Planning ahead to 2025, Michael Edwards now reportedly wants Liverpool to sign an attacking reinforcement who just put on a four-goal show for his on-watching scouts.

Liverpool transfer news

Whilst Liverpool were one of the quietest clubs in the summer transfer window – only signing Giorgi Mamardashvili and Federico Chiesa – they could yet spring into action when 2025 arrives. The Reds have already been linked with moves for the likes of Orkun Kokcu and Alvaro Carreras as they look to finish their midfield rebuild and welcome a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson. And the rumours are only likely to increase as the months tick by.

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Carreras would be a particularly interesting arrival, given how he graduated from Real Madrid’s academy before completing a move to Manchester United of all sides. Now plying his trade in Portugal for Benfica, the young left-back has emerged as one to watch.

Meanwhile, Kokcu’s arrival would almost be a reward for Arne’s Slot’s excellent start. The Dutchman worked with the midfielder at Feyenoord with the duo enjoying great success together, but he may not be the only midfielder that arrives.

According to Caught Offside, Edwards now wants Liverpool to sign Georgiy Sudakov after scouts watched the attacking midfielder score four goals in one game as Shakhtar Donetsk smashed LNZ Cherkasy. Involved in every one of those five goals, having assisted the one effort that he didn’t score, it’s no surprise that Sudakov’s price tag sits as high as €65m (£54m).

Liverpool aren’t the only side interested either, with Arsenal also battling to sign the Ukraine star in what would add crucial depth to their attacking midfield role alongside Martin Odegaard. The Reds will hope that the Gunners don’t get the chance to utilise that depth, however, as they plot to beat their Premier League rivals to Sudakov’s signature.

"Exciting" Sudakov would unleash Nunez

As Darwin Nunez continues to struggle in a Liverpool shirt, it’s difficult not to wonder what an attacking midfielder of Sudakov’s calibre would do for the forward’s Anfield career. A player who has the vision and ability to pick out Nunez’s constant runs – albeit runs he must learn to time right – may just see the Uruguay international finally explode into life under Slot.

The 22-year-old Ukraine international has certainly earned fans around European football, with analyst Ben Mattinson dubbing Sudakov an “exciting attacking midfielder” back in March.

With seven goals and two assists in just 10 games in all competitions so far this season, there’s not many who have started the campaign in more scintillating fashion than Sudakov, who may not reap the rewards for such form in 2025. As Premier League clubs begin to circle, Liverpool should be desperate to win the race for his signature.

تعرض أحد لاعبي منتخب إسبانيا للإصابة في المباراة الجارية حاليًا ضد هولندا في بطولة دوري الأمم الأوروبية.

ويلاقي منتخب هولندا نظيره إسبانيا، في إطار مواجهات بطولة دوري الأمم الأوروبية مساء اليوم الخميس، على ملعب “فينورد”.

اقرأ ايضاً.. تشكيل مباراة إسبانيا وهولندا في دوري الأمم الأوروبية

وعانى منتخب إسبانيا من إصابة في الدقيقة 41 من عمر المباراة، حيث اضطر المدرب لويس دي لا فوينتي إلى إجراء تغيير.

وتعرض باو كوبارسي مدافع إسبانيا وبرشلونة لإصابة، حيث توجه الطاقم الطبي إليه من أجل معالجته، ولكن يبدو أنه لم يستطع استكمال المباراة.

وقرر المدرب دي لا فوينتي استبدال كوبارسي حيث دفع بزميله ديان هويسين، في ضربة قوية لـ إسبانيا.

فمن الجدير بالذكر أن كوبارسي تعرض للإصابة خلال إحدى اللحظات الأولى من المباراة، أثناء التنافس على الكرة مع ممفيس ديباي  وأصيب قلب الدفاع في كاحله الأيمن، ورغم استمراره في اللعب، إلا أنه لم يتعاف لتم إستبداله بالدقيقة 41.

وتشير النتيجة في الوقت الحالي إلى التعادل بين المنتخبين، بهدف لمثله عن طريق كل من نيكو ويليامز وكودي جاكبو.

New Zealand are scheduled to face India in the first T20I of a three-match series, in Jaipur, just three days after losing the T20 World Cup final to Australia in Dubai. New Zealand will then kick off their World Test Championship defence with two games in Kanpur and Mumbai. Gary Stead, the coach of the team, called the schedule “tough and challenging”, but there isn’t an option.The Test players, who are not part of the T20I squad, are already in India. The New Zealand support staff will have to juggle with training the Test players in the morning and the T20I group later in the evening while in India.Related

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“It’s the first time that I can remember that we’re so quickly into another series immediately at the back-end of the T20 World Cup,” Stead said. “It’s definitely tough and challenging but it is what is in front of us. We’ve got nine-ten guys in India already, who are preparing for those Test matches, and hopefully we can get up and have a really great performance against India.”Some of New Zealand’s players have had a particularly busy time, in bio-bubbles of varying elasticities in the recent past. Ten of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad were part of the IPL too; others like Glenn Phillips and Jimmy Neesham were part of the Hundred prior to that. Phillips had also turned out for Barbados Royals in CPL 2021. Meanwhile, the likes of Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman and Ish Sodhi have also spent extended periods in the UAE bubble after New Zealand abruptly called off the Pakistan tour in September, citing concerns around security.

Cricket on ESPN+

Match highlights of the Men’s T20 World Cup final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

During the T20 World Cup, former India T20I captain Virat Kohli had also cautioned against player burnout in trying to “cover up” for cricket lost to Covid-19.New Zealand will also have to make a call on their regular captain Kane Williamson, who has been managing an elbow injury, which flared up during the warm-ups ahead of the T20 World Cup.Meanwhile, there is optimism around Lockie Ferguson’s return to action on the India tour. Ferguson had been sidelined from the entire T20 World Cup with a calf tear, hours before New Zealand’s opener against Pakistan in Sharjah. He has since resumed bowling at the nets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in addition to training with Tommy Simsek, the physio.”In terms of Lockie, I think he is pretty close,” Stead said. “We will just make sure we get over there, travel okay and there’s no issues like seizing up on the flight or anything like that. But I’d expect that he’s going to be available for selection, which will be fantastic.”With all the guys that are going to prepare for the Test matches, we just have to make that call over there – whether we think it’s in the best interests of them and also in the best interests of the team being that the Test matches are more of our priority, I think, in the next month than what the T20 matches will be.”

Janette Brittin, Mahela Jayawardene and Shaun Pollock have been inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and the formal induction will take place before the T20 World Cup 2021 final between New Zealand and Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.Brittin, who died in 2017, played 27 Tests and 63 ODIs for England Women from 1979 to 1998 and scored 1935 and 2121 runs in the two formats respectively, and holds several records. She is the most capped Test player among women; she was the oldest woman to score a Test hundred (at 39 years and 38 days vs Australia in 1998) and the second-oldest to score an ODI hundred (at 38 years and 161 days vs Pakistan in 1997); she scored the most Test runs in a calendar year (531 in 1984) and she has the most 50-plus scores (16) in women’s Tests.She also top-scored in the 1993 World Cup final against New Zealand to take England to the title.Jayawardene, too, held many records for Sri Lanka – he captained them, played five ICC finals and won the T20 World Cup in 2014. He also scored over 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs, and is now considered an astute T20 coach.Pollock, apart from being among the finest allrounders from South Africa, also took over the captaincy at a challenging time from Hansie Cronje and went on to play 108 Tests and became the first South African to 400 Test wickets.”The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is our way of honouring and celebrating the greats of our game. Only the very best players are recognized for their contribution to cricket in this way,” ICC acting CEO Geoff Allardice said. “I would like to congratulate Mahela and Shaun on their induction into this illustrious group and it is a wonderful way to commemorate Janette’s life and career.”Jayawardene thanked those who helped him during his career, saying: “I am very grateful for the recognition and would like to enjoy and share the moment with all those that have helped me on my journey, including my family, friends, coaches, team-mates and, most importantly, Sri Lanka cricket fans who passionately supported and inspired me during my career.”Pollock said: “I would like to thank the ICC for this recognition of my career. It’s an amazing honour to be included in the Hall of Fame alongside the very illustrious company that has already been inducted. It’s a real cherry on the top or maybe even a book end of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable cricketing experience and I’d like to thank my teammates who played such a massive part along the journey.”

Rangers have received a big boost regarding their current injury situation, with Light Blues boss Philippe Clement providing a key update on a 23-year-old “fighter”.

Injury problems hampering Rangers

The Gers return to Scottish Premiership action on Sunday lunchtime, making the trip to Kilmarnock ahead of what feels like a must-win clash for Clement’s side.

It has been an adequate start to the season for Rangers, but a far from perfect one, allowing Celtic and Aberdeen to gain an advantage at the top of the league table, while Champions League elimination at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv has already come their way.

One thing that has played a part in the Scottish giants not always hitting top gear is injuries, with Clement having to make do with numerous key players throughout this season. The likes of Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Ross McCausland are among those struggling with fitness issues.

Having a fully fit squad could make such a difference for Rangers, handing them stability while also giving them more opportunities to rotate – and a positive update has now emerged about the situation.

Rangers given injury boost

Speaking ahead of the weekend clash with Kilmarnock, Rangers manager Clement said that Yilmaz should return to training “next week”, also giving an update on other players:

“Hagi is suspended. Cortes will be out for several weeks. Ridvan I expect back in training next week, Matondo later on next week or the following week. Danilo is back training with the squad – we will see how fit he is for the weekend.”

This is welcome news regarding Yilmaz, and others for that matter, with the left-back limited to just two starts in the Scottish Premiership so far this season. His last appearance came against Dynamo Kyiv back in August, with his two-month absence a big blow for Clement.

His 2023/24 stats for Rangers show that he averaged 1.5 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game across 26 league appearances last season – ranking third and first respectively within the Gers squad – showing his attacking quality.

The £12,000-a-week Turkey international has been hailed as a “fighter” by Clement, while Barry Ferguson said of him last season: “The little man has made a huge impression ever since the winter break and has nailed down the left-back berth for himself.”

However, it is important that Yilmaz is eased back into the fold rather than rushed back in, with his lengthy absence potentially meaning he may take time to get back to his sharpest form.

If he can get fully fit and back in the team by the end of the month, it will be fantastic news for Rangers, providing Clement with more depth and giving sterner competition to the likes of Jefte and Dujon Sterling.

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Yilmaz is still a young player with so much to offer for the Gers, so the hope is that this latest absence is his last injury setback for a while, allowing him to excel as his side’s first-choice left-back.

Chelsea have held exit talks with interested clubs over one player ahead of January, as it is believed he has his sights set on a Stamford Bridge exit.

Players who could leave Chelsea in January or next summer

Enzo Maresca’s side take on Liverpool this Sunday, in what is set to be a mouth-watering contest, as the Blues look to upset Arne Slot’s Premier League title challenge and potentially mount an assault of their own.

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It has been an impressive start to the season for Chelsea’s new manager, who has guided the west Londoners to four wins, two draws and just one defeat in the league – which came at the hands of English champions Man City – but now one of their toughest tests of the campaign awaits this weekend.

The likes of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo – Chelsea’s top performers of the campaign so far according to WhoScored – will play a key role in attempting to thwart the Merseysiders at Anfield.

Liverpool (away)

October 20

Newcastle (home)

October 27

Man United (away)

November 3

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

However, there are also those squad members who appear destined to play a bit-part role. Maresca has already shown that he’s unafraid to axe swathes of players and let them go, with Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall, Romelu Lukaku, Omari Hutchinson, Angelo Gabriel, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr, Tino Anjorin, Thiago Silva, Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Djordje Petrovic, Trevoh Chalobah, Kepa Arrizabalaga, David Datro Fofana, Aflie Gilchrist and Bashir Humphreys all departing on recent loan, permanent or Bosman deals.

Chelsea are prepared to loan out Mykhailo Mudryk in January, so the Ukranian can get some much-needed game time away, while it is believed both Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile could be sold by BlueCo.

AC Milan have also made contact with Carney Chukwuemeka, via his representatives, with the Rossoneri attempting to convince Chelsea’s £100,000-per-week gem to make a move to the San Siro in January.

Chukwuemeka now wants to leave Chelsea, so he can get first-team opportunities elsewhere, and the situation is very much the same with left-back Ben Chilwell.

The Englishman, who missed a large portion of last season through injury, isn’t enjoying a better time of it under Maresca. Spain international Marc Cucurella is the tactician’s preferred option, and Chilwell has been reduced to very limited cup cameos so far as a result.

Ben Chilwell "now wants out" of Chelsea with talks held

Journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack, has shared an update on the 27-year-old’s future this week. He writes that Chilwell “now wants out” of Chelsea, and the feeling is mutual among those within Cobham.

It is believed numerous clubs have already been spoken to about Chilwell ahead of the January window, with the in-demand ex-Leicester City star attracting interest from Fulham, Crystal Palace, Ipswich, and Manchester United – as well as from clubs in La Liga and Serie A – who have approached Chilwell’s agents.

Chelsea are actively encouraging clubs to come forward, but as things stand, only loan with obligation-to-buy deals have been offered by interested sides. Todd Boehly and co want a permanent deal, though, and won’t entertain any loan offers – so there is still work to do.

“He’s Premier League ready, we know that having played in this league as well as he has for Leicester and he looked like he’d played for us for a long time,” said former boss Frank Lampard on Chilwell back in 2020.

“I admired him before because of his ability to be so high up the pitch when you want him, not that he’s being reckless by being there. He just arrives, he’s got the capacity to get up and back, great quality on the ball, and he’s a great lad.”

An exit from Tottenham Hotspur is beckoning for one member of Ange Postecoglou’s side, as a Madrid-based side look to take advantage.

Players likely to leave Spurs in 2025

Postecoglou, chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange could decide to offload a few members of the Lilywhites squad when the turn of the year comes around – and there are a few interesting names in the frame to leave.

Club chiefs convinced their "extraordinary" player is set to join Tottenham

There is a theory growing within the side.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Oct 29, 2024

Timo Werner scored his first goal since March in Tottenham’s much-needed 2-1 win over Premier League champions Man City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, helping to guide Spurs into the quarter-finals, where they will face off against City’s cross-town rivals Manchester United in north London.

While this could go some way into eventually redeeming himself to the club’s hierarchy, depending on how he builds upon the strike against Pep Guardiola’s men, it is believed Werner is likely to leave Tottenham and head back to RB Leipzig at the end of his loan spell – as things stand.

Tottenham vs Aston Villa

November 3

Tottenham vs Ipswich Town

November 10

Man City vs Tottenham

November 23

Tottenham vs Fulham

December 1

Bournemouth vs Tottenham

December 5

It has also been reported this week that summer signing Archie Gray could head out on loan in January, with the former Leeds United star struggling to establish himself as a regular Premier League starter as he’s relegated to a bit-part, cup-playing role in the squad.

Levy and Lange managed to shift plenty of deadwood in the summer window, with Joe Rodon, Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp, Giovani Lo Celso, Eric Dier, Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic, Tanguy Ndombele, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Japhet Tanganga all departing N17 permanently.

One player they didn’t manage to offload, though, was left-back and forgotten man Sergio Reguilon. On a reported £120,000-per-week, according to the Manchester Evening News, the Spaniard has been deemed surplus to requirements by Postecoglou – who gave the green light for Reguilon to spend last term on various loan spells at United and Brentford.

Reguilon was attracting interest from Turkey and other European clubs in the summer, but a move never materialised for the former Real Madrid starlet.

Reguilon seriously considering Tottenham exit to Getafe

As per Spanish media, it is now believed that Reguilon is seriously considering a Tottenham exit to Getafe – who could offer him the opportunity to make a return to Madrid by signing him as a free agent in 2025.

It is a golden opportunity for the La Liga side to snap him up at zero cost, with Reguilon’s contract set to expire in the summer and up for grabs at zero cost. The ex-Sevilla star could technically sign a pre-contract in January, so Getafe may have an opportunity to nip in ahead of other interested sides to secure his signature.

Once tipped to shine under Antonio Conte, with pundit Noel Whelan calling him a “quality player” (Football Insider), things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Reguilon and the writing now appears on the wall for his departure next year.

Whilst the player has been spotted training with the senior squad, he is yet to make a single appearance in all competitions this season, and has been named in just one matchday squad so far – Spurs’ trip to Coventry City in the Carabao Cup.

The duo put on a match-winning unbeaten stand of 94 off just 32 balls to get Deccan Gladiators’ campaign off to a winning start

20-Nov-2021

File photo – Tom Moores was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 17-ball 47•Getty Images

“To bat with someone like him just gives you so much confidence and freedom to just go and try and express yourself.”Those were the words of 25-year-old Tom Moores, the Deccan Gladiators wicketkeeper-batter, after he and Andre Russell put on 94 for the fourth wicket in just 32 deliveries to get their campaign off to a winning start against Chennai Braves in the Abu Dhabi T10.When the pair came together, the Gladiators had been stuttering, having managed just one six in the first five overs. But Moores and Russell bludgeoned nine of them in the remainder of the innings to catapult the Gladiators to a match-winning total of 146. Both faced just 17 balls each.Asked what the conversation was like between the two when they were in the middle, Moores, who plays for Nottinghamshire, replied, “Who could hit the biggest six…? Which, obviously, I knew I was gonna lose. We had a bit of fun, it wasn’t too serious at all, which really helped me just relax and be confident. We were just having a smile and enjoying it. And that’s what we talked about, to have fun, to enjoy our cricket. Every game we play we’re really lucky to be doing it.”Since Russell’s arrival, at No. 5, the pair dictated the pace of the innings, wresting momentum from the Braves, who had started well by removing Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Banton and Anwar Ali in the first 4.4 overs. Russell got off the mark with something of an uncharacteristic stroke: a delicate cut played with soft hands past third man. But he needed no invitation to launch one over midwicket when Dasun Shanaka gave him a delivery right in the slot.The next over, the legspin of Samiullah Shinwari got the treatment as Russell hammered him for two consecutive sixes. By the end of the seventh, he had walloped to 31 off 11, while Moores was on a run-a-ball five.Andre Russell sent the ball miles•AFP

Moores was fortunate not to run himself out off the second delivery he faced as Munaf Patel failed to collect the ball at the bowler’s end. He made his luck count, smashing Dhananjaya Lakshan for two huge sixes and bringing up the team hundred with a whack over long-on. Curtis Campher – who took four wickets in four deliveries at this ground for Ireland during the recently concluded T20 World Cup – was also dispatched for 26 as the Gladiators amassed 80 runs between the sixth and ninth overs. Russell was on 42 off 15, while Moores had got himself up to 39 off 13.”To bat some time with Dre who has done that time and time again… he’s the best at doing that, so to watch him and have the best seat in the house was great,” Moores said. “Someone like him has helped me a lot. I knew him a little bit from playing back home for Notts and he’s someone who has done this time and time again. So he was just giving me tips and bits of advice here and there. To be honest, I was just trying to keep up with him.”Moores, in fact, went one better, as he hit another six, off Ravi Bopara, in the final over to go past Russell’s unbeaten 43 off 17 and set the highest team score of the season so far. He finished on an unbeaten 47 off 17 and took home the Player-of-the-Match honour.In the end, despite a valiant effort from the Braves, with Angelo Perera and Bopara both scoring half-centuries, they fell 24 runs short of the target. Their tally of four sixes across their ten overs was dwarfed by the ten that the Gladiators managed, and Moores underscored that six-hitting is even more pivotal in this format of the game.”We did talk about six-hitting ability,” he said. “Those extra two runs do add up. If you compare the two scores, those extra twos can change a game and be the difference. Having someone like Dre in your team, he’s naturally gonna clear the ropes and all the rest of us need to just do our thing and hit as many as we can.”

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Culled staff had written to board deploring reputational damage Rafiq allegations had inflicted on club

David Hopps04-Dec-2021The 16 members of Yorkshire’s coaching and backroom staff who were sacked this week are expected to seek legal advice on Monday, as a club that has long specialised in internal strife braces itself for the deepest crisis in its history.Even allowing for the widespread acceptance that change at Yorkshire was necessary in the wake of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism, the purge of the club’s coaching and medical staff has left many in the county in a state of shock. Where there was briefly talk of a brave new world of inclusivity and enlightenment, there is now more division, hurt and punishment. Legal action, or potential pay-offs running into millions of pounds, and player departures in protest are all possible outcomes as the affair spirals out of control.The charge levelled against many of the 16 sacked staff members is that they jointly wrote a letter to the Yorkshire board on October 14. In that letter, seen by ESPNcricinfo, they deplored the reputational damage being done to the club, questioned why Rafiq’s claims had not been rebutted, and further accused Rafiq of being “on a one-man mission to bring down the club and, with it, people of genuine integrity”. They spoke of the “grossly unfair” criticism of the former chief executive, Mark Arthur, and director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, and said that the allegations were “having a profound effect on us all, physically, emotionally and psychologically”.The letter makes no concessions as to Yorkshire’s treatment of Rafiq, who told ESPNcricinfo last year that he had been driven “to the brink of suicide” during his time at the club; in fact, it doubles down on his reputation as a troublemaker (“problematic in the dressing room and a complete liability off the field”), and seeks to defend the name of Yorkshire cricket and the “White Rose” culture that Rafiq called into question during his emotional testimony to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee last month.Related

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For the likes of Lord Kamlesh Patel, the county’s new chairman, and the ECB – for whom the Yorkshire crisis is a direct threat to their attempts to promote diversity and to ensure that the game is universally recognised as offering fair opportunities for all – this private appeal to the board appears now to have been regarded as ample evidence of an unwillingness to change. However, in the event of legal action, it may fall well short of constituting gross misconduct.The best-known names on the redundancy roll are the club’s coach, Andrew Gale, and the director of cricket, Moxon, who has been a popular character in Yorkshire cricket for most of the past 40 years, and who was on sick leave before his sacking. Moxon has been deeply affected by general allegations of racism, and there is general fury within Yorkshire cricket circles that despite his illness, he was labelled “a coward” by Julian Knight, chair of the DCMS committee, for not appearing before their investigation last month.Among the other casualties are Paul Grayson, the batting coach who returned to the club less than three years ago, when Rafiq had already left, and so unless other evidence comes to light he can hardly be implicated in his allegations; and Dr Nigel Mayers, the club’s medical officer, who has served the club for most of the century and who has committed much of his life to working in Kirkstall, a diverse Leeds ward. Wayne Morton, head of sports science and medicine, has gone, too – a man who once had to be pulled out of the crowd at Scarborough for his own safety after confronting a group of spectators who had been throwing bananas at the black Gloucestershire fast bowler, David ‘Syd’ Lawrence.By midweek, an emergency director of cricket is expected to have been appointed – there is even talk of Darren Gough, who has minimal coaching experience and who has spent the past decade as a sports radio host – supported by a skeleton staff which is being assembled with the help of the ECB.Rafiq’s claims of racial mistreatment have taken a wrecking ball to Yorkshire cricket, with sponsors abandoning the club in the wake of the allegations and the ECB suspending the county from hosting major matches. Many within the club suspect that the imposition of an ECB-approved emergency staff could be a means of ensuring an early return of international cricket to Headingley.Either way, the dismissal of individuals with not far short of 300 years’ service to Yorkshire, and the county’s apparent scapegoating as English cricket’s bad apple, would appear to draw attention away from the sport’s long-term failures in the development of minority-ethnic cricketers, a widespread and complex issue. But in a febrile social media world, with a culture war at its height, general postures are adopted in an instant with little care for specific facts.Head coach Andrew Gale was among those to leave the club•Getty ImagesYorkshire’s playing staff have held an emergency meeting with Lord Patel, but his conciliatory remarks upon taking up the role, including assurances that the club was seeking a quick return to stability and normality, now seem very much at odds with the mass dismissals. He had promised in a media conference “urgent and seismic change” and that is what he has delivered. Players’ talk of finding new counties are often not followed up – and many counties’ budgets are already spent – but the mood is an unhappy one.Lord Patel is not the only person in this drama to now be accused by those he has dispensed with of duplicitous behaviour. The former chairman of Yorkshire and the ECB, Colin Graves, whose family trust is owed nearly £20 million by Yorkshire, has an investment to protect. And Roger Hutton, the former chair, and the one person who gave evidence on behalf of Yorkshire to the DCMS committee, is also facing renewed accusations that he mishandled an investigation that should have been settled in weeks, but has now stretched for well over a year. Hutton, for his part, told the DCMS hearing that he felt the club’s culture had been “stuck in the past”, and that his resignation back in August, in the wake of the club’s “profound apologies” to Rafiq, would not have helped to bring about change.Many people have bought into the view that Yorkshire’s systems were institutionally racist, more by obstinate refusal to change than design, and that this had contributed to the failure to bring through Muslim cricketers from Yorkshire’s inner cities. Many were appalled by Rafiq’s relationship with Gary Ballance, which had racial overtones at its heart. Many, too, watched Rafiq’s moving evidence to the DCMS committee and, even those who argued that he was a far from perfect individual, felt the need for change, to rid Yorkshire of this stain once and for all.But many of those same people had signed up for a vision of a better way forward, of a vision of fairness for all, based on a commitment to education, not a full-scale coup d’etat. To express deep misgivings is uncomfortable, and risks echoing the views of the far-right, who are now sniffing round this story with a growing realization that here is a chance to sow division and disunity. But rifts could now deepen. That, in itself, is a tragedy.Lord Patel, whose family relocated to Bradford in the early 60s when he was an infant, has an impressive CV, but his approach – endorsed how much by the ECB? – is now giving grave cause for concern. Uncompromising, implacable, adamant that only his way is the right one, and supremely confident in his own moral compass, he has revealed many of the Yorkshire attributes that over generations have caused the county so much pain.