Dane Piedt was left out from the unit that won the Test series in Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda19-Nov-2024

Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s Test captain, has recovered from his elbow injury in time to be available for their two-Test series at home against Sri Lanka. Bavuma will lead a 14-man side which also features Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee, who both made their international returns from a conditioning break in the recent T20I series against India and have not played Tests since last summer.Bavuma will bolster an inexperienced batting line-up, who had three maiden centurions in Bangladesh last month, and a team who are chasing a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.South Africa need to win all four Tests at home – two against Sri Lanka and two against Pakistan – to guarantee their place at Lord’s next year. They could also make it with three wins out of four, based on results elsewhere. Either way, the importance of the next four Tests is clear and having their regular captain back was top of mind for Test coach Shukri Conrad who called his side “still Temba’s team” where Bavuma was unable to play.Related

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He travelled with the side but was battling the after-effects of the injury, which was sustained during an ODI against Ireland on October 4. Bavuma has not played any competitive cricket since then. He has also not played any red-ball cricket since Tests against West Indies in August, but Conrad is confident Bavuma will be ready for the upcoming challenges.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“He’s probably going in cold in the back of not having played any matches but we’re certainly going to be simulating match situations during our short camp we’re going to have in Pretoria,” Conrad said. “His fitness test was always going to be yesterday (Monday, November 18) and then it would just be too close to a four-day match and too close to the Test match (for him to play a game). If we had asked him to or forced him to play last week, I think it could have been detrimental. And I don’t think there was anything to gain from that.”Instead, Bavuma underwent an extensive assessment which included batting for 90 minutes on Monday to determine whether his left elbow had sufficiently recovered from an awkward land when completing a run against Ireland. It is the same elbow that Bavuma injured in 2022.”The concern was the impact on striking the ball and if there was any pain associated with that. That was still the case when we were in Bangladesh, which then ruled him out of the second Test there. So, it included a battery of tests,” Conrad said. “There was the fitness side of things, the aerobic stuff with the running and doing all of that. We had our high-performance lead, Tumi Masekela, there. And then, also, he had an hour-and-a-half of batting with quick bowlers. He had a throw-down net with (fielding coach) Kruger van Wyk and a couple of throwers there as well. He got through that really well; unscathed and there was absolutely no pain. We felt that on the back of that, he could be cleared to play.Equally, Conrad said Bavuma is looking forward to leading a side he has only captained five times out of 10 possible opportunities since being named Test captain in March 2023. “He’s excited,” Conrad said. “He’s like a little kid in a toy shop at the moment because he hasn’t played Test cricket in a while.”The sense of expectation is high given the opportunity of making the WTC final. South Africa have loaded up with as many available fast bowlers possible with Kagiso Rabada to lead the attack, the experienced Dane Paterson included and the recall of Jansen and Coetzee. Lungi Ngidi is unavailable (groin injury) until January and Anrich Nortje has opted out of Tests for the time being having come back from lower-back stress fractures.There was some concern around Coetzee, who left the field during the fourth T20I against India, with what looked like a hamstring concern but returned to bowl later in the game. He has cleared the scans.South Africa have included two spinners in Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy, but have no space for US-based offspinner Dane Piedt, who has been part of the last three Test squads. The batting line-up will include Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi at the top, Tristan Stubbs at No. 3 and allrounder Wiaan Mulder in the lower middle order. Ryan Rickelton will likely make way for Bavuma in what Conrad called “almost like a knockout quarter-final with us and Sri Lanka.”Sri Lanka are third on the WTC points table, 1.39 percentage points above South Africa, and also in with a chance of making the final. “That table is going to be quite a topsy-turvy one over the next couple of months,” Conrad said. “We all understand the magnitude of it. We also understand that we’ve got to play really good cricket in order for us to achieve the goal. I think we’re going to run into a very confident Sri Lanka side.”But we certainly know that if we play anything close to our ability, that we’ll be right there when it matters. It’s an exciting time for the Test side.”The two-Test series begins in Durban on November 27 before the teams move to Gqeberha for the second Test starting December 5.South Africa squad for Test series against Sri LankaTemba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton and Kyle Verreynne

The Blaugrana were meant to host Valencia in their refurbished home on Sunday, but they'll be playing at a 6,000-seater stadium instead

On a sunny Monday morning at Camp Nou on May 29, 2023, Barcelona president Joan Laporta gathered local dignitaries and key figures from the club for an event marking the start of reconstruction work at one of the most iconic arenas in football. The first brick was laid, a time capsule was buried beneath the pitch and there were numerous photos filled with smiling faces.

"Since the opening of Camp Nou in 1957, it has been our home and a source of pride for all Barca fans and we want it to stay that way," a beaming Laporta said. "The new Spotify Camp Nou will become a reality, a collective dream for all Barca fans and, at the same time, it will be a legacy for our children and grandchildren.

"Now we have to go through a process, the construction process, and we must be excited about that. When we come back here, we will be stronger than ever. It will coincide with our Club's 125th anniversary (November 29, 2024), when the stadium will be ready for us to get what we want from it."

However, more than 10 months on from the first of several missed deadlines, the refurbished Camp Nou is still not ready to reopen – and that's one of the two reasons why Barcelona will be playing their first home game of the season at a 6,000-seater arena beside their training ground. The other is Post Malone…

AFPNew hope

Laporta described the Ordinary General Assembly on October 17, 2021 as "one of the most important in the history of the club". Barcelona were in financial disarray, still counting the colossal cost "of the serious deficiencies" of the previous administration. According to Laporta, his predecessor, Josep Maria Bartomeu, had left behind "the worst accounts in Barca's history".

He spoke of refinancing packages and the renegotiation of player contracts in order to immediately address the dire economic situation. However, Laporta argued that the key to making a full recovery was the completion of the Espai Barca project – which centred on the transformation of Camp Nou and its surrounding area.

"It has been needed for a while now," he said. "We will be responsible and we ask you to give us a vote of confidence as it is absolutely necessary to grow and to compete with our rivals."

Laporta received the support he was seeking, and on December 19, 2022, club members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the €1.5 billion (£1.3bn/$1.76bn) project.

"It's a success for all Barcelona fans and for the singularity of the club," Laporta said at the time. "I am excited and ecstatic when I see the mock-ups of Camp Nou and the new arena. It will be a step forward in our lives."

AdvertisementAFP'Shortest possible time at the best price'

Four months after the vote, the local council granted permission for work to begin on Espai Barca project in June 2022, 'with the focus on the second and third tiers, technology, the environs of the stadium and exterior urban planning'.

At the same time, Barca revealed that the 'bidding process for works' had been brought forward, with the tender to open in July and be awarded 'no later than October'. However, Barca only announced on January 9, 2023 that Turkish contractor Limak Construction would be in charge of the building of the new arena.

"We want the Spotify Camp Nou to be built in the shortest possible time at the best price: two things that this company can do," vice-president Elena Fort told reporters. "Work will begin in June 2023 and we will return to the Spotify Camp Nou before the 125th anniversary… The speed of the construction guarantees the least economic damage."

AFPFirst cracks appear

As per the original plan, the majority of the required work was to be carried out during the 2023-24 season while Barcelona were playing their home games at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Montjuic. When Barca then returned to Camp Nou for their centenary celebrations in November 2024, the ground would have an initial capacity of 62,000 – which would increase to 105,000 upon completion of the second and final phase of construction before the summer of 2026.

However, it was clear during the summer of 2024 that Limak were behind schedule, meaning Barca had little hope of celebrating their centenary on home soil.

Inevitably, questions began to be asked of Limak, who had only previously built one stadium, the 25,000-seater Mersin Arena, while it was also noted that all of the architects, engineers and consultants had begun working on the project under Bartomeu had since walked away.

Fort, though, was still speaking optimistically about the Catalans returning home before "the end of the year". By January 2025, that had changed to "the end of the season". Unfortunately, even that objective proved unobtainable.

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Getty Images SportGampar Trophy U-turn

Given the ongoing uncertainty, it came as a surprise to see Barcelona announce that Camp Nou would host The Gampar Trophy clash with Como on August 10 with a reduced capacity of 27,000. Indeed, the initial excitement sparked by the 'We're back' slogan didn't last long, with Barca revealing on July 18 that they had been forced to move their traditional-opener to the Johan Cruyff Stadium, which is located beside the club’s training ground and is home to the Blaugrana’s women’s team, reserves and Under-19s.

"This decision is due to the fact that the necessary work to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance Regulating Municipal Intervention Procedures in Construction Works has made it impossible to complete the procedures required for the granting of the initial licence," a club statement read. "Specifically, due to the scale of the work carried out, it has not been possible to meet all the conditions laid out by the regulations governing this licence, despite the club's intention to reopen the redeveloped stadium sector by sector.

"The club is liaising closely with Barcelona City Council and the relevant authorities to make progress on the different requirements and will inform its members and fans of any new developments regarding the return date. This delay does not affect the planned schedule for the repayment of the Espai Barca debt."

The reference to the cost of the project was significant, as there was growing concern over the financial impact of the constant delays – especially after Laporta admitted that "all the commitments we have under the financing contract are included in returning to the Spotify Camp Nou".

He had clattered a 58-ball century against Australia Under-19 in a four-day game less than two months ago

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2024Bihar youngster Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a left-hand top-order batter, has become the youngest player to earn an IPL deal, worth INR 1.10 crore (US$0.13 million approx.), from Rajasthan Royals (RR).Suryavanshi, all of 13 years and 243 days on the day he got his maiden IPL contract, has already played for India Under-19 and scored a century opening the batting against Australia Under-19 in a four-day game in Chennai less than two months ago.Bids for Suryavanshi started at his base price of INR 30 lakh and RR and Delhi Capitals (DC) were soon involved in the bidding battle, which eventually went RR’s way.”He’s been to our high performance center in Nagpur, he had trials there and really impressed our coaching set-up there,” RR CEO Jake Lush McCrum said after the auction ended. “He’s an incredible talent and of course you got to have the confidence so he can step up to the IPL level. So lots of work will go in in the coming months to continue to develop him but hell of a talent and we’re really excited to have him as part of the franchise.”Suryavanshi, who hails from Samastipur, a city about 100 kilometres north-east from Patna, has featured in five Ranji Trophy games since his first-class debut against Mumbai earlier this year and is currently playing T20s in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Bihar. He recently made his T20 debut against Rajasthan, on November 23.The highlight of his career so far is the century against Australia U-19, which came off just 58 balls, before he fell for 104. That knock made Suryavanshi the youngest player – at 13 years and 187 days – to score a century in youth cricket, breaking the previous record of 14 years and 241 days held by Bangladesh’s current captain Najmul Hossain Shanto.Suryavanshi also has a triple-century to his name – an unbeaten 332 – in an U-19 tournament in Bihar, the Randhir Verma Tournament. He idolises Brian Lara and consults former India opener Wasim Jaffer about his game from time to time – they had first met during an U-19 white-ball tournament in Bangladesh in November 2023.His formal coach, though, is his father Sanjeev Suryavanshi. Sanjeev was a cricketer, too, but when he couldn’t make it to the higher levels, he turned to coaching, and began working with Vaibhav once he showed an interest in playing the game seriously.

Bournemouth's renovation of the Vitality Stadium will start before the end of the 2025/26 season, with plans to to almost double their home ground's capacity waiting for final planning permission. The proposed work will see a complete renovation of the South Stand and the filling in of all four corners of the stadium, adding 9,000 extra seats to the 11,379 capacity venue.

Renovation of Vitality Stadium to start by Spring 2026

While the club has yet to announce the exact date the proposed work will start, reports Bournemouth hope to commence renovations between January and March 2026. If planning permission is granted, the Cherries will start the redevelopment by installing a new perimeter fence, turnstiles, ticket office and a 'small-scale extension' to the West Stand, as well as internal refurbishment of the East and West Stands. The club hopes to complete that work by March 2026.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMajor work on Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium to run beyond Summer of 2027

Attention will then turn to the construction of a new South Stand, and filling the four corners of the ground. That work is scheduled to start in August 2026. The final phase of the project will see the expansion of the North and East stands. The club hopes that will start in the summer of 2027.

Bournemouth lag behind in matchday revenue

Bournemouth have punched above their weight since their first season in the top tier back in 2015. Having spent nine of the last ten seasons in the Premier League, the club is now in a position to invest in their infrastructure. The Vitality Stadium is the lowest capacity venue in the league by some distance, limiting Bournemouth's ability to generate matchday revenue. In the 2023/24 season, the Cherries generated £6.5m from their stadium. Only relegated minnows Luton Town (£6.2m) garnered less from their gate receipts. The average matchday revenue for Premier League clubs was £45m.

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Getty Images SportBournemouth wait on final word on planning permission

The club is working with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council on the planning and consultation phase. They will hope for a speedy resolution, so they can start to solidify their position as a perennial Premier League fixture with a ground worthy of the top tier. 

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has called a Hoops transfer target “brilliant” ahead of their Champions League qualifier with Kairat Almaty.

Rodgers addresses Celtic transfers before Champions League qualifier

So far in the 2025 summer transfer window, those at Parkhead have signed seven new players and still have time for further incomings and outgoings ahead of the September 1 deadline.

It has been two weeks since their most recent arrival, 19-year-old Manchester City loan defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, and Rodgers is focused on getting past the Kazakh opposition with familiar players.

Benjamin Nygren

FC Nordsjaelland

£2m

Shin Yamada

Kawasaki Frontale

£1.5m

Hayato Inamura

Albirex Niigata

£250,000

Kieran Tierney

Arsenal

Free

Ross Doohan

Aberdeen

Free

Callum Osmand

Fulham

Undisclosed

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

Man City

Loan

Rodgers was asked if he would get the signings he was looking for when the board discover whether they have Champions League income.

“I’m not going to get into a situation where I look frustrated or am frustrated because that transfers on to the players that I have, and those guys have been brilliant.

“If we get somebody in, great. If not, then we’ll go with what we’ve got. We’ll do everything we can to try and ensure all the details are right for the game and see if we can take Celtic back into the Champions League again.

“I’ve had no injuries and I believe that the quality of our game and the intensity that we want to work at can hopefully be enough to see us through. But these games will always be tough games.”

Forrest upgrade: Celtic "pursuing" deal to sign "exciting" £5m star

Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign a winger who would be an upgrade on James Forrest.

1 ByDan Emery Aug 18, 2025 Rodgers responds to Vardy joining Celtic rumours

One player who has been linked with Celtic is free agent Jamie Vardy. The forward has his heart set on a move to Celtic Park after leaving Leicester City, and Rodgers called the forward “brilliant” when quizzed on a potential move.

Rodgers also wanted to ensure uncertainty over potential outgoing transfers also does not affect players.

“I mentioned this a few weeks ago to the players, I think it’s important to just set the narrative for them because there’s so much noise, especially as it ramps up towards the end.

“I’ve been in enough changing rooms to know how stability can be lost in this moment because some players will be thinking are they staying, are they going, but in the midst of that you’ve got really important games.

“So I’ve already mentioned this to players about respecting and acknowledging that it is a difficult part of the season, however, the money will be in your bank every month and it’ll be from Celtic and whilst it is, you need to perform. And in fairness to the players, they’ve been brilliant with that. You see it in their attitude in the game, the energy in the games.”

Attempting to add a defensive reinforcement to their ranks, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly “closing in” on a £26m deal to sign a new central defender for Vitor Pereira.

Wolves set premium Strand-Larsen price

It’s already been a summer of exit blows for Wolves, who lost both Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri to both Manchester clubs earlier this summer. Now, they reportedly face a similar battle to keep hold of Jorgen Strand Larsen. And like Cunha and Ait-Nouri, the Midlands club have reportedly set a premium price to sell their forward – reportedly setting a price tag of £60m – with Newcastle United pushing to secure his signature.

The Norwegian spent last season on loan in the Midlands before triggering a permanent deal worth £23m, but could now be on the move once again as Newcastle desperately look to end their striker search.

His departure would be an almighty blow for Pereira, who has already seen his attack blunted by the departure of Cunha earlier this summer. Losing Strand Larsen on top of that would leave Wolves scrambling for reinforcements in a race against time with the transfer window slamming shut in less than two weeks.

Of course, it’s clear to see why Newcastle have turned their focus towards Strand Larsen. The 25-year-old scored 14 goals in his debut Premier League campaign and earned the praise of Pereira, who told reporters after the forward’s brace against Southampton: “[Jorgen] Strand Larsen was fantastic, not only with his two goals but with the way he helped the team.”

Meanwhile, as Wolves scramble to keep hold of one of their key men, they may yet have some good news on the way in the form of an incoming of their own this month.

Wolves "closing in" on Krejci

As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Wolves are now “closing in” on a deal to sign Ladislav Krejci from Girona. In a transfer worth around €30m (£26m), those in the Midlands look set to get their man and welcome a much-needed defensive reinforcement for Pereira this month.

The 26-year-old is likely to come straight into the side if he arrives before the end of the month. Pereira was left with little choice but to start Matt Doherty out of position in a back three alongside Toti Gomes and Emmanuel Agbadou against Manchester City last weekend, but the arrival of Krejci would quickly put an end to that experiment.

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Described as “dominant in the air” by scout Jacek Kulig, the Czech Republic international could quickly prove to be an excellent addition, should Wolves get their deal over the line.

Devdutt Padikkal put on a batting exhibition on an up-and-down surface at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara as he helped Karnataka to their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy final. He continued his stellar run in the competition, hitting his seventh successive fifty-plus score in India’s premier 50-over domestic competition and in the process, knocked defending champions Haryana out.Padikkal made 86 off 113 balls – following his 102 off 99 against Baroda in the last outing, his first this season – and added 128 for the third wicket with Ravichandran Smaran as Karnataka chased down the 238-run target with relative ease. The win was set up by their bowlers led by left-arm quick Abhilash Shetty, who returned 4 for 34. His wickets included both Nishant Sindhu and Parth Vats, the two half-centurions from Haryana’s preliminary quarter-final win that knocked out Bengal.Legspinner Shreyas Gopal was instrumental in turning the tide Karnataka’s way with the ball when he broke a fluent second-wicket partnership worth 70 between Himanshu Rana and Ankit Kumar by trapping the latter lbw on 48. Thereon, Haryana lost 8 for 96 to collapse to 198 for 9. But a stroke-filled last-wicket stand between Anuj Thakral and Amit Rana, which included scoring 17 off the last over of the first innings, helped Haryana get to a total much more than Karnataka would have liked.Four-time champions Karnataka were jolted early in the chase when their top-scorer of the competition, the captain Mayank Agarawal, fell in the opening over. Anshul Kamboj got a fullish ball to jag in and hit Agarawal on the knee-roll, the Hawk-Eye showing it to clip the stumps. Padikkal, his opening partner since returning from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, managed to ride the uneven bounce and collect a few fours, even as KV Aneesh struggled at the other end. The No. 3 bat played 14 straight dots before heaving Sumit Kumar over deep midwicket for a meaty six to get going.Related

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If Padikkal brought Karnataka’s chase on track with his 62-run partnership with Aneesh, he dashed Haryana’s hopes with his alliance with Smaran. The pair took their time to settle, especially when Haryana pressed their spinners, Amit and Sindhu, into service. They were getting some balls to turn, some jumped from the rough but Padikkal broke the deadlock by stepping out to Sindhu and smoking him over long-on. He looked untroubled for most of his stay until he played a cross-batted heave, intending to finish the chase in a hurry, and top-edged Sindhu to mid-off with Karnataka 44 away.Smaran too scored a classy fifty, hitting three fours and three sixes and fell on 76 off 94 with Karnataka 13 away.Earlier in the day, Haryana were inserted and got a steady start through openers Arsh Ranga and Himanshu. Their partnership should have been nipped in the fifth over when Ranga edged Koushik behind, but Krishnan Shrijith failed to hang on. That did not cost Karnataka as Shetty struck with his second ball to have Ranga edge one to Padikkal at slip.That was Karnataka’s only success for some time as Himanshu and Amit scored fluently. They were helped by some wayward bowling, too, with Prasidh bowling a few wides down leg. Shrijith’s shoddy glovework also resulted in a few byes. The second-wicket pair for Haryana was doing well to set a base. Which is when Agarawal brought spin on to apply the brakes.Shreyas and left-arm spinner Hardik Raj tested both the edges of the batters, with the former using the googly to excellent effect. After he denied Haryana’s captain, Ankit, a fifty, Himanshu had an ill-timed dash down the surface against Raj and was stumped by Shrijith. Those twin wickets gave Karnataka enough of an opening. Dinesh Bana, Rahul Tewatia and Sumit Kumar all got starts but none lasted more than 36 balls.But that did not bother Karnataka, who made regular inroads to trigger a collapse. One that was enough to propel Karnataka to their first Vijay Hazare Trophy final since 2019-20 after three semi-finals and a quarter-final appearance in the last four editions. They will meet the winner of Vidarbha vs Maharashtra in Saturday’s final.

تلقى منتخب مصر الثاني المشارك في كأس العرب، بقيادة حلمي طولان خسارة بهدفين نظيفين أمام نظيره المغرب، في إطار استعدادات الفريق للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب. 

وواجه منتخب مصر، نظيره منتخب المغرب للمحليين، في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة، على ملعب البشير بالمحمدية في المغرب، على هامش استعدادات الفريقين للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب التي ستقام في قطر ديسمبر المقبل. 

وأحرز هدفي منتخب المغرب أمام نظيره منتخب مصر، كل من الثنائي أمين زحزوح، ومحمود بنتايك الظهير الأيسر لفريق الزمالك، لينتهي اللقاء بخسارة الفراعنة بثنائية نظيفة. 

طالع.. بدلاء منتخب مصر الثاني أمام المغرب.. محمد شريف يجاور سام مرسي

يذكر أن منتخب مصر الثاني بقيادة حلمي طولان المدير الفني للفريق، يستعد للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب، المقرر إقامتها في قطر، تبدأ في 1 ديسمبر وتختتم بالنهائي في 18 ديسمبر 2025.

وكانت قد أسفرت قرعة بطولة كأس العرب عن تواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثالثة مع منتخبات الأردن والإمارات والفائز من (الكويت ضد موريتانيا).

It would be fair to say that some of the shine has been taken off Arsenal’s summer over the last seven days.

The atmosphere around the club was excellent going into the game against Tottenham Hotspur last Thursday, only for the team to fall to a dull 1-0 defeat.

Then, instead of wiping the slate clean with an entertaining win over Villarreal on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta’s side fell to yet another defeat.

Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the club have made several brilliant signings so far, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi the clear standouts.

Moreover, Andrea Berta looks ready to make yet more additions, with Eberechi Eze’s name refusing to go away, and reports suggesting he could pull off the signing of another international ace, someone who’d surely represent his best deal yet.

Berta targets a better signing than Eze

Despite already adding six players to the squad this summer, Arsenal are clearly on the hunt for more first-team additions, and Eze has been someone consistently touted for a move to the club this summer.

Transfer Focus

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

The Crystal Palace star has a £67.5m release clause in his current deal that expires on August 15th, and based on stories from the last week or so, it does seem like the Gunners will be making a move for him once that clause is gone.

However, in exciting news, the Englishman isn’t the only attacker Berta and Co are supposedly after, as it now looks like they’ve got their eye on someone who’d undoubtedly be his best signing of the window.

At least that’s according to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, who has reaffirmed the fact that Arsenal are very interested in Rodrygo.

Bailey has revealed that, alongside North London rivals Spurs, the Gunners are now just “waiting for a signal” from the Brazilian before they make their move.

Interestingly, stories from earlier this summer made it clear that if the winger were to leave, it’d likely require a fee of around £86m, but then more recent reports have stated that a season-long loan with an obligation to buy at the end could be his route out of Spain.

It remains to be seen how Arsenal could eventually sign Rodrygo, but if they have any chance of doing so, they should, as he’d instantly become the best deal under Berta’s watch.

Why Rodrygo would be Berta's best deal

So, when it comes to the deals Berta has already completed this summer, the only two players who would be in with a shout of being his best are Gyokeres and Zubimendi, but we still think Rodrygo would land above both.

The reason he’d do so in the case of the Spaniard is the simple fact that the club do already have several genuinely great options for that role in the shape of Declan Rice, who was initially signed as a six, Christian Norgaard, who has impressed in pre-season, and Mikel Merino.

Moreover, it’s simply the nature of the sport that those who operate in deeper areas of the pitch are viewed as less game-changing than someone who’s up top, banging in goals or creating chances for his teammates.

However, in that case, why wouldn’t the former Sporting CP star be the better deal, as he racked up 67 goal involvements in 52 games last season?

Well, in this instance, it comes down to the fact that, while still outstanding, those numbers were achieved primarily in the Portuguese league, which, according to Opta Analyst, is just the eighth toughest in the world, coming in behind the Championship and Belgian top-flight.

While there is every chance that the Swedish international is a lean, mean goalscoring machine for the Gunners as well, there is still an element of the unknown about how he’ll adapt, especially when strikers like Darwin Núñez have struggled to do so in the past.

In contrast, we’ve got plenty of evidence that the Real Madrid star can more than handle himself in a top-five league.

Appearances

51

54

Minutes

3707′

3452′

Goals

17

14

Assists

9

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

0.46

Minutes per Goal Involvement

142.57′

138.08′

For example, across the last two seasons, the Brazilian “superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

That means the former Santos gem has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is only made all the more impressive when you take into account the fact he had to play out of his preferred position on the left for most of those games.

Finally, like all top-tier players, the Osasco-born ace has an incredible record in the Champions League.

In his 64 appearances in the competition, totalling 3883 minutes, the 24-year-old has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.64 games, or every 99.56 minutes.

Ultimately, when you take everything into account, from his record to the fact that there are plenty of other top sides looking to sign him, it’s easy to see why Rodrygo would represent Berta’s best deal since joining Arsenal.

He'd solve Arteta's Martinelli problem: £68m ace has "heart set on Arsenal"

The Premier League star would be an exceptional addition to Arsenal’s squad.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 7, 2025

It denied Healy a chance to test her readiness with the gloves after she had played the NZ series late last year only as a batter

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2025

Match abandonedAlyssa Healy was prevented from testing herself in the middle with the wicketkeeping gloves as the Governor-General match against England was abandoned after less than 29 overs due to rain in Sydney, while quick bowler Lauren Filer endured a difficult start to her Ashes tour with the ball as she repeatedly lost her footing in delivery.Australia captain Healy was using this match to test her readiness to return with the gloves after playing as a batter only against New Zealand late last year, but was only able to have a hit as she made a crisp 38 in a rapid opening stand of 91 with Georgia Voll who again impressed with a 38-ball half-century.After the game had been called off due to frequent stoppages, Healy had a 20-minute keeping session on the outfield with Australia’s coaching staff ahead of Sunday’s first ODI.Related

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Rain delayed the start after the toss had taken place and when play did begin, Filer struggled to keep her footing from the Scoreboard End and slipped four times before rain took the players off again.On resumption, Filer did not complete her opening over with Nat Sciver-Brunt bowling the final delivery. Filer later returned from the Fig Tree End but again kept slipping over in her delivery stride and finished with figures of 2.5-0-33-0.However, England coach Jon Lewis was not overly concerned by Filer’s difficulties saying it was something she often did at training as she powered through the crease and that the damp conditions made it additionally challenging.”It’s a very similar thing to what Mark Wood does,” Lewis said. “When your front foot lands, you are trying to get your front leg and to do that you pull your leg back…so if there’s nothing for you to grip against when you pull your leg then you tumble. It was little bit greasy out there so wasn’t ideal for her, but we hope the wicket on Sunday will be a little less grassy and a bit drier.”Lauren Filer lost her footing a number of times in her delivery stride•Getty Images

While groundstaff were working on the take-off area during Filer’s opening over there was a lengthy chat between the England players at the umpires and Lewis conceded conditions had not been ideal.”There’s always a risk when it’s a little bit wet,” he said. “Was I uncomfortable, probably not, was I comfortable probably somewhere in the middle between the two things. Again, it was important to try and get some overs into our bowlers in this game.”Lewis was confident Filer wouldn’t be affected by the struggles of her first bowl in the middle on a tour where her pace had been viewed as providing a cutting edge to England’s attack”She’s pretty confident with where she’s at,” Lewis said. “She bowled well down pace there for what she would normally bowl because it was quite hard to stand up. When you are a bowler and it’s hard to stand up it’s not easy to put the ball where you want it because you are running in at 20kph an hour and trying to land a ball in a really small space.”Whether Filer plays the opening ODI may come down to the fitness of Kate Cross, who didn’t featured in the warm-up game and instead bowled out at Cricket Central, following the back spasms that curtailed her tour of South Africa. Lewis said they would have a clearer picture of her availability in the next couple of days and also played down the significance of the warm-up match being truncated.”We’d have liked to have played more cricket, [but] we can’t control the weather,” he said. “We’ll front up on Sunday, the players are ready, we’ve played a lot of cricket over the last four or five months since the World Cup, through South Africa…so they’ve come here and it feels like they’ve hit the ground running so we feel like we’re in a pretty good space.”The forecast for the next couple of days in Sydney is for further showers which may impact the preparations of both sides.