With the pressure growing on Arne Slot, Xabi Alonso has reportedly made his mind up on taking the Liverpool job if it becomes available at the same time that he potentially leaves Real Madrid.

For the first time in Slot’s Liverpool career, serious questions are being asked about his tenure. Last season’s Premier League title win has provided him with plenty of credit but, as Jamie Carragher pointed out on Monday Night Football, not everyone is still convinced that he’s still the man for the job.

After eight defeats in 11 games, the Dutchman simply has to turn things around. The Reds backed him by breaking their transfer record twice in the summer and spending over £400m, but are yet to see that investment pay off.

The most concerning aspect of Liverpool’s recent run is that nothing has changed. Slot has persisted with the same system, which only provided false dawns against Real Madrid and Aston Villa.

Now, with Alonso also under pressure at Madrid, Liverpool could be presented with a tempting opportunity to make a sensational change.

Xabi Alonso makes Liverpool decision

According to Football365, Alonso is now ready to take the Liverpool job if Real Madrid decide to sack him. The Spaniard has been put under increasing pressure by reports that Vinicius Junior has decided against signing a new deal whilst the manager is in charge.

As Real Madrid are forced to decide between their star man and their new manager, it’s Liverpool who could take full advantage.

For many, the big question has centred around who would replace Slot if Liverpool decided to sack the Dutchman. In Alonso, they’d have the perfect answer.

The Reds were interested in a reunion with the Spaniard before they hired Slot and could now get what they initially wanted over a year later.

Forget Leoni: 19-year-old academy star could end Konate's Liverpool career

Liverpool’s French centre-back has been abject in Slot’s system this season.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 24, 2025

Although a lot of pieces will need to fall into place, there’s little doubt that Alonso would be welcomed with open arms at Anfield.

"I'm told" – Romano shares what Slot thinks about his own Liverpool future

Chasing 208, WI folded for 133 in 39 overs on an unusually dark pitch in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam18-Oct-2025

Rishad Hossain’s 6 for 35, which included the first five West Indies wickets in a chase of 208, paved the way for a Bangladesh win in the series opener in Dhaka. After being on 51 for 0, West Indies were dismissed for 133 in 39 overs.The visitors’ chief tormentor on an unusually dark Dhaka pitch was Rishad, who became only the second legspinner to take the first five wickets in an ODI innings. Sri Lanka’s Jeffrey Vandersay is the only other legspinner to this feat, when he took the first six wickets against India last year in Colombo.Brandon King and Alick Athanaze had started well for West Indies, putting on a half-century opening stand. King struck Taskin Ahmed for a flicked six in the third over before Athanaze slammed Tanvir Islam for three fours and a six in the fourth over, which cost Bangladesh 18 runs.Bangladesh the dried up the boundaries from the fifth over. Rishad struck in his very first over, the 12th over of the chase, when he trapped Athanaze lbw for 27 off 36 balls. Then, in his fifth over, Rishad had No.3 Keacy Carty caught at slip for nine off 30 balls. Saif Hassan took a straightforward catch at slip after dropping Carty on 3 off Islam.Rishad struck the big blow when he had King caught behind for 44 off 60 balls with a fizzing legbreak in the 22nd over. Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan took the catch on the second attempt. Sherfane Rutherford fell for a duck in the same over, also caught behind off a beautiful legbreak.Rishad completed his five-for in the 24th over when he had Roston Chase caught behind for six. He became the first legspinner from Bangladesh to take a five-wicket haul in ODIs.Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Islam then got into the act, removing Gudakesh Motie and Shai Hope. Motie was lbw to Mehidy for three, before the West Indies captain, Hope, gave Nurul his fourth catch of the innings. Romario Shepherd fell trying to force the pace against Mustafizur Rahman in the 35th over. Mustafizur proceeded to dismiss allrounder Justin Greaves for 12 off 23 balls. Rishad wrapped up the game with Jayden Seales’ wicket, with Mehidy taking the catch at slip. It was just reward for Mehidy who tasted victory for only the second time in 11 ODIs as captain.West Indies had earlier controlled Bangladesh’s run-rate for most of the first innings. The home side lost their openers Saif and Soumya Sarkar within the first three overs, before Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto added 71 runs for the third wicket.Both batters, however, remained mostly circumspect hitting three boundaries each. Shanto made 32 off 63 balls before Hridoy reached his fifty off 87 balls. Bangladesh struck just three boundaries from the 11th to the 36th over. Mehidy and Mahidul Islam also batted slowly, with the latter, making his ODI debut, finishing with 46 off 76 balls. He struck three fours before Chase bowled him in the 46th over.Rishad also contributed with the bat, his 26 off 16 balls, including two sixes and a four, helping Bangladesh pass 200. His cameo ended when Seales yorked him in the 49th over. His job wasn’t done yet. He played an even bigger role with the ball to carry Bangladesh to victory.

Spinners demolish SA for their third-lowest total in ODIs before openers secure ten-wicket win

Firdose Moonda03-Oct-2025

Linsey Smith picked up 3 for 7•ICC/Getty Images

If anyone thought England were not serious contenders for this World Cup, think again. They stormed to the top of the points table with a massive victory over a hapless South Africa, who were dismissed for their lowest score against England, second-lowest at a World Cup and third-lowest score overall.England had to chase just 70 and did in 14.1 overs. The whole match lasted 34.5 overs, not even the duration of a full T20. After one game, England’s net run rate sits at 3.773 – more than double that of Australia, who are next best – and puts them in pole position in the early standings.South Africa’s total belied conditions which neither seamed nor spun substantially as they disintegrated against a smart England attack. They appeared surprised by the early use of spin in the form of Linsey Smith and lost their three biggest batters to her. Smith, playing in her first ODI World Cup game and opening the bowling, became the only bowler to dismiss all three of Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp in the same innings.At the other end, Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver-Brunt bowled good lengths to pluck another three wickets in the first 10.1 overs. At 38 for 6 just out of the powerplay, all South Africa could hope for was to crawl to respectability and they didn’t get there. They were bowled out in 20.4 overs and only Sinalo Jafta, promoted to No. 6, got into double-figures.The rest of the batters will need to look at their movement at the crease, which was all but absent, and their shot selection. There will be questions asked over their selection. Annerie Dercksen, who scored her maiden ODI ton in Sri Lanka earlier this year, was left out as South Africa opted for all their allrounders.South Africa could not have imagined how quickly things would fall apart after Wolvaardt got proceedings underway with a square drive and Brits carved Bell through point in an opening over that cost nine runs. Smith struck second ball when Wolvaardt played across the line and popped up a leading edge to give a simple return catch. The first ball of Smith’s next over drifted in to Brits from around the wicket and snuck through the bat-pad gap to bowl her.With both openers’ dismissed, Sune Luus at No. 3 had a big job on her hands but fell to a Bell inswinger that curled in to take out off stump. Three balls later, Kapp was also done by drift as Smith got the ball to squeeze past her inside edge and on to middle stump. All of Wolvaardt, Brits, Luus and Kapp will need to work on their footwork going forward.In the mess, there were some shots that suggested South Africa still knew how to bat. Jafta drove Bell through cover point for her first boundary and Anneke Bosch nailed a cover drive – but the moments where they were on top of the England bowlers were few and very far between.Jafta should have been out on 8 when she advanced down the track in an attempt to drive Smith and missed. Amy Jones could not collect quickly enough and fluffed the stumping. That was the only blip in an otherwise flawless England performance.Sciver-Brunt brought herself on in the eighth over and had success with her first ball, Bosch walking across her stumps to be hit on the knee roll in front of middle and leg. She didn’t review what was a correct lbw decision. Sciver-Brunt also struck with the first ball of her next over. Chloe Tryon tried to flick her into the leg side but got a leading edge and was caught by Alice Capsey at mid-on.Jafta entered double figures when she guided Sophie Ecclestone to third but she didn’t have any support. Nadine de Klerk edged Ecclestone to Heather Knight at slip and Masabata Klaas played for turn against a Charlie Dean ball that held its line and was bowled. Jafta herself fell when she tried to hit Ecclestone back over her head but missed and was bowled. Dean finished things off when she beat Nonkululekho Mlaba’s slog.England’s chase was all but academic despite the best efforts of Kapp, who found her rhythm with back-of-a-length balls that beat the batters consistently. South Africa reviewed an lbw shout against Tammy Beaumont, which nipped back in but still hit her outside the line. Beaumont and Jones were patient against a disciplined South African attack and chose not to rush the result. They were 39 without loss in the powerplay but put the foot down straight after.Jones threaded Mlaba through point as soon as the fielding restrictions were lifted and then sent her back over her head and swung Klaas over mid-on in a reminder that there’s not only one “Storm Amy” in England today. She was dropped by Klaas in her follow through later in the over and then took back-to-back boundaries off the usually miserly Ayabonga Khaka to put England one hit away. They finished things off with a boundary from Beaumont.South Africa have suffered similarly at the hands of England before in a World Cup in India, but in the pre-professional era. They were bowled out for 77 in Cuttack in 2013. Charlotte Edwards, the current England coach, was opening the batting for England then, while Kapp and Tryon played for South Africa.

Ali Tareen has been critical of the PSL management over the last year

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2025The PCB has threatened to “blacklist” Multan Sultans owner Ali Tareen for his criticism of the PSL management unless he makes a public apology, the franchise has said in a statement.The ownership rights of the teams in the PSL expire in December, a decade after the league began, with the existing owners required to re-bid to keep their teams. A blacklist would prevent Tareen from doing so.Over the last year, Tareen has been critical of the PSL management for what he feels is a lack of communication or transparency, especially around the rebidding for franchise rights and the entry of two new teams from next season. ESPNcricinfo understands Multan Sultans responded to the PCB rebutting the charges against Tareen.”The PCB last month sent a legal notice to Multan Sultans, demanding that our owner Ali Tareen retracts all recent critical statements and issues a public apology to the PSL management,” the franchise said in a statement. “The notice threatens termination of our franchise agreement and a lifetime blacklist of Mr. Tareen from owning any cricket team in the future.”The statement in defence of Tareen said: “For the PCB management to treat constructive criticism as a crime is outrageous.”It demonstrates the pettiness of the current management and clearly shows that the PSL is not open to questions or accountability, even from those who have given the most to make it stronger. Silencing honest feedback is not how great leagues are built.”His commitment to Pakistani cricket is unwavering, and his only goal is to help the PSL reach the level its players and fans deserve.”ESPNcricinfo has reached out to the PCB for a comment.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is now having to deal with unsettled players as he also prepares for a vital North London derby this weekend, according to a new report.

Spurs, under the new leadership team of co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange, are bracing for a significant January transfer window where several fringe players could well depart N17.

The most high-profile of them appears inevitable for Yves Bissouma, whose spell at Spurs appears to be nearing a conclusion. The 28-year-old Mali international’s contract expires in June 2026, positioning him for a potential free transfer next year amid ongoing interest from Galatasaray after they failed to sign him in the summer.

Frank has already criticised Bissouma for his punctuality and discipline, explaining at the start of 2025/2026 that the midfielder “has been late several times and the latest time was one too many”.

The midfielder is currently absent with an ankle problem and hasn’t featured in a competitive game all season, but The Mail report Bissouma’s contract includes a one-year extension option — meaning they might not lose him for free next year after all.

In any case, they’d also only trigger it if they can’t sell him in the winter, and Bissouma isn’t the only player who could leave in under two months time.

Indeed, Richarlison’s future also hangs in the balance.

The forward’s own contract runs out in 2027, and he’s struggled for consistency not just this season, but ever since his £60 million move from Everton in 2022. Richarlison is believed to be attracting interest from his former club and Frank reportedly views the 28-year-old as ‘expendable’, meaning a January exit for the Brazil international isn’t ruled out despite Dominic Solanke’s injury woes.

On-lookers wouldn’t be at all surprised if one of the aforementioned pair left Spurs in the winter, provided they can sign a replacement for Richarlison, but a much more surprising name has now been touted for the exit door as well.

Mathys Tel keen to leave Tottenham in January and 'unhappy' in London

Just months after his £30 million permanent move from Bayern Munich, Roma have now emerged as potential January suitors for striker Mathys Tel.

Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reports the 20-year-old is unhappy in London and keen on departing Tottenham when the winter window opens, which comes as a shock given he’s basically only just arrived and performed fairly well when called upon.

Tel scored Tottenham’s equaliser against Man United last time out with an excellent finish on the turn, and opened the scoring in Spurs’ 2-1 win away to Leeds just before the October international break.

However, he was also controversially excluded from Tottenham’s 22-man Champions League squad by Frank, owing to the limited numbers they could select due to homegrown quota issues.

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has identified Tel as his primary target, viewing the youngster as someone with significant room for development who possesses the ideal profile to strengthen Roma’s attacking options.

La Gazzetta even suggests that Spurs could green-light a loan deal as opposed to an outright sale, but given both Randal Kolo Muani and Solanke’s struggles to stay fit, this would be rather unwise.

Given Frank’s limited attacking options, Roma’s apparent optimism about securing a deal may prove very premature. Tottenham need more options up top, not less, and Tel is someone who’s still raw but could pay dividends in the future as he continues to adjust to life in England.

Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann once backed Tel to become a ’40 goal a season’ striker, and while he’s still some way off that, letting him leave certainly doesn’t benefit the Lilywhites in any way.

A Zen-like Matt Renshaw has freed himself of all thoughts about opening the batting for Australia in the looming Ashes series.Renshaw says he’s oblivious to speculation of being recalled to the Test team to face England.”Obviously I want to be there, it would be remiss of me not to say that,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday. “But I try and stay away from it as much as possible.”Related

• Short, Connolly, Zampa guide Australia to series victory in Adelaide

• Australia chase series win in Adelaide, India fight to stay alive

• Who will be the spear to Usman Khawaja's shield for Australia?

• Australia's top order: What are the selectors' options?

• Ashes tracker: Weatherald makes a statement as Boland primes for Perth

Renshaw, who made 21 not out on ODI debut on Sunday, was so surprised to be summoned to Australia’s squad for the current ODI series against India, he had to Google when and where the games were scheduled.The 29-year-old is also unaware how many runs are being scored by other contenders for Australia’s much-debated opening slot. It’s a deliberate ploy to free his mind, and a far cry from the 20-year-old Renshaw who made his Test debut in 2016.”There’s been times in my career where I come off after a Shield game, and obviously all the Shield games are on at the same time, and you’re looking at the scorecard, you’re looking at different names, seeing how they went,” he said.”Now, like the first Shield game [this season], I couldn’t tell you who scored runs in other games.”Knowing that it doesn’t really matter in terms of someone else scoring runs, it doesn’t matter to how I’m going to go out and play my game.”Matthew Renshaw made a century in the first Shield game of the season•Getty Images

Being a father of a two-year-old girl and five-month-old boy was now Renshaw’s validation, rather than earning a Test recall or  judging himself on his run-scoring.”A lot of the time you try and force a few things, you see someone else gets runs, and you go: ‘I need to score runs because then I’m going to be picked for Australia, then I’m going to become a good person’,” he said.”That whole mentality when you’re young is that’s how you view yourself as a person.”Whereas now I go home and I’ve got to change nappies, I’ve got to put kids to bed, I’ve got to try and calm screaming babies down.”When you’re young, you go home, you have got nothing to do, so you’re just sitting on your phone scrolling.”I hide. I don’t have the Cricket Australia app, I don’t try and look at any news, I hide all the cricket stuff on my Instagram so I don’t see it.”Renshaw made his Test debut after just 12 first-class games, struck a century in his fourth Test, but has played only 14 Tests overall – the most recent in 2023.But a century for Queensland in the first Sheffield Shield game of the season has the left-hander in the Ashes frame. Former Australia captain and one of the selectors who first picked him for Test cricket, Greg Chappell, believes Renshaw is the man who should open in Perth.Renshaw, however, is taking notes from how fellow Queenslander and Australian opener Usman Khawaja handled his time away from Test cricket.”Once you sort of realise that it might not happen again, you talk to people,” Renshaw said.”I am really close with Uzzy, he thought his Test journey was over and look at him now. I try and talk to him about he’s going about it.”It’s just amazing, it’s almost like once you let go of that one side of playing for Australia, that’s what I need to do.”I have two kids now, they’re a huge part of my life, so it’s knowing that cricket’s not like my sole reason, it’s everything else.”If I get everything else in order, the cricket will just take care of itself.”

Losing wickets close to breaks in play has contributed significantly to India letting dominant positions slip during their tour of England

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jul-2025It will have rankled India considerably during their tour of England that they have frequently lost wickets just before or just after breaks in play. Let’s first look at the Lord’s Test as an example.In their first innings, three balls prior to lunch on day three, Rishabh Pant ran himself out. Less than two overs post the break, his batting partner KL Rahul edged a drive to slip. On the same day, they lost Nitish Kumar Reddy 3.3 overs after tea, and Ravindra Jadeja 3.2 overs after the final drinks break, with Jamie Smith pouching both chances behind the wicket. The Jadeja wicket triggered a collapse that saw them lose their last four wickets for just 11 runs.Related

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Late in the afternoon on the fourth day, in a dramatic last hour, India lost three second-innings wickets in 31 balls, sliding from 41 from 1 to 58 for 4. Three further wickets fell in 23 balls in the first hour of the final morning. Then, with four balls to go for lunch, Reddy fell just when he seemed to be building a partnership with Jadeja.There was a similar trend during the first Test defeat at Headingley. Rahul and debutant B Sai Sudharsan fell in the span of five deliveries just before lunch on the first morning. Yashasvi Jaiswal departed in the second over after tea. India would want to forget the second day, as they lost six wickets either side of lunch, collapsing from 447 for 4 to 471 all out. On the third evening, three overs before stumps, they lost Sai Sudharsan, and Shubman Gill followed in the first full over of the next morning, bowled by Brydon Carse.Nitish Kumar Reddy fell in the last over before lunch on day five at Lord’s•Getty ImagesWhile a significant number of the above dismissals were the result of England’s bowlers executing their plans, there have also been instances where India may have felt their batteres lost focus or played a casual shot either side of a break. It is a riddle head coach Gautam Gambhir and his two batting assistants – Sitanshu Kotak and Ryan ten Doeschate – have been trying to solve throughout this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which now moves Manchester with the fourth Test starting at Old Trafford on July 23.Speaking after India’s training session on Thursday in Beckenham, Kent’s second home ground, ten Doeschate agreed that losing wickets around intervals was proving to be a critical challenge. “It has,” he said. “You have got to sort of weigh up, is it more coincidence or is there a pattern of something we are doing wrong? Are we losing concentration? Are we getting too excited to get in there? Are we getting complacent in the positions we are [in]? And that’s very difficult to draw out of a player. So it is something we are mentioning.”Pant’s run-out dismissal in the first innings at Lord’s became a major talking point, with Rahul admitting that his eagerness to reach his century – he was on 97 at the start of the last over before lunch – played a role in the misjudgment. While Rahul said it was a turning point in the match, Gill, after the defeat, said it was purely an “error of judgement.”As a full house at Lord’s expressed a range of reactions to Pant’s dismissal, which was a result of England captain Ben Stokes’ awareness and supreme athletic ability, ten Doeschate was at the training nets behind the Nursery End, issuing throwdowns to India’s reserve batters. He was in disbelief.Eagerness to help KL Rahul reach his hundred before lunch contributed to Rishabh Pant’s run-out dismissal at Lord’s•Getty Images”There’s been a few times we almost feel like it can’t happen again,” ten Doeschate said. “I was throwing balls at the back at Lord’s when [Pant] got run out and was incredulous. You couldn’t believe that it happened again. But that’s also no guarantee that they are going to put on another 70, 80, 100 runs. Every ball is important, and the messaging to the players throughout has been: let’s try win every single event, which is every ball, not look too far forward, and not look too far behind us either.”The Indians were full of beans during the Beckenham session despite being 2-1 behind in the series. While Rahul was the only batter absent, the rest barring Pant, who is recovering from the finger injury he sustained at Lord’s, had a regular hit in the nets. From a distance there was nothing evident about them trying anything different.Ten Doeschate said the batters had done most things right in the three Tests and that the numbers backed this up. So there was absolutely no need for changes in plan other than minor tinkering. “The focus is to not try change too much and that might be counterintuitive when you’re 2-1 down in the series, but we feel like the guys have been excellent for large parts of the series. The repetition of losing lots of wickets in a very short space of time has obviously been the key feature of the two losses: both times in Headingley and overnight and first thing in the morning at Lord’s we feel cost us the game, losing six wickets for 40 again.”But if you look at it individually, if you look at the run tally of all the batters, they are all batting nicely. Even someone like Karun [Nair], we feel his rhythm’s good, his tempo is good, we want more runs from him at [number] three. But the message is mainly, let’s really focus on what we have done well and tidy up the little things that have cost us results, essentially.”The good thing is India know they are breaking bad, so to say, but they know what needs to be done to stop that from becoming chronic.

Whilst long throws, set pieces and teams centred around physicality are back in fashion, a lot has changed in the Premier League since 1992. It’s now the richest league in the world, featuring some of the best players and managers in world football. It is the ultimate destination. But, how much has the table changed in that time?

FootballBlog has released a full ranking of the Premier League table from its very first season in 1992 up until the beginning of the recent November international break. The table includes deductions issued by the Premier League and has tallied the wins, draws and losses by teams over the last 33 years. A total of 51 teams have featured in the top flight over the last three decades, but only 20 can make the all-time standings.

Premier League table by transfer spend per point 2025/26

The top flight would look very different.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 14, 2025 20 West Bromwich Albion: 490 points

They may be languishing outside the top six in the Championship these days, but there was a time when an away trip to face West Bromwich Albion was a day of frustration for any top side. They sit 20th thanks to the fact that they haven’t returned to the top tier since 2021, but it’s hard to forget just how impressive they were at their best – finishing as high as eighth in the 2012/13 season. And who could forget the form of Romelu Lukaku during his time at the Hawthorns?

19 Bolton Wanderers: 575 points

Ever seen a player so good they named him twice? That was Jay-Jay Okocha. The former Bolton Wanderers star formed the most unlikely partnership with Sam Allardyce during the club’s impressive 11-year stay in the Premier League. Their best finish saw them reach as high as sixth in the 2004/05 season and there still exists the famous video of Allardyce attempting his best dance moves with his star midfielder in 2003.

18 Sunderland: 637 points

Sunderland have been back to where they belong this season and are even on course for their highest-ever Premier League finish. The Black Cats have fought their way back from the depths of League One and may yet get the chance to move up the all-time Premier League table by the time that May arrives. A club built on the memories of stunning Jermain Defoe volleys and Kevin Phillips’ goalscoring heroics could now be about to form their most historic campaign yet.

17 Middlesbrough: 661 points

This time next year, we could be welcoming Middlesbrough back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017. It was then that they welcomed the likes of Alvaro Negredo, only to struggle in front of goal when it wasn’t the forward finding the back of the net. It was the third time that they suffered relegation from the Premier League in their history and everyone around Riverside will be desperate to earn redemption almost a decade later.

16 Crystal Palace: 728 points

Whilst there is a running joke that Crystal Palace always end the season sat in 13th, the all-time table has them 16th and their form over the last year suggests that they could be destined for better things. From mid-table mediocrity, the Eagles have soared to become FA Cup winners, Community Shield winners and a side competing in European football. This is without doubt one of, if not the best Crystal Palace side in the club’s history.

15 Fulham: 804 points

Like Palace, Fulham have often been accused of ending their seasons sat in mid-table, but they won’t mind that. The Cottagers have become an established Premier League side once again under Marco Silva and have caused plenty of upsets on their way. Alas, it’s their time under Roy Hodgson that stands out the most, with the veteran manager taking the West London side all the way to the Europa League final in 2010. 15 years later, no one’s forgotten the stunning comeback victory against Juventus at Craven Cottage.

14 Leeds United: 831 points

Like Sunderland, Leeds United are back where they belong in the Premier League. The Whites are full of top flight history and still have their place on the all-time table after the success that they had in the early Premier League years. Their most successful campaign remains a third-place finish under David O’Leary in 2000 to bring Champions League football to Elland Road, as Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Alan Smith all starred.

13 Leicester City: 846 points

It’s still absurd, isn’t it? Leicester City: Premier League champions. It remains the most impressive achievement in English football history, as the Foxes took the fight to the big six and somehow came out on top in the 2015/16 campaign. We’re unlikely to see a repeat anytime soon, if ever. Even after they suffered relegation last season, it’s tough to think about the Premier League without picturing Claudio Ranieri’s title winners.

12 Blackburn Rovers: 970 points

It’s been over a decade since Blackburn Rovers were relegated from the Premier League and they remain one of the biggest sides yet to earn promotion back to the top flight. From winning the title in the 1994/95 campaign, Blackburn were relegated in the 1998/99 season and then once more in 2012. History, however, will tell the story of how Sir Kenny Dalglish, with Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, took his side to glory in 95.

11 Southampton: 1,100 points

For a while, Southampton couldn’t get much wrong in the Premier League. They thrived under Mauricio Pochettino then hired Ronald Koeman to pick up where he left off. The Saints also quickly became Liverpool’s favourite club, with Sadio Mane, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Virgil van Dijk all heading to Anfield for impressive fees. Although some will be quick to remember last season’s disaster, Southampton were once one of the best ball-playing teams outside the top six.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued his torrid postseason on Sunday night as the Blue Jays fought off the Mariners to force a winner-take-all Game 7 against the Mariners. Guerrero's sixth-inning home run was his sixth of the playoffs and he carries a .462/.532/1.000 slash line into Monday night's action.

He had seemingly done it all for the Blue Jays in October when he stepped into the batters' box in the eighth inning so he had to get extremely creative to create something new. A broken-bat single on which his bat made contact with the ball three times certainly qualifies.

Here's the slow-motion replay of the oddity, which proves that when things are going well at the dish, everything seems to work.

For as rare as such an occurrence is, there is some late-October precedent. The Giants' Hunter Pence parlayed the trick into some wicked spin and a two-run single during Game 7 of the NLCS back in 2012.

What will Guerrero do for his next trick as he steps on to the biggest stage of his young career? That depends on how willing the Mariners are to pitch to him.

كشفت صحيفة موندو ديبورتيفو اليوم الخميس، عن آخر التطورات المتعلقة بمفاوضات نادي برشلونة مع الأهلي المصري لضم مهاجمه الشاب، حمزة عبد الكريم.

حمزة عبد الكريم يعتبر بين أبرز المواهب الشابة في كرة القدم المصرية خلال السنوات الأخيرة، ويبلغ المهاجم من العمر 17 عامًا فقط.

وتألق حمزة عبد الكريم في الفئات السنية بالنادي الأهلي، وقدم مستوى مميزًا مع منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العالم للناشئين تحت 17 عامًا.

وجعل مستوى عبد الكريم اسمه يرتبط بالعديد من الأندية الأوروبية الكبرى خلال الفترة الأخيرة، وعلى رأسها برشلونة، وكذلك بايرن ميونخ.

طالع.. حقيقة انتقال رافينها إلى الدوري السعودي بعد كأس العالم

وأكدت موندو، أن نادي برشلونة قد اقترب وبشدة من التوصل إلى اتفاق مع الأهلي من أجل التعاقد مع حمزة عبد الكريم خلال فترة الميركاتو الشتوي المقبل في يناير.

وأضافت أنه حال سارت المفاوضات بشكل جيد بين الأهلي وبرشلونة، فإن عبد الكريم سوف يوقع للبلوجرانا الشهر المقبل عندما يبلغ من العمر 18 عامًا.

وأوضحت أن الأهلي وبرشلونة تجمعهما علاقة جيدة حقًا، حيث استقبل النادي الإسباني وفدًا من المارد الأحمر بقيادة الرئيس محمود الخطيب ومحمد كامل، رئيس شركة ريد كاسل ورئيس مشروع الملعب الذي يأملان افتتاحه عام 2029 في مدينة برشلونة.

وأردفت أن عبد الكريم سوف يوقع للفريق الثاني لبرشلونة، وذلك في ظل غياب نجوم الفريق أوسكار جيستاو وفيكتور باربيرا، بسبب الإصابة.

ومن المرجح أن يوقع عبد الكريم ستة أشهر في صفوف برشلونة على سبيل الإعارة، قبل أن تصبح الصفقة نهائية في نهاية الموسم.