Liverpool won the transfer window. So we were led to believe, anyway.

On paper that statement appeared to be true. Arne Slot and Co had spent a colossal amount of money on improving the squad, notably signing Florian Wirtz for a British record of £116m before breaking that very record just weeks later when they shelled out £125m to sign Alexander Isak.

Those two deals made the Reds favourites for the title but the once successful Slot era appears to be unravelling rather quickly.

The Anfield outfit may have won the Premier League in 2024/25 but they look a shadow of that side now.

Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah signed new deals but that matters not; both look beyond their best.

As for Wirtz and Isak, the numbers are damning. They have only scored once between them since moving to Merseyside.

So, after losing 2-1 to Manchester United on Sunday, there are clearly some big issues to fix.

The biggest problems facing Arne Slot at Liverpool

Much has been made of Liverpool’s regression as a defensive unit this season.

Andy Robertson has been forced to sit out most games on the bench, even if Milos Kerkez continues to underperform, while Trent Alexander-Arnold arguably hasn’t been properly replaced.

Conor Bradley has endured a slow start to the campaign and Jeremie Frimpong’s debut term at Liverpool has so far been full of injuries.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Despite that, however, some may well argue that the biggest problems are in the centre of defence.

Ibrahima Konate appears to be distracted by speculation surrounding his future and Van Dijk is no longer the force he once was, something that was demonstrated when Liverpool conceded in the first minute on Sunday.

Amad picked up the ball on the right and threaded a lovely ball through towards Bryan Mbeumo.

The Van Dijk of old would have anticipated the pass and then intercepted the play but he was caught napping. The great Dutchman was slow to react, slow to get back and slow to track Mbeumo. The end result? The Cameroon international found the back of the net.

However, while Liverpool continue to struggle at the back, the tactical make-up of the team has been a problem from minute one of the Community Shield.

Salah is having less of an impact on games and has only scored one non-penalty goal in the Premier League during the first eight game weeks.

New signing Hugo Ekitike and fellow forward Cody Gakpo have been rare bright sparks but even the latter should have taken the game out of sight on Sunday. The Dutchman scored but also struck the woodwork an incredible three times.

Plenty of new signings there certainly are, but there’s a lack of chemistry and synergy from Slot’s men and it’s worrying that he can’t get a tune out of three of the most exciting forwards around in Salah, Isak and Wirtz.

You sense the future of the club needs to be built around the final two names but that’s easier said than done considering their form so far.

To only exacerbate the problems Slot is facing, the midfield are also not covering themselves in much glory.

Slot's midfield conundrum

This has been a peculiar start to the campaign and it just seems as if Slot cannot strike the right balance.

On Sunday, he ended the game with a central midfielder at right back in Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong at right wing. It’s good that the manager has options and flexibility but he simply isn’t using his squad correctly.

The midfield continues to be an issue, too, although that feels more down to overall player performance.

Ryan Gravenberch has floated in and out of form but the regression of Alexis Mac Allister has been more worrying.

Signed for just £35m from Brighton, he has long been seen as a bargain. Last season he was perhaps unfortunate not to be nominated for Premier League player of the year ahead of Gravenberch as Liverpool won the title.

Yet, in 2025/26, he’s been a shadow of his former self and the defeat to United summed that up.

Eventually replaced just after the hour mark, the Argentine left the field having had just 22 touches and completed only 13 passes, a worryingly low amount for a central midfielder.

Mac Allister vs Man Utd
Minutes played	62
Touches	22
Accurate passes	13/17 (76%)
Long balls completed	0/2
Shots	2
Shots on target	1
Key passes	0
Tackles	0
Interceptions	0
Recoveries	1
Duels won	0/2
Stats via Sofascore.

There lies the issue, though. Too many games are simply passing Mac Allister by right now and he’s becoming a scapegoat as a result.

In the process of losing every duel he contested, criticism came the midfielder’s way. One Reds content creator on X bemoaned that the Argentina international as the “most overrated player” in the Liverpool squad, suggesting that he “plods around like he’s pushing 40” from the middle of the park.

Mac Allister is usually so technically secure but he lacks athleticism and power to get across the field in a similar way to Gravenberch.

GOAL handed the player an average 6/10 rating at full-time, noting that he “covered plenty of ground, but was quiet by his standards.”

The midfielder has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers in recent years but it really does feel like he’s currently on borrowed time in this system.

A midfield trio of Gravenberch, Wirtz and Szoboszlai feels like the way to go from now on and with Curtis Jones also waiting in the wings, it’s not as though Slot is short of options.

Are Arsenal now ready to bring the biggest trophies back to North London?

On Tuesday night, the Gunners sent out a serious statement by smashing Atlético Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League, all the goals coming during a 12-minute second-half scoring spree.

New striker Viktor Gyökeres scored twice, easing some of the pressure on his shoulders, while fellow summer signing Martín Zubimendi put in another eye-catching display.

Thus, the additions made this summer have elevated Mikel Arteta’s team to another level, but is balance one of the under-the-radar reasons why the Gunners have found red-hot form of late?

Arsenal's right-sided bias

During their previous title challenges, a high proportion of Arsenal’s attacks have come down their right flank.

The Gunners’ peak form under Arteta came during the second half of the 2023/24 campaign, winning 16 of 18 Premier League matches, with the Benjamin White, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka attacking trident down the right-hand side, by some distance, their most dangerous outlet.

As documented by the Athletic, the most common combination would see White overlapping, thereby making space for Saka, with Ødegaard’s primary task to find one or the other, this functioning thanks to White’s ‘energetic and well-timed runs’ alongside Ødegaard’s ‘exquisite passing’ as well as Saka’s ‘dribbling ability [which] forces teams to double up on him’

Meantime, the Telegraph outlined that a whopping 45% of their attacks last season came down the right flank, up from 38% and 41% the previous two campaigns, making this a clear pattern across an elongated period of time, something they describe as an issue when the opposition are able to nullify this.

We could have included dozens of goals to demonstrate the threat Arsenal pose down their right-hand side, but Kai Havertz’s late winner against Brentford in March 2024 illustrates it nicely.

Now, recent acquisitions have made Arteta’s team significantly more balanced, no longer solely reliant on some Saka magic, while neither White nor Ødegaard have featured particularly much, for various reasons, so far this season.

Thus, Arteta has reshaped his left side, so has this become equally as effective?

Arsenal's new look creative left-side

Where once Oleksandr Zinchenko stood as Arsenal’s marauding left-back, Riccardo Calafiori is the current occupant of that position.

The Italian has started all eight Premier League games so far, paradoxically described as both ”defensively very solid’ and “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” following last weekend’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The table below documents Calaifori’s importance this season.

Stats

Calafiori

PL rank

Minutes

614

6th

Goals

1

5th

Assists

2

1st

Shots

16

2nd

Shot-creating actions

17

4th

Goal-creating actions

5

1st

Progressive carries

16

4th

Tackles

12

3rd

Clearances

20

3rd

Ball recoveries

30

2nd

As the table notes, amazingly, only Gyökeres has attempted more shots among Arsenal players in the Premier League this season, while the Italian is contributing across all areas of the pitch, including the fact he’s second only to Declan Rice in terms of ball recoveries.

However, as White can testify from the other flank, a full-back going forward is only as good as the players he has in front of him, so could Eberechi Eze be that man for Calafiori?

Right now, the England international is being deployed more towards the right, deputising for Ødegaard, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, both of whom have scored crucial goals this week, time-sharing on the left flank.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Nevertheless, Eze’s natural tendency is to drift to the left, something he’s having to fight against at the moment.

Thus, analyst Ben Mattinson posited back in 2024 that the pair could be something of a “left-sided White and Saka”, noting that there are “a lot of similarities”, adding that Calafiori is a “better carrier” and Eze is “creative”, concluding that this could be enough to fire Arsenal to the Premier League title.

The man who arrived from Crystal Palace, too much excitement, in August notched his third assist for Arsenal on Tuesday, setting up the first of Gyökeres’ two goals, while he himself opened his Gunners account at Port Vale in the EFL Cup last month.

As Arteta searches for more central creativity, Eze has regularly been deployed through the middle so far, but has started on the left too.

The best example of what he is capable of from a wider position came against Nottingham Forest, bursting in behind to get on the end of a driven ball over the top by, you guessed it, Calafiori, before squaring it for Gyökeres to tap home.

This goal could prove to be just an amuse bouche of what this £110m pair are able to contribute this season so, if Arsenal’s left side becomes anywhere near as potent as their right, supporters have every reason to believe that this genuinely could be their year.

Gyokeres can help Arsenal's "unbelievable" star reach Mesut Ozil's level

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 23, 2025

He has handed the role of leading the victory song to Carey but that doesn’t mean he’s retiring anytime soon

Andrew McGlashan30-Jun-20251:07

Lyon claims two wickets in two balls to clinch victory

Nathan Lyon has handed over the role of leading the Australia victory song to Alex Carey but has no thoughts on winding down his Test career with ambitions to win series in India and England.Lyon had been the song-master for longer than any other player – a tradition started with Rod Marsh – having been handed the duty by Mike Hussey in 2013 when he retired against Sri Lanka. Lyon was 18 Tests into his career. It briefly went to Carey during the 2023 Ashes when Lyon was injured, but Australia did not win a Test in the remainder of that series.In the 119 Tests Lyon played as holder of the song – – he registered 67 wins. Among the renditions he most remembers were the one the first Test after Phil Hughes’ death in 2015, after beating India at Adelaide Oval, and when they won the Ashes 5-0 in 2013-14.Related

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Lyon, though, hopes to add plenty more victories to that tally in the years to come with two marquee series in his sights.”I’ve been very honoured to first lead the song, but to have it for 12, 13 years, it’s been one of the biggest highlights of my career,” Lyon said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but this definitely doesn’t mean I’m retiring anytime soon. There’s no talk about me retiring or even thoughts coming in my head.”I’ve always said I want to win away in India, and I want to win away in England. Obviously, we’ve got that opportunity in a couple of years’ time, but we’ve also got to take it Test by Test and make sure we’re doing everything here and getting the games here in West Indies right. Then we’ve got a massive summer at home with the Ashes. But also, another World Test Championship final will be on my cards.”At his current rate of wicket-taking, Nathan Lyon will fly past 600 wickets•Robert Cianflone/Getty ImagesLyon would have handed the song over to Carey at the World Test Championship final had Australia won, but South Africa’s victory meant the baton passing waited until Barbados when he dropped a letter to Carey’s room after the second day’s play.”It’s more about the team environment and making sure that I get the opportunity to pass it on to someone who I look at and absolutely love and the way he goes about it on and off the field,” he said. “I just feel like Alex is the perfect candidate. I feel like I ran my race with it and it’s time for someone else to put their touch on it.”Such has been Lyon’s longevity that he is one two survivors from Australia’s 2012 visit to the Caribbean, alongside Mitchell Starc who could play his 100th Test in Jamaica. “There’s been a lot of hard work that goes in behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t see,” he said. “But I was sitting on the balcony this morning thinking, s**t, I was here in 2012.”A byproduct of Lyon hoping to play for at least two more years, and potentially even more, is that he will likely surpass 600 Test wickets and could even challenge Shane Warne’s iconic tally of 708. Lyon averages four wickets per Test and with 21 more to play in this embryonic WTC cycle, plus the 150th anniversary Test against England in March 2027, he could be nudging 650 by the time of the next away Ashes in 2027.”Warney’s a long way away,” Lyon said. “And in my eyes, he’s the greatest to ever play the game. I’m just lucky to be part of a pretty special cricket team at the moment. We’re on our way to becoming a great cricket team, we not there [yet] as I always say. But to be part of this bowling attack and play my role is special. That’s the reason why I keep playing.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Mano Menezes não descarta a ideia de o lateral Fagner ser opção como volante para o Corinthians em 2024, e a possibilidade pode aumentar com a movimentação do clube na próxima janela de transferências.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCuiabá x Corinthians: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo pelo BrasileirãoCorinthians24/10/2023NotíciasVirada de chave? Aposte R$100 e ganhe R$325 com o Corinthians no Brasileirão!Notícias25/10/2023Fora de CampoÍdolo do São Paulo dispara: ‘O Corinthians cai para a segunda divisão’Fora de Campo24/10/2023

+ Acompanhe o dia dos atletas brasileiros no Pan-Americano de Santiago

Atualmente, Gabriel Moscardo e Maycon são os jogadores que despontam na briga pela posição de primeiro volante, e ambos podem não permanecer na equipe para 2024.

Moscardo é o principal ativo da equipe e a diretoria planeja fazer da Cria do Terrão a maior venda da história do Corinthians. No meio do ano, o Timão rejeitou uma proposta de 21 milhões de euros (R$ 111 milhões) do Chelsea, além de 4 milhões de euros (R$ 21,2 milhões) em metas e bonificações. O Barcelona, primeiro interessado em Moscardo, tenta apostar na parte sentimental para contratar o garoto em janeiro.

continua após a publicidade

Já Maycon está cedido pelo Shakhtar Donetsk ao Timão até o final da temporada. Mano aprovou o rendimento do camisa 5 como primeiro volante, mas a decisão sobre um novo empréstimo ou até mesmo a compra em definitivo será tomada após as eleições, quando o novo presidente for eleito.

O futuro também é incerto para Fausto Vera, reserva de Maycon e Moscardo que busca reconquistar espaço com Mano Menezes. O argentino recebeu sondagens de equipes italianas em julho e é bem avaliado no mercado europeu. Como Fausto está em baixa e o discurso interno no Corinthians é de reformulação, a nova diretoria pode olhar com bons olhos a venda do argentino.

continua após a publicidade

+ Veja tabela e simule os resultados do Brasileirão

Com contrato até o fim de 2024, Fagner não é unanimidade no Corinthians e ojogador pode entrar em uma ‘lista de negociáveis’na próxima temporada. Ocamisa 23 não acredita em fim de ciclo no Corinthianse quer dar a volta por cima, buscando sofrer menos com lesões e voltando a ser uma peça fundamental para a equipe em 2024.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca privately wants to reinforce another key area of his squad in January, with the Blues eyeing a Serie A star as one potential target.

Enzo Maresca not satisfied with Chelsea team behind-the-scenes

The tactician is reportedly dissatisfied with his current squad, and feels that they’re still pretty weak in certain departments.

This is despite the fact they spent close to £300 million in the latest summer transfer window, with only Premier League champions Liverpool splashing more cash than the Blues on new recruits.

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

However, while Chelsea did spend significantly, they failed to bring in a star centre-back — which they’re now paying dearly for.

Trevoh Chalobah (suspended), Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo are all set to miss today’s clash with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, leaving Maresca with little choice but to play Benoit Badiashile with left-back Jorrel Hato in the centre of defence, or opt for youngster Josh Acheampong.

Chelsea are set to try and sign a centre-back in January, with the club and board in agreement that should be the priority when the window reopens (Pete O’Rourke).

That being said, there are apparently more areas of the team which Maresca is currently unhappy with, and this has partly led to tension between Chelsea’s boss and the board.

Now, in another Substack update, Phillips has reported that Maresca also wants to sign another number nine.

Chelsea eye Dušan Vlahović as Enzo Maresca desires a new striker

Liam Delap will be out until November after picking up a hamstring injury at the beginning of the season, while Joao Pedro is arguably more suited to the number 10 position.

Question marks also surround whether Marc Guiu, who returned from a brief loan spell at Sunderland, can be realistically relied upon as a proven goal getter.

According to Phillips, Maresca certainly thinks that Chelsea could do with another centre-forward, and £373,000-per-week Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović remains on their shortlist after previously considering a move for the Serbian.

While Vlahovic would need to take a dramatic pay-cut to join Chelsea given their careful wage structure, there is reason to believe the 25-year-old could be a good option.

His contract expires in 2026, meaning Chelsea would be on to negotiate a cut-price January move, given the Old Lady would have very little negotiating room considering his deal runs out just months later.

Vlahovic has also scored over 110 senior goals across his career already despite still approaching his prime, including four in seven appearances this campaign, so the ex-Fiorentina star is a man bang in form.

أعلن المدير الفني السابق لفريق ريال مدريد، زين الدين زيدان، عن مفاجأة سارة لمحبيه، حسبما نشر الصحفي الشهير فابريزيو رومانو.

كان زين الدين زيدان بلا عمل منذ رحيله عن تدريب فريق ريال مدريد في نهاية موسم 2020/21.

وارتبط الفرنسي بأكثر من وجهة، منذ ذلك الحين، مثل منتخب فرنسا، مانشستر يونايتد، باريس سان جيرمان، ليفربول، بل وارتبط بإمكانية العودة إلى تدريب الملكي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. زيدان مشيدًا بـ لاعب برشلونة: ما فعله ضد إنتر ميلان أمرًا لا يصدق

ولكن لم يحدث أي جديد يخص زيدان منذ مغادرته صفوف ريال مدريد في صيف 2021 وحتى وقتنا هذا.

وسُئل زيدان عما إذا كان ينوي تدريب فريق جديد، حيث رد في تصريح مقتضب نشره فابريزو رومانو: “سيحدث ذلك قريبًا، قريبًا للغاية”.

ولم يضف زيدان أي تفاصيل أخرى إلى تصريحه، ولكن ما قاله كان كافيًا من أجل إسعاد محبيه الذين طال انتظارهم لاستقبال عودته إلى دكة التدريب من جديد.

Leeds United have endured a mixed start to life in the Premier League, and a path may now be emerging for one of their players to depart in January.

Leeds United look to recover after Burnley defeat

Points are a precious commodity in the top-flight, and the Whites will be feeling frustrated that they couldn’t make their chances count against Burnley in a frustrating defeat at Turf Moor on Saturday.

Despite retaining a vastly superior expected goals total of 2.63 to the hosts’ 0.45, Scott Parker managed to get the better of Daniel Farke, who expressed a sense of frustration at not being able to come away with a positive result after an afternoon of failing to hit the target.

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With West Ham United to come next Friday, Leeds will hope to build on a mixed start to life in the top-flight, but January will be an important month in the context of finding stars who can stave off the threat of relegation.

Sheffield United midfielder Gustavo Hamer is a Whites target, and they may now be set to offload one of their stars to make room for mid-season arrivals.

Leeds United could offload Jack Harrison in January

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Leeds could offload Jack Harrison in January if they manage to bring in attacking reinforcements, even after he started in the defeat to Burnley on Saturday.

He explained: “Look, for Leeds right now, they’re probably looking to strengthen the squad rather than weaken it. Particularly in attacking areas, where Farke is planning to strengthen in January. A lot will depend on what Leeds are able to do in the transfer window themselves.

Jack Harrison’s record at Leeds

Appearances

214

Goals

34

Assists

32

“If they are able to bring in attacking reinforcements then maybe that could open the door to a move for Jack Harrison.”

Earning £90,000 per week at Elland Road, he is the second-highest paid player at Leeds and being able to alleviate space on the wage bill could suit all parties, albeit he is a hard-working winger who has a credible Premier League CV based on his time in Yorkshire and at Everton.

However, he is far from first choice when everyone is fit, so a departure would possibly be a sensible option if clubs were to come forward with proposals.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca claimed that he was "very worried" before facing relegation-threatened Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday. The Blues registered a thumping 3-0 win over the manager-less side to climb up to second in the Premier League table. The result, meanwhile, leaves Wolves rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from the opening 11 games.

Back-to-back league wins for Chelsea

After beating Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the Blues registered a second consecutive victory as they thrashed relegation-threatened Wolves at Stamford Bridge. Maresca's side were the dominant right from the off and came close to breaking the deadlock on quite a few occasions in the first half. Captain Enzo Fernandez was the star as he ran the show from the middle of the park.

Chelsea finally broke the deadlock shortly after the break courtesy of Malo Gusto's strike, before Joao Pedro doubled the lead. Pedro Neto then scored a third goal to seal an important victory. The three points helped them to climb up to the second in the standings and they are now six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

Manchester United flop Alejandro Garnacho, who is now regularly featuring in Maresca's starting lineup, starred with a couple of assists as the Argentine is slowly regaining his long-lost form after gaining full faith of the head coach. 

AdvertisementGettyMaresca reveals pre-match concern

Speaking to reporters after the game, Blues boss Maresca made a surprise claim that he was afraid to face rock bottom Wolves. The Italian coach said: "I was very worried before this game. These are the worst games, they're tricky. Everyone is thinking it's going to be easy. I can understand first half people were not happy because we didn't score. Then, when Estevao came on the energy raised because people love that kind of player."

Maresca heaped further praise on youngster Estevao, who came on as a substitute in the second half. The coach added: "You can see his talent. We are trying to help him to adapt and give him the right minutes. "He arrived from Brazil, he needs time to adapt, but he's going to start games for us in the future. He arrived from a club where he was not training 100 percent so his physical condition was not good. Slowly, now he is better. He knows that to play with us he needs to be good on the ball and off the ball otherwise, he's not going to play. We are very happy with him."

Caretaker manager Collins praises Wolves'

After yet another loss in the league, Wolves caretaker manager James Collins said: "The boys are together and are working hard. There's not little cliques, they're very, very together. There's work to do, we've got to improve. There's a lot of games left. Our season is not going to be defined by Chelsea away."

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AFPFernandez ruled out of action for Argentina

After starring in Chelsea's win and bagging the player-of-the-match award, Fernandez revealed that he has been struggling with an injury and won't be available for Argentina in their friendly matches during the international break. The Blues skipper said: "I will not be available with Argentina. I was just talking to the medical team because I had a problem with my knee in the last four months. I came with a bone edema that got worse in the last weeks and months because we played a lot of games. I think the most important thing is coming to the end of the season and I think it's good to make this decision together. Always respecting the doctors and everything."

Maresca will now hope that his captain recovers from his injury soon during the break and takes the field against Burnley on November 22.

Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz would love for Juan Soto to sign with the Boston Red Sox in free agency.

Ortiz's comments on Thursday came in the wake of what was described as a "productive meeting" between Soto and the Red Sox as Boston ramps up their pursuit of the 26-year-old slugger.

Ortiz, who is a Red Sox legend, has mentored Soto for years, as both players hail from the Dominican Republic. Soto grew up watching Ortiz, Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez. Ortiz believes that Soto and fellow Dominican Rafael Devers could be Boston's new era of Ortiz and Ramirez.

"I'm telling you, we would have Manny and Papi for the left side," Ortiz told WEEI. "If there is a guy I would like to build a team around, it would have to be Juan Soto. Juan Soto speaks Spanish, and he speaks English, so he can communicate with both American and Latin players. He has that good vibe. I tell you what, the Yankees went that far this year because of him. He changed everything for them there. When you have a top player doing the things that he does, everybody follows up. That’s what they did over there. At the end of the day, he has incredible makeup.”

If Soto signs in Boston this offseason, he would quickly become a franchise cornerstone alongside Devers. The two sluggers could hold down the middle of the Red Sox order for years to come, much like Ortiz and Ramirez did for years in Boston.

Batter Veda Krishnamurthy has called time on her professional career, five years after she last played for India, at the Women’s T20 World Cup final in Melbourne in 2020.Veda retires with 48 ODIs and 76 T20I caps, with the highlight being her role in India’s seminal run to the 2017 World Cup final, where they came within nine runs of a maiden world title. Her final on-field appearance came during WPL 2024, where she represented Gujarat Giants.”Cricket gave me more than just a career,” she wrote in a post on social media. “It gave me a sense of who I am. It taught me how to fight, how to fall and how to keep showing up. It’s now time to give back. Whatever the role, whatever the way, I’m here for the game. I truly believe my second innings will be just as meaningful.”A hard-hitting middle-order batter, Veda also captained Karnataka and Railways in the domestic circuit. In 2023, she led Karnataka to runners-up finish in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy for successive years in 2021-22 and 2022-23 – they went down to domestic powerhouse Railways by six runs in the title-clash in February 2023.