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In an ideal reality, West Bromwich Albion would find themselves competing in the upcoming Championship playoff final after Tony Mowbray’s return had gone down as a rip-roaring success.

Unfortunately, that script hasn’t come to life, with Mowbray actually finding himself out of a job again after a dismal run of just five wins from 17 games led to the Baggies falling short of those coveted playoff spots.

West Brom do have plenty of time on their hands to assess who they would like to bring in as the 61-year-old’s successor now as the ongoing search shows no real signs of coming to a halt.

West Brom's list of manager targets

It’s been nearly a month since Mowbray was abruptly axed from the Hawthorns hot seat, meaning plenty of names have been linked to fill the vacancy.

Indeed, faces such as Stockport County manager Dave Challinor have been tipped to take on the reins, alongside ex-Southampton boss Russell Martin potentially getting back on the horse after his Saints dismissal.

Moreover, former Manchester United coach turned Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay has also been regularly thrown about as a successor to Mowbray, but there’s one other name that looks to be the likeliest option away from any other rumoured bosses.

Indeed, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed recently that West Brom still ‘really like’ Tottenham Hotspur background figure Ryan Mason, with his young and fresh approach one factor that ticks a lot of boxes for the Baggies hierarchy.

Ramsay is the same age as Mason – with both the fresh-faced managers only being 33 years of age – but the Spurs coach arguably has more experience of the hustle and bustle of the English game, meaning he might well be viewed as an upgrade on the left-field Minnesota boss.

Why Mason is an upgrade on Ramsay

There is a logic behind West Brom wanting to go down the route of appointing a youthful new manager, having been burnt by the experienced Mowbray returning and ultimately failing.

On top of that, the likes of Liam Manning – who is only six years older than Mason – managed to steer Bristol City to the playoffs just this season, whilst the equally blooming Danny Rohl improved on a near escape from relegation at the helm of Sheffield Wednesday by guiding them to a comfortable mid-table finish.

Whilst both of those figures will likely go on to achieve far more in their careers, Mason does hold an advantage over both of them currently – on top of also bettering Ramsay in this department – with the 33-year-old gaining experience on the job of what it’s like to be an interim boss of a Premier League team with Spurs.

Whilst Ramsay does have an impressive 24 wins under his belt in charge of Minnesota, he has no experience of what it’s like to be thrown into the deep end of Premier League action, having only ever watched from afar when situated at the Red Devils.

Mason’s overall record as Spurs interim manager
Stat	Mason
Games managed	13
Wins	6
Draws	1
Losses	6
Goals scored	26
Goals conceded	21
Biggest win	4-0 H (Sheffield United H)
Biggest loss	3-1 L (Leeds A)
Sourced by Transfermarkt

On the contrary, Mason has briefly shone when handed the reins of the North Londoners, with six wins collected during some testing and turbulent times after some notable managerial exits.

He could be what West Brom needs, therefore, to recover from the popular figure of Mowbray flopping, with Ange Postecoglou even going out of his way recently to label Mason as “outstanding” for his work at the Premier League side.

Clearly, the Baggies need to think somewhat outside of the box to bring success back to the Hawthorns after the tried and tested route of Mowbray unravelled.

Whilst Ramsay would fit that unorthodox label, he might well flounder attempting to adapt to the Championship. Whereas, the time could be just right for Mason to prove himself after a worthwhile education at Spurs.

Free transfer: West Brom in talks to sign 21 y/o with same agent as Fellows

He’s out of contract at the end of June.

By
Charlie Smith

May 15, 2025

Nottingham Forest have now intensified their contacts to sign a Serie A “star” this summer, according to a new update.

Nottingham Forest transfer rumours with Champions League football on the cards

Nuno Espirito Santo has worked wonders in his first full season in charge at the City Ground as he prepares his Forest side for an FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City this weekend.

The trip to Wembley will be Forest’s first since their playoff final triumph over Huddersfield Town back in 2022, and the club have made great progress since then.

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ByDan Emery Apr 23, 2025

With five Premier League fixtures remaining against Brentford, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, West Ham and Chelsea, the Reds are in a great position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Should Forest finish in the top five, Evangelos Marinakis could splash the cash in the transfer market ahead of the 2025/26 season. A new forward appears to be at the top of the wishlist for Forest, with the likes of Wolves star Matheus Cunha and Brentford ace Bryan Mbuemo both linked in recent weeks.

Player

Fee

Elliot Anderson

£35m

Nikola Milenkovic

£12m

Ramon Sosa

£9.3m

Morato

£12.6m

David Carmo

£10m

Jota Silva

£5.9m

Marko Stamenic

£4.6m

Carlos Miguel

£3.4m

Eric da Silva Moreira

£1.25m

Tyler Bindon

£2m

Alex Moreno

Loan

The club could look to shop abroad as well as eyeing players with Premier League experience, with FC Nordsjælland defender Daniel Svensson and Juventus centre-back Federico Gatti also of interest. Now, a new update has emerged on another Juventus player who is on the City Ground radar.

Nottingham Forest advancing in contact to sign Douglas Luiz

According to reports from Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest are making advances in their move to sign Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer.

Linked with the Reds back in January, Forest have now intensified contacts with Luiz’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, who has close ties to Edu Gaspar. Forest could soon be about to bring Gaspar in as part of their recruitment team, and it looks as if they may make an offer for Luiz over the coming months.

The former Aston Villa “star”, as dubbed by Graeme Bailey, scored twice against Forest in the 2023/24 season and could be the subject of a loan offer with an option to buy, the report claims.

Currently on around £135,000-a-week in Turin as one of Juventus’ top earners, Luiz has made 23 appearances since moving to Italy but is yet to score or register an assist, starting just six games in all competitions.

He clearly had a better time of things in England with Villa, so a return to the Premier League and the chance of playing in Europe with Forest could appeal to Luiz, making this one to watch following the recent transfer update.

Liverpool have defied expectations to move within an inch of the Premier League title, Champions Elect, after the ruling of the majority consigned the Reds to a fight for top four before a ball had been kicked.

How wrong we all were. Even the most optimistic Liverpool supporters will have harboured doubts after Jurgen Klopp shocked the world and stepped down from his throne after nearly nine years, Arne Slot replacing him last summer.

It’s remarkable that he’s done it without making any meaningful first-team investment, dealt with contractual problems and managed a squad bearing weaknesses across several areas.

Centre-forward Darwin Nunez’s woes have been at the forefront of the drama.

Liverpool's striker conundrum

Liverpool signed Nunez from Benfica three years ago. He was 22 at the time, giddy from a clinical season in Portugal and arriving off the back of a staggering £85m transfer fee that, with all clauses met, would make him the most expensive player in Liverpool’s history.

But it hasn’t worked out. Nunez is heading toward the end of the season, having made just eight Premier League starts under Slot’s wing, lacking the streamlined potency that the Dutch tactician seeks out.

In fact, Nunez has only scored 25 Premier League goals across his three years as a Liverpool player, playing 90 times and missing 53 big chances across the time span.

While Liverpool are expecting to break the bank and sign a new number nine this summer, it’s frustrating that Nunez was ever signed in the first place. The passion’s there but he hasn’t made it work.

You almost think that, with Diogo Jota in the mix, his signing could have been avoided altogether if Liverpool had invested more time in Dominic Solanke, who left at the start of his pro career to join Bournemouth for £19m in 2019.

Given that he’s now Tottenham Hotspur’s star striker and record signing too at £65m, Liverpool must harbour some level of regret that they didn’t keep the faith, especially given that Nunez has failed to impress.

It’s a cautionary tale, one that Liverpool might want to bear in mind as they shuffle through their summer plans. Indeed, FSG are in danger of repeating their Solanke blunder.

Liverpool's new Solanke

Liverpool are planning to bolster Slot’s squad with several new parts this summer, but exits will also be considered.

The transfer chiefs will need to ensure they get it right, though, and avoid a repeat of the one-time Solanke sale through the potential departure of Harvey Elliott.

Elliott has been on Liverpool’s books since he was 16, poached from Fulham. Now 21, the Englishman has racked up a considerable number of senior appearances for the Reds, 141, having clinched 33 goal involvements and won a host of major honours besides. He’s a super-talented young star.

And the data really does speak for itself. As per FBref, Elliott ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for all of goals, assists and shot-creating actions recorded per 90.

A slick passer and able ball-carrier, Elliott also ranks among the top 4% for progressive passes and the top 5% for progressive carries per 90.

Despite his limited involvement this term, the England U21 star has enjoyed some rather standout moments, further illustrating his natural prowess in attacking situations, his ability to spark something out of nothing.

That goal against Paris Saint-Germain will gather more dust than perhaps it deserves in the sprawling library of Champions League history – for Liverpool were defeated in the return leg at Anfield – but there’s no denying it was a seismic strike, his third on Europe’s elite stage this season.

Oh, if FSG and Slot were to convene and conclude that Elliott’s future is best served away from Merseyside, Liverpool would no doubt be able to bank a decent sum, as the club did with Solanke way back when.

Newcastle United are among the early contenders, report The Chronicle this month, and Liverpool have thus slapped a £40m price tag on their young playmaker.

But, looking at Solanke’s journey since, it might be a little frustrating that he wasn’t kept on the books, or perhaps loaned out across a string of seasons to foster his natural ability.

Tottenham might be in a pit of despair at the moment, but the England striker has proved himself a talented and dynamic frontman for a forsaken outfit, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists across 31 starts in all competitions.

However, Solanke scored 21 goals across 42 matches for Bournemouth last season and is effectively playing a hopeless part for Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs.

In any case, given that he’s risen to be one of England’s top strikers who fetched a large sum last summer, Liverpool might want to think long and hard about letting Elliott leave as he’s just starting out.

Harvey Elliott in the Premier League (LFC)

Season

Apps (starts)

Goals

Assists

24/25

12 (0)

0

1

23/24

34 (11)

3

6

22/23

32 (18)

1

2

21/22

6 (4)

0

0

20/21*

0 (0)

0

0

19/20

2 (0)

0

0

*Spent season on loan at Blackburn

Stats via Transfermarkt

The previous two top-flight campaigns have seen the talented midfielder make real headway under Klopp, whose regrets over not playing him more were made clear when he left last year.

If Newcastle offer Liverpool £40m, it would be a financial boost but one which could definitely come back to bite the Reds down the line.

Former Liverpool U18s head coach Neil Critchley once praised Elliott for his ability to create “magic” for his side, for his teammates. Liverpool won’t want to lose that magic element as they venture into the unknown, especially since Slot’s set to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold’s creativity this summer anyway.

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A consultant with the Afghanistan team for the T20 World Cup, Dwayne Bravo tells us why they are already Champions

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jun-2024After the Australia win, the Afghanistan players sang your song, , while returning to the hotel. How proud did you feel?
Bravo: Yeah, that was a good feeling. The song became popular based on West Indies winning the World Cup in 2016. And it does feel as though it’s going to happen all over again. These guys really, really inspire the entire country (Afghanistan). And it’s a song that inspires people around the world. So to hear them pull it out and keep singing it, and playing it after every game, it’s a special feeling.And it was the players who started playing the song?
Bravo: They were playing their music that they are accustomed to. I was just enjoying seeing them dancing, enjoying themselves after the victory and how much it meant to them. And then they played . That was not the first time they played (that song) this World Cup. It had nothing to do with me. That’s the way how they feel. I always keep reminding them you must have this champion mentality, champion mindset, and they are all champions in their own way. This song resonated with everyone and they are no different.A match later, after the nerve-wracking win against Bangladesh, you had already improvised the song, dedicating it to Afghanistan players.
Bravo: I said to them, “Guys, listen, once we win this trophy, I’m going to personalise the song ” and put their names into it. So let’s see – two more games to go. I’m not thinking too far ahead.We must remember what they have achieved as a team already, whether we win the semi-finals, win the finals, which is the ultimate goal – these players have won the hearts of people around the world. Not only in Afghanistan, but for sure here in the Caribbean. Obviously, West Indies team is no longer in the World Cup and all the support and focus (now is) into the Afghanistan team. The way they have played the game throughout the tournament has been very entertaining, with a lot of passion. They deserve all the respect and kudos that they are achieving because have won a lot of hearts and built up a new fan base outside of Afghanistan. They are winners in their own way.Related

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You must have had offers for similar roles from bigger countries. Why did you choose Afghanistan?
Bravo: Well, I wouldn’t say I had offers. There were conversations being had with various teams. There were like three other teams, and also Afghanistan. I had a chat with Rashid in IPL. I said to my agent that, really and truly when I look at Afghanistan’s setup, the combination of the team, in the Caribbean they will be a force to be reckoned with.I just left it in God hands to put me where he want me to be. And it’s Afghanistan. I honestly couldn’t be in a better setup. The coaching staff from Jonathan Trott to begin with: he welcomed me, embraced me with open arms. He gave me full authority and allowed me to be myself and also take full charge of the bowling department. I have been working alongside the other bowling coach Hamid (Hamid Hasan, former Afghanistan fast bowler). We work very well together.Bravo on Naveen-ul-Haq: ‘In T20 cricket, he is up there in the top five best bowlers in the world’•ICC via Getty ImagesTalking to Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan at the outset of the World Cup, you said the most important thing for Afghanistan is to have belief. How have you helped them believe?
Bravo: It is not just only about me alone. That’s the message from all the coaches, myself, Rashid. Anything you want to achieve in life, you have to believe in it first. So we are empowering them with confidence and reminding them that they are just as good as anyone else. And now, with time, the opposition actually look up and have a worried time facing Afghanistan. It’s not the same Afghanistan of 10, 12 years ago. They have started to produce world-class players.Now we look at (Mohammad) Nabi, Rashid, (Rahmanullah) Gurbaz, Naveen-ul-Haq, (Fazalhaq) Farooqi, Azmat (Azmatullah Omarzai) – all these players are being recognised worldwide. They have all the ingredients. A lot of teams are very good from a fast-bowling department, but not as good in spin or vice versa. But Afghanistan have quality fast bowlers, quality spinners and quality allrounders. And in T20 cricket that is all you need.Going back to the Australia win … can you talk about the bowling plans for the fast bowlers and how they panned out?
Bravo: The first six (overs) was basically Naveen. I am not going to take credit for that. He is the one who said he wanted the new ball, he decided which end he was going to bowl, he decided how he is going to bowl to (Travis) Head.My involvement came after the ten-over break. (Glenn) Maxwell was just about to tee off. So I sent a message through one of the guys to tell Rashid: listen, you need to change your momentum. Bring Gulbadin (Naib) from this end. Let him take pace off the ball. We have to go to the defensive plan now. And then Rashid and Nabi can attack from the other end. That’s where the turning point came from that bowling change. And then (I was) suggesting to Gulbadin, what is the best way to bowl – take pace off the ball, take pace off the ball, don’t give them no pace. That’s what worked.You mentioned Naveen, who played a pivotal role in wins against Australia and Bangladesh. Where do you rank him among T20 bowlers?
Bravo: In T20 cricket, he is up there in the top five best bowlers in the world. And I’m not saying that because I am here with Afghanistan. He is someone, whichever team he’s on, he is always been talked about highly. But to work with him hands on now and hear his thinking, hear his mindset, how he goes about his preparation and all these things, there’s no fluke to his success. He trains really well. He knows what he’s doing. He has a very sharp cricketing brain as a bowler. And he has the skills also to back up his brain. So definitely, if I’m picking some of the top five bowlers currently in this format, he is going to be there.What is his strength?
Bravo: To have not just the ability to bowl with the new ball, but also bowl the old ball, also bowl inswingers, outswingers, good slower balls, good variations, and then setting the field. He’s one bowler you don’t need to set the field for him. He sets the field himself and that is what all captains enjoy. And that is important. That makes him different from others.Bravo on Rashid Khan: ‘He trains all the time, even optional training he comes’•ICC/Getty ImagesHas Naib surprised you with the kind of impact he has had as a bowler?
Bravo: None of these guys have surprised me because I’m seeing what they do in practice, some of the drills that I put them through and the challenges I give them in the nets. He is one of them always finishing on top.Farooqi, your team-mate at MI Emirates in ILT20, is the highest wicket-taker this World Cup. What have you liked about him?
Bravo: I call Farooqi the ‘Superstar’ because that’s how he sees himself. That’s what really makes him feel important and feel good. So it’s important to know what works and what fires someone up. That’s why I call him ‘Superstar’ in front of everyone because I see him as that superstar for our team. Again, just like Naveen, he has the ability to bowl inswingers, outswingers – not many left handers can do both. He has the ability to shape the ball both ways with pace. If I need to have a player in my team, I want Fazalhaq Farooqi because as a leftie, he is quick, skiddy – inswing, outswing, he has it all.Then there’s Rashid – you have shared the dressing room with him and played against him. What do you know about him now which you didn’t previously?
Bravo: He takes his off-the-field lifestyle very seriously. He’s a true, true professional. He watches what he eats, he watches the amount of hours he sleeps, he has this tracker on his hand so he knows when it’s time to sleep, how many hours he sleeps, when he is dehydrated, how much rest is needed, how much food is needed. He takes very good care of his body and he pays attention to his rest period. He trains all the time, even optional training he comes. So it is not surprising to see how he is when he’s playing. You don’t become the best in the world just by being lazy.

And how many players have been out for 99 on Test debut?

Steven Lynch22-Feb-2022Alana King of Australia won her first caps in Tests, ODIs and T20s in the space of a fortnight. Was she the quickest to do this? asked Carl from Australia
A 26-year-old legspinner from Victoria, Alana King made her international debut in the recent Ashes series against England. King played her first T20 international in Adelaide on January 20, featured in the Test in Canberra that started on January 27, then made her ODI debut, also in Canberra, on February 3.King thus completed her hat-trick – or should that be cap-trick? – in 14 days, equalling Nonkhululeko Thabethe of South Africa’s women’s team in India in November 2014 (Thabethe played just the one match in each format). But three people have done it quicker: Peter Ingram of New Zealand is the fastest man, in 12 days in 2010; India’s Preeti Dimri won her first cap in each format in the space of ten days in August 2006; but the quickest overall is the England wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor, who completed her set in nine days in the same series as Dimri, in August 2006, when she was 17 years old.Sakibul Gani scored 341 on his first-class debut the other day. Was this a record? asked Ajay Raj from India
Sakibul Gani made 341 – and shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 538 with Babul Kumar – in Bihar’s Ranji Trophy match against Mizoram in Kolkata last week. This was the first time anyone had made a triple-century in their maiden first-class match: the previous-best was Ajay Rohera’s undefeated 267 for Madhya Pradesh against Hyderabad in Indore in 2018-19.Luckily for Mizoram, their batters proved rather more effective than their bowlers – captain Taruwar Kohli made 151 and 101 not out – and they escaped with a draw. And a note of caution for Sakibul, and those expecting him to make waves at a higher level: Rohera has not yet made another first-class hundred.When Brendon McCullum scored 302 against India, I noticed that New Zealand added 586 runs after the fall of the fifth wicket. Is that the most by any team? Who holds the corresponding record in ODIs? asked Mohsin Zunzunia from Canada
New Zealand were 94 for 5 in that innings against India in Wellington in 2013-14, before Brendon McCullum really got going. The 586 runs added by New Zealand’s last five wickets was indeed a record, surpassing 474 by Pakistan (87 for 5 to 561) against New Zealand in Lahore in 1955-56.The one-day international record was set by the African XI against Asia in Bengaluru in June 2007, when they recovered from 31 for 5 to reach 283, with Shaun Pollock making 130. That narrowly shaded a more famous instance in the 1983 World Cup, when India – thanks chiefly to 175 not out from Kapil Dev – recovered from 17 for 5 to reach 266 for 8 against Zimbabwe in Tunbridge Wells.In T20Is the most runs after the fall of the fifth wicket is 136, by Sri Lanka (from 40 for 5 to 176 for 8) against Australia in Geelong in 2016-17. That came under serious threat last year when Belgium recovered from 12 for 5 to reach 146 for 8 against Austria at the Royal Brussels Club in Waterloo – and actually Belgium were 14 for 8 at one point before their ninth-wicket pair added 132, with No. 8 Saber Zakhil hammering 100 not out from 47 balls!David Miller has played in 140 ODIs and 95 T20Is in his 12-year international career but never featured in a Test•Associated PressI spotted that Luke Wright has played 101 white-ball internationals for England, but no Tests. Who has played the most from other countries? asked David Norman from England
The leader in this respect is David Miller of South Africa, who has so far played 140 one-day internationals and 95 T20Is (three of them for a World XI), without ever appearing in a Test. Not far behind is Kieron Pollard of West Indies, who at the time of writing had played 123 ODIs and 100 T20s – but no Tests. Luke Wright’s 101 is the record for England.I was looking at the list of people who had scored a hundred on Test debut – and wondered how many had been out for 99? asked Daisy McKenzie from England
Three men have suffered the frustration of being out for 99 on their Test debut. The first was Arthur Chipperfield of Australia, against England at Trent Bridge in 1934; he was followed by Robert Christiani of West Indies, against England in Bridgetown in 1947-48. The most recent occurrence was by Pakistan’s Asim Kamal, against South Africa in Lahore in 2003-04. Chipperfield and Christiani did later reach three figures in Tests, but poor Asim never did.In the women’s game, Australia’s Jess Jonassen was out for 99 in her first Test, against England in Canterbury in 2015. As yet she hasn’t completed an international century either.Two men have made 99 in their first one-day international. The first was Eoin Morgan, was run out for 99 in his first match, for Ireland against Scotland in Ayr in 2006. Eight years later, the UAE’s Swapnil Patil suffered arguably an even more agonising fate, being stranded on 99 not out at the end of the innings against Scotland in the final of the World Cup Qualifier in Lincoln, New Zealand. Patil never did make an international hundred.For the list of those who reached 100 on Test debut, click here.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

In shocking Cubs news, starting pitcher Shota Imanaga is now a free agent, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported on Tuesday.

Chicago chose not to pick up the three-year option on his contract, and then Imanaga declined his $15 million player option. It was originally expected that Imanaga would remain in Chicago.

The Cubs could still retain the veteran lefty if they extend him a qualifying offer, which would cost $22.025 million for the 2026 season. Imanaga would then have the option to accept or decline that offer. If he turned it down, he would officially become a free agent, and the Cubs would receive draft pick compensation when he signed with a new team.

Imanaga just finished up his second season with the Cubs after his All-Star campaign in 2024. In 25 regular season starts, the Japanese star posted a 3.73 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP over 144.2 innings pitched. He threw 117 strikeouts, while giving up 117 hits and 62 runs.

The ace made his postseason debut this year during the Cubs’ division series run. Imanaga started one game and appeared in another, posting an 8.10 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. He had six strikeouts and gave up eight hits and six runs.

The Cubs will now look to fill Imanaga’s spot in the starting rotation for the 2026 season. And, quite a few teams looking for a pretty strong starter will show interest in Imanaga in return.

Adam Voges will finish with the state at the end of the current season but may continue to coach Perth Scorchers

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2025

Adam Voges has overseen considerable success with Western Australia•Getty Images

Adam Voges, who will likely be in the frame to coach Australia when Andrew McDonald finishes, will step down as Western Australia head coach at the end of the 2025-26 season in order to pursue opportunities in franchise cricket.Voges took up the role in 2018-19 following Justin Langer’s appointment as Australia coach and oversaw an incredible run of success for WA with a hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles and four One-Day Cup trophies, doing the double in three consecutive seasons from 2021-22 to 2023-24 in the process.Last season, they finished bottom in both competitions but are currently third after four rounds of this summer’s Shield after a thrilling one-wicket win over Queensland.”I’m incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to be in the role of WA men’s team head coach over the past eight seasons,” Voges said. “We have enjoyed an incredible amount of success over the past four seasons, which is a credit to everyone involved with the side.”It’s also been really pleasing to oversee many players from WA take the step to international duty and excel playing for their country. While it wasn’t an easy decision to make, I’m looking forward to pursuing more coaching opportunities in franchise cricket.”Earlier this month, ESPNcricinfo had reported that Voges was in talks to join Trent Rockets in the Hundred as an assistant coach. He has previously coached Australia A and worked with the national side.WA Cricket are continuing discussions with Voges about staying on as Perth Scorchers head coach in the BBL.McDonald’s current contract as Australia coach runs through to 2027 and he has indicated he is unlikely to seek an extension having been in the job since early 2022.Voges, who played 20 Tests and finished with the incredible average of 61.87, has been in charge at WA during a time where they have had significant Australia representation. Cameron Green and Josh Inglis are part of the current Test squad.There is a new generation coming through the WA system including allrounder Cooper Connolly and fast bowler Mahli Beardman.

Winning the Premier League title is easier said than done, but defending that crown is then another challenge entirely. It makes Pep Guardiola’s and Sir Alex Ferguson’s consecutive title wins in Manchester that much more impressive and exposes the level that Arne Slot looks incredibly unlikely to reach at Liverpool this season.

The Reds spent over £400m in the summer, breaking their transfer record twice. It seemed as though the Premier League title could only be destined for Merseyside, but the reality is that Liverpool are on course to endure one of the worst defences in Premier League history.

Although others have recovered to end the season strongly in the past, the Reds look destined to enter the history books among nine other previous champions.

20 Best Strikers in Premier League History Ranked

Where does Erling Haaland rank?

ByCharlie Smith May 8, 2025

Ranking factors:

League finish – how far the champions fell after securing the title the season prior. Club context – The context of the champions’ situation, such as injury issues and other deciding factors. 10 Arsenal 2004/05

From invincible to 12 points behind winners Chelsea, Arsenal failed to follow up their historic campaign a season prior in the 2004/05 season, as Jose Mourinho arrived in style at Stamford Bridge. Whilst it was always going to be difficult to follow the Invincibles, the Gunners would have been disappointed with their blunt title fight.

Defeat against Manchester United ended their unbeaten run and from there, their cloak of invincibility evaporated. Arsene Wenger’s side won one of their next five games, leaving Chelsea to take full advantage.

9 Man Utd 2003/04

Man Utd can be forgiven for being up against the Invincibles in the 2003/04 campaign, but it’s still a season that didn’t meet the incredibly high expectations set by Ferguson. The Red Devils slipped to third place, despite leading the title race in early January.

After defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers, United didn’t recover and allowed Arsenal to take full control on their way to a historic title win. To make matters worse, those at Old Trafford also fell behind Chelsea in the same season.

8 Liverpool 2020/21

The 2020/21 season saw Liverpool’s Anfield superpower handed its very own Kryptonite, as the world came to a standstill courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic. There were fears that the Reds wouldn’t even get the chance to end a dominant title win the season before, but football soon resumed and they ended their wait for glory, albeit in an empty stadium.

A season later, anything that could go wrong did for Jurgen Klopp as injuries piled up and Liverpool were left with a centre-back partnership of Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips. It was touch and go whether they’d secure a top four finish, but Alisson Becker’s stunning header against West Bromwich Albion ensured that Liverpool ended a nightmare campaign in glorious fashion.

7 Chelsea 2017/18

The first season under Antonio Conte is one to remember for most clubs, but what tends to happen next is anything but memorable. The Italian arrived at Stamford Bridge in the 2016/17 campaign and secured the English crown after changing to a back three and reviving Victor Moses into an excellent wing-back.

One season later, however, and a public fall-out with Diego Costa sparked the start of Chelsea’s downfall. The Blues looked a shadow of the champions that they became a season prior and were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth and 4-1 by Watford, before Conte lost his job at the end of the campaign.

6 Man Utd 2013/14

Over 10 years ago, Man United last entered a Premier League campaign as defending champions. And that’s where their problems commenced. In their first campaign without Ferguson, the Red Devils finished as low as seventh as David Moyes lasted until April before facing the sack.

At the time, the Scot took much of the blame, but United’s problems didn’t end when they sacked him. In fact, in the last decade, things have only become worse and worse for the Red Devils, who finished as low as 15th under Ruben Amorim last season.

5 Blackburn Rovers 1995/96

Like Man United in 2013, Blackburn Rovers went from lifting the Premier League title in the 95/96 campaign to finishing as low as seventh one season later. Blackburn, again like United, lost their manager at the end of their title-winning campaign, with Sir Kenny Dalglish choosing to resign off the back of success.

As a result, the champions struggled under Ray Harford and dropped to as low as 17th at one stage, before a revival in the second-half of the season took them up to seventh. It was a season to forget and not enough to keep hold of Alan Shearer, who netted 31 goals before heading to Newcastle United.

4 Leicester City 2016/17

It was back to reality for Leicester City in the 2016/17 season after they pulled off the miracle of all miracles one year prior. From shock champions, the Foxes found themselves attempting to avoid relegation, as Claudio Ranieri lost his job and the late Craig Shakespeare was left to pick up the pieces.

The champions still sat 17th by the time that February arrived, before Shakespeare picked up five straight wins to take Leicester to a 12th-place finish. Statistically, it is the worst title defence in Premier League history, but the context of their squad and just how great a shock their title win was in itself matters here.

3 Leeds United 92/93

Although Leeds United were technically not defending the Premier League title, the 1992/93 season was the first campaign of the rebranding and they entered it as English champions. After winning three of their first 10 games, the Whites’ title defence was all but over and the departure of Eric Cantona to Man United in January all but confirmed that.

By the end of the campaign, a Leeds side who lost their best player finished as low as 17th, with United taking full advantage to begin an incredible run under Ferguson.

2 Liverpool 2025/26

No one could have predicted the season that Liverpool are having. The Reds won their opening five games, albeit by utilising stoppage-time in dramatic fashion more than once, and looked on course to defend their crown when it all clicked. But then it never did click.

After breaking their transfer record twice to sign Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Liverpool have been a shadow of the champions that they became. Truth be told, they’ve looked like a squad still in mourning for their teammate, Diogo Jota.

Mentally, Liverpool look entirely drained. Physically, they’ve been outmatched. The effect of Jota’s passing is undeniable, but Slot must find a tactical solution to steady the ship before his side, who sit 12th after 12 games, make unwanted history.

1 Chelsea 2015/16

The return of Jose Mourinho restored Chelsea’s glory in the 2014/15 season, but things were far from special one season later. The legendary manager started the season by arguing with physio Eva Carneiro, who eventually won a £5m settlement, and things only got worse from there.

After nine losses in 16 games, Mournho was sacked by the Blues and replaced by Guus Hiddink. The caretaker manager finally got Eden Hazard firing on all cylinders again to win the famous ‘Battle of the Bridge’ and end Tottenham Hotspur’s title hopes, yet it was not enough to restore Chelsea’s pride. They ended the campaign in 10th.

Who is to blame for Alexander Isak's form at Liverpool?

It’s been an incredible week to be an Arsenal fan.

On Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side demolished Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.

And then, if that wasn’t enough, the Gunners brushed aside the excellent Bayern Munich to go top of the Champions League table.

There were sensational performances across the pitch for Arsenal, including from someone who is becoming something of a hybrid between Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka.

Eze & Saka's performances vs Bayern

While the likes of Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber are getting most of the praise following Wednesday night, and rightly so, Saka also put in a performance to be proud of.

Now, it’s true that he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, but he did provide the assist for the opening goal and was a constant threat throughout his time on the pitch.

At certain points, he had to deal with three Bayern players on his own, but still managed to create two big chances, complete three of four crosses, take one shot on target and recover the ball twice.

It’s clear that the Hale End superstar is still not quite at his very best, but even without a goal to his name, he’s impacting games in a big way.

Likewise, Eze didn’t score a fourth goal in two games, but once again showed why he is one of the best number tens around against the German giants.

It was just before the visitors scored that he helped create a chance with some tidy footwork, only for him to just overhit the pass into Saka.

Then in the second half, every time he had the ball at his feet, he was looking to do something positive.

It was this mindset that saw him play an excellent ball over the top for Gabriel Martinelli to knock around Manuel Neuer and secure all three points.

Overall, Saka and Eze weren’t necessarily the best players on the pitch against Bayern, but they put in strong performances, and now it looks like Arsenal have a player who is becoming a hybrid of both.

Arsenal's Saka & Eze hybrid

With Saka undoubtedly being Arsenal’s most important player and Eze proving to be one of their best signings from the summer, a player would have to be pretty special to be described as a hybrid of the two.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Fortunately, despite certain sections of the fanbase clearly thinking otherwise in the summer, Noni Madueke has proven himself to be just that.

Now, nobody is saying the former Chelsea ace is as good as his compatriots, but he certainly shares some similarities with them.

For example, like the former Palace star, he is someone who can make something happen from nothing.

Granted, that hasn’t necessarily translated into a goal or assist this season, but he is such a direct attacker that, with the ball at his feet, he can make opposition defenders panic.

Moreover, like the 27-year-old, given his ability to make something of nothing, Arteta seems to have given him more freedom to try things on the ball.

Arsenal writer Adam Keys perhaps put it best when, after his goal against Bayern, he described the 23-year-old as an “agent of chaos,” which is just the sort of player the North Londoners have been missing in recent years.

Expected Assists

0.26

0.27

Progressive Passes Received

12.9

12.4

Key Passes

2.29

2.21

Live Passes

32.9

33.5

Tackles Won

0.57

0.58

Successful Take-On %

42.1%

40.5%

Carries

26.9

29.5

Now, when it comes to Saka, the similarities come down to their left-footedness, their close control, and the fact that FBref ranked the Hale Ender as the sixth-most similar attacking midfielder or winger to Madueke in Europe’s top five leagues.

The best way to understand how they came to this conclusion is to look at the underlying metrics they rank closely in, metrics like expected assists, key passes, tackles won, successful take-on percentage and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while his signing was not universally celebrated across the fanbase, Madueke has proven himself to be a more than useful player for Arsenal, and the fact that he shares so many traits with Saka and Eze can only be a good thing.

As good as Rice: Arsenal star has proven he's one of the best "in the world"

The outrageous Arsenal star was as good as Declan Rice in the Champions League victory over Bayern Munich.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 27, 2025

Chamari Athapaththu would do anything to get Sri Lanka to the semi-final of this Women’s ODI World Cup. No Sri Lanka team has managed this over 11 years, at an ICC event, and the women’s team has never got there. Athapaththu has long been the talisman of this side, but feels she has the young players in her side now, who can excel in their own right.”More than in the other tournaments, I’m pretty relaxed in this one,” Athapaththu said in Colombo. “The youngsters have been performing – Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, and Kavisha Dilhari, are all batting well. So more than other times, I’m able to relax a bit.”Gunaratne, Dilhari, and Samarawickrama had all played important roles in Sri Lanka’s chart to an Asia Cup victory at home, though that was in the T20 format. Still, that was enough to inspire more trust from Athapaththu, who suggested she would be more fearless in the first 10 overs.Related

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“I’m going to be playing the game I play in the powerplay,” Athapaththu said. “Then, after that, the challenge is to figure out how I can change gears and do more damage. My one aim is to get Sri Lanka into the semi finals. Before I retire, what I want is to take Sri Lanka to a semi-final. If we can get there, we can figure out the next steps. But even getting there is big.”On paper, Sri Lanka have no easy games, especially at the start of their campaign. Their World Cup begins against India on September 30 in the tournament opener in Guwahati before matches in Colombo against Australia on October 4, England on October 11, New Zealand on October 14 and South Africa on October 18. They then play Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai on October 20 before flying back to Colombo for their final league-stage match against Pakistan on October 24.But the motivation is high, since Sri Lanka are returning to the ODI World Cup after eight years. They did not feature in the ODI World Cup in 2022, owing partially to Sri Lanka not having played a single international between March 2020 and January 2022.”We haven’t been able to play a World Cup since 2017. We lost the chance to play in the last World Cup, because with Covid we couldn’t play the qualifying rounds, and that’s where our rankings were. It’s after eight years we’re playing a World Cup.”We’ve sacrificed a lot and worked really hard to get here. We’ve played really well in the last cycle. We’re in a good mental space. I’m hoping we can get a good start to the tournament.”