AS Roma’s pursuit of Joshua Zirkzee is accelerating, with the Serie A leaders building a transfer structure designed to convince Manchester United to sanction a January move despite UEFA restrictions. After the Dutch striker reportedly said “yes” to the switch, Roma are preparing a loan with an obligation to buy, aiming to delay payment until the summer.

Roma pushing to sign Man Utd's Zirkzee

Reports in Italy have confirmed that Roma have stepped up their push to sign out-of-favour Manchester United striker Zirkzee, who is keen to leave in January due to a lack of minutes under Ruben Amorim. The forward recently made his first Premier League start of the season in the defeat to Everton, but it did little to change his situation after several months on the fringes. With Zirkzee frustrated by limited opportunities and eager to secure regular football ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Roma have emerged as the club willing to give him a prominent role and a fresh start.

As negotiations progressed, Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport reported that the 24-year-old had already given his approval to joining the Giallorossi. Initial concerns over agent commissions were later denied, and Roma began shaping their proposal around UEFA’s financial restrictions for winter purchases. Because the club cannot register a permanent signing for €25–30 million in January, their strategy shifted toward a loan deal with a delayed purchase option that can be activated after the season ends.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are open to selling Zirkzee but would prefer an immediate permanent transfer, especially since the striker cost £36.5m when he arrived from Bologna in 2024. However, with his playing time dwindling and the January window approaching, the Red Devils are increasingly likely to entertain Roma’s loan-plus-obligation structure. That model would allow the Premier League side to secure a guaranteed sale while giving Roma the flexibility to pay once their summer budget becomes clear.

AdvertisementAFPMan Utd in two minds over allowing Zirkzee departure

Zirkzee’s looming exit reflects the difficult season he has endured at Old Trafford after arriving with high expectations. Despite Rasmus Hojlund’s departure in the summer, the Dutchman was reduced to a supporting role behind Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, leaving him with only 172 Premier League minutes and four matchday omissions. His lack of involvement became so glaring that he only earned a league start due to injuries to both Sesko and Cunha, highlighting his diminished standing in Amorim’s squad.

The situation is particularly damaging for Zirkzee, given his aspirations to break into the Netherlands squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup, meaning continued bench time poses a severe threat to his international prospects. From Manchester United’s perspective, the club is caught between protecting short-term squad depth, especially with AFCON absences for Amad Diallo and Mbeumo, and acknowledging the player's desire to leave. That tension leaves United in a delicate position, where prioritising the squad could risk losing value on an unsettled player whose minutes are unlikely to increase.

Roma want to delay payment to next summer

Roma’s plan centres on a loan structure with an obligation to buy, which they view as the only viable method considering UEFA’s limitations on budget allocation during the winter window. The club wants to postpone the €25–30m payment until next summer, allowing them to adjust spending based on Champions League qualification and overall season performance.

Manchester United’s hesitation stems from the fact that they would rather secure an outright sale in January, as Zirkzee no longer features in Amorim’s long-term plans. Even though the club faces forward shortages in January, especially if Sesko’s recovery slows, they recognise that keeping an unhappy striker with little opportunity to play benefits no one. The board also accepts that a loan-with-obligation protects Zirkzee’s transfer value better than continued stagnation in Manchester.

For the player himself, Roma offers the two components he wants most: guaranteed minutes and the chance to work under Gasperini. Zirkzee flourished in Serie A during his Bologna spell, making a return to Italy an appealing path toward confidence, goals and renewed standing with the Dutch national team.

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Getty Images SportRoma want to formalise deal in January

Roma must now formalise their loan-plus-obligation proposal to Manchester United, who will weigh the offer against the club’s need for attacking depth in the second half of the season. If Roma agree to an obligation triggered either by Champions League qualification or automatic terms, it increases the likelihood of United accepting. Both clubs expect talks to intensify as January approaches, with the structure, timing and guarantees being the final sticking points.

For Zirkzee, the next few weeks will determine whether he earns a fresh start in Serie A or must remain at Old Trafford until the summer. His motivation to leave is strong, and his stance will continue to play a role in pushing the deal forward. Should United approve the move, Roma are prepared to integrate him immediately.

Labuschagne’s recall looks certain but debate remains about where in the order he will bat

Andrew McGlashan21-Oct-2025Steven Smith has revealed that Marnus Labuschagne told him before the season that he would be back in the Test side by the start of the Ashes.Though that decision has yet to be rubberstamped by the Australia selectors, Labuschagne is all-but certain to earn a recall having made two Sheffield Shield centuries in two matches – and four hundreds in five innings across the early domestic season – in a prolific return to form after being dropped in the West Indies earlier this year.”I sent him a message a couple of days ago saying how proud I was of him,” Smith said. “He’s just gone back and he’s got his fourth hundred in five hits. It’s a pretty big statement. He said to me at the start of the summer, he goes, ‘I’ll be in that Test team come the first [Ashes] Test’. He’s backed up his words, probably. He’s obviously not selected yet, [but] he’s done a lot of things right.”Related

• Australia's top order: What are the selectors' options?

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During the first ODI against India, Labuschagne spoke about some of his struggles having come from getting “too deep” into his technique and “trying to be too perfect”, which echoes advice Smith had given him.”We’ve all been there [dropped] at some point in our careers and it’s difficult to hear it,” Smith said. “But I think he knew he probably wasn’t batting as well as he had been over probably four years ago when he was scoring a mountain of runs.”I think my advice to him was ‘stop thinking so technically, just go and play the game; watch the ball and react’. I think he’s been doing that really beautifully and he’s played so nicely.”While Labuschagne’s return looks certain, a significant question remains about where he bats in the order amid the ongoing debate around who opens alongside Usman Khawaja with Sam Konstas’ challenges continuing. Labuschagne was promoted to the top in the World Test Championship final against South Africa and there remains a realistic chance he will be asked to do it again.Steven Smith has been prolific since returning to No. 4•Associated Press

A large part of the final decision may revolve around how many overs the selectors are confident in Cameron Green getting through and whether Beau Webster’s bowling is also required.”He can open, as we saw in the Test championship final,” Smith said. “He can bat three. He’s versatile. We’ll see where it all stands when the team gets picked. I mean, it’s not too different to batting three, to be honest. He could be in first ball. So, it’s essentially the same thing.”I don’t think he needs to change anything if that’s the case. Just play the game, play how he has been, and see the ball hit it, and trust his instincts.”Smith, who had a four-Test stint as opener in early 2024 before returning to No. 4 last season where he averaged 53.27 against India and Sri Lanka, may also become part of the batting-order debate over whether he returns to No. 3.”I’m not too fussed, to be honest,” Smith said. “I’m happy kind of wherever. But, yeah, we’ll see what happens when the team’s picked where we’ll talk to the coaches and Patty [Cummins] and see where everyone fits in best, I suppose, and keep it as simple as that.”Sam Konstas is struggling to retain his Test place•Getty Images

With regards Konstas, who has made 4, 14, 0 and 53 in his four Shield innings of the season having scored a century for Australia A in India last month, Smith said there was a balance to strike for young players between overloading them with advice and allowing them to problem solve.”He’s obviously going through a bit of a period right now where he’s trying to figure out how he wants to play,” he said. “I think at times you’ve got to let these young players figure it out for themselves and find the way that they want to play. I think back to when I was young, I had to figure it out.”There were people that I could speak to, but ultimately you’re the one out in the middle playing. It’s your career and you need to figure out how you want to go about it. He’s so young, he’s got plenty of time to figure out how he wants to go.”From what I’ve seen, he’s got so much time as a batter when he’s facing fast bowling. That’s something you can’t really teach, so that’s a good starting point. Then there’s a few things that he has to obviously work on, but he’s a bright talent as we’ve seen and he’s got a bright future.”

Manchester United have been in contact over the 2026 signing of a “supertalent” ahead of Premier League rivals Liverpool.

Man Utd’s midfield search after update on Casemiro contract

The Red Devils and Ruben Amorim look set to be on the hunt for a midfield refresh in the New Year, with Casemiro’s contract set to expire in 2026.

The Red Devils hold an option to extend the Brazilian’s stay by an additional year, but that may not happen, with Amorim and INEOS seemingly clashing behind the scenes in regards to Casemiro.

Amorim thinks he is still needed at Old Trafford, whereas executives are asking for a wage cut instead of triggering the extension option until 2027, something which Casemiro, the top earner at Man Utd, is unlikely to accept.

1

Casemiro

£350,000

£18,200,000

2

Bruno Fernandes

£300,000

£15,600,000

3

Matthijs de Ligt

£195,000

£10,140,000

4

Harry Maguire

£190,000

£9,880,000

5

Matheus Cunha

£180,000

£9,360,000

United arguably need midfield additions even if Casemiro remains in Manchester, especially with Kobbie Mainoo down the pecking order and Manuel Ugarte likewise falling out of favour under Amorim.

Man Utd chief makes contact for Smit

According to CaughtOffside, Man Utd have made their first move to sign AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit.

Christopher Vivell, United’s director of recruitment, is the one who has reached out over an Old Trafford move, with the Red Devils looking to get ahead of Liverpool in the race for the £25m midfielder.

“Everyone at AZ is aware that Smit is likely to attract offers, and they’re open now to letting him go for the right price next summer.

“£25m is the figure I’m hearing, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a deal ends up initially being agreed in January to then go through in the summer.

“Christopher Vivell has been internally discussing Smit for some time now, and he’s also contacted the player to sound him out about a move.”

Hailed as a “supertalent” in the past by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Smit has already reached 50 senior appearances for AZ Alkmaar and is catching the eye in the Netherlands.

Former Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has even compared the 19-year-old to Pedri, who is arguably the best midfielder in the world right now.

“I almost regret mentioning his name again [Pedri], but he’s a guy who plays in the same position. The way he turns away from his opponent, the way he scans the area, his two-footedness… I saw that in Pedri too. If he gets half his career, we’ll be very happy in the Netherlands.”

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MLB announced the finalists for its award races after the 2025 season officially concluded on Saturday, with the Dodgers winning their second consecutive World Series title.

Members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, who vote for the league’s annual awards, narrowed down the list of finalists for each honor to three players. Those players were revealed by MLB on Monday, and the official awards will begin getting announced later this week, concluding with the reveal of the league MVPs on Nov. 13.

Let’s take a look at who is in contention for each award, as well as a brief look at the numbers they put up in 2025.

AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year

Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics – 5.4 bWAR, 1.002 OPS, 36 HR, 86 RBIs
Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox – 3.1 bWAR, .859 OPS, 8 HR, 32 RBIs
Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics – 2.9 bWAR, .800 OPS, 151 hits

NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year

Drake Baldwin, C, Braves – 3.3 bWAR, .810 OPS, 19 HR, 80 RBIs
Caleb Durbin, 3B, Brewers – 2.9 bWAR, .721 OPS, 18 SB
Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs – 2.0 bWAR, 118.0 IP, 97 K, 2.67 ERA

AL Manager of the Year Award

John Schneider, Blue Jays – (94–68, won AL East)
Stephen Vogt, Guardians – (88–74, won AL Central)
Dan Wilson, Mariners – (90–72, won AL West)

NL Manager of the Year Award

Terry Francona, Reds – (83–79, 3rd in NL Central)
Pat Murphy, Brewers – (97–65, won NL Central)
Rob Thomson, Phillies – (96–66, won NL East)

AL Cy Young Award

Hunter Brown, RHP, Astros – 6.1 bWAR, 2.43 ERA, 206 K, 185.1 IP
Garrett Crochet, LHP, Red Sox – 6.3 bWAR, 2.59 ERA, 255 K, 205.1 IP
Tarik Skubal – LHP, Tigers – 6.6 bWAR, 2.21 ERA, 241 K, 195.1 IP

NL Cy Young Award

Cristopher Sánchez, LHP, Phillies – 8.0 bWAR, 2.50 ERA, 212 K, 202 IP
Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates – 7.6 bWAR, 1.97 ERA, 216 K, 187.2 IP
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP, Dodgers – 5.0 bWAR, 2.49 ERA, 201 K, 173.2 IP

AL MVP Award

Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees – 9.7 bWAR, 1.144 OPS, 53 HR, 114 RBIs
Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners – 7.3 bWAR, .948 OPS, 60 HR, 125 RBIs
Jose Ramirez, 3B, Guardians – 5.8 bWAR, .863 OPS, 30 HR, 85 RBIs, 44 SB

NL MVP Award

Shohei Ohtani, DH/RHP, Dodgers – 7.7 bWAR, 1.014 OPS, 55 HR, 2.87 ERA, 62 K, 47 IP
Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies – 4.7 bWAR, .928 OPS, 56 HR, 132 RBIs
Juan Soto, RF, Mets – 6.2 bWAR, .921 OPS, 43 HR, 105 RBI, 38 SB

The official award announcements will trickle out starting next week. On Nov. 6–7, the Silver Slugger award winners will be revealed, followed by the Platinum Glove winners on Nov. 7. Then, Rookie of the Year awards are announced on Nov. 10, and Manager of the Year awards are revealed on Nov. 11. Finally, the Cy Young winners will be named on Nov. 12, and MVPs are officially announced on Nov. 13.

أثار محمد صلاح نجم ليفربول، ضجة كبيرة في النادي، بتصريحاته الحماسية التي أطلقها بعد التعادل مع ليدز يونايتد، بثلاثة أهداف لكل فريق في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتعرف جماهير ليفربول جيدًا ما قدمه النجم المصري للنادي، منذ انضمامه عام 2016، وقد أجرت شبكة “بي بي سي” البريطانية حوارات معهم، للتعليق على تصريحاته بعد مباراة ليدز يونايتد.

وكانت جماهير ليفربول في مثل هذا الوقت من العام الماضي، قد أظهرت لافتة تحمل صورة صلاح، وعبارة: “نادي ليفربول، إنه يطلق سهمه، والآن اعطوا مو ماله!”.

وقد احتفل محمد صلاح في أبريل الماضي بعقده الجديد وبعد أسبوعين قاد ليفربول لتحقيق لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، ووجد صاحب الـ33 عاماً نفسه بعد ثمانية أشهر خارج التشكيل الأساسي ودخل في صراع داخلي مع النادي وآرني سلوت.

اقرأ أيضاً.. جارديان: محمد صلاح “الأناني” يخون زملاءه ويُسرّع نهاية حقبته مع ليفربول

وكان هذا الصراع بين محمد صلاح وليفربول وسلوت قد أصبح محل اهتمام جماهير النادي، حيث ذكر المشجع ستيف هيوز صاحب الـ48 عاماً: “آمل أن يكون هذا توقيت مناسب ولكن إن لم يكن كذلك فهو خارج الخدمة”.

وأضاف: “لا يمكن القول إن هذا هو مكاني نظرًا لما قدمته للنادي، إنه أمر محزن لأننا نحبه بشدة”.

وواصل: “كان سيخلد اسمه كواحد من أعظم اللاعبين الذين لعبوا لهذا النادي على الإطلاق إلى جانب أمثال كيني دالجليش وإيان راش”.

وذكر مشجع آخر: “على الرغم من عظمته كلاعب، لا يمكن قول ما قاله أبداً، عليك أن تكسب حقك في اللعب في هذا المركز في كل مباراة، من الواضح أن هناك خلافًا بينه وبين سلوت، لذا أعتقد أن أحدهما يجب أن يرحل”.

ودافع عدد قليل عن صلاح لتعبيره عن أرائه وألقوا اللوم على سلوت، حيث ذكر أحد المشجعين: “لقد جعلوه كبش فداء، لا أتخيله يلعب لليفربول مرة أخرى”.

وقال مشجع آخر: “إنه بالتأكيد في دوامة هبوط، لكنني أفضل صلاح على سلوت”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Boca Juniors e Fortaleza se enfrentaram nesta quarta-feira (15), pela quinta rodada da fase de grupos da Sul-Americana. Após sair perdendo, o Leão achou, com Kervin Andrade, o gol de empate na partida. Depois de boa jogada de Marinho, a bola sobrou para o jovem, que empatou a partida já nos minutos finais. Nas redes sociais, os torcedores do Fortaleza enlouqueceram após o gol! Confira as reações!

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➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
BOCA JUNIORS X FORTALEZA
SUL-AMERICANA – GRUPO D – 5ª RODADA

🗓️ Data e horário: quarta-feira, 15 de maio de 2024, às 21h (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Estádio de La Bombonera, em Buenos Aires (ARG)
📺 Onde assistir: ESPN4 e Star+
🟨 Árbitro: Jesús Valenzuela (VEN)
🚩 Assistentes: Jorge Urrego (VEN) e Tulio Moreno (VEN)
📺 VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

BOCA JUNIORS (Técnico: Diego Hernán Martínez)
Sergio Romero; Luis Advíncula, Cristian Lema, Nicolás Figal e Lautaro Blanco; Pol Fernández; Cristian Medina, Ezequiel Fernández e Kevin Zenón; Miguel Merentiel e Edinson Cavani.

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FORTALEZA (Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda)
João Ricardo; Emanuel Brítez, Pedro Augusto, Titi e Bruno Pacheco; Yago Pikachu, Zé Welison, Matheus Rossetto e Emmanuel Martínez; Juan Martín Lucero e Imanol Machuca.

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Boca JuniorsFortalezaSulAmericana

The bottom of the 11th inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series between the Phillies and Dodgers will be remembered largely for one reason: Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering's throwing error that led to the winning run scoring in the form of Hyeseong Kim, ending Philadelphia's season and sending Los Angeles to the National League Championship Series for the second straight year.

But it very nearly could have been remembered for a different sort of mistake, one that was quickly remediated despite being missed in all of the end-of-game chaos.

In his haste to hurry home and score the winning run, Kim seemingly failed to touch home plate.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, Kim quickly realized what had occurred and, after Kerkering's throw sailed past catcher J.T. Realmuto's head to the backstop, doubled back to touch home plate.

It was another what-if moment in an eventful inning filled with them.

Manchester United owners INEOS are taking a page out of Chelsea’s book as they swoop to secure two of the brightest talents in South America ahead of the January transfer window.

BlueCo's transfer strategy finally bearing fruit at Chelsea

Todd Boehly was heavily criticised during the early days of his reign at Chelsea, with Jamie Carragher among his most vocal opponents, questioning the sheer volume of signings made under the American.

The Blues have seen a major success story emerge from their flock of young signings however, with Estevao Willian becoming a key member of Enzo Maresca’s first team, scoring crucial goals against Liverpool and Barcelona this season.

The Brazilian is just one of several South American recruits made under BlueCo’s ownership, with the likes of Andrey Santos, Kendry Paez and Aarón Anselmino all out on loan.

The Red Devils have begun to follow the path trodden by BlueCo since INEOS’ arrival, with 18 year-old Paraguay left-back Diego Leon signed in the summer and two more South American gems now seemingly on the way.

Indeed, Manchester United have agreed a deal for midfielder Cristian Orozco and a report from AS has revealed United ‘have already begun negotiations’ for Brazilian centre-back Luis Eduardo, with a bid expected in the coming days and weeks.

Eduardo could be the next Thiago Silva

Eduardo turns 18 in January and has very liittle senior experience, making just one appearance so far for Gremio’s first team.

However, the teenager captained his country to the semi-finals at the U17 World Cup in Qatar last month, which is where he caught the eye of scouts from both United and Chelsea.

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Standing at 6 foot 1, he is not the tallest central defender around, but has been a weapon at set pieces for Brazil’s youth side, scoring three times in just 13 caps.

Similar to the 5 foot 11 Thiago Silva, the Gremio defender has been praised for his leadership, pace and timing, using his reading of the game to break up play rather than pure physicality.

United are expected to reinforce the first team in the January transfer window, but adding quality to the youth ranks can only boost their chances of returning to past glories.

The England captain attempted to reset the tone for the tour as the team begins preparations for the second Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Nov-20253:04

Should England fans be worried about Root?

Ben Stokes is willing to accept criticism of England’s performance in the first Test as “rubbish” but feels labelling his side “arrogant” is a step too far.Australia’s victory in Perth has seen the tourists come under heavy fire, after succumbing to defeat inside two days. Despite holding a strong position on day two – 105 in front, with nine second innings wickets in hand – England capitulated, losing 9 for 99 through questionable shot selection, before Travis Head completed the rout for an eight-wicket victory.With an 11-day gap between the end of the first and the start of the second Test at The Gabba next Thursday, there has been ample space for postmortems, particularly in the Australian media. Publications and pundits have lined up to take shots at not just England’s approach in the match, but around it, too. Mitchell Johnson was the latest former Australian cricketer to seek his pound of flesh with his column on Friday. Such critiques have also come from the UK.Related

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A lack of an intense warm-up ahead of the series, with a three-day match against the Lions at Lilac Hill, has been followed by a decision for all but three unused squad members to miss the Prime Ministers’ XI match in Canberra this weekend – a two-day pink-ball fixture ahead of Brisbane’s day-night Test. Factor in paparazzi shots of the team playing golf and an unflattering picture has been painted of an unserious team not committing wholly to one of the most anticipated Ashes tours in recent history.Stokes, however, was keen to set the record straight in England’s first official media engagement since the end of the Perth Test. Prior to an additional training session at Allan Border Field on Saturday morning – the first of five ahead of the second Test – England’s Test captain ceded they must wear what comes their way, but stressed not all of it was valid.”Look, you can call us rubbish, call us whatever you want,” Stokes said. “We didn’t have the Test match that we wanted to. We were great in passages of that game… but I think arrogant might be a little bit too far.”But that’s okay. We’ll take the rough with the smooth. I’d rather words like ‘rubbish’, but ‘arrogant’, I’m not so sure about that.”Ben Stokes speaks to the media as England resume training•Getty ImagesStokes also defended England’s decision not to send more of their first-string to join the Lions for the PM’s XI match, which starts on Saturday afternoon. Only Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts are at Manuka Oval, with the remainder of the Ashes squad in situ in Brisbane since Wednesday.It left Lions captain Tom Haines in the uncomfortable position of fielding questions from local media on Friday at the captain’s press conferences, asking if England had disrespected the match – and by association – prime minister Anthony Albanese.”I do understand it,” said Stokes of the blowback to shunning the fixture. “We have a pink-ball match coming up in Brisbane, and we have an opportunity to play some pink-ball cricket. When you look at it just like that, I don’t want to say it makes sense, but I totally understand it [that view].”But there’s obviously a lot more to it than just that. There’s where it is, in Canberra, which is a different state from Brisbane. The conditions are going to be completely different to what we are going to have coming up.”You take all the factors into consideration, the pros and cons, whatever it may be. We then discuss that and decide what we think is the best preparation. We have a few more days off than we planned after that Test. We had to go away and ask how we use these next few days wisely in order to be prepared for what it will be like in Brisbane.”We schedule everything as if the Test match is going to go five days. It didn’t go five days, so we had three days planned of training, and that obviously had to change. That’s why now we have a longer build-up for this pink-ball game.”Saturday’s session lasted close to three hours before rain arrived in Brisbane. The week has been punctuated by thunderstorms, with more expected in the next few days that could hamper both team’s preparations and the Test itself although the forecast does become more settled.Pink ball in hand: Jofra Archer prepares for the day-night Test•Getty ImagesRegardless of the weather, Australia will be seen as the dominant force coming into next week. They boast an impressive 13 wins from 14 in day-night Tests, suffering their first defeat against West Indies at the Gabba in 2024. Mitchell Starc, fresh from 10 wickets in the first Test, is the standout with the pink ball, with 81 dismissals at an average of 17.08.With the odds stacked against England, Stokes issued a rallying cry to his team – and supporters – as he seeks to right the wrongs of Perth.”We did some amazing things in that Test match,” he said. “The way we bowled in the first innings, and we were [effectively] 100 for 1, and put a score on the board that we felt was definitely defendable. We all know, and have looked back on it, that there were moments in that game where we could have been a lot better to help us gain even more of an advantage.”The important thing we need to do as a team and individuals is learn from it. We have identified those moments, spoken about them as a group, that’s what we need to do. In terms of execution, could we have been better at executing what we want to do, definitely. But again, we have a mindset of playing the game which is looking to put the opposition under pressure, but also absorbing pressure.”Sometimes when you go out there and make a decision, it doesn’t always pay off, or work the way you want it to. That’s the key for the rest of this tour, staying true to the beliefs of how we play our cricket. But also we do know we could have been a lot better in certain ways.”We know that there’ll be a lot of disappointed fans in England after that first defeat. But it’s a five-game series, we’ve got four games to go, we’ve lost the first one – we’re absolutely desperate to come home with that goal from before we even started the series, which is to win the Ashes.”

AC Milan have made contact with Nottingham Forest over a deal for a £26m Nuno signing who now wants to leave.

Forest on the up under the helm of Dyche

Ange Postecoglou didn’t last long after replacing Nuno earlier this season, but Sean Dyche has really managed to turn things around, with his side now four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, after defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

The Tricky Trees edged out a 1-0 victory against the bottom-placed side, courtesy of an Igor Jesus goal with just under 20 minutes left to play, meaning they finally have some breathing room, and survival is looking increasingly likely.

Dyche praised his side’s mindset in the narrow victory, saying: “They kept going and throwing things at us. I’m pleased with our mentality. You saw the way we dug it out, they threw a lot at us second half and we dealt with it well.”

In fairness, given that Forest qualified for the Europa League last season and spent heavily in the summer, relegation shouldn’t be on the cards, but it would be fair to say some of their recent additions haven’t hit the ground running at the City Ground.

Arnaud Kalimuendo, who arrived from Rennes for £26m, has particularly struggled to make an impact, having failed to score in his opening seven Premier League games, predominantly being utilised as a substitute.

According to a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the striker could be offered an exit route soon, with it being revealed that AC Milan have made contact with Nottingham Forest CEO Lina Souloukou over a potential deal.

Kalimuendo now wants to leave Forest, amid a lack of game time, featuring for just 81 mintues across his seven Premier League appearances this season, and clubs from Italy are lining up to sign him, with AS Roma also being named as potential suitors.

Forest should sanction Kalimuendo departure this January

In truth, it is probably best for all parties if the centre-forward moves on this summer, given that he clearly hasn’t managed to impress all three of Forest’s managers this season, given the lack of game time in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old has impressed at times in the Europa League, most recently scoring in the 3-0 victory over Malmo FF, but he was unable to make an impact as a substitute against Brighton in the following match, failing to register a single shot.

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In fairness, it is difficult to have a major impact coming on late in the game, and Kalimuendo may need to be given a Premier League start if he is to prove himself.

However, with Jesus recently scoring his first Premier League goal, and Chris Wood still to return from injury, opportunities are likely to be even more limited going forward, and it may be worth Forest cutting their losses in the January transfer window.