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The tournament will be pushed back a year to October-November 2021, and the 2021 edition to 2022

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Jul-20203:33

ICC CEO: Stature of T20 World Cup, people’s safety both important

The ICC has finally postponed the 2020 men’s T20 World Cup, a decision made because of the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision to put off the tournament, originally scheduled for October-November, was taken by the ICC Board on Monday. The board has also shifted the 2023 Men’s World Cup from the February-March window to October-November that year.The board ultimately agreed to windows for three men’s events, with T20 World Cups in October-November 2021 and October-November 2022. But one decision not yet made is in which order Australia and India will host the T20 World Cups. In the original rights cycle, India was scheduled to host the event in 2021, after this year’s event in Australia. The Women’s World Cup, in New Zealand in February next year, has not yet been postponed, the ICC saying that planning for the event continues “as scheduled”.Why has the ICC not named venues for the T20 World Cups for 2021 and 2022?This remains a point of contention between the BCCI and CA, and is one reason why it took as long as it did to postpone the tournament officially. In May Earl Eddings, the CA chairman, sent an email to the ICC’s Finance & Commercial Affairs Committee, in which he proposed that Australia and India swap hosting rights for the T20 World Cup, with Australia hosting the event in October-November 2021 and India a year later. Doing that, Eddings said, would financially help all members. If not, Eddings said it would be “detrimental to cricket” in case the “cancellation” of the World Cup in Australia this year was “replaced by award of” the tournament in October-November 2022.The BCCI is understood to have preferred hosting the 2021 T20 World Cup so it would not have to, potentially, host three marquee tournaments within a year: the T20 World Cup in 2022, the IPL in 2023 and the 50-over World Cup in 2023.”The… Board agreed to continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation and assess all the information available in order to make a considered decision on future hosts to ensure the sport is able to stage safe and successful global events in 2021 and 2022,” the ICC said in the release.It wasn’t mentioned in the release but the ICC is also hoping that the BCCI is able to resolve a long-standing tax-exemption issue with the Indian government, for which the deadline currently is December this year.Why has the 2023 World Cup been postponed?Both the ICC and its members, it is understood, wanted to buy some more time to be able to complete the qualifying events for the tournament. The ODI Super League, a qualification pathway for the event, was meant to start in May this year but has been put on hold as all international cricket came to a halt as the pandemic spread around the globe.What were CA’s concerns over hosting the T20 World Cup this year?The announcement of the postponement, ultimately, does not come as a surprise, not least because CA had said more than once that it was going to be difficult to host the tournament. Then chief executive Kevin Roberts had said in May that it was a “very high risk” to conduct the tournament, Eddings echoing that pessimism in June, saying it was “unlikely” and “unrealistic” when the pandemic was “spiking” worldwide.Australia has not been as badly hit by Covid-19 as other countries, with 3026 active cases as of Monday. But Melbourne and surrounding areas are currently back in lockdown and cases are rising in New South Wales amid concerns over a second wave. International borders, and quite a few state borders, remain closed other than for special cases.With participating countries such as England, India, South Africa and Pakistan among the most severely affected, the risks of bringing together 16 teams from around the world and creating a bio-secure bubble were seen as too high.The ICC Board has met several times since April to discuss contingency planning and was meant to make a final decision on the T20 World Cup during a meeting on June 10, but eventually deferred the call.

Tottenham Hotspur snapped a four-match losing streak in the Premier League with a hard-fought, nervy victory over Burnley, who were consequently relegated on their return to the top flight.

Ange Postecoglou's side had plummeted in recent weeks, so feeble and flimsy across the board, but three points in the penultimate home fixture have consolidated Spurs' hold on a Europa League-qualifying position.

It was not a good performance, far from the fluency and ferocity of Tottenham's early-season exploits, but it will not matter to Postecoglou as he seeks a successful end to his first campaign in England.

As has so often been the case this term, Micky van de Ven played a blinder and salvaged the win for his side, scoring late on after cutting inside and firing a well-taken finish to send the Clarets spiralling.

Micky van de Ven's stats vs Burnley

Tottenham signed Van de Ven from German side Wolfsburg in a £43m transfer last summer and he has proved himself invaluable throughout the season, hailed for his "frightening" athletic ability by teammate James Maddison.

Throughout the campaign, he has endured periods of absence due to injury and the loss of his singular qualities has been keenly felt by his Spurs side, with five of the seven losses before the four-game skid arriving without the 23-year-old's inclusion.

Against Burnley, he might have popped up with the match-winning moment but this must not take from a stunning all-round performance that saw the Dutchman switch to left-back when Radu Dragusin entered the field of play after 75 minutes.

Writing in his post-match thoughts, football.london's Alasdair Gold lauded the 'imperious' performance and handed Van de Ven an 8/10 match rating, with his energy felt as he mopped everything up, his crispness observed through some pinpoint and controlled passing and his defensive solitity noted after he won 100% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

He was top-notch, as has been the case so often this season, but his effort saved the dismal display of some of his attacking teammates, with Dejan Kulusevski particularly poor on an afternoon that called for a big performance from the Swede.

Dejan Kulusevski's performance vs Burnley

Kulusevski has lost his way in recent months and after starting all 19 of Tottenham's opening Premier League matches of the season, he has been benched four times and has clinched just one goal and one assist apiece since December.

Against Burnley, he needed to stand out and prove his worth as an indispensable member of the team but failed to do so, with Gold handing him a slightly generous 6/10 match rating and writing: 'Set up Johnson for an early chance and was busy around the pitch with a shot saved by Muric but his final ball was lacking and he lost the ball a couple of times in good positions.'

Minutes played

75'

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

42

Accurate passes

11/17 (65%)

Shots taken

1

Key passes

3

Dribble attempts

0/3

Dribbled past

2x

Possession lost

20x

Duels won

4/18

He was dreadfully unconvincing in defensive moments and failed to progress the play with all three of his attempted dribbles, and while Kulusevski placed three key passes for his peers and had a good chance at goal, he was wasteful in possession and even lost 14 of his 18 contested duels to underline his poor effort.

Kulusevski is a talented and hard-working attacking midfielder and he proved himself a centrepiece of Postecoglou's system when it was firing on all cylinders in those fantastic first few months.

But he's fallen from form quite dramatically recently and will need to pick himself up across Spurs' final two games of the campaign, lest he lose his place after the summer.

Spurs lining up move for “world-class” £310k-p/w Kulusevski upgrade

Ange appears to be eager to bolster his team with some added firepower.

ByAngus Sinclair Apr 19, 2024

USMNT star Tim Weah endured a mixed start to the 2024-25 campaign, with an incredible goal for Juventus countered by an unfortunate injury setback.

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• Crashed goal in off underside of the crossbar
• Helped Bianconeri to three points against Como
• Facing another untimely stint on the sidelines

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international was on target as the Bianconeri enjoyed a dream opening to the new Serie A season. Weah doubled Juve’s lead on the stroke of half-time in their comfortable 3-0 victory over Como. His strike was crashed in off the underside of the crossbar, with the ball deemed to have crossed the line.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Weah is looking to build on a debut campaign in Turin that saw him handed just 12 Serie A starts, with fitness problems holding him back at times. He had been hoping to enjoy a regular role this term, but familiar issues have resurfaced when it comes to putting himself in contention for selection.

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  WHAT JUVENTUS SAID

  Weah was replaced against Como, alongside midfielder Khephren Thuram, and is now set for a spell on the sidelines. Juve have said in an update delivered on the club’s : “Following muscular problems suffered during last night's match, Khephren Thuram and Timothy Weah underwent diagnostic tests this morning at the J|Medical, which revealed for the former a low-grade hamstring injury in his left thigh and for the latter a low-grade hamstring injury in his right thigh. New examinations are scheduled for both players in approximately 10 days' time.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Juve will be back in action when facing Verona on August 26. A home date with Roma on September 1 will carry them into the first international break of 2024-25, with it yet to be determined whether Weah will figure in either of those fixtures or in plans for his country as the USMNT prepare for friendly dates with Canada and New Zealand.

Chelsea have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the country this season, although that mainly stems from the unpredictability of their results and performances.

Mauricio Pochettino's side provided the entertainment once again on Sunday afternoon, squeaking past a stubborn Leicester City side in a thrilling FA Cup quarter-final that ended 4-2 in their favour.

However, while the Blues were generally the better side throughout and deserved the win, there were a couple of starters who might have played themselves out of the lineup for the next game, with one of them being Raheem Sterling.

The former Liverpool prospect has been struggling of late in West London, and yesterday's encounter was no different, although he certainly wasn't the only one.

Raheem Sterling's performance vs Leicester City

It was another tough day at the office for the Englishman on Sunday afternoon as, despite providing the assist for Cole Palmer's goal in the first half, he left the pitch to a chorus of boos from his own supporters.

The former Manchester City ace struggled throughout the match, missing a penalty that would have seen the team go two goals up within the first 30 minutes, taking maybe the worst free-kick of the season, and generally looking ineffective in attack.

It may sound harsh, but it's an opinion shared by the Standard's Nizaar Kinsella, who awarded the 29-year-old a 4/10 match rating on the day and heavily criticised him for both the penalty miss and abysmal free kick.

While those are the moments that'll stick out to most fans, the Kingston-born ace's underlying numbers from the game were also poor. In his 86 minutes of action, he completed just 13 passes, missed two big chances, was successful in just one of his four attempted dribbles, won just four of his ten duels, lost possession 14 times and misplaced his one long ball.

Raheem Sterling's game vs Leicester
Minutes	86'
Assists	1
Big Chances missed	2
Penalties missed	1
Accurate Passes	13/21 (62%)
Attempted Dribbles (Successful)	4 (1)
Duels (Won)	10 (4)
Lost Possession	14
Long Balls (Accurate)	1 (0)
All Stats via Sofascore

In all, it was a shocking performance from a player who should be stepping up and showing his younger teammates how it's done, and with how well Noni Madueke played when he replaced him – scoring from the bench – it's time Pochettino took Sterling out of the starting lineup.

That said, there was another starter for Chelsea who should be dropped for the next game, a player who very nearly cost the Blues the tie.

Axel Disasi's performance vs Leicester City

Yes, the other starter who should be taken out of the side for the clash against Burnley in just under a fortnight is French centre-back Axel Disasi.

The former AS Monaco man had an odd game, as his first-half display was rather indifferent, but his 30-yard own goal in the 51st minute turned the game on its head and allowed the Foxes back in, an opportunity they happily took, scoring the equaliser just 11 minutes later.

Unsurprisingly, this lapse in concentration – to put it kindly – is what stood out from the 26-year-old's game, with the Standard's Kinsella awarding him a 4/10 on the day and claiming that 'his game will be remembered for a moment of madness.'

However, much like Sterling, the 6 foot 3 star's overall game was also shoddy. In his 98 minutes on the pitch, he won just two of his six duels, was dribbled past twice, lost possession 11 times, was accurate in just five of his 12 attempted longballs, and committed one foul.

Axel Disasi's game vs Leicester
Minutes	98'
Own Goals	1
Error Leading to a Goal	1
Duels (Won)	6 (2)
Dribbled Past	2
Lost Possession	11
Long Balls (Accurate)	12 (5)
Fouls	1
All Stats via Sofascore

In all, even without the spectacular own goal, it was a performance to forget from Disasi, and with Thiago Silva fit enough for the bench, it might be time for Pochettino to drop him from the starting lineup against Burnley, alongside Sterling.

Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to terminate Chandika Hathurusingha’s contract as head coach, while Hathurusingha has moved for compensation through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), following months of deadlock.Although SLC had suspended Hathurusingha as far back as August last year, they had continued to pay him for several months, while lawyers traded letters and the board sent Hathurusingha a list of alleged failings as head coach. The charges levelled by SLC include failure to adequately prepare the Sri Lanka side for various assignments, and failure to maintain good relationships with players.The board has finally resolved to terminate Hathurusingha’s contract, but the possibility that they will have to pay Hathurusingha a substantial amount for early termination remains. His contract was due to run until December this year.”At the last executive committee meeting, on Friday, it was decided that the contract would be terminated,” board CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “I can’t say by memory when we stopped the payments to [Hathurusingha], but I believe it was somewhere around October last year.”The board’s decision came after CAS, a global sporting body that aims to settle disputes related to sports via arbitration, sent them a letter listing Hathurusingha’s demands. De Silva confirmed that SLC is bound to the CAS process, and the board is now understood to be required to respond. This is likely because Hathurusingha’s contract with the board had stipulated that CAS could become involved if something like an early termination did eventuate. CAS will facilitate arbitration, and will effectively function as the intermediary between the parties for as long as this process lasts.Hathurusingha’s demands, conveyed to SLC by CAS, are understood to include not only loss of income from the early termination, but also compensation for damages to his reputation. He had remained in Sri Lanka through the early months of his legal tussle with SLC, but had returned home to Australia after the board’s payments ceased.Hathurusingha is the third head coach in the last five years whose tenure with Sri Lanka was ended before the contracted term was served. Marvan Atapattu and Graham Ford were both elbowed out of the position in 2015 and 2017 respectively.In 2013, SLC had also had to pay Geoff Marsh a substantial settlement after the board had terminated his contract early in 2012.

Chelsea are reportedly in touch with Fiorentina to strike a transfer deal for Cesare Casadei – who has played just 71 minutes for the Blues.

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• Casadei left out of Chelsea's pre-season squad
• Italian is not in the plans of Enzo Maresca
• Fiorentina are interested in a loan deal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  There are intense speculations over Casadei's future at Stamford Bridge after Enzo Maresca decided against including the midfielder in the squad for the club’s pre-season trip to the United States. And according to Fiorentina have been in contact with Chelsea to negotiate a transfer for the Italian.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Fiorentina are hoping to secure the player on loan but the two clubs have yet to agree on the terms of the deal. Meanwhile, reports that Chelsea are considering whether to continue the discussions with the Serie A outfit as there are three to four other clubs who have also shown interest in the player.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  After Chelsea acquired Casadei from Inter Milan in 2022 for an initial fee of £12.6 million ($16.24m), with an additional £4.2 million ($5.41m) in potential add-ons, the player spent the first half of the 2022/2023 season with Chelsea's under-21 side before being loaned out to Reading for the second half of the campaign. Last season, Casadei was loaned to Leicester City, where he had the opportunity to work under Maresca. However, his time with The Foxes was cut short when Chelsea recalled him in January. Despite his return, Casadei was used sparingly for the remainder of the season and was more of a bench warmer.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CASADEI?

  Casadei has struggled to break into the first team and it is evident that his future lies away from Stamford Bridge. It remains to be seen if he ends up again in Italy where he spent the formative years of his career.

England women team-mates Natalie Sciver and Katherine Brunt have announced their engagement on National Coming Out Day.The pair revealed the news via an Instagram post and a newspaper interview, Brunt having made the proposal to Sciver on New Year’s Eve last year. They had informed their team-mates immediately, but had not gone public with their relationship till now.Brunt told that she had found telling her parents about their relationship “really difficult”, but that she had “seen sense” as she got older.”My parents are different to Natalie’s,” she said. “They are quite Christian so it is not something that is done and that’s why it has held me back. They don’t believe in the way I choose to live my life, basically, so it has been quite difficult.”Having to tell my parents was really difficult because I care a lot about them so it was something I put off for a long, long time. But as I have got older, I have seen sense and realised that it is not about that, it is about being yourself and living life properly.”My parents love me: there is no questioning that. They will always be there for me and support me. They are still my parents and they still love me, so it is a compromise I have to take but I am ok with that.”Sciver and Brunt announced their engagement via an Instagram post and a newspaper interview•@natsciver/Instagram

The two first played for England together in 2013, and have both been regulars in the side ever since. Brunt first asked Sciver to be her girlfriend in the hours immediately after the World Cup final win against India in 2017 on the Lord’s balcony, and proposed 18 months later.The pair has also played together at Perth Scorchers in the WBBL, and were both announced as signings for the Trent Rockets at last week’s launch of The Hundred.They plan to get married after England’s series against India next September.Sciver and Brunt join a number of high-profile couples in the women’s game, including South Africans Dane van Niekerk and Marizanne Kapp, and New Zealand pair Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu.

Leeds United made one addition to their squad during the January transfer window as right-back Connor Roberts was brought in on loan from Burnley on deadline day.

That move took their tally of incoming business to ten in the Daniel Farke era after the German tactician was brought in last summer to lead the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, the former Norwich City head coach was allowed to bring in nine new players to bolster his squad for the Championship season.

Three of those came in on loan and one of them – Djed Spence – has already been sent back to Tottenham Hotspur earlier than expected, having joined on season-long basis initially.

Sam Byram

Free

Djed Spence

Loan

Joe Rodon

Loan

Jaidon Anthony

Loan

Glen Kamara

Permanent

Joel Piroe

Permanent

Ethan Ampadu

Permanent

Ilia Gruev

Permanent

Karl Darlow

Permanent

As you can see in the table above, the Yorkshire-based outfit went all out last summer to improve their options across the pitch to fight for promotion.

They also allowed a host of players to depart, including the likes of Tyler Adams, Rodrigo, Jack Harrison, Marc Roca, among others, and one possible blunder came with Sam Greenwood's move to Middlesbrough.

Sam Greenwood's future at Elland Road

The former Arsenal prospect is facing an uncertain future at Elland Road ahead of the summer transfer window as Michael Carrick's side have an option to sign him permanently.

It was reported by The Athletic that Boro can snap him up on a permanent deal for a fee of £1.5m at the end of his current loan spell at the Riverside.

That figure would see Leeds recoup all of the £1.5m they splashed out on his services to sign him from Premier League side Arsenal back in 2020.

However, there is no guarantee that Middlesbrough will activate that option or that Greenwood will give the green-light to make the move permanent.

TEAMtalk reported in December that the Championship side could struggle to keep hold of their loan star if they fail to achieve promotion as West Ham, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Fulham, Leicester, and Southampton are all keeping tabs on his progress this season.

This suggests that there will be no shortage of suitors, in the Premier League or the second tier, for him in the summer if a permanent transfer to Teeside does not come to pass.

It, therefore, remains to be seen whether or not Leeds supporters will get the opportunity to see him play for their side again amid growing interest in his services, and taking Boro's option to buy into consideration.

The Whites may, as a result, have already lost their upgrade on current loanee Jaidon Anthony, who has not hit the ground running in Yorkshire.

Their respective performances this season suggest that Leeds may have been better off keeping faith in Greenwood instead of bringing the Bournemouth winger in.

Jaidon Anthony's struggles in front of goal

The 24-year-old was snapped up on a temporary basis from the Cherries after he failed to prove his worth on a consistent basis in the Premier League.

Anthony made 33 appearances in the top-flight for his parent club, including three at the start of the current campaign, and contributed with three goals and one assist from the wing.

Appearances

30

Starts

11

Goals

Three

Assists

One

Big chances created

Zero

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the young gem struggled to step up to the quality of the Premier League as he was unable to provide consistent end product in the final third, as a scorer or a creator.

This led to his move to Leeds on loan and the English dynamo has, once again, struggled with a lack of production at the top end of the pitch.

Anthony has made 21 appearances in the Championship so far this season and racked up one goal and zero assists for the Whites in total, with zero 'big chances' created and 0.4 key passes per game.

It must be said, though, that only two of those outings came as a starter and he has often been tasked with making a difference off the bench, which the Cherries loanee has not been able to do.

Sam Greenwood's form for Middlesbrough

Meanwhile, Sam Greenwood has caught the eye with his contributions at the top end of the pitch from a midfield or wide position for Middlesbrough.

The 22-year-old whiz, who is two years younger than Anthony, has produced five goals, three assists, and two 'big chances' created for Carrick's side in 25 Championship outings.

All five of those goals and two of those three assists have come in 14 appearances on the left flank for Boro, which is where the Bournemouth forward has predominantly been deployed by Leeds.

This means that Greenwood has averaged a goal contribution every two outings on the left, as a midfielder or winger, side of the pitch in the division this season.

Appearances

25

21

Goals

Five

One

Assists

Three

Zero

Big chances created

Two

Zero

Goal conversion rate

9%

6%

Stats via Sofascore

The Boro star, who scored 22 goals in 43 games for Leeds at U21 level, currently ranks within the top 35% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship for both non-penalty goals (0.28) and assists (0.17) per 90 respectively.

These statistics suggest that the gem, who ex-Leeds man Noel Whelan once hailed as an "immense" set-piece "weapon", has been an above-average performer at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals for his team.

Whereas, as you can see in his aforementioned statistics, Anthony has failed to deliver much in the way of quality in the final third, which has contributed to his lack of minutes on the pitch.

It could, therefore, be argued that Leeds fumbled an upgrade on the 24-year-old winger and, potentially, wasted a loan spot on him as they already had Greenwood in the building and allowed him to move on.

The £9k-per-week youngster is now impressing onlookers at Middlesbrough and has earned interest from teams in the Premier League, which could see him move on from Elland Road permanently in the summer. Ultimately, his future is not in their hands now with Boro's option to buy.

Last weekend's triumph in the Carabao Cup handed Liverpool the assurance that manager Jurgen Klopp will step down from the club off the back of a trophy-winning term.

Klopp announced in January that he would be leaving at the end of the season after nearly nine years of service, winning the gamut of major honours throughout his time in Liverpool and in contention for silverware across every possible front.

Indeed, with the Carabao Cup in the bag, the Reds are first-placed in the Premier League, advanced to the quarter-finals in the FA Cup and into the last 16 of the Europa League (which is the one trophy to have eluded Klopp).

With the 56-year-old set to depart, much change is afoot at Anfield and the priority for FSG right now is to bring in a new technical director, with none other than Michael Edwards believed to be the top target.

The esteemed sporting director was instrumental in the lion's share of Liverpool's most influential acquisitions throughout Klopp's tenure, and while convincing him to make a comeback is proving to be a difficult task, it is worth the pursuit.

With this in mind, let's take a look at the changes that could be made if Edwards is to make a sensational return to Merseyside over the coming weeks.

1 Manager – Xabi Alonso

Edwards' first port of call will be navigating the uncertain situation surrounding the vacant hole soon to be left in Klopp's wake, but his business acumen will find no problem in convincing Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso to take the reins.

Widely regarded as the favourite to succeed Klopp, Alonso is doing stellar work in Germany with Leverkusen, who boast an incredible eight-point advantage over imperious defending champions Bayern Munich after 23 fixtures.

2 GK – Alisson Becker

Be under no illusions, whatever happens at Liverpool going forward, Alisson must remain between the sticks, with the Brazilian's shot-stopping prowess and all-encompassing skill set making him the best goalkeeper in the world – subjectively, at least.

The 30-year-old has won it all since signing from Roma in a £67m deal back in 2018 and is very much in the prime of his career. His departure would be catastrophic.

3 RB – Trent Alexander-Arnold

There is plenty of talk surrounding Trent Alexander-Arnold's future position, and whether that will lie in midfield, but he will remain at right-back for the time being, influencing play and pumping creative ingenuity into a new system.

Across 302 Liverpool appearances, the England international has posted 18 goals and 82 assists and a system shift will not negate his quality, Alonso will build around him.

4 CB – Marc Guehi

Ibrahima Konate is a first-rate centre-back but Joel Matip's season-ending ACL injury likely means he has played his last game for Liverpool and reinforcing the backline will be a priority. Marc Guehi is the perfect replacement.

Recently, according to The Telegraph, Liverpool have registered an interest in the Crystal Palace titan, and while he has been touted at £60m Liverpool would be ludicrous to not push for his signature. He's the real deal.

5 CB – Virgil van Dijk

He's going nowhere, not yet. 32-year-old Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been at the top of his game this season and if Liverpool are to add to their Carabao Cup triumph – a trophy won after the Dutchman's remarkable goalscoring contribution in the final – then he will be instrumental.

He's out of contract in 2025 but Edwards has more than a bit of savviness about him and he will engineer an extension to keep Van Dijk at the heart of an exciting new era.

6 LB – Alejandro Grimaldo

While Andy Robertson has been immense for Liverpool since signing from Hull City for a bargain £10m back in 2017, the 29-year-old will not last forever and Liverpool must swoop for Europe's in-form phenom Alejandro Grimaldo.

The Leverkusen star would be enticed by Alonso's anointment and would be sure to jump at the chance to play under the Anfield lights, having been linked with the club before joining his German outfit on a free transfer.

As per FBref, the Spaniard ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals and assists, the top 3% for shot-creating actions and the top 10% for passes attempted per 90.

7 DM – Martin Zubimendi

Another player to be gripped by the chance to reunite with Alonso, Martin Zubimendi has been flourishing with Real Sociedad – Alonso's previous club – over the past few years and has even been described as one of "the best midfielders in the world" alongside Rodri by Spain national team manager Luis de la Fuente.

1.

Douglas Luiz

Aston Villa

2.

Manuel Locatelli

Juventus

3.

Rodrigo Bentancur

Tottenham Hotspur

4.

Boubacar Kamara

Aston Villa

5.

Joao Palhinha

Fulham

Stats via Football Transfers

While Arsenal have long held a vested interest, Football Transfers have recently reported that Liverpool are in the mix as they look for long-term competition for Wataru Endo, with Zubimendi holding a €60m (£51m) release clause.

8 CM – Dominik Szoboszlai

Dominik Szoboszlai has actually been slightly underrated for Liverpool since joining last summer, with his energy, intelligence and control working wonders for an ambitious outfit enjoying quite the resurgence.

The Hungary captain, aged 23, has completed 88% of his passes in the Premier League, averaging 1.8 key passes, 1.4 tackles, 6.3 ball recoveries and 3.8 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

9 CM – Alexis Mac Allister

Alexis Mac Allister has illuminated just how gravely Liverpool needed fresh legs and technical quality last season, with the Argentine World Cup winner arriving from Brighton & Hove Albion for £35m last June as Klopp recrafted a title-contending team.

He's certainly not going anywhere anytime soon, with his dynamic skill set making for a manager's dream, whoever that may be.

10 RW – Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah was at the centre of a nail-biting transfer saga last summer that saw Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad offer a staggering £150m sum to prise him away from Anfield.

Like Van Dijk, he's out of contract in 2025 and so will likely leave this summer if a breakthrough is not made in negotiations but has been in supreme attacking form this term, he'll surely want to continue at the highest level, and Edwards will propose a package too enticing to refuse.

Joe Burns provided Australia’s selectors with a conundrum after matching Marcus Harris with a century for Australia A before the bowlers ripped through Sussex to put the tourists on the brink of victory on day three at Arundel.Burns was a late inclusion in the Australia A squad, after suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, and the team for this match after Matthew Wade was called up to Australia’s World Cup squad.Burns and Harris added just 11 to the 203-run opening stand they produced on day two before Harris fell caught behind for 109 but Burns kicked on to reach his century. Kurtis Patterson fell cheaply before Burns and Travis Head shared a 61-run stand until Head was given out lbw sweeping Luke Wells for 34.Burns was eventually dismissed by a beauty from Mir Hamza, edging him to slip for 133 from 241 balls.”My goal coming into the game was just to try and face as many balls as possible, so I’m satisfied with the performance,” Burns said.He added he benefitted from a more relaxed approach to his preparation following his time out with post viral fatigue issues.”I’ve probably listened to my body a lot more,” Burns said. “During the summer I was really pushing hard all the time trying to prepare as best as you can and every time I felt fatigued I just thought I had to work harder and do more. I probably just have a better understanding of where my body is at. I’m listening to it a little bit more now.”Coming into the game, I was just trying to focus on being as fresh as possible. It’s actually quite relaxing mentally coming into the game, again getting called in at the last minute probably helped with that and it just makes you relax when you get out into the middle.”Burns and Harris appear to be in a battle to partner David Warner in the opening Ashes Test but Burns said they were not worried about that against Sussex.”As openers you’re always working as a partnership, trying to get through the partnership and helping each other out in the middle,” Burns said. “[Harris] has had a tremendous season and done extremely well and made plenty of runs. You saw in this game he walks out there, whacks them from ball one.”There’s a lot of players making a lot of runs. It’s great signs for Australian cricket and honestly, as players, you just get out there in the middle and work with your partner to try and overcome the opposition. You don’t really look at each other competing for spots. I’ve always thought that if everyone’s making runs, there’s a spot for everyone.”Usman Khawaja’s hamstring injury may provide another spot in the Australia Test top order although Steve Smith is also set to return. Burns said he was bitterly disappointed to see his Queensland team-mate get injured, but would bat anywhere if required.”I was shattered for him,” Burns said. “Hopefully it’s not too bad. It’s a cruel game sometimes. I feel comfortable anywhere. I’ve batted in a lot of different positions in the order in the past. Hopefully Uzzie [Khawaja] is there though. He’s made that No.3 spot his own and is a really integral part of the Test team. As a team-mate you don’t really want to think like that, you just hope he can get back playing and recover as quickly as possible.”Australia A collapsed against the second new ball following Burns’ dismissal falling from 313 for 3 to 373 all out, but their bowlers tore through Sussex’s batting line-up in the afternoon.Jackson Bird, James Pattinson and Jon Holland each took three wickets as Sussex were bundled out for 120 right on stumps.Bird got the ball to swing and nip as he claimed three top-order scalps in two overs before Holland found some purchase to give Patterson two catches at slip. Pattinson blasted out the tail with pace to leave Australia A with just 11 runs to win on the final day.