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Real Madrid are planning to bring Como attacking midfielder Nico Paz back to the club. Madrid hold a buy-back option on the player, with its value increasing each year. The Argentine has been in sublime form this season, prompting Madrid to act quickly to secure his return.

• Madrid's buy back clause

  According to , Madrid are keen to bring Paz back to the club in the upcoming January transfer window. The player has reportedly already agreed to the move, signalling his willingness to return to the Spanish giants. However, Fabrizio Romano has clarified that Madrid cannot exercise their buy-back clause in January, as it is not valid during this window.

  The Spanish club currently hold a structured buy-back clause on Paz, reportedly valued at €8 million in the summer of 2025, €9m in 2026, and €10m in 2027. In addition to this, Madrid also retain a future buy-back option on 50% of the player’s rights, providing long-term leverage in any potential transfer.

  Furthermore, the club benefits from a right-to-match clause, allowing them to match any offer made by another club to secure Paz’s services. While Paz has shown readiness to return, Madrid’s ability to act immediately is limited by the contractual terms of the buy-back clause, meaning negotiations and potential registration of the player would likely be completed only during the next eligible window.

  Earlier Como President Mirwan Suwarso addressed Paz's transfer situation, explaining that Madrid are fully entitled to re-sign him based on the terms agreed in the original deal. He made it clear that the club respects the arrangement and that the player's future remains his own choice. Suwarso said: “I couldn’t care less. It’s a situation we agreed on from the beginning. Real Madrid are allowed to buy him back whenever they want. It’s up to Nico to decide what he wants to do with his future. We are very happy to have him. We like to build a home for him in Como. He chose to stay this season, and we take it day by day. We see how it goes. Does he go back to Madrid next season? Madrid have every right to do that. Will he stay with us? It’s up to him whether he wants it or not.”

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  Paz's amazing start to the season

  The 21-year-old joined Como from Madrid for €6m in 2024 and quickly established himself as one of Serie A’s most promising young attackers. A dynamic forward, Paz excels at finding space between the lines, beating defenders in one-on-one situations, and creating opportunities even in tight areas. His debut campaign in 2024-25 was highly productive, delivering eight goals and six assists, earning him the league’s best young player award.

  Paz has seamlessly continued his form into the current season, contributing five goals and four assists. A significant factor in his rise has been his perfect fit in Cesc Fabregas’ tactical system. The coach has granted him freedom to dictate the tempo, find pockets of space and drive the team forward, allowing his intelligence and technical ability to shine. Fabregas has even likened him to Lionel Messi in terms of how opponents overcommit to stopping him, emphasizing that Paz must never be restricted.

  The coach describes Paz as a magician capable of pulling tricks out of nowhere, highlighting his unpredictability and creativity. With his consistent performances, Paz is beginning to demonstrate that he could become a worthy successor to Messi as the national team’s primary creative force.

• Inter's interest in Paz

  Inter are preparing to make a major statement in the upcoming transfer window with a €58 million (£49m/$63m) bid for Paz. The Nerazzurri view the dynamic attacker as the perfect long-term partner for Lautaro Martinez and are eager to bring him to the San Siro. Talks with the player’s entourage have already begun, with Inter confident that Paz would be open to the move.The situation, however, remains complicated as Real Madrid still hold significant leverage over any future transfer. 

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  Paz's challenge this season

  Como thrashed Torino 5-1 on Monday, with Paz scoring the fourth goal in the emphatic win. The club are keen to retain Paz as they remain on course to secure a place in a European competition next season. For Paz, the opportunity to play for Madrid is always enticing, but he is focused on his Como career and plans to decide on his future at the end of the season. Como will face Sassuolo on Friday, and a victory could see them level on points with Inter in fourth place.

Despite a few poor results, this season is starting to shape up nicely for Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca’s side are currently second in the Premier League and have the chance to cut the gap to Arsenal to just three points when they play them on Sunday.

However, for the West Londoners to have any chance of beating the high-flying Gunners, they’ll need to have their shooting boots on, and Liam Delap will have to show why the club signed him in the summer.

However, Chelsea might already be having second thoughts about the Englishman, as reports are linking them to another exciting young striker, someone with shades of Didier Drogba in their game.

Chelsea target Delap upgrade

Given Chelsea’s propensity to spend big in the transfer window, it’s not been much of a surprise to see reports already linking them with a host of talented players ahead of the January window.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

For example, Athletic Bilbao’s incredibly exciting Nico Williams has been touted for a £62m move to Stamford Bridge, and Nottingham Forest’s Murillo has also been heavily linked.

However, as talented as these two internationals are, neither can be compared to Drogba, nor would they be a threat to Delap’s place in the team, unlike Robinio Vaz.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Chelsea are one of a few teams interested in the exciting French talent.

In fact, the report has revealed that the Blues have already established contact with Marseille over a possible move that could cost as much as €30m, about £26m.

However, sides like Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Napoli are also said to be interested in the youngster.

It could therefore be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Vaz’s ability and potential, it’s one Chelsea should fight for, especially as he could be an upgrade on Delap and has shades of Drogba in his game.

How Vaz compares to Delap and Drogba

Okay, so before looking at how Vaz compares to Delap, let’s examine the shades of Drogba in his game and this potential move.

The first and most significant would be that, so long as this transfer happens, the youngster would be following in the legendary striker’s footsteps, who moved from Marseille to Chelsea in 2004.

Another trait he appears to share with the iconic centre-forward is that he’s more than a goalscorer.

While he certainly can put the ball in the back of the net, the teenage sensation is also someone who can create chances for his teammates through, in the words of respected analyst Ben Mattinson, an ability to “hold up the ball.”

With all that said, how does his output stack up to that of Delap’s this season?

Well, despite still being just 18 years old, the “lethal” number nine, as one analyst dubbed him, has scored four goals and provided two assists in 14 appearances, totalling just 331 minutes this season.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.33 games, or far more crucially, one every 55.16 minutes.

In contrast, the West Londoners’ summer signing has failed to score a single goal or provide a single assist in seven appearances across all competitions, totalling 294 minutes.

Granted, he has been out injured, but the Englishman has almost played as many minutes as the youngster and arguably for a far better team.

UltimatelyUltimately, it’s still early in his career, but as one analyst puts it, Vaz looks like he’s “going straight to the top,” and therefore Chelsea should sign him, even if it’s bad news for Delap.

Bad news for Garnacho: Chelsea submit bid to sign £62m "level-raiser"

The game-changing forward could be brilliant for Chelsea but bad news for Garnacho.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 24, 2025

Fans in attendance at Wednesday's Pirates-Dodgers game in Pittsburgh will have the chance to see Shohei Ohtani, but the three-time MVP will only take part in one facet of the game for Los Angeles.

Ohtani was in line to make his 12th start on the mound for the Dodgers on Wednesday, but has instead been scratched in favor of Emmet Sheehan, per L.A.'s lineup announcement. Ohtani will instead serve as designated hitter and bat first in the Dodgers' lineup.

Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Dodgers in June, after missing nearly two seasons on the mound following an elbow injury suffered late in the 2023 season with the Angels. Because he has been an everyday part of L.A.'s lineup, he hasn't had the chance to ramp back up on the mound in the minor leagues, as is traditional, and has instead done so at the big league level, leading to some shaky outings. His last start, on Aug. 27 against the Reds, was his best of the year so far—Ohtani went five innings allowing a single run on two hits, with a pair of walks and nine strikeouts.

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Says Shohei Ohtani Is 'Under the Weather'

A few hours after news broke that Ohtani would not make his scheduled start Wednesday, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts updated the star's status, saying that he has been feeling a bit "under the weather" since Tuesday, per 's Fabian Ardaya. Ohtani is feeling well enough to hit, but was uncomfortable throwing during a recent side session, leading to the decision.

The fact that Ohtani will still appear at the plate—and the Dodgers' understandable conservatism around his return to two-way status—certainly makes this scratch less concerning than it could be.

First pitch between the Dodgers and Pirates—and Ohtani's first at-bat of the game—will take place at 6:40 p.m. ET.

Arsenal have been named among the Premier League teams "reviewing their position" regarding a proposed salary cap that could be introduced to the competition and has been scheduled for a vote this week. But circumstances have changed for the Gunners after an executive at the Emirates Stadium who was in favour of the idea has left the club.

• What does the Premier League salary cap propose?

  The idea behind the salary cap in the Premier League is "anchoring" what clubs are permitted to spend on player wages to the prize money and broadcast revenue of the team that finishes bottom of the table, thereby denying the bigger sides the power to spend freely and potentially keeping things fairer and more competitive.

  The proposed limit is five times what the last-place makes in the aforementioned revenue streams and gives the example of Sheffield United, 20th in 2023-24, earning £109.5 million ($144m). Therefore, the salary cap imposed on the following season would have been £550m ($723m). As it goes, Premier League clubs are not yet spending that amount on salaries, with Manchester City becoming the first break the £400m ($526m) in 2202-23 and Liverpool’s most recent set of published accounts for 2023-24 showing a wage bill rise to just shy of £373m ($490m). But the very idea threatens to take control away from the clubs themselves.

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  Arsenal threaten salary cap

  The reason that Arsenal are specifically considered a "threat" to the plans to vote on introducing a salary cap is a potential change in stance. The same report from The Times explains that the Gunners are reconsidering, having previously been "staunch supporters" of the idea. A key change is the departure of former executive vice-chairman Tim Lewis, who was a particular advocate. But he is no longer with the club, departing the Emirates Stadium in September, and views on the proposed salary cap have since softened, to the point where Arsenal could now oppose it instead.

• Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Salary anchoring 'absurd'

  Arsenal are just the latest club who could turn against the proposed salary cap, with others having been more vocally opposed for longer. Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe suggested last year that it would see Premier League clubs restricted in comparison to European giants.

  "[Anchoring would] inhibit the top clubs in the Premier League, and the last thing you want is for the top clubs in the Premier League not to be able to compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain – that's absurd," Ratcliffe said.

  The PFA, the union representing players in England, has attacked the idea from a legal point of view.

  "We have a tendency in football to think that we're above the law, but football is not above the law, and unfortunately the reality is you cannot artificially cap someone's ability to make a living," PFA chief executive Maheta Molango told Today programme earlier this month.

  "The league knows themselves that even before the PFA does it, there will be clubs within their own room that would also legally challenge that measure, and the only ones who'll end up winning are the lawyers. There are ways to agree on things around financial sustainability, but this cannot be imposed unilaterally. This needs to be negotiated with the right people and there are some mechanisms that need to be respected."

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  A vote on Friday?

  A vote on the Premier League salary cap is intended for Friday's shareholders' meeting, but with support waning there is no guarantee that ballot will even go ahead.

  Premier League rule changes require 14 clubs to vote in favour, and while 16 showed support for the idea last year when it was beginning to be explored, the number of teams beyond just Arsenal having second thoughts could swing it well below the required threshold.

Central finished day two with a lead of 235 runs after South Zone folded for 149 on day one

Ashish Pant12-Sep-2025Centuries from Rajat Patidar and Yash Rathod, on the back of a 53 from Danish Malewar, gave Central Zone firm control of the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.Patidar scored 101 off 115 balls while Rathod remained unbeaten on 137 as Central finished on 384 for 5 on the second day, leading South Zone by 235 runs.The day began with Central in arrears but by only 99 runs. The conditions were in the bowlers’ favour: it was overcast and windy, and Vasuki Koushik was on point. He sent Akshay Wadkar back with a peach of an inswinger that pitched outside off and decked back in sharply. Wadkar, who had shouldered arms, lost his off stump.With Kerala’s MD Nidheesh not as incisive, Gurjapneet Singh was brought into the attack early, and he immediately made the Central batters uncomfortable. He bowled in the mid-130kph range, and got the ball to move both ways.Gurjapneet was soon rewarded when Shubham Sharma tried to drive a fuller-length delivery outside off, and got a thick inside edge which sent his middle stump cartwheeling. Malewar reached his fifty off 113 balls, driving Gurjapneet on the up through covers, but fell soon after edging the fast bowler to first slip.Gurjapneet Singh dismissed Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma before lunch•PTI

At 93 for 3 in the 33rd over, and with the ball moving around, South would have eyed a few more wickets. But Patidar drained all their optimism. He got off the mark by punching Koushik off the front foot past mid-off, and then clipped him through midwicket. In his next over, Patidar drove Koushik on the up past mid-off again. Rathod, at the other end, took a little more time to get going, with Gurjapneet testing him outside the off stump.Patidar, however, was untroubled as he continued to consistently fetch the boundaries. The confidence rubbed onto Rathod, who sent Nidheesh for two successive fours in the 43rd over.This was the first time Patidar and Rathod were batting together in first-class cricket. While there was some miscommunication early, once they settled in, the quick singles to mid-off and mid-on became a feature of their partnership. Patidar took Central into the lead in the last over before lunch by sweeping Ricky Bhui to the deep square leg fence, as he and Rathod went into the break unscathed.Patidar had a slice of luck in the first over after play resumed, when, on 44, he shouldered arms to a straight delivery from Ankit Sharma, and was struck on his pad. Up went the umpire’s finger, but while the replays showed the ball to be clipping off stump, Ankit had overstepped. The Central captain reached his fifty off 72 balls, gliding Ankit past point before nudging him fine again through the same region.A key feature of Patidar’s innings was the way he manouvered the field. That was on display in an over from Bhui, when he first whipped the offspinner through midwicket, then slog swept him over wide long-on, and again swept him behind square.Yash Rathod was unbeaten on 137 after day two•PTI

Patidar then went after Gurjapneet, first driving a half-volley through covers before upper-cutting him for six over deep third’s head. Patidar had raced into the 90s with Central’s lead going past 60.There are no fans allowed to watch the Duleep Trophy final, but around 20 of them found a small opening from the side of the road to witness Patidar reaching his 15th first-class century. He got there with a single to mid-off, and while there were muted celebrations, Central’s lead had swelled.Rathod also reached his fifty, clipping Gurjapneet through midwicket and then driving Ankit through covers. The 167-run fourth-wicket stand between the two finally came to an end when Patidar edged a sharp, short-of-a-length delivery from Gurjapneet down leg to depart for 101. Central lost Upendra Yadav, too, with Nideesh strangling him down leg, but Rathod kept going.It didn’t take Rathod long to reach his seventh first-class century after tea, getting there with a push to point. He roared in celebration before removing his helmet and gloves and pointing upwards. With the milestone complete, Rathod attacked Ankit, thumping him over wide mid-on and pulling him through midwicket.New batter Saransh Jain, fresh from a half-century in the semi-final, also got going, with the lead past the 200-mark. South took the new ball only in the 101st over, but with the pitch flattening out, both batters had no trouble dealing with it. They added 108 runs in the last session off 32 overs, with Central ending the day firmly on top.

The hours leading up to his retirement announcement were filled with much intrigue and speculation

Alagappan Muthu18-Dec-20240:33

Cummins: Ashwin ‘one of the all-time greats’

A stop-start game which still had plenty of action – there were almost as many wickets (7) as rain breaks (8) on Tuesday, not to mention two high-quality centuries and one all-time great fast bowler carrying his team on his shoulders – faded into the background. Something of a murder-mystery feel took hold. An India player was about to retire. We know how the story ended now but it is worth recounting how it unfolded.There were three suspects. Each of them has carried their team to incredible heights. Each of them will be deeply missed. And as the tour has gone on, one of them especially has come under a fair bit of scrutiny. It actually started as a bit of a joke.Jasprit Bumrah, both before and after leading India to victory in Perth, was asked if he might take Rohit Sharma aside and explore the idea of taking over from him as captain. Bumrah saw where the question was headed and began to smile. “, I won’t tell Rohit. I won’t tell him I will do it,” he said pre-match and reiterated it post-match.Related

• R Ashwin: the great problem-solver who played cricket for cricket's sake

• Ashwin's record 11 Player-of-the-Series Test performances

• Rohit on Brisbane effort: 'If your attitude is good, you can turn impossible into possible'

• India and Australia take a moment to recalibrate as Gabba stalemate leaves everything up for grabs

• 'A GOAT retires' – The cricket world reacts to R Ashwin's retirement

When he fell for 10 in Brisbane, his highest score of the series including the practice game in Canberra, he dropped his gloves by the boundary and disappeared down the tunnel. A day later, Sunil Gavaskar went on record to suggest that Rohit would step down as captain if his form does not improve.Just before 2pm, Rohit took his time leaving the field when Australia declared their second innings. Some of his team-mates seemed to wait on him even though that kind of thing is usually reserved for people who had done well or if they knew something the rest of the world didn’t.More drama arrived via social media. Both the rain radar and Rohit took a back seat as a screengrab of some live pictures showed the other two suspects in embrace. One of them was Virat Kohli, who after scoring his century in Perth made a point to mention that he wasn’t the sort to just carry on in a team if he felt he wasn’t contributing. His last three innings were 7, 11 and 3.The other was R Ashwin, and in one of the frames, he seemed to be rubbing his eyes. Retirement limbo is a confusing place to be. Every little moment seems like it might carry meaning. That still of Ashwin rubbing his eyes could just have been dust.R Ashwin’s story has had many highs and lows, but it also has a happy ending•Getty ImagesIt was nice that he was with Kohli in the dressing room and with Rohit at the press conference where he pulled the veil off an evening of high intrigue. Kohli and Ashwin go all out against each other in the nets. It gets so good that people stop what they’re doing and just stare. They have a prosperous relationship as fielder and bowler as well. Kohli has forever been at midwicket for Ashwin against right-hand batters, denying them the chance to get off strike by playing the low-risk, with-the-turn flick and forcing them to be pulled apart by one of the most capable spin bowlers of all time. Like he’s never been short of ideas. The dead ends he hits usually end up with an Ashwin-shaped hole because he kept finding ways through them. He made it to a T20 World Cup years after India had ditched him for the unpredictability of wristspin.Rohit sat beside Ashwin, looking down, lost to the world, until Ashwin started cracking jokes. “We are the last bunch of OGs.” Chuckle. “Thanks for being the journalists that you have been, writing good things and of course, writing nasty things on occasions.” Chuckle.”I have played cricket with Ash since under 17,” Rohit said. “He was an opener batsman then. And then a few years later, we all disappeared. And then suddenly I am hearing news about Tamil Nadu, R Ashwin taking 5 wickets, 7 wickets. And I was wondering who this guy is. Because I played him as a batsman. And then suddenly he has turned out to be a bowler who is taking five wickets.””And then obviously at international cricket we met again. And then we had a long journey together since 2010. So it has been a long time playing together. We all know what he has done for this team. So I don’t need to repeat it again and again. But a true match-winner that India has ever seen.”India have been in transition for a while. Ishant Sharma was the leader of their attack not that long ago. His loss is no longer felt. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were key members of the team’s success both at home and away. Their loss has not been felt all that often. Ashwin’s Test career began in 2011 and ended in 2024. It was the time India became the most dominant home team in the world. Better than the West Indies. Better than Australia.”When you’ve played so much together and shared so many memories, and you see one by one these guys are not in the team you do feel their presence somewhere. But what can you do?” Rohit was answering a question about the players who were no longer there – like Rahane and Pujara – and this Ashwin news had been so heavy that it took Rohit a little bit of time to realise Rahane and Pujara are still active cricketers. “You’ll get me killed (laughs). I’m talking as if all three of them have retired.”Ashwin had been thinking about this for a while, it seems. “Never took you seriously even when you shared this thought a few months back,” Aravind, one of his childhood friends posted on Instagram. Ashwin leaves for Chennai on Thursday. He will have a stand named after him at the ground he went to – and still goes to – as a fan. He will return to it as a Chennai Super King in April. He’s spoken recently about how he put too much of his time and energy into competing for his place in the team, about proving his critics wrong, about essentially letting his life be run by other people and how that experience made him realise that the only thing that mattered was his peace of mind. It is cool that he found it. His story has had highs and lows. But it is nice that it also has a happy ending.

Bobby Witt Jr. is a ninja.

The Kansas City Royals shortstop pulled a magical slide out of his bag of tricks to score a key run in his club's 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.

First, Witt singled in the tying run in the top of the seventh inning. Then, the talented shortstop got himself into scoring position by stealing second, putting runners on second and third for the Royals with first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino at the plate. Pasquantino singled, scoring Royals second baseman Jonathan India with Witt behind him, intent on also crossing home plate. The throw home from Mariners right fielder Dominic Canzone beat Witt by a fair margin.

It looked like the Royals shortstop was going to be a sitting duck. But Witt had a trick up his sleeve. As he hit the dirt for a feet-first slide, he lifted both arms in the air and hit what looked like a swim move in football, avoiding Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh's tag with his left elbow.

Amazing.

Even Royals manager Matt Quatraro admitted to MLB.com after the game that he thought Witt was out. And as for Witt himself? He was just "trying to make something happen."

And make something happen, he did, while also creating one of the coolest highlight reel plays you'll see on a baseball diamond.

Maiden List A fifties for Joe Pocklington, Rob Lord put Notts in contention after centuries for Jake Libby, Kashif Ali

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 07-Aug-2025Notts Outlaws conjured up an astonishing comeback to grab a share of the points in a tie with Worcestershire Rapids in a dramatic Metro Bank One-Day Cup encounter at Welbeck Cricket Club.Chasing a target of 327 from 47 overs after centuries from Jake Libby and Kashif Ali, who shared a 180-run fourth-wicket partnership, had put Worcestershire Rapids in the ascendancy, the Outlaws looked out of contention as they slipped to 145 for 7 in reply.But then Joe Pocklington (54) and Rob Lord, who hit four sixes in a brilliant 83, responded with maiden List A half-centuries, Lord putting on 71 with the former for the eighth wicket and 92 with Brett Hutton for the ninth, taking the home side within sight of an unlikely win.Lord was out with 19 needed from 20 balls, which came down to four off the final six deliveries. But Worcestershire’s Pakistan international Khurram Shahzad kept his nerve and with Hutton on strike and two required off the last ball, the Outlaws man could only scramble a bye, leaving the scores level. Ethan Brookes finished with 3 for 51.Rapids had totalled an impressive 312 for 7 before rain curtailed their innings after 47.1 overs, skipper Libby finishing on 112 not out after Kashif had made 101 after being dropped on 51, James Hayes taking a career-best four for 63 for the Outlaws.The Rapids slipped to 44 for 3 after being asked to bat first at the John Fretwell Sporting Complex at Sookholme, near Mansfield.But Kashif and Libby turned the innings on its head, the former hitting eight fours and a six, his escape on 51 coming when Haseeb Hameed, battling a swirling wind, failed to make a catch at long-on. The 27-year-old batter, registering his second List A hundred in only his 14th match, was eventually caught behind down the leg side off Daniel Sams.Libby, who began his career at Trent Bridge before moving to New Road in 2020, reached his hundred from 86 deliveries in an innings that contained nine fours and a couple of wind-assisted sixes off Sams and Lord.Hayes had been instrumental in giving Notts the start they wanted with the ball. He had Isaac Mohammed, the 17-year-old opener making his List A debut, caught behind down the leg side before holding on to a leading edge to remove Brett D’Oliveira. Hutton had Rob Jones leg before.After Kashif and Libby were parted, Lyndon James produced a fine delivery to remove the dangerous Brookes, who edged behind for just a single. Wicketkeeper Henry Cullen (27 from 20 balls) looked sharp but he and Matthew Waite were both caught at midwicket off Hayes.In reply, Outlaws lost skipper Hameed cheaply when he was bowled swinging vigorously at Waite. Ben Slater (41) and Haynes put on 45 before Slater’s mistimed pull saw him caught at midwicket.Haynes completed a 49-ball half-century but, from 121 for 2, Notts lost three wickets for eight runs in the space of six balls. Haynes cut straight to backward point, before Brookes took two in two, bowling 18-year-old Sam Seecharan and then Tom Moores, who followed his 148 in the win over Essex here on Tuesday with a first-ball duck.James survived the hat-trick ball but was caught behind by Cullen, standing up, as Brookes claimed his third wicket, by which time Sams was also back in the pavilion, holing out to wide long off, leaving the Outlaws 145 for seven.The impressive Pocklington, a 24-year-old all-rounder who joined Notts last week after playing for National Counties side Lincolnshire and took three wickets with his left-arm spin on his debut against Essex responded by making 54 from 41 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes, before finding long-on off former Notts spinner Fateh Singh.He added 71 with Lord, who completed his maiden List A fifty from 44 balls, also with two sixes as he led Hutton in a 92-run ninth-wicket stand, but Lord dragged on to Waite with 19 still needed and Hutton and Hayes couldn’t quite do enough to clinch the win.

Erling Haaland reportedly has an “escape route” out of Manchester City to Real Madrid, in a hugely concerning development for Pep Guardiola.

On current form, Haaland is arguably best player in the world, with the Norwegian in genuine unstoppable form so far this season, scoring 11 goals in just nine Premier League appearances.

He is a priceless figure for City, holding the key to Guardiola’s side’s title challenge, and at just 25, he is still such a young player, despite already achieving so much in his career.

Incredibly, Haaland is contracted at City until the summer of 2034, having committed his long-term future to the club, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a threat of losing him at some point.

Madrid have been linked with a move for the City superstar, with the Spanish giants so often eyeing up the best footballers on the planet, and now a worrying update has dropped regarding their pursuit of him.

Haaland has "escape route" out of Man City

According to journalist Jorge Picon [via Sport Witness], Haaland has an “escape route” to Madrid in a release clause at Manchester City, and is keen on making a move there.

It goes without saying that City losing Haaland would be the biggest blow imaginable, with the striker an irreplaceable figure who has been lauded as a “phenomenon” by Pat Nevin, with Guardiola saying he is in the form of his life back in September.

“Erling has been incredible. This season, he is better than ever. I would say it’s better than the treble season. Very dynamic. We want him to score goals and to help us.”

The lure of Madrid is great for so many players, and it is only natural that Haaland may like the idea of playing alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior at the Santiago Bernabeu, but he appears to be loving life at City, and has committed his future to the club.

Man City closely monitoring Ezri Konsa as Aston Villa may now be forced to sell

Pep Guardiola is looking to bolster his options at the back, having identified Konsa as a target.

By
Dominic Lund

Oct 31, 2025

Players in the modern game often don’t see out their contracts, so there will always be a risk of Haaland moving on, but it would be a shock if he suddenly stressed a desire to leave for Madrid so soon after signing such a long contract extension at the Etihad.

Where does Erling Haaland rank among Man City's highest-earning players?

Over the last few days, they have done away with their philosophy, dropped their best players, and found a short-term, unsustainable way to get ahead

Danyal Rasool16-Oct-2024In the heady days of early 2021, Pakistan had a strut in their step. Test cricket had returned to Pakistan. Shaheen Shah Afridi was hitting his stride, and a young Naseem Shah had taken Test cricket by storm. Even Hasan Ali, derailed for years with form and fitness concerns, had marked his Test return by finishing as the top wicket-taker in a hard-fought home series against South Africa. A series which – on two cracking surfaces in Karachi and Rawalpindi – Pakistan had won 2-0.But that strut also betrayed an air of moral superiority. Pakistan, it was felt, were now different to the rest of South Asia, a land where the ball seamed and swung, where fast bowlers took nine of the 10 wickets in the fourth innings on the fifth day. Their Asian neighbours may have produced dustbowls, turning tracks, and quick-finishing Test matches, but was that really fun? Veteran spinner Yasir Shah – perhaps Pakistan’s most important player during the second half of their UAE exile – was gently making way to these young quicks, with Azhar Ali speaking of his “changing role” in the team. He would never play another home Test match.In the years since, Pakistan have not won another home Test match. The reputation for spicy wickets Pakistan had attempted to cultivate lies in tatters. Afridi’s pace has dropped to a level that no longer places him among the elite in Test cricket, while the workload on Naseem’s fragile young body has seen him pick up injuries and require extended periods of rest.Related

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It all culminated in an embarrassing innings defeat last week, sending Pakistan down the desperate path they now trod in Multan. The pace bowlers had had a good run, so much so they played four of them three Tests ago against Bangladesh. In all three Tests, they looked as likely to take 20 wickets as to sprout wings and fly. So what was that other thing South Asian sides did against non-Asian opposition?Who knew? Pakistan had made no plans for this. Until the weekend, there was a wicket two strips across being prepared for this Test. Akin to a student realising they’d prepped for the wrong exam all term, Pakistan spent the weekend ripping up their notes and glancing sneakily across to their neighbours. They recycled the same surface, dropped (sorry, rested) their seamers, lined up with three specialist spinners to go with the three-part-time spinners already in their XI. They even won the toss, batted first, and posted a decent first-innings score.But, as an American political argument almost goes: spinning tracks don’t take wickets, good spinners take wickets. And all the evidence suggested Pakistan did not rate these three spinners especially highly. Zahid Mahmood and Noman Ali had been released from the squad for the first Test; Sajid Khan never a part of it. They were all so unlikely to feature this series none of them had played a first-class match since January. When Bangladesh A played a pair of warm-ups against their Pakistani counterparts, Sajid, Nauman and Zahid played no part.What followed was about as predictable as it gets. Spinners need rhythm, or their lines and lengths waver. England are adept at putting rubbish deliveries away. Pakistan’s trio were bowling plenty of those, partly because they were rusty, and partly, as their records suggest, they’re not quite world-class. England didn’t need a second invitation putting them away.

“I’m always the first one to be kicked out. From domestic and club cricket to international cricket, if anyone was going to be left out, it would be me. So I have learned to fight for my place all the time.”Sajid Khan

Ben Duckett alone had the opportunity to sweep 29 times through his innings, a combination of Sajid and Nauman pitching it up and bowling a shade too quick. Pakistan were finding out may be able to replicate a template post-haste, but cricketers cannot be conjured out of thin air. Their dearth of spin-bowling quality in the country was on full display for the best part of the final two sessions. Duckett had swept – quite literally – his way to three figures, and with an hour to play, England had raced to 211 for two. With the shadows lengthening and the floodlights flickering on, the door looked to be closing on Pakistan and the spinners on their last chance saloon.It’s a feeling Sajid doesn’t like, but one he’s experienced a lot. “I’m always the first one to be kicked out,” he said after the game. “From domestic and club cricket to international cricket, if anyone was going to be left out, it would be me. So I have learned to fight for my place all the time.”In that last hour, Sajid put all his experience of keeping that closing door ajar to good use. A miscued smear from Joe Root gave him a wicket slightly against the run of play, but Sajid has sensed the pitch was beginning to come to life; he just needed to be smart about how to use it.”There’s a patch slightly wider outside the off stump that was producing turn, and at a particular pace. We were bowling a little too quickly, but if you slow it down to 67, 68 kph, that’s when you got purchase. If you bowl at particular spots at 90+ you’ll only get the odd break. But there’s nothing in it for the spinner if you’re bowling within the stumps. If you bowl wider outside the stumps, and slow, that’s where the cracks are, and that’s what we seek to exploit.”It is surprising insight to give out midway through a Test, but out there, England seemed to be none the wiser. Tossing it up and landing it into the rough, he took the sweep out of Duckett’s arsenal. The cover drive he attempted to play wasn’t nearly as assured, and Agha Salman at first slip was poised.It was Harry Brook’s dismissal, though, that is likelier to be a harbinger for both sides’ batters. Sajid merely followed his new-found plan, landing it around sixth stump. Brook was slow to close the gap between bat and pad as he stepped back, perhaps understandably believing he had time to readjust for spin. The rocking back of his middle stump suggested otherwise.Noman, too, capitalised on Pakistan’s new-found momentum to find Ben Stokes’ inside edge to short leg, and to send his side in at stumps on the ascendancy. The concept of overnight advantage carries psychological heft in cricket; stumps an hour earlier would have seen the day end with England utterly dominant.The purists might wonder if this style of cricket is genuinely Pakistani. But over the last few days, they have done away with their philosophy, dropped their best players, cobbled together a bowling attack from change they found down the back of the sofa, and found a short-term, unsustainable way to manufacture a position of advantage. What could be more authentically Pakistani than that?