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.

سلطت شبكة “بي بي سي سبورت” البريطانية، الضوء على قرار المدرب آرني سلوت بإبقاء المصري محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء خلال مباراة الفريق أمام وست هام.

وتغلب ليفربول على وست هام بهدفين دون مقابل، في إطار مباريات الجولة الثالثة عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وافتتحت “بي بي سي سبورت” تقريرها بالحديث عن تاريخ محمد صلاح العريق في ملعب لندن، والخطوة الأولى للمدرب سلوت بكتابة فصل جديد بالانتقال إلى الجيل الجديد لليفربول دون الاعتماد على صلاح.

وأشارت إلى تواجد محمد صلاح بديلاً للمرة الأولى في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، منذ مباراة ليفربول أمام وست هام في إبريل 2024، وكان بقرار من المدرب السابق للريدز، يورجن كلوب.

وتصدر محمد صلاح حينها عناوين الصحف، عندما تورط في مشادة على خط الملعب مع كلوب أثناء تسجيل وست هام هدفًا بينما كان ينتظر نزوله كبديل في مباراة انتهت بالتعادل 2-2، ثم عندما تجاوز الصحفيين بعد المباراة وأعلن: “إذا تكلمت ستشتعل النيران”.

وبشأن قرار سلوت اليوم، أوضح التقرير أن الأمر كان يحمل دلالة أوسع، ليس في إنهاء مسيرة صلاح الرائعة مع ليفربول، بل في الإشارة إلى كيفية تشكيل تطور الفريق مستقبلاً مع الصفقات البالغ قيمتها 450 مليون جنيه إسترليني، دون النجم المصري الكبير.

اقرأ أيضًا | سلوت: أتلقى نفس السؤال عن محمد صلاح.. وخاطرت مع لاعب ليفربول

ولفت التقرير النظر إلى تصريحات واين روني لاعب مانشستر يونايتد وإنجلترا السابق، والذي شجع سلوت مرارًا وتكرارًا على إبقاء صلاح بديلاً.

وتابعت موضحة أن هذه هي الخطوة السهلة، أما الأصعب تتمثل في كيفية تعويض واستبدال موهبة عالمية كصلاح والذي يحتل المركز الثالث في قائمة هدافي النادي التاريخيين خلف إيان راش وروجر هانت.

وتمثلت الإجابة على إمكانية استبدال صلاح وتعويضه، في أن أول ظهور لليفربول بمظهره المعاد تشكيله، أسفر عن النتيجة التي كان هو وفريقه بحاجة ماسة إليها، بعد سلسلة من تسع هزائم في آخر 12 مباراة، وست هزائم من أصل سبع مباريات في الدوري.

وأشارت إلى أن ما زاد من سعادة سلوت، أن هذا الفوز جاء بعد أن سجّل ألكسندر إيزاك هدفه الأول في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز منذ انتقاله القياسي من نيوكاسل يونايتد مقابل 125 مليون جنيه إسترليني، ومع فلوريان فيرتز، الذي بلغت قيمته 116 مليون جنيه إسترليني، ساهم في تحقيق هذا الفوز الحاسم.

ووفقًا لما أشار إليه التقرير، اختيارات سلوت جنت الثمار المستحقة، مع إعفاء دومينيك سوبوسلاي من مهام الظهير الأيمن، حيث لا يناسبه الدور، ليتحرك على الجهة اليمنى في الهجوم، مع وجود كودي جاكبو على اليسار وإيزاك كرأس حربة أساسي.

كما ساهم الهولندي جاكبو في تمرير الكرة العرضية التي أهدت إيزاك هدفه، ثمّ سجّل هدفه الثاني بتسديدة قوية في الوقت بدل الضائع.

استخدم سلوت أيضًا جو جوميز في مركز الظهير الأيمن – وهي مشاركته الأولى كأساسي في الدوري منذ 11 شهرًا – ما خفف الضغط على سوبوسلاي، وعزز دفاع ليفربول، محققًا شباكًا نظيفة بعد تلقيه 10 أهداف في ثلاث مباريات.

أما صلاح، الذي سيغيب قريبًا عن ليفربول بسبب المشاركة في كأس الأمم الإفريقية، مع منتخب مصر، فقد حرص على متابعة المباراة من على مقاعد البدلاء.

ولفت التقرير النظر إلى تصريحات سلوت عن صلاح، حيث حرص على الإشارة إلى أن المهاجم المصري “سيحظى بمستقبل باهر في هذا النادي لأنه لاعب مميز”. (طالع تصريحاته).

ولكن بالنظر إلى مستواه هذا الموسم، يُواجه صلاح خطر الاستبعاد، كما ذكر التقرير، ورصد أيضًا تصريحات آلان شيرر الذي دعم قرار سلوت بإبقاء المصري بديلاً، ووصفه بأنه صائبًا.

وانتقل التقرير لرصد أرقام صلاح، حيث شارك في 419 مباراة مع ليفربول، منها 383 مباراة كأساسي، مسجلاً 250 هدفاً، وشارك في 300 مباراة في الدوري، منها 288 مباراة كأساسي، منذ انتقاله من روما في صيف 2017، مسجلاً 188 هدفاً بنسبة فوز بلغت 64%.

وفي جميع المسابقات، فاز ليفربول بـ 263 مباراة شارك فيها صلاح، بنسبة فوز بلغت 63%، وأكدت “بي بي سي” أن هذا لا يمكن الاستهانة به وهذه موهبة لا يمكن تجاهلها، ولكن بالمثل، ما كان سلوت ليؤدي وظيفته لو لم ينظر إلى مستقبل ليفربول بعد صلاح، وقد قدم الفوز على وست هام بعض الدلائل.

ونبقى أن ننتظر لنرى هل سيتواجد محمد صلاح أساسيًا في المباراة القادمة لليفربول أمام سندرلاند أم لا.

There were emotional scenes at Hampden Park after Scotland secured their qualification for next year's World Cup and it was a particularly poignant moment for Andy Robertson, who took time after the match to pay tribute to late Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who lost his life in a tragic car accident in Spain earlier this year.

Historic scenes in Glasgow

Scotland dramatically secured a 4-2 win over Denmark to qualify for their first World Cup since France 1998. Scott McTominay opened the scoring with a brilliant overhead kick, but Denmark's Rasmus Hojlund equalised from the penalty spot. The match's turning point saw Rasmus Kristensen sent off and substitute Lawrence Shankland restored the hosts’ lead before Denmark leveled again. However, in a thrilling finale, late goals from Kieran Tierney and a stunning long-range strike from Kenny McLean secured the historic victory for the Tartan Army. 

Following the final whistle, Robertson was overcome by the memories of Liverpool and Portugal forward Jota, who died in a car crash in Spain just weeks after celebrating the 2024-25 Premier League title and his wedding, leaving behind his wife and three young children.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportRobertson: 'I couldn't get him out of my head'

A clearly emotional Robertson said: "I've hid it well, but today I've been in bits. I know the age I'm at, this could be my last chance to go to the World Cup. I couldn't get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today. We spoke so much together about the World Cup. He missed out on Qatar because of injury, and I missed out because Scotland weren't in it. I know he will be somewhere smiling over me tonight. I couldn't get him out of my head the whole day. I was in a bit of trouble in my room earlier. I think I hid it well from the boys and I'm so glad it ended up this way."

Scotland's heroes celebrate long into the night

There were scenes of wild celebration after the final whistle at Hampden and Robertson revealed the huge pressure he and his team-mates felt to end the 28-year wait to make it back onto the world’s biggest stage. 

Robertson said: "I'm so glad it's ended up this way. This group of boys, this group of staff – it's the best group I've been involved in. The manager's (Steve Clarke) speech before the game was unbelievable. He went through the big moments we've had. Qualifying for the Euros – he couldn't quite remember – we were in Wunderbar. He said 'let's make it another one'. We were quite emotional. To do it for him, the staff and all our families, it'll go down as one of the greatest nights of my life. That just sums up this squad. Never say die. We just keep going right to the end and one of the craziest games. We put the country through it, but I'm sure it's worth it. We're going to the World Cup."

Addressing Kelly Cates (daughter of Anfield legend Kenny Dalglish), Robertson added: "I can't wait to get back down to Liverpool to have a red wine with yer da."

Midfielder John McGinn added: "I thought we were pretty rubbish to be honest, but who cares? To get over the line was such an amazing feeling. The gaffer's team talk was exceptional. It's a privilege every time we meet up. It's just humble guys wanting to do well for their country. We left everything out there. You think that's it – glorious failure, another blow. I was thinking about the play-offs in the 91st minute. But then what a hit from Kieran Tierney – I will never feel like that in a football stadium ever again."

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Getty Images SportEager wait for World Cup draw

With Scotland's qualifying campaign now concluded, their schedule before the 2026 World Cup is not yet finalised, but will consist of friendly matches. They will discover their group stage opponents when the official draw takes place on Friday, December 5, at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The World Cup itself runs from June 11 to July 19 next year across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Angry Ginge has named a Manchester United legend as the one person he “would love” to join him in the I’m A Celebrity jungle if he could choose anyone.

The Twitch streamer has now touched down in Australia, having been confirmed as part of the line-up for the latest series of I’m A Celeb, which is due to start this Sunday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

The 23-year-old is not the only Mancunian taking part either, with his close friend, Aitch, also being revealed as one of the new contestants on Monday evening.

Having a friend in the camp will no doubt make it easier to settle into life in the jungle, but Angry Ginge, whose real name is Morgan Burtwistle, has now revealed he wishes a Man United legend was also heading down under this winter.

Angry Ginge "would love" Wayne Rooney to join him on I'm A Celeb

Speaking about the type of contestant he plans to be in a recent interview with ITV, Burtwistle said: “I will try to be the motivator in camp and make sure everyone is chatty and happy. I’m not argumentative either.

“And if I could pick anyone, I would love it if Wayne Rooney was in camp with me. We would have a laugh.”

The 40-year-old making an appearance may not be completely out of the question, having recently revealed he would be open to one day being a part of the ITV show, saying: “Would I? I think I would, at the right time.

“I’d struggle with some of the trials, though. You know the worst one, you know where they walk into a room…and there’s like a big ostrich looking at you. I didn’t [know he was scared of ostriches] but I’m just picturing them being there.”

The former Man United star also knows Angry Ginge well, having bizarrely joined his Pro Clubs team ‘Girth N Turf’ on EA Sports FC 24.

However, should he one day jet out to Australia, Rooney will have big shoes to fill, given that his wife Coleen finished as runner-up in the 2024 edition, behind only McFly singer Danny Jones.

With Angry Ginge, who has 1.4m Twitch followers, due to take part, this year’s I’m A Celeb is shaping up nicely regardless, but maybe 2026 will be the year we finally see Wazza taking part in a Bushtucker Trial…

Wayne Rooney says one Man Utd player has proven him wrong this season Rooney: £150k-p/w star has been Man Utd's "best player" and "proven me wrong"

The Manchester United legend has praised one of Ruben Amorim’s key players, who he was initially “sceptical” about.

ByDominic Lund Oct 21, 2025

Fast bowler gearing up for the likely knockout game against Bangladesh on Thursday

Danyal Rasool24-Sep-20251:26

Aaron: Pakistan using three pacers up top made the difference

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has rejected the notion that the Pakistan T20I side was in any kind of downturn, pointing out that they had won all but one of their previous four series.Speaking after his three-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, which took Pakistan to victory in Abu Dhabi and put them within one win of playing back-to-back T20 Asia Cup finals, he said the team was “ready to face whoever” in their pursuit of a first Asia Cup title in 13 years.”It’s not that we’re not winning,” Afridi said. “We’ve won most of our last dozen games. It’s true we haven’t won against higher-ranked teams, but most of our recent games haven’t been against them. We were here to win the tri-nation series, and we won that. We are here to win the Asia Cup, and that’s all we’re focused on now.”In Abu Dhabi against Sri Lanka, it was the different tactical approach Pakistan took while bowling that stood out. For the first time in 13 matches, no powerplay over was bowled by a spinner. Medium pacer Hussain Talat was given three overs and his two wickets in his first over – the eighth of the innings – were among the game’s turning points. Talat later revealed he’d been told he would play a role with the ball, but it represented a departure from Pakistan’s recent tendency to give spin bowling prime slots through the innings.Related

Sloppy but unbeaten India storm into Asia Cup final

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Afridi, who bowled three overs in the powerplay on Tuesday, said it did not mean Pakistan’s quicks were playing second fiddle to the slower bowlers. “I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling, but in T20 cricket on good wickets, batters have the license to go after the quick bowlers. We’ve been trying to vary our bowling more, and that’s something I’m working on. We were getting swing. Early on, I got breakthroughs, removing two of their main players. That’s the kind of attacking cricket we want to play – get your main bowlers on and finish the game quickly.Despite an upcoming game against Bangladesh on Thursday, which could be a knockout for a place in the final, attention has already begun to focus on Sunday. The possibility of a first India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup is suddenly looking a lot more likely. Afridi, too, had his eye on it but repeatedly pointed out that neither side had made it that far yet.Shaheen Shah Afridi: ‘I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling’•AFP/Getty Images”Bangladesh has been playing good cricket of late,” he said of the only team to have denied Pakistan a T20I series win in the last four months. “Whenever you play such teams, you should try to strike first. You shouldn’t give them an opportunity. We’ll have to perform well in all three departments if we are to get past them.”The previous game did represent a stark contrast to Pakistan’s demeanor when compared to the one on Sunday. While there were warm handshakes and even embraces between the Pakistan and Sri Lanka players, against India, there appeared to be a coordinated intent to show their more bellicose side. There were several verbal spats on the field, particularly between India’s openers and Pakistan’s pace bowlers. The increased belligerence from Pakistan did not go unremarked upon by Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, who said Pakistan was “coming at us without any reason.”Following the game, India captain Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t resist a dig at the opposition, saying India’s recent dominance meant the game no longer constituted a rivalry. Afridi resisted the temptation to hit back when offered an opportunity.”That’s his opinion; let him say what he wants. Neither they nor we are in the final. We’ll see how things shape up for the final. We’re just here to win the Asia Cup, and we’ll give our all for that.”

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

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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.

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.

This season is shaping up to be one of Arsenal’s best in a very, very long time.

Now, there is still a lot of football to be played, but going into the third international break of the campaign, Mikel Arteta has his side top of the Premier League and with four wins from four in the Champions League.

What makes it all the more impressive is the fact that, aside from the defence, there is a real sense that the team aren’t even operating at their best.

Moreover, the club have a significant number of injured players set to return in the coming weeks, which will massively bolster the squad, although it might also make it clear that a certain player appreciated by Thierry Henry needs to be moved on.

Arsenal's injury crisis

Now, Arsenal supporters will be the first to admit that the team just weren’t good enough to win the league last season.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

However, a significant reason why the side was lacklustre on the domestic front was the absurd number of injuries Arteta has to deal with.

Understandably, the club sought to avoid a similar situation this year by signing eight first-team quality players in the summer, rather than spending record sums on individual players.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea

Eberechi Eze

Palace

Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting

Piero Hincapie

Leverkusen

Noni Madueke

Chelsea

Cristhian Mosquera

Valencia

Christian Norgaard

Brentford

Martin Zubimendi

Sociedad

It’s an approach that has already paid off multiple times this season, as even though it hasn’t been discussed as much, the squad has once again dealt with a barrage of injuries this season.

Noni Madueke was able to cover for Bukayo Saka; Cristhian Mosquera covered for Gabriel Mahgaelese; Eberechi Eze stood in for Martin Odegaard, and Viktor Gyokeres was thrown into the deep end in place of the injured Kai Havertz.

However, the dam can only hold out for so long, and over the last few weeks, the injury list has grown too significant, with Mikel Merino once again starting up top for two matches in a row.

In all, Arsenal were without six first-team players for the draw against Sunderland, and all six of them were attacking players, which helps explain why the bench looked so short on options and why the manager brought on only Mosquera.

The good news is that most of them will be back in contention after the international break, and all should be available to play by the new year.

However, that means the squad could become quite bloated in attack, and so it might be time to sell someone Henry was once very complimentary about.

The Arsenal star who should be sold

With Gyokeres and Madueke being summer signings and Havertz clearly a firm favourite of Arteta, it feels like, of all the injured players, it’s £45m man, Gabriel Jesus, who should be moved on.

Now, that is no indictment of the player himself, as at his best, the former Manchester City star was almost unplayable and capable of things that no other Arsenal attacker could even think of doing.

That’s not hyperbole either, as following a particularly impressive showing against Seville, the legendary Henry said he “would have loved to play with him” due to his close control and ability to create for others.

However, that was over two years ago, and it’s been over three years since he was at his utterly incredible best.

Since then, there have been flashes of that sensational ability, but every time he seems to build up any steam, he goes down with another injury.

Since the start of his Arsenal career in the 22/23 season, the Brazilian international has been injured seven times, which has seen him spend a grand total of 559 days on the sidelines and miss 90 games for club and country.

It doesn’t really matter how talented a player is; if they are that unreliable, then they are not an asset to a club.

24/25

370 days

56

23/24

89 days

17

22/23

100 days

17

20/21

60 days

14

19/20

34 days

5

18/19

26 days

6

17/18

76 days

13

16/17

68 days

15

Moreover, it’s not like the 28-year-old is on a modest wage; he’s currently earning a whopping £265k-per-week, which makes him the second-highest earner at the club.

Ultimately, Jesus is undeniably an excellent footballer, but he’s just never available when the club need him and considering he has such an enormous wage, it might be time to sell him in the winter, or at the end of the season.

Arsenal ready bid to sign £71m Trossard upgrade who's like an "early Henry"

Andrea Berta could end Trossard’s Arsenal career with this big £71m move.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 12, 2025

There have been great batters in cricket history, but none of them have done at 14 what Suryavanshi did on Monday night against a bowling attack boasting 694 international caps

Karthik Krishnaswamy29-Apr-20255:27

‘Otherworldly’ Suryavanshi wows Bishop and Aaron

Speed is distance divided by time, and in that equation rests a partial answer to a question you may have asked yourself again and again on Monday night, when you watched Rajasthan Royals (RR) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in Jaipur.How can a 14-year-old hit the ball that far?Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s bat traces remarkable distances in remarkably brief timespans. When he winds up, he lifts his bat so high that his gloves are at shoulder level behind him. By the time his bat completes its swing, it’s usually traced a full circle and come to rest above his other shoulder.Young batters are advised not to let their hands stray too far from their body in their backlift, lest they lose control of their bat-swing. Through cricket’s long and glorious history, however, several batters have disobeyed that maxim and thrilled the world. Suryavanshi belongs to a great lineage. Garfield Sobers. Brian Lara. Vinod Kambli. Yuvraj Singh. Victor Trumper in that immortal photograph. Harmanpreet Kaur in this one.Related

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Stats – Vaibhav Suryavanshi rewrites men's T20 records

For all the remarkable things those other names have done on cricket fields, though, none of them did at 14 what Suryavanshi did on Monday night to a bowling attack boasting 694 international caps. At an age when most of us were still working out the finer details of the classic schoolchild dream – venue, opposition, shots played to reach various milestones, partner at the other end at those moments – Suryavanshi lived it.Ishant Sharma was once a teenage prodigy. He was 19 when he bowled his famous spell to Ricky Ponting at the WACA in 2008. That spell preceded Suryavanshi’s birth by three years and two months.The two came face to face on Monday, and their skirmish was just one ball old when it exploded to life.Suryavanshi had already hit a six by then – off Mohammed Siraj, the man who displaced Ishant from India’s Test-match pace attack four years ago – and that shot had come off a ball pitched on the fuller side of a good length. That six had been the classic six of the high-backlift, circular-swing type of batter, launched with a stable base over long-on, and that shot had perhaps led Ishant to think of testing Suryavanshi with the short ball.WATCH – Highlights of Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s record-breaking hundred on JioHotstar (India only)It was a good short ball too, slanted across the left-hand batter, finishing near his rear shoulder: a tricky angle to hook against, an awkward height to hook from. Suryavanshi picked a vacant space to the right of deep backward square leg, swiveled on his back leg, and hooked it for six.So quickly was Suryavanshi in position for this hook, back foot deep in his crease before the ball left Ishant’s hand, that it suggested he had been expecting the short ball. Perhaps this informed the length of Ishant’s next ball. Or perhaps it was just a bad ball, a half-volley bowled by a rattled 36-year-old to a batter less than half his age.Either way, Suryavanshi whipped it for another six, a 91m hit that landed on the pink canvas roof of the first tier of stands beyond the midwicket boundary.4:33

Bishop on Suryavanshi’s record: ‘That was mind-blowing’

This was the ninth ball Suryavanshi had faced. He had already played an extraordinary innings. He had shown incredible bat-speed, and he had shown the eye and control over that unusually expansive bat-swing to strike balls of different lengths, from fast bowlers of international quality, with pinpoint timing while holding his shape through shots off front and back foot. He had shown all this at the age of 14 years and 32 days.And Suryavanshi wasn’t even close to being done. There was so much more of his range still left to show off.This has been a terrible IPL season for the offspinner-to-LHB match-up. Before Monday’s game, it had produced a 140-plus batting strike rate for the first time in any IPL season. Even so, given everything Suryavanshi had done up to then, it was natural for GT to bring on Washington Sundar in the fifth over and try and see how Suryavanshi would handle him.He handled himself to the tune of 6, 0, 6, 4, and if the first six was a regulation pull, the second was a sensational example of length manipulation. This was the kind of ball with which Washington has tied down a series of left-hand batters: flat, quick, into the surface, not full enough to loft down the ground, not short enough for a genuine horizontal-bat shot, and angled into leg stump to minimise width. It’s not a ball you can hit for six over backward square leg; not unless you do what Suryavanshi did, dropping on to his back knee in a flash and swiveling through the hips like a breakdancer.We have watched Rishabh Pant play this shot numerous times, but our jaws continue to drop whenever he does it. It’s that difficult, and who else even plays it? Well, now there’s someone else, and he’s 14.5:13

What’s the best way to handle Suryavanshi?

The sixes took Suryavanshi to 47. The four – one-bounce, lofted neatly over the covers – brought up the half-century off 17 balls. The quickest of this season.And he wasn’t done even now. Having scored 52 off 20 in the powerplay, he still needed to show he could do 49 off 18 outside it. For all the gobsmacking shots he had already played, he still had to play the shot of his innings, a drive over long-off after going deep in his crease to manufacture elevation against Prasidh Krishna. For all the damage he had already done to GT’s individual bowling figures, he hadn’t yet gone 6, 4, 6, 4, 4, 6 and taken Karim Janat for 30 runs in an over.He had scored the fastest half-century of the season; he hadn’t yet scored the second-fastest hundred in the 18-year history of the tournament. It fell to Rashid Khan to bowl the ball that took Suryavanshi there, a long-hop that he dumped over the leg-side boundary with another violent hip-swivel.It was the 11th six of Suryavanshi’s innings. It was by no means the biggest one, and Siraj, flinging himself backwards at deep midwicket, made a doomed effort to catch it at the boundary, landing flat on his back and remaining there for a few more seconds, taking whatever rest this evening had to offer him, in whatever form it came.And that, perhaps, was all of us too – dazed, flat on our metaphorical backs, taking in the enormity of the moment as Suryavanshi, pulling his helmet off to reveal the full extent of his cherubic boyishness, soaked it in.1:47

When a young Tendulkar shocked Ian Bishop in his pomp

There was something poetic about Suryavanshi getting to his century off Rashid’s bowling. Rashid had been a teenage prodigy himself, an unimaginably precocious shatterer of records, but even he was 17 when he burst on to the big stage. When you are in school, the gap between 14 and 17 can seem impossibly vast.And Rashid is the great legspinner of his day. On December 16, 1989, that title had belonged to Abdul Qadir. On that day, Sachin Tendulkar had taken Qadir to the cleaners, hitting him for 27 runs in an over while scoring 53 off 18 balls in a proto-T20 game – an unofficial 20-overs-a-side match arranged after an ODI in Peshawar had been abandoned due to bad light.Tendulkar was 16 then, and Suryavanshi is younger still, an age both precocious and, to the viewer, precarious. You are old enough if you are good enough, yes, but it’s still legitimate to ask if a 14-year-old should even be playing professional sport, with all its pressures and pitfalls.But then you watch Suryavanshi’s bat trace that smooth, powerful circle and launch the ball into the night sky, and you still your doubts and fears. This boy was born to bat.

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.