Arsenal midfielder Leandro Trossard is set to sign a bumper new deal to end talk of his departure from the Emirates this summer.
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Manchester United’s handling of Alejandro Garnacho’s uncertain future has come under scrutiny, with William Gallas warning that the Red Devils could be forced into a deal they do not want if they drag negotiations on until the end of the window. Chelsea remain the winger’s preferred destination, but Tottenham Hotspur have now been tipped to enter the chase.
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Real Madrid legend Raul is among Bayer Leverkusen’s options to replace Erik ten Hag after the German side sacked the Dutch coach this week.
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Marc Guiu does not regret leaving Barcelona as he says Enzo Maresca and his "Pep Guardiola influence" swayed him to join Chelsea.
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France have been hit with a blow as Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele is set to miss their opening World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.
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Former AC Milan star Zvonimir Boban believes Paolo Maldini could make a comeback to the club despite what he called a "shameful" sacking back in 2023.
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The U.S. had to make a change at goalkeeper after Schulte sustained an oblique injury over the weekend
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Afghanistan captain says they will miss Rashid but pips the trio of young spinners to grab their opportunity
Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Feb-2024Sri Lanka’s men have one player with more than 100 Tests to his name, another with 88, a third with 76, and another with 51. All Afghanistan have ever played are seven Tests, and are likely to field debutants on Friday. It doesn’t sound like much of a contest, but if there’s one team that can spring surprises seemingly out of nowhere, Afghanistan might be it.”If it comes to experience, their team is more experienced than ours,” captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said on the eve of his team’s first-ever Test against Sri Lanka. “They have a lot of guys who have played Test cricket for more than ten years. I will still not say we are not good enough. We are brave, and we are ready for every kind of challenge.”Not just brave, but in the recent past, on roughly equal footing with Sri Lanka, in ODIs at least. Afghanistan won two of the five completed ODIs these teams have played in Sri Lanka since 2022. And then, in the World Cup came the kicker – a seven-wicket thrashing in Pune, which helped push Sri Lanka out of contention for the Champions Trophy in 2025, a tournament Afghanistan have qualified for.Related
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“Of course, we can win against Sri Lanka,” Shahidi said. “I’m not going to sit here and think negatively about my team. As a nation, we are strong people, and as a cricket nation, we showed everyone recently at the World Cup what we could do. In Tests also, we have good, talented guys. Everyone in the dressing room should be thinking about how to win in Sri Lanka. We’re not just here to play.”Afghanistan do have a major gap to fill, however, with Rashid Khan still recovering from back surgery. He is by far the highest wicket-taker in Tests for Afghanistan, with 34 wickets at 22.35. Shahidi thinks his team has the spin base covered, however.”Rashid is the best bowler and we will miss him until he comes to the team. But we have more spinners in the team. We have three more guys who are in the 15. We have Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, and Qais Ahmad. They’re also good for the future of Afghanistan. They are hard workers. I hope these three who will get a chance tomorrow will do well for us.”At this stage of their Test journey, Afghanistan also have a lopsidedness to their attack. Where spinners have taken 78 of their wickets at an average of 30.21, seamers have claimed only 24, at an average of 37.04. This is where, for Shahidi, the greatest improvements can be made.”If we play [and get] more opportunities we will know more about the game. In the last game we were struggling with the fast-bowling department. If we want to be a good Test nation we need to have fast bowlers. This tour we have guys who can bowl quick. We brought them here with us and hopefully, they play well in this game. We are trying our best to improve on that. This is a good opportunity.”
All you need to know about Portugal's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Portugal are going to be an interesting team to watch at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Cristiano Ronaldo-led side recently won their second Nations League title and are currently one of the strongest teams in Europe, despite having slightly less squad depth compared to other European powerhouses like England and France.
They are yet to win the coveted World Cup title, and this might very well be the last chance for the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo to achieve that dream for his nation.
Alongside the veteran forward, Portugal have a well-balanced squad with quality players across every department.
Another emotional element tied to Portugal’s World Cup campaign next year is the tragic passing of forward Diogo Jota. The news of Jota’s death came as a shock to the footballing world. He was only 28 and had recently celebrated a Premier League title with Liverpool as well as a Nations League triumph with Portugal.
It has been a difficult loss to accept for the entire football community, especially his teammates. His absence may serve as extra motivation for the Portuguese side, who will be determined to give their all and lift the trophy in his memory.
Australia allrounder was aware he would not be part of the one-day squad but has sights firmly set on T20 World Cup
Alex Malcolm11-Jan-20241:13
Stoinis: ‘I’ve got every intention to play T20 cricket for Australia’
Australia allrounder Marcus Stoinis has signed to play in the SA20 for Durban’s Super Giants, the affiliate of his IPL club Lucknow. He is comfortable with being left out of Australia’s ODI squad to face West Indies after speaking regularly to the selectors for six months, but still hopes to be part of the T20 World Cup campaign.Stoinis had known for some time he would not be part of Australia’s first bilateral ODI squad after the World Cup but he is not retiring from ODI cricket and is still preparing himself to be part of the T20 squad in the build-up to June’s World Cup where he has been a mainstay in the middle order since the 2021 triumph in the UAE.Even prior to missing out on selection in the XI for the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad, Stoinis had been talking regularly with coach Andrew McDonald and chair of selectors George Bailey about what the transition period would look like for Australia’s one-day team, and he supported Aaron Hardie’s selection as a second allrounder in the 13-man squad alongside Cameron Green with Mitchell Marsh rested. Stoinis’ omission gives him the chance to play more franchise cricket in South Africa after the BBL, before he hopes being part of the T20I series against West Indies and New Zealand later in February.Related
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“I had a few conversations with Andrew McDonald over the last sort of four to six months,” Stoinis said. “Spoke to George as well. In terms of selections, in terms of the fact that Hardie’s coming in, I think that’s brilliant. I think it makes complete sense after a World Cup. There needs to be a balance between keeping a core, and bringing new guys in. The next tournament that they’re looking forward to is the Champions Trophy, which is 18 months away.”I’ve got no intention of retiring from international cricket or anything like that. I think it makes complete sense. He’s [Hardie] been playing brilliantly. He also needs to be exposed in international cricket which I think he’s ready for. I’ll be going to South Africa to play for my IPL franchise Lucknow over there which Cricket Australia has been in the loop with the whole time. So I think all makes sense to be honest.”Stoinis is currently with Melbourne Stars and his side are on the verge of playing finals. Stars have two more home and away games on January 13 and 15 to qualify for the finals which will be played from January 19 to 24.Marcus Stoinis is hopeful of being selected for the T20Is against West Indies and New Zealand•ICC/Getty Images
Durban’s Super Giants start their SA20 season on January 12. If Stars don’t make the finals, Stoinis could be available for as many as seven SA20 games or as few as four if Stars reach the BBL decider on January 24. But he will still be available, and is hoping to be selected, for Australia’s three-match T20I series against West Indies in Australia starting on February 9, which would rule him out of the SA20 finals which run from February 7 until February 11.”I’ve got every intention to play T20 cricket for Australia as long as I can, as long as they want me,” Stoinis said. “I feel like my international and T20 [franchise] cricket has been good over the last whatever period. And I’ve got a great relationship with the boys in the team and also with the likes of Timmy David and Wadey [Matthew Wade] and Ingo [Josh Inglis], that group that bat in the middle order, which I think is what we’re trying to nurture as a team to build towards the big tournaments.”But then also there needs to be a transition to get people into the team as well and expose people. I can only really speak for myself, but I think things are getting to a great stage where…we don’t want to give up a spot, but we understand the landscape of cricket and there’s opportunities at the moment everywhere so you need to be incorporating a group of cricketers into these teams, I think.”The club versus country debate continues to rage in Australia with David Warner likely to be recalled from the ILT20 for the same T20I series against West Indies. The selectors and CA have made it clear they will work with each individual on a case-by-case basis in terms of selection for international series when they have conflicting T20 franchise contracts.Stoinis believes the understanding between the players and CA on franchise cricket is very strong.”I think it’s the best it’s been,” he said. “I think every individual is probably a bit different. I’m very lucky with my relationship with Ron [McDonald]. We’re super open and clear. I think also he understands that cricket is going that way.”You can either push against it really or just work with it. Everyone wants the right thing for the players individually, but also for Cricket Australia and the Australian cricket team. So as long as we’re on that page, I think most situations should be able to resolve themselves.”Stoinis appeared in two Sheffield Shield matches for Western Australia last February after returning from the ILT20 and has not ruled out playing more first-class cricket, despite just two appearances in four years, although he is unlikely to be available to do so this summer.”I have spoken to Western Australia about that,” Stoinis said. “I don’t know whether it’s my stubbornness, but I can’t say no. I enjoyed it. I played it last year. I loved it. I love the different challenge. I love being around the group and being able to have more banter rather than a T20 game where you just run around the field by yourself. Nothing’s off limits.”