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If the ball hits a piece of equipment discarded by a fielder, the batting side gets extra runs and an additional delivery to face

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2019Islamabad United chased down Lahore Qalandars’ 171 for 8 with enough to spare in their PSL 2019 opener, but they could well have had a slightly smaller target but for a rare occurrence during the Lahore innings – penalty runs for the ball hitting Luke Ronchi’s discarded wicketkeeping glove.It was off the fifth ball of the second over of the Lahore innings. Samit Patel, the English left-arm spinner, fired one into Sohail Akhtar’s pads and it was flicked away. Two runs were taken. But there was a hold-up immediately after as umpires Richard Illingworth and Rashid Riaz conferred, and then announced five additional runs for Lahore.All by the law. Ronchi, the Islamabad wicketkeeper, had discarded one of his gloves, and the ball, as it came back in from the deep square-leg region, hit the piece of equipment. Patel’s bowling figures weren’t affected, and Akhtar didn’t get any extra runs, but Lahore were richer by five runs. Not just that, they got the two runs they had scored anyway and an extra delivery.ALSO READ: All you need to know about PSL 2019For an explanation, we need to turn to Law 28.2, which deals with ‘Fielding the ball’.The relevant part is in Law 28.2.1.3, which says that it’s not legal if a fielder “discards a piece of clothing, equipment or any other object which subsequently makes contact with the ball”. It isn’t illegal, by the way, if the piece of equipment “has accidentally fallen from the fielder’s person”.What happens next?Law 28.2.3 states:
If a fielder illegally fields the ball, the ball shall immediately become dead and
– the penalty for a no-ball or a wide shall stand
– any runs completed by the batsmen shall be credited to the batting side, together with the run in progress if the batsmen had already crossed at the instant of the offence
– the ball shall not count as one of the overIn addition, the umpire shall
– award five penalty runs to the batting side
– inform the other umpire and the captain of the fielding side of the reason for this action
– inform the batsmen and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurredAnd that’s what happened at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola slammed the state of the pitch after the win at Nottingham Forest but said it ended up benefitting his side.

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• Forest missed big chances against City
• Guardiola said poor pitch helped his side
• Admitted his team were below par

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  City had to scrap their way to an unconvincing 2-0 win over Forest and benefitted from some poor finishing from Forest striker Chris Wood and defender Murillo. And Guardiola said the home side only had themselves to blame for their profligacy due to the state of the pitch.

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• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  "In certain moments we suffered,” Guardiola said to BBC Match of the Day. "We were lucky today the pitch was so dry, because the chances they missed that was the reason why. We were lucky today that the pitch was in these conditions."

  The City boss added: “If the pitch had have been better with the [Forest] fast players, it would have been better for them. That’s for sure.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Guardiola also admitted that his side were far from their best against Forest. He said: "Really hard. Last season we draw and we played much better than today. Knowing the circumstances today. We knew the game today, we were so lucky. The last 30 mins, we suffered. When Kovacic came in, Bernardo, we were much better."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Guardiola had previously criticised Real Madrid for the state of the Santiago Bernabeu pitch after the Champions League quarter-final first leg with City.

AB de Villiers’ arrival is not just a middle-order boost for Rangpur Riders, who are desperate for a win after two close losses, but also a sigh of relief for the entire league

Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2019AB de Villiers’ arrival is not just a middle-order boost for Rangpur Riders, who are desperate for a win after two close losses, but also a sigh of relief for the entire league. The BPL is about to lose David Warner, the second of its marquee players to leave midway through the competition due to injury, after Steven Smith. But with de Villiers around for at least six matches, there will certainly be hope for bigger crowds in the stadiums.Having arrived on Thursday, de Villiers had his first hit for Riders who take on Warner’s Sylhet Sixers on Saturday, a game they must win to regain composure going into the last stage of the league phase. De Villiers, who joins the likes of Chris Gayle, Alex Hales and Rilee Rossouw in the Riders top order, said that they are looking to recover in the tournament.”It is a fantastic squad when looking at the names,” de Villiers said after arriving in Sylhet. “It is a really well-balanced team. I know the Rangpur Riders have had some success in the past. If we can get bit of a run going towards the latter stages of the tournament, the last six games in the pool stage, hopefully we do qualify for the knockouts.”De Villiers said that the BPL will be a tournament that eases him into the new T20 season, as he is also signed up to play in the PSL and IPL in the coming months.”I have played a bit of cricket in the Mzansi League in South Africa,” he said. “You can call it the start of my new season. I have to stay fit and busy. I love coming to Bangladesh. I haven’t been here for a while.”I have heard good things about the BPL. I have asked guys at the IPL what it’s like, and they said quality of cricket is fantastic. It is a tournament that’s growing from strength to strength every year. I am very happy to be part of it this year.”De Villiers said he did not mind a bit of turn on the pitches, although the surfaces during this tournament haven’t made too many batsmen happy. “The wickets here are always good. You get a little bit of turn. I don’t mind.”I have always enjoyed wickets that turn a bit, and then you get some good wickets as well. I have seen our last game against Sylhet. The wicket played pretty well. Hoping for that again tomorrow.”De Villiers arrived in Bangladesh with form on his side, having made 282 runs with a 162.06 strike rate in the Mzansi Super League. He remained realistic about his performance in a new competition, but didn’t rule out the big hits.”It motivates me to go out and play well,” he stated. “I have expectations throughout my career, so it is nothing new to me. The game of cricket is up and down. You can’t perform every game. I am also realistic about the sport. I don’t expect too much of myself. But I do expect some fireworks from time to time.”

Stand-in captain, who is just one away from 10,000 Test runs, will rather look to “focus on job at hand”

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jan-2025Sometimes it spins. At other times it goes straight. Be ready for both. This is stand-in captain Steven Smith’s advice to Australia’s less-experienced batters, as he prepares to lead them in a two-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle. Of Australia’s batters on tour, Smith understands the challenge ahead more than most – he has two hundreds in Sri Lanka, and averages 49.75 on the island.”We have spoken about the differences in the surfaces,” Smith said on Tuesday, the eve of the first Test on Australia’s ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. “Last time we came, we played on one that spun from ball one and the other one was pretty flat in the first innings, and then spun a lot in the second innings.”So it’s important to have plans for both kind of surfaces. Then if it is extreme from the outset, then you need to be proactive and follow different methods to score runs. You just have to adapt as quickly as possible to what you get.”Related

• Australia, Sri Lanka and a touch of the dramatic

• Head to replace Konstas as opener against Sri Lanka

• 'Be brave': Australia consider mid-match flexibility to batting order

In 2016, Smith had overseen a tour in which Australia’s batters largely failed to pick the slider from the one that turned off the surface, thus going down 3-0 in the series. In 2022, however, their batters fared much better, even winning a Test on the more spin-friendly surface in that series.Among the more recent trends in countering the kind of spin often seen in Galle has been to focus on run-scoring, rather than on defence. Smith’s own 145* the last time he was at this venue was memorable for how quick he was to move around the crease to create scoring opportunities. Reverse sweeps, slogs, paddles around the corner, and more frequent trips down the pitch – these have all become much more commonly employed.”I think the game has changed a lot since I first came to the sub-continent,” Smith said. “Guys play different shots to put pressure on the bowlers. The game has evolved a lot in the last ten years, and it’s good to see some of the shots these guys play to take the game forward.”For Smith, this is a series that will almost certainly feature a major career milestone. He is one run away from becoming the fourth Australia batter to 10,000 Test runs. Smith only needed 38 more runs from the last Test of the home summer – in Sydney – to get to the landmark, but fell for 33 and 4 against India.”I’ll just try to put it out of my mind, to be honest,” Smith said of the milestone. “I probably thought too much about it in Sydney. This time I’ll just try to forget it and focus on job at hand.”

Ian Chappell pays tribute to his first touring room-mate Graeme Watson

Ian Chappell25-Apr-2020You never forget your first touring room-mate; it’s not quite a love-of-your-life remembrance but a fond recall.My first room-mate on a five-month tour of Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) and South Africa in 1966-67 was Graeme Donald Watson. His nickname was Beatle as he wore his hair long like the ‘Fab Four’. He was chosen as the replacement for Doug Walters who was called up for Army national service.Beatle was a genuine allrounder who batted in the top six for Victoria and bowled hit-the-deck-hard medium-fast. Before the tour, I’d played against Graeme, but I really only knew him as a slightly unusual Victorian in that he stayed around for a beer after play.On a five-month tour where you’re regularly cooped up in the same room, you get to know a guy pretty well. The friendship is either a lasting one or it runs out of steam pretty quickly. In our case, it remained firm until Friday, when sadly cancer claimed the Beatle’s life.There are many fond memories of that tour. We shared a lot together including a solid partnership against Eastern Province where we both completed our first centuries for Australia. The match was played at St George’s Park, which was then known as Pollockville because of the presence of the brothers, Peter the fast bowler and Graeme, one of the pre-eminent Test batsmen of the time.The second-innings battle of the Graemes ended with Pollock c Chappell b Watson 120.After commencing his debut Test at Newlands with an impressive half-century, Beatle injured his ankle while bowling and finished up on crutches with his leg in plaster. That resulted in the unusual sight of late-night crutch races being held in the corridors of Deals Hotel in East London, with the other participants being the fully capacitated but slightly inebriated Dave Renneberg, Brian Taber and yours truly.Unfortunately for Beatle injuries dogged his sporting life.I toured with Beatle again in 1972 but by that time I was captain and enjoyed a single room, so he had to make do with second best. He’d been included in the touring party despite suffering a near-death experience after an incident at the MCG in the Rest of the World series of 1971-72.I was batting with Watson when an unintentional beamer from Tony Greig hit him in the nose and he was carted off the ground bleeding profusely. He was extremely unfortunate as Greig’s delivery was affected when his bowling hand hit the stumps and Watson top-edged a ball that would’ve hit him in the chest if his attempted pull shot had missed.By 1972, Chappell was captain and enjoyed a single room, so Watson (back row, extreme left) had to make do with second best•Getty ImagesIt was only on that 1972 tour when I met one of his nurses at a social function that I found out Beatle had actually stopped breathing for a while when he was in hospital. It was typical of Beatle to say very little about the incident; he made light of any injury and at times was too brave for his own good.That serious injury occurred on January 5 but with a fervent desire to be selected for the 1972 tour of England, he defied doctors’ orders and played against South Australia on February 26. In the second innings with a gale blowing in the direction from mid-off to fine leg, I told fast bowler Kevin McCarthy the only option was to operate with a strong leg-side field.A bouncer from McCarthy struck Watson on the side of the head and for a moment my heart sank. Fortunately, it was only a glancing blow and he successfully continued his innings.In another season, he bowled for Western Australia with a broken bone in his leg and Rod Marsh swears that at times he was standing as far back for Beatle as he was for Dennis Lillee.However, there was one injury that did stop him; a broken jaw. A talented dual sportsman, he was in the Melbourne Football Club squad that won the 1964 Victorian Football League grand final. When he suffered two broken jaws in quick succession during the 1965 season, that brought his football career to an abrupt halt. On that South African tour, whenever Keith Stackpole wanted to annoy Beatle, he’d call out, “Hey, glass jaw.”His cricket career involved playing for three states Victoria, WA and New South Wales. During regular drink sessions with a group of mates it was a standard joke to claim that he played with four states – he was selected for Queensland but joined World Series Cricket instead – the same number as he had wives.I was in the official party at his first wedding which was attended by then Australian prime minister Harold Holt. I was unable to attend any of the other ceremonies which was unfortunate because it precluded me from using the hilarious line of England’s fast bowling funnyman John J Warr.When JJ attended England batsman Bill Edrich’s fifth wedding he was asked, “Which side – bride or groom?” Without a flicker of a smile, he answered, “Season’s ticket.”I know his last two wives well, Karina with whom he sired two beautiful girls in Laura and Louisa, and Jan who was at his side when he passed away. Beatle had generously offered a kidney to Jan who needed a transplant, but the dreaded cancer diagnosis put an end to that plan. Fortunately, Jan received a transplant and is now recovering well.Watson had a successful business life after sport, cleverly maximising his qualifications as an architect. He excelled in solutions for sports stadium management and was involved in that capacity in the highly successful Sydney Olympic precinct.His architectural background stood out in the functional design of his house at Burradoo in the NSW Southern Highlands and the farmhouse on his property at Wollombi, just north of Sydney. That was a favourite venue as a ‘male retreat’ and I have fond memories of the sessions enjoyed there with Tabsy and Beatle that made allowances for one female – our dog Bella.Beatle lived a very full life and he was looking forward to caring for Jan in her post-operation period, but unfortunately, the tables were turned and it was she who lovingly cared for him.His last public act was a selfless one as usual. Even in struggling health, he offered to help the Southern Highlands District Cricket Association raise funds for junior development.This culminated in a sold-out dinner in early March which provided much-needed funds for the association. Beatle – with his voice fading – made a fine speech that night, full of common sense and with a vision for the future.It was a long journey from Salisbury (now Harare) to Burradoo, but it was a successful one, with a lot of laughs along the way.

Kerr wasn’t given run-out because the ball was deemed dead, but questions around the incident remain

Shashank Kishore04-Oct-2024There was confusion, and no little anger, as India were at the centre of an umpiring controversy during their women’s T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in Dubai on Friday, which India lost by 58 runs.They felt they had a legitimate wicket – a run-out of Amelia Kerr – but it wasn’t to be, with the umpires deciding the ball was dead when the dismissal was effected.The appeal for the run-out came after Kerr was caught short of her ground while attempting a second run at the end of the 14th over of New Zealand’s innings. Having hit the ball towards long-off off the last ball of Deepti Sharma’s over, Kerr and Sophie Devine took a single, and didn’t seem to have any plans to push for the second. Deepti asked the umpire to hand her cap back to her and was been given it.However, with Harmanpreet Kaur, the fielder, collecting the ball and ambling in with it in her hands, Kerr and Devine tried pinching a second. Harmanpreet fired the ball in, Richa Ghosh collected it, and broke the stumps with Kerr short of her crease.The umpires – Anna Harris and Jacqueline Williams – decided the ball was dead, and anything that came after, the dismissal in this case, would not count as having occurred with the ball “in play”. Section 20.1.2 of the dead-ball law says: “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”For that moment when the bowler collected her cap and the batters seemed happy with just the single, it is reasonable for the umpire to deem the ball dead. However, the umpires omitted to send the batters back to their respective ends. Kerr should have been back on strike for the start of the next over, but it was Devine who took strike against Renuka Singh and nudged a single. Kerr was out off the following delivery when she hit the ball to Pooja Vastrakar at extra cover, to be dismissed for 13 off 22 balls.Related

• New Zealand grateful for Devine intervention as plans come together in crucial contest

• Rodrigues challenges India to bounce back from shock New Zealand loss

Before that, though, play was held up for over seven minutes, with India head coach Amol Muzumdar visibly upset at the ruling, engaging in an animated chat with the fourth umpire, while Kerr was near the boundary before being called back.Speaking after the game, Jemimah Rodrigues said, “I was not there when the umpire gave the cap to Deepti, but, I mean, New Zealand were pretty sure that it was a double run and Amelia went for it, which showed that the over was not called out yet. And we all thought that, okay, we got that run-out.”What if that run-out wouldn’t happen? Would they give us a two for that. So I think, honestly, that’s not in our control at the end. We respect the decision of the umpire and we were okay with that. But yeah, it’s a bit harsh when Amelia herself walked out because she knew she was out.”Devine, who was batting alongside Kerr, explained she hadn’t heard the umpire call the over and they were trying to pinch a second run. “My understanding is that the ball is dead when the umpire calls ‘over’ and I didn’t hear the umpire call ‘over’,” she said. It was an interesting one, and I guess it broke a little bit of momentum and maybe stalled them [India] a bit.”That’s part of cricket. Interpretation is going to be slightly different. We were always trying to pinch runs here and there because you never know when one run is going to change things. The umpires have a job to do and we respect that, and I sometimes push the boundaries a little bit.””We know how important Amelia’s wicket was, at that moment it felt a little [like] why didn’t it go in our favour,” Rodrigues said. “But, at the same time, I think we did what we can.”We spoke to the umpire. Then we had to accept the decision of the umpire and move on. So I think that’s what we did really well, that we just moved on from that. And we got her out pretty soon. So that works for us.”

Tahir finished with figures of 4-0-27-4, but his Smart Stats were even better, given the batsmen he dismissed and the time when he dismissed them

ESPNcricinfo stats team14-Apr-2019After 14 overs of Kolkata Knight Riderss’ innings, they were well placed at 121 for 3. Chris Lynn had just pasted Ravindra Jadeja for three successive sixes in the previous over – which had gone for 23 – and had motored along to 82 off 50, and with Andre Russell still to come, Knight Riders were on course to score around 190 or even more.Enter Imran Tahir. He had already done a double-wicket act earlier in the game, dismissing Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa in the 11th over. This time, he took out even bigger names, getting rid of both Lynn and Russell in the space of five deliveries, which eventually was instrumental in restricting Knight Riders to just 161.ESPNcricinfo LtdTahir finished with figures of 4-0-27-4, but his Smart Stats were even better. Given the batsmen he dismissed and the time when he dismissed them, Tahir’s four wickets were worth 5.4, which makes his haul the best of IPL 2019, in terms of Smart Wickets. That is because Smart Wickets takes into account three factors when calculating the value of a dismissal:- The quality of the batsman dismissed
– The batsman’s score at the time of the dismissal
– The state of the game at the time of the dismissalAlzarri Joseph’s six-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad was only worth 4.9 and is in second place, because his last three victims were Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul, and those wickets came when the match was almost in the bag.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn Tahir’s case, all four victims were top-class batsmen, and two of them – Uthappa and Russell – were dismissed very early in their innings, which gives his wickets more value (since dismissing a dangerous batsman early is always more beneficial to the fielding team).Among these four wickets, Russell’s was worth the most, at 1.65, followed by Uthappa (1.47), Lynn (1.18) and Rana (1.11). Add up those values, and Tahir’s wicket value becomes the highest of IPL 2019.

The Todd Boehly regime has been littered with high-profile signings and marquee additions, but are Chelsea actually any closer to competing once again at the top of the domestic and European game?

The wait goes on for silverware to be claimed in the new Clearlake era, with the Blues’ only hope this season now resting in Conference League success, having gone two years without tasting Champions League football.

Even amid the at-times chaotic nature of the Roman Abramovich days, the west London side still remained a real force both in the Premier League and on the continent, a fact epitomised by their two Champions League triumphs.

In 2020/21, for instance, Thomas Tuchel – who only replaced Frank Lampard in January 2021 – steered the club to European glory just six months into his spell at Stamford Bridge. Less than a decade earlier, interim boss Roberto Di Matteo had achieved the same feat, at the end of another chaotic campaign for the club.

A central figure in that glorious 2012 triumph was, of course, Juan Mata, with the Spaniard having made an instant impact following his arrival from Valencia a year earlier.

How Juan Mata compares to Cole Palmer

Signed from Valencia on a £23.5m deal in August 2011, the diminutive playmaker was an integral part of Chelsea’s success that season, having chalked up a remarkable tally of 32 goals and assists in all competitions during his debut campaign.

Perhaps the key contribution that the then 23-year-old made that season was whipping in the corner which led to Didier Drogba’s crucial bullet header late in normal time, with that marking the 20th and final assist of the campaign for Mata.

A stunning first year at Chelsea was followed by an even more impactful second season in 2012/13, with the silky star registering a mammoth total of 50 goal involvements in 60 games in all competitions.

To put that into context, not even man of the moment, Cole Palmer, has hit such heights as yet, with the Englishman having reached 40 goals and assists last term, following his £40m switch from Manchester City.

As for the current campaign, the Englishman has slowed down after a dazzling start, with ‘just’ 14 goals and six assists to his name thus far, with the 22-year-old having failed to score since mid-January.

In all, Palmer has registered 60 goal involvements in his first 78 games for the club, while Mata, meanwhile, registered 82 goal contributions across his first two campaigns at the club – albeit with that coming from 114 games.

As a creative left-footer with an eye for goal, Palmer – who has also showcased a similar free-kick prowess – has certainly shown shades of Mata to date, although Boehly and co might well be brewing another version of the now veteran Spaniard.

Chelsea's next Juan Mata

The common theme of the Boehly era has been the desire to scour the globe for the next big thing, a fact epitomised only recently with the surprise signing of reported Manchester United target, Geovany Quenda, from Sporting CP.

The £40m teenager will have to wait to feature for the Blues, however, as he is set to spend the 2025/26 campaign back in Lisbon, ahead of linking up with Enzo Maresca’s side next summer.

In the meantime, Chelsea’s squad will be bolstered by the belated arrivals of two other teenage talents in the form of Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez, with the pair set to join from Palmeiras and Independiente del Valle, respectively.

It is the latter man who perhaps could emerge as the second coming of Mata for the Blues, either in a central role or on the flanks, with the Ecuadorian sensation also a creative, “left-footed magician”, in the words of analyst Ben Mattinson.

Also described as “one of the most exciting talents in world football” by Jacek Kulig, Kendry – who turns 18 in May – has already caught the eye at senior level despite his youth, scoring and assisting 19 times in 70 games in his homeland.

Much like Mata – who is only 5 foot 7 – the 5 foot 9 sensation is small and slight in stature, but makes up for that with his creative spark and ability to “play a killer pass”, in the words of Mattinson, with it already looking like the Blues have a real gem on their hands.

Also capable of operating all across the midfield, much like Mata, the 17-year-old has also already made 17 senior appearances for his country, scoring twice, with that seemingly further evidence of just what a high-potential star he truly is.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Perhaps, while it is still early days, Kendry can emulate the likes of Mata in helping to steer the Stamford Bridge side to Champions League glory in the coming years.

Best signing since Hazard & Kante: Boehly struck gold on Chelsea's "genius"

Chelsea struck gold signing this “world-class” ace who’s their best signing since Hazard & Kante

By
Connor Holden

Mar 22, 2025

Santos superstar Neymar was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for a blatant handball as his side lost 1-0 to Botafogo on Sunday.

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• Neymar sent off for Santos
• Blatantly tries to score with hand
• Team go on to lose to Botafogo

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar was sent off in the 76th minute of the Brazilian Serie A game after punching the ball into the net from close range. The referee immediately disallowed the goal and showed the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star a second yellow card, much to the frustration of the home crowd. Santos went on to lose 1-0 in front of their own fans after Artur Victor Guimaraes scored a winner in the dying moments for Botafogo.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It looks set to be a season of struggle for Santos, who now sit 18th in the Brazilian Serie A table after 11 matches. Neymar has missed seven of those matches with injury and is yet to score or assist across the other four, with a suspension now set to limit his game time even further.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR?

  Neymar is still fighting for his international future after he was left out of Carlo Ancelotti's first Brazil squad. With a suspension for the red card coming, it will be a while longer until he can prove to the new national team boss he is in good enough shape for selection.

Liverpool are closing in on the Premier League title and will have some intriguing transfer priorities up their sleeve to build on an impressive campaign at Anfield.

What do Liverpool need to do this summer?

Arne Slot will likely be given considerable financial backing after his debut season at Anfield, but he has plenty of decisions to mull over between now and the summer window.

Addressing the elephant in the room, Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract. Speculation is mounting over the trio’s long-term futures on Merseyside and they remain the central priorities from an internal standpoint.

Evaluating the squad, Liverpool may need to seek out another striker amid Darwin Nunez’s frustration at the club. The Uruguay international had interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in January before he was blocked from entering talks over a mid-season exit.

Sparing no prisoners, Slot didn’t want to offload important stars in the middle of a Premier League title fight, though the summer may paint a different picture as he continues to shape the squad in his own image.

Taking a minimalist approach on the transfer front so far, the Dutchman has successfully maximised the capability of a squad already rich in talent since his arrival. However, the onus will be on FSG to deliver some high-profile additions in light of the Reds’ consistency under his stewardship.

The AXA Training Centre is bound to see some new faces walk through the door in a few months’ time, and Slot has now told Liverpool one star he is willing to sacrifice with his replacement already said to be lined up.

Arne Slot tells Liverpool to sell Kostas Tsimikas and sign Milos Kerkez

According to TBR, Liverpool boss Slot wants to sell Kostas Tsimikas to bring in Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, with the Cherries looking for a fee of £50 million before parting ways with the Hungary international.

AC Milan could also be a key player in negotiations. Not only are they keen on Kerkez, but they have emerged as contenders to sign Tsimikas should he be allowed to vacate the premises this summer.

£140k-p/w Liverpool star unhappy over being made to stay, FSG will sell him

Arne Slot didn’t want the star to leave mid-season with his side in the running for several trophies.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Mar 5, 2025

Labelled “fantastic” by journalist Ian Doyle, the latter has become a cult hero at Liverpool in his 110 appearances for the club, where he has registered 18 assists. Nevertheless, his existence as a peripheral figure was always likely to pave the way for a departure.

On the other hand, Kerkez has delivered two goals and four assists in 30 outings this season at Bournemouth. Maintaining a consistent level of performance, the 24-year-old has fashioned 24 chances and 21 successful crosses in the Premier League.

Antonee Robinson and Jorrel Hato make up two other names on Liverpool’s left-back shortlist, which is an indication they are set to go all out for a new name to challenge Andy Robertson for the starting slot at Anfield. If the Reds have designs on becoming the main force in English football, no sentiment can be shown in the pursuit of fresh blood.