Left-arm quick Spencer Johnson is likely to be out of action until early next year

Andrew McGlashan02-Sep-2025Marcus Stoinis has a chance to push his claims for a place in the T20 World Cup after earning a recall for the three-match series against New Zealand, but Spencer Johnson’s prospects of emerging as a replacement for Mitchell Starc appear slim with the quick bowler unlikely to be fit until early next year.Stoinis came to an agreement with the selectors to miss the recent series against West Indies and South Africa in order to feature in the Hundred, but remains in the frame for the World Cup. He comes back into a squad that will be without Cameron Green, who instead will play in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield as he progresses towards a bowling return.Nathan Ellis, who has become a fulcrum of the T20I pace attack, will also miss the New Zealand trip with wife Connie expecting their first child. Although Ellis is a very different type of bowler to Starc, he is now set to be a certain starter at the World Cup following the latter’s T20I retirement.Related

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Stoinis will likely be vying for a middle-order finishing role if he is to make the World Cup squad, although his medium pace also provides a handy option and has been used with the new ball.Starc is a major name who definitely won’t be at the tournament. Johnson, another left-arm quick, had been earmarked as a successor particularly in white-ball cricket – he has taken 14 wickets in eight T20Is – but a back injury sustained at the IPL will keep him sidelined for the rest of the year. Johnson was initially named in the squad for the West Indies in late July before being withdrawn.”The latest update for Spencer is that it’ll be sometime in the new year that he’ll start to come back online again,” chair of selectors George Bailey said. “What that looks like and at what point, I don’t think there’s anything definitive on that, still hoping that he can have an impact both domestically and potentially internationally towards the back end of the year.”Matthew Short is back from injury for the New Zealand tour in what shapes as an important series for him to find a spot in a power-packed batting line-up after having missed the West Indies and South Africa series with a side strain.The three matches in New Zealand take place across four days on October 1, 3 and 4. Australia will play a further five T20Is against India at home which will be their last series before selecting the World Cup squad, although the BBL may provide a late opportunity for fringe players to stake a claim. Australia are set to prepare for the tournament with three matches in Pakistan in early February.

Australia T20I squad vs New Zealand

Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

NZ have lost all their last 15 completed ODIs against Australia, but captain Devine believes this stat doesn’t matter in a World Cup

Vishal Dikshit30-Sep-20253:02

Devine: ‘The wicket looks incredibly flat’

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine started her media assignments for the 2025 World Cup just like how she wants her side to play their opening game against Australia on Wednesday: with a hiss and a roar.She waltzed into the press conference room donning a White Ferns jumper in the freezing air-conditioned room. She had brought some warmth with her, it would seem. Except when she started to face some hard-hitting questions.”You haven’t beaten Australia in eight years,” she was coldly reminded straightaway of their record against the reigning champions. New Zealand have lost all their last 15 completed ODIs against Australia.Related

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“Thanks for that stat,” she retorted before quashing away such historical records. “I think it’s a great opportunity. Those stats are there and we’re aware of them, but at World Cups, it doesn’t matter. I think records and previous results go out the window for us. It’s a really exciting opportunity to take on the reigning one-day champions first up. We love any opportunity that we get to play against Australia. It’s sort of like our big sister. We’re really excited about that. And come game day, both teams start on zero. So, again, really excited for the opportunity.”Another journalist then asked something that stumped her again. “How does it feel to come out of retirement to lead your country again?” (She hadn’t, she is retire from ODIs after this World Cup).As if Devine knew that was coming, she shot back saying, “I haven’t retired. I haven’t retired,” she repeated to sear it into his memory. “Are you saying I need to retire? Is that what you’re saying? That’s okay. It’s okay.”Devine meant it all in jest though and normalcy soon resumed even when she was asked about the weaknesses in New Zealand’s middle order, which she didn’t quite agree with.Sophie Devine wants New Zealand to play ‘strong and aggressive’ at the World Cup•AFP/Getty Images

“…The middle order has been going considerably well,” she said. “Maddy Green, Izzy Gaze both scoring hundreds [in the warm-ups]. I know you’re probably talking about official one-day matches, but for us, we’ve built really nicely. We haven’t played a lot of cricket, especially one-day format, over the last six-nine months, but it’s certainly something that we’re aware of. We know that in this competition, especially on some of the wickets that we’re going to face over here in India, that run-scoring is going to be incredibly important. It’s up to everyone.”We can’t just rely on the top four, we need the middle order. There’s going to be crucial runs scored by the lower order as well at some stage during this tournament. I think if you look to the India-Australia series just before this, 400 nearly wasn’t enough. I think it’s really exciting. As batters, we certainly know that we want to take ownership and responsibility of being the ones that do the bulk of the work. We’re really excited to be able to play on wickets like this, which I think are really conducive for scoring runs.”New Zealand have the most unenviable task in this World Cup: starting their campaign against seven-time champions Australia. But even a win over them would not count for more than two points because each team plays seven league games and will need a consistent run of victories to make the semi-finals in the eight-team tournament.”I don’t think we can necessarily focus on one game,” she said about the clash on Wednesday. “I think for us, every match is going to be incredibly important. Absolutely, we want to start this tournament with a real hiss and a roar and make sure that we come out really strong and aggressive. And the fact that it’s Australia that we play first, I think for us, what we keep going back to is making sure that we play our style of cricket. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against.2:02

McGrath on playing NZ: ‘We know each other’s game really well’

“Absolutely, everyone wants to win their first game, but there’s still a lot of cricket. It’s over a month of cricket to be played. For us, our focus is on making sure that we can execute to our skills for long periods of time. Absolutely. We want to beat these Aussies first up and get some points on the board, but it’s probably more important for us on how we play that game.”If New Zealand look at their trans-Tasman rivals as their “big sister,” their opponents also look at it as a not-so-intense rivalry.”We’ve got a really nice rivalry with New Zealand. We call it the friendly rivalry,” Australia vice-captain Tahlia McGrath said. “We’ve played each other a lot over the last 12 months and sort of know each other’s game really well through franchise cricket as well. And we just finished our prep meeting and think we match up really nicely. So we go ahead into this clash really, really confident and really excited.”McGrath agreed with Devine in saying that such records of a 15-0 streak in ODIs between the two teams became “irrelevant” in World Cups where the pressure is different and every game becomes “crucial.”But there’s no denying that the team that ends up winning by the end of Wednesday night will have its job of making it to the last four much easier.

Australia find themselves in a familiar position: 1-0 up for the fourth home Ashes series in a row

Andrew Miller03-Dec-20252:29

Miller: England must back their approach to win second Test

Big picture: A big day three beckons for the Ashes

From two days of Ashes insanity, to two weeks of Ashes inanity. Rarely has the dead time between Tests felt so rich in promise, yet filled with pointlessness, as in this past fortnight. From that hyperactive 19-wicket opening gambit in Perth and the shock and awe of Travis Head’s romp to victory, we’ve since been pitched headlong into a waffle-filled void, fuelled by an Ashes hype-machine that had been in overdrive from the start of November, but has since been in desperate need of red-hot takes to slake its thirst for narrative.In the absence of actual action, we’ve had talk of beer matches and food mountains from the peeved executives at the Optus; we’ve had pontification about the value of pink-ball practice matches from a cast of ex-Ashes combatants (whom Ben Stokes is now adamant are not “has-beens” after all). And in Brisbane this week, we’ve even had talk of potential fines for England’s scooter-based traffic violations. Thursday’s resumption of hostilities under the Gabba floodlights will surely be sweet release for two sets of players who have heard enough yakking, and will now be ready to get back to some hard yakka.What have we learned in this impatient lull? Not a whole lot, if truth be told. In spite of the speed of their meltdown, England still competed more gamely in Perth than in any Test in Australia since their victorious tour in 2010-11. If they get the better of the conditions in what Stuart Broad has described as a pink-ball “lottery”, they could yet restore the optimism with which they launched this campaign. If they do not, or if they bat as frivolously as they did in that crucial post-lunch passage of play on day two, a third 5-0 whitewash in six tours could already be loading. Choose your path, there’ll be plenty opportunities to retro-fit your narrative come the end of the Sydney Test.Related

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For the time being, it’s a chastened (if not reformed) England that has regrouped at the Gabba. This Ashes tour has been front and centre of their planning for three-and-a-half years, right from the inception of the so-called Bazball project, and they’ll know – notwithstanding their fightback from 2-0 down in 2023 – that they cannot afford another false start. There was nervous energy in spades in Perth, and while that translated wonderfully well into a kinetic frenzy with the ball in the first innings, even the most pigheaded advocate of England’s no-consequences mindset would acknowledge that the loss of 20 wickets in less than 70 overs was a dereliction of batting duty.As for Australia, they were scarcely any less shocked by what they witnessed in Perth – although the sight of Head launching Jofra Archer for a back-foot six over long-on might have been a key contributor to that. Amid the chaos caused by Usman Khawaja’s back spasm, and the unsatisfactory compromise that forced Marnus Labuschagne to open in the first innings, Head’s subsequent promotion proved a masterstroke. It met England’s go-getting attack head-on, and challenged them in the same manner that Yashasvi Jaiswal had done in his own six-laden onslaughts in India two years ago. If Bazball is all in the mind, then Head was in England’s heads by the end of that innings, rather than vice versa.England’s chosen route back to parity has already taken an interesting turn. Mark Wood reported soreness in his knee after a wicketless display in Perth and is out of the reckoning – who knows for how long, although his fitness for flatter decks to come (particularly in Adelaide) could yet be as much of a priority as the here-and-now. But into his place comes not another seamer, nor the primary spinner Shoaib Bashir (who had been England’s designated 12th man in the first Test), but the each-way-bet option of Will Jacks, a selection that smacks, ever so slightly, of a team second-guessing themselves.Travis Head hit 123 off 83 in the second innings of the first Test•Getty Images

It’s an interesting predicament that leans into the vacuousness of the discourse since Perth. So much of England’s mindset-led approach has been about blocking out the noise and doubling down on positive reaffirmation from within the dressing-room walls – the logic being that, if you believe that the team has your back no matter what, then you already own your half of the mental battle.But never before has this England team encountered noise quite like this – a 24/7 media bombardment that will surely have seeped into their subconscious decision-making, even if they are overtly still as bold as brass. Batting more sensibly at key moments, for instance, may be a pre-requisite for this Ashes fightback, but if that comes at the expense of bravery, then what will that do for their over-arching ethos? Scott Boland’s decisive burst in the second innings at Perth was arguably a case in point, after he’d been taken at more than six an over in the first, while Stokes has already admitted his captaincy was found wanting when Head started teeing off in the run-chase. It’s hard to imagine, for instance, that he’ll dare to declare after 60 overs to get bowling in the twilight, as was the case when England won their most recent pink-ball Test in Mount Maunganui two years ago.Australia, meanwhile, are in a happy and familiar position in this series: 1-0 up, for the fourth home Ashes in a row, and heading into a format in which their record is unparalleled, both in terms of volume of matches and victories secured. But, thanks in no small part to England tripping over their own feet when well set, they know they were spared a deeply uncomfortable denouement in that first Test. The onus is on the visitors to finish the inquisition they started, before it’s too late for beg for third chances.

Form guide

Australia: WWWWL
England: LLDWL

In the spotlight: Mitchell Starc and Joe Root

The story hasn’t changed for Mitchell Starc, but the expectations have been ramped up an extra notch. At Perth, he was the last man standing of the greatest pace trio of the modern era, and he responded supremely, with a career-best 7 for 58 and ten wickets in the match. Now, he’s been asked to do so again, in a form of the game in which he is simply without equal. His 81 wickets in day-night Tests include a startling haul of 6 for 9 in his most recent outing, as West Indies were routed for 27 in Kingston in July. If he makes the pink ball talk as loudly as it can do under the Gabba floodlights, there’ll be plenty more where that came from. Starc has a chance to put the Ashes beyond realistic reach, before Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have even bowled a ball in anger.Mitchell Starc dismissed Joe Root in both innings in Perth•Getty Images

There’s no ducking the issue for Joe Root any more. If his team are to turn their fortunes around in this series, then England’s greatest run-scorer desperately needs to come to the party. Notwithstanding Zak Crawley’s pair, Root’s performance in Perth was arguably the most culpable among many failures in that first Test, in particular his skittish second-innings drive that capped England’s post-lunch collapse. His scores of 0 and 8 did little to dial down the pre-series chat about his modest record in Australia, and were perhaps an indication of the very real nerves he felt coming into a legacy-defining campaign. Now, however, he needs his vast experience to steer his team’s agenda. Of all the ways that England might have envisaged losing in Australia, Root going missing was not among them.

Team news: Jacks in, Khawaja out

Usman Khawaja’s failure to recover from a back spasm has arguably spared Australia an awkward decision, seeing as his inability to open at Perth was what enabled Travis Head to stride up to the top of the order and turn the first Test on its head. Head now seems likely to retain his role alongside Jake Weatherald, with Josh Inglis looking set to slot into the gap in the middle order: his prowess against short-pitched bowling might be the clincher, with Beau Webster again unlucky to miss out. There’s still no absolute clarity on Pat Cummins, who remains with Australia’s squad and even batted in the nets on Tuesday, but he is not officially part of their squad for this Test as he continues his return from a back injury.Australia (probable): 1 Jake Weatherald, 2 Travis Head, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Nathan Lyon, 10 Scott Boland, 11 Brendan Doggett.Will Jacks is back in England’s Test team after three years away•AFP/Getty Images

With Wood ruled out due to a knee issue, Jacks is the surprise inclusion in England’s XI. He comes into the side as England’s frontline spin option, ahead of Bashir, whose consistent selection over the past two years had seemingly been with a view to him playing a central role in this Ashes campaign. Instead, England have opted for the insurance that Jacks’ significantly better batting provides at No. 8, while hoping that his offspin can front up for England as it did on debut at Rawalpindi, three years ago to the week, when his six first-innings wickets proved crucial to a famous win over Pakistan. In part, it is a reflection of the “lottery” of the pink-ball Test – and given Jacks’ ongoing rebirth as a No. 7 in the ODI team, he could yet play some hybrid “finisher” role in a typically fast-paced innings – but it is a rare case of England hedging their bets in the Bazball era, rather than going all-in on a preferred strategy.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Will Jacks, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Gus Atkinson, 11 Jofra Archer.

Pitch and conditions

Curator Dave Sandurski said on Tuesday that he would leave 3mm of grass on the pitch, and the familiar green tinge may fade away under the Queensland sun. Despite some spicy practice pitches in the Gabba nets, there is a suggestion this track could be on the slow side, and with the current batch of Kookaburra balls reportedly going soft quickly, that could spell hard times for fielding sides if either team can keep wickets in hand heading into 50-60 overs. That said, England couldn’t bat beyond 35 on either occasion at Perth. New-ball swing, under the floodlights, is sure to be a feature at some stage of the contest.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won 13 and lost one of their 14 pink-ball Tests to date.
• All but one of these (their most recent, against West Indies in July) came on home soil, including each of their three wins against England in the Ashes, at Adelaide (in 2017-18 and 2021-22) and Hobart (2021-22).
• However, their solitary defeat in a day/night Test came at the Gabba, against West Indies in January 2024.
• England, by contrast, have lost five of their seven pink-ball Tests to date, although they did win their most recent, against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui in February 2023.
• Starc, with 81 wickets at 17.08 in 14 Tests, has almost twice as many pink-ball wickets as the next most prolific bowlers, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon (both 43 at 17.34 and 25.62 respectively), and nine times as many as the most experienced bowlers in England’s squad, Mark Wood and Joe Root (nine each).
• Starc needs three more wickets to overtake Wasim Akram as the most prolific left-arm fast bowler in Test history.

Quotes

“They’ve said for a while they’re not going to really change the way they go about their business. I don’t expect too much different.”
“Many teams have gone to the Gabba and lost to Australia, but this is a brand new outfit. Lots of guys are on their first Ashes tours, so this is going to be a new experience for them… It doesn’t hold too much fear.”

The Athletic’s Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin has tweeted some thoughts following the 2-2 draw against Livingston.

Neil Lennon’s men showed grit to come from behind to snatch a point in stoppage time, as Tom Rogic struck in the 90th minute to preserve the Hoops’ unbeaten start to 2020 in domestic competition.

Tweeting after full-time, Devlin felt that it was “probably a fair result” for the reigning Scottish champions, but expressed concern over the fact that it was the “second time in six days” that Celtic have failed to impose themselves on “limited but very well-drilled” opposition.

In addition to those thoughts, The Athletic journalist also stated that he felt Jeremie Frimpong improved things for the Hoops after stepping off the bench.

The 19-year-old entered the fray in the 62nd minute – replacing Greg Taylor with Livingston leading 2-1 – and helped Celtic prevent their opponents from scoring any more goals while also being present on the pitch for Rogic’s equaliser.

You can see what Devlin tweeted about the former Manchester City man – who is rated at £1.35m on Transfermarkt – below:

In other news, these Celtic fans have responded to a “pathetic” and “stupid” moment involving Neil Lennon…

Newcastle United and the loyal St. James’ following simply don’t possess the smoothest record when it comes to signing strikers in the Premier League. On the contrary, most deals set up in the forward department on Tyneside invariably end in less than perfect circumstances for the Magpies, desperately trying to return the good times back to the North East.

From previously ill-fated forays into the often trepidatious transfer market, including both largely forgotten figures of Albert Luque and Xisco, to several more recent striking failures at St. James’ Park, such as Emanuel Riviere and Facundo Ferreya to name but a few – Steve McClaren’s new side ultimately haven’t had a great deal of success amongst their forward options, arguably since the day Alan Shearer retired at the club.

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So then, in splashing out close to £12.5 million on 20-year-old Serbian striking sensation, Aleksandar Mitrovic, this summer, Newcastle United have seemingly carried out yet another massive gamble ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The former Anderlecht man has already picked up two yellow card cautions and one ridiculous sending off so far this season without scoring a goal, despite only possessing a grand total of four Premier League appearances to his name.

In light of such somewhat characteristic madness on Tyneside this term, the rest of the English top-flight are seemingly left to ask one question, and one question only – will the signing of Aleksandar Mitrovic eventually work out for the Magpies this season, or has Steve McClaren ultimately sourced a madman in the fiery Serb?

Well, for anyone who has watched Newcastle’s latest addition to their striking department do his thing in the early stages of the 2015/16 campaign, the answer to such a question remains somewhat obvious…

Yes, Mitrovic looks like he could well turn into the Premier League’s latest madman, and a pretty entertaining one at that. Whether it be through is inability to keep out of the referees note-book for the duration of the 90 minutes, seeming lack of control in the tackle and somewhat unusual approach without the ball at his feet, or simply because his collection of multi-coloured hair-styles have certainly painted out an unusual reputation for him in the past – Aleksandar Mitrovic could turn out to be a real character of the modern era.

Whilst the Serbian’s unpredictable nature and maverick qualities could admittedly prove the source of much frustration down at St. James’ this term, perhaps Mitrovic is actually just the kind of player Steve McClaren requires going into the new campaign. Newcastle lacked any form of cutting edge under the ill-fated reign of John Carver last season – yet with a striker as hungry and as desperate to make a name for himself as the former Anderlecht hit-man – the Tyneside faithful could potentially be witnessing some improved fortunes in front of goal in 2015/16.

Mitrovic undoubtedly brings with him a solid goal-rate to the Premier League, even if the Belgian Pro League isn’t quite the best test for players looking to make that all-important step up to the English top-flight. Nevertheless, McClaren’s side simply need more goals to fly in if they are to be successful this campaign, and that is something Mitrovic at least has the potential of delivering sooner rather than later.

However, whilst the young Serbian’s credentials out on the pitch certainly remain promising for Newcastle at this stage in the game, was there really no other striker out there offering a more stable package than Aleksandar Mitrovic? £12.5 million is a fair investment for a player of only 20-years-old after all, especially someone with distinctly clear anger issues that need to be seen to before it’s too late.

It seems as if Newcastle have potentially signed the Premier League’s next Mario Balotelli, which will likely succeed in dramatic style, or flop rather characteristically on Tyneside along with many of the club’s other gambles in the striking department. At this stage however, it’s certainly fair to say that Aleksandar Mitrovic hasn’t won himself many fans among the Premier League’s wider following as of yet.

He currently looks like a clueless headless-chicken clumsily ploughing himself into challenges without much thought of the consequences. Yes, he has remained a threat in front of goal partially this term, but so far the results have ultimately been less than convincing for the player himself, as well as the club as a whole.

In any case, the St. James’ faithful certainly seem to have found themselves an excitinng character at the very least – it’s just that the jury currently remains out in regards to how well Aleksandar Mitrovic will actually do in his first season in the Premier League. Time will simply have to tell…

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As the madness of deadline day rumbled on, one man who had his feet up watching daytime TV was Manuel Pellegrini.

He had all his business concluded before the deadline in serene fashion. No hiccups, no missed targets and quite simply amassed a couple of quality signings. Quality signings which could very easily propel City to the title again this season.

Raheem Sterling cost City a lot of money, but even that was massively eclipsed yesterday by the Manchester United madness that brought Anthony Martial to England for a reported €80m. More expensive than Zidane, read the front page of French sports newspaper L’Equipe – more expensive than any teenager ever, and more expensive than most transfers ever, too. If the Sterling money was crazy, at least he’s a proven Premier League player and an established international.

The ‘Sterling Silva’ partnership has been right on the money so far. City have scored ten goals and conceded none. They have both the best defensive and offensive records in the league. Sterling has his first goal, Aguero is looking dangerous, and Jesus Navas has been playing on the wing!

So imagine what happens now that Kevin De Bruyne comes into the side to take Navas’s place. City’s front four is frightening. Never before has the Premier League seen such overwhelming artillery. Manchester City have come up with something very novel indeed.

Not only is it the front four I’ve mentioned, but add the options from the bench, the strength in depth. Nasri is still at the club, and like all players of pedigree, he’ll be hurting at losing his place. When he gets a chance to play, he’ll be desperate to take it. What’s more, the fact he’s still there means that Silva can take a rest from time to time. Nasri is a quality replacement for him if needed. When City lose Silva, they lose a lot of creativity. A Samir Nasri with a point to prove can at least replace some of that.

Then there’s Jesus Navas. He’s pure pace, but not much else. There are defences out there who are vulnerable to that sort of pace. Rather than play with the silkier Silva and De Bruyne, playing only one of those players in the middle with Navas and Sterling on either side will bring devastating speed to City’s attack, and make them lethal on the counter.

Last but not least, City have options in the very front line too. Sergio Aguero will start as many games as possible this season, but sometimes Aguero will not be able to make the impact necessary to break teams down. Pellegrini has proven Premier League goalscorer and all-round attacking handful Wilfried Bony to call upon if the Aguero approach isn’t working.

All the while, Yaya Toure is supporting from deep with Fernandinho playing a box to box role – and popping up with a few goals already this season, lashed right into the back of the net.

De Bruyne isn’t a needless signing from Pellegrini. He’s someone who compliments the team he has already. Thankfully David Silva will no longer rot on the wing of a 442, if he does play wide, he can cut inside more effectively if he doesn’t have two strikers in his way, but it looks like he’ll have the central role of a 4231. Which leaves Sterling on one wing and De Bruyne on the other. One side is pace, the other is class, and the whole thing is explosive and lethal.

But like all good teams, they seem to have more than just the ability to win games. Thanks to their blistering start and the fact that every team they have faced so far has been thoroughly outclassed, Manchester City exude an aura. No team will want to face them, and when they do defences will fear them, probably a little bit too much.

Manchester United teams under Ferguson had that aura. Everyone knew that going to Old Trafford was going to be the toughest game of their season, whether that thought was justified or not. The Etihad Stadium promises to have the same status this season because City are just that frightening at the moment.

The summer belonged to City, just as the one before it belonged to Chelsea. Chelsea’s signings won them the title – City’s might win them a dynasty.

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Tottenham’s early season form in 2015-16 suggests that the North London outfit have strengthened well in the summer and are placed to seriously challenge for a top-four berth.

From an attacking perspective, the addition of Son Heung-min looks like an astute move from the White Hart Lane side, with the South Korea international able to play a supporting role or as a main striker.

Clinton N’jie still looks like a raw talent with room to develop, but with Christian Eriksen, Son, Nacer Chadli and a rejuvenated Mousa Dembele, Spurs have options in their attacking midfield positions.

That said, looking at the success of Yevhen Konoplyanka at Sevilla will represent a missed opportunity for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

The Ukraine international has starred for his country and former club Dnipro over the years, leading to plenty of rumblings linking the skilful winger with a move to England.

Spurs were one of the teams mentioned as possible suitors of Konoplyanka, with a scramble for his services earlier this year with his contract with Dnipro expiring in the summer.

With no shortage of offers, the 26-year-old opted for a move to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and has been starring for Sevilla in his first couple of months in Spanish football.

The Ukrainian has scored twice and provided three assists so far in La Liga this season, putting in some superb individual performances in the process for Unai Emery’s men.

He has also stood out in the Champions League, scoring against Manchester City and showing his calibre to perform on the biggest stage.

Against Real Madrid recently, where Sevilla beat the capital city giants 3-2 on home soil, Konoplyanka terrorised the Madrid defence and gave opposite number Danilo the slip on repeated occasion.

His turn of pace, trickery and ability to improvise was evident against Rafa Benitez’s men, with the visitors struggling to contain the eastern European down Sevilla’s left.

Over the years Konoplyanka has shown that he has the versatility to play on a flank or as a support striker, with this versatility essential in Ukraine’s progression to Euro 2016 this week.

For Spurs, the 26-year-old’s addition would have been specifically beneficial for a number of reasons.

Firstly, despite the technical ability and footballing intelligence to play centrally, Konoplyanka would have offered real width for Spurs.

A winger keen to take on opposition full-backs and hug the touchline, the Ukrainian’s skillset is unique to the current options at Pochettino’s disposal and would have helped to offer Spurs a different threat and create space.

Secondly, Konoplyanka’s ability to act as a threat on the counter attack with his devastating pace and incisive running with and without the ball would have complemented the existing attacking players in Tottenham’s squad.

With the gifted playmaker available on a free transfer but now worth a considerable amount of money, had Spurs pounced they would have landed arguably the bargain of the summer.

The North London club may well have been burnt in the past with Ukrainian players, with Sergei Rebrov still remembered as a joke figure after his big-money move from Dynamo Kiev did not work out.

However, with Konoplyanka thriving for Sevilla both in La Liga and on the continent, Spurs may well be rueing not moving for him over the off-season.

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Normality has resumed at Everton this season after a turbulent 14/15 campaign. Fortunately, your FM save will have a lot better chance of succeeding with a push for Europe than either Moyes or Martinez have done.

Both these managers have faced their critics from an expectant Goodison faithful and you may well face the same, with fans wanting to see the club compete with the big boys, despite a budget more fitting of the bottom half.

Fortunately, the Everton squad is filled with talent and you have the brilliant from three of Lukaku, Deulofeu and Barkley at your disposal. The biggest problem you are likely to face is these players pushing for a transfer if you can’t provide Champions League football.

What you start with…

You’ll start your save with a budget of £0, thanks to a rather stingy board, but you should be able to raise a bit of money through your sales. The wage budget isn’t too generous either, so the first window might have to be a quite one.

What’s expected…

Premier League: As ever, the board would like to see the Toffees make the Euro Cup qualification places. However, some saves they will be slightly more lenient and accept a top half finish, this largely depends on the update that you are using on your save.

FA Cup: Progress to the sixth round will be enough for the board to be happy. A cup run might not do too much for you financially, but there’s no better way to keep the fans on side.

Capital One Cup: The secondary domestic competition won’t bother the board too much. However, a trophy can always be a nice cheer-up for the fans.

Three to buy…

Alberto Aquilani: Buying an ex-Red might be an unpopular move, but Aquilani is often available on a cut price deal during each save. His exquisite passing ability from deep, or closer to the striker, makes him an ideal player to slip in Deulofeu and Lukaku. Aquilani’s game would fit alongside the industry of McCarthy.

Jordan Rhodes: Rhodes will be quite a costly addition to your squad, but Blackburn’s main marksman is a reliable finisher and would provide excellent competition for Romelu Lukaku. The Scot has no issues with making the step up to the Premiership and has intelligent off the ball movement that suits Everton’s attacking midfield talent.

Fran Villalba: He might only be 17, but Villalba is an absolutely must-buy. The Spanish playmaker becomes an excellent number ten and will be one of the best chance creators in the league. If Ross Barkley pushes for a move, you can be sure that Villalba will be ready to fill in the attacking midfield role within a couple of seasons.

Three to sell…

Steven Pienaar: Pienaar’s injury concerns on FM are just too serious to ignore. He begins your save with an injury and, despite his intelligent game, Pienaar struggles to compete with Mirallas and Deulofeu for game time. We would advise that it makes more sense to give his minutes to a younger player and hope to make yourself some room to manoeuvre by freeing up Pienaar’s wages.

Arouna Kone: Romelu Lukaku’s brilliance really does show up the inadequacies of Arouna Kone. Kone might be an acceptable option for a bottom half club, but you are going to need to upgrade your backup centre forward if you envisage a push for European football.

Leighton Baines: This probably won’t be a popular decision, but with the presence of Galloway and Oviedo, selling Baines makes a lot of sense. The England international still has exceptional crossing, but his age and value mean that a sale would be a lucrative option. A serious injury can as good as end Baines’ career as first-choice for you and its definitely better to cash in on his talents whilst you can.

Youngsters…

Ryan Ledson: Ledson is the latest midfield talent to come out of Everton’s academy and he becomes a wonderful central midfield playmaker. His passing will reach ratings that you would associate with Xabi Alonso and Ledson can also operate in a deeper role and look to dictate tempo. You may look to loan Ledson in your first season, but he will quickly become a key player.

Brendan Galloway: Galloway begins the game as a centre-back who can cover at left-back, but you might want to look to train the youngster as a full-back due to the quality of John Stones and Funes Mori. You can choose to cash in on Galloway after a couple of seasons and expect to receive around £10 million, but his potential makes it well worth your while developing your defensive around him and Stones.

Tyias Browning: Browning, like Galloway, can cover at centre-back and full-back. This young toffee represents England are under 20 level and has a strong potential on FM. The strengths of Browning and Galloway might make you consider whether to use them as first-team members to replace Jagielka and Baines.

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While we watch Cesc Fabregas getting booed every time he goes near the ball at the Emirates, it set us at FFC thinking of the most booed players in the history of the Premier League and, naturally, we had a bit of a giggle at Fabregas’ hero to villain career path.

The Spaniard has been unpopular at Stamford Bridge this season, but the former Arsenal captain has faced a world of abuse at Arsenal’s ground this season.

Chelsea fans have questioned the work rate of the Spaniard during this campaign and it seems as though the playmaker will never be welcomed back to the Emirates with open arms, unsurprisingly.

Fans have a free license to abuse how they like, with players knowing they will face sanctions if they respond, and some players seem to face a whole career of expletives being thrown at them from the terraces.

Here are the FIVE players who are booed the most…

John Terry

From the trouble with Anton Ferdinand to more personal off-field troubles, John Terry is still one of the most hated players in the Premier League and faces barrages of abuse wherever he is playing.

Unlike many, the Chelsea skipper seems to be spurred on by the tirades of aggression, but it doesn’t stop the fans.

Ashley Cole

Ashley ‘Cashley’ Cole ripped apart the hearts of Arsenal fans when he moved to Chelsea and quickly became even more unpopular because of his relationship with Cheryl Cole.

The left-back has, as a result, been horribly under valued, despite being one of England’s all time greats, and it wasn’t just Arsenal fans who took to abusing the star.

Across the country the multiple FA Cup winner faced endless insults and it isn’t a surprise that he was happy to move on to Italy.

David Beckham

Becks retired a national hero, but the superstar midfielder had a period of utter contempt from the entire country after his idiotic red card in 1998.

When Beckham left his boot where he shouldn’t against Argentina, the Manchester United midfielder contributed to England’s World Cup demise and faced boos around the country.

Luis Suarez

With a few less bans since he’s been in Spain, the Uruguayan trouble maker has been significantly more popular, but from biting to racism, Suarez was constantly unpopular around the UK.

Oddly, Liverpool’s strong defence of their star’s behaviour seemed to make the ex-Ajax striker further despised and he was not unfamiliar with boos ringing around grounds as his name was announced.

Joey Barton

Controversy has never been far away from Joey Barton and the journeyman midfielder had a tendency to make himself particularly unpopular wherever he was playing.

From incidents with cigarettes at night clubs to on-pitch assaults, the ex-City man has never been for great fan popularity.

If you are a Norwich fan, this season must be one of pure frustration.

There have been good performances, like beating Manchester United, and taking points off both Liverpool, But it has been a typical Norwich in the Premier League term, where good performances such as loosing narrowly 5-4 to Liverpool, as well as 2-2 to West Ham, have put them at risk of relegation yet again.

The Canaries currently sit in 17th, one point off safety, and in real danger of living up to their yoyo club status. For many, Norwich were lucky to beat a good Middlesbrough team in the play-off final last season, and as a lot of people predicted are struggling to beat the drop.

Although Norwich are yet to drop into the relegation zone, Newcastle and Sunderland spent well in the January transfer window in an attempt to buy their way to safety. Norwich are winless in eight matches, and if they do not improve their slide could take them further down to the bottom.

With the Norfolk side set to face four of the top five between now and the end of the season, tough times are ahead. They face table toppers Leicester City next, which could either prove to be yet another disappointing loss but also a chance to grab an unexpected, yet very important win for the Canaries.

Luckily for Norwich they still have to face their relegation rivals: Swansea, Sunderland and Newcastle. These matches come within 14 days of each other, with a meeting with Crystal Palace wedged in between.

Matches against Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Watford and possibly Manchester United are unlikely to see the Canaries get all three points. This means that,for the other games, they will need to be clinical, they will need to take full advantage of the matches to get all three points. If they don’t, then they will seriously struggle to stay up.

When you look at their past results, they have struggled against their relegation rivals, being comfortably beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth and  6-2 by a very inconsistent Newcastle. Since then they have shut up shop, being defensively sound and not conceding stupid goals (bar the Liverpool result).

But they do have experience in their ranks. Timm Klose looks to be a very good signing, as does the capture of Steven Naismith from Everton. Add that in with other talents like Redmond, Jarvis, Brady, Howson, Hoolahan and Bamford, and Norwich do appear to have a good enough side to stay in the Premier League.

It will very much be a case of taking advantage of opportunites, and if they don’t they could see themselves back in the Championship.

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