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After a turbulent 12 months, can he produce the magic that once made him so instrumental in Pakistan’s Test domination?

Danyal Rasool15-Jul-2022There was a time when it felt like Pakistan Test cricket subsisted largely on series against Sri Lanka.Between 2009 and 2015, there were no fewer than seven Test series between the two sides, with Pakistan visiting Sri Lanka four times in six years to play 11 Tests. Only one player from each side is still part of the squad that began that cycle in 2009. For Sri Lanka, it’s the relatively ever-present Angelo Mathews, and for Pakistan, whatever the opposite of that is in Fawad Alam. While Fawad’s redemptive narrative arc has already been exhausted, it is another Pakistan player who might be looking to script his own over the next fortnight. He played just the final of those quickfire series in Sri Lanka, but the impact he would make provided Pakistan with a template for short-term Test domination.Yasir Shah had only made his Test debut following Saeed Ajmal’s bowling-action issues, and this excitable, gregarious legspinner was only seven months into his international career. Sure, the run-up needed sorting, an aspect none other than Shane Warne helped him fine-tune, and he needed to bowl slower to allow natural drift and spin to have its maximum impact, but there was something here to work with. Even so, having him shoulder the responsibility of matching Sri Lanka on their own turf in a spin-bowling shoot-out seemed excessive. For all of Ajmal’s brilliance, there was a reason Pakistan had ended up on the wrong side of the previous three Test series results in the island nation.Related

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What Yasir achieved was nothing short of historic. With seven, six and five-wicket innings hauls in each Test respectively, he would top the wickets charts with 24. Dhammika Prasad was a distant second with 14, and no other spinner managed double digits. Of the 52 Sri Lankan wickets to fall, nearly half came off Yasir’s bowling. Pakistan would go on to seal a first series win in Sri Lanka since 2006, and in the sub-continent at least, Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan had the player to build the Test side around.It wasn’t just Asia either. In London the following year, Yasir would take apart England with impressive hauls at Lord’s and The Oval, deploying the one that went straight on with just as much venom as the one that spun prodigiously. Pakistan rose to the top of the Test rankings off the back of that; a year later it would be West Indies in their own backyard who bore the brunt of this cricketer at the top of his game, cleaning up Shannon Gabriel with his last ball of the series to give Pakistan their only Test series win in the Caribbean. How indeed did he do that?Part of the answer lies in faith and timing. Yasir was at his best when Pakistan had worked out how to go about making the UAE, their adopted home, a fortress, and his game style was perfect for it. In Misbah as captain, he was blessed with a leader who could perhaps watch his beard grow in real-time without losing patience. As a man who only became captain when he was on the verge of quitting the game at 36, he was an ardent believer in good things coming to those who waited. And so Yasir, a rhythm bowler par excellence, operated from one end to devastating effect, handing out the UAE drubbings like they were going out of style. He became the quickest man to 200 Test wickets in another epic series against New Zealand, when, for a surreal week or so, a Dunedin-born Australian legspinner who played in the years between the two World Wars called Clarrie Grimmett became something of a household name in Pakistan.All this, remember, had happened over the span of barely four years, and just as quickly as it occurred, the unravelling began. Misbah, Yasir’s strongest backer, had stepped away from the game, and Pakistan now had a no-nonsense fitness enthusiast in Mickey Arthur as coach. Yasir was the first man he cited as an example of laxity in this department in the Pakistan side. Besides, consecutive series in South Africa and Australia followed. He was especially ordinary, and missed games in both series. In fact, in the Southern Hemisphere, Yasir’s 20 wickets have come at 87 apiece at an economy rate of 4.37.Yasir Shah’s numbers haven’t been particularly impressive since Pakistan moved back home from the UAE•Associated PressMost of all, however – and this must be a particularly bittersweet one to acknowledge – Pakistan finally moved back home from the UAE, both his kingdom and his comfort blanket. In Pakistan, pace bowlers are at the top of the food chain, with wickets tailored to their desires. Azhar Ali, then Pakistan’s captain, euphemistically referred to his “changing role” in the side, but few were in any doubt as to what that meant.The fast bowlers did indeed take over, and Yasir dropped off. His average in Pakistan was 36.50; in the UAE, he had taken wickets at 24.56 apiece. The fitness issues began to pile up, as well as a criminal probe in Pakistan that at the time saw him become a person of interest for the police. The charges against Yasir were later dropped, though.Pakistan thought they had spin talent coming through the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, with Sajid Khan and Nauman Ali topping the domestic bowling charts last year, and gently, Yasir was phased out. But despite an encouraging spin-dominated series win in Bangladesh, Pakistan were reminded of what they missed in an insipid, uninspiring series for its spinners against Australia. Seven years after that Sri Lanka series, the challenge ahead of Pakistan loomed large, and in punting for Yasir, the visitors have gone to the well once more, praying it hasn’t completely run dry.Seven years on, age isn’t on his side, and neither, tragically, is Warne, one of Yasir’s most generous supporters. Sri Lanka have younger, hungrier spinners, who are also in better form, having cleaned up Australia last week. But this is, therapeutically, what Yasir perhaps needs most. It was the place where he proved his doubters wrong, his answer so resoundingly emphatic they wouldn’t utter a peep for years to come. Now, they swarm once more in Sri Lanka, a country that has, over the past few weeks, shown limitless generosity in their love of this game. It might have one last gift for Yasir in store.

From Nairobi to Lord’s, Durban to Rajkot, and all points in between

Himanshu Agrawal18-May-2020What We’re WatchingThe coming of age: Nairobi, Lord’s and Sydney
India were reeling from the sting of the match-fixing scandal when the 2000 ICC Knockout got underway in Nairobi. With two of their experienced middle-order batsmen serving bans, they were forced to turn to youth. Into the side came Singh, only 18, and a star of India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph earlier that year. Batting for the first time in international cricket, he immediately showed he belonged, scoring 84 off 80 balls against an Australia attack that included Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie.Two years later, India, chasing 326 in a tri-series final against England, were 132 for 4 when Singh walked in. That soon became 146 for 5. You know what happened next: the partnership with Mohammad Kaif, the tense finish, and the sight of an ecstatically shirtless Sourav Ganguly on the Lord’s balcony. Some of Singh’s shots that day, as you can see here, were truly jaw-dropping.Come 2004, in a tri-series game in Sydney, he stitched together 213 with VVS Laxman, 139 of which came from his own blade. The shots flowed all around the ground, and one of the high points of this video is a pull off Jason Gillespie: the sound of the ball leaving his bat leaves the commentators purring.The years of plenty
Even as he piled up an impressive highlights reel, Singh could be maddeningly inconsistent in his early years. From the start of 2005 to the end of 2007, however, he was easily one of the world’s top ODI batsmen, scoring 2975 runs at an average of 46.48, with six hundreds.He was indispensable in this period, a clinical middle-order finisher. Pakistan bore the brunt of his power and timing, across formats. He scored his first two Test hundreds against them, in 2004 and 2006, and was a constant scourge, along with MS Dhoni, during the ODI series in Pakistan in 2006; the best of his innings in that series was probably his unbeaten 107 – made while battling a hamstring injury – in a brilliant chase of 287.A year later, Singh showed just how destructive a six-hitter he could be. First, he hit seven sixes in a 46-ball 83 against Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup, in India’s mammoth total of 413. It was barely a consolation in a tournament that India crashed out of in the group stage, but it was a warning for what was to follow six months later. Look away, Stuart Broad.”How d’you like the crust on that?” Kevin Pietersen called Yuvraj Singh a pie-chucker, but he didn’t do badly with the ball at all•Getty ImagesThose six sixes powered Singh to a fifty off just 12 balls – still the fastest fifty in all T20 cricket. In India’s next match of that inaugural World T20, the semi-final against Australia, he continued his rampant run by smacking 70 off 30 balls, including the longest six of the tournament,The destructiveness of his T20 hitting could carry over into ODIs too; in Rajkot in 2008, he smeared 138 off just 78 balls against England, while wearing a brace to protect his injured back. He scored another hundred in the next game, in Indore, and took that form into the 2008-09 tour of New Zealand, where he hammered 87 off just 60 balls in Christchurch.The electric fielder, the “pie chucker”
India are now a top-class fielding side, but it wasn’t always so. Singh played his part in the transformation, and in the early part of his career he was a livewire at backward point, capable of turning short, wide hit-me balls into wicket takers with his feats of athleticism. Two of his most memorable catches helped turn around the Champions Trophy semi-final of 2002: a leaping, two-handed grab at full stretch to send back Graeme Smith, and a sensational swoop at short fine leg off a top-edged sweep from Jonty Rhodes. Oh, and he had a fantastic arm too.Singh’s left-arm spin appeared entirely innocuous, but he varied his pace and release angles cleverly and made some good batsmen look foolish. Kevin Pietersen famously called him a pie chucker, but Singh had the last laugh, dismissing Pietersen five times in international cricket. You can see from this gleeful celebration just how feisty their rivalry was.More What We’re Watching

لا تزال تصريحات محمد صلاح النارية تجاه مدربه آرني سلوت ونادي ليفربول تُلقي بظلالها على الإعلام الإنجليزي، الذي لم يهدأ منذ اللحظة الأولى لانفجار الأزمة.

ولم يعد الأمر مجرد خلاف فني أو غضب لاعب من جلوسه على مقاعد البدلاء، بل تحوّلت إلى ملف مفتوح تتصدره الصحف الكبرى يوميًا، مع تحليلات مستمرة حول مستقبل النجم المصري.

ورصدت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية تقريرًا يتناول اللحظة الحالية في مسيرة محمد صلاح مع ليفربول ووضعه في مقارنة مع أساطير النادي السابقين، وجاء بعنوان: “انفجار غضب محمد صلاح يوضح لماذا من المستحيل أن ينتهي الأمر بنهاية سعيدة في ليفربول، كلمات الملك المصري تسببت في أضرار لا يمكن إصلاحها”.

تبدأ الصحيفة تقريرها بالحديث عن قائد وأسطورة ليفربول السابق ستيفن جيرارد الذي لم يحظٍ بنهاية مثالية في “آنفيلد”، القائد الذي حمل النادي على كتفيه لسنوات، لم يختتم مسيرته بكأس أو لحظة خالدة، بل بهزيمتين موجعتين وخلافات مع الإدارة.

صرّح جيرارد بعد الهزيمة في نصف النهائي أمام أستون فيلا، بعدما كان يتمنى اللقب: “كان الأمر رائعًا لدرجة يصعب تصديقها، أليس كذلك؟، الفوز بكأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي، في عيد ميلادك، في مباراتك الأخيرة؟”.

كانت آخر مباريات جيرارد مع ليفربول، هزيمة 3-1 أمام كريستال بالاس وهزيمة 6-1 أمام ستوك؛ كان ذلك بعد أن تعامل النادي مع محادثات تمديد عقده بشكل مؤسف، وتدهورت علاقته مع بريندان رودجرز.

اقرأ أيضًا | ديلي ميل: تجربة جوارديولا حل ليفربول للخروج من مأزق أنانية محمد صلاح

وقبل جيرارد كان ستيف ماكمانامان، الذي أضاء عتمة الليل في ليفربول بأدائه خلال فترة التسعينات، لكنه ترك خلفه جدلًا وغضبًا بسبب انتقاله إلى ريال مدريد، رغم أن النادي نفسه حاول بيعه قبلها دون رغبة منه.

والقصة تكررت مع لويس سواريز، الذي عاش موسمًا استثنائيًا، لكنه عاد إلى آنفيلد بقميص برشلونة محاطًا بصافرات الاستهجان.

وهناك أيضًا مايكل أوين، الذي حصل على الكرة الذهبية وقاد النادي لبطولات تاريخية، خرج بدوره من الباب الخلفي وانتقل إلى ريال مدريد، ثم انتهى به الأمر في مانشستر يونايتد، والآن يُذكر اسمه بألفاظ نابية.

وتشير “ديلي ميل” إلى أن هناك المزيد، من الماضي وحتى الآونة الأخيرة، حيث ثارت ضجة عندما بيع روبي فاولر إلى ليدز (2001) وانتقال تشابي ألونسو إلى ريال مدريد (2009).

وكان فيليب كوتينيو نجمًا ساطعًا في عهد يورجن كلوب، لكن رغبته في الانتقال إلى برشلونة، أثارت حوله موجةً من الاستهجان، وباعه ليفربول مقابل 142 مليون جنيه إسترليني، لكن الغضب من رحيله، في البداية، لا يُنسى.

وفي الآونة الأخيرة، جوردان هندرسون، قائد التتويج بالدوري بعد ثلاثين عامًا، ودّع النادي في صيف صامت وسط أعمال بناء خالية من الجماهير، وهو يكافح دموعه، بعد أن قرر الانتقال إلى نادي الاتفاق.

وتوضح “ديلي ميل” أن هذه الخلفية ليست مجرد سرد تاريخي؛ لكن هي مفتاح لفهم اللحظة التي يعيشها محمد صلاح الآن في ليفربول.

المصري حين خرج بتصريحات نارية ضد سلوت، لم يكن مجرد اختلاف في وجهات النظر، بل بدا وكأنه إعلان مواجهة مباشرة، وفتيل قنبلة يشعله، خطوة منفردة تحمل ضجيجًا سياسيًا وإعلاميًا داخل النادي، وتفتح الباب أمام أزمة يصعب التراجع عنها بسهولة.

وأفاد التقرير بأن محمد صلاح أحدث مثال على استحالة أن تكون نهاية مسيرته في ليفربول مثالية، بإلقاء نظرة على التاريخ، سنرلا العديد من الأمثلة على أبطال انتهى بهم الأمر في صراع مع النادي، أو انقلب عليهم المشجعون، أو تركوا الجماهير في خلاف مع المالكين.

وتوضح “ديلي ميل” أن صلاح يعرف جيدًا تأثير كلماته، ويعرف أكثر كيف يُحدث الضجة، وكيف تتحرك الجماهير حين يتحدث، وقبل عام فقط استخدم ردود الفعل الجماهيرية لدعم موقفه في مفاوضات العقد الجديد، لكنه هذه المرة لم يجد نفس الصدى؛ فالتوقيت حساس، والأداء محل نقاش، والعلاقة مع المدرب تمر بمرحلة دقيقة.

اقرأ أيضًا | ذا أثلتيك: 3 أطراف وراء استبعاد محمد صلاح من مباراة إنتر ميلان.. وهذا موقف ليفربول من تأديبه

ويفيد التقرير أن السيناريو الأقرب خلال الشهور الماضية كان رحيل صلاح بنهاية الموسم نحو الدوري السعودي، إلا أن ما حدث الآن وضع الجميع في مأزق.

والسؤال الآن كيف سيُعامل هدّاف تاريخي للنادي إذا اضطر المدرب إلى استبعاده؟ وفي المقابل، كيف يمكن لصلاح أن يتصرف كلاعب “منضبط” وسط هذا الكم من الضجيج؟، وكيف يمكن أن يكون صلاح في موقف يُستبعد فيه كتلميذ مشاغب؟.

كان يعتقد أن محمد صلاح سيشهد نهاية لهذه القصة حيث يغادر بحذاء ذهبي آخر وميدالية أخرى وإشادة أنفيلد ترن في أذنيه، وإذا لم يحدث هذا لجيرارد، فلن يحدث للملك المصري، الذي عانى تاجه من أضرار لا يمكن إصلاحها.

Waite Hoyt pitched for seven MLB teams over the course of a 21-year career from 1918 to '38, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Diego Rivera was one of 20th Century art's towering figures—the Mexican icon who brought mural art onto the world's biggest stages.

On the surface, these facts would seem to be unrelated—but on Wednesday, they fused together to create a financial windfall.

A painting given to Hoyt by Rivera as a thank-you for baseball tickets in 1932 has sold at auction for $190,000, according to a Thursday morning report from Larry Holder of .

The painting is titled , which roughly translates to . According to a blurb written for Sotheby's by Tim Manners—the co-author of Hoyt's posthumous memoir, released in 2024—the pitcher and Rivera are said to have crossed paths in 1932, when Hoyt was playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Rivera displayed the fresco at what is now 30 Rock.

Citing "family lore," Manners wrote that Hoyt gave Rivera tickets to see the Dodgers and Rivera—learning that Hoyt had begun painting extensively in retirement—gifted him in 1951.

Collaborations between baseball and fine art are rare, but they do happen. Banksy and Shohei Ohtani, we're ready when you are.

Sri Lanka last hosted the men’s T20 World Cup in 2012, India in 2016

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Sep-2025The 2026 men’s T20 World Cup is likely to be played between February 7 and March 8. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and will comprise 20 teams.The matches will be played in at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka. The final will be in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan is playing. India and Pakistan are not playing in each other’s countries due to strained political relations between the two governments at present.While the ICC is still finalising the schedule, ESPNcricinfo has learned that it has identified the window and informed the participating countries.Related

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At present, 15 teams have been confirmed for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup: India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Italy, who have qualified for a World Cup for the first time. Of the remaining five teams, two will come from the Africa regional qualifier and three from the Asia and East Asia Pacific qualifier.The format will be the same as the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, where the 20 teams were divided into four groups of five each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the Super Eight round, where once again the eight teams were divided into two groups of four. The top two from each Super Eight group progressed to the semi-finals. India are the reigning champions, having beaten South Africa in the final in Barbados. The entire tournament comprised 55 matches.India are hosting several marquee events in the first four months of 2026 starting with the WPL, dates for which are yet to be finalised. The BCCI has earmarked a window between early January and early February for the five-team tournament. The WPL will be followed by the men’s T20 World Cup, after which the BCCI will host the IPL, with the tentative window being March 15 to May 31. India also host New Zealand for ODIs and T20Is from January 11 to 31.

Fast bowler declares injury-free summer to be a “tick” after helping England seal record consolation win

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2025Jofra Archer declared his performance in third ODI against South Africa at the Utilita Bowl as “one of those times you don’t want to put the ball down”, after routing his opponents with four powerplay wickets en route to England recording the largest margin of victory ever in a 50-over international match.Archer’s superb figures of 4 for 18 in nine overs weren’t enough to salvage the series for England, after their contrasting defeats in the first two matches at Headingley and Lord’s. However, in reducing South Africa to 18 for 5 in the space of his first 4.5 overs, he set up a thumping 342-run win that bettered England’s previous largest victory in the format by exactly 100 runs.With Brydon Carse claiming two wickets in his own opening spell, and with Temba Bavuma absent with a calf strain, South Africa were reeling at 24 for 6 in the ten-over powerplay, before Adil Rashid’s three wickets sealed the victory in 20.5 overs – the same figure that South Africa themselves had needed to complete their series-opening run-chase at Headingley last week.”I told Carse, when we were bowling, let’s just do it so nobody else has to bowl,” Archer said afterwards. “Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way, but we definitely did try. They were either going to get them or they were going to get bowled out trying to get them, and everyone’s figures are pretty good today. It’s good to win a game by that margin.”For Archer, the performance continued a hugely uplifting summer in which he has re-established his credentials across formats, including with his recall to the England Test team during the series against India in July.Related

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He admitted, after being named Player of the Match, that he had not expected to feature in his third match in a row, in light of the previous regime’s caution about his workload after numerous injuries. However, he acknowledged it “meant a lot” to be able to put in another strong performance for his team.”To be injury-free is always a plus,” he said. “This summer is a tick for me.”Archer’s first wicket came with the second ball of his spell, as Aiden Markram flashed outside off to nick off for a duck. But thereafter, he was nigh on unplayable, bowling back-to-back wicket maidens as Ryan Rickelton also edged to the keeper, before Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs were both dismissed by extra bounce.”There are some spells that you bowl like you hardly bowl a bad ball,” he said. “You can bowl good balls that go for boundaries. But when every single ball that you’ve released, you’re happy where it landed, today was one of those days.”Archer did, however, claim he had felt in even better rhythm in the series opener in Leeds, where his superbly economical figures of 5-1-8-0 were overshadowed by the brutal treatment meted out to Sonny Baker (7-0-76-0) on debut at the other end.”I felt I bowled better at Headingley, but obviously I didn’t get the wickets to show,” he said. “But for the first four or five overs, well, actually the first 10 of the powerplay today, it was overcast. The ball was hard, the pitch was nipping. I don’t know if a red ball would have done the same thing, but that’s probably one of the times you don’t want to put the ball down. I tried my best not to put it down today either.”Asked how it felt to be a part of such an emphatic victory, Archer admitted he had not known the specifics of the victory, mouthing “wow” when told that 342 runs was a world-record margin.”To be honest, I didn’t really look at the scoreboard much,” he said. “I actually don’t know what they finished on, we were so focused on just trying to get off. But it was exciting. There was an ‘ooh’ or an ‘aah’ every single over.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Na semana que antecede o jogo mais importante da história do Fortaleza, a final da Copa Sul-Americana contra a LDU (EQU), no sábado (28), o clube registrou a venda de mais de 7 mil unidades de seu novo terceiro uniforme.

RelacionadasFortalezaFortaleza pode se tornar o maior clube do nordeste caso vença a Sul-Americana? Lance! compara com rivaisFortaleza27/10/2023Lance! BizDa Série C à final da Sul-Americana: entenda a ascensão do Fortaleza por meio das finançasLance! Biz27/10/2023

Elaborada pela fornecedora de material esportivo Volt, a nova camisa do “Laion” conta com referências à cultura francesa e está sendo vendida por R$ 299,00, com descontos para sócios-torcedores.

-Quando chegamos no Fortaleza, sabíamos da grandeza do clube e do grande volume de vendas, mas a torcida nos surpreendeu. Tivemos alguns percalços no início, o que é normal é um projeto deste porte, mas conseguimos mostrar, através de lançamentos especiais e da qualidade dos produtos, como a Volt pode agregar a este crescimento nacional do Fortaleza -, comenta Fernando Kleimmann, sócio-diretor da empresa, que fechou parceria do clube cearense em 2023.

O Fortaleza encara a LDU neste sábado (28), na cidade de Punta del Este, no Uruguai, a partir das 17h, e você acompanha todos os detalhes desta final da Copa Sul-Americana no Lance! (clique aqui e confira).

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be overjoyed by how his side reacted to their first defeat of the season away to Liverpool, with the Gunners going unbeaten in their last seven games since then and topping the Premier League table.

By contrast, Liverpool have got a taste of their own medicine in the last fortnight after previously winning games in dramatic late fashion — losing their last two successive top flight matches against Crystal Palace and Chelsea in the final minutes.

Arsenal have now leapfrogged the Reds into pole position, with Arteta just reigning victorious in his 300th game in charge of the club against West Ham.

Saka also reached two impressive milestones against the Hammers, marking his 200th Premier League appearance by reaching a century of goal involvements in the competition.

Appearances

270

Goals

73

Assists

71

Bookings

31

Red cards

0

Minutes played

20,448

Sporting director Andrea Berta, after sealing new contracts for star defender William Saliba and goalkeeper David Raya recently, is in talks with Saka’s camp to extend the winger’s terms beyond 2027.

The 24-year-old could get a salary increase to north of £250,000-per-week and the North Londoners are optimistic they can agree a deal by Christmas (Football Transfers), with defender Jurrien Timber also poised to be handed a new deal after his excellent form.

With a host of players looking likely to commit their futures to Arsenal for the foreseeable, the same cannot be said of summer signing Christian Norgaard, who has already decided his next club and revealed when he’s going to leave.

Christian Norgaard reveals Arsenal exit timeline with next club decided

Speaking to Bold, Norgaard says that Arsenal will definitely be his last club abroad, and he wants a return to Brondby once his contract expires in 2027 or 2028.

The 31-year-old former Brentford captain was brought in as an experienced utility player and a replacement for Thomas Partey, missing Arsenal’s first four league games of the season with a knock, and is yet to play a single top flight minute for his new club.

Norgaard started the Carabao Cup third round win away to Port Vale last month, playing one minute in the Champions League against Athletic Bilbao, but this is the summary of his game time under Arteta so far.

The Denmark international would’ve been made aware of his bit-part role before he signed from Brentford, and going by this message, he doesn’t appear to have any issue with his squad-player status.

Two Premier League clubs are reportedly weighing up a controversial move for Mason Greenwood as the former Manchester United forward continues his dazzling form in France for Marseille. Greenwood left Old Trafford under a dark cloud in September 2023 after serious criminal allegations were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. He initially joined Getafe on loan before making a permanent switch to Ligue 1 giants Marseille last season.

Greenwood’s career renewal

Greenwood's career has seen a revival following a loan spell in Spain and a permanent move to France. After seeing charges of attempted rape and assault dropped in February 2023, he joined Getafe and began to regain form, scoring eight goals and providing six assists in 33 league appearances.

He then joined Marseille in July 2024 for £26.6 million ($35.3m) and enjoyed an outstanding debut season, scoring 21 goals in Ligue 1 and providing six assists. This performance made Greenwood the joint-top scorer in the league, alongside Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele, and helped Marseille qualify for the Champions League. Greenwood has transferred his prolific form to the 2025-26 campaign, adding another eight goals to his Marseille tally.

AdvertisementAFPPotential Premier League return

According to , Tottenham and West Ham have now joined the race to sign Greenwood in 2026, exploring a possible return to the Premier League for the one-cap England international. While Spurs seek a dynamic, energetic player, West Ham see him as a potential game-changer and are desperate for new additions while languishing in the relegation places after a shocking start to the season, which has seen them change managers.  

The challenge for the London clubs is not only the public perception of bringing him back to England, but also convincing Greenwood, who wants to play in top-tier competitions. Barcelona are reportedly leading the pursuit for Greenwood, with the club's scouts having recently watched him play. The Catalan giants view him as a dynamic addition to Hansi Flick’s attack and could set up a reunion with Marcus Rashford, who is currently impressing on loan from Manchester United.

However, also indicate that Atletico Madrid were impressed with Greenwood during the loan spell at Getafe and are keen to bring him back to La Liga. Meanwhile, Saudi Pro League clubs like Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are said to be preparing lucrative offers, though Greenwood's current preference is to stay in Europe and compete in the Champions League.

Champions League hopes with Marseille

Greenwood has rarely spoken to the press in recent years, but at the end of last season he made clear his desire to make a success of his time on the south coast of France. 

He said: "I hope to be here next year for the Champions League. I feel at home here. I recently had a baby here with my girlfriend. Not a lot of people get to experience that kind of thing here and with all my team-mates and coaches I would like to thank them all."

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Getty Images SportInternational decision for Greenwood

Greenwood's senior international career consisted of a single cap. He made his England debut in September, 2020, as a late substitute in a Nations League match against Iceland. However, his time with the squad ended immediately afterward when he and Phil Foden were sent home for breaching COVID-19 quarantine regulations. The pair invited women to the team hotel, violating the bio-secure bubble. The FA launched an investigation and both players were fined by Icelandic police, later apologising for their "serious lack of judgement".

Greenwood's strong start to this season has reignited speculation about his international future. Though he received clearance to switch his international allegiance to Jamaica, he has not yet closed the door on playing for England again.

Barcelona have recorded a net loss of €17million (£14.7m/$19.8m) for the 2024-25 season, despite bringing in a huge €994m (£862m/$1.16billion) in revenue across the campaign. The mouth-watering figures signal a slight downturn from 2023-24, where both Barca's income and expenditure were under €900m and they recorded a marginal net profit of €5m (£4.3m/$5.8m) overall.

• Barca reveal €534m wage spend as net loss recorded

  Barcelona's Ordinary General Assembly of Members was held on Sunday morning. Club president Joan Laporta addressed attendees for the final time of his tenure and covered a wide range of topics which have concerned his latest stint a president of the club.

  Barca's debts were a key talking point from the Assembly, as it was revealed that the club recorded a net loss of €17m last season, while revenue almost hit €1 billion.

  La Blaugrana's wage bill increased from €510m (£442m/$594m) to €534m (£463m/$622m), a small increase which was ultimately a difference as a net loss was recorded by the Catalan super club.

  But Laporta made sure to emphasise that the club’s tough financial situation in recent years is seeing rapid improvement, citing performances on the pitch, La Masia and the under construction new Spotify Camp Nou as ways in which the club has taken strides in returning to its former glory since 2021.

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  Laporta speaks on 2024/25 financial accounts

  Barcelona's initial financial accounts depict a €2m surplus, before additional fees resulted in a €17m net loss overall. The club made sure to emphasise the success behind achieving the former.

  "In the economic realm, we have done everything so that you can continue being the owners of the club, the members, without having to bear the cost, without having to dig into your pockets. We are very satisfied with that. Positive results with a surplus of 2 million euros…achieving revenues of €994m, you will agree, is even more remarkable considering that we are still playing away from home," said Laporta.

  "We have achieved a historic record in sponsorship with a total of €259m, which is explained by the internationalisation of the market. We have reduced the debt set by the League by €90m, which is no small feat. So we are on the right track. We have made a titanic effort to contain spending."

• Laporta reflects on Barcelona's recent success

  Laporta added: "I can tell you with all pride that we have worked hard to return Barça to the place it deserves. Four and a half years ago they gave us the trust to recover the club's image, to carry out the new Camp Nou, and to strengthen La Masía, and that is what we will continue to do if they give us their trust. We are much better off than we were four and a half years ago. 

  "Everything can be improved, but this stage is much better than four and a half years ago. Those who don't want to see it… We have recovered the club's finances because we did not pay attention to apocalyptic proclamations. This has happened because we have worked hard and well. We have been courageous on complex issues.

  "We feel stronger than ever to complete Barça's recovery in every area. We thank all the workers for their effort. At the right time, the club was saved, and now we are on the path to improving it.

  "On a sporting level, I think last season was historic…We won the [domestic] treble and also the way we won, I think, was very much in line with our genuine style of playing football, playing well. I want to give all the credit and recognition to Deco, to [Hansi] Flick, his staff, the fitness trainers, medical team, and a tribute to the late Carles Miñarro…"

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  A glance to the present and the future

  "A team that has a present and has a future, and that is demonstrated by the Kopa Trophy [won by Lamine Yamal] and which we have won in recent years: in 2021 Pedri, then Gavi, who I hope recovers as soon as possible, and then the two years of Lamine Yamal.

  “In women's football we are a global reference, congratulations to Aitana for her new Ballon d'Or…

  "We have returned to the global frontline and we are a respected club. We have a badge that is respected and loved worldwide. Joy has been returned to all the culers."