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Greater Manchester Police have confirmed a woman has been arrested following the death of Steve Bruce's four-month old grandson Madison.

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Child died at four months oldGrandson of ex-Man Utd star BruceWoman arrested in connectionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Bruce's grandson Madison Smith tragically died at home in October at the age of four months. He lived with his mother, Bruce's daughter Amy, and his son-in-law Matt Smith. The death is now being investigated by police and a woman has been arrested and released on bail after being questioned by police. According to , the couple employed a night nanny to help care for Madison and police are examining her phone.

AdvertisementGREATER MANCHESTER POLICE ISSUE STATEMENT

A spokesperson for thee GMP said: "We can confirm an investigation is ongoing and a woman in her 40s was arrested on suspicion of child neglect. She was questioned and released on bail pending further inquiries. It is understood police are investigating the woman’s phone following Madison’s death."

Getty Images SportBRUCE TOUCHED BY SUPPORT

Bruce took time off from his job as Blackpool boss after his grandson's death. He issued a heartbreaking statement at the time after the family's funeral for Madison. “On Tuesday we laid my grandson Madison to rest. It's been the worst time of my family's entire lives and is something no family should have to endure. I'd like to take this opportunity on behalf of all the family to thank everyone for the tributes and messages from inside and outside the footballing world. It has touched us all. I'd also like to thank David, Julian, and the owner Simon for their understanding and support. i look forward to seeing you all on Saturday at Gillingham, and back at Bloomfield Road. Look after your loved ones."

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INVESTIGATION TO CONTINUE

Bruce returned to work with Blackpool at the end of October. Meanwhile, the investigation into Madison's death is set to continue.

Al-Hilal forward Neymar has promised he "won't stop here" after winning a special honour at the Globe Soccer Awards.

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Neymar picks up Globe Soccer Awards gongForward "written in football history"Brazilian says he "won't stop here"Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 32-year-old was named as one of three winners of the Player Career Award 2024, alongside former England defender Rio Ferdinand and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. After receiving that gong, the Brazilian took to social media to say his name is "written in football history" and he has more to give in the game.

AdvertisementWHAT NEYMAR SAID

The Instagram post translates to: "I would like to thank my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches, and my fans. Very happy for the recognition, to have my name written in soccer history is truly incredible!!! A great honour to receive this award from @globesoccer. 🙏❤️ We're not stopping here, the work continues !!!!"

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Neymar's career appears to be on the decline after moving from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal in 2023, recovering from a serious knee injury and his contract expires at the Saudi team next year. But he is Brazil's all-time top scorer and could still have a successful final few years in football.

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Neymar could feature for Al-Hilal in the King Cup of Champions quarter-finals on January 7 at home to Al-Ittihad.

Back at the end of last season, Erik ten Hag held the FA Cup trophy aloft, he smiled and batted away any concerns that he wouldn't be Manchester United's manager when the new campaign kicked off.

Despite a wave of criticism and a barrage of torment from pundits, he defied his critics. Well, sort of.

Ten Hag kept his position but nothing has been different about the Red Devils during their opening three matches of the season to date.

They defeated Fulham but it took a last-gasp goal from debutant Joshua Zirkzee to do so. They then suffered a late defeat to Brighton and were swept aside, of course they were, by rivals Liverpool.

They face newly-promoted Southampton on Saturday lunchtime and it's a game where they should take all three points.

Latest Man United injury news

Heading into the game with the Saints, United will still be without the services of Mason Mount and long-term absentee Leny Yoro. It's also likely that Rasmus Hojlund will continue to sit out with the club cautiously managing his return to action.

The biggest blow to Ten Hag's preparation concerns Bruno Fernandes. This has been a dreaded international break and it's lived up to its name with Nathan Ake and Martin Odegaard receiving nasty-looking injuries while playing for their countries.

Well, Fernandes may have suffered the same feat. Playing for Portugal against Scotland, the attacking midfielder lasted the full 90 minutes and scored but was seen limping after a blow to his ankle.

Talking to the media after the game, he was quick to calm any fears over his fitness, saying: "It's just a little bump."

At the moment, his chances of making the game are said to be around 75% with assessments taking place.

It looks as though he'll be fit to play in some capacity but whether he starts remains to be seen.

How Bruno Fernandes could be replaced

If the United skipper is forced to sit out of Saturday's encounter it will be a huge blow to an already down-trodden side.

He is the heartbeat of the team and even if he hasn't scored yet this term, he has proven to be their main man over a number of years now.

Fernandes found the net on 15 occasions last season and also registered 13 assists. To put those numbers into context, only Hojlund scored more (16), while no other player at Old Trafford assisted more goals. So, he's pretty damn important then.

How can United replace him? With great difficulty. Mount is out so that rules out one option which could mean that Christian Eriksen is given his first start of the season in a no.10 role, the position he thrived in at Spurs.

Signing fee

£47m

Salary

£300k-p/w

Games played

237

Goals

79

Assists

67

Minutes played

20,077

Honours won

2

During his career in Manchester, the Dane has usually been restricted by playing in a deeper role but 55 of his 118 career goals have come as an attacking midfielder.

What his inclusion means, however, is that there's a strong likelihood that Casemiro is forced to start in the centre of the park.

Toby Collyer did replace the struggling Brazilian at half-time against Liverpool but with Fernandes out, it would be a gamble to remove so much experience from the side.

That said, anyone is better than Casemiro, right?

The veteran has been a dwindling force over the last year – that's putting it politely too – with the nadir of his time arguably that showing against Liverpool nearly a fortnight ago.

He made two costly errors that subsequently led to the two Luis Diaz goals in the first half of the game and was handed a rather harsh 1/10 match rating by MEN's Samuel Luckhurst.

So, Collyer could replace him or Manuel Ugarte could also be handed a debut but considering he's not played a single minute of club football in 2024/25, that's also unlikely.

If Fernandes does miss out then all rounds point towards another possible inclusion for Casemiro. Hold onto your hats, United fans.

Man Utd must regret selling £9m star who's now miles better than Casemiro

The star has been a real hit after departing Old Trafford.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 9, 2024

The former BCCI women’s cricket head details the areas that need urgent attention

Shamya Dasgupta29-Jun-2021Women’s cricket in India has been making headlines since India made the finals of the 2017 50-over World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup. By the end of 2021, India would have played two Tests after a gap of almost seven years: One just ended, in England, and there’s another lined up, a pink-ball Test – the second for women – in Australia in September. The BCCI has also been tapping talent with the T20 Challenge that is played alongside the IPL playoffs’ week every year.All of that would make it appear that women’s cricket in India is heading in the right direction. However, Saba Karim, who was until December the BCCI’s general manager for cricket operations, feels that the board needs to make the administration of the women’s game more professional and have a plan that is separate from that for men’s cricket. Only then, he says, can women’s cricket grow faster.Related

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“It is a good start, but there needs to be a solid plan, a plan different to that for the boys and men, for things to move forward and for us to build on it,” Karim said in a chat with ESPNcricinfo. “I feel the way to go forward is to make it much more professional, and growth of women’s cricket has to be different from boys’ cricket, and the planning has to be different. One has to have a different plan, a constructive plan, with lots of outreach programmes.”While Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami Smriti Mandhana and a couple of others are household names in India, Karim said the pathway for young women to move from the lowest rungs to the top are yet to be properly put in place. “In India, we don’t have many girls who come and play, even now. One has to ensure that their passage from entering the system to the time they exit is without obstacles,” he said. “For instance, for a boy to walk two kilometres to play cricket, or to go to school, is easy. But it’s not for a girl. So how do we remove that? How do we make it more accessible?”Also, the BCCI has Under-19 and Under-23 cricket, but 40-50% of the girls end up playing [both] Under-19 and Under-23 for certain teams, because there aren’t too many girls playing. We had to have separate calendars so there was no clash. That isn’t the case with the boys, because there are so many players and there is so much talent. So the plan for women has to be different.”

“The way men’s cricket is played in India, we don’t need to do too much, because there is so much talent, so many players in the system. That has to happen for the women”Saba Karim

When India played the Bristol Test earlier this month, it wasn’t just the team’s first Test match in seven years. It was also the first long-format game the players had been involved in in years, with the BCCI discontinuing its women’s domestic first-class competition after the 2017-18 season.During Karim’s three-year term in the BCCI, domestic and women’s cricket were among his primary responsibilities, his mandate being to draw up roadmaps and structures for holistic development. There was the occasional chat at the BCCI – run by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) for the best part of his time there – about women’s cricket, Karim said, but nothing that suggested a revival of the first-class and Test formats so soon.”Only England and Australia had Test matches, and no country was very keen to play, there were lots of constraints: lots of women cricketers are not professionals, getting out for so many days was a problem; not just in India, but elsewhere too,” Karim said. “I think that’s why the BCCI took the decision not to have Test matches, and therefore no first-class tournament.”There were discussions, there were talks, between some of the other nations too. More so after England and Australia introduced the points-system-based multi-format Ashes. This gained momentum in India too; the BCCI wanted to be in that position. I am glad it has happened. But to sustain it, we need multi-day cricket for women in the domestic circuit also. It might start from the Under-23 level, and take it up to the seniors.””The women’s IPL will have the same quality as the men’s IPL if there is a strong foundation”•ESPNcricinfo LtdIt is, however, easier said than done, and Karim accepted that. “The only way forward is to have a full-fledged three-day competition. But the issue is not conducting the matches; the BCCI hosts an incredible number of matches anyway. The issue is the calendar – it’s packed, and we have limited time to conduct so many tournaments,” he says. “You can’t start before September, even mid-September, to accommodate the increase in the number of matches. It was possible because so many new venues came up, but it was a logistical nightmare for sure.”For a women’s multi-day event, we need to look at some more venues. Plus, don’t forget, this means an increase in the number of match officials, scorers, groundspersons, video analysts, the entire contingent. It’s not only about grounds. All that needs to be considered.”Karim, often in consultation with National Cricket Academy director Rahul Dravid, had chalked out a comprehensive plan to try and take Indian women’s cricket to the next level, and much of it involved a greater focus at the lower levels, and a lot of collaboration with the state associations.”Outreach programmes with Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns, schools, those were in the pipelines. The Women’s IPL [in discussions for a while now but yet to become a reality] is at the highest level, and that we can have. But for it to be successful, we need a stronger domestic circuit, a better structure,” Karim says. “The women’s IPL will have the same quality as the men’s IPL if there is a strong foundation. The way men’s cricket is played in India, we don’t need to do too much, because there is so much talent, so many players in the system. That has to happen for the women.”The onus, Karim said, was not just on the BCCI, but primarily with the states. “Initially, the responsibility of the state associations and the BCCI is to come up with a proper plan. A proper roadmap needs to be in place. That will come from the BCCI. But the BCCI can’t do everything. The states need to play their part to make it happen.”

Everton are now believed to be looking to bring in a “fantastic” manager to replace Sean Dyche as the Friedkin Group close in on a takeover from Farhad Moshiri.

Everton takeover latest

The Blues are still without a win in the Premier League this season, although Saturday’s 1-1 draw away to Leicester City did at least see them get their first point on the board. There was an element of disappointment about the result again however, considering Everton were leading through Iliman Ndiaye’s goal and because they were up against a team who were playing Championship football last term.

This terrible start to the campaign has understandably meant that there is huge pressure on Dyche to keep his job, with the Englishman seemingly losing admirers by the week among the Goodison Park faithful and a potential takeover sure to change his status as well.

On that note, it appears John Textor has taken too long trying to sell his stake at Crystal Palace, as it is now the Freidkin Group closing in on a deal, with reliable reporter Mark Douglas revealing on Monday that an Everton takeover is “very close” and Friedkin is plotting “significant” investment and an “immediate review of football operations” – something which may place Dyche’s position in danger.

Moyes favourite to be new Everton manager

A new report from Football Insider claims that Everton are now looking to bring David Moyes back to Goodison, should they decide that Dyche is no longer the right man for the job. The Scot is considered a “popular appointment” by both “the boardroom and the fans”, having enjoyed such an impressive stint in charge first time around, although it is unclear how much of that support is from the potential new investors.

Opinion may be divided among Everton fans when it comes to a Moyes return, with some no doubt happy about the potential for it happening, and others perhaps feeling that a younger option is needed. He enjoyed a good second spell at West Ham, not least because he won the UEFA Europa Conference League back in 2022/23, but has ironically struggled against Dyche in his career, barely averaging over a point per game against the 53 year-old and winning only 3 of 11 head to heads.

Legendary centre-back Martin Keown lauded him during his last stint with the Hammers, saying: “I think David Moyes deserves credit because you know he’s at the back end of his career but I think he’s getting ever-better. He’s actually showing improvements. Fantastic work they’re doing in Europe, and he seems to be relishing the battle right now.”

Moyes is known for adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation, and while not necessarily the most attack-minded manager around, he could arguably play better football than has been on show under Dyche, with entertainment value severely lacking under his management and only four goals scored in the league so far this season.

West Ham

230

1.53

West Ham

31

1.19

Sunderland

43

0.72

Real Sociedad

42

1.21

Man Utd

51

1.73

Everton

518

1.54

Preston North End

211

1.72

Moyes’ vast experience could help Everton get themselves out of this current hole, in a period where avoiding relegation from the Premier League this season is paramount ahead of the move to Bramley Moore Dock.

Hannah Jones, Alex Hartley set up DLS win as Southern Brave lose unbeaten record

ECB Reporters Network05-Aug-2021Lizelle Lee smashed a superb 43 not out to fire bottom side Manchester Originals to a shock 17-run DLS win over women’s Hundred pace-setters Southern Brave at Emirates Old Trafford.The Originals, chasing 124, won their first match at the fifth attempt, while the Brave’s bid for a fifth straight win was halted in murky Manchester conditions. Harmanpreet Kaur was missing from the Originals XI due to a “quad niggle”, but they thrived in her absence to get over the line.Related

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The Brave lost four late wickets for five runs in seven balls, undermining their bid for more than 123 for 7 having been inserted.South African Lee shared 52 in 38 balls with Emma Lamb to set the tone for the chase and completed the job once her opening partner had fallen, finishing with four fours and a six in 32 balls. When heavy rain arrived, the Originals were 97 for 1, needing only 27 more from 30 balls, and they were comfortable winners on DLS.Each of the Brave’s top four made valuable contributions on a true pitch; Sophia Dunkley and Stafanie Taylor made 28 apiece after 24 and 19 for openers Danni Wyatt and Smriti Mandhana.For the Originals, Hannah Jones and Alex Hartley claimed three wickets apiece to upstage fellow left-arm spinner, England’s wicketless Sophie Ecclestone.Wyatt and Mandhana shared a brisk opening stand of 34 and hit four boundaries apiece in their respective innings. Over cover was a productive area.Hannah Jones was the pick of the Originals bowlers•Getty ImagesBut the Brave’s early good work was wasted by the late collapse as the score fell from 113 for 3 after 88 balls to 118 for 7 after 96.Hartley had Maia Bouchier caught at cover and Amanda-Jade Wellington lbw with successive deliveries before Jones and Kate Cross also shared two wickets in two balls. Hartley finished with 3 for 29 and Jones 3 for 17 from their respective 20 balls.In reply, England hopeful Lamb was the early dominant force with 32 off 23. She crashed five boundaries and was particularly strong square either side of the wicket before running herself out when she pushed to cover and was the victim of a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from Anya Shrubsole to leave the score at 52 for 1 after 38.Mignon du Preez then joined her compatriot Lee as runs continued to flow. When Lee hoisted Charlotte Taylor’s spin over long-on for the first of two sixes in the match, the Originals were 76 for 1, needing 48 more with 46 balls remaining.Shortly afterwards, Du Preez – who made 15 not out – lofted Wellington’s legspin over long-on for six. But there was only time for two more balls, with them sharing an unbroken 45.”When you start the tournament with three losses and don’t get an opportunity to win the fourth because of rain, there’s a lot of pressure,” Cross said. “But I just loved the way we went about our cricket today. That was what pleased me the most. When you’re losing, it would be easy to go into your shell even more.”We had a chat on Monday and said, ‘We’ve got nothing to lose now. Let’s not worry about failing because the more you worry about that, the more likely you are to fail’. We just took the shackles off. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

How much does every Gunners player earn annually and who receives the most into their account?

Arsenal under Mikel Arteta have been an intriguing side. While there has been clear progress, with the Gunners falling agonisingly short of the Premier League title in recent seasons, they are yet to capture a major trophy under his leadership.

One constant, however, has been the club's financial strength. Arsenal are among the teams with the highest net spend in the Premier League. This financial commitment has allowed the club to invest heavily in top talent, including players like Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus, in their pursuit of domestic and European glory.

Such high-profile signings, however, come with significant wage demands, reflecting the club's ambition to assemble a squad capable of competing at the highest level.

Which begs the question: who is the highest earner at Arsenal this season? And who is on the opposite end of the spectrum?

GOAL delved into the numbers from Capology and found out!

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Getty Images SportGoalkeepers

David Raya is the outright highest-earning goalkeeper at Arsenal, making over £5m annually. Despite that, he is not among the highest-paid players at the club.

Apart from Raya, the Gunners currently have just one more senior custodian in their ranks: former Juventus and Barcelona goalkeeper Neto, who is earning half as much as Raya.

Name Salary

David Raya£5,200,000Neto£2,600,000AdvertisementGetty Images SportDefenders

Most Arsenal fans would argue that William Saliba is not only their best defender but also 'the' top centre-back in the Premier League. Given his exceptional performances, it’s hard to find a Gooner who would dispute that he deserves to be the club's highest-paid defender. Earning around £10m annually, Saliba ranks among the highest-paid defenders in England.

Unexpectedly, though, Saliba's centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes is not the second-highest paid Arsenal defender, with the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, and even the often peripheral figure Kieran Tierney all earning more than the Brazil international.

Name Salary

William Saliba£9,880,000Oleksandr Zinchenko£7,800,000Ben White£7,800,000Riccardo Calafiori£6,240,000Kieran Tierney£5,720,000Takehiro Tomiyasu£5,200,000Gabriel Magalhaes£5,200,000Jurrien Timber£4,680,000Jakub Kiwior£3,016,000Getty Images SportMidfielders

As expected, club captain Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice are the highest-paid midfielders at Arsenal, both earning over £12m annually.

Thomas Partey is the only other midfielder at the club with an eight-figure salary, while Mikel Merino and Jorginho earn more than £6m and £5m, respectively.

Name Salary

Martin Odegaard£12,480,000Declan Rice£12,480,000Thomas Partey£10,400,000Mikel Merino£6,760,000Jorginho£5,720,000ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images SportAttackers

Surprisingly, Bukayo Saka is not Arsenal's highest-paid attacker — that distinction goes to Kai Havertz. In fact, even Gabriel Jesus earns more than Saka.

Gabriel Martinelli, who plays on the opposite flank, isn't far behind in terms of wages. Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard are the lowest-paid attackers, though Sterling's salary is still notably high on paper.

Name Salary

Kai Havertz£14,560,000Gabriel Jesus£13,780,000Bukayo Saka£10,140,000Gabriel Martinelli£9,360,000Raheem Sterling£8,450,000Leandro Trossard£4,680,000

Following a difficult start to their Premier League return, Southampton have reportedly been handed a much-needed boost as they plot a third attempt to sign a forward who dreams of a move to England’s top flight.

Southampton transfer news

On paper, the Saints enjoyed a solid summer transfer window. They welcomed experience in the form of Adam Lallana, reunited Russell Martin with Flynn Downes on a permanent basis and signed Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal in a deal that stole the headlines. Those reinforcements are yet to bear fruit, however, with their one point coming last time out against fellow promoted side Ipswich Town.

The one positive for the Saints to cherish has been the form of young winger Tyler Dibling, with the 18-year-old impressing against Manchester United before then scoring against Ipswich to once again steal the spotlight.

At just 18 years old, however, Dibling needs help in the Southampton attack if Martin’s side are to avoid Premier League relegation at the first time of asking since last season’s promotion. And it seems as though the Saints are well aware of that.

According to Trivela via Sport Witness, Corinthians are now willing to let Yuri Alberto leave for the right price in January, which is a major boost for Southampton who are plotting a third move to sign the young striker.

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Those at St Mary’s will be desperate to make it a third time lucky, having reportedly attempted to sign Alberto last January and then placing a loan offer worth €3m (£2.5m) with a buy option of €20m (£17m), only to see their bid turned down.

At the time, Corinthians reportedly cited a lack of time to find a replacement as the reason why they rejected such a respectable offer for their forward, but since welcoming the likes of Memphis Depay, the Brazilian club are now reportedly open to selling Alberto.

"Clinical" Alberto would make the difference for Southampton

There’s no doubt that Southampton’s frontline needs a consistent goalscorer in the Premier League. It’s something that can instantly make the difference between relegation and survival, and Alberto can offer exactly that, whilst realising a Premier League dream of his own.

The forward revealed as relayed by Sport Witness: “There was an offer from England. The board chose to decline. Everything is fine. I’m happy and will continue to be happy. It’s my dream to play in Europe, to compete in the Premier League, but everything has its time, and those who control this know everything. If I’m here today, it’s because there’s something very big for me and for Corinthians.”

After scoring 17 goals and assisting a further six for Corinthians in their current campaign in Brazil, the timing of his move could be sooner than he thinks, with the January window presenting the perfect opportunity for Southampton to make their third and perhaps finally successful attempt to secure his signature.

Dubbed “clinical” by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, Alberto could quickly emerge to become a key player if Southampton make their move this winter.

Craig Overton will bolster Southern Brave in Eliminator against Trent Rockets as Allen and de Grandhomme depart

Valkerie Baynes18-Aug-2021Moeen Ali and Craig Overton are available to play in the closing stages of The Hundred after both were released from their England duties.Ali, who played his first Test on home soil for two years in England’s second-Test defeat against India at Lord’s, is set to return as captain of a Birmingham Phoenix squad seeking to win the inaugural title in Saturday’s final at Lord’s. Overton, who was called into the England squad when Ben Stokes announced his withdrawal for personal reasons, will link up with Southern Brave ahead of their Eliminator against Trent Rockets at The Kia Oval on Friday.Ali, who scored 189 runs and took four wickets for Birmingham Phoenix in the opening six games of The Hundred before he was recalled for England, praised the efforts of Liam Livingstone leading Phoenix in his absence.”I’ve loved every minute of The Hundred and captaining Birmingham Phoenix, as my home team in the tournament, has been an honour,” Ali said. “Livi has done a fantastic job in leading from the front in the last two games and in getting us over the line to secure our place at Lord’s. I can’t wait to join back up with the squad and pushing us forward, hopefully to a first title.”Related

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As stand-in captain, Livingstone struck the fastest fifty of the Hundred to date, off 20 balls, as Phoenix defeated Northern Superchargers on Tuesday. His 92 not out was the joint-highest score of the competition, alongside Jemimah Rodrigues in Superchargers Women’s opening game, and his 10 sixes were the most in an individual innings. Livingstone also hit a 31-ball fifty as he led his side to victory over Trent Rockets last Friday.Meanwhile, Finn Allen and Colin de Grandhomme are heading to Bangladesh for international duty with New Zealand. As a result, Phoenix have called up David Bedingham from Durham as their replacement for Allen while Southern Brave will bring in Tim David. Bedingham will play for Durham in Thursday’s Royal London Cup Final before joining up with the squad the next day. David scored a match-winning century for Surrey last weekend, which put them into the Royal London Cup semi-finals, where they lost to Durham.

Arsenal are set to seal a deal for long-term target Martin Zubimendi, beating Liverpool and Manchester City to the Real Sociedad man's signature.

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Arsenal to seal Zubimendi transferBeat Liverpool and Man City in transfer racePartey and Jorginho set to leave in the summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , the Gunners are in advanced talks with Real Sociedad to seal a transfer for their star midfielder Martin Zubimendi, with the deal now 'virtually completed'. Arsenal ideally would have wanted the Spaniard to join the club in January, however, Real Sociedad remain determined to retain his services until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

AdvertisementGetty THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Gunners will see two of their current central midfielders, Jorginho and Thomas Partey, leave the club at the end of the current season after the expiry of their contracts. As a result, the English side went all-out to secure Zubimendi's signature. The Spain international has a release clause of €60 million (£51m/$61.5m) which Arsenal are ready to trigger.

DID YOU KNOW?

Liverpool and Manchester City were also in the race to sign the Real Sociedad star. Despite facing a rejection from Zubimendi in the summer, the Reds were planning to go after him once again this month. City, on the other hand, had put the Spain international on their shortlist after Rodri ruptured his ACL earlier in the season.

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

After securing Zubimendi's transfer, Arteta will now look to strengthen his attack. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus have been sidelined with long-term injuries, while Kai Havertz has failed to perform consistently. After two consecutive setbacks in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, Arsenal will aim to get back to winning ways on Wednesday when they take on local rivals Tottenham in the Premier League.