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Tottenham Hotspur could soon be forced to find a replacement for club legend Son Heung-min, as talks progress with Los Angeles FC.

Tottenham advancing move for £24m defender after 'emerging' as favourites

Spurs have been told what it would take to get a deal done.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 23, 2025

After a stunning 10-year stay at N17, and with just 12 months remaining on his contract, the South Korea star has a tough decision to make amid this serious interest from the USA.

According to GiveMeSport this week, LAFC are advancing in talks for Son and the winger is close to agreeing personal terms, but he’s yet to make a firm final call on whether he’s going to stay or go.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Any exit before the conclusion of Tottenham’s Asia pre-season tour would also result in the club losing millions in revenue due to contractual obligations (GiveMeSport), with Son, for obvious reasons, standing out as a key centrepiece for Spurs when it comes to their Far East appeal.

This is backed up by The Telegraph, so it’s unlikely that we’ll see the 33-year-old leave north London until later in the window.

Son is also poised for crucial talks with Thomas Frank once they return to the English capital (GiveMeSport), where both men are set to discuss his future.

While Son’s potential goodbye isn’t exactly a foregone conclusion just yet, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is forced to contemplate life without the talismanic club captain, who’s scored 173 goals and assisted 101 others since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen a decade ago.

Tottenham tipped to sign Alejandro Garnacho in late-window deal

Frank will need a replacement, and ex-Tottenham scout Mick Brown is convinced that Man United outcast Alejandro Garnacho could be that man.

The Argentine has displayed flashes of true brilliance during his time at Old Trafford, but he’s firmly on the ‘for sale’ list as United attempt to raise money. Their eagerness to offload is even forcing the Red Devils to slash their asking price from £70m to £40m (The Mirror), which presents Spurs with a real opportunity here.

Brown, who remains very well-connected in the beautiful game, has told Football Insider that Tottenham are “definitely” interested in Garnacho and tips Levy to make a late-window move for the 21-year-old.

“Alejandro Garnacho is certainly one of the names on Tottenham’s list,” he said.

“It looks like they might be losing Son, whether that’s to the MLS or the Saudi league, so they are already looking at options to replace him. Garnacho has been a very impressive player for Man United.

“He’s got loads of promise, and I’m surprised Amorim is so willing to let him go. I think he’d be an excellent addition for Tottenham, and he’s definitely one they are interested in.

“The only issue I have is what the price tag will be, because Man United publicly pushing him out has shown their hand, they need to get rid of him. They’re going to struggle to get big money for him, so they might have to drop the asking price.

“I think it’s one that will happen in the closing stages of the window, when United need to sell and Tottenham can take advantage of that situation. As I say, particularly if they lose Son, because he’s going to need replacing.”

Deivarayan Muthu24-Oct-20202:54

Gambhir: Kings XI’s attack seems to have all boxes ticked now

The Kings XI Punjab had no business winning this. They had managed all of two boundaries in their last 13 overs, and it could’ve been just one had David Warner not fumbled at wide long-off in the final over of the Kings XI’s innings. Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, and Sandeep Sharma all bowled skilfully to limit the Kings XI to 126 for 7.David Warner and Jonny Bairstow then dashed out of the blocks, and rattled off 56 together in 38 balls. The Sunrisers Hyderabad had no business losing this. However, they unravelled spectacularly in the face of smart bowling on a tiring Dubai track to be bundled out for 114, losing 10 for 58. Chris Jordan, picked in place of James Neesham, and Arshdeep Singh claimed five of those wickets in the last two overs as the Kings XI defended the lowest total this IPL.The Kings XI’s come-from-behind victory – their fourth win on the trot – moved them up to fifth on the points table, just behind the Kolkata Knight Riders who had retained their fourth spot after toppling the Delhi Capitals earlier in the day. As for the Sunrisers, they dropped to sixth, but they’re still in the hunt for the playoffs and are the only team outside the top three with a positive net run-rate.Rashid, and his ripping googlies
After perfectly judging a skier at deep-square leg to get rid of Mandeep Singh, who has been pushed up to the top in place of the injured Mayank Agarwal, for 17 off 14 balls, he tested KL Rahul and Chris Gayle with big-turning googlies.Gayle and his off stump were beaten in Khan’s first over, then in his second Rahul hastily stabbed a shorter googly towards midwicket. He made the incision in his third with a tossed-up googly that dipped sharply and bowled Rahul through the gate for a run-a-ball 27.The collapse, part one
At the other end, Holder kept hiding the ball away from Gayle’s swinging arc. Gayle duly tried to manufacture a boundary, but couldn’t clear long-off. Then, when Glenn Maxwell searched for a release, he holed out to long-on. He has now played out 100 balls this IPL without hitting a six.In the absence of Neesham, the Kings XI’s batting was lighter, and when Jordan flapped a catch to short-fine leg for 7, they were 105 for 6. However, in the last two overs, Nicholas Pooran struck two fours, the second of which slid under Warner, to drag his team to 126 for 7.The collapse, part two
Even though the pitch was slowing down in the second half, the total didn’t look enough. It certainly didn’t look enough when Warner and Bairstow dominated the Kings XI in the powerplay, sprinting to 52 for 0.Warner reverse-whipped legspinner Ravi Bishnoi’s first ball for four, and then when he attempted an encore off the second, he tickled a googly behind and was given out following a successful review from Rahul, who had caught the ball behind the stumps. In the next over, M Ashwin, the other legspinner drifted a legbreak in and bowled Bairstow around his legs.Rahul then punted on Mohammed Shami and brought him back, deciding to finish his quota by the ninth over. Abdul Samad, who was promoted to No. 4, took on Shami, but holed out to mid-off, where Jordan grabbed an excellent overhead catch.It probably still didn’t look enough when previous match-winners Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar were tapping the ball into the gaps, adding 33 off 44 balls. However, it started to look enough once J Suchith, the substitute fielder, plucked one out of thin air to remove Pandey for 15 off 29 balls.After Arshdeep Singh had Shankar nicking off for 26 off 27 balls, the equation boiled down to 17 off 12 balls with five wickets in hand. The batsmen panicked, but Jordan and Singh didn’t, and it proved 13 runs too many for the Sunrisers.

Centuries for Paul Stirling and Sam Robson put Middlesex firmly in charge after two days of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two clash with Glamorgan at Radlett.Stirling hit a Championship career-best 138, his first four-day century in almost two years, while Robson’s 107 was his first ton of the campaign.In a quirk of fate, Ireland international Stirling’s previous career-best, 111 against Yorkshire in June, 2017 also came on a day when Robson hit three figures. The duo’s efforts carried the hosts to 410 before the bowlers took over to reduce Glamorgan to 112 for 3 in an elongated final session.Middlesex resumed at 151 for 3 with Robson 15 short of his century and while the former England man accumulated quietly, Stirling was typically aggressive.An on-drive to midwicket took Robson to three figures, but soon afterwards Marnus Labuschagne spun a delivery just enough to take the edge of the right-hander’s bat and give Tom Cullen his second catch of the innings.Stirling pressed on and with George Scott providing good support, the pair added 76 either side of lunch before the latter was bowled offering no shot to a delivery which came in a touch from outside off-stump.This was Stirling first first-class knock since Ireland’s Test against Afghanistan in March. However, he played with authority, reaching his own century with a sumptuous drive down the ground, his 12th boundary.To their credit, Glamorgan kept plugging away on a pitch offering less bounce than day one and a little bit of spin and eventually wickets began to fall with regularity.John Simpson nicked Timm van der Gugten into the gloves of Cullen and then it was the turn of Labuschagne to take centre stage, pinning Tom Helm leg before wicket with a delivery which kept low before castling centurion Stirling nine runs short of what would have been his highest first-class score.Nathan Sowter struck three boundaries in a breezy 28 but the end came swiftly after tea, when Marchant de Lange had the legspinner caught behind, before sending Tim Murtagh’s middle stump cartwheeling.That left the visitors 35 overs to face and they made the worst possible start. Charlie Hemphrey pushed the second ball of the innings into the covers and called for a run, but non-striker Nick Selman hesitated before setting off and was not in the frame when Nick Gubbins’ direct hit sent him packing.Labuschagne counter-attacked, producing a succession of boundaries, although he was given a life when edging a delivery from Helm to Robson at first slip on 32, only for the umpire to call no-ball.The Australian Test allrounder made the most of the reprieve, moving to 50 from 57 balls, passing 700 runs for the season in the process, before the second-wicket stand of 80 ended when Murtagh trapped Hemphrey lbw.New batsman Lloyd could have gone cheaply when flashing at a delivery from Steven Finn, Stevie Eskinazi just failing to cling on to what would been a blinder above his head. However, the former England paceman gained ample compensation from the next delivery when Labuschagne skied another ball which climbed on him, giving Stirling a simple catch at point.There was still time for in-form Billy Root to be dropped at slip by Robson in the final over of the day, denying Sowter deserved reward for an excellent spell. Nevertheless, Middlesex still have hopes of enforcing the follow-on on day three.

A loss won’t finish off Sunrisers Hyderabad’s playoff chances, while a win will almost certainly give them the final spot in the last four

The Preview by Saurabh Somani03-May-20193:26

Murali Kartik: Kane Williamson’s form is a big worry

Big pictureOne team has everything on the line. The other team has nothing to aim at.If Sunrisers Hyderabad had won their Super Over against Mumbai Indians, they would have been sitting pretty on 14 points and a net run-rate far in excess of what any of the teams that can get to 14 points could realistically get. That would have pretty much guaranteed them a playoff spot, but Jasprit Bumrah proved too difficult to handle, leaving Sunrisers in a must-win position against Royal Challengers Bangalore in what is the last league game for both sides.Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Lost to Mumbai Indians in the one-over eliminator, beat Kings XI Punjab by 45 runs, lost to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets
Royal Challengers Bangalore: No result against Rajasthan Royals, lost to Delhi Capitals by 16 runs, beat Kings XI Punjab by 17 runs

Royal Challengers were the first side to be knocked out of the running for the playoffs, hardly surprising given that they have spent the majority of IPL 2019 at the bottom of the points table. Virat Kohli has reiterated for the past few matches that his side has nothing to lose and will only ‘enjoy themselves’ in the game, and he was right for all practical purposes. This time, he will be right mathematically too, with Royal Challengers truly having nothing to lose, or gain, for that matter.This will once again be a contest between the Sunrisers bowling and the Royal Challengers batting. The departures of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, coupled with Vijay Shankar’s tapering off, has meant Sunrisers’ batting wears a thin look – only Manish Pandey is carrying it at the moment. For Royal Challengers, losing Dale Steyn was a big blow, and now they’ll be without Marcus Stoinis too. Navdeep Saini has been impressive in patches, but even with the last game here, they still seem unsure of what their best pace attack is. In contrast, Sunrisers’ bowling has looked in fairly good shape, while Royal Challengers’ batting has been spearheaded, as ever, by Kohli and AB de Villiers.In the news Stoinis has left Royal Challengers to link up with the Australian team for their World Cup camp. With him in the XI, Royal Challengers were playing only three overseas players. Without him, they have the option of bringing back Shimron Hetmyer, or giving another go to Colin de Grandhomme or Tim Southee. Billy Stanlake hasn’t got a game yet for Sunrisers, but his pace and bounce could be useful on a batting-friendly venue. But including him will mean dropping Martin Guptill and an Indian pacer, and probably bringing back Yusuf Pathan to the middle order.Virat Kohli reacts after dropping a catch•BCCI

Previous meetingCenturies by Bairstow and Warner were followed by Mohammad Nabi’s 4 for 11 as Sunrisers trumped Royal Challengers in style. Both Bairstow and Warner are no longer there, but Royal Challengers will no doubt remember that exchange, and will want to exact revenge – for pride, if nothing else.Likely XIsSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson (capt), 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Abhishek Sharma, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Basil Thampi, 11 Khaleel Ahmed Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Navdeep Saini, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalStrategy punt Given Royal Challengers’ opening combination of Kohli and Parthiv Patel, it might be a good idea for Nabi to take the new ball for Sunrisers. This year, Nabi has bowled ten overs in the Powerplay for an economy rate of 4.5 – the best in IPL 2019 (with a minimum of ten overs). His numbers against left-handers are also striking, with an average of 11.5 and an economy rate of 4.5. With Parthiv taking on the aggressor’s role for Royal Challengers and Kohli preferring to play himself in, the introduction of Nabi could stifle Royal Challengers in the Powerplay. Parthiv’s own numbers against offspinners are among his weakest – his strike rate is just 73.7 and he averages only 7. Royal Challengers’ run rate in the middle overs since IPL 2018 is 7.6, the lowest among the eight teams. They are particularly vulnerable against spinners, scoring at just 6.6 against them in the middle overs. Can Hetmyer provide the middle-overs thrust they need? Hetmyer’s returns against spin in this IPL haven’t been encouraging but, on the flip side, he’s not had too many opportunities either. If he comes off, he could provide the cushion that Kohli and de Villiers seem to perennially lack.Stats that matter This will be Parthiv’s 200th T20 match. Kohli is six runs away from completing 4,000 runs as a captain in the IPL. Sunrisers have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides, and hold an 8-5 edge overall.

Plenty of exchanges have been picked up during the first two Tests as the role of the host broadcaster becomes increasingly dominant

Sidharth Monga in Perth18-Dec-2018The use of stump mics by the host broadcasters has come under the scanner after a heated exchange between India players Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja has made its way to the public.ESPNcricinfo has accessed the video in which the stump mic has captured the players abusing each other during a break in play when Nathan Lyon was having his helmet checked after a blow on the head. The players are seen waving hands at each other, and Ishant can be heard telling Jadeja – in colourful language – not to throw tantrums or else.On Tuesday evening, a team spokesman played down the incident: “The Indian team management clarifies that the incident between Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja was in no way a ‘fight’ and happened at the spur of the moment on the field. The management confirms that all is well between them.”What was said between Ishant and Jadeja?

Ishant: “Don’t wave at me, okay? If you need something…”

Ishant: “He is telling me from behind to go fast.”

Jadeja: “Even I don’t like it. I am also a part of the team. Why are you talking so much?”

Ishant: “Don’t wave at me. Don’t show me your anger. I will take your anger and shove it up your arse.”

Jadeja: “You keep yours to yourself.”

Ishant: “I will shove your anger up your arse.”

Jadeja: “Don’t give me this b******t.”

Ishant: “You also don’t talk to me.”

This is not the first time the stump mic has been turned on loud for the players this series. A few of Virat Kohli’s exchanges with opposite number Tim Paine have been heard the world over. As has been Paine’s sledge to M Vijay after Kohli’s dismissal, asking the batsman how can he possibly like his captain as a bloke. Host broadcasters have often asked the commentators to not talk when an India spinner is bowling so they can turn up the volume and let the world hear Rishabh Pant’s chatter.Ironically it was the Australia team earlier this year that felt targeted by the host broadcaster in South Africa. In order to get the stump mics turned down, they innovatively indulged in some ambush marketing in the vicinity of the stumps mics. Before that, now-banned captain Steven Smith had expressed his annoyance at stumps mics when the BCCI website had released an audio of a spat between Matthew Wade and Jadeja in India.”It annoyed me that they had to sieve back through the archives and find those moments, particularly painting a bad light on our team when both teams were guilty of doing the same things. That was disappointing,” Smith had said then. “I think the broadcasters are told over and over again that they need to turn the stump mics down but they keep putting a lot of pressure on and keeping the stump mics on, which is unfortunate.”

 ALSO READ: Sanjay Manjrekar: Turn the stump mics downUnaware of this latest video leak, Kohli had said after the Perth Test that he felt under no pressure to behave differently because of the stump mics. “With the stump mics and cameras and all these things, honestly when the bowler is bowling you aren’t thinking whether the stump mic is on or the camera is on or not,” Kohli said. “And when you are facing that ball, literally there is no one in the stadium apart from you and that ball. So, these things are totally irrelevant, and you are actually not aware of them when you are on the field. It’s never bothered me, it’s never been something that’s of importance to me to be honest. For me it’s irrelevant.”However, India might have reason to be aggrieved with two of their more experienced players for this indiscretion in the vicinity of stump mics. The ICC had clearly communicated to the member boards that starting November of this year, the previous restrictions on the stumps mic when the ball was dead were removed. Audio could now be transmitted anytime. Moreover, their board had done the same with Wade having a go at Jadeja back when Australia toured India. It would be naïve not to be mindful of retaliation.The duo might not be charged for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct, though. Usually players are charged for any abuse heard on TV, but ESPNcricinfo understands there is discretion and common sense used in these matters. This audio was not broadcast on the live feed, but only find its way to the media after the match. As such, the broadcasters haven’t had to apologise for abuse on their broadcast.The host broadcasters’ role was also under the scanner when between the two Tests footage reached newspapers showing how many no-balls from Ishant had not been called in the Adelaide Test. There was no comparative study against any other bowler, Indian or Australian. Even when it comes to ball-tampering, the host broadcasters play a big role, providing video evidence without which the ICC cannot act. No home player has been penalised for ball-tampering ever since the ICC formalised the playing conditions.

French women's team coach Herve Renard says he wants to manage at the men's 2026 World Cup and that's partly why he is stepping down from his role.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Renard to leave France role after Olympics
• Eyes coach role at men's 2026 World Cup
• Linked with Poland, Nigeria and South Korea

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Renard is set to leave his role after the Olympic Games this summer following less than 18 months in charge. And amid links with the men's teams of Poland, South Korea, Cameroon, Nigeria and Morocco, the Frenchman admits he wants to manage a new national side soon.

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  WHAT HERVE RENARD SAID

  He said, via Get Football News France: “It’s a difficult job. If I had to be brief, I have in the back of my mind the 2026 World Cup in men’s football, I hope that it will be my third World Cup at the head of a men’s team. These are my personal motivations."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Saudi Arabia, Zambia and Morocco manager has made a name for himself as an international boss and it seems the 55-year-old wants another crack at the men's game. And after the French women's third successive quarter-final defeat at last year's World Cup, he will be a free agent later this year.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  France are hosting this year's Summer Olympics and will hope being on home soil will help them towards gold medal glory. The United States, Brazil, Canada, World Cup winners Spain, and Germany are among the teams in the 12-team competition which begins on July 25.

It’s lonely, players have to take care of their own fitness, coaching and schedules, and always live with the risk of being dropped

Tim Wigmore21-Mar-2017February was just another month in the life of Chris Gayle. A quick scan of his Instagram account reveals a man who partied with Shaggy and Didier Drogba, dined out with Kumar Sangakkara, played golf, relaxed by the pool with cocktails, and wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Cash is king.” He even had time to fit in a little cricket in the Pakistan Super League in the UAE. This is the life of the self-proclaimed Universe Boss, and the idealised existence of the freelance T20 cricketer.But there is a dark side too.

****

The world over, concern is increasing about the gig economy, in which ever more workers are self-employed, and left economically insecure and vulnerable to exploitation and loneliness. The itinerant T20 cricketer is not immune to these forces.For all the razzmatazz, traipsing between T20 tournaments can be a lonely existence. “It is much harder than people think because you are on your own to get yourself right,” says Samuel Badree, a long-time West Indies team-mate of Gayle’s who plays for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League, and in other leagues throughout the world. “Plus you have to balance other things like family and work commitments.” The unpredictability of freelance T20 life means that Badree balances his cricket career with being a PE teacher. Many other freelancers look to fill the monotony of training by themselves with coaching or media work of the sort that those with national central contracts have no need for.”Freelance cricketers have to do a lot more thinking, caring and planning for themselves. In this regard cricket becomes less of a team sport for them,” reflects Tony Irish, the executive chairman of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations.A freelance T20 cricketer’s existence is now more akin to that of a golf or tennis player than of an athlete in a team sport.”The biggest challenge is to maintain optimal levels of fitness and performance, given that you are not directly involved with any team when no tournaments are on,” says Badree. “When players are no longer actively involved in international cricket their performance drops because they are not playing cricket as regularly as they used to. In between tournaments you are pretty much on your own.”Franchises have little incentive to manage their freelancers’ injury issues•BCCIFreelance players tend to be able to share training facilities at their local first-class teams, but they do not have permanent access to coaches, unlike those with full-time contracts. Though private coaches are slowly becoming more common, they can take a significant chunk out of freelancers’ salaries, and can be unaffordable for players outside of the top rung. Many franchise teams are also suspicious of freelance coaches, forcing players to instead work with coaches they might not know during a competition.”Sadly, when the private coach loses access, they get replaced with a coach that has an idea of how your player should play rather than understanding their nuances. Rarely is there any open two-way communication between coaches,” says Trent Woodhill, a leading T20 batting coach. “The problem with cricket is that there’s no other sport to compare it to, so it’s easy to dismiss the importance of private coaches.”More so than for players with full-time contracts then, freelancers must work out how to manage themselves. “You’ve got to strategise about how and when you want to peak. It takes a little while to understand your own game and how much time you need to be ready,” reflects Owais Shah, who has played in seven national T20 leagues. “You’ve got to take responsibility for your own training and know what you’ve got to do to turn up ready and firing for a tournament – or if you need to get there early, you get there early.” He used to arrive two weeks before the start of the Big Bash to acclimatise to Australian conditions.Such foresight is not always possible. Players often only arrive in a country a couple of days before a T20 tournament, or even midway through one, after completing other commitments, leaving scant time to become acquainted with new team-mates, coaches or team strategies, let alone new places, cultures or languages. “There is not much time for training and preparation,” says Badree.Kevin Pietersen described his recent months playing in the Australia, Pakistan and South African domestic T20 leagues as “an incredibly bad winter of travel”. Even five-star hotels can get a man down.Pressure is a constant in modern sport, but it can be particularly acute for freelance T20 players. While leading national players normally have the relative security of central contracts, T20 cricketers risk losing contracts because of a bad tournament, and, because of restrictions on overseas players, sometimes only get a game or two to prove their worth. Insecurity is increasing as domestic T20 leagues become more professional and ruthless, and memories of feats in years gone past count for less. Rather than a part of a wider team, players can instead become almost dehumanised, just another cell in an analyst’s spreadsheet.The jet-set life can lose its appeal after a while•AFP”If you’re not playing international cricket alongside being a freelance T20 cricketer then you have to perform in every tournament. The pressure is on you, because if you don’t perform then they’ll look elsewhere the following year,” says Shah. “If you’re playing international cricket and doing the T20 stuff, at least if you have a bad tournament but are on TV performing for your country, the franchises will say, ‘Okay, he had a poor tournament for us but he’s really performing now, so let’s sign him again.'”Shah says that freelance T20 life “would be a tough gig for someone like Tymal Mills if he wasn’t playing international cricket because if he had one or two bad tournaments, people could just write him off”. Besides Mills, forced down the route of T20 specialisation because of injury, most players who have specialised in the format so far have significant international pedigree.An uncapped T20 specialist would have little job security on the circuit of domestic leagues, especially with so much volatility in the winner-takes-all world of player auctions. Players who suddenly lose form can easily slip into a self-perpetuating rut, a small run of bad form costing them a contract in another league, and leaving them less attractive to subsequent tournaments.Franchises have no incentive to manage freelance players in a way that a national team does. “The longer-term view and attention to a player’s fitness, rehab and future that most international teams take with their players is less likely to be there,” Irish says. Team physios are governed by the need to do what is best for their side, not for the player. “Each league team is paying a freelancer only for his time and commitment for a few weeks in the year, so understandably the team wants its pound of flesh from the player.”As contracts are often pro rata, injuries can be hugely expensive for players, who are often compelled to play when not fully fit, to the detriment of their long-term health. The financial risk of missing matches is leading a small number of players to take out insurance through FICA, though this in turn reduces their take-home pay.Depending on which tournaments they get picked for, players could face several months without any cricket at all, making it easy to lose fitness and form, and then several months of relentless cricket. That will remain true without windows for domestic T20 leagues – an idea supported by FICA but which has been rejected by the ICC board.Owais Shah: “If you’re not playing international cricket alongside being a freelance T20 cricketer then you have to perform in every tournament. The pressure is on you, because if you don’t perform then they’ll look elsewhere the following year”•BCCIIn the future, as T20 sides become more attentive to current form rather than past reputation, it might become harder for all but very elite freelance players to be selective about which tournaments they enter – meaning that specialist T20 players will spend even more time on the road. However appealing the notion of cherry-picking a few tournaments a year to play in, many players struggle to maintain their standards with such a sparse schedule.”I found I played much more consistently in T20 when I had been playing more – in county cricket or first-class cricket in Australia,” reflects Simon Katich, now assistant coach for Kolkata Knight Riders. “There is a balance to making sure you are getting enough cricket before the tournaments as well, so you don’t feel like you are going in underdone. As an older player I found it better to keep ticking over rather than having big breaks as my body found it harder to get back into things the longer I had off.”Freelancers might also be particularly vulnerable to the twin scourges of corruption and doping “because of a lack of consistent education around the world on anti-corruption and anti-doping in the leagues,” Irish says. The ICC believes that the threat of corruption has been displaced, with corruptors increasingly targeting domestic T20 leagues, where the players are relatively low-paid and their futures are insecure, which makes them especially susceptible. Resources of national anti-corruption units also vary considerably between different countries.Because T20 rewards power more than any other format of the sport, cricket has also never been more vulnerable to performance-enhancing drugs. Just as was true for baseball 15 years ago, doping to aid power-hitting feels very much like a sin of its time. Freelance T20 players, who have both the most job insecurity and the most to gain from bulking up, might be most vulnerable to this temptation.The trend towards free agency is likely to continue. Irish believes that it can only be stymied by rationalising the international schedule and addressing the wage gaps between what players beyond Australia, England and India can earn in domestic T20 leagues and playing for their countries. If freelance T20 players do become more common, the elite will enjoy an enviable existence in domestic leagues – even if it is not quite what Gayle’s Instagram feed suggests. But for those just beneath these gilded few, life will be altogether more challenging and cutthroat.

أعلن محمد يوسف المدير الرياضي لـ الأهلي، رحيل أحد لاعبي فريق الكرة المحترفين خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية، موضحًا تفاصيل معسكر الإعداد المقرر انطلاقه خلال أيام في دولة تونس.

وكان بطولات قد كشف عن إتمام صفقة انتقال محمد الضاوي كريستو إلى صفوف النجم الساحلي، بعد الاتفاق بين الناديين.

وقال محمد يوسف في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة الأهلي: “كريستو سينتقل إلى النجم الساحلي، وأعتقد أنهم قد حلّوا مسألة إيقاف القيد”.

وأكمل: “تفاصيل معسكر تونس، كان من المقرر إقامة 3 مباريات ودية، لكن النجم الساحلي اعتذر عن أحدها، والتي كانت ستُقام للاحتفال بالمئوية الخاصة بالفريق التونسي”.

ومن المقرر أن يخوض النادي الأهلي، معسكرًا خلال الفترة من 18 يوليو الجاري حتى 29 من نفس الشهر في تونس، استعدادًا للموسم الجديد.

وأوضح: “ريبيرو يرغب في خوض مباراتين خلال معسكر تونس يومي 21 و25، وسنعود إلى مصر يوم 26، حيث سنخوض مباراتين مع أندية الدوري المصري قد تم الترتيب لهما”.

طالع | محمد يوسف يفجر مفاجأة بشأن مفاوضات الأهلي مع مصطفى محمد

وواصل: “كريم نيدفيد من أبناء الأهلي ولاعب ملتزم، ونحن في انتظار عرض له، وخلال الأيام المقبلة سيتم حسم أمر اللاعب”.

واستطرد: “رضا سليم متواجد مع الفريق، وقد تلقينا أكثر من عرض له، لكنني أرفض الإفصاح عن أسماء الأندية، اللاعب يخضع للتأهيل بشكل يومي وما زال في مرحلة التأهيل في مصر”.

وبسؤاله هل تم الاستغناء عن عبد الله بوستنجي؟، أجاب: “لقد انضم إلى نادي زد، ولنا الحق في استرداد اللاعب، وقد أعطيناه فرصة مع فريق زد”.

وأتم: “كباكا وأحمد عابدين عادا من الإعارة، وننتظر تحديد موقفهما مع ريبيرو بجانب محمد عبد الله”.

Plays of the day from the second T20I between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Colombo

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo11-Nov-2015The pop up catch
Jason Holder did not play the second T20, but made an impact nonetheless, using every centimetre in his two-metre frame to dismiss Sri Lanka’s best batsman of the evening. Tillakaratne Dilshan got on his knees to switch-hit Ravi Rampaul in the air, but though the shot had enough power to carry over the deep point boundary, Holder zipped along the outfield, leapt up and held onto a tough chance above his head, his feet less than six inches from the rope.The slinking low catch
When Jayasuriya hit a full delivery sweetly in the 13th over, it seemed destined to beat the man at long-on and go for four. Only, the fielder there was perhaps had the quickest wheels on the field. Andre Russell covered the eight or so metres to his left in a flash, read the ball’s trajectory perfectly, went to ground to intercept it at knee-height, and ended up performing a barrel roll with ball in hand.The redemption
Shehan Jayasuriya dropped a high catch off Andre Fletcher, running back from point in the sixth over, but he made amends by creating a dismissal in the next over. Chasing a ball to the fine leg fence, Jayasuriya managed to reel it in just inside the line. The batsmen, taking a third run, had begun to coast when Jayasuriya fired in a surprisingly fast, flat throw, hit the stumps directly, and to the amazement even of the wicketkeeper, found Marlon Samuels short by a few inches.The explosive sequence
West Indies had begun a little slowly, having hit 17 off the first 4.2 overs, until Johnson Charles brought the innings to life with three big blows. He ran at Sachithra Senanayake’s third ball of the match and walloped him over long-on first, stayed in his crease to sweep the next one over deep midwicket next, then advanced again to send Senanayake way into the stands behind cow corner. The final ball of the over – a shorter one in anticipation of another trip down the pitch from Charles- was swept as well, this time for four. Twenty-two runs came from those four balls.

The Reds endured a nervy afternoon at Anfield, but their captain rose highest in the closing stages to secure victory over the Irons

Liverpool got back to winning ways and moved to within six points of securing the Premier League title as Virgil van Dijk scored late to secure a 2-1 win over West Ham on Sunday.

Arne Slot's side started the game on top, and took a deserved lead when Mohamed Salah, who was playing for the first time since signing a new two-year deal, left Ollie Scarles for dead before providing an inch-perfect ball across the penalty area for Diaz to tap home. That seemed to spark West Ham into life, however, as Alisson Becker had to be alert to shut down Carlos Soler before racing back to tip Mohamed Kudus' curling effort onto the crossbar.

Liverpool hit the woodwork themselves early in the second half as Alexis Mac Allister hit the bar with a free-kick, before he again went close when Alphonse Areola tipped his shot from wide of the penalty area over the top. However, nerves began to set in among the home crowd, and Alisson had to be at his best to keep out Jarrod Bowen and Kudus before a mix up between Van Dijk and Andrew Robertson led to the latter putting through his own goal with four minutes left on the clock.

The scores weren't level for long, however, as Van Dijk rose highest from a corner to send the Kop into raptures, and while there was still time for Niclas Fullkrug to hit the bar with a late header, Liverpool held on.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

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Alisson Becker (8/10):

Reacted well to deny Soler and Kudus in quick succession midway through the first half, and then again when keeping out Bowen after the break. Brilliant stop low to his left kept Kudus from equalising, too.

Conor Bradley (7/10):

Returned from injury and combined well with Salah at times down the right. Solid defensively, as always.

Ibrahima Konate (6/10):

Got Salah in behind on a couple of occasions with balls over the top and did well in possession. Solid enough after a sloppy few weeks at the back, too.

Virgil van Dijk (6/10):

Was well short of his best at the back. Guilty of some poor touches and lack of concentration, which eventually led to his role in the own goal. Redeemed himself moments later with the winner, however.

Kostas Tsimikas (6/10):

Worked hard down the left during his hour on the pitch. Put in some testing set-pieces before making way for Robertson.

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Ryan Gravenberch (8/10):

His best game for some time as he worked his way out of tight areas to launch Liverpool attacks and performed his defensive duties well. Encouraging after a rough month or so.

Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

Industrious at the heart of the Reds' midfield while showing glimpses of his quality. Unlucky not to score twice early in the second half.

Curtis Jones (6/10):

Knitted things together effectively back in a more familiar midfield role, but couldn't create anything of note before going off midway through the second period.

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Mohamed Salah (7/10):

Celebrated his new contract with a superb assist as he toyed with the inexperienced Scarles during the first half. Not everything he tried paid off while he faded a little after the break, but he still produced the game-breaking moment.

Diogo Jota (5/10):

Linked up play at times, but struggled to make much of an impact in the final third before being replaced by Gakpo on the hour mark.

Luis Diaz (8/10):

Electric from the very first minute and deserved his goal after previously testing Areola. Never stopped running even after being moved centrally as he caused West Ham numerous headaches.

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Cody Gakpo (6/10):

Caused some problems with his direct dribbling down the left.

Andy Robertson (5/10):

Continues to struggle with the pace of these games, though was a little unlucky with the own goal.

Jarell Quansah (5/10):

Lost Wan-Bissaka for the West Ham goal after coming on for Bradley.

Dominik Szoboszlai (5/10):

Couldn't offer much of note in his 20 minutes on the pitch.

Wataru Endo (N/A):

On for Salah late on.

Arne Slot (5/10):

His team still look far from their best, but the job is now almost done. Direct style did pay dividends in the first half, but he needs to fire his players up again to get over the line without further alarm.