Zion Suzuki has reportedly rejected the chance to make the move to Manchester United this summer, according to reports.

This comes after the Premier League giants reached an agreement with the goalkeeper's current club Urawa Red Diamonds.

What's the latest on Zion Suzuki to Manchester United?

Manchester United have agreed a deal with Urawa Red Diamonds for Suzuki, and a move seemed likely. According to Manchester Evening News, however, a major problem has emerged as the shot-stopper has rejected the Red Devils in favour of completing a move to join STVV in the Belgian Pro League.

Rejecting United is certainly a bold move, but Suzuki may have made the decision based on potential game time. As per Manchester Evening News, the Manchester club felt as though the goalkeeper needed two more years to make an impact in the Premier League.

Read the latest Man United transfer news HERE…

Erik ten Hag must now search elsewhere to find a back-up to recent summer signing Andre Onana. The former Inter Milan man completed the move for a reported £47.2m this summer.

Suzuki, meanwhile, looks increasingly-likely to complete a move to STVV in the coming weeks.

Who is Zion Suzuki?

The first thing that comes to mind about Suzuki is how bold he is, reportedly turning down a big move to Old Trafford this summer. On the pitch, however, it's no real surprise that the goalkeeper has attracted such interest this summer.

Football Talent Scout spoke about Suzuki in their look at the best players in Japan, saying: "Widely considered as one of the most exciting goalkeeping prospects coming out of Japan, however it is across the Pacific in America where most of this hype has been garnered as many supporters of the national team are keen for the Arkansas-born stopper to be called up for the USMNT.

"He is also eligible to play for Ghana and of course Japan, whichever lucky nation calls him up first and secures his name in their nation's goalkeeping ranks has hit the jackpot with a special goalkeeper.

"Zion’s distribution is exceptional, he makes passes which would be talked about for weeks if it were Ederson as seen here.

"Due to his age he is still prone to a few errors as he can sometimes be seen rushing out too early but these characteristics will slowly fade as Zion progresses and matures whilst gaining experience in games. A good alert goalkeeper, Zion’s speed and agility allow him to be both a good shot-stopper and a good distributor of the ball."

That potential looks set to be seen in the Belgian Pro League, rather than at Old Trafford, though, in what will ultimately leave Ten Hag bitterly disappointed.

The Dutchman has, at the very least, welcomed the majority of his summer targets so far in the current window, with Mason Mount making the move from Chelsea, Rasmus Hojlund joining from Atalanta, and Onana making the move from Inter Milan.

So far, United have spent a reported €192m (£166m) so far in the current window, and were willing to add to that with the signing of Suzuki. As per reports, however, it simply wasn't meant to be this time.

Everton are interested in completing a transfer for Danish side FC Midtjylland midfielder Emiliano Martinez this summer and are believed to have been following the Uruguayan for several months.

Toffees boss Sean Dyche has started to assemble his team for the forthcoming season after a slow start to the transfer window, with the experienced Ashley Young arriving on a free transfer and Arnaut Danjuma signing on a one-year loan deal.

Read the latest Everton transfer news HERE…

The central midfield is as yet untouched, and the Mersey outfit – while offence may be the priority – will be eager to fortify the nucleus of the team.

Are Everton signing Emiliano Martinez?

That's according to Danish outlet Tipsbladet, who claim that Everton – alongside Premier League rivals West Ham United – are interested in a deal for the rising star, who has flourished in the Danish Superliga.

It's claimed that Midtjylland will demand roughly £9m for his sale to be granted, and with journalist Rodri Vazquez claiming two months ago that Everton have made a "firm" for the 23-year-old, it could be following up with talks to finalise a transfer.

Should Everton sign Emiliano Martinez?

The £6k-per-week Martinez – who is not to be muddled up with his namesake; the World Cup-winning shot-stopper playing for Aston Villa – who plied his trade in Uruguay and Brazil before going on his European adventure, and is already making waves big enough to attract the attention of Premier League outfits.

As per Sofascore, the defensive midfielder recorded an average rating of 6.87 in the league last term, impressing across his 25 appearances and impressing by completing 85% of his passes, making 2.5 tackles per game and succeeding in 70% of his attempted dribbles.

Having been handed two caps by his national side already, Martinez is clearly held in high regard and looks destined for a date with the highest level, and given that he ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles and blocks per 90, as per FBref, could be the perfect, tenacious option to complete the Toffees' midfield.

According to one South American football expert, Martinez would be a "fantastic [Declan] Rice replacement for West Ham", with the esteemed midfield anchor completing a club-record £105m transfer to Arsenal this summer.

Rice was been hailed as "the best holding midfielder in the country" way back in 2020 by Hammers boss David Moyes, and was paramount to the east London club's ascent to European competition after forging 245 displays – West Ham will play continental football for the third successive term after winning the Conference League this year.

The 43-cap England international ranks among the top 19% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 20% for progressive passes, the top 15% of progressive carries, the top 17% for clearances and the top 5% for interceptions per 90.

Martinez, who has demonstrated his intensity and defensive application and composure through his tackling consistency and crisp passing, could be Dyche's very own Rice and could have a transformative effect on the Merseyside outfit with his deployment into the midfield.

Praised for a very "solid" build – by Juan Genova – that has allowed him to thrive through his brutish physicality, Everton must do all they can to secure Martinez's services this month ahead of a campaign that simply has to be a success, and for the paltry fee of just £9m, the importance of swift action is only intensified.

Life as an understudy wicketkeeper on an Ashes tour can be humdrum, but Ben Foakes made good use of his opportunity for England Lions in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2017

Keaton Jennings and Ben Foakes made an impression for England Lions in Brisbane as England’s head coach Trevor Bayliss and batting coach Mark Ramprakash looked on before heading to Adelaide to prepare for the second TestJennings, who has switched from Durham to Lancashire to try to restate his England credentials, scored 89 from 148 balls and shared a second-wicket stand of 144 with Foakes, who like his Surrey team-mate Tom Curran was drafted into the Lions team from England’s Ashes squad in search of match practice.Foakes, understudy to Jonny Bairstow, whose strange headbutt greeting to Cameron Bancroft has given the Ashes one of its stranger headline stories, shared wicketkeeping duties with Lancashire’s Alex Davies at Allan Border Field as the Queenslanders made 396 for 9 on the first day.He then stroked 67 from 94 balls, batting at No 3, to continue the excellent batting form that had been a feature of his 2017 county season.Westley heads home

Tom Westley was due to return home from the England Lions’ tour of Australia on Wednesday in expectation that he will need an operation on finger injury on his left hand.
Westley, who was omitted from England’s Ashes tour party after a five-Test run last summer, had been due to bat first wicket down for the Lions in their clash with Queensland Select.
Instead, he is heading for Leeds where he will have a second scan and any surgery that proves to be necessary.

“Obviously I’ve been netting a lot out here so it was nice to get out in the middle, share a stand with Keats and get a few runs,” said Foakes.”When you come out as back-up keeper you know your game time is going to be limited, but it’s still been special to be out here,” he added.”We had three days of hard work in Brisbane when I thought we played pretty well, and although it slipped away in the end, hopefully Adelaide will be a good place for us to come back.”Jennings declared the Lions innings on 250 for five, in the hope of setting up a last-day run chase and there seemed every chance of further batting opportunities as Queensland powered to a lead of 344 at the close with eight wickets remaining.

Criminal charges may result from allegations of corruption in Australian cricket, the ICC has warned, as an investigation began in earnest in the wake of claims that the ongoing third Ashes Test at the WACA has been targeted by spot-fixers.According to a report in The Sun, two men asked the newspaper’s undercover reporters for up to £140,000 (USD187,000) to “spot fix” markets in the third Test, such as the exact amount of runs scored in an over. No individual players on either team were singled out in the report.The ICC responded with a statement from Alex Marshall, general manager anti-corruption, who said there was currently “no evidence” that the Perth Test had been corrupted. He later added that the ACSU would be cross-referencing the new information from The Sun with their existing intelligence, and confirmed that they would push for prosecution if it was deemed that offences had taken place in countries, such as Australia, where match-fixing is a criminal offence.”It is obviously very early stages and our priority on receiving everything from The Sun late last night was to consider whether the integrity of the third Ashes Test had been compromised,” said Marshall. “There is no evidence, either from The Sun or via our own intelligence, to suggest the current Test match has been corrupted. At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that any players in this Test have been in contact with the alleged fixers.”We are now working through the rest of the information from The Sun as part of what will be a wide-ranging investigation and we will map this against our own existing intelligence and live investigations to look for any corroboration or cross over. We are taking these allegations very seriously and will follow the correct processes of a thorough investigation. We will look for clear and usable evidence that proves or disproves the allegations made. This will include looking for corroboration, speaking to key witnesses and securing all relevant evidential material.”This will not be concluded overnight and we will be working with ACU colleagues from Member countries to investigate every single allegation in full. We will not be making any comment in relation to the identity of any individual names in the dossier whilst this investigation is ongoing.””The allegations are wide ranging and relate to various forms cricket in several countries, including T20 tournaments. We will look closely at all the information as part of our investigation. We ask anyone with information about these allegations to get in touch with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit via [email protected].”The ACSU’s sentiments were echoed by England and Australia officials. “Cricket Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach against anybody trying to bring the game into disrepute,” said a CA spokesman.”Cricket Australia will co-operate fully with any ICC Anti-Corruption Unit investigation.”Australian cricket has a long-standing, proactive approach to sports integrity management and Cricket Australia has a dedicated Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) to prevent corruption within Australian domestic comptetitons, including the BBL.”In addition to this, all players participating in CA sanctioned competitions, including the BBL, are required to complete an anti-corruption education session before they can compete.”CA works closely with the ICC ACU on all international fixtures played in Australia.”Players are able to report any suspicions they have on a confidential basis and in the past there has been a strong Australian player culture to do so.”An ECB spokesman added: “ECB work closely with the ICC and their Anti-Corruption unit to protect the integrity of the international game. We are aware of these allegations and there is no suggestion that any of the England team is involved in any way.”The game’s most high profile spot-fixing scandal was broken by the now-defunct – sister paper to – in 2010, which led to Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif being given prison sentences for bowling deliberate no-balls in a Test at Lord’s.Marshall confirmed that similar action could be on the cards if deemed appropriate. Recent legislative changes at state and federal levels have made fixing a criminal offence in Australia and New Zealand, while in the UK it is covered under the Bribery Act.”Nothing has been referred [to the police] as yet because we are still assessing the information,” he said. “If we deem that offences have taken place in countries where match-fixing is illegal then yes we will work with the local police and report our concerns and share information to push for prosecution.””As with any investigation we will use all options available to us should we deem it necessary and appropriate. The ability to download mobile phones is one part of the investigative toolkit for us.””We are conducting a live investigation and will do that by focusing on the facts, intelligence and evidence at hand. We will be looking in detail at the allegations, looking for any corroboration of what has been alleged, either from the Sun’s own investigation or our own intelligence, and we will be examining whether there is any evidence which we can now use and take forward. We will do this without further speculation or comment.”Australia’s wicketkeeper Tim Paine said the allegations had not been a distraction to him during the first day of the Test match, and reiterated that he and others in the team had long been educated about the pitfalls of corruption.”I heard very briefly about it this morning, not a lot else about it,” he said. “What I do know is that all of our guys have been educated on that sort of stuff for a long time, I’ve been contracted since I was 16 and been through it every year, so we certainly know what’s right and wrong and I know there’s no-one in our team who’s involved in any way.”

Gio Reyna is reportedly set to see a transfer away from Borussia Dortmund rushed through, with it possible that a deal could be done this week.

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• American struggling for regular game time
• Expected to be on the move in winter window
• Working with same agent as Cristiano Ronaldo

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international has been generating exit talk at Signal Iduna Park for some time. He stayed put in the summer of 2023, but regular minutes in Germany have remained in short supply for the 21-year-old playmaker.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  That has led to fresh speculation surfacing in the January window, with Premier League side Aston Villa said to be one of Reyna’s many suitors. Any move to England – where his father Claudio previously turned out for Manchester City and Sunderland – would offer a fresh start to the talented youngster.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Reyna is said to be open to the idea of moving on at an important stage of his career, with it vital for him to get game time under his belt if full potential is to be unlocked. With that in mind, has drawn up a timeline that could see him sever ties with BVB by the time that they return to action against Bochum on Sunday.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REYNA?

  Winter transfer windows across Europe are due to slam shut at the start of February, meaning that the clock is ticking for Reyna. He has linked up with Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, amid the questions of his future and has also been linked with leading sides in Spain, France and Portugal.

Glenn Maxwell is back in Australia’s ODI squad for the first time since last year’s India tour but it is perception, not personnel or tactics, that is dragging down the team’s limited-overs set-up, according to coach Darren Lehmann

Daniel Brettig25-Jan-2018

Glenn Maxwell is back in Australia’s ODI squad for the first time since last year’s India tour but it is perception, not personnel or tactics, that is dragging down the team’s limited-overs set-up, according to coach Darren Lehmann.The day after Maxwell joined the chorus of voices stating that Australia need to raise their batting tempo or fall behind in the 50-over format, he was added to the squad as cover for Aaron Finch. The leading run-scorer on either side in this series so far, Finch will miss the Australia Day match in Adelaide with a hamstring strain. More likely than a Maxwell recall, however, is the return of Travis Head to the top of the order, a year to the day after he added a world-record 284 with David Warner against Pakistan.But in the same week the selection chairman Trevor Hohns stated that Australia’s ODI methods needed to be reviewed, Lehmann offered a somewhat different opinion, arguing that the team is “not as far off as the results say” and that performing better in the “key moments” would lead to victories. It is the second time in his coaching tenure that Lehmann has deflected calls for change around the team – he notably bristled at the team performance manager Pat Howard’s suggestion that he needed to “reinvent” himself as a coach after the loss of five consecutive Test matches in 2016.”We’re a bit short with the bat to be perfectly honest,” Lehmann told 5AA radio. “We’ve been 20 or 30 short each game, and then our bowling up front hasn’t been as good as we’d like and then the last five or six overs the other night cost us 74.”[Jos] Buttler played really well but at the end of the day we’re just losing those key moments. Unlike the Test matches, not capitalising on good starts or going on with big hundreds etc etc. A bit of work to do in that format, we’re not as far off as the results say, but you’ve got to win and change perceptions there.”It’s playing the way we need to play to win games of one-day cricket. You can dissect every game and we’ve been short with the bat in pretty much all those games, 20-30 runs, and when we were winning we weren’t short, we were always over-clubbed by 30 or 40 runs, so for us that’s first, get the order right, play the way we need to play and finish innings off. We’ve had bowlers batting in the last five overs, which is a no-no, you need your batters batting then and then you can capitalise in the last few overs.Head, who after an underwhelming series of displays at No. 4 for Australia in recent appearances in India and at home, rediscovered some form with a half-century for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League. He said it was vital Australia found a way to beat England even though the series had been decided. The two teams will square off again in another five-match series in England later this year, before the 2019 World Cup in the same country.”It’s not just this series,” Head said. “It goes on, white-ball cricket, for the rest of the summer and we’ve got series coming up in the off-season for us. So it’s very important to try to find a way to beat them. They’re playing extremely well at the minute. We probably haven’t played the way we would’ve liked. We need to play that attacking brand and take them on.”Looking back over his ODI series, Head said he was particularly irritated at the way he played in the second match in Brisbane, where he was part of a slow fade with the bat that resulted in the Australians posting a mere 270 on a good surface and then lost his place for the Sydney encounter.”I feel like I’ve been playing well in the Big Bash, but I’m pretty disappointed with the way I’ve started in this series,” he said. “I know it’s there; I’ve just got to try and find it.”I feel confident in my game in the middle. I just didn’t play the way I would’ve liked, especially in Brisbane. I was probably a little bit indecisive in my decision-making, which cost me. And I don’t think you can be. To be able to go back the other night [with the Strikers] I was really happy not so much with the way I finished but the way I started.”If my tempo’s there and if the way I’m hitting the ball’s there, it’s just a mindset thing for me. I’m happy to bat wherever. I’ve said as high as I can bat is nice. I think everyone in world cricket would say the same thing in white-ball cricket, to bat as high as they possibly can. But I’m just happy to get my opportunity again after a pretty disappointing first two games.”

USWNT star Emily Fox has been reunited with Alessia Russo at Arsenal, after playing college soccer together at the University of North Carolina.

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Fox signs for ArsenalReunited with college teammate RussoLook ahead to Gunner's scheduleWHAT HAPPENED?

After confirming her transfer to West London from the North Carolina Courage, it became a realization that Fox would be reunited with her former college teammate. The Tarheels duo won the 2019 NCAA championship together and were runners-up in 2018.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT FOX POSTED

In 2019, Fox posted a photo of her and teammates – including Russo – on Instagram. Pictured is a 19-year-old version of the England phenom and a 21-year-old USWNT star.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Russo and Fox already having chemistry will be a major boost for the Gunners, but the pure concept of adding the USWNT star is a simple improvement in their defense. A rock-solid defender, Fox will compete for minutes at the fullback position while also offering an attacking presence on the pitch. With Katie McCabe opposite at left fullback, Arsenal could immediately be looked at as having the best fullback duo in the WSL.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR FOX AND ARSENAL

The Gunners are back in action on Sunday against Watford in the FA Cup, before returning on January 20 in WSL action against Everton. Fox could make her debut in either contest, but it's more likely to be the latter.

The fast bowler also said that on a surface that was “flatter than Wellington,” West Indies would have taken having New Zealand seven down at stumps

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2017Although West Indies “didn’t assess the wicket well enough,” they would have taken having New Zealand seven down at stumps, according to fast bowler Shannon Gabriel. New Zealand finished the first day in Hamilton at 286 for 7 after they were put in on a grassy surface.”I think they scored 30 or 40 runs too much, but it was a good day of Test cricket,” Gabriel said. “I think if we told ourselves this morning we’d win the toss and have them seven down by the end of the day’s play, we’d have taken that.”I think judging from what happened in the last game, once we win the toss, you back yourself when it’s bowler-friendly. But I don’t think that was the case on this wicket, I think it was a bit more flat than in Wellington.”West Indies conceded 87 runs in the first session at 3.10 runs per over, and Gabriel allowed 36 of those in six overs. He said West Indies switched tactics at lunch, choosing patience over aggression.Getty Images”After lunch, we decided that we wanted to be patient and luckily things happened for us,” Gabriel said. “When we started this morning we bowled a little too full – myself. It was a bit soggy, the crease. So my landing was skidding along the wicket, and it was a bit difficult to control my line and my length. But when the sun came out the pitch got a bit dry so it was a little bit easier for me.”We told ourselves once we soak up the runs and bowl the ball back into the wicket it was going to be a bit difficult to score runs. Once we build that pressure, we know 90% of the time a wicket is going to come. In cricket, you could be 100 for 1 and you could be 150 all out. We just had to believe in ourselves, as a group we always believe in ourselves.”In conditions that assisted seam more than spin, Gabriel backed stand-in captain Kraigg Brathwaite’s decision to pick Raymon Reifer over legspinner Devendra Bishoo.”Most of the guys started well this morning,” Gabriel said. “Hats off to Raymon, I think he bowled beautifully, his figures didn’t really show how he stuck to his task. The conditions may favour Bishoo a little bit, he’s been our No 1 spinner for the past two years, so it’s a bit difficult leaving him out. But I think the fast bowlers bowled good enough in the last game to warrant a place in this team for this game.”

Alastair Cook carried his bat for 244 not out but England’s hopes of victory were hampered by the weather and some obdurate batting

Report by Brydon Coverdale29-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe weather, it seems, is not England’s friend. At the WACA, they needed final-day rain to keep the series alive; despite a lengthy delay due to leaking covers, there was not enough wetness to prevent an Australian victory. And now at the MCG, England’s push for a consolation win has been hampered by heavy and persistent rain that washed out half of the fourth day’s play. By stumps, Australia still trailed by 61 runs but had eight wickets in hand, with their two best batsmen at the crease.The day started with Alastair Cook becoming the highest scorer ever to carry his bat in Test cricket, before England further strengthened their position by claiming two wickets before lunch. However, Steven Smith and David Warner then steadied Australia with a patient partnership which, along with the weather, loomed as the key to the match. When play was abandoned, with only 44 overs bowled in the day, they had steered Australia steadily to 2 for 103.