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Likely left to fill a Matheus Cunha-shaped hole in their side, Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly set to accelerate their talks with a Premier League winner who could replicate the Brazilian’s creativity.

Pereira's impressive Wolves tenure

When Vitor Pereira arrived in the Midlands in December, the Portuguese manager arrived at a club struggling with discipline and walking a relegation tightrope.

Five months on, however, he has transformed Wolves into a side no longer thinking about the bottom three and capable of putting together impressive winning runs even without star man Cunha. And as a result, Pereira has rightly been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Season award.

The Wolves boss didn’t take long to win the fans over, either, and shared celebratory drinks with supporters during his side’s recent six-game winning run which was only ended by Manchester City.

Speaking about those moments with the fans, Pereira recently told reporters: “You need to be with the people because you need to see the smiles. When I go to a pub it’s not about the beer. Of course, I like the beer, but I go to be with the people, to feel that I’m doing something to make them happy, to make them proud. This is my energy. I must go to a pub, because this is the culture.”

He'd be amazing with Joao Gomes: Wolves interested in £30m "top talent"

Wolves are looking to boost midfield options

By
Joe Nuttall

May 16, 2025

With Wolves now cruising towards a comfortable finish, all eyes will now be on Pereira’s first summer in charge and one which could be full of familiar difficulties for the club. Not so long ago it was Ruben Neves on his way out for big money, before that was Diogo Jota to Liverpool and now it looks set to be Cunha amid reports that Manchester United have advanced talks for his signature.

What the Brazilian’s exit could allow Wolves to do, however, is reinvest their money into a Premier League winner.

Wolves set to accelerate Elliott talks

According to GiveMeSport, Wolves are now set to accelerate their talks with Harvey Elliott in an attempt to find out whether he’s open to a summer switch from Liverpool. Despite becoming a Premier League champion for a second time recently, it’s been a tough season for the Anfield youngster, who has not received the same opportunities under Arne Slot as he did under Jurgen Klopp.

Now, if their hefty £50m valuation is met, those in Merseyside are reportedly ready to sanction the midfielder’s exit. Whether Wolves match that price tag remains to be seen, but Pereira is reportedly open to making Elliott his chief creator in place of Cunha this summer.

It’s easy to forget just how talented Elliott is at just 22 years old following a frustrating campaign, but Klopp was always a fan of the young midfielder. The former Liverpool boss took time to label the Wolves target as an “incredible talent” on his return from a lengthy injury in 2022.

Aston Villa moved a step closer to sealing Champions League qualification for next season following an impressive 4-1 victory over Newcastle United at the weekend.

Unai Emery’s men are on a wonderful streak of form which will hopefully carry into the next few weeks, especially with an FA Cup semi-final and five more Premier League games left.

Despite the season entering the final straight, Villa are also looking to the future as Emery begins to plan for 2025/26.

Could this see him raid a fellow top-flight club for one of their star players when the window opens?

Aston Villa readying bid for Premier League sensation

Despite the summer window not yet open, Villa are already working to conclude their first deal of the summer with Rosenborg’s sensational wonderkid Sverre Nypan.

He’s not the only creative star on Monchi’s radar ahead of a busy window. Indeed, according to journalist Alan Nixon, Villa are now eyeing a move for Crystal Palace sensation Eberechi Eze this summer.

They are poised to make a bid for the Englishman, especially if they don’t trigger the option to buy clause in Marcus Rashford’s loan agreement.

Transfer Focus

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

Palace will be braced for offers of around £50m, and this shouldn’t be a problem for the Midlands club, especially if they secure qualification for the Champions League next term.

Emery has raided Premier League clubs in the past for players to spearhead his Villa revolution. Notably, names include Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and, of course, Rashford back in January.

One of his best signings, however, was that of Youri Tielemans, who has been outstanding this season.

Why Eberechi Eze could be Emery’s next Tielemans

The Belgian midfielder has started every single one of Villa’s Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup matches so far this season, highlighting his importance to the cause.

Across those games, he has scored four goals and registered ten assists. When compared to his peers in the top flight, Tielemans ranks impressively, notably sitting in the top 3% for passes into the final third (6.91) and in the top 10% for progressive passes (7.04) per 90, suggesting he is excellent at starting attacks and moving the ball into dangerous positions often.

So, why could Eze be the next version? Well, arguably having been one of Palace’s finest players this season, across 36 matches, the Englishman has registered 18 goal contributions – seven goals and 11 assists – under Oliver Glasner.

From an attacking standpoint, he has been superb when compared to his positional peers in the top flight. Indeed, the England international ranks in the top 7% for total shots (3.56) and in the top 14% for shot-creating actions (4.59) per 90 this season.

He tends to operate in a more advanced position than Tielemans, but there is no doubt he could have the same level of impact the Belgian has had this season. After all, both are particularly creative individuals.

Hailed as a “wizard” by England teammate Declan Rice, the Palace gem could be a statement signing for Villa during the summer transfer window.

Manchester United are also keen, according to Nixon’s report, but European football will be a big draw for the 26-year-old as he looks to take the next step up in his career.

Forget Watkins & Rogers: 9/10 star is becoming Aston Villa's best player

Aston Villa secured a vital 4-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday

By
Ross Kilvington

Apr 20, 2025

The last week or so has been nothing short of spectacular for Arsenal.

Yes, they may have dropped more points in the Premier League, but in the Champions League, they’ve beaten the holders Real Madrid 3-0 at home and then 2-1 away, becoming the first English team to win their first two matches against Los Blancos at the Bernabeu.

It’s been a miraculous turnaround in what’s been a surprisingly tough season for the Gunners, both due to poor form and a seemingly never-ending slew of injuries, which have, at points, left their frontline precariously thin on the ground.

Fortunately, the board seem intent on ensuring this problem doesn’t arise again next year, as recent reports have linked the club with one of the best attackers in Europe, someone compared to Alexander Isak and Kylian Mbappé.

Arsenal transfer news

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other stars who have been heavily touted for moves to the Emirates in the summer, such as Nico Williams.

Transfer Focus

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

The Athletic Bilbao star reportedly has a £50m release clause in his current contract, and with an impressive tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances this season, he’d be a fine addition to Arteta’s array of young wingers.

Down the middle, the name most heavily linked with a potential move to N5 in recent weeks has been Sporting CP superstar Viktor Gyokeres, who would reportedly cost around £60m.

While that is a lot of money, it could still prove to be a bargain, as in just 45 appearances this season, the Swedish tour de force has scored 44 goals and provided 11 assists, which comes out to an average of 1.22 goal involvements per game.

However, there is still an element of doubt over the Stockholm-born monster as he remains relatively untested when it comes to a top-five league, unlike Ousmane Dembélé.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of a few ‘clubs showing an interest in an ambitious potential summer transfer’ for the French international.

Alongside the Gunners, the report has revealed that Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are all big admirers of the versatile forward, which could make an already complicated move even more so.

It would undoubtedly be a costly move as well, but given Dembélé’s immense ability, and the fact he’s been compared to Isak and Mbappé, it’s one worth fighting for.

How Dembélé compares to Isak and Mbappé

Okay, before getting into some of the other reasons why Arsenal should sign Dembélé, it’s worth examining these comparisons to Isak and Mbappé and where they come from.

Well, in this instance, they stem from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Real Madrid star is the third most similar forward to the Frenchman and the Swede is the sixth.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the trio rank closely, including, but not limited to, goals per shot, crosses into the penalty area, non-penalty expected goals per shot, tackles won, percentage of successful take-ons and more, all per 90.

Goals per Shot

0.19

0.23

0.13

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.11

0.04

0.10

Non-Penalty Expected Goals per Shot

0.16

0.20

0.13

Tackles Won

0.29

0.19

0.28

Successful Take-On %

45.7%

49.4%

44.8%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.62

0.54

0.43

However, while sharing some similarities with two of the best forwards in the world is undoubtedly one argument for signing the French international, it’s not the only one.

Another is the fact that he’s been in simply sublime form this season, with former professional-turned-pundit Joe Cole labelling him “the most in-form player, let alone winger, in European football.”

It’s not hard to see where Cole’s coming from either, as in just 42 appearances, totalling 2815 minutes, the former Barcelona star has scored 32 goals and provided 11 assists.

That means he is currently averaging 1.02 goal involvements every game, or one every 65.46 minutes, which is a world-class level of output.

Ultimately, it could be an incredibly difficult transfer to get over the line, but if there is a chance Arsenal can sign Dembélé this summer, they have to take it, as he could be transformational.

Arsenal ask Real Madrid about signing £62m forward in William Saliba talks

The Gunners are fresh off the back of an historic Champions League tie with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 17, 2025

Vote for the best individual Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance by an Indian in Australia since 2000

Alagappan Muthu21-Oct-2024Update: This poll has ended. Rahul Dravid’s performance goes into the quarter-finals. Check the other polls here.ESPNcricinfo LtdRahul Dravid celebrates a famous win at Adelaide Oval in 2003•AFP via Getty ImagesRahul Dravid – 233 and 72* in Adelaide, 2003India win by four wickets, lead series 1-0Long before Rahul Dravid was immortalised for revealing that he too had the ability to yell his head off, he was immortalised for having the ability to yell his head off and also punch the air. The image of him doing so as he hit the winning runs in Adelaide almost 20 years ago is part of Indian cricket history. It was only the fourth time they had ever won a Test match in Australia – and their first victory since 1981 – and they had to come from behind to do it. From way behind, 556 runs to be exact. But Dravid kept whittling away at it, wearing Australia down not once but twice. Finally, after 12 and a half hours at the crease, scoring more runs than he has ever done or will ever do in a single Test, it made perfect sense that he would be there at the end, soaking in the Adelaide sunshine, teeth gritted, arms up high, the personification of triumph.Dravid’s heroics in that match gave India a 1-0 lead, in a series they went on to draw in Australia for the first time since 1985.Watch the highlights of these performances on the Star Sports network at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm IST, from October 22 onwards.R Ashwin exerted incredible control over the Australian batters in Adelaide in 2018•AFP / Getty ImagesR Ashwin – 3-57 in 34 overs & 3-92 in 52.5 overs in Adelaide, 2018India win by 31 runs, lead series 1-0Until this Test, R Ashwin had bowled more than 300 overs in Australia for a mere 21 wickets. That can happen when you’re on tour and the conditions aren’t entirely in your favour. In Australia especially, a spinner’s job, as much as he is there to pick up wickets, is to hold an end up so that the quick bowlers can be kept fresh so that they can come charging in again and again. Ashwin found that balance in Adelaide. More than that, he tested the Australians’ defence: each of his three first-innings wickets the result of how his mastery of flight and dip alone was enough to cause problems. Ashwin bowled 86.5 overs in the Adelaide Test, going for less than two runs an over and giving Australia no way out.Five of his six wickets were of top-order batters and his performance was crucial to India taking a 1-0 lead in what would become their first ever Test series win in Australia.

Over 47,000 filled the stands on Sunday, showing – in Smriti Mandhana’s words – “that it is a sport worth investing [in]”

S Sudarshanan12-Dec-2022″Stadium full ticket over”Four words that can make or break your heart as a fan, irrespective of whether the tickets are priced or free.It is the first time since March 2021 that India Women are playing a home series. And because of Covid-19, their last series – five ODIs and three T20Is against South Africa in Lucknow – was played with crowd restrictions.The current India-Australia series, as a result, assumed extra significance with crowds returning for women’s international cricket in India for the first time since October 2019.And returned they have. After all, these two teams have had quite a history in recent times.Related

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India and Australia clashed in the finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020 and the Commonwealth Games earlier this year, with Australia winning on both occasions. Coming into this tour, Australia had won their last 12 ODIs and last 10 completed T20Is. But they knew they’d be in for a test, because if any team has challenged their hegemony over women’s cricket in recent years, it has been India. Last September, India beat Australia in Mackay to end a record 26-match winning streak in ODIs. And India were Australia’s opponents on the last three occasions when they lost World Cup matches – in Derby, Providence and Sydney.There was, therefore, always a chance that the fans would show up, with the added incentive of free tickets.Information about how and where to get them, however, has been limited, and chaos has ensued on both match days so far, with thousands queueing up at the gates well before match time in Navi Mumbai. Over 25,000 – exact, official numbers are unavailable – attended the first T20I, and Sunday’s second T20I brought in over 47,000.In 2017, when India played England in the Women’s ODI World Cup final at Lord’s, approximately 24,000 spectators watched the game at the venue. The T20 World Cup final at the MCG in 2020 brought in a staggering 86,174. Close to 80,000 had turned up at the Eden Gardens for the final of the Women’s World Cup in 1997.Sunday’s figure of 47,000 was a hugely impressive one considering it was a bilateral game – it was quite likely the biggest crowd for a women’s bilateral game in India. And they got their (purely figurative) money’s worth.Chasing an unlikely 188 to win, India were cruising along until Smriti Mandhana fell for 79, leaving them with 40 to get in the last 21 balls. Richa Ghosh’s hitting brought it down to 14 of the final over and 5 off 1 ball. Devika Vaidya then managed to squeeze a near-yorker from Megan Schutt past backward point to tie the game. Through Mandhana and Ghosh, India scored 20 in the Super Over before Renuka Singh kept Australia to 16.Heather Graham, who made her T20I debut on Sunday, said it was ‘unbelievable’ to play in front of a crowd of 47,000•BCCI”I am not sure you can compare it. The fact that we play in front of only maybe 5000 people in WBBL, to be come out and play in front of a crowd with 47,000 was unbelievable,” Heather Graham, who has played in the WBBL since 2015 and made her T20I debut on Sunday, said. “I turned to Phoebe [Litchfield], who was debuting as well and I was like this is insane. We just soaked it all [in]. At the end then, when it got tight in the end, it was incredible.”This showcases the crowds women’s cricket can get and how exciting it can be.”Given that the inaugural Women’s IPL is just around the corner, the crowds for this series have been a hugely encouraging sign, showing just how popular women’s cricket is in India.”When people see these sort of matches, that sort of crowd, it’s definitely going to be amazing for women’s cricket,” Mandhana said. “To see that turnout, I am sure it is going to give a lot of confidence to the organisers as well as people who will maybe bid for [WIPL teams] – I don’t understand all that. Definitely it is going to give a lot of confidence to the people who are going to watch it and for women’s cricket, that it is a sport worth investing [in].”To see that kind of support and enthusiasm throughout the 40 overs was amazing and definitely is a motivating factor for the team.”The series will now move to the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, which will host the last three T20Is. While the Brabourne, which can hold a maximum of 20,000, can accommodate significantly fewer spectators than the DY Patil Stadium, expect the stands to be packed once again.

Starring Faf du Plessis, R Ashwin, Shaminda Eranga, Matt Prior and Tim Paine

Mohammad Isam22-Jul-2020England v Sri Lanka, Headingley, 2014
For 19 overs, Moeen Ali and No.11 James Anderson kept Sri Lanka at bay on the fifth day, with Ali getting a century and Anderson facing 50 balls without scoring. Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, had tried everything, including his own medium pace and Mahela Jayawardene’s offspin.For the final over, he gave the ball to Shaminda Eranga, his new-ball bowler. Two slips, a leg gully, backward square leg, short leg and silly point were in place as Eranga went around the wicket to Anderson. Eranga went short, but Anderson kept out the first two. He went back over the wicket and went short of a length and then full. Anderson blocked twice more to roars from the crowd. Two balls to go, and Eranga delivered a brute of a bouncer. Anderson tried to fend it, but the ball went off the handle and looped to Rangana Herath at backward square leg. Anderson was left ruing what might have been as the Sri Lankans celebrated in a dog pile.The 100-run win gave Sri Lanka their first series win in England (in 1998, they had won a one-off Test at The Oval). In the first Test, at Lord’s, they had survived another final-over thriller, earning a draw with just one wicket left. In that game, Eranga had kept out six balls in the penultimate over and Nuwan Pradeep, his new-ball partner, had survived five in the final one.Pakistan v Australia, Dubai, 2018
Pakistan gave themselves nearly five sessions to bowl out Australia, who were playing their first Test series since ball-tampering saga in Cape Town that led to one-year bans for Steven Smith and David Warner. In their absence, the batting order had looked brittle in the first innings, Australia making only 202 in 83.3 overs. In the final innings, though, Usman Khawaja stepped up and scored 141. More importantly, he faced 302 balls and spent eight hours and 42 minutes at the wicket, making it the longest fourth-innings knock time-wise this century. When he fell to Yasir Shah, there were still 15 overs to go and just four wickets left.New captain Tim Paine was left to shepherd the lower order, but Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle lasted only eight balls between them. For the remaining 50 minutes, Paine and No. 10 Nathan Lyon were resolute against Pakistan’s spinners. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, put eight fielders around the bat as Shah ran in for the final over needing two wickets to deliver a win. Paine took twos off the first two balls and then dead-batted the next three, securing the draw. It was an important display of mental toughness from Australia during one of their most difficult times.Monty Panesar’s frenetic batting efforts led to some nervy final moments in the 2012-13 Auckland Test•AFPIndia v West Indies, Mumbai, 2011
A draw with the scores level. It took a while for cricket fans to process that result as India and West Indies completed a thriller.The match was heading towards an unsurprising draw on the fifth morning when West Indies collapsed and were bowled out for 134, leaving India 243 to win with roughly 64 overs left to play. Both sides had a chance to win and the game seesawed till the end. Virender Sehwag’s 60 gave India the early advantage, but then Sehwag, Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid all fell within five overs. Virat Kohli scored 63 to keep India in the game. When he fell, India needed 19 to win off 4.5 overs, and West Indies needed three wickets. R Ashwin, who had made a first-innings hundred and taken nine wickets in the Test, took India close. They needed two off the final ball with two wickets in hand. Ashwin hit a Fidel Edwards ball to long-on and seemed resigned to getting just one. He turned around slowly for the second and was run out by a long way, meaning West Indies earned a draw.New Zealand v England, Auckland, 2013
Matt Prior’s heroic four-and-a-half-hour rearguard earned England an unlikely draw in a Test that New Zealand had dominated, but not before some late drama. With four overs left on the final day, Kane Williamson, who used to bowl his offspin regularly then, struck twice in three balls, removing Stuart Broad and James Anderson. Prior was left to bat with Monty Panesar, a man with a batting average hovering just above five.Panesar nearly chopped on the first ball he faced. An over later, he punched Williamson past gully and set off for a quick single. But he dived early at the non-striker’s end and would have been run out had the throw not been wide. Prior could not get a single off the final ball of the penultimate over, and Panesar had to face Trent Boult, who steamed in from around the wicket with four slips and two gullies in place. Panesar was beaten twice, but then got a full toss that he pushed to mid-off to get off strike. Prior saw off the final three balls and raised his arms in celebration.It was a remarkable effort by England, who had been left four and a half sessions to bat out to save the Test and looked destined for a loss when they lost six wickets with nearly 60 overs left in the game. Ian Bell faced 271 balls for his 75, Prior got 110 off 182, and Broad made a vital contribution by playing 77 balls for his 6.Faf du Plessis (left) batted over a day to save the 2012-13 Adelaide Test•Getty ImagesAustralia v South Africa, Adelaide, 2012
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” Faf du Plessis told Morne Morkel when the No. 10 joined him to bat on the fifth evening. South Africa still had four overs to play out to complete one of the most famous blockathons in cricket history. AB de Villiers had curbed his natural game to make 33 off 220 balls as South Africa attempted to keep Australia out for four and a half sessions. The score was 45 for 4 when du Plessis, making his debut, joined de Villiers at the crease. When de Villiers fell, there were still nearly 60 overs left on the final day, but du Plessis blocked and blocked to frustrate Australia.After the fall of the eighth wicket, du Plessis defended an over from Nathan Lyon and Morkel survived one from Peter Siddle. du Plessis played out another Lyon over but failed to get a single off the last ball, leaving Morkel on strike against Siddle for the final over. Morkel defended the first three balls and then pushed one past mid-off. The Australians let the ball go to the boundary to keep him on strike. But Morkel hit another boundary off the next ball and defended the last to save the game. South Africa had batted out 148 overs in the fourth innings, the most by any team in the 21st century. du Plessis ended with 110 off 376 balls, the longest fourth-innings knock in terms of balls faced this century.

The Philadelphia Phillies found a wild way to lose a game Tuesday night as the San Francisco Giants walked them off with a historic inside-the-park three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning at Oracle Park.

Giants catcher Patrick Bailey was the hero as his hard hit to right field bounced off the brick wall and shot past Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh. He was able to eventually chase it down and fire the ball back to the infield but they never had a chance of stopping Bailey.

Phillies announcers Ruben Amaro Jr. and Tom McCarthy had the perfect reactions to it right after Bailey crossed home plate.

"Tom, I've seen a whole lot of things in this game. But I've never seen that," Amaro Jr. said. "That is truly an amazing, astonishing thing. I've just never seen anything like it."

"Nope, not something like that," McCarthy said.

Here's their call of the play:

You gotta love baseball.

Kane Williamson has announced his retirement from T20 internationals after months of speculation about his playing future, but has reaffirmed his focus on playing for New Zealand in Test cricket, starting with their three-match series against West Indies in December.Williamson, 35, has featured in 93 T20Is for New Zealand since his debut in October 2011. However, he opted out of their three-match series against Australia at the start of the month, then missed the subsequent 1-0 loss to England with a groin injury.He returned to action for this week’s 3-0 ODI series victory over the same opponents – his first appearances for New Zealand since the Champions Trophy final against India in March – but had flagged beforehand his shifting priorities, telling NZC of the “delicate balance” between time with his young family and committing to the team of which he has been a part for 15 years.Related

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• Blair Tickner and Zak Foulkes seal tense win to complete 3-0 sweep of England

Now he has opted to call time on the shortest format, just months before the next T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February. He retires as New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer in the format, with 2,575 runs at an average of 33.44, 18 fifties and a highest score of 95. He captained the team in 75 of his matches, including T20 World Cup semi-final appearances in 2016 and 2022, and one losing final in 2021.”It’s something that I’ve loved being a part of for a long period of time and I’m so grateful for the memories and experiences,” Williamson said. “It’s the right time for myself and the team. It gives the team clarity for the series moving forward and ahead of their next major focus which is the T20 World Cup.”There’s so much T20 talent there and the next period will be important to get cricket into these guys and get them ready for the World Cup. “Rob Walter, the New Zealand head coach, said: “You get to different life positions and the game does require a lot and demand a lot. So, understandably, Kane decided to step away from T20 internationals. And we’re now looking to the Test series at the end of the year and that will be our primary focus now.”I don’t think you can underestimate [his] value in all aspects,” Walter added. “Obviously, performance is one thing, but I think it’s probably the lesser of all the things that he brings to the team. A magnificent team man.”He’s a real sounding board for the guys in the team. He’s experienced a hell of a lot. He’s delivered incredible performances under pressure in World Cup finals. There’s a whole package there that obviously the team loses, but respectful of his decision.”Williamson had already handed over the white-ball captaincy to Mitchell Santner, while his No. 3 berth in the T20I team had been taken over by Rachin Ravindra, with the likes of Tim Seifert, Tim Robinson and Mark Chapman challenging for regular berths.”Mitch is a brilliant captain and leader – he’s really come into his own with this team,” Williamson said. “He really has such a great understanding of the game and this format having played for a long time and has done incredibly well. Now he has got the reins and he’s excited for the opportunity. I am looking forward to watching him. It’s now their time to push the Black Caps forward in this format and I’ll be supporting from afar.”In a statement, NZC said that Williamson’s next competitive fixture was likely to be for Northern Districts against Auckland in the Plunket Shield, starting November 26, as preparation for the first Test against West Indies, which begins at Christchurch on December 2, which indicated he would miss the upcoming ODIs against West Indies.Kane Williamson’s last T20I came at the 2024 World Cup•Getty Images

“I’ve got such deep care for this team,” Williamson said. “The Black Caps is a special place and one you want to give yourself to, and get the most out of yourself for. It’s a journey and a pursuit, and that’s what I love about the international game and this environment.””I’ll continue to keep the lines of communication open with Rob [Walter] and NZC who have given me a huge amount of support throughout.”Scott Weenink’s NZC’s chief executive, said he respected Williamson’s decision and saluted his contributions to the T20I team.”Kane’s performances as a player and his service as captain of the T20 side have been nothing short of immense,” he said.”His runs in all conditions around the world reflect the world class batsman that he is and are equally matched by the influence of his leadership on and off the field.”His knock of 85 in the T20 World Cup final [in 2021] was one of the more special T20I innings played by a New Zealander, albeit in a losing course. The T20 team experienced great consistency and success under Kane’s watch and he certainly leaves the team in good health.”Speaking last week, Williamson had acknowledged that his continued involvement with New Zealand would require an ongoing dialogue with Walter and the board, but Weenink insisted that he had earned the right to decide how he finished his ODI and Test careers.”We’ve made it clear to Kane he has our full support as he reaches the back end of his illustrious career,” he said. “We would, of course, love to see him play for as long as possible, but there’s no doubt whenever he does decide to finally call time – he will go down as a legend of New Zealand cricket.”With Kane committed to play the West Indies Test series in December, I’d encourage all Kiwis to take the opportunity to get out and witness one of our greatest ever cricketers play.”He will continue to play T20 franchise cricket, having spent much of the English summer just gone playing for London Spirit and Middlesex in an extended tie-up.

MatériaMais Notícias

Ypiranga e Athletico se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira (1), pelo jogo de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. A bola vai rolar a partir das 18h (de Brasília), no Estádio Colosso da Lagoa, em Erechim (RS), com transmissão do Amazon PrimeVideo (streaming).

➡️ Copa do Brasil: aposte e fature com os mercados a longo prazo do Lance! Betting!

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Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre Ypiranga e Athletico (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
YPIRANGA X ATHLETICO
COPA DO BRASIL – TERCEIRA FASE – IDA

🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 1 de maio de 2024, às 18h (de Brasília);
📍 Local:  Estádio Colosso da Lagoa, em Erechim (RS)
📺 Onde assistir: PrimeVideo
🟨 Árbitro: Gustavo Ervino Bauermann (SC)
🚩 Assistentes: Bruno Muller (SC) e Gizeli Casaril (SC)
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Thierry Henry has anointed the side most likely to challenge Arsenal for this season's Premier League title. Mikel Arteta's men have finished second for three seasons in a row but this term, they look ready to finish at the top of the pile. But the Gunners legend says there is one rival you "don't want on your shoulder".

Arsenal await Tottenham test

This weekend, the north London derby returns, as Premier League pacesetters Arsenal host rivals Tottenham – who sit eight points back in fifth. While Spurs have struggled at home this season, they have the best away record in the division. As a result, Henry is wary of Thomas Frank's team.

He told Betway: "I never used to like to come back and have a tough game after international duty. Thankfully, Arsenal are playing a team who also have a lot of international players. Sometimes you play a team who stayed for the whole 10 days and they’re waiting for you. It’s a north London derby, so the intensity will be there. And you’re playing against a team who hasn’t lost away from home. Against Sunderland, Arsenal encountered something that they usually do to teams. They played the long ball, and it reminded me of my time in the Premier League, where you couldn’t put pressure on any team. Any free kick, throw in or goal kick was in your box, and suddenly you have to win those balls, and they didn’t when Ballard and Brobbey challenged them. So we will see what’s going to happen against Tottenham. I’m sure that the team is going to be ready. You don’t need anyone to tell you what to do in these games. You know what time it is. You need to wake up. If you don’t know that, that means you don’t understand who you’re playing for."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesArsenal warned about Man City

In two of the last three years, Manchester City pipped Arsenal to the Premier League title, with Liverpool coming out on top last term. This season, it seems Arsenal are primed to end their long drought for a league crown, which stretches back to 2004. But Henry is wary of Pep Guardiola's City, who appear to have tweaked their tactics and seem to be rejuvenated. 

The former Barcelona ace said of City: "Very impressed. I never thought he would have allowed his wingers to come inside so early in the build-up like they do. I never thought he would allow his left winger to go on the right. That would never have happened with Pep in the past – two wingers on the same side of the ball, like against Man Utd at home. Pep has found a way. He had to find his starting 11, and you can see now that Jeremy Doku is clearly the guy on the left, while on the right it changes sometimes with Cherki or Savinho. When you have Phil Foden coming back in form, it changes things, although I think he’s better in that No. 10 position on the right, where he can come back on his left foot and punish you. We’re still waiting for Rodri to get back to a certain level. I think that’s a tiny bit missing, although Nico Gonzalez played well against Liverpool. 

"Now he has Nico O’Reilly starting to look like the player that everyone thought he was going to be, and they have a freak up front who can score in his sleep. So if you’re an Arsenal fan, that’s exactly the team that you don’t want on your shoulder, because they know how to win. It’s not great as an Arsenal man to see them coming back to their level. They look like a team about to go on a run. I think Pep had to deal with having two new assistants and a new way of playing. What you were hoping for while City made that adjustment is that Arsenal could go ahead and take some points, and that’s exactly what happened. But it was always going to be a battle."

'Never lost a north London derby'

During his eight years at Arsenal, Henry never lost a north London derby. In fact, in 11 appearances, he won seven, drew four, and lost none. Plus, he scored five goals and added two assists. 

When asked if he thought about his excellent record for Arsenal against Tottenham as a player, he said: "Hell yeah, I thought about it. I didn’t grow up as an Arsenal fan, and when I arrived I didn’t understand how important it was for the fans to beat Spurs. But then in the building you have Pat Rice, Paul Johnson, and all the guys who were Arsenal fans telling you, 'You have to beat them'. I was focused on Man Utd, like, 'Why is the derby so important? You want to catch first place, so don’t look at people that are behind you'. But then I started to realise how important it was to beat Tottenham, and then you want to keep that record. That’s why I celebrated like I did when I scored in the last north London derby at Highbury. I was on the bench because we had a Champions League semi-final, and the boss said he was going to rest me. I said, 'What? You’re gonna rest me against Tottenham?' I came off the bench and scored the equaliser, controlling it with the inside of my foot and toe-poking it straight away into the far corner, and that’s why my celebration was crazy – I didn’t want to lose to Tottenham for the first time in the last derby at Highbury. It became a thing for me because I became an Arsenal fan, and not losing against them is something I’m always going to cherish."

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Getty Images SportCrunch games for Arsenal

After Sunday's game against Tottenham, Arsenal entertain the seemingly unstoppable Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday in what will be a huge test of their credentials. Then they travel to third-placed Chelsea to round off November. Over that period, City will likely be snapping at their heels, waiting for the Gunners to slip up.