One of Sheffield’s own is now in the running to buy Sheffield Wednesday, according to reports, after taking a key step ahead of the December 5 deadline.

Sheffield United merger rejected

The Owls have reportedly set a soft deadline of December 5 to find a new owner and narrow their search down. So far, they’ve not been short on candidates. Several potential buyers have shown proof of funds worth £50m and some have even been shown around the club’s facilities.

The biggest headline so far has arrived courtesy of Sheffield United, however. Wednesday’s rivals reportedly enquired about buying the club and were keen to merge the two Steel City rivals together in controversial fashion.

Unsurprisingly, any talks of that merger taking place have been shut down almost as quickly as they started gathering pace. Sheffield Wednesday, like many others, are keen to keep the derby alive and kicking instead, which is set to see them turn to other candidates.

Just who wins the bidding war is the big question. Former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is reportedly among the interested parties, as is John McEvoy.

Many were quick to criticise Ashley at Newcastle in the past, but it’s worth noting that he cleared all of the Magpies’ debt. Financially speaking, he would arguably be a wise option.

Alas, it’s not just Ashley in the running. New names are now beginning to emerge and that includes Sheffield’s own Ryan Howsam. The Staysure founder has been based in Dubai in recent years, but could yet return to his home town to save his local club.

Who is Sheffield Wednesday takeover candidate Ryan Howsam?

So, is Howsam the man for the job? His impressive portfolio, which includes Avanti, PayingTooMuch, The Rock Group and several digital travel investments, certainly suggests that he’s got the funds to complete a takeover, but it would be his first venture into football.

The prospective owner has reportedly been given access to the club’s data in a key step towards potentially buying the club. He also recently told This is Money when asked about a return to England: “I would come back to the UK in a heartbeat if the environment was right.”

Sheffield Wednesday now braced for imminent "concrete" takeover bid

Things are looking up for the Owls.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 14, 2025

It would be fairly fitting for a Sheffield-born candidate to complete the takeover, but administrators would need to ignore their hearts and ensure that Howsam is the right man for the job.

Compared to someone like Ashley, Howsam is far from experienced in the world of football and the Owls simply need to steady the ship. It must also be noted that it may yet be neither of those options who emerge as frontrunners to buy the club.

With time ticking by before the December 5 deadline, Sheffield Wednesday must assess every possible option before making their final decision.

Mike Ashley position clear as Sheffield Wednesday takeover reaches final candidates

Sandhu, Shamim had Australia on the ropes at 76 for 7 before Mooney’s mastery took over

Firdose Moonda08-Oct-20253:25

Review: Mooney masterclass, seamers down Pakistan

Beth Mooney’s masterful maiden World Cup century rescued Australia from 76 for 7, set up a match-winning total of 221 and denied Pakistan the opportunity to pull off the first upset of the tournament. Australia are now at the top of the points table, with two wins and a washout while Pakistan remain winless in last place.Mooney continued a magnificent 2025, in which she now averages 63.42, with an innings that was a class above anyone else on a slow, low turner in Colombo. Only two other batters, Alana King and Sidra Amin, got more than 20; King’s innings came with Mooney at the other end. The pair shared a 106-run ninth-wicket stand and King’s 51* was the highest score for a player batting at No.10 or lower in women’s ODIs. They completely eclipsed the efforts of Pakistan’s spinners, who shared six wickets for 98 runs in their 30 overs and gave their side real hope before the batters completely faded away.Pakistan were bowled out for 114, undone by seam and swing. As much as Pakistan will need to question their batting, they will wonder how they squandered the opportunity to bowl Australia out for one of their lowest World Cup scores after getting themselves into a position of such advantage. The answer lies in Mooney’s approach.Beth Mooney’s hundred rescued Australia•ICC/Getty Images

Unlike all the other batters, she demonstrated an ability to play late and move in the crease and showed patience in the face of extreme pressure. All told, Mooney hit 11 fours in her century and ran 44 singles, nine twos and a three. She earned the right to play with freedom at the end and Australia’s final flourish of 81 runs in the last 10 overs including 53 off the last four, iced the cake.Their takedown of Diana Baig, who conceded 74 in her 10 overs, will also ask questions of Pakistan’s bowling options. They only had five at their disposal and while four had an excellent day out, they could not close things out quickly enough after Fatima Sana chose to bowl in hot, humid conditions because she suspected spin could play a role. She was proved right almost immediately.Sana introduced spin in the form of Sadia Iqbal in the fifth over, Iqbal ended it by drawing Alyssa Healy forward as she tried to flick. Healy gave Baig a simple catch at midwicket.Four balls later, Sana, after bowling 12 dot balls and with her hero Ellyse Perry at the other end, had Phoebe Litchfield playing across the line and skying it straight up. The Pakistan captain kept her composure to take a good catch. In the end, Sana did not get to bowl to Perry at all as she took herself off to go all spin.Ellyse Perry was beaten and Sidra Nawaz completed the swift glovework•AFP/Getty Images

Nashra Sandhu struck with her fifth ball when Perry came down the track, was beaten by turn and Sidra Nawaz did some excellent work behind the stumps to break them. With that, Sandhu became the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan in ODI World Cups, going past former captain Sana Mir and she showed no signs of stopping. In her next over, Sandhu deceived Annabel Sutherland with the one that held its line and beat the inside edge to bowl her.Though left-arm spin has been the discipline of destruction at this tournament, offspinner Rameen Shamim was not to be denied a share of the spoils. Ash Gardner chipped Shamim straight to Sana at midwicket. Then, Sandhu sent one down slow, Tahlia McGrath tried to get it over extra cover but could not get to the pitch of the ball and sliced it to Baig, who lunged forward to take the catch in the infield.When Georgia Wareham was done in by extra bounce and gave Shamim a return catch, Australia were 76 for 7 – the second lowest at the fall of the seventh wickets since 67 for 7 against New Zealand in 1993. Sandhu thought she had the eighth in the 23rd over when Garth missed a straight one and was given out lbw but she reviewed and replays showed she had hit the ball.Alana King and Beth Mooney added 106 off 97 balls for the ninth wicket•ICC/Getty Images

That proved crucial as it allowed Australia to rebuild, in a similar fashion to the way they did after being 128 for 5 against New Zealand. This time, they were able to do it against a Pakistan attack that had to go back to their seamers, in the absence of another spin option. Sana brought herself back on in the 28th over and should have run Garth out but got herself into a poor position at the non-striker’s end. She also had to go back to Baig, and Australia’s 100 and Mooney’s fifty both came off her in a sign of things to come.The eighth-wicket stand between Mooney and Garth grew 39 before another Nawaz special behind the stumps. Baig sent a full ball down leg, Garth missed the flick with her front foot out of the crease and back heel lifted. Nawaz reacted quickly to collect, stay low and break the stumps. Australia were 115 for 8 and again, Pakistan could not close things out.King did a sterling job of holding her end and helped Mooney drag the innings into its latter stages. Mooney was on 85 when she was given lbw to Iqbal, against a delivery that turned in and pinned her on the back leg. She reviewed and ball tracking showed it was doing too much and would have missed leg stump. King was 17 off 35 at the time.Mooney entered the nineties when she whipped Baig behind square and moved swiftly to 94 with a cut that went to the deep-third boundary. Her hundred came with a single off Sana, and then she let King have some fun. King took 13 runs off Baig’s final over and then back-to-back sixes off Sana’s last over to bring up 50 off 48 balls. Mooney then smashed two more fours before being dismissed off the last ball as she cut Sana to cover.Ashleigh Gardner got Sidra Amin, the only top-six batter who got into double figures•AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan’s demoralisation with how they fielded showed in their batting. Sadaf Shams looked nervy initially, edged Megan Schutt between the keeper and slip and then nicked off against Garth. Schutt got on the board three overs later when Muneeba Ali was caught low by Sutherland at mid-off, in a dismissal that looked eerily similar to Heather Knight’s not out against Bangladesh yesterday.Nawaz, promoted to No.4, had no footwork when she edged Garth to Healy, Schutt had Natalia Pervaiz caught by Mooney at slip and then Garth bowled Eyman Fatima, playing and missing as she attempted a slog. Pakistan were in a mess at 31 for 5 and it didn’t get much better.Sana chopped a short Sutherland ball onto her stumps before Sidra Amin and Shamim put on 29 in 52 balls, which was Pakistan’s best stand. Spin ended it when Amin picked out Sutherland at long-on. Pakistan were 78 for 7 but had no batters to take them close. Shamim and Sandhu delayed the inevitable for 68 balls in a 25-run stand. Pakistan were dismissed in 36.3 overs and their net run rate plunged to -1.887.

England have already booked their spot at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and USA, with Thomas Tuchel’s side looking impressive in the qualifying stages.

The Three Lions didn’t even concede a goal in the six wins that guaranteed their place on the biggest stage, and attention will soon turn to who will be on the plane looking to win England’s first World Cup since 1966.

1970

Quarter-finals

1974

Did not qualify

1978

Did not qualify

1982

Second group stage

1986

Quarter-finals

1990

Fourth place

1994

Did not qualify

1998

Round of 16

2002

Quarter-finals

2006

Quarter-finals

2010

Round of 16

2014

Group stage

2018

Fourth place

2022

Quarter-finals

While there are some stars who are guaranteed to be on the way to North America, such as captain Harry Kane, Tuchel still has a lot to think about between now and June.

Of course, a lot could change between now and the summer, however, here is Chat GPT’s prediction of who will make England’s 26-player squad in Canada, Mexico and USA.

Goalkeepers Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford

Providing he remains injury free, Jordan Pickford looks set to continue as England number one in 2026 for the ninth successive year.

Providing back up to the Everton star, according to ChatGPT, will be Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson and Man City’s James Trafford.

Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Myles Lewis-Skelly, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn

One of the big decisions Tuchel made early on was to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold, however, Chat GPT feels the Real Madrid right-back will win his place back in the 26.

Chelsea’s Reece James and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly are the other full-back options, with John Stones, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa and Dan Burn at centre-back.

Tottenham’s Djed Spence had been a regular in Tuchel’s squad, however, there’s no place for the full-back in the 26.

Midfielders Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze

Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson have been a regular in Tuchel’s midfield and could be the partnership that begins the World Cup campaign, backed by Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

Further forward, Jude Bellingham has been tipped to return to the squad after being left out recently due to fitness issues.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa stars Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers make up the seven man midfield selection, with no room for the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White or Jordan Henderson.

Forwards Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke

Interestingly, ChatGPT thinks Tuchel will go with just one out-and-out centre-forward in captain Harry Kane. Marcus Rashford could also play centrally if required and his ‘revival in form’ at Barcelona sees him included.

Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon’s ’growing importance’ under Tuchel sees him included, alongside Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke and Man City ace Phil Foden.

Notable exclusions from Chat GPT’s forward line include Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins.

أثنى روبرتو مارتينيز، المدير الفني لمنتخب البرتغال، على المستوى الذي قدمه تشيلسي خلال مباراة برشلونة، في منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

تشيلسي استطاع أن يحقق انتصارًا كبيرًا على برشلونة يوم أمس الثلاثاء، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل لا شيء، ضمن دوري أبطال أوروبا، لحساب الجولة الخامسة من مرحلة الدوري.

وشهدت مباراة الأمس تعرض مدافع نادي برشلونة رونالد أراوخو، للطرد، بعد تدخل قوي على نجم نادي تشيلسي، مارك كوكوريلا.

ومع ذلك، يرى مارتينيز في تصريحات نقلتها “بي بي سي سبورت”، أن طرد أراوخو أو بقائه في المباراة لم يكن ليغير من نتيجتها، مشيرًا أن البلوز قدم عرضا مثاليا.

وقال مارتينيز: “بطاقة برشلونة الحمراء تفقد تشيلسي بريقه، لأن أداءهم كان متكاملاً، فلقد كانوا مسيطرين على المباراة”.

طالع .. كوكوريلا عن مواجهة لامين يامال: قمت بدوري.. وقدمه اليسرى مذهلة

وأضاف مارتينيز في حديثه: ”سواءً ببطاقة حمراء أم لا، كان تشيلسي متفوقاً للغاية سواءًا من خلال فكرة المدرب قبل المباراة أو من خلال التنفيذ”.

كما وجه مارتينيز الإشادة إلى موهبة تشيلسي، إستيفاو ويليان، حيث أوضح: “يستمتع الجمهور بكل مرة يستحوذ فيها استيفاو على الكرة، أعتقد أنه كان له تأثير كبير على المباراة وكذلك بيدرو نيتو، وحتى جارناتشو، لما تحلى به من انضباط وترك المساحة التي أرادوا استغلالها”.

وأوضح: “ما أعجبني في إستيفاو هو ثباته، فلقد استمر في اتخاذ القرارات الصائبة، كان مستعدًا ولقد كانت مباراة متطلبة”.

واختتم مارتينيز: ”سيتابع المدرب هذه المباراة ويعتقد أن إستيفاو مستعد للعب في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بفضل تركيزه المستمر وأدائه”.

Martin Guptill has joined the West Indies camp to provide specialist support for the two T20Is at Eden Park

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2025Tim Seifert has been ruled out of New Zealand’s upcoming home T20I series against West Indies with a broken finger. Mitchell Hay has been called in to the squad as Seifert’s replacement and joined the team on Monday night.Seifert retired hurt after being hit on the finger while batting for Northern Districts in Monday’s Ford Trophy match against Wellington Firebirds, and a subsequent X-ray revealed a fracture to the right index finger.”We’re all feeling for Tim,” Rob Walter, New Zealand’s head coach, said in a statement. “He’s a key member of this T20 unit given his power at the top of the order and his role as keeper, so he’ll be missed over the next five matches.NZ vs WI, T20I series

Nov 5 – 1st T20I, Auckland
Nov 6 – 2nd T20I, Auckland
Nov 9 – 3rd T20I, Nelson
Nov 11 – 4th T20I, Nelson
Nov 13 – 5th T20I, Dunedin

“He showed in the recent T20 series’ that he’s building up to top form, so it’s disappointing that that has been halted as we continue to prepare for a pinnacle event.”We’re hoping Tim’s recovery will be quick and he’ll be back on the park as soon as possible.”A wicketkeeper-batter like Seifert, Hay is not as experienced as the man he has replaced but has featured in 11 T20Is since making his debut against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in November last year and holds the world record for the most dismissals (six) in an innings in the format.”Mitch has shown in his international opportunities so far that he’s a top-quality wicketkeeper batter and is more than capable of contributing at this level,” Walter said. “We’re lucky to be able call on another player of his ability which shows the level of depth we currently have in the T20 format.”<!–#cricinfo_inserttype: iframebody:

A familiar face in different colours at Eden Park

Arsenal have now reportedly joined Liverpool in the race to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace, as contract talks continue to drag on between the striker and the South London club.

The Gunners return from the international break looking to get back to winning ways after entering it off the back of a dramatic 2-2 draw against Sunderland and it doesn’t get much bigger than the North London derby. Up against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Mikel Arteta’s side will be aiming to prove their title credentials once again and at least maintain their four-point lead at the top.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the derby, Arteta reiterated just how big a rivalry it is, saying: “It’s just different. it’s a big city, but it’s a big rivalry; it’s a part of London that we want to conquer, and they want to do the same.

“There’s been a lot of shifts as well over the years, we’ve been more dominant and it’s just beautiful, especially when we play at home in front of our people, we know what it means to them.

“The energy that they’re going to bring, the energy that the team is going to bring in every single action, it’s just a privilege to play those kind of games. We cannot wait to get to Sunday.”

Arteta must axe Eze & unleash Arsenal star who's "very similar" to Bergkamp

With Eberechi Eze failing to catch fire at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta could seek a replacement against Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 22, 2025

It marks the beginning of a crucial week for Arsenal, who have the small task of playing host to Bayern Munich just days after the Tottenham clash before then travelling to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. Three points from three in such a run would highlight just how serious the Gunners are about winning major honours.

In their current run, it would also be difficult for many players to turn Arsenal down and that may even be the case for Palace star Mateta.

Arsenal join race to sign Mateta

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal have now joined the race to sign Mateta from Crystal Palace in what could be their second major signing from the Eagles following their recent move for Eberechi Eze.

The Frenchman is set to become a free agent in 2027 and with contract talks yet to reach a resolution, the South London club may be forced to cash in sooner or later – allowing the Gunners to make their move.

A player who’s already been on the scoresheet at the Emirates in the past, Mateta could yet get the chance to wheel away in celebration every week in North London. Such a move would certainly be well-earned, too. From initial struggles, the 28-year-old has become one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

Minutes

959

800

Goals

6

4

Assists

0

0

Expected Goals

8.1

4.6

There’s a reason why Palace boss Oliver Glasner has dubbed his star striker “excellent” in the past and the comparison with Gyokeres shows the level that he’s operating at. If Arsenal want to ensure that their goalscoring problems are ended for good, then they should sign the Palace star.

Arsenal hold talks with £71m ex-Man Utd star after post-Old Trafford transformation

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco terá, enfim, um novo patrocinador máster. Mais de 100 dias após a saída da PixBet do espaço nobre da camisa do Gigante, o clube anunciará, na sexta-feira (9), um acordo com a Betfair. A informação inicial, dada pelo portal Papo Na Colina e pelo jornalista Carlos Berbert, foi confirmada pelo Lance!

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Vasco

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

Detalhes do acordo

O novo contrato, segundo informações obtidas pelo ‘GE’, será firmado por um ano e meio, com valor total de R$115 milhões, e terá validade até dezembro de 2025. Com esse acordo, o Vasco receberá R$70 milhões por ano, superando os acordos de São Paulo e Fluminense. Essa cifra coloca o Vasco como o quarto maior patrocinador do Brasil, ficando atrás apenas de Corinthians, Flamengo e Palmeiras.

Ainda sem diretor comercial, as negociações com o patrocinador máster foram feitas por executivos da 777 junto a membros da SAF do Vasco.

O Vasco volta a campo no próximo domingo para enfrentar o Vitória, em São Januário, pela sexta rodada do Brasileirão.

Uma nova era no Vasco

Com o novo patrocínio, o Vasco volta aos holofotes e segunda na quarta posição dos que mais arrecadam. Em relação ao próprio acordo com a Betfair, os números são muito acima dos garantidos aí Cruzeiro, por exemplo.

continua após a publicidade

Para a Raposa, a empresa desembolsa cerca de R$25 milhões por ano. Anteriormente, o Cruz-maltino recebia R$20 milhões da PixBet. Os valores do novo patrocínio são os maiores da história do Vasco da Gama.

Sites de apostas patrocinam 14 dos 20 clubes da Série A

Novo motor em ascensão no futebol brasileiro, as casas de apostas parecem ter vindo para ficar. Além dos Naming Rights de competições, como o Brasileirão Betano, as casas patrocinam 14 dos 20 times da Série A. Apenas Cuiabá, a dupla Gre-Nal, o Palmeiras e o RB Bragantino não são patrocinados por uma das casas. Dentre esses, o maior valor é o da Crefisa, com R$81 milhões anuais, mas por todos os espaços da camisa e não só o máster.

continua após a publicidade

1. Corinthians – Vai de Bet (R$ 120 milhões)
2. Flamengo – Pixbet (R$ 85 milhões)
3. Palmeiras – Crefisa (R$ 81 milhões)*
4. São Paulo – SuperBet (R$ 52 milhões)
4. Fluminense- SuperBet (R$ 52 milhões)

Tudo sobre

Futebol NacionalVasco

Kalvin Phillips left Leeds United for Manchester City to chase his dreams, but since penning an emotional, two-page letter to his boyhood club to mark his departure from Elland Road, his career has been a living nightmare. There have been multiple runs of bad luck, injuries and humiliation, and when his former club visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, the England international is highly unlikely to even be on the bench.

A Leeds native, Phillips knew he wanted to play for his local team from the first time he visited Elland Road as a boy. He had a tough upbringing, raised by his mother after his father was imprisoned for much of his childhood and adult life. Phillips was born a triplet but lost one of his sisters when she was a couple of months old, leading to his mother being left to grieve on her own while fending for herself, sometimes going without food so her children could eat.

Phillips would pass the prison his father was interned in every day on the way to Leeds' Thorp Arch training ground, and when he helped the team win promotion back to the Premier League in 2020 for the first time in 16 years, his dad called him so that Phillips could hear the in-mates chanting the club's anthem, 'Marching on Together'.

Phillips was one of the stars as Leeds finished ninth in their first season back in the big time, earning a call-up to the England team in 2020. He subsequently started all seven games for the Three Lions at the European Championship the following summer. One year later, having helped Leeds avoid relegation on the final day of the season, he moved to City in a deal worth up to £42 million, making him Leeds' record sale (albeit only for two weeks before Raphinha joined Barcelona for £55m).

"I hope you guys understand my decision and will accept that I only want to chase my dreams and test myself against and with the best teams and best players on the planet," Phillips wrote when he left for City. Unfortunately, his result in that test was a resounding failure, and Phillips' career has been on a downward slide since, one so steep that he now faces an almighty fight just to get it going again.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Doomed from the start

  It might have seemed like a small detail at the time, but with hindsight one could say that Phillips' time with City was doomed from the start. He was too ill to attend his presentation in front of fans along with the other new arrivals, including Erling Haaland, in the summer of 2022, and he did not have the best introduction to the coaching staff either. 

  According to , Guardiola and his assistants noted that Phillips struggled to understand the role of being City's holding midfielder and they quickly concluded that the recently departed youth academy player Romeo Lavia, then 18, would have been a better fit.

  Phillips made his first appearance for City in a pre-season friendly against Club America in the unfamiliar position of centre-back, replacing Nathan Ake at half-time. He got 21 minutes in the next game against Bayern Munich, this time in midfield, and when the season began, he played a grand total of one minute across City's three opening Premier League matches. 

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Overweight'

  Phillips made his first City start in an August friendly against Barcelona, but that was when his problems truly began as he injured his shoulder, aggravating a long-running issue. The only solution was to undergo surgery, meaning he missed the next 10 matches, only returning to the matchday squad for the final game before the season paused for the World Cup.

  Phillips was still selected by England for the tournament in a call that emphasised how highly he was still regarded by Sir Gareth Southgate, and he made two appearances in Qatar. However, when he returned to Manchester, he was given a shock.

  Guardiola didn't pick him for the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool that kicked-off domestic action following the World Cup, and when asked why in the press conference, the coach gave a surprisingly strong response: "He's not injured, he arrived overweight."

  Those comments plagued Phillips for years. "That narrative on social media just grew and grew," he told former Leeds team-mate Patrick Bamford. "Every club that I’d go to, I spoke to, like the manager and the nutritionist and stuff like that, they’d always speak about weight before they’d say anything else. And it got to the point where it peed me off a little bit. I was getting quite frustrated with it."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Not part of Pep's vision

  Phillips was a bystander during City's run to the treble in his first season at the club as he started just two Premier League games, both after they had already wrapped up the title. His second season was even more miserable as he played just 89 minutes of Premier League football across four substitute appearances. 

  Again, the writing was on the wall from the start as City signed not one holding midfielder but two, first bringing in Mateo Kovacic and then Matheus Nunes in the summer of 2023. Phillips, who was already struggling to get any game time while competing with the un-droppable Rodri, was now very clearly fourth choice in his position. 

  His first start of the campaign in the Carabao Cup against Newcastle ended in a 1-0 defeat, while his only other starts were in meaningless Champions League group games after City had qualified for the knockout stage. He did manage to score his only goal for the club, however, netting from the penalty spot against Red Star Belgrade.

  When Guardiola was asked why he used Phillips so sparingly, he gave a damning explanation: "It’s just because I visualise some things and visualise the team and I struggle to see him. I feel so sorry for my decision for him. I’ve said that many times. He doesn’t deserve what has happened to him and I’m so sorry." 

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  No respite

  Having turned down the chance to leave City on loan in the summer of 2023, Phillips took the opportunity to get more game time in January 2024, moving to West Ham. But instead of turning his career around in east London, he plunged to new depths.

  On his debut against Bournemouth, he gifted a goal to Dominic Solanke with his second touch of the ball, while in his next home game he was brought on at half-time as West Ham were destroyed 6-0 by Arsenal. At Nottingham Forest he was sent off, he was hauled off at half-time against Burnley, and when he boarded the team bus after a 4-3 defeat at Newcastle, one fan shouted "useless" at him. Phillips raised his middle finger in response.

  He played just one more game for West Ham after that incident on Tyneside. His loan spell ended with him making just 10 appearances for the Irons, three of which were starts, while he failed to complete 90 minutes even once. 

  Phillips returned to Manchester and went on City's pre-season tour of the United States in 2024, but with it being clear he had no hope of getting regular game time, another loan move beckoned. Newly-promoted Ipswich Town took him on and upon signing Phillips talked of "wanting to enjoy playing football again".

  "The main reason I came to Ipswich was to get back playing football," he said. "[To] kind of play football, not stress free, but with less stress and less eyes on me, maybe. When I went to West Ham, I felt like there was quite a lot of eyes on me."

It’s been a longer wait than most for Sri Lanka between their first and second games this World Cup. Since playing the tournament opener on September 30, a wash-out against Australia means their match against England on Saturday comes after a near two-week gap. So unsurprisingly, they are a side that’s itching to get back out in the middle.Against England though they’ll be up against a side they’ve beaten just once in WODIs in 18 attempts. But for coach Rumesh Ratnayake, dwelling on such records makes little sense.”The last meeting will be tomorrow,” said Ratnayake on the eve of the game. “So those are the things which we will encourage them with just before the match. But in our preparation we talk of the present, and we talk of the present team and where they are and what we can do.”What our strengths will be against them, and where we are going to bowl – if it is bowling – at a particular batter at what stage. So we have broken it into three stages, that’s just an example. And even in our batting, I think what we want most is patience and discipline.””That’s what we lacked maybe against India, not deliberate, but it needs more focus so that it could be established.”Coming into this game, Sri Lanka have had a fair bit of time to ponder on that defeat to India. Having had the hosts reeling on 124 for 6, they let the game slip. But even so, a chase of a target a shade under 250 should not have been beyond them.After that game skipper Chamari Athapaththu had not held back in her assessment of her side’s shortcomings, calling on her batters to shoulder more responsibility going forward. And in the build-up to this game, plans surrounding their batting have featured heavily.Related

• Unbeaten England prepare for Sri Lanka spin test

• Beaumont: England ready for hard graft in Colombo

• Lauren Bell – the footballer who chose fast bowling

• Powerplay podcast: Bangladesh let England off the hook

“In our batting, the girls are really up to it and wanting to do well,” Ratnayake said. “That’s a huge plus because they know it’s a big stage. Sometimes we need to bring it down and say it’s just another match. But they are excited about this big stage. To capitalise on that, to maximise on that, they need to have runs on the scoreboard. They are aware of that. They are also aware that somebody, at least one or two, should bat till the end.”One of the more prevalent themes across this tournament, particularly for matches played in Colombo, has been a tendency for batting to get easier as the innings has gone on. This has left a lopsided run-scoring burden on lower order batters towards the end of an innings. For Sri Lanka, who lack any real batting prowess beyond the top seven, Ratnayake feels they will need at least one batter to take it deep to ensure they effectively exploit conditions at the tail-end of the innings.”We actually spoke about this in detail, about how those coming lower down the order – even below number seven – need to score more. Our main responsibility, is that top seven needs to score the most runs. We’re addressing it differently, because even in the last game no one scored even 50 – not that 50 would have been enough.”We’ve spoken about how you need to bat deep – at least one of the top six needs to hang around. It’s because none of those batters hung around that we were unable to chase down India’s score.”What we have learned from the spinning wickets is about those who have scored runs. Like [Beth] Mooney. Her batting discipline, her focus, and the ability to do what was needed in those situations. So we need to learn from that.”The extra preparation time leading up to this game has also allowed the Sri Lankans to extensively analyse this England side, weaning through their strengths and weaknesses and how exactly to make use of any advantages they might have over such an experienced outfit.”England is a very experienced side, even though they don’t have left-handers they are quite well equipped, so we understand their strengths, we know what they’re strong at and we’ve seen them do it all so to speak, and we believe that we are ready to sort of counter-attack that and do the best we can in the best way we could.”With our coaches, we scrutinised every batter of the English team – not just their top seven, we analysed their top nine. But the time for observing is over, now we need to take ownership of the situation, and go out there and perform.”

The dramatic pushing and shoving match between Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane has been settled once and for all with a boxing bout at the club's training base, but all is not what it seems. The pair came to blows and Gueye was shown a straight red card during the Toffees' 1-0 win over Manchester United and have resorted to the old fight game to settle the score.

Punch drunk at Old Trafford

The shock incident occurred in the 13th minute after a misplaced pass from Gueye gave the ball away, leading to a Bruno Fernandes shot. An argument ensued, during which Keane pushed Gueye, who then responded by slapping Keane in the face. Referee Tony Harrington immediately issued a straight red card for violent conduct. Despite going down to 10 men, Everton went on to win the match 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Gueye later apologised to his team-mates and Keane, taking full responsibility for what he described as his "moment of madness". 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportSeconds out, round two…

The pair have since buried the hatchet, even jokingly staging a mock boxing match in training to show there were no hard feelings. "Only love here," was the message from the Everton duo.

Gueye: 'I'll make sure it never happens again'

After the confrontation, Toffees boss David Moyes was quick to back both his players, saying the display of passion and aggression is what he asks of his players and suggested the referee could have avoided using the red card.

Moyes said: "I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn’t do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it. If nothing happened (no red card), I don’t think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised. I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I was told that (by) the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble. I'm disappointed we got the sending off. But we’ve all been footballers, we get angry with our teammates. He's apologised for the sending off, he's praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised."

And after allowing a couple of days for the dust to settle, Gueye said: "I want to apologise first to Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behaviour. I’ll make sure it never happens again."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportToon test awaits Toffees

Everton host Newcastle on Saturday with the Magpies on a dreadful run of away form, having lost their last four games in all competitions on the road. Moyes’ side are in decent form, having taken seven points from their last three league games, including a win at Old Trafford. Eddie Howe’s side have a host of injuries including Kieran Trippier, while Everton are without Jarrad Branthwaite and the suspended Gueye.