Wolverhampton Wanderers are now in talks over a deal to sign a “powerful” defender, and they are in a strong position to win the race for his signature, according to a report.
Wolves looking to bolster defensive options
Wolves were vulnerable defensively for large parts of the 2024-25 campaign, particularly struggling to prevent their opponents scoring from set-pieces, and they have now set out to upgrade their backline this summer.
Several targets have been identified at centre-back, including Udinese’s Thomas Kristensen and Christopher Wooh, while Vitor Pereira may also be required to bring in a new right-back, with Nelson Semedo still yet to commit to a new contract.
Wolves battle to sign versatile £17m+ star who created 22 chances in 24/25
The Old Gold are ready to ramp up their pursuit.
BySean Markus Clifford Jul 9, 2025
The Old Gold are still working on keeping Semedo at Molineux, with a new deal being offered, but the full-back is yet to give them an answer, amid interest from Manchester United, who have held internal talks over a move for the 31-year-old.
As such, Pereira may also be eager to get a new right-back through the door this summer, and Wolves are one of two clubs best positioned to sign Almeria’s Marc Pubill, according to a report from Marca (via Sport Witness).
Talks have been opened over a deal for Pubill, with Almeria looking to receive a fee of €15m (£13m) after failing to achieve their goal of promotion to La Liga last season, and the next few days will be key in terms of his future.
Spain's MarcPubillin action with England's Omari Hutchinson
The defender is said to be considering offers from both AC Milan and the Old Gold, indicating that a proposal of sorts has already been made by the Premier League club, and he now has a big decision to make.
"Powerful" Pubill could be solid long-term Semedo heir
Of course, everyone at Wolves will be hoping that Semedo commits his future to the club, given that the right-back remained a key player last season, making 34 Premier League appearances, but the Almeria full-back could be a solid long-term replacement.
Perhaps most notably, the Spaniard is an Olympic gold medallist, having been a part of the squad that was crowned champions at Paris 2024, scoring his side’s first goal in the competition.
The 22-year-old is not afraid to push further up the pitch and contribute going forward, as pointed out by football scout Ben Mattinson, who described him as “marauding” earlier this month.
Pubill’s exploits for his country indicate that he could be a fantastic signing for Wolves, capable of making an instant impact at Molineux, and at £13m, a deal for the full-back would not break the bank.
The Premier League confirmed its fixture calendar for the 2025/2026 season this week with Arsenal set for an intriguing opening game against Man United, and there is little doubt sporting director Andrea Berta will be aiming to secure all of Mikel Arteta’s top summer transfer targets by that date.
Regarding links to some of Europe’s most sought-after strikers, United have been equally active in the transfer market, with both sides attempting to get a prolific centre-forward through the door after disappointing seasons.
Arsenal make contact to sign trophy-laden £400k-per-week ex-Man City star
He’d be quite the addition to Arteta’s dressing room.
ByEmilio Galantini Jun 17, 2025
Arsenal have been in talks with RB Leipzig over a deal for Benjamin Sesko for weeks, but as things stand, the Gunners are unwilling to match their demands of a transfer fee which could reach up to £85 million.
With Arsenal still yet to shake hands on a contract with the player’s representatives, plenty of work is still to be done if Berta wishes to strike a deal for the Slovenia international who’s eluded Arteta’s side since last summer.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
Sesko rejected a proposal to join Arsenal this time last year and ex-interim sporting director Jason Ayto led a mission to tempt the 22-year-old with a move to the Emirates in January, only to be told that he wanted to see out the season with Leipzig (Ben Jacobs).
Amidst the Sesko saga, Arsenal are also trying to sign a new winger, but key target Nico Williams is now in talks to join Barcelona instead.
Arsenal planning to hijack Chelsea deal for Jamie Gittens
That is according to CaughtOffside, and given the Athletic Bilbao starlet is most likely to remain in La Liga with Barça, Arsenal are believed to be shifting their focus to Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.
Jamie Gittens in action for Borussia Dortmund.
The “new name” target, as described by this report, is emerging as a priority signing for the north Londoners and Arteta is apparently a real admirer. They’re currently taking “concrete steps” to swoop for Gittens and holding internal talks over a move for the Englishman, who Dortmund value at around £51 million.
Arsenal are said to be “serious” about signing Gittens and could move quickly, which comes as a real concern for Chelsea and Enzo Maresca.
The west Londoners had three bids rejected for the 20-year-old before the Club World Cup transfer deadline (Florian Plettenberg), with CaughtOffside reiterating that Gittens has already reached a long-term agreement on personal terms to join Chelsea.
Chelsea are widely expected to bid again for Gittens (Fabrizio Romano), but Arsenal appear to be posing a major threat in the race, so Maresca may now have a battle on his hands.
The Dortmund sensation, called an “incredible” one-v-one forward by Nuri Şahin, bagged 12 goals and five assists in 49 total appearances last campaign – with four of his strikes coming in the Champions League.
Yorkshire 173 for 8 (Masood 61, Root 43) beat Lancashire 166 for 8 (Jennings 46) by seven runs Yorkshire Vikings won a home Roses match for the second season running, successfully defending a 174 target to beat Vitality Blast pacesetters Lancashire at Headingley by seven runs.A typically pulsating clash on a pitch suiting pace off saw the pendulum swing back and forth but decisively the Vikings’ way as Lightning slipped from 67 for two in the eighth over to 88 for five in the 11th and later finishing on 166 for eight.Home captain Shan Masood underpinned Yorkshire’s 173 for eight with 61 off 41 balls, while England’s Joe Root contributed 43 off 33 – they shared 104 for the fourth wicket. Later, off-spinner Dom Bess struck twice, including the scalp of Keaton Jennings for 46 to start that aforementioned mini collapse.Yorkshire won for the fourth time in seven, while the North Group leaders lost their third game in eight.Off-spinner Chris Green was the pick of Lancashire’s bowlers with two for 21, while pacer Saqib Mahmood struck three times.Yorkshire’s innings, having elected to bat, can be best summed up as Lancashire started and finished well but the hosts dominated the middle through Masood and Root.Vikings lost openers Adam Lyth lbw to Green’s first ball and Dawid Malan caught at midwicket off a top-edged pull against Mahmood – 23 for two in the third over.
But Root guided back-to-back boundaries to third-man and long-leg off Mahmood’s pace in the fifth to settle things, and Yorkshire took 43 off the six-over powerplay.They continued their steady progress until captain Masood pulled George Balderson’s seamers over midwicket for the night’s first six in the 10th over, at the end of which Yorkshire were 78 for two.Sixteen came off that over to kick-start the acceleration.Masood took on the aggressor’s role, and by the time he reached his fifty off 33 balls, Vikings were 117 for two in the 14th.The left-hander was reprieved shortly after, on 58, when he stepped on his own stumps off a Blatherwick no-ball and was run out whilst in mid-pitch seemingly waiting for a dead-ball call. In the end, umpires Lloyd and Middlebrook sided with the Pakistan star (126 for two in the 15th over) who later didn’t field.But Root fell caught at mid-on later in the over before Masood was caught behind down leg off Mahmood in the next, Yorkshire now 131 for four.And those dismissals were central to an impressive Red Rose recovery, with Green, Blatherwick and Masood all striking again added to a run out as only 49 came off the last six overs for the loss of six wickets.Yorkshire quick Conor McKerr then had Josh Bohannon caught at mid-on in the second over of the Lightning chase – six for one.Jennings hit seven fours in nine balls off McKerr and Jordan Thompson in the fourth and fifth overs to take the score to 43 for one.But off-spinner Bess (two for 26) bowled Luke Wells shortly afterwards.And when he had Jennings caught at deep mid-wicket, leaving Lancashire 67 for three after eight overs, the Red Rose slide started.Matty Hurst was lbw reverse sweeping at Dan Moriarty’s spin before George Lavelle chipped a return catch to leggie Jafer Chohan – 88 for five in the 11th.Balderson and Steven Croft tried their best to recover things, but when Root’s off-spin bowled the former – 124 for six after 16 – the Lightning’s race was all but run.Thompson, who successfully defended 20 off the last over, struck twice late on.
Chelsea are involved in the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA this summer, looking to become the inaugural winners of the new-look competition.
The Blues took advantage of the first summer transfer window by signing striker Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, with Todd Boehly activating the forward’s £30m release clause.
Delap has been included in Enzo Maresca’s Club World Cup squad, as are fellow summer signings goalkeeper Mike Penders, centre-back Mamadou Sarr and midfielder Dario Essugo.
However, there is still plenty of time for Chelsea to make more signings, with the second market not closing until September 1.
Chelsea's most expensive signings of all time
Todd Boehly has spent big in recent years.
ByCharlie Smith Sep 5, 2025
With more arrivals on the cards at Stamford Bridge, Grok, the AI tool on X, has predicted five more signings Chelsea could make this summer.
AI predicts 5 players Chelsea will sign this summer 1 Victor Osimhen Napoli (£60m)
Starting with another striker after Delap, Chelsea continue to be linked with a move for Victor Osimhen.
After spending last season on loan at Galatasaray, Osimhen has returned to Napoli but could be on the way out this summer.
The Nigeria international’s entourage were working on a Stamford Bridge transfer, and Grok say a £60m transfer would see Osimhen ‘provide a focal point in attack, complementing Delap and Nicolas Jackson’.
2 Jamie Gittens Borussia Dortmund (£55m)
A player who Chelsea wanted to sign before the Club World Cup, Jamie Gittens could still make the move to London in the second summer transfer window, and Grok can see a move materialising.
The Blues had a £42m bid rejected for the English winger, and Grok say they’ll need to get to £55m for a transfer to happen.
Grok say ‘Gittens would bring pace, creativity, and goal-scoring ability to the flanks, fitting Maresca’s attacking system’.
3 Jarrad Branthwaite Everton (£50m)
Despite signing Sarr, more central defenders could also be on the to-do list at Stamford Bridge to rival the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill.
Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite has been catching Chelsea’s eye, and there have been rumours of the Blues weighing up an offer later in the window.
A figure of at least £50m has been mooted by AI, however, stories elsewhere suggest the England international could cost more at £75m.
4 Alejandro Garnacho Man Utd (£40m)
After coming close to a deal in January, Man Utd winger Alejandro Garnacho is set to depart Old Trafford and has told his agents he is interested in a move to Stamford Bridge.
The Argentine wants to remain in the Premier League, which should give the Blues an advantage, with Grok believing a deal could be worth £40m.
Garnacho can play on the left or right-hand side, so could be a replacement for Jadon Sancho, who returned to the Red Devils following his Chelsea loan.
5 Marc Guehi Crystal Palace (£50m)
It might not be all new faces this summer, though, with Marc Guehi linked with a return to Stamford Bridge, four years on after leaving for Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace
155
Swansea City
59
Chelsea
2
England
23
The England international has been going from strength to strength at Selhurst Park but now has just a year left on his current contract, resulting in rumours of an exit this summer.
Claims in May said that Guehi was tempted to move back to Chelsea and that the Blues were confident of a deal. Now, with Champions League football on offer, that confidence could have grown.
Chelsea’s capture of Liam Delap was Enzo Maresca’s first signing of the 2025 summer transfer window.
It will likely be the first of many as the Italian looks to sign high-profile stars that will improve his squad ahead of next season.
With Champions League football to look forward to for the first time since the 2022/23 season, Maresca is going to spend in order to be fully prepared for the group stages.
As such, the club have been linked with numerous attacking players in recent weeks. Hugo Ekitike is someone that the manager is keen on bringing to Stamford Bridge.
Date
Opponent
Venue
Monday, June 16
Los Angeles
Mercedes-Benz stadium
Friday, June 20
Flamengo
Lincoln Financial Field
Tuesday, June 24
Esperance
Lincoln Financial Field
Via Chelseafc.com
He could cost around £84m, however, which may prove to be a stumbling block. Samu Aghehowa is another striker on Maresca’s list of targets, but he could cost roughly the same as Ekitike if Chelsea are serious about bringing him to London.
Wide options are also being targeted and Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens is a talent that the Blues are desperate to have before the start of next season.
How much would the German side demand for the Englishman to let him move to the Premier League?
The latest on Chelsea's pursuit of Jamie Gittens
Gittens has been linked with a move to Chelsea over the previous few weeks, and it appears the club are serious about signing him.
According to Ben Jacobs on Sunday, the Blues have had a bid rejected. He said on social media: “Understand Dortmund want around £42m for Jamie Gittens. Chelsea’s opening bid of £30m has been turned down but positive talks continue. Chelsea happy to wait until after the June 10 deadline if no breakthrough ahead of the Club World Cup.”
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittensin action with Lille's Bafode Diakite
Less than a year ago, Gittens was hailed as the future of Dortmund and was looking to follow in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham.
Since Nico Kovac took over as coach, however, the youngster has struggled to fit into his system, and it now appears they are looking to cash in on the winger.
Since making his debut for the club in the 2021/22 season, the 20-year-old has amassed over 100 competitive appearances.
A total of 31 goal contributions – 17 goals and 14 assists – have been registered in that period, establishing him as one of the most promising young wingers on the continent.
While landing a player of Gittens’ quality this summer, do the club need another wide option?
Maresca can already count on the likes of Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Tyrique George and Mykhaylo Mudryk (when he returns from his suspension) to play on either wing.
Add in the fact that they have signed Sporting CP winger Geovany Quenda, it is evident that this area is rather stacked with players.
Instead of spending another £40m-£50m on someone like Gittens, no matter how talented he is, perhaps directing these funds to other areas of the squad should be deemed a bigger priority.
A new goalkeeper, for example.
Chelsea preparing to make move for new goalkeeper
It is no secret that the Blues have struggled to find a consistent number one goalkeeper in recent years.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Edouard Mendy and Robert Sanchez have all held the position over the previous few years, but none truly convinced the supporters, with Kepa and Sanchez notably-error prone.
AC Milan's MikeMaignanreacts
As such, signing a new ‘keeper this summer should be what Maresca is focusing on.
Well, according to Sky Sports, the Blues have told AC Milan that they are willing to pay a transfer fee in the region of €15m (£12.6m) to secure the services of Mike Maignan.
It’s a fee that could get them close to completing a move with journalist Graeme Bailey reporting on the saga that the Blues now expect to sign the Frenchman in time for the Club World Cup.
The Milan number one has been with the club since the summer of 2021, making a total of 163 appearances for the Serie A side, notably impressing at club level and on the international stage, most recently against German in the Nations League.
If Maresca wishes to improve his options between the sticks, then signing the 29-year-old is clearly a must.
Why Mike Maignan would be a better signing than Jamie Gittens
The Blues have a plethora of wingers available to make an impression under Maresca but their goalkeeping department leaves plenty to be desired.
Last year, Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen were both used by Maresca. The Spaniard made 34 appearances, while Jorgensen played 23 times for the club.
Transfer Focus
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Across his 34 games, the Spaniard kept just ten clean sheets, conceding 37 goals in the process. Jorgensen managed to keep only nine clean sheets while shipping 22 goals.
To summarise, the Blues need someone who could be the main choice under Maresca. A player that will win them points when the club aren’t playing well.
In that regard, Maignan is the ideal choice. He was hailed as “world-class” by writer Carlo Garganese in 2022 for a stunning performance against Inter Milan.
France's Kylian Mbappe, Jules Kounde andMikeMaignanduring the national anthems before the match
Across his 163 games for the Italian giants, Maignan has kept 59 clean sheets, working out as one every 2.7 games.
In the Italian top flight last season, the Frenchman made 2.7 saves per game – a 71% success rate – while also keeping 12 clean sheets, conceding 1.1 goals per game, was successful with 95% of his passes within his own half and averaged 46.5 touches per match.
When compared to his positional peers in Serie A, Maignan ranks in the top 10% for passes attempted per 90 (37.02), while also ranking in the top 7% for defensive actions outside his penalty area (1.86) per 90.
That last statistic is important, signifying that the 29-year-old plays quite far off his goal line in order to distribute the ball and stop opposition attacks.
Maignan is now the French number one and with Milan not in any European competition next season after an eighth-place finish in Serie A, joining Chelsea makes sense for all parties.
He will be able to establish himself as the number one ‘keeper at Stamford Bridge while playing in the Champions League once again.
Could they secure his services for a fee just north of £10m? It would be tough, but not impossible, that’s for sure. He could turn out to be a much better signing than Gittens should Maresca get a deal over the line.
Better than Delap: Chelsea step up move for £85m "monster in the making"
Chelsea are looking to improve their attacking options further
Liverpool transitioned from one era to another with the artful ease of champions. Now they are vindicated, proven right in their appointment of Arne Slot, who last month became a Premier League-winning manager. And in his first year at that.
Few saw it coming. None, perhaps, other than some optimistic Reds supporters around Merseyside and beyond. As Jurgen Klopp packed up and left last summer, Feyenoord’s boss stepped into his shoes after FSG were given an emphatic no when they sought to pull Xabi Alonso, now Real Madrid-bound, from Bayer Leverkusen.
Dubious heads abounded. Some Liverpool supporters would have held reservations, for sure, but the view from the rest of the Premier League was that the Dutchman was a stop-gap, a temp tasked with absorbing the leaden rain which would inevitably hit Anfield after the departure of a iconic, irreplaceable figure.
But then, Slot hasn’t replaced Klopp, not really. The managerial position is gone, archived for now. In its place, that of a head coach, with Slot working in a more focused role, his modus operandi angled toward that of tactics and the first team.
Transfers, not so much. He still has a significant say, of course, but he reports to overseer Richard Hughes, who wields the power but, in turn, reports to Michael Edwards, FSG’s footballing overlord.
Richard Hughes and Arne Slot
However, it’s a hierarchy with the promise of success. Liverpool have held off on big-money moves over the past year, but the current interest in Florian Wirtz is genuine, all right, and the powers that be are unanimous in their desire to bring him to Merseyside.
Why Liverpool want to sign Wirtz
Last week, Manchester City withdrew from consideration. They admire Wirtz greatly and need his type of profile, given Kevin De Bruyne will play his final game for the club this weekend, but deemed the full package to be too expensive.
That’s not the case for Liverpool, who are aware Bayern Munich believe they sit in the driving seat but are working tooth and nail toward securing a deal all the same. With Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving for Real Madrid, Slot needs a new creative centrepiece and has green-lit the prospective transfer for Wirtz.
Bayer Leverkusen feel they have a generational talent on their hands, and though he’s approaching the penultimate year of his contract, are seeking a staggering €150m (£126m) figure for his release.
Bayer Leverkusen's FlorianWirtzreacts
The 22-year-old was crowned last season’s Bundesliga Player of the Season after leading Leverkusen to their maiden top-flight title. Xabi Alonso’s side also lifted the DFB-Pokal, completing both domestic feats without a single blemish of defeat.
It’s easy to see why the German playmaker is such a hot commodity: as per FBref, he ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues this season for goal contributions, the top 7% for shot-creating actions and progressive passes, and the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90.
Wirtz’s talent level goes through the roof, but he also marries his prowess, his skill, with a fixed baseline that has allowed him to maintain potency through the fledgling years of his career. As you will see below, consistency is key.
24/25
45
16
15
23/24
49
18
20
22/23
25
4
8
21/22
31
10
14
20/21
38
8
8
19/20
9
1
0
Anfield’s data analysts probably had a field day upon realising a deal could be struck. Should FSG prevail, though, some shuffling would need to be done.
To put it another way, a beloved talent would be sold this summer.
Wirtz would end star's Liverpool career
As Liverpool gear up for a title-defending campaign, Slot will know his side no longer wear the cloak of an underdog. Now, watchers will have heightened expectations.
With the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and rivals abroad all strengthening, Liverpool’s burning desire to add Wirtz to the ranks makes a lot of sense, even if it would break the bank. That’s why Harvey Elliott needs to be sold.
Liverpool player Harvey Elliott
Elliott, 22, has been around for a while, leaving Fulham as a 16-year-old to move to Merseyside and join his boyhood club. Since his arrival, the creative midfielder has played 145 times for the men’s team, scoring 15 goals and providing 20 assists.
His fatal flaw lies not in technical quality but in athleticism. Elliott doesn’t win enough duels, nor is he mobile enough in the centre of the park to convince Slot he deserves regular starting roles in this high-flying, competitive Liverpool team.
It’s a shame, for Elliott is a “machine” when it comes to output, as per Liverpool writer Sam McGuire, ranking among the top 2% of positional peers this season for goals and assists combined per 90 (FBref).
But Slot simply hasn’t given the rising star the game time he wants or deserves this term, with Elliott making only his second Premier League start of the season during last weekend’s defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion. He, of course, bagged a goal and an assist.
He’s now open to leaving, unlocking a door he certainly won’t want to step through but has grown accustomed to the cold reality that Slot will not give him the minutes he needs to develop at this formative stage of his professional career.
As per Football Insider, Nottingham Forest want to replace Morgan Gibbs-White with the England U21 international, while Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers have also registered their interest. The Reds hope to bag around £50m for his departure.
Liverpool will no doubt rue losing one of their own, a player whose potential stretches high above most others. Klopp did say, at the end of his illustrious Anfield tenure, that one of his biggest regrets was failing to give this nifty little playmaker more action.
But time’s have changed. Liverpool are Premier League champions once more and need to defend their trophy.
Wirtz
Wirtz is exactly the type of statement signing they need to make, and though Dominik Szoboszlai’s contrasting, tireless style denotes a prominent role for years to come, it’s hard to argue against Wirtz being an upgrade on Elliott, who could fetch a decent sum this summer to help with the investment.
All of a Liverpool persuasion would be sad to see Elliott go, but maybe a little touched too, waving goodbye like proud parents as their eldest heads out on their own for the first time.
Harvey Elliott celebrates for Liverpool
If Slot can’t offer the young midfielder the playing time he needs to fully foster his skills, cashing in for a sizeable fee would be a good move.
Replacing him with Wirtz would soften the blow – just a tad.
Dream Wirtz alternative: Liverpool plot move for "generational" £34m star
Liverpool can forget about a move for Florian Wirtz, with another name entering the mix this week.
Matthew Potts continues to be a seat-filler, a plugger of gaps in the side, but England know they can lean on him and he will not let them down
Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Dec-2024The Birkenstock slip-on clog has become must-have accessory for international cricketers across the world.After a long day’s graft, the boots are kicked off for luxury sandals that occupy that handy middle ground between aesthetic style and orthopaedic substance. The game has not gone – it’s still here, just standing a little comfier.Bowlers, especially, swear by them. A few pairs are knocking around both teams, with so many in the England dressing room it may as well be a showroom. After day one of this third and final Test in the Crowe-Thorpe trophy, Matthew Potts deserved his.Potts has owned some for a while, recommended by, among others, Ben Stokes. Both deserved the day-to-day relief of their closed-toe Bostons as the two who bowled the most of England’s 82 overs. Stokes is currently the clubhouse leader with 23. Potts’ 21 – the most he has sent down in a single day – was more concentrated.Related
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The first 20 came inside the first 67, split across fours spells in conditions that veered from “sapping” to “baking”. The Durham seamer, opening England’s innings for just the second time in typically humid Hamilton conditions, finished his work at 6:32pm when an uninhibited sun was still beating down on Seddon Park like it had come to collect a debt. With 3 for 75 at the time of writing, it is just the fifth time in 18 attempts he has taken more than two wickets in an innings.Potts has always worn graft well, even if the Birkenstocks have helped over the 12 months. Accompanying the heart and engine that can run for days is the build – and tenacity – of a prize fighter. Not to mention a marvel of a bowler’s backside. “It’s pretty obvious by looking at him,” Stokes said ahead of this match. “He looks after himself very well.”Looking after yourself does not automatically mean the cricket looks after you. Potts can vouch for that; a Test career that began with five consecutive caps in the 2022 summer has taken almost 28 more months to tick off as many. But the manner of the 26-year-old’s three wickets in New Zealand’s first innings suggests the game might be warming to him once more.Tom Latham, driver of a dominant start, was caught down the leg side with 63 to his name. Glenn Phillips’ lazy drive scuffed a catch to Zak Crawley at gully. And Kane Williamson was unable to evoke the hot feet of fellow countryman Chris Wood and kick away a delivery that was heading towards his stumps after he had defended it.It was the fourth time in five innings Potts has nabbed the prized Williamson, three of those coming across four in the quick’s maiden series two summers ago. The 14 wickets at 23.28 in Stokes’ first assignment as permanent Test captain was meant to be a springboard for Potts. Things have not panned out that way.Kane Williamson tries – and fails – to prevent the ball bouncing back on to his stumps•Getty ImagesDropped for the returning Ollie Robinson after the first Test against South Africa, Potts would play just one Test in 2023 – a four-day affair at Lord’s against Ireland ahead of the 2023 Ashes, which he watched from the sidelines. A go in the Sri Lanka series at the end of this summer was capped at two matches with England using the final match at the Kia Oval to roll the dice and select raw, tall left-armer Josh Hull. A solitary appearance in Pakistan for the second Test, on a newly scuffed used deck was a thankless task. Still, he managed to turn that into a positive with three dismissals in 31.2 overs.All of that exacerbates the sense Potts exists as something of a seat filler. Trusted to plug gaps, but not necessarily get a go outright. Set aside for others that selectors deem better. Brought in for those same options to rest up. Even parked for a relative novice. He’s sharp without being express. Reliable but unsexy. The shoes you would wear into the garden but not when you’re leaving through the front door.Potts’ opportunity comes on similar grounds. The series is already won, and Chris Woakes, after six wickets across two back-to-back Tests, has nothing to prove, as Stokes intimated. Naturally, Potts did not regard his selection as anything other than an honour, even with the time spent waiting and miles clocked around the world, desperate for an in.”I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating, no,” he said in his press conference, bowling boots still on having sent down the last over of the day. “I enjoy every single moment being part of this squad. There’s always jobs I can be doing, helping out. There’s opportunity to tinker with a few things and tinker with things.”That tinkering has involved a combination of run-up work, how he holds and releases the ball, and some extra deliveries – all honed under the watchful eye of bowling consultant James Anderson. And though he was fulfilling a role Anderson had mastered for the best part of two decades, Potts did not look out of place.
“I’d been a fraction wide to Kane early on, trying to swing a few. [Ollie Pope] felt we could go wide of the crease, angle it in a bit more towards the stumps. Bowl fourth stump, off stump, just keep smashing away on a hard length. I think [Kane Williamson’s] dismissal comes from that clarity”Matthew Potts
His opening spell from the City End – six overs, 0 for 17 – could have featured a wicket and ended an eventual opening stand of 105 for just 25 had Ben Duckett managed to cling on to Will Young’s low edge. The second spell (four overs, 0 for 16) featured a few more edges, and one that reared to catch the glove.Both spells averaged out at 131kph. England did not bowl well in the morning session, a touch too short and wide as New Zealand went into lunch on 93 for 0. Potts, however, was the least culpable of the four.Potts’ second spells only clocked in at 129kph, but housed the three wickets. Williamson’s, contained within the second – 2 for 10 from five – was an example of how Potts’ stamina gives his skills a better chance to come to the fore, even with a Kookaburra 58 overs old.Williamson was his typical self, tidy yet devastating, and completely at ease at a venue where he averages 94.26. With six centuries from the 11 times he has past fifty, England were fearful as he rounded on another half-century.However Potts, with the help of Stokes and vice-captain Ollie Pope – armed with a perfect view from behind the stumps – came up with a plan.”I’d been a fraction wide to Kane early on, trying to swing a few,” said Potts, before the brains trust got together. “Popey felt we could go wide of the crease, angle it in a bit more towards the stumps. Bowl fourth stump, off stump, just keep smashing away on a hard length. I think that dismissal comes from that clarity.”Considering how things have panned out, it is likely Matthew Potts’ career may be one of constant flux•Getty ImagesPotts did not have a great view of the dismissal, but was at least able to make out the falling of a bail. Williamson jarred his head back in disgust, while Potts raised his arms with unexpected glee. That “smashing away” had not been in vain. “To get a good player like that, a player like Kane who can play the long game and score quite quickly as well. To get a massive scalp like that for the team… I’m proud of that.”The knock-on effect was just as important. Daryl Mitchell had been playing possum – 0 off 17 – while Williamson was attracting most of the attention at the other end. His attempt at thrashing a few quick boundaries off Gus Atkinson resulted in a catch to Stokes at cover. The errors to come from Phillips and Tom Blundell – who Potts could have snared had Joe Root reacted quicker to an edge – made it a middle-order collapse of 4 for 46 in exactly ten overs.After that graft, it was a shame for Potts that the day would close with his final ball launched back over his head for six to bring up Mitchell Santner’s valiant 50 not out, taking New Zealand to 315 for 9 at stumps. A handy score after being put in to bat.It was a reminder of how unforgiving a day’s graft can be, even if you approach it with the right attitude and skill. Not that Potts saw any downside to today, his career to date or the fact he is filling in. “It was fantastic,” he beamed. “With the sun beating down it can be seen as hard work but I enjoy every moment that I put this England shirt on and I hope I do it justice.”Considering how things have panned out, it is likely Potts’ career may be one of constant flux. But on a day like today, he showed England can lean on him whenever they need to – a vital reminder ahead of 2025 and the challenges that come with five-Test series against India and Australia. He is a bowler capable of fulfilling a variety of roles and easing whatever situation arises, planned or otherwise.A classy, dependable load-bearer – England’s very own Birkenstocks.
He was, for most of us, not just a cricketing idol but a member of our family – one we could turn to for hope and comfort
Alagappan Muthu24-Apr-2023There is an essential component to fake news. The consumer has to want to believe it. So it needs to be something seductive. Something evocative. Something that feeds into the popular belief.When Barack Obama was the US president, a quote was once ascribed to him, where he wanted to understand why his country’s GDP went down every time Sachin Tendulkar went out to bat. (Presumably because all the Indian Americans were too busy watching cricket to be productive at work.)There is nothing in the public record to substantiate a single word of this. Yet it caught on like a college nickname. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make sense, it’s out there now and everybody else likes it.Somewhere in the meme-ification of this story is the truth of what one man meant to more than a billion people. We didn’t stop at any of the red flags. We saw a world leader known for being thoughtful and genuine praising our childhood hero and we wanted it to be true because it made us feel good.Sachin just made us feel good.It’s his birthday today. His 50th. And there is a thing he used to do whenever he reached that milestone on the field. He’d tilt his head to one side, raise his bat but not all the way up, just sort of shoulder-height, with the face tilted down. And if the sun caught him at the right angle, the shadow from the visor of his helmet would hide his eyes, giving off major boss vibes.Related
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It has been ten years since he retired, but the biggest batting records continue to bear his name. Most runs. Most hundreds. Most fifties. Some of those records might stand all the way until the end of time. And some of them are only under threat because, a) his successor is also ridiculously prolific, and b) the white ball don’t reverse-swing no more.Statistics, though, are only tools. They can, at best, guide us when there is a choice to be made. The decision itself comes from a far more primal place.Look and feel.And Sachin offered up a ton of both. Straight drives with so little fuss it felt like the fulfilment of a pact. “Just be a good ball and go for four, okay?” Back-foot punches that combined the grace of a ballet dancer with the power of a heavyweight fighter. And those flicks. If they could talk, they’d be like, “Come on, man. Don’t make it this easy.” He was geometric perfection. But also a bit cheeky. Sometimes, when the required rate was getting to him, he would play a shot that didn’t make sense even as it happened right before our eyes. An inside-out drive for six over cover to a ball pitching outside leg stump. That stuff was freestyle. That stuff was gangsta.Plus, he went and did all this to the best of the best. Wasim Akram. Shane Warne. Courtney Walsh. Glenn McGrath. Muthiah Muralidaran. This five-foot nothing prodigy made world-beating his day job, and that at a time when Indians didn’t fancy themselves capable of such audacity. This is how he made people who had no connection to him want good things for him. By that definition alone, he became like family. He became the stranger we kept calling by first name.Legitimacy helped. Especially when it came from the greatest batter in history. “I’ve only seen Tendulkar on the television,” Sir Don Bradman said, “And I was very, very struck by his technique and I asked my wife to come and have a look at him because I said, ‘I never saw myself play but I feel that this fella is playing much the same as I used to play’.”
Suddenly Sachin’s greatness started to make sense. He got so good because he wanted to make everybody – including himself – happy
Legendary innings helped. Sharjah 1998. Chennai 1999. Centurion 2003. But really, the relationship between a player and a fan – more specifically between Sachin and his fans – was personal. Some 19-year-olds right now probably owe their very existence to that six he hit off Shoaib Akhtar.I went to a house party in college. My crush was there. I was worried I’d spend the whole thing gawking at her and being weird. Fortunately the TV was showing a rerun of the CB Series final of 2008, allowing me to gawk at that and be weird in a less embarrassing way.I have not seen peak Sachin first-hand. The Perth century. The Qadir takedown. The Desert Storm. My memories of him are all of the accumulator that he became later in his career. The artist who became a technician, culling all the risk out of his game in order to increase productivity. But there was still some magic left. Like Chennai 2008, where his only Test-match-winning century in a chase came just a few days after a terror attack on his city.It was one of his more bespoke innings. He left nothing to chance. Not even the fate of his non-striker. For 42 overs, he was the voice inside Yuvraj Singh’s head. And when it was done, he dedicated the win to the people of Mumbai and hoped it might in some small way ease their pain. Stone-cold precision born out of warmth, feeling and empathy. Suddenly Sachin’s greatness started to make sense. He got so good because he wanted to make everybody – including himself – happy.He has tried to do the same after the end of his career as well, but it has probably not had the same effect. Mindful of the way the Indian media functions, grabbing anything he says and turning it into a headline, he exercises an abundance of caution in all of his public appearances. He tries so hard not to say the wrong thing that he ends up barely saying anything.We are pushing it, of course, asking a private citizen to be more vocal just because at one point he used to carry all of our hopes and dreams. And it feels very on brand that even on his birthday, we’re the ones asking for presents. It was deeply unfair for us to burden him that way in the first place and it was remarkable that he was able to shoulder that weight for so long. Sachin doesn’t belong to us anymore. He belongs to Anjali, Arjun and Sara now. And he’s earned the break. Twenty-four years of being at our beck and call is enough. Probably.
Offspinner keen to continue development after “great experience” in India and Sri Lanka
Alan Gardner04-Apr-2021For any cricketer who has spent a winter touring with England and waiting in vain for their chance, the start of a new county season is bound to loom enticingly. For Amar Virdi, who was a reserve squad member in Sri Lanka and India, bowling in the nets for weeks in case of injury or illness affecting England’s frontline spinners, it will be an opportunity to be grasped with particular relish.A bouncy, bearded 22-year-old, Virdi has long been thought of as an England prospect, having emerged as an ever-present during Surrey’s 2018 Championship-winning season. Fitness issues limited his progress but, having trained in England’s Test bubble last summer, his merits as an attacking offspinner were on show during the Bob Willis Trophy, when he finished as Surrey’s leading wicket-taker.Virdi described his time with England on their trip to the subcontinent as a “great experience” but is now focused on a strong county showing with Surrey to push his case for a Test cap. April may be the cruellest month for spinners in England, but Virdi is eager to get back on the field and work out “a few different gameplans” for the grassier surfaces that are likely to predominate during the opening two-month block of Championship games.”The last time I played a game in April would have been when we won the Championship,” he said. “This time of year, as a spinner, it’s a bit of a new experience for me playing on these pitches. I haven’t really played on early-season pitches. I’ve always found you get a bit of grip when I played before, so I think this year might be a bit different.Related
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“It’s just a lot of excitement, everyone raring to go. You want to get out there, obviously with Covid and everything that happened we had a shortened season last year, so I think after a long winter like this you just want to get out there and play some games.”Even when considering what might likely be a holding role in the early part of the season, Virdi gave an indication of his approach to the spin bowler’s craft.”I think it’s not necessarily a case of being defensive. I wouldn’t say I’m a very defensive bowler,” he said. “I think it’s a case of finding other ways to attack. So it might be through maybe a defensive mindset, trying to bowl a lot of maidens and keeping things very simple and attacking in that way. I’m always looking to attack. I think I’ll always keep that mindset, regardless of the conditions.”Although England did not ultimately consider their spin-bowling reserves, which included Matt Parkinson and Mason Crane, for selection in Sri Lanka or India, Virdi was pleased with how his time as part of Joe Root’s touring party went. In particular, he said observing at close hand the level of control exhibited by India’s spinners, R Ashwin and Axar Patel, who claimed 59 wickets between them during the four-match Test series, had been instructive.”It was a great experience,” he said. “Quite a long trip, but I think it was very beneficial, being in an environment like that, that’s where I want to play. That’s where I want to be so getting an insight as to what it’s like bowling to guys like Rooty and [Ben] Stokes in the nets. It’s great practice, and I think it’s really helped my game.
“I think you’ve got to be prepared to bowl on any type of pitch. It’s a case of trying to be a well-rounded bowler and being able to bowl in different conditions”
“The big difference is there’s no room for errors. If there is, it’s very minimal, even when the conditions are perhaps in the favour of the bowler. You still need to have that consistency and I think that was one of [India’s] main strengths. You take Axar for example, just being able to land it in a certain area over and over again, and then relying on the pitch or allowing the pitch to do the work, seemed like the way forward. So, I think they did that very well. And I think that just overall in terms of consistency. I think it’s a very important part of Test cricket.”England’s struggles in India highlighted both the lack of depth in their spin bowling, as well an ability to counter it effectively – in turn raising the perennial debate about the nature of pitches for County Championship cricket.The Kia Oval has long been a ground where spinners have needed to play their part, and with the impressive left-armer Dan Moriarity also coming through the ranks, Surrey could be tempted to lean in that direction. However, asked whether his development could be aided by bowling on more helpful surfaces, as was the case with England’s incumbent spinners, Jack Leach and Dom Bess, Virdi said that he felt it was important to gain a grounding in a variety of conditions.”My experience with county cricket has been that I find a lot of pitches do turn around the circuit. You’re playing at Essex and it spins there, I’ve played at Hampshire and it spins there, I’ve played at Worcester and it spins there. So I think it really just depends on you as a bowler, what you can actually get out of the pitch. It might not turn straight away, but it may turn as a game goes on, or you get the footmarks to work with.Amar Virdi was part of England’s Test bubble last summer•ECB”I think you’ve got to be prepared to bowl on any type of pitch. If you’re always bowling on pitches in your favour, you could go to a Test game and pitch doesn’t turn for four days, then you’re used to bowling really wide outside off stump and trying to spin it through the gate – and you’re like ‘what do I do?’ So I think it’s a case of trying to be a well-rounded bowler and being able to bowl in different conditions.”You’ve just got a face what’s in front of you, I think that will keep you in good stead going forward. Speaking with Leachy and Bessy, we always have chats. I speak to Leachy quite a lot, he’s a great guy, but it’s not something I’ve spoken to him about necessarily, playing down at Somerset and how it’s aided his development. It’s more about different things as a bowler that you can do on different pitches and things like that.”With Bess enduring a difficult time in India, and Moeen Ali missing the opening chunk of Championship cricket while at the IPL, Virdi could soon have the chance to put pressure on Leach for a Test spot. But for now, Virdi’s chief concern remains attacking April with gusto and seeing where that takes him.”I’m just thinking about county cricket at the moment and having the best season I can. If I have a good season and I perform well, then I think that I can’t really control the things that come outside of that. So my focus is going to be on doing my best for Surrey and trying to win another Championship.”
The best India can hope for is to finish with honours even, while world champions South Africa have a chance to make it a second series defeat for India in their last three
Sidharth Monga21-Nov-20252:46
How can India’s batters cope with tricky conditions?
Big picture: Can India save the series?Back in 2015-16, when the Test contest between India and South Africa was named Freedom Trophy, or alternatively the Mandela-Gandhi Trophy, both sides committed to treat it as a marquee contest. For the first time since 1992-93, they played four Tests in a series. A major part of such a commitment is to avoid the unsatisfactory two-match series. It was good while it lasted. All of four series. This is the second straight two-match series between these two evenly matched rivals.While India are not responsible for shortening of these series, they are at the receiving end of the series’ brevity. Once again, a series win is impossible for them after 2.67 days of cricket. The best they can do now is level it; the worst will mean a second series defeat at home in the last three after 12 years of winning every home series.Related
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It should come as no surprise that the leaders of the time find themselves under the pump despite all the success in ODIs and T20Is. In fact, it speaks to the health of Test cricket in India that a home defeat, even if it comes against the world champions, draws such sharp reaction.After two fruitless tours of India in the last decade, South Africa would have been glad the depth of their attack was not tested in Kolkata. With Kagiso Rabada missing and Keshav Maharaj off colour, they still managed to take 20 wickets mostly through Simon Harmer and Marco Jansen.With some of the equivocality around their world champions status now dissipated, they will look to find a way once again to take 20 wickets and go away with a series win from the toughest place to tour. India will want to test that depth and make sure their country continues to stay the toughest place to tour, and not get relegated to “formerly the toughest place to tour”.3:30
Botha: New ball should play a role with early start to the Test
Form guideIndia LWWWD South Africa WWLWWIn the spotlight: Ravindra Jadeja and Simon HarmerThe first Test practically came down to a second-innings shootout between the two best spinners in the match. The margin for error was so low that you couldn’t afford even one remotely ordinary spell. Simon Harmer, now as good a spinner as any in the world, took 4 for 21. Ravindra Jadeja, after bowling a near-unplayable spell of 13-3-29-4 on the second evening, went searching a bit on the third morning. This Test will hopefully bring out more aspects of their bowling.2:45
Karim wants India to pick both Sai Sudharsan and Padikkal
Team news: Gill and Rabada ruled outIndia will be without their regular captain, Shubman Gill, who faced only three balls in the first Test and retired with a neck injury. With six left-hand batters already in the XI making Harmer an even more potent threat and no reserve right-hand batter in the squad, allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy might come back in if only for the sake of variety. There are also suggestions that B Sai Sudharsan, who made way for the extra spinner in the last Test, might come back to No. 3. Based on what they did at training a day before the Test, Axar Patel is the spinner likely to miss out. Rishabh Pant will be India’s fourth Test captain in the last 12 months.India (probable): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Dhruv Jurel, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed SirajRabada is out of the second Test as well, but South Africa are bolstered by Lungi Ngidi’s return. Expect him to replace Corbin Bosch. The one question South Africa will ponder is if Wiaan Mulder, who didn’t have much to do in the first Test, should make way for a spin allrounder in Senuran Muthusamy or a specialist batter in Dewald Brevis. If that change does happen, Tristan Stubbs might have to move up to No. 3.South Africa (probable): 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Ryan Rickelton, 3 Wiaan Mulder/ Dewald Brevis/ Senuran Muthusamy, 4 Tony de Zorzi, 5 Temba Bavuma (capt.), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Simon Harmer, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Lungi Ngidi2:53
Saba Karim: Pant will be unpredictable as captain
Pitch and conditionsThis is a big occasion for Guwahati as it becomes the eastern-most Test venue in India. The inadequacy of one time zone in a country as vast as India is apparent from how this Test will need to start at 9am in order to beat the early sunset. The first session break, at 11am, will be tea; lunch will be taken at 1.20pm.It is hardly ideal that all eyes will be on the pitch of a debutant venue but it is what it is after an underprepared surface in Kolkata undid India. There has been high drama around the pitch with coach Gautam Gambhir saying it had been made to his order only for batting coach Sitanshu Kotak to say that Gambhir actually sacrificed himself to prevent throwing the curator under the bus, in the process throwing said curator under said bus.Both the captains expect this pitch to be good for batting in the early exchanges before starting to turn. Which is exactly what they said before Kolkata, except that now they have added that it should play better than Kolkata. So make of it what you will.Stats and trivia Kolkata was the first Test and the first toss that South Africa won in India since 2010. Nobody other than Bosch and Muthusamy in the South Africa squad averages over 40 with the bat in Test cricket. None of them averages 50 in first-class cricket overall. Before he took over the Test captaincy, Temba Bavuma averaged 34.53. As captain, he averages 57.