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The Asia Cup final featured a display of high-intensity, wicket-seeking new-ball bowling from India, with spot-on execution to boot

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Sep-20232:02

‘An embarrassment’ – Maharoof’s assessment of Sri Lanka’s batting

Fifth ball of his second over, Mohammed Siraj is flying down the field. He is racing from the pitch, in white hot pursuit of one of the handful of shots a Sri Lanka batter middled. Dhananjaya de Silva has only check-driven a fullish ball on the stumps, without much of a backlift, so there’s limited power in the shot. In normal circumstances, this would be stopped by the fielder at mid-on, and this would have yielded one run at most.These are not normal circumstances. There is no mid-on.Instead there are four slips, one leg gully, just the single fielder on the legside, and an India pace duo who look as if they are loading up and sending down 50,000 volts with every ball.It took Jasprit Bumrah just three wickedly moving deliveries to get rid of Kusal Perera•Associated PressThey have already short-circuited Sri Lanka’s top order. Second ball of the match, Jasprit Bumrah had a fullish ball outside off nip away from Kusal Perera, then follows it up with another ball that jags away, only fuller, so this time Perera edges to the wicketkeeper. It’s classic, wicket-seeking new-ball bowling, but the execution is perfect.It keeps being perfect. In the first three overs Bumrah appears the greater threat, that whippy action, and his fullish length, wild in the channel outside off. But it’s Siraj’s next over that defines the match – maybe the tournament. He bowls spectacular late outswingers, and with a subtle change in seam position, sends the occasional delivery on with the arm towards the stumps. He is relentless with his line, length, and intensity.The four-wicket over features:

• A batter pushing at a full ball, but not accounting for the swing, sending the ball in the air to point (Pathum Nissanka).
• A batter being nailed in front of middle stump two balls later, as he looks for outswing but gets the straighter one (Sadeera Samarawickrama).
• Another batter pushing at a full ball and sending the ball aerially to point (Charith Asalanka).
• A batter nicking an outswinger in the channel after following it with his hands (Dhananjaya de Silva).

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• 'Don't think it's a worry' – Rohit expects Iyer to be fit for World Cup

• Red-hot Siraj scorches Sri Lanka in lopsided Asia Cup final

• Siraj: 'Plan was to keep it simple, and I kept getting wickets'

• Four in six, ball by ball – Siraj scythes through Sri Lanka

It is in the middle of this opposition-shattering sequence that Siraj runs around in his follow through, like a V8 drifting around a corner, and tears after de Silva’s checked-drive. Ishan Kishan, who had just taken a catch at point previous ball, is running after it too. But Siraj does not ease off even slightly. He races it all the way to the boundary.This was the 11th ball Siraj had bowled. He’d taken three wickets already and the rest had been dots. The score at 8 for 4, the damage to Sri Lanka’s innings was already probably irreparable. But Siraj sped after this one loose ball like he resented their even getting to double figures.In the slips, Virat Kohli is cackling, partly in derision, partly because of the absurdity of what is, and has been, happening. The India quicks are currently not laughing. They are too consumed by their intensity.Many overs later, with Siraj into his sixth straight over, Kusal Mendis aims a booming drive at yet another big outswinger, and clean misses. Siraj gets close to Mendis, and shoots him a glare. Next ball, he gets a similar ball to hold its line. This thwacks Mendis’ middle stump out of place.Kusal Mendis became Mohammed Siraj’s sixth victim, the second to be bowled•Associated PressSiraj has six wickets for seven runs now. Sri Lanka are 33 for 7, any hopes of some sort of resurgence dead. “I was destined to get this today,” Siraj said after they had decked the opposition for 50. “I didn’t get much swing in the earlier matches, but today I did. I wanted to make the batters play.”That Sri Lanka played at too many balls, were hesitant with their footwork, failed to bat with sufficient patience against bowling of this quality – all this is true. In general, they played like a side whose batteries had been drained from the effort of qualifying.India, who had had to play on four of the seven previous evenings, even winning against two separate oppositions across three nights, on wildly different surfaces, were the opposite. Siraj and Bumrah came supercharged.

The intent machine Mohammad Haris and the extraordinary Rashid Khan also find a place in the XI

Danyal Rasool and Umar Farooq19-Mar-2023

Mohammad Rizwan (wk)

Rizwan will go down as a PSL legend, and it’s because of seasons like these. Not only did he retain his incredible consistency – he was the highest run-getter of the tournament – he also demonstrated he can continue to add layers to his batting. Often criticised for his strike rate, it was up to 142.85 this year from under 127 the previous year. His magnum opus was an unbeaten 64-ball 110 against Karachi Kings. He flew from 50 to 100 in 18 balls, and was the only player to score a hundred this PSL at a ground other than Rawalpindi. He was, expectedly, flawless behind the stumps, all while leading Multan Sultans to their third straight final, and ending up agonisingly close to another title.

Saim Ayub

Not quite the find of the PSL, since he’d already been lighting up the domestic circuit, but the effortless step up was still a sight to behold. Having struggled with Quetta Gladiators as a teenager in 2021, Ayub’s reinvention as an aggressive top-order ball-striker was instrumental to Peshawar Zalmi’s successful season. A 37-ball 53 was a statement of intent, but he hit the heights during the Rawalpindi leg, taking full advantage of the shorter boundaries and flat pitches. Three successive fifties ignited Zalmi’s campaign, propelling them through to the play-offs and earning him a maiden call-up to Pakistan’s T20I side.

Mohammad Haris

This isn’t Pollard’s finest T20 season by any means, but then again, he sets high standards. Deployed mainly as a lower-order bludgeon, the West Indian produced several useful cameos. They might not have grabbed headlines, but they won games. An unbeaten 6-ball 15 and another undefeated 21-ball 32 gave Sultans crucial wins early on, while a 25-ball 52 in Rawalpindi helped them chase down 243 with relative ease. He saved his best for the first Eliminator, though, his 34-ball 57 coming in a remarkable counterattack that blew the Lahore Qalandars away. It included smashing Shaheen Afridi for 20, his most expensive PSL over, and he even chipped in with three wickets through the campaign.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Azam Khan

What he lacked in consistency he made up for in pure, exhilarating power hitting. Playing with an Islamabad United side that’s best set up to maximise his ability, the free license he had in the middle order was used to devastating effect. It was all evident in two blistering innings: his 42-ball 97 against Gladiators was probably the innings of the tournament, pulverising an attack that comprised Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain at the death. He followed it up shortly after with an unbeaten 72 in 41 balls that helped chase down 201 against Kings, earning himself a call-up to the national T20 side.

Imad Wasim

Kings’ captain endured seven losses out of ten matches after taking over from Babar Azam. Though Kings finished fifth, Imad’s all-round performance helped him earn a recall to the Pakistan side for the T20I series against Afghanistan.

Rashid Khan

Rashid’s economy rate of under seven stood out in a campaign where he also ended as the third-highest wicket-taker. Only Zalmi took him for 40-plus runs this season. He played a crucial role with Qalandars winning seven out of ten group games.

Shaheen Shah Afridi (capt)

Shaheen lifted the PSL trophy for the second time in succession, thus establishing his credentials as leader. He also scored a lot of valuable runs, with 133 at a strike rate of 168. to stun the opponent. That included a half-century against Zalmi, before smashing 44 not out from only 15 balls in the final. As for his bowling, he was the tournament’s fourth-highest wicket-taker, with one five-for and two four-wicket hauls.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Zaman Khan

A last-over specialist, seems to have a knack for defending a handful of runs. He bowled the 20th over in both the opening match and the final, defending 14 and 12 runs respectively. In only his second season, he showed temperament and control to become a part of Qalandars’ core. He and Rashid bowled the joint-second-most dot balls – 106. He did not pick up a player-of-the-match award, but there’s no denying the impact he had. He was rewarded with a maiden call-up for Pakistan, in the T20I side for the Afghanistan series.

Ihsanullah

Pakistan unearthed another bowling talent this season. Ihsanullah was picked by Sultans last season, but was injured after one game; this season he has come back as the finished product. The 20-year-old bowled some furious spells, clocking 150kph and announced himself in his second game with figures of 4-1-12-5 against Gladiators. He tested almost every batter he came up against this season and was top of the bowling charts all through before his team-mate Abbas Afridi pipped him at the end, pushing him down to second. He registered his trademark “archer” celebration, and was also rewarded with a national call-up for the Afghanistan series.

Abbas Afridi

In the 150-year history of MLB, certain individual achievements stand out above the rest. They are held in such high regard because they are the rarest of feats.

Only 24 pitchers have thrown a perfect game. Just 36 players have hit .400 in a season. In between the two is the accomplishment that's been attained by a mere 32 players—smashing 50 or more home runs in a single campaign.

The History of 50-Home Run Seasons

Fittingly, MLB has had 50 instances of a player hitting at least 50 home runs in one season.

New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth was the first major leaguer to reach the 50-HR plateau in 1920 when he hit 54. The all-time great went on to exceed 50 homers three more times, including the iconic number of 60 in 1927—the single-season record that lasted for 34 years until Yankees outfielder Roger Maris mashed 61 HRs in 1961.

After Maris, just three players enjoyed 50-homer seasons over the next 29 years. San Francisco Giants great Willie Mays hit 52 HRs in 1965, and Cincinnati Reds outfielder George Foster clubbed 52 homers in 1977. Detroit Tigers slugger Cecil Fielder went deep 51 times in 1990.

Ruth's record of four 50-homer seasons was matched by Mark McGwire, the power-hitting first baseman of the then Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa. The home run duels between McGwire and Sosa reenergized baseball in the late 1990s.

Complete List of 50-Home Run Seasons in MLB History

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton entered the 2025 season with 429 career home runs. In 2017, he hit a career-high 59 homers, 22 more than his next-best total.

To reach 50 HRs, Stanton realizes now that he had to have a "synched-up year where a lot of things go right."

"You have to keep your balance and timing the whole year, not too many lulls," Stanton told . "And even when you’re not feeling good, you've got to be able to have your few hits be homers. Instead of having two singles in your 2-for-20-something stage, you’ve got to squeak out those as homers.

"The whole rhythm of your season has to go right."

The players listed below never missed a beat while hitting 50 or more homers in a season. Here is the full list of 50-HR campaigns.

Record-Breaking and Memorable 50-Home Run Seasons

Anytime a big leaguer began a season by hitting home runs in bunches, talk of chasing the HR record inevitably followed. Maris' pursuit of Ruth had the nation riveted, and the 1961 season is regarded as one of the most magical in baseball history.

Five days after tying Ruth, Maris set a new MLB single-season mark with his 61st homer in the Yankees' regular-season finale against the rival Boston Red Sox.

After a 1994 players strike led to the cancellation of the remainder of the season, including the playoffs and World Series, severe damage had been done to baseball's reputation. The goodwill of the fans was won back by the home run record chases of McGwire and Sosa in 1998.

That year, McGwire and Sosa captured the attention of sports fans as they went head-to-head to not only win the HR title but also to eclipse Maris' 61 homers. McGwire reached 62 home runs first. Sosa joined him five days later.

McGwire homered in his final at-bat of the season to finish with an incredible 70 home runs, four more than Sosa. The record would last only three years. San Francisco Giants outfielder Bonds, at age 36, set a new standard in 2001 with an outrageous 73 homers.

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani didn't catch Bonds in 2024, but the Japanese superstar made history for becoming the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season.

Interest in Ohtani's 50-50 bid intensified as he entered September on pace to achieve both marks. He notched his 50th steal and 50th homer in the same game in one of the greatest individual performances in MLB history—6-for-6, three HRs, two steals and 10 RBIs.

Trends and Era-Based Differences in 50-Home Run Seasons

When Ruth established a new MLB standard with 60 home runs in 1927, the Yankees icon hit more homers than all but three clubs in the 16-team major leagues. Starting with the first-ever 50-HR campaign in 1920, Ruth ushered in the Live Ball Era with his monumental individual displays of power.

Over the next six decades, MLB saw just 13 seasons of 50 homers or more by a player. Despite an attempt to help hitters by lowering the mound after the 1968 campaign—known as the "Year of the Pitcher" when St. Louis Cardinals ace Bob Gibson set a modern-day ERA record of 1.12—only one big leaguer surpassed 50 home runs (Foster's 52-HR aberration in '77).

The prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball had home run totals skyrocketing in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. During that period of the Steroid Era, a total of 18 50-homer campaigns took place. Also, from 1996 to 2002, MLB had multiple 50-HR sluggers in one season.

Today's baseball is dictated by analytics, with MLB team front offices looking to leverage the launch angle of hitters' full-force swings against the unprecedented high velocity of pitchers that registers well past 100 mph. The combination has produced a perfect recipe for strikeouts—but also home runs.

The feast-or-famine style of ball caused MLB's season HR total to exceed 6,000 for the first time. In 2017, 6,105 homers were hit league-wide, and in 2019, a new all-time high was set with a combined 6,776 home runs, according to Baseball Almanac.

Generational sluggers like Aaron Judge have emerged to add to MLB's 50-homer season total. The Yankees outfielder crushed 52 HRs in 2017, an American League-record 62 in 2022 and 58 in 2024.

The Boston Red Sox are making a surprising push to sign Juan Soto.

According to a report from New York Post MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez, the Red Sox have stepped up their efforts to convince Soto to wind up in Boston. The franchise has stressed the four-time All-Star's fit with the franchise and its history with star players from the Dominican Republic, with David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, and Rafael Devers among them.

The greatest hitters in Red Sox history have also tended to be left-handed, which would make Soto a fit at Fenway Park. Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and David Ortiz all put up big numbers during their careers in Boston.

The Rex Sox are a surprising contender for Soto, the top free agent on the market, given their recent history of allowing star players to leave as a cost-cutting measure.

"Such an expenditure from the Red Sox would be stunning for a franchise that traded away Mookie Betts rather than signing him long term; that has cut payroll significantly beginning in 2020 and spent around $120 million less last season than the Yankees; and, relatedly, that has reached the postseason in one of the past six seasons, a span that has included three last-place finishes in the AL East," Heyman and Sanchez wrote.

"Perhaps the Red Sox and controlling owner John Henry have decided to awaken at a busy moment."

Stealing Soto away from the New York Yankees would also have to be seen as a coup for the Red Sox.

Boston faces stiff competition in the race for Soto's signature, as the Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Dodgers are also in pursuit.

Soto is expected to land a deal that could surpass $600 million.

Former Liverpool winger Jordan Ibe has signed with Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Sofia. The 29-year-old will represent the club until 2027. The sensational switch comes just two weeks after Ibe put pen to paper at Kent-based side Sittingbourne. Once considered a future star of English football, the nomadic midfielder has bounced around non-league football in recent years.

• Ibe looks to revive career in Bulgaria

  The 'Railway Workers' announced the deal on their Facebook account earlier today. 

  Ibe had signed with Sittingbourne, currently playing in eighth tier of the English football pyramid, on October 31. He said he hoped the deal would help him "rediscover his love of football", after a switch to the Swedish second division with Umea fell through in the summer due to work permit issues. The ex-Bournemouth star has been open about his struggles with depression in the past few years. 

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• Jordan Ibe: Future Liverpool star to football nomad

  Ibe's move to Bulgaria is adds another chapter to a nomadic career that started with immense promise. He first caught the attention of the football public as an academy star with Wycombe Wanderers. In 2011, he joined Liverpool's youth setup and was widely tipped to be a future regular in the England team. During his tenure at Anfield, he made 58 appearances, scoring four goals and logging seven assists. 

  A £15m transfer to Bournemouth in 2016 was supposed to accelerate his development, however an inconsistent four-year spell on the south coast ended in his release in 2020. Ibe made 92 appearances for the Cherries in all competitions. 

  A year on the books at Derby County resulted in just one league appearance, as Ibe revealed he was suffering from depression. The club and player agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent. 

  After a few months in Turkiye with Adanaspor, Ibe would spend the next few years bouncing around non-league outfits, making appearances for Ebbsfleet United, Hayes & Yeading United, Hungerford Town and Sittingbourne. 

• Lokomotiv Sofia's statement on Ibe's arrival

  Lokomotiv Sofia currently sit in 11th place in Bulgaria's First League. Originally founded in 1929, the club was wound up in 2015 due to insolvency, with a phoenix club founded in the resulting year. The original club won four league titles and four Bulgarian cups, and is historically considered one of the country's biggest clubs. 

  A club statement announcing Ibe's arrival read: "After a few difficult seasons, Jordan is ready to revive his career, and we all believe that this will happen at Lokomotiv.

  "The management of Lokomotiv wishes Jordon Ibe much health, happiness and success with the red and black jersey."

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• Lokomotiv Sofia
  

  When will Ibe make his Lokomotiv Sofia debut?

  Due to a lengthy winter break, Lokomotiv have already played half of their 30 league fixtures this season. The club has just four league games left this year, before play pauses until the first week in February, giving Ibe little time to get games under his belt if he's not deemed fit enough to start immediately. The Railway Workers' season continues with an away trip to Cherno More on November 22, with a home game against Arfa on November 28. 

Chelsea are reportedly making some transfer plans ahead of the January window to reinforce some pretty weak areas of the squad, with BlueCo now offered a pretty golden opportunity to do so.

Chelsea fragile at the back after key injuries

Before the Blues’ 2-1 win over Premier League champions Liverpool just prior to the international break, Enzo Maresca was left desperately short of defensive options.

Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill were all unavailable for the clash, but Chelsea somehow still managed to seal a dramatic win despite their major lack of choices.

Youngster Josh Acheampong was given the nod at the heart of their defence for that game, and again away to Nottingham Forest, with Tosin, Fofana and Chalobah since becoming available once again.

However, the same cannot be said for Benoit Badiashile or Colwill, with the pair sidelined through long-term injuries, especially the latter, who won’t return until 2026.

Maresca publicly stated that he wanted a new centre-back in the summer transfer window, only for BlueCo not to grant his wish, and this has threatened to have dire consequences.

However, it is believed by some media sources that Chelsea are now prioritising another defender in January as one of their key objectives, in a bid to rectify their summer mistake.

Some reports even suggest they’ve held talks with Marc Guehi’s camp ahead of a potential winter move (Simon Phillips), while others state that Chelsea have been offered Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo.

If the club do decide to make a mid-season addition or two, all signs point towards it being a centre-back, or potentially a goalkeeper.

Amid ongoing concerns surrounding Robert Sanchez’s pedigree as a ‘title-winning’ shot-stopper, Chelsea have attempted to bring in a world-class option this year, most notably AC Milan’s Mike Maignan.

Chelsea tried and failed to sign Maignan last summer, but it is an opportunity that is expected to open up again soon with the France international’s contract expiring in 2026.

The 30-year-old would be a fantastic choice as Chelsea reportedly prepare to approach Maignan over a pre-contract in January, but according to journalist Graeme Bailey and TBR Football, they could have a much more immediate alternative.

Chelsea offered Marc-André ter Stegen on Barcelona loan deal

Bailey reports that Chelsea are one of the sides to be contacted by representatives about Marc-André ter Stegen and the Barcelona captain’s availability.

The 33-year-old, who boasts a Champions League winners medal and six La Liga titles from his time at the Camp Nou, is currently out with a back injury but could make his long-awaited return in December — just before the window reopens.

Much has been made about Chelsea’s very young squad and the lack of experience in it, so a deal for ter Stegen would certainly help to balance this issue by bringing proven top-level know-how to the dressing room.

The German would also provide very good competition for Sanchez, or even replace the ex-Brighton man entirely, and Barça are willing to green-light an initial loan before negotiating a permanent exit in the summer.

The prospect of ter Stegen coming to London is a very intriguing one, but there are a few key hurdles to consider.

For one, he earns around £280,000-per-week, so Chelsea would need to agree a favourable split of his salary with Barca before green-lighting this move.

Ter Stegen’s injury history lately isn’t exactly encouraging either, with the keeper playing just nine times for Hansi Flick since the start of 2024/2025.

The postseason was made for players like Giancarlo Stanton. He's one of those special players who locks in and rises to the occasion when the lights are brightest. The New York Yankees' slug-heavy designated hitter has been critiqued at various points for his high strikeout rate (which was nearly a career-high in 2024), but you have to credit his ability to turn it on when it matters most.

Stanton has homered 15 times in 35 playoff games. His postseason home run rate of 10.4% in the postseason dwarfs his career regular-season rate of 6.2%.

After another three-run blast on Friday night to expand the Yankees' lead over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 of the ALCS, his teammate, Juan Soto, who was driven in from third base, had to just stop and enjoy it before he began his trot.

It was Stanton's fourth home run of the 2024 playoffs (eight games). He has struck out just three times, going six consecutive games without letting an opposing pitcher get him out on strikes.

Newcastle United are evolving, adapting to a new variant of Eddie Howe’s tactical ideology after a summer of change and upheaval.

Namely, the record-breaking sale of Alexander Isak to Premier League champions Liverpool rocked the boat and then some, but Newcastle have replaced Isak with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa.

With three goals in six games, Woltemade, 23, looks a real talent, described as the “problem and solution” by reporter Craig Hope, who was discussing United’s teething problems as they adapt to a different brand of striker who, albeit, has towering potential.

Wissa’s fortunes differ, however, having yet to play or even train with the first team after his move from Brentford this summer due to a knee injury.

For all the positive additions, though, the sense can’t be shaken that the Magpies have parted with several top talents in recent years, and they might have had a big impact this season and beyond.

As Howe himself has revealed, one of those players is Elliot Anderson, who the boss would love to welcome back to St. James’ Park.

Howe's latest comments on Elliot Anderson

In 2024, Newcastle sold Anderson to Nottingham Forest. The fee was mooted to be around £35m. Here was a top midfield talent, but PSR demanded levies from Newcastle, and this was a sacrifice PIF had to make.

In hindsight, the Toon chiefs must wish they had found another way to circumvent their financial problems. Hailed as a “phenomenal player” by Three Lions teammate Reece James, the 22-year-old has only gone from strength to strength since leaving his boyhood club, so complete in his midfield role.

Howe said this week that he wants the Geordie back at the club, but that won’t be an easy one to get over the line. Anderson is the centrepiece of the Tricky Trees project, and bringing him back to Tyneside would cost a pretty penny indeed.

Nonetheless, Newcastle can dream of a reunion. Anderson’s dynamic approach to his craft suggests he would be perfect alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, creative, crunching in the duel and a veritable workhorse.

It’s a great shame that Newcastle didn’t keep him in the ranks, but the decision was an understandable one.

Anderson wasn’t the only prospect who should have stayed put, though. Indeed, another was sold around the same time who has since proved themselves in the Premier League.

The other talent Newcastle should re-sign

If Yankuba Minteh ever wore the Newcastle shirt after completing his transfer from Danish side Odense Boldklub in 2023, it was not in a competitive capacity.

Now he plays in blue and white, having joined Brighton & Hove Albion one year ago in a £30m package. Last season, Minteh impressed for the Seagulls; raw and unpolished, yes, but the Gambian winger showcased his physical and technical qualities, scoring seven goals and assisting five more across all competitions.

Across six Premier League games so far this term, Minteh has scored once and registered two assists.

And the underlying data highlights why Brighton paid the big bucks for a young gem, untested in the English game after spending the 2023/24 season on loan in the Netherlands with Arne Slot’s Feyenoord.

As per data-driven platform FBref, he ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe for successful take-ons, the top 5% for carries into the penalty area and the top 1% for tackles won per 90 over the past year.

The 21-year-old has even won 6.8 duels per game in the Premier League so far, and though his distribution could use some work, he’s a real menace in the final third.

It’s something Newcastle know only too well. After all, Minteh has scored two goals in two matches against Newcastle, including a draw in the Premier League last season and as the Seagulls knocked Howe’s outfit out of the FA Cup in the semi-finals.

Following these blows, Spanish reporter Jose Alberto Chozas even called him “public enemy number one for Newcastle fans”, and understandably so at that.

If Minteh continues to make headway in the Premier League with Brighton, there’s every chance he will strike once again, and that’s something Howe cannot abide, given he had him in his grasp.

While Newcastle ended a lengthy search for a pacy right-sided forward this summer when landing Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for a £55m fee, there’s little to suggest the Sweden international’s ceiling stretches higher than Minteh’s.

And anyway, where is the harm in having a duality of choice on the flank? Jacob Murphy is only 30 years old, but he won’t be around forever, and Minteh boasts the profile Howe looks for.

As with Anderson, it is going to cost Newcastle a hefty sum indeed, should they be interested in bringing Minteh back to the club in the coming years.

However, his trajectory on the south coast suggests that they must act swiftly, for Minteh is only getting better and better, and his price tag will rise concurrently.

TEAMtalk have recently revealed that a host of the Premier League’s top clubs are already sniffing around after witnessing the star’s early-season form, so Newcastle must pounce while they can.

Newcastle have sold "one of the best signings in the PL" & it's not Isak

Alexander Isak struggles at Liverpool as shrewd signing shines elsewhere after Newcastle exit

By
Will Miller

Oct 3, 2025

Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened up about the exact moment he started learning Spanish ahead of his blockbuster summer move to Real Madrid. The England international ended a 20-year association with Liverpool by joining Los Blancos for £8 million (€10m/$11m) in June, wowing football supporters as he fluently spoke the language during his unveiling.

• Trent stunned supporters by speaking Spanish during his Real unveiling

  Addressing an audience which included Real club president Florentino Perez, Alexander-Arnold surprised football fans around the world when – in Spanish – he said it was a "dream come true" to switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.

  "Thank you so much to president Florentino Perez and Real Madrid for this opportunity," he said. "Signing for a club like Real Madrid doesn't happen every day. It's a dream come true. I'm very happy and proud to be here. I'm eager to show the club and the fans what I can do.

  "I want to show them what I can do, I want to win many titles, be champions, and continue to grow and enjoy football with the best in the world."

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• England international announced he was leaving Liverpool in May

  Having displayed such an exemplary grasp of the language, many were left wondering just how long Alexander-Arnold had been planning to move to Real for, before the deal was confirmed. The 27-year-old announced he was leaving Liverpool upon the expiration of his contract in May, but Real later paid the Reds a fee to release him early so he could represent them at the Club World Cup.

  Confirming his decision to leave Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold said in a video on social media: "After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season. This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.

  "I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die."

• Spanish teacher confirms exactly when Trent started learning language

  In a video on Instagram, Alexander-Arnold’s Spanish teacher, Sara Duque, has since revealed that the defender has been studying the language for five months, meaning – if correct – he only started learning on May 30 and not before he had announced his departure from Liverpool.

  Writing on social media, Duque said: "5 months. That’s all it took, but it wasn’t easy.

  "Trent didn’t just learn Spanish. He chose to start from zero, to sound imperfect, to keep showing up, day by day.

  "When he stood on that stage in Madrid and spoke with calm, clarity, and heart, it wasn’t about fluency. It was about respect, courage, and a genuine desire to belong.

  "As his language coach, that moment meant everything. Because what I saw wasn’t just a player speaking another language, it was a person growing beyond himself.

  "In football, words can build trust, connection, identity. And this is what true professionalism really looks like."

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• Former Liverpool defender explains why he decided to study Spanish

  Displaying his fluency in Spanish once again, Alexander-Arnold lifted the lid on his experience learning the language, saying in the accompanying video on Instagram: "Hi, I'm Trent. I started learning Spanish with Sara five months ago. 

  "I didn't speak any Spanish before. I wanted to learn Spanish to communicate better with my team-mates, my coach and the Madrid fans – and adapt better to the culture.

  "I really like the lessons because they were very football-based. The terminology we were learning about was press conferences, interviews and vocabulary that I would need to talk to my team-mates on a day-to-day basis within the club. 

  "This helped me very, very much and I really enjoyed every lesson."

Amad Diallo was controversially denied what looked like a clear penalty against Brighton following an intervention from VAR. The flashpoint happened when Amad tangled with Brighton's Maxim De Cuyper in the box, and while it initially looked like a foul, replays indicated that De Cuyper appeared to make the lightest of touches on the ball first.

• Old Trafford fumes as penalty denied

  Referee Anthony Taylor waved away the appeals deeming De Cuyper's contact on the ball saved him from conceding a penalty. But while watching United fans were apoplectic at the decision their side went into half-time against Brighton with a 2-0 lead after Matheus Cunha scored his first goal for the club in the 24th minute, Casemiro added a second ten minutes later with a deflected strike. A thrilling second half then saw Bryan Mbeumo stretch United's lead to 3-0 but Brighton set up a nervy finish thanks to goals from Danny Welbeck and Charalampos Kostoulas. However, Mbeumo struck again in stoppage time to seal victory.

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• Why the decision was not given

  The Premier League confirmed why the decision was not given after the game in a statement on social media that read: "The referee’s call of no penalty to Manchester United was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that De Cuyper played the ball."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'Are you having a laugh?' Fans react to VAR

  There was furious reaction penalty call as fans at the ground and those watching at home all claimed Man Utd had been stitched up. 

  @TurkTalksFC said: "I could see that was a penalty from the lower Stretford End. Just seen a replay. Are you having a laugh??? That is diabolical from Anthony Taylor and VAR."
  There was a similar reaction from @StretfordPaddck, who said: "My head is absolutely gone. Checked and cleared by VAR but that looked blatant?!"
  And @samuelluckhurst aimed his anger at the match officials, he said: "That's ridiculous from ref Taylor and VAR. Looked an obvious penalty. Taylor said recently referees can't be perfect. No, but that was an easy decision."
  While @Muppetiers added: "Lmao how is that not a penalty. Typical Anthony Taylor day playing against an extra man."

  And this United fan was absolutely fuming, claiming some kind of conspiracy, @aobrien7 said: "The guy needs to seriously be investigated. More of a foul there than anything Yoro did, but nothing. It's beyond a joke these days. Awful refereeing week in and week out."

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• Amorim hits back at Arne Slot

  United earned a stunning win over deadly rivals Liverpool last weekend, but Arne Slot took aim at Amorim’s ‘long-ball’ tactics at Anfield. But the United boss has hit back, he said: "I don’t care what Slot is saying, what people are saying about our team. I can watch the game and say we can do better and we need to do better in the future but sometimes you need to adapt to the game. So I don’t need anyone to evaluate my team. I can evaluate my team and I am really clear that we should play better with the ball and we are going to try to do that in this game. I’m not saying my players don’t want to win or run, but we need to sometimes (when) it’s getting harder (in matches) to force ourselves to do the basics. If you look at Brighton and the way they play, every team that pressed a little higher struggled and they won. We need to be prepared – not just against the top teams but against opponents that are (also) really good."