أثار عمر مرموش، نجم نادي مانشستر سيتي، قلق فريقه وذلك عقب الإصابة التي تعرض لها أمس الثلاثاء خلال مواجهة منتخب مصر أمام بوركينا فاسو، ضمن تصفيات قارة إفريقيا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026 في كندا والمكسيك والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

عمر مرموش تم الدفع به بشكل أساسي من قبل مدرب منتخب مصر، حسام حسن، حيث لعب ابن الـ26 عامًا كمهاجم صريح ومن خلفه محمد صلاح ومحمود حسن تريزيجيه.

لكن عمر مرموش أصيب مبكرًا وخرج في شوط اللقاء الأول، وحل بدلًا منه مهاجم البنك الأهلي، أسامة فيصل.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ردود أفعال جماهير مانشستر سيتي على إصابة عمر مرموش أمام بوركينا فاسو: ما يحدث جنون

ووصل عمر مرموش بنجاح صباح اليوم الأربعاء إلى القاهرة، وذلك بجانب بقية زملائه في منتخب مصر عقب عودة البعثة من بوركينا فاسو، حيث انتهت المباراة بالتعادل السلبي.

وأثار عمر مرموش قلق جماهير مانشستر سيتي، حيث ظهر نجم أينتراخت فرانكفورت السابق وهو يسير بعكاز على قدمه.

وذكرت صحيفة “مانشستر إيفننج نيوز”، أن عمر مرموش سوف يخضع إلى فحوصات طبية وآشعة على قدمه، وتقييم طبي من قبل الجهاز الفني لنادي مانشستر سيتي فور عودته إلى إنجلترا.

ويعتبر موقف عمر مرموش من المشاركة خلال لقاء ديربي مانشستر الأسبوع المقبل بين مانشستر سيتي ومانشستر يونايتد صعبًا للغاية.

India offspinner has been working on his batting, and has scored 200 runs in the TNPL at a strike rate of 167

Deivarayan Muthu03-Aug-2024At 37, in his first full Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) season, R Ashwin is expanding his range as a batter. He has always been good at finding boundaries down the ground, a skill that Rajasthan Royals leverage when they send him up the order in the IPL in order to provide their finishers a more suitable point of entry. But at this year’s TNPL, Ashwin has been working on playing boundary shots square of the wicket, and it’s paying off.In the Qualifier 2, against Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans at Chepauk on Friday, Ashwin dismantled left-arm fingerspinners R Sai Kishore and S Ajith Ram with a number of reverse sweeps. He was particularly severe on Sai Kishore, scoring 28 off nine balls at a strike rate of over 300. In all, Ashwin has 200 runs in eight innings in this TNPL at a strike rate of 166.66, with five of those innings coming right at the top or No. 3 for Dindigul Dragons.”Look, everything is work in progress, right?,” he said on the eve of the TNPL final against Shahrukh Khan’s Lyca Kovai Kings in Chennai. “You can even ask Shahrukh Khan about it. How does he do power-hitting… how do you hit the ball through the off side and leg side? It’s all about repetitions, and understanding angles and triggers.”Obviously, in the last IPL, I felt like I needed to widen my game and widen my horizons square of the wicket because I know I can hit the ball down the ground, and I can use my feet. Do I want to explore other options is something I had to ask myself. So if I can ask that question and if I can find an answer, it gives me a new avenue to explore and keep myself interested in the game.”Dindigul’s rookie left-arm fingerspinner P Vignesh had missed the Under-19 World Cup cut for India earlier this year but has been particularly impressive with his accuracy and control in this TNPL. In Qualifier 2 against Tiruppur, he came away with figures of 3 for 8 and the Player-of-the-Match award. Like Vignesh, Tiruppur’s offspin-bowling allrounder Mohamed Ali was excluded from India’s Under-19 World Cup squad but has made a mark in the TNPL. Ashwin has urged the next generation of cricketers to embrace setbacks and keep upgrading their skills.”Look, firstly I think missing the Under-19 cut is not the end of the world. Looking at how fragile our next generation can be, I really urge people to look at this game as a part of life,” Ashwin said. “Failure and success is very, very normal, and people become better only through failures. So I know P Vignesh, he has been coming to the Indian team nets, and I think he has improved every day. And this sort of a tournament gives these guys opportunity to be able to express and expand their game. I really hope that they’re ready to expand it constantly, and find answers to the questions that are going to be asked.”Lyca Kovai Kings captain Shahrukh Khan with the TNPL trophy•TNPL/TNCAShahrukh: GT helped improve my game against spinShahrukh has often struggled against spin, especially at the start of his innings, but he has been working on a technical tweak – a trigger movement where he pushes his weight forward – and he believes this will help him be a more rounded batter.”When I was with the Gujarat Titans, we had a camp for about a couple of months there, so I started working a lot on my spin game because they wanted me to bat up the order,” Shahrukh said. “And when you bat up the order, obviously for a batter like me having my concerns against spin bowling, especially, opponent teams would bring in spin when I come out to bat.”So their role was to help me improve my spin game, and it really helped. The front press I’m doing [in the TNPL] is quite obvious now, and it has helped me to score off the front foot and off the back foot as well.”While Shahrukh’s overall strike rate against pace in the IPL is 161.11, it falls sharply to 112 against spin. But in IPL 2024, he managed to lift his strike rate against spin to 168.75 while maintaining a similarly high strike rate against pace. And when Kovai met Dindigul in the league phase in Tirunelveli, Shahrukh took on mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and left-arm spinner Vignesh on his way to an unbeaten 51 off 25 balls.Having lost that game to Dindigul, Shahrukh has called his team to put together their “best cricket” in their quest for a three-peat in the TNPL.”I really don’t know [about the law of averages]. We’re taking it as just another game,” Shahrukh said. “The law of averages and the hat-trick [of titles]… all these things on social media are there, but we aren’t focusing on that. Out of the eight games we’ve played, only in two games we’ve stepped up to the expectations we have as a unit.”I hope even in this game we try and bring it out. As far as I’m concerned, we still haven’t played our best cricket this year, and we will try and do that.”

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is a real fan of one Aston Villa star, and the Lilywhites are reportedly prepared to offer him something key which could well tempt him to north London.

Related Real Madrid "now expected" to make concrete move for £165k-a-week Tottenham star

Xabi Alonso’s side are big fans of the player.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jul 3, 2025

Spurs are poised to make J League sensation Kota Takai their second summer signing after a permanent deal for Mathys Tel, with the 20-year-old expected to undergo his medical at the club next week (Luca Bendoni, Sky Italia).

Tottenham’s best-performing regulars in the Premier League – 2024/2025

Average match rating

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The centre-back was identified by technical director Johan Lange, and there is hope within Tottenham that Takai could eventually replicate the journeys of Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr as promising young players who are now crucial to the first team (Alasdair Gold).

Tottenham will pay a record fee for a Japanese player from the J League, around £5 million, but supporters will be hopeful that they could sign a few more senior players as well.

Frank’s side will be competing in the Champions League next season, and they’re in dire need of proven reinforcements to bolster their Premier League squad ahead of another congested fixture calendar.

Tottenham are known to be in talks for West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus, as reported by trusted transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano and other reliable media outlets, with the Ghanaian also apparently keen on a switch to N17.

However, Kudus is not the only Premier League ace garnering their attention.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank wants Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey

Speaking to Football Insider, former Spurs scout and Daniel Levy employee, Mick Brown, has shared information on their interest in £40 million Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey.

Spurs have been linked with a move for the Englishman in the last few days, but Brown says Frank is a personal admirer of Ramsey, and Tottenham are prepared to offer him more top-flight minutes, which could turn his head.

“Jacob Ramsey has to make a decision,” said Brown.

“In his own mind, he’ll weigh up whether he thinks he’s going to be a regular in the Villa team. If that’s not the case, he has to ask the same question about whether he would be at Tottenham.

“From what I hear, Spurs would be prepared to offer him more minutes from the start of games than he is currently getting at Villa. If that is the case, I’m sure he would be happy to make that move.

“He’s had doubts about whether he’s going to be a regular starting XI player at Villa, or if he’s going to be better served moving somewhere else. So a move to Tottenham would be a fresh start and a new environment for him. There have been a few questions about what his future at Villa might look like, because the manager isn’t certain he’s going to be a big part of the plans.

“That opens the door for Spurs, because Thomas Frank rates him, and he’s one they’ve been interested in for a while.”

The versatile 24-year-old has made 167 senior appearances for Villa already, and possesses that unique blend of both youth and experience. Taking this into account, Ramsey could be an excellent option to reinforce Frank’s midfield whilst providing first-teamers with more competition for places.

Strength in depth will be vital for Frank next season, so this is a move which could tick a few boxes.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is conducting simultaneous talks to finalise a few key summer transfer deals right now, with manager Mikel Arteta set for serious backing ahead of another Premier League title challenge.

Madueke will love him: £65m star pushing to sign for Arsenal "every hour"

Noni Madueke could be joined in the Arsenal attack by a £65m game-changer.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 7, 2025

In a major boost for the Gunners boss, it looks like the club’s long search for a prolific number nine will soon draw to a close.

This is because Arsenal are attempting to finalise a deal for Viktor Gyokeres after agreeing personal terms with the Sporting CP striker (David Ornstein), and there is much excitement around this potential move considering his 97 goals in 102 appearances for the Primeira Liga side.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£65m

Alongside the 27-year-old, Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has also agreed terms over a move to Arsenal, so the Gunners could welcome both a new left-winger and a striker in one fell swoop.

This potential deal for the England international would be separate to their advances for Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, according to Fabrizio Romano, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein backing this up in his own update last week.

“Arsenal are exploring a deal for Eberechi Eze, as things stand. They’ve held some conversations, not club-to-club so far, it’s more with the player’s side of things,” said Ornstein on The Athletic’s YouTube channel, via afcstuff on X.

“It would be as a potential attacking addition. It’s not like they would be looking at him and not a left-winger or not a striker, it’s an additional thing. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, I’m not saying it’s advanced.

“Arsenal, I think, wouldn’t want to be going as high as the release clause, if they proceed with this. I’m sure Crystal Palace would like to see the release clause met if they’re going to lose their player.”

Eberechi Eze wants to join Arsenal with Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke

As per ESPN, Arsenal are in ongoing talks over a move for Eze, and the 27-year-old is keen to join Arteta’s side alongside both Gyokeres and Madueke.

Interestingly, the broadcaster reports that Palace have set a ‘fixed price’ of at least £56 million for their star attacking midfielder, which is more than £10 million below his reported £68 million release clause.

Negotiations are happening between all parties – the player, Palace and Arsenal – but ESPN note a word of caution.

There is apparently some uncertainty surrounding whether they can actually sign both Madueke and Eze once they complete a deal for Gyokeres, which will likely be done first, even if it isn’t entirely ruled out.

The former QPR star, who was once axed from the Arsenal academy, scored 14 goals and assisted 11 others in all competitions last term – standing out as Palace’s key figurehead – and Eze’s winning goal in the FA Cup final ended the Eagles’ history-long wait for a major trophy.

Surrey end run of five straight defeats to dent Leicestershire’s knock-out hopes

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2024

Dom Sibley scored his second hundred in three innings•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

In-form Dom Sibley’s second hundred in three matches spurred Surrey to end a run of five straight defeats with their first Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory of the season, dealing a blow to Leicestershire’s hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages.Sibley followed his 149 against Warwickshire and 72 versus Nottinghamshire with 105, sharing stands of 138 for the first wicket with Ryan Patel (72) and 111 for the second with Ben Geddes (61) as Surrey totalled 296 for 6. It proved enough despite losing five wickets in the last eight overs.The Foxes were given a chance as opener Sol Budinger maintained his place as the competition’s leading run scorer by hitting 70 from 68 balls and Tom Scriven’s career-best 55 raised hopes of a gripping finish for a crowd of almost 1,400 but ultimately proved in vain, leg-spinner Cameron Steel taking 3 for 48 for the victors.All-rounders Ian Holland, with 2 for 50, and Scriven, with 2 for 51, were the pick of the Foxes bowlers, with 19-year-old seamer Sam Wood taking 1 for 34 on his List A debut.If the Foxes finished well with the ball, the start provided by Sibley and Patel with the bat was comfortably Surrey’s best of the season.Asked to bat first on an overcast morning, Surrey were 51 without loss from 10 overs and were 125 for nothing by halfway, Sibley having gone to fifty from 59 balls with Patel reaching his from 72.Patel suffered an unlucky dismissal. Shaping to hook the tall Wood, he seemed to be hit on the shoulder before the ball deflected off his helmet on to the stumps.Geddes maintained Surrey’s positive start. Dropped by Chris Wright at fine leg on 35 off Liam Trevaskis, he cashed in to the tune of 26 more runs before falling to a catch at deep midwicket off Roman Walker.Sibley had gone to his hundred from 115 balls in the 42nd over with his 11th four but soon miscued to long-off, giving Scriven wickets in consecutive overs after Rory Burns was bowled sweeping.Holland then had Josh Blake caught at backward point and 19-year-old Surrey debutant Ollie Sykes at long-on, a fifth wicket to fall in seven overs with Surrey slipping from 249 for 1 to 286 to 6.The Foxes’ chase suffered a double stumble to leave them 49 for 2 from 10 after Holland picked out deep backward square off James Taylor and Lewis Hill was caught behind off Conor McKerr.Ajinkya Rahane had an escape when he was spilled at cover on four off McKerr, which was beginning to look like an expensive drop by Steel as he and Budinger began to accelerate, the latter passing fifty for the fourth time in five innings, the run including 120 against Essex at Chelmsford. But Rahane could make only 27 before he was caught at midwicket off Patel, the ball perhaps sticking in the pitch a little.Budinger and Peter Handscomb shared a match-winning 113-run partnership against Essex on this ground last year but could add only 48 this time before Budinger holed out to deep midwicket.It felt like a significant moment at 142 for 4 in the 26th, one that was amplified two overs later as Handscomb hit straight to cover, both batters falling to Steel.Trevaskis was bowled by left-arm spinner Yousef Majid and Cox fell leg-before to McKerr. Scriven’s 45-run eighth-wicket stand with Wood, stumped off Steel for 22, kept the contest alive, Scriven hitting two sixes, but 20 off Taylor in the last over was always unlikely and the match ended with Scriven falling to a stunning catch by Patel at backward point as Leicestershire were all out for 279.With three wins from five, qualification for the knock-out stages is still possible, although Group B leaders Warwickshire and Glamorgan both have five wins from five.Both sides wore black armbands and a minute’s silence was observed at the start of the match as the cricket world mourns the loss of great England and Surrey servant Graham Thorpe.

Although much of the focus has been on incomings so far this summer, one Manchester United player has now reportedly accepted an offer to leave Old Trafford.

Man Utd still working on player sales

With Matheus Cunha already signed for big money and a fresh offer worth over £60m now reportedly submitted to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, Manchester United must clear some deadwood out of Ruben Amorim’s squad this summer.

The Red Devils must secure departures for the likes of Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho, who Amorim has reportedly told to find a new club this summer.

To that end, reports suggest that there is already work taking place to show the door to a number of players with Hojlund one of the likeliest to depart at this stage. The Dane has been linked with a return to Italy and is reportedly excited by the potential of a move to Serie A champions Napoli this summer.

Meanwhile, Antony has also been the subject of interest from clubs around Europe. The Brazilian enjoyed an impressive revival on loan at Real Betis in the second half of last season and is now reportedly on Bayer Leverkusen’s radar in an unexpected reunion with former manager Erik ten Hag.

Selling Antony and Hojlund would at least be a start for Manchester United, but they may not have the same luck when attempting to show Andre Onana the door.

While they continue to chase Emiliano Martinez, the Red Devils may see their pursuit scuppered by Onana’s reluctance to depart and instead compete for his place.

With their pre-season getting underway on July 7, United will be keen to have their business complete and that includes sales such as Hojlund, Antony, Onana and one big-money player.

Jadon Sancho accepts £160k-p/w offer to leave Man Utd

As reported by Turkish outlet Sabah and relayed by Sport Witness, Jadon Sancho has now reached an agreement to sign for Fenerbahce in a move that will see him earn €10m-a-year (£8.5m-a-year), which translates to £160,000-a-week. Jose Mourinho’s side are looking at an offer of €18m to sign Sancho, who also has interest from Serie A.

The former Borussia Dortmund ace was supposed to be a transformative signing at Manchester United when he first arrived for around £73m in 2021, but things couldn’t have gone much worse.

Their next Lukaku: Man Utd start talks to sign "prolific" £25m striker

Man United manager Ruben Amorim wants to sign a new centre-forward this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 23, 2025

Following a subdued first two seasons at the club, Sancho rediscovered some of his spark on loan at Borussia Dortmund only for last season’s loan spell at Chelsea to prove that was nothing more than a false dawn in familiar surroundings. Now at a crossroads with neither Chelsea nor Amorim wanting his talents at their disposal, the England international desperately needs a permanent fresh start.

Jadon Sancho at Man Utd	Stats (via Transfermarkt)
Appearances	83
Goals	12
Assists	6

20 goal involvements in 83 appearances for the Red Devils sums up Sancho’s struggles in a United shirt and, after four years at the club, the best solution for all parties could be a permanent exit.

Rangers finally have new owners, with the 49ers Enterprises completing a takeover, and the search for a new Ibrox manager is also finalised, with Russell Martin landing the permanent job.

Now, attention can turn to the transfer window, with the 49ers and Martin looking to bolster their squad ahead of the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership campaign.

The Gers have lifted just one league title win in 12 years, something Martin will be aiming to change, and to do so, may need to be active in the window.

A deal to sign Lyall Cameron from Dundee was agreed earlier in the year, but who else could join the midfielder in Glasgow?

The dream XI Martin could build at Rangers: Vardy and £15m duo all sign

Now that Rangers have officially appointed Russell Martin as their new manager, we assess the dream lineup the new boss could build at Ibrox.

1 Jun 5, 2025

Well, Grok, the AI tool on X, has predicted four more signings Rangers could make this summer ahead of Martin’s first season at Ibrox.

AI predicts 4 players Rangers will sign this summer 1 Almamy Toure Free agent

Starting off with a cut-price transfer for a versatile defender, Rangers have been linked with a move to sign Almamy Toure when he leaves FC Kaiserslautern this summer.

A Mali international who is primarily a centre-back, Toure could replace Leon Balogun who is leaving Ibrox when his deal runs out and a transfer was thought to be advancing last month.

Toure, who actually played for Eintracht Frankfurt against Rangers in the 2022 Europa League final, can also provide cover at right-back and Grok say that his ‘experience in European leagues aligns with Rangers’ need for reliable depth’.

2 Jamie Vardy Free agent

Another free transfer Rangers have been backed to make by Grok is Jamie Vardy. The experienced forward announced he will leave Leicester City towards the end of the Premier League season and the Scottish giants have been linked with a move.

Leicester City

200

Fleetwood Town

34

Halifax Town

3

England

7

The English striker picked up a whopping £140,000-a-week at the King Power Stadium, but Rangers have been weighing up making an offer for the 38-year-old. However, Grok also adds his ‘age and wage demands could be a hurdle’.

3 Joe Aribo Southampton

A player who both Rangers fans and Martin knows well is Joe Aribo, with Grok feeling the new Gers boss may look to reunite with a former player at Ibrox.

Sold to the Saints for an initial £6m, Grok say Aribo ‘could return for a second stint, bringing versatility and familiarity.’

Since moving to the south coast in 2022, the Nigeria international has gone on to make more than 100 appearances for Southampton but is set to be out of contract in 2026. And, with the Saints suffering relegation, a move back to Rangers may appeal to the versatile central midfielder.

4 Yusuf Kabadayi FC Augsburg

Finally, Rangers have been predicted to sign Yusuf Kabadayi, a player they were in for in 2024. There were claims the Gers were in pole position to sign the 21-year-old forward 12 months ago, however, he ended up moving to FC Augsburg instead.

Kabadayi would make just five Bundesliga appearances in 24/25 due to a serious knee injury, and as he’s under contract until 2028, a move does feel unlikely.

However, Grok say that Kabadayi’s ‘youth and potential fit Martin’s preference for dynamic, developing players’, although it could be putting two and two together from last year’s transfer rumour mill.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are in a race to sign a versatile £6.7 million international who could be a replacement for Nélson Semedo, according to a recent report.

Wolves target new midfielder and new striker

Given the fact the Midlands side have already seen Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri leave the club in big-money deals, Wolves have a rather large back pocket full of money. Manager Vitor Pereira will be hoping the club chiefs allow him to spend that money in the transfer market, as they look to avoid another relegation battle.

Wolves make approach for "major talent" also wanted by seven other clubs

The Old Gold are in the market for reinforcements…

1 BySean Markus Clifford Jul 4, 2025

According to a report from Spain, one way the Premier League side want to spend some of their cash is by signing Conor Gallagher from Atlético Madrid. It is claimed that Wolves are among the teams wanting to sign the midfielder, and they would be willing to pay as much as £43 million to bring him back to England. The Spanish giants could be open to letting the England midfielder leave in this transfer window, as that would allow them to improve their squad in other areas.

As well as a new midfielder, Wolves also want to add more firepower to their team and have made an approach to sign El Bilal Toure from Atalanta. The striker, who scored three goals in all competitions last season, is very much a wanted man this summer, as teams from France, Turkey, and England are all queuing up with an interest.

Wolves in race to sign Tchatchoua to replace Semedo

As well as looking to strengthen their midfield and forward line, the Premier League side may be in the market for a new right-back, and according to Tuttomercatoweb, relayed by Molineux News, Wolves are interested in signing Jackson Tchatchoua from Hellas Verona.

Wolves are still working on a deal to keep Semedo at the club, as his contract expired at the end of June and he has been offered fresh terms. However, they are yet to receive an answer, and now the Premier League side are looking at possible replacements and therefore have turned their attention to Tchatchoua, who is also wanted by Everton, Marseille and Galatasaray.

The 23-year-old, who has earned 10 caps for Cameroon, joined Hellas Verona on loan for the 2023/24 season, and that move was made permanent last summer. He can operate as a right-back as well as a right midfielder, scoring two goals to go with three assists in 36 Serie A games last season.

Tchatchoua

Semedo

Apps

36

34

Starts

36

32

Goals

2

0

Assists

3

4

Progressive carries

88

67

Progressive runs

163

119

Tackles (Won)

50 (31)

62 (36)

Blocks

21

32

Interceptions

14

23

Clearances

75

104

It has been previously reported that Hellas Verona value Tchatchoua at €8 million, or roughly £6.7 million, which could be an absolute bargain if Fosun can convince his agency, DWMA, to bring him to England. The group also represented Wesley Fofana in his £75m move from Leicester to Chelsea however, so may be looking to drive that price up.

Big picture: Where has the competition gone?

A rivalry that started with intensity in a one-off Test in 1992 has fizzled out into a one-sided affair with South Africa victorious in 22 out of 32 matches against West Indies, and vanquished in just three. They have never lost a Test series (the emphasis being on multiple matches in a tour) to West Indies, and last lost a match to them 17 years ago. But this is not the South Africa that bossed the away-from-home arena in the mid 2000s; and with inexperience laced through the visitors’ line-up, hosts West Indies will believe anything is possible in this series, ahead of the first Test in Port of Spain.It was only six months ago that South Africa lost a Test series to New Zealand for the first time, and though that was with a makeshift squad, it suggested something about the shifting sands of long-format depth. South Africa, whose provincial players only have seven red-ball matches a season, have chosen to invest the bulk of their resources into the kind of cricket that brings in, rather than costs, money. West Indies, on the other hand, continue to spend money developing the first-class game.Despite having a domestic system that costs more than anywhere else in the world to run because of their island geography, West Indies play red-ball cricket at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels, and at the academy level too; but whether they are reaping rewards remains up for debate.Related

• Injured Gerald Coetzee out of West Indies Tests

• Roach returns, Alzarri rested for WI's home Tests against SA

• 'Big, strong, strapping' Stubbs to be SA's new Test No. 3

This January, West Indies beat Australia in a Test for the first time in over two decades – for comparison, South Africa did not get a win in Australia in 2022-23 – but have not won a series against a World Test Championship (WTC) team since beating Bangladesh in 2022. Just before that, they beat England in a series, something South Africa have not managed since 2012.Pound for pound, the recent history of these squads suggests they don’t have much between them as they both enter yet another rebuild phase against the backdrop of continued T20 league expansion. In personnel terms, they are similarly matched too.Both have batting line-ups with newcomers hoping to establish themselves: Mikyle Louis for West Indies, and Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs for South Africa. Both sides have an experienced seamer – Kemar Roach and Kagiso Rabada – and some fiery youngsters in Shamar Joseph and Nandre Burger, although neither have made the final XIs. And both are desperate for points in this WTC cycle. At the least, that could mean we see the most competitive contest between these two sides in 30 years, which would be a very satisfactory outcome indeed.One of the positives from West Indies’ last two tours is Kavem Hodge, who scored 120 in Nottingham•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Form Guide

West Indies: LLLWL
South Africa: LLLWW

In the Spotlight: Kavem Hodge and David Bedingham

One of the positives from West Indies’ last two tours is the rise of Kavem Hodge, who scored 71 against Australia in Brisbane, and 120 in Nottingham and 55 in Birmingham against England. Given that the rest of the batters have struggled for regular runs, it’s easy to argue that Hodge has been West Indies’ most consistent recent performer, which could result in more pressure on his shoulders. But West Indies are actively working to reduce that. Head coach Andre Coley told ESPNcricinfo that he will not add to Hodge’s expectations, and has just asked him to continue playing the way he has done so far. Hodge has already stood up to Australia and England’s attacks, and it will be interesting to see how he performs at home against South Africa’s.His Test career is only four matches old, but David Bedingham is already been spoken of as a mainstay in the South Africa line-up. And it’s easy to see why. The runs have been coming in the county circuit since his century against New Zealand in February. With the Championship just over the halfway mark, Bedingham is currently the leading run-scorer with 926 runs in 14 innings for Durham. His haul includes five centuries, four of them scored in successive innings against Hampshire, Lancashire (two in two innings) and Somerset, and comes into this Test series in exceptional form. Bedingham had a slight hamstring injury heading into the West Indies tour, but scored 84 in the warm-up match and is expected to play a big role in this line-up.Conditions may dictate that Dane Piedt is preferred to accompany Keshav Maharaj•Getty Images

Team News: SA go with lone spinner, West Indies pick two

Alzarri Joseph has been rested for this series, but Roach is back as the leader of the attack after missing the Tests against England due to injury. Roach last played a Test in January but has been in action for Surrey, where he took 18 wickets in six matches. He bowled 13 overs in the warm-up match for the Champions XI against South Africa, with figures of 0 for 35.They have opted to take in a twin-spin attack with Jomel Warrican joining fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie which means that Shamar misses out. Keacy Carty has been confirmed for his Test debut, likely at No. 3. Warrican has been preferred over the uncapped offspinner Bryan Charles.West Indies: 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Mikyle Louis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Alick Athanaze, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Jayden Seales, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jomel WarricanSouth Africa announced their XI on match eve. Lungi Ngidi is set to play just his second Test since December 2022, with Rabada and Wiaan Mulder the other two seamers. Dane Piedt missed out of the XI as the second spinner with Keshav Maharaj the lone spin bowler. Nandre Burger missed out too. South Africa have essentially included an extra batter in Ryan Rickelton to lengthen the batting and sacrificed a bowler as a result.South Africa: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Ryan Rickelton, 7 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Wiaan Mulder, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi.Kagiso Rabada needs nine wickets to get to 300 in Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and Conditions: Expect rain in Port of Spain

“Everything tells us it’s going to spin. The question is how early or how late in the game it’s going to spin,” Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s Test coach said ahead of the game. Apart from seeing a surface that Conrad described as “devoid of grass”, West Indies have picked three frontline spinners in their squad, which South Africa have read as a clear indication to expect slow, dry pitches.That may negate the pace threat on both sides unless the weather offers some assistance. There are showers forecast for all five days of the Test, mostly in the later afternoon. Days one and five appear likely to be worst affected.

Stats and Trivia

• Rabada needs nine wickets to get to 300 in Tests. If he takes all nine in this Test, he will equal Allan Donald as the second-fastest South African to the landmark, and will get there in 63 Tests.
• The last time West Indies won a Test against South Africa at home was in 2001. Since then, South Africa have played nine matches in the West Indies, having won six and drawn three.
• Between them, the two squads combined have 21,652 Test runs – the second-least runs in Tests between the two after the XIs that played each other for the very first time in 1992.

Quotes

“These Test matches are going to be quite traditional because conditions don’t lend themselves to fast-scoring, and we don’t have bouncy or seamy wickets. It’s for us to stay in the fight and drag it out, and when those tough periods come, to be at our best.”
South Africa’s Test coach Shukri Conrad expects a slog

Celtic have been busy throughout the summer transfer window as they set about trying to improve the squad that Brendan Rodgers has to work with next season.

There has been plenty of business done already, with the likes of Benjamin Nygren, Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan, Callum Osmand, and Hayato Inamura all arriving at Parkhead.

However, the £1.7m that they have reportedly paid to sign Nygren is the biggest fee that has been spent, which means that they have yet to reinvest much of the reported £16.5m that Como have spent on Nicolas Kuhn.

Scottish broadcaster Hugh Keevins recently offered his thoughts on the window, writing: ‘Why don’t we just buy somebody terrific? Corporate negligence would be not re-investing the money for the betterment of the team. Celtic can’t afford to mis-manage this transfer window. They’re so good at it that if they fell out of the transfer window they’d go up.’

Last summer, Celtic made sure that they reinvested the money that they got for Matt O’Riley with a club-record deal for Arne Engels, who has turned out to be an excellent signing for the club.

Why Arne Engels has been worth the money for Celtic

The Scottish Premiership champions reportedly splashed out a club-record fee of £11m to sign the Belgium international from Bundesliga side Augsburg ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

It was a statement signing for Celtic because they were willing to spend big money to bring in a top-quality player to bolster their squad, and he proved his worth on the pitch.

The 21-year-old central midfielder ended his first season in Scottish football with a haul of 10 goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions, which shows that he provided quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

His £11m price tag naturally created plenty of hype around him ahead of last season, given the money involved and the prospect of his potential to deliver on the pitch, and he lived up to it.

The midfield maestro’s performances in the Champions League, as Celtic reached the play-off round, also showed that they signed a player who can perform at the very top level.

xAG

0.25

Top 7%

Assists

0.37

Top 6%

Shot-creating actions

3.11

Top 29%

Key passes

2.24

Top 6%

Percentage of dribblers tackled

71.4%

Top 9%

Tackles made

2.49

Top 28%

Passes blocked

1.12

Top 27%

As you can see in the table above, Engels stacked up well against his positional peers in several key offensive and defensive metrics, which shows that he provided an impressive box-to-box presence in the middle of the park for the Hoops.

His overall output in front of goal and his performances in the Champions League show that he lived up to the hype as a top-class performer for Celtic, which is why there may not be too many complaints about the fee paid for him at this point.

Celtic, however, may not have to spend a record transfer fee, or any transfer fee, to secure this summer’s version of their deal to bring Engels to the club.

Instead, Brendan Rodgers could land a high-profile free agent who could arrive at Parkhead with the same level of fanfare that the move to sign the Belgian whiz was met with.

Transfer Focus

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

Earlier this month, CaughtOffside named the Hoops as one of a number of clubs, including Manchester United and Newcastle United, interested in a deal to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer.

The former England international left Everton at the end of last month and the report claimed that he is set to demand £100k-per-week in wages, which is why it could still be an expensive deal for Celtic despite the lack of a transfer fee.

Why Calvert-Lewin could be this summer's Engels for Celtic

Snapping up the 28-year-old striker would be this summer’s Engels signing for Rodgers because it would involve committing a huge amount of money to a marquee addition, albeit in wages rather than a transfer fee.

The likes of Newcastle, who are in the Champions League, and Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, being interested in Calvert-Lewin illustrates the quality he possesses and shows why the forward would likely join Celtic to much fanfare if they were to win the race for his signature.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the experienced striker only scored three goals in 26 appearances in the Premier League for the Toffees, as he found himself on the bench behind Beto.

However, Calvert-Lewin has scored 57 goals in 279 games in the English top-flight, including a 16-goal haul in the 2020/21 season, which shows that he is a proven Premier League goalscorer who could provide huge quality in front of goal in Scottish football.

Take Adam Idah as a relevant example. The Ireland international scored one goal in 29 games for Norwich in the Premier League, yet he has plundered 21 goals in 50 outings in the Scottish Premiership.

Now imagine the kind of numbers that a proven Premier League goalscorer could put up as Celtic’s main number nine next season. It is an exciting prospect and one that could generate a lot of fanfare, should the club win the race for Calvert-Lewin.

Richarlison comparing the forward to the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo does not help to temper excitement. The Brazilian attacker once said: “He must be a nightmare to play against and he has an incredible leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Calvert-Lewin may leap like Ronaldo but he does not appear to have the durability of the Portuguese legend, as he has suffered from too many injuries in recent seasons.

24/25

2

15

23/24

3

6

22/23

4

29

21/22

2

33

20/21

2

5

As you can see in the table above, the former England international struggled in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns in particular, but also missed 15 games last season.

This means that Celtic will have to way up the risk versus the reward in this transfer race because there is the potential for him to be a prolific, marquee, striker signing and this summer’s Engels, but there is also the risk that may not be available enough to make a significant impact.

Celtic could sign better ST than Yamada in swoop for "tireless" £9m star

Celtic could sign an even better striker than Shin Yamada by moving to bring this star to Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Jul 12, 2025

Given the potential upside, this is one that Rodgers should be pushing the club to get over the line if there is a realistic chance of getting it done.