Mohamed Salah could potentially join an exclusive club – including Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney – if he scores for Liverpool against Newcastle.
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Jose Mourinho and Roma have been fined €40,000 (£34k/$44k) for his pre-match referee comments ahead of a victory against Sassuolo two weeks ago.
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Mourinho criticised referee MarcenaroSaid he lacked 'emotional stability'FIGC condemned Mourinho's comments as 'harmful statements'WHAT HAPPENED?
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) found Mourinho guilty of making 'harmful comments' following an investigation and subsequently confirmed a plea agreement on Friday. The fine will be split equally between Mourinho and Roma with the proceedings going to AIL (Italian Leukaemia Association), an Italian NGO specializing in scientific research for treating leukaemias, lymphomas, and myeloma.
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Before the match against Sassuolo, Mourinho went on a rant against the match official and accused him of not having "the emotional stability" to conduct a top-flight league match where the stakes are high. He also aimed a dig at VAR, Marco de Bello, and condemned him for bringing "bad luck" to Roma.
WHAT MOURINHO SAID
Speaking to reporters, Mourinho said: "The referee worries me, we've had him three times as fourth official and the feeling is that he doesn't have the emotional stability for a match of this level. His profile doesn't leave me calm, not even the one who will be on the VAR, he's a referee with whom we've always had bad luck".
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Mourinho had the last laugh against Sassuolo despite trailing by a goal until the final quarter. Paulo Dybala equalised and Rasmus Kristensen scored the winner to hand Roma a crucial victory away from home.
A Caribbean Select XI will take on a Trinidad team on October 14 to help raise money for victims of the hurricanes that ravaged the Caribbean islands in September
ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2017A Caribbean Select XI will take on a Trinidad side in Port of Spain on October 14 to raise funds for the victims of recent hurricanes in the Caribbean. The Trinidad side will be captained by Kieron Pollard, while St Lucia’s Darren Sammy will lead the Caribbean Select XI in the charity match themed ‘Rebuilding the Caribbean one over at a time’. Alongside the proceeds from ticket sales – a tickets cost $100 – containers will be placed around the ground to collect canned items and clothing.The move sustains fundraising efforts that took place during the ODI series between West Indies and England. Members of the West Indies team management, such as Joel Garner, could be seen during games taking collection buckets around the crowd. It is understood that all members of the playing squad have contributed.The Caribbean islands were ravaged by two Category 5 major hurricanes, Irma and Maria – the former being the most powerful recorded in the Atlantic since 2005 – among other hurricanes through August and September. Such was the level of devastation in some parts of the region, notably Dominica, Barbuda and St Martin, that communication with some communities is still difficult. Offspinner Shane Shillingfordwas only recently found, having gone missing for some time following the hurricanes. He is understood to be in good health.
UAE’s spinners combined for figures of 8 for 62 to send Namibia packing for 89, before winning the bottom-of-the-table clash by six wickets
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2017UAE’s spinners combined for figures of 8 for 62 to send Namibia packing for 89, after asking them to bat in their WCL Championship game in Windhoek. Defending a meagre total, Namibia managed to snuff out four UAE batsmen with 53 on the board, but that was about it as they slipped to a six-wicket loss and the bottom of the table.Louis van der Westhuizen (41) and Craig Williams (22) put on 46 for the third wicket to take Namibia to 68 for 2, after Mohammad Naveed (2 for 13) had struck twice with the new ball. But offspinner Rohan Mustafa (2 for 17) dismissed Westhuizen in the 17th over, and legspinner Imran Haider (3 for 27) dismissed Williams in the 18th, to trigger the beginning of the end for Namibia. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza complemented his fellow spinners with 3 for 18 as Namibia lost eight wickets for 21 in under 12 overs.UAE took their time in running down the target, losing four wickets inside 20 overs. Of the top four, only Chirag Suri (26) went past 20. Left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz picked up two wickets in an economical spell, including that of Suri in the 20th over. But the fifth-wicket pair of Adnan Mufti (21*) and Rameez Shahzad (20*) saw them home, putting on an unbroken 39 off 34 balls.
Following what was a rather muted start to the transfer window for Manchester United, the recent capture of Mason Mount appears to have sprung the Red Devils into action, with an array of deals currently in the works.
Having notably tied down Marcus Rashford to a new long-term contract, the Old Trafford outfit have also agreed a fee with Inter Milan for the signing of David De Dea's heir apparent, Andre Onana, with Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund potentially set to follow the Cameroonian stopper from Serie A to Manchester in the near future.
With former Premier League title winner, Jonny Evans having also made his return to the club on a short-team deal for good measure, Erik ten Hag appears to be stepping up his preparations for the new season by adequately bolstering his ranks.
That search for fresh faces is certainly not at an end, however, with recent reports having suggested that the Dutchman is keen to sign another forward this summer, even if a deal for Hojlund is to be secured…
What are the latest Man United transfer rumours?
One name that has been mentioned as a possible attacking target is Bayer Leverkusen speedster, Moussa Diaby, with the Daily Mail recently naming United as one of the clubs who are interested in signing the ten-cap France international ahead of next season.
As per the report, the Bundesliga side are looking for a fee in the region of £50m if they are to cash in on the 24-year-old this summer, with the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa also showing a strong interest in securing his signature.
What position does Moussa Diaby play?
The former Paris Saint-Germain youth star has captivated the attention of Premier League clubs as a result of his scintillating displays in Germany of late, having racked up a stellar haul of 49 goals and 48 assists in 172 games during his time at the BayArena.
Lauded as "dangerous" by ex-Freiburg striker, Nils Pedersen, the Paris-born sensation has proven himself a real livewire down the flanks in recent seasons, having typically operated on the right wing for his current side.
As a player who likes to cut in from the right flank onto his stronger left foot, it is easy to see why the 5 foot 7 ace is said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, as per FBref, with the Egyptian wizard also sharing that knack for cutting onto his left foot from the right-hand side.
That likeness can also be showcased by both their creativity and dribbling ability on the ball, with Diaby having racked up 125 progressive carries and 104 progressive passes in the league in the 2022/23 campaign, while Salah enjoyed a similar record after racking up 120 progressive carries and 104 progressive passes.
Such a comparison is noteworthy due to the impact that the latter man has made since moving to Anfield in 2017, with the 31-year-old having scored 186 goals in 305 games for the Merseysiders to date, as well as chipping in with 79 assists.
The one-time Chelsea man has been a particular thorn in United's side over recent years, having scored 12 goals in just 12 meetings with the Red Devils in all competitions – more goals than he has scored against any other opponent in his entire career.
For Ten Hag then to be able to find his answer to the £350k-per-week superstar with the signing of Diaby would represent a real coup, with it no doubt time for United to find a player of their own who can torment their bitter rivals.
The concept of the points-based “Super Series”, trialled last summer to add over-arching context to the sport’s three different formats, was quietly put into mothballs ahead of this season. But had it still been in existence, we’d have been geared up for an improbably thrilling climax to the second tour of the English summer. Following West Indies’ victory in Saturday’s one-off T20 and their stunning run-chase in the second Test at Headingley, England’s lead would have been a narrow eight points to six with a possible 10 still up for grabs – an ideal level of intrigue leading into the latest finish to an English season on record.And yet … taken in its own context (and leaving aside the threat of cold, wet conditions and potentially indifferent crowds), this particular one-day series requires remarkably little artifice to have an interest all of its own. Part of that may be due to a tinge of desperation on the part of the visitors – West Indies, currently ranked No.9 in the world in ODIs, are in serious peril of missing out on automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup – they will need a 4-0 or 5-0 series win to vault into the top eight positions. And even if that challenge proves beyond them, the fact that the World Cup will be taking place on English soil in barely 18 months’ time means that there are still plenty of benefits to be had in this reconnaissance mission.More pertinently, however, the coming five matches represent the first trickle of a new era for West Indies cricket following the thawing in relations between their senior players and the CWI. A pair of star batsmen are back in harness for this trip – Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels – with the promise of more to come if further progress can be made in negotiations. It’s small steps, but significant ones, given how far apart the two parties have been since last year’s World T20, when it could be argued that the righteous fury that the board ignited within a tight-knit squad turned out to be a major factor in their surge to the trophy.For England, too, there is plenty at stake in the coming few days. They have put so much into their white-ball cricket in recent seasons that this brief outing – sandwiched as it is between seven home Tests and the rapidly approaching Ashes tour – seems an odd throwback to the pre-2015 era in which one-day cricket was seen as a second-class citizen. All the more reason, therefore, for Eoin Morgan’s men to put their best feet forward as the season draws to a close, and keep that precious “momentum” (whatever that really entails…) bubbling into their new-year engagements in Australia and New Zealand.It is a measure of the progress made by England in recent months that their last ODI outing was such a bitter anti-climax. Previous one-day teams might have been delighted to make it as far as the final four of a global tournament, but there was barely disguised dismay as England crashed to defeat in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy against the eventual champions, Pakistan, in Cardiff, after their riotous run-makers were left floundering by the pace and hostility of, in particular, Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali.
(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England LWWWL
West Indies LWLLW
He’s days away from his 38th birthday, and in terms of his career, he’s already deeper into autumn than even this English season. But there’s an inevitable sense of new beginnings for Chris Gayle, as he prepares for what will be his first ODI appearance since the 2015 World Cup, already two and a half years ago. Gayle showed during his brief and explosive foray at Chester-le-Street that he remains a formidable campaigner, still without equal when it comes to dispatching length deliveries into the ether, of which there were far too many in England’s gullible bowling performance in Saturday’s T20. His running between the wickets, never exactly a strength even in his heyday, remains an Achilles heel. But he’s got his sights firmly set on the 2019 World Cup, and amid the thawing of relationships with CWI, who would bet against him securing his dream farewell?It’s not the same format, but there will be several of the same players ready to greet him as he makes his return to the white-ball fray. Ben Stokes was controversially omitted from England’s ranks in the one-off T20 at his home ground in Durham, but now he’s back on parade, and reunited with the team that swiped his dream, and his final over, into the night sky in Kolkata 18 months ago. Most significantly, perhaps, Stokes will be reunited with Marlon Samuels – a player who has been under his skin and in his face for the best part of two years. Salutes, taunts and a truck-load of vitriol has flowed between two players who wear their hearts on their sleeves. It’s not always edifying viewing, but it’s rarely less than entertaining. And given the importance of the two characters to their teams, whoever wins their personal duel will go a long way to winning the overall contest.
Given how tough Jonny Bairstow has found it to break into England’s first-choice XI, it is quite a surprise – though an entirely merited one – that he has been preferred once again to Jason Roy at the top of England’s order. Roy received unequivocal backing throughout the group stages of the Champions Trophy, but eventually had to give way through his sheer dearth of runs. Bairstow did his best with 41 from 57 balls in a low-scoring semi-final – only Joe Root managed more for England – and, in the words of his captain, Eoin Morgan, “he deserves a chance to make the position his own.” England will be strengthened significantly from the T20 line-up with the return of their two allrounders, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali. Chris Woakes may be in line for his ODI return, having suffered a side strain in the opening match of the Champions Trophy, but Tom Curran – impressive in his three T20s to date – could be in line for a debut.England (possible) 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Tom Curran, 10 Jake Ball, 11 Liam PlunkettWest Indies’ T20 squad contained none of the Test players who made names for themselves during the first leg of their tour, but the ODI squad is an amalgam of the two formats – with the likes of Shai Hope, the breakout star of the Test series, and Jason Holder, blended in with the likes of Gayle and Samuels. Jason Holder returns to his leadership duties in place of Carlos Brathwaite.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Shai Hope (wk), 5 Kyle Hope, 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Jason Mohammed, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Jerome Taylor, 10 Kesrick Williams
It promises to be bright and intermittently warm at Old Trafford on Tuesday, which ought to cheer up West Indies after their less-than-enthusiastic tackling of the chilly evening conditions at Chester-le-Street on Saturday. It’s been a while since Old Trafford hosted a 50-over game, but Lancashire amassed 300-plus scores in both of their Royal London Cup fixtures earlier this season, so plenty runs could be in the offing.
“I don’t think anyone knows [how to bowl to Gayle], do they? He’s such a good player he just hits the ball out of the park wherever he wants.”
“It’s obviously a huge boost with the calibre of player Chris is. We can expect some really good things from him.”
KL Rahul’s promotion up the order prompts questions over his role with India, but he delivers with half-century
The Report by Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai17-Oct-2017AFPA 147-run stand – featuring near identical fifty-plus scores off two distinctly unlike innings – between KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw set up a 30-run victory for Board President’s XI in the first warm-up game against a full-strength New Zealand side in Mumbai. A brisk 78 from Karun Nair set up the total of 295 for 9 despite a blistering five-wicket haul for Trent Boult. Captain Kane Williamson and Tom Latham made gritty contributions, but three-fors from Shahbaz Nadeem and Jaydev Unadkat restricted the visitors’ chase. ESPNcricinfo takes a look at the highlights from the tour opener:The Rahul rejigFor someone who has opened in 41 out of 47 innings in his international career, a slew of failures – scores of 7, 17 and 4 against Sri Lanka in the ODIs – as a middle-order batsman came at a price for Rahul: non-inclusion in the XI through the home series against Australia followed by omission from the limited-overs squad against New Zealand. However, if a belated inclusion to the Board XI squad for the warm-ups came across as an oddity, having him to open the innings in the first practice game was even harder to comprehend.At a time when the national side already has three batsmen earmarked for the opening slots, Rahul’s taking up the opener’s role – despite the half-century – leaves questions to be asked what role he is expected to play in India’s limited-overs campaigns.’Outplayed by a quality Indian side’ – Boult
Trent Boult was not beating himself up over the defeat in the tour game, although he did credit the opposition. “It’s seven or eight degrees back in New Zealand at the moment,” Boult said. “A bit of a shock for the system to come here. It’s a big challenge, but I think we were outplayed nicely by a quality Indian side today.”
Boult said you can take away more than just results from warm-up games. “These [the warm-up games] are good opportunities to try out different tactics, in terms of a bowling plan, to come here and just try and bowl good lines and lengths against some of the best players in the world .It [bouncers] is probably not the best recipe to getting them out. I think they negated it nicely, played some very good shots. Probably today it wasn’t successful, but a lot of credit is due to their openers especially , they set a good platform for rest of the batting line-up to propel off.”
The Shaw showRight from the first ball of the tour opener, New Zealand’s quicks threw everything they had at the 17-year-old: searing yorkers, waist-high short balls, deceptive outswingers. And then, there were the bouncers – a barrage of them, angled into the body, outside the off stump, down the leg side. He delivered by leaping, cutting, pulling, and even took evasive action when needed.In the 19th over, when the infielders appealed for a caught-behind, Shaw nonchalantly drowned New Zealand’s protracted celebrations with a quiet stare at the bowler even before the umpire turned down the appeal. “I heard he’s 17; [I] couldn’t quite believe it,” Boult said of Shaw. An 80-ball 66 against the simmering New Zealand pace battery did lend credence to Boult’s confession of ignorance.Boult from the blackThat New Zealand waited until the tenth over to introduce a spinner, can be reasoned by the bounce and carry offered by what otherwise wore the look of a uni-dimensional flat pitch. More than just the surface, it was the accuracy and lateral movement generated by Boult’s left-armers that applied the choke on President’s XI in the latter half of their innings. Used in three spells, Boult breathed fire every time Williamson brought him on even as the sweltering Mumbai heat began to tell on the hosts. The second and third spells, comprising three and two overs near the close of the 40th and 50th over, accounted for four of his five wickets, triggering a collapse in which the home team lost five for 23.Taking turnsA major part of the build-up to the tour has revolved around New Zealand’s preparations – both technically and mentally – about rising to the challenge of spin. Accordingly, the Board President’s XI bowled 24 overs of spin at them, taking five wickets for 115 runs. However, Colin Munro, Williamson and Latham, in particular, appeared to be adroitly warming up to the spinners before Karn Sharma and Shahbaz Nadeem began extracting more from the surface.New Zealand’s own spinners didn’t have a particularly bad day, although Todd Astle’s walk-off with a groin injury, having bowled just three balls, might worry them. Two other frontline spinners – Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi – oversaw the undoing of the well-set President’s XI openers, after they began operating in tandem from the 26th over. Their partnership helped wrest control in the middle overs, and they took 3 for 94 in the 18 overs between them.
Manchester United were slammed by Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp and Gary Neville following their defeat to Nottingham Forest.
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Tottenham Hotspur could make a bid to sign Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie "next week" if they sell Harry Kane, and it is believed he "would welcome" a move to England.
Who will Spurs sign?
Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has been backed with three major signings so far this summer, not including Tottenham's permanent deals for defender Pedro Porro and forward Dejan Kulusevski.
The north Londoners have reinforced their goalkeeping department with the signing of Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli for around £17.2 million, and he was followed closely by England international star James Maddison.
Winger Manor Solomon, after an impressive spell on loan at Fulham last campaign, then joined on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk – with the trio of new additions making their Spurs debuts in pre-season.
Attention now turns to star centre-backs, and it is believed they're eyeing two senior defensive signings for that area of the pitch, which doesn't include their potential deal for Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips.
"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said Postecoglou when asked about signing new defenders.
"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.
"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.
"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."
Elsewhere, as Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg edges closer to Atletico Madrid, Spurs may well look for a replacement if he does go. Star striker Kane's future is also shrouded with uncertainty, coming as Bayern Munich make a serious push for him.
Now, according to Spanish news outlet Sport, one midfield ace attracting Postecoglou's serious interest is Kessie of Barca.
Tottenham have apparently "warned" the La Liga champions that they could make an offer him just "next week" – if they receive funds from Kane's potential sale.
Kessie, who is a real candidate for the chopping block as Barca look to get rid of one player per position, is apparently considered an interesting player at Spurs.
The £199,000-per-week ace, for his part, "would welcome" a move to the Premier League as Tottenham eye a move.
How good is Franck Kessie?
His best season at the top level arguably came at AC Milan during the 2020/2021 season, where he racked up a brilliant 13 goals and four assists in 27 Serie A appearances (WhoScored).
These numbers indicate that Kessie is a serious threat from midfield when at his very best, with former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson once claiming he could be a good fit.
"Kessie would fit the bill," said Robinson to Football Insider.
"He is strong, quick and effective at both ends of the pitch. He ticks a lot of boxes.
“There is no doubting that he is an amazing player. The question is, would he come in and command a starting spot? Hojbjerg and Bentancur have done extremely well. [Yves] Bissouma has struggled to get a look in at times."
Everton defender Mason Holgate is likely to leave the club during the summer transfer window, according to an update from journalist Paul Brown.
When is Mason Holgate out of contract?
The 26-year-old arrived at Goodison Park as a youngster from Barnsley back in 2015, making his debut the following year when he was still a teenager. He has since gone on to make 149 appearances for the club, not always standing out as a key starter, but proving to be a largely reliable squad player.
Holgate's ability to play at both centre-back and right-back has been useful for squad depth, and while not a headline-making individual, there have been times when he has shone in the back-line. He is out of contract at Everton in the summer of 2025, however, meaning that the Blues are slowly running out of time to sell him for the highest amount possible.
Last season, the Englishman featured very sporadically, starting only five Premier League matches and appearing just eight times in total in the competition, and it has led to doubts over his future at the club.
What's the latest on Mason Holgate's Everton future?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Brown talked up the idea of Holgate moving on to pastures new during the current transfer window, admitting that he could be deemed surplus to requirements:
"It doesn't really surprise me that he is being linked with a move away. He has been on the transfer list before at Everton. I would argue there was a time when he was probably Everton's best defender, but that little run of form didn't last very long.
"He has certainly taken a couple of steps back in his career over the last year to 18 months. He didn't really play for Dyche last season."
It could be that a permanent move away for Holgate this summer ultimately suits all parties, allowing Everton to get a reasonable fee for his services and get him off their wage bill. It would also allow the player himself to enjoy a fresh challenge as a regular elsewhere, while whoever signs him would be getting an experienced head who has been described as "brilliant" by Peter Crouch in the past.
Blues boss Sean Dyche seemingly doesn't see the defender as an important part of his plans moving forward, though, and it is pointless keeping hold of someone in that position, instead receiving money for him and using those funds to sign a superior replacement.
If Holgate ends up staying put at Goodison Park, it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing – he knows the club inside out and they could sell him next summer and still potentially get solid money for him – but if a bid arrives for him before the new Premier League season gets underway next month, it would make complete sense to accept it and bring an end to his time on Merseyside.
Everton need to be ruthless if they are to start avoiding relegation battles every season, and disposing of players who aren't quite good enough if something that has to be done. That arguably applies to Holgate.