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Chelsea have arguably had a more turbulent start to 2026 than any other Premier League side. They sacked Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day and are still on the hunt for a new manager as they look to have a strong second half of the season.

It will be interesting to see how this affects the recruitment at Stamford Bridge, although it is unclear how much say the manager gets.

Reports following the Italian’s sacking suggest that the signing of Alejandro Garnacho was simply “put to Maresca for his opinion” rather than him having much input.

It certainly seems like recruitment will continue regardless of the managerial situation, and they are reportedly eyeing up a big target.

Chelsea target big-name Premier League star

Chelsea have not been afraid to splash the cash under the new owners, who seem to have the majority of power when it comes to transfers.

Their midfield, for example, is made up of £107m Enzo Fernandez and £115m Moises Caicedo.

However, the Blues might not be done there when it comes to signing expensive midfielders.

According to a report from Football Insider, they are said to be ‘closely monitoring’ Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali and have a ‘firm interest’ as they search for ‘proven Premier League midfielders.’

This might be a deal that the West Londoners are more likely to do in the summer rather than this January, but they are getting their due diligence in early. As for a price, it was revealed back in October that the midfielder could cost as much as £130m.

What Tonali could bring to Chelsea's midfield

There is no doubting the ability of former AC Milan star Tonali. He has shone in the middle of the park for the Magpies, living up to the “generational” tag he earned from journalist Carlo Garganese as far back as 2020.

Fast forward to 2025 and in the words of Newcastle journalist Joel Bland, the Italian is “one of the best midfielders in Europe”.

Indeed, this season has been another impressive campaign from the 30-cap Italian international. He’s featured 25 times in all competitions, chipping in with four assists along the way, sitting at the base of midfield and dictating play from deep.

Tonali is one half of a dominant midfield duo for the North Eastern outfit, alongside Bruno Guimamares. The pair have formed a brilliant partnership, and are “one of the best in the Premier League” according to the Brazilian.

The fact that Tonali is part of such a high-class midfield might well be music to Chelsea fans’ ears. They would no doubt hope he can form a similar partnership with their own £100m midfield stars, Fernandez and Caicedo.

The importance and talent of that existing Chelsea pairing is a massive part of the furniture in West London. It is their first-choice pivot, although perhaps Fernandez is better in a more advanced role, and has operated as a number 10 this season.

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Indeed, the 2022 World Cup winner has played 25 times this season, grabbing five goals and two assists in that time, showing his natural attacking instinct. As for Caicedo, he’s one of the best defensive midfielders around, making 23 appearances this term.

If Chelsea were to secure the signing of Tonali, he could add the quality on the ball that Chelsea need to make this midfield truly unstoppable. This season, he’s averaged 16.6 forward passes per 90 minutes and done well off the ball, with 5.5 ball recoveries each game.

Tonali key stats in 25/26 PL

Stat

Per 90 mins

Season total

Chances created

1.2

17

Long passes completed

2.6

38

Forward passes

16.6

244

Duels won

3.8

55

Ball recoveries

5.5

80

Stats from Squawka

Imagine that as a trio. The combative Caicedo sat alongside Tonali, who can help dictate play and progress things forward, with Fernandez playing higher up, operating in the final third. It really does feel like a very well-balanced midfield, with progression, a real engine and attacking threat from all three.

There is no doubt that £130m is a huge investment for the Blues. Yet, they’ve proven they are willing to spend that money, so they could complete one of the most expensive midfields in the world by signing Tonali, which can surely only be a good thing for Fernandez and Caicedo.

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Manchester City are now reportedly positioning themselves to sign a £100m star ahead of Manchester United after already beating them to Antoine Semenyo.

Man City closing in on Semenyo

The Citizens are set to make quite the statement by welcoming Semenyo in the January transfer window. Recent reports have claimed that their £65m deal to sign the Bournemouth winger could be wrapped up within 48 hours as he prepares to bid farewell to the Cherries against Chelsea this evening.

Given the interest of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and others, Semenyo’s arrival represents how quickly Man City have returned to the top of the pecking order following a mixed summer transfer window. Those at the Etihad, as ever, are set to splash the cash with great conviction.

The 25-year-old will be the final piece to Pep Guardiola’s frontline as he sets his sights on leapfrogging Arsenal in the race to win another Premier League title.

As things stand, his side are just two points behind the Gunners, who crucially square off against an Aston Villa side this evening that beat them just a few weeks ago.

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City, meanwhile, will travel to an impressive Sunderland side on New Year’s Day and Guardiola has been full of praise for his side in the build-up – telling reporters: “It is not easy but compete in a way we do. We have to improve, absolutely, but this mindset is better.”

The Citizens have rediscovered their ruthless streak on and off the pitch and they’re not stopping after Semenyo. According to TeamTalk, Man City are now positioning themselves to sign Elliot Anderson ahead of rivals Manchester United next summer.

Man City positioning themselves to sign Anderson

The Manchester club are reportedly confident of beating United to the midfielder’s signature next summer, but it won’t come cheap. Recent rumours have suggested that Anderson could cost them as much as £100m amid what has been an excellent individual season for the England international.

It’s easy to see why Man City have set their sights on Anderson. Guardiola has always progressed with Premier League trends and the current trend of added physicality is set to force the Spaniard away from the usual elegance of his midfield and towards the engine of the Forest star.

PL stats 25/26

Elliot Anderson

Bernardo Silva

Minutes

1,620

1,232

Tackles Won

33

8

Progressive Carries

24

26

Ball Recoveries

152

64

The numbers tell the story. Bernardo Silva, as much as his icon status is well secured at the Etihad, has struggled to make his mark in the current state of the Premier League. Anderson, meanwhile, has thrived.

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The Forest star has earned deserved praise as a result, with England boss Thomas Tuchel telling reporters earlier this season: “Anderson is a key player for us at the moment. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League – that’s why he is with us and starting for us.

“He deserves it because he has been nothing but impressive. He has to keep on going now though. He is a very complete and mobile midfielder, and that’s what he keeps showing me.”

	JP Duminy has cemented a place in South Africa’s ODI side and will spend another winter with the high performance squad © Getty Images

The latest intake for South Africa’s High Performance Programme (HPP) includes a number of players with international experience as the selectors continue to assess the depth of talent available. The 23-man squad will attend the high performance centre in May and June before an Emerging Players tournament in Australia during July.JP Duminy, Johan Botha and Robin Peterson – who are in the current Test squad touring Bangladesh – will spend their off season with the HPP while ODI members Albie Morkel and Justin Ontong are also included. After the recent quota row that hit selection for the Bangladesh tour, coloured players are strongly represented.A number of players have been rewarded for impressive domestic seasons including quick bowlers Dillon du Preez and Lonwabo Tsotsobe and batsman Henry Davids. Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who turned his back on a Kolpak deal with Warwickshire, makes his first step towards a possible international career.Joubert Strydom, the convenor of selectors, said more players could be included on a short-term basis depending on their commitments with the national side.”We are extremely happy that these are the players we have earmarked as the next wave of players that should take South African cricket forward,” Strydom said. “Some of them have played for the country at the highest level already; hence, they have been identified to undergo the high performance training in order to ensure their wonderful talents are developed to the full.”Unfortunately, the busy schedule of the South African squad has ruled out some of the younger players currently playing for the Proteas. However, ad hoc invitations could be extended to other individuals where the camp’s content might warrant skill specific development.”Alongside the HPP there will also be a specialist spin camp, in Port Elizabeth, as Cricket South Africa tries to bolster one of the weakest areas of the game which will be led by the national spinners co-ordinator and selector, Shafiek Abrahams. At this camp wicketkeepers will also be invited as will a wider range of talented spinners outside the performance squad.”The HPP is designed to help the South Africa aspirants to take the step to become significant Test, ODI and Pro20 players. The HPP works closely with the franchises as we are all part of CSA integrated pipeline working together to help these players reach their full potential,” Vince Van der Bijl, the high performance general manager, said.Gerald Majola, the CEO of CSA, said South Africa’s recent successes show the value of the HPP: “A number of last year’s graduates from the HPP have made the jump from domestic professional cricket most successfully into international cricket,” he said. “The franchises are to be congratulated on helping to widen the pool from which the Proteas are selected by providing most capable replacements for established players who have retired or lost form.”The HPP has also made it possible to develop more variety into the South African set-up, and this was graphically illustrated in the recent successes against Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies. We face a challenging season, touring India, England and Australia. The HPP squad and the programme itself will be there to provide meaningful backup in our bid to be the very best”.Squad Ahmed Amla, Gulam Bodi, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Henry Davids, Dillon du Preez, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Matthew Harris, Imraan Khan, Rory Kleinveldt, Heino Kuhn, Ethy Mbhalati, Albie Morkel, Justin Ontong, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Andrew Puttick, Blake Snijman, Thandi Tshabalala, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vaughn van Jaarsveld.

Gloucestershire are still hoping Umar Gul will join them for part of this season © Getty Images

Gloucestershire are hopeful Umar Gul, the Pakistan fast bowler, will be available for some part of the coming season despite the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB’s) refusal to release him. Gul and Mohammad Asif have been instructed by the PCB to refrain from accepting any contracts owing to their fitness problems.Speaking to BBC Sport, Tom Richardson, Gloucestershire’s chief executive, said the club was very keen on Gul. “This is disappointing news. We’ve been trying over the last few days to secure Umar Gul’s release. We’re still hopeful we’ll be able to get him over here for a period of time this summer. That said we are, of course, looking at alternatives.”Gloucestershire, in the expectation that Pakistan would be in the Super Eights stage of the World Cup, signed Ashley Noffke, the Queensland fast bowler and recent recipient of the Ian Healy Trophy, as cover for the early part of the summer.Gul isn’t the only bowler likely to miss out as the PCB crack down on the multitude of fitness problems their fast bowlers have faced in the last year: Mohammad Asif, who was due to begin a second season at Leicestershire this season has also been asked to not play.Zakir Khan, director of cricket operations of the board, told : “The bowlers have faced fitness problems and it hit the performance of the team. For the moment, we have told them not to accept any contracts.”The board is in the process of finalising a comprehensive international and domestic programme after the World Cup. We want all our pacers fit and available,” Zakir said.Younis Khan and Danish Kaneria are also due to represent Yorkshire and Essex respectively but no decision has been made as to whether they will be allowed to honour their contracts or not.A number of Pakistan players, after returning from the West Indies, have been involved in the ongoing Pentangular Cup and Pakistan’s next international assignment is a proposed three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka has been planned for May. If that does not materialise then they have a clear international schedule until September.

Stephen Fleming: ‘They’ve been playing a level of cricket which makes you hard because Australia push you to the limit’ © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, expects South Africa to offer a stiff challenge despite their recent 3-0 defeat against Australia. The New Zealand squad has arrived in Johannesburg ahead of a three-Test tour and Fleming is ready for a tough battle.”South Africa will still be very tough, you don’t come here expecting anything less,” Fleming told reporters. “They’ve been playing a level of cricket which makes you hard because Australia push you to the limit. South Africa had some good performances in isolation, but they needed a bit more.”The form of Makhaya Ntini, who took 19 wickets in the Australian series – including 10 at Johannesburg – is of particular interest to Fleming. New Zealand are arriving with a top-order that is still trying to prove itself at Test level and they will be put through their paces by Ntini.Fleming said: “The nature of their defeats [to Australia] was more interesting than the actual results, South Africa were by no means out of it. Makhaya Ntini bowled very well, it’s pretty clear that he’s in good form.”However, New Zealand are not without firepower of their own with a fully fit Shane Bond in the squad to lead the attack. He will be supported by Chris Martin, Kyle Mills and James Franklin, while Daniel Vettori will provide the spin option. The Kiwis have also spent extra time preparing their batting line-up for the autumnal conditions they are expected to face.The Tests are being played extremely late in the South African season, with the final match not starting until May 5. Light will also be a factor, and the South African cricket board has brought forward the start times of the Centurion Park and Wanderers Tests to 9.30am.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said the team has been chosen with the conditions in mind. “New Zealand playing conditions are often green seamers so there are not too many guys volunteering to bat up top. So the top-order batting has been a problem going back a long time to John Wright and Bruce Edgar.”But that’s why we’ve chosen two specialist openers and a specialist number three for this tour, guys who want the job in Michael Papps, Jamie How and Peter Fulton.”New Zealand begin their tour with a three-day match against a Rest of South Africa team on April 7 at Benoni.Rest of South Africa Neil McKenzie (capt), Stephen Cook, Alviro Peterson, Davey Jacobs, JP Duminy, Justin Ontong, Thami Tsolekile (wk), Rory Kleinveld, Robin Peterson, Garnett Kruger, Monde Zondeki, Vaughn van Jaarsveld

Daniel Vettori can do nothing wrong at the moment and had another great day at Wellington© Getty Images

Such is the purple patch that Daniel Vettori is enjoying this summer, it’s hard to believe that he went three years without a five-wicket bag. Last season Vettori was unable to capitalise when tailor-made opportunities such as the infamous Hamilton crater against South Africa or the wearing day-five Lord’s wicket presented themselves.In conditions perfectly suited to swing bowling, today it was again Vettori who troubled Australia the most from the moment his left-arm spin was introduced in the 15th over. Nathan Astle’s wicket-to-wicket medium pacers seemed the logical choice after a wayward start, from James Franklin in particular, but, as he has done all season, Vettori produced the magic.Justin Langer’s wicket followed a spell of seven overs packed with pressure and he conceded only 11. Matthew Hayden, who went to lunch with 23, was all at sea against Vettori. Pushing, prodding and thrusting the pad, Hayden’s defensive survival was a far cry from his impregnable aura earlier in the millennium.Vettori bowled unchanged for 23 overs at a cost of 52 runs while also picking up the prized scalp of Ricky Ponting for 9, made off 30 balls. Looking to increase the tempo, Ponting was beautifully deceived by Vettori as he swung across the line and was struck in front before his lunch had settled. At 100 for 2, Vettori had ensured New Zealand did not botch ideal conditions for bowling.After back-to-back five-wicket bags in Hobart and Perth in 2001, it was not until the second innings at Dhaka in October last year that Vettori repeated the feat. In his next four Tests against Bangladesh and Australia (3), he claimed five-fors in three matches and a four-wicket return in the other.During the drought after Perth, the consistent message from the New Zealand camp was that Vettori was bowling without luck rather than bowling badly. When the wickets almost dried up last season criticism of Vettori’s form intensified. Twelve months on, Vettori’s mere presence at the bowling crease brings caution from the cricket’s best batting line-up.Today Vettori claimed his 50th wicket against Australia in his 12th match and now has 51 at an average of 30.27, placing him just shy of John Bracewell’s average of 26.42 for his 38 wickets with his offspinners in 11 trans-Tasman Tests. Significantly, Vettori has operated without the support of the sort of attack Bracewell did, most notably a certain Sir Richard Hadlee.Cricket scripts ordinarily have pace bowlers breaking through early and spinners coming into their own with the older ball. Today Vettori laid the foundation from which Franklin and Astle constructed a frame of optimism. It may have been effective rather than pretty, but it was still a start to the day New Zealand will reflect on with a degree of satisfaction.

All Today’s Yesterdays – September 21 down the yearsSeptember 20 | September 221963
In Swetes Village, Antigua, one of the great fast bowlers was born. Curtly Ambrose came into one of the finest teams in cricket history and left one of the most desperate, but throughout his 12 years at the top level he set the highest standards. With unrelenting accuracy allied to considerable seam movement and at times chilling hostility, Ambrose was the ultimate quick bowler, combining the mechanical virtues of a McGrath with the irresistible force of a Gillespie. He was the author of some of Test cricket’s most devastating spells: 8 for 45 to break England’s will at Bridgetown in 1990; 7 for 1 in 32 balls in the series decider at Perth in 1992-93; and most memorably of all, when the Wisden Almanack said he came “rampaging in as if on springs,” 6 for 24 as England were routed for 46 in Trinidad in 1994, stumps flying everywhere as a frenzied, cacophonous crowd bayed for English blood. In the summer of 2000 he became the fourth man to take 400 Test wickets before leaving Test cricket to a guard of honour and a standing ovation at The Oval.1902
The birth of cricket’s first real box-office allrounder, the West Indian Learie ‘Connie’ Constantine. A virile, muscular hitter, a bowler who in his prime was capable of fearsome pace, and a wonderfully elastic fielder – perhaps the greatest cover point in the history of the game – Constantine, the only man to clear the lime tree at Canterbury, was the prototype for the likes of Sobers and Botham. His Test record was modest – he averaged 19.24 with the bat and 30.10 with the ball – but, as is often the case with true entertainers, statistics do not tell half the story. He was idolised in Nelson, who he guided to an unprecedented eight Lancashire League titles in 10 years. But Constantine was more than just a mesmerizing cricketer: he wrote books; he was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple; he became an MP; he returned to England as High Commissioner for Trinidad and was awarded the MBE, knighted in 1962 and created a Life Peer before dying in Hampstead in 1971; posthumously he was awarded the Trinity Cross, his country’s highest honour.1959
He only played 11 Tests but Richard Ellison, who was born today, was the key man the last time England regained the Ashes, in 1985. Ellison took 10 for 104 at Edgbaston – memorably castling Allan Border in a spell of 4 for 1 late on the fourth evening – and 7 for 81 at The Oval as England clinched a 3-1 win with consecutive innings victories. With his military-medium pace and gentle late swing Ellison seemed to be the ultimate horse for an English course, but he would only play one more Test on home soil. His Test career was over at 26, just two months after he had become one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the year and just nine after he had been England’s Ashes darling.1971
When John Crawley, who was born today, charmed the cricketing cognoscenti with a magnificent 109 to inflict on the touring 1993 Australians their only first-class defeat, he was just 21 and looked set for great things, but his Test career fell by the wayside. There were times when Crawley seemed to have cracked it – a brace of mature 70s in Australia in 1994-95, hundreds in consecutive Tests in 1996 and a thumping unbeaten 156 in Murali’s match at The Oval in 1998 – but a penchant for playing almost exclusively to leg left him exposed in the corridor, a weakness ruthlessly and predictably exploited by the likes of Ambrose and McGrath. He returned to the side in 2002 and made a century against India at Lord’s, and did not fare too badly on the winter tour of Australia, averaging 40 in three Tests.1893
Despite Steve Waugh’s best efforts there has still only been one Ashes whitewash in history, in 1920-21, and one of the key components of that triumph was born today. An aggressive right-hander, Clarence `Nip’ Pellew made successive hundreds in that series: 116 in Melbourne and 104 in Adelaide, both times batting at No. 7. He made 319 runs in the five Tests at 53.16 but a poor tour of England the following summer – he made only one fifty in seven innings despite Australia’s enduring omnipotence – meant he had played his last Test in Australia. Another failure in South Africa in 1921-22 was the last act of his 10-Test career.1996
Muttiah Muralitharan ended with match figures of 7 for 134 as Sri Lanka wrapped up a 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe with a comprehensive ten-wicket win in the second Test at the SSC in Colombo.1997
Pakistan flayed their way to a consolation five-wicket victory over India in the fifth one-day international in the Sahara Cup in Toronto, but the Indians still claimed the series 4-1. It was a good day for Ijaz Ahmed, who smashed a brutal 42-ball 60; less so for Indian seamer Abey Kuruvilla, who bore the brunt of Ijaz and Shahid Afridi’s new ball assault – they put on 109 for the first wicket in 11 overs – and conceded 80 from 9.5 wicketless overs.Other birthdays
1971 Adam Huckle (Zimbabwe)
1979 Chris Gayle (West Indies)

The first day of Bangladesh’s New Zealand education, part of a longer learning process for the newcomers to the class of Test nations, was conducted at Victoria Park, Wanganui today in the fashion of show and tell.Bangladesh, consigned to the field throughout the day as New Zealand District Association XI won the toss and batted, showed themselves eager learners who watched the home team closely and surmised.The tourists claimed only three wickets in more than 100 overs and the New Zealand District Association XI, batting at a measured pace, reached stumps at 232/3 thanks to Harley James who, after taking guard in a pool of blood, batted stoicly to make 117 and captain Peter McGlashan who was 59 not out at stumps.James came to the wicket after a handful of overs to take the place of opener Grant Robinson who had left the field shocked and bloodied after being struck in the face from a top edge while trying to hook. The District Association XI was then only six – Robinson had made one from 22 balls – and James found himself taking guard with his feet astride a deep pool of Robinson’s blood.Robinson was rushed to Wanganui Hospital for a preliminary examination which revealed a broken eye socket among other peripheral damage and was then transferred to Palmerston North Hospital, 60km away, for urgent surgery.James is a big man and of phlegmatic country stock. He was not one to let such unsettling events distract him. He set about an inning which for its duration and value became the cornerstone of the home team’s impressive first day effort.He shared partnerships with opener Peter Ingram which carried the District Association XI through lunch without loss and to 77 before the fall of Ingram who batted 151 minutes for 31. The central pillar of the innings was the partnership throughout the afternoon of James and McGlashan, his captain, who put on 127 for the third wicket in 180 minutes.James batted from 11.05am – on Robinson’s unfortunate departure – to a few minutes after five o’clock. He raised his half century in 110 minutes from 94 balls and his century in four hours and 25 minutes, from 281 balls.His total innings lasted 10 minutes more than three hours and he hit nine fours and a six. Nor was this James’ first experience of success against a touring team. He has already to his credit a half century for Canterbury against Zimbabwe and he admits, modestly as countryfolk do, that he has learned the craft of playing long innings.”I’ve had a couple of knocks against Zimbabwe and I got 50 in each game. I seem to pick my game up a bit against touring sides,” he said.”I walked out there today and there was a big pile of blood right where I was standing. Not a good way to go in but we had to just dig in at that stage and see off the new ball and after a bit of time in the middle the runs came.”Obviously we would have liked a few more runs but they had a few good spells of bowling at times and made us work hard for the runs. We had to just wait till something came up.”That’s pretty much the way I bat. A lot of people who know me will say I’m pretty happy doing that sort of thing and spending a bit of time about it so it suited me.”James is a big man, tall and broad whose size and posture speaks attack but he curbed any attacking notion today, respected the bowling and accumulated runs with caution and patience. He became a study for the Bangladesh players who found the conditions at Victoria Park – lush and verdant – almost the polar opposite to those they are used to at home.There was humidity, a legacy of warm showers that swept Wanganui in the early morning, but while the New Zealanders complained of the heat, the tourists politely discussed the cold.Bangladesh hoped to learn by example and they watched the manner in which the New Zealand District Association players accumulated runs on a slow pitch which demanded watchfulness. They learned, according to their coach Trevor Chappell, of the importance of patience, of playing to a plan.At the same time, James studied the Bangladeshis and spoke admiringly of a bowling attack which included a left and right-arm new ball combination, an orthodox left-armer on whom much of the bowling responsibility fell, a leg-spinner and a right-arm off spinner.”They had a couple of pretty handy new ball bowlers,” he said. “I was quite impressed with the left-armer (Enamul Haque) who bowled pretty well throughout the day. Every time they came back he was pretty demanding.”They were hard to get away, putting the ball on the spot all the time. They’ve got plenty of guys there who can get the arm over and mix it up and keep you guessing.”They fielded really well all day. They were keen and enthusiastic all day and they made it fun to be out there.”Chappell presides over this early stage of his team’s cricketing education and said today was a new and valuable learning experience.”I guess the pace of the wicket was pretty similar to what we’re used to,” he said. “It was pretty slow and there was a bit of moisture around in the ground from a fair bit of rain in recent times.”There was a bit of movement in the wicket early in the day but we didn’t make the batsmen play enough at that stage. The bowling wasn’t too great but it wasn’t that bad either. We didn’t bowl a lot of rubbish and we stuck pretty well to the plan of keeping the ball up and making the batsmen play but we didn’t look like taking a lot of wickets.”I was reasonably happy with the way the bowlers stuck at it but we can perform a lot better than that, I’m sure.”We want to try to get used to these conditions as soon as possible. That was the first day and we need to keep improving every day from now.”Left armer Haque bowled 28 of the day’s 100 overs and finished with the wicket of James, lbw, at a cost of 56 runs. Leg spinner Mohammad Ashraful, who bowls an enquiring line and length, took two for 49.

Gloucestershire comprehensively defeated Warwickshire in their home-opener Sunday. The holders won by five wickets, with over 20 overs to spare in front of a depleted crowd – football team Bristol City were at Wembley.Gloucester won the toss, and breaking with their conventions, chose to field. It was clear there would be some help for the bowlers, on a crisp, bright spring morning. Pinch-hitter Neil Smith cracked Mike Smith to the point fence from the first over. Mike won the duel of the Smith’s later in the over, as he had the Warwickshire batsman well caught by Jack Russell. What followed was a steady trickle of wickets. James Averis clean bowled David Hemp, with Dominic Ostler well caught by Russell: standing up to the medium pace of Cawdron.The vital wicket came with the score tottering on 36-3. Nick Knight, who had looked scratchy all morning, was trapped leg before by Mark Alleyne. Cawdron got rid of Dougie Brown, thanks to a juggling mid-on catch from Averis, then followed it up, as he shattered Mohammed Sheikh’s stumps. Averis and Russell combined to dismiss Ashley Giles and Keith Piper first ball. Trevor Penney,who had provided some resistance, fell for 25, Russell’s fifth catch. Averis bowled Allan Donald with a magnificent slower ball, to finish with figures of 4-8 from his 7.4 overs. Cawdron had chipped in with 3-30, with Gloucester’s second string attack destroying Warwickshire for 94.Still, all was not over. Allan Donald looked fiery, and had able apprentices: Giddins, Brown, Giles and Smith all England internationals. Hancock was caught at point, and Giddins picked up his second wicket, bowling an out-of-sorts Kim Barnett. Windows and Alleyne fell cheaply, andWarwickshire still had a glimmer of hope.The bowling was just too patchy though. Gloucestershire got 33 runs, over a third of their total, from sloppy extras. Dominic Hewson had a torrid time at the hands of Donald, but stayed firm. At the other end, Chris Taylor, batting in his first innings for Gloucestershire looked classy. He scored heavily in second XI and local league cricket last year, but could this prepare him for Donald? Yes, apparently, as he drove the paceman down the ground for the shot of the day. Hewson sealed what turned into a convincing victory with a glorious cover drive. As for those who travelled to Wembley, Bristol City lost 2-1. They probably wish they’d have come to the Countyground.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed that Real Madrid and Manchester City are the favourites to sign Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: City’s striker pursuit

Over the past year, City have been linked with numerous high-profile attackers, with many rumours exacerbated by the lack of an out-and-out striker fielded in many of Pep Guardiola’s starting XIs.

One of their main targets has been Harry Kane, who was desperate to make the move to the Sky Blues last August. However, the Citizens had a sensational £125m bid rejected, ending their pursuit of him in the summer transfer window.

Ex-Fiorentina marksman Dusan Vlahovic was another prospect linked with City due to his incredible form in Italy, with 20 league goals already this season. However, the Serbia international instead opted to join Serie A giants Juventus, sealing a £66.6m move in January.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-latest-news-2/” title=”Man City latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Man City in the frame for Haaland

In early January, Ornstein revealed that City’s latest ‘top target for summer is Erling Haaland’, and he has now reported that Real Madrid and Manchester City are the favourites to sign the Norwegian in the summer.

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, the reporter claimed: “Contenders to sign Erling Haaland expect to learn his decision in next few weeks. Believed to be Real Madrid or Man City. #RMFC want Mbappe this year & Haaland next but may need to move now as #MCFC ready to do it (though won’t wait long)”

In the corresponding report for The Athletic, it is claimed that the destination will come down to the 21-year-old’s personal choice. Despite talks with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, it is thought that it is a straight contest between Real Madrid and Man City for the Norwegian.

The Verdict: City would be unstoppable

Haaland has already secured his status as one of the best strikers in world football. At just 21 years of age, the Norway international should still have more than a decade remaining at the top level, so signing the player could solve the purchasing club’s attacking issues for many years to come.

Having ranked in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals, non-penalty expected goals, non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists (via FB Ref), it is safe to say that he is one of the best goalscorers around.

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With a well-documented £62m release clause which becomes active in the summer, this could well and truly be one of Guardiola’s greatest deals – if the Premier League champions can get it over the line.

With the number of chances that City create, the goalscoring figures that Haaland may produce (129 career goals at club level well before his 22nd birthday) could be phenomenal, and could well make the current English league leaders an unstoppable force.

In other news: Journalist shares big transfer update on this Man City-linked beast