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Australian opener joins Heather Knight, Sophia Dunkley and Paige Scholfield in top £65,000 salary bracket

Valkerie Baynes12-Mar-2025Georgia Voll has capped a remarkable week by securing a lucrative deal with Birmingham Phoenix in the Women’s Hundred draft.Young Australian opener Voll will make her debut in the tournament after Oval Invincibles, Welsh Fire and London Spirit were forced to use their right-to-match to thwart the Birmingham franchise’s bids for Paige Scholfield, Sophia Dunkley and Heather Knight respectively. All four were retained in the top women’s salary bracket of £65,000.Voll made an impressive international debut in December standing in for Alyssa Healy in Australia’s home series against India. In the past seven days, Voll has scored 55 and 99 not out as a late call-up to WPL side UP Warriorz after Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu departed for international duty.Related

• Georgia Voll's field of dreams boosts healthy crop of Australian talent

• Powerplay podcast: Georgia Voll shows Australia's future is bright

• Paige Scholfield ruled out of England's SA tour with ankle injury

• UPW pick Georgia Voll as replacement for Chamari Athapaththu for WPL 2025

• Voll's 99* sets up dramatic win as UP Warriorz survive late Rana scare

Healy, the Australia captain who has been battling foot and knee injuries since late last year and was forced to miss the WPL to manage her recovery, went unclaimed after entering the draft with a reserve price of £50,000.Voll is one of three Australians making up Phoenix’s overseas allocation alongside allrounder Ellyse Perry, who was retained, and bowler Megan Schutt, a direct signing prior to the draft.Departing Birmingham for London Spirit, however, is fast bowler Issy Wong, who has endured a difficult time since making her international debut as a 20-year-old in 2022. She represented Phoenix, her home franchise, for the first four editions of the tournament, although issues with her run-up led her to be dropped in 2023, when she made just five appearances, and she played for them only four times last year, taking one wicket in each of those seasons.The poster girl for the 2023 Ashes despite not playing in the series as she battled for form, Wong made the last of her 17 appearances for England to date on the tour of Ireland last September which featured a number of fringe international players while the majority of the senior squad was preparing for their ill-fated T20 World Cup campaign. Spirit picked up Wong for £16,000, the third-lowest price bracket in the women’s competition.Southern Brave, the 2023 champions and last year’s wooden-spooners, used their first draft pick at £36,000 to secure Sophie Devine, who opted out of this year’s WPL and New Zealand’s current home series against Sri Lanka to take a wellbeing break. Devine last played a competitive match on January 24 for Wellington in the Women’s Super Smash. Joining her at Southern Brave will be South Africa allrounder Chloe Tryon, who returned to the franchise for £20,000.How they stack up: The women’s Hundred squads for 2025•ECB

West Indies star Deandra Dottin will be back at Manchester Originals on £50,000 having played for the team in 2022 and 2023 after an initial stint with London Spirit in 2021. Young wicketkeeper-batter Seren Smale joins her from Birmingham Phoenix for £36,000.Scholfield’s bumper deal to stay at Oval Invicibles could signal an upturn after her international career stalled shortly after it began. Scholfield was selected for England’s tour of South Africa late last year but returned home without playing a game after she injured her ankle in training.Called up to add firepower to England’s middle order after making her international debut on the Ireland tour, Scholfield scored 190 runs in the Hundred last year, striking at 137.68 with a highest score of 71 off 40 balls. She was also the fifth-highest run-scorer in the domestic T20 competition with 259 runs at an average of 43.16 and strike rate of 140.00.Invincibles’ overseas contingent of Marizanne Kapp, Meg Lanning and Amanda-Jade Wellington was already settled before the draft. Leaving the Oval side this year after four seasons is off-spinning allrounder Mady Villiers, who was drafted by Southern Brave for £16,000.After two seasons each with Northern Superchargers and Birmingham Phoenix, legspinner Katie Levick heads to Welsh Fire after being snapped up in the £12,500 bracket.Richa Ghosh, the India wicketkeeper-batter, went undrafted after entering with a reserve price of £65,000.In all, 110 overseas and 120 domestic players entered the women’s draft for 29 places on offer, including four overseas spots and 25 for domestic players.Each of the eight teams have two places remaining to be filled by wildcards nearer to the start of the competition on August 5. Those places will be in the lowest salary bracket of £10,000.

Everton fans will be concerned with the future of Idrissa Gueye still unresolved on deadline day.

The Senegal international has been a pivotal player for the Blues since joining from Aston Villa back in 2016. Gueye has been ever-present at Goodison Park yet again enjoying a crucial role under Marco Silva. His performances have not gone unnoticed with French champions Paris St Germain aiming (via the Mirror’s transfer blog) to lure the dynamic midfielder to Parc de Princes.

Everton are reportedly unwilling to lose their influential star unless their large asking price is met. The Toffees would have limited time to source a replacement and could be forced to pay a premium themselves.

One man Silva could target is Leicester City lynchpin – Wilfred Ndidi. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Nigerian midfielder has been an instant hit in the Premier League since joining the club from Genk. Ndidi is improving with every season in England and has been tipped for a big move away from the King Power Stadium in the future.

The 22-year-old has been in fine form once again in the current campaign and has been a shining light in a poor season under Claude Puel. Ndidi’s arrival would easily replace the layer of protection that Gueye offered the Blues defence as he has averaged an impressive 3.2 tackles per game this season. Ndidi also reads the game expertly, completing 1.9 interceptions per 90 minutes in the league (WhoScored). Leicester would demand a large fee for their prized asset but Gueye’s sale should give the Toffees plenty of funds to tempt them into a sale.

The Nigeria international is still developing and would be a star midfielder on Merseyside for years to come.

Everton fans, thoughts?

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Liverpool welcome Bournemouth to Anfield on Saturday afternoon for a fixture which lends the hosts the opportunity to move back into top spot before Manchester City clash with Chelsea on Sunday.

On the chalkboard

The dynamic of the title race has shifted in 2019. Before the turn of the year, Liverpool were imperious, dominant and apparently unbeatable, but defeat at Manchester City in January has changed everything.

More recently, both Leicester City and West Ham United proved that there are frailties to be exploited within Liverpool’s back four, with injuries to Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold serving to disrupt a previously unbreakable unit.

That Liverpool have dropped points against the Foxes and the Hammers of late will be giving Eddie Howe reason to believe that his side can clinch a result at Anfield.

With Gomez and Alexander-Arnold still sidelined, Klopp will be forced to start a midfielder at right-back, and the joy the Hammers enjoyed against a makeshift back-four suggests the Cherries could cause an upset.

However, one pertinent detail worth bearing in mind is that Bournemouth are missing some key players of their own, with Eddie Howe confirming David Brooks Callum Wilson will be absent on Merseyside, as per Sky Sports.

“David has been to see a specialists and had scans, so I think around the four-week mark for him,” said Howe.

“Callum, it’s just a clean out of his knee, he’s probably around the same mark. We’re not going to be able to get them back earlier than that.

Bournemouth lack firepower without Brooks and Wilson

Bournemouth suffered a 2-0 defeat away at Cardiff City last weekend with Brooks and Wilson sidelined.

The absence of the injury-prone centre-forward allowed Dominic Solanke to step into the starting eleven for his debut last weekend, but his impact was minimal and he was subsequently withdrawn after 62 minutes.

It will naturally take time for Solanke to find his feet on the south coast, and an emotionally charged return to Anfield is unlikely to offer him the type of fixture he needs to get his eye in.

Brooks’ absence, meanwhile, is a huge blow. The 21-year-old playmaker has been at the heart of Bournemouth’s flair and creativity in the final-third this season, and his return of six goals and four assists from 22 Premier League matches speaks volumes about how seamlessly he has made the step up to top-flight football.

Without Brooks Howe is undoubtedly lacking the cog who connects the various parts of his machine, and with their top goalscorer also sidelined Liverpool fans can dream of returning to top spot.

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Celtic are on the brink of exit from the Europa League after being outclassed by a vastly superior Valencia side at Paradise on Thursday evening.

The Bhoys’ dream of achieving something worth shouting about in Europe has been at the core of their ambitions in recent years.

They have largely been outclassed in the Champions League against teams who are in more advantageous financial positions, but the Europa League has provided a more level playing field this season.

However, the manner in which Valencia dominated proceedings on Thursday was a damning indictment of the gaping gulf in class between Celtic and some of Europe’s other well established clubs.

Plenty of individuals looked out of their depth throughout the game, but Scott Brown was particularly suspect against Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin thereafter following the half-time substitution.

At 33-years-old it is hardly surprising that he struggled to cope with the pace of an intense European clash, but that has not prevented the supporters from ridiculing his performance.

Indeed, a handful of fans were eager to criticise the 55-cap Scotland international’s display, citing his lacklustre passing and physical incompetency as two notable deficiencies in his game.

The Celtic Park legend has been a figure of immense popularity in Glasgow throughout his career, but that has not prevented the supporters from expressing their displeasure at his most recent performance.

Here’s what the Celtic fans had to say about Brown’s performance on Thursday evening:

Arsenal are facing a midfield crisis following reports that Paris Saint Germain are interested (as per the Express) in poaching their French wonderkid Matteo Guendouzi after only one year in the Premier League.

Having already lost Ramsey, who recently signed a five-year deal with Juventus, and Mesut Ozil desperately out-of-favour, ill, missing or injured, Unai Emery simply cannot afford to lose the talents of young Frenchman Guendouzi.

The midfield ace was only signed from Ligue 2 outfit Lorient at the beginning of this campaign but following a string of quality performances have become the subject of “big team” attention. And quite rightly so.

This isn’t the first time PSG have expressed interest in signing the player either. Apparently, before his move to move to north London, Guendouzi had the option to make his move to the French capital.

“It is true that PSG were very interested, like other teams, there were a lot of discussions, but for me the best decision I could make was to join Arsenal,” he admitted to Canal Football Club ( via GFFN ).

Would he do it again now he’s a far more developed player?

If he did make the move, Arsenal should look at signing this man…

This wouldn’t be the first time Emery has tried to bring in the Argentine, having already failed in the summer and January transfer windows due to a lack of funds according to the Mirror.

But it seems with Arsenal’s midfield options shrinking and their future European status in doubt the boardroom will be willing to part with the reported £17m it will cost to secure his services.

Despite his age (31 when they have the option to buy) we think Banega would be a quality acquisition.

Firstly, it would likely spark the end of the Ozil saga and introduce a far more positive environment conducive to success. You’d also have to say that there’s every chance Arsenal would have more of a player in the Sevilla man. Whilst Ozil has really let him form dip recently, in more ways than one, Banega is starting at the top level of Spanish football.

It’s a no brainer.

Secondly, Emery would have a player he’s very familiar with, having already combined at Valencia and Sevilla. The in-depth knowledge of the midfielder’s skillset, traits and abilities will surely help him finetune his tactics.

Finally, should Guendouzi move back to France, Banega is versatile enough to operate in the centre of midfield and perform a very similar role. He’s a dogged in his defensive efforts, much like the Frenchman, and has supremely better passing and technical ability as an experienced player.

Would you be willing to exchange prodigy Guendouzi for an ageing but experienced Banega?

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West Ham have been linked with a bid for Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana, per De Telegraaf via Sport Witness.

The report claims that a number of clubs, including Barcelona, are keeping tabs on the 22-year-old.

What’s the word?

Onana has been at Ajax since 2015 but actually came through the academy at Barcelona, via the Samuel Eto’o Foundation.

And the aforementioned report claims that Barca are interested in recruiting the Cameroon international for the second time.

However, the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and the Hammers are all said to have registered their interest in securing the goalkeeper this summer.

West Ham spent £7million on current No.1 Lukasz Fabianski in the summer but he will be 34 in April and Manuel Pellegrini’s side are clearly looking to the future.

Onana has made 37 appearances in all competitions this season and has also won a total of eight caps for his country.

Pipe-dream

Fabianski, the most expensive goalkeeper signing West Ham have ever made, was signed after Swansea were relegated to the Championship.

Beating Barcelona to the punch for a former academy graduate of theirs seems a little far-fetched, then.

Perhaps Spurs or Arsenal have more chance but both have regular, dependable No.1s in Hugo Lloris and Bernd Leno respectively.

West Ham, then, will likely have to stick with Fabianski – which is no bad thing, such has been his form this season.

Onana, meanwhile, is inevitably likely to plump for a return to Camp Nou over a switch to England this summer.

Jurgen Klopp must add defensive reinforcements to his squad during the upcoming summer transfer window.

The German finally found the answers to Liverpool’s defensive woes by building a formidable defence centred around Virgil van Dijk. Both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold have blossomed into crucial first team players whilst Alisson Becker’s impact has been massive since joining from Roma. Van Dijk’s long-term partner in defence remains uncertain.

Joe Gomez had performed admirably before picking up an injury against Burnley – another long setback for the youngster. Both Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip have chequered injury histories which has forced Klopp to use Fabinho in defence on occasion. It’s clear the Reds need to add another quality defender to their ranks.

One man Klopp should be targeting is Ajax wonderkid – Matthijs de Ligt. Valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, the Dutchman now captains the club after graduating from their famous youth academy. He is widely regarded as one of the club’s best ever youth prospects after establishing himself as one of the top defenders in the Eredivisie.

The youngster has been tipped to move to one of Europe’s elite in the future and partnering him with his international team-mate van Dijk would be a masterstroke from Liverpool. Indeed, he is an excellent defender but also excels with the ball at his feet. The 19-year-old displays a wonderful range of passing for a defender, allowing him to start attacks from the back – such quality on the ball allows him to fill in at defensive midfield if necessary making him a useful option to have at Klopp’s disposal. His vast amount of experience at such a young age should mean that adapting to life in England shouldn’t be a problem.

It would take a mammoth fee to lure him from Holland, however, Liverpool’s defence would be complete for years to come if Klopp could convince the starlet to move to Merseyside. Indeed, even former Dutch international Rene van der Gijp urged him to move to Anfield (as per the Liverpool Echo) earlier this month.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Just when Old Trafford needed a hero to save another embarrassment, an unlikely candidate emerged in Romelu Lukaku.

When he scored the stunning 89th-minute winner against Southampton and raced towards the Stretford End in pure joy, the Belgian finally seemed the striker for whom United paid more than £70 million in 2017.

Lukaku’s a changed man under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who himself, having been a prolific goal-scorer, must have seen bags of quality in him. What began as a slow process to regain his confidence is finally bearing fruit for both the manager and player. Having scored six goals in 16 Premier League appearances under Mourinho this season, Lukaku’s already matched that in ten under the Norwegian (stats via Transfermarkt).

Not only that, but he seems a much more mobile threat in the final third. Solskjaer clearly identified his shortcomings and knowing the hard-worker he is, has made him work on improving it. Slowly but surely, Lukaku’s first touch’s (heavily mocked upon) considerably improved and he’s a much more clinical player up front.

However, it was probably Solskjaer’s gamble at initially operating him through the wings which worked like magic. Especially in big games against Arsenal and Liverpool, Lukaku’s fantastic crossing ability down the right impressed fans.

Slowly, he gained the confidence to move back into the middle, and having scored three out his last four goals with his weaker foot proves how deft his touch is.

Solskjaer’s persistence’s definitely worked out, as he’s elevated another talent in helping Lukaku find back his deadly goal-scoring form.

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Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for Rennes winger Ismaila Sarr in recent months, and their fans finally got a chance to see him in the flesh during their 3-1 Europa League defeat against the Ligue 1 outfit on Thursday night.

On the chalkboard

The 21-year-old has the versatility to play on either wing but started on the right against the Gunners in the round of 16 tie, and he certainly caused plenty of issues for Nacho Monreal using his pace and dribbling ability.

Like opponent Alex Iwobi, who is much improved but still sometimes continues to put in inconsistent performances for the north London outfit despite being a first-team regular, the Senegal international found the net late on with a header to give the French club an advantage ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Sarr has scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 37 appearances in all competitions for Rennes during the current campaign.

Better than Iwobi?

In a word, no.

And the award for most enthusiastic celebration of a goal scored in the last week goes to the fan in the video below…

There may well have been a debate as to whether the youngster would be an upgrade on the Nigeria international should he sign for Arsenal, but despite his goal and general threat you would have to say he wouldn’t be on this display.

He showed the same weaknesses we often see in the 22-year-old’s game, and highlighted that he doesn’t always have a good end product.

While he made two key passes in 90 minutes – Iwobi made one in 52 minutes before he was substituted off – he also suffered from bad control on 10 occasions, was dispossessed three times and made little contribution from a defensive point of view – something which is needed in the Premier League.

All in all, it was difficult to see how splashing out on the African attacker would solve any of the Gunners’ issues, and they would be better off developing the talented player they already have at their disposal instead.

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Arriving from a relegation-battling side for a hefty £45m fee will immediately put pressure on anyone, and that was no different when Gylfi Sigurdsson arrived at Everton from struggling Swansea.

Having helped the Swans narrowly avoid relegation to the Championship with nine goals and 13 assists, all eyes were on the Icelandic international in the hope that he would replicate those numbers in the blue of Everton – some may have even demanded that he do better, what with the added quality around him.

However, everyone’s human, and the former Tottenham man flopped, as did the Toffees. Sigurdsson played under three managers in his debut season at Goodison Park; Ronald Koeman, David Unsworth and Sam Allardyce, managing to muster up just four goals and three assists.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

This campaign, in stark contrast, the 29-year-old has wrestled that weighty price-tag from his shoulders and shown the blue half of Merseyside what he is all about.

Sigurdsson has netted 12 goals already this season, a new seasonal best for him personally – his tally of 11 from the 2015/16 campaign was his highest before the current term.

In the 2-0 win over Chelsea, the Toffees’ first against a ‘Top Six’ side since they beat Manchester City two seasons ago, Sigurdsson was excellent.

The No.10 managed to find the back of the net, albeit luckily after Kepa Arrizabalaga saved his initial spot kick, but aside from his goal he was instrumental in getting the three points.

Sigurdsson also made three key passes, but showed the industrial side to his game with an interception and two tackles against the Blues to contribute to the hard-earned clean sheet.

He appears to be playing with added calmness and levelheadedness after a maiden season full of all sorts of chaos, and is reaping the benefits of being amongst the first names on Marco Silva’s teamsheet.