It’s fair to say West Bromwich Albion’s season hasn’t gone to plan in the Championship with Tony Mowbray axed after just 17 clashes back at the Hawthorns helm.

Losing the steady presence of Carlos Corberan abruptly has ultimately derailed the Baggies’ promotion push, leaving Mowbray with the tough task of picking up the pieces after the Spaniard walked away for a chance at Valencia.

Unfortunately, the 61-year-old would only pick up a meagre five victories from those 17 games, with the failed promotion chasers now after another new manager to freshen up the stale environment.

Marti Cifuentes has been the main name getting all the buzz, but the second-tier underperformers could now opt to appoint this left-field name instead of landing the Queens Park Rangers boss.

West Brom keen admirers of Cifuentes' alternative

Indeed, reports in recent days have suggested that talks have been held between the Baggies and the Hoops over a deal for Cifuentes, with West Brom clearly a fan of what the 42-year-old has managed to achieve to date at Loftus Road.

Manager Focus

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But, he isn’t the only face being considered for the vacant job post, with journalist Darren Witcoop taking to X recently to confirm that the Championship side are also ‘admirers’ of current FC St. Pauli head coach Alexander Blessin.

Blessin took over the reins at the German giants from Fabian Hurzeler, with the 51-year-old perhaps following Hurzeler’s career path even more if he too takes the leap to relocate to England.

After all, when glancing at Blessin’s career achievements so far as a manager, he could actually be viewed as an upgrade on Cifuentes, meaning he might well become the main desired target if QPR aren’t willing to sanction a move.

Why Blessin could be an upgrade on Cifuentes

Before looking more in-depth at Blessin’s varied CV as a manager, there are a multitude of reasons as to why West Brom have cherry-picked Cifuentes as a candidate to replace Mowbray.

Last season saw the ex-Hammarby boss transform QPR’s fortunes on the pitch, with relegation looking nailed on at one point under the previous tenure of Gareth Ainsworth, only for Cifuentes to lift the once downtrodden Hoops all the way up to 18th and six points clear of the dreaded drop-zone.

But, the Spaniard has struggled at points this season to kick on, with a sobering 5-0 loss to an already promoted Burnley side more than kicking his side in the teeth last match.

Whilst Blessin has equally had to navigate choppy waters this campaign in the German top-flight (six points above the relegation zone), his overall resume as a manager to date does look slightly more impressive than his counterpart’s.

Most notably, the Stuttgart-born coach was an overwhelming success in Belgium with Royal Union Saint-Gilloise before the Bundesliga beckoned.

FC St. Pauli

33

9

7

17

Union Saint-Gilloise

58

36

12

10

Genoa

33

11

12

10

KV Oostende

65

26

11

28

RB Leipzig (U17s/U19s)

87

56

6

25

Away from some hiccups at his current employers, Blessin has largely been a success wherever he’s been managing all across Europe, with his celebrated 58-game stay at Union SG even seeing him lift the Belgian Cup.

Overall, the West Brom target has steered all of his teams to an impressive 138 victories from 276 career games. To add context, Cifuentes has a lesser 130 from a heftier 321 clashes.

With his expansive 3-5-2 set-up also potentially suiting the likes of wide man Tom Fellows, this might well be a match made in heaven if a move is signed off on, with the Baggies hopeful they can pick up their next Corberan-style figure shortly to put Mowbray’s dismal return firmly in the past.

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Yet again this season, a consistent issue for Manchester United has been injuries, with new boss Ruben Amorim following in Erik ten Hag’s footsteps in having to make do with the limited options at his disposal.

A key setback notably occurred last month, following the close of the transfer window, with an already depleted attacking unit having been hampered even further amid the news that Amad Diallo could be out for the season with an ankle issue.

Thankfully, Amorim has since hinted that the Ivorian could potentially return before the campaign is out, although elsewhere, Lisandro Martinez is facing an extended period on the sidelines, after suffering an ACL blow earlier this year.

That represents the latest setback for the Argentine amid what has been an injury-hit few years at Old Trafford, with the defender having been restricted to just 14 appearances last season under Ten Hag.

Unfortunately for Amorim, while the players themselves will be more disappointed than anyone, far too many of his ranks could be branded with the ‘injury-prone tag’ – a fate that notably befell Champions League-winning midfielder, Owen Hargreaves.

Why Owen Hargreaves fell out with Fergie

‘One of the most disappointing signings of my career’.

Writing in his autobiography in 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson provided that blunt assessment of Hargreaves’ time at United, having also gone on to describe the decision to sign the England international as a ‘disaster’.

The experienced midfielder had actually enjoyed a promising start to life in Manchester after signing from Bayern Munich on a £17m deal in 2007, having ended that debut campaign with 34 appearances to his name, as the Red Devils claimed Premier League and Champions League glory.

In Europe, in particular, the Canadian-born star notably impressed after playing the full 120 minutes against Chelsea in the Moscow showpiece, having also curled in a crucial free-kick at home to Arsenal in the top-flight a month earlier.

Unfortunately for Hargreaves, that was about as good as it got as he swiftly faded from view over the next few years, eventually joining rivals Manchester City on a free transfer in 2011, having made just 39 appearances in total for the club.

Amid those injury woes, the Three Lions ace-turned-pundit spoke of the ‘break down’ in his relationship with Ferguson, with the pair seemingly holding differing views over his time on the sidelines.

As it is, it’s hard to say that the signing proved a success, with it looking as if that story could be repeating itself with regard to another England international, Mason Mount.

Man Utd star is in danger of becoming Hargreaves 2.0

As Amorim walked in the door back in November, it was telling that one of the few individuals the Portuguese singled out for praise was Mount, having hailed the ex-Chelsea man as a “proper footballer”.

Amid the arrival of a new manager, the Stamford Bridge academy product appeared in desperate need of a fresh start following an injury-hit first year or so under Ten Hag, with his only goal having come away at Brentford last season.

Unfortunately for Mount – who had actually started the first three games of the new campaign in all competitions – the 26-year-old has again been on the periphery in recent months, having only just made his return after being forced off in the early knockings of the Manchester Derby back in December.

Like Hargreaves, the playmaker arrived at Old Trafford with a strong reputation, having notably started in the 2021 Champions League final and Euro 2020 final, while providing 68 goals and assists in 195 games for the Blues.

Like his compatriot also, Mount looked like a worthwhile signing – even with the £55m price tag – due to his versatility, having operated on the flanks, in a number ten berth or in a deeper number eight role. Hargreaves, for instance, could feature at ‘right-back, wide right or central midfield’, as Ferguson noted.

Sadly, the £250k-per-week asset has so far made just 38 appearances for United – one fewer than Hargreaves – while contributing only one goal and one assist, with pundit Emmanuel Petit perhaps harshly criticising him for his “very fragile mentally”.

A return to the bench did occur for Mount against Leicester City last time out, however, with Amorim again highlighting the impact he could make when fit and firing:

As a player who notably reached double figures for goals and assists in the league while playing in Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system back in 2021/22, it is easy to see why Amorim has so much faith in the midfielder, but time is running out for Mount to finally make his mark.

After two almost wasted years at Old Trafford, the £55m man is in danger of heading the way of Hargreaves as a marquee signing who has simply failed to deliver.

United’s number seven simply needs to stay fit and start producing, or his future could soon lie elsewhere…

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da imperador bet： Autor do ‘pênalti’ que gerou o gol de empate em 1 a 1 do Corinthians e motivou as reclamações do São Paulo sobre a arbitragem do carioca Bruno Arleu de Araújo no clássico deste domingo (14), em Itaquera, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, o lateral-direito Rafinha foi mais a endossar o coro tricolor contra o homem do apito nos vestiários. O jogador relembrou também a expulsão de Nestor no empate sem gols com o Fortaleza, durante o meio de semana. Confira:

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Mumbai posted a huge total but their 22-run victory against Punjab in the end was little more than a scant consolation

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2019Jharkhand v Tamil NaduWashington Sundar and M Siddharth helped Tamil Nadu book a semi-final berth by setting up an easy win against Jharkhand. The spin duo shared seven wickets between them, flattening Jharkhand’s batting line-up and helping bowl them out for 85, which Tamil Nadu’s top-order then mowed down in 13.5 overs. Washington also top-scored with a 22-ball 38.Jharkhand captain Saurabh Tiwary was the only batsman to reach 20, after he had opted to bat. Washington accounted for the first three wickets to fall, following which Tiwary and Sumit Kumar batted it out for 4.1 overs to put up a 17-run stand – the highest in Jharkhand’s innings – before M Ashwin dismissed the former. Left-arm spinner Siddharth then ran riot, picking up three wickets in the space of 12 balls, including a double-strike in the 12th over. R Sai Kishore, the tournament’s top wicket-taker, then made Sonu Singh his 19th victim of the season. Siddharth had Sumit pinned in front in the next over to bag his second four-for this season, to move to 11 wickets in just three games. Vivekanand Tiwari’s run-out in the 19th over ended Jharkhand’s innings, with Washington finishing with figures of 3 for 10 and Siddharth with 4 for 18.Tamil Nadu lost openers C Hari Nishant for 7 and M Shahrukh Khan for 24, before a steady 51-run stand between Washington and Dinesh Karthik ensured a comfortable victory. Tamil Nadu will face Rajasthan in their semi-final in Surat on Friday. R Ashwin will join the squad ahead of the semi-final.Mumbai v PunjabFifties from Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav fired Mumbai to a big total and had the team briefly dreaming of a semi-final spot, but their bowlers were unable to follow through and complete the job. This meant their 22-run victory over Punjab was little more than a consolation.Mumbai began their Group B game in third place, four points behind Karnataka and needing a massive victory to boost their net run rate (NRR) and stand any chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.Their batsmen gave them that chance, as Mumbai compiled 243 for 3 from their 20 overs, thanks to Shaw’s rapid start (53 off 27 balls) and later a 140-run third-wicket stand between Iyer (80*) and the captain Yadav (80).Mumbai would have leapfrogged Karnataka had they kept Punjab to 150 or fewer, but those hopes quickly faded as Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma began the chase by racing to 84 inside eight overs. By the time Gill was dismissed for a 38-ball 78, in the 16th over, Punjab had motored to 175, mathematically ending Mumbai’s pursuit of a semi-final spot.Shreyas Iyer bunts one away off the back foot•BCCIPunjab, however, failed to regain momentum after Gill’s wicket, as a double-strike from Tushar Deshpande hampered their chase. They were left needing 47 off the last two overs, and Anmolpreet Singh’s late cameo (20 off 8 balls) was not enough to stave off defeat.Rajasthan v DelhiRajasthan prevailed in a close finish against Delhi to gain the net run-rate advantage over Maharashtra and qualify for the semi-final. Rajasthan, Baroda and Maharashtra all finished with eight points in Super League Group B, but Rajasthan’s superior net run-rate of -0.254 was enough to send them through.Rajasthan rode on Deepak Chahar’s half-century, after being reduced to 50 for 5, to get to a competitive total. Chahar made 53 off 42 balls, slamming seven sixes to help his team post 133 for 7. In reply, Delhi collapsed around Rishabh Pant’s 27-ball 50, with Rahul Chahar and Arjit Gupta polishing off the middle order and reducing them to 61 for 6.A brief resistance between Lalit Singh and Varun Sood kept Delhi’s hopes alive but Khaleel Ahmed and Aniket Choudhary struck to dent them further, as Rajasthan held their nerve to win by two runs.Maharashtra v HaryanaMaharashtra held on for a two-run win against Haryana, but the small margin of victory wasn’t enough to book their passage into the semi-finals. Haryana will meet Karnataka in the 2nd semi-final on Friday.Batting first, Maharashtra made a bright start as their opener Ruturaj Gaikwad razed 27 off 15 balls. Haryana fought back with two quick wickets, but a 77-run stand between Vijay Zol and Rahul Tripathi rebuilt the Maharashtra innings. Tripathi top-scored with a 37-ball 61, as Maharashtra eventually made 167 from their 20 overs.Haryana were dealt an early blow in their chase as Chaitanya Bishnoi was bowled by Samad Fallah off the very first ball. Harshal Patel (22) and Shivam Rishipal Chauhan (33) then steadied the innings, before a 13-ball 28 from Rahul Tewatia left Haryana needing just 43 from the last 37 balls.However, Tewatia’s run-out in the 14th over swung the advantage Maharashtra’s way, as Haryana started to lose wickets at quick intervals. It left the eighth-wicket pair of Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav requiring 11 from the final over, but they could muster just eight runs.

Manchester City are believed to be “very interested” in completing the signing of a player who has been described as a “superstar in the making” this summer, sending scouts to watch him in action.

Man City preparing for big Nottingham Forest clash

Pep Guardiola’s side’s season has been a big disappointment by their incredibly high standards, with the defence of their Premier League crown petering out relatively early in the campaign. Meanwhile, they were sent packing from the Champions League before the knockout stages.

There is still plenty to play for in the coming weeks, however, not least Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final showdown with Nottingham Forest at Wembley, and then ensuring they secure a top-five finish in the league.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have been one of the revelations of the season, sitting third in the Premier League table, so this will be a big test for City, who are looking to go one better than last term, when they were beaten by rivals Manchester United in the final.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, significant reinforcements are required at the Etihad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, and a hugely exciting player has now been linked with a move there.

Man City very interested in PSG star Desire Doue

According to a fresh update from journalist Rudy Galetti TEAMtalk, Manchester City are “very interested” signing Paris Saint-Germain teenager Desire Doue this summer. Scouts have been sent to watch the gifted 19-year-old attacker in action, while Guardiola is believed to be a big admirer. PSG will only listen to offers of at least £85m, though.

Doue is a player who could have a massive future in the game, with journalist Julien Laurens recently waxing lyrical over his long-term potential.

“The key was that Luis Enrique and sporting director Luis Campos were both convinced they were getting a superstar in the making. Doue is so talented, strong mentally and physically. At PSG, they say he’s got rugby players’ legs because the bottom half of his body is so strong. They knew in Paris it would take time but they were ready. Luis Enrique was so happy to sign him. He was the player he wanted.”

Doue already has 13 goals and 12 assists in just 45 appearances for PSG, highlighting his end product at such a young age, so the idea of him in a City shirt is mouthwatering for supporters.

Capable of excelling on either wing and also in an attacking midfield role, the Frenchman could provide Guardiola with the extra depth that he craves next season and beyond.

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If Doue continues on his current trajectory, he will likely mature into a world-class footballer over time, and he is exactly the type of player City should be looking to sign, as they look to return to the top of the English and European game.

Test captain offers support to Ollie Robinson as England ponder three-man seam attack

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Mar-20241:34

What will Bazball 2.0 look like?

For the first time under Ben Stokes’ captaincy, England will be playing for pride in a Test match.India hold the spoils, and all England have is the carrot of leaving with a 3-2 scoreline by becoming the first team since 2012 to win two matches in a series against the hosts. Though that is mainly down to the fact not every Test nation is afforded five Tests in these parts. Even Australia were only given four this time last year.That Dharamsala is hosting this fifth and final Test does add extra context of scenery and, for some, divinity. A number of the touring party will meet the Dalai Lama on Wednesday morning. At this point, England’s own spiritual leader is unlikely to be among them.Related

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The series may be gone, but Stokes’ focus remains for this final stretch of this tour. “Well, it’s like whenever we play,” he replied when asked what, aside from a few World Test Championship points, are at stake. “We want to win this week.”Complacency is not an option, particularly with the sense this team needs to step up to the next level. Missed chances against Australia last summer stung, and similar spurned opportunities in India speak of the need for a talented group to start handling these pressure situations more effectively.”It’s not a mental or a mentality thing,” Stokes said, matter-of-factly. “All you can do is work your hardest and try your nuts off in the nets because that’s where you get better.”It was in the nets on Tuesday morning that England came the close to freezing those proverbials off. Most of the squad trained in beanie hats, which were brought over during the break between the second and third Test, along with a few long-sleeve cream jumpers. Cooler temperatures and even rain forecast on day one make this match an altogether different proposition.England are entertaining picking a three-pronged seam attack for the first time on this trip, but will wait to see how what Stokes described as a “belting deck” as far as batting is concerned, with surprisingly little grass given the rain over the last week, looks on Wednesday afternoon. Shoaib Bashir is nursing a split spinning finger, having bowled almost 38% of his first-class overs in the last month. He is likely to be the one that makes way for the extra pace option.With James Anderson fully fit after a quad strain kept him off the field for the final session of the fourth Test – and just two away from 700 career dismissals – Mark Wood could return for his third match of the series. And while Stokes lauded uncapped quick Gus Atkinson as “an exciting talent”, Ollie Robinson may retain his place in the XI after a disappointing first appearance since last July in the defeat at Ranchi.Robinson went wicketless in 13 overs consigned solely to the first innings after picking up a back issue running between the wickets while compiling his maiden Test fifty. It dramatically stifled his effectiveness and in turn blunted England’s cutting-edge with the ball. His misery was compounded by a costly drop of Dhruv Jurel in India’s first innings.Stokes took the opportunity to back Robinson, whose Test record still reads an impressive 76 wickets at 22.92. And he gave a clear indication he sees the 30-year-old as an important part of England’s future.Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum oversee preparations ahead of the fifth Test against India•Getty Images”You are more gutted for Ollie that something on day one, his back going, which affects the role he can play in the long run. He is more disappointed that he couldn’t help the team out as much as he’d like,” he said.”With Ollie, we look at the effort he put in as an individual leading up to and on this tour. His work ethic away from playing was very good, and he gave himself the best chance of being in position to win that game for us.”The thing to look at is that he was out on the field, trying to influence the game even though he wasn’t feeling 100%. A lesser man would have put their hands up, walked away and not even tried.”Stokes saved special praise for Jonny Bairstow, ahead of the Yorkshire batter’s 100th cap. The pair have a long association, starting from age-group cricket. And it was instructive that Bairstow rated his 2022 summer – Stokes’ first as captain – as a broad highlight of his career.Naturally, Stokes was unwilling to take credit: “I’m not the one who’s out there doing that,” referencing the 681 runs struck across just six Tests that season. But as a close friend of Bairstow, and someone who brought up three figures himself in the third Test at Rajkot and brushed it off, he knows how much this will mean to the 34-year-old.”This is probably going to be more of an emotional thing for Jonny than it ever was for me. I don’t need to go into details as to why about the whole family. He’s got his mam, sister, partner, little baby boy and some friends here.”Playing for England means so much to Jonny and means so much to his family as well and to play over 100 ODIs, 100 Tests – a lot of cricket for England – it means a hell of a lot to him. He deserves everything that gets spoken about him in the build-up to the game and throughout the week as well.”But amid all the Bairstow-related pageantry, and the possibility of narrowing the gap between them and India, England first need to approach this fixture like it matters, even if it carries little weight in the grand scheme of things. Stokes made a note of reiterating that to the team before training got underway.”We’ve been on so many India tours, you know what it’s like when you get to an end of a long one – that sometimes you start thinking about the end of the game,” Stokes warned.”I don’t think that anyone is thinking like that because every opportunity we feel at the moment is special to play for England. Because we’ve lost the series, it doesn’t mean that this game is different to what last week was or the week before.”We’ll think about the plane and getting home when we’re in the airport. So I won’t be thinking about that whatsoever until the game’s done.”

يواصل النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند، تألقه، وافتتح التسجيل لفريقه مانشستر سيتي في مباراة اليوم أمام آرسنال ببطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويحل مانشستر سيتي ضيفًا على آرسنال بملعب “الإمارات” في الجولة الخامسة لبطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وبعد مرور 10 دقائق من أحداث المباراة، تقدم إيرلينج هالاند بهدف أول لصالح فريقه مانشستر سيتي في شباك آرسنال.

ورفع هالاند رصيده في صدارة ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لموسم 2025-2026 إلى 6 أهداف. ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي

1. إيرلينج هالاند، مانشستر سيتي، 6 أهداف.

2. أنطوان سيمينو، بورنموث، 3 أهداف.

3. أنتوني، بيرنلي، 3 أهداف.

4. هوجو إيكتيكي، ليفربول، 3 أهداف.

5. ريتشارليسون، توتنهام، 3 أهداف.

6. فيكتور جيوكيريس، آرسنال، 3 أهداف.

7. ويلسون إيزيدور، سندرلاند، 3 أهداف.

8. محمد صلاح، هدفان.

9. جواو بيدرو، تشيلسي، هدفان.

10. إنزو فرنانديز، تشيلسي، هدفان.

ويمكن متابعة ترتيب هدافي الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2025/26، محدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

The South African squad had a break from April to July. Here’s what the 15-man squad for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka got up to

Firdose Moonda03-Jul-2018Faf du Plessis After playing six matches for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, including scoring an unbeaten 67 in the first qualifier, du Plessis took time off. He holidayed with his family in Bali, returned home to celebrate his daughter Amelie’s first birthday, and to watch Cape Town receive the rainfall that should break the city’s worst drought in history. “Surely the dams are full now?” du Plessis asked at his departure presser. Not quite yet, but they’re about halfway there.

#1stbday #amélie

A post shared by Faf du plessis (@fafdup) on Jun 23, 2018 at 10:18pm PDT

Dean Elgar The opening batsman spent time at Surrey, where he played three first-class and four List-A matches but despite three half-centuries in three white-ball games, Elgar was still overlooked for South Africa’s one-day squad. He enjoyed his time at The Oval so much that he is returning to play the final five matches of the County Championship for them after the Sri Lanka tour.Aiden MarkramElgar’s opening partner was also in England, but played only three matches for Durham and scored 94 in his second outing.Hashim Amla A huge success on the county circuit, Amla turned out for Hampshire and reeled off four half-centuries and two hundreds in 12 innings across red- and white-ball cricket but had to cut his stint short when he picked up a knee injury early in June. Since then, Amla has launched a luxury property development in his home province of Kwazulu Natal.Temba Bavuma Although he did not play any cricket, Bavuma was the only Test batsman to attend the spin camp in India in May. He was also named captain of his franchise, Highveld Lions, and will likely be given a proper chance at a long-run in the Test side following AB de Villeirs’ retirement. Off the field, Bavuma was a flagbearer during the match between the South African rugby team, the Springboks, and England during Siya Kolisi’s first match as captain. Kolisi is the first black African to captain the Springboks.

Truly honored to have been part of this noteworthy day, a day entrenched in our sporting history books, moments that will live forever, uyabulela uBhayi

A post shared by Temba Bavuma (@tbavuma11) on Jun 10, 2018 at 12:11am PDT

Quinton de KockA reasonably quiet IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore saw de Kock cross 50 just once. He returned home to do some fishing and has also signed for Nottinghamshire for the last four Championshop games.Theunis de Bruyn De Bruyn gave up Knight’s captaincy to move to Titans for the 2018-19 season and got married in May. De Kock was among the guests at his wedding. He played two matches for Surrey in the lead-up to the Sri Lanka tour, but only managed a highest-score of 38.Heinrich KlaasenAn unexpected beneficiary of the Newlands’ ball-tampering scandal, Klaasen signed with Rajasthan Royals in David Warner’s absence for the IPL but only played four matches.Keshav MaharajA quiet off-season for Maharaj, who holidayed in Thailand and attended the spinners’ camp in Mumbai. There was no cricket for Maharaj in the break.Lungi NgidiOne of the biggest success stories of this year’s IPL, Ngidi played seven matches for Chennai Super Kings and turned in stellar performances despite tragic personal circumstances. Ngidi’s father died during the tournament and the manner in which he has conducted himself since has been nothing short of admirable. On his return home, Ngidi joined a campaign called Run for the Oceans, a sponsored event to raise awareness for environmental concerns.Vernon PhilanderAfter meeting all the demands coach Ottis Gibson asked of him during the season, Philander used the time for rest. He visited nature reserves, played golf and did some intense training with Steyn as he prepared for the new season.

The boys have started the engines….. @dalesteyn Almost that time again. Few more weeks of building up. Looking good bud✌✌

A post shared by Vernon Philander (@vernon_philander) on May 23, 2018 at 3:04am PDT

Kagiso Rabada A first serious injury – a stress fracture of the back – forced Rabada out of the IPL and into a program of rehabilitation. He signed a sponsorship deal with luxury watch brand Tag Heuer and, like Ngidi, joined the Run for the Oceans movement. Oh, and he swept the CSA awards, winning six of the eight main prizes on offer, the most by any player in the history of the event.Tabraiz ShamsiA successful off-season for Tabraiz Shamsi saw him named domestic one-day and twenty-over Player of the Season at CSA’s awards and named in all three squads to tour Sri Lanka. Shamsi attended the spin camp in Mumbai and got married over the winter.Dale Steyn A few weeks in Bali, followed by five matches for Hampshire, without breaking down means Steyn is back and ready to play international cricket again. Read more about Steyn’s journey back to full fitness here.Shaun von Berg What would have been just a regular off-season turned into a dream come true when, in early June, von Berg received a call-up to the national team. At 31, and sometimes not even guaranteed a place in his franchise side, the selection came as a surprise to the legspinner but, having bided his time, and again attended the spin camp in Mumbai, it’s time for von Berg to show what he can do at the highest level.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has confirmed that Barcelona have not yet returned to the 1:1 rule, hindering the club's plans for next season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Tebas speaks on Barca's transfer plans
• Confirms Garcia won't be registered straightaway
• Need for sales to purchase Williams

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  League chief Tebas has fired a warning to Barcelona ahead of the 2025-26 season. He has claimed the Catalans will not only face problems with the registration of new goalkeeper Joan Garcia, but will also have to offload a number of players and collect funds in order to pursue someone like Nico Williams without much hassle.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barcelona's struggles with handling their finances have been well-documented, with players like Dani Olmo and Pau Victor already going through registration drama back in January. La Liga made rigorous attempts to deregister Olmo, as a consequence of which the league cut the Catalans' salary limit in April.

  After a successful season, in which Hansi Flick's men won La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de Espana, they began bolstering their squad by triggering Garcia's €25 million (£21m/$29m) release clause at Espanyol. Barca are also closing in on signing Athletic Club star Williams, with whom they have reportedly reached a six-year agreement. La Blaugrana, however, insist on paying the 22-year-old's €62m (£53m/$71m) release clause in instalments, drawing the ire of the Basque side.

• WHAT JAVIER TEBAS SAID

  Speaking from Madrid's Esade Campus on Tuesday, Tebas first spoke about Garcia's registration. He said: "One thing is to make the signing of Joan Garcia official and another, to register him. They have to make movements and see which players they are going to decide… I hear so much… I don't know what is true of what is written. Barcelona is not in the 1:1 rule. I think the other day they announced the payment of Joan Garcia's clause, but I don't know if they have already done it, I don't understand much… Barca has to do things to be able to register him, not many, but they have to do things and they already know what they are, I'm not going to say them, but we don't even have dates, we'll see."

  He then proceeded to talk about Barca's pursuit of Williams, stating: "I don't know, but in the end you hear so many [names]: Williams, the other one, the one with the motorcycle… First of all, that what has to be registered is true, which I don't know. But they don't yet meet the requirements to sign freely, they can't sign yet under the 1:1 rule. If they want Nico, they will have to sell and adjust their accounts a lot."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  The champions of La Liga will possibly have to make a number of sales before they can continue building their squad for the upcoming season. Per reports, Bayern Munich are keeping tabs on Fermin Lopez, while the future of centre-back Ronald Araujo is also up in the air.

Nick Gubbins batted out the final day to make sure Hampshire and Lancashire drew their Vitality County Championship fixture at the Utilita Bowl – and maintained the visitors’ unbeaten record on the ground.Gubbins added an unbeaten 69 to his first-innings 50 in a four-and-a-half-hour vigil to nullify any threat of a Hampshire collapse and a result – with James Vince and Tom Prest equally stubborn in their resistance.Lancashire picked up one extra point to Hampshire’s 12, with both sides shaking off their rain-affected openers with more shared points.It did, however, extend the Red Roses’ record of not losing a first-class away match at Hampshire to 35 years – with the last home success coming at Portsmouth in 1989.Any hopes of Lancashire forcing a result by blowing away Hampshire quickly were kyboshed by no play possible in the morning due to a rain shower which left the run-ups temporarily unusable.In all 24 overs were lost from the day before the visitors set about hoping to add the final eight wickets to avoid the otherwise inevitable draw in strong winds.George Bell had spoken the previous evening about how excited he has been for fielding at short leg to Nathan Lyon, despite being in the firing line for the angle the ball is turning. He got his wish to share a line on the scorecard with the legendary Australian spinner when nightwatcher Kyle Abbott clipped the 16th ball of the day to the 21-year-old under the helmet.Any chance of the hosts collapsing from that point ended with Gubbins and Vince occupying the crease for the next two hours – and in Gubbins’ case, beyond.Lyon, who had claimed three first-inning wickets in 38 overs, tried everything to spark a flurry of wickets with the Kookaburra ball. He teased Vince with different flights – tempting the Hampshire skipper to almost hole out to long on – he flirted with front pads and he created his own rough at either end of the pitch so he could have a patch to aim at wherever he was bowling. His battle with Vince also saw the batter bottom-edge a sweep, which trickled past his stumps.Finally, Lyon made an unlikely turn towards Bazball for inspiration when he tried switching the bails. It turns out that specific magic can only be conjured by Stuart Broad.More Lancashire tricks of a 7-2 leg-side field and Tom Bailey bowling spin to the left-handed Gubbins and his usual pace to the right-handed Vince, also didn’t produce returns.Vince and Gubbins were steadfast in their 66-run partnership to showcase their vast Championship experience. Both had scored half-centuries in the first innings, although Vince failed to reach the landmark in the second dig as Lyon pinned him lbw to dismiss him in both innings.Gubbins scored twin centuries the last time Lancashire came to the Utilita Bowl in 2019. He half-replicated that with twin half-centuries, this time coming in 135 balls.Tom Prest, another first-innings fifty-maker, simply continued where Vince left off – although was unafraid to plonk half-trackers over the ropes for six to end up unbeaten on 45.The inevitable handshakes came at 16:50 BST, after a short rain delay, to signal the draw.