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He says he has moved on from the ball-tampering scandal and that words directed at him don’t bother him

Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2020Steven Smith plans to “smile and laugh and play along and have fun,” with South African crowds over the next three weeks as returns to the scene of his ball-tampering offence. And he will have to start at the most hostile ground in the country.Although the sandpaper gate had unfolded at Newlands, where Australia will play the last of the three T20s, the Wanderers in Johannesburg was where they lost the final Test in 2018, where Darren Lehmann resigned and the city out of which Smith was frogmarched by a police escort on his way home. It is also, as England have just experienced, where the crowd are unashamedly vocal against the opposition but Smith is prepared, and a little excited.”They are hostile at the best of times here,” Smith said. “It doesn’t bother me too much. Like Justin (Langer) said we had the dress rehearsal in England where there was a fair bit going on but I honestly don’t notice it, particularly when I am batting. I don’t really hear anything that’s going on and I block it all out. Maybe a little bit when I am fielding. But then again it’s just words, it doesn’t affect me. I think I will be doing some outfielding so I’m looking forward to it. I will smile and laugh and play along and have fun.”But, Smith cannot block out everything. He admitted that coming back to the same accommodation the team stayed at in 2018 brought back difficult memories. “Walking into the hotel in Sandton, initially I was like, last time I left here it wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t the best time in my life,” he said. “But I’ve moved on from that and learned a lot over the last two years and I’m moving forward.”Since making his comeback, Smith has scored two centuries and a double-hundred in the Ashes, a hundred in his most recent ODI innings against India and two unbeaten fifties in his last three T20 innings. In that time, he has come across South Africa only once, in Manchester at the 2019 World Cup where their parting shot was beating Australia. He has been in contact with some South African players and exchanged, “a few text messages with AB and Faf here and there but caught up with all of them during the IPL last year and when we played South Africa in the World Cup,” and found there were no hard feelings. “Everyone was pretty chilled. Everyone was just normal,” Smith said.So far, people in South Africa have reacted similarly. “I’ve been to a few of the restaurants where people have been lovely,” Smith said. “Guys have come up and had a few photographs so that’s been good. It’s been pretty normal to when I have been here previously.”That may change when he steps onto the field but Smith’s new attitude of “not taking things too seriously,” means he is more concerned with how well he will hit the ball rather than how many words are directed his way. “We are at a place with altitude, so the ball just flies. You don’t have to over-hit the ball. If you hit the middle of the bat, it will go a long way,” he said, recalling a conversation from eight years ago about how to approach batting at the Wanderers.”I remember playing in the Champions League T20 final here and talking to Michael Lumb. I said, ‘What do you do here at the Wanderers?’ And he said, ‘Just get it in the atmosphere.”Much like how is going to treat whatever South African fans have to say to him.

Everything you need to know about the new AC Milan kits for the 2024-25 season.

AC Milan traded Adidas for Puma in 2018 and four years later signed a long-term extension of their kit supply partnership with the German sportswear manufacturer. The new deal is worth around €30 million (US$31.5 million) per year, a significant jump from the previous deal worth €14 million per year.

Shop AC Milan 2024-25 kits at PumaBuy now

The Rossoneri are set to celebrate its 125th anniversary, and with that will be wearing a new set of skin in the 2024-25 season.

GOAL takes a look at what the likes of Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic and co. will wear in the upcoming season…

AC Milan 2024-25 home kit, release date & priceShop AC Milan 2024-25 kits at PumaBuy now

The 2024-25 AC Milan home kit was officially launched on May 23, 2024. It is very similar to the 2010-11 shirt and sees the Rossoneri return to a classic design with the iconic vertical red and black stripes along with white applications on the collar, names and logos, and sleeves.

Apart from a "125 AC Milan years" text embossed on the back of the neck and the special anniversary batch with the text "Social Club Institution" with a DNA graphic, one will also notice a subtle glossy design within the red stripes.

A leaked video from F J V Z on YouTube showing the kit unboxing can be watched below.

The 2024-25 AC Milan home kit is priced similarly to last season – £80 ($100) for a standard adult stadium shirt, and around £120 ($150) for the authentic pitch version.

AdvertisementAC Milan 2024-25 anniversary kit, release date & price

As the club will be 125 years old on December 16, 2024, AC Milan will also release a dedicated 125th-anniversary shirt which will most likely have thinner stripes and gold inserts.

Fans were allowed to vote across four different design elements for the AC Milan 2024 125th-anniversary kit.

The kit could look like the limited-edition 120th-anniversary shirt launched in 2019, but with fans eventually voting for St. George's Cross (as seen on the 100th-anniversary kit designed by Adidas) over the inaugural 1899 club crest reading ‘Milan Football and Cricket Club’.

While the inside collar details are not known yet, has predicted that the classic slogan "We're going to be a team of devils 1899-2024" would make it over the devil logo.

With regard to the outer collar, in the choice between "A.C. Milan 125" and "Rossoneri 125", the latter received more votes.

The celebratory kit believed to be worn by AC Milan men's and women's first teams in a single match during the 2024-25 season will most likely be launched in November or December 2024.

For reference about the cost, the limited-edition shirts in 2019 were launched for a whooping £160 ($200) for fans to purchase.

AC MilanAC Milan 2024-25 away kit, release date & priceShop AC Milan 2024-25 kits at PumaBuy now

The new Adidas x AC Milan 2024-2025 away jersey has been revealed on July 28, 2024.

It kit is embodied in plain white, "merging timeless sophistication with modern design to embody the essence of Milanismo."

It is combined with a red-and-black polo collar and a monochromatic crest. The tonal pinstripe pattern adds a historic touch, honouring AC Milan’s origins as the Milan Football and Cricket Club.

The new AC Milan 2024-25 away kit is available for £80 ($100) for a standard adult shirt, and around £120 ($150) for the authentic version.

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AC Milan 2024-25 third kit, release date & price

AC Milan's 2024-25 third kit which was launched on 22 August 2024 is inspired by the 2003-04 alternate kit that was worn by the likes of Kaka, Paulo Maldini, and Andrea Pirlo.

The shade of grey may not be the same, as the kit showcases a shadow grey primary color, complemented by a vibrant mint collar and sleeves. It also features grape mist accents on the collar, including a monochromatic rendition of the club crest. This design captures the essence of Milanese style in a fresh and uniquely Rossonero manner, even without the traditional red and black. Welcome to Milan(ismo)!

The AC Milan 2024-25 third football shirt is available on the shelves from Thursday, August 22, 2024.

Like the home and away jerseys, the third shirt is expected to be priced at £80 ($100) for a standard adult shirt, and around £120 ($150) for the authentic version.

England allrounder explains how adding meaning to every net session made him better

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2020Watching Jos Buttler’s commitment towards fitness and more focus at net sessions transformed Ben Stokes’ approach, the allrounder revealed in a chat with Ish Sodhi, the New Zealand legspinner and Rajasthan Royals spin consultant.”About two years ago, I just started changing my whole thinking towards the other side of cricket, the fitness side,” Stokes said in the chat organised by the Royals. “I always looked after myself, but watching someone like Jos operate the way he did at the nets to make himself a better player, drove me to have a rethink.”Like, he’ll go for the extra 45 minutes to an hour work on his fitness. It made me think, ‘yeah, I feel like I can do more here; I am doing enough, but I know I can do more.’ And slowly, I started to operate in that mode of ‘I’m going to do my skill-based stuff’ and then it just led to something bigger and better.”Stokes and Buttler have been England team-mates for over six years, and were both part of the 2019 ODI World Cup-winning side. Both of them, also part of the Royals’ line-up in the IPL, featured in the 2019-20 home Ashes too. Much of the improvement Stokes spoke of, he said, was the result of an improved work ethic, which has “got around to the whole team”.”New guys coming in started thinking that’s the way that everybody operates,” Stokes said. “I remember Mo [Moeen] Ali and Adil Rashid were scared of the gym. You’d never see them actually doing anything. Then those two started doing extra work, and he [Moeen] did an interview, where he just went: ‘Yeah, don’t want to let anybody down in the team through fitness’.”While the fitness side of things improved, Stokes remembered “hitting a lot of balls without any meaning” at the nets. He spoke of how a shift in the thought process helped make every net session meaningful.”There used to be a time when there was a schedule at training, a structure. You bowl here, you bat here, if you want anything extra, go away and get in with the batting coach,” he said of his approach “three or four years ago”. “Then I’d go and have an extra hit [against net bowlers], but I wouldn’t really know why I was going to have an extra hit, it was just because it’s available, I’ll go and do it. There was no real purpose to it. But every time I walk into the net now, there is a reason, it changes every time.”Like, if I’m batting against Broady (Stuart Broad) and Jofra [Archer], I am not going to, for example, play a big, flashing drive; tiny little things like that. Because I know they are going to go across me, and they are going to want me to have a big drive, but I am not going to do it. It is trying to train like you are in a game, in a compressed amount of time, because you are only going to get ten minutes against these guys.”But because you have ten minutes, [it] doesn’t mean you go in and try and play a big shot every ball and hopefully two or three of them will come off but you get out four times. That defeats the objective, if you’re trying to get better. That’s the thing [about batting in the nets], there’s no consequence to what you do. That’s why [what] I try to do is put a consequence on it.”

Ange Postecoglou’s first season at Tottenham Hotspur has been largely a success when all things are considered. They are currently fifth in the Premier League, seven points behind Aston Villa in the final Champions League spot, although they have two games in hand.

At the start of the season, they were absolutely flying, unbeaten in their first ten games, winning eight of those. It was their best start to a Premier League season, and Postecoglou earned the most points by a Premier League manager in their first ten games, with 26, as per Opta Analyst.

Postecoglou’s success as Spurs manager so far could well be thanks to a successful first transfer window. The Lilywhites spent £212.3m last summer, bringing in eight players, and signing Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro permanently following an obligatory buy clause in their loan deals.

Some of those incomings included James Maddison from Leicester City for £40m, who has scored four goals and registered seven assists in the Premier League this season, and Guglielmo Vicario, who joined from Empoli for £17.2m, and has kept six clean sheets.

However, there is another summer signing that Spurs made which has gone on to be incredibly successful and has even seen this player’s value rise higher than Maddison’s.

Brennan Johnson’s Spurs career in numbers

The player in question here is Wales international Brennan Johnson, who Spurs signed from Nottingham Forest for £47.5m on transfer deadline day last summer. The deal to sign the winger was a record sale for Forest.

Since joining Spurs, Johnson has gone from strength to strength. So far this term, the 22-year-old has scored five goals and registered seven assists in 30 games for Spurs in the Premier League.

The Welshman, who has 28 caps and three goals for his country, has been one of the London club’s most productive players since arriving. In the Premier League, his 12 goal involvements are bettered only by Son Heung-min with 25, and Richarlison with 13, as per Sofascore.

Johnson is certainly well thought of by Son, the Spurs captain. In an interview at the start of March following Spurs’ game against Crystal Palace, Son explained that he is in “love” with Johnson and praised his “two amazing assists”.

The South Korean went on to say how he believed Johnson did a “fantastic” job in that particular game, with manager Postecoglou seeming to concur with what Son said, explaining that he thought Johnson “was good” and that he did “fantastically well” during the game.

The 22-year-old has already shown improvement in his Premier League numbers since joining the North London side. In his maiden top-flight term with boyhood club Forest, Johnson registered 11 goal involvements in 38 games.

Brennan Johnson's transfer value at Spurs in 2024

Given his impressive debut season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, Johnson’s value has skyrocketed, to the point where he is worth more than what Spurs paid for him last summer.

Indeed, according to CIES Football Observatory, Johnson’s value is currently £51m, almost £5m more than what Postecoglou’s side bought him for. That is more valuable than most in the Spurs squad, with Dejan Kulusevski and Destiny Udogie the only players worth more than Johnson, at £68m.

Perhaps surprisingly, the 22-year-old Welshman is worth more than club captain Son, who has a value of £26m, and fellow summer signing Maddison, who is now worth as little as £34m, a drop off from the £40m Spurs paid for him.

The signing of Johnson has certainly been a good purchase for Spurs so far, who are getting an impressive goal involvement return out of the Wales speedster, and are seeing their investment paying out very well in his first season at the club.

Spurs can solve Werner blow by giving teen "superstar" his senior debut

Ange Postecoglou would please many supporters by making this bold call…

ByAngus Sinclair May 1, 2024

GOAL caught up with the newly-minted permanent sporting director to talk transfer moves, playoff hopes, and recovering from a slow start

The New England Revolution are in the process of recovering from a nightmare start. The team opened the season with just two league wins from the opening three months of the season.

Yet, in June, the Revolution won four consecutive games, including victories over strong teams like the Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati, showing potential under new manager Caleb Porter. These performances likely influenced a busy summer transfer window aimed at a playoff push. Once far from contention, the Revolution are now just five points out of the final playoff spot, with two games in hand.

For Sporting Director Curt Onalfo, a season lost suddenly looks rife with opportunity. He brought in four new additions, headlined by new star Luca Langoni, brought in from Boca Juniors. Langoni is already off to a bright start, tallying a goal and assist in two matches and just 46 minutes played. All of the sudden, the Revolution look to have a real chance at a wild card playoff spot.

In the Wednesday Convo, a weekly Q&A with central figures in the American soccer scene, GOAL U.S. caught up with the first-year sporting director to discuss all things Revolution, including working with a new head coach, transfer strategy, and what constitutes success this campaign.

New England RevolutionPromotion to full-time Sporting Director

Question: Congratulations on your promotion to permanent Sporting Director. Can you walk us through that change?

Curt Onalfo: Well, I've been technical director for almost five years prior to being promoted. So they're definitely different roles. In my role as technical director, I wore a lot of hats. I ran our scouting department, I was responsible for our entire pro pathway, and really spent a lot of energy transforming that.

When we got here, it was just an OK program, and we were able to transform it into one of the better ones in the league.

Once you become sporting director, everything is below you, except for the President and the owners. It ends up being a little bit different. But my management style is such that my job is trying to get the most out of people. I don't have a huge ego, so I enjoy building people up and doing whatever I possibly can to help give each and every employee the tools to be successful. So that's kind of the approach, and it's been an incredible opportunity. And I'm very grateful to the Krafts and [President] Brian Bilello. We're working really hard to make sure that we have are an outstanding franchise.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportRebounding from a slow start…

After a slow start, what's been driving the team's recent progress? How do you plan to push forward and make a statement, especially with the recent transfers and acquisitions?

CO: It was a very congested start for us. When you have a new coach [in Porter] who's implementing a new style of play and game model, we continued [to adjust]. We advanced early on in those Champions League games, and it just meant more games early on and less time on the field being able to train the way that Caleb wanted to. That was part of it, and that affected our results early on, and then obviously the results affected our confidence for a little bit. It took us a little while to adapt.

The big thing that we preach is that, we have a really good training environment, and we continue to get better every day. It's not how you start, it's how you finish. So we want to do whatever we can in these last games to position ourselves to make the playoffs, make sure we end the season strong and just continually position ourselves to be better and better, not only this year, but next.

USA TodayAn aggressive transfer strategy

Your transfer activity seems to reflect a commitment to staying competitive. What drove the summer transfer strategy, and how do you see it impacting the team's future?

CO: First of all, whenever you have a new coach, it's going to be a period of time where the team becomes the coach's. You have a group of players, but then with each window, you make changes. And having done this a long time for me, it's like three to four windows is when you’re really able to make those changes.

This was the second one, and we knew exactly what we were looking for, and what we needed to add. On top of it, there was a league rule change, with the U-22 initiative. So that gave us the ability to go get Luca Langoni, and get a game changing player.

Part of it was driven by the new rules of the league, and then the other ones was driven by that we're a big club, and we want to continue to get better, and we were not happy with the position we're in, and we want to do whatever we can to make sure that we are in a much higher position. It's just making sure that we're active, and we're going to add players every window to get better. So this one made a lot of sense.

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@GettyDefining success

What constitutes success, both now and then going forward?

CO: Our goal is to make the playoffs. It's not an easy task. We're only five points out of playoff contention, but seven of our 11 games are on the road. We all know that it's harder to get points away than it is at home.

We're going to do everything possible to make the playoffs and make sure that we end the season on a real positive note, with a positive trend. For me, success will be ending the season on a positive trend and making the playoffs.

The future of the Manchester United dugout remains rather uncertain, yet for whoever is in charge at Old Trafford next season, an overhaul of the current squad will certainly be needed following what has been a drab and disappointing campaign on the whole.

Amid reports that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co are willing to listen to offers for almost every member of the side – excluding the promising trio of Rasmus Hojlund, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho – there could well be something of a mass exodus this summer.

That possible raft of outgoings will then spark the need for a wave of quality incomings in Manchester, with INEOS needing to showcase a change in tact in the transfer market, following the years of malaise under the Glazer ownership.

One area that may require strengthening is the full-back ranks, with the likes of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia hampered by injury and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka having just a year left on his current deal, leaving Diogo Dalot as perhaps the only reliable option on the flanks.

The Portuguese could be set to receive some welcome competition this summer if the Red Devils get their way, amid reports that a new right-back could be on the agenda for the new United regime.

Man Utd eyeing Serie A sensation

According to reports in Italy earlier this week, as per Gazzetta.it, United could be in the picture to snap up Inter Milan star, Denzel Dumfries, with the Dutchman seemingly up for grabs with just 12 months remaining on his existing contract at San Siro.

The report indicates that the 28-year-old could be available for a fee in the region of €30m (£26m), making him a relatively astute and affordable option in the modern market – particularly considering the Red Devils splashed out £50m on Wan-Bissaka almost five years ago.

The suggestion is that it is the player himself who is keen to make the jump to the Theatre of Dreams, albeit with that switch likely to be dependent on whether his compatriot, Erik ten Hag, remains at the helm.

Having been a target for United in the past, however, there may be wisdom in pushing for Dumfries even if there is a change in manager, with the flying wing-back boasting the credentials to dazzle in the Premier League.

Dumfries stats in 2023/24

Dumfries has been a central part of Inter's remarkable Serie A dominance this season, racking up three goals and five assists in the league as Simone Inzaghi's side swept the Scudetto.

That takes his total to 30 goal involvements in 130 games in all competitions for the Italian giants, having previously chalked up a similar return of 36 goals and assists in 124 games during his time at former club, PSV Eindhoven.

The Red Devils may be wary of snapping up another figure with Eredivisie connections, but Dumfries' attacking intent is cause for excitement, even if he has typically operated in a more advanced wing-back berth in recent years.

That freedom to bomb forward at will has also seen the in-demand ace create six 'big chances' this season, with Dalot, for instance, creating only five 'big chances' in the Premier League, while the Inter star also ranks in the top 12% among his European peers for assists per 90.

There may be concerns over whether the Rotterdam native can adapt to a more traditional full-back berth, although one solution could arise in the appointment of reported target, Thomas Tuchel, with the German said to be among the contenders to replace Ten Hag this summer.

The Bayern Munich boss did notably deploy a back five during his successful stint at Chelsea, which gleamed a Champions League trophy, thus ensuring Dumfries could slot in comfortably in the Reece James role on the flank.

As Fabrizio Romano reported back in 2022, the Netherlands international was actually a target for those at Stamford Bridge and was "appreciated" by Tuchel, having been described as the "exact profile" that the one-time Paris Saint-Germain boss wants by analyst Ryan Gunness.

Not then just a possible dream signing for Tuchel, Dumfries could also get the best out of one star currently at United, in the form of Hojlund.

How Dumfries could slot in at Man Utd

It's fair to say it's been a mixed bag of a debut season for young Hojlund, with the £72m arrival from Atalanta having scored just eight league goals to date, as part of 14 goals in all competitions in total.

For a 21-year-old to reach that tally is hardly the worst return – particularly when considering Dimitar Berbatov also only scored 14 goals in 2008/09 following his move from Tottenham Hotspur – but as United's current main man in attack, more is certainly needed.

Player (season)

Games

Goals

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (1996/97)

46

19

Ruud van Nistelrooy (2001/02)

49

36

Louis Saha (2004/05)*

22

2

Wayne Rooney (2004/05)

43

17

Dimitar Berbatov (2008/09)

43

14

Javier Hernandez (2010/11)

45

20

Robin van Persie (2012/13)

48

30

Anthony Martial (2015/16)

49

17

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2016/17)

46

28

Romelu Lukaku (2017/18)

51

27

Edinson Cavani (2020/21)

39

17

Rasmus Hojlund (2023/24)

39

14

*(Signed in Jan 2004 – Scored 7 in 14 games in 2003/04)

The biggest issue has perhaps been the lack of service that the Dane has received, with The Athletic reporting that between 18 February and Hojlund's goal against Sheffield United last month, he had been restricted to just seven shots.

Perhaps a higher profile striker should be able to create chances for himself, alla Harry Kane, but Hojlund is in desperate need of support from the flanks, something that has not been provided with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Antony typically cutting in on either wing.

Having an overlapping full-back or wing-back who is a natural right footer, like Dumfries, could certainly help to heighten the striker's service, with Rio Ferdinand previously outlining the defender's ability to create:

"He’s not putting balls in willy-nilly, he’s picking people out, those cutbacks have been ever so dangerous. "

As his assist record shows, Dumfries can pick out his teammates with ease from the flanks, ensuring that Hojlund would have far more to work with – a scary prospect for a player who is a "monster in the making", according to talent scout Jacek Kulig.

With only Bruno Fernandes (11) providing more assists among the United squad than the former PSV man (six) has in all competitions in 23/24, there is clear evidence as to why his arrival could benefit United's forwards and Hojlund in particular.

As such, whether or not Ten Hag remains in charge for another season, Dumfries would be a worthy target for Ratcliffe and co.

Man Utd now leading the race for "fast" star who has same agent as Hojlund

Ratcliffe means business…

ByTom Cunningham Mar 28, 2024

Batsman set to go up against Kent team-mate in shoot-out for spot

Matt Roller25-Jun-2020Zak Crawley has admitted that it will be “slightly odd” going up against his Kent team-mate Joe Denly in a battle for the No. 3 spot in England’s Test team, but thinks that the squad will benefit from increased competition for places.Crawley opened the batting with Dom Sibley in the second, third and fourth Tests of England’s tour to South Africa at the start of the year, but Rory Burns seems certain to win back his position at the top of the order this summer after returning from his ankle injury. Crawley was coy when asked if he considers himself the man in possession of an opening spot – “I haven’t got an answer for you” – but looks set to be competing for the No. 3 role with Denly, who presented him with his Test cap in New Zealand.”It is probably slightly odd, if I’m honest,” Crawley said from inside the England bubble at the Ageas Bowl. “I get on really well with Joe and I wish him every success. Ideally we’d both play, and we both play together for a long while. That said, he’s desperate to play for England, I’m sure, as am I, and we’ll still be good friends whatever happens.”Forty-six of Crawley’s 70 first-class innings to date have come as an opener, but he has experience batting in several different roles, including at No. 6 on his England debut. He has previously cited “the waiting” as the hardest thing about batting in the middle order, but insisted that he is comfortable coming in whenever necessary. It is possible that he could even come in at No. 4 if Joe Root misses a Test to be present at his second child’s birth, a position he has never filled in his career to date.