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انتقدت وسائل الإعلام الإيطالية حكم مباراة مانشستر سيتي ونابولي، فيليكس زواير بعد نهاية اللقاء بفوز الفريق الإنجليزي بهدفين نظيفين على ملعب الاتحاد في الجولة الأولى بمرحلة الدوري في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وجاء هذا الانتقاد بسبب لقطة طرد جيوفاني دي لورينزو لاعب نابولي وقد تم اتخاذ القرار بعد مراجعة تقنية الفيديو.

ووجهت صحيفة “كورييري ديلو سبورت” الإيطالية انتقادات خاصة للحكم الألماني الذي حصل على تقييم 4.5 في المباراة.

وجاء القرار الكبير من جانب حكم مباراة مانشستر سيتي ونابولي في الدقيقة 21، عندما تلقى دي لورينزو مدافع الفريق الإيطالي بطاقة حمراء بسبب ارتكابه خطأ ضد إيرلينج هالاند.

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وجاءت الكرة على حافة منطقة الجزاء وكانت هناك فرصة حقيقية ليسجل مانشستر سيتي هدفًا، وكان الحكم يرى في البداية أن دي لورينزو لمس الكرة ولم يغير رأيه إلا بعد مراجعة تقنية الفار في الملعب مما أدى لطرد اللاعب الإيطالي الدولي.

واعترفت الصحيفة الإيطالية بأن دي لورينزو ارتكب خطأ واضحا ومنع فرصة حقيقية لتسجيل هدف لصالح مانشسيتر سيتي.

ومع ذلك فقد أشارت الصحيفة إلى أن هالاند ضرب بيوكيما بمرفقه أثناء التحضير للهجمة، لذا كان ينبغي على تقنية الفيديو مراجعة اللعبة بأكملها.

وأضافت كورييري أيضاً أن نيكو جونزاليس لاعب مانشستر سيتي استحق إنذاراً لاعتدائه بمرفقه على أنجيسا في وقت لاحق من المباراة.

بينما أعطت صحيفة “لاجازيتا ديلو سبورت” تقييمًا للحكم بدرجة 5.5 في المباراة وكتبت أن صاحب الـ44 عاماً لم يشاهد كثير من الأخطاء ربما لأنه تأثر بحصول دي لورينزو على بطاقة حمراء.

Chelsea could still sign more players before deadline day, even if this hinges on their quest to offload an array of surplus squad members.

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The world champions, fresh off their Club World Cup triumph over PSG at the MetLife Stadium, have just banked a substantial £87.5 million financial from winning the tournament, but there is still a need to balance Enzo Maresca’s squad through player sales.

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

After being fined by UEFA for breaching FFP rules recently, the governing body and Chelsea reached an agreement that they need to sell and trim their bloated squad, or Maresca will be unable to register new players for the Champions League next season (Kaveh Solhekol).

According to journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack, the prospect of more new signings still isn’t entirely ruled out, but any business will be directly tied into Chelsea’s outgoings.

“A new goalkeeper is still on the agenda for Chelsea this summer, but we have to wait and see exactly what action Chelsea do end up taking there,” wrote Phillips.

“A new defender is also being targeted still and sources believe it is going to be another flexible option. They are looking at Marc Cucurella cover as well, but we are uncertain whether they will get a centre back and a left back, or a player like Jorrel Hato, who we are still looking at, who can play both positions.

“So these are the three positions that Chelsea are still actively looking to sign in, but they will depend on sales at this point.”

João Félix is already said to be in talks over a return to Benfica, right after Noni Madueke sealed a £52 million move to Arsenal and Djordje Petrovic agreed to join Bournemouth in a £25 million deal.

The latter duo are set to join goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, defender Basir Humphreys, midfielder Mathis Amougou and Marcus Bettinelli, who’ve also sealed permanent moves away from Stamford Bridge.

With Chelsea making significant progress on the exit front, perhaps there is more room to add another centre-back to Maresca’s squad.

Chelsea could offer Renato Veiga in a swap deal for Kim min-Jae

According to TUTTOmercatoWEB and journalist Dimitri Conti, £200,000-per-week Bayern Munich defender Kim min-Jae is on BlueCo’s shortlist of defensive targets.

The 69-cap South Korea stalwart was a mainstay of Vincent Kompany’s back line for the majority of last season before injury problems limited his game time towards the back end of 2024/2025.

Bayern are open to selling the 28-year-old, who boasts years of top-level experience, and Chelsea are interested in potentially doing a deal for him.

It is believed that Chelsea could even use Renato Veiga in a swap deal for Kim, given the Portuguese has long had admirers at the Allianz Arena. However, Maresca faces competition from both Atlético Madrid and Tottenham, with the latter holding an historic interest in Kim dating back to José Mourinho’s tenure in charge.

“I wanted to sign Kim Min-jae when I was at Tottenham,” said Mourinho in 2023, via Fabrizio Romano. “I had some FaceTime calls with him — our bid was €5m, Fenerbahçe wanted €10m for Kim and for Tottenham that wasn’t possible at that point.

“Now look at Kim and his level, he’s a top player”.

Sheffield United are under new management in Ruben Selles, and he could now look to bring one of his former players to Bramall Lane in an intriguing deal, according to a report.

Ruben Selles aiming for success at Sheffield United

Many onlookers were surprised when Sheffield United parted company with Chris Wilder during the off-season, but sometimes there is a need for change to keep things moving in the right direction.

Selles is now in the door at Bramall Lane and promised a traditional recruitment style despite the rise of AI in the context of talent identification, indicating that he may look to strike a balance in his hunt for new arrivals.

He explained: “We need to understand there are tools to be more efficient and that’s how we need to look at it. They are not tools to tell us what to do, they can give advice and point us in directions.

“We understand, we interpret and make decisions from that together with some other tools. The main thing will always be the football eye, the way that we see the game, the way we identify the players. Obviously, we want those marginal gains to be on our side and we need to work with different technology that will give us that.”

Making a valid point, it now remains to be seen where he will look to strengthen. Sheffield United are targeting Tottenham duo Ashley Phillips and Alfie Devine, which would be a good starting point with both having significant EFL experience.

Ruben Selles’ managerial record in English football

Wins

22

Draws

10

Losses

19

Emil Riis Jakobsen could also join the Blades on a free transfer, and they are now said to be eyeing a player who enjoys a fruitful pre-existing relationship with Selles to shore up their backline.

Ruben Selles eyeing Tyler Bindon reunion at Sheffield United

As relayed by The Guardian’s rumour mill, Sheffield United could look to sign Tyler Bindon from Nottingham Forest.

Selles coached Bindon at Reading from 2023 to 2024, and it is believed the Blades’ new manager personally wants to reunite with his ex-defender at Bramall Lane. Enjoying an injury-free campaign last term, the New Zealand defender scored three times in 47 appearances across all competitions for the Royals.

Forest actually signed the 20-year-old on a permanent deal in the January window, before sending Bindon back out on loan to Reading to finish the season, and he’s since reported back to the City Ground.

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Labelled “unbelievable” by Noel Hunt, Bindon has three years left on his contract in the East Midlands, and it is unclear at this point whether Forest would be willing to sanction another exit for the 20-year-old during the window – where that be on loan or permanently.

One thing is clear – Selles simply has to sign central defenders, so they may be willing to push the boat out to land his services. Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson are in need of support, and there may be scope for several arrivals to max out squad depth.

Selles arrives with a tough act to follow in Wilder, so bringing some familiar faces to South Yorkshire could help the Spanish boss to put his own stamp on the team.

If Glasgow Rangers are going to topple their arch-nemsis next term, the new owners are going to have a job on their hands to appoint the right successor to Barry Ferguson at Ibrox.

Given their cross city rivals’ recent success, the Light Blues need to find somebody who can come in and install a playing style that will see Rangers win trophies and progress in Europe. That simply hasn’t happened in the last few years.

Steven Gerrard managed to do all those things and more during his three-and-a-half-year reign between 2018 and 2021. Could he be an option this summer for a second stint in Glasgow?

The latest on Steven Gerrard's future

According to the Daily Record over the weekend, Gretar Steinsson from the 49ers and sporting director Kevin Thelwell have reportedly narrowed down the list to the final couple of targets.

A new manager could be announced by the end of next week if all goes to plan and Gerrard could certainly be on this list.

Steven Gerrard’s stats in charge of Rangers
Season	Games	Wins	Points per game
2021/22	22	12	1.86
2020/21	56	44	2.52
2019/20	54	36	2.17
2018/19	60	32	1.9
Via Transfermarkt

The Englishman led the club to their first Premiership title since 2011 during the 2020/21 campaign, going through the league season undefeated.

Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine under Gerrard. The first two seasons saw plenty of tough defeats and post-Christmas collapses, but he would be a solid option to restore the sinking ship.

However, the 49ers must take a strategic gamble on the next manager. It looked as though Davide Ancelotti was going to get the role, but ultimately, nothing came to pass with the coach set to follow his father, Carlo, to Brazil.

The ideal alternative to Gerrard and Ancelotti

So, who could they go after instead? Well, Italian manager Francesco Farioli announced his decision to leave Ajax after just a single season in the Netherlands.

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It would certainly be a major statement of intent if the 49ers could entice him to Ibrox this summer, that’s for sure.

Farioli left after failing to win the Eredivisie for Ajax, despite leading by nine points with seven games left.

It was a dismal collapse, no doubt about that, but any hopes of the club looking to go close again next season with Farioli at the helm have been dashed as the manager announced he was leaving Amsterdam.

“Francesco also played a key role in enhancing the high-performance culture at Ajax, for which we are extremely grateful,” said director Alex Kroes. He was also dubbed “unique” by journalist Lars Jesse following the news.

The 36-year-old tends to utilise an attacking 4-3-3 system, which could be a good fit for several players at Rangers.

Across his 54 matches in charge of the Dutch side, Farioli’s side scored 115 goals – 2.1 per game – while he accumulated 2.09 points per game.

One of the most overlooked aspects was just how well the Italian improved their defence. In the 2023/24 campaign, Ajax conceded a staggering 61 goals.

This season, they conceded only 32, having the best defensive record in the top flight. It wasn’t enough to seal the title, however.

For someone aged just 36, the boss has managed 167 games across his four club sides. It would be a risk, but the way he approaches the game with an impressive attacking philosophy, plus a resolute defence, could transform the fortunes of Rangers.

While the last player to come from Dutch football in Gio van Bronckhorst ultimately ended up being given the boot, his immediate success, winning the Europa League, proves that the adaptation period from the Netherlands might not be too challenging.

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Tottenham Hotspur could only secure a 1-1 draw with West Ham United at the London Stadium this afternoon, with all attention undoubtedly on Thursday night’s Europa League clash.

Wilson Odobert scored his first Premier League goal for the club to open the scoring, but Jarrod Bowen’s effort just 13 minutes later levelled proceedings.

The result leaves Ange Postecoglou’s side in 16th position, a point behind Everton and Manchester United, with all eyes on a potential European showdown with the latter.

Given their lowly league standing, there’s nothing left to play for in the league for the Lilywhites, but such a game does hand Postecoglou the opportunity to assess his first-team squad.

Numerous players failed to deliver in the clash across the capital, with the manager desperately needing to take action during the upcoming summer window.

Spurs’ poor performers against West Ham

Striker Richarlison was handed the responsibility of leading the line for Spurs this afternoon, but struggled with the responsibility at the top end of the pitch.

The Brazilian featured for 68 minutes before being replaced, understandably so, given his tally of just four passes completed – an average of one every 17 minutes.

He wasn’t alone in failing to deliver, with centre-back Ben Davies unable to produce his best showing after being recalled to the starting eleven after being benched last Thursday.

The Welsh international only managed to win 50% of the duels he entered and committed two fouls, leading to a booking after a being ajudged to have brought down Niclas Fullkrug.

Ange will undoubtedly be disappointed once again with his side’s display, potentially looking to cash in on the aforementioned duo and one other starter in the coming months.

The player who Ange needs to sell from Spurs this summer

Given the situation where the club have found themselves in the Premier League throughout 2024/25, it’s no surprise that sales will be needed to correct the dismal campaign.

Such funds can be used to allow for new additions to Ange’s squad, hopefully enabling them to mount a serious push for the top four once again next season.

Countless players face the chop, such as Davies and Richarlison, but another first team member in Yves Bissouma needs to be sold after his failures throughout this year.

The Malian was once seen as an important cog in the midfield department, but has struggled to produce his best performances on a consistent basis – a signal of his decline in North London.

He was one of the players to keep his place from Thursday’s first leg win, but failed to deliver, producing an awful outing as seen in the figures he produced.

During his 90-minute showing, he managed a total of 47 touches, but lost possession on ten separate occasions – resulting in him giving the ball away every 4.7 touches he had.

The 28-year-old also only managed to win one of the three tackles he entered, and came out on top in just 50% of the ground duels he entered in East London.

Minutes played

90

Touches

47

Tackles won

1/3

Ground duels won

3/6 (50%)

Possession lost

10x

Successful dribbles

0/1 (0%)

Fouls committed

1

His dismal performance saw former footballer Adam Alfi label the midfielder as a “pub league player”, with The Standard’s Dom Smith handing him a measly 6/10 match rating – highlighting how poor he was at the London Stadium.

After such a showing, Ange simply can’t afford to start Bissouma in the second leg against Bodo Glimt next week – needing all of his players to be at the top of their game.

The bigger picture must be that the former Brighton ace is sold this summer, handing the manager the funds he requires to catapult the Lilywhites back up the division in 2025/26.

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Manchester United are thought to be interested in a Premier League star who actually has the same agent as Patrick Dorgu.

Man Utd looking at multiple summer signings as Ratcliffe calls out recent additions

The Red Devils have big plans for the future, as laid out by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, who recently announced plans for a new 100,000-capacity stadium.

However, shortly before those were released, Ratcliffe sat down with the media and discussed previous signings at Old Trafford. The co-owner called out several players who the Red Devils are still paying for, believing some aren’t good enough and are overpaid.

“If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho. These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out.”

Ratcliffe added: “Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.”

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More recently, United have looked to youth in the transfer market, signing the likes of Ayden Heaven from Arsenal and Dorgu from Lecce in the January transfer window.

Both have featured under Ruben Amorim already, and it looks as if Man Utd are planning for the summer transfer window, where numerous incomings and outgoings appear to be on the cards.

The club may axe 10 Man Utd players on more than £1.8m a week at Old Trafford, whereas a new striker appears to be high on the to-do list, with Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt a target.

Behind a new striker could be an attacking midfield addition, and an impressive Premier League player appears to be on the Old Trafford radar.

Man Utd eyeing bid for £60m+ Eberechi Eze

According to TEAMtalk, Man Utd are weighing up a move to sign Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. The report suggests that the Red Devils may need to sell before launching a move for the England international due to PSR rules.

Eze is also wanted by Tottenham but is thought to be ‘ready to take the next step in his career’, and any transfer will cost at least £60m. Amorim is thought to personally be a fan of Eze and can see him ‘playing as one of the no. 10s in his side’.

Now aged 26, Eze has starred at Selhurst Park in recent seasons and has now made more than 150 appearances for the Eagles.

Eze stats for Crystal Palace in 2024/25

Games

31

Goals

6

Assists

9

Minutes played

2,457

He was called up to Euro 2024 for England last summer and has shown why again this season, becoming a key figure under Oliver Glasner.

Eze, who actually shares the same CAA Base agency as Dorgu, looks like he could be on the move over the coming months, and if United get some players out the door quickly, a deal for the Palace star could be one to watch.

A year on from his dream debut, he has had to again start from the bottom in what has been a frustrating summer

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Jul-2025

Gus Atkinson appeals for a wicket on the opening day•Getty Images

Last week was a reminder to Gus Atkinson that the game of cricket does not love you.The 27-year-old had been working behind the scenes to return from a hamstring injury picked up during the first Test of the summer, against Zimbabwe. Now, ahead of the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, England’s player of 2024, who seduced the format for 55 wickets, a century and a hat-trick, looked primed to come into the XI. A welcome addition of extra thrust and oomph. And above all else, fresh legs.England, though, decided to ignore Atkinson. Uncertainty over his robustness, having not played since Trent Bridge, meant featuring alongside the likes of Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and skipper Ben Stokes – all missing the fifth Test – was too much of a risk. Worse still for Atkinson, Surrey thought so too.Related

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Usually, a player unselected from an international squad would slot into their county side, especially if they average 22.30 with the ball. But Surrey, a day before facing Yorkshire, needed their own guarantees, that each member of their attack could put in a shift given the Kookaburra ball was in play. Jamie Overton, playing his second game of the season and first in a month, was deemed risk enough.So, Atkinson had to make do with a go in the second XI. It was his second game since injury. The first was a Saturday game during the Lord’s Test for his club, Spencer, when he was ignored the first time having been recalled. At least then he was in the ones.It was a humbling experience but one that the seamer, by all accounts, had taken in his stride after some understandable dismay. Atkinson keeps his emotions in check, comfortably the most inscrutable of England’s cricketers. Bottom of the list of players you would want to play poker against (Harry Brook top, if you were wondering).But there was proper, unmistakable joy throughout Thursday. Atkinson’s 2 for 31 from 19 overs was a threat laced with the kind of unerring accuracy that, remarkably, left him with just a single boundary against his name.Second years, like second albums, are always difficult. But it would still be quite something if Atkinson’s 2025 was even half as statistically impressive as his 2024.2:37

‘England would be a little disappointed with the score’

That debut against West Indies at Lord’s, 7 for 45 and 5 for 61 – 12 for 106, the fourth best bowling figures by a men’s player on debut – was the best intro since Mick Jagger (watching on at the Kia Oval on Thursday) and his pals knocked out . Doing so in James Anderson’s retirement Test felt particularly prescient. Grand closing, grand opening, and now involved at the sharp end of a series bearing Anderson’s name.So it proved, at least for the next six months. He returned to Lord’s against Sri Lanka to put himself on the batting honours board, and then, in Wellington, became the 15th England player to take a Test hat-trick. With 52 wickets by the end of that tour of New Zealand, he became only the second Test cricketer to register 50 dismissals in their debut year.There were signs of issues to deal with within those first 11 appearances. That schedule meant he played 16 first-class games in a calendar year, having never featured in more than five (2022 and 2023). Naturally, he struggled to maintain his high 80s pace, which made his high release point and snap gather-cum-delivery that much more potent. Nothing summed the drop-off better than the fact his average speed on debut (85.89mph) was higher than his fastest delivery in last year’s final appearance in Hamilton (84.0mph).There was a similar drop-off across Thursday, despite the hours of rain delays that broke up England’s 64 overs in the field. Atkinson’s four spells saw his average speeds reduce steadily: 85.6mph (six overs), 84.8mph (six), 84.0mph (five), 82.0mph (two).Atkinson has had a stop-start summer•Getty ImagesA nod, perhaps, to the need for more game time to build up his endurance. His nimbleness was clear for all to see when he followed-through to run out Shubman Gill. A bonus for England given the India captain’s prolific run on this tour.The lbw dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal – 85mph – was his first in more than two months after dismissing Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett. Dhruv Jurel was undone by an 84mph full-of-a-length ball that surprised him with lift, right after surviving an lbw dismissal on review that scuttled in from a scrambled seam that has been fruitful for Atkinson at this level.While happy to return, and get back on the board, Atkinson was not overly pleased. “Being hyper critical, I could have maybe bowled at the stumps a bit more,” he said, matter-of-factly.The good news is those dismissals, and 17 of his overs, came from his lesser preferred Pavilion End, where he averages 31.6 here for Surrey since the start of 2022. The bad news is his two overs from his Vauxhall End (22.6) came about because of a shoulder injury sustained by Chris Woakes. He had domain over that end, having chosen it to open proceedings.1:48

What will be a good score for India?

It is Woakes, ultimately, that Atkinson was going to replace, particularly in Australia later this year. That was initially as a new-ball bowler with more pace, before his batting came on to the point where he and, say, Carse could go some way to replacing Woakes’ batting at eight. Now, Atkinson will have to carry more of the burden with Woakes unlikely to take any further part in this match, certainly as a bowler.The worse news, however, is that on the day when England welcomed Atkinson back with the best seaming conditions of the series, they fluffed their lines.His excellence was unable to make-up for Josh Tongue, who was wayward even with his worldies. Nor Overton, whose lack of feel for the appropriate lengths was what you would expect from someone with just two first-class wickets since September 2023 (as many County Championship matches he has played for Surrey since then).Atkinson might be fresh and hungry for more. But he will now have to step up as the leader of the attack. Just over a year from his debut, he will have to grow up quick and help orchestrate a crucial win in this series decider.

Afghanistan had their chances in all three games of the series but couldn’t capitalise against Pakistan

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Aug-2023

Are Pakistan getting a middle order together?

Pakistan’s top three is outstanding, and the attack is potentially great, but the hole in the donut has been numbers four through seven. In this series, there have been mild awakenings in that area, however. No. 7 Shadab Khan has done the most to provide some heft through the middle – hitting a 39 off 50 as Pakistan were seriously ailing in the first ODI, before making a rousing 48 off 35 in the second match, as they chased 301 (he left the crease early at the start of the last over and as such, left the finishing to Naseem Shah, but his innings was vital). In the last match, Agha Salman provided an important 38 not out off 31, and even more importantly, Mohammad Rizwan made 67 off 79.Are Pakistan still top-three dependent? Probably. But they do seem to have ended the series with more middle-order grit than they began it with.

Afghanistan have endured a (minor) humbling

Picking off lone wins against more-established opposition is not something the Afghanistan men’s team is happy with any longer. As such, losing 3-0 to Pakistan will leave a bruise.There were moments in all three matches where they would have felt as if they were dominating. In the first ODI, they’d had Pakistan at 62 for 4, then bowled them out for 201 – a target they would have felt was well within their grasp, had Haris Rauf not ripped their batting open.In the second match Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s superb run-a-ball 151 propelled Afghanistan to 300 for 5 (it probably should have been more), which is generally a hugely defendable total on Sri Lankan tracks.Even in the third game, they kept Pakistan within reach by restricting them to 268 for 8, but the frailty of their own top order let them down.In their previous ODI series, Afghanistan had defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in Chattogram. They’ve also won two of their last five completed matches against Sri Lanka.The signs are there that the Afghanistan men’s team is on the cusp of something. But this series was a serious disappointment.Afghanistan had their chances in all three matches against Pakistan, but couldn’t convert them•AFP/Getty Images

Babar Azam is coming in hot

In the final wash-up of Babar Azam’s career, scores of 53 off 66 and 60 off 86 will not be cause for serious reflection. But they are proof that he is putting in the work. Babar has spent most of the last two months batting on Sri Lankan decks, first in the Test series in June, then in the Lankan Premier League (in which he hit the only century and finished as second-highest run-getter), before these three matches. Although he will return to Pakistan to play some of his Asia Cup matches, there is no foreign player with as much recent form on Sri Lankan decks as he. Is he building to a crescendo? You wouldn’t count against it in the Asia Cup.

Can Gurbaz make the difference for Afghanistan?

Afghanistan’s big problem is the top order. Their only good total in this series was when Gurbaz fired. Like Babar, Gurbaz has plenty of experience on Sri Lankan decks, having played all four LPL seasons. As the Afghanistan men’s team are in a difficult group in the Asia Cup, with Bangladesh as well as Sri Lanka in the first stage, it’s worth mentioning that Gurbaz averages 58.6 in six innings against Bangladesh. Is he ready to take the next step in his career? Perhaps he could carry the Afghanistan top order with him.

As racism scandal rocks English cricket, Harrison knows importance of seizing what remains of the moment

Andrew Miller28-Nov-2021There was a moment of levity on Friday, in the midst of an otherwise sombre unveiling of the ECB’s new anti-racism action plan, when one senior journalist – caught on the hop by an announcement that had first been anticipated on Wednesday but had already been delayed by yet another hour – burst into the media Zoom call five minutes after its start, and interrupted Tom Harrison’s monologue with a loud and exasperated oath.As an instant reaction to a long-drawn-out and deeply embarrassing episode for English cricket, the outburst had some merit. It would not, however, prove to be the mot juste of Harrison’s address. That would be his use of the word “earthquake” to describe the shock of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations and subsequent fall-out for the game – a word so pointed that he uttered it three times, as if to ensure that every headline on the subject would be obliged to lead on his impassioned response to the crisis.As soundbites go, it certainly made a change from Harrison’s stuttering, management-speak display at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) hearing in Westminster last week, at which he had been slapped down from the outset with the chair Julian Knight’s refusal to allow him to read a statement to open the ECB’s defence, and was never able to recover his poise thereafter, as barb upon barb flew in about the governing body’s inability to “get its house in order”.As any amateur seismologist would tell you, “earthquake” is probably an uncannily accurate depiction of how this saga has unfolded for the ECB – first, a grindingly slow build-up of pressure over aeons of apparent inactivity, then a shattering denouement as two irreconcilable bodies rip and twist against one another, causing untold destruction. More troublingly for the body politic, it might also be pointed out that earthquakes tend to re-occur along existing faultlines.

“An earthquake can provide the opportunity to accelerate years and years of change in a very quick period of time”Tom Harrison

So here it is, the ECB’s attempt to provide the sport with sufficiently robust architecture to “Build Back Better” in the short term (not that the post-Brexit lingo of the Conservative Party is necessarily the ideal point of reference for this journey), and to cope with whatever ructions may be thrown up in the future. It is a 12-point plan, sub-divided into five distinct sections, to address the structural flaws within the English game, and point the way to a more genuinely inclusive future for the estimated 11 million cricket fans in this country, too many of whom have felt excluded.If the initial reaction to the plan has been perhaps a touch underwhelming, then that’s largely a reflection of the ennui that can creep in whenever the ECB’s lumbering machine attempts to grind its corporate gears and spit out something that goes beyond mere platitudes.And sure enough, when compared to the draft document that emerged from last week’s all-stakeholder’s meeting at the Kia Oval, the proposals in the final product are notable for a fair bit of sandpapering around their roughest edges – perhaps most tellingly, in the ambitious commitment to having 30 percent boardroom representation by women and representative ethnicities by April 2022.Even before that commitment was in the post, the challenge got steeper still with the resignation of Leicestershire’s chair, Mehmooda Duke, who had previously ticked both of those boxes, but whose parting call for “fresh leadership at national level” didn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of the proposals she had been party to crafting.As such, there is a rather ambiguous caveat within that particular proposal, calling for counties to “comply or explain” why they are unable to fulfil the quota within the agreed time. Such are the reasons why an ECB spokesperson had said on Thursday that they “weren’t quite there” with the final wording of the document. When you consider the overwhelmingly white, male make-up of boardrooms across the 18 first-class and 20 national counties, this process may not be so much a case of turkeys voting for Christmas, but dinosaurs bracing for the meteor.Either way, the cataclysm has now been thrust upon the ECB, and Harrison knows it is incumbent upon his regime to seize what remains of the moment.”An earthquake can provide the opportunity to accelerate years and years of change in a very quick period of time,” Harrison said. “It highlights a situation that doesn’t change through cajoling or through contracts, or through moving people through education processes. Perhaps this is the shock that is going to enable us to bring this game together once and for all. And I don’t mean that as the game as we see it now, but the game which has got 11 million fans taking part and who want to be part of it.”Related

• PCA to appear before Parliament in wake of Azeem Rafiq's 'inept' claims

• Azeem Rafiq: 'Time is right' for Yorkshire to get back right to host international cricket

• Tom Harrison pledges to 'lead change' as English game addresses racism scandal

• BBC drop Michael Vaughan from Ashes coverage, as BT Sport consider options

• Tom Harrison believes 'earthquake' can accelerate change as ECB unveil plan to tackle racism

In spite of his tendency towards white-collar obfuscation, it does bear repetition that Harrison has tried to do the right thing on the diversity and inclusion front, ever since his arrival at the ECB in 2015. He stepped in personally to address Rafiq’s concerns last summer, after reading about his experiences at Yorkshire on ESPNcricinfo, and he was similarly proactive in the board’s initial response to the Black Lives Matter movement, even if England’s subsequent failure to take a knee before all internationals drew further accusations of tokenism, most notably from the then-Sky Sports commentator, Michael Holding.There was the launch, in 2018, of the South Asian Action Plan – the first concerted bid to build bridges to a community that provides between 30 and 40 percent of all recreational players in the UK. The aims of that initiative have come under fire in recent weeks, not least since Rafiq pointed out in the DCMS hearing that those levels of Asian participation have dropped by the same percentage since 2010. But in highlighting a rise from 7 percent to 28 percent in the past four years for ethnic minority enrolment in ECB academies, Harrison insisted that the fruits of that investment were slowly becoming apparent.Even so, the commitment within the ECB’s action plan to “remove barriers in talent pathways” was perhaps the most significant of its five key proposals, because for all the justifiable focus at boardroom level, it is at this vital choke-point between the grass-roots and the professional game that so many of the sport’s problems lie.A number of factors have long been at play here. The tendency of youth-team coaches towards conformity, both in terms of techniques (many of which have often been honed at extra expense, either through the private-school system or one-to-one lessons); the lack of feedback to talented players from marginalised backgrounds, who are unable to make the most of their one shot at a county trial. The sheer cost of a sport in which helmets, for instance, are now mandatory across all age-group levels.”That decision-making point between talented youngsters and becoming professionals around the country is a worrying statistic for us,” Harrison said. “There may be structural and cultural barriers in place that we need to remove. We just need to accelerate the work that’s going on here, but I don’t think we have all the answers yet.”Tom Harrison has likened English cricket’s racism scandal to an “earthquake”•Getty ImagesIn the course of his defence of the ECB’s progress, however, it was telling that Harrison choose not to address perhaps the most notable aspect of their commitment to doing things differently – the launch of the Hundred, a competition that has been perhaps the central plank of his seven-year tenure as chief executive.Harrison had hinted at the Hundred’s existence during the DCMS hearings, when he spoke of how the ECB had struggled to get “the first-class game to wake up” to the need to put EDI initiatives at the front and centre of its offerings.But it’s a sign perhaps of how desperately the board now wants to limit the contagion from the Yorkshire saga, that an issue that had been shoved down every cricket-loving throat for the past three years is now stuffed very much up the executives’ sleeves, perhaps stored away for a brighter, post-fall-out future – far removed from the rubble that cricket’s earthquake has strewn across the county game – when the prominence of the women’s tournament, the move towards family-friendly, non-alcohol-fuelled events, and the drive towards greater diversity in ticket sales can once again be trumpeted as successes.Either way, given that the executive patted itself on the back to the tune of £2.1 million in bonuses following the Hundred’s launch last summer (Harrison bluntly dismissed that pay-out as an “employment contract” matter when asked to reconsider it on Friday), it would be a remarkable failure of imagination were they not at some stage to embark on some hasty retro-fitting, and present that tournament as the elusive “silver bullet” that Harrison himself admitted the action plan was not.For despite all the best intentions of this action plan, English cricket as we know it is painfully exposed by the revelations of the past month, and damaged by the broad-brush facts that the DCMS hearings placed in the public domain. There’s little room for nuance when politicians on both sides of the House are railing against historic failures and calling, as Jo Stevens, the shadow culture secretary, did on Friday, for a public enquiry. Sometimes, when the faultlines are too exposed, there’s no easy way to rebuild after an earthquake.

Chelsea are beginning to reap the rewards of their ambitious spending since Todd Boehly and his private equity firm Clearlake Capital replaced Roman Abramovich in 2022.

It’s been a twisting road for the Blues over the past several years, but Enzo Maresca has advanced after a promising, trophy-winning 2024/25 campaign to establish his side as budding Premier League title contenders.

Maresca leads a young squad. A hungry group of talented players yet to reach the top of the game.

Chelsea

2nd

24.0

Brentford

13th

24.7

Man City

3rd

25.0

Bournemouth

8th

25.0

Sunderland

7th

25.2

There are ostensible drawbacks to employing such a strategy, but it’s bearing dividends, and the success will only grow over the coming years, with more set to follow in Estevao Willian’s footsteps.

Estevao's start to life at Chelsea

In May 2024, Chelsea finalised a deal for Brazilian youngster Estevao, an initial £29m deal which could eventually rise to £52m with performance-related add-ons.

18 years old, Estevao has enjoyed a dream start to his Chelsea career, having notched five goals from his first 17 senior outings for the Londoners.

With three goals in his past three Champions League outings, the hype is growing around his skilful and dynamic youngster, who outshone Lamine Yamal in the Blues’ romping 3-0 win over Barcelona in midweek.

So intense is the hype around Estevao’s potential that Como scout and analyst Ben Mattinson has labelled the Brazil international a “future Ballon d’Or winner”, and that’s definitely not out of the equation.

Estevao has what it takes to become London’s most talented wide forward, for sure, perhaps taking that crown from Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka.

But the fact that Chelsea have landed themselves another Estevao-esque talent who could rival these cream-of-crop players is a perfect illustration of Chelsea’s burgeoning strategy.

Chelsea have a talent "just like Estevao"

Arsenal have the lead in the Premier League title race, and there’s no question that Mikel Arteta is deeper into his project than Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

But Chelsea are building something special, and they would welcome another poster boy to further strengthen Maresca’s system. Well, that player could have already been signed in Geovany Quenda, with a £40m deal in principle agreed at the end of last season to welcome the Portugal U21 international in 2026.

Hailed as “one of the most exciting teenage prospects in Europe” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Quenda has “been on fire” for Sporting Lisbon this season, coming into his own on the right wing.

The 18-year-old’s energy, pace and skill on the ball have seen him hailed as having a mentality “just like Estevao” – as per Alex Goldberg – that will see him succeed in the Premier League, endowed with an athletic underbelly to complement his blistering pace and skill on the ball.

Goals scored

0.09

0.43

Assists

0.35

0.16

Shots taken

1.72

2.92

Shot-creating actions

4.62

4.69

Touches (att pen)

3.39

6.74

Pass completion (%)

72.9

73.8

Progressive passes

5.11

2.45

Progressive carries

3.30

4.34

Successful take-ons

1.58

1.85

Ball recoveries

4.75

3.90

Tackles + interceptions

1.54

2.05

His sharp-minded approach and combativeness on the ball could indeed see him emulate Saka. Sofascore record that Bissau Guinean-born Quenda has won 52% of his ground duels in Liga Portugal this term, and for one so young, this bodes well for a future in the harsh climate of the Premier League.

Furthermore, he is developing a ball-playing game that suggests he has the natural talent on the ball to emulate someone like Saka, having also followed in the Englishman’s footsteps by shining at both full-back and wing-back, prior to cementing an attacking role on the flanks.

Whether the Portuguese talent would hit the ground running in the same way that Estevao has is uncertain, of course, but there’s no denying he has the potential to rival his soon-to-be teammate.

A big factor in a winger like Saka’s success (and Estevao’s) is that he is able to merge the many elements together, forming something complete.

Quenda is already proving that he has similar qualities in the locker, and it is for this reason that there is such excitement brewing around his signature.

Chelsea, truly, are rebuilding themselves toward superstar status.

Hazard 2.0: Chelsea lead race to sign "best player on the planet" for £100m

Enzo Maresca and Co could deliver Chelsea fans their next Eden Hazard by signing the international superstar.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 29, 2025