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Martin O’Neill has confirmed that Celtic’s clash with Dundee at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night will be his final game as the interim manager.

The experienced Northern Irish coach has revealed that Wilfried Nancy will take charge for the clash with Hearts at the weekend, ending his time in the dugout.

Speaking after the 2-1 win over Hibernian, O’Neill said: “He (Nancy) is the man that will be coming in. I thought it was over on Sunday, but there’s some paperwork still to be dealt with. Wednesday will definitely be my final game.

The interim boss has won six of his seven matches in his second spell with the Hoops, winning all four of his league games, and there have been several players who have been big winners from the change in manager.

The biggest winners from Martin O'Neill's time as interim Celtic manager

Callum Osmand, who is currently out with a hamstring injury, was one of the early winners from Brendan Rodgers’ departure, after he scored one goal in three games for O’Neill, having not played a single minute under the previous boss.

On the topic of strikers, Johnny Kenny was another winner of O’Neill’s tenure because the Ireland international scored four goals in the manager’s first four matches in charge, per Sofascore, which has shown that he can deliver quality at first-team level for the Hoops.

Reo Hatate has also improved under the interim boss. He has provided two goals and three assists in seven games for the Northern Irishman, per Sofascore, after a return of one goal and no assists in 13 games for Rodgers.

The biggest winner of O’Neill’s tenure, however, has been centre-back Auston Trusty, who has played every single minute of the seven games, having only made two appearances as a substitute in the league for the last manager this season.

Why Wilfried Nancy may drop Auston Trusty

Despite playing every single minute of the last seven Celtic games, the USA international is one of the players who could be on the chopping block when Nancy finally comes through the door.

Chalkboard

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

Trusty has been playing as a right-sided centre-back because of the injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers, and the French tactician may want a naturally right-footed option in that position.

If Nancy wants that natural balance at the back, whether that is by signing a centre-back in January or giving a chance to another player in the squad, then Trusty could have to compete with Liam Scales for a starting berth as the left-sided centre-back.

Appearances

28

39

Clean sheets

13

22

Dribbled past

11x

8x

Error led to shot

5

2

Error led to goal

1

0

As you can see in the table above, the Ireland international has been the more reliable performer for the Scottish giants at the heart of the defence in the Premiership since the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

Trusty, who was hailed as a “powerful” player by Rodgers, made an error leading to a shot with a loose pass on Sunday, and that was his fifth in just 28 league games for the club.

He has also been dribbled past three more times than Scales, despite the Irishman playing 11 more games, which shows that opposition players find it easier to play against him than his fellow left-footed defender.

Trusty, to his credit, has been solid in his duels in the Premiership this season, winning 62% of his physical battles, per Sofascore, but his errors over the past 18 months or so and the fact that he is currently a left-footer playing on the right may come into consideration ahead of the January transfer window.

Nancy may want to bring in a naturally right-footed player to start games in that role, leaving Trusty and Scales to compete for one place. That is why he may end up dropping the American, who has been the biggest winner from O’Neill’s tenure, once he has a right-footed defender available to select.

His performances at Premiership level since his £6m move from Sheffield United suggest that Scales would be the better option for the new boss at left-centre-back, but we will have to wait and see how it plays out in reality.

Celtic flop who was "really shaky" v Hibs is the first player Nancy must bin

This Celtic flop is the first player who should be sold by incoming manager Wilfried Nancy in January.

ByDan Emery Nov 30, 2025

Karim Adeyemi has reportedly made his choice between Manchester United and Arsenal as the Borussia Dortmund star is tipped to leave the Bundesliga next summer. The 23-year-old, whose contract runs until 2027, has stalled on extension talks with Dortmund and has privately accepted that a fresh challenge awaits him.

• United’s hopes fade despite early contact

  According to United have been tracking Adeyemi closely for months, even speaking to his agent Jorge Mendes to gauge his appetite for a Premier League switch. But optimism quickly evaporated once it became clear that the forward favours Arsenal’s project. Moreover, the German club have set a £75 million ($98m) valuation, significantly higher than what United were prepared to pay, and Adeyemi has already told intermediaries that a move to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal is his first choice. His preference leaves United searching for alternatives and further highlights the challenge Amorim faces in persuading top-tier forwards to join a rebuilding side.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Weapons scandal looms Over Adeyemi

  Adeyemi issued a public apology following a €450,000 fine for possessing prohibited weapons, a knuckleduster and a taser, which he had received unknowingly as part of an online “mystery box”.

  In a candid Instagram statement, he explained: "You have probably seen the headlines about me in the last few days. It is not easy for me to talk about this. At the beginning of 2024, out of carelessness and without really thinking about what I was doing, I ordered a so-called ‘mystery box’ on the internet. It contained items that are not permitted under weapons legislation. Many months later, the package was delivered and ended up unopened at the police station.

  "Nevertheless, it was a huge mistake. One that I am very sorry about, that cost me dearly and that I deeply regret. I know that I am in the public eye and have a role model function. I did not live up to that. That is precisely why it hurts me all the more that I acted so recklessly. I have learned more from this than I can put into words. And I promise you that I will avoid such mistakes in the future. Thank you to everyone who still trusts and supports me."

• No penalty imposed by Dortmund

  The case could have resulted in up to three years in prison under German weapons law, or ten if brass knuckles were involved, but Adeyemi escaped with a financial penalty. The fine was calculated based on his income, leaving him with an entry in the federal register but not a criminal record.

  Dortmund have opted against further sanctions. Manager Niko Kovac made that clear: "It is no reason for me to ban him for the next few weeks. I am not his father, but his coach. People should put things into proper perspective. Everything has now been said about it. The focus is clearly on the Bundesliga. He will get our full support for that.”

  Managing director Lars Ricken also defended the player’s character, emphasising his remorse and their belief in his promise to avoid future lapses.

  "We naturally took the matter very seriously and have since been able to speak with Karim Adeyemi at length and clearly about his behaviour," Ricken told Sky Sport. "He deeply regrets his mistake. However, it must also be taken into account that he had to pay a hefty fine, no one was harmed, and the player continues to be considered to have no criminal record. Karim Adeyemi has firmly promised us that he will not make such a mistake again. We trust him to keep his word."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  German federation also weighs in

  DFB sporting director Rudi Voller admitted to being blindsided by the situation but urged perspective: "Yes, of course we didn't know [about Adeyemi illegally possessing weapons]. The day after the game in Luxembourg, Lars Ricken called me and told me. He didn't know everything either. Then Julian [Nagelsmann] and I grabbed Karim. We wanted to hear his side of the story. He then tried to explain it to us, more or less.

  “We still have the feeling that the lad is developing exceptionally well in the national team. We also live a bit in a time of outrage culture here in Germany…Everyone is always quick to complain, not that I want to sugarcoat it. It's naive or stupid, no matter what you call it."

  With contract renewal talks effectively dead, Dortmund now expect a summer sale, and hope the £75m price tag will hold. Arsenal believe he could be a long-term solution for their wide forward positions, especially with Mikel Arteta keen to add pace and penetration to his attack. For United, frustration is familiar. They have pushed hard to identify a forward who can grow alongside Rasmus Hojlund, yet Adeyemi has chosen the red of London instead of Manchester.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras recebe o América-MG nesta quarta-feira (29), pela 36ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A bola vai rolar a partir das 21h30 (de Brasília), na Allianz Parque, em São Paulo (SP). Veja a seguir onde assistir e as prováveis escalações do confronto!

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✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
PALMEIRAS X AMÉRICA-MG
36ª RODADA – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Data e horário: quarta-feira, 29 de novembro de 2023, às 21h30 (de Brasília)
Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo (SP)
Onde assistir: Premiere e Globo
Arbitragem: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (árbitro); Leone Carvalho Rocha e Lehi Sousa Silva (assistentes); Jefferson Ferreira de Moraes (quarto árbitro); Rodolpho Toski Marques (VAR)

➡️Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro-2023 clicando aqui

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES
PALMEIRAS (Técnico: Vítor Castanheira)
Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Naves e Murilo; Piquerez, Zé Rafael, Richard Rios, Raphael Veiga e Gustavo García; Breno Lopes e Endrick.

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Desfalques:Abel Ferreira [técnico], Mayke e Gómez (Suspenso); Luan (lesionado)

AMÉRICA-MG (Técnico: Diogo Giacomini)
Jori; Daniel Borges, Ricardo Silva, Júlio e Marlon; Alê, Martínez e Kal; Everaldo, Mastriani e Felipe Azevedo

Desfalques:-

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Ollie Pope is determined to “kick on” and put “runs after runs after runs” on the board against India, after securing his place as England’s No. 3 with his ninth Test century at Headingley.Pope hit 196 in Hyderabad at the start of the reverse series 18 months ago but tailed off after that, failing to reach 40 in the final four Tests. He believes that a calmer mentality and technical work on his defence have helped him defy his reputation as an anxious starter, but admitted that he had found it impossible to ignore the scrutiny over his position ahead of this series.”I’ve tried not to let it affect me too much,” Pope said. “I’ve just been trying to make sure my game’s in as good a place as possible and when I get in, try to make sure I make the most of it. I’ve tried to let the outside noise do its thing and make sure my game keeps improving, and that I get my headspace in as good a place as possible too.”Related

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Pope came into the series under pressure from Jacob Bethell, who impressed at No. 3 in England’s tour to New Zealand late last year when Pope batted down the order and deputised as wicketkeeper. He said that he believed that series – in which he scored 194 runs in five innings – was the start of his improvement early in his innings.”It’s almost just trying my game a little bit more: not feeling like I’ve got to rush to 30 to then really feel ‘in’,” Pope said. “It’s trying to enjoy the process of building an innings, rather than just, ‘I want to get to 30 to then make a big one’… It’s something I’ve been working hard on, just generally putting my game in a better place and making sure my defence is as good as it can be.”Pope did rush to 30 on the second afternoon, hitting six early boundaries to reach 31 off 25 balls after walking out at 4 for 1, but his fast-scoring was primarily the result of a fast outfield and some attacking bowling. His tempo changed as the field spread: his second fifty contained fewer boundaries than the first, but also took fewer balls as he rotated strike with ease.He has never previously scored more than one hundred in a Test series – in fact, his previous eight centuries had all come against different opponents. But after starting the summer with 171 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, Pope has scored back-to-back hundreds and is chasing more runs.Pope is a picture of poise as he drives straight•Associated Press

“It’s a long series, and there’s a lot to be done in this game still as well,” he said. “It’s definitely [an innings] that I really enjoyed. It was disappointing not to kick on this morning, but I’m really happy with how I went about it and played, and I’m happy with where my game’s at – so hopefully, I can kick on.”The first Test is in the balance after three days, with India’s top order building on a slender first-innings lead on Sunday evening. Pope said that England’s lower-order contributions were “really important”, with cameos from Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse helping them reduce the deficit to only six runs.”[A deficit of] 40 or 50, just from a mindset, might have given them a little bit more confidence, knowing that they’ve got that head-start, but playing the game from an even playing field felt quite important. We got those two wickets; they played nicely. KL Rahul batted really well. It’s important for us to get some early breakthroughs.”It obviously would’ve been nice to get maybe one or two more wickets this evening, but I think the pitch is still playing really well. It’s obviously such a quick-scoring ground, with the lightning [fast] outfield. It’s obviously an important session tomorrow morning, and the game is poised in a pretty nice position.”

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank could be backed with further signings in January, coming after the Lewis family bankrolled the Lilywhites with a £100 million capital injection last week.

Lewis family make Tottenham statement with £100m windfall

This extra funding will be used for the ‘day-to-day’ running of Spurs, according to reports, with CEO Vinai Venkatesham and non-executive chairman Peter Charrington now poised to decide how this cash will be spent.

Frank and technical director Johan Lange will also have a say, according to reliable journalist Alasdair Gold, with the two Danes and Tottenham’s new-look boardroom finalising their financial requirements for on-pitch success.

This follows an intriguing claim from Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol last month, who reported all the way back then that ENIC were intending to pump money into the club, and these funds could be used on new transfers or to heighten their wage budget.

With January around the corner, there is every reason to believe that a portion of his new capital could be used to attack the transfer market, and there are a few key areas of the squad that need addressing.

It is believed that Tottenham still want a centre-back and another winger, after failing to sign Savinho and another defender in the summer window. Meanwhile, there are multiple reports now surfacing that Spurs are keen to sign a new number nine as well.

Dominic Solanke hasn’t featured since Tottenham’s 2-0 win away to Man City in August, and hasn’t played more than 20 minutes in any of his three appearances so far this term as the England international continues his comeback from minor ankle surgery.

Richarlison, meanwhile, is a cause for concern amid some criticism surrounding his lack of consistency, with Mathys Tel given the starting nod against Leeds United and opening the scoring in place of the Brazilian.

Frank has made a solid start to life in the Spurs dugout, after ex-chair Daniel Levy handed him a lucrative three-year contract which made him the Premier League’s joint-third highest paid manager, but the Dane arguably needs a reliable goalscorer up top.

2025/26 Premier League managers’ salaries

Rank

Manager

Club

Wage per year

1

Pep Guardiola

Man City

£20m

2

Mikel Arteta

Arsenal

£10m

3=

Unai Emery

Aston Villa

£8m

3=

Thomas Frank

Tottenham

£8m

5

Arne Slot

Liverpool

£6.9m

Find the rest here…

Randal Kolo Muani can play as a centre-forward, but he’s only on a straight loan, which is highly uncharacteristic for Spurs, as Lange and co may well be forced to return to the market for a more long-term target.

The France international, once he’s back fully fit, could eventually prove that he’s worth negotiating for a permanent deal, but for now, Tottenham are considering their options.

Journalist responds to "whispers" about Ivan Toney joining Tottenham

Al-Ahli star Ivan Toney, who worked with Frank at Brentford and scored 20 Premier League goals in 2022/2023, has been linked with a January move to N17 recently.

Some reports claim that Frank has even contacted Toney about joining Tottenham on loan in the winter, and reporter Dean Jones has responded to “whispers” he’s heard about the £40 million forward’s potential return to England.

Since his move to Saudi in the summer of 2024, Toney has played just two minutes of action for England and was omitted from the Three Lions squad for nearly a year, before appearing on the bench against Andorra in June and featuring in a shock loss to Senegal.

The 29-year-old might have one eye on a place in Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup side, but despite scoring for fun in the Middle East, he isn’t getting much of a look-in bar that one summer call.

Taking this into account, the prospect of a return to England could tempt him, but Toney would also have to give up a seismic £426,000-per-week pay packet to come home.

Dominic Solanke was again absent from training ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Norway to face Bodo/Glimt.

Solanke last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City and, even though he recently returned to training after a troublesome ankle injury disrupted his pre-season, he was conspicuous by his absence on Monday morning in Enfield.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank played down concerns over Solanke’s fitness on Friday ahead of the visit of Wolves, but with the England forward not able to feature in open training before the club fly to Bodo for Tuesday’s Champions League clash, the squad are short of attacking options.

Paris St Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani was also absence as he deals with a dead leg, but Ben Davies did take part in the session after a minor knee issue.

Summer recruit Kota Takai also featured after a plantar fascia problem in recent months and Yves Bissouma was back.

Tottenham willing to make £50m+ offer to sign Euro 2024 Golden Boot winner

Spurs are prepared to make a big bid for a new forward.

ByDominic Lund Sep 29, 2025

Bissouma has not played for Tottenham this season after he was dropped from the Super Cup squad for being late on multiple occasions. He then suffered a knee injury in training days later.

Devon Conway became the second batter to be retired out in IPL 2025, after Tilak Varma in Mumbai Indians’ (MI) chase against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) earlier in the tournament. On Tuesday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pulled out Conway when he failed to get a move on with the asking rate against Punjab Kings (PBKS) rising. But, in the opinion of Piyush Chawla and Wasim Jaffer, CSK might have waited too long for the decision to have an effect on the result.”Conway is the kind of batter who is more technically strong and he doesn’t try to play that [many shots] in the air. You saw that in the middle overs also, when he was trying to hit a pull shot also, he was rolling his wrists like a proper technical batsman,” Chawla said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “That’s where they missed that point. When Shivam [Dube] was trying to hit those bit shots, Conway didn’t even try that. At one point, I felt he just wanted to take it deep. But if you want to take the game deep, you don’t want your [asking] rate to go out of hand.”Playing his second game of the season, Conway had a 61-run stand with Rachin Ravindra up top in CSK’s chase of PBKS’ 219, and after Ruturaj Gaikwad fell cheaply, added 89 more with Dube. That partnership came off just 51 balls, with Dube scoring at 155.55. But after Dube was gone, and with 69 needed off 25 balls, Conway made nine more runs off six balls. MS Dhoni was in the middle, and Ravindra Jadeja and Vijay Shankar walked out after Conway left, but CSK fell 18 short.Related

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• Conway joins Tilak as retired-out batters in IPL 2025

“You expect that change [of gears] to happen at some point of time when you know the batsman is struggling,” Gaikwad said of the decision at the presentation ceremony. “Initially we thought that he was still striking the ball [well]. We waited, waited until we thought it was necessary and then we thought, yes, why not change.””If they wanted to do that, they could have done that at least two-three overs before that also,” Chawla said. “Because if he is not getting those big shots, you want somebody to come in and you want to give that kind of a sighter, at least two to three balls, and then got for it. By the time they retired him out it was too late, I felt.”Jaffer, however, felt that CSK didn’t have a choice at that point because they didn’t expect the big shots to come from Jadeja or Vijay Shankar either.”You could have retired him and you could have retired him a little early. But, again, Jadeja was the only one [left]. I don’t think they would have trusted [Vijay Shankar]… you needed one more batter there who could have done that [score quickly],” Jaffer said. “But, unfortunately, they didn’t have anybody. Even Jadeja for that matter, he has his restrictions [in terms of how fast he can score].”17:35

Bangar: Dhoni not playing for the crowd, he has a clear role at CSK

As it turned out, while Dhoni was quick in scoring 27 in 12 balls with three sixes, Jadeja and Vijay Shankar scored 11 runs in seven balls. But, to be fair to them, by the time they got out, it was perhaps too late to change anything.Stephen Fleming, the CSK coach, agreed that the innings had “lost some momentum” in the middle overs, but was pleased that they had crossed 200 for the first time this season.”We had an innings of substance at the top [from Conway]. In the IPL, you need your top three/four to get a majority of the runs. We haven’t been doing that,” Fleming said. “It was pleasing that we got off to a more solid start. We weren’t able to just maintain a high momentum through the middle, partly good bowling and maybe we were trying to push too hard. It’s something we will review.”But it’s not a bad chase. About three hits away. But we just lost a bit of momentum through the middle.”

دافع إيلكاي جوندوجان لاعب جالطة سراي، عن مواطنه فلوريان فيرتز، لاعب ليفربول، في ظل الانتقادات التي يتلقاها مؤخرًا بسبب مستواه مع الفريق الإنجليزي.

وازداد الحديث حول مستوى فلوريان فيرتز، خاصة مع قيمة صفقة انتقاله من باير ليفركوزن إلى ليفربول البالغة 125 مليون يورو، حيث يرى البعض أن الأداء لا يرقى لقيمة التعاقد.

وفي مقابلة مع صحيفة “بيلد” الألمانية، حثّ جوندوجان على الصبر مع فيرتز وأشاد بمستواه، مؤكدًا أن الحكم عليه لا ينبغي أن يقتصر على التمريرات الحاسمة والأهداف فقط.

وقال جوندوجان في تصريحاته لصحيفة “بيلد” الألمانية: “ليس ذنب فلوريان أن الأمر استغرق كل هذا الوقت، من المفهوم أن يتوقع الناس منه الكثير، مع ذلك، قرأتُ أنه في جميع المسابقات، لم يخلق أي لاعب في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز فرصًا أكثر من فلوريان”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ميلان يخطط للتعاقد مع لاعب ليفربول في يناير

وأضاف: “أود أن أرى تحليلًا أكثر تعمقًا، لا يقتصر على التمريرات الحاسمة والأهداف فقط، من لا يرى جودة فيرتز الاستثنائية لا يفهم الكثير في كرة القدم، القول إنه كان صفقة فاشلة بالفعل هو مبالغة”.

وأشار: “أنا متأكد من أن الأهداف والتمريرات الحاسمة ستأتي قريبًا جدًا، لا يمكن لأي لاعب أو شخص في هذا العالم تجاهل كل هذا الضجيج تمامًا؛ فهو دائمًا ما يُؤثر عليك سلبًا”.

وأتم: “أعتقد أن فيرتز، كإنسان وموهبته الهائلة، سيتجاوز هذه المرحلة، سيكون ذلك حاسمًا أيضًا للمنتخب الألماني، شخصيًا، ليس لديّ الكثير من الشكوك، وأرى الأمر مسألة وقت فقط”.

New Zealand opener suffered a nasty head injury ten days ago but looked comfortable in the nets on the eve of the match against Pakistan

Danyal Rasool18-Feb-20252:10

‘NZ have both depth and experience to go far’

Rachin Ravindra is first in the training nets in Karachi, marking his guard even as Tom Latham equivocates on his availability for the Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan.Like a celebrity adamant to prevent unflattering photographs being taken, he’s already got his helmet on, the gash on his forehead and the stitches holding it together hidden from view. New Zealand have wrapped more than just bandages around him, protecting him from a rushed return after the freak injury he suffered ten days ago, when he lost sight of a slog from Khushdil Shah and got hit by the ball flush on the forehead.Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell bowl spin to him, and Ravindra’s signature flamboyance is on full display. He backs away and clears his front leg, carving a glorious lofted cover drive. When one is tossed up and overpitched, he unleashes an on drive; but for the nets, it was comfortably clearing the boundary.When Ravindra was initially hit, there were fears of a much more damaging injury. His legs buckled from underneath him as he stared at the ground, dazed and bleeding profusely. He received lengthy treatment as he lay prone with a stretcher brought on, and warm empathic applause rippled as he was gingerly led off the outfield.Related

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But every update that came from the New Zealand camp in the incident’s wake was more optimistic than the last. He hadn’t been concussed, he hadn’t lost consciousness, there was no damage to his eyes, nose or teeth. A “chirpy character”, Kane Williamson called him, his personality was largely back to normal by New Zealand’s next game, but they weren’t going to take any chances with him.”Rachin will train tonight and we’ll get a bit more of an indication of how he’s going,” Latham had said just moments earlier. “His recovery’s going good, but just need to make sure since it was a pretty nasty injury. When it’s a head injury you just need to make sure things are all right, so just going through the protocols he needs to go through and we’ll wait and see.”In the fortnight since New Zealand have been in Pakistan, they have taken such setbacks in their stride. This is the side that, most famously, is greater than the sum of its parts. Devon Conway took Ravindra’s place for the remainder of the tri-series; he scored 97 and 48 as they won the trophy. In this time, Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears also became unavailable, but no bother; Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy replaced them without any apparent hardship. Kyle Jamieson will not be available tomorrow but is on his way as Ferguson’s Champions Trophy replacement, and New Zealand simply chug along.Rachin Ravindra was struck by the ball on his forehead during the tri-series•AFP/Getty Images

“It’s about adapting to conditions and surfaces as best we can,” Latham said. “The surface we played on here against Pakistan looked slightly different to the one Pakistan played on against South Africa. We’ll have a look at what the wicket’s like today but it’s about adapting as best we can. We’ve played three games here and a warm-up game, so guys are reasonably familiar with conditions and it’s about playing our brand to the best of our ability.”New Zealand have not so much treated the last ten days as a dry run as a platform to showcase their repertoire. They won a game by consolidating with the top order and exploding at the death. In the game against South Africa, they demonstrated their quality in pursuit of 304, Williamson leading a cruise of a chase. In the final, the pace and spin attacks combined to asphyxiate Pakistan for a below-par total, the outcome never in doubt. They won three games in three different ways with just about everyone taking turns to shine.”It’s nice to be performing,” Latham said. “Throughout the tri-series and the warm-up game, we’re fortunate everyone within the squad has had some time with the ball or bat. Nice that we’ve been playing well through the tri-series. We were put under pressure in all three games and we’ve obviously managed to overcome that and come out on the right side. We’ve got the results but at the same time, it’s nice we’ve been able to overcome that pressure which will hopefully hold us in good stead.”By now, the spinners have had their turn, and Jacob Duffy and Will O’Rourke are having a go. Ravindra stands back, well away from the stumps. He lingers by the corner, watching intently, perhaps acclimatising himself to the pace from that angle without putting himself in harm’s way. A short while later, he emerges from the nets, thanking the net bowlers before having a long chat with Tim Southee, here in Pakistan as an ICC ambassador, before disappearing into the dressing room.He emerges half an hour later, helmet gone and ball in hand, but only uses it for throwdowns rather than the usual left-arm orthodox. Conway, Williamson and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen huddle around him and another lengthy conversation follows. Evidently, if New Zealand are to play him, they want to make absolutely sure he’s all right to take the field.And if they don’t, they’ve shown they can cope just fine, too.

Nottingham Forest have been told the price it would take to sign a versatile star, with the Premier League side also agreeing personal terms as they look to make their third signing of the summer after Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha.

Nottingham Forest make contact to bring World Cup winner to the City Ground

The Tricky Trees want defensive reinforcements and have a World Cup winner in sight…

BySean Markus Clifford Jul 24, 2025

Forest are gearing up for their first season back in Europe since 1996, but this window has been fraught with challenges so far.

Nuno Espírito Santo recently lost star attacker Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United in a deal worth around £55 million, with the Englishman set to be a sore miss after he bagged six goals and 12 assists last season.

Nottingham Forest’s rumoured transfer targets this summer

Target

Current club

Position

Taty Castellanos

Lazio

Striker

James McAtee

Man City

Attacking midfield

Pablo Maffeo

RCD Mallorca

Defender

Douglas Luiz

Juventus

Midfielder

Nahuel Molina

Atlético Madrid

Right-back

Forest also continue to face the threat of Morgan Gibbs-White’s departure – an equally crucial player for Nuno in 2024/2025 – as Tottenham maintain their pursuit of the 25-year-old despite Evangelos Marinakis threatening legal action.

Gibbs-White has made it clear he still wants to join Tottenham despite taking part in Forest pre-season, according to reports, with the transfer expected to happen eventually despite resistance from Nuno’s side.

“It’s going to happen, it’s just going to drag on until the end of the window. When a player’s head gets turned like that, the deal is almost done,” said pundit Paul Robinson to Tottenham News this week.

“Forest had dug their heels in; they’re going to obviously try and get as much money as they can for him, but eventually it’ll go through.

“It’s one of those deals that Tottenham wants to happen. The player is obviously keen for it to happen. And it’s one of those where Forest are digging in to get as much as they can.

“The last thing that Forest are going to want to do is keep an unhappy player at the start of the season. So it’s a deal that should get done at some point, but it might cost Tottenham a little bit more than they want, and it might drag on a little bit longer than they want.“

If/when Gibbs-White leaves, supporters will be hoping that Marinakis and co reinvest that money in strengthening severely weakened areas of the squad.

Nottingham Forest given £39m demand after agreeing terms with Dan Ndoye

According to widespread reports, Bologna forward Dan Ndoye is a top target for the club, following his excellent season in Italy where he bagged nine goals and six assists in all competitions.

The 24-year-old operated on both flanks and even as a second striker over the course of those matches, with his ability to play in multiple areas potentially very useful to Nuno.

Newspaper Corriere dello Sport has an update on their chase for the Switzerland international this week, reporting that Forest have agreed personal terms with Ndoye, but there remains a significant gap in valuation.

Bologna want around £39 million to sell Ndoye, and Forest haven’t even gone over the £26 million barrier, so they’ll have to seriously improve their offer.

Serie A champions Napoli actually made a loan-to-buy bid worth around £35m for the ex-FC Basel star, including bonuses, but even this wasn’t enough with Antonio Conte moving on to alternatives.