Australia batter Beth Mooney has been named captain of Gujarat Giants for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). Mooney, who scored a match-winning 74 not out in Australia’s sixth Women’s T20 World Cup triumph, will reunite with former team-mate Rachael Haynes, Giants’ head coach. India allrounder Sneh Rana has been named the vice-captain.”I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the Adani Gujarat Giants in the historic Women’s Premier League’s inaugural edition in 2023,” Mooney said in a statement. “The squad is keen to get the ball rolling soon and put out an entertaining and effective brand of cricket in the debut season of the WPL. It will be fantastic to have the likes of Sneh as my deputy and Mithali Raj, Rachael Haynes and Nooshin Al Khadeer as pivotal parts of the team.”Related

• WPL stars to look out for – Mandhana, Shafali, Harmanpreet, Mooney and more

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Mooney was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup winning teams in 2018 and 2020 – she was the Player of the Tournament three years ago – before also lifting the trophy in 2023, apart from winning the ODI World Cup in 2022 and the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games last year. She has also won the Women’s Big Bash League thrice and is the only Australia batter with two T20I hundreds.This will be Mooney’s first experience at leading a side in an overseas T20 league. In the women’s Hundred last year, she was the highest run-scorer for London Spirit. She has only led in a few games at the Women’s Big Bash League, having played for Brisbane Heat, which has been largely led by Kirby Short, and Perth Scorchers, captained by Sophie Devine.Meanwhile, Rana had made a comeback to the Indian side in 2021 and played the semi-final of the T20 World Cup this year, where India narrowly lost to Australia. She represented Velocity in the Women’s T20 Challenge, and has played 25 T20Is, 22 ODIs and a Test for India.Giants had selected Mooney for INR 2 crore (USD 244,000 approx) and Rana for INR 75 lakh (USD 91,000 approx). Giants will kickoff the WPL against Mumbai Indians on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Real Madrid's hopes of signing full-back Alvaro Carreras from Benfica received a boost as the Portuguese side agreed to sign his replacement.

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Carreras' return to Spain gaining momentumBenfica find replacement in DahlMadrid aim to finalise deal before Club World CupFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Benfica have been in talks with Roma for Samuel Dahl to fill the left-back position, a report by says, which could see Madrid receive the green light to sign Carreras.

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The Portuguese club opted to make Dahl's deal permanent after he impressed on loan this season and have reportedly reached an agreement with Roma. Benfica will have to pay €9 million ($10m/£8m) for the 22-year-old. However, to bring Carreras to Spain, Madrid will have to pay a big price, with the Eagles standing firm on their €50m (£41m/$57m) valuation.

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After negotiations hit a snag, Madrid identified Alejandro Grimaldo as a potential alternative signing. Xabi Alonso worked with the former Manchester United full-back at Bayer Leverkusen and maintains a good relationship with both the club and player since his recent switch to the Santiago Bernabeu. The Club World Cup kicks-off on June 10 and Los Blancos will hope to have a new left-back in position beforehand.

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Alonso's ambitious project for the Spanish giants will reportedly see a bit of change in his tactics, with the coach prepared to ditch the formation he used at Leverkusen. With Trent Alexander-Arnold coming in at right-back, he will hope to see the Carreras deal wrapped up ahead of the journey to the United States.

With the rampaging right-back on his way to Real Madrid, GOAL looks back on his historic feats at Anfield and beyond…

Trent Alexander-Arnold's time at Liverpool is ending in acrimony, with the club's homegrown hero having upset a significant number of supporters by electing to run down his contract and leave on free transfer this summer. There's no guarantee, in fact, that the Real Madrid-bound right-back won't be subjected to more boos when Arne Slot's side lift the Premier League title at Anfield on Sunday.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of Alexander-Arnold's decision and the fans' reaction to it, the one thing everyone can agree on is that the nature of the 26-year-old's exit is a real shame. After all, Alexander-Arnold played a pivotal role in Liverpool's glorious era of success under Jurgen Klopp before making a significant contribution to an unexpected title triumph in his final season on Merseyside.

Below, GOAL counts down Alexander-Arnold's top 10 most memorable moments in a red shirt…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  10Long-awaited debut

  Jurgen Klopp was recently asked to name his best signing as Liverpool manager. He went with Alexander-Arnold, even though he was an academy product. Klopp also gave most of the credit for the teenager's promotion to the senior squad to assistant Pep Lijnders, who had coached Alexander-Arnold at Under-16s level and was convinced that the club had a multi-talented prodigy on their hands.

  "Pep said 'He played No.6 for me, he played full-back, he can play right wing, left wing,'" Klopp told the podcast. "If you hear something like that you should be a little bit skeptical, ‘Okay… and what else?!' But then he came and there was only one problem: he was not fit enough. But he was a kid and when you saw him, 'wow!' Football-wise, no doubts, but not fit enough."

  So, while Alexander-Arnold was named on the bench for Liverpool's Premier League opener at Arsenal on August 15, 2016 after a rigorous pre-season programme, he didn't actually feature in the League Cup games against Burton Albion and Derby County, and only found out he was in the starting line-up for the fourth-round clash with Tottenham on October 25 the day before the game at Anfield.

  Alexander-Arnold subsequently admitted himself that he was a little too eager to impress and was a tad lucky to avoid a red card for a poor challenge on Ben Davies, but he nonetheless caught the eye with his dynamism and confidence on the ball.

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  9First EPL start – at Old Trafford

  Klopp has admitted that he had no idea that Alexander-Arnold would go on to become the best attacking full-back in Premier League history, but the German did have full "trust and faith" in him from a very early age. Consequently, Klopp had no qualms about turning to Alexander-Arnold after Nathaniel Clyne was forced to pull out of the Premier League meeting with Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 15, 2017 through injury.

  "He didn't look too surprised, to be honest," the ex-Reds boss later explained. "Not that he expected it, he just wasn't too nervous."

  Hardly surprising, then, that Alexander-Arnold impressed on his first Premier League start, playing all 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Liverpool's biggest rivals. "It was the first big step for him," Klopp said. "And a very important step for us as well."

• Getty Images
  

  8First goal

  Liverpool won a free-kick in a central position some 30 metres from the Hoffenheim goal in the 35th minute of the first leg of their 2017 Champions League play-off at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena. Unsurprisingly for a kid making his European debut, Alexander-Arnold didn't initially put his hand up to take it. But after being encouraged to do so by captain Jordan Henderson, the full-back lifted the ball over the wall and into the bottom corner of the net.

  "Obviously, it's the stuff of dreams to make your European debut for your boyhood club – and to mark it with a goal as well was very special for me," Alexander-Arnold told .

  As for Henderson, he felt the goal was just reward for all of the hard work the 18-year-old was putting in on the training pitch: "He was outstanding last season and he has come back and gone up another level again in pre-season. The free-kick is no coincidence either. He has been doing that every day in training for the last few weeks!"

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  7Game-changer and match-winner

  During the tail end of Klopp's reign, he would often move Alexander-Arnold into midfield during games – and usually to great effect. Nowhere was this play more thrillingly executed than at Anfield on December 3, 2023, when Liverpool came from two goals down with three minutes of normal time remaining to win 4-3.

  Alexander-Arnold had effectively started the scoring, by hitting the crossbar with a first-half free that ricocheted into the back of the net off Bernd Leno, before then firing home the winner in the dying seconds.

  "I'm not sure I have to say anything about him," Klopp told reporters afterwards. "Nobody is in doubt how highly I think about Trent. The development is crazy. His shooting skills, we knew before, but today he was a real leader on the pitch – that's probably the biggest improvement in him.

  "Because it was super-intense but it got kind of another push when you put him a bit more inside in that moment. But he's very often in half-spaces in the centre and stuff like this, so it was just really good. But he was a real leader on the pitch – that was most important thing."

Spinner claims his best figures at the Ageas Bowl and sixth first-class five-for

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2023Hampshire 367 (Vince 95, Dawson 63, White 4-80) beat Northamptonshire 56 (Barker 4-13) and 176 (Zaib 57*, Whiteman 45, Dawson 6-61) by an innings and 135 runsNorthamptonshire succumbed to their third straight innings LV= Insurance County Championship defeat to bogey side Hampshire led by Liam Dawson’s five-wicket haul.Dawson claimed 6 for 61 for his sixth first-class five-for and his best figures at the Ageas Bowl to reignite Hampshire’s title hopes after two winless matches with victory by an innings and 135 runs coming inside three days.Northamptonshire, who have one win and a solitary batting bonus point so far this season, only claimed three points from the match as they sit rock bottom of Division One.Hampshire have dominated Northamptonshire in their three Championship clashes – starting at the Ageas Bowl last September and continuing in home and away drubbings this term.Their three innings have resulted in 1,249 runs – in response, Northamptonshire have only cobbled together 840 in six innings. This thrashing was fashioned on the first two days.Hampshire grafted hard to score 367 runs in just over a day, thanks to James Vince’s 95, Dawson’s 63, and forties for Fletcha Middleton and Ben Brown.Northamptonshire were bowled out for a new Ageas Bowl low of 56 in 30.2 overs and were already two down in their second innings by the close.Their head coach John Sadler called for “fight, graft and resilience” and promoted the idea of classic red ball batting going forward. Sam Whiteman and Rob Keogh took that to heart. The duo batted out 39 of the first 42 balls of the day as dots and took few risks, while starting to nibble away at the deficit.Whiteman would face 93 balls and Keogh 113, but after an hour of occupation under stunning blue skies, a collapse wasn’t far away.Dawson’s second over of the day was long enough to see Australian Whiteman attempt a drive out of the rough, only to get bowled through the gate.Ricardo Vasconcelos also took the attacking route out but missed his slog sweep by a distance to leave his stumps exposed.Keogh had been dropped earlier in the morning by Dawson before the left-arm spinner had him leg before with an arm ball and Northamptonshire were now 150 for 5, having been 89 for 2 little more than 10 overs earlier.Mohammad Abbas had James Sales lbw with the first ball after lunch to begin a post-interval collapse of 33 for 5.Dawson returned to pin Tom Taylor in front for a pair – joining Hassan Azad in the scoreless corner – before Jordan Buckingham went back to another one which went on with the arm.Saif Zaib – who had been the only Northamptonshire batter to reach double figures in the first innings – again impressed with a 78-ball fifty. He showed application, mixed with some attractive shot-making to end up unbeaten on 57.But Dawson kissed the top of Jack White’s off stump with a ragging delivery and Mason Crane – on his first appearance of the season – got Alex Russell to edge to first slip to end Northamptonshire’s miserable trip to the south coast at 2:40pm. The last eight wickets had been lost for just 87 runs.

The fast bowler felt discomfort after the first Test against South Africa and scans showed a new injury

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-20242:11

Jamieson: ‘Last few days have been some of my most challenging’

New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson faces up to a year on the sidelines after being diagnosed with another stress fracture of his back.Jamieson felt soreness after the first Test against South Africa, where he took six wickets in the match, and was ruled out of the second in Hamilton, with subsequent scans revealing the injury.The latest injury is in the same part of the back as the one which he had previous surgery on last year although is a new fracture. He won’t undergo an operation on this occasion.Related

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“The last few days have been some of my most challenging but I am hugely grateful for the support I’ve received from my partner, family, team-mates, support staff and medical professionals,” Jamieson said in a statement. “I know injuries are part of life as a cricketer and at my age I am hopeful I still have many more playing days ahead of me.”Speaking at a press conference later, Jamieson said the challenge of the recovery was as much mental as physical.”I’ve got a bit of a roadmap as to how to manage it,” he said. “I know some of the hurdles I’ll have to overcome, probably more mentally and emotionally, the physical side is the easy part. You just rest and build back up. It’s almost autopilot in a way.”It’s more the mental hurdles, months on end, you are halfway through and a fair bit of time has gone and there’s still a fair chunk of time away. It’s tough because you don’t want to go through it again. You hope that each time is the last time but I’m also 6’8” and trying to bowl fast, so know it’s definitely part of the journey.”Jamieson indicated that when he returns from this latest injury there may need to be an evaluation of how he prepares for red-ball cricket.”There’s a couple of patterns over the last couple of years, which you have to have these setbacks to notice them as patterns around the way you build-up for red-ball cricket,” he said. “I’ve played professionally for 10 years and my back’s been pretty good. History suggests that when you get that process right there’s still a lot of cricket to be played. I get a huge amount of hope from that. There’s been no healing issues in the past, it’s not like I’m a slow healer or don’t heal, so I get hope from that.”New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said: “We’ve all seen how much work Kyle has put into returning to international cricket and for him to have a setback like this is tough news to get.””On the positive side we know how determined he is to keep playing cricket for New Zealand and we will be fully behind him on the rehabilitation road ahead. His resolve is undiminished.”New Zealand’s squad for the first Test against Australia will be named on Monday. Will O’Rourke took nine wickets on his debut against South Africa having come into the attack alongside Neil Wagner.

Australia quick Lance Morris suffered a left side strain during the third ODI against West Indies in Canberra, leaving him in doubt to tour New Zealand with the Test squad later this month.Morris had taken his first two ODI wickets in a fiery spell to leave West Indies in tatters, before they were eventually bowled out for 86. But three balls into the fifth over of his first spell, having claimed 2 for 13 with a maiden, he felt pain in his left side, and immediately grabbed his cap and headed off the ground to get assessed.Cricket Australia confirmed shortly after that Morris had suffered a left side strain, and would head for a scan at some stage to determine the extent of the injury.Related

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• Finch puts spotlight on middle order: 'They're not great numbers'

“He just said he had a bit of pain in the side and was struggling a bit, so he’ll get a scan in the next 12 to 24 hours and we’ll know more then,” captain Steven Smith said. “He was probably a little bit nervous the other day making his debut, but he was starting to get some nice rhythm.”He’s been great around the group, for over a year now he’s been there or thereabouts and it’s great to see him get a couple of games in.”It leaves Morris in doubt for the two Tests against New Zealand, the first of which starts in Wellington on February 29, although there was a chance Morris would not be required despite travelling with the Test team through the early part of the Australian summer.Morris is yet to make his Test debut but was carefully managed through the early part of the home season to be fit for the Pakistan Test series. However, he was not required to play, as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood played all five Tests against both Pakistan and West Indies without issue.Morris’ injury comes after Australia’s other back-up Test paceman Scott Boland suffered knee soreness during Victoria’s Sheffield Shield match against South Australia at the Junction Oval in Melbourne this week, although he was able to bowl in the second innings after getting assessed.Australia are expected to name their Test squad for the New Zealand series later this week.

India allrounder opens up on what happened during those 48 hours when he had to leave the team in the middle of a Test to visit his mother in hospital

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2024

An emotional R Ashwin has expressed his immense gratitude towards India’s “outstanding” captain Rohit Sharma for his leadership and “heart of gold” during last month’s Rajkot Test against England.Ashwin, who took his 500th wicket and played his 100th Test during the series against England, had to temporarily withdraw from the third Test in Rajkot because of a health emergency concerning his mother. He left his team-mates after play on the second day and rejoined them late on the fourth day.”It all kicked off on the second day, though it’s a bit blurry now,” Ashwin said on his Youtube channel. “I was on 499 wickets I think, and was hoping to reach the milestone in the second Test in Vizag, but it wasn’t to be. But on day two in Rajkot, I finally got Zak Crawley. It wasn’t a particularly great ball, but I finally got to the landmark.””After the end of play, I had agreed to do some interviews and went to the press area. I’d just got my 500th wicket, so was expecting a call from my wife or father. I was a bit surprised not to hear from them, since it was almost 7 PM. But I figured they must be busy with interviews and responding to congratulatory messages, so didn’t think much of it.”After being unable to reach my parents, I finally got hold of my wife on the phone. Her voice was breaking. I told her I was just about to get into the shower, and she asked me to go somewhere alone, away from my team-mates. She said that my mother had collapsed after a severe headache.”Related

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Ashwin said he couldn’t immediately process the news, particularly with the Test, and series, in the balance. England had ended the second day on 207 for 2 in response to India’s 445, with the series tied 1-1.”I just blanked out. I don’t remember what I did, but I was crying,” Ashwin said. “I didn’t know what to ask her. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry – it was an instinctive reaction. I just sat alone in my room, not knowing what to do.”On one hand, I knew I had to go back home, but there was also the thinking of how can I let my team-mates down. I couldn’t strike that balance. I didn’t know what to tell the coach or captain. I was in the XI, and if I go home now, we’d be left with only 10 players, giving England the advantage.”But I was also just thinking about my mother. And when was the last time I spoke to her. In my mind, I knew I had to go back home and see her, but the doctors were informing us that nobody was allowed in to meet her.”R Ashwin with his family on the morning of his 100th Test•BCCI

It was at this point of time, Ashwin said, that Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid came into the dressing room, and made his decision a straightforward one.”I think since I wasn’t answering my phone, my wife must have called Rohit and Dravid to tell them the news. Rohit came in, saw me thinking, and just said, ‘what are you doing? You need to leave right away. Please just pack your bags and go'”.The next challenge was finding a quick way back home, but with no flights to Chennai scheduled till the next morning, Ashwin got help from an unexpected source.”I must say a big thank you to Cheteshwar Pujara as well, who spoke to a lot of people and arranged for a chartered flight for me.”Our team physio Kamlesh Jain is a good friend. Rohit told Kamlesh to accompany me on the flight to Chennai, despite Kamlesh being one of only two physios in the team.”I told Kamlesh, ‘it’s ok, please stay back’. But when I went to the board the flight, Kamlesh and a security person was already there. Not just that, but Rohit regularly kept calling Kamlesh to check in on me and see how I’m doing. That deeply moved me. In a selfish society like ours, that man who decides to take a moment to think of someone else’s wellbeing, he’s truly great.”Rohit is a special person, an outstanding leader, with a golden heart. I saw it first-hand. I’d give my life for him on the field, that’s the kind of captain he is. It’s because of these qualities that he’s won so many titles, including five IPLs. I pray to God that Rohit achieves even more in his career and life.”Ashwin’s stay in Chennai was brief, and after being informed his mother would make a recovery, he knew he had to re-join his team-mates in Rajkot. “My mother was initially surprised to see me. And that’s the difference in parents of previous generations and today’s. She only wanted what’s best for me. And wanted me to be with the team. Even in those circumstances, she kept thinking of me.”With the help of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, Ashwin was able to take another chartered flight from Chennai to Rajkot, and eventually linked up with his team-mates on day four. India won the Rajkot Test by 434 runs to take a 2-1 lead and eventually won the series 4-1 in Dharamsala with Ashwin taking nine wickets in his 100th Test.

A settled Australia remain unchanged but the home side are again left pondering their spin options

Andrew McGlashan07-Mar-2024Big PictureNew Zealand’s home season will be defined by what happens over the next few days in Christchurch. If they can bounce back from the heavy defeat in Wellington to take a rare Test off Australia the summer will be considered a success and their position near the top of WTC table will be consolidated. Another defeat, which history suggests is the likelier result, and there will be plenty of questions lingering ahead of their next Test assignments in September which includes a one-off fixture against Afghanistan then away tours of Sri Lanka and India.In many respects, the same could be said of Australia. If they leave New Zealand 2-0 it will mean six Test wins over the southern hemisphere season; a shared series, on the back of losing to West Indies at the Gabba, and they, too, will have much to ponder ahead of the showdown with India in November.Related

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It would appear a long shot that New Zealand will find a way to topple their neighbours – something they have only managed once since 1993 – but it would certainly be a grand occasion to do so with two of their greatest players, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, both bringing up 100 Tests. It’s a bumper week for the milestone, with Jonny Bairstow and R Ashwin doing the same in Dharamshala.With an eye to the future, the performances of Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips in Wellington provided encouragement as did that of the now injured Will O’Rourke. There is excitement around Ben Sears, too, but a collective performance is needed over the next few days.Australia are not without their issues. The bowling attack is doing a lot of heavy lifting at the moment with the top-order returns something that now can’t be brushed over. Cameron Green’s century in Wellington was a big moment for the re-shaped order, but a couple of other centuries wouldn’t go amiss in Christchurch with a lot of time ahead to stew on whatever uncertainty remains before next summer.Form guide
Australia WLWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWWLDespite the handsome win in Wellington, Australia’s top order remains in focus•Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Tom Latham and Alex CareyIt is almost a year (six Tests) since Tom Latham has reached fifty, which came at this ground against Sri Lanka, and he hasn’t scored a century since December 2022 against Pakistan in Karachi. New Zealand need more from their senior opener. In the first innings in Wellington he was in two minds whether to play or leave Mitchell Starc then in the second top edged a cut against a short ball from Nathan Lyon.Maybe Alex Carey needs to find a swimming pool? Jokes aside about the upturn in form he found after the unfortunate slip on Australia’s tour of Pakistan in early 2022, this is shaping as a very important Test for the wicketkeeper. He has credit in the bank – there were some useful innings during the home summer – but it could be running low, particularly with the manner of his dismissals in the first Test. The good news for him is that his work with the gloves remains very tidy. However, if he doesn’t score runs in this game it will be one of the talking points through to November with Josh Inglis breathing down his neck.Team news: Ben Sears to debut, Australia unchangedNew Zealand have regretted leaving Mitchell Santner out of their last two Tests•Getty ImagesA debut has been confirmed for Ben Sears so the final decision for the home side is whether to bring in left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner or retain four quicks. They have been burnt twice in two games by omitting Santner, but Hagley Oval has a spin-bowling average of 55.79 – by far the highest in New Zealand.New Zealand 1 Tom Latham, 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner/Scott Kuggeleijn, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee (capt), 11 Ben SearsAustralia will be unchanged meaning their bowling attack will go through seven Tests unchanged since mid-December,Australia 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Steven Smith, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh HazlewoodPitch and conditionsHagley Oval produces excellent Test surfaces that can offer some encouragement for the quicks but plenty of potential run-scoring. There has been just one draw in 12 Tests at the venue. The forecast is set fair for the duration of the match and warming up over the weekend.Stats and trivia Mitchell Starc needs two wickets to go past Dennis Lillee into fourth on Australia’s all-time list New Zealand have lost just two of 12 Tests at Hagley Oval: against Australia in 2016 and South Africa in 2022Tom Latham needs 28 runs to go past John Wright into sixth among New Zealand’s all-time scorersSteven Smith’s current stretch of 19 innings without a hundred in his longest since the wait from his debut to his first century (22 innings)Quotes”As a side where we’re disappointed with last week, but we also realized that we’ve played some pretty good cricket as a side over the years as well and especially at this ground. There’s full belief within those four walls that we can get the job done over the next five days.”
“I think the trend is it starts off really green and it obviously gets a bit flatter. It’s not like a Gabba green wicket day one where it’s going to seam all over the place. I think they still play pretty truly here. It can be a little bit misleading at times, I think. It looks like a good wicket. It always seems to be pretty consistently good here.”

One of Alexander Isak’s representatives has delivered a bombshell statement on the Newcastle striker’s future amid talk of interest from Liverpool.

• Played no part in friendly clash with Celtic
• Big-money transfer being speculated on
• Linked with Reds & teams in Saudi Arabia

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 25-year-old Sweden international has emerged as another big-money transfer target for the reigning Premier League champions. The Reds are said to have turned their attention to Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike after being informed by their domestic rivals that Isak is not for sale.

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  The Magpies talisman was, however, left out of Newcastle’s squad for a friendly date with Scottish giants Celtic. That decision has intensified speculation regarding his future, with a £125 million-plus ($168m) move away from St James’ Park still being mooted.

• WHAT AGENT SAID

  A representative of Isak has told Saudi newspaper when asked for an update on his client’s future, with a switch to the Middle East also being discussed: “We are indeed studying and analysing all options, and we may be close to finalising the next step for the player. Without revealing any details regarding whether Isak will transfer or stay with Newcastle.”

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  Magpies boss Eddie Howe told reporters after allowing Isak to skip a 4-0 defeat to Celtic: "I chose to send him home. The last thing Alex wants if he is not playing is to be sat in the stand and under that scrutiny, then if he wasn't going to play today, we mutually agreed he shouldn't be here.

  "It was my decision. He travelled back to Glasgow with us, but I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him. Both [Joelinton and Isak] are fit but not ready to play. Alex has trained and is fine but we didn't want to take the risk with him.

  "Yes, I've had discussions with him, but that's not abnormal. I respect a player's career and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he's trained really well and I realise there'll be noise around him.

  "We have a few of those players who are irreplaceable. Your top players are so hard to find, so hard to recruit and so hard to develop. So when you have them, you need to treasure them. Of course we're desperate to keep him as part of our team.

  "I think it's difficult for me to ever give 100 per cent clarity on any player, I'd never do that. All I can say is Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, the team. I've never had any issue with him and I'm confident he's going to be here at the start of the season."

Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham says Sarina Wiegman is "not for sale at any price" amid another Lionesses run to a major tournament final.

Lionesses reach Euro 2025 finalFA CEO heaps praise on WiegmanShe's "not for sale at any price"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After the Lionesses secured another dramatic comeback win, this time over Italy in extra time earlier this week, to reach the final of this year's Euros in Switzerland, Bullingham has made it clear he wants Wiegman to stay put for a while yet. He added it would "not be hard" to persuade her to stay in the post.

AdvertisementWHAT THE FA CEO SAID

He said, via : "I want to pay tribute to Sarina. I think her record individually is phenomenal. When I spoke to [the media] before the tournament I said we were lucky to have her and I still feel that way. I think she has been incredible. Her record of managing in five tournaments and reaching five finals is phenomenal. I don't believe anyone has been anywhere near that in the past and it will be really hard to do that in the future. She's a really special coach and we're delighted to have her with us."

When asked if it would be difficult to convince her to stay on in her current role, Bullingham replied: "Not hard at all. We are committed to her until 2027 and she is committed to us. We have a new [coaching] team coming in for her. We haven't quite started working on the plans for [the 2027 World Cup] but I know her focus, hopefully after success on Sunday, will shift quite quickly to that."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Wiegman has been a huge success since becoming Lionesses boss in September 2021. She has a win percentage of 69.57, led England to Euro 2022 title glory and guided them to the 2023 World Cup final. The Dutchwoman has done a remarkable job and is likely to be attracting interest from a host of teams – but the FA won't let her go easily.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Wiegman, who is the only manager in the men's or women's game to have reached the final at all five major tournaments she has coached in (Euro 2017 winners and 2019 World Cup finalists with the Netherlands), will hope England can upset the odds and beat World Cup holders Spain in the Euros final on Sunday.