Category Uncategorized

Arsenal and Liverpool-linked Viktor Gyokeres admits his €100 million release clause is a “bit too much”, but he may end up in the Premier League.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Swede starred in England for Coventry
• Enjoyed stunning debut season in Portugal
• Wants to test himself at the highest level

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The prolific Sweden international spent three seasons in England with Swansea and Coventry before heading to Portuguese giants Sporting in the summer of 2023. He hit 43 goals through 50 appearances during his debut campaign in Lisbon.

Advertisement

• GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Those exploits are said to have seen the 26-year-old frontman register on recruitment radars at Emirates Stadium, Anfield and Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea another of his many suitors. No deal was done in the last window, but Gyokeres is looking forward to seeing what happens in the next.

• WHAT GYOKERES SAID

  He has told when asked about his present and future, with suitors needing to find €100m (£84m/$111m) in order to get a deal done: “They (Sporting) wanted most of the starting players to stay and held us tight. That’s how it turned out, but I enjoy Sporting very much, so for me it was no problem to stay. Of course you want to play at the highest level. It (release clause) was probably a bit too much because nothing came of it. Of course, it’s a lot of money. But we’ll see what happens next window… I enjoy myself very much in Sporting and can’t complain about anything, so it’s absolutely no problem for me to stay. Of course, you aim to test other leagues and a higher level, but I have no stress.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Gyokeres is under contract until 2028, so Sporting are under no pressure to sell and his asking price will not be dropping any time soon. He has already registered a further seven goals through five appearances in the 2024-25 campaign, as stunning individual standards are maintained.

Tottenham Hotspur are performing well this season and there are numerous signs of promise that Ange Postecoglou is the right man to lead the club away from the malaise of recent campaigns.

Combining with chairman Daniel Levy to blend pitch performance with sharp and astute recruitment, Tottenham are fighting to reclaim a spot at the forefront of the Premier League, with one eye on European conquests to come too.

While impactful signings such as James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have captivated and revived a sombre-feeling fanbase since the Australian manager's arrival, he has been aided by some former groundwork invested in the procurement of young talent.

Destiny Udogie, for example, was signed from Udinese for £15m back in 2022 but spent the subsequent campaign back on loan with the Serie A side, while Pape Matar Sarr was nurtured with a bit-part role last season before being unleashed with regularity at present.

Both are remarkable players but the latter, Sarr, might just bloom into one of Europe's foremost midfielders.

Pape Sarr's Spurs performance in 2023/24

Tottenham signed Sarr from French Ligue 1 club Metz in a £15m package back in 2021 before being handed back to his former club for the campaign, much like with Udogie.

An injury crisis gave Lilywhites supporters a tantalising glimpse of the quality at the now-21-year-old Sarr's disposal last season after he started against AC Milan in the Champions League, excelling in the first leg at the San Siro and leading Harry Kane to gush over his potential

The Three Lions skipper said: "He's got fantastic quality. I think you saw today he was everywhere. He was breaking up play, tracking back, making tackles, shots, crosses. He's a player who has all the ability and he'll only get better from experiences like tonight, playing a really good team, a really good midfield."

Minutes played

90'

Touches

77

Accurate passes

49/59 (83%)

Key passes

1

Long balls

5/6

Dribble attempts

1/2

Tackles

5

Interceptions

1

Duels won

9/16

He did, however, only earn three starting berths in the Premier League but has taken huge strides in his development since Postecoglou's arrival, having established himself as a key cog in the centre of the park, with his turbo-powered energy and multi-skilled midfield approach blending nicely with that of the tough-tackling Yves Bissouma.

Now, lauded as "one of these midfielders who really causes issues for opponents" by his Spurs boss, Sarr has demonstrated such prowess with three goals and three assists apiece across 20 Premier League starts this term, completing 88% of his passes and averaging 1.1 tackles, 4.5 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore.

Moreover, he ranks among the top 14% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 6% for assists and the top 18% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, emphasising his adept offensive ability and ubiquity in his craft, also lingering back to chug balls forward with electric constancy.

To put it succinctly: Sarr is a real talent and will rise to the very forefront of the European game if he continues on his current course. He's proof of an exciting change of tack after years of mediocrity, with the Spurs academy absolutely booming at present.

Spurs' most exciting academy stars

Sarr is a prodigious young player but he's not a product of Tottenham's underbelly, though thankfully there is a wealth of promise positively begging to burst through onto the senior pitch, with no one currently playing for the development squad more exciting than Mikey Moore.

The versatile forward, aged only 16, has been in scintillating form this season and has scored 12 goals and supplied seven assists from only ten games in the U18 Premier League. He's the real deal.

"Grafts and grafts" – Young Tottenham star getting rave reviews in training

He’s been putting in extra hours.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 26, 2024

He's not the only young gun on the block, however, with Premier League icon Yaya Toure naming Callum Olusesi alongside Moore as one of the biggest talents down N17.

Toure was an absolute powerhouse for Manchester City and had been earning a living as a youth coach at Tottenham since his retirement, thus spending much time overseeing some of the development of stars of Olusesi's age bracket.

The Ivorian said: "Yeah, definitely. Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi are top grade U16s, they are really good and most of the time they were playing with the 18s."

Given that Manchester United had a vested interest in poaching Olusesi from Lilywhite clutches before he penned a long-term contract in north London, it's patently clear that Postecoglou might have a future star on his hands.

Callum Olusesi's season in numbers

The 17-year-old Olusesi has recently penned his first professional contract with Tottenham having made a name for himself as a regular for the club's U18s in 2022/23 while still a schoolboy.

This term, the robust midfielder has racked up eight goals and four assists across the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup despite featuring from the centre of the pitch, and given his elegance and technical quality, it might just be that Postecoglou already has a Sarr regen on his hands.

The England U17 international's free-scoring success has placed him in good stead for a prominent career down the line, though he will likely need to continue his work at the current level heading into the 2023/24 campaign before making a deeper mark next term, hoping to crane Postecoglou's neck as he stands out among a host of top teenage talent.

An innate eye for goal is definitely not a bad way to start swivelling heads, and it's important to remember that Olusesi is still younger than Sarr was when the Senegal international first put pen to paper with Tottenham.

He's one to keep an eye on. If he keeps working as hard as he is at present, it might be a name on many more lips before the close of the 2024/25 campaign.

Whilst Derby County's attack took many of the plaudits at the full-time whistle of the 3-0 Port Vale victory and indeed the 3-0 win over Bristol Rovers yesterday, the stern Rams defence at Pride Park were vital on both occasions to ensuring the three points felt like a walk in the park to collect.

Darren Moore's Valiants were anything but their namesake in Derbyshire, the away side failing to register a single on-target shot at Joe Wildsmith's goal as the Derby defence confidently picked up another clean sheet alongside the win.

Whilst Eiran Cashin's name often steals the headlines at the back, alongside Sonny Bradley's face being known from his Luton Town days in the Championship, Curtis Nelson has arguably gone underappreciated from the outside looking in as the other centre-back option often utilised by Paul Warne.

Curtis Nelson's transfer value at Derby County

The former Cardiff City man could definitely be viewed as a transfer steal now when you evaluate his fantastic season to date for the automatic promotion candidates, Nelson yet to miss one game full stop for Warne's Rams machine this campaign.

Signed on a free transfer after his contract was up at Blackpool, the 30-year-old's transfer value for Derby now sits at €1.1M (£941k) to prove that the third-tier side were correct swooping in for their now star number 35 when they did.

Nelson would trudge off the pitch in the Vale win having amassed 86 touches playing out from the back, on top of winning six duels to preserve his team's clean sheet on the day without much fuss.

Surprisingly, Nelson's transfer value does see him now come in as having a higher worth in the Rams camp than that of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Formerly on the Cardiff books himself before a move to Pride Park materialised back in 2022, Mendez-Laing has been a nuisance all season long for League One defences to attempt to nullify.

The experienced attacker is onto nine goals and 18 assists from 41 total appearances in all competitions this season, taking his full Derby goal contributions tally to an impressive 46.

Yet, Nelson still boasts a heftier value next to his name than Derby's main attacking force.

Curtis Nelson's transfer value compared to the Derby squad.

Nelson, who has been described as a "colossal" figure by his manager, comes in as Derby's fourth most expensive player currently according to Football Transfers.

The imposing centre-back is €600k (£513k) short of toppling both Eiran Cashin and Ryan Nyambe tied in second place above him, whilst Max Bird – who has won a move to the Championship with Bristol City at the end of the campaign – tops the list with a €2m value.

Player

Transfer value

1. Max Bird

€2M

2. Eiran Cashin

€1.7M

3. Ryan Nyambe

€1.7M

4. Curtis Nelson

€1.1M

5. Sonny Bradley

€0.9M

Mendez-Laing's lesser €0.8M value means the electric forward finds himself just outside the top five as can be seen in the table above, with the Rams brimming full of top assets that they'll hope can steer them to promotion finally back up to the Championship.

Nelson will aim to stick it out as one of Warne's reliable first names on the teamsheet until now and the end of the campaign alongside the 31-year-old winger, the towering 6 foot centre-back wanting to shine even brighter if his team make the potential jump up a division.

Leeds United will need to do their transfer business sharpish as deadline day begins to loom, the Championship promotion candidates are yet to add anyone to their squad with three fringe players – including Luke Ayling – allowed to head out of Elland Road on loan.

It's not as if the Whites haven't been linked with a whole host of incomings so far this January, but with an unsatisfactory 1-1 home draw against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup arguably exposing Leeds' lack of high-quality depth, many bodies could well be in through the door between now and the close of the transfer window.

There are two main priorities on the extensive Leeds shopping list if rumours are correct, with the duo in question teammates at international level in the past who could strengthen the Whites considerably.

Leeds in for Wales star

On top of wanting to reportedly bring AFC Bournemouth winger David Brooks to the building, the Whites are also targeting his fellow Wales compatriot Connor Roberts to finally add a new right-back to their ranks.

The full-back was labelled as being a 'concrete target' for Leeds by journalist Ben Jacobs who was speaking to GIVEMESPORT but a further report by Daily Mail journalist Simon Jones has now confirmed that Daniel Farke's men are indeed interested in signing the Burnley man.

Roberts is itching for more first-team action away from being placed on the periphery at Turf Moor this campaign.

With Roberts standing out as a full-throttle attacking full-back when Burnley won the second tier title just last campaign – scoring four times last season under Vincent Kompany – the 28-year-old could well spur Leeds on to further unsettle the established Championship top two.

If Brooks was purchased – as another right midfield option to ease concerns of Daniel James being in the Whites treatment room for some time – both players in question could make Leeds hard to thwart down that flank with Crysencio Summerville and Junior Firpo unplayable at points on the opposing left side.

How Roberts would fit into the Leeds team

With Archie Gray having to start at right-back 17 times this season, despite being more of a natural in midfield, Roberts would arguably walk into the Whites starting lineup currently.

His numbers at second tier level across his career to date back up why he'd break into the Leeds first-team and instantly make an impact, the Clarets defender accumulating 20 assists and 15 goals playing in the Championship over 173 appearances.

Coupled with Brooks' equally potent output in the Championship – which stands at nine goals and 11 assists from 69 appearances – both players could form an intimidating partnership at Elland Road if Leeds pull off a late flurry of signings.

Described as being an "excellent" player by his former Swansea City boss Steve Cooper during Roberts' stint with the Swans, Roberts would give Leeds that added nous too of what it takes to get promoted via the top two. That could well be invaluable with the Whites currently fighting hard to establish themselves as automatic promotion hopefuls.

Brooks and Roberts have been in sync pulling on a Wales strip in the past, with Ethan Ampadu also excelling on the international stage alongside the Leeds targets, and so it could well be a smart move landing both of these former second-tier stars to boost Leeds' automatic promotion chances this season.

Farke's men will feel precarious if no signings are made in this transfer window and injuries begin to trouble them more, with a swoop for both Brooks and Roberts making logical sense as a result.

Jose Mourinho marked his Benfica homecoming with a simple sunrise post from the club’s training ground, captioned 'Good morning SL Benfica'. But his first update as Benfica coach sparked chaos online, as Fenerbahce fans swarmed his Instagram with angry comments after his remarks that managing the Turkish side was a 'mistake' and that the club was 'not his level'.

Mourinho marks Benfica move with Instagram return

Mourinho shared his first photo since being confirmed as Benfica’s new head coach, showing the Lisbon side’s training base. The Portuguese tactician recently caused controversy by describing his time at Fenerbahce as a poor career decision. He celebrated his return to Benfica by returning to Instagram and posting a photo of the side's training ground with a beautiful sunrise in the background.

AdvertisementgettyAngry Fenerbahce fans flood comments

The comments section on Mourinho’s post was overwhelmed by Fenerbahce supporters furious at his words. Many labelled the Special One a mercenary, accusing him of chasing money rather than loyalty. Others fired back that Fenerbahce remain a stronger club than Benfica despite his criticism.

Mourinho's bad blood with Fenerbahce

Mourinho’s social media comeback highlights the tension left behind after his departure from Turkey. His comments have added fuel to a rivalry already shaped by Benfica’s Champions League qualifier win over Fenerbahce. While he insists coaching Benfica is “returning to his level,” his blunt words risk souring his reputation further among Turkish fans.

AFPMourinho faces tough job at Benfica

Mourinho will now turn his focus to steadying Benfica after replacing Bruno Lage in the dugout. The 62-year-old has promised to restore the club’s place among Europe’s elite. All eyes will be on whether his return delivers success on the pitch — or further controversy off it.

Derby County were left frustrated by their showing on Saturday, only managing to pick up a point at home to Shrewsbury Town in a game the Rams largely underwhelmed in.

Only having eight shots on goal in the entire game was not the ruthless display Paul Warne would have wanted, bemoaning his side's lack of cutting edge in attack and luck with Tyreece John-Jules not available for selection owing to a serious injury concern.

Moreover, Warne would have been equally frustrated that he didn't have Eiran Cashin at his disposal for the forgettable draw at Pride Park – the 22-year-old defender absent also through injury.

With talk that Derby's homegrown star might have left in January – potentially joining fellow academy product Max Bird in getting a big move away from League One – the Rams boss could well look towards the future sooner rather than later to see who could fill in for Cashin permanently if he does depart.

A young replacement for Cashin

Previously on the books at Crystal Palace before making the move to Derbyshire, young centre-back starlet Ryan Bartley could well be the solution to Warne's anxieties when it comes to Cashin eventually exiting.

Making 17 appearances for the Palace U18s before moving on, Bartley has settled in well to his new surroundings this season.

Cutting his teeth on-loan at non-league Eastbourne Borough before making the leap to join the Rams set-up – even scoring a solitary goal whilst playing for the National League South side – Bartley is being tipped to have a bright future at Pride Park.

Described as being a "powerful" defender by one scout on social media, the 20-year-old has become a mainstay in the U21 side in the Premier League 2 this campaign – making six appearances in total.

Bartley has even worn the Rams armband this season, captaining his youthful Derby side against Southampton last year.

Moreover, the former Palace youngster helped himself to a brace against Reading despite lining up as a defender – showing the likes of highly-rated attacker Dajaune Brown where the back of the net is in the emphatic 5-1 victory.

Derby County's teenage sensation could be their answer to Michael Smith

Derby County could look towards their youth to uncover their very own Michael Smith.

ByKelan Sarson Feb 5, 2024

It could well be an almighty jump for Bartley now to make, but those close to Pride Park will have to ensure the 20-year-old's progression isn't stunted in the hope he can be another off the conveyer belt of young Derby gems to go on and have established EFL careers.

The latest on Eiran Cashin's future

Although Cashin has put pen to paper on a new contract with Derby recently, seeing him stay put in theory until 2027, that might not deter higher-up suitors from coming back in down the line.

Derby will just hope they can strike gold again by developing another gem through the Academy structure, with Cashin going on to make 107 Rams first-team appearances since coming through.

Keeping Cashin around for now will also do wonders for the likes of Bartley, the 20-year-old learning the ropes and what it takes to make the step up by attempting to replicate the Irishman's ascent.

Everyone associated with Derby will just pray that this campaign they can finally be freed from the shackles of the third tier, with a real concern Cashin could be off if not.

If their worst fears do become a reality, Bartley could well be waiting in the wings and ready to finally seize his moment in the spotlight.

The majority of the Australia one-day squad will return to Big Bash action over the next few days for the backend of the regular season and then the finals for the teams that make it.Of the players who were in India, only David Warner, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc – who don’t have BBL deals – will not be available.Here is a rundown of who each team gets back:Melbourne StarsPeter Handscomb, who did not get a game in India, will return to bolster the middle order and will likely resume the wicketkeeping duties from Seb Gotch. Adam Zampa will be back as a key part of the spin attack for the Stars who are already assured of hosting the Qualifier on January 31 with the loser of that match earning a second chance to reach the final by playing in the Challenger on February 6.Sydney SixersThe Sixers are among the teams currently fighting for second spot to play the Stars and, for the first time in six years, will be able to call on Steven Smith who is available from the match against the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba. Josh Hazlewood will be given a few extra days rest after the India tour, but will likely be available for the Sixers’ final regular season game against the Melbourne Renegades and the finals. They remain unsure whether Sean Abbott will have recovered in time for the finals, by when they will have lost Tom Curran to England duty.Adelaide StrikersAlex Carey‘s return will bolster the Strikers’ middle order as they push for second place and for the first time this season they will be able to field their strongest possible batting line-up with Carey and Travis Head back in harness.Perth ScorchersAshton Turner and Ashton Agar will be back in the fold as the Scorchers look to build on their handsome victory against the Sydney Thunder. They will hope that Turner’s lean time in India does not impact his form for the final stretch of the tournament. Morne Morkel will also play the final regular season match against the Thunder – which may well be a decider for qualification – in place of Chris Jordan so he is eligible for the finals.Sydney ThunderThe Thunder did not have anyone in the one-day squad. Last season Cummins made one late-season outing for them but he will not play this year.Brisbane HeatMarnus Labuschagne is available to add to his seven T20 outings and he may well be seen as a key to stopping the sort of batting collapses – that reached new heights against the Renegades – which have left the Heat battling to reach the finals.Hobart HurricanesIt will likely be too late to save their season, but D’Arcy Short and Matthew Wade will be able to link up at last at the top of the order for the Hurricanes’ last two matches having not joined forces this season due to their respective international commitments. Short spent the three matches in India carrying the drinks after his late call-up to replace the injured Abbott.Melbourne RenegadesIt is officially all over for the Renegades after their horror run of nine defeats on the bounce ended any chance of defending their title. However, they have won their last two games – extraordinarily so against the Heat – and should have Aaron Finch and Kane Richardson back for the final two outings which could cause problems for opposition still looking to secure their finals berths.

da bet7k： Tottenham Hotspur are "moving" early doors over the potential summer signing of a foreign midfielder praised for his versatility.

Spurs already "exploring" summer transfer options

da bwin： As per reports from reliable media sources, Spurs' planning for the 2024 transfer market is already well underway despite having only just come out of January.

Related Fabrizio Romano says Tottenham figure has nearly agreed to other club move

He’s set to join another club.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Feb 7, 2024

FA registered intermediary and popular Lilywhites insider, Paul O'Keefe, has claimed that Barcelona star Raphinha is among a host of options being "explored" at Spurs for later in the year.

All confirmed Tottenham deals for January

Transfer

Radu Dragusin

Arrival (permanent)

Lucas Bergvall

Arrival (buy-to-loan-back)

Timo Werner

Arrival (loan)

Ashley Phillips

Exit (loan)

Djed Spence

Exit (loan)

Eric Dier

Exit (loan)

Ivan Perisic

Exit (loan)

Japhet Tanganga

Exit (loan)

Sergio Reguilon

Exit (loan)

Alejo Veliz

Exit (loan)

Technical director Johan Lange and Chief Football Officer Scott Munn, who oversee the club's transfer activity alongside chairman Daniel Levy and unofficial consultant Fabio Paratici, have been praised for their dealings as Spurs' new data-driven scouting system reaps rewards.

Summer signings like Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have been rip-roaring successes and appear tailor-made for Ange Postecoglou's intense, high-pressing style of play.

Tottenham's growing stature as a football club has seen them usurp Chelsea as London's richest side. They also beat European heavyweights like Bayern Munich and Barcelona to the January signings of Dragusin and Bergvall respectively, so the future is looking pretty optimistic as things stand.

Taking this into account, it will be interesting to see how they tackle the summer market, and supporters may well be thrilled that Tottenham are apparently becoming pretty organised already on that front with months to go until the window reopens.

Spurs did fail to bring in a new senior midfielder last month, though, despite the repeated links to Chelsea star Conor Gallagher among others. Sharing news of a potential alternative, Tutto Juve now claim that Postecoglou's side have their eye on Atalanta ace Teun Koopmeiners.

Tottenham "moving" early for Koopmeiners

The Dutchman, who featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is said to be on Paratici, Levy and Lange's radar. According to Tutto Juve, as translated and shared by Sport Witness, Tottenham are "moving" early for Koopmeiners with the view of potentially signing him this summer.

They aren't the only ones, however, with Premier League rivals Man United also set to compete for the £51 million man this summer alongside Serie A giants Juventus.

Koopmeiners has made 19 Serie A appearances for Atalanta this season, bagging five goals and three assists, and has been praised by former Netherlands international Ruud Kroll for his ability to feature as a playmaker.

“Koop is a great player. He has an international caliber and is the starter in the Dutch national team," said Kroll.

"I certainly see him doing well at a big club. Juve or Milan? He would certainly be invaluable to both of them. Koopmeiners can play in all positions in the middle of the pitch: both as a playmaker and as a midfielder. He is a complete footballer who would be useful for all coaches, including Allegri.”

Endrick will be sporting a dazzling pair of new Real Madrid-inspired boots on his debut in the USA after his Santiago Bernabeu presentation.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Endrick set to be presented on July 27
• Will fly to the United States for pre-season
• New Balance unveils new boots for the teenager

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 18-year-old will be unveiled to the Real Madrid faithful in a highly anticipated presentation event scheduled for July 27 at the iconic Bernabeu at noon local time. This event marks the culmination of a transfer deal with Brazilian club Palmeiras, which saw Los Blancos secure Endrick’s services for an initial fee of €35 million (£30 million/$38 million), with potential bonuses amounting to an additional €25 million (£21 million/$27 million) based on performance-related clauses.

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Following his grand unveiling, Endrick is set to join Real Madrid on their pre-season tour in the United States where he is set to make his debut for his new club in shining new Tekela ‘Rising’ edition boots by New Balance. These boots feature a majestic white and metallic gold colour scheme, symbolizing Endrick's promising future with Los Blancos.

  The design of these boots aims to enhance touch and control, boasting a lightweight Hypoknit upper with a low-laced closure to ensure a snug fit. Additionally, the nylon outsole with conical studs and TPU-angled rim studs provide excellent traction for firmer pitches, while a FuelCell insert will help with rapid acceleration.

• WHAT ENDRICK SAID

  Expressing his excitement, Endrick stated: “It is a huge honour to receive this beautiful boot with iconic colours from New Balance as I begin the next chapter of my career. It will give me immense pride to play in them as I continue to strive for success with a brand new challenge in Madrid.”

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Earlier this year, Endrick became the youngest player to score for Brazil's national team since 1994, a testament to his prodigious talent and potential. However, he struggled to make an impact in the Copa America as Brazil got knocked out by Uruguay in the quarter-finals.

The Victoria government has imposed a strict five-day lockdown due to a Covid outbreak starting on Friday night

Alex Malcolm and Daniel Brettig12-Feb-2021

Victoria and New South Wales are planning to push ahead with Monday’s Marsh Cup opener at North Sydney Oval despite difficulties in getting the Victoria side to Sydney following their state government’s decision to impose a strict five-day Covid lockdown starting at midnight on Friday.The Victorian government announced on Friday afternoon that the state would head into its third strict lockdown in 10 months following an outbreak of the new variant of Covid-19 from a quarantine hotel near Melbourne Airport.In response, the NSW government announced that any travellers arriving from Melbourne into NSW would be forced to undergo a five-day stay-at-home order in line with the Victoria lockdown.Related

Pucovski might require shoulder surgery, could miss rest of domestic season

Pat Cummins named NSW captain for the rescheduled Marsh Cup

Restructured Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup to forge ahead

The decision by the Victorian state government forced a flurry of meetings at Cricket Australia and amongst the state cricket associations as the men’s 50-over Marsh Cup and Sheffield Shield were due to recommence next week while the women’s 50-over competition, the WNCL, was already in progress with Victoria and New South Wales playing the second of back-to-back matches at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Friday.The NSW women were able to secure a flight out of Melbourne on Friday night prior to the lockdown being imposed at midnight. But Victoria’s men’s team was unable to get on an early flight to Sydney ahead of Monday’s Marsh Cup match.On Friday evening, Cricket Victoria was still working with Cricket New South Wales and the Victoria and NSW state governments on the team’s travel plan to Sydney with the aim for the match to still go ahead. The team first needs government clearance to fly to Sydney and also needs to secure enough seats on a plane as the number of flights available between the two states changed due to the Victorian government’s lockdown. There is an expectation that the Victorian team will get clearance and be able to fly to Sydney on Sunday.The game is due to be Pat Cummins’ captaincy debut for NSW after he was named as the Blues’ Marsh Cup captain for the remainder of the season.Victoria and Australia batsman Will Pucovski is set to miss the Marsh Cup and Shield match that follows as he continues to struggle with his shoulder injury.Earlier this week, Cricket Australia announced a restructured Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup fixture for the remainder of the season despite some state border concerns already existing prior to the Melbourne outbreak.Only Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Queensland were fixtured to play on resumption next week because the majority of Western Australia’s playing squad and coaching staff are stuck in mandatory 14-day home quarantine in Perth. The WA government has imposed a 14-day quarantine on travellers from states that have not been Covid-free for 28 days, meaning that the players and coaches involved with the Perth Scorchers in the BBL final in Sydney had to quarantine on return home.The WA team is due to travel to NSW for a Marsh Cup match on March 14 although the WA government’s quarantine requirements for travellers from NSW will be dropped between now and then should NSW remain Covid-free.Victoria’s women are due to head to WA for a WNCL match on March 18 while the men are due to travel to WA for a Shield match on March 23. The WA government has reinstated a hard border with Victoria meaning no travellers can enter without police clearance, and any exempt travellers with clearance would be required to do 14-days hotel quarantine.Victoria coach Chris Rogers spoke early on Friday morning prior to the announcement of Victoria’s five-day lockdown and expressed concern about whether the season could be completed in full.”We’re worried about the fact that we might not get games in,” Rogers said. “There’s probably an expectation or at least some wriggle room around the fact that we might have some games cancelled.”It’s probably up to me and the coaches to prepare players to play and what will be will be. We just have to roll with the punches as a lot of sports have done and take what comes.”You’d love for every game to go ahead but one of our last games is against Western Australia in Perth so that’s going to be touch and go. We’ll have to see how that plays out.”