Paul Pogba was all smiles at his wife Zulay’s birthday bash, with the World Cup winner now a free agent after seeing his Juventus contract terminated.
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World Cup winner released by Serie A giants
Free to resume career after ban in March 2025
Enjoying spending time with his family for now
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GOAL
WHAT HAPPENED?
The former Manchester United midfielder finds himself without a club after being released by the Serie A giants in Turin. That decision has been taken as Pogba continues to serve a worldwide football ban on the back of failing a doping test in September 2023.
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THE GOSSIP
Pogba was initially suspended for four years, but has seen that sanction reduced to 18 months on appeal, meaning that he will be free to resume his professional career in March 2025. It remains to be seen who the France international will be representing the next time that he takes to the field.
WHAT ZULAY SAID
For now, Pogba is enjoying spending time with his family. He has taken in relaxing breaks with his partner, while also helping her to celebrate turning 31. He was among the guests at a lavish party which saw Zulay post on Instagram: “Welcome my 31!!! Feeling so thankful and blessed for everyone and everything. Thank to my baby for making all this happen @paulpogba”
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WHAT NEXT?
Pogba is being linked with clubs across the world as he begins to mull over his next move. There has been talk of him joining the likes of Lionel Messi and Olivier Giroud in MLS, while another stint in the Premier League or potential return to his roots in France are both being speculated.
Debutant left-arm spinner Axar Patel has asked the critics of the Chennai pitch to change their mindset towards spinning pitches, pointing out that India never complain about seaming tracks when they travel.Related
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The Chennai pitch has received criticism from former players such as Michael Vaughan, Mark Waugh, Damien Fleming and Sanjay Manjrekar.”It’s not as though someone has been hit in the helmet or the toes,” Patel said. “It is a normal wicket. We are playing on the same wicket and scoring runs. I feel no one should have an objection about this pitch. When we go out and get a seaming track, we don’t talk about excessive grass on the pitch. You have to change your mindset rather than think about the pitch.”The argument has been that a pitch with puffs of dust and mini-explosions on day one will only get worse for batting, turning it into lottery. But as Patel said, India have scored runs in both innings whereas the whole England side managed fewer runs in the first innings than Rohit Sharma’s 161. He was even asked if there was extra determination from R Ashwin and Virat Kohli to bat on and score as many as possible even though they had more than enough runs on the board.”We don’t think of outside and if we have to send a message,” Patel said. “We just batted normally. If it had been day four we would have thought of declaring.”Patel also said this wasn’t a pitch where you just turn up and release the ball and the surface will do the rest for you.”The way the wicket is behaving, you know there is spin, but the spin is there only if you put some strength behind the ball,” he said. “If you leave it like that or flight it too much, then there is not much turn from the pitch. The speed has to be high. Otherwise the batsman is going back and has time to adjust. Speed is very important for a spinner on this pitch.”Patel had all the strength to give after missing his debut a week ago with a niggle in the knee. He said that while it was frustrating to miss that match, had he risked it, he could have ended up losing out on giving his best in both the matches.”I was selected to play the first Test but I pulled out because of the injury,” he said. “I didn’t want to play with a niggle and take the risk of letting the team down halfway into the match. The physio told me if I gave it time I will be fine for the second Test. So the physio and I took that call. It was frustrating but the positive is that I could give my 100% here.”
Leeds United's promotion chances were hit with a significant blow on Saturday as the club confirmed that Crysencio Summerville had left to join West Ham United.
The Whites revealed that an exit clause in the Dutch forward's contract had been triggered and he will now be competing in the Premier League next season.
Daniel Farke's side fell short at the final hurdle last term, losing in the play-off final to Southampton at Wembley, and they must now compete in the Championship again in an attempt to return to the top-flight.
However, alongside Summerville, they have also lost Archie Gray, who joined Tottenham Hotspur, and Glen Kamara, who moved to Ligue 1 side Rennes, from their squad.
They have, though, signed Joe Rodon on a permanent deal from Spurs and landed Jayden Bogle, Alex Cairns, and Joe Rothwell to bolster the squad.
There is still a few weeks left to go before the summer transfer window officially closes for business and Leeds are still eyeing further signings to come in and improve Farke's options across the pitch.
Leeds interested in Premier League starlet
According to The Athletic, the West Yorkshire outfit are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a potential swoop for Liverpool central midfielder Bobby Clark.
The report claims that the Whites are keen on the English youngster, as Farke looks to add to his midfield options, but they are facing plenty of competition.
It states that Austrian side RB Salzburg have already had an offer of £6m turned down by the Premier League giants, who are looking for a fee in the region of £12m to sanction a permanent departure.
The Athletic reveals that a loan is more likely for Clark at this moment in time, as they look to send him out on a temporary basis to aid his development.
Fellow Championship teams Coventry City, Norwich City, and Sheffield United are also said to be eyeing up a loan swoop for the talented whiz, alongside Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers.
This shows that it will not be easy for Farke and Leeds to secure an agreement to sign the central midfielder, as there are plenty of other clubs at a similar level who are vying for his services.
If the Whites do end up winning the race for the Liverpool prodigy, though, then he could be a dream for one of the stars of pre-season – Mateo Joseph.
Mateo Joseph's huge potential for this season
Last season may have been a slightly frustrating one for the Spanish youth international due to his lack of regular minutes on the pitch in the first-team.
Despite scoring two goals against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup in February, Joseph did not start a single game in the Championship.
All 20 of his appearances in the division came as a substitute and he scored one goal in that time, finding the back of the net against Watford off the bench.
His phenomenal goalscoring record at youth level for Leeds, with 19 goals and three assists in 33 outings for the U21s, suggested that there was far more to come from him than was seen on the pitch in the second tier last term.
That has been evident throughout pre-season as the Spain U21 international grasped his opportunity as a starter for the first-team in the friendly matches.
As you can see in the clips above, Joseph plundered four goals against quality opposition in Hannover, Schalke, and Valencia in recent weeks, the latest of which was a terrific touch and finish at Elland Road against the Spanish side.
Whilst it remains to be seen if it will translate to competitive football, the 20-year-old star's pre-season exploits suggest that it could be a huge season for the young striker.
This could be his year to nail down a place in the starting XI and prove that he can find the back of the net on a consistent basis at first-team level, as he did for the U21s.
In order to showcase the best of his goalscoring abilities in the final third, Joseph will need support from his teammates and Liverpool talent Clark is a player who could help his fellow young prospect.
Why Clark would be a dream for Joseph
In the 2023/24 campaign, no central midfielder for Leeds managed more than one goal or more than three assists in the Championship for Farke.
The only number eight who produced more than one assist – Kamara (three) – has also moved on from Elland Road to sign for Rennes on a permanent deal.
These statistics suggest that the Whites currently lack a player who can contribute at the top end of the pitch from a central midfield position, which could leave Joseph short of service from that group of players.
Bobby Clark for Liverpool
Clark, however, is a central midfielder with the potential to make a big impact in the final third, based on his limited minutes at first-team level for Liverpool and his form in their academy.
The 19-year-old dynamo, who was once described as "very impressive" by journalist Josh Bunting, plundered 18 goals and 11 assists in 64 appearances for the Reds at U18 and U21 level combined before his senior breakthrough.
Clark was handed a number of opportunities to impress by Jurgen Klopp in the 2023/24 campaign and racked up one goal and two assists in 14 outings, with two of those contributions coming in the Europa League.
Appearances
2
Goals
1
Assists
1
Pass accuracy
90%
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.5
Duel success rate
82%
As you can see in the table above, the teenage starlet caught the eye in his two outings in Europe, dominating opposition players off the ball and making an impact in the final third in possession.
His statistics for Liverpool at youth and senior level suggest that the potential is there for him to arrive at Elland Road as a midfielder who can push forward to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.
Therefore, Clark would be a dream for Joseph as he could supply the striker with plenty of chances to find the back of the net, whilst also potentially taking some of the pressure off the 20-year-old by chipping in with goals of his own.
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The Whites have been linked with a move for the impressive midfielder this summer.
It's set to be a big transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur this summer as Daniel Levy and Co look to land the right players for Ange Postecoglou's exciting project.
The Australian managed to bring the team back into European football last season, but a collapse towards the end of the campaign meant it was the Europa League, not the Champions League.
To take that next stop, the North Londoners will need to sign some quality additions over the next couple of months, and based on recent reports, that may well happen.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou
The latest star touted for a move to N17 is an incredibly exciting winger who would help bring more goals to the side and challenge Brennan Johnson for a spot in the starting lineup.
Tottenham Hotspur transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Tottenham are interested in signing Juventus and Italy star Federico Chiesa this summer.
The 26-year-old's £150k-per-week contract expires next summer, and according to the report, the Lilywhites have matched the €6m-per-year offer the Old Lady have made him, which converts to around £5m.
However, it's claimed that the winger wants a wage of closer to €8m-per-year – £7m – and, according to reports earlier this week, it'll cost North Londoners around £25m if they want to prise him out of Turin a year early.
Juventus forward Federico Chiesa.
It could be a complicated deal to get over the line, but given Chiesa's quality, it is one worth pursuing, especially as he could be a fantastic rival for Johnson.
How Chiesa compares to Johnson
So, if Spurs can get their hands on Chiesa this summer, he'd likely come in primarily to play off the right of a front three, as that is the position he has played most in his career.
In which case, Johnson would be one of his main competitors for a place in the starting lineup, but how do they compare?
Well, when it comes to their raw output last season, the Welshman just about edges it, scoring five goals and providing ten assists in 38 matches for the Lilywhites, equating to a goal involvement on average every 2.53 games.
In contrast, the "unstoppable" former Fiorentina ace, as dubbed by Giorgio Chiellini, scored ten goals and provided three assists in 37 appearances, producing a slightly worse average of a goal involvement every 2.84 games.
However, when it comes to their underlying numbers, the tables turn, and it's the Italian "wizard", as dubbed by football media personality Roger Bennett, who comes out ahead.
Chiesa vs Johnson
Stats per 90
Chiesa
Son
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.49
0.73
Non-Penalty Goals
0.33
0.19
Assists
0.08
0.39
Progressive Passes
2.87
2.83
Progressive Carries
4.55
4.07
Shots
3.03
2.05
Shots on Target
1.02
0.74
Passing Accuracy
69.9%
71.7%
Key Passes
2.21
1.78
Goal-Creating Actions
0.37
0.62
Shot-Creating Actions
4.79
2.98
Successful Take-Ons
1.43
1.05
All Stats via FBref for the 23/24 League Season
For example, while the former Nottingham Forest ace produces a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, more actual assists, higher passing accuracy and more goal-creating actions, he's comfortably second best for actual non-penalty goals, progressive passes and carries, shots and shots on target, key passes and shot-creating actions, all per 90.
Ultimately, if Chiesa is available for the reported fee, then Spurs cannot afford to miss out. While he might not be clear of Johnson, for example, he is clearly talented and could push the other wingers in the team to improve, if not outright replace them in time.
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Sarina Wiegman's side had their shot-stopper to thank on Saturday, with her saves preventing the European champions from defeat at Wembley
For all the hype and excitement, Emma Hayes' return to England as the Lionesses faced her United States women's national team on Saturday night ended in a disappointingly uneventful 0-0 draw, one particularly underwhelming for the majority of the 78,346 inside Wembley Stadium. This was the biggest home crowd the reigning European champions had played in front of for over 18 months and yet, they had very little to shout about.
Instead, it was Mary Earps who stole the show, forced into a string of strong saves in a first half that saw England fail to create any chance of note. First from Alyssa Thompson and then from Casey Krueger, Earps stood tall to keep her team in a game they were struggling to make any positive impact on.
That improved a little after the break, albeit not dramatically, with visiting goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher only having to make one perfectly-routine stop all evening. England may have had stars missing for this big game, with Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Ella Toone all sidelined, but that will struggle to stand up as an excuse for such a toothless performance when contrasted with the brighter moments the U.S. had, despite Hayes being without all of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson.
GOAL rates the Lionesses' players from Wembley Stadium…
Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence
Mary Earps (8/10):
Made some terrific saves in a stand-out performance.
Lucy Bronze (7/10):
A well-balanced display down the right, with some positive contributions in attack but a particularly well done job in defence.
Leah Williamson (7/10):
Popped up in the right place at the right time more than once to swat away danger.
Alex Greenwood (6/10):
Reacted well to stop Williams scoring a tap-in midway through the first half. Had to adapt to being moved to the left in the second half and rightly survived a handball penalty shout, thanks to VAR.
Jess Carter (6/10):
Not a natural at left-back and that showed with how reluctant she was to get forward. Came up with some important interventions defensively, though.
AdvertisementAFPMidfield
Keira Walsh (5/10):
Failed to help England control the game, with the U.S. dictating things from the get go.
Georgia Stanway (5/10):
Worked hard but struggled to make an impact.
Jess Park (4/10):
Tried to make things happen but, often, they just didn't come off.
AFPAttack
Beth Mead (4/10):
An underwhelming evening for her, with too many loose passes in her own half.
Alessia Russo (5/10):
Made some good runs and looked sharp when involved, it was just that England didn't get the ball to her anywhere near enough.
Jess Naz (4/10):
Didn't have enough touches to make any impact.
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AFPSubs & Manager
Chloe Kelly (5/10):
England's first sub in the 75th minute, she struggled to get into the game in the time she was on the pitch.
Fran Kirby (6/10):
On alongside Kelly, she immediately played a good ball out wide that injected some life in attack. Didn't have enough time to truly impact the game, though.
Sarina Wiegman (4/10):
A somewhat predictable and routine starting line-up resulted in an extremely flat first half, with England unable to create anything of note while Earps was called upon time after time. Things improved a little after the break, but that Wiegman waited until the 75th minute to make a sub in a game that was crying out for a spark was puzzling.
A estreia do técnico Vagner Mancini foi ‘perfeita’. Dentro da Arena, o Tricolor soube se impor diante do Juventude e venceu por 3 a 2.
+ Veja no aplicativo do LANCE! o resultado dos jogos da rodada
O resultado, que ainda não tira o Tricolor da zona de rebaixamento, ao menos dá esperanças ao torcedor de dias mais felizes na reta final da temporada.
Na coletiva de imprensa, o treinador gremista exaltou a entrega dos seus comandados dentro de casa.
‘O Grêmio jogou com a alma que o torcedor quer. Viu o que gostaria, e o que gostamos, em uma equipe. Um time organizado, que soube reter a bola e ser agressivo nos momentos certos. Caímos um pouco de produção, mas é normal. Faz parte do momento que a gente vive. Queremos que seja a retomada do Grêmio. Mostramos que o time pode jogar mais, ser mais agressivo e sair dessa situação incômoda’, afirmou.
Calendário
Na próxima rodada, o Grêmio volta a campo para encarar o Atlético-GO. O time gaúcho é o 19º, com 26 pontos.
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Sune Luus hopes the cricket world pushes the powers that be to organise more Tests for women
Annesha Ghosh09-Mar-20214:11
Jhulan Goswami – ‘When you’re coming back from a long lay-off you need to settle down’
Jhulan Goswami has welcomed the announcement of a Test match for India Women, likely during their tour of England in June-July, and thanked the BCCI for realising “that this format is also important for us”. The fixture will be India’s first in the format since November 2014, a period in which England and Australia have been the only teams to have played Test cricket in the women’s circuit.”Everyone is very excited. We played a Test match last, against South Africa in Mysore in 2014, and after six [seven] years we are going to play a Test against England,” Goswami said at a press conference on Tuesday after picking up 4 for 42 to lead India to a win in the second ODI against South Africa Women in Lucknow. “We are all excited because Test cricket or days’ match is one thing you, as a cricketer, wanted to play, wanted to go out there and perform well. It involves a lot of challenge – from your mental strength to your physical strength. The game changes every session.”Related
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The only active Indian player apart from Mithali Raj to have played ten or more Tests, Goswami was part of the team that defeated England by six wickets in the last contest between the two sides in the longest format, in August 2014. “We are all looking forward [to it],” Goswami said. “Thanks to the BCCI they understood that this format is also important for us. I would like to thank them for taking it up, bringing Test cricket [back] for India.”Thirty-eight-year-old Goswami, one of the greats of the game, has 40 wickets from ten Test appearances to date, with three five-wicket innings hauls – including a best of 5 for 25 – and one ten-wicket match haul. She also has 283 runs in the format, scored at an average of 25.72.Sune Luus, South Africa’s captain in India in the injury-enforced absence of Dane van Niekerk, expressed her hope that the development would encourage other boards and the ICC to revive the format.”We would love to play Tests. Unfortunately, I wasn’t part of the Test series we played here [in 2014], but I know the team would love to have an opportunity to play more Tests,” Luus, whose career of over 150 international games has yet to feature a Test, said. “It’s obviously a real challenge, the kind of skills are being looked at.”The BCCI announcing that India will be playing a Test that will probably lead to more. If they will win it, it is successful. I think it’s a very good start. I hope the world sees it and the world pushes the ICC and those involved for the women’s game to have more Tests.”
With their opening day clash against Preston North End taking place on Friday, Sheffield United have reportedly reached an agreement with a Premier League gem ahead of their season curtain raiser.
Sheffield United transfer news
It's been a summer full of arrivals for the Blades, who are looking to make an instant return to the Premier League this season. Those at Bramall Lane have welcomed as many as seven fresh faces with the standouts being Kieffer Moore and Callum O'Hare. Meanwhile, the arrival of Alfie Gilchrist is also impressive business, given how he was showing glimpses of his quality at Chelsea last season.
Speaking to the club website after putting pen to paper, Gilchrist said: "I am really looking forward to it. It is a great opportunity which the club and the manager have given to me. I am just looking forward to getting started. It has always been the plan to showcase what I can do in the Premier League with the chances I've had, so now I want to try and do that week in, week out, here.
"This is a new challenge. I am taking myself out of my comfort zone. I've been there (at Chelsea) a while now, so I am ready to kick on. I came here last season for an away day, and seeing the fans and how they get behind the team, how much they love it, I was impressed."
It seems as though he won't be the last Premier League loanee, either. According to Football Insider, Sheffield United have reached an agreement with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi over a season-long loan deal and are now negotiating with Crystal Palace. On that front, as per Dom Smith of The Standard, the Blades will pay more than £1m in loan fees and Rak-Sakyi's wages in full to complete their deal ahead of Leeds United.
"Remarkable" Rak-Sakyi is Championship-ready
Just 21 years old, Rak-Sakyi has shown glimpses of his quality in the Premier League, but has seen his game time limited at Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, during the 2022/23 campaign, the winger enjoyed an excellent loan spell at Charlton Athletic, scoring 15 goals and recording a further eight assists in League One. So, that said, the natural middle ground at this stage of his development should be the Championship and Sheffield United.
rak-sakyi-crystal-palace
The youngster has earned plenty of praise during his time at Palace, including from former manager Roy Hodgson, who told the club's official website when Rak-Sakyi broke into his squad: "He's dealt with it [stepping up] very well. For such a young man he's shown a remarkable maturity and a remarkable sangfroid.
“Coming into a group of senior players that he’s probably only watched from the terraces before, you wouldn’t notice that with his performances in the training sessions where he’s really taken the responsibility that he’s capable of taking.
"Everyone’s taken to him and been appreciative of him and what he can do so it’s nice we’ve been able to have him with us in a situation where a vacancy has occurred because we’ve had enough senior players out of our squad to not be able to fill our 20-man quota."
Hardik Pandya is inching closer to his goal of bowling “in all games at the T20 World Cup”, with his team-mate in Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav, confirming that the allrounder has been sending down more and more deliveries in training ahead of the limited-overs series.”He did bowl in the England series [at home earlier this year]. I was part of it – in all the T20 games, he bowled,” Yadav said ahead of the series. “In the decider ODI also he bowled when the team was in a crunch situation, so it was good.Related
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“I think that the team management and Hardik knew their responsibilities really well, so they were taking a call. Here, in the intra-squad game, he did bowl in the nets. He is bowling. It is his and the team management’s call how they want to go about it. But yes, he is bowling and it is a very good sign.”Pandya was not picked for India’s long Test tour of England, which included the World Test Championship final, as part of the long-term project to get him to full bowling fitness following back surgery. As Yadav pointed out, Pandya did bowl in some of the games against England, but not for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021, which was pushed back after 29 matches following reports of multiple Covid-19 cases among the teams.Pandya last played a Test in 2018, in England. His utility, particularly in overseas Tests, has been recognised but for that, he has to be in full bowling capacity. For now, Pandya is focussed solely on the T20 World Cup later this year.”I started bowling in the IPL and my focus is on the World Cup,” Pandya said in a chat with last month. “I want to make sure that I will be able to bowl in all the games at the World Cup. I am just trying to be smart and make sure that I don’t miss that. On the bowling front, what matters is how fit I am.”Even after my surgery, I didn’t drop my pace. I was not able to drop my control. My bowling is related to my fitness. The fitter I get, the better it comes out. As a fast-bowling allrounder, I tend to get injuries. It is bound to happen and I am okay with it.”For India, I have realised that my bowling brings a lot of difference because the balance changes. In IPL, I am lucky to have a franchise where there is so much love that I was able to pick my batting and make sure that for India, I am able to be at my best. I have to make sure I am fit to be able to bowl and if I bowl, that brings balance to the side.”