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Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid are circling Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, with the German defender’s contract talks at a standstill. Bild reports that Schlotterbeck, whose current deal runs until 2027, has rejected Dortmund’s latest offer and is demanding a wage closer to €14 million per year, a figure the Reds are reportedly ready to offer him next summer.

• Liverpool still remain interested in Schlotterbeck

  Liverpool’s interest in Schlotterbeck has once again reignited headlines, as Bild claims the Premier League side remains firmly in the mix despite Sky Germany's recent dismissal of their involvement. The 25-year-old has reportedly turned down Borussia Dortmund’s opening offer of €8 million plus bonuses, a figure significantly lower than what he feels reflects his value. With Bayern Munich and Real Madrid also keen, Schlotterbeck’s future at Signal Iduna Park is increasingly uncertain as Europe’s elite line up to test Dortmund’s resolve.

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  Dortmund unlikely to be able to offer Schlotterbeck's desired wages

  Dortmund, historically a selling club, have made strides in recent years to keep their key players, but the wage gap remains stark. Even as Die Schwarzgelben look to offer Schlotterbeck an improved deal worth around €10 million annually, competing with Liverpool, Bayern, or Real Madrid, who can all comfortably reach the €14 million mark, is proving a tall order.

  For Dortmund, the issue goes beyond money. The club’s strategy of developing and retaining domestic stars is being tested once more, as Schlotterbeck’s emergence as a cornerstone of Niko Kovac’s defence has made him indispensable. Seen internally as a potential future captain, his leadership and consistency have elevated him to one of the league’s top centre-backs. Losing him would not only create a defensive void but also disrupt the long-term project Dortmund are attempting to build.

  At the same time, Bayern Munich’s looming presence complicates matters further. The German champions have long admired Schlotterbeck, and with Dayot Upamecano’s contract talks stalling due to hefty demands, they are once again exploring alternatives. Real Madrid’s inclusion in the chase adds a continental dimension, with Antonio Rudiger nearing the twilight of his career and Eder Militao still recovering full match sharpness, the Spanish giants see the left-footed German as an ideal long-term successor in their defensive rotation.

• Schlotterbeck's rise sees him in demand next summer

  Schlotterbeck’s reluctance to sign a new contract stems from both sporting ambition and financial reasoning. Having become a fan favourite since joining from Freiburg, he’s now among Dortmund’s most consistent performers. His ability to progress the ball and organise the backline has drawn praise across Europe, with statistics backing his rise as he is one of the Bundesliga’s top defenders in aerial duels won and successful passes under pressure this season.

  Liverpool had initially stepped back from the race, with Sky Sports Germany suggesting the Reds cooled their pursuit despite failing to secure Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi. However, the situation in their defence, following an ACL injury to Giovanni Leoni and uncertainty around Ibrahima Konate’s future, has drawn them back. The Merseyside club, who are struggling this season, reportedly have the financial muscle to meet Schlotterbeck’s €14 million-a-year wage demand if the opportunity aligns with their long-term defensive plans.

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• AFP
  

  Dormund could allow sale in 2026 if contract extension talks halt

  Borussia Dortmund now face a critical juncture in their negotiations. While they are determined not to lose Schlotterbeck in the short term, the growing interest from Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid has shifted the balance of power firmly toward the player. With his contract running until 2027, Dortmund retain leverage in the market, but their options are narrowing — either meet his €14 million expectation or risk seeing him run down his deal.

  Internally, Dortmund’s management remains hopeful of finding a compromise before the winter transfer window opens, but Bild suggests that patience is wearing thin. If no agreement is reached, a summer sale in 2026 could become increasingly likely, especially if one of the European giants puts forth a compelling offer. For now, Schlotterbeck’s camp is said to be biding its time, aware that the next World Cup cycle could further enhance his value.

Fabrizio Romano has shared some transfer news concerning Chelsea this week, as Enzo Maresca’s side take a particularly keen interest in one highly-rated player from an elite European side.

Chelsea make January transfer plans amid weaknesses in key areas

The Blues ended last summer’s window as one of the Premier League’s highest spending teams, but somehow managed to register a profit by selling a plethora of unwanted players.

The Premier League’s biggest summer spenders

Team

Spent

Received

Net Spend

Liverpool

£415,000,000

£187,000,000

£228,000,000

Chelsea

£285,000,000

£288,000,000

-£3,000,000

Arsenal

£255,000,000

£9,000,000

£246,000,000

Newcastle

£250,000,000

£152,000,000

£98,000,000

Man Utd

£216,000,000

£68,000,000

£148,000,000

Nottm Forest

£205,000,000

£107,000,000

£98,000,000

Tottenham

£181,000,000

£36,000,000

£145,000,000

Sunderland

£162,000,000

£44,000,000

£118,000,000

Man City

£152,000,000

£53,000,000

£99,000,000

West Ham

£124,000,000

£55,000,000

£69,000,000

via BBC

Chelsea brought in a host of attacking stars in that time, sealing deals for the likes of Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap and Facundo Buonanotte.

However, despite making attempts to sign a new goalkeeper and star centre-back, Maresca’s side came up short in that regard.

Chelsea held talks to sign AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan, who wanted to join the west Londoners, but couldn’t agree on a price. Meanwhile, defender Dean Huijsen was also subject to an offer from Chelsea, according to reliable media sources, only for Real Madrid to eventually win the race for Bournemouth’s once-coveted starlet.

With Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah unavailable for their vital Premier League clash against Liverpool this weekend, BlueCo’s failure to sign a centre-half in particular is now coming back to haunt them.

Jorrel Hato can play at the heart of defence when required, but is primarily viewed as a left-back to cover Marc Cucurella.

That being said, due to their major shortage of options, Maresca will have little choice but to play the Dutchman alongside Benoit Badiashile against Arne Slot’s side on Saturday.

Chelsea want to address the centre-back problem in January, and it is believed that they’ve reached out for talks with Marc Guehi’s camp this week as they attempt to gauge the feasibility of a cut-price winter deal (Simon Phillips).

Guehi would be the perfect option with his contract expiring at the end of the season, potentially meaning he’s available for a very attainable fee next window, but it remains to be seen whether Oliver Glasner would sanction his exit midway through the campaign with Palace flying high right now.

Chelsea are also ready to go back in for Maignan and sign the Frenchman on a pre-contract in January (Graeme Bailey), so it appears Maresca’s side are very aware of their defensive frailties as they make transfer plans for early 2026.

That isn’t to say they haven’t still got their eyes on further attacking upgrades, though, with Juventus star Kenan Yildiz believed to be attracting real attention from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea "very" interested in signing Kenan Yildiz

The Turkey international was Juve’s star player last season, bagging 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions, and the Old Lady are well aware of growing interest from England.

Yildiz has continued that fine form in a second striker role under Igor Tudor this term, with two goals and four assists in seven games already.

Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel in Italian, says that Chelsea are “very” interested in signing Yildiz, but Juve are planning to negotiate fresh terms and keep him out of Premier League’s clutches.

The 20-year-old fits Chelsea’s recruitment strategy down to the ground as one of Serie A’s rising stars, and they will undoubtedly continue to keep tabs on his exploits.

That being said, Maresca’s far more pressing issue is the gaping holes in his defence, so that should absolutely take priority over a move for Yildiz right now.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will host Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Eden Gardens on April 8, instead of on April 6 as originally scheduled. The game remains an afternoon game, moving from 3.30pm IST on Sunday to Tuesday. The change was made after a request from Kolkata Police, who said their personnel, who would be needed to police the game, would be occupied elsewhere in the city because of a festival.The IPL said in a statement. “The decision follows a request from Kolkata Police to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) regarding the deployment of personnel across the city [on April 6] owing to festivities. The authorities have recommended that the game be moved to Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 3.30pm, and the request has been accommodated accordingly. The rest of the schedule remains unchanged.””I had several rounds of talks with the Kolkata police, and they said they won’t be able to provide enough security on that day [April 6],” Snehasish Ganguly, the CAB president, told earlier this month. “If there’s no police protection, accommodating and managing a 65,000-strong crowd becomes impossible.”LSG host Mumbai Indians on April 4, and their next game after the KKR match is on April 12, again at home against Gujarat Titans. On either side of the LSG game, KKR play Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens on April 3 and Chennai Super Kings on April 11 in Chennai.The IPL and/or BCCI moving a game because police personnel are otherwise occupied is not unprecedented. It happened last season too, in Kolkata, incidentally because of the same festival, Ram Navami.

Arsenal’s Hale End academy has been on a brilliant run of producing top-quality talent over the last few years.

When Mikel Arteta first took over, it was Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe who were the new youngsters taking the first team by storm.

Last season, it was Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly who burst into the senior side, and this year, it looks like Max Dowman is going to be the most talked-about youngster in the league.

However, despite producing numerous elite wingers and midfielders, the club has yet to develop a striker of the same calibre, selling those that have come through the ranks, including one who is now winning comparisons to Alexander Isak.

Arsenal's Hale End strikers

When talking about recent Hale End strikers, it’s impossible to ignore Eddie Nketiah.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

The Englishman joined Arsenal at 14 years old, made his debut for the first team in September 2017, and for a time looked like he was going to be a star for the club.

After all, he was given a new £100,000-per-week contract and the legendary number 14 in the summer of 2022, following his scoring of 10 goals and providing one assist in 27 appearances at the end of the 2021/22 season.

Unfortunately, while he was a useful squad player, that was as much as he was ever going to be at the Emirates, and so when Crystal Palace offered £30m for him last summer, the club couldn’t say no.

While that was an excellent deal for the Gunners, you’d have to say the £4m they got for Mika Biereth in the same window was anything but.

In the second half of last season, the Danish poacher racked up an impressive haul of 14 goals and provided five assists in 25 appearances for Sturm Graz, which was enough to convince AS Monaco to sign him in January for just over £10m.

Since joining the Ligue 1 side, the 22-year-old has scored 13 goals and provided three assists in just 22 appearances, which is precisely the sort of forward Arteta could use in the squad today.

However, perhaps the most regretful sale is of another player plying his trade on the French Riviera, a striker who has been compared to the record-breaking Isak.

The former Arsenal ace compared to Isak

Beyond the pair already mentioned, Arsenal have not sold a great deal of strikers in recent years, so it probably won’t come as a surprise that the player in question is none other than Florian Balogun.

The American international joined the Gunners at the age of eight and worked his way up through the academy, making a name for himself as a prolific number nine.

In fact, he was so prolific that he remains the club’s all-time leading goalscorer for the U21 side with 37 in just 62 games.

However, it wasn’t until his loan move to Stade Reims for the 22/23 season that he began to translate his form at the junior level to the senior game, as in just 39 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit, he scored 22 goals and provided three assists.

Such a rate of return gave Arteta and Co. a decision to make when he returned: play him or sell him? They opted for the latter when Monaco offered to pay a whopping £34m for the then 22-year-old.

It’s been mixed for the New York-born poacher since then, as injuries have been a problem, but he’s still managed to rack up a tally of 21 goal involvements in 50 appearances, totalling just 2829 minutes.

Moreover, FBref has come to the conclusion that Liverpool’s new record-breaking number nine, Isak, has been the sixth most similar forward to the American over the last 365 days, which is quite the flattering comparison.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.82

0.70

Shots on Target

1.46

1.34

Goals per Shot on Target

0.40

0.46

Live Passes

17.4

19.8

Tackles Won

0.15

0.16

Carries

21.0

20.1

We can get a better understanding of how this conclusion was reached by looking at some of the underlying numbers that the pair rank closely in.

These include metrics such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots on target, goals shot on target, carries, live passes and more.

These statistics suggest that, with the right coaching and the right system, the “special” Hale End gem, as dubbed by Arteta, could potentially perform similarly to the Swedish marksman, at least in terms of his ability to carry the ball and get into dangerous areas.

Ultimately, given the money they were offered at the time, Arsenal probably did the right thing selling Balogun, but we can’t help wondering how he would have fared had Arteta opted to keep him.

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Whilst Manchester United’s summer clear-out has taken time to get going, reports are now indicating that they’re finally set to sell one of their unwanted stars this month.

Latest Man Utd exit news

The Red Devils have enjoyed a solid summer on the incomings front, but the same can’t be said for their business going the other way. As things stand, they are yet to outright sell a single player despite all their efforts and despite coming off the back of their worst-ever Premier League season. Several players have found themselves on Ruben Amorim’s unwanted list, but INEOS have so far failed to shift all of those.

It’s a list that includes Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho, who desperately need moves this month. Whilst reports have remained positive regarding a deal for Chelsea to sign Garnacho, showing Sancho the door has proved to be a far more complicated task than expected.

Amorim has had his own say on Manchester United’s unwanted players, telling reporters: “I think again, I know that it is not a good thing to have players in this situation, but it’s clear they want to play in a different club, and that is clear.

“So we try to arrange everything for both parts to be happy, so I have to try to imagine to have the training with the guys that I think are going to be the future and the other guys are training and preparing for the next chapter.”

A bigger impact than Sesko: Man Utd holding talks for "special" £51m talent

Manchester United remain active in the transfer market as the end of the month looms large.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Aug 23, 2025

With that said, although it remains to be seen whether Sancho lowers his demands to secure an AS Roma move, there is at least some positive news regarding another likely exit at Old Trafford.

Napoli now "advancing" Rasmus Hojlund deal

According to Fabrizio Romano, Napoli are now “advancing” talks to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United this month after holding positive talks with the Danish forward. United have reportedly been informed about the talks and are ready to get a deal over the line if an agreement is reached between Hojlund and the Italian giants.

Despite reports suggesting that Hojlund wants to stay put at Manchester United, the arrival of Benjamin Sesko has ultimately cost him his place in Amorim’s side and a sale has, therefore, always seemed likely.

After arriving under Erik ten Hag for an eye-watering £72m in 2023, Hojlund will undoubtedly go down as an Old Trafford flop, with just 26 goals in 96 games very much highlighting his struggles.

With Aaron Ramsdale set to hand Newcastle United a much-needed upgrade between the sticks, PIF have now reportedly set their sights on another key defensive addition.

Newcastle ramping up business with Ramsdale deal in place

He may not be James Trafford, but Ramsdale is an England international who has played at the highest level at Arsenal and has a wealth of experience all throughout the Premier League. Set to welcome the Southampton star on loan with an option to buy, those at St James’ Park are about to get their first deal over the line since Anthony Elanga in what has been a transfer window full of frustration.

Having worked together during their time at Bournemouth, Eddie Howe will be well aware of the talent that Ramsdale has to offer his Newcastle side. It’s worth noting that it wasn’t so long ago that the England international was Arsenal’s first-choice in the middle of a title race against Manchester City. That’s the level he’s capable of and that’s the level he could offer Newcastle in the coming campaign.

But even Newcastle will admit that their spending simply cannot end there. Putting their potential Alexander Isak problem to one side for the moment, the Magpies still need another central defender this summer.

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It doesn’t look as though Marc Guehi will be the man to solve that problem, either. Despite eyeing his arrival since last year, Newcastle could once again lose out on a key target to a Liverpool side who are enjoying an almighty spending spree.

If that does prove to be the case, however, then PIF could move to sign an impressive alternative to the Crystal Palace man.

PIF now eyeing Piero Hincapie move

According to reports in Spain, PIF are now eyeing a move to sign Piero Hincapie if they fail to sign Guehi for Newcastle this summer. The Bayer Leverkusen defender is reportedly valued at just €40m (£35m), which is cheaper than the £45m that Crystal Palace are reportedly demanding to sell their own star defender in the next month.

At just 23 years old, there’s a valid argument that Hincapie would provide Newcastle with a better reinforcement than Guehi. The Leverkusen man boasts Champions League experience over the England star and even has an invincible Bundesliga title win to his name.

A “great player” and “aggressive” defender, according to former Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, Hincapie could prove to be quite the coup for Newcastle if they push on and secure his signature this summer.

Angel Di Maria showed that form is temporary and class is permanent with a remarkable Olimpico goal for Rosario Central against Boca Juniors. The 37-year-old stunned fans at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito after scoring directly from a corner kick at the weekend.

Di Maria scores one of his best ever goals

The former Real Madrid star rolled back the years on Sunday when he scored a rare Olimpico in his team's 1-1 draw with Boca Juniors. And quite rightly, the ex-Argentina international and his Rosario team-mates went wild over his moment of magic.

AdvertisementWatch Di Maria's OlimpicoDi Maria still going strong at 37

Despite entering his late 30s, former Manchester United man Di Maria is still showing he has something to give to the game of football. The ex-Paris Saint-Germain attacker scored 36 goals in 92 games in his second stint at Benfica and after leaving the Portuguese giants this summer, he has started brightly at Rosario – scoring three goals in four games. And goals like these show his quality is still there.

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Getty Images SportWhat next for Di Maria and Rosario Central?

Di Maria's side, who sit sixth in Group B of the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division, are back in league action on Sunday when they host Talleres Cordoba. Realistically, they need to win that game against the second-from-bottom side if they want to progress to the next stage of the competition.

Chelsea have been on a tear this summer.

Enzo Maresca’s side stunned plenty of fans and pundits alike on the pitch by adding a Club World Cup title to their Conference League title and have been just as active off of it.

For example, the board have been able to shift a number of players they no longer wanted, like Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga, while also bringing in several who could seriously improve the squad, like Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens.

However, they aren’t done there, as they’ve been heavily linked with the mercurial Xavi Simons, and now it would appear as if they are closing in on another player who’d be a dream teammate for the Dutchman.

Chelsea target dream teammate for Simons

While Chelsea continue to be linked with a host of players this summer, one of the more prominent over the last week or so has been Simons.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Reports from earlier today even claimed that the Blues are actually closing in on a deal for the RB Leipzig ace, which could see him move for around £52m.

While that is no small sum of money, it does feel like fair value for a 22-year-old star who racked up 11 goals and eight assists in just 33 appearances last season.

Interestingly, in addition to signing the Amsterdam-born star, the West Londoners now also seem intent on bringing another player to the club who’d be a dream teammate for him.

At least that is according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, who has reaffirmed that Chelsea are incredibly interested in Jorrel Hato, suggesting that he is ‘ready to accept personal terms’.

More than that, the Italian journalist has revealed that the Blues are in talks with Ajax and view the defender, who is keen on the move, as their “next top priority.”

Romano makes no mention of the fee required to sign the player, but stories from earlier this month claim it could be around £60m, and while that is a lot, it might be worth paying, especially as Hato could be a perfect teammate for Simons.

Why Hato would be a dream teammate for Simons

So, one of Simons considerable strengths is that he’s comfortable playing in the middle of the park as a ten, or out wide as a winger – and sometimes up top – so when it comes to forming a partnership with full-back, it would be incredibly beneficial if they could overlap and come inside depending on what is needed in that moment.

Fortunately, Hato is such an intelligent and gifted footballer that he can do just that.

While he prefers to come inside and invert, at least that’s what he does more often at Ajax; you can see his ability to overlap in his heat map from last season.

This ability to fulfil both roles without much bother will do two things.

Firstly, it will mean he can avoid getting in Simon’s way, depending on where he is on the pitch.

Secondly, it could also see him get more game time due to his adaptability, which in turn will allow him to develop a more effective partnership with the Leipzig star.

Away from their position, the reason they’d be great teammates at Chelsea is that the “exceptional” talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is also a part of the Dutch national team.

Therefore, they’ll have even more time than most to get a proper understanding of one another’s game.

Finally, while the 19-year-old wonderkid’s primary role will be to defend, he’s also shown an ability to create chances for his team, as in 33 league appearances last season, he racked up six assists to go with his two goals, which suggests he could provide a decent number of chances for the former PSV Eindhoven star to score.

Appearances

31

Starts

30

Minutes

2592′

Goals

2

Assists

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.25

Minutes per Goal Involvement

324′

Points per Game

2.23

Ultimately, Simons looks like he’ll be a brilliant signing for Chelsea, but if the Conference League champions want to get even more out of him next season, signing Hato as well would be a good place to start.

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Will Celtic sign another Premier League superstar?

Kieran Tierney has already returned to Parkhead this summer, following in the footsteps of manager Brendan Rodgers and Jota, who’ve also both re-joined the club in recent times.

Now, could another boyhood Celtic fan fulfil his dreams of wearing the famous green and white hoops?

Celtic targeting another statement signing

According to a report by TEAMtalk, Celtic are ‘interested’ in signing Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson, while admitting that ‘financial constraints’ would prove to be a stumbling block.

The Scotland captain is widely expected to depart Merseyside this summer, with David Ornstein and Mario Cortegana of the Athletic documenting Atlético Madrid’s interest, given that the Reds are targeting Bournemouth’s Miloš Kerkez, who they view as an upgrade.

Robertson, who was in Celtic’s academy between the ages of nine and 15, has always been open about his desire to represent the Hoops one day, admitting that “Celtic was my life” growing up, adding that he’d “love to pull on the Celtic top and walk out at Parkhead” one day.

So, could this move really come to fruition this summer?

How Andy Robertson compares to Kieran Tierney

It is all change in terms of Celtic left-backs this summer.

Greg Taylor is highly likely to depart following the expiration of his contract. PAOK are the latest European club interested in securing his services, while it’s not yet clear if Jeffrey Schlupp will be staying, following a brief loan spell.

Meantime, Tierney has of course returned but, as has been an interminable debate surrounding the national team for nigh on a decade, is he better than Robertson?

Let’s attempt to find out.

Appearances

20

45

Minutes

447

3,320

Pass completion %

79.8%

83.0%

Interceptions

0.2

0.6

Tackles

0.5

1.2

Clearances

0.7

1.3

Ball recoveries

2.2

3.8

Ground duel success %

71%

50%

Touches

72.5

76.9

First things first, due to injuries and the fact he was not first-choice at Arsenal, Tierney played fewer than 500 minutes of club football this season, which does offer a very small sample size.

That caveat aside, Robertson’s per-90 statistics are still pretty much more impressive across the board.

When he was still Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp described Robertson as a “world-class left-back”, while José Enrique, a former incumbent of the Reds’ full-back spot, asserts that he has been “the best left-back in the world” for many years.

Now though, James Pearce and Mark Carey of the Athletic outline that the Scotland captain’s form ‘has come under intense scrutiny’ this season, while also asserting that he is far from ‘finished at the highest level’.

Robertson still ranked 17th in the Premier League this season for crosses into the penalty area, as well as 11th for crosses overall, according to FBref.com, an attribute that has been viewed as his superpower for many years.

Gillian Kasirye of Total Football Analysis claims that Robertson is ‘passed their peak’, but still has a lot to offer at the elite level, so could he really be tempted to make a move to Glasgow this summer?

Celtic may make shock bid to re-sign £10m star who Rodgers called "sublime"

Hoops supporters could absolutely love this.

1 ByHenry Jackson Jun 17, 2025

Invincibles beaten on home patch after collapsing in chase of 146

ECB Media02-Aug-2024

Nicholas Pooran’s unbeaten 65 off 41 gave Superchargers the edge•ECB via Getty Images

Nicholas Pooran was at it again, making his second big-hitting half-century in a row to secure back-to-back victories for Andrew Flintoff’s Northern Superchargers in the Hundred.In front of 24,160 expectant fans at the Kia Oval, Pooran ensured the theme of the day was Superchargers teams crashing the party – and clearing the boundary – after the women’s team won in an equally comprehensive manner earlier in the day.The two wins signalled the end of both Oval Invincibles sides’ 100% records, and left both men’s and women’s competitions wide open.Pooran’s 65 came from just 41 balls, with four mammoth sixes, and navigated a difficult start for his side to see Superchargers to 145 from their 100 balls. Pooran found it easier than most to find or clear the boundary, but Ollie Robinson’s 20 from 10 added some late impetus and gave the visitors a competitive total at the break.The Superchargers bowlers never let Invincibles get away in their chase, with Jordan Clark, Dillon Pennington and Matthew Potts all miserly up top. They received good support from their team-mates in the field, with Adam Hose and Mitchell Santner himself taking tidy catches in the deep.Santner was one of a trio of spinners, alongside Adil Rashid and Matt Short, who backed up the good work their seamers had started to give Invincibles nowhere to go in the middle of their innings.As the home team’s hopes began to fade, there was still time for Donovan Ferreira to pepper the spectators with five sixes in a 24-ball 49. The South African’s enterprising and entertaining knock briefly threatened to turn the game on its head before he was dismissed by Potts, but his was a lone hand – the only player to pass 20 in a chase that never really got into sixth gear.Meerkat Match Hero Pooran said: “For me it’s about being consistent with my mindset, and playing the situation of the game. In the past I’ve been in similar situations and just got out, but today I just felt like I had to respect the situation and just be there at the end.”Oval Invincibles bowled really well with the new ball; Spencer Johnson bowled really well. For me it was all about being there. As the innings prolonged for me, it felt like it got better, but in saying that it felt like if we could get anything over 130 then it was game on. And I just felt like we could only get there if we constructed the partnership or if I could stay till the end.”It’s brilliant. Getting back to back wins in a format like this is really important. Coming outside of our home venue too, coming here to the defending champions and getting a win is really important for us to continue growing as a group as well. We’re heading back to Headingley on Sunday and hopefully we can continue ticking the boxes and getting the right result.”