Tag Futebol

da betobet： Liverpool are set to continue their pursuit of the Premier League title when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

da dobrowin： The Reds will be expected to pick up all three points at home against relegation-threatened Wolves, who could fall into the relegation zone depending on results elsewhere this weekend.

Related Will England get a 5th Champions League place? UEFA's rules explained

Plenty of clubs could be eyeing 5th place if the Premier League earns an extra CL slot.

Posts 1 ByRoss Kilvington Feb 10, 2025 Liverpool vs Wolves team news

Liverpool

Having a fully fit squad to choose from can be a major advantage in a title race, and Arne Slot is blessed to have almost all of his players available for selection, although there could be some absentees.

Defender Joe Gomez is set to miss out due to a hamstring issue, having been substituted after just 11 minutes at Plymouth and missing the draw at Everton, whereas Curtis Jones received a red card after the full-time whistle and Cody Gakpo is a fresh doubt.

Wolves

Vitor Pereira has a few injury concerns to deal with, although the only key first-team players out are strikers Jorgen Strand Larsen and Hwang Hee-Chan. Both forwards missing will leave Pereira a little light on options in attack.

Where to watch Liverpool vs Wolves on TV

In the United Kingdom, viewers will be able to tune in on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and NOW TV, with kick-off at 2pm (GMT).

Viewers in the USA can watch on USA Network.

Liverpool vs Wolves referee & VAR

The referee for the clash at Anfield is Simon Hooper, who will be assisted by Adrian Holmes and Simon Long. Sam Barrott is the fourth official after officiating Leicester vs Arsenal, whereas John Brooks and Adam Nunn are on VAR and assistant VAR duty respectively.

As can be seen, Hooper is yet to give the Reds a penalty in the 12 games he’s been in the middle.

Simon Hooper record

Liverpool

Wolves

Games

12

27

Record

7W, 3D, 2L

11W, 4D, 12L

Cards received

17 Yellow, 2 Red

37 Yellow, 1 Red

Cards to opponents

26 Yellow, 1 Red

55 Yellow, 3 Red

Penalties for/against

0/1

2/2

Liverpool vs Wolves form Liverpool

The Reds suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup at the weekend, however, they fielded a weakened starting XI, and remain in good form in the Premier League.

Slot’s side are seven points clear at the summit of the Premier League table following a 2-2 draw against Everton on Wednesday night, placing them in a very strong position to secure a 20th English title.

Liverpool’s last five results (all competitions)

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

Wed 12th Feb

Everton

Premier League

D 2-2

Sun 9th Feb

Plymouth

FA Cup

L 1-0

Thu 6th Feb

Tottenham (h)

EFL Cup

W 4-0

Sat 1st Feb

Bournemouth (a)

Premier League

W 0-2

Wed 29th Jan

PSV (a)

Champions League

L 3-2

Wolves

Wolves find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle, having picked up just 19 points in 24 Premier League games, but they have had some tricky fixtures since the turn of the year, succumbing to defeats against Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Arsenal.

The Old Gold’s form has started to pick up in recent weeks, however, moving out of the bottom three with a 2-0 victory against Aston Villa in their last Premier League outing, before winning by the same scoreline at Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup.

Wolves’ last five results (all competitions)

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

Sun 9th Feb

Blackburn (a)

FA Cup

W 0-2

Sat 1st Feb

Aston Villa (h)

Premier League

W 2-0

Sat 25th Jan

Arsenal (h)

Premier League

L 0-1

Mon 20th Jan

Chelsea (a)

Premier League

L 3-1

Wed 15th Jan

Newcastle (a)

Premier League

L 3-0

Liverpool vs Wolves head-to-head

As you’d expect, Liverpool have a strong record against Wolves, winning the majority of the historical matches between the two sides, including 15 of the last 16 in the Premier League.

Slot’s side prevailed 2-1 at Molineux earlier this season, with Mohamed Salah providing the winner from the spot just after the hour mark, and they will be expected to pick up all three points again this Sunday if they are to go on and win the title.

Liverpool v Wolves head-to-head (all competitions)

Liverpool wins

62

Draws

18

Wolves wins

37

By 10am, the queue for entry at Lord’s North Gate was quite frankly eye-popping. It stretched past the Wellington Hospital, past the BP garage, down towards the road that provides a shortcut to the Beatles’ zebra crossing. But for the buses tiptoeing past those punters who had spilled off the pavements, it would have wormed all the way across the road to the aisles of Panzer’s delicatessen, from whence more than a few of today’s Nursery Ground picnics are sure to have been picked up.And to view the splendid scene that lay beyond those gates – with near-packed stands on all four sides of the ground, and the sun burning through in the early afternoon to complement that uniquely contented hum that passes for atmosphere at Lord’s – you’d be forgiven for assuming that you were watching a sport in the rudest of health. Until, that is, you drilled down into the actual details of the contest.But no! Don’t go peering behind the curtain … that’ll only spoil the illusion. And yet, everything that was right about the Lord’s experience today – the steady flow at the bars and the happy chat of reunited friends, and out in the middle, that languid sense of life gently meandering before you, like an afternoon’s fishing on a quiet corner of the Thames – was everything that’s wrong with the contemporary Test experience. And startlingly, that fact remained true even though England laid on a(nother) batting display of historic, genre-bending, dominance.Related

• Josh Little missing Lord's Test 'the best thing' for Ireland – Andy Balbirnie

• Josh Tongue produces stats that matter on prime numbers day

• Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett conspire to crush Ireland

• Stats – Bazball renewal and Pope's Botham-beating double at Lord's

Have we been spoilt by the exploits of Ben Stokes’ rebooted Test team? I’m not convinced it’s that simple, for you’d be hard-pressed to find any genuine criticism of the manner in which England have overwhelmed their opponents.In his notes for the souvenir match programme, Stokes restated his team’s battleplan in the same stark, uncompromising tones that they have so far served up for the scorecard. “We’re out here to score runs, take wickets and win games – and we like to do all three as quickly as we can,” he wrote. And on the evidence to date, there’s little reason to believe England will be detained much beyond lunch on Saturday afternoon. Job done, a round of golf and the FA Cup final awaits.Instead, the worry is that today’s exploits in particular reflect the same levels of privilege that were on display within the walls of Lord’s. It’s easy to ignore the signs that all is not well with the Test world when everything looks quite as serene as it was made to feel this afternoon. And in three weeks’ time, when Australia rock up here for the second Test of the most anticipated Ashes summer since 2005, it would be self-loathingly righteous not to get swept up by the excitement.But if Ireland’s toils on this extraordinary stage don’t give you pause for thought, and reason to reflect on the lot of the less fortunate members of Test cricket’s brotherhood, then not only are you probably dead inside, then your beloved format is likely to follow suit in pretty short order. Never mind being in possession of the most storied ground in the world, with the right to turn a vast profit from two Tests per summer. England’s opponents right now are a team that burned €1 million on hosting their first Test match in temporary facilities back in 2018, and have been so scarred by the experience, they’ve barely dared to carry any hosting costs since.And so there’s no point in complaining, either, that Ireland are not worthy of their Test status. The reasons are writ large in the back-story to this contest, and so are the wealth of mitigations. And, as one or two of the jazz-hatters in the crowd today ought to know if they’ve ever donned the black, red and gold colours of another famously nomadic team, I Zingari, if you plan to get out of the darkness and reach the light, you generally have to walk through the fire. There’s only one way for Ireland to get the experience they need to compete in the future, and that’s the hard way.”What is cricket without its fans?” Ben Stokes said in his first pre-match comments as captain•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

The cracks in the façade were clearly visible last year, even at Lord’s. Prior to England’s five-wicket win over New Zealand in the first Test of the summer – the contest that kicked off the Bazmania that followed – there was more than a little disquiet about the price of entry for that match. Most tickets then ranged between £100 and £160, and there were still some 16,000 seats unsold in the week before the game. “What is cricket without its fans?” Stokes said in his first pre-match comments as captain. “What is sport without its fans?”It is clearly to MCC’s credit that they reduced their prices for this Ireland Test – between £70 and £90 in the main, with Under-16s at £20 – although you’d have to assume that England’s style of play was the decisive factor in today being so packed out. But amid the ongoing tussle over the ICC’s future revenue distribution, there’s an onus on England in particular to provide more than just a glorious stage on which their less-well-off opponents can get beaten – because if Stokes’ fantastic team is to succeed in its mission to make Test cricket great again, they will need more than just India and Australia to give them a run for their money.This fact was brought home to the ECB in no uncertain terms during the pandemic, when many of the same England players produced mental miracles to “keep the lights on”. But they were only able to do so thanks to the goodwill of their opponents that summer – most particularly West Indies and Pakistan who endured lengthy bio-bubbles for the Test series, although Ireland were also an important factor as they, along with Australia, agreed to fulfil their white-ball obligations.The extent of England’s subsequent gratitude, however, has been mixed. Both West Indies and Pakistan benefitted from being able to host extended T20 series last year, but not before Pakistan had been outrageously fobbed off by the unilateral cancellation of England’s goodwill stop-over in 2021-22 – a shameful episode that led to the departure of the previous ECB chairman, Ian Watmore.Happily, the new chair and CEO combo, the former Surrey pairing of Richard Thompson and Richard Gould, seem to be more attuned to the true needs of the sport – with Gould acknowledging on a recent Final Word podcast that the time is nigh to pay visiting teams a fee for fulfilling their side of a bilateral agreement, to “encourage people not just to play Tests but make sure they can pay their players, and pay them well, so that they want to play Test cricket again.”It’s surely a critical step in shoring up a creaking format. But if an unprecedented run-rate of 6.34 across 82.4 overs in a home England Test is insufficient to set pulses racing, it may be that the sport has already been bled too dry to save those sides on the extremity.

What is the draft order and how was it decided? Can overseas players be retained?

Alex Malcolm17-Jul-2023The second installment of the BBL overseas draft is set to place on September 3 alongside the inaugural WBBL overseas draft. Both drafts will follow very similar rules to last year. Here is everything you need to know.What is the overseas draft and where will it be held?
BBL and WBBL teams no longer recruit their three overseas players privately. The BBL held an overseas draft for the first time last year and the WBBL will hold a draft for the first time this year. They will select a minimum of two or a maximum of three overseas players from the drafts that will be held back-to-back in Melbourne on September 3. The draft will only be for overseas players. Domestic players will be contracted in the same way they always are although there has been a new marquee rule in the BBL introduced for CA contracted players.Will the overseas draft be televised?
Both drafts will be televised on Foxtel and streamed on Kayo. The draft will take place at NEP studios in South Melbourne where it was held last year. The WBBL draft is likely to take place in the afternoon followed by the BBL draft in the evening.Related

• Perth Scorchers WBBL retention decision over Kapp and Devine likely to shape the draft

• Knight and Ecclestone among England stars in WBBL draft

• Pooran could return to BBL after nominating for overseas draft

• Harmanpreet, Devine among the first nominations for the WBBL overseas draft

• Thunder and Stars win WBBL and BBL draft lotteries

How do overseas players nominate?
Players get to nominate their price category and their availability in terms of the number of games they can play. The BBL is now a 10-game season plus finals and not all overseas players will be available for the whole competition due to both international commitments and other leagues, as has been the case previously. The WBBL is a full 14-game season plus finals but the women are more likely to be available for the entire season. There is a nomination process that is currently open and ends on August 20. Players will be put into four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The players themselves can choose to enter the Gold, Silver, or Bronze band. Platinum players will be decided by Cricket Australia based on the nominations.Liam Livingstone, Rashid Khan and Andre Russell were Platinum players last year•Getty Images

What is the money involved?There has been an increase in the men’s BBL overseas salary bands after the salary cap was increased from AUD 1.9 million to AUD$3 million. Platinum players are now set to earn AUD$420,000, up from $340,000 last year although there are caveats for the Platinum players this year. They will only earn the full amount if they are available for the entire season including finals, which runs from December 7 to January 24.If they are only available for 10 matches, they will earn AUD$400,000. If they can only play nine matches the price will be AUD$380,000. Anyone only available for eight matches or less in the Platinum category will earn AUD$360,000 regardless of whether they play one game or eight. Gold players will earn AUD$300,000, Silver AUD$200,000, and Bronze AUD$100,000 with no minimum matches required for those players. There are no match payments in the BBL, as players are contracted with set retainers. All overseas salaries are to be paid by the clubs from within the salary cap.The categories only relate to price, not to availability. So players can nominate to be available for the whole tournament in the Bronze category, or for half the tournament in the Gold category. Their availability is their currency and teams will have to decide whether a Platinum player with limited availability is worth selecting.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the WBBL, Platinum players will earn AUD$110,000 to be paid by the clubs from the AUD$732,000 salary cap. Gold players will earn AUD$90,000, Silver AUD$65,000 and Bronze will earn AUD$40,000.What is the draft order and how was it decided?
CA held a private weighted lottery to decide the order in both the BBL and WBBL, as they did last year. This year’s BBL draft order is as follows: pick 1 – Melbourne Stars, pick 2 – Adelaide Strikers, pick 3 – Hobart Hurricanes, pick 4 – Melbourne Renegades, pick 5 – Sydney Thunder, pick 6 – Sydney Sixers, pick 7 – Brisbane Heat, pick 8 – Perth Scorchers.The three teams who missed the BBL finals last season – Stars, Strikers and Hurricanes – entered a lottery for the first three draft picks. Stars, who finished last, got three chances to get the first draft pick, Strikers two and Hurricanes one. Here’s another way to think of it: there are six balls in the first lottery and three of them are Stars’ giving them a 50% chance of first pick, whereas Hurricanes, with one ball, only have 16.66% chance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The order of the next five picks were selected from a second pot featuring the finalists from last season. Again, the lottery was weighted. Fifth-placed Thunder got five chances to get the fourth pick, Renegades four, Sixers three, Heat two, and two-time defending champions Scorchers got one.The WBBL draft order was decided via the same method except there were two pots of four due to a different finals system. This year’s WBBL draft order is as follows: pick 1 – Sydney Thunder, pick 2 – Melbourne Renegades, pick 3 – Perth Scorchers, pick 4 – Melbourne Stars, pick 5 – Hobart Hurricanes, pick 6 – Brisbane Heat, pick 7 – Sydney Sixers, pick 8 – Adelaide Strikers.In both drafts, the first two rounds of the draft will run in order from one to eight. Round three will run in reverse order, so team eight will get two selections in a row (pick 16 and 17). Round four will run in normal order again. So team one will get two selections in a row (picks 24 and 25).How does the draft work?
There will be four rounds of the draft with each team getting one pick per round. Clubs can pass if they don’t want to pick in certain rounds but must pick a minimum of two or a maximum of three players by the completion of round four. Round one is for Platinum players only. In round two, teams can pick Platinum or Gold players. In round three, teams can select Gold or Silver players. In round four, teams can pick Silver or Bronze players. Teams do not have to select a Platinum player but they must then select a Gold player. Teams can select two Platinum players, but only one in each round. If they choose two Platinum players, they cannot select a Gold player, they can only select a Silver or Bronze. The same rule applies if a team chooses two Gold players in rounds two and three. They can only then select a Bronze player in round four.Can overseas players who are currently connected with BBL clubs be retained?
Yes, they can. But only one. This could be coined the “Rashid Khan rule”. Rashid was the first player retained under this rule last year. Stars selected him as a Platinum player ahead of Strikers’ first pick. Strikers took the option to use their retention pick to keep him. Strikers had to pay the same amount of money and use their pick in the first round to retain him. Stars then got the opportunity to pick again and took Trent Boult. Scorchers had the option of retaining Colin Munro last year when Heat selected him first but opted not to use the retention pick. There is also an addition to the retention pick rule this year. Players that were previously drafted or contracted to the club but weren’t available to play can be retained.This specifically applies to Liam Livingstone, who was the No.1 pick in the inaugural BBL overseas draft last year by Renegades but was unavailable for the whole season after he was unexpectedly called up to England’s Test squad for the tour of Pakistan. Under the new rule, Renegades can use their retention pick Livingstone, even though he hasn’t played for the club and has only previously played for Scorchers in the BBL. Scorchers could have a challenge in the WBBL with their retention pick, potentially having to make a choice between star allrounders Sophie Devine and Marizanne Kapp if another team selects both of them first.Will Sophie Devine be retained by Scorchers?•Getty Images

Are there swapping of picks?
There is pick trading this season for the first time. There was no swapping of picks in last year’s draft but CA have added pick trading to the two drafts this year but it comes in a limited capacity. Teams can only trade picks within each round. So a team with pick 8 who doesn’t want a Platinum player cannot trade pick 8 for pick 9 to ensure both clubs got two picks in the same round. Trades of picks will need to be completed by August 20, the same day the nominations close, and all trades need to be approved by CA’s technical committee.What about replacement players?
Each team can contract up to four replacement overseas players (or five if they have only taken two players at the draft) if their picks in the draft become unavailable due to injury or international duty. Clubs can have no more than seven overseas players in total on any list including primary and replacement players. Teams can’t tell overseas players privately not to nominate for the draft and then contract them as replacements. They must have been available to all teams initially in the draft before being available as a replacement. Platinum players can be replacement players as was the case last year. Faf du Plessis and Andre Russell were both not selected as Platinum players at the inaugural draft but du Plessis ended up playing seven games for Scorchers as a replacement player for Phil Salt while Russell played four games for Renegades as a replacement for Livingstone.

No blood was spilt, no bones broken, no wickets taken. And still, the bowling was scarily good

Osman Samiuddin03-Jul-2022The over from hell began about half an hour before the close, the ground bathed in sunlight a shade of extreme troll: all day absent only to turn up when there’s barely an hour left. It was the 22nd over of an England innings that had begun nearly seven hours ago.Three breaks for rain meant Mohammed Shami was bowling his 11th consecutive over without undue strain. Shami is not the most famous Lala in cricket. But with his thinning hair and permanent air of a character who has accidentally strolled out from a Netflix series on the badlands of Uttar Pradesh, he is a very endearing one.The ten overs, split by rain into spells of one, two, four and three overs before this one had been both exemplary and an exemplar of Shami bowling. Only, somehow amplified. No water had crept onto the pitch but his balls were skimming off it as if off a body of water, and not clay and soil and grass.Related

Bumrah cameo and three-for make it India's day amid rain breaks

Classical Shami completes his evolution into champion bowler

Kohli: Shami among 'best three seamers in world at the moment'

Each delivery looked fuller and straighter and normally this would make them more hittable, but with Shami they aren’t anymore where they once were. There was swing, there was seam, there were times when those descriptions felt interchangeable. By a manual count, Shami beat both edges, or hit both edges 14 times in those ten overs.There was a ball from hell to poor Zak Crawley, the first after the first rain break. The caveat to Crawley’s summer of torment is that he has been the victim of some ferociously good balls, mostly from Trent Boult. As this one bent away from the angle into him, for once missing the edge, Crawley may have considered he was due that luck. Rishabh Pant got lucky too, his face almost rearranged by the late wobble.No wickets though because as much as Shami is known by the wickets he has taken – over 200 and counting, at a strike rate that is in the all-time top 10 – he is also known by the many wickets that he hasn’t taken, or rather, that he’s come within millimetres of taking. It is an odd reputation to acquire in this day and age when no claim is untested by data and over as long a career as of 60 Tests.It is the kind of thing you might hear about some forgotten bowler from the 1960s who never really made it or didn’t play long enough or who, if there had been greater accounting and less romanticism, it turned out wasn’t that unlucky after all. Plenty of numbers bear this out in Shami though.One of Shami’s more endearing traits is how lightly he wears his ill-luck, how little it seemingly takes from his energy.Jasprit Bumrah needs no luck to complement his genius but because life needs its own balance, Shami’s misfortune was credited to him. Crawley fell in the over after this ball from hell: bowled Bumrah, spooked Shami. Shami looked slightly more threatening; Bumrah had the three-fer.Shami’s efforts earned him the scalp of Jack Leach, a wicket fully deserved but a victim completely unworthy•PA Images via Getty ImagesBall one of the over from hell snaked in late, right through Joe Root’s attempted drive. It wasn’t the wrong ball to be driving at, it was the wrong bowler: this wasn’t New Zealand anymore. Ball two was straighter, shorter and bounced more than Root expected, hitting the bat handle sharply. In any other over, this would be the best ball. In this over, it would eventually be forgotten.Root lives off his late dabs and glides between third man and point. It is a release shot as well as a prolific one. Ball three was, in line and length, there to be late dabbed. It jagged back in so sharply Root was cut in half and beaten on the inside edge.By ball four, Root had been worked into a frenzy. He shuffled out to the ball, not necessarily for the purpose of scoring runs but more to kill the lbw he feared was coming. He did get struck on the pad, India did review it – Bumrah’s one mis-step as captain – but Root had calculated well. By coming out, the leg-before was gone.Ball five and more inswing. In a summer of Tim Southee, Boult and James Anderson, Shami’s inswing has already won; and he has been here only for one Test and has only bowled 13 overs before the third day. This one hit Root on the thigh pad, and invaluably, got him off strike.Root is the world’s best Test batter at the moment, but this was a weird, skittish innings. A hot take would be that it was too Bazball, trying to get bat on everything, attacking when caution made more sense. Three balls in a row from Shami – split by the last rain break – Root tried to drive balls that were very wide and full. Twice he hit air. Off the last, in no control, he edged over the cordon for four.Mohammed Shami knows it was a close shave against Joe Root•Getty ImagesA more considered view might see that the bowling, and Shami in particular, was so relentless that it drew Root into constant indiscretion. He shuffled, he walked out, he tried to manufacture shots and none of it worked. There was no getting away from this, not least because the breaks kept Shami and Bumrah fresh.Because he could or maybe because it was the plan, Shami beat Jonny Bairstow on the outside edge off the last ball of this over from hell. The recalibration of line, seam position and release was immediate and near-perfect. Over.No blood was spilt, no bones broken, no wickets taken. Scars though, not least upon this bold new world of England’s. What happens when the bowling is this good? Also, a microcosm of Shami’s career, all the near-misses and dropped catches, the close leaves and the missed reviews. Cricket is a game of infinitesimal margins, and rarely can that have been better articulated than it was through this over.Root fell the next over, bowled Mohammed Siraj, worked over Shami. Bairstow was millimetres from getting bowled in Shami’s next over and Jack Leach was dropped. Shami soon got Leach, a wicket fully deserved but a victim completely unworthy.

We’ve known for more than a year that Kyle Tucker would be the prize free agent this offseason. Now it’s time for him to find a new home.

Tucker spent the 2025 season with the Cubs after they swung a huge deal to land him from the Astros last December. It was pretty much understood from the jump that his time in Chicago would be short, as the Cubs have no plans to ink him to the kind of contract he’ll surely land on the open market.

The 28-year-old four-time All-Star missed a chunk of the season while dealing with a calf injury and a small fracture in his right hand. That certainly impacted his numbers. In 136 games, he slashed .266/.377/.464, with 22 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases. His wRC+ of 136 was good, but also his lowest mark since 2022, and he produced 4.5 fWAR. He has only played in 214 games over the past two seasons, but remained mostly healthy for the prior three years.

When Juan Soto got $765 million from the Mets, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. landed $500 million from the Blue Jays, Tucker had to be thrilled. He’s likely in line for a 10-plus year deal in the $400 million range that will likely pay him at least $35 million a year, and potentially more.

Here’s a look at four potential landing spots for Tucker in free agency.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Most MLB fans are going to hate this, but it’s the fit that makes the most sense. While the Dodgers are undoubtedly a juggernaut, their biggest offensive weakness was in the outfield during the 2025 campaign. L.A.’s left fielders combined to produce -2.4 WAR, led by Michael Conforto’s brutal season (-0.7). Teoscar Hernandez (1.5) also had an average campaign after signing a big contract in the offseason, while Any Pages (3.8) broke out before falling apart in the postseason. Adding Tucker would allow the Dodgers to shift Hernandez to left field, where he belongs, and shore up the only weak spot in the team’s lineup. And, let’s be real, they won’t have an issue affording his massive deal.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants have been looking to add a top left-handed bat for years. They got one by trading for Rafael Devers, but the team’s offense collapsed after that addition before finding some footing late in the season. Still, San Francisco finished 22nd in OPS (.697), 25th in batting average (.235) and 19th in home runs (173). The Giants have about $137 million committed to players for 2026, giving them plenty of room to bring in Tucker, and he’d fit perfectly in right field immediately. A lineup that includes Tucker, Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, and Bryce Eldridge would pack a ton of punch and potentially be good enough to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West.

New York Yankees

Cody Bellinger opted out of his contract, and Trent Grisham is hitting free agency, which means the Yankees will lose 63 home runs from their outfield. Over the past few years, they’ve missed on adding the top bats available, most notably in losing out on Juan Soto and having to watch him walk across town to the Mets. Tucker’s left-handed swing would do damage at Yankee Stadium’s short porch. In 16 games as a visiting player, he has four home runs, but only a .698 OPS and a 98 wRC+. I feel safe in saying that wouldn’t hold long-term. He’s a fit now and in the long run as a star to pair with Aaron Judge.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies face the prospect of losing Kyle Schwarber in free agency, and there’s a chance they will entertain trading Bryce Harper. If either happens, they’ll need a left-handed bat to replace them. Enter Tucker, who fills a huge need at the plate and in the field. Philadelphia’s outfielders struggled in 2025, as none of them produced more than 1.7 WAR, and Nick Castellanos finished underwater at -1.0. Schwarber, Harper, and Trea Turner played at or near their expected levels, but the rest of the offense dragged behind. More punch is needed, even if they keep their two biggest bats. Tucker’s presence would make everyone better.

Arsenal are set to announce their first batch of summer recruits soon.

Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga as well as midfielders Martín Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard are all reportedly poised to join Arsenal in the next week or so, the former providing a back-up to David Raya, while the latter duo will be replacing the outgoing Thomas Partey and Jorginho at the base of midfield.

Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta, Andrea Berta and the Arsenal hierarchy still have plenty of work to do.

Arsenal targeting attacking reinforcements

After a third successive second-place finish in the Premier League, it is clear what Arsenal need to add this summer and that is more attacking firepower, as the table below outlines.

League finish

2nd

2nd

2nd

Goals scored

88

91

69

Expected goals

71.6

76.1

59.9

Shots

589

647

544

Shots on target

194

209

178

Shot-creating actions

1,045

1,185

969

As shown in the table, last season, when compared to their two previous title bids under Arteta, the Gunners’ attacking output was significantly down by all available metrics.

That’s why the debate of the summer remains Benjamin Šeško or Viktor Gyökeres, with the club clearly in the market for the new number nine, but they’re also looking for reinforcements out-wide too.

Thus, according to reports in Spain, Arsenal are ‘strongly’ interested in signing Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi, with the Gunners said to be ‘pushing’ for his signature.

They add that the German international, who is believed to be available for around €45m (£38m), is viewed as a ‘serious alternative’ to Barcelona-bound Nico Williams, as he would add ‘explosiveness’ to Arsenal’s forward line.

The 23-year-old began his senior career at RB Salzburg, scoring four Champions League goals for die Roten Bullen, thereby earning a £38m move to Borussia Dortmund three summers ago.

Transfer Focus

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

So far, in 105 appearances for die Schwarzgelben, Adeyemi has scored 26 goals and registered 17 assists, featuring in all three of their Club World Cup fixtures this summer, starting against both Fluminense in East Rutherford and Ulsan HD in Ohio.

Now, could he become the 13th German to play for Arsenal, joining current Die Mannschaft teammate Kai Havertz, while following in the footsteps of Mesut Özil, Bernd Leno, Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and others?

How Karim Adeyemi would improve Arsenal

Arsenal are looking to improve their left-wing options, with most agreeing that an upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli​​​​​​​ and Leandro Trossard, or at the very least an alternative to both, is required to take the Gunners to the next level.

Nevertheless, speaking on the Arsecast, Andrew Mangan and James McNicholas both agreed that it is highly “unlikely” that the Gunners will sign two wingers this summer, so someone who can play on the left but also cover for Bukayo Saka on the right would be ideal.

Well, Adeyemi certainly fits that brief, having been deployed on both flanks by both Dortmund managers, Nuri Şahin and Niko Kovač, throughout this season.

So, let’s assess how he compares to the gold standard of Arsenal wide-players, namely the aforementioned Saka – a player he is deemed to be statistically similar to among those in their position across Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref.

Non-penalty goals

95th

77th

Shots

82nd

87th

Assists

83rd

96th

Expected assists

91st

98th

Shot-creating actions

45th

91st

Progressive carries

71st

83rd

Successful take-ons

87th

75th

Touches

79th

95th

Progressive passes received

71st

94th

FBref disclaimer: these statistics are based upon matches played in domestic leagues and UEFA club competitions across the last 365 days, and are in comparison to other attacking midfielders and wingers.

As the table outlines, Saka does come out on top for the vast majority of metrics, but that is not to be dismissive of Adeyemi, given that the England international is one of the best players in the world, at least according to teammate Martinelli.

The German’s statistics are broadly comparable to those of Saka, scoring more non-penalty goals and successfully completing a higher percentage of his take-ons.

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout describes him as possessing “electric pace” and “superb dribbling skills”, simply labelling him a “world-class talent”.

Meantime, Lee Scott of Total Football Analysis believes that he provides ‘a direct goal threat’ and the ability to ‘carry the ball at speed past defenders’, while Tunde Young of Breaking the Lines boldly asserts ‘he could go on to be a multiple Ballon D’Or winner, just like Lionel Messi’.

Thus, it is clear that Adeyemi ticks a lot of boxes for Arsenal and would be an excellent, exciting addition, should they be able to pull this deal off. He could well prove to be like a left-sided Saka.

£200k-a-week Arsenal star "set to leave" as director travels for UK talks

He’s poised to leave the Gunners imminently.

ByEmilio Galantini Jun 27, 2025

Las Águilas make their tournament debut Wednesday against Real Salt Lake at America First Field.

América comes into the match with one win and two draws in the Apertura 2025Last year, they were eliminated in the Leagues Cup quarterfinalsJavairo Dilrosun was not registeredGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

América begin their 2025 Leagues Cup journey on Wednesday at America First Field against Real Salt Lake. André Jardine’s side returns to the international stage, still seeking a breakthrough under the Brazilian coach. Despite dominating Liga MX in recent years – eaching four straight finals and winning three consecutive titles prior to their finals loss to Toluca – the club has struggled outside domestic competition.

Last year, despite being heavy favorites, América suffered a painful exit in the quarterfinals, falling to Colorado in a penalty shootout. Jardine acknowledged that disappointment still lingers, but said his team arrives hungry for redemption.

"I really like the Leagues Cup" said Jardine in a press conference. "I feel it’s a competition with a lot of potential. We want to break barriers. We already won the Campeones Cup, which is an important title, but we want more, and América will fight for the title. Once again, we come in excited and willing to give everything."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The team finds itself in its worst stretch in years, having missed out on every major trophy it has contested in 2025 so far. Still, Jardine urged patience. Fans are beginning to demand results – something that has always been part of Club América’s DNA. After years of glory and getting used to winning every tournament, supporters now expect the team to climb back to the top.

"Maybe we’re going through a rebuilding phase, like I’ve said before, but with the confidence and certainty that we’ll once again be a strong, solid team capable of reaching the decisive stages and fighting for titles," he explained. "The group is focused and committed to working hard every day to achieve that. Sometimes you just have to get through rough patches like this one."

Getty Images SportWHAT JOSÉ ZÚÑIGA SAID

New América striker Jose Zuniga, who has already scored his first goal in Liga MX with the club, stressed the importance of a good start.
"It’s very important to start with three points. This is a tournament that gives us opportunities. We’re going to play a great match and come out victorious."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CLUB AMÉRICA?

América’s Leagues Cup group is far from easy. After facing Pablo Mastroeni’s Real Salt Lake tonight, will take on Minnesota United and the Portland Timbers in their remaining group matches.

Milos Kerkez is edging toward a move from Bournemouth to Liverpool, with sporting director Richard Hughes discussing the final details with his successor in the Cherries transfer seat.

This in itself is a fantastic deal for Anfield, whose veteran left-back Andy Robertson is an “absolute legend” but one “hanging on in every game” for Arne Slot’s side this season, says pundit Jamie Carragher.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold signing for Real Madrid at the end of his Liverpool contract, it was also important for FSG to welcome a successor, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong has been picked as the man for the job, signed for £29.5m.

Further change is afoot higher up the field, but Liverpool have already shown a willingness to secure a new centre-back this summer, pushing to sign Dean Huijsen before he rejected a wealth of Premier League interest for Real Madrid.

Why Liverpool need a defender

Virgil van Dijk is now a two-time Premier League winner, dominant and immense as the captain guided his team through the campaign with elite consistency.

It’s brilliant that Van Dijk signed a new deal on Merseyside, extending his stay for two more years, but he turns 34 next month and Liverpool need to find a long-term heir.

That could have been Huijsen, who was hailed as “the perfect left centre-back” by analyst Ben Mattinson after his campaign on the south coast. Complete in an age-belying fashion, the Spain international, only 20, would have secured Liverpool’s backline for years to come, had he joined.

And though FSG are big on acting upon unique market opportunities, they must surely recognise the need for a fallback. Ibrahima Konate arrived in 2021, and no first-team centre-back has since followed him.

Konate, moreover, is being courted by Los Blancos, who want to snap him up as a free agent next summer. Liverpool are currently locked in talks over a new deal with their French defender.

Given Jarell Quansah’s future is also uncertain, a Huijsen alternative to ease the burden on Van Dijk and co would be great, and the Premier League champions have identified the man for the job.

Liverpool begin move for new CB

As per Caught Offside, Liverpool have entered the race for Bayern Munich centre-back Kim Min-jae, with sources close to the South Korean claiming he will be allowed to leave the Allianz Arena this summer.

With the various parties all seeking a swift resolution, Bayern have reduced their asking price from €50m (£44m) to about €35m (£30m), which would work well for the Reds given their need for reinforcements across a myriad of positions.

With Chelsea and Newcastle United also exploring a move, Liverpool would be wise to take their interest up a notch, ready to pounce.

What Kim Min-Jae would bring to Liverpool

Kim has struggled to truly hit his stride for Bayern, but certainly showcased his quality as an elite-level central defender when in the Serie A with Napoli, heralded as an “iron barrel” of a player by his former teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

According to Luciano Spalletti, former Napoli boss, Kim has the minerals to become “the best centre-back in the world”, keeping 14 clean sheets from 35 matches as the Blues won the Scudetto in 2022/23, a colossus in protecting his side’s goal.

A player capable of getting stuck in and performing with a more elegant touch, Kim’s is the prototypical modern profile, his strength suggesting he would thrive in the rigorous Premier League.

Bayern signed the 28-year-old from Napoli in July 2023 after meeting his £43m release clause, and though he’s since recovered the Bundesliga from Leverkusen after missing out in his debut term, it hasn’t been the smoothest sailing for the left-sided defender, who made four direct errors leading to a goal this term, as per Sofascore.

Still, such lapses haven’t prevented the £194k-per-week titan from producing otherwise impressive performances, completing 93% of his passes, averaging 5.7 ball recoveries per game and winning 65% of his aerial battles.

His aerial dominance, crisp and progressive passing and left-sided berth suggest Kim could be the perfect foil for Van Dijk, especially when data-led site FBref suggest the two players bear a tactical likeness.

Goals

0.09

0.08

Assists

0.02

0.00

Touches

87.13

103.14

Pass completion

91.7%

92.9%

Progressive passes

5.05

6.45

Shot-creating actions

1.19

1.02

Progressive carries

0.50

0.62

Ball recoveries

3.11

5.51

Tackles + interceptions

2.31

3.06

Clearances

4.55

3.60

Aerials won

2.85

3.06

Securing a new centre-half who can ease Van Dijk’s defensive burden wouldn’t be a bad thing, especially with Liverpool determined to go one better than this term and compete for silverware across four different major fronts.

There’s clearly a likeness to the players, who both employ confident passing games but maintain creative flair too. Moreover, they are persistent commanders of aerial traffic, directing whipped-in danger away from the box.

If Liverpool wish to maximise the time they have left with their legendary skipper, overloading him with minutes might not actually be the best track to take. Instead, Van Dijk could thrive in an environment that allows him to step away from the action without sending Slot’s system into a spin.

Kim’s similarities to the Dutchman would allow him to do exactly that, regarded in the past as ‘the South Korean Van Dijk.’

Given Quansah was used so sparingly this season, and indeed Konate’s future is uncertain (as is his fitness, routinely missing chunks of the campaign), this would be the perfect, affordable deal for an experienced and dynamic defender who could fill in for the captain or play alongside him.

He'd be incredible with Wirtz: £80m star dreaming of signing for Liverpool

Liverpool are making some serious moves in the transfer market.

ByAngus Sinclair Jun 6, 2025

The focus, invariably, will be as much on the captains – Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur – as it will be on the youngsters and international stars

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2019First, the cricket
Velocity are led by Mithali Raj, arguably India’s best ever cricketer and captain of the ODI side; Supernovas are led by Harmanpreet Kaur, the most exciting batsman of her generation, Raj’s deputy in the ODI side and captain of the T20 team.These sides met here, at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium, two days ago. In that match, Raj’s Velocity lost pace, intent and eventually the match. But they still qualified for the final by pipping Trailblazers, whom they’d already beaten, on NRR.

Match info

Start time: 1930 IST
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

What’s the feud?

The long-suspected acrimony between the two players became public during the World T20 in the West Indies in November. Raj was dropped for the semi-final, which India lost, and after the match Harmanpreet said she had wanted to retain a winning side from the previous match. Raj’s manager, however, then launched an unprecedented Twitter attack on Harmanpreet’s captaincy. She called Harmanpreet a “manipulative, lying, immature, undeserving captain” and also said the women’s team believed in “politics not sport”.What was the fallout?
The first casualty was the interim head coach Ramesh Powar – his contract expired days after that semi-final defeat and was not extended. Powar, who received the backing of Harmanpreet and her T20 deputy Smriti Mandhana, was critical of Raj in his report on India’s performance at the World T20. He said she had threatened to pull out of the tournament if not allowed to open the batting.Annesha Ghosh/ESPNcricinfoDid it end there?

There were a lot of emails sent by Raj and Harmanpreet to the Committee of Administrators, all leaked to the media. Raj said the episode had left her, “for the first time in a 20-year long career… deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence.” She did not directly blame Harmanpreet, saying “I am of the opinion that Harman and I are senior players and our issues, if any, should be sorted out by the two of us by sitting across the table.”What happened next?

Well, they sat down across the table – along with senior BCCI officials – within a week of Raj’s email. Raj is understood to have told Harmanpreet that Annisha Gupta, whose tweets had set off the storm, was not her manager. On her part, Harmanpreet told Raj that the decision to exclude her from the World T20 semis was not a personal choice but a collective call.About a month later, on the eve of the team’s tour of New Zealand, both Raj and Harmanpreet claimed to have “moved on” from the acrimony that, by Raj’s admission, did “hamper” the profile of the Indian women’s team.BCCISo that was that?
Or so we thought. Earlier this week, though, Raj told , “I do keep to myself [in the dressing room] and people can’t judge me for that right now…I believe what has happened has definitely made me more wiser to people around me in the dressing room… I wouldn’t say I felt lonely but I definitely feel that I was betrayed.”So has Raj settled in the side?
Since the start of the 2017 World Cup, Raj, now 36, has been largely inconsistent on whether she herself envisions herself playing the 2020 T20 World Cup or the 2021 ODI World Cup. While still a formidable force in the 50-over format, on the subject of whether retirement from the shortest format figures in her plans, Raj’s go-to refrain when fielding questions at press conferences of late has been, “You’ll see when that happens.”In March, WV Raman, the new coach of the women’s side, in a post-match review alongside stand-in captain Mandhana and Raj said that “we [him, Raj and Mandhana, the stand-in captain for the series against England women] had a chat about what she [Raj] is comfortable doing and what suits the side as well.”With that, a semblance of clarity around her batting slot in the middle order, and not as an opener, appeared to have been offered. That topic had become a full-blown controversy after India’s 2018 World T20 exit.Yet in that same interview, when asked whether the new team management had informed her of her role in the team, Raj’s answer was succinct: “Honestly, not yet.”Back to Jaipur
What Raman, Mandhana and the management make of the denial may not be brought up for discussion until the national camp in Bengaluru gets underway next month. For now, the focus remains on the action in Jaipur and the battle for supremacy between Raman-Harmanpreet’s Supernovas and Raj’s Velocity.Can 15-year-old uncapped Indian batsman Shafali Verma get Velocity off to a brisk start, like she did in her first game of the tournament? Or will Supernovas batsman Jemimah Rodrigues trump Shafali in the battle of the teenagers? Also, the in-form Danielle Wyatt could alone demolish the Supernovas attack, unless the Yadavs – Radha and Poonam – orchestrate yet another middle-overs choke with their spin.With less than ten months out from the T20 World Cup in Australia, uncapped Indians would do well to treat the Women’s T20 Challenge final as an audition for a likely call-up, and for internationals on the fringe, such as Veda Krishnamurthy and Sushma Verma, a chance for a recall into the national side.

Despite boasting five current England internationals, Southern Vipers were skittled for 98

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2024Central Sparks defeated Southern Vipers by five wickets in the duel of already-qualified teams in the Charlotte Edwards Cup at New Road, Worcester.With both sides already assured a place in Finals Day at Derby on June 22, Sparks showed their bowling strength in depth as they rested Hannah Baker and Emily Arlott but still bowled the visitors out for just 98 in 17.5 overs.Grace Potts, Katie George, Bethan Ellis and Ria Fackrell took two wickets apiece as no Vipers batter reached 20, Rhianna Southby top-scoring with 19 from number eight.Sparks then eased to 99 for 5 with 31 balls to spare as Davina Perrin launched their reply with an assertive 26 from 17 balls and Amy Jones saw them to the threshold of victory 26 from 29.Put in, Vipers started positively as Maia Bouchier pulled Potts for six as the openers added 19 from 16 balls but from the moment that Danni Wyatt skied a drive at Potts the innings lurched downward.Bouchier’s blow proved the only six of the innings and only six fours were added to it as Sparks’ accurate and disciplined attack struck regularly. Charli Knott charged and missed at George and Bouchier chipped a return catch to Charis Pavely before Georgia Adams fell in slapstick fashion when Freya Kemp embarked on a leg-bye that didn’t exist and both batters ended up at the same end.Kemp soon joined her captain in the pavilion when she lifted Ellis to long off. Nicely flighted deliveries from Fackrell then teased Charlie Dean and Georgia Elwiss into sending up catches.Southby lashed a couple of leg-side fours but when she sought another but instead lifted George to deep square leg, the innings was over at fewer than 100.Ami Campbell launched the Sparks reply with three fours in the first ten balls and though she then lifted Freya Davies to mid off, the opener’s small but feisty contribution had made inroads into the small target.Abi Freeborn was run out, going for a second, by Lauren Bell’s throw but Perrin quickly made further inroads. She stuck three fours and lifted Dean over long off for six but went back to the next ball which struck off stumpGeorge fell lbw, slog-sweeping at Linsey Smith and Smith bowled skilfully to conceded just 13 runs from her four overs, but Vipers’ faltering batters had given their bowlers too much to do. Jones struck Adams gloriously into the Basil D’Oliveira Stand and though the England batter then holed out to long on, Courtney Webb (saw her side comfortably over the line.