’ve got batting depth. I think it’s important for them to take it as deep as possible. And every batter that walked into the crease just know that you have the ability and you can win a game for your country.”

The New York Mets have been blessed with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball this season—and now they will have a starter at the All-Star Game to prove it.

Mets pitcher David Peterson has been named to his first All-Star team, Major League Baseball announced Thursday afternoon. Peterson will replace San Francisco Giants pitcher Robbie Ray, who is in line to start Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A 29-year-old native of Arcadia, Calif., Peterson is in his sixth season with New York. He is 6–4 this year with a 3.18 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 102 innings pitched, and he is one of just six National League pitchers to throw a shutout this year.

He will join first baseman Pete Alonso, pitcher Edwin Diaz and shortstop Francisco Lindor as the Mets' representatives in Cumberland, Ga., Tuesday.

New York is currently 53–40—one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race.

It would be fair to say that the last week or so hasn’t been ideal for Arsenal.

Yes, Mikel Arteta’s side are still top of the Premier League, but a draw away to Chelsea and then a defeat at the hands of Aston Villa have diminished their lead to just two points.

Moreover, while they certainly weren’t terrible against the Villans, they failed to make the most of their chances.

One player who has received quite a bit of criticism from the fan base in the aftermath is Martin Odegaard, and if reports are to be believed, the club could be looking to bring someone in who could be bad news for his place in the team.

Arsenal target Odegaard upgrade

With the transfer window now less than a month away from reopening, Arsenal have a chance to reinforce their squad, and the good news is that they’ve already been linked with a host of brilliant players.

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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For example, Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has once again been touted for a £70m move to the Emirates, as has Nottingham Forest’s £79m Murillo.

However, while both Brazilians would undoubtedly have an impact on Arteta’s side, neither one could be described as a potential rival, upgrade or replacement for Odegaard, unlike Kenan Yıldız.

Yes, according to recent reports from Italy, Arsenal have reignited their interest in the Turkish wonderkid.

In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Gunners have once more made contact to find out what would be needed to make this deal happen.

However, while a potential price is not mentioned in the story, other reports from last month claim that a fee of around £88m could be enough to tempt Juventus into selling.

It would therefore be a costly and potentially complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Yıldız’s ability and potential, Arsenal should fight for him, especially as he could provide real competition for Odegaard, if not outright replace him.

How Yıldız compares to Odegaard

So, the first thing to point out is that while Yıldız is primarily viewed as a winger, he could easily become more of a ten over time.

After all, while he has spent plenty of time out wide, his most-played position is second striker, and given his third-most-played position is attacking midfield, the idea of him dropping a little deeper does not feel far-fetched.

Moreover, the youngster already possesses one of the key characteristics of the best tens: the ability to both score and assist goals with relative ease. There is a reason European football writer Danny Corcoran has suggested the youngster has “Mbappe-like ability.”

For example, in 52 appearances last season, totalling 3520 minutes, he scored 12 goals and provided nine assists, which comes out to a goal involvement on average every 2.47 games, or every 167.61 minutes.

He has somehow become even more dangerous this season, scoring six goals and providing five assists in 19 appearances, totalling 1533 minutes, which is a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 139.36 minutes.

Yıldız’s vs Odegaard

24/25

Yıldız

Odegaard

Appearances

52

45

Minutes

3520′

3447′

Goals

12

6

Assists

9

12

25/26

Yıldız

Odegaard

Appearances

18

11

Minutes

1457′

516′

Goals

5

0

Assists

5

2

All Stats via Transfermarkt

For comparison’s sake, Odegaard scored six goals and provided 12 assists in 45 appearances, totalling 3447 minutes, last season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.5 games, or every 191.5 minutes.

This season, in the period he has been available, the Norwegian international has provided two assists in 11 appearances, totalling 516 minutes, which is an average of one every 5.5 games, or every 258 minutes.

With it clear that the Turkish gem is more of an attacking threat than the Gunners’ captain, what else makes him a player that Andrea Berta and Co cannot miss out on?

Well, as his output would suggest, he is, in the words of content creator Alex Moneypenny, someone “capable of the spectacular.”

Whether that’s a goal from distance, a mazy run that ends in a chance or just some tidy footwork that gets his team on their way, the Regensburg-born talent is an attacker who can seemingly do it all.

This is unsurprisingly reflected in his underlying numbers as well.

Yıldız’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Goal-Creating Actions

1.22

Top 6%

Shot-Creating Actions

6.10

Top 8%

xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals

0.46

Top 9%

Carries into Penalty Area

3.41

Top 11%

Shots on Target

1.46

Top 12%

Successful Take-Ons

3.17

Top 12%

All Stats via FBref for the 25/26 UCL

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Champions League for goal-creating actions, the top 8% for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for expected assisted goals, the top 11% for carries into the penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while it would be an expensive transfer to get over the line, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Yıldız, as he’s got the ability and potential to replace Odegaard and become a world-class ten.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 6, 2025

There has been an obscene amount of cash flying to and from Premier League bank accounts over the last few years, with transfer records tumbling all the time, even in a post-pandemic world and the era of PSR.

Four Premier League clubs received record transfer fees in the summer of 2025.

So which players have gone for club-record sums?

Rank

Club

Player

Sold to

Fee

Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho

Barcelona

£142m

Newcastle

Alexander Isak

Liverpool

£125m

Brighton

Moises Caicedo

Chelsea

£115m

West Ham

Declan Rice

Arsenal

£105m

Aston Villa

Jack Grealish

Man City

£100m

Everton

Romelu Lukaku

Man Utd

£90m

Chelsea

Eden Hazard

Real Madrid

£89m

Tottenham

Gareth Bale

Real Madrid

£85.3m

Man City

Julian Alvarez

Atletico Madrid

£81.5m

Man Utd

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid

£80m

Brentford

Bryan Mbeumo

Man Utd

£71m

Bournemouth

Dominic Solanke

Tottenham

£65m

Wolves

Matheus Cunha

Man Utd

£62.5m

Crystal Palace

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

£50m

Fulham

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Al-Hilal

£50m

Nottingham Forest

Brennan Johnson

Tottenham

£45m

Leeds United

Georginio Rutter

Brighton

£40m

Arsenal

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool

£35m

Sunderland

Jordan Pickford

Everton

£30m

Burnley

James Trafford

Man City

£27m

All 20 Premier League clubs' record signings

From Manchester City to Ipswich Town, here’s a look at each Premier League club’s most expensive signing.

ByBrogan Clasper Sep 4, 2024 Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain £35m to Liverpool, 2017

Given the amount of cash Arsenal have splashed in more recent years, it is perhaps a surprise that their record sale dates as far back as this.

However, the Gunners have been perennially poor sellers, particularly under Arsene Wenger, though he received a pretty cool £35m when Liverpool came calling for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2017, just months after the midfielder helped Arsenal to the FA Cup.

Considering Oxlade-Chamberlain only shone in brief glimpses at Anfield, Arsenal can put this down as a fine piece of business.

Aston Villa: Jack Grealish £100m to Man City, 2021

After guiding Aston Villa to promotion and then Premier League survival, it had seemed just a matter of time before Jack Grealish would take the next step in his career.

To the Villans’ credit, they kept hold of the Englishman’s services for a further year, but could not say no to champions Manchester City, who came forward with a British-record nine-figure bid in the summer of 2021.

Grealish was part of City’s treble-winning side in 2022/23, while Villa have gone from strength to strength in his absence, and took part in the Champions League alongside Man City in 2024/25. Grealish’s departure may have been bittersweet, but things have worked out pretty well for the Midlands outfit.

Bournemouth: Dominic Solanke £65m to Tottenham, 2024

Bournemouth broke their own transfer record in 2024, but not before receiving the largest sum in the club’s history for one of their players.

Dominic Solanke’s move to Tottenham Hotspur cost the north Londoners £65m – eclipsing the £40m they received from Manchester City for Nathan Ake in 2020.

The Cherries responded to Solanke’s departure by signing Evanilson for just over £40m from FC Porto.

Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo £71m to Manchester United, 2025

Brentford have been pillaged in recent years with Ivan Toney heading to Saudi, Yoane Wissa making his move to Newcastle and Bryan Mbeumo – the biggest of the lot – heading to Manchester United in a colossal £71m deal in the summer of 2025.

Mbeumo was one of the Premier League’s standout players in 2024/25, scoring 20 top-flight goals. That tally of goals richly deserved a move and he duly got one.

Brighton: Moises Caicedo £115m to Chelsea, 2023

Moises Caicedo was subject to interest from Chelsea and Liverpool in the summer of 2023, with the Ecuadorian selecting the Blues as his next destination after Brighton & Hove Albion accepted mammoth bids from both clubs.

Despite approving a £111m transfer to the Reds, Chelsea decided to go one further by structuring a deal that could yet rise to £115m.

It was reported that £15m of that total is in appearance-related add-ons.

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2 ByStephan Georgiou Aug 23, 2024 Burnley: James Trafford £27m to Manchester City, 2025

James Trafford enjoyed a remarkable campaign with the Clarets during their promotion-winning season in 2024/25.

The goalkeeper kept a whopping 29 clean sheets. Quickly becoming one of the best English stoppers around, Man City paid a £27m fee to bring him back to the club where he grew up.

Sadly for Trafford, he was quickly displaced when the Citizens brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Chelsea: Eden Hazard £89m to Real Madrid, 2019

Chelsea have had a history of receiving handsome transfer sums for players in recent years, and while Eden Hazard is undoubtedly one of their better stars within the last decade or so, the £89m they received upfront from Real Madrid turned out to be a terrific steal.

The deal to send the Belgian to the Santiago Bernabeu – which came off the back of Hazard guiding Chelsea to Europa League glory – could have reached over £150m. However, given the Blues legend only featured 76 times in an injury-ridden four-year spell in Madrid before retiring, we highly doubt many of the add-ons were ever activated.

Still, it is comfortably the highest fee Chelsea have received – it is most closely rivalled by Kai Havertz’s move to Arsenal for £65m.

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ByFreddie Taylor Oct 13, 2023 Crystal Palace: Aaron Wan-Bissaka £50m to Man Utd, 2019

Manchester United’s spending spree in 2019 features multiple times in this list as they parted with nearly £150m that summer alone. A decent chunk of that went on bringing in Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50m.

The six years that have followed have not been too rosy for the club nor the player, with the Red Devils making a significant loss on the full-back when selling him to West Ham United ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Eagles have often been resolute when it comes to high-profile interest in their players, and recently had their resolve tested once more in 2024 as Newcastle threatened to eclipse the sum received for Wan-Bissaka while seeking to add Marc Guehi to their squad.

Everton: Romelu Lukaku £90m to Man Utd, 2017

It has all been downhill for Everton since selling Romelu Lukaku in 2017, when he linked up with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.

However, Everton did manage to secure a princely sum for the striker, with United paying the Toffees an initial £75m in a deal that included a further £15m in add-ons.

It is unclear how much of these were activated, but Everton have struggled on and off the pitch since, finishing in the top half just once since the turn of the decade and remaining out of Europe since the year of the Belgian’s departure – all while being under scrutiny for their finances amid a number of transfer flops.

Fulham: Aleksandar Mitrovic £50m to Al-Hilal, 2023

Fulham were one of the many victims of the Saudi Pro League’s raid on European-based footballers. Their riches were too much for Aleksandar Mitrovic to ignore in the summer of 2023 – and they nearly took manager Marco Silva along with them.

However, Fulham have remained a solid top-flight club after comfortably surviving in their first season back with Mitrovic in 2022/23.

They have invested the reported £50m fee paid by Saudi champions Al-Hilal for the Serbian’s services wisely, with Rodrigo Muniz among those to shine at Craven Cottage.

Leeds United’s work during the summer transfer window is naturally going to be called into question with the team currently sat in the relegation zone in the Premier League at the start of December.

Whilst two of their signings, Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, scored in their loss to Manchester City, the summer arrivals have not done enough to keep the side out of the bottom three.

For example, James Justin was brought in as an experienced Premier League defender and was beaten with ease inside the opening minute for Phil Foden’s first goal on Saturday.

Ranking Leeds United's summer signings

Unfortunately, too many of the club’s summer signings have made similar mistakes without providing much quality, at one end of the pitch or the other, to make up for it.

Leeds paid £13.9m to sign goalkeeper Lucas Perri from Lyon to replace Illan Meslier, but he has let in 0.92 more goals than expected and saved just 54% of the shots against him in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore.

Whilst the Brazilian shot-stopper has been one of their worst additions, Sean Longstaff has provided consistency in midfield since his move from Newcastle, leading the team in ‘big chances’ created (six) and key passes per game (1.7).

Ranking Leeds United’s summer signings
Rank	Player
1	Sean Longstaff
2	Noah Okafor
3	Gabriel Gudmundsson
4	Anton Stach
5	Lukas Nmecha
6	Dominic Calvert-Lewin
7	Lucas Perri
8	James Justin
9	Jaka Bijol
10	Sebastiaan Bornauw

As you can see in the table above, Noah Okafor and Gabriel Gudmundsson rank just below the Englishman with the exciting connection that they have forged together on the left flank.

At the other end of the ranking, though, Jaka Bijol has to be down there because he was dropped for the last two games after his first three starts for the club in the Premier League.

It is, unfortunately, Sebastiaan Bornauw who currently ranks at the bottom of the pile, though, because he looks to be their biggest waste of a signing since Jean-Kevin Augustin.

Why Leeds need to move on from Sebastiaan Bornauw already

The Belgian defender seemed to be a signing that Daniel Farke had a big say in, because he came from Germany, Wolfsburg, and was a transfer target for the manager during his time at Norwich in the summer of 2021.

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This meant that it felt like a long time coming for Bornauw and Farke to finally work together, yet it has not played out that way in the first few months of the season, as the defender has not played a single minute in the league.

Every Leeds fan will be familiar with the story of Augustin’s time at Elland Road, as the club had to pay £24.5m for the player after opting not to go through with an obligation to sign him permanently because he only played 48 league minutes during his time on loan in the 2019/20 campaign.

Bornauw in the 25/26 PL
Game	Minutes
Man City	Not in squad
Aston Villa	Not in squad
Nottingham Forest	Not in squad
Brighton	Not in squad
West Ham	Not in squad
Burnley	0
Spurs	0
Bournemouth	Not in squad
Wolves	Not in squad
Fulham	Not in squad
Newcastle	0
Arsenal	0
Everton	0
Per Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, 48 minutes of league football looks favourable in comparison to how Bornauw’s season in the Premier League has gone.

The former Belgium international is out with an injury at the moment, but the Whites boss has left him as an unused substitute in the five top-flight games that he has been available for, despite having wanted to sign the star since 2021.

Bornauw’s only minutes in all competitions came in a loss to Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday on penalties in the League Cup back in August, per Sofascore, with the likes of Bijol, Joe Rodon, and Pascal Struijk all ahead of him in the pecking order at centre-back in the league.

At the age of 26, the Belgian defender should be playing regular football and be a first-choice at a club. Instead, he looks set to continue watching on from the bench at Leeds unless something drastically changes in the coming weeks.

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With this in mind, it may be best for both parties to find a solution in the January transfer window, as the transfer does not seem to have worked out and it has been a bit of a waste of time for the club and the player, as was also the case with Augustin.

England dominated the morning session on Day 2, but India’s quicks turned the tide

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2025

Mohammed Siraj pinned Joe Root lbw with seam in and low bounce•Associated Press

Tea Ladies and gentlemen, we have a ball game. A spirited second session of day two from India – namely Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna – has lit a fire under this fifth Test at The Oval, leaving England 215 for 7 at tea, trailing by nine. Harry Brook, fiery on 33 not out, remains England’s best hope of a worthwhile lead with England two wickets away from the end of their reply due to Chris Woakes’ shoulder injury.Three wickets each for Siraj and Prasidh more or less overturned the dominance asserted by openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. They had propelled England to 109 for 1 at lunch, after Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul had capped India’s first innings at 224.Any thoughts of that being under par have been struck from the mind, primarily down to an eight-over spell from Siraj that read 3 for 35, with stand-in skipper Ollie Pope, the prized wicket of Joe Root and Jacob Bethell seen off in the space of 12 overs of play.All three were found wanting by Siraj’s late movement off the surface, with the slightest lack of bounce, from The Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion End. Pope’s required a review – despite striking the back pad plumb in front – before Root used one in vain to be dismissed for 29. Bethell simply walked.Prasidh could perhaps take an assist for Root’s wicket, having riled up the No. 2 on the all-time Test runs chart. Having thrown a ball at Crawley upon fielding in his follow-through – the pair exchanged an immediate apology and acceptance, respectively – Prasidh was in the book when Crawley failed to clear Ravindra Jadeja at midwicket for 64. He had earlier brought up his third half century of the series, and second in a row, from 42 deliveries.Root arrived and the pair became embroiled in a back and forth which left England’s No. 4 fuming. Prasidh then relieved Siraj and took India through to the break with two wickets in five deliveries; as Jamie Smith nicked high to KL Rahul at second slip and Jamie Overton was trapped LBW for what proved to be the final ball of the session.Prasidh Krishna struck twice in the last over before tea•Getty ImagesIt was a complete sea change from the morning, which featured Atkinson’s 5 for 33 upon his return to the side after two months out. He made light work of what remained of India’s first innings when they arrived on Friday morning on 204 for 6.It was all the more important after news this morning that Woakes would play no further part in the match after a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in the field last night. And the Surrey quick, on his home ground, took three of the remaining four wickets that India had up their sleeve.Josh Tongue made the first key incision, albeit with a chaotic approach that would get any surgeon struck off. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps – Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them – pinned the right-hander on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India’s three reviews with him.Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed, but he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.Atkinson would then skittle Siraj before Prasidh felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. It also leaves Atkinson with an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with fifty or more dismissals, and the second best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.England’s openers were boundary happy, smoking 92 off just 77 deliveries, punishing India for every slight error in line or length. Duckett was the main driver, reverse-pulling Akash Deep over the cordon, then “conventionally” ramping Siraj into the sponge for the first two sixes of the match.Duckett fell to Akash Deep attempting a third, departing for 43 with the bowler putting his arm around the left-hander, as much in jest as respect.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said it was “too early” to judge Konstas following his 25 and 0 in Grenada

Andrew McGlashan08-Jul-20250:31

Watch – Konstas chops on for a duck

Australia coach Andrew McDonald saw small signs of encouragement from Sam Konstas in the second Test against West Indies but has indicated there will “great opportunity” for players to push their case for Ashes selection early in the domestic season and in Australia A matches.Konstas made 25 in the first innings in Grenada before following that with a duck during a brief period of batting late on the second day. He will play the final match at Sabina Park, the ground’s first day-night Test, which provides an opportunity to finish on a high and leave himself near the head of the selection queue for the home Ashes series later in the year.”Four games in, eight innings, it’s probably early for anyone to judge, really,” McDonald said of Konstas’ early Test career. “I think the challenges in Test cricket aren’t necessarily always your skill level or your technique. It’s dealing with the moments, the pressure, all the other things that externally come with that as well. He’s a player finding his feet in the environment.Related

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“[It was] a small step forward in the last game with that first innings. I thought the way he structured up his first 20-odd balls, he had the positive intent, he was moving a lot better compared to the game before where it looked like he was stuck in the middle and didn’t know whether to play a shot and it was either ultra-aggressive or ultra-defensive.”Konstas will likely feature in the four-day matches on the Australia A tour of India in late September before being available for the opening Sheffield Shield matches in early October with four rounds expected before the start of the Ashes.”There’s great opportunity in domestic cricket at the start of the season, and there always is leading into any Test series,” McDonald said. “We saw with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, there was opportunity for players to put their hand up there. There’s also Australia A [against Sri Lanka A] in the Top End [Darwin] at the moment, so we’re watching that closely…so it’s really about the opportunity that presents.”First and foremost, we concentrate on what’s right here, right now. Everyone will be speculating around who can come in, what possibilities are, but we’re confident the players that we’ve got here can do the job.”Prior to the tour, McDonald said it may not be possible to draw huge relevance from this tour to the Ashes and it is a view he maintains despite it having been pace-bowler dominated rather than seeing a significant role for spin.”There’s been a lot of variable bounce and sideways movement, so it’s probably not similar to Australia,” he said. “Maybe some surfaces will be. I think Perth potentially, when it does crack a little bit, it can go up and down and a little bit sideways. But I think the first four rounds of Shield cricket will draw a better connection to the Ashes than what we’re seeing here.”What we are seeing here, though, is people getting exposed at Test level, and within that exposure, the mental challenges of Test cricket are real.”Usman Khawaja has been troubled from around the wicket•Associated Press

The continued scrutiny of the top-order was eased somewhat by Cameron Green’s half-century, but is countered by the struggles of Usman Khawaja. McDonald was keen to stress that Australia have ended as comfortable winners of both Tests. West Indies crumbled in both second innings – facing just 34.3 overs in Grenada and 33.4 in Barbados – having been on even terms after two days.”For every failure in the top-order, the middle-order’s been able to get us out of those situations and vice versa,” he said. “We’ve had times when the top-order’s prospered and the middle potentially hasn’t delivered what you’d probably expect.”Ultimately the game of cricket’s matching the bowling with the batting. At the moment we’re doing that. We’re finding ways through it. Would we like to have greater output from the top-order? There’s no doubt about that. And those players would want more runs. But they’ll come.”We’ve been able to find a way through the West Indies batting order…and they’ve been quite big victories.”McDonald added he did not foresee any changes for the final Test, which will be Mitchell Starc’s 100th, although they will assess players once in Jamaica.A decision on whether to release Marnus Labuschagne from the squad will be taken once play starts. There is an option for him to rejoin for Glamorgan in the County Championship or potentially head to Darwin for the second four-day game against Sri Lanka A which starts on July 20. However, giving him a break before the August ODI series against South Africa is also a possibility.

تمكن فريق برشلونة من تسجيل الهدف الرابع في شباك خصمه سيلتا فيجو، في مباراتهما الجارية حاليًا في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

ويستضيف ملعب “بالايدوس” مباراة برشلونة وسيلتا فيجو، في ختام منافسات الجولة الثانية عشر من الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26.

ونجح برشلونة في تسجيل الهدف الرابع أمام خصمه سيلتا فيجو، في إطار مباراتهما الجارية في الوقت الحالي.

جاء هدف برشلونة عن طريق النجم روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، في الدقيقة 73، بعد ركنية نفذها ماركوس راشفورد، حيث وصلت الكرة إلى البولندي الذي خدع الجميع وسددها في الشباك.

وتشير النتيجة في الوقت الحالي إلى تقدم برشلونة بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدفين، حيث سجل روبرت ليفاندوفسكي هاتريك، بينما أحرز لامين يامال هدفًا.