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Manchester United have been told it will take a "crazy" offer to prise "dream" transfer target Carlos Baleba away from Brighton.

Red Devils have made attacking additionsAttention turning to midfield engine roomSeagulls to demand nine-figure transfer feeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils have been able to bolster their attacking ranks this summer with the signings of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. Midfield reinforcements are said to be next on their list of priorities.

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Ruben Amorim is reported to be a big fan of Brighton star Baleba, who is considered to be a “perfect” fit for any engine room. The 21-year-old is being billed as a “dream” addition for those at Old Trafford.

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Initial contact has been made with Baleba’s representatives, and United “didn’t find closed doors”. Brighton, though, are understandably reluctant to part with a Cameroon international who they snapped up from Lille in 2023.

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Fabrizio Romano has told : “It means an important, very important, maybe crazy proposal is needed or Baleba is not available for sale this summer. It’s never easy to negotiate with Brighton, especially with 23 days to go. But Manchester United wanted to try. Let’s see what happens next.”

The Liga MX Femenil star looked set for a move to Europe but instead goes to the NWSL as the most expensive player in the history of the women's game

While 2024 for the United States women's national team will be remembered for Olympic gold, there was a moment before that glory, before Emma Hayes and even before victory at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup, when there was concern among American fans that their woes from 2023, which included a worst-ever performance at the Women's World Cup, would continue into the New Year. That moment came in a 2-0 defeat to Mexico at the Gold Cup, one Lizbeth Ovalle, with her cool and composed finish, kickstarted.

Ovalle won't have been a new name for fans of the U.S, who experienced plenty of joy and triumph after that February loss. The winger has come up against the four-time world champion plenty of times in CONCACAF competition and has continued to make her mark on the continent in club competition this past year, with some top performances in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and CONCACAF W Champions Cup. 

Now, having looked primed to introduce herself to a whole new audience in Europe, the best player in Mexico is going to familiarise herself much, much more with that U.S. audience. After being linked with all of Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Wolfsburg, Ovalle has instead departed Tigres to join the Orlando Pride in the NWSL – becoming the most expensive player in the history of the women's game in the process.

Getty ImagesWhere it all began

A promising Mexico youth international who was part of the team which defeated the U.S. in the final to win its first CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship back in 2018, Ovalle made her debut for Tigres back in 2017 and won her first senior international cap a year later, both milestones coming when she was still a teenager.

No team has won more Liga MX Femenil titles than Tigres, so establishing herself in a side that was among the nation's very best as soon as the league launched was always going to be a tough task, but Ovalle equipped herself admirably to steadily become one of Las Amazonas' most important players, helping the team to win each of those six national championships and watching her status in the squad increase along the way, to the point that she departed as the club's all-time top goal-scorer.

The 25-year-old, nicknamed 'La Maga' or 'the magician', has grown to hold a crucial role with the national team too, emerging as a regular starter as early as 2019.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe big break

While Ovalle has delivered several seasons of brilliance in Mexico, it was in 2024 that those performances seemed to transcend and grab more attention outside of her home country. A prolific return of 18 goals through Liga MX's Apertura helped Tigres reach the final of the play-offs, though it fell agonisingly short in its quest for another championship when it was defeated on penalties by Monterrey. Still, Ovalle was one of the best players across the league through the campaign, if not the best.

Throw in other high-profile moments, like her performance and goal against the U.S. back in February and some impressive displays against NWSL sides in continental competition, and it's no surprise the winger ended the year linked to almost every top club in Europe.

Getty ImagesHow it's going

As Ovalle entered the New Year, it felt like a question of when, rather than if, she would head to Europe. According to , which reported interest from the continent's biggest clubs, Tigres was always eager to ensure she did not leave on a free transfer. With the Orlando Pride paying a world-record transfer fee of $1.5 million (£1.1m) for her signature, the Mexican giant has certainly got its wish there.

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Getty ImagesBiggest strengths

It's easy to see why so many top clubs have long been interested in Ovalle. After all, she's an explosive, game-changing talent who scores goals. Her wicked left foot is great for crossing or shooting, including directly from free-kicks, while her technique always stands out. The winger has a great first touch and is very skilful, with her certainly not hesitant to show that as she willingly runs at markers.

There are plenty of other traits that make the Mexico international an attractive transfer target, such as her anticipation and reading of the game, clever movement and strong work ethic. While some forwards are quick to neglect their defensive duties, Ovalle is not, and that attitude also makes her an asset when pressing from the front.

Arsenal have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Shamrock Rovers wonderkid Victor Ozhianvuna in a record-breaking deal for Irish football. The 16-year-old midfielder, already featuring in the League of Ireland's Premier Division, will join the Gunners when he turns 18 in January 2027. The fee surpasses the record set by Tottenham's move for compatriot Mason Melia earlier this year.

Arsenal agree record deal for 16-year-old Irish midfielderTransfer fee surpasses Tottenham's move for MeliaOzhianvuna to remain at Shamrock Rovers until 2027Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ozhianvuna has completed his medical with Arsenal, and the agreement is now in place pending final signatures, per . The fee will eclipse the £1.6m Tottenham paid St Patrick’s Athletic for Melia, setting a new Irish transfer record. Arsenal beat several top European clubs to secure the teenager’s signature after tracking his rise through Shamrock Rovers’ youth system.

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Arsenal have been committed to expanding their recruitment network in Ireland, both Northern and the Republic. With academy manager Per Mertesacker and technical director James Ellis leading the charge, the Gunners are building strong ties with Shamrock Rovers, aided by their historic links through Stephen Bradley and Stephen McPhail.

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Ozhianvuna has impressed in the League of Ireland despite his young age, making senior appearances for Shamrock Rovers last season. He will remain in Ireland until he turns 18 due to EU transfer regulations, with Arsenal trusting Rovers’ reputation for youth development to shape him further. The midfielder will become the latest in a long line of Irish talents to make the move to north London.

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The transfer is expected to be signed off this week, with Ozhianvuna continuing his development at Shamrock Rovers until 2027. Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will keep close tabs on his progress before integrating him into their academy and youth squads. For now, he will look to gain more senior experience in Ireland before making the step up in England.

Pep Guardiola has been told that Manchester City players have grown “bored of him”, with a “new voice” now being sought at the Etihad Stadium.

Catalan coach approaching decade of serviceHas smashed records with trophy triumphsPlayers & management looking flat in 2025-26Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Demanding Catalan coach Guardiola has been calling shots on the blue half of Manchester since 2016. He has committed to a contract that will take him beyond a decade of loyal service with the Premier League giants.

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The record books have been rewritten across a memorable spell in English football, with six top-flight titles being captured alongside Champions League and domestic cup triumphs. City did, however, fail to land major silverware last season.

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A slow start to the current campaign has delivered two defeats and just three points, as City sit 13th in the table, and questions are being asked of whether Guardiola remains the right man to guide the Blues forward – on the back of more elaborate spending in the transfer market.

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Former Sky Sports host and current beIN Sports presenter Richard Keys has said in his blog: “I told you the problems at City run far deeper than just missing Rodri. He was back Sunday of course [against Brighton], yet City still looked miles off. They’re going to. One player wasn’t going to turn them into title challengers. And him missing last season wasn’t the reason they were so poor.

“There’s plenty of time for Guardiola to sort things out, but I’ll say again – I’m not sure he can – or will. I think he looks tired. I think he looks bored. And I think his players might just be bored of him. They perhaps want to hear a new voice around the place.

“Look at Jack Grealish. He spent the last two years of his time at City both frustrated and out of love with football. That’s by his own admission. Why? Ask yourself that question. He looks refreshed, vibrant and a lot like his old self at Everton. Good luck to him. It’s great to see him smiling again.

“Working with someone else, hearing a different voice and being challenged in a fresh way must have all played a part in his resurgence. I think he’ll help Everton land a European place.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has been told by former team-mate Vladimir Smicer that his emotional intensity would have been a liability as a manager, but he's perfectly suited for his current role as a football pundit. He had all the qualities: leadership, tactical awareness, and a deep understanding of the game. But the Merseysider chose a not to take up coaching.

Shining bright as a pundit

Carragher, who retired from playing after the 2012-13 season, was expected to follow the traditional path of ex-players and move into coaching. However, he opted to make his name in football media instead. Now, Carragher is one of the most recognised faces in the industry, working with and for the biggest games in the Premier League and Champions League.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWise choice by Carragher?

For some, it remains a mystery why a player with so much leadership ability and tactical insight didn’t step into the management arena. But Smicer, his former team-mate at Liverpool, believes Carragher made the perfect decision, staying out of the dugout and embracing the role he was always destined for as a pundit.

Would have been too 'emotional'

According to Smicer, Carragher’s fiery personality would’ve caused chaos if he had entered the dressing room. Speaking to Boyle Sports, who offer the Premier League odds, Smicer said: "I think Jamie Carragher chose well. I think his role is fantastic. He understands football and makes good points. A lot of times, I agree with him, and I think he's better as a pundit than he would’ve been as a manager.

"He would be very, very emotional as a manager on the training ground. I remember him when he was playing as a right-back behind me and my goodness, he was shouting all the time at me, if I played badly or well. I think he would be a very, very emotional coach. I think being a pundit is perfect for him."

Smicer continued, praising Carragher for his work as a pundit and added, "I like the way he's working for Sky, and yeah, he's a good lad."

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Carragher’s decision to stay in the pundit’s chair has paid off big time. In contrast, his co-star, Manchester United icon Gary Neville, struggled during his only stint in management – an infamous 28-game spell in charge of La Liga giants Valencia.

In the year of ball-tampering and bans, a weakened team found a way to survive more overs than any Australian side before them to snatch a dramatic draw

Daniel Brettig in Dubai11-Oct-2018For the first time in 2018, new territory for Australian cricket represents a point of pride rather than a moment of madness. In the year of ball-tampering, bans and backlash, a severely weakened Test team found a way to survive more overs than any Australian side before them to snatch a draw from Pakistan out of the dust of Dubai. History made, leaving a series still to be won.When Australia began their occupation on day four, they faced the prospect of 140 overs to block out; more than a day and a half of batting on a pockmarked and spinning pitch. In the team’s rearview mirror was the loss of all 10 wickets for 60 runs on day two; looming in the headlights were Yasir Shah, Bilal Asif and Mohammad Abbas.Never had Australia lasted more than 90 overs in the fourth innings for a draw in Asia. A team shorn of Steven Smith and David Warner? Forgeddaboutit! To paraphrase Ray Warren’s call of an end-to-end Queensland try in a famous State of Origin encounter, that’s not a draw, that’s a miracle.And whose miracle was this, forged amid enervating heat and all sorts of mental blocks. It belonged, chiefly, to Usman Khawaja, conjuring the greatest of his Test innings and one of the greatest save-a-game efforts in all of Test history. Only Michael Atherton, for 643 minutes at Johannesburg in 1995, had batted longer in a fourth innings than Khawaja’s 524 minutes for 141. Much as the Wanderers has remained Atherton’s signature moment, so too Dubai will always be associated with Khawaja.From the very start of his first-innings 85, Khawaja showed evidence of strong planning, deep concentration and vastly improved fitness. While he joined his team-mates in the hole they fell into after an initial opening stand of 142 with Aaron Finch, Khawaja had provided an example for others, as underlined by a post-play discussion in the middle with the rest of the side’s left-handers. As Travis Head attested, Khawaja’s strength of mind and sureness of method was something to be followed.In the second innings, Khawaja added a fusillade of reverse sweeps, 21 in all, to confound Yasir in particular. In the consistency of the shot’s use and its proficiency, Khawaja recalled a famous World Cup innings by Graham Gooch at Mumbai in 1987, when he swept Maninder Singh and India out of the tournament. But the use of attack as the best form of defence over such a prolonged period provided a reminder of how much quality may be found in Khawaja’s cultured hands, now without peer as the most skilled in this Australian batting line-up. He played the innings of a senior player, and a leader. As so many in the team had said before this match, it should not require the bestowal of a formal title to make one.Accompanying Khawaja for the best part of 50 overs across close to two full sessions was Head, the South Australian captain and debutant. Here was another example of deep concentration but also rapid learning. Having looked lost in the first innings, Head found his way through the testing early passages on the fourth evening and slowly gathered confidence, punching the ball with clear intent off both front and back feet. He did not always get it right: the sweep did not work for him and he may easily have been lbw playing it against Yasir when he was on 44. But overall Head showed he was a willing pupil in these conditions, and with Khawaja turned the draw from a theoretical possibility to a tangible one.Usman Khawaja gets down the track to hit straight•Getty ImagesAfter Head and Marnus Labuschagne both fell to skidding deliveries made possible by the second new ball, Tim Paine walked to the middle with a keen desire to salvage more from this day. He had, as a far younger man, made quality runs in Asian conditions on the 2010 tour of India – at the time describing conditions as the toughest he had ever encountered. But now as Australian captain, having also delivered 222.1 spotless overs behind the stumps, Paine was highly invested in this team and this scenario.His early overs in the middle were fraught just about every ball. One Yasir legbreak, left alone with a clear sight of the stumps, failed to disturb the off peg by approximately one millimetre, and there were numerous other strangled appeals. But little by little, Paine gained a foothold, aided by Khawaja’s serene presence at the other end. Slowly the minutes ticked past, and tea arrived without a further wicket. Five left to survive the match’s final session, in which an average of 4.75 wickets had fallen across each of the previous four days, meant that Paine’s Australians now had a glimmer, however slight.When eventually fatigue and sweeping got the better of Khawaja, lbw to a perfectly pitched googly by Yasir from around the wicket, the final hour had already begun. Time was running short, but there was plenty for Pakistan to conjure a win – just ask the West Indies and their inattentive No. 11 Shannon Gabriel. Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle were unable to endure, as 15 overs with five wickets left became 12 with a measly two. Nathan Lyon, so often the last man out in Australian defeats, marched to the middle at No. 10.The closing overs were incredibly tense, with the benefit of a Paine inside edge onto pad meaning that Pakistan were out of reviews. Yasir, Abbas and Bilal all tried their wares, with Sarfraz Ahmed unwilling to try a wayward Wahab Riaz, despite his greater pace. Paine’s bat, for the most part broad, also found fortuitous edges, one fractionally over the stumps from Yasir, another marginally past them from Abbas. Strained smiles from Pakistan’s fielders and an increasingly grimacing face from their coach Mickey Arthur told a tale that climaxed with something as simple as a Paine forward defence, and then a fist pump. Australia did not, in the end, bat out 140 overs, but only because Sarfraz offered his hand to Paine after 139.5.For the coach Justin Langer, this was a result to epitomise the type of Australian team he and Paine are trying to build – hard to beat at first, and then ever more frequently victorious. Langer, of course, had been involved in one other result commonly viewed as miraculous, the fabled Hobart chase against Pakistan in 1999. Where that victory, complete with centuries to Langer and Adam Gilchrist, had jumpstarted Australia’s reign of dominance, this one picked a previously forlorn team off the Newlands killing floor.Langer has reflected on that result, where his outward positivity when Gilchrist arrived had masked a sense of impending doom, and thoughts mainly of keeping his tenuous spot. “Gilly walks out, and I’m being positive, saying, ‘If you just hang in there, you never know what could happen. Let’s see if we can stick it out till stumps, it might rain tomorrow’. He goes, ‘Yeah, yeah, no worries’,” Langer said last year. “I was just trying to say the right things but thinking to myself, we’re going to lose this Test but if I get 50 not out I might get another Test match…”Similar exchanges were had between Khawaja and Head, then Khawaja and Paine. In the closing overs, Paine and Lyon tried to relax by talking about watching episodes of . But at the end of all that talk, the nerves, the sweat and the sweeps, was salvation of a kind Australian cricket had not previously seen. In it came a significance that recalled Hobart, as Langer has often said: “It was significant personally, but for the Australian cricket team, it was actually the [third] of our 16-match winning streak. I think we thought if we could win from there, we could win from anywhere.”This wasn’t a win, but very close to it for the psyche of this team. At the end of another famous draw, in 1984 against the West Indies, the then recently retired Rod Marsh rang the Caribbean to inform the batting hero Allan Border and the captain Kim Hughes that a rare non-winning rendition of the team song had his blessing. In the heat, dust and glare of Dubai, another Australian team forged a similar piece of history, at a time when it was so sorely needed.

Australia left the ground on Tuesday still in the dark over which of the two surfaces would be used for the match

Andrew McGlashan08-Mar-20235:23

Will Ahmedabad give the best batting pitch of the series?

Steven Smith could not remember another occasion where he had been unsure which pitch he would be playing on for a Test match two days out from it starting.That was the situation which emerged on Tuesday in Ahmedabad with Australia leaving the ground still in the dark over which of the two surfaces would be used for the final Test. However, after the visitors had departed the picture became clearer. India’s hierarchy focused their attention on the drier, black-soil pitch, instead of the red-soil one which also appeared significantly greener – although the groundsman had told Smith both would have been significantly trimmed of grass.”[There] might have been a couple of [pitches] prepared maybe a bit longer out than two days but I can’t remember two days,” Smith said.Related

India seem to have forgotten how they won in Australia

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Even by the time Australia had finished training on Tuesday, around four hours after arriving at the ground, the likely Test pitch had already started to change character.”I didn’t go out and have a look in the afternoon but Alex Carey did,” Smith said. “It looked completely different, a lot drier in the afternoon. It’s very hot here, 37 degrees, which gives it a chance to dry out and I think that the cover was on for a bit today. So they’re potentially worried that it’s drying out too much. It certainly changed in a few hours. Having a look today we’ll be able to potentially see what it’s going to do.”With three three-day Tests so far – and the latter barely reaching that far – this series is well on track to finish with the fewest balls bowled in a four-match series. However, Smith said the groundsman had indicated that this game would go longer than the othersIt all points to Australia again fielding three frontline spinners particularly now Cameron Green is available to balance the side. He was only needed for two overs in Indore, while Mitchell Starc was called on for 12.

“It’s been weird with a bit of the commentary back home, people talking about us playing three quicks and one spinner. It’s kind of mind-boggling to me when we look at these surfaces”

Smith took the opportunity for a little swipe at some of the punditry that suggested Australia should have stuck to their fast-bowling strengths with three quicks and just one spinner. That was the model which brought the 2004 series victory but on very different surfaces.Scott Boland partnered with Pat Cummins in Nagpur before Cummins was the lone quick in Delhi. Then Starc and Green both returned in Indore. Victory in the third Test has left the team with a sense of vindication that their planning has been correct.”It’s been weird with a bit of the commentary back home, people talking about us playing three quicks and one spinner,” Smith said. “It’s kind of mind-boggling to me when we look at these surfaces and we see what we’ve had, 11 innings in six days or something like that, and spinners have taken the bulk of the wickets and you see how difficult it is to play the spin.”It’s kind of odd to hear that kind of commentary, but we’ve had faith in what we’re trying to do and it’s good that we are able to show that we can play with three spinners and win. We weren’t too far away in Delhi either, outside of that hour of madness. Nice to know our plans and everything we are trying to do can work.”Smith looks for more lower-order runsOne area where Smith would like to see improvement is the productivity of the lower order, where India have overwhelmed what Australia have been able to produce. Even in the victory they lost 6 for 11 on the second day.Axar Patel is the second-highest run-getter in the series with 185 runs in four innings at an average of 92.50•BCCIFrom No. 8 onwards, India have scored 307 runs at 25.58 in the series compared to Australia’s 84 and 4.94. In comparison, although Rohit Sharma has scored the lone century, the top seven are all-but identical: Australia have made 776 runs at 22.92 and India 709 runs at 22.15.Australia are not expecting the level of contribution that Axar Patel is able to provide – he would not be out of place in the top six – but want to find a way to eke out partnerships.”The tail is something we’ve spoken about, probably as batters [they] haven’t contributed as much as we would have liked,” Smith said. “That’s been a big difference when you see someone like Axar who has been incredibly difficult to get out. And in terms of our top six versus their top six, there’s not a huge difference in averages for the series.”There is a considerable amount at stake in this final match. A 3-1 scoreline would suggest that there is still a gap when playing India in their conditions, albeit not as wide as some had considered, whereas a 2-2 share would be a remarkable outcome for Australia, especially considering where they were after the second Test in Delhi.”I think it would be a huge achievement for this group, or any touring team, that comes here to India and wins two Test matches,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it earlier in the series and give ourselves a chance to win but to draw the series here would be a huge plus and positive.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been warned that handing out £50,000-a-week contracts could lead to "resentment and disharmony" at Wrexham.

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Red Dragons preparing for life in the ChampionshipLinked with players that have Premier League experienceHollywood co-owners prepared to splash the cashFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons, on the back of three successive promotions, are readying themselves for life in the Championship. Hollywood co-owners continue to bankroll a meteoric rise, while leaving the door open for further investors to join the most ambitious of projects.

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Recruitment records have been broken on a regular basis at SToK Racecourse, with Sam Smith becoming a £2 million addition in January 2025 – while ex-England international striker Jay Rodriguez has been acquired on a deal worth £15,000-a-week.

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Wrexham are reportedly ready to roll the dice again, amid links to Fulham captain Tom Cairney – who is about to become a free agent – while big-money agreements are also being mooted at Birmingham, as Tom Brady and Co seek to make their own push towards the Premier League.

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Getty/GOALWHAT EFL PUNDIT SAID

Former EFL player turned pundit Don Goodman has told of why splashing the cash is no guarantee of positive results and a happy camp: "If those figures that you’ve quoted are true, fifty thousand pounds a week that Wrexham are prepared to pay Tom Cairney and thirty thousand pounds a week Birmingham are prepared to pay Kwame Poku, then they will be two of the highest paid players in the Championship.

“That in itself is staggering really to be fair but those are two players that would undoubtedly help those two clubs in the Championship next season, there’s no question, and if that's the kind of money that it's going to take for them to attract that kind of player, then fair play to them.

“It’s just a case of how many others can you put on those kind of wages, and if it’s not many is there going to be resentment and disharmony in the changing room? I’m not sure about that so, yeah, impressive numbers but they don’t really guarantee you anything.”

England opener cracks 38 from 21 to set visitors on way in small chase

ECB Reporters Network25-May-2023A blistering 38 off 21 balls from opener Tammy Beaumont was the eye-catching contribution as she helped the Blaze to a three-wicket victory over struggling Thunder in an England-player dominated Charlotte Edwards Cup fixture at Emirates Old Trafford.Beaumont was one of six Ashes contenders featuring in a low-scoring affair played after Lancashire men had beaten Leicestershire in the Vitality Blast, with star duo Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone going head to head.Both impressed as Thunder made 117 for 6 and failed to defend it. Ecclestone returned 2 for 18 from four overs of left-arm spin, while Sciver-Brunt’s seamers accounted for 1 for 23 from four before adding 21 off 14 balls in the chase.But Beaumont usurped them both, striking the ball better than anyone with eight fours and a flicked six to ensure the Blaze continued their unbeaten start to the summer.The Blaze survived a late wobble from 88 for 2 to 98 for 6 to win inside 16 overs and have now won five of seven matches across the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in their first season based at Trent Bridge, including two from two in this T20 competition.The East Midlands side have been rebranded from Lightning after three seasons based at Loughborough University.For Thunder, their disappointing start to 2023 continues. They are winless in seven games across the two competitions, including a pair of T20 defeats.Beaumont, Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Sarah Glenn, Emma Lamb and Sciver-Brunt were the England players on show.Thunder failed to gain any significant momentum through an innings strangled by an on-point five-strong bowling attack. Left-arm seamer Grace Ballinger took the new ball and stood out with 2 for 23 from her four overs, while Sciver-Brunt, captain and spinner Kirstie Gordon, legspinner Glenn and South Africa seamer Nadine de Klerk all struck once.Opener Libby Heap top-scored with 26 for Thunder, while captain Ellie Threlkeld and Cross both made 22.Lancashire had promoted the day as Empower Play, with £1 from each of the 3,101 tickets sold across the day donated to women’s and girls’ participation initiatives in conjunction with the Lancashire Cricket Foundation.Thunder were in trouble early when England opener Lamb chipped Gordon’s left-arm spin to mid-off to fall for 2 four balls into the match before Ballinger bowled big-hitting West Indian Deandra Dottin for 9 as the score fell to 14 for 2 in the fourth over.Heap, Threlkeld, Fi Morris with 18 and Cross were all busy in trying to advance Thunder’s cause, but they slipped from 82 for 3 in the 15th over to 89 for 6 in the 18th to undermine hope of a challenging total.Morris was bowled by Glenn, Heap was well caught at short third by ex-Thunder batter Georgie Boyce off Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone was caught at short fine-leg for only three off Ballinger.In the first over of the chase, Beaumont made her intentions clear by sweeping and lofting international colleague Ecclestone for back-to-back boundaries. Her flicked six over midwicket came off the seam of Tara Norris, while she hit three boundaries in the same area in dominating a 56-run opening stand with Marie Kelly.The latter was bowled sweeping at Ecclestone for 16 in the sixth over before Beaumont was lbw sweeping at the offspin of Morris an over later – leaving the Blaze 56 for 2.Sciver-Brunt, in at No. 3, then clubbed and carved three fours in as many balls off UAE international fast bowler Mahika Gaur to maintain Blaze’s dominance.Cross had Boyce (15) caught at point as the score fell to 88 for 3 in the 10th over, sparking a mini collapse to 98 for 6 after 12 which only delayed the inevitable. Sciver-Brunt miscued Norris to short midwicket before Ecclestone bowled de Klerk as part of that. Glenn later hit the winning runs and finished 17 not out.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min could be set to leave the club this summer after winning the Europa League, with Saudi Arabian clubs hovering.

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Spurs captain may leave this summerLifted first trophy during his time at the clubSaudi clubs keen on South Korea internationalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per the Telegraph, Son could be set to leave Spurs this summer as the club aim to reshape their squad following their Europa League triumph. The South Korea international signed a contract extension during the season, taking his deal up until next summer, which means that the club can demand a fee for him in this transfer window.

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Son has been Spurs captain since 2023 and won his first senior trophy with the club last month as he lifted the Europa League. Manager Ange Postecoglou's future is also in doubt, and there may be an exit for Cristian Romero too, with Atletico Madrid interested. Losing their manager, captain, and vice-captain in one summer would potentially leave a rather large leadership void at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Son joined the club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 for just £22 million ($30m). Since, he has gone on to make 454 appearances for the club, scoring 173 goals and registering 101 assists.

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Spurs must make a decision over Postecoglou's future before addressing the potential of their captain departing.