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The Blues have suffered their fair share of disappointment in the market over the years – but have also hijacked a couple of deals themselves

Barring a last-second setback, Chelsea are about to steal highly touted Ukranian forward Mykhailo Mudryk away from Arsenal as GOAL understands the Blues have hijacked the Gunners' move for the Shakhtar Donetsk winger.

Mudryk is far from the only player to be involved in dramatic Chelsea transfers with late twists. Just last summer, for example, Barcelona hijacked a move that would have seen defender Jules Kounde head to Stamford Bridge.

GOAL is here to provide you with a run-down of their complicated transfer history.

Getty ImagesArjen Robben (PSV to Chelsea)

Back in the summer of 2004, a 20-year-old Arjen Robben was one of the hottest properties in European football after a bright start to his career at PSV.

Manchester United moved quickest for the Dutchman, and he was due to sign for the club after visiting their training ground, but Chelsea swooped in at the last minute to gazump their rivals.

The Blues saw a £12 million bid for Robben accepted, over double the fee United had offered, and he was then integrated into Jose Mourinho's ranks. The winger played a key role in Chelsea's title 2004-05 and 2005-06 title triumphs before leaving for Real Madrid in 2007.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesJon Obi Mikel (Lyn to Chelsea)

Chelsea actually pulled off one of the most famous transfer heists of all time back when they snapped up Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel from Norwegian outfit Lyn Oslo.

Manchester United had announced Mikel as a new official signing in April 2005 and he was even presented to the media at a press conference, only for the Blues to claim that they had already reached an agreement with Mikel's agent.

A long-winded legal battle ensued, and some 14 months later Mikel was unveiled at Chelsea, where he went on to win two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

Getty ImagesWillian (Anzhi Makhachkala to Chelsea)

Chelsea beat another Premier League rival to a top signing in 2013 as they managed to tie up a deal for Anzhi Makhachkala midfielder Willian.

The Brazilian initially completed a medical at Tottenham ahead of a reported £30 million ($37m) move, but Abramovich personally intervened to convince the player to head to west London instead of the north.

Willian signed a five-year contract at Chelsea, and ended up staying through to 2020 after establishing himself as a key member of the first-team squad, with a total of five trophies collected during his time at Stamford Bridge.

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GettyRaphinha (Leeds to Barcelona)

Fast forward to the summer of 2022, and Chelsea's luck in the transfer market changed rather drastically for the worse.

The Blues set their sights on Leeds United winger Raphinha following another impressive individual campaign for the Brazilian winger, and GOAL confirmed that they were willing to pay up to £55m ($67m) for his services.

Leeds officials were initially eager to accept, but Raphinha had previously agreed to personal terms with Barcelona and always had his heart set on a move to Camp Nou.

Chelsea turned their attention to finalising a deal for Manchester City attacker Raheem Sterling instead as Barca went on to confirm the signing of Raphinha on July 15.

Brazil coach Dorival Junior says he will bring Neymar back into the national team as long as the Al-Hilal attacker gets fit following his injury.

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Neymar out with ACL ruptureDorival asked about his returnStar told he must get fitGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Neymar has been out of action with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and required surgery last October. The 32-year-old initially hoped he would still have a chance of playing at the 2024 Copa America, but he was ruled out by the team doctor. The Selecao boss has now said Neymar will have to prove that he is fit and "focused" before he will be called up again.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DORIVAL SAID

Dorival said: "It is one of the main projects. Neymar is a very important player. He is well aware of that. He is one of the greatest players in world football. Our hope is that he recovers physically. He has a place [in the squad] for everything he has accomplished in the national team, but he needs to be confident, calm, balanced and, above all, focused. He will be part of the process as long as he is fully recovered."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Brazil will face England and Spain in international friendlies next month and will have to make do without star forward Neymar. They are also without Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro for those matches.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR?

Neymar will continue his recovery at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who signed him from PSG in an £86m deal last summer. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has been accused of being overweight on his return to training with the club, and it is still not known when he will be ready to feature in a competitive setting again.

The vast majority of the Dutchman's signings have played in the Netherlands, but the Red Devils must recruit from a bigger pool if they are to succeed

Towards the end of last season, the Manchester United fanzine editor and journalist Andy Mitten came up with an innovative approach to track who the club would be signing in the upcoming transfer window. Speaking on the podcast, Mitten joked: "We all need to start watching the Dutch version of Match of the Day".

United employ around 140 scouts who work around the world, but since Erik ten Hag has been manager, those based in the Netherlands have been the busiest. Of the 13 players the club have signed since the Dutchman's arrival, be it on loan or on permanent deals, eight have previously played in the Netherlands. Three of those (Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia) joined directly from the Eredivisie, while Andre Onana had spent the majority of his career there, only leaving Ajax for Inter in 2022.

Christian Eriksen began his career at Ajax and spent five years there, although he has since enjoyed the bulk of his playing career in the Premier League and could not be accused of lacking top-level experience when he signed for United in 2022. The same is true of Mason Mount, who spent one solitary season with Vitesse.

Then there is Wout Weghorst, who began his career in his native Netherlands but moved to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga in 2018. Finally there is Sofyan Amrabat, United's latest arrival, who came through the ranks at Utrecht and played under Ten Hag before switching to Feyenoord and then to Club Brugge of Belgium in 2018, eventually joining the Red Devils from Fiorentina via Hellas Verona.

The Netherlands has a rich football history, producing some of the best players and managers of all-time, and United have a rich connection with the country. The club's Dutch links stretch back to Arnold Muhren in the 1980s and were strengthened by the roaring successes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Jaap Stam and Robin van Persie, as well as Louis van Gaal's colourful two years in charge.

Ten Hag is a continuation of this long and mostly successful relationship. However, the manager's apparent penchant for players who have played in the Eredivisie oversteps the mark. And with United languishing outside the top four and floundering in the Champions League, there is plenty of evidence that this transfer policy is not working.

As Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS counterpart Sir Dave Brailsford continue to assess what they need to make United a force to be reckoned with, they will need to bring the strategy to an end.

GettyOnly Martinez adapted well

The Eredivisie has long lagged behind Europe's top-five leagues (the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1), and between 2016-17 and 2018-19 it was ranked outside the top 10 by UEFA, below Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and even Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

It has grown in stature in the last three years, rising to sixth last season, but it is still unusual for United to draw so heavily from it. Given that the level is deemed lower than in Germany, France, Spain and Italy, it is perhaps unsurprising that a few of the signings have struggled in making the step up to the Premier League.

Five of United's signings in the summer of 2022 came directly from the Eredivisie, and Martinez was the only player who seemed to adapt well to life in the Premier League, despite initial concerns about his height. The Argentine made up for his lack of stature due to his excellent technical skills and ability to make incisive passes out of defence, although this season he struggled as a result of the metatarsal injury he picked up last April, suffering a reoccurrence of the problem in September that has ruled him out until the new year.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMalacia goes from hero to zero

Malacia was a key player for Feyenoord, who finished third in the 2021-22 season, notching four assists and a goal. When Ten Hag looked within the Eredivisie for a player to give competition to Luke Shaw, he was the natural choice and was available at a reasonable price of £13 million ($16m).

But he experienced a lot of problems in his first campaign with United, soon losing his place to Shaw and then making costly errors against Sevilla and Tottenham. According to, Malacia's struggles were little surprise to members of Wales' coaching staff, who had identified him as a weak link due to his lack of physique when they faced the Netherlands in a Nations League match in 2022, and had tried to give the ball to Brennan Johnson as much as possible in order to put him under pressure.

The travails of Malacia, who has not played any football this season due to an injury sustained in June, appears to underline the gap between the English and Dutch top-flights. But he is not the only one.

Getty Antony is soon found out

Antony has been an even bigger flop than Malacia, especially considering United paid an eye-watering £85m ($106m) to sign him from Ajax on transfer deadline day, despite only being valued at £55m ($68m) at the start of the summer.

Antony cost United so much as Ajax were reluctant to let him go given he was such a crucial part of their team, having scored 18 goals and set up 14 in 57 appearances in the Eredivisie. He got off to an excellent start in England, too, becoming the first ever United player to score in his first three appearances for the club.

But Premier League opponents did not take long to work Antony out and defenders quickly managed to prevent him from pulling off his favourite trick, cutting in from the right wing and shooting with his left foot. Having scored three times in his first month at United, the Brazilian then went six months without scoring again in the league or providing an assist.

His second season has been a farce. He has not scored nor laid on an assist in any competition, and gave the club a deeply uncomfortable situation to deal with when he was accused of assault by his former girlfriend and two other women.

He is looking like United's worst-ever signing, even outdoing Alexis Sanchez, and the worst thing about his dire time at United is that Ten Hag campaigned so vociferously to sign him, believing him essential to putting his style of play into action.

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Getty ImagesTurning to Weghorst

Antony is the last player United signed directly from the Eredivisie, but Ten Hag has continued to look to his home country when he is on the lookout for a new player.

After Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in disgrace in November 2022 and with no funds left after spending so much in the previous transfer window, the United boss turned to Weghorst, who had just scored twice in the World Cup for the Netherlands against Argentina.

Weghorst had had an unhappy previous spell in the Premier League with Burnley, but that did not put Ten Hag off and he signed him for United on loan, continuing to start him despite his lack of impact. The striker left United with no Premier League goals despite being given 17 appearances, his greatest moment being when he ran the length of the Wembley pitch to celebrate with supporters after the FA Cup semi-final shootout win over Brighton.

In another indication that the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s chances of participating in the domestic season are slim, the state association was excluded from a meeting to discuss the itinerary of zonal tournaments

Amol Karhadkar29-Aug-2014Ramesh Powar leaves Rajasthan

Offspinner Ramesh Powar has terminated his agreement with the Rajasthan Cricket Association and has obtained a No Objection Certificate from the BCCI that will allow him to represent another team in the 2014-15 domestic season. Powar had signed a two-year agreement with Rajasthan in August last year and played six games for the side in the Ranji Trophy but with the team’s participation in this year’s domestic season in doubt, the offspinner asked for an NOC from the BCCI.

The Rajasthan Cricket Association was kept out of the BCCI’s central zone meeting to finalise venues for zonal age-group tournaments on Wednesday, indicating that the state association’s chances of participating in the upcoming domestic season are weak.The ad-hoc committee headed by Brijesh Patel, that had been appointed to oversee disputed domestic associations, has already informed the BCCI of its inability to sort out issues with the Rajasthan government. On the sidelines of the BCCI’s marketing committee meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, one of the BCCI’s office bearers also told members he had doubts on whether Rajasthan could feature in the upcoming season.Following its suspension from the BCCI and its exclusion from the board’s domestic programme, the RCA was not invited for the central zone meeting where the associations of Vidarbha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Railways chalked out the itinerary for the zonal tournaments, including the inter-state under-16 and under-19 tournaments.The RCA office-bearers, however, remained confident about being a part of the domestic season and maintained that the selection process for all age-group and senior teams would begin soon.Despite excluding the RCA from its domestic schedule, the BCCI had kept a slot open for the suspended association if the ad-hoc committee headed by Brijesh Patel could sort out the issues with the state government. While the committee did not receive a favourable response during their meeting with the state government, it was considering approaching the authorities again. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that the committee decided against doing so, opting instead to wait for the Rajasthan state government officials to make a move. With the time running out, the forthcoming Ranji Trophy could feature 26 instead of 27 teams.If Rajasthan continues to be sidelined, the junior boys and girls will miss out on one full season of domestic cricket. As for the Ranji cricketers, some of the seniors like Pankaj Singh, Robin Bist, Vineet Saxena along with promising youngsters like Ashok Menaria and Deepak Chahar may play for other teams as professionals. Though the BCCI’s deadline for domestic transfers ends on August 31, the board will allow transfers of cricketers from Rajasthan after the deadline, if required.

David Warner has said that he will struggle to cope with memories of Phillip Hughes’ last innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while playing the fourth Test against India

Daniel Brettig04-Jan-2015On Tuesday, David Warner will walk out to bat a few metres away from the spot where he sat at Phillip Hughes’ side while medical staff worked desperately on his fallen team-mate. On Tuesday, Warner will stride to the middle, passing across pitch seven where Hughes was felled. On Tuesday, Warner will take guard and his left-hander’s gaze will take him naturally back to the part of the square where he helped cradle Hughes.On Tuesday, it will be six weeks to the day since Hughes was struck.Cricketers place a great deal of faith in their ability to block out unhelpful thoughts, distractions and images, but it would be quite simply inhuman for Warner to be able to ignore all of that. Since the first Test in Adelaide he has felt that this fourth match in Sydney would be the most difficult, and the constant reminders of Hughes and the place of his final innings have confirmed it.There has been time, sure, but the return to the SCG has brought a lot back. When one reporter queried Warner over whether he was feeling better about playing at the ground than he had thought he might – ending with the poser that now that some weeks have passed “will you be all right?” – Warner was as direct as his patented punch through the off side.”Nah, it’s not all right. At the moment, not just me but for the guys who were here as well, I can see the guys are putting on a brave face at the moment,” Warner said. “It really comes down to that national anthem and walking out there. We can come out here for training today and yesterday was okay but I was just standing out there just before talking to a friend of mine and just talking about the incident and know where I was fielding and now every time I go out there to field it’s going to be in the back of my mind, whoever we’re playing.”It always is going to be in the back of my mind, no matter what, every time I come here, every time I walk out on the field. Every time I’ve got nothing on my mind, I’m going to be thinking about it.”There has been progress since the last time Warner and his Australian team-mates were at the SCG, grieving and talking and wondering how they would manage to return to play the game that, for all their love of it, had found a way to rob them of one of their closest friends. In Adelaide, Warner went from losing his composure in his first net session to demonstrating enormous strength to carve out twin hundreds. That effort could not be maintained in Brisbane and Melbourne, and it remains to be seen how he will fare in Sydney. Warner has little idea how it will go.In Adelaide, David Warner went from losing his composure in his first net session to demonstrating enormous strength to carve out twin hundreds•Getty Images”The first Test, not much was going through my head actually,” he said. “The first couple of training sessions I was nowhere and I didn’t really feel like I was moving my feet, just because in the forefront of my mind playing that incident over and over again. When you look back on social media, I could see those images of the guys holding him when we were down in that crouch position. It was that image that kept on replaying in my head.”I managed to get over it after the first couple of overs. I was playing on adrenalin. I know sometimes that’s the way I play but I didn’t anticipate to play like that. It was just all instinct and I think that actually calmed me down in a way.”This Test, I honestly can’t tell you until I go out there. I know when I walk out there and go to face up at that Randwick End, I know I’m going to be looking down at that spot. It’s going to be tough but I’ve got to hold back the emotions and try to do what I do for the team … score runs.”There have been plenty of low moments in between, of course, and the mess of emotions is summed up by how Warner pondered his recent entry into fatherhood. His partner Candice and daughter Ivy have been sources of much support and reason to smile, and yet Warner noted his gain had put him in a better position to appreciate the sense of loss felt by Hughes’ parents.”I think it has helped me a lot now that I’ve got a daughter,” he said. “Every time I go home, I’ve always got a big smile on my face to see my fiancée Candice and Ivy. I think it probably would have been a little bit different….I can feel now with having Ivy how much hurt and pain Hughesy’s family is going through.”They had 25 years of knowing Phil. It’s only been three months for me. I can’t put myself in their shoes. But the heartache they’re feeling, you know, it’s emotional. It’s going to be hard for them to come down here and watch this Test. I hope it never happens to myself. It’s a hard thing for me to fathom, what they’re going through at the moment.”One more permanent reminder of Hughes will be added to the ground on day one. A plaque and small bust of his grinning face will adorn an entrance to the Members’ Pavilion. Warner is grateful for this, as a reminder not of how Hughes died, but how he lived.”I think it’s a great thing that the Trust are going to do that for Phil and Phil’s family,” he said. “It’s one of those things where he would want us to keep going, keep smiling and keep playing the game that we love and the game that he loved. Every time we walk on and off the field, we’ll have a smile on our face and know that our little mate is with us.”On Tuesday, Warner will walk past that grinning face, and take the image with him. It might not block out the other memories, but it will help.

Charlotte Edwards’ first T20I fifty in 18 months set up England’s 36-run win over Bangladesh in Bangalore

The Report by Mohammad Isam17-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCharlotte Edwards led the way for England with 60•International Cricket CouncilCharlotte Edwards’ first T20I fifty in 18 months set up England’s 36-run win over Bangladesh in Bangalore. She struck 60 off 51 balls with seven fours before the England bowlers restricted Bangladesh to 117 for 6, which is now their highest score in T20 internationals.Bangladesh lost four early wickets but Salma Khatun and Nigar Sultana added 64 runs, a team record for the fifth wicket. The pair struck boundaries quite regularly, unlike their top and middle-order. Nigar, who had her nickname “Joty” on her jersey, top-scored with 35 off 28 balls.She struck the only six of the innings, a straight hit off Anya Shrubsole in the penultimate over, as well as placing boundaries through square leg, past point and a hoick through the leg side that brought up only Bangladesh’s fifth 50-plus stand in T20s. Nigar became Shrubsole’s second wicket soon after hitting the six, stumped by Sarah Taylor.Salma, who was unbeaten on 32 off 30 balls, started off with an intentional poke past the wicketkeeper before swatting fours over midwicket twice and hammering past mid-off. Shrubsole took two wickets while Jenny Gunn, Katherine Brunt and Danielle Hazell took one each.Having opted to bat first, England were off to a fast start before Tammy Beaumont fell for 18 to Jahanara Alam, who knocked back her leg stump in the fifth over. Taylor and Heather Knight fell in the space of three balls in the 10th and 11th overs to give England a bit of wobble but Edwards held firm.Her seven fours came through cuts, drives through the covers and down the ground, leg-glances and pulls. Salma, off her own bowling, dropped Edwards on 53 and later on 57 though this was a tough chance at cover. Edwards added 47 runs for the fourth wicket with Nat Sciver, who made 27 off 22 balls.Sciver was also dropped at midwicket before she was finally caught in the same over. Danielle Wyatt and Brunt made 15 and 17 respectively in the last two overs as England finished on 153 for 7. Jahanara finished with three wickets, two coming off the last two balls of the innings.

Jose Mourinho slammed his Roma players for their 'superficial' attitude in their 1-1 draw with Servette and singled out Housseum Aouar for criticism.

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Roma held to 1-1 draw at ServetteSecond in group behind Slavia PrahaMourinho slams players after resultGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Roma's chances of finishing first in their Europa League group took a blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Swiss side Servette on Thursday. Mourinho's team took the lead after 21 minutes through Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku but Chris Bedia levelled proceedings five minutes after the break as both sides came away with a point. After the match, Mourinho laid into his players, including summer signing Aouar.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesWHAT JOSE MOURINHO SAID

He told Sky Sport Italia: "We had important opportunities, but the start of the second half was something that happens too often to us. It’s a pity that you don’t have a camera in our locker room at half-time, because every time I make it clear to them that the opponents playing at home who are a goal down will come out fighting.

"That is a natural reaction, it is something we expect. Yet again we were superficial in our attitude, in our interpretation of this moment of the match. There are players who once again missed an opportunity to prove themselves, for example, Aouar.

“There are several who are on the bench and come on in Serie A with a great attitude, then in the Europa League they come on with this sluggish attitude, like they are not accustomed to being on the bench and then do not improve the game.”

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Roma will be in the knockout stages of the Europa League but it is likely they will face a side who has come third in their respective Champions League group after failing to put away Servette. Mourinho led Roma to the Europa Conference League title in 2022 and were runners up in this competition last season. With the former Chelsea boss expected to leave the Italian giants at the end of the season, extra games will not make his task of claiming more silverware any easier.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ROMA?

Roma's final group stage game is against Sheriff on December 14. They will have to beat the Moldovan side and hope Slavia lose against Servette to top the group and avoid the play-offs.

The superstar France forward was blanked as Luis Enrique's side dropped their second straight road game in Europe

There is something about Paris Saint-Germain and Champions League away games this season. Although the Parisians are a fearsome side at home, their form away from Parc des Princes has been alarming, and so it proved on Tuesday, as they surrendered an early lead to a rampant AC Milan side. And it happened in perhaps the most puzzling way possible, with Kylian Mbappe left anonymous as the Parisians lost 2-1.

Luis Enrique's side took the lead inside 10 minutes as one centre-back combined with the other, Marquinhos flicking a corner to the far post, where an unmarked Milan Skriniar nodded home from close range. But the Milan response was swift, Rafael Leao providing it with an acrobatic volley inside the six-yard box to tie the game early.

PSG nearly had a second midway through the opening period, only to see Mike Maignan deny Mbappe as he ran through on goal. Ousmane Dembele, too, came close, rattling the bar with a curled effort.

But it was Milan who grabbed the next goal, as Olivier Giroud peeled away at the back post and met Theo Hernandez's cross with a thumping header early in the second half. Their chances multiplied from there, the Rossoneri midfield simply outrunning a lifeless Parisian outfit. By the end of it all, the visitors were pinging balls to Mbappe and praying for a European miracle — one that never arrived.

GOAL rates PSG's players from San Siro…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10):

Booed by the home support from the first minute. Perhaps could have done better on the opener, but was helpless on the second. Made a few sharp saves to rescue what was otherwise a miserable homecoming.

Achraf Hakimi (5/10):

Given all sorts of problems by Leao, who was excellent on the night. Didn't offer his usual quality in the final third, either.

Marquinhos (6/10):

Assisted the first, but then obstructed his keeper's view on the Milan equaliser. Held his position well and distributed effectively.

Milan Skriniar (5/10):

The former Inter defender opened the scoring, but was outjumped by a 37-year-old Giroud for Milan's second. Lucky not to see red after putting in a number of challenges that should have earned him bookings.

Lucas Hernandez (5/10):

Picked up a silly booking in the second half and didn't deal with the lively Pulisic. Removed after 65 minutes.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Manuel Ugarte (4/10):

Dispossessed consistently, and struggled against Loftus-Cheek in the middle. A forgettable night.

Warren Zaire-Emery (6/10):

Struggled to find a foothold against an impressive Milan midfield. A few nice moments, but he was ultimately overrun.

Vitinha (5/10):

Very tidy on the ball, and linked up well with the forward line. Lacked the grit required in such an intense game.

Getty ImagesAttack

Ousmane Dembele (5/10):

Dangerous on the ball, but tried to go alone a lot. Rattled the bar with a curled effort in the first half, which was pretty much his only threatening moment in the final third. World-class — until he gets into key areas.

Randal Kolo Muani (5/10):

A disappointing hour from the Frenchman. Enjoyed some solid moments, but didn't get involved enough.

Kylian Mbappe (5/10):

On the ball a lot, only to be met with a swarm of Milan defenders. Misfired on a one-on-one in the first half, wasting his only good chance of the night.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Fabian Ruiz (5/10):

Helped his team find a foothold in the middle, without really offering any game-changing moments.

Lee Kang-In (6/10):

Offered an injection of quality and intensity.

Goncalo Ramos (5/10):

Came on for Kolo Muani, who appears to have sealed his spot in the XI. Didn't get on the ball much.

Nordi Mukiele (5/10):

Offered an extended go of things to relieve Hernandez.

Luis Enrique (4/10):

Went back to a 4-3-3, but found his side outmatched in the middle. PSG couldn't deal with Milan's pace or intensity, and will need to consider how this keeps happening on the road.

A city-based T20 competition could be back on the agenda in England and Wales after a group of county chief executives called upon their colleagues to embrace more radical change

George Dobell26-Feb-2016A city-based T20 competition could be back on the agenda in England and Wales after a group of county chief executives called upon their colleagues to embrace more radical change.It had been presumed that the meeting of the county chief executives at Trent Bridge on Thursday would simply wave through a raft of proposals to the structure of county cricket that might be termed a compromise between those who want city-based T20 and those who want no change. Those proposals were understood to include introducing promotion and relegation in domestic T20 cricket and a reduced County Championship fixture list with an eight-team top division and 10-team bottom division. The changes would have been implemented for the 2017 season and would last until the current TV deal expires at the end of 2019.But there was a feeling from some at the meeting – not least the MCC chief executive, Derek Brewer – that the proposals were not radical enough. Brewer argued that, with Test revenues expected to come under strain in the next few years, it was essential to exploit the global appeal of the T20 format. English cricket, he said, was missing an opportunity by failing to implement a streamlined, city-based competition in a school holidays window.Others present felt that the positives of moving to two divisions, with broadcasters focusing on the top tier, might be outweighed by the threat of losing lucrative local derby matches – such as Yorkshire’s and Lancashire’s Roses fixtures, which are understood to be worth £300,000 per game.As a result, the counties asked for more clarity on the financial repercussions of each of their options. With some of the larger, Test-hosting counties anxious about their debt issues, the mood for change among the chief executives does appear to be growing. Warwickshire, Hampshire and Glamorgan are among those counties apparently now in favour of a city-based competition.Many of the county chairmen, and most of those in executive positions at the ECB, are already convinced of the benefits of a city-based T20 competition along the lines of Australia’s Big Bash League. It has, until now, been the chief executives who resisted a move in that direction with many of them citing substantial growth in attendances and revenues since the NatWest Blast was scheduled on a more predictable basis and pointing out that the quality of overseas players – both in terms of talent and marketability – involved in the 2015 competition was exceptionally high.But if evidence can be produced ahead of the next county chairmen’s meeting on March 7, and the ECB board meeting that follows it, that a move to a city-based competition will financially benefit all the counties, it remains just about possible that it could yet be introduced in 2017.Time is an issue. The ECB are adamant that agreement must be reached before the season so that teams go into the campaigns knowing what the outcomes could be. For example, the finishing positions in this year’s NatWest Blast would decide which divisions teams would be in next year.It remains likely that the compromise solution – a two-division T20 competition involving all 18 counties with teams financially compensated for a lack of derby games – will be ratified, but it does seem that resistance to more radical change is crumbling.

David Saker, the England bowling coach, is to leave his role to become head coach of Melbourne Renegades.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2015David Saker, the England bowling coach, is to leave his role to become head coach of Melbourne Renegades. He is contracted until the end of September but could leave before the Ashes this summer.Saker, 48, has been part of the most successful era in England’s history but has increasingly come under criticism. Succeeding Otis Gibson in April 2010, Saker was part of the backroom staff that helped England win a first global one-day trophy – the World T20 in 2010 – and a first Ashes series victory in Australia for 24 years.But Saker’s failure to help bring through a new group of fast bowlers, England’s general struggle in one-day cricket, and particularly the Steven Finn fiasco have blotted his record and many anticipated his sacking after the Ashes whitewash last winter. But he remained in place as England disappointed at the 2014 World T20, lost a home Test series to Sri Lanka and last week crashed out of the World Cup.”My first three years in the job for English cricket was a bit of a fairytale,” he told the . “But like most things it’s hard to keep that form up. We lost some senior players, which made it a little bit harder.”He is now keen to return home to Victoria, potentially before the end of his contract in September, and broaden his experience beyond just the bowling brief, with ambitions to take charge of a Sheffield Shield team.”I’m very excited to join the club and come back to Melbourne – which is home – and work with everyone involved,” Saker said. “The Big Bash League is being talked about worldwide in cricket circles and it’s great to be back working in the T20 format.”Renegades’s chief executive, Stuart Coventry, added: “David is the right person to lead the club over the next two years and drive us into winning positions. David has been involved in the high-performance environment at the international level and had great success with England across all formats over the last five years. We’ll now give him time to review our list closely and work out how he wants to mould things in the months ahead.”