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Joburg turns up for its World Test Champions as Temba Bavuma’s team start to realise just what they’ve been able to do

Firdose Moonda18-Jun-2025

The victorious South African team return home with the WTC mace•AFP/Getty Images

Everyone loves a winner, as was clear at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport where South Africa returned as World Test Champions on Wednesday morning.The squad were received by the country’s sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, and swathes of people from across South African society. In attendance were groups of children from the KFC’s Mini Cricket programme – the largest grassroots development initiative in the country – students from some of the players’ former schools, such as Aiden Markram’s Pretoria Boys High School, and family members like Wiaan Mulder’s brother.The players signed autographs, received flowers and hugs and strutted around in custom made “champions” t-shirts before making their way to Cricket South Africa’s offices in the north of the city where they were welcomed with a brass band and a red carpet. Almost 96 hours after their five-wicket triumph over Australia in the WTC final, the magnitude of what they have achieved is starting to sink in.”It is quite overwhelming. We haven’t seen people like that at the airport before,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain said at a press conference afterwards. “As players, you don’t really realise what you’ve done but when you start to interact with people and see the emotion, it gives you a proper insight into what we’ve done. We are proud as a team but we are even more happy and proud that we’ve made our people proud. If you look at this team and the guys at the helm, we have done it the proper South African way. That’s unique to this group. We have embraced everything that it means to be South African.”With a home grown coach in Shukri Conrad and a largely unheralded group of players, Bavuma’s words spoke to the way the South African team pulled together throughout the cycle and in the final. They had nine different Players of the Match in 2023-25 and 15 different players either scored a century or took a five-for in what has been hailed as a true team effort and a unified showing after years of underperformance. For Bavuma, it showed that there is always a way, not just for sportspeople but for everyone.”What we’ve achieved speaks to all budding cricketers out there, and individuals within South Africa,” he said. “As a team, we’ve got a story. It hasn’t been a simple or easy one. We’ve come through a lot but we managed to get to where we are. So similarly for them (ordinary people) on their quest and journey, for what they want to achieve: as long as they keep having that passion and keep pushing they can also achieve what people think is unachievable.”Temba Bavuma and his men had a rousing homecoming•AFP/Getty Images

For 27 years, South Africa have been without an ICC trophy and in that time regularly slipped at the semi-final hurdle. The 1999 ODI World Cup, where South Africa tied the game but could not advance to the final because Australia finished higher on the Super Six points table, has long been a sore point but the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cup semis and 2024 T20 World Cup final also stung. It’s because of those failures that the WTC win is magnified, as one of South Africa’s greatest sporting achievements. “This is huge for South African cricket,” Enoch Nkwe, Director of National Teams and High Performance said. “This is huge for South African cricket and the impact it will have for generations to come. We’ve taken a lot of punches but we’ve never bent our backs. We stayed strong.”Related

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Nkwe, who was appointed in July 2022, put in place the coaching structure which included Conrad, who in turn appointed Bavuma as captain. Conrad will now also take over the white-ball sides until the end of the ODI World Cup in 2027. There is particular expectation around that tournament, not least because of the history documented above, but also because the event will be hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Bavuma is also South Africa’s ODI captain and has already spoken of his hope for the event to come.”We want to carry on with the momentum we’ve gained,” he said. “We are quietly optimistic as to what can happen in the white-ball space. We see no reason as to why we can’t emulate what we’ve done here. We are more optimistic than anything. We had a little conversation about it. Shukri’s mind is always ticking. He lets you know that there’s always some sort of work you need to do.”That tournament is more than two years away, in which time there will be an entire WTC cycle and a T20 World Cup. Eyes will be on South Africa for all of them, especially as their next Tests include matches in Pakistan and India and home series against England and Australia in 2026. They believe they’ve laid the foundation to be successful in these contests but no-one can begrudge them celebrating the first world title for a little bit longer, as Bavuma suggested they would.”For now, it’s for us to embrace what we’ve done, to take it all in, understand what led us to this point and live in that moment for a little bit longer,” Bavuma said. “Then, I think the beauty of international cricket is that there’s always something else waiting. Once we get over our emotions, it will be what is the next thing? There’s the Zimbabwe tour, and the start of the new Test cycle. We will be setting our eyes on what we want to achieve over there. There is always something we are working towards. It’s a legacy we want to put together as a team. It’s not done now, but for now it’s for us to enjoy what the moment has brought us.”South Africa will have several fan engagements in the next few days before a two-Test series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, which starts on June 28. The series is not part of the WTC.

In recent seasons, Manchester City’s academy has become one of the most prominent in Europe. They have produced many fantastic players, some of whom still ply their trade at the Etihad Stadium, and others who have moved on to pastures new.

One of the best academy graduates currently in the City squad would have to be Phil Foden. Their number 47 has cemented himself as one of the key players in Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.

On the flip side, the Citizens let the likes of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers leave in the last few years, both of whom are now full England internationals.

Another City academy graduate, Nico O’Reilly, could be about to make his Three Lions debut.

Why O’Reilly is in the England squad

It has been an astronomical rise to the top for 20-year-old City starlet O’Reilly. After becoming an established player in their first-team fold last season, Thomas Tuchel has taken note of his performances and drafted him into his latest England squad.

The Manchester-born City star is a versatile player and has been something of a Swiss army knife for Guardiola. He’s played 30 first-team games for his boyhood club, which have come all over the pitch.

Most often, O’Reilly has played as a left-back, but he’s played as a centre-back, right across the midfield, and even as a centre-forward.

That versatility has been hugely beneficial for City’s Spanish boss. He can deploy O’Reilly almost anywhere and get a good performance in whichever role he plays. This season, the youngster has played nine games, with seven of those appearances coming at left-back.

He even set up Erling Haaland’s second goal away to Monaco from that position.

One person who O’Reilly has impressed this season is BBC Sport tactical analyst Umir Irfan. He said that the versatile star “has been brilliant for City and a big part of their solidity in recent weeks,” which is high praise indeed.

As well as O’Reilly has performed for City, he is arguably not even their biggest talent at full-back to come from the academy in recent years.

City’s ex-academy star who’s better than O’Reilly

O’Reilly isn’t the only top prospect City have produced at full-back in recent years. Rico Lewis has also broken into Guardiola’s squad, and, like his fellow academy graduate, can operate in midfield, as Guardiola likes his full-backs to do.

Yet, one player of a vastly different profile, who City may wish they had kept hold of, is Liverpool wing-back Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutchman was once in City’s academy himself, but was sold to Celtic for just £300k back in 2019.

In hindsight, this wasn’t the best decision City have made over the years. Now plying his trade at Anfield, Frimpong cost their Premier League rivals £29.5m, following some exceptional seasons at Bayer Leverkusen.

He’s already seven games into his Liverpool career and scored on his debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.

He is also a different type of full-back to O’Reilly. Operating as a winger at times with the ball, Frimpong is rapid down the right flank and has a deadly cross in his arsenal.

That is why football scout Antonio Mango described him as a “cheat code.”

In Leverkusen’s remarkable invincible season of 2023/24, the Dutchman was one of their best players. Operating at wing-back, the 24-year-old scored 14 times and assisted 12 in 47 games.

His underlying stats were incredible, too. With less defensive responsibility, he ranked in the top 13% for key passes amongst Bundesliga full-backs in the top flight, with 1.8 per 90 minutes.

Frimpong attacking stats in 23/24 Bundesliga

Stat (per 90)

Number

Percentile

Goals and assists

0.64

97th

Key passes

1.8

13th

Crosses completed

0.6

67th

Take-ons completed

1.92

94th

Progressive carries

6.12

99th

Stats from FBref

O’Reilly has certainly made an excellent start to his career. Yet, with Frimpong’s contribution to a memorable Leverkusen season in 2023/24, and his major move to Liverpool this summer, it is easy to see how he could be considered a bigger talent.

Losing a player of this quality might sting City fans now. He was an academy star who was let go for a cheap price, and would have brought something unique to their current squad.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair Oct 4, 2025

Rohit Sharma has retired from Test cricket with immediate effect, meaning India will need to name a new full-time captain almost immediately after the end of IPL 2025, with India’s five-Test series in England scheduled to begin on June 20 at Headingley.”Hello everyone I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It’s been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites. Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format,” Rohit, who had retired from T20Is after India won the T20 World Cup last year with him as captain, said in a post on social media on Wednesday evening.Rohit retires with 4301 runs in 67 Test matches, averaging 40.57 despite the poor recent run. He scored 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries over the years, with a best of 212, against South Africa in Ranchi in October 2019.Related

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Roger Binny, the former India allrounder and current BCCI president, paid tribute to Rohit.”Mr Rohit Sharma’s impact on Indian cricket transcends records and statistics,” Binny said in a statement. “He brought a sense of calm and assurance to the team – both as a player and as a captain. His ability to stay composed under pressure and to consistently put the team’s needs above his own made him a truly special player and leader. Indian cricket has been fortunate to have a figure like Rohit – someone who upheld the highest standards of professionalism and sportsmanship. He leaves behind not just a remarkable playing record, but a culture of discipline and selflessness that will inspire future generations.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As recently as Tuesday, Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach across the three international formats, had said in response to a question on the future of senior pros Rohit and Virat Kohli that “Till the time they are performing, they should be a part of the team. When you start and when you end is your individual decision. No coach, no selector, no BCCI can tell you when you should call it quits. If you perform, then why 40, you can jolly well play till 45, who’s stopping you?”Rohit’s decision comes after poor home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand late last year and then a horror tour of Australia across December 2024 and January 2025, where he crossed 50 just once and averaged 10.93 from eight Test matches. India won both the Tests against Bangladesh, but were swept 3-0 by New Zealand under Rohit’s captaincy, and then lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia 3-1.Rohit missed the first and last Tests on that tour of Australia, the first to be at home in India for the birth of his child, and the last, in Sydney, where he “stood down”. At the time, he had stressed that it was just that, a reaction to his poor batting form, not a “retirement decision”, and that he was not “going to take myself out of the game”. Jasprit Bumrah is currently India’s designated vice-captain and led in the first and last Tests in Australia in Rohit’s absence.Speaking to ” during the Test match, Rohit had said, “I sat out of this match because runs are not coming off my bat. There is no guarantee runs won’t come five or two months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day.”I have confidence in me that things can change, but at the same time I have to be realistic as well. So life won’t change by what people with a mic, pen or laptop write or say. They can’t decide when we should retire, when we should sit out, when we should captain. I am a sensible man, mature man, father of two kids. So I know what I need in life.”5:13

Kumble on Rohit’s Test retirement: ‘You know when it’s time and you don’t regret it’

Immediately after returning from Australia, Rohit played a one-off match for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in January after the selectors in coordination with BCCI made it mandatory for contracted players to feature in domestic cricket. Rohit’s batting woes continued as he made 3 and 28 against Jammu & Kashmir.While the selectors decided to keep him as India’s captain for the Champions Trophy, Rohit was aware success in the ICC event wouldn’t guarantee his spot in the Test format. And, so, despite his leading India to the title in March, Rohit decided to bring the curtains down on his Test career.The development comes with little over a month to go for the start of India’s five-Test tour of England on June 20. The selectors are expected to finalise the Test squad in the coming weeks, but with Rohit retiring, the biggest question for the Ajit Agarkar-led panel would be naming the next Test captain.Bumrah is an option but putting that responsibility on a fast bowler, particularly one who has just returned from injury might not be easy. He shouldered a heavy workload during the Australia tour and was diagnosed with a stress reaction on his lower back, resulting in his being unable to bowl in the second innings of the final Test in Sydney. Bumrah missed the Champions Trophy thereafter and only resumed playing since April in the IPL where he represents Mumbai Indians.

Or is it the other way around, and they are not good enough at this stage to be in demand?

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-20255:11

Knight: ‘Next thing for Jofra Archer is to evolve’

And then there were ten. IPL 2025, at this stage, has just ten players from England. There were 12, but Harry Brook and Brydon Carse (injury) have withdrawn. Feels different from previous years, doesn’t it? So, has the England players’ attitude towards the IPL changed? Are they not good enough anymore, and the IPL franchises are just not interested in them? Is it something else?”Rob Key, who is in charge back at the ECB, has basically tried to – and he’s fairly right – encouraged his players to play as much for England [as possible],” Nick Knight, the former England opener, said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut. “They’ve got a five-Test series against India. They’ve got an Ashes to follow. They’ve got multi-format players, like Harry Brook and Mark Wood – they’re pretty well looked-after now. And they’re going to have to be looked after.”There’s a bit of that influence. So they perhaps don’t need to travel and play in all these leagues around the world. There are other leagues popping up as well. If you’re not going to get the full price [at the IPL auctions] that perhaps you might want to get, you might want to play in another league. So there are a number of these sort of factors flying around for some of these players.”Related

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The ten players from England that are a part of IPL 2025 are Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Phil Salt and Reece Topley. Brook and Carse have opted out. Ben Duckett, it’s understood, was contacted by Delhi Capitals (DC) to be Brook’s replacement, but he chose to stay away.Compare this to IPL 2024, when there were 18 players from England divided among the ten teams. Some of them withdrew at various stages of the IPL, but that’s a significantly higher number than now.ESPNcricinfo’s Matt Roller suggested that some of the England players’ stocks have dwindled in recent years, possibly a reflection of their failures at ICC white-ball events of late. When the last mega auction was held, before IPL 2022, England were the defending 50-over World Cup winners and then won the T20 World Cup in 2022. They were in big demand.”Perhaps the stock of some of these players is not quite as high because of the ICC trophies, and the way some of these competitions globally have been going,” Knight said, agreeing to the point. “You know, you look at Sam Curran. Go back a couple of T20 [World Cups] back in Australia, he was the Player of the Tournament.3:45

Has England’s IPL love affair changed?

“And he goes into the IPL auction, gets an absolute full whack. So there are a number of factors that are combining to make a few players less [in demand] than you’d expect.”A bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, isn’t it? Did the England players get better at T20s by playing in the IPL, or did they come into the IPL because they were that good? And how does it work now?”A lot of people have benefitted from playing in the IPL, because a lot of them got better playing against spin, and also wickets that were slow,” Ambati Rayudu said. “We have seen the England side in India [for a white-ball series in January and February this year]. Somehow, they are just playing one-dimensional cricket, especially in the middle overs, and especially against spin. To go hard against spin, you also need skill. So where do you develop that? You develop that in the subcontinent, or on wickets such as these. So… it’s quite a Catch-22 situation.”

Arne Slot has built on the successful era under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool incredibly well, winning the Premier League in his first year in charge.

In the summer of 2025, FSG also splashed the cash, spending more than £400m on the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

The Reds currently have an annual payroll of £154,440,000 and pay out just under £3m per week. We have ranked every Liverpool player in the first-team squad in order from highest to lowest in terms of wages for the 2025-26 season, with the help of Capology.

Rank

Player

Gross pay per week

Gross pay per year

1

Mohamed Salah

£400,000

£20,800,000

2

Virgil Van Dijk

£350,000

£18,200,000

3

Alexander Isak

£280,000

£14,560,000

4

Hugo Ekitike

£200,000

£10,400,000

5

Florian Wirtz

£195,000

£10,140,000

6

Andrew Robertson

£160,000

£8,320,000

=7

Alexis Mac Allister

£150,000

£7,800,000

=7

Alisson

£150,000

£7,800,000

=7

Ryan Gravenberch

£150,000

£7,800,000

=7

Federico Chiesa

£150,000

£7,800,000

=11

Dominik Szoboszlai

£120,000

£6,240,000

=11

Cody Gakpo

£120,000

£6,240,000

13

Jeremie Frimpong

£100,000

£5,200,000

=14

Joe Gomez

£85,000

£4,420,000

=14

Giorgi Mamardashvili

£85,000

£4,420,000

16

Conor Bradley

£75,000

£3,900,000

17

Ibrahima Konate

£70,000

£3,640,000

18

Wataru Endo

£50,000

£2,600,000

19

Stefan Bajcetic

£40,000

£2,080,000

=20

Curtis Jones

£15,000

£780,000

=20

Calvin Ramsay

£15,000

£780,000

22

Rhys Williams

£10,000

£520,000

Here are the top 10 Liverpool earners… 10 Federico Chiesa £150,000 per week

One of four players on £150,000 per week is forward Federico Chiesa. The Italy international arrived in Slot’s first transfer window in charge after being made surplus to requirements at Juventus.

A pacey wide man who can also occupy a central role when required, Chiesa has struggled to break into the starting XI but has become a fan favourite.

9 Ryan Gravenberch £150,000 per week

Ryan Gravenberch arrived at Liverpool from Ajax in 2023 and had to remain patient to find a permanent role in the starting line-up during his first season with the club.

Under Slot, Gravenberch has been transformed into the club’s new No.6 and may well be used there for the foreseeable future, with his Anfield deal expiring in 2028.

8 Alisson £150,000 per week

The arrival of goalkeeper Alisson from AS Roma back in 2018 helped transform the Reds under Klopp, with the Brazilian being an ever-present figure during his six-year stay so far.

In total, Alisson has made more than 300 appearances for Liverpool and has kept more than 125 clean sheets.

7 Alexis Mac Allister £150,000 per week

Liverpool picked up the services of midfielder Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023 after his impressive three years on the south coast.

The Argentine’s current agreement with the Reds is for another three years.

6 Andrew Robertson £160,000 per week

One of the best value-for-money signings in Liverpool’s recent history has to be Andrew Robertson, who cost the Reds just £8m from Hull City in 2017.

The Scot is now into his 30s, though, and with his contract expiring in 2026, Liverpool may soon be without their iconic left-back.

5 Florian Wirtz £195,000 per week

Costing a whopping £116m from Bayer Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz was Liverpool’s record signing for a matter of months.

The attacking midfielder signed a deal worth more than £10m a season and will look to star at Anfield over the next five years.

4 Hugo Ekitike £200,000 per week

Hugo Ekitike was one of two star strikers to sign for Liverpool in 2025, with the Reds paying Frankfurt an initial £69m for the French forward.

He scored on his debut at Wembley in the Community Shield and also netted the first goal of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Ekitike is on £10.4m per season on Merseyside.

3 Alexander Isak £280,000 per week

In what was the transfer saga of 2025, Liverpool eventually splashed the cash on Alexander Isak for a British record £125m.

The forward went on strike at Newcastle to push through a deadline day move to Anfield, penning a six-year contract where he is set to earn a total of £87m.

2 Virgil Van Dijk £350,000 per week

Centre-back Virgil Van Dijk was signed for an eye-catching £75m fee from Southampton in 2018, a figure which some were shocked by at the time.

However, since then, Van Dijk has comfortably repaid the faith shown in him by the Reds, starring at the back at Anfield and winning numerous trophies. His current deal through until 2027 was signed in 2025.

1 Mohamed Salah £400,000 per week

Like Van Dijk, star attacker Mohamed Salah also signed a new two-year deal in 2025. The Egyptian King has helped turn the Reds into Premier League and Champions League winners, becoming a Liverpool legend in the process.

During his eight-year stay, Salah has made more than 400 appearances, scoring over 240 goals.

The Premier League is widely regarded as not only the best league in football but also the most lucrative, as English top flight teams rack up hundreds of millions in every transfer window.

While PSR has limited owners from spending beyond their means in recent seasons, it hasn’t stopped English teams from leading the European market year after year, with over £3 billion spent in the summer transfer window by Premier League clubs.

20-16

Bournemouth sit bottom of the net spend list, as the Cherries lost nearly their entire defence in big money moves. Dean Huijsen joined Real Madrid while Milos Kerkez left for Liverpool, with Illia Zabarnyi heading to PSG. South coast rivals Brighton meanwhile received a massive fee from Chelsea for Joao Pedro, who has been a hit already since moving to west London.

Brentford and Wolves both lost star strikers of their own, with Yoane Wissa moving to Newcastle on deadline day while Matheus Cunha swapped Molineux for Manchester United, and the Red Devils also snapped up Bryan Mbeumo.

Chelsea were extremely industrious in their dealings, selling the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Noni Madueke, Djordje Petrovic, João Félix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka, Armando Broja and Christopher Nkunku among others, while Nicolas Jackson’s loan move to Bayern Munich is the largest fee for a loan deal ever.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

20.

Bournemouth

£136.7m

£202.5m

+£65.8m

19.

Brighton

£67.7m

£127.5m

+£59.8m

18.

Brentford

£92.8m

£152m

+£59.2m

17.

Wolves

£105.6m

£126.5m

+£20.9m

16.

Chelsea

£296.5m

£314.4m

+£17.9m

15-11

Although Crystal Palace were able to keep hold of Marc Guehi in dramatic circumstances in the closing hours of deadline day, their sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal means the Eagles end the summer in the green. Aston Villa made a profit despite late deals for Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho, which will worry fans at Villa Park after a troubling start to their domestic campaign.

Fulham’s club record £35m deal for Brazilian winger Kevin took them into the negative net spend, while Burnley are the lowest promoted side on the list despite signing 14 new players, including experienced heads Kyle Walker and Martin Dubravka to go with young talents like Loum Tchaouna and Bashir Humphreys.

West Ham and Graham Potter finally got their season up and running with a victory over Nottingham Forest, but may harbour little hope of avoiding a relegation battle despite holding onto star man Lucas Paqueta.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

15.

Crystal Palace

£48.9m

£67.5m

+£17.7m

14.

Aston Villa

£28m

£43m

+£15m

13.

Fulham

£35.1m

£8.7m

-£26.4m

12.

Burnley

£97.7m

£31m

-£66.7m

11.

West Ham

£131.3m

£55m

£-76.3m

10-6

Manchester City surprisingly only just crack the top ten, with a chunk of the spending for their rebuild under Pep Guardiola done in January. Those winter arrivals were joined by the likes of Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer.

Despite all the noise surrounding Alexander Isak, Newcastle actually had one of the more productive incoming windows, bringing in Nick Woltemade for a club record £69m fee while Jacob Ramsey adds sky high potential to an already quality midfield.

Evangelos Marinakis led a late flurry of activity at Nottingham Forest in an attempt to keep Nuno Espirito Santo happy, but their greatest piece of business may just be preventing the sale of Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham.

Leeds failed to sell a single player for profit this summer, meaning they rank in the top ten after deals for the likes of Anton Stach and Noah Okafor.

Everton, like Forest, waited until late in the window to really get going, but ended up sixth courtesy mainly of their deals for Tyler Dibling and Thierno Barry, although the loan signing of Jack Grealish could prove to be the bargain of the season.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

10.

Manchester City

£185.8m

£96m

-£89.8m

9.

Newcastle

£256.3m

£157m

-£99.3m

8.

Nottingham Forest

£182.5m

£81.5m

-£101m

7.

Leeds

£103.1m

£0m

-£103.1m

6.

Everton

£124m

£10m

£-114m

5-1

The top five sees four very unsurprising big spenders accompanied by Sunderland, who enjoyed a memorable summer, bringing in big name players with Premier League experience, such as Granit Xhaka, along with riskier moves on high ceiling players such as Brighton winger Simon Adingra.

Tottenham captured Randal Kolo Muani on loan in a last-minute move on deadline day, but it was the deals for attacking midfielders Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons that placed them in with the top spenders.

Manchester United’s late deal for goalkeeper Senne Lammens took them into the top three, having reinforced their attack earlier in the window with big money deals for Cunha, Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.

Liverpool’s sales of players like Jarell Quansah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have helped the Reds to somehow not top the list despite spending nearly £450m on new signings. Indeed, the Reds recouped over £200m more than Arsenal, whose own spending is highlighted by deals for Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres.

Rank

Club

Gross Spend

Sales

Net Spend

5.

Sunderland

£183.4m

£42m

-£141.4m

4.

Tottenham

£171.2m

£17m

-£154.2m

3.

Manchester United

£232.4m

£61.7m

-£170.7m

2.

Liverpool

£446.5m

£228.1m

-£218.4m

1.

Arsenal

£267m

£10m

-£257m

It was the second-biggest successful chase in Vijay Hazare Trophy history

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2024

[File photo] Shreyas Iyer hit five fours and ten sixes in his unbeaten 55-ball 114•PTI

Playing only his third List A game, K Shrijith struck an unbeaten 101-ball 150 to lead Karnataka home in the second-highest successful chase in Vijay Hazare Trophy history, as they hauled down a target of 383 with 3.4 overs to spare at the Narendra Modi Stadium’s B ground.Andhra’s successful chase of 384 against Goa in the 2011-12 season continues to hold the tournament record.Related

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Shrijith’s effort meant that Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 114 off just 55 balls went in vain for Mumbai. Iyer hit five fours and as many as ten sixes as he hurried Mumbai to a formidable total following a relatively sedate start. When Iyer walked out, Mumbai were 148 for 2 in the 30th over, following a 141-run second-wicket stand, off 160 balls, between Hardik Tamore (84 off 94) and Ayush Mhatre (78 off 82).Mumbai proceeded to up their scoring rate as Iyer added 30 off 22 with Tamore and 56 off 34 with Suryakumar Yadav (20 off 16). That set the stage for a frenetic finish, as Iyer and Shivam Dube proceeded to put on an unbroken 148 off the last 65 balls of Mumbai’s innings. While Dube scored an unbeaten 63 off 36 (5×4, 5×6), Iyer from the other end smashed 74 off the last 29 balls of his innings.Amid the carnage of Mumbai’s innings, new-ball operator Vasuki Koushik finished with the impressive figures of 0 for 45 from his ten overs.In contrast with Mumbai’s gradual build-up of steam, Karnataka kept pace with the required rate almost throughout their chase. They were 106 for 2 in the 15th over, with openers Nikin Jose (21 off 13) and Mayank Agarwal (47 off 48) having both departed, when Shrijith walked to the crease.The wicketkeeper-batter took charge of the innings thereafter, first putting on 94 with No. 3 KV Aneesh, who made a 66-ball 82 on his List A debut, and then dominating an unbroken stand of 183 off just 119 balls with the legspinning allrounder Praveen Dubey.While Dubey contributed 65 off 50 balls to the partnership, Shrijith smashed 107 off 69, as Karnataka charged towards their target. Mumbai’s bowlers came in for heavy punishment, none worse than Shardul Thakur who went for 72 in six wicketless overs.

After a sensational campaign in the 2024/25 Championship season, Leeds United earned promotion back to the Premier League. The Whites will now look to break the curse of newly-promoted teams in the last two seasons and survive in the top flight, which all six previous sides have failed to do.

To help with their cause, Daniel Farke’s side have had a busy summer transfer window so far. The first addition saw them bring former Manchester City academy graduate Lukas Nmecha to the club. The striker signed a two-year deal at Elland Road after leaving Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg at the end of his contract.

However, the 26-year-old might not be the only centre-forward who switches to Elland Road this summer.

Leeds’ next striker target

With Patrick Bamford something of an outcast at Leeds, Joel Piroe is really the only recognised number nine. Signing Nmecha was a necessary call, but their depth up front could be about to get even stronger if this next deal goes through.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Now, according to a report from journalist Sebastien Vidal, the Whites are considering a move to sign Al-Hilal and Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Yorkshire side are believed to be ‘in the race’ for the experienced attacker after it was confirmed the Saudi side ‘are open to selling’ their number nine this summer.

However, this will not be a straightforward deal to do. Leeds are set to face competition for Mitrovic’s signature, with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur also showing a keen interest. Al-Hilal are said to have set an asking price of £26m for the 30-year-old to return to the English top flight this summer.

Why Mitrovic would be a good signing

If there is one thing Mitrovic will bring to a side, it is goals. He is an experienced number nine and, having already played in the Premier League, knows what to expect upon a potential return to the competition, this time in a Leeds shirt.

His recent form for Al-Hilal has been impressive. The Serbian forward, who first made a name for himself at Belgian side Anderlecht, scored 28 goals and grabbed seven assists in 36 games for the club last season. That included 19 Saudi Pro League goals, placing him sixth in the race for the Golden Boot.

Certainly, a huge advantage to signing the striker is his Premier League experience. He has 38 top-flight goals in 129 games, playing for both Newcastle United and Fulham.

On two occasions, he has scored double-figure goals, including bagging 14 in his final campaign with the Cottagers. That was a season in which Statman Dave called him a “monster” of a striker.

There is certainly a case to be made that Mitrovic would be a huge upgrade on Nmecha. The former Man City striker has experience in the top flight, having played twice in the competition for the Citizens. That, however, is nowhere near the amount of experience the Serbian star has.

On top of that, the 26-year-old, who was born in Hamburg, Germany, struggled last season for Wolfsburg. He played 19 Bundesliga games, but only bagged three goals, and struggled with injuries throughout the campaign.

Generally speaking, there is a stark contrast between each player’s records from the top flight. Nmecha has played five full seasons in top-flight football for both Anderlecht and Wolfsburg.

However, he has just 30 goals in that time, an average of six per campaign.

In the same timeframe, the last five top-flight seasons he has played, Mitrovic has bagged 73 goals. That leaves him with an average of 14.6 strikes per season, a far better success rate than Nmecha’s in the past five seasons.

2018/19 (Fulham)

37 games, 11 goals

2020/21 (Anderlecht)

31 games, 14 goals

2020/21 (Fulham)

27 games, 3 goals

2021/22 (Wolfsburg)

25 games, 8goals

2022/23 (Fulham)

24 games, 14 goals

2022/23 (Wolfsburg)

16 games, 4 goals

2023/24 (Al-Hilal)

28 games, 28 goals

2023/24 (Wolfsburg)

3 games, 1 goal

2024/25 (Al-Hilal)

23 games, 19 goals

2024/25 (Wolfsburg)

19 games, 3 goals

All things considered, Mitrovic would be a huge upgrade on the new Leeds star Nmecha. He is far more experienced in the Premier League and has a fantastic goal record over the past few seasons.

For a fee of just £26m, this is a fantastic market opportunity for the Whites, signing a player who is a genuine Premier League goalscorer.

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Arsenal know that they will sign Viktor Gyokeres this summer and he will lead the line for Mikel Arteta next season and beyond. A total agreement with Sporting Lisbon has been reached.

Gyokeres might be 27, and thus is not someone who will be starring at number nine for the Emirates side in ten years, but he’s complete and accomplished, in the prime of his career and ready to tackle a top division such as the Premier League.

He did, after all, score 97 goals and supply 28 assists across 102 matches, winning the Liga Portugal in each of his two terms in the Iberian country.

However, Gyokeres might need some support as he enters the Emirates fray. Indeed, Arteta plans to pair him up with a playmaker.

Arsenal targeting a creative midfielder

Martin Odegaard left plenty to be desired last season, but he’s still Arsenal’s captain and one of the best midfielders in the world besides.

However, Arteta seeks a new playmaker who can drift between central and wide attacking berths. Someone like Chelsea’s Cole Palmer would be great.

There have been rumours that RB Leipzig talent Xavi Simons, 22, would be the man for the job, but Arsenal have fallen behind Chelsea in the race for the diminutive Dutchman.

This might feel like a blow, but when you consider the reason why the north Londoners have taken a step back, it becomes quite a bit less crippling.

Indeed, Arsenal are targeting one of the Premier League’s finest stars.

Arsenal in talks to sign PL star

According to GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are currently holding internal talks as they weigh up a formal offer for Eberechi Eze, who scored the winning goal as Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final.

Eze, 27, has a £60m release clause and has also been targeted by teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, but it is the Gunners who are leading the race as technical director Andrea Berta looks to seal a summer spending spree.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed earlier this week that Arsenal have held discussions with Eze’s camp as they look to put the pieces together.

Why Arsenal must sign Eberechi Eze

Crystal Palace signed Eze from Queens Park Rangers in the Championship for a £20m fee. It was 2020, and he was regarded as one of England’s brightest up-and-coming talents.

Five years on, Eze has immortalised himself as a Palace great, and now wants to make a big move to one of the finest teams on the continent while in the prime of his career.

The England international has been described as a “superstar” by analyst Ben Mattinson, and his vicious blend of powerful athleticism, fleet-footedness and always-improving potency in the final third makes him the perfect fit for Arteta’s project, having proven himself positionally versatile too.

Eberechi Eze – Crystal Palace Career by Position

Position

Apps

Goals

Assists

Attacking midfield

74

25

11

Left winger

52

9

7

Central midfield

25

6

3

Right winger

3

0

0

Data via Transfermarkt

As per FBref, the £100k-per-week star’s efforts last term left him ranked among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for shots taken, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for successful take-ons and the top 14% for ball recoveries per 90.

This complete sweep of attributes led the data-driven site to draw his countryman Palmer as one of his most statistically similar players, with the 22-year-old hailed as “the best player in the Premier League” by Jamie Carragher at the start of the 2024/25 season.

Palmer joined Chelsea from Manchester City in a deal worth £42m in September 2023, and he has since become the face of English football, with his extraordinary debut campaign yielding 25 goals and 15 assists across 45 matches in all competitions for the Blues.

Though Eze is not quite so clinical as his world-class positional peer, he is a unique and tricky opponent, so skilful and dynamic in his movements.

As per Sofascore, the Palace talent actually finished the recent league season having averaged two dribbles, 1.7 key passes and 4.6 ground duels (of which he won a respectable 53%) per game, further highlighting his roundedness.

And, of course, it’s not as if Eze isn’t clinical in his own right, having raised his game in that regard under Oliver Glasner’s wing, posting 34 direct goal involvements across 54 games since the Austrian manager arrived in the English capital.

Now, just imagine the improvements that could be made in Arteta’s system. The Spaniard is renowned as one of the best tacticians in football, with new Gunners recruit Martin Zubimendi even hailing him as “one of the best coaches in Europe”.

Given that Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli may both be sold this summer, Eze would be a fantastic addition – perhaps even a necessary addition – with his high-speed dribbling perfect for the left flank, should he not be deployed centrally to take on defenders, create space and spark playmaking for his side.

Dubbed a “magician” of a midfielder by pundit Micah Richards in the past, signing Eze really is a no-brainer. While he may not be Chelsea’s Palmer, he does possess a certain tactical likeness that has already worked so well at Stamford Bridge, and would be sure to elevate Arteta’s project as trophies are targeted across various competitions next year.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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A new season beckons, and if the summer transfer window is anything to go by, Arsenal are going to be right their at the front of the pack once again. Maybe the likes of Eze and Gyokeres could help them take that final step toward glory.

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Everton supporters are starting to get excited ahead of the new season.

Star centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite signed a new five-year contract last week, which is great news for Evertonians everywhere.

Meantime, it is being widely reported that striker Thierno Barry travelled to Merseyside on Tuesday, ahead of finalising a £32.5m move from Villarreal.

Now, could David Moyes bolster his midfield options as well?

Everton targeting a new midfielder

Ahead of moving into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, much of the positivity is rooted in Moyes, considering the Toffees won eight of 19 Premier League matches following his reappointment in January, including each of the last three.

The 62-year-old returned to the club 13 years after leaving for Manchester United, having enjoyed so much success during his first stint at Goodison.

2002/03

7th

59

2003/04

17th

39

2004/05

4th

61

UCL qualification

2005/06

11th

50

2006/07

6th

58

2007/08

5th

65

League Cup semi-finals

2008/09

5th

63

FA Cup Finalists

2009/10

8th

61

2010/11

7th

54

2011/12

7th

56

FA Cup semi-finals

2012/13

6th

63

As the table outlines, under Moyes, the Blues regularly finished in the top six of the Premier League, something they’ve not achieved for 11 years, and he enjoyed having countless top-class players at his disposal during this period.

One of the best players during Moyes’ later years at Goodison was Marouane Fellaini, more on the big Belgian shortly, so are Everton about to sign Moyes’ best midfielder since him?

Well, as reported by TEAMtalk, Everton have ‘made an enquiry’ to Juventus over the possibility of signing Douglas Luiz.

They add that the Brazilian ‘has been transfer-listed’ by la Vecchia Signora, with the Italian giants willing to sell him for half of the £43m fee paid to Aston Villa just 12 months ago, with Manchester United and Fulham also showing ‘strong interest’.

So, could Luiz swap Turin for Hill Dickinson Stadium?

How Douglas Luiz would improve Everton

The reason Luiz is on the market this summer is because, as described by Juventus legend Alessio Tacchinardi, the Brazilian’s transfer to I Bianconeri has been a “disaster”.

Since making the move from Villa, the 27-year-old has racked up just 877 minutes of action in a black and white striped shirt, starting just nine Serie A matches.

Before that though, brand strategy consultant Adam Gilks asserted that he was “one of the best sixes in the Premier League”, while Alex Keble of the Premier League added that he had become ‘the most important Villa player’ towards the end of his time in the Midlands.

So, let’s assess that assertion.

Minutes

2,993

41st

Goals

9

31st

Completed passes

1,800

23rd

Key passes

53

29th

Progressive passes

168

26th

Crosses

115

21st

Tackles

58

55th

Ball recoveries

184

27th

Fouls

51

10th

As the table outlines, during his final season at Aston Villa, Luiz ranked highly for most passing metrics, but also out of possession metrics too, namely ball recoveries, underlining his all-action style and hence, why Owen Hargreaves once described him as an “elite” defensive midfielder.

These statistics are certainly more impressive than those of any current Everton midfield options, namely Idrissa Gana Gueye, James Garner, Carlos Alcaraz or Tim Iroegbunam.

Thus, one would have to go back to Moyes’ first stint in charge to find an equally pivotal central midfield, and the star of the 2012/13 side was the aforementioned Fellaini.

After a sequence of impressive performances in 2010, Moyes asserted that “Marouane is probably the best midfielder in the country at the moment”.

Meantime, Barney Ronay of the Guardian outlined how Fellaini’s ‘sheer physical scale tended to generate a buzz’, but that he can be ‘unplayable’ at times, believing he remains one of the most unique players to ever grace the Premier League.

While, in terms of stature, demeanour and playing style, Luiz and Fellaini could hardly be much more different, but should the Brazilian arrive this summer, he would almost unquestionably be the best midfielder Moyes has worked with on Merseyside since the unmistakable Belgian.

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