All posts by h716a5.icu

It is quite remarkable that a somewhat ‘disappointing’ season could still end in FA Cup glory and a top-four finish for Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola’s side having the chance to go out on a high despite witnessing the end to their Premier League dominance.

As their crushing Champions League defeat to Real Madrid showcased, this is not the Man City of old. But is that such a bad thing?

With Guardiola on board until the end of the 2026/27 campaign, at least, the Etihad side have the chance to rebuild and go again, with the hope of fashioning a new and exciting squad. Out with the old – Kevin De Bruyne and co – and in with the new?

That intriguing revamp has, it would appear, already started following an influx of January additions, with the Citizens’ taking a far more youth-centric approach with the signings of Vitor Reis (19), Abdukodir Khusanov (20) and Nico Gonzalez (23). Omar Marmoush, 26, is the only outlier of the bunch.

That wave of fresh faces has since been followed by the belated arrival of Argentine teenager, Claudio Echeverri, with the 19-year-old now finally able to make his mark in a City shirt.

What Claudio Echeverri brings to Man City

It has become the norm of late for Premier League clubs to snap up South American talent in their teenage years, with top-flight outfits looking for long-term success, as well as short-term gains.

Indeed, this summer will see Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez finally make the move to Chelsea from Brazil and Ecuador, respectively, while Manchester United are also set to welcome Paraguayan full-back, Diego Leon, at the end of the season, having initially struck a deal in January.

Patience is key with such moves, with City having also been forced to wait to see young Echeverri arrive in Manchester, after actually confirming the £12.5m deal with River Plate back in January 2024, before sending him back on loan to his homeland.

Still only 19, the promising playmaker certainly looks to have a bright future in the game, with data analyst Ben Mattinson lauding him as a “proper superstar” and an “ideal successor to Bernardo [Silva]” at the Etihad.

The teenager has also only recently been handed a surprise call-up to the senior Argentina squad, ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay later this month, with that coming off the back of his stunning displays at the U20 South American Championship, where he registered nine goals and assists in total.

Stat (*per game)

Record

Games

9

Goals

6

Assists

3

Big chances created

2

Key passes*

0.9

Pass accuracy*

77%

Interceptions*

0.2

Tackles*

0.8

Successful dribbles*

1.6

With 12 goal involvements in 48 games for River to boot, Echeverri appears to warrant the hype, with it intriguing to see just how he will be eased in by Guardiola over the coming weeks and months, as well as how his introduction will impact the current squad…

The potential loser from Echeverri's arrival

What is certain is that the attacking midfielder will only serve to increase the competition in an already well-stocked department in Manchester, with the youngster set to compete with the likes of Silva, De Bruyne and Phil Foden for a starting berth.

Such an exciting addition could then serve to nudge the likes of James McAtee even further down the pecking order, with the 22-year-old still yet to truly establish himself, despite showing flashes of late.

Lauded as a “special player” by his manager, McAtee – who spent the last two seasons on loan at Sheffield United – has scored six goals in 21 games in all competitions in 2024/25, albeit with just six of those outings coming from the start.

The left-footed academy graduate remained with Guardiola’s side despite rampant speculation surrounding his future during the January window, with clubs in the Bundesliga and Premier League seemingly keen to take him off City’s hands.

Guardiola had admitted that he understood if there was any “frustration” from McAtee regarding his limited involvement, albeit having stressed his desire to keep hold of the Englishman amid the mounting interest in his signature.

It could be said that with Echeverri now in the door, the upcoming summer window could present the perfect time to finally cash in on McAtee, even despite his undoubted promise, with the Argentine representing a readymade replacement in the squad.

There have been suggestions that losing the Salford native would be akin to “another Cole Palmer situation”, yet that might be a risk that the Citizens are willing to take, should Echeverri be afforded the chance to go on and flourish instead.

Pep must sell Man City star who Txiki thinks is an "incredible talent"

Manchester City must move a few players on this summer to reduce the wage bill.

ByRoss Kilvington Mar 4, 2025

Glasgow Rangers haven’t quite had a player who has polarised the supporters like Cyriel Dessers before. Yes, in the past there have been plenty of squad members who have dazzled one minute before falling away the next.

Kris Boyd could be devastating in front of goal, but if he was isolated up front, then it often felt like the Ibrox side was playing with ten men.

Fashion Sakala was another who could be utterly thrilling to watch at times, while failing to score from the simplest of chances in certain games.

The same applies to every club in the country, but Dessers might just be an anomaly.

Cyriel Dessers' polarising time at Rangers

The Nigerian has a decent strike rate for Rangers since joining the club back in the summer of 2023.

Dessers has played 99 games for the club, scoring 44 goals and grabbing 16 assists in the process. That works out as a goal every 2.2 matches. Furthermore, he records a goal contribution once every 1.65 matches for the Light Blues.

How then, can someone with this sort of record be criticised by certain members of the fanbase?

During his first season at Ibrox, the 30-year-old featured in 35 Premiership games, going on to score a more than respectable tally of 16 goals in the process. Dessers averaged 2.9 shots per game in the top flight along with finishing the season with a conversion rate of 16%.

However, he managed to miss 27 big chances during these 35 matches, a staggering statistic and one can only imagine how many goals he would have scored had his composure in front of goal been slightly better.

His output in front of goal has been impressive during the current season too. A total of 22 goals and seven assists have been recorded by the striker in 45 games.

The former Feyenoord hitman certainly has his strengths, but will the new manager seek to use him on a regular basis?

His performance against Fenerbahçe during the first leg of the Europa League last-16 tie was arguably his finest since joining the Gers.

Not only did he score once – with two efforts being disallowed – but Dessers also attempted five dribbles, made one key pass and won 50% of his aerial duels.

The centre-forward didn’t give the defenders a moment’s peace, using his strength and power to get the better of them consistently.

If he can add a few more goals to his tally before the end of the season, it would certainly put him in the shop window ahead of the summer transfer window.

Dessers cost Rangers £4.5m nearly two years ago, but his value has dropped since then.

Cyriel Dessers' transfer value in 2025

Despite putting in some decent displays of late, especially against the Turkish side in Europe, Dessers’ market valuation has dropped.

Indeed, according to Transfermarkt, the player is currently worth €4m (£3m), which is less than the £4.5m that was paid to sign him.

Given the fact he is on the wrong side of 30, this summer may just be the perfect chance to cash in on the striker.

It won’t be the first time the club have sold a player who failed to live up to expectations. Last summer, Philippe Clement sold one of Michael Beale’s signings after a torrid six-month stint at Ibrox.

Where is he now? Shining in the Dutch top flight while being valued more than Dessers.

Rangers flop is worth more than Dessers after leaving Ibrox

Beale made plenty of mistakes during his dismal ten-month spell in charge of the Light Blues, but signing Sam Lammers is one of the worst.

The Dutchman made the move to Scotland for a transfer fee in the region of £3m, joining from Italian side Atalanta.

The forward had scored just six senior goals between the start of the 2020/21 season and joining Rangers three years later. Hardly the prolific figure the club so desperately needed.

As the weeks wore on, it transpired that Lammers was not worth £3m. Far from it. He managed to play 31 games for the Light Blues in all competitions, yet only scored twice and grabbed a solitary assist.

He joined FC Utrecht on loan midway through the season and proved his worth back in his homeland, netting 11 times in just 20 games.

Goals

11

7

Assists

2

1

Shots per game

1.8

2.5

Goal conversion percentage

23%

13%

Big chances created

2

4

Total duels won per game

2

2.6

Last summer, he made the move to Twente and he has continued where he left off in the Eredivisie.

The Dutch side paid a reported £2.5m fee to secure his signature last year, which meant the Gers suffered just a £500k loss on the player.

Should they have given him a second chance, however? For Twente, Lammers has scored nine goals and grabbed two assists across 31 games.

Two of those goals have come in the Europa League, scoring against Manchester United and Nice, impressing in Europe’s premier club competition.

When compared to his positional peers in the competition, Lammers currently ranks in the 11% for progressive passes (3.26), while also ranking in the top 11% for passes into the final third (1.83) and in the top 6% for successful take-on percentage (66.7%).

Perhaps Scotland didn’t suit his style of play, evidenced by the fact he scored just twice during his stay in Glasgow.

Now, having starred in the Netherlands, Lammers is currently valued at €5m (£4m) according to Transfermarkt.

This is clearly due to his improved performances since leaving Rangers, especially in Europe, meaning the forward is worth more than Dessers.

If the 27-year-old had played in a different role for the Light Blues, might things have been different?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, that’s for sure. If Lammers continues his fine form, he might just be able to seal a move to another big side this summer.

He should be captain: Rangers star has become an "animal" under Ferguson

Rangers secured their first win over Celtic at Parkhead since 2020 on Sunday.

ByRoss Kilvington Mar 17, 2025

Mykhailo Mudryk is set to make an appearance at the Conference League final despite his doping ban.

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Mudryk to appear at Conference League finalCurrently banned after failing doping testDid play in the competitionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per the , Mudryk is in Poland to watch Chelsea face Real Betis in the final of the Conference League, and could make an appearance, as he is set to receive a medal. The Ukraine winger is currently banned after failing a doping test in November. His final appearance for the Blues came in a 2-0 win over Heidenheim in the league phase.

AdvertisementGettyTHE EXPLANATION

Mudryk is still waiting to discover when he will play football again but he is eligible for a medal if Chelsea win the competition. He played in five games in the competition, scoring three goals and registering four assists, and Chelsea are keen for that contribution to be recognised.

DID YOU KNOW?

Mudryk joined Chelsea in 2023 in a huge deal worth £89 million ($120m) and he signed a mammoth deal that runs for eight-and-a-half years. As a result of his ban, though, he has been unable to even train at the club's Cobham base.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Chelsea play Betis on Wednesday as they aim to cap their season with silverware. They have already qualified for the Champions League.

Five needed from six with three wickets in hand. Easy? Not on the night. It was high drama as Super Giants scraped through against Royal Challengers

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2023A high-scoring match lit up by a 15-ball half-century from Nicholas Pooran came down to the final over with Lucknow Super Giants needing five runs to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore, with three wickets in hand. There was already drama in the air, with Ayush Badoni dismissed hit-wicket – his bat hitting the stumps after he had one-hand-scooped a six – and Royal Challengers incurring an over-rate penalty that meant they’d only be allowed four fielders outside the 30-yard circle. A highly eventful final over followed, with Harshal Patel coming within inches of winning the match for Royal Challengers before Super Giants prevailed by one wicket, the fourth time the IPL had witnessed that victory margin. Here’s how it unfolded:19.1: Harshal to Unadkat, 1 run
Yorker on off but Unadkat gets it out to mid-off.19.2: Harshal to Wood, OUTHarshal castles Wood! It’s that dipping slower ball and it has done Wood in! Crashes into middle-stump!
Mark Wood b Patel 1 (2b 0x4 0x6 6m) SR: 5019.3: Harshal to Ravi Bishnoi, 2 runs
Full outside off, Bishnoi digs it out through point and they get two! He found the gap and they ran hard for their lives!
Harshal also becomes the 16th Indian bowler to get 100 IPL wickets.
Ravi Bishnoi is the new batter, by the way.19.4: Harshal to Ravi Bishnoi, 1 run
Banged in short and Bishnoi pulls it to deep square and now LSG need 1 off two deliveries. Scores are level!19.5: Harshal to Unadkat, OUTHoles out at long-on! Banged in short and Unadkat went for the pull. Picks up Faf du Plessis, who takes it reverse-cupped before switching it to a more normal hold.
Jaydev Unadkat c du Plessis b Patel 9 (7b 1×4 0x6 19m) SR: 128.57Here’s Ashish from the ground – It’s gone absolutely crazy the moment Faf took the catch. He bobbled, but hung on. LSG surely the more nervous team at the moment. The roof has gone off at the M Chinnaswamy.What has happened here?! Harshal looks to run out the non-striker! But he misses and then has a throw at the stumps but it won’t count! Because you can’t throw after attempting to run the non-striker out. Harshal will bowl again!One needed off one. One wicket left. Will LSG win? Or will we have a Super Over? Harshal Patel to Avesh Khan. BRING IT ON!19.6: Harshal to Avesh Khan, 1 bye
Harshal beats Avesh but he sets off for the run. DK fumbles! And they get the single away! LSG win amid high drama! Karthik didn’t collect cleanly and Bishnoi was already halfway down after throwing his bat while setting off only. The fumble means Avesh got through to the other end. Avesh throws his helmet as the celebrations begin.

USMNT star Weston McKennie has explained “what’s missing” in American soccer and how the Club World Cup and Lionel Messi can help to fix that.

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Two major tournaments heading to the StatesInterest building domestically & internationallyChallenge is retaining interest from supportersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The domestic game continues to grow in the United States, courtesy of MLS performers such as Inter Miami superstar Messi, while McKennie forms part of a so-called ‘Golden Generation’ at international level that includes the likes of Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Two major FIFA-sanctioned events are heading to America over the course of the next 12 months. The Club World Cup gets underway on June 14, while Messi’s Argentina will be looking to defend their World Cup crown on U.S. soil in the summer of 2026.

Watch every game of the FIFA Club World Cup live on DAZNStream nowDID YOU KNOW?

McKennie sees obvious benefits to hosting those events, with it important for supporters to get the live experience of watching the best in the business if interest is to be both built and retained.

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GettyWHAT WESTON MCKENNIE SAID

Juventus star McKennie has told of getting two forms of World Cup in the States: “I think it’s huge,. Obviously the U.S. has taken big steps in that sense, bringing players that may be towards the end of their career, but are still very influential players – Messi, [Luis] Suarez, Jordi Alba, [Sergio] Busquets and, at the beginning of time, [David] Beckham and Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] and all these guys going over to America, and it’s bringing more popularity to the sport there.

“So, I think obviously for Americans to be able to witness games and not the time difference of having to stay up or wake up early to watch games over here, they can see it right there live and see the players that they support and teams that they support.”

With Ipswich Town looking set to exit the Premier League at the first time of asking, they will fall back into the second tier knowing their very best players could be cherry-picked.

Having taken a substantial 22 years to return last time they fell out of the elite league, losing their very best players will hardly be ideal.

Who departs remains to be seen but if they do go down, then their hopes of bouncing straight back up will be made a lot harder if Liam Delap departs Portman Road, with the ex-Manchester City star an understandable hot commodity heading into the busy summer.

Delap's future at Ipswich

The battle to keep Delap around was always going to be an uphill one with the former Citizens wonderkid now a fully fledged Premier League ace in Suffolk.

Indeed, the 22-year-old centre-forward has an impressive ten strikes next to his name this season from 31 top-flight encounters, meaning Delap is way out in front as Ipswich’s top scorer as they languish all the way down in 18th spot.

Losing Delap’s services would go down as somewhat of a disaster, therefore, but it’s a move Ipswich will likely have to sign off on.

Indeed, the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all reportedly beginning to circle for the £40m-rated marksman, knowing the fate that presumably awaits McKenna’s men.

But, instead of feeling compelled to splash the cash – with rumours suggesting Ipswich could be after rising Wycombe Wanderers star Richard Kone – McKenna could opt to remain calm and methodical in hunting down Delap’s replacement.

Ipswich's "unique" Delap replacement

Considering the 22-year-old hotshot is the only figure this season to have reached double figures for goals, with Sammie Szmodics lurking behind the in-demand attacker on a lacklustre four, replacing Delap with someone already in the squad may worry Ipswich supporters.

But, most of the personnel at McKenna’s disposal – if relegation does occur – have been there and done it in the EFL in the past, with George Hirst potentially given a confidence boost if Championship football is served back up.

After all, during Ipswich’s triumphant promotion campaign, Hirst would chip in with a respectable seven goals and six assists in league action, a high amount considering his susceptibility to injuries meant he only featured 26 times up top.

This season, too, despite injury issues troubling him once more – alongside the daunting step-up in ability working against him – the Tractor Boys number seven has still managed to play a worthwhile role at points, with four goals and two assists tallied up from a limited 20 outings.

Chalkboard

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

He notably found some form prior to the international break, serving up a reminder of his qualities by scoring two goals in his last three outings at club level.

Games played

72

Goals scored

18

Assists

11

Games missed through injury

35

Original fee

£1.5m

Value now

£4.1m

If the £1.5m buy was to sort out his recurring problems in the treatment room, he might well be an apt replacement for the departing Delap, with 29 goal contributions from 72 games at Portman Road to date aiding two promotion efforts already.

Heralded as “unique” by McKenna for his ability to be imposing but also creative, the recently capped senior Scotland international would not need time to get up to speed with things if he was chosen to lead the line next campaign, with an injury-free Hirst perhaps becoming his manager’s starting striker in the very near future.

Ipswich let gem leave for nothing, now he's worth more than Muric & Chaplin

Kieran McKenna would love to have this star back in his Ipswich Town ranks.

ByKelan Sarson Mar 30, 2025

Final-ball four brings visitors level after hosts lose last five wickets for only 17 runs

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2023Durham and Derbyshire Falcons played out a thrilling tie in their Vitality Blast clash at Seat Unique Riverside as Haider Ali hit the final ball of the innings to the fence to earn his team a share of the spoils.Brydon Carse returned from injury to top score for the home side with a career-best 58 as Durham posted 178 from their 20 overs, although they were to rue a batting collapse, losing their final five wickets for only 17 runs.Derbyshire found their range in response as Luis Reece blasted 58 from 47 balls. But the home side dragged it back to set up a tense finale as Wayne Parnell claimed three wickets. Haider Ali held his nerve from the final ball and rescued a tie for the Falcons finding the boundary on the leg side to claim a valuable point.The visitors won the toss and elected to field, but were put on the back foot by Michael Jones’ early attack. The Scotland international, replacing Graham Clark at opener due to illness, crashed five boundaries in the powerplay before he picked out Mattie McKiernan on the fence to hand Khan the breakthrough.Alex Lees found his touch after a slow start but then suffered an unfortunate end when he was run out at the non-strikers’ end by McKiernan deflecting Carse’s drive back into the stumps. Carse responded to the misfortune by blasting two huge sixes straight down the ground to propel Durham’s scoring rate over nine runs per over.The Falcons kept themselves in the contest as Ollie Robinson and Ashton Turner were dismissed cheaply, reducing the hosts to 100 for 4 with eight overs remaining. Carse notched his second T20 fifty clearing the rope with two further strikes down the ground before Khan returned to the attack and prised out the all-rounder for 58.Carse’s dismissal sparked a collapse in the Durham ranks. The hosts fell from 161 for 5 to 178 all out in the final 15 balls of the innings. Zak Chappell did the damage with four late wickets, while Khan added a fourth for himself to bottle up the Durham lower order.Derbyshire issued a rapid response to their chase as Harry Came set the tone against Parnell, smashing his first over for three-straight boundaries. Came made his way to 34 from 17 before Parnell had his revenge to remove the Falcons’ opener in the final over of the powerplay.But, Reece and Wayne Madsen kept the visitors well ahead of the run rate, finding the fence with ease against slack Durham bowling. Reece made a slow start to his knock but he accelerated through the gears to reach his 16th T20 fifty from 38 balls, including two towering sixes against Liam Trevaskis.Paul Coughlin drew a false shot from Madsen and Nathan Sowter added the wicket of Leus du Plooy to his collection this season to put the visitors back under pressure, elevating the required run rate beyond 12 per over. Haider Ali responded with back-to-back boundaries in the 17th over to open up a tense finale, requiring 31 from the final three overs.Parnell and Trevaskis turned the screw for the hosts, combining twice to prise out Reece for 58 and Brook Guest, swinging the momentum back to Durham. Haider Ali and McKiernan drilled De Leede’s penultimate over for 14, aided by two wides from the Netherlands international, leaving the game in the balance heading into the final six balls.Parnell cost a run with his first ball throwing it needlessly back at the stumps after holding McKiernan in check. But his following four balls were on the money to leave Derbyshire needing five from the final delivery. With the game on the line, Haider Ali found the gap in a leg-side boundary to snatch a tie for the Falcons on the road.

It seems that three players are guaranteed to leave Manchester United in the summer.

Various reports have suggested experienced trio of Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans, and Tom Heaton will all depart the club upon the expiration of their current deal at the end of the campaign. Samuel Luckhurst of The Manchester Evening News said that the latter two could even be likely to retire at the end of the campaign.

As for Eriksen, he stated in an interview in the middle of March that he could exit, revealing that he hasn’t “heard anything from the club, and therefore I assume that the collaboration will stop” at the end of June.

So, there are three outgoings that seem inevitable at Old Trafford. There could be several more, including Casemiro.

What does Casemiro's future hold?

It will certainly be intriguing to see what the future holds for United’s number 18. The experienced Brazilian has played fairly infrequently under Ruben Amoirm across his tenure so far, playing 16 games out of a possible 28, but has enjoyed a rejuvenation in recent games.

The experienced Brazilian has performed excellently in United’s last two Europa League games against Real Soceidad, in the Premier League against Arsenal and the FA Cup against Fulham. Against the Gunners, Statman Dave described his efforts as an “unreal shift” in midfield.

Yet, his future is still up in the air. Casemiro, who earns £350k per week, more than any of his teammates, is reportedly one of the players United are willing to sell over the summer, as reported by TEAMtalk last month. However, they claim that ‘no club has shown any concrete interest’ in signing him.

At the start of March, he said that it is “too soon to talk about next season”, hinting that his future is still unsolved. However, it might well be in United’s interest to sell him to cut down on the weekly wage expenditure.

The same thing could also be said for another of United’s more experienced campaigners, who could still depart in the summer.

Not just Casemiro: High-earning Man United star could leave

It has been a season of rejuvenation for Harry Maguire. The former United captain was once out of favour and seemed destined to leave, but he has turned things around in the famous Red shirt and has since become an important player this term.

The Englishman has featured in 28 games for the 13-time Premier League champions this season. He has also overcome a few injury issues to play 19 times under Ruben Amorim so far, scoring twice, both winning goals against Leicester City in the FA Cup and Ipswich Town in the Premier League.

Although his contract was set to expire at the end of the season, the England international had his year contract extension activated by the club at the start of January. That stopped clubs outside of Europe from signing him on a free transfer.

Indeed, as per a report from The Athletic at the end of December, several clubs were interested in signing the centre-back on a free which included Italian giants Napoli, where Scott McTominay now plays, and Turkish side Galatasaray.

Maguire’s rejuvenation has been exceptional but perhaps a sale should be considered from United. He is the fifth highest earner at the club while Amorim now has a number of young options coming through the ranks, most notably Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven who feel like the future centre-back pairing.

Casemiro

£350k

£18.2m

Bruno Fernandes

£300k

£15.6m

Mason Mount

£250k

£13m

Matthijs de Ligt

£195k

£10.14m

Harry Maguire

£190k

£9.88m

On top of that, Maguire’s total yearly salary at United is a sizeable amount. Including this season, he will have earned £59m as per Capology. Assuming he stays another season, that will rise to nearly £70m.

Selling Maguire will not be an easy decision for United to make. Described as a “monstrous” defender by United fan and journalist Alex Turk, his commitment and ability are unquestionable. However, the money that United could save is astronomical.

The Red Devils are somewhat short of cash at the moment, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe explaining in an interview that “there’s no money left” at the club. As much of a shame as it would be to see the defender leave, it might be one of the easiest ways for the Red Devils to save money.

Dream Gyokeres alternative: Amorim pushing Man Utd to sign £84m "monster"

Man Utd boss Amorim is pushing for the signing

ByJoe Nuttall Mar 31, 2025

Teenage off-spinner takes 3 for 9 to send Thunder into knockouts for first time

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2023Thunder qualified for their first ever Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day this weekend thanks to a landslide seven-wicket win over local rivals Northern Diamonds, who they all but knocked out of the competition in the process at Blackpool’s Stanley Park.Scottish off-spinner Olivia Bell, 19, starred with 3 for 9 from three overs in only her third senior regional appearance as the Diamonds were bowled out for just 96, a target achieved in 15 overs to secure a five-point, bonus-point victory thanks to an unbeaten 42 not out off 34 balls from Fi Morris.Not only have Thunder qualified for their first ever T20 regional Finals Day, at New Road on Saturday, by securing a top-three berth, it is the first time in three-and-a-half seasons of regional cricket that they have got out of the group stage of either this or the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. And they have done so by winning four of their last five matches on the back of losing their first two.For the Diamonds, finalists in 2021 and the reigning RHFT 50-over champions, they wasted a golden chance to qualify having won their first four games. They needed just one win to guarantee qualification from their remaining three fixtures but lost all of them.It would take a miracle defeat from Southern Vipers against Sunrisers later for the Diamonds to qualify on net run-rate. But they can realistically prepare for a free weekend.After the Diamonds elected to bat, Thunder piled on the pressure with some excellent bowling and fielding on the way to the lowest total of this season’s competition.New-ball left-arm quicks Tara Norris and Mahika Gaur both claimed two wickets, as did the off-spin of Morris, who later picked the perfect time to post her highest score for Thunder since joining over the winter.Naomi Dattani claimed three catches at long-on, affected a run out and opened the batting with 20.The Diamonds got off to a disastrous start, losing Leah Dobson, captain Hollie Armitage – the leading run-scorer in the competition – and Lauren Winfield-Hill all caught within the first 15 balls.Dobson and Armitage fell to Norris in the space of four balls at the end of the second over, caught at mid-on and backward point respectively, before Winfield-Hill drilled Gaur to long-on. And they failed to recover.Bess Heath followed when she aimed a wild swing at Gaur at the start of the fifth over, losing off and middle stumps, and the Diamonds were 19 for 4 and Thunder were dreaming of Finals Day, where they will play in the afternoon semi-final against a yet-to-be-determined qualifier. The winner will play the Blaze in the evening final.South African Chloe Tryon threatened a recovery by calmly moving in the twenties, but she was bowled by Morris trying to play expansively through the off-side. And returning Beth Langston, playing her first match since August following an ACL injury, followed four balls later when bowled by Bell.Tryon and Dutch international Sterre Kalis with 24 were the only Diamonds batters to make it beyond 20, with wickets continuing to fall.Kalis holed out to long-on off Morris before Bell had Katherine Fraser the same way – the third of Dattani’s catches in that position – as the score fell to 93 for 8 in the 18th over.Bell then had Katie Levick caught at cover for a golden duck before Grace Hall was run out to wrap up the innings with eight balls unused.Thunder handed a debut to fledgling left-arm spinner Sophie Morris, who bowled two wicketless overs before watching her batting team-mates seal victory.Openers Liberty Heap and Dattani both fell as the score slipped to 64 for two inside 10 overs, but they were only minor blemishes.Heap fell to a smart Kalis catch running back towards deep gully off Fraser’s off-spin before Dattani guided seamer Langston to short third.But Morris was strong on both sides of the wicket to spark joyous scenes by the seaside despite the late departure of Deandra Dottin to Levick.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is reportedly 'dreaming' of a move to Manchester United after rejecting a move to Al-Hilal.

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Osimhen snubs Al-Hilal moveFaces uncertain Napoli future'Dreaming' of Man Utd switchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, claim the Nigerian international is 'dreaming' of an Old Trafford switch, with United 'studying a strategy' to land him later this summer. Napoli CEO Aurelio de Laurentiis is said to want suitors to pay Osimhen's €75 million (£63.5m) release clause, with the Red Devils reportedly considering including forward Joshua Zirkee in a possible move.

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United's biggest transfer priority ahead of next season is to, arguably, sign a clinical striker. Ruben Amorim's team were so short on goals in 2024/25 in attack, and if Osimhen did join, that would be a real statement of intent. The report adds that Napoli and United are on 'good relations' following the Scott McTominay deal and that could facilitate an Osimhen transfer.

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Osimhen, who rejected a move to Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal, has enjoyed another prolific season in front of goal, with the 26-year-old scoring 37 goals in 41 games while on loan at Galatasaray.

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Osimhen, who is still the subject of interest from Al-Hilal and has also been linked with Juventus, Arsenal, and Chelsea, is once again set to be the subject of much transfer interest in the coming weeks and months. But whether he does leave Napoli remains to be seen.