All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester United are now in direct negotiations to sell a player Ruben Amorim wants to keep, with a departure on the cards in the January transfer window.

Man Utd could sell first-team star in January

Ahead of the January transfer window, it has now emerged that Benjamin Sesko is making good progress in his recovery from an injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur, with his agent, Elvis Basanovic saying: “Benjamin is feeling very good, his rehab is going as planned,”

“He’s really eager to return to the pitch; he misses playing. He’s missing games, and he’s a bit impatient, so hopefully he’ll be back soon and be where he feels most comfortable. It’s hard to say exactly [when he will return], that will be more up to the medical team and the coach.”

With Sesko spending time on the treatment table, Joshua Zirkzee started three games on the spin in the Premier League, prior to the 4-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, and scored in the 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace at the end of November.

However, the Dutchman hasn’t exactly been prolific in front of goal, scoring just once in all competitions this season, and AS Roma have now entered direct negotiations with Man United over a January deal for the centre-forward.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states United are open to offers of around £35m for Zirkzee next month, despite Amorim wanting to retain his services, as he values the former Bologna man’s versatility.

Roma are in pole position in the race for the Netherlands international, but they are not the only club in the race, with Premier League rivals West Ham United, Brighton, Everton and Aston Villa also being named as potential suitors.

Man Utd should cash-in on Zirkzee next month

Given that the Red Devils signed the striker for £36.5m, it would be fantastic if they were able to command a fee of £35m and recoup nearly all their money, considering the 24-year-old has never really managed to find his feet in the Premier League.

Amorim personally keen: Man Utd preparing £87m bid for top midfield target

United are readying a bid for a “sensational” central midfielder, who is now their priority target.

ByDominic Lund 5 days ago

The £105k-a-week forward has just eight goals to his name in 58 appearances for Man United, with Ronald Koeman also criticising him earlier this year, after choosing not to call him up for the Netherlands, saying: “He wasn’t in the preliminary selection because I don’t think he’s good enough at the moment.

“Especially scanning when turning or passing often goes wrong.”

With Sesko due to return from injury soon, and Matheus Cunha also able to play striker, doing so in the rout of Wolves, Man United should offload Zirkee in the January transfer window, despite it emerging that he wants to stay…

She picked up 3 for 23 and then hit a crucial 14 not out in a rain-curtailed chase to maintain Hurricanes’ clean slate

AAP20-Nov-2025Heather Graham helped send Hobart Hurricanes two wins clear at the top of the WBBL table, leading them to a rain-marred six-wicket win over Melbourne Renegades.Initially set 156 by the second-placed Renegades, Hurricanes’ innings was delayed twice by rain and lightning before they reached an adjusted target of 106 with an over to spare.Graham was the star of the show, bagging 3 for 23 with the ball to halt Renegades’ momentum before striking a crucial unbeaten 14 in the chase at North Sydney Oval. Nicola Carey also struck 39 from 29 balls for Hurricanes, while Elyse Villani hit 12 runs from four balls to seal the match.One of only two clubs not to have lifted the WBBL, Hurricanes are now five-from-five to start the season with their batting firing.”We’ve got real clarity about us,” captain Villani said. “We have lots of options with bat and ball so we’re spoiled for choice. And I don’t think anyone feels like it is solely up to them, so it’s a real shared load.”Earlier a bizarre missed run-out had threatened to sink Hurricanes, after Georgia Wareham’s 41 from 26 balls rescued the defending-champions Renegades from 23 for 3.Wareham was initially given run-out for six, only for Hurricanes wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee to concede she had dropped the ball. Wareham then took control of the innings in a 56-run fourth-wicket stand with England’s Alice Capsey (37). The pair hit 39 in the two-over power surge, with Wareham cutting and pulling four boundaries and a six off the first five balls of a Hayley Silver-Holmes over.But when Wareham skied the last ball of Silver-Holmes’ over and was caught, Renegades failed to post the total they should have.

Lionesses and Arsenal star Chloe Kelly weighed in on Mary Earps and Hannah Hampton's feud as she backed the ex-England and Manchester United goalkeeper. Things have soured between Earps and Hampton following the former Lionesses No.1's comments in her new autobiography about Hampton and Sarina Wiegman, where she criticised the duo. Subsequently, Earps faced public criticism.

Earps' book release and subsequent criticism

Last month, Earps made plenty of headlines around the release of her autobiography 'All In', with the Paris Saint-Germain star being specifically critical of her national team successor Hampton and England boss Wiegman. Extracts from the book included Earps’ claim that she told the Lionesses boss that she was rewarding "bad behaviour" by recalling Hampton to the national squad after previously dropping her for being "disruptive and unreliable". Following the release of the book, the Paris Saint-Germain faced backlash online.

Earps later told BBC Sport: "I don’t think I’ve thought about what I wanted the reaction to be. I’m not surprised, by what I’ve seen on my algorithms [on social media], if I had come to the same conclusions as other people if I’m honest. But that’s not what I feel I’ve written. I don’t think it’s a fair reflection and I think it’s been taken out of the entirety of the context. I speak about so many different things and it’s hard to see only certain things being pulled out and really focused on." 

AdvertisementGetty ImagesChloe Kelly backs Earms in batter of goalkeepers

Arsenal and England European championship hero Kelly has now addressed the feud between her team-mates as she told the : "I haven’t. I think, for me, I’m in a position where Hannah is my teammate, and we support our teammates. We support Mary, who was our teammate, too. Mary’s told her story. And, of course, in football, you don’t really see it too often, but I think, for me, Mary’s voiced herself."

He added: "I think, for me, it was either, I speak up and I speak out on what was happening, or I take a step away from the game. Mary’s situation is obviously writing a book of her whole journey. So, probably a little different. For me, both are my teammates, and I’m proud to stand side by side with my teammates. That’s very tactful and balanced, I say. But that’s me! I can’t comment on something if I haven’t read the whole book. Maybe one day I’ll listen to the audiobook. Because reading is not my forte."    

What did Earps say about Weigmann?

Further speaking about Weigmann, Kelly added: "There were things that happened in the summer that I wish had happened differently, of course. There’s an exchange at the end where she says we’re like family. I hope the noise of this situation hasn’t changed that. Hindsight is a beautiful thing and I would maybe do things differently with the information I have now, but I don’t think I have regrets. Regrets are hard because they’re outcome-driven. You can be a hero in one person’s eyes and a villain in another’s. If you do things with integrity and the right intentions then I don’t think you should have regrets in life, no matter what the outcome is."    

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Kelly?

The Gunners star is currently sidelined with a knee injury but she is expected to return to action soon. Kelly missed the Women's Super League clash with Everton on Saturday but she could make a comeback during the north London club's Women's League Cup quarter-final clash against Crystal Palace on December 21.   

The New York Yankees joined the list of teams to make a big move at the trade deadline in order to fortify their bullpen.

Multiple reports indicate that the Yankees and Pirates agreed to a trade that will send star closer David Bednar to New York in exchange for a package of prospects headlined by the organization's No. 8 ranked prospect, catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores.

Flores is highly regarded, having just recently earned his promotion to Triple A. Now, he'll look to develop into an everyday big league asset in Pittsburgh. Also in the trade is 19-year-old Edgleen Perez, the No. 14 prospect in the Yankees' farm, who also plays catcher and first base. The final component headed to the Pirates is Brian Sanchez, a 21-year-old outfielder currently at Single A.

Let's assess the deal:

Yankees: A-

Based on the way the reliever market has functioned this trade deadline, the Yankees could've been looking at a steeper cost to acquire Bednar than the one they paid. All things considered, it was not an inexpensive acquisition by any means, but it's a good deal for New York based on the state of the market.

Bednar is superb, logging 17 saves on the year to go with a 2.37 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 38 innings. He's surrendered just two runs over the last two months, having been dialed in throughout the summer.

The Yankees' bullpen has been utterly atrocious of late, so bringing in a steady arm like Bednar is a move the team simply couldn't afford to miss out on. They'll part ways with some valued prospects, but Bednar should give them the reliable option in late innings that they've been lacking in their current tandem of Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.

This move was a necessity for the Yankees. It didn't come cheaply, but the market for relief pitching is absurdly high at this point, so no deal for a quality late-innings pitcher would've been easy to pull off. New York gets one of the best relievers in the sport and holds onto all of its top five prospects in the process. Not bad at all.

Pirates: B+

It feels as if the Pirates could've gotten a slightly improved haul for Bednar, though adding two of New York's top 15 prospects is certainly solid for a reliever with only one additional season of control. Bednar had his ups and downs in Pittsburgh but was ultimately and excellent player for the organization. With the team continuing to rebuild, however, it was an obvious time to part with the veteran closer.

It certainly addresses an area of need for the Pirates, who, despite drafting Henry Davis with the No. 1 pick in 2021, are without a single catching prospect inside their top 20, per MLB Pipeline. Now, they get two catchers with bright futures who can eventually make an impact at the top level, while also lining up better with their current timeline.

In a sellers market, the Pirates were able to strengthen their farm, and it's hard to find anything to complain about that. A good deal for both teams, and one that will help the two sides get closer to achieving their goals.

The Orioles fired Brandon Hyde early into the 2025 MLB season after limping to a 15–28 start. Now, Baltimore is closing in on a deal for his replacement.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Orioles are set to name Craig Albernaz as their new manager. The 42-year-old is the associate manager for the Guardians, having been in that role since 2024. Previously, he was the bench coach for Cleveland. Before that, he'd served as a bullpen coach for the Giants and spent time managing in the Rays' minor-league system.

Albernaz was reportedly a sought-after managerial candidate for a number of MLB teams this offseason, but he'll ultimately head to Baltimore to take the reins of a team that is just two years removed from winning 101 games in the regular season.

Before starting his coaching career, Albernaz was a catcher in Tampa Bay's farm system from 2006 to 2013 and joined the Tigers' system in 2014. He never played in an MLB game.

Hyde had been the Orioles' manager since 2019. The team made the postseason twice in his tenure, but never won a single playoff game. He was ousted in May following the team's poor start and was replaced by interim manager Tony Mansolino. Mansolino was a candidate to be named the full-time manager, but it seems Baltimore's front office was more impressed by Albernaz.

Albernaz inherits an Orioles roster with plenty of young, exciting talent including former top prospects in Jackson Holliday, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Samuel Basallo.

The Yankees have once again ended a season without winning a World Series as they had their year come to an end Wednesday night with a 5-2 loss at home to the Blue Jays in Game 4 of their American League Division Series.

The Yankees now enter the offseason with questions about the future of their manager, Aaron Boone, and questions about what roster moves they can make in order to try to win their first title since way back in 2009.

Yankees great Derek Jeter was on Fox's postgame show and during his breakdown of yet another disappointing finish for the franchise he spoke about what the roughest thing was for Yankees fans to stomach after falling short of a championship again.

"What's tough is for the Yankee fans, this is the second year in a row they've watched another team celebrate on their home field and you can feel the frustration," the Hall of Famer said.

Jeter also had a very honest statement about this year's Yankees team.

"Aaron [Boone] said it. They got beat. They got beat," Jeter said. "Last year you could sit back and talk about the World Series and Game 5 and that the Yankees beat themselves in that particular game. In this series the Toronto Blue Jays proved they are a better team. From top to bottom they are a better team."

Here are Jeter's full comments:

It will be interesting to see what the Yankees do moving forward and how different the team will look next season.

As for right now, it has to be a rough day for the team's fans because so much is expected from this club every season, which means every playoff exit stings even more. Especially when they have to see another team celebrating on their home field.

Also: why are there so many sixes in Sharjah?

Sreshth Shah27-Sep-2020Can Sanju Samson buck his trend and carry his good form deep into the IPL?After hitting a 32-ball 74 against the Chennai Super Kings and a 42-ball 85 against the Kings XI, it seems Samson can do very little wrong this season. This start is nothing new for Samson, though. He has been a supremely good starter in past IPL seasons too. The question that needs answering is whether he can keep this momentum going – a point of concern in his batting since IPL 2017.In 2017, 30% of Samson’s runs came in his first two games. In 2018, his first-three innings contributed 45.5% of his season’s runs and in 2019 his first three outings earned him 41% of the season’s runs.It is also worth noting that both his half-centuries have come in Sharjah, which is the only venue where teams have scored over 200 in each of the four batting innings so far.How underrated is Jofra Archer the batsman?In 100 T20s, Archer has batted 51 times, facing an average of 6.09 balls per innings, but that low figure is probably because he usually comes in with very few balls left – subsequently, he has been not out 26 times. His 459 T20 runs have come at a strike rate of 147.58, and 250 of his runs have come in fours and sixes – a boundary-percentage of 54.47% and a ball-per-boundary ratio of 5.86.That he can be a game changer with the bat came to the fore in the Royals’ win against the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 when he struck his second, third and fourth ball for a hat-trick of sixes in a 30-run over that pushed the Royals from 186 in 19 overs to 216 in 20. Royals ended up winning that match by 16 runs. It was a skill he repeated again against the Kings XI today, when the first two balls he faced after Robin Uthappa’s dismissal went for sixes, bringing the target down from 21 off 11 balls to 9 off 9. On both occasions, he did that against international bowlers in Lungi Ngidi and Mohammed Shami.Having scored 40 off 11 balls this season, the Royals could consider giving him the opportunity to play more than just a few balls in the coming games.Jofra Archer celebrates after helping Rajasthan Royals pull off a record chase•BCCIWhy did Rajasthan Royals send Rahul Tewatia in at No. 4? And why did he struggle in the early stages of his innings?Royals captain Steven Smith said after the game that Tewatia had impressed all in the Royals’ camp by hitting plenty of big shots in the nets. A combination of that, along with a T20 strike rate of more than 150 and the fact that he was the only left-hand batsman in the Royals’ XI probably prompted his promotion to No. 4 as a pinch-hitter.Sending in a left-hand batsman gained significance because the Kings XI had two legbreak bowlers in M Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi, who together had a maximum of six overs up their sleeves when Tewatia walked in after the dismissal of Steven Smith in the ninth over. Traditionally, a legbreak bowler turns the ball into the left-hand batsman, creating a natural arc to hit straight or across the line.However, the reason Tewatia struggled early on – he was on eight runs off 19 balls at one stage – possibly was because the Kings XI introduced offspin in the form of Glenn Maxwell against him, and Bishnoi brought out his googlies. It’s not that Tewatia wasn’t picking the googlies, but that he couldn’t execute the inside-out shots over cover. The only six he hit off Bishnoi was off his 20th ball, when he came down the track, effectively cutting down the amount the ball could turn, and then hitting it over long-off.When Sheldon Cottrell, a left-arm seamer, bowled the 18th over to Tewatia from over the wicket, the angle coming into him worked in his favour, and he clattered five sixes, taking his score of 17 in 23 balls to 47 in 29 balls.In hindsight, we wonder whether KL Rahul should’ve handed the 18th over to Ashwin instead of Cottrell, considering how much Tewatia was struggling against Bishnoi. Ashwin had bowled just one over in the match till then, but then traditionally spinners are kept away from the death overs. Tewatia duly feasted on Cottrell instead.Why is Sharjah seeing such high totals?In the four batting innings in Sharjah this season, a total of 865 runs have been scored in 79.3 overs, at an economy of 10.88 runs per over.The pitch hasn’t been as conducive to the pace bowlers, as has been the case on the semi-grassy decks on offer in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Also the smaller ground dimensions in Sharjah have played a role.Let’s compare the dimensions of Abu Dhabi – based on the game played there on Saturday between the Knight Riders and the Sunrisers – and Sharjah – based on today’s game – from one end. The straight boundary at Abu Dhabi was 77m long; in Sharjah it was 73m. The boundaries at long-off and long-on were 74m and 77m respectively in Abu Dhabi, but in Sharjah it was 71m and 65m. The square boundaries in Abu Dhabi were 65m and 73m, in Sharjah they were 60m and 61m. Lastly, the third-man and fine-leg boundaries in Abu Dhabi were 59m and 64m, while they were 58m and 55m in Sharjah.So, shots that just clear the boundary in Sharjah are likely to offer chances on the boundary in Abu Dhabi. So far in this IPL, in two Sharjah matches a total of 62 sixes have been hit. In the other seven games, there have been only 55 sixes.