Phil Foden has given two reasons for his slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, with the Manchester City playmaker determined to reclaim his place.

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Enjoyed a memorable 2023-24 campaignRecord-breaking efforts took a lot out of himMade just one Premier League start this termFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The England international enjoyed a productive 2023-24 campaign, landing the PFA Player of the Year award on the back of posting a personal-best return of 27 goals across all competitions. He also became the youngest player to win six Premier League titles.

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Foden went on to form part of England’s run to the Euro 2024 final, but has started just one top-flight game this term and been restricted to 190 minutes of Premier League action. The 24-year-old has said of finding himself on the fringes of the fold at City: "Last year there were so many games. I put everything I could into it. I came back a little bit fatigued, which is normal. Rodri came back like that as well, a few players. It's normal how many games we play – you have to burnout at some point. I'm making steps in the right direction and trying to get back to my best."

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Foden made 69 appearances for club and country last season, but is having to prove himself to Pep Guardiola all over again. He is confident that form will come once clear of the issues that have been holding him back. He added: "I had a bit of fatigue coming back from last year, a bit of illness. A few niggles as well. A few things added together. But if you speak to any player they've all been through it, the ups and downs of football. It was just a bump in the road if you like, I'm delighted I'm back and enjoying my football."

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WHAT NEXT?

Guardiola included Foden in his starting XI for their Champions League clash with Sparta Prague on Wednesday and was rewarded for that call with the talented forward’s second goal of the season. City will be back in domestic action on Saturday when playing host to struggling Southampton.

Sheffield Wednesday look to be nearing towards a number of new signings, having now confirmed the shock swoop of former Blades defender Max Lowe recently, as they aim to soften the blow of Will Vaulks' exit.

The central midfield warrior has now officially left Hillsborough behind for pastures new at Oxford United, joining the newly promoted side U's over sticking it out in South Yorkshire, which will sting from Wednesday's perspective.

The former Rotherham United man made 37 appearances for Danny Rohl's men last campaign, as they pulled off an almighty relegation escape, with worries now getting the better of the Owls that other stalwarts will exit further down the line.

Any concern about Callum Paterson joining Vaulks out of the door has been quashed for now, with Wednesday's retained list confirming a new deal had been activated for the long-standing servant, who can star under Rohl next campaign.

Callum Paterson's numbers for Wednesday

The 29-year-old is now very much part of the furniture in South Yorkshire, having amassed 155 appearances for the Owls since joining in 2020, proving himself to be a dependable and versatile squad member in the process.

Yet, last campaign was, arguably, the rockiest patch of his lengthy Hillsborough stay to date, which saw him go missing for large portions of the season, with only 25 games tallied up in the end in the league.

Therefore, there must have been a real concern he would be just allowed to leave this summer like Vaulks, but he did prove his worth towards the business end of the gruelling campaign, as Wednesday bravely battled to stave off the Championship drop-zone.

Paterson would feature in some capacity, often being utilised as a late substitute, in all of Wednesday's unbeaten six-game run to close out the dramatic season, managing to win 100% of his duels in his team's final home win against West Bromwich Albion, despite only being on the pitch for 14 minutes.

Endearing himself to the hardened Wednesday masses by excelling in their promotion story of the 2022/23 season too, with ten goal contributions managed, it would have been a sad end to his time with the Owls if he did abruptly exit like Vaulks.

It would've been even more of a bitter pill to swallow, losing the 29-year-old for potentially nothing, when you consider his transfer value – according to Football Transfers – hasn't been dented that much despite his lack of game-time.

Paterson's transfer value in 2024

Paterson's valuation is still sitting at a pretty hefty £1.1m, even after finding himself on the periphery at points last campaign under Rohl, which actually sees him come in as being more of a valued asset than Barry Bannan currently, in the German manager's tight-knit camp.

The Scottish attacking midfielder is worth a lesser £1m in contrast, even whilst donning the captain's armband for the Owls last season, which further reinforces the fact that keeping the 29-year-old was the correct call, instead of letting him leave.

Year

Transfer value

2024

£1.1m

2023

£1.5m

2022

£675k

2021

£3m

2020

£506k

Never seeing his value fall below £500k since joining from Cardiff City in 2020, it would have been a disaster to lose Paterson for nothing, with his price tag now double that.

Vaulks, in contrast, would walk away from South Yorkshire with an estimated lesser value of £591k next to his name compared to Paterson's £1.1m, with Rohl's men now waiting to see if they regret letting the Welshman go down the line, or whether it was the swift decision they had to make at the time.

Dread over Paterson's future will, no doubt, become a pain at the end of the next campaign, despite it being solved for the time being, as his contract nears close to its expiry date once more.

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After coming so close to the Premier League title for the second successive season, Arsenal now look to use the transfer window to bring in the players that can hopefully finally take them back to the summit of English football.

Arsenal eye fresh faces this summer

Before the curtain had even drawn on last season, much of the Emirates' faithful already knew that their side needed to sign a striker this summer.

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Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres have been the two names linked with a move to North London during the transfer window. The rumours linking the former with a move to the Emirates have cooled in recent weeks however after the Slovenia international signed a new contract at RB Leipzig.

Whilst Sesko looks set to stay this summer, the links with Gyokeres remain intact, with recent reports even suggesting that Arsenal have agreed on an initial £76 million package for the Swedish talisman, that could rise to around £101million with add-ons.

With the Gunners' hunt for a striker well under way, attention has turned towards reinforcements in defence. Italy star Riccardo Calafiori is the name at the top of Mikel Arteta's wishlist although the Bologna man now appears more interested in a reuniuon with Juventus boss Thiago Motta.

In preparation for if they are to lose out on Calafiori, Arsenal are now considering a move for another highly rated centre back who has starred at this summer's Euro 2024 tournament.

Gunners consider move for England star

As reported by Football London, Arsenal are said to be considering a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. The outlet claims that the English centre back is seen as the Gunners' back up option if they are to fail in their pursuit of Calafiori this summer.

Guehi enjoyed something of a breakout season last term, starring as Palace underwent a tactical revolution under new boss Oliver Glasner.

The 23-year-old has taken his domestic form into Euro 2024 with Guehi starting in all of England's games at the competition so far. He even managed to grab himself an assist in Sunday's victory over Slovakia, cementing himself as one of the Three Lions' most consistent performers in the tournament.

It was his performances over the course of last season that saw Guehi earn plaudits from England boss Gareth Southgate. Speaking back in October 2023, the Three Lions' boss waxed lyrical about the defender, telling the press: “Marc is doing really, really well. He’s played with great maturity in the two games last month.

‘He’s a very calm player [and] positionally excellent. [He is] composed with the ball, [has a] very good mentality, so we think he’s developing very well.”

Guehi's zen-like approach to defending makes sense when you understand his influences. The defender spoke on the players he had learned from in a 2023 interview, telling Crystal Palace's club website: “I think Paolo Maldini said something like: ‘If you have to make a tackle, you weren’t in the right position in the first place'".

With the South London outfit slapping a reported £65 million price tag on Guehi this summer, it is clear that the Eagles are not eager to let their player leave. Despite this, the temptation of Champions League football at the Emirates may prove too much when Guehi returns from Germany this month.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com um gol nos acréscimos, o atacante Anselmo Ramon foi o herói da Chapecoense no triunfo sobre o RB Bragantino neste sábado, por 2 a 1, fora de casa, pela Série A do Brasileirão. Feliz com o tento marcado e o resultado, o jogador comemorou bastante a primeira vitória do grupo na disputa.

RelacionadasChapecoenseEmocionado, Pintado vibra com primeira vitória da Chape no BR-21Chapecoense12/09/2021BragantinoBarbieri fala sobre erros do Bragantino em novo tropeço dentro de casaBragantino12/09/2021BrasileirãoChapecoense bate o Bragantino de virada e conquista primeira vitória no BrasileirãoBrasileirão11/09/2021

– Fizemos uma boa partida, tivemos intensidade e soubemos aproveitar as oportunidades que criamos. O grupo está de parabéns por esse resultado. Todos se dedicaram ao máximo para conquistar esse triunfo. Estamos no caminho certo para continuarmos evoluindo na competição – afirmou.

Anselmo falou, ainda, sobre o desejo de todos em sair do Z4 do Brasileirão.

Vamos pensar um passo de cada vez. Cada jogo é decisão para todos, mas a ideia é buscar uma sequência positiva para deixarmos o Z4. Essa é a meta.

The U.S. were brushed away 2-0 by their rivals, ending a seven-game unbeaten streak against Mexico

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Mauricio Pochettino is many things. He isn't a wizard. There was no magic or spells he could wave over this U.S. men's national team to make it perfect. If you didn't think so before, you definitely realize now.

Ultimately, a short-handed USMNT didn't have what was necessary to go toe-to-toe with their fierce rivals. Poch magic or no Poch magic, this was Mexico's night from bell to bell.

El Tri ran away 2-0 winners on Tuesday night at the Estadio Akron and, in reality, it wasn't even that close. Facing a USMNT group missing seven starters – including team leader Christian Pulisic – Mexico showed no mercy. This was their chance to end five years of frustration, beating their rivals for the first time since 2019 and and taking out their frustration on a USMNT group that felt like a proverbial deer in the headlights.

Raul Jimenez's stunning free-kick midway through the first half opened the scoring but, in reality, that didn't tell the story. A free-kick is an individual moment, but this match was team-wide dominance. Mexico outshot the USMNT 16-5. They nearly doubled their passing output in the opposing half. The USMNT had less than a dozen touches in the Mexico box. That paints a picture of how one-sided this was.

When Cesar Huerta's goal hit the back of the net just four minutes after halftime, it felt like there would be no way back for the USMNT. Whatever halftime speech Pochettino game was instantly rendered meaningless the moment Mexico collectively celebrated their 2-0 lead. There was that infamous "Dos a Cero" again but, this time, it went the other way. The USMNT's all-time record in games vs.  in Mexico fell to 1-24-4.

The USMNT is 18th overall in the latest FIFA rankings, while Mexico is 17th, the highest current rank among CONCACAF teams.

"It wasn't a great performance," Pochettino said following the match. "It's perfect for us to learn [from]…We started the game well, but after we conceded the goal after 22 minutes the impact was massive for us."

A hard lesson, for sure, but one that comes at the right time for the USMNT. The shine wore off a little bit in Guadalajara on Tuesday night, coming off a 2-0 win over Panama in his USMNT debut. And it came in a match that will leave Pochettino with about as many questions as answers.

GOAL rates USMNT players from Estadio Akron.

• Getty
  

  Goalkeeper & Defense

  Matt Turner (6/10):

  Nothing he could have really done on either goal. Did make one big save in the second half, though.

  Antonee Robinson (7/10):

  Probably the only USMNT player that can say he played well in the first half. Even when most of the pieces around him struggle, Robinson's level never seems to drop.

  Tim Ream (4/10):

  Did a good job to win an initial tackle before the second goal, but he'll know as well as anyone that he needed to just hoof it right after. He didn't, and the ball was in the back of the net almost immediately after.

  Miles Robinson (4/10):

  Ream will get a chunk of the blame for Mexico's second, but Robinson also got dusted in a 1v1. That can't happen either, particularly for a player who was handed an unlikely chance to step up.

  Joe Scally (6/10):

  Wasn't fantastic, but also didn't have any horrific moments, either, which puts him ahead of many of his teammates.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Yunus Musah (5/10):

  Started out wide again before Pochettino moved him back into the midfield. Was nowhere near effective as he was during the Panama game on Saturday night, even taking away the goal.

  Gianluca Busio (4/10):

  Never coped with the physicality of the game. Was put into the midfield to be the ball-mover and pace-setter, but he was overrun from the opening whistle.

  Aidan Morris (4/10):

  Brought some attitude, but didn't quite have the street smarts for this game, as evidenced from his first-half yellow card. He was admittedly right to be angry about that, but it was a sequence that will have taught him the cleverness required to play in games like this.

• Getty
  

  Attack

  Malik Tillman (4/10):

  Just couldn't get going. Tried to do too much the few times he did get the ball and it never really came off for him. The USMNT needed him to take over this game and he never got close to doing so.

  Brenden Aaronson (3/10):

  To his credit, he battled back in the second half, but Aaronson's first-half was about as bad as it could have been. Unable to really handle the physicality, and the refereeing, Aaronson was pressed into some bad giveaways that could have been bad goals.

  Josh Sargent (4/10):

  Had a whopping 13 touches and zero shots on goal. Never got service, but also never really found a place where he could influence the game, either.

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• Getty Images
  

  Subs & Manager

  Kristoffer Lund (5/10):

  Was caught just a bit too high on Mexico's second goal, leaving Ream's lack of pace exposed. Other than that, was fine.

  Alejandro Zendejas (7/10):

  Brought life to the game in more ways than one. Had one fantastic cross that amounted to one of the USMNT's better looks and then was shown yellow for scrapping with Angulo. To be fair, this game needed that from someone.

  Tanner Tessmann (6/10):

  Replaced former club teammate Busio and definitely looked the better of the two. Did well when he did get the ball, showing off the composure that defined his Olympic run this summer.

  Brandon Vazquez (7/10):

  Made his presence felt almost immediately by winning a header on the edge of the box and then had the USMNT's best shot on goal in the 79th minute.

  Haji Wright (6/10):

  Had just a few touches over his 30-minute run out.

  Auston Trusty (N/A):

  Was given a few minutes at the end. Would have been nice to see more.

  Mauricio Pochettino (5/10):

  Vibes convinced people that Pochettino and the USMNT could walk into Mexico with a weakened team and compete. This result said otherwise. The coach wanted this chance to see how his team would handle an occasion like this in a raucous environment like this. What did he learn? There are plenty of players on this team not yet ready for this spotlight.

The inquest into Newcastle United's disappointing seventh placed finish in the Premier League last season will likely point towards issues in defence as the root cause. With this in mind, the Toon are now in the market for a number of names to bolster their backline.

Defenders are the Toon's top priority this summer

The latest rumours out of St James' Park have all centered around the Toon's search for a new central defender. Fikayo Tomori has been the name most commonly linked with the vacancy in the Magpies' backline with the Englishman rumoured to be leaving AC Milan this summer for a £40 million fee.

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Joining the former Chelsea man on PIF's wishlist is his current teammate Malick Thiaw. The German defender is slightly cheaper than Tomori with AC Milan only wanting a rumoured £21 million to part ways with the centre back this summer.

Federico Gatti is another name doing the rounds as a target for the Toon. The Italian press have claimed that Newcastle could shortly formalise an offer for the Juventus man with a bid in excess of £25 million supposedly required to get a deal over the line.

Newcastle are evidently fans of Italian top flight defenders with the club now making contact with a Serie A club about bringing one of their players to St James' Park.

Newcastle in contact for Italian defender

As first reported by Sport Witness, the Italian press are claiming that Newcastle have a golden opportunity to place a bid for Torino defender Alessandro Buongiorno.

The outlet states that Napoli recently submitted an offer in the region of £30 million for the Italy international which was just shy of the figure that Torino are looking to receive.

Sport Witness state that Newcastle could then agree a deal for the player if they can match the £38 million fee that the Turin outfit are holding out for. Torino, for their part, are holding off on accepting Napoli's proposal in the hope of that higher offer from the Magpies.

Newcastle have been linked with a move for Buongiorno as far back as May 2023, with these rumours intensifying recently thanks to the Toon making contacts with Torino over a potential transfer this summer.

Whilst remaining in Italy may be Buongiorno's assumed preference, the defender's connection to Newcastle's Sandro Tonali could tip the scales in the Toon's favour. A previous report by Sport Witness states that the two players share the same agent, meaning there already exists a relationship between some of the parties involved in any negotiations.

The defender made 31 appearances for Torino in all competitions last season as his side finished ninth in Serie A. Buongiorno's exploits in Turin saw him earn his first call-up to the Italian national team back in June 2023.

Speaking at the time, former Italy manager Robert Mancini spoke highly of the defender: "He was excellent: he's used to playing in a different way and it wasn't easy to make his debut in such a game. He applied himself excellently."

With Newcastle's need for a new centre back this summer well known, the Toon could do a lot worse than an international defender whose current side are waiting for the Magpies to make a move.

لم يحسم بعد مستقبل جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، محمد صلاح، رغم اقتراب عقده على الانتهاء في 30 يونيو 2025 رغم تصريحاته المتتالية عن تجاهل الإدارة.

ولكن بعيدًا عن ذلك، لم يتأثر محمد صلاح كثيرًا ومستواه في تصاعد مستمر ووصل إلى هدفه رقم 20 في الموسم بجميع البطولات بل إنه وصل إلى المساهمة رقم 37 ما بين الأهداف والتمريرات الحاسمة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جيمي ريدناب: محمد صلاح يجبر ليفربول على منحه ما يريد

وعلق بول روبنسون حارس إنجلترا وتوتنهام الأسبق على مستقبل الفرعون المصري، وقال في تصريحات لشبكة “BBC Sport” البريطانية: “محمد صلاح قد يكون أفضل صفقة شتوية إذا جدد مع ليفربول”.

وتابع: “إذا نظرت إلى لياقته البدنية وإحصاءاته الرقمية ومستوى الأداء الذي يقدمه في كل مباراة مع ليفربول، فستجد أن اللاعبين قادرون على الاستمرار لفترة أطول الآن”.

وأضاف في النهاية: “يشارك في جميع المباريات طالما لائقًا، لا يتم استبداله إلا إذا لزم الأمر، سأكون مندهشًا إذا لم يوقع على عقد جديد مع ليفربول”.

Glasgow Rangers head of recruitment Nils Koppen has wasted little time in the transfer market with a number of incoming deals to bolster the squad.

The Belgian chief has swooped to sign Clinton Nsiala, Oscar Cortes, Connor Barron, Jefte, and Liam Kelly to add more options to Philippe Clement's side.

Meanwhile, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Jon McLaughlin, Borna Barisic, and Kemar Roofe all left the club earlier this summer upon the expiry of their contracts at Ibrox.

In order to make room for further new signings to improve the team, Rangers may need to move some more of their first-team players on and interest in one of their duds from England provides them with an opportunity to do just that.

English interest in Rangers forward

According to the Daily Record, English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday are keen on a deal to sign Light Blues winger Scott Wright this summer.

The report claims that Owls head coach Danny Rohl, who was on punditry duty at the 2024 European Championship, is a fan of the Scottish forward.

It states that the former Aberdeen man is one of the players who the club could be open to offers for amid plans from Clement to make wholesale changes to the squad.

The Daily Record adds that he has one year left to run on his current contract at Ibrox and that Wednesday will now hope to negotiate a deal to snap him up from the Scottish side.

Koppen must now brutally ditch the Rangers lightweight before the end of the summer transfer window after his underwhelming performances on the pitch last term.

Why Rangers should sell Scott Wright

If Wednesday are prepared to offer a fee for the forward, the Scottish Premiership giants should gratefully accept and move him on ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Wright did not do enough with his opportunities last season to suggest that he is worth keeping around to be a part of the squad moving forward.

Rangers dipped into the market to sign Fabio Silva in January to play ahead of him on the wing and the Portuguese loanee outperformed him in the second half of the season.

Appearances

23

18

Goals

2

4

Assists

0

0

Key passes per game

0.6

0.7

Dribbles completed per game

0.4

0.8

As you can see in the table above, Wright was only directly involved in two goals in 23 appearances, which extended to four goals in 33 outings in all competitions.

He scored fewer goals than Silva, who has since returned to Wolves, and his poor form in front of goals not indicate that he is likely to be an important player for Clement next term as the ex-Dons man failed to provide quality on a consistent basis.

The £5.6k-per-week dud had also produced zero goals and two assists in 34 matches in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign, which means that he has managed just four goals and two assists in his last 67 games for the club.

Therefore, Koppen must take advantage of this reported interest from Sheffield Wednesday and brutally bin the Scottish dud, due to his dreadful form at the top end of the pitch in recent seasons.

How the game played outIf Karachi Kings’ owner Salman Iqbal were a scriptwriter, it’s unlikely he’d have had the imagination to plot out a Karachi Kings triumph in quite as deliciously satisfying a manner as this. Not only did Karachi Kings romp to their first PSL title at the fifth time of asking, they did so at home, and against arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars.What’s more, it was a boy from Lahore in Babar Azam who proved central to their victory, his sixth consecutive half-century ensuring there would be no jitters on the way to a below-par target. The title was sealed with eight balls and five wickets to spare, with Azam finally ensuring he’d stick around until his captain Imad Wasim knocked off the winning runs.Lahore Qalandars won the toss, and to the surprise of many, opted to bat first. It was the first time a side opted to do so in this year’s playoffs, and, with three of the first four finals won by chasing sides, appeared to fly in the face of history. Moreover, this was a used pitch, and it was evident from the outset that the Qalandars were unsure how it might play. Fakhar Zaman and Tamim Iqbal struggled to keep the runs ticking over, with the dot balls racking up as the pressure mounted.A 68-run opening partnership might appear ostensibly handy, but it isn’t when it takes half the innings to bring it up. Wasim was excellent in the way he kept mixing up his bowlers, who backed him up with their discipline and intensity. As Iqbal and Zaman both holed out off Umaid Asif – brought in to replace Wayne Parnell, leaving Karachi with only three overseas players in their side – in a pivotal 11th over, Lahore began to panic, and subsequently disintegrated. Seven wickets fell for 50 runs as Lahore once more began to resemble the side that finished bottom of the table four years in a row, while Karachi applied the pressure.To defend 135 – something they had never done before – Lahore needed the wicket of Azam, and the Pakistan skipper was in no mood to comply. Batting with the assuredness of someone who has almost forgotten what it’s like to score a half-century, he set the tone with a couple of boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi in the first over, and ticked the runs off efficiently thereafter. Lahore thought they were in the game when Alex Hales fell cheaply and Haris Rauf took two in two, but Azam ensured all that excitement would prove ephemeral.Team effort with the ballThis was billed as a contest between Lahore’s batsmen and Karachi’s fast bowlers, and Lahore skipper Sohail Akhtar raised the stakes when he decided we’d get that duel to start off. When Zaman walloped Mohammad Amir for a couple of early boundaries, it appeared Lahore’s batsmen were edging the contest, but a superbly disciplined bowling performance bogged Lahore down for the first half of the innings, before blowing them away in the second.Umaid Asif struck twice in one over•PCB/PSL

Amir might have been expensive, but the lesser-fancied Waqas Maqsood, Arshad Iqbal and Umaid Asif more than made up for it, each chipping in with two wickets while conceding just 62 runs between them across 12 overs. None of Lahore’s big hitters were allowed freebies, and under intense, relentless scrutiny from a trio that very much hunted as a pack, Lahore would find themselves ripped apart.Miss of the dayAside from Azam, it wasn’t really a day for the big names. Lahore Qalandars’ fancied batting line-up never managed to get off the ground in its entirety, with Iqbal, Zaman, Ben Dunk and David Wiese all missing out. Some might have pitched this as a contest between Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi, but they were the two most expensive bowlers on the night, failing to take a wicket between them.Amir would suffer the ignominy of Afridi swiping him over cow corner for six before paddling him over short third man, but while Afridi flashed that endearing, infectious grin then, he’d later have it wiped off by Wasim, who knocked the winning boundary off his bowling. It might have been the most significant night in the competition’s history, but some of the biggest stars would want to forget it.Final standingsKarachi Kings won the PSL for the first time in the league’s history, following titles for Islamabad United (twice), Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators. For Lahore Qalandars, who had finished bottom every season before this one, a second-placed finish was historic in its own right.

More details expected after upcoming meeting involving Sri Lanka’s president

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Nov-2020Sri Lanka Cricket believes it has had a breakthrough in talks over the Lankan Premier League (LPL), and is now more confident the tournament can go ahead in some form.Much of the uncertainty over the tournament had been about the 14-day quarantine that incoming players would be required to undergo when they arrived on the island. But tournament director Ravin Wickramaratne said that in a meeting on Wednesday, health authorities indicated they were willing to be flexible in order to allow the tournament to go ahead. No concrete assurances have been given yet, but there is to be a further meeting – this one involving the country’s president as well as health authorities and cricket board officials – on Thursday, when many of these details are expected to be finalised.”Our meeting with the health minister and authorities today was very, very fruitful,” Wickramaratne told ESPNcricinfo. “The authorities were willing to consider our position and requirements, and said they would discuss the quarantine protocols internally and get back to us.”According to Wickramaratne, the likeliest plan for the tournament now involves playing the whole thing at one venue – in Sooriyawewa. As there is an international airport nearby, SLC is looking at the option of chartering a flight from Dubai directly to that airport in Mattala, which would make the setting up and maintaining of a biosecure bubble more straightforward than if the tournament had been played in two venues, as had been the previous plan.There is also the chance the dates could change slightly, and that the schedule may also contract, given the demands on this single venue. Many of these details will only be firmed up after Thursday’s meeting with the president.At present the LPL is set to be played from November 21 to December 13.