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Jordan Henderson has been told that he "messed up" by moving to Saudi Arabia, with Danny Murphy insisting "he was wealthy anyway".

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Henderson granted Al-Ettifaq exitMidfielder set to return to EuropeMurphy claims he's damaged his reputation(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The former Liverpool captain has reportedly terminated his Al-Ettifaq contract, having been desperate to leave the Middle Eastdespite only completing a £12 million ($15m) transfer during the summer of 2023. Henderson is already believed to be already on his way back to England after being given the green light for a permanent transfer to Ajax by the Saudi Pro League club's top officials.

However, ex-Liverpool midfielder Murphy believes that the Saudi saga has done irreparable damage to Henderson's reputation and has urged other players to learn a lesson from the transfer.

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Speaking on White and Jordan for , Murphy said: “There might be a thought in his mind that by doing that [paying way out], he kind of rights the wrongs of people accusing him of the greed and the money that he went for in the first place. I think if this is a lesson for others looking in from afar, really think hard about – depending on your financial situation, sometimes it’s a no-brainer. But he was wealthy anyway, and I think football contentment is a starting place for the rest of your life being happy. There might be something other people translate to their own life. But Jordan here, he’s messed it up really. I don’t think from Liverpool fans’ perspective, but for a broad spectrum of football people, his character and his reputation has been damaged by this whole episode.”

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Henderson now appears to be bound for Ajax, having agreed a dealin principle to join the Eredivisie side. It is believed that the midfielder might be offered an 18-month deal with the option of a further year by the Amsterdam outfit.

Speaking on the potential transfer to Ajax, Murphy added: "I think it’s probably as close to home as he can get. I don’t know if there are an abundance of offers on the table."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT host Simon Jordan also slammed Henderson for his decision to move to Saudi Arabia, and subsequently making a U-turn when things did not fall in place.

“I don’t think it’s a good look for either of them, the Saudis are very ambitious and they have every right to be," he said. "They must be disappointed that one of the leading names that has gone over there from one the big English clubs, playing for his country, has decided that it’s not for him. Specifically when he’s gone out there with some ridiculous diatribe about the face that he wants to grow the game.

"The flip side of the question, is what does it make Jordan Henderson look like? Does it make him look like a man of substance? Does it make him look like a man of character that overcomes adversity and ultimately shows you that when things aren’t going his way, that he’s capable of turning it around and making it better? I don’t think it’s great either way, it proves the point that the Saudi league have got a long way to go to be able to create the backdrop where the world’s best players will want to play in it. It also shows the indulged and pampered nature of the modern-day footballer that the moment they don’t get what they want, they can change it. I’m surprised they [Ettifaq] have made it so easy for him.”

Josh Hazlewood struck twice in his first two overs before Mitchell Starc cleaned up England with the new ball to banish any thoughts of a famous upset

The Report by Brydon Coverdale06-Dec-20171:02

Swann: The batting monkey is growing on Root’s back

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEngland arrived at Adelaide Oval on the fifth day knowing that hope springs eternal, or at least until Joe Root gets out. And so England’s hope sprung for only 17 deliveries. By the time the day was three overs old, Josh Hazlewood had dismissed Root and Chris Woakes, and within two hours Australia had won the Test and taken a 2-0 lead in the series. At least the England fans who had awoken in the small hours back home in anticipation of a tense final day could get some sleep.The day began with England 178 runs from victory with six wickets in hand. They added only 57 to their overnight total for the loss of all six of those wickets. That England even fought back into this match, that they entered the final day with any sort of hope whatsoever, was a surprise in itself. But if Australia officially won the Test on the fifth afternoon, in reality England had lost it on the first two days, when they sent Australia in and saw them make 442.It left England needing their all-time highest successful chase to win this match, and the final day began badly when Woakes edged behind off Hazlewood from the second ball – Snicko confirming his fate despite a review. In Hazlewood’s next over he claimed the key wicket of Root, who did not add a run to his overnight score of 67. On a surface that had been good for batting all match, a ball finally stayed a touch low and kissed the toe of Root’s bat on the way through to Tim Paine.Josh Hazlewood had Joe Root caught behind for 67•Getty ImagesFrom then on it was only a matter of time, and not even much of that. Moeen Ali was trapped lbw trying to sweep Nathan Lyon on 2, and the rest of the damage arrived with the new ball. Mitchell Starc curled the very first delivery with the new pink Kookaburra in to the pads of Craig Overton, who was lbw for 7; Stuart Broad edged behind off Starc for 8; and the result was confirmed when Jonny Bairstow chopped on against Starc for 36.Starc had finished with 5 for 88, but it was Hazlewood’s two early strikes that set the tone for the final session of this Test. After a day of England fight, normal service had resumed. And if the Gabbatoir is the fortress at which Australia like to open their summer, the Adelaide Oval day-night Test is becoming a strong occasion for them as well – the Australians have now won all three pink-ball Tests played in Adelaide.Now the teams fly to Perth with Australia just one win away from regaining the Ashes. And if Root wins the toss at the WACA, don’t expect him to do anything but bat.

Pep Guardiola told his Manchester City players to look at the gold badge on their shirts as inspiration while they were losing against Everton

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Guardiola used world champions badge to inspire CityTreble winners were losing at EvertonFoden, Alvarez and Silva scored in comeback winWHAT HAPPENED?

Phil Foden has revealed how the coach urged his players to remind themselves that they were world champions during his half-time team talk after City had fallen a goal down at Everton. City thrashed Fluminense 4-0 in last week's Club World Cup final but were given a rude awakening by the Toffees before eventually showing their class and cruising to a 3-1 win.

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"The manager was big on it at half-time to keep believing, we haven't got this badge for no reason so we have to believe in ourselves because we're a top team," Foden told . "I thought we played really well in the first half and it seems to have been the same story as previous games."

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City overcame Jack Harrison's goal against the run of play and dominated the second half. Foden scored the equaliser with a thumping low strike from the edge of the area before a Julian Alvarez penalty and late Bernardo Silva chip clinched all three points.

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'WE BLEW THEM AWAY'

"In the second half, wow. I think we blew them away with the way they played," Foden added. "I want to praise Everton because I think they've been doing really well recently and are a top side. They make it difficult. I'm really happy with the result. It's a difficult place to come."

Somerset ground out a slight advantage in a tension-ridden battle of the bottom two at Edgbaston where defeat will as good as signal relegation

Jon Culley at Edgbaston05-Sep-20171:37

County Championship Round-up: Somerset nose in front in crunch encounter

To find Warwickshire battling for Division One survival in the first week of September comes as no surprise, but that cannot be said of Somerset, who were denied a maiden County Championship title on the final afternoon of last season after Middlesex’s dramatic win over Yorkshire at Lord’s.Yet their season has been scarcely less awful than Warwickshire’s, prompting director of cricket Matthew Maynard to lament that they looked like a team resigned to relegation as they were beaten by Essex last week.Their outlook need not be quite so bleak. The gap between themselves and the safety of sixth place – 23 points as they enter the final four rounds – is by no means unassailable, particularly if they can nudge their opponents a little closer to the exits by winning here. That would raise the possibility of dragging one of two teams immediately above them into the fight – those two teams ironically being Middlesex and Yorkshire. They meet Middlesex at Taunton in the season’s final round.Warwickshire are a further 12 points adrift, the consequence of a decline that has been set in for some time since the players who won the title in 2012 began to find their powers on the wane. They, too, are not doomed yet but, as captain Jonathan Trott spelled out rather starkly on the eve of this match, they might need to win all four remaining fixtures.”It helps that we know what we have to do,” Trott said, doing his best to find a positive spin. Given that they have won only four of their last 22 Championship matches, however, it does seem to be asking rather a lot.On the subject of spin, it is the slow bowlers who look likely to determine the outcome of this one. Somerset came armed with two in Jack Leach and Dominic Bess and after taking a look at the pitch, which is the same one used for last Saturday’s NatWest Blast final, Warwickshire chose to follow suit, dispensing with the idea of giving England Under-19 seamer Henry Brookes his debut and opting for the slow left arm of Sunny Singh to share the load with Jeetan Patel.It was a wise move. After a start delayed until ten past one, Trott tossed the ball to Patel with the contest just seven overs old and having the New Zealand off-spinner bowling in tandem with Singh after only 18. There was turn for both from the outset. By the close they had bowled 38 of the 56.3 overs possible and taken three of the four wickets.A test for the batsmen, particularly for those at the starting-out end of the experience scale; Eddie Byron, opening with Marcus Trescothick, is just 20, and George Bartlett – Brookes’s England Under-19 colleague – only 19.In the event, Trescothick – a tad more experienced at 41 – was the first to go. The former England opener, another with whom time is catching up now, looked in good order initially on a ground where he has scored five hundreds but, having rapidly scored half a dozen boundaries, fell to the first ball of Patel’s second over. The left back went back to cut, another four in his sights, but made a misjudgement this time to a ball that was perhaps a shade too full and a thin edge had him caught behind.Byrom, in only his fifth first-class match, played very nicely for his 43 – matching his best score so far – but after reverse-sweeping Singh for his sixth boundary attempted – perhaps unwisely – to give the next delivery the same treatment. This time it ended up in the hands of Trott at slip.Singh, a tall 21-year-old born in India but developed in Warwickshire’s academy, looked competent and confidant, tidy until weariness began to creep in towards the end. He claimed his second success when, getting one to turn sharply, he had James Hildreth caught at slip, driving.The Warwickshire seamers were less impressive, although Keith Barker was a little unlucky in his second spell. Ryan Sidebottom – the Australian-born right-handed version – bowled a mix of good and bad balls, graphically illustrated when he bowled Bartlett through the gate with a real jaffa, having offered up a wide long-hop with his previous delivery, duly crashed away for four by the teenager, who had announced himself as audaciously as you might like by getting off the mark with a reverse-sweep for four off Patel.At 131 for 4 with Hildreth’s wicket, it was shaping up as Warwickshire’s day. By the close, though, Steve Davies and Tom Abell had turned things round rather impressively, applying themselves well in a stand that has so far added 72.

When last these teams met, Rangana Herath practically gobbled the opposition up, and took nearly half the Zimbabwe wickets on offer in the series. Herath had not previously played Zimbabwe, and as such, it was the only team against whom he did not have a five-wicket haul. He claimed only six wickets in the first Test, but was irresistible in the next, taking five wickets in the first innings and eight in the second. All up, his 19 wickets came at 15.10 apiece.This time around, Zimbabwe have at least seen a little of Herath, and understand the threat he poses and captain Graeme Cremer is confident Zimbabwe’s homework will stand his batsmen in good stead.”We know he is a quality bowler, he is someone that Sri Lanka really rely on to pick up wickets,” Cremer said of Herath. “We’ve just spoken about how he tries to get people out – both left-handers and right-handers. Guys have all come up with their own individual plans on how to play him. We definitely know he is a threat and he will be someone we need to keep out if we are to do well in the Test.”Their own attack, meanwhile, is likely to comprise of a similar array of spinners as were in evidence during the ODI series. Cremer himself is a specialist legbreak bowler, and had some success in the Tests against Sri Lanka last year. In support are several allrounders: Sean Williams (left-arm spin), Malcolm Waller and Sikandar Raza (both offspin).”We rely on a lot on our spinners, which has always been our wicket-taking option,” Cremer said. “We’ve had injuries with the seam attack – Carl Mumba is struggling with his knee, which is a setback for us. But we’ve still got guys who can step up and do the job, because we are spin-heavy in our team. It depends on the conditions how many spinners we will play.”Cremer also drew attention to the substantial challenges posed by Zimbabwe’s infrequent Test schedule. The team has only played four Tests since November 2014, and none since they met Sri Lanka in October and November 2016. The vast majority of their squad have played fewer than 20 Tests, with Cremer himself only having 15 matches under his belt. The rushed schedule on this tour was also a mild bone of contention – Zimbabwe would ideally have liked more time to become acclimatised to Sri Lankan conditions.”We sometimes struggle when we go three, four, five months without a series, which can be tough. It’s not easy just to walk up there and play well against top teams. If we can get a lot more games against good opposition it will help our cricket.”We also knew it was tough to get a practice fixture, because Sri Lanka had a tough schedule. We’ll sort of take any cricket that is given. If Sri Lanka said we can’t play a three-dayer or four-dayer because of the schedule, that is something that we cannot control. We aren’t too fussy. At least the guys have been out in the middle in the ODIs. We are still confident we can still push them.”

Coach Russell Domingo also said that ODI captain AB de Villiers’ decision to opt out of Tests for South Africa has not affected the team adversely

Firdose Moonda13-Jun-2017AB de Villiers’ behind-the-scenes leadership skills are good enough to merit him continuing as ODI captain despite mounting calls for him to step aside. That was national head coach Russell Domingo’s endorsement of de Villiers, which added to a growing chorus from inside the team camp in support of the ODI captain following South Africa’s first-round exit from the Champions Trophy.”He has done a fantastic job as captain during this campaign. He leads from the front. I know there has been a lot of criticism about his leadership but a lot of it takes place behind closed doors, so what people see on the field, they will create their impressions from that. But the team and management all think he has done a wonderful job behind closed doors, in the preparation and lead-up to games,” Domingo said. “There’s a lot more that goes on than just making a bowling change. People can question his tactics, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. There is no right and wrong way in cricket. He has got to go with what he feels are the best decisions on the field and he has got to commit to that and that’s what he does.”De Villiers was appointed captain of the ODI and T20I sides in 2011, when Domingo began his work with the South African side. At the time, Domingo was Gary Kirsten’s assistant and two years later, he took over the main job only for de Villiers to hand the T20 reins to Faf du Plessis and set his sights on Test captaincy. Throughout that time, de Villiers was still said to be learning the leadership and slow over-rates, coupled with occasionally odd tactics, were proof of that. Domingo was among those who were patient with de Villiers’ schooling.When Graeme Smith stood down in March 2014, Hashim Amla was preferred over de Villiers but less than two years in, Amla did not want to do the job anymore. De Villiers captained two matches as interim skipper before being confirmed the permanent Test captain but never fulfilled the role after injury and then a Test hiatus kept him out of the whites.De Villiers’ absence from the longest format has now stretched to 18 months and could extend to as much as two years. He has opted out of Tests until the home series against India – dates have yet to be confirmed but it could start as late as January 2018 – to manage his workload ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England.Domingo on de Villiers’ choice to opt out of Tests: ‘By no means can we force players to play every single format’•Getty ImagesDe Villiers’ selective availability for South Africa – while still playing in tournaments such as the IPL – has not sat well with everyone, including former national batsman and current Cobras’ coach Ashwell Prince, who, in the aftermath of the Champions Trophy exit, tweeted: “Perhaps it’s time that @OfficialCSA dictates to players when they may have the honor of representing this country instead of other way round.”Asked whether de Villiers’ decision has affected the team, Domingo denied that it did. He said: “A lot of players have given up a certain format to focus on another one and that’s their choice. By no means can we force players to play every single format. You’ve obviously got to play them according to what they’re contributing in the particular formats and that’s what has happened. If he wants to just play one-dayers and T20s then that’s a decision he has got to live with and a decision he has got to make. You can’t force players to play every format if they are not committed.”Domingo went even further in his defence of de Villiers, pointing out that although de Villiers is not available for Tests, he has not missed any fifty-over cricket since recovering from elbow surgery early this year. After being unable to play against Australia at home last October, de Villiers returned against Sri Lanka, went to New Zealand and has now played in England, where he is also set to feature in three T20s ahead of the Tests. He is expected to play all of South Africa’s one-day series ahead of the World Cup.”He hasn’t sat out any one-day series where he hasn’t been injured. Whenever he has been fit, he has played one-day series. He’s sitting out Test cricket at the moment. His [lack of] Test cricket, in my opinion, would not be affecting his one-day cricket that much,” Domingo said. “So I can’t see the last time he missed a one-day series out of chance – it’s either been having a baby, or getting injured, and those are the main reasons. I wouldn’t say he has been picking and choosing one-day series.”

Everton are the latest team to throw their hat into the ring for Romain Faivre, according to a report from Foot Mercato, via Sport Witness.

How has Romain Faivre played this season?

The midfielder – who primarily plays on the wing but can also feature as a traditional number ten – has spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Lorient and has really caught the eye with his displays. He managed 16 top flight games for the club but produced a superb total of eight goal contributions along the way, with five goals in total and three assists.

hen you consider he only managed 13.8 lots of 90 minutes for the club, it's a superb goal contribution rate for the winger.

He's never managed the same totals for parent club Lyon, although he has also not been able to get onto the field as much with them. Before moving to Lorient, he was given only three starts by Les Gones and managed just the one assist across 2021/22. In fact, he has only managed 12 league starts during the entirety of his time with Lyon.

Now, he could be given the chance to leave France and try his luck in the Premier League. That's because according to a report from Foot Mercato, via Sport Witness, the 24-year-old is drawing interest from several English clubs.

One of the latest to express their eagerness to sign him is Everton, who will have to battle Fulham and Crystal Palace if they want any hope of bringing the player to Goodison Park this campaign.

How much would Faivre cost Everton?

They may already find that to be a struggle, with Lyon also slapping a 15 million Euro price tag on his head (£13m). Whilst that is not an extortionate fee for the midfielder, it is one that the Toffees may currently struggle to pay – and the report adds that whilst they may be able to compete financially more than other interested parties from abroad, they will struggle against other Premier League sides.

He's clearly a player that possesses some real ability too. Those who have watched him have been full of praise for Faivre, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig previously calling the player "pure quality" after a performance back in 2022.

It shows that the 24-year-old has been impressive in France – and if Everton were able to poach him, he would certainly upgrade their midfield and wide options.

A failure to take early wickets during the Sri Lanka innings was behind Bangladesh’s defeat, according to captain Mashrafe Mortaza

Mohammad Isam01-Apr-2017

Mashrafe Mortaza suggested the lack of an early breakthrough made his bowling unit impatient and defensive in their 70-run loss to Sri Lanka in Colombo. Bangladesh conceded 76 runs in the first ten overs before Mehedi Hasan broke the opening partnership in the first over of the second Powerplay.There were, however, a few more twists and turns in the third ODI, which Mashrafe later acknowledged as pivotal to his side only drawing the series from a position of being 1-0 ahead.Danushka Gunathilaka and Upul Tharanga gave Sri Lanka their fast start before Kusal Mendis worked hard to keep the run rate above five an over during his 76-ball 54. But when he fell in the 37th over and then Sri Lanka lost Asela Gunaratne and Seekugge Prasanna, their scoring rate slowed down and Bangladesh edged back into the game – only for it to slip out of their hands again in the last six overs, as Thisara Perera and Dilruwan Perera helped add another 59 runs.Selectors stick by XI

Mashrafe Mortaza approved of the consistent selection during the ODI series after the same XI was picked in all three games. This was the first time in Bangladesh’s history that the same XI played in all three games of a three-match series against a higher-ranked side.
“In the New Zealand series we made changes in every game. Confidence of players went down, and [they] started to feel insecure. It is a good thing that we were consistent in Sri Lanka. Everyone understood their role. I hope the team will remain on their toes in Ireland.”

Mashrafe said that early breakthroughs in the first two ODIs meant the Bangladesh attack could bowl according to their plans but as soon as Tharanga and Gunathilaka started charging at the bowlers, the switch from an attacking mindset began and was evident even in those last six overs.”I don’t think it was nervousness [in the first ten overs] but we did use up five bowlers during that period,” Mashrafe said. “We weren’t as disciplined as we were in the first two games. I think we tried a few more things because we weren’t getting what we wanted early on. We didn’t judge the wicket properly in regards to our areas.”We went into defensive mode as soon as we had one or two bad overs. It created more problems. We should have stuck to our attacking mode like we did in the last two games. I think we moved away from that plan.”But he also felt that a poor start with the bat, chasing 281 runs, and their inability to sustain the recovery also didn’t help. Bangladesh slumped to 11 for 3 in the fourth over after which Shakib Al Hasan and Soumya Sarkar added 77 runs for the fourth wicket. But what compounded their difficulties was the 16 runs between Mosaddek Hossain and Mahmudullah, who looked in fine touch in the first ODI.”When we played the practice match, we understood that the Colombo wicket becomes flatter in the second half,” Mashrafe said. “They perhaps made 20 runs more, but if you follow Miraz’s batting [Mehedi made 51 at No. 8] you could see clearly that the wicket didn’t have anything.”Perhaps the new balls swung from both ends but Soumya and Shakib could have dragged on their partnership a bit further and if the next two batsmen could have made a big contribution, we could have won the game. We needed 70-odd off the last 36 balls, so I think if we had wickets in hand, things would have been different for us.”But he said that they would take lessons from such games where they had to fight back from a difficult position. “We made a comeback as a bowling group in this game, having done poorly in the first ten overs,” he said. “I think we bowled well in the first ten overs in the second ODI in Dambulla, but still went on to concede 300-plus total. It is a lesson for us, how to turn around from a bad start.”

Liverpool have joined the race to bring Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Marcus Thuram?

Thuram is a centre-forward who currently plays his football at the Borussia Park having moved there from Guingamp back in 2019, and he’s since gone on to become a regular feature of the first-team having clocked up 134 appearances to date.

The France international started 28 of the 34 Bundesliga games last season and was a standout performer under Daniel Farke before he departed, ranking as his manager’s top-performing offensive player and second overall with a WhoScored match rating of 7.09, so he’s bound to have attracted interest.

However, the 6 foot 4 titan will be out of contract at the end of the month and is expected to depart as a free agent having not signed a deal to extend his stay, with his potential availability having alerted FSG and Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

Are Liverpool signing Thuram?

According to Spanish reports (via CaughtOffside), Liverpool have entered the running to sign Thuram ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. The Reds are reportedly “hoping to snap him up” for nothing during the upcoming window, and it’s stated that the striker could be wanting to “take the next step” in his career. The Premier League is viewed as an “attractive option” so he is therefore “likely to be tempted” should an offer arrive at his door.

Where would Thuram fit in at Anfield?

Liverpool have confirmed that Roberto Firmino is leaving the club so Klopp will be in need of a suitable replacement in time for the start of the new season, and given the fact that he would be available to recruit for quite literally free, Thuram could be the perfect long-term successor, allowing the serious funds to be spent in midfield.

The World Cup participant, who pockets £53k-per-week, racked up 19 goal contributions (13 goals and six assists) in 30 Bundesliga appearances last season and recorded a total of 92 shots over the course of the campaign, which was higher than any other of his fellow teammates, as per FBRef, with this form seeing him collect four man-of-the-match awards.

Borussia Monchengladbach’s “beast”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is also a versatile operator with his ability to operate everywhere across the frontline, including at centre-forward, out wide on both flanks and as a second striker, so he really seems to have all the qualities to fit what the boss is likely to be looking for in a Firmino replacement.

Zimbabwe’s players have ended their protest over non-payment of match fees and will return to training on Monday after being given an assurance by Wildfred Mukondiwa, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, that their monies will be paid. The players have also received certainty over contracts, although the specifics are not yet known.Last week, ESPNcricinfo reported that the Harare-based players, who were involved in a camp ahead of matches against Pakistan A, refused to practice until they had been given certainty over their unpaid money and the status of contracts. Players from other parts of the country were not involved as they had not travelled to Harare.The players demanded a meeting with Mukondiwa, which took place on Friday, two days after the ZC AGM. Sources revealed that Mukondiwa informed them he was working on a payment plan for their match fees. Some players had not been paid for matches dating back to July last year. ZC was making payments in batches, with the final one due in July this year which went unpaid.Zimbabwe are due to host Sri Lanka and West Indies after the A-team series, although the fixtures have yet to be announced. Zimbabwe are also without a head coach, and are working with former interim coach Makhaya Ntini. Heath Streak is believed to be the frontrunner to take over.