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A collection of the most questionable summer deals completed by sides in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1

GettyTiemoue Bakayoko – Monaco to Chelsea

Chelsea spent as much on the French midfielder as they brought in from the sale of Nemanja Matic to Manchester United, but they can consider themselves to be down overall on that particular £40 million transfer front. While one proven performer headed for the exits, the man drafted in from Monaco as a natural successor has struggled to get to grips with life in the Premier League.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRenato Sanches – Bayern Munich to Swansea City

Winner of the prestigious Golden Boy award in 2016 after helping Portugal to European Championship glory, the 20-year-old midfielder has suffered a rather humbling fall from grace. A high-profile move to Bayern Munich failed to deliver the expected results, while a forgettable loan stint at Swansea has further dulled a once glittering reputation and rocked seemingly fragile confidence.

Getty ImagesGylfi Sigurdsson – Swansea City to Everton

The Iceland international has, like those around him at Everton, improved over recent weeks, but there is still much work to be done if he is to justify a hefty price tag. The Toffees paid Swansea £40 million for the 28-year-old playmaker but have just four goals and one managerial change to show for that investment, with a summer of big-spending having delivered little reward.

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Ousmane Dembele – Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona

Once identified as the man to fill the boots of Neymar at Barcelona, the France international set about forcing through a switch to Camp Nou. A 20-year-old with just two seasons of senior football under his belt was considered to be worth €105 million, but an untimely injury after just 51 minutes of La Liga action means the youngster still has everything to prove if he is to avoid becoming one of the most expensive flops of all time.

The star forward got a goal and an assist as Luis Enrique's side picked up another win ahead of their Champions League meeting with AC Milan

Kylian Mbappe ran the show for Paris Saint-Germain as they picked up a comfortable 3-0 win against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Saturday. The France star was constantly involved and gave PSG an early lead with a perfectly executed penalty to end a goal drought that lasted four games.

The attacker could not be tamed by the visitors' defence and went on to create his side's second goal with some nice trickery before smashing it into a dangerous area where Carlos Soler was able to divert it in.

Strasbourg appeared to have had enough of the 24-year-old early in the second half as the challenges grew a bit more severe, resulting in fears of an injury ahead of PSG's midweek Champions League match against AC Milan. Their rough tackles did little to slow Mbappe down, however, as he continued to pop up everywhere and look to create something for the dominant hosts.

It was Fabian Ruiz who rounded off the scoring, though, as Soler snatched the ball and squared to the Spain midfielder to make space and knock it past Matz Sels.

GOAL rates PSG's players from Parc des Princes…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10):

Didn't have a save to make until the 76th minute and it was a simple header straight at him.

Danilo Pereira (7/10):

A bit clumsy, but his passing was safe and sound.

Marquinhos (6/10):

Had a lame clearance in the second half and was slow to close down, but his passing was good.

Lucas Hernandez (5/10):

Left a lot of space behind him and didn't look good defensively.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Carlos Soler (8/10):

Dodgy marking in the box at set-pieces but useful on the ball and was perfectly placed to nudge in the second goal. Unselfish and smart to pass to Ruiz to round off the scoring.

Fabian Ruiz (7/10):

Made some nice, comfortable passes but not involved as much as his fellow midfielders until he freed himself up well to score the third.

Vitinha (6/10):

Helped PSG keep pressure on the Strasbourg midfield and defence well, good in possession.

GettyAttack

Lee Kang-in (5/10):

Did not have an easy time getting on the ball as most of PSG's attacks came down the other side. Gifted a great chance to cause a threat after a bad clearance but wasted it.

Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

Perfect penalty gave PSG the lead and had some lovely quick combinations with Barcola. A nice trick got him free for the second and he smashed it to right in to the centre for Soler to net.

Bradley Barcola (6/10):

Weaved his way through the Strasbourg defenders to get inside a few times but lacked the end product.

Goncalo Ramos (5/10):

Tried to find the space and dropped back a lot and even made some tackles, but was never a threat.

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GettySubs & Manager

Ousmane Dembele (6/10):

A lovely piece of skill left two Strasbourg players dazzled but was unable to create something.

Randal Kolo Muani (5/10):

Replaced a timid Ramos and did nothing useful.

Nordi Mukiele (6/10):

Replaced Hernandez with just under 20 minutes to go and sent in an inviting cross that was cleared.

Layvin Kurzawa (N/A):

Came on late for his first appearance of the season.

Cher Ndour (N/A):

On for the last eight minutes.

Luis Enrique (7/10):

Was able to rest some key players ahead of the Milan match but set his team up well. They dominated, kept their opponents quiet despite some promising counter-attacks and looked comfortable the whole time.

Mikel Arteta will reportedly contest the FA's decision to charge him for his "embarrassing" VAR comments after Newcastle defeat.

Article continues below

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Arteta called VAR decisions "embarrassing" and "disgrace"FA charged him under Rule E3.1Spaniard to contest FA chargesWHAT HAPPENED?

After Arsenal's loss to Newcastle, courtesy of a controversial Anthony Gordon winner following three video checks, Arteta criticized VAR decisions meted out by Stuart Attwell and Andy Madley, calling them "embarrassing" and a "disgrace" to the sport. The Gunners manager was subsequently charged with a breach of FA rule E3.1 as his comments allegedly "constitute misconduct" and "are insulting towards match officials and/or detrimental to the game and/or bring the game into disrepute."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Arteta has until Friday to respond to the charges and according to the manager will not back down and contest the charges. The club stood firmly behind their manager and even released a statement to that effect with Declan Rice also coming out in supportof his coach.

DID YOU KNOW?

The FA emphasizes stricter rules on manager-referee interactions Arsenal reportedly feel they have been singled out. Roberto De Zerbi escaped the red eye of the FA after commenting that he dislikes “80 per cent of England’s referees” after Brighton were held to a draw by Sheffield United. Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino also escaped punishment after he angrily confronted referee Anthony Taylor on the Stamford Bridge pitch after the thrilling 4-4 draw with Manchester City.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Arteta could face a potential touchline ban and a fine if proven guilty. However, he can still be present in the dugout on Saturday against Brentford if the ban is not announced before the match.

Imran Tahir and Dale Steyn ensured South Africa were not embarrassed by Netherlands and stayed in contention for the semi-finals of the World T20

The Report by Firdose Moonda27-Mar-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:51

Cullinan: SA thinktank not doing convincing job

They did it at Lord’s in the opening match of the World T20 five years ago. Then, Netherlands stunned England to announce the Associate threat in the shortest format. They did not look anywhere close to do doing it three days ago, when they were skittled out for the lowest total in T20 internationals, and Sri Lanka highlighted the gulf between cricket’s haves and have-nots in the most brutal way. But Netherlands almost did it again today.Netherlands were on course to cull another giant after they restricted South Africa to under 150 and got the asking rate down to less than five runs an over in the chase, but then imploded at the end. They did almost everything right: they took an early wicket, put the squeeze on South Africa with a selection of slower balls and got their own chase off to a flying start. South Africa had not lost to an Associate in their history and Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir held their nerve to ensure that did not change.The Dutch crumbled from 80 for 1 to 139 all out – losing 9 for 59 – and handed South Africa the two points they needed to stay in contention for the semi-finals. With two defeats, Netherlands only have a slim chance of advancing but are taking their own victories from this tournament. In this match, the biggest one was Ahsan Malik’s performance. The Rotterdam-born seamer recorded the best figures by an Associate bowler against a Full Member – 5 for 19.Smart Stats

Ahsan Malik’s career-best 5 for 19 is the first instance of a bowler from an Associate team taking a five wicket-haul against a Test team in T20 internationals. Including Malik’s, there have only been three instances of a bowler from an Associate team taking five-wicket hauls in T20Is.

Malik’s five-for is only the fourth in World T20s; Umar Gul, Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga are the other bowlers to take five-wicket hauls in the World T20. Click here for a list of bowlers with five-fors in T20Is.

Imran Tahir’s figures of 4 for 21 are his best in T20 internationals, beating the 3 for 26 he took against Sri Lanka in South Africa’s first game of this tournament. Tahir has taken 15 T20I wickets at 9.40 and has an economy of 5.64 in 2013-14, and is the second-highest T20I wicket-taker this season. Malik leads the list with 18 wickets at 11.05.

Stephan Myburgh’s 51 was his third T20I fifty and also his third of this World T20. This was only the third fifty-plus score by a batsman from the Associate teams against the top T20I teams. Myburgh has scored 169 runs in this World T20 at an average of 33.80 and a strike rate of 185.71.

Hashim Amla’s 22-ball 43 is his fastest innings in T20 internationals and the fourth time he has been dismissed in the 40s. Amla is yet to score a fifty in 24 T20Is for South Africa.

Malik did not make the first incision – that honour went to Michael Swart, who had Quinton de Kock caught at square in the first over – but he made a telling one. After Hashim Amla had made a statement to those who questioned his ability to accelerate and took 22 off Swart’s second over, Malik offered him some width and Amla was caught behind. The nick was faint, so much so that Amla, a walker, did not move at first, but it was there and it dented South Africa’s positive start.Amla had almost single-handedly taken South Africa to 43 in the fifth over, a sign that net run-rate was on their minds. Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers were in less of a hurry but were gifted low full-tosses by Logan van Beek and Pieter Seelaar to keep them going. They posted 39 for the third wicket before du Plessis tried to flick Tom Cooper over deep midwicket but found the fielder.That was the first of South Africa’s careless dismissals, which suggested they were taking their opposition too lightly. De Villiers picked out deep cover; Albie Morkel, who was promoted to No.5 to give him more time in the middle gave deep mid-wicket a catch; and JP Duminy was caught down the leg side. Those four batsmen fell in the space of 45 deliveries in which South Africa did not manage a single boundary.Van Beek, Malik, Mudassar Bukhari and Timm van der Gugetn took pace off the ball and the Dutch ground fielding gave South Africa as little as they could. Before South Africa knew it, Dale Steyn was batting and their innings was in danger of not lasting the full 20 overs.David Miller barely had any opportunity to show off his finishing skills and was bowled as he played around a full delivery from Malik. Despite losing seven wickets for 51 South Africa were not bowled out and, according to Tahir, thought their total was enough at the break.They would have revised that opinion by the end of the third over. Stephan Myburgh, from Pretoria, started as he did in the Dutch chase against Ireland, with aggression and intent. South Africa opened with Albie Morkel instead of JP Duminy for the first time in the tournament and Mybugh took a boundary off him. They had the relative rookie Beuran Hendricks on at the other end and Swart helped himself to a four off him too but it was when Lonwabo Tsotsobe was introduced that Netherlands tucked in.Myburgh gorged himself with 18 runs off Tsotsobe’s first, a slap over point, a clip to long leg, a swing over fine-leg and a swat over mid-off to get the Dutch run-rate up to 10 an over after three. Steyn pulled it back but Tsotsobe took more punishment. His second over cost 15 runs.Netherlands almost completed the perfect powerplay until Swart, who had mostly been a spectator, tried to clear mid-off but a diving du Plessis gave Steyn his first wicket of the game. Still, the Dutch were 63 for 1 when the fielding restrictions were lifted and well on target.They were cautious against Tahir at first but took on JP Duminy and it cost Myburgh. After taking 12 runs off the first four balls of Duminy’s first over, no other risks had to be taken against him but Myburgh went down the track and inside-edged onto his stumps.That wicket proved the game-changer and sparked the Dutch collapse. Wesley Barresi was out lbw sweeping Tahir, although replays showed the ball was missing leg-stump, and Peter Borren went the same way. His dismissal was correctly judged.By the time the captain was dismissed, Netherlands were 96 for 4 and still had Tom Cooper in the middle. His brother Ben went attempting to evade a Steyn bouncer but it was when Tom was bowled trying to pull a quicker Tahir delivery that the chase folded. Although the Dutch needed less than a run a ball, their tail was in and the pressure was too much.Pieter Seelaar was caught at long-on in the same over and van Beek run-out. Although Bukhari survived Steyn he gave it away off Tsotsobe and was caught at long -on which left van der Gugten and Malik, nursing a niggle, to score 12 runs off 14 balls.Van der Gugten was dropped off the first of those, by Steyn at midwicket, but the mistake did not cost South Africa. The last pair scored five between them before van der Gugten was caught behind to leave Borren wondering what was worse: to be rolled as they were against Sri Lanka or to have come so close, only to fall so far.

Denesh Ramdin has called for his team-mates to be less wasteful of their starts in Test cricket, after West Indies went down to New Zealand by 53 runs in Barbados, resulting in a 2-1 series defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2014Denesh Ramdin has called for his team-mates to be less wasteful of their starts in Test cricket, after West Indies went down to New Zealand by 53 runs in Barbados, resulting in a 2-1 series defeat. The West Indies batsmen, Ramdin said, should learn to be satisfied only after they got “big hundreds” to their names.”In the first innings, all our top six-seven batters got starts and nobody went on to make that big hundred. It is all in the mindset, the way we apply ourselves,” Ramdin said. “If we are content with 50 or 60, we need to be bigger men and come out and fight and show what we are made of. We need to carry on from those 50s and 60s and only be satisfied with big hundreds – 160, 150 – to put the team in a commanding position.”Test cricket is a lot of hard work and if you go out there and work hard you get the rewards for it. Hopefully this can be a stepping stone for some of the guys who did well. All the guys who didn’t, it should be a wake-up call for them to do well in the future.”Ramdin singled out some of the younger players for praise, and said if the seniors could support them, it would spell more success for the team. “There were a lot of challenges along the way and a lot of positives as well. Young [Jermaine] Blackwood, Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, those guys coming in and getting runs for themselves… Hopefully they can go from strength to strength and the senior guys can pull their weight a bit more. That will augur well for the team.”Holder, on his debut Test, batting at No. 7, played out two hours on the final day in Barbados – seeing off a shot-ball barrage and attacking when it made sense – as West Indies battled to save the game. He scored his maiden Test fifty, before being bowled by offspinner Mark Craig after the ball hit a crack. Expectedly, he was disappointed not to see the team to safety. “My goal was just to take the team to the end, whether it was a win or a draw. I thought I played really well, but unfortunately got out at the last stage,” Holder said. “After coming in, the situation of the game, I knew there was a lot of work to be done.”Needed to build a partnership to start and to wear down the New Zealand bowlers as much as possible, frustrate them as much as possible. I came in with [the last recognised batsman] Darren Bravo there and we tried to build a partnership, unfortunately Darren got out.”Holder had also scored 38 in the first innings, and claimed match figures of 2 for 50 in 20 overs. Overall, he said, the Test gave him confidence that he could perform at the highest level. “I bring back that belief that I can score runs at this level. For me it was about making the adjustment from limited-overs cricket to Test cricket. I need to leave a lot more balls outside off stump, know where my off stump is, whereas, in the one day game, you tend to like to feel the ball on the bat.”Bowling wise, it’s about being patient, building pressure. On these flat wickets you can get wickets after building pressure. It’s just my first game, looking to improve from hereon. It’s a good start for me, but it’s about being consistent.”

The Report by George Binoy13-Dec-20142:51

MacGill: Vijay’s wicket was the turning point

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A gladiatorial battle between bat and ball took place on the final day at Adelaide Oval, where a Test that had begun in sorrow a week after the death of Phillip Hughes was given a dazzling finish that highlighted the greatness of this game. India’s champion was Virat Kohli, a debutant captain with his sight fixed on a formidable target while all but one of his team-mates failed to show similar steel. For Australia, it was the spindly Nathan Lyon, suffering unsympathetic umpiring to single-handedly drag his team back into the contest, making up for the bluntness of his faster colleagues. The Test was decided when Kohli pulled Lyon and was caught at deep midwicket, leaving Australia with 60 to defend and three wickets to take. They won by 48 runs.Having dismissed only two batsmen while conceding 205 runs in the first two sessions, and left with only 158 to protect in at least 37 overs after tea, Australia claimed the last eight Indian wickets for 73. Lyon took six of them to finish the Test with career-best match figures of 12 for 286, preventing India from stealing a match they had been behind in for four days. Kohli graciously acknowledged as much after the game, but had left nothing in reserve while trying to pull off what would have been the seventh highest successful chase in Test cricket. He become the second batsman – after Greg Chappell – to make two hundreds in a Test on captaincy debut.The cricket, however, was affected by poor umpiring. While there were some sharp decisions made over the first four days, the standards slipped drastically on the fifth, but perhaps unwittingly facilitated such an extraordinary contest. Ian Gould adjudged Shikhar Dhawan caught behind for 9, though the Mitchell Johnson bouncer had deflected off the batsman’s shoulder. Marais Erasmus was Lyon’s bane, failing to give Vijay lbw when he did not offer a shot on 24 and 64, and Kohli on 85. Erasmus then deemed Ajinkya Rahane caught at short leg, though Lyon’s offbreak had bounced off the top of the front pad. The sight of Lyon imploring theatrically, often on his knees, was a recurring one.How did it come to such a finish? Clarke had declared before play began, setting India a target of 364 and giving his bowlers 98 overs to take ten wickets. Johnson and Lyon reduced India to 2 for 57, but the visitors recovered to 105 without further damage at lunch. Kohli and Vijay then batted through the entire second session and scored 100 runs, and Australia’s wicketless plight was exacerbated by the loss of Clarke to a hamstring injury that forced him off the field for the rest of the day, and perhaps the rest of the series. Brad Haddin took over the leadership. So while the day had begun with an Australian win the most likely result, followed by a draw, and then an Indian victory, the final session started with that order reversed.Lyon was put under pressure immediately after tea. His first four overs cost 25 runs as Vijay punctuated the steady drip-drip of ones and twos with a charge-and-smash over the long-on boundary and an artistic flick from outside off stump into the gap at deep midwicket. The second shot took Vijay to 99, and Lyon, despite so many decisions going against him, had the grace to applaud the skill exhibited. In the next over, from Ryan Harris, Kohli pushed towards mid-off and sprinted the single to bring up his second hundred of the Test, from 135 balls. His celebrations were not angry this time.By the time Lyon had Vijay on strike again, the batsman had played six nervous balls on 99. Lyon bowled an offbreak – the sort he had been delivering all day for scant reward – that pitched in the rough outside off and spat sharply back at the right-hander. Vijay went deep into his crease, right in front of his stumps, and missed the flick. Erasmus was finally convinced and an lbw appeal was upheld for the first time in the match. India’s second-wicket partnership was broken on 185 scored at 3.71 to the over; they were 122 from victory and had seven wickets in hand. Five balls later, Rahane was sawn off. There was no increment in the total.Kohli now faced an entirely different reality, one driven home by Rohit Sharma’s struggles to cope with the conditions. It firmed his aggression. Kohli caressed Harris through extra cover, whipped Lyon through mid-on, and steered and pulled Johnson for consecutive boundaries, bringing India within less than 100 runs of victory. He also passed his previous best Test score of 119.Lyon would not be cowed. He delivered a craftily flighted offbreak that dipped as Rohit lunged outside off stump to defend. It spun sharply, smacked the glove and lobbed towards the alert David Warner at leg slip. India still needed 85; Australia were a wicket away from the tail.Having watched Kohli slap Lyon against the turn to the cover boundary, Wriddhiman Saha also attacked the offspinner, following a six over long-off with a sweep to the square-leg boundary. Lyon was undeterred and continued to toss it up, and a ball later Saha was beaten on the charge and bowled.The game had now decisively swung in Australia’s favour. Only Kohli remained. He had swept Lyon authoritatively all day – not conventional sweeps but hard, flat-batted ones – and he did so again to keep India’s hope flickering. Lyon’s next ball was short – it was one of his worse deliveries – and Kohli went back to pull. The aim was to reduce the 60 runs required by four or six, but he dragged the shot towards Mitchell Marsh at deep midwicket. Marsh ran in, sank to his knees, and smiled in relief after taking the catch. Kohli stood for an age in his crease, crestfallen over his bat, as the Australians rejoiced at the match-winning wicket. They knew surviving 16.2 overs was a task beyond India’s tail.Kohli walked off to a rousing ovation. Not long after, the Adelaide Oval crowd rose again after India’s last wicket had fallen to applaud Lyon and his team-mates as they left the field. The Test had been given a memorable finish, but Kohli’s feat on the fifth day had disguised the mismatch it had been over the first four. India’s bowlers had managed to take only 12 wickets. Lyon had matched that on his own.

Marlon Samuels has been ruled out of the New Zealand limited-overs series with the recurrence of a chronic wrist injury. The injury, on his right wrist, will require surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2013Marlon Samuels, the West Indies allrounder, has been ruled out of the New Zealand limited-overs series with the recurrence of a chronic wrist injury. The injury, on his right wrist, will require surgery.West Indies’ physiotherapist CJ Clark confirmed that Samuels is returning home. “It will require surgery management and he returns home to seek that surgical opinion and advice from the WICB medical panel, headed by Dr Akshai Mansingh,” Clark said.Coach Ottis Gibson said Samuels absence will be hard to cope with for an already-struggling team. “Marlon’s injury is unfortunate at such a tough time for the team,” Gibson said. “But it gives another player the opportunity to make a name for themselves in this series.”West Indies are already without two of their biggest names, with Chris Gayle’s hamstring and Kieron Pollard’s knee keeping them out of the series. Dwayne Bravo, the ODI captain, said it would be difficult without the trio.”Chris Gayle, Samuels and Pollard are three of our better players, we can’t hide that,” Bravo said. “We’re definitely going to miss them, because they are three world-class players and despite the talent we have, I don’t think any of us can actually fit those shoes. For me as a captain, I’m going to miss their ability as well as their experience, but it’s a good opportunity for other players, they get an opportunity now to make a name for themselves and try to stamp their authority. They’re definitely going to be missed, but I’m not going to use it as an excuse if we don’t play well. If we play to our true potential, we’re going to do well.”Wicketkeeper-batsman Chadwick Walton will remain in New Zealand following the Tests as Samuels’ replacement. Walton has played two Tests and two ODIs, but is yet to score a run in one-day cricket.Gibson said he was confident, though, that Walton would make use of opportunities that came his way. “Chaddy has been on tour with us from the start, including the tour of India, without getting an opportunity. He has been working hard and growing as a player, and I feel confident that when his opportunity comes he will make the most of it.”Samuels had been in patchy form in the three Tests, which West Indies lost 0-2, scoring one half-century but not touching 25 in the other five innings. His bowling action had been called into question during the series, and though he was cleared to bowl his part-time offspin by the ICC following biomechanical analysis, he was banned from bowling his quicker delivery – his elbow was found to flex beyond the permissible 15 degrees when he bowled that ball.West Indies play five ODIs against New Zealand, starting in Auckland on Boxing Day, followed by two Twenty20s.

Memphis Depay was a player who promised so much but delivered so little following his arrival at Manchester United in 2015, but more than three years on since the transfer blunder it appears Ed Woodward is plotting a move for another rising star from PSV Eindhoven. 

The Dutch Eredivisie is notorious for its unpredictability: players who thrive in Holland seldom emulate their form after moving to the Premier League – although there are notable exceptions to the rule in the shape of Luis Suarez, Robin Van Persie and Dirk Kuyt.

After finishing the 2014/15 campaign with an exceptional return of 22 goals and five assists from 30 Eredivisie appearances, United parted with £25 million to secure Memphis Depay’s signature in 2015.

His electric form in Holland convinced the vast majority of United supporters and football pundits to tip him for a glowing career at Old Trafford, but reality fell hopelessly short of the expectation which preceded his debut campaign.

But, despite Depay’s slump at United, which eventually resulted in a £21.7 million switch to Lyon just 18 months after he signed for the club, Woodward is interested in signing the next big thing to emerge at PSV, according to a recent report from De Telegraaf.

The report claims that United had scouts in attendance on Sunday afternoon to watch Steven Bergwijn in action against FC Emmen – a game in which the 21-year-old provided the assist for Angelino to put PSV 2-0 up with little under 20 minutes remaining.

Bergwijn’s assist took his assist tally to eight for the season from 17 fixtures, and combined with the nine league goals he’s scored this season it’s easy to understand why United are expressing an interest.

But, despite Bergwijn’s statistical credentials, Woodward must use the mistakes from his often shambolic transfer history to shape United’s policy moving forward.

With that said, a potential bid for Bergwijn should be abandoned until he has proven himself in one of Europe’s top leagues, as Depay’s inability to transfer his electric form in the Eredivisie to the Premier League proves how difficult it can be to make the gargantuan step up to a club of United’s international standing.

United’s disjointed and frankly incompetent approach to the transfer market in recent years suggests something has to change if they want to join Manchester City and Liverpool in the title race next season, but signing Bergwijn would merely represent a continuation of the flawed recruitment system which has seen United regress since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Manchester United fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Jesse Ryder has left Wellington to join Otago for the upcoming New Zealand domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2013New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has left the Wellington Firebirds to join the Otago Volts for the upcoming domestic season. Peter Clinton, chief executive of Cricket Wellington, confirmed that Ryder had been granted his transfer request.”We wanted him to stay in Wellington, as he’s a world class player,” Clinton said. ”But we respect his decision. He has decided he wants to move away and try it with Otago next season. We wish him all the best.”Ryder, who was assaulted outside a bar in Christchurch on March 27, had been put into a medically induced coma after suffering a fractured skull and collapsed lung. He has been going about his rehabilitation since and, despite his injuries, Clinton insisted that Ryder’s absence would be a big blow to Wellington.”On his day, he’s devastating as a batsman. He’s got a lot of pulling power in terms of the way he plays the game and cult hero status. So he’s a big loss to the team and we’ll perhaps lose a bit of interest around the spectator base as well. But we’re confident that this team is still very strong, even without Jesse in it.”Clinton said that Ryder might have made the move because he wanted a “change of scene”, and insisted that he had every chance of making it back into the New Zealand squad. “He’s obviously still very keen and committed to play for New Zealand, and I certainly hope he gets there. He thinks his best chance is to give himself a new start this season.”Ryder started his first-class career with Central Districts but then moved to Wellington in 2004 during the tenure of the then coach Vaughn Johnson – with whom he will be reunited in Dunedin.Ross Dykes, chief executive of Otago Cricket welcomed Ryder into the fold and was confident of providing all the help he needs for his recovery from the assault. “Well I think one of his prime motivations is to get back in the New Zealand side and we’ll support that one hundred per cent.””We’ve got a structure in place that hopefully looks after all our players and he’ll fit nicely into that. I think it would be foolish to try and do anything special. I don’t think its necessary.” he said.

The Maharashtra Cricket Association staff has been working under severe financial constraints this season, some of them having to accept a 20% pay cut, and that after a four-month pre-season period without any salaries

Amol Karhadkar13-Jan-2014While the Maharashtra team is being lionised, and rightly so, for dethroning Mumbai and reaching its first Ranji Trophy semi-final in 17 years, spare a thought for the support staff. They have been working under severe financial constraints this season, some of them having to accept a 20% pay cut, and that after a four-month pre-season period without any salaries.The scenario, a fallout of the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s financially crippling dispute with the Sahara Group over its new stadium, has left some of the 25 staff members disgruntled and testing their loyalty. The MCA, for its part, has sought to explain its position to the staff through a series of meetings and has made statements assuring a speedy resolution of the problem.The players have also had to make a few sacrifices. For their match against Mumbai they stayed not at a posh Mumbai hotel but at the budget Sea Green South, where they coped with leaking basins, crammed rooms and lack of a restaurant to beat the defending champions.That’s nothing, though, compared to what the support staff – including coaches, trainers, physiotherapists, video analysts and managers of the various teams – have faced. Their problems began in the middle of 2013, when they were not paid from April to July. Before the start of the season, MCA president Ajay Shirke called a meeting of the support staff of all its teams, from the Under-14 level to the Ranji side. “I explained the situation to all the experts, about the state of finances, and requested them to cooperate with us and not let it affect the cricket,” Shirke told ESPNcricinfo. “I am extremely thankful to them that all of us agreed to do our bit.”The contracts were then renegotiated for the period from August 1 – but there was more cause for alarm. The MCA’s administrative committee worked out a formula through which the remuneration of some of the support staff members who were “overpaid”, along with a few MCA staffers, was slashed by up to 20%. Those earning less than Rs 20,000 a month didn’t suffer financially, while those paid between Rs 20,000-50,000 saw a 10% pay cut. Those earning more took a 20% cut.”We didn’t want those who aren’t paid substantially to suffer, so those at the top of the ladder agreed to a pay cut and it helped us immensely since there was cash crunch,” Shirke, a former BCCI treasurer, said.While this helped the MCA cut down on the administrative expenses, it created a few disgruntled voices. “Obviously the MCA has tried to not let the cut impact our families much but when you look at the kind of rewards that are paid to our counterparts in other associations, you feel a little hard done by. Hopefully, as the president has said, it’s a temporary situation and things will improve soon,” one staff member said on the condition of anonymity.”We understand the problem the MCA is in,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t honour an annual agreement and not pay us for four months since they didn’t plan any activities during that time.”In response, Shirke said the MCA would try and make up for that. “We just couldn’t afford to pay them then. We have explained to them our situation and have also assured that the moment our financial troubles are over, our priority will be to make up for the financial hit that is borne by all the personnel in MCA.”Despite state associations being paid in excess of Rs 20 crores (approx. $3.2 million) annually by the BCCI, the primary cause of MCA’s financial crisis has been the dispute – currently the subject of litigation in Bombay High Court – between the MCA and Sahara Group. The stadium in Pune cost approximately Rs 300 crores ($48 million) and was supposed to be offset by Sahara’s 10-year title rights agreement, worth Rs 215 crores ($35 million). That fee would have helped the MCA pay off loans taken to complete the project but the inflow of funds from Sahara stopped after November 2011 – leaving an alleged outstanding payment of Rs 115 crores.The MCA then had to utilise its entire savings to pay off the loans and, since it had already used about Rs 50 crore from its coffers for the stadium construction, the current account started facing immense pressure.”At the moment, the amount that is not received is staggering and thus, the bank interest that is piling up is also huge,” Shirke said. “We have to prioritise payments starting with creditors, bank loan, taxes, statutory dues and then the administrative dues. We have managed to get the outstanding principal from Rs 700 million down to Rs 400 million this year and as soon as our financial conundrum is resolved, we will reward the commitment of all our support staff who has stood besides the association through a tough period.”