Tottenham have set a mammoth price tag for star defender Micky van de Ven amid serious interest from Real Madrid and Liverpool, according to a new report.

Micky van de Ven continues to shine at Tottenham

Van de Ven has been an outstanding presence for Spurs in the opening months of 2025/2026, quickly establishing himself as a key figure under Thomas Frank.

The young defender has combined defensive solidity with a remarkable goal-scoring touch, already finding the net five times across all competitions – a striking return for a player primarily tasked with keeping things tight at the back.

Van de Ven has also scored twice as many goals as any other Premier League defender so far this term, including Arsenal’s highly-praised set piece weapon Gabriel, with the Dutchman involved in all but one of Tottenham’s seven clean sheets this season too.

The 24-year-old’s combination of pace, power and goal threat has made him an indispensable member of Frank’s starting eleven, and his ability to contribute at both ends of the pitch gives Spurs a unique edge.

Van de Ven’s importance to the Lilywhites is nothing new, as he bailed Ange Postecoglou’s high line out time and time again when he was fit and available to take part.

With Cristian Romero out injured and steadily working his way back to match fitness, van de Ven and Kevin Danso have helped to fill the Argentine’s shoes to great effect as Spurs now sit third in the Premier League table.

Dejan Kulusevski

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James Maddison

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Radu Dragusin

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Ben Davies

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Yves Bissouma

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Cristian Romero

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Destiny Udogie

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Dominic Solanke

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via Premier Injuries

Van de Ven’s brace against Everton, with both goals coming from set plays, sealed a crucial three points for Spurs last Sunday as they became the first away team to claim victory at the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Ever since van de Ven’s arrival in north London over two years ago, the Netherlands international has been linked with a high-profile move elsewhere.

Real Madrid have specifically been mentioned as suitors amid their reported search for new centre-backs, so much so that reports suggest Tottenham are prepared to double van de Ven’s salary to keep him away from the Bernabeu.

Spurs are in no immediate danger of losing the centre-half, considering he’s contracted until 2029, and Frank is convinced that he is happy in N17.

That being said, there is always a danger that Real could turn a player’s head, and if they manage to tempt van de Ven, Spurs are apparently clear in their demands.

Tottenham set 'historic' Micky van de Ven price tag as Real Madrid and Liverpool circle

According to reports from Spain, Tottenham have set an ‘historic’ price tag for van de Ven as Real, Liverpool and even Bayern Munich circle for his signature.

It is believed that Spurs want a minimum £88 million for van de Ven, which is described as an ‘historic’ sum and would make him the most expensive defender in football history — eclipsing the £80 million that Man United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019.

Frank’s side are determined to keep hold of him and only a “massive offer” would see him leave, highlighting his growing importance both on and off the pitch.

This valuation could be part of a broader strategy reflecting Tottenham’s ambition and financial muscle, especially following a significant £100 million capital injection by the club’s owners, the Lewis family.

The investment underscores their long-term commitment to strengthening the squad and competing at the highest level, and stopping key stars like van de Ven from leaving will be pivotal as the north Londoners look to kick on from their Europa League triumph in May.

A whole lot of local knowledge went into a performance that brought him his tenth Player-of-the-Match award in Tests

Alagappan Muthu22-Sep-20242:52

Manjrekar: Ashwin as good as he was five years back

R Ashwin has a job on his hands. He fails on the first try. It’s not even close. There’s even a chance he isn’t as focused as he should be. His daughter forgives him and gives him a second go at opening what looks like a bottle of (rosewater soda) she’s carried down to the ground. But again it doesn’t go well. Dad’s not on his game. He’s facing too many distractions. This is the problem with scoring a century and taking a six-for and winning a Test match for your country on home soil.Ashwin remembers the first step he ever took into Chepauk. He vlogged about it on his YouTube channel, about attending trials at the Under-14 and Under-16 levels and waiting to see if he’d made the cut. He cherishes being part of this ground’s history; he was here when Sachin Tendulkar scored that epic hundred against Pakistan and he wouldn’t let his father take him home until he bought him pads just like the ones Tendulkar wore.He remembers the bus he took to get to the ground when he was younger. “12G [you have to catch bus No. 12G],” he said in an episode for in 2023. “It will go straight to Anna (road). There, if some uncle is nice enough to give you a lift, you can get to the ground in like 10 minutes. If not, (you have to trudge all the way with the kit bag).”Related

• India and Bangladesh brace for lower bounce on black-soil pitch in Kanpur

• Ashwin: 'Bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game'

• Ashwin's double act of hundred and six-for secures 1-0 lead for India

• Stats – Ashwin equals Warne; Pant goes level with Dhoni

He has memories of being coached not just by those he went and trained with but people who just happened to see him play on the street. “Everybody loves giving advice, especially when it comes to cricket. Once when I tried to hit a ball and it took an inside edge and wandered away – no run. Leg side, no runs. One uncle who was going to the hospital – there’s a hospital near my place – he just came to me and said, ‘Pa, how many matches have you seen? You play with a straight bat and the ball will go beautifully down the ground. . Keep the bat-face straight.'”The century that he scored and the five-for that he took here against England in 2021 are still etched in his mind. “I’ve wondered if I would ever play on this ground and if people would turn out and clap for me,” Ashwin said two years ago. In truth, they went way beyond that, calling his name out to the tune of “Sachiiiiin-Sachin” even when all he did was take his cap off his head, because they knew this meant he was coming on to bowl.R Ashwin picked up 6 for 88 in Bangladesh’s second innings•BCCIIn that game, against England, his home crowd gave him a feeling he is very familiar with, having seen millions of masala movies, but for perhaps the first time, he was experiencing it from the other side. For those five days, he was Rajinikanth in or Shah Rukh Khan in or Tom Cruise in . And he doesn’t get that too often, if only because Test cricket in India doesn’t follow a set schedule like it does abroad. Melbourne knows it’ll get a Boxing Day Test. Lord’s knows it’ll be the biggest event of the summer. Ashwin and his beloved Chepauk don’t have that luxury. At 38, even he isn’t sure if he’s played his last Test here.”I don’t know,” he said in the press conference on Sunday. “What is a Chepauk swansong? Every time you walk out to the park, it’s a swansong. You are talking about a Test match, yeah. Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? Like I said, every day, every Test match I am playing is a big thing. Not only for me, you can ask any cricketer, to go through a Test match or a Test series is a grind. And you never really know what is next when it comes to Test matches. Because you put in that effort, everything, and then you need to be lucky enough to get those performances, also work hard and simultaneously manage your ups and downs. These are all huge challenges for any Test cricketer. So I haven’t thought so far ahead but if that was my swansong, what a swansong!”Rescuing India from 144 for 6 and on the way levelling MS Dhoni’s count of Test centuries. Sealing a 280-run win and on the way levelling Shane Warne’s count of five-wicket hauls. Being a threat on a pitch that didn’t necessarily take that much spin until the third morning. Walking away with a tenth Player-of-the-Match award. All of this was a result of painstaking preparation – Ashwin worked heavily on his batting prior to the TNPL – and a rapid assessment of the conditions he was faced with when he came on to bowl.”The beauty about a red-soil [pitch] is, you put revs on it, there is value [even if there is no turn]. Because there is bounce. You will get hit but there is bounce. You play on some black clay surfaces around the country elsewhere, without naming them, you have to do a lot of hard work. You put a lot of revs and see nothing come out of it. And sometimes, it’s better to not put revs on in certain places. So, to even understand all these things, to begin to understand and talk about it, is a fair amount of learning for me. And it’s happened over the years. Like I said, this one’s got solid bounce. And I love to play on a surface like this and get hit than play on another surface.”Knowing what the pitch will do is only one part of the challenge. The batter presents the other one and Ashwin has to find a way to get through them. On the third evening, he had seen evidence of the bite that was available to him if he dropped his pace right down. Mominul Haque went for a sweep and both he and the wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant were beaten comfortably by extravagant bounce. That ball only clocked 80.4 kph.5:08

Ashwin: If it was my Chepauk swansong, what a swansong!

The bowler in him understood that he needed to be slow through the air to get purchase. The batter in him then augmented that piece of information. “Tamim [Iqbal] is standing next to you,” Ashwin told the host broadcaster. “He’ll tell you that if you keep going slower on these surfaces, you can go on the back foot a lot more.”Ashwin combined this knowledge to set his traps. At first, he would feed Bangladesh the quicker, flatter deliveries to keep them pinned on the crease. Then he’d toss one up and if everything went to plan, the batter, having been set up to expect a certain pace and a certain length, would be undone.”I was earning my right to bowl slower every now and then. Because on certain pitches where you get help out of surface, you can afford to toss the ball a little more, but this is a surface where need to change up your pace, change up your length, and then pull the one that’s slower. So very often the one that was reacting off the surface was really slow.”Three of his six wickets came off deliveries in the early 80s.Two others spoke of how good he is at picking apart a batter’s defence. He bowled around the wicket for virtually the entire Test match because there were a lot of left-hand batters and he was playing on their inside edge. He would bring them forward with his length and leave them stranded with his overspin, because the ball was primed to dip on them and then kick up off the pitch.Shakib was caught at short leg as this sequence played out.The best of the lot was Mominul, bowled on the outside edge. Ashwin was somehow able to get enough turn to beat the bat but not so much that he would miss the stumps. Going a little wider of the crease helped create the angle into the batter and make him play down the wrong line and then he did something with the seam to limit the help he would get off the track.Normally an offbreak bowler would have the seam pointing to first slip. This one was pointing a lot squarer. It also turned scrambled as the ball began its descent into the pitch. An upright seam is usually the driving force behind the turn and bounce that a fingerspinner gets. Here Ashwin put limits on both specifically so that what happened had a chance to happen – beating the batter but not the stumps. It doesn’t always work this way. Sometimes the turn might not be enough, and the angle takes the ball straight into the middle of the bat. But this was Chepauk and Ashwin knows it has always got his back. “Some energy just pulls me into this ground.”

Wolves have reportedly approached Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards after cutting ties with Vitor Pereira, whose nightmare reign ended with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Fulham last weekend. The Portuguese manager produced no wins during this current Premier League campaign and was sacked less than 24 hours after the final whistle at Craven Cottage, which left them at rock bottom of the table.

• Rob Edwards: The comeback story in the making?

  According to , Edwards has emerged as the frontrunner to take over in the West Midlands. He has quietly built a strong reputation in the Championship and is one of three high-profile names on Wolves’ radar as they scramble to find a steady hand. The 42-year-old is currently under contract with Middlesbrough until June 2028, meaning Wolves would need to pay significant compensation to lure him back to familiar territory. Meanwhile, for Boro, who have climbed to third in the table under Edwards after 14 games and seven wins, losing him now would be a massive blow. However, the report mentions that the pull of returning to Wolves, the club where he spent a good amount of time as a player and coach, could prove irresistible.

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  From youth coach to potential saviour

  Edwards’ connection to Wolves runs deep. He made 111 appearances for the club during his playing days before turning to coaching, where he spent several formative years in their youth setup. His journey began with the under-18s in 2014, followed by a stint with the senior coaching staff a year later, and eventually led the under-23s in 2019. Edwards later took the managerial reins at Forest Green Rovers in 2021, guiding them to promotion, before moving up to the Championship with Watford. 

  However, his time at Vicarage Road was short-lived as he was sacked after just ten games. But redemption came swiftly when he joined Luton Town as he masterminded an incredible promotion campaign in 2022–23, dragging the Hatters into the Premier League against all odds. 

• Edwards plays coy, but doesn’t rule it out

  When asked about speculation linking him to a Wolves return, Edwards tried to steer clear of the gossip, but his words only added fuel to the fire.

  "You know my links to the club [Wolves]," Edwards said. "But my full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around. Speculation is hard for me to comment about. We've done a decent job so far. It's all speculation anyway. I never get drawn on stuff that's all hypothetical and I don't want to get drawn on that.

  "I love being Middlesbrough manager and that's what I want to think about. All I can say is I've not given it a single thought because my focus is just on this. It's all the stuff that my daughter was telling me about."

  While Edwards remains the prime target, Wolves have also explored other options. Michael Carrick, who is currently without a club, is also said to be under consideration. However, his lack of Premier League experience could be a stumbling block. Former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil was also sounded out, but he reportedly withdrew from the race. 

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  Teti has also left Wolves

  The turmoil at Wolves goes far beyond the manager’s office. On Tuesday, the club confirmed that director of professional football Domenico Teti had left by mutual consent, just months after joining as part of the club’s leadership team. 

  Executive chairman Jeff Shi said: "Domenico approached his role with total professionalism and built strong working relationships across the club during his time with us. He made a positive contribution to our football processes and has carried himself with integrity throughout. We thank him for his efforts and support and wish him every success in the future."

  With just two points from ten matches, Wolves are fighting for survival. For now, interim head coach James Collins will step into the hot seat, taking Friday’s press conference before leading Wolves into a daunting clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It’s their final fixture before the international break, and potentially their final chance to avoid complete collapse before a new era begins. They are eight points away from safety, and if they are to claw their way out of the bottom three, the next appointment must be the right one.

With the MLB trade deadline fast approaching, there's likely to be an influx of deals that come across the ticker over the next several weeks as teams attempt to load up—or unload—their rosters ahead of the postseason.

Occasionally, said deals will include a or PTBNL for short.

What's a PTBNL? I'm glad you asked. Here's a look at the often-used tactic in baseball trades, why they're employed, and a list of notable players who were once only dubbed a"player to be named later":

What Is a Player to Be Named Later?

A "player to be named later" is an unnamed player involved in a trade between two teams, allowing clubs to get deals done before officially finalizing it. PTBNLs are often chosen from a short list of players that the negotiating teams agree on prior to the trade being finalized. They are generally minor leaguers or journeyman MLBers.

Why Do MLB Teams Include Players to Be Named Later in Trades?

MLB teams include PTBNLs in trades for a multitude of reasons. Most commonly due to the team receiving the player either a) not being sure of the position they'd like to fill or b) giving themselves more time to evaluate the talent on the other clubs roster.

Having a PTBNL in your back pocket can help you deal with roster restrictions, as traded players must be placed on the receiving team's 40-man roster upon completion of the transaction. Additionally, players on the injured list cannot be traded, which allows teams to acquire them once they clear the list.

Ironically, on some occasions, a traded player has returned to the original team as the PTBNL of their own trade.

Who Are Some Notable Players That Were Named Later?

Some notable players in MLB history who were once acquired as a PTBNL include:

• David Ortiz
• Trea Turner
• Moisés Alou
• Michael Brantley
• Scott Podsednik
• Dmitri Young
• Marco Scutaro
• Jesse Orosco

Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters will already be fearing the worst regarding their side’s bottom-of-the-table position in the Premier League.

Only a sorry two points have been accumulated so far this season, with the Old Gold hierarchy ultimately left with no choice but to sack Vitor Pereira, after Wolves slipped to their disastrous eighth loss of the campaign already away at Fulham on Saturday.

Now, the hunt is on to appoint a miracle worker in the West Midlands, who can turn around this awful start, with a whole host of names being tipped to take on the vacancy.

The latest on Wolves' hunt for a new manager

The only certainty at the moment is that Gary O’Neil will not be re-entering the Molineux dug-out.

Indeed, rumours had begun to circulate that O’Neil was the favourite to take over from Pereira and return in dramatic circumstances. But, the ex-AFC Bournemouth head coach has since withdrawn himself from the race, after holding advanced talks.

Moreover, Michael Carrick is also on Wolves’ radar, with the former Middlesbrough manager still looking for work after being let go by Boro.

With three caretaker matches in charge of Manchester United also under his belt, he could potentially relish the chance of being a saviour for Wolves in the top division.

Carrick’s replacement at the Riverside Stadium in Rob Edwards is also high up the alleged priority list, having previously lined up for Wolves as a player, before earning his managerial stripes at Luton Town and beyond.

Yet, the most out-there name being linked to the Wolves vacancy right now could be viewed as Erik ten Hag, with reports from ESPN indicating that the Dutchman is ‘interested’ in holding talks with the Molineux outfit over the vacant job.

It’s stated that Ten Hag would like to return to the Premier League after his torrid spell at Manchester United, having had his already tattered managerial reputation put through the wringer again when axed three games into his Bayer Leverkusen stint this season.

Still, even with his back-to-back failures hanging over him, ten Hag has been a success in his career elsewhere, as Wolves potentially prepare to welcome a new Nuno Espirito Santo-style figure to Molineux.

How Ten Hag can be Wolves' new Nuno Santo

Despite his sketchy recent track record, the ex-Ajax manager would also be seen as an upgrade on O’Neil walking through the door.

Indeed, despite being the butt of many a Red Devils joke by the time of his dismissal, the 55-year-old guided United to 44 top-flight wins from his 85 games in charge. O’Neil has only 25 league wins next to his name on the contrary.

With other high-profile managers also struggling to get a tune out of the Premier League giants, since he left the Theatre of Dreams, it’s clear the problems run far deeper in Manchester than just who occupies the stressful dug-out.

Nuno has also been up against it in the top division since exiting Wolves, with spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest not exactly going to plan. But, having overseen 73 wins in charge of the Old Gold in the top-flight, he is still heralded as one of the finest bosses they have possessed in the elite division in recent memory.

Ten Hag’s managerial numbers
Games managed	568
Clubs managed	6
Wins	355
Draws	93
Losses	120
Trophies won	9
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Despite his wobbles, Ten Hag will hope he will be seen as a similarly ambitious appointment, like when Nuno entered the Wolves dug-out in the Championship after successful stints in La Liga and Liga Portugal, when taking in his glittering managerial numbers above.

The unemployed boss collected three Eredivisie titles as manager of Ajax, with a Champions League semi-final run also being spearheaded by the Dutchman, who has been noted as being a “world-class” operator by his former United midfielder in Fred.

An FA Cup success also came his way during his hot-and-cold reign in Manchester, as the 55-year-old attempts to become a much-loved name at Molineux by steering Wolves away from certain relegation.

If he pulls that unbelievable feat off, he will definitely be seen as the second coming of Nuno – with Ten Hag also regularly setting his teams up in the Portuguese’s preferred 4-2-3-1 make-up – as another bold coup of an appointment potentially goes down a treat.

After all, landing Ten Hag would surely be seen as a more exciting development than retreading old ground with O’Neil.

Wolves want Rob Edwards after Gary O'Neil snub, timeline of appointment revealed

Is the former Luton Town boss the right man for the job?

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 4, 2025

Top-order collapses before Hughes, Ibrahim come together in fourth-wicket stand

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025Sussex 222 (Lamb 48, Coles 47, White 3-25) and 115 for 3 (Hughes 56*, Ibrahim 50*) trail Yorkshire 545 for 9 dec (Revis 152*, Lyth 115, Wharton 85) by 208 runsAll-rounder Matthew Revis continued his sparkling run-scoring form in the Rothesay County Championship, posting his third hundred in as many matches to help Yorkshire press for a crucial victory over Sussex at Scarborough.Dating back to late June, in Yorkshire’s last four Division One fixtures, Revis – 23-years-old – has posted scores of 93 not out, 150, 110 not out and a career best 152 not out.He hit the 150 in a victory over Essex at York, 110 not out in last week’s draw here against champions Surrey and now this 188-ball effort with 14 fours and two pulled sixes against spin.Yorkshire declared on 545 for nine midway through the afternoon, leading by 323 with 44 overs remaining in the day, and then restricted Sussex to 115 for three at close. Opener Daniel Hughes gave the visitors something to cheer with an impressive rearguard 56 not out from 131 balls.It would now be a significant surprise if Revis is not selected to tour Australia with the England Lions this winter. Another man who could be on that tour is George Hill, with whom Revis shared an entertaining seventh-wicket partnership of 140 either side of lunch.Fellow all-rounder Hill contributed a season’s best 75 off 93 balls. He has already had Lions exposure this summer, courtesy of his near 40-wicket campaign with the ball.For Sussex, off-spinner Jack Carson plugged away with three for 150 from 43 overs. But he was swimming against the tide.Revis, who started the day on 22, drove handsomely down the ground before pulling a couple of sixes off Carson just before Yorkshire declared minutes before 3pm.Before lunch, Hill lofted Carson over long-on for six and out of the ground at the Trafalgar Square End.Revis reached his fifty off 77 balls and his fifth career first-class century off 137, the latter on the stroke of lunch. Sandwiched in between, Hill’s fifty came up in 65 balls.Sussex started the day nicely by removing Harry Duke and Will Sutherland, leaving Yorkshire 320 for six in the 97th over, the day’s seventh.Duke was caught behind for 21 against an out-swinger from Fynn Hudson-Prentice – Sussex having taken the new ball immediately at the start of play – before Sutherland was bowled by his fellow Australian Gurinder Sandhu for two.Sutherland is playing his last match of the season for Yorkshire this week and had been surfing in the North Sea at the end of day two.Revis and Hill advanced Yorkshire’s cause in entertaining fashion. The aforementioned Hill six off Carson even landed in the back yard of the Air BnB which the county’s live streaming team are using this week.Revis became the first Yorkshire player to score three hundreds in successive first-class matches since Gary Ballance did it back in 2019 and the first non-capped White Rose player to achieve that same feat in 80 years.Unfortunately for Sussex, further trouble was around the corner at the start of their second innings.They faced 12 overs before tea, where they reached at 29 for three.New-ball pair Jack White and Matt Milnes struck once apiece added to the run out of Tom Alsop courtesy of a direct hit from Imam-Ul-Haq at the striker’s end from cover.White had Tom Haines caught and bowled off a lead edge and Milnes got James Coles caught at fourth slip for a golden duck the ball after Alsop had fallen in the sixth over.But just when all seemed lost, left-handed Australian Hughes stood firm with the help of fourth-wicket partner Danial Ibrahim.Hughes was understandably watchful but drove, cut, pulled and deflected 10 boundaries en-route to a 114-ball fifty. The pair have shared an unbroken 95, with Ibrahim 50 not out.Ibrahim reached 50 off 111 balls with the day’s final delivery. But the pair have plenty more work to do on a pitch which is showing increasing signs of turn.

Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 64 sets up hosts before three wickets apiece for Sonny Baker, Josh Tongue take Superchargers down

ECB Media17-Aug-2025Originals are right back in the shake-up of the Hundred men’s competition after an ultimately emphatic victory against in-form Northern Superchargers.Jos Buttler’s rich vein of form continued, registering his seventh fifty in the history of tournament to go top of this year’s run-scorers chart.He was ably supported by the classy New Zealander Rachin Ravindra, playing his first match for this year’s edition and striking 31 from just 14 balls, and then Heinrich Klaasen, who roared back into nick with a savage 25-ball 50.Only Matthew Potts offered much counter-thrust, picking up two wickets; but even he was helpless to halt the carnage at the death as Buttler and Klaasen combined for 27 runs from the final 11 balls. In all the Superchargers gave up nine sixes.Much then hinged on the Superchargers getting off to a flyer. Zak Crawley clattered two cover drives from the first set bowled by Sonny Baker, and then smashed a six off his England team-mate Josh Tongue. But a sharp catch at backward point from Matty Hurst saw Crawley depart for a nine-ball 16, and thereafter their chase flatlined.The key moment was the dismissal of Harry Brook, who top-edged an attempted sweep for 11 to give Ravindra his first wicket of this year’s competition.Originals have an enviably varied attack, with Tongue, Scott Currie and the effervescent Baker – last week called into England’s white-ball squads – providing the cutting edge and the Afghan mystery spinner Noor Ahmad offering the sparkle.Tongue and Baker shared three wickets apiece – Baker taking a hat-trick after bowling Dawid Malan for 19 off the 50th ball before returning to claim the final two dismissals, Tom Lawes caught by Lewis Gregory at deep midwicket and yorking Jacob Duffy next ball to wrap up victory.Tongue is now top of the wicket-takers’ list with nine, one ahead of his teammate Currie – while Ahmad was irresistible, taking two wickets and conceding less than a run a ball. Ravindra, with his left-arm spin, offered further control in the middle sets.For the Superchargers it was an afternoon to forget. Only David Miller, with 38, managed to make it past 19. They nonetheless remain in the mix, in a three-way tie at the top, ahead of a crucial week in this intriguing tournament.Meerkat Match Hero Buttler said: “It was hard work but I tried not to get frustrated. We built some partnerships and having guys set was crucial. We’ve played a couple of games here, and seen how the wicket can be. We tried to keep it simple and not to put pressure on our bowlers.”There’s nice variety in our attack, Josh and Sonny complement each other, and adding someone like Noor is a trump card. To put together a performance like that with bat and ball is very exciting.”Phil Salt, Originals skipper, was thrilled with the performance. “It’s been a chasing competition so far, so we’re really pleased with what the top order did today, batting first. Bowling-wise we’ve been pretty strong, with Sonny [Baker] and Scottie [Currie] and the rest doing really well.”Sonny’s brilliant as always, mad as a box of frogs. You just wind him up and let him go! In the last couple of weeks, he’s executed more often than not. It’s now about picking up momentum.”

Shohei Ohtani is on a heater. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar homered in his fourth consecutive game on Tuesday night, blasting an opposite-field job in the ninth inning that proved purely cosmetic as the home team fell to the Minnesota Twins, 10-7.

It was Ohtani's 36th homer of the season and tied him with Eugenio Suarez for the National League lead. And it was one of the more impressive as he simply reached out and poked a 100-mph Jhoan Duran fastball the other way with remarkable ease.

This is the first time in his already-storied career that Ohtani has homered in four straight games, which puts him halfway to tying the Major League Baseball record of eight—a mark shared by three players.

Because baseball happens and Ohtani is immensely popular, his dinger was secured expertly in the air by a Dodgers fan wearing a No. 17 jersey. And that fan was extremely fired up. Perhaps a bit shocked too.

That's awesome. One minute you're sitting there coming to grips with your beloved Dodgers dropping another game due to shaky bullpen work, thinking about the traffic there will be to navigate after the game and the next you're in a highlight with one of your favorite players.

People will tell you not to bring your baseball glove to a game once you get to a certain age but this is a perfect example of the upside of such a decision. No way that Ohtani homer was being caught with just bare hands.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot says it was wrong to rule out Virgil Van Dijk’s equaliser against Manchester City in their 3-0 loss on Sunday. The Reds’ captain thought he had found the back of the net after beating Gianluigi Donnarumma with a powerful header. But the celebrations were cut short quickly, with Andy Robertson judged to have interfered with play from an offside position.

Van Dijk's header ruled out by VAR

Liverpool fell behind to an Erling Haaland opener after the Norwegian had earlier had his penalty saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili. The striker’s looped header lofted over the Georgian in the Reds’ net and handed the hosts a deserved lead.

Liverpool did respond to going behind, with Van Dijk appearing to level proceedings in the 38th minute. Mohamed Salah drilled across a corner towards the back of the City box and the ball was met by a thunderous header by the centre-half, which flew into the bottom right corner. The Liverpool captain wheeled away in celebration to the corner flag, believing he had equalised.

VAR would soon intervene and spoil the Liverpool fans' cheers, though. Andy Robertson, standing three yards offside, ducked under the flight of the ball, but the officials judged him to be interfering with play. It was a contentious decision, given Donnarumma had seen the direction the ball was travelling in, and Robertson was not obscuring his vision.

The Liverpool fans and Slot were justifiably a little miffed.

AdvertisementAFPSlot slams the decision

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Slot said: “I think it's obvious and clear that the wrong decision has been made, at least in my opinion. Because he [Robertson] didn't interfere at all with what the goalkeeper could do.

“Immediately after the game someone showed me the goal that the same referee allowed City against Wolves last season [John Stones’ last minute winner]. So, it took the linesman 13 seconds to raise his flag to say it's offside. So, there was clearly communication.

“That could have influenced the game in a positive way for us because in the first half we were so poor.

“We would have been lucky going 1-0 down at half-time, let alone if it was 1-1 or 2-1 down. So it has been an influential decision, which is not to say that we then would have had a result over here because you cannot predict how the second half would have gone.”

City run out deserved winners

Regardless of the decision, Liverpool were not good enough and clearly deserved to lose the clash against their title rivals. Jeremy Doku was the standout performer for the hosts and the Reds struggled to contain the lively Belgian who put the game beyond doubt when he scored City’s third.

Earlier, Haaland and Nico Gonzalez had made it 2-0 to the hosts and prompted furious criticism of the Reds by Sky Sports’ pundits. Gary Neville claimed that Liverpool had been “asking to be beaten” by Pep Guardiola’s team and Roy Keane had labelled the Reds’ performance a “disgrace”.

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Getty Images SportCity announce their intentions

City were the standout side, and their performance demonstrated why they are still one of Europe’s best sides. With Haaland in some of the best form of his career so far, it would be daft to write off City for any of the major honours.

Speaking after the game, Ruben Dias sent a warning shot towards league leaders Arsenal and claimed that his team were performing at the highest level. The defender added that “there are new faces because of the ones that left, but that quality stays the same, and we keep on pushing,” in a potential sly dig at the Reds.

Guardiola’s team have now moved within just four points of Arsenal, after the Gunners dropped two costly points late against Sunderland on Saturday. The victory also confined Liverpool to eighth spot in the Premier League, behind rivals Manchester United and eight points behind the Gunners at the top of the table.

There is a long way to go in the Premier League campaign, but Liverpool must start turning their fortunes around sooner rather than later.

MatériaMais Notícias

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No Fortaleza desde julho de 2022, o atacante disputou 100 jogos com a camisa do clube e anotou 27 gols no período. Na atual temporada, participou de 11 partidas e foi às redes em três oportunidades.

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Formado nas categorias de base do Bangu, Galhardo estreou como profissional em 2010. Nas carreira, o jogador acumula passagens por diversos clubes do futebol brasileiro, como Botafogo, Internacional, Coritiba e Vasco. Fora do país, atuou pelo Celta de Vigo, da Espanha, e Albirex Niigata, do Japão.

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Brasileirão Série BFortalezaFutebol NacionalGoiásThiago Galhardo