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Little more than two weeks ago, David Warner was all about patience and batting for long periods of time in Asia. A pair of Test-match thrashings later, Warner and the Australians have changed their tune

Daniel Brettig in Colombo11-Aug-2016Little more than two weeks ago, David Warner was all about patience and batting for long periods of time in Asia.”You’ve got to be patient enough,” he said before the first Test against Sri Lanka. “You’ve got to rotate the strike. Your patience comes with hitting your four-balls, your boundary balls. They’re the ones you’ve got to really wait on. That’s what we’re talking about with patience in this game, especially over here. You’ve got to bite the bullet.”A pair of Test-match thrashings later, and with another bone-dry pitch in prospect at Colombo’s SSC ground, Warner and the Australians have rather changed their tune. Now Warner is all about attack, as he demonstrated in a pair of shot-a-ball cameos on the sharply turning Galle surface. Waiting for the bad ball is not longer an option. He who hesitates is lost, or at least lbw Herath.”You have to think outside the box,” Warner said. “For me to come out of my crease personally it’s something I don’t normally do but you have to do it in these conditions. If you defend, one’s got your name on it, and one’s going to straighten, which happened the other day. For me it’s about thinking on my feet, using my feet when I’m out here and hopefully putting the bowler off some of his rhythm.”You’re sitting ducks when you’re facing six balls in a row – one of them is going to have your name on it. Especially when one turns and one doesn’t turn. It’s a hard game. People don’t realise that you’re going out here day one and day two and it’s turning square, where maybe five or six years ago probably day three, day four was probably when it was turning. So it’s hard from ball one and we really have to work hard and that starts in the nets.”The nets have seen almost as much change in Australian philosophy as Warner’s rhetoric. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc charged in at their batting compatriots in Pallekele training, but now they are sent to work separately on centre wickets with Allan Donald while the batsmen face an assortment of spinners – including the part-time leggies Warner and Steven Smith trying off breaks.At the team’s main training session on Thursday, Adam Voges warmed up separately from the group due to a tight hamstring, but then trained fully with the team, including his own stint at the bowling crease. The newly arrived apprentice batsman Travis Head whirred down his own offbreaks too, before batting in the canary yellow pads he will use when the ODI series begins after the third Test.As vice-captain, Warner is aware of how this tour may influence planning for the next Asian trip, to India next year. He noted the words of captain Smith about potentially needing to choose a squad even more tailored to the prevailing conditions than this one, with a rather different batting group taken to India. Regardless of what happens at the SSC, questions will need to be asked.”That’s probably the Moneyball theory isn’t it, you pick players for certain conditions,” Warner said. “End of the day we’re all professional athletes and you have to adapt to the conditions. If you don’t adapt to them, your head’s probably on the line. For us as cricketers we have to do the best we can in these conditions and adapt as well as we can.”If the selectors don’t think we fit that area of expertise, whether or not we can play in these conditions or play at home, that’s up to them if they want to go down that path and pick the team based on that. [India] is our next subcontinent tour so I think there will be a few assessments made. I think the selectors may have to reassess a few things and whatever they think is necessary, they’ll take the appropriate action I’m pretty sure.”

Aston Villa are expected to have a busy summer, as the club have been the subject of an array of transfer speculation ahead of the summer window.

The Villans have enjoyed a phenomenal Premier League season under Unai Emery, with the success not over yet as the club is one game away from securing European football next campaign.

The arrival of the Spaniard in October has seen the Midlands side enjoy an exciting journey this year, making the future look bright for all areas of the club.

A manager with four Europa League titles will bring success on many levels, however, Villa are expected to have an advantage in the transfer window through the 51-year-old’s pull in attracting players to be part of his project.

The latest news has suggested that Emery’s first signing of the summer could be from his stomping ground, La Liga.

What’s the latest on Dani Ceballos to Aston Villa?

As reported by on Spanish publication, Real Madrid attacking midfielder Dani Ceballos could be on the path of a return to the Premier League this summer.

The report states that Villa are in “advanced negotiations” with the £53k-per-week playmaker, which could see him sway towards a move to Villa Park over Real Betis.

It’s stated that the Midlands club have an advantage due to the player having a strong relationship with Emery, whom he was managed by at Arsenal.

What could Dani Ceballos bring to Aston Villa?

It’s expected that the Spanish coach will intend to increase the depth and quality of his squad this summer to take their success to the next level.

Adding numbers for depth is one thing, but cementing the numbers with genuine quality to compete for starting spots is critical, especially if European football is set to grace Villa Park next season.

Despite only being at the club for less than a year, the 51-year-old has made his favoured line up clear, which has placed Philippe Coutinho more out of favour, as he continues to struggle to show his worth in the Midlands.

Interest in Ceballos could all but end the Brazilian’s time at Villa, with the Madrid ace performing at a higher level over the past year than the 30-year-old.

Lauded as an “animal” by Mikel Arteta during his time with the Gunners, the Spaniard excels the former-Liverpool star in a range of attributes critical to being an influential playmaker.

As per FBref, the 26-year-old averages a mammoth 11.43 progressive passes per 90, with Coutinho far behind scoring 5.48 in this area. Ceballos exceeds the quality the Brazilian has shown in the past year in terms of pass completion, averaging 90.7% to his 75.0% per 90.

With players arriving from La Liga to the Premier League comes a subtle anxiety over the differences in physical demand, however, the Madrid star exceeds Coutinho in terms of tackles per 90, averaging 2.75 to his 2.17 – as per FBref.

In a free transfer, Emery could save the club millions by securing a talent that could surpass the efforts of Coutinho, and challenge those in the current starting XI to raise performance level – something that would boost the whole squad.

Joe Root has revealed that it was a few home truths from Mark Ramprakash that helped inspire him to a career-best score in the Old Trafford Test

George Dobell28-Jul-2016Joe Root has revealed that it was a few home truths from Mark Ramprakash that helped inspire him to a career-best score in the Old Trafford Test.Describing his two dismissals at Lord’s as “almost the final straw,” Root turned to Ramprakash, the England batting coach, for advice. But rather than suggesting technical alterations or reassuring Root as to his quality, Ramprakash questioned whether he was in the frame of mind to be playing Test cricket at present.Root had looked well-set in the first innings of the first Test at Lord’s. He had added 110 for the second wicket with his captain, Alastair Cook, and moved within two of another half-century. But then he attempted an unnecessarily aggressive slow-sweep and top-edged to mid-wicket. England’s innings fell away and, with Root also succumbing to a loose pull in the second innings, Pakistan went on to win the game.It was far from the first time that Root had played a part in his own dismissal once set at Test level. Indeed, it was the 17th time in almost exactly 24 months that he had been dismissed with a score between 48 and 99 in a Test, in which time he had scored five Test centuries. And it was that failure to capitalise on his starts, that lack of ruthlessness, that persuaded him to seek advice ahead of the second Test in Manchester.It worked. Root produced his most controlled, mature innings to date to help England to a vast first innings total and, eventually, a victory that left the series level at 1-1 with two to play.”The most frustrating thing about this Test match summer so far is that the majority of my dismissals have been batsman error,” Root said. “They have been things that are my own fault rather than good pieces of bowling where I couldn’t do much about it.”I look back at a number of dismissals and think ‘that’s not good enough, I’ve got to be doing better than that’. It was almost like the final straw at Lord’s. I’d really wound myself up and I knew having been moved up the order, being 1-0 down in the series, I needed to put a really big performance in.”I worked really hard in practice and, after the Tests, spoke to Mark Ramprakash about areas I could potentially go further with my game.Root on…

Maturing
“I think I am slightly more mature and probably a bit more boring. I suppose you do grow up in this environment. The personnel changes and you come from being the kid in the side to having a little bit more responsibility. I like to think I still have a laugh with the lads but I definitely try and be a bit more senior within that environment.”
Domestic T20 in England
“The competition has been very strong this year, with some good cricket played but if there are ways for it to be improved I am open to those suggestions. If we could produce something similar to the Big Bash it would benefit T20 cricket in England. It is a fantastic tournament.
Batting at No. 3
“It just was nice to have a bit of time to think about it. When it was first mentioned I was very happy where I was and felt that it didn’t really need to change. But over the course of the summer things have developed within the team and that spot opened up and I was asked to do it. I thought this was the right time to take that added responsibility.”

“I asked him: is there anything I could be doing differently or better to offer more to the team. He said ‘it must be your mental approach to things because your game looks in good order, you’re playing well in the nets and you look pretty comfortable out there.'”One thing he said was ‘are you mentally in the right place to play Test cricket at the minute?'”I didn’t even think about that at the time. That sort of hurt me, that someone would say that to me. But it was a good motivator to get me in the right place for Old Trafford.”It was actually exactly what I needed to hear. That’s why he is such a good batting coach and why he is getting a lot out of our batters at the moment.”Part of the problem, Root believes, was adapting to playing all three formats of the game within a short space of time. While he dismisses any sense that he was tired or jaded, he does admit that adapting to the different tempos of the formats has challenged him and that, at times, he has lost his wicket in Tests to the sort of stroke that might have been more appropriate in the limited-overs formats.”The way I was approaching things was still edging towards one-day cricket a bit,” Root said. “Maybe I was expecting to score at a certain rate or play in a way that didn’t really suit the situation or the way the opposition were bowling.”It may have had something to do with switching across three forms. I don’t think it’s a fatigue thing. I was just trying to turn that mental approach from one-day cricket to Test cricket. Previously I’ve got that right but on this occasion I don’t think I did quite.”The fact that Ramps picked up on that and I was able to turn that round in quite a short space of time was really pleasing. It was nice to have push in the right direction, which is probably what you need from the coaching staff.”It is not the first time Root has used the pain of defeat to drive him to improve. He was stung by his experiences on the Ashes tour of 2013-14 when England were thrashed 5-0 and Root was, for the only time in his career, dropped from the Test team.But while he admits it was a tough experience at the time, he also feels he benefited from it. He believes it taught him not only which areas of his game he needed to improve, but how to react in adversity.Joe Root with his grandfather Don, father Matt and brother Billy at Sheffield Collegiate CC•Getty ImagesBut, most of all, it has given him a hunger to put things right. While England have a lot to think about before the next Ashes tour – not least a tour to India and the Champions Trophy next June – it is only about 15 months away and Root admits both to training with one eye on it and to dreaming of what he believes would be an “immense” victory.”At the time, that tour was difficult for me,” he said. “More than anything when I look back at that series, it was the amount of things I tried to change when it wasn’t going well.”I learnt a lot on that trip about my technique, areas I needed to learn but also what were my strengths and the basics of my game.”Now, in situations like that, I just try to strip my game down to the bare basics and really rely on what I know works consistently for me. I had the mental strength within myself to know that and not to panic and just keep working hard. So going through that experience really did help me.”At no point over the last 12 months have I really felt out of form, and since the start of the summer my game has felt in a really good place even though I wasn’t getting the big scores.”That was the lesson I learnt from that trip and I suppose it is a big driver for me to keep improving and keep looking to go big when I get the chance.”There are a few players in our squad who were on that tour and would like to get back out there and put some really strong performances in. Me and a few of the other guys are doing things now to get us ready for Australia and India and playing on different surfaces so that you don’t just turn up and say ‘I need to do this and I need to do that’ you’ve already got a base layer in your locker before you get there.”I would imagine that winning in Australia is one of the best feelings in Test cricket. It was great watching the guys do it not long ago and the stories and memories from a few of the guys who are still playing now are great to hear about.”Hearing it makes you very hungry to go and do it yourself. We’ve got a really strong squad of players who can go and do something special over there. It would be immense to be on a winning tour down there having scored a lot of runs.”Joe Root was speaking at his first club, Sheffield Collegiate CC, on behalf of Hardys Wine & their Heartbeat of the Club campaign. Find out more @HardysWineUK

Liverpool are in pole position to bring Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga to the Premier League this summer, according to reports.

What's the latest on Veiga to Anfield?

The Spaniard is an academy graduate of the La Liga outfit having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to become a regular feature of Carlos Carvalhal’s first-team, making 51 senior appearances to date.

As per WhoScored, being his side’s second top-performing offensive player and third overall with a match rating of 6.77, the 20-year-old has grabbed the attention of Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside, even though his target’s contract still has another three years remaining.

Spanish outlet AS previously reported that the Reds and top-flight rivals Manchester United have already both held talks regarding a deal for the talented prospect who is open to leaving his homeland at the end of the season, and a fresh update has now emerged in favour of FSG.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are “leading the chase” to sign Veiga ahead of the 2023/24 term. The Anfield side are the ones “pushing” to secure the midfielder’s services and have “cruised into pole position” to get the deal done as a result of being “willing” to pay his €40m (£35m) release clause. Klopp views his target as a “star in the making” and believes that he could significantly “develop” under his leadership.

Should Liverpool splash the cash on Veiga?

Liverpool will be aware that Veiga doesn’t have any experience playing in England so it could take him a bit of time to adapt, but having been hailed a “joy to watch” by performance analyst and content creator Jack Fawcett, the attacking midfielder would be a wonderful acquisition for the long-term future of the club.

The Gol International client has racked up 13 goal contributions (nine goals and four assists) in 32 La Liga appearances this season and ranks in the 98th percentile for shots having recorded 55 since the start of the term to be specific, which is the second-highest throughout the whole of his squad, via FBRef.

Finally, Veiga, praised by Fawcett for his "receiving of the ball under pressure and composure to beat a press", would bring wonderful versatility to the northwest. He can operate in six various positions, including four in the midfield, out wide on the right wing and even at centre-forward, so even though he’s a less high-profile name than some would expect the board to be targeting, he is a hidden gem waiting to be polished.

Nick Selman, the Glamorgan opener, carried his bat for a maiden Championship century, as Glamorgan battled to stay in contention against Northamptonshire at Swansea

ECB Reporters Network05-Aug-2016
ScorecardLaurie Evans pressed Northants’ advantage in the second innings•PA PhotosNick Selman, the Glamorgan opener, carried his bat for a maiden Championship century, as Glamorgan battled to stay in contention against Northamptonshire at Swansea. However, by the close, the visitors were strongly placed to push for their first Championship win of the season, as they closed with a lead of 315 with three wickets still in hand.Selman’s battling effort, which lasted 302 minutes and included 15 fours from 208 balls, meant he became the first Glamorgan batsman to carry his bat since the Australian Matthew Elliott achieved the feat against Hampshire in Cardiff in 2004.Although he received some support from the lower order, with Andrew Salter, Ruaidhri Smith and Owen Morgan all falling in the twenties, six of Glamorgan’s batsmen were dismissed in single figures as Northants’ seam attack, led by Mohammad Azharullah and Ben Sanderson, thrived in the conditions.Azharullah was their most impressive bowler with 3 for 58, as Northants’ seamers observed the virtue of bowling a full length on a pitch that does give them some assistance. However, had Selman not been dropped by Rory Kleinveldt from an easy caught and bowled chance from the first ball of the day, the damage would have been even greater.As it was, Northants secured a first-innings lead of 85, and were once again rattled by the teenaged debutant, Lukas Carey, who dismissed both openers early in the innings. Ben Duckett failed for the second time in the game when he drove loosely outside the off stump, and he was quickly followed by Rob Newton who edged to second slip. Laurie Evans remained steadfast however, and passed fifty for the second time in the game in adding 75 with David Murphy, who was eventually lbw to Carey. The 19-year-old then claimed his fourth wicket when Saif Zaib edged to the wicketkeeper, before Northants lost two wickets in successive balls to Tim van der Gugten.After striking 32 from 17 balls, Kleinveldt holed out on the extra cover boundary then Evans, who scored 73 with eight fours, was visibly annoyed with himsef when he pulled a short ball to the fielder on the square leg boundary. Graeme White and Sean Terry added some useful runs towards the end of the day as Northants closed on 230 for 7.

Aston Villa are turning their attention to the summer transfer window as the 2022/23 campaign comes to a close.

Unai Emery has taken the Villans to new heights, with one game remaining of the Spaniard’s first season that could take the Midlands club to Europe.

Not many could have predicted the success that Villa would lead this term, following the dismissal of Steven Gerrard in October, when the club were loitering towards the bottom three.

The 51-year-old Premier League manager of the year nominee, is targeting more highs in his first full season and is reportedly looking towards an active summer in the transfer window.

Reports have linked a number of La Liga names to Villa Park in the coming window, with news reported over the weekend of the potential progression regarding a Real Madrid star.

What’s the latest on Dani Ceballos to Aston Villa?

As reported by one Foot Mercato journalist, Villa are speculated to have made a “very important” offer to Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos.

The 26-year-old is out of contract in Madrid this summer, sparking rumours of his potential exit ahead of Emery’s interest.

The two were first linked in January when it was reported by Marca that the midfielder rejected a potential move.

What could Dani Ceballos bring to Aston Villa?

Ceballos has had a spell in the Premier League previously, as well as working under Emery while on loan at Arsenal.

Described by the Villa boss as a player that can do “great things”, the midfielder could have a real impact on his current side, with FBref likening him based on statistics to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.

The Utrera-born play-maker ranks in the top 1% of progressive passes in Europe’s top five leagues in his position, with a monstrous 11.73 per 90. He also ranks highly in terms of take-ons (best 2%), averaging a successful 2.36 per 90 – as per FBref.

Lauded by former boss Mikel Arteta when speaking to BBC as being an "animal" in training, the £52k-per-week ace could be a powerful weapon in Emery's plans.

While his position is comparative to Villa’s Emi Buendia, his numbers over the past year dominate the Argentine as per FBref, with the former Norwich City ace recording just 2.18 progressive passes per 90 and only 0.98 successful take-ons per 90.

The potential arrival of the Madrid man could spark competition with the midfielder in Emery’s system, adding to depth and player performance.

Villa are on the path to great success with the four-time Europa League winner’s guidance, however, the summer window will be crucial as every team in the top tier will look to strengthen.

The club have strong targets for the 2023/24 campaign, and should they seal European football on the final day, Villa Park could become a very tempting location for hot talents to progress their game.

Liverpool could be set for a transformative transfer window this summer after a troubling Premier League campaign and now a new report has emerged about the club's scouts being sent to France to watch potential targets.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Kevin Danso?

According to 90min, Liverpool scouts were in attendance for Lens' victory over Marseille last weekend to watch Kevin Danso, Seko Fofana and Lois Openda.

As per the report, the Reds are joined by Manchester United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their interest in Danso, with Liverpool keen to add defensive reinforcements this summer.

Would Kevin Danso be a good signing for Liverpool?

There is no doubt that big changes are needed at Anfield if they are going to return to the highest level both domestically and on the European stage.

Bolstering key areas of the pitch and providing Jurgen Klopp with players who can become part of the next generation of success at Anfield will surely be the highest priority for the powerbrokers at the club and the signing of Danso could be a fantastic place to start.

Indeed, the Reds acquired the services of young centre-back Ibrahima Konate in 2021, however, with Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip both well into their 30s at this point, it would be beneficial for the club to continue searching for young defenders to replace them.

Over 34 Ligue One appearances, the 6 foot 3 titan has tallied up a phenomenal haul of 14 clean sheets, all while amassing a pass completion rate of 90% and registering two assists.

From a defensive point of view, the centre-back has managed one interception, 1.1 tackles, 3.5 clearances, and won 5.5 duels won per game.

Not only that, Danso ranks in the top 20% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for shots on goal, shot-creating actions, pass completion and successful take-ons, proving that he is a huge presence and one of the hottest prospects in Europe.

The £23m-rated talent has been lavished with praise for his outstanding contributions in France this season, with Lens head coach Frank Haise claiming:

"He is a leader by nature. This role suits him wonderfully and he fulfils it with much enthusiasm. Kevin is a top professional. Every day in training, he is very serious.

"Kevin is now one of the best central defenders in Ligue 1, but also in Europe.

"He has developed into a complete defender who is not only strong in the air but also has good technique with few mistakes in his build-up play and very clean passing."

With that being said, Danso would be a great addition to the Liverpool squad this summer in their efforts to add young talent into the team and could be the perfect replacement for Van Dijk in the future.

Michael Klinger led from the front as Gloucestershire clinched a nail-biting four-wicket NatWest T20 Blast win over Somerset with one ball to spare under the Bristol floodlights.

ECB Reporters Network17-Jun-2016
ScorecardMichael Klinger was again Gloucestershire’s saviour•Clint Hughes/PA PhotosMichael Klinger led from the front as Gloucestershire clinched a nail-biting four-wicket NatWest T20 Blast win over Somerset with one ball to spare under the Bristol floodlights.The skipper hit 60 in a low-scoring contest to guide his side to 160 for six in front of a large partisan crowd. Roelof van der Merwe took three for 16 from four overs to ensure a close contest.After rain had delayed the start until 7.05pm, Somerset posted 158 for five, Chris Gayle top-scoring with 40. Benny Howell picked up two for 29, while Tom Smith and Kieran Noema-Barnett combined well in mid-innings to restrict the scoring rate.It didn’t look enough, but a see-saw contest ensued before Gareth Roderick hit the penultimate ball from Yasir Arafat for a boundary.The match began with the unusual sight of Gayle playing out a maiden from Matt Taylor. But soon the West Indian was giving an 11,000 crowd, the biggest ever for a domestic match at the ground, a taste of what they had come to see.Having taken nine balls to get off the mark, Gayle blasted 6 fours and two big sixes off Liam Norwell and Andrew Tye before skying Noema-Barnett to extra cover where Michael Klinger took an excellent catch in the seventh over.”It was a fantastic atmosphere and I want to thank all our supporters who turned out to make it such a memorable evening,” Klinger said later. “If Chris Gayle had hung around for a few more overs it might have been a different story. When he skied that ball into the lights and I got underneath it I was praying I didn’t drop it.”Thanks largely to Gayle, Somerset reached 55 by the end of the six-over powerplay. But from then on their innings lost momentum as Noema-Barnett and left-arm spinner Smith, who took a brilliant caught and bowled to dismiss the dangerous Peter Trego, stemmed the flow of boundaries.At the halfway stage the visitors were 83 for two. But Jim Allenby (27) fell to a catch at short fine leg, Mahela Jayawardene looked sadly out of touch in making 24 and Johann Myburgh quickly followed him back to the pavilion in the same Howell over.It took a late assault from Lewis Gregory (23 not out) and Roelof van der Merwe (18 not out) to get Somerset to a competitive score, which still looked below par.Gloucestershire’s reply got off to a disastrous start as Hamish Marshall pushed only half forward to the first ball and was bowled through the gate by Yasir Arafat.Klinger and Ian Cockbain took the score to 40 in the sixth over before the latter, on 23, carelessly pulled a short ball from Jamie Overton straight to Gregory at deep square.Chris Dent (22) helped Klinger add 63 before being bowled advancing to hit van der Merwe in the 13th over by which time Gloucestershire required only 56.Klinger went to his half-century off 36 balls, with 4 fours and a six, offering a reassuring presence throughout. Benny Howell fell cheaply to the excellent van der Merwe, who followed up by having Noema-Barnett caught at long-off in the same over.Somerset must have rued leaving out leg-spinner Max Waller as their quicker bowlers proved easier to hit. But they kept chipping away and finally got rid of Klinger, bowled by Gregory aiming a big hit after a change of ball.Gloucestershire required 30 off the last three overs, with four wickets in hand. Arafat and Gregory did their bit and 14 were still needed as Arafat’s first delivery of the final over was hit for a straight six by Tye.That changed everything and Gloucestershire edged home.

Chelsea haven't yet 'made their next move' as they try to tie Mason Mount down to a new contract at Stamford Bridge, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest news involving Mason Mount?

As per Football Insider, Chelsea are now growing in confidence that Mount will snub interest from Liverpool and elsewhere to sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have been 'locked' in talks with Mount over extending his stay at the club due to his current deal running out in 2024; however, have not yet been able to reach an agreement with the England international, alerting the aforementioned Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich to his potential availability.

GOAL have claimed that Mount is expected to leave Chelsea this summer and Arsenal have discussed the prospect of bringing him to North London alongside West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.

Mount, who earns £80k per week on the books at Stamford Bridge, could be set for a new challenge, with the report claiming that Chelsea could look to cash in on their homegrown product in the off-season due to their failure to qualify for the Champions League.

Speculation is very much up in the air surrounding the Portsmouth-born midfielder at the moment, something which journalist Jacobs has commented on when speaking to Football FanCast.

Jacobs told FFC: "The key thing to stress is that Chelsea hasn't made their next move yet. So what we're seeing at the moment is a window of opportunity whereby suitors pre-planning for the window are establishing the player perspective and they are trying to offer a much clearer pitch than Chelsea. Liverpool are one of those clubs, but there's a variety of Premier League suitors now, considering Mount to different degrees and each of the clubs looking away from Chelsea can, in all likelihood, offer Mount some form of European football and a more stable structure that isn't going to go up and down, depending on team and individual success. Whereas the Chelsea pitch is around trying to lower their overall base wage but offer players huge earning potential if they in the team succeed."

Will Mason Mount stay at Chelsea or leave his boyhood club this summer?

In all honesty, it's a difficult situation to predict right now, seeing as there are so many moving parts regarding what the future may hold for Mount.

Either way, he is a talented footballer and it comes as no surprise to see high-profile clubs interested in luring him away from Stamford Bridge.

In 2022/23, Mount has made 35 appearances for Chelsea encompassing all competitions, scoring three times and registering six assists, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored notes that the playmaker has also threaded through an average of 1.3 key passes per match in the Premier League this term, demonstrating his vision to split open opposition backlines.

Yes, his consistency has flickered this campaign at times; nevertheless, Mount is a tricky player to deal with when at full throttle and is expected to have plenty of suitors this summer.

The team with the worst record in the history of English Twenty20 beat the team with the best as Derbyshire upset defending NatWest Blast champions Lancashire at Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network21-May-2016
ScorecardHamish Rutherford smacked 71 off 40 balls•Getty ImagesThe team with the worst record in the history of English Twenty20 beat the team with the best as Derbyshire upset defending NatWest Blast champions Lancashire at Old Trafford.The Falcons swooped on a nine-wicket win with 32 balls to spare, chasing down 132 in this 19-over contest following an impressive bowling and fielding display, which included two wickets for overseas debutant Jimmy Neesham.Liam Livingstone and Arron Lilley were both run out going for two late in Lancashire’s modest 131 for 7 after rain delayed the start by 75 minutes.Neesham’s fellow New Zealander Hamish Rutherford then led the chase with a blistering unbeaten 71 off 40 balls with six fours and three sixes.Prior to this North Group opener, Derbyshire had only won a total of 39 matches in 13 seasons compared to Lancashire’s 84.Lancashire included former captain Tom Smith in their line-up following 13 months away from first-team action with a career threatening back injury and more recent hamstring problems. But, after two fours in his nine off eight balls, he chipped Neesham’s seamers to mid-on as the innings struggled for momentum against some excellent pace off the ball bowling.Neesham later trapped home captain Steven Croft lbw for a top-score of 31, while Livingstone was the only other batsman to pass 20 after Derbyshire elected to field first.Neesham finished with 2 for 38 from his four overs added to wickets for Shiv Thakor, Andy Carter and Alex Hughes.Although going wicketless, Preston-born leg-spinner Matt Critchley was excellent through the middle of the innings in only conceding 19 runs from his four overs. Lancashire failed to score a boundary from the fourth ball of the fifth over to the fourth ball of the 13th.Captain Wes Durston got Derbyshire’s chase off to a flyer with four fours and a six over wide long-on off Neil Wagner in the first two overs.The hosts also lost Gavin Griffiths to a finger injury after bowling just one ball – sustained whilst trying to take a sharp return catch from Rutherford’s bat at the start of the third over when he was on 1.Durston was the only wicket to fall, early in the fourth when he skied George Edwards to mid-off, but he had scored 30 out of 38 by then.Rutherford continued the assault to take his side beyond 50 in the fifth over before hoisting Edwards over long-on for six in the next. The left-hander hit two more sixes over long-on in the eighth and ninth overs, off Stephen Parry and Lilley, on the way to a 24-ball fifty.Rutherford was well supported by another of Derbyshire’s Kiwi contingent, Neil Broom, as they shared an unbroken 94 inside eleven overs for the second wicket.