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It’s been a brilliant summer for Arsenal.

New Sporting Director Andrea Berta has hit the ground running in North London, already securing several first additions as well as some squad depth.

However, even though he is doing a good job, it does feel like Liverpool are doing better, with stars like Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz already through the doors and Hugo Ekitiké just a matter of time.

Fortunately, there is still time for the Gunners to conduct more business, and now it appears they’re working on a deal to sign the next Ekitike, once they finalise the deal for Viktor Gyokeres, of course.

Arsenal target another striker

There have already been numerous transfer sagas this summer, and the biggest for Arsenal has centred on Gyokeres.

Transfer Focus

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

For some time, it looked like the club were going to sign Slovenian marksman Benjamin Sesko, only for RB Leipzig to price him out of a move, and since then, all eyes have been on the Swede.

While a deal has not been entirely completed yet, it appears that the Gunners will be securing their man for an initial £55m, plus the extensive add-ons that are still being negotiated.

However, the club are not done there when it comes to signing strikers, as they’ve now been linked with another who could be a future Ekitike.

At least that is according to a recent report from Football Transfers, which claims Arsenal are very interested in Mainz forward Nelson Weiper.

The report has revealed that the Gunners are actively monitoring the 20-year-old prospect, although they have yet to make a formal approach.

If the North Londoners do decide to act on their clear interest, then they’ll have to stump up a reasonable fee, as the German is valued at around €14m by the Bundesliga side, which is about £12m.

It might seem like a lot for someone so young, but Weiper looks like a serious talent, and someone already being compared to Ekitike.

How Weiper compares to Ekitke

So, we know that comparing someone like Weiper to a player who is about to cost a king’s ransom might sound a bit silly, but there are some similarities, and we aren’t the only ones to make this comparison.

For example, FBref analysed players in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League, and the Europa League over the last 365 days, and concluded that the Eintracht Frankfurt star is the second most similar forward to the Mainz ace.

The best way to understand how that conclusion was reached is by examining some of the underlying metrics in which the pair ranked closely.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.64

0.77

Progressive Carries

1.67

1.86

Shots on Target

1.53

1.53

Live Passes

20.5

20.6

Tackles

0.64

0.56

Successful Take-On %

47.6%

43.7%

Aerial Duel Win %

43.6%

46.8%

These include things like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive carries, shots on target, successful take-on percentage and more, all per 90.

These numbers also suggest that with more game time and development, we could potentially see the 20-year-old reach a level of output comparable to the Frenchman.

After all, in just 698 minutes of first-team football last season, the “golden” prospect, as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, scored three goals and provided two assists, which comes out to a healthy average of a goal involvement every 139.6 minutes.

Moreover, his youth statistics are truly impressive, as in just 19 games for Mainz’s under-19s, he has scored 22 goals and provided one assist, and in just 474 minutes for Germany’s U21s, he has scored four goals and provided one assist.

Ultimately, if Arsenal do sign Weiper this summer, fans should not expect him to have a massive impact on the first team, but he does look like he’s developing into an excellent striker, and who knows, he could just be the next Ekitike.

Madueke upgrade: Arsenal set to start talks to sign "world-class" £43m star

Arsenal could sign an upgrade on Noni Madueke.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 17, 2025

Chelsea have missed out on a transfer target, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano sharing news that the player is poised to remain at his club instead.

Enzo Maresca has watched BlueCo orchestrate a fairly productive transfer market thus far.

Maresca is now pushing Chelsea to sign £150k-per-week World Cup winner

The Italian and his staff are big fans.

2

By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 28, 2025

The Blues sealed a £30 million move for highly-rated young English striker Liam Delap, who’s already got on the scoresheet with his first-ever goal for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, and it is believed that optimism is growing over a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season	Average match rating
Cole Palmer	7.33
Moises Caicedo	7.02
Enzo Fernández	6.95
Nicolas Jackson	6.88
Noni Madueke	6.82
via WhoScored

They haven’t had it all their own way, though, as Dortmund rejected three bids from Chelsea for the 20-year-old before the last transfer deadline on June 10.

Chelsea also failed with an attempt to sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, with the Rossoneri insisting on a far higher price tag than Maresca’s side were willing to pay, and talks surrounding a pre-CWC move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitiké didn’t go anywhere either.

Maresca’s side are in the market for a centre-back too, but according to Romano, they’ll have to move on from Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite – who’s now been added to the list of players who Chelsea won’t be signing.

Jarrad Branthwaite set to reject Chelsea and sign new Everton deal

Earlier this month, journalist Simon Phillips reported that Chelsea were planning to push for Branthwaite, and there was a possibility that the 23-year-old could ask to make the move to Stamford Bridge.

“Chelsea intend to push for him [Branthwaite] again and there is a possibility that they offer players to Everton in an attempt to get the fee down and make the deal more appealing on both sides,” said Phillips.

“We’ve also heard that he is a little frustrated, on Everton putting such a big valuation on his head. We had initially heard that Branthwaite would not actively push for a move. But it has now transpired that he is keen on Chelsea and could end up asking for the move.”

However, despite Chelsea’s intention, the £70 million-rated centre-back has just been put out of Maresca’s reach.

Romano confirms that Branthwaite will commit his future to Everton by signing a new long-term deal until 2030, dealing a blow to Chelsea and other suitors, who are poised to miss out on the Englishman tipped for a very bright future.

The former PSV Eindhoven loanee was also a wanted man at Tottenham, according to some reports, but any potential move to London will have to be put on the back-burner for a long while.

The proposed venue at Macquarie Point is part of a Tasmanian team joining the AFL in 2028

Andrew McGlashan12-Jul-2024

A concept design of the proposed new stadium in Hobart•Tasmania Government

There are ambitions to host indoor Test cricket at a new stadium proposed in Hobart as part of a Tasmanian team joining the Australian Football League (AFL).The Tasmania Devils are due to become the AFL’s 19th team in 2028 and part of the deal is based around there being a new stadium constructed. It is being earmarked as a multipurpose 23,000-seater venue at Macquarie Point with a transparent roof to allow daytime cricket as well as floodlit T20.”We want to get to red-ball [cricket], that’s our focus,” Macquarie Point Development Corporation CEO Anne Beach told . “The tricky thing is…we can’t be accredited until it’s built so what we need to do is keep working through the detail and design process with Cricket [Tasmania] and Cricket Australia and work with them to brief ICC to make sure they have all the information available.”We are workshopping with them through detailed design so we are making sure we are factoring in everything they need, [so] they have a clear understanding of how it’s coming together then hopefully that sign-off process is pretty smooth. But we do want to get that red-ball sign-off and that’s critical I think to enable that full content to be in the stadium.”Concept designs of the Macquarie Point stadium were released earlier this week. Ball-tracking data has been used in developing the plans to ensure the roof would be higher enough for cricket.”Cricket’s biggest concern was the height of the roof…they cited concerns with Marvel Stadium [in Melbourne] where the ball could potentially hit the roof,” Cox Architecture CEO Alistair Richardson said.”What we’ve done is we’ve worked through looking at Hawk-Eye and the ball-tracking technology, to actually assess the maximum height that anyone’s hit a ball, which is quite interesting. “Then, actually, [we’ve] pushed the roof to 50 metres, which cricket was really happy with, because there’s no instance of anyone hitting a ball at 50 metres.”Experts have said that the design of the roof means there will be very little impact from shadows on the playing surface.Marvel Stadium hosted indoor ODIs back in the early 2000s and BBL matches can be played with the roof closed, but Test cricket has never taken place at an enclosed ground.Cricket Tasmania chair David Boon reiterated the state’s aim of playing cricket at the new stadium although it would likely lead to debate around the future of Bellerive Oval.”There is a wonderful opportunity for Tasmania to be a leader in innovation for the future of the game,” Boon said. “We want to play cricket in this stadium and look forward to working collaboratively with all parties over the coming months as the design is finalised.”Tasmania last hosted a Test in the 2021-22 season – its first since 2016 – when the final match of the Ashes was switched to Bellerive Oval from Perth due to Covid travel restrictions into Western Australia. It is unlikely to stage another Test in the remainder of the current Future Tours Programme. Australia’s men will play a T20I against Pakistan in November followed by the third ODI of the Women’s Ashes in January.

Sophie Ecclestone took 3 for 18 before a vital stand with Seren Smale to chase 152

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2024Kate Cross hit a six and a four in the final over to deliver a thrilling last over five-wicket victory for the Thunder against Sunrisers in the Charlotte Edwards Cup at Blackpool.The result leaves the Thunder in fifth place, four points behind Central Sparks who occupy the fourth qualifying spot but Sunrisers, who remain on 8 points, now face an uphill task to qualify for the playoffs.It was an exciting finale after Sunrisers had posted 151 for 9 after winning the toss, one run shy of their best total in this season’s competition, led by Lissy Macleod’s 60, while Sophie Ecclestone was the pick of the Thunder bowlers with 3 for 18.Seren Smale was the batting hero for Thunder holding the middle of the innings together with an unbeaten 39, her best score in this competition, and late runs from Ecclestone and Cross were vital in clinching the win for the hosts who finished on 155 for 5.The Thunder started their run chase brightly, Fi Morris driving Nicola Hancock for six and striking three fours before she was run out for 25 off 11 balls. That was the first of two wickets falling for four runs after sub fielder Kate Coppack took a good diving catch off Sophie Munro to send back Emma Lamb for 14 with Thunder 43 for 2 in the seventh over.Katie Mack and Smale steered Thunder to 69 at halfway and Aussie overseas player Mack had just upped the tempo with three fours when she was run out for 28 by a superb direct hit from long-on by Jo Gardner, with Thunder 93 for 3 in the 13th over needing 59 off 46 balls.That looked to be a crucial blow, especially when Eva Gray bowled Ellie Threlkeld for two but Ecclestone and Smale kept Thunder in the hunt before play was halted by rain with the hosts on 123 for 4 needing 29 off 18 balls.After a 25-minute delay, Ecclestone departed for 23 but Smale and Cross reduced the target to nine off the last over from Grace Scrivens.Cross then delivered to clinch victory with three balls to spare.Earlier, Mady Villiers hit the first ball she faced for six over midwicket off Tara Norris but perished for 11 in the second over when repeating the shot off Cross but instead finding Dani Collins on the deep midwicket fence.Gardner and Macleod rebuilt swiftly with a 33-run partnership off 23 balls before the former was bowled for 14 after attempting an ambitious leg side scoop from Ecclestone’s third delivery.It was the introduction of spin slowed the Sunrisers progress, Morris (2 for 24) trapping both Scrivens (11) and Flo Miller (1) lbw in the same over to leave the visitors 72 for 4 at the halfway stage of the innings.When Ecclestone struck again in the following over after Jodi Grewcock pulled her first ball into the hands of Emma Lamb at midwicket, Sunrisers had lost three wickets for three runs in nine balls.It was Macleod who held the innings together hitting seven fours in reaching her fifty from just 33 balls. And she received great support from Amu Surenkumar who made a sprightly 31 off 23 balls as the pair hit out effectively to add 60 in exactly seven overs.Thunder hit back by taking three wickets in three chaotic balls in the 18th over with MacLeod and Surenkumar both run out and Gray lbw first ball to Ecclestone. The visitors scrambled to get themselves past the 150-mark but it proved to be in vein.

Aston Villa are now ready to hijack AFC Bournemouth’s transfer to sign an “outrageous” up and coming defender, according to a recent report.

Aston Villa identify replacement for key star

Since making the move to Villa Park, goalkeeper Emi Martinez’s career has gone from strength to strength, as he’s established himself as one of the best keepers in England and the world, given his heroics for Argentina, where he won the Golden Glove award in the 2022 World Cup.

Aston Villa join battle for "fantastic" midfielder in cut-price £8m deal

He’s a wanted man.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 8, 2025

Now at the age of 32, Martinez may feel it is the right time for him to leave Villa and move to the next stage of his career. The Argentine is still under contract until 2029, but transfer speculation is continuing to mount, as Manchester United have reportedly made an approach over a possible move this summer. Spanish giants Atletico Madrid have also been in the mix, and the Villans’ need to balance sales with incomings could create the perfect storm for his departure.

So as Martinez weighs up his future, Unai Emery and co. are looking at options to replace the 32-year-old, and OGC Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka is someone club chiefs have identified. He is believed to be Villa’s first choice to replace Martinez, but they do face competition for his signature, as Marseille are also interested in signing the shot-stopper.

Aston Villa ready to hijack Bournemouth transfer to sign £20m defender

As the Villans look to strengthen their goalkeeper department, Emery also wants a new defender, and according to The Sun, Aston Villa are ready to join the battle to sign Adrien Truffert from Rennes.

The report states that Emery is in the market for a new left-back despite having Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen at his disposal, with the former now in his thirties and out of contract in 2026. However, Bournemouth are already chasing a deal for the defender, and it is claimed they are close to agreeing a £20 million deal with Rennes.

Villa will have to match the Cherries’ offer to stand a chance of signing the 23-year-old, but before they can do that, they will have to move a player on to abide with PSR.

Apps

191

Goals

9

Assists

23

In fact, the defender has yet to earn a senior international call-up, and his thinking may be that a move to the Premier League could open that door. Bournemouth do appear to be ahead in the race, but Villa may have a way of beating the Cherries to a deal, with Truffert represented by the same agency as current Villa defender Enzi Konsa, perhaps allowing the Villans a smoother path in negotiations.

The miracle at Edgbaston or the second-highest chase in history. Pick between the two as we begin to identify The Greatest Test of the 21st century

Himanshu Agrawal06-May-2025Update: This poll has ended. The SA-AUS 2008 Perth Test moves to the round of 16.South Africa bend Australia to their will – WACA 2008Australia were in transition ahead of the home summer in 2008-09, but showed that none of their powers were lost in beating New Zealand 2-0. They kept finding a hero to lead the rescue mission.But the script was flipped in the first Test against South Africa in Perth. Despite a familiar lower-order resolve in the first innings, despite typical macho fast-bowling from Mitchell Johnson, who bagged a career-best 8 for 61, and despite setting South Africa a huge 414 to win, Ricky Ponting’s side was left aghast. Centuries from AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith, and half-centuries from Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and debutant JP Duminy, led South Africa to the second-highest successful chase in Test history.That was Australia’s second successive loss at the WACA after India beat them there in 2007-08. And who knew at the time that it would lay the foundation for the first of three back-to-back Test series wins by South Africa in the country? Australia’s aura had started to fade.The two runs that brought the Ashes alive – Edgbaston 2005The drama had begun before the toss. Glenn McGrath had hurt his ankle on the first morning of the match, and the man who replaced him nearly did it for Australia… with the bat. On the fourth day, Australia were 137 for 7 in their pursuit of 282. Michael Clarke was their only hope, and it took an ahead-of-the-time slower ball from Steve Harmison to dismiss him and make it 175 for 8. With Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz, who took McGrath’s place in the side, remaining, England were favourites.But run by run, and minute by minute, Warne hurt England with the bat after bagging ten wickets with the ball. His stoic stand with Lee, who also looked unmoved, was fanning belief. But then, with Australia 62 runs away and the pair having added 45, a little flicker of a sound broke the silence of the stadium. Everyone searched for it. Warne found it. He had trod back onto his stumps. He was hit-wicket.Most of us would have forgotten by then that it was the Australia of their pomp. On their day, even a No. 11 could raise the ceiling with the bat. Kasprowicz did exactly that. Michael Vaughan looked frustrated with every run Lee and Kasprowicz scored. Until, with three to get, Harmison’s short ball saw Kasprowicz fending, and nudging behind to a diving Geraint Jones. Billy Bowden’s crooked finger was up, Edgbaston erupted, and Andrew Flintoff consoling Lee became an iconic image.

Return of Kane Williamson and Tim Southee will pose selection questions after strong start to tournament

Firdose Moonda09-Oct-20231:25

McClenaghan: Ravindra could bat at No. 4 upon Williamson’s return

After the emotional release of their victory over England – the team that denied them the trophy four years ago – in the World Cup opener, New Zealand continued their campaign in almost surgical style against Netherlands. The runs were scored, the wickets and catches (mostly) taken, two points secured, NRR gains made and, most importantly, selection questions answered. It is the last of those that was their biggest takeaway from this win.New Zealand came into the tournament with only 12 of their 15-player squad available for the first game, with Kane Williamson and Tim Southee recovering from serious injuries and Lockie Ferguson suffering back stiffness. By the time they play their next match, on Friday, they should have all 15 players available and the performance against Netherlands could help them decide who to pick.Let’s start with the obvious: when captain Williamson is ready for competitive cricket, he’ll slot straight back in at No. 3, which would ordinarily leave room for only two of Devon Conway, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra. All three have put good numbers on the board at this tournament, Young becoming the latest to do so. He came back from a second-ball duck against England to score his sixth half-century this year and third in six innings, making a strong claim to continue as an opener.Related

• Ackermann: Netherlands 'need to put together all three phases'

• Ferguson, Southee likely to be fit; Williamson remains on sidelines for Netherlands clash

• 'Locals' Ravindra, Williamson bask in Hyderabadi familiarity

• Live report – Netherlands vs New Zealand, World Cup 2023

• Five-star Santner and batters make it two in two for New Zealand

As much as the runs mattered, the manner in which he scored them may end up counting for more. Young’s first signs of aggression came in the fourth over, when he took two fours off Ryan Klein to get New Zealand going, but a hallmark of this innings was his takedown of spin. His first six was a glorious, high-elbowed loft over long-on off Aryan Dutt. Later, he played a similar shot off Colin Ackermann. In total, Young scored more than half his runs – 39 – off the 38 balls of spin he faced and he did it at a good time. New Zealand’s next two matches are on spinner-friendly surfaces in Chennai against spin-heavy sides, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and Young has shown the kind of form that merits a place.That means when Williamson returns, if New Zealand want to retain their current opening pair and Ravindra’s form, they will have to make some changes to the composition of their line-up. The most likely solution will be to bench Mark Chapman, who won the thanks-for-coming award in the England match (he did not bat or bowl) and then scored 5 against Netherlands, and to ask Ravindra to bat in the No. 6 spot. An alternative would be to allow Ravindra to bat at No. 4 and have the others move one spot down. Either way, Chapman is the most likely to fall away, according to ESPNcricinfo expert Mitchell McClenaghan.Leaving out Chapman and James Neesham – who made way for Ferguson against Netherlands – means that lower-order runs from Mitchell Santner hold significant weight. Batting at No. 8 in Hyderabad, Santner played a cameo that was the difference between New Zealand scoring 285 and 320; he took 18 runs off the last over as Bas de Leede lost his composure and Santner picked his slower ball. Although it was only a welcome top-up in this match, a contribution like that could be crucial in future contests.Rachin Ravindra and Will Young were both in the runs against Netherlands•ICC via Getty ImagesMatt Henry was with Santner for the final phase of the innings and contributed a four-ball 10, which should be a footnote but also adds to his case as New Zealand assess the make-up of their attack. That’s where a tough decision will have to be made between Tim Southee, Henry, Ferguson and Trent Boult. No team will mind having this kind of problem of plenty but New Zealand still need to figure out how to solve it.As things stand, Henry has made himself undroppable with six wickets in his first two matches and it’s not just the numbers that work in his favour. He has taken wickets with the new and old ball and consistently troubled batters in the channel and found the edge. In the last two years, Henry has 38 wickets at an average 25.18 and McClenaghan said he would pick him over Southee, even if Southee is fit.That would likely mean a longer run for Ferguson, who had recovered for this clash. He bowled eight overs, conceded at four runs an over and showed off his variations with but did not deliver anything in the 145kph-plus range, which is what New Zealand would want from him at this tournament. It may have been that Ferguson was being conservative on his comeback from injury but if he is not going to offer out-and-out pace, it could open the door for Southee to get some game time.”This is the option – in the next game against Bangladesh, do you want to get three wins in a row? He bowled really well against Bangladesh in the past – he troubled them with speed, but if the speed is not there in these conditions, he may not be as troubling,” McClenaghan said. “You’ve also got to think about if you’d rather get overs into Tim Southee in a competitive fixture, and is that going to be this next game against Bangladesh?”Whichever way New Zealand go, in Boult, Henry, and one of Ferguson, Southee or Neesham, they have an attack with the qualities to be among the best in the tournament and are stacking up fairly well albeit still early in the event. While McClenaghan was slightly concerned about some lapses in their intensity, especially in the field, where they put down five chances, none of them cost much. Even if New Zealand were going through the motions at stages, they got everything they needed from this match – including a bit of a test with the ball – to set themselves up for the ones to come.

Axar and Root dominate the stats analysis in a game dominated by spin bowlers

Sampath Bandarupalli25-Feb-2021 0 Completed Tests since World War II to last fewer balls than the Ahmedabad Test (842 balls). The day-night Test match at Motera is now the seventh shortest completed Test match and the shortest since 1935. 77 Matches taken for Ravichandran Ashwin to complete 400 wickets in Test cricket. Muttiah Muralitharan is the only player to have reached the milestone quicker than Ashwin. The Sri Lankan got to the 400th Test wicket in his 72nd Test match.ESPNcricinfo Ltd387 Lowest Match aggregate in a completed Test match in Asia. The previous lowest was the 2002 Test between Pakistan and Australia at Sharjah (422 runs). The Ahmedabad Test is also the lowest aggregated Test in the last 74 years.81 England’s second innings total at Motera, the second-lowest Test total by any team against India. South Africa’s total of 79 in the first innings of the 2015 Nagpur Test still remains the lowest Test total against India. England’s previous lowest Test total against India was 101, way back in 1971 at The Oval. 193 Runs scored by England across both the innings. This is the first instance of a team being bundled out twice in a Test match in India with an aggregate of less than 200 runs. The previous lowest was 212 runs that was made by India and Afghanistan – against Australia and India respectively. This was also just the second Test since 1904 for England where they were bowled out twice in a Test with an aggregate lower than 193 runs. England were all-out for 93 and 82 respectively against New Zealand in Christchurch,1984. 0 Balls bowled by the pace bowlers in the second innings of both teams in this Test. This is only the second instance in a Test that yielded a result where only spinners bowled in the 3rd and 4th innings. R Ashwin , Axar Patel and Washington Sundar bowled for India while Jack Leach and Joe Root bowled for England.ESPNcricinfo Ltd 8 Runs conceded by Joe Root for his five-wicket haul. Only once has a spinner taken a five-for conceding fewer runs: Australia’s Bert Ironmonger, a left-arm spinner, took 5 for 6 against South Africa way back in 1932*. Two other Australians feature among the top four such cases: Tim May conceded nine runs and took five wickets against West Indies at the Adelaide Oval in 1993, while Michael Clarke took 6 for 9 in Mumbai, 2004. 1 Instance of a ten-wicket win in Test cricket with a first-innings total lower than the 145 scored by India. England came back to defeat Australia by ten wickets in Birmingham in 1909 after they were bundled out for only 121 in the first-innings. 11/70 The cheapest ten-wicket Test match haul for India, achieved by Axar. The previous record was held by Ashwin who gave away only 85 runs for his 12 wickets against New Zealand during the 2012 Test match in Hyderabad. Axar also now holds the best match figures in a Day-Night Test going past Pat Cummins who took 10 for 62 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane. 3 Number of Indians with five-wicket hauls in three or more consecutive Test innings before Axar. Harbhajan Singh in 2001, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan in 1984 and Javagal Srinath in 1999 were the others to have achieved this rare feat. The overall record is with Charlie Turner from Australia who had taken six consecutive five-wicket hauls.* 0300GMT: The piece had originally said that Root’s eight runs is the fewest for a five-for by a spinner, because it was believed that Ironmonger bowled medium pace as well. This has been corrected after confirming that Ironmonger was indeed a spinner.

علق جو جوميز ، مدافع نادي ليفربول، على مشاركته الأساسية الأولى مع الريدز خلال هذا الموسم في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مفسرًا أسباب فوز فريقه على وست هام يونايتد.

ودفع مدرب نادي ليفربول، آرني سلوت، بجوميز بشكل أساسي خلال مواجهة الفريق أمام وست هام يوم أمس الأحد، والتي فاز بها الريدز 2-0 بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ولعب جوميز بشكل جيد ضد وست هام في مركز الظهير الأيمن، حيث صنع كرة الهدف الثاني والذي سجله كودي جاكبو.

وأشار جوميز في مقابلة مع موقع ليفربول الرسمي، إلى أن المشاركة بشكل أساسي في لقاء الأمس تعني له الكثير.

وقال جوميز: “من الواضح أن هذا يعني الكثير بالنسبة لي أن أبدأ بشكل أساسي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مرة أخرى”.

وأضاف جوميز في حديثه: “في آخر مرة كنت فيها هنا تعرضت لأول إصابة لي، لكنني أبذل قصارى جهدي للبقاء متاحًا ومحاولة مساعدة الفريق، الأهم هو أن نبقى متحدين، فالجدول الزمني صعب الآن مع مباراتين متتاليتين في الأسبوع، علينا فقط أن نواصل العمل وسنفعل ذلك”.

وعن مفتاح الفوز على وست هام أوضح جوميز: ”من الواضح أنني أعتقد أن جودة الفريق لن تتلاشى أبدًا، أعتقد أنه كان هناك تركيز واضح على محاولة بناء قاعدة متينة والحفاظ على نظافة شباكنا والدفاع القوي ثم نعلم أن لدينا الكثير من الجودة في الهجوم، وأن الأمور ستتغير، وسيحصل اللاعبون على فرص يمكنهم استغلالها”.

وأردف: ”أعتقد أنه يجب علينا قبول الفوز وتقديره ، من الواضح أنه كان وقتًا عصيبًا لذا فالأمر لا يتعلق بتجاهله، بل يتعلق أيضًا بمعرفة أنه واحد من العديد من المباريات التي علينا أن ننتصر فيها، ونأمل أن يكون نقطة انطلاق لنا”.

أقرأ أيضًا .. هاتشيسون عن جلوس محمد صلاح بديلاً أمام وست هام: يبدو مجهدًا ويمر بفترة صعبة

وعن ما إذا كانت خطة ليفربول تعتمد على التحفظ قليلًا والحفاظ على نظافة الشباك تابع جوميز: نعم أعتقد ذلك بالتأكيد، من الواضح أننا نريد لعب أسلوب كرة قدم يعتمد على مزيج من الخطط وأنماط لعب محددة، ولكن في الوقت نفسه قد يتركنا ذلك أحيانًا في موقف مفتوح”.

وتابع: ”إنه أمر واضح ونحن نلعب أيضًا خارج أرضنا، كل مباراة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز صعبة وقد شعرنا بذلك بوضوح، ونأمل أن يكون أساسًا نبني عليه”.

وعن الفترة الماضية لليفربول قال جوميز: ”لقد كان الأمر صعبًا، من الواضح أن كل شخص ينظر إلى الأمر بشكل مختلف وبالنسبة للاعبين الجدد، ربما يكون الشعور مختلفًا عما رأيته في الماضي”.

وأضاف: ”من الواضح أن هناك توقعات كبيرة في هذا النادي وعلينا أن نشعر بثقل القميص ونبذل قصارى جهدنا من أجل الشعار، ونحن نعلم ذلك”.

وأوضح: ”لقد شعرنا بخيبة أمل تمامًا مثل الجماهير، والأهم من ذلك أننا جميعًا معًا في هذا الأمر ويمكننا الشعور بذلك، يمكننا الشعور بدعمهم ويشعر اللاعبون بذلك، والأمر يتطلب توازنًا في محاولة عدم السماح للأمر بالسيطرة علينا، ونأمل أن يقودنا اليوم في الاتجاه الصحيح”.

وعن دوره في الوقت الحالي مع ليفربول أردف جوميز: ”أعتقد أن الأمر يتعلق بمحاولة الحفاظ على وجود طاقة إيجابية في الفريق، أحاول التأثير على اللاعبين بالطريقة الصحيحة وأُقدم لهم مثالاً يحتذى به في التدريبات، وأكون إيجابيًا وأحافظ على هدوئي”.

وتابع: ”أحاول الحفاظ على التوازن العام بين اللاعبين، وأتحدث إلى اللاعبين الأصغر سنًا وأقول لهم استمروا”.

واختتم جوميز: ”أحيانًا يكون تعليقًا صغيرًا إيجابيًا كافيًا لرفع معنوياتهم وإبقائهم في مكانة جيدة، لمجرد إدراكهم أنني هنا من أجلهم، جميعنا هنا من أجلكم، ندعم بعضنا البعض ونحن معًا في هذا، نحن فريق واحد وهذه اللحظات عندما نتجاوزها، تزيدنا قوة وتزيد من مرونتنا، لذا، نعم كلنا نفعل ما بوسعنا”.

The home side have handed out two debuts for the first time since 2019 while there remains much interest in the Perth pitch

Matt Roller20-Nov-2025Big picture: England’s perfect stormThe multi-purpose Perth Stadium staged a Metallica concert earlier this month and another heavy-metal tour begins there on Friday morning. No series can compete with the Ashes for anticipation, and months of speculation will finally come to an end when the first ball of the 2025-26 series is bowled in front of a sold-out crowd.The first Test arrives with an unmistakable sense of English optimism, fuelled by the injury status of both teams’ fast bowlers. For once, the absentees are Australian: Pat Cummins (back) and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring) are unavailable, while Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will play in the same team for only the second time in Tests.Related

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It represents the best-case scenario for England, who have spent the last three-and-a-half years under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s leadership building a team capable of competing in Australia. They are both aware that the next seven weeks will provide a lasting verdict on their tenures: McCullum has dubbed it “the biggest series of all of our lives”.Four years ago, England returned from Australia as a broken team, thrashed 4-0 on a tour made even more miserable by oppressive Covid restrictions. Since then, they have changed their approach to become Test cricket’s most aggressive team, with a settled batting line-up and a regenerated bowling attack since the retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson.But context is key: even being competitive on this tour would represent a marked improvement from England’s last three away Ashes series. The scarcity of the draw in the modern era means that they will likely need to win three Tests out of five to regain the urn; they have not managed to win even once in their last 15 in Australia, losing 13.Reports of Australia’s demise are an exaggeration: they have won 14 out of 18 Tests since the drawn 2023 Ashes in England, and are unbeaten in their last six series at home. Steven Smith, their stand-in captain, is an all-time great with a formidable record against England; in Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, they can boast two of the four Australians with over 400 Test wickets.Ready to go: Steven Smith and Ben Stokes pose ahead of the Ashes•Getty Images

But there are hints of vulnerability, not least with Australia fielding two debutants in an Ashes Test for the first time since January 2011. Jake Weatherald will become Usman Khawaja’s sixth opening partner since David Warner’s retirement, and Brendan Doggett is the first fast bowler to win an Australia cap in four years.Two years ago, Australia took a 2-0 lead in England but were clinging onto a 2-2 draw by the end of the tour, ultimately saved from a series defeat by the rain in Manchester. It left the clash of styles between England’s power and Australia’s pragmatism in an unsatisfactory stalemate, whetting the appetite for this rematch.This is the first time since 1982-83 that an Ashes series in Australia has not started at the Gabba, with Perth now locked in as the host of the first Test of the summer. Starc said on Wednesday that Australia’s players would rather be in Brisbane, while England will hope that a change of venue brings a change in their fortunes.Form guideAustralia: WWWLW
England: LDWLWJofra Archer prepares for the opening Test•PA Photos/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Mitchell Starc and Jofra ArcherIn the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc is the last man standing in Australia’s long-established pace trio, a fact which he joked made him feel “old” after training on Wednesday. He is the undisputed leader of the attack, and England’s approach against him will be instructive: Starc leaked 4.78 runs per over in the 2023, but was the leading wicket-taker on either side despite missing the first Test. If Australia bowl first, memories will immediately return to the first ball of the 2021-22 series, when he cleaned up Rory Burns at the Gabba to set the tone for a 4-0 win.He may only have played two Tests in the last four years, but Jofra Archer’s gradual comeback to international cricket after back and elbow injuries has culminated in him being available this week. It will be his first Ashes appearance since his maiden Test series six years ago, when he took 22 Australian wickets at 20.27 and hit Steven Smith on the head with a lightning-fast bouncer at Lord’s. He is expected to open the bowling alongside Gus Atkinson, and Ben Stokes plans to use him in “short, sharp bursts” to break games open. Archer’s return to red-ball cricket in the English summer was a reminder of his potency against left-handers, and Australia are expected to field five in their top eight.Team news: Another batting reshuffle for Australia, England set for all paceAustralia will hand debuts to two 31-year-olds: opening batter Jake Weatherald, the top run-scorer in last season’s Sheffield Shield, and seamer Brendan Doggett. There is also a recall for Marnus Labuschagne, who was the spare batter during their most recent series against West Indies, with Cameron Green shuffling down to No. 6 at Beau Webster’s expense. Steven Smith returns as captain in Cummins’ absence, leading Australia for the 41st time in Tests.Australia: 1 Jake Weatherald, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Travis Head, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Nathan Lyon, 10 Scott Boland, 11 Brendan Doggett.England named a 12-man squad on Wednesday, but went no futher, with Shoaib Bashir expected to be the one to miss out. Mark Wood has been cleared to play what will be his first match since February’s Champions Trophy – and his first Test match since last August – after hamstring soreness last week, and is set to form part of a five-man, all-pace attack. Ollie Pope, who captained their most recent Test against India, has been replaced by Harry Brook as vice-captain but retains his spot at No. 3 after pressure from Jacob Bethell.England (probable): 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Jofra Archer.1:45

Will Australian pitches affect England’s Ashes chances?

Pitch and conditionsCurator Isaac McDonald predicts that his pitch will offer fast bowlers the “pace and bounce” that has long been associated with cricket in Western Australia, and that cracks could open up as the Test wears on. The weather has been relatively cool in Perth in the build-up and will continue throughout, with forecast highs of 28 degrees Celsius and the possibility of occasional showers over the weekend. Around 10,000 England fans are in Perth for the first Test, with more than 40,000 expected to attend across the series.Stats and trivia Australia have won 13 and drawn two of their last 15 men’s Ashes Tests on home soil. Their last defeat to England in Australia was in January 2011. Perth last hosted a men’s Ashes Test in 2017/18, when Australia won by an innings and 41 runs at the WACA. Each of the five previous men’s Tests staged at Perth Stadium has been won by the team batting first. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have only played once together previously in Tests, against West Indies in Southampton (July 2020). Mitchell Starc needs 13 wickets in the series to overtake Wasim Akram as the most prolific left-arm fast bowler in Test history. Brendan Doggett will become the third indigenous man to play for Australia in men’s Tests, after Jason Gillespie and team-mate Scott Boland.Quotes”The first three days are sold out, which is outstanding. There’s going to be plenty of viewers on TV, both here and back in England as well, so hopefully we can put on a good show and entertain plenty of people.”
“We’ve obviously come here with a goal, and that goal is to get on that plane in mid-January, returning to England, being Ashes winners. But we know it’s going to be very, very tough.”